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A.M. D. G.
WOODSTOCI( LETTERS
Of Current Et•cuts and Jlisto1·ical ~Notes conncctecl with
tile Colleges and .Uissiow~ of tile Soc. of' Jt'SUS
in North and South Amerir·a.
VOL. IX.
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VOL. IX, No.
1.
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE,.
ITs EARLY HISTORY, WITH A IHOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ITS
FOUNDER, AND EXTRACTS FR0:\1 HIS CORRESPONDENCE.
(Continued.)
The first meeting of the Catholic clergy of Maryland, or
their delegates (all former members of the Society of Jesus),
to concert measures for the service of religion, was held, as
has been said before (Vol. VII, p. I 38), at ·Whitemarsh, Prince
George's county-one of the old Jesuit residences still preserved to the Society,-June 27th, 1783. The second took
place at the same spot, November 6th, of that year, and was
attended by Rev'ds John Carroll, Bernard Diderick, Ignatius Matthews, John Lewis, superior of the mission after the
suppression of the Society in I773• and James 'Walton. Of
these the two first named only had attended the previous
meeting. At the present one, in addition to the discussion
of measures for the organization of the clergy and for the
preservation of the late property of the Society against the
fondly hoped-for day of its restoration,-subjeCl:s that had
engaged the consideration of the meeting in June,-it was
resolved at once to solicit of the Holy See the appointment
of a superior in place of Mr. Lewis, who held his position
unwillingly as the ecclesiastical subject of a Vicar Apostolic
(3)
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in England, a country from which Maryland and her late
sister colonies had severed their political connection some
years before. Moreover, says a document* drawn up by
Rev. Mr. Carroll in 1790, after he had been made bishop:
"During the whole war, there was not the least communication between the Catholics of America and their bishop,
who was the vicar apostolic of the London DistriCt. To his
spiritual jurisdiction were subject the United States; but
whether he would hold no correspondence with a country
which he perhaps considered in a state of rebellion, or
whether a natural indolence and irresolution restrained him,
the fact is, he held no kind of intercourse with priest or layman in this part of his charge. Before the breaking out of
the war, his predecessor had appointed a vicar, the Rev. Mr.
Lewis, and he governed the mission of America during the
bishop's silence." The same narrative goes on to describe
what was done on this occasio'n. "Soon after the war, the
clergy in Maryland and Pennsylvania, being sensible that to
derive all the advantage from the new order of things in
America; it wouid be proper to have an ecclesiastical superior in the country itself, and knowing the jealousy prevailing in the American governments against the right of jurisdiction resting in a person residing in Great Britain, addressed themselves to the Holy See, praying that a superior '
might be allowed, and that he might be chosen by the clergy,
subject to the approbation and confirmation of His Holiness." The letter to Rome, it seems probable, was written by
Rev. Mr. Diderick, the author of a subsequent letter having
reference to the same topic. It expressly stated that what
was wanting was not a bishop, but a mere superior to be
chosen from among the resident clergy. "The repugnance
to the idea of a bishop," observes the author of the Life mzd
Times,t "seems to have sprung from some hope entertained
of a restoration of the Society of Jesus in this country, in
i'l]e~;,_d-Ti.mes ofA-r;hhl;h~pc-a;r~ll.- U.s. Catholic !l~g;z~~fo~ 1845,
--*
page 2.51.
t U.S. Cath . .Jiag. for 1844, page 797.
�George/O'"dJn College.
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which event it would have been desirable, as it would have
been but just, to restore to the Society the property which
had belonged to it, and was now held by the former members in trust for the service of religion in this country, and
which it was feared would come under the control, in some
measure, of a bishop, and thus be lost to the future society."
The same writer gives it as his opinion that the members
of the clergy "who entertained these views and were most
aCtive in opposition to a bishop were probably few in number, and they were those whose stations as missionaries
in the lower counties of Maryland confined them to a limited
circle, where, occupied with the laborious duties of the mission, they had but little opportunity of consultation with
persons of more extended views than their own and better
informed on the subjeCts in question." Of the five present
at the meeting, however, only two, Rev. Messrs. Matthews
and vValton, were representatives of the lower counties. In
reference to the stand taken on this occasion in opposition
to the appointment of a bishop, Campbell says: "At the
meeting of five delegates of the clergy in November, 1783,
the sentiments of those present were expressed on this subjeCt, and one of them had prepared a letter to Rome stating
their objeCtions, which he declared, if not adopted by the
delegates, he would send in his own name. Without approving of the style of that letter, his colleagues agreed to
send it in their own name to Rev. Mr. Thorpe,* their agent
in Rome, tu be presented or withheld, as he should think
'*.John Thorpe, born in Yorkshire, England, Oct. 21st, 1726, entered the novitiate at \Vatten in 1747, after a distinguished course at St. Orner's College.
He made his philosophy at Liege, taught at St. Orner's, and in 1756 was sent
to Rome to complete his theological studies, and continued to reside in that
city until his death. He was :Minister of the English College, lecturer on
philosophy and moral theology, and afterwards a penitentiary of St. Peter's.
After the dissolution of the Society he retired to St. Carlo a! Corso, an establishment for ecclesiastics. He died April 12th, 1792, leaving the academy at
Liege his heir. Oliver says of him: "As a man of taste, judgment and information, he had few superiors." He also admires him for "his solid and prac·
tical wisdom; his discrimination, his high sense of honor, his candor and tender
piety."
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proper; and he very judiciously declined presenting the
letter."*
Nearly a year elapsed before another meeting of the clergy
was held, a delay in settling the important affairs that had
brought them together in the first place, which can only be
accounted for on the supposition that definite arrangements
were largely dependent on the answer that should be received from Rome to their application for a superior,-and
in those days, communication with European countries necessarily involved prolonged delays. Contemporaneously,
however, with the consideration of the subjeCt: on this side
of the water, the Holy See, without the receipt of any advices from the American clergy, had apprehended their needs,
and began to take measures looking to the appointment of
a bishop. On the 28th of July, 1783, before even the second
meeting of the American clergy was held, Cardinal Doria,
the Pope's nuncio at Paris, communicated to Dr. Franklin,
representing the United States at the French capital, an official "Note" received by him from the Congregation de Propaganda Fide at Rome, the body which has charge of foreign
missions, suggesting, as the dependance of the American
Catholics on an English prelate could now "no longer be
maintained," and they were left without an ecclesiastic to
govern them in matters of religion, that the American Congress give its sanCtion to the establishment "in some one of
the cities of the United States of America, of one of their
Catholic brethren with the authority and power of a vicar
apostolic and the dignity of bishop; or simply with the rank
of apostolical prefeCt:." Or, should a suitable person not be
found among the American clergy, asking the consent of
Congress "to have one seleCted from some foreign nation
~~close _terms of friendship with the United States.''t The
* 18-14, page 796. The acquaintance whlch the author of The Life and Time~
shows with the transactions of that time, seems to give evidence that he had
access.to documents or other information not at hand for the purposes of this
Inemoir.
1
. t The despatch is given in full in Sparks' Franklin, vol.
IS
IX, pp. 548-9. It
also quoted entire, both by Campbell and Clarke. Rev. Mr. Carroll's letter
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nuncio requested Dr. Franklin to cause this note to be presented to congress, and to support it with his influence. Of
course, congress had no jurisdiCtion in matters of this nature, but the ecclesiastical authorities of Rome were either
not yet fully aware of the policy adopted among the newly
confederated states of non-interference in matters of religion,
-a policy strongly contrasting with that which prevailed
under the colonial regimen, and indeed constituting a new
departure in the praCtice of governments-or they desired
to perform an aCl of courtesy towards the American repub- .
lie, the fame of whose liber~l legislation, the charaCter of
whose Washington, and the achievement of whose people
in defeating the most haughty if not the most powerful of
modern nations (remarks Campbell), attraCled the admiration
of Europe.
There seems to be no record in the journals of the Continental Congress in reference to the despatch, but the matter
is adverted to by Rev. Mr. Carroll in a letter to Rev. Mr.
Plowden, of April 10th, 1784, as having been then recently
aCled on: "Dr. Franklin has sent into congress a copy of a
note delivered him by the nuncio at Paris, which I shall
enclose in this. I did not see it before congress had sent
their instruCtions to their minister in answer thereto; and
the answer, I am well informed, is, that congress have no
answer to give, the matter proposed not being in their department, but resting with the different states. But this
you may be assured of, that the Catholic clergy and laity
here know that the only connexion they ought to have with
Rome, is, to acknowledge the Pope as the spiritual head of
the Church." He then proceeds to state (remarks Campbell) that the appointment of a bishop in partibus, to aa
under the Propaganda at Rome, would be very much at
variance with the wishes and views of the clergy in America; that a bishop in ordinary, and immediately responsible
in reference to it is to be found in U. S. Cath. :Mag. for 1844, page 376; another
portion on p. 662. No copy of the letter exists among the l\ISS. copies made
by Dr. White.
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Georgetown College.
to' the Pope, would be more likely to promote the good of
religion in the United States.
Another portion of the same letter speaks of \Vharton,
whose subsequent conduCt occasioned Rev. Mr. Carroll one
of the bitterest experiences of his life. • You desire me to
be particular about my friend and relation Chs. \:Vharton,
for special reasons: I believe I know what those reasons
are: for you mentioned them in a former letter; and l\Ir.
Thos. Talbot* has done the same. He lives upwards of
sixty '!Iiles from me upon his ?wn estate (with his bro~her),
which is valuable, and will be rendered more so by h1s activity and good sense. He has just had judgment against
the executors of his father's will, for a large sum, near £rooo:
he brought in no faculties from the London distriCt, to
*Rev. Thomas Talbot, born in Lancashire, 1717, was admitted into the So·
ciety at 'Vatten in 1735; professed, 1753. Was afterwards prefed of studies
at. St. Orner's. After the suppression, he resided in England. He died in
London, Oct. 12th, 1799. 'Vhat he said in his letter to Mr. Carroll, in liS-!,
was that Hawkins, the friend of 'Vharton in England, was "a fallen priest, a
convert to woman, and a conceiterl puppy." (Note, among ~ISS. letters). As
"a convert to woman," nothing more may be meant than that by frequenting
female non-Catholic society, he lost his priestly vocation, and then the f;~ith.
This was _probably 'Vharton's own case, for no social irregularities were ever
alleged against him. From the cloister, he was thrown, yet a young man,
into the midst of polite Protestant society, and lost his balance. He says,
himself, in his "letter" to the Roman Catholics of"" orcester: '' )Iy connexions
with many valuable Protestants with whom I liverl in habits of intimacy and
friendship served not a little to enlarge my ideas, and wean my mind from
the narrowness of a system. In proportion as I became acquainted with their
persons, I ceased to view their principles through the medium of prejudice.
It soon became painful to regard such fellow Christians, some uf whom are
very near my heart, as straying widely from the only road to happiness," etc.
Rev. John Hawkins, his friend who from a secular priest became a minister
of the established ~hurch, and ~ho supported 'Vharton's "Letter" by an ".\ppeal to scripture, reason, and tradition" attempts no doubt, to apologize for
both, when he says of Wharton: "he could no longer believe that those whom
the most amiable qualities of heart rendered dear to him were the objects of
eternal disregard and reprobation, merely because they would not submit to
the claims of a church which assumed an authority to which she had no just
pretence ..•.. He therefore began seriously to examine whether he had not
himself been imposed upon in his early clays," etc. See note p. 29, vol. I,
Whar~on's Remains, Philadelphia, 1834. Edited with a memoir by "George
'Vashmgton Doane, D. D., Bishop of the Diocese of New Jersey " whose son is
now Vicar General of the Catholic diocese of Newark, N.J. '
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which we were then subjeCt:, and exercises none. [Strange
that this circumstance should not have aroused the suspicions of Rev. Mr. Carroll!] He leads a life clear of all
offence, and gives no handle to censure, though there are
not wanting who would be glad to find room for it. He Is
neither visionary nor fanatic, un pm plzilosop!te, but I hop,e
not too much so. You may be sure he never made a friend
of Hawkins; though having received some civilities from
him, he returned them with politeness. His abilities I say
nothing of; you know them well." But in truth, Wharton
was at that time completing, or had already completed his
famous letter announcing and defending his apostacy. "A
letter to the Roman Catholics of the city of 'vVorcester, from
the late Chaplain of that Society, Mr. C. H. Wharton, stating the motives which induced him to relinquish their communion, and become a member of the Protestant church."*
*Charles Henry Wharton was born in 1748 on the family estate, Notley
Hall, in St. Mary's County, ~I d., the seat of his father and grandfather, to the
latter of whom the property had been presented by one of the Lords Baltimore.
lie was sent for his education to St. Orner's in 1760, entered the Society in
1766, completed his course at Liege, and was ordained in 1772. After the suppression of the Society, the following year, he went to live in England. In
1777, he was residing in Worcester as chaplain to the Catholics of that city,
and remained there until his departure for ~Iaryland in 1783. After a year's
stay with his brother Jesse, he went in May, 1784, to Philadelphia to publish
his pamphlet, taking with him a letter of introduction from Wm. Paca, the
Governor of Maryland, to the G:wernor's brother-in-law, Rev. 'Villiam 'Vhite,
afterwards the first Protestant Episcopal Bishop in the United States. The
latter read the manuscript with approval, and doubtless introduced the author
to Protestant circles to which he was still further accredited by a very eulogistic letter written in July by his Protestant friends in St. Mary's Co., gentlemen of the vicinity. In October of that year, Wharton attended the first
general convention of the Episcopal church in New York, and Mr. 'Vhite,
who then proposed to open an academy in Philadelphia under church auspices, desired him to become the principal of it. This project, however, seems
to have been given up, for Wharton was in li85 established as a minister at
Newcastle, Del. Meanwhile, he. regularly attended all the Episcopal conventions, at one of which, in 1786, he signed, as President, the recommendation of Rev. 'Vm. White for consecration, to the Archbishops and Bishops of
England. At another, in li89, he took an active part in the revisal of the
Book of Common Prayer. Finally, in 1798, he was settled as pastor of St.
~fary's church, Burlington, New Jersey, where he remained until his death.
He was chosen a member of the American Philosophical Society, while FrankVaL. IX-No. 1.
2
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Georgl'/own College.
This produCtion, although addressed to the Catholics of
Worcester, in England, was evidently intended for effeCt: in
the United States. Its style was not a coarse one, of the
charaCter of those attacks which were often made upon the
Catholic religion while the country was under British domination, and, indeed, which have not unfrequently appeared
;ince: on the contrary, it was written with elegance, and its
objeCt: appeared to be self-defence rather than aggression.
The author speaks with respect of his former co-religionists,
but grievously misrepresents the doctrines of the Church,
making them appear narrow and illiberal, and attributing
to Catholics, in consequence, an uncharitable and intolerant
spirit. The time at which the attack upon Catholic doctrine
was made, remarks Campbell, ''seemed to indicate an unfriendliness to that spirit of religious liberty which was then
cherished by patriots, who, having just succeeded in emancipating their country from foreign control, were desirous
to exhibit in the new republic the delightful spectacle of a
fraternity in all civil and religious rights and privileges,
without regard to the diversity of speculative opinions, or
the variety of religious profession and practice."
A reply seemed called for from the Catholic clergy, and
the Rev. Mr. Carroll, who had been so cruelly undeceived in
regard to Mr. Wharton's position and purposes,* was soliclin was President of it. In 1801, he was elected President of Columbia Coll~ge,
New York, and held the place a few months. He died at Burlington, July
23d, 1833, in the Sfith year of his age, having never manifested, to the end of
his life, so far as is kn<>wn, any desire to retrace his st~ps. He was twice
married, but left 110 children. His first wife a l\fiss 'Veems of :Maryland
die•l in li98. His second, llliss Kinsay of N'ew Jerst>y, survived him. ]~
should be said, to 'Vharton's credit, that he never spoke of his former companions in the Society in other terms than those of admiration and respect, and
always characterized the suppression as an act of injustice.
*In reply to lllr. Carroll's letter of April lOth to Mr. Plowden, the latter
writes from Lulworth castle, Dorsetshire, S~pt. 2d, 1784: "I was pleased to
read in your last so favorable an account of l\lr. 'Vharton, who has always my
best wishes, but whose conduct at 'Vorcester gave me (·ause to apprehend some
flagrant abuse of the talents with which God has distinguished him. Though 1
~hoose n~t to write all that I have heard about him, I can assure you that my
mformanon hc.s been for three years past derived solely from secular gentle-
�Georgetown College.
I I
ited by his brethren to undertake it. But, while Mr. Wharton had had every advantage of consulting, at his leisure,
learned authorities, Mr. Carroll was far from enjoying any
similar opportunities, either in matter of leisure or of literary
resources, the books belonging to the clergy being scattered
here and there at the various missions, and no large library
suitable for his purposes being readily at hand. Indeed,
the frequent references by the former, says Campbell, "to
authors rarely to be found in this country at that period,
and only intelligible to the profound scholar, were calculated
to embarrass the unlearned enquirer, and give temporary
impunity to assertions subsequently shown to be only sustained by erroneous quotations or doubtful authorities." In
this emergency, Mr. Carroll wrote to Mr. Molyneux in Philadelphia to search the libraries of that city for the authorities
he needed. Some of these works are mentioned by Mr.
Molyneux, writing under date of Aug. 24th and Sept. 8th,
as being in the Loganian library, but were inaccessible at
the time, owing to the sickness of Mr. Logan and the absence of his brother, it being necessary that one or the
·other should be present when the books were being exam·
ined. Meanwhile, Rev. Mr. Carroll, having ascertained
that the then existing public library at Annapolis contained
many of the books he was in search of, repaired thither and
set to work. His pamphlet was printed at Annapolis by
Frederick Green, in 1784, and bore the title: "An Address
to the Roman Catholics of the United States of America.
By a Catholic clergyman." The controversy is ably summarized in Col. Campbell's "Life and Times of Archbishop
men, Catholics and Protestants, and not, as you seem to ~magine, from narrowminded divines, who know not how to think or speak out of the dead letter
of their dictates. I lately heard in London, and the report has reached Dorsetshire, that he has abjured his religion and sacerdotal character, and trans·
mitted his pretended motives for it to his acquaintance at Worcester. Mr.
Talbot told me this sad news without any appearance of doubt, and when I
combine it with fi\Cts which I know, I can hardly persuade myself that it is
false."-Life and Times, p. 663. The remaining portion of this letter, in
reference to the proposed plan of a vicar apostolic, and which will be quoted
hereafter, is to be found in the same volume, p. 376.
�\
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Georgctou•Jt College.
Carroll,''* and need not here be dwelt on. The following
passage, however, from the concludit:g portion of the "Address," may be quoted as eloquently expressive of the feelings entertained by Rev. Mr. Carroll in taking up his pen
against such an adversary: "But of all considerations the
most painful was that I had to combat him with whom I
had been conneCted in an intercourse of friendship and
mutual good offices, and in connexion with whom I hoped
to have consummated my course of our common ministry
in the service of virtue and religion. But when I felt these
expeCtations disappointed-when I found that he not only
had ab:mdoned uur faith and communion, but had imputed
to us doCtrines foreign to our belief and having a natural
tendency to embitter against us the minds of our fellow citizens- I felt an anguish too keen for description ; and
perhaps the chaplain will experience a similar sentiment
when he comes coolly to refleCt on this instance of his conduCt. It did not become the friend of toleration to misinform, and to sow in minds so misinformed the seeds of religious animosity."
To return to the matter of the correspondence between
Rome and the Maryland clergy. The nuncio at Paris, after
the lapse of more than nine months from the date of his
former note, transmitted to congress by Dr. Franklin,-a sufficient interval to have enabled him to learn that congress
had no objeCtions to make to the appointment of a vicar
*Pages 662 to 669, vol. for 1844. Both documents, together with "'barton's
reply, are to be found in the second volume of 1Vhnrton's Re11wins. The con·
troversialists met again not long after the publication of their respective pamphlets. The occasion was this. ~Ir. ·wharton, on taking orders in the Catholic Church, surrendered his patrimony to his younger brother, on condition of
his marrying with Rev. Mr. Carroll's consent. The conveyance was afterwards found to be incomplete, and while Mr. ·wharton was residing in Philadelphia, Rev. :Mr. Carroll called upon him to procure the instrument needed
to make the brother's title perfect. It was readily giv<'n and Parson ·white,
at whose house Mr. 'Vharton was then stopping-,-while Rev. ~Ir. Carroll
stopped with lllr. Fitzsimmons, says in a letter to Bishop Doane, ( vol. I. "Remains," p. 33.): "I was gratified by the account given to me by Mr. Fitzsim·
mons, of the friendly manner of their meeting." The youn«er 'Vharton left a
son, C. II. Wharton, subsequently a resident of 'Vashingto"n, and a Catholic.
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apostolic,-addressed Rev. Mr. Carroll, under date of May
12th, 1784, requesting, on behalf of the Propaganda, a full
statement of the a8:ual condition of the missions in the
United States, and enclosing a memorandum specifying
the heads under which this information was needed. He
enquires, 1st, as to the conduCt: and capacity of the different
priests on tht' mission, desiring to be informed "who among
them might be the most worthy, and at the same time
agreeable to the members of the assembly of those provinces, to be invested with the charaCter of bishop in partibus,
and the quality of vicar apostolic," adding, zdly, that a native of the country would be preferred to one who was not,
all other things being equal; but that in default of a suitable candidate, a Frenchman would be appointed. 3dly, he
wishes to know the number of ecclesiastics and missionaries; if there are any in other provinces besides Pennsylvania
and Maryland; and how many are needed by the Catholics.
4thly,* an enquiry is made, which on account of1ts relation
to the main objeCt: of these pages, were better given in full:
"To know if in these provinces there are schools where Latin
is taught: such that the young men of the country who might
wish to prepare for the ecclesiastical state, could study their
humanities before passing to France or Rome, there to enter at once on their philosophical and theological studies."
This letter was not received by Rev. Mr. Carroll until some
months afterwards, and is only given in this place in order
to show the progress of events in order of time. The first
letter received by him communicating any definite a8:ion
on the part of the authorities at Rome, was one from Rev.
Mr. Thorpe, of June 9th, 1784, announcing that he had been
appointed superior. This aetion was evidently taken in
response to the proceedings of the clergy on Nov. 6th, 1783.
'*If Rev. )lr. Carroll had not already entertained the idea of establishing a
school or academy, this enquiry must have guided him to it. It would be interesting to be assured that Georgetown College owes its origin to a suggestion
of the Holy See, for the nuncia's enquiries emanated thence. For the full
text, see volume for 1844, p. 376.
�iii'
1.:
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I 'I
Georgetown College.
This letter, to be sure, was not presented, but the substance
of it seems to have been conveyed in a memorial addressed
to the Propaganda by Rev. Mr. Thorpe as agent of the
Maryland clergy, as we learn from Mr. Plowden's letter of
Sept. zd, 1784, to Mr. Carroll: "Our friend Thorpe's memorial, delivered to the Pope along with your petition, by
Cardinal Borromeo, convinced the propaganda that the introduCtion of an alien would overthrow the mission." The
"petition" must then be supposed to have been a protest of
Mr. Carroll's against the appointment of an alien in the
quality of bishop. Mention is made elsewhere of a list sent
on to R~ine, and doubtless presented with the other papers
at this time, of five names of members of the Maryland
clergy eligible for superior. Such a list, it is natural to suppose, would accompany the petition of Nov. 6th, 1783, for
a superior. All that is known of it from the documents at
hand is that the name of the existing superior: the estimable Lewis; occupied the first place on it, and that of Rev.
Mr. Carroll, by his own request, the last. The names of the
other three, it is to be regretted, do not transpire. l\Ir.
T~orpe's letter* is as follows:
" To .lllr. Jolm Carro!!,
"DEAR SIR,-This evening ample ftculties are sent by
the Congregation of the Propaganda, empowering you to
confer the sacrament of confirmation, bless oils, etc. until
such time as the necessary inform:1tion shall be taken in
North America, and sent hither for promoting you to the
dignity and character of a bishop. On their arrival here,
you will be accordingly so nominated by the Pope, and the
place determined for your consecration. Cardinal Borromeo sent for me to give me this intelligence, on the veracity
of which you may entirely depend, though you should not,
by any mistake, have received it from other hands. \Vhen
the nuncio, M. Doria, at Paris, applied to Mr. Franklin, the
old gentleman remembered you; he had his memory refreshed before, though you had modestly put your own
*'Volume for 1844, p. 379.
�15
indian Missio11s.
name in the last place of the list. I heartily congratulate'
your country for having obtained so worthy a pastor.
vVhatever I can be ever able to do in serving your zeal for
religion, shall always be at your command.
"I am ever most affeCtionately and most respeCtfully yours
J. THORPE.
9tlz Jztlle, I784."
The documents referred to in the above letter, were sent
to the nuncio at Paris, for transmission. An abstraCt of
them will be presented at the proper place.
"RoME,
(To be co11tinued.)
INDIAN MISSIONS.
Letter from Fr. J Hebert to Fr. J Pen-oJZ.
LAKE Lmw, May 27th, 1879.
REV. FATHER,
P. C.
I promised you some time ago an account of my missions
of last year. To give you an idea ofthem and the blessings
with which God vouchsafes to attend my labors, I will describe a couple of trips which I made, one in the winter, the
other in the spring. Returning from Red Rock in January,
1878, I received at the mission ofFort William a letter from
Mr. Henry De la Ronde, who, as you are aware, is an officer ofthe Hudson's Bay Company at Fort Nepigon. He
informed me that five of his Catholic Indians were very sick
and desired my assistance. The news pained me, as well
because I felt for the poor Indians, as that it interfered with
a tour I intended to make among the Indians on the Pacific
railroad. Then a journey of two hundred and fifty miles,
in the middle of winter, unprovided with conveniences of
bed and board, was no easy undertaking. I started however
�16
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Indian 111issions.
on Jan. 1st for Red Rock, in company with the Indians
who had conduCl:ed me to the mission. Here I met Charles
De la Ronde, brother of Henry, a noble hearted young
fellow, somewhat wild, and always ready for a trip. He
offered to accompany me and wa.; gladly accepted. vVe
had to follow the river Nepigon to reach the lake of the
same name, but did so with difficulty. The ice was already
broken in several places by the thaw and the rapidity of the
current, so that we had to travel the forty miles, that separate Red Rock from the lake, on a narrow strip of ice along
the bank of the river, or where this [tiled, on the floating
ledges 1n the middle of the stream. Once when we found
our way cut off entirely by a large perpendicular rock jutting out into the water, we abandoned the river, but only
to find obstacles all but insurmountable both to our men
and our dogs, in climbing the adjoining hill and penetrating
a dense wood. vVith such adventures our progress was
naturally slow. Still we reached Fort Nepigon four days
after leaving Red Rock.
Evening prayers that night, and Mass next morning,
which was Sunday, wen:! well attended. After Mass I started
for Obabikang to see one of the sick persons whom Henry
had told me at the Fort, I should scarcely overtake. I
reached the place at nightfall and found the poor woman
still living. Her joy at my arriv'al was great. What indigence was there! a poor hut consisting of bur one apartment, ill proteCl:ed against the cold, with a fe\v pieces of
wood burning low on the hearth, not from lack of wood,
but it seemed the poor woman could not endure the least
heat. The cold heightened the poverty of the place. The
sick woman lay on the floor, and close to her was an image
of Jesus Crucified. The presence of this sign of our redemption shed a ray of hope that somewhat dispelled the desolation, which but for this would have been complete. How
often during the long nights of her suffering had the poor
creature turned her eyes, streaming with tears of devotion,
�Indian Jl1issions.
17
to this cherished objeCl:. And Jesus answered: Ecce venio.
He was indeed come to release her, for in a few days her
sufferings ended. The other patients were not dangerously
sick. I spent a few days here hearing confessions, and received into the Church a young pagan whom I had pre·
viously instruCl:ed. The cold was intense all the time.
While here I concluded to visit the rest of the Indians
of Nepigon, though we do so only at Easter. There were
many stations to visit, so I spent but a short time at each.
On arriving I preached, heard confessions and next morning, after giving communion at Mass, started for another
station, often very distant. From the Fort, I visited vVindJab, chief of the Nepigons. I had many companions, for
all were eager for the trip. Charlie and myself led the van,
and our twenty-five dogs, decked off as for a fete, and yoked
one behind another, sped along with their tails ereCl:, as if
delighting in their task. On reaching the home of the chief,
he placed at my disposal one of his three shanties. Here
I heard confessions while my comrades amused themselves
singing canticles. On Feb. 2oth I was back at Red Rock,
and on the 28th at Fort William. The sick call had taken
just a month, and I had travelled more than five hundred
miles.
I will now describe to you, as briefly as possible, a second
tour, which we call the grand tour, both for the time it takes
and the distance it·covers. This was the first time I made
it, for though I had accompanied Fr. Du Ranquet, in the
spring of -77, I left him at lake Nepigon whence he continued his way by Lakes Long, Pic, and Michipicoton, and I
returned to Red Rock by Lake Superior. An account of
this trip appeared in the WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
I started, then, on April 30th, 1878, from Red Rock for
the Flats on Lake Superior, but did not tallow the ordinary
route of my predecessor. I fancied I had found a better
way than this veteran of twenty years' experience in these
missions. A good proof of my mistake is, that I am now
VoL. Ix-No. 1.
3
�18
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Indian JJ,fissions.
following on his track. Henry, my inseparable companion,
accompanied me. \Ve had a small bark canoe about fifteen
feet long, rather small for the waves on the bay of Nepigon,
which are large enough at any time, but especially in spring.
When we placed in it our baggage and provisions, and took
our seats, it was so weighed down that you would have
considered it dangerous even for the shallow waters of the
Patapsco. We reached the Flats in three days and a half.
The place consists of a few huts mostly in ruins, inhabited by from seventy-five to eighty poor Indians from different localities, and much given to idleness. They are
Catholics+ .~ut rather hickory, falling back into their superstitions as soon as the missioner turns his back. I spent
four days with them, heard the confessions of all and gave
communion to some. I found two of the infidels, an old
man and his son, disposed to become Catholics, and set to
work to instrua them. The old man Migisi (Eagle) certainly did not merit the name by quickness of intellea. I
had the greatest possible difficulty in instruaing him. The
young man was very intelligent: I also received back into
the-Church a widow woman.who had five children. She
had formerly been baptized by Fr. Kohler, but was afterwards duped by Methodists into abandoning her religion.
I then left for Lake Long. As Henry did not know the
way, I accepted the offer of a young man of the place to
guide us some distance. His wife came along to guide him.
The number I had now to provide for alarmed me, especially
· as we advanced very slowly and our Cicerone had an excellent appetite. So when we reached a certain river that
led to the place we were making for, though difficult to ascend, we shared our little stock with our guides and dismissed them.
We proceeded ~p the river, but soon met a rapid. We
sought in vain for a portage; we consequently shouldered
our provi!:'ions, and carried them above the rapids. Then
Henry alone in the canoe, and armed with a long pole, with
�Indian JJ!issions.
much labor succeeded in shoving it over. \Ne hoped now
that such obstacles would be few and far between, but before we went far a second rapid appeared, and a third, and
so on for three days, each with its own special difficulty.
Sometimes we passed them by jumping into the water and
dragging the canoe. This part of the work I left to Henry,
for once when I tried it, I thought my legs would be torn
off by the strong current of freezing water. vVhen we
reached the head of the river, we took up our march from
one small lake to another, dreading all the time that we had
lost our way. To increase my fears, I remembered that
Fr. "Du Ranquet, following the course of the river, had
crossed from Lake Superior to Lake Long in a day and a
hal( Then I began to look at our provisions, already so
heavily taxed. True we had a gun, nets, and snare or hare
traps, but there was no game, and ·very poor fishing. Different thoughts crossed my mind, nor were they all of the
brightest color. But confidence in God and resignation to
His holy will, which are sure to take deepest root when thus
put to the test, soon restored calm to my soul. Among the
lakes we had several portages. One, covered with broken
trunks of trees lying in every direaion, and filled up with
branches, was the worst I had ever seen. It was hard
enough to cross it with the burden that nature has given
us without any additional luggage. Still I loaded myself
with a part of our baggage proportioned to my strength
and started out to make my way across it. I had not gone
far when I fell upon my right side, but_somehow the axe
that I was carrying reached the ground before me and fell
with its edge up, held fast between two roots. As I arose
I felt a pain in my hand, and looking saw the blood flowing
copiously. Just then I had the good fortune to think of
another burden and fall and loss of blood, and offered up
mine in union with those for the conversion of infidels,
heretics, and sinners, remarking to Henry who had come
up, that, had it not been for the proteaion of my Angel
�'I!''
i
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20
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Indian 1liissions.
Guardian, my whole hand would have suffered, and not
merely a couple of fingers. This was the crowning of our
difficulties. At the end of this portage we were in sight of
Lake Long, and hailed it as the Hebrews did the Promised
Land, or as Columbus and his comrades hailed our own
continent. We were on our way betimes next morning, and
on 1\Iay 16th reached the Fort on Lake Long, having
crossed the whole length of the lake, a distance of sixty
miles, in less than two days.
The buildings at the Fort, a few old bark construCtions
threatened with ruin, do small honor to the Honorable
Hudso!Ls Bay Company. Mr. Reynolds, the offic~r in
charge, ~~me down to the shore to' meet me. He is a Protestant and seemed to examine me with a cautious eye. Our
meeting was rather cold, quite a contrast, I thought, to the
cordial reception which Fr. Du Ranquet told me he used to
receive from 1\'Ir. John Finlayson, the predecessor of Mr.
Reynolds. I saw -only four wigwams, and asked Mr. Reynolds when he expeCted the savages. He answered, about
the z8th of the month. Twelve days, I thought, is long to
wait. He remarked my disappointment, but in a tone that
seemed to say I had better not wait. I replied that I had
come too long and difficult a journey to go off in this way.
At all events he supplied me with a little hut, with the walls
and roof, for there was no ceiling, covered with soot and
dust, and for furniture there were a couple of benches and a
little table that could scarcely stand on its legs. The Indians
of the Fort came to confession, some at once, others later.
On Sunday, the I 8th, I sang high Mass. Shortly after
noon I espied three canoes coming towards the Fort, and
going down to the shore when they approached, I did not
negleCt: to shake hands with every one, big and little, though
I had never seen them, for I know they make much of this.
Seeing them wet and shivering with cold, I invited them
to my shanty, where I had at least a good fire. There were
nine of them, all of the same family. While they were warm-
�Indian 111issions.
21
ing themselves, I asked Bwan, the head of the family, if
they were Christians. He answered, "Not yet." "Do you
wish to be?" "Yes," he replied, "and I have been telling
my three brothers that the time ha-s come to take the step."
"Very good," said I, "I'll see your brothers later, but shall
I begin now to instruCt: you?" He agreed, but requested
me to ask such of his children as were grown. I did so and
found all disposed. My joy was great at such a capture.
Next morning I baptized the two youngest and set to work
to instruCt: the others. Towards noon five more canoes appeared. I went down to the shore, went through the same
ceremonies as the day before, and in a short time had seventeen more, all of the same family, ranged around my fire.
The father was a bigamist. His look and the presence of
his two wives discouraged me. I asked one of the children,
with some timidity. if they were going to become Christians.
He told me that their father left them free. I asked the
father, and he answered as Bwan had done the day before.
I found the children all disposed, baptized three of them
next morning, and began to instruCt: the rest.
I had now twelve catechumens. How happy I was!
Morning, noon, and night, you .could hear us reciting the
prayers. When I grew tired or said my Breviary, Henry
took my place. The Indians never tire. They can repeat
the same thing from morning till night. They pay little
attention to what they say and so cannot grow weary; but
for this very reason it is only by continual hammering that
you can get anything into their· heads. Still I met some
exceptions to this rule. On Sunday the 25th, I baptized
the twelve adults and did not forget to return thanks to the
Sacred Heart, the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph.
Next day, fifteen more canoes hove in sight, making for
the Fort. My heart leaped for joy. I was at the shore to
receive them; the men all shook hands, the women bowed.
Some of these remained in a stooping posture for a few moments, spoke in a low tone, and wept, in token, I was told,
�22
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Indian Missions.
of grief for the loss of their patents. The men ·at once
started offfor the magazine of the Fort with their packages
of fur under their arms, and ~hartly after returned with
small quantities of flour, b~~. tea, tobacco etc. Meanwhile the women and cqildren plantedhheir wigwams and
transferred their bagga~ irom the canoes. Sixteen more
canoes arrived on the 28th, ~nd on 'the 2~, ten. Each arrival found me at my p~s~i;on the fanding.:.; The people of
the Fort have left these P.~9r savs;ges only a small piece of
ground for their tents, in "fltany places covered with water.
It was so close to my shanty that I could hear their conversations. They make very long tents,jabondawan. Sometimes se'ven or eight families put Ut> in the same tent. Each
family has its own fire. These fir.e';;•are all in a row in the
middle of the tent from ot:te end to' the oth~r. \Vhen time
for cooking came, all the fires blazed, and all the tent was
one scene of aCtivity. The rest of the day,· they talked, and
laughed, and slept stretched out behind the tent.
When they were settled down, I made the rounds, asking
boldly if they wished to become Christians. If they had
c,hildren, I asked to baptize the\n.~J.1d was never refused,
even by those who did not·\vish t9 15eco~e Christians themselves. \Vhen I gave instruCtion~. n1y.; httt was filled with
adults. Some came out of curiositt:; others, whom I soon
reck_oned among my cate~l~u-~e?s,~t~~ed with bet~er
motives. l\Iy success \~as~ewha~'lundered by the Influence of a pagan family)Ot_ Canad_ian half-breeds, named
Lagarde. They told the s'avages' that the children only
should be baptized this spring, and the edults next year.
Another obstacle was the extreme want of many of the In.
dians, who had to go to some distance to seek good fishing.
When the time came for Henry and myself to take our
meagre repast, the children ~nd .tnany of the adults crowded
into our shanty. I gave: them a little soup,.a mere trifle
when divided among so many.· Still, it satisfied them. But
th~ children visited ~~ at other times, at least twenty-five
. \ ·.:
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�Indian Missions.
23
times a day. They became very much attached to me,
called me Kossinan, our father, often bothered me a great
deal, so that some of .the people of the place remarked to
me that I must have the patience of Job. I laughed and
answered that I was certainly very far from it. I gave each
of the children that I baptized a medal or a small crucifix;
if they were proud to display these on their little breasts, I
was not less so to see them there.
For the instn.iB:ion of the adults, I separated the men
and women and when the hour came I sometimes sent
Henry around the tents to ring a little bell, sometimes went
myself, recalling the example of St. Francis Xavier. I gave
·ahout a quarter of an hour's instruCtion to the men, while
Henry repeated the prayers with the women. We then
changed places; for if I were long without visiting either,
they considered themselves negleCted and grew discouraged.
To those who had difficulty in learning I gave extra lessons,
in order to keep them up with the others. I endeavored
to make them feel the necessity of religion and the impor. tance of the sacrament they were about to receive. Sometimes, I had the mortification to refuse some who, though
prepared in mind, had not the proper dispositions of heart.
The devil showed his opposition to my work, generally ..
by the sarcastic s~iles of those who remained infidels, and
by the conduCt: of some of the Catholics. It was evident
on one occasion. I was about to baptize a little boy, three
or four years of age, a real monster. His head was exceedingly large, so that it had to be continually supported by
some one. When he saw me he began to weep, and all the
time the ceremony lasted kept crying: "mad.fada kiwi nissigomin," "let us go, they want to kill us." One night
about nine o'clock, when the wind was blowing terribly,
and the rain falling in torrents, I heard a noise that seemed
to arise behind my hut. I listened and recdgnized the tambour, deweigan, the favorite instrument of the pagan savages.
One was singing an accompaniment, a monotonous drone
�Indian .1Vissions.
of three low notes. I started out in spite of the storm and
made my way to one of the jabandawmz, and there I found
the musician seated at one end of it so intent upon his instrument that he scarcely noticed me. Around him sat the
men and women in separate rows completely enchanted by
the music. I returned home, my heart heavy with sadness
for the blindness of these poor savages. The scene was
worthy of him that inspired it. But if the hand of the
enemy \Vas visible throughout my stay at Lake Long, graces
too were showered on us in abundance. A savage of much
influence, among his tribe, whom I had great difficulty in
winning- pver, because a Protestant minister had him in his
clutches, at length became a Catholic. A feast, promised·
the Indians by the people of the Fort, served me in keeping
them together. It came off on June the 4th, and immediately after it they departed, except a few whom I detained
for further instruCl:ion before baptism. At length on the
7th I left for Le Pic, one hundred and eighty miles distant,
my heart filled with consolation. In twenty-two days I had
baptized seventy, thirty-one of these adults. I attribute
my success to the intention I sent to the .Lllessenger of t!tc
Sacred Heart, during the winter: "A missioner, about to
visit savage infidels, asks for their conversion to the faith."
The 8th, gth and 1oth I spent. on the shore of a small
lake. Here we celebrated the feast of Pentecost, for which
we had decked our tent with evergreens, by high Mass
and vespers, after which I baptized five, two of them adults.
We then continued our way, suffering much from the heat
and the musquitoes, and reached Le Pic on the 12th. Many
savages were encamped around the Fort, but I had to leave
next day for Fort vVilliam. However I baptized eighteen
children, many of them of Catholic parents, and promised
to return soon. I hastened on to the mission and was back
at Le Pic on July 5th. On my way back I spent five days
at Red Rock, where I heard many confessions and baptized
five Indians, three adults and two children. At Le Pic I
�Indian JJfissions.
25
spent seven weary fatiguing days. In the morning after
breakfast, I gave catechism to the, Pagans and Methodists.
At 1 1, attended to the children. In the afternoon I followed
the same order, and in the evening said prayers and gave
instruCtion. In this time I baptized nineteen, all adults except one, ten Pagans and eight methodists. The intention
in the JJfessmger still bore its fruits.
I was eager to remain here longer but had to leave in
order to catch the savages before their departure from Michipocoton, one hundred miles from Le Pic. I reached it
July 19th, and was very kindly received by Mr. Bell, the
great man of the Hudson's Bay Company. He is a Protestant, but intends becoming a Catholic as soon as he is
disentangled from the affairs of the Company; God grant
it. There are a great many Methodists at this place. They
were baptized, I was told, by Fr. Kohler, and some by Fr.
Hanipaux, but after their departure, the enemy came, in the
garb of a Protestant minister, and sowed cockle among the
good grain. Many of these poor wanderers have since returned. We have a very neat little chapel at Michipocoton,
the only one that is finished between Prince Arthur's Landing, and the Sault Ste. Marie. It was built by Fr. Du Ranquet. He was liberally assisted by Mr. Bell in finishing it.
The Catholics are, in general, very punCtual in attending
to their religious duties. The services in our little chapel
attraCted many infidels and lVIethodists, of whom I baptized
seven or eight. One day one of the apostates came to meand said: "Kossinanms, our little father (Fr. Du Ranquet)
often asked me to return to the Church, but I always answered: 'Not yet.' To-day I will return and I wish you
to tell him." It is thus that I gather the fruits of Fr. Du
Ranquet's labors. He asked me for a calendar and some
holy water, and added that he would come agam but not
alone, for the savages along the river respeCted and obeyed
him. I enquired afterwards and was told he was sure to
keep his word. The celebrated chief Totominan, whom I
VoL. rx-No. I.
4
�Indian Jvfissio11s.
was eager to see, because if he return to Catholicity all the
Methodists will probably follow his example, came to pay
me a visit. He brought me two children to baptize. After
the ceremony I had a long conversation with him, and
found him to be very cunning, a:nd far, I fear, from the kingdom of Heaven; but the grace of God is all powerful.
I left Michipocoton, july 30th, to return to Fort William.
Since my departure from Red Rock, Apr. 30th, I had baptized one hundred and twenty-seven, mostly infidels and
heretics. On my way home I baptized six more, and reached
home, Aug. roth. Fr. Du Ranquct, who had been appointed
visitor of· these missions, had gone to the Highlands and
Grand Portage. This gave me a few days rest among my
brethren. In reading this account of these two trips, the
words of our Lord will no doubt occur to you, "Messis quz'dem multa, operarii autem pauci ,· rogate ergo Domimmz
messis ut mittat operarios t'll messem suam." I know, Rev.
Father, that you faithfully follow this injunction: Please to
remember me also in your holy and fervent prayers, and be
assured I do not forget you in mine.
Present my kindest wishes to my old professors and all
my acquaintances at Woodstock.
In the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the Immaculate Heart
of Mary,
Your Reverence's servant in .Christ,
-
]. HEBERT,
S. ].
�Indian i11issions.
27
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
Extrafl of a Letter ji·om Fr. F. Giorda.
DE SMET, PINE CREEK P.
0.,
w.
oct.
T.
2 I, I8 79 .
* * * * Two years ago we were compelled to abandon the old Cceur d'Alene mission, and transport it to the
spot which it occupies at present, and which we have called
De Smet, in honor of the founder of all our missions.
On a recent journey, I pas,;ed by the old missions, and
my heart bled when I saw that majestic church, our residence, and the log houses of the Indians going to wreck.
In a few years, there will be only a heap of ruins on the
spot hallowed by the Sacred Heart. But the change of
place was due to a long-felt necessity; and it has been
produB:ive of good results. In the present locality, every
male.: Indian of the Cceur d'Alene tribe possesses a substantial homestead and farm of his own. The land is as
good as could be desired, the farms are ample in extent, and
convenient to saw and grist mills, stores, etc. The whites
are building towns all about the reservation. A few years
ago it was a common thing for the Indians to live scattered
about among the whites, working for them as day laborers; now, many of the Indians employ white labor. They
have lately engaged a steam saw mill; we ourselves have
taken three hundred thousand feet of lumber, and shall
take some hundred thousand shingles for our church and
house. The Indians also are using lumber quite extensively.
* * * * The mission has boarding and day schools
for boys and girls. A white girl, lately a pupil of our
school, yesterday gave an example of zeal and fervor,
which made me blush for myself. She had been obliged to
go horne in order to assist a sick mother. The family is
Polish, and very poor. They live at distance of eighteen
a
�28
Indian 1liissions.
good long miles from this place. She, a girl of no more
than eleven or twelve years of age, came all the way on
foot and alone, through the mud and dense forests, in order
to hear Mass and receive the Sacraments. The same morning she left for home again and on foot.
Oh, had we more of such families! I think that I have
seen over a dozen piCtures of the Sacred Heart in their
very poor dwelling. Poor they are in this world's goods,
but rich in their religion, which they know to perfeCtion,
and in the consolations which it brings. Our Fathers in
Poland must have labored well in the cause of the Sacred
Heart, and their zealous efforts have contributed to spread
the devotion even to the far off wilds of vVashington Territory.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
* ·*
LAKE SUPERIOR.
E:ctJa{l of a Letter from Mr. Jos. Speclzt.
FoRT
vVILLIAl\1,
Sep. 5th, 1879·
* * * * Let me give you.. few details of my first
excursion as missionary among the Indians of our Diocese,
who, for the most part, are still pagans. On the morning
of the I rth of August, Fr. Hebert, Mr. Gagnon and I left
Fort William, where there is a station of the Canadian Pacific R. R. The car in which we traveled would in any
civilized part of the globe be used only for cattle, yet we
considered ourselves fortunate in having even this, since we
would otherwise have been obliged, as we sometimes are,
to perch ourselves upon boxes, casks or bales of hay, on
an open car exposed to wind and smoke, and, what is worse
than ~ither, to the danger of falling off. We arrived the
a.
�lndi(m JYfissions.
same evening at Savane, our destination, which is about
seventy-two miles from Fort William, and found the Indians
encamped on both sides of the rail road. They were eighty
families, numbering in all three hundred and fifty persons,
belonging to four different reserves. Each reserve has its
own chief whose names are Maketewassin (Blackstone),
Kitchi Pienne (Big Peter), Bebamijas (M'Koy) and Kebekwan.
As before this time I had never seen other than Indians
of our own village, these real savages presented a strange
and wonderful appearance. The men with their long hair,
curious ear rings and woolen blankets, especially attracted
my attention. Nothing could be more monotonous than
the music and dance with which they welcomed us. To
add solemnity to the occasion, they spared neither paint
nor feathers. We soon discovered that while money, tobacco and provisions were in abundance, these poor people
gave but little attention to religion, so we shall endeavor to
come the next time before the government will have provided them with these.
I am afraid that at present they have no inclination to
embrace our holy religion. Fr. Hebert, however, is of opinion that the day in which they will all with one voice ask
for the regenerating waters of Baptism is not so distant as
many imagine. It seems that at present they are restrained
by their chiefs, especially Blackstone, who exercises a sort
of moral influence over the other three. The idea these
poor Indians have of religion and heaven is very strange.
One of the chiefs, M'Koy·, told Fr. Hebert in my presence
that "baptized white people go to heaven and are received,"
and that "baptized Indians go there also but are not received." "Who told you this?" asked the Father. "Those
who have been there," he replied. "vVhere are those people?" "Out West," replied the chie( When speaking on
religious matters their last argument always is that: "the
great spirit has made two religions, one for the white man,
�bzdimz ll£issio1ts.
the other for the Indians." Poor people! May the Sacred
Heart of Jesus have pity upon them. 'vVe have as yet baptized but one adult and one young girl. If this were the
only result of our slight labors we would consider ourselves
recompensed, but I believe, that with God's assistance, we
have already sown the good seed in more than one soul.
The Protestant ministers endeavored last year to convert
these Indians, but the attempt proved such a failure that
this year they have not even visited them. The Indians
told them that they had not as yet determined to accept
the prayer (the Christian religion) but if they should, they
would take that of Fr. Du Ranquet, who was at that time
with the~m. During our stay at Savane, we held all our
religious services in an old abandoned hut, which we repaired and adorned according to our means, and performed
all the ceremonies of Mass with the greatest possible solemnity, so as to make an impression upon their still savage
natures. During the five days we remained here, we were
kindly entertained by Mr. Christianson, who, though a Protestant, did everything in his power for us, and, in return,
woyld accept of nothing but our thanks. \Ve left the camp
on the night of the I 5th and as the car.afforded us no protection from the cold, which was really intense, I can assure
you that we were not sorry when, after seven hours' traveling we arrived at Fort \ViJliam .. _.' _\Ve returned, however,
fuJI of hope for the future, that having "sowed in tears we
shall reap in joy.''
* * * * * * *
�f
I
I
ST. JOHN FRANCIS REGIS.
The last number of the LETTERS contained a short article
in regard to an old calumny which had been revived and
circulated concerning our glorious missionary Saint of Velay. The learned research of Father El. de Guilhermy has
traced the calumnious report to its source, and we are indebted to his kindness for the subjoined additional information on the subject. In a letter to Fr. James Perron, he
transmits a document, which is very curious as illustrating
the tortuous ways of Jansenism, whilst at the same time it
supplies peremptory testimony in regard to the matter with
which it deals.
Letter to Fat!tcr Perron.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Allow me to inform you of a recent and singular document concerning St. Francis Regis. It is taken word for
word from a manuscript Life of Father Daubenton, and
will give an idea of the countless machinations of the Jansenists against the Society at Rome with the Popes and
Cardinals, as well as in France. They have striven to rob
us not only of St. Francis Regis, but also of St. Francis
Xavier and our first three Japanese martyrs.
Here is another interesting detail. In the month of January, 1641, a Consultor of the house of Le Puy, whilst announcing to Rev. Fr. General the death of Fr. Regis, and
bestowing upon him the highest encomiums, complains
nevertheless of a deviation from the Custom Book of the
Toulouse Province, in that Fr. Ignatius Arnoux, Rector of
Le Puy, had a public and solemn service celebrated in our
church, "decantato ad cenotaphium (officio) pro P. Joanne
Regis, perinde ac si defuncti corpus fuisset prcesens. Quod
(3 I)
�St.. Jolm Franczs Rcgzs.
quidem pie ac religiose factum fuit, sed videtur insolitum."
vVhereupon Fr. Vitelleschi replied to the Rector: "Placet
quod accepi justa illi ad cenotaphium isthic a vobis persoluta."
The two following extracts are no less conclusive. Fr.
Ignatius Arnoux writing to the General, (Jan. 9th, 1641).
and speaking of the last months of Fr. Regis' life, says:
"Per quatuor menses, perlustratis aliquot pagis, decies mille
circiter confessiones solus audivit, immenso Iabore. Cui
quoniam et sibi non pepercit, mortuus nup~r est, ingenti
mcerore omnium et incredibili desiderio relicto." And on
Februar~ I sth, Fr. Vitelleschi answered: "Illud me in Patris Franc'isci Regis morte singulariter deleetat, quod obierit
ut germanum Societatis filium maxime decet, sanetis laboribus incumbens, et pro animabus contra peccatum et d~monem pugnans."
*
*
*
*
I remain
Your ever devoted servant in X 0 •
EL. DE GUILHERMY, s. J.
Extra{l from a MS. 'Life of Fat!ter Daubenton' preserved in
t!te Province of France.
You doubtless remember what I said about the Sieur
Louis Maille, the avowed enemy o( the Jesuits, and of the
chagrin which he experienced at the successful issue of the
lawsuit that Fr. Daubenton brought about in favor of the
Seminary of Toulouse, in spite of the efforts of this agent
of the opposite party. This defeat was ever rankling in his
breast, and he was only waiting for an opportunity to avenge
himself on Fr. Daubenton.
To offset this defeat, he thought he could do nothing
better than to hinder the beatification of Fr. Regis, of which
Fr. Daubenton was the promotor. He went about it in the
following manner. A preliminary congregation had been
held in which the virtues of Fr. Regis had been discussed.
�I
f
t
I
!
St. jolm Francis Regis.
33
Finding this an occasion f<worable to his design, he went
to Mgr. Lambertini, promoter of the faith, and spoke in
glowing terms of Fr. Regis, as if he too wished to aid in his
beatification. Nothing could be added to what he said of
the admirable virtues and extraordinary miracles of Francis,
and he affirmed, moreover, that he himself had obtained
special graces through his intercession. But in the midst
of all this praise, he maliciously insinuated that this great
servant of God had indeed been a Jesuit, but that the Fathers
of the Society, jealous of his increasing reputation, and unable to endure so holy a man and one who by the splendor
of his virtues threw them in the shade, dismissed and cut
him off from the body of their Society, so that being no
longer of their number, he had died 'l'icaire of La Louvesc.
Astonished at so unexpeCted a revelation, the promotor
asked him if he could prove what he had asserted; to which
Louis Maille unhesitatingly replied, that he was born in the
neighborhood of La Louvesc, and that the whole country
would confirm what he had just advanced. On the following
day the promotor of the £<ith hastened to the Pope, and informed him of what he had heard regarding Fr. Regis. His
Holiness being in turn much amazed, ordered Mgr. Lambertini to go immediately and apprise Fr. Daubenton of
what had been said concerning Fr. Regis, and tell him on
the part of His Holiness, that he should bring forward au- thentic proofs to refute Louis Maille, or otherwise he should
have to desist from promoting the cause of Fr. Regis.
As soon as he was informed of the imposter's discourse
and of the Pope's orders, Fr. Daubenton sought an audience
of His Holiness, and assured him that if he would appoint
a special congregation composed of Consultors of Rites to
examine the archives of the Society, they would find ample
proofs to repel the false allegations of Louis Maille. The
Pope, who could refuse nothing to Fr. Daubenton, and
believed him, moreover, incapable of bringing forward illfounded proofs, named, in accordance with his request, eight
VoL. rx-No. 1.
5
�34
~t.
John Francis Reg£s.
consultors to examine the original papers of the Society of
Jesus. Among these consultors was the promotor of the
faith himself and the secretary of the Congregation of
Rites ; the others were prelates and theologians.
\Vhen they were assembled at the Professed House, the
person in charge of the archives was bound under oath to
deliver over all memoirs, papers, writings and letters concerning Fr. Regis. The consultors then opened the press
of the Province of Toulouse, examined its catalogues during
eight entire days, and found, first, the day and year of
Francis' entrance into the Society ; then year by year the
places where he had dwelt, the offices he had held up to
the time ~of his death, and, in fine, the circular letter announcing the year and day of his death, signed by his superior, who asked for him the usual suffrages, as is customarily done for those who die in the Society. This proof
was irrefragable; but besides this, whilst searching among
the papers, they likewise discovered letters from bishops in
whose dioceses he had given missions, as also from several
persons of note, but especially from consultors and superior?, who praised his zeal, piety, and indefatigable labor for
the salvation of the poor and for the glory of God. Several
of his own letters were found, in which he ardently asked
the General for the Canadian mission in preference to any
other, in the hope that he might mee! with a martyr's death.
An authentic copy of these documents was taken by the
secretary of the Congregation of Rites, and signed by the
consultors. This not only destroyed the false report of
Louis Maille, but also helped to repair the mistakes committed during the process of beatification, and to clear up
all the difficulties urged by the promotor of the faith during
the investigations of the first congregation. Fr. Daubenton
skilfully profited by these new discoveries. He made an
elenchus of the documents that had been found in the archives, and inserted them among his other writings for the
second congregation. This greatly served to bring about
�T!ze Couewago Mission.
35
the happy success of the Beatification of Fr. Regis, to which
Louis Maille contrary to his intentions h:1d contributed
more than any one else.
THE CONEWAGO MISSION.
Towards the close of 1872, there appeared in the Hanover
SpeClator an article on Conewago. Many of the details were
drawn from an old register of marriages and baptisms dating
back as far as 1791. This record, though showing its age,
is still in a good state of preservation, and has not unfrequently been the means of gladdening hearts by settling
legacies, legalizing inheritances and bounty money, that
would otherwise have been lost to the claimants. The account in the SpeEl:ator being however defeEl:ive in some
points, M. Reily, Esq., a true ornament to Conewago church,
made the proper correEl:ions and republished it in the Baltimore llfirror in the beginning of 1873. There were also
consulted living witnesses born near Conewago towards the
close of the last century and the opening of the present,
some of whom are enjoying health and life even to the present day.
It seems, says Mr. Reily, that the Catholics of Conewago
built a small log church with two rooms attached, on or
near the site of the present edifice, between the years 1740
and 1745. The style of architeEl:ure gave the building the
appearance of a private dwelling; and it was chosen to conform to and not to violate the letter, if not the spirit of
the stringent penal laws, then in force in the colonies and
enaEl:ed by our good old stepmother England against dissenters. This humble but precious struEl:ure had no resident priest, but at stated times, probably once a month,
Conewago was attended by the clergyman who resided at
�Tlze Conewago Mission.
what is now called "Hickory" in Harford Co., Maryland.
The first priest stationed at Conewago, was known by the
name of l\Iatthias Manners, S. J., a German, but whose real
name was Sittensperger. vVhy he officiated under an assumed name does not appear; but it may have been to avoid
the interference of relatives in the old country. Moreover,
as it was customary in those days, both in Europe and
America, to translate one's name into the language of the
country of his adoption, Fr. Sittensperger may have thought
it mannerly as well as customary, to anglicise his name,
since Sittm in German is equivalent to manners in English.
Fr. Mann~:s was succeeded by Fr. Frombach, and assisted
by Fr. Detrich, a Frenchman, and probably also by Fr. Pellentz, whose name appears among the official records as
early as 1758. During the ministration of these Fathers
the log church was enlarged, but to what extent or with
what modification of form does not appear.
Next as Superior came Fr. Pellentz, who built a stone
church (a part of the present house of worship) in the shape
and style of a church, A. D. r 787, as can be seen engravenon a stone in front, about fifteen feet above the door. The
edifice was raised only by extraordinary efforts and heavy
cost at a time when the congregation was poor and insignificant in number compared with i,ts present status. The
front of the church and that of the· parsonage adjoining are
constructed of an excellent quality of brown cut stone, which
was quarried near East Berlin, in Adams Co, and hauled
here a distance of ten miles by the then scanty members of
the congregation, who were however assisted generally and
generously by their Protestant neighbors. The church is
eligibly located on the eastern banks of Plum Creek and
Little Conewago, near their confluence, and its elevated site
affords a most extensive and varied view of the surrounding
country-of the never-to-be·forgotten Gettysburg with its
"Round Tops" and ramparts, and the South Mountains in
the background, twelve and twenty miles to the west and
�Tlze Conewago Mission.
37
south west -of the beautiful village of New Oxford and the
Pigeon Hills, four miles to the north and north east -of
Hanover with its numerous steeples and turrets, three miles
to the east-and of old Peter Littlestown, and the magnificent and fertile valley of the Conewago intervening, six
miles to the south. Father Pellentz's memory is held and
will ever be held in benediCtion and gratefully cherished by
the pastors and the congregation of Conewago, as one of the
most liberal, charitable and zealous of men and benefactors,
and as a shepherd who laid down his life for his flock at the
advanced age of seventy-seven years, in the winter of A. D.
1800, after many weary years of incessant and successful
labor, to ereCt: and perpetuate a Church, in which many
thousands were regenerated in holy Baptism, fed with the
bread of life and sent out of this world .strengthened with
the holy Sacraments. Fr. Pellentz was assisted by the Rev.
D. A. Gallitzin from 1795 till 1799, about which time he
commenced his ever memorable and arduous mission at
Loretto on the Alleghany Mountains of Pennsylvania, where
he died after seventy-one years of incessant labor.
After the demise of Father P~llentz, either Father Sewall
or Father Boarman, succeeded as Superior, as both had
been his fellow-laborers in the Master's vineyard during several years before his death. Then followed Rev. Fr. X. Brosius as Superior, assisted by Revs. Cerfoument, Monelly and
Zockley. The Rev. Louis de Barth, a German nobleman,
was next in time. I remember, says Mr. Reily, having frequently seen him, when I was quite a youth, and both feared
and loved him; for he was stern in manner and mien, yet
affable and kind in a remarkable degree to all who endeavored to perform their duties, and especially so to children,
whom he always "suffered" and loved to "come unto" him.
He remained at Conewago till 1828, assisted by Fr. Legueu
and others, when he was removed to St. John's, Baltimore,
where the magnificent church of St. Alphonsus has since
been ereB:ed, and where he officiated for about ten years.
�The Concwago Jlfission.
Having become rather superannuated, he retired to that
good asylum, Georgetown College, where he was dismissed,
like Simeon of old, full of years, merit and grace, and
greatly beloved by all who knew him.
Father Legueu succeeded the Rev. Louis de Barth as
Superior, and was assisted by several clergymen, among
whom were Frs. l\lichael Dougherty, Paul Kohlman, Helias and Steinbacher. Rev. l\Ir. Kendler, whose name appears in the church registers at Paradise, was assisting
about this time in the good ·work of the ministry. He
was a pious and highly accomplished American convert
from the Episcopal Church, of which he had been an eminent and~eloquent minister for several years. Fr. Legueu
embarked for his native Belgium about the year 1843, and
his office and place were filled for several years by Fr. Nicholas Steinbacher, and after him, for a short time, by Fr.
Tuffer.
In 1847, the present pastor, Fr. Joseph Enders, entered
upon office as Superior. Possessed of a heart that breathed
but charity, he soon had with him the love and affe8:ion of
every man, woman and child of the Conewago congregatim;. Having made himself all to all, his only objeCt: was
to gain all to Christ. The dimensions of the old church
soon became too contra8:eJ; and in r8;o the good pastor
concerted measures and procured" means to enhrge and
beautify the edifice. It is in the form oi a cross, forty-five
feet wide to transept, whilst each arm of the cross measures twenty feet. Its length is one hundred and twenty-five,
and height to the centre of the arched ceiling, thirty-eight
feet. The church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The interior is adorned with numerous and beautiful
fresco paintings, repr~enting the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Last Supper, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Crucifixion of Our Lord and several other mysteries. These
were executed by Francis Stecher, a German artist, who
short~y after their completion returned to his native land to
�The Conewago ltfission.
39
visit his parents, but with the intention to return to America. However, but a few weeks after reaching home, sickness and death overtook him.
Fr. Enders passed eleven years among his beloved children, when Superiors were anxious to put his zeal to the
test in other localities. In r858, the mission at Leonardtown, St. Mary's Co., Maryland, was assigned to him. During his absence his place and office were filled by Fr. J. B.
Cattani, who whilst suffering from typhoid fever, attended
a sick call some five miles from the church, and returned
home with death in his train. Fr. Moore, Dompieri, B.
Villiger, Bellwalder, etc. followed each other in short succession, till Fr. Enders once more returned to his former
field of labor to the immense joy and gratification of the
Conewago people. We could not without doing injustice,
pass over in silence the labors and the great virtues of
Fr. Francis X. De Neckere, who for about a quarter of a
century was connecred with the Conewago mission, and
who like a true soldier of the Cross, terminated his earthly
career on the battlefield whilst attending his mission at
Littlestown. He left home January 4th, to celebrate the
feast of Epiphany with his parishioners. He said Mass for
the last time on the day following, being Sunday; but the
feebleness of his condition would not allow him to rise to
break once more the bread of life on the great solemnity to
his sorrowing people. His own star of life was on the wane
and disappeared on the 8th of Jan., r879. Fr. De Neckere
died as he had lived-a saint. To return to Fr. Enders.
In the fall of 1872, he added one more to his numerous and
laudable enterprises and improvements, by building a steeple to the beautiful church. It is eighty feet high from the
comb of the roof to the base of the cross that surmounts it.
Various missions have been established by the Fathers
stationed at Conewago, within the last half century, as Gettysburg, Littlestown, York, Chambersburg, Paradise, Hanover etc. The Catholics of Hanover, it being but three miles
�40
Tlte Conewago .Jfission.
from the mother house, worshipped for years at Conewago,
the small number of Catholics not justifying the appointment of a resident priest. It would seem, however, that
when a Catholic church springs into existence, though the
faithful are apparently but few in number, in the limited
space of three or four months many make profession of
the old faith, of whose religion even their nearest neighbors
had no knowledge. Steps were taken towards the close of
I 862 to form Hanover into a separate congregation.
The
first Mass, however, was not celebrated there till the following year. The congregation had at that time no rtgular
and fixed· place of worship, and the first Mass was offered
at the residence of the late Jacob Hilt. About thirty persons were present. Fr. Dompieri was the celebrant, who
weekly visited the new congregation, saying Mass, preaching and catechising the children. The room at Mr. Hilt's,
however, soon became too small for the growing congregation of the faithful, and the Methodist Episcopal church
(measuring forty by thirty-five feet) on Baltimore Street
was purchased in 1864, at a cost of $900. Fr. Peter Manns
succeeded as pastor, and divine service was held on the
fir;t and third Sunday of every month. During the pastorate of this Father a Catholic school was opened and soon
counted over eighty pupils.
To this persevering laborer in t11e Master's vineyard the
various Catholic schools clustering ~round Conewago owe
their existence, though meeting with every imaginary difficulty and being surrounded by the most adverse circumstances in realizing the object. These schools, like every
other Catholic school in the land are kept up by the private
and scanty means of their respective congregations. One
of the first teachers at Hanover was Miss Alice Dell one, an
accomplished lady, and a daughter of one of its principal
citizens. For the last four years the school has been under
the care and vigilance of the Sisters of St. Joseph from Me
Sherrystown.
�Tlze Concwago Jfission.
4I
The congregation gradually grew strong in numbers, and
in I868 an addition of forty by thirty-five feet was made to
the church at a cost of $2, I45· The good pastor on this
occasion displayed his untiring zeal, showed indomitable
energy and underwent herculedn labors to raise the amount
for the new addition. colleCting neariy every dollar far away
from home. A bell weighing one thousand eight hundred
and thirty-four pounds was also purchased for $945, and
placed in the cupola of the quasi-new church. Fr. Manns
continued as pastor till the fall of I 876, when Fr. Alexius
Jamison became his successor. This Father gave Sunday
service alternately with the venerable patriarch of Conewago, Fr. Joseph Enders. About this time a move was made to
build a new church. \Vhether the projeCt originated with
the people, or was the result of the pastor's meditations,
can not be unravelled, though but three summers have
passed away since its commencement. It may however be
safely stated, that a legacy of one thousand dollars gave
impulse and animus to the scheme, and the eloquent appeals
of the pastor roused the energies of the congregation. Fr.
Jamison delivered several leCtures to swell the treasury, and
a subscription of $4,638, by the members of the congregation, completed, for the time being, the resources for the
new house of worship.
The ground was staked off (Fr. Enders having bought
the lot with a house adjoining for $4.500,) the foundations
were dug, the work was begun and eagerly pushed on, so
that all preparations for laying the corner stone were completed on the I6th of Sept., 1877. Over three thousand
people were present to witness the ceremonies. Fr. Enders
officiated, being assisted by the Fathers of Conewago, several secular clergymen and Fr. vV. F. Clarke of Loyola College, Baltimore, who delivered a discourse appropriate to
the occasion. During the month following- a few ladies of
the congregation opened a bazaar for the benefit of the
rising edifice and handed over to the treasurer-the fruit of
their labors-the handsome sum of nearly $I ,700.
VoL. rx-No. r.
6
�42
The Concwago Missiou.
Fr. Jamison being assigned a new field of labor, Fr. J.
B. Emig became his successor, in the beginning of September, I 877. Since his arrival, the congregation has the entire church service on Sunday, and Mass almost every
morning during the week. The number of Catholics, men,
women and children, was supposed to count about two hundred and fifty souls; but since the regular service on Sundays and during the week, a Catholic population of nearly
six hundred made its appearance. And if all who were
baptized in the Church and received the bread of angels
from the hand of the priest, but who unhappily preferred
worldly considerations to the things of heaven, could be
reclaimed;they would swell the number of the Catholics to
nearly seven hundred. To strengthen the young folks in
their holy faith, Fr. Emig established a Sodality fur young
ladies on the 8th of Dec., 1877. It ,\ras .something novel.
Human respect for a time played a prominent part in opposition to the good work. No difficulties presented themselves to persuade school girls to become children of Mary,
but Young ladies, more advanced in years and position,
labored under the hallucination, that to associate with those
so far inferior in age and rank, would be a kind of degradation. But being told, that God does not measure a soul by
the size of the Lady, nor its excellence by costly tissues
and ornaments of gold, but by the n!)bleness of its virtues,
by innocence, purity and modesty, their crimsoned cheeks
became the index of their good hearts, and the Sodality of
Our Blessed Lady soon bore forty names upon its roll,
rather a high figure, considering the smallness of the congregation. Ever since its establishment, it has been the
ornament and pride of St. Joseph's and the glory of its pastor. Nearly a year and a half later, a similar Sodality was
established among the young men. People smiled at the
proposal. On Pentecost Sunday, June 1st, 1879. the ball
was put in motion. Fiery tongues, it is true, did not appear
to rest upon any one, but the Holy Ghost touched the
�Sketclt of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
{
I
43
hearts of twenty-eight young men, who presented themselves
for reception and the Sodality was an established faa. Ever
since, the number has been steadily on the increase, and
the two Sodalities are nearly equal in number. The ladies
meet every Sunday at half past three P. M. and the young
men at six in the evening.
We almost lost sight of the new church. The corner
stone, as stated above, was laid on the 16th Sept., I 877, and
after this, the work was suspended until May, 1878, when
more favorable circumstances showed themselves to push
on the edifice and bring it under roof towards the fall of the
year. The brickwork of the tower, twenty feet square and
one hundred and four feet high, was also completed; the
bell was removed from the old steeple into the new belfry
and proteaed by a temporary roof. This terminated the
work for '78, because the pastor's principle is: No money,
no work. Hence, when the church will be ready for consecration in the summer of I 88o, not a cent of debt will
rest upon it, and that \vill be its glory. It measures one
hundred and thirty feet by fifty-four and is forty-four feet
in height.
SKETCH OF THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS.
The Nez Percc~s, in common with the other Indian tribes
of the North West, had some vague notion of a supernatural power, but did not praaise any regular form of religious worship. They believed that this power was inherent
in certain animals, or even in some inanimate objeas, and
they strove to propitiate it, in order to avoid sickness (or,
as they say, to expel sickness), to escape from danger, to
be successful in hunting, fishing, root-digging, etc. They
are by nature of a peaceable and friendly disposition; but
this does not spring from want of courage, as they are brave
�44
Sketc!t of t!te .Ne:; Perds Indians.
and can never forget an injury. It was their boast until a
recent period that no white man had been slain by them,
although they had been wronged by the 1\·hites in many
ways. About the beginning of the present century, before
any missionary had penetrated to their country, a few of
the Nez Perces had acquired som~: knowledge of the Catholic religion from the French Canadian employees of the
Hudson's Bay Company, and believing what they had
heard, they began to put some of the teachings of the Church
into praCtice. A few years after this, an American Company
(probably the North West Fur Company of'St. Louis,) in
opposition .~vith the Company of Hudson's Bay, sent Ellis
Inauzakamna, a Nez Perce boy and three other boys of different tribes to be educated in a Protestant college at the
East. \Vhen Ellis returned to his native country after four
years of residence at this college, he began to instil Protestant dodrines into the minds of other Nez Perces, and in
accordance \Vith the instruCtions he had received at school,
much hatred of Catholicity was mingled with his teaching.
A few months later, H. Spaulding, a Presbyterian minister
sent-by the Board of Foreign l\Iissions, arrived among the
Nez Perces. Shortly after his arrival, in I 836, he established
a mission at Lapwais. And although he made but few converts, for the Indians hated him, still he succeeded in poisoning their minds against the Catholic religion. Some
few, however, still remained faithful to it, and upon the
arrival at Vancouver of Revs. Blanchet and Demers, who
had been <1ppointed to the Oregon Mission in April, I 838.
they went to receive instru{tions in the Catholic faith. They
endeavored also to obtain a priest for their own country,
but in this they were unsuccessful.
\Vhen the Coeur d'Alene Mission was established by the
Jesuit Fathers in 1843, Inmetomshilu with some other Nez
Perces chief\ went to the River St. Joseph to be instruCted,
and Inmetomshilu was baptized by Fr. J Joset, receiving
the Christian name of James. Though very desirous to
�Sketc!t of tlze Nez Perccs Indians.
I
I
g.
45
have a priest permanently stationed among them, they failed
this time also to obtain the object of their pious wishes.
They themselves translated the Catholic prayers from the
Cceur d'Alene language into their own, and visited the
mission several times before it was transferred to a place
thirty-five miles further off, now called Old Cceur d'Alene
Mission. In 1847, Dr. \Vhitman was killed by his own Indians: he was a Presbyterian minister who had founded a
mission among the Cayuses of Wailetpu, at about the same
time that Spaulding settled at Lapwais. Shortly before the
\Vhitman massacre, Very Rev. J. B. A. Brouillet, Vicar
General of the Bishop of Walla \Valla was requested toestablish a Catholic mission among the Nez Perd:s. Spaulding had by this time become utterly dissatisfied with his mission and the Indians, and he offered to make them over to
the Vicar General. There was probably some difficulty about
the conditions of transfer, for his offer was declined, and he
afterwards sold his mission property t~ another.
'
It is a mystery astonishing and inexplicable that the poor
Nez Perces, despite their repeated and determined efforts,
should have failed to secure the services of a priest: judicia
Dei abysSlts multa. Even after the massacre of \Vailetpu,
when the calumnies had died away which Spaulding had
circulated against the priests anq Jesuits in general, and
against the Bishop of \Valla Walla in particular, the question was several times mooted of establishing a Catholic
mission among the Nez Perces. The Bishop was earnest
in his desires and endeavors, but nothing was accomplished.
From time to time, a Jesuit Father from the Cceur d'Alene
Mission would visit the Nez Perces, but always with little
or no results. It was not until the fall of 1867, that one of
our Fathers was destined for the Nez Perces by the Superior General of the Rocky Mountains Mission. The appointment was made almost too late; for the greater number of those who had been well-disposed towards the faith
were now dead, and hatred of the Catholic religion, infidelity
�Sketc!t of tlte Nez Pt'rces bzdians.
and vice of every description had fearfully increased among
these poor Indians, especially after the stream of white
immigration had begun to flow into the country. The labors of the Father for the conversion of the souls entrusted
to him were thus rendered very difficult. Patience in the
highest degree was necessary, and progress was slow withal,
as scarcely anything seemed to be gained by the most persistent endeavors. There still remained a few old men, who
called themselves Catholics, but who had never received
baptism; around this nucleus, the Father succeeded in gathering several of the younger Indians, and he taught them
the Catholic prayers and catechism. But prejudice and vice
conspired ·to prevent them from entering the true fold. For
on the one hand, the old unbaptized Presbyterians would
hold forth against the priest and his religion, and openly
proclaim that he and all his followers were destined to burn
in hell for all eternity. On the other hand, those who frequented the Catholic prayers did not differ from their neighbors, but like them were the slaves of lust, gambling,
drunkenness and lying, and some of them were living in
aClual polygamy. The old men would not consent to be
bap~tized, unless a good number should be gathered together
for the reception of the Sacrament. "\Vhat is the use of
being baptized," they would say, "unless we can live as
good Catholics? and how can we live as such among these
wild fellows? Have patience, Black-gown, wait a while;
we really mean to become good Catholics, and for this reason we do not want to hurry. When a considerable number of our young people will consent to be good, we shall
all be baptized." Others deferred their conversion under
the pretext that the unsettled state of affairs would not permit them to be baptized immediately; but when the government should have made some definite arrangement then
they would become good praClical Catholics. For these
reasons, the Father baptized only a few of the tribe ; and
the apparent sterility of the mission, together with more
�Sketclt of tlte Nez Perces Indians.
47
pressing demands from other quarters induced the Superior
to send the missionary first to the Yakima Indians, and
afterwards to assign him to the Cceur d'Alene Mission with
the charge of visiting the Nez Perces once or twice a year.
A Nez Perce messenger arrived at the Cceur d'Alene
mission on the 28th of 08:., I 87 I : he had been sent by
some of the chiefs to ask for the immediate presence of a
priest. "Black-gown!" said he, "you know that I am the
only man that you baptized among the Nez Perces: this is
why the chiefs have sent me. Black·gown! our people
did not hear you, or rather they were deaf to the voice of
God for more than two years, and you left us. But now
they are sorry for the past; they beg you .to return and
earnestly ask for baptism. You must come without delay,
if you do not want to lose most of your people, for everyone
now at the Agency is a preacher. The Agent is a preacher;
Mr. Spaulding, who is expeCted back, is a preacher; the
schoolmaster is a preacher: and all are trying to get· the
Catholics to become Protestant. So, come along." The
Father answered that he did not leave them of his own accord, but by order of his Superior, and now he could not
go back without his Superior's consent. He would, however, write to hin1, and explain their danger and present
dispositions. Were it in the summer, he would go and pay
them a visit; but as it was so late in the fall, he could not
leave his mission.
The messenger was sadly disappointed, and at his departure expressed grave apprehensions lest some of his people
might become Protestants. The grounds for these fears
were that when the American Government assigned the
Indian Agencies to the various religious denominations,
many preachers swarmed into ~he Nez Perce agency and
country. Though nominally Presbyterians, yet they aB:ed
as Methodists, and by shouting, crying, public confessions,
and loud harangues, they stirred up a species of religious
enthusiasm, and baptized not only those who 'felt religion,'
�Skctc!t of t/ze Ne::; Perch Indians.
but those also who were opposed to conversion. They
were taken by surprise, and amongst them were some of
those who had in former years recited the Catholic prayers,
and though unbaptized were accustomed to call themselves
Catholics.
In the spring of 1 87::!, the Fatha having received permission from his Superiors, went to Lewiston, where he was
met by a great number of Nez Perccs Indians, who were all
very glad to welcome him back. This was on Sunday,
April 28th, 1872. l\Iuch harm had been done during the
absence of the missionary; but bis timely return was the
means of bringing back m:my stray sheep to the true fold.
It was fo-r· him a great source of consolation to see that his
former labors had not been thrown away, but had brought
forth much fruit in season. For the few who had learned
the prayers from him, had in turn become the teachers of
others, and when on Sunday. ~e heard them pray in the
church of Lewiston, he could not restrain his tears of joy.
In a few weeks many were sufficiently instruCted, and more
than a hundred received baptism. Oh! if even then the
mission could have been firmly established, how many more
wat1derers \Vould have been reclaimed, how many infidels
would have been converted. But again we must say: Judicia Dei abyssus 1mt!ta. The scarcity of evangelic laborers
and want of means delayed its esta.blishment for three years
longer. The Father, in the midst. of his labors which were
sweetened by present success, and encouraged by the hopeful promise of the future, received a peremptory order from
his Superior to return to the Cceur d'Alene Mission. He
was obliged to leave his poor neophytes like lambs in the
midst of wolves.
Such numerous conversions to the faith excited the anger
and jealousy of the preachers, who declared war against the
absent missionary and the Catholic Indians. They told the
Indians that the priest would not be allowed to come back
any more, that all the Indians should become Protestants,
�Sketclz of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
49
that the Catholic Indians would be removed from the country, and many similar things calculated to frighten the
Catholics. In May, I 873, a secret meeting of six or seven preachers was held at Lapwais, the Nez Perce Indian
Agency; the proceedings were never made known to
the public. Less than a month after this meeting, some
newspapers reported a correspondence between J. B. 1\Ionteith, U. S. Indian Agent for the Nez Perces, and Hon. E.
P. Smith, Commissioner of Indian affairs, Dept. of the Interior, Washington, D. C., in which the former asked from
the latter, whether he could prevent the Catholic priest
from holding religious services in the Indian Reservation.
To this inquiry the Commissioner made answer, that it
would be assuming too much power. The Catholic Indians
were clamoring for freedom of conscience and worship, but
all to no purpose. The Vicar Apostolic of Idaho was refused permission to build a Catholic church and priest's
residence in the Nez Perces Reservation. \tVhen afterwards,
rather from policy than justice, this permission was granted,
the Presbyterian preachers of California and Oregon protested in a body, through their presiding official, against
the permission. The Nez Perces Catholic Indians numbering now nearly three hundred, presented a petition to the
government in which they complained of the persecution to
which they were subjeCted, and asked for a church and
school-house of their own, to be built at their own expense
with the money due them from the Government. This petition was repeated, and another was urged through the
Catholic Indian Bureau at Washington. But all these efforts
resulted in nothing. The Indian 'Peace Policy' was only
a disguised persecution of the Catholic Indian. Although
without church or missionary,.and harassed by persecution,
the poor Indians did not lose courage; they went sometimes for great solemnities to the Cceur d'Alene Mission,
which is more than one hundred miles from their country.
VoL. rx-No. I.
7
,
�. l
50 Dedication of tlze Clmrclt of St. Stanislaus, Elys<,ille.
The missionary could from time to time pay them flying
visits, and the Almighty was pleased to console him with
many conversions, some of which were very extraordinary.
(To be continued.)
DEDICATION OF THE CHURCH OF
ST. STANISLAUS, ELYSVILLE.
On the 14th of December last, His Grace the Archbishop
of Baltimore, assisted by Rev. Frs. ReCl:or and de Augustinis, dedicated the new church of St. Stanislaus at Elysville.
This is a pretty manufaCl:uring village on the Patapsco, five
miles below \Voodstock, on the line of the Baltimore & Ohio
R. R. It contains a population of about nine hundred, the
great majority of whom are Methodists. Little did any one
dream, when four years ago Fr. Van Krevel of Missouri,
opened Sunday school there, that the humble work would
grm'( to its present proportions. Indeed, considering the
small number of Catholics in the place and the opposition
met with on every side, we cannot think of the neat little
church aCl:ually dedicated there without feeling that a
special providence has been direCl:ing ~he events that led to
its ereCl:ion.
The Elysville mission was begun in the fall of 1875· At
that time Sunday schools were commenced at convenient
points within a radius of six miles from \Voodstock. The
good to be done was obvious. The scattered Catholic population around the College had, it is true, the advantage
of Mass and sermons every Sunday in the domestic chapel,
which superiors had generously thrown open to them; but
no provision had been made for the regular instruCl:ion of
the children. The secular clergy were too far distant to
attend. to it; besides, their hands were full of other work
�Dedication of tlze C/wrclz of St. Stanislaus, Elysvi//e. 5I
nearer home, and as yet none of Ours had been appointed
pastor at Woodstock.
Much good was meanwhile done among the people by
some of Ours. Indifferent Catholics were reclaimed to the
practice of their religion, and not a few conversions to the
faith were made. The number of Catholics increasing in
this way, the necessity of providing them with religious
instruction became more manifest. Several bands of young
Fathers and Scholastics were accordingly formed, and catechism classes organizeu at Marriottsville, Harkers, at the
College itself and at Elysville, to which have since been
added two others-one at the Quarry, the other at Love's.
The aggregate number of children that receive instruction
in these classes is something above a hundred, to say nothing of the grown people who attend.
The Elysville mission is by no means first in point of
numbers; but it is second to none in the progress already
made and the prospect it offers of future good. The first
Sunday school was opened there on the 2 I st of November,
1875, in a s~all frame house at this side of the nearest rail-·
road bridge; for it was deemed advisable, on account of
the bigotry of the inhabitants, not to enter the village at
first. There were two rooms placed at the disposal of the
Catechists, and in each of these they managed to pack about
twenty persons. Some Protestants came through curiosity,
for they had never seen a priest and were anxious to get a
look at one. This may seem incredible in Catholic Maryland and within ten miles of Baltimore, but it is nevertheless
a fact. Others attended the instructions for a time and
some conversions were made. In the meantime the Methodists took the alarm, and began to hold revivals in the village. Some of our children would "get religion" on these
occasions and remain away for a while; but they usually
came back when their fervor had evaporated.
In the Spring of '76 the Holy Sacrifice was offered there
for the first time by Fr. Van Krevel. This was his last
official act in conneCtion with the mission, for he was soon
�52 Dedication of the Clwrclt of St. Stallis!aus,l!lysvi!!e.
after recalled to Missouri. His place was taken by Fr. de
Augustinis who has been in charge ever since.
The year following it was judged proper to make a move
for better quarters, as the house occupied was rather small,
and the children, besides, were obliged to cross two railroad bridges in order to reach it. One of the Catholics of
the village (Mr. Meehan, the teacher of the public school),
offered his house for the purpose, which if not larger than
the other was certainly more convenient. The offer was
gladly accepted, and there for more than two years Mass
was said once a month and instruction given every Sunday.
During the Fall of '78, some Catholic .families moved to the
village, and ..as several converts had already increased the
congregation, it was painfully evident that there was not
room enough for them in the house to hear l\Iass. \Vhat
was to be done? The little congregation was poor, and
the idea of a Catholic church in Elysville probably never
entered any one's head. They prayed-pastor and people
-that God would provide them some place in which to
assist at the sacred mysteries. A petition to the same effect
was inserted in the "Messenger." The Sacred Heart of
Jesus heard their prayer. On the first Friday in the month
of December following, Fr. de Augustin is had an interview
with the Hon. Ja~. A. Gary, the proprietor of the mills, in
which he represented the facts above recited. The result,
thanks to the Sacred Heart of Jesus·;·was successful beyond
expectation. Mr. Gary, who is not a Catholic, offered him
any lot on the premises which he might choose and a contribution of $750, towards the erection of a church. It is
needless to say what an agreeable surprise this was to the
Catholics of Elysville and to those interested in their spiritual welfare.
On the first Sunday of last June, the first day of the month
consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the corner-stone
of the new church was laid under the invocation of St.
Joseph--;-because on St. Joseph's day and at St Joseph's
church; Baltimore, the difficulty of raising the balance re-
�llfissionary Labors.
53
quired to begin the work was removed by an appeal which
the Archbishop made to the clergy present, and by the appointment of Fr. Dougherty of Ellicott's City to leeture for
the purpose. The church at Sykesville, however, having
been since dedicated under that title, and there being others
of the same name in the diocese, the Archbishop thought
proper to dedicate it in honor of St. Stanislaus.
These details of the mission of Elysville may appear insignificant to those who are accustomed to grander fields
and more magnificent results; nevertheless we have ventured to present them to our readers that they may admire
the providence of God which is admirable alike in what is
great and what is small.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS.
FROM THE BEGINNING OF SEPT. I879 TO THE END OF DEC.
SouTH ADAMS, MAss. (Sept. 6-17.)-The Fathers after
spending the hot season at home in Boston, or elsewhere
in giving retreats, were somewhat recruited for t'he work
of autumn. The town of Adams, situated a few miles beyond the Hoosac Tunnel and surrounded by the highest
mountains in the State has a thriving population, given up
wholly to the manufaCturing of cotton and woollen goods.
One of the most extensive gingham works in the country
is found here. The Fathers were greatly encouraged in
their labors by the manner in which the people r~sponded
in this the first mission ever given them. After a week
srent in Adams, three days were allowed for Cheshire, a
neighboring town under the same pastor, Fr. Me Cort. At
this last place, a blast furnace and a cheese faCtory give
considerable employment; but the principal source of revenue to the working men is the sand beds. The sand from
�54
1lfissionary Labors.
·~,~
these beds is the best in. the country fo\ glass, and is in demand everywhere. Cheshire was famous for cheese even
in the last century, arid its' inhabitants during the days of
Thomas Jefferson sent,Rim <rmons"fcr.:r>resent in sign of their
favorite industry.
:~;_;; ..
Results of the mission :;one thousand five hundred Communions; twenty ad~;lt~ _prepared for First Communion.
Two or three persons -applied for Baptism and were left
under instruction.
LANCASTER, PA. (Sept. 2o-Oct. 2.).:_This city has apopulation of thirty thousand; independently" of being the centre of the richest farming district in the United States, its
factories of various kinds make it an important place. The
Catholics are a fourth of the population and are, a great
number of them, quite wealthy, having made large fortunes
in years past as contractors on the public works. To-day
the Lancaster contractors command the trade in the Atlantic side of the country, and no ~r~at work is undertaken
without their having a share in it.
The mission was attended
t.h~ ·"":Protestants, five of
~v h_:>m. to the great disgust o.f their p,re3~,:~ers, :_~~re rece~ved
1nto the Church. One of the converts q~rore ~emg received
into the true fold apprised his pa"stor of his in"tention. This
information brought forth a. lo.~~~t,r, in which the neophyte was told that CatholicS':~ :s~)n P~,Iiigatory, worship
the Virgin, reject faith, and put t 1e'f~rust entirely in good
works. As these obje{(:ions aroS'e from ignorance, and
were easily explained a\vay, tl]e convert continued under
instruction, and was baptized at the erui of the mission. The
ministers, especially }he one spo~en of above, have been
hammering at the missioniuie~ ever since, warning their
people against the errors of Rom\.as p~esented by the wily
Jesuits. Several articles and pamphlets have been published by Catholics, concerning the misstatements and false
assertions of the ministers. Here as every where, the parsons soon fell into the old ruts, not omitting the primacy
-
qy
�, Jl1£ss£onary Labors.
r
r·.
55
of St. Peter, and his being ever at Rome, etc. etc. Every
evening during the mission the church was crowded with
a cultivated audience of Catholics and Protestants. A great
deal was done, no doubt, to remove prejudice from the minds
of our dissenting brethren, and to instruCt our own in their
religion.
Results: Communions, fourteen hundred; Confirmed,
fifty-two; prepared for first Communion, fifteen; Baptized,
five. Several Protestants were left under instruCtion.
Lancaster is peculiarly interesting to membe·rs of the
Society, since it was for eighty years attended by our Fathers. It was one of the earliest missions in Pennsylvania,
dating from I 745, when the first chapel was built. This
chapel was burned to the ground in 1766. A stone church
was then built and is still standing, though a new and much
larger church ereCted twenty-five years ago is used for di'vine worship. According to the Pennsylvania Archives, in
1757 there were in all Pennsylvania one thousand three
hundred and sixty-five Catholics, under the care of Frs.
Robert Harding, Theodore Schneider, Ferdinand Farmer,
and Matthias Manners. In La~aster county under Fr.
Farmer there were two hundred and two Germans and
forty-nine Irish.* St. Mary's where the mission was given
has an English speaking congregation, and yet it is easy to
deteCt the ancestry of many of its members by the absurd
use of still and already in conversation. Other adverbs also
crop out in unexpeCted places. In the sacristy of the
church is an old record, entitled "Liber baptismalis, matrimonialis et Fmzcraljs Eclim Pastoralis Romano- Catltolicm,
Lancastrim, Satrapim ejusdem Nominis, Provincim Pennsylvanim, Australis Americm." This old book has entries from
1788. The earlier records were lost during the fire, or are
at Conewago, whence the Fathers used to walk on their
missions to Lancaster, <1 distance of seventy miles. Later
on there were resident pastors. In the book above men*Penn. Arcl!ives, vol. 3. (Oath. "1Iirror, Nov. 15, 1Si9.)
�Missionary Labors.
'
tioned there is a list of pastors of the church from the beginning of 1745 to the time of Fr. Keenan, a secular priest
who succeeded our Fathers. This list I transcribe, not
holding myself responsible for the chronological order,
though from the records within my reach, I have made
some corrections: "Nomina eorum qui huic missioni pr~
fuere," thus the entry, "Molineux,. Farmer, Schneider,
Weyster, Pellents, Framback, Geisler, From, Elling, Causy
or Cause, Helbron, Erntzen, Brosius, 1\longrand, Cerfoumont, Stafford, De Barth, Fitzimon, Egan, Janin, Stiiker,
Beschter, Byrne, Holland, Shenfelter, Rossiter." Some of
these we~;e secular priests, as for instance, Egan, afterwards
bishop of ':Philadelphia, Holland, Rossiter, Stiiker, Shenfelter, Causy, De Barth, Fitzimon and Mongrand, Cerfoumont
and probably others, as their names are not found in our
archives. Causy and Stiiker have apostate added to their
names. Causy was pastor in I 787. The Lancaster church
was deeded to the Bishop of Philadelphia about fifteen years
ago.
ST. EDWARD's, PHILADELPHIA. (Oct. 5-l s)-After a rest
of .three days, the Fathers began a mission at this church.
With an experiment of two nights, it was evident that more
good could be done by dividing the congregation. The
crowd was equally great after the division, though only
women were admitted to the ser~i_ces for the next three
nights. Five days were given exclusively to the men with
very happy effect. Fourteen Protestants were received into
the Church and several others were left in charge of the
pastor to be prepared for baptism. This is a new parish,
and, as is the case in all parishes of the kind, a great many
marriages had gone wrong, and a nu~ber of children, the
offspring of them, had not been baptized.
Results: Communions, eighteen hundred; First Communion of adults, thirty; Baptisms of adults, fourteen; of
children of mixed marriages, fourteen; prepared for Confirmation, fifty.
�llfissionary Labors.
57
CATHEDRAL, PHILADELPHIA, (Oct. 19-Nov. 2.)-To this
date Frs. Maguire, Strong, and Morgan had not needed any
help; but on account of the magnitude of the work at the
Cathedral, Frs. Stonestreet, Langcake, Finnegan, and Holland were added to the band for the occasion. The work
was, indeed, very great. vVhat with sermons, and instructions, and confessions very little time was left for even necessary recreation. Classes for converts and uninstructed
Catholics had to be conducted every evening. Outside of
the regular mission work, special efforts had to be made in
favor of temperance and the Sodality of our Blessed Lauy.
From the beginning to the end all was excitement. A great
good was effected. Over two hundred and fifty grown persons, of all ages and many nationalities, were prepared for
Confirmation. Several blind persons from the Asylum hard
by attended the class; but the Father in charge had to
entrust to some one else a deaf and dumb boy who used
signs, and, on one occasion, began to laugh, and laughed so
loud and long, that he had to be sent home as a nuisance.
There was a large incn:ase of the Sodality on the last Sunday. After the mission, the Forty Hours' devotion was
begun; Frs. Maguire, Stonestreet, Langcake, and Morgan,
were requested to remain with the clergy of the Cathedral, in order to help in the confessional and the pulpit.
The old seminary building was fitted up for the missionaries, and, in fact, they were more to themselves during this
time than ever before. At meal time they met the Archbishop and priests of the Cathedral. Every where and at
all times, the Fathers felt at home by reason of the kindness
and affection of the Archbishop for Ours.
Results: Communions, including "Forty Hours," twelve
thousand; Baptisms of adults, fifteen; of children, nine;
First Communion of adults, fifty; Confirmations, two hundred and seventy-two. Nine Protestants were left under
instruction.
BETHLEHEM, PA. (Nov. 2-13.)-Before the work was ended
VoL. 1x-No. 1.
8
�JJ,fissionary Labors.
in Philadelphia, another mission was commenced by Frs.
Strong and Holland. After three days Fr. Maguire joined
them. This town is the seat of Lehigh University. The
Moravians for some time had the ascendency in religious
matters in Bethlehem, but now they have dwindled down.
The various industries have brought in a great many Catholics, who are engaged in the Iron, the Zinc and the Bessaamer Steel works. In most of these factories work goes
on, night and day. Sunday is not a day of rest for all, but
only for a half of the employees. Hence there were two
distinct congregations of men in the church every twentyfour hours, 'according to the night and the day shift, or
change.
There were one thousand eight hundred and thirty Communions; three persons were baptized; twelve grown persons, prepared for First Communion; several were over
forty years of age; one was over seventy.
NoRRISTOWN, PA. (Nov. r6-3o.) Thco remarkable feature
in this mission was the number of unbaptized children of
mixed marriages. There were six of one family brought.
in at the very last moment. Altogether fifteen of these
children were made Christians during the two weeks. Their
ages ranged from a year up to fifteen years. Those three
and four years of age fought valiantly, when the priest was
pouring the water upon their head~: Twelve adults were
prepared for baptism. The Com~unions were increased
by twelve hundred, owing to the Forty Hours' devotion.
Numbers of persons came from the neighboring parish of
Conshohocken.
The Communions were three thousand seven hundred;
adults prepared for First Communion, thirty. The Confessions were over four thousand.
IMMACULATE CoNCEPTION, Philadelphia, (Dec. 7-2!.)Frs. Maguire, Holland, Gleason, and Morgan were engaged
in this mission. The Sodalities attached to the church
wer~ recruited. The Fathers strive every where, to advance
�.Fatlter A. ilf. Marigliano.
59
the interests of the Sodality, and with considerable success.
It is pleasant to record the good that these Societies produce. They have spread throughout the country, and are
everywhere popular with all classes. One of the last exercises of the two weeks was a solemn reception of new members into the Sodality by the direCtor, Rev. J..Iichael Filan,
the zealous pastor of the church.
Communions, four thousand; Baptisms of adults, five;
Baptisms of children, three; First Communion of adults,
twenty; prepared for Confirmation, sixty.
Thus end the labors for autumn. From the above calendar, there were generally short, and sometimes, no intervals between missions.
General results: Communions, 26,230; First Communions of adults, 167; Baptisms, adults, 54; children, 39;
Confirmations, 328.
OBITUARY.
FATHER
'
A.
M. MARIGLIANO.
Fr. Antonio M. Marigliano was born at Naples, on the 3d
of July, 1842, of pious and noble parents. From his childhood he was trained in the path of virtue, to which he
seemed to be naturally inclined. Having finished his literary studies, following the example of his elder brother
Aloysius, he resolved to consecrate himself to God in the
ecclesiastical state, and for that purpose applied himself to
the study of philosophy and theology, and was ordained a
priest in the year 1865. His zeal, and his talents were well
known to his Archbishop, the Cardinal Riario Sforza; hence,
though very young, he was intrusted with the ministry of
giving missions, and preaching in the different churches of
�6o
Father A. M. l'rfarigliano.
his native city. Fr. Marigliano, with that eagerness for work
which was always his characteristic virtue, acquitted himself
of this office with the greatest satisfaction of hi,; ecclesiastical superiors, and with extraordinary success. In a few
years he became so popular that it was enough to know
that Fr. Marigliano would preach in a church to see crowds
of people flock thither to hear from his lips the word of
God. Fr. Marigliano, however, was unhappy in the world.
He knew that God had called him to the religious state,
and that the enemy of our salvation was doing his utmost
to hinder him from fulfilling the will of God. On this account, he had to bear persecutions from every one, even from
his parents;who for some unknown reason opposed his religious vocation with all their influence. But at last he succeeded in overcoming all obstacles, and entered the Society
at the Novitiate of Castel Gandolfo, near Rome.
In a Jlfemoir written by himself, and found among his
papers after his death, he says: "After fighting for many
yearl, by the help of God I succeeded in escaping from Naples and from my family, to become a member of the Society of my dear Jesus. This day., the happiest of my life, was
Sept.~ 16th, I 869. On entering the Novitiate I was filled
with so great a joy that I could not help repeating the
words of St. Aloysius: 'H;ec requies mea, hie habitabo
quoniam elegi earn.'" Here, from !he very beginning, he
gave the greatest edification to lik companions by his
spirit of recollection, obedience, and humility.
The political troubles of I 870 obliged the superiors to
close that Novitiate. Soon after the dispersion, Fr. 1\Iarigliano was employed in teaching and preaching, first in
Guarcino, and afterwards in Alatri.
It was in the beginning of May, I 872, that, by order of
superiors, he left Europe for America, where he arrived on
the 2oth of the same month, destined to go to our Scholasticate at Woodstock to review his theology. Here he remained for two years, after which, at his own request, he
�Fatlzcr A. M .Marigliano.
61
was sent to Frederick for his Third Probation. At its
close, he was assigned as companion to Fr. J. B. Emig to
help in gi\"ing missions. And here a wide field was opened
for his charity and zeal. It would be difficult to describe
Fr. Marigliano's apostolic labors ; it wilt suffice to state that
during the nine months he held this office, he was almost
constantly engaged in giving missions, preaching every day
once or twice, and hearing confessions for many hours, being always ready to work for the greater glory of God and
the salvation of his neighbor. In his ll1emoir he speaks
with great simplicity and humility of the many spiritual
consolations with which, at that time, Almighty God used
to fill his soul, especiaily during Mass, and of the many
conversions he brought about in the citie::> of \Vashington,
Wilmington and Philadelphia.
His health being rather poor, the superiors thought it
well to remove him from this laborious field, so dear to his
heart. It was for him a great blow, but he received it as
coming from God, and with his accustomed earnestness he
applied himself to the teaching of Mental Philosophy in
the College of the Holy Cross, \Vorcester, Mass., during
the scholastic year, I 876-77. Our Residence of St. Mary's
in Boston was the last field of his labors, and the place
where he gave most striking proof of the burning zeal he
had for souls. Entirely forgetful of self, he devoted himself wholly to the welfare of his neighbor, especially of
the young men, whose Sodality he directed; never ceasing
from labor even when his strength failed him through weariness or infirmity. He was well known and beloved, not only
by Catholics, but even by Protestants, who after his death
expressed in the most flattering words the esteem in whieh
they had held him. Thus, for instance, the Boston Herald
wrote of him "that the Catholic Church in Boston had lost
in Fr. Marigliano one of her most learned and zealous piuneers."
It was on the 28th of March, 1879, that being reduced
�62
Mr. Aloysius Benassai.
to a hopeless state, he left Boston for 'vVorcester to prepare
himself to die. A few days after his arrival he received the
last Sacraments, and asked one of the Fathers, who had
known him in Naples, and had been afterwards his fellownovice, to write under his direaion a letter to his superiors.
In this letter, Fr. Marigliano, after expressing his heart-felt
thanks to the Society for having received him as one of her
children, signified in the most sensible and touching words
his consolation in dying as a Jesuit. On the I sth of April,
I879, the day of his departure from this world, a Father
asked him if he was afraid to die. "No," he answered,
"since I die a Jesuit." So it was, he died a Jesuit, that is,
as a true son of the Society, having always worked for the
greater glory of God and the salvation of his neighbor.-
R. I. P.
MR. ALOYSIUS BENASSAI.
NoviTIATE, FREDERICK,
ott. 27th, I879·
REV. DEAR FR. PERRON,
P. C.
I sent your Reverence, at 3 P. M. yesterday, a telegram
announcing the death of our very dear little Bro. Benassai.
He breathed forth his soul yesterday at twenty-eight minutes after eleven o'clock. He was co~;;cious till the last, and
spoke with me about four minutes before he died. Many of
us had the rare privilege of witnessing his holy death. All
his moments were full of peace. He told me-" Father, I feel
so happy, and have so little fear of death, that it does not
seem as if I were going to die." I begged him to pray for us
all and to obtain of God for us the grace to die in the Society, and as happily as he was dying. From the day he came
till the moment of his death, no sign of impatience was
ever remarked in him, and no one ever heard an idle word
from his lips. These two remarkable faas in his life are
�JI;Jr. George Aloysius Moffitt.
worthy of imitation ; and I proposed him as a model in
this regard to all our Juniors, who loved him dearly, and to
the Novices who had not seen so much of him. We have
had many holy deaths in this house, dear Father, and all of
them have taught us different lessons, all were most happy,
but some were more notably so, yet none more beautiful,
more consoling, and sweeter to us than that of Mr. Benassai.
All are very well and there is a sweetness and peace diffused
over the whole house in consequence of the event of yesterday- as if the perfume of our little brother's virtues
would linger long with us and serve to lead us onward in
our life of faith.
Commending myself to your Reverence's holy SS. and
prayers, believe me, yours very sincerely in Dno.
A.}. TISDALL, S. J.
MR. GEORGE ALovsrus MoFFITT.
George Aloysius Moffitt, N. S. J., departed this life 08:.
30th, I 879, aged twenty years, twenty-five days.
Mr. Moffitt was related to the illustrious Abp. Carroll,
of Baltimore, and like that venerable prelate, resolved to devote his life to the service of God in the sacred ministry of
the priesthood ; having had this desire since the day of his
first Communion,when he made in the fervor of his ardent
and pure soul, this promise to God. Accordingly, before
the close of that happy day, he repaired to the residence of
his much esteemed pastor, Rev. L. Hoffer, to ask if he
could begin with him the study of the Latin language as
a preparatory course. Under the direCl:ion of his devoted
pastor, he pursued hi,; studies with a zeal and ardor unsurpassed, showing rare talent, combined with an uprightness
of principle, and those amiable qualities which endeared
him alike to pastor and schoolmates.
At the age of fourteen he entered St. Michael's College,
Toronto, where three years of his young life were spent in
�Mr. George Aloysius Jl[ojJitt.
close application to study, and the constant praCtice of
those solid virtues worthy of the religious instruction he
received in this peaceful abode.
Feeling an ardent desire to serve God as a religious, he
made choice of the Society of Jesus, and was admitted to
the Novitiate in September, 1878.
Here he became a model of piety and devotedness in the
duties of his new and holy state of life, winning the esteem
and affeCtion of his brothers in religion, from whom he
separated with much regret, to return to his family for
change of air. His superior hoped by this means to arrest
the progress of the disease of consumption, which had
made its ·appearance; but in vain. The days of this pious
youth \Vere numbered; having perfeCted himself in a short
space, he was called to receive his reward.
The remains were interred in the Catholic cemetery at
Louisville, Stark Co., Ohio, on Saturday afternoon, Feast
of all Saints. The funeral rites were attended by a large
number of sorrowing friends and relatives. Religious.services were conduCted by Rev. L. Hoffer, who preached a
very impressive sermon on the occasion. The deceased
received Baptism, first Communion and Extreme Unction,
also his vows from the same beloved pastor who conveyed
his remains to their last resting-place.
In his death the Jesuits lost an affectionate son, the community an edifying member.-May ·he rest in peace.
h-xtrac? from letter, sent to Manrcsa, N. Y
li
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li
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"
Iii
~,,I
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:
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"Our beloved brother, George Aloysius Moffitt, N. S. J.,
departed this life at eleven o'clock in the evening of the
feast of the Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez. He was much
devoted to the Blessed Alphonsus and had the happiness
to die on his feast. He received holy Communion in the
morning at about eleven o'clock, and passed the remainder
of the day in silence and sufferings .... His last words he
spoke to brother Matthew who was watching him when I
said. night prayers for the family. Brother Matthew was
�Jvfr. George Aloysius 1lfojfitt.
kneeling at his bed side, saying his night prayers, and dear
brother George looked at him and repeated twice the sweet
names of Jesus! Mary! Jo:-;eph!
.
These were his last words, spoken at about nine o'clock.
He held the string or tape of his crucifix in his left hand
and had his eyes fixed on another which James held
behind the blessed candle. He had the relic of Father Olivaint, S. J., under his head, and also the letter he received,
dated the 23d, from his brothers at Manresa.
As dear brother George was so happy to think he had
once been at Manresa, and counted it such a great grace
to make the grand retreat, so my parents, brothers, and
sisters feel very grateful to you, for all your kindness to
our brother, hoping he will be remembered in your prayers."
From a second letter.
"Having been with my brother George daily these five
months, I have witnessed his many sufferings which he received from our dear Lord with heroic resignation. The
only desire he expressed was to be with you. Formerly I
was astonished to see the rapid progress he made in his
studies while at the College in Toronto, but the progress
he made in the science of the saints while at Manresa was
~till more admirable.. During his sojourn at home he constantly praCtised all the virtues of a true religious, especially his silence and resignation to the holy will of God. He
seldom spoke to the many secular persons who, to testify
their love for him, visited him frequently. He always received them with an affable welcome, and then he would
seek some retired corner and remain in silence, or speak of
how his death was fast approaching, and of the saints whose
lives he had read, especially of St. Ignatius and blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez .....
Brother George had a great love for Manresa; he said he
was often there in his dreams. I think this was his greatest suffering; 'he was away from those he loved tenderly.'
Many are the proofs he gave of solid virtue. The physiVoL. 1x-No. 1.
9
�66
Mr. George Aloysius Mo_ffitt.
cian who has been the family doctor for twenty years, and
who is prejudiced against our holy faith, says 'George was
a model as a boy and much more as a man. He never
complained to me; he explained his sufferings and endeavored to be cured.'"
From enclosed letter to "Brother George's Brothers in Christ."
"Our well beloved brother George read your letter with
his dying eyes. He had it placed under his head, and there
it remained until he had passed to eternity.
His life while at home was truly edifying. He practised
virtue worthy of the instructions he received. He. spoke
of the great grace of making the grand retreat, he said this
was a preparation for death. \Vhen we spoke of the lives
of the saints we had read, he would always admire the
great virtues of each, but nothing could equal the perfection of St. Ignatius. When I wished to hear him speak, it
was enough to relate something of the life of any saint;
- then he would speak of the great sanctity of St. Ignatius
or of some other Jesuit saint. He frequently said there c.re
about two hundred saints of the Society of Jesus who ought
to be canonized. The last he spoke of was blessed Alphonsus '"Rodriguez, how great his obedience was.
Very much could be said of the solid virtue of our dear
brother; but, as he often said, 'The less you speak of me,
the better it is,' -therefore I will n?t say much more; only
that he never forgot Manresa. At first he expected that
he would certainly go back again, and endeavored to be
cured in order to return. But when he was told that one
lung was consumed and the other half gone, he said, 'I wish
I had become so sick that it would have been impossible to
remove me from Manresa; however, God wills all things for
His greater glory, and most probably I am here to expiate
my sins.'
His sufferings were very severe. He frequently vomited
three times in one day, so that he often remarked he was in
�Mr. Ge01ge Aloysius Moffitt.
the 'Purgative Way.' He said he could suffer more. He
never would allow anyone to wait on him but his brothers.
His funeral was the largest that ever took place in Louisville (Ohio). \Ve never thought he had so many friends:
about one half were Protestants .... His corpse did not decompose. His right ear had been sore for two weeks; after death it was nearly healed, and we do not think he will
decay.
All that love and affeaion can bestow, was given to
brother George, prayers were offered and every remedy applied; but God wished to take our beloved brother from us.
George Aloysius Moffitt (Scholastic Novice, S. J.-by permission of Rev. Fr. Prm,incial lte had takm ZJtmJS if devotion
on Ius death bed.) was twenty years and twenty-five days in
this valley of tears. His brother, John P. Moffitt, of the
Congregation of St. Basil, was twenty-three years and twenty-five days when he died in Toronto, whither he took
George, who was present at his death, April znd, 1878.'.
(It should seem that nothing need be added to these simple words from a Christian family, whose love is the well
ordered charity of the just living by faith. May our souls
die the death of the just.)
�APPENDIX.
VARIA.
Belgium -The educational agitation has had the effect
of increasing the number of scholars in our colleges in
Belgium. The "Conspectus Scholarium" for last year by
tabulated statements compared the eleven colleges under
the charge of the Society with the government lyceums in
the same cities. At the beginning of the current scholastic
year 5,114 pupils were attending our classes; at the same
time las.t.year, the number was 4.743. At Liege and Brussels, where the Liberal element is powerful, the entering
classes were 144 and 104 respectively, and in these two colleges the number is daily increasing.
France- The same effect has been produced in France by
the Ferry Btl!. At Le Mans, so many new scholars have
been received, that it was found necessary to add a dortoir
Ferry. At the College St. Ignace, }laris, 100 additional
students this year have raised the number to 8oo; in the
three colleges of Paris there arc about 2,000 students. The
classes of Rhetoric and Humanities have each two professors; whilst the Grammar classes require to be divided into
three divisions, on account of th<{large number of pupils.
The result of the competitive examinations for entrance
into the Government schools speaks for itsel(
For the Polytechnic, of the 200 successful candidates, 33
were from our College of Ste. Genevieve ; the only college
which approximated to this was St. Louis, from which 24
were received. Twenty of our pupils ranked among the
first hundred, holding the I st, 5th, 7th, etc. place.
For St. Cyr, 73 of our scholars succeeded, one of whom
gained the 2nd position.
(68)
�Varia.
C!tina: Consecration of a Bzslwp-Father Valentine Garnier, successor of Mgr. Languillat,Vicar Apostolic of Kiangnan, was consecrated Bishop of Titopolis in partibus in/idelimn in the Cathedral of Tung-ka-doo, Shanghai, Sunday,
April 27, 1879· The 'Letters of Laval' give a graphic description of the ceremony. The subjoined account, furnished by a correspondent, and extraCl:ed from the Shanghai
Dai!)' News, is interesting as showing the impression produced on a Protestant witness; and also, because it enables
one to form some idea of the present state of religion in
that far distant Empire.
The early hour of 8 A. :11. was appointed for the commencement of the ceremony, and soon after that hour it was
well nigh impossible to obtain entrance to the Cathedral, the
crowd of Chinese being so great- they literally swarmed
everywhere in the building where they could obtain access,
standing upon the benches in the nave and aisles, and
crowding and crushing as it pleased their fancy. The Cathedral is reputed to be capacious enough to hold 4,000
persons on ordinary occasions, and if this be true, there were
assuredly very many more squeezed into it at one time
during the ceremony; but there was an almost constant
succession of comers and goers on the fringes of the great
. crowd, while those lining the barriers, or who had secured
front places, found themselves so jammed as to be unable
to obtain exit if they wished it ever so much. Of course,
most of thtse were heathen on-lookers, but the number of
native Christian converts was something extraordinary to
behold-they were pointed out to us in thousands, the majority apparently being women, who conduCl:ed themselves
with a modest, quiet deportment, in marked contrast to the
crowd that filled other parts of the Cathedral.
As in the eyes of Roman Catholics was becoming on
such an important occasion, the greatest possible amount of
decoration was observable in every direCtion throughout
the edifice-a blaze of gilding and color meeting the glance
�70
Varia.
on every hand, from roof almost to floor-the wonder being from whence such an immense amount of gaudy material could have been obtained even for such a purpose in the
Far East. However, setting such a speculation aside, the
material was there, in the shape of banners, shields, long
lines of drapery, etc., interspersed winh oil paintings of sacred subjeCts, and bearing beautifully emblazoned monograms (as we suppose it is correCt to style them), texts in
the Chinese charaCter, and other means of ornamentation.
The altar was of course a great centre of decoration, and
upon it and its surroundings the utmost taste had been lavished-almost overloading it with the splendor of its adornments.
The means of accomodation inside the Cathedral not being deemed sufficient for the vast multitude who thronged
to see, r~nges of benches were placed outside, facing the
open doors, and these, too, were crowded with occupantsthe speCtators, in short, overflowing into the adjacent
streets, even into positions from which it was impossible to
obtain a glimpse of the ceremony-and this lasted throughout the three hours and a half occupied in the Bishop's
consecration.
The following Bishops took part in the ceremony; Bishop Zanoli, of Hupeh; Bishop Gentili, of Foo chow;
and Bishop Guierry, of Ningpo; in addition to a large
body of priests, including a considerable proportion of natives, wearing the same kind of vestments as the foreigners.
The choir, it was understood, was a special one, and the
members certainly sang the music allotted to them in su- .
peri or and impressive style. The brass band of the St.
Cecilian Society played on the oc~asion, and at the conclusion of the ceremony and during'"the final procession performed a grand march very effeCtively.
Mention of one marked feature of the proceediugs must
not be omitted- the presence of a considerable body of
foreign-armed Chinese troops in and around the Cathedral,
who were present by permission of the authorities, and who,
with fixed bayonets, no doubt were influential in preserving
something like order in the large assembly. They were
under the command of two Mandarins, who were accompanied by ten or a dozen drummers ami trumpeters. In
the closing procession these musicians led the way, and
in obedience to a signal from their officers, and tvhile inside
the Cathedral, the trumpeters blew some triumphal blasts,
�Van'a.
7I
almost drowning the St. Cecilians, who nevertheless kept
on playing, undismayed by the discords produced.
Next to the drummers and trumpeters, came a small
body of native infantry, also with fixed bayonets, preceded
bv the two Mandarins with drawn swords. These were foll~wed by some ecclesiastics, next to whom came the consecrating Bishop in full vestments of cloth of gold, wearing his mitre and carrying a magnificent crosier, the two
corners of his upper garment being each borne by an assistant clad in more humble yet striking attire. They were
followed by the newly consecrated Bishop, who was also
clad in cloth of gold, wearing his mitre and likewise carrying his crosier. He walked alone, being followed by the
numerous body of priests before mentioned, walking in
pairs; in addition to whom there were a number of Chinese
youths who usually officiate as acolytes.
The Fathers of this Mission now publish a weekly newspaper in Chinese.
Fr. Dechevrens, diretl:or of the magnetic and meteorological observatory at Si-ka-wei, has pub-lished some observations on the nature of Chinese typhoons.
The scientific journal, Nature, of London calls attention to
them as of the utmost importance to navigators.
llfission of Nankin-Last year there were in the mission
of Nankin, 56 European and 26 Native Priests, I8 Scholastics, 16 Temp. coadjutors. These had charge of SIS churches
and 62 private chapels; the Christians numbering 95,I75,
catechumens I,721. There was one college with II2 scholars; I4 boarding schools with 534 boys; in the day schools
for boys there were 4,015 Christian and 2,912 Pagan pupils.
In the schools directed by the Presentation Nuns and other
Religious, there were 518 boarders; in the day schools,
3,439 Christian and 244 Pagan girls were instructed. All
of these were schools for native Chinese. There were two
schools for European children, attended by 99 boys and 138
girls.
The Ministeria Spiritualia for the year ending July I, 1879
furnish the following details :-Baptized adults, 820; Baptized children of Christians, 3,327; Baptized children of
Pagans, 17,61 I; Confirmed, 4,390; Annual Confessions,
62,I29; Annual Communions, 54,743; Confessions of devotion, 227,336; 'Communions of devotion, 265,892; Extreme unction, r,83I; Marriages, 63I; Sermons, 7,748;
Instructions, 7,42 8.
�I BAPTIZATIII
II
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ad SS. 'friuitat . . .
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Leonardtown Misz'. . . . I
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S. Thomoo Miss. . . . I
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Washington. Coli. . .
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80
52
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397
265
85
138
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222
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56,476 \57,1:\24
27,100 26,000
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10,100
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6,110
6,500
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600
190
325
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54
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�FRUCTUS MINISTERII PATRUM PROVINCIJE MISSOURIANJE, S. J.
A DIE PRIJIA
STI. LunoVICI
JU~II,
1878, AD DIKM PRIJIAJI JULII, 1879
STJ.CAROLI .WASHINGTON II WESTPHALI2E CINCINNATI!
FLORISSANT
CHICAGO
MILWAUKEE
ST2E. MARI2E, IOsAGE Miss.,
KANSAS
KANSAS
DETROIT
--OPERA
In omnibus
Coli. et
Sti.
Sti
Dom. Prob. Ferdinand. SS. Cord. Stationibus
Convict. Joseph.
-
Bapt. Infant.
" Adult.
Confess.
Comm. in Templo.
Matrim bened. •
" revalidat. .
Ultim. sacram ..
Parati ad 1 comm. .
Sodalitates
Numerus sodalium . .
Pueri in schol. paroch.
Puellre
"
.
.
.
327
87
107,906
95,450
50
15
153
360
9
3,406
185
160
In omnibus
Stationibus
---
265
6
45,000
31,558
35
4
65
3,145
12,480
5
155
4
749
450
430
33
5,780
9,000
7
1
35
40
4
240
60
65
:2,542
2,911
3
1
17
10
2
212
59
52
a
In omnibus
Stationibus
Coli.
Coil.
SS. Cordis Ad Sti. Galli
Sti. F.Xav. St. Ign.
In omnibus
Stationibus
In omnibus In Mission. ·coli. et
Resid'a
traditis
Stationibus
48
7
5,731
4,704
15
1
16
23
2
34
48
93
153
8,810
8,680
34
1
30
153
8
330
228
179
87
6
6,652
7,013
16
2
135
71
3
232
120
130
549
90
136,618
117,000
53
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741
441
18
3,617
670
820
964
41
155,763
125,140
138
17
499
1,056
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2,949
2,130
2,359
288
6
30,470
29,906
30
2
145
6
1,320
400
350
167
16
51,560
35,075
48
2
218
172
6
1,245
124
40
19,450
6,000
12
12
56
220
3
200
197
36
8,790
6,000
21
5
125
90
4
420
121
110
176
329
123,150
22
76
16
1,610
123
20
46,214
45,385
26
44
24
250
��I.
r
WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. IX, No.
2.
APPLICATIONS FOR THE MARYLAND MISSION.
1640.
The English Jesuits in Maryland made but few converts
among the Indians, whilst the labors of their French brethren
in Canada were crowned with remarkable success. That
no lasting impression was made upon the native p<:>pulation,
that the efforts bright with promise were suddenly arrested,
must be attributed to the iniquity of the times and to the
unfortunate circumstances in which they were placed, and
not to a lack of zeal and apostolic spirit. The letters here
published for the first time will go to show this.
The missionaries, who accompanied the Maryland pilgrims of 1634, lost no time in entering upon the work of
evangelizing the natives. Even before a site was chosen
for St. Mary's, we find Fr. Altham, through an interpreter,
unfolding the doctrines of Christ to the great chief of the
Piscataways, then living on the Virginia side of the Potomac.* Father White, from the beginning, was impressed
with the conviction that the natives could easily be led to
embrace the faith, and earnestly desirous of diffusing the
*Though called Piscataways, the Indians visited on this occasion by Father
Altham in company with Governor Cal vert were really the tribe of Potomacs,
belonging to the Confederation of Powhattan, anddwellingon Potomac Creek,
in what is now Stafford and King George counties, Virginia.
.
VoL. 1x-No.
2.
10
(73)
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Applications for the Maryland Mission-r640.
light of the Gospel among_them, soon turned his attention
to the conversion of the Patux_ents. In 1639. we find Father
Brock (vere Morgan) living among them at Mattapany; this
zealous missionary thus expresses himself in a letter written
five weeks before his death: "I would rather, laboring for
the conversion of these Indians, expire on the bare ground,
deprived of all human succor, and perishing with hunger,
than once think of abandoning this holy work of God from
the fear of want." Although the four priests at this time
( 1639) in Maryland scarcely sufficed for the spiritual wants
of the colonists, yet Father Fisher alone resided permanently at St. l\Iary's. Father Brock was with the Patuxents ;
Father John Gravener (Altham) resided on Kent Island, and
the ardent zeal of Father White had prompted him to take
up his abode at or near Piscataway on the Potomac, about
fifteen miles south of the present city of vVashington. He
had composed a diCtionary and catechism in the native
idiom ; the king of the country had welcomed the herald
of the true faith, and shortly afterwards with several of his
tribe, this powerful chief of the Piscataways was baptized ;
the Anacostian chief was well-disposed, and earnestly begged
a missionary for his people ; the harvest of souls was ripening, and seemed only to be waiting for the laborers to gather
it in.
Letters, descriptive of the good already accomplished
and of the cheering prospeCts for the future, were despatched
to Europe. Father Edward Knott, at that time Provincial
of England, sent the Relatiolls to Liege, together with an
exhortatory letter inviting an expression of opinion, and
asking volunteers for the new missions. The men who were
preparing themselves for the endurance of all that English
law had enaeted against Jesuits ;-on whom the dark days
of the ProteCt: orate were to fall,-some of whom were to be
confessors of the faith during the Oates delirium, were not
slow to respond when an appeal was made to labor for the
glory of God and the salvation of souls.
�Applications for tlze Maryland Mission-I64o.
75
Twenty-three letters have come down to us. They are
in great part written from Liege, the Scholasticate of the
English Province, and are stamped : RECT.: COLL.: ANGL.:
Soc.: }ESU: LEOD. They are addressed: P. Odoardo Knotto,
Soc. Je·su per Angliam Provinciali- Audomarum. These
letters are well preserved, and written in fairly legible charaCters. \Ve print the first one literatim; the only change
introduced in the others is to accommodate them to modern
spelling.
r.-Letter of Fatlzcr Francis Parker.*
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAx CHRISTL
At y• very readinge of yr
Reverence his letter concerninge Mariland, I confesse I found
myself very strongly moved to y• undertakinge of soe greate
a worke, and allthough I was then in a very quyett moode,
as havinge y• self same day ended y• spirituall exercise, yett
yt I might more assuredly knowe y• devyne Will in a matter
of such consequence, I resolved to take some days of mature
consideration before I would wryte unto you : havinge
therefore all this whyle seriously debated y• question with
myself in y• sight of Allmighty God, direetinge all my
devotions to knowe sweete Jesus his Will in this poynt,
after all I fynd in my self a most earnest desyre to live and
dye in an employment soe gratefull to his devyne Majesty,
soe direetly expressinge y• holy apostles lyfe, and soe ad-.
vantageous for y• assistinge of soe many poore needy soules
*Father Francis Parker was a native of Lancashire, born in 1606, and
admitted into the Society in 1626. He was sent upon the English mission in
1644, or 1647, and labored in that fruitful but dangerous field for upwards of
thirty-two years, with great harvest of souls, during difficult and trying times.
He was falsely accused with the other Fathers in the feigned plot for the
murder of the king, and publicly proclaimed by the Privy Council, before he
had even heard the charge. Finding no place of refuge in the kingdom, and
despairing of being able either to conceal himself, or to be of any service to
his neighbor, he succeeded in embarking for Belgium in the depth of winter.
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Applications for tlze Maryland 1liission-I64o.
as famish there dayly for want of y• breade of lyfe. The
chiefest objeCtions which o'ccurred unto me were these: y'
if I went now, perchance I should fynd some difficulty in
matter of controversy with heretiques there, havinge yett
read but Iitle in y' kynde, and had no praCtise at all. zly,
y' I should want all those spirituall he! pes of y• third yeare
under Fr. Stafford, to whose idea in matter of vertue I have
ever had a greate ambition wholy to frame myself, and now
y• tyme just seemed to be come in which I might most fitly
compasse my desyre. Lastly, y' my eldest brother, two
sisters with their husbands and children are all heretiques,
my mother very ould and soe weake a Catholique, y' I have
just reason to thinke her all most in extreame want of present
help, which many others of my friends since Fr. Scroope
came out of those parts doe allsoe very much stand in neede
of, and I seemed now to be come to y• poynt when Allmighty
God might dispose of me soe, y' perchance I might afford them some small succour. Yett for all this, betwixt
sweete Jesus and my self I have soe clearly solved not only
these, but allsoe all other objeCtions, of a hard journey,
want of all humane comfort, paynes to be necessarily undergone in y• gayninge of soules, continuall hazard of lyfe,
etc., y' I verily thinke I could securely defend this question
without a President. I will not rehearse my motives, because
I have allmost infinite, amongst others this is none of y•
smallest, y' herein I shall soe neerely resemble glorious St.
Xaverius, to whom above all other Saynts I have ever since
my conversion bine most especially devoted. Wherefore I
doe most humbly prostrate myself at yr Rev••• feete, and
beg of you for y• appretiative and tender love you bear to
all y• glorious Saynts of our Society, and to y• pretious
Greatly advanced in years, and with health, previously infirm, now completely
ruined by the effects of his long journey, he sank under his sufferings in the
course of a few weeks after arriving, and rendered up his soul to God in the
house of the Tertians at Ghent, May 20, 1679, ret. 73: having been fifty-three
years a religious, and thirty-eight a professed Father.-RECORDS OF TilE
ENGLISH PROVINCE (Series XII. p. 531.).
�Applications for the .Maryland Mission-r64o.
77
blood sweete Jesus shed for all y• soules of Mariland, yt you
will graunt me this jubily of hart for y• only favour I begge
of you this Jubily yeare, as to employ me freely, if you
judge me worthy of so greate a benefite. If it be my good
hap to be disposed of yl way, I should be glad if in y•
answere, you will give me leave to buy some few books for
Catechisme and preachinge good morall thinges, which I
know may be had here and at Antwerp, and scarce any
where else.
Soe comittinge you most hartily to y• protection of sweete
Jesus, I rest
R .. v•• Filius indignus et Servus in Christo,
26 July, 1640.
FRANCISCUS PARKERUS.
n.-Letter of Father Roger Rigby.*
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAX CHRISTI.
I had thought to have petitioned
for a favor at your Reverence's last being here; but your
sudden, and indeed to me unknown departure prevented me.
However, I hope it was not without God Almighty's particular providence, that I might maturely deliberate of so
weighty a matter, before I proposed it. My request is only
to entreat the happiness to be made partaker of that happy
*Father Rigby obtained his request, and came to Maryland in 1641. The
annual letters for this year mention that only three priests were on the mission,
and that Father Rigby was confined by sickness for three months. Next year,
he went to a new settlement called in the vulgar idiom, Patuxent, for a better
opportunity of learning the Indian language, also that he might better instruct
some neophytes, and scatter the seed of faith along the banks of that great
river. "The difficulty of the language is so great, that none of us can yet
converse with the Indians without an interpreter. Father Rigby has made
some little progress, so that he hopes he will be able in a short time to converse with them upon ·things of chief importance, as far as may be necessary
to instruct them for Baptism, having with the aid of an interpreter composed
a short catechism." LITT. ANN. 1642. This was almost the only fruit of his
labors. Troubles arose in 1645; the Fathers were carried off to Virginia by
a party of marauders, and Father Rigby died there in 1646, ret. 38, Soc. 17.
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Applications for tlze Maryland Mission-I64o.
mission of Maryland. 'Tis true, I conceive the mission not
only happy and glorious, but withal hard and humble, in
regard of the raw state things as yet are in; yet the love of
Jesus neither fears labor nor low employment. Your Reverence's letter enkindled in my mind a great desire of this
voyage, renewed former good purposes to that effeCt, and
made me in fine resolve upon it. This resolution hath been
very much strengthened this time of holy exercises both in
prayer, Holy Mass, and other occasions, which I have taken
to deliberate of this point. I confess the deliberation hath
been long, and the resolution, I fear, will come late both for
others' speedier petitions, and the time of the year; nevertheless, not always "first come, first sped," sometimes 1Wllissimi become pn"mi; and being near at hand, I confide, I
may be ready in due time for that voyage the next opportunity. Besides, though others far better deserving, and
more able to found that new spiritual plantation, will have
already presented themselves, yet I should be glad to join
my meanest endeavors with their best; and the little experience I have had, gives me good hopes, that my health and
strength will be able to break through occurrent difficulties,
and accompany others in their greatest labors. I fear, I
have hindered your more serious thoughts too long, wherefore in a word I leave the matter wholly to your prudent
charity, desiring you would freely dispose of me as you
judge best. If you be already furnished with work-men,
it may be you will want the next spring to provide for a
new harvest; then you know where to find me. And with
my dutiful respeCts, and best wishes, I humbly crave part
of your Holy Sacrifices, and rest this 31 of July, 1640.
Your Rev's humble servant in Christ,
RoGER RIGBIE.
�Applications for tlze llfaryland Mission-z64o.
79
m.-Letter of Fatlzer Jo!zn Parker.
REVEREND£ IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAX CHRISTI.
By reason of yours written concerning the happy success of our mission in Maryland, I
wished Reverend Father Reaor to signify unto your Reverence, that I \vas most willing and desirous to consecrate
my weak endeavors to God's service in those parts. To
which also I do not esteem myself a little obliged by rttason
of a vow, whereof sometime in manifestation I have spoken
to your Reverence. True it is that some condemn me here
as unfit for such an employment both for want of health and
an imperfeaion in my speech, but I hope that neither of
these will be any impediment unto me. For, although my
health be not at this present very good, yet since the ending
of my studies it is better than it was, and I hope by the help
of Villiers will be much more abettered; at least ways even
the change of air may much conduce unto it. And as for
the imperfeaion in my speech, sure I am, that, unless in
fervor of disputation especially in a strange language, it is
hardly perceptible. And verily it seems also the custom of
Almighty God to make choice of less fit instruments, that
whatever is done may be ascribed to the true author of it.
In fine, I am solely in your Reverence his hands and so
remain.
Rev•• V es•• servus in Christo,
Leodio. Aug. 6, 1640.
}oANNES PARKERUS.
rv.-Letter of Brother Robert Gray.*
REVEREND FATHER,
Your Reverence gave us to understand the last night
what desire those first Fathers of ours which was sent in
*"This valuable lay.brother was a native of Northumberland, and died at
St. Orner's 25th of October, 1658, ret. 52, Soc. 19." OLIVER.
�8o
Applications for t!te Maryland
~~fission-I64o.
Maryland missio!l hath of supplies. I make bold in all
submission to tell you what promise I made to Father
Copley* at his going, that after the death of Father Blount,
if I lived after him, I would come to him in Maryl-and, provided I might be admitted. Father Windfield can tell you
what he heard of a desire I had to go, if things of moment
have not put it out of his remembrance. Now for my part,
I conceive myself to be a staff in your hand to be put to
carry me with your will. Trusting in sweet Jesus that I
shall never have a thought to separate me from your Rev.,
I remain on
Your dutiful servant and your most unworthy,
RoBERT GRAY.
v.-Letter of Fat!ter Jolm Cooper.t
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
pAX CHRISTI.
Your Reverence's exhortatory
letter towards Maryland mission caused such comfort and
*In the Records of the English Province (Series VII., p. 336.) the editor
notes that he cannot trace any such Father in the Province, nor does the name
occur in the catalogue made by Fr. McSherry at Rome. Yet, Fr. Copley is
mentioned by this Brother in a letter to his Provincial, and also in Archbishop
Carroll's narrative as among the first companions of Fr. 'Vhite. The name
is also found on some deeds of transfer, and figures among the freemen invited
to take part in the deliberations of the colonial assembly held at St. Mary's,
which began on the 25th day of January, 1637. The record has been preserved, and is printed in the Maryland Ilist. Soc. Fttnd Publications, No.9.
(p. 17.).
After, were summoned to appeare by vertue of writte to them directed:
Mr. Thomas Copley of St. Marie's hundred. Robert Clerke gent.
I appeared for them,
Mr. Andrew White
gent: of
~ and excused their
absence by reason
Mr. John Altham
the same hundred
of sickness.
l
·
r
j
l
The next day, they preferred a request to be excused from serving in the
Assembly, which was granted.
Father Copley came to the colony in 1637 ; h~ brought many servants, and
the land grants were made out in his name; he resided at St. Mary's, and
seems to have been consulted on every matter of moment. It is probable that
Copley is an alias for Fr. John Brock or Fr. Philip Fisher.
t Another letter from the same Father, May 9, 1642, says: "I write to you
�Applications for t!te Maryland Jlfission-I64o.
8I
joy in my heart, that I was enforced to use no small endeavor
to keep it from bre~king forth to others: for, I conceived
immediately upon the reading thereof. that there was now
hope of comp:1ssing my desires in helping to reduce such
barbarous people to the knowing of one God, and the true
faith of Christ. I have had these many years no small
inclination towards such a mission; but not finding how to
compass it, this little sp:uk of ze:1l for souls was in a manner
covered with the ashes of desp.J.ir, which now begins again
to show itself, and by reason of new fuel of hopes added,
I find the fire of charity so to increase, that I can no longer
hold from asking the favor, that I may be sent forthwith
into those parts there to spend et superimpendere meipsum in
reducing those souls so dear to Christ our Lord, and for
his s;ke more dear to me than my very life; for, alas, how
is it possible, but that I should burn with this fire, beholding
with my interior eyes my dearest Saviour hanging upon the
cross, and with as many mouths as he had wounds in his
virginal body inviting me to this most Christian and truly
Apostolical work? And, indeed, the confidence I have in
His divine providence makes all apprehension of difficulties
to vanish quite out of thought; and, although I might
perchance have some false apparent reasons to dissuade me
from this most holy enterprise, yet of much force I find this
present motion, that I can admit of none. \Vherefore I
most earnestly beseech Yr. Rev., out of that affeCtion you
another way, that so at lea.•t one might not fail you. :My business was only
to let yon understand that never was my uesire greater for the place you know,
than at this present. The more I propose the occurring difficulties, the more
I find my affections inflamed that way, and I hope the very ocean will not
quench this fire. Dear Sir, let me know what hope there is of obtaining this
great happiness. If you send none this year, I must entreat the favor in the ·
interim you would let me be where I may emp!Qy the strength and health God
hath lately given me, in helping the poor and traveling afoot in that great
work." Father Cooper's name appears among the missionaries of :Maryland
in the Catalogue for 164.3. All trace of him is lost after that date; in this year
the Fathers were all carried off to Virginia, of which Rev. P. General writes
in a letter dated 22 July, 1645: "De nostris abductis tanto cum incommodo et
, detrimento religionis, in navali illo, vehementer ut par est doleo," etc.
VoL. Ix-No. 2.
II
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Applications for tlze lvlaryland Mzjsion-z64o.
bear my soul's good, that you will value my health and life
no more than I myseif do value them,• who shall be most
ready to spend a thousand lives (if I had them) in so good
a cause. I would have your Reverence to know that I care
not to live, nor fear to die; death will free me from infinite
miseries this world affords, and life is already so distasteful,
by reason of my small increase of love towards Almighty
God, that I esteem it more than a perpetual death to live
any longer. 0, how happy should I be either to die in this
journey, or in the midst of so glorious a harvest! Verily,
Father, I cannot but speak this with much feeling; and, so
much the more, speaking it to one who, I doubt not, but
understands me. But why do I mention death, who persuade myself that life and health will rather be increased
than lessened by reason of this journey? For why ~1ay I
not hope, that as for leaving a father and brother in the
world to follow Christ, I have found a hundred as wellwishers in religion, so for hazarding (if I may so term it)
my life and health for His love, I shall also find both health
increased and life prolonged according unto those his most
true words: qui pcrdiderit animam suamJroptcr me im,eniet
eam .'1 Moreover, my mean parts and small sufficiency will
iiot, as I imagine, prove so beneficial to Europeans as to
these barbarians, those of Europe requiring more learning
than I for my part profess to have. Besides, this country
of Maryland, taking its name from so great a patroness, as
is the ever Immaculate Virgin, gives me no small assurance
of doing something to her honor and glory, in whose help
and assistance I trust next to God. I must, therefore, once
more beseech your Reverence even for Christ's and His
most Bl. Mother's sake, that you would approve of this my
most humble request, and make me so happy as to be em·
ployed in this most meritorious mission.
R•• v•• humilis servus et filius in Christo,
17 July, 1640.
]OANNES CooPERUS.
�Applicatiolls for tlzc Maryland Mission-I64o.
83
VI.-Lettcr of Fatlzer .J:fatthew Grimes.*
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAX EJUSDEM.
/
Your letter was a forcible invitement unto me to undertake the happy labor of a mission
into Marylafld. Since, I have seriously thought of it, and
commended the matter to God, and at length resolved to
let your Reverence know what affeCI:ion I conceive towards
it. On the one side, my small abilities mixed with so many
great imperfeCtions do avert me far from aspiring to so high
an enterprise; on the other, the charity of our dearest
Saviour, and the confidence which I place in the spirit of
our holy vocation, urge me forward to offer and dedicate
myself with my best endeavors for the increasing of God's
glory there, or in any other part of the world where superiors shall please to send me, hoping that Almighty God
will impart unto me such means as will be requisite to perform whatever He shall call me unto. As for the journey,
I esteem it a recreation; and for a journey at sea, I think
it will confirm my health, for it is the only physic I have
used these fifteen years. Thus with my best respeCts to
your Reverence, I rest
Rae V•• obedientissimus in Christo servus,
Leodii, 6 Aug., I640.
MAT. GRYMES, S. J., fil. indignus.
*His true name was Bazier. At the age of twenty-four, he joined the Eng·
lish Province. Sent to the English mission, his quality of foreigner (for he
was actually born at Rouen), enabled him for a time to exercise his priestly
functions with comparatively greater freedom and confidence than the rest of
his brethren, but at length he was thrown into a London jail, where he died
"Fretore carceris extinctus," on the 11th of August, 1650, ret. 42. OLIVER.
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84
VII.-Lett~·r
of Fatlter J:awrmce Worslty!'
RE\'ERE:\DE IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAX CHRISTI.
I had no sooner heard tht relation of the happy success of our mission in Maryland, and
the great hope of converting souls to their Lord and Creator, but I was surprised with no small joy and comfort;
which, nevertheless, was but little, compared with that which
I received when I read those sweet and no less comfortable
lines 'vith which your Reverence invited not any one in
particular, but all in general, to employ their lives and labors
in the };llldertaking of so glorious an enterprise, of converting soufs to God by means of that mission. And to tell
you the truth, my joy was so great, that no thought nor
word for a long time could come from me which resounded
not, "Maryland." The cause of my joy was the hopes I
conceived of being so happy as to be one of those who
would consecrate themselves to so noble an employment.
Nee vaua sjcs rst, I hope : since I doubt not but it is the
will of Almighty God, for having commended the matter
unto Him for some days, I still found the same desire I had
in the first hour. If your Reverence desiretl1 to know yet
further the joy which was caused in me by this happy news,
I cannot express it better, than by ."aying that it hath been
like an ocean able to drmvn all_.'other sorrows and crosses
which by reason of troublesome· times might have had no
small part in me. No cross ever struck so deep into me as
when I saw many able men restrained from doing such
things as were very suitable to their vocation; but now
seeing such a plentiful harvest prepared for them, sorrows
must of necessity give place to joy. I shall think mysef
most happy if I might be thought fit to be one of those
*Born in Somersetshire, 1613; at the age of twenty joined the Society:
was •eut to the English mission in 1643: <lieu in Yorkshire, May 29, 16i5.
0LIYER.
�Applications for tlze .Maryland Jl1ission-I64o.
85
who are to reap God his elected corn. Your Reverence
will find r have no doubt many both more able and
industrious than I am, yet unless I am deceived, you
wi\1 not find many of better will or health, two necessary things for the undertaking of hard enterprises. If I
may seem to be destitute of weapons to fight against my
enemies, the Yirtue of your Reverence his word, whom I
acknowledge in the place of God, shall serve me as a twoedged sword, as well to fight against myself as others. I
hope to be able to say with St. Paul: Omnia possum in eo
qui me conferta!. If it were put to my choice, I would
rather make use of the present occasion than expect the
uncertainty of another ; for post est occasio calva. I cannot
possibly think it too soon to give my life for the good of
souls, for the furthering of God his greater honor, and
greater advancement of my own perfection; all which your
Reverence sufficiently demonstrated to be found at this
present occasion. How many occurrences may there happen to cross my design if I defer to execute my good desires
at this present: I may relent in fervor and zeal, death may
prevent other your Reverence his designs, or my hopes.
'Wherefore, considering the uncertainty of that which is to
come, and the certainty of the present, I do most earnestly
beg of your Reverence even upon my knees, that you will
be pleased to admit me to be one of those, who in this Jubilee year wi\1 give their lives and labors, to be spent in the
mission of Maryland, in token of gratitude for the conservation of our Society these ~undred years past. On condition you will accept of me, I will refuse to undergo no
labor how hard soever it may be. Thus your Reverence
sees my best desires; if you will make me happy even in
this world, grant me what I desire, and so I will always
remain your humble subject.
I would willingly demand your Reverence his counsel in
one thing, and it is by what means I may get my portion
of those corporal goods which by right are due unto me.
�86
Applications for tlze Maryland Mission-r64o.
I would be willing to give all to the furthering of our mission. The surest way were to procure some friends to
speak to my father. Peradventure, my stepmother, who is
my Lord Montague his aunt, will be able to effeCt it. I
leave all to your Reverence his disposing.
The z6th of July, 1640.
LAURENCE WoRSLY.
vm.-Letter of Father Christopher Morris.
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
PAX CHRISTI.
The ardent zeal and earnest
desire of concurring to the conversion of those poor infidels
of 1\Iaryla~nd, which your Reverence in your exhorting
letter doth sufficiently declare, stirreth up in me a confidence
that no employment whatsoever is like to prove an obstacle
to such as find in themselves a true desire of going to assist
those needy souls so dearly bought, and so long neglected.
\Vherefore, after having heard your letter upon Saturday,
and suppressing the flame then begun to be enkindled in
my heart, omitted to write on Sunday, to the end I might
take some days to deliberate in so weighty matter. I find
it r~ther to increase than any way to diminish, and now do
beg as a favor that which heretofore I never was able even
to think on, but with repugnance and horror.
The considerations that move me thereunto are these
following. First and chiefly, the g;.'~at want of succor which
those poor souls as dear unto Christ our Lord, and redeemed
with as great a price as the best in Europe, do stand in need
of; and yet that they for so many years since Christ's suffering, seem to have been so negleB:ed, and as it were forgotten, by the permission of God's secret and inscrutable providence, as if Christ had not suffered for them, but for the
Europeans alone so far they have hitherto been from reaping
the fruit of that copiosa redemptio, for lack of external helps
which the Europeans have more than abundance.
a
�Applications for t!te Maryland Mission-I64o..
87
Secondly, the facility which·. God of his goodness hath
bestowed upon me in learning of what language soever, the
want of which seemeth to have been the chief impediment
to the charitable endeavors of such as are already settled
there. To which may be added the knowledge of music,
which may perchance be of special use in the beginning of
that young primitive Church: things which here by reason
of abundance are of no great use unto me, and may be there
of special consequence.
Thirdly (but this is a motive of another strain, and a grace
which I do acknowledge myself most unworthy of), the
desire of martyrdom. For can the Catholic Church be
firmly established in any country without persecutions and
martyrdom? Will not the devil be as busy in raising oppositions against the Christian faith as well in Maryland, as in
China, Japan, and other places? At least, if we miss of
martyrdom, there cannot want great sufferances of labor
and affliCtions, which joined to a true desire of martyrdom
on my part, I hope will be accepted of Almighty God as
part of satisfaCtion for my manifold former sins.
Now, what is there besides my sins and imperfeCtions
that can hinder your designs and my desires? The course
of Philosophy which I have in hand? Certainly, this cannot hinder anything: there being those who can supply in
this, who perhaps have no calling to that. Fr. Courtney,
when he hath done his AB:ion there, or Fr. Worsley who
hath my scholars already made to his hands, as being possessed with most of his principles ; or any one else, whom
your Reverence will be better able to determine, than I to
suggest.
Again, on my part there can be no difficulty, which might
arise out of human considerations, to whom it cannot but
be glorious for Almighty God's sake and the help of souls,
to have forsaken an employment of credit, at such a time
as the chief labor was overcome and passed, and what
remained was ·rather a glorious crown of my former pains,
�88
Applications for the .Maryland Jl;!ission-I6.;.o.
than otherwise. And if any shall so interpret my desires
as to account me rash, in negleB:ing what commodious and
honorable employment, I might expeCt: in our Province here
and inconsiderately curious of novelty, rather than moved
with a true desire of helping souls, I do contemn his judgment, and more highly esteem of the teaching of Christ's
cross in all senses in Maryland, than of the most honorable
chair either in Liege, or all Europe be~ides.
And as for other dangers and difficulties, either of the
journey, or funB:ion which there may befall me. I am most
ready to undergo all for the love of Christ, and hope by
the assistance of his holy grace, never to sink under the
burthen.__ Those dangers and difficulties I have perused as
much a2l was able in particular, and not only with a slight
general and confuse thought. \Vhether I die by sea in my
journey, or by land in .i\Iaryland, sure I am I shall have as
good, yea more glorious a sepulchre than in Liege. The
cause will ennoble the death. The inconveniences of diet,
apparel and lodging will be made easy and supportable, by
the frequent memory of my Saviour's vinegar and gall,
nakedness, and hard bed of his cross. And I hot.~e to feel
this stomach that in honorable employment used sometimes
to be squeamish, by the influence of the soul's hunger and
thirst after souls, and a good toilsome day's work and labor
of body to that effeCt:, to become so hungry as to leap at a
brown loaf. He little cared for the want of corporal goods,
who said : Meus cibus est jacere w{untatem Patris. If I can
get no meat, I pray God I may starve in so good an employment, and I shall be happy. Temporal commodities I neither
wish for, nor expeCt: among those, I had almost called them
barbarians, whom I hope shortly to see worthy members of
Christ's mystical body.
I beseech Almighty God to give me grace ever to remain
in the same readiness and fervor on my part, and to inspire
your Reverence that which shall be most to His honor and
glory. If your Reverence shall think fitting to honor me
by .making choice of me among others that shall offer them-
�Applications for tlte Maryland iJfission-I64-o.
89
selves, I desire to be admonished soon, and to have leave
for some books of music 'which shall not cost much, which
may be found in these countries and not in England; as
also to buy one Preacher, which I have a great liking unto.
More other things I shall beg of your Reverence, or let
alone, as you shall think most expedient. So expeCting
till your next letters, upon my knees, your Reverence's
desired benediCtion, I rest
R•• v·• Scrvus et Filius indignus
From Liege, 27 July, 1640.
CHRISTOPHORUS MAURITIUS.
The specimen letters printed above manifest the spirit
which aCtuated the applicants for the mission, and show
how generous was their response to the call for aid. Other
letters, written on the same occasion, and breathing the same
spirit of self-sacrificing zeal, have come down to us: they
are from John Spencer, John Smithson, Francis Mathews,
Thomas Atherton, Thos. Audcenus (Owens), T. Humphries,Thomas Mumford (a novice), Francis Maurice (a scholastic),
James Morford, William Sadler, Richard Fulwood, Francis
Line,-Gretson (? ), Thomas Harrison and Thomas Caraus
(probably Carey, a novice).
A fair beginning had been already made, and the most
favorable impression had been produced on the neighboring
tribes by the labors of Frs. vVhite and Altham, and after
the solemn baptism of the Piscataway chieftain with his
wife, child and principal councillor, at which Governor Calvert, Secretary Lewger and other prominent men of the
Colony assisted, the prospeCts were bright for a rapid diffusion of the faith, as many natives were disposed to follow
the example of their chief, and zealous volunteers were not
wanting, as these letters abundantly testify. \Vhy then was
so little accomplished?
Lord Baltimore in his "Declaration" invites his countrymen to go to his colony, not only to better their material
interests, but also to spread the seeds of religion and piety
-a work, he says, dignum angelis, dignum Anglis / and
VoL. rx-No. 2.
12
�90
Applications for the Maryland Mission-I64o.
immediately upon receipt of his grant from the crown, he
had treated with Father Blount, at that time Provincial, and
had written also to Father General, earnestly begging that
he_might select certain Fathers not only for the spiritual
wants of the colonists, but also for propagating the faith
among the infidels and savages. And yet the work of
evangelizing the natives received its first check from the
policy of this nobleman. Trouble arose in regard to the
lands of Mattapany which the Fathers had received from
their· grateful neophytes. Lord Baltimore regarded this
transaction as an infringement of his proprietary rights to
the soil, and made vigorous reclamations to the Provincial.
In his irritation, he drew up new conditions of plantation, to
go into df~ct on the Feast of the Annunciation, 1642, to
which all who offered themselves for the colony were obliged
to subscribe. There is a draft of these conditions in MSS.
"Anglia," vol. 4. Stonyhurst, No. 108, R., and to this is
annexed an oath of allegiance. There is also a form of
certificate of the English Provincial, to the effect that he
had read the conditions and the oath, and could find nothing
in them which would render the proposer or accepter of
them amenable to any cause of excommunication Bulla:
Cce11a:, or guilty of any sin. Meantime Mr. Lewger, Secretary of the colony for the Lord Proprietary, had proposed
measures in the assembly which were judged by the Fathers
of St. Mary's to be in opposition t_o canon law and ecclesiastical privilege. A letter from th,e Provincial to Cardinal
- - , says that their firm resistance to these measures incensed Secretary Lewger, "who immediately reported to
Baron Baltimore, that his jurisdiction was interrupted by
the Fathers of the Society, whose doctrine was inconsistent
with the government of the Province. Hence, the said
Baron, being offended, became alienated in his mind from
the Fathers, and at first seized all their lands and let them
to others. Afterwards the said Baron began to turn his
attention to the expulsion of the Fathers, and the introducing
others in their stead, who would be more pliable to
of
�Applications for tlze .111ilryland .Mission-I64o.
91
his Secretary. Therefore, he procured last year to petition
the S. Congregation of the Propagation of the Faith, in the
name of the Catholics of Maryland, to grant to a prefeCt
and priests of the secular clergy, faculties for the same mission, etc.
This state of affairs was not favorable for the introduCtion
of new missionaries. \Vhilst in London the Lord Proprietary insisted* "that no Jesuit shall be sent to Maryland
without the license of the said Lord Baltimore and his heirs
being first obtained," the assembly convened at St. Mary's
by Mr. Secretary Lewger t passed an aCt in which among
other things objeCtionable was this clause ; "nor shall any
one depart from the Province, even to preach the Gospel to
the infidels by authority of the See Apostolic, without a
license of the lay magistrate."
Propositions had been made to Lord Baltimore relative
to sending over two more priests to strengthen the Maryland mission. But, it seems that he was not perfeCtly satisfied, despite the concessions of the superiors in England,
and the subjoined correspondence shows that the relations
between him and the Fathers were not as harmonious as
the success of the mission required.
I.-Letter from TcVilliam Peasetyt to Mr. Gervzs.
SIR,
'
I have prevailed for the present employment of two of
'''Agreement between Father Provincial and Lord Baltimore and his heirs .
.\ISS. Anglia, No. 108.
tHe was a personal friend of Lord Baltimore, and entrusted by him with
tnany important offices in the young colony. He seems to have been a sincere
Catholic, although the Provineial's letter charges him with the introduction
of the legislative measures of which complaint is made. Zeal for his patron's
interest carried him too far, and his early training had imbued him with false
notions upon subjects which bclon~ed solelr to ecclesiastical jurisdiction. He
had been an Anglican minister, and an mtimate friend of Chillingworth;
when the latter became a Catholic, Lewger undertook to draw him back to
the Establishment, but the attempt resulted in his own conversion. Chilling·
worth subsequently abandoned the faith, and acquired some notoriety as an
Anglican controversialist, bnt Lewger persevered, and after man;y. years spent
in Maryland, died in London during the great plague, 1665, a victtm of charity.
t Brother-in-law to Cecil Calvert, Lord Baltimore. Letters r, n, rv, were
addressed to some one in England acting for Father Knott, who was probably
then residing at St. Orner. They are endorsed: Written to MR. GERVIS
(Gervase).
�92
Applications for tlze "1Iaryland J11ission- I64o.
Yours, as is desired; upon confidence and promise that he
shall have satisfaction in his just and reasonable demands,
and if it possibly may be before their departure; which was
much pressed and importuned, for he sayth the best ship
that goes now directly thither under the command of Ingle,
the master, will be ready to set sail from Gravesend about
a fortnight or three weeks hence at the furthest, so as by
that time an answer may come from Mr. Knott to his demands. But that shall not hinder their departure. He
designs to see and speak with the gentlemen, that he may
judge of their disposition and fitness for such a work. I
pray, therefore, let them be sent to him, as soon as may be,
so I rest
Your humble and affectionate servant,
Ult. 7bris At night.
\V. ·p.
II.;-Lettcr of TVilliam Pmsc~v to Mr. Germs.
SIR,
After the departure of my man with the letter, I received this enclosed from my Lord Baltimore. By which
it wiJI appear that his mind is changed. I went to him
nevertheless this morning, and debated the business with
him as earnestly as I could. But I cannot prevayle with
him. He is stiff in his resolution, saying that he will prepare his demands within these two days, which may be sent
over by the next Post, and the answer transmitted hither
before the going away of the ship, which will be a month
hence. And he conceives there will be no such necessity
of sending those two gentlemen thither by this first shipp,
in case the answer cannot come to his colony by the departure of the first shipp, for he s~yth there will go other
ships after her thither. However~he is resolute, that none
shall be sent, until he have satisfaction. This is the substance of ali our discourse. I am sorry I have fayled in
doing that good and service proposed, so I take my leave
and rest
Your humble and affectionate servant,
Lincoln's Inn Fields.
W. P.
1 Oct., 1642.
•
�Applications for t!te Maryland Mi'ssion-I640.
93.
m.-Lettcr of Lord Baltimore to Mr. William Peasely.
Goon BRoTHER,
I pray send \Vord to the party, that I cannot resolve upon
what he desires concerning his friends going till I speak
with him again, which shall be within a few days; for unless
all matters are agreed and perfeCted before they goe, I cannot in prudence give way to his request. If diligence be
used, I suppose this difficulty may be taken away, for there
will be, I believe, above a month's time for it. Howsoever,
it was not my fault that the business is thus streightened in
time; nor that it hath beene so I wiss other yeares in the
same manner so, I rest
Your most affeCtionate loving brother,
30 Sept., 1642.
C. BALTIMORE.
Iv.-Lrtter of Ann Peasely to Mr. Gervz's.
DEAR SIR,
I have been with my brother, but have bestowed my pains
to no purpose, for in this business he is inexorable, until.
all conditions be agreed upon between you. The particulars are not worth relating, for both of us talked too much,
since the effeCt: of our discourse proved no more to my
content. I am only satisfied in this, that what can, hath
been done in this business, and for the success, I leave it to
Him who I hope will turn all things to the best, I cannot
possibly wait upon you myself, our time is so short and our
business so much, but I am as ever
Your most affeCtionate friend and servant,
oa. 5th, 164 2.
ANN PEAsELv.
A compromise must have been effeB:ed, as the catalogue
for 1642 mentions the arrival of two additional priests.
The annual letter of the same year speaks also of two other
priests, not of the Society, sent over to oppose Ours. "But
the reverse of what was expeB:ed happened; for our reasons
being heard, and the thing itself being more clearly understood, they easily fell in with our opinion, and the laity in
like manner generally."
But whatever may have been the hopes or projeCts of
more extended labor, they were soon rudely dispelled and
�~4
· Applications for t!te Maryland 11Iission-I6-fo.
thwarted; for, as the Parliamentary cause grew successful
in England, persecution increased against the Catholics of
Maryland. Claiborne, the evil genius of early colonial days,
had been put down by force of arm'> and driven from Kent
Island. He fled to England, and declaring for the Parliament, on his return to America, aided by Ingle and other
Puritans, he was able in 1645 to excite an insurreCtion.
Leonard Calvert was driven from his government, and the
usurping faCtion sent all the Fathers prisoners to Virginia,
whence they were transported to England. Father Fisher
returned in 1648, but he was alone for some time. The
famous Aet of Toleration was passed next year, but it was
quickly abrogated. Claiborne in 1652, aeting, or pretending to aCt ~u1der commission of the Long Parliament, "was
engaged in "the holy work of rooting out the abominations
of popery and prelacy in Maryland." * Catholics, in the
colony they had planted, were denied the open exercise of
their religion: penal enaCtments were multiplied; any intercourse of Catholic priests with the Indians would have
been regarded with suspicion and speedily arrested. This
state of affairs explains sufficiently why after the date of
these letters, we hear no more of conversions among the
Indians-the annual letters of the Province and the colonial
records are alike silent on the subjeCt. The only subsequent mention of English Catholic missionaries in connectimi with the natives is found in the plan formed by Governor
Dongan of New York to substitute English Jesuits for
French among the Six Nations. But the reign of James II.
was too short for Dongan to carry out his projeCt, and there
is no proof that the three members of the Eng! ish Province,
whom he called to his aid, ever penetrated to the Mohawks
and their allies.
i
* Ilurke, History of Virginia, yo!. II. 113.
�THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN MONTANA.
BY FATHER L. B. PALLADINO.
The year of Our Lord 1840 will always be a memorable
one in the history of the Catholic Church in Montana. A
young priest of remarkable energy and undaunted courage,
Father Peter J. De Smet, S. J., whose name is now famous
throughout all lands, planted in that year the standard of
the Cross in the very heart of the Rocky Mountains, and
thus became the pioneer of Christianity and civilization in
what is now one of the most promising Territories of the
West. What first direCted the steps of that youthful but
intrepid missioner to the wilds of the Rocky Mountains
sounds almost like a romance, and will ever be one of the
most interesting incidents in the early history of this country. But it is impossible in a brief historical sketch like
this to enter into any lengthy details, the objeCt of this paper
being simply to present a hasty, yet accurate, account, a
mere outline, of the past and of the present history of the
Catholic Church and of its missions in Montana.
That some of the Indian tribes west of the Rocky Mountains had at an early date some vague knowledge of Christianity no longer seems to admit of any doubt. How that
ray of light, faint and dim, broke first on the minds of those
untutored children of the forest is not known. ContaCt,
however, with the fur traders of the North and West, as
also intercourse with other tribes in their annual hunts east
of the Rocky Mountains, may sufficiently account for it.
However this may be, it is certain that the Flatheads, inhabiting the Bitter Root valley and the adj.acent country,
had acquired, as this narrative will show, long before the
missioners arrived among them, a somewhat clearer and
more distinCt knowledge of the faith. This was imparted
(95)
�g6
Tile Catlzolic C/zurch in JJ,fontana.
to them by some Christian Iroquois who had wandered to
their land and whom the Flathead nation had adopted in
the tribe.
In the fall of.1839 there arrived in St. Louis a deput::tion
of Indians who had come all the way tbrough, from the
western slope of the Rocky 1\'Iountains, a distance of some
three thousand miles. They were Flatheads. This famous
nation between the years 1830 and 1839 sent out three successive expeditions in search of a "Black-robe." Of the
braves sent forth on the first and second expeditions, some,
falling in with hostile tribes, were killed ; others perished
on their arduous journey, of sickness, hunger and hardships,
and only one or two survived to carry home to their tribe
the sad tale of death and disappointment.
Unda-unted by former failures and disasters, a lhird deputation set out from the Bitter Root valley in the spring of
1839 and safely reached, as said above, St. Louis in the fall
of the same year. On hearing the object of their mission
Monsignor Rosati, then Bishop of St. Louis, referred the
brave fellows to the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, to
whom the Bishops of the United States, assembled in the
council of Baltimore in 1835, had consigned the Indian
missions of the country.
-Young Father P. J. De Smet, was the one appointed to
meet the wishes and earnest prayers of those good people.
He left St. Louis in the spring of 1840, and in July, after a
long and tedious journey, arrived.;imong the Flathead tribe,
who were then camped somewhere· near the Three Forks
on the Missouri. His mission began the day of his arrival,
and there never was a more docile people. After two months
of constant mi:;sionary labor Father DeSmet returned to
St. Louis, but not before he had given to his newly begotten
children of the mountains a solemn promise to return in
the following .spring with other Black-robes to establish
permanently the mission of which he had now laid the
foundation. The little mustard seed was now planted, and
was soon developed into a good sized and healthy tree.
�Tlze Cat!tolic Clwrclz in Montana.
97
According to promise, in the spring of I 84 I, Father De
Smet made his reappearance, accompanied by two youthful
missioners, as intrepid as himself, N. Point and G. Mengarini, with some lay-brothers. He entered the Bitter Root
valley, and there, close to where Stevensville now stands,
established under the name of St. Mary the first Catholic
Indian 1\Iission in what is now the Territory of Montana.
The news soon spread among the neighboring tribes that
Black-robes had come into the land, and the missionaries
wrote as early as the month of OCtober of the same year
that one single day had brought to their instruCtions the
representatives of as many as twenty-four different tribes.
The demand was evidently greater than the supply, and the
laborers in the field needed considerable help to gather in
the abundant harvest lying ripe before them. This help
came to them by instalments, so to speak, in the successive
years, in the persons of Fathers A. Hoecken, A. Ravalli,
L. Vercruisse, Accolti, Joset, Zerbinati, Nobili, DeVos,
Menetrey, Gazzoli and Congiato, and Brothers Joseph,
Classens, Francis and Magri. Later on Fathers Giorda,
Imoda, Caruana, Grassi, D'Aste, Kuppens, Van Gorp, Cataldo and others came successively to swell the ranks of
those who had already borne for a good while "the burden
of the day and the heats."
Of all these pioneers a number have gone to receive the
reward of their labors. The others are still working away
in the vineyard of the Lord with undiminished courage,
but greatly reduced in bodily strength by age, toil, hardships and ill-usage, some in our midst, some in other fields
of labor.
Among those who came earliest to the Rocky Mountains is
Rev. A. Ravalli, an Italian by birth, whose name is a household word with every Montanian, at once a zealous missioner
and a perfeCt mechanic, a learned theologian and a skilful
physician, a true Samaritan of the Rocky Mountains, where
for thirty-eight years he has been easing the ills of life and
VoL. Ix-No. 2.
·
13
�T!te Cat!toli'c Clwrclz zn Montana.
doing good to every body ; a true, genuine type of those
sly, cunning and hated Jesuits who disturb the quiet slumbers of Messieurs Bismarck, Grevy and Co., not excluding
the worthy Secretary of our Navy, Hon. Geo. W. Thompson.
Rev. J. Menetrey, a native of Switzerland, well known
throughout Montana and the adjacent Territories, the founder
of several missions and a favorite with all classes of people,
whites or Indians, and whose cheering smile and pleasant
words have buoyed up many a heart, and Brothers Joseph
and Classens, the former a German, the latter from Belgium,
both perfect Jacks-of-all-trades, and whose manual services
in the cause of the missions have been manifold, persevering
and invaluable, are the only ones that remain on the missions
in Mo11tana.
But to return to the Flatheads. They all to a man entered the church, and have been ever since sincere and pious
Christians. They are still a fine nation in Montana, and by
becoming Catholics have not lost their bravery of former
days. Their firm and noble conduct in the late invasion of
the marauding Nez Perces, in the opinion of the settlers
themselves, saved the Bitter Root valley from pillage and
bloodshed. Governor Stevens, in his official report of 1855
to t_he President of the United States, to which the President himself referred in his annual message to Congress,
speaking of the Flatheads, says: "They are the best Indians
of the Territory-honest, brave and docile." And again,
in describing their manner of livjng, the same authority
adds that "they are sincere and faithful, and strongly attached
to their religious convictions." These words are as true
to-day as they were twenty-five years ago. The Flatheads
now number three hundred and ninety-eight.
But let us pass on to St. Ignatius, the second Catholic
Indian Mission founded in Montana. It was established by
Frs. A. Hoecken and J. Menetrey, in 1854, in what is now
the Jocko Reservation, one of the prettiest spots in our
Territory. This was the country of the Upper Kalispels,
�LII.JIInll
Tlze Cat!to!ic C/mrc/z in Jl,fontana.
~
99
'
but abounding in fi~h and game and the other comforts of
Indian life, roots and berries, and offering superior advantages for the grazing of their ponies, was, winter and summer,
the favorite resort of other tribes. Here the Fathers built
the Mission, which has since grown to be the largest in the
country. Kalispels, Pend d'Oreilles and Kootonais have
all since entered without, perhaps, a single exception the
Lord's fold. They are good Christians and the largest portion of them greatly advanced in civilization, as is plainly
shown by the U. S. Agents in their official reports to the
Government. Their Christian virtue, as well as their friendliness towards the white people, were likewise put to a
severe test, as in the case of the Flatheads when the Nez
Perces, stained with blood, rich with plunder and breathing
vengeance against the whites, were passing through Montana. Runners came, and tempting offers were made as
well as savage threats. But all to no purpose. In the
history of ceaseless Indian wars never was, to my knowledge,
nor ever likely will be, the instance of one being brought
about by Indians trained by the Catholic Church.
While the writer of this sketch was staying at St. Ignatius an old Indian, by name Quiquiltzo, a man intensely
pious and who would give you the distance between two
places by the number of Rosaries he was in the habit of
saying in going from one to the other, was fishing one day
at Flathead Lake, when, of a sudden, he saw something
that seemed, as he said, to take with his breath his very
soul away from him. He dropped his line and away he
started for the Mission. On entering the room he said abruptly to the writer: "I saw 'Sinze Chitass.' " This was the
Indian name of good Brother Vincent Magri, a favorite with
the Indians at St. Ignatius, where he had lived a number of
years, but who was then stationed among the Cc:eur d'Alene
Indians in Idaho Territory. "I saw him," continued the
Indian, raising his eyes and pointing with his hand to the
sky, "riding in a most beautiful thing." The only descrip-
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Tlze Cat!tolic Clwrclt in Montana.
tion he could give was that it resembled a chariot, but exceedingly beautiful, and that he had never seen any thing
like it. Several days after we received letters with the news
of the demise of the Brother, which had occurred some
four hundred miles away from St. Ignatius. By comparing
dates we were forced to the conclusion that the good Indian
had known more than any of us and had his news brought
him by some other faster than Uncle Sam's mail. To every
appearance the Master of the Vineyard had been repaying
his faithful servant's many and toilsome tramps through
these mountains by giving good Brother Magri a glorious
chariot ride through the skies.
There axe at St. Ignatius two flourishing schools for Indian children, one for boys conduCled by the Fathers, the
other for girls under the charge of the Sisters of Providence,
from Montreal. Those good and noble Sisters have been
at the mission since I 864. They came all the way from
Walla Walla on horseback across the rugged Cceur d'Alene
Mountains camping out like the sturdy pioneer in search of
gold, and they have been hard at work ever since improving
the condition of the daughters of the forest. They train
the hands not less than the heads of their Indian pupils,
adding to the branches of a plain English education, practical gardening, varied manual labor and all kinds of household industries. And while some of their pupils are skilful
in all the mysteries of the needle .and can handle a hoe or
even an axe with dexterity, they·can also write a letter that
is a model of spelling, penmanship and accuracy. I do not
know how many of our girls could do the same. But, then,
we train our daughters' feet.
Astonishing as it may seem, here at St. Ignatius, l>y the
mission press, has been issued a large oClavo of seven hundred pages. It is a complete Indian-English Dicrionary of
the wonderful Kalispel language, which is spoken by the
Flatheads and some fourteen other tribes west ofJhe Rocky
Mountains. Its get- up, if not perfeCt:, is certainly very
�Tlte Catltolic Clmrclz in Montana.
101
creditable considering that it is the work of Indian missionaries, published in an Indian country, and to a great extent
by Indian help and Indian labor. The work was commenced
some thirty-nine years ago by Fr. G. Mengarini, a thorough
Indian scholar and author of a grammar of the same language
published years ago by the Smithsonian Institute, and was
brought to completion by Rev. J. Giorda through heroic
perseverance and truly herculean labor. The Dicrionary
was published exclusively for the use of the missionaries,
with the exception of some fifty copies reserved for the
larger libraries of Europe and America that may wish to
possess themselves of a book so rare and curious and so
interesting to linguists.
Here also may be mentioned "Narratives from the Scripture," another work in Kalispel, published at St. Ignatius
in 1876, containing the Gospels for every Sunday in the
year, as also narratives from the Old Testament. Though
much smaller in bulk and size, yet in point of Indian scholarship it is no less than the Dicrionary a remarkable producrion. But to bring this paragraph to a close, the Mission
of St. Ignatius with its large and handsome church, the
schools and all kinds of substantial improvements to be
seen everywhere around, is to-day a monument of the success that has attended the self-sacrificing efforts of the missionaries to improve, spiritually and temporally, the children
of the mountains.
Passing on, the third on the list is St. Peter's Mission
which was established by Fr. A. Hoecken in 1859, though
Fr. N. Point may be said to have laid its foundation as early
as I 846. It was established for the objeCt of bringing under
the saving and civilizing influences of Christianity the Blackfeet and other Indian tribes roaming in the northern part of
Montana. If the obje8: intended has been, as yet, but partially accomplished it is no fault of the missionaries, but
owing to the peculiar and, humanly speaking, insuperable
difficulties that encompassed that mission on every side and
�102
Tlze Catlzolic Clwrclz in Montana.
thwarted the efforts and self-sacrificing devotedness of the
Fathers. But happily the present appears more cheering.
A noticeable change for the better seems to be taking place
of late in all those polygamous tribes of the North, and
the heart of the missionary leaps with joy at the thought
that i.t is the harbinger, perhaps, of their redemption. The
faCt seems the more remarkable as this change was sudden
and little expeCted. \Vhat is to account for it? One event
that occurred less than two years ago, in the Milk River
country, a few miles from Fort Belknap, perhaps furnishes
the answer. Here on the 7th of February, I 878, died a
saintly priest, Philip Rappagliosi, S. J., the apostle of the
Blackfeet, and his death, though natural, was as mysterious,
to all appe_arances, as it was untimely. In his tomb, likely,
one day wil'! be found the key to explain the new era now,
seemingly, about to dawn upon those Indians. This zealous
missionary had vowed himself to their salvation; and aware,
as it seems he was, that perhaps it would not be obtained
but through the sacrifice of some one's life, he bravely surrendered his own and died an unknown, yet a voluntary,
martyr for the cause. The noticeable change alluded to,
and which, from late accounts, seems to increase the brighter
hopes of St. Peter's Mission, dates from the very moment
that the saintly soul of Philip Rappagliosi passed to a better
life. If this be so, the conversion of the Blackfeet Indians
to Christianity will be, at no distant day, a matter of history
no less than the conversion to the~·faith of those who have
been thus far the subjeCt of our sket'ch.
We now part with the Indians and give a brief account
of the Catholic Church among the whites in Montana. A
few faCts, dates and figures will be enough to complete this
second part of our task.
The history of the Catholic Church among the white
population in Montana covers a period of only sixteen years.
The reason is plain and obvious. Until the year 1863 there
existed as yet no settlement of white people in this Terri-
�Tlze Catlzolic Ciwrclt £n Montana.
103
tory. Within this period churches or chapels were established at Hell-Gate, Virginia, Frenchtown, Helena, Deer
Lodge, Missoula, Butte, Missouri Valley and Benton. At
Hell-Gate, the first on the list, was established the first
Catholic church for the whites in Montana -of course to
prevent the people there from passing beyond to the bad
place. Father U. Grassi built the church in 1863. It has
since been removed to Missoula. Father Giorda in the
same year, 1863, searching for souls and not for gold, as
the miners well remember, twice visited Alder Gulch, now
Virginia, where he heard many confessions and baptized a
number of children. Rev. Raverdy, a secular priest from
Denver, Colorado, and after him Father Kuppens visited the
same place the following year, 1864. Father Giorda was
there again in the winter of 1865 and remained till the spring
of the following year, being succeeded by Fathers Vanzina,
Van Gorp and d'Aste, who later on came to remain permanently. A frame building was turned into a church, and
the mission of Virginia, under the title of "All Saints,"
established. It is now under the charge of Rev. F. Kelleher, who, since the fall of 1873, with zeal and devotedness
has watched over the little· flock of two hundred and seventyfive Catholic souls committed to his care.
Frenchtown had the little church built in 1864. I have
at hand no late report of the Catholic population of that
thriving little place, but including all the Frenchtown distria, with its mines, it cannot fall short of three hundred
and fifty souls.
Next in turn comes Helena, the capital of our Territory.
The Catholic Church here dates from 1865. The old frame
church, built by the Hon. J. M. Sweeney, was opened and
dedicaterl under the style of the "Sacred Hearts of Jesus
and Mary," on the feast of All Saints, in 1866, by Father
Kuppens, who is remembered throughout Montana as one
who knew as well how to manage wild bronchos as old and
rusty sinners. Father Kuppens was replaced by Fathers L.
�104
17ze Catholic C/wrclz in i1fontana.
Van Gorp and d'Aste, while Father Grassi spent in Helena
the winter of 1867-8. To accommodate the increasing
Catholic population a larger church of brick and stone was
begun in 1874 and completed in I876. The struaure is an
ornament to Helena and a standing monument of the liberality of her people. Attached to this church are the four
counties of Lewis and Clarke, Meagher, Jefferson and Gallatin, containing a Catholic population of ahout one thousand five hundred souls. Besides the above in I8j6 St.
Joseph's church was built in the Missouri valley and two
more are in contemplation, one at Bozeman and the other
in Boulder valley. In the spring of 1877 the first episcopal
visitation to Montana was made by Right Reverend Bishop
J. O'Connor, Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska, to whose jurisdiaion th!'! eastern portion of our Territory belongs. In
this visit he confirmed over two hundred persons, children
and adults. The impression made on His Grace was most
favorable and lasting. In a letter addressed to the Rev.
Pastor of Helena, March 3 I, I 879. the Right Rev. Bishop,
referring to the people of Montana writes: "It may be that
I saw only the bright side of their charaaers, out certain
it is I never met a people with whom I was better pleased."
\Vith such flattering words from our Bishop, we may wtll
cr6ss the Range once more and say a few words of the good
people of Deer Lodge. In this portion of the Lord's Vineyard Rev. R. DeRyckere has been a devoted and faithful
laborer since I 866. He built two churches, one a handsome
stone building at Deer Lodge, the-other a frame lined with
brick at Butte. The principal centres of the Catholic population in the county, besides Deer LoJge and Butte, are
Philipsburg, Beartown, Flint Creek and Nevada Creek valleys. Having obtained no late returns we can give no ac·
curate statement of the Catholic population of this county,
but it is likely somewhat greater than that of Helena distria. During the summer of the past year Deer Lodge
and all the other settlements of Western Montana were
visited by Most Rev. C. Seghers, the Coadjutor of the Most
�1/ze Catlzolic C/wrclz in Montana.
105
Rev. Archbi3hop of Portland, to whose spiritual administration this portion of the Territory belongs. The Most
Rev. Archbishop was as favorably impressed with Montana
as Bishop O'Connor had been two years before.
From Deer Lodge, still going west, we reach Missoula
county which, including those given above to Frenchtown,
contains a Catholic population of nearly six hundred whites
and one thousand five hundred Indians.
North we reach Benton, the head of navigation, a place
of great promise in the future. It has a new church ready
for use but not quite completed. Benton thus far has been
attended from St. Peter's Mission. Late accounts received
from Father S. C. Imoda, who has been in charge of that
mission for a number of years, inform us the Catholics of
that whole distria number one thousand and fifty whites
and two thousand one hundred and fifty Indians.
A word more about our Catholic institutions, of which
St. Vincent's Academy for young ladies deserves the foremost rank. It is conduaed by the Sisters of Charity from
Leavenworth, Kansas. It was opened in 1868 for boarders
and for day scholars. This institution has earned a well
deserved reputation, and praise enough cannot be bestowed
on those who condua it with so much skill, thoroughness
and self-sacrificing devotedness. Our "County Fathers" seem
to believe that these devoted Sisters are working for money
and tax them accordingly. St. Vincent's Academy is in a
flourishing condition. There is also in Helena a selea
school for boys under the charge of the same Sisterhood.
But it is the earnest wish and prayer of the writer that in
the near future there may be a college for our boys to supply a much-felt deficiency.
In Missoula the Sisters of Providence condua a boarding and day school for young ladies, which is like.wise well
attended and flourishing.
Moral and efficient schools are a great boon for our young
generation, but the Hospitals conduaed by the Sisters of
VoL. xx-No.
2.
14
�106
Tlze Catlzolic C/mrclz itz Montana.•
Charity, are the greatest blessing for suffering humanity.
Of these there are four in 1\Iontana, viz: St. John's in Helena, St. Patrick's in Missoula, St. Joseph's in Deer Lodge,
and the Hospital at Virginia. Private patients as well as
the sick and poor of the county are cared for in these institutions.
The life of the miner is a hard one; it is harder still if
instead of success his labor meets with disappointment, but
when, after a life of toil and disappointments, he lies disabled by accident or sickness in his bunk of suffering, away
from home, without the- soothing care of a loving mother
or a dear sister, the miner's lot is then the very hardest.
Nothing bespeaks the humane and philanthropic feelings of
the people of Montana better than the faCt that their sick
and poor are confided to the kind and tender mercy of the
Sisters of Charity.
Many a sturdy miner have we seen shedding tears of joy
in beholding himself the objeCt of more than a mother's
care in these abodes of cleanliness, peace, attention and
sympathy.
We conclude by quoting once more His Grace, Bishop
O'Connor. We spoke of the past and present history of
the Catholic Church in Montana. His Grace gives us a
glimpse of ~hat her future history will be: "You and I may
not live to see it, but the day is not distant when Montana
will become one of the most fruitful and flourishing as well
as the most beautiful portions of Go_d's Vineyard, and this
will be owing in very great measure fo the labors and the
virtues of those who have already borne there 'the burden
of the day and the heats.' "
�BRAZIL.
(E:rtraCl of a Letter from Fr. R. M Galanti.)
PARA, Feb. 14, 188o.
In September, 1877, the Bishop of Para asked to have
the assistance of some Fathers in the managemen~ of his
Seminary, for which he had just obtained from Rome the
privilege of conferring University degrees. Father Aure.li
was the first to be chosen, and to him after a few months
were joined Father Tuveri and your humble servant. We
both reached Para in the beginning of June, 1878, and found
the Bishop just about to start for his pastoral visitation to
the Upper Amazon. Having nothing to do in the Seminary
for the time being, we accompanied his Lordship, and went
to Manaos, the capital of the Province of Amazonas; from
this place, we proceeded to visit the river Madeira, going. as
far as the frontier of Bolivia. There, I understood why
Divine Providence had guided me to this place; for we found
in this remote distriCt some eight or nine hundred Americans from Philadelphia, who were engaged in building a
railway to avoid the falls and rapids of the River MadeiraMamore, with the ulterior objeCt of promoting the establishment of steamboat navigation on the River Mamore in
Bolivia.
They were for the most part Catholics ; but they had no
priest, and many of them were sick, and some dying. It
was a great consolation for these poor Americans to see me,
as I was the only one of the company who could speak
English; and I hope that I sent to heaven some of them
who died in a few days. I was allowed to stay among them
for only three days, but in that short time, I heard some two
hundred confessions, gave Holy Communion to the sick,
(107)
�108
Bra:::il.
and preached two or three times. They were very sorry at
my departure, and begged me to visit them again as soon
as possible. But this could not be done; because it is a
month's trip by steamer from Para to that desert spot, and
it costs a hundred dollars each way. This will give you
some idea of the vast extent of this diocese.
It happened afterwards that this rail-road enterprise was
a complete failure, the contractor, Thos. Collins of Philadelphia, not having the funds to carry on the work. And
all these poor fellows were left without a cent in a strange
country, and obliged to make their way home as best they
could. They all passed through Para on their way back to
the United States, and nearly all of them came to see me,
and again made their confession. Many of them remained
sick and br(}ken down in the hospital, where several of them
died. I visited them frequently, and gave them all the
assistance in my power, and I had the consolation of converting two Protestants, who died in the same hospital, and
whom I trust to see again in heaven. Among these poor
men, were some who had been brought up by our Fathers,
of whom they spoke with great respect and affection.
But let us return to our own history. \Ve accompanied
the Bishop in his visitation, and besides hearing a great
many confessions, we preached a retreat to the clergy. On
our return to Para, I was temporarily appointed to teach
Rhetoric in the Seminary, and meantime preached frequently
in the city; this was for 1878.
_
For last year, 1879. Father AL;;_eii had charge of the
second year of Philosophy together with Mathematics; Fr.
Tuveri taught Canon Law; whilst I gave instructions in
the first year of Philosophy, and lectured on Ecclesiastical
History for the Theologians. Father Aureli is also spiritual
director of this Seminary, and I hold the same office for
the Little Seminary. Both of us preached, heard confessions, gave instructio~s in catechism, conducted retreats,
etc. 'vVe celebrated the Festival of St. Aloysius in a becoming manner, having just received a statue of the saint
�Sketclt if tlze Nez Perces Indians.
from Germany. To honor our Holy Father Ignatius, we
did something, but this sweet name is not heard with pleasure
in this country, where owing to the infernal craft of the
infamous Pombal, "Jesuit" and "rascal" are still synonymous
terms. Thanks to God, during the last year, I heard some
five thousand confessions, and the greater number of them
were general. Besides this work of the ministry, I gave
two retreats, four missions, and preached about fifty occasional sermons. My companions did approximatiz,e as much
again, so that we can say without pride, that our labors have
not been without fruit A. M. D. G.
Last year the Bishop offered us the direCtion of both, or,
at least, of one of his Seminaries. Our Superiors, however,
having taken all things into account, thought it better to
decline the offer; for the future, Deus proz•tdebit. We wish
to open a small residence, but there are many and great
difficulties in the way.
RAPHAEL
M.
GALANTI,
S.
J.
SKETCH OF THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS.
( Co1ltinued)
Once when the missionary was preparing about twenty
Indians for Baptism, an old chief became the objeCt of the
attention and solicitude of those whose souls were going
to be washed in the waters of salvation. For some time he
had been going to church, but more with the intention of
hearing his little daughter sing, than of pleasing Almighty
God. He had two wives, for polygamy was very common,
and was not disposed to renounce either of them. Several
consultations were held, but to no purpose. The missionary told them, that the only way of gaining the old man,
was to pray fervently for him and to give him good example. "If you pray hard," said the missionary, "he will come
�110
Sketclz of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
over slowly." "Slowly," said an old man, "why! You have
been pushing us to Baptism so much, telling us that no one
can be saved without it, and now you say: 'Slowly.' ·what
will become of him, if he dies without Baptism ? No ! there
is no slow way now. We want him to be baptized with us
in a few days, and we too will speak to him." "My friend,"
said the missionary, "for you the time has come. You have
been waiting too long already, and I am afraid, that you
talk this way, because you wish to wait longer. For you,
the time has come, and you must be baptized now, but for
our old friend the time has not come as yet. Do not trouble
yourself about him. You know very well, that, as he said
a little while ago, he can not put away either of his wives,
because _he loves both alike, and both love him. Thus his
time is not at hand. I will speakto him again and again,
but do not think that he must be baptized with you ; prepare yourselves, and in the meantime pray for the old man.''
Some time later, the missionary had a sick-call, but not
liking to go alone, he asked Uyaskasit (this is the name of
the old chief) to accompany him ; and he accepted the invitation. On the way the missionary began to talk about
the absolute necessity of Baptism, and of the sacrifices one
must be ready to make, to obtain such a blessing. He
spoke forcibly and clearly, but in a general way, not daring
for the moment to speak'direCtly to the old man, whom he
thought very far from conversion.• especially, as it is hard
for the Nez Perces to do good,.-b_ut easy to commit evil.
The moment of silence after the instruCtion on Baptism was
suddenly broken by Uyaskasit, asking: "When will those
Indians be baptized?" "In a few days," was the answer.
"And what shall I myself do then?" "Why, you must
wait until you make up your mind.'' "I too wish to be
baptized, for I am afraid of dying without being baptized."
"That is very good, but are you disposed to put away one
of your wives?" "·Well, no indeed, but I surely thought,
you Black-gown would have pity on me.'' "But, good
�Sketclz if tlze Nez Perces Indians.
I I I
friend, you can not be baptized so long as you have two
wives; it would make you worse than you are now." "No, I
do not say so; I must have only one wife, but as I am not
able to send away either of them, I thought, you would
have pity on me, and that you yourself would send away
one of them." "We are talking seriously about a very important and sacred thing, and you are joking now." "Blackgown, I am very serious, but my heart cannot endure the
cruel a8: of sending away a loving wife. Still, it is a duty,
and who can perform such a duty better than you, who are
a Black-gown, and who have, therefore, a strong heart. I
beg you to tell me which wife has to be sent away. I will
agree to it. But I want you to tell this woman that she has
to be sent away, and that it is neither my wish nor choice, but
a duty which must be performed. I wish you to settle the
whole affair, and to take all the responsibilities upon yourself I want my children near me, but the wife cannot be
near me, for the people will talk too much. You know the
Indians." "Uyaskasit," said the missionary, "if you are
serious, all the difficulties are nothing. To-night we will
call the chiefs together, and decide how the whole business
can be arranged. I will take the responsibility upon myself" "I am determined," said the chief, "but you must help
me." "I will help you, and your name shall be Abraham,
and God will give you a strong heart, as he gave to Abraham of old."-Then he related to him how Abraham was
ready to sacrifice even his own son for God's sake. After
their return from the sick-call they had another long talk.
At length when evening came, the chief'> were called
together, and it was decided, that the younger wife with her
little son should leave the chief's house, and have a lodge
in the same village, but at a certain distance from Uyaska·
sit's. There were at first some difficulties against this decision, but finally all agreed. The chiefs then sent for the
wife, but she would not come, saying that she knew that
she was going to be condemned without any fault. The
missionary then told one of the chiefs to go and tell her,
�112
Sketclz of t!te Nez Perces Indians.
that the Black-gown wished to see her and to have a talk
with her. She gave no answer, but finally after long resistance she came. The missionary tried his best to persuade
her, that it was indeed the fault of nobody, but a duty to be
performed. But the woman became angry, and answered
almost insultingly, finishing with these words: "Yes, you
put me away, but to-morrow I will take my child, and go
to my own country, far from the chu"rch, and if my child
and myself are lost, it is your own fault." At these words,
the missionary fearing that Uyaskasit would break his
promise through affeCtion for his son whom he ardently
loved, addressed the man, telling him to call to mind his
new name Abraham, and all that Abraham did to please
God. Then the old man, whom the grace of God had not
only converted, but made wonderfully strong, made a speech
in which he related the sacrifice of Abraham, and declared
that he would follow him. He himself and some of the
bystanders began to weep, and taking advantage of the
great emotion around him, he addressed his wife, telling
her to look at the tears that dropped down from the eyes
of those present, and also from those of the Black-gown,
the messenger of God, and not to affliCt any longer so many
friends with her hardness and obstinacy. As for himself,
his resolution was taken. He begged her to be reconciled,
to become a Christian, to have the child baptized and to
remain in the village. If not, he would become a Christian
any how, though he should die of grie( At the close of
this warm address no one could~ speak, so great was the
emotion, and a long silence followed.
Finally, the missionary broke the silence, and addressed
the woman, telling her, that if she loved her husband, she
should sacrifice her affeCtions for his sake, and as he was
ready to become another Abraham, so she should imitate
him, or rather the Blessed Virgin Mary, who sacrificed her
most tender and holy affeCtion for our sake. As soon as
the missionary stopped speaking, the woman taking her
little boy in her arms, got up and advanced towards the
�Sketc!t of t!te Nez Perch Indians.
113
door. Then, all believing that she was going out, there was
a great whispering and excitement ; she did not go out,
however, but walking straight up to the missionary, she
said whilst crying: "I will not oppose my husband's wishes
and God's will any longer; here is my child (and she raised
the child, a boy about four years old). I will bring him to
you, and you will baptize both of us together." Her tears
prevented her from saying more. The ensuing scene, and
the feelings of all present are more easily imagined than
described. In a few days they were baptized all together.
In the same year, the missionary arriving at Lewiston
from Cceur d'Alene, was called to an Indian camp, twelve
miles off, for a· sick woman, who wished to become a
Catholic. He went there, and as there was no immediate
danger, he told the chief that he would remain for one day,
so as to instruCt: the woman for Baptism. Meantime a little
girl about ten years old together with some old women made
application for Baptism. But the Father told them, that
they could not be baptized, unless they were well instruCted,
and that therefore he would on some other occasion teach
and baptize them. The chief, who was one of the few
Presbyterians who had been baptized, told the Father, that
the little girl knew all the Catholic prayers, that the old
women and many of his Indians recited those prayers every
day, the little girl being the leader and teacher, and that he
himself, though a Protestant minister, would like to become
a Catholic, if ever he would be able to learn the prayers.
After inquiries and examinations, the missionary found out
that the little girl was indeed very well instruB:ed in our
holy religion, and that she was the teacher and leader of
that whole Indian camp. Several times she went to hear
the Catholics pray, and thus without a teacher she learned
a great deal, and became the young apostle of her people.
Knowing that the Father had determined to remain there
for several days, to instruCt: some old men and women, of
whom he finally baptized about a dozen, little Julia, was
VoL. rx-No.
2.
15
�114
Sketch of the Ne::: Perds Indians.
beside herself for joy. She tried to induce some more of
her people to receive Baptism, especially her father and
mother who had to promise her that they would be baptized
on the next occasion. This happened in June, 1872. In
October of the same year, Julia's parents with some of her
relations were baptized, and she seemed to be another St.
Agnes, always talking about God and heaven. In December, 1872, when nearly all her people were Catholics, not
excepting the old chief who had been a Protestant preacher,
-she went to heaven. All the Catholic Nez Perces and
also many of the non-Catholics were very much grieved
at her death, because it was indeed a great loss for all of
them. The missionary himself, when he heard the sad news,
said, that·no death had ever affected him so much as Julia's.
Another time, when a young man was dying like a rep·
robate, some of his distant relations, who were Catholics,
having heard that the Father was at Lewiston, sent him
word of his dangerous state. The missionary despatched
a good young Indian, a kind of catechist, to the dying man,
telling him to remain with him the whole of the night, and
to do all in his power to convert the poor sinner, and that
l:!e himself would come to pay him a visit the next morning.
At day-break the catechist returned, saying that there was
no hope of converting the sick young man, as he wanted
to die an infidel, and did not like to see the missionary.
The Father said Mass for him, ·and told the Indians who
were present to pray fervent!§'~ and to accompany him on
his way to the sick man after Mass. 'When they were crossing the river, another Indian met them saying: "Black-gown,
you can spare yourself the trouble ; the dying man said,
that he does not wish to see you, nor to hear any prayers."
"\Vhen did he say so?" "Sometime this morning." "Oh,
well!" said the missionary, "Mass has been said and prayers
have been offered up for him; let us go on : God is allpowerfuL" They had not reached the shore, when another
Indian coming in a great hurry towards them, cried out in
�~C.,'ketc!t
of tlze }lez Perces Indians.
115
a loud voice: "Black-gown, hurry up; the dying man says,
he wants to see you, and I started immediately to bring you
here." "See, my friend, what l\Iass and prayer can do,"
said the missionary to the Indian; "now, be always of great
faith_." Shortly after, the dying man was instructed, baptized and called Louis; the next day he received Holy
Viaticum and Extreme Unction. The day after, all his little
brothers were baptized, and after a few days he died like an
angel, zoth of May, 1873. All his family and many of his
relatives were instructed and after a few months, when the
Father visited them again, all were baptized.
In the mean time, the persecution against the Catholic
Nez Perces had been going on very regularly. It was so
evident to the public, that finally the Indian Department at
\Nashington, was obliged, out of shame, to grant permission
to the Catholic authorities to build a church and pastoral
residence at their own expense in the Nez Perce Reservation. There was indeed a little Catholic chapel in the Reservation, built in January, I 869, before the persecution began,
but it was too poor, too small, and badly situated. The
Catholics needed a church very much, and had now permission from the government to build one; but of what
avail was that permission, without help and means to build
it? The Indians were told: "If you want a church, build
it." But they were unable to put up a church, though
willing to help according to their means. God opened a
way in a manner altogether extraordinary. One day that the
missionary from the Cccur d'Alene mission, was in Lewiston, some American gentlemen seeing so many Indians
crowding the little town church, proposed to him to build
the Indian church in the reservation, by subscription of both
whites and Indians. But the missionary only laughed at
the idea, as would have done any.man well acquainted with
the disposition of the whites towards the Indians.-"No,
Father," said the gentleman, "there is no need of laughing;
we do not exactly mean to help the Indians, but you indi-
�II6
Sketch of tlze Nc::: Perds Indians.
vidually who are the only man who has ever done any good
amongst the lndians.-It is only the Catholic priest who
can do good with the Indians. So get up a subscription,
and we will all sign it." The Father begged him to get it
up himself in town, and if successful, he would circul~te it
among the Indians then in the county, and in the mines.
The next Sunday, the gentleman went to the missionary
with a list of subscribers who, though few in number, had
already subscribed more than $300. The Father now sure
of success, had the Catholic Indians to subscribe first, and
then went around in the country where not only Protestants
and Infidels subscribed very liberally, but even the Chinamen, which was a real wonder. The next wonder was, that
the Catltoiic Indians of the Nez Perce Reservation had on
the 8th of September, 1874, in their own country, a nice
little frame church, 25x50 ft., so well furnished inside and
outside, that it was considered, at that time, to be the best
building in the whole northern part of Idaho Territory.
The church was blessed on the 1st of November, 1874.
Mass was said in it only once in a great while; but many
of the Indians went there very often to say their prayers in
common.
-Chief David Billy Hahaztushl several times made the
following remark before the Indians and the missionary:
"Even without a Black-gown, this church is a nice building,
and with it alone I feel myself a Catholic." Yet, notwithstanding this boast, they knew .to_o well that Indian neophytes want a resident priest or they will easily go back to
their old infidel praB:ices and superstitions ; and, therefore,
since their first conversions, they kept asking for a priest.
Besides their petitions to no purpose made to the government to have a church and a school of their own, together
with means to support those institutions, they made oth.er
petitions to the proper Catholic Authorities to get a Blackgown resident in their territory. In May, 1872, they petitioned the Superior General of the Rocky Mountain Mis-
�Sketch of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
117
sion, Rev. Fr. J. Giorda, S. J., for a resident priest Afterwards, they sent a deputation to wait on Rev. Fr. Razzini,
Visitor General of the Mission, for the same purpose.
In I 874, they wrote a petition to the Rev. Fr. P. Beckx,
General of the Society of Jesus, and in 1875, they wrote
another to His Holiness, Pius IX., on the occasion of the
Jubilee. Finally, the 2d day of Nov., 1875, Fr. A. Morillo,
who had come from Sicily a few months before, arrived at
Lapway (now St. Joseph:s Mission) with Br. A. Cagiagno
to begin the Nez Perces Mission \'(ith the help of Father
Cataldo from the Creur d'Alene Mission. The Brother put
up, with the help of the Indians, a little house, and the
Fathers began their fruitful work of teaching the Indians.
The Indians now, were quite pleased with their success,
they had finally a church and a Black-gown of their own,
and they determined to organize themselves into a little republic, with laws, magistrates and police. Though very
good an·d fervent, yet they could not avoid altogether small
offences against order, especially as there were so many
young folks among them. So one day Joshua Zimshilgupus
(or Waptashamkein) who had already been elected chief
instead of old David (called before Capt. Billy Hahaztushl)
called a meeting of the chiefs and headmen ami proposed
three things to be considered by them in council, that would
help them very much to advance more and more in good
christian behavior. 1st, they should make penal laws; 2d,
they should select between five and ten men for police
purposes; 3d, they should build a very strong cabin for a
prison.
The measures proposed were long agitated in council for
several days. Some were inclined to adopt them and to
follow in every particular the advice of the head chief;
but others, more moderate, thought it better to go slowly;
the mere building of a cabin, they said, would deter the
Infidel Indians, and prevent them from being converted,
when really such a building was not necessary at all. It
�Indian JJ,fissions.
118
would be enough, they thought, to appoint some young
men, with a chief at their head, who would be on the
look-out, rather to prevent evil, than to punish it when
done. But if evil was done before they could prevent it,
then they could tie the culprit, and leave him fasting for one
or two days without any prison at all: a good whipping, in
the opinion of others, was enough to punish their offences.
This mild and prudent opinion finally prevailed: no prison
was built, but six men were appointed to aa as police.
In the mean time, they began to build regular log cabins
near the church, to make a kind of little town, and so to
abandon their wigwams or Indian lodges. They enlarged
their small farms, made many new ones, and, in a word they
gave them~eives up to industry, instead of spending their
time in gambling, and drinking, or merely in hunting and
fishing as they had done before.
(To be continued.)
INDIAN MISSIONS.
·Letter from Fa titer Pon:;ig!ione.
OsAGE MrssroN, KANSAS,
peccmber 31st, 1879·
DEAR FATHER,
~-
.·
P. C.
Last summer our Catholic population increased considerably, owing to the large number of immigrants to this part
of Kansas. To be able to attend to the spiritual needs of
these new comers, we were obliged to give over to our
Right Rev. Bishop some of our western missions, that,
namely, of St. Francis Regis near New Albany, and that of
St. Ignatius in the town of Neodesha, both in \Vilson
County, and also that of St. Agnes at Thayer, Neosho
County.
�Indian iV!i'ssimzs.
I
19
About midsummer I visited the Creeks and Cherokees,
and as usual met with a very kind reception. There are
but few Catholics among them. On account of their long
contaCt with Protestants, a great many of them belong to
the different seCts, but only nominally so. Very few, even
among those who claim to be preachers, believe in the creed
which they profess, as the following example will testify.
A Creek preacher of some repute among his people, was
invited not long since to take part in a religious meeting
held in the Indian Territory by several ministers belonging
to Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas. They all went under
the name of Baptists, though many among them belonged
to other denominations.
According to their custom, they prayed for a time, then
stood up, and told their experience. When the Creek
preacher's turn had come, he was requested to pray, which
he did more fervently, perhaps, and sincerely than those
who had preceded him. In the excitement of his devotion the good Indian cried out: "0 Lord be merciful to
me,-be merciful when I come to die; and if, on account of
my transgressions, I be not then found worthy to be admitted
into thy great kingdom (heaven), allow me a place in 1thy
smallest kingdom, so that, having satisfied for my sins, I
may at last come to stay with Thee for ever." You may
easily imagine what was the surprise of his brother ministers, when the interpreter translated this prayer into good
plain English, and thus made manifest to all present how
firmly this Indian champion of protestantism believed in
the doCtrine of Purgatory.
But you may ask: where did this man get his notion of
Purgatory? Not, certainly, from the Board that made him
preacher, but from those traditions that have come down
from his Catholic forefathers. 0 would to God that the
spirit of those heroes of our Society, who were sent by St.
Francis Borgia to civilize and christianize the Creeks and
Cherokees, would to-day revive in the hearts of some of
�120
Indian J1issions.
our zealous Fathers, causing them to consecrate themselves
to the noble work of bringing back to the bosom of our
holy Church these poor Indians! It was more through
ignorance than malice that these people have strayed from
the one, true fold; for they are, as a general thing, good
and honest, and they would follow the truth, could they but
know it. A mission among them would be far more useful
than among the wild Indians, because, living as they do a
half-civilized life, they cultivate the ground, dwell in houses,
and are, for the most part, self-supporting. Besides, they
nearly all speak English, are naturally industrious and
inclined to lead a pious life. All they need is to have among
them some one animated with apostolic zeal, who will lead
them out ·of the errors into which Protestant teaching has
caused ttiem to fall. Ther.e need be no fear that the Indians
would refuse to receive him ; on the contrary, they would
every where welcome him with joy and pleasure.
I know that some will ask: But who will cover the expenses needed to support missionaries among these tribes?
\Veil, this is more than I can tell; but as there are hundreds
of people that spend their money lavishly in seeking amusement, so there are hundreds who would willingly help in a
W<?_rk of this kind, were things but properly managed.
About the end of August I visited the Reservations. of
I
the Poncas and Nez Perces. These are about one hundred
and sixty-five miles south-west of this mission, on the endless plains that stretch along th~_.'Arkansas River and its
tributaries. The Reservation of the Poncas is extensive
and lies between the Arkansas and the so-called Salt Fork,
not very far from their confluence. That of the Nez Perces
is smaller, and lies just at the mouth of the Sharkaska, some
fifteen miles west of the Ponca Agency.
No game of any account is to be found on the Reservations, but there is very good grazing land. The soil appears
to be rich, though parts of the country for miles and miles
are nothing but a desert, without water, subjeCt: to drought,
�Indian i11issions.
121
and frequently visited by grasshoppers. Neither the Poncas nor the Nez Perces raised anything last year for their
support, and they must consequently depend entirely on the
Indian Department for their sustenance, till the new crops
are gathered ..
Their condition, on this account, is at present wretched.
Since their coming to these Reservations, they have suffered
a good deal from sickness and starvation, and, according to
their interpreter, Mr. Chapman, about twenty-five per cent
of their number have already died. If you consider that
the Poncas were but eight hundred, on their arrival here
some three years ago from the Mountains, you cannot help
concluding that in a few years more scarcely any of these
poor Indians will be found on the Reservations. The majority of the Poncas are Roman Catholics, the oldest among
them having been baptized by Father P. J. DeSmet of
happy memory.
Before coming to the Reservation on which they now
are, they wintered, one year, near a town called Baxter
Spring, ab?ut twenty-five miles south of this mission. I
paid them a flying visit, and, not having time to attend to
them, I placed them under the care of a very good secular
priest, Rev. Eugene Bononerni, who went to visit them
regularly. On one occasion, just at the end of Mass, all
the Indians met in council and resolved to send a petition
to the President of the United States, requesting him to give
them Catholic missionaries and a Catholic school. All
without exception signed the petition, and their Agent, Col.
A. G. Boone, kindly_ endorsed it, and sent it to \Vashington.
· What kind uf a reception· it met with, never became
known; but a few weeks after it had reached the President,
the Poncas were ordered to leave that part of the Indian
Territory, and to go to their present Reservation. Col. A.
G. Boone, of whom they thought so much, was at the same
time removed from his agency ;-all, no doubt, because of
his kindness in endorsing the petition. As soon as the
VoL. rx-No.
2.
16
�122
Indian ftfissions.
Poncas had been permanently settled, the Government established among them schools and a mission under the care
of the Episcopal church. The Indians protested and declared that the missionaries sent to them were not those
that they had asked for. They told their new agent that
they wanted Roman Catholic missionaries and no others.
But it was all to no purpose. There is no use protesting
when might constitutes right.
The Nez Perces count but few Catholics on their Reservation, though they know well what the Catholic Church
is. The whole band was under instruCtion for Baptism, when
they were forcibly driven from the Mountains. The better
to pervert these poor people the government made two
rather intelligent young Nez Perces, whom they picked up,
Presbyterian preachers. These two are well paid for their
work. One of them told me that he preached to his Indians
every Sunday, and that he expeCted to see all the Nez Perces in a short time good Presbyterians. But thanks be to
God, there is no sign of this yet, and there need be little
fear for the future, because these young preachers have no
influence of any kind, and are despised by their o~vn people.
The Nez Perces are at present quite demoralized and dissatisfied. They would all return if they could to their
native mountains. The fe~v that are Catholics are so timid
that they do not dare acknowledge openly the religion
which they were baptized in. If you ask them whether
they are Catholics, they may answer at one time in the
affirmative, and at the next, the~~ontrary. If you ask them
in what religion they believe, they will answer: "we believe
in Cataldo's teaching, and that is the only teaching which
we wish to have."
Their great chief, Joseph, is in every respect a fine man.
Yet even he is afraid of the government agents, and when
I asked him if he was a Catholic, he replied that he had no
religion of any kind. In ans~ver to the question, whether
he knew Father Cataldo, he said: "0 yes! Cataldo is my
�indian il1issions.
12:3
friend; he is a good man; all my people love him, and I
desire very much to see him once more."
I offered a very nice pair of beads to a young Nez Perce
who accompanied me as interpreter on my visit to his people. As he had told me that he was one of Cataldo's friends,
and that he followed Cataldo's teaching, I concluded that
he would like my present. He did, indeed, like it; but
he refused to accept it, because he feared that he might be
persecuted for having such an article of Ca-tholic devotion.
Before leaving I asked him his name, in order that I might
speak about him when writing to Father Cataldo; but he
refused to tell it, owing to his fears lest I should report him
to the Government and thus make him liable to be punished
for having been too confident with me.
In a condition hardly much better are the Osages. These
would not sign the Treaty of 186g, by which they were to
cede to the United States some' nine millions of acres, until
a promise had been given them, that in their new Reservation they would have the schools and missionaries that they
had here. But though the promise was solemnly given by
the commissioners, it has not yet been fulfilled. In spite of
the many petitions sent during the past ten years by the
Osages to the President, calling .on him to keep his word;
in spite of the general dissatisfaCtion prevailing among them,
they have been placed under the care of Protestant ministers, with very little prospeCt of there being in the future
any change for the better. Their not being allowed to give
their children the education which. they consider proper for
them, is the greatest trouble that the Osages have. This
is especially the case in regard to the half breeds, who are
naturally very quiet and intelligent, not to say religious.
Most of them have been educated here at our mission. They
know the advantages and the importance of a good Catholic
education, and desire very much to have their children
brought up in the same faith as they themselves were.
More than once these good half-bret>ds have talked about
�Indian foiissions.
124
building a church on their Reservation, but by some means
or other the agents have thwarted their plans. The last
time I visited the Osages they told me that they were going
to try once more to build a church. \Vhat will be the result
of this new trial, time will tell.
PAUL MARY PoNZIGLIO:-<E, S. J.
MissioN oF THE IMMACULATE CoNCEPTION.
Letter of Fr.
H<~bert
to Fr. Perron.
FORT
vV ILLIAM,
Feb. 24, 1880.
REV. FATHER,
P. C.
I wish to enter into a detailed account of the long journey which I undertook in 1879· Were I not afraid of
lengthening my letter to too great an extent, and of surpassing the limits which I have prescribed to myself, I
should also like to make some mention about the missions
of Red Rock, Le Pic and Michipicoton which I visited in
-the autumn of 1878. It was during this memorable voyage
across . Lake Superior, that I ran great risk of perishing in
its waves.
The trip I made last winter, during the course of which
I traveled more than a thousa"IJd miles, would, no doubt,
afford you some interest', especially, that which I made to
Gull River on the great Pacific Rail Road, during which I
baptized thirteen Indians; but I must confine myself within
narrower bounds.
On the 1st April. 1879. I left Fort William, accompanied
by two Indians, who came from Red Rock in search of me.
Going thither, I passed through Silver Isle for the purpose
of giving the Catholics an opportunity of fulfilling their
paschal duties; which all of them performed in a most edi-
�Indian /t4issions.
125
fying manner. I arrived at Red Rock, on the 6th April,
but I remained only five days, for I promised the Catholics
of Nipigon to celebrate Easter among them. In the night
of 8th April, I went to visit one of our Indians, who lay
dangerously ill far away in the woods. I found the poor
sick woman delirious, but knowing that she was a good
Christian, I gave her Extreme UnCtion. At my return to
Lake Helena, I was surprised to see many good Indians
anxiously awaiting my arrival to hear Mass. The previous
night, I had no sleep, for I was obliged to travel over a rough
and dangerous road. What a grand occasion, to offer some
little sacrifice to our dear Lord, during this week wholly
set aside by the Church for commemorating and honoring
His most sacred Passion. Good Friday, I started from Red
Rock and took the road to Nipigon, accompanied by Henry
and another Indian. 'vVe had not been more than a couple
of hours en route, before we overtook the Indians, whom
I had visited the preceding night. They had walked the
whole day, carrying the invalid on a Tobagan.
All were sound asleep, wrapped in large bear skins. I
awoke some of them, and they pointed me out the invalid,
whom I had visited the night before. Her condition was
truly pitiable. There was neither tent nor fire to protect
her from the inclemency of the weather; the poor creature
was in agony and about to breathe her last, whilst her near
friends and companions lay around unmindful of her sufferings. Her thick locks were congealed around her face,
her hands and feet tied to pre~·ent her in her death throes
from uncovering hersel( 'vVords cannot express what a
sad impression this speCtacle produced on me. It recalled
the pains and sufferings which our dear Lord underwent
on this Good Friday, eighteen centuries ago. I could not
refrain from remarking this to her husband: he understood my meaning, and unbound her hands. I then asked
her if she was sorry for her past sins. By close listening I
caught the feeble sound of her reply, and pronounced the
�126.
Indian 11-fissions.
,
words of absolution. Not being able to do any thing more
for her, I departed, happy and consoled for having delivered her fron her twofold bonds. At twelve o'clock on
Easter Sunday I arrived at Fort Nipigon. I assure you
that I felt tired out and fatigued, as during the preceding week I had passed three whole nights \Vithout ·sleep.
From my arrival at Nipigon until the Jst of May, my time
was wholly taken up with the inhabitants of the Fort and
the savages who dwell around the Lake. It was well spent
in administering the sacraments and giving spiritual instruc·
tions; I baptized a great many chiidren, all of whom belonged to Christian parents. There is nothing else which
demands srecial attention.
On the-~.st of May I arrived at the place from which I
wrote to you last spring. There I met with many good
Christian families, with whom I spent twelve days, whilst
waiting for the breaking up of the ice upon the lakes. I
took my leave on the I 3th and started towards Lake Long.
During the portages, we were often compelled to wade for
hours almost up to our knees in water, and carrying at the
same time a heavy load on our shoulders. I had the misfortune to forget in one of our encampments some precious
relics and the crucifix you gave me after the Third Year
of Probation at Sault au Recollet. We reached Petit Lac
Long on the I sth, where I found a family not yet converted
to our holy faith. I had the consolation before my departure of baptizing all of them. Stra_!lge to say, all the children with one exception, have six fingers on each hand and
six toes on each foot.
On the Igth we reached Fort du Lac Long, and believe
me, it was high time, for our provisions were all consumed.
At the Fort, some misconduCt had happened during my
absence, which caused me great annoyance. The moment
I was informed of this scandal, I felt oppressed with grief
and anguish; but recalling to my mind those sweet words:
Yesu, mitis et lmmilis corde,fac cor nostrum secundum cor
tumn,, I became consoled and encouraged.
�Indian JWissions.
127
I was obliged to wait for the Indians during the space of
six days; they began to arrive after the 24th, and from that
day until the 30th their flotillas of ten or fifteen canoes
were daily seen making for the Fort. I kept a sharp look
out for their coming, and as soon as I espied them at a distance, I took my station on the shore to welcome them,
shaking them warmly by the hand and calling them by their
Indian names. This greatly surprised and flattered them ;
and we were quickly on good terms with one another. I
began my work without delay, making use of the same
means which I employed last year. Heaven blessed my
feeble efforts; for during my short stay, I baptized twentytwo persons, of whom nineteen were children and three .
adults. Lake Manito Namegong was the next place that
called my attention. Some Indians who came from this
neighborhood told me that Pierre Lagarde, the oldest member of a half-breed family of which I made mention on a
former occasion, was sick and wished to see me. Notwithstanding his good christian name, he was still a pagan.
Having appointed some to continue the instruCtions to the
catechumens, and arranged other matters, that there might
be no disorder during my absence, I set out in compliance
with the invalid's ardent desire.
On this trip we suffered much from driving, icy rain, that
fell in torrents during a great part of the day, and against
which we were badly provided. After braving the storm
for a long time, we were at length forced to seek the shore
for shelter; but not being able to find any covering, we
turned up our canoes and got under them until the rain
abated. After a couple of hours we were again upon our
way, jaded in body, but filled with spiritual consolation.
What happiness I experienced when I found out that I
was the first priest to traverse these regions: and how many
times during our voyage did I call upon God to bless those
poor savages whom I was about to visit, and to shower
down on them His graces in greater abundance than the
rain which was drenching His unworthy servant. .
�128
Indian Missions.
Late at night we reached our destination; all were in
bed; the fires were all out, and no one stirred to welcome
us. As the old man was not dangerously ill, I thought it
better not to trouble him: so, wrapped up in a blanket,
I stretched myself on some pieces of bark which happened to be lying on the ground. Sleep soon quieted my
weary limbs, but the cold produced by my damp clothes
awoke me after a short nap. It was impossible for me to
repose again, I was shivering from head to foot; prayer
was my only solace until morning. \Vhen it was the good
pleasure of the Indians to get up, they made a fire, and I
profited by this occasion to dry my clothes and warm my
• shaken frame. When I had made the acquaintance of all
the inma,tes of the tent and taken my breakfast, I began to
prepare. Lagarde for Baptism. With him I had the pleasure of biptizing eleven children who were presented to me;
promising to return soon again, I started for Lake Long,
where I arrived the same evening. On the I st of June, I
had eight baptisms, seven of them being adults; and on
the next day I baptized six adults more. This finished the
mission of Lake Long, for the poor Indians, oppressed by
hunger, left the place to seek food, and were soon scattered in every direCtion. I revisited Manito Namegong, on
the 3rd of June. During my stay at the Fort, I baptized
twenty children and sixteen adults, thanks to the Sacred
Heart. The intention sent to the Messenger at ·woodstock
wrought these fruits in souls. On my way to Manito Namegong, I obtained through the in\ercession of St. Anthony
of Padua this wonderful little favor which I am about to relate: I had lost the key of the box which contained my
portable altar; my men and your humble servant, imploring the intercession of St. Anthony, looked a long time for
it, but without success. At length we gave up all hopes of
ever seeing it again, and went to take up our tent; but one
of my men in running his hand along the post for the purpose of making the rope slip down, felt something in his
�indian jlfissions.
129
hand, which, to our great astonishment, turned out to be
the lost key.
The Lagarde family gave us a hearty welcome. I spent
five days with them; we had cold and rainy weather almost
all the time. On the 6th of June I baptized two children.
On .the 7th, the eve of the feast of the most Blessed Trinity,
observing a beautifnl tree beyond my tent, I conceived the
idea of making a cross out of it; I entrusted this work to
one of my men, who performed the task according to my
expectations, and surrounded it with a handsome fence.
The following day, I blessed it in presence of all the savages,
and I then explained to them its meaning and the respect
which they should manifest to it.
'' Whenever you pass here," said I, "or wish to receive
some favor from God, come and ask it at the f~ot of this Cross,
and your prayer will surely be heard." The evening of
the same day, I baptized eight neophytes, all grown up persons. On the gth, I uaptized two adults, and then taught
two of the most intelligent members of the band how to
administer baptism in case of necessity. Ten pagans still
remained, who for one reason or another, had not yet been
instructed. The poor creatures appeared sad and troubled
on seeing me leave without giving them baptism; I encouraged them and promised to baptize them next spring.
On the gth, I left Manito Namegong, where I had baptized twenty-four persons, and traveled towards Le Pic, where
we arrived on the 14th. Nothing remarkable happened on
this journey of two hundred miles; but during the trip we
suffered much from the heat and from insects. At the Fort,
I found almost all the savages of Le Pic, who were awaiting
my arrival. After having given them a couple of instructions on penance, I heard their confessions ; then, I went
about the neighborhood to visit some pagans and Methodists, whom I found so well disposed, that I began, at once,
to catechise them. That all might have an opportunity of
hearing the word of God, I employed my two men at this
VoL. rx-No. z.
17
....
�Indian lllissions.
same good work. On the 19th I baptized three adults and
one child, but the day after my arrival, I had baptized five
children. Every day was marked by a certain number of
baptisms.
On the 1st of July, the last day I spent at Le Pic, the
whole number of those who had been baptized, amounted
to thirty-three persons ;-twenty-two adults (and of these
three were Methodists) and eleven children. One Methodist and two infidels still remain unbaptized. Now, as my
work was completed in this quarter, I wished to leave as
soon as possible, but the bad weather detained me for three
days. I started, on the 4th, for Michipicoton, and arrived
on Sunday, the 6th, a little after twelve o'clock, when the
Indians _were coming out of church. I met here about
three hpridred ~avages, half of whom were Methodists; I
gave them a little instruCtion after vespers, and then retired
for that day. My time for two or "three days was taken up
in the administration of the Sacraments; then, I gave my
whole attention to the infidels and Methodists.
The poor Indian, who made me such fine promises last
year, seemed willing now to fulfill them. It was agreed,
that he should first go to the Methodist camp, about half a
mile distant from the Fort, to obtain the permission of his
chie( When he returned, he appeared to be delighted, they
were well disposed and eight children would be baptized.
He reported, however, that the son of the chief Totomi11au
opposed his good undertaking. "Well," said I, "you must
go again to-morrow and try to.~ptain the consent of the
whole party." The next morning, he started off on the
same errand, and returned a short time afterwards with bad
news; there would be at most only three or four for Baptism,
and the good dispositions which had existed were on the
wane. Undaunted by this ill success, he tried a third time
to conquer the obstinacy of his chief; but the attempt failed
completely; and he came back to me again, downcast and
affiieted. I used every means to console and encourage
�Indian 1lfissions.
13 I
him; but since then he has never visited our church. How
are we to account for the change of sentiment on the part
of Totominan and his son? He had brought me two children to be baptized, during my former visit, yet he, now, is
opposed to all those who seek baptism at my hands. A
short time since, his wife died a Methodist, and our Catholic
Indians refused to sing canticles at her funeral, as they are
wont to do for those who die in the faith. This is the cause
of his wrath and fury against those poor Christian Indians.
There is also another little event, which happened some
short time ago and which helped to render us unpopular
with the Methodists.
Mr. Bell, the Bourgeois of the Fort, divided the sum of
about $400.00, given by the government of Ontario, among
the Methodists and Catholics. The Methodists resolved to
buy provisions with their portion of the money and the
Catholics put theirs together for the purpose of building a
school-house. To renounce Methodism, was, therefore, to
deprive one's self of pork and flour, which, I assure you, is
a great sacrifice for a poor hungry savage. I am glad that
the Methodists expended their money for food, instead of
spending it as our people have done; for if they had a school,
it might do much harm to the rising generation. Our
good Catholic Indians went immediately to look for wood
and other necessary materials for the ereCtion of their
new building. Before leaving, I had the great pleasure of
seeing a large pile of wood placed near the church to dry,
which in a short time will be ready for their purpose. If
the most sensible among the Methodists could not behold
those proofs of energy, shown by our Catholic Indians,
without feeling ashamed of their own conduB:, what will
be their feelings, next spring, when they shall see this
design fully carried out, and the school in a flourishing
condition?
Nevertheless, as I thought over the check experienced by
the Indian mentioned above, I could not help reproaching
�132
Indian 1'11issio!ls.
myself with having perhaps placed too much confidence in
him; and, thereupon, I resolved to repair the fault as far as
it was possible, by going in person to visit the Methodists,
and to find out from their own lips the cause of this unexpeCted opposition. They gave .me a warm reception ; and
as it was a beautiful day, we sat down on a grass-plot before the tent. I was not very long in this position, when to
my great surprise, I beheld myself surrounded by thirty of
those poor heretics. I told them that my mission was not
only for the Catholics, but also for them, and especially as
they had been baptized by our Fathers. "Now you have,"
said I, "another religion, quite different from that one which
our Fathers taught you. \Vhy have you changed your belief? \Va~ it not the true religion which they preached to
you?" I.~hen took the volume of the Gospels, translated
by Bishop Baraga, and seleCted four subjeCts, ·suited to the
occaswn. Firstly, the supremacy of St. Peter and his successors. Secondly, the sacrament of penance. Thirdly,
the Blessed Eucharist. Fourthly, devotion to the Blessed
. Virgin. After giving a simple explanation of the Catholic
doCtrine on one of these points, I added : "Your ministers
have told you to rejeCt this teaching, held by our Church ;
let us see what the word of Jesus Christ says about it."
I then proved my point by many texts from Scripture.
"But, perhaps," said I again, "some among you may think,
that my. book says this, but that your Bible holds an opposite doCtrine." I opened their Bible and read for them the
same text which I quoted in my instruCtion. They began
to look at each other in astonishment, and I could perceive
by their countenances, that they were fully convinced, that
our religion was the only true one. At the conclusion of
my discourse, I told them, that they were not so much to
be blamed for making profession of a false religion as those
false preachers, who had inculcated to them this bad doctrine; still, believe me, unless you now embrace the true
religion, since you are convinced that it is the only true one,
�Indian
~11issions.
133
you are exposing yourselves to a terrible misfortune. At
my departure many said to me : "give us until next Spring
to think about what you have said to us, and what we ought
to do." I feel confident, that the Sacred Heart will soon
leau back to us these poor sheep of the forest, whom the
Methodist wolf has led astray. I recommend them to your
holy sacrifices and prayers. Kinikomens, who was so much
opposed by Totominan, came to me upon my departure and
asked me for holy water, promising me at the same time
that nothing would prevent him from becoming a Catholic
next Spring.
During my mission at Michipicoton, I baptized four adults
-three of whom were Methodists and the other an infidel;
and five children, three born of Christian parents, and two
of Methodists. I left Michipicoton on the. 3d August and
took the steamer for the Hauteur des Terres, which brought
me in two days to my destination.
During the four months' mission, without speaking of the
other functions which belong to my ministry, I baptized one
hundred and fifteen persons, almost all infidels or heretics.
I shall not forget to thank the Sacred Heart, our holy
Mother and St. Joseph, for all these graces. I hope and
trust that you will often pray for those poor Indians. I recommend in a special manner to your holy Sacrifices, the
infidels and Methodists.
Father Superior is quite well. Brs. Regan and Hays are
sick: my own health is better than ever before. The scholastics will be ordained next Spring. Father Chambon is in
charge of the Landing and Silver Islet. We have. had a
severe winter; plenty of snow; the savages find game in
abundance. \Vith kindest regards to all my old friends at
Woodstock, and particularly to my former professors, I remain
Your servant in Christ,
]. ·HE':lERT, S.].
�NEW MEXICO.
N. M.,·
March 28th, r88o.
LAS VEGAS,
REV. FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
Some time ago a reporter of the St. Louis Commercial
called on Fr. Recror and expressed a desire to write an article on the College, to be published in his paper, stating at
the same time that the trifling sum of twenty-five dollars
would recompense him for his labor. As poor Father Rector has tnore than enough to do with the small amount of
money that he receives, he declined the generous offer.
However, in the article which the gentleman wrote on Las
Vegas, he mentioned a few words about the College, to the
effecr that it was the chief attracrion of the town. What
would he have said, had he received the money? He told
the truth: for, beyond all doubt, the College is the principal
building in Las Vegas. It is situated in the lower part of
Oldtown, or West Las Vegas, which is separated from Newto\~n. or East Las Vegas, by the microscopic river called
Gallinas. It is a two story strucrure whose walls are made
of the usual material of the country, adobes (bricks of mud
and straw), and stuccoed with a mixture of adobe and lime.
It comprises the main building, ab~ut two hundred feet front
and forty deep, and two wings, each one hundred feet long
and thirty wide. Although it is the pri~e of Las Vegas,
it is not a very magnificent affair; but it is infinitely superior
to the old building, which leaked so badly, that on more
than one occasion umbrellas would have been very serviceable to keep the Fathers from getting wet in their rooms;but the misery was that they were too poor to afford the
luxury of umbrellas. I often think how fortunate it is that
(134)
�New Mexico.
135
there are so few rain storms here, because if there were many
the whole town would be dissolved. The difficulties and
hardships of the Fathers who came to the Mission first can
never be expressed in words; only He for whose sake they
have endured them knows how great they have been. The
people, like those of many other places, imagine that the
Jesuits must be exceedingly rich, because they see them
build such fine houses. And now that the college is finished
and in running order, the greatest difficulty is experienced
by Superiors in keeping it up, because they receive so little
money for the boys' tuition. The Mexicans hate to part
with their "dinero," and pay for their boys with "oves et
boves et pecora campi."' Our Reaor is certainly to be pitied:
what with paying debts and the fearful trouble he has in
colleaing money to do so, and the providing for the wants
of the community and college, he has a task to perform
which I think few men would care about undertaking. · Before I came to New Mexico, I thought that the Fathers
were in very comfortable circumstances, but I was mistaken.
Oftentimes there is not sufficient money in the house to pay
for the next meal. Truly, the love of God alone could
make men waste away their lives in such a desert. Think
of the consolation we derive from our work when we know
that the highest ambition of the boys whom we try to educate, is to become rancheros or clerks. One boy last year,
-to give an instance,-took music lessons. At the end of
the year, he left all his music behind, giving as a reason
that he would not need it any longer, as he. was going to
work on the ranch.
It is very amusing to hear them talk English. One evening a little fellow came up to me, crying: I asked him, what
was the matter? and he replied: "Hipolito, he said me bad
words." "What did he say?" "He said me, dog." "\:Veil,
you go and say him, 'burro:' " and he went off happy.
"He's there up," or "there down," is common. Several
times they have come to me for "pocket books," meaning
�New Mexico.
envelopes. "I may can;" "he did bought;" and "I gained
him," are some of the choice expressions. There is this
about the boys that can not be said of all college boys, they
are very obedient and respectful, and it is the easiest thing
in the world to manage them. In class they behave very
well and they all study very faithfully. For these reasons
I have got to like them very much. The little scholars of
Father Tomassini's class are the hardest to take care of.
Fortunately they are almost all day-scholars, so that I don't
have anything to do with them. But what a time he must
have. Fifty or sixty of them with no manners or decency
keep his hands full, and the scenes and incidents of his class
room would not look well in print. I do not think that any
teacher could have a harder class, nor take more interest
and labor l1arder than he does. The good success of his
work was- seen in the semi-annual examinations which
finished last Tuesday. Taking everything into consideration
I think his class did as well as, if not better than, any of
the others.
On Passion Sunday the boys of the college and the Sisters' girls marched to the parish church where some were
to make their First Communion. The weather was extremely cold, and the church was a magnified refrigerator,
as there is no furnace to heat it. The poor little fellows
were all crying with the cold, and I don't think that any
of us had devotion enough to keep us warm. The church
itself is most uninviting and the want of care is evident in
everything about it. A little labqr . would remedy all, for
the church exteriorly is indeed a handsome edifice built of
brown stone. The ceremonial is a peculiar one. The Mass
said that day was a Low Mass, yet a fat boy headed the
procession with a censer and two acolytes followed. After
the Credo, Father Persone gave the children a final instruction. At the proper time the children, boys on one side,
girls on the other, advanced in good order to the altar to
receive for the first time the Holy Communion. It was a
beautiful and edifying sight, and I am sure all who saw it
�New ll1exico.
137
were very much pleased. In the afternoon we went to the
church again for the Profession of Faith and Renovation of
Baptismal Vows. Had the weather not been so cold, I am
sure that more people would have been present; as it was,
there was quite a large throng.
All the Americans that have written about the people of
this place have done them grievous injustice. The Americans who are the real rowdy disgraceful element are lauded
as go-ahead people, while the poor "greaser" is called by
all sorts of opprobrious names. The· truth is that in Oldtown, the real Mexican town, scarcely ever does a disturbance occur; while in Newtown, where the Americans have
established themselves, all the murders, that have given Las
Vegas her unenviable reputation, have been perpetrated.
It is true that the morals of the lower class of Mexicans
are not of a very high standard. How can it be expeCted,
when the whole family lives in one little room, for almost
all the adobe huts contain but one room, and the people are
too poor as a rule to afford more. In this one room they
and their dogs (every family has three or four) eat and sleep
together. A Mexican hut presents to the American a curious scene, and, as often happens, when the dogs get snarling and fighting, the scene is rendered as lively and harmonious as could be desired.
The people here are so lifeless that it is almost impossible
to effeCt any good among them, but with time and patience
they will improve. Their one redeeming trait is their piety,
but even this is Mexican. They are ignorant, and their ignorance is the cause of all their miseries. Now the Americans that are here are even more degraded than the poor
natives whom they despise. It would be impossible to find
in any part of the country a more ignorant, sinful set than
we have here in Newtown. Yet these men, who know better, and aEl: worse, than the "greasers," are acknowledged
as the spice of society. The horrible lynching affairs whose
accounts have reached even secluded Woodstock were manVaL. Ix-No. 2.
18
�New Mexico.
aged almost entirely by the inhabitants of the \Vest side.
\Vi thin the last few months no fewer than fifteen murders
have been committed in and around Las Vegas, and of these
not one was committed by a Mexican. There is excuse for
the natives, because for two centuries they have been cut off
from all society; and, as you well know, the example given
by their priests was not likely to improve their morals.
Not long since a certain Rev. Foote wrote an article in
which he vilified, the people of New Mexico so outrageously,
that he called forth more than one answer. One, written
by a Mexican, I would like to send you, it contains such
beautiful English, that it would serve as a model. The Rev.
Foote was called by such delightful names as the "reverend
fool," the "reverend clown" and "dish wiper" which showed
how exten~.ive was the writer's vocabulary. In his letter,
the above mentioned Reverend spoke about the "gewgaws"
of the Jesuit church. I suppose he thought all priests are
Jesuits, and although he said some true things, yet any one
could perceive that all his exaggerations were caused by
his animosity to the Catholics. The people are Catholic,
and this is the most damnable thing of all in the sight of
these tramps, who now and then afflict us with their presence. Of course, there are sights that are curious to Amer-·
icaris. A man on horseback, with his wife trudging on
behind the horse; youngsters parading with a garment not
much larger· than a pair of suspenders; women working
hard, and men taking it easy; bur.ros with mountains of
loads so high and wide that it is a· wonder that the whole
thing is not inverted with the burro dangling his legs in the
air :-these are a few of the curiosities ordinarily met with.
Whenever any one is sick, and a visitor enters and asks
how the sick person is, the mother of the family just pulls
down the bedclothes and shows the visitor where the patient
is suffering,-and this, no matter who are present. They
sit, or rather squat, around the bed in regular order from
father down to the youngest, and never say a word, but stare
�New Mexico.
139
at the sick person. \Vhen a corpse is being "waked," the
visitor comes in, and with folded arms stands near the corpse,
and stares for half an hour or more on the face of the dead
person, and then glides out as noiselessly as he came in.
They live on coffee principally, and that is one of the reasons why they are generally so thin. They take very little
substantial food, because they cannot afford it. Give a
Mexican "chile," "buffalo meat," "frijoles" (beans), and coffee,
and he is happy. I have never tasted the buffalo meat, and
if I judge of the taste from the smell, I hope I never will.
The "chile," a species of red pepper, I cannot eat; but if
you could only see how the boys take it,-it is a sort of icecream and strawberries for them. The women have the
queerest way of smoking. They do it, as if they were doing something that they were ashamed o( They cover the
head with the shawl, and smoke under it, and now and then
clouds of smoke are seen to rise from their clothes, and one
unaccustomed to the performance might think that the poor
women were on fire. One of the great sins in the young
ladies' eyes is to smoke before their parents. I have never
seen children show such respeCt: to their parents as the
Mexicans do. No matter how old or grown they are, they
always show respeCt: for their father and mother, which the
American youth would do to well to imitate.
A few weeks ago I made a flying trip to La Junta about
twenty-four· miles from Vegas. I drove there in a buggy
to bring Father Minister home. I had never been there
before, but I went alone and didn't get lost either. It was
not a very difficult task to accomplish, for I had only to
follow the railroad rout~. The reason I mention the trip is,
because I wish to tell about a vision, that a servant of our
Fathers there had. It was a material kind of vision which
left a deep impression on him. He was sent one day to
find a lost cow. He went on a mule. He inquired at various places for the cow, but without success. He finally
asked at a place where there were some muchachitos playing.
�New Mexico.
The youngsters came out and frightened the mule, and the
poor fellow fell off, and while falling the mule gave him a
good sound kick. such as only mules can give, and knocked
him senseless. The mule came home alone, and he came
along some time after. Such was the vision, but it requires
explanation. Two or three days after he was told that his
father was dead. "I know it," said he. "for God gave me a
vision three days ago." When asked to explain, he said :
"When I fell off the mule, my father fell sick: and when
the mule kicked me, and knocked me senseless, my father
died." I don't think that this could be considered a real
vision, yet th~ poor visionary, who by the way imagines
himself a novice of the Society, firmly believes it. The
church oC our Fathers there would deserve a chapter for
itsel£ B11t I may be able to give a good account of
La Junta, ·~s also of Fort Union, some other time, as we
start for there to-day, and I must end this epistle in time.
Suffice it to say, that Father Rossi went to Fort Union on
Holy Thursday to give the Catholic soldiers an opportunity
of hearing Mass. Easter Sunday also the same Father said
Mass and preached a very good English sermon to them.
The Gazette remarked that the commander not being a man
of any religious belief permitted it, as though it were a speciaL favor he was conferring.
For the scientific part of your readers, I have an item
which I have reserved till the last. ·when I first came here,
I was struck with a phenomenon th.at happened every night
when I was undressing. Innumeraqle sparks shot out from
all my clothes. At first, I was a little frightened, but thinking over it, I found they were electric sparks. Sometimes
I have got as many as a dozen sparks from my shirt. It is
owing, I have no doubt, to the dryness of the atmosphere,
for I never observed it anywhere else. Since I have been
here, it has not rained half a dozen times. We have had
but three or four slight falls of snow which evaporated immediately. The climate is truly the only good thing here,
�Missionary Labors.
it makes up for all the inconveniences we have to suffer.
You have often heard that Vegas is a beautiful spot, but if
you could only see it, you wouldn't think so. But I must
come to a close. If at any time I have anything of interest,
I will certainly communicate it to Your Reverence, as I
believe it is the easiest method of answering all correspondents. Hoping that what I have said may prove of interest,
I recommend myself to the prayers of all.
Your humble servant in Christ.
M. T. HuGHES, S.].
MISSIONS GIVEN BY FATHER MAGUIRE AND
COMPANIONS.
FROM JANUARY
4th, 1880,
TO MARCH
·21st.
December is a fine month, in which to leave the ice and
snow of New England, and journey to Florida, where spring
has already begun. Such was the good fortune of the Missionary Fathers at the end of last year. Leaving Boston
on the 28th of December, they arrived at Jacksonville, January 2d, having traveled continuously with the exception of
a night spent in Philadelphia. The change was most enchanting : to see the fields and gardens decked in green,
the roses in full bloom, and the oranges ripe upon the trees
was, truly, a welcome sight.
Florida, though at all times having attraCtions for tourists,
presents them most lavishly during the winter months. Thousands from our northern cities spend the winter there in
quest· of health: thousands go there also for enjoyment,
and this they find in the delightful climate and the remarkable scenery of the country. Many tourists, charmed with
what they see around them, remain, and induce their friends
to imitate their e;{ample. As a consequence, the State is
I
�Missionary Labors.
increasing rapidly in population, since, independently of the
advantages of climate and scenery, it offers the best inducements to immigrants, who naturally look for cheap lands
and quick returns from their labor. Florida offers both to
those who settle within her borders. It is an every day
affair to hear of persons, who settled in Florida ten years
ago, and bought fifty or sixty acres of land for three dollars
an acre : for six or seven years they made enough to sup·
port themselves; now with their orange groves, which, in
the meantime, have begun to produce a fair crop, they are
considered wealthy, having incomes of four and five thousand dollars a year, with every prospea of increasing them,
as an orange grove reaches its highest point of produaiveness after twenty, and continues fruitful for a hundred, years.
The writ~r'of this sketch saw trees in full bearing that were
over sixty"years old. To return; persons who bought land
for three dollars an acre, and managed to make a living on
it for eight years, are now offered two and three thousand
dollars an acre for the same land, owing to the groves upon
it. Numbers of farmers from the North and West, aware
of these faas, have sold out their estates, in order to settle
in Florida, whilst our Catholics are rushing to the Northwest to freeze in winter, and make a pitiable living, perhaps,
at all times.
Some say that the supply of oranges will be too great
for the demand. This was said fifteen years ago: in that
time, the crop has increased by J?illions of oranges, and
more money is made now than then,
An orange grove requires very little attention. Light
rubbish, or muck from the swamps, thrown under the trees
is all the fertilizing needed. At times, a carbolic wash is
good for the trunk of the tree. A tree with proper care
will give a yield of five thousand oranges, but even putting
it at a thousand, and following the praaice of having a
hundred trees to the acre, and allowing ant; cent for an
orange, net gain, the income would be a thousand dollars.
�Missionary Labors.
143
I saw a tree, where last year the fruit was sold as it hung
upon the branches for sixty dollars. And this is now no
rare occurrence. A gentleman from the North has a small
place near Mandarin, for which he paid a few dollars an acre.
Having a good portion of it as a truck garden for the
northern markets, he has besides thirty acres in orange trees,
and, at the lowest estimate, in a few years, he will have an
income from the oranges alone of thirty thousand dollars !
And the orange is but one of the products of Florida:
all the semi-tropical fruits are grown there, besides the ordinary crops of grain, cotton, rice, sugar-cane, and early
vegetables for the markets of the North, etc. Lumber is
also a great industry.
JA.CKSONVILLE.-The mission in Jacksonville, which in
winter is the Saratoga of the South, lasted for a week. The
Bishop of the diocese, always so kind to Ours, came from
St. Augustine, his residence, fifty miles up the St. John's
River, to greet the Fathers and bless their work. The church
was crowded at every service. Protestants came to the
mission in large numbers, and a few were received into the
true fold. No doubt, the prejudices of a great many were
removed, and though not converted, they will be more ready
to hear Catholic truth in the future. Towards the end of
the week, Father Holland was sent to Palatka, seventy miles
up the River St. John, to begin a mission on Sunday, the
I Ith of January.
Father Maguire after giving two lectures
in Jacksonville went to join Father Holland about the 15th
of the month. The number of Communions in both places
was altogether about seven hundred.
Jacksonville in winter is a very inviting place, and the
rich equipages of the northern residents give it a gala appearance. An additional interest was given to the every
day routine of the city, during the mission, by the arrival of
the ex-President on his way for Havana. His presence and
the procession in his honor interfered a little with the attendance at the church for a day or so.
�144
ilfissionary Labors.
ST. AuGUSTINE. (January 18-25)-This ancient town, the
oldest in North America, though considerably changed in
appearance by the advent of northern men, is still quaint
enough to put one in mind of Spain and hidalgos, of the
plumes and prowess of the adventurers of former times.
Passing along its narrow streets one almost feels on the
alert for some caballero of the olden time to march out all
booted, crested and spurred from an alley way, to challenge
intrusion. The buildings are very old and venerable; they
are made of cochina rock, a conglomerate of sand and shells,
from a quarry on an island in front of the city, across the
Matanzas River. This island and the river, not a mile wide,
are the only barriers between the ocean and St. Augustine,
and for this reason invalids are afraid to tarry there. Some,
however, think this a mistake, as the nearness of the Gulf
Stream to the coast (twenty miles) prevents any bad effects
from the ocean air.
The present Cathedral was built in the last century.
The Franciscan convent, now a barracks, and the home of
the Poor Clares, used as a private house in these times, were
built long before. The present residence of the Bishop was
under Spanish rule a free school, the first in the United
States. The people are no longer the same that they were
under the old government. At the change of flag in Ii63,
nearly all the old Spanish settlers retired to Spain or Cuba;
their places were afterwards filled by Minorcans brought to
the colony by an Englishman, named Trumbull. To many
there is very little difference between-a Spaniard and a Minorcan; though there is in character and language. The
venerable names of Suarez, Sanchez, Fernandez, Lugo, Rodriguez are common enough, but when we see the bearer
of one of these great names keeping an oyster-house or
hiring out sail.boats, you cannot but admire how the mighty
have fallen.
The Indian Missions were at one time very flourishing
and consoling around St. Augustine. Nearly all the Semi-
�llfissionary Labors.
145
noles were converted to the f.1ith; but the English broke
up the missions, and the poor Indians became wanderers
again as their name signifies. At present, they. inhabit by
treaty the Everglades, or swampy lands of the southern part
of the State. They have little, or no intercourse with the
whites, and are very suspicious in regard to them. Father
Dufau, the vicar-general of the diocese, made an attempt a
few years ago to enter the Everglades for the spiritual advancement of the tribe, but met with such difficulties and
distrust, that he was forced to abandon his undertaking.
The Indians call all white people, "cow men," for the reason
that the whites come to trade in cattle once in a while.
Half a mile north of St. Augustine is the chapel of Nuestra
Senora de Ia Leche, a modern building on the site of an old
one, where Father Bias Rodriguez de Montes was put to
death two hundred and eighty years ago by some Indians,
whose bad conduCt: he had found fault with. They came
early in the morning to the chapel; the Father divining their
errand obtained their permission to say Mass, which they
attended in silence, and at the end of which they massacred
him at the foot of the altar. This, with other faB:s well
known in Florida, shows that Christianity has shed its blood
there also, and consequently must have its triumphs.
The mission work was most consoling in St. Augustine.
The people are good, docile, full of faith, and remarkably
honest, pure and temperate. Until the immigration of
the northern people there was not a single liquor store in
the town. Door.s ami bolts on houses were unknown, and,
I doubt, even now, if the people are equal to the mysteries
of them. About a dozen Protestants joined the Church,
during the retreat; amongst them was a Mr. Bronson, the
leading citizen of the place, who is married to a great granddaughter of Judge Gaston, so well known in his day. The
church was crowded all day with devout worshippers.
There were about one thousand Communions; about fifty
grown persons were confirmed by the Bishop, the Right
Rev. John Moore, at the end of the Mission.
VoL. 1x-No. 2.
19
�JM"ssionary Labors.
\Vhilst Frs. Maguire and Holland were engaged in the
work mentioned above, Frs. Strong and Morgan were sent
to other places in the State, to give the exercises; the former,
to Key \Vest, the latter, to Fernandina, Moccasin Branch,
and Mandarin.
FER~ANDINA. (Jan. 4-1 1)-The church here is under the
patronage of St. Michael, in memory of Father Miguel de
Auiion, who was martyred by the Indians in 1597 in the old
town of Fernandina about a mile from the new town. There
is a chapel in either place attended by Father 0' Boyle, the
present pastor. He lives in the new town. There are
schools in both places taught by the Sisters of St. Joseph.
The colored school in old Fernandina is supported by the
State, and- the Sisters receive salaries for their services.
The Catho).ic population is very small, and notwithstanding
the arrival of General Grant on the opening day of the
mission and the festivities in his honor on the day following,
the attendance at church was very good throughout the
week. A day was given for the benefit of the infirm in the
1
old town. Quite a number of persons came to the exercis es,
and the Father was quite amused to see the colleCtion taken
up in the chapel by an old lady of the congregation. Fernandina is a resort in winter for invalids and tourists. The
famous beach, eighteen miles long, and the best ocean drive
in the world, attraCts a great many people in the afternoon.
The number of Communions was about two hundred and
fifty. Seven persons, amongst whon1 was a colored alderman, were received into the church:·.·
MoccASIN BRANCH.-This is a Minorcan settlement about
twelve miles from St. Augustine. The congregation is under the care of Father Langlade of the Cathedral. There
is a handsome chapel ereB:ed by the zeal of the pastor.
The people are good and full of faith. Intemperance and
the other vices, so common elsewhere, are unheard of here.
No man has yet dared to sell intoxicating drink in the settlement. Everybody came to the mission, bringing even
�llfissionary Labors.
•
147
the babies to the church to the great annoyance of the
preacher, who frequently had to give his sermon amid a
chorus of a half dozen squalling infants. The dogs, too,
came with their owners, to spend the day around the church
and contribute their mite to the exis~ing difficulties. The
mission began on the 14th of January at night; after the
sermon there was a torchlight procession to guide the people homeward. The retreat lasted ten days. Number of
Communions, one hundred.
Among the many remarkable traits of these people in
the way of goodness, a stranger is struck by their striCl:
honesty. There are no locks or bolts on doors. A man
goes from home and stays for a week, and no one interferes
with his property.
MANDARIN.-This is an old settlement made in the last
century by royalists or tories from the Carolinas. After
the Revolutionary \Var, they emigrated to Florida, then
under the English flag. \Vhen the Spanish rule was restored, these settlers to obtain grants of land, conformed
outwardly to the Catholic faith. Their religion, however,
was very slight; a priest used to visit them once or twice
a year, to baptize the infants. In 1840, the Methodists at. tempted to draw these people away from the Church, and
partially succeeded, and would, no doubt, have perverted
the whole population, but for a mishap. A certain tall,
loud-talking preacher from Georgia appeared, and continually shouting out death, judgment and hell, frightened a
great many. He insisted upon every one having his bible
to read, etc. "I can not," he said, "give all bibles: colleCl:
the money, and I'll buy them for you." The colleCl:ion was
taken up; all contributed, some giving their jewels. The
preacher took the offerings, and to this day, the bibles have
not come, and the preacher has not been heard from.
.
About fifteen years ago, a priest, now in the Society, began to reside among the people of Mandarin. At first, he
met with great difficulties, but now nearly all are Catholics.
�Missionary Lr;tbors.
•
A few Baptist negroes are living in the neighborhood, and
are noted for the usual vices of the race.
The Catholic population is scattered over an area of thirty
miles, and can scarcely be reached by a single mission :
still those that could responded well to the labors of the
m1sswnary. They are commonly called "Crackers," but
whatever else may be said of them, they are good, and try
to save their souls. One would much rather see them as
they are, with little farms and their houses full of children,
than crazy after money and advancement. If there is a
poor man amongst them that is in need, he starts out in the
morning with a sack, and has not to go far before it is full
of provisions. The colored people who are. Catholics contrast very favorably with the colored Baptists spoken of
above.
About two hundred Communions were the fruit of the
mission.
This ends with the report from Key ·west, which will be
given afterwards, the labors of the missionaries in Florida.
The Fathers were all satisfied with the success of their
work, and look back with pleasure to their stay in the
"Land of Flowers."
J. A. M.
..
KEY \VEST.
Notts from tlze Diary of a Missionary.
Finding it impossible to reach .Key \Vest, Florida, by
steamer, in time to comply with· our promised engagements, we started Dec. 30th from Boston for Cedar Keys
with the promise from R. R. officials of making immediate
conneCtion with steamer from that Port. On Sunday morning, January 4th, we arrived at Jacksonville, wearied with
travel and worn out from the want of sleep. The jour~ey
by the "Coast Line" is, indeed, monotonous. Leaving
Richmond, Virginia, the "route" traverses the low grounds
bordering the sea-coast. Miles and miles of swampy lands
�llfissionary Labors.
149
covered with pine forests meet the eye. At long intervals
a more elevated spot has been cleared and devoted to the
culture of corn or cotton. Our stay at Jacksonville was of
short duration. In the afternoon of the day of our arrival
we retraced our steps to Baldwin, a. point of interseaion
made by the "\Vestern Florida" and the "Atlantic, Gulf and
\Vest Indies, Transit Co." Rail Roads. Next morning at
eight o'clock we took a seat in a freight train trusting to
reach Cedar Keys before the sailing of the steamer. Our
route was now due East and West. The same formation of
country presented itsel( Low, flat lands, here and there a
portion devoted to the raising of rice, now and again an
orange grove of recent date broke the monotony of the
surrounding pines and attraaed attention. The road we
were now traveling was known as A. G. & W. I. T. Co.
which judging from the speed our train attained might read
"Always going and when in time conneas." Cedar Keys
were reached at eight in the evening and we were informed
that the steamer had sailed the previous night. The next
steamer would touch at this port on the following Friday.
The island on which we were, is but one of the number
of small islands called the Keys. It is about two miles
long and half a mile wide. It is composed of sand, pebble
and oyster shell, and stands not more than twelve feet above
the sea level. The whole island was covered with the palmetto, of which we saw three different kinds. The tall
palmetto (Saba! Palmetto), or as it is called by those residing upon the island "the cabbage palmetto, attained a height
of thirty to forty feet. The saw palmetto (Saba! Serrulata)
had a creeping stem four to eight feet long from which arose
leaves two to four feet high. The dwarf palmetto (Saba!
Andersonii), its short stem wholly under ground-its leaves
two to three feet high, of a glaucous green, covered almost
the whole extent of the sandy soil.
The island derives its importance from being the Gulf
terminus of the Florida railroad, and a point of departure
�150
llfissionary Labors.
for New Orleans or Key West and Havana. The chief and
\Ve may say, the only objeCts of interest are the large sawmills belonging to Messrs. Fabers the famous manufaCturers
of lead-pencils. This firm obtains, yearly, hundreds of
thousands feet of cedar from the adjacent islands and prepares it in these mills for shipment to their faCtories in the
North. The waters surrounding the island are noted for
their oy?ters. So abundant are they that even the palmetto
piles which form the wharves are incrusted with them. The
catching and shipment of fish employ many hands as the
interior of Florida is for the most part supplied with this
article of food from this island.
On Thursday a steamer en route to Havana touched at
this port; -.Key \Vest was also a point of her destination.
Hearing thk we requested the captain to take us aboard.
He replied : "The vessel is crowded; not a berth vacant, and
even the floor of the mess-room is covered at night with
sleeping passengers." So weary were we of Cedar Keys
that the inconvenience of passing the night on deck did not
deter us. We entreated the captain to receive us. He
complied. Without regret we bade farewell to the place of
our imprisonment during the past four days. The voyage
was delightful. Our little steamer in the perfeCtly smooth
water of the Gulf glided along at the rate of ten knots per
hour. The first night was passed on deck-not an inch of
sleeping room under cover unoccupied. The heavy fog
chilled us to the bones. In the early .morning the stewardess,
an old colored woman, saw us req.ding our breviary and
asked "if we were not a priest and our name." Informed,
she exclaimed: "I went eight years ago to you to confession
in Baltimore." Immediately the interest of this grateful
soul was exerted in our behalf and she induced the first and
second mates to resign their sleeping apartment in our favor.
On Saturday about five in the afternoon we arrived at Key
West.
It was the 10th of January, yet the luxuriant vegetation
�Jlfissiotzary Labors.
15 I
of a tropical climate greeted us on every side. The city
occupying about one half of the island, with its wide white
coral streets, which were lined with small but neat residences
shaded with tropical trees and embowered in perennial
flowers and shrubbery, presented a picturesque and pleasing
appearance to one who had just left the bleak North. The
island, a vast coral, is about seven miles long by from one to
two wide, and is eleven feet above the sea. The soil is extremely shallow, consisting of disintegrated coral and slight
admixtures of decayed vegetable matter. The population
numbers fifteen thousand; of these five thousand are Catholics. There are no springs upon the island and water forms
an article of traffic. The principal industries are segarmaking, \vhich employs over four thousand five hundred
Cubans, turtling, sponging and the catching of fish for the
Cuban market. We began the retreat for the good Sisters
of the "Holy Names of Jesus and Mary" on the evening of
our arrival. Their convent "Maria Immaculata" is beautiful. Built of faced coral, it extends over two hundred feet
in length. This struCture ereCted during the past seven years
cost $30,000. The grounds surrou!lding the building are
seven acres in extent. \Vith great difficulty has soil been
colleCted to cover the barren coral, and now the seven acres
produce nearly all the tropical fruits. Here we found the
graceful cocoa tree with tall, straight trunk, tufted with long
sweeping branches, and bearing fruit from the size of a
walnut to that of a man's head. A banana grove occupies
one portion of the grounds, whilst pine-apples, guavas, sapodillas, Jamaica-apples, lemons and oranges claim their
respeCtive places. The whole place was bright with flowers
the most beautiful and fragrant. In different places the
island is covered with a stunted chaparral, a natural growth,
in which several species of the caCtus form a prominent
feature.
The Sisters have two schools under their charge; one at
the convent numbering about one hundred and fifty pupils,
�I
52
Missionary Labors.
another in the city for colored children, which is attended
by ninety boys and girls.
The retreat closed Saturday evening, or rather Sunday
morning, as it was necessary to begin the mission for the
people on Sunday, January 14th. Three years had elapsed
since these good religious had the pleasure of seeing a
Jesuit. Nothing could exceed their kindness in our regard.
They pointed out the grave of the last Jesuit Father, who
had conduCted the Spiritual Exercises in their convent.
He came from Havana, gave the retreat, and on the next
day was taken down with. yellow fever, dying in a few hours.
No priest attended his death-bed, as he was the only one
on the island. His body lies at the side of another hero of
the Society, a priest also from Havana, who came to Key
\Vest, when its pastor was stricken down by this dreadful
scourge, to administer to the wants of the dying. He fell
in harness, a martyr of charity. Their graves are marked
with rude simple crosses. No consecrated spot received
tht;:ir remains, no inscription tells their names. True soldiers
of Christ, the Day of Judgment will reveal their merit.
January I Ith, Sunday, we opened the mission for the
people. The hope of success was faint indeed. The pastors
told us, that of the four thousand five hundred Cubans, not
one ever entered the church. They claim to be Catholics,
but say that the clergy in the United States, as in Cuba, are
opposed to "Cuba Libra ;" hence they relinquish the practices of their religion, though the.y cling to the faith. The
true reason is that they all belong-· to secret societies, freemasons, of which there are thirteen lodges in this small
island. Of the remaining five hundred Catholics who reside on the Key, we were told but four men had made their
Easter Communion, of the women some twenty. It was
disheartening, on turning around at the opening of the mission; to find about one hundred men, women and children
present. At night, the church was filled, and during the
mission God blessed our labors. Four hundred and eightythree approached holy Communion, thirteen were received
�Missionary Labors.
I
53
into the Church, twenty received Communion for the first
time, and fifty were prepared for Confirmation. _.Among the
converts, a prominent freemason made his abjuration. Monday night, January 26th, we closed the mission, and on
Tuesday started for Tampa to begin another. On reaching
Cedar Keys, after a .stormy passage, we concluded it were
better to join the other Fathers in the more important missions in Charleston, S. C. So we bade farewell to Southern
Florida.
G. I. S.
MISSIONS IN CHARLESTON,
S.c.
Returning North, the Fathers gave two missions m
Charleston. Frs. Maguire and Holland were engaged at
the Cathedral; Frs. Strong and Morgan, at St. Patrick's.
The work lasted for a week; and the Fathers had every
reason to be pleased with the fruits of their labors in both
places. The people are warm-hearted and docile. The
attendance during the exercises was very large; the Protestants of all classes showed great willingness to listen to
Catholic doCtrine.
About thirty-six hundred persons received the holy Communion, taking the results in both churches. Fourteen
converts were made to the faith. Over a hundred adults
were prep:ued for Confirmation ; about twenty grown persons made their first Communion.
From Charleston northward there was little to vary the
monotony of the journey. The burning of a bridge near
\Veldon, N.C., delayed the Fathers for twelve hours. Wel-don is a small and uninteresting place. By inquiry it was
found that there were eight Catholics in the town; the ninth
one had been obliged to run away for some misdeed. Continuing their journey, the Father saw on the train about
twenty."exodusters" en route for Indiana; these colored emigrants were dressed in their summer clothes, expeCting, no
doubt, to find in the land of promise, a negro paradiseperpetual summer. The following dialogue was overheard.
VoL. Ix-No. 2.
20
�154
Missionary Labors.
A friend came into the car and spoke to the leader of the
band.
First(colored) citizm. "How d'ye do? \Vhar is ye gwine ?"
Second (colored) citi:::m. (subdued.) "To Indiana."
First. '.'To Indiana! What ye gwine dar for? It's monstrous cole out dar, ole man. It's powerful cole out dar
round Boston. I've been dar once."
Sec(>nd. (changing subjeCt.) "How's yer lettis ?"
First. "What! did ye see de lettis? Well, ole man, ye
won't see no mo! No lettis, out dar round Boston. Ole
man, ye seed it for de las' time. Sell yer ticket and go
back home. Y e won't see yer wife, no mo. \Vhy, ye'll die
out dar round Boston. Y e'll be frize."
The advice did no good.
l\hssroNs IN NEw YoRK CITY.
ST. LAWRENCE CHURCH.-Frs. Maguire, Strong, Holland,
Magevney and Morgan gave a very successful mission in
this church of our Fathers during the first week of Lent.
They were obliged from the beginning to have a double
mission, as the crowds in both weeks were too large to be
gathered into the church. The interest was kept up through
the two weeks, and much good was done. A separate
service was had every day for the children, and a very interesting ceremony in their behalf was had on the last Sunday: the children were assembled,.and a certain number of
boys and girls, appropriately dres~ed, renewed in the name
of all the rest the Baptismal Vows, after which the papal
benediCtion was given them by one of the Fathers.
Results: Communions, eight thousand; Baptism of adults,
nine; left under instruCtion, three: First Communion of
adults, one hundred and two; prepared for Confirmation,
one hundred and twenty-nine.
CHURCH OF THE HoLY INNOCENTS.-This mission was
given by Frs. Maguire, Me A tee, Holland, Magevney and
Gerlach. The labor was hard and continuous, and, but for
�llfissionary Labors.
155
the help of the Fathers from Fordham College, a great
deal would have been left undone. They came every evening and worked for hours in the confessional, and this notwithstanding their collegiate duties during the rest of the
day. Special efforts were made for the spiritual advantage
of the children of the public schools with encour"aging results.
Fruits of the work : eleven thousand Communions; First
Communions of adults, thirty-two; Converts, fifteen. A
number was prepared for Confirmation.
JERSEY CITY, N.J.-Frs. Strong and Morgan were engaged
at St. Bridget's Church in this city from the 7th to 21st
March, whilst the other Fathers were giving the mission at
the church of the Holy Innocents, in New York. Being
by themselves, the work came hard on them, but the Fathers
of the College kindly came to their relief and helped them
over the difficulties. There were four sermons or instructions every day; a .special one was given to the children.
The day after the exercises were ended, the Bishop of the
diocese, Right Rev. Michael Corrigan, gave Confirmation
to one hundred and twenty-nine adults.
Seventy grown persons were prep;ued for first Communion; the total number of Communicants was twenty-seven
hundred. Converts to the Faith, fourteen. Children, of
mixed marriages, baptized, seven. Number of confessions
over three thousand.
This is the sum of the missionary labors to March 21st.
It is easily seen that the southern tour was not so fruitful
in numbers, but when it is considered that the Catholic population there is scattered, and that every body almost, that
could, made the mission, and that so large a number of
Protestants in proportion to the population was received
into the Church, the Fathers have no reason to complain.
General results: Communions, twenty-eight thousand;
Baptisms, eighty; First Communion of adults, two hundred
and thirty-four. Prepared for Confirmation (adults), four
hundred and sixteen.
J. A. M.
�Jl!issionary Labors.
MISSION IN CHICAGO.
The nusswn at "The Holy Name" Cathedral, Chicago,
commenced on the 4th Sunday of Lent, and was brought
to a close on Tuesday of Holy \Veek. It was conduaed
hy Father Coghlan, aided by Frs. Verdin, Bouige, Kuppens
and Van Hultz. The very Rev. Dr. Me Mullen, V. G.,
pastor of the cathedral, as also the Rev. Clergy attached to
the church, lent their aid in the confessional. Father Riel
assisted till called away to replace the good and lamented
Father Me Gill, who died in Detroit during Holy Week.
The general results of the mission may be briefly summed
up:
'
There-were ten thousand confessions heard. There were
nineteen converts received into the Church; two thousand
three hundred members were received into the Society of
the Sacred Heart and Apostleship of Prayer, while three
hundred young ladies were received into the Sodality, established during the mission.
There were three thousand men present at the night services during the week especially devoted to their spiritual
welfare, presenting so imposing a speaacle that an accidental Protestant attendant remarked that "it could not be
there said that religion was considered good only for
women."
The missionary Fathers left Chicago on ]\larch 3 Ist, to
open another mission in the chur<:h of St. Charles Borromeo, Brooklyn, on the 4th of April.
D. 0. M.
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. IX, No. 3·
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
OF THE MARYLAND MISSION.
1.-
NARRATIVE OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CATHOLIC
RELIGION IN MARYLAND AND PENNSYLVANIA.
By Archbishop 7olm Carro!!.
[This NARRATIVE first appeared in the llfetropolitan Magazine, March, I830. It was translated by the Editor, Rev.
Dr. Pise, from an old French MS. preserved in the library
of the Archbishop of Baltimore. He says: ''From certain
passages, I am induced to believe that it was originally'
written in English by Archbishop Carroll. and translated
into the language in which I find it." J. Carroll Brent, in
his 'Biography of Archbishop Carroll,' borrows from the
same French text. Campbell, a careful writer, in the U. S.
Catholic Magazine, 1845. page 250, gives an extraEl: from
the original paper in Archbishop Carroll's hand-writing. It
corresponds exactly with the English MS. in our possession,
which is in all probability the 'original paper,' seen and used
by Campbell.]
In the latter end of the reign of James I. of England,
who died in 1625, the Roman Catholics, suffering great oppression from the laws of that kingdom, were very desirous
of seeking some asylum from the persecution in their own
VoL. rx-No. 3·
21
(157)
�Historical Papers.
country. Lord Baltimore, who was himself a Roman Catholic, obtained from the King the grant of that land which
now forms the State of Maryland. The grant was confirmed
by charter to Lord Baltimore, soon after the accession of
Charles I. to his father's crown ; who gave to the new Province the name of Maryland in honor of his Queen, Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV.
By the Charter, freedom was granted to all emigrants
into the new country, for their religious and civil rights.
Many Catholics, chiefly the younger sons of respeB:able
English families, emigrated about the year 1630 under the
conduCt: of Lord Baltimore himself; and with them came
Father Peter White, an English Jesuit. These chose for ·
their place of residence a situation not far from the mouth
of Patozt:tJlack River, and at its junB:ion with the River of
St. Mary; .. which name was afterwards given to the first
town, and it was made the Capital, and so continued for
seventy or eighty years.
Father \\'hite* finding too much employment for one priest
"''Ve give the text of the :MS. unaltered, although it contains some obvious
errors in regard to names and dates. Father "'bite's name was Andrew; the
.Maryland Pilgrims set sail from England, November 22d, 1633; Lord Baltimore did not accompany the expedition, which\vas under the command of his
brother. Fathers 'Vhite and Altham were among the first settlers, and the
former did not return to England, until he was sent back along with the other
Jesuits, in 1645. 'These are well known facts of J\laryland history; but the
statement of the Narrative, that Father 'Vhite arrived in 1630, and returned to
Europe for assistance in his missionary labors, gives occasion for a curious and
interesting conjecture-that this Father may have accompanied Lord Baltimore in the abortive attempt to found the s.ettlement of Avalon. The first
Lord Baltimore, when his scheme of colonization in Newfoundland had proved
a failure, applied for the charter of Maryland, and in 1630, paid a visit to the
Chesapeake; but Lady Baltimore seems to have made an excursion from Avalon to Virginia, in 162ll. There were two chaplains attached to the original
colony, who are styled Seminary Priests; it is possible, that Father 'Vhite
may have been one of these, and that he attended Lady Baltimore on the visit
in 1629, although authentic records place the first arrival of the Jesuits in.1634.
The date mentioned by the Archbishop is confirmed by the first entry in an
old written Catalogns l'atrum Anglorum, etc. qui hue missi fuere ab ·intro·
ductione Societatis in hriR partes usque ad 1790.
Andreas White :-Primus l\Iarylandire missionarius. Ad venit hue circa
1630, ante Diim Baltimore. Sacellum extruxit in 'Vhite Neck, at non habebat
Domum.
�Arc!zbi'.slzop Carroll's Narratii,e.
159
only, returned to Europe to get assistance; and I find in my
very imperfect memoirs, that in the year 1632, FF. Copley,
Harkey and Perret came into this country, probably with
Fr. White. Their chief residence was at a place which
they called St. Inigo, the Spanish word for St. Ignatius.
There they acquired a considerable body of land, part of
which is yet in the possession of the clergy, and the residence of one of them, with a large body of neighboring
Catholics, descendants of the first settlers.
All histories, which have been written, even by Protestants, of the first settlement of European Colonies in America, speak in the most favorable language of the conduct of
these Catholic Emigrants, who by their spirit of justice and
fidelity to their engagements, won the esteem and confidence of the native Indians. They did not take from them
an inch of land by force; but Lord Baltimore and his
company made honorable purchases. from them of all the
country within the lines of his charter; so that no treachery or bloodshed disgraced the beginnings of this colony.
As it grew very fast the settlers extended themselves farther up into the country; and with them some of the clergy
proceeded, and made acquisitions of land for their future
support.
About the year 1640, some design appears to have been
formed for carrying the Gospel among the native Indians.
For I find, by some papers in my possession, that in this
year, the Provincial of the English Jesuits wrote a letter of
exhortation to the young Jesuits at Liege, inviting them to
offer their services for this perilous and laborious undertaking. In consequence of this invitation, upwards of twenty
solicited with the most fervorous language to be sent; but
I do not find that anything farther was done in the business; which I doubt not was owing to the jealousy, which
the neighboring Protestants of Virginia had now conceived
at the superior credit which the Catholics enjoyed among
the Indians. Add to this, that in this same year 1640, the
�I6o
Historical Papers.
troubles began in England, which ended in the dethronement and beheading of Charles I. in 1648; the virulence of
the prevailing party in England against Catholics, and their
jealousy of every enterprise for the increase of true Religion made it necessary to forbear from any farther communication with the Indians. For, as the spirit of the times
was, it would have been said certainly, that the Indians
would be brought down by the priests and papists to murder all the Protestant inhabitants.
During the time of Cromwell's government in England,
the Catholics of Maryland were sorely harassed. Lord
Baltimore was deprived of his government; Catholics were
excluded from offices of trust, which they enjoyed before,
and the priests were obliged to perform the services of their
religion qn1ch more secretly, and with great circumspeCtion.
From this time, I find no account of any endeavors being
made to penetrate amongst the Indians and teach them the
doB:rines of the Gospel. Before the end of Cromwell's
usurpation, they had removed probably to a great distance ;
there were never priests more than sufficient to attend on
the Catholic inhabitants; the power and influence of the
Protestants, favored by the Government in England, and
encouraged by all the surrounding Colonies, had increased
very much in this; and the jealousy was always kept alive
of the intermeddling of the Catholics with the Indians. It
has even been perpetuated to these latter times, and in the
war of 1755 between the French and English, some priests
were apprehended in Maryland, wit~out the least foundation
of truth, on a malicious information of their having tampered with the Indians to wage war against the AngloAmericans.
Maryland, after the Restoration of Charles II., flourished
under the equitable government either of Lord Baltimore
himself, his Brothers, or his deputies; new religious establishments were formed, and in process of time, priests were
settled in many other par.ts of the Province. They were no
�Archbishop Carroll's Narrative.
r
I
charge on the people, but were supported by the produce of
the lands, which they had acquired since the planting of the
Country. But, after the Revolution in England, Catholics
were deprived of all offices of trust, and their religion, contrary to the Charter, and their original rights, was hardly
tolerated. The Baltimore family changed their religion and
became Protestants, to recover the government of the Province, of which they had been deprived. From this time a
tax was laid on all persons, whatever might be their religious profession, to support the ministers of the Church of
England: attempts were made to introduce the whole code
of English penal laws; and it seemed to depend more on
the temper of the courts of justice, than on avowed and acknowledged principles, that these laws were not generally
executed, as they were sometimes partially. Under these
very discouraging circumstances, some Catholic families of
note left the Church, and carried an accession of weight
and influence to the Protestant cause. The seat of government was removed from St. Mary's, where the Catholics
were powerful, to Annapolis, where lay the strength of the
opposite party. The Catholics, excluded from all lucrative
employments, harassed and discouraged, became, in general,
poor and dejeCted.
But, in spite of these discouragements, their numbers increased with the increase of population. Some Congregations existed in most parts of the Province. They either
had clergymen residing in their neighborhood, or were occasionally visited by them; but these Congregations were
dispersed at such distances, and the clergymen were so few,
that many Catholic families could not always hear Mass, or
receive any instruCtion, so often as once in a month. Domestic instruCtion supplied, in some degree, this defeCt, but
yet very imperfeCtly. Amongst the poorer sort, many
could not read; or if they· could,' were destitute of books,
which if to be had at all, must come from England; and
in England, the laws were excessively rigid against print-
�162
Historical Papers.
ing or vending Catholic books. Under all these difficulties,
it is surprising that there remained in Maryland even so
much as there was of true religion. In general, the Catholics were regular and inoffensive in their conduct, such, I
mean, as were natives of the country; but when many
began to be imported as servants from Ireland, great licentiousness prevailed amongst them in the towns and neighborhoods where they were chiefly stationed, and spread a
scandal injurious to the faith. Contiguous to the houses,
where the priests resided on the lands, which had been secured for the Clergy, small chapels were built; but scarcely
any where else; when divine service was performed at a
distance from their residence, private and inconvenient
houses were used for churches. Catholics contributed nothing to the._ support of Religion or its ministers ; the whole
charge of its maintenance, of furnishing the altars, of all
traveling expenses fell on the priests themselves; and no
compensation was ever offered for any service performed by
them; nor did they require any, so long as the produce of
their lands was sufficient to answer their demands. But
it must have been foreseen, that if religion should make
considerable progress, this could not always be the case.
About the year 1730, or rather later, Father Greaton, a
JeslJit (for none but Jesuits had yet ventured into the English colonies), went from l\laryland to Philadelphia, and
laid the foundations of that congregation, now so flourishing; he lived there till about the year 1750, long before
which he had succeeded in building' the old chapel, which
is still contiguous to the presbytery ~f that town, and in assembling a numerous congregation, which, at his first going
thither, did not consist of more than ten or twelve persons.
I remember to have seen this venerable man at the head of
his flock in 1748. He was succeeded by the Rev. Father
Harding, whose memory remains in great veneration, under
whose patronage and through whose exertions the present
church of St. Mary's was built.
�Arc!tbislzop Carroll's Narrative.
In 1741, two German Jesuits were sent to Pennsylvania
for the instruCtion and conversion of German emigrants,
who, from many parts of Germany, had come into that
Province. Under great hardships and poverty, they began
their laborious undertaking, which has since been followed
by great benediCtions. Their names ware Father Schneider, from Bavaria, and Father Wapeler, from the lower
Rhine. They were uoth men of much learning and unbounded zeal. Mr. Schneider, moreover, was a person of
great dexterity in business·, consummate prudence, and
undaunted magnanimity. Mr. vVapeler having remained
about eight years in America, and converted or reclaimed
many to the faith of Christ, was forced by bad health to
return to Europe. He was the person who made the first
settlement of the place now called Conewago. Mr. Schneider formed many congregations in Pennsylvania, built, by
his aB:ivity and exertions, a noble church at Goshenhoppen,
and spread the faith of Christ far and near. He was used
to visit Philadelphia once a month, for the sake of the Germans residing there, till· it was at length found proper to
establish there permanently a German priest as the companion of Father Harding. The person appointed was
the venerable Father Farmer, who had come from Germany
some years before, and had lived an apostolic life at Lancaster in the same province of Pennsylvania. This event took
place, I believe, about the year I 760, or rather later. It is
unnecessary to say much concerning the labors of this venerable servant of God; his memory is fresh in the minds of
all who knew or heard of him, having died in 1786, the
model of pastors, and of all priests. The congregation of
Philadelphia speaks sufficiently his praises; for it must be
ascribed, in great measure, to him, that so much piety and
religion have been perpetuated in it.
A short time before the death of this venerable servant
of God, events took place in America, produB:ive not only
of a great political change in the state of the country, but
likewise of the utmost importance to the Catholic religion.
�Histon·cal Papers.
It is known that, in the year 1776, thirteen provinces of
English America declared themselves independent of the
British king and nation; and this independence, after a war
of six years, was recognised by England. As long as the
Provinces, which, after the Declaration of Independence, assumed the title of States, were subjeCt: to the British, the
Catholic religion had not penetrated into any but Maryland and Pennsylvania. The laws were most rigorous
against the exercise of it: a priest was subjeCt: to death for
only entering within their territories. Catholics were subjeCt: to the most rigorous penalties for adhering to the worship which their consciences approved, and were not only
excluded from every office under government, but would
hardly have been suffered to remain in any of the other
provinces., if known to profess the faith of Rome. In this
situation ~f things, few Catholics settled in other States, or,
if they did, dissembled their religion, and either attached
themselves to some other, or intermarried with Protestants,
and suffered their children to be educated in error. Even
in Maryland and Pennsylvania the condition of ·Catholics,
as was noticed before, was a state of oppression. The few
Jesuits who could be spared from the English mission, were
insufficient even to answer the exigencies of the two provinces in which they first settled; and no other clergymen
undertook the perilous task of carrying the true faith into
other provinces. Such was the state of things when a general revolt from England took plac.e.
Having renounced subjeB:ion to- England, the American
States found it necessary to form new constitutions for their
future government, and happily, a free toleration of religion
was made a fundamental point in all the new constitutions ;
and, in many of them, not only a toleration was decreed,
but likewise a perfeCt: equality. of civil rights for persons of
every Christian profession. In some, indeed, the yet unextinguished spirit of prejudice and intolerance excludes Catholics from this equality.
�Arcltbislzop Carroll's Narrati<'C.
Many reasons concurred to produce this happy and just
article in the new constitutions. First, some of the leading
charaCters in the direCtion of American councils were, by ·
principle, averse to all religious oppression, and having
been much acquainted with the manners and doCtrines of
Roman Catholics, represented strongly the injustice of excluding them from any civil right. Secondly, Catholics
concurred as generally, and with equal zeal, in repelling
that oppression which first produced the hostilities with
Great Britain; and it would have been deemed impolitic, as
well as unjust, to deprive them of a common share of advantages, purchased with common danger and by united
exertions. Thirdly, the assistance, or at least the neutrality
of Canada, was deemed necessary to the success of the United States; and to give equal rights to Roman Catholics
might tend to dispose the Canadians favorably towards the
American cause: Lastly, France began to show a disposition to befriend the United States, and it was conceived to
be very impolitic to disgust that powerful kingdom by unjust severities against the religion which it professed.
Notwithstanding this happy change in the government
and laws of the different States, still religion reaped little auvantage from it before the close of the war. The priests
were too few; many of them were worn down with age
and hardships; besides which, during the whole war, there
was not the least communication between the Catholics of
America and their Bishop, who was the vicar apostolic of
the London DistriCt:. To his spiritual jurisdiCtion were subjeCt: the United States; but whether he would hold no correspondence with a country which he, perhaps, considered
in a state of rebellion, or \vhether a natural indolence and
irresolution restrained him, the faCt: is, he held no kind of
intercourse with priest or layman in this part of his charge.
Before the breaking out of the war, his predecessor had appointed a vicar, the Rev. Mr. Lewis, and he governed the
mission of America during the Bishop's silence.
VoL. Ix-No. 3·
22
�166
Historical Papers.
Soon after the termination of the war, the clergy in Maryland and Pennsylvania, being sensible that, to derive all advantage from the new order of things in America, it would
be proper to have an ecclesiastical superior in the country
itself, and knowing the jealousy prevailing in the American
governments against the right of jurisdiCtion vesting in a
person residing in Great Britain, addressed themselves to the
Holy See, praying that a superior might be allowed, and
that he might be chosen by the clergy, subjeCt: to the approbation and confirmation of His Holiness. Soon after this
petition was received at Rome, the present Bishop was appointed superior, with very ample powers, and amongst
others, that of administering Confirmation, a sacrament
which had-never yet been administered in the United States.
This appo~!ltment was received in November, 1784.
The new superior, soon after his appointment, drew up
a state of religion in the country committed to his care, of
which an abridgment is here annexed.
The number of acknowledged Catholics in Maryland was
estimated at about sixteen thousand, and most of them
scattered in the country, employed in agriculture: in Pennsylvania, at more than seven thousand; and, as far as information could be obtained, about one thousand five hundred
in the other States. But it has been discovered since, that
this estimate was much too low; the number of Catholics
having been found much larger; and in this enumeration
the Canadian French and their desc!!ndants are not comprehended, who inhabit the country lying to the westward of
the Ohio and the borders of the Mississippi.
The number of clergymen in Maryland was nineteen, and
five in Pennsylvania: of these, four through age and infirmity were almost entirely unfit for any service; and others
were far _advanced in years, and their constitutions were
broken down with continual and long labors. Their subsistence was not drawn from the contributions of their flocks,
excepting in some towns, as Philadelphia and Baltimore,
�Bisltop Fmwick's Sketclz.
but from the estates which were obtained at an early time
by the first clergymen.
H.-BRIEF ACCOUNT OF THE SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND,
WITH A NOTICE OF ST. INIGOES.
BY B. B. B.
(Benedifl
J. Fenwick, Bisltop
of Boston.)
That portion of North America which forms the State of
Maryland, was granted by King Charles the First, to Sir
George Calvert, created Baron of Baltimore in Ireland, by
King James 1., about the year I623. The grant bears date
1631 ; but the affixing of the Great Seal having been for
some time delayed, Lord Baltimore died before the Patent
was completed, and a grant of the said Province was soon
afterwards made to his son and heir, Cecilius, Baron of
Baltimore, his heirs and assigns, bearing date the 20th day
of June, 1632.
After obtaining this Grant, Lord Baltimore sent out his
Brother Leonard Calvert, Esq., accompanied by other Catholics and their attendants, to the number of between two
and three hundred, for the purpose of commencing a settlement. The adventurers are represented to have been chiefly persons of considerable wealth and distinCtion, who left
their native country to avoid the inconvenience of religious
intolerance.
They set sail from Cowes, in the Isle of "Wight, on the
22nd of November, 1633, and having touched and made
some stay at, the Islands of Bermuda and St. Christopher's,
in the West Indies, they arrived, on the 24th of February
following, at Point Comfort, in Virginia, from which they
shortly afterwards sailed up the Chesapeake Bay, and the
River Potomac. After having sailed up this latter River·
about nine leagues, they reached a large and beautiful
island, to which they gave the name of St. Clement's, but
which is now called St. George's. There they first effeCted
�x68
Historical Papers.
a landing, and immediately proceeded to plant a Cross.
An altar was shortly after erected, on which the holy sacrifice of Mass was celebrated.
At first it was their intention to commence their settlement on this island, so favorably situated, lying between
the mouths of two navigable rivers, the St. George's and
the St. Mary's, both abounding in the choicest fish ; but
after having explored the Potomac, as far up as Piscataway,
reviewed the country and given names to several places,
they finally selected for their first seat, a town of the Indians, called Yao-comoco; but which they afterwards named
St. 1\Iary's. This town was situate on the eastern bank of
the River St. Mary's, at the distance of about eight miles
from its mouth. Thither they directed their course, and
without f!IOlestation effected their landing on the beach, on
the 25th of March, 1634. Calvert had set out with making a
free and fair purchase of it, as well as of the circumjacent
land, of the natives, with articles suited to their state of
life, brought from England for that purpose. The prudence and justice which dictated this policy, in preference to the forcible intrusion which had marked the commencement of the first Southern Plantation, appear to have
governed the subsequent proceedings also of the Proprietary and of his officers, for extending their limits of possession, and to have produced an entire good understanding
and friendly intercourse with the natives.
Among the individuals who accompanied Leonard Calvert to the shores of Maryland,...were the Rev. Andrew
White, Altham, Copley, with perhaps one or two other
Jesuit Fathers or Lay Brothers. These had been solicited
by the Proprietary, especially the first named, on account
of his superior merit, to embark with the settlers on an expedition, which they could not but foresee would be the
means of gaining many souls to God, and thereby greatly
enlarging the kingdom of His divine Son. Accordingly, we
see them, with the consent and approbation of their supe-
�Bis!top Fenwick's Sketch.
169
riors, uniting in the great and good work, with a zeal truly
apostolic, and sharing among the foremost, the privations
and common dangers of the enterprise.
The first objeCl. which these good Fathers had in view
was to construCt in the town a house wherein to celebrate
the sacred mysteries, for the present, with becoming decency, until such time as a more appropriate temple might be
ereCted. This was effeCted without much labor. A rude,
yet sufficiently capacious, building was soon seen to rise
above the humble habitations of the natives, having convenient to it a house of sufficient extent to accommodate the
Rev. Fathers on their returning from the labors of the day.
These they took the earliest opportunity to divide among
themselves. While some were seen instruCting and giving
their attention to the spiritual wants of those within the
vicinity of the town ; others were seen making long excursions into the upper country among the more distant tribes,
and as often returning after some delay, accompanied by
numbers of the natives whom they had already prepared
for Baptism. This sacrament they never failed to administer in the church with becoming solemnity. The Litany
of the Blessed Virgin was usually sung, in which all the
people joined, by way of preparation for the ceremony.
Then followed Baptism; and after this, Mass. During the
celebration of this august mystery, a number of hynins and
canticles were sung. Some of these were translated into
the Indian tongue for the better understanding of the converts, who were not backward in joining in the chorus.
After Baptism the young believers were exhorted to remain
in the town, till such time as they should be sufficiently instruCted for their First Communion. In these instruCtions,
nothing could be more edifying than to see men and women
of the first distinCtion lending their aid to the Fathers, who
in a short time could no longer suffice in consequence of
the multitude.
The greatest harmony subsisted during all this time be-
�170
Historical Papers.
tween the Indians and the settlers. They went out together
to hunt, and shared alike the fruits of the chase. The
women taught the Indian women to spin and to weave;
while the former were in many instances equally benefited
in learning from them arts not less useful in their present
condition, and of which they were wholly ignorant. So
deeply were the Indians impressed with the justice of the
settlers on all occasions, and so great the confidence which
they reposed in them, that one of them, a chief among the
Patuxents, was heard to say: " I love the English so well
that were they even to go about to kill me, had I breath
enough to speak, I would command my people not to
avenge my death ; for I know they would not do it, except
through my own fault." This good understanding continued undisturbed between the colonists and the aborigines,
until the year 1638. Every year brought over from England
a large increase of numbers, new and extensive purchases
were made of the Indians, for which the Lord Proprietary
never failed, upon the strictest principles of justice, to give
an adequate conside-ration. To encourage emigration, a
bounty in land was offered by the government, to every adventurer who should bring over a number of servants into
the Colony, allowing so many acres to himself, his wife, if
he l:_ave one, and to each of his children, and so many for
each of the servants he shall have been instrumental in
bringing over. This order was published at Portsmouth,
in England, on the 8th day of August, 1636-and, by this,
one thousand acres were to be all9.wed to each and every
adventurer, who should bring over a 'number, not less than
five, and one hundred acres for himself, his wife, and for
each of his children besides. In consequence of the inducements here held out, every year brought a great accession of strength to the Colony, which contributed proportionally to the greater security of the Colonists in any
emergency which might happen.
A question has been often asked, how came the Jesuits
�Bishop Fenwick's Sketch.
IJI
of Maryland to be possessed of so many landed estates in
the State? This question may be easily answered by any
one who will take the trouble to look into the early records
of the Colony. It will be there found that the Rev.
Thos. Copley, called in the records, Thos. Copley, Esq., one
of the early Fathers, was among those who profited by the
"Conditions of Plantation," published by the Lord Proprietary. He effeCted at a very early period the transportation
of a number of servants into the Province, for which he demanded and obtained 28,500 acres of land. Of this great
quantity, he distributed the far greater part to others, and reserved for the Society and support of the Church, which he
wished not to see wholly dependent upon the people, only
8000 acres. Thus, as appears from the records, the first
TraCt: of Land, he took up for the Society, was 2000 acres,
called St. Inigoes, 1000 acres, called St. George's Island,
and 400 acres of town land, about the town of St. Mary's,
in different parcels. The second traCt taken up by him
was that of St. Thomas' Manor and Cedar Point Neck.
The 400 acres of town land has been wrested from the Society, in consequenc.e of an error which was committed in
one of the conveyances, by leaving it out; although inserted in all the other warrants, certificates and patents, and
conveyances, as well before as after this conveyance. The
Rev. Thos. Copley was a man of great prudence and foresight. In taking up these several traCts of land, he wished
not to have them considered as Church lands; for he knew
how easy it would be to find a pretext for confiscating them,
should they be held and known as such, in any change of
government. Hence, in every instance, he caused the Patents to be issued in favor of Thomas Copley, Esq., instead
of the Rev. Thomas Copley, which has in faa been the
cause that we still see these lands in the possession of the
Jesuits.
In looking back upon those halcyon days of Maryland,
one cannot but admire the steady adherence to principle
�172
Historical Papers.
that marked our good ancestors. \Ve behold a band of
English and Irish adventurers, far removed from the immediate control of the Sovereign, and let loose in a distant
forest, where every breeze whispered independence, yet
docile to rightful authority as if they were surrounded with
all the machinery of long established government. The
Proprietary's sway is unsustained by military force, but as
quietly submitted to as though it emanated from the popular choice. His people respeCt: his officers, acquiesce under
his Veto, and neither squat on his land::;, nor declare his quitrents a grievance. They were not, however, disciples from
the school of"passive obedience," for never did the Fathers
of Nice resist more pertinaciously that little Iota, that
would have changed the faith of Christendom, than did these
embryo republicans contend for every tittle of their chartered rights. It were amusing to watch their protraCI:ed
controversy with the Proprietary, on the right of originating laws. They reported by their own Committees, the
very Bills they had rejeCI:ed as of his propounding; but
when he dissented from their proceedings, they raised not
the vulgar clamor for revolution. Th~re was, in faCt:, a special contraCt: between them, adhered to with mutual fidelity;
and, as in all human institutions, unforeseen difficulties will
arise, the Proprietary, while he insisted on what he considered his own rights, with firmness, remitted with commendable liberality what seemed to bear hard on his people; and
they, on the other hand, though they resisted with inexpugnable determination, the slightest ·encroachment, were profuse, as their necessities would permit, not merely in discharging their lawful obligations, but in voluntary expressions of substantial gratitude. Witness the Bill of 1638,
chap. 36, which granted to the Lord Proprietary 5 per cent.
on all tobacco, except what was shipped to England, Ireland
and Virginia. Also the aCt: of 1641, chap. 5: "The Freemen
of this Province, out of their desire to return to his Lordship some testimony of their gratitude for his Lordship's
�Bi'slzop Fenwick's Sketc!t.
173
great charge and solicitude in maintaining the Government
and protecting the inhabitants in their persons, rights and
liberties, and to contribute some support towards it, so far
as the young and poor estate of the Colony will yet bear,
do desire that it be enacted,'' etc. The grant was of"I 5 lbs.
of tobacco per poll and cask for every inhabitant, male and
female, over twelve years of age. The act of 1649, ch. 9.
contained similar expressions, and gave the Proprietary 10.5
per hundred, etc.
The Catholics of Maryland had been greatly persecuted
and oppressed in their native country. The most unjust
and unheard-of laws had been passed, by which, for more
than a century, they had been made to suffer the most
grievous penalties on account of their religion. How easily
could they have retorted on the present occasion, had they
been so disposed, upon their enemies. But, no -such was
not their spirit, nor the spirit of their divine Founder. With
a nobleness of soul and a generosity unparalleled, the utmost freedom was allowed in religion to Christians of all
denominations, who should come into the Province. Sufferers of every persuasion were alike protected by the laws;
and as early as 1637, the oath of the Governor and Council
had been: "I will not directly or indirectly, trouble, molest,
or discountenance any person professing to believe in Jesus
Christ, for or in respect of religion." While the Puritans
were engaged in persecuting Episcopalians in Massachusetts, and in their turn, the Episcopalians in Virginia were
driving out the Puritans, the Catholics of Maryland alone
could appreciate the true charity of the Gospel, by giving
equal protection to all, and opening wide their doors to sufferers of every persuasion.
I have said, the good understanding which prevailed between the colonists and aborigines continued undisturbed
till the year 1638. The great "Bane" and "evil genius" of
Maryland, was one Captain William Clayborne. This man,
from the very beginning, had proved himself a most active
VoL. 1x-No. 3·
23
�174
Historical Papers.
and inveterate enemy of the infant Colony of Lord Baltimore. As early as the year 163 I, he had obtained a license
to trade in those parts of America for which no exclusive
patent, for that purpose, had before been granted; and under that authority had begun to plant a Colony on Kent
Island, and laid claim, by right of prior settlement, to that
and other lands comprehended in Lord Baltimore's grant.
This claim Lord Baltimore could by no means allow. After
a contest of some years' continuance, not without some
bloodshed, Clayborne had recourse to other means. He
represented his claims and injuries in a petition to the King,
who referred the whole matter in dispute to the Commissioners of Colonies, and by them it was finally decided that
the landsjn question belonged to Lord Baltimore; that no
Plantatio~n'c or trade with the Indians ought to be allowed
within the limits of his Patent, without his permission.
After this decision, Clayborne was resolved to go any length ;
seated with his adherents upon Kent Island, he had constantly refused to submit to the jurisdiCtion of Maryland;
and Lord Baltimore, who foresaw the mischief that must follow, if a band of refraetory strangers were permitted to continue nestled in the heart of his Province, gave orders, in
1634, for seizing him if he did not submit to his government. He was not taken, however, but added to his refusal
of obedience every injury he could infliet. He tried in
every possible way to excite the Indians to war against his
countrymen, insinuating to them, among other things, that
the new comers, meaning the Colo.~ists of Maryland, were
Spaniards, and enemies to the Virginians. He associated
on all occasions with the opposers of Lord Baltimore's
grant, of whom there began about this time to be many, and
in the progress of his intrigues in Maryland, was joined by
Captain Richard Ingle, who, in 1644, found means to raise
an insurreCtion against the Proprietary's Government; forced
the Governor, Leonard Calvert, to fly to Virginia for protection and aid ; seized upon the records, and the Great Seal,
�Bishop Fenwick's Skt!!c/z.
175
which last was never recovered; assumed with his adherents the administration of government, and, in a word,
plunged and kept the Colony in all the horrors of anarchy
and intestine war (for he was opposed, and finally with effeB:), for the space of about two years, at the end of which
the government was reestablished, and a free pardon, with
a few particular exceptions, accorded to those concerned in
the disturbance. Lord Baltimore did not forget to reward
those who had taken a lead in opposing this dangerous insurreCtion, as appears by several grants of Manors, reciting
the meritorious services of the grantees.
About this period a new church was ereB:ed in St. Mary's,
on a part of the land taken up by Rev. Mr. Copley. The
building was construCted of bricks imported from England,
and was sufficiently large for all present purposes. In consequence of the troubles which, as we have seen, began
about this time, the Fathers who had succeeded"in the management of the concerns of the Society in the town, were
unwilling to do more under present circumstances than
what was absolutely necessary. The work of conversion,
though checked in some measure by the intrigues of Clayborne, still went on, and a constant intercourse was kept up
between the Fathers in town, and those scattered among
the Indians on the Patuxent. For some time the church
was left in an unfinished state, and consequently, wholly
destitute of ornament, the Fathers having deferred giving it
the last finish, in the expeCtation that when the troubles
should be over they would have both the leisure and the
means of doing it more effeCtually. Unhappily, this time
never arrived. Clayborne had, in the mean time, been conviB:ed and found guilty of murder, piracy and sedition,
but made his escape, and his estate was confiscated. A bill
was afterwards passed for his attainder, as having fled from
justice, but he kept out of reach, and at a distance continued
his hostilities.
In 1649, a great revolution took place in England. The
�Historical Papers.
regal government was completely overthrown, Charles I.
was beheaded, and Oliver Cromwell was chosen Protet1or.
During the whole period of the ProteCl:orat~, little favor was
shown to the Catholics of Maryland, till at length the government was finally wrested from the hands of the Proprietary, and delivered over to a number of Commissioners;
which state of things continued until the accession of
Charles II., in t66o. Shortly after, the Protestant religion
was established in Maryland, the Province was laid off into
parishes, and all ta.rables were compelled to contribute to
its support.
In 1694. the government was removed from St. Mary's to
Annapolis. Shortly after, the Protestants seized upon all
the lands in and around the town, which belonged to the
Fathers, under the plea that they had no just title to them,
and with aifficulty suffered them to remain in it.
.
In 1705, the present house of St. Inigoes was ereCl:ed under Fr. Ashby, with the bricks of the old church of St.
Mary's, which had been brought from England. The Catholics had, for some time before, in considerable numbers, left
the city wholly to the Protestants. These abandoned it in
turn, till at length not a house was left standing to mark
the place where the town once stood .
.i\_bout this time a small church was ereCl:ed in Chapelfield, near where the house of Dr. Roach now stands, and a
graveyard was attached to it.
During the revolutionary war, in 1j78, the "General
Monk," a British sloop of war, a.gchored off St. Inigoes,
fired a ball through the house, which was near killing Rev.
Mr. Lewis, who had just left his bed, over which the ball
passed. The fraCl:ure of the wall, produced by the ball in
its passage through, may be seen at the present day, near
the corner of the north-west chamber, on the first floor.
Father Ashby was succeeded in St. Inigoes by the following Fathers, viz.: FF. Casey, Philips, Livers, Morris,
�Bishop Fmwi'ck' s Sketch.
177
O'Reilly, Lewis, Ignatius Matthews, John Boarman, James
\Val ton.
On the 19th Qf Decem?er:, 1784, the Rev. James Walton
arrived to take charge of St. Inigoes. On the I 3th of the
following July, he commenced the present church, which
stands at the eastern end of the farm, near the head of
Chapel Creek, then called St. Luke's Creek, which, when
he had completed, the Rev. Francis Neale preached the dedication sermon, he having just arrived in the country.
In the winter of 1803, the Rev. James Walton died,
greatly regretted by all. He was a truly good man and a
zealous priest. He was succeeded by the Rev. Sylvester
Boarman. After him successively came the Rev. Fathers
Rantzau, Henry and Spink.
In 1814, on the last day of Oetober, the house of St.
Inigoes was robbed by a barge from the British sloop of war,
Saracen, Captain Watts, by which the house was deprived
of six feather beds, together with the blankets arid· sheets,
all the clothing belonging to the Rev'd gentlemen, watches,
silver and brass candlesticks, silver spoons, knives and forks,
ten pairs new shoes, six sides of leather, and of every article of kitchen furniture. They took also all the sacred vessels from the chapel, including the ciborium, with the con- ·
secrated species, and all the sacred vestments. Remonstrance at the time was vain. But complaint having been
made to the Commander of the Fleet some days after, an
order was given to restore whatever had been taken. This
was done on the 18th of November, 1814, through a flag of
truce, at least as far as was praCticable; for many of the
articles taken, had, it is supposed, been destroyed before the
order had been issued, and consequently were never recovered.
In 1816, the Rev. Joseph Carbery was sent to take charge
of St. Inigoes. He arrived in the month of February.
In 1817, he erected the sacristy to the church, gave the
�178
Historical Papers.
church a thorough repair, and arched the ceiling. Pews
were likwise added in the same year.
In 1842, on the 10th of May,~ great celebration took
place at the ancient site of the town of St. Mary's, of the
landing of our forefathers, at which an immense concourse
of people from all parts attended. The celebration opened
with a procession from St. Inigoes' house to the church,
where a short discourse was delivered from the altar to the
assembled multitude by the Bishop of Boston. After this,
all went on board two steamboats, which were in attendance,
and proceeded up to St. Mary's, landing on the very shore
and at the very spot, where our forefathers had landed a little over two hundred years before. Here a new procession
was forme~. headed by the Most Rev. Archbishop of Baltimore and. the Rt. Rev. Bishop of Boston. It passed through
the forme~· site of the town and returned to the brow of the
hill, overlooking the river, near which grew a venerable
Mulbe;ry that cast a beautiful shade for many yards around.
A platform was here ereeted, from which 'William George
Read, Esq. addressed the immense concourse assembled, in
an eloquent discourse, lasting nearly two hours. After this,
all partook of a plentiful repast provided for the 9ccasion
by several of the respeCtable citizens of St. Mary's, with a
liberality truly charaCteristic. Among these, no one was
more ardent, or took a more prominent part, than the Rev.
Joseph Carbery, the pastor at the time, of St. Mary's congregation.
In 1844, in the month of Septen;per, the Bishop of Boston paid a visit to St Mary's County, the land of his birth.
Arrived at St. Inigoes, he was requested to preach. This
he did on the following Sunday, when, after, a discourse on
the Gospel, he took the opportunity to remind the good people of the congregation, that they were the lineal descendants of the first congregation of Catholics which had ever
been planted in Maryland; that they had, with great fidelity, retained the faith handed down to them by their fore-
�Bishop Fenwick's Sketclz.
179
fathers, and on several occasions had given strong proofs of
their attachment to the same. He then spoke of the beauty
and neatness of their c_hurch, and of the decency with
which divine service was conduCl:ed in it- made particular
mention of the sacred vessels, of the priestly vestments and
other ornaments of their church, which evinced at once
their liberality and zeal "for the beauty of the house of
God, and the place where his glory dwelleth." He concluded
with observing that there was but one thing more to be done,
and he was persuaded from what they had already done,
that as soon as this should be made known to them, they
would lose no time in providing the church with it. He
then alluded to the purchase of an organ, and stated that
nothing contributed more to elevate men's minds to God
and withdraw them from the distraCtions of the worlu,
than the beautiful and solemn tones of that instrument.
This the great St. Augustine himself acknowledged to have
been the effeCt: produced upon him, when entering a cer-tain church, even before his conversion from Manicheism
-that with an organ, a good choir would soon be formed,
and consequently, the praises of God would then be suug
in a dignified ·and becoming manner. He accordingly recommended to the congregation to take the matter at once
under their consideration. He informed them, moreover,
that a decent organ, and one sufficiently large for the size of
the church, could be procured at Boston or New York for a
sum not exceeding$ 400.00.
Upon this a subscription was immediately entered into
by the congregation, and the sum of one hundred and
ninety-seven dollars was subscribed by some of the members before they retired from the walls of the church. The
balance of the sum was not long after made up from the
other members through the unremitted exertions of their
pastor; so that the Bishop, previous to his departure, was
solicited to seleCt: such an instrument as he should deem
proper for the church. This he effected at New York on
�ISO
Histon"cal Papers.
his way home. The organ finally reached St. Inigoes, and
divine service was first performed on it on the 12th of January, 1845.
In 1845, in the month of August, the Bishop of Boston
paid another visit to St. Inigoes. Shortly after, the Rev'd
Fathers, Thomas and Samuel Mulledy also arrived. The
Rev. pastor of St. Inigoes, availing himself of their arrival,
and wishing at the same time to give to his congregation,
for the glory of God and the honor of his religion, a good
specimen of Church music, invited to St. Inigoes a number
of young ladies, well instructed in music, for the Sunday
within the octave of the Assumption. On this day they accordingly came. The Rev. Mr. Woodley celebrated High
Mass, and, the beautiful Mass of De Monti in G was performed Qn the organ, and sung in a manner and with a
taste highly creditable to them. The Bishop of Boston
preached on the occasion. The same young ladies went
through the service of Vespers in the afternoon, when the
Bishop again preached. Great was the concourse of people both in the forenoon and afternoon.
The Bishop of Boston in his visit to St. Inigoes on this
occasion, brought with him a sailing boat, a joint present
from him and the Archbishop to Rev. Joseph Carbery. She
was named the St. Inigoes-is a perfectly new boat, and one
of the fastest sailers on the river.
Among the relics of the first settlers of Maryland, may
be seen an elliptic table of English. oak, capable of dining
twenty persons. It was brought 0'-':er in the first ship, and
was used by the first Governor of the Province, as his dining table. After passing through a variety of hands, it finally became the property of Mr. Daniel Campbell, at
whose death it was sold by his executors, and bought by
Rev. Joseph Carbery, on the 7th of January, 1832, for ten
dollars. It is in excellent preservation, and is still used by
him as a dining table on particular occasions.
�CALIFORNIA.
Letter from San Francisco.
ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE,
SAN FRANCISCO,
l\fay I st, I 88o.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
It is such a short time since an account of the laying of
the corner-stone of the new Church of St. Ignatius appeared in the WooDSTOCK LETTERS, that you will no doubt
be inclined to think that the Jesuits in California do things
a l'Americai1Ze, when you hear so soon of its dedication, and
the opening of the new Residence and College built at the
same time. Before saying anything of the dedication, I
will give you a few particulars about the new edifice which
the Society has erected in the cause of Religion and education. You will see that the work of eighteen months has
realized something wonderful in the shape of large buildings. It has even excited the admiration oi the people of
San Francisco, who are accustomed to do things so quickly,
to see how the Jesuits have put up such a large building in
such a short time. It is· situated in a quiet and respectable
portion of the city, and is bounded on the east by a broad
thoroughfare called Van Ness Avenue, on the west by
Franklin Street, on the south by Hayes Street, and on the
north by Grove Street. It comprises three main buildings,
viz.: Church, College, and Residence. The Church stands
midway in the block, fronting I20 feet on Hayes Street,
and receding 200 feet. The Fathers' Residence adjoins the
Church, and fronts 153 feet on Hayes Street, and 75 feet on
Van Ness Avenue. The College abuts the end of the Church
and runs parallel to the Residence. It fronts 274 feet on
VoL. Ix-No. 3·
24
(I8I)
�I82
California.
Grove Street, and I I2 feet on Van Ness Avenue. A conneCtion is made between the College and Residence by a
building running along the Church w.all. This building is
of the same height as the rest of the house, and contains six
rooms to each story, the doors of which open on a corridor
on the Church side, and the windows give on a garden
fronting 76 feet on Van Ness Avenue, and having a depth of
I I6 feet. The entire edifice is a few feet below the street
level, and is removed about 20 feet from the sidewalks, from
which it is guarded by a strong iron fence with a granite
base. The first story is of the Doric order of architeCture,
and the three above it are Ionic. The whole is built of
brick, and faced with Portland cement. To render it earthquake-proof, iron anchors are freely used in the brick work.
A flight of sixteen granite steps, 75 feet wide, leads to
the entrance of the Church, over the central door of which,
is the following inscription, cut in the cementSOLI. DEO
IN . HONOREM . S · IGNATII
SOCIETATIS · JESU . FUNDATORI
A . D . MDCCCLXXIX
Two graceful towers rise to the height of I 25 feet, and are
surmounted by two large plain gilt crosses. They stand at
each side of the entrance, and are built of brick to some
distance above the roof of the Residence, the 'rest being of
wood. The interior of the Church ·is _Italian in style. It is
divided into a nave and two aisles running the entire length.
White is the prevailing color, and the whole effea is airy
and cheerful. The nave is 74 feet from the floor to the ceiling; but the aisles are only half that, the space above them
being reserved for sodality chapels. Rows of chandeliers of
burnished brass, and glass pendants are suspended from the
centres of the arches which join the pillars on either side,
separating the aisles from the nave. An altar rail of hard
�California.
wood, beautifully stained and varnished, extends the entire
width of the Church. Inside it are two massive fluted Corinthian columns supporting an arch that spans the nave and
cuts it off from the sanctuary. Over the high altar is another arch similarly supporteu; and immediately under it
is a smaller arch supported by double columns, and surmounted by two angels, holding with one hand, an aureola,
the rays from which radiate from the letters I. H. S., and with
the other, a scroll with AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM
carved in gilt letters. The altar is of wood, and is richly
ornamented with emblematic wood carvings. A large oil
painting, 28 x 18 feet, and rounded at the top is placed over
the altar. It represents the ascension of St. Ignatius into
Heaven, and is the work of the Messrs Tosetti, artists of
this city. On the epistle side, at the end of the aisle, is the
altar of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on the gospel side
that of St. Joseph. They are both of marble, and were
made to order in Rome, at a cost of about $3500 each.
One of them has forty-five varieties of marble, and the other
thirty-four. In a niche over each altar is a marble statue
of the Blessed Virgin, or St. Joseph. Along the aisle on
the Gospel side, are three recesses for three more altars.
One already erected, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart, and
the other two, to St. Francis Xavier and St. Aloysius. The
latter is to be erected by the youth of San Francisco. .
The College next claims notice. Its site has already
been described. The ground floor is occupied by the class
rooms for the preparatory .and elementary departments;
the first floor, by those of the Grammar, Poetry, and
Rhetoric classes ; and the second floor, by the class rooms
and lecture halls for mental and moral Philosophy, Chemistry, Physics, and higher Mathematics. Here are also the
chemical laboratories, museums, and cabinet of instruments
for the illustration of the lectures in Physics. On the third
floor is a debating hall, and the rest of the space is allotted
to an exhibition hall, 100 x 145 feet. It has tiers of benches
�California.
arranged crescent-wise, enough to seat four thousand ~om
fortably. The stage is 40 x 70 feet, and is furnished with
three changes of scenes, which are so adapted as to suit all
requirements. The Grove Street side of the College is the
only one from which danger is apprehended in case of a fire
in the vicinity, so, that whole side is rendered as fire-proof
as possible. In case of fire inside, there are several water
pipes at convenient distances, with water power enough to
extend over the whole building.
The Residence is in keeping with the rest of the building
on the outside; inside, it is commodious and plain. There
is a fine large domestic Chapel, with a beautiful altar of
white marble, a large library, and dining room. Throughout
the building there are about sixty clocks, all moved from a
central st;_ation by means of air tubes. The clocks are the
invention "of a man in the city, and this is the first building
into which they have been introduced on such a large scale.
They have given satisfaction down to the present writing.
It has been the subject of remark and congratulation,
that during the whole time of the building, there was not a
single accident of a serious nature. Everything, even the
elements, seemed to favor us throughout, for the work had
not to be discontinued a single day, on account of the weather._ I forgot to mention that on the zoth of August, 1878,
the day after the laying of the first brick by our Reverend
Father Superior, Aloysius Varsi, the following telegram
was received from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII.// S. Padre bmcdice con effusione-"qi cuore 1mo·va fabn"ca di
clziesa e col!egio.-L. CARD. NINA.
The day for the dedication of the Church was fixed for
the 1st of February; and the blessing of the College for the
znd. For several weeks previously the furniture and school
effects had been removing, so that everything was in order
in the new quarters by the day of the dedication. Right
Reverend James A. Healy, Bishop of Portland, Me., arrived
�Califomia.
durin.g the meantime, having come to preach the sermon
at the dedication of the church.
The 1st of February was a real summer day; and for
many hours previous to 10 o'clock, the hour fixed for the
ceremony to begin, the street and Church were crowded with
people. Pewholders were admitted by a private entrance.
The admission for others was free. The greatest order was
secured, owing to the absence of any disorderly element,
and to the kind offices of a number of gentlemen who volunteered theirservices for the occasion. Twenty-five members
of the Society arrived from Santa Clara the day before to
conduCt the service, which was carried out with all the splendor of the Ritual. Our Most Rev'd Archbishop, Joseph
S. Alemany, 0. P., officiated. The ceremony lasted about
four hours. The sermon was preached from the text : "My house is a house of prayer for all nations." In the
course of the sermon his Lordship said : - "\Vhen I arrived in your city a few weeks ago, I was amazed to see so
beautiful a struCture. This temple of God is a fit representative of the wealth, prosperity and piety of the greatest
and richest jewel among the galaxy of States." -The orchestra consisted of twenty-five musicians, who did their
part so well, that it was said by the first critic in the city to
be the finest musical service ever listened to in San Francisco. The Mass seleCted was Bellini's and Mozart's 1zth.
The large three-rank " Hook" organ, in the choir gallery,
was heard to great advantage throughout the entire Church.
In the evening there was solemn Vespers and Benediction, Bishop Healy officiating. The Sermon was preached
by the Vicar General of the Archdiocese, Very Rev. Luke
Prendergast. When lit up, the Church looked beautiful.
The next day, Feb. 2nd, Bishop Healy celebrated Solemn
High Mass, and blessed the College, all the students attending, and going in procession to the entrance on Van Ness
Avenue.
�186
California.
The next day school opened with an attendance of five
hundred students, and everything went on as usual.
The inauguration of the exhibition hall was reserved for
the 10th of February, Shrove Tuesday. It consisted of a
literary and musical entertainment, given by former and
present students of St. Ignatius College. A letter was read
from the Governor of the State, George C. Perkins, in reply
to an invitation sent to him to be present. He expressed
his regrets at not being able to attend, and said: " I greatly
desired to add my humble voice, in public praise of the glorious work which you have so nobly accomplished,-work
which is the result of life's devotion in a holy and noble
cause. In thought and spirit I am with you, and my earnest prayers are for the success of your noble institution.
The edifice you have raised must redound to the advantage
of Christl::tnity, and f!lture years will consecrate the devotion you have so unfalteringly and so unsparingly bestowed in this great work dedicated to science, learning and
morality." Bishop Healy delivered at the conclusion a
very pleasing discourse, and was warmly applauded. He
praised the zeal and energy of our Rev. Father Superior,
who superintended the ereCl:ion of the building, and remarked that the inscription over the door of St. Paul's
Ch~rch in London might with equal force be applied to
him: "Si 11/01l1tmentum queens, circumspice .'!"
JoHN J. MooRE, S. J.
�BRAZIL.
Letter from Fatlzer Galanti.
PARA, April 6th, 188o.
REv'n AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
It is my intention to write a series of letters in regard to
the state of religion in the Empire of Brazil. Allow me,
then, to begin ab ovo, that your readers may better understand the matter.
Let me, in the first place, briefly call to mind the fact
which is known to all the world, that our Fathers in the
olden times by word and work illustrated this country; and
it was here, perhaps, that their labors were crowned with
a more abundant measure of success than elsewhere. The
Ven. Father Anchieta, called 'the Adam of South America,'
on account of his wonderful power over nature, and especially over every kind of wild beast; Father Vieira, the
renowned preacher, commonly called the ' Father of the
Portuguese language;' Fathers Nobrega, Vasconcellos,
Malagrida, and many others, were amongst the first to plant
religion in this country. They converted to the faith many
tribes of Indians, and everywhere ereCted houses and colleges. Even at the present day, after the lapse of more
than a century, we find the souvenirs of our early Fathers,
not merely in isolated spots, but throughout the whole land
from North to South. Here, it is a village whose inhabitants were converted and civilized by the Jesuits; there, it
is some very old man or woman, who hands down the tradition about the Fathers, or claims even to have known
them in childhood. In many places, the name of a town,
or river, or mountain, reminds the people that our Fathers
( 187)
�188
Brasil.
were once there; whilst numerous buildings, colleges,
churches, statues, etc., ereaed by them, and still in a good
state of preservation, attest at the same time the extent of
their works, and their solid durability; for many of the edifices construaed by them are even yet in good condition,
and better adapted to their purpose than more modern
struaures. For instance, our old Colleges are used as
public buildings in S. Paulo, Rio Janeiro, Bahia, Pernambuco, Spirito Sanao, Maranhao, etc., etc. Here in Para,
our old College is the Bishop's palace. The monuments
which they have left, even if other proof were wanting,
would attest how well religion was planted here by the
early Jesuit missionaries.
Historytells us of the ruin which was wrought by the
ruthless Pbmbal. Some, even of the clergy, through Jansenistic bi.~s and the spirit of envy, had rejoiced at the downfall of the So~iety; but events soon proved how baneful to
religion was the expulsion of the Jesuits. vVhen Brazil became separated from Portugal, the fever of independence
burned so fiercely, that all the Religious Orders of Brazil
asked, and at length obtained a separation from their
Roman Superiors. They were numerous and rich; but this
step was fatal to them. Their numbers rapidly decreased,
disorders soon crept in among them, and they failed to
command any influence. At last, the Government prohibited them from receiving any more novices, and now there
are very few Religious remaining. . They still retain many
and beautiful buildings,-but they <_1re empty .
. Jansenism produced its natural results. Those among the
clergy who declaimed against the laxity of the Jesuits,
adopted the most rigid theories for others, but they deduced some of the most curious praaical consequences for
their own rule of life. It was said that laymen should not
confess or approach the Holy Table more frequently than
once a year: ·to fast, according to their interpretation,
means total abstinence to the exclusion of any collation,
�Brazil.
the dinner should be a very light meal, and furthermore, if
you sleep, or drink anything, even if it be nothing but water, it is a violation of the fast. As preparation fur confession, they required at least one week, during which time
one was obliged to_ remain quietly at home, giving over every other business, in order to examine his conscience, etc.
The result of this system was that no one paid any attention to what was recommended and commanded by the
Church-the use of the sacraments was almost entirely
abandoned.
You may easily judge what were the results of such a
system on public and private morality. The people lost
all respeCt for those who should have been their instruCtors
and models in the spiritual life - and not without cause.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
But this state of affairs is now happily passing away,
thanks be to God. The Bishops are earnest in their endeavors to form a virtuous and learned clergy. The signs of
improvement are manifest on all sides, but many obstacles
will have to be removed, and -time will be required for the
change. It is very difficult, I might say impossible, for the
Episcopal authority to remove or restrain a refraCtory or
disedifying priest. The Government and the Freemasons
helped to destroy religion, and now they are loud-mouthed
in protesting against the clerical disorders, which their own
course was most instrumental in causing. C' est le mot d' ordre.
But far from helping the restoration, they oppose it in every
way ; and it is enough for a priest to be in opposition to his
Bishop, to merit their proteCtion and assistance.
Divine Providence did not abandon Brazil, even when its
religious state was most deplorable. For, it seems almost
miraculous, that, under the circumstances, the Faith was
saved from utter shipwreck, and that at least the external
praCtices of religion have remained in some vigor. Another merciful dispensation was, that no Protestants appeared
in the country at a time when their aggression might have
VoL. rx-No. 3·
25
�190
Brazil.
resulted in serious injury to religion. They begin now to
show themselves in various places, and do some harm; but,
thank God, they meet with some one capable of opposing
their doCtrines. These propagators of error are for the
most part emissaries of the Presbyterian .body in the United
States; but I shall speak of them and their doings on some
future occasion. I will, at present, say a few words about
the performances of certain adventurers from that country,
as their history will help to explain and give a better idea
of the general condition of Brazil. One of this class came
here in 1864, and passing himself off as an Armenian Catholic priest, dressed in the Eastern style, and said Mass according to some Oriental rite. He went about for some
time colleCting money for the Eastern missions; and havin~
ingratiateg himself with several of the Bishops, he met with
great success in raising funds. The fear of having his
fraudulent charaCter and praCtices exposed, compelled him
finally to decamp, and some time afterwards his crimes
brought him to the scaffold at New York.
Another imposter of the saine class put in an appearance
this year. At first, he claimed to be the Catholic Bishop
of New Orleans. The Bishop of Rio Janeiro refused to acknowledge his title, and then he said that he was the Greek
Bishop of New Orleans. It was not long before he raised
a violent storm against the Bishop of Rio, and having joined
the freemasons, asked for their support in a great suit which
he intended to bring against him. :rhe case is now before
the courts, and no one can foretell what will be the decision.
Another rascal has been causing trouble here in Para.
He pretended that he was a priest from· North America, exhibited his papers, and affeCted great modesty and devotion
in his conduCt:. After a few weeks, some suspicions arose
in regard to his true charaCter. The Bishop discovered
that he was not a priest, and attempted to have him committed to prison for passing himself off under false pretences. But the Masonic body came to his defence, and
�Sketch of t/ze Nez Perces llldimzs.
191
obtained such an acquittal that he appeared to be the innocent viB:im of Episcopal tyranny. Nevertheless, the man
himself confessed shortly afterwards that he had never received ordination, and was married before the American
consul to a Brazilian girl, whom a wealthy family of this
city gave to him through mere spite towards the Bishop.
Their blind animosity prevented them from seeing that such
a course justified the Bishop's conduCt:, and demonstrated
the injustice of the tribunal. But what difference does it
make with men, who will applaud anything which is direCted against religion and its true ministers? Freemasonry
hates, and, therefore, it will persecute.
From what has been said, you may easily gather what
are the difficulties and dangers of the religious question in
Brazil at present. May this short relation move the charity of zealous souls to pray for this unfortunate land; for,
unless God help us in a special manner, there is danger
that Brazil may soon cease to be a Catholic country. In
my next letter I will speak of the struggle between the Government and the Bishops.
RAPHAEL M. GALANTI, s. J.
SKETCH OF THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS.
(CoNtiNued.)
When the Catholic Nez Perces Indians were trying to
improve in their pursuit bf civilization, our philanthropic
Government through its agents tried to discourage them,
and make them abandon the building of their little town
near the church. Not only they could not receive any help
from the two white carpenters employed by the Government, according to the Treaty, for the exclusive benefit of
the Indians; not only they could not get any lumber from
�192
Sketch
of the Nez Perces Indians.
their own saw-mill; not only were they refused carpenter's
tools, a few windows, and some nails, to which they had a
right, according to Treaty; but also some, anxious to have
houses any how, were refused permission to have their
houses built by white men at the expense of the Indians
themselves; and the threat was made that any white man
employed by the Indians would be expelled from the Reservation. Yet all this was almost nothing compared with
the calumnies spread by some Indians, at the instigation of
those in power, to deter the Catholic Indians from improving their farms, and building their town. They spread the
news, that all the Catholics, in a short time, would be expelled from the Reservation; that their church was something temporary, and that t~ey could not have a schoolhouse, much less a town. That these were not mere Indian
rumors, but true threats of those in power, was made known
by a letter sent from the U.S. Indian Agent to the missionary, in which he told the Father that, having heard of a
scheme to put up a school-house near the Catholic church,
he (the Agent) was obliged to inquire by what authority
this would be done, and if no permission from the Indian
Department could be shown to him, he was obliged to interfere and prevent the ereCtion of such a building. To this
the_missionary replied, that the school-house, through want
of means, could not be put up all at once; but that as for
the permission, he thought he had an ample one: let the
Agent look over a communication received by him nearly
two years before, from the Indian gepartment, and there he
will find that he was obliged to allmv the Catholic authorities to put up a church and missionary ,buildings in the Nez
Perce Reservation ; that if the Agent thought that a schoolhouse was not a missionary building, then the missionary
would not put up a school-house but only a missionary
building. In reply to this letter he gave no answer at all,
but merely asserted that there was no school-lzouse in the
permit. This correspondence was made known to the
�Sketch
of the l 1lez Perces Indians.
193
white settlers and citizens, who, though not Catholics, were
really indignant at the petty persecution, and spoke of it in
such strong terms that the poor Agent, not to become more
unpopular, thought better to ask himself from the Indian
Department permission for the Catholic Indians to put up a
school-house of their own at their own expense, so he could
before the public boast of his forced liberality. The schoolhouse was begun by the Indians, but it is not finished as
yet for want of means; half of the church serves for the
moment as a school-house.
As the Catholic Indians advanced, we may say through
persecution, in industry and material welfare, and their
children began to learn, they also made daily spiritual progress. Most of them settled near the church, went to Mass
every morning early, and every evening to night prayers,
which they always say in common very devoutly. Most
of them went regularly to monthly.Confession and Communion, and not a few approached the Holy Sacraments
every week. Every Sunday many would come to church
from ten, fifteen, or twenty miles away; and on the great
festivals, not only Catholics, but also many Protestants and
infidels would crowd the Mission. Conversions, some of
which were quite remarkable, were going on slowly but
steadily.
Once the missionary was told that a boy six or seven
years old, brother to Agnes, a Catholic young woman married at the Mission, was dangerously sick in an Indian
camp about thirty miles from the Mission, where all the
Indians were either Protestants or infidels, with the exception of one family; and, besides that, the sick boy and all
his family were not well disposed towards the Catholic religion; they were infidels, but they frequented the Protestant church. Agnes recommended her brother to the Missionary, and he tried his best to get a companion in order
to go and visit the sick boy, but all refused to accompany
him, being afraid of the father of the boy, who was always
�I
94
Sketclt of t!te Nez Perces Indt'ans.
speaking against the Catholics. After some few days he
tried again, but again in vain; all were afraid. He could
not go alone, as there was no road, and he did not know
the place; so he had to be satisfied with praying for the
boy, and told Agnes, the boy's sister, to pray very fervently. Other good Indians prayed too for the sick boy, and
God heard their prayers. On Friday afternoon before
Palm Sunday (I 876) an Indian entered the little room of
the missionary, and, after the ordinary shaking of hands, he
sat down, as if he wanted to say something. " \Veil, my
friend," said the missionary, "you are pretty: early this
time; I am glad to see you ten days before Easter; did you
come with all your family?" "No; I did not come for the
feast." "That is strange; what did you come for, then? :•
Why, I came to fetch you up to see the dying boy."
" What bdy?"
Agnes' little brother; his father this
morning said he would call for the Black-gown if there was
an opportunity; I asked him whether he was in earnest, and
he answered that he was ; for the boy wanted to be" baptized, not by the preacher, but by the Black-gown; so I
got on horseback and came galloping." " I am very, very
glad; let us go."
Now, it is too late; and you have no
horse; and you- cannot go on horseback by night." "My
hor~e is near, and if you can run at night, I can follow you."
" If you can, very well ; get ready, and we will start after I
have eaten, for I feel terribly hungry."
They started after three o'clock P. 111., and, crossing the
River Clear Water before dark, J:iy midnight they had
reached the place. The missionary was astonished to
be welcomed by Agnes, whom he thought at the Mission; she shook hands with him, and manifested such
gratitude as is very seldom found; she had come by
herself, and without informing any one of her purpose,
to see to the spiritual wants of her brother; and truly,
if it were not for her exertions, her father would not
have called for the priest. They entered the lodge, and,
II
11
11
�-Sketclz of the Nez Perces Indians.
195
after the ordinary shaking of hands with all present, the
missionaryseated himself on the ground near the bed of
the dying boy, and asked him whether he wanted to be
baptized. Receiving no answer from the boy, he asked
those present whether the boy was conscious, and whether
he had manifested a wish to be baptized. " Yes," said the
boy's father, "he has been talking until now, and he· showed
a great wish to be baptized by the Bktck-gown; perhaps he
w"ill talk after awhile ; somebody has been telling him that
the Black-gown's Baptism is not good." The missionary,
apprehending some mischief from the devil, told all present
to kneel down and pray with him ; he began to recite the
morning prayers, and was followed by Agnes and one or
two more; then he gave them an instruction on the necessity of Baptism, and on the one true Church, exhorting
them all to embrace the faith ; then he sang some canticles
in the Indian language, and finished with another exhortation. He had been watching the dying boy the whole time;
finally, he addressed him again, asking whether he desired
to be baptized and go to Heaven. The boy seemed to un. derstand very well, but yet he did not answer. Then the
missionary called the father, and told him .to speak to the
boy, to tell him that the good God had sent the Blackgown that night from so far because there was a nice place
prepared for him in Heaven, and that in order to go to that
place he should be sorry for his sins, and be baptized by
the Black-gown.
The father spoke in a very touching manner to his
boy; and he inquired : " Am I alone?" The missionary asked what was the meaning of that expression,
but he got no answer either from the father or the son ;
and, therefore, he insisted on the necessity of Baptism,
and on the ·shortness of time, for the boy was very low.
So the father again addressed his boy in appropriate, mild,
yet urgent language, and the boy again put the same question: "Am I alone?" The father said: "No, my son,
�Sketclz of the Nez Perces Indians.
you are not alone; I will be baptized by the Black-gown
too, and your mother, and your sisters, and, perhaps, your
aunts too; you will be baptized now, because you are going to see God immediately, but we will be baptized as soon
as the Black-gown allows us; we have been frequenting
the Protestant prayer, but now we give that up, and we
will pniy with your sister Agnes." " Father, truly?"
"Yes, my son, truly; 'I tell you truly, now I am with the
Black-gown, and if he allows me I will be baptized now;
but you know the Black-gown never baptizes people who
are not sick, without first teaching them." "And where is
my mother? " "I too, my son," ans\vered the mother from
the opposite corner of the lodge, crying aloud, "we will all
follow you, whether you live or die." All began to cry,
and all pro.mised to become Catholics.
Then the boy, turning himself to the Missionary, said:
" I am very glad you came; for a long time I have
wished to be baptized by you, but I did not like to be
alone ; now that all promise to be baptized, I ask you
to baptize me without delay." The missionary gave
him some instruCtion, and then baptized him; after Baptism, he exhorted those present to follow the boy's example, who had been favored by the Almighty in such
a special way. Then all tried to rest a little; it was
already morning. After breakfast, the sick boy having
become somewhat better, the missionary told the Indians
that he would go back to the Mission, there being now
a great many Indians for Palm ·Sunday; he told them,
too, that should the boy die, they could either bury him
there, or carry the corpse to the Mission, as they thought
better, and then keep their promise to become all Catholics.
On Good Friday they were all at the Mission, except •the
boy, who had died and was buried there, as they had no
conveyance to bring the corpse to the Mission. In the afternoon, after the sermon of the three hours of our Lord's
Agony, Kaiziuet (that was the name of the boy's father),
�Sketc!t of t!te Nez Perces Indians.
197
knowing that the missionary had a few moments of free
time, went to see him. On entering the room he shook
hands with .him, and said: " Black-gown, I know you are
busy; I will not stop long; I will only relate briefly how
my boy died, and then I will tell you that myself, my family, and some of my relatives are in your hands. Do with
us what is best; we wish to be baptized, out we do not
know any prayers, except my daughters, who, being young
and smart, learned some already from their sister Agnes."
" ~Iy friend," said the missionary, "try to learn from your
daughters as much as you can, and then after Easter I too ·
will teach you, and when you are instruCted you will be
baptized, either all at once or at different times. We will
settle this afterwards; now, let me hear how the boy died."
"Why he died like an old man who had been praying all
his life long; he wanted his sister to pray aloud for him,
and he wanted us to follow the prayers, as he would do
too; and when Agnes stopped praying he would tell her to
begin again. Only a little while before his death I told
him to dispose of his horses. 'My son,' said I, 'you have
three horses, to whom do you wish to give them ? ' He said :
' Father, give them to whom you please; we cannot speak
of horses, now that I am dying; I am baptized, and so I
will go up to Heaven, there I will see God, and do you
think He will not question me about my father and mother?
He will ask me this question: 'Are your father and mother
going to be baptized by the one I sent, the Black-gown? '
I will answer Him : ' Yes, my God, as soon as they know
the prayers they will be baptized, and they will always be
good people.' Now see, father, if you will not be baptized;
my answer will be a lie, see I will tell a lie to God, and I
am afraid to tell a lie to God; so, father, you must promise
me again that truly you will go to the Black-gown, as soon
as I die, and ask to be instruCted and baptized.' I began
to cry and told him that I would do so; that I had made
up my mind to do so already; and so his mother promised
VoL. Ix-No. 3·
26
�Sketc!t
of tlze Nez Percl:s Indians.
him the same; his sisters and brothers, and cousins, and
aunts promised the same. Only two of his aunts would
not speak, and he seemed to be very sorry for it; so I told
hi~ not to be sorry, for they would, little by little, make
up their mind too. Then he said : ' Now I die happy ; I
will see you all again in Heaven.' He wanted to shake
hands with each one of us; then he wanted all of us to
pray, and during prayer he died; I am sure he is in Heaven
now, and though I feel very lonesome, yet I am happy."
After some time, one after another, they all became
Catholics, except one of the boy's cousins; she held back
because she had been so much talked to by her Protestant
friends and relatives not to become a Catholic, that she was
afraid perhaps she could not persevere in the faith. More
than a yea.r..elapsed when she too was baptized; and so, divine grace triumphed in all those that promised the dying
boy to become Catholics. But that was not enough. It
seemed that God wished to show to the world (especially
to the infidels and Protestants) how strong was the Catholic faith and the divine love in the simple hearts of those
new converts; not only did He allow a terrible persecution
against them, but He visited the family with sickness and
death. Before the end of the second year after their Baptism; two more of the children were dead; after a few
months a third child died, and before long a fourth, who
was a very pious and zealous girl, and the hope of her parents. Before dying she asked to se.e the priest, and somebody was sent to the Mission for hiin. In the mean time,
longing to receive the Sacraments, she fell into a trance
and was apparen.tly insensible. After a short while she
opened her eyes and said : "Oh! mother, how beautiful is
that person ! I never saw the like; how resplendent is his
face! Oh ! see, he comes to me; I think he comes to take
me to Heaven." When they asked her what she had seen,
she was astonished that the others did not see the same
vision. "vVhy," said she," you did not sec him? It was
�Sketclt o.f tlze Nez Perch Indians.
199
a very beautiful person; I think it was an angel, dressed all
in white, and his face radiant like the sun. He approached
me smiling, holding something in his hands; in one, he had
something like a fruit, and in the other, a cup. 'This,' said
he, 'will be your food to make you strong, and this your
drink to refresh you.' I ate and drank, and felt happy.
Oh! I think J.am going to Heaven.''
After some time the priest arrived, and administered to
her the last Sacraments. Was it truly an angel that came
to console her, and announce to her that she would receive
the body and blood of our Lord, or was it the effeCt: of her
imagination, excited by the great wish to receive our Lord?
It is not easy to decide. Before dying she spoke forcibly
to the Indian, who was a kind of preacher, telling him to
abandon the Protestant religion, and to cease to teach lies
to the people. After her death he acknowledged that she
had been visited by an angel; that she died like a saint and
went to Heaven; yet he was not converted. The poor
father of the girl, after her death, speaking to the missionary, said: " Black-gown, the Indians tell me that God has
punished me for having abandoned the Protestant prayer.
\Vhen I was not a Catholic, I had many children, and all
were strong and healthy, and now four are dead. But I
think God takes them to Heaven to have mercy on them,
and to punish my past sins. I was a bad man ; yet I hope
He will have mercy on me too, and allow me to see them
in Heaven.''
Now his eldest daughter, Agnes, is dead also, and he has
only two children left, a boy and a girl, and he is ready to
sacrifice them to God, if He wants to take them to Himself. He is persecuted by his Protestant friends and relatives, who wish to expel him from his land unless he renounce his religion ; but he is ready to lose all, even his
life, for the sake of the faith.
(To be continued.)
�BLESSED ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ.
This letter was written by Father Michael Julien, Re8:or
of the College of Majorca, on the very day of the death of
Blessed Alphonsus. It is addressed to the Fathers and
Brothers of the Province of Aragon. The translation IS
made from the French copy printed at Belfort in 1879:
The time of recompense for our good brother Alphonsus Rodriguez has come ; he has gone to receive from the
hands of our Lord the crown he merited by his long labors.
To-day,'OCl:ober 31st, eve of the feast of All Saints, at a
quarter past 12 o'clock A. M., he left this earth. He was 87
years of age, of which he has passed 47 in the Society and
32 in the degree of Formed Coadjutor. He was a native of
Segovia. He was called to the Society in a miraculous
manner at Valencia, where he had been studying Rhetoric
for two years, and where he gave the most beautiful examples of modesty and piety. At his request, he was received
as a Temporal Coadjutor, and the same year was sent to this
college. Fully persuaded that a detailed account of his
holy life will one day be written, I will here give only a
hasty sketch of some of the many features of his life that
deserve mention.
Alphonsus had hardly entered .G?d's service in the Society than he took the resolution of following faithfully his
divine Master, and he prayed that for his whole life he
might never be spared either weariness or cross. Such
generosity made him a perfeCt: model of every virtue.
His humility was so profound that he considered himself
the greatest criminal in the world; and, although he had
learned by revelation that he should be saved and freed
even from the torments of purgatory, he always cherished
(zoo)
�Blessed Alplzonsus Rodriguez.
201
in his heart shame and sorrow for his sins. In this disposition, nothing gave him more pain than respeCt: paid to
his person .. He could not see, without trembling, a wretched sinner defiled with so many stains the objeCt: of any attention.
His mortification was not less remarkable. In everything
he always sought what is most repugnant to nature. At
table, for example, if by mistake anything bitter was offered
him, he took it with all haste, before any one could notice
it. Fasts, disciplines, hair-shirts, in short, every kind of
penance or mortification was sought after with the same
eagerness. This very year of his last sickness, he asked my
leave to comply with all the prescribed fasts, without any
exception; and he declared to me in his account of conscience that he still continued to take the discipline regularly three times a week.
What sh:1ll I say of his fervor in prayer? He passed in
this holy exercise a great part of the night, and whole days,
without receiving any hindrance from his exterior occupations. His extraordinary modesty and profound recollection in the fulfilment of his duties sufficiently showed how
careful he was to keep himself in the presence of God.
Seldom was there seen such perfeCt: obedience as that of
Alphonsus. One day, to try him, his Superior ordered him
to go to the Indies. Alphonsus would immediately have
executed the order, but the porter refused to open the door
for him. Afterwards I asked him how he expeCted to set
out without money or knowledge of any ship: " I was
going," he answered, "with the assurance that our Lord, of
\Vhom the Superior is the representative, would procure
me the necessary provision and means of conveyance. And
if 1 had found neither the one nor the other, trusting in
holy obedience, I should have gone into the sea."
On another occasion his Superior noticing he left a door
open asked why he did not shut it. This was enough. The
good brother, who had to pass through that door at every
�202
Blessed Alplwnsus Rodriguez.
moment, made it a rule to shut it every time he went in
and out, and never failed in this for many years.
.
The following is a fact I witnessed the very day I arrived
from the main-land. I felt a great desire of having some
conversation with him, and, although he was then suffering
from a violent fever, we remained together over an hour
speaking of our Lord Jesus Christ, the ordinary topic of
his conversations. " Brother," said I at the end, "is not
your head tired?" "Yes," answered he. "\Vel!, then," I
replied, "speak no more." He immediately stopped, and
said not another word for the rest of the evening.
The infirmarian visited him and asked how he felt, but
received no answer. The next day there was the same
silence." Brother," said the infirmarian," you are allowed to
speak, it is-,necessary." "I cannot do it," replied the sick
· man, "withput leave from Father Rector." I was called for.
As soon as Brother Alphonsus saw me, he said: " Father, if
it please your Reverence, I will answer the infirmarian and
physician when they inquire about my state." "\Vhy not?"
I asked. " Because, yesterday," said he, "your Reverence
forbade me to speak."
Zeal for souls burned within his heart, and he gave himself wholly up to it, according to the spirit of his vocation.
Porter for 30 years in this college, he never ceased by his
pious conversation, his modesty and good example, to
preach virtue with admirable efficacy. He thus worked in
those who dealt with him wonders in the way of conversion
and sanctity, to the great edification .of the people, and to
the honor of our Society.
·-·
But this was too little for him; he wished the conversion
of the whole world, and asked it constantly from God.
Transported by the fervor of his zeal, he offered himself to
undergo, for the salvation of each man in particular, Negro,
Moor, Indian, all the torments of hell for all eternity.
God rewarded so heroic a charity. He showed to Brother
Alpho.nsus, during one of his ecstasies, all the men then
�\
Bit'ssed Alphonsus Rodriguez.
203
scattered over the earth, and revealed to him that by his
burning desires he had acquired as much merit as if he had
in reality converted that immense multitude.
He was always of an irreproachable modesty. With his
eyes constantly cast down, and ordinarily fixed one or two
steps in front of him, he went here and there without ever
allowing his look to wander. During more than 40 years
he never saw the face of a woman ; and yet he every day
served at the altar, and offered water to those who received
Communion.*
The care he took to observe silence is astonishing.
Obliged throughout the course of his long life to deal continually either with externs, or with those of the community, he never had to reproach himself with a single useless
word.
Conversation on divine things had great charms for him;
but if it was changed to other topics, he immediately fell
asleep. Numbers of pious persons were attracted to him
by the lofty tone of his conversations on God. All desired
to speak with him about the welfare of their souls, and to
receive in their doubts the light of his counsels.
This holy brother had indeed acquired in his union with
our Lord a very high knowledge of spirituality. Several
treatises from his pen are proofs of it. He treats in them
of the different virtues with an elevation which several
learned writers, speaking on the same subjects, have never
equalled in their works.
Members of the Chapter, counsellors of the court, noblemen, even Bishops and Viceroys, had recourse to this humble Coadjutor Brother, attrac1ed by his sublime wisdom.
Many of them would never undertake anything of importance without first consulting him. All went away from his
modest and holy conversation with the consolation their
heart needed, and a sure knowledge of what they had to
*According to an ancient custom, of which we have still an example in
our ceremonies of ordination.
�204
Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez.
do. Their confidence, it is true, could not be better placed,
and those who followed his advice always saw their undertakings crowned with success.
Poverty was the delight of Brother Rodriguez. He was
as much rejoiced to feel its effeCts as he was grieved not to
receive the worst in the house. If he happened to find a
pin he did not think he had the right to appropriate it to
his own use before he had asked leave. It was always a
subjeCt: of joy to him to have to bear with some privation
as to his food, clothing, or lodging.
Thanks to the extreme watch he kept over his senses, he
preserved unharmed by a perfeCt: purity of body and mind
the angelic virtue that our Father Saint Ignatius demands.
He never fixed his eyes on any one. He one day, without
refleB:ion:·cast his eyes on· a carriage; it was for a long
while after a cause to him of sorrow and tears.
To sum up such a beautiful life, we might say that it was
that of an angel and not that of a man.
My own experience, in the most intimate dealings I had
with him for the last few years, agrees with the testimony
of Fathers who have known him for 20, 30 and 40 years, in
affirming that there was never fault or imperfeCtion, or even
the appearance of natural and human sentiment noticed in
him. Never could it have been said that such or such an
aCtion of his could have been better done. For, though the
world and hell had. united against him, he would not have
been less constant in doing what was required for the perfeCtion of his soul and the great~r glory of God, a motto
which he had always on his lips and especially in his heart.
A scrupulous observer of our rules, he would have chosen to be cut in pieces rather than break the least of them.
To follow the common life in everything was his greatest
happiness. Accordingly, during these last years, enfeebled
as he was by very serious diseases, he felt a great dislike to
sit at the table of the sick, and more still to have special
dishes given him.
�Blessed Alplzo1zsus Rodriguez.
205
Brother Alphonsus endeavored to hide all these virtues
under the veil of humility, but it was in vain. The esteem
in which he was held by the Fathers and Brothers of the
house, as well as by the externs, is hardly credible. Many
of Ours considered it a great happi'ness to cross the sea
merely to enjoy his company, and many high personages,
ecclesiastical and secular, often came to our college to look
at the good porter, were it but for an instant. They admired his punctuality in receiving them, his obliging answerst his eagerness to satisfy all their wishes.
These continual acts of virtue led him as by so many
steps to a very pure and ardent lo\'e of God. Burning with
' the divine fire of charity, he would more than once have
given way under its violence without a particular assistance
of our Lord. He himself confesses this in the written accounts of conscience which he has left us. I must say, by
the way, that his Superiors exacted from him, for the space
of ten years, that he should thus make known by writing
the state of his soul, in order to have a clearer and more
precise account of it.
Most intimate communications united our Brother to the
Angels and Blessed. He had consecrated to twenty-four
ofthem the twenty-four hours of the day, in order to hold
converse with each one of them in turn and to recommend
himself to their protection. Even in the midst of his sleep
he never failed to awake at every hour to satisfy his piety.
This devotion was rewarded. Our Lord one day in a vision brought him into the sojourn of glory. Disclosing to
him the assemblage of the Saints, He made him acquainted
not only with their names, but, besides, with all the particulars he would have learned had he passed his whole life
with them.
From his tenderest years Alphonsus had had for the
Blessed Virgin the most filial devotion, and received continual favors from her. When a child he already loved her
with such fervor that one day speaking familiarly with her
VoL. zx-No. 3·
27
�206
Blessed A!pltonsus Rodn"guez.
he said, among other things:" 0, my sovereign Lady, I love
thee more than myself. I love thee, 0 my Mother, more
than thou lovest me." The motherly tenderness of Mary
could not bear this. The Queen of Angels appeared to her
servant and said: "No, Alphonsus, no; it is not so. It is
I who love thee more."
He spoke to the Blessed Virgin and to our Lord in all
simplicity, as a friend to a friend, as a beloved child in the
arms of his parents. In fact he looked upon Jesus as his
Father and Mary as his mother. Often he saw thelll walking by his side, and one day his heart seemed to him a little shrine wherein Jesus and Mary came to dwell.
When he spoke of his Jesus and of his good Mother in
Heaven, it, was with such great fervor and so loving a tenderness t~~t these sentiments communicated themselves to
those who listened to him. " Forget yourself," said he to
every one, "forget yourself and think only of serving Jesus
and Mary, my sweetest loves" (this was the name he usually gave them), "and Jesus and Mary will take care of
your temporal and spiritual interests."
For more than four years he recited daily the office of
the Immaculate Conception. This mystery was for him
the object of the greatest veneration ; and Mary herself declared to him how dear this devotion was to her. For this
reason the good brother exhorted us all to practise it.
Once he told me and all those of the college gathered
around him that one of God's in~entions in founding the
Society was that her members shpuld preach and defend
the Immaculate Conception of His holy Mother. These
words were uttered with an extraordinary conviCtion and
force that had never been noticed in him. Besides, he added, this was not a notion of his own, but a truth he had
learned from Heaven.
As to the rosary, he so often recited it that after his death
we found on his fingers a kind of callousness, produced by
the continual rubbing of the beads.
�Blessed Alplzonsus Rodri'guez.
207
How many details I could still give of the great virtues
Brother Rodriguez has praCtised, of the noble deeds he has
accomplished, of the revelations and other supernatural
graces he has received! I stop here; for a complete history of his life will some day be written, and that history, I
firmly believe, will be one of the most wonderful, even
among the lives of Saints the most favored of God. Besides, to say everything would be to exceed the limits of a
simple letter, and moreover I should only do harm to the
memory of our dear Brother, as I should have 1to present
too concisely, on the one hand, the extreme munificence of
God in His communications with His beloved Alphonsus,
and, on the other, the unequalled generosity of Alphonsus
in his correspondence with the divine liberality. I shall
therefore end this letter by the brief narration of the last
sickness of our Brother, of his death and obsequies.
Since the arrival of Alphonsus Rodriguez in this college,
our Lord, to satisfy his desires, had sent him every kind of
trial. For many years the devils persecuted him without
truce or mercy. Several times also he had to undergo
cruel attacks of sickness. It seems, however, that God had
especially appointed the end of his life for a trial of his virtue. He felt severe pains throughout his body, and that
year, to his habitual infirmities, and to those which always
accompany old age, were added the awful sufferings of the
gravel. · Obliged thenceforth to keep his bed, and even
forced for the last three months to remain on one side
without changing his position, he endured real martyrdom.
His prayer, however, was not interrupted on that account.
He continued to ask God, not for cure or consolation, but
for an increase of sufferings and infirmities. He constantly
spoke of sufferings, and always with the same enthusiasm.
"No one," he exclaimed, "is happier than the man to
whom God gives grace to bear great pains with patience.
What is there better here below? Is it not what the eternal Father gave His son? Ah 1 if the Angels and Saints
�208
Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez.
were capable of jealousy, they would envy those who have
much to suffer." This subject inspired him with sublime
words, and all he said he had himself experienced, for his
patience could be compared to that of Job. He was sometimes heard to complain, but it was that, according to him,
they took an excessive care of his person, when they
should have forgotten him, and fled from him as from a
dead dog. Another cause of complaint was that he could
not fast or do penance as he would have wished. When I
told him to accept some comforts, he answered: "0 Reverend Father, believe me, all these comforts are for me so
many sufferings; but sufferings, yes, they are the real comforts." When asked about his health, he only answered :
"That will be all right with the grace of God." Left alone,.
he immediat~ly entered into close and joyful conversation
with Jesus;.his Father, and Mary, his Mother; and the
sweet consolation and unspeakable joy he felt were a sufficient compensation for his sufferings. In those pious colloquies the tenderest words, the most affectionate terms,
were constantly on his lips. He especially loved to repeat
this prayer which our Lord had taught him: "Jesus, Mary,
my sweetest delight, grant me the grace to suffer, to die for
love of you ; to forget myself and be wholly yours."
Let me relate also an answer he gave the infirmarian.
When-the latter asked him what he felt, the good Brother,
who could hardly speak, broke forth with the exclamation :
"Alas! a great deal of self-love." Toward the end he was
taken with a strong fever, which it wa~thought would carry
him off. His pain increased with g~eater violence, and he
continued to say: "Still more, 0 Lord, still more! " He
received the viaticum with his usual devotion and angelic
piety. For a long time past he received Holy Communion
three times a week, and this favor had been continued the
whole year, though he kept his bed. We gave him Extreme Unction which he received, always continuing with
heroic virtue to ask for new sufferings.
�Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez.
All his life he had had a very deep reverence for priests,
even during this last period of his sickness, when reduced
to such an extremity that he could hardly move his arms
he always uncovered as soon as he saw a priest enter.
Our Lord, on the point of calling to Himself this faithful
servant, wished to fulfil the promise He had made him of
consoling him at his death. On the 28th of this month
(Saturday), towards evening, Brother Alphonsus entered
into a rapture of delight similar to those he had often had
this year. He remained three days in this state, and the
ecstasy only ended with his life. His face, till then very
pale, especially since his sickness, became all resplendent.
His features breathed an angelic beauty. They disclosed
the effects of the interior fire which consumed his soul.
From time to time there escaped from his lips these burning words: "0 most sweet Jesus! 0 Mary!"
At last, this morning after midnight, we perceived in our
Brother some symptoms of his approaching end. All the
Fathers and Brothers of the house hastened to his room to
be present at his death. He repeated several times the
most sweet name of Jesus, and, as a crucifix was presented
to him, he opened his eyes, which had been closed during
the three preceding days, fixed them with the same brightness as of old on the image of the crucified Saviour, kissed
its feet, and pronouncing once more with great tenderness
the holy name of Jesus, gave up his soul to God.
The ·reputation for sanctity acquired by Brother Alphonsus had spread throughout the whole of our Province, and
even throughout those of Castile and Andalusia, throughout Portugal, and even had reached the Indies. From every side, Ours, marvelling at what they heard, wrote me
letter after letter to obtain some relics of the holy Brother.
I had much trouble to satisfy them all. Moreover many
eminent men among the clergy and laity, Cardinals, great
men at court, and other dignitaries of the kingdom, wrote
�210
Blessed Alplzonsns Rodriguez.
to him to recommend themselves to his prayers and to obtain some souvenir from him.
One can judge by this what affeCtion, what respeCt the
Fathers and Brothers of the college, who knew him intimately, had for him. They were happy to have him touch
their disciplines and beads, and all reckoned it a signal
grace to be present at his holy death. But the veneration
of which he was the objeCt has just been more clearly manifested. Our Lord, who had promiseu him to have him
honored in this Island, doubtless wishes to begin at once to
fulfil His promise. This death has 1ndeed been the occasion of general excitement. Scarcely had the news spread
abroad, when the Viceroy, the members of the council, the
canons, the, nobility, in a word, all the most distinguished
personages:.in the city hastened to the college to venerate
the humble remains of Brother Alphonsus and kiss his
hands and feet. In the afternoon the church and the house
were filled with people. We brought the body to the
church and placed it on a kind of raised platform, to put
him out of reach of the crowd. We succeeded, but not
without trouble. The Dominicans, the Fathers of Mercy,
the Franciscans, the Carmelites, the Augustinians, the Trinitarians, the Minims, the religious of every Order, came
with their Provincials or superiors to sing the absolution
before the body. The Chapter of the Cathedral came also,
as well as all the parishes of the city, which were present
in procession headed by their respe.etive clergy.
It would be necessary to witness the unexampled eagerness of the crowd around the precious remains to conceive
any idea of it. Some brought sick persons and made them
touch the body, others applied their rosaries to it, others
again cut pieces from the cassock. Six of our Fathers,
aided by two Dominicans, remained there all day occupied
in satisfying the pious wishes of the crowd. They could
not, however, satisfy all. The crowd kept increasing, and,
as all could not approach, they passed from hand to hand
�Blessed Alplzonsus Rodriguez.
211
the medals, beads, or other objects which they wished to
apply to the body of the Saint. What a beautiful sight for
Heaven!
The office of the dead was recited as usual. The Viceroy, the Chapter, and the magistrates were present. It was
already dark when the sermon began. The Father who
ascended the pulpit spoke for about a quarter of an hour of
the most striking features in the life of Brother Alphonsus,
and then asked the people to retire as it was already late,
and invited them to come on Friday.
One thing worthy of note is, that during the whole day,
as well as during the sermon, no one ventured to cover his
head in presence of the body. Besides, although the church
was crowded, and such a number of people had never been
assembled in it before, there was such great stillness and so
unbroken a siience that the church was as if empty.
We wished to proceed to the burial, but we could only
bring the body back into the house, and even this not without very great difficulty. The news spreading that the
ceremony was transferred, and that they could come back
the next day and satisfy their devotion near the bier, the
crowd retired little by little, and at 10 o'clock at night we
buried the body. It would have been impossible to bury
it otherwise. The face and hands of Brother Alphonsus
had remained as flexible as when alive.
So pure a life and a death so holy, joined to the revelation he received that he should go and enjoy God without
passing through purgatory, give us a full assurance that he
is among the Blessed, and even in a high degree of glory.
Nevertheless, I ask your Reverence to have in your college
the ordinary suffrages. I entreat you at the same time to
intercede with God for us who as yet survive Brother Alphonsus, that we may become like unto the model of all
virtue and perfection which the divine Majesty has given
us in his person. May the holy Brother from Heaven protect your Reverence.
From Majorca, October 31, 1617.
�212
Blessed Alp/zorzsus Rodriguez.
P. S.-At the request of a great number of distinguished
persons we had a solemn service Friday morning, November 3d, the day already appointed for the panegyric. The
church was filled very early. The crowd was extraordinary.
Had our church, which is very large, been four times
larger, it would not have held all the multitude. At this
solemn service were present again, and for the· third time,
the Viceroy, the councilmen, the royal court, the canons,
the nobility, and all the most distinguished persons of the
Island. Sickness prevented His Lordship, the Bishop,
from being present. Before the tomb burned many magnificent tapers, sent from every side as marks of the venveneration paid to the Brother.
The sermon that took place at the end of the office ·
enraptured _~hd well nigh stupefied the he.arers. Heroic
virtues, supernatural favors, prophetic lights, an unheard
of power with God and the Blessed Virgin Mary, everything in the life of Brother Alphonsus excited to the
highest degree the admiration of the throng. Every one
asked, with the most earnest entreaties and marks of sincere devotion, some objeCt the Brother had made use of,
in order to preserve it as a precious relic. This eagerness
manifested itself not only among the laymen, but also
among ecclesiastics, among the Fathers and Brothers of
the house, and in all the religious communities.
A great concourse of people already frequents the vault
near the altar of the Blessed Virgin where the body is
deposited. This concourse is said to--'!Je due to some miracles performed during these last few days. Once these
faCts are well ascertained, I shall make them known to
your Reverence.
'
MICHAEL jULIEN.
�INDIAN MISSIONS.
Letter from Father Ponzi'gliom.
OsAGE MISSION, KANSAS,
June 30th, I 880.
. REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
The winter just past was one of the most pleasant that
we have had for a long time. There was very little sickness prevailing, but we were in the number of those who
were visited; and one of our best men, Brother John
Sheehan, was taken away from us, almost at the opening
of the cold season. He was one of the pillars of this Mission, having come hither with Father John Schoenmaker
as early as 1847; and he faithfully persevered to the end
of his long career, ever the same, a good and simple religIous.
He was very devout and pious. It was his custom, when
in good health, to visit the church at two o'clock in the
morning and remain there until six, passing four hours
daily in fervent prayer. He had great love for our Lord in
the Blessed Sacrament, and for His Virgin Mother, whose
Immaculate Conception he was always ready to defend.
He used to work very hard, and in his younger days he
was possessed of herculean strength. Even the Osages
feared him, and thought that he was more than a match for
them in physical powers. Tried by a long and painful
sickness, fortified by the Sacraments of the Church, he
breathed forth his soul as calmly as one who falls into a
placid sleep. He died on the 13th of December, aged seventy-two, having spent thirty-three years in the Society.
R. I. P.
28
VoL. Ix-No. 3·
(2 I 3)
�214
Indian J.11issions.
As soon as the Easter season began, I started to visit the
Osages, in order to give the Half Breeds, who are all Catholics, an opportunity of complying with their Christian duties, and I am happy to say that quite a number of them
responded to my call, and came to receive the Sacraments.
From the settlements on the Cana, which for a considerable distance forms the northern boundary of the Osage
Reservation, I came to the banks of the Arkansas, which in
its great bend bounds the Reservation on the west and
south. A tract of ten square miles has been taken away ·
from the Osages by the United States Government and assigned to the Kansas, or, as they are ordinarily called, the
Kaw Indians. These Indians resemble the Osages, of
whom they seem to be an offshoot, having the same customs ancLspeaking the same language, but with a different
accent. ·f'he full-blooded Kaws are not Christians ; the
Half Breeds of the tribe. are all Catholics, but very ignorant
in matters of religion. They have had no resident missionary for a very long time, and their knowledge of the Faith
is limited to the fact that they were baptized in it. They
have great respect for the priests, and freely declare that
they belong to no other church than the Roman Ca.tholic,
and are very anxious to have their marriages blessed and
their children baptized by the priest.
From the Kaws, passing through the settlement of the
Salt Creek, I came to the Osage Agency which has a central position on Bird Creek at a,place called Deep Ford,
and following my way due east J visited all the Half
Breed settlements which are situated a quarter of a mile
west of the ninety-sixth meridian. Everywhere I found
plenty to do; marriages were to be blessed, children were
to be baptized, and the people, without exception, were
willing to comply with their religious obligations.
Returning to the Cana at Canville's Settlement, some
twenty-five miles north of the Agency, I heard that a
young Half Breed, named Alfred Canville, had started a
�indian Jlfissio11s.
215
school. Alfred was brought up at our Mission before the
Osages left Kansas, and is well qualified to teach. I went
to visit him and found him surrounded by quite a number
of little one,;, some twenty-four in all. His school had
been very successful, and parents informed me that their
children had learnt.d more in three months from Alfred's
teaching than they had acquired in three years at the Quaker school on Deep Ford. No unprejudiced observer could
deny that Alfred was doing a good work; but the Agent
was of a different mind. In fact, having heard of it, he was
very much displeased, and so far was he from approving
the course of those who sent their children to this school,
that he even threatened to withdraw the annuity money due
to Alfred if he wc\uld not stop teaching. Alfred, however,
did not mind the Agent, and kept on teaching until he had
completed the term for which he had stipulated.
You here might ask, what reason after all could the
Agent have for not approving of this school? No reason
that we can assign except perhaps this one, that Alfred by
request of the parents obliged the children to learn their
· prayers and catechism. Yes, bigotry is the cause of this
opposition, so unworthy of the age and country in which
we live. To prove to you that bigotry is really at the bottom of it, I will relate to you what the first chief of the
Osages, Joseph Pani-numpa-tze, told me when I visited him
about the end of last month.
"The Agent," said he, "wanted me to send my children
to his Quaker school, but I told him I would not do so,
because I had tried his school and found out that my children were learning nothing there. Then the Agent offered
to send my children to Philadelphia to a big school that
the Quakers have opened there for the Indians, but I refused because it was too far off. He then proposed that I
should send my children to a big school the Cherokees
have near Tahlaquah. Hearing this, I said to him: Why.
do you want to send my children either to Philadelphia or
�216
I1tdi'a1Z MissioJts.
to Tahlaquah, when you well know that we all prefer to
send our children to Father Schoenmaker's school at the
Osage Mission in Kansas? Since you are willing to pay
for the education of our children, why are you not willing
to send them to the Osage Mission, a place nearer and
cheaper than those you offer me, and besides a place which
we all like? " The simple reason why the Agent does not
want to allow this favor to the Osages is because he knows
that ht:re they would be instruCted in the Christian doctrine, and taught to become praCtical Catholics. This is
the liberty of conscience granted to the poor Indians by
the office~s of a free government!
And this is the cause of all the hostility of bqth Agent
and School Superintendent against mysel( They'do nof
like to see.. 'me visiting the Osages; they hate to see the
school children running after me when I go there; and
worse yet, they cannot bear the idea of their coming to
Confession. Whenever I appoint an hour for Mass there is
always some new difficulty in the way to keep them from
coming to assist at it and receive Holy Communion.
The School Superintendent is always very kind to any •
sort of preacher that happens to visit the Agency. He
himself will invite them to address the school children; but
when) come to call on the children to give them some instruCtion they are sent on some new errand, or no room
can be got for that purpose, or the children must be on
duty somewhere else.
.
Some time ago having gone to the.. school-house to see
the Superintendent about some arrangements in order that
the children might attend Mass on the next morning, I
spoke to him very respeetfully, trying to conciliate him if
possible ; but it was useless ; the old fellow would not even
give me an answer. This was very impolite, and his wife
who stood by felt very n1uch ashamed at such a want of
. good manners, and bt:gan to apologize. She put on a very
' smooth face, and said that they were well pleased in seeing
�Indian .1l1issions.
217
me again, that they wanted to be friendly (of course) with
me, and had no objeCtion at all to my preaching to the
children, but "Father," she said in a very confidential tone,
" please do us one favor; do not tell the children that unless one be baptized he cannot go to Heaven. You see
this is quite against our doctrine, and creates a good deal
of difficulty in this house; these children are rather impudent, and, coming around, they will tell us that we will
never go to Heaven because we were never baptized. Now
you see this is too bad, and we do not like to hear such a
thing."
Leaving the Osage Reservation I struck fartber east,
some one hundred and fifty miles, and came to Tahlequah,
the capital of the Cherokee nation. On the 21st of April I
said Mass in that town where there are but very few Catholics. Before leaving the place I visited the two great seminaries, or boarding-schools of the Cherokees. They are
both situated a few miles from town, and are built in palatial style. One school is used for the boys, the other for
the girls; and they are two miles apart. Both contain
from ninety to one hundred pupils. The course of studies
is what they call graded. Concerning the morals and religion of these institutions I have not much to say, but if
you consider that both are under the control of Freemasonry you will soon be able to draw conclusions.
The largest part of the Osages being now gathered
around the Agency, waiting for the payment of their annuity, I returned there to have an opportunity of seeing them
all; and, as it was the eve of Corpus Christi, I immediately
sent word to the few Catholics now living at that place to
come and assist at Mass on the next morning.
During the night there was quite an uproar; and we were
awakened by the wailing and high-sounding lamentations
of the Osages whose principal Medicine Man had just died.
They were mourning over him like those who have no
hope in a better life to come. This man was very popular,
�218
Indian JV!issions.
and by this great mourning they wanted to show how much
they thought of him. He had been sick for a long time,
and as yesterday he appeared to be sinking very fast all the
chiefs and Medicine Men came around him to try their last
juggleries. Among these the Dog Sacrifice is one of the
principal.
Every family of the Osages has a large number of dogs
which are very wild and look like prairie wolves. Now in
a case of this kind, when a sick man is given up, a dog is
picked from the crowd of those belonging to his family.
This dog is brought into the lodge and treated to a good
dish of meat just close to the sick man's pallet, and when
he has been well fed they take him out and kill him. By
the killing of the poor dog, who is considered as an infe-·
rior member. of the family, they try to appease the Great
Spirit, and hope that being now satisfied with the victim
they have offered Him He will spare their friend. But the
case of our Medicine Man was too bad, and not even the
Dog Sacrifice could do him any good.
You might ask me here, did you try to baptize this dying man? \Veil, if I could have entertained but the slightest idea that he was any way disposed for it, I would have
done it with pleasure; but, unfortunately, the case was
quite different, and no supposition in his favor could be entertained. He was conscious to the very last, and his mental faculties were as good as one could wish to have, and he
showed himself as wild a savage at the point of death as he
had been during life. To give you"~n idea of what kind of
feelings he had at the very moment of his death, I need but
record his last words. To all the Osages that came to see
him he would say: "My friend, I have done my duty, and
killed as many white men as I could catch on the prairies;
and as I am sorry to die now it is because there are four
more white men whom I intended to kill long since, but I
never had a good chance to do it."
On Corpus Christi I said Mass and had the pleasure of
�hzdimz Missions.
219
distributing the Bread of Angels to several of the Half
Breeds. Mass being over I left for the Cana, where on the
next Sunday, the 30th ultimo, I offered the Holy Sacrifice
before a large congregation of Half Breeds. At noon I
turned my course homeward, and came to camp for the
night in Chautauqua county, a few miles north of the State
line.
The night was calm and pleasant. I took up my quarters on a large prairie almost encircled by timbered hills.
Having pinned my horses to the ground with long ropes
that they might have a chance to graze, I took a rath~r
sparing supper and lay down on my buffalo robe. It was
the best place for meditating on the beauty of the firmament. I kept looking at the stars till gradually I fell into
a sound sleep. Between two and three o'clock in the morning a loud barking of dogs at some distance made me get
up with anxiety. I looked around to see what was the
matter, but as it was too dark to notice anything distinaly,
I again lay down. But, after a while, a thought struck me
that something wrong might have happened to my horses,
and so I concluded to go and look after them. I went,and
when I came to the place where I had left them I found
. out that they were both gone. Refleaing that I was camping in a neighborhood notorious for horse thieves I could
come to only one conclusion, that both my horses had been
stolen, and here I was left on foot, at a distance of seventyfive miles from this Mission, not knowing what to do ! If
I ever prayed to St. Anthony with my whole heart and
soul it was certainly on ~his occasion, though I must confess that I had but little faith in my prayers, because, as I had
strong reasons for thinking that the horses had been stolen,
I could not see how I could recover them except by a miracle of the first class, for it is very seldom that one can get
back a horse stolen near to the Indian country.
As I had promised to offer Mass in some neighbor's
house, where the evening before I had left my sack with
�220
Indian Missions.
all that is needed for the altar, I walked there and called
them up. Hearing what had happened to me they hastened
to rise from their beds, and before daylight all was ready
for Mass. No sooner had I finished when we began to
look around, and by carefully examining the ground found
the tracks of my horses ; we followed them for about one
mile when we found a part of one of the ropes with which
I had fastened them. This discovery gave me courage, for
it convinced me that they had not been stolen, but had
only run off on a frolic. We then went to a house in the
vicinity, and, upon inquiry, heard that at daylight two
horses were seen running wild on the prairie. Here we
gave up the idea of going after them ourselves, but I hired
a young man who· happened to come by on horseback, and
requested him not to lose a minute, but to run around and
try to find my team. He started on a gallop, and I prayed
to his Guardian Angel to direCl: his course so that he might
be successful on his expedition. In less than three hours
the young man returned with both my horses, which he
had found about eight miles forward on their way towards
this Mission.
I need not tell you how happy I felt when I got them
back ! Indeed my prayers either to St. Anthony or to the ·
Guardian Angel had not been useless! This circumstance
delayed me on my way about four hours, but I assure you
that once I had those two rascals well hitched up to my
ambulance I made them make up for the time lost, and the
dust flew from their backs. Before sundown I had traveled
a good forty miles, and reached Independence where I
passed the night with my old friends. Next morning I
said Mass in the church which years ago I ereCl:ed in
honor of S. Stanislaus, and on the 2d instant I returned to
this Mission without having suffered any damage in this
my long missionary excursion.
PAUL MARY PoNZIGLIONE,
S.
J.
�PRISON WORK AT BALTIMORE.
From a conversation with Rev. Thaddeus Anwanden, C.
SS. R., we learn many interesting particulars in regard to
missionary labors in years past amongst the conviCts at the
penitentiary in Baltimore. Religious services took place
there regularly for the prisoners from 1848 to 1855. The
chaplain was allowed free access to every part of the institution to which his duties might call him. Father An wanden remembers to have given Communion to as many as
forty or fifty at a time in the hall then used for the meeting
of the coiwiCl:s. There was, we may say, no regular chapel,
no altar properly so-called, until September, 1879.
The Most Reverend Archbishop Eccleston, deceased
April 22, 1851, being much gratified to hear how happily
things were going on among the poor conviCl:s, had promised to administer the Sacrament of Confirmat!on in the
penitentiary; but, as he was unwell at the time appointed,
his place was supplied by the Right Reverend Dr. Char7
bonnel, Bishop of Toronto, Canada.
It was only after the decease of Archbishop Eccleston
that Dr. Wyatt, ReCl:or of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, becoming aware of this, expressed his dissatisfaCtion at the
whole proceeding. He made it known that he considered
himself as the chaplain of the penitentiary, and that such
proceedings were a trespass on his rights. Dr. Wyatt even
seemed inclined to maintain his position by appealing to
the old Maryland Colonial Laws. Much excitement followed; and many articles appeared in the public papers, all
intended to awaken popular prejudice against Catholics and
their religion.
Father Anwanden left Baltimore· for New Orleans some
twenty-five years ago, and we are unable to uiscover that
VoL. 1x-No. 3·
29
(221)
�222
Prison Work at Baltimore.
there were any regular ministrations of our holy religion
from the time of his departure until the present arrangement was made. For about eight years, from I863 to 187I,
Rev. Alfred A. Curtis, then an Episcopal minister at Mount
Calvary Church, Baltimore, was in the habit of visiting the
penitentiary every week. Conversing freely with the prisoners in the workshops, and helping them in other ways to
bear their unhappy lot, he was allowed to take them papers
and letters, subjea of course to the inspeaion of the warden. General Horn, the warden, was very kind, even sending at night a carriage on one occasion, if not more frequently, when the nature of the sick case required. During this period a very good spirit prevailed ; there was a
disposition on the part of officials to aid, so far as possible,'
the chaplai~'in the discharge of his duties. The visits of
Mr. Curtis ~to the penitentiary ended towards the close of
1871, and shortly after this time he was received into the
Church.
In the long interval between I855 and 1879, although
Catholic P.risoners no doubt received the consolations of religion in cases of necessity, still there was no regularly appointed chaplain of our faith, and, so far as we can gather,
there was no public exercise of Catholic worship in the
prisog. To remedy this neglea the Most Reverend Archbishop Gibbons requested that a more regular attendance
should be given to the Catholic prisoners; and Father Edward J. Sourin, having been appointed for this duty, said
Mass at the penitentiary, after an in"t_erruption of several
years, on the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus, January I8,
I879·
Thenceforward Mass was celebrated at 7 A. IlL every Sunday regularly until about the middle of June. The order
of the day was as follows :
At Mass, a short Instruaion ;
9 A. III., Sunday-school in the Chapel;
About I I o'clock a second Instruaion before the end of
the Sunday-school;
�Pnson vVork at Baltimore.
223
After this, Confessions until half-past two P. M. in the
cells.
From the middle of June until September the religious
services were suspended; in the third week of September
the Holy Sacrifice, with other religious services, was resumed, and has continued without interruption up to the
present time, June 6, 1880.
From the opening of the penitenti,ary there was seldom,
if ever, a sermon by a Catholic in the afternoon. Last September a monthly discourse, to be delivered by some Catholic priest, was made part of the Sunday's work. The first
discourse according to this arrangement, which should have
existed from before, was delivered by the Rev. Dr. Placidus
L. Chapelle in the renovated prison chapel. The audience
was composed chiefly of the eight or nine hundred convicts;
besides these there were present the officers of the institution, and a number of ladies and gentlemen who take an
interest in such matters. Such was the impression, both as
regards the doctrine and manner of his sermon, that it
could not have elicited more general satisfaction had it
been delivered before an audience exclusively Catholic.
l\Ionthly discourses on Sunday afternoons by different clergymen have followed in regular succession.
On Christmas Day, 1879, Mass was said at the usual
hour, but a volunteer choir with Prof. C. F. Percivall as organist, assisted by several Catholic ladies and gentlemen,
sang the principal parts of' the Mass, much to the joy of
the poor prisoners who roared out their "Adeste, Fideles,"
and other hymns in a style seldom heard inside the penitentiary walls. Owing to the many offerings and Christmas presents from relatives, friends, and kind-hearted patrons of all such good works, both Catholic and non-Catholic, but, above all, in consequence of the Christian spirit
of the warden, Thomas S. Wilkinson, this great festival
passed off in a manner that no outsider would have imagined possible within the walls of a prison.
�224
Prison Work at Baltimore.
We may here mention in proof of the becoming disposition on the part of the warden to do justice to all without
fear or favor, that on one occasion when the Catholic chaplain was absent, and all the conviCts were assembled in the
chapel, he gave them to understand that, although he was
not himself a Catholic, the prisoners were at liberty to aCt:
as they thought best on the subjeCt: of religion, and to join
the Catholic Church if they felt so inclined. From the early
part of 1879 a considerable number, both white and colored,
have been in the habit of attending Mass, the Catholic
services in Sunday-school, etc. Many of them have become sincere members of the Church and have returned to
their families changed men ; others are still preparing to
receive the Sacraments.
During the recess (June Is-Sept. 17) the large upper
room, which might properly have been called a garret,
hitherto used for religious services, cold in winter and hot
in summer, was converted into a commodious chapel by
the present warden. " The ceiling and walls were plastered
and whitecoated; the wood-work all newly painted, giving
to the place an air of neatness and cheerfulness well in accord with its use." * It will hold from eight hundred to a
thousand worshippers. The altar, built by Mr. Charles
DunQ, stands in the north-west end of the chapel, the organ
filling the opposite extremity. The conviCts, of their own
good will, contributed seventy dollars towards the purchase
of vestments, of which we have at present three sets, white,
red and purple, fit for any sanCluary,.: .
At the time when services began ag~in there were about
nine hundred and fifteen conviCts in the penitentiary. Of
this number, one third at most, might have been Catholics;
the exaCt: number could not be determined, as many concealed to a later period in the year to what creed they belonged. There are now (July 24) six hundred and forty
conviCts, all told.
*Annual Report.
�Prison TVork at Baltimore.
225
There have been twenty-five baptisms of adults, and two
of children since January, 1879.
The greater part of those who can read are supplied with
catechisms and prayer-books; the rest have beads, scapulars, sacred medals, Agnus Dei, etc.
The aggregate number of Confessions during the year
was about three hundred ; of Communions, about one hundred and fifty. Confessions were heard as circumstances
permitted; at first in the workshops, when the daily tasks
had been completed; but this permission did not continue
long, some of the contractors complaining that it interfered
with the general work and business of the establishment.
Secondly, in the chapel during the non-Catholic services; a
large number every Sunday coming at this time, not heeding the presence of their fellow-convicts, nor the shouting
of the Methodist hymns. In this way many of the longest
and, we may believe, most sincere Confessions of years lost
in all kinds of sin and misery were completed, in more than
one instance the penitent returning four and five times before he was satisfied to approach the Holy Communion on
the following Sunday. Other places for hearing Confessions were the cells, the hospital, or any room free at the
moment for such a duty. As a general thing they have
been going to Confession, as well as they could, in a corner
of the chapel during Sunday-school, or in their cells, receiving Communion on the following Sunday. The average number is from seven to ten; the largest number was
on last Christmas-about twenty.
During the whole time (January 18, 1879-]une 6, 188o)
not one Sunday has passed without bearing with it evidence of the earnest desire of several among the convicts
to return to God by an humble Confession and renewal of
all the good resolutions of their happier years. In this divine work they have been very much aided by a number of
zealous Catholic gentlemen, who, besides giving their services as. teachers on Sundays, have supplied them with
�M£s.nonary Labors.
abundance of good reading matter, catechisms, Catholic
periodicals, religious papers-all are made to contribute
their share towards the one grand objea in whose final
success so fair a portion of our Catholic laity are more than
ever interested.
Sunday, June 6, closed our religious exercises in the
penitentiary for the present season. It was represented
that as the Catholic services began at 7 A. M., and seldom
lasted more than an hour and t\venty minutes, which would
rarely, if ever, interfere with the regular routine of the
house, it would be a great favor to allow the Mass to be
continued as usual. The reply came that no exception
could be made. It was besides some slight relief to the
officials not to be obliged to attend any extra services dur- ·
ing the warp} season. Visits to the penitentiary have continued, and Confessions have been heard every Sunday up
to the present, July 25; also during the week when required.·
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS.
FROM APRIL I Ith TO JUNE IOth 1880.
CHURCH OF ST. PETER AND ST. PAuL, SouTH BosTON.-
The work here was extremely hard, .and the five Fathers
engaged in it were glad when the laoor was ended. They
were obliged to ask help also from the neighboring priests,
who kindly gave it, and thus increased the harvest very
much. From five o'clock in the morning until late at night,
confessions were heard, unless some duty of preaching or
instruaing called the Fathers away for a short respite, if
that exchange of duty can in truth be so called. The mission proper lasted for two wet!ks, bnf the "Forty Hours"
devotion began on the day after the exercises were closed,
�llfissionary Labors.
227
and as a large number of persons had to be prepared for
Confirmation, the toil and drudgery were eked out through
three more days. It was necessary to have a double mission in order to give all a chance to hear the sermons. Add
to this, a special service in the afternoon for children, and it
is easily seen that there were opportunities enough to give
each Father a sermon during the day. Besides all these
exercises, there were special classes of instruCtion every
evening for Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation.
Quite a number of persons in this parish speak English
with difficulty, or not at all. The Fathers not unfrequently
were told : " Father, I have little English," and then without more ado the person would begin the confession, or
whatever else was to be done, in Irish. After mutual misunderstandings for a while, and a little loud talk on both
sides, when the penitent was deaf, the priest that spoke
Gaelic was sent for, and then a calm ensued.
There were ten thousand five hundred Communions.
Two hundred adults were prepared for first Communion;
four hundred and thirty-six persons, all adults, were confirmed. Twelve adults were baptized, together with seven
children of various ages.
The work lasted from the 11th to the 28th of April. Fr.
Maguire was assisted by Frs. Me Atee, Strong, Haugh and
Morgan.
ST. PAUL's, PHILADELPHIA. (May 2-17.)-This parish is in
the old Moyamensing DistriCt, a part well known for hard
fighters and drinkers. Nor are the other requisites of evil
to be looked for elsewhere. In old times, Moyamensing
had its notoriety; and though of late years there has been
a change for the better, a great deal of good yet remains to
be done. St. Paul's was established as a parish forty years
ago, and during that time there have been but two missions.
The first mission was given last~ year by Frs. Langcake,
Gleeson, Smith and Freeman, and effeCted a great change.
�228
Missionary Labors.
But a half dozen missions may bring this parish up to the
right level.
The mission given this year by Fr. Maguire's band was
very successful; and though the work was laborious, the
Fathers could not but feel grateful to the workers of the
previous year, who had done so much good, and lightened
the labor for their successors.
The labor was continuous for fifteen days with the following results: Communions, eleven thousand; First Communion of adults, one hundred and twenty; Confirmed, two
hundred and seventy-one adults; Baptism of adults, thirtytwo; of children, twenty. Six Protestants were left under
instruCtion.
MANCH~'-rER, N. H. (May 2I-June 2.)-The mtsston at
St. Paul's, 'Philadelphia, came very close upon the one in
Boston ; in faCt, counting the days of travelling from one
city to the other, there was little time for rest, so much
longed for after seventeen days of hard work. The mission
in St. Paul's ended on Monday evening June 2d; on the
next day the Fathers had to set out for Manchester, where
the work was to begin on Friday evening, June 6th. The
labor in Manchester was extremely hard. The weather
was- unfavorable, for the thermometer most of the time
showed a temperature of over ninety degrees in the shade,
and for a day the mercury rose to one hundred and two degrees. The Fathers had no assistance from the resident
clergy, and in ten days were obliged _to do what would have
given them ample employment for two weeks. To add to
the difficulties, a mission had not been preached to the congregation for fourteen years. Those acquainted with our
faCtory towns can easily understand how much evil may accumulate in such a space of time. There is, as a matter of
course, a large floating population that bring with them all
the vices, and very few of the virtues, met with in other
places. The zeal of the clergy, with the aid of schools and
�.llfissionary Labors.
229
sodalities, is not able to cope with the evil thus brought in.
The roving class that have been· in almost every manufacturing centre in Scotland, England, and the United States,
do not come under the care of the pastor, and it is only
during a mission that they are discovered, if even then.
The Fathers had every reason to be gratified with the
success of their labors. The attendance was remarkable,
far beyond the capacity of the church. Many had to go
away at the evening service for want of room. The confessionals were thronged from five o'clock in the morning
until ten at night, and this for the ten days. Of course,
there were the usual results from hardened sinners and
matrimonial cases.
There were five thousand communicants. About twenty
adults were prepared for first Communion. Several children previously neglected were baptized, and one adult.
Manchester is a thriving town, the most important in the
State, and is situated on the banks of the Merrimac River.
Its chief industry is the manufacturing of cotton and woollen goods. The population is thirty-two thousand. The
Catholics number about fifteen thousand, and have three
churches. Their influence politically, owing to the old prejudices so long kept up in the State, is very slight. However, intolerance is fast disappearing; two years ago the
last remnant of former bitterness and bigotry was swept
away, when the constitution of the State was so modified as
to allow Catholics to hold office. Practically the law had
been a dead letter for thirty years.
New Hampshire, like every other State in the New England group, has the legislating mania. Laws must be made
to regulate everything, though not descending to particulars so domestic as in earlier times. Now-a-days the Solons
spend themselves upon laws relative to temperance, lotteries, divorce and Sabbath keeping; in a word, upon anything
that enables them to see to the affairs of other people.
They blunder egregiously in everything, and especially
VoL. Ix-No. 3·
30
�230
Missionary Labors.
when the prohibition of intoxicating drink is the theme.
Not long ago a law was passed forbidding the colleaion of
debts contraaed for liquor. To say nothing of numberless
dishonest transaaions arising from the law, it is possible
for men to go from bar-room to bar-room and get all the
drink they want for nothing. And it is done. Temperance suffers necessarily.
Fathers Haugh and Bellwalder helped the missionaries
for two days.
CENTRAL FALLS, R. I. (May 31-}une ro.)-Father McAtee was deputed to open the mission in this place. After
the labors in Manchester were ended he was joined by
Fathers Maguire and Morgan. Father Strong gave, meanwhile, a succe,;sful retreat to a sodality in Lawrence, Mass:
The same' Fathers gave a mission in Central Falls three
years ago, ~nd they were much pleased to see what good
results had come from their w0rk at that time. The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart established then has been
very successful, and together with the Society of the Children of Mary has effeaed a great change for the better.
At the end of the mission a society was formed for the
young men of the congregation.
Results : Communions, three thousand two hundred ;
Baptism, one; First Communions of adults, seven.
The Spring campaign, a hard one, lasted from the 1 rth
of April to June roth. There were thirty thousand Communions; First Communions of adlllts, two hundred and
thirty-five; Baptisms of adults, forty:six; children of mixed
marriages, thirty; adults confirmed, six hundred and seven;
left under instruaion for baptism, six. Adding these figures
to those already given, we have for results of the whole
year (Sept. 6-June ro): Communions, 84,230; First Communions (adults), 636; B:tptisms, 249; Confirmation (adults),
I 45 1 ; left under instruaion (for Baptism) in various
places, 24.
J.
A.M.
�Mz:Sszonary Labors.
231
MissiONs OF FATHER CoGHLAN AND CoMPANIONS.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., April 22d, 1880.-Jn the Church of St.
Charles Borromeo, Sydney Place, Brooklyn, N. Y., we terminated our Mission on April 19th. During the Mission
8,000 persons approached the Sacraments; 19 converts
were received into the Church; 2,500 persons became
members of the Sacred Heart Society and Apostleship of
Prayer. At the close of the Mission, Rt. Rev. Bishop
Loughlin confirmed 300 candidates, 94 of whom were
adults from this and neighboring parishes. Frs. Verdin,
Bouige, and Kuppens assisted during the Mission.
CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, BROOKLYN, N.Y., May
13th, 188o.-Our report of the Mission just given in this
Church is quite brie£ It may be summed up in a few
words. We heard 4,500 Confessions during the mission.
On the day after its close, Rt. Rev. Bishop Loughlin administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to 188 persons.
We intend to open our next Mission in St. Mary's Church,
Troy, N. Y., on Sunday, May 16th.
]. J. CoGHLAN, S. ].
D. 0. M. ·
�OUR COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR 187g-8o
I
------1
PLACE
I
I
NAME
:PROVINCE STUDENTS
;
I
GRAD.
. A.B.
.
\---
·1
Baltimore, }ld..... :Loyola College* ........
N. Y...
Boston, 1\lass....... ;Boston College*......... N. Y...
Buffalo, N.Y ...... ·Canisius College ......... Germany
Chicago, Ill........ ' St. Ignatius College* ..... \ Mo.....
Cincinnati, 0 ..... -:st. Xavier College* ...... : Mo. ...
Detroit, 1\Iich... ::. Detroit 'College * ........ l\Io.....
Fordham, N. Y ... •'-" StJohn s College ....... 1 N. Y...
,
Georgetown, D. C •. ,Georgetown College ....
N. Y...
Jersey City, N.J ... St. P~ter's College* ...... N. Y...
Las Vegas, N. 1\1... Las vegas College ....... · N a pies..
I
New York, N. Y ... St. Francis Xav. College
N. Y...
New Orleans, Ln ... 'Imm. Conception Coll. *.. Lyons..
Santa Clara, Cal.. .. ~Santa Clara College . . . . . Turin..
San Francisco, Cal. 'St. Ignatius' College * ... . Turin ..
St Louis, 1\Io....... 'St. Louis University .... . 1\Io.... .
St :Mary's, Kan ..... ·st.l\Iary's College ...... . l\lo .... .
Spring Hill, Ala.... St. Joseph's College .... .
'Vashington, D. C.. ·Gonzaga College* ...... .
1
'Vorcestcr, Mass.... College oft he Holy Cross . N.Y...
I
I
1
·I
1
1
i.o;~. :I
*Day College..".·
99 · · · ·: · · · ·· ·
249 .... \ 16
176 .... : ..... .
192 .... : ..... .
224. ... 10
98 . · .. · • • · • ·
188 .. .. 10
159.... 10
129 ......... .
194 ... .
436.... 34
251 ... .
204 ... .
2
654 .....••...
389 ....
8
156
......
i
:J
113:
2
93 .... (......
136 ...
·I
26
�CONTENTS OF VOL. IX.
Page
Georgetown College............................................. 3
Indian :Missions ...............•..••..................... 15, 118, 213
8t. John Francis Regis..........................................
31
The Conewago Mission. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Sketch of the Nez Perces Indians ...........•............ 43, 109, 191
Church at Elysville, 11Id .......................... ·...............
59
)Iissionary Labors ...•.................................. 53, 141, 226
Applications for the 11Iaryland niission-1640........... .. . . . . . . . .
73 _
The Catholic Church in Montana...............................
95
Letters from Brazil. , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . . . . . 107, 187
Letter from New :liiexico. . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . 134
HISTORICAL pAPERS:I.
Archbishop Carroll's Narrative ...•.............•.........•. 157
II.
Bishop Fenwick's Sketch .................................. 167
Letter from San Francisco .............•.....•.•..........•...... 181
Blessed Alphonsus Rodriguez. . • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Prison Work at Baltimore .....................•••..-......•..... 221
OmTUARY:-
Father A. 1\I. 11Iarigliano...................................... 59
11Ir. Aloysius Benassai. . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
nlr. Grorge Aloysius l\Ioffitt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
63
APPENDIX:-
Varia......... .. . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . .. . . .
68
Fructus Spirituales Patrum Prov. 11Iarylandire..................
72
niissourianre..................•...
Our Colleges in the United States for 1879-80 ................•...• 232
�-·
�
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Woodstock Letters
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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Jesuit Archives & Research Center
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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99 items
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 9 (1880)
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1880 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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A.M. D. G.
WOODSTOCI{ LETTERS
A RECORD
Of Current Et•ents and IIistorical ~Notes connected with
the Colleges and ..~1Iissions of tlte Soc. of Jesus
in Nortlt and South America.
VOL. X.
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
188!.
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. X, No.
1.
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
OF THE MARYLAND MISSION.
II~.-THE
PENAL LAWS.
Go1lernor Seymour reprimands Fathers Tflilliam _Hunter
and Robert Brooke.
2. Papers on the subjeCl by Father George Hunter.
J. IndiClmmt of Father Ya11U"s Beadnall.
I.
Although the penal legislation of the Mother Country
was not extended to the colonies; nor enforced in all its
rigor against recusants beyond the seas, yet the provisions
of the law for the establishment of the Church of England
in the Province of Maryland were such as to press heavily
upon those who adhered to the ancient faith, and made the
Sflying true, that "the Catholic inhabitant was the only victim of intolerance" in the land where religious liberty had
been granted by his ancestors. Disfranchisement was followed by a persistent and tyrannical system of persecution,
and by acts whose recital-to borrow the words of Colonel
Scharf, the latest historian of the State, and a Protestant
(vol. I, p. 370),-"may well make the Marylander of the
present day blush with indignant shame at the deeds of
his predecessors."
This unjust and ungenerous policy of the Protestant
�4
Histon'cal Papers.
dominant party, and the grievous oppression under which
Catholics suffered from the constant introduCtion and enaCtment of stringent measures against their religion, together with the apprehension of more intolerable burdens
that were to be imposed upon them, at length caused the
Catholic inhabitants to appeal to the Home Government for
proteCtion against further injustice on the part of the Provincial authorities.
This appeal for redress of grievances was drawn up by
Father George Hunter, for many years Superior of the
Mission. The three papers here presented are in his
marked handwriting, and appear to have been written in
1757. One paper was evidently prepared as a memorial.
and the other; two furnish the notes explanatory and con- ·
firmatory of its assertions. It may be that these papers
were never presented ; at least, it is not known from the
records at hand that any aCl:ion was taken in regard to them,
or in consequence of them, by the authorities to whom it
was intended that the appeal should be forwarded. But
even if they offer mt:rely the rough draught of a contemplated memorial, they show clearly how many and how
well founded were the causes for complaint on the part of
Maryland Catholics, at a period only twenty years prior to
the Revolution, which happily did away with all further necessity for appeals of such a nature; and the authority of
Father Hunter, who was for more than twenty years Superior of the Mission, and thoroughlY. conversant with the
matter of which he treats, lends value and interest to a doc-.
ument which helps to illustrate the history of the past, and
is one of the few records which have come down to us.
Before presenting the papers of Father George Hunter,
it may not be without interest, as conneCl:ed with the subjeCt: of penal laws, to give an incident in the life of Father
William Hunter. The account is taken from the council
proceedings of I 704, and may be found in Scharfs History
(vol. I, p. 368). John Seymour had been appointed Gov-.
ernor by royal authority, on the 12th of February; 1702, 0.
�Governor Seymour reprimands FF. Hunter and Brooke. 5 ·
S. ( 1703), and shortly afterwards, when he had entered upon·
the duties of his office, complaints were made to him by
the Protestant inhabitants against Robert Brooke and William Hunter, two Catholic priests of St. Mary's County.
They were immediately summoned to answer the charges
before the Council, and signified their obedience, requesting
at the same time to be accompanied by their counsel,·
Charles Carroll, which request the board unanimously refused to grant. They appeared at the appointed day, Sept.
11, 1704, and the minutes of the council proceedings give
an account of the affair, in which the Governor's language
in some places sounds like the echo of a charge delivered
by an Elizabethan judge in similar cases.
1.-GO~ERNOR
SEYMOUR'S REPRIMAND OF FATHERS HUNTER
AND BROOKE.
"The said Mr. William HunterCIJ and Mr. Robert BrookeC2>
appeared and are told on what occasion they were called
before his Excellency. Mr. William Hunter gives his Excellency many thanks for the opportunity of appearing before his Excellency, and says he is very sorry for any annoyance in his con duEl:. As to his consecrating the chapel,
he did not consecrate it, for that is an Episcopal funCtion,
and that nobody was present but himself in his common
priest's vestments, and that neither under his Excellency's
eye nor in his presence, but if any such thing was done, it
was above fourteen months ago, and long before his Excellency's arrival. Mr. Brooke says he did say Mass in the
1
< J01iver merely mentions that he died in 1Iaryland, August 15th, 1723.
Father .McSherry's catalogue places Father Hunter's arrival on the Mission
in 1692. He is marked Sup ..JJiiss. for the years 1696, 1697, 1700, 1703, 1705,
1708. Under the date of 1705 a note against his name says: Prof. 4 Vot., 23
Aug. 1702. In 1721, P. Hunter was at St. Thomas', where he died on the day
mentioned by Oliver, or one day later, according toP. Geo. Hunter.
2
< ! In the catalogue of missionaries drawn up by Father McSherry, he IS described as Americanus ex Jiarylandia, and a note is added, Prof. 4 Vot., 15
Aug. 1702: The same authority names Father Brooke (or Brooks1 as the
name is constantly written in this and other records,) as Superior m 1711,
with a note appended that in another catalogue of 1711 (perhaps 1712), F.
Thomas Mansell is named Superior. Oliver says: "This worthy Father
died in the MarylandUission, 18th July, 1714; aet. 51, soc. 30." A record of
the Mission says that he died at Newtown:
�6
Historical Papers.
Court time at the chapel of St. Mary's, but found that others
had formerly done so.
"Advised that this being the first complaint, the said Mr.
Hunter and Mr. Brooke be severely reprimanded, and told
that they must not expea any favor, but the utmost severity
of the law upon any misdemeanor by them committed ; and
being called in, his Excellency was pleased to give them
the following reprimand:
. " 'It is the unhappy temper of you and all your tribe to
grow insolent upon civility and never know how to use it,
and yet of all people you have the least reason for considering that if the necessary laws that are made were let loose
they are sufficient to crush you, and which (if your arrogant principles have not blinded you) you must need to
dread.
"'You might, methinks, be content to live quietly as you
may, and let the exercise of your superstitious vanities be
confined to-yourselves, without proclaiming them at public
times and in public places, unless you expea, by your gaudy
shows and serpentine policy, to amuse the multitude and
beguile the unthinking, weakest part of them, an aa of
deceit well known to be amongst you.
·"'But, gentlemen, be not deceived, for though the clemency of her Majesty's government and of her gracious inclinations, leads her to make all her subjects easy, that
know how to be so, yet her Majesty is not without means
to curb insolence, but more especially in your fraternity,
who-are more eminently than others abounding with it;
and I assure you the next occasion you give me you shall
find the truth of what I say, which you should now do,
but that I am willing, upon the earnest solicitations of some
gentlemen, to make one trial (and it -shall be but this one)
of your temper.
~· •·
" 'In plain and few words, gentlemen, if you intend to
live here, let me hear no more of these things; for if I do,
and they are made good against you, be assured I'll chastise you; and least you should flatter yourselves that the
severities of the laws will be a means to move the pity of
your Judges, I assure you I do not intend to deal with you
so. I'll remove the evil by sending you where you may be
dealt with as you deserve.
"'Therefore, as I told you, I'll make but this one trial,
and advise you to be civil and modest, for there is no other
way for you to live quietly here.
�Fatlzer George Hunter's Manuscn"pts.
7
" 'You are the first that have given any disturbance to
my government, and if it were not for the hopes of your
better demeanor, you should now be the first to feel the
effeEl:s of so doing. Pray take notice that I am an English
Protestant gentleman, and can never equivocate.'
"After which they were discharged. The members of
this board, taking under their consideration that such use
of the Popish chapel of the City of St. Mary's, in St. Mary's
County, where there is a Protestant Church, and the said
County Court is kept, is both scandalous and offensive to
the government, do advise and desire his Excellency the
Governor, to give immediate orders for the shutting up the
said Popish chapel, and that no person presume to make
use thereof under any pretence whatsoever.
"Whereupon it was ordered by his Excellency, the Governor, that present the Sheriff of St. Mary's County lock up
the said chapel and keep the key thereof."
The House of Delegates, on the 19th of September, 1704,
took into consideration the remarks of the Governor to the
two priests, and sent him the following address :
"By a paper read in the House, we perceive what your
Excellency was pleased to say to two Popish Priests, on the
occasion there mentioned, and, as all your aEl:ions, so this
in particular, gives us great satisfaEl:ion, to find you generously bent to proted her Majesty's Protestant subjeEl:s here
against insolence and growth of Popery, and we feel cheerfully thankful to you for it."
2.-FATHER GEORGE HUNTER'S MANUSCRIPTS.
A short account of the state and condition of the Roman Catholics in the Province of Maryland, co!!efled from autlzentic
copies of the provincia! records and otlzer undoubted testimonies.
The Province of Maryland was granted by Charter (2oth
of June, 1632) to Cecilius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, Roman Catholic. His laudable and pious zeal for the propagation of the Christian faith was one of the motives specified for granting him the said Charter. In pursuance of the
Charter, Cecilius, Lord Baltimore, caused declarations to be
�-s
Histon"cal Papers.
set forth, inviting all persons believing in Jesus Christ to
transport themselves into Maryland, then a wilderness inhabited by cruel and savage people, promising an equality
of freedom and favor and liberty of conscience to all so
transporting themselves and to their descendants, and further engaged to ratify his said declarations and promises by
a perpetual law.
In consequence of the said declaration and promises, in
the first session of Assembly held in the Province in 1640,
a perpetual ACl: passed, entitled An A[l Conceming Religion,
which confirmed the said declarations and promises concerning liberty of conscience. The same ACl: was again
reenacted in I650, and confirmed in 1656. And the Council
Records of 1657 have the following lines: "Lastly, Lord
Baltimon:,"-~tc.
In conformity to this passage, the Council
Records o(1648 testify that the oath of lieutenant or chief
governor of the Province of Maryland was to be in the following words: "And I do fitrther swear," etc. By the said
Records of the said year, it appears that the oath of a counsellor of state was as follows : "I do (urtlur swear," etc.
All which sufficiently evince the encouragement to Roman
Catholics to settle in the Province, and that the "ACl: concerning religion" was to be deemed an unalterable and fun- damental law.
In this posture affairs continued until the year 1689-90,
't when, in consequence of disturbances in that Province, their
Majesties, King William and Queen Mary, for reasons of
state, thought fit to take the government thereof into their
own hands. From that period of·-time, at greater or less
intervals, many severe laws were made against the Roman
Catholics residing in the Province; in particular, an AB:
passed oa. 3. 1704, for the banishment of every priest exercising any of his funB:ions in the province, and on the 9th
of December. in the same year, another ACl: passed for the
suspension of the former ACl: for eighteen months in regard
of such priests as exercised their funCl:ions in a private family only of the Roman Catholic communion; which AB:,
�Father George Hunter's Manuscn'pts.
9
in consequence of a report from the Lords Commissioners
of Trades and Plantations to the Council Board, was ordered to be continued for a longer period, until repealed by
her Majesty Queen Anne, in Council, when (Jan. 3, 1705-6)
she expressly ordered that Governor John Seymour, Her
Majesty's Governor in Maryland, should forthwith represent
to the Assembly there that the above Act for suspending
the prosecution of priests exercising their functions in a
private family, be continued by a new act without limitation
of time.
Notwithstanding this, on the 17th of July, 1716, an Act
passed declaring all incapable of holding or executing any
office without swearing unto and signing the Test Oath.
And the 28th of May, 1717, an Act passed to oblige all
persons to the above oath, in order to be qualified as voters
in the Eledions of Delegates. However contrary these
were to the above fundamental law, they patiently acquiesced
and submitted thereunto, whilst allowed the exercise of
their religion, though in a private manner, and not affected
in their property any other way than by subjecting them to
the payment of forty pounds of tobacco per poll (about
equivalent to three shillings sterling) to the Established
Clergy. In testimony of their peaceable behavior, when
about the year I740 a hint was given by the Upper House
some way reflecting on that body of people, the· Lo\ver ~~
House sent for answer, "that they were well assured that
the few of those people here amongst us had it neither in. '
their power nor inclination to disturb the peace or safety of
the Province."
In the year 1750 new troubles broke out, when pretended
grievances ran so high that in I75 I a bill passed the Lower
House for immediately putting in execution the Act of Parliament of the I I and I2 K. William III., ch. 4, by which
every priest convicted of exercising his functions is to suffer
perpetual imprisonment. Secondly, all persons educated in
or professing the Popish Religion, who shall not within six
VoL. x-No. I.
2
�10
Historical Papers:
months after they attain the age of eighteen, take the Oath
of Supremacy, and make the declaration in the 30th Car.
II., are disabled to inherit, etc. Bills more or less to the
same purpose were brought in each of the ensuing years,
and as often rejeCted by the Upper House. In order to
justify the conduCt of the Upper House, the Governor, on
the 15th of August, 1755, ordered circular letters to the ,
Magistrates of the several Counties to inquire of any foundation for the complaints of the misbehavior of persons of
the Roman Catholic persuasion. In consequence of the
answers to these letters, the Governor, in his speech of
April 23th, 1756, to the Lower House, when again disposed
to bring in fresh bills against the Roman Catholics, has the
following words: "The Magistrates assure me, that, after a
careful inguiry and scrutiny into the conduCt of the people
of the Rom ish faith, who ·reside among us, they have not
found that any of them have misbehaved, or given just
cause of offence."
But, notwithstanding all the above grounds to hope for
toleration, by an ACt of 'Assembly passed in May, 1756,
they were burthened with a tax the double of that of their
fellow-subjeCts, a thing never before praCtised in the Province, and, consequently, contrary to the Royal Orders to all
Governors of other Colonies, by which they are ordered
not to suffer to pass into execution any new law ajfefling
tlze property of tlze sul?J"efl.
As the above mentioned proceedi~gs tend to depopulating
that Colony, and give the reason for.. Queen Anne's ordering a prolongation of the above ACt of Suspension, they
also show the strong grounds the Roman Catholics have to
apprehend for themselves, or posterity, that they shall be
meantime violently expelled the country ; some are already
beginning to wind up their ·affairs, and many others, it is
feared, will follow their example if no spe~dy remedy be
applied.
It is, therefore, humbly prayed the double tax be not assented to, and that an order be given that no new Jaw hence-
�Father George Hunter's Manuscripts.
I I
forward touching the religion or property of the Roman
Catholic, uncommon to his fellow-subject, shall be passed
into execution without the previous express consent of the
Crown and Proprietor.
A slzort account of tlze proceedings of the Assembly of Maryland in regard to tlze Roman Catlzolics settled tlm·e, together
wit/z a justification of their condutl ; tlze wlzole proved from
autlzentic copies of t!te Provincial Records and other undoubted testimonies.
I.-The fundamental Law of the Country as to Religious
worship allows free exercise of Religion to all professing
to believe in Jesus Christ, and even imposes penalties on
such as shall molest any one on account of his religion,
believing as above. This law was enacted Anno I640, Vide,
L. I, pag. 5I. The same was reenacted Anno I650, and
confirmed Anno 1656, Vide, L. 2, pag. I7. Item, the
Council Records of I648 testi(v that the Governor, by his
oath, was to insure to the Roman Catholics the full enjoyment of all privileges common to their fellow-subjects,
Vide, L.J, pag. 5. The Counsellor's oath contains the same
in substance, Vzde, L. J, pag. 6. The oath of fidelity, ap~
pointed by an Act of I65o, to be taken by the inhabitants
of the Province, asserts the above liberty of conscience,
Ibid., pag. 7· Add to all these the Lord Proprietor's solemn promise never to give his assent to the repeal of the
above fundamental law, establishing the free exercise of
Religion to all believing in Jesus Christ, as witness the
Council Records of I657· Vide, L. J,pag. 3·
II.-The great objections at this time against the validity
of the above fundamental Law are the Penal Laws of England and the misbehavior of the Roman Catholics of Maryland. As to the first, the very House of Assembly implicitly, if not expressly, acknowledges the Penal laws do not
extend to their Province, as manifestly appears from their
voting in that House to have them passed by Bills brought
�12
Histon"cal Papers.
in for this purpose at each session for these six years past,
and in particular from the Preamble to the Bi\1 sent to the
Upper House, Anno I 7 5 I, Vide, L. 2, pag. I.
III.-As to the second objeCtion, of a\1 the many grievances laid to the charge of the Roman Catholics, and alleged in the several Memorials and Bi\ls of the Lower
House, in order to induce the two Houses to assent to the
introducing of the Penal Laws, no one hitherto upon examination ever proved to be weB-grounded or conformable
to truth; on the contrary, their conduCt has been clearly
justified as quite peaceable and irreproachable by the letters
of the several Magistrates from their respeCtive Counties to
the Governor, anno 1755, Vide, tlze autlzentic copies, L. 2,
pag. 7, 8, 9, IO, I I, I2, IJ.
IV.-The Roman Catholics are not only proved innocent
and inoffensive, but also zealous in the defence of their country against the common enemy. Witness their subscribing
more largely than others in proportion to their estates,
when the Governor, not able to obtain any fund of his
Lower House of Assembly, for the defence of the country
at a time the danger was very imminent and pressing, was
obliged to apply to the Gentlemen of the Council to hand
about subscription papers, in order to raise something for
th~t purpose by that means, Vide, the autlzentic copy o.f tlze
Address o.f the Roman Catholics to the Upper House o.f Assembly, L. 3, pag. 2I.
V.-The original maker or cause of all the repeated bills
against the Roman Catholics, an_d of the whole present
disturbance in that Province as t~- religious matters begun
Anno 1751 and still continued at this time, was a Roman
Catholic Legatee's demanding his legacy of a Protestant
executor, who, alleging he was incapable of refunding the
whole sum without distressing his family, proposed compounding the matter, offering for that end towards one half
of the sum due; b·ut the Roman Catholic legatee insisting
upon the whole sum, the executor then threatened going
upon the Penal Laws, Vide, Mr. Dulany's letter to the
�Fat/zer George Hunter's Manuscrz"pts.
13
Speaker o/ t/ze House, L. I, pag. 2, 3· In pursuance to the
above threat, the said executor prevailed shortly after to
have a Bill for the Penal Laws brought in and passed in
the Lower House of Assembly, Viae, the authentic copy o/
tlze Bill, L. 2, pag. I, 2. This Act succeeding, other Bills
have been brvught in to the same purpose every year since
that time, as the printed proceedings of the House publicly
testify.
VI.-The only grievance or complaint not yet justified
by public authority and authentic testimony is the late indictment of September last against James Beadnall, consisting of two articles : the first, his saying Mass in a private house; the second, his endeavoring to make a convert.
The answer to the first is that he was authorized so to do,
namely, to say Mass in a private house, by an express order of her Royal Majesty, Queen Anne, in 1706-7 sent to Mr.
Seymour, then Governor of Maryland; witness the original
in hand. As to the second, the fact is denied, namely, that
the above named James Beadnall ever treated with the person specified in the indictment on the subject of religion.
VII.-The consequences of these troubles are that they
create so great ·uneasiness and disgust in the Roman Catholics as to have already compelled some to leave the country to the great prejudice of that Province; to have set.
others on winding up their affairs, in order to quit it; anti
determined many more to retire, and look for peace and
quiet elsewhere, unless by the application of a speedy remedy they be allowed a peaceable possession of their lands
and goods where they are. It is, therefore, humbly prayed
immediate redress be granted, such as may securely prevent
the Assembly passing and executing some severe Law on
the body of Roman . Catholics, and t~us crushing and expelling them the country before they can have recourse
either unto the Crown or Proprietor; particularly, as the
order or nature of that Government is such as to put every
law immediately in execution when once passed in the
�14
Histoncal Papers.
Country before either Crown or Proprietor can be apprized
of what has been done.
frfany Penal Atls of Assembly passed against tlze people of
tlzat persuasion.
In particular, on the 26th of April, 1715, there passed an
Aa entitled, An Aa for repealing a clause of an Aa of
Assembly entitled, An Aa for Establishment of Religious
Worship in this Province. By this Aa, the oaths of abjuration and allegiance are ordered to be administered to all
persons before being admitted to any Office or place of
Trust. At the same time was passed an Aa for laying an
Imposition on all Irish Papist servants imported into the.
Province.
.!
On the t7th of July, 1716, passed an Aa entitled, An
Aa for the better security of the Peace and Safety of his
Lordship's Government and the Protestant Interest in the
Province, by which Aa all persons were declared incapable
of holding or executing any Office without swearing unto
and signing the Test Oath.
On the 28th of May, 1717, passed an Aa entitled, An
Aa for laying an additional duty of twenty shillings in
money on all Irish Servants being Papists. Item, at the
same -time passed an Aa entitled, A Supplementary Aa to
the Aa direaing the manner of eleaing and summoning
Delegates and Representatives to serve in succeeding Assemblies, etc. This Aa obliges all persons, in order to be
voters in the eleaions of Delegates;-to take the Test Oath,
and subscribe the declarations specified in the above Aa,
entitled, An Aa for the better security, etc., enaaed in
1716. At the same time, May 10, 1718, was passed a third
Aa entitled, An Aa to repeal a certain Aa of Assembly
entitled, An Aa to prevent the growth of Popery<1l within
the Province, enaaed the 5th of September, 1704. This
(IJThe number of Catholics in the Province in 1708 was 2,9i4, as appears
by the subjoined list, sent out by Governor Seymour:·
�Father George Hunter's Manuscripts.
IS
Act says the Act of 1704<1> is unnecessary, as bythe Act of
Parliament made in the r r th and I 2th of William the Third,
there is good provision made to prevent the growth of Popery, as well in this Province, as throughout all others his
Majesty's dominions. However, the Act of the I Ith and
12th is not thus put in force, but only erroneously supposed
so to be actually everywhere, both in Europe and America,
which error they seem expressly to acknowledge in the
preamble to the bill from the Lower House in 175 r, saying: "Whereas, some doubts may arise whetlzer tlze Ail entitled, An Ail to repeal a e-·crtai'n Ail of Assembly entitled,
An Ail to prevmt tlze growtlt of Popery, the Ail of Par!iammt made in tlze I ztlz and I 2tlz of King William is in force,
etc. Notwithstanding all the hardships and restraints the
Roman Catholics were laid under by these several Penal
Laws, contrary to the solemn promises made to their ancestors, which induced them to quit their native soil in order to settle that new Colony, and secure to their posterity
A list of the number of Papists inhabiting in the several Counties of this
Province, as taken by the respective sheriffs, Anno Domini 1708, viz: In
Anne Arundel County, 161; in Baltimore County, 53; in Calvert County,
48; iu Prince George's County, 248; in Charles County, 709; in St. l\Iary's
County, 1,238; in Cecil County, 49; in Kent County, 40; in Queen Anne's
County, li9; in Talbot County, 89; in Dorchester County, 79; in Somerset
County, 81; in all, 2,974." (London Public Record Office, l\Iaryland, n. T.,
Red, No.4., H .. p. 79). The whole population of the Province at this time
was over 40,000.
(ll "By its provisions, Section 1 provides a reward of £100 to any one who
shall 'apprehend and take' a Popish Bishop, Priest or Jesuit, and prosecute
him 'until convicted of saying J\Iass, or of exercising any other part of the
office or function of a Popish Bishop or Priest.' Section 3 inflicts perpetual
imprisonment on any Popish Bishop, Priest or Jesuit that shall say Mass or
exercise any function proper to such Bishop, Priest or Jesuit; or on any person professing the Catholic Religion who shall keep school, or educate, or
govern, or board any youth. Section 4: That if any Popish youth shall not,
within six months after he attains his majority, take certain oaths prescribed
(oaths inconsistent with the faith of Catholif's), he shall be incapable of taking lands by descent, and his next of kin, being a Protestant, shall succeed
to them; that any person professing the Catholic faith shall be incompetent
to purchase lands. Section 6: Any person send in~ his child abroad to be educated in the Catholic faith should forfeit £100." Letter of TVWiarn M. Addison upon Religious Toleration in America, p. 9/·,\""\''
.
. \
,"\
...,
....
''
'
.. '.,
~
•,
,'.·
\
\
~
'.
l
I
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�16
Hi.stoncal Papers.
a peaceable, quiet habitation, in the free exercise of their
religion at the expense of their lives and fortunes; they patiently submitted to all whilst allowed the exercise of their
religion and their properties not immediately touched,
though deprived of many means of advancing their fortunes common to their fellow-subjeCts.
In testimony _of this, their patient submission, peaceable
and quiet behavior, they sent to Englanq to his present
Majesty, on his accession to the throne, a congratulatory
address, in testimony of their fidelity and duty, enclosed in
an address to the late Proprietor of this Province. The
same they confirmed again a few years after in an address
to the late Proprietor on his arrival from England in his
own Province, to which he gave them the following answer:
"I thank )U?.U for the kind address, and cannot but be in a
particular manner pleased with the dutiful regard which you
express for his Majesty and the Royal Family, the continuance of which will always secure to you my favor and
proteCtion." This seems a sufficient conviCtion of their
satisfaCtory behavior, both in regard to the Crown, Governments and Country. In consequence hereunto, when
about the year 1740, a hint was given by the Upper House
some way refleCting on that body of people, the Lower
House sent back for answer: "They were well assured that
the few of those people here amongst us had it neither in
their Power nor Inclination to disturb the peace or safety
of the Province."
Therefore, as was natural from.-this assurance of their
peaceable dispo3itions, a calm of several years ensued; persons, though of different persuasions, universally agreeing
among themselves, all mutually concurred in aiming at the
daily improvement of their country, the increase of trade,
the accumulating of riches, and embellishment of their now
thriving Province; insomuch that it may with truth be said
never did the income to the Crown or Proprietor so sensibly
increase at any time in so short a space from the first settlement as during this happy period. This happiness, by a
�Father George Hunter's Manuscripts.
17
general concord and union, might have attended the country many years longer, had not a quarrel happened between
two private gentlemen, which, to the general surprise of all,
set the whole country in a flame, not yet extinguished.
This, in the year I750, took its rise and origin from a
trustee's demanding of his cotrustee an account of some
hundreds of pounds sterling, in favor of two legatees who
were then come of age. The cotrustee, conscious that the
principal had been lodged in his hands from the decease of
the testator, and that consequently both principal and interest must be refunded by him, after taking the advice of
a Counsellor, proposed by way of composition two or three
hundred pounds until he rise gradually to £420, to which
the trustee, answering that he insisted upon coming to a
fair account, and would take nothing less than the balance
due, tht: cotrustee replied he might stretch the string until
it broke, alluding, as his counsellor testified in his letter of
May 28, 175 I, to the Speaker of the Lower House of Assembly then sitting, to the Penal Laws, the two legatees
being reputed Papists and priests. Accordingly, in May,
175 I, a Bill was brought into the Lower House of Assembly (of which the cotrustee was then a member) for putting
immediately in execution the AB: of Parliament made in
I Ith and 12th of King William the Third, chap. 4, entitled,
An AB: for the further preventing of the growth of Popery,
which, after some debates, passed in the Lower House of
Assembly. Fresh bills containing Penal Laws were brought
in and passed every session in the Lower House of Assembly for the four ensuing years; all which tended to deprive
the Roman Catholics of their Religious and Civil RightsY)
1
< >In November, 1754, the citizens of Prince George's instructed their delegates to urge a law ''to dispossess the Jesuits of those landed estates which,
under them, became formidable to his l\Iajestv's good Protestant subjects of
this Province; to exclude Papists from places of trust and profit, and to pre·
vent them from sending their children to foreign Popish seminaries for edu·
cation, whereby the minds of youth are corrupted and alienated from his
Majesty's person and government." The Lower House of Assembly, on the
1st of July, 1755, urged the Governor "to issue his proclamation command-
VaL. x-No. r.
3
�18
Historical Papers.
During these threatening turbulent times, the Roman
Catholics preferred addresses to the different branches of
the Legislature; and the Upper House, convinced of their
innocence, and actuated by principles of justice, universally
rejected all Bills of that kind. In order, at the same time,
to give full satisfaction and justification for this procedure,
the Governor, with the advice of his Council, ordered (Aug.
15, 1755,) circular letters to the Magistrates of the several
Counties, to inquire of any foundation for the complaints
of the misbehavior of persons of the Roman Catholic persuasion, and to punish the authors of such reports if found
groundless. In answer to these, the Magistrates of St.
Mary's County, where the Roman Catholics were more numerous than in any other, say as follows: "We are not yet
informed \Vho have been the authors of those reports mentioned in~your Excellency's letter, which have been in some
places industriously spread; if we should discover them,
we should take proper measures for their being brought to
justice as enemies to their country's peace and friends to a
faction, who labor to foment animosity among us to the endangering our common security." The Magistrates of the
other counties universally agreed that they did not find any
ing all magistrates and other officers duly to execute the penal statutes
ngainst Roman Catholics within this province." The church-wardens of va·
rionsparishes adopted an order commanding "all persons not having lawful
excuse to re8ort to their parish chapel on every Sunday and other days, and
then and there to abide in decent manner during the time of Common Prayer,
Preaching, or other service of God." Scharf's !list. :Maryland, I, 475. A
number of the poor Acadians, ruthlessly torn from their homes and scat·
tered along the coast, arrived in five vessels nt ..Annapolis, on the 1st of De·
cember, 1755, in great destitution-in fact, they were dying of hunger. No
provision had been made for their support by the King, and the Provincial
authorities showed little inclination to relieve their pressing wants. But so
intense was the bigotry against their faith that the Council passed an order
to the justices to prohibit the Roman Catholic inhabitants of the Province to
lodge them. Those of them who remained in Baltimore fared better than
the others, and their spiritual wants were attended to by Father Ashton, who
celebrated Mass for them once a month, bringing with him from Doughoregan
~Ianor the vestments and vessels used in the service. Their little chapel,
the first Catholic Church in Baltimore, was an unfinished dwelling of Mr.
Edward Fottrell, "the first brick house in Baltimore with free-stone corners,
and the first which was two stories high without a hip-roof," which stood on
or near what is now the northwest corner of Fayette and Calvert streets.
�Fatlzer George 1-Iunter's Manuscripts.
19
sufficient grounds for the complaints made, insomuch that
the Governor, in his speech to the Lower House of Assembly, April 24, 1756, expressly says: "The Magistrates assure me, that, after a careful inquiry and scrutiny into the
conduct of the people of the Romish faith, who reside
among us, they have not found that any of them have misbehaved, or given just cause of offence." As, thus, their innocence is evidently proved by irrefragable evidences, so their
zeal also for the welfare of their country has its proper and
sufficient vouchers. Witness, in particular, their behavior
when, after the unhappy defeat of General Braddock, the
inhabitants of the frontiers of the country lay utterly open
to the enemy, and no provision was made for their protection by the Legislature, a subscription was set on foot to
enable the Governor to erect block-houses and keep garrisons in those parts. In their address to the Upper House
of Assembly in 1756, whilst the fact was yet fresh and recent, and consequently well known to many particulars,
they express themselves on this head in the following
terms: "The Roman Catholics were not the men who opposed this subscription; on the contrary, they countenanced
it, they promoted it, they subscribed generously, and paid
their subscriptions honorably, and if our numbers are compared with the number of our Protestant fellow-subjects,
and the sum paid on this occasion by the Roman Catholics
be compared with the sum total collected, it may be said
the Roman Catholics contributed prodigiously beyond their
proportion to an aid so seasonable and necessary."
However well the Roman Catholics are thus proved to
have been established by a fundamental law, frequently confirmed with repeated assurances it should never be broke
through, however innocent and inoffensive subjects they
are attested to have been from their very first settlement,
however zealous for the welfare, and industrious for. the
improvement of their country, they are, notwithstanding,
pointed out as .enemies by an imposition of double taxes
and yearly threatened with the passing of such Penal Laws
�20
Histonca! Papers.
as would necessarily compel them to retire out of the
country.
The lively and too well-grounded dread and apprehension of being compelled one day suddenly to retire out of
the country, arising from repeated attempts of the above
kinds; from Aets for double taxes, of which sort a second
Aet, as we are informed, was in debate in November last;
from the yearly voting Penal Bills in the Assembly, and
from the nature of the Government, which is such that every
Aet, so soon as signed by the Governor, passes immediately
into execution without time being allowed to apply home
for redress either to the Crown or Proprietor, has already
determined some by way of precaution to look out immediately for settlements in other Provinces,< 1> and caused others
to come~t~ a resolution of following their example, if no
immediate" redress be granted, lest by some Penal ACt: of
Assembly they be obliged to retire on a sudden with great
loss in their effeCts to themselves and .families.
It is, therefore, humbly prayed that the law which imposes a penalty or pu.nishment of double taxes may be repealed and discontinued, and that such an order be given
(1) Some thirty years before this time, and for similar reasons, a number of
Catholic gentlemen had conceived the plan of emigrating to the territory belon~ng to France. Charles Carroll and his brother James were at the head
of the movement, and among those who intended to join it we find the names
of Henry Darnall, Henry Darnall, Jr., William Diggs, John Diggs, Benjamin
Hall, Clement Hall, William Fitz Redmond, Henry Wharton, Charles Diggs,
Peter Attwood (S. J.), )lajor Nicholas Sewell and Richard Bennett. Charles
Carroll had been Lord Baltimore's chief agent to collect all his dues and
revenues in the Province, and when Lord~Baltimore was deprived of his
government, on account of religion, upon the accession of "William and Mary,
Carroll and all others who held prominent positions under the Proprietary,
were, at the same time, displaced. The fifth Lord Baltimore recovered his
rights by conforming to the Established Church, and reinstated those who
had been deprived of their offices on account of religion. John Hart, Gov·
ernor from 1713 to 1720, under whose administration the severest proscriptive
meas\lres against Catholics had been passed, protested most vigorously against
the "restoration of the Papists to their former pretended privileges." Charles
Carroll, during a visit to his son in France, applied to the French Government for a grant of land on the Arkansas River, but the extent of the tract
demanded startled the minister as 1\Ir. Carroll pointed· it out on the mup.
lie considered it too vast to be given tu a subject., and ::IIr. Carroll was
obliged to return without having gained the concession. Scharf's History of
Maryland, I, 390, 391.
�lndiflment
of Fatlter Beadnall.
21
as that they may be assured they shall not at any time be
molested or affected by any law touching their Religion or
Property uncommon to their fellow-subjects, without the
previous and express consent (as is usually ordered to new
Governors of other Colonies) of the Crown and Proprietor,
to whose justice and clemency they humbly recommend
themselves and their posterity.
This is the humble petition of the Roman Catholic gentlemen, merchants, planters and others, Inhabitants of the
Province of Maryland, as a necessary encouragement to the
people of that persuasion to continue to cultivate and improve that Province. They, on assurances of this sort,
contributed chiefly to the first settling of it, and to the
bringing of it to that flourishing condition in which we now
behold it under your Lordship's wise government and administration.
3.-INDICTI\IENT OF FATHER JAMES BEADNALL. (l)
After the breaking up of the above Sessions, on the 22d
of May, 1756, in which the double tax was passed and
a Bill for many Penal Laws was brought into the Assembly
House, though not passed, a new expedient was tried
against the Roman Catholics, whereby what could not be
brought to pass in the Assembly, might have a chance to
be effected in a Provincial or County Court, and thus by
their decision have that in some sense declared to be a just
and standing law, which the Assembly could not be prevailed on to declare, or any ways to look upon as such.
Two writs were issued out for the arresting of a reputed
priest, who, by virtue thereof, was taken by the Sheriff of
Queen Anne County, on the 22d of September, 1756, and
obliged to give bail for his appearance at the Provincial
Court, to be held at Annapolis on the 19th of October following, under the penalty of £1,500 forfeiture. He ap(IJ "James Beadnall (or Breadnall), born 8th April, 1718; admitted at the
age of 21 ; enrolled among the Professed Fathers eighteen years later; died in
the Maryland Mission, 9th April, 1772."-0LIVER.
�22
Histoncal Papers.
peared accordingly on the day prefixed, when two indictments were exhibited against him; the first of which was
for celebrating Mass in private houses; the second, for endeavoring to bring over a non-juror person to the Romish
persuasion. But his trial was put off till the assizes in Talbot County, where, on the 16th of April, 1757, he was tried
and acquitted; from the first, as allowed (I) so to do by an
order issued by her Majesty, Queen Anne. dated at Whitehall, Jan. 3, 1705-6; from the other,< 2> as no sufficient evi(I) Out of this privilege grew the custom of establishing private chapels,
under the same roof, and connected with the uwdling of some Catholic fum·
ily, as in the olu residence of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, at Annapolis,
and Doughoregan )lanor, Howard County. A sd of olu manuscript sermons
in our possession, extending as fur back as 1/:?ti, shows the prevalence of this
custom, as many, of the sermons, besides bearing the date, give also the place·
of their delivery, which in the greater number of cases was some private res·
idence. It was 'Probably for the same reason that such retired positions as
Newtown, St. Thomas' and ""hitemarsh, were selected as sites fur churches
instead of the County seats; chapels thus situated, built on the land and adjoining the dwelling of the missionary, were regarded by the law as private
property, which he allowed to be used for religious services.
<'>The amount of bail uemanued shows how serious a crime and misde·
meanor it was either to celebrate )lass, or to make a convert. Father 'Vil·
liam Hunter, who was reprimanded by Governor Seymour for the first of
these offences, seems to have been conspicuously guilty of the other also as
shown by the following account taken from Scharf's History of )lurylund,
I, 364:
.
In 1696-i a terrible pestilence made its appearance among the people of the
lower Counties. ""hatever faults may have been alleged against the Cuth·
otic clergy, they have never been charged with shrinking fi·om their unties in
times of peril; and while the disease was raging they went from house to
house, helping the sick and administering the consolations and last offices of
their faith to the dying. This conduct was .~ot unnoticed by the Lower
House, who made it the subject of the following u1essuge to the Governor:
''Upon reading a certain letter from a reverend minister of the Church of
England, which your Excellency was pleased to communicate to us, com·
plainiug to your Excellency that the Popish Priests in Charles County do, of
their own accord, in this raging anu violent mortality in that county, make
it their businese to go up and down the county, to persons' houses when dy·
ing and frantic, anu endeavor to seduce anu make proselytes of them, and in
such condition boldly presume to administer the Sacrament to them; we have
put it to the vote in the House if a law should be maue to restrain such their
presumption or not; anu have concluded to make no such law at present, but
humbly intreat your Excellency that you would be pleased to issue your
proclamation to restrain and prohibit such their extravagance and presump·
tuous behavior."
�lndiflment
if Fat/zer Beadnall.
dence was brought against him, the jury bringing in as their
verdiCt: to each,-lgJtoramus.
About the latter end of the year 1756, a deposition was
given in against another reputed priest, by one from the
French army, taken up at Fort Cumberland, as supposed
to be a spy from the enemy, who, though a native of one of
these kingdoms, having been picked up by a party of French
or their allies, the Indians, had engaged in the French service at Fort Du Quesne. This prisoner had sworn that the
above priest had kept a correspondence by letters with the
French, that he had been up the country amongst them,
and that some certain laymen Roman Catholics, whom he
named, had in concert with the priest signified to the French,
they would second them in all their attempts against the
country. In consequence hereunto, the priest was taken
into the Sheriff's custody, in order to be tried at the ensuing assizes, to be held at Annapolis in February, 1757. On
the day appointed for the trial, the prisoner being sworn,
one of the above laymen was called upon, and the deponent
questioned concerning him. First, did he know that person ; to which he replied that he did, and that it was the
priest. Secondly, where had he seen him; to which he
answered, he had seen him in Baltimore County, had been
present when he celebrated Mass, and had carried letters
for him up to the French. As the priest was well known
to the Governor and Council before whom the prisoner was
examined, an end was soon put to all further inquiry concerning this person; and one, two or more of the laymen
accused were ordered into Court, in regard to whom the
prisoner swore much to the same effeCt: as he had done in
A short time later the Upper House think it necessary to bring a specific
offender to the Governor's notice, in these terms:
"It being represented to this board that William Hunter, a Popish priest in
Charles county, committed divers enormities in dissuading several persons,
especially poor, ignorant people of the Church of England, from their fidth,
and endeavoring to draw them to the Popish faith, consultetl and debated
whether it rnay not he advisable that the said Hunter be wholly silcnPed unci
not suffered to preach or say Mass in any part of this Pro~·inee, and thereupon
it is thought advisable that the whole be left to his Excellency's judgment, to
silence him or not, as his demerits require."
�24
Historical Papers.
his deposition, but appeared equally defeCl:ive in his knowledge of their persons against whom he had sworn in his deposition as personally known to him, whereas upon trial he
erred in most of their persons. In the last place, the priest
was called upon, concerning whom the deponent was asked
if he knew him; to which question he answered that he
knew him not, and that he had never seen him in his life.
Upon which the priest, together with the others, was acquitted, and the prisoner, after being confined some time,
was then sent to Lord Loudon, as falling under his discretion in quality of a deserter.
The preceding paper is also from the pen of Fr. George
Hunter. The name of the priest is not given against whom
the charge-·was made of corresponding with the 'French,
and whose ..accuser was brought to grief after the manner of
the Arian woman in the case of St. Athanasius. This unfounded suspicion of Catholic loyalty was not confined to
Maryland. It appears in the legislation of all the colonies ;
intolerance was so proscriptive in New England, New
York and the four southernmost of the thirteen original
States, that practically catholicity did not exist within their
borders at the time of the events just narrated. Over and
over again the charge had been made against the Catholics
of Maryland by the Virginia officials of an intention to
bring down the enemy upon the back settlements of that
Province. And in Pennsylvania, !he only other colony
besides Maryland in which Catholics were found in any
number at the period of the French and Indian War, the
same groundless suspicion existed. We subjoin a communication from a writer in the Cat!tolic Mirror of Baltimore,
in regard to the treatment of Catholics in Pennsylvania at
the period when Father Hunter's papers were written:
�Treatment of Catholics m Pennsylvania zn I757·
25
HOW CATHOLICS WERE TREATED IN PENNSYLVANIA IN OLDEN
TIMES.
No doubt in theory at least, and, it is not to be denied,
partially, if no more, in practice, Catholics were allowed
the performance of their religious worship. It was well to
keep it out of sight, however; and at no time in early provincial days \Vas there a hearty acquiescence in the allowance. In a letter from Governor Morris to Governor Hardy,
of New York, under date of the 5th of July, 1756, the former writes that "the Roman Catholics in this and the neighboring province of Maryland are allowed the free exercise
of their religion." Hardy, replying, on the 9th of July,
commenting upon the French war, thinks that certain facts
regarding the colonists had transpired "through the treasonable correspondence of Roman Catholics with the French,"
and quite naively observes, "I have heard you have an ingenious Jesuit in Philadelphia," probably referring to poor
Father Harding, In those days the few Catholics in Philadelphia were worshipping in Willing's alley, in old St. Joseph's Church, now so enclosed in the growth of the city
that few strangers can find it. No doubt divine service
was fairly allowed in 1756.
There seems to have been a strange fear that Catholics
were, of necessity, traitors to the country. One result of
this fear was the taking of a census of the faithful, which
can be found it the Pennsylvania Archives, vol. III., and, as
it is of curious interest, I give it here in full:
A list of all the Roman Catlzolics in Pennsylvania, I757·
(That is of all such as receive the Sacraments, beginning
from 12 years of age, or thereabouts).
VoL. x-No.
1.
4
�26
Historiea! Papers.
JJien. Women.
Under the care of Robert Harding-In and about Philadelphia,
being all Irish (or English) .
In Chester County
Under the care of Theodore Schneider-In and about Philadelphia (all Germans)
Philadelphia Co., but up country
Berks County
Northampton County .
Irish
Bucks County
Chester County
"
Irish
Under the care of Ferdinand Farmer-In Lancaster County,
Germans
In Lancaster County, Irish
Berks County, Germans
Irish
Chester Cou~ty, Irish .
" .\ Germans
Cumberland· County, Irish
Under the care of Matthias Manners-In York County, Germans
In York County, Irish
72
18
iS
22
107
15
62
68
17
14
13
9
121
10
55
62
12
12
9
6
108
22
41
5
23
3
6
94
27
39
3
17 ·
0
6
54
35
62
38
692
673
A most formidable showing, and well calculated to inspire a salutary dread of unknown and terrible deeds !
Perhaps some may fancy that this census does not necessariJy indicate a fear of what Roman Catholics might do,
but simply gathered as historical data, as it were. To such
I recommend a study of the following provisions of "An
Act for regulating the Militia," passed by the Provincial
Assembly 29th of March, 1757, the·s~me year. I give only
those sections referring to "Papists," and omitting much
of the involved phraseology of the past century, but not so
omitting as to make a case against the Province:
"And be it. enacted by the authority aforesaid, that all
arms, military acoutrements, gunpowder and ammunition,
of what kind soever, any Papist, or reputed Papist, within
this Province, hath or shall have in his house or houses, or
elsewhere, one month after the publication of this Act, shall
be taken from such Papist, or reputed Papist, by warrant,
�Treat;nent of Cat/zolics in Pennsylvania in I757·
27
etc., etc.; and if such Papist ... shall attempt to conceal
such arms, etc., etc., ... any such person so offending shall
be imprisoned by a warrant from said justices for the space
of three months, without bail or mainprize."
''And, whereas all Papists and reputed Papists, are hereby
exempted from attending and performing the military duties
enjoined by this Act; ... and, nevertheless, will partake of
and enjoy the benefit ... thereof.... Be it enacted ... that
every male Papist ... between the age of seventeen and
fifty-five years ... pay the sum of twenty shillings."
From 1757 to 1776 was how many years? My arithmetic makes it just nineteen. Almost time sufficient for the
baby in arms, who was not old enough to go to the Sacraments, being not "twelve or thereabouts," to have but a dim
remembrance, if any, as he took "arms and accoutrements,"
for his country, that his' father or grandfather was not allowed a squirrel-gun to go a-shooting!
But there were Catholics in those days who did remember this law, and the consequent numbering of their people
to enable it to be carried out. Not with bitterness, perhaps.
Certainly, George Meade, the grandfather, and Garrett
Meade, the great-uncle of General Meade (who bore "arms
and accoutrements" on a certain day at Gettysburg, in the
whilom Province of Pennsylvania)-certainly tltey did not
remember it with bitterness when they gave royally of their
substance to help defeat the enemy and secure the independence of their country.
Nor did Thomas Fitzsimmons, when the people who had
helped to frame this law sent him to the Continental Congress, remember it with bitterness, as he signed the Constitution of the United States as a member from the whilom
Province of Pennsylvania.
Penn may have had liberal sentiments in regard to the
free exercise of Religion, but, if so, he was a coward when
he wrote those letters, the quotation of which has inspired
this communication. Pennsylvania may have been liberally
disposed towards Roman Catholics, but her acts belied· her
�The First Church in California.
disposition. She has more than 1,365 Catholics within her·
borders to-day, and her people perform military duty creditably, whether Protestant or CatholiC, and it is well-but
apologies for the past and explanations are useless. Let
the dead past bury its dead. Pennsylvania is a grand old
commonwealth now, and ready enough to acknowledge
what she owes in the past to her Catholics, and ready to
trust them in the future.
THE FIRST CHURCH BUILT IN CALIFORNIA.
SKETCH OF,THE LIFE AND LABORS OF FATHER SALVATIERRA,
-~
THE APOSTLE OF CALIFORNIA.
Giovanni Maria Salvatierra was born in Milan in the year
1644. After finishing his studies in the Seminary of Parma,
he entered the Society of Jesus. From the first, it would
seem, he had intended to give himself to foreign missions.
"God had inspired him," the historian tells us, "with a burning desire to spend his life in the conversion of the heathen ;
and this desire was of so long standing, so constant and so
str<~ng, as jn the end to make him leave forever his native
country." After much earnest petitioning, he at length obtained, in 1675, the leave of his superiors to go to Mexico.
Here he spent four years study in theology, after which he
was ordained priest, and took his ~?st vows in 1680.
He was now thirty-six years old: robust in body, used
to hard work, an accomplished scholar, and withal zealous,
prudent and humble. His superiors recognized in the young
priest all the marks of a great apostle, and entrusted to
his care two newly-converted nations of the Sierra Madre
Missions, the Guazaparis and the Ismoris. It was universally felt to be a very trying post, but Father Salvatierra
succeeded beyond all expeCtation and quickly won and long
kept the love and confidence of that fickle and suspicious
�T!te First Church zn California.
people. Nor did he stop here. His zeal extended beyond
his immediate charge. Before a year had passed, he had
converted and baptized the greater part of two neighboring
tribes, and established the new mission of Terocavi. In
1684, the Provincial, Louis de Castro, appointed him Rector
of one of the colleges in Mexico, but the grief of his neophytes at the thought of losing him was so great, and their
pleadings to have him remain with them so urgent, that de
Castro was obliged to yield to them. It was about this
time that, in order to reach some heathen tribes in the
mountains, he accomplished the famous passage of the Hurich, a deep and thickly-\\looded ravine, which up to that
time had been considered impenetrable. The adventures
and fruits of this journey are related by himself in a letter
to the Provincial.
In 1685, one of the northern tribes revolted, and the disaffection spreading rapidly, the whole country was soon in
a state of rebellion. Several missionaries were murdered,
and their missions plundered. But during the whole time
this disturbance lasted, the tribes under Father Salvatierra's
charge, though by nature the most disposed to give trouble,
remained faithful to him, and took no part in the revolt.
At last, in 16go, it was felt that the Father's word was of
more avail with the Indians than the efforts of whole Spanish armies, and he was appointed Visitor-General of the
Missions. Persuaded that many of the tribes continued in
rebellion, rather through fear than malice, he went alone,
armed only with his crucifix, into the most disturbed parts
of the country, preaching peace and pardon. The event
wasjust what he had anticipated. He was everywhere received with love and welcome, and before long most of the
tribes had laid down their arms. After thus allaying with
a few gentle words a rising which threatened to shake the
very foundations of Spanish rule in Mexico, Father Salvatierra in discharge of his office as Visitor, arrived at the
Mission of Pimeria in 1691. Here he met Father Francis
Kino, well known over New Spain as an experienced mis-
�The First Church in Calzfonzia.
siomi.ry and a great and good man. This meeting was the
turning point in Salvatierra's life. From that date forth he
was the Apostle of California.
Father Kino was one of the three missionaries who had
accompanied Admiral Otondo in his expedition to California in 1683. He had spent two years in California, and in
that time had learned so much of the charaCter of the natives as to feel convinced that, in spite of their many shortcomings, there was in them the stuff of which good Christians might be made. He had desired to remain among
them, but was not permitted by Otondo, who was persuaded
that the colonization of that pa~t of America was impracticable. The expedition returned to Mexico in I685, and
on the strength of Otondo's representations, the Govern~
ment declared that all attempts at the conquest of California must prove vain, and forbade any further efforts in that
direCtion.
Six years had elapsed since that time, but the desire to
help the poor Californians was still strong in Father Kino's
heart. He was himself old and feeble, and felt that he was
unfit .for so great an enterprise; but this only served to
make him the more earnest in striving to enkindle in the
breasts of younger and stronger men the fire that consumed
his own. But his zeal had so far proved ineffeCtual. He
could nowhere find a spirit kindred to his own, so generous, so self-sacrificing, so brave; or, to speak clearer, he
had not yet found the man destined and prepared by God
for this great apostolate.
Noble natures are not slow to reco-gnize one another. The
two missionaries had not spoken together for an hour
when Father Kino felt he had at last met the man of whom
he had been so long in search. Next day he invited Father
Salvatierra to walk with him up to the highest of the range
of hills near the Mission, from the top of which might be
seen across the Gulf of California-or, as it was then called,
Cortez's Red Sea-the blue coast line of the Peninsula of
California. Here he set forth to the future apostle, with all
�The First Churclt in California.
31
the eloquence of burning zeal, his long cherished desires
and plans, and on his knees besought him, in God's name,
to undertake the conversion of these poor, abandoned
heathens. Nothing could have better suited the great soul
of Father Salvatierra. The very difficulties which had
proved too much for the courage of Cortez and the wealth
of Spain, only made him the more eager to confront them.
Besides, he heard within his breast the whisperings of the
still small voice, telling him that this was the vocation of
his life, the end and glorious crown of all his labors. He
pledged himself to Father Kino to work for California
from that moment forth, and to leave nothing untried to obtain the permission and means necessary for carrying out
his design. Then the Fathers parted. Father Kino retired
to his everyday missionary life. Salvatierra went forth to
meet an opposition before which a spirit less truly apostolic
than his must soon have yielded.
He wrote at once to the Provincial, telling him of the
desires God had inspired him with of undertaking the evangelization of California, and of the confidence he felt of his
ultimate success, and begging to be allowed to start immediately. The Provincial answered that it was impossible to
grant the leave he asked, seeing the Government had decreed that no new attempt should be made to enter California, but that he was free to apply to higher authorities,
ecclesiastical and civil, and get what concessions he cou.ld
from them.
For the following two years, the moments of leisure he
could snatch from his duties as Visitor of the College of
Guadalajara, to which post he was at this time appointed,
were spent in writing to different influential public men,
his personal friends, entreating them to use their power
with the Viceroy to permit him to undertake a new expedition to California. But all was in vain. The previous
attempts at the conquest of California had cost the Government a great deal of money, and people were not disposed
to risk any further expense in an enterprise which their
worldly wisdom considered to be hopeless.
�32
The First Clzurclz zn California.
Father Salvatierra naturally enough was disappointed,
but yet he was not discouraged. In 1693, he wrote to his
countryman, Father Zappa: "This fire is still strong within
me; it contrives one way or another to burst forth at times.
Mexico does not heed it, but it will make itself felt at Madrid and Rome. W auld that I could speak to your Reverence for half an hour of what I hold to be the injustice
done to California."
His zeal did make itself felt at Madrid and Rome soon
afterwards, but to little purpose. The General of the Society and the King of Spain showed as little inclination to
yield to his request as the Viceroy and the Provincial.
All this time, it is said of him, that he appeared to be
able to thjnk and speak of nothing but California; his
whole sou}.was engrossed with one great idea. It is a trial
which only choice spirits are called upon to undergo, to
feel themselves urged on by the voice of God, speaking
within their conscience to undertake some great enterprise
for His glory ; and on the other hand, to see themselves
held back by the word of obedience, which, for them, is
equally the word of God. Salvatierra's was such a choice
soul, and through all the long-continued trial, we know not
which to admire most in his character-the obedient religious or the zealous apostle.
Notwithstanding the universal opposition of inferior and
superior powers, Father Salvatierra still labored on in the
dark, vainly, as it seemed, hoping ,against hope, till 1696,
when the prospeCt began to brighten a little. In the beginning of the year D. Jose Sarmiento was made Viceroy, and
Father Juan De Palacids, provincial. Both were personal
friends of Salvatierra, and both had many times expressed
their admiration of his zeal, and their sympathy with his
projeCt. The good Father, encouraged by the hopeful turn
of affairs, lost no time in setting his scheme before the new
authorities, and begging them to remove the obstacles in
the way of its fulfilment. But as very often happens, these
two worthy men, now that they were raised to the high
�Tlte First Clmrc!t in California.
33
chair of responsible authority, began to see everything in a
new light. It would not look well, they said, to set aside
hastily, the well-weighed decrees of those who had gone
before them ; and, in faCt:, now. that they considered the
matter in all its bearings, an expedition to California was
for the present imprudent and rash ; in a word, impossible.
Thus, for the hundredth time, success frowned on his exertions. Instead of being sent to California he was made
Master of Novices and Reetor of the College of Tpotzotlan. Here he turned himself to God with renewed fervor,
and with sighs and tears prayed the sovereign Lord and
disposer of all things, in whose hands are the hearts of
kings and all rulers, that His holy will might be done on
earth as it is in heaven. "For," said he, "it is God's will,
and God, I am persuaded, will sooner or later give the
means of accomplishing it."
God was not deaf to the prayers of his servant. A few
months after, a simple incident occurred that turned the tide
in his favor, and opened the long-closed gate to his apostolic zeal. Father Placids had come to visit the College of
Tpotzotlan, and while there fell suddenly very sick. Medical skill failed to help him, and in his last extremity, he
begged Father Salvatierra and his novices to pray for him.
The Father, with childlike faith and frankness, said he
would pray for him and obtain his cure, if he promised to
favor the expedition to California. The promise was made.
Father Salvatierra and his novices began their prayers, and
in a short time the provincial was quite restored. He immediately returned to Mexico, determined to do all in his
power in fulfilment of his promise. After much begging,
and beseeching, and explaining, he obtained leave for the
expedition, but only with the understanding that Father
Salvatierra should himself provide all that was necessary,
and that no help should be expeCted from the Royal treasury. Father Salvatierra's joy at hearing the good news
was great. He at once set about to colleCt: among his
friends the means necessary for fitting out the expedition.
VoL. x-No.
1.
5
�34
The First Uzurclt ill Calzfornia.
In a few days he had gathered $q,ooo. Of those who contributed we can mention here only D. Alonzo Davalos and
D. Fernandez de la Cruz. These noblemen were among
the first to come forward to assist Father Salvatierra, each
giving $1,000. D. Pedro de la Sierpe lent for the voyage a
small merchant vessel, and D. Juan Ocio promised to pay
all bills to which Father Salvatierra's signature should be
affixed. Thus in a little time all was ready. Then the Viceroy's official permission came couched in a long, carefullyworded document, in which it was set forth that Salvatierra
was empowered to take possession of California in the name
of the King, to establish the new government and make
all needful laws, and finally that he might take some of
the King's soldiers with him, provided he was ready to pay,
them. The vessel that was to convey the new expedition
was to start.from Acapulco. Salvatierra thought it better
to go by land to the port of Yaqui, in order that he might
have an opportunity of visiting and blessing for the last
time his dear Indians of the Sierra Madre. At last, on the
10th of oaober, the Father and his little band of followers
embarked. They were nine in all, Father Salvatierra, five
Spanish soldiers, and.three native Californians, converts of
Father Kino, whom he had brought to Mexico twelve
years before.
On the 19th of oaober, 1697, the vessel cast anchor in
the Bay of San Dionigio. It was the season of the year
still called the "Indian Summer." All the country round
was bright and beautiful, covered wjth large green-leaved
trees and flowering herbage; and a 'little silver stream that
sported over the grassy plain hard by the invaders' feet,
tossed its sparkling waves noisily into the Bay. It seemed
as if nature had made California a very Land of Promise ;
and now the new Joshua was come, who should establish
the empire of grace and win over and lift up the hearts of
its inhabitants to the love and worship of nature's God.
They had hardly landed when several Indians, about fifty,
the chronicler says, came running up, and with many signs
�The First Clmrch in California.
35
of joy and welcome threw themselves on their knees before
the Father, reverently kissing his crucifix and the image of
our Lady which he carried in his hand. Fr. Salvatierra,
who had learned some phrases of their language from the
books of Father Copart (one of those who had accompanied Otondo's expedition), spoke kindly to them and blessed
them, and gathered from their answers that they had
learned many of the truths of Christianity from Father
Kino. After giving them some food, and making them
promise to return next day with others of their nation, he
dismissed them. He and his companions then set about to
choose a fitting site for their dwelling. They pitched upon
an open grassy space on the right bank of the stream,
which they fenced in with a strong wooden paling. Hither
they transported their cargo, consisting mainly of some
sacks of maize, a few sheep and goats and one horse; it was
harmless and insignificant enough, but a little later on, as we
shall see presently, it came near to bringing about the ruin
of the whole colony. In the centre of the enclosure was
erected a great cross crowned with flowers, and near by a
chapel of our Lady of Loretto, whom Father Salvatierra
had taken for patron of California, and after whom he
named this his first Mission. Then as the evening drew on,
the little band on their knees around the cross sang a Te
Deum of thanks, and took formal possession of the Peninsula. And this, the Conquest of California, so often during
the preceding two hundred years in vain attempted by ambitious and daring adventurers, from Cortez to Otondo, was
effected by one man to whom all resources were wanting,
and who was strong only through the strength of God, his
Master, whose wont it is to make use of the weak things of
the world to confound the mighty.
Father Salvatierra, with the little knowledge of the California language he possessed, was soon able to make himself understood by the natives who came every day to hear
his instructions. They were drawn at first, perhaps, as much
by the comfortable meal of pozzoli or maize-porridge that
�Tlze First Clmrclt in California.
was regularly served out to them after the instruCtion, as
by the instruction itself. Indeed many days had not
passed before they showed in a rather unpleasant fashion
their decided preference for the maize-porridge. They had
already carried off the horse and most of the sheep and
goats, but the Father shut his eyes to the theft, hoping
by patiently putting up with a small loss to be able to re;~p
a greater advantage. But the Indians began to think that
one meal of porridge a day was too little, and that as they
had beeen able to make away with the sheep and goat, they
might as well do the same with the sacks of maize. Accordingly, they made a plan that four whole tribes should
attack the Mission at different points, kill the Spaniards and
thus get po~session of the maize. The I 3th of November
was the dar. appointed for the attack. On that day about
noon five hundred Indians surrounded the Spanish camp.
Father Salvatierra tried to parley with them, but they answered with a shower of arrows. The case was desperate.
The Father begged the soldiers to do what they could to
frighten the Indians, but if possible to avoid the necessity
to kill any of them. There was one piece of cannon in the
camp. This was loaded and discharged into the air over
the Indians. But instead of frightening them, it only made
them more bold. For, said they, if the large gun is not
able to hurt us, we have nothing to fear from the small
ones. They advanced, therefore, nearer to the camp, and
almost overwhelmed the soldiers wjth stones and arrows.
Two or three of the Spaniards being·\\lounded, and seeing no
other means of saving themselves, fired upon the Indians.
The effeCt was instantaneous. After the first volley the Indians fled; and the infant colony was saved.
What we might call the heroic period of Father Salvatierra's life may now be said to have ended. We meet no
more violent opposition to his great work, no more extraordinary trials and sufferings, to place his great virtues in
a stronger light. To one unenlightened by faith, his after
life would seem to be made up of petty failures and sue-
�Tlze First C/mrclt in California.
37
cesses, whose mere recital could not possibly be of interest
to any one. The constancy and endurance of his brethren
on the Missions of Canada have won glowing eulogies even
from the cold and unwilling lips of New England Puritans.
The names of Marquette, Lallemant, Brcbceuf, and Jogues
are household words. And no wonder. There is something almost angelic in the patience of "the gentle Lallem:!nt" as he is slowly tortured to death by yelling savages.
The fortitude of Brebceuf is seen to greatest advantage as
he chants the praises of God whilst his limbs are torn off
one by one.
In the life of Father Salvatierra we have no such sublime
piB:ure to offer. All is singularly tame and prosaic, if indeed anything done purely for God and the salvation of
souls can be prosaic.
After the faB:s told above, Father Salvatierra went on
with his usual missionary work, and he soon had the happiness of receiving a chief and his family into the Church.
Before long his friend and fellow-laborer, Father Francis
Piccolo arrived. Strengthened by the presence of this good
priest, Father Salvatierra, in order to give a permanency to
his work, as well as to guard against any other attack on
the part of the natives, began some buildings of a more
substantial kind than those hitherto ereB:ed. They formed
a trench and palisade round the camp, and built little huts
to serve as dwellings for themselves. The tent, which up
to this had served as a chapel, they replaced by a small
building of clay and storie with a thatched roof. The Fathers spared no pains to beautify their little chapel, and on
Christmas Day had the happiness of dedicating it to God
in honor of the Blessed Virgin.
Thus on Christmas Day, r697, was the first temple of the
true God consecrated on Californian soil. Poor and unpretending as was that little hut, we may be sure the angels of
God hovered about it with a joy akin to that with which
they hovered around another poor hut more than r6oo
years before.
�The First Church in Califomia.
About this time a change came over the natives. At first
they thought the Spaniards had come only for the pearl fishing and for purposes of trade. As soon, however, as they
discovered that the Fathers had come to establish religion
and to spend their lives amongst them (of which the new
buildings convinced them), they conceived a bitter antipathy
to the new religion and its teachers. The sorcerers, or native priests, whose interests, of course, would suffer from
the introduction of a new religion, were most energetic in
exasperating the people against the foreigners. Some of
the Indians were favorably disposed towards the Fathers,
but most of them sideg with their priests. For some time
they did not proceed to open hostilities, but at length, urged
on by the sorcerers, they seized and destroyed a boat· belonging_ to the Mission and made an open attack on the
Spaniards. A mere handful of the soldiers defeated a large
body of them, and this defeat seemed to make the Indians
of that tribe see clearly that they had no chance of getting
the better of the strangers by fighting. The captain of the
soldiers was for putting some of the ringleaders to death,
but Father Salvatierra, true to his character as preacher of
the gospel, absolutely forbade it, and gave a full pardon to
all. This forgiving spirit of Father Salvatierra did much
towards winning the simple childlike Indians to him.
Holy Week was at hand, and the Fathers did their best
to make the ceremonies of that ·solemn time as impressive
as their slender resources would allow. To those accustomed to see the splendor with w·~ich Holy Week was celebrated in the churches of Europe and of New Spain, the
little chapel of the California Mission would have seemed
poor indeed. But what was wanting in richness of decoration and pomp of ceremonial was more than made up for
by the earnest faith and fervent piety of the new Christians ;
and the poor Indians beheld with wonder and delight
the Church's beautiful ritual carried out in that humble
thatched chapel.
During these first months of their stay in California, the
�The First Church in California.
39
missionaries' greatest consolation were the little children.
These daily grew in piety, and the word of God took firm
root in their young minds.
The trials of Father Salvatierra were not yet over, and if
the children gladdened his heart by their docility, there were
not wanting to him causes of sadness and uneasiness.
One day the native catechumens and many other Indians
took French leave and left the poor Fathers completely in
the dark as to the why and the wherefore of their departure.
Afterwards, however, the Fathers learned that they had
gone into the interior to gather pithahayas, an indigenous
fruit, which was their principal food. The gathering of this
fruit was always made the occasion of great feasting and rejoicing; in faet, it was for the poor Indians what the Carnival is for the people of southern Europe.
Misfortunes, it is said, never come alone. A still more
severe trial than the desertion of their disciples awaited the
missiOnaries. Their provisions were nearly run out, and
as a ship from Mexico with supplies had failed to arrive,
starvation seemed to stare them in the face. As in all their
difficulties, they turned to God and the powerful intercession
of the Blessed Virgin, their glorious patroness. They at
once began a novena to her, and before the nine days were
up, a vessel plentifully stocked with provisions arrived.
The greatness of the danger from which the missionaries
thus escaped, may be better appreciated from the faC1:, that
placed as they were on a barren shore, they depended altogether for provisions on the supplies received from Mexico.
During these first months of their stay, the Fathers had
been carefully studying the Indian language, and as they
had now some facility in it, Father Salvatierra resolved to
try and get acquainted with the different tribes scattered
through the country. With some companions he set out
for the interior. On his approach the Indians hid in the
woods, and so this first attempt failed. The following spring,
however, on trying his fortune with the same tribe, he was
�40
Tlze First Clmrclz in California.
more successful. The Indians received him kindly and
listened to him attentively whilst he spoke of religion.
For some time previous, his benevolence had been spoken of in all the tribes, and during his stay at this place a
deputation from a tribe living at a distant place called Vizze
Biabundo, came to invite him to visit them. Several Indians from other parts also visited him, and he had the consolation of baptizing many children and instructing some
adults. Just then, Father Salvatierra was unable to go
himself to the Indians of Vizze Biabundo, but on his return
to Loretto, as the first settlement had been named, he sent
Father Piccolo to them.
Father Piccolo, after much toil succeeeed in founding a
mission _amongst these Indians, which he named after. St.
Francis~ Xavier.
In these labors the first three years of the missionaries
in California were spent.
The rest of Father Salvatierra's life is so interwoven with
the history of the whole Mission of California, that to give
a correCt: idea of it, would require more space than is now
at our disposal. Suffice it to say that his after life was one
of severe trial and hard labor, undertaken and persevered
in for the glory of God.
- The Mexican Government treated the Missions with
shameful neglect. The aid ordered to them by the Royal
Government at Madrid was either withheld altogether or
largely curtailed by the Mexican officials.
The fickle nations about.Vizze'Biabundo made many attacks on the Mission, and on on~ occasion, roused by the
sorcerers, they fell upon and destroyed the Mission build. ings lately erected. No punishment was inflicted for this
outrage. The Mission was again quietly established, and
again a body of pagan Indians attacked it and massacred
all who came in their way. This time the soldiers did not
allow the Indians to go unpunished; they attacked them in
their camp, routed them, and against the earnest entreaty
of the Fathers put the leaders to death.
�The First Church in Califonzia.
41
On another occasion, the supplies from Mexico being
kept back by severe weather, the whole settlement at Loretto was reduced to the last extremity. At this crisis the
Fathers resolved to live and die with their neophytes, and
gave the soldiers the option of returning to Mexico, and thus
providing for their own safety. The soldiers nobly refused
to desert the Missionaries, and declared they would, if need
be, die at their post. Making a last effort to preserve their
lives, the Fathers, converts and soldiers, separated into little
groups and went to search the country for berries, roots,
or some kind of food. During their wanderings Father Salvatierra came upon a tribe most anxious to be instruCted in
the faith, and living in a place possessing great natural advantages for founding a Mission. But in the present critical state of affairs, Father Salvatierra had to content himself with baptizing a number of children, which their parents gladly brought to him. Meantime God did not forget
his faithful servants. The long-delayed supplies at last arrived. The groups of wanderers returned to Loretto, and
were once more gathered together under the proteCtion of
Mary, in whose honor they had the happiness of dedicating
a new church which they had begun some time before.
At this time, 1705, Father Salvatierra was appointed Visitor of the Missions of Sinaloa and Sonora, and had to leave
for Mexico. On his arrival there he found he had been
appointed Provincial.
His new office did not make Father Salvatierra forget
his beloved Mission of California; on the contrary, in this
exalted position he had greater opportunities of promoting
its well-being, none of which he neglected. Thus, soon
after his being appointed Provincial, we find him waiting on
the Viceroy, urging him to carry out the Royal orders rer
garding the Missions; at another, laying a memorial on the
same subjeCt before the Governor. These efforts, however,
seem to· have produced little effect; for though the King
renewed his grants to the Missions, the Mexican officials
still continued to evade the Royal commands. Again we
VoL. x-No.
I.
6
�42
Brazil.
meet Father Salvatierra at Loretto, arranging about estab·
lishing new Missions, and causing a lay brother to be promoted to the priesthood, to help on the good work. At
that time there were only three priests in California.
But Father Salvatierra's zeal for the California Mission
was too great to allow of his remaining long away from it.
In 1707, at his own earnest request, he was relieved from
the office of Provincial and permitted to return once more
to his beloved Mission. Here he labored indefatigably for.
ten years more. In 1717 he was called to Mexico to assist
at a general meeting of the Province to consider the state
of the California Mission. Though Father Salvatierra was
well-nigh worn out by fatigues and by the attacks of a lingering and painful malady, he set out at once for Mexico.
On his ,y_a'y his malady again attacked him, and after two
months of exquisite suffering, he died from its effeCts, June
18th, 1717. His eulogium is thus briefly and beautifully
pronounced by an old historian of Mexico: "He was one
of the most celebrated missionaries of New Spain, a true
servant of the blessed Mother of God, and the Apostle of
California." <Il
BRAZIL.
THE RELIGIOUS QuESTION IN THE EMPIRE.
..-· •. PARA, May I6, I88o.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I purpose, in the present letter, to give a brief historical
compendium of the Religious Question in Brazil. It is a
history of persecution direCted against religion; and although it may be known to you already in its broad and
general outlines, yet it may prove interesting and useful to become acquainted with some particular details concerning it.
(tl
Reprint from the San Francisco .IIIonitor.·
�Brazil.
43
From my last letter you could gather that Freemasonry
has become very powerful here, and is the bane of the Empire. It ha<.l invaded everything: the sanCtuary itself, the
priesthood, even the religious orders were not free from the
contagion. The evil consequences of this state of affairs
are now manifest, although for a time they did not fully appear. Masonry, in faCt, adopted peculiar taCtics, that it
might work its way more easily every where ; it put on the
garb of devotion, in order to delude the people, and to
prove that it was not in Brazil, as in Europe, a bad organization, an excommunicated society, but on the contrary,
beneficent, pious and Catholic.
The time for battle came at last, and, it is said, that it was
the result of the Emperor's visit to Europe. Be that as it
may, the faCts are these: in I8JI, the Grand Orient (such
is his cabalistic title) of the Freemasons in Brazil became
Prime Minister .of the Empire, and on the occasion of a
great congratulatory demonstration made in his honor the
next year on account of the abolition of slavery, a certain
priest published a scandalous discourse which he had delivered in the Lodge, and took credit to himself for being
the ordinary orator at the meetings (March, 1873). The Bishop of Rio Janeiro having summoned the priest before him,
after all means had proved useless to bring him to a sense
of duty, suspended him from the exercise of all clerical
funCtions. This was the beginning of the struggle.
The Masons called an extraordinary convention to determine upon their line of conduCt under the circumstances;
and shortly afterwards, several newspapers were started,
which dealt with every thing sacred, as if the demon inspired the sentiments and language of the writers. All this
was done openly and professedly in the name of the masonic body, whilst at the same time leading Masons were
taking part in the celebration of religious festivals, joining
in processions, assisting in full regalia at Masses said for the
eternal repose of departed craftsmen, etc.
The organs of the party brought forward the most power-
�44
Brazil.
ful arguments to prove that the Bishops were obliged in
conscience to put a stop to these scandalous proceedings,
and in the very same issue dared them to interfere on their
peril, and insultingly mocked at their want of courage. As
it was their evident intention to precipitate a conflict, the
Bishop of Rio judged it advisable not to notice their attacks,
and to let matters· rest as they were, for the time being : the
controversy, so far as he was concerned, was ended, but they
continued to insult him in the most flagrant manner.
Whilst matters were in this condition, the Rev. Vital de
Oliveira, a Brazilian Capuchin, was appointed Bishop of
Olinda and Pernambuco (May, 1872). It was immediately
announced in some of the newspapers, that he was selected
precisely because the government wanted to force the conflict, and be was judged to be one with whom they could
pick a qua'rrel without delay. As soon as he had taken
possession of his Episcopal See, the newspapers of Pernambuco began in chorus to deny the mystery of the Blessed
.Trinity, the Divinity of our Lord, the Virginity of our Lady,
and to utter the coarsest blasphemies against every dogma of
our holy religion. The Bishop, therefore, judged it to be
his duty to invite all good Catholics to take part in some
prescribed acts of reparation; these public demonstrations
were made every where with marked devotion by a great
concourse of the people, and they tended to inflame the wild
hatred of the foes of religion. They boasted of their power
and numbers, and loudly threatened yengeance. They published the list of priests belonging to· the Order, and of those
gentlemen who were Freemasons, and at the same time, active members of the religious Confraternities, so numerous
in Brazil. No church is without one of these Confraternities, and some have two or three of them; they are very
wealthy, own many of the churches, and, as they are filled
with Masons, they constitute one of the greatest plagues of
this unhappy country.
The occasion was critical, and full of danger; if the Bishops had called a Synod to adopt energetic measures with
�Brazil.
45
concerted aEl:ion, they would have gained the viEl:ory over
Freemasonry, the confraternities would have been purged
of unworthy members, and the government would have
been forced to respeEl: the Church; for Catholics here,
even the most lukewarm, love their religion, and have great
affeEl:ion for their Bishops and Priests. But, unfortunately,
the Bishops were not all of one mind ; and .some of them
insisted upon what is called the course of prudence. Nevertheless, the Bishop of Olinda, after having tried in vain all
charitable admonitions, suspended those of his clergy who
were not ashamed to profess in public that they were Freemasons. Only two priests showed themselves contumacious; and only two Confraternities paid any attention to
the Bishop's orders. The Bishop of Para adopted a similar course, and with the same results.
It was after these occurrences, almost at the very opening
of the question, that the Bishop of Pernambuco wrote a
full account of the affair to the Holy Father, Pius IX (January, 1873). Hi3 Holiness answered (May, 1873) by a
Brief, in which after praising the Bishop's zeal, he conceded
to him and to his colleagues extensive faculties in regard
to the Confraternities and for the removal of censures incurred by Freemasons. As soon as the Government was
informed that such a Brief had been expedited, it threatened all who should dare to publish it with imprisonment
and other penalties; but as it was published almost simultaneously by all the Bishops, these threats were never executed. Affairs were in this state when the Bishop of Pernambuco, for grave reasons, suspended a certain priest.
This suspension gave fresh impetus to the controversy, for
the man was an influential Freemason and a popular demagogue. On the fourteenth of May, 1873, a disorderly mob,
led on by prominent Masons marched to his residence and
offered their congratulations for the honor he enjoyed of
having fallen under the ban of his Bishop. They next
made a sudden and furious attack upon our College of
Pernambuco, at the hour when our Fathers were engaged
�Brazil.
in the May devotions in honor of our Blessed Lady, and
made a complete wreck of the chapel, and of the whole
lower story, destroying everything in the class rooms, study
hall, kitchen, cellar, etc. The Blessed Sacrament was saved
from profanation by the resolute conduCt of the ladies present, who gathered around the altar, and held their ground
amid all the turmoil and confusion.
The assault was so unexpeCted that no precautions had
been taken, and all were at a loss as to what should be done.
Father ReCtor, seeing that the lives of those under his
charge were in great danger, told the Fathers to save themselves as best they could ; but only two or three succeeded
in passing with the boys to a neighboring garden. Several
of the Fathers were severely injured, amongst them the
ReCtor, who had remained at his post direCting, animating
and consoling his subjeCts, and the Procurator, whose room
was near the entrance, and who happened to be sick abed.
These barbarians fell upon him in his weak condition, beating him cruelly; and having infliCted a deep cut upon his
hand, drove him from the room, which they plundered of
all the money it contained, and left him fainting in the corridor. There were troops stationed in the neighborhood of
th~ College, but they did not appear to quell the disorder
until the \vork of destruCtion had been carried on for a full
hour, and the chapel together with the whole lower floor
had been damaged to the extent of twelve thousand dollars.
The rioters did not force their w_ay upstairs, but a brother
coadjutor who was sick at the time with the yellow fever,
was so terrified, that he died that very night.
The Bishop, as soon as he was informed of what had
taken place, wrote a note to Father ReCtor, which though
brief, was full of sympathy and encouragement. Soldiers
had been sent to guard the Episcopal palace against the violence of the mob, but he dismissed them, and throwing all
the doors wide open, declared that he was ready to die for
religion then and there. The danger was not trifling; for
the rioters, after leaving our College, attacked the office of
I
I
�Brazil.
47
the only Catholic newspaper in Pernambuco. This journal
was under the patronage of the Bishop; they gutted the
office completely, and flung the type and other materials
into the river. They took the portrait of Pius IX, and
with mock solemnities and much real profanity, burnt it in
the public square. They did nothing direCtly against the
Bishop, for such was the mot d'ordre, and tried the old trick
of separating us from him.
The rascals who had attacked and plundered the College
were well known, but the government made no effort to
bring them to justice. They did not, however, escape the
avenging hand of God; for, within a few weeks, many of
them either died or fell dangerously ill. The connivance of
the Government in these proceedings was also made apparent from this, that the civil authorities about this time advised the Confraternities to appeal to the Emperor; and
this course gave a new and complicated turn to the question. Although such an appeal was against the laws of the
Church in its substance, and even against those of the
country in its particular circumstances, yet it was promptly
entertained by the Emperor, who deputed three Freemasons to investigate the question, and upon the receipt of
their report, a peremptory order was despatched to the
Bishop (June, 1873), to remove the interdiCt: from the Confraternities within thirty days, "because the state proteCts
Freemasonry and does not acknowledge the excommunications of the Catholic Church against it." The Bishop, in
his noble reply to the mandate, refused to obey, and the
Government commissioned (July, 1873)an official to release
the Confraternities from the Episcopal interdiCt: in the name
of his Majesty: this was done during a great and noisy celebration, but it was a mistake on the part of the civil authorities. In spite of every effort and precaution, the people
still admitted the existence and binding f<;>rce of the interdiet; and the priests, consequently, refused to say Mass, and
the faithful to hear it, in the places forbidden by the Bishop. At the same time, many members of the Secret Socie-
�Brazil.
ties were returning to the Church (the Bishop of Pernam"
buco received more than three hundred abjurations), several
Catholic journals were being published, and an association
for the promotion of religion with its headquarters ·at the
Capital was spreading throughout the whole Empire. This
infuriated the Government, and it aCl:ed in a manner worthy
of the cause it was supporting, worthy of the evil one who
inspired the resolution. An ambassador was despatched
to Rome, and simultaneously the Bishops of Pernambuco
and of Para were cast into prison.
Let us speak of these two faCl:s separately. The Bishop
of Pernambuco was arrested on the 2nd of January, 1874Such was the public excitement that the provincial governor was apprehensive of a revolution; and, contrary to in~
struCl:ions, 'he got rid of his prisoner without delay, by
sending hiin off in a wretched war vessel. The Bishop of
Para was arrested somewhat later on, and sent to Rio by
the American Steamer.
Meantime the ambassador at Rome, concealing the faCl:
of the Bishops' imprisonment, succeeded by misrepresentations, in obtaining from Cardinal Antonelli an order for the
Bishop of Pernambuco to relieve the Confraternities from
censure. The news of this order was welcomed by the
Government with a grand celebration; but the Bishop remained firm, and rejeCl:ing the offers made by the Government if he should yield, appealed to the Holy Father. He
sent his secretary to Pernambuco, asking our Fathers to send
some one to Rome, who could expl~in the true state of af. fairs, and obtain a reversal of the s~nlence procured by the
ex parte representations of the Government envoy. A messenger was accordingly sent, and in spite of many and great
obstacles thrown in the way, he succeeded in obtaining a
revocation of the obnoxious order; and the Holy Father,
when informed of the true state of affairs, lauded the Bishops,
gave public approval of their course, and censured their
opponents (April, 1874).
The share which one of our Fathers had in this mission
�Brazil.
49
to Rome, and the success which crowned the effort to undo
what the crooked and cunning policy of the Government
had accomplished, was an unpardonable crime in the eyes
of the Masonic Body, and from that hour the utter ruin of
our college at Pernambuco was decreed. After several
fruitless attempts to close it, a civil commotion which broke
out in Pernambuco (Nov., 1 874) furnished them with a pre"' text for carrying out their plan. The disturbance was easily
suppressed, and was probably fomented by those who, afterwards, without a scintilla of evidence, charged it upon the
Jesuits. vVith no other ground for action than these ridiculous reports, without indiCtment or trial, the government
huddled our Father:; on board of a man-of-war, and hurried
them off by the first steamer to Europe! In this way our
Mission lost a College, and more than twen~y valuable subjects.
While the Holy Father at Rome was subjecting the conflicting statements of the Government and of the Bishop to a
close scrutiny, and weighing their respective merits in order
to give a final decision, the Bishop of Pernambuco in Brazil
was condemned to four years imprisonment with hard labor,
and the same sentence was about to be passed upon the Bishop of Para. The trial was most unjust, in form, in circumstances, and in the judgment which was passed. Popular
enthusiasm was enkindled in behalf of these noble victims
of persecution, and both before and after sentence they were
the objects of sympathetic ovations. The Bishops refused
to plead before the tribunal, and declined to name their counsel; two of the ablest lawyers of the country volunteered
their services, and made a gallant, but useless defence. The
Emperor commuted the harsh sentence into four years of
simple imprisonment, and the whole question was treated
diplomatically with the Vatican, and its solution will appear
further on.
The Government used all its influence to have the interdict removed, and the Holy Father exerted himself for the
release of the Bishops ; and by compromise, the Bishops
VoL. x-No. I.
7
�so
Brazil.
were set free, and the confraternities relieved from censure
(Sept., 1875). Thereupon, the Bishop of Pernambuco went
direaly to Rome, to give a report of all that he had done,
and, as it seems, his course was approved in every particular.
But a bitter disappointment was in store for him; because,
when he returned to his diocese, he found that some gentlemen who had constituted themselves into what they called
the Cat!tolic Party, intended to dominate and manage the'
diocese according to their own notions. They would regulate the priests and parishes, and even the Bishop himself. Of course such interference was intolerable; and, as
the Bishop refused to accede to their plans, these nominal
Catholics began a new course of opposition to him, obliged
him to close his seminary, and alienated from him nearly
the whole population. This second contest was far more
bitter than the former one, for it was waged by Catholics,
and it ended in a complete defeat for the sorelytried prelate, who went again to Rome_, with the intention this time
of resigning his bishopric. The Holy Father, after deliberate examination, con;ented to relieve him, but a great
difficulty arose as to the manner of granting the request.
Whilst the. matter was still under considefatiOfl•'"at Rome,
God, in his mercy, solved the problem by calling His _persecuted servant to his reward. He died in Paris, July·4,
1878. Unhappily, since his decease a reaaion has set in
against his salutary reforms, and much of his work has already been undone; and the' priests who were faithful to
him, principally those formed by Ours r~t Rome, are exposed to many annoyances. The Holy See is desirous of
appointing a worthy thief pastor to the Church of Pernambuco, but the Government will nominate only such as
cannot be accepted. Surely, this is religious persecution.
Let us now say a word about the Bishop of Para, whose
history with regard to these troubles down to the end of
the imprisonment: is almo~t identical with that of the Bishop
of Pernambuco. He is an able writer and speaker, and his
efforts against Freemasonry were crowned with better sue-
�Brazil.
51
cess. On returning to his diocese, after being released from
prison, the people received him in triumph. He then applied himself to heal the evils which had been caused, to
found a seminary, and to visit his diocese. Although he
removed the censure from the Confraternities, yet he told
his priests that he should not be pleased if they said Mass
for them or took part in their celebrations .. This sufficed
to prevent any of the clergy from identifying themselves in
any manner with these Confraternities, and praCtically they
are still interdiCted. They tried to celebrate some festival
without a priest, but the attempt was a bad failure, for even
the worst-disposed men saw that a religious celebration
without a priest was only a farce.
Unfortunately, the conduCt of some abandoned and irreligious wretches disturbs the peace of the community.
There is at the outskirts of this city a miraculous image of
our Lady of Nazareth, which was formerly in Portugal, and ·
at its shrine, as is reported, many miracles were wrought
during the Middle Ages. The image was brought hither
some time during the last century, and began to be venerated in this town with great devotion of the people, with
whom its festival is most popular. But Freemasonry invaded this sanCluary, and chan·ged the religious charaCter
of the celebration into a scandalous exhibition of public
festivity. The most attraCtive feature in their programme
consisted of late years in the theatrical representations, the
stage being purposely ereCted close by the Church, and
devoted to forbidden plays and immodest dancing. The
rejoicings lasted for about twenty days, and everything Was
done by night. The original design was to honor Our
Lady, and there continued to be some prayers recited in
the Church and a sermon was delivered, but of late years
the religious exercises have been reduced to a mere formality. The celebration used to be inaugurated by a large
and clamorous procession, in which all classes of society
took part, and the image of Our Lady was borne along
accompanied by the clergy, the civil magistrates, by many
�52
Brazil.
gentlemen on horseback, and by a long line of open carriages. Some of these carriages were occupied by women
of bad repute, whose place was regularly assigned, as if
they were an acknowledged class of society. The Bishop
had tried for a long time to prevent this horrible insult to
Our Lady, but could not succeed. Of course, the Masonic
newspapers undertook the patronage and defence of the
feast, for the very reasons which made it objetl:ionable to
the ecclesiastical authorities. They said that these women,
qua talrs, have (horresco referens) a religion, and the right
of showing it in public. The matter went so far in I 877
that the Bishop was obliged to forbid the feast entirely.
You must observe that the priests were accustomed to take
part only in the proceedings within the Church, and even
there they \\;ere by no means free, for a lay committee,
whose memBers were generally Masons, had the chief direaion and control of the whole affair. In the above mentioned year these men carried their unblushing effrontery
so far as to set up in a pavilion adjoining the Church, which
every honest family was expeaed to visit, three wax statues
of nude females, whose attitude, as is reported, was immodest in the extreme. The Bishop, on being informed of this,
gave orders to suspend the· celebration and to close the
Church. The devout Masons then broke open the doors,
ejeaeci the priest, and carried on according to their own
sweet will. The Bishop was firm in his prohibition, and
they made ready for a grand display in 1878 without the
services of priests. To draw the mop to their side, they
spread the report that the Bishop wa~ wanting in devotion
to the Blessed Virgin .. On the other hand, they had the ·
government support, and the procession was more demonstrative and scandalous than before. There were forty carriages in line filled with women of the town! Arrived at
the Church, they had prayers (but no priest was present)
and all the other ceremonies excepting those which used
to be performed at the altar. The Bishop, thereupon, to
prevent the repetition of such a scandal, applied to the Em-
�Letters of Fat!ter J'ames 0. Van de Ve!de.
53
peror, and obtained fair words, but nothing more; for last
year (I879) the feast was again held, and with the support
of the government. What is the outlook for the present
year? I fear that it will be worse than before. The Church
is under persecution; and the misery is that many will not
believe it, and through prudt'ncc they let things take their
course. But Our Lord will awake and make quiet the sea.
In my next letter I will give you a short history of our
Brazilian Mission. I beg you to have this intention inserted
in the MESSENGER: Our Fathers of Brazil ask prayers for
the duration and prosperity of their Mission, chiefly for
their College of Ita in St. Paul, where there are two hundred and four boarders.
RAPHAEL MARIA G., S, J.
LETTERS OF FATHER ]AS. 0. VAN DE VELDE.
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF A TRIP FROM GEORGETOWN, D. C.,
TO ST. LOUIS, 1110., IN OCTOBER, I831.
ST. LoUis UNIVERSITY,
November 25th, I88o.
REv. AND DEAR FATHER DEviTT,
The following letters, in which Father Van de Velde
gives an account of his trip from Georgetown College to
St. Louis, Mo., made in OCl:ober, I83I, were to have been
published in the WooDSTOCK LETTERS as an appendix to a
sketch of Father Van de Vefde's life, which I contributed
the LETTERS, and which appeared therein last year. But
the copy of them, forwarded for the purpose, was mislaid,
and I herewith send you a recopy of them. These letters
Were written in the French language, from which they are
faithfully translated by good Father Kernion, who long
knew Father Van de Veide, having been an inmate of the
St. Louis University nearly all the time since the year r834.
Neither their language nor their order, as in the original, is
�54
Letters of Father James 0. Van de Velde.
perfeCt:; but yet a reproduCtion of them will doubtless interest many, and from the faEl: that they describe persons,
places and things, as seen by Father Van de Velde a half
century ago, they possess even some historical value, which
will increase as time goes on, and records of the past becqme
scarce.
Yours very truly in X'.
WALTER
H.
HILL,
S.
J.
LETTER I.
GEORGETOWN CoLLEGE,
oa.
4·
I83I.
ik!y Very Dear Friend:
The day of our departure has come. \Ve will start for
Baltimonf this afternoon at three o'clock, in the stage. You
know already that Rev. Father Kenney, our Superior, and
Father McSherry will be my traveling companions. It gives
me much satisfaCtion to be able to travel in the company of
those whom I know and esteem. It had been decided that
I should start in the beginning of last month, but this was
rendered impossible by my being seized with an attack of
fever. Father Van Lommel and 1\Ir. Van Sweevelt, who
were to accompany me, left Georgetown for Baltimore on
the rsth of last month, after having waited for some days,
hoping that my health would soon be restored. Father
Superior has received a letter from Father Van Lommel,
written from Cumberland (which he reached on the 17th
ultimo), and dated the 19th of th~_same month, in which he
informed us that Mr. Van Sweevelt, his companion, had
been taken sick with the fever, and, on that account, they
had been obliged to interrupt their journey. Dr. Smith, a
cousin of the President of the Georgetown Bank, treated
Mr. Van Sweevelt during his illness. Another letter from
Father Van Lommel informs us that his companion is well
enough to continue the journey, and that they will leave
Cumberland on the 27th of September. As I told you already, we are about to leave Georgetown on our trip west.
�Lrtters of Father James 0. Van de Ve!de.
55
Although my health is again pretty good, I still feel very
weak. I hope, however, that traveling will help to make
me regain my strength. I attribute my sickness to the visit
which I made to St. Mary's and Charles Counties. I had
never before been in those marshy districts without paying
for it by some illness. This year a great part of St. Mary's
County looked like an hospital. You could have found
some sick people in every house on the shores of the Patuxent. Father Carbery, who resides at St. Inigoes, has
had a relapse there. He has fled from that unhealthy locality, and he came here to the college to spend some days
with us. The day before yesterday he left for Fredericktown, thence he will go to Baltimore, and from that place
return to St. Inigoes. I am afraid that he will fall sick on
the way. He appeared, at least, to be in a very precarious
state of health. I will write to you every day, for I intend
my letters to form a kind of diary or journal of our trip.
Forget me not in your holy prayers; it is now especially
that I stand in need of them.
Believe me to be yours, etc.
LETTER II.
BALTIIIIORE,
Oct. 5,1831.
My Very Dear Fri'end:
We are now on the way, and in good company. We
have taken our lodging at Barnum's, who has the best hotel
in the city. Last evening I went to visit the family of Mr.
Edward Jenkins, accompanied by Father McSherry. It
was very late, but as we had resolved to go and see the
good Mr. Carroll, and I had besides several other visits to
make to-day, I was afraid that if I delayed this visit I would
have to leave Baltimore without seeing that estimable family. This morning I went to say Mass in the seminary of
the Sulpicians, which is at a great distance from our hotel ;
but as I had resolved not to leave Baltimore without bidding farewell to my friends at the seminary, I thought that
�56
Letters of Father James 0. Van de Velde.
my best chance to do that was to go and say Mass there.
After Mass I was very much urged to remain for breakfast,
but fearing to miss my companions, who had determined to
start for Mr. Carroll's Manor at about half-past eight o'clock
A. M., I hastened to join them.
By the bye, I forgot to
mention that Father McSherry has engaged the stage for
Wheeling, by way of Fredericktown. I had told you that
I would do all I could to take the stage which passes through
Chambersburg, on account of several advantages, but particularly because by taking this last mentioned route we
would have the opportunity of getting some sleep during a
few hours every night of the journey, which, of course, is
a very desirable thing to a person who still feels the effects
of sickness, and is in danger of relapsing. Besides, we
were sure to find a Catholic Church in all the places where
we had to stop on the way, namely: at Chambersburg. at
Bedford, at Pittsburg. Father McSherry had misunderstood Father Kenney, believing that he wanted to be in
Wheeling absolutely for Sunday. Father Van Lommel
had also written that there was no stage from Baltimore to
\Vheeling by way of Chambersburg; as if we could not go
from Bedford to Brownsville, or, at all events, from Pittsburg
to Wheeling. To-morrow, when I write to you, I will give
you an account of our visit to Mr. Carroll.
Believe me, now and forever, your
devoted friend and humble servant.
LETTER' lii.
FREDERICKTOWN,
.M'y Very Dear Friend:
Oct. 6,
18 3 1.
We have just arrived in this town, and as they tell us
that we shall not leave it before half an hour, I am going to
employ that time in writing to you. It was ten o'clock A.
M. yesterday when we took our seats in the car to go by
railroad to Mr. Carroll's. We reached Ellicott's Mill at
about half-past eleven. We found there the Count of
�Letters of Fat!ter :James 0. Van de Velde.
57
Menon, who was just from Mr. Carroll's residence on his
way to Baltimore. He had come in the carriage of the
good old gentleman. Nothing could have suited us better.
The carriage was at our disposal. \Ve reached Mr. Carroll's farm at one o'clock P. M. He received us with the
greatest demonstrations of joy. He still remembered very
well Father Kenney, whom he had seen formerly, and he
appeared transported with joy in seeing him again. He
clearly evinced by all his actions, as well as his words, how
great was the pleasure he experienced at our visit. I can
say as much for his daughter, Mrs. Caton, who showed the
greatest respect for us. We found there also Mrs. Decatur of Georgetown, and Mrs. McTavish, daughter of Mr.
Caton, and sister of the Marchioness of Wellesley former
relict of Mr. Patterson, and of Lady Carmarthen, once Lady
Harvey. Good Mr:>. McTavish presented to us two of her
children, who were very interesting. The elder one, aged
about thirteen years, is one of the students of our College
at Stony hurst, in England; his name is Charles Carroll.
Thus the good Patriarch sees himself, as it were, living over
his life again in the sons of his granddaughter. He is the
only one now living of all those who signed the Declara·
tion of Independence in 1776. His health is excellent,
though his sight is weak and he is somewhat dea( He is
now in his 95th year.(!) They celebrated his birth-day with
great magnificence on the 20th of last month. The President of the United States was present, as well as several
other persons of distinction. Mrs. Caton told us that on
that occasion, according to his custom, he rose early and
commenced the day, as he does every year, by going to the
Chapel and receiving the Holy Sacraments. He heard
three Masses, which were celebrated in succession, and remained on his knees during the whole time, his heart overflowing with thanks for all the favors which he had received
from Heaven. I had long desired to see him, and I can as·
1
< l Charles Carroll died November 14th, 1832, or about one year after this
visit to him.
VoL. x-No. 1.
8
�58
Letters of Fatlzer James 0. Vmz de Velde.
sure you that since my arrival in this country, I have not
paid a visit which has had so. many charms for me. You
must understand that I speak only of visits to seculars.
Mr. Carroll insisted upon our dining with him and family.
The dinner time was advanced half an hour. At 2 o'clock
we sat down to table. Mrs. Me Tavish did the honors.
Time passed on very agreeably and very quickly. Our conversation ran on religion, on politics, etc. Mrs. Caton, who
was at my right, spoke to me at great length of the aEI:ual
state of Belgium, and of the projeEI:ed marriage of Leopold I
with the princess Louise of France. She is acquainted
with the reigning family of Orleans, and she assures me that
Louis Philippe himself is indifferent in matters of religion, his royal consort, Marie Amelie, is very religious, and
that she has: instilled religious sentiments into the hearts of
all her chifdren, but especially Louise, and Marie, who are
as pious as they are amiable. \Vhen I perceived that it
was after three o'clock, and that my companions were not
aware of the time thus passing away, I spoke to Mrs. Caton,
who gave her orders for the carriage (for the train was to
leave at four o'clock). vVe left at last, accompanied by the
good wishes of the whole family; and we arrived in Baltimore at about half past six o'clock, after many delays on
the way. Fr. Kenney and myselfwent to pay our respeEI:s
to th-e most Rev. Archbishop. It was late when we left
him : and I could not find time to go and bid adieu to my
friends. The remainder to-morrow.
I am, yours etc.
LETTER IV.
FROSTBURG, 0Ei:. J, 1831.
We will dine here. I know that we are still in the State
of Maryland, but that is all. We must be about a hundred
miles from Fredericktown. We have been traveling all
night. vVe stopped only to change horses and to take our
dinner at Middletown, eight miles from Fredericktown, and
our supper at Clearspring. Although I am sure that you
�Letters of Fat/zer James 0. Van de Velde.
59
will believe me when I tell you that I am very tired, nevertheless I am going to resume my diary of the 6th instant.
When we returned from the Archbishop's we found Father
Dzierozynski at Barnum's. I expected him there. After
he had presented his respects to Father Superior, I took
him to the dining room, where he and I supped together.
Father Kenney did not want any supper, and Father McSherry took supper at Mr. Edward Jenkins', where he met
several of his acquaintances. Before retiring to bed I went
to Father Dzierozynski to bid him adieu. We went to bed
at about I I o'clock, and at half-past twelve we were awakened to continue our journey. We were, altogether, only
five-that is, besides us, there were two gentlemen from
the neighborhood of Martinsburg, Virginia, whose deportment was very commendable. We breakfasted at Mr. Roberts' Hotel, and we arrived at Fredericktown towards halfpast ten in the forenoon. We remained there about half
an hour, and in the meantime Father Superior went to the
house of Father McElroy, where he found no one. It is
probable that Father McElroy had gone out, and that
Father Barber and the other inmates were engaged at the
time in the college. vVe were overtaken at Fredericktown
by the stage from vVashington City, which contained seven
passengers on their way to Wheeling. As that stage had
room for nine persons only, our two traveling companions
went to Middletown in a buggy, where we dined yesterday;
and one of us was obliged to sit on the box with the driver.
We took supper at Clearspring, a small town situated a few
miles beyond Hagerstown. To-morrow I will speak to
you of my traveling companions.
Farewell.
LETTER v.
WAsHINGToN, PENN., oct. s, rs 3 r.
We are traveling in the state of Pennsylvania since yesterday, having left Cumberland, the last town of Maryland,
yesterday before noon. We took supper at Endsley's yes-
�6o
Letters of Fatlzer james 0. Van de Velde.
terday, or rather this morning, for it was more than an hour
after midnight. This morning we passed through Union,
and through Brownsville, where we breakfasted. We are
now entirely over the Alleghany Mountains. We will dine
here; it is about 5 o'clock P: M. It is rumored that we
will arrive in \Vheeling about midnight. Last night was
spent like the preceding one, without going to bed. We
have met with two· accidents on the road. On the 6th, towards evening, one of the pieces of iron which support the
stage broke. They fix'ed it again as well as they could by
fastening it with an iron chain. Yesterday one of the
horses took fright whilst coming down a pretty high hill,
and the stage was nearly upset. This morning we met Mr.
Eaton, one of the ex-Secretaries, with his wife, at Brownsville. I [li'ust now say a word about our traveling companions. Th~y were seven in number and came from \Vashington City, where they had gone in order to obtain contracts for carrying the United States mail from one place to
another. Among them there were two or three who had
obtained what they desired by bargaining with the Postmaster General, whilst the others had not quite the same
success. The consequence was that the first were very
jubilant, and the others were in bad humor. Several of
those travelers had been coach drivers, and some of the
others were still such. It was not, therefore, a very great
wonder if their conduct was revolting, and their conversations mixed with blasphemies and shocking indecencies.
Never, since my arrival in Americ·~. have I traveled \vith
such impolite and disgusting persons. There was one,
however, who formed an exception; he was from New
York, and behaved like a civilized man. Farewell.
Yours, etc.
�Letters of Fatlzer James 0. Van de Velde.
61
LETTER VI.
WHEELING,
oa. 9, rs 3 r.
We arrived at this place this morning at 2 o'clock. We
were so tired that we went to bed almost immediately after
our arrival. There was a boat which was to leave for Cincinnati at 5 o"clock A. M. Being assured, however, that
there would be other boats in the afternoon, we rested until
seven o'clock. We then took a walk in the city to find out
whether there was any chance either to celebrate or hear
Mass. \Ve tound the Catholic Church there all in disorder:
no altar, no vestments, the panes of glass in the sashes
broken, etc. Mrs. Kennedy, at whose house we went for
information, told us that it was impossible to celebrate the
Holy Mysteries, a.s they were going to repair the interior
of the Church, and everything was in confusion. The
Catholics of the place had not had an opportunity to hear
Mass or approach the Sacraments since the second Sunday
in May, when Mr. Miles,< 1l of Zanesville, came here through
charity. Father Roloff resided there for some months, but
as he is not a very eloquent preacher, they did not treat
him well, and he was forced to leave them. This is one of
the reasons for which the Archbishop refuses them a resident priest. Here we are, then, in Wheeling, after having
traveled from Baltimore night and day without resting, in
order to be here in time to say or hear Mass. Fine hopes
indeed! To-day is Sunday and to-morrow will be the feast
of St. Francis de Borgia, and no Mass! We are through
with our dinner, and now we are going to take a walk together.
Farewell.
Your most devoted.
<tl This was Father Miles, 0. P., who afterwards became Bishop of Nash·
ville, Tennessee. Dominicans from St. Rose, 'Vashington county, Kentncky,
established a convent of their order at Somerset, Ohio, in 1819, and at a later
date they also took charge of a church in Zanesville.
�62
Letters of Father James 0. Van de Velde.
LETTER VII.
Otl:. 10, I 83 I.
Yesterday,· in the course of the afternoon, we went to see
the town. It had rained a great deal, and the streets were
almost impassable. Most of the streets are not paved, and
are full of dirt and filth of all kinds. It is a real hole.
However, everything seems to prosper. We have taken
our lodging at the Wheeling House, kept by a certain Mr.
William King, of Martinsburg, Virginia, who is an acquaintance of Father McSherry. His hotel is in very good condition. It is not inferior to Barnum's, and the price is the
same, one dollar and a half a day. The ex-Secretary, Eaton, arrived here this morning, and we took dinner and
supper w"ith him, his wife and his sister-in-law. Yesterday
we found no opportunity to start for Cincinnati. This morning we went to examine the manufaCtories. They well deserve the inspeCtion, particularly the glass works, etc.
There are two coal mines in the mountain back of Wheeling. I went some distance into one of them, and would
have gone deeper, but the place was very dark, and one of
the workmen told me that it was very dangerous, because
sometimes pieces of coal and stone get loose from the ceiling, and, owing to this, several accidents have taken place.
There was no danger where I was then ;;tanding, for the
ceiling was supported by planks. I found one of my acquaintances in Wheeling. I wi~ much surprised when,
knocking at the door of Mrs. Magruder, a Catholic widow
who has care of the Church, to see it opened by George
King of Georgetown, who had studied philosophy with me
at College. After his leaving the noviciate he took to the
study of law. He is now married, and he teaches school.
I baptized one of his children, George Alexander.
WHEELING,
�Lrtters
of Fatlzer :James 0. Van de Velde.
63
LETTER VIII.
MARIETTA, OCt. I I' I 83 I.
We have now reached one of the towns of Ohio. I went
on shore to be able to say that I have been in that State.
This small town, situated ·on the river bank, is pretty
enough and well peopled. We left Marietta at 7 o'clock
A. 111. We left Wheeling last evening at about 5 o'clock, on
board the steamer "Emigrant," Captain Ireland, and already
we are eighty miles from Wheeling. Nothing worth noticing has happened.
I am, etc.
LETTER IX.
GUYANDOTTE, OCt. I2, I83I.
Yesterday, after leaving Marietta, we passed the Island
and the town of Parkersburg, situated at the mouth of the
Little Kenhawa. Shortly after, we coasted the Island of
Blennerhassett, rendered famous by the conspiracy of the
Vice-President, Aaron Burr, against the government of the
United States. It was about 9 o'clock in the forenoon.
At about I o'clock in the afternoon we passed the Island of
Buffington; and at 3 o'clock, the Island and the Falls of
Letart. The water was so high that we passed over the
rocks of the Falls. In the evening we reached Gallipolis,
the capital of Gallia County. That small town was settled
by a colony of French, and most of the inhabitants speak
FrenchY> Towards I 2 o'clock in the night we anchored,
on account of a very thick fog, which had risen. We were
then only five or six miles from Guyandotte, which is at the
mouth of the Big Kenhawa, where we arrived this morning
at half past 6 o'clock. Here, several of our traveling com-
<•J Gallipolis was settled by a colony of French in the year 1791. The title
to their land proved defl'Cti ve, and most of the colonists, originally several
thousand in number, returned to France. Father Badin, who was sent by
Bishop Carroll to the Catholic settlers of Kentucky in 1793, spent several
days at Gallipolis, when o~ his way down the Ohio.
�64
Letters of Father James 0. Van de Ve!de.
pan ions left the boat. Here, too, is the terminus of the new
route from Washington to Ohio, 11ia Fredericksburg, in
Virginia. Vv'e hope to arrive in Cincinnati to-morrow.
Believe me, etc.
LETTER X.
CINCINNATI, Ott. 1 3, 18 3 1.
llfj Very Dear Fn"end:
We arrived in Cincinnati at II o'clock this forenoon. After leaving Guyandotte in Virginia, and Burlington on the
Ohio shore, we touched at Catletsburg, which is but a small
hamlet at the mouth of the Big Sandy River, which separates Virginia from Kentucky. It is here that I, for the
first tin1e', touched the land of Kentucky. Further on we
passed Greenupsburg on the Kentucky shore; and finally
Portsmouth, at the mouth of the Scioto River. It is here
that the canal, which is to form a communication between
Lake Erie and the Ohio River, enters that River. This
canal commences at Cleveland, on Lake Erie, about two
hundred miles from Buffalo, which is thirty-one miles from
Lockport, where terminates the great canal from Albany to
the Lakes. The first of these canals is more than eleven
hundred miles long, the other is three hundred and sixtythree miles. The first is now nearly completed, they are
working at it with great ardor. We lodge at the Cincinnati Hotel. After passing Portsmouth we touched at Mays-,
ville and Augusta, and shortly .a(ter we had to anchor on
account of another fog. After taking dinner and attending
to our trunks, we went to pay a visit to Bishop Fenwick,
who received us very kindly. We found there also Mr. Reze
and Mr. Mullen, with another young priest, named Van
Drom, a Belgian of the diocese of Ghent, who arrived here
from Belgium in the beginning of the week. From the
Bishop's residence we went back to our hotel; and after
supper I went to see the Museum, which, though small, is
worth seeing. Among other curiosities, there is a room
�Dispersion of the College
of Lm,al.
65
which the proprietor calls "the infernaL regions;" but, singular enough, you have to ascend several flights of stairs
to come to it. That room is lighted up, and we see there
devils, beasts and reprobates of all kinds. Of eleven ladies
who went up with us, only three dared to remain. All the
others ran away. After being there for some time, we saw
that two or three of the figures began to move, and we
heard such a howling as frightened several of those present.
On a sudden all the lamps were extinguished at the same
instant, and there ensued around us such a racket as might
well be called infernal. Again light appeared and all was
over. It is late.
Farewell.
DISPERSION OF THE COLLEGE OF LAVAL.
Letter of .Father S. SclzijftiZi to Ius Brother.
ST. HELIER, Sept. 15, 1 88o.
DEAR BROTHER,
Here I am at last in the new domicile to which Divine
Providence has consigned me. St. Helier is, as you know,
the principal city of the Isle of Jersey, and is situated on
the sea shore opposite the Norman coast. The house in
which I am is on a hill overhanging the town. It is a magnificent hotel, which, through the admirable disposition of
Divine Providence, fell into the hands of the Province of
France at the very time the sad Decrees of the 29th of
March appeared. I will speak more on this head in another
letter. For the present it is enough to know that this hotel
will be a Scholasticate to take the place of Laval. It wont
take long to tell how I came here. You know already,
through the papers, what was the action of the French
Chamber with regard to the well-known "Clause 7'' of the
Ferry Laws, and hence the origin of the lamentable March
Decrees. At their appearance, all the Superiors of ReligVoL. x-No. I.
9
�66
Dispersion of tlze College of La·Ml.
ious Congregations of men, threatened by the said Decrees,
with great though unexpeaed unanimity, met at Paris to
see what they ought to do in such a junaure. It was resolved to offer every resistance sanaioned by French law.
There was, at the same time, a consultation with the most
celebrated lawyers and jurists of the nation, and especially
with M. Rousse, one of the foremost lawyers of Paris. He
is the author of the famous defence which you have seen,
in which some two thousand lawyers concurred. In the
meantime we kept up our usual scholastic exercises at
Laval, without the slightest change in the order of duties.
Towards the end of June, for fear the government would
assume control of the house, all the more necessary articles were ~ent to a safe place in the town, and it was settled
where ea~J:l one could best go in case the house was broken
up. A generous and cordial hospitality was extended us
from every side. On the 28th and 29th of June many of
our friends and of the highest nobility carne to stay with
us night and day, so as to help us if necessary, or (and this
was the chief objea) to serve as witnesses to the brutality
soon to take place on the part of the vandals who now govern poor France. The 30th arrived, and there is no need
of describing what occurred. In Laval, as elsewhere, the
performance consisted of three a as, viz: a notice to quit,
served by the Chief of Police; a refusal to do so on the
Reaor's part, in the presence of witnesses, accompanied by
a protest against the illegal meas~res of the government;
and, lastly, after seals had been affi.xed to the Church. our
ejeaion, manu militan·, regardless of the Jaws which, in
France, so strialy protea the dwellings of citizens. It
must be confessed that the gens·d'armes conduaed themselves with a good deal of courtesy, and carried out their
orders with tears in their eyes. Also be it said that the
Prefea of Laval was among the least hostile, and, as a consequence, suffered the Brothers, and even five Fathers, to
still remain in the house, in quality of legal proprietors. It
is a hard necessity that presses one, when, for the sake of a
�Dispersion of tlze College of Laval.
67
few dollars that he needs, he follows, with bad grace, the
Republican car driven by Gambetta. After we were turned
into the,street, with the exception of a few Fathers who remained in the town, we all, to the number of about a hundred, betook ourselves to four houses thrown open to us in
the neighborhood of the city, and on the very next day
resumed our wonted scholastic and religious exercises.
The Theologians of the long course, with their respective
. professors, found themselves in an elegant residence about
four leagues from Laval, offered them by an old boarder at
one of our colleges, Louis de Ia Sayette. Although everything was perfectly well known, and the Prefect had expressly forbidden any reunion on our part as a community,
the gens-d'armes did not trouble us. We profited by this
tranquillity to bring our scholastic course to its close, and
to prepare ourselves for a speedy departure for Jersey. In
the beginning of August the examinations took place as
usual, followed by the long vacation, and at length, at the
end of the month, we started for our new Scholasticate.
The fifth of this month (September) more than seventy were
here, and we made our annual retreat. vVe are now awaiting the arrival of the others who are to come. The "Status"
is not yet out. Possibly I may havea class of philosophy
in addition to my theological lectures. So, then, here I am,
at last, an Englishman, after having been a Spaniard and a
Frenchman. It can hardly be that the government will
. drive us out of this place. The English are the most practical men in the world.
My address is "College of St. Aloysius, St. Helier, Jersey,
England."<1> Remember me most kindly to my acquaintances, and those of our province, especially, who may be
near you. Write to me soon, and remember me in your
Holy Sacrifices and prayers.
Your affectionate brother,
SANTO SCHJFFINJ,
s. J.
1
< l Since this Jetter was written, Father Schiffini has been appointed Profes-
sor of Philosophy at the German College in Rome.
�LOYOLA COLLEGE.
The College was handsomely decorated during the time of the Sesqui-Centennial
Celebration in Baltimore; one of the features b,eing the ·subjoined inscription
which was placed between the pillars of the balcony :COLLEGIVM . HOC . LOYOL.tEVM
VHI · MAIORVM . EXPERIENTIA · SVCCESSV · QVE · EDOCTI
SODALES . SOCIETATIS . IESV
· TRES · ILLOS · CVLTVS
DEI
•,
PATRI.tE · BONARVM · QVE . ARTIVM
BALTIMORENSI · IVVENTVTI . VNA · SIMVL . INSTILLANT
HOC . REDEVNTE . ANNO .
OL . AB
. EIVS . CONDITIONE
BALTIMOR.tE · PLAVDIT
CVIVS · HISTORIAM · TRES · MAGNI . AVSVS · IMPLENT
DEI . CVLTV · VEXATOS . PERFVGIO · TVTARI
PATRIAM · LIBERAM · PROSPERAM · QVE · CIVIBVS · CONFERRE
BONAS · AR'TES · INSTITVTIS · MONVMENTIS · QVE · FOVERE
�THE NEW CHURCH AT HARRISONVILLE.
On Sunday, the 21st of November, Mass was celebrated
for the first time in the new Church which has been erected
on the Liberty turnpike, near Harrisonville, Baltimore
County, about five miles from Woodstock College. The
Churclt oj tlzc Holy Family is a neat frame building, 28 by
48 feet, costing a little over $1,500. Quite a number of
people came from the surrounding country, Protestants as
well as Catholics, to witness the unusual ceremony, which
was conducted with as much solemnity as circumstances
would permit. Father Salvator Brandi, of Woodstock, to
whose zeal the congregation is indebted for their beautiful
little Church, said the Mass. The sermon was preached by
Father Devitt, and the choir from the College also assisted
on the occasion.
The new church at Harrisonville is the latest fruit of the
zeal of the Scholastics and Fathers of Woodstock College.
Little did any one dream six years ago, when a Sundayschool was begun in Mr. Harker's house, that in so short a
time it would develop ·so wonderfully. Before the College
was opened tht:re was no priest or chapel nearer than Pikes~
ville, some six or seven miles away; and, as the people were
scattered all over the country, it is easy to conceive how
Catholics became indifferent in the practice of their religion, while the younger generation was growing up without
any faith at all. There were many, too, who had never belonged to any Church, who only needed some knowledge
of ·the truth to embrace it. Consequently, much good was
effected by the zeal and instructions of the scholastics who
conducted the Sunday-school. The children were instructed
in their catechism, and many lukewarm Catholics, who had
for years neglected their Christian duties, were reclaimed.
Thus it was that the little congregation in the neighbor-
(6g)
�;o
Tlze New Cizurc!t at Harrismwille.
hood of Harrisonville responded to the interest that was
taken in them. Mr. Harker kindly gave part of his dwelling, in which catechism was taught every Sunday, and the
Holy Sacrifice was celebrated once a month. The sight of
a Catholic priest was quite a marvel in the beginning, and
some opposition was manifested, which has now almost entirely disappeared. Marriages were blessed, and many who
had grown up without receiving the waters of regeneration
were baptized. A circulating library was established, and
the spread of good instruCtive books contributed much towards the present success of the mission.
In September, 1879. Father Brandi took charge of the
mission of Harrisonville, and in a short time the congregation had become too numerous to be accomm<)dated in the
private ch~pel where they were compelled to hear Mass. It
became absolutely necessary, therefore, to build a more
convenient place of worship without delay. The congregation entered with heart and soul into the plans of the
pastor, and promised all necessary assistance. Thomas H.
Worthington, Esq., one of the wealthy farmers in the vicinity, made a gift of an acre of land on which to build the
church, whilst his father, R. \Vorthington, Esq., contributed
generously towards the same end. .
On the 16th of May last the corner-stone was laid with
much· solemnity in the presence of nearly five hundred persons. It is unnecessary to add that more than two-thirds
of those who witnessed the ceremony were non-Catholics.
Several of the Fathers and fourteen Scholastics from the
College choir assisted, taking part in the procession. Father
Moeller preached a very fine sermon on the propagation of
the Catholic Church.
Thus the little mission at Harrisonville has entered upon
a new era, and God grant that its progress in the future
may correspond to what it has been in the past, and that
through the instrumentality of its pastors and instruCtors
many more stray sheep may be brought back into the one
fold of Christ.
�SKETCH OF THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS.
(Continued)
\Vhen the missionaries among the Nez Perces were reaping for the Church an abundant harvest of their past labors
and sufferings, and ·whilst their hopes of seeing the whole
tribe converted in a few years were justified by the many
annual conversions; Satan, whose artifices had been so far
defeated, devised another plan, which gave him the victory
over many of those souls, whom the missionaries were patiently preparing for the fold: this plan was the Nez Perce
war of 1877 against the United States army.
The Wallawa Valley, which both Indians and whites
claimed as their own, gave rise to many contests, and these
resulted in the war. The Valley is on the frontier of Oregon, near Idaho ; it is very well adapted for farming and
grazing purposes, and was also much valued by the Indians,
as well as the surrounding country for root-digging and
hunting. It was first included in the Indian Reservation,
made by mutual agreement between the United States
Government and the Nez Perce tribe, in the treaty of June
11th, 1855, which treaty was signed by Old Joseph, the
chief of that band of Nez Perces that owned the Valley,
a Presbyterian and father of Joseph, who afterwards became
famous as the leader of the war.
But; when on the discovery of gold mines in the Nez
Perce Reservation in 1862, that Reservation was found to
be too large, and should be by all means curtailed, another
treaty, that put Wallawa out of the Reservation, was signed
by some chiefs in 1863; but Old Joseph would not sign it,
and protested that the Valley was his own: he died a few
years after, telling his two sons, Joseph and Young Joseph,
alias Allocat, never to give up Wallawa to the whites.
In the latter part of May, 1873, a kind of Indian council
(71)
�72
Sketclt of t!ze Nez Perces Indians.
was held at Lapwai, in behalf of Joseph and his people.
Whether it was on account of trouble in Wallawa between
whites and Indians, or, because the Presbyterians wanted
another Agency in that Valley, it is difficult to say. In
that council, Joseph exposed his claims to the Valley, and
asked proteaion from the Government against the whites,
who had already begun to settle there; the Indian Department endorsed the petition, and the President of the United
States put the whole of the Valley out of market.
After some time the Indians of Wallawa were told that
probably Congress would make an appropriation to buy out
all the settlers of Wallawa; and they would have a Reservation of their own. This, in the Indian mind, was equivalent to an acknowledgment of their right by Government;
but Congress did not make the appropriation, and after
some time, the Valley was again open to settlers. This
made the Indians mad with rage, and they charged the
Government with injustice and deceit, and began to show
so hostile a spirit towards the settlers as to cause much uneasiness. Therefore in the fall of 1876, there was another
council at Lapwai. A commission of some gentlemen was
appointed by the Indian Department, to come to an agreement with Joseph, either to re~1ain in Wallawa, if he asked
for. it, as in a Reservation; or to give it up altogether, be
paid for it, and go to live in the Nez Perce Reservation.
Joseph and his people were called; but as soon as they
heard of the intentions of the Government, J~seph answered for all his people that they _had nothing to ask for.
He would not even speak to the Commissioners; because,
he said, he did not believe they were truly sent from Washington: and even were they truly sent, those who had already spoken in the name of the Government had lied too
many times to the Indians, especially in regard to that
question of Wallawa: "In the treaty made in
Gov.
Stevens said Wallawa was ours; and my father said it was
and should be ours. When the preachers came in 1873,
Government said it should be ours again; and I said it was
rSss.
�Sketclz of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
73
and should be ours. After a year or less, Government
said it should not be ours any more; and I said it was and
it should be ours. You may say now it should be ours, and
next year again say it should not; I say now, as I said before, as my father said, as all my people will always say;
vVallawa was, is and shall be ours, and that I do not need
to ask it from your Government."
Government officials went to see him several times, to
persuade him to come and expose his views, telling him
that he would obtain all that he wanted; but this made him
worse. He became so proud that he thought Government
was afraid of him. When the Commissioners saw that Joseph could not be induced to ask for any titvor, they recommended to have him and all his band removed to the Nez
Perce Reservation, since vVallawa had been put out of the
Reservation by the treaty ; but it seems they forgot to say
that the treaty had never been signed by the owners of the
country.
Orders were given to remove Joseph to Lapwai, by gentle means if possible; if not, by force. Towards the end
of 1876, and the beginning of 1877, messengers were going to and fro, the United States Agent sending word to
Joseph to remove to Lapway, or the soldiers would go ami
take him there.
In the mean time an Indian, whose family were a!! Catholics, fell dangerously ill, and immediately he sent to the
Mission (St. Joseph's), wishing to be baptized. On the 15th
of January, one of the Fathers started with some Indians,
very late in the evening, to Captain John's Creek; they
found the sick man there (Joseph's was eight miles further
on Grand-Rood River). As soon as the sick man saw the
priest, he said: "Oh ! how glad I am to see you, blackgown ; I was afraid that I should die unbaptized, in punishment of the hardness of my heart. Do you remember
how I would not look at you four years ago? You baptized my dying girl, and she got well in a few days, and my
heart was not moved ; afterwards. you baptized my baby
VoL. x-No.
1.
10
�74
Sketch of tlze Nez Perces bzdz"ans.
and its mother; afterwards you baptized my big son, and
you could never get me. Oh! now I am very sorry for my
sins, and I want to confess them all before receiving Baptism." As he was well disposed, and well instructed, he
was baptized without delay; and then he exhorted his relations to have all their children baptized. Some were baptized that very night; others promised to have their children baptized later.
The next day, the missionary and his Indians proceeded to Joseph's camp, to pay him a friendly visit, which he
had promised long before. Though Old Joseph, now dead,
had been a Presbyterian, yet he died an infidel, and left his
two sons, Joseph and Young Joseph, infidels. Both of them,
however, \'{ere very friendly to the Catholic missionary, and
they received him with great courtesy. They would listen
to his exhortations, but they were not disposed to become
Catholics; said they would see about it when the land
question would be settled. The old Drummer(an Indian
preacher of superstition), protested that none would become
Catholics, neither young nor old ; they had their own religion and that was good enough. \Ve may remark that
the most bitter of these men is now a good Catholic, and
always very sorry for having spoken so roughly to the
missionary.
When the religious topic was over, the Indians asked the
missionary what was his opinion about the injustice of the
Government on the subject of \Vallawa. The Father answered that he was not prepared to. ~peak on that matter,
having come exclusively on a spiritual mission, and had
nothing to do with Government and land questions. The
meal that was served, first to the Father and then to his
companions, was one of the most sumptuous of Indian
dinners, consisting of different kinds of dry meat, and many
different kinds of dry roots ; the beverage was Indian tea
with sugar. The missionary returned to St. Joseph's with
many hopes of future conversions. After a few days, he
went again to visit the new convert, who had got better;
�Sketc!t of the Nez Perch Indians.
75
there he found an army of Presbyterian preachers, trying
to scare the few Catholics, and prevent the others from joining us: yet, some more children were baptized.
Next month, February, the missionary, accepting an invitation extended to him some time previous, went to the
Umatilla Reservation, about a hundred and eighty miles
from Lapwai, in order to give a mission to the Catholic
Indians, and gain over some infidels to our holy religion.
The mission was a great success; the Catholics, with very
few exceptions, approached the Sacraments, and about twenty infidels were received into the Church.
It seems that Young Joseph of Wallawa was there, trying to know the opinion of the Umatilla Indians, who also
claimed the \Vallawa, as to whether it should be abandoned
or not. This coincidence, with some other circumstances
of less importance, and especially the success of the Catholic missionary, excited the zeal or rage of the Presbyterians; and the Lapwai Indian Agent wrote to the Indian
Department in ·washington, that the Catholic priest was
doing his best to prevent Joseph from coming into the Lapwai Reservation, and therefore he would inquire how to
proceed against said priest. No sooner was this calumny
known among the citizens of Lewiston, than all were indignant against the calumniator; so the Agent could not
easily expel the priest from the Reservation (St. Joseph's
Mission), as he had already told the Indians he would do.
Some time in April, Young Joseph paid a visit to the
missionary, and asked his advice, what to do about their
land. The answer was: "Do what you think is best, provided every thing is done peaceably; for my part, I should
like to see all of you near our Mission." He promised to
be peaceful, and try to have all others peaceful, and that
when settled, he and many others would become Catholics.
In the mean time neither Joseph nor his people were
doing any thing to move towards the Reservation. So Gen.
Howard came to Lapwai and called a meeting of all the Indians of Joseph and vVhite Bird, to hold a council and try
�;6
Sketclt of the Nez Perces Indians.
for the last time, to have them all come to the Reservation.
The council was held in May, and lasted several days.
From the very beginning, Tahulkuzut, one of the old drummers of 'White Bird, said very clearly and positively that
neither he, nor any of his people would ever go to the
Reservation; that they would not give up their land, which
was to them as a mother. Some few others expressed
themselves in the same way, but not so clearly, and when
the General would tell them that they were not free to stay
or to come, but that they had to come, either of their own
accord or by force, old· Tahulkuzut would repeat again
that they would not abandon their mother, the land where
they were born. At the third session, when Tahulkuzut
was haranguing to the same tune, the General told the
Commaqder of Fort Lapwai, who was present, to take
charge of"old Tahulkuzut, so that he might hold the council with the others. And, indeed, after he was taken prisoner, the others seemed disposed to come to terms. After
a few sessions, Joseph, \Vhite Bird and Haschus Keiut,
the three chiefs of the largest bands of Nez Perces, agreed
to come to the Reservation in thirty days; then Tahulkuzut was let free.
\Vhether it was treachery on the part of these chiefs, or
that, exasperated by Tahulkuzut, who reproached them
with cowardice, they changed their mind and went to war,
it is very difficult to ascertain. The fact is, that just one
day before the expiration of the time agreed upon (June I4,
1877), some of \Vhite-Bird's yo~1ng men killed two white
men on Salmon River, and thence .going to Camas Prairie,
murdered several very good and inoffensive settlers.
On the evening of the I 5th, about a hundred soldiers
started from Lapwai for Salmon River and Camas Prairie;
when, on the morning of the I 7th, the soldiers were ready
to attack the Indians, Joseph sent two of his men. to the
Commander of the troops, to tell him that the murders
were committed without his knowledge, and that if he
would wait, he would give satisfaction. But White Bird's
I
I
�Missionary Labors.
77
young men, excited by Tahulkuzut, went ahead of the messengers, began the attack, killed thirty soldiers and a Lieutenant, put the balance to flight, and went back to the
camp, saying that the war was begun, and there was now
no backing out. It seems that the fight was between nine
Indians and ninety soldiers, and only one Indian was killed.
Then followed the battles of Cotton Wood and Clear Water,
and the escape of Joseph with his forces across the Bitter
Root Mountain. It is said that Joseph was nt!ver seen
fighting, until his forces were attacked at night by the
United States troops in Montana. From this it would seem
true that \Vhite Bird, or some of his men, as Tahulkuzut,
was the organizer and prosecutor of the war, and that Joseph was dragged into it by his friends.
Whether he had said in Lewiston, some time before the
war, that his people could easily beat all the soldiers of
Forts Lapwai and Walla walla, or not, is not certain; if he
said so, the first battle proved that it was not a vain boast.
He had been repeatedly told that soldiers would take him
and his people to the Reservation ; and there were no soldiers in the country, but eight small companies in those
two Forts.
·
ST. FRANCIS REGIS, CoLVILLE MISSION,
November 28, 1880.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM SEPTEMBER I9 TO DECEMBER I9, I880.
The first two weeks in September were set apart in the
missionary calendar for St. Joachim's Frankford; but, owing to unforeseen difficulties concerning the dedication of
the church just finished, the Fathers could not begin their
labors until the end of October. There was little reason
to regret this mishap, as the weather in the early part of
�·I
lr!issioJZary Labors.
the month of September was too warm for a mission in a
crowded church. Of course, this delay lessens perceptibly
the results of the autumn work.
CHURCH OF THE AssuMPTION, EAsT BosToN.-At the invitation of the zealous pastor, Rev. Father Cassin, Fathers
Maguire and Morgan gave a week's mission, beginning
September 19, to the men of this congregation.
Two services a day in the Church, with a short instruction in the afternoon for the children, were given. The
men, occupied with their labors as stevedores or 'longshoremen, could come only early in the morning or late
in the evening to the Church. As a consequence, their
confessions had to be heard, for the most part, in the even·
ing. This~ left a large portion of the day at the disposal
of the devout female sex. It would seem, judging from
what took place afterwards, that a council of war was held
by the women, always so anxious to do some good for
their souls, and, in the present case, aB:uated, no doubt, by
a combined motive of piety, jealousy and curiosity. The
truth is, a few old women presented themselvt::s, coming as
pioneers probably. Their confessions were heard, and
then, as if by magic, the crowds began to move, and tht::
Fa~hers had enough to do. The news spread quickly, and
to the end of the week the communicants were eighteen
hundred, one half of whom were women.
On the last Sunday of the exercises special efforts were
made, and with very flattering resl}lts, to increase the number of members in the various so.cieties conneB:ed with the
Church. A few adults were prepart::d for First Communion.
GESu, PHILADELPHIA.-From the 4th to the 18th of October, Fathers Maguirt::, McAtee, Strong and Morgan, with
the very important help of their brethren in the community, were engaged in giving the exercises to the people! was going to say of this Church, but that would not be
true-that came from all sides to this Church to make the
I
J
�Missionary Labors.
79
Mission. It was necessary from the beginning to divide
the congregation, giving the first week to the women, but
this division was not sufficient, since an overflow meeting
had to be held every evening in the hall attached to the
schoolhouse. There several hundreds of persons were
enabled to hear the sermons upon the exercises, a blessing
they would otherwise have been deprived of.
Philadelphia and Baltimore are always prolific of converts during a mission; other cities in the North have them,
but these two are ahead nearly always. Eighteen adults
were received into the Church at the Gesu during the exercises. Several pe~sons were left under instruction, having presented themselves too late. A prejudice prevails
against converts of a mission. Poorly instructed and excited by the sermons, they rush into the Church to rush
out again when the excitement is over. If, indeed, it were
true that they are poorly instructed and brought in by excitement, and finally leave the Church e1t masse, the prejudice might be tolerated. If proper instruClion be given
them, and if, as is most frequently the case, the mission is
only the occasion of doing what has been thought on for
years, through the good example of a wife, or a husband,
or some kind friend, I see no reason for delay. As a truth,
the Fathers have often heard the best accounts of their converts. Some will fall away, no doubt; so do they fall away
under the most favorable circumstances. This argument,
then, of falling away proves too much. In fact, it might
lead to .the oyster policy of an old priest in these parts, who
shut out all heretics from admission into the true fold, by
doubting of the possibility of their sincerity.
The children recei\'ed instruction every afternoon; they
paid great attention, and, no doubt, profited by it.
Communions, ten thousand; First Communion of adults,
thirty-seven i Confirmation of adults, one hundred and
twenty; Baptisms of grown persons, eighteen; of children
hitherto neglected, three.
The Archbishop, who kindly consented to confirm the
�Missionary Labors.
I
candidates, supposed to be not more than two hundred and
fifty children, was greatly surprised when he found that the
number, increased by the adults gathered in during the
mission, was over five hundred.
J
8o
ST. JoACHIM's, FRANKFORD (PHILADELPHIA).- Fathers
Maguire, McAtee and Morgan were engaged in this mission from October 24th to Nov. j. In the meanwhile,
Father Strong was deputed for other labors, an account of
which will be given further on.
The good people of Frankford responded very well to
the endeavors of the Fathers in their behalf, though the
weather was bad during the first, and the election for President was, in the way the second week. The day of election
·was, indeed, a considerable hindrance to the work of the
mission. 'When this was ended, the men, a great many of
whom had been disappointed, came faithfully and in large
numbers. The soldiers of the United States Arsenal, a
mile away, wereallowed every privilege to attend the ex. ercises by the Colonel in command, whose wife is a Catholic. It must be said to the credit of these soldiers that
they were not backward to avail themselves of this kindness. The men engaged in the Arsenal are mostly vete~rans; they have their families, and, altogether, seem to be
satisfied with their lot.
By the efforts specially directed to that end, the number
of members in the Sodality of the Sacred Heart and in that
of our Blessed Lady was considerably enlarged.
· Results: Communions, two thousand four hundred and
fifty; First Communion of adults, fifteen; Baptisms, three;
for Confirmation, adults, twenty-eight.
The letter in favor of cheap Chinese labor, attributed by
many to one of the candidates for the Presidency, caused
no little excitement even in this quiet suburb. Parties were
divided in their opinions concerning its authenticity. The
boys, however, settled the difficulty as far as they could, by
starting the cry after the election was passed: "Now we'll
have it; six rats a week for the workingman! "
�Missionary Labors.
8r
ST. JosEPH's, PROVIDENCE, R. I. (Nov. 14-28.) -Three
times in less than five years Father Maguire's band has
given missions in this Church. The interest of the congregation in the exercises was as marked this time as ever
before. The weather was cold and disagreeable the first
week, and yet the women did not stay away on account of
it. The total. number of Communions was greater than at
the last mission, though the p:uish has been divided. The
men, during the second week, did their part equally well;
so that the results, counting both weeks, were:
Communions, over five thousand; adults, First Communions, twenty-two; adults Confirmed, seventy-five; Baptisms,
five.
In general, one mission is like another. The same return of hardened sinners, the crowding of the confessionals, the settling of marriage cases and the like. Hence,
the difficulty in giving an account pleasing to the reader,
who is very apt to accuse the writer of being monotonous.
There is a great deal of monotony about missions. Sometimes, however, the unusual happens. At St. Joseph's the
leader of the band spoke in general terms about the immorality of the country, how all the seCts were drifting into infidelity, in consequence of having no fixed religion, etc.
"In fine," he said, "it comes to this: praCtically, there is no
morality outside the Catholic Church." A newspaper correspondent took exception to these remarks, and cried out
against the arrogance of this Jesuit, who had come to insult the good people of Providence-this Jesuit, a mischiefmaker, whose brethren were recently driven out of France.
"Look at our prisons; look at Spain and Italy, etc." No
notice was taken of him until the last Sunday evening of
the mission, when in a crowded leCture for the benefit of
the parish schools, a reply was made, and the obnoxious
phr tse explained. The leCturer's answer was based principa:ly upon a "Thanksgiving" sermon uelivered in Fall
Riv:.:r by a Methodist preacher. This reverend gentleman,
VoL. x-No. I.
11
�82
Missionary Labors.
departing from the usual blarney of "Plymouth Rock" and
the "Pilgrim Fathers" and their descendants, attacked the
present generation for its vices. He put, as the most damning sin of all, the destruCtion of the family by divorce and
other abominations. New England and those parts of the
West settled by New Englanders stand foremost, according to statistics quoted by this speaker, in the practices that
• tend to break up the family.
The reply was published in the papers. Next day the
following letter was received:
FALL RIVER, MAss., Nov. 29, 1880.
B. A. MAGUIRE, s. J.
Rev. and Dear Sir-Not knowing how to reach you, you
will recei~e this (if at all) by the courtesy of the pastor of
St. Joseph·s Church. Seeing in Providence morning papers
the reference in your leCture last evening to my "Thanksgiving" sermon, I thought that you might, perhaps, be interested to see the sermon as reported· in the Sun of this
city. I therefore mail to you a copy of the Fall River Sun,
containing what is, on the whole, a very excellent report of
what I said on that occasion.(l)
Yours very truly,
}As. H. NuTTING.
St. Joseph's parish was founded about thirty years ago.
The church is Gothic, and is large enough for the congregation. Four years ago next M~y the Bishop of the diocese put our Fathers in charge, and even in that short time
they have gained the confidence of the people, and are able
to do much good by means of the sodalities established
since their coming.
ST. ALOYSIUs' CHURCH, WASHINGTON (Dec. 4-20.)-This
parish was founded OCtober 16th, 1859, when the church
(ll This remarkable discourse has appeared in many of the daily and weekly
papers, and has given rise to mueh. comment and criticism; its statements
rest upon a basis of hard facts, which cannot be explained away.
I
J
�Missionary Labors.
was dedicated. The little congregation that used to worship in the old Seminary chapel was transplanted to the new
edifice, and has now become eight thousand souls. The
crowds that assembled on the day of dedication to hear the
eloquence of Archbishop Hughes and Father Ryder thought
the church was too far out of the city. Now the city has
come up to it, and gone far beyond it.
The mission was most successful. The faithful came in
large numbers to all the services, especially in the evening
to hear their former pastor. I have seen more crowded
audiences at the evening service in other places, but I think
the general attendance at the morning instructions was far
superior to what is seen elsewhere. The attendance of the
men was better than that of the women ; nor was there any
difference at the confessional. Even the boys were more
numerous at the instructions than the girls. At night the
younger folks were excluded. The boys, always ready for
mischief, were determined to hear the sermons. Men were
stationed at dangerous points to keep them out. The boys
slipped in by a back door. This was locked ; the lock was
broken. The door was nailed up; the boys got a crazy
giant to break it open. A strange thing in truth! Boys
are opposed to sermons; but, no doubt, it was not piety
pure and simple that actuated them in the present case.
The giant mentioned came for Confirmation towards the
end of the second week. He knew little, and, to all appearance, would have to rest content with that little. When
asked about the persons of the Blessed Trinity, his answers
were misty and unsettled. After some instruction, everything being considered, he was allowed to be confirmed.
The Fathers were much pleased to see so many colored
people attend the mission. A tenth of the communicants
was of this class. It was remarked by all how well these
people had- been instructed in former times. Seven colored
persons were received into the Church. Many Germans
also attended the exercises. Of course, there was the usual
�Missionary Labors.
harvest of old sinners, and marriage cases had to be settled.
Hundreds of young men who had gone astray were gathered in. These will fall away again unless some measures
are adopted to attraCt them, as has been done in other cities.
Before giving the results of the work, thanks must be given
to the Fathers of the Church and College for their help
during the mission. The showing would not be so fair but
for their assistance:
Communions, six thousand; adults, First Communion,
forty; adults Confirmed, one hundred and eighty-two; adults
Baptized, twenty-five ; children Baptized, five; persons left
under instruCtion for Baptism, six.
Of the hundred and eighty-two persons Confirmed, a
third part was made up of converts to the faith. This remarkable -fact the Archbishop was so much pleased with,
that he requested a special mention to be made of it in the
Mirror.
Father Maguire gave a leClure on "Popular objeCtions to
the Catholic Church" after the mission was finished. The
audience was large, and a large sum was raised for the parish
schools, for whose aid the leClure was given.
General results for the Autumn :-Communions, 25,250;
First Communion, adults, I 18; Confirmation, 405 ; BaptisQl, 5 I ; Baptism, children (negleeted), 12; left under instruCtion for Baptism, 10.
J. A.M.
~-
�...
VARIA.
CoNEJOS, CoL.-The Revzsta Catolica of Dec. 2 sth contains
a communication from Conejos descriptive of the celebration during which FF. Haugh and Capilupi pronounced
their last vows. We translate: "The festival of Our Lady
of Guadalupe was celebrated in this town on the 12th .. The
mild weather, the concourse of spectators, the music and
sacred ceremonies, in a word, all the attending circumstances, contributed to render this occasion one of the pleasantest days in my life. A splendid effect was produced by the
banner of our Lady, as it waved above the church with its
overshadowing folds. Abo\'e the entrance of the sanctuary was placed a large tablet, with MARIA painted in the
most artistic manner by Fr. Ravel. Br. Ansalone surpassed
even himself in the illumination of the sacred edifice. The
music of the vespers was under the charge of the Sisters
of Loretto, whose singing was admirable, whilst Fr. Persone,
our revered and much beloved pastor of five years ago, officiated at the altar. On the following morning the American band arrived from Alamosa, and it fully justified the
expectations of all, playing piece after pie~e with perfect
execution. At the Solemn High Mass, Fr. Persone being
celebrant, Fathers Haugh and Capilupi consecrated themselves to God by the last vows. Fr. Haugh preached a
very eloquent sermon in English· to the many Americans,
Protestants as well as Catholics, who had flocked to the
church. After he had finished, Fr. Persone came forward
to deliver the panegyric of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was
a long time since we had last heard his sympathetic voice,
and this caused it to appear more enchanting than ever before. His sermon occupied three quarters of an hour-but
it seemed to pass almost in a minute. The choir of the
(Ss)
�86
Varia.
Sisters performed wonders. At the end of the Mass, the
customary procession took place, with the image of Our
Lady carried in triumph to the public square. A hundred
cavaliers mounted on mettlesome horses escorted the image, followed modestly by the rest of the population on
foot. Conspicuous amongst all who bore a part in the procession were the Christian Mothers with their beautiful
cinctures and the medal of the Congregation. The behavior of the American bystanders during this grand religious
manifestation was very respeaful. We thank these gentlemen for the happy thought of raising the glorious flag of
the United States in the middle of the Plaza."
CHINA,il{ission of Nankin.-We extraa the following details from the Catalogue of this Mission: For the year
Ouly I, I'879-]uly I, r88o) there were 97,3o6 Christians,
and 2026 Catechumens. The College had I 53 students; in
the schools for boys there were 4350 Christians and 3025
Pagans, and in those for girls the Christians numbered
3823, the Pagans 225. The Baptisms were: of adults, 1078;
children of Christian parents, 3501 ; children of infidels,
17,643. During the year, ::t44 boys and 423 girls were
cared for in the two orphan asylums; whilst in the minor
asylums or by private nurses, 5022 children were supported. Confirmed, 5597; annual Confessions, 63,705; Communions, 56,481; Confessions of devotion, 296,555, Communions, 295,387. The Mission is served by 58 European
and 28 native Priests. There are 22 European Scholastics and 17 Brothers, 35 Nuns o(the Presentation Order
together with other Religious women.
"In every work of the ministry, gains have been made
over last year. The most gratifying progress is that which
is shown by the schools, because every hope for the future
rests upon them. The increase in the number of pagan infants baptized in articulo mortis is very consoling. Numbers
of apostates and of old backsliders have been reconciled.
�Varia.
There could have easily been more catechumens, but they
would have been actuated by motives exclusively human,
and such rarely persevere. Some new posts have been established.
I have not heard of any troubles in the Provinces, except
a disturbance at Canton, which, for a time, threatened the
Cathedral and the lives of the missionaries; but quiet has
been restored. The schools of Shanghai are prosperous,
and the observatory is a great success. P. Zottoli will finish
this year the fourth volume of his work, Cursus Litter..Sin."
FRANCE.-The city of Laval has· bound itself by vow to
enlarge the Church of Avesnieres, at a cost of 100,000
francs, if the Society be restored to St. Michel within the
year.
Father Prendergast firmly protested against his expulsiOn: "Messieurs, je vous prends a temoin de rna protestation. Je suis citoyen des Etats-Unis d'Amerique. Mon
pays a toujours donne l'hospitalite a vos nationaux, meme
aux C?mmunards; et votre republique m'expulse parce que
je suis un religieux."
There are now six French houses in England. The novices of the Province of Lyons were at Roehampton, near
London, until a recent period. They are now in a newlyacquired novitiate of their own at Sidmouth. The novices
and juniors from Angers are at Aberdovey, Merionethshire,
Wales. The hotel which they occupy, formerly a bathing
establishment called The· Corbett Arms, and only a few steps
from the sea, is a regular two-story building with two wings.
SPAIN.-The community of Les Alleux, driven from
France, is at Ara Coeli, formerly a house of Carthusians,
near Valencia. The palace of Ocha, near Burgos, has been
purchased for 12 I ,ooo francs. It is to be converted into a
college.
�88
Varia.
ALGIERS.-The College of Algiers has been closed, and
our Fathers have sold Ben Aknoun to the municipality, in
order to support the College of Oran, which passes into
the control of the Bishop, as a little seminary, under the
direCl:ion of his vicar-general. Our Fathers remain only in
Kabylia, and in the stations where they are charged with
parochial duties.
ZAMBESI.-The mtsston ts no longer attached to the
Province of England. It publishes this year its .own separate catalogue, though by P. General's direCtion each member is to be assigned to his own Province. St. Aidan's and
Graaff Reinet have been ceded to the mission by England.
}============
A REQUEST.
The assistance of Indian Missionaries is requested in
favor of an undertaking projeCted by P. Pfister of Shanghai.
His purpose is to gather the materials for an artistic volume
to illustrate the text: Beatam me dicent omnes generationes. It will present the Ave Maria in all the languages
and dialeCts of the world, so far as it is possiblt: to obtain
th~m. Any of our readers who would be kind enough to
aid in this work, can send by postal card a copy of the
Hail Mary in any Indian language addressed to Woodstock
College.
NOTICE.
The expenses incurred in pn"nting the LETTERS are supposed
to be defrayed by tlte voluntary contn"butions of those to whom
they are smt: our accounts register only three such contributions received dun·ng the past twelve months, nor is there any
better record for two or three years preceding. If a!! who find
a bitt in tlze curr(nt number-and only those who do find this
bitt are expefled to make a contribution- would transm# $2
(or more) our expenses would be covered.
I
I
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. X, No.
2.
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
OF THE MARYLAND MISSION.
IV.-THE SUPPRESSION AND RESTORATION OF THE SOCIETY.
Bishop Richard Cltalloner, Vicar Apostolic {If tlte London Distria, notifies<'> tlte Missionaries in Maryland and Pennsylvania of the Dissolutiou of tlte Society.-Ofl. 6, I773·
To Mess" the Missioners in Maryland and Pensilvania.
Messrs
To obey the orders I have received from above, I notify
to you by this, the Breve, of the total dissolution of the
Society of Jesus; and send withal a form of declaration of
your obedience and submission; to which you are all desired to subscribe, as your brethren have done here; and
send me back the formula with the subscriptions of you
all, as I am to send them up to Rome.
Ever yours,
Oct. 6, I7?J·
RICHARD DEBOREN. V. Ap.
(ll The Brief of Suppression was ordered into execution in such a way that
it was to take effect only when it had been communicated by the Bishop to
the local Superiors within his jurisdiction. As the Mission of Maryland
fiJrmed a part of the London District, it devolved upon Bishop Challoner to
notify Father John Lewis, Superior in 1773, of the Suppression. After the
VoL. x-No.
2.
12
�Historical Papers.
Appointment< 1> of Fatlzer Robert Molymux as Superior m
America-27tlz of Yune, I8n5.
Ego infrascriptus Episcopus Baltimorensis ex facultate
mihi concessa ab Admodum Rdo Patre Gabriele Gruber,
Pr;eposito Genli Soct" Jesu nomino et constituo Rm Dom:
Robertum Molyneux, Sacerdotem, ejusdem renascentis
Societatis Superiorem per fcederat;e Americ;e regiones, ita
ut pr<ediau~ D. Robertus Molyneux, post renovata pristina pia religionis vota coram testibus juxta modum ab admodum R. P. Generali pr<escriptum, jure possideat et exercere valeat omnem illam auaoritatem, qu;e necessaria sit
tum respeau Novitiorum, quam pro regenda memorata So,
cietate. ~·
In quor~m fidem has litteras consueto meo sigillo munivi et manu signavi hac die 27" Junii, an. 1805.
JoANNES, EP'us BALT';'.
dissolution of the Society, Father Lewis wa.q appointed Vicar-General, and
continued to govern the )lission in America ti>r the English Bishop, during
the seven years of the Revolutionary struggle; as Bishop Carroll mentions in
a narrative which has already appeared in these pages, the Bi;hop, during
the whole of this period, held no kind of intercourse with priest or layman
in this part of his charge. After the termination of the war, Father Lewis
was-unanimously chosen Superior at a meeting of the clergy of the Southern
District of :Maryland, held at Newtown, Sept. 23, 1783. At this meeting were
present Benedict Neale, Ignatius :Matthews, James ·walton, Peter Morris,
John Bolton, John Boarman and Augustin Jenkins; Mr. Matthews collected
also the votes of Benjamin Roels and Leonard Neale, who were absent. The
changed political status of the country, the ~n'iarged religious freedom guaranteed by the constitutions of the several States, and the long-continued in·
difference of the Bishop, were sufficient reasons to inspire the assembled clergy
to urge the appointment of an ecclesiastical Superior, who should reside in
the country. A petition to this effect was addressed to the Holy See, and Fr.
Carroll was appointed Superior in November, 1784; in 1790 he was consecrated first Bishop of Baltimore at Lui worth Castle, and in 1808 became first
Archbishop of Baltimore.
n> Bishops Carroll and Neale, in a letter dated J\Iay 25, 1803, begged Father
Gruber to readmit into the Society the ex-Jesuits of J\Iaryland. They stated
that the property of the Society had been preserved intact, and that it was
sufficient for the support of thirty religious. Their letter contains this remarkable passage of modesty and self-denial:
"\Ve have been so much employed in ministries foreign to our institute;
we are so inexperienced in government; the want of books, even of the con·
�Tlze Suppression and Restoration
of tlze Society.
91
In the year of the Suppression, the Catalogue of England gives the number of Fathers in the Maryland Mission
at twenty. The following list is made up from the Records
preserved at Stonyhurst College:
--NOMEN
IORTUSI INGRESSUS
11742
-----~---
GRADUS
--~-----
John Ashton ............ !
i
James Chamberlain....... i 1739
1758
Thomas Digges .......... \ 1711
1729
1747
James Frambach......... 1723
1744
1760
·····,I 1705
1725
1743
1759
I
I
l
Ferdinand Farmer.
I
1772
Lucas Geisler ...•.....•.. 1 1735
I
Robert Harding.......... · 1701
I
George Hunter........... I 1713
1722
1730
1748
John Lewis.............. ] 1721
1740
1758
!
i
John Lucas.............. 1740
I
Matthias Manners ........ :
1763
i
Ignatius Matthews ....... I 1730
1763
Peter .Morris ...•..•....•. ! 1743
I
Joseph Moseley .......... : 1731
1760
1748
1765
Benedict Neale........•.• 1709
1728
1746
James Pellentz ...•..•.... i 1727
1744
1760
Lewis Roels .....•....... \ 1732
1753
Bernard Rich (Diderick). 1726
1745
I
1
J. B. Ritter lde) ..........
James Walton ........... 1736
---·----------~
--
--~
--
----
1757
-
stitutions and decrees of the congregations, is so flagrant, that yon cannot find
oue Jesuit amopg us sufficiently qualified by health and strength, as well as
other requisites, to fulfil the duties of Superior. It would seem, then, most
expedient to send here some Father from those around you. He must know
your intentions thoroughly, and be prudent enough to undertake nothing pre·
�Histoncal Papers.
There are some inaccuracies in this Jist. Although the
catalogue assigns Father Chamberlain to Maryland for this
year, there is no record of his ever having come to the Mission. Oliver says of him : "Devoting himself to the painful mission of Demerara, he died there 1st March, 1779."
Fr. Harding died at Philadelphia, 1st Sept., 1772. If we
add the names of FF. Robert Molyneux and John Bolton,
who arrived from Europe, l\Jarch 20, 1771, the number (20)
given in the catalogue as attached to the Mission will be
made out. Direaly after the Suppression, and before the
breaking out of hostilities, the following Marylanders returned home from Europe : Anthony Carroll,
John Carroll,
John Boarman,
Sylvester Boarman,
Charlcs··sewall,
Augustin Jenkins.
After the war, in 1783, Fr. Leonard Neale arrived from
Demerara, where he had been laboring on the Mission; in
1784, FF. Henry Pile and John Boone; in 1788, Father
Francis Neale; in 1790, Father Charles Neale.
Nearly all of these had passed away before any attempt
was made to resuscitate the Society in America. The follmx._ing particulars are transcribed from a record which was
kept by successive Superiors, under this heading: A list of
Missionaries wlzo /zave died in Maryland since tlze First Settlement.
1779. June 16. Mr. George Huntc.r. died, in the sixty-seventh year of his age; a most pious and worthy Miscipitately before he has studied the government, laws and spirit of this re·
public, and the manners of the people."
There were then in :Maryland only thirteen Jesuits, nearly all broken with
age and missionary toils. Father Gruber at once authorized a renewal of
their vows, and Fathers Robert Molyneux, Charles Neale, Charles Sewall and
Sylvester Boarman availed themselves of the permission. Father Gruber
had confidence enough in the American Jesuits to name Father :Molyneux
Superior. No visitor was sent from Europe, but there soon arrived in the
United States Fathers Adam Britt, John Henry, F. Maleve, Anthony Kohl·
mann, Peter Epinette, Maximilian de Rantzau, Peter .Malon and John Grassi.
SHEA.-7'he Catholic Church in the United Btates, p. 73.
�T/ze Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
1783.
1785.
1786.
1787.
1788.
1790.
1793.
794·
I
1795.
1797.
1800.
1803.
1805.
93
sioner. His remains lie interred at Porttobacco, by
the side of Mr. John Kingdon and Mr. Leonards.
Nov. 19. Mr. Peter Morris died at Newtown of an
apoplexy.
Feb. 3· Departed this life 7o. Baptide Ritter, at Cutchenhopen.
Mr. Luke Geisler died at Conewago, Aug. 10.
Mr. hrdinand Farmer died at Philadelphia, Aug.
17; universally regretted, and leaving behind him a
most lively persuasion of his eminent sanCtity.
il'fr. Benedi[l Neale died at Newtown, March 20.
Mr. Jos. Moseley died at St. Joseph's (which he
first settled, and where he built house and chapel),
June 3rd.
Rev.J Lewis (worthy Sup• of this Mission when the
dissolution of the Society happened) died at Bohemia, March 24.
77te Rtv. Mr. Ignatius 1Watthews died at Newtown.
May 10.
Rev. Bernard Diderick died at Notley Hall, Julys.
Rev. Mr. Lewis Roels died at St. Thomas' on the
27th of February.
Tlze Re11. 11-fr. :lames Frambaclz, aged 73 years, died
at St. Inigoes, of a bilious fever, on the 26th day of
August.
Rro. Mr. 7olzn Boone died at St. Inigoes.
Rev. J}fr.John Boarman died at Newtown.
Rev. Augustin Jenkins died at Newtown, Feb. 2,
aged 53·
Rev. :lames Pellentz, a most amiable and venerable
patriarch, died at Conewago, Feb. 18, aged about 77·
Rro. :lames Walton, a very zealous and respeCtable
Missioner, died at St. Inigoes, in St Mary's County,
19th Feb., 1803, aged .about 65.
Rev. Thomas Digges, aged 94, and the oldest surviving Jesuit of the English Province, died at Mellwood, Feb. 5·
�94
Historical Papers.
Application of the JJfissionaries in Maryland in regard to the
Institute of tlze Fait/z of Jesus.
ST. THOMAS' MANOR,
NEAR PoRT ToBAcco,
November 23d, 1800.
REVEREND AND DEAR SIR,
Knowing your desire of the reestablishment of the Society of Jesus, and of our one day being reunited as Brethren under the Institute of our Holy Founder, St. Ignatius,
we address you on this important subjeCt:.
The time seems now to be at hand for the accomplishment of. our wishes, since our Society is, as we are informed, ':_e~staqlished in Europe. We have seen a copy of
a letter wr.itten to our R 1 Revd Bishop by the Revd Fathers
De Broglie and Rozaven. They inform him that Pope Pius
the 6th and his Successor have approved viva voce the Society
of the Faith of :Jesus; that they and their associates have
entirely adopted the Constitution of our Holy Father, and
that some of their members, with the consent of our Bishop,
would be sent to America. \Ve have also seen a paper entitled "An Account of the Establishment of the Institute
of ~the Faith of Jesus," by Father Halnat, one of the first
companions of Father Paccanari. From this and other
documents before us, it appears to us that the Society of
Jesus, founded by St. Ignatius, is most wonderfully reestablished by the Divine Providence. ~-·But, as we must suppose
that you are better acquainted with this important affair
than we in America, we beg you will give us your opinion
of it,- and let us know whether any steps have been, or
probably will be taken by our Brethren in England towards
an union with the members of the resuscitated Society,
now governed by the Holy. Superior, Father Paccanari,
whom it seems Providence has raised up for His future
glorious and merciful designs.
We, the undersigned, are met here to consider on this
important subjeCt:. Our other Brethren have not been able
�Tlte Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
95
to attend, yet we have little doubt of their sincere concurrence.
Being further informed that our Rt Revd Bishop has
written for three or four members of the Society, and his
Coadjutor two more, to come to America, on their arrival
we have no doubt but that they will meet with a hearty
welcome among us, and everything fully adjusted to our
mutual satisfaction.
AD MAJOREM DEI GLORIAM.
We wish you to communicate the above to the RR.
Fathers De Broglie and Rozaven, SS. St F. J.
With much respetl: we are, Revd Sir,
Your affeCtionate Brethren in Xto,
Robert Molyneux-Joseph Doyne-John Bolton-Henry
Pile-Charles Sewall-Sylvester Boarman-Chas. Neale.
LETTERS OF BISHOP CARROLL.
To Mr. Clzarles Plowden, at Stonylmrst, near Blackburne,
Lallcaslzire.
BALTIMORE, Dec. IS, I8oo.
DEAR SIR,
Since the receipt of your last, as I probably mentioned
to you in mine, I received and answered a letter from London, sent to me by Mess" De Broglie and Rozaven. They
gave the outlines of their Institute, and its acceptance by
the late and present Pope. I can entertain no doubt of the
zeal and sound principles of this new body of recruits to
the Church, of which I have heard much from other quarters; and therefore have requested them to send two of
their Society to this country, where they will learn, in the
space of a few months, much more concerning the probability and me-ans of forming establishments here than can
be learned by twenty letters. Their plan is, I hope, the
work of God, tho they have in one point departed from St.
Ignatius, viz: that of engrafting on their institution a new
order of nuns, to be under the government of the Superiors
�Histoncal Papers.
of their own Society. I should be glad to hear of the manner of their reception in England, and success there.
Mr. Stone; to whom I send my best respeCts, will receive
a letter signed by some of our Brethren, amongst whom is
Dnu• Doyne, concerning this application to me from these
two Delegates of the Society of the Faith of Jesus. They
(our Brethren) met together without a general consent of
the rest of us, and full of zeal for the reestablishment of
the Society, have written as if that happy event were already effeCl:ed; and I have since seen a letter from one of
those who attended that meeting, in which to the signature
of his name, he adds the words Soc. J. This is going too
fast for one who subscribed his submission to the operation
of the destruCtive Brief. In mine to MM. Broglie and Rozaven, aL~:he request of the Presdt. of G. Town College, I
solicited them to send, if they could, a capable professor of
philosophy, logic and naturals, and who should know English, referring them to Mr. Stone, tluo Mr. Strickland.
* * * * * * * *
P. S.
+J., BP of Baltre
* * * * * *
In the former part of this letter, I mentioned slightly my
having heard tidings relative to a revival of the Society. I
beg you to send me, as early as possible, all the authentic
information on this subjeCt: of which you are in possession.
* * * *
*
To Mr. Clzarles Plowden, at Stonylzurst, mar C!itluro, Lancas!tire.
BALTIMORE, Feb.
12,
r8o3.
* * * * * *
Some members of the Society of the F. of J. have been
long expeCted, not in consequence of any late letter to me
from MM. Rozaven and Broglie (for they have not answered my last, written twelve months ago), but of advices
sent to me by l'Abbe Gouppy, once your correspondent,
froffi; the Abbey of Holthausen, in Westphalia. He prom-
�T/ze Suppressioll and Restoratioll of tlte Society.
97
ised that four would be here before the winter; and never
were good priests more. wanted. One of their body is now
here, Romano di nascita, his name, Zocchi. He went from
England to Canada, but the rigor of government there allows not of any Catholic clergymen settling in it; he therefore came hither; but, being of a narrow understanding, he
does nothing but pine for the arrival of his brethren, and
in the meantime will undertake no service. From this sample of the new Order, I am induced to believe that they
are very little instructed in the maxims or institute of our
venerable mother, the Society. Tho they profess to have
no other rules than ours, he seems to me to know. nothing
of the structure of our Society, nor even to have read the
Reguke Commttllt'S, which our very novices know almost by
heart. * * * * * *
J., B. of B.
+
To Mr. Wzlliam Strickland, at Tlzos. Wright's, Esq., & Co.,
Bankers, London.
\VASHINGTON, Aug. 4, 1804.
SIR,
I have before me your favor of May 7th. After condo!- .
ing with you on the loss of your amiable companion and
friend, Mr. Meynell, whom you do not indeed mention, but
of whose death I have been otherwise. advised, I request
you in the first place to return for answer to Fr. Gruber
that I have not yet received my letter from him, and that
one is expected impatiently by many of our Brethren. But
even when his answer arrives, unless it presents the ree.stablishment of the Society in a view different from any that
I have yet seen, it will, in my opinion, be very unsafe to
enter into any engagement in it; at least, so as to divest
one's self of the means of living independent, if after abdicating one's property, another Pope should declare the reestablishment, in virtue of mere verbal grants, void and contrary to Ecclesiastical institutions; and especially so m
VoL. x-No. 2.
1.3
HoND. AND REv.
�Historical Papers.
countries where it had been abolished in virtue of a Brief,
accepted and intimated by the first pastors, and submitted
to expressly, though most unwillingly, by the members of
the Society then living. But if the members of the Society,
before their profession, do not abdicate their property, they
will not be truly religious, nor most assuredly Jesuits, according to the standard of St. Ignatius. I cannot even conceive how there can be any professio quatuor votorum, in
the present state of things, for reasons which it is unnecessary to mention to any one, who, like you, remember the
principles of our Theology concerning the difference between the indissolubility of solemn and simple vows. However, I hope sincerely that the Pope will soon be so unfettered as.to be able to issue in full and authentic. form a
Bull or B.rief for the reestablishment. In this hope I am
encouraged by a letter from Rome, received since I wrote
the first lines of this, and the more so, as it does not come
from one of our former Brethren, who are easily led to hope
what they ardently wish, but from a Dominican of note and
charaCter there, Fr. Concanen. You mention Fr. Angiolini's mission to Naples only as a rumor, of which you expeCted a confirmation; but Fr. Concanen says positively
that he was lately come from Rome to that city to settle
the ..four houses granted by the King to the Jesuits; that an
ediCt: had been issued there in 1787, withdrawing all Regulars from any subjeCtion to Generals or Superiors living
out of the Kingdom; that Angiolin_i insisted on the necessity of preserving the Institute invioJate, and consequently
of the Jesuits recognizing Fr. Gruber for their Superior, and
that it was believed he would succeed in obtaining a revocation of the decree, which would be of the greatest benefit, not only to his own, but all other Religious Orders.
I am come during the heats to spend a month with my
friends at and near Washington City, and in my way called
to see the venerable dean of our English Province, Father
Thomas Digges, aged 94· His health is good, tho he is
almost blind, and his memory far gone, yet tolerably accurate with respeCt: to past transaCtions. His delight is to
�T/ze Suppression and Restoration of tlze Society.
99
converse on the men of other times, the FF. Carteret,
Roels, vValmesley, Scarisbrick, Beeston, Browne, Lawson,
1\Ir. Thomas Lawson's uncle, &c., &c.
Several young men here are ready to enter into the Novitiate, as soon as the Society and houses are organized for
the purpose; but we are wretchedly provided with experienced and fit members to train and form them.
I am, with great esteem, Rev. and Hon'd. Sir,
Your most obedt St,
Bishp of Baltr•.
+ ].,
To Mr. Clzar!es P!owdm, Stony/zurst.
BALTIMORE, Dec. 7, 1804.
;\I y DEAR SIR,
Our correspondence, formerly so regular, has almost entirely ceased, but without any diminution of mutual friendship and regard; of this I- am conscious on my side, and
am sure of the same on yours. I have too much to do,
and no assistance to carry me through my work-my correspondence is increased beyond bounds, and rests entirely
for writing and copying on myself. You, I presume, are
enjoying your solitude with your fervent N--s, to whom
you must often recommend to remember the necessities of
this Diocese in their prayers. But you ought not to bury
yourself so entirely in retirement, as to withhold from me
the information of your reengagement in the Soc'y, and
of your opinion of its stability. You know what has been
done here for a similar reengagement. I enclosed to Mr.
Stone a letter for Fr. Gruber, carrying with it an expression
of the wishes of many of our Brethren here; to which I
have had no answer from either of them, tho Bishop Neale
received a very unsatisfactory account of the situation of
matters from _Mr. Stone. I say unsatisfactory, because it
gives no assurance of the issuing of any Decree or Apostolic Constitution for the reestablishment, but only of private allowance, 1!ivd voce. I shall blame none for relying
enough on this to renew their engagements; but I would
�Historical Papers.
100
neither trust to it myself, nor advise others to do so ; in
which opinion I am confirmed the more by knowing that
His Holiness either will not or dares not to exert authority
enough to prevent Card1 Borgia from \Vriting such a letter
to your V. V. A. A., as is mentioned by l\lr. Stone. It is
rather surprising that no answer is received from Fr. Gruber. Mr. Strickland informed me by orte of July last that
the answer had been sent to Mr. Stone to be forwarded to
me, and Mr. Stone says to 1\lr. Neale that it was sent to Mr.
Strickland·. Besides the former members, several young
men now in Divinity, and others ready to commence it,
would engage in the Society, if it had a solid foundation.
But so much mystery has been made of all proceedings
concerning it, that every one is full of distrust, to which
the general state of religion, and the influence enjoyed by
its greatest foes, contributes in great measure.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Your brother Robert does me the favor of writing now
and then. His account of your Br. Francis's History of
Ireland gives me a desire of reading it, and we expeCt to
receive it soon for our library. Dr. Troy sent to me his
postliminious prelace. There is much anecdote in it, but
from the circumstances related by him, and others, which
have come to my knowledge, there is no great hope of a
restoration to the Irish Catholics of their political rights.
Robert is not pleased with the secrecy which prevails with
your principal people in the transaCtions relative to the Society. In general, I do .not approve of the system of conducting, without any communicatu;n, the affairs concerning
so small a body as the remnant of the Society in England;
but at the same time, it is reasonable to suppose that there
is good cause for it, and it would be very rash for any one,
at my distance, to blame a conduct of which he cannot
know the motives. Your brother's sound sense, great virtue, and steady attachment to the Society, are a sure warrant of his acting on principle, and I have no doubt of
others acting equally so, tho they agree not on the means.
My greatest objection to a dependance on a viv~ vocis
�Tile Suppression and Restoration of tlte Society.
101
oraculum (a phrase unknown for many centuries) is that it
gives no stability to a Religious Order; that it cannot abrogate a public and acknowledged instrument, such as the
Brief of destruction; and that without a public Bull of approbation of the Institute, the distinction of simple and solemn vows, so essential to the Society, does not exist, according to the doctrine of our Divines, after Suarez.
I am, D• Sir, Y", &c.,
f<J., B. of B.
To tlte same.
BALTIMORE,
Mv MucH
Jan.
10,
r8o8.
Ho=-'D. AND DEAR FRIEND,
*
*
*
*
*
It is no excuse for me to cast the blame on your good
old friend Robert,<Il for not acknowledging, as Superior of
the Society, his receiving the lucubrations of old Fr. Lawson, through your goodness. They arrived safe, and probably supply in some degree that want of information under
which Mr. Francis Neale must labor, with respect to the
institution of young men in the spirit of the Society.
Luckily; another supplement to his deficiency is furnished
by the arrival of Father Kohlmann from Russia, who was
sent to be Professor of Philosophy at George Town, but is
chiefly employed as Master of Novices.< 2l Why our good
friend Molyneux leaves Mr. Fr. Neale in possession of the
title can only be accounted for by the reluCtance of Fr.
<Il Father Robert Molyneux, first Superior in America, after the Restoration
of the Society.
2
< l Fr. Kohlmann writes to Fr. Strickland from Georgetown, Fe h. 23, 180i.
"God has sent us a number of young men to be, as it were, the corner·stones
of the Society in this new world. They are twelve in number, viz: eight
Scholastics (four of whom are in theology and four in philosophy) and four
Coadj. Temp. The· Novitiate is in a house separated from the College, but
not far from it. Fr. Francis Neale is Master of Novices, and I am his Sodus.
Fr. Charles Neale resides with his holy Carmelites. Fr. Britt is in a German
congregation at Philadelphia. FF. Henry and Maleve are engaged on the
missions, and are busy learning English. P. Epinette is at the College, and
teaches Latin to several candidates for the Society. Our worthy Father Pro-
�102
Historical Papers.
Superior to undertake the arduous labor of making any alteration. There are, at least, ten Novitii Scholastici, and
three or four lay brothers, and amongst the former some
youths of distinguished talents. There would be no doubt
of the Society acquiring stability in the U. States, and of
becoming eminently useful to them, if its support from the
head of the Church had more authenticity. A verbal authorization only is so easily denied, or repealed by his successor, that it affords no security to those who renounce all
their worldly means of support under the hope of finding
repose and necessaries in the bosom of a religious state.
I am sure that I never wrote anything stronger to Dr. Betagh than this; and to this he must have alluded, by speaking, as you informed me, of my correspondence with him.
Tho I shall always fear while the reestablishment rests
upon its·present foundation, yet others here feel more confidence, and proceed with a publicity scarcely reconcilable
with the wise and earnest recommendations of the General,
who establishes as a principle, that out of Russia, individuals may be associated to the Jesuits there, but cannot coalesce into a body in other countries without an authentic
instrument from the Pope. So, at least, I understand his
letter, and it perplexes me to account precisely fur your situation in England. It is now some time (more than sixteen
mbnths) since I applied to Rome for a Brief of His Holiness to authorize the reestablishment in this country; but
no answer is yet received.
The College of G. Town is not. flourishing by the number of its students, but very mucfi -so by the discipline and
piety there prevailing. The novitiate for the present is contiguous to it, but will probably be removed elsewhere, if it
please God to grant a more solid foundation to the permanence of the Society.
vincial, Rev. Fr. :Molyneux, resides at the Novitiate, and has the confidence
and affection of all by his kindness of heart and good humor. Our Novices
give catechism twice a week in the parish, and I do the same on Sundays and
Festivals, and our good Lord is pleased to bless these labors, because whereas,
formerly seven or eight children at most used to attend the instructions, now
there are more than eighty, and amongst them some Protestants and grown
persons."
�The Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
To Rn•. Mr. lVilliam .S!rickland, No.
London.
BALTre,
I I
103
Poland Street,
April
2nd,
I 808.
RESPECTED AND DEAR SIR,
I am the more particular in answering your last favor of
Dec. I I, I 807, as you expressed a solicitude to that effect ;
perhaps principally on account of the letter from Petersburg, which was enclosed in yours. Probably Mr. Kohlmann will likewise acknowledge its receipt, but it would be
better if this were done by an opportunity different from
the present; as it would double the chance of your hearing
from America, from whence it will be difficult to obtain any
conveyance of letters, as long as our trade and navigation
are fettered by an embargo. Your picture of the state of
the Society is not flattering to purely human observers.
The catastrophe at Naples and Augsburg, and the alliance
between France and Russia, excite serious fears. The anguish which I felt at the dissolution in I773 is yet fresh in
my remembrance; and so many young men were deranged
and disappointed in the plans fo.r their whole lives, that I
earnestly beg of heaven not to suffer a renewal of those bitter days.<'> Having these impressions on my mind, I hardly
1
< > Upon the subject of the final suppression of the Society of Jesus, Mr.
Carroll thus writes, under date of Bruges, September 11, 1773:
"I this day received a few lines from Daniel, of July 15, in which he complains with much reason of my long silence. My mind is at present too full
of other things to make any apology. After spending part of the autumn of
1772 at Naples and its environs, we returned to pass the winter at Rome,
where I stayed till the end of March, from thence came to Florence, Genoa,
Turin, Lyons, Paris, and so to Liege and Bruges. I was willing to accept of
the vacant post of prefect of the sodality here, after consignin~ 1\fr. Stourton
into his father's hands about two months ago, that I might enjoy some retirement, and consider well in the presence of God the disposition I found myself
in of g-oing to join my relatives in i\faryland, and in ease that disposition continued, to get out next spring. But now all room for deliberation seems to be
over. The enemies of the Society, and above all the unrelenting perseverance
of the Spanish and Portuguese :\finistries, with the passiveness of the Court
of Vienna, has at length obtained their ends: and our so long persecuted,
and I must add, holy Society is no more. God's holy will be done, and may
�104
Historical Papers.
dare encourage any, who consult me, to enter. into the awful
His name be blessed for ever and ever! This fatal stroke was struck on the
Zlst of July, but was kept secret at Rome till the 16th of August, and was
only made known to us on the 5th of September. I am not, and perhaps
never shall be, recovered from the shock of this dreadful intelligence. The
gr~atest blessing which in my estimation I could receh·e from God, would be
immediate death: but if He deny me this, may His holy and adorable designs on me be wholly fulfilled. Is it possible that Divine Providence should
permit to such an end, a body wholly devoted, and I will still aver, with the
most disinterested charity, in procuring every comfort and advantage to their
neighbors, whether by preaching, teaching, catechizing, missions, visiting
hospital>, prisons, and every other function of spiritual and corporal mercy?
Such I have beheld it in every part of m~· travels, the first of all ecclesiastical
bodies in the esteem and confidence of the faithful, and certainly the most laborious. 'Vhat will become of our flourishing congregations with you, and
those cultivated by the German Fathers? These retlectiolls crowd so fast
upon me that I almost lose my senses. But I will endea\·or to suppress them
for a few moments. You see that I am now my own master, and left to ·my
own direction. In returning to )laryland 1 shall not only have the comfort
of being witb you, but of being farther out of the reach of scandal and def·
amation, and removed from the scenes of distress of many of my dearest
friends, whom God knows, I shall not be ahle to relieve. I shall, therefore,
most certainly sail for l\Iaryland early next spring, if I possibly can."
Speaking of his apprehensions of a fatal combination against the society of
which he was so zealous and attached a member, he makes the following re·
marks in an earlier letter from Bruges to his brother:
"Before you receive this letter you will have beard of the Pope's death;
in human appearance, nothing could have happened more unfortunate to us,
especially in the critical moment when an answer was to ha\'e been given to
the memorials of three united courts of the family compact, France, Spain
and Naples, requiring the immediate dissolution of the Society. His Holi·
ness had minuted the heads of the answer he intended to make in a few days,
and had delivered it to his ministers to be put into the due form. The sub·
stance of it was, that no worldly consideration, no loss of temporalities, should
ever force him into any measure which he could not justify to his own con·
science: that the more he saw and knew'of the Jesuits, the more he was
convinced of their eminent services to religion, and of the falsehood of the
imputations charged upon them: that he could not therefore acquiesce in the
proposal made him by the alhed courts. The answer entered into a much
larger detail than I here mention, aud would have been a glorious testimony
of His Holiness' esteem and affection for the Society. How matters will go
on in the conclave, and after the election of the new Pope, Heaven knows.
Humanly speaking, we have everything to dread from the combination
formed against us; yet, when .J. reflect 011 the atrocious falsehoods, injustices,
cruelties and mean artifices employed against us, I greatly confide that God's
providence will not permit our dissolution to be effected by such wicked
means. I know His kingdom is not of this world, nnd that they who seek to
do His divine will, an<l promote His glory, are not to expect a visible inter·
position in their favor on every occasion, nr to receive in this life an apparent
testimony of innocence an• I divine approbation." BRENT- Biography of
Arc),bishop Cttrroll, pp. 25-29.
�The Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
105
engagements of a religious life, especially whilst in this
country, its existence has no other canonical sanEl:ion (if it
ever be canonical) than a verbal one. But, tho I dare not
encourage any, yet it is highly gratifying to observe the
magnanimous reliance of many young men on the protection of heaven. :fhe threatening dangers of the Society are
not concealed from the postulants for, or novices in it.
Honest and plain dealing requires, that particularly the latter, before their vows, should know the real state of the
body with which they intend to be united, but there is no
instance of any one having recoiled of that account. There
are at present at G. Town, eleven, I think, of Nov. Scholastici, and three Coadj. temporales, the last very valuable
men, and amongst the former some young men of brilliant
talents.
Since the receipt of your letter of Dec. I I, of last year,
I was informed of two boxes direEl:ed to me, having been
for a long time in the Custom House. Enquiry being made,
they were found, opened and examined. One has three
copies of the Constitutiones Soc. :Yesu, and a letter from you
dated July I I, I 806. * * * * Besides Messrs. Britt,
Henry, Epinette, Kohlmann and Maleve, we have received
from Flanders (now novices) two most excellent priests,
Messrs. Beschter and vVouters; but it is to be feared that
the troubles in Europe, especially between England ~nd
Russia, will delay the arrival of further supplies promised
by the General.
Be assured, my Dr. Sir, of the esteem
and respeEl: of yr. m. h. st.,
J., BisP of B'•.
+
In another letter to Fr. Wm. Strickland, under the date
of Dec. 3, r8o8, after speaking of the Bishops appointed
to the new Sees of Boston, New York, Philadelphia and
Bardstown, he goes on to mention that he had requested
the Dominican Father Concanen, Bishop eleEl: of Philadelphia, who was then at Rome, "to feel the pulse there, and
see if a Brief might not be obtained, granting to this country
VoL. x-No. 2.
14
�106
Historical Papers.
authenticity and solidity to that establishment, for which
you have labored so long, without obtaining the desired
sanction. His letters from Leghorn say, that besides the
authentic documents above mentioned, he has special communications to make to me, which assurance excites some
hopes of success. As there is not this year any course of
Philosophy at G. Town, I have sent Mr. Kohlmann to N.
York, where a zealous pastor was much wanted, and he is
accompanied with a countryman of my own, lately ordained
and out of his novitiate, of great promise,< 1> and with four
Scholastici, who have begun a schoo\,< 2> from which much
good is expected. It is to be feared that we shall not keep
Mr. Molyneux long: my last advices are that he is menaced with a dropsy; if so, considering his age and drooping he:1lth, he will probably fall a victim to that unsparing
ailment."
To .Mr. Clzarles Plrr&den, Stonylwrst, 11ear Clitlzeroe.
BALTre,
Feb. 21St, I8og.
MY DEAR SIR,
About the beginning of last December I advised you of
the apprehension I was then under, of daily hearing of the
d~ath of our old, good, and much respected friend, Mr.
Robert Molyneux, which event took place at George Town
on the gth of that month, after his being prepared by a life
Ill Benedict J. Fenwick, ordainea Mareh 12, 1808, by Bishop Neale. FF.
Spink, Enoch Fenwick and Leonard Edelil)' were ordained at the same time.
They were the first members of the Society elevated to the priesthood in the
United States.
1•> Father Kohlmann writes to Father Strickland from New York, 14 Sep·
tember, 1810: "The College is on the following footing: Rev. Father Bened.
Fenwick, an excellent scholar, has resided in it these two months, but I find
by experience that to attend to about fourteen thousand souls is too heavy a
work for one man, and so he will probably live again in the city, and visit
the College once a week. I generally come out on Saturday to hear confes·
sions, &e., &e. There lives also in the College a Spanish priest, who Rpeaks
&lso Italian, but little English, a man of good morals, and much belo1·ed hy
the pupils. Brother Wallace, a Scholastic of the Society, is our Master of
:Mathematics, one of the ablest in the United States. Br. White, Scholn•tic
also of the Society, is Professor of the English, Latin and Greek tongues, with
whic.h he is well acquainted."
�T/ze Suppression and Restoration of tke Society.
107
of candor, virtue and innocence, and by all those helps
which are mercifully ordained for the c'omfort aml advantage of departing Christians. Not only your charity, but
your friendship for him, with whom you passed so many
cheerful and happy days of your life, will induce you to
recommend very often his soul to the Father of mercies. He
was my oldest friend, after my relation and companion to
St. Omers in my childhood, l\1r. Chas. Carroll of Carrollton,
remaining amongst us, as he often and feelingly reminded
me the last time I saw him, in the month of September,
with very slender hopes of meeting more in this worldY>
R. I. P. No successor in the presidency of the College is
yet appointed. Previous to his death, in consequence of
powers vested in him by the proper authority, he had appointed :Mr. Chas. Neale to be the Superior of the body
lately revived amongst us. * * * *
J., BisP of B'•.
+
NE\v YoRK, Nov. 21, 1813.
REv. AND HoN'n SIR,< 2>
The enclosed letters are for the Very Rev. Fr. Gruber,
Gen'l of the Society. One of them is the duplicate of
<1>In a letter of Septemb<>r 19, 1809, Bishop Carroll speuks of the death of
l'ather Bolton: "1 am sorry to intl1rm you that another of my, and indeed
your, contemporaries, tho some years older, has dropped off. Our honest and
worthy Brother, the Rev. Mr. John Bolton, departed this life on the 9th of
this month, in a most religious anrl placid manner. With moderate abilities,
out an excellent will to fulfil the duties of his calling, he consecrated his days
to them, always with punctuality and cheerfulness, winning the affection of
his congregation wherever he lived, and never making an enemy. His sickness did not last more than a week; it was contracted in the service of his
neighbor, whom he visited and watched over till near midnight; and, in order to be in time at his chapel the next day (Sunday), left him with a profuse
perspiration to expose himself to a noxious dew, which brought on the fever
that terminated his existence, after receiving most calmly and piously all the
rites of the Church. Let our Brethren know of his death. It happened at
one of our houses, called Newtown, in St. llfary's County."
He arlrls in the same letter: "I had placed at New York two priests of the
!Society, Messrs. Kohlm.ann and Benedict Fenwick, with four Scholastics, who
have alrea•ly produce<! most happy fruits, by introducing exercises of piety,
sodalities, establishing an extensive academy, &c."
2
< > This letter is without &uperscription. It was probably addressed to Fr.
John \Veld, Hector of Stonyhurst, who entered on office in January, 1813.
�108
Historical Papers.
another written in May last, to which no answer is yet received; and, fearful of miscarriage by the way of Hamburg, to which the first copy was to have been sent, I take
the liberty of enclosing these to you, and requesting the
General to send his answer through you. This I was induced to do, after hearing of the station in which you are
placed, and chosen by Providence, as it may reasonably be
hoped, to revive the spirit and renew the usefulness of the
Society. The letters inclosed express the wishes of some
of our former Brethren, and of several others, priests and
non-priests, to be readmitted and first admitted into it.
Being here on a visitation, I have only time to add, that
the vessel is sailing, that I hope you will charge the postage on this and similar occasions to my account with Thos.
\Vright _&Co., and assure MlVI. Plowden, Semmes, Spencer
and all my other acquaintances, of my continued respeCt
and att~chment. To Mr. Plowden I shall write soon, and
shall always remain,
Rev'd and Hon'd Sir,
Your most obedient Serv't and B' in X'",
+JoHN, BisP of Bait'•.
P. S.-Rev. Mr. Joseph Doyne died OCtober 28th, of this
year.
To Rez1. 1lfr. C!zarles Plowden, Stonyhurst.
Dec. 12, 1813.
MosT DEAR AND EvER REsPECTED FRIEND,
* * * * * * * * Mr. Grassi has revived the
College of G. Town, which has received great improvements in the number of students and course of studies.
His predecessor, with the same good intentions, had no
ability for his station, and was nominated by a strange combination. There are, I think, some nine or ten novices,
under a Fr. Beschter of Flanders, a very holy man, but one
in whom the want of a regular education in the Society is
very discernible. Fr. Kohlmann, with his companions at
New York, has done much for Religion, and their little.
�Tlze Suppression and Restoration of tlze Society.
109
College would do well, too, if it could be supplied with
proper teachers. Mr. Kohlmann is unwilling to receive
any but the members of his body; and there are too few
to supply that place and G. Town; so that if he persists in
his resolution, his institution must be dissolved. The Seminary here of St. Sulpice feels now the effeCts of departir.g
from their original destination and the spirit of their Society, which is the education of young ecclesiastics only.
They would go on the plan of forming a college for promiscuous and ornamental education. A priest of great
talents, but delighting more in brilliancy than solidity, carried it on with much apparent success and splendor for a
few years; but the consequence was an enormous debt,
which has almost ruined both college and Seminary; a
most deplorable event-for truly a more exemplary and
worthy company of ecclesiastics nowhere exists.
\Ve can gain no access to, or receive any communication
from our H. F.; tho it is extremely necessary at this time.
The Society is here, as with you, without that establishment which would serve to tranquillize my conscience; you
will know more of this from mine to Mr. Stone.
Mr. Kohlmann will inform you of a decision in a Court
at N. Y., by which it was decreed that a Catholic priest
cannot be required to testify to anything which he could
know only by Confession.<'> This is contrary to the determination in Ireland, in the case of Father Gahan about Lord
Dunboyne's will.
(t) Fr. Kohlmann was summoned as a witness in regard to property stolen
from a party named Keating, who had given information of his loss to the
police; meantime, by means of the confessional, P. Kohlmann had restored
the goorls to the owner, and when called to testify, demurr<'d because of the
seal of Confession, respectfully stating his rea~ons. The District Attorney
was about to enter a .No!. Pros., but the trustees of St. Peter's Church (of
which Father Kohlmann was Pastor) requested him to argue the case, so that
it might be settled legally once for all. This was done. Riker and Sampson
made powerful pleas for the exemption. De \Vitt Clinton, who was then
(1813) Mayor of New York, made a good summing up, and, although all con·
nected with the decision of the question seem to have been Protestants, it
was unanimously declared that a priest should not be compelled to testi(y in
such a case.
�I 10
Hi'stoncal Papers.
To t!te Rev. Marmaduke Stone, Siony!turst.
Jan.
31, 1814.
REV. AND RESPECTED SIR,
At the time of receiving the last letter from my venerable friend, Mr. Strickland, begun by him, and, in consequence
of his illness, finished by you, hostilities broke out between
our two countries, and rendered the conveyance of letters
so uncertain, that I did not presume to answer you on the
interesting subjea, on which you did me the honor to ask
my optnton. On the subjea, about which you were pleased
to advise with me, I presume that our friend-; in England
are precisely in the same state as we are here; that is, that
nothing has been done for annulling and repealing the destroying BJief of Clement XIV., with equal authority, publicity and authenticity, as was given to that .Pontiff's aa,
which had its full execution in all countries where it was
published. Even the members of the Society, and namely
those at Liege, in Flanders, in England, and here, entered
their fn:e, tho certainly reluaant submission to it. Reviewing the severe injunaions contained in the Brief, the
censures on the Ordinaries who allow, and the individuals
who attempt its violation, it seems to me, that without a
derogation from it by an aa of equal authority, and quite
as authentic, those who, with you and us, bind themselves
by vow to live under the obedience of the General in Russia, and to conform to the rules of the Society, will not,
nor can be a religious body, or enjoy the privileges of such.
Their sacrifice is highly meritorious ·before God, but in the
face of the Church, those who enter into orders, and those
who are already in them, must be subjea to the general
discipline as to their title for ordination; and be, as secular
priests, under the authority of the Bishop. This has been
declared by Fr. Czerniewicz, in his letter to Mr. J. Howard
at Liege, and by Fr. Gruber and the present General in
their communications to me, copies of which would now
be forwarded if I were not confident that you have received
�Tlze Suppression and Restoration o.f t/ze Society.
I I I
such already. Tho these restraints diminish much the usefulness of our dear Brethren, and may discourage some
from making the sacrifice mentioned above, yet it is a misfortune to which submission is due, as long as it pleases
God to keep us under it, which I trust will not be long.
This matter has often engaged my very serious attention,
and caused me to refer to the authorities of the ablest Di\"ines, from whom many extracts were occasionally made
to aid my judgment. I have sometimes hoped that these
researches would lead to a different conclusion; but I am
sorry to say that they all ended in confirming the opinion
already expressed. Wherever the Brief was executed, the
Society was extinguished; and to revive it, the same authority was requisite as for the creation and approbation of
a new Order. . In Russian Poland, the Brief was not executed; for the Kingdom of the two Sicilies, it has been annulled by the competent authority. But where such authority has not been authentically exercised, I cannot reconcile with the doctrine of our Divines, how the difference
between simple and solemn vows can be established; how
any who embrace the Society here or in England can be
Professi 4 Votorum; and, consequently, how the Society
can exist unless there be Professed Fathers. What must
then be the meaning of that part of the first vows, promitto
eamdem !:Jocietatem me ingressunmz, etc.? With these impressions on my mind, and the recollection of the solemn
orders of His Holiness, containerl in the brief for my consecration, the erection of this and other Episcopal Sees in
the United States, my obligation to be subject. to the commands of the Cong. de Propapanda Fide, etc., I never could
persuade myself that our young men, who associate themselves to the Society, can be admitted to Orders, Titulo Religionis: they are ordained Titulo Afissioms, under the authority of the Ordinary.<IJ As long as I and my Coadjutor,
(ll In a letter to Fr. Plowden, Feb. 3, 1814, he says on this matter: "I have
written a long letter to the Rev. )fr. Stone, on a subject of mneh moment to
the persons prineipally concerned, that is, to those who ha\'e asso<•.iated themselves to the Society in En;;-land. He will probably communicate to you my
observations; and it will give me much satisfaction to have my opinions dis-
�112·
Histoncal Papers.
Bishop Neale, continue alive, there will be little or no inconvenience, for we shall always acr in harmony with the
Superiors of the Society; but in England, I am sensible
that this must be a disagreeable situation.
* * * *
I am, most respecred Sir,
Y' most obedt St,
BALT., Jan. 31, 1814.
J., Abp of B••
+
To t!te same (on !zearing t!te news of t!te restoration).
Jan. 5, 1815.
MY DEAR AND RESPECTED SIR,
your most precious and grateful favor of oa. 8th, accompanied by a Bull of restoration, was received early in
December~·and diffused the greatest sensation of joy and
thanksgiving, not only amongst the surviving and new
members of the Society, but also all good Christians who
have any remembrance of their services, or heard of their
unjust and cruel treatment, and have witnessed the consequences of their Suppression; but your letter of Sept. 27,
to which you refer, has not been received, nor any other
copy of the Bull, nor a scrip of paper from Rome since the
PoP.e's delivery, tho I have written by various ways, and
the last time enclosed my letters to the Nuncio at Paris.
You, who know Rome, may conceive my sensations when
I read the account transmitted in your most pleasing letter,
of the celebration of Mass by His Holiness himself at the
superb altar of St. Ignatius at the. Gesu ; the assemblage
of the surviving Jesuits in the Chapel to hear the proclamation of their resurreCtion; the decree for the restitution
of their residence in life and scene of the death of their
Patriarch, of the novitiate of St. Andrew, its most enchanting Church, and the lovely monument and chapel of St.
Stanislaus, which I fondly hope have escaped the fangs of
proved; for if my view of the subject be a corre(·t one, those excellent per·
sons may form an edifying, an useful and meritorious association, united in
heart and affection, with the legal and regularly existing members of the
Society, but they will not be themselves true members of it, nor truly of any
Religi_ous Order."
�The Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
1 13
rapine and devastation. Is there no hope that these aCI:s of
justice and religion will be followed by the restoration likewise of the Roman College, the magnificent Church of St.
Ignatius, and the wonderful monument of St. Aloysius?
If, as I believe, these were appropriated, not to private uses,
but became the public University of the city and diocese of
Rome, they will be restored to their former owners with less
difficulty. But how many years must pass before these
houses will be repeopled by such men as we have known,
whose sanCI:ity of manner, zeal for the divine glory, science,
eloquence and talents of every kind, rendered them worthy
of being the instruments of Divine Providence, to illustrate
His Church, maintain its faith, and instruCt: all ranks of human society in all the duties of their respeCtive stations.
When I consider the length of preparation required to renew this race of men, my apprehension is that the friends
of the Society will be too precipitate, too hasty in expeCting benefits from it before its pupils will be mature enough
to produce them. I was sorry to notice that you apprehended opposition in England to its existence there, and of
course in Ireland, notwithstanding the favorable disposition
of the Irish Bishops. Here, I do not yet discover any sensation of hostility in our general, or any of the State governments; little is said in the public papers of the event of
the reestablishment. In consequence of the law which was
obtained above twenty years ago, and had become necessary for securing our old estates to the purposes of religion,
it will be our duty to observe the forms of the law, to subsist, and quietly let the property pass into the hands of
Trustees, who will all be members of the Society. Their
vows and principles will direCt: them, how and by whom
the estates must be administered for the services of the
country and religion. You express a wish that all the old
members should now return to the embrace of their beloved
Mother. Of those mentioned by you, the good Mr. Pile
has been dead nearly two years ago. I much doubt whether
Mr. Ashton, whom I have not seen for several years, will
be disposed to do so, or whether Mr. Grassi wishes it.
VoL. x-No.
2.
15
�Histon"cal Papers.
I 14
Concerning Bishop Neale and myself, it seems to us that till
more is known of the mind of our rulers. it might not be
for the interest of our Brethren, even if His Holiness would
allow us to vacate our Sees, to expose their concerns to
Successors, unfriendly, perhaps, or liable to be imposed on
by malicious misrepresentations. This matter, however,
has not yet received my full consideration.
*
*
*
*
*
*
Our College at Georgetown is much improved, and comes
more and more into vogue. It now contains, if not entirely, nearly one hundred pupils; which number cannot
be much exceeded without additional building.
The novitiate has been removed from St. Inigo (so much
exposed to inva5ion and depredation) to the White Marsh,
where there now are, or will be immediately, eight or nine
No<,itii Sdzo/astici. The excellent Bishops of Boston and
Bardstown, and Fr. Kohlmann, Administrator of New York,
are doing wonders in their respective dioceses. I am the
only sluggard, and do no good.-The visit of your countrymen last summer to Washington has nearly ruined some
of my nearest connexions. They next came to this city in
their shining; it was an awful spectacle to behold before us
at least-forty vessels, great and small, and for about twentyfi::e hours five bomb ketches, discharging shells on the forts
of upward of two hundred pounds weight each. You may
suppose that we did not sleep much. Heaven preserve us
from another such visitation. * * * *
~-·, I am truly yrs, etc.
To the same.
BALTIMORE, March 20, 18 I 5·
* * * * * *
Your letter excited a rapture of joy, as containing a copy
of the Bull of restoration, and the first certain and detailed
account of that most blessed event. On the same evening
of its being received, and before I could give myself to read
�Tlte Suppression and Restoration of tlze Society.
I I
5
it leisurely through, it was transmitted to Mr. Grassi,Cl) who
informed me that he instantly gathered together his cooperators and Brethren in the College, to communicate to
them, and to offer their joint thanksgiving to Providence
for the happy tidings. I do not foresee any serious obstacle to the reestablishment being fully completed here, as far
as can be in a country which never can sanCtion, consistently with its political principles, indissoluble vows of religion, or that they induce an incapacity in individuals for
certain at1:s of civil lift:, to which, without such vows, those
individuals would be competent. In these respeCts, the future members of the Society can be restrained only by the
ties of conscience, as all other Religious and Priests themselves now are in all Protestant States. * * * * *
Abp. B'•.
+].,
(1)
Letter of Father Benedict J. Fenwick to Father John A. Grassi.
NEW YoRK, Dec. 23, 1814.
REVD. AND DEAR FATHER,
Te IJeum laudamus, Te IJominum confitemur. The Society of Jesus is then
completely reestablished! That long·injured, long-insulted Society! That
Society which has been denounced as the corrupter of youth, the inculcator
of unsound, unchristian and lax morality! That Society which has been de·
graded by the Church herself, rejected by her ministers, outlawed by her
kings, and insulted by her laity I Restored throughout the whole world, and
restored by a public Bull of the Soyereign Pontiff!! Hitherto cooped up in
a small corner of the uncivilized world, and not allowed to extend herself,
lest the nations of the earth, the favorites of Heaven, should inhale the poison
of her pestiferous breath, she is now called forth as the only plank left for
the salvation of a shipwrecked, philosophized world, the only restorator of
ecclesiastical discipline and sound morality, the only dependence of Christi·
anity for the renewal of correct principles and the diffusion of piety! It is
then so. What a triumph ! How glorious to the Society! how confounding
to her enemies! Gaudeamus in Domino, diem festum celebrantes, etc. If
any man will say after this that God is not the friend of the Society, I shall
pronounce him, without hesitation, a liar.
I embrace, dear sir, the first leisure moments after the receipt of your let·
ters to forward yon my congratulations on the great and glorious tidings you
have recently received from Europe-tidings whi<'h should exhilarate the
heart of every true friend of Christianity and the propagation of the Gospel;
tidings peculiarly grateful to this country, and especially to the College of
which you are Rector, which will hereafter be able to proceed secundum re·
gulam et Institutum. 'Vhat a revolution must soon take place in your quarter
of the United States I
*
*
*
*
�Historical Papers.
II6
In the letters of Archbishop Carroll frequent allusion is
made to candidates for the Society, to the number of nov- ·
ices in such and such a year, etc. Perhaps it is not impossible, but certainly it would be difficult, with the partial data
at hand, to determine with precision the status of the Mis·
sion during the first years of the century. A fair idea of
the state of affairs, even in preceding years, may be formed
from the subjoined Catalogue for 1820; it is the earliest of
the series which our archives furnish, and is in manuscript
-the printed catalogues date only from 1836.
A.M. D. G.
-~
VATAJ.OGUS SOCIORU.U ET OFFICIORUl\I MISSIONIS
AMERICiE F<EDERATiE SOCIETATIS JESu
INEUNTE ANNO JIDCCCXX.
R. P.
ANTONIUS KOHLMANN
SuPERIOR MISSION. AMERIC..E F<EDERAT..E
A DIE 10 SEPT. 1817.
P. }[AXIMILIAN. RANTZAU-Soc. et Adm. R. P. Superior.
Gm.tEI.MUS MuLI.EN-Soc. Coadjutor.
CONSULTORES :MISSIONIS.
P. CAROI.US NEAI.E,
P.
P. FRANCISCUS NEAJ,E,
P. Soc. R. P. SuPEmoR.
LEONARDU~
EDELEN,
�Tlte Suppression and Restoration of the Society.
1I7
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
ET CONVICTUS.
P. Antonius Kohlmann-Sup. Miss., Reet. Coli., Pro( theol.
dogm., Con( conv.
P. Joannes Baptista Cary-Min., Cons. coli. et con( conv.
P. Maximilianus Rantzau-Soc. et Adm. R. P. S., Pr:d..
spir., Prof. theol. mor., Pra!s. coli. cas. consc_., Con(
schol., Catech. in coil.
P. Joannes McE!roy-Proc. coli., Pra!s. sod. B. V., et conf.
ad SS. Trin.
P. Rogerius Baxter-Pra!( studior., Pro( phil., Con( conv.
P. Adamus Marshall-Cons. coli., Prof. math., Conf. conv.
P. Joannes Theod. Detheux-Reet. eccl. SS. Trin.
MAGISTRI SCHOLARUM INFERIORUM.
Thomas Finigan-Prof. hum. et rhet., Prima! gra!Ca!, Catech. coil.
Hieronymus Mudd-Prof. 1 gram. et 2 gra!Ca!.
Gulielmus McSherry- Pro( 2 gram., 3 gra!Ca!, Pra!( conv.
Joannes Smith-Pro( 3 gramm.
Eduardus McCarthy-Pro( ling. angl., Geogr., Cat. coli.
AUDITORES THEOLOGIJE.
Anno secunda.
Stephanus L. Dubuisson-Pra!( bib!., Cat. pr. gall.
Germanus Sannen.
Joannes Murphy-Catech. coli.
Virgilius Hor. Barber.
Henricus Verheyen.
.
Petrus Jos. Timmermans.
Anno prima.
Petrus Walsh-Prof. arithm.
Josephus Schneller-Pro( calligr.
AUDITORES PHILOSOPHIJE,
Amzo secunda.
Thomas Downing-Pro( 2 math.
Thomas Mulledy,
Gulielmu!l Grace-Pra!( conv.
�Historical Papers.
u8
Anno pn1no.
Samuel Newton.
Jacobus Vandewelde-Pro( ling. gall., Pra:( bibl.
Ignatius Combs.
Joannes Smith.
Carolus Const. Pise.
Georgius Fenwick-Organista.
Jacobus Ryder.
VACANT A SCHOLlS.
Alexander Divoff.
Jacobus Neill.
COADJUTORES.
Patritius McLaughlin,
Petrus Kiernan-Sartor.
Christophorus O'Hare-Fab. lign.
Gulielml!.s'Mullen-Soc. R. P. Sup. et Proc. dom.
Bartholom<eus Redmond-Colonus.
Philippus Sweeny-Cust. vest., Sutor., Vis. or. et ex.
Henricus Reiselman-Infirm., Excit.
Joannes Drain-Cur. triclin.
Edmundus McFadden-Sartor.
Thomas Mead-Fab. lign.
Christianus De Smet-Sacrist.
Petrus de Meyer-Cog.
Josephus West-Proc. pra:d.
Richardus Jordan-Pistor, Novitius.
Elias Newton-Organ. fabric., Novitius.
PP.5 -Sclto!. 25-Coadj. ~4-U11iversi .f4.
---~
..
RESIDENTIA ET DO MUS PROBA TIONIS
WHITE MARSH.
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup., Mag. nov., Operarius.
COADJUTORES.
Laurentius Lynch-Hortul.
Robertus Fenwick-Proc. pra:d.
Michael Geoghegan-Coq.
Gulielmus Taylor-Fab. lign.
�Tlze Suppression and Restoration of tlze Society.
119
NOVITII SCHOLASTIC!.
Jeremias Keily,
Aloysius Mudd,
Thomas Martin,
Jacobus Lynch,
Dionysius Donlevy,
Jacobus Callaghan,
Michael Dougherty,
14 Jun.
13 Aug.
12 Nov.
12 Nov.
12 Nov.
12 Nov.
12 Nov.
1818
Jacobus Fenwick-Cultiv.
20 Aug.
Carolus Strahan-C<elator.
12 Nov.
Georgius Smith-Fab. lign.
12 Nov.
Martinus Connolly-Sartor.
12 Nov.
30 Nov.
Patritius Burke-Cultiv.
8 Apr.
Joannes Crease, Typogr.
P. r-Sclwl. 7-Coadf ro-Univ. r8.
1818
"
1819
"
"
NOVITII COADJUTORES.
1819
1820
RESIDENTIA S. THOM.tE.
P. Franc. Xav. Neale-Sup., Cons. R. P. Sup. M.
P. Joannes Gulielm. Beschter-Oper.
P. Carolus Neale- Cons. R. P. Sup. M., In conv. Mon.
S. Ther. Portobacci quarum est conf.
COADJUTORES.
Joannes O'Connor-Proc. pr<ed.
Gualterus Baron-Fab. lign.
PP. ]-Coac[i 2-Univ. 5·
RESIDENTIA NEOPOLITANA.
(NEWTOWN.)
P. Leonardus Edelen-Cons. R. P. Sup. M., Oper.
Josephus Marshali-Proc. pr;ed.
P. r-Coadf r.-Univ. 2.
RESIDENTIA S. IGNATII.
/
(ST. INIGOES.)
P. Josephus Carbery-Sup. Nov. a 29 Maii,
Josephus Mobberly-Proc. pr<ed.
P. r-Coadf r-Univ. 2.
1818.
�120
Historical Papers.
RESIDENTIA CO NEW AGO.
P. Adamus Britt-Sup.
P. Matthceus Lekeu-Proc., Oper.
PP. 2.
RESIDENTIA FREDERICOPOLITANA.
P. Franciscus Maleve-Sup., Oper.
P. Joannes Henry-Oper .
. PP. 2.
RESIDENTIA S. FR. XA VERil.
(BoHEMIA.)
P. Petrus Epinette-Sup., Oper.
Joseph Bened. Hcard-Proc. prced.
~
P. I-Coadj. I - Uniu. 2.
RESIDENTIA GOSHENHOPPEN.
P. Paulus Kohlmann-Sup. Oper.
BALTIMORI.
P. Enoch Fenwick-Rea. eccl. S. Petri.
P.~Petrus
NEO EBORACI.
Malou-Rea. S. Petri.
CARLOPOLI.
P. Benediaus Fenwick-Rea. eccl. cath.
P. Jacobus Wallace-Oper.
".
PHILADELPHI.tE.
P. Ludovicus Du Barth-Vic. Gen. Sede Vac. Philad., Proc.
prced. Soc. in Penn'a.
EXTRA PROVINCIAI\1.
Franciscus Vespre, Schol., Romce.
Aloysius Young,
"
VITA FUNCTUS.
P. Michael Jos. Cousinne, 31 Jul. 181g, Bohemia.
�LETTERS OF FATHER JAS. 0. VAN DE VELDE.
CONTAINING AN ACCOUNT OF A
~RIP
FROM GEORGETOWN, D. C.,
TO ST. LOUIS, MO., IN OCTOBER, I8J I.
.
LETTER XI.
CINCINNATI, oa. 14, IS 3 r.
My Very Dear Frimd:
The good Bishop came to our hotel this morning, to invite us to dine with him. It happens well, for this is a day
of abstinence. We went there accordingly at about one
o'clock P. M. After dinner we visited the Church and the
College. The Church, the only Catholic one at present in
the city,<') and called the Cathedral, is an edifice fine enough
for this country. It is built of brick, and is of Gothic style.
The interior is well ornamented. There is a fine painting
above the altar, and two others, one on each side of the
first mentioped, besides six more between the windows, presented to the Bishop by Cardinal Fesch. There is also
another painting, which had formerly served as altar piece
at the College of Bornheim. In front of the communion
railing there is a stone which can be raised, under which is
a vault destined for the sepulture of Bishops and priests.
Two priests have been laid there: Mr. De Clicteur, a Belgian, and the first priest ordained by Bishop Fenwick, and
Mr. Munos, a Spaniard, his vicar general, a man of the
greatest talent, and formerly confessor to the King of Spain.
The College called Athen.eumc 2) is a building somewhat simOl The first church in Cincinnati was of logs; it stood on Sycamore Hill,
and it was built in 1819 by the late Dominic Young, 0. P. After Bishop Fen·
wick was installed Bishop of Cincinnati, in 1822, this log Church was placed
on trucks or rollers, and drawn uy oxen to the site of the Cathedral here de8criued by Father Van de Velde, and this Cathedral in its turn was revlaced
in 1858--59 by the present St. Xavier Church.
' 2l The Athenmum was made over to our Society in the year 1840, when its
name was changed to St. Xavier College. Father John A. Elet was its first
President under its new regime.
VoL. x-No. 2.
16
(121)
�I 22
Letters ;;f Fatlzer James 0. Van
~e
Velde.
ilar to the Church, but of modern style. It has, like the
Church, a small turret or steeple, which looks very pretty.
The Bishop's house, which is rather small, joins the two
other buildings. The whole, taken together, presents an
imposing sight. The College is ample enough to receive
a large number of students. The rooms are large, but the
dormitory, though spacious, does not admit enough fresh
air. The boys will suffer from this cause in summer.· There
is a printing establishment attached to the College. Next
week will be published the first religious paper, under the
name of Catlwlic Telegraplt.
Adieu.
LETTER XII.
CINCINNATI,
Oct.
IS, I83I:
My Very .Dear Friend:
Having given you a description of the Church and College of Cincinnati, I must now speak to you of the city in
general. Before beginning, I must state that the College is
130 feet long and so feet wide: and that the Church has
about the same dimensions. Only ten years ago there was
here neither Church nor any resident priest. At present
there are priests in divers parts of the State of Ohio, and
tQ.e Bishop has fifteen or sixteen young men who are preparing for the priesthood in his seminary. Of the number,
three are Belgians. As they were not introduced to me,
although I wished to see them, I did not become acquainted
with any of them. Perhaps they suspeCted that I might
want to make Jesuits of them; ..if such was the case, the
suspicions were not well founded. Now a word about the
city. It is scarcely credible how much it has increased.
Buildings, as well public as private, churches, banks, hotels,
stores, are being ereCted on all sides~ The streets cut each
other at right angles, as in most of the cities of the U. S.,
and the houses and stores are built on the Philadelphia plan.
In 1790, the first building, a frame, was here erected. In
rSoo, there were 7 so inhabitants. In 18 IO, there were 2,320.
In r 8zo, w.soo. In 1830, z6,soo; and the present number
�Letters of .Fat!ter 7ames 0. Van de Velde.
123
of inhabitants is reckoned at more than 28,ooo, without including strangers, whose number is about 1,500. There
are now in process of ereEtion more than 500 buildings, of
which a Presbyterian Church and the City Hotel are the
principal.
Adieu, etc.
LETTER XIII.
LoUISVILLE,
oa.
16,
1831.
Jl1y Very Dear .Friend:
We left Cincinnati for Louisville yesterday at 11 o'clock
M.
Before saying anything else, I must mention the
hydraulic works of Cincinnati, of which I forgot to speak
to you. The water is pumped out of the Ohio river by
a steam machine, the force of which is equal to a forty-horse
power. That machine forces the water up to the height of
158 feet above the river, at low water mark. That water is
received in two reservoirs, which are on the top of a hill, at
the foot of which is the building which contains the machine. The large reservoir is roo feet long and so broad.
The other is only 95 feet long and 45 feet wide. The water
is conveyed to the city through cast-iron pipes, and passes
under the bed of a small river called Deer Creek, as far as
the interseCtion of Broadway and Third streets, where it is
distributed through all the parts of the city in wooden
pipes. The inhabitants may have the water brought to
their houses from the street, where the large pipe is, for a
certain sum of money, payable annually. The pipes through
which the water is conveyed to the houses of private families are made and repaired at their expense, as also the hydrant, which aCl:s as a fountain. The lowest price for the
use of the water is eight dollars a year. We came here on
board the packet steamer Robert Fulton, Captain Greene.
Before starting from Cincinnati Fr. McSherry lost his Italian boots. It is probable that they were stolen from him,
for they say that there are many thieves in Cincinnati, and
especially in the hotel in which we lodged. He had preA.
�1 24
Letters of Fat!ter James 0. Van de Velde.
viously lost his cane on the way, and so had Fr. Kenney,
who besides had lost his gloves. \Ve reached Louisville
this morning at about four o'clock.
J\_dieu, yours, etc.
LETTER XIV.
LoUISVILLE,
oa.
IJ,
I83I.
My Very Dear Fn"cnd:
After our landing here we had a great deal of trouble to
find a hotel where we could be lodged, on account of the
large number of strangers that were in the city. Some had
come for amusement, others for religious motives, others
again for motives of interest. Those of the first class were
pouring in from all sides to see the horse races which are
to take place to-day at noon. Those of the second class
were Methodist ministers, who were to open their conference on yesterday. These conferences are to last four days.
It is rumored that there are about I 50 of these ministers
in this city. Some of them had traveled with us in the
packet boat, having their families with them. One of these
gentlemen blessed the table after his own fashion, and after
supper, in the evening, asked permission to declaim on Religious matters, which was not granted to him. To console
hi~self, he assembled his fellow preachers with their families, and they all began to sing in the rear of the cabin.
Some of our passengers, who happened to be musicians, began also to play profane airs on Jheir instruments, which
served to put them out. Those o"f the third class were
composed of merchants and travelers. We succeeded at
last in finding two beds in one room, which was already occupied by other persons. Father Kenney fared even worse.
There were only three beds in our room, and we got two
of them, but there were four or five beds in the room which
was offered to him. After making these arrangements, Fr.
McSherry and I went to take a walk to look for the Catholic Church, which we found, and to which we returned
after some time in order to offer the holy sacrifice of the
�Ldters of Fatlzer James 0. Van de Velde.
125
Mass. It was the first time since our departure that I had
that happiness. Father Kenney preached on the Gospel of
the day, and after the last Mass we went with Rev. Mr.
Abell to dine at Mr. O'Brien's.
LETTER XV.
LOUISVILLE,
jl{y Very Dear Friend:
Oet.
18, 18 3 1.
You must have noticed that the dates of my letters do
not correspond with the observations which I make during
my trip. To day is Tuesday, and I have not yet narrated
what took place last Sunday. The last you heard was that
we went last Sunday to take dinner at Mr. O'Brien's, an
Irishman, who treated us very well. After dinner we went
to see the interior of the Church, for we had said Mass in a
room under the Church, which room is destined for a school
when the Church shall have been completed. The Church
itself, which was commenced about a year ago, is a tolerably
fine building, in Gothic style, with a -square tower in the
same style. It is 95 feet long and 55 feet wide, exclusive
of the SanCtuary, which is 16 feet long and 20 feet {?road.
They were working at the altar and at the pews, of which
there will be six rows, each .row will have twenty-two pews,
and each pew will be able to admit five persons. There is
also a large gallery for the organ, etc. ; so that the Church
will contain about one thousand persons or thereabouts.
The city of Louisville increases almost as rapidly as that
of Cincinnati. A kind of epidemic, which broke out here
in 1822, served very much to stop the progress of this rising
city. There existed then several marshes and ponds of
stagnant water, which have since been filled. Now the atmosphere of the city is considered healthy. Buildings are
springing up in every direCtion, and the population is already over I 1,000. Last Sunday we took supper at Mr.
John Carrell's, brother of my friend George,<IJ who is now
OJ Father George Carrell joined the Society at St. Stanislaus' Novitiate, Mis·
souri, in 1835; he died Bishop of Covington, Ky., in 1868. His brother John
�126
Letters of Fatlzer James 0. Van de Velde.
pastor at Wilmington, Delaware. Mrs. Carrell is a very
amiable lady, and showed the greatest kindness to us.
Adieu.
LETTER XVI.
SHIPPINGPORT,
My Vt:ry Dear Fn·end:
Oet.
Ig,
18 3 1.
Last Monday Fr. McSherry and I visited the new canal,
which is being dug between Louisville and Shippingport,
in order to avoid passing over the Ohio Falls. The soil
between these two places is rocky, and although this canal
is only two miles in length and is very narrow, it has, nevertheless, cost a great deal of money anc! a great deal of work.
On that same day we dined privately at the hotel where we
had ta~ieh our lodging (Union Hall, kept by Mr. Langhorne), a·nd we had at table with us the ex-Secretary Eaton
with his wife and his sister-in-law, also Judge Rowan and
Rev. Mr. Abell, and Dr. De Clery, who said that he knew
me, and who had resided at the College in. 1817. After
dinner Mrs. Eaton introduced us to a certain Mr. Reynoldson, of Philadelphia, who drank a glass of wine with us
and amused us very much by his conversation. To\vards
evening, at the house of Mr. Abell, we met the Rev. Mr.
Evremond and the Rev. Mr. Fouche, who had just arrived
from Bardstown, a small town about forty miles from Louisville. It is there that Bishop Flaget resides, whom I so
much desired to see, but, etc. Those Rev, gentlemen went
to take their supper in the city, .a~d we went to Mrs. Bullitt, where resides General Atkinson, who married one of
her daughters. The younger one is at the convent of
Georgetown. The mother is, since two years, a convert to
the Catholic Church. We met there also Miss Anderson,
who left the convent of Georgetown some three or four
years ago. The day after, Fr. McSherry engaged our pas·
sage on a steamboat, whilst Fr. Keriney and I took a walk
as far as the \Voodland Gardens. Mr. Evremond,< 1l left us
went from Philadelphia to Louisville in 1R25. He died at his daughter's
house in Frankli•rt, Ky., in 18i0:, ac:P<l m•nrly ninety years. His house was
for many years as a home li>r priest~ in Louisville.
OlFathers Evremond and Fotwhe both heeame Jesuit•, Father Fouche re·
�Letters of Fatlzer James 0. Van de Ve!de.
to go to the Noviciate at ·whitemarsh.
this afternoon.
127
We are to start
Adieu.
LETTER
XVII.
SHIPPINGPORT, Oct.
.llfy Very Dear Friend:
20,
18 3 1.
I was forgetting to tell you that yesterday we dined at
Mr. Rudd's and that we left the Inn at three o'clock to
come to this port, where the houses and inhabitants present
a scene of the most complete misery. We were to leave
this place yesterday at four o'clock P. M. It is now eight
o'clock in the morning, and we are still here. The name
of the steamboat which is to take us to St. Louis is the
Charleston, and that of the Captain is Thornburgh. The
price of the passage, including the meals, is twelve dollars
each. The cabin contains only sixteen bertJ1s, and it is rumored that we shall be about thirty passengers. The last
comers sleep on mattresses laid on the floor. There are
besides fifteen or sixteen ladies and half a dozen children,
who get along the best way they can in the ladies' cabin,
which is above ours, and where there are only eight berths.
There are, moreover, some eighty other passengers, who
are also above us, and who pay only for the trip; as for
victuals and bedding, they have to procure them for themselves. All this is very unpleasant. So much had been
said to us of the steamers which ply the Ohio and Mississippi rivers; but all those which we have seen so far (and
they are many) are much inferior to those of Maryland and
Pennsylvania. The principal object of the Captains is to
make as much money as they can, regardless of the comfort of the passengers. To give you an idea of the trade
on the Ohio and the Mississippi, I may tell you that there
are now more than two hundred steamboats afloat on these
maining with our Fathers at St. Mary's College, ~!arion County, Ky., till the
Fathers left that place to take charge of St. John's College, Fordham, in 1846.
Father Evremonrl had gone to France some three or four years before the
Fathers had left Kentucky, and died soon after reaching France.
�I
28
Letters of Fatlzer james 0. Van de Velde.
rivers. The first was built twenty years ago (in I 8 I I) ; the
second was built in I 8 I4; in I 824, one hundred and fifteen
had been built, and of them all, but two now remain.
Adieu.
LETTER XVIII.
ON
BoARD THE BoAT,
Oct.
21,
1831.
My Very Dear Friend:
'vVe left Shippingport yesterday morning at ten o'clock,
and we are told that we shall not arrive in St. Louis before
next Monday, 24th inst. \Ve passed a little village called
New Albany, almost opposite Louisville, and after making
about one hundred miles we ran on a sand bar. The boat
was turned round completely. All possible efforts were
made to free the boat. They made use of piles, they took
the anchor in the yawl and cast it at a great distance, and
they did that several times, but each time it was raised
without any progress on the part of the boat. Finally,
after about an hour's work, they succeeded in extricating
the boat by dint of steam, a thing which is considered dangerous. By noon we had passed the Green River and the
Salt River, as also the small towns of B_randenburg in Kentucky, and Fredonia in Indiana. Sand bars and Islands are
very numerous in the Ohio River. These sand bars often
shift their places, which renders navigation dangerous.
Moreover, there are many trees that fall into the river from
its banks, when the river is high and the current swift.
Those trees remain fastened to the sand bars, in which,
where the river is not \"ery deep, 'the branches get deeply
buried in the mud or sand which accumulates around them.
The lower part of the tree rises sometimes above and sometimes below the surface of the water, and is either movable or immovable; in the former case, a tree thus situated
is called a sawyer; in the latter case, a snag. Several steamboats have sunk to the bottom by running against those
kinds of trees. Some forty have perished in that manner
in less than two years. This morning when we awoke we
found that we had passed the towns of Rome and Troy
�Letters of Fat!zer :James 0. Van de Velde.
1 29
without knowing it. They are on the Indiana shore. VIe
passed several towns of that sort, which contain from ten
to fifty persons. The rest to-morrow.
Adieu. Yours, etc.
LETTER XIX.
ON
My Very Dear Frimd:
BoARD THE BoAT,
Oct.
22, I83I.
I hasten to give you an account of the things I saw after
writing my letter yesterday. We passed the mouth of
Green River, which is a large river, although its mouth is
very small. It crosses a large portion of the State of Kentucky.-[! forgot to tell you that we entered the Kentucky
River (after which the State is named) between Cincinnati
and Louisville. \Ve only entered its mouth, and it was to
put ashore at Port \Villiam, a colored man who had stolen
one of the horses of his master, who, suspecting his slave,
went to Cincinnati where he found his man in the act of
selling the horse. He seized upon both the man and the
beast, fastened a halter around the horse's neck, and a chain
around the ankle of the negro, and placed them on board
our steamer.]-To return: after passing Evansville in Indiana and Hendersonville in Kentucky, we reached, towards
evening, the mouth of the \Vabash River, which separates
Indiana from Illinois. ·sometime after that, we arrived at
Shawneetown, where we wooded and where we went on
shore and touched ior the first time the land of Illinois. In
the evening we saw the mouth of a cave which extends far
into a mountain that appears to form but one large rock.
The mouth looks much like a large door. During the
night we passed the mouth of the Cumberland River, which
is large enough, and that of the Tennessee River~ after
which one of the States is named. This last crosses Kentucky and Tennessee, then winding through Mississippi and
Alabama, it re-enters Tennessee at the line which separates
Georgia from Alabama, and forking at Knoxville, one
branch, which retains the name, enters South Carolii1a, and
VoL. x-No.
2.
17
�I
30
Letters of Fa titer James 0. Van de Ve!de.
the other branch, taking the name of Holston, enters Virginia.-Nothing worth noticing until the Mississippi River,
that River, the objea of so much praise, into which we
have just now entered.
Adieu.
LETTER XX.
FRo~r THE MississiPPI
My Very Dear Friend:
SHoRES,
oa. 2 3• 1s 3 ~.
\Ve entered that River yesterday before noon. One
would say that it is the Mississippi that enters the Ohio,
and that for two reasons. First, because the Mississippi,
below the mouth, seems to be a continuation of the Ohio
River. Secondlv, because the mouth of the Ohio is much
wider tba'n the i1ississippi above that mouth. The Mississippi is ~-either very wide nor very swift. \Ve expeaed to
see a majestic river, much superior to the Potomac or the
Susquehanna. It surpasses them, it is true, in length, but
that is all. \Ve had scarcely entered that renowned river,
when we struck against one of those hidden trees which I
have described in my letter of the 21st inst. Happily it
only served to frighten us. \Ve passed over the "sawyer"
without receiving any damage. In the evening we saw on
the Missouri side a small village called Commerce. Last
evening we had a storm which forced the Captain to cast
anchor. The rain. was pouring down in floods, the wind
was very violent, and the waves <;lashed against the lower
deck of the vessel. It is Sunday- to-day, anu we are on the
river.- Patience! This morning after having passed Muddy
River, a small stream on the Illinois side, we saw a natural
towerY> round in shape, pretty high, and which, like a fortress, advances into the river on the Missouri side. It is
formed of flat stones piled on one another and tapering
-------------------------(I> This is called "Grand Tower."
At this point, the river passes through
a sort of gate in the primeval bluffs, aud the channel is here narrow and the
current rapid. This scene is described somewhat minutely by Father Marquette in his diary; he passed it about the beginning of .Tuly, 1673, he nnd
his companions being the first white men that ever saw this portion of the
:Hississippi River.
�Letters of Fatlzer James 0. Van de Veide.
I
3I
gradually to the summit, which is 30 or 40 feet above the
level of the water. Towards noon we were once more
thrown on a sand bar, but it was for an Instant only. All
along the shores of the Ohio and Mississippi, are to be
seen, from time to time, little huts without any windows,
and some without chimney, inhabited by peasants ·and
wood cutters, who provide boats with wood. Whole families live in these miserable huts. It is nearly 6 o'clock. I
will write to you to-morrow before arriving in St. Louis.
Adieu.
LETTER XXI.
ON
My Very Dear Friend:
BoARD THE BoAT,
OCt.
24,
1831.
We passed the mouth of the Kaskaskia River last evening, and during the night the small town of St. Genevieve,
where died the Rev. Mr. Nerinckx. The mouth of the
Kaskaskia River is so small, that we were nearly on the
point of passing it without noticing it. We have just
passed the Barracks, around which there are several other
buildings. They are ten miles distant from St. Louis.
Early this morning we pass the mouth of the Maramec.
River, and we are now but a short distance from the village
of Vide-Poche, which stands on an elevated rock. We will
therefore be very soon in St. Louis, the terminus of our
journey. And I am greatly rejoiced at it; first, because
we are not at al( at ease in the cabin, which, moreover, is
not kept clean; and secondly, because we are drinking the
muddy water of the river, which we have been doing since
we left Louisville. As it might happen that you may one
day make the same journey, I will end this letter by giving
you an account of the expenses for one person, starting
from Washington to Fredericktown:
�I
32
Letters of ratlzcr James 0. Van de Velde.
:Miles
From Washington to Fredericktown
Supper and lodging in Rockville, and
breakfast
From Fredericktown to Hagerstown
Dinner in Middletown, supper m
Clearspring
From Hagerstown to Frostburg
Breakfast at Blackwell's, dinner and
supper
From Frostburg to \Vheeling
Breakfast in Brownsville, dinner m
\Vashington
Lodgement in Wheeling, I
days
From Wheeling to Cincinnati
Lodgem-ent in Cincinnati for one day
From Cincinnati to Louisville .
Lodgement in Louisville for two days
For the coach to Shippingport
From Shippingport to St. Louis, in all
For the transport'n of four trunks, etc.
so
41
$3
I
37}~
27
I
50
I I2
I 37;/z
7 62 ;/z
87Yz
Yz
200
358
10 00
I 00
132
4 00
200
2
25
540
I2 00
I 00
I292
55 00
You may notice that I have noted down only the bare
cost of the trip, without including any extra expenses, or
any accidents which may occur.
Yours, etc.
�KANSAS.
Letter of Fatlzer Ponzi'gli'one.
OsAGE MISSION, NEOSHO CouNTY, KANSAs,
Dec. 3 I st, I
REVEREND FATHER,
880.
P. C.
Broad and extensive as is the world, we cannot any longer hope to keep hidden the things that are daily taking
place, so that what may happen to-day in the Far West
will to-morrow be known in the East. As this is the case,
I would not be at all surprised if you had already heard
of my pleasure trip last summer to the Mountains; perhaps,
too, some of your good-humored friends have come to the
conclusion that the holy missionaries are after all only a
set of ramblers, who know how to enjoy themselves. Well,
I will grant you, that I took a trip to the Mountains, and it
was indeed a real pleasure trip for me; but do not, I beg,
impute to me any wrong-doing on that account. Although
I am far from blaming a poor missionary for> taking a little
recreation once in a while, yet for myself I prefer to keep
the ball rolling, and be always at hard work as long as I
can, looking only for rest where it shall last forever. If
then the real objeCt: of my trip was not pleasure, what could
it have been? Thinking that the answe~ to this question
might prove of interest to you, I send you this little account.
On the fifth day of July I started on a long peregrination
westward-or, to tell you the plain truth-on a begging expedition, to colleCt: some funds with which to continue the
building of our new church, which was begun in I872. On
my route along the Kansas Pacific, from JunB:ion City to
Denver, I visited the neat churches that ornament most of
the towns on that road, and I am proud to say the various priests whom I met at these churches, not only re-
(I33)
�134
Kansas.
ceived me very kindly and encouraged me in my undertaking, but gave me substantial proofs of the interest which
they took in my work.
I spent a few days in Denver with our Fathers, who have
just finished a nice church in that city. They treated me
with great cordiality, and through their influence I got a
free pass by the South Park Railway to Leadville. Leadville is a new and wonderful city, and though hardly four
years old, has a census of twenty-five thousand people.
Looking at it, one would imagine that it had sprung up by
magic from the rugged mountains of Colorado. The surroundings ·are wild in their appearance ; no orchards or gardens, no teeming vegetation or well kept farms relieve the
monotony of this barren distriCt. For miles and miles the
view is ch~erless, with here and there a few shabby pine
trees or an..occasional bunch of wild sage sticking out from
clefts in the rocks. Still the markets are crowded with all
the fruits and vegetables which the season can afford. The
South Park and Rio Grande railroads are daily competing
for the supply of this place. The great and striking feature of Leadville, however, is the rich treasure of mineral
ore which nature has deposited here in extensive mines.
I was told that there was plenty of money here and entertained myself with the hope of colleB:ing a goodly sum.
I was disappointed. A few days previous to my arrival the
city was the scene of a terrible riot. The miners, who form
the greater part of its population, raised a strike. They appeared in the public thoroughfares \V,ell organized and armed
and for a short time life and property were threatened with
destruB:ion. This excitement naturally brought on a panic
in local business, and money was quickly taken in from circulation.
The Catholics of Leadville are quite numerous. They
have a resident priest, who has nearly completed a magnificent brick church. There is also another priest residing at
the Sisters' Hospital, where I found forty-seven patients.
As this clergyman \vas absent, I was invited to take his
�Kansas.
135
place. I accepted the invitation, and for one week acted as
chaplain.
Though disappointed at Leadville in my expectations, I
returned to Denver with the determination of continuing
my journey \Vest while my money lasted. From Colorado
I set out for California. While stopping over at some of
the neat little towns along the Union Pacific R. Road, I
again had an opportunity of becoming acquainted with
some of the clergymen who labor in the Rocky Mountains.
I must again bear witness to their respect, kindness and
liberality towards me. They not only invited me to officiate
in their churches, but allowed me to collect what money I
could.
On the 7th of August I arrived in San Francisco. Here
I shall not lose time in describing the gigantic works which
line the bay from Oakland towards this city, or in praising
the beautiful palaces along the streets of this great western
metropolis. The stately halls of St. Ignatius' College, with
its Byzantine Basilica; the ancient cloisters of Santa Clara
College, with its antique sanctuary (one of the few relics of
the old California Missions which has escaped the destructive hand of Yankee enterprise); the charming villas that
encircle the wealthy city of S. Jose; all filled one with delight and surprise. But what overwhelmed my heart with
joy seldom felt before, was my meeting here with several
friends and companions of my youth, whom I had not seen
since the revolutionary storm which broke over Italy in
1848, and scattered us to all parts of the world. Oh! how
happy I was during the few days which I spent in the company of my old fellow-novices and scholastics ! I seemed
to find myself once more at home in my dear province of
Turin. It all appeared to me a dream, not a reality, and I
began to understand and feel what the old poet meant by
the sweet words: "Dulce videre suos."
My stay in California was short, and on the 14th of September I returned to this Mission. Here some might be
wishing to know what after all was the result of my trip,
and whether, from a pecuniary point of view, it was a sue-
�Kansas.
cessful one. To this question it is difficult to give a satisfactory answer ; for what would be a success for me, another
might think a failure. I can say this, however, that on this
trip I was not the loser, and collected more money than I
could have received had I remained at home. So you see
that, after all, I have no reason to complain.
I came home just in time to attend a fair that had been
planned during my absence by the ladies of ·our congre- •
gation. It began about the middle of October, lasted for a
week, and, thanks be to God, was a success. So, having a
few dollars of ready money at hand, we began work on the
Church without delay, and before winter set in, built a considerable portion of the front wall, which now shows the
three main: entrances that are completed. As soon as spring
will open; ..we calculate to resume the work, and shall continue according to our means. The walls are built entirely
of large stones, and we can on this account stop the work at
any moment without damage to what is now finished.
As soon as I had a few days at my disposal after my return, I started for the Indian Territory on a visit to the
Osages, and found them as usual in a distressed condition.
I could not see the full-bloods on this occasion, on account
of their absence in pursuit of game. I was, however, more
fortunate with the half-breeds. These I called together in
the different settlements, and offered them an opportunity
of performing their Christian duties. The greater part listened to me with attention, and in.one settlement, God be
praised, nearly "fifty were in attendance at Mass, and about
half that number came to the Sacraments.
I had hardly returned from the Osages, when I received
a telegram calling me among the Choctaws, some two hundred miles south of this Residence, where a poor miner had
been crushed by falling rock, and was in danger of death.
I started on this sick call the night of the 13th of November on the first train which I could get. I arrived too late.
I reached the place on the following morning, but the unfortunate man had died four hours before my arrival. All
I could do was to say Mass for the repose of his soul, and
perform the burial services.
�Indian ll1issio11s.
137
On the 16th I returned to the Mission to bury Mr. Thos.
Magner, one of our scholastics. He carne here on the 12th
of last August from Seguin, Texas, to try whether the mildness of our climate could do something for his consumption.
In the beginning he appeared to improve, and of his own
accord asked to teach a class in our Institution. He was
quite a young man, and gifted with all the qualities necessary to make of him a worthy member of the Society. He
was not only a virtuous religious, but a thorough scholar
and an able teacher. His pupils loved him, and were fast
improving under his direCtion. But all his hopes of recovery were an illusion; for he had hardly been teaching two
months, when he was obliged to give up his class and confine himself to his room.
Here he began to sink rapidly. \Vith the consumption,
which had reduced him to a skeleton, came palpitation of
the heart, in consequence of which it became difficult for
him to speak. He saw that his end was fa~t approaching,
but was not alarmed by it. He calmly prepared for the last
Sacraments, which he received with great devotion, and on
the 21st of November, the feast of the Presentation, went,
as we hope, to witness its celebration in Heaven. He was
but twenty-three years of age, six of which he had spent
in the Society. R. I. P.
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIONE,
S.
J.
INDIAN MISSIONS.
I.-THE CROW INDIANS.
More than twelve years ago the Crow Indians, a numerous tribe leading a wandering life to the east of the Rocky
Mountains, presented a formal petition to the American
government for a priest, or Black-gown. General Alfred
Sully had written on this subjeCt to the lamented Father
VoL. x-No.
2.
18
�Indian Missions.
DeSmet, and he in turn proposed it to the Superior General of our 1\'lission. Delays were met with in the settlement of the affair, and, finally, the Superior went to see
General Sully in regard to it, when he was informed that
this mission had 'just been confided to the Episcopalians
and Methodists. The only reason for assigning this tribe
to them was that the government had made valuable appropriations in the case.
It is true that we did not lose sight of these poor infidels,
but it was impossible to obtain subjetl:s who could take
charge of the mission. Finally Fr. Barcelo penetrated to
them, and he is the second priest who has ever paid them
a visit, the first having been Fr. DeSmet, whose stay among
them was. very brief, but whose memory will forever remain
in benediction amongst all these savage nations.
The res"ult of Fr. Barcelo's visit is described by himself
in the following letter written to the Superior of the Rocky
Mountain Mission.
Letter of Fr. Barcelo to Fr. Cataldo.
HELENA, Oct. 7. I88o.
Having set out, according to instructions, to visit some
Catholic families of whites, I arrived for the first time in
the camp of the Crow Indians, between Fort Custer and
Terry's Landing. I was well received, and by means of a
negro, who acted as my interpreter, I explained to them the
object of my coming, which was .to_teach them the way to
Heaven. The chief and his principal men showed themselves to be well disposed. After dinner, the chief assembled all his people under the shade of a tree, and I explained
the principal mysteries of the Christian religion, and exhorted them to pray for the gift of faith. Towards evening
an adult Crow, who was sick, sent for me, and, after some instructions I baptized him and administered Extreme Unction. He was somewhat better next morning, and I gave
him a medal. The chief would have me baptize the children, but believing it safer to proceed slowly, I deferred the
�Indian Missions.
139
matter until I should have obtained permission of the
Agent. Having promised at rny departure to return as soon
as possible, I arrived at Fort Custer, and from that place
I proceeded to Terry's Landing, where I met Father Venneman, who was on his way to Bozeman.· The judgments
of God are inscrutable. Not one of the white Catholics
would take the trouble to come to Mass on Sunday, although
for years they had not been present at the Holy Sacrifice,
and the pagan Crows were asking for instruCtion in the
Catholic faith. Upon my return to the poor Crows, they
earnestly besought me to baptize their little children, and
with great pleasure I complied with their request. I also
b.tptized three children of my interpreter, who had been
brought up a Catholic, but who had had no opportunity of
practising his religion since the age of twelve years. I
gave him the catechism to translate. I gave the savages to
understand that it would be impossible to instruCt: them
and make them good Christians, if they went wandering
about in pursuit of the buffalo; that they should settle down
in some fixed place; that they have plenty of fertile land.
They listened with attention, and showed a readiness to do
whatever I suggested. I spoke about it to the Agent,
who exhibited some astonishment that the savages should
be willing to do for the priest and for the Catholic religion
what could not be obtained from them by the American
government and by the Protestant ministers. These latter,
having found out by experience that none of the natives
paid any attention to them, have all returned home. Your
Reverence, in conjunCtion with Rev. Mr. Brouillet, should
try to obtain that the American government throw no obstacle in the way of that which has been so well begun.
G. BARCELO, s. J.
�Indian JV!issiolls.
140
II.-THE INDIAN SCHOOL OF ST. IGNATIUs'· MISSION.
&tra{l of a Letter from Fr. Luigi M Folchi to Fr. Piccin"/!o.
ST. IGNATIUs' MissiON,
MissouLA Co., MoNTA:-<A,
December 26, 1880.
* * * * * This is the golden opportunity for putting our schools amongst the. Indians on such a footing
as to compete with, or even to surpass those of the Protestants. The Lord seems to bless our poor endeavors. An
inspector of Indian affairs (a man of no religion), who had
spent a s~ort time here, wrote lately to the agent of this
Reserva~i6n, from the Indian College of Forest Grove, in
Oregon, an institution liberally supported by the government, that he has visited many Indian schools, but has never··
seen one to equal that of our Mission in the improvement
of the scholars. Laus Deo semper! But does it seem as
if justice will be done us by the government? Just now
the census is being taken under orders from Washington.
There is a world of questions which the enumerators have
to propose to these poor Indians, even as to the number of
guns they have ; how many dogs? etc., etc. But there is
no inquiry made about their religion; because, as· these
reservations are allotted to the various denominations, regard should be shown to the majority according to religious
persuasion, and they would naturally find more Catholics
among the Indians than they would desire. * * * *
111.-LAKE SUPERIOR.
Extrafl
of a Letter from Fr. Specht to Fr. :James Perron.
RED RocK, Jan. I7, 1881.
Since the visitation by Rev. Fr. Charaux, Superior of
the Mission, your humble servant has been constituted
Miss. Ercurr., having charge of the following stations:
�indian Missions.
141
·Grand Portage, Minn.; Riviere aux Anglais, upon the Canadian Pacific R. R.; Red Rock, distant one hundred miles
from Fort William; and Nepigon, which is two hundred
miles distant from the same place. But in the Spring I
shall go even further still. There will be plenty of work
at the different stations, for I have to instruCt: the Christians, and in some places there are pagans to be converted.
·I have already had a taste of the fatigues inseparable from
the missionary's life on the borders of Lake Superior, especially in winter. On the 16th of September FF. Hebert,
Gagnon and myself went from Silver Islet to Red Rock.
As the wind was contrary, we were several times obliged
to go ashore and camp. On the 19th we all three said
Mass in our tent, which was pitched in the midst of the
woods. vVe reached Red Rock on the 2oth, and leaving
Fr. Gagnon there, Fr. Hebert and I started on the 24th in
a bark canoe for Nepigon, accompanied by two Indians.
The voyage lasted six days, and presented difficulties which
can be understood only after they have been experienced.
The greatest trouble is caused by the portages, seven or
eight in number, and some of them two miles long, with a
trail which is a path only in name. We had to carry our
own packs, but the roughest part of the work, the transportation of the canoe, fell to our two companions. We were
delayed for some time on Lake Nepigon by head winds, and
it was not until the 1st of Oetober that we could steer a
straight course for Fort Nepigon.
Our Christians were assembled at the landing place to
welcome us, for they had been in expeCtation of our coming, and we had to shake hands all around. After the evening prayers, which are recited in common every day, Fr.
Hebert introduced me to my congregation as his successor;
Before dismissing our people, we gratified them with the
sight of the beautiful chasubles, chalice, ciborium, etc., etc.
which their Bourgeois, Mr. Henri De Ia Ronde, had ordered
from Montreal for the chapel, at an expense of $130. Fr.
Hebert remained only a short time at Nepigon. After his
departure I gave a mission, which was very successful, Mr.
�indian Missions.
De la Ronde assuring me that he did not know even of
one who failed to receive the Sacraments of Penance and the
Holy Eucharist.
During these days a ceremony took place which may
seem childish to white men, but to which our people attach
a great deal of importance. I speak of the conferring an
Indian name upon the new missionary. Our Indians are
not blessed with the gift of tongues, and can rarely pronounce, much less remember our names, especially, if like
mine, they chance to be German, and consequently they
give us a name taken from their own language. The choice
of this name is a privilege of the chief, and I had to undergo the ceremony like every one else. They dubbed me:
Kapapamincoad_ji"mo I which being interpreted signifies, "He
who brings the good news." Henceforward, I shall be known
by them under this name. We have built a little schoolhouse on an island not far from the Fort ; I shall open
it next Spring if I can find a competent teacher.
On my return to Red Rock, I was busy for a time in direCting some improvements which were made upon the
church and the surroundings of the priest's house. I set
out for Fort William on the 6th of St>ptember. I did not
go by boat this time; the journey had to be made quite
prosaically on foot, and for the greater part of the time on
snow-shoes. An Indian sled carried my chapel furniture,
vestments, books and some other indispensable articles.
This is the winter style of traveling here. It required three
days to reach Prince Arthur's I,.anding, seventy-five or
eighty miles from here in a straight line. We made our
way sometimes on the lake, sometimes through the woods,
and occasionally along the bed of little streams or over
ponds, which are very numerous at the carrying places;
the cold was so intense that my nose and one cheek were
frozen. And besides, making my way on snow shoes
through the woods, and by paths which do not deserve the
name, I got many a fall. I came back from Fort William
on the 10th of December. Ten days later I set out for
Grand Portage, taking a bad cold along with me, which I
�ltzdia1Z Missi01zs.
143
got rid of on the way. On the 28th I again quitted the
soil of the United States, with the thermometer marking
thirty-nine degrees below zero.' We camped out in the
woods that evening, and although we made a fire big enough
to roast an ox whole, we suffered terribly from the intense
cold. My share in its effeCts was a frozen heel, and whilst
engaged in saying my office close by the fire, I thought
that my hands would also be frozen. You may be sure that
we were glad when daylight came. We made an early
start, traveled on the whole day, and at six P. M. reached
Fort William, where all were filled with astonishment that
we should have attempted a journey during such intensely
cold weather.
My stay at Fort William was short, for on the 31st of
December I set out for Red Rock by way of Silver Islet.
I thought that I could reach the latter place by ten o'clock
at night; but having arrived about nine o'clock at the Portage, we lost the road, for it was a dark night, and we had
never gone that way before. We were forced to camp out
without tent or coverir.g, for it had been our intention to
sleep at Silver Islet that night, and we had nothing to eat
except some sardines and soda biscuits. ·To make matters
worse, I began to feel so sick that my companion was
frightened. Fortunately, it was only a trifle, and early the
next morning, New Year's Day, we were able to proceed,
my companion having found the road. At nine A. M. I
knocked at the door of Mr. Simmons, one of the good
Catholics of Silver Islet. No one expeCted me, for it was
supposed that I was still at Red Rock ; but scarcely had
the church bell announced the arrival of the priest, when
our people flocked to the church to hear Mass. I baptized
two children next day (Sunday), heard confessions and gave
Communion to the faithful, overjoyed at the opportunity of
approaching the Sacraments. A few days afterwards I returned to Red Rock. Towards the end of March I shall
start upon my gra1td voyage of about four months, of which
I shall by and by send you a detailed account.
Jos.
SPECHT, S. ].
�144
Indi'an Missions.
IV.-MONTANA TERRITORY.
Letter from Fatlter Prando to Fat!ter Cataldo.
T.,
January 13, 1881.
ST. PETER's MissioN, M.
REv. FATHER SuPERIOR,
P. C.
I write to your Reverence some strange things from St.
Peter's Mission. The first cause for wonder is that it snows
here under a clear sky; for when the snow has fallen, after
the ordinary manner of falling snow, and the sky has again
become clear, a strong wind springs up, which causes the
snow as _!ine as dust to drift, until mountains arise at the
caprice of"the storm. A man here had his house buried,
and was obliged to tunnel his way out through the snow.
Rows of trees are completely covered with it, so that one
can walk over their tops. Sometimes the mountains around
the l\1ission are seen so enveloped with snow that they look
like smoking volcanoes when the fierce winds sweep the
light particles up to and over their summits; again, when
the wind changes, it drives the snow before it like whitecapped waves, and, pressing it close to the ground, the very
mountains appear to be moving towards the plains. The
immense prairies, deeply covered· with hard packed snow,
are sometimes scoured by terrific blasts, which send minute
particles whirling in dense cloud~)wer its surface. \\'hen
the poor missionary is caught in stich a storm, he can see
nothing to guide him on his way, and runs great risk of
being lost. Last November a poor man was lost in the
neighborhood of Fort Shaw, and had his feet frozen from
exposure. After a few days it was found necessary to amputate them, and he was sent to the hospital at Helena. At
Fort Benton it is now forty degrees below zero, centigrade;
they have no fire wood, and have to go twenty miles to get
it, hauling it over the snow.
In the Mission of St. Peter, although we suffer much
�Indian Missio1Zs.
145
from cold, yet we are consoled by much spiritual fruit obtained. I have been recompensed for all the labors of my
journey, by the first success among the Blackfeet. During
the novena of Christmas, the-Holy Child granted me the
gracious favor of baptizing an Indian woman, one hundred
and twenty years of age. She was reputed to be a medicine woman, and had cured many whites at Fort Benton.
Some months ago, near the Mission, a young man, attacked
by a panther, had received four ugly wounds on the head ;
and this old woman effeCI:ed a complete cure in the course
of a month, using only one herb for the purpose. She
would not see the missionary, and to all who spoke to her
about religion, she answered that she would riot receive
Baptism, because after death she wanted to travel the same
road as her sons had done. I visited her several times, but
took care not to touch upon the subjeCt: of religion. On
the first day of the Novena for Christmas, a man came and
told me, that the old woman was speaking of dying. This
morning she was saying that she had expeCI:ed to die when
the cherries ripened; but that now she thought death was
near, and she requested not to be buried beneath the ground,
but that her body might be placed upon a tree, after the
manner of her tribe, because she wished to rejoin her sons.
Next day I said Mass to obtain the conversion of this soul,
and started on horseback to see her. The poor thing was
seated in silence on the ground. I saluted her, and said it
was time for her to be baptized, and that if she refused she
would go to a fiery chamber, a place of torments, where
she would ne'ver see her sons ; if, on the other hand, she
consented, then she would go to Heaven, where she would
find all her good children with God. She finally was persuaded, but expressed a wish to retain her medicines. I
was not aware that she dealt in this business, and began to
suspeCt: something on hearing such a request. I told her
that she might keep her medicines if they were good, and
that I should like to see them. Thereupon, opening a little
bag, she took out a root, and said that when it was boiled
and a drink made from it, it would cure a cold. I asked
VoL. x-No.
2.
19
�Indian Missions.
her if she performed any ceremonies while using this; she
said that she did not, and I told her that it was a good
medicine, and she could keep it. Then she took a bit of
wood and said, when this is reduced to a powder and used
as a snuff, it stops bleeding at the nose, without any ceremony being added. I told her to keep this, too, and many
other remedies which she showed and explained. 1 then
asked her from whom she had learned the virtue of these
medicines ; she said that no one had taught her; but that
when she stood in need of anything she went to sleep, and
a person appeared to her in a dream, who pointed out where
she would find a root to cure the disease. I asked her:
"Can we obtain a sight of this person?" "No." "Has he
horns?" "No; his face is beautiful!" "Has he wingslong wings-and horse's feet?" She replied that he was
winged, but that his wings were very short and white, and
that he had feet like a chicken, and that nevertheless he
walked upon the water, and she liked him very much.
Returning in the afternoon, I caused her to renounce all
dealings that she might have had with the evil one; and
when she had made all the promises necessary to convince
me of her sincerity, I admitted her to Baptism. Just before
the pouring of the water, when I was stretching out my
hand to place it on her head, she began to tremble from
head to foot with great terror.
After Baptism she became tranquil in body, and her face
was very calm. She was my first convert from among the
Blackfeet, and I called her Mary. ·On New Year's Day I
baptized a Blackfoot boy, and gave' him the name of Joseph.
Just now I have four Protestants under instruCtion, and
they are very eager to learn, and will soon receive Baptism.
A good American Catholic called upon me, and begged me
to try and persuade his wife, who was a Protestant, to embrace the faith; he added that he had not himself urged
her in regard to religion, because he did not wish to excite
the ill-will of her relations. I visited the family two or
three times, and, having learned how matters stood, I said
to her one day: "Well, when shall we begin the instruc-
�Indian fifissions.
147
tions ? " She understood what I meant, and answerell that
we could begin that very evening, which was done.
At Fort Shaw I have established a Catholic Society,
whose members receive Holy Communion in a body every
two months. The Commander, although a Protestant, is
very courteous to the Catholic missionary, and on Sundays
has the time for Mass announced by drumbeat.
At Sun River they had not yet thought of building a
Catholic Church. On the occasion of my first visit to that
station, they told me that Mass would be said in the public
school, which is used also as a Protestant meeting-house
and a dance hall. I felt my blood begin to boil; I felt the
full force of the text: "Zelus do11ws tuce comedit 11Je." I
told the Catholics I was willing this once to say Mass in
such a place, but that I should never do so again. A zealous Catholic said to his neighbors: "The Father is right;
it isn't proper that where Christ comes upon the altar, in
the very same place soon afterwards a Protestant minister
should mount up and mock at our sacred mysteries." We
have repaired the old school-house, which had been abandoned, and which will do well enough for a church. This
is the way I took possession of it: The door was not locked,
the principal owner lived sixty miles away, and as many, especially Protestants, had contributed to build it, none of
the Catholics dared to enter it first, through fear of the
legal consequences. I led the way, fixed my altar, had the
broken panes supplied, and the whole place cleaned up.
The next Sunday, Mass was celebrated there. Then, with
a Catholic guide, I went to all those who had helped to
ereCl: the building, and asked them if they were willing to
cede whatever right they had in it to the Catholic congregation, and all, Protestants, as well as Catholics, subscribed
their names to a paper of renunciation, which I had prepared, so that we came home part owners of the schoolhouse. Then I had a new lock put on, and took charge of
the key. Shortly afterwards the principal owner, who was
an excellent Catholic, wrote that he would sell his share in
the building at a low figure. The legal transfer will be
�indian .Missions.
made as soon as possible, and thus Sun River will begin to
have a Catholic Church. The church is all made of wood,
but after some years, aided a little by the Propagation of
the Faith, one will be constructed ~f stone or bricks. I
wish to introduce the Sisters as soon as possible, for at
present the children are obliged to go to a Protestant school.
A thousand good wishes to Yr. Rev.
R•• v•• Hummus Servus,
P. P. PRANDO, s. J.
V.-LAKE .SUPERIOR.
Letter of Fatltrr
.(
RIVIERE
J.
Hebert.
nu Pre, Dec. 30th, 1 88o.
REVEREND ••FATHER,
P. C.
As the account of my missionary travels and adventures
seems not altogether uninteresting to you, I am going to jot
down whatever happened worth remarking in my journey
of last spring.
I left the Mission, March 14th, taking the route of Silver
Islet, intending to spend St. Patrick's day with the Irishmen- in the vicinity. An Episcopalian minister from Prince
Arthur's Landing happened to be my "compagnon de voyage" as far as the mine. He was extremely courteous and
sociable; and praised very highly my predecessor in these
missions, wondering greatly at the· long and painful journeys which he made for many years.
In the course of his remarks he said that whatever be the
opinion one may hold regarding the controverted point of
the celibacy of ministers of the Gospel, there is no question
that the missionaries of Lake Superior should be unmarried
men. I perceived he had sent ahead his wife and eight
children, that he might hide the sense of discredit and
shame which the contrast between him and the Catholic
priest, whose praises he was sounding, made him feel. He
spoke, of his father, also a minister, but a Presbyterian, and
�indian Missions.
149
said that he was wrong in not admitting the Episcopacy, as
it was clear that the order existed in the Primitive Church.
We were traveling on snow-shoes. I carried a burthen
heavy enough on my back. He was unimpeded by any
luggage; nevertheless, I was often obliged to halt and let
him rest, and in spite of all he was barely able to reach
Silver Islet. Imagine what a suitable target for the flying
shot of Irish pleasantry!
The morning after St. Patrick's day, I departed for the
further end of Thunder Bay, where I should meet two
young Indians of the Mission, who were to accompany me
as far as Red Rock. I walked all day long alone, by no
means a very pleasant occupation. It was about sunset,
·and though but a short distance from the rendezvous, not
a soul could be seen ; neither could I discern any smoke,
which would indicate the presence of a human being. I
felt a little ·anxious and uneasy, for it was rather cold, and
I had neither axe to cut wood, nor blanket for the night.
By and by, I saw some one come and draw water from the
Bay; things grew brighter, and my fears disappeared.
It took us three days to reach Red Rock. At night, before sleeping, we built a large fire; then we drew in our
beds as near as prudence allowed, and sometimes a little
nearer. One morning, on awakening, I found my blanket
of hare skins half burnt; yet that had not awakened me.
Before arriving at our destination I was painfully made
aware of what snow-blindness-mal de neige-is. I had
often heard people talk of it; but then, for the first time,
I had personal knowledge of how much it makes one suffer.
After spending a few days at Red Rock to give the Catholics an opportunity to make their Easter duty, I set out for
Nepigon. It was on Good Friday I started, hoping to reach
the Fort for Easter. But we were still sixty miles away
when the feast came, for the roads were very bad and our
dogs rather lean. Easter Sunday morning the weather was
beautiful.· The sun shone out magnificently, and scarce a
breath of wind was stirring. Everything seemed to bid me
say Mass. I did, but scarcely had I begun, when I regret-
�ISO
lndi'an JV!i'ssi'ons.
ted it. Every breeze, how light soever, that passed, lifted
a cloud of ashes and dust that covered my little altar. I
no sooner removed to a respectable distance on one side,
than I got just as much from the other. Finally, I finished,
very thankful for having been able to say Holy Mass, but
just as thankful for having finished.
We arrived at the Fort. the last day of March. I had
been there in January" to visit the sick, and had baptized a
family of seven persons, all infidels. This time I remained
there five days, which were pretty well taken up in the exercise of the holy ministry. I quitted it, April 5th, in the
evening, accompanied by a half-breed and a savage, who
were to make the complete tour with me. Mr. Henry De
la Ronde l=jent along some of his men to escort us some·
distance. <fie walked on snow-shoes, and as fast as we
could, day and night, from the sth to the lOth, stopping
only a couple of hours towards midnight to see an Indian
family. I had to baptize one child and hear some confessions. Towards noon we had come to Negodinong, about
which I have already written you. Thence, we went to
Obabikang, where we were left by our escort, who returned
to the Fort. lleft on the 9th for Onamani-Saging, which
I had never visited but once in the spring of 1 877, with
R. -P. Du Ranquet. I found there five families of pagans
and one of Christians, in all twenty-five persons. As I was
approaching I saw coming towards me a savage, till then
very much attached to pagan superstitions. He smiled
good-naturedly. This seemed the focerunner of good things.
As my stay there was necessarily to be of the shortest, I
began right away talking to the pagans of the religion of
Jesus Christ. I found them exceedingly well disposed. I
set about instructing them without delay, and the catechism
was not shut once while I was there. Sunday evening,
April 1 Ith, I baptized ten children, and next day ten grownup persons. I had forgotten to ask them to give- up the
objects of their superstitious practices, and especially their
Matclzimasti'ki'ki-evil medicine-but a Christian reminded
me of it. All were ready except one young man, to whom
�Indian Missimts.
I
51
it seemed a little hard. He gave in, however, without my
asking twice. How pleasant it was to burn these little coils
of bark, th•at did the work of the devil!· I. bade them
adieu, my hea.rt filled with gladness, thanking the good God
for taking pity on those poor savages.
After this, I left Lake Nepigon to go to Lake Long, taking a route I had never before followed; it obliged me to
make a long roundabout march before getting there. Here's
why I did it: in the spring of 1879, I saw at Lake Long
two savages that came from some place they called Agoki
Sagaigmz, and who brought two little boys that they wanted
baptized. After finding out pretty well where they lived, I
promised to go and see them before long, if possible. From
that time I had not ceased thinking of the trip. At last I
undertook to make it: We began to go up a river named
Obabikang, which is very rapid, and the ice was already
giving way. Twice I missed my footing, and barely escaped
falling into the river. After three days we came to a Lake
called Gct!tionit(fegense .Sagaigan. We had a good deal of
bad weather, thunder and hail, so we stopped at the hut of
a Canadian half-breed, Joseph Lagarde, who took us in
kindly, which I was all the more thankful for, as I desired
to spend a part of the spring around there, while waiting
the breaking-up of the ice and the opening of the rivers.
We stayed twenty-three days there, and had a good deal to
suffer from the cold and smoke, not being able to make a
fire, except outside our cotton tent. However, I was able
to say Mass every day, and every evening we had prayers
in common. I baptized while there ten infidels and two of
the half-breed's children. It was here also I came nigh getting drowned. Going out one day a short distance from
the camp, to take a look at the road we were to follow, I
struck across a little bay, where it seemed some one had
lately walked. I was soon sorry enough for my steps ; I
sank through the ice to my knees, and then up to my
waist. Had I not had my gun along, it would have been
all over with me. I held it in front of me, the ends resting
on either side on the ice. ,Getting at length on my feet
�Indian Missions.
again, and walking cautiously, I was able to get on terra
firma safe and sound.
On the 8th of May we left. On the 15th we· discovered
a family encamped on the bank of the Agokisihi. We approach and are heartily welcomed. They happen to be
near relations of one of my companions. The family comprises father, mother and two children. I· told them that,
as it was late, and the next day was the great festival of
Pentecost, we would not continue our journey till Monday.
They seemed right glad. Encamped near them, I was able
to see them often. After asking the help of the Holy
Ghost, I propose to them our Holy Faith. They are not
averse. I begin instruCting, and next evening I baptize the
children, and on the following morning the father and the
mother. I,then take leave of them promising to return
next summer. They told me that I would soon come up
with two families, relatives of theirs ; and so it fell out, for
that evening we sighted their cabins. We get the same
warm reception here as before. That night we set our net
in the river, and next morning hauled in forty large pike.
That same day (April 12th) we and the savages with us
reached Lake Agoki. On the opposite· side were the poor
people for whom I had undertaken this long voyage. For
five days I instruCted the little band with us, and then baptizea them all. During this time we were anxiously listening for a signal from the opposite shore. At last, we resolved to cross, but there was no one there. The 23rd
(Feast of the Holy Trinity), the weather being very fine, I
said Mass. \Ve discharged our ~uns three times to let
them know where we were, but there was no reply. We
became somewhat anxious, for we were totally ignorant of
the position of Lake Long, and of the route to be taken
to get there. During the 24th and 25th, we coasted
about the Lake, hoping to meet some one; but no. My
men were rather downcast, and went out gloomily to stretch
their nets. Soon they came back smiling, and told me that
the long-looked-for savages were encamped not far away.
Things seem cheerful again. ~traightway we went to pitch
�Indian il1issions.
153
our tent near them. As Indian etiquette demands among
friends a gener.al shaking of hands all around, I was able
to form a pretty close estimate of their number. They
form a pretty large band, and are not at all badly off for
savages. That evening we had prayers, and quite a number attended. The ground where we tented was rather
low, and it rained all night, so that on awakening in the
morning I found I was lying in the water. After Mass I
had sqme conversation with a few of the men, and learned
that they had nearly all been baptized by the Protestant
minister, at least all the men, for the women and children
were yet infidels. Having cautiously tried their dispositions, and calculated the length of time I was able to pass
among them, I concluded to put off till later all efforts at
conversiOn. However, I asked to baptize the children, and
they allowed it. I baptized seven. I should have done
the same to six more, but an unfortunate circumstance had
kept them at three days' distance from there. I placed in
their hands prayers written in Indian, with letters invented
by a Protestant Bishop. I was forced to learn this writing,
the better to fight the devil on his own ground.
The 26th, a few of the band going out to have a look at
their traps, brought back three bears. They gave us a
part; that same evening the three bears had disappeared,
swallowed in the abyss of their awful stomachs, in gurgite
vasto. Not to slander them, I should say that two of the
brutes were not very large. The 27th, I was informed that
one of the women had been attacked.by the colic. I wasn't
surprised, considering the amount of bear she had eaten.
'Twas then, the panacea which the genius of PERRY DAVIS
bequeathed to suffering humanity, brought relief to the
woman of the forest.
Passing by Lake Manito, of which I spoke in my last
letter, I called upon the Lagarde Band, and baptized two
children. · They thought that I was in a great hurry to
leave them. I promised to see them again in the fall, but
it was impossible for me to do so. Father Gagnon and I
will make amends to them in a few days. I reached Lake
VoL. x-No.
2.
20
�154
Indian Missions.
Long on the Ist of June in the evening. The Indians had
been expecting me for some time. I had plenty of work
in hearing the confessions of the many Christians there.
These confessions are difficult and slow, as the people are
poorly instructed.
I remained only six days at this place; and during my
stay I baptized ten persons. There are only twenty there
who still remain pagan. If I could have prolonged my
visit, I think that more would have received Baptism; but I
was obliged absolutely to reach Le Pic by the I zth, to meet
Mgr. Jamot, in accordance with an agreement made a year
ago.
Consequently, leaving Lake Long on the 8th of June, I
arrived at Le Pic on the I zth, where. I found Monseigneur
and Fr. Cb~mbon. They had been there two or three days;
they had n-ot been idle, but their limited acquaintance with
the Indians prevented them from accomplishing much, and
they had been waiting for me to begin the business in
earnest.
In spite of all the misery that had gone before, and although I was fagged out, the hardest labor of the trip was
now before me; because only a short time could be given
to each station, and the work to be done was considerable;
and-for these reasons they had been waiting so anxiously
for my coming.
From three and a half A. M. until ten or eleven at night,
I had scarcely time to take my mea,Is. This is the order of
the day: P. Cham bon and I said~·a. very early Mass, and
then were in the confessional until the Bishop's Mass, which
took place about seven o'clock. . After Mass the Bishop
gave instructions and advice to the Indians, which I interpreted. \Vhenever a sufficient number had been prepared,
he administered Confirmation after Mass. From dinnertime, which was at noon, we were employed in explaining
the catechism and in hearing confessions. Several times
we had to accompany the Bishop, when he went to confirm
the sick in their tents. Catechism and confessions filled up
the afternoon. The Indians also had some meetings in re-
�Indian Missions.
155
gard to the establishment of schools, etc., to which they invited Monseigneur, and which necessitated my presence.
Then petitions to the government had to be drawn up.
Finally, in the evening, the Breviary had to be finished,
and little time tables made out for the Indians; so that it
was well on to midnight before we could get to bed.
By far the greater part of the Michipicoton Indians remain at the Fort for a very short time, and so we judged it
best to go there without delay. Before carrying this plan
into execution, some thirty Indians were confirmed, who
had come from Lake Lung with the furs of the Hudson
Bay Company. \Vith regard to these savages, I ought to
say that it was wonderful to witness the action of the Holy
Spirit upon their simple and sincere hearts; it manifested
itself in their looks and words. How glad they were to
have come to Le Pic, where they had seen so many things
to excite their admiration! Father Cham bon remained at
Le Pic.
It took only a day and a half for us to reach Michipicoton, one hundred miles from Le Pic. It was on the 10th
of June. I told you in a former letter that this is the
stronghold of Methodism. \Ve resolved, then, to make a
longer stay here than elsewhere. Mr. Bell, the Bourgeois
of the Hudson Bay Company, received us kindly, and insisted upon the Bishop taking up his quarters at the Fort.
Our days were filled with the occupations that I have described above. There were meetings in regard to a school
and petitions were drawn up. On Sunday, the 20th, neariy
all the Methodists came to Mass and Vespers. After Vespers, as it was fine weather, they stretched themselves upon
the grass near the church. The Bishop entered into familiar conversation with them, and almost all of them seemed
to be favorably disposed. Nevertheless, only ten returned
to the true fold ; let us hope that there will be better success next summer.
Sixty-five were confirmed here. The Bishop expressed
his satisfaction at all that he saw, and congratulated them
on their handsome little church, their school-house and
general progress.
�Indian Missions.
Leaving Michipicoton after dinner on the 23rd, we came
back tired out to Le Pic, which we reached at 5 A. 111. June
25th. Here we were even more busy than at the place we
had left, for the Indians are more numerous. Many approached the Sacraments; one hundred and sixty-eight
persons were confirmed ; several pagans were baptized, and
also some Methodists.
On the 28th we started for Red Rock, and reached it on
the 30th, after a journey of one hundred miles. \Ve thought
it better to give the Mission at Nepigon first, and having
set out next day, we camped on tht! evening of July 1st
near the Nepigon Bdgade, composed partly of Christians
and partly of pagans. All assisted at the instruction; theri
came the confessions, rendered troublesome by clouds of
mosquitoes,; next day, communion, and twelve persons
confirmed:.. Proceeding forward, we were delayed nearly a
whole day by contrary winds at Lake Nepigon. On the
afternoon of the 3rd we sailed twelve miles before reaching
the Fort, under circumstances that I shall riot be apt to forget. It was a dead calm, but towards the west the sky was
covered with black clouds, which began to pile up and hurry towards us. B.efore undertaking the passage, Alexandre
De Sukonde, who has sailed on every sea, turned towards
Monseigneur, as if to ask him for directions. He gave a
sign to go on, and we started. I must confess that i was
not quite at ease, expecting a squall to spring up at a1_1y
moment. Happily, we were spared, and escaped with a
thorough drenching. \Ve could not reach the Fort until
next day, and had to camp out at it" short distance from it.
The warmth of our reception made up for all we had gone
through. Our stay here was to be short, for P. Chambon
was to remain after our departure. We set to work, as at
the other places, and by the 6th a great many had confessed
and received Holy Communion, and ninety-~ix had been
confirmed ; besides, fivt! pagans received Baptism.
Quitting the Fort on the 7th, we reached Red Rock, after a journey of one hundred miles, on the 8th.
Three days here-crowds for confession-ninety-five con-
�San Xavier del Bac, Anzona.
I
57
firmed.· I was worn out completeiy, and was suffering from
a bad cold. We left Red Rock oil the izth; bad weather
and foggy; I jth, reached Silver Islet; the few Indians
there came to confession, and eight were confirmed on the
14th. \Ve got back to the Mission that evening. This,
Reverend Father, is an imperfeCt description of my tour
for I88o. During the four months that it lasted I baptized
ninety persons, of whom the greater number were infidels,
Monseigneur, P. Cham bon and I having a share in the Baptisms after I had joined them. You see that I have good
reasons for thanking the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to which I
attribute the success of my labors, as well as the Blessed
Virgin and St. Joseph, to whose powerful intercession I am
so much indebted. Help me to make suitable returns for
these favors. Regards to all acquaintances at Woodstock.
R•• v•• in( in X 10 Servus,
J.
HEBERT,
S.
J.
SAN XAVIER DEL BAC, ARIZONA.
A SKETCH OF THE ?.fiSSION, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF ITS
CHURCH. (I)
What is the history of this .mission ? How old is its
church? Who built it? These are questions often asked
by strangers, who co not fail to go to San Xavier del Bac<2>
as soor. as they have visited the old Presidio, to-day the
g;owing city of Tucson.
The San Xavier Mission, which is situated in the Santa
Cruz valley, nine miles south of Tucson, was established
by the Jesuit missionaries for the Papago<3> Indians towards
the end of the seventeenth century.
(tJ Condensed from an account written by "A Missionary of Arizona," pub·
lished last year in pamphlet form at San Francisco, and sold to aid in the
completion of St. Mary's Hospital.
<•J The word Bac, in the language of the Aborigines, means a place where
there is water.
(3J Papa go, according to the explanation given to us by one of the Indians
of San Xavier, means "hair cut," the sign by which, formerly, those converted to the faith were distinguished.
�San Xa'l/ier del Bac, Arizo11a.
The Jesuits, who had missions in Sinaloa since 1590,
reached Sonora on the 13th of March, 168J, with Father
Kino as Superior. In 1690 four missions had already been
established in Sonora, and were visited by Fr. Juan Maria
Salvatierra, who had been sent from Mexico as Visitor.
During this visit FF. Salvatierra and Kino were invited to
go to their rancherias or villages, by some Indians, who
had come from a distance of over one hundred and twenty
miles-the region where subsequently were established the
Missions of Tumacacori and San Xavier-and so earnest
were their demands, that the missionaries changed their
itinerary, and followed them as far as Guevavi, where they
founded the first mission(!> which was established in the
country now called Arizona.
As for San Xavier, we have not seen any record of its
first starr-.as a Mission. 'What we know is that, in 1692,
the missionaries were visiting the different tribes of the
western part of the country, and that in 1694 they established two missions on the Gila River. But from these
fads, can we not infer that the San Xavier Mission was
already existing, especially when we know that it was the
strong wish of the Papago Indians to have missions established in their villages? Moreover, the location which the
aCl:ually existing church occupies, and the rich and extensive valley by which it is surrounded, must have attraCted
at once the attention of the missionaries. We can, then,
safely suppose that this mission was established soon after
that of Guevavi, if not at the sa!lle time. Nevertheless,
San Xavier had no resident priest._for several years after its
establishment, but was attended from Guevavi. The ·first
church was a small adobe building, the most easily ereCl:ed
to meet the wants of the new Mission. The fragments of
records we have found in the church give us an idea of the
population that lived in the vicinity, by the number of Baptisms that were yearly administered from 1720 to 1767.
This population must have been considerable. We find in
the same books that twenty-two Jesuit missionaries sue<1>This l\Iission, now abandoned, was situated in the southern part of Ari·
zona, near the frontier of Sonora.
�San Xavier del Bac, Anzona.
159
cessively administered at San Xavier between the dates
mentioned, the last of which was that of their expulsion by
the Spanish government. The missions they had established during their stay in the province of Sonora were
twenty-nine in number, consisting of seventy-three Indian
pueblos, as is stated in the Rudo Ensayo, a geographical
description of Sonora, written in 1762 by one of the Jesuit
Fathers. The Mission of San Xavier was one of the most
flourishing in Sonora under the care of the Jesuits, and the
loss of these missionaries could not but affeCt: it very seriously, as well as all the others.
In 1767, the Marquis de Croix, Viceroy of Mexico, made
an application to the guardian of the Franciscan College of
Santa Cruz de Queretaro, Mexico, requesting him on the
part of King Charles III, to send fourteen, or at least twelve
priests of his Order to take charge of the missions of Sonora. The petition was granted, and on the 27th of March,
176S, after a long and painful voyage, the fourteen missionaries asked for landed at Guaymas. Soon after, they proceeded to San Miguel de Horcacitas, where they fixed the
headquarters of their labors. Amongst the missions that
were considered important enough to require the presence
of a priest was that of San Xavier, to which was assigned·
one of the new missionaries, the Rev. Francisco Garcez.
We must here mention that the missions had passed
through many trials from their establishment to the time
the Jesuit Fathers were compelled to abandon them. The
most severe of all was a revolt of the Pimas and Ceris,
which broke o~t in 1751 and lasted over two years, causing
the death of several missionaries, and obliging the others
to temporarily leave their missions until better times should
come. This revolt subsided in 1754, as is shown by the
following note extraCl:ed from the records of Tubac :
"On the 21st of November, I 7 51, all this Pima nation
rebelled, and deprived this Mission of its spiritual adviser
until now, 1754. in which year the Indians have returned
to their pueblo, meaning, as they say, to live peaceably.
And for the authenticity of this writing, I sign it.
Francisco Paner.
�I6q
San Xavier del Bac, Arizo1ta.
The priest who wrote this note was then alone in the
missions of the northern part of the province, as we see by
the different visits he made at that time from Tubac to San
Xavier and Tucson. The Baptisms he administered the
same year in these missions are: for Tubac, 49; for Tucson, 50; and for San Xavier 43·
The missions which had escaped going to complete ruin
during this revolt were hardly started again when the Jesuits were expelled. No wonder that Father Garcez found
San Xavier in a pitiable condition. This mission, says A.
Velasco, in his .Noticias Estadisticas, was very poor when
the missionary took possession of it. It was lacking the
means necessary .not only to support a priest, but even to
furnish the most essential things for the worthy celebration
of the sac-red mysteries. But these difficulties could not
deter the~ new Apostle from his undertaking. As he aimed
only at the spiritual welfare of the Indians, he thought but
very little of his personal comfort. His zeal won the admiration of the Indians, as they saw him accommodate
him'3elf to their customs; his bed was the bare ground, and
for covering he had nothing but his clothes ; his food was
that of the Indians; his breakfast consisted of a cup of
·atole (corn mush); instead of bread, tortillas (pancakes),
an9 some dish of wild plants, such as sow-thistle, and
occasionally roasted corn, made up his whole fare. He
never used tobacco in any shape, but carried it always with
him in order to gratify the Indians.(!) Such a mortified
way of living was evidently imp9.sed upon him originally
by circumstances; but Father Garcez did not improve it
when things were better regulated, and when a certain
amount of provisions was regularly furni.shed by the government to the missionaries. All he could get in the way
of sugar, chocolate and other supplies, was carefully stored
and kept for his Indians. These articles were partly issued
to them as delicacies, and partly sold to purchase agricultural implements. By this liberality he won the affeetion
(tl These details about F. Garcez are extracted from the Corona Serafica del
Golegio de Santa Cruz de Queretaro, Mexico, 1792, which gives the history of
the missions of Sonora during the administration of the Franciscan Fathers.
�San Xtwicr del Bac, Arizo11a.
lui
of the Indians. During his stay at San Xavier ( 1768-I778),
he visited several times all the Indian tribes of Arizona,
and . prepared almost all of them to receive missionaries,
had these been sent to them. But owing to a want of material resources, or rather to a lack of energy on the part
of the military authorities, two new missions only could be
established during his life, and under his leadership. These
are the Immaculate Conception, and St. Peter and St. Paul,
which were opened in March, 1778, on the Colorado River.
The date, I 797, which is seen on one of the doors of the
Church of San Xavier, .is, according to the tradition, the
date of the monument's completion, the building of which
had required fourteen years. This is confirmed by the testimony of a few persons whom we have seen since we have
been living in Arizona, and who assert that they assisted at
the dedication of the church.
vVho are the priests that built it?
No mention has been made of their names in any of the
records we have met with, nor did those true sons of the
humble St. Francis put on the walls any mark that could
manifest their personal merit to future generations. vVhat
they did was to place the coat of arms of their Order on the
frontispiece of the church, as if to say to us: vVe, unknown
to you, poor religious of St. Francis, have built this for
you ; pray for us!
Nevertheless, if the tradition be right about the time
spent for the building of the church, we can raise the veil
of humility by looking at the names oi the missionaries of
whom mention is made in the church records during the
said period. According to this tradition, the present church,
which was built near and to replace the old one left by the
Jesuits, was commenced in 1783, and, as inferred from the
books, under the administration of the Rev. Balthasar Carillo, whose name is mentioned in said books from May 22d,
1780, to 1794· His successor, as Superior of the Mission,
was the Rev. Narciso Gutierres, who remained in charge
until 1799. From these considerations, we may safely conclude that it is to the above-named priests that we are inVaL. x-No. 2.
21
�162
San ){avier del Bac, Arizona.
debted for the too much dilapidated, but yet elegant and
rich church of San Xavier, which attraCts the attention of
every visitor to Arizona.
It may be asked what were the means the m1sswnaries
had at their disposal for the ereCtion of such struCtures as
those, the remains of which are seen at San Xavier, Tumacacori and other places?
According to the writers of the Rudo Ensayo and the
Noticias Estadisticas, the churches were built with the sole
produCt of the land, assigned by the government to each
mission, which was cultivated by the Indians under the direCtion of the priests. To this resource we might add the
produCt of the live stock, and also what the missionaries
were able to spare of the scant allowance of provisions issued by the government, amounting yearly to $300 for each
one. This explains why the building of the churches required so long a time, and also why some of them remained
unfinished in parts.
\Ve will here say a few words about the dealing of the
missionaries with the Indians, and about the way they
taught them, little by little, the manners of a civilized life.
We will only give some particulars received about San
Xavier, from men who saw the Fathers at work and who
were employed by them, as foremen, in the different labors
carried on in this Mission. The Indians were free to work
for themselves or for the church; to cultivate their own
fields or the church land, with this difference, that the former had to look for their maintenance, while the latter were
supported by the Mission. Tho~e who worked for the
Mission depended on it for food and clothing, not only for
themselves, but for their families. For that purpose provisions were stored in the mission house, and distributed in
due time. Early in the morning the Indians had to go to
church for morning prayers and Mass. Breakfast followed.
Soon after, a ring of the bell called the workmen to the
atrium, a little square place in front of the church, where
they were counted by one of the priests and assigned to the
different places where work was to be done. When the
�San .Xavier del Bac, Arizona.
priests were in sufficient number, they used to superintend
the work, laboring themselves, otherwise they employed
some trustworthy Mexicans to represent them. Towards
evening, a little before sundown, the workmen were permitted to go home. On their arrival in the houses, which
surrounded the plaza, one of the priests, standing in the
middle of this plaza, said the evening prayers in a loud
voice in the language of the tribe. Every word he pronounced was repeated by some selected Indians who stood
between him and the houses, and lastly by all the Indians
present in the tribe. Notwithstanding these orderly measures, many of the Indians fled every day from their respeEl:ive squads before reaching the place where they had
to work, and tried only to be present at meals. Nevertheless, these are the men who, by their work, enabled the missionaries. to build their churches and houses, learning at
the same time how to earn their living in the future. That
the Indians must have been happy under such a rule, nobody can doubt, and San Xavier, owing perhaps to the vicinity of the Presidio of Tucson,< 1> became afterwards one
of the most flourishing missions under the administration
of the Franciscan Fathers. It continued progressing until
the year I 8 10. Then was heard, all over the territory of
New Spain, the cry of Independence.
Very soon the government commenced to feel embarrassed
financially, and the annual help allowed to the missions
failed to come in due time, and, in many instances, failed to
be paid at all. From this time they had to suffer, more or
less, year by year, until the last stroke was aimed at them
by the expulsion of their missionaries, which followed the
fall of the Colonial government in Mexico, December 2nd,
J82J.
Here ends the history of the Indian missions. By the
fall of the Spanish domination and the expulsion of the
Franciscans, the Indians remained without any protection.
They could not but miss at once the support they were
(I) This Presidio was established some time after the revolt of the Pimas,
either to prevent any subsequent rebellion on the part of these Indians, or to
protect them agai.nst their cruel enemy, the Apaches.
�Sa1l .Xmll·er del Bac, Arizona.
wont to receive from the church. In a very short time,
many of them, finding themselves without any resources,
commenced to scatter here and there, and to return gradually to the customs of their former Indian life. Then followed the destruCtion of the live stock left by the missionaries, and the settlement by the soldiers and Mexican people on the mission lands. Thus the population of the missions commenced to be a mixed one.
The Indians who formed the population of the Mission
were the Papagoes, who belong to the large tribe known
by the name of Pimas, still scattered over a great portion
of Sonora and Arizona. Those living in the southern part
of Sonora were called Indians of the Pimeria Baja, while
those who had settled on what has since become Arizona,
were designated by the name of Indians of the Pimeria
Alta. Th-e·latter were always more exposed to the attacks
of the Apaches, as they were too far from the presidios, or
military posts, to receive any proteCtion from them. Owing
to this faet, they were all good warriors, and succeeded
not only in defending themselves, but many times in preventing the enemy from molesting others.
These Indians, though barbarous in their customs, and
inclined to the use of intoxicating liquors, which they made
fron~ several kinds of wild fruits,(IJ were industrious, thrifty
and more sociable than the other Indians living in the missions. Their moral charaCter was excellent. Previous to
the establishment of the missions amongst them, they had
a knowledge of the sacredness of !))arriage, as they kept it
.always in its unity and perpetuity. They were so stria on
this point that the woman who committed adultery was
punished with death. As far as we know, and have been
told by several persons, the same rule is in force yet among
the Papagoes. It is also said by many \Vho are acquainted
with these Indians, that they are the most virtuous people
in the world. As for the other tribes, it is but too well
known that they have greatly changed their former feelings
about morality since they have been in contaCt with the
Cll
The most noxious of these liquors was that made of the elder tree berry.
�San )(avier del Bac, Arizona.
white people. The Indians are generally chaste in their
language, neither do they curse or use any profane words.
The number of the Indians living at San Xavier can only
be approximately calculated, as many of them do not remain in the pueblo after the harvest of the wheat. Those
who are steady in residing are about five hundred in number, forming, as it were, two villages, each one having a
special chie( As for the total number of Papagoes living
in Arizona, it is estimated to be about five thousand.
Amongst the customs which were observed by the Indians
there is one worthy of mention which still prevails in the
Papago tribe, and this is, the purification praCtised for forty
days by any Indian who has killed any one, whether with
just reason or not. During this time he cannot reside in
the pueblo, but must remain out in some place where his
relatives will carry him the food he needs, and leave him
alone. It is only after the purification time is over that the
Indian can be received back into the tribe to be treated as
a brave, if the man he has killed was an enemy.
As regards the modern history of the Mission of San
Xavier, we have but little to say. As a consequence of
the expulsion of the Franciscans, the secular priests being
very few in the province of Sonora, it was condemned to
remain without a resident minister for a long time. It is
true, it was never abandoned, as the Bishop of Sonora had
it put under the charge of the parish priest of Magdalena;
but, owing to the distance and the danger from the Ap. aches, the visits of the priest were only on rare occasions.
This state of things lasted until 1859, when Arizona was
aggregated to the diocese of Santa Fe, New Mexico, whose
Bishop, the Right Rev. J. B. Lamy, made it his duty to
have the new field opened to his labors, provided with
some priests at once. The first priest sent thither was Rev.
J. P. Machebeuf, at present Vicar-Apostolic of Colorado .
. He found the Church of San Xavier, the only one which
had not gone to complete ruin amongst all the missions of
Arizona, still showing many unequivocal proofs of its former beauty. He saw, however, that the vaults of this tern-
�166
San Xavier del Bac, Arizona.
ple had been greatly injured by leakage, and his first care
was to have a coat of mortar put on the outside surface, in
order to prevent any further damage.
The Indians of San Xavier had not entirely forgotten
what they had been taught by the old missionaries. As
soon as they knew that there was a priest amongst them,
they rushed to the church and rang the bells to welcome
him. They went to listen to his instruCtions, and brought
their children to be baptized. In a very short time the missionary ascertained that they knew some prayers, and, to
his great amazement, even two or three were able to sing
at Mass, though not exaCtly according to the rules and notations of the Gregorian chant. This was more than was
expeCted~ but there was another agreeable surprise for the ·
priest, w~en he saw the Indians bringing to him several
church articles, which they had kept for years in their houses
lest they should be stolen.
The Very Rev. J. P. Machebeuf spent only a few months
in Arizona. It was with sincere regret that he left the country; but the report he made induced the Bishop to send
another priest to it soon afterwards.
In March, 1864, the Bishop came to Arizona and made a
pastoral visitation to the Mission of San Xavier, and to the
new parish of San Augustin, at Tucson. These churches
were administered at that time by FF. C. Mesea and L
Bosco, S. J. The next year the Papagoes agent, Col. C.
D. Poston, applied to the Bishop .for a Catholic teacher for
these Indians. The teacher was· sent, with three mission-·.
aries, also assigned to the missions of Arizona; but when
he arrived at Tucson, Feb. 7, I 866, the Indian agent had
left the country, and the school could not be started as intended-that is to say, as a school supported by the government. Nevertheless, the priest who then aCted as VicarGeneral in Arizona, determined to open a school at his own
expense for the Indians until things could be regulated.,
This school was opened in the church, but owing to the
negligence of the Indians, and to want of means, it lasted
only a few months. No other school was established for
�San Xavier del Bac, Arizo11a.
the Papagoes until September, 1873, under the administration of R. A. Wilbur as Indian Agent.
This school, supported at the expense of the government,
was dire[ted by three Sisters of St. Joseph. From its beginning it seemed that it would be a real success, and it
proved so all the time it was in existence. Unfortunately,
this time was too short. By order of the Department, the
Papago Agency was consolidated with that of the Pimas
on the I st of April, I 876, and the school suppressed the
same day. Though ignorant of the reasons for this order,
we cannot but regret that it should have been issued. The
Indians were pleased with the way the Sisters treated the
chilJren, as they have declared several times to the inspectors sent by the government to visit the Agency. Indeed,
the Sisters did all in their power to make themselves useful
in the tribe. Besides teaching the children, they visited the
sick and· took care of them during the leisure time left by
the school. It was not long before a good number of the
young Indians could make a fair show in spelling and reading. Gradually the teachers and pupils overcame the great
difficulty of understanding each other, and it was no little
pleasure for visitors to see the Sisters speaking now in English, then in the language of the tribe, and being answered
by· the pupils in either language. The teaching, besides
reading, writing and arithmetic, embraced household work
for the young girls. The Indian children were not very
regular in attendance, still the classes were numerous enough
to be conduCted with success. Though the school lasted
only a short time, it has not been fruitless. This can be
seen by the manner in which some of the pupils have regulated their way of living since. From April, 1876, the
Papago Indians have remained without a special agent.
vVhat the government gained by that we do not know; but
what is obvious to all people acquainted with these Indians
is that the loss has been for them. Being far from the agent
to whose care they were committed, and left too much to
themselves, too many of them have fallen back either materially or morally. In these late years they have indulged
�168
San Xavier del Bac, Arizona.
freely in the use of strong liquors, which has been the cause
not only of the squandering of the little money they had,
but of many quarrels, ending, too often, in the loss of life.
Religious service is held at San Xavier regularly every
other Sunday at nine A. M.
DESCRIPTION OF THE CHURCH.
The church, as can be seen by its arches, surpassing the
semicircle and the ornamental work in low relief which covers the flat surfaces of some parts of its walls, belongs to
the Moorish style.
The first thing to be noticed is the atrium, a little enclosure 66x33 feet, which separates the church from the plaza,
and whicli:was used, as we have seen, for the place of meetings relating to matters not direetly conneCted with religion.
On the frontispiece, which shows the width of the church
with its two towers, is placed, in low relief, the coat-of-arms
of the order of St. Francis of Assisi. It consists of an escutcheon, with a white ground, filled in with a twisted cord
and a cross, on which are nailed one arm of our Saviour
and one of St. Francis, representing the union of the disciple with the Divine l\Iaster in charity and the love of sufferin~.
The arm of our Lord is bare, while that of St. Francis is covered. On the right and left of the escutcheon are
the monograms, I. H. S. and B. V. M. The frontispiece
was surmounted by a life size statue of St. Francis, which
has now gone pretty nearly all t~·pieces under the aClion
of tin1e.
.... . .
The church, which is built of stone and brick, is 105x27
feet inside the walls. Its form is that of a cross, the transept forming on each side of the nave a chapel of twenty-one
feet square. The church has only one nave, which is divided into six portions, marked by as many arches, each
one resting on two pillars set against the walls. Above the
.transept is a cupola of about fifty feet in elevation, the remainder of the vaults in the church being only about thirty
feet high.
�San _J{avier del Bac, Arizona.
Going from the front door to the main altar, there is on
the right hand side wall a fresco representing the coming
of the Holy Ghost upon the Disciples. Opposite to it is the
piCture, also in fresco, of the Last Supper. Both paintings
measure about 9x5 feet.
·
In the first chapel, to the right hand, are two altars, one
facing the nave, with the image of our "Lady of Sorrows,"
standing at the foot of a large cross, which is deeply engraved in the wall, and the other one with the image of the
Immaculate Conception. In the same chapel are two frescos representing Our· Lady of the Rosary and the Hidden
Life of our Saviour. The opposite chapel is also adorned
with two altars. One of them is dedicated to the Passion
of our Lord, and the other to St. Joseph. There are also
two paintings, the subjects of which are: Our Lady of the
Pillar, and the Presentation of our Lord in the Temple.
The main altar, which stands at the head of the church,
facing the nave, is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. These
altars, and especially the principal one, are decorated with
columns and a great profusion of arabesques, in low relief,
all gilded or painted with different colors, in the Moorish
style.
Besides the images we have mentioned, there are the
statues of the twelve Apostles, placed in niches cut in the
pillars of the church, and many others, representing generally some saint of the Order of St. Francis. There are
also in the dome of the cupola the piCtures of several personages of the Order who occupied high rank in the
Church.
Going again to'the front door, there are two small openings communicating with the towers. The first room on
the right, which is formed by the inside of the tower, is
about twelve feet square, and is used for the ministration
of Baptisms. There is a similar room in the left tower
which is of no particular use now, but which corresponds
to the mortuary chapel of the old basilicas. From each
one of these rooms commence the stairs, cut in the thickness of the walls, and leading to the upper stories. StartVaL. x-No. 2.
22
�San Xa'ZJier del Bac, Arizona.
ing from the baptistery, the second flight reaches the choir
of the diurch. A good view· of the upper part of the monument can be had from that place. Two flights more lead
to the belfry, where are four rough and home-made bells
of small size. Twenty-hvo steps more bring the visitor
to the top story, and under the little dome covering the
tower, an .elevation of about seventy-five feet above the
ground.
One of the towers was never completed; it lacks the
dome and plastering from the second story above. Some
people say that this was owing to the death of the principal builder, which must have occurred before the completion of the work. Some others believe that it was in order
to avoid the payment of a tribute which, according to them,
was due to the Pope by all finished churches. Neither one
of these ~e-xplanations is admissible; because the principal
builders of this church were two brothers by the name of
Gauna, who were subsequently employed to build the
Church of Tumacacori; and because there is no mention
whatever in history of any tribute to be paid to the Pope,
by any church, whether finished or unfinished.
On the west side of the church, separated from it by a
narrow passage, is an enclosure, with a small mortuary
ch3pel. formerly used as a cemetery, at its western side.
On the east side of the church is the mission building,
which formerly occupied a somewhat extensive space, and
consisted of the rooms necessary for the priests, of a soap
faCtory and stores for the provisi.gns. Besides, there were
several farm houses on the mission- land. Of these buildings there are now only two rooms, making a body with
the church, and four extending south and facing on the
church plaza.
All these rooms were repaired by the government in 1873,
with the consent and under the supervision of the Bishop,
and used as a school-house until 1876.
�BRAZIL.
THE COLLEGE OF ITU.
PARA, January
22,
r88I.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
In this letter I will endeavor to give you some news
about the labors of our beloved Society in Brazil. In doing so, I shall try to be as brief, clear and exaCt: as possible ;
but I do not know whether I shall be able to master the
difficulty I find in expressing myself in your language.
I ought, first of all, say something about a college which
our Spanish Fathers had some thirty years ago in the Island
of Sta. Catharina. As I have no documents, and write from
what I merely remember, I can fix neither the date upon
which their college was opened, nor that upon which it was
closed. All that I can say is that these good Fathers went
to Sta. Catharina a·fter their expulsion from Montevideo, and
that their college flourished for a short time. Its temporary
success was owing to the number of boys that came from
Montevideo to attend its classes. The College was finally
given up on account of the terrible Yellow Fever, which
carried off t:lany of the Fathers and some of the students.
Those of Ours, who had survived the scourge, were called·
away by their Superiors. Meanwhile, they had done a
great deal of good, and left among the inhabitants a very
favorable idea of the Society, which proved of service to
us at a later period.
Before proceeding with my narrative of another effort
made to found a permanent College in Sta. Catharina, I
must make short mention of the Mission of the German
Fathers in Brazil. Its field of operations covered the extreme southern Province of the Empire, and was intended
chiefly for the spiritual aid of the German colonists who
( IJI)
�Bra:::il.
have settled in that region. Some of these Fathers were
employed in the Capital, where they had their central Res·
idence, whilst others labored in scattered distriCts of the
interior.
In the year I 86o, Don Sebastiao Larangeira, Bishop of
Rio Grande do Sui, obtained from our Superiors some
Fathers for his Seminary, and thus the Brazilian ·Mission
passed to the Roman Province. These first Fathers applied
themselves to their work with great fervor, and for a time
things went on well ; soon, however, they discovered that
the difficulties with which they had to contend were almost
insurmountable. The Superior himself lost courage, and
withdrew to the Mission of the Spanish Fathers, in the Argentine Republic. \Vhile the other Fathers were also preparing for their departure, one of them chanced to hear
that the 'People of Sta. Catharina were anxious to enjoy the
privilege of a Jesuit College. This information was too
important to be allowed to pass unheeded. The Father
who had been the first to receive the good tidings was forthwith commissioned to investigate their truth, and was advised, in case the rumor proved true, to make offers of willingness to undertake the establishment of a College. He
immediately began a correspondence with all those interested in the business, and soon had the happiness of receiving the desired permission.
It was at this time that Rev. Father Razzini, of the Province of Turin, was sent by V. R. Father General to be Su. perior of our Mission. Father Razzini afterwards went to
California, and perchance passed·· through \Voodstock on
his way thither. He came to us invested with extraordinary powers. These extended even to the German Mission,
which was in some manner united to ours for a few years.
Eventually, it was separated from us, and is doing a great
deal of good through its single College and a few small
Residences.
As for us, the College of Sta. Catharina went on but
poorly for a few years. This was partly owing to the poverty of the people of the Island, and of the whole province,
�Brazil.
173
and partly to the difficulty of communication with the other
provinces. Owing to these causes, we never had as many
as twenty boarrlers at a time, and they often were as few as
eleven. Our pupils at no period reached the number of
fifty. Still, we were obliged by our contract with the government to teach ten different branches, although it was not
a rare occurrence for each teacher to have but one scholar
in attendance at his lesson. The most serious obstacle to
our prosperity, and the one most sensibly felt was our want
of funds, wherewith to carry on the College and to support
ourselves. These were so low at times that we were often
on the verge of actual want~ The government gave us
yearly for our services only three Contos de Reis, viz: fifteen hundred dollars of your money, and what the boys
paid was not sufficient to maintain themselves. Although,
under this condition of things, dejection was general, yet,
thanks be to God, the spirit of Sacrifice did not fail in any
of us. The Superior had resolved to abide by the contracl::,
at any cost, for the stipulated ten years. Not so the government. The party that carne into power in the year 1869
began a regular persecution against us for the furtherance
of its political views, and strove to find some pretext to rescind the contract. \Vith this purpose in view, its partisans
claimed the right to visit our schools, examine our pupils,
etc. As all this was done ad malum ji1tem, and was a violation of the agreements made in the contract, the Rev. Fr.
Rector protested and refused to open the schools to the
official visitors. The consequence was that the government
refused to pay the little sum it had promised.. The Rector,
finding it impossible to consult his Superiors, then made
use of his discretional powers, and closed the College in
March, 1870. To replace in some degree the College,
which had lasted six or seven years, a Residence was opened,
in which five or six Fathers are now stationed. Their missionary lahors are very successfuL·I fear that my description ofthe short and struggling life
of the College of Sta. Catharina may lead you to believe it
to have been produCtive of but little fruit. It would be
�174
Brazil.
wrong to leave you under any such impression. The truth
is, that while this College was in existence, it served as a
medium for opening other Colleges, and especially that of
Itu. Then, our Fathers were able to do much good by exercising the holy ministries, resistance was made to the
spread of the errors which the Protestants were endeavoring to propagate, many ·sinners were converted, and some
Freemasons were reconciled to the Church. Several of the
latter died in the best dispositions shortly after their conversion, and we have good grounds to believe that they are in
Heaven praying for us.
Of course our scholars did not fail to requite us for what
we had done for them. Two of them became members of
our Society, two others are good secular priests, and several others. are living up to our teachings. more or less perfeB:ly, in-good situations in the busy world.
During the short life of the College of Sta. Catharina,
Father Razzini opened two other Colleges, one in the capital of the Province of Pernambuco, another in a little town
of the Province of St. Paul. I will first say a few words
about the College of Pernambuco, and then give you the
history of that of Itu, which still exists.
In 1865, the Bishop of Pernambuco applied to V. R.
Father General for some Fathers to carry on his Seminary
of 'Olinda. His request was granted, but in the follo\Xing
year the Bishop died, and our Fathers were in a short time
obliged to give up their places in the Seminary. They immediately started a College in the _same town, and tried by
every means in their power to eff~tr'some good. The College, though not very large, was thriving until, as I told
you in a former letter, it was attacked by Freemasons, May
J4, I 873. After ibis the Fathers removed to a little village
not far from the town, where they again opened the College
in a house offered them by a friend. Fear of the Freemasons neither hindered them from makin.g frequent visits to
the town, nor from laboring for the benefit of religion, both
in the town itself, in the Seminary, and surrounding distriB:s. In the midst of discouragements, our Fathers worked
�Brazil.
175
on cheerfully. They formed plans for the commencement
of a new College, and hoped soor.. to establish a promising
Mission in the interior of the Province, when Freemasonry
resolved to vent its fury upon them once more. This time
it decreed their expulsion, and the decree was inexorable.
A revolt, most probably the work of Freemasons, gave
them a fair occasion to put their resolves into execution.
Our Fathers were calumniated, persecuted, cast into prison
and brought before the tribunals, thence to be put on shipboard, where they were confined for two or three weeks,
and then sent to Europe.
The motives cited, and explanations offered for this despotic conduEl: were as ridiculous as false. They were, indeed, well worthy of Freemasonry, whose despotism and
barbarity know neither right nor justice. Perhaps these expressions may seem to you to be too strong, but were I to
translate the decree of our expulsion, you would scarcely
believe your own eyes. As for me, I am persuaded that
historians in future ages will be puzzled to understand how
any government of regular form could have been capable
of issuing such an unreasonable decree. Hatred of religion will be the only motive power to which they can attribute this piece of anti-Christian fanaticism.
All of Ours did not leave Pernambuco at once. A few
Lay-Brothers remained after the banishment of the Fathers.
In ·a short time, however, the law having been enforced
against them, they started for Portugal. One of the Fathers,
a native Brazilian, was allowed, in company with a single
Lay-Brother, to stay in Pernambuco. We hoped that between them they might be able to save what still belonged
to the College, but, unfortunately, the Father was in a very
sickly condition, and was therefore unable to prevent the
wreck of our property. Our friends availed themselves of
his illness to take for themselves whatsoever the greed of
the Freemasons had spared.
It is said in Rome: "Quod 1zo1t fccerzmt barbari,fecenmt
Barbcrini." The adage proved true in the present instance.
The College had a good library, which our friends plun-
�Brazil.
dered in a friendly manner. Thus, the choic_est works disappeared, and, of course, all search for them afterwards
proved vain. Such was the end of the College of Pernambuco. The Brazilian Father who had been ordered to remain in the place, began to sink so rapidly that he was
called to Itu, where he died shortly after his arrival.
I now proceed to sketch for you the varied and consoling history of the College of Itu, which, at its beginning,
had to contend with greater obstacles than the other Colleges, whose short-lived career I have just traced. It seemsdestined by divine Providence to bri"ng forth more abundant
fruits than any of its predecessors.
While Father Razzini was striving to place the College
of Sta. Catharina on a firm footing, he one day received an
invitation to visit a good parish priest, residing in the interior of the·Province of St. Paul, who was very desirous to
have a Jesuit College in his neighborhood. As no railroads traversed the Province at the time (1H64), Father
Razzini was obliged to make the journey on horseback.
After a long and tedious journey, he reached a small town,
which had the good fortune to possess an old Franciscan
missionary, who had preserved the majority of the inhabitants in the praCtice of religion and piety. There was also
in !he town a flourishing convent for girls, under the direCtion of some French Nuns.
In the year 1865, after all necessary arrangements liad
been made, two Fathers, a Scholastic and a Lay-Brother
were sent to Itu, at the expense of the old parish priest.
Aeting up to their instruCtions, th~/ left no means untried
to open the College as soon as possible. The government
for two years stubbornly refused to give the required permission.·
"While awaiting a favorable chance to put their primary
intention into execution, Ours were not idle. They catechised, gave sermons and exhortations, besides hearing
confessions. Our enemies could not endure the sight of
our doing so much good. The bad newspapers raised a
hue and cry against us, uttering all the old calumnies
�Brazil.
177
against the Society. The result of all this noise was quite
different from that intended, for it only served to make our
Fathers better known and more highly esteemed. One
of them, Father Anthony Onorati, a very learned and fearless man, as well as a good preacher and polemic, made a
great name for himself by his disputations, and silenced
every opponent. His reputation for learning was also accredited to all his Brethren by the popular mind. The following incident will serve to show how high this opinion
was. One day an ignorant Freemason, happening to notice the letters I. H. S:on a curtain at the door of our·
Church, remained for some time in contemplation of them,
evidently at a loss to discover their meaning. Finally, he
exclaimed: "Ah! at length I have found the meaning!
vVhat pride! So, then, Jesuits alone are learned!" Being
asked what was the matter, he answered: "Look here;
they have written at the door of their Church, :lesuitos Homines Sabios. It is true, the Jesuits are learned, but not
they alone."
In the midst of the talk and excitement about us, a miserable Brazilian Priest, who had become a Protestant and
declaimed against Catholicity in many places, dared to come
to Itu. Thereupon, Father Onorati began to preach against
him, and to bring matters to a climax challenged the apostate to a public discussion. The wretched man, not expeCting a reception of this nature, did not dare to come before an audience, and left with more speed than he had
come.
The natural consequence of our efforts for the welfare of
religion was to strengthen our influence with the population. In a short time our Church became too small to contain the crowds that flocked to hear the word of God. The
Fathers, therefore, applied to his Lordship, the Bishop, for a
larger edifice, which was immediately bestowed upon them.
Then, too, their hopes that they might in the near future
be able to build a College on a grand scale, were confirmed
by the following curious history, coming, as it did, from
the best authorities.
VoL. x-No. 2.
23
�Brazil.
A native of the little town of Itu was one of the number of our forefathers who were expelled from Brazil by
the notorious Pombal. This Father, out of love for his vocation, accompanied his Brethren to Italy. After the suppression of the Society, he was one day taking a solitary
walk on the beach of some Italian bay, and meditating
upon a plan for returning to his country, when a beautiful
young man came towards him. The youth offered him a
fine pitl:ure of Our Lady of Good Counsel; saying: "My
Father, I know you wish to return to your own country,
and that you have no means to do so. Be confident; in a
short time a ship will arrive ; she will take you gratis to
the capital, and there you will find the means to reach your
small town. Bring this pitl:ure thither; preach to its people the de\'otion to Our Lady of Good Counsel, and it will
be their salvation." He then disappeared suddenly. His
predictions were verified; the promised vessel did soon arrive. The Father returned to Brazil, and preached this devotion to the Blessed Virgin in the place of his nativity,
where he built a little church, in which the pitl:ure is still
kept and honored by the faithful. The good Father also
opened a small College in a park, which had come into his
possession. He left this property, the Church, College and
park, to a young priest, with the understanding that it was
to be transmitted to the Jesuits, who he preditl:ed would
come in future times to Itu and open a College. He moreover foretold that their College would be built joined to the
Church, and that it would be prosperous.
You may be sure that we were "inlich encouraged by this
history. The will made by the Father was faithfully carried out, and we received the Church, College and park.
Our Fathers found so many reasons against placing the
College in the spot indicated by the prophecy, that they resolved to build where it best suited them. By a combination of circumstances, however, the Fathers were forced to
do just as had been foretold.
When the College had been put up and was ready to receive scholars, the Government was still hostile to us and
�l
l'rfissiollary Labors.
179
would not allow us to carry it on, so we opened it in the
name of a secular priest friendly to us. Within two years a
law was passed granting the liberty of teaching to almost
all persons. We availed ourselves of this to open the College in our own name.
I pray you be not offended if I stop here in my narrative
for the present. 'With the help of God, I shall continue it
in another letter.
Let me add, as an appendix to the RELIGIOUS QuESTION,
which I treated in my last communication, that the unhappy Priest, who, by bringing about the discussion of this
question, was the occasion of the persecution of the Church
in the Empire, has made his submission to his Ecclesiastical
Superiors. Some months ago, having been attacked by a
disease of a serious nature, his eyes were opened to the
dangers of his position, and, before receiving the Sacraments, he made a publi~ retractation.
His conversion seems to be sincere, for having recovered
from his illness, he confirmed his previous act of repentance
by once more, much to the fury of the Freemasons, publicly retracting his errors. 1\Iay Our Lord Jesus Christ
grant him the grace of perseverance.
Remember in your prayers this poor country.
Yours,
RAPHAEL GALANTI, s. J.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM jANUARY 9TH TO APRIL lOTH, 1881.
ST. PETER's CHURCH, JERSEY CITY.-The Mission was
opened on the second Sunday of the month, and continued for two weeks. The missionaries were exceedingly well pleased with the successful ending of their
labors. The work was hard, notwithstanding the gener-
�180
llfissiollary Labors.
ous and zealous help of their Brethren of the College in
the confessional ; for the sermons and instruftions are a
burden in themselves. It may be said also that the people
hunt up a commissioner if possible for their confessions,
thinking, no doubt, that his powers are more ample, or that
he has some royal road to the hereafter quite unknown to
ordinary priests. Hence, the poor missionary has little
spare time on his hands from the beginning to the end of
the Mission.
The weather for a part of the time was very inclement,
and still the attendance was not less remarkable. The men
not only attended well, but, what is more to their praise,
came in larger numbers to confession. The Church is a
large one, having accommodations during a mission, when
he is lucky,, who gets standing room,. for twenty·five hundred persons. Though a division of the sexes was made
for the first and second week of the exercises, it was noticed on many evenings that the crowd was too great for
comfort. To stand for more than two hours in a badly
ventilated place, to be jostled, not to be able to fall to
one's prayers with any satisfaction, requires considerable
patience and a good supply of faith. And yet hundreds
had to put up with all these inconveniences, in order to hear
the night sermon.
Most of the people attending St. Peter's are poor, gaining their living in the service of the various factories and
railroad companies that abound in this city and in New
York. But it would be wrong to ~hink that those of the
congregation who are better off in this world's goods were
less eager to take advantage of the Mission. All classes
came. Many Protestants were present at the evening service, and especially at the lecture after the Mission was
closed.
Our Fathers have had charge of St. Peter's for nine years
or more. The parish was established many years ago, and
has had its schools for a long time. Ours have done a
great deal to improve the congregation. The College,
a fine building, erected by the present Superior, Father
�Missionary Labors.
181
McQuaid, is already a success, as at present one hundred
and forty students attend-the classes.
Results: Communions, five thousand five hundred; Baptisms, nine; First Communion of adults, forty; prepared
for Confirmation, ninety.
After the work in Jersey City was finished, Father Maguire, the leader of the missionary corps, was called to San
Francisco to give a Mission in our new Church of St. Ignatius, the largest, perhaps, that the Society has in the United
States. Fr. O'Connor, who went as Fr. Maguire's companion, will give an account, no doubt, to the readers of the
LETTERS.
The other missionary Fathers were scattered during the
interval to different cities, where they gave the exercises.
Frs. Strong and McAtee gave missions in Pittsburgh and
New York, which will be spoken of further on.
TROY, NEw YoRK (March 6-14).-0ur Fathers have two
churches in this city, and are doing their work well, though,
by reason of the class of people, iron workers, they have
to deal with, there are many drawbacks.
Troy has about sixty thousand inhabitants. Iron foundries and collar and cuff faCtories are the chief support of
the place. It is frequently a subjeCt: of remark that the
laundry business of Troy is ahead of the whole country.
Many attribute this superiority to the purity of the water.
Judging from the number of liquor stores, one would think
the people of the city are content to let the laundries monopolize the water.
Frs. Morgan and Bradley gave a nine days' Mission in
the Church of St. Francis on Ida Mill, a suburb of the
city. They had no reason to complain of any want of success. The pastor, Rev. Father Drum, a secular priest,
rated the Easter Communions at nine hundred. The Fathers
gave Holy Communion to eleven hundred persons before
the Mission was over. Three hundred more Communions
were given on account of the "Forty Hours" devotion,
which followed.
�182
liiissionary Labors.
Ten children of mixed marriages were baptized; two
adults were received into the Church ; two or three grown
persons were prepared for First Communion.
Some remarkable conversions took place. An old woman who lost the faith fifty years ago, and was a shouting
Methodist, came to the services through the persuasion of
her friends. God's grace touched her heart during a sermon by Father Bradley on the "Marks of the Church," and
she came to confession, prepared to do any penance for the
scandal given by her apostasy. On another night, after a
sermon on the mercy of God, a man advanced in life walked
through the crowded aisle to the open confessional, where
one of the Fathers was seated, and, kneeling down, said,
"Father, I have come to renounce Masonry, which I have
been con_neB:ed with for twenty-five years. I have not been
in a Church for twenty years." Such conversions are mer..tioned here, not because they are rare in Missions, but to
show what may sometimes bring sinners to confession.
These two persons had listened to the sermons on the great
truths without much profit. And yet a Mission without
the great truths would be like a soulless body-a dead
thing.
Troy has suffered very much for the last six months from
a virulent type of small-pox. The death rate has been unusually high, few recovering of those who were attacked.
Fr. Drum, of St. Francis' Church, is the chaplain of the
pest-house, which the city authorities, for good reasons,
handed over to the Sisters of Cha.t:_ity. Many rrotestants
were sent to the pest-house during the small-pox epidemic.
Their ministers, when summoned, to a man refused to attend them. Fr. Drum had the happiness of receiving most
of these, thus abandoned by their hirelings, into the Church
before they died.
ST. MARY's, NEw YoRK CITY.-Some one has said of New
York that you might begin a Mission anywhere, even in
the open air, and, at any time, and have a good attendance
of the faithful. Be this as it may, it is certain that all the
�Missionary Labors.
services were crowded during the exercises in this church;
and when it is added that many could not find even standing room during the night service, and were obliged to go
away, one is merely tel!ing the truth.
St. Mary's Church can hold an audience of three thousand persons. During the men's week it was a most edifying sight to see them ready to submit to many inconveniences to hear the sermons. They outnumbered the women at the Holy Communion. The crowning event of the
Mission was when the three thousand men renewed their
baptismal promises, with their right hands uplifted, a most
thrilling speCtacle.
The Mission lasted from March 27th to April 10th. Once
the work began, there was no respite. The Fathers were
kept in the confessional until eleven o'clock, and might have
staid all night, for that matter, towards the end of the second week, as there would have been some always on hand
for confession. Here, as in other places, the Fathers strove
to increase the membership in the confraternities attached
to the Church, and succeeded very well.
,
In an old established parish like St. Mary's, we expeCt to
find schools, and such is the case. It is surprising, however, to find that many Catholics do not send their children
to them, though the schools are good. In mixed marriages
the children almost invariably go to the public schools.
Results: Communions, ten thousand; First Communion
of adults, one hundred and eighteen ; prepared for Confirmation, one hundred and seventy-five; Baptisms of adults,
twenty-six; of children, six.
The missionaries look back with great satisfaCtion to
their labors in St. Mary's, and feel how short they would
have been of these high figures, unless helped by Fathers
Keating M.cHugh and Pont, of Ours, and by the zealous
clergy of the parish.
J. A. M.
ST. VINCENT's, BALTIMORE.- The Mission began Feb'y
27th. It lasted two weeks. Fathers Finnegan, McHugh
and Winkelreid gave it. There were four thousand six
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hundred and fifty-three confessions, of which one thousand
eight hundred and seventy were made by men. Ten converts were baptized. The parish has several variety theatres in it; two of them are only a few hundred feet away
from the church. The admission being but ten cents, they
are nightly filled with boys. A special service was for
these boys; they filled the church, and with uplifted hands
promised not to go to a variety theatre, etc., etc., nor to read
flash newspapers.
The next Mission (of a week) by Fathers Finnegan and
Winkelreid, was begun at Le Roy, N. Y., the third Sunday
of Lent. There were nine hundred confessions. No one
could but admire the faith manifested in this country parish. Many people, leaving the church after confession at
ten o'clock:at night, had to walk home four and five miles
over bad roads and in cold weather. Numbers of Protestants attended the sermons, though, as far as known, there
were not any conversions.
IMMACULATE CoNCEPTION, NEw YoRK.-The work began
the fourth Sunday of Lent. It was opened by Fr. Denny,
of St. Francis Xavier's College, whilst awaiting Frs. Finnegan and Winkelreid, who arrived the Wednesday of that
week from Le Roy, to continue the exercises, which the
pastor calls a retreat. The difference between it and a mission is only in the name, except, perhaps, that the zeal of
the pastor is more conspicuous than it would be in a mission. The retreat lasted three weeks. The success did not
seem very great, especially among.. the men; for of the two
thousand and over that filled the Church every night of
their week, not a thousand came to confession. These retreats take place twice a year, not counting the "Forty
Hour's Devotion." Too often to be success(ul, one may
add. There are seventeen thousand souls in this parish,
which is one of the largest and the best of the city. The
pastor is unique in the government of his people ; no fairs,
no picnics, no charge at the door for seats, and yet he manages to meet his liabilities, which are many. By actual
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count, eight thousand communions were given. There
were many consolations at the return of old sinners.
J. H. F.
General results: Communions, 35,903; First Communion, adults, 195; prepared for Confirmation, 338; Baptism
of adults, 5 I; Baptism of children, 16.
MISSIONS IN THE CE:'-ITENNIAL AND GOLDEN STATES.
According to an agreement made by Superiors last August, it was arranged that some Fathers of the Province of
Maryland-New York should conduct the exercises of a holy_
Mission, some time during the course of the year, in our
magnificent new Church of St. Ignatius, San Francisco, California. Later, it was thought well to accept the invitation
of Father Guida, S. J., of Denver, Colorado, and give, en
route, an eight days' Mission in his new, pretty little Church
of the Sacred Heart. And so, other circumstances proving ·
favorable and the weather horrible, Fathers Maguire and
O'Connor left Boston on the rst of February, with great
trust in God, but very little in the promises of time tables;
or in the ordinarily reliable grit of iron wheel and steel rail;
for these, with the intense cold, began to crack and break
with an uncomfortable frequency.
'Westward we sailed;' through Massachusetts from the
Atlantic to the Hoosac; from east to west, through York
State, into and through the northwestern corner of Pennsylvania, that is washed by Lake Erie. When the missionaries passed there was no washing however, as old Erie was
to all intents and purposes, as solid as the firma terra
of Penn, the cold being just then - 28° Here the
journey was broken,-and the wheels of the car, by the
frost; and by a pretty plain interposition of Providence the
whole train was saved from ditclzing, and many lives from
being lost. Some of the wheels of one of the trucks of
the sleeper broke to pieces as the train was speeding on.
Contrary to his custom, the train-conductor was passing
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Missionary Labors.
through the sleeper at the very time, and felt the car jumping,
in preparation for its sault from the track. He stopped the
train immediately, and the evil was ayerted. Shortly after
this they were landed for breakfast at Corry, Pa., the cold
being fixed as before. This was not the regular meal station, and the dining-room was locked, the servants abed,
and the hungry, freezing passengers in none the best of humors. Admitted, they found no fires, much delay, confusion among the Ca!sars, who rushed round the tables, asking everybody wouldn't they have everything. -A quarter
of an hour, and nothing came, and then they asked again,
"tea or coffee?" "I told you six times bef~re," a gentleman ventured to remark. "Jcs keep cool, sah!" Pompey
rejoined-and the mercury twenty-eight degrees below!.
Ohio was traversed from its northeastern to its southwestern corner,--the through car promise from Boston to Cincinnati, owing to the severe weather, being more than filledas the through passage was made in four cars instead of one.
A day's rest in the Queen City (?),a trip to Newport and
Covington, Ky., to the Clifton Academy of the Sacred Heart,
a thorough exploration of the beauties of the suburbs, the
fine city, our splendid church and College of St. Xavier,
and true brotherly hospitality of Ours-so many of them
old Woodstockians-made the day's stay more than pleasant ai1d fully taken up. Cincinnati had been reached twenty-two hours behind time. Thence a flight across southern
Indiana and Illinois; over the great bridge that bestrides,
like a Colossus, the Father of Waters: a rolling ride
through St. Louis, and on Saturday· night at the door of
the University, our dear old Provincial, its present ReCtor,
embraced and heartily welcomed his quondam subjeEI:s and
always brothers. The University grounds and buildings
have a decidedly Georgetown-y appearance. Here, again,
Woodstock is strong. Sunday was spent in sight-seeing :
visiting every corner of the University, the fine Church of
St. Joseph, the splendid site for the new University, the
great bridge, and a thousand other objeEI:s of interest.
Signs and wonders preceded and followed our visit to St.
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Louis. A half million dollar fire broke out as we entered
the city, the University building caught fire, while we remained, but was little damaged, and the church was burglarized the night before. On Monday the genial minister
of the University took one of the visitors to the Novitiate
at Florissant, where, by the way, the night before, they had
gotten up a fire to anticipate the event, by burning down
the old negro quarters, and where the fine establishment, with all its crowd of memories, had very little of the
entirely new to the eastern traveler, as he had heard of them
all from hrethren whose Bethlehem Florissant had been.
The quaint old creole town, the stations along the line of
the Narrow-Gauge, where we have missions, the old friends,
the hearty pastor of Florissant and his gallant steed,-our
note book and memory are too full even to mention half
the detail.
That same evening was left St. Louis for Omaha, and the
little party reached our fine establishment there, Creighton
College, about noon the next day. Everything here is new
and good. As is known, the College has been built and
founded by a gentleman deceased, whose name it bears, and
whose good works live after him in a most telling way.
Would that older communities could honor the memory of
such wise and munificent benefactors. In one day was seen
the promising city of Omaha. It is full of thrift and push,
and, during this visit, equally full of snow and slush. The
street cars had to give up their regular trips, the snow was
so deep, but a few were kept running with double teams to
keep the track somewhat clear. Pedestrians were generously allowed to enter these cars for a ftw blocks' ride, free
of charge; and thus the missionaries made part of their
eight thousand mile pilgrimage a free ride. A very short
but pleasant visit was made to the learned, esteemed prelate, the Right Reverend James O'Connor, brother of our lamented Father O'Connor, S. J., who presides over the rapidly growing prosperity of the Vicariate Apostolic. He is
of opinion that Nebraska will soon be the great Catholic
State of the Union. Catholics h~ve a better foundation
�J88
lliissionary Labors.
thereto build on, no mistakes have been made, no opposition offered, and the great State is teeming with richness,
awaiting the coming possessors.
Omaha is the eastern terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad, and here is in faa begun the really new, fresh, wild, interesting part of the trip to the Pacific. The main stem of
this road, for it has many branches besides, runs a distance
of 1,032 miles, from the Missouri River entirely across the
State of Nebraska, \Vyoming Territory, and into Utah, as
far as Ogden, its western terminus, near Salt Lake. On
the Union Pacific, then, or the U. P., as it is invariably called
-indeed all the roads in the Far ·west seem to be generally
known by their initials-our little party embarked. It had
been determined to leave this direa route for San Francisco
at Cheyenne;'in \Vyoming, and go direa south, by the Colorado Railroad, one hundred and thirty-eight miles to Denver. This was done, and almost on time, although ar.other
serious accident took place, that might have been the destruaion of the entire train. One of the axles of the car
in which the Fathers were, snapped across, on account of
the extreme cold. It was discovered in time, and only a
few hours' delay resulted. In this part of the journey the
traveler observes a great difference between what he has
been !lccustomed to in the East and what he now sees,
in the matter of fences, farm-houses, villages and towns
along the route, trees and the like. There are, indeed,
none of all these things, except at very rare intervals,
and one steams along for hours, over._plain and prairie, and
there is nothing but plain and prairie, and the thumpedythump of the train, and the miles of snow outside, broken
by the tufts of withered, tough prairie grass, that looks like
furze,-and inside the cozy car, with its Noah's ark of occupants, if we only had space to name them. Oh! it is a
comet's life, that of the tourist in a long trip like this.
Dashing through states and territories that seemed really
larger than ever would be thought of, from Mitchell's Atlas,
touching a score of great cities in a day, that in a man's ordinary life he would not visit in a score of years,-and then
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189
flying off again to others,-paying little more respeCt to the
meridians of longitude than our little street arabs do to the
rafters of houses in construCtion, over which they so lightly
and quickly step; truly it is a flying, electric-prism life, that
in the cars.
But we have notes that could fill volumes. Cheyenne
was reached and Denver, and our beautiful little Church of
the Sacred Heart there; and our _party was soon at home in
the hospitable little residence of good Father Guida, S. J.,
who has snugly ensconced himself and litt!e community
behind the church. This is cruciform, built of brick and
stone, has a beautiful little spire, and generally is in good
taste. There is a good parochial school, a nice little congregation forming, and everything to promise a rich harvest
to Ours, for the greater glory of God. A Mission was begun here on Sunday morning, and though, owing to the
smallness of the Church, the numbers attending were insignificant to those of other similar works in which the
Fathers had participated ; still, it was evident from the beginning that many of the right sort were there, who needed
a Mission, and that the capacity of the little church was
going to have an eight days' testing. During the week, at
all the principal services, there were fine congregations.
There were five sermons or instruCtions daily, as at the
largest Missions, and confessions were heard all day. The
Re\·. Daniel Haugh, S. J., of the Province of MarylandNew York, temporarily residing at Pueblo, Colorado, came
up to Denver and helped the missionaries for a couple of
days, by hearing confessions and by the great pleasure they
experienced in seeing him. Here also were met Very Rev.
Father Gentile, Superior of the Mission, Fathers Aloysius
Montenarelli and Charles Ferrari, now of Denver, formerly
of Woodstock. On the second night of the Mission the
Fathers had the pleasure of seeing the great celestial phenomena, visible on the night of Feb. 14th, in Denver and
elsewhere. The whole sky was an azure silk, patterned
with many silver 1Jt001ts, full and in crescent, with these
joined into regular groups, by arcs of prismatic colors,
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Missionary Labors.
and the whole sky lit up with an unwonted radiance. And
there was an intense cold. On first reaching Denver and
for a day or two after, it was perceived that we felt a kind
of oppression in the chest, akin to that suffered by one in
asthma, though not so severe. It was remarked to one of
the resident Fathers; oh! yes, he replied, almost every one
visiting Denver feels something like that in the beginning.
You know we are nearly six thousand feet higher than Boston, and though our climate is good for those with weak
lungs, that have not been used to bleeding, it is injurious
to those that are inclined to hemorrhage. For the air is so
rare, one has to inhale much to get enough for respiration,
and the extra effort opens the wounds of healed lungs, and
a greater rent is made, as in the wind box of an overloaded,
badly-me~ded bellows. Indeed, in a day or so, the strain
passed a~ay, and both the visiting Fathers, besides feeling
very well, found that they did not feel the cold near as much
as they would in less dry climates.
So the little Mission progressed. We found ourselves by
degrees speaking a new language, about plazas and ranches
and canons, and our heads full of ideas concerning smelters, boulders, prospeCting claims, ores and the like, and we
made the acquaintance of many a hero, whose like we had
neyer before met, outside of a dime novel: there was Ned
of Bloody Gulch, Ralph of Pig's Ranche, Leadville Tarheel, and an army of the like. And after ten, thirty, sixty
years in the Rocky Mountains, "widout ever bendin' a knee
undher a priest," they made the' Mission like men, and
sobbed over their sins like tender hearted women, and they
gave joy to the angels in Heaven and consolation to the
missionaries. The celebrities of Denver and of the Colorado government were constant attendants at the Mission;
about one thousand received Holy Communion, and several
converts were left under instrucrion.
At the invitation of many, it was decided to give a lecrure
in the city on Sunday evening, the last day of the Mission.
It was delivered in Walhalla Hall, Father O'Connor delivering the introduCtory, and Father Maguire the lecrure.
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The audience was certainly an enthusiastic one, and they
gave the Fathers a hearty send off. Ex-Governor Gilpin,
of Colorado, was present, and in conversation with the
Fathers, after the lecture, having extolled in the highest
manner the labors of Father DeSmet, whom he knew well,
said he hoped Providence would send many of Ours, who
are being expelled from the old world, to the southwestern
regions of this, to complete the great churches and to do
the great works their predecessors of centuries ago began.
Monday morning at seven o'clock found the missionaries
again on the road for Cheyenne. The train had two locomotives, the front one with a giant snow plough; we repeat
this fact, though we were charged with the authorship of a
bull, when we wrote it once before to a friend, adding, that
it was used for driving the sand from the track. In fact,
there was but little snow in the way this day, but the wind,
which is nearly always high about Cheyenne, blew so much
sand on the track from the plains that, besides the plough,
the train had to be stopped frequently and gangs of men
sent out to shovel it offthe rails. Cheyenne was reached
about twenty minutes too late for the western train, and
that meant a twenty-four hours' delay, as there is only one
train a day, each way, in all these big stretches of road.
The best was made of the job, a place to put up discovered,
a sufficiently comfortable hotel ; then the church was discovered in the snow, and the next morning the Fathers
heard and served each others Masses. In due time the
U. P. came along, was boarded, and away again to the
\Vestern West, five hundred and sixteen miles more to Ogden, the western limit of the U. P., and the eastern of the
Central Pacific, or C. P., as it is called. The week at Denver was, of course, spent under the shadow almost of the
Rocky Mountains, but as what they call the shadow
stretches here for from twenty to twenty-five miles, while in
Denver the Rockies did not impress me much more than
the Catoctins would as seen from Frederick. But when you
draw nearer, then you are awed indeed by the butting, towering peaks, the miles of castellated rock that look so much
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like age-worn art, that one would believe himself passing
whole capitals of castles and bastioned walls, such as Froissart would have loved to see. And then the hills and
mounts, pile upon pile, terrace upon terrace, of the magnitude of none of which one has a true idea until he walks a
few miles among them, and feels he is but an ant crawling
along the mighty backbone of the two Americas. Thirtythree miles beyond Cheyenne, a station named Sherman is
reached; it is the. highest point of th;! road crossed, and is
eight thousand two hundred and forty-two feet above sea
level. The route was strewn at intervals, on either side,
by the frozen carcasses of cattle who had perished during
the severe days preceding, and a short distance from these
would be seen herds, some of them numbering hundreds,
browsing>apparently in snow and ice, but really on the
furzy, dry.. clumps of grass. In some regions, the ranchemen told us, they had lost as high as fifty per cent. of their
cattle from the cold and starvation; and this, although the
neighboring state, Nebraska, had so much corn and fodder
that many of the farmers were using both for fuel.
The great events of the tourist's day appear to be his
rising and retiring, the stoppage at the three meal stations,
with the refreshment, good humor and little walk on the
platform consequent thereupon, the daily passage of the
other way' bound train, a game of euchre, often a glimpse
at nature in her sublimest, a cat-nap, a smoke, an orange.
Missionaries now-a-days, outside of what they furnish themselves, find no more of the apostolic on their journey than
St. Francis Xavier did among thc;se of his day, who went
down to the sea in ships for other than soul traffic. Generally there is a decorum that often warms into cordiality among the passengers, more particularly if these be few
in numbers. The smoking compartment, containing only
four, and generally fully occupied after meals, is a great
place for forming acquaintances. After leaving Sherman
the route lies across the Laramie Plains, a belt of grazing
land, twenty-five miles wide by sixty long, where stock
raising is the chief industry. It was lately computed that
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193
about 90,0oo head of cattle, 85,000 of sheep, and 3,000
horses and mules, valued at ,$2,250,000, could be found in
a circuit of forty miles here, whereas, ten or twelve years
ago, not five hundred of all together were on the same
plains. On one side the scene is closed by the rugged
masses of the Black Hills, rising in their grandeur. About
here the snow fences and snow sheds become more numerous. The former are wooden struCtures of about eight feet
high, built like an ordinary fence, with spaces between the
boards, but the whole inclined to the road, about a hundred
or two hundred feet in length, and forming in the length
something like the arc of a circle. These are generally
ereCted on the more windward side of the road, at cuts;
they create an eddy, that drifts the snow about them, and
leaves the road comparatively clean. The sheds are roughly
construCted wooden tunnels, with openings at intervals to
let in air and light, and let the smoke escape; it was said
that on the trip from Cheyenne to San Francisco one hundred and ten miles of snow sheds and tunnels were passed
through. Along this part of the route many Indians are
met, but they appear to be of other than the fight.ing persuasion. At about a hundred rods from the road a few
wretched wigwams are seen, with the smoke curling from
the open top in regular story-book style, and when you roll
up to the stations, about twenty of these children of the
forest, braves, and squaws with papooses strapped on their
backs, lounge about. Some of them faintly resemble our
ideal, but most are a stunted, coarse-looking people, with
thick, coarse, matted black hair, and in general are not unlike the Esquimaux. They are chiefly Utes, Piutes, Shoshones, Snakes and Diggers. Some of their faces are
daubed over with vermilion; others prefer a chrome yellow complexion; these we often saw; we did not see, but
only heard, that on St. Patrick's Day a festive Irishman in
the neighborhood persuaded one of these Children of the
Setting Sun to put his face for the occasion up in bright
red and his nose in emerald green.
Within a day and a half Ogden was reached, and then a
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25
�194
lrfissimzary Labors.
transfer to the Central Pacific. The Pullman Car Company
have not been able to agree to have their cars put on this
road. ·what is called the Silver Palace Sleeping Car is substituted, the only perceptible difference between the two
being a slight, unimportant modification in structure, and a
different style of painting. At Ogden nearly everything is
Mormon; indeed, for some hundreds of miles around, the
Mormons have much property and influence. Many of
them were interviewed, some of their theology evoked, and
some pleasant acquaintances made. The Chinese, too, have
begun to grow plenty before this; the waiters and servants
at the stopping places, and the railroad hands are jo!ttzs
very often; and what with Indians, Mormons, Chinamen, the
polyglot ofpassengers, and the omnigenous Pat, who never
failed "the Fathers," curiosity and taste for novelty were
passing co~stantly, under very prisms of natural diversity,
-gentile and saint, trapper and Indian, grazier and legislator, three card monte man and missionary. The ride of
many miles on the shelving shore of Salt Lake was delightful. The skies are so clear and the stars so large up here
near the.home of the Saints; the lake by starlight is peculiarly lovely. But we must hurry through Utah, Nevada,
through the Emigrants Gap of the Sierra Nevada, and stop
only Jor a word about these great snowy peaks. Leaving
Reno, a pretty little city in western Nevada, celebrated for
its mountain trout, of which a bountiful supply was served
at supper, glowing descriptions were indulged in by the old
travelers of the change from wintet:.-fo summer that would
be experienced on waking in the mo~ning, in the summer
land of California, on the other side of the Sierras, and it
was a matter of regret that the sublime scenery of these
would shift by in the night. Morning came, indeed, but
not yet the summer land; it was found the train had been
stopped at Truckee, only thirty-five miles west of Reno,
owing to a collision that had taken place the previous night.
By this, the train ahead of the one bearing Ours ran into a
freight car that had been left on the rail through carelessness, had slid in from a sideling by \lCCident, or had been
�Missionary Labors.
run in through malice, as some of the railroad men thought.
A great smash ensued, and shortly after, when the Fathers'
train steamed slowly up to the spot, down in the heart of
the Sierra, with miles of tunnel behind and before; on
alighting there was found the wreck. It was a dismal
sight and outlook; there was the huge locomotive lying
across both tracks, and the gathering trains puffing and
snorting; the darkness of the tunnel, the cold, the glaring
engine fires, the thickening atmosphere, the shouts of the
gang, the screaming of whistles, the dismayed and disappointed faces, the prospect of delay and no dinner, deep
down in the bowels of the mountain,-well, it was anything
but the summer land of anticipation. But the men worked
well and cheerily, all kept their tempers in control and were
glad it was no worse, and, after a delay of some hours, out
the train shot into daylight, and in sight of the truly grand
Sierra scenery. And for miles and leagues the train careened again over a terrace broad enough for track room,
cut, it would seem, in the slope of the mountains, with hun• dreds of feet of these slanting up, so that the pines an~
winter trees, of eighty feet and more, at the· serrated top
line, that seemed to saw the sky above, looked like saplings,
and the goodly stream in the valley bed, sheer below, appeared, as it was clear or otherwise, a silver or a golden
thread. This repaid all previous debts of ·delay, and was
enough to raise the soul of the prosiest, least spiritual traveler there to the Architect of such sublimity. Flying
through Dutch Gap, Blue Canon, Alta, the region of hydraulic mining, rounding Cape Horn, through Sacramento
by night, by the longer route-the shorter one was nearly
all flooded-a safe arrival at San Francisco, ended, by God's
merciful goodness, the perilous, adventurous, fatiguing,
pleasant journey of over four thousand miles.
Arrived at our truly grand Church and College of St. Ignatius, the Fathers were at home, Frs. Varsi, Kenna and the
whole community seeming to make it their chief duty to
do every possible kindness to the "wise men from the East,"
though there were only two, and not three, as had been ex-
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peCl:ed. A kind reception by the Most Rev. Archbishop, a
glance at China Town, a rest in the real summer land, with
the music of the Pacific to lull the BosTON PRIESTS to repose, and on Sunday morning, February 27th, began the
most successful Mission ever given on the Pacific slope. It
would take too long now to give anything like an adequate
description of the magnificence and propriety, the grandeur
and fitness of everything about the San Francisco establishment, and it is to be hoped that some capable person will
soon furnish your LETTERS with the details. An entire
large block in the best part of the city is already nearly
filled with splendid struCtures; and it occurred to us that
the architeCt must have had the inspiration of Rome in his
mind and the rule book of the Society in his hand when he
planned an§built, or else he had a genius of a Jesuit beside him to "guide his hand and thought. We give only one
dimension of which we are sure: the Church is one hundred and twenty feet wide, and otherwise in proportion.
The exterior, approaches, interior, altars, chapels, aisles,
pews, vestibules, galleries, choretti, lateral and basement
chapels are simply splendid. The altars are paneled with
malachite, lapis lazuli, and many of the most costly marbles of Italia and California, blended most beautifully. The
wall~ are covered with works of the best home and foreign
artists, and we think the grand altar piece, St. Ignatius'
Vision on his way to Rome, twenty-five feet by sixteen feet,
almost worth the entire trip to see. But this is a story of
a Mission-is it not? We shall have.to put the story then
in a foot note. It began, and the great edifice was thronged.
There were five principal exercises daily, all well attended,
even that at five in the morning; as for the evening service,
from first to last, "no more standing room" was the order.
And the Fathers preached and preached, and preached
again. They were only two ; how generously they sighed
that a third were there to share in the good work ! They
caught the San Francisco hoarseness, that compliments visiting speakers and singers; and still they preached. And
sympathetic auditors sent in gargles and troches and nos-
�Mzssionary Labors.
197
trums by the dozen, and the colds passed away; and they
preached louder than before. And the devoted Fathers of
the Church and College, seventeen in number, were in the
confessionals sometimes as early as five in the morning, as
late as almost twelve at night. And old miners came, and
young maidens and old ones, and the rich and poor, and
the six thousand who received Holy Communion on the
last day alone swelled the grand aggregate to fully twenty
thousand Communions, as the Mission harvest. A hundred
anecdotes to interest, and conversions of poor wanderers to
encourage the laborers in the vineyard and awaken the zeal
of the aspirants, could be here recounted. We shall have
to summarize, and say that all concerned seemed more than
satisfied, trusting that God's greater glory, too, was magnified by this happy jubilee of the men that dwell by the golden gate of Pacific's summer sea. Twice during the Mission a little recess of a few hours was taken, and the city
explored. One of the Fathers paid a visit to the Pacific
Ocean in earnest, having been quite thoroughly, though
gently washed, clothes and all, by the sudden upward sweep
of the grand surf in front of the Cliff House. Here the
seals were roaring as they slid off their rocks, or climbed
up again like growing ivy. Accompanied by special detectives, on the other occasion, China Town was explored
within and without. The Chinese shops, stores, streets,
kennels of lodging houses, catacombs of filth and opiumsoaked humanity, two flights down under the gutters; their
restaurants, workshops, factories, their Joss houses; ·and
part of a play, that had begun five years ago, was running
twelve hours a day since, Sundays included-for here all
the theatres are in full blast on Sunday-and was, as a wag
remarked, approaching the conclusion of the second aa.
A kindlier feeling than before was felt for the idea that
gave Kearney his first prominence, and from the ample inform-ation received from the most reliable sources, it was
firmly resolved and carried that :John is an unmitigated
plague on the fair face of the Pacific Slope. A tearful farewell, a flying visit to Santa Clara, San Jose, and the return trip
�198
Sketch of the Ne:; Perces Indians.
was begun vVednesday morning, March 16th, as full of adventure as the outward one. But these shall have to be
chronicled by some future historian; as the perils encountered and adventures gone through were as many and interesting as Othello's of yore. A very full day was spent
at Chicago, Detroit, a part of one at Niagara, the most of
another between New York and Fordham, and the day after but one found the Pioneer missionary beginning another
reaping of souls in one of the largest parishes in New York,
his assistant safe at home in Boston, where all had been
bright during his absence, except the one black cloud that
passed, when the unexpeB:ed death occurred of one of the
best religious and truest patriots the community could boast,
Brother Edward B. O'Kelly, S. J. Perhaps the most striking featut;_e'of all the trip was the universal brotherly charity of Ours. Everywhere, always, the Fathers felt at home.
In every house there were Woodstockians, and questions
were asked and answered without number, and thanking
God for His increase given and proteB:ion afforded, nearly
everybody's love in the vVest is given to everybody in the
East.
J. O'C.
SKETCH OF THE NEZ PERCES INDIANS.
(Concluded.)
It has been asserted over and ov~r again that Chief Joseph and his followers were Catholics. This is a great mistake. The report was spread by those who wished to shift
the blame from themselves and throw it upon us; and their
malicious statement was strengthened by a singular occurrence during the Nez Perce war. I do not vouch for its
truth, but the story runs as follows: A party of those who
were engaged in the hostile operations were about to massacre a prisoner. The man was not a Catholic, but he had
seen Catholics bless themselves, and in this imminent danger he made the sign of the cross. The Indians were
�Sketch of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
199
awed by that sacred sign, which they knew and respected,
and after some consultation among themselves they allowed
the prisoner to depart, and he understood them to say that
they gave him leave to go away unhurt, because he was a
Catholic.
Now, we assert confidently, that the Catholic Indians of
the Nez Perce and neigboring tri~es, with a few trifling exceptions, behaved as well as any good citizens could have
done. At the very beginning of the war the commander
of the United States troops asked for some Indian scouts,
and he obtained more than half a dozen from the Catholics.
Some of these Catholic scouts had ncar relations in the
hostile camp, notably one of them, whose step-father,
mother, brothers and sisters were with the enemy. Even
the missionary thought it a great imprudence to employ
such men as scouts, and expressed himself freely to that
effect in conversation with the military authorities. Yet
they all proved faithful to their engagements. After the
first battle some of these scouts were missing, and it was
thought that they had fallen into the hands of the enemy.
The father of one of them, who had been biiptized by the
priest in January, having obtained permission from the
Commander and the Agent, went to inquire about his son;
meantime the scouts returned by another road. Having
reached Joseph's camp, he was told that his son was not
there ; then they insisted that he should stay and fight along
with them. The poor neophyte could not resist the temptation ; he allowed himself to be overcome by their arguments, and was killed in the next battle-the only Indian
slain on that occasion. When his son (the scout) heard of
this he joined the enemy, thus verifying the apprehensions
of the missionary; but the blame must rest with those who
had neglected his timely warning. Two other Nez Perce
boys were prevailed upon to join the hostiles, but all the
rest of the Catholics in the tribe proved faithful. The same
fidelity did not characterize the Protestants, for many of
them joined the parties of Joseph and White Bird.
Another example of the Catholic Indians' loyalty to the
�200
Sketch of the Nez Perces Indians.
government during the war can be instanced here. \Vhen
the hostile band:>, pursued by the troops, had escaped to
Montana, and were crossing the Bitter Root Valley, some
of the Nez Perce chiefs paid a visit to Charlot, Chief of the
Flat Heads, and wished to shake hands with him. He refused, saying: "My hand is clean, and I· cannot clasp hands
stained with the blood of the whites; we have always been
friends, but we cannot be such under the present circumstances." And yet, naturally speaking, the Flat Heads had
far more provocation to go to war than the Nez Perces.
The most noble example of fidelity to the government
was given by the Cceurs d'Alene Indians. \Vhen the followers of Hush-hush-keiat, belonging to the Lower Nez
Perce band, were informed that the bands of Joseph and
White Bird had declared the war at Camas Prairie, they
wished to· begin hostilities in their own country, so as to
fight the whites. from both sides. But as the whites were
too numerous, they tried to secure the Cceur d'Alene and
Spokane Indians as allies. In furtherance of this objeCt,
two of their warriors killed an old inoffensive white man on
Pine Creek, Cceur d'Alene county, and brought his horse
to the Cceur d'Alene Mission (June 23rd), hoping to embroil
· the whites with these Indians. As soon as Soltis, the
Cceur d'Alene chief, heard of this awful crime, he sent a
me';;sage to the authorities, to acquaint them with the faCts,
and assured them that his people not only had no share in
this aCt, but that they could be depended on in any emergency to defend and assist their .~·hite neighbors. In accordance with these promises, they helped in every way
the whites, who were panic struck after the war broke out,
and it was the universal verdiCt that no white men could
have done better. The loyal attitude of the Catholic Indians forced the Nez Pt:rces to quit Pine Creek, and to
evacuate the whole of the Palouse country under cover of
darkness; they joined Joseph, but the Palouse and Spokane countries were spared the horrors of Indian war. In
faCt, we may assert without exaggeration that were it not
for the Catholic Indian Missions, the Nez Perce war of 1877
�Sketch of the Nez Perces Indians.
201
would have become general, involving all the Indian tribes
of the North West, the white population of this seCl:ion
would have been exterminated, and it would have cost the
government millions of money and thousands of lives. We
have positive knowledge that nearly all the Protestant Indians, Spokanes, Shaozileni and the Columbia Tribes, were
inclined to war, and secretly endeavored to secure the cooperation of the Catholic Indians; but, failing in this, they
resolved to keep quiet.
And what was their recompense? Annoying and petty
persecution of the Catholic missionaries and Indians. The
warriors who were made prisoners after Clear Water, when
they had been taken under the proteCl:ion of the Protestant
preacher, and sanflijied by him, were set at liberty ; but
when some other warriors, who wished to surrender had
gone to the priest for assistance, and were by him brought
before the military authorities at Fort Lapwai, they were encouraged to hope for clemency, but ultimately they were
sent as prisoners along with Joseph to the Indian Territory.
The Catholic Nez Perces, who had remained constantly
faithful, and who were very numerous, could never obtain
aid from the government to build a school for their children; on the other hand, Spokane Jerry, who made nosecret of his hostility, who had even expressed his opposition
in a public council, has a separate school, maintained at
government expense, for his few Protestant children, on a
Catholic Reservation. For Joseph and his people who engaged in the war, an annual appropriation of more than
$20,000 is made; but Seltis and his people, who prevented
the war, cannot obtain a small portion of the $200,000 due
them for the cession of their lands to the United States.
When the managers of Forest Grove Indian School, a Protestant institution, maue a pilgrimage to a far-off distriCl:,
and picked up children from a tribe under the management
of a Catholic Agent, without so much as saying by your
leave, they were highly praised and amply rewarded by the
government official; but when a Catholic priest accepted a
few children who were offered to him for the Catholic school
VoL. x-No. 2.
26
�20 2
Sketclt of the Nez Perces lndi{ms.
by their parents, the officials, instead of praise, had nothing
but blame, insults and threats for such conduCt, and finally
ordered the children to be taken to the Protestant Agent.
Chief Joseph and his people have been blessed with the unwelcome presence of two Protestant Indians, who are
preachers, and who have scared some of these poor souls
into Protestantism; but those of his people who truly and
earnestly desire a Catholic priest, have not been able to obtain one, and, in all likelihood, never will. Even the poor
prisoners, who surrendered themselves in the priest's presence at Fort Lapwai, and had already made up their minds
to become Catholics, having begged for Baptism several
times, are now so completely terrorized that they dare not
open their mind to anybody, and were almost afraid to speak
to Father, Ponziglione, who paid them a flying visit s~me
time ago., as narrated in a recent number of the LETTERS.
The Fathers of the Rocky Mountains have offered th.eir
services to lab~r among the Nez Perces removed to the Indian Territory, but the Ecclesiastical authorities have in
their prudence declined to accept the offer, at least for the
present. A good half-breed, baptized by Father De Smet,
and educated at one of our Missions of the Missouri Province, has been living for several years in the Indian Territory. This worthy man, in ignorance of the difficulties
tnrown in the way of Ecclesiastical Authority, wrote to a
friend in Montana: "If the Catholic Church had done, or
would do, what the Protestants are doing for the different
tribes of Indians here, these Indians would all becom~ Catholic, and be happy." What won~der that this good, simple
man should speak so, when a clergyman of high standing,
and who knew of what he spoke, did not hesitate to say:
"The Catholic Church in America has to render a great account to God and to man, for her neglea ofthese Indians."
Let us conclude this sketch with an anecdote of what
happened a few years ago at Lapwai, in the Protestant mission. Old Mr. Spaulding, a preacher, seeing that the Nez
Perces were rapidly becoming Catholics, and that even
some of his Presbyterians were leaving him for the true
�Sketch of tlze Nez Perces Indians.
203
fold, employed all his cunning, and he had a great deal of
it, to prevent such a misfortune. But all his efforts were
in vain; the more he labored, the more would the Nez
Perces go to the Catholic Church. Finally, he cast aside
all moderation, and began a course of Sunday sermons,
which were simply terrible invectives against our Holy Religion. Benedict Aw-lish-\Vampu, an excellent Catholic,
and very witty withal, could not believe the reports that
were spread on the subject; but as he heard them repeated
Sunday after Sunday by his Protestant frie~ds, he at last
determined to go in person and find out whether what was
said concerning the language of his old friend was not exaggerated. He went accordingly, and to his utter amazement heard Mr. Spaulding say: "Yes, my children, the
priest will go to hell and burn forever, and all his followers
will go there, too, and burn with him; so you must no more
go to the Catholic Church."
Aw-lish-wampu thought that this was strong language,
exceeding even what he had heard reported by others. He
felt prompted to stand up and inquire, as they sometimes
do in that church, if his old friend had forgotten his own
words, in which he (Spaulding) had several times admitted
to him that the Catholic Church was good-almost as good
as the Presbyterian ! After a little reflection, he resolved
to keep his seat. When the services were ended he went
to Mr. Spaulding's house; he did not enter it, as had been
his custom, but kept walking up and down in front of it.
By and by, the preacher came out and offered his hand.
"No! Mr. Spaulding," says Aw-lish-wampu; "you know
that I am truly your friend; therefore, I cannot shake hands
with you. Do you remember that some years ago myself
and my brother saved your life when the Presbyterian Indians wanted to kill you?" Mr. Spaulding said that for
that very reason they should shake hands. "No, my friend,"
said the old Indian ; "as I saved you once, so too do I wish
to save you now. If I take your hand, surely I will burn
it with mine. I am a follower of the Priest, and as such,
you said in the church, I shall burn with the Priest, and I
do not like that you should burn with me."
�204
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Having said this, he went his way. But the Indian's
story has a sequel. He declares that when Spaulding was
about to die he complained of excessive heat, and repeated
several times: "I'm burni11g I l'm burning!" \Vhen the
Presbyterian attendants related this circumstance to Awlish-wampu, he dryly remarked that perhaps this burning
was the effect of his burning sermons against the Catholic
Church.
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICHIGAN .
. Extrac7 of a Letter from Fr. R. Chartier.
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH.,
April I 1, 1881.
The Sault has increased ~ince you visited it. The population of the town is now two thousand,
of whom more than fourteen hundred are Catholics, so far
as the name is concerned; for many neglect their religious
duties, although nearly all give us some satisfaction.
The neighboring country is rapidly filling up, but most of
the settlers are Protestants and Orangemen of the blackest
dye: I am told that some of them are runaway convicts
from Canada. The few Catholics, on the other hand, among
the new settlers, are the best class of Irishmen. I go to
say Mass at their houses, in different places, twelve, fourteen and sixteen miles from here. ~rt does me good to leave
occasionally the tainted moral atmosphere of this town,
and breathe the perfume of virtue among these virtuous
people.
There is talk of building a branch railroad, starting from
here, and going across the country to form a junction with
the Marquette and Point St. Ignace R. R. This branch is
intended to connect with the Canadian Pacific by a bridge
over the rapids, probably, if ever the Canadian railroad
reach the Sault. If this expectation be verified, this will
beco~e a very important place. About two hundred men
* * * * *
�Sault Ste. .kfarie, Miclzigan.
205
have been employed during the winter at work upon the
enlargement of the ship canal. Many accidents have happened during the progress of the work; one man was
killed, and several have had their legs broken and feet
crushed. It will be ready for the opening of navigation
about the middle of May.
As you may see by the Catalogue, I am still the only
priest here. Father Chambon is expeB:ed here in the
spring; he will have charge of the various stations, some
eight or ten in number, depending on the Sault, in which
there is a scattered Catholic population of more than five
hundred. The improvement of this place is not confined
to the material order; there has been very consoling progress in religious observances. In 1877-8, nine hundred
confessions were heard; the next year, more than eighteen
hundred ; last year, over two thousand. Some spiritual exercises resembling a Retreat were given them in December,
I 878; during the eight days of their continuance the church
was not large enough to hold the eager crowds who flocked
to the evening service. Many long, general confessions
were heard during that time; and the mustard seed then
. planted has been growing ever since. I can count more
than four hundred long, general confessions since September, 1878. Two men lately, who had obstinately resisted
the grace of God for years, were brought to make their
First Communion ; one of them is forty and the other fortyeight years of age.
Marriages have been reconciled; illicit connexions dissolved or made valid. Some good has been accomplished
since my arrival, but much remains to be done among the
ignorant, indifferent and bad Catholics who abound here.
Five Protestants have beer. received into the Church. Two
men have lately been cured by the use of some cement
from Knock. We have about one hundred and forty children in our parochial school, with three Sisters as teachers.
A seleB: school has been begun, which promises to be sucR. CHARTIER.
cessful.
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. X, No.3·
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
OF THE :MARYLAND MISSION.
'
V.-THE
ANNUAL LETTERS-I634-I773·
Some ten years after the settlement of .Maryland, the
Colonial Records were carried off and destroyed, during
the tumults excited by Claiborne and Ingle. It was believed
that much light would be thrown upon the early history of
the Province in regard to matters civil as well as religious,
by the letters and reports of the first Jesuit Missionaries,
which were still preserved, as was suspeCted, in England or
at Rome. Accordingly, Father William McSherry(!) made
diligent search amongst the Archives of the Gesu for in(l) "He was born July 19th, 1i99, near Charleston, in what is now the State
of West Virginia. In his 15th year, he became a student in Georgetown Col·
lege. In his 16th year, he was received as a novice of the Society of Jesus.
He was sent to Rome in 1821, to complete his studies, where he was ordained,
and then returned to the United States in 1828. In 1829, he became Professor
of human>ties in Georgetown College. In 1832, he returned to Rome, during
which visit, he discovered the previously unknown, 'Relatio Itineris,' and
the other interesting documents here printed. In 1833, he became the first
provincial of Maryland, and in 1837, President of the College, of which he
had been a student in his youth. He died in the year 18:l9, and his remains
repose in the cemetery of the College, at Georgetown."-College Journal of
January, 18i4.
VoL. x-No. 3·
27
�210
Historical Papers.
formation bearing upon the early l\1ission of Maryland, and
we are indebted to him for the first authentic copies of Father
\Vhite's Rc!atio Itineris in 1llary!andiam, together with the
Dec!aratio Colonia: Domini Baronis de Baltimore. He also
brought back to the United States a paper transcribed from
the original l\1SS. entitled Excerpta ex Litten:S Anma:S, and a
Cata!ogus Missionan"orum, which he had compiled during
his stay at Rome.
The Latin text of Father \Vhite's Re!atio, and also of the
Dec!aratio, was printed in the first volume of the WOODSTOCK
LETTERS (I872) together with an English translation, which
was a revision of the translation made for the Maryland
Historical Society, in I ~47, by Nathan C. Brooks, author
of Viri !!lustres Americm / a few copies of this translation .
had been pripted, and it was subsequently published amongst
the "Collection of Historical Tracts" (Vol. IV. n. I 2) by
Peter Force of \Vashington. A partial translation of the
same papers had been made previous to this time by B. U.
Campbell, Esq., and it appeared in the Metropolitan Catlw!ic
Almanac for I 840.
A new translation, accompanied with the Latin text, was
printed in I 874, by the Maryland Historical Society (Fund
Publication-No. 7). It was carefully edited by Rev. E. A.
Dalrymple, S. T. D., who illustrated the text with several
valuable notes. This latter publication also included some
excerpts from the Annual Letters-I635-I677.
In the Records of tlze Eng!z:Siz Province, S. J:, Vol. III. pp.
320-400, there is a long account of the·"Mission of Maryland,
which formed part of the English Province from the original
Settlement of the Colony until the Suppression of the Society (I 633-177 3). The Records give in full the papers above
mentioned which had already appeared in print, and furnish
in addition to them, from MSS. preserved at StoQyhurst,
many interesting details and facts, as also a continuation of
the extracts from the Annual Letters down to the suppression of the Society in I773·
As the records are not easily accessible to all, it has been
judged ~dvisable to include these extracts amongst this
�T/ze Allnual Letters.
2II
series of historical papers. Occasion will be taken at the
same timt: to insert information derived from various sources which may help to illustrate the text; this will in a rough
sort of way bring together the dz~e{la membra of our history. For the most part, the writers of the Letters from
which the extraCts are taken remain unknown: it is most
probable, however, that the reports were written by the Superior of the Mission for the time being. The original accounts
were written in Latin, and sent direetly to Fr. Genera[,<IJ or
to the Provincial of England, who forwarded them to Rome,
as they were received from the Missionaries, or compiled
from their reports the points for his Annual Letter which
have reference to Maryland. The text of the Records will
Le followed; but some additions will be made to it from old
documents preserved in the archives of the Province, and
from copies of papers furnished to the Provincial of Maryland by Br. Henry Foley, editor of the Records.
It may not be without interest to notice the aetion taken
by the Maryland Legislature in regard to Father McSherry's discoveries. When it became known that he had made
copious extraCts from the letters of the early Missionaries,
a laudable curiosity was excited to become acquainted with
the result of his researches, and the proposal was made by
John Bozman Kerr, an aCt:ive member of the House of Delegates, that measures should be adopted to procure all the
information on the early history of Maryland that might
be found in the archives of the Society. The following
official document declares the aCt:ion that was taken in the
matter:
STATE LIBRARY, MARYLAND,
ANNAPOLIS, March 24th, 1837·
REVEREND AND DEAR Sm,
Herewith I transmit you an Office Copy of a Preamble
and Resolutions, passed by the Legislature at its recent
Session.
Happy in being seleCt:ed as the organ of our liberal and
enlightened Legislature on this interesting occasion, I has1
< > Father White's "Relatio" was directed to Father :l.Iutius Vitelleschi.
�212
Historical Papers.
ten to carry into effect, on my part, their very laudable and
praiseworthy intention.
May I indulge the hope, My Dear Sir, that you will give
me your valuable aid, in procuring the documents indicated
in the Resolutions, and which are deemed so necessary and
important to the elucidation of the Early History of Maryland.
I s~all be happy to hear from you, and am,
Reverend and Dear Sir,
With great respect,
Your Obt Serv\
To the
REVD. \VILLIAM McSHERRY,
D.
RIDGELY,
Libran'mt.
Charles County, Md.
Maryland sa.
At a session of the General Assembly of :Maryland, be-·
gun and h~d at the City of Annapolis, on the last Monday
of December, being the twenty-sixth day of the said month,
in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six, and ended on the twenty-second day of March,
in the year one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-seven.
His Excellency,
THOMAS vV. VEASEY, EsQUIRE,
Governor.
No. 56.
By the House of Delegates.
March 20th, 1837·
Whereas, it has been ascertained by means of certain
extracts which have been taken from documents relating to
the first settlement and early history of the Province of
Maryland, which now remain amol!g the archives of the
Jesuits at Rome, that an interesting·and authentic narrative
or history of Maryland, composed in Latin by Father Andrew White, the first Missioner in Maryland, and fellowvoyager with Leonard Calvert, in MS., is easily accessible,
and that a copy of the same may be procured at a comparatively small expense, and it has heretofore been deemed
highly important, as it is interesting to the patriotic citizens
of the State, to obtain correct information of their origin
and the progress of their ancestors to the enjoyment of a
firm and stable government, and it is proper, therefore, that
all authentic materials for History should be placed within
their reach :
Be it, therefore, resolved, by the General Assembly of
�The AnJZual Letters.
213
Maryland, that the State Librarian be, and he is hereby
authorized and required, to solicit the Rev. \Villiam McSherry, of Charles County, the now Provincial of the Jesuits, to use his endeavors to procure for the State of Maryland an accurate transcript of the said narrative or history,
and of any other document relati!lg to the early history of
Maryland that may chance to be lodged in the said archives, or in other Jesuits' house in Europe, and to contract
for securing such transcript at an expense not exceeding
five hundred dollars, and that the Treasurer of the Western
Shore be and is hereby authorized and required to advance
from time to time upon the order of the said Librarian,
such portions of the said sum of money as may be required
for carrying this resolution into effect.
And be it further resolved that the said transcript or
transcripts when obtained be deposited and preserved in the
State Library.
By Order,
GEo. G. BREWER, Clk.
By tlte Smate,
March 21st, 1837,
\Vas this day read and assented to.
By Order,
Jos. H. NICHOLSON, Clk.
Maryland SCl:.
~
I, Richard W. Gill, Clerk of the Court of
Appeals for the \Vestern Shore of the State of
{ SEAL } Maryland, do hereby certify that the preceding
'--v--' is a full and true copy of the resolution of the
General Assembly of the said State, of which it purports
to be a copy as taken from the original resolution deposited
in and belonging to the Office of The Court of Appeals
aforesaid. In testimony whereof, I herewith subscribe my
name as Clerk, and affix the Seal of the said Court of Appeals, the twenty-fourth day of March, A. D. I 837.
RICHARD w. GILL, Clk.
Father McSherry, under date of April 8th, promises his
cooperation, and says: "I shall make it my, duty to write
immediately to one of our members, who has lately gone
to Rome, and who can have full access to the archives, and
have copied whatever manuscripts may be found of im-
�214
Histon"cal Papers.
portance to the elucidation of the early history of Maryland. I will also write to Stonyhurst College, in England,
where, very probably, valuable documents may be obtained.
Previous to the next session of the Legislature, I will forward to you the documents, or report to you what progress
shall have been made in "the research for them."
·whether anything further was done in the premises does
not appear; but it is probable that nothing was obtained
from Rome, and that those who sought for information had
to rest contented with the transcripts made by Father McSherry himsel(
It was only in 1874 that the 'valuable documents,' from
Stonyhurst, were received upon application of Rev. Father
J. E. Keller. They consist of correspondence and historical notes,~colleCl:ed and arranged in order by the editor of
the Records, "for the intended history of the l\Iaryland
Catholic Mission, S. ]., the Mother of the present vast Catholic Church of the United States." Free use has been made
of these documents in former papers of the present series,
and it is mainly due to them that this reproduCtion of the
A~xuAL LETTERS will possess any special interest or value.
Father White's Narrative of the Voyage to Maryland
and Founding of St. Mary's was written from that city, within about a month after the arrival of the first vessels, that
is to say, towards the end of Aprf( ·r634. The last paragraph of the letter says: "We have been here only one
month, and so the remaining particulars must be kept for
the next voyage." An ancient pamphlet (Stonyhurst MSS.
Anglia, vol. 4) furnishes some of these remaining particulars, which may appropriately be introduced here, as a suplement to the Rdatio.
The Governor, Leonard Calvert, after the first landing
had been effeCled on St. Clement's Island, had sailed up
the Potomac with a few followers, amongst whom was Fr.
John Altham. His objeCt: was to obtain an interview with
�77tc Anuual Letters.
215
the powerful chief of the Piscataways, and to select a proper
site for the future capital of the Colony. Our man·uscript,
copied from the Stonyhurst original, takes up the narrative
at this point.
Whilst the Governor was abroad, the neighboring Indians, where the ships lay, began to cast off fear, and come
to their Court of Guard, which they kept night and day
upon Saint Clement's Isle, partly to defend their barge,
which was brought in pieces out of England, and there
made up, and partly to defend their men, which were employed in felling of trees, and cleaving pales for a palisado,
and at last they ventured to come aboard the ships.
He, finding it not fit, for many reasons, to seat himself as
yet so high on the River, resolved to return back again, and
to take a more exact view of the lower parts; and so, leaving the ship and pinnaces there,· he took his barge (as mo_st
fit to search the creeks and small rivers), and was conducted
by Captain Fleet, who knew well the country, to a river on
the north side of Potomac River. They went up this river
?-bout four leagues from the mouth thereof, which they
called Saint George's River.
They went up this river about four leagues, and anchored
at the town of Yoacomaco, from whence the Indians of that
part of the country are called the Yoacomacoes.
At their coming to this place, the Governor went on shore
and treated friendly with the \Verowance there, and acquainted him with the intent of his coming thither, to which
he made little answer (as their manner is to any new or
sudden question), but entertained him and his company that
night in his house, and gave him his bed to lie on (which is
a mat laid on boards), and the next day went to show him
the country, and that day being spent in viewing the places
about that town, and the fresh waters, which here are very
plentiful and excellent good (but the main rivers are salt);
the Governor determined to make the first colony there,
and so gave order for the ship and pinnaces to come thither.
This place he found to be a very commodious situation
for a town, in regard the land is good, the air wholesome
and pleasant, the river affords a safe harbor for ships of any
burthen, and a very bold shore. Fresh water and wood
there is in great plenty, and the place so naturally fortified,
as with little difficulty it may be defended from any enemy.
To make his entry peaceable and safe, he thought fit to
�216
Histon·cal Papers.
present< 1) the \Verowance and the \Visoes of the town (so
they call the chief men of account amongst them) with
some English cloth, such as is used in trade with the
Indians, axes, hoes and knives, which they accepted very
kindly, and freely gave consent that he and his compani
should dwell in one part of their town, and reserved the
other for themselves; and those Indians who dwelt in that
part of the town, which was allotted for the English, freely
left them their houses and some corn that they had begun
to plant. It was also agreed between them that at the end
of harvest they should leave the whole town, which they
did accordingly. And they made mutual promises to each
other to live friendly and peaceably together, and if any injury should happen to be done on any part, that satisfaCl:ion
should be made for the same, and thus upon the 27th day
of March,Anno Domini 1634, the Governor took possession of th~e"place, and name~ the town St. Mary's.
There \Vas an occasion that much facilitated their treaty
with these Indians, which was this: the Susquehanocks, a
warlike people that inhabit between Chesapeake Bay and
Delaware Bay, did usually make wars and incursions upon
the neighboring Indians, partly for superiority, partly for to
get their women, and what other purchase they could meet
with, which these Indians of Y oacomaco fearing, had the
year before our arrival there, made a resolution for their
safety, to remove themselves into the country higher, where
it was more populous, and many of them were gone thither
before the English arrived.
Three days after their coming to Y oacomaco, the Ark and
the two pinnaces arrived there. The Indians much wondered to see such ships, and at the thundering of the ordinance when they came to an anchqr.
The next day they began to prepare for their houses, and
first of all a court of guard and a store-house. In the
meantime they lay aboard the ship. They had not been
there many days before Sir John Hervey,< 2l the Governor of
1
< l Whilst all history is full of commendation and praise over the conduct of
William Penn, in purchasing his lands in Pennsylvania from the Indians, it
will not be amiss to bestow a due measure of credit upon the same course pursued by Lord Baltimore's Governor. He purchased the land, upon which his
settlement was made, for what, to Indians, would be ample remuneration, they
being about moreover to abandon their country, as indeed many of them had
already done, in consequence of their dread of the formidable Susquehannocks.
-Note by Dr. Dalrymple, 'Relatio,' p. 123.
2
< l The first Lord Baltimore, after the failure of his Colony at Avalon
in N ~wfoundland, came to Virginia in search of a better situation for himself
�77te Annual Letters.
217
Virginia, came thither to. visit them, some Indian Werowances also and many other Indians from several parts
came to see them, and amongst others the Werowance of
ami his dependents, arriving at James City in 1729. He was very ungraciously
received by the Virginia colonists. The Assembly tendered him and his followers the oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy, the latter of which, as a Roman
Catholic, he refused to take. The oath at that time was the one presct'ibed
by the Statute I. Eliz. ch. i, sec. 19, by which he must have declared that the
King was the only supreme governor of all his dominions and countries, "as
well ;n all spiritnal or ecclesiastical things or causes, as temporal."- The
Lords Baltimore by John G ..Jlorris. .
Father 'Vhite mentions the apprehensions of his companions, as the expedition approached Point Comfort in Virginia, "lest the English inhabitants,
to whom our plantation is very objectionable, should plot some evil against
us." Sir John Harvey, Governor of Virginia, treated them well at this first
meeting, and after the friendly visit mentioned above, sided with Governor
Calvert against the partisans of Claiborne. He was forcibly sent home to
England shortly afterwards by the Virginia Company. ''The Company alleg~
that he is a J\Iarylander, that i~, one that favours too much Lord Baltimore's
Plantation, to their prejudice" (Stafford's Letters). The subjoined State Paper throws some light upon the subject:-
State Papers. Dom. Charles I., Vol. 303, No. 105.
11 Dec. 1635.
Whitehall. Notes by Nicholas, Clerk of Council, of proceedings of the Council this day, the King being present. on the investigation of charges against
Sir John Hervey, Governor of Virginia, who has been sent home by the Council of that Colony. The charges against Sir John and his answers are here
given, with a special note of the King's opinion, and a passing remark of
Archbp. Laud [Canterb.]. The whole is somewhat difficult to make out, being
partly written in Nicholas' shorthand.
It was held to be an assumption of royal power to send hither the Governor :
those to be sent for that assumed the Government, and him that laid hands on
the Governor.
Amongst the charges against the Governor are the following:That he denieth to administer the oath of allegiance to those that went
thither to plant, as he is obliged by his instructions. And that he is a favorer
of the Popish Heligion.
Charged that one Rabnet of :Maryland having said it was lawful and meritorious to kill an heretic King, and Sir John Harvey caused him to be apprehended, and set at liberty, and this being offered to be proved by one Mr.
Williams, a )Iinister, Sir John would not admit of his testimony, because he
had married two persons without a license.
Lord Baltimore's servants had slain three men in keeping of the entry of
Hudson's River, which goes up to Maryland. (!J
Mr. White, a Minister, is silenced by the Governor, for cursing those of his
Parish; and an old man for bringing of him drink and white bread is . . . . .
Governor:That he could never see any orders, albeit he had two years time to show
his orders: denies that he silenced him .
.Charged that he countenanceth the religion in Maryland. :Mr. Halley in
the midst of the Mass said that he was come to plant in l\Iaryland the Rom ish
religion.
Denied·absolutely by :Mr. Halley.
It is said by Sir John Harvey and ~Ir. Halley that there is public J'.fass in
Maryland.
VoL. x-No. 3·
28
�218
Hi:Ston·ca! Papers.
Patuxent, who, being brought into the great cabin of the
ship, was placed between the Governors of Virginia and
Maryland, when a Patuxent Indian that came with him, on
entering the cabin and finding the vVerowance thus seated
between the two Governors, started back, fearing that he
had been surprised, and was ready to have lept overboard,
nor could he be persuaded to come into the cabin until the
Werowance came himself unto him, for he· remembered
how the said vVerowance had formerly been taken prisoner
by the English of Virginia.
After they had finished the ·store-house and unloaded the
ship, the Governor thought fit to bring the colors on shore,
which were attended by all the gentlemen and the rest of
the servants in arms, who received the colors with a volley
of shot, which was answered by the ordnance of the ship.
At this ceremony were present the Werowances of Patuxent
anrl Y oacoma'co, with many other Indians; and the \Verowance of Patuxent hereupon took occasion to advise the
Indians of Y oacomaco to be careful to keep the league that
they had made with the English. He stayed with them
divers days, and used many Indian compliments, and at his
ueparture he said to the Governor: "I love the English so
well, that if they should go about to kill me, if I had but
so much breath as to speak, I would command the people
not to avenge my death ; for I know that they would not
do such a thing except it were through mine own defaults."
They brought thither with them some store of Indian
corn from the Barbadoes, which at their first arrival they
began to use (thinking fit to preserve their English provision of meal and oatmeal), and the Indian women, seeing
their servants to be unacquainted with the manner of dressing it, would make bread thereof for t)1em, and teach them
how to do the like. They found arso the country well
stored with corn (which they bought with truck, such as
there is desired, the natives having no knowledge of the use
of money), whereof they sold them such plenty as that
they sent a thousand bushels of it to New England to provide them some salt fish and other commodities which they
wanted.
During the time that the Indians stayed by the English
at Yoacomaco, they went daily to hunt with them for deer
and turkeys, whereof some they gave them for presents,
and the meaner sort would sell them to them for knives,
beads and the like. Also of fish the natives brought them
great store, and in all things dealt very friendly with them;
�T/ze Annual Letters.
1
their women and children came very frequently amongst
them, which was a certain sign of their confidence of them,
it being found by experience that they never attempt any
ill where the women are or may be in danger.
Their coming thus to seat upon an Indian town, where
they found ground cleared to their hands, gave them opportunity (although they came late in the year) to plant some
corn and to make them gardens, which they sowed with
English seeds of all sorts, and they prospered exceedingly
well. They also made what haste they could to finish their
houses; but before they could accomplish all these things,
one Captain Claybourne (who had a desire to appropriate
the trade of those parts unto himself) began to cast out
words amongst the Indians, saying that those of Y oacomaco were Spaniards and his enemies; and by this means
endeavored to alienate the minds of the natives from them,
so that they did not receive them so friendly as formerly
they had done. This caused them to lay aside all other
works and to finish their fort, which they did within the
space of one month; where they mounted some ordnance,
and finished it with some murtlzerers and such other means
of defence as they thought fit for their safeties ; which being done, they proceeded with their homes and finished
them, with convenient accommodations belonging thereto,
and although they had thus put themselves in safety, yet
they ceased not to procure to put these jealousies out of
the natives' minds, by treating and using them in the most
courteous manner they could, and at last prevailed therein,
and settled a very firm peace and friendship with them.
They procured from Virginia hogs, p6u!try and soll.J.e cows,
and some male cattle which hath given them a foundation
for breed and increase; and whoso desire it may furnish
himself with a store of cattle from thence; but the hogs
and poultry are already increased in Maryland to a great
stock, sufficient to serve the colony very plentifully. They
have also set up a water mill for the grinding of corn adjoining the town.
Thus, within the space of five months, was laid the foundation of the colony in Maryland, and whoso now intends
to go thither shall find the way so trodden, that he may
proceed with much more ease and confidence than these
first adventurers could, who were ignorant both of place,
people and all things else, and could expeCt to find nothing
but what nature produced; besides, they could not in any
reason but think the natives would oppose them; whereas,
�220
Histon"cal Papers.
now the country is discovered, and friendship with the natives is assured, houses built, and many other accommodations, as cattle, hogs, poultry, fruits, and the like, brought
thither from England, Virginia and other places, which are
useful both for profit and pleasure; and without boasting,
it may be said that this colony hath arrived to more in six
months than Virginia did in many years. If any man shall
say they are beholden to Virginia for so speedy a supply of
many of those things which they of Virginia were forced
to fetch from England and other remote places, they will
confess it, and acknowledge themselves glad that Virginia
is so near a neighbor, and that it is so well stored of all
necessaries for to make those parts happy and the people to
live as plentifully as in any other part of the world; only
they wish that they would be content their neighbors might
live in peace, by them, and then no doubt they should find
a great comfort each in the other.
"On account of the very many difficulties that present
themselves in this mission, which has been lately started,
but little fruit has thus far been gathered from it, especially
among the savages, whose language is slowly acquired by
our countrymen, and hardly admits of being written. There
are employed in it five members of the Society, three priests
and two assistants, who, in hope of future results, endure
their pr~sent toils with great cheerfulness.
"Four priests and one lay-brother are employed in this
mission, but we are left in ignorance of what they have accomplished, because no letters have been brought thence
during this year.
''Four Fathers gave their attention to the mission, and
along with them one lay-brother, who, after enduring severe t~ils for the space of five years with the greatest pa-
�J
T!te Annual Letters.
221
tience, humility and ardent love, was seized by the disease
prevalent at the time, and happily exchanged this wretched
life for that which is eternal.
"He was shortly followed by one of the Fathers, who,
though young, possessed remarkable qualities of mind,
which gave great promise for the future. He had scarcely
spent two months in this mission, when, to the great grief
of all of us, he was carried off by the sickness so general
in the colony, from which none of the three remaining
priests have entirely escaped, yet we have not ceased to labor to the best of our ability among the neighboring people. (I)
"Though the authorities of this colony have not yet allowed us to dwell among the savages, on account both of
the prevailing sickness and of the hostile disposition shown
by the barbarians towards the English, to the extent of
murdering a man from this colony, who had go_ne amongst
them for the sake of trade, and also of entering into a conspiracy against our whole nation; still we hope that one
of us will shortly secure a station among the barbarians.
Meanwhile, we devote ourselves more zealously to the
English; and since there are Protestants as well as Catholics in the colony, we have labored for both, and God has
blessed our labors.
"For among the Protestants, nearly all who came out
from England in this year ( 1638) and many others, have
been converted to the faith, together with four servants
whom we purchased in Virginia (another of our coionies)
for necessary services, and five mechanics whom we hired
for a month, and have in the meantime won to God. Not
long afterwards one of these departed this life, after being
duly prepared for death, and receiving the sacraments.
Hardly anything else worth mentioning has occurred with
respeCt to them, but the following circumstances are more
worthy of note:
1
< >Brother Thomas Gervase died in 1637; the day aml month not named.
Father John Knowles died September 24, 1637.
�222
Historical Papers.
"A certain person, a zealous Protestant, entirely unknown
to us, was staying with a friend who was still more fervent
in his religion, and having been bitten by one of the snakes
that abound in these parts, he was in great danger of death.
One of our Fathers, on learning this, took a surgeon with
him and hurried to the sick man, with the hope of being of
some benefit to his soul, though it was reported that he had
already lost his senses. His friend, however, divining this
intention, tried to thwart its success. The priest, unable
to think of any other plan, determined to stay all night
with the sick man. But his friend prevented this also, and,
lest the Father should gain any access at night, he appointed a guard to sleep on a bed laid across the door of the
chamber occupied by his friend. The priest, nevertheless,
watched anxiously for every opportunity of approach, and
going at midnight, when he supposed the guard would
probably be overcome by sleep, he contrived, without disturbing him, to enter the sick man's room ; and, at his own
desire, received him into the Church. Although, under
the circumstances, it was impossible that the sick man
could be taught much, or be very firmly established in his
belief, yet when, contrary to all expectation, he was cured
by our surgeon, the grace of God gave him strength to
choose to be put out of his friend's house rather than retract what he had done; nay, he even came to us of his
own accord, and happily completed the work whicli he had
begun.
~· .
"Another man, whom one of us tried to bring to· the orthodox faith, repulsed him with the answer, "that he had
vowed he never would embrace Catholicity." A short time
afterwards, this wretched man was attaeked by disease, and
brought to the last 'extremity before the Father was informed of his sickness. He, however, hastened to the
house with all speed, and found him quite insensible, though
still breathing. Accordingly, he instructed the attendants
to put some nourishment into the mouth of the sick man
every now and then, and summon him if there was at any
time a return of consciousness. A message arriving early
�Tlte Annual -Letters.
223
the next morning, the Father ran to him, and, after a time,
perceived that he could in some measure understand what
was said, and could sometimes give an answer to a short
question, though not to a long discourse at once. The
Father, therefore, determined to make use of the present
opportunity, inasmuch as he could not hope for another.
And when by various communications he felt sure that he
had obtained the consent of the sick man to become a
Catholic, a!' well as an expression of sorrow for his sins,
and a desire to be absolved from them, he gave him absolution, together with the Sacrament of Extreme Unction.
After this had been done, the sick man, in a day or two,
was perfectly restored to his senses. And when asked what
he had done, or what he was conscious of having been
done with respect to him, he answered with such great joy
and heartfelt emotion that he had been admitted to the
Catholic Church and intended to remain 'in it even to his
last breath, that all who were present were affected with no
small admiration. Afterwards, when the Father came again,
he expressed the same joy to him, and to his great satisfaction performed everything necessary for his further confirmation in grace. From that time he gradually recovered,
but having had scarcely any of the proper remedies, and
being obliged to lie for a long time on his back, dreadful
ulcers broke out over his whole body. \Ve procured such
necessaries for him as we could at our own expense, and
sent him a surgeon, by whose skilful attention and the
watchful care of others he was cured, and is now a strong
man, sound, as we trust, both in mind and body.
"Another person, who was of noble birth, had been reduced to such poverty by his own unrestrained licentiousness that he sold himself into this colony. Here, when he
had been recalled by one of us to the right faith and the
fruits. of a holy life, he still had anxious doubts as to
whether he had entered upon the safe road. On one occasion, when he had entrusted himself to the sea in a small
skiff, a frightful storm arose, such as he had never seen, al-
�224
Historical Rzpers.
though he had been often out in storms before ; inevitable
shipwreck seeming close at hand, he earnestly prayed to
God that He would ward off the impending danger, as a
confirmation of the faith he had lately embraced, provided
it was really true. God heard his prayer, and, turning the
storm in another direB:ion, confirmed his wavering mind,
and brought him to a state of tranquil peace. Not long
afterwards, this man was brought to the last extremity by
a severe complaint, and having received all the Sacraments
about an hour before his death, he asked his Catholic attendant to pray for him. It is probable that his guardian
angel presented himself to his sight, for when almost at
the point of death, he called the same attendant, saying
with a cheerful voice: 'Don't you see my good angel ? Behold him ~standing near to carry me away; I must depart.'
And thus happily (as we are permitted to hope) he breathed
his last. Since his burial, even Protestants have often seen
a very bright light playing at night around his tomb.
''Besides these cases, a Father going beyond the colony,
found two Frenchmen, of whom one had been without the
sacraments of the Church for three entire years; the other
was already near death, after spending fifteen whole years
am~>ng heretics, and living just as they did.
The Father
aided the former with the sacraments, and confirmed him
in the Catholic faith as far as he could. The latter he restored to the Catholic Church, and, administering all the
sacraments, prepared him for a hap.f>y death.
[An attempt will be made in the next number to determine the Status of the Mission during the first ten years
of its existence. This will give an opportunity to bring together various notes, which might have been appended here
in illustration of the text:]
�ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
LETTER
I.
ON THE YELLOWSTONE, July-, 1877.
Where shall I begin the account I promised you of a
jaunt across the Continent? After tugging slowly up the
Yellowstone, against a current more like that of a mountain stream than a great river, railroads seem too commonplace to deserve mention. Let me begin then at Bismarck,
the present terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad, just
asking you to glance back towards Duluth, at the head of
Lake Superior, from which this railroad starts. There is
nothing at all inviting about this first portion of the route ;
the country is level and marshy, scrub oak and tamarack
being the characteristic trees, and the road-bed swaying in
ominous undulations, as if it had wished to sink out of
sight like the millions of hard earned savings that helped
to construCt it. In such ground, to prevent the subsidence
of the track, trees are felled across from both sides, and
earth or gravel is then piled upon them to receive the track.
At Brainerd, the railroad crosses the Mississippi, no slight
stream even in this northern latitude, but small when compared with the Missouri. After crossing the Mississippi, I
could only meditate upon the country through which we
were rolling along, for it was too dark to see anything, and
next morning found us at the Western boundary of Minnesota, the Red River of the North. This we crossed at
Fargo, and as it was Sunday, we had to be content with
the speed of a freight train, that gave us abundant time to
gaze upon the level extent of Dacotah's prairies, where not
a single tree breaks the monotony of the dull scenery.
These prairies produce fine wheat, and immense tracts are
being brought under cultivation. They talk here of single
furrows miles in length, and one thinks of a ploughman in
VoL. x-No. 3.
29
(225)
�226
Across tlze Continmt.
seven-league boots to do the work, and a Colonel Mulberry
Sellers to calculate the amount of grain to be harvested.
At dusk we reached Bismarck on the Missouri River, the
present terminus of the Norther~ Pacific Railroad. To say
that it is the terminus of the road is enough to describe the
town to any one who remembers Cheyenne or Denver in
years past, when they bore the same relation to other
railroads. Houses built more of canvas than of wood,
stores with large displays of goods in front, immense signs
and great pretence, running back to small wall tents not
many feet in the rearnt turpiter atrum
Desinat in piscem mulier formosa superne,
grog shops more numerous than all other trades combined,
a French res.taurant kept by a German who has a negro
cook; a population of some hundreds, the male portion
being largely in the majority, and of a charaCter such as
Mark Twain and Bret Harte have made the world familiar
with-this is Bismarck. The very air of the place is nomadic. You would not think of remaining there for a day,
and you cannot imagine that any one really stays there.
The railroad will move on and "Bismarck" will move with
it. Not the material Bismarck, that may stop where it is
and oe the foundation of a future city-but the moral Bismarck, the present inhabitants, railroad employes, adventurers, whiskey-dealers-they will push on with that which
gives them life and a raison d'etre. It may be safe to say
that the material Bismarck too wifi not remain, for it is
said that at Cheyenne a traveler left his carpet-bag leaning
against a house, whilst he went to mail a letter, and that on
his return, house, carpet-bag and all had disappeared. The
Arab had struck his tent, and had doubtless mistaken the
traveler's carpet-bag for some of his own personalty. The
charaCter of such a place necessarily soon changes; permanent dwellings are ereCted, streets paved; and a more respeCtable population takes the place of the pioneers. Warned by
him of Cheyenne, we did not leave our carpet-bags against
any of the houses, but shook the dust from our feet in the
�Across the Continent.
227
early morning, and proceeded to the steamboat landing,
about a mile distant, where the Rosebud, a boat well known
on these upper waters, received us.
ON THE MrssouRI.-Truly he makes those who trespass
on his patience by opposing his natural drift, pay well
for their temerity. The broad brown waters sweep past
us at the rate of six miles an hour and our steamer puffs and
tugs to make the progress of a row-boat. The stream runs
between bluffs about one hundred feet in height, in which
occur occasional layers of lignite, or soft coal, a few feet in
thickness. Sometimes the hills recede from the stream,
and the low lands on the banks of the river are covered
with cottonwood and willow trees. The hills themselves
are covered with thin tough prairie grass, but no trees or
shrubs break their monotonous outline. The sun seems
to have forgotten that he is shining upon latitude 47°, for
he beats down with as much warmth upon us as he is wont
to do ten degrees further south. It is intensely hot on the
steamboat, and day and night the mosquitoes swarm about
us relentlessly. They are not the noisy, boisterous pests of
New Jersey, but quiet, sober searcher;; after blood. We wear
the ordinary head protectors, made of mosquito netting,
which form a necessary part of one's costume on the Upper Missouri; heavy buckskin gauntlets protect our hands, /
and still it is impossible to escape entirely. To do so, it is
necessary to be clad in newspaper armor, and at some of
the forts we visit, we are told that ladies and children thus
protect themselves. Is it the character of the paper, the
moral or physical odor of the print that disgusts and repels
the hungry insect? The days drag wearily along, the
scenery is as tame and dull as can be imagined, the great
stream always opposes our progress with the same swift
current, and there is none of the romance of seeing herds
of elk and buffalo and antelope. I wander about the boat,
and find my way to the pilot-house, where Grant Marsh,
our Captain, whiles away an hour chatting about other trips,
when he was obliged to surround his pilot-house with sheet
iron to proteCt the pilot from the bullets of Indians on
�228
Across ·the Continent.
the shore. How do pilots steer on these western rivers ?
A broad shallow stream lies before them, the main channel
is always comparatively narrow, and to a Iandman's eye
there is nothing to show where the water is deep. They
judge by the sweep of the river, the charaCter of the bends, by
a mere ripple, and other signs which they cannot describe.
''May r steer a while?" "Certainly." "\Vhich way?" "Put
her close to the bank here, there's a long sand bar stretching
out yonder." "How do you know?" A low chuckle is
the only direCt: answer. "Last year it was on this side, and
above the bend there, but I see it has shifted." I am
tempted to repeat my interrogation, but refrain this time.
Surely this is the evidence of things that appear not; faith
is necessary'here. To me there is only a broad yellow surface gleaming in the sunlight, without wave or ripple.
In the afternoon we pause at Fort Stephenson, a small
military post on the left bank (the right as we ascend), and
we discharge some freight for the fort. At nightfall we
come to a great bend, and on the point or elbow that juts
out into the stream stands a village of the Mandan Indians,
and near by is Fort Berthold, the agency for the tribe. Unlike most Indians of the Northwest, the Mandans live in
large dome-shaped huts, covered with earth. It is among
them ~that Lewis and Clarke spent their first winter on their
famous exploring expedition of 1804-5-6. The manners
and habits of the tribe have been interestingly described by
Catlin. In three days from Bismarcl{we reached Fort Buford, at the mouth of the Y ellowsto~e~ a distance of some
three hundred miles-slow traveling when compared with
railroad speed, but a wonderful improvement upon canoes
and row-boats we read of, when fifteen miles a day up
stream was regarded as good progress.
We have now seen three military posts-Fort Lincoln, a
few miles below Bismarck, which we visited before starting
up the river; Fort Stephenson, and now Fort Buford. These
stations are scattered through all the western territories in
such a manner as to hold in check bands of roving Indians,
to proteCt: large distriCts, and to form depots from which
�Across tlze Continent.
229
troops can operate against hostile tribes. They are so much
alike in general charaCter that a description of one may
suffice for all. An open square, one hundred or one hundred and fifty yards in length, surrounded on all sides by
frame buildings, one story in height, usually painted white,
or of some very light color. On one side are officers' quarters, on two others barracks for the men, the fourth being occupied by store-houses, shops and other necessary buildings. Sometimes small block-houses close the angles of the
square, but usually there is nothing to indicate that attack
is even possible. No eart~works of any kind surround the
buildings, no cannon are seen, there is no stockade or enclosure. The Indians rarely attack one of these forts, and
the mere presence of an armed garrison is enough to make
them avoid any near approach, though in .the field they
may prove more than a match for the troops. Such posts
are like little oases in a desert, where, after long dreary
marches across uninhabited wastes, one meets with many
of the conveniences of civilized life, and with genial,
cordial people, who try to make homes for themselves
wherever they are sent. Life must be dull enough in such
places, especially in the winter, when for months at a time
they are cut off from regular communication with the
outside world. A regiment is liable to be moved from Texas
to Montana, or from Louisiana to Oregon ; so, officers, and
their families as well, acquire an indifference to places and
an adaptability to circumstances that is becoming to the military profession.
As the Rosebud reached Fort Buford at sunset, and
steamed up the river at dawn, there was no chance to see
the mouth of the Yellowstone. It is well known that the
Missouri is the stream which gives charaCter to the Mississippi, or rather that it is the principal river of the two. Of
the· Yellowstone we were tempted to think the same, and
say that the Missouri flowed into it, and not it into the Missouri. If the size and volume of the two streams be compared, scarcely any difference will be found. At the mouth
of the Yellowstone, Lewis and Clarke's party found it to
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exceed the Missouri in actual width only about thirty yards.
The latter is, however, the longer stream, probably drains
a greater extent of territory, and therefore deserves to be
held as the principal river.
As we ascend the Yellowstone, the current is swifter,
the bends in the river are sharper and more frequent,
rendering navigation correspondingly difficult, and the
bluffs on the shore are higher and more rugged. To
the south of us now lie the Bad Lands, the L11am,aises
Terres of the French, which well deserve their name. You
have seen mud dried and cracking in the sun, and noticed
how irregular the cracks are in size and direction, how unlike any defined arrangement of hill and valley, such as is
seen where~~ rill has washed out a bed for itself on the
road side?·· Imagine the cracked mud indefinitely magnified until each little portion grows to be a great hill and
the rifts between become rugged ravines, and you will
have some notion of what the Bad Lands are like, as they
appear from the Yellowstone. The strata lie horizontally,
and consist of soft sand stones, alternating with indurated
clays, usually crowned by some feet of drift, and above that
again alluvium. Such soft formations might, it seems, by
the _mere influence of denudation, be worked into their
present uncouth shapes. The fact that the strata lie lzorizontal!y shows that there has not been much disturbance
since they were laid down. There are some thin layers of
what appears to be coal, but it is s'!ii.I to be useless for fuel,
being probably admixed with clay. ·
Occasionally there are islands in the river covered with
cottonwood trees. At times the banks are low, and the
plains on both sides extend for some distance, but the general character of this portion of the Yellowstone is that of
high bare hills. There are not a few sand bars in the stream,
and the current seems to become swifter and swifter as we
ascend. A west wind is enough to stop our progress altogether, and oblige us to tie up to the bank for a few hours,
but the time is utilized in laying in fuel for the engine. At
night,. too, we tie up to the bank, and guards are stationed
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231
on the hills. It is strange to find that Captain Clarke reckons the _current of the Yellowstone, from Tongue River to
the Missouri, at only two miles an .hour, while it seems to
us to be six or seven. The difference can only be accounted
for by remembering that he did not ascend the Yellowstone,
but visited that stream on his return· from the Columbia,
and to descend a stream makes one's judgment of the current very moderate, when after a long absence the voyager
has turned his face once more homeward. He agrees with
us in finding the mosquitoes on this portion of the Yellowstone a great pest: "Aug. 5th-Finding their situation intolerable where they were (from the mosquitoes), they proceeded further down. On the way Captain Clarke went on
shore and ascended a hill in pursuit of a big-horn, but the
moschetoes were in such multitudes that he could not keep
them from the barrel of his rifle long enough to take aim."
At night they are particularly annoying, and the choice between making yourself a victim to the mosquitoes and
sleeping with your clothes, shoes, hat and mosquito-net on,
is not a pleasant one, but the latter alternative is to me the
less unbearable, even in the close berth of a small stateroom. When we have ascended about one hundred and
fifty miles, we find that they have gradually diminished in
number, and then entirely disappeared, why or wherefore
the entomologist must tell us.
At the mouth of Tongue River there is a large cantonment of troops, stationed here to control the wandering
bands of Sioux that have given so much trouble during the
past few years. The quarters are built of logs with earthcovered roofs, but they are very comfortable and cosy. The
ladies of the garrison came up from Fort Leavenworth on
board a steamboat, their furniture being stored on a second
vessel. Unfortunately, the boat on which the furniture was
laden blew up, and all their household goods were lost.
They arrived, therefore, stripped of their Lares and Penates,
but have accommodated themselves with great cleverness
to the situation. The commandant's house, for instance,
is decorated with bunting, the stars and stripes furnishing
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the walls and ceilings. Boxes and trunks have been neatly
covered with skins of bear and elk, the walls are adorned
with Indian trophies, a~d the whole residence has a truly
martial air about it. A permanent post is in course of construaion, but we rejoice to have seen the log huts with their
military furniture. A mile from the cantonment is a camp of
Indian prisoners. The children, arrayed in nature's garb,
are lying out in the sunlight; women, half clad, are lazily
reclining in the wigwams ; here and there one may be found
engaged on some sort of bead work, but for the most part
they are without occupation, listless, dull and stupid looking. The men are fine specimens of humanity physically,
broad-shouldered, deep-chested, with large square features
and fine muscular development.
We sa\V'"men lying naked in a sweat-tub, a low circular
struaure with a pile of heated stones in a hole in the centre. They were "making medicine," and from the buffalo
skull that grinned in the doorway, we inferred that their incantations had something to do with a hunt. 'vVe also saw
a number of men crowded into a tepee, singing monotonously to the accompaniment of a drum, which they beat
incessantly.
Deprived of their arms and ponies, Sioux prisoners are
regarded as harmless creatures, and do not need to be
strialy guarded. They sometimes- avail themselves in a
curious way of the liberty allowed them, as the following
anecdote shows : A young lady at t~e post was engaged in
front of her mirror the other day,'When she perceived in
the glass the image of a swarthy brave seated on the floor
behind her. Resisting the first impulse to scream, she continued arranging her hair, while another and still another
figure kept appearing in the mirror, until she was surrounded by an admiring circle of Sioux warriors. They had
stolen past the guard, were prowling about the post, and
had entered the room through curiosity to watch the white
squaw at her toilet. Like all Indians, the Sioux make use
of gestures as well as words as a means of communicating
their thoughts. For instance, a chief describing a journey,
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233
lays his head on his elbow three times, points to the west,
and raises and lowers his hand rapidly as he moves it in
front of him, thus indicating that he traveled west for three
days on horseback. And so he continues, but the other
signs are too complicated for one unacquainted with this
mode of speech to interpret readily.
In the evening there is a parade of the regiment, and
four companies appear mounted on Indian ponies. An infantry man with his long musket looks strange enough on
a small Indian pony, but General Miles thinks they will be
very efficient in the field. For two principal reasons they
will be better than the ordinary cavalry. First, because
they are armed with the musket instead of the short carbine which the regulations require the cavalry to carry;
secondly, because, as their ponies are accustomed to living
on prairie grass, there will be no need of having long trains
of pack animals loaded with forage to follow every detachment. They will be superior to infantry from the fact that
they can make forced marches quicker, and with less fatigue to the men.
The difficulties- I had almost said the impossibilitiesof an Indian campaign can not easily be appreciated by
the citizen of an eastern town, who reads the account of
Custer's massacre, with his slippers on the fender, and wonders how regular troops can be overcome by poor, ill-supplied savages, encumbered with wives, children and household goods. A little reflection shows, howe\·er, that the
poor savage has many points in his favor. He is a practised marksman, trained from infancy to the use of arms ;
the soldier until two or three years ago was a laboring man
or a farmer, and during his years of military service has
had but little practice in firing. The Sioux has a number
of ponies, and when one is jaded he jumps upon a second,
driving the others before him, and his animals are satisfied
with the scanty pickings of the prairie. The trooper has
his one horse, on which he is totally dependent, and it must
be fed on good oats, and must be well shod and cared for.
The Indian is a .perfect horseman, can fight on foot or m
VoL. x-No. 3·
30
�234
Across t!ze Continent.
the saddle, and has trained his pony to perfeCt: docility, so
that he will stand fire. The soldier, even if he be a fine
rider, can seldom rely on his horse, so that usually one.
man in four must hold the horses, while the others advance
on foot to deliver their volley. A brave will give anything
for a good rifle; it is his treasure, "dimidium anima!;" the
govt;rnment cannot afford to arm the common soldier with
a crack rifle. There is another very important point to be
considered in criticizing modern engagements. The use of
repeating arms, enabling opposing forces to fire very rapidly, obliges an extension of lines, a widening of intervals,
which leaves each man more of a unit, more dependent on
his own courage and skill than in former times, when we.
read of solid,columns advancing to the attack. Speaking
under correCtion, this must favor the Indian more than
the white man, because regular troops depend upon orders from their officers, and upon the moral support of
standing shoulder to shoulder with comrades. The savage
is by nature a guerilla, and can fight alone or in bands,
as the occasion requires. One thing more, and I have
done with this apology, where apology is hardly needed.
A stern chase is always a long chase, especially when the
leading vessel is the better sailer; and to follow a band of
Indians across the plains is like giving chase on the high
seas.
Leaving Fort Keogh, as the Tongue River post is to be
called, after three days we reached t_he mouth of the Big
Horn. Nearly opposite. the point wh'erl:! this stream empties
into the Yellowstone is ''Pease City," consisting of two very
small houses, and a diminutive block-house for defence
against the Indians. The Big Horn has the same charaCter
as the Yellowstone, only exaggerated. It is a bold, swift,
winding stream, striking on one side against a steep rocky
bluff, and then swerving off between bottom lands, covered
with a thick growth of cottonwood, until it meets similar
hills on the other side of its valley.
I shall never forget the piCturesqueness of the scenery
at the point where we "camped" last night. The boat lay
�f
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235
at the foot of a high sloping bluff, broken by steep ravines,
on whose slanting sides grew a few pines and bushes.
Climbing to the summit of the bluff, the view in all directions was strangely beautiful. The bright moon shed a
lustre over everything, and in its· soft light barren hills
seemed clothed as"'if with velvet.. Far away to the ~est
rose the Big Horn Mountains, looking like a low blue cloud
against the distant sky. In the near distance lay rolling
hills, broken by jagged ravines with here and there a lonely pine standing like our own pickets motionless against
the dark blue background of the Heavens. At our feet lay
the river-the merciless, torrent-like stream-now sweeping
and eddying against a soft, low, yielding bank, carrying
away trees and shrubbery; now boldly dashing against
cliffs of yellow sandstone, then. stretching away in the
bright moonlight, seemingly as quiet and calm as a Jake,
but revealing its true charaB:er in an occasional swirl or
eddy dancing brightly in the shimmer of the moon. Up
the steep hill sides were clambering the boat's crew, with
soldiers to help them, and the sharp stroke of the axe broke·
the quiet stillness of the air,.and broke it not unpleasantly.
There is something strangely impressive to me in the vastness of these upper waters. You are familiar with the
Mississippi at St. Louis, where it is already twelve hundred miles above its mouth-we know the broad Missouri
at Leavenworth, four hundred miles above, and you remember that we reached the Missouri at Bismarck, a thousand
miles still further up. Well, from Bismarck we traveled day
and night for three days, and then we reached a tributary,
the Yellowstone; on the Yellowstone we steamed and
steamed day after day, and still the same broad expanse of
swift waters. And now we are on a branch of the Yellowstone, and still we are on a mighty river. It fairly makes
one's head ache to refleB: upon the unceasing labors of
these waters, and the vastness of their field of work, but
such refleB:ion is a great aid in appreciating the magnitude of nature's design in tearing down and grinding up
mountains to make plains and meadows out of these same
materials, thousands of miles below.
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Confined by steep, enclosing hills, the Big Horn frets
from side to side, sometimes divided into several channels,
sometimes heaping its waters together, and so puzzling the
navigator. Nature did not fashion this stream for steamboat navigation, and the Rosebud had to pay the penalty
of being an intruder. Sometimes she stood perfealy still,
though steaming as hard as possible; sometimes the river
seemed to conquer, and we were borne backwards for a
short distance~ Fortunately, two companies of troops had
embarked on our boat at Tongue River, so we were well
off for men, and fifty or sixty of them would occasionally
be landed to tug us up over a rapid or around some ugly
bend, while the steamer was prevented from grounding by
the use of long spars. Twenty miles the first day, fifteen
the second-;.. the stream is becoming S\vifter and swifter ;
Grant Marsh, energetic Captain as he is, has exhausted himself, and the five miles intervening between us and Fort
Custer promise to occupy an indefinite time. A large part
of the cargo is discharged on shore, to the mortification of
the Captain, and we advance thus lightened to Post No. z,
or Fort Custer, at the mouth of the Little Big Horn. The
site of this fort was determined by the disastrous engagement of General Custer with the Sitting Bull band last summer, and Forts Custer and Keogh, it is thought, will secure
this distria from future invasion by the Sioux, will open up
the country north of the Yellowstone, and will also pave
the way to some extent for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
For unless these forts existed, large'~scorts would have to
accompany and defend parties at work on the road. Fort
Custer lies within the great reservation of the Crow Nation, which extends from the Rocky Mountains on the
west to and beyond the Big Horn River on the east, and
from the 45th parallel of latitude on the south to the Y ellowstone River. The army may protea the territory of
the Crows from their old enemy, the Sioux, but how long
will they be able to keep out the more numerous white
men? From the hills across the Yellowstone, the immigrant will look with longing eyes at the broad meadows
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237
stretching invitingly before him, with their waving grasses
that might so easily be replaced by wheat and oats; and
the rolling uplands, where domestic herds could graze in-·
stead of the now almost extina big-horn, or the few stray
buffaloes that have still survived the wanton destruaion of
the huntsman.
Fort Custer is in process of construaion, part of its garrison, with the commandant, Colonel Buell, having arrived
a month ago. To construa a Fort is to found a colony in
a desert. The troops arrive on the ground, pitch their
tents, and then what is to be done next? Where is the
material to be obtained? How is it to be brought to the
spot? How shaped and fashioned? The vicinity of Fort
Custer affords nothing but cottonwood, so this must be the
chief building material. A young officer is sent some distance up the Little Big Horn with a detachment of men,
who fell the trees and float logs down as fast as possible.
The commanding officer, Colonel Buell, was an engineer
officer during the War, and, to judge by the aspea of his
post, he is glad to find aaive occupation. A portable steam
saw-mill has been brought up by boat, and is now cutting
ten thousand· feet of lumber a day. A brickyard is also in
full operation, and by the time winter sets in, there will be
a neat square set of buildings up on the Lluff, one hundred
feet above the river. The cottonwood is not durable for
building purposes, but it is the only building material
available. Some twenty miles from Fort Custer, on th~
Little Big Horn River, is the spot where Custer and his
three hundred fell last July, paying with their lives for the
reckless daring of their ambitious commander. Two days
in the rear of Custer was a column of more than two thousand infantry, a force more than sufficient to cope with Sitting Bull's band of Sioux. Custer's cavalry was designed
to aa as an auxiliary force, but their commander, wishing
to reap all the honors of the campaign, and impatient of
the necessarily slow movements of an infantry body, pressed
forward to attack the Indians. Confident of an easy .victory, and desirous of completely annihilating the Sioux, he
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committed the further mistake of dividing his regiment into three portions, that they might attack the Indian village
from different direaions. The story is only too well known
-how the gallant three hundred fell round their chief, and
how the other detachments were only saved from a similar
fate by a prudent retreat, an entrenched camp, and the arrival of the advance guard of the infantry column.
The descent of the Big Horn was as rapid as the ascent
had been slow, but proportionally more dangerous. The
waters seemed to carry the boat whithersoever they wished,
at one time threatening to dash us head foremost against a
bold, rocky cliff, at another sweeping us sideways down a
straight stretch between two islands. Then o·ur boat would
catch in sqme projeaing ·sand-bar, and, swinging round,
we would4drift stern foremost down the stream. If steering up stream was a mystery, what can be said of guiding
a vessel down the Big Horn? A vague suspicion crossed
my mind that we were not being steered, but that our Captain trusted to Providence and to the tightness of his boat.
Be that as· it may, the military authorities on board were·
thoroughly satisfied that the Big Horn is not a navigable
stream, and a depot is to be opened on the Yellowstone,·
whence supplies will be conveyed to the post by wagon.
The-navigation of these upper waters is only attempted, of
course, in the spring and summer, when the melted snows
have filled the channels; and even then, as we have exP.erienced, it is both slow and difficult.
At the mouth of the Big Horn we.parted company with
the Rosebud, which landed us on the north bank of the
Yellowstone. There a military escort was waiting to accompany our party westward.
Our horses were soon saddled, and, though it was well
on in the afternoon, we set forward at once. The road leads
back from the river for a little distance, then rises on to the
bluff, and continues along the height parallel to the stream.
As we ascend from the valley, a storm, which has been
brewing for some time, breaks upon us. Hail and rain beating in <;me's face, the wind blowing hard and cold from the
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239
northwest, the dry alkali prairie converted in a few minutes
to a muddy paste, a horse fresh as his rider to such an experience, and insisting upon a dog trot instead of a fair
walk, the prospeCl: of lying all night on that wet ground,
all this dampens the ardor of the tyro, and he sees that
the Rosebud's cabin was not such an uncomfortable place
after all. When we go into camp a few miles further on,
and our tent is pitched in a drizzling rain, he walks along
the edge of the bluff watching the river winding below,
seeking consolation in the view which the deepening shadows, together with the dark rain clouds, are fast narrowing.
He almost ran against a smooth, square stake, and, stooping to see. what purpose it served there, what was his astonishment to read in pencil charaCl:er on one side, "Jefferson St.," and on the other "Montgomery St." Yes, he was
in the midst of a town. Already (in the imagination of its
founders) hotels, stores and dwellings adorn the corners of
Jefferson and Montgomery streets, and town lots are selling
at so much a front foot in Big Horn City.
Next day the weather is clear and fine, we make an early
start, and I have a chance of becoming better acquainted
with our escort. What a surprise it is to the uninitiated to
see a company of cavalry on the march after they have
been campaigning for some months. Keeping in mind the
piCl:ures you have seen of the Franco-Prussian war, or the
mounted troops one sometimes sees on parade in the East,
let me try to describe Company L., Second U. S. Cavalry.
Their horses are light and dark bay, sorrel, roan-of diverse
shades,-anything but uniform. The men have thrown off
their overcoats, and coats as well, for the sun is beginning
to beat down fiercely. Some carry their coats at the pommel, and others at the cantle of their saddles, rolled in the
neat regulation fashion, or dangling at full length about
their horses' flanks. Their trowsers are blue, and this marks
the soldier; their shirts, however, are of every shade, red,
blue and gray, and their hats white, black or brown. The
faces of the men are brown and weatherbeaten, their whiskers in various stages of shagginess. Every bit of metal
�Across the Continent.
about them, however, on carbine and pistol, buckle and button, is bright and clean, and the feeling grows upon me that
they have seen more of the reality than of the showy part
of a soldier's life. In faa, they look like a party of Texan
rangers or of backwoodsmen, but not like regular troops
in aaive service, as we imagine they should look.
Our second night on the plains was spent at Pompey's
Pillar, so named by Captain Clarke. A ridge of sandstone
stretches from the north to the Yellowstone, and the river,
instead of flowing round the extreme point of this ridge,
has cut through, leaving an isolated mass on the plain on
the south side of the stream. The great hill looks romantic enough in its loneliness, and affords a fine view of the
surrounding country from its summit. Pompey's Pillar is
well desc~ibed in Captain Clarke's journal. "It is nearly two
hundred paces in circumference, two hundred feet high, and
accessible only from the northeast, the other sides consisting of perpendicular -cliffs of a light-colored, gritty stone.
The low grounds of the river extended nearly six miles to
the southward, when they rose into plains reaching to the
mountains. The north side of the river for some distance is
here surrounded by jutting, romantic cliffs, succeeded by
ragged hills, beyond. which the plains are again open and
extensive."
Our route is marked by a wagon trail, very distina, but
without bridges or cuttings. We follow the ravines, or
'coolies,' to their head, and sometimes are obliged to make
long detours from the course of ·th~ river. On the third
day, especially, we were forced some miles to the north of
the Yellowstone, high on the uplands, much to my delight,
for from the ridge a fine view was gained. To the north lay
the Bull Mountains, separated from us by range after range
of rolling hills, covered with tall grass, and here and there
a grove of pine trees in the sheltered ravines. To the south,
far away, glistened the summits of the Big Horn Mountains, covered with snow even now, whilst near by lay the
broad valley of the Yellowstone, with its fine meadows and
gro":es of cottonwood. The southern side of the Yell ow-
�Across t!ze Continmi.
stone would have afforded us a more direCt: and' an easier
route, but there are no bridges, and the stream is too deep
to ford with wagons. Hitherto we had seen but one buffalo, and that at a great distance; it was with great excitement that I perceived a stray buffalo moving in a direCl:ion
such as forced him to cross our trail at some distance in
front of us. Two or three of the soldiers were ordered to
give chase, and as we were moving on a level plateau we
enjoyed a good view of the hunt. The huge beast was well
aware of his danger, and with his massy head lowered he
ran at no mean speed. The soldiers gained steadily on
him, however, and fired as their horses ran. Every shot
took effeCt:, and at the fourth the buffalo tumbled to the
prame. Riding slowly to the spot, we found the men busy
over their prize ; one wished to secure the tongue, a second
the heart, a third some other chosen tit-bit, while the quartermaster's sergeant, a butcher by trade, soon arrived, and
began to strip off the hide and quarter the carcass, loading
the meat into one of the wagons. The buffaloes formerly
ranged in summer from Texas to the northern boundary of
our territories, but since the completion of the Union Pacific railroad they are said to be divided into two great
herds, one of which, the northern herd, never passes below
that road. In the summer it wanders north beyond the
boundary of British America, and probably the bull we had
just seen slain was a straggler on his way northward. 'vVe
saw no more buffaloes, and very little other game on the
Yellowstone. A few large rabbits and some deer were met
with, but we secured no venison for our mess, on account
of the shyness and swiftness of the deer. \Vhen Lewis and
Clarke passed through this country it was swarming with
game; elk, big-horns, deer and bear were then common,
but the huntsmen have done their work well, and game is
now too scarce and too wild for any but skilful and patient
plainsmen to hope for a shot. Travelers, as we were, making our regular day's march the first and chief objeCt:, we
could hope for little amusement or sport with the rifle.
Though the prairies may be stripped of game, and the pic-
VoL. x-No. 3.
31
�Across the Continent.
turesque tepees of the Indians replaced by the log cabins
of the whites, though waving grasses must yield to the
plow, and stately pine groves fall under the axe, the beauty
of this rolling country can never be destroyed, and the view
of the mountains will remain unchanged. Looking to the
west, as we ride back to rejoin our party, clear cut against
a bright blue sky, standing out prominent and distinct in
the pure air, rise the Rocky Mountains. Why is it that
the sight of a mountain range sends a thrill of admiration
tingling through one's veins? You may see many pictures
of more rugged peaks without the slightest feeling; you
may read volumes about mountains, and find the volumes
as dry as a German commentator on the classics, but let a
man see a reat~ountain before his eyes, rising up like a
wall to imped~ his progress, and a dim idea of vastness and
majesty will fl~~t into his brain, and arouse a feeling of awe
and wonder.
\Ve camped the next night at the Hot Springs of Hunter's ranche, a locality well known in Montana. The waters
are very hot when they issue from the ground, though they
are tempered before being admitted to the bath. Of course,
they are said to be very beneficial for many diseases, but
the remoteness of the locality renders them of little service
at present. No doubt they are destined to be famous in the
future; and already there is a large bath-house with a swimming pool, of which we availed ourselves, enjoying the
swim, and finding the water agreeably spft and pleasant to
the skin. Montana has many such springs, but none, I believe, is more liked than Hunter's.
Two days' more marching, and we have followed the
Yellowstone to the point where it debouches from the
Rocky Mountains, a clear, sparkling stream, one hundred
yards in width, full of lively trout, and glancing and gleaming .along over its rocks as merry as a little brook. Its
character is that of a brook, but, issuing from such a mountain range, its volume and swiftness must give evidence of
its ongm. Glancing back down its valley, we see that its
main course is northeast, until many hundred miles below
�Across the Continmt.
243
tt JOinS the Missouri, in the forty-eighth parallel of latitude, or very near our northern boundary line. Its main
tributaries enter from the south, Clarke's Fork, the Big
Horn, the Rose Bud, Powder and Tongue Rivers, all large
streams, draining the lofty Big Horn Mountains. Its valley
is from two to eight miles wide, and this land can all be
readily cultivated. The hills and plateaus above will afford
fine grazing, and doubtless this country was designed by
nature to be a vast pasture for the flocks and herds of the
white man. Like all valleys on the eastern slope of the
Rocky Mountains, the want of timber detracts much from
its beauty, and renders the scenery at times dreary and monotonous. But as we approach the mountains, it becomes
more diversified, groves of pines cling to the sides of the
ravines, and there are more glades and wooded districts.
Up to the mouth of the Big Horn there are no settlements
except the occasional bivouac of a woodsman, who cuts
cord wood for the steamers that bring supplies to the military posts. The few ranchemen that are established near
the mountains rejoice in fine cattle and good vegetables,
and other pioneers will doubtless soon follow their example
in settling this country. We have not seen or heard of a
hostile Indian since we embarked on the river, and now that
the Sioux problem is practically solved by the establishment of large posts, settlers may feel comparatively secure.
The Crow nation "has always been friendly to the whites, so
from them immigrants will have nothing to fear.
The climate is certainly trying. At night the thermometer sinks very low, and when reveille calls the sleeper from
his hard bed, crawling from under a warm buffalo robe, he
finds no overcoat too warm to keep out the chill of the
morning. Once in the saddle, however, the beams of the
rising sun having begun to sparkle among the dew-drops
on the bunch-grass, overcoats are laid aside, and before long
you begin to wish for shade and the cool of evening again.
The heat at noonday is oppressive. For some distance
from the mountains the Y ellow~tone is full of fine trout.
They bite greedily, preferring grasshoppers to any artificial
�244
Fifty Years Ago.
fly. No reel is required in taking them, but an ordinary
pole and line suffice. More or less caution is, of course,
necessary in concealing oneself, but it requires no expert
angler to enjoy an hour's fishing here. Sometimes a fine
big fellow will drag hook, line and all with him, but, as a
general thing, they can be landed safely without much playing. Our party stopped for a noon rest, when lunch and a
nap were in order. Even at that unfavorable time, it was
no little sport to spend an hour on the river's brink, and
we seldom returned to camp without a fair string of speckled
beauties. Even if they had had a surfeit of grasshoppers,
and declined the offered bait, it was charming to watch them
sporting in the clear water, with its dancing surface always
changing, but-~lways the same.
I shall wri~~ to you again from the National Park, the
Geyser country, or \Vonderland, as it is variously called.
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
I.-SOME LETTERS OF FR. F. GRIVEL.
Father Fidele de Grivel was born of a distinguished family of Franche-Comte, December I7, 1769. He was already
a priest, when he resolved to join the .Fathers of the Sacred Heart. Father Varin writes of him: "I must say .a
word about our little Society and its plans. I say Society;
for such it really is. There are six of us, and a seventh,
who is the Abbe de Grivel, will speedily join us. He was
this winte"r at Friburg, and I have seen him several times.
He is an angel. Five of the six have been in the army."
Father Grivel became a member of that Society in 1794,
entering upon his novitiate at Leutershofen, not far from
Augsburg, and shared the varying fortunes of that body
until I 803, when he was r~eived into the Society of Jesus
in Russia. The strength of his religious vocation, mid his
�Some Letters of Father
./<~
Grivel.
245
firm resolve to persevere in it, were shown in a remarkable
manner, when, on the death of Father de Tournely in 1797,
the struggling association of the Fathers of the Faith was
deprived of its head, whose guidance seemed indispensable.
Father Grivel was minister of the house, and, assembling
the community around their founder's death-bed, he said
with courage and confidence which could come only from
on high: "My brethren, the Lord demands a most painful sacrifice from us; He strikes at the most sensitive part
of our hearts ; but let us not imagine that He will desert
His little flock; Nolite timere, pusillus grex. He snatches
away the best of parents, for whom we had too much natural affeCtion. God wishes to show us that He stands in
need of no man to accomplish His designs, and that He
can carry them on to a successful issue by the feeblest instruments just as well as by those who seemed to be best
fitted for the purpose. Courage, then ; let us be of confident heart; it is not without a purpose that God has brought
us together, and given us such signal marks of His protection; let us correspond with His intentions, and let us promise, over the dead body of our Father, that we will never
separate, and that we will be faithful to our vocation." Admitted into the Novitiate, Fr. Grivel, speaks with enthusiasm of the life led at Polocz: '_'The fervor which reigns
here claims my unbounded admiration; we have too much
happiness. I live amongst angels in a land of benediCtion ;
venite et 7Jz"dete. Cheerfulness, modesty, simplicity, exaCt
observance of the rule, union of hearts, charity, the spirit
of Jesus Christ,-these are the marks of our novice life,
and these excite my admiration." The quiet retirement of
Polocz was soon exchanged for aCtive missionary life
among the German colonies that the Russian government
had planted along the Volga. An interesting account of
his labors at Krasnopolis is given by Fr. Grivel in a letter
to a friend at Paris (CARAYON- Documents sur Ia Compagnie de Jesus, xx, 6). Recalled to St. Petersburg, he taught
Rhetoric in the College established by the Society in that
city, until the Jesuits were expelled from the two capitals of
�Fifty Years Ago.
the Russian Empire, in I8I5, when he returned to France.
In the following year, Fr. Brzozowski appointed him Visitor
to England, from which country he was accompanied back
to France by Father Simpson. Shortly afterwards Father
Simpson became Provincial of France, and Fr. Grivel, as
Socius to him and to his successor in that office, Father
Richardot, was of great assistance in regulating the affairs
of the Province. He was a member of the Twentieth General Congregation, which ·in I 820 eleB:ed Father Louis
Fortis, General of the Society, and during its deliberations
he signalized his zeal for religious discipline, and his attachment to the Institute. He taught theology at Paris and
Stonyhurst for some years, and then, being sent to Maryland, he filled· the office of Master of Novices with zeal and
edification (Feb. 22, I83I-Dec. I6, I834); after three years
spent upon the Mission at St. Inigoes as assistant to Father
Carbery, he was appointed Spiritual Father at Georgetown
College, where he died, June 26, I842, in the 73rd year of
his age. During the later years of his stay in the United
States, his family wrote several letters urging him to return
to France. Father Grivel's only answer was, that being a
religious and a child of obedience, he would return if he
should receive an order to that effeCt:, but that he should
never manifest the slighte~t desire for it, as he did not wish
to interfere with the designs of Providence in his regard.
.
To tlte Rev. Nicltolas Sewall, (I) Catltol;c Cltapel, Worcester.
~
30th May, I832. Long. East of White Marsh, Meridian
at Washington, 0° 20', lat. N. 38° 59'·
\VHITE MARSH, PRINCE GEORGE Co.,
QuEEN ANN's PosT OFFICE, MD.
REVEREND AND MosT REVERED DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
The letter of yr Rev., dated the 4th of March, reached
our delightful solitude the 5th instant, and, of course, was
(LJ Dr. Oliver, in his notice of the late Father Nicholas Sewall, a native of
Maryland, b)lt a very eminent member of the English Province, and once its
�Some Letters of Father F. Grivel.
247
extremely welcome, not only to me, who am very grateful
for your kind remembrance, but to our good Novices, to
whom I hastened to impart it. Out of twelve Scholastics,
seven are Americans; and they were really proud to hear
that the oldest of all living American Jesuits had been
pleased to give them his love. I assure you that since then
they have prayed very hard for your Rev., according to
your request; but be confident that they did not wait for
your letter to discharge their duty in that respect; because
your late brother, Father Charles Sewall, is very well known,
and your family, too. Moreover, they have in the College
the two hundred and odd exhortations of Father Charles
Plowden, copied in your own hand; consequently, how
would it be possible not to know, or to forget, or not to
pray for good Fr. Nicholas Sewall ?
No doubt, I will remember yr Rev. by and by to all our
Fathers in the Eastern Mission of the United States, and
especially to Father Francis Neale, the only survivor of
all your friends of Liege, in the Society. Rev. Mr. William
Matthews is a Liegean, one, too, parish priest at \Vashington
City, and our friend. Fr. Neale is seventy-six years old, and
no infirmities, except a shaking in his hands, which prevents
him from writing. He is a Missioner at St. Thomas's Manor,
near Port Tobacco, goes to the sick calls (in his carriage),
says the last Mass, and preaches after Mass almost every
Sunday ;-and that, after having heard confessions from six
Provincial, who died in the year 1834, aged 89, after speaking of him as a man
of regular and retired habits, much given to prayer and mortification, yet always cheerful and obliging, adds: "The progress and prosperity of our holy
religion was the object nearest and dearest to his heart, and indeed he had
great cause to rejoice, especially when he witnessed the wonderful propagation
of the Catholic faith in his native land. When the United States of America
were subject to the English rule, the very exercise of the Catholic religion
was degraded, proscribed, and persecuted; but no sooner had these States established their independence of the mother country, than they proclaimed
universal liberty of conscience, and afforded religion itself fair play. Father
Sewall survived to behold Baltimore erected into a Metropolitan See, with
eleven suffragan bishoprics. I have heard him say that he remembered the
time when the Catholics had not even a private room in Baltimore where they
were suffered to assemble for prayer; and he lived to see it embellished with
a noble Catholic cathedral and seven Catholic parish churches, with bells inviting the numerous faithful to the celebration of their religious rites."-Recor<hl of the English Province, vol. III, p. 321.
�Fifty Years Ago.
or seven o'clock in the morning; good appetite, cheerful,
Professed of three vows. His Church is an elegant one,
built by your brother Charles (who is buried there, anno
1805), and blessed by Archbishop Carroll. I was there the
winter before the last, to help Father Francis at Christmas.
Since last fall and the sickness of seven Novices, the devil
has left us in peace, and our noviceship has proceeded very
regularly. I expea, from the infinite mercy of Almighty
God, that not a single one will leave the noviceship, but all
will take the vows. In September eight Scholastics will be
sent either to the study-house or to the College, and ·I will
remain with four only. ;But I was told that four candidates
of our College, boys or auxiliaries, are ready to enter the
N oviceship,--:-perhaps six. This supply, and a French
priest from J);entucky, who will join us in August with
three or four Belgians, who perhaps have already sailed
from Antwerp, will make a pretty little novitiate. Pray
Almighty God and St. Ignatius to give them perseverance
in their design; the Blessed Virgin shall bless us.
I thank very much your Rev. for the good news of Portugal; but for that very reason the infidels will say that
Don Miguel is a double and treble monster. I wish the
whole of France and of Europe to be filled with such monsters. White Marsh, formerly called Carroll's Burgh,< 1l is situated on a hill about one hundred feet high; on the top is a
fine Church of stone, 95 by 36 feet; an organ; here is its
shape [A pen piaure of the church is··given, with the criticism :-'Very bad draught']. Besides the Church, there are
frame buildings for twenty Novices and two Missioners,
with two spare rooms for guests; kitchen, refeaory, stable,
an orchard, a garden, nothing else. The top of the hill,
which is conveniently planted with trees, may be five hundred feet long and four hundred wide-almost round.
Eastward, at the foot of the hill, is a plain, from west to east,
half a n1ile broad, and a mile and a half long, with mead(l)About the year 1760, James Carroll went from Ireland with Father John
Ashton, bought this estate, was a bachelor, and gave White :Marsh to a nephew of his, '!ho was a Jesuit.
�Some Letters of Father F Gn"vel.
249
ows, fields of tobacco, some wheat, a little more rye, plenty
of Indian corn. The soil is too sandy, fit only for tobacco,
corn and vineyards; but of the last we have as yet none.
By and by we will plant them, and the vines will succeed.
Half a mile from the hill, eastward, and over the plain, runs
the Patuxent, from north to south, with a good wooden
bridge, called Priest's Bridge; it is on the road to Baltimore
and Annapolis. 'White Marsh is fourteen miles from the
latter town, thirty-three from the former, twenty-two from
\Vashington westward, twenty-five from Georgetown, seventeen southwest from Upper Marlborough, and eight from
Queen Ann southward. It has about four thousand acres,
of which one thousand is a very poor sandy soil. vVe have
two farms and one hundred and four slaves, men, women
and children. The farms were entirely ruined eight years
ago by bad administration; now, Father Aloysius Mudd,
who is a good farmer, has paid all the debts- about
$IO,ooo-but has not as yet been able to make any fresh
improvements. By and by he will drain the low lands
along the Patuxent, and have meadows for two hundred
head of cattle and fifty horses; he will also build a mill,
with three or four stones. When done (but for that he needs
a capital of $8,ooo), White Marsh would have an annual
income of $5,ocio, instead of $z,ooo, which is the actual
revenue in tobacco alone, and besides these $5,000, he will
maintain a community of twenty-five religious, the farms,
and over one hundred blacks, even with clothes.
I asked Father Mudd about a trial of Cobbett's corn, and
of Egyptian wheat. He accepted the offer, with thanks to
your Reverence. He said, however, that the latter was tried,
as related in the America?Z Farmer, without success, but he
will try it again. Only as a good procurator, he fears the
expense of the freight from England to Baltimore; but,
hoping that you will quiet his fears, I pray direct the parcel
to E. ]. Willson & Snowden, General Commission Merchants and Planters' Agents, No.4 Bowly's Wharf, Baltimore.
Although I am very well pleased here with the country,
VoL. x-No. 3·
32
�250
Fifty Years Ago.
the inhabitants and my office,-or rather offices, being more
than half a Missionary, having heard last year more than
six hundred confessions of the congregation, and three
hundred of our Religious,-nevertheless, I think very often
on my friends of \Vorcester, Stonyhurst and London.
Rev. Father Kenney started from our College of St. Louis,
Missouri, about the 25th of April, and arrived at Bardstown, Ky., the I sth of May. There he was to give a retreat
to the clergy of the diocese, by invitation of Bishop Flaget,
and his Coadjutor, Bishop David; he was, moreover, to inspect there as Visitor, the first beginning of the College of
French Jesuits, called by the Bishop, and sent by Father
General. There are now only three Priests, but they have
written for some seven or eight more from France. The
Superior is F~ther John Peter Chazelle. Fr. Kenney will
perhaps give inother retreat at.Cincinnati, Ohio. He is expected to be at Georgetown aboutthe end of June. My opillion is that Fr. Kenney is not to remain in America, but that
his presence will be necessary here for two or three years
more, especially because it seems probable that the Mission will be very soon erected into a Province, and he, very
likely, will be the first Provincial. Archbishop Whitfield
is visiting upper Maryland, and will be at White Marsh in
June to give Confirmation, and to confer Tonsure and Minor
Orders on our Novices. He continues to be very kind to
the Society, and is in good health. Protestants are in a
great alarm, and enraged against us, esp,ecially in Maryland,
on account of the rapid progress of G<1tholicity, which the
sectarians cannot prevent. Father Rector of Georgetown
will begin next month a large building (cellar, basement,
two stories above, and· a large garret) one hundred and
twenty feet long and thirty broad, to join the new to the
old College,-expenses, $20,000. But it will do for two
hundred and thirty boarders. Now they have one hundred
and twenty-seven, and only two places vacant. Pray for us
and our Novices. I am, with great esteem, and regard,
Revnd Father,
Your humble servant in Christ,
Fm.
GRIVEL,
S.
J.
�Some Letters of Father F. Grivel.
2 5I
Poor old Mr. Wharton is continually tortured by his conscience in his parsonage near Trenton, New Jersey. His
cook, a good Irish Catholic woman, fell dangerously sickno priest at hand. "Although I am now a Parson," says
Mr. \Vharton to her, "l am a Catholic Priest, and can give
you absolution in your case." She made her confession,
and he absolved her. Did she die or not, I dont know.
The fact is true. \Ve heard it from Mr. Wharton, his
nephew, a good Catholic, and a magistrate at Washington
City. Pray for poor Mr. \Vharton, formerly your fellowcollegian at Liege.
Did the cholera reach Stonyhurst, or sweep away some
of our Fathers and Brothers? What do you think of my
English?
To the Same.
C.
9th July, 1833.
GEORGETOWN CoLLEGE, D.
REVEREND AND MosT DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Being for a few days in this College, to take leave of our
Rev. Fr. Visitor and Superior, Fr. Kenney, whom our M.
R. Father General recalls to Ireland, I am now able to pay
your Rev. my debt for the two very kind letters of July 22,
1832, and January 16, 1833. I say, of course, mea maxima
culpa, for having been so negligent in discharging my duty
of an answer. Now, beginning with the most important
affair under Heaven, the salvation of a soul, I could not ascertain whether R. M. Wharton of Burlington, New Jersey,
has received your letter of July, 1833. I asked a few days
ago the Hon. Mr. \Vharton, his nephew, who is living at
Washington City; he knows nothing about that. But his
uncle is sinking very fast; he has given up preaching. His
grand-nephew, the son of our Mr. Wharton, paid him a
visit a few weeks ago, as he was passing that way. The
old man spoke with him out of the window, and made many
difficulties to admit him; however, he did for a night, and
the conversation could not fail to be on religion. I think
it would be proper to write him again, directing to Burlington, N.J.
�Fifty Years Ago.
2ndly, For Cobbett's Indian corn, and Turkish or Egyptian wheat, I could not prevail on Fr. Al. Mudd to make a
trial. His father, grandfather, mother, grandmother, etc.,
being born in Maryland, he farms as he has seen them farming, as all the neighbors are farming. I could hardly persuade him even to graft some apple trees, etc. In reading,
he consults his favorite work, The American Farmer; that is
his agricultural gospel. Now, there is not a word in it of
Douay's Indian corn, or Egyptian wheat; however, I keep
your information for better circumstances.
3rdly, I heard nothing about the vineyard of Mr. C. Carroll, of Carrollton; but there are in some places many good
vineyards, and in Pennsylvania, a German made a fortune
selling his native wine. Fr. Rector of this College planted
an acre four years ago, and has succeeded well. We will
do the same at the Marsh, and very soon.
4thly, vVe are accustomed here to the idea of cholera;
we make scarcely a difference between it and influenza,
or' small-pox. It is not at all extinCt:, and is returning
from the \Vest to the East. It has reached the boundaries of Maryland near Wheeling. Rev. W. Byrne, President
of St. Mary's Seminary, Lebanon, Washington Co., Ky.,
where seven French Jesuits and priests are living, died last
June of the Cholera in seven hours. He had given two
years ago his Seminary, worth $ IO,ooo, to Bishop Flaget,
for the French Jesuits. Now they are able to teach the
schools there---90 boarders and 7 half-poarders. An Irish
Jesuit, but belonging to the Provine~ of France, is with
them: his name is Me Guire, an able professor of Natural
Philosophy. They are independent of our Province of Maryland, and belong to the French Province. I said Province
of Maryland: by a decree of our M. R. Fr. General, of the
2nd February, 1833, the Mission of the Eastern United
States is erecred into a Province, called the Province of
Maryland. On the 5th, Fr. Wm. Me Sherry, a Virginian, was
appointed Provincial. Yesterday, he was installed by the
Rev. Fr. Visitor, who will leave us to-morrow, and embark
the first week of August, at New York for Ireland. The
�Some Letters of Fat/zer F. Grivel.
253
Mission of Missouri has its own Superior-Fr: de Theux,
a Liegean: it is independent of Md. or Ky. The Superior
of Kentucky is Fr. J.P. Chazelle. An eighth French Jesuit,
Fr. Petit, is vicar of the Cathedral at Bardstown, and preaches well in English. They have a Novitiate; how many
novices, I dont know; methinks, four or five, among whom
two French priests, forty-one and forty-three years of age,
who know English very well. The College of St. Louis,
Missouri, has been ereCted by the Legislature into an University :-75 boarders, and about 40 half-boarders.
5thly, Your prayer against War, Pestilence, &c, has been
printed here, and spread everywhere. The cholera did not
reach Prince George, Charles and St. Mary's counties; but
at \Vashington, about 2,000; at Georgetown, ~ot above 400:
among them, remarkably few Catholics-only 50 at Georgetown. Thirty Protestants died Catholics; some fifteen recovered, and remained Catholics-at Georgetown, there are
2,500 Catholics; at Washington, four or five thousand.
6thly, Georgetown College is going extremely well.
Boarders, 148; half-boarders, 12. Since the dispensation
granted by the Pope, of taking Mi1terval, or money, for day
scholars in the United States, there is the projeCt: in earnest
to set up again the Seminary at Washington, in the same
and very proper place, without any harm for Georgetown
College. We are proprietors at Philadelphia of St. Joseph's
Church, and of a large, handsome house adjoining it. Two
Jesuits took again possession of both, at the entreaties of
Bishop Kenrick, and are doing well.
St. Francis Xavier, of whom we had, in the Novena, March
4, 1832, begged six scholastic novices at least, sent us
ten : Belgians, five; Germans, two; Americans, two; and a
Frenchman. Last March, we begged the same.-Now, a
German and a Belgian having left last Easter, by want of
Vocation, the good St. Francis sent three, a German, a Bel·gian, and a fine, Irish, talented young man of Derry. Ten
of the former Novices having taken their Vows, we are now
twelve Scholastics at the Marsh, among whom five Priests,- four Belgians and a German, -and four good Irish Lay
Brothers.
�254
Fifty Years Ago.
There is nothing remarkable about the increase of Catholicity in the United States. Catholicity is gaining ground
without any doubt; this is evident from the frequent challenges made to Catholic Clergymen by the parsons, who
seem to be blind to their own interests: or will support their
declining influence, and cover up their exposure, by making noise, and raising money for Temperance, Missionary,
Tract, Bible, and other Societies. They do a great deal
of harm to simpletons, to vain and bigoted ladies. I hope
the husbands will stop their expenses in favor of their hypocrite parsons, who are all Deists, or worse. Bishop Fenwick
of Boston, in his Sentinel, or The Jesuit, and seven or eight
other newspapers, expose them continually.
· .1 am, respectfully, R. Father,
'
Yr. most h. serv. in Christ,
·Fm. GRIVEL.
To tlze Same.
\VHITE MARSH, 31 March, 1834.
REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
I am very glad to give information to your Rev., that the
box with Cobbett's Indian corn arrived safe, and in the best
preservation. I received it a few days ago, with your letter
of Dec. 30. Fr. Aloysius Mudd having been sent to Newtown, Charles County, where he is now Missioner and
Procurator, is succeeded here by Fr. Ignatius Combs, who
has not the same prejudices against new· things ; and he will
try Cobbet's corn first in our garden, according to the prescriptions which you were so kind as to send me. Mr.
Notley Young, our neighbor, a wealthy and very good
Catholic, will make the same trial. I expect others of our
Fathers at St. Thomas's Manor and St. Inigoes, that is, FF.
Francis Neale and Carbery, will do the same the present
year, the season being early, the trees having as yet no leaves.
Next year I will try too at Frederick Town, Maryland, where
the Novitiate will move in the course of June, and where I
beg of yo~ to direct letters for me,-St.John's Church.
�Some Letters of Father F. Gri·vel.
255
Frederick is a town of 6,ooo inhabitants, like Georgetown.
The soil is very rich; they neglea tobacco for wheat and
corn. The country is not"hilly. However, five miles from the
town begins the first line of Alleghany Mountains, and at
that place we have fifty-five acres of woodland, with an
abundant spring; a frame or log house will be built there
for our Villa.
The Society had an establishment at Frederick in the year
1760, four years after Fr. James Pellentz had founded the
Mission at Conewago in Pennsylvania, forty miles from Frederick; but it has since improved, not in lands, but importance. Fr. John Me Elroy, an Irishman, opened a school;
now he has a College, with five Professors and ninety students: no boarders as yet. In order to conceive better the
matter, I'll draw a clear, although a bad plan of the whole.
[The plan represents, with very slight difference, the present state of affairs.] There is a rail-road from Baltimore to
Frederick, 63 miles-fare $ 1.80, and we can get every day
fresh fish, oysters, etc., and all the other articles to be found
in the largest towns.
Near, but not adjoining our Novitiate, we have two lots
-one of four acres, the other of twelve, rich soil for wheat.
Fr. Provincial, \Vm Me Sherry, has just now purchased for
$6,ooo the new house south of the New Church, and the
College will be transferred thither; and the Novices will occupy the old house; when the new Church, which is 156
feet long, of stone, in the form of a Latin cross, will be finished, the old one will become our oratory, &c. It is contemplated to build a Seminary or Scholasticate. The old
College will be ready in June for the Novices. The school
has three stories, and is of brick, as are all the other buildings-grand and nice. Your Reverence conceives the great
advantages for the Novitiate to be in a town, for catechizing,
visiting the poor-house, prisons, hospitals, etc.
The Province is going on well. I have fourteen,Scholastic novices, and among them are three priests; but two of
them, and t\vo priests will go next month to Missouri.
However, I reckon that St. Francis Xavier will send others
in their place.
�Fifty Years Ago.
Unfortunate Wharton died impenitent last August. The
Episcopalians, of course, made a great eulogy of him in
the newspapers: but Mr. Wharton of Washington, a nephew
of the deceased, published a refutation of the Eulogy, deploring the apostasy of his uncle, but in decent and appropriate, not abusive terms.
Fr. Francis Neale is declining by old age, although not
sick: he is ten years younger' than your Reverence. Please
God to keep you in good health, till you join your friends
in heaven. Our Novices here are not forgetful of you in
their prayers.
I am with great esteem and regard, in union with your
prayers and the merits of your sufferings and infirmities,
Reverend Father,
_" of your Rev. the humble serv't in Xt.
.•
F. GRIVEL,
s. J.
P. S. Although Father J. Me Elroy built one half of the
Novitiate, his school-house for $3,000, the house for the
Sisters of Charity (who have now 40 boarders) for $3,000,
and his own Church for \11'20,000,-yet we have no income
here; but he is a man of God, and gets in charity every year
.about $22,000. The Novitiate, however, wants to have a
perpetual foundation. Our plantation of Conewago will be
united-to the Novitiate, with the obligation to support three
Missionaries at Conewago.
To Father :Joseph Tnstram, Worc(ster, England.
ST. INIGOES MANOR, MARYLAND,
March
10,
1835.
REVEREND FATHER JOSEPH,
P. C.
Finally I'll pay my debt, being ashamed to have delayed
nine or ten months. I received your kind letter of March
18, 1834, with the sad news of the demise of our good Father Nicholas Sewall. I have got his parcels of Cobbet's
corn: it succeeded very well, spite of the little care taken
of it by ~ur procurator at White Marsh, but I saved an ea·r,
�Some Letters of Father F. Grivel.
257
and I will myself see to the planting and cultivation of it,
because I have more leisure here, and Fr. Joseph Carbery,
our Superior and Procurator, is more partial to European
fashions than many others. It is indeed to be wondered at,
that the Americans, a new-born nation, are almost as tenacious of their customs, as the Chinese of theirs, three thousand years old. I do not disapprove entirely of it; because
every nation must have its own features : but they go too far
in many things, especially in farming; and in pronunciation,
whilst they profess to conform to \Valker's DiCtionary, in
praCtice they follow their own way.
I spread as far as I could the painful news of Father
Sewall's death, in order to have him recommended to the
Holy Sacrifices and prayers of his fellow-Jesuits, friends and
relations ; and I succeeded.
A fortnight ago I accompanied Father Carbery to Mettapany-Sewall, sixteen miles north of St. Inigoes. We have
there a congregation of six hundred communicants (in 1817
there were only one hundred, and Father Carbery made five
hundred more, the most part Protestants), with a chapel
better than the old one at Stonyhurst. It is called St. Nicholas' Church. The Sewalls are great benefaCtors to it. Mettapany, an Indian name, is situated on a hill on the south
side of the Patuxent river, about two miles above its mouth
in the Bay of Chesapeake. Charles Calvert, Lord Baltimore,
proprietor of Maryland, gra~dson of George Calvert, and
son of Cecil, had Mettapany his favourite residence from
r662 to 1682, when he returned to England, where he died
in r 714, as good a Catholic as his father and grandfather.
But his son, BenediCt: Leonard Calvert, wishing for the
proprietorship of Maryland, which had been taken from his
father by William and Mary, to be restored to him, had
turned Protestant and was a member of the English Parliament. His charter as lord proprietor was restored to him,
instead of heaven, in 1715. In the meantime, Mettapany<l)
had become the proprietary of the Jesuits, and they sold it
to the Sewalls. The residence of Charles Calvert, which
1
< >The spelling varies: .Metapawnien-~lettapanient-1\Iattapany, etc.
VoL. x-No. 3·
33
�\
Fifty Years Ago.
was a fort also, had so much decayed, that the grand, or
great-grandfather of Father Sewall, had built a fine ·brick
house at a short distance, and in that manor-house Father
Sewall was born. Indeed, I walked with delight in the
place where our good friend had been playing, and saying
his prayers as a child. I regretted he was gone, because
he would have been pleased with my details about the place
of his birth and baptism .... The manor now belongs to
Henry Sewall, a grand-cousin of Father Nicholas. The
branch of his nephews is living at a short distance, and are
very wealthy, too.
Now you will ask me why I am living at St. Inigoes?
Because my three years and more of the Mastership of the
Novices being .eiapsed, Father Dzierozynski was appointed
in my place. _Perhaps I behaved ill; I do not know. Anyhow, I am n~w companion to Father Joseph Carbery.
The business of a Missionary in Maryland is scarcely harder
than that of Father Addis at Stonyhurst, except that the
roads are worse and sick calls at a greater distance. But
we have every comfort of life.
St. Inigoes Manor has a good solid brick house,< 1> with
twelve rooms. It has about eighty negroes, that is, fifteen
families, and three thousand acres of good land, quite flat,
and plenty of cattle, poultry, fish, wheat, etc. At this very
farm, half a mile from our ~ouse, landed, on the 25th or
26th of March, 1634, Lord Cecil<2> Baltimore, with Father
Andrew White and four other English Jesuits, and two hundred settlers, all Catholics. The first""Mass celebrated in
the English colonies of North America having been said on
the 25th of March. on St. Clement's Island, now Heron Island, seven miles up from our house, the name of St. Mary
was given to the river they sailed up to land and settle.
Take a good map of Maryland. Ten or twelve miles above
the mouth of the Potomac, and up the Bay of Chesapeake,
lies St. George's Island (it belongs to our farm). Sail be'
'
II> Destroyed by fire in 1872.
<2> His brother, Leonard Calvert was in command of the expedition. This
Lord Baltimore never came to America. There are some other inaccuracies
in what follows.
�Some Letters of Fat/zer F. Grivel.
2
59
tween it and its eastern shore, and a point east dividing the
Bay from St. Mary's river. Sail up to the north five miles.
There larided the colony, but for a day or two, on the eastern side of the river. A fort only was built there afterwards,
with four cannons brought from England by Lord Baltimore. Later on it was abandoned, and the cannons, rusty
and useless, are now in the yard of St. Inigoes Manor as a
curiosity. Hearing of an Indian village three miles up St.
Mary's river, Yoacomaco, on the eastern side, too, of the
river, there the colony finally settled, having purchased from
the Indians, who were extremely kind, the village and their
land. The Indians retired, as agreed upon, to the north
side of the Potomac (Patuxent). The name of Y oacomaco was changed into that of St. Mary's Town. It never
had more than sixty houses, but the settlers, and now the
Government, call trrLVn any place where as many houses are
as are individuals required to make a riot; that is twenty,
as fixed by the Riot Act. The seat of the Government of
Maryland having removed to Annapolis about the year
1695. St. Mary's Town contains nothing but a Protestant
church and a parson's house. St. Inigoes congregation has
five hundred communicants and a good church, and the people in t/tis corner are very much like, for faith and singleness, to Lancashire people, but not so in the wlwle of Maryland. Enough of St. Mary's County:
..... Father Francis Neale is keeping his ground. He
can say Mass, although with trembling hands, preaches, and
rides in his carriage as often as he can; he does not like to
be home; always cheerful. He was a laborious Missionary
indeed ; he remembers your Reverence very well, and begs
of you to pray to God for his happy death.
I left to Fr. Francis Dzierozynski twelve scholastic novices and seven good lay-brothers. One novice is a Mexican
priest. I think God destines him to establish the Society
in Mexico, with Fr. lldefonso de Ia Pefia, who is at Rome.
There are some hopes from the part of the Government of
Mexico.-You have read how the Presbyterians here are
fanatic and powerful. They procured the shameful acquit-
�200
il1issio1tary Labors.
tal of those who burned the Ursuline Convent at Charlestown, near Boston. They are continually abusing and
threatening Catholics. Their motto is: Church (viz: Presbyterian) and State! Blood must be shed.
I recommend myself to your holy prayers and sacrifices.
Yr. Obedt. Servt. in Xis to,
Fm.
GRIVEL,
S.
J.
1\IISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FRO~i: APRIL 24TH TO JUNE 5TH, I 88 I.
NEw HAVEN, CoNN.-New Haven is one of the handsomest cities in the country. The private residences are
mostly detached, standing in court-yards beautifully adorned
with fruit trees and shrubbery. Probably, in no other city
are to be found so many and such lofty elms. From the
great abundance of these trees New Haven has been familiarly denominated the "City of Elms."
New Haven is more celebrated for its literary advantages,
and for the intelleCtual and moral charaCter of its citizens.
Yale College is situat\!d here, and adds much to the importance of the city.. Six Catholic Churches, well provided
with parochial schools, meet the spiritual wants of the
faithful.'
~· •·
Rev. John Cooney is the pastor of St. John's Church,
where we opened a Mission on the 24th of April, and finished on the 8th of May. The Church, though large, was
not able to contain all who flocked to the Mission from
every part of the city. Several Protestants came, especially
to the leeture delivered the last night. Three converts
were baptized, and others left with the Pastor for further instruCtion. Five thousand persons received Communion.
Twenty grown persons were prepared for the sacraments.
Many who had been away from their duty for twenty and
�Missionary Labors.
261
thirty years returned to the Church and found mercy from
God. The people manifested great faith, and gave much
consolation to the Fathers.
Frs. Maguire, McAtee, Keating and Schiffini gave the
exercises. The last mentioned came on from Fordham for
three days for the benefit of the Italians in the congregation. He preached to them several times, and did much
good amongst them.
ST. MARY's, RocHESTER, N.Y. (April 24-May).-Rochester is situated on the Genesee, a turbid stream, whose
falls, ninety feet in height and a quarter of a mile in width,
are in the heart of the city, and give it a very piauresque
appearance. Visitors never fail to see them, if not for the
view, at least in memory of Sam Patch, who took his last
and fatal leap here. Seven miles away, the river, after
another fall of seventy feet, empties into Lake Ontario, an
inland sea. Rochester must be a beautiful city at all seasons of the year, on account of its magnificent residences
for·the upper classes, and its clean, airy homes for the poor.
Every family has a house to itself, detached from its neighbors, with a plot of ground about it. There are no tenements reeking with filth, over-crowded dens, where drunkenness and impurity are·apt to have full sway. The business
part of the city is also quite interesting. During spring
the city is at its best, and whilst walking along its wide and
level streets, through miles of palatial residences, one forgets that he is in a town only seventy years old. From
preconceived ideas concerning Rochester, its Bible and Masonic troubles, its Spirit Rappings, its Woman's Rights and
various isms too numerous to mention, we expea more of
Sparta and less of Athens.
Frs. Fulton, Reid and Morgan were appointed for this
Mission by Very Rev. Fr. Provincial. The weather was
favorable during the two weeks spent in the work. The
backward spring, so much regretted by the farmers and business men, had great advantages for missionary labors, inasmuch as the intense heat was avoided. With our crowded
�Missionary Labors.
and badly ventilated churches, the usual high temperature
of May would have been a serious inconvenience to the
missionaries, and a positive drawback to the good undertaking.
St. Mary's is an old congregation. Several Missions have
been given within the last ten years. The Fathers were
not but agreeably surprised, when they saw that God was
blessing their toilings by bringing to confession crowds of
hardened sinners, who had passed through other Missions
unscathed, who had not been near a church for five, ten and
twenty years. Some thought this happy turn of affairs was
due to the fact that the Fathers were not so hard in their
views. Certainly, a great deal is to be attributed to the
zeal of the pa~tor, Fr. S~ewart, in advertising the retreat in
every possibl~., way. He requested those that knew of bad
Catholics in the parish to inform him. This was done. The
backsliders were called upon, and induced to come to the
sermons. When they go this far, they end by making a
good confession. No matter how the good was brought
about, all are thankful for the result.
The Bishop of the diocese, Right Rev. Bernard J. McQuaid, gave the missionaries every assurance of his good
will, bestowing on them the amplest faculties, and encouraging them by his kind attentions. · On the last day of the
retreat, after singing Pontifical Mass, he remained until the
afternoon, and administered Confirmation to thirty grown
persons prepared during the exercises .• The most favorable
impression made by the Rev. Father" uf the Society, the
first of his Order to do so, who gave the retreat to the
Bishop and clergy last September, may explain the present
kindness. The diocese of Rochester is well governed and
in a flourishing condition, with its churches, convents and
asylums, with its schools for nearly every parish. Absolution is withheld from those who send their children to the
public schools. And yet the debts of the diocese will be
paid in two or three years. \Vhat a lesson for older and
richer dioceses, where so little has been done for Catholic
education, where the usual charities are so poorly attended
�Missionary Labors.
to, where whole generations, perhaps, have been lost to the
faith.
ST. MARY's, BosTo:-~ (May 13-June 4).-This church was
dedicated, May 22nd, 1836. At that time, Catholics were
very few in the North End. A small church was amply
sufficient for the congregation. A priest, the Rev. William
~Viley,coming over on Sunday from the Cathedral on Franklin street, could do all the work. Now fifteen priests with
five churches scarcely satisfy the wants of the thirty thousand Catholics who have dislodged the Puritans from their
ancient stronghold, where old Lyman Beecher used to pour
forth his envenomed harangues against the Faith. A few
crumbling monuments, like the tombstones in Copps Hill
graveyard, where the virtues of Cotton Mather and his tribe
are recorded, the names of some streets give the only evidence of what once was. And is not this an index of what is
to be in these parts, the survival of the fittest? Other priests
followed Fr. Wiley as residents pastors at St. Mary's: Rev.
P. O'Beirne, Michael Healy, Thomas J. O'Flaherty, John
B. Fitzpatrick, and Patrick Flood. The congregation, meanwhile, increased too rapidly for the size of the church, which,
like all of the old churches, was built in such a way, that
it could not be enlarged. It was a usual thing to see the
church so crowded at the Sunday Masses, that hundreds of
good people were obliged to kneel in the street. A crowd,
however, is not always made up of saints. There were
faCtions; the pastor and his assistants could not agree
together; hence division, trouble, and even blows, and, unfortunately; not in the street, did the admirers of the rival
clergy settle their differences. Paul, and Apollo, and Cephas,
had their defenders even before the altar. This was the state
of affairs .in 1847, when the Bishop, Rt. Rev. John B. Fitzpatrick, gave the parish to the Society. Brother John
Lynch, still a member of the Community, took possession
of the premises on the feast day of Blessed Alphonsus, Oct.
30, and Father John Me Elroy came on the day following
and was installed as pastor. The place demanded virtue,
taCt:, and prudence. These were not wanting in Father Me-
�.llfissionary Labors.
Elroy. In a short time, all the troubles were forgotten ; the
factions died out. Soon the confidence and.affection ofthe
people were gained, and, as the writer was once told by a
worthy secular priest, a new era was begun for Catholicity
in New England. Then were laid the foundations of great
works, to which now in their completeness we can point
with pride and gratitude. The first care of Fr. Me Elroy wa~
the Catholic education of the children. He had had the
honor of establishing the first Catholic free school of the
country in Frederick, Maryland, nearly sixty years ago; it
may be said that he was the first to put Christian education
on a good basis in Boston. To aid him in this great labor,
so necessary for the future of the Church, he engaged the
Sisters of Charity, who were afterwards succeeded by the
Sisters of l'{o'tre Dame (de Namur) from Cincinnati. These
excellent and pious teachers came, three in number, Nov.
13th, 1849. It was thought by many they should have to
return to the West, as a Catholic school could never meet
with success. What do thirty-two years tell ? That the
Sisters of Notre Dame are numbered by hundreds in Massachusetts. The thousands of girls now under their charge
in the state, and the thousands of mothers of families, who
owe their attachment to holy faith, and the practical observance-of its duties, to the lessons taught them by the good
Sisters, show how Catholic schools can prosper. Nearly
every parish school for girls in Massachusetts is conduct~d
by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
Nothing had as yet been done for the boys-a fatal mistake, so often noticed in New England, as if boys do not
need more help than girls, to cling to their holy religion.
A cruel teacher in the public school, much against his will,
no doubt, was the apostle of the boys. 'He had severely
flogged a Catholic youth for refusing to recite the Protestant
version of the Lord's Prayer and the Ten Commandments.
A suit was brought against the teacher, but he was acquitted. The outcome of the consequent excitement was the
establishing of a Catholic school by Rev. Fr. B. F. Wiget,
111 1859·
An association was formed for the support of the
�liiissio11ary Labors.
great work; each member of the union contributed monthly, twenty five cents. From that day to this, the undertaking
has gone on. Now eight hundred boys attend the classes
in the large school-building, bought from the city a few
years ago. One of the canvassers, Mr. Wall, the father of
the youth mentioned above, has collected for the association
nearly a hundred thousand dollars in the last twenty-two
years. And yet it was said that a Catholic school must fail
in Boston.
In course of time, Fr. Me Elroy undertook to put into execution the plan entertained by the Bishop from the beginning, the building of another church with a college connected with it. The "Jail Lands," so called, were bought from
the city for the purpose; but, when the bigots found out
what was to be done with the property, difficulties were
raised concerning the title. At the suggestion of Honorable Alexander Rice, the Mayor of Boston, Fr. Me Elroy
chose another site in a different and, at that time, a less inviting part of the city. The church and college were built
by r86o. No one regrets the result of the bigotry, shown
by the "City Fathers" twenty years ago. The Governor of
the state (the same gentlemqn who had induced Fr. Me Elroy
to make the change of site) had every reason, whilst speaking at the Commencement of Boston College three years
ago, to say that he felt proud of the part he had in the compromise. St. Mary's congregation, after contributing most
liberally towards the new buildings, were left to themselves.
By means of chapels in the school-houses, the people heard
Mass and received instruction every Sunday. But this state
of things could not last. Land was bought and a new
church, to be one of the largest and finest in New England,
was begun by Rev. R. W. Brady, in 1875; it was dedicated
Dec. 8th, 1877, and is now known as St. Mary's of the Sacred Heart. A large and commodious pastoral residence
was erected on the foundation of the old church. The little
Community of 1847, has also grown meanwhile: ten Fathers, including the four missionaries, four Brothers, two
externs now reside here.
VoL. x-No. 3·
34
�i'tfisszimary Labors.
During the first years that the parish was in the hands of
Ours, the Communions, though the parish was twice as large
in numbers as it is now, were twenty thousand a year, one
for each soul in the congregation. Last year, the Communions were a hundred thousand, an average of ten for
each person. This happy and astounding increase is due to
the schools and sodalities. The first sodality, that of the
Young Ladies, was formed March, I 8 53· But sodality work
was in its infancy until Nov. 13th, 1856, when Fr. \Viget
began the Young Men's Sodality. Sixteen young men were
enrolled as postulants on that day: and amongst the names
are those of three, now Fathers in the Society. Soon the
church was too small for the meetings. Divisions and subdivisions were made in course of time, and to-day nearly
four thousand m!;mbers are enrolled in the various sodalIties. The boys and the girls in the schools ; the married
men ; the unmarried men ; the married women ; the unmarried women, all have their sodalities. As the necessity
arises from age or marriage, members are transferred from
one society to the other. All the sodalists receive Holy
Communion once a month. On the last day of the Mission
there was a grand reunion of the sodalities in the church.
The members felt proud of the occasion, and listened with
enthusiasm to the eloquent address of Father Maguire, the
leader of the missionary band, who congratulated them upon
the blessing God had bestowed on them, and on others,
through their good example. "Twenty-fiv~ years ago," said
he, "the sodality was a mere handful; no\v.·you have on to
four thousand members. Twenty-five years ago there were
but three sodalities in the state, now scarcely a parish is
without one, through the example you have set." To form
an idea of the good done by the sodality among the men,
it should be told that twelve hundred of them, half of whom
nearly were unmarried, went in procession this year, to
make the visits to the churches for the Jubilee. It was one
of the most edifying sights ever witnessed in Boston. Still,
many priests find, or make, difficulties in conduCl:ing sodalities. It !s true, that there is some trouble attached to
�Missionary Labors.
them: they must be watched, nursed for a long· time. The
director must take great interest in them, else they may go
down. And this is especially true in regard to the Young
Men. The present large sodality (420 members) would
vanish in a year, unless the greatest care were taken with
it. Fr. Byrne, under whose guidance the Yo.ung Men'~ Sodality is at present, has formed the Young Men's Sodality
Association, in order to attract them. The members meet
every evening for amusement in the hall of the boys' schoolhouse; here they read, play games, go through gymnastic
exercises, and, on occasions, give dramatic readings and
entertainments, and good ones, too, for their friends of the
outside world. There is no telling the good effect of this
association upon its three hundred and thirty-five members,
who are kept from the street, and the evil companions always
to be found there.
All the good work done at St. Mary's, the enormous increase in the Communions must not be given entirely to
the schools and the sodalities. The Confraternity of the
Sacred Heart, whose membership has almost been trebled
within the last four years by the zeal of its director, Fr.
Hamilton, the Confraternity of the Scapular, the Conference
of St. Vincent, an occasional Temperance Society, have all
had a good share in the work. If we examine, we shall
find that sodalists make up the rank and file of these co~
fraternities; this is true, particularly, in regard to the four
thousand associates in the C~nfraternity of the Sacred Heart.
I only attempt to account for the increase of communicants.
The mission at St. Mary's lasted three weeks. For the
first time the Fathers undertook so lengthy a one. FF.
Maguire, McAtee, Holland, Keating, and Morgan, gave the
exercises. Without the assistance of the Fathers of residence they could not have heard much more than half of
the confessions.
It was an experiment, and the success attending it may
cause a repetition of it elsewhere. The first week was for
women, married and single. Of course, the church was
thronged every evening ; this was to be looked for. The
�llfi'ssionary Labors.
second week, for married men, was very good. But the
third week for young men ; did they come also and show
the greatest interest in every thing regarding their spiritual
welfare? They did, and what is more, took upon themselves the whole management of the services; they were
proud of the event, and were ambitious to show that they
could value highly a mission, and did not need the married
men to help in anything, not even in taking up, or, as some
say, lifting, the collection. They came far better than the
married men; more of them went to confession. In the
general good effected, the young men's week was the best
mission. More recruits for the sodality were gathered in
than from the married men. And yet it was feared the experiment might l:ie a failure.
The children \vere not neglected ; separate services were
had for them every afternoon, the girls coming the first
week, the boys, the second. At the end of the Mission,
many children received First Communion, and two hundred were confirmed. Altogether, the Fathers were never
better pleased with their work than during these three weeks.
The results were: Communions, 12,000; First Communion
of adults, 44; Confirmation, 108; Baptisms, 12, with several
candidates left under instruction. New members for the
sodalities :-from the young men, I42; married men, 50; unmarried women, 16o; married women, I 20. The work from
April 24 to June 5 was: Communions, 21,000; First Communions of adults, 17; Baptisms of adults, IS, of children,
2; Confirmation of adults, 158.
~ "
Some persons think missionaries have an a priori way
of getting at figures, and a couleur de rose method of
describing events. As far as the writer of these sketches
is concerned, he does his best by aCl.ual count to obtain correct numbers; is, by no means, poetical in fancy,
and his statements, perhaps, are not up to the mark, rather
than beyond it. With this preamble he closes the report
of this year by giving the general results.- A. M. D. G.
Communions, 103,153; First Communion of adults, 380;
�llfissionary Labors.
Baptisms of adults.
I
z6g
17, of children, 30; Confirmations,
901.
Protestants were left under instruCtion in various places,
for Baptism.
]: A. M.
The mission at \VESTPORT, CoNN., begun April23d, lasted
a week. There are six hundred communicants in the parish. All received the Sacraments with but few exceptions,
and these were found among some local statesmen and publicans. The proprietor of a tavern, who kept a Sundaynight rendezvous for young people, was refused absolution,
unless he would post a notice outside his canteen that
hereafter his place would be closed on Sundays. After
some hesitation, and a long sigh for the shekels he was
about to lose, he consented. This gave great edification,
for his establishment had been a scandal to all for miles
around.
The devotion to the Sacred Heart is praCtised with great
fervor by these simple country folk, who had the satisfaction of seeing a beautiful Munich statue ereCted, after
the Mission, with becomin~ ceremonies. The pastor has
caused Fr. Tickell's Life of Blessed llfargaret Mary to be
distributed among his people.
The next Mission was given in JERSEY CITY, at St. Bridget's. A Mission had been preached a year ago by FF.
Strong and Morgan, and this one was intended as a sort of
gleaner. Fr. Bradley lent an efficacious hand to help on
the good work. So also did FF. Cunningham and Smith
of our College, which is near by. These good Fathers deserve thanks for their timely aid. Nor was it forgotten that
this service was done after they had taught five hours to their
classes. They remained in the confessional till long after
eleven at night. The services were held at 5 and 8 o'clock
A. M. and at 3.30 and 7-45 P. M.
Fr. Bradley had some converts in hand, but I forget how
many. Seven hundred confessions were heard, and iron-clad
pledges given to some of the neighboring sugar-house men.
�llfissionary Labors.
The five o'clock Mass and instruction was well attended
by men, notwithstanding the drizzel and fog that greeted
their awakening eyes every morning. This church is in the
malarial district. It is bounded on the north by the "Jersey
City Rag Factory"-one block away, on the south by a
dismal swamp across the street, on the east by a primary
school and on th_e .west by a dumping-ground. It may not
be out of place to say here that the druggist's bill for quinine, furnished to pastor and assistant from August to January, amounted to forty-seven dollars. There was none of
it left when we arrived there.
FAIRFIELD, CoNN. was the scene of the next work, May
29th. There~re eight hundred Catholics there.
The usual-Mission regulations were announced at High
Mass of the opening Sunday. Some difficulty was found
in getting the men to attend the five o'clock services, on account of the onion crop, which requires constant attention,
caused by the rapid growth of the weeds. With little attention thirteen harvests of these may be raised in a season.
An acre of onions gives a profit of five or six hundred dollars
in the New York market. The proprietors can afford to pay
two dollars and a half per day to men and even boys,· who
are known as weeders. All day long these may be seen on
their knees, like the Egyptians of old, prostrate before this
immoral vegetable, trying to preserve it. vVhat was to
be done? If they did not come to Mass on account of
weeding, they were too tired at nignf ·for more kneeling.
The Missioner is preaching to the good old people, who did
not need him. The matter was quietly arranged during the
night of the second day, by a copious and generous rain,
which, having thoroughly drenched the furrows, doggedly
resolved itself into Scotch mist for two days more. Thi~
straightened up the weeders, who afterwards attended the
exercises until the confessions were heard. With the help
of neighboring secular priests, five hundred were able to go
to Communion. Some vocations to the religious state were
met and laid over for a year's consideration.
�llfissionary Labors.
2JI
The notice of this Mission would not be complete without
reference to an extraordinary incursion of mosquitoes, which
sorely annoyed priest and people. Besides, it was not their
time to come. Nothing so completely upsets human nature,
as the persistent hum of a mosquito, who seems willing to
die a martyr, if he can only light on your nose or bald head.
If your tongue can use guileless words under such circumstances, and not resort to expletives which are heated by
the fires of a quick temper, you are a proper candidate for
a missionary life, or the superintending of a Sunday-school.
From Fairfield I went to the vVARWICK MoUNTAINS, a
spur of the Blue Ridge, which sets its back up in Western
New York. The Mission opened there on Trinity Sunday.
It was the first one preached to these good people, who had
never seen a Bishop, and who reminded me of the Ephesians mentioned in AB:s xix. 3. who did not know if there
was a Holy Ghost. The Sacrament of Confirmation had
never been administered to them.
At PINE ISLAND, twenty-three miles further we~t from my
first stoppage, I found fifteen families who do not go to
Mass at all, and among whom there are lads and lassies
of sixteen and eighteen without Baptism.. As the place I
went to was an out Mission, I was quite alone, the pastor
being obliged to be in another part of his forty-mile parish.
The consequence was that I had a taste of shanty life, eating and sleeping under the hospitable roof of Mr. Defly, a
mile away from the chapel. During the night it often occurred to me that his babies ought to have been a mile
away from the shanty. Exaltatio11es Dei i1z gutture eornm.
One of these interesting babies was afflicred with sore eyes,
and the mother had settled it that I was to work a miracle.
I left her a huge crock of St. Ignatius' water for that purpose, and for the purposes of other babies.
Let me say a word about this good woman. She is the
daughter of one Gray, a Marylander, who was in Georgetown College fifty years ago. The old man migrated towards these mountains, neglecred his religion, and brought
�272
Mtssionary Labors.
up his children Protestants. Being reduced in circumstances, they left him, and "hired out" among farmers. My
hostess often noticed one of her fellow-servants, an Irish
girl, going on her knees at night, and reading from a book
that she always kept in her pocket. Upon asking to be
permitted to see the book, she was answered that it wasn't
"for the likes of you Protestants." Miss Gray, with that
curiosity that is sometimes remarked in her sex, managed
to obtain it, and the result was her conversion some time
afterwards. She was baptized on the day of her marriage
to mine host Defly, a thoroughbred Celt.
Determined to reclaim her old father, she set about it
with such earnestness that she has the happiness of knowing that he gc;es to confession often during the year. He is
now eighty-f?.ur years old. It might be proper to say, for
the honor of Georgetown, that although Gray went through
its classes, it was always after the boys had vacated them
for the day.
The Mission was well attended. Quite a number of lukewarm Catholics were reclaimed. vVhole number of confessions heard amounted to a hundred and sixty. The Baptist minister, Mr. Litchfield, attended the evening services
two or three times, and seemed to be pleased with every. thing ·but the "smoke up at the head of the Church." He
meant the incense. The people neve.r witnessed BenediCtion
before, which was given every evening, the celebrant aCting
as cantor and choir as well. I left the Warwick Catholics
to go to another station, MoNROE, thirty-five miles distant.
Mass and Mission services were held in the large room of
a dwelling-house. The native youth was unable to serve
Mass, which obliged me to do without him. Archbishop
Corrigan came up to administer Confirmation to about forty
adults and children. A lad, John Barrett, when asked what
name he would take, replied, "0." "That is not a saint's
name," he was told. "Perhaps you would prefer Mac."
'\No," he answered, "I only want one letter." We gave
him it with Toole added for euphony and proteCtion_ Seventy-fiv~ confessions were heard here in three days. Near-
�JJ1issionary Labors.
ly all were enrolled in the Confraternity of the Scapular of
Mt. Carmel. One convert, who had been under instruction,
was baptized.
The pastor of AsBURY PARK, N.J., has about a hundred
and fifty souls to answer for there, which made him think
that a little Mission would do them some good, at the same
time that it might be of benefit for his legion of Methodist
brethren. More of these than of the others attended, only
fifty-three confessions having been heard.
This town, five miles south of Long Branch, and facing
the ocean, is owned by a Mr. Bradley, a <;Ievoted Methodist. Forty-five years ago his father pulled across the bay
from Staten Island, to have this bad boy baptized in St. Peter's R. C. Church of Barclay St. The son fell away from
the faith some time after, and, in course of time, becoming
rich, had his possessions mapped out into town lots, upon
which are erected cottages for summer boarders, who are,
for the most part, Methodists. The Catholics being for a
long time without a priest, have fallen away from the praFtices of their religion, and have no hesitation in going to
camp-meeting, if not as an act of religion, at worst, to see
what they call t!te fim.
After preaching to slim audiences for three days at Asbury Park, I went to MoRRISVILLE, N. J., eighteen miles
away. As far as can be learned, all in this scattered place
went to the Sacraments during the Mission of three days.
One hundred and sixty confessions were heard, and some
First Com.munions given. Mass at five, followed by an instruction, with sermon in the evening. There being no
priest's house here, I took very lonesome sleeps in the sacristy of the rickety old chapel, trying betimes to keep out
of my mind all the ghost stories I had ever heard. The
sacrifice which these good people made in order to attend
the evening instruction, was very gratifying and consoling.
This being the haying season, they work from dawn till
dusk, and then, many of them having to walk three miles,
they prepared to start for the Mission. The service was
VoL. x-No. 3·
35
�Holy Week at San Jlrfiguel.
274
•
put off till late in the evening on their account; added to
this, their patience in waiting their turn for confession no
doubt gained for them many blessings from Almighty God.
NEW MEXICO.
HOLY WEEK AT SAN MIGUEL.
A description of tlte peculiar ceremonies of Holy ~Veek, according to tlte ancimt customs of t!te country.
BY MR. JoHN A. CHESTER, S. J.
")
American in,stitutions have changed some of the most
pleasing features of this country. From the day when Gen.
Kearney, at the head of his sixteen hundred bronzed warriors, rode into the ancient town of Santa Fe, and, hoisting
the Stars and Stripes over the crumbling adobe palace of
t~e governor of the country, proclaimed the region property of the United States, many of the time-honored and
purely Mexican, or rather Spanish, customs have disappeared from the land. Even the indigenous costumes of
the Caballeros and Vasqueros, the institution of Deollage,
many of the ceremonials of the Church, and a number of
other features foreign to eastern folks, have gradually retired across the line to Old Mexico, before the influence of
American zeal, which is always inimicaf~more aggressively
destruCtive than those who are not witnesses of it can readily understand-to everything not square-toed and of daily
life. This decadence of the old customs, and disappearance
of the ancient life and landmarks, has been going on slowly,
but surely, during the past three or four decades; but the
last two or three years have given a new impetus to the
movement, by the introduCtion of railroads, and the opening up of the many rich mines of gold and silver with
which all the mountainous distriCts, that is, all the country,
abound. The Church has had to suffer from the influx of
�Holy Week at San JJ1iguel.
275
strangers that these enterprises have brought. The "Almighty Dollar" is the only god recognized by these seekers
after wealth, and every form of religion that would put a
curb on their unruly passions is hateful to them, but above
all, that of Rome. 'Wherever this. horde of destruCl:ionists
has called a halt, whether in mining-camps or railroad centre, many of the former sacred rites have to be set aside, or
confined to the interior of the churches, in order to conciliate the strangers, and render them less hostile to a form of
worship seldom, if ever, seen before. Nevertheless, in settlements situated in the interior, distant from this stranger
influence, some of the ancient ceremonies are still carried
out in full. Among those that yet exist is that of Holy
Week, a description of which, as it was observed this year
in the little town of San Miguel, I purpose giving here.
This town is located about thirty-six miles to the south of
Las Vegas, on the line of the railroad, yet far enough removed from it to form a distinCt: settlement from the one
that is now springing up by its side, under the name of
Pecos. It may be of interest to remark her~ that all the
railroad companies that have entered the territory during
the past few years, have avoided with studious care all the
crumbling towns inhabited by a purely Mexican population,
skirting them, however, so that they might forni a nucleus
for another and more enterprising one of their own making,
an end they have, in mostly every case, succeeded in accomplishing. The population of this town, of more than
a century's existence, scarcely numbers five hundred, and is
made up almost entirely of Mexicans, only a few Americans residing here for the purpose of barter. Spanish is
the only tongue understood here, except among the few
Americans, who speak their own language and observe their
own customs, rarely, if ever, intermingling with the natives.
Here, as in some parts of the Orient, two nationalities live
side by side, yet keep themselves entirely distinCt: in language and customs. There is not a single two-story or
frame building in the whole settlement, frame struCtures
being but illy adapted to a country such as this, where the
�Holy Week at San J.l1iguel.
climate is so dry that the danger of fire is greatly augmented, and besides, lumber is scarce and costly, whilst
dried mud is cheap and easily obtained. Hither, during
the Holy ·week just passed, gathered all the religiously inclined Mexicans of the Territory, for this was the only
place where the ancient ritual was fully observed this year,
swelling the number of its population to more than twice its
usual proportions. It was a matter of surprise to me at first
to understand where and how they found accommodations,
there being no hotels in the town; but the solution of the
difficulty was easy enough to me, when I saw with what indifference whole families of ten or twelve accommodated
themselves to a room scarcely ten feet square. This is their
ordinary manner of living, I am told, whole families of from
ten to twenty persons residing in one apartment barely large
enough for tw~· persons. Two of the Fathers from the College were sent to assist the pastor, a zealous French priest,
as are all the secular clergy of this archdiocese, in carrying
out the ancient rubrics. The opening exercise was held at
seven o'clock P. l\I. on Wednesday, one of the Fathers delivering a discourse on the "Precious Blood" shed by our
Lord in the Garden of Gethsemane the evening before His
Pa3sion. In the middle of the church a statue representing our-Saviour, covered with an imitation of blood, was
arranged, with that of an Angel, kneeling, and holding in
uplifted hand a cup, to catch the precious drops as they
flowed from His sacred body. The people stood or knelt
around the statues,-the churches in this -<:ountry not being
encumbered by pews,-and listened to the preacher, who
tried to inspire them with compassion and sorrow for the
heavy sufferings of their God and Redeemer. At the end
of the discourse, a procession was formed, headed by the
women, the men bringing up the rear, close to the statue,
which is borne on the shoulders of four robust men, around
the plaza in front of the church ;-a plaza without a church
facing it would be an anomaly in this country. In this order the entire circle is traversed, whilst the choir chants
hymns app,ropriate to the occasion. When they enter the
�Holy Week at San Miguel.
277
church again, the preacher finishes his sermon and dismisses
them till the hour of Mass on the following day. No sermon is delivered then; it is postponed till the evening, when
a discourse on the "Capture" of Jesus by the servants of
the High Priest is offered for their consideration. Just before the preacher ascends the pulpit, a statue of our Lord
is borne into the middle of the church by twelve men,
dressed as the Apostles are supposed to have been arrayed
on that night, who, after they have placed the statue in
position, retire to some distance, and one of them, who assumes the role of Judas, withdraws himself from the rest
and goes o.utside, where those who represent the priests and
soldiers are stationed. The sermon, in the meantime, has
been begun ; at a given signal, the soldiers armed with pikes,
muskets, etc., enter, headed by Judas, and advance up the
church till they arrive near the statue, when the preacher
asks them: "A quien quo-cis .9" "\Vhom do you seek?"
and they answer in a loud tone: "A Jeszls Nazarmo !"
"Jesus of Nazareth." The priest then answers: "A'iui le
tmezs!" "Behold, he is here!" and they immediately fall
to the floor, where they remain till they are told to rise.
Then he who represents Judas steps up to the statue of our
Lord and kisses it, whilst the Jews crowd around it, and put
a rope about its neck preparatory to leading it away. The
sermon is again continued from where it was left off, and,
at the end, a procession is formed, and passes over the same
route as on the preceding evening. A drummer and fifer
lead it, however, and the statue of our Lord is carried in the
centre of the Jews, who seem to heap all kind of insults
upon it. I forgot to mention, that the Captain of the Jews
is mounted on a large black horse, accompanied by two
servants, who keep up with him by clinging to the saddle
on either side, and at the same time urge the poor animal
forward by means of large whips, which they carry in their
hands .. In this manner, they again enter the church, where,
after certain prayers prescribed by the ritual are recited, the
people are dismissed till 7 o'clock, when they come together
�Holy Week at Sa1Z Miguel.
to listen to a discourse on the "Imprisonment." In a corner
of the church an imitation prison is ereCted and the statue
of Jesus is placed therein chained to a huge pillar, and surrounded by armed men and others bearing chains, whips, etc.
The preacher recalls the circumstances, as narrated in the
Gospel, and the soldiers buffet the statue, striking it with
the chains and whips, and making a most unearthly noise.
At the end of the sermon, a procession is again arranged,
and follows the same course as in the two former, with the
same attendants: but as it is now night all arc supplied with
ocote,-resinous, pine splinters-which burn with. a bright
light.
The next ceremony, that of the Three Falls, takes place
immediately af~er the "Adoration of the Cross" on Good
Friday. Twn. processions are formed- one, of the men,
which goes by one side of the plaza, carrying with them the
statue of our Lord loaded with the cross and surrounded
by armed Jews and executioners, who bear whips and other
instruments of torture,-the other, of women, who march
by the other side, having with them the statues of the Blessed
Virgin and St. John and also a young girl, seleCted from
among the congregation, robed, as piCtures tell us the Blessed Veronica was, bearing a white cloth wherewith to wipe
the face'()[ the suffering Saviour. In the centre of the plaza,
a temporary platform is ereCted, and when the two wings of
the procession have arrived within about fifty feet of it, a
halt is ordered, and the preacher mounted on the platform
narrates the doleful history of the Falls t5f-our Lord, making
some apposite refleCtions on each. vVhen he announces the
first Fall, the statue of our Saviour is inclined towards the
ground, and the people advance a few steps; at the second,
it is still further inclined; and at the third, drops on the
ground, or rather against the raised platform ; then the
statues of the B. V. l\Iary and St. John are brought close
up to it, and the Veronica comes forward and wipes the face
of our Lord; the sermon is then finished, and the procession
returns to the church, the women in the lead.
�Holy Week at San Miguel.
279
In the evening, towards the hour of three, the "Crucifixion" is preached in the church. A large purple veil is drawn
across the altar, behind which a cross has been raised with
an image of Jesus nailed thereon. After recounting the
facts of our Lord's Crucifixion, the preacher cries out in a
loud voice : .1lfurio Yes1ts (Jesus has died): the veil is torn
in two, and the cross bearing the dead Jesus is displayed to
the gaze of the worshippers. Then some young men robed
in albs come in from the sacristy, bearing ladders, hammers and ropes, and prepare to take down the body from
the cross, whilst the sermon continues. The nails which
bound the statue to the cross are removed, and given to the
maidens, who are dressed in white, and supposed to represent the pious women that attended at theCrucifixion, and
the statue is lowered and placed in the arms of a statue of
Mary Most Sorrowful. Finally, the statue of our Lord is
placed on a bier, and the ordinary procession is inaugurated.
The sixth exercise, that claims the attention of the faithful, is a sermon on the Sorrows of Mary. Close to the tomb
of our Saviour which is erected in. the centre of the church,
a statue of Mary clothed in black, and surrounded by four
or five maidens to represent the holy women, who accompanied the Blessed Virgin during that sorrowful period, is
arranged, and the preacher with his eyes fixed on this group
endeavors to move the people to compassion for her sufferings. It does not require a great effort to effect this, as the
devotion to "Mary Most Sorrowful" is a favorite devotion
of the Mexican people. A procession is again formed and
the same track is gone over, but now as our Lord is dead
and enclosed in the tomb, the statue of Mary is also carried.
This closes the exercises of this day. On the following
morning a solemn Mass is celebrated, the tomb remains
in the same position as on the preceding day, but is guarded by a band of armed men and their captain. At the intoning of the "Gloria," the stone which guards the entrance
is suddenly rolled back, discovering a statue of the Angel
Gabriel, and the linens that enshrouded the dead body of
�280
Holy Week at San .Miguel.
the Crucified Saviour. Jesus has risen gloriously from the
tomb. At the same time, the soldiers, who had been guarding the sepulchre, throw aside their arms, helmets and
spurs, and the captain jumping over the altar railing seizes
the censer and continues as Acolythe during the rest of
the Mass. There is no procession after this ceremony,
which concludes the exercises of this holy season; the remainder of the time being devoted to the confessional and
preparation for the great feast of the morrow.
These ceremonies, however puerile and absurd they may
appear to persons imbued with modern ideas of religion, are
of great efficacy among a race of people who have been
educated from their earliest years to consider them the
most sacred forms of their worship. Their usefulness has
been proven by.. the number of persons who flock to the confessional during their performance, and the multitude of
sinners, who have been separated from their church for
years, brought again within the fold. How long these and
similar observances will continue to keep a foothold in this
country, where a foreign race whose very presence breeds
immorality and infidelity is crowding out the nation, is a
problem difficult of solution. vVe can but shrug our
shoulders in imitation of the Mexican and murmur: "Quien
sabe? "~"vVho knows?"
~-
.·
�TEXAS.
Letter from Father Garesche.
SEGUIN, TEXAS,
July
10,
188r.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I was sent to this State in March I 879, in the hope that
my health, impaired by a three years residence in Milwaukee might be improved by a sojourn in the South. In two
weeks most of the symptoms of an incipient paralysis were
aba~ed, and by the month of July, I was thought capable of
giving some country missions in Lavaca County. This
county is south of what is called Sunset Route, the railway
between Houston and San Antonio.
I was told by my Superior that the pastor wanted a mission; it never occurred to me that the plural number was
what he meant. I took the railway to Flatonia, where the
pastor awaited me with his buggy and horses. So seldom
is a single horse used here in harness that the roads in the
country are all worn into a double track. Father Forrest,
the worthy priest of Halletsville, took me to his little church
three miles south of that place. We had to journey eighteen miles across a prairie, for the most part undulating,
called hog wallow. Now and then the road would be cut by
a new fence which seemed in no way to surprise him as he
would look for some little tracks to the right or the left, and
turn the obstacle. There are three classes of roads in
Texas, according to law. The first road may not be closed
in, the second may be closed in, but with a gate for travellers, the third has no rights which a Texan need respeCt:.
I have seldom travelled on a road of the first class. In
Refugio County I lately journeyed for eighteen miles on a
road which led across two ranges (cattle farms) to a third,
VoL. x-No. 3·
·
36
(281)
�282
Texas.
where we stopped. We had therefore three gates to open,
the ranges averaging twenty-four miles square.
Arrived at the church, I found a frame building about
fifty by twenty-five feet, from which that very evening we
removed every window sash. There could be no danger of
rain, for there is always a drought at this season, and the
heat would have been otherwise unendurable. Our residence was one lower room in a log farm-house of which
the other, with an intervening hall was occupied by a saintly German family of farmers. The women did for us in
Teutonic style, the table being rich in grease and vinegar.
The upper story or attic embraced likewise two rooms, and
this building once claimed to be the first Catholic college
in \Vest Texas!
The mission .. exercises were at 9 A. 111. and at 4 P. M, but
after the morning sermon a young Bohemian priest translated the instruCtion for the benefit of a large concourse of
Catholics of that nationality, whose orange, purple, red and
green dresses and kerchiefs, were enough to give inflamation
of the eyes to a blind man. Those who understood English
were descendants of Missouri or Kentucky Catholics, and
there were but few Irish names to be found. Their piety
was not demonstrative but solid, and they came some of
them from twelve to sixteen miles to make the mission.
Some few left their farms to care for themselves, and camped
out nearly the whole week. It was a singular thing to me
this preaching to a purely American congregation. I felt
the loss of the Celtic sympathy and e"nthusiasm of faith,
which in Missions at the North reaCt: upon the preacher so
as aCtually to make him eloquent in nature's despite.
The thermometer was, during the greater part of the
week, high up in the nineties, but the nights, which I passed
upon the floor with doors and windows open, were cool and
refreshing. Here I began to make acquaintance with Texan rusticity, which knows little of conventional refinement.
They are for the most part a silent but hospitable people,
but they have little notion of privacy. I would come to
my room sometimes for a rest, onfy to find it occupied by
�Texas.
mothers nursing their children, or soothing them to sleep
on my bed. Fr. Shea, the translation of an unpronounceable Bohemian name, went up stairs one afternoon to take
some rest and found a man stretched on his couch, who
muttered, as he sleepily rolled himself over on the other
side, "I always take a nap at this time of day."
In this mission there were but six or seven Catholics who
failed to take advantage of the graces offered them. \Ne
made some converts, but there were few Protestants who
attended the exercises.
On the Monday succeeding the mission we went to Y ellow Banks, eighteen miles off, and gave there a three days
mission, returning to Halletsville on Sunday evening. This
was what is called a post-oak country, where the heat is
most felt, and I feared that I could not stand it. The result
was satisfaB:ory, as but one Catholic stayed away from confession. Friday evening, I leB:ured in Halletsville, in a
small, badly-lighted, over-crowded hall to an audience principally Protestant. The next morning I received a numerously signed petition to give them another address upon
my return.
vVe started for Brushy, eighteen miles off, the thermometer indicating 104 degrees in the shade. The sun was vertical, the roads dusty, or across a hog-wallow prairie; I felt
utterly prostrated. At Brushy another log-house for pastoral residence adjoining the church, used occasionally for
a school-house. As I leaned weak and worn out against
the door jam, noting the gaps in the roof and the wide
. chinks between the apartments, which they were filling up
with old clothes, I confess to have felt some despondency,
and I asked Father Forrest if there were yet lower depths
to sound. He smiled, the holy, indefatigable missionary,
and assured me that this was the worst that I would have
to encounter, but, said he, this is civilization, this is luxury
to what I found, coming here for the first time at the clo~e
of the war.
This mission was the piece de resistance. Here I had
been prepared to find an unruly and careless set of cow-
�Texas.
'
boys, utterly reckless of meum and tuum where unbranded
calves were concerned. It was for this place that I had
been entreated to reserve my most moving arguments, and
- I fell sick. Only one house was in sight from the church,
and yet the next morning the place was alive with wagons
and horses, and in all that crowd not a sound of the delicious Irish brogue. I broke down in the morning sermon,
and a physician who was present pronounced it impossible
for me to recover in time to continue the mission. My
brain was burning and I became delirious, but not before I
entreated the people to wait one day. The whole prairie
around the church was an encampment, and they did wait.
All Sunday night, all Monday until three o'clock. Tuesday
\
morning I was out of my mind and the Doctor would not
leave me, a cour_ier was on horseback to summon a Father
from Seguin, and an old San Jacinto man was sitting up
with me, as he said, to see a priest die. "I have seed a
many, but never a priest." The dear old fellow, he walked
a whole mile- a great feat among these centaurs- to the
country store to buy a chamber vessel for the sick priest.
There was nothing of that kind there. 'When I woke from
my fever, it was to see four or five men sleeping around
me on the bare boards. I thanked God fervently for granting me the favor of working yet a while longer for Him.
That afternoon I made the congregation a short address,
and then the mission went on as usual, except that the
good people would not, out of consideration for me,
approach my confessional. I had been,. told, when complaining now and then of the babies brought to the church .
at the preceding missions, "wait till you go to Brushy."
They were right; I suppose there must have been at least
fifty children who were not old enough to talk, but quite
old enough to drown a preacher's voice with their screams.
I have counted as many as a dozen being nursed at one
titJe on the verandah on which my room opened, or in the
adjoining apartment. The year was exceedingly hard on
the farmers, for a long drought had parched every thing,
and we coul? find nothing to eat save bacon and corn bread.
�Texas.
On Friday we had literally nothing for dinner but ochra,
which I cooked myself for fear they they should spoil it,
we could not get even eggs.
If the trials were pretty severe the result surpassed our
fondest hopes. Only one man abstained from the sacraments and he had made his Easter. The cow-boys who
had not deigned at first to lift their hat to the priest or missionary ; who had come to the mission as to a camp meeting, for the fun of the thing, gave in, and their smiles
and awkward salutes showed that they had hearts under
their rude exterior. On the last Sunday I preached four
times. On one of these occasions I had promised that none
but mothers with their children should be present. It was
intended as a compensation for my strictness in enforcing a
law that every crying child should be at once taken out of
church. Some rebelled at this, and on two occasions I had
great difficulty in carrying my point. Well the blessing of
the babies came, and of all the concerts I ever assisted at,
it was the most wonderful. At first I got along pretty
well, but when one, then three or four, and finally thirty
or forty infant voices joined in the chorus I concluded to
withdraw. I gave the blessing and made a promise to
myself never to do it again.
In the three missions we had altogether about twelve
converts and seven hundred and fifty Communions, and I
recognized herein the blessing which God communicates
in a mission which has been worked up for years by a
pious, self-sacrificing priest. They loved and revered ttl.eir
pastor, these simple Texans, and it would be hard to find
in America more solid virtue, simple but well grounded
faith than on the Catholic missions of Lavaca County.
I return there this August to preach the Jubilee.
F. P. G.
�KANSAS.
Letter from Fatlzer Ponziglione.
OsAGE MissiON, NEosHo Co., KANsAs,
July 7th, 1881.
REV. FATHER,
P. C.
Last winter was one of the most severe winters through
which I passed during my stay in this western country.
In January I started on a visit to the Osages in Indian
Territory, but could not proceed farther than one hundred
miles on account of the snow and ice which covered the
ground. I may thank my Guardian Angel's kind watchfulness that I did not break my neck during this much of
the journey. In the valleys and on the hills-everywhere,
the ground was covered with ice as smooth as glass. My
horse being sharp shod was sure-footed,and never missed a
step; but my ambulance? oh if you had only seen it! why
it swung from one side to another, like an oscillating pendulum; now it swayed to the right, then veered to the left,
and at times drew up uncomfortably near to the edge of a
tremendous precipice. After such experiences during the
10hort distance of one hundred miles, I concluded that it
was impossible to finish my missionary work among the
Os~ges at the appointed time, and thouglit it best to return
to my mission.
The winter at last was over, and I started again on the
sixteenth of May for the Indian Territory. Fresh troubles
awaited me, surely, for the raining season had just begun.
The rivers were very high, or the creeks were swollen
into rivers and the little mountain streams into torrents, so
that I found it very hard to cross them. But with God's
help I went through every danger uninjured. I direCted
my course to the north-west corner of the Osage Reservation and found the half-breeds at the usual stations en(z86)
�Ka1tsas.
gaged in working their farms, but the full-bloods were
scattered all over the country in quest of game. You have
no idea what a trouble it is to find these full-bloods when
they are scattered in different parts of the country on the
hunt; unless a person is acquainted with their habits, he
may travel a whole day over the plains without discovering
the least trace of them. The smoke, however, is my best
indication in quest of the Indians on the plains.
When the Osages go out, either on a big hunt, or on a
war path, they march in single file on the same trail. Some
three or four hours before the party sets out, scouts are sent
ahead. These are generally chosen from the young men
well acquainted with the roads and sharp on the trail. As
they go along, fire is put to the grass on their route. On
a calm day the smoke resembles a pillar rising to the sky.
At night, of course, the smoke cannot be used as a signal,
or guide; the fire then takes its place. This smoke by day
or fire by night is always kept in view by the Indians following, who may form a line two or three miles in extent.
On this trip I observed the smoke at a great distance,
drew near to it and found that I had come upon the camp
of a full-blood Osage family. Here I found a poor squaw,
who hearing of my visit to her nation at a certain station, had
traveled twenty-five miles with three of her little children
in order that they might be baptized. It seems that after
high hoping the poor woman was disappointed, for she did
not meet me at the place where she expected to see me,
and was obliged to return in sorrow to her wigwam. God
was soon to reward her piety, for I, unaware of her whereabouts, by accident came to her camp. Think of her joy,
when she saw me baptize her little darlings!
After I had
baptized the little children she requested me to bless for her
a few cedar branches. This I did and hastened my course
to the Agency which \vas not far off, to get under shelter
from an impending storm ; I did not like the idea of getting
an unnecessary drenching.
The Osages, and generally all the blanket Indians, do
not care about living in houses, but prefer to live in the
~
�2~8
Kansas.
open air. ·A shower, no matter how heavy, does not trouble
them; on the contrary, in summer, they seem to enjoy it.
\Vhen the shower is over, they shake themselves like the
birds, and in a short time are perfectly dry, because their
clothing is scanty. Some people imagine that because the
Indians roam in comparative nakedness, immorality must
be great amongst them. This is far from being the case.
On the contrary, we find less immorality amongst them
than amongst the whites. I grant that in their midst you
may find some wicked men, ready for indecency and other
crimes ; yet not in greater proportion than among civilized
people. As a class they are very moral and full of selfrespeCt, so that we but seldom meet with anything improper. A miSsionary can pray, meditate and read his
breviary in an-Indian camp with less distractions than in
the families of our civilized friends.
Speaking of the breviary puts me in mind of a queer incident. I had just finished the reading of my Office, one
day, and was about to put away my book, when an Osage,
\Vhaconta-chi, or, in other words, Medicine-man of the
tribe, asked me very pleasantly whether that book was my
Bible. "\Vhy," I asked, "do you put me such a question?
What do you know about the Bible?" "I too have a Bible
as well as you," pe replied. Hearing this, I requested him
to show me his Bible. He willingly consented to show me
the Holy Book, and for that purpose invited me into his
tent. Here he seated me on a large b_uffalo skin spread
upon the ground, and having picked ;Jp·· three bundles of
sticks, very much resembling reed pipe-stems, handed them
to me, saying: "This is my Bible." I took the bundles in
my hand, turned them over and over, and returned them to
him, saying: "My friend, I am at a loss to know where to
begin to read this Bible of yours; how do you read it?"
The good-humored fellow smiled and said: "I do not know."
Then I asked again: "But why do you call it your Bible?"
"\Veil," he said, "that is the name all the Medicine-men
give to these three bundles."
Perhaps this Bible is a puzzle to you as it was at first to
�Ka1lsas.
me. I will try to give you a few items on the subjeCt:,
which may lead you to think that the Medicine-man was
not altogether wrong in calling the three bundles his Bible.
Among the different religious ceremonies of the Osages,
the veneration of these three bundles holds a prominent
place. The Medicine-men cannot tell you their real significance, but generally agree in saying that they received
them from their forefathers as heirlooms of most distant
generations, and that their fathers always held them in the
greatest reverence, and guarded them as a sacred trust.
The value they attach to the worship of these bundles
depends in a great measure upon the number of sticks
contained in them, and upon the order in which they are
taken from one bundle and placed in another. These three
bundles contain different numbers of sticks. The first has
seventy- seven, the second, sixty, and the last, thirty. Regarding the meaning of this Bible, some will tell you that
each stick represents some different age of the world: others, again, that it recalls some remarkable event in the
world's history. A third party will rejeCt: both interpretations and tell you that each stick on its appearance called
forth from the Indians certain prayers or sacred lines which
they were obliged to recite at the beginning of every expedition. This seems to me to be the best explanation, and
to coincide more exactly with the proceedings while on the
march. For, if the number of these sticks be computed,
it will be found to tally pretty nearly with that of the
psalms. There are more sticks than psalms, it is true; but
an obvious reason may ac!ount for this. It is only natural
that in the course of centuries, some additions were made,
prompted by the religious feelings of the people.
The practices of the Osages at this very day seem to
confirm the supposition that this Indian Bible is but a
record of the psalms, or of the old psalter.
When the Osages start on their regular hunts, or on a
war path, some honored Medicine-man dressed in the full
insignia of his office, takes his position at the head of the
party, and selecting a stick from one of the bundles which
VoL. x-No. 3·
37
�Kansas.
he carries on his back, begins a song, or rather gives them
a note, which they hold and repeat for some time. After
a while he puts the stick into a small bag and picks out
another, which is the signal for the beginning of another
melody either in a higher or lower tone than the preceding
one. The chant continues in this way until the end of the
journey. 'When the whole band sings in full chorus, you
are immediately reminded of a choir of monks singing
their matins or vespers. Now it is most probable that in
ancient times these aborigines knew the psalms by heart ;
but as they had no written books in which to record their
customs and transaCtions, naturally the wording of the
psalms slipped from their memories and left them but the
various intonations of each.
The Osages.'are very conservative in whatever concerns
their religiou;·praCl:ices; so much so, that, though willing
to part with almost every custom, they cling with devotion
to this primitive and so-called Bible. Should it be lost,
every effort is made to recover it, no- matter what may be
the trouble and expense. Only a priviliged few among the
Medicine-men are allowed the use of these bundles. They
are generally the favorites and admired of the tribe.
While the Osages live in their aboriginal state as blanket
Indians.._they will never relinquish their superstitious rites
and adopt Christian habits. They must consequently be
first civilized and then christianized. The Indians themselves
imagine that the Christian religion is only for the civilized,
and as they are not a civilized people an~_ do not follow the
customs of the whites they canflot be Christians. "'While
we are Indians," they say, "we must follow the Medicineman"
On the expedition I passed through the country of the
Kansas, or as they were formerly called, the Kaw Indians.
The Kaws are kin to the Osages, and rightly speaking are
but a branch of the same nation. The language which
they speak is materially the same as that of the Osages,
though there is a slight difference in accent. They claim
a more ancient pedigree than the Osages whom they call
�t:
1
I
~.
Kansas.
younger brothers; but the Osage will tell you that the
Kaws are but a people coming after them, and much below
them in physical and intellectual greatness.
This question of the priority of family or tribe, will probably never be decided. Society however will not suffer.
The full-bloods of this tribe follow the same religious
ceremonies as the Osages. The half-breeds profess to be
Roman Catholics, that is to say, they have been baptized
in the Church, but know nothing about her doctrines, owing
to the want of Catholic instructors. They have frequently
petitioned the United States government for Catholic priests,
but have not succeeded in obtaining their request.
As to their intellectual powers there is little difference
between the two tribes; though it must be confessed that
in certain cases the Kaws have succeeded in outwitting
their Osage brethren. The former are noted horse thieves
and will spirit away a horse, whenever a good chance offers.
The Osages dread the Kaws on this account, and accuse
them of the theft of their missing horses. To give you an
idea of the smartness shown by these horse thieves in their
profession I will mention a case that happened some time
ago.
Near our mission, lived an old Indian, Nassour by name;
he was a good Christian and a very sociable man. At the
time of the annual payment, several neighboring tribes
came to visit the Osages, and according to their custom "to
smoke horses," that is to say, barter horses. About twenty
Kaws came with the visitors. Although this party was a
friendly one, the bad name of their brethren, caused all to
be on the watch for their horses-lest some of the Kaws
might yield to temptation.
Old Nassour especially, kept his eyes open; he had but
one horse, and him, he intended to guard closely. Well,
night set in; and the old Indian tethered his horse to a
tree with this precaution however; that he tied a bell to
the horses neck, in order that the jingling sound during the
night, might assure him of the animal's presence. With
this precaution taken, he settled down to sleep. Every
�Kansas.
motion of the horse caused a ringing of the bell, and the
old man hearing it would say: "Good! my horse is here
yet." Then turning over he would fall asleep again. The
wily old Indian was indeed smart, but he had a still sharper
person to deal with in the shape of a young Kaw. This
fellow made up his mind to steal the horse. Accordingly,
he crept stealthily to the tree, approached the horse gently,
took the bell from his ne~k, and tied it to a branch of the
tree; then mounting old Nassour's treasure, sped away.
The night was dark and stormy, and the wind very high at
intervals ; so that the bell kept ringing and swinging the
whole night, and Nassour kept imagining that his horse
was safe in his possession. Imagine his surprise at daybreak, in finding his animal gone, and in seeing the bell
swinging in the..branches of the tree .
.Now you ask: "Do these Indians see any harm in stealing?" Yes they do, that is, among themselves. They very
seldom steal from each other, though they have many a
chance; for the wigwams and lodges are always open. But
like the Jews of old, they see no harm in appropriating the
property of their enemies. Now, the white man is their
enemy; consequently the Indian takes his property with·
an easy conscience and considers himself in goo_d luck
when he 'Succeeds in so doing.
.This is one of the great obstacles to success in ch~istian
izing them. But these very notions are eradicated easily
and the bad habit broken, under the dir~etion of Catholic
missionaries, who have the sound doetririe to give them,
and will treat them disinterestedly and fairly.
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIONE,
s. J.
�OBITUARY.
FATHER ]AMES
M.
CoNVERSE.
Rev. James M. Converse died at the St. Louis University
on Tuesday, April 26th, 1881, at eight o'clock P. 1\L, after
devoutly receiving all the rites of the Church. 'He suffered
much during the last four or five days of his illness, but
he bore his pains with great patience, and with complete
resignation to the will of God.
His disease was enlargement of the heart, which first
manifested dangerous symptoms about one year ago. With
the advice of his physicians, he visited the scenes of his
childhood in the State of Vermont, where he spent . the
month of July and a part of August, 1880; but finding
there no relief from this insidious and unconquerable malady, he returned to St. Louis, where the disease gradually
gained on his vigorous constitution, till it resulted in the
dropsy which finally carried him off. The faculties of his
mind retained their charaCteristic clearness and accuracy
to the last struggle with death, in which life passed away.
Rev. James M. Converse was born near Randolph, in the
State of Vermont, on July 30th, 1814, and he was a descendant of the Puritan first settlers of New England.
When he reached his majority, in 1835, he went to Cleveland, Ohio, where he engaged in business with his brother.
His avocations carried him to the copper mines in the vicinity of Lake Superior, where his interests detained him for
some while; but he subsequently returned to Cleveland and
studied law. He followed the profession of law thenceforth till the year 1845. Religion occupied a considerable share in his thoughts wherever he was, and in whatever employments he was engaged. After abandoning the
denomination of religion in which he had been reared, he
drifted from one church to another during several years,
studying successively all the confessions of faith on which
(293)
�294
Fatlzer :James }}f. Converse.
he could lay his hands, his changing opinions causing him
to join quite a number of seas, but not remaining long
in membership with any one. As there were certain fundamental questions to which he could find no satisfaaory
answer in any of the churches to which he had attached
himself, he became unsettled in mind and despondent ; he
began to think seriously of dismissing the subjea of religion from his thoughts altogether. He was in this state of
mind when, on Easter Sunday, 1842, he was casually passing the door of the Catholic Church in Cleveland during
divine service. He never had, up to that time, thought it
worthy of his attention to examine the claims of the Catholic Church on rational belief, because its falsity was,
throughout his~'life, a foregone conclusion for his mind.
Out of mere curiosity he entered the Church door, and, as
it happened, the priest, Rev. Peter McLaughlin, was just
beginning his sermon, and the subjea announced was
precisely one that had long perplexed his own thoughts.
The sermon shed a new light upon his mind, and opened
new trains of thought, making so great an impression on
him that he determined to see the priest when service was
over, and have a conversation with him. The reverend gentleman received him kindly, and their talk on questions of
religion, ~vhich began at the dinner table, was aaually prolonged throughout the evening and entire succeeding night.
After some repose next day, Mr. Converse asked Father
McLaughlin, as the man from Ethiopia .ri<;Iing on a chariot
with the Apostle Philip beside him "preaching unto him
Jesus," asked, when he was made to understand the truth:
"See, here is water; what doth hinder me from being baptized ? " Mr. Converse was, in compliance with his own
earnest desire, baptized on that same day, which was Easter
Monday, 1842.
Father Converse, with the approval of his spiritual adviser, the Rev. Peter McLaughlin, resolved to become a
Jesuit, and accordingly he entered the St. Stanislaus' Novitiate, near Florissant, Mo., February 4th, 1845, and he remained a II!ember of the Jesuit society till his death. Dur-
�Fat!ter :James M Converse.
I
295
ing the first years, after his probation as a novice was
completed, he was employed as a teacher at the St. Louis
University; he was afterwards successively at St. Joseph's
College, Bardstown, Ky., at St. Xavier College, Cincinnati,
in Chicago on parochial and missionary duties, in Leavenworth, Kansas, in St. Louis and at St. Stanislaus Seminary,
in all of which places he filled important positions with
great efficiency. After the death of Father De Smet, which
took place May 23, 1873, Father Converse was appointed
to succeed. him as procurator, or econome of the Province,
occupying this office till his death. It devolved on him, as
procurator of the province, to manage the temporal affairs,
and the finances of the Missouri Province, to which employments he united parochial duties in the congregation of St.
Francis Xavier's church. His zeal for the spiritual welfare
of the people, and his remarkable ability for business, gained
for him a large number of friends and admirers, who testified, to the last, their high esteem for his many excellent
qualities, among which his charity and kindness were preeminent. Many are the persons who will remember works
of disinterested goodness which he did for them in their
hour of need.
Father Converse had an intellect that was penetrating
and searching, ~t the same time that its range was broad and
comprehensive. In matters of business, and in all the practical affairs of life, he was remarkable for the correctness
and prudence of his judgments. His entire conduct was
reg_ulated by principle maturely considered before action
was decided on. He followed his convictions of what was
duty for him, with unswerving firmness of purpose; after
canvassing minutely all the reasons for action, and reaching
a decision as to what was right, no difficulties could discourage him, and no opposition save that which comes
from evident principle could divert him from his undertaking. The sickness which carried him off, as said, was enlargement of the heart, finally resulting in dropsy. His
strong, iron will resisted the destroyer, so as, aided by the
skill of his physicians, to prolong his life far beyond the
�Father :James M Converse.
measure which such ailment ordinarly allows to the most
vigorous constitutions on which it seizes. He knew for
months beforehand that his enemy must conquer at last,
and as the end approached, he went about the preparation
for death as a matter of business, but as the most important
business of his life. He never manifested a sign of fear,
uneasiness or unwillingness to meet death, often remarking
that death could cause him no dismay, talking freely and
cheerfully of his approaching dissolution, with its final
struggles. Father Converse was of a manly and sterling
charaCter, which peculiarly fitted him for great and arduous
tasks, and such he performed whenever the occasion for
them required him.
The striCt: adherence to principle for which he was distinguished exhibited itself in his religious conduCt:, in his
praCtice of piety, always solid and masculine, obsequium
ratiotzabile, and especially did it manifest itself in all he diu
to dispose himself to appear before God in judgment. All
had to be done according to rule and system; but that rule,
and that system, were adhered to by him with the thoroughness and exaB:ness which charaCterized all the performances
of his life. Father Converse possessed extraordinarily good
qualities both of head and heart, which shone more brilliantly in the }ast long trial of his life, his death• which was that
of a good man, who had filled the measure of a useful and
meritorious life of sixty-seven years.
His remains were buried on Thursday, April 28th, 1881,
at St. Stanislaus' Novitiate, near Florissant; on a little mound
in the garden, where repose those of Fathers Van Quickenborne, DeSmet, Van Assche, Verhaegen, etc. R. I. P.
WALTER H. HILL,
s. J.
�J
'
Brother Dani'el Mason.
297
BROTHER DANIEL MASON.
Died at Woodstock, at 2 o'clock, on Good Friday morning, Brother Daniel Mason.
The name of this good Brother will recall to the minds
of Woodstock's first inhabitants recolleCtions of those early
days when all that was beautiful at Woodstock was confined
within the walls of its domestic chapel. There were then
no winding walks, nor flowers breathing sweet perfume,
nor conservatories to proteCt: against the chilling blasts
those plants that were to charm the eye and cheer the heart,
when spring should call them forth. Nor were there then
any spreading lawns nor shaded boulevard, nor ingeniously
contrived summer-houses in which to pass in pleasant
groups the recreation hours. To the chapel, then, in those
early days, we escorted our visiting guest, feeling that here,
at least, we could point with pride to what was then our
solitary boast. Here too in those early days of Woodstock, when the pelting rains, and the roads ankle deep
with mire, kept the Woodstock student a prisoner within
its walls, the heart was less heavy and the days less sad,
as we held converse with God within this our sanB:uary.
But who amongst us will fail to acknowledge, that, if with
pride we escorted our guest, or if with sacred joy we knelt
and prayed within these hallowed walls, much that was there
to inspire our pride, or excite our feelings of sacred joy,
was due to the devoted zeal and excellent taste of him who
was our Sacristan ! Or who can fail to see in all those plans
and devices, by which he contrived so well to enhance the
dignity of the Church's festivals, Br. Mason knew Whom it
was he served and loved Him well!
No wonder he could always smile, no wonder he could
always toil and never pause to rest those limbs that for
thirty years knew keenest suffering. No wonder, when his
days were full, and God, satisfied with his faithful service,
called him to appear before Him, no wonder that in this
VoL. x-No. 3·
38
�2g8
11-fr. James 0' Connell.
summons he joyed as only the eleet can joy. Suffering
intensely, but so sweetly smiling, that we forgot the while
that nature had not fashioned in attracrive mould a face
that grace now lit up with ineffable charm.
Thus Br. Mason suffered, thus he smiled, and suffering
and smiling he calmly, peacefully, joyfully passed away complaining only of this, that the docror seemed desirous
of prolonging his life. Those who witnessed his last moments, seeing his lips constantly moving in prayer, and his
eyes raised on high, could not fail to perceive that his heart
was where the orders of Superiors and his daily duties had
long kept him-near, very near, to God.
Thus passed away Brother Mason,just one week after another of Woodstock's faithful Brothers, Michael Keenan,
had been called to his reward. Alike in their fidelity, alike
in their simplicity, their deaths were not dissimilar. God
grant that all who die at Woodstock ~aydisplay the same
evident, most abundant signs of predileCtion !
MR.
}AMES
O'CoNNELL.
On the 8th of July was laid to rest in the quiet churchyard of Old St. Inigoes, St. Mary's County, Md., Mr. James
O'Coimell; a scholastic of the Missouri Province. He was
drowned, while bathing in the St. Mary's river near a place
called Gunboat Springs, on the morning·of the 5th. During the three days occupied in searching for his body, so
great a gloom was cast upon us all that few will soon forget
the vacations of 1881. \Vhen the remains had been recovered and placed in sacred ground, so many and consoling were the circumstances connecred with the death of
our Brother, that a feeling of relief and joy succeeded our
mourning.
As we arrived at St. Inigoes too late on the morning of
the 2nd to go to Holy Communion, we received general
permission to approach the Holy. Table on the very day
of the accident. Of this privilege Mr. O'Connell and
�Mr. James 0' Connell.
299
his excursion party availed themselves. Fr. Klein; who
was providentially of the number, gave him the Last Absolution. It is not the purpose of this present notice to enter into details of the event. They are already well known.
In Mr. O'Connell, his Province lost a faithful and. edifying
religious and laborer of much promise. He was in his
twenty-sixth year, and had been eight years in the Society.
His virtues and amiable qualities endeared him to all, whilst
his talents and energy pointed him out as destined to a
career of usefulness.
During his brief life he had accomplished much good in
a quiet and hidden manner. There was neither glitter, nor
show in what he· did: Exceedingly charitable to all his
brethren, he was especially so to the sick. A Sister of
Charity could not have treated them with greater de.licacy
and taCt.
His leading charaCteristics were great love of the right
and perfeCt, and independence of mind in following out
what he considered to be· his duty, regardless of consequences and comments. He aimed at perfeCtion in whatever
he undertook and nothing less could satisfy him. Hence,
his great ardor for study arid for all that could tend to
aid him to become such a Jesuit as our Institute asks for.
His ideal Jesuit was a very lofty conception and often was
he heard to bewail his inability. to attain it, though striving
manfully. As a child, he grew up under the shadow of
the Altar and was known as one of the most devoted and
punCtual Acolytes of the Holy Family parish in Chicago,
his native city. Here it was that he first exhibited a very
great devotion to the Sacred Heart and to our Lady's
Immaculate Conception. This trait marked his whole life.
One of the first students to have his name inscribed on the
catalogue of St. Ignatius' College, he was ·also one of the
first PrefeCts of our Lady's Sodality. He used his popularity
with his fellow students to form a Guard of Honor for prayer before the tabernacle during hours of recreation. This
praCtice became quite general. It was not unusual to see
boys leaving the excitement of a game of Base Ball to
�300
Mr. James 0' Connell.
spend their allotted time in the Chapel. To this pious custom introduced by him . many attribute their vocation to
the priesthood and to a religious life. He remained but
three years at College, entering the Society after the class
of Poetry.
During his three years at Florissant this devotion to the
Sacred Heart did not abate. When he entered our Colleges
to teach, he found a fitting outlet for his zeal. I have before me a list of boys, whom he had caused to enter the
Association of the Sacred Heart. Many of them and their
relatives promised to make frequent Communions of Reparation.
During his life as a teacher it was remarked that his
class was alway~ foremost in decorating their little classroom ~brine of~~r Lady during the month of May.
The charming simplicity of his manners won him the
love and respect of all, with whom he came in contact. Of
strangers, with whom he had merely a chance conversation,
he made fast friends. Thus, when coming to Woodstock,
he fell in with a young officer of the Naval Academy at
Annapolis, who ever afterwards regularly corresponded
with him. The conversion of this gentleman was his great
desire.
All his ·brethren tell of his deeds of kindness, his considerate charity, and great exactness in the performance of
duty, and many an eye was dimmed as the cold earth fell
over the mortal remains of one, so full of life and promise,
torn from our midst in so sudden and sad a manner.
Few went to St. Inigoes with greater hopes of enjoyment. He was anxious to make the most of the week he
was to spend with us in regaining his strength, before going
to Georgetown for a special course of Chemistry, to follow
which he had volunteered to make the sacrifice of the
greatest part of his vacations, that he might thus fit himself better for the work of our Society in Colleges.
His death brought out most strikingly the deep fraternal
charity of the Society. The name of him who exposed
his own life, to save his brother's, and of those who toiled
I
�1
l
JIIr. Jauus 0' Collnell.
301
under the rays of a hot sun for three days in the attempt
to recover his remains, as well as of those, who so beautifully arranged his grave, will not soon depart from our memory.
"A true child of the Company of Jesus, he glorified God,
and edified his neighbor."
D. 0. M.
�OUR COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR 1880-81.
1
PLACE
NAME
PnoVINcE STUD's
0
R AD •
A. B.
Baltimore, Md ............ ,Loyola College* ......•.. ~I d. N. Y. 104
Boston, l\lass ............ IBoston College*......... ::\Id. N.Y. 230
15
1
Buffalo, N. Y ............ 1CanisiuR College ......... Germany ·······~········
Chicago, Ill ........... : (. St. Ignatius College*..... Missouri
203 I '2
229
Cincinnati, 0 ........ :-.,.'\St. Xavier College*......
"
5
Detroit, ::\Iich ............ Detroit College*........ .
132
Fordham, N.Y .......... StJohn's College ...•.... Md. N.Y. 207
6
Georgetown, D. C........ Georgetown College..... .
184
8
Grand Coteau, La ........ St. Charles College ....... N. 0.1\Iiss
49
Jersey City, N.J......... .st. Peter's College* ...... 1\Id. N.Y. 146
Las Vegas, N.l\1 ......... Las Vegas College ....... Naples
219
New Yorlf, N.Y ......... :St Francis Xav. College* 1\Id. N. Y.j 503 1· ·
New Orleans, La......... !Imm. Conception Coli.* .... N. 0.1\Iissl 301 I
4
Santa Clara, Cal ......... Santa Clara College ...... ; Turin
I 194 I
713
San Frnncisco, Cal. ...... 1St. Ignatius Co:Jc,;e *.. · · · ~ "
342
St. Louis, ::\Io.- ......... jst. Louis University...... !Missouri
St. ~Iary'~, Knnsas ....... ,St. )lary's, College........ i
" • 1 183 I....
Sprmg H1ll, Ala ......... 1St. Josephs College ..•••. N. 0.1\hssl 1?6
'\V"ashington, D. C........ Gonzaga College* ....... ~1\ld. N. Y.l 123
20
Worcester, 1\lass ......... :college of the Holy Crossi:
"
l
\········
i········
·2o·· ·
1
l....f""
I
2...
1~~; 1
*Day College.
Ll- ~ ;
�CONTENTS OF VOL. X.
Page
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE ~L\RYLA);D
)!ISSION:III.
The Penal Laws......................••......... ·.........
IV.
The Suppression and Restoration of the Society ............. 89
3
v. The Annual Letters ........................................ 209
The First Church Built in CalitiJrnia-A Sketch of the Life and
Labors of Father Salvatierra ................................•..• 28
BRAZIL:-
The Religious Question in the Empire ....................•...... 42
The College of Itu .•..•..••.................................... 171
Letters of Father James 0. Van de Veld e ...•.. _. ............... 53, 121
Dispersion of the College of Laval. .....................•......... 65
Loyola College .................................•...•............ 68
New Church at Harrisonville ..................................... 69
I
l
Nez Perces Indians ............................. , ............. 71, 198
:l\Iissionary Labors .....•....••..................•..•...... 85, 179, 260
Kansas-Osage ~Iission .........•............................. 133, 286
Indian
~1issions ...•.......................................•...... 137
San Xavier del Bac, Arizona ...................................... 157
Sault Ste. Marie, :Michigan .......•••............................. 204
Across the Continent-Letter I. .................................. 225
FiftyYears Ago-Some Letters of Fr. F. Grivel. ................... 244
New l\Iexico ..................................................... 274
'fexas ....•........•.............•............................... 286
OntTUARY:-
Fr. James ~I. Converse ......................................... 293
Br. Dotniel ~Iason ..............................•............... 297
~Ir. James O'Connell .............................. ."............ 298
Our Colleges..................................................... 302
I
�
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 10 (1881)
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A.M. D. G.
'VOODSTOCI\ LETTERS
A RECORD
OJ' Clll'l'ellt Et·ents aud IIistorical ~Notes coiiiH't'fetl with
the Colle(Jcs anrl ~1Iissious of' the Soc. of .Tesus
in 1Yorth anrl South Amerira.
VOL. XI.
,• >I ! \ ~:
I I t
t _.
,.
,::·
1_'77
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
!882.
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
�f'£
ex
t(.
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\VOODSTOOK LETTERS.
VOL XI, No.
1.
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
OF THE MARYLAND MISSION.
V.-THE ANNUAL LETTERS-1634-1773·
.i
.(
"As for the Catholics, the attendance on the sacraments
here is so large, that it is not greater among the faithful in
Europe, in proportion to their respeCtive numbers. The
most ignorant have been catechised, and catechetical lectures have been delivered to the more advanced every Sunday; on feast days they have been very rarely left without
a sermon. The sick and the dying, who were numerous
this year, and dwelt far apart, have been assisted in every
way, so that not a single person has died without the sacraments. We have buried very many, but have baptized a
great num~er. And, although there are not wanting frequent occasions of dissension, yet none of any importance
has arisen here in the last nine months which we have not
immediately allayed. By the blessing of God we have this
consolation, that no vices spring up among the new Catholics, although settlements of this kind are not usually
supplied by the best class of men .
"We bought off in Virginia two Catholics who had sold
�4
Histon·ca! Papers.
themselves into bondage, nor was the money ill-spent, for
both showed themselves good Christians; one, indeed, surpasses the ordinary standard. Some others have performed
the same duty of charity in buying thence Catholic servants, of whom there are a great number in that country.·
For every year very many sell themselves thither into bondage, and, as they live among men of the worst example
and are destitute of all spiritual aid, they generally make
shipwreck of their souls.
"Several of the chief men have, through the use of the
Spiritual Exercises, been formed i?Y us to piety, a fruit by
no means to be despised. In one especial case we adore
the wonderful providence and mercy of God, which brought
a man encompassed in the world with many difficulties,
and obliged to live in Virginia, constantly deprived· of all
spiritual aid, to promise; not long before his death, that he
would undertake these Exercises. This intention was prevented by a severe sickness, which he bore with the greatest patience, fixing his mind firmly on God; and at length,
having duly received all the sacraments, in a state of most
unusual peace he gave back his soul to God, which had
been so full of troubles and disquietudes.
"A noble matron has lately died, who, after accompanying the first settlers into the colony, bore all her difficulties
and inconveniences with more than a woman's courage.
She was much given to prayer, and most anxious for the
salvation of her neighbors, setting them a perfect example, both in her own person and in her domestic concerns. She was fond of our Society when living, and a
benefactor to it when dying, and was held in blessed memory by all for the edification which she gave in her charity
to the sick, as well as in other virtues.
"There are in this mission four priests and one coadjutor. All are working in places far distant, with the
hope, no doubt, of thus obtaining earlier acquaintance with
�The Annual Letters.
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the native language and propagating more widely the holy
faith of the Gospel. Father John Brock, the Superior, with
a coadjutor brother, remains in tbe plantation. Metapawn ien, which was given us by Maquacomen, the King of Patuxent, is a kind of storehouse for this mission, whence most
of our bodily supplies are obtained. Father Philip Fisher
lives in the principal town of the colony, to which the name
of St. Mary's has been given. Father John Gravener lives
in Kent Island, sixty miles distant. Father Andrew White
is at the still further distance of one hundred and twenty
miles, at Kittamaquindi, the metropolis of Pascatoe, having
lived since the month of June, 1639, in the palace with the
King himself, whom they call Tayac.
"The cause of the Father's going thither was as follows.
He had bestowed much time and labour in the work of the
conversion of the King of Patuxent, an event anticipated
by us all, both from our recolleCtion of kindnesses received
-for he had given to the Society a farm, as has been said
-and because he was considered very powerful among the
barbarians, on account of his reputation for wisdom and
influence. Some of his people had become Catholics, and
he himself appeared abundantly instruCted in the first principles of the faith, when lo !-in the inscrutable judgments
of Gotl-the unhappy man at first procrastinated, then by
degrees grew indifferent, and at length openly broke off
altogether from the work he had commenced. Nor this
only; but he also gave indications of an hostility against
the whole colony not to be misunderstood. Whereupon
the Go\'ernor, after prudent enquiries, determined, by the
advice of his council, that the Father should be recalled
from his position with the King, lest the bar.barian might
give sudden proof of his perfidy and cruelty against him ;
and also, lest this hostage, as it were, being left in the King's
power, the Governor himself might find it difficult to revenge injuries, should the Patuxent at any time declare
himself an open enemy.
"\Vhen rulers and kings are here spoken of, let no one
forni any grand idea of them, as if they were like princes
�6
Histon"cal Papers.
in Europe. For these Indian kings, though they have the
most absolute power of life and death over their people,
and in certain prerogatives of honour and wealth rank a
little higher than others, yet in personal appearance they
are scarcely anything removed from the multitude. The
only peculiarity by which you can distinguish a chief from
the common people consists in some badge, a collar made
of a rude jewel, or a belt, or a cloak oftentimes ornamented
with shells in circular rows. The kingdoms of these are
generally circumscribed by the narrow confines of a single
village and the adjacent country, though Tayac has a much
more extensive dominion, stretching about one hundred
and thirty miles; and to this empire other inferior chieftains
are subjeCt.
"The conversion of Maquacomen being despaired of,
Father Andrew betook himself to the Tayac of Piscataway, who treated him very kindly at the first interview, and
became so attached to him that he afterwards always held
him in the greatest love and veneration, and was unwilling
that the Father should use any other hospitality than that
of his palace. Nor was the Queen inferior to her husband
in benevolence to their guest, for with her own hands she
was accustomed to prepare meat for him and bake bread,
and waited upon him with equal care and attention.
"The cause of this remarkable affecrion for the Father
on the part of the Tayac is to be referred to two dreams,
which, perhaps, you may think deserve a higher name.
One of these dreams he heard from Uwanno, his brother,
who had reigned before him, and whom he had slain. In
his sleep Uwanno appeared to see Father White and Father
Gravener before him, and to hear a voice thus admonishing
him: 'These are the men who from their soul love you
and your tribe, and have brought with them those blessings by which you can be happy if you desire it.' Hence
so lively an impression of these strangers remained in the
mind of Tayac, that even at the first sight he recognized
them when coming to him, and afterwards embraced them
with remarkable affecrion. He was accustomed also to call
�T!te Annual Letters.
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I
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7
Father White his parent, to whose instruB:ion he wished to
give up, for seven years, his sons, who were very dear to
him, the whole tribe being very fond of children, and seldom letting them go from their sight. The other dream,
which the Tayac is accustomed to relate in conversation,
occurred to himself: his father, deceased some time before,
appeared to be present before his eyes, accompanied by a
god of a black color whom he worshipped, beseeching him
that he would not desert him. At a short distance he saw
· a most hideous demon, accompanied by a certain man,
Snow, a Protestant minister from England, who had gained
access to the Tayac, but had been ill-received by him. In
another part the Governor of the colony and Father White
appeared, accompanied also by a god much more beautiful
than the other, and surpassing the snow in whiteness, which
seemed gently to beckon the King to him. From that
time he treated both the Governor and the Father with the
greatest affeB:ion.
"Soon after the arrival of Father White the Tayac was
in danger of death from a serious disease, and, when forty
conjurors had in vain tried every remedy, the Father, by
permission of the sick man, administered as medicine a certain powder of known efficacy mixed with holy water,
taking care to have him bled the day before by a youth
whom the Father always had with him. After this the sick
man began daily to grow better, and soon after altogether
recovered. Upon"this he resolved to be initiated as soon
as possible into the Christian faith, and both his wife and
his two daughters along with him, for as yet he has no
male offspring. Father \Vhite is now diligently engaged in
their instruCtion ; and they are not slow in receiving the
Catholic doB:rine, for, through the light of Heaven vouchsafed to them, they have long since found out the errors of
their former life. The King has exchanged the skins with
which he was before clothed, for a garment after the European fashion, and he makes some little endeavor to learn
our language.
"Having put away his concubines, he lives content with
�8
H£stoncal Papers.
one wife, that, as he says, he may the more freely have leisure to pray to God. He abstains from meat on the days
on which it is forbidden by the Catholic rule, and thinks
that the heretics, who do otherwise, ought to be caJled bad
Christians. He is greatly delighted with spiritual conversation, and seems to esteem earthly wealth as nothing in
comparison with heavenly; as he told the Governor, to
whom he was on a visit with Father \Vhite while he was
under instruCtion, and who was explaining to him what
great advantages could be enjoyed from the English by a
mutual exchange of wares. 'Verily,' he said, 'I consider
all these things trifling when compared with this one advantage-that through these missionaries I have arrived at
the knowledge of the only true God, than which there is
nothing greater to me, nothing which ought to be greater.'
Not long since, when he held a convention of other rulers,
in a crowded assembly of the chiefs and a circle of the
common people, Father White and some of the English
being present, he publicly declared it to be his advice, together with that of his wife and children, that, abjuring the
superstition of the country, they should aJI embrace the
profession and praCtice of Christianity, for that the only
true Deity is He Whom the Christians worshipped, nor can
the immortal soul of man be otherwise saved from eternal
death; stones and herbs, to which through blindness of
mind, he and they had hitherto given divine honors, being
the humblest things created by the Almighty God, for the
use and relief of human life. Having said this, he cast
from him a stone which he held in his hand, and spurned it
with his foot. A murmur of applause from the people
sufficiently indicated that they did not hear these things
with unfavorable ears. Thus there is the strongest hope
that, when the family of the King is purified by Baptism,
the conversion of the whole country wiJI speedily foJlow.
In the meantime, we heartily thank God for the present
happy prospeCt, and are especiaJly encouraged when we
daily behold those idols to be the contempt of the natives,
which were lately reckoned in the number of their deities.
�Tlze Annual Letters.
'
t
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J
"Another event, worthy of mention, has greatly increased
the anxiety of the King for Baptism. A certain Indian,
who had slain an Englishman because of some injury done
him, was found guilty of the homicide and was sentenced
to death, remarkably enough, at the very time when Tayac,
with his companion, Father White, was on his way to the
colony. vVe explained to the miserable man, who was condemned to die, that by receiving the Christian sacraments
he would provide for the salvation of his immortal soul.
As he appeared by no means of an obdurate disposition, we
endeavored, as far as possible by the words we could use,
to reach his heart, which was evidently in some measure
inclined to listen. The pious King perceived that we labored under some difficulty from our insufficient knowledge of the Indian language, and so of his own accord he
came to assist us in finishing the work. He not only filled
the office of a faithful interpreter, repeating to the man
whatever he was told by Father White, but also added of
himself some truths so apposite and efficacious that they
won the admiration of all present, and at length gained
over the Indian himself to the Catholic faith, who, imbued
with the necessary knowledge and washed in the sacred
font for which he asked, prepared himself for death, complying in every way with what was prescribed to him; and
indeed he appeared to be possessed with so vehement a desire of seeing God as to seem to wish the execution to be
hastened. A remarkable eagerness appeared in his countenance, he fortified himself by frequently using the salutary
sign of the Cross, and whatever he did or said did not seem
feigned for show only, but to come from the inmost recesses
of his soul. When he reached the place of execution, he
inquired with cheerful countenance whether it would be
proper that he should sing before he was executed, according to the custom of his country, and when told that by
piously repeating the holy names of Jesus and Mary he
would propitiate them in his last conflict, he cheerfully
obeyed those who advised him, and died with those blessed
names upon his lips. After death, he was buried in our
VoL. XI-No.
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1.
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Historical Papers.
cemetery with the most solemn rites, in order to make the
barbarians understand that, while execrating the crimes of
malefactors and avenging them by merited punishment,
Christians nevertheless hold their souls dear, and are easily
reconciled to them if they repent. And this example of
clemency and charity to the deceased struck them so much
the more forcibly, because of its wide difference from their
own customs-for they are wont to serve up their slaughtered enemies in the most cruel manner to be feasted on by
their friends.
"No one, however, was more vehemently moved at the
sight of the dying neophyte than Tayac, who afterwards
earnestly insisted that he should receive the gift of Baptism.
The matter being discussed in council, it was decided that
it would be for the greater glory of God if this Baptism
were deferred until it could be performed with splendid rites
and the greatest solemnity, and in the sight of his own
countrymen, when his wife also and his children might be
brought to a participation of his joy and gladness. The
King at length, yielding to the kindness of the Catholics,
and greatly delighted with their prolonged hospitality, took
leave of the Governor and returned home, Father \Vhite
being again his attendant; as soon as he had arrived he
gave command to his people to prepare a Church by next
Pentecost, the time appointed for the Baptism. On that
day, at Kittamaquindi, the Governor and other distinguished
men of the colony, having been specially invited by the
Tayac, contemplate honoring by their presence, and by
whatever other means they can, the Christian sacraments
and the second better birth of Tayac. May a merciful God
cause this event to turn out to the good of all-to His
glory, to our reward, and to the salvation of the whole
tribe.
"If we look round the whole world, we may, perhaps,
nowhere find men more abject in appearance than these Indians, yet they have souls, for which a ransom has been
paid by Christ, and which are no less precious than those
of the most cultivated Europeans. They are inclined to
�Tlze Annual Letters.
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II
some vices, though not so many, considering the darkness
of their ignorance, their barbarism, and their unrestrained
and wandering mode of life; nevertheless, in their disposition they are docile, nor will you perceive in them a very
exaggerated indulgence of their passions. They are most
patient of troubles, and easily endure contumely and injury,
if these do not involve danger of life. They have sometimes a few, sometimes many idols, to whose worship they
are greatly addid:ed; but there are no priests to whom the
administration of sacrifices appertains by appointment.
There are not wanting among them those who interpret superstitions and sell them to the people ; but these are, generally speaking, not at all numerous. They acknowledge
one Superior Being, notwithstanding they are ignorant in
what way He is to be worshipped and honored, hence they
lend a willing ear to all who undertake to teach them this
knowledge. They rarely think of the immortality of the
soul or the things that are to be after death. If at any time
they find a teacher clearly explaining these things, they
show themselves very attentive as well as docile, and are
soon seriously drawn to think of their souls, and to believe
those things which are represented as conducing to their
salvation. They are readily swayed by reason, nor do they
obstinately withhold their assent from the truth when it is
placed distinCtly before them. This natural disposition of
the tribe, aided by the seasonable assistance of divine grace,
gives us hope of the most desirable harvest hereafter, and
animates us to continue our labors in this vineyard with
the greatest diligence.
"To the hope of the Indian harvest are to be added also
no mean fruits reaped from the colony and its inhabitants,
to whom, on the principal festival days of the year, sermons are preached, and catechetical instruCtions are given
on Sundays. Our labors are rewarded, for not only Catholics come in crowds, but also very many heretics, and this
year, twelve in all, renouncing their former errors, have
been reconciled to God and the Church. Our Fathers are
daily occupied in their divine work, and dispense the sac-
�12
Historical Papers.
raments to those who come, as often as circumstances demand. In fine, to those in health, to the sick, to the affliCted, and the dying, we strive to be in readiness to afford
'counsel, relief, and assistance of every kind.
"In the mission this year were four priests and one coadjutor. \Ve stated in our last letters what hope we had conceived of converting the Tayac, or the King of Pascatoe.
In the meantime, such is the goodness of God, the result
has not disappointed our expeCtation, for he has become a
Catholic, some others also being brought over with him ;
and on July 5, 1640, when he was sufficiently instruCted in
the mysteries of the faith, he was solemnly baptized in a
little chapel, which, after the manner of the Indians, he had
ereCted out of .bark for that purpose and for divine worship.
At the same tiine the Queen, who had an infant at the
breast, and others of the principal men whom he especially
admitted to his councils, together with his little son, were
regenerated in the baptismal font. To the King. who was
called Chitomacheu before, was given the name of Charles ;
to his wife, that of Mary. The others, in receiving the
Christian faith, had Christian names allotted to them. The
Governor, together with his Secretary and many others,
was present at the ceremony, nor was anything omitted
which could help the display and which our means could
supply.
"In the afternoon the King and Queen were united in
matrimony after the Christian rite; theti.-the great cross
was ereCted, in carrying which to its destined place the
King, the Governor, Secretary and others lent their shoulders and hands; two of us in the meantime-Father White
and Gravener-chanted before them the Litany of Loreto
in honor of the Blessed Virgin. And not long after, the
same two Fathers, \Vhite and Gravener, had to bear by no
means light crosses of their own; for Father White, in performing the ceremonies of Baptism, which were somewhat
�Tlze Annual Letters.
13
long, had contraB:ed a fever from \vhich he only partially
recovered, then suffered a relapse, and was ill during the
whole \~inter. Father Gravener so completely lost the use
of his feet as to be unable to stand; after a little he too got
better, though an abscess was afterwards formed, which
carried him off in the space of a few days, upon November
5, 1640.
"A famine about this time prevailed among the Indians,
owing to the great drouth of the past summer; and, that
we might not appear to negleCt: the bodies of those for the
care of whose souls we had made so long a voyage, though
corn w~s sold at a great price, we considered it necessary
to relieve them to the utmost of our power. Amidst these
cares, and busied also in settling the affairs of the mission,
we passed the greater part of the winter.
"On February 15 we came to Pascatoe, joyfully greeted
by the inhabitants, who indeed seemed well inclined to receive the Christian faith. So that not long after the King
brought his daughter, seven years old, whom he loves with
great affeCtion, to be educated among the English at St.
Mary's, and to be washed in the sacred font of Baptism ;
she is beginning to understand the Christian mysteries.
One of his counsellors also, of whom we have spoken before, desiring that the mercies of God which he had experienced in his own case should be brought to his people,
earnestly prays that his wife and children may be led to
seek the waters of salvation, which most pious desire, after
suitable instruCtion, will, we hope, by the favor of God, be
gratified.
"Another King, chief of the Anacostans, whose territory
is not far distant, is anxious to come and live as one of us;
and from this it is evident that a rich harvest awaits us, on.
which we may advantageously bestow our labor, though it
is to be feared that there will not be laborers sufficient for
gathering in the abundant fruits. There are other villages
lying near, which, I doubt not, would run promptly and joyfully to the light of Gospel truth, if there was any one to
impart to them the word of eternal life. It is not, however,
�14
Historical Papers.
right for us here to be too anxious about others, lest we
may seem to abandon prematurely our present tender flock;
nor need those who are sent out to assist us fear lest the
means of life be wanting, for He 'Who clothes the lilies and
feeds the fowls of the air, will not leave those who are laboring to extend His kingdom destitute of necessary sustenance.
"To Father Philip Fisher, now n!siding at St. Mary's, the
capital of the colony, nothing would have been more agreeable than to labor in the Indian harvest, if he had been permitted by his Superiors, who could not, however, dispense
with his services. Yet his good will is not left without its
reward, for while those among the Indians, of whom we
have spoken, are being cleansed in the waters of Baptism,
as many are, at the same time, brought back from heretical
depravity into the bosom of the Church by his active industry. The Catholics who live in the colony are not inferior in piety to those who live in other countries; but in
urbanity of manners, according to the judgment of those
who have visited the other colonies, they are considered far
superior to them. Everywhere the hope of an abundant
harvest has dawned, and while each one of us is anxious
to help even unto death as many as we can, various events
are happening that deserve record. Two of the most prominent are narrated here, one manifesting the divine mercy,
and the ?ther the divine justice.
"On the day on which a certain man was about to abjure
heresy and expiate the sins of his past life by confession,
his house caught fire, and the flames rapidly burst out at
the top. He was at a little distance when this occurred,
and lost no time in calling his neighbors, of whom two only
would come to his help; and although all this time the fire
was burning in a house that was built only of dry logs, yet
it was put out before any great injury had been done.
Some feared lest this unexpected calamity might deter him
from conversion. It happened, however, quite the contrary,
for the wonderful preservation of his house from much injury led him to the conclusion that God was propitious to
�T!tc Annual Letters.
15
him, and approv~d his design by a manifest token. Wherefore, uniting complete reformation of morals with profession of the true faith, he now sheds abroad the sweet savor
of a good example upon all who are acquainted with him.
''Another man felt some internal drawings of the grace
of God, and desired to have a rosary or prayer-beads for
himself, but afterwards, changing his mind, he had the beads
ground to powder, which he mixed with tobacco in his pipe
when he smoked, and often boasted that he had swallowed
his 'Ave Marias,' for so he called the rosary beads. The
divine vengeance, however, did not let this irreverence go
long unpunished, for scarcely a year had passed, and it was
drawing near the vigil of the day on which he had abandoned his purpose of embracing the Catholic faith, when a
spirit of more sacrilegious ribaldry than usual possessed
him, as was noticed by his companions. On his going to
the river in the afternoon, according to custom, for the purpose of bathing, he had scarcely touched the water when a
huge fish suddenly seized the wretched man, and before he
could reach the bank it tore away at one bite a large portion of flesh from his thigh, inflicting a terrible but wellmerited laceration from which recovery was impossible.
The divine justice thus ordained that he, who a little while
before had boasted of eating up his 'Ave Maria beads,' saw
his own flesh devoured while he was still alive.
Now, in the last year I wrote to you that Almighty God
had been pleased to open the way of conversion to many,
as I hope, to thousands of souls, viz: by calling to His orthodox faith the Emperor or great King of Pascatoway, so
1
< l The Letters for 1639 and 1640 were written by Father John Brock, Superior of the Mission, whose real name was Morgan. He was a native of
Ducks, born 159ll, aml entered the Society in 1622, and was accidentally
killed whilst laboring to establish a new settlement, June 5, 1641, aet. 4~.
No account seems to have been sent for the Annual Letters this year; the
want, however, is supplied by a letter (Stonyhurst MSS. Anglia, vol. 4, Xo.
109.) of Father Brock to his Superior in England, dated 3<1 ~Iay, 1641, a few
weeks before his death.
�Histonca! Papers.
f:
i!
I
I call him because he has many tributary kings under him,
who was washed at the sacred baptismal font, July 5, 1640,
his former name of Chilomacon being changed into Charles,
whilst at the same time his Queen, whose name was changed
into ·Mary, was baptized with him; at the same time also
his infant at the breast, to whom was given the name of
Anne. The President of his Council also came, called before Baptism Mesorcoques, but now John; also his little infant at the breast, to whom was given the name of Robert.
The ceremonies were performed by Father \Vhite, in the
presence of the Secretary of the Governor, Father Altam,
and many others of the English colonists, in a chapel built
of the bark of trees, after the Indian fashion, for this sole
end, the service of God in the Catholic faith. Nor is there
any doubt but that very many following in the footsteps of
their chief would as quickly as possible have been washed
at the same font of Baptism, had not Fathers \Vhite and
Altam, who were engaged in that mission, been seized with
sickness, and to regain their health had to retire to the
town of St. Mary's, in the English colony, where Father
Altam died·on the 5th of November following, and Father
\Vhite, having had a relapse, was many days after his sickness unable to return to his Mission on account of his weakness. But in February last, having partially recovered his
strength, he returned and joined me at Pascatoway, in order to restore, and as far as may be, solidly establish that
misiion, and to propagate the Christian faith, the seeds of
which it had pleased God so happily to sow. However,
shortly after our arrival Father \Vhite again fell sick, and
has not as yet recovered his strength; and, indeed, I fear
that fr,om his age and increasing infirmities, nature will
shortly succumb to such great labors. I will use my utmost endeavors to preserve his life, that this great work of
God, the conversion of so many infidels, may prosperously
and happily progress, as well becau~e he possesses the
greatest influence over their minds, as· that he, best of any
of the rest, understands and speaks their language. Many
of the inhabitants are instructed for Baptism, and many of
the higher ranks show themselves inclined towards the
Christian faith, amongst whom the chief is the King of the
Anacostians, uncle of King Patorieck. A few months ago
King Pascatoway sent his daughter, who is to succeed him
in his dominions, to the town of St. Mary, that she may be
there educated amongst the English, and instructed for
Baptism. Indeed, I hope, by the favor of God, unless our
helpers fail, that in a short time there will be a great acces-
�Tlze Annual Letters.
17
sion to the Christian faith in these barbarous nations. And
this, although, on account of the dearness of corn and the
increased expenses and deficiency of means of living, we
are pressed by great difficulties; nor are there here in this
colony any who are eithc:r able or willing to furnish us with
alms, and Divine Provid~nce shows that neither by our own
exertions, nor of those for whose salvation we labour, be
they Christians or Pagans, can we hope for support. However, we have no f:::ar but that He will provide us with
necessaries, Who feeds the birds of the air that neither sow
nor reap, and Who supplied the Apostles, whom He sent
forth without staff or scrip to preach the Gospel, with everything needful ; for the same reason He also of His Divine
Providence will see fit to supply His unworthy servants with
means of sustentation. The very thought in the Prefect of
recalling us, or of not sending others to help us in this
glorious work of the conversion of souls, in a "certain manner takes away faith in the Providence of God and His care
of His servants, as though He would now less provide for
the nourishment of His laborers than formerly. On which
account our courage is not diminished, but rather increased
and str!!ngthened; since now God will take us into His protection, and will certainly provide for us Himself, especially
since it has pleased the divine goodness already to receive
some fruit, however small, of our labours. In whatever
manner it may seem good to His Divine Majesty to dispose
of us, may His holy will be done! But, as much as in me
lies, I would rather, labouring in the conversion of the Indians, expire on the bare ground, deprived of all human
succour and perishing with hunger, than once think of abandoning this holy work of God from the fear of want. May
God grant me grace to render Him some service, and all
the rest I leave to His Divine Providence. King Pascatoway lately died most piously. But God will for his sake,
as we hope, quickly raise up seed for us in his neighbouring
King Anacostin, who has invited us to come to him, and
has decided himself to become a Christian. Many likewise
in other localities desire the same. Hopes of a rich harvest
shine forth, unless frustrated by the want of labourers who
can speak the language and are in sound health.
VoL. XI-Nb.
1.
3
�18
Historical Papers.
FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
Father John Altham (Gravener) had labored in Maryland
continuously since the first planting of the Colony, and his
death, mentioned in the last Letter, suggests this as an appropriate place to interrupt the course of the narration contained in the Annual Letters, in order to bring together some
notes that may help to determine more clearly the Status
of the Mission during the first years of its existence, and to
identify a Father, whose name, though not appearing in the
text, is frequently met with in the colonial records of this
period.
An old Record Book, long preserved at St. Thomas'
l\lanor, and now in the Provincial Archives, the greater portion of which was written by FF. Peter Atwood and George
Thorold, contains "A List of kli'ssionarics wlzo lzm,e lived in
llfaryland sin.ce ye Ist Settlement," (t) beginning as follows:
"Father \Vh.ite came in twice. Had a chappel at \Vhite's
Neck, without a house.
1632. Tho: Copley, Messrs. Starkey and Perret lived at
St. Inigos."
A Latin manuscript, evidently a partial transcript of the
preceding List, says:·white, Andreas: Primus Marylandi~ Missionarius. Ad-·
venit hue circa 1630, ante Dfim Baltimore. Sacellum extruxit in White Neck, at non habebat domum.
Harkey
}
vixerunt in pr~dio Sti. Ignatii.
Copley, Thos
Perret
Archbishop Carroll repeats the same statement:''Father White, finding too much .~inployment for one
priest only, returned to Europe to get assistance; and I find
in my very imperfeCt memoirs, that in the year 1632, FF.
Copley, Harkey and Perret came into this country, probably with Fr. White." <2)
1
< >This list was probably begun about the time that one of the above mentioned Fathers was Superior of the :Mission, during the first quarter of the
last century. It is marked: To be cor•tinued. The continuation brings the
record down to the death of Archbishop Carroll, Dec. 3, 1815; the entries
seem to have been made by successive Superiors, as the marked handwrit-ing
of Father George Hunter appears upon the record during his long term of
office (1747-1771).
2
< >Narrative of the Establishment of the Catholic Religion in Maryland
and Pennsylvania-"\VOODSTOCK LETTERS, September, 1880, p. 158.
�!
•
Jiatlzer T!tomas Copley.
The 'imperfeEl: memoirs' on which the Archbishop relied
are doubtless the records mentioned above, for other sources
of information were not easily accessible during an age
singularly incuriosa suorum. Subsequent researches enable
us to correEl: some of these statements. As the Settlers
did not sail from England until November, 1633, and
the first landing in Maryland was effeEl:ed, March 25th,
1634,we may conclude that. the dates (1630-1632)assigned
in the extraEl:s already quoted are erroneous. Nevertheless,
the explicit mention of an antecedent visit and residence of
Fr. vVhite has given rise to a curious sp(!CU!ation, which is
barely hinted at by the annotator of the Declaratio,C 1l but
more clearly proposed in a private letter by J. Gilmary Shea,
LL. D., the historian.
"The first Lord Baltimore was not here as Proprietor,
having died whilst soliciti!lg the charter. His first petition
to Charles I. for land near Virginia was written in Newfoundland, Aug. 19, 1629, and the King answered, Nov. zzd.
He wrote again, and, full of his Virginia projeEl:, sailed
down there in 1630. But Lady Baltimore made an excursion to the Chesapeake the year before ( 1629), and influenced
Lord B. greatly in favor of it. Lord Baltimore had at
Ferryland two Seminary Priests, Longvyll and Anthony
Smith, the former of whom was replaced by Hacket, also
called a Seminary Priest. Did Father White accompany
lady B. on her visit in 1629 before Lord Baltimore? Was
he one of these supposed Seminary Priests?"
It may have been; and it may have been also on account
of this visit that Fr. vVhite was tlesignated by Fr. General
Mutius Vitelleschi, on the petition of Lord Baltimore, to
accompany the colonists who sailed with Leonard Calvert.
The movements of priests were necessarily very secret in
those days of persecution, and we have no positive information as to the whereabouts of Father White during the
years which immediately preceded his appearance among
those who came in the Ark and the Dove. A note, however, in the Catlzolic Almanac for I 84 I (p. 66), is almost conclusive against the supposition that we are considering.
"That the dates in this Catalogue are erroneous is con1
< >"Utrum Georgi us primo illo itinere, sacerdotes sibi Catholicos adjunxerit, non ex tat memoria; attamen id procul dubio non omiserit." Fund
Publication-No. 7, )ld. Hist. Soc., p. 110.
�20
'"
Histonca! Papers.
elusively established by the following passage in the first
letter of Father vVhite, written from St. Mary's within a
• month after the arrival of the colonists:'On the day of the Annunciation of the B. V. Mary,
1634, we offered first the sacrifice of Mass, mver before done
i1l t/zis region o/ t!te world,' etc.
"Had missionaries arrived in 1632, it is not to be imagined
for a moment that the Holy Sacrifice would have been omitted until 1634."
\Ve may add, a fortion·, had Father \Vhite arrived in
1630, especially had he "had a chappell" (sacellum extruxit)
at that date, he could not have calied the Indian wigwam
of St. Mary's, "the first chapel of Maryland."(!)
Dismissing this question, let us come to the year I 634.
How many, and who were the Fathers that accompanied
the first settlers ?
"At first, two Fathers were S<ffit out, as it were, to explore, and ascertain if there might be any hope of the gain
of souls, when the country should appear white to the harvest. .... After this the Fathers indeed increased in number, &c."l 2l
\Ve have, then, the authentic declaration that two Fathers
were sent to found the Mission \Vho were they? Evidently, Fathers Andrew \Vhite and John Altham; for the
latter is mentioned by name in the 1Varratio ltineris, which
is attributed by common consent to the pen of Fr. White.
When Governor Calvert sailed up the Potomac in quest of
a site fqr the colony, it is stated that the young Indian King
"willingly listened to Father Altham, who had been seleCted to accompany the Governor, for I was still kept with the
ship's cargo."<3> "The Jesuit Fathers, ;vho came in 1634,
were the Rev. Messrs. White and Altham," says Davis,< 4 >
and on this point all the historians of Maryland agree.
But were there, besides these two Fathers, other priests
of the Society among the original settlers? Archbishop
Carroll, the old Record, and many writers on the subjeCt:,
make mention of FF. Copley, Harkey and Perret as companions of Father White in the beginning. It is remarka(llRelatio, "•ooDSTOCK LETTERS, vol. 2, No.1, p. 9.
( 2>Letter of Provincial, S. J., to His Eminence. Cardinal--, Rome (no
date, but probably between 1637 and 1642). Stony hurst MSS., vol. iv. 'Anglia,'
No. 108.
(3lRelatio, p. 33.
(<>Day-Star, p. 160.
�Fat!zer Tlzomas Copley.
21
ble that these names are not found in the records of the
Society in England, nor in Fr. McSherry's extraas from
the catalogues kept at Rome in the Gesu; nor does Doaor
Oliver make any mention of them. The names, Harkey
and Perret, cannot be traced, and nothing can be learned
concerning them from any available sources of information;
we can only conjeaure that they may be meant for Father
Lawrence Starkie (sometimes also written Starkey, Sankey,
Sanchez,) and Fr. Ferd. Poulton (also called Perez), who
came to the Mission, the former in 1649. the latter in 1637.
There can be no doubt, however, that a Father of the Society, known under the name of Copley, was for a long time
(1637-1650) one of the most prominent of the early missionaries.
Father Thomas Copley arrived in the Province on the
8th of August, 1637, a year distinguished for the large
number of Catholic immigrants_(') St. Inigoes was his residence,(2) and the title of the lands there and at St. Thomas'
is derived from him.
"Thomas Copley, called in the Hecords. Thomas Copley, Esq., for servants
imported, had right unto, and tlid demand :!-!,.500 acres of land in the year
1633, of which St. Inigo's was part (See Records, L. A. B. and IT., f(,]. 27,
and Lib. F. fol. 13-!). In 16:17, he assigns St. Inigo's ~[annont· to Fer.\inand
Poulton (being dubious whether it were secure to hold it in his own="' ame), in
whose name warrant bsues awl certificate returns, hut no Patent, ns the Uecord observes (Lib. F., fol. 61, 6:l, 0:!1. Soon after Ferdinando Pulton<'l dies
(or was shot by accident), and Mr. Copley, in whom the equitable right was,
the said Pulton being on Jy his Trustee, petitions for and obtains a :!nd war·
rant for SL Inigo's and ::-3t. George's; and in 1641 assi.t~ns the same to ~Ir.
Cuthbert Fenwick, for whom certificate is returned, and Patent issues, .July
27,. lfi-!}·, Cut\':': rt_,~'en~~ick conveys the same to ~[r. Henry Warren in 1663.
7
(Ltb. EE. fol. -<>---o3.)
1
<lStreeter, Papers, p. 98. Kilty, Landholders' Assistant, p. 68.
2
< >Davis, Day·Star, p. 158. See Lib. No. I. pp. 212-213, and p. 500.
<·'>Father Atwood, in a note appended to this paper says :-"It is probable
Ferdinando Pulton was an alien; but it matters not, Mr. Cop lev having had
his former rights renewed."
•
Another paper on this subjed (writer unknown) has the followin~ :-"The
first tract taken up by the Society was St. Inigoes and St. George's and 400
acres of town land. All which tract was first granted to Ferdinaml Pnlton
for 19 servants assigned to Pulton by l\Ir. Copley, in 1637, or thereabouts.
Pulton seems to have been a Spaniard, as both his and his servants' names
seem to declare..... Perez seems to be the true name of Fr. Pulton; he was
accidentally shot in a boat."
Father Poulton (or Pulton) was not a Spaniard. He belonged to an old
English family, fifteen members of which joined the Society, and three of
them died on the Maryland )fission. See Records of the English Province,
1., 155-166, 616-619; for notices of this Father, see page 161, and Diary of
English College, p. 264.
If he was called. Perez, the transition to Perret is obvious, and the <'onjec·
ture is borne out, that he whose name is coupled with that of Father Copley
is this identical Fr. Ferd. Poulton, who came over the same year (1637) with
Father Copley, and died shortly afterward in the manner related.
�Histon"cal Papers.
22
"ST. THmiAs' ~L""xxot:R. The Hecord sufficiently declares Fr. Thomas
Copley to be the first taker up, or purchaser of my Lord. He brought 39 servants.·
His assignment to Mr. Thomas ~Iathews, abstracted from the Hecord by the
clerk, is as follows:Ang. 16, 16-!!J. Thos Copley, Esq., this drty assignrd to 1lir. Thos. )fathews,
4,000 acres of land, dne to him for transplanting/en able men-servants into
this Province in the year 1633.
Tnos. COPLEY." (I)
He was summoned by writ to the General Asssembly< 2>
held in St. Mary's, and begun on the 25th of January, 1637
(N. S. 1638), and his name is found in the account of that
Assembly's proceedings, contained in a book, which is 'the
oldest remaining record of the first days of the Colony.'<3>
After, were summoned to appeare by vertue of writte to them directed<'>
::\Ir Thomas Cop·
of St ~Iarie's hun- r Robert ~l;rkethgent.
ley Esq.<5l
dred.
1 appeareu 10r e_m,
l
s~~ j~h~C:a~l~:lte Ji tl~:~~;~~fhundred i, ~b~ef~~~k~)~'~!!~e~~
o
~
111
SIC
~nes:'l.
In the acts of the second day; being 26th Jannary,l6> they were again summoned, as appears from the record.
Mr Thomas Copley rand Robert Clerke _made answer for
::11 ,\ d
WI •t
them that they desired to be excused
'1,{ "J0 rel'ith 11 e from giving voices in this Assembly;
" r
lll "
am
and was admitted.
I
1
His opinion is·quoted in the cel~brated case of Wm Lewis,
July, 1638.(7) He is spoken of as having gone to Maryland
by Brother Robert Gray in his application to be sent upon
O>Old Hecord. The Title of onr Lands dednced from the first taker np to
the present Possessor, by sale or Beqnest to him descending :-a paper drawn
up Jan. 20, 1726 C~- S. 1727), by P. A. [Father Peter Atwood], S. J.
2
< >This was the first legislative assembly convened under the authority of
the Proprietary. "It consisted of but one hoard composed of all the freemen
of the colony, each of whom was present, in person or by proxy, and the Governor presided in the double capacity of chief executive and speaker of the
house."-Scharf, History of )laryland, vol. 1, p. 12-!. There were probably
not more than 700 inhabitants in the Colony at the time, and the right of suffrage and representation belonged to every freeman, which term, by a vote of
the A~semblv of 16-!2, designated a citizen above the age of majority and not
held to personal service.
4
(3JStreeter Papers, p. 15.
C >Ibid. p. 17.
(5l"Xotwithstanding his title of 'Esquire,' :Mr. Copley was a Jesuit priest."
-Streeter, p. DS.
•
(6Jfbid. p. 20. "With a commendable disinclination"-to mix in the controversies to which legislation might give rise, they preferred a request to be ex·
cused from serving in the Assembly, which was granted."-Ibid. p. 99.
(7l"Certain Protestant servants of this gentleman complained 'of the abuses
and scandalous reproaches which God and his ministers doe daily sufl'er by
·william Lewis, of St. :Maries, who saith that our ::\Iiuisters are the ministers
of the divell; and that our books are made by the instruments of the divell,
&c.' They had drawn up a petition to Sir John Harvey, Governor of Virginia, and intended at the chapel that morning to proeure all the Protestants'
hands to it. ::\Ieanwhile J\Ir. Copley had been spoken with on the subject,
and he 'blamed much \Villiam Lewis, for his contumelious speeches and
governed zeale, and said it was fitt he should be punished.' "-Streeter, p.
214, where the case is fully detailed, as also in the Histories of Maryland hy
Bozman and J\Ic)lahon.
m-
�Fatlzer Tlzomas Copley.
23
the Mission, direCted, in 1640, to Father Edward Knott,
Provincial of England.<tl
His name occurs also in conneCtion with some legal
transaCtions, which, taken with the faCl:s already cited,
show that he held the position of procurator or superior.< 2l
In the record of the Assembly (16th :March, 1637), there is an entry which
may have belonged to the house acting as a Court.
"Robt. Clerke (in behalf of Mr. Copley) entered a Caveat into the Court
against the Administrator of John Bryant, for 50 harrells of Corne." Streeter,
p. 49, note.
In the return made by the Administrator, Capt. Cornwaleys, on the estate
of Jerome Hawley, f"oundllor, 20th April, 1639, are the followin" entries:By paid Thomas Copley, Esq., in part of a debt recovered
£ s d
by Judgment
.
.
87 9 8
Bv bills of desperate debts dell\'ered to the smd )Jr.
·Copley towards further satisfaction of his debt
50 7 0
Governor Thomas Green, in a trust deed to Henry Adams and James Langworth, in 1650, gives a token of regard for the I:ev. Thomas Copley.-Davis,
Day-Star, p. 18~. Lib. No. 1., pp. 188-189.
These testimonies prove beyond question that there was
a Father on the Mission between 1637 and r6so, holding a
prominent position, and known as Tltomas Coplry. It is
most probable, also, notwithstanding the silence of the English Records, of Oliver, arid of Father McSherry, that Copley was his true name; the land grants obtained and bequests made to him, under this name, would seem to prove
as much. Some light is thrown upon his antecedents, and
strength is added to our supposition, by an extraCt: from the
Lom•ain Cltronicle, 0. S. B : CorLEY.-"There were two sistet·s of this name professed at Louvain, l\Iay
8,1612. Jn the foregoing year, Thorn<!.<, the two Copleys' eldest brother, came
over to pass his course of Philosophy in this town (Louvain) ........ Some
time after their profession, himself entPred into the Society of Jesus, leaving
his inheritance to his second brother, ·william, taking our Lord for his part
and portion."(3)
The date, and other circumstances, justify the assumption
that this was the Father Tlzomas Copley who was afterwards
(ll\VOODSTOCK LETTERS, May, 1880, p. 80.
<•> "He seems to have been much engaged in business, and did uot neglect
the worldly interests of himself anrl companions. In presenting claims for
lands, according to the conditions of plantation, \'roportioneu to the number
of persons brought over by him, he included t 1e names of "Mr. Andrew
'Vhite" and "Mr. John Altham," who were also J\)suit priests, and who had
come over with the first colonists. According to the specifications of his
claims, there carne with 'Vhite and Altham, in 1634, twenty-eight servauts,
for whom he was entitled to 6,000 acres of land; and with him came nineteen,
for whom and himself he claimed 4,000 acres, making ten thousaud in all.
He was also engaged in sending out goods for trade with the Indians through
the agency of Robert Clarke and others, either for the profit to be drawn
from the trade, the support of the JIIission, or as a means of bringing the missionaries in contact with the natives, learning their language, and facilitating
their conversion."-Streeter, Papers, pp. 9R-99.
(SlRecords of the English Province, Diary and Pilgrim-Book of the Eng·
lish College, Rome, p. 471.
�24
~I
I
I
Historical Papers.
in :\Iaryland. But the Catalogue bears no such name.
Many of the missionaries in those days, for prudential reasons, assumed by-names, and as Father Copley certainly is
a real personage, it remains for us to _attempt his identification with one of the early missionaries known to the. registers of the Society. The faCts enumerated seem to point
him out as one and the same person with Father Philip
Fis/zer.
I". All others are easily excluded. FF. White and Altham
came before him, and were summoned to Assembly along
with him ; FF. Knowles and Poulton were on the l\Iission
for a few months only; Fr. Brock died in 1641-the documents cited show that Fr. Copley was still living in 1642,
1649, 1650. As to Fr. T. Hayes, there is no proof that he
was ever in Maryland-besides, he died in 1646. The only
remaining l\Iissionary is Fr. Philip Fisher.
2". Positive arguments warrant the same conclusion.
The Catalogue for 1636 observes at the end :-"Two
have been sent to Maryland, viz: P. P/zilip Fisher and P.
John Knowles;" the Colonial records show that, in 1637,
P. Tlzomas Copley arrived with P. John Knowles. The Annual ·Letters declare that Fr. Fis!ter resided at St. Mary's
for several years ; the Records of the Land Office assign
the same residence to Fr. Copley. The letter of 1639 asserts that Fr. Fisher was the only priest at St. Mary's; in
the case ~of \\'illiam Lewis recourse was had to J<r. Copley,
the priest in charge of the chapel there. Father Fisher was
Superior, according to the Letters and Catalogue; the prominence of Fr. Copley, and his business transaCtions would
indicate the same. Finally, Fr. Fisher ~yas carried off prisoner to England, in 1645, with Father \Vhite and another,
and he was the only one of the former missionaries who
returned to Maryland (in 1648); Fr. Copley also was here
before and after the troubles.
Streeter, in his biographical notices, says: ''The time of
klr. Copley's decease I have not bee~ able to ascertain;" the
editor of the English Records, in a notice of Father Fisher, ·
says that his name does not appear in the Catalogue of 1653.
It is most probable, then, that Fr. Thomas Copley is the
same person as Fr; Philip Fisher.
�ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
II.-THE NATIONAL PARK.
F01n ELLIS, MoNTANA, Aug. - , I 878.
In my last letter I tried to give you some idea of the
Yellowstone from iJs mouth to the point where it issues
from the Mountains; if now we glance at its course still
higher up, we shall find that our journey hitherto has been
tame and dull in comparison with the more mountainous
distria on which we are entering. The Yellowstone rises
in the land of wonders known as the National Park, which
has been set aside by an Aa of Congress "as a public park
or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the
people," and which "is res~rved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale, under the laws of the United
States" [Revised Stat. § 2474].
We have rolled over eighty miles of passable wagon roau,
and reached the mouth of Gardner's River. Here vehicles
must be left behind, for there is no highway into Wonderland, and the visitor who dares to trespass on Dame Nature's secret fastnesses, must bear the fatigues of rough
riding, and trust his baggage to the mercy of a pack animal.
At the mouth of Gardner's River, the northern extremity
of the Park, rises a wall of volcanic rock, as if to bar all
entrance. Our guide leads us in safety by a winding valley between the rugged hills on to the rolling uplands,
where our eyes are cheered by rich wild flowers, our path
shaded by groves of stately pines, and where even our
beasts of burden find delight in tall waving grasses, at which
they nibble eagerly, as we pause to rest from time to time.
We have passed the forbidden portal, and entered the
charmed region. Out of the pine woods, the trail leads
across open undulating country, until after some miles it
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reaches the edge of a marked ridge, and descends a thousand feet or more into Pleasant Valley. Next day, in the
early morning, we pass Tower Falls, a handsome cascade
in the midst of beetling crags and lofty pines, and then begin to ascend one long hill after another, until I become
aware that we are on the slope of a mountain. So gradual
and gentle are the approaches of Mount Washburne from
the north, that the traveler is not fully conscious of its charaCter or elevation until the summit is fairly reached. Almost the whole ascent can readily be made on horseback.
The top once gained, so grand a prospeCt: bursts upon ihe
gaze that we realize to what an elevation we have risen, and
how favorably this isolated spur is situated to command a
view of the whole surrounding country. To the east lay
the Big Horn Mountains, distant, but clear and bold, their
summits glistening with snow, and stretching sharp and
cold up into tEe soft blue summer sky. To the south, in
the middle distance, gleamed the Yellowstone Lake, brilliant in the sunshine, a gem in the dark setting of surrounding mountains. Further on, Mounts Sheridan and Hancock,
and many other peaks towered among the clouds; whilst
to the west, range after range rolled one beyond the other,
until the sight grew dim and confused by heaps of mountains piled beyond, and failed to distinguish further. From
the lake, the rivt>r winds towards us, a silver thread, and in .
the dar~ mass of foliage, where it is lost to view, we know
that it takes its fearful leap. Somewhere ·in the midst of
that ocean of green, by which we are surrounded, lie sulphur mountains, mud volcanoes, geyse~s, hot springs, cascades and wonders innumerable, completely hidden from
us now by intervening ridges and dense forests, but soon
to disclose themselves on a nearer approach. The prospeCt:
from Mount Washburne fills the eye with seeing, but the
imagination increases the interest of the panorama a hundred-fold. Near those peaks, to the south of us, lie the
head waters of the Snake River, the great southern branch
of the Columbia. From mountains west and north flow
the Gallatin, Madison and Jefferson,~ branches of the Mis-
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27
souri, and at our feet, deep down in its grand canon, is the
Yellowstone. So the imagination spreads the continent out
before us, follows the Snake River through all its windings
across lava deserts, through mountain ranges, down to the
Pacific Slope,-sees the great sweep of the Father of Waters,
north, then east, then south, till he has traversed a continent and reached the Gulf,-piB:ures the Rocky Mountains
before us, not one ridge or two, but a huge uplift, hundreds
of miles in width and thousands in length, forming the
backbone of the continent, vast stores of mineral wealth,
not gold and silver merely, these are but tokens, but solid
rocks of fertile substances that are gradually 'to be loosened
by frost and avalanche,carried down, broken and ground by
torrent and cataraCt, transported by ever-flowing streams,
and deposited to supply the wants of future generations.
A thousand thoughts come crowding to the mind, and rea~
son, aiding the imagination, looks back over countless ages,
then forward to the distant future, and makes us creatures of
a day bow before Him to \Vhom past, present and future
are as one, \Vho lives on in the never-ending present of his
limitless and unchanging being. Awe and admiration fill
the heart, and one's soul, conscious of that higher unseen
Presence which the wonders of nature so plainly testify,
shrinks abashed in nothingness before Him, is dazzled by
the brightness of His beauty, overwhelmed by His power
and majesty, and stunned by the fearful thought that it is
so easy to offend one so grand and terrible, so beautiful and
loving. Within a few feet of the summit, wild flowers were
growing, every leaf and petal witnessing to the tender care
of One, \Vho seems to delight to smile in the flower, rather
than to frown in the storm. Which is most admirable, the
delicate finish of each portion of a grand painting, or the
striking effeB: produced by the whole? While I am reveling in the enjoyment of the panorama before me, and of
the emotion it awakens, the millions in the crowded cities
of the East are trembling lest the railroad strikers and socialists should lay waste their firesides, while not far to the
West a column of troops is hotly pursuing a band of hostile
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Across the Continent.
Nez Perces, whom they will soon encounter in brave but
disastrous fight. One of our party has found under a loose
stone a small tin box containing the names of many visitors who have climbed the peak, among others, of General
Belknap and party. At the bottom of the list containing
the names of those who accompanied him are scribbled the
words: "We drink to the next travelers in Chaunay." Time
was, when such a scene as this would have awakened in
men's minds only reverence and awe, but now "pleasure in
the mountains is never mingled with fear, or tempered by
a spirit of meditation, as with the medi;eval; but it is always free and fearless, brightly exhilarating and wholly unrefleaive, so that the painter feels that his mountain foreground may be more consistently animated by a sportsman
than a hermit, and our modern socit:ty in general goes to
the mountains, not to fast, but to feast, and leaves their glaciers covered with chicken bones and egg shells."
Our trail skirts..the heavily-wooded sides of Mount \Vashburne on the west, and gradually descends to the valley of
Cascade Creek. Passing by the Canon and Falls of the
Yellowstone, for the present, we emerge upon open park
country, through which the river winds broad and shallow,
full of beautiful trout and bordered by grassy meadows.
Not far ahead of us stands Sulphur Mountain, yellow and
desolate, barren of vegetation, blighting the trees and
shrubs about it. Near its base is a huge caldron of irregular shape, filled with boiling water, emitting a strange sulphurous smell, and surrountled by smaller vents, sending
forth steam and sulphur vapor. Minute. yellow crystals
line the vents, but they are too delicate ta bear transportation. This hill or mountain has evidently been formed by
the deposit from fountains or vents such as those now in
aaion near its base.
Some miles further on \Ve reach Mud Volcano, situated
among pine trees near the banks of the river. The principal mud volcano resembles, when tranquil, an ordinary pond
filled with water of a light green color. But as it is usually
in a state of agitation, the calcareous mud at its sides and
�Across tlte Contz"nmt.
bottom being stirred up by steam jets from below, the
whole bears the appearance of a huge boiling mud-puddle.
The ebullition was most violent near the centre, and once
the muddy water was thrown up several feet in the form of
a fountain. Round about this pond, in the bare hardened
mud, there are many curious funnel-shaped apertures, at
the bottom of which the mud is soft and plastic, dull tlzudlike sounds issuing occasionally with sulphurous steam.
Passing by many such openings, our attention was attracted
by a tall column of steam rising from the side of a hill, and
by a dull splashing sound that seemed to come from the
same direction. Approaching the spot, we ascended a steep
conical slope some thirty feet high, composed of mud and
sand, and from the summit gazed down a still steeper slope
into a huge caldron beneath. The sight was horrible one.
Twenty feet below great volumes of muddy water boiled,
fumed and dashed about, roaring and bellowing as if demons were torturing the bodies of their victims under its
turbici waves. Puffs of steam obscured the view, but the
clashing and crashing of the agitated waters sounded ceaselessly on the ear. This curious spring issuing from the side
of a hill has built about itself a volcano-like cone, at the
bottom of which, it groans, and roars, and seems to struggle, belching forth slimy showers that coat the surro.unding
trees with dirty grey mud. Not far off is the Devil's Den,
a cave in the hill side, from which, clear as crystal, breaks
a spring of boiling water, ejected from some cavern further
under the hill, with regular beats like those of a force pump,
accompanied by the sound of a huge uellows. Startled by
our approach, a small snake darted into the water near the
spring; the next moment he coiled up, quivered, and sank
dead upon the pebbly bottom, boiled alive before our eyes.
\Vhcre was the wisdom of the serpent? It had passed into
our cook, perhaps, for he prudently availed himself of the
spring to prepare a ham for us, putting it into the water
that evening, and taking it out at daybreak thoroughly
boiled.
Against a great tree near our camp a huntsman had left a
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proof of his marksmanship. A huge swan, delicate in
plumage, hung with outstretched wings nailed to the rough
bark. vVhat a mass of down on its swelling breast, what
power in those long, tapering wings, what a silky gloss on
the neck once proudly ·arched, now drooping like a bruised
reed. It must have been a beautiful creature as it glided
over the ripples of the river, or sailed through the clear air,
and precisely because it was so goodly to the eye, it was
laid low by a bullet, its whiteness sullied by its 0\Vn blood,
those wings stretched round the tree. God sends us a
creature pure and white and spotless; man welcomes it
with a bullet and three nails.
The Great Geysers, the main objeCt: of interest in the
Park, lie along the Fire Hole River, a branch of the Madison. Between the waters of this stream and the Yellowstone is a steep, thickly-wooded divide, which is crossed
with considerabl.e difficulty, but the traveler soon forgets the
toil of the journey when he has pitched his tent in the
midst of the Great Geyser Basin. The trail from the Mud
Volcano to the Geysers leads west\vard through meadows
thickly clad in waving grasses, the gentle slope on both
sides being covered with pine trees. Here and there the
sombre woods are brightened by a streak of sunlight, or
by a glade that stretches the light green of the valley far
up among the dark shadows of the pines. Several small
tributaries of the Yellowstone lay across our path, forming
ugly, steep ditches, which we were obliged to jump, testing our own horsemanship and the agility of our animals,
as little accustomed as their r~ders to Sl.lch exercise. \Ve
soon passed beyond this park-like region, and began to
mount the divide. Here the trail became dim and uncertain, the standing timber was dark and dense, fallen trees
large and numerous, rendering our march very toilsome.
It was amusing to watch the pack mules wriggling to and
fro, sometimes choosing the narrowest passages, sometimes
increasing their gait when they came to two trees very close
together, evidently with the intention of damaging their
loads, if not of entirely freeing themselves of the burden.
�Across t!te Continent.
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The brutes are sagacious enough to measure with the· eye
the distance between two tr!;es for their broad packs, so
that, though often obliged·to scrape and scratch through,
they seldom or never have to turn back and seek another
passage. Passing the summit, and descending to waters
that flow into the Madison, we found ourselves involved in
a morass that compelled us to make a long detour northward. \Ve then turned 'vVest along a branch of the East
Fork, which is joined by the Fire Hole River, some distance on. Our route then lay along the valley of the Fire
Hole River, until we reached the Geysers.
The Fire Hole River flows through a region in which
for many miles on both sides of the stream hot springs,
geysers, and boiling lakes occur, the principal ones lying
in a tract known as the Fire Hole Basin. The upper or
southern portion of this basin contains the Great Geysers;
the lower part, distant seven or eight miles, is filled with
less active jets, while, in the long interval between, varied
wonders attract the traveler at almost every turn.
Our camp is at the head of the Great Geyser Basin. A
tent fly is stretched between two trees, so as to afford shade,
but not to prevent the breeze from entering on every side.
In front of us lie saddles, bridles and guns; a few yards
further on, the camp-fire is crackling and blazing; the coffeepot is doing its best already to vie with the hot springs
about us, and our cook is busy with frying-pan and Dutchoven. We are on a little knoll covered with verdure, but
standing in the midst of what seems like a snow-clad valley. The green boughs of the trees that shelter us, and
the dark fringe of fir and cedar round the valley, are in
marked contrast with the dazzling white of its surface.
Curious cone-shaped structures rise here and there, from
which jets of steam are issuing. Occasionally one of them
splutters and spurts, casting out a few gallons of water, and
seeming by its convulsive effort to be in pain, anxious, perhaps, to be rid of a· weightier burden. The basin is not
more than a few hundred yards in width, and three-quarters
of a mile in length, so that we can without difficulty com-
�32
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mand a view of the whole. The Geysers are situated on
both sides of the stream; all are surrounded by a hard
white silicious deposit, though not all have formed cones
above the surface immediately around their orifices. As
we are gazing about a cry is raised, and the cook drops his
frying-pan and runs towards us with the intelligence that
"Old Faithful is going to spout." Old F'aitliful is the name
given to one of the Geysers most regular in its discharges,
and we have chosen this particular spot for camp in order to
be near Old Faithful. All eyes ar:e at once turned in the
direB:ion of its cone, distant about three h-undred yards. A
puff of steam is rolling away from the orifice; a second
puff curls upward, and then a jet of water is dashed a few
feet into the air, falling back at once into the opening with
a loud splash. A few moments of suspense follow, when
suddenly a stately column of dark blue water rises before
. us, towering up towards the clouds. Higher a"nd higher it
mounts, until.it has reached its limit. Straight it stands as
an arrow, massive as marble, graceful as the sleqder jet
from a fountain. The top spreads delicately outward, and
then curving down, casts showers of glistening spray in all
direClions, whilst from the summit clouds of steam roll
lightly up into the sky. For some minutes it stands
steady and unbroken; a noise like the rolling of thunder,
mingled with the roar of a cataraCt:, telling what power is
being exerted to sustain that vast weight .of water in mid
air; then, gradually, it sinks into its cavern. Every hour
in the day and night, Old Faithful sings his roaring song
of praise. Every hour, winter and summer, he seems to
strive like the giants of old to mount .~he skies, and each
time sends a cloud to join the rack that 'hangs over peaks
higher than Olympus. The eruptions occur at intervals of
from sixty-two to eighty minutes. The jet rises from one
hundred to two hundred feet,· our party estimating the
.height at one hundred and thirty feet, though the column
of steam rose much higher. Trees are dwarfed in comparison with the stately crystal tower, men seem the merest
pigmies, and a feeling of awe creeps to the very marrow of
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33
one's bones. When the eruption is over, the monster has
sunk back into the cavernous bosom of earth, and all that
remains of it is seen trickling in rills down to the Fire Hole
River close by, leaving a deposit of white incrustations as
it cools. The dead stillness and calm of nature make us feel
the absence of the geyser, and a sense of oppression and
listlessness succeeds the former feeling of dread and wonder. •
Crossing by a narrow rustic bridge the pretty river that
winds among these springs, and is largely fed by their hot
waters, we roam down the opposite bank. Here and there
is a geyser, its opening surrounded by delicate incrustations,
sometimes pearl white, sometimes softly tinted in yellow or
brown. The tiny rills by which it sends its waters to join
the river are fringed too with lace-like borders, colored in
parts·by the deposit from the water, in parts by a fungous
growth such as I have never seen elsewhere. Fresh wonders meet us at every step. There is a rushing sound
ahead, and hastening on we find the Fan Geyser in full play.
Issuing from a number of small openings close together, it
spreads its waters in a graceful semicircle not unlike a huge
fan. For many minutes the brilliant sheet of water stood
.before us, and scarcely had it subsided when we had the
good fort~ne to see the beautiful display of the Riverside
Geyser. It stands· close to the right bank of the Fire Hole,
its cone touching the watet:,'s edge. The orifice is small,
probably eighteen inches in diameter, and inclined at an
angle of 65° or 70°. The column ·of water bending over
the river falls more than midway in the running stream. As
we approached, the sunlight struck the liquid arch in such
. a manner as to forrri two glorious rainbows one within the
other. These nearly coincided in curvature with the fountain. For twenty minutes we stood spell-bound. Imagine
the picture. Firs and cedars round the valley, in the centre
a clear stream flowing between banks white but not with
snow, and right in front of you a bridge, one pier of which
is like a mound of ice covered with hoar-frost, its causeway
of limpid crystal guarded by a double rainbow, its further
'pier, lost in clouds of steam ending mysteriously in the
VoL. xr-No. I.
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�34
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Across the Continmt.
river, floods of light streaming around and through the
whole fairy fabric. Suddenly it is gone like a dream, the
river flows on, the branches sigh, the twilight plays across the
valley, which seems now as if wrapped in a winding sheet,
cold, white, and dead. Queen Mab and her fairy train
have floated down the stream, the goblin army has passed
from their cavern below the valley to their barges of
foam on the brook, destroying the bridge behind them, and
leaving only one elf to teaze me with the thought that I
· never again shall see that vision of light and beauty. Recrossing the river we examine the many wonders that meet
us on the other bank. The Castle Geyser stands up prominently, its huge jagged cone seeming like some old ruined
tower, near it yawns the great open mouth of a pool, the
azure depths and snowy sides of which carry my imagination away to fairy-land again. The Grotto Geyser not
far off with nar_row passages and curving fissures, all lined
with the same 'gleaming pearly deposit, tempts me to a
closer examination of its wonders,. but puffs of scalding
steam or spurts of hot water check this curiosity, and remind me that my elfin friends will not bear to have their
abodes too narrowly inspected.
Each of the Great Geysers is surrounded by a sloping
mound which its waters have built up, and immediately
about the aperture which is in the centre of this mound,
are series,of basins, formed by the falling waters and beautifully fringed with colored incrustations. Where the Geyser has formed a cone about its orifice, the interior of the
cone is sometimes as smooth as glass with the lustre of
chalcedony. In other places it is partly crystalline in structure, but there are no large distinct crystals. Many of the
geysers have no such cones, but are merely marked by
the gentle slopes which surround them. The Giantess, for
instance, presented a great circular opening like a well, full
of boiling water to the· very brim. Gazing into its transparent depths of light blue, there was not the slightest sign
of disturbance. The white rocks that line its crater could
be seen far down, sharply defined as if looked at through
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35
the medium of air, and it was not till I had scalded my finger in the pool, that I succeeded in banishing the desire to
plunge into what seemed to be a delicious bath. I can only
touch upon a few of the wonders of this weird valley, but
I must not leave the basin without mentioning the sense of
insecurity the traveler feels in moving about. The incrusting layer is crisp and brittle; in places the foot sinks several inches, sometimes a hollow sound echoes the tread, a
jet of steam spurts up from the tiny opening, a boiling caldron is sunken in your path, so that one feels prepared at
any moment to have the earth give way, and to be dashed
into a steaming lake below. What would have been Tom
Thumb's sensations had he found himself rambling on a
huge pie crust that had been rolled thin, made very short,
and baked thoroughly. Not very different, I am sure, from
those we felt while strolling about the Fire Hole. No wonder the Indians avoid the region in superstitious dread; its
hollow caverns, sulphurous vapors, and startling discharges
of boiling water, are all too suggestive of hell and its
demons.
As we were breaking camp, and about to move out of
the Geyser Basin, the Beehive saluted us with a handsome
discharge. Its orifice is much smaller than that of Old
Faithful, and the jet, slender in proportion, rises to a vast
height. So superheated was the water it ejected, and so
intermingled with steam, that the whole mass, spreading
after it had reached a great elevation, floated away in a
beautiful glowing cloud, and but little spray fell back about
the Geyser. Not a word was spoken by our party, as they
stood with eyes fixed upon the Geyser. Doubtless, the
older members knew too well that words are poor, weak
things in the presence of such a marvellous display of
power, grace and beauty; one, however, less experienced
than the rest, could hardly restrain such exclamations as
''Grand! superb ! magnificent! sublime!" but the words
died upon his 'lips. "Mirabilis Deus in operibus suis."
Passing the great Basin, and treading our way amid boiling springs and extinCt geysers, we entered the pine woods,
�Across t!te Conti11e11t.
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emerging some few miles further down, near Hot Spring
Lake. This is a great pond, the water of which is boiling
hot and continually overflowing. 'With its gently sloping
shores, dark blue ripples, and pretty outlet into the river, it
seems like an ordinary pond. Near by it is a second pool,
not so well disguised. Its shores are precipitous, the water
extends back into great caverns under the hill, and slabs of
stone thrown in all directions show plainly enough that it
is simply an immense geyser.
The most novel features in the lower Geyser Basin are
the mud-pots or flower-pots. Fancy an enormous tank of
plaster or clay in a state of finest comminution and most
perfect plasticity. Color it pink or yellow, and then let
bubbles of steam from below pass through the viscid mass,
breaking over the surface in a thousand spots. The steam,
of course, in escaping, throws the mud slightly up, then it
sinks back in a circular wave, and for one moment a convolvulus, or i ·tulip, or rather a new species of flower, is
blooming before you. These artificial plaster casts of flowers are forming every instant: the eye is distracted by the
number and rapidity of the changes, so your glance wanders around and across, then back, to and fro once more,
while the ceaseless blooming and decaying continues. Such
a sight is very amusing and inviting to the eye, but I cannot imagine it possible that a man should build a hut on
the edge of that pool, and set his heart upon those mud
flowers. ~No more can ..I understand how a being with a
soul can enjoy contentm~nt, or cajole himself with the idea
that he finds complete happiness in any ~reature of earth's
mould, however highly colored or delicat~ly shaped be the
clay.
I could linger for hours about the lower Geyser Basin,
but the sun is high, and many a weary mile over mountain
and through forest must be passed to-day. So away we
ride, with a last look back at the valley steaming and smoking behind us, a great manufactory or laboratory, rather a
spot where the Author of Nature, ·workman as He is, has
left things as though his task were not quite completed, and
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37
something remained to be done in fitting together the rocks
of which earth's crust is composed, or in adjusting the relations bet\veen the chemical constituents of the rocks.
Back we ride across the steep divide, through the dense
forest, past Mary Lake, over bog and moor, until we reach
our former camping ground near the Falls of the Yellowstone. To understand the cafions and falls of the great
vVestern rivers, it must be borne in mind that the park regions, between different ranges of the Rocky Mountains,
are very elevated, so that in finding their way from these
distriCts to their valleys in the plains outside the mountains,
the rivers must make somewhere a very rapid descent. The
effeet of such a descent is, of course, to form a deep gorge,
which is gradually .extended further and further back into
the mountains, as the water wears away the rocks over
which it has been tumbling during the ages. The largest
cataraCts are not found, then, at the point where streams
emerge into the prairies, but in the very midst of the mountain chain. Following the Yellowstone from its broad outlet at the lake, we find it a smooth, quiet sheet of water,
flowing between open prairies. Twenty miles down, it encounters rough opposing hills, and, contraCting and deepening its channel, leaps a hundred and twenty-five feet
down between rocky walls, then foaming, eddying and lashing against the rocks, half a mile on it plunges three hundred and fifty feet further into its cafion below. Scrambling
through brushwood and over logs and rocks, direCted by
the roar of the falls, I reached the upper cascade, and, lying
at full length on a jutting crag, leaned out over the seething water. When fully sated with the grand sight, I scrambled through a steep ravine and- up the opposite slope,
little imagining that a scene awaited me more superb than
the beautiful plunge at which I had just been looking. The
sun was fast sinking, so I hurried to a rock some distance
beyond the lower falls, and out upon the steep slope of the
cafion. As if preparing for its second leap, the river comes
surging and tumbling in waves and etldies towards the
brink,
�Across t/ze Continent.
Advancing, and prancing, and glancing, and dancing,
Recoiling, turmoiling, and toiling, and boiling,
until, almost at the edge, it unites into one glassy mass
curved upwards at the sides, and then leaps forward and
downward, soon separating into spray, and ending in a light
vapor that floats down the valley, clothing the rocks with
a soft green moss. The sides of the canon, precipitous
slopes of a thousand feet, are gorgeous in red, yellow and
brown tints that light up the scene with their varied hues.
Down below, the river winds away, a mere thread, as if
utterly broken and almost annihilated by the fall, so slight
and slender it is between its mountainous banks. Such is
the magnificence of the scene that the cataraCt with all its
sublimity is but a small feature in the piCture. .A vast
shrine in nature's bosom-curtains of gold and scarlet made
of crumbling rock-fringed at the base with the silver of
the stream, bordered at the top with the green of the forest, canopied by Heaven's blue-the waterfall, a cascade of
delicate spray streaming down into the shrine like whitewinged spirits descending, in vain held back by dark masses
of opposing rock, the great chasm filled and glowing with
sunlight, and spreading eastward toward the prairie country-a temple, in which resides the angel of the stream, to receive honor and reverence for the work done by the river,
and to carry heavenward the cries of praise and wonder of
poor humanity, admiring in nature's beauty the magnificence of nature's God.
The width of the canon is little more than half a mile,
its depth, as has been said, a sheer thousand feet; the descent on both sides being too precipitous· to be attempted
at this point. The falls are half way down the canon and
though extremely beautiful, seem dwarfed by the immense
proportions of the surrounding scene.
Twilight begins to draw a veil over the piCture. The
slanting rays of the sun that pierced through the gloomy
woods, and shooting like arrows against the opposing bank,
drew out, as if oy magic, the colors locked in its rocky
breast, now no longer dart across the canon; the tints min-
�Across the Continent.
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gle and fade, and gloomy precipices stand in place of superb
curtains; the column of mist and spray at the foot of the
cataraCt:, that rivaled the Great Geysers a few moments ago
in airy, cloud-like splendor, no longer is seen, but the deep
sullen roar of the waters seems to grow louder and louder,
and as the eye loses, the ear gains, distinguishing in the
deep tones rolling up from the canon, the echo of the voice
that speaks to us in the roar of ocean and the crash of
thunder.
Those who have not witnes::;ed such scenes will find it
hard to realize the complicated nature of the impressions
they produce. The soul, aroused as if from a slumber, is
stirred to its depths. . Enchanted, yet appalled, admiring,
but fearful, exhilarated, and at the same time humiliated and
depressed, she longs to break forth in praise and exultation,
but is restrained and hampered by a sense of the weakness,
meanness, sinfulness of poor human nature. We know
that God is everywhere, we fancy perhaps that we enjoy a
lively sense of His Omnipresence, but let Him lift the veil
that hides His power and splendor for a moment, as He did
of old on Tabor, or let Him shine through the cloud with
unusual brightness in some vast landscap(!, and we cower
and crouch to something like our true proportions, as if
before one whom we had never known before.
At the northern end of the Park, a few miles above the
mouth of Gardner's River, are situated the Mammoth
Springs, which travelers usually visit on entering Wonderland, but which we had reserved for our return trip.
The largest of these springs gushes out on the summit
of a hill some two hundred feet above the valley, and overflowing along the face of the. hill, its bright blue water,
sa~urated with salts held in solution, forms in its descent
tier after tier of basins, varying in size and shape, but all
of singular beauty. These basins are only a few inches in
depth ; the material of which they are composed is soft
and friable while moist; and still more so on drying. The
edges are fringed with the mo~t delicate and. beautiful
masses of crystal, the bright rosy tints of which contrast
�40
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Across the Continmt.
strikingly with the blue liquid they encircle. But the colors
fade and the forms crumble when they are removed from
the water which has deposited them. The whole hill seems
to have been built by the action of the springs, the portion
now visible being the outside coating that covers millions
of basins, which were successively formed, left dry by the
waters, destroyed by the air, their material building up the
hill itself, and a new overflow spreading fresh terraces above
them. The process can be seen going on at this moment;
many basins are empty, faded, Jast efflorescing and crumbling to dust, and here and there the foot sinks two or three
inches in the soft· plaster-like surface of the hill. On a:
plateau above the first huge mound I have been describing,
rises another, seemingly older, and similar in structure. Beyond this second elevation extend a number of small ridges
of very curious character. They lie parallel with one anoth-·
er, running from northeast to southwest, in height varying
from thirty to fifty feet, their breadth at the base being
about the same as their height. These ridges are cleft
along the summit, the division being sometimes several
inches wide, and marked in places by a row of hot springs,
bubbling and spurting. So rapid has been the deposit from
these springs, that growing trees are buried as they stand.
Great caverns are formed at the sides of the ridges, and the
waters, trickling into these dark recesses, line them with
pretty incrustations, and petrify pine cones and branches
that happen to fall in.
The baths are considered very fine. My own experience
was too nearly that of being scalded to allow of my giving
a fair judgment, and others of our party·complained of feeling partially petrified on emerging.
An enterprising frontiersman, McCartney by name, has
built a number of bath houses to facilitate the use of the
water, by patients who come here to avail themselves of its
salutary properties. A log house of good size serves as an
inn, or "hotel," as it is called, and wonderful cures are said
to have been wrought by the giant fountain. Doubtless,
before long the Mammoth Springs will be a common re-
�Across t!te Continent.
41
sort, perhaps a fashionable watering-place, where the old
will go to hobble and croak, and the young to dance and
chirp, introducing scenes from the farce of life to mar the
plot of nature's stately drama.
In a brief sketch, such as this, I cannot give you a detailed account of our journey from day to day, nor of the
thousand little things that go to make up the charm of.
camp life. For the city-bred man there is novelty, not
only at every turn of the road or trail, in the varying
landscape, but in rising, eating, sleeping, and all the commonplaces of life. Crawling from between your buffalo
robes, you dress hastily, and run to wash in the brook that
flows near by. The water is cold as ice, so it drives sleep
from your tired eyes, and gazing about, you see that nature, too, has washed her face in hoar-frost, which the sun,
just now lighting up the east, will soon wipe away. The
camp-fire is already crackling. and the cook-how like a
gnome he looks in that peaked hat and grizzled beard,
stooping over the fire at his work in the gray light of
dawn-is busy preparing your coffee and bacon.
Breakfast finished, the animals are led up, shivering with
cold. Now the beds are rolled up neatly, and strapped in
their canvas covers, the tent-fly is struck and folded, the
camp equipage is stowed in bags, and the pack animals are
brought forward. How meek and unoffending is the expression of that mule" Patsy," injured innocence over again,
but beware her heels; she has been known to· knock a man
down with a soft tap of her left hind leg, and then to turn
quietly, as if to ask what caused his fall? The other day,
just as our guide, Anderson, was adjusting her pack-saddle, she turned and darted down a steep hill-side, dragging
him and two 'others, who had quickly seized her picketrope. The loose shingle of the hill-side afforded fine anchorage for Anderson's heels, as he moved, in a sitting
posture, like a small avalanche or an inverted snow-plow,
gathering the debris in his descent. When Patsy was finally
brought to bay, nothing could exceed the tranquil, modest
air with which she received her ·burden. The last embers
VoL. XI-No.
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of the camp fire have been carefully extinguished, to prevent any danger of its spreading, the mules are all loaded,
saddles adjusted, and we are off just as the sun peeps over
the hill, driving away the cloud of mist that hung about us,
and converting the hoar-frost into brilliants, which it soon
gathers like a harvest. Now we are traveling indeed, even
Ruskin would admit it, two or three miles an hour, and
plenty of time to enjoy all the details of scenery as they
are unfolded. As the track is very narrow, in places steep
and difficult, you are nearly always alone, left to your own
quiet enjoyment of nature, to meditate on yesterday's experience, or to picture the wonders you are still in search
of. The panorama, viewed quietly and slowly from day to
day, is like a revelation ; the dark mountains and rugged
ravines, the prairies and streams, "the trees and flowers seem
all, in a sort, children of God, and we ourselves their fellows, made ou.~ of the same dust, and greater than they in
having a greater portion of the divine power exerted on
our frames, and all the common uses and palpably visible
forms of things become subordinate in our minds to their
inner glory, to the mysterious voices in which they talk to
us about God, and the changeful and typical aspects by
which they witness to us of holy truth, and fill us with
obedient, joyful, and thankful emotion." In the evening a
place for camp is to be chosen, some spot where wood and
water are at hand, and where there is good grazing for the
mules and horses. As the poor brutes are unloaded, they
roll and tumble on the ground, rejoicing to be free from the
galling weights that have pressed upon them for these long
hours, then scamper away to their pasture. Wood is at
once gathered for the camp-fire, boughs are cut for tentpoles; soon you are provided with food and shelter, and
feel that you are at home. The sun sinks behind the mountain, twilight soon fades, the stars shine out with wonderful
brilliancy in the rare atmosphere, dead stillness reigns, and
with a lingering look at the shadowy scene about, your back
is turned to the camp-fire till to-morrow.
T. E. S.
�THE MISSIONS OF !HE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
IN r88t.
The Missions of the Rocky Mountains are situated in
the Territories of Montana, Idaho and \Vashington-four
in Montana, and two in each of the other Territories. The
white population of Montana, according to the census of
r88o, is 39.911; the Indians almost equal the whites in
number. They are scattered over an area of 165,000 square
miles, a distriCt as large as the whole of Italy. Our Fathers
have charge of the entire Territory, except some portions
that are cared for by two secular priests.
I.-MONTANA TERRITORY.
HELENA.-The three Fathers of this Mission have regular charge of four counties, and occasionally visit a fifth.
Helena is the territorial capital, with a white population of
six thousand, of whom one-fourth or more are Catholics.
The Mission was established in 1866, to .provide for the
gold miners, who were too remote from St. Peter's Mission. We have a church here one hundred and eight by
forty-three feet, and thirty feet high, construCted of stone
and brick, at a cost of $z8,ooo. A debt of four thousand
dollars still remains, which we hope to pay off in two or
three years. The residence, built of wood, is comfortable
and decent, and can accommodate six or seven Fathers and
Brothers. The girls' school, direCted by Sisters of Charity,
has thirty boarders and some seventy day-scholars. The
hospital, under charge of the same Sisters, has an average
of from twenty to forty patients. There is pressing need
of a school or academy for boys; the public schools of
Helena are attended by four hundred boys, many of whom
are Catholics, and exposed to lose their faith. The Fathers
of Helena have another Church in Missouri Valley, forty
(43)
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Tlte liiissions of thr Rock;' Mountains in I88I.
miles distant, where there is a scattered population of about
one thousand, in large part Catholic; at Boulder, also forty
miles distant, there is another church, surrounded by five
. hundred settlers, principally Catholic. At Bozeman, distant one hundred and twelve miles, a church is projected;
the Catholics here are very few. The Crow Indians will be
attended from this point; they are one hundred miles from
Bozeman, and two hundred and twelve from Helena. These
Crows have been for twelve years back asking for Blackgowns. Some of them were baptized by Father DeSmet;
since his time, little or nothing has been done for them.
The tribe numbers six thousand, and we ought to have had
a mission amongst them long ago. Half a dozen settlements of two, four and six .hundred souls, as also many
isolated Catholic families, ranging from thirty to two hundred and fifty miles away, are visited from Helena. It is
evident from _this statement that another priest is needed
here for missionary work, besides two teachers, one of whom
should be a good English scholar.
If we had subjects, it would be better to found two new
missions, one "for the Crows, with two Fathers and two
Brothers, and another for the whites of Bozeman and vicinity, with two Fathers and one coadjutor.
The work accomplished at this Mission appears from the
following summary for the year: Confessions, 4,000; Communion~, 4,000; Baptisms of children, 35 ; adult Baptisms,
10; First Communions, 40; persons brought back who had
for many years neglected the practices of religion, 140;
days of missionary travel, 230; sermon~, 160; catechetical
instructions; 175.
-Some zealous souls may think that these fruits are not
very abundant; but should they consider that, unless they
were procured through divine Providence, by means of the
Society, they would not in all human probability be gathered
at all; and that, still humanly speaking, the reason why
they are not doubled is simply because we have not twice
the present number of evangelical laborers; if, I say, they
reflect upon this, such zealous souls, provided they have
�Tlu Missions of tlze Rocky Mountains in 1881.
45
the chara8:er of true magnanimity, will not hold back from
consecrating themselves to a work, laborious and unattractive, it is true, but very pleasing to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to Whom the salvation of even one soul is so dear.
ST. PETER's.-The Mission of St. Peter's was founded in
for the Blackfeet Indians; but the rapid influx of
white settlers has obliged the Government to restriCt the
territory of these Indians, and the Mission is now sixty
miles away from the Blackfeet Reservation. Two counties
and two military posts, with two Indian Reservations, depend upon the Mission. The Blackfeet Reservation has six
" thousand Indians, comprising Blackfeet, Piegans, Bloods,
and some other small tribes. The Assiniboine Reservation
has ten thousand Indians, including, besides the tribe from
which it takes its name, Gros Ventres, River Crows and
Crees. Of these sixteen thousand Indians, some three
thousand are Catholics; but, with few exceptions, their
Catholicity goes no farther than the Raptism they have
received, and the recitation of some prayers. Their wandering life and the scarcity of missionaries account for this
lamentable state of affairs; polygamy is also an obstacle to
conversions. There are, however, indications that many of
them will settle down as permanent cultivators, and not a
few are disposed to relinquish polygamy. Hence, there are
hopes of instruCting those among them who have been
baptized, and of bringing others to the true faith; and to
effe8: this, there is a projeCt: of ereCting two chapels, one
for the Blackfeet and another for the Gros Ventres and
Assiniboines, on their respeCtive Reservations, where the
missionary may spend a portion of the year, and, ii God
blesses the work, after a few years these will be two flourishing missions. Another grave difficulty to be overcome
is the opposition of the Protestant ministers, to whom these
two Reservations have been entrusted by the United States
Government. This circumstance, which throws serious obstacles in the missionaries' way, has excited the Catholic
fervor of the Indians, and causes them to make a public
1 859-60,
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display of their predilection for us, as happened in July,
188o, when nearly all of the Blackfeet chiefs declared to
the commandant of Fort Shaw that they wished to have
nothing to do with Protestantism and its ministers; that
they asked for no other prayer than the Catholic, no other
minister than the Blackgown, no other school than that of
the Black-gown. These Indians, who for years have been
willing to become Catholics, provided polygamy was not
interfered with, and that they should not be obliged to send
their children to school, are now e.:tger .to have a school,
since it is to be taught by a Black gown. A school for
them and for the half-breeds is now being prepared at the
Mission. Many difficulties are in the way, one of which,
and it is not the least, is the opposition of the United States
Agent, who hinders the Indians from entrusting their children to the Catholic school, under the pretext that it is outside of the R1'!serve, and beyond his jurisdiction in regard
to these poor people. The little school already established
is going on well, and gives hopes of success in the future.
Benton, eighty miles distant, is attended from St. Peter's.
It contains about two thousand inhabitants, whites and halfbreeds; there are, besides, many Indians, who often remain
there for weeks at a time. There arc five or six other little
places, from fifteen to one hundred. and fifty miles distant,
dependent upon the Mission. There is at Benton a nice
chapel already finished, with two little rooms for the missionary, and the people are asking fo.r a resident priest and
for two schools and a hospital. The people themselves
guarantee all the money that is needeq for these objects.
Sisters can be found; three are promised, on condition that
a resident priest shall be appointed ; but where is the priest
to come from? and at least two Fathers are needed here.
May the Lord send workmen into His harvest field ! Tht:
spiritual fruits of this Mission, which could be increased
ten· fold, if we only had laborers; are as follows: Confessions, 1,500; Communions, 1,200; Baptisms of infants
(mainly children of infidels), 170; adult Baptisms, 30; First
Communions, 35; days of missionary travel, 250; sermons,
400; catechetical instructions, 450.
.
�Tlze Missions
if tlzc Rocky Mountains in z88z.
47
The Riccarees, Mandan,;, Sioux of Montana, and Bannacks, who are said to be quite numerous, are utterly negleaed; there ought to be not a few Catholics amongst
them baptized by Fath~r De Smet. Bishop Marty recommended us to do all we could for them, but with our present numbers it is impossible to give them any care.
ST. IGNATIUs' MrssiON was founded in 1844 amongst the
Kalispel Indians, but afterwards. because the locality was
exposed to inundations. and still more because of the
greater good that could be done for many other tribes, it
was removed, in 1853, to its present site among the Pcnd'Oreilles. These Indians, together with the Kalispels, Ko,.
toonais, and some Flatheads of the Reservation, number
two thousand; with few exceptions, if, indeed, there be any,
all of these are practical Catholics. The church is one
hundred by forty-five feet; it is built of wood, but solid,
and has a belfry fifty feet high. The orphanage, under the
Sisters of Charity, cares for forty Indian girls; our school
has some thirty boys; both of these institutions are sustained in part by a Government appropriation. Nearly all
the Indians come to the Mission four or five times a year,
at the principal festivals. Sick calls, to a distance of thirty,
fifty and eighty miles, keep one or two Fathers busy a
great portion of the time, entailing very severe labor in winter by snow, ice and cold; in spring by swollen streams;
and in summer by the excessive heat. Furthermore, one
of the Fathers is obliged, three or four times each year, to
make a round of visits to different Indian camps, remaining ·
in each some days, or even weeks. according to the wants
of the sick and infirm. The whole county of Missoula depends partly upon this Mission, partly upon St. Mary's.
The county has three thousand ~hite inhabitants, and the
principal places are Missoula City, Frenchtown, Fort Missoula and the United States Agency. A Father almost
constantly resides at Missoula City, and the Sisters of Charity have a school and hospital there.
·
Annual report: Confessions, I 2,500; Communions,
�48
Tlze 11-!issiolls of tlze Rocky Mou1ltains in r88r.
1 I ,ooo; Baptisms of children, 75 ; adult Baptisms, 5 ; First
Communions, 45; days of missionary travel, 250; sermons,
240; instruCl:ions, 8oo.
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ST. MARY's.-The Mission of St. Mary's, the first to be
established by Father De Smet, in I840, for the Flathead
Indians, for various reasons had to be closed for a time, but
it was afterwards reopened very near the original site. At
present, in addition to the Flatheads living outside of their
reservation-about four hundred in number, and all good
Catholics-it has charge of about one thousand whites, settled here and there through the whole of this extensive
valley. Stevensville and Corvallis are the only villages, and
they have only a few families.
Annual report: Confessions, I,2oo; Communions, I ,050;
infant Baptisms, 35; adult Baptisms, 10; First Communions,
20; days of-J,Tiissionary travel, 30; sermons, IOO; instructions, ISO.
The three remaining counties of Montana, with a white
population of fourteen thousand and many Indians, are in
charge of two secular priests. Four additional priests would
hardly suffice for so extensive a territory and its widely
scattered inhabitants.
Montana is traversed by the chain of the Rocky Mountains, running north and south, and dividing it into two unequal'parts. The Western seCl:ion, embracing two counties,
belongs to the Vicariate Apostolic of Idaho. At the present writing, the administrator is the Archbishop of Oregon,
whose residence is more than eleven hundred miles from
this part of his charge. The Eastern' seCl:ion, consisting of
nine counties, forms a, part of the Vicariate Apostolic of
Nebraska, and is consequently more than twelve hundred
miles from the Episcopal See. The Pacific railroad has already reached Montana from the East, and in a few years
it will be completed to the Pacific Ocean. Now, it is generally believed, that the white population of Montana, as
the railroad advances, will increase at the rate of twenty
per cent. a year. Protestants are straining every nerve to
�T!te Missions of tlze Rocky Mountains £n I88r.
49
occupy the country, erecting churches and schools everywhere, not only for the whit~s, but also amongst the Indians. Such being the sitlia:lloh of affairs, all of our
Fathers, the two secular priests and Archbishop Seghers
of Oregon, who made a visitation of Montana last year, are
of opinion that it would be not only opportune, but even
necessary for the spiritual welfare of the country, that Montana should be erected into a Vicariate Apostolic, with Helena as its centre.
Furthermore, it is the opinion of many of Ours, that
there should be in Montana a regular house of the Society,
that is to say, a College, in some central and populous
place. At present, Helena is the only place of the kind,
but that must be given to the Bishop, for if we are to have
a Bishop, he must have a suitable residence.
Hence, the Fathers who ate best acquainted with the situation, assert that we should without delay procure a site
in the outskirts of Helena, in some position to which the
city will extend, and start a school there, which may afterwards develop into a College. A College of the Society in
Montana, far from injuring, would be of great advantage to
the Indian Missions, provided things were properly managed.
11.-IDAHO AND WASHINGTON TERRITORIES.
In Idaho, we have two Missions, embracing a district one
hundred and eighty miles in length, and from sixty to one
hundred in width. The rest of the Territory is under the
charge of secular priests. Conterminous with the Missions
of Idaho is the portion of Washington Territory cared for
by our Fathers, one hundred and eighty miles long and
one hundred and seventy wide.
IDAHO.
SACRED HEART.-The Mission of the Sacred Heart was
opened in 1842, by Father deSmet, for the Cceur d'Alene
Indians, near the mouth of St. Joseph's River, but as great
VoL. xr-No. r.
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The .Missions of t!ze Rocky hfozmtains in z88r.
damage was done by frequent floods, it was removed in
1846 to the place now called Old Cceur d'Alene Mission,
where all the Indians could be gathered together at the
principal festivals. After the whole tribe had embraced
the faith, these Indians became industrious and energetic farmers; and after a few years the Mission lands became too contraCted for so many cultivators, and many of
the new fields were at a great distance from the Mission.
As time went on, the question was agitated of transferring
the Mission to another place, more convenient both for the
Indians and the Fathers, and already, in 1865, this question
of removal had been of long standing. The conservative
party, however, laid much stress upon the drawbacks of
the new position, in regard to fishing and hunting, of which
they were very fond, and their influence prevailed so far as
to retain the i\1ission at Old Cceur d'Alene until 1877.
The encn);rchment of white settlers upon the lands that
had been marked out for the new Mission was the most
effeCtive argument in persuading the Indians to give unanimous consent to the change of site. Squatters had taken
possession of some of these lands, but the chiefs, aided by
the Fathers, settled matters amicably. By the payment of
a trifling sum for the improvements they had already made,
the white settlers were induced to remove from the lands
reser~ed for the Cceur d'Alenes, and to establish themselves
in the neighborhood, but outside the limits of the reserve.
The behavior of the Cceur d'Alenes, especially of late years,
to the whites who surround them on every side, is such as
to refleCt credit upon the Mission, ancfto give glory to God.
"The Cceur d'Aienes," a report says, \ire not only the best
Christians, but they are also the best citizens of the country." Not a few of the whites have been converted by the
good example of these Indians, who, a few years ago, were
a terror to many other tribes, an objeCt of hatred to the
whites, and of such evil reputation among the Indians as to
deserve the name of Cceur d'Alenes (Awl Hearts;. This
Mission, which brings such consolation to the Sacred Heart,
and, consequently, .to the Fathers who labor in it, which is
�Tile Missions of t/ze Rocky Mountains in r88r.
51
so edifying to the whites, Catholic. Protestant or infidel, is at
present, we may say, almost in the open air. The church
is a small affair, scarcely fit for a stable; the residence has
two rooms worse than many Indian huts, and the schoolhouse-so necessary, if we wish to preserve the faith of the
rising generation, and guard them against the wiles of Protestant agents,-con,;ists of four upright posts. All that
could be done so far was to ereCt: an orphan asylum for
thirty girls, supported by the Government, and direB:ed by
Sisters of Charity.
Nearly all the Creur d' Alenes live in the neighborhood
of the new Mission, none being more than fifteen miles
away, and, consequently, more than half of them can come
to Mass every second Sunday ; and, as a general rule, they
approach the Sacraments whenever they attend at Mass.
For about two years they have been seriously deliberating
upon the subject of building a spacious and decent church,
and they have already colleB:ed some two thousand dollars
amongst themselves for this purpose. But what can be
done with two thousand dollars in this country towards
even a wooden church, one hundred and twenty by fortyfive feet? It is scarcely the fourth part of what is required.
The Fathers of this Mission have charge also of the
Spokanes in Washington Territory. A chapel, not yet finished, has been there since 1866. More than two hundred
of the Spokanes are Catholics, and five or six hundred are
Protestants or pagans. The white settlers, who are flocking by hundreds into this region, are also an objeCt: of our
solicitude.
The condition of the Mission will appear from the subjoined report:Catholics, 1,250; Protestants, 2,000; pagans, 3,000; Confessions, 7,500; Communions, 6,8oo; infant Baptisms, 45; ·
adult Baptisms, 10; First Communions, 30; sermons, 150;
instruB:ions, 650.
The centres of white population are Spokane Falls, Farmington, Fort Creur d'Alene, and two small places recently
settled. The Bishop of Nesqualy, to whose diocese some
�52
...Tlze .Missions of tlze Rocky Mountains in I88I.
of these places belong, is willing to relieve us from the
charge of them when he can supply secular priests-but
this will be, I think, only after many years.
.,
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ST. JosEPH's, LAPWAI.-The Mission. of St. Joseph's was
established, after many years of difficulties of every kind
at Lapwai, in I875, for the Nez Perces Indians. The war
of I 877 between the United States troops and the Nez
Perces destroyed the fairest prospeB:s of this Mission, because many of those who took up arms were well affeB:ed
towards our holy religion, and these are now prisoners far
away. Many Protestants were among the hostiles, but
only two Catholics, and those two were forced by circumstances into the war. The Mission has now about four
hundred Catholics, five hundred Protestants, and eleven
hundred pagans; there are besides some three or four thousand whites, ~pe fifth of them being Catholics. In Lewiston, a town of fifteen hundred souls, many of the Catholic
youth lose their faith for want of Catholic schools. There
are in Lewiston five schools of no religion, and one under
Protestant control. \Vith anguish of heart we must say:
Filii lmjus sa:culi prudmtiores sunt quam jiliz" lucis. We
have a church and residence at Lapwai, a church and resi- ·
dence at Lewiston, and two small chapels at Indian camps.
Some Nez Perce boys and gids are in our schools at Colville, but the parents, in general, objeCt: to having their chi!- ·
dren so far away from home, as-Colville is two hundred
miles distant. There is every prospeCt: that Lewiston in a
·few years will become a great city.
Annual report:-Confessions, I ,7ocy;· Communions, 1,500;
infant Baptisms, 35 ; adult Baptisms, 50; sermons, I 50; in-.
struB:ions, 250; missionary travel (days), 120.
WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
In Washington Territory, we have two Missions, Colville
and Yakima.
CoLVILLE.-The Mission of Colville was founded in I 845
amongst the Sgojelpi and Snackeisti Indians, who had
�The Missions of tlzr Rocky Mountains in z88I.
53
been visited in I 8 38 by two secular priests, the first missionaries who came from Canada to these regions, called at
that time by the common name of Oregon. They were
visited in 1842 by Father De Smet, and subsequently by
other Fathers, and came themselves from time to time to
the Missions of St. Ignatius and the Sacred Heart, that
were already founded in the country. The Mission had
to be closed for a while, but it was soon reopened. The
Indians depending upon it are the Sgojelpi, Snackeisti, and
lower Kalispels, who are all Catholics, and number two
thousand souls; also the Okinagans, Simpoilski, Skae~ith
ini, Nespilem and Moses' Band, together with some other
small tribes scattered along the Columbia River. There
are three thousand Indians in these tribes, and already some
of them have embraced t)J.e faith, and others are well disposed. Furthermore, this Mission has charge of the whites
at Colville, and of two great fertile valleys, besides many
families scattered here and there; this white or mixed population numbers four thousand. At the Mission, we have
the' Church of St. Francis Regis under construction, and a
house commodious enough for eight or ten of Ours, which
is partly occupied by Indian boys, some thirty in number,
who are boarding scholars; it is hoped that we shall be
able to build an academy. This school, supported at government expense, was under the charge of Sisters of Charity, but they were unwilling to keep the boys, and, as the
agent was dissatisfied with the management, and there was
danger that the school might fall into secular, and perhaps
Protestant hands, we have been obliged to take charge of
it. The Sisters have a flourishing school for girls, with
fif[y boarders,.supported by the government. There are,
besides, the Church of the Immaculate Conception, for the
people of the town, at a distance of ten miles from the Mission; the Church of St. Paul, at the fisheries, six miles off;
and a church is proposed for the white settlers at Chewelah, thirty miles away. There are also four small chapels
at distances of fifteen, thirty, fifty and one hundred miles.
This Mission should be divided into three :-Colville, with
�54
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Rocky Mou11tains i11 I88I.
three Fathers and three brothers; Okinagan, with two
Fathers and two brothers; and the Band of Moses, with
two Fathers and two Brothers.
Arinual report :-Confessions, 8,000; Communions,6,ooo;
infant Baptisms, 75; adult Baptisms, 35; sermons, 500; mstruetions, sao; missionary travel (days), too.
YAKIMA.-The Mission of St. Joseph's at Yakima was
founded by the Oblate Fathers in I 846, and given up by
them in 1855· Although many of the Yakima Indians had
become Cat~olics, yet the United States Government, towards 186o, assigned them for Agent a Protestant minister,
who managed to baptize several pagans, and to pervert some
of the Catholics. The converts who had remained faithful
made frequent appeals to the Bishop, complaining that they
were abandoned as sheep to the wolves. The Bishop direCted a priesl.'to visit them ' occasionally; but what can a
flying visit of the shepherd accomplish for his flock, when the
wolf remains permanently within the fold? The Protestant
minister, who was at the same time government Agent,
after some years had gained many proselytes, and it was
not until I 867 that a secular priest went to repair and rebuild the old Mission of Yakima, where he accomplished
much good; but, being obliged to leave it on account of
sickness, finally, in 1870, our Fathers, with whom the Bishop
had been very urgent, were, in a manner, compelled to take
charge of the Mission. The ravages of the enemy may be
partly repaired. The Mission contains six hundred Catholics, six hundred Protestants, and tw<;> thousand pagans,
independent of five thousand whites, .oqe-eighth of whom,
perhaps, are Catholics. The difficulties arising from the
situation, from the Protestant minister, from the Protestant
Indians, and from several other causes, have many times
induced us to entertain the projeCt of removing the Mission
to a new site on the Columbia River, one hundred and fifty
miles from Yakima. The reasons for and against the proposition were discussed in a consultation of all the Fathers,
held in September, 1880. The conclusion reached unani~
!
of the
�The Missions if tlte Rocky Mountains in r88r.
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mously was that it was not expedient to abandon anew the
sheep to the wolf, but, rather, to go on with patience, and
to procure the establishment of another mission on the
Columbia, without giving up Yakima.
The recently appointed Bishop of Nesqualy, to whose
jurisdiCtion the whole of Washington Territory belongs,
is disposed to assume the care of white congregations when
they are able to support a priest, and when he can supply a
priest. These two conditions are not easily fulfilled, nor is
it likely that they can be satisfied within any near period ot
time. So great is the scarcity of priests at present, that
many Catholics are lost, going over to the se8:s, or sinking into infidelity. It is true, that in this Territory, our responsibility as regards the whites is not so great, since the
Bishop has declared that in course of time he will take
charge of them; but that, in the first place, does not prevent the loss of souls in the meantime, and secondly, it is
to be feared that many Indians, now good Catholics, will
be perverted by contaCt: with these whites, who are deprived of religious assistance.
'
Annual report :--Confessions, 2,500; Communions, 1,700;
infant Baptisms, 40; adult Baptisms, 10 ; sermons, i 50; instruCtions, 200; missionary travel (days), 245.
In conclusion, it is to be observed that this Mission of
the Rocky Mountains, which a few years ago was in a country entirely savage, is at present in distriCts either civilized,
or which are being rapidly opened to civilization, and hence
there is need of an increasing number of zealous and. able
missionaries, both for the whites, who are multiplying very
fast, and for the Indians, who require more spiritual assistance when surrounded by so many dangers. Besides,
with some trifling exceptions, these are our only Indian
Missions in the United States, and we should strive at any
cost to preserve and increase them, especially when we witness the efforts of the Protestants to gain over the Indians.
A Catholic Bishop said a few years.ago, that a rigid account
would have to be rendered to God for ltaving, neglefled tlze
�Fifty Years Ago.
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Indians, who have been either exterminated, o.r who have
become· Protestants. Under these circumstances, the Society has reason to thank God, for the choice He has made
of it, to foster and preserve these few tribes of Indians ;
and if the Society redoubles its efforts to preserve and increase what has already been accomplished, will it not receive a great reward from the Master? and, in future ages,
will not this be one of the brightest gems in its glorious
crown?
I
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
II....,.....JUBILEE MISSIONS IN ST. MARY's COUNTY.
(From a F'rmclt MS. Relation
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ST. MARY's CouNTY, Mo., February, I830.
This County lies along the Potomac River, at a distance
of seventy to one hundred miles from Georgetown. The
number of missionaries here is far below what it ought to
. be. At .. Newtown, where four, or, at least, three, very aCtive
priests are needed, Father Cary, already advanced in years
'and shattered in health, is alone with' the Rev. Mr. Monnelly, who is much older, but, fortunately, enjoys better
healtli.
Father Dubuisson left Washington on the 23d of December, in order to help Father Cary, and it had been agreed
upon that he was to preach at Newtown on Christmas Day,
but a dense fog prevented him from-ianding at Newtown,
and he was obliged to go on to St. Inigoes, where he found
FF. Carbery and Finegan preparing to open the Jubilee
next day, and anxiously expeCting assistance which had
been promised. The four missionaries of Newtown and
St. Inigoes had agreed to join forces, and to give the Jubilee exercises together for four or five days in succession at
each of the eight churches which they attend in St. Mary's
County, and Father Cary, who was expeCting Father Du-
�Jubi!u Missions in St. Mary's County.
57
buisson to take his place at Newtown, was himself expeCted
at St. Inigoes, where, in faet, he arrived on the evening of
the 24th, to the great joy of Father Carbery, who regarded
it as a special providence that Fr. Dubuisson had been
obliged to change his destination.
Sr. INIGQES.-Dec. 25th. On the festival of the Nativity
of our Lord, the missionaries began, with the assistance of
God, their sacred labors, which lasted without interruption
for thirty-three days. From the very beginning we were
Jed to look forward to abundant and consoling results. The
weather was unpropitious; nevertheless, on Christmas Day
the people crowded to church. There were many who approached the Sacraments, and during the sermon many
were deeply moved. Our plan during the exercises was to
celebrate the last Mass at eleven o'clock, to preach once or
twice each day, and to hear as many confessions as possible, even after all the other services, either in the church or
at the private houses where we stayed over night. The
churches of St. Mary's, in general, are in the open fields,
or surrounded by woods, without house or shelter of any
kind close by.·
Dec. 26. The weather could not be worse: heavy and
chilling rain. Yet there were one hundred and fifty persons in church, of whom fifty received Holy Communion,
a very fair number, considering the circumstances, for St.
Inigoes is a parish of four hundred communicants at most.
Dec. 27. Sunday. Weather somewhat improved, but
still unfavorable. The church. was filled, and again many
faces were bathed in tears during the sermon. Surely, the
Spirit of God was diffuse.d; their hearts were ready. It
seems that there was not a Catholic who had not resolved
to gain the indulgence. Fifteen persons of various denominations were received into the bosom of the Church. The
new converts who approached the Holy Table for the first
time on this occasion numbered twenty.
Sr. NICHOLAs.-The missionaries, filled with hope after
so auspicious a beginning, passed on to the parish of St.
Nicholas; here there was the same zeal, the same eagerVaL. XI-No. 1.
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�58
FiftJ' Years Ago.
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ness on the part of the faithful. This parish is larger than
that of St. Inigoes, and the confessions were more numerous. Amongst other consolations of the pastor, an aged
naval officer, distinguished for his upright character and
for his social rank, gave an edifying example by returning
to the practices of religion.· He was born a Catholic, but
like so many others, circumstances-a thousand things had
kept him away from the Sacraments.
St. JoHN's was the third parish to which the missionaries
passed. God went before them and prepared the way by
the action of His grace upon souls. It would be a constant repetition to say that everywhere they found the
same eager desire to profit by this occasion of the Jubilee,
in order to be reconciled to God. Not to prolong this narration, I shall only note rapidly whatsoever most worthy of
mention happened in each place. ·
St. John's q111rch can be said to be in the woods. The
parish is poor, but populous. The few well-to-do members
of the congregation would have to defray all the expense
of completing and ornamenting this church.
The missionaries were lodged in different houses, some
of them at a distance of five or six miles from the church.
They set off before daybreak to go and say Mass, and to
be on hand at an early hour to hear confessions; but they
always found quite a number of the faithful there beforehand, waiting for their coming. The persevering attendance
of the people at the exercises was wonderful. After the·
last Mass and sermon, the la,bors of the confessional again
occupied us, and dinner was generally ~eferred till the end
of the day. vVords cannot express ~the consolation that
filled my soul when I was brought face to face with the Jiving faith of these good people, and witnessed their deep
love for our holy religion.
They were very attentive in providing for our wants; refreshments were brought without fail to the sacristy, and it
is to be regretted that their care and hospitality deprived
us in great measure of our proper amount of mortification.
With what lively interest did they inspire us as they
thronged about the confessionals, which were nothing more
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59
r:
than an angle in some corner of the church, screened off
with counterpanes hung around. The penitent knelt upon
the floor, and both penitent and priest were exposed to the
cold, which was at times quite sharp.
NEWTOWN was our fourth station. The same ardor was
displayed here to gain the indulgence. Many Catholics, whose occupations had been of such a nature as to
render the frequentation of the Sacraments difficult for
them, offered the encouraging example of their First Communion long after the ordinary age.
ST. JosEPH's was then the objecr of our cares. The people here came to the services, and remained in the church
more perseveringly, it seemed, than any where else. We
could not think of going away before supper time. Many
persons remained in the church all day; and they stayed
not merely to confess, but even fasting, in order to be able
to receive Holy Communion, which we administered until
sunset. This trait, though it was more marked at St. Joseph's, .does not belong exclusively to that parish. At St.
John's, the Sacred Heart, St. Aloysius', and Our Lady's of
Medley's Neck, to a greater or less extent, the fervor of
the people was shown by the same circumstance.
Perhaps it will not be without interest to remark here
that in the greater number of these churches, there are no
benches, or scarcely any (chairs are not used here as in Europe), so that the greater part, and sometimes almost all of
those present were obliged to stand or kneel during the
Mass and sermon, that is to say, for a couple of hours at
least, independent of the time they spent in church before
and after the services; and that, too, in the depth of winter,
and in churches exposed to the winds.
Several Protestants and other stray sheep were gathered
into the fold, about thirty five in all, in the different parishes, but that of the Sacred Heart, to which we came from
St. Joseph's, was one of the most remarkable in this respeCt. The Catholic Religion excites more and more the
public attention.
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Fifty Ymrs Ago.
SACRED HEART.-Sunday, Jan. 17. There was a large
congregation present; they say that about one hundred
Protestants were in the church. The sermon was on the
beautiful subjeCt of the adorable Eucharist. The nonCatholics listened with surprising attention ; many of them
were deeply moved. May the God of truth dissipate all
their prejudices.
ST. ALoYsws'.-An admirable speCtacle here was to see
a colonel of militia in the crowd, among the negroes, for
nearly three hours before the confessional, waiting for his
turn, and afterwards kneeling at the Holy Table. There
was not a Catholic of any class who did not make the Jubilee-not one who even entertained the thought of failing
to make it.
OuR LADY's, MEDLEY's NEcK .-Our joy was at its
height in the last parish, when an unfortunate accident happened. Our-Lady's Chapel was built some ten years ago;
it is of brick; they say that the foundations are defeCtive.
The work was not well done; the walls are already cracked,
and there are doubts about its solidity. On Sunday, January 24th, there was a great concourse of Catholics and
others. During the early part of the morning the causes
of apprehension were·freely discussed, and all minds were
prepared for a panic.
Mass is begun; the body of the church and the galleries
are thfonged. During the Gospel a noise is heard, as if
a wall or some beam was giving way-it was, in faet, one
of the floor supports that was yielding, and the floor, although it did not sink completely, began to bend under the
weight of the crowd. Nothing more ·~as needed to kindle
alarm ; it was believed that the whole building was going
to tumble down. In the twinkling of an eye the crowd
presses towards the door and windows; those who were in
the galleries rush to the staircase, and some fling themselves down on top of the struggling crowd below; they
break the window-frames into a thousand pieces, regardless
of cutting their hands, and through door and windows they
pour out of the church. It was a terrible moment; the
floor violently agitated, the smashing of glass, the cries of
�jubilee Missions in St. Mary's County.
61
the women-all presaged most deplorable consequences,
even if the walls should hold firm. The celebrant did not
quit the altar, but he was obliged to suspend the Mass. He
remained motionless in prayer, awaiting God's good·pleasure. Some women, prompted by terror and faith, entered
the sanauary, and seized the extremity of the priest's
chasuble.
By the goodness of God, the accident was not as disastrous as we feared it might have been. After eight or ten
minutes the Holy Sacrifice was resumed. Many reentered
the church; there were very many communicants, and a
very long sermon was preached without any interruption.
Several persons suffered considerably from the crowding;
some were knocked down and badly bruised; nevertheless,
we had the great satisfaaion to learn that, after all, no one
was seriously injured. None of the missionaries gave way
to this panic fear-all of us remained in the Church. One
of the Fathers was in the choir gallery, where he had been
hearing confessions until the beginning of the last Mass,
and he persuaded even the ladies to remain, who courageously began to sing as soon as the priest could continue
with the Holy Sacrifice.
The_ only serious consequence of the accident is to entail
upon the parish considerable expense, in order to repair the
church. Perhaps it will be necessary to pull it down and
rebuild, and Our Lady's of Medley's Neck is one of those
parishes in which there is but a small number of persons
who can afford to contribute to such an expense. I do not
know what they intend to do ; but it seems impossible that
they can defray the cost without outside assistance. Nevertheless, if the church be not put in good condition, many
old, infirm and poor persons will never, perhaps, in their
lives have the consolation of assisting at the Holy Sacrifice
of the Altar.
It is time to close my report; I cannot, however terminate without indulging in a reflecl:ion ; it is this: considering the state of many of our poor parishes in America, and ·
comparing it with what I have seen in Italy and France, I
cannot refrain from regrets, and I say to myself; "0, if .. "
�62
Fifty Years Ago.
-God defend me from even hinting that the churches of
Paris, Turin, Genoa and Rome are too rich. Nothing is
too beautiful for the service of the Master of Heaven and
earth; nothing is too magnificent to fill the minds of men
with that respect which is His due. But if they would
only give us a little share of it! ... What is a trifle to them
would be something grand here .... Let us hope .... from
the bounty of God and the charitable zeal of our friends in
Europe.
111.-INSTRUCTIO:-i IN THE UNITED STATES. (I)
(Translated from tlze UNION of Brussels, Sept.
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UNIVERSITY OF ST. Louis, May 26, 1833.
Our College has lately been raised to the rank of a University. The State Legislature, although the Protestants
form a vast majority of its members, has granted us this title
with all the powers and privileges possessed by establishments of this rank in the United States. This honorable
distinction, which no other educational institution shares
with us as yet in the State of Missouri, is an unequivocal
and public proof of the usefulness and importance of our
literary institution, and a testimony of the high opinion in
which it is held by our lawmakers. But, after all, it is only
a title, which does not supply us with funds; more than
this, it imposes the obligation of redoubling our efforts,
that we may appear before the public eye worthy of the
high functions which we exercise. Our dear brethren of
Georgetown College are more fort'~nate in this respect.
Their establishment has been long founded, it is extensive
and well organized ; it enjoys a wide-spread reputation ; it
has a large number of students who pay a liberal pension,
and it possesses lands for its support. It has also been
honored with the title of University for the past fourteen
years. Situated almost in the centre of the United States,
(!)The initials subscribed to this paper point to Fr. Peter J. Verhaegen as
its writer. He was appointed Rector at St. Louis, Nov. 1, 1829.
�JnstruClion in tlze United States.
near the capital of our vast republic, it is under the immediate patronage of Congress, which has lately granted it
the sum of 100,000 francs as a free gift, to be employed in
widening the sphere of its usefulness. It has also a novitiate, which supplies annually teachers without any expense,
&c., &c. These are advantages for which we bless the
Lord, but they are advantages of which we are almost entirely deprived. We have not even a Church depending
upon our institution, in which to give the Catholics and
Protestants of the neighborhood the instruaions for which
they are so anxious.
There is a weekly newspaper in this city devoted exclusively to the defence of our holy religion, and published
under the auspices of our venerable and worthy Bishop.
We Belgians, for whom the English language has been,
and ought to be, one of the principal studies, are contributors to this journal, and it has succeeded in commending
itself to Protestants, who eagerly read it, finding in its columns that truth which they vauntingly profess to be the
only objea of their enquiries, and which they will finally
embrace. It has an extensive circulation, and accomplishes
much good amongst persons of every age and profession.
So we are not merely employed in forming the hearts of
children who will cause piety to revive in the bosoms of
their families, but, furthermore, from our establishment, we
preach, as it were, in every part of the West. There are
those who regard all this with an evil eye, and as they see
the edifice of the Reformation shaken, they are using every
effort to counteraa our labors, and propose to start a paper
in support of the altar which they have rai.sed against that
of the Lord. The opposition will be to our advantage, for
truth never shines forth with brighter lustre than when it is
confronted with the falsehoods and dreams of error.
I have just received a letter from one of my old Louvain
friends, M. Van Bockel, who arrived here last year to dedicate himself to the missions. He is now in Kentucky, in
the neighborhood of the religious establishments formed
by our revered countryman of happy memory, the Reverend M. Nerinckx, and he writes to me of his intention to
�Fifty Years Ago.
I'
enter our Society in a few weeks. We have a little mission
there.
The zealous and holy Father Van Quickenborne is busy
all the time traveling and preaching. He visits, instruCts,
and brings consolation to many scattered families in this
and the neighboring State. After every trip of this kind,
he rejoices us by the news of twenty or thirty conversions.
He is almost constantly traversing a territory of more than
a hundred miles in circumference, and his services are nevertheless demanded elsewhere. Had we five or six men of
his apostolic spirit, employed in the same work, how abundant would be the fruits of their united labors! In every
seCtion of our vast republic, enjoying the sweet blessings
of uninterrupted peace, where all things conspire to bind
hearts together in union, we see each year new churches
rising, and new establishments formed, which will plant the
seeds of fai~h and virtue, and bring forth the increase of
our holy religion. It is a most consoling sight, especially
in our immediate vicinity, where, ten years ago, there was
scarcely anything. Liberty of conscimce, which every one
enjoys in tlze full force of tlze term, favots all tlze pious prqjefls
tlzat we form for tlze good if our neighbor,· t/zere is not/zing
to /zamper us in tlzis resprfl.
The death of our zealous and very pious compatriot and
colleague, J. Van Lommel, has caused us much affliCtion.
Before his departure from.· Maryland, his health had been
weakened to some extent, and he was so worn out upon his
arrival here, that he could not recover his strength: for our
climate is, without comparison, more favorable to ,foreign.
ers than that of the East, where I wa~ never well. He died
of consumption, which he had contraCted there. His eu~
logium can be briefly made: Obiit postquam omnia bene fecz'sset, vir amtorum paucorum, sed virtute et men'tz's sene:t:.
Young Van Sweevelt is at our University. His services
are such that we alone can justly appreciate them; there is
no doubt that he will refleCt credit upon the Society.
P. J. V.
�INDIAN MISSIONS.
I.-WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
Letter of Fat!ter U. Grassi to Fatlter Cataldo.
·,
In order that you may have a clearer idea of the present
state of the tribes living south of the Mission of St. Francis
Regis, as far as the mouth of the Okinagan, I must mention some events of former years, concerning which, so far
as I am aware, nothing has heretofore been written.
At the distances of fifty, eighty, one hundred, and one
hundred and twenty miles from the above mentioned Mission are the tribes called Zaszagess, Simpoilsdzi, Nespi!em,
Suipakein. All these tribes were seduced into heresy in
I 8 38, and, although retaining but little of its erroneous doctrine, yet they are deeply infected with a sentiment of hatred or fear, or suspicion of the Catholic missionary-perhaps it would be more accurately described as a compound
of these three feelings. Some years ago I sent to the
Zaszagess Father Tosi, one of our best missionaries,
and assigned to him as companion a chief of our own
Sgojelpi Indians, who, in addition to eloquence and zeal,
had the advantage of being related to the chief of the Zaszagess. They had a long conference, and it promised a
favorable issue, when a messenger arrived from the Spokane
chief, Jerry, with the suggestion that they should defer, at
least for some days, accepting the Catholic "prayer." This
was sufficient to dispel from their fickle hearts the apparently good dispositions which they had manifested a few days
before. In subsequent years other missionaries visited
them, as they are on the direct route to other tribes, but
the only answer they could obtain was this : "If you had
been the first to come to us, we would now belong to you."
The veteran missionary, Father Joset, som,e years ago
VoL. xi-No.
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lndi'an llfi'ssi'ons.
visited the Simpoilschi. He was well known to them, because this tribe, when the Mission was founded at Colville,
had sent a deputation of seven or eight Indians to invite
him to give the Catholic prayer to the tribe. Father Joset
spoke to them about religion, gave each of them a name,
which they still retain, and dismissed them with the promise that in the following Spring-for it was then the Fall of
the year-he would make a journey to their country if they
should come for him. The chief of the deputation died
during the winter, and no one ever came for the missionary.
Long afterwards, about ten years ago, an Indian of the
tribe fell sick of some nervous disease, which tortured him
for two years, and left him crippled for life. During this
sickness he had (so he said; visions of Paradise, and received messages which were to be communicated to his
people : that the Catholic missionaries had been envoys of
God up to tha:t. time, but as they had entered into friendship
with the \Vhites, the Lord had now cast them off, and had
chosen him to let them know the will of God, and be saved;
that God was angry, and had commanded him, as a second
Noah, to build an ark, in which all the new believers were
to be rescued from the deluge, which would overwhelm the
world after eight years. He was believed by the greater
part of the tribe. The time predieted for this second deluge was drawing nigh, but there was no sign of the deluge.
Then another revelation came to extricate him: he was to
build a church first, and an ark afterwards, and when the
ark was ready the deluge would come. The poor Simpoilschi swallowed all this, and it is heart-re.nding to witness the
veneration that these poor people hav'e lor this charlatan.
Kolaskan, as he is called, is second only to God. Jesus and
Mary are invoked as intercessors. The code which he promulgates is a mixture of Indian superstitions with Catholic and Protestant doctrines, and with this he manages to
satisfy the consciences of all. I happened once to be
among the Simpoilschi, when the whole tribe was colleCled
together, and along with the others I went to their 'prayer,'
and although the Prophet had declared that he did not per-
�Letter
o/ Fa titer U.
Grassi.
mit me to preach, I did not wish to lose such a splendid
chance of letting them learn some Catholic truths. I began
therefore by praising what little there was worthy of praise
in the performance, and then passed on to inculcate the
Divinity of Jesus Christ, and the necessity of Baptism.
Kolaskan, having listened for a short time, interrupted me,
saying that I had spoken long enough, especially as I had
no permission; he did not deny that Baptism was good, but
that his tribe was not yet prepared for Baptism ; that when
the proper time arrived he would tell them to be baptized.
Thereupon, he dismissed the meeting. I was alone, friendless, and there was a deep snow on the ground. So it was
prudent to moderate my zeal, but I repeated privately to
all of them in their lodges that if they did not become
Christians, they should not enter into Heaven.
I passed on from there to the Nespilem; they were pleased
to see me, but as to receiving the prayer, they said that if
the chief received Baptism, they would all willingly imitate
his example. But the chief was a firm believer in the new
revelation, and bitterly opposed to the Catholic religion. It
was impossible to remain for any length of time amongst
the Nespilem, so I passed on to the Suipakein Indians. On
my arrival at their camp, no one came to welcome me.
Seeing a deserted hut, I entered it and put down my baggage; whilst I was considering where I should ereCt: an
altar, in case I should be allowed to remain, Suipakein came
in with the principal men of the tribe. They saluted me
with respeCt:, and, after a general shaking of hands and a
short conversation, Suipakein said that he did not think it
befitting for me to remain in a hut without door or window;
that I might occupy the neighboring house, which chanced
to be empty, as its owner was away ·at the chase. I accepted the offer, and fared somewhat better for accommodations.
There were seven or eight Christians in the place, and when
they saw the reception given to me by the chief, they came
forward to shake hands. I had spent two weeks among
them, when one day the principal man of those who had
been baptized called upon me as spokesman for the others,
�68
I,
1,,
I
1:'
'
Indian Missions.
and said bluntly that I had staid long enough; that they
had had instruCtion enough for one time, they had all gone
to confession, and that I could now leave them, since Suipakein had no desire of Baptism, and his people wanted me
to go away. I answered him that I \vas desirous of learning the revelations of S. before my departure (for he too
was many times lifted up to heaven). He went off somewhat disconcerted. Another reason why I did not wish to
depart just then was that I did not know where to go; the
ground was still covered with snow, I had no guide, and
the paths were as yet unbroken. That night, after I had
retired, S. entered with a dozen or more of the old men.
Having got up, he asked me if I had any desire to hear
about his visions, and having received my answer that I
took a great deal of interest in the subjeCt:, he began by
saying that he had not indeed seen any one, but that he
heard a void!;·which taught him all that he had learned,
and that he afterwards made it known to his people. Then
he began to chant more or less exaCtly the history of the
Creation, of .the Deluge, and the Life of our Lord. When
he had finished, although I was well aware that he had not
uttered a word of his own inventions and diabolical revelations, I told him that what he had said thus far, with some
correCtions here and there, tallied with the teachings of the
missiOnary. This remark pleased him, and he said: "Tomorro~ I shall give you a bell, so that you may summon
to prayer such of the tribe as wish to go." Then, to my
great relief, they withdrew. After many days, S. declared
publicly that he was going to give up the 'prayer of his vision.' and that he wished .all to receive Baptism, as he intended to be baptized himsel( The people did not lend a ready
ear to his words, and his fervor quickly cooled down. I
remained amongst this people till Spring, and, as holy obedience had assigned me occupations elsewhere, I did not
see the tribe again for two years. On my return I found
S. to be in the same dispositions, and having told him that
I wished to build a chapel and small house in that neighborhood, he expressed his satisfaCtion. This was in the
Fall of r88o.
�Letter of Fatlzer U. Grassi.
Allow me here to make a digression. On my departure
from that place, I descended the Columbia River for twentyfive or thirty miles, and arrived at Stlakem, a rendezvous
for salmon fishing, and there I heard that Moses, head chief
of the tribe, and other chiefs were waiting near the mouth
of the Okinagan for an officer of the Government, who was
charged with the duty of asking for their children, to be
transferred to an Industrial School in Oregon. I crossed
the Columbia in order to caution the Catholic chiefs against
surrendering their sons, because the Catholic priest was
debarred from all access to those who had once entered
that school. At the same time, I informed Moses and all
the others that it was my intention to build a small house
in that neighborhood, and that then I should have their
sons taught to read and write. Moses approved the plan,
but afterwards added that the government had granted the
land to him, and, consequently, he could not dispose of it
for a school-house, or a place of prayer. Several days after
I had left this place, the official arrived, not at the Indian
camp, but at the military post near the mouth of the Spokane River, and summoned the chiefs to meet him there.
Moses alone responded to the call, and had the courage to
refuse to give up his children,saying that the Catholic priest
would take charge of them. The officer was quite angry
at this reply, declaimed at some length against the priest,
said that he should accuse Moses before the Authorities,
andended with a·threat of punishment, if by next Spring
he should not have surrendered the Indian youth. These
words intimidated Moses, but for all that, he returned home
without promising anything.
After having visited the various Indian camps scattered
here and there, which kept me busy for three months, I betook myself again to the territory of Suipakein. Here, I
return to my narration. At Nstepizem, twenty-five miles
from his residence, I called Gilkagan, an inferior chief, the
only Indian competent to put up a house, and told him that
I wanted him to build a chapel for me. He said that he did
not dare to undertake such a job without the permission of
Suipakein. I answered that this permission was already
�indian . Missions.
70
granted, but he would not move in the matter. He then told a young man to go and find out the intentions and
wishes of Suipakein. The answer was not favorable, and
he went in person to see him. S. assembled the old men
of the tribe, and laid my plan before them. They came to
the conclusion that if the Missionary were allowed to ereCt:
a dwelling-place in their country, other white men would
come, and would end by taking possession of all their lands,
as they had done elsewhere. Suipakein thereupon announced the decision to Gilkagan that if his people had all
been willing, he himself would have had no objeCtions, but
that he did not dare, on his own responsibility to give the
Missionary permission to build.
The good Gilkagan
brought me back this answer, which prevents me from taking up a position there at present. At the beginning of
Spring I returned to the Mission of St. Francis Regis, having promised~~hese Indians to visit them again, if in any
way it be possible.
R•• v·• Servus in Xto.
U. GRASSI, S. J.
!I.-LAKE SUPERIOR.
Letter if Father 7os. Specht to Fatlzer :fames Pcn·on.
FoRT \VILLIAM, ONT., Nov. 4, rSSr.
REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
It is high time for me to fulfil the promise which I made
of giving some account of my trip during last Spring. In
accordance with the direCtions of Father Hebert, I was not
to set out upon the journey until the~·beginning of April,
or the end of March, but a sudden and unforeseen call to
a sick woman at Namewaminikaning, on Lake Nepigon,
obliged me to anticipate by a fortnight the time fixed for
my departure.
On the 14th of March, then, I left the Mission, accompanied by two Indians of the place, and, having passed the
night at Prince Arthur's Landing, six miles from here, I
went on to Silver Islet, which I reached on the following
l
l
�.Fort Wzlliam--Letter of Father :Joseph Specht.
71
day, towards four o'clock in the afternoon, quite fagged
out; for there was a snow-storm the greater part of the time
which was very trying to the eyes, and prevented me from
halting in the woods with my men to prepare our meals ;
besides, my companions had forgotten to bring along a
hatchet to cut the wood for cooking.
I had intended to" pass only one night at Silver Islet, and
then to go forward as speedily as possible, for I had a long
journey before me, and there was no time to lose. But the
weather became so bad that traveling was out of the question, and I was forced to remain where I was until the 21st.
This delay was a blessing to the good Irish familes of the
place, as it enabled them to hear Mass on St. Patrick's Day.
There was a fair attendance of women and children ; as to
the men, their employers not being Catholics, they were
obliged to work as usual at the mines; as a set-off to this,
the school children treated themselves to a holiday.
I started again on the 21st, with splendid weather, and
at 5.30 P. M. next day, I reached Red Rock, taking my
Christians by surprise, as they did not expea me to come
for some time. I went to work immediately; in a couple
of days all except two or three had made their Easter, and
on the afternoon of the 25th, after bidding good-bye to my
little flock, and sending back my two companions to Fort
William, I set out for Namewaminikaning.
My companions for this part of the way were two halfbreeds of Red Rock, who were to guide me as far as Fort
Nepigon. Another,an Indian, joined us, but he was to accompany us only as far as Namewaminikaning, from which place
he would go to Long Lake with letters for FF. Hebert and
Gagnon. Our road was very rough; we had to travel along
the Nepigon River, and as the ice had given way in several places, we were twice obliged to make a portage along
the heights bordering the stream, a labor which brought
out the perspiration. Next day, the 26th, we left the river
and took to the woods, and by nightfall reached the t~nt of
Francis Bouchard, a brother of one of my traveling companions. I resolved to spend the night near him, for I had
�72
Indi'an Missions.
come quite a distance over a hard road. Next morning,
which was Sunday, after having heard the confessions of
my host, his wife and children, and having said morning
prayers with them (there was no possibility of celebrating
Mass), I made a fresh start,-this time over Lake Nepigon.
Towards six o'clock in the evening I reached Namewaminikaning to the great delight of my Christians; but above all
to the consolation of the poor sick woman, who had been
anxiously waiting for my coming. I found her very low,
reduced to a perfea skeleton, but her face beamed with joy
at sight of the priest. Having heard her confession that
very evening, I gave her the last sacraments next morning,
which she received with great devotion. She seemed to be
wholly resigned to the will of God. At my departure, I
bade her adieu for eternity, as her death occurred shortly
afterwards:, Her aged mother, a simple, pious soul, did not
know how ..to express her gratitude to me, for administering
the consolations of our Holy Religion to her daughter in
her last moments. In her simplicity, she offered me a fur,
worth from two to four dollars, saying that she would give
me some money, if she had any. Thanking her, I said that
all I did was for the love of our good God, and that I
looked to Him for my reward.
During my short stay at Namewaminikaning, I said Mass
twice in a wigwam ; but as I had to let the fire die out for
this purpose, I came near having my fingers frozen each
time. On the second occasion, especially, as I had to give
Holy Communion, my fingers were so icy that I could no
longer feel the Sacred Host. I assure you that I was very
glad when I had finished. It was ·~n encouragment, and at
the same time it made me ashamed of myself, that during
the whole time of the Mass, my brave Indians also had to
do without fire in order not to be deprived of the happiness
of assisting at the August Sacrifice and of receiving Holy
Communion. They sacrificed their comfort generously
and joyfully, chanting hymns for nearly the whole tim~.
I took leave of my good Christians at six o'clock on the
evening of the 29th, and direaed my course towards Fort
�Fort William--Letter of Fatlt<r 7oseplt Spcc!tt.
73
Nepigon, which I was not to reach until the evening of the
next day. I should have arrived earlier, had I been able
to travel during the night, as is the custom of the Indians;
but as that tired me too much, I was obliged to make a
halt at an island until daybreak. I was very well received
at the Fort by our generous benefactor, Mr. Henri De La
Ronde, who lodged me in his own house and provided for
all my wants, free of all cost, during the three months that
I remained there. I said Mass daily in his house, whilst
waiting until milder weather would permit me to take possession of the chapel, situated on the borders of the Lake
(Nepigon), below the hill on which the residence is built.
My congre~ation was very small, numbering twenty at
most, for the greater part of our Indians were then scattered
in small bands, engaged in hunting, and made only occasional visits to the Fort to get provisions and ammunition
in exchange for their peltries. On the 7th of April I had
the happiness of regenerating a young pagan woman in
the waters of Baptism. She was my first, and also, if I
must say it, my last neophyte during the whole period of
my great journey, with the exception of a boy, twelve or
thirteen years of age, whom I baptized conditionally, as although born of Christian parents, he had been baptized
by a Protestant minister.
I spent the Holy Week at the Fort, ·trying to pick up
some strength for, as I then expeded, my approaching
journey to Agoki-Sagaigan, of which Fr. Hebert made mention in his letter published in the number of the vVooosTocK LETTERS for last May. I \Vas to follow precisely the
same route that he had taken in the Spring of I 88o, that is
to say, to ascend the Ombibakang River, and wait there until the breaking up of the ice and the opening of the rivers,
and then to go on to Lake Agoki. After having visited
the new Christians whom Fr. Hebert had baptized in the
preceding Spring, endeavoring at the same time to convert
as many pagans as possible, I was to return to Fort Nepigon in time to meet the Indians coming in from the back
country. I was on the point of undertaking this trip of
VoL. XI-No. 1.
10
�74
Indian A-fissions.
one hundred and fifty miles, in accordance with the orders
I had received, when unforeseen difficulties, the wretched
condition of the ice on the lakes and rivers, and the failure
of my guide to put in an appearance, compelled me to abandon the plan for this season. I was very sorry. for I knew
that Fr. Hebert had founded high expeCtations upon this
JOUrney. But, after all, what could I do under the circumstances, except resign myself to the dispensations of Providence?
Obliged against my will to remain at Fort Nepigon,
I tried to draw profit from my forced inaCtion. I divided my time between study. principally of the Indian
language, and teaching the Christian doCtrine. to the children. These were my daily occupations until the 23d of
May, on which day, the ice having disappeared completely
from the Lake, I started for Red Rock, in a bark canoe,
with four Indians. I was back again at Fort Nepigon by
the 30th, where I found a good number of Indians, in great
part Christians, who had returned from their wanderings
inland. Each day added to their number. Towards Pen.:
tecost, nearly all had arrived, even the Christians of Lake
Agoki. All told, they were not less than three hundred,
twice as many pagans among them as Christians. What a
vast field to cultivate! It was the first time that a Missionary had had them all together, as I had them there then.
\Vitl10ut any delay, I set to work, spending the greater part
of the time in instruCting the new Christians and administering the Sacraments of Penance and the Blessed Eucharist. The order of exercises was as·follows: at 6.30, Mass,
at which all were present regularly- every day; after eight
o'clock, catechism for the children and newly converted;
towards 6.30 P. M., after supper, prayers in common, followed generally by a short instruCtion upon one of the
chief truths of our Holy Religion. Twice a week we recited the beads in common. Confessions were heard whenever the people presented themselves, and that was at all
hours of the day. It was a touching spectacle to see these
excellent Indians sUI'rounding the Missionary to assist at
�•
Fort Wzlliam-Lettcr
£!!
Fat!ter Yoseplt Specltt.
75
the Holy S~crifice, to hear from his lips the word of God,
and receive from his hands the Bread of Angels. More
than once, especially on Sundays, the chapel could not hold
all those who came.
All these occupations, as may well be imagined, filled up
a great part of the time. But I could not be unmindful
that "other sheep I had who were not yet of the fold," and
they were the greater number, and "these also I had to lead
thither." A few rare instances excepted, the pagans did
not set their feet inside the chapel, where anyhow they
would often have found no room. I resolved, then, to visit
them, going from lodge to lodge, inviting them to come to
our chapel, where it \vas my purpose to assemble as many
of them as I could, in order to explain to them the principal truths of our Holy Religion. On the 3rd of June, after
recommending the matter to God and to our Blessed Lady,
I presented myself, accompanied by a Christian Indian, at
the different lodges. The greater part received me very
coldly, some of them even with mocking laughter.
I forgot to mention that as a general rule the pagans and
Christians are divided into two very distinct camps, at Nepigon as elsewhere, having their lands apart. But even when
they are mingled together, you can easily distinguish the
Christians from their pagan companions. The Christians
are generally much neater and better dressed than the pagans, who are for the most p<lrt very untidy in their appearance, the women and children especially being almost, if
not entirely, in tatters. The Christian will greet you with
a smile upon his lips, and will offer you his hand, saying:
"Bojo, noss" (Good day, Father); and many also make the
sign of the Cross. The pagan, as soon as he comes in
sight of you, ·regards you with a stony stare, and as he
passes, if he says anything, it will be a dry "Bojo;" and
after he has passed, he will turn around to make a leisurely
scrutiny of your person.
Returning to my visit to the pagans :-I did not gather
from it the fruit which I had looked for. I had calculated
to obtain at least a dozen converts, but, to my intense sur-
�]6
indian JJissiolls.
prise, even those who had up till then shown some inclination to become Christians, and had also assisted at the various services of the Mission, appeared no more at the
church, held back doubtless by human respeEt. It may be
asked, and I have often asked myself, what can be the
causes which prevent these poor infidels from embracing
the faith? In my humble opinion, the primary cause, as
regards many of them, is sheer ignorance, for a good number of them had never seen a priest before, and several told
me that they would readily embrace the prayer (this is their
name for the Christian religion), if they were sufficiently
acquainted with its- teachings. My invariable answer to
this was to say that I was always ready to impart the explanations necessary for them to know and love our faith.
Others are deterred by fear of imaginary evils: "If I became a Christian, I would be unlucky." "If my children are
baptized, they'll die," &c., &c. I showed them the absurdity
of this prejudice by holding up the example of those from
among themselves who had become Christians, and by
pointing out to them that the children of pagans are just
as apt to die as those who have been baptized. Others hold
back through a pr~tended humility: "I would willingly become a Christian, but I am not good enough for that." I
answered this class by saying that I had come amongst
them precisely for the purpose of helping them to become
better, and that if they were in the right way, I should certainly not be losing my time and toil in striving to make
them change it. These latter ones had put their finger on
the sore spot, and assigned the true reason why many of them
will not become Christians-"they are not good enough."
Many of these pagans are bigamists; some of them, but
such cases are rare, have three or four wives; and knowing
very well that as Christians they must be content with one,
they prefer to wallow in sin and die in infidelity, rather than
resolve to take the step which would bring such a restraint
along with it.
Amongst those who did not feel themselves gciod enough
for Christianity was an old pagan named Shickagodjish,
•
�Fort 1¥i!liam-Letter of Fatlur 7oseplz Specht.
77
\vho hates our Holy Religion with all the rancor of his evil
heart, and who, along with Babans, his dear helpmate is
the cause that not only his children, otherwise well disposed towards us, but many others also, as I believe, do not
become Christians. It was a daughter of his that I baptized on the 7th of last April. She was married to a Scotch
half-breed, a Catholic, Wilson by name.
·
On the 23rd of June, I departed from Fort Nepigon for
Red Rock, with the btigade, composed of Christians and
pagans, who were transporting to Red Rock the fruits of
the \Vinter and Spring hunting. The Bourgeois, Mr. H.
De La Ronde, was with us; with his well· known kindness
and customary respeCt: for the Missionary, my treatment
was such that it could not have been better. He did not
want to let me carry anything at the portages, saying that
he had hands enough for the work (they were nearly thirty
men). We said night and morning prayers in common.
As the weather. was favorable, we arrived safe and sound at
Red Rock on the afternoon of the 25th. I installed myself
right away in the priest's house. and immediately applied
myself to the ordinary duties of the sacred ministry, catechising, hearing confessions, visiting the sick, and baptizing
some children. A good number of Indians had come to
Red Rock to receive their annual pension, which was paid
this year on the I 5th of July. After the distribution each
one returned home. As for myself, seeing that my work
was ended for the season, I took my departure on the 19th
for Fort William, which I reached in safety and in good
health on the 2 rst, at ten o'clock in the evening, glad to be
once more with our good Fathers and Brothers. Father
Gagnon had reached. the Mission in advance of me, and
Father Hebert returned home two weeks later, in time for
the visitation of Rev. Father H. Hudon, our Superior General.
During the four months of my grand voyage, I administered only ten Baptisms, a small number, but still it was so
much gained. I was more fortunate in another trip which
I made a month later to Grand Portage and Grand Marais,
�78
:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
Minn., U. S., where in the short space of twelve days, I
baptized one grown person and twelve children. Later on,
in September and Oetober, I had seven Baptisms at Prince
Arthur's Landing, six of which were of infants. I have
cause to thank the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, as
also the great St. Joseph, my patron, for the success of my
feeble efforts, and to hope for fresh favors in the time to
come.
1\Iy humble regards to all our Fathers, and my sincerest
good wishes to all the Scholastics ·of 'vVoodstock.
R•• V~· infimus in Xto Sen·us.
Jos. SPECHT, S. J.
JUBjLEE MISSIONS IN NEBRASKA.
At the invitation of the Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, D. D.,
Bishop of Dibona, i. p. i., and Vicar Apostolic of Nebraska,
Very Rev. E. A. Higgins, Provincial of the Missouri Province, sent some Fathers of the same Province to Nebraska,
for the purpose of giving J ubilce Missions in those places
which the Rt. Rev. Bishop might be pleased to designate.
The first to appear on this field of labor was Fr. Hillman,
who a!rived in Omaha from St. Louis, on Tuesday, June
7th, 188 r. According to instruCtions received, Fr. H. went
to the Rt. Rev. Bishop, to learn from him the nature and
the extent of the labors, and soon found out that there was
question of a very arduous task, not .}~_ss than twenty-five
Missions being expeCted to be given between June 19th and
Dec. 31st. He informed Very Rev. Fr. Provincial of the
extent and the nature of the work mapped out for the
Fathers. The answer was that he should open on Sunday,
June 19th, and that reenforcements would be sent as soon
as possible. Accordingly, a Jubilee Mission, or rather triduum, was announced in St. Philomena's, the Cathedral in
Omaha, this church being the first on the list.
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
79
Sr. PHILOMENA's, 0MAHA.-0n June 19th, the second
Sunday after Pentecost, Fr. Hillman opened the triduum at
High Mass, at which there was but a middling attendance.
The exercises of the triduum were: at 5 A. M., Mass and
instruCtion; at 8 A. M., Mass and sermon ; at 3 P. M., stations; at 7.30 P. M., beads, sermon and benediCtion. The
attendance at the various exercises of the triduum was very
slim. The excessive heat may be assigned as one reason
why such meagre crowds followed the exercises, but another
and more telling reason was that the triduum harl not been
properly announced, all the attention and energies of the
clergymen, then in charge of the Cathedral parish, being
direCted towards the preparations and success of a fair and
festival for the benefit of the Cathedral Church and school,
which was held about that time. Hence, the larger portion
of the parishioners, especially those of the working classes,
who above all others should have been benefited by the
triduum, did not even so much as know that a triduum was
being given in the Cathedral. Fr. Hillman stood alone before the' work until Monday evening, when Frs. Shultz and
Rose arrived from the East, and gave valuable assistance
on Tuesday and Wednesday. The triduum was concluded
on Wednesday. The number of Communions was 350; a
number which ought to have been three times as large.
The Fathers left the Bishop's residence on Thursday, and
went to Creighton College, where Father Rose remained
until joined by his companion, Fr. Bouige, who arrived on
Tuesday evening, June 28th, the night of Creighton College
exhibition. Frs. Shultz and Hillman left Omaha on June
25th for Plattsmouth, the second place on the list of missions. (IJ
PLATTSMORTH, CAss Co.-Plattsmouth, a little city with
five thousand inhabitants, is situated at the confluence of
the Platte and Missouri Rivers. An elegant iron railroad
bridge spans the latter river at this place, and is owned by
the Burlington and Missouri Railroad, an important faClor
1
< lFrs. Bonige and Rose gave Missions in E\•anston, Rawlins Laramie City
and Cheyenne, all situated in Wyoming Territory; but no repdrt having been
handed in, further particulars cannot be given.
·
�So
~
:Jubilee 1lfissions in Nebraska.
in the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad system.
The car shops of the B. and M. R. R. are situated in this
place, and give employment to the larger portion of the inhabitants. The new Catholic Church is a fine brick struCture, and is out of debt, owing mainly to the generosity of
Mr. and Mrs. John Fitzgerald, who are at present living in
Lincoln, the capital of Nebraska. The exercises of the
Mission, which was opene·d on Sunday, June 26th, were at
the same hours as in the Cathedral of Omaha. Rev. Fr.
Lynch, the pastor, was absent when the Fathers arrived,
anti did not return until the l\Ionday following. The heat
was excessive, the thermometer being high up in the nineties. Notwithstanding this terrible heat, the attendance was
pretty satisfaCtory both morning and evening. On Thursday afternoon an awful storm passed over the city. This
cooled off the atmosphere, but made it necessary to dispense with 4~!1e evening service on that day. Some time
previous to the coming of the Fathers, a certain man, calling
himself DoCtor O'Leary, and hailing from Boston, Mass.,
had visited Plattsmouth, and had delivered a course of infidel and materialistic leCtures. This visit of Dr. O'Leary
gave rise to the following incident: A gentleman, who
claims a distant relationship with the Rt. Rev. Bishop, had
been invited to attend the Mission~ He did not attend any
of the exercises, but paid the Fathers a visit at the pastoral
residence. During the conversation it soon became evident
that he was imbued with the false and pernicious maxims
advocated by Dr. O'Leary, and that he wished to enter into
a discussion with the Fathers, probably to strengthen himself in these false notions, hoping by·his glib tongue to get
the better of the argument. One of the Fathers, knowing
what he was driving at, made the remark that it was his
hont>st conviCtion that there would be very little or no infidelity in the land, if it were not for the Sixth anti Seventh
Commandments of the Decalogue. This remark seemed
to come home pretty closely, for the gentleman left us a few
minutes after, and did not trouble us with anoth~r visit.
Although the original plan was to conclude the Mission
on Thursday, yet, yielding to the earnest entreaty of the
�:Jubilee fi'fissions in Nebraska.
8£
Pastor, the Fathers agreed that one should remain in Plattsmouth over Sunday. Fr. Hillman left for Nebraska City
on Saturday, July 2d; Fr. Shultz completed the Mission in
Plattsmouth on Sunday evening, July 3d. The Mission
gave very consoling results; the number of Communions
reached two hundred, and many old sinners were reclaimed.
The Rt. Rev. Bishop had ordered the Fathers to refuse absolution to persons who had been married before a Pro!estant minister or a squire, until satisfaction for the scandal
caused by such marriages had been made. A lady in
Plattsmouth had been married to a Protestant before the
squire; during the Mission she repented of her sin, and
requested one of the Fathers to ask in her name pardon of
the congregation for the scandal given. He complied with
her request, and from the altar, and in the presence of a
large congregation, mentioned the name of the lady and
asked pardon for what had happened. This announcement
made a deep impression, and, according to the statement of
the Rev. Pastor, broke up several engagements between
Catholic ladies and Protestant or infidel young men.
NEBRASKA CITY, 0TOE Co.-Having left Plattsmouth in
the morning at seven o'clock, after various and tedious delays, and two or three changes of cars, Fr. Hillman reached
Nebraska City at about one P. M., on Saturday, July 2nd,
the day on which the fatal shot was fired at President Garfield. Nebraska City numbers a little over five thousand
inhabitants. It is a city of some pretensions; at least, its
main street compares favorably with the business streets of
any of Nebraska's cities. At one time, they claim, it was
the largest town in Nebraska; but it is now far behind
Omaha and Lincoln. There are two Catholic Churches in
the town-one for the German, the other for the Englishspeaking Catholics. The latter is perhaps the finest church
in the city ; it was formerly a Christian or Campbellite
Church, is built of brick, and must have cost nearly twelve
thousand dollars. The Catholics bought it at auction for
the astonishingly low sum of eleven hundred and fifty dollars. The frame building, the lower floor of which used to
VoL. XI-No.
1.
1r
�82
:Jubilee Jlfissions in Nebraska.
serve as a church; the upper floor as the pastor's residence.
has been converted into a parochial school. The Mission
was opened on July 3d, after High Mass; the exercises
were the same as those announced in the two preceding
Missions, with the only difference that the evening service
was at 8 P. M. The Episcopalians have in this place a college or seminary, which will soon be transferred to Omaha.
Three of the professors and two preachers were present at
the first evening exercise. On Monday, about noon, Fr.
Shultz, accompanied by Rev. Fr. Lynch, arrived at Nebraska City. The exercises, especially those at 8 A. M. and 8 P.
M., were pretty well attended, many of the Germans availing themselves of this opportunity to make the Jubilee.
·with the permission of the authorities, Rev. Fr. Cusson,
the pastor, rang the fire bell half an hour before evening
service. During the Mission one hundred and fifty Communions w~ere distributed, and if harvest, etc., had not kept
many farmers from coming into town, a much larger number might have been expeCted. Mixed marriages have
done immense harm to Catholicity in this locality, and it is
with good reason that the Rt. Rev. Bishop is so striCt with
regard to granting dispensation for such marriages. The
Mission was concluded on Thursday evening. On the following day the Fathers paid a visit to the Academy of the
BenediCtine Sisters, and to Rev. Fr. Thomas Bartl, 0. S. B.,
whom they found lodged in a poor miserable shanty. The
German Catholk Church, of which he has charge, is a very
neat brick building, but its location is certainly not the most
desirable; and this is the case with_ many of the Catholic
Churches, or rather chapels, in tliis·part of the country.
On Saturday morning, July gth, the Fathers left Nebraska
City, and arrived in the evening of the same day at Rulo,
where the next Mission was to be given.
RuLO, RICHARDSON Co.-Rulo, a corruption of Rouleau,
the name of the founder of the place, is one of the oldest
towns west of the Missouri River, and is situated in the
southeast corner of the State, near the point where the
State-lines of Missouri, ~ansas and Nebraska meet. From
�Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
a once lively and flourishing town it has dwindled down to
a village with about nine hundred inhabitants. The Cath.olic population are not remarkable for their piety, owing no
doubt to the troubles and disagreements arising between
the Irish, the French and the Germans, these three nationalities being abo"ut equally strong; as also to the many
scandals given here by some unfortunate priests. There
seems to be more uniun and good feeling at present, owing
principally to the amiabl~ and conciliatory charaCter of the
Pastor, Rev. Fr. Bushman. The Mission was opened during High Mass. Before the sermon the Father made a (ew
remarks on the evil consequences of mixed marriages, and
asked pardon of the large congregation present for the
scandal given in the name of a young lady, who had lately
been married to a Protestant before the squire; but who
now, repenting of her sin, wished to be reconciled to God
and the Church. The announcement gave great satisfaCtion
to the Catholics, who had been scandalized by the occurrence, and several young ladies were induced to break off
their engagements to Protestant or infidel young men. The
attendance was pretty satisfaCtory, but on account of the
harvest many did not attend, who unde.r more favorable
circumstances would gladly have 'followed the exercises of
the Mission. The number of Communions distributed was
two hundred and forty-seven. From Rulo the Fathers
traveled to Table Rock, where they arrived on Saturday,
July r6th.
TAnLE RocK, PAWNEE Co.-Table Rock is a little town
situated on the Atchison and Nebraska division of the
Burlington and Missouri Railroad. Among the Catholics
of the town and the surmunding country, only a few Irish
and German families are to be found; the majority are Bohemians by birth or extraCtion. The Bohemians, at least
those who have migrated to the State of Nebraska, and their
offspring, are not at all remarkable for deep-rooted faith,
or even middling religious fervor. And this explains the
wonderfully meagre results of the Mission. Rev. Father
Rausch, the priest in charge of Table Rock and Missions,
�:Jubrlcc .Jfissions in Nebraska.
had sent a postal to the Rev. Bushman, whilst the Fathers
were in Rulo, requesting him to send with them various
things needed during the Mission. Rev. Bushman complied with the request, and sent everything he asked for, but
since he forgot to mention on his postal that he would need
a chalice, the Fathers found to their dismay on arriving at Table Rock that there was but one chalice, which Re\'. Rausch
had intended to take to Plum Creek, one of his outlying
missions. Since, however, the Mission had been announced
for Table Rock, he left the chalice with the Fathers, and
set out for Plum Creek, without a chalice, thus depri\"ing
himself and the people there of Mas3 on the next day, a
Sunday. To make up for that loss, the Fathers promised
that one ·of them would go to Plum Creek on Tuesday, and
stay there until Friday. The Mission was opened on Sunday in the presence of a small congregation, which, how- ·
ever, was the largest audience that ever attended any of the
exercises of the Mission. Besides the indifference of the
Bohemian Catholics, the want of comfort in the Church
(there being but two or three benches), the heat, the dust,
and harvest-time accounted for the small numbers" attending the Mission. One of the Fathers stopped with Mr.
Lane, a Protestant, living next to the church, and was treated very cleverly. The other Father had to go to Mr. Hoffmann, a Luxemburg Catholic, living about a mile away from
the church. Rev. Rausch returned from Plum Creek on
Monday, went to Rulo that same day, and brought a chalice with him on Tuesday morning, thus enabling the
Fathers to have Mass both at Table Rock and at Plum
Creek. Rev. Fr. Cyrillus Augustinsky, a Franciscan, from
Columbus, Nebraska, arrived on 'Iuesday afternoon for the
benefit of the Bohemians, to whom his coming had been
previously announced. So great, however, was the fervor
of the Bohemians, that but one came to confession, and he
could as well have made his confession in German. The
number of Communions distributed in this place was thirtyfive. On Friday morning Fr. Rausch left for Omaha to
join his fellow priests in the retreat, which had commenced
�:Jubilee Missiuns in Nebraska.
on the preceding Wednesday at Creighton College, under
the direCtion of Fr. A. Van Hulst, of Chicago. Rev. Fr.
Cyrillus returned to Columbus, and Fr. Shultz went to Tecumseh, where a Mission was to be opened on the Sunday
following, July 24th.
PLUM CREEK, PAWNEE Co.-As stated above, one of the
Fathers, viz: Fr. Hillman, left Tuesday, July 19th:for Plum
Creek. In order to reach this Irish-Catholic settlement, he
had to travel eight miles in a hack, as they called it, which
runs between Table Rock and Pawnee City, the county seat
of Pawnee County. There, a £·umer from Plum Creek settlement met him with a lumber-wagon, which was to carry
him about thirteen miles further into the country. It was
nearly IO P. M., when, dusty and sore in every limb, he arrived at the house of Mr. Patrick Kane, who offered him
such hospitality as a newly-settled country can afford. The
exercises of the little Mission were held in the school house
of the distriCt, a small frame building, and were continued
until Friday morning. Besides the few families of the settlement, some men, who were working on the new railroad
in the neighborhood attended the Mission. Thirty-five
Communions were distributed. Fr. Hillman left on Friday
morning, and joined Fr. Shultz in Tecumseh on Saturday
morning.
TECUMSEH, JoHNSON Co.-Tecumseh, the county seat of
Johnson County, a town with nearly two thousand inhabitants, is situated on the Atchison and Nebraska Railroad.
Only a few Catholic families live in town; the majority of
the congregation are farmers living from three to fifteen
miles from town. Hence the Pastor, Rev. Fr. McNally,
suggested to have the exercises in the forenoon only. The
Fathers aCted upon this suggestion, and announced Masses
at seven, eight and ten- o'clock. Sermons were preached
after the eight and ten o'clock Masses, and no services were
held in the afternoon or evening. The pastoral residence is
a neat, commodious, two-story frame building; but the
church (if we may call it one) is a rickety old shanty, which
can accommodate but one-fourth of the congregation. A
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
86
fine brick church, forty by seventy feet, is now under way,
and, if the parishioners show themselves liberal, will be
finished next summer. On the same block on which the
Catholic Church and residence are located, there are three
other churches-a Campbellite, a Presbyterian and an Episcopalian church. In consequence of this the neighborhood
was quite lively on Sunday morning and evening. Although
many old sinners were reclaimed, and the Fathers could
not complain of the attendance, yet not one half of the congregation came to the l\lission, owing to the excessive heat
and to the fact that all hands and te<Ims were needed for
the harvest. Only one hundred and twenty-six Communions were distributed. On Friday the Fathers returned to
Omaha with the intention of taking a few days' rest, and of
resuming l~bors on the fir~t Sunday in August.
,>
C!tange
of programme.
Considering the excessive heat that prevailed about the
end of July and the beginning of August, and fearing lest
the four Fathers engaged in mission work in Nebraska and
\Vyoming might injure their health and become unfit for
future labors, our Very Rev. Father Provincial sent a letter
which was received on the 3d of August, ordering Father
Shultz to return to Chicago, Fr. Rose to go to St. Louis,
and Fr. Rouige to report in Cincinnati. Fr. Hillman was
to remain in Omaha, and not to resume missionary labors
until further orders. In consequence of this order, several
priests and congregations were disqppointed, and it became
impossible to follow the original list- of missions. \Vhen,
therefore, two weeks later, leave was given to resume labor,
Fr. Hillman requested the Rt. Rev. Bishop to alter the
original list in such a manner that it would be possible to
get through with the missions before New Year. This
done, he set to work and wrote about a score of letters, informing various priests whether or when they would have
a Mission. Now he had to stand all alone before the work,
viz: fifteen or sixteen missions. In places, however, where
�:Jubilee 111issions in Nebraska.
German and Bohemian preaching would be necessary, he
could call upon Father Tiirk, who belongs to the Austrian
Province, has spent many years in Bohemia, and speaks
the German and Bohemian languages fluently. He was
sent to this Vicariate by our Very Rev. Father General for
the benefit especially of the Bohemians, who are very numerous in some parts of the State, and who are ill-provided
with priests of their nationality.
ENTERPRISE, LANCASTER Co.-This is not a town, but a
settlement of forty, mostly Irish, Catholic families. It is
situated nearly fourteen miles north of Lincoln, and belongs
to the jurisdiction of Rev. M. A. Kennedy, pastor of the
latter place. The Mission was opened on Sunday, August
28th. The exercises were: at 7 A. M., Mass; at 9 A. M.,
Mass and sermon; at 7.30 P. M., beads, sermon and some
prayers. All the exercises were well attended, since nearly
all the farmers were through with harvesting, and had leisure to follow the Mission. The fervor and excellent spirit
displayed by these good people was a source of great
consolation. The number of Communions distributed was
one hundred and eighty-three; and many who had neglected
the Sacraments for several years received Communion twice
-once for their Easter duty, and again for the Jubilee.
Fr. Hillman enjoyed the hospitality of Mr. Patrick Dore, a
well-to-do farmer with a family of eleven children, who lives
about a mile away from the church. The house of this
good man was very much like a hotel during the Mission,
for many farmers who came from a long distance stopped
there over night. The church is a very neat frame building, and when plastered will be very comfortable. Early on
Friday morning, Fr. H. left Enterprise, and returned to Lincoln in time for the train to Exeter, where the next Mission
was to be given.
ExETER, FILLMORE Co.-Exeter is a little town with
about six hundred inhabitants, situated on the main line of
the Burlington and Missouri Railroad. The exercises were
the same as in the preceding Missions, with the only difference that here Benediction was given every evening after
�88
:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
the sermon. The attendance at all the exercises was very
good, except on Monday and Tuesday, when heavy rains
prevented people from coming to church. A case of concubinage had caused great scandal in the parish ; this scandal was removed during the Mission, the parties separating
and approaching the Sacraments. Another couple, who
had been married before the squire, repaired the scandal
given by allowing the missionary to ask in their names the
pardon of the congregation. These incidents caused great
joy to the Rev. Pastor, Fr. Jennette, to the missionary, and,
in fact, to all the Catholics of the place. On Tuesday afternoon Rev. Fr. Tiirk came to Exeter, and did some good
work among the Bohemians of the neighborhood, promising them to begin a Mission for their benefit on Sunday,
Sept. 18th. The Mission on the whole was very successful, and two,hundred and twenty -seven Communions were
distributed:- ..
SuTTON, CLAY Co.-On Sunday, Sept. 11th, a Mission was
opened in Sutton, a lively little town with about eleven hundred inhabitants, situated on the main line of the Burlington and Missouri Railroad, about twenty-two miles west of
Exeter, from which place it is attended twice a month either
by Rev. Fr. Jennette or his assistant, Rev. Fr. Emblem.
The exercises of the Mission were well attended, especially
on Sunday, \Vednesday and Thursday. The members of
the c-ongregation are mostly farmers, who are reduced in
circumstances, on account of the repeated failure of their
crops. Two years ago the grasshoppers caused the mischief; last year, a continued drought; this year, a terrible
hailstorm, which passed over Adan;s, Clay, and a part of
Fillmore and Thayer counties. Some farmers lost this ye~r
as much as three thousand dollars. One farmer stated that
from one hundred and twenty acres which he had sowed in
wheat, he reaped only ten bushels. Fr. Hillman was alone
until Monday, when Fr. Jennette came to assist him. For
the want of better accommodation they had to stop at a
hotel (the Occidental), a thing not at all desirable during a
mission. Many old sinners were reclaimed, and one hun-
�:Jubilee 111issions in Nebraska.
dredand forty·eight Communions distributed. On Friday,
the day after the mission, the weather was most disagreeable; rain, hail and snow were struggling for the mastery,
and the atmosphere became very moist and chilly in consequence. We hastened back to Exeter, where, within a·
quarter of an hour after our arrival, the stoves were put up
and a blazing fire made us comfortable.
TuRKEY CREEK, FILLMORE Co.-Whilst Fr. Hillman was
in Sutton, Fr. Tiirk was giving a Mission in Turkey Creek,
a settlement of about twenty German Catholic families.
The number of Communions distributed was eighty-two.
SEWAKD, SEWARD Co.-On Saturday, Sept. 17th, Fr. Hillman left Exeter, and in the afternoon of that same day
reached Seward, where a Mission was to be opened on Sunday, Sept. 18th. Seward, the county seat of Seward Co.,
a town with about twenty-five hundred inhabitants, is situated on the Big Blue River, and at the crossing of the Atchison and Nebraska, and the Nebraska division of the Burlington and Missouri R. R. The weather during the Mission was very fine, and the attendance at the exercises pretty
fair, especially at the opening, on Sunday, and at the close,
on Thursday evening. Rev. C.]. Quinn, the Pastor, had
borrowed quite a number of chairs from Walker's Hall,
since the limited number of benches in the church could
not accommodate all those who attended. On vV.ednesday
these chairs were suddenly ordered back, at the suggestion,
as many suspeCted, of some bigoted people in town, who
wished to incommode the Catholics. But chairs from other
quarters were provided in sufficient numbers to accommodate at least the women and children, the men being perfeB:ly willing to stand during the exercises. Many families
did not attend the Mission; they have grown indifferent, or
perhaps have lost the faith, on account of the scandals given by an unfortunate priest, the predecessor of Rev. Father
Quinn. The missionary stopped at the residence of the
pastor, but had to go for his meals to a neighboring hotel,
"the Commercial." During the Mission one hundred and
thirty-two communions were distributed, and several negliVoL. xr-No. I.
12
�:Jubilee Missions in iVL'braska.
gent Catholics aroused to new fervor. On Friday, Fr. Hillman returned to Omaha, there to assist Rev. Fr. Damen,
the veteran missionary, about to open a Mission in the Holy
Family Church, on Sunday, Sept. 25th.
From Sunday, Sept. 18th, until the Thursday following,
Fr. Tiirk gave a Mission to a Bohemian settlement, about
ten miles south of Exeter. He distributed sixty Communions, and baptized twelve children. But because several
families could not attend on account of its being the threshing season, he promised to return in October. On Friday
he left Exeter and went to Omaha, to prepare himself for
future labors.
YoRK, YoRK Co.-On Sunday, October 2nd, a Mission
was opened in York, which is visited once a month by Rev.
C. J. Quinn, pastor of Seward. York, the county seat of
York Co., a little town with nearly thirteen hundred inhabitants, is situ-ated on the Nebraska Division of the Burling·
ton and Missouri R. R. Fathers Quinn and Hillman
stopped at the Commercial Hotel. Among the guests were
several traveling agents, who behaved themselves in a most
disgraceful manner; and the Fathers firmly resolved, that
if ever afterwards they should have to stop over night in
York, they would not favor the Commercial Hotel. The
weather was very unfavorable; rain set in early in the afterno~m on Monday, and continued until Wednesday evening. The roads were rendered literally impassable. Very
few families attended the Mission in consequence, and only
sixty-nine Communions were distributed. Still greater
harm than even in Seward was done here to the faith and
morals of the people by the scandal~us conduct of the unfortunate priest referred to above. On Friday Father Hillman returned to Omaha to enjoy a few days' rest after six
weeks of continual labor.
�THE "CATHOLIC SEMI~ARY," WASHINGTON.
An old landmark of Washington, the Seminary building
on F Street, has lately disappeared. A local newspaper
gives the following particulars of its history:"vVorkmen are engaged in demolishing the old F Street
Seminary, the cradle, as it were, of Gonzaga College. Since
the year 1820, about which time the building was ereB:ed,
the Seminary struCture has been on~ of the landmarks of
\Vashington. But the progress of business in that seB:ion
of the city demands the space and houses more suitable for
its purposes, and the old seat of learning must go. The
older citizens of Washington will have their reminiscences
awakened by the change in what to them was a familiar
spot, and by the disappearance of a building within the
halls of which many of them were educated.
"The Jesuits, who were the founders of the Seminary,
intended the building for use as their novitiate, but the
original plan was changed, for a school was opened there
under the presidency of Father Kohlmann, and afterwards
of Father Keiley ..... The Seminary was very prosperous,
the students being more numerous than those of Georgetown College. But about this period-possibly in order to
concentrate their labors and energy on Georgetown College-the founders broke up the institution. Father Keiley
disconneCted himself from the Order, and removed his
scholars to the Old Capitol, where the school soon became
extinCt:, doubtless for lack of teachers. Meanwhile the
Seminary building was occupied by the Sisters of Charity ;
afterward (the front part) by Rev. John Donnellan, while
school was taught in the rear by Dr. Philip Smith, who was
succeeded by Michael Shyne.
"In OB:ober, 1848, the Jesuits reopened the schools under
Father Blox as president. Fathers Lynch and Fulton were
teachers. The other presidents were FF. Barber, DeNecker, Villiger and Stonestreet. It was during the reB:orship
of the last named that the Seminary was elevated into Gonzaga College. The presidents of the newly-created Gollege
were Revs. W. F. Clarke, B. F. Wiget, Charles H. Stonestreet
(the second) and James Clark.
"Under the presidency of Rev. James Clark, the schools
were removed from F Street to the vicinity of St. Aloysius',
(gi)
�Tlte "Catlzolic Semiuary," lf"as!tington.
presumably for the convenience of visiting that church.
The effeCt: of its removal, however, was disastrous so £1r as
the attendance of scholars was concerned. The number of
pupils dwindled considerably, and it is only of late that an
improvement in this resped has been noteu.
"Since the establishment of Gonzaga College in its present locality, the F Street building has been let to various
occupants. It was long ago foreseen that the time would
come when the needs of business would require the substitution of other houses. That time has now come, and
soon the old Seminary, with all its associations, will be no
more."
Father Grassi, in a book descriptive of America, printed
at Milan in I 8 IS, me":tions "a house near St. Patrick's
Church, ereCted by the Jesuits for the education of youth."
It was occupied for three years (I 820-23) by the students
of theology. Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, Superior of the Mission, resided here, and taught theology; it was here that
he wrote his.-).earned refutation of Unitarianism. His zeal
was aroused by the efforts of Jared Sparks to introduce into Baltimore the Unitarian doCtrine, which at that time was
making rapid progress in New England. The work appeared in serial numbers during the years I82I-I822, and
was afterwards published in two volumes; its treatment of
the subjeCt: was considered so complete and masterly that
for years the \Vork used to be read in the refeCtory of St
Mary's Seminary, Baltimore.
The"lllanuscript catalogue of the Mission gives the following status of the Seminary for the year 182 I : DOMUS WASHINGTONIANA .
.. -·
R. P. Antonius Kohlmann, Sup. Miss., ReB:. domus, Prof.
Theol. Dogm.
P. Maximilianus Rantzau, Soc. et Adm. R. P. Sup., Prof.
theol. mor., Pra!s. coil. cas. consc., Con( schol.
AUDITORES THEOLOGIJE.
Anno Tertio.
Virgilius Horatius Barber,
�Tlte "Catholic Seminary," Washington.
93
Stephanus Larigaudelle Dubuisson,
Germanus Sannen.
Anno Secundo.
Josephus Schneller,
Petrus Walsh.
Amw Pn"mo.
Thomas Finigan,
Jeremias Keiley,
Aloysius Mudd,
J oannes Smith.
COADJUTORES.
Jacobus Fenwick, IJisp., Proc. dom.
Patritius Laughlin, Coq.
Gul.ielmus Taylor, Fab. Lign.
PP. 2.-Schol. 9.-Coatlj: J.-Univ. I4.
In 1822, three scholastics were teaching grammar classes.
In 1823, of the ten resident students of theology, nine
were teaching classes.
In 1824-5, Father Adam Marshall was Superior; there
were no students of Ours at -the Seminary. The theologians were at Rome and St. Louis.
In 1826, Fr. Keiley was Superior, and in 1827 it is added
after his name: Oper. ad eccles. Sti. Patncti" (czgits Pr{l!ses
(eque ac Seminarii est R. D. Gulielmus Matthews, Repr{l!s.
Corpora!.).
In 1828: Seminarium Wasltingtonianum, propter defetlum
sustentationis Instituto 1zostro coliformis, initio lugits mmi Scholastici suppressum est.
�OBITUARY.
FATHER GEORGE IGNATIUS STRONG.
Father George Ignatius Strong was born on the zgth of
August, 1837, in Philadelphia, and there he passed his boyhood. He was one of the first students of St. Joseph's
Co!lege, which, though humble in its literary pretensions,
and attraCting little attention to its unostentatious work,
has deserved well of the Society for the many vocations it
has fostered. On the 13th of July, 1854, he entered the
Novitiate at Frederick, where he remained until the autumn
of 1857. when he was sent to Georgetown to perform the
duties of_ teacher.
After~ six years of teaching, Fr. Strong, at the age of
twenty-six, began his philosophy at Georgetown; for Woodstock, at· that time, was a thing of the future. In I 86g, he
was ordained in Baltimore by Archbishop Spalding, and in
the following year, after completing his studies, he was sent
to Loyola College, Baltimore, to fill the office of subminister, and to be professor of the natural sciences; for, as a
mathematician and general scientist, Fr. Strong's acquirements were high. In I 87 I, he was sent to Georgetown as
professor of physics and chemistry, and after the third year
of probation, he was appointed, in 1875 to teach the natural sciences at Holy Cross College. On the I 5th of August,
18;6, he took his last vows, at Tri~ity Church, Georgetown.
In 18;8, he was appointed one of>tP,e missionaries, who, under Fr. Maguire, as Superior, formed a band devoted exclusively to giving retreats to the faithful through the villages,
towns and cities of the country. The constant demand for
these missionaries leaves no time for leisure. Their life is
not a life of ease; it requires excessive travel; the missionary rises early, and goes to bed late, and the hours from
rising to rest are hours of ceaseless and exhausting labor
in pulpit and confessional.
(94)
�Father George Ignatius Strong.
95
Fr. Strong's constitution was never of the most robust.
From time to time he suffered from various annoying ailments; ye~ the trials of a missionary seemed to make noserious inroads on his health, until afrer a most wearying mission given in 1881 at Pittsburg, in the midst of an exceptionally severe winter. The church at which the Mission was
given was at a distance from the pastor's residence, and, after preaching and hearing confessions in a cold church, he
was obliged to return through fierce winter winds to a cold
and cheerless residence. This shattered a constitution
which was always infirm, and, when he came back to the
headquarters of the Mission, at St. Mary's Church, Boston,
it was evident to all that his health had received a severe
shock. However, he rallied for a time, but about Easter
he began to fail perceptibly, so that it was thought prudent
to relieve him of all missionary work. On the IOth of July,
he was removed to the Carney Hospital, in order that he
might have the care of trained and devoted nurses. Yet
he became worse so rapidly, that on the 19th of July he
was given the last Sacraments. About the month of September he had so far recovered as to bear removal into the air for
several hours every day, and for about three weeks he showed
signs of returning health; yet it was clear to all, who were
acquainted with the nature of his malady, that complete
restoration was hopeless. After about three weeks, he began to fail again, and, on the 23d of November, having
fully recovered the use of his senses, and strengthened with
all the consolations of religion, he passed away. During
his sickness his sufferings from dropsy and rheumatism
were often intense, yet he showed great patience, and in this
and a hundred other little acts of virtue, he was a subject
of edification to the Sisters who nursed, and to all who visited him.
As a missionary he was remarkably zealous, and, with
truth may it be said that he shortened his life by the labors
undergone since he was appointed to this duty. In proof
of this, we have but to recall the facts above cited. Besides,
the retreats which he gave to convents during the hot months
�Mr. James Power.
of vacation, when he was physically unfit for the work, were
causes of much suffering, especially for the last three years
of his life. The scores of converts he received into the
Church, and the thousands of the faithful whose ·confessions
he heard, or whom he reclaimed from the ways of sin, are
witnesses to the zeal he had for the salvation of souls. He
was a forcible preacher, and his sermons were highly spoken
of by those who heard him. He was of an ardent temperament, and consequently was at times impetuous, and, perhaps, over-sensitive; however, he quickly forgave and forgot. Thus, in a few words, can his years be numbered and
his actions told. Did we but know them as He who knows
the heart, it might take more time and space; but these few
words we may say rather for our own edification than for
the praise of Fr. Strong, who now is beyond it. May his
years in Heaven be unnumbered, and his actions told for
eternity.- .. R. I. P.
MR. JAMES POWER.
Mr. James Power died of cerebral meningitis at the scholasticate of Woodstock, on the 4th of October, 188 r. Although he had been only four years in religion, he was
already ripe for heaven. He was born in the parish of Bree,
Co: Wexford, Ireland, on the 16th of April, 1848. In the
· world he had led a pious life, and had made a vow of perpetual chastity, which he solemnly renewed each year; but
desirous of rendering himself more pleasing to God, he
determined on joining the Society-of Jesus. Not having
received a classical education, and having already attained
his 24th year, he was admitted into the Novitiate of Milltown Park, iri 1874, as a novice-coadjutor, for the Irish
Province. But his master of novices, discovering his rare
talent and sound judgment, advised him to leave the Novitiate and apply himself to study. It was only at the urgent
request of his master of novices and with the advice of the
Provincial, who told him that he could thus better procure
�Mr. James Puwer.
97
the glory of God, that he decided on commencing to
study; he had found peace and happiness in religion, and
was content to pass his life as the servant of his brethren.
At the age of twenty-seven, he found himself once more
on the benches as a schoolboy, beginning the Latin grammar; but his strength of will and the fertility of his mind
soon enabled him to overcome all difficulties, and in two
years he justified the hopes of his master of Novices, and
again applied for admission into the Society. Just at that
time, Rev. Fr. Lonergan was on a visit to Ireland for the purpose of procuring postulants for the New Orlea_ns Mission,
and having requested Rev. Fr. Walsh, then Provincial, to .
recommend him some suitable subjeCts, Fr. Walsh told him
to accept Mr. Power, that he knew no one more suitable
or with higher qualifications. Mr. Power was accordingly
accepted and sent to France for his noviceship, and reached
Clermont on the 12th of August, 1877. The usual trials
presented no difficulties to the new novice; he had already
learned and realised what the religious life meant. He was
extremely devout to St. Joseph, and all his writings were
dedicated to that Saint, through whose intercession, doubtless, he obtained such a happy death. When the Novitiate
was closed at Clermont, he was sent to Lons-le-Saulnier
(Jura), where he took his vows on the feast of the Assumption, 1879. The September .following he came to Woodstock for his philosophy. He soon showed that he was
gifted with extraordinary talent for philosophical studies,
and the brightest hopes were entertained for his future success; all thought that he would prove a most useful member of the Society, but, as he remarked a few days previous
to his death :
"God knows best; I hoped to be able to serve the Society,
but perhaps I will do more in heaven for our poor Mission
than I could do if I should live."
During vacations he went to Georgetown College for a
special course of Chemistry, as he was anxious to become
as perfect as possible in all branches of science. Soon after
his return, he complained of pain in the ear, but being usu-
VoL. xr-No.
1.
13
�g8~
Mr. James Power.
ally of a healthy constitution, he did not heed it for several
days. Finding that the pain continued, he returned to
Washington, on the 5th of Sept., to consult a physician,
under whose treatment he remained until the 24th, when
he came back to Woodstock, apparently cured. The following day, Sunday, he complained of fever and of being very
tired, but his malady was not considered serious until Friday
afternoon, when he suddenly became delirious; he soon,
however, recovered the use of his senses, but it was easy to
see that he was fast sinking. Saturday evening he asked
for and received the last Sacraments ; as he had been up
during the day, he wished to be allowed to kneel on the
floor to receive the Blessed Sacrament, but the infirmarian
having told him that it would be too fatiguing, he smiled
and said: "Very well, Brother, I will do whatever you tell
me." After receiving the Holy Viaticum, he remained for
a long tim~ in prayer, then turning to one of the scholastics who was with him, he said: "Good-by, good-by, I have
only a few hours more to wait. I had prayed not to die
until I had received again my Saviour. I am now happy.
I have obtained from the Blessed Virgin all I asked. I ask
for nothing more. I die in the Society of Jesus." He passed
the night quietly, and next morning, when told that it was
the feast of the Holy Rosary, he asked for his beads, which
ht; recited with the greatest fervor. He still lingered for
two·days, edifying all who visited him by his patience and
resignation to the Divine Will. On Tuesday, Oetober 4th,
he became worse; he was constantly occupied in prayer,
and from time to time would repeat.: "0 my Jesus, accept
the sacrifice of my life; I willingly- offer it to Thee; anu
grant to all my brothers the grace of perseverance in their
holy vocation." At 2 P. M. the community assembled in his
room, when he asked pardon for all the faults he had committed, and took part in the responses of the prayers for
the dying. He then entered into his agony, if, indeed, it
could be called an agony; it was more like a sweet sleep.
At three o'clock, still breathing the words, "My Jesus, have
mercy on me," he expired. Those who had witnessed his
•
�Mr. William Roc!te.
99
holy death went away edified, strengthened in their vocation, and confirmed in their belief that death in the Society
of Jesus is a pledge of predestination.
MR.
WILLIAM
RocHE.
Mr. William Roche died of congestion of the brain at
the College of the Immaculate Conception, New Orleans,
on the I sth of 08:ober, r88r. His death was sudden, but
not unprovided. Feeling unwell after his morning class, he
lay down, hoping that, after a little rest, he would be able
to teach in the afternoon as usual, but when the hour for
class came he was found to be unconscious. The doCtors,
who were at once summoned, could give him no assistance.
He received the Sacrament of Extreme Un8:ion, and a few
hours afterwards expired. Mr. Roche was a native of Cork,
Ireland, and was born on the 12th of June, 1853· He was
educated at St. ·colman's College, in his native diocese, and
desiring to labor for the salvation of souls, he entered the
Ecclesiastical College of Carlow for the diocese of Auckland, New Zealand. Towards the close of his second year
at Carlow, he felt himself called to the religious life, and
entered the Novitiate of Clermont, for the Mission. of New
Orleans, on the 23rd of September, 1875· In the Novitiate
he was admired by all for his charity and his winning manners. After his noviceship he was sent to Vals for his philosophy, where he distinguished himself especially in mathematics, for which he showed remarkable talent even when
a boy at St. Colman's. But he still more distinguished himself in the scholasticate by his constant spirit of abnegation
and fraternal charity. He was ever desirous of suffering
any pain by which he might be able to prevent or relieve
that of others. One little trait will give us an idea of this.
On vacation days the scholastics went early in the morning
to the villa, but as there were very many priests in the
house, some scholastics were obliged to remain after the
others in order to serve Mass. Mr. Roche, seeking to relieve some of those who were to remain, would ask them
�100~
Missionary Labors.
to allow him to replace them; they, not knowing that he
had already asked others, would freely grant his request;
and so it happened that on each vacation day, for a long
time, he would serve four or five Masses in succession, until at last it became known to the Superiors, who forbade
him to do it. \Vhenever any one wanted a helping hand,
he would turn to Mr. Roche, who was esteemed and loved
by both professors and companions, and were it not for the
sad blow which sent so many Jesuits into exile, he would
be long remembered in the scholasticate of Vals. He came
to this country in 1879, and was stationed for a year at St.
Charles' College, Grand Coteau·. The following year he
taught physics and chemistry in New Orleans, and he had
just commenced his third year with the same class. His
devotedness and kindness made him beloved by his pupils.
The virtues pf abnegation and charity, for which he was so
remarkable)n the scholasticate, shone with fresh lustre in
his new sphere. His whole life may be summed up in the
words of one who had been his companion for many years:
"I have known him as a schoolboy, I have known him as a
novice, I have known him as a scholastic, and during all
that time his life seemed to have been guided by the motto:
'Be willing to suffer all things, that others may be spared
all suffering.' "
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANI9NS,
FROM THE MIDDLE OF JULY T~- D-ECEMBER 26TH.
The missionaries spent the summer as usual in giving
Retreats to Priests and Sisters in various parts of the country, and in providing for their own spiritual necessities. This
work of giving the exercises to the various religious communities increases every year, and becomes tiresome in hot
weather for those who need rest after the severe labors of
the Missions or the class-room. However, much good is
�JV!issionary Labors.
101
done, and the seleCtion of Our Fathers for this important
work is an evidence of the good will of the Bishops of the
country towards our Society. Although we suspend the
work of the Missions during July and August, still this
year, on account of the Jubilee and the many demands in
different places, some of the Fathers were working even
during the heat of the summer. Missions were given in
Charles Co., Md., by Fr. Finnegan with much advantage to
the people. In St. Mary's County, Fr. McHugh and others
gave the Jubilee in the various congregations attended by
Ours, with great advantage to the Catholics of this part of
Maryland. Fathers Finnegan and Reid, the former of whom
is one of the Missionary band, gave a successful Mission in
Holmesburg, near Philadelphia. Father Maguire and Fr.
Langlois labored for a week in Claremont, New Hampshire,
commencing on the 14th of August. As the congregation
is composed of French and English speaking people, the
sermons and instruCtions were in both languages.
From four o'clock in the morning till eleven at night the
church was filled with the good people of the town and
country, some of whom came ten and twenty miles. to gain
the blessings of the Jubilee and Mission. Many old sinners, who had not been to confession ior twenty and thirty
years, made their peace with God. Quite a large number
of Protestants came every night. More than one thousand
received Communion. Claremont has the oldest Catholic
Church in the State, which was built in 1823 by Fr. Virgil
H. Barber of our Society. The church and pastoral residence are still standing, though neglected, and, I think,
still belong to the Society. In conneCtion with the Church,
Father Barber had a school, and I found that some of the
leading men of the place had been educated by him.
The conversion of the Barber f.<mily, which took place
in Claremont, in 1816, is one of the most remarkable faB:s
and prodigies of grace in the history of this country. In
his opening sermon, Fr. Maguire alluded to the faa, and
also informed the congregation that he had often heard Fr.
Barber speaking about Claremont when he was a scholar of
�102
Missionary Labors.
his in Frederick City, Md., forty-seven years ago. The next
day several Protestant gentlemen called to make inquiries
about the family, and informed the Fathers that they remembered Fr. Barber first as a Protestant minister, and afterwards as a Catholic Priest in this town of Claremont. All
spoke in the kindest manner of him and of the family. One
of these gentlemen allowed me to read a small volume of
traCts, letters and sermons which he valued highly, printed
in Washington City by Daniel Barber, the father of Virgil
. Horace, and the first of the family to receive the gift of
faith. In this volume I found many interesting faets, the
reasons of his conversion, and his last sermon to his Protestant people, when about to enter the Catholic Church. He
gives the motives of his conversion, and concludes his sermon in these words: "I now retire to the shades of poverty; may: the faults which I have committed while among
you be \\'ritten on the sands of the sea-shore, that the next
returning wave may wash them into oblivion." He spent
his time in writing and distributing traets in various parts
of the country. Many of the letters in the book were written from St. Inigoes, in St. Mary's County, Md., where he
enjoyed the hospitality and friendship of many of the old
families, whose names are given in this book. I saw these
letters and traCls, and many interesting faets conneCled with
the conversion of the family in Georgetown College library,
fo;ty years ago. They would form an interesting page in
the future history of our Province.
Father Virgil Horace Barber, soon after his conversion,
aCluated by the highest religious motives, and by the advice of his spiritual direClor, and ~{vith the full and free consent of his wife, determined to enter our Society, and become a priest. He was sent to Rome, where he made the
necessary studies, while the wife entered the Visitation Convent in Georgetown. Subsequently she went to St. Louis
with other Sisters to form a new foundation. She died a
very holy religious a few years ago. Her two daughters
also became religious, one entering among the Ursulines in
Canada, the other with her mother in the Visitation Con-
�Missionary Labors.
103
vent of Georgetown. The other child, young Samuel, was
taken by the Fathers in Georgetown College. He was afterwards sent to Rome, where he finished his course with
honor, and gave great promise of a holy life in the Society.
He was for many years Master of Novices in Frederick,
Reaor of the College in Washington City, Professor in
Georgetown College, and died a few years ago at St. Thomas', Charles Co., Md. His father, Virgil H. Barber, after
laboring in Claremont, building the church and school,
making excursions to the scattered Catholics in Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont, was engaged in teaching in our
Colleges in Georgetown and Frederick, and finally ended
his career by a holy death in Georgetown College, March
27th, 1847·
The only remaining member of this remarkable family is
the Visitation Nun, still living in the Convent of St. Louis.
Many conversions followed in consequence of the preaching
and example of the Barbers. The sister of Daniel Barber,
Mrs. Tyler, and her family, came into the Church about this
time, and to their conversion the diocese of Hartford became indebted for its first Bishop, Rt. Rev. Wm. Tyler.
Notwithstanding all this, there is great prejudice in New
Hampshire against our holy religion, and this is the only
State in the Union in which a Catholic can not hold ~ny
civil office. Though the law has been repealed, prejudice
is still too strong.
ST. PATRICK's CHURCH, JERSEY CITv.-It was thought the
summer was over, but the Fathers who took part in the
Mission in Jersey City were soon convinced of the contrary, if not by the high figures of the thermometer, at
least by the swarms of mosquitoes that day and night
claimed their attention. At Mass, in the Confessional, in
recreation-everywhere, these pests were at hand; and what
is more, were so perseveringly industrious and so silent
withal in their work, that one felt like giving up in despair.
Jersey City was not certainly an attraCtive place in September. With the heat and mosquitoes was to be considered
�IG4
llfissionary Labors.
the malaria arising from the marshes about the place, to
supply the inhabitants with their autumnal chills, and to do
the same kind office for any stranger who might be tarrying
there. Autumnal chills? Chills and other developments
of malaria seem to have no regard for seasons in Jersey;
they keep their grim hold all the time. If a man escape
malaria, he has to contend with small-pox, and if he escape
that, he has to be very careful not to lose his life in crossing the hundred railroad tracks that make Jersey City a
huge depot for New York. These remarks apply to certain parts of Jersey City. Many seEI:ions of the place are
quite healthy, especially those adjoining our College and
Church, though the railroad tracks are a nuisance everywhere.
The 1\Iission was well attended, notwithstanding the
many drawbacks. The preacher could not but sympathize
with the faithful, who were doing their best to profit by his
words, eve"n while carrying on a vigorous warfare against
the mosquitoes with hand, and fan, and any other weapon
obtainable at short notice. The Mission lasted from the
18th of September to OEI:ober 3rd, and about twenty-five
hundred persons received the Holy Eucharist. A few persons were prepared for First Communion. Towards the
end of the second week, a person came to confession about
four o'clock in the afternoon. To the surprise of the
Fatber who heard the confession, the penitent wished to re. ceive Holy Communion, having remained fasting up to that
time. Such things happen now and then on the Mission,
and show that there is' some faith left in the world. Of
course, the favor asked for was cheerfully granted.
CHURCH oF THE AssuMPTION, PHILADELPHIA. (OEI:. 9-23).
-This parish was founded about thirty years ago by Very
Rev. Father Carter, for a long time Vicar-General of the
diocese. At that period it was looked upon as quite a venturesome thing to build a Church in this part of the city,
as the native American eiement was very strong there. The
lot on which the Church stands was a rallying-place for the
�Missionary Labors.
105
anti-Catholic thugs of the days of 1844. The last meeting
held there was to arrange the plan for the burning of St.
John's Church. The Church, however, did not share the
sarne fate as its neighbors, owing, perhaps, to some hundreds of well-loaded muskets that the good people of St.
John's had in store for the rioters.
The congregation of the Assumption, made up in a great
measure of converts, has become large of late years. There
are schools for girls, as well as for boys. The Sisters of the
Holy Childhood, a colony from England, and the Christian
Brothers have charge of the parish teaching.
Over four thousand persons received Holy Communion.
Eleven Protestants were received into the Church; twentytwo adults were prepared for First Communion. On the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Rev. Fr. Maguire, the
leader of the missionaries, gave a leCture on "The Church
arid the Revised Edition of the Bible," for the benefit of the
schools.
JUBILEE MISSIONS IN TROY, N. Y.-Whilst Frs. Maguire,
Finnegan and Morgan were engaged in giving the spiritual
exercises in the churches mentioned above, Fr. Hamilton
was detailed for special Jubilee work in our two churches
in Troy. His labors were very successful. The people responded to his efforts in their behalf with great faith and fervor, and the Rev. Father has every reason to thank God
for the blessings bestowed upon his endeavors for the spiritual advancement of the parish. The men of the two congregations under our charge are a hardy set, being engaged
in the many iron foundries in this part of the city. Their
faith is strong, brooking no interference from Protestants,
as a certain minister well knows, who undertook to proselyte some of them. Finding out that some were of opinion
that the nearest lamp-post might be used to advantage in
his case, he discontinued his unwelcome visits. There
were three thousand Communions during the exercises.
VoL. xr-No.
1.
14
�Missionary Labors.
ST. CHARLES BoRROMEo's, PHILADELPHIA. (Oct. 3o-Nov.
13).-The Fathers, from the experience had four years ago
in this Church, expected hard work, and tliey did not miscalculate. From the first day to the end of the Mission,
there was a rush for the confessionals. What, with the feast
of All Saints and the Commemoration of All Souls, their
time was entirely taken up from the very beginning of the
week. On the second Sunday the Devotion of the Forty
Hours was begun, and th_is brought back a goodly number
of those who had already made the exercises. The men's
week of the Mission was better attended than that of the
women. More persons received Holy Communion. If
Louis Veuillot were present, he might allow thai: there is
some faith in the United States. Seeing here the thousands
of men going to the Holy Table, and how universally it is
despised by men in France, even during Missions and Jubilees, he would not sink us in the ocean; he might admit
the Church would be a loser by such a catastrophe.
St. Charles' is a new parish. The Church, which was
dedicated in 1876, is built of red sand-stone, and is the most
beautiful, arid, with the exception of the Cathedral, the
most imposing one in the city. The congregation is an offshoot from old 5t. Patrick's, and is made up, in great part, of
persons not many years married, who find here more comfortable houses and lower rents than in the older portions
of th'e city. In fact, the whole of Philadelphia is justly
styled the paradise of the poor man, not merely on account
of the low rents, but also by reason of the cheap houses
that are for sale everywhere. Hence,·here more than in any
other city in the Union, a large numb'er of workingmen own
the dwellings they live in.
The Fathers, as usual, made an announcement concerning converts to the faith-that those desiring Baptism could
be instructed at a fixed time. To the surprise of all, nearly
twenty persons came the first night, and this was not on account of the excitement of the Mission. Before the end of
the second week, several others presented themselves. Philadelphia is always a fruitful field for conversions, though,
�Missionary Labors.
107
at the sam~ time, there is still great prejudice against Catholicity.
Most of the conversions of Protestants were
brought about by mixed marriages. It is consoling to see
that sometimes these detestable unions do not end so badly.
The general results were 12,000 Communions; Communions of adults prepared during the Mission, 5 I ; Baptisms
of ·Protestants, 25; left under instruCtion, 6. Here, as in
the other churches in the city in which the Fathers labored,
there should have been large classes for Confirmation, but
owing to the feeble health of the Archbishop that Sacrament was not administered.
PASCHALVILLE, ST. CLEMENT's (Nov. 2o-Dec. 4).-This
town is a part of Philadelphia, which is well entitled to be
called the city of "magnificent distances." Traveling from
the City of Brotherly Love, one speeds away for some time,
and encourages himself with the thought that he is some
great distance on the way to New York. He is amazed
when told he is not out of Phiiadelphia yet. Going south
some seven or eight miles from the Pennsylvania depot,
Paschal ville is reached; when you make inquiries and begin
to look around for the State of Delaware, you are again
undeceived, when told you are still in Philadelphia. The
whole of Pennsylvania seems to be Philadelphia.
Frs. Maguire and Hamilton gave the exercises for two
weeks. They were much edified by the piety of the people, who came long distances, over bad roads, and in inclement weather, to hear the sermons, and this they had to
do in a cold church. A great many Protestants attended
the services, and a few of them received the gift of faith,
and many had their prejudices removed.
The Communions were three thousand; five persons were
baptized ; about thirty adults were prepared for First Communion.
JuBILEE MissiONs AT ST. PAuL's AND AT THE CATHEDRAL.
-Whilst Frs. Maguire and Hamilton were engaged at Paschalville, Frs. Finnegan and Morgan preached the Jubilee
�Missionary Labors.
in the churches above mentioned. A week was given to
each congregation. It is needless to say that audiences
were very large, as the congregations are very large. The
churches were crowded to suffocation in the evenings, and
even during the daytime there was a fine attendance at all
of the services. The Vicar-General, the pastor of St. Paul's,
and the venerable Archbishop at the Cathedral expressed
great satisfaCtion with the good work done by the Fathers.
The Archbishop, in speaking of the success of the Mission,
said it was no wonder that Ours always do so much good,
inasmuch as we follow the golden book of St. Ignatius.
There were 10,000 Communions in the two churches.
HoLY CRoss, NEw YoRK. (Dec. 1 1-25).-Here, as in all
of the Missions given by the Fathers, a special instruCtion
was had every afternoon for the children, and the Papal
Benedietion..was imparted to them at the end of their retreat. ·The children's confessions are generally heard the
first days of the week, and thus more time is left for the
grown people at the end of each week.
The parish of the Holy Cross is very high in numbers,
and is, moreover, very wicked in some parts. The names
of a few of the localities in its borders are significant.
"Hell's Kitchen," Sebastopol" and other euphoniously styled
dens have a bad name, not much inferior to that once cnjoyeo by the "Five Points" in former days. Judging from
the confessional, it would seem that even some of the most
depraved wandered to the Church, and made their peace
with God, though this class most generally never bother
the priest, except when they are dyihg. Two murders were
·committed within a short distance,of the Church during the
Mission.
The exercises were fearfully crowded every day and night.
The men were more numerous than the women. At the
five o'clock Mass of the men's week the Church was filled
to ove"rflowing, ·and one morning at this service over six
hundred men received the Holy Eucharist. The men
showed great eagerness to confess their sins. It was amus-
�Missionary Labors.
109
ing sometimes to see them asserting their rights, and quarreling to get into the confession box, reminding the Fathers
of the anecdote told about Bishop Fenwick. A good nun
at Georgetown had instruCted some colored boys how to
make the confession, and the good Bishop, at her request,
examined them in cate~hism.
"What do you do when you go to confession?"
Ans. "I prays, I 'xamines my conscience, l'se monstrous ·
sorry for my sins, and then I fights to git in."
Efforts were made here, as elsewhere, to increase the
membership of the sodalities and other societies in the congregation.
The results were: Communions, I 2,000 ;- First Com, munions of adults, 70; Baptisms, 3; left under instruCtion, 7.
MISSIONS IN CHARLES CouNTY, Mn.
I left Boston hy sea, July 23, for Baltimore, to begin a
Mission at St. Thomas', Charles Co., Md. After inspeCting
the shelf upon which I was to lie for three days, and refleCting that steamship companies know much better than
we how little a man needs in this life, I strolled over to the
side of the ship to watch the stevedores bring in the freight,
and was very much surprised to notice that we were taking
with us a large cargo of friCtion matches for the South-as
if the Yankees had not sufficiently lit up that region some
years ago. This thought, however, did not distress me
much. Suppose a fire at sea from spontaneous combus. tion; what was the poor missioner to do, who had been
helping people to make the Jubilee, and had not got on with
his own.? St. Paul knew nothing of his troubles until they
were upon him; besides, he had the advantage to speak of
them afterwards; whilst there was poor I, calmly looking
at my countrymen pouring destruCtion down into that black
gulf under my feet, and anticipating death in its worst form.
I was aroused from my melancholy refleCtions by the waiter,
who invited me to lunch, when I quickly forgot the matches.
H9w oddly one phase of nature asserts itself over another.
�I
10
.Missionary Labors.
This waiter was a study for me. That he was a servant in
the dining·room, there could be no doubt, for there was his
jacket on him, and, besides, he was aCtually engaged in attending to the passengers. Yet he did not look nor aet
like others of his class. His face was pale and intelleCtual,
and he wore glasses. And, although he was not haughty,
still there was none of the obsequiousness so frequently
found in public dining-rooms. vVho is he? None other
than a Harvard undergraduate, working out his vacation in
this humble capacity for a few dollars and some fresh air.
I made his acquaintance, and found that the poor fellow
praCtised no religion. He was very anxious to acquire
knowledge. "And why?" I asked him. "To succeed in
life." "And after that?" I queried. "Oh! well, you know,
we don't -trouble ourselves much about religion; we leave
it to the diyinity men." vVhen I told him something of the
life of our novices and scholastics, and of th"e long years of
regency a~d study, and that it was all "Ad Majorem," he
opened his thoughtful eyes in wonder, and seemed to say:
"Here is something new that I have learned."
I had much to learn from him, when I remembered the
drudgery, the menial offices he was obliged to perform,
and saw the underlying motive which sustained him, to secure what he called success in life. He was careful, earnest and zealous in the service of ;,t human master. It is a ·
great thing to care much for anything, and it may be said
that what makes a man is the sense that he has committed
himsel(
After spending a couple of hours.at Norfolk to discharge
part of the freight, during which tim~ I observed that it took
the blacks a longer time, and with lighter burdens, to carry
out what white labor had put in, we steamed up to Baltimore. The welcome was generous and open-handed, as I
always found among our Southern Fathers.
Old Father Rodriguez says that we are better off than
princes, who, when traveling, must negotiate for accommodation, and pay well for it, too; whilst we find in every city
.. a house to receive us, and charity to make us happy and
�Missionary Labors.
III
put us at our ease. If at Baltimore I was made to feel at
home, so may it be said when the following evening I arri\·ed at St. Thomas' Manor, where the Mission was to be
given: I did not have to look around for the cold knob of
a door-bell to gain admission, for out on the roadsid!! was
dear old Fr. Wiget the Superior, with . FF. Carroll, McSwyney, Flynn, Daugherty, and Mr. Daly. ll.fadison, a subdued-looking darkey, helped to give shade to the background of this cheerful picture. Then we went into the
house and took a look at one another, for we had never met,
except that Fr. Flynn (who kindly came down from Georgeto\vn to work) and I were old friends. Now it was Madison's moment to come in and perform his part, which was
done by silently p)acing a huge bunch of mint before us
-a symbol, in Southern flower-language, of hospitality.
The next day, Feast of St. Ignatius, the Mission opened
with a solemn High Mass and sermon. Long before the
hour appointed, carriage3 rolled up before the Manor House,
not with the pomp and dash of your city folk, but with bespattered sides and creaking joints, as if bewailing their
former splendor. For one could see that the war had laid
its heavy hand upon their owners. Now and again a dissolving cloud of dust would reveal some cavalier seated
ereCt upon his high-pommeled saddle, from which hung
quaint old wooden stirrups-relics, I supposed, of fiercer
movements than going to Church. Before my turn had
come topreach (Fr. Flynn divided the sermons with me),
good Fr. Wiget innocently tol.d me that, apart from the colored people, I would address a congregation, every one of
which had been educated in college or convent. That took
the heart out of me, and made me worry. I had no cathedral sermons to give-nothing but plain Mission hammerings. "Are there no hard-fisted Irishmen in your flock,
who won't look cross at me for telling the truth?" I asked
him imploringly. "Not one in the county, but the old blacksmith, who has not been to confession for twenty-seven
years, and who is here to-day." "Then I'll preach at him,"
I replied.
�Il2
J'viissionary Labors.
The truth is, I need not have been at all agitated, for Fr.
Wiget's people are as simple as they are good, and proved
to be admirable listeners. Every one approached the Sacraments, and even the old blacksmith, who said that ·as the
Pastor had been praying so long for him, it was only right
that he should receive his submission.
The blacks formed a goodly and edifying number of the
parish. It looked odd, and perhaps uncatholic, to see that
they all occupied gallery seats; but I was told that they
would feel out of place elsewhere. Many of their children
made their First Communion, their parents manifesting
much interest in this solemn aa. One good old man, leading his boys to me, asked that their confessions might be
heard. I told him that I had attended ~o them but an hour
past. This did not seem to satisfy him at all. "Well, boys,
is there'anything you want to say to me?" "No, Father."
"Then;I guess," said the old man, ''I'll bring them to Fr.
McScreeney, to git them overhauled." Fr. McSwyney's
name was never pronounced correetly down there. The
Mission at St. Thomas', which lasted a week, was closed
with Papal BenediCtion. The Fathers of the house worked
· hard to make it a success, which it certainly was, since Fr.
Wiget, who knows his people well, could say that no one
remained away from the Sacraments.
\Vhilst the closing exercises were taking place, Fr. Flynn
~pened a Mission in Pomfret, an outlying station twelve
miles away, ~nd under the care of Fr. Carroll. As the
church was too small to contain the entire congregation at
one and the same time, we were .obliged to repeat the evening ser.mon every night for th~· olacks, at 8.30, the wl)itcs
having left the church half an hour before. In order that
our colored brethren might have no cause of complaint, we
always gave them a sermon of an hour's length, which
pleased them much, for they observed that they got fifteen
minutes more of the good things than their neighbors. FF.
Carroll and Daugherty did good work for us in the way of
confessions and. Masses, whilst Mr. Daly, who was ever
ready with his charitable assistance, controlled a kind of
�il1i"ssionary Labors.
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flying commissariat between St. Thomas' and Pomfret. We
were charmed with the simple faith of the negroes, and with
their devotion to "Blessed St. Michael, de dark Angel," as
many of them persisted in calling him.
Much mischief had been done by some proselyting Government Bureau, and quite a number had been negleCting
their duties, and were even in danger of abandoning their
faith. But, thanks to the thorough-going, energetic work of
Fr. Carroll, who established a Sodality of the Blessed Virgin, all were reclaimed. The influence of this sodality, under God, made our work very light. What has been said
of the white part of St. Thomas's congregation can be applied to that at Pomfret. It was sad to notice the effeCts
of the war on so many noble-hearted men and women.
Still they are cheerful, and bear their misfortune with Christian resignation.
The Mission dosed with a solemn High Mass, chanted
by Fr. Daugherty, and a stirring sermon from Rev. Father
Wiget, who also gave the Papal BenediCtion to his distant
flock at Pomfret.
The number of Communions received is put down elsewhere in this article. We cannot close the notice without
referring to our generous host, ''Count" Hamilton, of Glymont. We call him "host," for, though living in a sriug little house built by Fr. Scanlan, and much to his credit,
still we needed something more than four walls and a roof.
The "Count" entertained us during the Mission, at a sacrifice of time, money and servants, that endeared him greatly
to us. He negleCted his business, in order that he might
personally attend to our wants. Besides, he gave the good
example of publicly approaching the Sacraments, to the
edification of the colored people, especially, many of whom
had been his former slaves.
MISSION AT PENNYPACK, PA.-I left hospitable Charles
Co., to give a Mission at Pennypack, Phil. I arrived there
on the eve of the Assumption. Here I found Fr. Reid
VoL. XI-No.
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1l1issionary Labors.
awaiting me. It was to be a work of two weeks, the principal part of which was to be done at night, on account of
the farming people, who could not well attend during the
day. Some Protestants attended the evening serVices regularly, but we heard nothing further from them. They were
attracted by the music, which was of an excellent quality.
The rich Catholic families, who live about here in summer,
did not condescend to come to any of the exercises, which
was not edifying. Some of them possessed private chapels,
in which Mass was said by clergymen stopping as guests.
One young man, coachman of a Protestant divine, and who
could never get to Mass, applied to be received in a community of Brothers. The pastor, a timid gentleman, objeB:ed to ringing the great bell at half-past four every morning, as it might incense his Protestant neighbors; he finally
yielded consent, and what was his surprise to hear its loud
tongue clamoring forth at three in the morning, the hour of
exercises. The sexton was nervous, and anticipated the time.
The Jubilee exercises were given at our Church of St.
Francis Xavier, New. York, whilst the Mission at Father
Filan's, Philadelphia, was going on. Great crowds, such as
are often seen in New York, filled the church every night.
The Mission lasted but three days, and was followed by a
week's retreat in the same Church, given to the conferences
of St. Vincent de Paul. Six or seven hundred men attended the sermons every night, and went in a body to
Communion at the end of the week. The sight would hav~
edified M. Louis Veuillot, who some time ago did not believe much in American Catholicity.
My little Mission in BRIDGEPo'R:r, CONN., was quiet and
it is to be hoped, effeB:ive. It was difficult to induce the
men to come for the first two or three days, owing to the
lack of fire in the church. The pastor, a rugged old man,
who spent most of the day grading the walks of the church,
could not be persuaded that it was time to start the furnaces
until the month (December) was over.
Some one had to put on steam to draw the men, who,
when they heard of a joke or two repeated from the pulpit,
�Missionary Labors.
II5
resolved to visit the curiosity. The Communions of this
Mission are noted below. Hearing confessions in a cold
church, six or seven hours a day, for a week, is not ordinarily looked upon as a luxury. We. had to bear it, however, and look cheerful, besides-which we were.
Communions : in Charles County, 900; Holmesburg,
I ,ooo; Bridgeport, I ,700 ; Conference of St. Vincent, in
New York, 700; total, 4,300.
And this ends the autumn work. It was hard, fatiguing,
and at the same time very consoling. The general results
are a little higher in figures than last year :
Communions, 51,300; prepared for First Communion and
Confirmation (of adults), I78; Baptisms of adults, 44; left
under instruCtion. for Baptism, 16.
Thirty children of various ages were baptized. Many
marriages were set right.
Fathers McQuaid and Claven helped the missionaries in
the Church of the Holy Cross. Thanks are ~!so due to the
Fathers of Fordham for the assistance rendered in the confessional.
In Philadelphia many of the secular priests came to the
aid of the Fathers, and the Superior of the Augustinians
put himself to no little trouble to forward the good work,
by helping frequently in hearing confessions.
D. 0. M.
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�WOODSTOOI( LETTERS.
VOL. XI, No.
2.
PAPERS RELATING TO THE EARLY HISTORY
O.F THE MARYLAND MISSION.
VII.-THE ANNUAL
LETTERS.
Annual Letter, I642.-Dijficulties witlt tlze Lord Proprietary.
"In the mission of Maryland for the year just elapsed,
we have had only three priests, and of these one was confined by sickness for three months. This was Father Roger
Rigby-the other two being Father Philip Fisher, Superior
of the mission, and Father Andrew 'White; all three were
sent to different parts for the purpose of collecting more
spiritual fruit. The Superior, Father Fisher, remained
principally at St. Mary's, the chief town of the colony, in
order that he might take care of the English, of whom
the greater number are settled there, and also of such Indians as do not live far distant, or are engaged in passing
backwards and forwards. Father White betook himself to
his former station at Pascataway, but Father Roger went to
a new station called in the vulgar idiom Patuxen, for a better opportunity of learning the Indian languag~. also that
he might better instruct some neophytes, and scatter the
seed of faith along the bank of that great river. This was
almost the only fruit of his labors.
VoL. XI-No. 2.
16
�II8
Historical Papers.
"Father Andrew suffered no little inconvenience from a
hard hearted and troublesome captain of New England,
whom he had engaged to convey him and his effects, and
at whose hands he was, a little while after, in great danger
of being either cast into the sea, or carried with all his
goods to New England, a place full of Puritan Calvinists,
the most bigoted of the sect. Silently committing the affair
to God, he at length safely reached Potomac (commonly
pronounced Patemeak). Having cast anchor in this har ·
bor, the ship became so f<1st bound by a great quantity of
ice that it could not be moved for the space of seventeen
days. \Valking on the ice, as though it were land, the
Father departed for the town, and when the ice was broken
up, the ship, driven and jammed by the force of its moving
fragments, was sunk, but the cargo was in a great measure
recovered.
"B)' this misfortune Father \Vhite was detained in his
visits as long as seven weeks, for he found it necessary to
procure another ship from St. l\Iary's. But the spiritual
gain of souls readily compensated for his delay, since the
ruler of the little village, with the principal men amongst
its inhabitants, was during that time added to the Church,
and received the faith of Christ through Baptism. Besides
these persons, one was converted along with many of his
friends; a third brought his wife, his son, and a friend; and
a fourth, in like manner, came, together with another of no
ignoble standing among his people. Strengthened by their
example, the people are prepared to receive the faith whenever we shall have leisure to instruct.them.
"Not long after the young empress.(as they call her at
Pascataway) was baptized in the town of St. l\Iary's, and is
now being educated there, having already become a proficient in the English language. Almost at the same time
the town named Portobacco, to a great extent, received the
f.1ith along with Baptism. This town, from its situation on
the river Pamac (the inhabitant::> call it Pamake), almost in
the centre of the Indians, and the convenience of making
excursions from it in all directions, we have determined to
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make our residence; the more so because we fear that we
may be compelled to abandon Pascataway on account of
its proximity to the Susquehannoes, which nation is the
most savage and warlike of these regions, and the most hostile to the Christians.
An attack having been recently made on a settlement of
ours, they slew the men whom we had there, and carried
away our goods, to our great loss. And unless they are
brought to subjeCtion by force of arms, which we little expeCt from the counsels of the English, who disagree among
themselves, we shall not be safe there.
"\Vherefore we have to content ourselves with missionary
excursions, of which we have made many this year, by ascending the river which they call Patuxen, where some fruit
has been gained in the conversion of the young Queen of
the town, that takes its name from the river there, and her
mother; also the young Queen of Portobacco; the wife
and two sons of Tayac the Great, as they call him, who died
last year; and of one hundred and thirty others besides.
The following is our manner of making these excursions:
The Father himself, his interpreter, and a servant, set off in
a pinnace or galley-two are obliged to propel the boat with
oars when the wind fails, or is adverse, the third steers. \Ve
take with us a supply of bread, butter, cheese, corn cut and
dried before it is ripe, beans and a little flour; in another
chest we carry bottles, one of which contains wine for the
altar, in six others is blessed water for the purpose of Baptism; a box holds the sacred utensils, and we have a table
as an altar for saying Mass. A third chest is full of trifles,
which we give to the Indians to gain their good will-such
as little bells, combs, fishing-hooks, needles, thread and other
things similar. \Ve have a little tent also for camping in
the open air, as we frequently do, and we use a larger one
when the weather is stormy and wet. The servants carry
other things which are necessary for hunting and for cooking purposes.
"In our excursions we endeavour, as much as we can, to
reach by evening, some English house or Indian village;
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�120
Historical Papers.
failing this, we land, the Father moors the boat fast to the
shore, then colleas wood and m~kes a fire, while the two
others meantime go off hunting. If, unfortunately, no game
can be found, we refresh ourselves with the provisions we
have brought, and lie down by the fire to take our rest.
When rain threatens, we erea our hut, and spread a larger
mat over it; nor, praise be to God, do we enjoy this humble fare and hard couch with less content than if we had
the more luxurious provisions of Europe. To comfort us,
God gives us a foretaste of what He will one day grant to
those who labour faithfully in this life, and mitigates all
our hardships by imparting a spirit of cheerfulness, for His
Divine Majesty appears to be present with us in an extraordinary manner. The difficulty of the language is so
great that none of us can yet converse with the Indians
without an interpeter. Father Rigby has made some little
progress, so that he hopes he will be able in a short time to
converse with them upon things of chief importance, as far
as may be necessary, in order to instrua them for Baptism,
having, with the aid of an interpreter, composed a short
catechism. Under such circumstances it appears miraculous
that we have been able to effea anything with them, especially seeing that we have no proper interpreter, but only
a young man, who is himself so imperfealy acquainted with
their language that he sometimes excites their laughter;
though almost at times tempted to despair, yet by patience
'we make progress with them, and are gradually bringing
them over to what we desire.
"It has also pleased the Divine Goodness, through the
power of His holy Cross, to effea results beyond mere human power. Take the following as an instance. A certain
Indian, an Anacostan as to country, and by faith now a
Christian, whilst making his way with some others through
a wood, fell a-little behind his companions, when some savages of the tribe of Susquehannoes attacked him suddenly
from an ambuscade, and with a strong and light spear made
of l?cust wood, having an oblong point of iron, pierced him
through from the right to the left side, a hand's breadth
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121
below the armpit, near the heart itself, making a wound two
fingers broad at each end. When the man had fallen, his
enemies fled with the utmost precipitation, but his friends
who had gone on before, recalled by the sudden noise and
shout, went back and carried him to the boat, not far distant, and thence to his home at Pascataway, where they left
him speechless and insensible. The event being reported
to Father White, who chanced to be but a short distance
off, he hastened to him the following morning, and found
him lying on a mat before the fire with a circle of his tribe
around him, not altogether speechless, as the day before,
_ but expeCl:ing death almost every moment, and with a
mournful voice joining in the song that his friends kept up
as they stood around, according to their custom when one
of their distinguished men is dying. But, as some of his
friends were Christians, their song, with plaintive and musical inflexion of tone, was, 'May he live, 0 God! if it so
please thee;' and this they repeated again and again, until
the Father attempted to address the dying man, who, immediately recognizing him, showed him his wounds. The
Father pitied him exceedingly, but as he saw the danger to
be most imminent, omitting every other point, he briefly
ran over the principal articles of faith, and, after exciting
in him repentance of his sins, received his confession; then,
bidding him raise his heart with hope and confidence to
God, he recited the Gospel appointed for the sick and the
Litany of the Blessed Virgin, and told him to commend
himself to her holy intercession, and cr.ll unceasingly upon
the most sacred name of Jesus. Finally, the Father, applying to the wound on each side the relic of the most holy
Cross which he carried in a casket round his neck, departed
next day for the purpose of administering Baptism to an
aged Indian, who was dying, having direCl:ed the bystanders, when the man should breathe his last, to carry him to
the chapel for the purpose of burial. It was noon when
the Father departed, and the following day, at the same
hour, as by chance he was passing along in his boat, he saw
two Indians rowing towards him, and when they had come
�122
Historical Papers.
alongside, one of them stepped into the boat in which the
Father was sitting. \Vhile he fixed his eyes on the man,
half recognizing him by his features, yet wtth full recollection of the state in which he had left him the day before,
the other,"suddenly throwing open his cloak, and disclosing
the scars of the wound, or rather the red spots on each side
as the only trace remaining, at once removed all his doubt.
Moreover, with great exultation, he exclaimed that he was
entirely cured, and from the hour at which the Father had
left yesterday had not ceased to invoke the most holy name
of Jesus, to \Vhom he attributed his recovered health. All
who were in the boat with the Father, after testing the
truth of the cure both by sight and description, broke forth
into praise and thanksgiving to Go9, and were greatly rejoiced and confirmed in their Llith by this miracle. The
Father having admonished him that, mindful of so great
and manifest a blessing, he should return thanks to God,
anrl continue to treat the Holy Name and most holy Cross
with love and reverence, dismissed the man, who, retu.-ning
to his own boat, rowed quickly away, which he could not
have done unless he had been fully restored to sound health
and strength.
"Such is the chief fruit of our labours for this year. One
thing, however, remains to be mentioned with a passing notice, viz: that an occasion of suffering has not bet>n wanting to us from those from whom we rather expected aid·
and protection; who, in anxiety for their own interests, have
not hesitated to violate the immunities of the Church by
endeavoring to enforce here the unj_ust laws passed in England, that it shall not be lawful for·· a11y person or community, even ecclesiastical, in any manner, even by gift, to acquire or possess any land, unless the permission of the civil
magistrate be first obtained. And when our Fathers declared this to be repugnant to the laws of the Church, two
priests were sent from England to preach the contrary doctrine. But it ended quite the reverse of what was expected,
for our reasons being adduced and heard, and the matter
itself more clearly examined and understood, sentence was
�Diffim!tics wit!t t!tc Lord Proprietary.
123
given in our favour, and received the full concurrence of
the laity generally. To our great comfort, two new Fathers
have lately come to us from England; they had a bad voyage of fourteen weeks, though it usually does not take more
than six or eight. But of these, of their labours and fruit,
we shall, please God, speak another time. We hope, indeed, that it will be abundant, and thus £lr we may predict
much from their present zeal and unity of soul with us."
DIFFICULTIES WITH THE LORD PROPRIETARY.
The troubles, to which allusion is made in the concluding
paragraph of the letter for 1642, deserve a fuller explanation than is accorded to them by the 'passing notice' of the
text, which briefly mentions that some existing difficulties
had been. settled, and hints only obscurely at the causes
which brought on a crisis that threatened for a time to be
fatal to the l\1 iss ion. The liberty of conscience guaranteed
by the Charte-r of 1\laryland, and the Act of Assembly of
1639, granting 'to Holy Church all her privileges and
immunities,' did not accord with the intolerant spirit of
many in the Province and outside of it, whose jealousy and
prejudices were ~till further excited by the success which
crowned the labors of the Missionaries in the conversion
both of Protestant colonists and of native Indians. The
enemies of the Catholic f."lith were aroused; it was natural,
and to be expected that they should seek to tie the hands
of the Missionaries. But the opposition complained of in
the preceding letter did not come from Protestants alone:
it was the action of Lord Baltimore and of Secretary Lew·
ger, acting under his authority and direction, which furnished the 'occasion of suffering,' and, although no names
are mentioned, it was the Proprietary and his representative
in the Colony, 'from whom aid and protection was rather to
be expeCted, who, in anxidy for their own interests, had
endeavored to enforce in Maryland some of the unjust laws
passed in England.'
The nature and causes of the controversy are set forth
�124
Historical Papers.
by Father Henry More, Vice-Provincial of England, who
appealed to Propaganda, and wrote the following memorial
to the Cardinal PrefeCt (Stonyhurst MSS. vol. iv. Allglia,
n. I08K):
"The Provincial of the Society of Jesus in England
humbly represents to your Eminence, that in the month of
June, 1632, the King of England granted to tht! noble Lord
Baron Baltimore, a Catholic, in propriety, a certain province
on the sea coast oi North America, inhabited by infidels,
which at this day is called the Land of ;\lary, or Maryland,
after the reigning Queen of England. The said Baron immediately treated with Father Richard Blount, at that time
Provincial, at the same time writin~ to Father General, earnestly begging that he would select certain Fathers, as well
for confirming the Catholics in the faith and converting the
heretics who were d;!o>tined to colonize th.lt country, as also
for propagating the f<lith amon;;st the infidels and savages.
The aff..tir was surrounded with many and heavy difficulties:
for in leading the colony to Maryland, by fctr the greater
part were heretics: also the c:ountry itself. is situated
between Virginia and New England, that is to say,
two provinces full of English Calvinists and Puritans; so
that not less, nay, perhaps greater dangers threaten our
Fathers in a foreign, than in their native land of England.
Nor is the Baron himself able to find support for the
Fathers, nor can they expeCt su,;tenance from heretics hostile to the f.<ith, nor from the Catholics, for the most part
poor, nor from the savages, who live after the manner of
wild beasts.
"The zeal of the said Father Provincial conquered these
and other difficulties, and at first two Fathers were sent out,
as it were, to explore and ascertain if there might be any
hope of the gain of souls, when the country should appear
'white to the harvest.' Some years -ago a geographical description of this country was sent to his Eminence Cardinal
Barberini, ProteCtor, with a humble petition that he would
deign to receive the Fathers sent out there under the patronage of his kind proteCtion, equally with the rest in
England, so that the matter might be transaCted in such a
way as to avoid giving offence to the State of England.
''After this the Fathers indeed increased both in numbers
and in courage, in sufferings of hunger and want, in frequent diseases which were fatal to some, and lastly. through
various d . mgers applied themselves with constancy to the
�Difficulties witlz tlze Lord Proprietary.
125
salvation of souls, learnt the savage language, which is
formed of various dialects, composed a dictionary, a grammar and a catechism for the use .of the infidels; and the Divine Goodness was pleased so to favour these attempts that,
besides others, a certain chief, having many tributary kings
under him, with his wife and family and some of his ministers, was brought to the ta.ith, and, unless hindered by professing Catholics, a great door was laid open to the Gospel.
"Impediments, indeed, and these severe ones, did arise,
and from those from whom they were least due. For, since
the said Baron was unable to govern Maryland in person,
he appointed as his substitute a certain Mr. Leugar, his
Secretary, who was formerly a minister and preacher, and
being converted to the faith, retained much of the leaven
of Protestantism: for he still maintained those dogmas so
justly offensive to Catholic ears-that no external jurisdiB:iun was given by God to the Supreme Pontiff, but merely an _internal one in foro conscientife; that no immunity for
goods or person was due to him or any other ecclesiastics,
except such as lay princes or seculars chose to confer upon
him or them; that it would be a great offence, and one to
be mulct by punishment, to exercise any jurisdidion whatever, even of absolving from sins, without special license
from the Baron, from whom all lawful jurisdiction was derivable; that a woman making a vow of virginity, and not
marrying after the twenty- fifth year of her age, could not
hold lands by heirship coming from her parents, but that
they must be sold, and if the parties refused to do so, then
by compulsory sale. That the General Assembly or Parliament possessed so great an authority over the _property
of all, that it could dispossess every one it chose of their
all, even to the undergarment, for the use of the Republic;
and other such like propositions of the said Mr. Leugar are
comprehended in twenty questions, which are laid before
this Congregation by the hands of the Secretary.
'·Therefore, the Secretary (Leugar), having summoned
the Assembly in Maryland, composed with few exceptions
of heretics, and presided over by himself, in the name of
the Lord Baltimore, attempted to pass the following laws
repugnant to the Catholic faith and ecclesiastical immunities: That no virgin can inherit, unless she marries before
twenty-nine years of age; that no ecclesiastic shall be summoned in any cause, civil or criminal, before any other than
a secular judge; that no ecclesiastic shall enjoy any privilege, except such as he is able to show ex scriptura, nor to
VoL. XL No. 2.
17
�126
Historical Papers.
gain anything for the Church except by the gift of the
Prince, nor to accept any site for a church or cemetery, nor
any foundation from a convert Indian king;, nor shall any
one depart from the province, even to preach the Gospel to
the infidels by authority of the See Apostolic, without a
license from the lay magistrate; nor shall any one exercise
jurisdiCtion within the province, which is not derived from
the said Baron, and such like.
"The Fathers of the Society warmly resisted this foul attempt, professing themselves ready to shed their blood in
defence of the faith and the liberty of the Church. Which
firmness greatly enraged the Secretary, who immediately
reported to Baron Baltimore that his jurisdiCtion was interrupted by the Fathers, whose doCtrine was inconsistent with
the government of the province. Hence the said Baron,
being offended, became alienated in his mind from the
Fathers of the 5ociety of Jesus, and at first i'pso fatlo seized
all their lands and let them to others, as though he was the
lord proprietdr of them, although King Patuxen had given
them the sahle lands, when he was a catechumen, upon the
express condition for supporting priests, who had brought
his subjeCts to the true knowledge, the faith, and worship
of God. The said Baron, with others favourable to his opinions, began to turn his attention to the expulsion of the
Fathers, and the introducing others in their stead, who
would be more pliable to his Secretary. Therefore, he procured last year to petition the Sacred Congregation of the
Propagation of the Faith, in the name of the Catholics of
Maryland, to grant to a PrefeCt and secular priests faculties
for the same mission, making no mention in the meanwhile
of the labours of the Fathers undertaken in that harvest,
nor expressing the motives which induced him to substitute new missionary priests. And, in order that he might
have some new grounds to urge for calling away the Fathers
of the Society from thence, he proposed certain points similar to those laid before the Sacred Congregation, to be presented to the Provincial by the hands of the Secretary, that
he might subscribe them in the name of himself and of the
Fathers in Maryland. But the Sacred Congregation, being
entirely ignorant of these matters, granted the petition;
and in the month of August, 1641, faculties were expedited
from the Sacred Congregation, and were transmitted to
Dom. Rossett, now Archbishop of Tarsus.
''But since, perhaps, the other prefeCt is not as yet appointed, or the faculties delivered, but are as yet, it is hoped,
�Difficulties wi'tlt tlze Lord Proprietary.
127
in the hands of Father Phillips, the confessor of the Queen
of England. the said Provincial humbly begs of your Eminence to deign to direCt: that the said faculties may be superseded, if the m.1tter is yet entire, or if by chance the
faculties are delivered, that the departure of the new priests
may be retarded for a sufficient space of time to allow the
Holy See to decide upon what is best to be done for the
good of souls. The Fathers do not refuse to make way
for other labourers, but they humbly submit for consideration, whether it is expedient to remove those who first entered into that vineyard at their own expense, who for seven
years have endured want and sufferings, who have lost four
of their confn;res, labouring faithfully until death, who have
defended sound doCl:rine and the liberty of the Church with
odium and temporal loss to- themselves, who are learned in
the language of the savages, of which the priests to be substituted by the Baron Baltimore are entirely ignorant, and
which priests either allow or defend that doCtrine, from
which it must needs be that contentions and scandals should
arise, and the spark of faith be extinguished which begins
to be kindled in the breasts of the infidels. Nevertheless,
the Fathers profess themselves ready, with all submission,
either to return to England from Maryland, or to remain
there and to labour even to death for the faith and the dignity of the Holy See, as may seem fit to the prudence,
the goodness, and charity of your Eminence. \Vhich may
God, &c."
Mattapany, situated on the south side of the Patuxent
River, about two miles above its mouth, was given to the
Fathers by Macquacomen, King of the Patuxents, and as
early as 1639. we find Father Brock, the Superior, residing
upon the plantation thus acquired, which was 'the storehouse of the Mission, whence most of the viCtualling supplies were procured.' The acquisition of such a valuable
traCt: of land by gift from the natives was regarded by Lord
Baltimore as an infringement upon his proprietary rights,
and still more as an evil precedent, the effeCt: of which would
be to deprive him of those emoluments in the shape of quit
rents and other dues, by which he expeCl:ed to pay the expenses of the government, and reimburse himself for his
original outlay in settling the colony-£40,000-a very
large sum in those days. Accordingly, he made vigorous
�128 ...
Historical Papers.
reclamation against the validity of the transaction-and it
seems, too, with reason-inasmuch as the rights acquired
under the Indian's gift were against a well-established principle in the policy of nations at that time, and of the United
States at the present day-to recognize no title derived
from the Indians without a previous sanction from the government of which the purchaser or recipient was a subject_
\Vhatevcr be the value of the principle, its application in
the present instance appears from a form of renunciation to
be signed by the Provincial for the time being, of which
the following is a short analysis (Stonyhurst MSS. vol. iv.
Anglia, No. I08G):
••To all to whom these prcse~ts shall come ..... I, A. B.,
S. J., Provincial of the English Mission, send greeting.
Since it hath been reported to me that one or more of our
said Society have accepted, bought, or in some other way
obtained for pious and other uses, certain lands, tenements,
etc., in the Prov. of Maryland, from certain Indian or Indians, to which no lawful title can be derived from them,
without any leave from the Lord Cecil Baron Baltimore,
Lord of the said Province; and because one or more of
our said Society hath or have taken possession of the said
lands, etc, or some parts thereof without any leave aforesaid; especially of certain lands situate in a place called
Mattaponiam, or in some other place or places within the
said Province, etc., etc.,
Be it therefore known to all that I, the above named
Provi11cial, for divers good causes, etc, as well on the part
of myself as of my successors, and of our said Society, by
these presents do surrender, etc., etc., to the said Cecil
Baron of Baltimore, and his heirs, all title or interest of
said Society, of whatever nature or kind, in or to the aforesaid lands, etc., to which we could not-derive nor have any
lawful title except by the license of the said Baron of Baltimore, under the great seal of the said Province; so that
it may be lawful for the said Baron of Baltimore, or his
heirs, or any other person or persons in his name, to take
quiet and pt:aceable possession of the said lands, etc., etc.,
or of any part or parts thereof, for his or their own absolute use, etc. And, moreover, I, as well on my part as on
the part of my successors, hereby renounce, etc., to the
said Baron of Baltimore, etc., whatever right or title or
claim whatsoever, which either our Society, or any member
�Dijji::ulties with the Lord Proprietary.
I
29
of it, directly or indirectly, hath or claims to have from any
Indian or Indians, or any other person or persons, in trust
for the said Society-save and except only the mere right,
title and interest which our said Society may lawfully have
thereto from or under any grant or grants of the said Baron
or his successors. In witness, &c.
Whether this most explicit and comprehensive renunciation of the Indian chieftain's gift was actually made by the
Provincial, or was only proposed by Lord Baltimore as embodying an assertion of the jura regalia under which he
hadalready appropriated the lands in question, does not
appear from the paper itself, which has no name inscribed
or subscribed. However that may be, Mattapany passed
into the possession of Cecil Calvert about this period, and
by him it was subsequently presented to the Hon. Henry
Sewall, the privy councillor. At a later date a fort was
erected there, as well as a stately mansion, which was a favorite resort cif CharlesY> third Lord Baltimore, during his
stay in the Province. The Catholic Almanac for 1841 says:
'"The foundation walls of the house can still be distinctly
traced, and the bricks of which it was built are scattered
over the fields of what is now called Mattapany-Sewall.
Although the lapse of time has swept away all vestiges of
the fort, which was garrisoned as late as 1689, and all but
the traces of the stately mansion of Lord Baltimore, the
neat modern Church of St. Nicholas exists as a monument
to mark the scene of the early labors of the apostles of
Maryland."' St. Nicholas', we may add, is one of the missions attended by our Fathers from St. Inigoes, who have
had uninterrupted spiritual charge of the surrounding country ever since the time that Mattapany was the 'store-house
of the Mission.'\ 2)
The other lands held by the missionaries were taken up
by them on the same terms as other settlers, under the
YlHe was appointed Governor in 1661,.and administered the Provi~ce for
h1s father until the death of the latter, u1 1675, whom he succeeded m the
Proprietorship. He visited England after the death of Cecil Calvert, but
soon returned, and remained here unml 1684. lie married the daughter
(Davis-Day·Star p. 169 says the widow) of Mr. Sewall, and the mansion at
Mattapany was th~ Gove:nmeut House whilst he resided in Maryland.
2
< lFather Grivel wrote an interesting account of the place as it appeared
in 1835, which appeared in these LETTEI!S for September, 1881.
�Histon"cal Papers.
Conditions of Plantation, as appears from the Land Records, and from the reply made by Lord Baltimore, when,
some forty-four years after the settlement, the Episcopal
clergy of the Province petitioned the Government against
the Proprietary, and demanded a provision for themselves,
because the Catholic clergy held lands for their supportY>
Had not a compromise been effeCted at the present crisis,
perhaps Lord Baltimore would not have been content with
vindicating his claims to Mattapany, as it would seem that
he had some intention of introducing retroaCtive measures
of legislation in order to dispossess the missionaries of the
lands they had acquired by Patent under his own seal (Vide
i1ifra-Cases-xv1.). Prudential considerations, doubtless,
moved Fr. Copley, to assign St. Inigoes and St. George's to
Cuthbert Fenwick, who held them in trust during the disturbed years that followed, and conveyed them, in 1663, to
Father Henry 'vVarren .
. There were other questions more difficult to solve, as
they affe8:ed not the missionaries alone, but all the inhabitants of the Colony, and more especially those who professed the Catholic faith. The position of Lord Baltimore
was anomalous and perplexing : a sincere Catholic, he held
from an intolerant Protestant Government, a charter unique
in charaCter, which made his Province not so much an outlying dependency of Great Britain, as a miniature England.
Maryland was a palatinate, and enjoyed the peculiar immunities attached to that species of government. The Lord
Proprietary, by virtue of royal rights as Palatine, was alone
empowered to make war and peace, .to regulate ecclesiastical matters, to levy taxes, to appoint officers, and to give or
withhold his assent to laws, which without it had no force.< 2>
By offering grants of land to emigrants upon easy terms,
·and at a rent almost nominal, he had already drawn many
settlers to his province, and as the population was rapidly
increasing, it became necessary to reguiate the praCtical
administration of affairs by legislation, in which the colonists, either by themselves, or by their representatives, had
--------------------------------------------~.
(ll
Scharf, Hist. of :Maryland, i. 157.
l 2l
lb., i. 61-501.-:McMahon, p. 152.
�Difficulties with the Lord Proprietary.
I
3I
a share. The ACt of Assembly of I639, granting "to Holy
Church all her privileges and immunities," was in direCt
violation of existing English statutes, which proscribed the
Catholic religion, and Lord Baltimore clearly saw that if he
sanCtioned measures of such a tenor, it would be disastrous
to his proprietary rights; on the other hand, to legislate for
the Province according to the concessions of his charter,
would inevitably clash with the provisions of canon law.
It was too dangerous, at a time when the Long Parliament was about to assemble ( 1640), to permit legislation to
take that course to which the zeal and preponderating influence of the Catholics in his province would naturally direct
it. It cannot be determined whether it was principle or
policy which aCtuated Lord Baltimore at this criticfll
period; but it is certain that, in order to meet the difficulties of his political surroundings, measures were pressed
forward by him which were very objeEi:ionable from a Catholic point of view. It is but fair to him to add that the
Reverend Provincial of England, in his appeal to Rome,
attributes the evil animus of all these proceedings to Mr.
Lewger, Secretary of Maryland.
In vol. iv. Stonyhurst MSS. Anglia, No I08A, there is a
manuscript of some pages in Latin, containing the "Conditions proposed by the Lord Baltimore, Lord and Proprietor
of the Province of Maryland in America, to all who offer
themselves for the new Colony, which conditions commence
from the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, 1642, and which are to remain in force until other or
new Conditions shall be published under the hand and seal
of the same noble Lord. Dated, London, Nov. IO, 1641."
To these conditions is annexed an oath of allegiance to
be taken by all settlers to the said Lord Baltimore. These
conditions, drawn up by the Proprietary in order to assert
and secure his rights, as he interpreted them under his charter, were sent out to Maryland towards the end of the year.
They were accompanied by instruCtions to his brother, Governor Leonard Calvert, in which it was prescribed that the
oath should be tendered to all who wished to take up lands
�132
Histor£cal Papers.
in the Province, and that legislative measures should be
enacted in conformity with the spirit of the Conditions.
The colonists, though sincerely attached to Lord Baltimore, entertained a just and liberal conception of their political rights, and holding that the Great Charter of England was the measure of their liberties, they had already
shown themselves determined not to admit an arrangement
by which the Proprietary assumed that the proposition of
all laws should originate with himself, and that they should
restrict their legislative functions to the acceptance or rejection of his suggestions. The measures met with opposition
from some of the people for the civil and political considerations which they involved-with these it is no part of
our concern to deal: and the religious aspect of the question excited conscientious scruples in the minds of Catholics.
:
In vol. lv-. Stonyhurst l\ISS. Ang!ia, No. I08B, there is a
paper headed "Cases," containing a list of twenty propositions of Canon Law for the advice of Propaganda, which
were probably written by Father vVhite, and sent through
the Provincial, Father Blount. They are referred to in the
letter of the Reverend Father Provincial to Rome, cited
above, and as they comprehend the objectionable measures
which Secretary Lewger proposed to lay before the Assembly Land clearly indicate the tendency of Lord Baltimore's
policy in his new Conditions of Plantation, they are given
here in full:THE CASES OF Co~SCIENCE.
In a Country (as this is) newly planted anu· <Jepending wholy uppon Eng·
land for its subsistence, where there is not (nor cannot be until England be
reunited to the Church) any ecclesiastical discipline established (by law of
the Province or grants of the Prynce) nor Provincial! Synod held, nor spiritual Courts created, nor the Canon Iawes accepted, nor ordinary or other ecclesiastical persons admitted (as such) nor Catholic religion publicly allowed;
and whereas three partes of the people or foure (at least) are heretickes, I tiesire to be resolved ;
I.-Whether a lay Catholick can with a safe conscience take charge or government of an office in such a Countrey as this, where he may not nor dare
discharge all the dutycs and obligations of a Catholick Magistrate, nor yeald
and mayntaine to the Church all her rights and liberties which Shee hath in
other Catholic Countryes?
�Difficulties with t!tc Lord Proprietary.
I"
133
H.-Whether the Jay Catholickes (in such a country as this) are bound to
accept or admitt of all the Canon law: and in speciall of the Council of
Trent (extra fidem) or wlwther the 1.\uwn Jaw (or such) binds in this country
afore it be accepted by some law or custom?
III.-"'hether the exemptions of the clergy for their person<, lan<ls, goods,
'fennants, Domestiqnes, or privilege of Sanctuary to theyr houses or Churches,
etc., are due to them nf Divine right by immediate grant from Christ to His
Church, so that Princes becoming Christians were instantly obliged in con.science to allow and confirme those exemptions, or at least tu permit and suf·
fer the Church to practice and enjoy them or whether they hould them of the
free and voluntary gift and tlevotion of pious Princes aml States, so that in a
ponntry newly erected, or bceoming Xtian a grant or charter from the Prynse
thereof of snch libertyes and exemptions, is necessary befPre the clerg-y of
'nch a Country can clayme them as theyr right aml dne in point of conscience,
and whether before such a g-rant a<l111ittance or allowance of tlu~ir Priviledges·
may the State practice contrary to them without sacrile<lges or incurring the
censures Rullre I ·cenre?
IV.-,Vhether houlding of courts with external coercive jurisdiction be a
part of the powers of the keys left by Christ to His Church, or whether it be
a part of the sword put hy God into the hands of Princes and from· them
granted unto spiritual ordinaryes; and when Ecclesiastical tribunal• are here
to be erected with such power of external coercive jurisdiction, may the
l'rynse erect them by his own charter, or must it be done by special commission and delegation of the Sea Apostolique?
V.-,Vhether the conusance of causes testamentary helong to the Spiritual
Court out of the nature of the canst'S themselves, a!lll of the Churches proper
right, so that Xtian Prynces had no rightfull power to heure and determine
them, or whether princes becoming Christian did of theyr voluntary election
sever theyr causes from thcyr Crown, and com mitt them to the Spirituall
Ordinaryes, in consideration of some connexion and depentlence which those
causes have with some part of Xtian Doctrine which must be sought fi"Om
the mouth of the Priests, or in presumption of theyr faithfulness in discharging of their trust ?
VI.-,Vhether in such a Country as this, may Jay Judges being Catholique
by commission from the Lord Proprietary, or appointment of the law of the
Country, prove 'Vilis, and committ administrations of the goods of the deceased intestate, or whether they must have an intention to do it·, as delegated
of the Sea Apostolique, and are obliged to endeavour with effect to procure
such delegation, or else incur the censures Bullre Crenre?
VII.-,Vhether in such a Country a; this may a C<lth,lique rduse to prove
and record a will for thi& reason, because it giveth legacys for masses to be
said for the soule of the deceased, and conteynes in it the profession of the
Testator to dye a member of the Roman Catholiqne Church, out of which
there is no salvation, with other passages contrary to the religion of England,
~r whether is he bound to prove it though the Lord Proprietary may incur
aanger for such a record?
VIII.-Whether Catholiques, being members of the General! Assembly in
such a country as this may consent to the making of laws touching causes
testamentary and namely to a !awe which shall appoint the residQe of the estate of the deceased persons after all debts discharged, and legacys payd to be
employed to publick uses of the State, and not to pious uses, as it is in other
Catholiqne Countryes?
VoL. XI-No. 2.
18
�134
Historical Papers.
IX.--Whether Catholiques being members of the General Assembly in
such a country as this may consent to a !awe prohibiting the bequeathing or
otherwise aliening of any fee to spiritual persons or religious houses, without
leave of the Prynce, and voiding all guifts and alienations made otherwise?
X.-""hether a Catholique Executor or Admor in such a country as this,
may observe the order of administering the goods of the deceased used and
prescribed in England (viz; to discharge first the debts due to the Prynre,
then executions, then judgments, &c.) or whether is he bound to observe ordinem restitutionis delivered by Casuists (as Bonacina and others) viz: to discharge first the debts due to spiritual, and after, lay debtes, and whether a
Catholique may refuse such an illegal account and compel the Executor and
administrator to satisfy creditorS according to the laws of England?
XI.-Whether may Catholiques being members of a General! Assembly in
such a country a~ this consent to Iawes touching causes matrimonial! as to
appoint the publishing of banns (for politique considerations) and to prohibit
marriage without such banns published or license obtained from the Commissary being lay,or to limit the degrees of consanguinity within which marriage
shall not be contracted, or for the tT)·all and determinings of causes matrimo·
nial or whether may a Catholique being lay, under the Prynce or state, grannt
licenses of marriage, and by permission from the· Prynce try and determine
such causes according to the luwe of the country, or in defect thereof according to the common law without the incurring the censure of the B. Cre?
XII.-"'hether" may Catholiques being members, etc., consent to a !awe
prohibiting the marriage of apprentices without the consent of theyr l\Iasters
or Miss'' and imposing penaltiesupou the Priests solemnizing, &c, and whether
such a law be against the liberty of marriage?
Xlli.-'Vhether may Catholiques being members, &c., <>onsent to a !awe
which for publique considerations barrs the female from inheriting, or houlding of' lands, unless tl1ey marry within a time limitted (only leaving them a
liberty to sell and dispose thereof to their best advantage) and is such a law
against conscience?
XIV.-Whether land graunted by the Lord Proprietor to religions persons
by the ordinal")· and common conditions of Plantations, doth eo ;pso (because
granted to religious) become spiritual fee, and exempt from laica onera?
XV.-If a trespass be pretended to be committed upon the lands held by
Religious Persons, whether may the Religious without trying the trespasse in
som"e court (spiritual or temporal) proceede against the pretended trespasser
by putting in force against him the censures Bnllre Cccme? And whether by
such declaration, the party be really and to all _:;pi ritual effects involved in
the censures afore to be adjudged a trespasser upon lheyr land in some Court?
XVI.-When graunts of Janel made by the Prynce to several persons
lay and religions are found prejudicial! to the publiqne, and fit to be reform eel,
whether may Cath• being members of, etc., consent to a law reforming all
such graunts? and whether may such a general law include the grannis made
to the religious; and whether may the Prynce by virtue of such a !awe resume
or reform such grannis made to them afore, or with a voluntary surrender of
them by the Religious?
XVII.-Whether in such a country as this may the Prynce or secular Judge
being a Catholique summon EccJI persons to the General Assembly, or draw
them into Secular courts, where they are defendants in actions of debt, tres-
J
�Difficulties witlt t/ze Lord Proprietary.
135
p;tss, &c., anrl. may he give sentence therein, as lawful Judge, aud execute
it upon theyr persons, lands, &c., without incurring the censures of Bulla
Crenre?
XVIII.-Whether may the Secular Judge, being a C'atholique, proceed to
the trial and punishment of clerks being in orders for any offence against
the peace &c. of the Lord Proprietary, or for capitall cryme extending to the
losse of life or member.~ without incurring &c?
XIX.-\Vhether may Catholiques, bein!( etc. consent to Iawes imposing
~enerall contributions towards publick charges for the necessary support of
the Prynce, or defence of the Country, and whether are spiritual P•lrsons,
their lands &c. included (for want of ex~mption)? And whether may the
Secular Judge being Catholiquc, proceed against such spiritual persons etc. or
religious houses (without special and express license from the Sea Apost.) or
may he accept such imposition from such spiritual persons voluntarily with·
ont incurring, etc?
XX.-Whether the representative body mett in General Assembly may
make Iawes to dispose of the interests of particular persons, as of Clergymen
not being present, nvr having proxies in such assembly (tho lawfully summonecl thereto) nor othenvise holding Synods Provincia]] wherein theyr consent to such Iawes might be expected, and whether such Iawes are against
conscience ?
The Governor and his Secretary, whose duty it was to
publish the conditions and enforce their observance by legal
enactments, were in a dilemma. "If they followed strictly
the instructions of his Lordship, they must encounter the
opposition of the clergy, and incur the displeasure of the
Church ;-if they disobeyed him, they violated their official
pledges, and placed themselves in an attitude of opposition
to his distinctly expressed will. In this strait, they deter~
mined to seek counsel of their spiritual advisers, and the
result of their conference is thus stated in a Memorandum
still remaining; (t) this paper, preserved in the .Provincial
Archives, there is every reason to believe, is in the precise
and peculiar handwriting of Mr. Secretary Lewger.
Extracts out of 1llr. Lewger's Diary and Letters to the Lord Bnltimore.
The Governor and I went to the good men to consult divers difficulties that
wee had.
I.-One about the publishing of the conditions of plantation by Governor
with that Article wherein all grants already passed were charged with the
statute of :Mortmain e. To this the Governor found a solution by interpreting
the article not to comprehend grants already made or due by former conditions, but that no man should have benefitt by their new conditions unless he
would putt all his land, both that already granted and that to be granted &c.
under that condition of not alyening it &c. And this being not found to bee
an ordination or edict, comanding or obligeing anie one, but a meer proposi1
< > Streeter Papers, p. 241.
�Histon·cal Papers.
tion left to mens liberty, wns resolved by the Goodmen not to be comprehended in Hull:c crenre, nor to incurr anie excomunication in the publisher, &c.
II.-Another, though not excomunication, yet whither it incurred not mortall sinn to bee the acth·e instrument of pnblislling, negotiating nnd t>ffeeting
of such a proposition or contrn,·t, as conteyned obligations against piety anti
good manners, and was mortall sinn in both parties that profered, nnd necepted the contract. And this they resolved, that it scemetl so for the present. but
they would take time to consider better of it, ere they resoh·ed it peremptorily.
II I.-The oath upon the instrudions to bee tendered to all such as were to
tnke land &c was o·esolved to bPe evidently against the <·onscience, an<l to in·
curr excomunieation of bullre crenre to publish it, or administer it, or record
anie such oath, or anie other way to bee seconding or assisting to it.
There is a new question rising about the 5th Articie of the new Conditions
of plantation; that no Society spiritnnll &c shal be capable of the Conditions,
which sounds like un Ordination or provision. And if it be found so the
Conditions I beleeve wil be stopt from publishing or executing and nobody
will dare to coneurr to the giving them any life or being, for feare of excomunication Bullru Crenre.
In consequence of the opinion expressed by the "good
men," as Mr. 1.-ewger quaintly terms the missionaries, there
was a partial stay of proceedings. No attempt was made
for the present to exaCt: the oath, and the fifth clause was
dropped from the Conditions. Lord Baltimore, on receipt
of his despatches from Maryland, must have had recourse
to the Superior in England, for at the end of the Stony hurst
MS. copy of the Conditions and Oath, there is a form of
certificate by the Provincial of the English Province, S. J.,
to the effeCt: "that he had read the above-mentioned Colo' nial Conditions, and the Oath, and found nothing in them,
or any of them, which could possibly render the said Lord
Cecil Baron Baltimore, for having proposed them, or any of
his officials for having published and exe.cuted them by his
orders, or any other person or persons for having accepted
them, in the Province of Maryland, amenable to any censure of excommunication Bulla: Ccena:, or guilty of any
crime."
Not content with this concession, Lord B. demanded that
he should subscribe another paper, an old English copy of
which is in the Provincial Archives. The Stonyhurst 1\IS.
(No. I08F.), in Latin, is entitled:. "Pzmc!a ab !!lust. Dom.
Barone Baltimore concepta qua: subscribi ex"igit a R. Prov. Soc.
:Jesu in Anglia. tum suo, tum JJfissionariorum nomine qui in
Marylandia versantur."
�Difficulties with tlte Lord Proprietary.
1 37
The paper comprehends four very exhaustive points,
and, as these points include some of the controverted propositions, in regard to which a solution had been asked from
Rome, the Provincial would not sign it, and complains of
the matter as a grievance in his appeal to the Propaganda.
Some compromise must have been brought about, in
consequence of the memorial addressed to Rome. Tlze
Records of tlu· Englis!t Province (vol. 3- page 367) say:
"The appeal was successful; Lord Baltimore, on inquiry,
was disabused, and matters righted again." Nevertheless, there was a delay in settling the precise terms of
accommodation. Many members of the English Province,
'in hopes of the Indian harvest,' had offered themselves for
the Mission of Maryland, and application was made to his
Lordship for the means of transportation. Some correspondence on this subjeCt:, which has already appeared in
the WooDSTOCK LETTERS, (May, 188o), shows that he was
not yet completely satisfied. His brother-in-law, William
Peasely, having written, Sept. 30, "I have procured for the
present employment of two of Yours, upon confidence that
he shall have satisfaCtion in his just and reasonable demands," sends another letter from Lincoln's Inn Fields, next
day, declaring that Lord B.'s "mind is changed .... He is
stiff in his resolution .... He is resolute that none shall be
sent until he have satisfaCtion.'' The letter of Lord Baltimore, which he encloses, asserts, "unless all matters are
agreed and perfeCted before they go, I cannot in prudmce
gi·ve way to Ius request." As two Fathers-Bernard Hartwell and John Cooper-arrived out towards the end of the
year, we may conclude that the difficulties were brought to
an accommodation some time in OCl:ober, in accordance
with the terms expressed in the following paper (Stonyhurst
MSS. vol. iv. No. I08H) : Form of agreentent between the Father Provincial of England, on behalf of
himself and his snccessors, with the Lord Cecil Baltimore and his Heirs,
Lords Proprietors of the Province of JJiaryland,-containing seven clauses,
of tvhich the following is an analysis:
I.-Whereas the King of England, by way of renunciation and special favor, had granted by Diploma the said Province of Maryland, with royal jurisdiction therein, to the said Baron of Baltimore, by force whereof no subject
of England, even a colonist of Maryland, was capable of accepting, buying,
�Historical Papers.
etc., any portion of :Maryland territory, unless by license of the said Baron
or his heirs; and, since the said Baron had incurred, and was still incurring
great expenses, and daily underwent many troubles and dangers, both of person and property, chiefly on account of propagating Christianit:r in those
parts, without as yet having received any fruit or temporal gain, who, however, had he failed in his protection of the Colony, it never could (humanly
speaking) have lasted so long, &c., &c.: therefot·e, let no one of our said Society, at any time, directly or indirectly, by himself or another, accept, buy,
etc., any lands, etc., in the said Province, for any use whatsoever, of the grant
or gift, &c., of any one, whether Indian, or any other person or persons, otherwise than of the lawful license of the said Baron or his heirs, duly sealed
with the seal of this Province. But if any one of Ours shall so accept, &c.,
contrary to the tenor of these pre•ents, such acceptance, purchase, etc., shall
be adjudged, and shall be understood to belong to the ~aid Baron and his
Heirs.
H.-Since, by the laws and statutes of England. no lands, etc., can he given
or conveyed to any person whatever, >piritual or temporal, for any pios or Ecclesiastical usus, without the special Royal license (to which rule the said
Baron, as far as possible, for just reasons in Maryland should acquiesce), and
since the same Baron, for the support of Ours living there, hath granted no
mean part in the partition of :Maryland, none of Ours, by himself, or by
another, shall·l!.ccept, buy, &c., any lands, &c., for his own use, or for any
pious prohibited and comprised in the Statutes called .liJortmain, whieh are at
this time in force in England, unless with the special license iu writing of the
said Baron first obtained, under his hand and seal. llut if any one of Ours,
notwithstanding this, my agreement, shall either by himself or by another,
so accept, &c. (as above), then, and in that case, all such gifts, purchases, &c.,
shall be adjudged and understood to belong to the said Baron aiid his heirs.
III.-Since it is sufficiently clear that :Maryland depends upon England,
that it could not support itself un~rss thry frequently sent over supplies of
necessaries, and since it is not the less evident, as affairs now are, that
those privileges, exemptions, &c., which are usually granted to Ecclesiastical
persons of the Roman Church by Catholic Princes in their own countries,
could ·not possibly be granted here, without grave offence to the King and
State of England (which offence, however, may be called a hazard both to the
Baron, and especially the whole colony) ;-therefore, none of our said So(·iety shall apply by any spiritual nuthority, or in any other manner demand or
require from the said Baron or his heirs, or any of his officials in Maryland,
any privileges, exemptions, &c., in temporal matters, except such as are publicly granted to the Society or to the Roman Church in England. Nevertheless, with this caution, that neither the said Baron, or, &c., on the petition of
any Catholic cause to be inflicted corporal punishment on any of Ours in
this Province, which in any manner can derogate from the privileges, etc.,
which are usually granted in Catholic countries, regarding the personal punishment of Ours, unless perchance the offence be a capital one, in which degradation will attach.
IV.-That no Jesuit shall be sent to :Maryland withont the license of the
said Lord Baltimore and his heirs havmg been first obtained.
V.-That if the said Baron or his heirs shall at any time wish that any one
or more of our Society, already sent, or hereafter to be sent to 1\laryland, be
removed, and shall signify the said desire to the Provincial of England, or to
the Superior of :Maryland for the time being, such removal shall be made
�Dijjiculties witlt tlze Lord Proprietary.
139
within a year after such desire shall have been so made known, provided that
the said Baron or his Heirs pay the expenses of the removal to any place
which the Provincia I or Superior shall reasonably fix upon; if the said Provincial or Superior shall refuse to do so, or the party desired to be removed
shall decline to go, the power is given to the Baron or his Heirs to remove the
said recusant; if the Baron or his Heirs shall for any ground of bad conduct
wish to remove one or more of our said Society from the Province of :Maryland, and the pa•·ty retires voluntarily, and without coercive measures, then
the said Baron or his Heirs shall pay to the party leaving the sum of £20 sterling-either in money or its equivalent, etc.
VI.-The Provincial agrees that all members of the Society in :Maryland
shall on every occasion, and by every means, defend the rights of the said
Baron Baltimore and his Heirs, as their absolute and Liege Lords. and shall
swear alle_::iance to him and them as in the form of oath there given.
VII.-Declaration that these presents made by due authority, and under
his hand and seal, shall be binding on himself and his successors of the said
Society, and that the things therein contained shall be observed by all of Ours
in ~laryland according to the tenor and meaning thereof.
NoTE.-ln the Memorial to Propaganda, and in the Preamble to the 'Cases,' it is alleged that the number of Catholics in the country was small a,; compared with the Protestants :-"The Assembly was composed with few exceptions of heretics" (p. 125); "three parts of the people, or
four, at least, are heretics" (p. I 32). A word of explanation
on this point may not be out of place here, since these
statements have been lately adduced by anti-Catholic writers
as an unanswerable argument to prove that the tolerant
spirit of early colonial legislation in Maryland was not due
to the Catholic inhabitants, if they were numerically so inferior to the Protestant settlers.
Toleration was in the Charter, and it was guaranteed to
the settlers by the Conditions of Plantation ; the credit,
therefore, whatever it be, for this liberality, belongs primarily to the Lord Proprietary, who was a Catholic. Even
if any doubt existed in regard to the religious conviCtions
of those who enacted the famous Toleration AB: of 1649,.
there can be no question as to those who abrogated its liberal provisions, when the course of events made it possible for them to do so; for the intolerant legislation which
subsequently disgraced the Province was due solely to
Protestant ascendancy. But there can be no doubt that the
AB: of 1649 was the work of Catholics: and unless all the
laws of evidence be rejeCted, they must have had, prior to
that date, a controlling influence in Maryland affairs, on
account of their position and numbers.
How, then, can the statements of the papers given above
be put forward with any appearance of truth? They are
�140
Historical Papers.
certainly opposed to the commonly received opinions on
the subjeCt:; more than this, they are in flagrant contradiction with the ja[ls as proved by the most competent and
trustworthy historians.
\Ve may reconcile the allegations of these papers with
the known faCl:s of Maryland history, by supposing that
when the writer asked for instruCtion and guidance 'in such
a country as this,' he meant by the phrase to include not
Maryland alone, but all the English settlements on the Chesapeake-only in this supposition, by including Virginia,
would it be true that the heretics were four parts at least of
the population. And we have reasonable grounds for the
supposition, as we may be sure that the Jesuit Fathers did
not intend to limit their labors to Maryland; their countrymen in Virginia, although they were with few exceptions
Protestant, claimed their attention, and received it, too, both
before and after the period we are considering ( 1640-42 ).
It may be added, that at this time there was no Protestant clergyman in Maryland, whilst there were three, four,
or five Jesu~t Priests-a state of affairs almost inexplicable,
if four parts of the people in Maryland were Protestants.
As to the Assembly, 'composed with few exceptions of
heretics,' since no date is given, it would be difficult to account for such an extraordinary statement. It may- have
been one of the Assemblies convened at a time unfavorable
to a large attendance. This very year there were only
eighteen persons present at the second session of Assembly, which was composed of Burgesses and gentlemen summoned by special writ; these eighteen members held proxies
for ejghty-eight others, and Mr. Giles Brent, holding proxies
for seventy-three inhabitants of Kent Island, formed in his
own person the standing majority of the House. But he
was a Catholic. There may have been an Assembly in
which few Catholics took part; but if so, their non-attendance was accidental, or was due to .. some other cause than
numerical inferiority or want of influence in. the Province.
�ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
Ili.-~IONTA:-IA
)
TO \YASHINGTOX.
If a missionary de!'tined for the Rocky Mountains were
free to choose his own route, he might seleCt from four different courses. He might embark at St. Louis on one of
the upper river boats, and settle down to a month's voyage,
following the Missouri as Ctr as Fort Benton, at the extreme
limit of navigation. On landing, he would then be not far
distant from the Blackfeet,. the Bloods and Piegans, for
whom the Mission of St. Peter's has been established. Instead of going all the way by river, he could proceed by
rail to St. Paul; thence west by the Northern Pacific to the
mouth of Tongue River, in the Yellowstone Valley, the
furthest point reached by the Northern Pacific Railroad
from this side of the Continent C1881). He would be
obliged to travel by wagon or on horseback over the route
already described to Bozeman, whence he could reach our
residence at Helena by stage coach. If San Francisco were
his starting point, he would probably go by steamer to Portland, Oregon, ascend the Columbia River by boat as far as
the Dalles, and there reach the western division of the
Northern Pacific road. This seCtion has been finished across
the Walla Walla country, and the plains of the Columbia,
as far east and north as Pend'Oreille Lake, in latitude forty·
eight degrees, a point not far distant from the Colville
agency to the North, and the Cceur d'Alene reservation to
the East. If destined for either of these tribes, this would
be his best course. A fourth route remains, the easiest and
quickest, if Helena or St. Ignatius' Mission be the objective
point. From Chicago to Omaha, and from Omaha to the
end of the Union Pacific R. R. in Utah, our Missionary would
follow the accustomed line of travel across the Continent.
Pausing to visit Salt Lake City and the territory of the
VoL. xr. No. 2.
19
(141)
�Across t!te Continent.
Mormons, he takes the Utah N.orthern R. R., which is finished as far as the southern border of Montana, whence his
journey to Helena would be completed by stage coach.
On all sides, then, the railroads are pressing forward, but
there still remains a broad gap to be filled, and in this gap
lie scattered the principal stations of our Fathers.
Suppose (for the sake of resuming an interrupted journey) he has come by way of the Yellowstone Valley, and
joins us at Bozeman, on our return from an excursion into
the National Park. The prospeCt: of a stage ride is pleasant after the slow traveling across the plains, and lightens
the discomfort of rising at 3 A. 111. to catch the coach. The
boot is stowed full of valises, trunks are strapped on behind, the leathern apron is buckled over our knees, for we
have been lucky enough to get outside seats, and away we
go in the starlight. vVe are in the Gallatin Valley, a portion of Mont:lna which is dotted with ranch~s and farms,
yielding the ordinary cereals, and affording good grazing
for cattle. By noon we have reached Radersburg, a mining settlement, where the stage stops for dinner. \Vhen
we resume our seats, we observe that there are no\V six
horses in the traces, three handsome teams, and Mr. Clarke,
superintendent of the stage route, who happens to be going
to Helena himself to-day, takes the lines. Are you ''laudator temporis acti?" Do you look back with regret to the
good old days when the National Road was lined with lumbering vans, that only yielded the way to the mail-coach as
it thundered along; when the blast of the horn summoned
half a village to the tavern to get a word of news, and see
the reeking horses changed for fresh ro"adsters? If so, there
will be an additional degree of pleasure for you in this next
hour. For me, it was enough to notice Mr. Clarke's manner as he took the reins, settled himself firmly in his seat,
and quietly uncoiled the long thong that hung about his
whip. Glancing at my companion, I saw that he was smiling at the change of coachmen, and evidently expecring a
display of skilful driving. On leaving the town, we ascended a gentle slope, and, gaining the ridge, found that our
�Across the Continent.
\
f
I.
!
f
r:
143
road lay for some distance almost level before us. The
road-bed was formed of crumbling granite, and the solid
rock beneath made the best foundation imaginable. We
were following one of the ridges that constitute the main
chain of the Rocky Mountains, but the charaaer of the
rock. not that of the scenery, revealed this to us. No sooner
had we gained the summit than Clarke whistled shrilly, at
the same moment throwing forward his long lash nearly to
the leaders' flanks. For a moment there seemed to be confusion-the horses broke into a wild gallop, and tugged unevenly, but the next instant the reins were gathered in closely, and the three teams settled down to a brisk road gait,
as steady as possible. The necessary speed once gained,
it was little work for them to keep the stage rolling, and
they ~oved as freely in their simple harness as if no lumbering vehicle was at their heels. On our right lay the
valley of the Missouri, stretching northward, a wide expanse limited by the gentle slope of the Belt Mountains to
the east. The clearness and crispness of the rare mountain
atmosphere, the steady beat of the boo(-; on the hard road,
the beauty of motion in the animals, and the evident pride
of our driver, conscious of the power of his horses, and of
his own ability to rule them, produced a sense of exhilaration, such as you may have felt in those good old days,
but which you must no\V forego, unless you volunteer
for the Rocky Mountain Missions. Before sunset we reached
Helena, having made one hundred miles to-day. I would
not have you think that all stage traveling in Montana is
like the stretch out of Radersburg, for sometimes the roads
are poor, and necessitate a slow gait, and then when you
reach a station, a lonely log house, perhaps, on a dreary
moor, with nothing but sage brush in sight, the horses on
which you are relying to pursue your journey have wandered away, and the stage waits for an hour or two, until
the animals have been caught and harnessed. Most of the
horses employed are thin "bronclzos," small half-breeds, not
much larger than ponies, looking ill-fed and unfit for such
work, so that the whip must come into play pretty freely.
�144
Across tlze Continent.
I say nothing of cramped limbs, feet numued by cold, painful efforts to sleep in impossible postures, dread of falling
from one's lofty perch, and other minor inconveniences, lest
I shou\d diminish your regret for the bygone coaches.
Helena was originally a mere mining gulch; it is now a
pleasant town of some five or six thousand inhabitants, the
main street lined with stores, situated in what was once
a ravine, the residences being built on both slopes and
on the hills adjoining. 1\lost of the houses are cottages
with pretty little yards, adorned with blooming flowers and
trailing vines, giving the town an air of comfort and homeliness. Helena has its hotel, its daily papers, its banks, its
public school, and in faa all the appurtenances of the
American incipient city, to say nothing of the United States
mint. Besides, it is the capital of the Territory, which is
an empire in extent, if not in wealth or population. Territories are Immediately dependent, of course, on the Gen ·
eral Government at \Vashington. Their governors, judges
and other officials, are appointed by the President, and the
single delegate sent to Congress by each Territory has no
vote in that assembly. They are not constituent parts of
the Union therefore, but striCl:ly dependent provinces. The
wealth of Montana is principally made up of mines, which
are worked in the usual methods. The common way of
extr~aCl:ing gold from the gangue, in which it is disseminated,
is to crush the ore to a fine powder, which is reduced to the
consistency of milk by being abundantly mixed with water,
This muddy water, containing the solid particles in suspension, is then treated with mercury,_ which forms an amalgam with the gold.
·· -·
The method usually adopted when the gold occurs in
sand or gravel, is to wash the sand and gravel from its bed
by means of a stream of water, which is made to pass
through a trough, inclined at a smail angle, so as to cause
a current. At the bottom of the trough are a number of
transverse slits, filled with mercury, which has a strong
affinity for gold, and attraCls the grains of precious metal.
The particles of gold, in passing over the slits, being at
�Across the Continent.
,.
145
once taken up by the mercury, from the amalgam thus obtained, the gold is readily freed by sublimation of the mercury. The muddy water, deprived of its gold, forms what
is called the "tailings" of mills, and as a portion of the
precious metal escapes the contact of the mercury, the tailings are sometimes worked over again by Chinamen or
miners of unusual patience. The romantic part of a miner's
life is 'prospecting,' that is searching for gold. Armed
with pi~kaxe and sieve, he scours the mountains, examines
all the ravines and. hidden nooks, leaving here and there
ugly holes and heaps of rubbish as the only traces of his
industry. In the depths of the mountains you sometimes
chance upon a solitary Chinaman or white miner in the bed
of a stream, with a bit of canvas stretched between two
rocks, or a rude shed for shelter, sifting sand in search of
the yellow dust.
The rare metals occur in their native state, that is as
metals, associated with or disseminated through quartz
rock, sometimes in regular veins, sometimes in seams or
pockets, as they are termed. The quartz 'gangue' is very
hard and refractory, and powerful machinery is employed
to crush and pulverize it. In parts of California gold occurs in gravel beds, and whole hills are washed down by
streams of water directed against their face, so that many
a spot in the Sierras looks bare and desolate, which formerly was crowned with a fine grove of forest trees which a
century cannot replace. The bullion product of Montana
from 1862 to 1874 was $120,000,000. Where there are
large mines the tailings are sufficient to dest~oy the beauty
of the mountain streams. A clear dancing brook, full of
trout, becomes a tawny, muddy little Missouri, and instead
of being a pleasant companion as you ride along the bank,
is a constant reminder of the 'auri sacra fames.'
Montana has a right to boast of her ranches as well as
of her mines. The climate is rather dry, the grasses consequently are hardy, and it is said that cattle can find sustenance the year round among the hills, which seem brown
and desolate enough to the eye, even now in September.
�Across t/ze Continent.
The bottom lands in the narrow valleys are rich and produCtive, especially in the w·estern part of the Territory,
where we saw many fields of wheat and oats standing thick
and fruitful, of rich color, and entirely free from weeds.
Ordinary vegetables are abundant, such as potatoes, cab·
bages and turnips, but fruit is rare (excepting wild berries),
partly because the hot season is short, partly because there
is no month of the year when l\lontana is free from frosty
nights. The merchandise is transported about the Territory
in huge wagons, to which several yoke of OX-;!n are attached.
It is customary to have three of these wagons joined to
one another, like a short train of cars, and then not so
many oxen are required to move the train as would be
needed if the wagons were to be drawn separately, and be·
sides, one teamster is sufficient for the whole. train. 'vVe
stopped for our noon rest one day on the bank of the Little
Black FQot River, just after crossing at a point where the
stream w~~ rather swift. Reclining on the bank, I noticed
a train of wagons come down the opposite slope, the oxen
entering the water with reluCtance, fully aware, it seemed,
that they would have a hard tug against the resistance of
the stream, and of the uneven stones at the· bottom of the
ford. There were eight yoke, and it took no little manceuvring on the part of their teamster to keep the oxen in
line as they entered the-water, and when he dtd succeed in
getting them into straight array, it was impossible to make
all the animals pull together. The efforts of the teamster
were heroic. Standing on the bank, he called to the poor
brutes by name, adding volleys of. strong language and of
sharp pebbles, now scolding, now.·t;;ncouraging, then, leap·
ing on his pony, he plunged into the stream, wielding his
long lash furiously, never ceasing for a moment to pour out
a stream of oaths and entreaties, all addressed to the oxen,
of course. In spite of vast expenditure of lung and muscle on his part, they persisted in tugging unevenly, or not
tugging at all, and the three wagons stood immovable on
the bank. This continued for more than an hour, when
some of the oxen quietly lay down in the stream. Then
�Across tlte Continmt.
147
the teamster yielded, uncoupled the wagons, and took them
across the ford one at a time, a tedious task, to avoid which
he made such strenuous efforts to effect the passage of all
at once.
Montana is about five hundred miles long from east to
west, with an average breadth of nearly three hundred
miles, so its white inhabitants, some thirty thousand in
number, are not over-crowded. They are scattered along
the valleys in fertile spots, except where mining interests
have drawn them together in localities that might otherwise
have been left deserted. The Indians, scattered on different reservations, number about twenty thousand in all.
They are obliged, of course, to remain on their reservations,
where some of them are provided by the Government with
the necessaries of life, as well as with religious instruction,
on the all-sect non sectarian principle, that denies to the
Indian the right of free worship, because he is the ward of
a Government that tolerates all forms of worship. As yet
our Fathers cannot enter reservations in charge of Protestant agents, but it is hoped that the law forbidding the admission of missionaries freely among the Indians, will soon
be changed. None of the Catholic tribes are dependent on
the Government for food or clothing, though of late years
they have received some help for their schools.
As I wish to give you some idea at once of the nature of
the country, the difficulties of traveling, the situation and
character of one of our missions, at the risk of being tedious, I shall adopt the easy method of -copying from my
diary. That my letter may not be interminable, I pass over
a large part of our journey between Helena and Missoula,
a district which has been described by Gen. Gibbon, in one
of his letters to t~e Catholic Quarterly.
September 4th.-Leaving the town of Missoula, our road
lay along the valley of the Missoula River, which runs
westward, soon beginning a long detour to the north. To
our right lay the gorge of Coriacan, beyond which is the
Flathead agency, and further on the Mission of St. Ignatius. Riding briskly along, we passed a number of thrifty
�Across tlze Continent.
ranches, and here and. there saw a few Indian tepees picturesquely situated in pine groves and sheltered nooks.
Seventeen miles from Missoula is the village of Frenchtown, the very jumping-off place, the westernmost town in
the Territory. 'vVe found a motley crowd loafing about the
few stores of the village, Frenchmen, Germans, Irishmen,
Spaniards, Americans, negroes, Chinamen, Indians (Nez
. Perces, Flatheads and Spokanes), all ignorant of the faCl:
that they were to us as great objeCl:s of curiosity, as we evidently were to them. We were interested in examining a
store- house full of furs, where the skins of buffalo, bear,
beaver, martin, wolf and fox told something of the natural
history of the mountains. Many of these furs were piled
high up on a billiard table, much to my surprise, not that
a billiard table is a rare thing in itself, but how did it get
there? >
Septm1ber 5th.-Our road to-day was rough and broken.
The river passing through a narrow gorge forced us to
take a winding course through the hills. 'vVe passed several ranches by the river, all of them abandoned for fear of
the Nez Perces. There are gold diggings on Moose Creek,
but the ranche at Moose Creek ferry was also abandoned.
The only living creature·to be seen about the place was a
three-legged cat, that limped disconsolately through the
vacant rooms. There is a peculiar fascination about a de. serted house; the few old utensils and broken tools scattered here and there, the hooks and shelves, the chairs covered with raw-hidt?, worn into comfortable shape, all excite
interest and a vague terror, as if in sympathy with those
whom fear has driven from their• homes. Traveling with
good escort, one sleeps perfeCl:ly secure, but the lonely
ranche-man, with wife and children to care for, and no
neighbors within miles, must quiver when the news steals
up the valley that some Indian tribe has b~oken from its
reservation, and started on a career of rapine and destruction. Our road follows the bends of the stream, now winding many hundred feet above the channel, affording beautiful glimpses. up and down the valley, now along level bench
�Across tlze Continent.
149
land, through the pine trees, and out into open glades, sometimes at the foot of lofty crags, among huge fragments of
rock, then up again, clinging to the mountain side, with
_barely room enough for our wheels, and .an ugly slope
towards the precipice. There is more excitement than pleasure in watching a wheel slip inch by inch towards the brink
of an abyss, and even the beauty of the view is no great
distraCtion at such moments.
September 6th.-vVe were obliged to make several detours to-day on account of hills that jut out over the river.
Even where the road passed direetly on, the grades were
steep and difficult, testing our driver's capacity and the
muscle of our mules. The lateral valleys, which we sometimes were obliged to follow, were wild, and dark with
heavy timber, but occasionally we met_ a level piece of
bench land, more open and cheerful. One pleasant feature
of .the day was that, even in this rugged distriCt, we came
upon a few ranches, one belonging to a Frenchman named
Lozo, whose Indian wife is the newsmonger of the valley,
learning all rumors from her Indian friends. A second belonged to a Yankee named Berry, a Vermonter, who has
been twenty years in the mountains, and who lives here
alone. For fully a mile before reaching his farm we had
noticed a neat ditch near our path, following the curve of
the hill, leading its precious freight of water, as we thought,
to some gold digging. When we came upon Mr. Berry's"
farm, with its fine harvest, there was more than one expression of admiration for the industry that had been expended
on that irrigating ditch. We camped at Halpine's ranche,
now worked by a man named Quinn, a lusty Tipperary
man, who labored all night threshing out two thousand
pounds of oats for our animals. A man who finds a chance
to sell his grain in this secluded valley works willingly day
or night.
September 7th.-After seven miles of ordinary marching,
we reached the Missoula Ferry, the owner of which, scared
away by rurriors of Indian troubles early in the season, returned only yesterday to earn a few dollars by ferrying our
VoL. xr-No.
2.
20
�...
ISO
Across tlte Continent.
party across the river. This interesting operation was safely
accomplished in an hour, and then began our real pilgrimage. From this point on, the route we are to follow, the
continuation of the old Mullen road, has not been used for
many years. It is considered impassable for wagons, but
. we are going to demonstrate that it is not so. Our pioneer
party went ahead, twenty-eight in number, to clear the road,
hoping, as their officer said, that we would not see them
again till we reached the Mission.
The roughness of the road rendered our ambulances so
undesirable as a means of transportation, that we gladly
changed places with some cavalrymen, riding their horses
while they took our seats in the ambulances. They, too,
took kindly to the change, but long before now have regretted it. We are following up the valley of the St. Regis
Borgia River, which, rising in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains,
flows eastward by a gently inclined but very narrow valley,
emptying into the Missoula River at the ferry we crossed
to-day. The valley is heavily timbered, so that all day
long we were traveling in sombre shade. The woods no
longer consist of the pitch pine alone, of which we have
seen so many during the last few days, but of white pine,
tamarack and cedar. The underbrush was quite luxuriant;
ferns, mosses and trailing vines covering the ground with a
soft carpet. It was delightful to be once more in the saddle, and the twenty miles we made after leaving the ferry
seemed short, notwithstanding. the delays caused by our
having to wait for the pioneers to clear the road. 'vVe
camped at nightfall in a small opening called the Crow's
Nest, where there was some grating for our stock.
September 8th.- Letting our pioneer party start well
ahead of us, we began our march about eight o'clock, and
moved forward very slowly, that those who were clearing
the road might not be too much hurri~d by our constantly
pressing on their heels. The first ten miles of our march
we made in fair time and good order, the trail, though obstruCted by fallen timber, not being very rough or difficult.
During these ten miles we forded the river St. Regis Borgia
�Across t!te Continent.
1$1
twenty-six times, all the bridges built by Mullen in 1859
having been long ago swept away. Our road, except at
the fords, was a dark alley-way cut between towering trees,
that hemmed us in on all sides, and as \ve cut our way
deeper and deeper, gave the idea that we were penetrating
some vast labyrinth, with just light enough to lead us on
to where it would become a trackless mass of rock and
tree and river. Beyond these ten miles the trail, beginning
to ascend more rapidly to the source of the Regis Borgia,
in order to cross the divide of the c~ur d'Alene Mountains, became steeper and more rocky, and as I trudged
along some distance ahead of our party, preferring to be on
foot, and enjoying to the full the grandeur of the forest and
the feeling "of utter seclusion and retirement that hangs
over the mountains, I stopped now and then to wonder how
our wagons could possibly be dragged over the rocky ascent without being utterly shattered. Having reached. the
r .r
:-t
Ct'-{ ··-~ ' '
summit, heavily wooded like the rest of thf'rriountain, and
affording no view whatever, I sat on one of the bench marks
of the Mullen road, to await the arrival of some of our
party. Descending the western slope of the mountain,
steep and precipitous, my knees soon felt the effeCt of the
long trudge, and I was glad to accept the loan of a mule
from Mr. Hardy, our chief packer. Thus mounted, and in
company with an officer of our party, I pressed forward, as
it was beginning to be late in the day, and we were anxious
to know how far distant was our proposed camp-Negro
Prairie. I had to keep the rowels of my spurs tucked
tight against my animal's flanks, and my left hand busy with
a walking cudgel, to make the mule keep in sight of my
companion's horse, which walked at an ordinary gait.
Whilst busily engaged in belaboring my mule, I was startled to see my companion wheel suddenly round, and proceed briskly in the opposite direCtion. The next moment
I perceived one of the lords of the forest, a great grizzly,
standing in the road, not thirty yards in front of us. In an
instant he was gone. "Fugit inermem," Heaven be praised.
Being utterly unprovided with means of defence, other than
1
'_
.-'
�15'2
Across t!ze Continent.
my pocket-knife, I was not sorry to have him disappear,
Dark11ess overtook our wagons, while they were still a mile
away from the camping place, in the midst of the woods;
so we camped right there in the shades of the cedar and
tamarack. their interlacing branches shading us from the
chill air of night, their tender boughs furnishing a soft
couch, and their tall trunks our only sentinels.
-,f
: ,
September 9th.-Breakfasting at five o'clock. we wall{;;d
leisurely forward to Negro Prairie, a small opening in the
forest where our cavalry camped last night. Their pioneer
party was already off, and we waited here until nine o'clock
to give them a good start, and then we moved forward.
Two miles from our camping place, we encountered a grade
such as one rarely sees wagons descend-a steep pitch from
the brow of the hill, straight down into the rocky bed of a
running stream, the Cceur d'Alene River. I watched with in-_
terest as ~lle leaders were unhitched, the wheels locked, and
a dozen men at a lariat rope held back each wagon as it
slid down the incline. From this point down the valley,
for four miles there has been an extensive fire, and the hills
were covered with charred trunks. The opening made by
the fire has rendered the road somewhat easier, besides satisfying that desire one always feels to see just a little way
ahead. Beyond this burnt distriCt:, we plunged into the
worst portion of our route. The valley narrowed to a
gorge, huge cedars grew on all sides, and the road-way
wound now in the bed of the stream, now among roots,
stumps and rocks, and now in marshy spots, where the
wheels sunk almost to the hub. It was dreary, tedious work
watching the wagons, to see them. ,safely over mile after
mile of just such a way as this, and you may imagine how
fast we traveled when I say that from nine o'clock till dark
we made ten miles. Again we camped where nightfall
overtook us, in the midst of the woods, our wagons standing in the road (obstruCI:ing travel, as some one remarked),
our camp-fire making darker still the darkness of night in
the ·forest.
September wth.-Cressa tze mreat nota dies I I write in a
�Across tlte Continent.
153
hermit's cell, by the light of a tallow dip, in the heart of a
wild and mountainous region, distant many a league from
the nearest settlement. Being anxious to spend at least a
day at the Mission among the Cceur d'Alenes, I got permission to come forward a day ahead of our party. There
was some excuse for so doing, as the Captain who commands our escort desired a messenger to go forward, to
send a feed of grain out from ihe Mission to his tired animals. Accoutred with carbine and pistol, unusual load,
and with a trusty trooper at my heels, I sallied forth, soon
traversing the two miles of road already opened, passing the
pioneer parties busily at work, and pressing on in the pack
trail, winding and twisting about to avoid fallen trees. We
picked our tiresome way over the fallen timber for six miles,
to an opening called Pine Prairie ; then on along the varied
route, now in an open glade covered with wild timothy,
now twisting once more· among the dense timber, or dodging the thick underbrush on the banks of the stream, which
we crossed repeatedly. The dark rolling clouds, from which
poured a drizzling rain, rendere.d yet darker our gloomy
. track; and the closely arched brushwood covered· us with
fresh showers whenever the rain ceased. The growth of
underbrush in some of these cedar morasses is highly luxuriant, and we noticed tall graceful ferns that, bent as they
were beneath the rain, reached the height of our heads as
we sat in the saddle. The road, on the whole, is much
freer from obstacles than any we have passed this side of
the mountain, and I know our pioneers will whistle at the
easy work they will find. The distance from our camp to
the Mission was twenty-three miles, and just at one o'clock,
after crossing the river for almost the hundredth time, I
found our road bordered by a fence, saw pigs and cows
along the way, and the next moment perceived the Mission
itself. On the summit of an isolated hill, which rises in
the midst of a valley surrounded by mountains, stands the
Church, a large frame edifice with square columns in fi:ont,
and crowned by a plain cross. In front of the church, on
the sloping sides of the hill, are the cabins of the Indians,
�...
154
Across t!te Conti11eut.
square log houses, neatly and comfortably built, grouped, as
if for proteCtion about their· fountain-head of peace and
prosperity. At the foot of the hill is the garden· of the
Mission, and beyond are extensive fields of grain and hay,
shining bright in the mellow sunlight that just now burst
out from among the clouds, adding to the impressiveness
of a deeply touching scene.
I was welcomed by Fr. Diomedi and the few lay-brothers
that are here. A hearty and inviting meal soon substantiated the welcome; then the grain for our escort had to be
sacked, weighed, and packed on Indian ponies-the packing
being dexterously done by a dusky maiden of some sixteen
summers. · My mind relieved of this responsibility, I set
myself to enjoy the company of the good Father, and the
afternoon passed pleasantly enough. Imagine a young Italian priest,. scantily acquainted with our own language and
manners,,:;ent to this far-off spot, ·and obliged at once to
learn the Indian language, to praCl:ise the arts of the farmer, ploughing, sowing and reaping, helping to tend stock,
and pigs and poultry, and performing the duties of pastor.
Add to ttifs'-·ifi~\icissitudes of a mountain winter, the flood
that swept down the valley, carrying away barns and fences,
drowning pigs and calves, and demanding great exertions
to rescue the .drowning animals and restore the damaged
outbuildings. All this, together with his long rides in the
cold and snow, on ministerial duties, gave Fr. Diomedi
much to talk about, and me much to marvel at and to admire.
There are very few Indians at ~he Mission at present, as
they have all gone to their farms;' which lie at a distance of
nearly sixty miles to the southwest, out on the prairies.
This Mission was established here among the mountains
when the .Indians were all huntsmen or fishermen, and now
that they have been taught the art of agriculture, and have
taken to farming, it wiil have to be moved away from this
secluded valley. There are a few squaws in the village, and
morning and evening they assemble in the church at the
sound of the bell, reciting their prayers aloud in a guttural
�Across tlzc Continent.
ISS
monotone, not easily forgotten when once heard. Walking
about the village, we entered a hut which was neat and
clean, and provided with plain, rough, simple articles of
furniture, such as stools and a small table. An old grayhaired man sat in the chimney-corner. He greeted the
Father with a smile of welcome, extended his hand, and,
when I was presented to him, at once expressed his gratification to meet a white stranger who shared with him the
blessing of the true faith. Among the other huts, one was
noticeable for its round shape; it was, in fact, a tepee or ·
wigwam, built of lumber. It belonged to an old Indian,
too stubborn and too much attached to the ways of his
fathers, to adopt the square log house for his dwelling. A
strange figure came riding up the hill. It was an Indian,
whom we had met once before in the forest, traveling in .
. the same direction as ourselves. He wore an old black
cloak that hung like a cone all around him, and seemed appropriately topped by a beaver hat, not of the latest style.
After the manner of a Bishop, he wore a chain and cross,
but the chain was a heavy one 'of brass, and the crucifix
hung large and conspicuous on his breast. The Indians
are beginning to affect the white man's dress, though most
of them still cling to the buckskin for body garments, and
to the blanket as a kind of toga. It was a great disappointment to me not to see the main body of the Cceur d' Alenes.
They have the reputation of being among the most manly
and best civilized of the western Indians. They are ruled
by Chief Saltise, according to the customs of the tribe, our
Fathers never interfering, as I understand, in civil matters.
Saltise has six young braves to act as a kind of police force,
and punishes disorderly conduct by summary arrest.
Towards nightfall we were surprised by the arrival of
Fr. Joset, a venerable missionary, who had ridden sixty
miles since sunrise, from the new Mission on Camas Prairie,
coming to help Fr. Diomedi make some preparations for a
trip to Walla Walla. They have a great wagon at the Mission, which is to be loaded with hams, cheese and other results of their industry and transported to market. No po-
�Across t!te Continent.
litical economist ever imagined that bacon and cheese could
overcome such difficulties as these will have to encounter.
The wagon is rolled down the hill to the riverside, then out
upon a raft built for the purpose. Here it is loaded, and
the ark moves down the Cceur d'Alene River to its mouth,
many miles below. A sail is now hoisted, and aided by this
the Indian boatmen with their paddles propel the boat up
the Cceur d'Alene Lake to its southern extremity. The
lake is a beautiful sheet of water surroundeu by mountains ..
· \Vhen we have reached the southern end, our cheese seems
farther from market than ever. \Vhat is to be done with a
huge wagon heavily laden, where there is no sign of road
save a narrow pack-trail? Some Indians from the Mission
have come through the woods to the head of the lake with
oxen and ponies. They take the wagon to pieces, load these
pieces, together with the merchandise, on the backs of the
~imals: ·and then ~ross the mountains. Having emerged
on the prairie beyond, the wagon is again put together, reloaded; the oxen are hitched to it, and after many days of
patient journeying Walla \Valla is reached, the hams and
cheese are dispo?ed of, necessary supplies are purchased for
the Mission, and the journey just described is repeated.
These details make us realize that the difficulties under
which missionaries labor are of no ordinary kind. They
a.re frequently obliged to struggle for bare maintenance,
working with their o\vn hands for the necessaries of life,
whilst at the same time charged with the burden of being
all in all to the Indians. Put yourself in the place of those
about to start a new Mission, or ~o transfer an old one from
one place to another. Some so;t of residence is necessary
for a community. If you want anything more than a log
house, you must put up a saw-mill, in order to get lumber.
Then you must have a church-the Indians may help to
construCt it, but there are many expenses to be met, and
where is the money to come from? You must have fields
and a garderi, fences· are to be built, tools procured, ground
broken and cultivated, whilst, at the same time, you are
trying to pick up the Indian language, to instruCt, visit and
a
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157
;help them in every way. A missionary must, therefore. be
a jack-of-all-trades, and a thoroughly praaical man. The
chief difficulty, however, seems to be that of persuading the
.savages to abandon their wandering life, and to settle do,vn
in one .spot. This once accomplished, their civilization is
-only a question of time and patience. Polygamy, of course,
presents a serious obstacle, but this can be overcome by
rearing the children in Christian schools, and quietly waiting till the present generation passes away. Such seems
to be the plan adopted among the Blackfeet; in the Catholic
tribes this trace of barbarism has been already eradicated.
The following extraas from reports of United States agents
show how far the Catholic Indians have advanced from their
-original nomadic state:CCEUR D'ALENE RESERVATION.
SIR: I have the honor herewith to transmit you my report of the farming operations of the Cceur d'Alene Indians. Since my report of last year a marked change has
been made in their condition; their old farms have been
enlarged, and about sixty new farms opened. Some of
their individual farms are quite large. Basil has one hundred acres under cultivation; Louie,_ one hundred acres ;
Marchand, one hundred acres ; -Pierre, seventy acres ;
George, eighty acres; Joseph, seventy acres; Saltise, the
head chief, has between forty-five and fifty acres. Some-six
or eight of them have fine meadows of timothy hay. There
are altogether, large ancJ small, about one hundred and six~
ty farms, all under good cultivation and excellently fenced.
Of their own grain about one third is wheat and two-thirds
oats. They find a ready market at Camp Cceur d'Alene,
and the numerous towns near their reservation for their surplus crop, and at prices, too, as a general thing, rather higher than. their white neighbors, owing to their being able to
pack it on their animals in the spring, when the roads are
in such a condition as to be impassable for wagons. In
.conneaion with the Fathers, a large granary and root-house
VoL. xx-No.
2.
21
�Across tltr Continent.
will be ereB:ed this fall on the bank of the c~ur d'Alene
Lake, for storage of grain, potatoes, etc., and from there
transported by flat-boats, made by lashing two or three
canoes together with platform, and enabling them to take
a load of three tons down the lake to _Camp c~ur d'Alene_
J.-w~ O'NEILL; Farmer in charge.
FLATHEAD AGENCY,
~101"\TANA.
In presenting my fourth annual report, it affords- rne great
pleasure to state that never in the history of this reservation
have the Indians enjoyed a more prosperous season. The
snug log-houses, well-fenced fields of waving grain, vegetable gardens, the thriving stock and pt:rmanent appearance
of the homes of the industrious portion of the tribe is very
encouraging, and has a tendency each year to induce the
more cardess and improvident to follow the example of
husbandry ..and thrift. A number of new farms have been
fenced in during the past season, and a general tendency to
give up their wandering and hunting proclivities for peaceful pursuits, has marked the year. * * The harvest season is now upon us, and the yield will be good. .Some
25,000 bushels of wheat will be harvested, some 5,000
bushels of oats and barley, besides 6,ooo or 7,000 bushels
of vegetables. * * * A few years ago it was a most
difficult matter to induce an Indian to allow his boys to be
confined to a school-room; but a wonderful change has
taken place, and the number of applicants fiJr admission to
the school far exceeds the appropri;:ttion for feeding, clothing and taking care of them. The-"Sisters of Charity have
charge of the school, and have competent teachers for boys
in fields, mills, and shops, as well as in the school-room: A
large number of the children can read and write the English language understandingly, and work in the first four
rules of arithmetic. * * * -*
PETER RoN{\N,
U. S. Indian Agent.
�Across tlze Continent.
I
59
The position of the Indians in the United States is a curious anomaly. They are treated partly on the theory that
they are wards of the Government, partly on the supposition that they are separate and independent nations. To
all of them definite reservations have been assigned, and to
many of the tribes supplies of c_lothing and provisions are
regularly issued under treaty stipulations. The whole management of the Indians belongs to a bureau of the Interior
Department at Washington, and those who desire to procure funds for schools or for other purposes must have recourse to this bureau. A certain number of tribes has been
assigned to each of several religious denominations, Baptists, Methodists, Quakers and the rest; and each of these
deals with the Department through some authorized agent.
The Department in \\'ashington must be dealt with by some
one living in Washington, who understands the working of
the burei;lU, who can lobby, and watch and wait. Nothing
can be obtained by unauthorized applications from a dis. tance. Appreciating this faa, the late Archbishop of Baltimore, with the approval of many Bishops throughout the
country, organized a Catholic Bureau in Washington, to
take charge of Catholic Indian Missions. It is perfealy
well understood by the Department that this bureau represents the interests of the Catholic Indians, but the Department does not and cannot know individual priests at a, distance, however worthy and self-sacrificing they may be.
Nor can the Department know the difference between the
secular and regular clergy; it deals with the Church as with
the seas, very much as it would deal with any common
corporation, recognizing an accredited agent, but not having anything to do with individual stockholders. !The only
way to obtain funds, then, from the Government is through
this Catholic bureau. Before the bureau was established,
our Fathers only obtained for their school at St. Ignatius
$2,000 annually, and what has been pro_cured in addition to
this of late years, for this and other Mission schools, has
been due solely to the efforts of the bureau. It is altogether a ma,tter of business ; no other way c~n be successfully
�Across tlze Continent.
adopted of dealing with the Government. Nine years ago;.
when the \York of the bureau was begun, the Catholic l\Iissions were in receipt of $8,000 annually; during the two
years 187g-8o, the receipts amounted to $88,850 from the
Government. During the whole period of its existence,
the board has procured for the Indians $247,800-of this
amount $6g,ooo was due to the Indians under treaty stipulations, the rest, that is, $178,800, was not due under any
treaty, and was obtained solely through the efforts of the
bureau in gaining the good will of tho: department. It may
be fairly claimed that the whole amount was obtained by
the bureau, for it is well known that treaties are not always
fulfilled, unless there be some one to push matters in \Vashington. The work of the bureau has been done by Gen .
. Charles Ewing and Rev. J. B. A. Brouillet in the face of
opposition and discouragement. Personally they have nothing wha_!:ever to gain, theirs is purely a work of zeal. All
that they ask is that their position be rightly understood,.
and fairly represented to the Catholics of the country. The
remnants of Indian tribes, whether in· charge of our Fathers
or of seculars, cannot be educated and civilized without
Government aid, this aid can only be procured by authorized agents, the highest ecclesiastical authorities in the
country recognize the Catholic Indian Bureau as the agent
of the Church, the Government treats with the bureau as.
such agent, and all who wish to approach the Government
on behalf of the Indians must be content to do so through:
the bureau. Meantime the bureau must be supported, and'
as it contributes to the support of Jesuit Missions by securing funds for schools at Cceur d:1\.lene, Colville and St.
Ignatius, it is only fair that our Fathers should say a word
in favor of the bureau when occasion offers, that Catholics
may understand what it is, and that in giving to it they are·
giving to the Indians. A Catholic lady of New York recently devised $5,000 to Cardinal McCloskey, in trust for
Catholic missions among the infidels. In discharge of his.
trust, Bis Eminence gave over the funds to the bureau in
Washington, to be distributed in accordance with the sec-.
/
�Across tlze Continent.
\
r6r
ond article of incorporation of the bureau, viz: "The object for which said society (The Bureau of Catholic Indian
Missions) is formed is to educate the Indians living within
the borders of the United States in the doctrines and moral
laws of the Catholic Church-to devise ways and means
for the prosecution of such general education." Fourteen
boarding schools, established· on different Indian rese~va
tions, bear testimony to the fidelity of the society in carrying Ol!t its main work, and Catholics who generously contribute may be sure that they are taking the best means of
helping the Indians. The following figures show that our
Missions have received substantial aid through the efforts
of the bureau:
Government allotments for schools (I 879-80)Cceur d'Alene Mission, I. T.
5,500
Colville, W. T.
$8,ooo
Flathead Agency, Montana
8,000
The total amount pr~ for schools at Jesuit Missions
, •,a
T. E. S.
is ,$62,ooo. .
....,_
..
In connection with the subject of the Indian Missions
treated of in the concluding portion of this paper, we add,
by special request, the following communication in relation
to the same matter:
FR. BRoUILLET's APPEAL.
Our schools are limited to seven agencies, the only ones.
entrusted to onr control, and they give facilities for the religious and educational teaching of from twelve thousand
to twenty thousand Indians attached to or in immediate relation with those agencies. But the agencies so favored are
only seven out of sixty-eight, and they represent only from
twelve thousand to twenty thousand Indians out of a population of two hundred and seventy-five thousand, the to-·
tal Indian population of the United States. What are we
going to do with the sixty-one agencies and the two hundred and fifty-five thousand Indians to whom our schools
have not yet been extended? Shall we place within their
�Across the Continent.
reach the facilities of hearing the teaching and receivil}g the
training of the Church, or shall we with a cold"Llooded
indifference leave them to their desperate fate, to live and
die in their heathenish praCtices, and deprived forever _of
the only saving influences of the Church'? From the solution of this problem depends in a great measure, in my
judgment, the future progress and improvement of our
American Church. It is our duty, whether of justice or of
charity does not matter much here-it is our undeniable
duty, as I understand it, to provide, so far as our n1eans and
facilities may go, for the conversion and Christian training
of those unfortunate and degraded members of our national household. If the American Church, colleCtivelv, as a
united body, and aCting with a united feeling of charity and
zeal, undertake the work in earnest, and with the noble selfsacrifice which has carried her successfully through
many wonderful undertakings, her progress will be sensibly
enhanced, and God's blessings will pour on every side on
her numerous and flourishing institutions. "Well understood charity never remains unrewarded, either in ~ciety
or in the individual. But if she shuts her ears and her
heart to the appeals of justice and charity made upon her
on all sides; if she refuses to listen to so many perishing
souls of her own country, who have been, as it were, intrusted by Divine Providence to her ~harge, woe to our beloved American Church. The curse of God must, sooner
or later, be upon her, for God's justice must have its course
in society as well as in the individual, and all negleCt of
duty must be punished.
_
Individual members of the Church have done their share
of the good work. Private contributions have been donated for the conversion of the Indians, but the good example of the donors not having been followed by others,
the amount of such donations proves totally inadequate to
the requirements of the work.
Such a body of devoted and self-sacrificing teachers as
are no~ engaged in the Indian missionary service cannot
be found anywhere else in the United States. The value
so
�Kansas.
of their work, based upon the common estimation of such
labors, does not amount to less than $83,000 a year, as we
have officially reported to the Office of Indian Affairs, and
ev~ry cent of this amount has been consumed by these devoted and true friends of the Indians on the very spot where
their labors were ·performed, and for the benefit and improvement of their work. The Government itself has to a
great extent done its duty, and not less than from $40,000
to $50,000 of its money is expended every year for the
benefit of .our Indians.
·Now will the Church follow suit, and as a social or colleCtive body issue a common document recommending in
earnest terms unanimity of aCtion throughout the United
States, and prescribing praCtical methods of securing the
funds required ?
/
KANSAS.
Letter from Fr. P. M fonzig!iont.
OsAGE MissiON, NEosHo Co., KANSAs,
,-.
Dec. 31, 1881.
REVEI\END FATHER,
.
P. C.
'
The drought of last summer was the severest and longest.
that we have felt for many years; and in consequence of it,.
people were put to mu'ch inconvenience and loss, and stock·
suffered greatly. The crops, which looked very promising·
in early spring, failed COillpletely over the whole country,.
and when the season of ploughing had arrived, the ground
was as hard as rock, and no plough could break it. It was.
high time to have recourse to prayer; so, at the opening of'
September, we invited our people to come and tinite with
us in the performance of a solemn Triduum, in order to obtain from the bounty of Heaven the rain that was so much
needed. The news spread far and wide, and our good Cath--
t ~ \ ..:
�Kansas.
olics flocked to the services, crowding the Church every
night, and joining most fervently in the prayers. You may
easily imagine how our Protestant neighbors laughed at the
very idea of employing such means to obtain relief. It was
amusing to listen to their conversation. "Do you think
they will get the rain?" one would ask. "I guess not; do
you?,. Another would add with a sneering grin, "I guess
they will have to send to Rome for it." So they enjoyed
themselves at the expense of our good people. Vve paid
no attention to their remarks, but kept on praying. On
the very second day of the Triduum, a heavy shower came
to refresh the air, and a few days afterwards you would
have thought that the flood·gates of Heaven had been
opened, so abundant was the rain that fell for several consecutive days. The Protestants could not ignore the faCt,
and they~acknow\edged with shame that they had been too
hasty in~giving expression to their incredulous comments.
They felt very grateful, however, as they needed the rain as
badly as ,;e did.
These abundant rains interfered with my missionary excursions among the Osages during last fall, for the country
became so flooded in various places that it was impossible
for me to reach several of the Indian settlements that I had
intended to visit.
The Indians, especially the full-bloods, were not much
tr~oubled by the drought, for it makes very little difference to
them whether the season be wet or dry. If the waters rise
in the lowlands, they move their camps to the hills; and if
it becomes too dry on the hills, they strike their tents, and
go to encamp along some large stteam, where there is plenty of water for themselves and their horses. They do not
cultivate the ground, and have no fixed dwelling place ; all
that they want is good hunting-ground, for they live by the
chase. ·when the weather is dry, they go to the high
plains and set the grass on fire. By this means they drive
the game towards the streams, and manage to secure it
without much difficulty. Deer seem to be very much afraid
of fire, and as soon as they notice smoke arising on the
�kansas.
plains, they start for the timber land along the river courses,
where they fall an easy prey to the Indian hunter.
The wet season, on the other hand, does rtot. interfere
with hunting; on the contrary, I might say, it helps it.
During this season the grass springs up rapidly on the
plains ; the deer are attraCted by the fresh and tender vegetation, and wherever they go, they leave their cloven-footed
tracks deeply impressed upon the wet and muddy paths.
The Indian ever on the watch, as soon as he has noticed a
track of this kind, has a sure trail to follow, and it will not
take him long to come up with the game. Generally speaking, if an Indian get sight of game, he is sure to bring it
down. So no matter what the season may be, he can make a
living so long as he has a hunting ground. But he never has
any meat to spare; for an Indian is a first class trencherman. He disposes of the furs for the necessary supplies
of life; but he always keeps some in reserve to purchase
fire-water, or bad whiskey, from which he cannot abstain if
it be possible for him to get it.
When the Kansas legislature last year passed the socalled Temperance Amendment, we were in hopes that better times were now in store for our Indians, and that there
would be a greater chance of improving them. It was
thought, that the sale or manufaCture of whiskey, which is
the greatest obstacle to their civilization, being forbidden
by the law of the State, it would be impossible for them to
procure any further supplies of the baneful liquor. Vain
illusion! The Temperance Amendment, so far from diminishing the liquor traffic, has only increased it amongst both
whites and Indians.
The Indian's love of strong drink, or fire-water as he calls
it, is beyond comprehension. No matter how high a chief
may stand in the esteem of his people, if he can procure
liquor, he will drink to excess, nor will he stop until the
supply is exhausted. During the whole time of my dealing with the Osages, a period of more than thirty years, I
have known but one really sober man amongst them, who
could never be induced under any consideration to taste a
VoL.
XI.
No.
2.
22
�Kausas.
drop of whiskey. This man, who is now about seventy-five
years of age, is stout and healthy, and in very good circumstances; and his prosperity is due to his sobriety. The
whiskey sold to the Indians is downright poison, and hundreds have been carried by it to an untimely grave. The
diseases brought on by excessive use of this vile stuff are
terrible, the scurvy in its most hideous and loathsome developments being the \vorst of all. This disease becomes
at times epidemic, and will depopulate the \vhole of a town
in one season. Blindness is another of the diseases brought
on them by intemperance. Their sight at first becomes
dim; after a while, their eyes look glassy and dull; finally,
a white skin grows over them, and they are blind for life.
This misfortune, however, has in many instances been beneficial to them, for material blindness brought light to their
soul: as this expression may seem mysterious, let me illustrate the subjeCt: by some examples.
The Indfan, for the most part, is brought to fall into intemperate habits, unwittingly and unwillingly, and consequently some allowance should be made for him. And if,
unfortunately, he should happen to lose his sight by this
indulgence, he is apt to become the wiser in consequence
of the calamity. For when an Indian becomes blind, he is
placed outside the occasions of doing much mischief; he
can no longer rove over the plains with his fellow-braves,
and peing obliged to keep to his tent, if any good friend
will take the pains to instruCt: him, he listens with pleasure,
and will aa up to what he is taught, if he possibly can.
I said that a blind Indian will gene_rally stay at home, but
there are occasional exceptions, and some years ago we had
such a one amongst the Osages. He was a large man,
whom we used to call Simeon, and he had lost his sight
from drinking bad whiskey. This happened some time after
the Mission had been established, and being well acquainted
with our house, he frequently dropped in to have a social
chat with us. He had never seen me, for he was already
blind when I came here, but having got acquainted with
my voice, and knowing that he could occasionally get a
�Kansas.
little piece of tobacco from me, he used to come frequently
to my room. I did not objea to his visits, for I could
always learn something and improve in the Osage language
by conversing with him. Our conversation naturally took
a religious turn, and as he was a willing listener, faith by
degrees entered into his heart, and as he offered no obstacle
to the workings of divine grace, he gradually came to the
conclusion of abandoning his heathen praaices, and I may
say with truth, that his blindness brought him to the light
of the Gospel, and he received the grace of Baptism.
This man had an excellent memory, and he remembered
all the roads leading to the houses of his old friends, and
as he was very fond of company, he was frequently on the
move visiting now one, now another. In these excursions
he would go sometimes by himself alone as far as fifteen
miles from home. The sun whose heat he felt upon his
face was his compass ; he knew all the usual crossings of
the creeks and rivers, and by dipping his hand into the water
he could judge of the force of the current, ·and decide
whether he could ford it or not, and he used to wade in
and cross the streams without any assistance. It happened
one day that he made up his mind to visit a friend living
some fifteen miles north of this Mission, and having started
off by himself, he did not miss a step until he came within
three miles of the place, when he lost the track and went
astray. He soon discovered his critical position, and having
no one to assist him, the poor man prayed to God with his
whole heart and soul to have pity upon him, and help him
out of this trouble. Having kissed. the cross of his prayerbeads, he struck off at random without any idea of the direaion he was taking, and wonderful to be said, he went on
in the right way, his Angel Guardian no doubt direaing
him. The people of the house to which he was going, noticed him while he was some distance away, and could not
make out, why or how he should come from that direaion,
and you may conceive their amazement when they heard of
his adventure.
As blindness was a blessing to our old Simeon, so also did
�168
Kansas.
the loss of sight prove beneficial to another old Indian who
went by the name of Captain Jack. He belonged to the
tribe of Missouris, but lived amongst the Osages, his own
nation being almost extinct He had been a hard drinker
in his youth, and blindness fell upon him in consequence of
his excesses in this respeCt:, about two years before his death.
This man was very familiar with me, and whenever he came
to see me, I used to fill his pipe with some good tobacco;
so that, when he became blind, he made his way by a peculiar instinCt: to my room, in order to have a chat and a good
smoke. He was at this time about eighty years of age, but
his memory was unimpaired, and he was gifted with good
common sense and always listened with great attention to
my instruCtions. In those days, I had in my room a beautiful representation in lively colors, of our Lord in the house
of Caiaphas, where surrounded by the Jews he was insulted
and abused during the night before his Passion. Captain
Jack adn{ired this piCl:ure very much, and he had often come
to my room to gaze upon it, and at every visit I had been
called upon to explain the meaning of the sacred painting.
After he had become blind, he kept up the habit of coming to my room, and placing himself before the piCl:ure,just
as if he could still see it, he would exclaim: "0 Son of God,
how sorry I am not to be able to see Thee any longer! 0,
could I but see Thee once again ! " After remaining silent
for~ while, as if absorbed in prayer, he would point the index finger of his right hand at the Jews represented in the
piCl:ure, saying: "0 ye wicked men, who dare to spit upon
the face of the Son of God, how gl;;td I am that I can see
you no more!"
~- •·
Seeing the good dispositions of Captain Jack, I often advised him to abandon his foolish pagan superstitions and to
be baptized. His uniform answer was that he should like to
follow my advice; but he was accustomed to add : "In my
younger days I have been too much of a brave to do now
so good a thing as to enter into the ways of my God." By
these words, he meant to signify that he regarded himself
as unworthy to be ranked amongst the followers of Jesus
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
169
Christ, because in former years he had committed too many
depredations and killed too many people. The poor old man
spoke through a sincere feeling of humility, and this, I believe, procured for him in the end the grace of a true conversion. Some two months before he died .he was baptized
by Father John Schoenmakers. Through blindness this
man also found the truth, and as we hope, attained eternal
happiness.
These examples show most evidently, that these despised
Indians have good and noble souls, that they love the truth,
and are willing to follow its teachings when once they have
discovered it. Not only are they well-inclined to the truth
itself, but they have also great respect and affection for
those, who without any hopes of personal advantage, dedicate themselves to a life of sacrifice and hardship, in order
to point out to them where this truth is to be found.
PAUL M. PoNZIGLIONE, S. J.
JUBILEE MISSIONS IN NEBRASKA.
(Continued.)
CRETE, SALINE Co.-Fathers Turk and Hillman opened a
mission in this place on Sunday, Oct. r6th. Crete, a lively
little town with over two thousand inhabitants, is situated
on the Big Blue River, and at the junction of the Beatrice
branch with the main line of the Burlington and Missouri
Railroad. The weather was cold and rainy on Sunday and
Monday, and the condition of the roads was so bad in consequence, that many families living at a distance could not
attend. Many German and Bohemian Catholics live in
town and in the surrounding country, and for their benefit
sermons in German and Bohemian .were preached every day
of the mission. The Masses were at 7.30, 8, and IO o'clock;
during the IO o'clock Mass, Father Tiirk gave a German
Sermon, and Fr. Hillman preached in English after Mass.
�lJO
:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
At 3 P. M. Fr. Turk preached to the Bohemians; and at
7.30 P. liL the beads were said in German followed by an
English sermon and the BenediCtion. The Fathers stopped
at the pastoral residence adjoining the church, and the Pastor, Rev. W. \Volf, did all in his power to render their stay
pleasant and comfortable. During the mission one hundred
and forty-five Communions were distributed and thirteen
Bohemian children were baptized. On Friday and Saturday
we had again cold rainy weather, and we anticipated a poor
mission in Friendville, the next place on our list.
FRIENDVILLE, SALINE Co.-Friendville is a small town
about seventeen miles west of Crete, and is attended twice
a month by Rev. Fr. Wolf, pastor of Crete. The mission
opened on Sunday, OCt. 23r9; the congregation was larger
than we had dared to expeCt after the terrible rain of the
preceding days. The weather, however, having cleared up
on Sund~y and continuing fair during the week, the attendance at all the exercises was very large. For the benefit
of the German Catholics of this congregation, Fr. Turk
preached a German Sermon every day after the 10 o'clock
Mass. All the other exercises were given in English. We
had to stop at a boarding-house kept by Mrs. Satterfield, a
Protestant. The accommodation and table were rather
poor, but no other place could be found. The number of
Communions distributed was exaCtly two hundred. Fr.
Tiirk left on \Vednesday for Exeter, where according to
promise he visited the Bohemian settlement south of that
place. On Saturday afternoon the Fathers were on their
way to Hastings, where the mission had to be opened on
Sunday, OCt. 3oth.
.•· -·
HASTINGS, AnA~rs Co.-Hastings, the county seat of Adams Co., is the largest town on the Burlington and Missouri
railroad west of Lincoln. It is also a station on the St.
Joseph and \Vestern Railway, a division of the Union Pacific railroad system. The church and pastoral residence are
within a stone's throw from the crossing of these two railroads. The location is not a very desirable one, especially
for a nervous man. The weather being favorable and roads
�Yubz'!ee Missions zn Nebraska.
i7i
in good condition, the exercises were pretty well attended. Many old sinners were reclaimed, and one hundred
and eighty-three communions were distributed. The pastor,
Rev. Fr. Simeon, being of opinion that one Father could
attend to the work in Hastings, Fr. Turk went to Fairfield,
Clay Co.~ nineteen miles south-east of Hastings, and gave
a mission for the benefit of the Bohemians settled in that
neighborhood. The results were, however, anything but
encouraging, only twenty-two communions having been
distributed. From Fairfield he went to Red Cloud, the
county seat of vVebster Co., where he visited a small Bohemian settlement-seventeen approached the Sacraments.
The Missions at O'Connor Colony, Greeley Co., and at
Central City, Merrick Co., were the next on the list, but
were abandoned; the former, because the church had been
destroyed by a cyclone a few months before ; the latter, because Rev. E. Geary, the first resident pastor, was not prepared to have a mission. Fr. Hillman on his way home
from Hastings stopped at Grand Island and proposed to
Rev. R. Phelan, the pastor, to begin a mission either at
Grand Island or at Wood River on the 13th of November.
He gladly accepted the proposal; but owing to the heavy
snowstorm on the 10th and 1 Ith of November, this mission
also was abandoned.
On Nov. 7th, Fr. Turk opened a triduum in the church
of St. Mary Magdalen, Omaha, for the benefit of the German Catholics. The attendance at the exercise was pretty
fair, and one hundred and fifty-two availed themselves of
this occasion to comply with the conditions prescribed for
the gaining of the Jubilee. Shortly afterwards he was requested by the Rt. Rev. Bishop to take temporary charge
of the Bohemian congregation in Omaha, which owing to
the removal of Rev. Klima, 0. S. B., was left without a
pastor. He hopes, however, that this charge will be of a
very limited duration; because he is anxious to apply to
the work for which principally he was sent to Nebraska,
viz: to visit those Bohemian settlements, which are seldom
�172
:Jubilee Missions £1t Nebraska.
or never attended by priests of their own nationality, and
which are more likely to lose the faith than any other.
CoLmmus, PLATTE Co.-After a rest of two weeks, necessitated by circumstances referred to above, Fr. Hiilman left
Omaha on Nov. Igth, and arrived on the same day a_t Columbus, where a mission was to be opened on Sunday, Nov. zoth.
Columbus, the county seat of Platte Co., is a little town
with about 2,300 inhabitants, situated on the Union Pacific
Railway, and ninety-two miles west of Omaha. The pastor, Rev. J. M. Ryan, met the missionary at the depot and
conducted him to the pastoral residence, a two story frame
building, which, if required, would accommodate two
priests. Rev. Father Ryan is one of the pioneer priests of
Nebraska; he has labored much and gone through many
hardships. vVhen the number and the time of the exercises
were being settled upon, the Rev. Pastor thought as a matter ot ·course, that the missionary should sing the HighMass and give the opening sermon after it. It was further
agreed upon, that the evening service on Sunday should
take place at seven o'clock and should consist of the rosary,
a sermon and some prayers; that during the week the morning exercise should be given at ten o'clock, and the evening
exercise at seven. Fr. Hillman had to say the late Mass
every day of the mission and, without his breakfast, had to
~go through all the hard work, which in missions like these,
always comes in the forenoon. As an additional consolation,
he was told that the church was on the edge of the town,
at a distance of over half a mile from the house.
\Ve had very beautiful and favorable weather during the
mission ; the sky was clear a~d -the air cold and bracing.
The attendance was very fair and at some of the exercises
very large. On Sunday afternoon the children came to the
church; the missionary spoke to them on Confession, assisting them to examine their consciences and to excite sorrow
for their sins, and then heard their confessions. During the
mission one hundred and seventy-one Communions were
distributed and five adults were instructed and prepared for
their first Communion. On the last evening the Benedic-
�jubilee Mi"ssions in Nebraska.
173
tion of the Most Blessed Sacrament was given in this church
for the first time. The Franciscan Friars and Nuns have
each a convent in Columbus. The Nuns take care of the
hospital; and the Friars attend to one of the two congregations in the town as also to various other congregations in
this and the neighboring counties. The two convents and
the hospital may not be strong and solid brick buildings ;
but they look very fine at a distance and certainly add
to the appearance of Columbus. Fr. Hillman paid a visit
to the convent of the Friars on Friday, and was cordially
received by the four Fathers residing there. On Saturday,
he left Columbus and arrived early in the afternoon at
Fremont, where the next mission was to be given.
FREMONT, DoDGE Co.-On Sunday, Nov. 27th, after the
High Mass a mission was opened in St. Patrick's church, Fremont. This is one of the largest towns on the main line
of the Union Pacific and is situated at the junCtion of this
and the Sioux City and Pacific Railway. At this point both
the East and West-bound overland trains stop twenty minutes for dinner; the eating-house belongs to Mr. Mevis,
a fervent and edifying convert to the Catholic church, and
one of the most respeCted citizens of the town.
The church, which used to stand south of the rail-road
track and in a poor locality, has been removed to one of the
most eligible sites for church purposes in the town. This
property was secured by the present z~alous Pastor, Rev.
T. W. O'Connor, and will give ample room for a large church,
a residence and schools with the necessa.ry play-grounds.
The church, since its removal, has been improved as to its
exterior, but more especially as to its interior appearance.
It is now one of the prettiest and most devotional little
churches in Nebraska: all the furniture of the church is
neat, tasty and kept in excellent order. The Catholics of
Fremont, who used to be attended only once a month, have
now two masses every Sunday, and have been wonderfully
improved in morals, and especially in the knowledge and
understanding of religion and religious praCtices. This
VoL. x1. No. 2.
23
�...
174
:Jubilee Missions iu Nebraska.
happy change is owing to the great zeal of the Rev. Pastor
and to the valuable aid he receives from his worthy assistant, Rev. J. F. Quinn, who attends principally to the many
outlying missions, which the Rt. Rev. Bishop has entrusted
to their care. The opening sermon of the mission was
preached after the High Mass to a large audience; in the
afternoon an instruCtion was given to the children, and they
were told to come to confession on \Vednesday afternoon.
In the evening at 7· 30, the exercise consisting of the Rosary,
a sermon and the Benedietion, was largely attended, many
of the audience being Protestants, who were very attentive
and respeetful in their behavior. For week-days the exercises were: one Mass at 8, and another at 9.30, the latter
being followed by a sermon; in the afternoon at three o'clock
the \Vay of the Cross was performed, a devotion which was
well attended and which seemed to be very much to the
taste of~the good and pious people of the congregation; in
the evenings at 7.30, the exercise was the same as on Sunday and exceedingly well attended. On Monday afternoon
Fr. Tiirk came to Fremont, heard a few German and Bohemian confessions on Tuesday morning, and then went to
Schuyler, Colfax Co., in order to give a triduum to the Bohemians, who have settled down in that neighborhood in
considerable numbers. The triduum however was not a
success, since only sixteen confessions were heard and but
five communions distributed. The failure may be attributed principally to the faa, that Schuyler although placed
under the jurisdietion of the Pastor of Fremont, is nevertheless looked upon as disputed territory by three Bohemian
priests, who live in the neighbori~g counties.
On Tuesday during the mission in Fremont a High Mass
of Requiem was celebrated for the repose of the souls of
the deceased members of the congregation; and on Thursday another High Mass was sung to give thanks to God
for all the favors received during the mission. The total
of Communions distributed was two hundred and fortyfour; one adult was prepared for his first communion; and
the pardon of the congregation was asked by the mission-
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
175
ary in behalf of one who had contracted marriage in a manner contrary to the laws and regulations of the Catholic
church. Many old sinners were reconciled with their God,
and on the whole this was one of the most consoling and
most satisfactory missions given in the Vicariate.
Fr. Tiirk came back from Schuyler on Friday, and both
he and Fr. Hillman returned on the same day to Omaha,
where they once more enjoyed the hospitality of Creighton
College.
SIDNEY, CHEYENNE Co.-On the day after the feast of
the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Hillman left Omaha for
Sidney, the next scene of his labors. Sidney, t!Je countyseat of Cheyenne Co., a town with about twelve hundred
inhabitants, is the last place of any note along the Union
Pacific Railway in Nebraska. It is situated four hundred
and fourteen miles west of Omaha, and has an elevation of
over four thousand feet above the level of the sea. From
this place a stage route leads to Fort Robinson and Red
Cloud Agency, and further on to Deadwood and the Black
Hills. Sidney is also a military post, and four companies
(three of cavalry and one of infantry) are stationed here.
From the information which the missionary received, it
seems that a considerable number of these soldiers are Catholics or at least ought to be ; only ten or twelve, however,
attended some of the exercises of the mission, and but four
approached the Sacraments. The;: mission was opened on
Sunday, Dec. 11th, at the eleven o'clock Mass, which was
attended by the larger portion of the small congregation.
In the afternoon an instruction was given to the children,
who came to confession on the Wednesday following. The
evening services which were held at seven o'clock, were especially well attended and consisted of the Rosary, a sermon and some prayers. On Monday morning, Rev. Fr. T.
M. Conway, Pastor of North Platte arrived at Sidney, the
most remote point of his jurisditl:ion. It was agreed that
the Masses should be said at six and at nine, the latter
being followed by a sermon. The six o'clock Mass was especially for the benefit of those Catholic men, who had to
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
work along the railroad or on the depot-grounds, as also of
the soldiers who wished to attend Mass. During the mission seven old sinners were reclaimed, ninety-two confessions were heard, sixty-nine communions distributed; and
the pardon of the congregation was asked by the missionary for the scandal given by a young woman, who had been
married to a Protestant before a Protestant Minister.-The
little church is a very neat frame building, handsomely furnished; it is the pride of the Catholics, who deem it their
duty to keep the church in good order, and to make such
improvements as may be needed. The missionary enjoyed
the hospit~lity of Mr. Edward Lowry, who endeavored to
render his stay as agreeable and comfortable as possible.
Not far from his house is the county prison, which seemed
to be well filled. The people of Sidney think they are
making rapid progress in civilization and good manners;
for during the preceding year only one man was lynched
and onfy- four murders were committed, quite an improvement on former records. On Friday evening, Fr. Hillman
in company of Rev. Fr. Conway left Sidney and arrived
about three o'clock A. M. on Saturday at North Platte, which
was the next place on the list of missions.
NoRTH PLATTE, LINCOLN Co.-North Platte, the countyseat of Lincoln Co., is situated near the confluence of the
North and South Forks of the Platte River, and two hund~ed and ninety-one miles west of Omaha.
The town has
about 1,700 inhabitants, and possesses quite a number of
good substantial brick buildings, prominent among which
are the extensive Union Pacific Railway shops, which give
employment to the larger portion" _of the male population.
It is also a division point of the Union Pacific, and every
train going either East or West, changes hands at this place.
-The church, a rather strange-looking piece of architeCture, is in a dilapidated condition, and does not afford sufficient accommodation to the members of the congregation.
The Pastor, Rev. T. M. Conway, is seriously thinking of
building a new church and of converting the present church
into a parochial school, which is not only desirable, but nee-
�:Jubilee Missions in Nebraska.
177
essary in this place, where the faith is not very deep-rooted,
owing principally to the faa that about three fourths of the
nla.rriages contra8:ed here during the last ten years, are
mixed marriages; and this, perhaps more than anything
else, contributes towards the diminution and the loss of
faith and pra8:ical religion everywhere. The mission was
opened on Sunday, Dec. I 8th, after the High Mass, the
church being well filled. At three o'clock in the afternoon,
the hour for Sunday school, the missionary was agreeably
surprised to find the church nearly filled with children,
about one hundred being present. He explained to them
how they might gain the Jubilee, and exhorted them to
prepare well for their confessions, which would be heard on
Wednesday and Thursday afternoons. The Rev. Pastor has
succeeded admirably well in creating and keeping up an interest in the Sunday school; for the children are anxious
to come, and the parents are equally anxious that they
should attend. If this school continues to prosper, and
with the help of God he is determined it shall, the introduCtion of a Parochial school will not meet with many difficulties. The evening exercise which consisted of the Rosary, a sermon and the Benedi8:ion, were especially well
attended. During the week the first Mass was said at six,
for the benefit of the railroad-men ; the second at half past
eight. The Stations, at three o'clock t>. M., were attended
especially by the women and children ; the men being more
numerous at the six o'clock Mass and the evening service.
The number of Communions distributed was one hundred
and forty; three adults were prepared for their first Communion, and one young man received the holy Sacrament
of Baptism. Many who had negle8:ed their duties for years
were reconciled with their God; and on the whole the mission was produ8:ive of much fruit. On Thursday evening
after the conclusion of the mission, the missionary was kept
busy till nearly eleven o'clock, and he did not dare to go to
bed, for fear he would be late for the train, which was to
leave North Platte for the east at twenty minutes past two
.on Friday morning. He left North Platte for Kearney June-
�:Jubzlee Missions iu Nebraska.
tion, about g6 miles distant, where he took the Burlington
and Missouri route for Exeter, the residence of Reverend
J. Jennette, at one of whose stations, Grafton namely, a mission was to be opened on Christmas day.
GRAFTON, FrLDIORE Co.-On Christmas eve, Fr. Hillman
left Exeter and went to Grafton, only fourteen miles distant.
where he enjoyed the hospitality of Captain Patrick S.
Real, one of the founders of the place, and one of its most
respeB:ed inhabitants. Grafton is a little town with about
three hundred and fifty inhabitants, by railroad one hundred
and thirty-two miles Southwest of Omaha. One of the
most prominent buildings in the town is the Catholic church,
which is among the neatest and most comfortable little
churches in the Vicariate. To the joy and the great satisfaCtion of the Catholics, the interior of the church was improved during the mission by the addition of a new and
very h_andsome altar, built by Gramer and Co. of Chicago.
On arriving at Grafton, the missionary had sent word
around that three Masses would be said on Christmas day:
the first at 8.30; the second at 9.30; the third at eleven
o'clock. The people, however, did not seem to appreciate
the great favor; because only three were present at the first
Mass and none at the second; at the third, more than one
half of the congregation came late. The Father to his sorrow had to open the mission with a severe reprimand, and
told them that he could not and would not wish them a
merry Christmas. This negligence was as far as possible
repaired by their faithful attendance at all the other exercises of the mission, and by the ~eally good and consoling
dispositions they showed in appcoaching the Sacraments.
The weather was exceedingly favorable, which enabled farmers living at a distance of twelve or fifteen miles to attend
the Jubilee Mission, during which one hundred and fifty-six
confessions were heard; one hundred and forty-four communions were distributed, and one adult was prepared for
his first communion. On Sunday the missionary baptized
a little infant and on Monday morning he administered the
last Sacraments to a lady who appeared to be in a very criti-
�Indian Missions.
179
cal and almost dying condition. On Tuesday evening, just
after the exercise, an accident occurred which might have
proved fatal. Through the thoughtlessness or the ignorance of somebody, one of the chandeliers with three burning coal-oil-lamps fell down from the ceiling. Happily the
lamps were extinguished in the fall and the loss of one lamp,
three globes and chimneys, and the staining of the floor
were the only bad consequences of the accident. The next
day the chandeliers were fixed in such a manner as to render another accident impossible, unless the roof itself should
fall in. On Friday morning the missionary returned to Exeter, and on Saturday, December 3 Ist, he arrived in Omaha,
in time to wish his brethren a happy New Year.
·
The following are the totals of the fruits obtained : Communions, 4,400; Confessions, 4,468; adults prepared for
first communion, 34; children baptized, 38; adults baptized, 2; pardon asked of congregation for scandals given,
in behalf of five persons ; marriages blessed, 3 ; marriages
revalidated, 2 ; last Sacraments administered to one person.
- - - - - - - -------
INDIAN MISSIONS.
MISSION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Letter of Fat/zer P. Damiani to Fatlzer 7. M Cataldo,
Superior General of tlze Mission.
I send you herewith, in fulfilment of my promise, an account of the journey which I lately made to Milk River,
in order to visit the Half Breeds of that seCtion, and to
sound the dispositions ofthe Assinniboine Indians. I stayed
the first night at the little village of Sun River, and took
up my lodgings in a house, against the wishes, it would
seem, of a countless host of inseCts, which came swarming
to the attack from all sides, and did not give me a moment's
peace for the whole of that long night, which I spent partly
�~
ISO
Indian Jtfissz'ons.
in waging unequal war with the above-mentioned enemies,
and partly in exhorting myself to resignation and patience.
At the dawn of day, I made my escape, and after a long
journey, I thought it would be much better to encamp upon
the prairie: but it was only exchanging bad for worse. Inseas of a different breed, which infest the prairies, more
multitudinous and sanguinary than those which beset me
the night before in the house, never desisted from their attacks all the night long: partial reiief was obtained by filling the tent with dense clouds of smoke, but the remedy
was perhaps a worse annoyance than the disease. After
this fashion I made the whole journey, with constant change
but no improvement of the circumstances, until the fourth
of July brought me to the Half Breed camp, not far from
Fort Assinniboine.
I remained there until the Sunday following, with plenty
of occ.~pation, as I gathered together the people twice a day
for instruCtion, catechized the children, administered Baptism, and was so busy hearing confessions that it sometimes
kept me employed up to midnight. Sunday night, I had a
sick-call to Bear Paw l\Iountain, some twenty miles distant
from camp. I gave the Last Sacraments to the sick man,
a young Canadian, who along with other Half Breeds was_
working there chopping wood for Fort Assinniboine, and
having said Mass the next morning, at which several ap-proached the Holy Table, I set out for Fort Belknap. I found
another camp of Half Breeds in the neighborhood of the
Fort, and for two days I was busy with them, visiting at the
same time the Assinniboine Indians, who were not far off.
This tribe is still wholly pagan:··but they are a people well
disposed to receive instruCtion, and were it not for the
Methodist Agent in charge of them, I believe that with the
divine assistance much good might be accomplished among
them.
·
I made known to them through my interpreter the objeCt:
of my visit. The principal chiefs were not present: they
were hunting buffalo at a considerable distance. I lodged
with a man who ad:ed as chief for the time. He received
�Indian Missions.
me kindly, and having understood the object of my journey,
he immediately called together all the men in the camp to
hear what I had to say, and that I might personally learn
the dispositions of each individual. Then he began to prepare the calumet, an indispensable ' preliminary to every
friendly consultation. I had communicated to my interpreter
what I wished to say to the Indians, and as he is a man of
solid piety and sound sense, I had given him the liberty to
add whatever he should judge to be appropriate, and this
I did the more readily, because he is a Half Breed related
to many of the Indians, understands their character thoroughly, and is highly esteemed by them.
He began to address them in the following terms: "My
children! Our Father in Heaven has sent me_ to-day into
your midst, to point out to you what He desires from all of
us. He desires that all whom He has sent into this world
should observe His commandments. Almost all of the surrounding nations have already received the word of the
Great Spirit: you alone have not this great happiness, and
for this reason, my children, God has sent me to you. If
you wish for happiness after death, and to enjoy the vision
of Our Father in Heaven, it is absolutely necessary for you
. to join the Catholic Church and receive holy Baptism. If,
then, you wish for this, I ask you to allow your children to
be baptized, in order that they m.ay first begin to walk in
the way of the Lord. Why do I ask that your children
should go before you ? Because I know that you love your
children dearly, and I am sure that you will not allow your
children to travel the right way alone. As for you who are
grown up, it is necessary to know what Baptism is before you
receive it. There is still another thing that you ought to
know. When the body dies, the soul does not die; and
God, our Father, does not wish to have the body, but the
soul, and in order to go and see him one day in heaven, the
soul must be pure, you must practise virtue, you must put
into execution that which He has taught you."
So far my interpreter, whose speech I have faithfully
VoL. xr. No. 2.
24
�• 182
Indian Misslon.S .
translated, as I shall do for the reply of the chief, delivered
in the name of all the bystanders, who interrupted his remarks by frequent bursts of applause. He said: "During
the many years that I have lived, such good words as yours
I have never listened t'o, 0 my Father! When I was a young
man, I often came across white men, who never addressed
such words to me; on the contrary, they used expressions
which caused me much pain. Once I met a Black Gown
at the Yellowstone, who said precisely the same things to
me that I hear from you to-day, and he declared that God
would some day be mindful of us. This day, then, the
Great Spirit, Whom we were ignorant of, grants to us the
favor of hearing His word. Yes, my Father! you are not
mistaken, we do love our children. Since, then, God offers
the occasion for our children to be happy, we shall not be
so ungrateful as to reject His mercy. When our children
shall l2ave opened the way in which we must walk in order
to see o"ur Heavenly Father, we hope that He will also have
compassion on us. Take pity on us, my Father, and come
back when all the camp will be here. I am sure that if
they were now present here, all would be of the same sentiments as those which I express to you. I am sure that all
will listen to you, when the time for instruction comes.
Assuredly, we should walk in the path of our relations, the·
Half Breeds; and, therefore, I pledge to you that no one
will refuse to listen to your words. Again, I say, my Father,
have pity upon us, and come back speedily to visit us. At
your return, you can live in the house that I am now building, and you will receive a hearty welcome." So far this
good Indian, and it may be easlly imagined how deeply I
was moved by such an answer.
After this my interpreter replied, and told them in my
name, that their words were most pleasing to me, that I
was delighted with their good dispositions and desires to
learn the wishes of the Great Spirit, and that they should
continue in the same sentiments; that I should pray for
this, but that to merit this favor from God, they should on
their part abstain from evil and practise virtue: that my
�indian Missions.
heart should be always with them even when I was far
away, and that I hoped to see them again during the coming spring. Finally, I told them to inform the absent chiefs
of my intention, so that I might begin to instruCt and baptize without delay at my next visit. Our interview was
closed with mutual signs of esteem, and having shaken hands
with them, I returned to Fort Belknap.
There are many difficulties in the way of doing much
good among these poor savages, although their dispositions
are so excellent. The first, and perhaps the principal obstacle is the Government Agent, who is a Methodist, and
regards us with an evil eye. At the visit which I paid him,
he received me civilly, but shortly afterwards he had it intimated to me that I should not be allowed to see the Indians again without obtaining permission from Washington,
and that if I were not furnished with such permission, he
should expel me from the Agency, if it were necessary.
Your Reverence must see to it that this permission is obtained, and I think it will not be a difficult matter. Let us
pray that every impediment may be removed which stands
in the way of leading to the fold of Jesus Christ these
strayed sheep, who are so desirous of being received into
it, but whom the malice of men is dragging to ruin.
On the I 5th of July, I was on my way back to the Residence. Nothing beyond the ordinary incidents of sucp
a trip marked my return, except that there was a deluge of
rain, it was as cold as in winter, and the roads were badly
broken. After a few days of rest I shall be off for Judith
Basin whither the good Catholic inhabitants have been for
some time inviting me. In union etc., etc.
P.
DAMIANI,
S.
J.
Extratls from a letter of a Father of St. Ignatius' Mission.
In this Mission we have only to hold what our zealous
predecessors have won by their labors. The Indians are in
general civilized, instruCted and industrious. The greater
portion of them live near the fields and gardens which they
carefully cultivate, at various distances from the Mission,
�lndia1l Missions.
On Sundays and Festivals they come in great numbers to
the church, some of them from quite a distance. All are
deserving of praise for. regularity in frequenting the Sacraments. There is a standing work of great labor for the
missionary in attendance upon the sick and dying ; for as
soon as an Indian begins to feel unwell, he immediately
summons the priest from a distance of twenty, thirty or
forty miles, and after·having received the Sacraments, he is
perfeB:ly calm and resigned to whatever may happen.
The proximity of the whites supplies plenty of work:
they are somewhat negleCted on account of the scarcity of
miSSIOnaries. They constantly complain of this indifference in their regard, and accuse us of employing all our
time in the service of the Indians, devoting little or none
to them. It is a faCt: beyond dispute that the white people
here have more need of instruCtion and of missionary aill
than any of the instruCted Indian converts.
St. Yoseplt's llfission, Yakima.-A Father of this Mission
writes as follows to the Superior General, Father Cataldo:
"In my late journey, which was of some length, I administered a certain number of Baptisms. I came across
nearly all of the Winakes, and had the opportunity of giving
them two instruCtions daily in the Yakima language, which
they understand pretty fairly. During Sunday, there was
not a moment of the entire day, that my tent was not filled
\vith Indians, eager to hear me speak about prayer, explain
the catechism, or some truth of our holy religion. Although
they all understand well enough the Yakima language in
which I spoke to them, it was nevertheless grateful to them
that I taught the prayers and s;;me things of the catechism
in their own native .tongue, and so I am resolved to learn
it, as I am sure that by this means I shall be able to accomplish more good among them. I had several Baptisms,
some confessions dating a long time back, and many promised that they would ask for Baptism before long. But it is
pretty hard for me to remain alone for any length of time in a
camp of savages; if I had a companion it would be a great
consolation to me, and moreover much more good might
be accomplished."
�TEXAS.
Letter of Fr. Ferdinand P. Garesche.
SEGUIN, TEXAS.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
Last summer I was invited to give a mission in Refugio.
Leaving Seguin in the month of June by the Sunset route,
I took the hack at Howard for Gonzales, about twelve· miles
distant. Although the weather was warm and the roads
dusty, or rather, on that very account, I preferred to sit with
the driver, as the interior of the vehicle was overcrowded.
At Gonzales, I went inside, with only one passenger on the
same seat beside me, and yet I found myself straightened
for room, though it is true my companion was of a large
build: Think then what it must be to make a journey of
over a hundred miles, as has been more than once my case,
with three persons jammed into the same space. Note, too,
that in ne~rly all these lines of partial travel, you must carry
your own provisions, or be satisfied with an occasional cup
of coff~e and a biscuit. I have been more than once caught
in this way, and in a trip of thirty-six hours' length had two
cups of coffee and a few biscuits for my only sustenance.
Leaving Gonzales at noon, we reached Cuero in the evening, having made nearly forty miles. The weather was
already sensibly warmer because there was here more moisture than at Seguin. It was at Cuero that our good Father
McLaughlin was last stationed, and every one was still full
of his praise.
I was to have proceeded from this place to Viaoria by
rail, and thence by private conveyance to my destination,
forty miles distant, but the pastor of Refugio finding no one
to send for me and having ascertained that one of his parishioners was going to Cuero, changed his plans accordingly,
and thus I had sixty miles to make instead of forty. Fortu-
(185)
�rS6
Texas.
nately the driver made inquiries for me early in the morning
before I could take the train, and so prevented me from disappointing the mission. Things are managed very loosely
down here, and appointments are made and broken with a
reckless disregard to punctuality which is exasperating to
one who has not been brought up on "fa manana" (the tomorrow) plan, and which the Texans seem to have inherited from the Mexicans. For instance, I made an engagement this same year to give a mission in North Texas, and
had therefore to decline another in West Texas, three or
four hundred miles from here, which was offered to me about
the same time. \Vould you believe that the former pastor
afterwards suddenly gave up the notion of a mission for fear
there would not be a sufficiently large attendance, and again,
still later, resumed the idea, when I was engaged elsewhere? P!easant that, is it not?
Leaviog Cuero after noon, we halted for the night at
Meyersviiie, a German Catholic settlement, where I met
Bishop Neraz who had come to give Confirmation. That
night having occasion to walk out in the brush near the residence I became poisoned by a creeping plant, called, I
think, "1us toxicodmdroll." I did not find it out""until the
next day, and after having suffered from it all the rest of the
year I have the assurance from every one that it will attack
me every spring and disappear only during the winter. Its
effects are an itching and inflamed skin, which, if not attended to, breaks out in pustules and ulcerous sores. Ever
since I have carried about with me a box of salve formed
of cosmoline and calomel which, so soon as the symptoms
declare themselves, I rub on the ·affected part, in my case
the upper part of the face, and especially the eye-lids.
Starting at 4 A.M., we arrived at Goliad (Nuevo) about
noon. By this time, what with the sun and fatigue, the poison
had begun to operate. I had stopped at a Catholic family,
half American, half Mexican, and wholly devout, and more
than usually well cultivated. Seeing the state in which I
was, my face inflamed, my brain burning, they urged me not
to proceed. But what could I do! It was already Friday,
�Texas.
and on Sunday the mission was to be opened. It was not
in my opinion a question of danger, but only of pain, and
I never like to miss an appointment, so we proceeded. Just
beyond the river, the San Antonio, we diverged a half a mile
to visit the old fort, of which the adjoining church alone remains and is still used. All around are ruined walls and
soldiers' quarters, where Fannin and his command were, in
despite of military convention, so mercilessly put to death.
The beautiful San Antonio, they say, was reddened for a
long distance by the blood of the massacre. In spite of my
eyes I took a hasty sketch of the church and surrounding
rums. I have little remembrance of the remainder of the
journey, save that I arrived worn out and delirious, at the
Mission, for so the place is called. Here was one of those
old battle fields on which the soldiers of the Cross waged ungrateful and unsuccessful war with Indian savagery. It was
never a large or promising station, though the present
church built on the site of the old one does not occupy the
whole foundation. The bell in use was one cast by the
missionaries themselves on the spot, and tradition still points
out the place where the casting was made.
The congregation here is diminishing in number, for this
is the region of the cattle-kings, and they embrace every
occasion to buy out the small holder and to render his stay
unprofitable if not impossible; so as to make room for their
ranchos of twenty-five to a hundred thousand acres, where
roam their countless herds of Texan cattle.
Saturday I abandoned to rest and the doCI:or, and Sunday
found me barely able to commence the mission. That week
was a hard and scarc\!ly a successful one, for though all
made the mission, it was evident that the spirit was not one
of great fervor. This may have been principally owing to
my indisposition, which gave way only towards the close
of the week, and with all my good will I found three sermons a day in such a sultry climate rather more than my
poor powers could do justice to. The Pastor and people
seemed more satisfied than the missionary, and you must
remember that there is in Texas no Celtic sympathy and
�Iss
Texas.
magnetism of faith and feeling, to aCt and reaCt on people
and preacher.
I had here a remarkable instance of the democratic equality which was once more general throughout the South, and
is still so observable, at least in Texas, and outside of the
larger cities. . There were families in Refugio with large
possessions, and with homes furnished on the most liberal
scale of expenditure, and yet their members mixed on terms
of friendship with artisans and mechanics, and held them as
fully their equals in social standing. This I have remarked
generally elsewhere in Texas.
The mission closed, the question arose how was I to return to Seguin? No opportunity presented itself of going
to Cuero or to ViCtoria, so I accepted a proposition to join
a private party who were to make their way by land to
Corpus Christi on the Gulf. A gentleman, his wife and
child, and sister-in-law, were to start on Tuesday afternoon,
stopping over-night at Welder's Rancho, eighteen miles
away, and on Wednesday to make the remaining fifty miles
to the sea.
Two maxims of conduCt have been to me matters of experience and surprise in Texas. The first is, 'never do to-day
what you can possibly put off till to-morrow: ' the second,
'do the least possible work in the greatest possible time.'
These maxims were to receive a new exemplification. The
King-bolt of our covered ambulance needed repairing. Early
in the morning the blacksmith undertook the job, promising
to have it ready for three o'cloc~ in the afternoon. He was
repeatedly urged to hurry up the. work, and so he had finished by seven o'clock in the ~vening, too late for us to
start. Early in the morning ensuing, we set out, and three
miies from the mission, that king-bolt broke as we were
crossing a gully in the road. The ambulance was sent back,
and by nine o'clock we saw the driver returning with a
rough country wagon without cover. Finally, it was agreed
to accept this conveyance as far as the rancho, intending to
borrow there another covered ambulance, not knowing that
a traveller had already borrowed it. By one o'clock we
�Texas.
arrived. In this distance, eighteen miles, we had traversed
two ranchos, and entered a third. No one was at home but
a colored cook, who was a philosopher in conversation, and
a do-nothing in the kitchen. Nothing was to be had but
bacon, green corn and some biscuits and coffee. No eggs,
no chickens, no vegetables, and only a quart of milk which
was confiscated for the baby- and yet there were I 8,000
head of cattle on the range, but we were in Texas. Whilst
wearily waiting for our lazy cook to prepare something to eat
-he had to catch and saddle a horse to go and fetch some
green corn-the ladies being forbidden by him to put foot
in his sovereign domain, I strolled out to get a shot at some
ducks in a pond near by. I got the ducks, and alas, something more. I had to crawl up to them through bushes
which were wreathed by my friend the poison-vine. That
night-I spent it on a blanket stretched upon the verandah! got to sleep after scratching my ankles raw on account of
the small red ant of the locality, and after having been driven furious by the bite of a scorpion; but finally I was lulled
to rest by the song of the mocking-bird, wildest of singers,
the plaintive notes of the scissor-tail and the distant howl
of the coyotes. I woke up about ten or eleven o'clock with
both eyes entirely closed by a swelling consequent upon the
fresh poisoning. My salve was in a valise in the room
occupied by the women, and so I had to pass the night in
dipping my face every half hour in water, and discoursing
meanwhile with the sable philosopher of the kitchen, who
was busy in preparing breakfast and lunch for the morrow.
Morning at last came, as it generally does if you wait long
enough, though I had to hold my eye open to see it. All
that long day we rode in our uncovered wagon beneath a
fierce, vertical sun, and from time to time I had to contrive
to shoot some partridges for our dinner, for the lunch proved
on inspeClion to be a counterfeit sponge cake, and nothing
more, if you except two or three water melons, made insipid
by the heat. But the scenery along the road was noble,
consisting until we neared the coast, of broad, slightly undulating prairies, covered with rich grasses, bedecked by
VoL.
XI.
No.
2.
25
�Texas.
flowers of every hue, and diversified by large clumps (mottes
we call them here) of majestic live-oaks, gracefully draped
with waving garlands of Spanish moss. No landscape
gardener could have equalled what nature's own hand had
here set out in long miles of continuous beauty and magnificence. At noon we rested on the farther bank of the
N ueces, and I flung myself out of the wagon, and snatched
an hour's sleep under the shade of a live-oak, regardless or
reckless of possible bites from ants, scorpions, spiders and
id genus omne. I awoke only too late to save the partridges,
they were burned to a cinder ; a half a melon was my only
resource until evening brought food and rest at the hospitable mansion of Bishop Manucy of Corpus Christi. The
good prelate exclaimed on seeing me that mine was the
most severe case of poisoning he had ever witnessed. The
next day at Galveston, whither I proceeded by steamer, the
physici~_n treated me for erysipelas.
On my return to Seguin our O'\Vn physician, Dr. Preston,
once a student at Georgetown College, procured me some
alleviation, but a few hours in the sun have been ever since
enough to bring back irritation and pain, until the \vinter
brought surcease of evil.
The country missionary in Texas must be content with
few results bought with much toil and privation. But then
does not the Lord always give. consolation, and is not the
conversion of one soul compensation more than sufficient
for any amount of labor and suffering! And when I think
that I came to Texas a semi-paralytic, unfit for aCtive and
continued labor, am I not justified in loving a country and
climate, where I c~n work, and do·,_ and try to do something
for God's greater glory? Only they who have been condemned as useless for work can fully understand the blessing of being permitted to toil in the vineyard.
F. P. G.
�BRAZIL.
Letter if Fatlzer R. M Galanti.
S. Lms CoLLEGE, ITu, March 4, 1882.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
After a long interruption, which circumstances beyond
my control necessitated, I am going to continue the history
of the College of Itu, and I hope I shall be able to carry it
on down to the present day. By way of preamble, let me
give due credit to the labors of Fr. Onorati, to whom
this college owes so much; his exertions prepared the way
for the foundation of this institution and subsequently as its
first Rector he planted the seeds of its future prosperity. At
the conclusion of his rectorship here, good Fr. Onorati went
to Sta. Catharina, and afterwards to Pernambuco, where he
labored very hard upon the mission. He had much to suffer
at the time of the assault made upon the College, although
he was not then present in the city. When our Fathers
were expelled from Pernambuco, he happened to be far away
in the interior, where he was trying to found a College.
Having heard the evil tidings from Pernambuco, he used
every effort to avoid falling into the hands of the enemies of
Jesus Christ, and succeeded in reaching Bahia by a long and
circuitous route, from which city he went by steamer in disguise to Pernambuco, and afterwards departed for Rome.
Meanwhile the sectarians were busily searching for him
throughout the empire. From Rome he passed to Portugal,
where he was occupied in preparing for publication a large
work on the great Father Vieira, father of the Portuguese
language, when he was called by our Lord to receive t~e
reward of his labors. He was a professed Father, very
learned, and competent to fill any position: and better still,
he was virtuous, zealous, humble, obedient- in one word,
he was a perfect Jesuit.
Having paid this little tribute of gratitude to the founder
(191)
�Brazz"l.
of the College, I shall proceed to relate some faCl:s which,
though unimportant in themselves, go to show that the college is the instrument of Divine Providence to help in the
regeneration of Brazil.
As our Rev. Father General thought it impossible to open
the college, on account of the opposition of the government,
he sent an order to Fr. Onorati to retire at once from Itu ;
this order arrived just after the permission of the government had been obtained, and therefore, Fr. Onorati waited
until an answer favorable to his plans had been received from
Superiors. The College was opened in an old Franciscan
monastery, abounding in deficiency of accommodations, but
withal good enough to make a beginning. In the first year
there were sixty boys, and this number was increased to
ninety-three before the end of the second year. Everything
was going on well-but difficulties were not wanting. First
of all, a Father was obliged to retire on account of sickness,
and Fr. Onorati remained alone with one lay brother to
take charge of so many boys, and to attend to a multitude
of affairs ; besides this, some people who had been at first
friendly to us, and should have always remained so, turned
against us, and the seCl:arian newspapers were constantly
declaiming against the college in the strongest terms.
But Divine Providence had a guardian care over its own
work. It was during this most critical state of affairs that
Rev. Fr. Ponza was sent to this mission as Visitor. He supplied the College of Itu with a sufficient number of good
subjeCl:s, wrote its regulations, and after many deliberations
settled upon the time and place fo_r ereCting a new house:
he also drew up the plan of a magnificent buiiding, but the
expense of such a grand struCl:ure deterred him, and the
plan finally adopted was more modest in its proportions.
We had no funds here, nor could our poor province come
to our aid; but a good priest volunteered to colleCl: a large
amount for us, and some gentlemen of the town promised
to make liberal donations. The priest raised with difficulty
some fifteen hundred dollars, and the local contributions did
not amount to anything. Discouragement was the natural
�Brazil.
consequence, and some of the Fathers proposed to stop
building; nevertheless, the work went steadily forward,
although debts were contracted and many sacrifices had to
be made.
One of Ours at this period tried to raise funds in Europe
for the College, but his efforts were fruitless : he obtained,
however, fifteen hundred francs from his Holiness, Pius IX.
Whilst the Religious Question was under discussion, the
college was exposed to all the fury of the storm. It is said,
that the decree for our expulsion harl been already signed,
but that its publication was arrested at the intercession of
some friends of the Society. My opinion is that the preservation of the college was due to the protection of some
heavenly intercessor- our Lady of Good Counsel, or St.
Aloysius. For a fortnight we· were busy packing up, and
preparing to depart at short notice. But the danger passed
away, and as the reputation of the College rose, the number
of students gradually increased from fifty-five to sixty-five,
eighty, one hundred and six. In I 877, owing to various
causes, the number decreased to ninety. At the beginning
of I 879, we were full of apprehension, because the news-·
papers were outspoken in their attacks, very few new. applications were received, and many of the old scholars did not
return after the vacations. In addition to this some of the
boys behaved so badly, shortly after classes were resumed,
that we were obliged after a fortnight to expel four of them
together. It was a necessary measure of severity, unwillingly resorted to, both on account of the loss, and because we
were apprehensive of the consequences if their families
should resolve to give trouble. No harm came from this
measure; on the contrary, from that moment the College
received more vigorous life. The number of boys soon rose
to one hundred and sixteen, and shortly afterwards some of
the best senatorial families of Rio Janeiro entrusted their
children to our care. Futhermore, several gentlemen of
high position came to spend some days at the college in a
friendly way, and after close observation of its workings,
they bestowed unqualified praise upon it, and sent their sons
�to be educated. This was done by the president of the senate, by the governor of the province, and by several senators
and general deputies. A great sensation was excited
throughout the whole empire, and scholars were attraCted
from far and near, so that we have now students from almost
every province, even from far distant Ceara, Maranhao and
Para. Such rapid progress was made that in I 879, we had
r8o boys; the next year, 230; last year, they numbered
more than 300; and, if we only had had the accommodations, we could have received this year over 500 students;
as we have barely room for 400, we have been obliged to
refuse a great many applicants.
To appreciate adequately such success as this, you must
bear in mind what I remarked in a former letter, that in
Brazil, since the suppression of the Society, the name of
Jesuit has been synonymous with all that is corrupt and
wicked: you must also know that in Rio there are many
colleges, and one belonging to the Emperor himself, which,
however, has been almost deserted ever since we began to
receive boys from the Capital. It must also be taken into
account that some ten years ago two colleges were opened
in a neighboring town in opposition to ours, one of them
direCted by Protestants, and the other under control of the
Masonic sectaries. They had some success at the begin- ning, and did us some damage, but Divine Providence here
also protected its own work, and these two colleges are now
dwindling down, one of them having only fifty-five boys,
and the other scarcely ten.
•
I should now speak of the· buildings, and of the results
obtained in regard to religion and studies; but this, I hope,
will form the subject of another letter. Meantime, I remain yours etc.
RAPHAEL MARIA GALANTI,
s. J.
�OBITUARY.
FATHER AuGUSTINE BALLY.
Father Augustine Bally, whose death occured on the
30th of January, 1882, was a man of remarkable merit in
many ways. The generation to which he belonged is fast
passing away, and we may well regret its disappearance, for
the stout and manly virtue which disappears with it. Father
Bally was a great man, though he knew it not, and few that
knew him ever adverted to the faa. He was so simple in
his greatness, so unpretending, so unselfish, so modest, that
his merit, though felt and recognized, was hardly adverted to and seldom mentioned. His learning was neither
deep nor varied, for he was educated in the "heroic age,"
when every man was called upon to labor, and when the
only time for study were the few moments that could be
spared from the duties of teaching or aaing as prefea in
yard• study-room, dormitory, etc. To such men it has often
been noticed that the Spirit of Wisdom supplies in a wonderful way whatever they need in the discharge of their duty.
Dominus dabit verbum evangelizantibus virtute multa.
Fr. Bally was a man of 'much virtue,' therefore his word
was powerful, tho' simple, and it came not back empty. For
nearly fifty years he was Pastor of the same congregation,
speaking to the same people in private and in public, always
under their eyes and under the close scrutiny of men of all
creeds, dispositions, passions and prejudices, and yet during
all that time Father Bally was esteemed and loved by all
that knew him, whether they were members of his congregation or not-during all that time his life stood the test,
his virtues underwent the scrutiny, and during all that time
esteem and love of Father Bally grew, until his name was
in every mouth, and his influence was felt far and near.None but a great man could have gone through this ordeal
(195)
�~
',,
,,
tg6
Fatlzer Augustine Eal!y.
as Fr. Bally did. He was the father and friend, the counsellor
and guide of all. If he had any predilection, it was for the
children of his parish and for his sodality, which he recruited from his schools- and in this he imitated his Divine
Model, who loved children, who blessed them and would
not let them be driven away from him. Fr. Bally was proud
of his schools, and justly so. The staunch faith and simple
piety of his people are the fruit which resulted from his care
of the early training of his flock. He labored patiently
and perseveringly, and when his labor was done, and his
rich harvest all gathered and secured in heaven, he lay down
to his rest calmly, with the smile of peace on his saintly
face and the consciousness of a well-earned reward in his
heart.
We are indebted for this tribute to Fr. Bally's worth to
one who knew him well; we add to the words of praise
uttered of him by a brother in religion, some extracts from
a loc~i secular paper which show how he was esteemed
near the scene of his lifelong labors. The Readiug Eagle
of February 4th, speaking of his death, says:This morning Oan. 30) at one o'clock the Rev. Augustine
Bally, S. J., pastor of the Catholic Church at Churchville
for 44 years, died after a lingering illness of many months,
at the pastoral residence here. He was born March 8, I8o6,
at l\Ierxplas, Province of Antwerp, Belgium. He entered
the Society of Jesus, Dec. 2, 1830, made his classical studies
- at Turnhout, in the Province of Antwerp, for four years,
and finished his philosophical and theological studies at
Georgetown College, D. C. He was ordained priest in I837,
after making his novitiate with the lamented Fr. Barbelin,
late of St. Joseph's church, _Philadelphia, and others at
White Marsh, Prince George's county, Maryland, of whom
only two are surviving, viz: Father Ward, of New York,
and Father Emig, of Hanover, York county, Pa. He officiated at this church for the first time on All Saint's day, I837,
and ended it on the same day in I 88 I.
Father Theodore Schneider, commenced this mission in
1741, which extended at that time from this side of the
Schuylkill river to New York and Philadelphia. Father
Schneider died here in 1764, and Father De Ritter took
charge of the parish after being associated with Fr. Schnei-
�Father August£ne Bally.
der from 1751, and died 1787. One of the children whom
he baptized, John Schell, is yet alive, and over 99 years old.
Father Kohlmann, was assistant to Father De Ritter, became his successor and died at Georgetown College. Fr.
Boniface Corvin officiated for fifteen years after and died in
1837. Father Corvin built the new church, and had it under
roof, leaving the completion to our lamented Father Bally,
who put it in the condition it now is. He also built the pastoral residence and the school-house attached to the church,
besides other buildings.
Since his first year's pastorate in this mission, Fr. Bally
took an indefatigable interest in bettering the intelleCtual
condition of his flock, as well as their moral condition. He
established the first English school, and in every possible
way promoted the spread of the English language. He in·
troduced English into the church services, and as long as
he was able to preach, he delivered his sermon first in English, then in German. The result of his labor in this direCtion is seen to-day in the familiarity of the people in that
seCtion with the English language, and their general intelligence.
Father Bally also organized a sodality many years ago,
which now has a membership of more than two hundred
persons. It was at first composed entirely of young people.
These have all married, and have many of them grown old
and gray; and with their sons and daughters, many of them
also married, still attend the meetings of the society, and
take an aCtive part in church work. There were also benetidal societies organized by the men, under his direCtion,.
which are in an excellent condition to-day.
Deceased frequently visited Reading and officiated in the
services in St. Peter's church, which was then the only one
in Reading. He frequently preached to the young people,
who were his special care. He had an overwhelming fondness for children, who were his daily visitors. Though his
death was expeCted, it is after all a shock to those who
knew him.
In stature Father Bally was below medium height, and
the form that in youth was supple and ereCt, was in his later
years, bent over with disease and study. He had a striking
face, with very light blue eyes, which retained their clearness to the last, though the sight had grown very dim. His
complexion was fair, and since his last severe illness, almost
childishly so; and the fringe of snow-white hair which Fa-
VoL.
XI.
No.
2.
26
�Fat!ter Augustine l3al!y.
ther Time had left on his head, gave him a venerable, and to
those who knew and loved him, a saint-like appearance.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The funeral services will be most impressive, though devoid of any unusual display. It was the wish of Father
Bally that when he died every detail of his burial should
be plain and simple. No handsome or costly casket, he
used to say, should his mortal remains repose in; better a
joyous entrance into heaven than the most gorgeous funeral
pageant. Yet the love that his congregation bear him, will
be shown in every possible way, consistent with the circumstances.
The mission of which the little colony at Churchville
was the nucleus, was one of the earliest in the history of
Pennsylvania, and the Jesuit Fathers who were its founders
are still remembered in the local traditions of lower Berks.
Many a story is told by the old grandfathers of that seCtion
of the labors and adventures of these pious men, as related
to them in their childhood by their sires or grandsires.
Th~. mission which extended over almost the entire part
of Eastern Pennsylvania, on the other side of the Schuylkill was a vast wilderness, with few roads but the narrow
tracks used by the Indians, who were usually very friendly,
and were converted to the faith in large numbers by these
zealous priests. The little chapel which was ereeted at
Churchville shortly after Father Schneider's arrival among
the settlers in I 741, is still standing, and presents a most
ancient appearance. The walls and floor are of stone, and
. the little altar within the edifice has since been dedicated to
the Mother of God. Underneath the stone floor of the
~chapel lie the remains of most of the Jesuit priests who had
charge of the mission, and who sleep so quietly near the
scene of their labors. Above the grave of each are quaint
slabs of marble, with the name of him who lies beneath
carved upon it, together with tlie date of his birth and death
and the years of his labor in the Society of Jesus. There
is something so touching about it all. Here, underneath
the chapel which their hands helped to rear, they lie in their
last sleep. A stone's throw from them outside in the old
graveyard, lie their flock, the settlers who with them had
braved so many hardships, the children who had grown to
youth, to manhood, to old age, and been consigned to the
grave under their pastoral care. Now the little children of
the present generation come in two by two before school in
the morning, and kneel in the plain, old-fashioned pews 1
�.Fat!ter Augustine Bally.
199
over the graves of the dead priests; and their childish
voices recite the prayers which were taught them by good
Father Bally, and which were so often repeated in the same
spot by the children of the settlers and the dusky faced Indian boys and girls who knelt beside them, long, long years
ago.
Father Bally, the successor of these untiring and faithful
priests, was in every way most worthy of his mission. He
came to Churchville-then it was called Goschenhoppena young man, fresh from study, in the prime of life and full
of energy. He soon adapted himself and his instruCtions
to the wants of his people. Not to those alone who lived
in the near neighborhood of the church was he a faithful
pastor, but to those who lived in extreme parts of his mission. His favorite mode of travel was on horseback, and
he rode many miles early in the morning, without having
broken his fast, to celebrate the sacrifice of the mass in
some distant corner of the parish, where a number of the
faithful had gathered together to hear the words of comfort
and advice that came from his lips.
Some fourteen or fifteen years ago. Father Bally used to
celebrate mass once a month at what is now known as
Kern's station, some distance from Alburtis. Here a number of Catholic men, some of them with families, were engaged in working on the railroad; and Father Bally was
never tired of administering to their spiritual comfort. About
this time, too, he was a frequent visitor to Reading; Father
O'Connor, who was then pastor of St. Peter's church, and
who died two years ago at Manayunk, was an especially
warm friend of his ; and almost every year when the Devotion of the Forty Hours came around, Father Bally was
present to assist in the services ..... .
The funeral this morning was one of the largest ever
known in this setl:ion of the country. From Philadelphia,
Reading, Pottstown, Allentown, Kutztown and every part
of Berks and adjoining counties, were gathered people who
had known him as a pastor and friend ..... .
During his pastorate Father Bally baptized 2,375 children
and grown persons : buried 8 50 persons, and married 45 5
couples. During the last 10 years he only baptized about
one-half of the children. The other half were baptized by
his assistants and other clergymen.
�200
Fatlzer Clzarles P. Bahan.
FATHER CHARLES
P.
BAHAN.
There was a man in tlte land of Hus w/zose ttmne was :Job,
and tlzat man was sfmple and upnglzt and fean·ng God and
avozding evil.- JoB, I, I.
The charaCter of one of God's most faithful servants is
set forth in these simple words, and with but a change of
name and place of birth they would serve also as a concise
history of Father Charles Philip Bahan. From the moment
when first his childish soul became capable of discerning
good from evil and awakened to the truth that he was created to love and serve God, he seemed to say in the words
of the Canticle of Canticles: "Till the day break and the
shadows retire, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to
the hill of frankincense." For from those boyish days up to
the moment when he passed to his Lord his whole being
was plunged in abnegation and a childlike, beautiful reverence for God's great majesty. A true soldier of the cross, he
warred unweariedly against the world, the flesh, and the
devil, and held this triple foe to sanCtity of life ever at his
sword's point, like a dexterous fencer. In the words of
Holy Writ, the law of grace was the apple of his eye; it
was bound upon his fingers, and written deeply in his pure,
warm heart. It is a noble sentiment in human nature which
1eads one to speak naught but what is kindly of those whose
deeds of might or of weakness have been laid bare in God's
searching judgment: but sweet indeed is the conviCtion
that the life of him whose form· is stiff in death was pure
gold and silver in its warp and \~ciof; that there are no ugly
stains there for charity's generous mantle to screen; that
he who has passed into the great Silence held ever to the
really True and Beautiful and Good. Father Bahan's saintly
life shows how well he "fought the good fight," and how
dear he:was to his Lord. "I love them that love me, and
they that in the morning early watch for me shall find me."
This holy priest 'watched early' for his Master, and with his
lamp of life full, well-trimmed, and shedding abroad its soft
!I:
�Father Charles P. Bahan.
201
bright light, went joyously forth to 'find Him whom his
soul loved.'-Considered as a mere succession of events, his
life was of the most commonplace; looked at in the revealing light of faith, it is refulgent with a sacred glory and is
seen to be full and momentous.
·
Charles Philip Bahan was born in Pensacola, Fla., in the
year 1834. on the gth of July. He received the rudiments
of his education at Madison, La., near Lake Pontchartrain.
His boyish years were passed on Barataria Bay, a haunt of
Lafitte and the Gulf pirates. The child is father to the
man, and all through his noble life Fr. Bahan was characterized by the most sturdy, manly form of feeling exhibited in
a manner the most delicate and spiritual : in a word,
"Subdued ..... unto that gentleness
Which when it weds with manhood makes the man."
He went to Georgetown College for his higher studies.
While there he was a boy whom Thackeray would have
liked to "tip" ~robust, healthy, a vigorous participant in
all games and athletic sports, and under all this rich exuberance of physical life, bearing a soul without guile.
One of his old school-friends has in a few strong lines
drawn Charles Bahan both as boy and man so feelingly
that to quote the entire passage will not seem too much to
those who read it. It is James R. Randall, the author of
"Maryland, My Maryland," who writes from Washington
thus:
"While sitting at breakfast, the oth.er day in one of the
numerous restaurants here, my eye fell upon a brief paragraph in the paper that almost made the meal a mockery.
It was the announcement of the death of an old college
friend, Rev. Charles P. Bahan. He had been found dead
in his room -a victim to apoplexy. Though summoned
suddenly, all was \Vell with him. I never knew the time
that his steadfast soul was not prepared to leave this world
for a better one. As a boy, he excelled in all athletic
sports, but his piety was ever robust and unwavering.
Though born in Florida and long a resident of New Orleans,
he was our best skater; and when we stormed snow forts,
amid a hurricane of missiles, "Old Crab," as we called him,
never failed to lead the victorious assault. In defending
�202
Fatlzer C!tarles P. Balzatt.
the fort he kept it. That was his charaCler in all things.
It was so in his studies, for he invariably gained first prizes.
It was so when he became religious. He would have been
sure of success in the world, but loved it not. Fired by
the example of Ignatjus of Loyola, he joined the Jesuit
Order when quite a youth, and had been a model priest for
fourteen years when he went to Heaven. He cared for nothing so much as the good of others and the salvation of
his soul. 17wt he gained ; and I do not weep for a saint in
glory. Here, in this hurly-burly, how many of us are pushing and scheming and sinning to gain a miserable share of
material profit, in the line of worldly ambition, which, according even to a successful statesman, is nothing but vanity
and vexation. l\Iost of us will reap nothing but disappointment and knawing of the heart. When the struggle is over,
and our lives are as tales that are told, it will be found that
he who sleeps this night with the cross on his cold breast,
upon the hill side at \Voodstock, adopted the wiser course
in offering 'his whole being to the greater glory of God,
and that ne has "chosen the better part, which shall not be
taken away."
One of the Fathers once found him in the college chapel
with a distressed air. "\Vhat is the matter?" was his natural query. "I want to go to confession and I don't know
what to tell" was the naive reply. He carried off the
honors of his class, and in 1854 went to the Novitiate in
·Frederick. \Vhat he was as a novice scarce need be told.
After his vows he was called to Georgetown, and then-prejetting. To Jesuit ears the word has not a soothing sound.
Love of God and a pure intention may undoubtedly make
this line of work prolific in merit, but the natural man
cannot but be deeply worn by its ha.td, monotonous, prosaic
routine. Father Bahan gave ab~u'f twenty years of his
manhood's strength to this irksome task. In a letter written
to a brother religious two years before his death he says :
"As the years wear on, the office of prefeCt: becomes less
objeCtionable to me. I believe I prefer it to most other
occupations. I would prefer teaching some low class, all
day, such as Rudiments, without prefeB:ing, to the simple
office of prefeCt. People think that I am rather odd in my
preferences." Father Bahan was a lithe spare man, and
�Father Charles P. Bahmt.
2dj
his thoughtful, intensely virile nature gave to his face
when in repose a slightly severe expression till the sunny
smile which it was so easy to call to his lips showed one
how light-hearted a soul he was. Apropos of this, he wrote
once: "Fr.
is often at me on account of my sour
looks. I find it hard to wear a smile on a face that was
never shaped for it. I have not had offices in the Society
that foster smiling." It was while acquitting himself of the
galling duties of the prefectship that he made his course
of Theology. Again to Jesuits there is no need to emphasize what this implies. The teasing care of refractory boys
is not the best mental preparation for the terse style and
subtle profundity of the Angel of the Schools. In 1868,
he was ordained priest by Bp. Gibbons, the present Archbishop of Baltimore. Then, back to the old post at Georgetown, from which place he was called in 1872 to the Vicepresidency of the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester,
Mass. He remained there for seven years. This college
may be a very Thebaid for him who will so have it. A
Thebaid it was for Fr. Bahan. Fr. O'Hagan, the then President of that institution, once said of Fr. Bahan: "That man's
personal sanctity is bringing down blessings on this place."
When Fr. O'Hagan left for the Pacific Slope in quest of
health only to have life's feeble flame extinguished by a
weakening passage of the; Isthmus and to sink in death at
Acapulco in Mexico, Fr. Bahan acted as President, and was
spoken of as the possible successor to the office. Father
Edward Boone was elected to it, and Fr. Bahan recalled to
Georgetown, back to the old time grind of the prefectship.
He obeyed this order, which consigned him once more to
well-known drudgery with the most cheerful alacrity, indicative of that noble indifference to everything but God's
glory which our holy father so earnestly looked. for in his
sons. Two years more in this place, and then he was called
to Woodstock, Maryland, to be Minister in the scholasticate.
It was from this quiet hill-top that the Master called him
to his reward, exceeding great. Such was his life's tranquil
current, its tenor one of quiet toil, devoid of all the brillian-
�Father Clzarles
P.
Bahati;
cy which sometimes radiates even from funB:ions of the
religious life. The manner of his taking off was, however,
startling, and not without a certain tragic coloring. God in
calling him seemed like a mother, who sees her little one
performing, in sweet docility, some penance for a trifling
fault, and carried away by its touching repentance, snatches
it to her bosom ere the task is done. Fr. Bahan was taken
in the twinkling of an eye from the very midst of those
simple duties which his sanB:ity ennobled, taken \Vithout
warning when all the conditions of his physical being argued
two or three score more of laborious years in the vineyard.
Tuesday, March 21st, he intended to go to Baltimore on
matters of business. Not wishing to make his meditation
to the jarring accompaniment of rail-road distraB:ions, he
rose at an early hour so as to fully accomplish the morning
spiritual duties before leaving the house. At the hour appointed for his mass he did not appear, and as the brother,
who was wont to obtain til·e keys from him in the morning,
had found his door locked, and received no answer to his
knock, some alarm was naturally awakened. Rev. Fr. Rector and a young scholastic Father repaired to his room, and
receiving no reply to their calls, the latter effeB:ed an entrance
by bursting in the transom and climbing through. Fr.
Bahan lay stretched in a cramped position upon the floor
near his wash-stand-dead. Every restorative was applied
with no beneficial result. His face was fully prepared for
the razor, and his shaving brush had been placed standing
on the wash-stand, but the razor case on the bureau hard
by was unopened. This disposition of his toilet articles told
how swiftly the bolt of death had sped to its mark: The
doB:or says it was paralysis of the heart and that death was
instantaneous. The gloom cast over the community may
be imagined. All had but one common feeling in regard to
Fr. Bahan, that he was a man of great sanB:ity. And we of
the household with the bright example of his holy life so
present to us, we who knew how utterly unconscious he
was of his own exceeding worth, felt that in truth our loss
was great. Sudden death is usually regarded as a proof of
I
f
!·
!
rh
�Father Charles P. Bahan.
205
God's anger, and it is rare enough in the economy of
providence to mark the subjeCt: of it as worthy of much
love or much hate. To doubt that it was aught but the
tenderest of graces in Fr. Bahan's case would be to outrage
every conviCt:ion of our heart and mind. No! 'the day
has broken: the shadows have retired,' after he had climbed
for a Lent of years the mountain of myrrh, for he was
but forty-seven when he died. Every aCt:ion of those years
had been purified in the alembic of interior abnegation and
an ardent love of God, child-like in its simplicity. Did
space allow, it would be a pleasing joy to recall the varied
beauties of this sanCt:ified life, to draw on the little novicelike book in which the resolutions of every year's retreat
were carefully drawn out. The natural man in him was
fervid with the warm impetuosity of the South, and occasionally some little motion of the old Adam told of the Titan
gripe which choked its utterance as a rule. Although in
the most perfeCt: condition at his death after an enjoyment
of particularly good health through life, Fr. Bahan had
his share of those sufferings of the body which pain without enfeebling, but they never cast a cloud over his sweet
and amiable cheerfulness. He permitted himself no indulgences; to others he was most considerate. His diet
was regulated striCl:ly according to St. Ignatius' rules of
temperance. Never did a stimulant moisten his lips. One
of the most charming traits in his attraCtive charaCt:er was
his abhorrence of any touch of slander or detraCt:ion, and he
resolutely resisted the malign influence of evil reports. No
one ever heard him breathe an unkind word of his fellowman. 0 the exquisite beauty of his holy life! 0 the treasures such a life amasses in that heaven towards which it ever
tends! May our end be like to his. Father, brother, friend,
pray for us to God, and peace to thy soul.-]. J. A. B.
VoL.
XI.
No.
2.
�206
Fatlzer :fohn Blettner.
FATHER JoHN BLETTNER.
Fr. Blettner was born on the 3rd of April, 1806, at Neunkirchen (Moselle), in the diocese of Metz, now belonging to
the German Province of Alsace-Lorraine, but then a part
of the French Empire. After six years of classical studies,
and as many more devoted to philosophy and theology, he
was ordained priest at Metz, Sept. 24th, 1831. Having spent
a short time as curate in his native place, he was sent to St.
Sulpice in Paris, where he remained a year preparing himself for the chair of theology which he filled during thirteen
years in the Seminary of Metz. It was here that he conceived the desire of devoting himself to the Indian Missions, which finally led him to enter the Society, on Sept.
13th, 1846. He made his novitiate at Issenheim, and in
1849 was sent to the United States. Shortly after arriving here, Archbishop H_ughes sought and obtained him
as Superior of his Diocesan Seminary, then at Fordham,
N.Y. During eight years Fr. Blettner trained in the sacred
sciences and in piety the young students committed to his
charge, fully realizing the expeCtations which the Archbishop had entertained of him. Guelph, Ont., Buffalo, N. Y.
and Wikwemikong, Manitoulin Island, were successively the
field of his missionary labors from 1857 to 1865. The
following two years he was at Fordham as professor of Ours
in Theology and Hebrew.-He again returned to Buffalo,
on the breaking up of the Scholasticate in Fordham, whence
after four years he was removed to Sault Sainte Marie,
Mich., and remained there one year. After three more
years spent at Wikwemikong, he was finally stationed at
Fort William Mission, where he terminated a long ~nd useful career, dying peacefully in the midst of his brethren on
the 30th of Jan., I 882, loved and regretted by all.
Fr. Blettner was a man of great talent and learning.
Besides speaking French, English and German, he understood several Indian languages. Latin and Greek he knew
well, but for Hebrew and Sanscrit he had a remarkable and
peculiar taste and had made them his special study.
i
!
�Fatlzer :John Blettuer.
207
As Superior, though a stria and regular disciplinarian, he
was held in the highest esteem by all who lived under him ;
so gentle and kind was his charaaer that he was called by
the Indians "The Pacific." The last days of his life, ever
uniform and quiet, are thus described by the Superior of
the Residence who attended him in his last moments and
comforted him with the rites of the Church:"Towards the middle of November, he ceased to go to
the refeaory for dinner and supper. He never went out
of his room unless to say Mass. He was generally lying
on his bed, but occasionally sat up to read the Catholic
Review or Le Messager du Sacn! Cceur. His delight was
in reading the History of the Church by Rohrbacher. I
visited him only every now and then, for he generally preferred to be alone. He continued to say Mass in the parlor
until the zznd of Jan. The Mass he said that Sunday was
the last. On the 25th, Father B.-- came to the mission
and went to confession to him, He found him· very weak.
From that time he could scarcely take any solid food but
continued to take coffee, for which he asked two or three
times a day, and Port wine. Saturday and Sunday morning at 5 o'clock, I brought him Holy Communion, in his
room. On the latter day, at High Mass I recommended
him to the prayers of the congregation . . . . . . . In the
afternoon I went to him and spoke to him about receiving
the Last Sacraments. He said: 'Not yet;' and mentioned
the feast of the Purification. 'It is better in this matter to
be a little too soon than too late,' said I to him. As he did
not give me any positive answer, and I perceived no immediate danger, I determined to wait till next morning, telling Br. Stakum to watch him during the night. I had that
same afternoon a great many Indians come to bid him adieu
and receive his blessing. He recognized them well, looked
at them and blessed them. This scene was very touching.
Monday morning, I went to hear his confession, which
he made well, though he could not pronounce his words
distinaly. Then the bell called all of Ours who were here,
to his room, as the Last Sacraments were administered. As
�208
BrMher :Joseplt Tsclzenhens.
he could then scarcely speak, I helped him to say what he
wanted to say to the community, and then addressed him
some encouraging words. After that Br. Stakum remained
constantly with the good Father and was witness of his tender piety. He saw him kissing his crucifix a great many
times and blessing himself also. Sometimes he seemed to recover somewhat the use of his senses, and we then could
see his lips moving as those of one who prays. Perceiving
that his breathing became more difficult, we began to say
the prayers for the agonizing, kneeling around his bed, and
as I finished the prayers he yielded his soul into the hands
of his Creator . . . . . . Since he expired, the body has been
exposed in the parlor in sacerdotal dress. During the whole
day the room is filled with people from the villages and the
Town plot. They sing appropriate hymns and say the beads.
The grave is dug near the 'Mission Cross' as we call it, in
the grave-yard. The fun~ral service will take place on Feb.
Ist, at IO A.M. Fr. B.-- \vill deliver the funeral oration in
English: I will officiate, and speak in Indian the praises of the
dear dead. We expect many people from the landing and
from the Plot."
The same Father writes under date of Feb. I I : "Our
Indians edify us very much, as we watch them approach
the grave of Fr. Blettner, brush away the snow that covers
it, and there kneel to pray . . . . . . Let us thank God for
His graces towards us ; for we have far fewer disorders to
deplore among them than in the past."
Fr. Blettner was nearly seventy-six years of age, thirtysix of which he had spent in the Society.
-BROTHER JosEPH TscHENHENS.
Brother Joseph Tschenhens died at the St. Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, on February the 25th, 1882, aged
82 years. It is not exaggerated language to say that Brother
Joseph was an extraordinary man, especially for the high
�Brother Joseph Tsclzenhms.
209
degree of perfeCl:ion which he reached in those virtues that
make the model lay-brother.
Brother Joseph was born in Wurtemberg, on February
13th, 1800, and he joined the Society of Jesus, January 6th,
1824, at the College of Freiburg, Switzerland. He was subsequently employed as baker at Brigg, in the canton of
Vallis, but he was transferred to the College of Freiburg, and
he was there when the revolutionary disturbances among
the Swiss began in the autumn of 1847. Early in 1848 the
college was seized upon by the populace, and its persecuted
inmates were compelled to seek shelter in foreign lands.
Brother Joseph, and Caspar Wohleb, also a lay-brother, made
their way into France, and thence came to the United States,
reaching St. Louis about the beginning of June, 1848.
In the following month they were sent to St. Joseph's
College, Bardstown, Ky., just then made over to our Society
by the venerable Bishop Flaget. Brother Tschenhens remained at St. Joseph's College till the summer of 1855.
when he returned to St. Louis; and there he stayed all the
succeeding years of his life. He was employed at his trade,
of pastry cook and baker, till far down the decline of life,
past three score and ten years ; nor did he, even at the last,
ever "eat idle bread." A complication of ailments, peculiar
to persons of advanced age, carried him off, not unexpeCtedly, but well prepared for the solemn event, on February
2nd, 1882.
Brother Joseph was a model lay-brother, and, indeed, he
might be regarded as an exemplar of genuine religious perfeCl:ion, relatively to its more comprehensive ideal. He possessed, and always exercised, that complete control over his
own feelings, inclinations, and entire conduCl:, which is the
certain test of real sanCl:ity, or of true perfeCl:ion in high
christian virtue. He was not eccentric, had no peculiar
weaknesses, no likes nor dislikes, which could not be
opposed, or which had to be humored by others. He seemed
to be completely master of himself, and to have virtues that
were equal to every occasion. In his manners, and in his
devotional praCl:ices, he was very simple; he was free f~om
�210
Brotl~r
Joseph Tscltmlzens.
any exaggerated expression of pious sentiment, was never
ostentatious, and he neither overdid good works, nor fell
below the medium. He could endure contradiCtion with
mildness; he could be interrupted suddenly by the Superior
in one employment, and have another one assigned to him,
without manifesting the least discomposure; and it even
appeared that the unforeseen duty to which he was called
away, always happened to be just that thing which he himself preferred at that time to do. Brother Joseph was truly
meek and humble of heart; he was gentle and amiable, at
all times; his voice, countenance, and entire demeanor,
expressing perfeCt equanimity which not even the advent
of painful occurrences ever ruffled. There was an attraction in him for simple people and children, and the students
in the college always formed a high notion of his holiness,
and deported themselves, when in his presence, with unwonted gravity. He drew the~ attention of discerning souls
among the laity, who, with the instinCts of piety, singled him
out from among those who, on Sundays, received Holy Communion in the sanCtuary of the collegiate Church. He had
in a high degree of perfeCtion, the distinCtive virtues of
the good lay-brother: he was humble, prompt, and cheerful in his obedience to Superiors; he had unfailing industry,
shunned idleness and self-ease, and never allowed private
devotions, or special preferences, to interfere with any duty
whether of prayer or-labor.
It does not appear, on inquiry, that any one during the
thirty-four years of Brother Joseph's life in the province
of Missouri, ever knew or heard of his using an unkind
or impatient word; nor that any one ever knew or ht::ard of
his failing in any point of charity towards other per~ons.
He was uniformly cheerful and good humored, seeming
never to experience sadness or uneasiness of temper.
Whether things came to him opportunely or inopportunely,
Brother Joseph was always happy, and always had a pleasant
and edifying word for any one that spoke to him; and he
showed increase of joy most, then when he discovered in
what he could serve others, or do an acceptable benefit to
�Missionary Labors.
2I1
one of his brethren. He had great reverence for the priestly
charaCter, and this was manifested with marked and unfeigned sincerity, but unobtrusively, on all proper occasions.
It may be said, then, that Brother Joseph Tschenhens realised, in his religious life, the ideal of a holy man, whose
sanClity was not of a type which unfitted him for community
life, or which caused him to be admired, but feared by his
brethren; for, all loved to be with him, and to converse
with him. The praise herein bestowed on the virtues of
this venerable and saintly lay-brother, as, doubtless, all who
long knew him could bear testimony, is not made to exceed
truth and merit, by licence of obituary panegyric ; his
virtues were in faCt all they are described to be, and more
besides. At least such Brother Joseph and his life always
seemed to the \vriter of this notice, who knew him for nearly
thirty-four years, and lived in the same house with him for
more than twenty-six years.
WALTER H. HILL, S. J.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROI\I JANUARY I5TH TO APRIL 4TH, 1882.
CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART, NEW HAVEN, CONN.New Haven has seven Catholic churches for its twenty
thousand Catholics. By this showing, one third of the
population is Catholic. The Protestants have some fine
churches, but nearly all of them are built in the old meetinghouse style, a hybrid architeCture, that the Congregationalists invented, the barn style with a steeple attached. New
Haven itself is a pretty city and has been spoken of in these
LETTERS. It is a centre of higher education, and, as a consequence, is quite celebrated. The wealth of the city is
due to its various industries. In the colonial times and
even in our own day, it was one of the capitals of the state.
�212
~~Missionary
Labors.
Near the old state-house one of the judges who condemned
Charles I. is buried. After a life of outlawry, hunted from
colony to colony, he found rest here. A modest tombstone
marks.his grave.
The church of the Sacred Heart was bought from the
Congregationalists about six years ago. The leading member of the church and the principal owner of it, when the
Protestants possessed it, was a warm Southern sympathizer.
At the end of the war, he refused to allow any demonstration to be made in favor of the viB:ory. This manner of
aB:ing caused a secession of the entire congregation. The
deacon was left alone with his church; his occupation was
gone. His heirs, after his death, were glad to get rid of the
burden on their hands. The Catholics were always of the
belief that the church would one day be theirs, and whilst
it was being built, a mason made a cross upon one of the
stones, as a sign of what \vas to be.
The weather during th; mission was intensely cold. The
thermometer for ten days was below zero, and for the part
of a morning sank as low as - I 5o. The boys of the sanctuary, whilst waiting for the Masses, adjourned to the yard
and with their surplices on, kept themselves warm by snowballing each other. On another occasion, the holy water
was frozen solid, and had to be taken to a neighboring house
to be thawed out for use. Still the attendance at the services was very large, notwithstanding the cold mentioned
above, and the disagreeable walking from the sudden changes
to rain, and snow, and sleet during the two weeks. About
three thousand persons received Holy Communion. About
thirty adults were prepared for the sacraments. In~t~e days
of Father Fitton, who built the first Catholic church here fifty
years ago, prejudice ran high, so that he could not hire
workmen, and was forced to obtain help from other places.
Now there is less bitterness, as may be evinced by the faCt:
that six Protestants were received into the Church, and
others were left under the care of the priest, for instruCtion,
at the end of the exercises.
There are no parochial schools attached to this church,
�Missz'onary Labors.
213
though New Haven is well supplied with them. In one
parish the school board pays the teachers pro rata. The
Fathers tried to meet the want of instruCtion amongst the
children by setting apart an hour in the afternoon for their
benefit. It was hard to interest them; it was hard even to
keep them quiet. Some good was done, no doubt. Let
him who is anxious to test the matter, try to give an instruction to three hundred boys, just out of school, v;here they
have been kept in subjeCtion by the fear of punishment.
One of the Fathers asked a boy what St. Paul said to his
jailor, when questioned: "What must I do that I may be
saved?" "Let me out," was the reply. The urchin was
thinking about the earthquake, and never dreamt of belief
in the Lord Jesus. Another boy having been asked why
there is but one God, answered :-"God is everywhere, and
there is no room for another."
A leCture was given at the close of the mission to a very
large audience by Father Maguire upon "The Church and
the Revised edition of the Bible."
ST. PATRICK's, PoTTSVILLE, PA. (Feb. s-zo).- Pottsville
has been for sixty years the centre of the coal mining interest in Schuylkill County; it owes its existence to this
trade. About the beginning of the century, some enterprising man experimented with the hard stone coal, and
found out its heat producing qualities. In a short time
mines were opened up, and a large business was developed.
Wagon trains transported the coal to Philadelphia. In
course of time by canals and railroads, millions of tons
were sent to all parts of the country; and to-day the anthracite coal mines of Pennsylvania furnish nine-tenths of the
coal in use in the United States. Pottsville and a dozen
other large towns, or cities, have sprung up as the result of
the trade. A writer, not inappropriately, calls these coal
deposits, the gold mines of Pennsylvania.
The progress of the Church has kept pace with the material advancement of the coal region. Not to mention
Carbon, Luzerne, and other counties, there are twenty-five
VoL. XI. No. z.
28
�214
Missionary Labors.
priests in Schuylkill county alone. Some of the churches
have schools taught by Sisters, and new churches and
schools are being built every year.
The nearest mine is two miles and a half from Pottsville.
Many others are not very far off. An attempt has been
made quite often in the last ten years to strike the mammoth
vein spoken of by geologists. It was reported in February
that this had been accomplished. This vein is within a mile
of the town, and would bring, if opened up successfully,
three thousand miners to swell the present population, which
is about twenty thousand. Of course, the Church would
gain greatly in numbers by so large an increase of inhabitants in the place.
The first Mass was celebrated in Pottsville about seventy
years ago by some itinerant priest. As early as 1827, land
was given by Mr. Potts for a Catholic church. He, the
founder of the town, and a ·Protestant, knew too well his
own interests to be unkinJ""to Catholics. A church was
built, and a secular priest put in charge of it. The first
Baptism is recorded, June 2nd, 1829. From Sept. 12th,
1830 to Dec. 19th, 1832, Father Edward McCarthy of the
Society was pastor of the congregation. He was very
exaCt: in keeping his records, and gives the number of Baptisms and marriages. In a little over two years, he baptized
two hundred and forty-four children, and performed fortyfour marriages. Son1e of the oldest inhabitants still remember Father McCarthy with affeCtion. The first church was
small ; it was afterwards enlarged, and will, in a few months,
give place to a much larger and finer one. The Germans
have a very imposing church.(l)
__ .
Three times in seventeen years, the leader of the mi;sionaries has given a mission in Pottsville. All the missions
were successful, but the first one was unique. It was given
in the middle of a severe winter, and as there were very few
churches in the country at that time, people came from all
parts for miles over the snow and ice to take part in this
mission, the first ever given in the coal counties. It was a ·
(t)
The Catholics were the first to have a church in Pottsville,
�Missionary Labors.
215
common thing to give Holy Communion after dark to persons who had come on foot ten and fifteen miles over the
bad mountainous roads, and had waited until 6 o'clock in
the evening before their confessions could be heard. This
reminds one of scenes in the life of St. Francis Regis. At
the end of the first mission, eight hundred persons were
confirmed, and, of course, a large proportion were adults.
Ten thousand communicants approached the Holy Table
during the two weeks. But the congregation now is much
smaller. Ten or twelve parishes have been established, and
missions have been, and are, given quite frequently. Moreover, the Catholic population in Pottsville has fallen off,
owing to the faCt: that the one or two thousand canal men,
who used to transport the coal from Pottsville to the outer
world, now sail from Schuylkill Haven, a port a few miles
below.
The weather was very bad during the mission of this year.
The first Sunday, a very important one, the ground was
covered with two feet of snow, the result of a terrific storm
of the day previous. The services were very well attended ;
people came long distances to Holy Communion. Every
day nearly, the Blessed Sacrament was distributed until after
12 o'clock to persons who had come four and five miles, to
take part in the exercises. There were special services for
the children every afternoon, and the Papal benediB:ion was
given them at the end of the second week. Some of the
boys are slate pickers at the mines, and are very bright.
They have been known to stop the works in the largest
mines, when striking fo; higher wages.
The congregation is made up partly of Germans who
have intermarried with the Irish. The children of course
speak English, but, now and then, an idiom learned from
mother or father crops out quite unexpeCtedly. The grown
people keep the holydays of the Church, and are attentive,
as a rule, to their religious duties. There is a superstition
among them called pow-wowing. A sick person is taken to
some old witch, or wizard, who lays hands on, and breathes
over him, and mumbles at the same time, some incanta-
�216
~Mi'ssionar;'
Labors.
tions or dark speeches. The Fathers spoke against this
bad praCtice, but it is not easy to remove such things, once
they take hold of the people. Four thousand persons received Holy Communion. At the last service, the church
was dangerously packed. Many persons stood outside in
the snow for over an hour, in order to receive the Papal
blessing at the end of the mission. Some Protestant gentlemen presented a large floral cross for this oc·casion, and to
add solemnity to the renovation of the baptismal vows by
the whole congregation. The people in Pottsville have
great devotion to the water blessed in the name of our Holy
Founder. At every mission, there has been a rush for it,
and no little taCt was required to keep the peace among the
devotees. Barrels of the water were given out. In a former
mission, there was so much cr-owding, that the pastor had
to interfere, and the Father blessing the water, had to implore the faithful not to drown him by shoving him into
one of the monster tubs of·water, in their wild scrambling
for the precious fluid. The Fathers could not but admire
the faith of the simple people, who came so regularly through
the cold and the bad steep roads to the mission. Pottsville
is built on the side of a mountain, and this renders winter
travel disagreeable, if not dangerous, especially after dark.
The Catholics in the coal regions have suffered not a
little from secret societies, imported from Ireland. These
are known by various names as the Buckshots, the Ancient
Order of Hibtnzians, the .liiol/;' Maguires, etc. The last name
is best known and most hated. Enraged by the tyranny of
the Welsh bosses and the favoritism of the Protestant superintendents, some of the Catholics in evil hour formed'themselves into secret organizations. They thought the~s...elves
above law, and soon Catholics as well as Protestants groaned
under the reign of terror. No man who offended the Mollies was safe. Many murders were committed in open day.
The tribunals of secret societies in Europe could not have
been more swift in their aetion or more blood-thirsty in
their vengeance in regard to their vietims. In the meanwhile, the clergy were divided, bef~re these crimes were
�Missionary Labors.
f
I
217
fixed upon the Mollies. It was said they w·ere not a secret
society ; that they were a benevolent brotherhood. Chaplains were eleaed to attend the meetings; the Mollies were
foremost in church affairs. It was discovered afterwards
that all this was a blind, and that there was an inner circle,
unknown even to the priests. The outrages were increasing rapidly. The president of the Reading Railroad secured
the services of a deteaive, who became a member of the
society, and after two years of investigation, it was settled
beyond a doubt that all the murders had been committed
by the Mollies. Ten of the leaders were arrested. But to
convia them, there was the rub. It was thought that the
prosecuting attorney for the state, an Irish Catholic, would
not be hard on his own. To show the twists and turns in
politics, it is a faa that the supposed friend was made away
with by the Mollies, who were cajoled into eleaing him to
Congress. And this is the effea of secret societies also,
where one may favor a measure in which he is the viaim.
The trial came off, and ten of the Mollies were executed.
The clergy having found out before this event the real charaaer of the body, were severe in their denunciations. The
sacraments were refused them, unless they abandoned the
Order. And this many did in good faith, whilst others gave
it up for the time being, to receive Holy Communion. After
thirty days they used to return to the Society. At one
time the coal regions were entirely at the mercy of the
Mollies. Their men were in office, and crime was the rule.
The members used to take an oath, and to show their transatlantic origin, they bound themselves, amongst many other
things, not to join the army or navy, an impossible oath in
case of war between the United States and England. When
we see the brutality and tyranny of the bosses and superintendents, we marvel at the long suffering of the viaims,
still, at the same time, we are amazed at the depths of crime
into which men, once good Catholics, fell on account of
secret societies. It is thought the Mollies are dead. Many
of the priests think they are only dormant. None of them
are about Pottsville.-J. A. M.
�2I8
~
Missionary Labors.
ST. PATRICK's CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA.- When we were
told that we were to give a mission in St. Patrick's Church,
Philadelphia, we knew at once what was before us, great
enthusiasm, big crowds and hard work. This is one of the
oldest parishes in that city, having been founded forty years
ago. Many of the people are from the Northern counties
of Ireland, where to be a Catholic means persecution and a
life of continual religious and social ostracism. Nor did
the "Native American" excitement of I844 help to weaken
their faith, for the anti-Catholic spirit which agitated the
country during ten years, and which culminated in making
Philadelphia the disgraceful theatre of mob rule and church
burning, only strengthened their love for their religion. .It
did not prevent them from rebuilding their burned temples
in the face of open bigotry, nor from gathering their children
about their half-completed altars. Hope of religious freedom is the noblest senti,.Dent which can move the heart of
man ; and if there be rea"son for admiration in the motive
which urges men to fight and die for fireside and family,
how much more so in that which causes them to set above
all else their altars and their God. Bigotry and incendiarism
failed to terrify the Catholics of Philadelphia. They only
seemed to tighten about their hearts a determination to cling
to their religion yet more closely. This feeling of union
and strength in love for all that man holds sacred went on
growing and showed itself more and more, so that the 'City
of Brotherly Love' is now the most Catholic city in the
Union. You would say so, if you witnessed, as we did, two
thousand men packed shoulder to shoulder at fivy o'clock
Mass. How Protestants must have opened their. eyes, if
they were opened at all so early in the morning, at this
grand demonstration of faith. The rainy weather seemed
to increase their ardor, and many profited by it to visit the
church anu finish their confessions by daylight. A peculiarity of this mission was the number of men seen making
the Stations of the Cross.
Although there were more men than women at the services, as we found by comparing week with week, still the
�.Misszonary Labors.
latter outvied the sterner sex by their zeal and concern to
obtain the graces of the mission. When they had made it
once for themselves, they were found "doing" it again, in
order to obtain divine graces for the living and the dead.
The distria messenger boys turned an honest penny during the exercises, having been hired by overworked and
tired servant-girls to awake them in the early morning.
We were ten and eleven hours a day in the confessional.
This, of itself, was hard enough, but our labors would have
been lighter, not only here but elsewhere, had these good
and willing people been properly instruaed by their priests
in Ireland, in the elementary rules of a good confession.
First Communion was given to forty-four adults, and one
hundred and sixty grown persons were confirmed, together
with four hundred children. Twenty-one converts were
baptized, and formed into a class for more extended instruction. Fr. Maguire preached the panegyric of St. Patrick to
an enthusiastic and extraordinary number of people. The
Forty Hours Devotion immediately followed the mission,
when two thousand communions were added to the twelve
thousand already given. The mission began on Feb. 26th
and ended March I sth. Thanks are due and acknowledged
to FF. Ardia and Romano for constant help given us.
CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CoNCEPTION, NEw YoRK.-
Our next mission began at New York, in· Fr. Edwards'
church, East Fourteenth street, on March 19th. This church
of the Immaculate Conception was built in 1853, by Fr.
Ryan, first President of our College of St. Francis Xavier,
N. Y. It is two hundred feet in length and about eightyfour in width. It strikes one as being unfavorable for the
voice, but the acoustic properties are very fine.
Unlike our church of the same name in Boston there is
not to be found one line of white throughout the whole
edifice. The coloring and decorations are of sombre Moorish hues, brick red and seal brown, picked out with gold
and blue jleurs-de-lys. It might have been appropriately
named of the "Seven Sorrows." We soon perceived that
�220
~ Mz:Sst'onary Labors.
we would not have much time to give in seeking the hidden
architeCtural beauties of Fr. Edwards' great church, for the
first service was so crowded that Fr. Maguire announced
that a mission for working girls and store misses would be
given at the same time in the adjoining chapel. This was
accordingly done, and one of the Fathers conduCted the
exercises there every night of the first week, for girls, and
of the second, for boys, from the age of thirteen to twenty,
and who do not attend school. This did not seem to diminish the numbers that came pouring in long before the
sermon began. During their week, even the SanCtuary was
filled with men, so great was the desire to hear the word of
God. A very amusing incident happened one night during
the men's week. The church was packed from the altar
down to the street, and away up through the broad organ
galleries, with a sea oLheads and attentive faces. The
scene was at once granci..~nd imposing. The orator of the
evening was equal to the ·~ccasion, with his springy, bounding eloquence, and sharp, crisp bang in his voice that shot
into the ear with a determination to stay there until some
one would be shaken up. He had not long to wait.
The subjeCt: being Mortal Sin, among other things he
said :-"Who would be willing to die to-night? Is there
any one here in Mortal Sin!!'' Suddenly, in the midst of the
solemn hush, a man cried out in a loud voice: "Yes, Father,
I am." The effe8. on the audience was not of the ridiculous, many feeling that this poor man had answered for
them. "Then, go to confession," said the priest. "You are an
honest man; there are plenty of Fathers down the:e to hear
you and all like you."
~The side mission in the chapel was given to about 700
girls and 8oo boys. They were, as a rule, fine and healthy
looking, which led those who observed them to discover
that New York is not the pestiferous plague· spot that the
denizens of the provincial cities would be only too glad to
believe. Examination and refleCtion will soon convince
one of this. There is always, on account of its proximity
to the ocean, a good bracing air for every one. The entire
city i~ bounded by water, and beholds rolling at her feet
�Missz'onarjl .Labors.
221
one of the most beautiful bays in the world, rivalling that
of Naples, if not surpassing it. Here then is the secret of
its health : all the outcry about its so-called dirty streets
is simply for political effect-the cry of the outs against the
ins. There has been no epidemic in New York since 1832,
and the ravages of small-pox, so marked and extensive elsewhere, counted very few victims in Gotham.
Besides, the U. S. vital statistics prove that the death-rate
here has been smaller than in any of the six great cities of
the Union. The healthy position of New York no doubt
accounts for the exuberant spirit of her boys, as the Father
who gave them their mission can with sorrow testify. They
were congregated in the chapel where Mass has not been
said for years, and which has been used for a school and
meeting room. Con!!equently, they were not impressed. I
was going to say that the exercises opened with prayer. But
this would be an error, for all those not in possession of Derby hats considered it their bounden duty, and as a kind of
preliminary exercise, to make all these as soft as their own.
Moreover, their lungs were very strong, and the noise that
proceeded therefrom was exceeding great. What was the
Father to do? As he did not overawe them by his serious
words, he essayed gentle and flattering language. It seemed
to him then, that some were sending out for candy, for he distinctly remembers that a few uttered the word "taffy." Finally, the heroic treatment was resorted to, and after the
Father had boxed the ears of two inoffensive looking boys,
order was restored. They were good, notwithstanding their
rudeness, and were anxious to make general confessions,
and to do all that they could for their dear little souls. I
must not forget to relate two things that a boot-black had
to speak of: one was that he missed Mass, because a Chinaman neglected to wash his shirt, and the other that he
"pegged" stones at him in consequence. These boys and
girls were enrolled in a Sodality especially established for
their class.
The mission, under God, was a great success. Thirteen
VoL. xr, No. 2.
29
�222
~
Charles Co., Md.
thousand communions were given and five converts entered
the Church. Only a few adults were prepared for First Communion, probably because there are not many in this carefully attended parish who are overlooked by its zealous pastor and his assistants. Three thousand children are educated
in the great school near the church, who are well trained
in the way they should walk. FF. Claven and Casey were
with us continually during this mission, the former also
having done good service at the previous one in Philadelphia.
Nor must the valuable aid of FF. O'Leary, Be_cker and
Freeman of Fordham, and Fr. J. Daugherty_of St. Francis
Xavier's be forgotten.
The services of these Fathers made an edifying impression upon the priests of the house. "There does not seem
to be any disunion among you," remarH:ed one of these to me,
"and you all seem to have passed through the same mould."
General results: Comr12unions, 34,000; first Communion
of adults, 88; adults confirmed, r6o; grown persons baptized, 32 ; children baptized, previously negleeted, 10.
CHARLES COUNTY, MARYLAND.
Letter from Father E. McSwyney.
Sr. THoMAs' MANOR, Cox STATION,
CHARLES Co., MD., March 30, 1882.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
You insist upon a letter from Charles County_:.but what
can a poor country missionary have to write about? What
have we worthy of special notice in this part of the world?
We are inclined to think that the less we say of ourselves,
the better it will be for our reputation.
But, as you will have it so, and some account of our doings must perforce be sent to the LETTERS, we will tell you
something of our good qualities and pass over our bad ones.
�Charles Co., Md.
But where shall we begin? Shall· we tell you of the pretty
boat, just made, by Messrs Daly and Broderick, in which
it may be your good fortune some day to be sped over Potomac's waters, if you do not get swamped? Or shall we
enlarge upon the condition of our roads ?-a fertile theme.
You are probably surprised at the proposition. You suppose that we ought to be able to give you something more
interesting than a dose of 'our roads.' But you must understand that it is 'our vocation to travel to various places,'
and, therefore, the question of facilities in traveling becomes
praCl:ical and paramount. But as the same roads are long,
the description should necessarily bear the same charaCteristic- and in mercy we forbear : besides, as you may be
sent some day to enjoy county life, we do not wish to anticipate your pleasure in finding that romance still lingers
here ...... .
Our fisheries! This is the subjeCl: which suits the season:
just the medicine for Lent, especially our Potomac herrings,
whose fame is only limited where they become unknown.
Our county priests are content to enjoy their blessing, and
keep quiet about it. And our oysters! we cannot think of
passing them over, so excellent and so abundant: why, they
had well nigh succeeded in blocking up the bed of the river,
and should probably have succeeded, had not some Yankees
come near foundering among them: and they, in their magnanimity, as usual, spread the alarm among their countrymen, who, of their charity, were moved to lend us some
assistance in restoring the facilities of navigation, in keeping
the oysters to the bottom. Many thanks to our kind New
England neighbors, who have done and still do so much to
keep the oysters to their natural level.
A letter from here true to nature, after treating of the
roads, of horses and horsemanship, of our fisheries and oysters, has exhausted all the staple topics. If you expeCl:ed
we could have given you something better, we can only
offer our sincere condolence in your disappointment. To
suit your inclination, however, we shall try what we can do
for you by a change of scene.
�224
~
Charles Co., Md.
Half a day's travel, from either Washington or Baltimore,
on the Potomac R. R. brings you to Cox Station, a distance
of some forty miles from either of those cities. You are apt
to be somewhat astonished at this rapid transit, but it harmonizes with our surroundings. A quarter of an hour's
drive from Cox Station gets you to St. Thomas', i. e. when
you can drive: when you cannot, the amount of time it
takes you to wade two and a half miles, knee deep, in mud
and mire. The distance being given, as a constant, the time
will vary inversely to your wading power. As the road
passes by the house, a few paces brings you into the interior,
and you see, too, that the old manor house is worthy of its
name, as it is a large and magnificent structure, built in the
old baronial style, and very tastefully finished-the 'hard finish,' by the way, being in a great measure due to our late
Brother Keenan-and has a church adjoining, on the west
side. But the structure of. the old manor-house is not its
only fine feature; its locati<Jn is most beautiful, and extremely picturesque. It is situated on a commanding eminence,
overlooking the Potomac, and possesses a most charming
view of this beautiful river and the surrounding country.
We have known one of our Fathers who reached St. Thomas'
in the gray of the evening, and, therefore, was unable "to
feast his eyes" until the morrow, so much impressed by its
position and scenery, that he offered up Mass for the repose
of the souls of thos~ who had gone before him and capped
the hill with a temple to the Creator.
This house has been remarkable in the religious annals
of Maryland. It was for a long time the residence of the
Superior of the mission. Both house and churs:h. were
originally built of brick imported from England, but were
burned down December 29th, r866. The brick work, however, suffered but little from the flames and the lapse of
time; the residence and church were therefore rebuilt on
the old walls, during the following years, by Fr. McAtee,
with a solidity and taste that inclines us to think they must
have profited by the change. In a tower on the roof of the
old house, was a large bell, which, for more than a century,
�Cltarles Co., Md.
225
had summoned successive generations to the worship of
their Creator, and three times a day reminded them of the
glorious mystery of the Incarnation. It had been placed
on the house rather than on the church, to evade the penal
laws, which prohibited the use of bells on Catholic chapels.
It was probably due to the same penal laws, which restriCted Catholics to the use of private chapels, that such an isolated site was seleCl:ed for StThomas' church; for, although
the situation is beautiful, it is not at all central. In conneCtion with the house, there is a large subterranean passage
now closed up, which, in past times, opened through the adjoining hill-side. Imagination has been busy in regard to
its probable use: some have thought it was a place of refuge !rom the Indians, others suppose that it was to furnish
means of escape from the priest-hunters: it was probably
devoted to more prosaic uses. Within sight of this old
manor-house it was that Fathers White, Altham, Brock,
etc. often exercised their mission oflove, that the Indian king
(Tayac) his queen, family and council became Christians,
and that the inhabitants of the Indian village Potopaco, now
Port Tobacco, were in a body, together with their queen, regenerated in the waters of Baptism. It was here, too, during the prevalence of a most deadly malady, which made
its appearance in the county in 1696, that our Fathers went
from house to house, consoling the sick, and administering
the Sacraments to the dying, which, at the instance of a
Minister of the Church of England, elicited from the humane Assembly a proclamation prohibiting "such extravagances and presumption."
The bell originally placed on the house to avoid proscription, has been replaced by Rev. Father Wiget, by a
harmony of two, in a piazza, on the church, from which a
steeple rears aloft and holds out to its wide prospeB: the
emblem of salvation. It has afforded us some satisfaB:ion
· to understand that this cross serves as a beacon to guide
the mariners of the Potomac, as also does our SanB:uary
lamp in a more particular manner, as if its weakness caught
up the effulgence of Him to whom it does honor, and cast
�~
Charles Co., Md.
it over the broad waters. And may we not also suppose
that this glimmer, feeble though it be, has often its reaClion
on the souls of some poor men of the deep, bringing to
them salutary thoughts of God?
In a neatly enclosed lot hard by the church, lie side by
side the remains of thirteen priests, one lay-brother and our
late scholastic, Daniel Keating. Two marble slabs define
the limits of each grave, and supply you with the name etc.,
of your deceased brother, while the ever blooming myrtle,
so beautifully shrouding the dust of the departed, would
remind you, that those whom we have lost for a time await
us still beyond the tomb.
But you desire to know what we are doing in our day.
The answer to this question we might epitomize, by saying,
we keep to the tenor of our ways, but have done very little
which calls for particular notice. Almost the latest incident
worthy of comment, was our mission in last August, given
here and at Pomfret by Fathers Finnegan and Flynn, an
account of which has already appeared in the LETTERS.
In OClober, Fathers Wiget and Keating gave the jubilee
exercises at Bryantown and Cobb Neck. Last summer we
ereCled a pretty marble altar in our church; nor was it too
much for the kindness of the Most Rev. Archbishop to pay
a special visit to the counties to consecrate it. Last May,
His Grace honored us with a longer stay, not only making
St. Thomas' his home while attending to the other churches
of the mission, but also returning to it from churches not
attended by us, when it was possible. He also favored
-this old place by administering the Sacrament of Confirmation here on Sunday. The morning was beautifully.!_:>right :
our people could not think of absenting themselves, and
they came in crowds. Protestants as well as Catholics
whipped on to the old manor church. We could not have
believed that this place could become the scene of so much
attraClion, nor was it without much ado that we were able
to maintain a position for the children, who, of course, should
all have conspicuous places, if it were only to show off their
white dresses to advantage, though nature had, unfortu-
�Charles Co., Md.
nately, often forgotten to give them faces of the same hue.
Those of the people who were unable to enter the church
crowded round the windows, and had the advantage of a freer
ventilation. The Archbishop, happily chimed in with the
general enthusiasm of the occasion, as well in his instruction to the children, as in his address to the congregation.
He highly eulogized the Fathers of the Society, "who," he
said, "had so laboriously planted the seeds of faith along
the Potomac, and the number of holy innocents now before
me, shows that their labors still bear fruit."
The Archbishop, with the priests, and about forty of our
magnates sat down to dinner in one of the spacious halls of
the house. It was easy to see that this afforded him a new
pleasure. No .one could help admiring the tafl with which
the Archbishop talked farming, and enlarged upon the cultivation of Indian corn and tobacco. After dinner, he made
us a short but pretty speech. He declared how much pleasure it afforded him, to have had an opportunity of enjoying
the society of our Charles Co. representative men, and compared them, led on by their pastor, Rev. Father Wiget, to
the barons of England under the leadership of Archbishop
Langton, when, in the plain of Runnymede, they wrung
from King John the Magna Clzarta. Those who understood
well what the Archbishop talked about, could not help feeling flattered at his comparison : while those who did not
understand, felt even more complimented, simply because
they had been considered worthy of being talked at in such
a· style.
Kind regards of a quondam condiscipulus to acquaintances, hoping they will sometimes pray for a county man.
Vale.
E. McSWYNEY, S. J.
D.O.M.
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�1
I
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XI, No. 3·
THE CATHOLIC RELIGION IN THE
UNITED STATES IN 1818.
BY FATHER JOHN GRASSI.
(l)
The Catholic Religion is better appreciated and more
widely spread in America than many may suppose. However rude and ignorant a person may be, when mention is
made of the Catholic Church, he willingly grants that it is
the earliest of all; and many non-Catholics prefer to communicate their religious doubts to a Catholic, simply be~
cause he professes the faith which is the first and oldest.
Our missionaries are generally respeB:ed, either on account
of their education and superior knowledge, or of their celibacy, or of their disinterested and zealous labors, or, finally,
because of the undoubted validity of their ordination. It is
a noteworthy faB: that when the impious Thomas Paine was
on his death-bed, he gave positive orders that no Protestant
minister should be admitted to his chamber, but he allowed
two Jesuit priests to be called. They came and spoke with
him; it seems that now and then he paid some attention
to the truths which they suggested to him, but the acute
pains which tormented him caused him to break out in
blasphemies and howls of despair. The Fathers, having
(tl Notizie Varie sullo stato presente della Repubblica degli Stati Uniti dell'
America Scttentrionale, scritte al principio del1818, dal Padre Giovanni Grassi
della Compagnia di Gesii. Edizione Seconda, Milano, MDCCCXIX.
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
30
�230 Tlte Catholic ~eligion in the United States in I8IB.
failed to accomplish anything, withdrew in horror, and the
infidel died as he had lived. Paine was an Englishman, who
had been a corsetmaker before he undertook to write upon
religion. His principal work, The Age if Reason, is remarkable only for the unbridled fury with which it speaks against
revelation.
The Jesuits, who planted the Catholic faith in Canada, and
spread it far and wide through South America, were also the
first missionaries in the provinces which now form a portion
of the United States. Some two hundred English Catholic
families, bitterly persecuted for the faith in their native land
by their fellow-countrymen who proclaimed themselves to
be the apostles of liberty of conscience, emigrated to Maryland in 1633, under the auspices of Lord Baltimore. Father 'White, with some other members of the Society, accompanied the first settlers, and Maryland from that time
forward continued to be a mission of the English Province.
I shall not here recount now these good Catholics, by an
unexampled display of liberality so vaunted in our times,
and so little praaised by their adversaries, gave an asylum
to Protestants in the colony they had founded, and how they
were repaid with ingratitude by those whom they had befriended, and were cruelly persecuted by the English Government ;-since my objea is to speak only of the existing
state of affairs. I may add, however, that the Jesuit missionaries, even after the suppression of the Society, continued
to labor on the missions, and to found new ones, under the
jurisdiaion of the Vicar-Apostolic of London. The number of Catholics having greatly increased, the See of Baltimore was ereaed by His Holiness, Pius VI., and t~e. Rev.
John Carroll was appointed its first Bishop, to whom a Coadjutor was assigned in the person of the Rev. Leonard
Neale: they were both ex-Jesuits and natives of Maryland.
Bishop Carroll was consecrated in 1790, at Lulworth Castle,
the seat of Thomas Weld, one ofthe principal Catholics of
England, who in his life and death was a true type of the
Christian gentleman. The Sees of Boston, New York,
Philadelphia, Bardstown and New Orleans were subse-
�Tlze Catholic Religion in the United States in I8I8. 231
quently founded, and in 1810 Bishop Carroll was advanced
to the rank and title of Metropolitan Archbishop. It seems
to be a signal mark of Divine Providence that this dignity
was bestowed on one whose charaCter was best qualified to
dispel prejudices against the Catholic Church, and to give
a fair idea of it to this portion of the new world. Archbishop Carroll was a native of the country, and had enjoyed
all the educational advantages which the Society of Jesus
furnishes to its members. He had been professor of theology at Liege, and previous to 1773 he had been admitted
to the profession of the four vows. He had been traveling
companion to some English noblemen on a tour through
Germany, Italy and France, and everywhere he had made
the most favorable impressions. Nor could it well be
otherwise, since in him irreproachable conduCt: was united
with a profound knowledge of Catholic doCt:rine, and his
accomplished manners and kindness of heart were accompanied by rare prudence, so that he won the affeCt:ion and
respeCt: of Catholics and non-Catholics alike; amongst others who honored the Archbishop of Baltimore with their
friendship was the glorious hero of America, the immortal
Washington. Archbishop Carroll passed to a better life on
the feast of St. Francis Xavier (Dec. 3), r8r5. The day of his
funeral was a species of triumph for the Catholic religion,
as the ceremonies were conduCt:ed with all the public pomp
that would mark such an occasion in a city entirely Catholic. His mortal remains were placed in the sepulchre of
the Sulpician Seminary, until such time as, in accordance
with the wishes of the illustrious deceased, they can be deposited in the Cathedral, which is approaching completion.
This was the first time that Baltimore witnessed the rites
of the Catholic burial service in full accordance with the
ritual ; the cross borne at the head of the sorrowing procession, the priests chanting in strains of woe, the funeral
trappings, the burning tapers, the expressive ceremonies,
made a deep impression upon the people, who, in respeCtful
silence and with signs of mourning, testified,their affeCtion
and esteem for the good prelate whom they had lost. It
will remain the glory forever of the Catholic Church in
�232
The Cat!toli'c Re1igion in tlze United States z'n z8z8.
America, that her hierarchy began with one so conspicuous
for worth and merit as Bishop Carroll. His successor,
Archbishop Neale, soon followed him to the grave, in June,
1817; his memory will be held in benediCtion, particularly
in those places which were the theatres of his zeal, ever intent on advancing the spirit of solid piety. The name of
Bishop has a grand sound in Europe even before the world ;
but in America, magnificent display is unknown, and the
prelates with great edification are constantly engaged in the
labors of simple missionaries. Fancy my surprise in 1810,
at seeing the Archbishop of Baltimore and Metropolitan of
the United States enter a house along with me, and then,
having drawn from his pocket a wide ribbon to serve as a
stole, place upon a small table the holy oils, a vial of water,
and a little ritual in order to baptize a baby. The same is
done by the other Bishops in their respeCtive Dioceses, and
Bishop Flaget of Kentucky ..made the visitation of his Diocese traveling hundreds of miles on horseback, and alone.
It is to be remarked that the names of congregation and
missionary, are here equivalent to parish and parish priest.
I shall say nothing in regard to the number of Catholics
scattered throughout the vast extent of the United States,
as there are no reliable statistics on that point: but it will
not be amiss to mention something briefly in regard to each
Diocese, beginning from the North.
DIOCESE OF BosTON. Catholic missionaries are stationed
only in two places of this Diocese, at Boston and on the
Penobscot. The Abbe Matignon, a Frenchman, has succeeded in founding the Church in the capital of Massachusetts, and Bishop Cheverus, also a Frenchman, ·resides
there at present. The amiable charaCter, the conspicuous
virtue and learning of this prelate, and of his worthy assistant, have won the respeCt: and esteem, not merely of Catholics, but also of those who are outside the pale of the
Church: all have been inspired with the highest idea of our
holy religion by the lives of such excellent ministers. The
Penobscot missionary has charge of a tribe of Indians who
have not yet forgotten the Jesuits from whom they received
I
�I
T/ze Catholic Religion in tlze United States itt I8I8. 233
the Gospel. Throughout the rest of New England, Catholics are very few and there is no missionary.
DIOCESE OF NEw YoRK. In the city of New York the
number of Catholics exceeds 20,000, mostly Irish, whose
attachment to the faith is wonderful. The new church of
St. Patrick, Gothic in style, is held to be one of the finest
buildings in the United States, and serves as the Cathedral
of Bishop Connolly, an Irish Dominican. He has with him
only two missionaries, both of whom are advanced in years.
Anyone can easily imagine how great and numerous are
their labors in a city of such size. At Albany, the State
Capital, there is a church and a missionary, who has care
also of the Catholics living at considerable distances. In
almost every village of this State there are good Irishmen,
ever ready to contribute to the building of churches and
the support of missionaries, if they could obtain them.
DIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA. The Jesuits from Maryland
built the first church in Philadelphia, St. Joseph's, which
together with the adjoining residence still belongs to them.
There -are three other churches here: St. Mary's, under the
direaion of the Bishop; Holy Trinity, which is principally
frequented by the Germans; and St. Augustine's, ereaed
by the zeal of Father Carr, an Irish Augustinian. There
are five priests in the city, who also visit outside missions.
The Jesuits had founded some other missions in Pennsylvania before that of Philadelphia. One is at Conewago,
where four Fathers of the Society reside: this and the
neighboring congregations are made up of German settlers,
who still preserve their attachment to the ancient faith, and
primitive simplicity of manners. Another mission is Lancaster, and the missionary who resides there is at the same
time burdened with six other congregations, each one of
which would require a priest. To avoid entering into trifling details, I shall merely mention that in I 8 I 3, there were
in the whole of this extensive Diocese no more than thirteen priests, amongst whom Prince Demetrius Gallitzin, a
. Russian, deserves special mention for the zealous discharge
of all the duties of a country missionary.
�234 Tlze Catlzolic Religion ill the Utzited States in I8I8.
DIOCESE OF BARDSTOWN. The remoter frontiers of this
Diocese were formerly considered as an extension of Canada, and for this reason many of the inhabitants of those
parts are French; many families also have emigrated thither
from Maryland in search of better lands than those they
were leaving, which had been worn out by long continued
cultivation of tobacco. The Bishop resides at Bardstown,
where he possesses a little seminary and has begun to build
a church to serve as a Cathedral. In 1813, there were
only eight priests in the whole of this vast Diocese, in
which the missions are perhaps more laborious than elsewhere, because the Catholic population is more scattered
and poorer. In the neighboring Territory of Illinois, there
are various Indian tribes, some of which were brought to
the faith by the Jesuits long ago; but for the most part
they live still in utter ignorance of the true God.
DIOCESE OF BALTIMORE. ~ ..This Diocese comprises all the
States south and south-west of Maryland. There are five
churches in Baltimore, including the Cathedral, which is
still unfinished. It is built of the hardest granite, from designs of Latrobe, the chief government architeCt:. The
church of the Seminary of St. Sulpice is Gothic, but elegant. As Maryland was a Catholic colony, the missions
are more numerous there than in any other State. In the
new city of Washington, there is a large congregation, but
only one priest, who~officiates at St. Patrick's church, close
to which the Jesuits have put up a house destined for the
education of youth. Some years ago the foundations of a
Cathedral were laid, but the building had to be suspended
for want of funds. Besides two small chapels in thi~r"neigh
borhood, there is at Georgetown the church of the Holy
Trinity, which unfortunately is not large enough to contain
more than a third of the people who flock to it. This
church is served by the Jesuit Fathers of the College, and
the Religious of the same Order have in Maryland four
Residences, and other missions, each one of which has several congregations depending upon it. There were in 18I3
some forty missionaries in Maryland, a number utterly in-
�Tlze Catholic Religio1z in the U11ited States in ISIS. 235
adequate to the wants of the Catholic population. A single missionary must therefore supply as best he can for the
want of laborers. Some notion of the journeys and fatigue
of such a life may be gathered from the subjoined list of
places cared for and visited this year, I8I7, by one priest,
Father Maleve, S. J.
He resides at Fredericktown, where
the congregation is tolerably numerous. Besides this, he
has to go to the Manor, distant 7 miles ; Maryland Creek,
I 5 ; Hagerstown, 28 ; Martinsburg, 38 ; Winchester, 50;
Cumberland, I IO. These places have large congregations
and spacious churches~ To these we must add four smaller
congregations and various scattered families whom this one
priest must visit occasionally.
The cities of Norfolk and Alexandria in Virginia possess
Catholic churches. Richmond, Petersburg and Fredericksburg have made efforts to obtain a priest, but without success, and for this reason there is as yet no church in these
places. In Charleston, S. C. and Augusta, Ga., one hundred miles apart, there are churches and priests. In North
Carolina, Tennessee and another new State, there is so far
neither church nor priest.
Statistics are wanting in regard to the lately ereCted Diocese of Louisiana. The zeal of Bishop Dubourg of New
Orleans will surely obtain abundant fruits from the field
entrusted to his care, and cultivated by many eminent ecclesiastics who have accompanied him from Europe.
From this brief description it can be seen how great is the
want of priests. Add to this, that the settlers in newly
opened seCtions are most anxious to have churches and
missionaries ; many landholders also, even Protestants, offer
hundreds of acres gratis for this purpose, not through any
special zeal for religion, but simply as a matter of speculation. For people prefer to settle in places where tht(y can
easily procure the helps of religion, and hence the lands
increase in value. Missionaries who should establish themselves in such places, would have the consolation of seeing
the whole neighborhood embrace the Catholic faith. But
wh<;:re in our days can so many zealous priests be found?
�236 _Tize Catholic Religion in t!u United States in z8z8.
For those who wish to know who are they that labor in
this extensive vineyard of the Lord, I shall give a brief notice of the Religious Orders existing there, in addition to
the Secular Clergy. The Jesuit Fathers, besides their missions, have at Georgetown, near the rising city of vVashington, a boarding College, delightfully situated, which was
empowered (March I, 1815) to confer such academical
honors as are customary in the other colleges or universities of the country. The Jesuits also direCted a school in
New York, called The Literary Institutio1l; it has been
closed, solely for want of teachers, but they still possess
the property. The Sulpicians have a creditable College at
Baltimore, chartered as a University by the Maryland Legislature. In addition to the Seminary at Baltimore, they
also conduCt a school at Emmitsburg. Some English
Dominicans have in Kentucky a convent and school, and
the church of St. Rose .of Lima; in 1816, they had four
students of theology, besi"des some novices. They have
only three priests upon the mission, and stand greatly in
need of liturgical books, but they try to remedy this want
by edifying industry. Some Lazarists from Italy have lately
reached the Western territory of the United States, and
they are only waiting the arrival of the Bishop from New
Orleans to fix upon a place for their establishment. The
zeal and activity of the Rev. Mr. Andreis, who is the Superior of these missionaries, excite expeCtations of great
works for the glory of God: he has already written that
God has deigned to crown his labors amongst the Indians
with signal success.
There are also in America some communities of Religious women, the most ancient of which is the Discalcetl
Carmelites of St. Theresa. Three of this Order had the
courage to leave their English convent at Antwerp, and
cross the broad Atlantic to found a new house of their Order; in a few years their number had increased to twentysix. Their convent, a wooden building, is not far from
Port Tobacco, in Maryland. Archbishop Neale, filled with
zeal for the instruCtion of youth, has established at George-
I
I
�Tize
Catholic Religion in
tlze
United States in I8I8. 237
town a community of Visitation Nuns for the instruCtion
of girls. In a short time this community has increased so
rapidly that last summer it numbered thirty-six religious.
Another institution for the same objeCt: has been founded at
Emmitsburg by the Abbe Dubois: the teachers and sisters
have adopted and follow, as far as circumstances permit,
the rule of the Sisters of Charity, who in France are principally occupied in the service of the hospitals. Some of
them have gone from Emmitsburg to Philadelphia, where
they have taken charge of an orphan asylum: on festival
days they conduCt: the orphans in procession to the various
churches, to the admiration and edification of the public,
and also to the profit of the benevolent institution which is
supported by the alms of Catholics and of generous Protestants. These same Sisters were expeCted in New York, to
take charge of a similiar institution. Mr. Nerinckx, a most
zealous priest, has founded in Kentucky a Congregation,
called the Daughters of Mary at the Foot of the Cross. Finally, Mr. Thayer, a Calvinist preacher, who became a
Catholic at Rome, and died not long ago in Ireland, has
left funds sufficient to found in Boston, his native place, a
house of Ursulines for the instruCtion of young girls.
CnuRcHES AND FuNcTIONs.
The churches are unpretending struCtures, without ornament; frequently with galleries all around the inside in
order to have more room, and the organ, if they possess
one, over the main entrance, and they have only one altar.
Behind or alongside the altar, there is a small sacristy, in
which confessions are heard, and it is provided with a fireplace. M. Peemans, the Countess De Wolf, and Fr. Geerts,
formerly a Jesuit, and other benefaCtors in Flanders, with a
generosity equal to their zeal, have sent to America many
decent and even beautiful vestments, which were much needed, and of which there is still a great deficiency. The good
impression produced upon the people by sacred piCtures
VoL. XI. No. 3·
31
�238 Tlze Cat/zoNe Religion in tlze United States in I8d?.
cannot be sufficiently described : the few that they have represent some well-known mystery in the life of Jesus Christ.
The Crucifixion is the most common : they come and stand
before it, deeply moved to compassion, especially rustics,
and sometimes Protestants. But, unfortunately, paintings
are rare, and of little artistic merit, the produetions generally of non-Catholic pencils : I make particular mention of
this circumstance, because the observation has been made
by many, that non-Catholic painters do not succeed in imparting to their works that air of piety which helps so much
to excite devotion.
I shall say nothing of the services in city churches, because they are the same as in Europe, so far as the number
of priests will permit: but it will not be without interest to
say something of those which are held in country churches
situated at a distance from any dwelling-house, which are
by far the most numerous. :on Saturday, the missionary
leaves his residence, and goes to take up his lodging with
some Catholic living near the church. Having arrived at
the house, he puts the Blessed Sacrament in some decent
place, and also the Holy Oils, without which he never sets
out on a journey. On the following morning he rides to the
church, and ties his horse to a bush. The whole morning is
spent in hearing confessions : meantime, the people from
distances of four, six, ten miles, and even more, are coming
in on horseback, so tha! often the church is entirely surrounded with horses. Mass begins towanls noon ; during the
celebration, those who can read make use of prayer books,
and pious hymns, for the most part in English, are sung
by a choir of men and women. The sermon come~."after
the Gospel, and it is preceded by the Gospel read in· the
vernacular. The preacher either reads or delivers his sermon, according to his inclination, and sometimes it is deferred until after Mass, to enable the priest to take some
refreshment, which the faithful never fail to supply. There
is no necessity to recommend attention, because they display the greatest eagerness to listen to the word of God.
Vespers are not said, as the people live so far off and are
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�Tlze Catholic Religion in the United States in z8z8. 239
so scattered; and so, when Mass is over, the children recite the catechism, infants are baptized, or the ceremonies
are supplied in the case of those already baptized in danger,
prayers for the dead are recited or the funeral services are
performed over those who have been buried in the churchyard during the absence of the priest. Finally, one must
attend to those who ask for instruCtion in order to join the
Church, or who wish to be united in the bonds of holy Matrimony.
These labors being ended, the missionary remounts his
horse and goes to dine at some neighboring house : invitations are not wanting. On festival days, especially, he is
informed of dangerous cases of sickness : these sick calls
are the most laborious work upon the missions, whether
you regard the long distances or their frequency, and sometimes there is want of discretion in these good people, who
summon the priest even when there is no danger.
A Dominican Father on one occasion traveled thirty miles
through the woods, in order to assist a sick woman : what
was his surprise to find her well enough to mount a horse,
and aCt as his guide to point out the way back, the return
trip being thirty miles more! On these visits, it is often necessary to begin by giving conditional baptism to the sick,
for they cannot tell whether they are baptized or not: the
negligence of Protestants on this point is very great. Cases
frequently occur of those who are not Catholics, but who
wish at least to die within the bosom of the Church: they
know nothing, and there is no time to impart instruCtion,
or they are incapable of receiving it. On such occasions,
after getting them to make aCts of Faith, Hope and Charity,
and making them understand as well as you can those truths
which are necessary for salvation, you must rest satisfied,
especially in the case of negroes with a Credo quidquid Catholica credit Ecclesia. All these funCtions have at times to
be performed in private houses for the convenience of families too far removed from the church, and the order observed
is the same same as that described above. If it be asked,
how these churches are built and supported, I answer, that
�240
Tlze Cat!tolic Religion in tlze United States in I8I8.
it is generally done by the voluntary contributions of the
faithful who subscribe a certain amount for the building.
vVhen the church is built all who wish to have the exclusive
right to a seat pay a trifling amount, which helps to support
the church and pastor, except in the ancient missions of the
Society of Jesus. This is the custom especially in the towns
and villages: in some places, the pews in the church are
sold to private families, and one such sale in St. Patrick's
Church, New York, in 1817, produced the sum of $37,000.
The so-called Incorporated Clergymen of Maryland hold
lands by virtue of an ACt: of Legislature, and these lands
could be made to yield a handsome revenue, if they were
properly cultivated, but the means are wanting to accomplish this. With this exception, every bequest for religious
purposes must be made in the name of some individual, as
the laws of the country are opposed to legacies after the
manner that used to prevail ·in Italy.
The position of a missionary in the United States will be
better understood, if I note the special difficulties and the
consolations which he meets with in the exercise of his
ministry. I hardly consider the acquisition of the English
language to be a difficulty, for in the space of about six
months one can qualify himself to hear confessions and
give public instruCtion ; nor has one to contend against indifference to religion, for this evil exists there perhaps less
than elsewhere; nor the civil laws, which permit complete
liberty : but one of the greatest difficulties to be encountered, and experience alone can make it understood, is that
one is left completely alone, and sometimes at a distance of
twenty, fifty, a hundred miles and more from any -other
priest. Besides, one's duties are very trying, because the
Catholics live so far apart, that you have to labor a great
deal even to gather a little fruit and hence if new and inexperienced missionaries are not careful, they run the risk
of ruining their health at the very start. Not a slight difficulty arises from the perplexing cases of conscience, which
are but lightly touched upon by authors, in other respeCts
full of information: v. g., on the state of slaves held by non-
�The Cat!zo!ic Religion in t!te United States in I8I8,
241
Catholic masters, who are sometimes rabid enemies of the
faith; and of masters who deny their slaves the permission
required by law to contraCt: marriage, etc. Mixed marriages cause great embarrassment and trouble: sometimes the
husband hinders his wife from frequenting the Sacraments,
sometimes the wife does not allow the children to be reared
in the faith. This recalls to my mind an odd accident that
happened to Father Francis Neale. He was baptizing a
little boy in the house of a Catholic gentleman : in the
middle of the ceremonies, the Protestant mother rushes into the room all in a rage, snatches the child from its godmother's arms, and carries it off, declaring that no child of
hers will ever be baptized by a priest. Cases happen when
Catholic parties are married before ministers who care but
little for the prohibited degrees of relationship, and nothing
at all for the spiritual dispositions : but such a step is regarded as an aCt: of apostasy, and those who are guilty of
it, are not permitted to approach the Sacraments, until they
have performed public penance. What causes the most
grievous affliCtion to the good missionary is the evil conduCt:
of some Catholics, whose lives are in contradiCtion with the
sanCtity of the faith which they profess, and who are the
greatest obstacle to the conversion of others. How painful too is it to hear those who have traveled in Catholic
countries speak of the profanation of Sunday, the disedifying conduCt: of the clergy, the want of devotion in the
churches; and often also to see abandoned Catholics from
Europe come to America and be guilty of the greatest
scandals against religion. This is much more affliCting than
the poverty which at times straitens the missionary scarcely
supplied with the necessaries of life, but utterly unprovided
with means to establish a school, to decorate the altar, and
to help the indigent sick.
In the midst of such difficulties, God is liberal in granting many consolations to sustain his servants. It is certainly not a trifle at the present time to be able to say, as
in America it could and can still be said with heartfelt gratitude:-' Here, at least, the Catholic religion is not persecu-
�242 .The Catlzolic "'Religion in tlze United States in
I8I8.
ted by public authority, here she enjoys peace.' The labors
of some missionaries are not so constant but that they have
at times entire weeks for rest, or rather, to apply themselves
to prayer, their main stay and comfort, and also to study:
when sickness is not prevalent, they have plenty of leisure.
Besides, if they are grieved at seeing some neglea their
Christian duties, this grief is often compensated by the
pleasure of finding excellent families, especially in the rural
distrias, who although they see the priest only once or
twice a year, lead eminently Christian lives, observe strialy
the prescribed fasts, recite their prayers in common, unite
together on Sundays for spiritual reading, and say the
prayers for Mass, as if they were aaually present at the
Holy Sacrifice; and also by meeting some who journey ·
over a hundred miles to comply with their Easter duties,
bringing their grown-up children for Baptism, and instruction, and carrying back a .. handful of consecrated earth to
cast upon the graves of their dead. What shall I say of
the happiness one feels at the signal marks of Divine providence, when children after Baptism, or adults shortly after
their conversion or after being fortified by the Sacraments,
die sweetly in the peace of the Lord ? What shall I say of
the triumphs of grace in certain wonderful conversions?
Two years ago not less than three Protestant ministers embraced the faith, and then was renewed the edifying example
given in former times by Lord and Lady Warner, who after
abjuring their errors and having provided for their children,
by mutual consent entered into the reiigious ·state. Many
examples of remarkable conversions might be here adduced,
but for brevity's sake I shall limit myself to two. A ..Quakeress, one of the most distinguished, and, so to speak, the
spiritual mistress of her sea, upon hearing that there were
Catholic priests in New York, and Jesuits too at that, was
fired with zeal, and took the resolution to go and convert
those whom prejudice made her believe to be the worst
abomination of antichrist. She soon found them, and began right away to talk such outrageous nonsense, that one
of the missionaries thought it best to leave the room. The
(
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�T/ze Catholic Religion in the United States in I8I8. 243
,
other better acquainted with the customs of his country,
listened to her with patience, replied with politeness, did
not lose his temper when interrupted, and having to some
extent calmed down her fury, rendered her attentive and docile to his discourse. God blessed this conversation and
others which were held upon. the subject of religion, she
was disabused of her false notions, and finally recognized
the truth and embraced it. The other example is that of a
young Methodist preacher, by the name of Richard, who
went in the same manner to convert the priests of St. Sulpice,
in the College and Seminary at Montreal in Canada. His
undertaking had excited the highest expectations amongst
the members of his denomination: but, imagine their amazement, and the satisfaction of Catholics, when it became
known that Mr. Richard had been converted to the faith,
and afterwards became a priest, and finally professor of
theology, an office which he continues to exercise with honor to the present day. I ought not to pass over in silence
the very great consolation which the negroes bring to the
missionary; for amongst them, although they are poor
slaves and so abject in the eyes of the world, are found
chosen souls filled with such beautiful sentiments of true
piety, that they move one to tears, and the missionary himself is encouraged to work for the glory of God. The frequent offering of their labors to the Lord, patient endurance
of ill-treatment from hard masters, obedience for the love
of God, the recitation of the beads when it is possible, these
are the devotions chiefly recommended to them, and which
they chiefly praCtise; consequently, Catholic slaves are preferred to all others, because they are more docile and faithful to their masters.
There is reason to believe that the duties of the missionaries will in future be less arduous, because in addition to
a fair number of excellent young men, native to the country,
who have already entered upon an ecclesiastical career,
many priests have gone to America, who will divide the
labors with those who were there already. Up to the present time, there were not priests enough to attend to the
�244 The Catizolic~Religion in tlze United States ill IBI8.
Catholics, and so, they could not be expe8:ed to devote
themselves to the instruCtion of such as wished to enter the
Church, and to the Indians who are still in ignorance of the
true God. A letter written recently from vVashington reports that some Indian chiefs, who had lately called to pay
their respeCts to President Monroe, paid a visit to the
neighboring college of Georgetown. These Indians manifested their joy in the most touching manner at sight of the
Jesuit Fathers: they said that they had often heard their
fathers speak of the Black Gowns, and they offered every
inducement to persuade them to return with them to the
forest, promising that their tribes would listen to no other
prophet or teacher but the Jesuits. Poor people! Since the
suppression of the Society, they have been deprived of all
spiritual assistance.
The truth can be proclaimed freely and can triumph in
America, since it has not there to contend with one of the
greatest obstacles whicl1l'!lsewhere hinders the propagation
of the Christian faith, namely, religious intolerance and the
persecution of idolatrous governments. Furthermore, there
are in America charaCters, so to speak, naturally inclined
to piety and devotion, and religion will make rapid progress
there, whenever it is proposed with the gentle charity which
charaCterizes the true ministers of Jesus Christ. A person
acquainted with ecclesiastical history is startled on hearing
the names of cert.!_lin se8:s, and shudders to recall the wild
do8:rines held by their founders, and the bloody excesses
which marked their origin: but they are quite changed in
our day. Many individuals, it is true, bear the evil name of
those seCtaries, but they are far removed from thG:primitive
spirit of the seCt. You will find them gentle in ci1ara8:er,
upright in their lives, polite in their manners (this .virtue
however, is more or less common to all there) towards all
classes of people, whatever may be their real internal persuasions. After having conversed with many of them, and
having heard their admiration for the apostolic courage of
the common Father of the faithful now reigning, and their
ridicule of those who even at the present day pretend that
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�The Catholic Retz'gz'on in the United States in I8I8. 245
the Pope is antichrist, one is quite surprised to hear that he
has been speaking to a Quaker, a Methodist or a Puritan.
There are Protestants, however, in whose mind the mere
name of Roman Catholic conjures up the horrid pi8:ures
which their preachers trace in glowing colors, and the many
enormities slanderously charged upon the Catholic Church
-The horrors of St. Bartholomew's, the Gunpowder Plot,
the Great Fire of London, the abuses of the Inquisition ;
such detestable principles as, for example, that faith should
not be kept with heretics, that the priests give license to
perpetrate the blackest crimes, promising to pardon them
if they have a share in the spoils of theft, for instance, etc.,
etc.; errors, which not only are not taught, but are abhorred and explicitly condemned by every Catholic ; stale
calumnies, acknowledged to be such a hundred times by
honest seCtarians, but still daily repeated as unquestioned
faets in conversation, in sermons, and printed books. Hence,
it is no wonder that the name of Catholic is equivalent to
monster in the minds of many Protestants; for the prejudices of early education are deeply rooted. But if the genuine principles of the Church in regard to doetrine and
morals be explained to them in a gentle manner, with patient and kind-hearted charity, and above all, if they become acquainted with a well-instrueted Catholic of irrreproachable !if~, they can scarcely trust themselves, and
exclaim with amazement: 'Is that the teaching of the
Catholic Church? That upright gentleman is a Catholic?
How different from the idea I had formed of it!'
But it is time to stop writing upon a subjeCt:, the abundant matter of which and its interesting nature have led me
far beyond the short notice that I had intended. How many
reflet1ions might here be made upon the vicissitudes of empires and nations, the advance in arts and sciences ; how
many on the pretended right of interpreting the sacred Scriptures to suit individual caprice; how many upon the contradiCtory liberality of those who present the Bible as the
only rule of faith, and at the same time by legal enaCtments
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
32
�Mangalore.
impose the obligation of believing what was diCtated by
men who acknowledge themselves to be fallible, and who
change the articles of belief to suit their whim and pleasure?
These refleCtions, which will present themselves to the
minds of all good Christians, will induce them to pray to
the Author of our Faith for the prosperity of the Church
in America, and· to contribute some offering for the benefit
of the missions and the decoration of their churches. I do
not dwell upon these refleCtions, because they will offer themselves spontaneously to the impartial reader of these pages;
and besides, the sole objeCt I had in view was to make known
the aCtual condition of the Catholic Church in the United
States of North America.
THE VICARIATE· OF MANGALORE.
I.-INTRODUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY INTO CANARA.
It is generally believed by the Christians of Canara, that
St. Francis Xavier visited this coast soon after his arrival in
Goa, in I 542. Though an express mention of the Saint's
visit to any place in Canara is not made by his biographers.
Yet Cannanore in M<;!labar was fortunate enough to receive
his visit. On his voyage from Cochin to Cambay, in 1544,
our Saint found himself in company of a person of high
rank and office, whose impiety and wicked life were a scandal even to the heathen. St. Francis always paid hi1!1' great
attention and seemed to court his friendship, until 'they
arrived at Cannanore. As the vessel stayed there for a few
hours, the two friends landed and walked together into a
palm grove, that was near the shore. Then our Saint bared
his shoulders, and began to scourge himself cruelly, until
the ground was red with his blood, and the whole grove
resounded with the noise of his blows. His companion
asked for the cause of so severe a penance. St. Francis
�Mangalore.
247
told him that it was for him that he was doing all this, and
reminded him that he had cost much more to his Saviour.
He entreated him to give up his wicked life and to try and
save his soul. The man was conquered. He knelt at the
feet of St. Francis, made his confession, and was thus reconciled to God.
According to F. Sebastian do Rego, the mission of Canara was in former times cultivated by missionaries of various
Religious Orders, according as the Chaplain of the Portuguese Commandants belonged to one or the other Order.
Father Henry of Coimbra and seven other Franciscan Fathers landed at Angedivo on the I 3th of September, I 500.
They administered the Sacraments of Penance and Holy
Communion to the Portuguese, but did not preach to the
Islanders, as they were ignorant of the Ronkan language.
In I 5 26, other Franciscan Fathers came to Man galore. They
succeeded in converting many natives, and ereCl:ed, according to the testimony of Pietro della Valle, a Roman
nobleman, who visited Canara in I623, three Churches, viz.:
our Lady of the Rosary, our Lady de Ia Misericordia, and
of St Francis. The same traveler states that there were
two churches within the fort of Honore, called St. Catharina
and St. Antonio. We learn from other sources that there
were also four churches at Cannanore, viz.: La Misericordia,
St. Francis, St. Mary ofViCl:ory, and the episcopal church.
The Franciscans were followed by the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, who established themselves in Goa in 1543·
They built a church at Barcelore, a seaport of Canara, under the invocation of our Lady of the Rosary. Fr. Francis
Estefoni and two other Fathers of the Society attended the
Portuguese army commanded in person by the Viceroy, D.
Antao de Noranhor, who set sail from Goa on the 5th of
Dec., 1567. The obje8: of the expedition was to punish
the Queen of Ulala who had refused to pay her tribute.
The Jesuit Fathers ereCl:ed three hospitals, one at Mangalore,
another at Barcelore, and a third at Honore. From 1574
to I 578, the Portuguese garrisons of Man galore, Barcelore
and Honore were destitute of Priests. Father Ruy Vicente,
�Mangalore.
Provincial of the Society of Jesus at Goa, sympathizing
with them, sent some priests who were to teach the Catechism and administer the Sacraments. The converts of
these missionaries, as well as some Christian families from
Goa, who about this time settled at Mangalore, Barcelore,
Honore, and other parts of Canara, favored by the powerful proteCl:ion of the Portuguese Government, commanded
the respeCl: of their more numerous Hindoo neighbors, and
Christianity flourished under the zealous exertions of these
missionaries and the supervision of the Archbishops of Goa.
One of them, Dr. Fr. Aleixo de Mineses visited Canara on
his return from the Synod of Odiampur in Malabar, in r6oo.
These missionaries, however, were obliged· to desert the mission, owing to the defeat of the Portuguese in 1603, and the
state of religion became daily more and more deplorable.
In 1643, there were but three churches in Canara, viz.: at
Mangalore, Barcelore and~ Honore, and these were without
regular priests. The Christians suffered very much from
the want of the Sacraments. Many had to marry without
the ministration of the Pastor; many received the nuptial
blessing on the very day that their children walked up themselves to be baptized.
Dom Juan IV., king of Portugal, being informed of the
state of Christianity in Canara, applied to Rome for Bulls
of Consecration for the Very Rev. Sebastian Gomez, Vicar
foraneus of Goa. Unfortunately, the Bishop eleCl: was already dead before the Bulls reached India. It seems that
no subsequent steps were taken by the Portuguese king, to
fill up the vacancy. In 1658, a Jesuit Father of th~ house
of Spinola visited Canara. His indefatigable zeal ~btained
for him the name of the great missionary. In the same
year, Father Vincent Mary of St. Catharine of Siena, a man
of great virtue, prudence and zeal, belonging to the Carmelite misssion of Verapoli in Malabar, visited Canara. At
Batkul, a wealthy Musselman and friend of the Rajah of
Canara, invited him to establish his mission in this country,
and promised to assist and favor him and to promote his
mission at Honore. Father Vincent found there two mission~
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�Mangalore.
~49
ary priests from Banola, who had come to administer to the
spiritual wants of the large number of Christians who were
in that fortified place. They were Oratorians and under
the jurisdiCl:ion of the Vicar Apostolic of Byapur and Galkonda. It seems that the number of Christians at that time
was about JO,ooo, the majority of whom were originally
natives of Goa, Salcette and Bardoz. Had missionaries
not been wanting a great deal might have been done for the
conversion of the natives.
"The Rajah himself," says Father Vincent, "was favorably disposed towards the Christians, publicly confessing that
there is no law so just nor better regulated than the Christian law. He was a prudent, judicious man and his morals
were good. He loved justice so much, that robberies and
thefts were rarely heard of in his states. A traveler was
perfeCl:ly secure. When anything had been stolen from any
one, the community of the place where the theft had been
committed were apprehended and not allowed to withdraw
before the guilty person had been found out. In case the
thief was not found out, the whole community had to make
good the money to the owner." The same is asserted by
Vissher in his letters from Malabar, 1743. In 1660, D.
Joseph Sebastiani, first Vicar Apostolic of Verapoli, on his
way to Rome visited this distriCt. Probably upon his representation of the state of Canara, the Holy See was pleased
to appoint D. Thomas de Castro, Vicar Apostolic of Canara.
He was a native of the island of Diva!', near Goa. In his
childhood he accompanied his uncle, D. Mattheus de Castro, Bishop of Chrysopolis and first Vicar Apostolic of Bombay to Rome, where he professed in the Onl~r of Theatines.
He arrived in India with the title of Vicar Apostolic, in
1674, :-md. came to Canara in 1677. after having resided at
Calicut for about three years. Disputes, however, about
ecclesiastical jurisdiCtion between the missionary Bishop
and the Archbishop of Goa, paralyzed to a great extent his
own efforts as well as those of the priests sent from Goa.
D. Thomas built the Church of N. Sra. dos Milagres at
Mangalore, procured respeCl: and veneration of the people
�Mangalore.
for the missionaries, obtained the liberty of Catholic worship amongst the idolaters and infidels, taught the word of
God without restraint or opposition, shielded the faithful
with privileges and exemptions, so that they were judged
by the missionaries in all their disputes with the infidels.
II.-FATHER JOSEPH VAS.
One of the most zealous and successful laborers during
the administration of Dr. Thomas was Father Joseph Vas.
He was a native of Salcette, and born on the 21st of April,
1651. He arrived at Batkul, in 1681, and began his mission
with so much zeal, fervor and diligence, that hardly a Christian escaped him, were he even an inhabitant of the woods
or mountains. During the four years of his residence in
Canara, Father Vas traveled-over a great part of the country.
He usually went barefooted; and his feet were torn by stones,
thorns, and continual marches. Scarcely had he finished a
mission in one place, when he opened a new one in another.
Very early in the morning he performed his private devotions and said the divine office. Then he gathered together the children of the village and instruCted them in
the Christian doCtrine with notable affability and patience.
This work finished, he preached and heard the confessions
of all those who had recourse to him. After this he celebrated Mass and dis;:nissed his congregation after a fervent
discourse. He employed the afternoon in visiting and consoling the sick, particularly the wounded and miserable,
who were the objeCts of his fondest care. He distributed
alms among them, and dressed their putrid and loitnsome
wounds with his own hands. He also rescued many Christian children, who were sold by their parents, or pawned
for debts. He married many of the orphans, and young
virgins, who thus owed their chastity to his fostering care.
He regained many Christians who had relapsed into infidelity for want of priests.
Father Vas repaired the Church of N. Sra do Rosario.
He ereCted two churches, one at Kundapur and another at
�Manga!ore.
Gangoli. He also built several chapels in various other
places. He instituted Confraternities, and celebrated the
public festivals of the Church with all possible pomp. After
several years of arduous labor in Canara, he returned to
Goa, and entered the congregation of St. Philip Neri. Shortiy
afterwards, he went to Ceylon, where, after converting many
thousands to the faith, he died in the odor of sanB:ity, on
the 16th of Jan., 1711.
111.-EMIGRATION FROM GOA.
The greater number of Christians, however, were emigrants from Goa, Salcette, or Bardoz. Their number is estimated to have been about 8o,ooo. This numerous emigration from islands converted chiefly by Fathers of the Society
explains why the people of Canara have always insisted
upon calling themselves the children of St. Francis Xavier,
and the descendants of ancestors who were converted to the
faith by members of the Society. These constant emigrations were due to the raids which Shiwagi, the founder of
the Mahratta Empire, and Sambhagi, his son and successor,
made upon Goa and the surrounding territory. Sambhagi's
hostilities were distinguished by the most horrible barbarities, committed by the Mahratta horse and infantry who
amounted to about 30,000 men. They employed the most
cruel means to compel the people to reveal their treasures
and to give up their money. Red hot irons were applied
to the sole~ of their feet, oil was thrown on their clothes
and ignited, the head was tied in a bag filled with ashes
and dust. The people tired out at last by these cruel persecutions, and forced by famine and distress, sought refuge
in the dominion of the brave kings of Bednore, capital of
Canara. Under the reign of these wise, enlightened and '
vigorous Rajahs, security was proverbial, and a succession
of never failing crops of rice precluded all fear of starvation.
On the 16th of Jan., 1763, Canara was conquered by Hyder-Ali. Previous to his reign, the Christians of Mangalore
and other places were in a flourishing condition, under the
�Mangalore.
privileges and grants of land obtained from the Ikery or
Bednore Rajahs. In the beginning_ of his reign Hyder
manifested a friendly disposition towards his Christian subjeCts but after the capture of the Fort of Mangalore by the
English Commandant, vVatson, in I768, he began to enter_tain suspicions against them, and accused them of infidelity
to his standard. The Priests and chief members of the Christian community succeeded in persuading him, that they had
held no communication with the English, nor had been in
any way instrumental in the taking of the fort, and from
thenceforward to the end of his life, Hyder~Ali continued
to treat the Christians of Canara with much consideration
and kindness.
IV.-REIGN AND PERSECUTION OF TIPPU SULTAN.
Quite the reverse was Tippu Sultan, son and successorof Hyder-Ali. From the-·earliest youth of Tippu, Hyder
made no secret of lamenting that his son's intelleCt: was of
an inferior order, and his disposition wantonly cruel, deceitful, vicious and untra8:able. Among other follies of
his youth, it was his delight to hunt the sacred bulls of the
Hindoo temple, wounding and sometimes killing them with
his lance, and thus outraging the feelings of the great mass
of his subjeCts. Another time he ordered an English soldier,
who had been a pri~oner, but was now free, to be suddenly
seized and circumcised. Hyder-Ali hearing of this put his
son into confinement for some time, and forbade his courtiers to speak to him. He told him that his silly aCtions
might one day bring the vengeance of the English ry_ation on
his house, and that Tippu would lose the Empire 'which
he had created.
After the capture of Mangalore by the English a second
time, Tippu immediately evinced his aversion and distrust
of the Christians because one or two of the Christian merchants and shop-keepers had supplied the English with
provisions, and the Church of our Lady of the Rosary
afforded shelter to the English troops and guns which they
�Mangaiore.
::!53
fired from that direction. Tippu seems to have entertained
the belief that he could not keep his kingdom secure without
reducing all his subjects to the Mahometan religion. The
Christians, in particular, he wished to convert, considering
them, on account of their religion, favorably disposed towards the European nations. To execute his iniquitous
design of forcible conversion, he accused the Christians of
Canara of having acted as spies and guides to conduct the
English into his territories. Tippu first gave orders, that
a special enumeration and description should be made and
and transmitted, of the houses of the Christians in each
district. Detachments under trusty Musselman officers,
were then distributed in the proper places, with sealed
orders, to be opened and executed on one and the same
day. In conformity with their instructions, twenty~one missionaries who resided in Canara were ordered out of the
country. When he had got rid of the heads of the people,
who might have stood in the way of his projects, he seized
about 70,000 Christians, men, women and children in one
and the same night, on the 25th of Feb., 1784. They
were confined in various dungeons, where 500 mothers gave
. premature birth to their offspring on account of the shock
so suddenly received. After two months imprisonment,
they were finally marched to Seringapatam. During the
eventful march, the Christians had to undergo maRy hardships. Many dropped clown by the road-side, and were
immediately consigned to the earth, or abandoned. The
meagre countenances and the squalid forms of the remainder revealed at once the intense suffering to which they
were subject. During the wearisome journey, many had consoled themselves with the cheering expectation that the end
of their journey would bring them some relie( But their
hopes were sadly to be disappointed. On arriving in Seringapatam they were put in a number of tents, erected for
that purpose, and each capable of containing one hundred
persons. When all had arrived, they numbered 8o,ooo
souls. A few days after their arrival, small-pox, dysentery,
VoL.
XI.
No. 3:
33
�2$4
Mangalore.
fever and cholera broke out, and carried off one half of
their number. Consternation might be seen in every face,
nothing was to be heard but cries and sobs. The disease
was so universal that in a family of fifteen members more
than ten would be sick at a time. Hardly had the news of
the death of one member of the community been received,
when another was on the point of expiring. Thus it happened that a father was not aware of the death of his sons,
daughters and wife, and vice versa. A brother would go
out to bury his deceased brother, and on his return he himself would be taken with fever and cholera and die. In
many instances, people were not able to dig a grave for their
dead relatives. In other instances they dug a grave only
half a yard deep and put the body into it, and some would
simply stretch the body on the ground, and cover it with a
quantity of sand raised in a heap. The bodies thus interred were often exhumed by the thieves of the country,
in order to steal the clothes, etc. with which they were
covered when buried. On his return from Mangalore, the
merciless Sultan ordered the survivors to be supplied with
a quantity of old padohy (coarse rice). By partaking of
this decayed food sickness again broke out amongst them to
a vast extent, and the mortality was very great. At this
time, many availing themselves of the darkness of the night,
made good their escape; a few others succeeded in bribing
the guards by paying(! ransom of four rupees a head. Upon
a second and third occasion, the Sultan carried off some
thousand more Christians. In all cases he confiscated their
property, and distributed their lands and goods among his
Mahommedan subjeCts. The Convent and Seminary_ and
twenty-six churches of Canara were ordered to be razed to
the ground, and the Church property was confiscated. To
execute the iniquitous design of forcible conversion, Tippu
one day commanded his army to surround the expatriated
Christians at Seringapatam. They were then pinioned and
their legs tied to stakes to prevent their free use. Having
thus been made powerless and resistless, they were circumcised to their sorrow and misfortune.
�Mmzgalore.
After inflicting so many hardships upon the Christians,
within the short space of a year, they were supplied with
muskets and prepared to take the field. As these selections
for the army were made at four different times, none but the
lame, deaf, old, and infirm were left behind. In about three
months, the Sultan took them to Adoni, to attack the Maharattas and the Nizam of Hyderabad. Tippu was victorious.
But as the water, as well as the grain, of the place was bad,
a great number fell sick and died. At last they were
ordered back to Seringapatam. In 1785, and the following
years, when about two-thirds of the Christians had perished
by disease, starvation and the savage cruelty of the Sultan,
he attempted again to proselytize the remaining Christians.
to the Mahommedan religion. As they refused, they were
subjected to a sound beating with sandals, shoes, whips,
canes, clubs, etc. Each individual received fifty stripes.
From the effects of this cruel beating a good many died.
Some select persons were not flogged, but their noses and
ears were cut off, and thus mutilated they were mounted on
asses and made to ride all around the town. Others with a
rope tied to their waist, were made to carry earth in baskets.
Tippu hanged many Christians ; others he ordered to be
tied to the feet of elephants, to be dragged and trampled
upon, till their limbs fell to pieces. He first tied up the
mothers, and then suspended the children from their necks.
The tyrant tried every means to make them renounce their
religion, but he failed in his attempt, as he himself was forced to acknowledge. While thus leading a miserable life,
the Christians recited their prayers, and read the history of
the Old and New Testament by Father S. Stevens, S. J.
Some ofTippu's men happening to see this, forcibly removed
the books and destroyed them. These poor people were at
last obliged to betake themselves to a subterranean room,
and there by means of the light of a lamp they read or recited different prayers to the Lord. The news of this contrivance having reached the Sultan, he ordered them to be
separated.
Tippu Sultan now went to Malabar, where he committed
�Mangalore.
the most abominable excesses ( 1 787), especially at Cali cut
and Palghat. He destroyed the churches and perpetrated
on both Christians and Pagans, who refused to embrace the
Mahommedan faith, the same cruelties as in Canara. Elated
by his constant viCtories and successful exploits, Tippu
found out some grievances against the king of Travancore,
whose territory had so far escaped the horrors of war. On
this expedition, Tippu again employed many of the Christians. After reaching a certain place, he halted his army,
and continued his march attended only by a few personal
guards. He was surprised by the men of the Travancore
Rajah, and a brisk fight began. Tippu would have undoubtedly fallen into their hands but for the presence of mind
and generosity of one of his guards, a Christian, named
Manuel Dias, who putting on the rich garments of the Sultan, making the latter descend from and getting himself into
the Royal Polki, facilitatet;!. the escape of the Sultan, who
flying for his life through valleys and ravines, at last safely
regained his camp. Manuel Dias was hacked to pieces by
the Travancore men, when they found out the deception
(1781).
The rage of Tippu was terrible : he vowed revenge, and
after three months' preparation, he attacked and overcame
the king of Travancore. But as the latter was an ally of
the English, Lord Cornwallis, Governor General of India
took the field against Tippu. He marched upon Seringapatam, and Tippu, after several months' useless resistance was
forced to sue for peace.
Tippu,_ next strained every nerve to form a coalition
against the English, to expel them from India. Eti1bassies
were dispatched at various times to the Ottoman Porte and
to the Court of Cabul, letters were exchanged with Arabia,
Persia and Muscat, and agents employed at Delhi, Hy-derabad and Poona, to form an alliance. Whilst Tippu was
maturing his plans, stress of weather drove a French Privateer to the coast of Mangalore (1707). It had on board an
obscure individual by name Fran<;ois Ripaud, who formed
a Jacobin Club. He had an interview with Tippu, who com·
�Mangalore.
257
missioned him to proceed to Mauritius, to invite the Malartic Governor to join the holy war. The Governor, having
not a single available soldier, issued a proclamation, dated
Jan. 30th, 1798, inviting the people of the Island to join the
Sultan's standards, in order to expel the English from India.
Those that offered themselves were sent to Mangalore, accompanied by two officers, named Chapuis and Dubus.
This brought matters to a crisis. On the 3rd of Nov. 1798,
Lord Mormington, then Governor General of India, called
on Tippu to disavow his embassy to the Mauritius, or to
prepare for war. After a month's procrastination, spent in
gaining new allies for the holy war, Tippu insolently replied
that he was going on a hunting expedition, and that Major
Doveton might be sent slightly attended to confer with him.
The Gov. General interpreting this as contempt and as a
means to gain time, ordered at once the troops to march,
and informed Tippu of it. The English army consisted of
20,800 men, of whom 6,ooo were Europeans. To these were
added 10,000 of the Nizam's cavalry, with 10,000 foot under
European officers, led by Col. Wellesly and Captain Malcolm. General Harris was Commander in Chief of the
combined forces.
At Sedasir, a few miles from Peripatam, the first battle
was fought, March 8th. Tippu's forces, commanded by himself, were routed with the loss of 2000 men. From thence
the English marched to Malavelli, twenty-six miles from
Seringapatam. Here the second struggle took place, March
27th. Tippu again was beaten, and lost 1000 men. The
English now advanced rapidly upon Seringapatam, and on
the 5th of April they sat down before the capital. The
place was very strong, the Sultan's army numerous and their
valor undaunted; Tippu, consequently, refused all offers
of peace or capitulation, made by the English. On the 4th
of May, 1799, the scaling ladders were placed, and at two
o'clock in the afternoon the attack began. The British
soldiers fought like lions, and in less than seven minutes
the English flag was planted on the summit of the breach.
Whilst all this was going on, the Sultan was quietly taking
�Mangalore.
his dinner, persuaded that the English would never dare attempt scaling the walls during the day-time. When the
news ofthe catastrophe was brought him, he at once mounted
his charger, and tried to defend the few remaining strongholds. But the English gained point after point, and Tippu
was forced to retire to the gateway leading into the inner
fort, which he entered with a crowd of fugitives. A deadly
volley was poured in upon them, Tippu was wounded and
fell on a heap of the dead·and dying. The gold buckle of
his belt excited the cupidity of a soldier, who attempted to
take it. Tippu snatched up a sword, and made a cut at him,
but the grenadier shot him through the temple. Thus ended the mortal career of the Nero of India, the most cruel
persecutor the Church has known in modern times. His
death put an end to the persecution.
The fall of Seringapatam. made the English masters of
Canara. The 10,000 Christians that had outlived the cruel
persecution were at once restored to liberty. Several families that had fled during Tippu's persecution also returned.
But they were all very poor. Their property had been bestowed upon Musselmans, from whom the English government did not think it prudent to take it. Though in very
indigent circumstances the Christians erected twenty-seven
churches. All, even the poorest, contributed by money,
labor or materials. The want of priests, however, was very
great.
D. Fr. Manuel de S. Galdino, Archbishop of Goa, died
on the 15th of July, 1831. Revolutionary troubles in Portugal and a disputed succession were the cause of a long vacancy of the episcopal See. On the 20th of Sept., iS36, D.
Antonio Feliciano de Santa Rita Carvalho was nominated
Archbishop of Goa, by Royal decree of Donna Maria II. Information had been received at Mangalore, that he was an
intruder; consequently, nineteen churches of Canara withdrew from the jurisdiction of Goa, and placed themselves
under the jurisdiction of the Vicar Apostolic of Verapoli,
Fr. Francis Xavier of St. Anne; thirteen other chapels,
erected later on, submitted to the same jurisdiction, sixteen
on the contrary, recognized the jurisdiction of Goa.
�.Mangaiore.
259
Several petitions asking for the appointment of a distinct
Vicar Apostolic for Mangalore were subsequently presented
to the Holy See. On the 17th of Febr., 1845, Dr. Fr. Bernardino of St. Agnes was designated Bishop of Tanis and Vicar Apostolic of Canara and Malabar. Upon the death of
the Vicar Apostolic in Rome, in 1853, Fr. Michael Anthony
of St. Louis Gonzaga was appointed Bishop of Mennith
and Vicar Apostolic of Canara and Malabar. He resigned
in 1869 and was succeeded by Bishop Mary Ephrem, who.
was then Vicar Apost. of Quilon. Bishop Mary Ephrem
died in 1872, and Rev. F. Paul became Administrator of the
Vicariate. He was succeeded by Rev. F. ViClor of St. Anthony, who administered the Vicariate up to the arrival of
the Jesuit Fathers in January, 1879.
Bishop Michael and his successors belonged to the Carmelite Order. These good Fathers labored hard for the
welfare of the mission. It is astonishing to see how much
they did, notwithstanding the smallness of their number,
and the difficulties which everywhere stared them in the
face. In the year 1870, the Carmelite Sisters came to Mangalore, and, consequently, lodging had to be prepared for
them. They were accompanied by several Sisters of the
Third Order. These latter Sisters wear the habit of the
Order, and follow the rule of St. Theresa, as much as is
compatible with the end of their vocation, which is to teach
children and to take care of orphans and sick persons. A
Convent and schoolroom was erected for them at Mangalore,
Cannanore and Calicut. In these two latter towns, houses
and schools were likewise built for the Christian Brothers. In
Calicut, they also built an orphanage, asylum and parochial
residence. In Mangalore, a school-house and the Seminary
of Jeppoo. Unfortunately, the number of subjects did not
correspond to their zeal and the immense amount of work
necessarily to be found in so large a mission. They were
but six in 1878.
It was this want of a sufficient number of laborers in so
large a vineyard, that determined the Holy See to transfer
the mission to the Society of Jesus.
�Mangalore.
The first band of missionaries, consisting of FF. Motti,
Muller, Sani and Maffei and three lay-brothers, left Naples
on the 28th of Nov. 1878. They arrived in Bombay on the
2nd of Dec. Here they were joined by Very Rev. Father
N. Pagani, S. J., whom the Holy See had appointed ProVicar-Apostolic of the mission, and FF. Stein and Ehrle of
St. Francis Xavier's College, Bombay. They arrived in
Mangalore on the last day of December, 1878.
V.-PRESENT STATE OF THE VICARIATE.
The Vicariate Apostolic of Mangalore is bounded on the
south by the Vicariate Apostolic of Verapoly, on the north
by the Archdiocese of Goa, on the east by the Ghauts and
on the west for upwards of 300 miles by the sea. It varies
in breadth from east to west, between 40 and 6o miles. It
comprises a portion of the. ColleCtorate of Malabar from
Ponany to Mount Delhi, and the whole of the ColleCtorates
of Canara. The total population amounts to about three
millions and a half. The Catholic population is 65,000 souls,
of whom 38,500 belong to the jurisdiCtion of the Vicar
Apostolic, and about 26,500 to the jurisdiCtion of the Archbishop of Goa.
The number of churches is 40. There are at present 10
Fathers of the Society of Jesus; they are helped by 28 sesular priests, nearly all natives of the country. In the 29
schools, nearly 2000 children receive elementary instruction, at an expense of about 9000 rupees a year. Education is, indeed, the matter which occupies our thoughts
most. Middle, and high, and, in many places, even elementary education is almost entirely in the hands of Pagans.
To counteraCt the baneful influence of these schools, and
to foster sound Christian education, it will be necessary to
establish several new schools all over the Vicariate, and to
ereCt at least one College, where middle and higher education will be imparted. Mangalore seems to be marked out
by divine Providence as such a place. It is the most central town of the mission and the seat of the Vicar Apostolic,
�Ma1zgalore.
261
!he number of Christians in or about the town is about
13,000. Nearly all of them are of the Brahmin caste, and
belong to very respeCtable families. They were known and
respeCl:ed, historians say, even in the time of Hyder-Ali, for
their superior industry, uprightness, intelligence and courteous manners. The moral excellence of their charaCter,
their perseverance especially, showed itself during the persecution of Tippu Sultan. They also gave proof more than
once of their generosity, nor have they degenerated in this
respeCt: at the present day. They have come forward of
their own accord and offered to give each one-twelfth of
one year's income for the ereCl:ion of a college. But the
sum thus to be realized will be far from sufficient to defray
the expenses of the building. The work and material are
very dear in this part of the country, and workmen have to
be got from a great distance. Add to this that the people
of all the other parts of the Vicariate are generally poor,
and one will understand our well-grounded fears, of not
being able to carry on so laudable, and, at the same time,
important and necessary a work, for want of sufficient funds.
The total expenses of the mission for missionaries, Priests,
churches, schools and seminaries are about 24,000 rupees.
The income from the Propagation of the Faith and Holy
Childhood Association, etc. is about 14,000. Thus there is
every year a deficit of 10,000 rupees. To this must be
added the expenses necessitated by the ereCl:ion of new
buildings, etc.
But whilst we are thus kept back by want of means, our
adversaries are doing their work. The members of the
Basle Evangelical Missionary Society are straining every
nerve.
A few words about this Society may not be out of place
here. It was founded in 1815, in the city of Basle, Switzerland. The missionaries are members of different churches at home, and are often of different creeds, "Lutherans,
Calvinists and Zwinglians, work together for one end," says
one of their number, viz. 'to plant Christ and sound Chris-
VoL, xi. No. 3·
34
�Mangalore.
tian principles in the hearts of the Hindoos.' How this
can be done in such a diversity of opinion, we leave the
reader to judge.
In 1833, on the renewal of the charter of the East India
Company, India being opened to settlers from other countries, the B. E. M. Society resolved to establish a mission
there, and in 1834 sent out three missionaries who arrived
in Mangalore on the 3oth of Oct., 1834. The mission was
reinforced, in 1836, by four, and, in I839, by five new arrivals. In I837, Dharwar was taken up as a second station,
and in I839, Tellicherry in Malabar as a third. Cannanore
was taken up in ·I84I, Calicut in I872, Udapi in I854, etc.
The Evangelical Mission at present extends over a strip of
country of about 400 miles in length, has twenty stations,
employs 65 missionaries and 66 catechists. It has 65
schools, and 24 seminaries in which about 106 male or female teachers are employed. The total of last year (I 878)
amounted to 206,21 I rupee~, about $103,105. Besides this,
they have several industrial and mercantile establishments.
There is in Mangalore, the head-quarters of the mission, a
printing press and a book and traCt depository. The first
turns out a large number of heretical books in Canarese,
Tulu, Malagalore and English. Several colporteurs are
employed to distribute these books all over the country.
�BRAZIL.
Letter from Fatlter R. M Galanti.
lTu, May 28th, x88z.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I hope you have already received my letter of last March,
wherein I spoke to you of our College at Itu. In this present letter, let me say a few words about o~r building, and
the results obtained in study and in the advancement of religion.
Some few years are yet required before our building can
be completed. The increasing number of students who patronized us compelled us to extend the College building to
twice its original size, and soon we will be enabled to receive at least five hundred boys. The building is in shape,
quadrilateral; three stories high, and about one hundred
and fifty feet long, by forty-five in breadth, well worthy of
admiration for its architeCtural design. The study-hall and
refeCtory alike elicit the praise of all who inspeCt: them. In
addition to our College building, we are furnished with an
excellent bathing-place, excellent play-grounds, and an extensive property.
The tuition fees of the boys are abundantly sufficient to
defray all our expenses ; and in the work of building, we are
greatly assisted by our three good lay brothers, one of whom
is a mason, the second a carpenter, the third a capital painter and architect.
The meth.od we pursue in teaching, met, at the outset,
with great disfavor. Wishing to impart to the boys a thoroughly literary education, according to the Ratio Studiorum,
we had to combat the desires of the people at large, who
want their children to learn superficially a little of everything, and that in the shortest time possible, and with the
least imaginable labor to themselves. It is a common thing
(263)
�Brazil.
to hear such questions as the following proposed to us:
"How many weeks does it take a boy here to get his rhetoric? How many for his philosophy? If he gives an hour
each day to the study of the English language, wont he be
all right in six months?" Thus, a boy of middling talent
and studying so as not to injure himself, can, during the
course of one year, at one of the country schools, prepare
three, four or even five of the subjeCl: matters of examination for entrance into the University. Thus, you can easily
see, how depreciated was our method of training, and we
earnestly considered how we might gain the favor of the
people. Finally we decided upon a sort of compromise.
Keeping, in the main, to our old classical method, we yielded, in a few points, to the country's fashion, and in this way,
thanks to God, we have crept gradually into favor, silenced
our former detraCtors who are converted, in some cases, into eulogists, and have won-for ourselves, the palm, in teaching. Indeed, it is now universally conceded, that the boys
who are best prepared for the University course, are they
who come from our hands, and the important positions
which many of the graduates from our College now hold in
the province, caused a rapid increase in the number of our
students, so that our greatest difficulty is to find room for
the great numbers.
Another cause for our steadily increasing popularity is
the system of discipline and morality which we pursue.
We found that the boys who came to us, instead of joining
in the games, separated into little knots of threes and fours,
and indulged commonly in scurrilous conversations. To
prevent this, we had recourse to two little inventions:· ·First,
an order was issued, by which all who refused to take part
in the common sports, were commanded to keep striCl: silence
during the recreation times. Secondly, we instituted a sort
of bank. From this bank, the authorities of the College
issued for the boys, money-papers in francs, with which the
students may purchase several objeCl:s offered for sale at a
public auCl:ion held by the College three or four times a year.
These. objeCl:s were generally, fruits, confeCl:ionary, wines,
�Erazi!.
as also objeCts of devotion, such as: pi8:ures, statues, rosaries, crucifixes and such like. The transaCtions of the bank
were regulated by a fixed rule : to obtain these money-orders, the boys must be conspicuous for an earnest part in
the games, in their studies, and in their general deportment.
Fines are, moreover, exa8:ed from those who refuse to signalize themselves in the play-ground and at their desks.
vVe were not left, however, to reap our success without
some opposition. Our enemies accused us of opening a
bank without legal authorization, and for a time we had to
contend against this new calumny; but soon this detra8:ion
died away through want of general support, and peace and
greater glory was ours. The plan was energetically carried
out, and all the Fathers aBed in unison, and the happiest
results have followed from it. During the time of recreation,
all the boys are either engaged in play, or busy at some
occupation; pernicious conversation is banished; they apply
themselves to study afterwards, and are more content than
at any time before.
Meantime, how is religion faring here? Of course it is
not advanced as much as we could wish; but all things considered, we have scarce any cause for complaint. We have
many colleges about the country. In Rio Janeiro alone we
have about two hundred, and throughout the interior of
Brazil it would be difficult to find a single town without
either one or several colleges. But if I must credit report,
very few of these houses of education retain a high standard
for morality. In these institutions, prayer for the most part
is forgotten, the holy sacrifice of the Mass is seldom offered,
religious instruCtion is unheeded and rarely given, but bad
books and worse newspapers are freely read by the students. This pi8:ure cannot but seem exaggerated to them
who have not examined into the matter, but it is far from
being so.
In our College, if the boys did nothing better than receive some religious instruCtion, learn how to make their
confessions, go to Holy Communion, say their prayers, and
follow a truly Christian line of conduCt: during the years of
�266
Brazz'l.
study, a great good would have been accomplished by our
labors. And in the beginning, we could scarcely hope for
even this much, such were the difficulties we met with from
every side. But, thanks be to God, we have done a great
deal more. They persevere in this good course even after
they have left the College and become good members of
society. Those of our graduates who have entered the
University are doing well. Two of our boys are now in the
Seminary and about to receive Holy Orders; ten have entered the Society and more are soon to follow their example.
I could say much in praise of those from among them
who have become Jesuits, but as it is not prudent to praise
the living, I will omit any eulogistic narration of their deeds.
Nevertheless I cannot omit to make mention of one of their
number, who died in Naples two years ago, but I will reserve my account for my next letter, which I hope I shall
be able to send you very SOOIJ...
Your humble servant in our Lord,
F. RAPHAEL M. GALANTI, s. J.
�DEMERARA.
Letter if Fatlzer Casati to Fatlzer Clzarles Piccirillo.
DEMERARA, PLAISANCE, EAsT CoAsT,
May 8th, 1882.
REv'n AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Please accept my warmest thanks for your kind gift received to-day. The books are especially welcome, for my
young people delight in pious reading. The devotion to
the Sacred Heart has already borne fruit among my flock.
Last month we received from France a beautiful statue of
the Sacred Heart; your generous supply of Messengers
will help on the good work.
There came to us at the same time a statue of the Angel
Guardian, so you see how timely is the coming of the little
books treating of devotion to the angels.
The progress of our little Society of St. Aloysius, for
boys and girls, comforts me very much. More than thirty
of the boys are making, without a word from me, the devotion of the Six Sundays, and approach the Holy Table
every month.
In the observance of Pentecost, a custom which took its
rise in our colleges in Italy finds favor with my devout Portuguese. Seven or more persons direct the arrangements
for the feast. With a beautiful silver crown, called the
crown of the Holy Ghost, and bearing aloft two dovecrowned poles, these persons make the rounds of the Catholic houses. You would marvel at the love and veneration
with which the Portuguese kiss the emblems, and welcome
these envoys of the Holy Ghost ; and at their generosity
in giving money for the coming celebration. On the feastday, Solemn High Mass is celebrated in the church. In
some large house an altar is made ready, brilliantly lighted
(267)
�.Demerara.
and exquisitely adorned. In this same house a splendid
banquet is partaken of by twelve poor persons, who likewise receive, each one, a new suit of clothes; they are waited on by the first people of the place, the Bishop, pastor,
and sometimes by the magistrates (Protestants!). Besides
the bidden twelve, a hundred or more poor folk make merry
on the good cheer. An ox is roasted whole for the guests,
to say nothing of the poultry and other good things prepared and sent in. \Vhat remains is carried to the homes
of those too bashful or too sick to come.
On the z6th of June we shall keep the feast of the patron
of our poor little church. I say poor because we owe $6oo
on it, and because it is of wood and unfinished. Yet for all
that, I assure you, it looks very pretty when lighted up, and
decked out in its best.
I would like to get from :Rome the body of some saint
to place under the altar of our church. As you know how,
when and whom to ask, I am sure you can help me much
in my quest. I am poor: so I cannot give much. I dare
not think of a figure in wax; the bones, and tokens of
martyrdom will be enough. vVith them I can instruct my
people. Now that so many churches at home are sold at
auction, don't you think that Liberal Italy could spare us a
saint?
With kindest remembrances to my friends at Woodstock
and Baltimore, I remain,
Your Servant in Christ.
LUIGI CASATI,
s. J.
�INDIAN MISSIONS.
THE RocKY MouNTAINS.
ATTANAM, WASHINGTON TERRITORY .
. I.-Letter o:f Fatlzer :J. M Caruana to Fatlzer Cataldo,
Superior General o:f tlze Mission.
Your Reverence is well aware of the hardships inseparable from missionary life with its wearying toils and labors,
and of the dangers to be encountered on lonely journeys
and in dealing with the savages. But these dangers and
hardships are counterbalanced by consolations which sweeten the toil of the journey, and reconcile one to the life of
an Indian camp. A European may wonder, perhaps, when
he reads that only two or three hundred confessions are
heard in a couple of months at one of our residences ; and
as this is oftentimes only the work of a single day with
him in many cities of Europe, he may be inclined to judge
that our missionaries have an easy time. Let him, however,
take into account the trouble which it frequently costs to
hear one confession with us, and wonder will be changed
into sympathy. There are only two Fathers at this mission (Attanam, St. Joseph's) in charge of a territory three
hundred miles long by two hundred and fifty in width;
futhermore, the same Fathers attend to all the Indians from
the Kitlitash to the Okinagan, which adds a distriCt fully
sixty miles square to the above-mentioned territory; and as
these Indians are broken up into small tribes and scattered
all over the country, it entails great and constant labor to
visit them with the regularity which their spiritual wants
demand. To these we must add the care of the white settlers, whose numbers are constantly increasing to the south
of the mission, in which direCtion all the lands have been
cleared of Indians, who have witJ:ldrawn to the north, and
VoL. XI. No. 3·
35
(269)
�270
lndia1l Misszims.
are gathered upon the reserve lately secured to Moses by
the United States Government.
Allow me, just here, to suggest the propriety of having
some Father among the Northern tribes at Nticlika: from
that point he could pay them frequent visits, which cannot easily be done from here, on account of the distance,
and in winter on account of the snow-drifts. I am very
much afraid, as I have declared to you on a former occasion,
that if we do not take timely precautions, the Protestants
will obtain control over those Indians, since they belong to
the reserve of l\Ioses. As we cannot negleCt the Whites
so long as we retain these missions, four or five Fathers
would be needed here: with this number I hope that the
missions would be well attended to, and that care would be
taken of all the population, whether ·white or Indian. I
could then divide the Fathers, assigning to one of them the
entire charge of the KichitaJ Valley, with the Indians of
the Columbia around Celilo; a second would attend to this
place, to Yakima City, the schools and the Indians of Simcoe; a third.would have charge of the Indians and Whites
of Kittilash, where the greater portion of our Catholic Indians reside; two other Fathers, or at least one, should have
charge of the tribe of Winashes as far as the Okinagan inclusively, and they would spend the greater part of the
year in traveling from one place to another. Their residence
could be fixed near the boundary of the Reserve, on this
side of Lake Chilen, at Natelve, as Father Grassi thinks that
to be the best place for such a purpose.
The great question is, where are these Fathers to.come
from, to aid so many poor abandoned savages? ·Would
that the spirit of St. Francis Xavier were mine, and I
should write burning letters, and inflame the hearts of many
among our young Fathers in Europe with divine love and
zeal for souls lost in such numbers through want of evangelical workmen. Certainly they would petition for these
missions, if they understood our great need of strong and
zealous laborers, and the abundance of the harvest now ripe
for the gathering. But whilst warmly soliciting them to
;
I
�Letter of Fr.
Y. M Caruana.
271
come and help us, it would be well to caution them to
make ample provision of virtue in order to encounter dangers and hardships of every kind.
God, however, sends abundant consolation for the solace
and encouragement of the missionary. It is almost beyond
belief how great a change for the better is wrought in an
Indian, when he has once been gained over to our holy Religion: what piety, fervor, and constancy in the faith! The
charaCteristics of the savage, however, will still appear in
his manner of aB:ing and thinking. It happened to me one
day to arrive at an Indian camp early in the morning, and
all the people quickly flocked around me. After the accustomed greetings, I began the prayers, instruB:ions, etc. Next
day at early dawn, all came to the public prayers, which are
those that are usually recited during the time of Holy Mass;
this exercise was followed by the ordinary instruB:ion. After
this was ended, I would have taken some little refreshment,
as tired nature stood sorely in need of it. But how could I
abstain from appeasing the hunger of these poor souls eager
for spiritual nourishment? Without delay, and still fasting,
I began a full day of missionary work, occupied without
intermission in instruB:ing, advising, visiting the sick, administering Baptism, hearing confessions, etc. These duties
succeeded one another until pretty late at night, arid then I
asked the chief, a fervent, well-informed man, to continue
the instruCtion of five adults who were being prepared for
Baptism on the morning, and thus I should have a chance
to get something to eat before midnight. The chief was
amazed and scandalized. "Are not you," said he, "the Black
Robe who taught us to take care of the soul first, and afterwards of the body?" I answered with a smile: "You know
very well that I have not tasted food of any kind for more
than twenty-four hours, and that if I prolong my fast any
further, I shall not be able to-morrow to labor for souls, as
I am now thoroughly exhausted by my journey, and long
fast and want of sleep." "That's true enough," answered
the chief, "I see now how thick-headed and unreasonable
I have been." With this remark he went away, but soon
~
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indt'an Misst'ons.
returned, and said to me: "Here is my supper ; make a
good meal, and then take a rest to recover strength for tomorrow." Having then made a sign to the Indians to depart, they left me to myself, and I was enabled to take a
little food and rest. Meantime, the chief took charge of
the neophytes, and, as I learned afterwards, they received
instruction in his lodge during the whole night: on the
following morning, as I found them sufficiently disposed,
they were admitted to Baptism. I have had the consolation
to see them become fine fervent Catholics, whilst before
their conversion they had been addicted to drinking and
vice.
Every day we have palpable experience of the necessity
of conforming to the advice of our Lord when he says :
Patientia vobis necessaria est. The Indian's mind is superficial,
and without great patience nothing can be obtained from
him, but when one shows fatherly tenderness towards him
he easily becomes a docile and obedient child. Let us give
an instance of this. One day I arrived at the chapel of
Namen beyond Kickitash, on my visit to the northern Indians; shortly after my arrival, a Catholic young man, who
seemed to be by himself, came to visit me, and made his
confession. Having finished with him, I gave myself up to
the ordinary occupations of the camp, when at a pretty late
hour of the evening, the same young man presented himself and said that he haa come to accompany me to an Indian lodge, where a boy of seven or eight years, the child
of infidel parents, was dying without Baptism. I set out
on the spur of the moment, and traversed the twenty ll}iles
of distance at the greatest speed. Having reached the ph{ce
where the sick child was lying, I found him in proximate
danger of death, but to my intense sorrow, the parents absolutely refused to permit me to baptize him. Despairing of
success in my desire, I was about to leave the place, when
a woman approached me and said : "Black Robe, I have
four children not yet baptized, and I think that your visit
to this place is providential, in order that they may be made
partakers of that great happiness. If the parents of this
�Letter of Fr.
7. M Caruana.
273
boy are so cruel towards their offspring, I am only the more
confirmed in desiring this grace for my children." Her
husband began to manifest opposition, but the woman said
with extraordinary firmness: "I am pleased at this opposition, for it will be to the profit of my soul to be separated
from you, seeing that you wish to lead me and my children
along with yourself into perdition, I am a Catholic : up to
this present moment, I have concealed this faCt: for your
sake ; but now I want my children to receive Baptism, and
I shall go to the chapel to make my confession, and shall
begin to pracrise my religion, and if you wish to live with
me, you must take the steps to have yourself baptized, as
soon as the Black Robe leaves this spot." The poor man
was dumbfounded, but the zeal of this good woman obtained
for me an opportunity to baptize the sick boy, who by the
divine mercy, as soon as he had received the sacrament, began to grow better, and as this improvement was manifest
to all, it caused several conversions.
I was obliged to be at the chapel on the next day, so I
took to the road anew. I could not obtain a guide, and as
I was not acquainted with these places, it is no wonder that
I went astray. What was to be done? I could only recommend myself to the guidance of my Angel Guardian, and
dropping the reins I allowed my horse to go wherever he
wished; after three o'clock in the morning, I arrived by
ways unknown to me in the neighborhood of the chapel,
blessing the Lord for his goodness in my regard. I could
mention many mishaps of this kind: I shall always remember the occasion in which I was lost for two whole days and
three nights, without provisions, without anything, and a
terrible sriow-storm raging.
As I have spoken of the obedience and confidence displayed by the poor Indians towards the Black Robe, I shall
cite one example of a prodigy effecred by these qualities.
I was called to assist a dying Indian, who in the opinion of
the docrors, and according to all appearances, could not live
beyond midnight. I heard his confession as well as I could,
by signs rather than words, as he could not speak without
�~74
indian J.11issions.
painful effort. I administered Extreme UnCtion, and then
I went to a neighboring lodge to take some rest, recommending those who were waiting upon him to come and
tell me of any change for the worse. As I was leaving the
lodge, some of the bystanders remarked that the dying
man regarded me with eyes brimful of tears. Being informed of this, I returned to ask him if there were anything
which troubled him: he told me with a great effort, that he
did not wish to die before having received Holy Communion.
Knowing the impossibility of making him swallow the smallest particle, I told him to beg of our Lord that he might
be able to come next day to the public prayers at the chapel,
and that I would give him Communion at the Mass. To
the surprise of all, on the following day, he caused himself
to be carried to the chapel, and after receiving. Holy Communion, he went away souEld and strong, without any appt!arance of sickness ; and when I went to see him shortly
after, I found him busy at work. I asked him how he had
recovered so promptly and so completely from such a severe
sickness. He replied: "Are not you the Black Robe who
direCted fit! to come to the chapel for Holy Communion?
After that I felt well and strong as, of course, I had expeCted."
Such consolations are not always grantt;d, nor would it
be reasonable or useful to look for them. The virtue of
patience must often be called into play. I was once summoned in haste to a person who was said to be in great danger of death, at a distance of sixty-five miles from the residence, and, consequently, I started without delay,_.faking
only the ritual and the holy oils. We traveled at full speed
so long as the little path was visible, and after a few hours
of rest, at the first break of day we were again in the saddle.
A wide stream had to be crossed, and the only means of
passage was a frail bark canoe, which split open in the very
middle of the river, and this obliged us to swim the rest of
the way. Having reached the further bank, I remounted
to continue the rest of my journey, and as soon as I arrived
at the place, I went 'in search of my sick man- and found
I
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�Letter
if Fr. Bandini.
275
him strong and hearty. He remarked with a smile: "I
thought that I was going to die, but, feel well now." The
case would have been more striking, if he had not been at
home for my call, and such a cure is not unique in my experience : most true is it, patientia nobis necessaria est. Instances of this kind are plentiful, for the poor Indians have
a great dread of dying without the Sacraments; but after
they have been fortified with them, a perfeCt calm takes
possession of their soul, and they are fully resigned to the
will of God. It is most consoling to assist them in their
dying moments, and in the far greater number of cases we
can say to ourselves : Fiant 1zovissima mea lzonan similia.
In conclusion, I appeal to the ardent zeal of Your Reverence, and beg you to write letters filled with the fire of
charity to inflame the zeal of our Fathers in Europe, to
come to our aid, or rather, I should say, to the aid of so
many souls that are perishing through want of those who
may break to them the bread of the divine word.
R<e V <e Servus in X to,
J. M. CARUANA, S. J.
H.-MONTANA, ST. IGNATIUs' MISSION.
Letter if Fat!ter j. Bandini to Fatlzer Cataldo.
Without any preamble, I shall proceed to narrate some
faCts, from which it will already appear how tender and solicitous is heavenly bounty in regard to these poor Indians.
Last January, a certain woman came to me and said: "Father, go to such a place, fourteen miles from the residence,
and you will find a man at the point of death : he is not
yet a Christian, but he desires to receive Baptism."
As soon as it could be done, I was on my way. A strong,
piercing cold wind was blowing at the time, and some savages whom I passed on the road were riding with their
shoulders turned towards the heads of their horses. I
reached the place where the reported sick man lived, and .
made several inquiries, but no-one could tell me anything
�...Indian .Missions.
concerning him. Finally, after long and fruitless search, 1
myself saw an Indian pass from one lodge to another, who,
if not in danger of death, had certainly the appearance of
a man in very bad health. I told him that I had come for
him, and that such a person had informed me that he had
desired me to come and see him. He answered that he
had not sent for me, nor had he spoken to anyone of a wish
to see the Black Robe, or of a desire to receive Baptism.
I told him that, in any event, my journey of twenty-eight
miles on so cold a day was not to be for nothing, and that
in the whole affair I recognized the designs of Providence.
I then asked him if he had ever at any time wished for
Baptism, and he said that he had ; but he had some difficulties, which were promptly and completely removed by
my explanations: and as I found him ready for Baptism, I
administered it to him before the evening. Towards the
end of winter, this good ~gidius, for this was the name
given to him in Baptism, went on foot to a camp thirty-six
miles away, but he had scarcely reached it before he fell
sick, and went to heaven, as it pleases me to hope.
Last winter, I baptized a Nez Perce youth, about eighteen
years of age, named Nep-tez-ta-kanim. He was a stout young
man and in perfect health. Hardly a month had elapsed after
his Baptism, before he grew sick, and he died in less than
three days, exhorting his mother and all his relatives and
companions to receive~holy Baptism and to love the prayer
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Fortunate young man·! of
whom we can truly say: Raptus est 1ze malitia 11mtaret in.
telletlum ejus.
I was one day traveling over the hills where these Indians
obtain their supplies of bitter roots, when I perceived coming towards me an old man of the nation of the Kottonesi,
who told me that he had been ordered by his chief to beg
me to have pity on his people, and to go and hear their
co-nfessions. I answered him, that after I had visited the
Kalispels who were scattered through that section of the
country, I should go to his camp. The zeal of the old man
in executing his commission, and the trouble that it entailed
�letter of Fr. Bandini.
277
upon him were pleasing in the sight of God, and his recompense was speedily decreed.
Next year, under similar
circumstances, I happened to be in the same neighborhood,
when a messenger from the same chief met me and begged
me to go to his village without delay, because the good old
man was dying, and was earnestly asking for a priest. It was
not possible to reach him that day, and traveling by night was
out of the question, as the road was very bad and led through
many dense woods; so I was obliged to wait until the next
day. It is not easy to describe the consolation of the poor
dying man, and his gratitude expressed in the warmest language towards our Lord who had granted the prayer that
he might die assisted by the Black Robe. I administered
the Last Sacraments, and he continued imploring pardon
for all his faults, and on the following day the good old
man rendered up his soul to his Creator.
· Another case not less consoling, and one that compensates a hundredfold for all our labors in the exercise of
the ministry, was the closing scene in the life of the Sutolosi chief, Polotkan, who had belonged to the Protestant
church. He was encamped about eleven miles from our
Mission, and was dangerously ill. We must premise here,
that we were in the month of May, sacred to the honor of
our Lady, and this devotion is widely spread and praCtised
among our Indians. As the news of his death was momentarily expeCted, one of the Fathers recommended our Indians to pray to the Blessed Virgin for the conversion
of Polotkan. I started immediately, and during the night
I reached the encampment of the sick chief, and direCted
all the Catholics of the camp to recite the Rosary for the
conversion of the dying man. The Indians, not through
want of faith in the intercession of our Lady, but with their
accustomed simplicity, answered me that the affair was hopeless, because their poor chief was too obstinate, and filled
with prejudice against the Catholic name and faith. Still,
notwithstanding their persuasion to the contrary, in obedience to my order they began the recitation of the holy Ro-
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
36
�278 .
~indian
Missio1Zs.
sary. I betook myself speedily to the sick man's lodge,
and the first thing I did was to offer him the miraculous
medal of the Immaculate Conception: then, little by little,
I made progress in gaining over his heart, which up to that
moment had been so estranged from our religion ; and in a
short time, the power of divine grace effeeted a complete
change, conquered and subdued him to such a degree, that
I was able to baptize him on that very night. On the following day I had time to prepare him for his first and last
Communion, which he received in a manner that was most
edifying to all the bystanders: and thus, fortified with all
the consolations of our holy religion, he went to thank his
BenefaCtress in heaven.
The common saying, that in this world there is no rose
without its thorn, is only too true, and in the exercise of our
ministry we have daily expe~ience of it, but with this difference, that our roses are fragr,ant beyond measure, whilst the
thorns are very sharp. I have an example to my purpose.
An unfortunate young man had formed an illicit conneCtion,
and I had for some time tried over and over again to come
across him, but all my efforts to meet him had been in vain.
He came to the church at Christmas; I was soon informed
of the faa, and I sent a messenger to tell him that I wished
him to come and see me. The poor youth did not comply
with my request, and he little suspeeted that it was the last
invitation of grace calling upon him to abandon the way of
perdition. It was only a few days after this, that he took
part in a game which was not entirely innocent, and which
lasted until late in the evening. On returning to his _lodge,
he felt himself suddenly indisposed. Next day, towards
nightfall, he sent for me, but as I had no horse at the time,
I was obliged to defer my visit until the following morning.
I left the Residence very early next day, and when I was
within two miles of his house, I met a young man who
stopped me, and inquired where I was going. "I am going
to see Francis,'; I answered; "Francis is dead," he replied.
My grief at this news may be easily imagined. Nevertheless, I continued on my way, and having reached the house,
�Kansas.
279
I inquired into all the particulars of the sad event. They
assured me of the desire which the poor young man had
manifested to be reconciled to God, and that when he could
no longer speak he began to mark upon a stick the number
of weeks that had elapsed since his last confession. So I
have grounds to hope that the divine mercy had compassion upon his poor soul, and that the infinite goodness and
charity of God was displayed towards him, so that in presence of death he had been touched with sincere and efficacious sorrow for his sins. The attending circumstances, as
you may well believe, supplied me with abundant matter
for a fitting discourse to the partner of his guilt, who was
there present, and my words animated by divine grace
brought about her conversion which has been sincere, persevering and exemplary.
Yours in Christ,
J.
BANDINI,
S.
J.
KANSAS.
Letter from Fatlzer Ponzi'gli'one.
OsAGE MISSION, NEosHo Co., KANSAs,
July 1st, 1882.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
i
))
P. C.
The Indian question has in our days become the subjeCt:
of general debate. Pamphlets, periodicals, newspapers, and
novels treat of it; one hears of it in the halls of Congress
as well as in the shops of cobblers ; the school-masters, the
lawyers, the preachers, all have something to say either
about the education of the Indian youth, or about the
treatment of the nation at large, some favoring their civilization, others advocating their total extermination, and
what is most wonderful, some of those who make the most
noise about this quest_ion, do not know what an Indian is!
�280
Kansas.
Now, according to the old saying, "tractant fabrilia fabri,"
I think that after having some thirty-one years' experience
amongst the Indians I have as much right to tell my opinion about them as anybody else.
Though my dealing has been almost exclusively with the
Osages, yet, at different intervals, I came in contact with
many other tribes of our western Indians, and judging on
an average, I can say that the Indian is a man like the rest
of mankind, who if well treated is docile and easily satisfied;
he is perfectly submissive to authority, and rather inclined
to be religious, and I am confident that we could to-day
have in North America, Indians of industry, pious, and selfsupporting, as at the opening of the last century were to be
found in the famous reductions of Paraguay, if justice would
be done to them, and the promises made to them in most
solemn treaties were kept.
The Osages as a nation ar~ yet wild, and are what we
generally call blanket Indians, because they refuse to adopt
white people's clothes; yet they are good-natured, peaceful, and would prove industrious farmers were they only
properly assisted. Before the late war, they were living
around this mission, and they were doing wonderfully well.
Father John Schcenmakers advised them to farm, and
though a great many would not follow his advice, yet some
did·and went to work As a matter of course, the Father
had to supply them witb tools, teams, wagons, ploughs, etc.;
he had to help them for a while to put up their fences, their
cabins, to break and sow their fields, and the like; but in a
very short time, the Indians could do all this by themselves,
and the crops they were raising along the Neosho rive~ below this mission showed that they would soon have become
comfortable farmers had not lawless bands of guerillas, nay
even of regular troops, burned their improvements!
They had begun to do so well that we would buy from
them corn as well as beeves for the support of this institution which at that time was very large. The beauty of all
this was that their farms did not cost a single dime to their
treasury. Father John Schcenmakers was amongst them
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281
as the head of a large family, taking care of them all. He
was their steward, advisor, doctor, lawyer, and judge, in a
word he was all that a man could be. They were happy,
though their anxieties did amount but to a trifle. To encourage them to work Father Schcenmakers would make
them work in our fields, or cut cord-wood for our use ; he
would send them to haul for us, and would always pay
them more than was due for their labor. The good Father
went so far as to give them $5.00 for one thousand rails,
and once they had cut them he allowed them to keep them
for themselves.
But since the Osages by their last treaty sold to the U.
S. Government all the land they had in Kansas, no less
than nine thousand acres, a large annuity became due to
them, and since that time the nation's expenses have increased to an enormous amount. Before this last treaty,
when their treasury was nearly empty, they had but one
agent managing everything without any assistant, and this
officer was considered quite sufficient for their need, though
the Osages, at that time, numbered at least three times as
many as they are now. In those days, the agent lived in a
very common house, generally with no other staff than his
wife and children; he was seldom in need of a secretary.
Now however that they have dwindled away to hardly fifteen thousand, all counted, they have agent, sub-agents,
secretaries, commissaries, sheriff, police, doctors and farmers, so that their Agency has the appearance of a regular
town. Can you imagine what has caused this great change?
I will tell you. By the last treaty mentioned a little while
ago, more than nine millions of dollars became due to them
by the U. S. Government. This explains the whole problem without any need of much calculation; and now the
good Osages are like orphans, and all these useless employes are like guardians f:<ttening on their treasury, while
quite a number of families of this good people not only are
in destitution, but are suffering real need.
To read the annual reports made up by these agents, especially since the Osages have been taken from_ our charge,
�Kansas.
they are improving wonderfully. Would you, however, accompany me but once to visit their dilapidated wigwams
you would be bound to acknowledge that the faCl:s deny
such statements, and the real truth is that to-day the poor
Osages are no more advanced in their civilization than they
were thirty years ago.
I stated that the Indians are generally submissive to authority, and this is particularly true of the Catholic Indians,
who have an unbounded respeCl: for the Black Gown as they
call the priest, whom they really consider as a minister of
the Great Spirit. To illustrate this assertion I will relate
what some years ago happened to one of our Father's, who
was very successful with them, though on this occasion
perhaps he was not sufficiently prudent.
This good Father was trying to check the vice of intemperance amongst our Indian_?,' and used all imaginable means
to prevent whiskey to be brci"ught to the village. One day,
being told that a certain Indian had gone to Missouri and
was expeCl:ed to return with some whiskey, the Father resolved to watch the man at his arrival, and not allow the
liquor to get in. So no sooner did he see the Indian coming with a small keg under his arm, than he went to him
direCl:ly, and attacked him, saying: "Give up that keg to
me;" but the Indian thought too much of his treasure, and
would not surrender-under any consideration; so here began the struggle. Both grappled together swinging this
way and that way, till at last, missing their foot-hold, both
fell to the ground, and in falling th~ Indian dropped his
keg.• Here the Father noticing that the chances of.tli_e war
were on his side, at once gave a powerful kick to the bottom of the keg bursting it, and spilling all the liquor on the
ground: the contest was over.
You cannot form an idea of what were the feelings of that
Indian when he realized that all his whiskey was gone! He
folded his blanket around himself, and stood straight with
the gravity of a Roman Senator looking on the theatre of
the war, repeating with excitement short Indian expressions
equivalent to those words of the old poet,
I
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�Kansas.
"0 sua vis anima qure tantum mittis odorem,"
then addres~ing the Father said "if you were not the Black
Gown, I would kill you on the spot," and certainly he would
never have been so easy with anybody else; but he knew
the charaaer of the Black Gown, and this was enough to
make him check his passion.
The Osages as well as all these western Indians have a
great respea not only for the priest, but even for anything
concerning our holy religion, though but simple crosses,
holy pictures, medals, and above all prayer-beads, nay the
wearing of these. is equivalent, I would say, to a profession
of our faith. Some time ago, in traveling through the forests of the Indian Territory, I met a stranger Indian.
Wishing to know whether he was a Catholic or not, I addressed him in the Osage language, but he could not understand me; then I spoke to him in the general language,
namely by signs, and he understood me very well, for having looked at me for a few seconds, he opened his shirt on
his breast, and showed me the prayer-beads he was wearing.
You may imagine how happy I felt at that moment! I
then took my cro~s from my vest and showed it to him, he
smiled, and giving me a strong hand-shake, off he went.
Some years ago, a party of Osages was out on a hunting
expedition in the Caddo Reservation, about two hundred
miles south-west of the mission, when one day about sunset an Osage horse-hunter came in from the plains bringing
the news, that a band of Comanches was coming down
along the \Vashita river, and "likely," said he, "they will attack us early in the. morning." The chief of the Osage
party, hearing this, soon gave his orders, that everY. man
should be ready to start before day-break to meet the
enemy. You hardly can form an idea of the bustling which
at once takes place! Every one is at work, the boys gallop after their horses, some of the men are sharpening their
cutlasses and tomahawks, others are pointing their javelins, these are fixing their bows a,nd arrows, the few who
have guns load them with heavy car.tridges, and some are
packing dry meat to suffice them for two days ratiqns i
�kansas.
meanwhile that all this is going on a dispute anses about
who should wear the prayer-beads.
There happened to be in this band of Osages a young
brave who had one of them, and the chief thought that he
himself had the right to wear it during the expedition, but
the owner would not give it up. At this all insisted that
the chief should have it, for, being the leader of the band,
he needed more proteCtion. Hearing this the young brave
declared that Father John Schcenmakers had given him
that prayer-beads, and on no consideration would he part
with it. \Vhen the chief heard Father Schcenmakers' name,
he did not dare to insist any longer on the matter, but said
he "if such be the case, you certainly must keep it, but you
will have to march at the head of us all in the attack of the
enemy, for you are better shielded than we are." All agreed
to this, and about one hour. before day-break the young
brave gave the war whoop,_ ~nd out he started at the head
of all, leading the march up the \Vashita river.
They had hardly been-one hour on the way when in the
stillness of the wilderness they hear the tramping of horses
at a distance. The Comanches, confident of taking the Osages by surprise, were advancing rapidly from the west.
The morning twilight however placed them at a disadvantage, and was very favorable to the Osages whose back was
turned to the east. Here they halt for a moment to watch
the enemy, and as soon as they see the Comanches appear
on the crests of the hills in front of them they throw at
them shower upon shower of arrows and javelins, their
men from the rear open upon them a brisk fire with. their
guns.
..,- ....
The Comanches, though ranking amongst the bravest of
warriors, this time find themselves caught in a real trap.
They did not expeCt: such a sudden attack, bewildered as it
were, and blinded by the rays of the rising sun now shining
in their eyes, and by the smoke produced by the firing of
the Osages, they imagine they see many more warriors than
in reality their assailants are, and becoming entirely demoralized, give up the engagement altogether, and run for
�285
Kansas.
,
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their life in every direCtion, soon finding a safe shelter in the
woods that are lining the Washita river. So the Osages
carry the day without much fighting after all, and the rich
booty of the abandoned Comanche village is the prize of
their viB:ory.
I hope you will not get tired of me if I write a few
words more on this subjeCt:. Whilst visiting the Delaware
Indians, whose Reservation is near to that of the Osages, I
came for the night to the house of a Delaware chief who
keeps accommodation for travelers. While I was waiting
for supper I took notice of the furniture, and seeing a large
prayer- beads hanging. by the chief's bed, I asked him
whether he was a Roman Catholic? He answered he was
not. Then, said I, why do you keep those beads hanging
there; what do you mean by it? Oh, he replied, those beads
are the great prayers of the Osages; they made a present
of them to my wife, and as long as we keep them in the
house no evil spirit will trouble us.
.
But how does it come, you might ask, that the Indians
have such a respeCt: for the prayer-beads? Well in truth I
cannot give you a positive answer; all I can say is that this
seems to be an inheritance they receive from their grandfathers who knew the first missionaries that came to this
country, and irrigated it with their blood.
Concerning the Osages in particular, as they were first
discovered by Father Marquette, and were subsequently
visited by him as well as by Father Gravier, in all probability they learned the value of this great instrument of devotion from those two great missionaries of our Society, and
if after having been for a length of time deprived of Catholic missionaries, and abandoned to their wild nature, they
forget the reasons why the prayer-beads are to be respeCted,
so that many look upon them merely as a talisman, we
must not wonder; the best garden's soil, if left uncultivated for but few years, will reproduce briers and thorns instead of flowers and fruits.
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
37
�z86
/(ansas.
I must acknowledge that some Indians now look upon
this article of devotion, just as they do on some medicinework, yet it is not generally so amongst the Osages. Talking about Indians, we must always be willing to make some
allowance. The Osage indeed is yet wild, however, in matters of religion, if he has any way received some knowledge
of Christianity, he knows a good deal more than you would
suppose from his appearance. Could you but hear the
Christian Osage when early in the morning, rising from his
pallet, he crys out to God,
vVhacontaei l
} 0 God l
Anska-ke-ninchxei l
Thou who hast made me l
Lake-anlao l &c., &c., Have pity on mel &c., &c.
Could you hear him when with filial confidence he applies
to Her who is the help of Christians, crying out,
Kassantzi Mary!
_ }Virgin Mary!
Whaconta Hishinchie Hi~n l Of God the son mother!
Lake-anlao l &c., &c.
··
Have pity on me ! &c., &c.
you would most certainly form a different opinion of these
poor Indians, despised, alas, and negleCted. You might
perhaps feel your heart burning with a spark of that heroic
charity, so scarce in our days, which in old times induced
so many of our most illustrious Fathers to abandon the
honorable positions they enjoyed in Europe, to come and
labor suffer, and die, in behalf of these unfortunate people.
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIO:-IE,
S.
J.
�MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM MAY JTH TO JUNE I 5TH.
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ST. }AMES', BosTON.-This congregation was formed about
thirty years ago, and a church was built about the same
time. A few years ago, it was found necessary to build a
finer and larger church on Harrison Avenue for the great
increase that had meanwhile taken place. The old church
was disposed of to the Boston and Albany Railroad Company. The present edifice in its tasteful and elaborate architectural appointments, in its imposing appearance, reflects
great honor upon the former pastor, -who is now the Bishop
of Portland, the Right Reverend James A. Healy.
Fathers Maguire, Hamilton, Carey, Finnegan, and Morgan were engaged in this mission. Three weeks were spent
in laboring for the spiritual advancement of the people. The
first week for the women was so well attended, that an overflow service had to be held in the basement, even from the
first evening. The second week was for the married men;
this part of the mission was a drag, and some began to predict a failure. But even in St. Mary's, in our own church,
the same remark was made last year, when we gave a three
weeks' mission. The second week is always dull. When
the young men began to show themselves in their week of
the exercises, all misgivings vanished. They not only
crowded the church during the sermons, but the confessionals, too, so that the good done amongst them was more
apparent, and certainly more to the liking of the Fathers.
Parts of this parish are looked on as very much in need of
reformation. Bostonians speak of the "South Cove" as one
of the plague spots. Many of the fighters, and drinkers,
and hard characters of this very quarter made their confest>ions as contritely as those in more favored localities,
(287)
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Missionary Labors.
"Father," said one, "I have never been to confession in my
life, and I am thirty-two years of age. I have spent sixteen
years in prison for various offences. I have just got out
now. I want to do what's right; can't you put me through
this time?" Thus was the Father addressed, who had
charge of the first Communion class. Another man, sixtyfour years of age made his first Confession. These cases,
and many more equally startling, showed the necessity of
a class for adults, who might be prepared for the Sacraments. The Fathers have such classes always, though
some one has to be taken from the confessional for a half
hour or so, to give the instruCtions. Special efforts were
made in the interests of the sodalities and confraternities in
conneCtion with the church, and some success was had in
enlarging the roll of members. Unless the young men,
aml we might say this for all classes, men and women, join
some good society, they will fall back into their old ways.
An amusing incident gave rise to some fun for the boys on
the last afternoon, and for older people also. About vesper
time, a great noise of tin pans beaten most vigorously, of
clashing plates, of jingling anvils and the horrible screech
of a one-stringed fiddle attraCted the attention of the children just leaving Sunday-school. A Chinese laundry opposite the church was responsible for all the hideous sounds.
It was said a wake was going on. And this seemed probable from the hampers of liquors and provisions that were
carried in now and then. Pipes, cigars and tobacco were
in abundance, as far as could be seen. The police had to
guard the house, and it was only when a new mour!Jer arrived that a glimpse could be had into the interior' of the
den. The Chinese flag, or something supposed to be, was
raised on the top of the house, and kept in position by bits
of plank and the seat of a water-closet. It turned out afterwards that all the noise and feasting a Ia Clzinoise were
parts of a Masonic celebration, or, perhaps, initiation of
members.
There were about I 2,000 Communions .. The first Communions of adults were one hundred and thirty. Ten per-
1
�Missionary Labors.
sons were received into the Church. For Confirmation
there were two hundred and forty-five grown persons,
amongst these were three Jewesses who had been received
into the Church some time before by one of the curates of
the parish. Several persons were left under instruCtion for
baptism.
The mission lasted from April 16th to May 7th. The
Fathers could not but be pleased with the kind, zealous,
and hospitable pastor, the Rev. Thomas Shahan.
ST. MICHAEL's, NEw YoRK (May 14-28).- Rev. Arthur
Donnelly, a warm friend of the Society, made the Fathers
feel very much at home. He has been pastor at St. Michael's from the days when Mass was said in a shed up to the
present time, a space of twenty-five years. Much has he to
show for his labor. Schools, convent, residence, a very
large church and fine chapel, and-a small debt. PerfeCt:
order reigns in and about the church.
The mission was confined to the parish, and was most satisfaCtory. The men here, as in many other places, outnumbered the women in the confessional. So much was the
difference in favor of the men, that the clergy were astonished. There was a great desire to receive the scapular, or
to be rowled in the order, and a thousand or so were rowlcd
before the end. The boys were foremost in this rush.
Some were of opinion no harm could happen them with the
scapular on, and became reckless in walking and climbing
over the roofs of houses too steep for other boys, not favored
thus by our Blessed Lady.
The mission was given by Fathers Finnegan, Claven,
McCarthy and Morgan, though they could have done
but poorly without the aid of the good Fathers of Fordham
and St. Francis Xavier's, who came the last three nights of
each week for the confessions, when the penitents are more
numerous and have harder accounts to settle. Father Magevney deserves especial thanks for the two eloquent sermons he gave, thus relieving the missionaries already overworked. The results were: Communions, seven thousand
�llfi'ssionary Labors.
five hundred; first Communion of adults, sixty; prepared
for Confirmation, one hundred and fifty; baptized, eight.
Some Protestants were left: under instructions.
JENKINTOWN, PA. (May 31-}une6).-This town is about
ten miles from Philadelphia, and is quite fair to look at.
The surrounding country has been appropriated by some
of the rich men of the city, and their magnificent residences and grounds attached give a grand appearance to
the township.
The work here was quite light, more of a recreation, and
this was evident by the side of the hard struggle in New
York of the week before. The good and zealous pastor,
Father Mellin, made the Fathers understand he desired
them to enjoy a few days' rest. -,In a week, therefore, everything was easily ended. Fa~~rs Finnegan and Morgan
gave the exercises. There were seven hundred Communions. Five or six were prepared for first Communion.
GLOUCESTER, MAss.-vVhile Fathers Finnegan and Morgan went to New York to give a mission in St. Michael's,
FF. Maguire, Hamilton and Casey were engaged in the
same work in Gloucester, l\Tass. This place is made up of
fishermen from all parts of the world. The population is
over twenty thousand ~of these fully one-fourth are Catho- ·
lies. vVe find here Irish, Scotch, Canadians and Swedes
in large numbers, with a few native converts. The interests
of Gloucester are almost entirely commercial. It ha.s a
greater amount of tonnage employed in the domestic..fi~h
eries than any other city in the United States. Nearly
three hundred vessels, owned here and manned by men
from this place, are engaged in the mackerel fishery. The
cod fishing has been going on here very successfully for
more than a century. The Catholic people are full of faith,
which they evinced by erecting one of the handsomest
churches and pastoral houses in New England. Their life
is a hard one, and they are very much exposed. We were
informed that in one year one hundred and twenty persons
.
�Missionary Labors.
were lost at sea in the Georges and at the Grand Banks.
The mission commenced on Sunday, May 14th, and finished
on Tuesday, the 23d. vVe were constantly occupied from
5 o'clock in the morning until after 10 at night. Some of
these poor fishermen, who knelt at our knees then, have
since been lost, as we learn by recent accounts from the
Pastor. We hope they made the mission well. A few Protestants came at night, but they are rather bitter here, being
of the old Puritan stock. vVe heard twenty-five hundred
confessions, and gave Communion to more than two thousand in ten days. A few grown persons were prepared for
first Communion: a man forty-five years of age and a woman over sixty. The latter was induced to come to confession for the first time by her own grandchild. Two persons presented themselves to be received into the church,
but they were left under the care of the Pastor. Several
parties who had married out of the church did public
penance by kneeling before the altar on two successive
Sundays before the whole congregation, and receiving the
reprimand of the stern little pastor. vVe admired their humility. Mixed marriages are a great evil in this place, and
are very common.
l\hsSIONS AT GRAFTON AND UPTON, MAss.-On Trinity
Sunday, June 4th, the mission at Grafton was commenced.
The town of Grafton lies about eight miles north of Worcester, and draws to its very modest church the Catholics
of three adjacent villages. This peculiar modesty will be
soon eliminated we were informed, and the church be made
worthy of the worship which is offered therein. The Rev.
Pastor, Fr. James Boyle, is young, active, and one of the
most earnest of priests. When he sees a want, therefore,
he will use every endeavor to supply it. A few facts con~
cerning him may not be out of place here. "He was to the
wars." He entered a New York regiment as "drummer
boy," and when his regiment was mustered out of service,
he was its first lieutenant. Now it was that God called
him to a higher duty. But unfortunate for him, he was-
�Missionary Labors.
(as who hasn't said it?) "the son of poor but respeCtable
parents." This was his heritage. Sad to say it. It has
never paid a "bill" yet. For a while he was in one of the
departments at vVashington, then in the Custom House at
New York city. In a few years he had saved enough to
pay all his expenses at college. When about to be ordained
he preferred to work amongst strangers than among his
own, so instead of remaining in the diocese of New York,
he placed himself under Bishop O'Reilly of Springfield.
Are the Catholics of Grafton not assured of a better church?
Of the Catholics attending Grafton, one-half is of Irish,
the others of French origin. For the benefit of these latter,
Fr. Vignon, a French Canadian Jesuit who has temporarily charge of Notre Dame church at Worcester, accompanied Fr. Maguire. The weather during the mission was
all that could be desired. The)ittle church was, therefore,
crowded each evening. Frs. M.!lguire and Vignon spoke on
alternate evenings, and it was remarkable that though many
did not understand the preacher of the evening, yet they
were as attentive as if they understood all. It was possible that nine hundred might receive the benefits of the sacraments; of these, eight hundred and fifty received Holy
Communion. About four hundred children also made their
confessions. There was one convert during the mission ;
but from the numbers of Protestants who attended and their
careful attention to the~sermons, we may fairly conclude
that others will follow. On the second Sunday after Pentecost, June 1 I, the mission of Grafton was closed, and on
the same day another mission was begun at Upton, a village, some five miles distant from Grafton. Hither we ~ere
forced to go and return each morning and evening. The
care and kindness of the Pastor, however, made these journeys even· pleasant. A short time ago Fr. Boyle purchased
the Protestant church at Upton and made it a place of "true
sacrifice." Except for the altar and sanCtuary, little change
has been made. Some of the relics of "easy worship" remain-one-a carpet which extends along the aisle and into
the pews. There are not more than two hundred Catholic
.
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�.Missionary Labors.
adults attending Upton, and of these about one hundred and
seventy-three went to confession and Holy Communion. A
few made their first Communion. The confessions of some
forty children were also heard. As at Grafton, so here, the
evening sermon was attended by many Protestants, some of
them the wealthiest of the place. As the mission only
lasted three days it is impossible to tell what was the result
of the evidences of our holy religion upon their minds.
With this mission, closed the labor and toil of the scholastic
year I 88 I -2.
The following item is from the Worcester Spy:
"GRAFTON.-St. Philip's Church was far too small for all
the people who assembled last evening to hear Father Maguire preach upon "The Confessional," and many of them
had to range themselves before the doors and along the
windows outside in order to catch his words. The reverend preacher began by saying that man was destined for
Heaven and immortality, and would have been translated
from this world, body and soul, without knowing death, had
sin not come to break the charm of his innocence. But sin
changed the whole economy of man's existence, rendering
him subjeCt to the ills of life and eternal damnation. Christ
came to save sinners, and was always kind to them, as could
be seen from His treatment of Mary Magdalen, the woman
taken in adultery, and the man who, because of his sins,
was affliCted with palsy. These people sought Christ to
obtain pardon of their sins. He forgave them; and the
power which he then exercised he left with the priests of
the church that he established. In support of this statement, the preacher cited various texts from scripture, and
said that while the power of forgiving sin belonged to God
alone, yet, as God had delegated to Moses, and others of
whom we read in the Bible, extraordinary powers, so had
he delegated this power of forgiving sins to the priests of
the Catholic Church. The priest, however, could not use
this power in an arbitrary manner. In order to determine
to what extent he should exercise it, he must hear the confession of the sinner, and if he found the sinner sorry for his
offences and determined not to renew them, then he could
give him pardon, and the aCt would be ratified in heaven.
He said the Catholic Church has not, and never will "proVoL. x1. No. 3·
38
�Missionary Labors.
gress" so far as to eliminate the ten commandments from
the moral code by which men are to shape their conduct if
they wish to reach heaven, and consequently, a Catholic, in
preparing for confession, must take these comman.dments as
a guide to the knowledge of wherein he may have offended
his Maker. He spoke of the inviolable secrecy ·of the confessional and the feelings of security which Catholics have
in telling their sins, their troubles and.their sorrows to the
priest, and how potent the confessional is, not only in making men better, but also in saving them from the commission of suicide, which, he said, was often caused because
men and women affliCl.ed with sorrow and trouble knew not
where to seek for consolation and sympathy. The reverend
father kept his audience, among which there were many
Protestants, almost spell-bound for over an hour, and the
throng will no doubt be as great when he preaches again
on Friday evening."
·
HouLTON, ME.-The mission at St. Mary's Church in this
place, the county seat of Aroostook county, was given by
Father Hamilton. Despite the inclement \veather, the exercises were well attended, and as the town is situated near
the New Brunswick line, those who live in the Queen's domains were well represented. The older people retain their
strong Irish faith, but mixed marriages have done much
harm amongst the descendants of the earlier settlers, and
Protestant associations have caused neglect of religion. This
is also true of Fort Fairfield, where a mission was given after the conclusion of the one at Houlton, from which place
it is about eighty miles distant.
On the Feast of Corpus Christi a procession in honor of
the feast was one of the features of the mission, in which all
the members of the congregation took part. Hundr~ds of
Protestants were in attendance, and went away bettter pleased
than when they came. A mission cross was erected in the
graveyard, around which the procession passed.
At Houlton, there were nine hundred confessions; at
Fairfield, two hundred and fifty. Over seventy adults, for
the most part men, made their confession for the first time.
Beads and scapulars were in great demand ; they wore the
peads around their necks, and would not tuck in the scapu-
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�Missouri.
Iars under their coats, because they felt proud of them and
wanted their Protestant neighbors to see them. Several
were left under instruCtion, and are reading "The Sure Way
to Find the Truth," of which book almost every Catholic
family possesses a copy.
General results for the spring campaign compare favorably with those of former years, though the time was much
shorter on account of the late Easter.
There were 24,325 Communions; 22 Protestants were received into the Church; 276 adults made their first Communion ; 465 adults were prepared for Confirmation.
Adding these to the figures already given, there is a
grand total somewhat higher than that of the last year:
Communions, 109,625; First Communion of adults, 542;
Prepared for Confirmation of adults, 803; Total number of
baptisms, including 40 children previously negleCted, 138;
Protestants left under instruCt:ion in various places, 25.
MISSOURI.
Co., Mo.
July 15th, 1882.
WESTPHALIA, OsAGE
REv'n AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
To give you an idea, my dear Father, of our doings in
one, though not the least of our Western missions, I humbly
submit to your Reverence the following account which is a
free translation of an article that appeared in one of our
Western dailies. The event, to which allusion is here made,
was indeed a glorious one, and such as will be long remembered by all participants:"On Pentecost Monday, May 29th, was celebrated in the
little town of Westphalia, Osage Co., Mo., the grandest so-.
lemnity that had ever occurred within the recolleCtion of
the oldest inhabitants of the county.
�Missouri.
"The celebration was successful in every respect, as weli
in its idea as in its execution. The occasion was the meeting or reunion of all the Catholic young men's Sodalities of
Osage county. In the morning the weather threatened to
be very unpropitious ; but in the course of two hours, the
clouds disappeared and disclosed a most lovely sky for the
rest of the day. Enthusiasm soon took possession of all
hearts and rose to its height when one Sodality after another arrived on horseback at the appointed time, in Westphalia. The scene which then followed almost beggars
description. The sight of the three hundred and fifty men
on horseback as they passed through the streets and under
triumphal arches, decorated with garlands and flowers,
aroused all hearts to feelings of joy and exultation. The
Pastor of the town, Rev. P. A. Krier, S. ]., surrounded by
the prefe& of the five Sodalities, headed the procession,the Sodalities of Linn, Kcelfztown, Loose Creek and Richfountain being preceded by their respective Pastors. Many
an eye was suffused with tears of joy at the sight of this
grand display. As the procession crossed the limits of the
town the young men dismounted, and giving their steeds in
charge of keepers in waiting, marched on foot, to the music
of the \Vestphalia Cornet Band, in the direction of the
church. At the church door, where they were greeted by
a tastefully arranged decoration of "\Velcome," all halted,
and at a given signal three hundred and fifty heads were
uncovered and bowed in humble, thoughtful reverence to
Him who reigned upon the altar within.
"If the procession was so imposing a spectacle, the_sight
in the church was still more so. The members of th~· c1wir
did their best, and were found quite equal to the occasion.
The prefects, with their assistants, took their position before
the altar of the Blessed Virgin ; at which, after Father Krier
had welcomed the Sodalities with a pathetic and soul-stirring address, the act of consecration was repeated in a loud
clear voice by all the members of the different Sodalities.
Thereupon Rev. 'vV. Niederkorn, S. J., of Loose Creek, assisted by Rev. H. Kellersmann, of Kceltztown, and Rev. H.
�Missouri.
Erley, of Richfountain, gave the benediB:ion of the most
Blessed Sacrament, and then intoned the Te Deum, which
was continued in unison by all present.
"As the soul had her food, the body was not to be forgotten. Close to the church an inviting park called upon
both young and old to partake of its ample shade and enjoyments. Tables, decked with the flags of the nation and
laden with the richest delicacies, inyited all to a friendly repast. Young and old, boys and girls, partook ofthe friendly
cheer. On the grounds were seen youths clad in Chinese
garments, feeling their way through the dense crowd and.
selling their flashy trinkets and curiosities to whomsoever
would buy. Oldfashioned 'tea-party' maids were also there,
with a smile and a word for every kindly purchaser. And
'to cap the climax,' King Barbarossa,-he that had slept on
for ages and ages,-was finally awakened from his deep slumber, and· was now walking about, stroking his long red
beard, and smiling with evident satisfaB:ion upon his happy,
peaceful progeny.
"The day passed by merrily, and the best order prevailed.
SatisfaB:ion was everywhere manifest. Nothing occurred
during the course .of the day to mar the solemnity of this
glorious occasion; and when at evening the Sodalities returned to their respeB:ive towns, a thousand 'hurrahs' rang
through the air in praise of the hospitable Westphalians,
and their incomparable, self-sacrificing Pastor.
"Union is strength. The five Sodalities are now made
one in soul by that strong and unfailing bond of fraternal
charity, and, by their united efforts, purpose to effeB: much
for the greater glory of God and the edification of their
neighbor. This, their first meeting and reunion shall never
be forgotten. It has had, too, a marked effeB:; for the
young men now cling to their Sodalities and to their religion with stronger love and fonder attachment than ever before, and discover in them the only source whence spring
true love and devotedness to their God and their country."
Yours in Christ,
P. A.
KRIER,
s. J.
�J
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
BY FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
The early labors of our Fathers in the Rocky Mountains
have been made widely known by the books of Father De
Smet, Oregon Missions, TVestern JIHssions and Missionan"es,
.and various other publications in English, French and Flemish. Father Nicholas Point, the early companion and zealous assistant of Father De Smet, and founder of several Indian Missions which are still under the care of the Society,
during the later years of his life, when incapacitated for active labors, by the direCtion of, his superiors recorded the
history of the events in which .. he had so large a share, in
three bulky volumes entitled: Souvenirs des llfontagnes Roclzeuses ,· Notes Biograplziques / Clzasses. The work is profusely illustrated, and so finished in every respeCt: that it
could be sent to the printer and engraver. It was intended
to have the volumes published, after the manner of Schoolcraft's great work on the Indians, and for this purpose application was made to the Smithsonian Institute at \Vashington, but the projeCt: failed because the conditions under
which that body would-undertake the expense of publication were considered inadmissible. Other efforts in the
same direCtion made at Paris were equally unsuccessful. Its
Catholic tone may explain why a work of such histot:ical
and ethnographic interest and value, of decided lit~·rary
merit and artistic finish, failed to secure the financial aid
without which it would be too hazardous to undertake so
expensive a publication. A strong religious sentiment pervades the whole work, and the written descriptions are
heightened and set off by illustrations intensely Catholic in
spirit and execution.
Father De Smet drew largely upon the narrations and
(2g8)
r
I
l
I
�Recol/e{limzs
if tlze Rocky Mountains.
299
used the drawings of Father Point in his books relating to
the Indian Missions; but the complete writings of Father
Point, as contained in the three volumes now kindly placed
at our disposal by the Reverend Superior of Canada, have
never been given to the public. A translation of such portions of the work as are judged to be of greater general interest will appear in these LETTERS: a short biographical
notice of the author, compiled from notes furnished by his
brother, Father Pierre Point, by the Reverend Superior of
the Mission of Canada, and by Father James Perron, will
throw some light upon a life worthy of praise and imitation,
as it was rich in works for the greater glory of God.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
Father Nicholas Point was born in the small fortified
town of Rocroy (Ardennes), April IO, I799· The place of
his birth, a modest parish in the diocese of Rheims, had
been exempted from the terrible excesses of those evil days,
but there were many dangers to which virtue was exposed,
and many difficulties in the way of
Christian education,
the consequences of the Revolution, and which lasted during the administration of .Napoleon. Although his mother
was early left a widow without resources, the childhood and
early youth of Nicholas.was preserved from the contagion
of vice which marked the period, by her maternal solicitude
and piety, and by the zealous charity of some good souls
who consecrated themselves to the cause of primary education.
He made a fervent First Communion in the spring of
18 IO. Even from his earliest years the salient traits of his
charaCter began to manifest themselves; piety, charity, energy, generosity, regard for authority, compassion for the
poor, cordiality towards friends, love of study rather than
of amusement, taste and aptitude for the arts, and industrious application. These qualities he possessed, as it were,
from nature, and they developed spontaneously, without ef-
a
�300
Recolle{lzons of tlze Rocky Mountains.
fort on his part ;-God, who had bestowed these gifts upon
him, was to employ them in His own service.
As Catholic schools had ceased to exist, the Cure of the
parish threw open his own house to some boys of the town
and instruaed them in the first elements of Latin. The
young Nicholas was received among these scholars after
his First Communion, and devoted himself to these first
studies with joyful ardor. After about two years spent at
this school, he concluded that desire of knowledge should
give way to filial piety, which prompted him to aid his poor
mother in the support of the family. So he accepted a situation in a lawyer's office, and afterwards in the bureau of a
receiver-general. In this employment his piety and innocence were not endangered, nor did he lose his time. Devoting the 'day to his office duties, he gave the evening to
reading and spent the moments of recreation in drawing,
which he had acquired without the aid of a master, and Sunday was occupied with the .offices of the church. During
the three or four years of his life which were spent as a department clerk, he gained the esteem and good will of his
superiors by his indusfry and successful taa, but; above all,
by his exemplary condua.
He used in after years to refer with gratitude to some signal instances of God's proteaing care over him at this period of his life. One day he rashly ventured upon the Meuse,
when it was thinly frbzen over, and breaking through the
ice he was on the point of disappearing, when he was rescued by a friend. In 1814, whilst the Prussians were besieging and bombarding the town, a shell burst at a few
paces from where he was passing with a heavy load ofgoods
belonging to his employer; he attributed his preservation to
Our Lady, for it was the feast of her Assumption. He often thanked God for having escaped from a danger which
menaced his soul at this time. An officer high in rank, Marshal Ney, having met him at the office, and noticing some
signs of genius in the youth, offered to adopt him, and
place him at a government school. He was unwilling to
accept the offer without consulting his mother, and thanks
�RecolleClions
of
the Rocky Mou1Ztains.
jot
to her maternal prudence and to his own filial respeCt: for
her opinion, the tempting proposal was declined.
The Divine Master wished to withdraw him from the
dangers of the world, and, in I 8 I 5, God clearly made known
to him his vocation. The Cure, a generous confessor of
the faith, desirous to help in the regeneration of the clergy,
had just opened in his parochial residence a school for some
forty scholars. Some pious students among the friends of
young Nicholas, who like himself were about seventeen
years of age, and a holy religious woman advised him to
resume his classical studies. After some time devoted to
serious reflexion and to prayer, he ended by recognizing the
call of God to the ecclesiastical state, and applying himself
with ardor to study, and stri.ving to compensate for lost
time and for the advantages of a regular college by unflagging industry, he completed his course at .this school, finishing with rhetoric ..
But this was only the first step in the way of his vocation;
he felt that God and his conscience demanded more of him,
a complete sacrifice. This, however, was a secret known
only to God and himself. He eagerly read the Lives of
the Saints, the Edifying Letters, and above all the Life of St.
Francis Xavier. This reading inspired him with sentiments
quite in harmony with his charaCter. All his thoughts and
aspirations were concentrated on the ideal of the Society
of Jesus ; but he believed that the Society was suppressed
forever, and he remained undecided as to what he should do.
It was in 1819 that he went for advice to his master, who
was also his spiritual direCtor, and learned from him that
the Society really existed, and had established at St. Acheul
a college which was already in a very flourishing state.
His vocation was decided from that moment, and his resolution taken. A magnetic influence attraCted him, the grace
of God was urging him, St. Francis Xavier's novena came
to sanCtion his final resolution and to press its speedy execution. His petition to be received into the Society was
made to Fr. Loriquet, ReCtor of St. Acheul, and it was
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
39
�~
302
Recollections
of tlte Rocky Mountains.
granted immediately. He left home, June 25th, 1819: it
was a mighty sacrifice for his tender heart. But the thought
of treading in the foot-prints of St. Francis Xavier, of going
to save the infidels, raised his will above his affections. The
secret and concentrated struggle which he sustained before
his departure threw him intoa fever. vVas this impediment a trial sent by God for the good of his conscience, or
was it a diabolical attempt against his firmness? The fact
is, that on the eve of his departure the fever disappeared;
his victory was as complete as it was generous.
On reaching St. Acheul, June 28, he was appointed
prefect of discipline, and, while thus employed he made a
year of philosophy under Fr .• Martin. After another year
as teacher at St. Firmin, he entered the novitiate of Montrouge, Sept. 23rd, 1822. In May, 1823, he fell sick, and
was obliged to .leave the· novitiate for a time. He went
back to his family, and wrote to Prince Hohenlohe, a holy
priest, who at that time obtained many miraculous graces
by his prayers to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Prince
answered him, that he would celebrate a novena of Masses
for his intention to the Sacred Heart, and at the end of the
novena, he was cured, and returned immediately to the novitiate. On account of this interruption, he did not take
his first vows until March g, 1827 : a considerable portion
of the time since his entrance at Montrouge had been spent
at St. Acheul in the ~duties of prefect, and after pronouncing his vows, he resumed this employment and was engaged in it, when the college was closed in August, 1828.
For the next three years he studied theology, p_a'r!ly at
Brigg; was ordained priest March 20, I 8 3 I ; in I 83 I -2·, prefect of discipline at Fribourg; troubles and persecution in
Switzerland drove him into Spain; in 1833, he was vice-superior of the college of St. Roch, near San Sebastian. Expelled from Spain in I834, he made the third year of Probation; pronounced his last vows in I 835; and on the I 5th
of August of the same year, he set sail for America, landing in New York, Dec. 13, along with Fr. Murphy and Br.
Ledore. The passage was as stormy as it was long. Three
�Recolleflions of the Rocky Mountat"ns.
303
days after their arrival, they departed for Kentucky. On
the 6th of June, 1836, he was at Bardstown, and shortly
afterwards at St. Mary's College. In December, 1837, he
founded tne College of St. Charles at Grand Coteau, La.,
of which he was the first Rector. It was an arduous undertaking, when the circumstances are taken into account; he
had to choose between fifteen places which were offered
with apparent liberality, but in truth the spirit of profitable
speculation was at the bottom of the whole affair. His
choice fell upon Grand Coteau. With thirty-five dollars in
hand, but with unbounded hope in his heart, he began with a
few workmen to build the College. The first stone was laid,
on the 23rd of June. Malarial fever soon prostrated the
coadjutor Brothers; Father Point was also seized by it, and
for a time, he was believed to be dead. After eighty days
of sickness, prayer restored him promptly to health. In
two years the college was in full operation; and the trifling
debt which had been contracted was canceled in the following year. This college, built under very depressing circumstances, and already after a short time in splendid working
order, was the first: fruit of his constancy and ability. Towards the end of July, 1840, he left Grand Coteau without a cent of debt upon the college, which numbered one
hundred and ten students. It was a good beginning, and
to his successors it was left to do the rest.
He was called away to accompany Father De Smet in
the overland trip to the Rocky Mountains, and on the 1st
of August, 1840, he departs from St. Louis. Compelled to
wait for some time, a new theatre presents itself for the display of his zeal. On the extreme Western frontier, from
Nov. 10, 1840 to May 10, 1841, Father Point assumes the
charge of a little village, poor in every respect and steeped
in ignorance. In six months, Westport undergoes a complete transformation. He organizes everything as if it were
question of a great and permanent mission. He is indefatigable in labor, unbounded in patience, mildness and perseverance. The ceremonies of the Church are introduced,
catechism classes and sodalities established ; the children
�304
Recolletlions of t!te Rocky Mountains.
are prepared for first Communion, whilst general Communions bring back the adults to the praCtice of Christian virtue; immodest dances and amusements are abolished;
temperance is promoted and held in honor. The neighboring mission of the Kickapoo Indians, which had been abandoned, is brought back to the faith by the exertions and
prayers of Father Point.
His stay and labors among the Indians can be dismissed
briefly here, as his own graphic descriptions will make them
known further on. Setting out o'n the long trip over the
Plains, May ro, I 841, the Flathead Indians are encountered for the first time on the 15th of August, and some
days afterwards he founded a mission among them under
the name of St. Mary's. He drew up the plan of the mission; it was adopted, a chapel was improvised-grand ceremony-big feast-music-piEtures-co~plete success. The
mission is assured. Next-year the whole tribe is baptized.
This first mission should be the model of all the rest, and
such it really was.
The second l\Iission was founded amongst the Cceur
d'Alenes; it was a most difficult undertaking, but his zeal,
patience and energy overcame every obstacle; He .accomP.anies the tribe upon its grand annual hunting expeditions,
-in January 1844, returns to the Flatheads,- visits the
Nez Perces.
In 1846, after the summer hunt, Father De Smet decides·
to send Father Point among the Blackfeet. They set out
together after the Assumption:- are present at the battle
with the Crow Indians :-The Flatheads come to m~et the
two missionaries with an imposing escort :-the Pi egan nation receives them :-the Flatheads depart after concluding
a treaty with the Blackfeet, the two Fathers. remaining as
a pledge of peace. In OCtober, they separate, and Father
Point remains alone among the Blackfeet, with a child of
twelve years to aCt as interpreter. With mildness and perseverance, by becoming all to all, he accomplishes prodigies.
He visits the chiefs of these ferocious bands, and presents·
them with their own portraits in lieu of official gifts. He
�Recolle[lions of the Rocky Mountains.
I~
305
is hospitably received at Fort Louis. He baptizes eight
hundred children with the consent of their parents, and·confounds the sorcerers who acknowledge their defeat. All
these Indian tribes asked for Black Gowns.
In May, I847, he is recalled by the Provincial of France
for the Mission of Upper Canada. Some idea may be
formed of the difficulties of communication in those days,
and of his isolated position, when we say that it took three
years for the order of recall to reach him, as it had been
sent in I 844.
Spent with the uninterrupted labors of seven years among
the savages, Father Point, in the judgment of his Superiors needed rest, and upon his arrival in Canada, he was
sent to the French Canadian mission of Sandwich for that
purpose. But his rest consisted in working. A more regular organization·, the spirit of piety and emulation introduced among the little children, the schools established, the
four sodalities formed in the parish, in a word, the good
order which he re-established throughout the entire mission,
marked his administration at Sandwich as another success.
In I848, he went to reside at Wikwemikong, Grand'Manitouline Island, in quality of local superior. His predecessors had accommplished a great deal at this place, but they
had never been numerous enough for all the labors of the
Mission. Father Point undertook to establish a methodical plan and discipline in the various works. The results
were; economy in the gifts bestowed upon the Indians, cultivation of the soil and some manufaCtures inaugurated, the
construCtion of a fine stone church, a school and convent
erecred; finally, a greater moderation in the exercise of zeal,
in order to preserve the health of the missionaries.
In Oetober, I 8 55, he set out for the mission of the I n1maculate Conception, at Fort ·william, Lake Superior. He fell
sick upon his arrival at Sault Ste. Marie, and as it was judged
to be impossible for him to continue his journey, he returned to Sandwich, and for the rest of his life, he suffered
from hernia constantly, and often acutely. Upon the suppression of the mission at Sandwich, Ocrober 24, 1859, Fa-
�306
Reco!leflion"'s if t/ze Rocky JV[ountains.
ther Point was transferred to Sault au Recollet, near Montreal. In January, 186o, he was ordered to rest from every
active employment. But his desire was to die in harness,
laboring for the Society. He was named Socius of the
Master of Novices: he was charged to reduce his numerous manuscripts into orderly shape and form ; he also assisted in the parish church, was chaplain to the convent of the
Sacred Heart, gave the instructions in catechism to the
pupils of the Academy, etc., etc.
In order to withdraw him from the temptation of overworking himself, his Superior transferred him, Nov. 5, 1865,
to the residence of Quebec. On his arrival, he confined
himself to his room. He had no special occupation assigned to him : he prayed, and suffered, and practised obedience, and prepared himself to die well. His last work
was to instruct some fifteen boys for their First Communion. On the 28th of June, 1.S68, he took to his bed, received the Last Sacraments on the following day, and on
Friday, July 4, at eight o'clock in the evening, he rendered
up his soul to God.
The success which attended the labors of Father Point
was due, in the first place, to Divine Providence in which
he placed unbounded trust, and which visibly assisted him
on several occasions; 2ndly, to the exactitude of the plan
which he never failed to draw up even when it was question
of undertakings that seemed to be of lesser moment, and
for which he invariably obtained the approbation of his su~
periors; 3rdly, to the opportune employment of such means
as ceremonies that were calculated to attract the sa~age
mind, little gifts, games, portraits and drawings, which ~vere
very flattering to the chiefs; 4thly, to the co-operation of
his brethren.
Father Point never remained long enough upon any of
his fields of labor to gather all the fruits of the success
which attended his efforts. Vvhen his Superior had any
specially difficult mission to establish, he sent forward Fr.
Point to open the way and prepare the ground for future
conversions. The first care of the missionary was to be-
'~~
(
�Recolleflions of tlze Rocky Mountains.
.
307
come acquainted with the dispositions, the charaaer, the
vices of these nations which differ so widely one from another : then, to selea a convenient site for the centre of the
village and for the church. This being done, when once his
plan was formed, he endeavored with prudent firmness to
carry it into execution ; a long continued residence in these
centres would be necessary to realize all that he aimed at,
and to change the manners of these poor people, whilst he
passed the greater part of the year in the company of the
hunting parties or in traveling from place to place : so he
laid the foundations and left it to others to continue what
he had begun.
After this brief sketch of his labors, we may say a few
words about the virtues of Father Point. He had a filial
affeaion, invincible and constant, from the first day of his
admission until his dying hour, for the Society, for all its
members, its constitutions, its virtues, its works. As proof
of this, we might cite the dreadful temptations that assailed
him on various occasions, and which can be read in the
notes which he left concerning his annual retreats. All
these temptations were scruples of fear and terror lest he
might be dismissed from the Society, and be lost in consequence thereof.
His charaaer remained through life such as it appeared
in his early years : he was daring and courageous, lighthearted, open- handed, full of tenderness, industrious, an
enemy of untruthfulness, of injustice and ingratitude, cornpassionate, generous, sympathetic with children, with the
poor, and with soldiers, and always delighted to read the
lives of martyrs and missionaries, and the life of St. Francis
Xavier beyond all others.
The ideal under which the Society presented itself to him
was that of the foreign missions. His instina carried him
in that direaion. Even when he knew the Institute only
by the life of St. Francis Xavier, the labors of the Apostle
of the Indies were the objea of his desires. Twenty years
after his entrance into the Society, after having discharged
various duties more or less in harmony with his natural in-
�308
Recol!eaimzs of tlze Rocky Mountains.
clinations, to his intense delight the missions of Oregon
were thrown open to him. He made a vow of martyrdom.
This inspired his zeal, and armed him with patience and intrepidity in the midst of labors, dangers, sufferings and persecutions. Once, a tomahawk was raised against him. He
hoped that among the Blackfeet he would find the object
of his desires, but the martyrdom of blood was denied him,
and he had to rest content with that of the spirit and of
charity. vVorn out with fatigue after a long journey, and
summoned upon his arrival to attend upon a dying man, he
ran with all speed to the place whither he was called; a rupture was the consequence, and he never recovered from this
injury, and in the end it was the cause of his death. His
sufferings for fifteen years took the place of martyrdom for
him.
As for the spirit of faith and hope, from the age of sixteen years, he saw God in all· things, and all things in God,
and from that time he cherished devotion to St. Francis Xavier, to whom he believed he owed his vocation, and
whom he chose as his patron and model. His confidence
in God was such that he had no fear to be exposed even to
the greatest dangers for the salvation of souls, and it was
always with a sensible perception of the divine protection
that he escaped the perils that threatened him. His zeal
was remarkable: it was the mainspring and life of his actions. His obedience ~vas unquestioning. His charity knew
no limits: he never refused to render a service to another;
he was fertile in expedients to assist every one ; he loved
to encourage children, and to aid and console the po§r; he
would remain all night long by the bedside of the sick "preparing them for death. His free time was spent in making
pictures which he distributed to those whom he had converted. He had become so patient that he seemed impassible to injuries which were directed against himseli; he
never retorted except to defend the weak, the interests of
the Society, of justice and of truth. His spirit of devotion
was sincere and tender, and frequently sensible from the
time of his first Communion: it was ardent and active in
�Recolleelions
of tlze Rocky Mountains.
309
after years. He was very devout to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus, to our Blessed Lady and to St. Francis Xavier. At
the end of his life, despite his sufferings, he was often before
the Blessed Sacrament. He used to say that he could no
longer meditate, yet his days were one continued prayer.
The moving principle of his soul in all things was the holy
will of God.
CHAPTER I.
I ntrodu{lion.
In the beginning of the present century the United States
sent out parties of men to explore the territories included
to-day within the limits of Oregon. These adventurers were
bent merely on promoting their own worldly interests, so it
was hardly to be expeCled that they would advance in any
great measure the higher interests of God. In spite, however, of this indifference ·for the welfare of souls, their presence among the Indians produced one good result; for,
during the recital of their idle, fabulous tales, hidden truths
had been touched upon, truths alluding to the existence of
a Supreme Spirit, to whom special worship was due.
After these hardy explorers, traders were the next to
come upon the ground, concerning whom a word or two
will not be out of place. Some of these men were utterly
regardless of God and religion, their main purpose 'in life
being to gratify their evil passions. In bargaining, their
principle was, always to barter off a mean article when
a good one could be gotten in its stead. In case their pet
principle was not available, at least they took care to give
little and to secure much in return. Yet these aCls of
knavery were done with such suavity of manner and fine
words, with such apparently handsome conduCt: on the part
of the traders, that they seemed occasions born .for the one
purpose of throwing into broad light signal examples of
generosity and kindness of heart. Thus, in a little while,
this set of men acquired the popular esteem.
VoL.
XI.
No. 3·
40
�3 IO
Recolleflio:ZS
o/ tile Rocky Mountains.
But the redeeming element among the traders was composed of Canadians and Iroquois. Love for their mother
country, reverence for that country's religion which they
themselves professed: such were the themes that occupied
their thoughts and were frequent on their lips. Being such
as they were, it was no wonder that they inspired the natives with such true admiration for the French Religion,
as they used to call it, that these poor children of the forest
listening to them speak of it, asked with tears to be reckoned
among its followers.
Yet before the knowledge of the true God had really
been preached among these Indians, called the Creurs d'Alene, there appeared one day on the outskirts of their villages
an Indian from somewhere along the Red River. His presence was not without meaning. In faCt:, having embraced
Protestantism he was made its forerunner throughout the
Indian country outlying his o~vn which was that of the Spokanes and Nez Perces. But what came of his visit to the
Creurs d'Alene? Well, whether it was that on his return
he made known to his masters that they would be welcome,
or that missionaries all unasked for had been sent from the
United States to convert the Creurs d'Alene, this much is
certain: soon after the strange Indian had been seen haunting the neighborhood of their villages, the Creurs d'Alene
were surprised by the arrival amongst them of Presbyterian
ministers with their wives and children.
Of course the surroundings at first must have been extremely wild and uncouth for the new-comers. Still, they
made the best of circumstances, and though their poor_ neophytes had to go without shelter, the ministers, their wives
and families were soon in the enjoyment of comfortable
homes.
This success when known gave great weight to the testimony of the previous visitors to the region, so much indeed
that it proved the means of drawing to the scene many
others of the same religious persuasion with the ministers
themselves. But Protestantism, far from drawing strength
�Recollellz"ons of the Rocky Mountaz'ns.
3I I
from the arrival of the new-comers, through them, indirectly at least, received its death blow.
The story is an old one. The new arrivals, in the hope
of acquiring more personal influence, as well as of profiting
more largely by their traffic, set themselves to work crying
up their ministers; the latter, as a matter of course, doing
the same by their devoted flock. What was the upshot of
this manceuvre? Simply this: the same mode of warfare
was adopted into the Catholic camp and from that moment
the sun of Protestantism sank to its setting. For our Canadians and Iroquois, besides being more experienced and
men of better parts than their adversaries, had three other
advantages over their. opponents ; in that they had truth on
their side, the affeaion of the natives, and singular adroitness of speech. It was not hard, then, to foresee who would
remain masters of the field after the battle's issue.
When the tug of war did come, they dropped all argument, taking in hand pleasantry, which they used with telling effea. By means of this weapon, they ridiculed the
Protestants, whom they styled "the Brothers of the Long
Knives;" the ministers also felt its edge, as being men fixed
in the leading-strings of women; finally, it dulled itself in
giving Protestantism the repute of being the poorest form
of religion known. The .contest closed to the dismay of
the Protestants : their Indian followers, respea, affeaion,
all had been weaned from them. And, worst thought of
all, they had to see all these, and Indian arms, and luggage
go over to the Catholic side. ·
It may be added that among the many, who, to preserve
their own interests intaa, had figured in the fight, there were
also some who were aauated by higher motives, and
amongst those were two Iroquois, Big. and Little Ignatius,
who had taken part in order to help the natives to whom
they had bound themselves as brothers.
Big Ignatius, out of the desire of obtaining for his brethren the gift of faith he had himself received in the Iroquois
village of Sault St. Louis on the banks of the St. Lawrence,
undertook two journeys to St Louis, in Missouri. On the
�3I 2
Recolleflions of tlte Rocky Mountains.
first of these journeys three of his companions died of sickness ; on the second, Ignatius and the rest of the party fell
under the knives of the Sioux. But his death, the death of
a hero, did not at all abate the courage of his brothers, the
Flatheads : it only served to kindle anew the desire that
burned in their hearts. They sent to St. Louis other Iroquois, their guests, thinking the brothers of Ignatius more
apt than any others to urge their petition. This perseverance
amid adversity was not suffered to go unrewarded. It won
the sympathies of the Bishop of St. Louis and of the Jesuit
Fathers whom the Bishop's predecessor had introduced into
the diocese to labor for the conversion of the savages.
Father De Smet was then sent to the Rocky Mountains
to find out what were the dispositions of the poor savages,
and to see and report how their condition could be improved.
The Father gave his account as directed, and shortly afterwards, in a Provincial council, it was decided, that in the
following spring, Father DeSmet with two priests and three
lay brothers should plant the cross in the land of the Flatheads. The priests were Frs. Point and Mengarini. The
Brothers :-Classens, Charles Huet, a Belgian, and Joseph,
an Alsatian.
CHAPTER II.
Westport, Mo.-Tize Kickapoo Indians.
I was sent to \Vestport to exercise the holy ministry there
until the return of Father De Smet. The district in which
I took up my abode was peopled by an assemblage of twentythree families, each family group comprising a FrencHman
with his Indian wife and half. breed children. Immediately
upon my arrival these people found a large place in my
sympathies; for, albeit very poor, they had somehow contrived to build themselves a church, and again and again
they had asked for a priest before succeeding in getting one.
It was well though that I had sympathy to spare, there
being no lack of ills awaiting cure at my hands. What
with the ignorance of some, the drunkenness of others,
�Recolle{lions
if the-Rocky Mountains.
313
the sensuality of almost all, there was misery enough to
inspire zeal in the most laggard of missionaries.
I went to work, then, with great confidence, the more so,
because I had found that the sovereign remedy for ills of
this sort lay in a little good will and in the use of one's
common sense. Another consideration also had much
weight in animating me with confidence :-who could tell
but that in God's providence this town, small as it now was,
might some day attain to distinction! Even as it was, Westport was the gathering point for all expeditions to Mexico,
California, and the Rocky Mountains, and it was no uncommon thing for travelers to sojourn there for weeks and
weeks together. Easter time generally brought great numbers of people thither, and I often thought, if only the Easter holidays had been kept as by right they should have
been, what an influence for good had been gained over the
travelers and through them over the savages !
I landed at Westport on All Saints' day just as cold
weather was setting in. The cold of winter, by the by, lasts
until Easter, and at times it was so intense as to freeze the
chalice even when the altar had a chafing-dish full of live
coals placed at either end. Yet neither the severe cold,
nor long distances, nor bad roads were obstacles formidable
enough to prevent the people from coming to church, where
on Sundays and Festivals you could make sure of seeing
them crowding the little house not only at the time of Mass
but also during the other services.
Meanwhile, one of my chief cares was to keep my ministry high in repute with all. To this end I tried to be as
slight a burden as possible on the community.
My labors now kept me quite busy. I had at the time
in my possession a lot of knick-knacks that had been given
me in Louisiana. Well, I got to work at these, and at the
cost of a little trouble managed to eke out of them a number of articles that were very useful to one in my situation.
Among other things there were: premiums for the children, and ornaments, statues, pictures, a tabernacle and,
best of all, a monstrance for the church. What real treas-
�314
Recolleflio'"'ns of the Rocky Mountains.
ures they were to us, who when Christmas came round
were enabled to enjoy all those blessings of religion which
we could have looked for only in a large city. Moreover,
I taught the children to sing certain short hymns with results, I may say, that fairly astonished me.
But my good people's needs extended to something beyond the singing of hymns which embodied such words as
eternity, and Heaven, or which alluded to the mysteries or
·the Sacraments of the Church. Solid instruCtion was plainly
necessary; since mention alone of these things passed with
most of the people for an empty sound.
Accordingly, I instruCted them in the great truths of our
religion insisting particularly on the praCtical consequence
that should be the result of the consideration of them,
namely, the making of a good confession. Nor did I hesitate to address very pointed remarks to those who were
included in St. Paul's catatogue of sinners, especially the
drunkards.
Amidst these labors in behalf of the older people, I did
not negleCt: the children. I had catechism classes regularly,
in the course of which I paid special attention to children
gifted with good memories and pliable minds, so that when
scattered over different parts of the little parish they might
teach others whatever I had taught them. It is a common
saying, that in America it is impossible to fire children with
emulation, as is done -in the churches of France and Italy.
In point of faCt:, this saying is not true. The affair is a little
harder to manage here, I grant, but provided you are not
afraid of losing a little popularity, and with justice an~ prudence administer your praise and blame where it is de~erved ;
provided, also, you give out marks, and distribute medals,
piCtures, &c., beneath the parents' eyes,-I warrant you success: because self-love is everywhere more or less to be
found and if rightly taken hold of can be moulded into
emulation. I tried this plan, myself, at Westport and succeeded beyond all expeCtation. During the week I would
teach catechism, repeating the instruCtions on Sunday for
the benefit of the whole congregation. What a pi8:ure we
�Recolletlions
of
tlze Rocky Mountains.
3I 5
made up! There was the missionary Father, myself, in
front; near him the youngest children ; next, those who had
made their first Communion; then those studying the catechism of perseverance, last of all, the mothers and fathers.
During the week marks were read out, and every Sunday
the best scholars in each catechism class received a medal
as a reward. At the end of each month also prizes were
awarded to the most proficient in the shape of sacred pictures. These pi8:ures were afterwards hung up in some
conspicuous place at home, and before them morning and
evening prayers were said in common. Whenever I made
my visits, I never failed to cast my eyes in the dire8:ion of
these obje8:s, an aCtion that went far towards exciting a
laudable spirit of rivalry among both young and old.
As the children's piety depends greatly on that of their
mothers, I undertook to increase the store of piety of the
latter by establishing a sodality of married women in honor
of Our Lady of the Seven Dolors. Soon after I formed
another for young girls under the patronage of Mary Immaculate. These young girls I found to be very modest, and
so remarkable for natural piety and goodness that no word
of praise was uttered of any one without refleCting credit
on them too. Thus if a young man was spoken of as a
model in behavior, the compliment was turned into 'he is
as quiet as a girl,' or some parallel saying. It is a faCt:,
that in all the twenty-three families living here, there was
not a young girl whose moral conduCt: was not above reproach,-and this marvel took place in a seCtion where man's
licentious nature brooked no bounds. A few of these young
persons, encouraged by the example of a pious widow, took
it upon themselves to make some artificial flowers for the
church and I can say with truth that the work of their
hands was not to be despised.
Before Lent it happened that I made mention of the
prayers of the Forty Hours' Devotion; when immediately,
men, women, children, all offered to make in turn their hour
of adoration -and during the three days several persons
were constantly before the Most Blessed Sacrament. The
�316
Recolle!lz'ons of tlze Rocky Mountai11s.
novena in honor of St. Francis Xavier, the patron of our
parish, had also a large attendance of people ; it consisted
in having evening prayers and an instruCtion in the church.
At the close of this novena; as was also the case at Christmas, two-thirds of the congregation received Holy Commumon.
Another thing occurred at this period that gave me great
joy. The year before, balls had taken place among the people weekly; this year there were only two or three which I
permitted, lest by too great a show of severity I might lose
the ground I had gained with them. The means they took
in securing my permission for their dancing amused me not
a little. They sent as bearer of their first petition an old
soldier who had served in the time of the Empire, who had
also accompanied Father De Smet on his return from the
Rocky Mountains, and wh~'bore the reputation of being a
man to whom I would reftt!ie nothing. The good old fellow came to me, and after telling me that he had a favor to
ask, begged to be allowed beforehand to say a Hail Mary,
for the success of his mission. The prayer said, qe confidently broached his petition. The second ball was given
on occasion of a wedding ; on this, so many and such restriCtions had been put, that all fear of danger resulting
from it seemed effeCtually precluded,-young women for
instance were not to~go to it without my leave ..
Among the young persons who were invited to this ball
was an Iroquois girl of very attraCtive personal appearance. She was not ignorant of the pleasures in prospeCt: for her, did she go to the ball, yet as soon as she knew
that its pleasures would be attended with risk to her virtue,
she put all thought of being present at it from her mind.
Furthermore, not to be without a reason for her refusal, she
cut her hair very close, a sign of deep mourning among the
savages. But the matter was not settled as easily as the
poor girl could have wished. Her friends insisted, and her
father even went so far as to threaten to imprison her in the
cellar if she persisted in her refusal. Finally, through fear
of offending God by her disobedience the maiden yielded,
�RecolleClions
if the Rocky Mountains.
3 17
yet even then only on the condition that her father would
accompany her to the ball.
Now that the Catholics had laid aside the custom of hav-·
ing balls, the Protestants out of opposition took it up. Again
our young Iroquois heroine was among the many invited
to the dancing. This time, however, her firmness in refusing was such that her father sought me at midnight to
know if there were not some means of inducing her to be
present at the dance. Poor old Iroquois, it was not malice
but ignorance that induced him! That night he. returned
home believing implicitly that it belonged to his own honor
to help his child not to lose but to preserve a treasure that
she knew how to estimate so well!
Other viCtories, more difficult still, were wo~. There were
several Iroquois Indians who were drunk all the time, coming off from one spree only to go on a bigger one, with
whom the habit of drunkenness had gone so far that, in
the phrase of the country, they were 'played out.' All of
these have now so far improved as to be sober occasionally
for a week: some of them have taken the pledge not to
taste a drop of whisky for a time, and cases are given of
those who have kept their promise for months, and have
resisted every temptation to imbibe; and two of the most
inveterate topers have sworn off entirely. The older of
those two said to me: "Father, if you stay here, I believe
that you will be able to make something out of me, but
when you go away, I am very much afraid that I shall go
back on my promise.''
On the Sunday before my departure, all the married
women belonging to the sodality of the Seven Dolors,
the members of the young women's sodality, and all the
children who had made their First Communion, approached
the Holy Table. In the afternoon there was the blessing
of beads, medals and piCtures, the premiums for catechism
were distributed, BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament
followed, and finally a large cross was ereCted in the graveyard. In the evening I administered the last consolations
VoL. xr. No. 3·
41
�3I 8
Recolleflions of t!te Rocky Mountains.
of religion to a man, who had given to his wife and children
the most beautiful example of faith and resignation during
his sickness, and whose last recommendation was an expression of the most tender confidence in the Blessed Virgin.
The day before, for the first time since my arrival at Westport, I had caused the consecrated earth to be opened, in order to receive the mortal remains of her who had been first
prefect of the sodality. She had had the consolation during
the course of the last year to see all her children and grandchildren approach the Sacraments.
Only three marriages took place whilst I was at \Vestport, but they were in truth marriages, where the contracting parties were all in those dispositions which it is to be
wished that the children of the Church should ever possess.
Thus from the first day of my new career, did God still
support my feeble steps by giving me new proofs of the
care which he takes of those..~yho put their trust in Him.
During my sojourn at \Vestport, I received occasional
visits from some Indians of distinction, amongst others from
the head chief of the Kaws, of whom I shall make mention in the journal of my trip to the Rocky l\1ountains. I
had previously been visited by three of his tribe, one of
whom was a chief's son and another was considered to
be the first warrior of the nation. All three were daubed
with red and black paint, and ornamented with bracelets,
medals, collars and ear<rings, and decked off with plumes of
feathers. After I had made a trifling present to each. of
them, I led them to the chapel, where it quickly appeared
that they had never seen such a sight. They advanced,
drew back, stopped still, and looked around on every-side,
and above all could not rest in their astonishment before a
picture of the Seven Dolors, and another representing the
head of our Lord crowned with thorns.
They pointed out to each other whatever they did not
understand. They were particularly struck by the large
tears which were depicted as flowing from the eyes of our
Saviour, and they inquired who could this person be. A
woman, who was acquainted with their language, having
�Recolleflz"ons of the Rocky Mountaz"ns.
319
told them that it was the Son of God, Who was weeping
'over our sins, they appeared to be very much moved. They
belonged, nevertheless, to a tribe so savage, that a party of
their men had massacred in cold blood, during the preceding
winter, the women and children of their nearest neighbors
to the number of more than forty.
The Osages, so much spoken of in France, are only two
or three days journey from here: in all, they are no more
than five thousand souls at present. They are a bad people,
as are all the non-Catholic tribes bordering on civilization.
I have made inquiries in regard to those of them who had
visited France, and they tell me that only three out of the
six are still alive.
About Christmas, Father Allen, the missionary of the
Pottawatomies went to visit the Kickapoo Indians, having
been ordered to suppress the mission to this tribe. He
asked me to accompany him. On the journey, both in going and returning, we lodged in the cabin of an Indian, who
was half civilized, a great friend of the French, and proud
of the knowledge he had of their language. To show us
his proficiency, he repeated the expressions he had picked
up in his travels to the Far \Vest: merci mou ami. ... bonne
la 7Jac/u, mon camarade.
The Kickapoos are a hideous nation from every point of
view, but especially as regards religion. Here had our missionaries been laboring for five years in their midst, and
yet on Sunday during Mass you could scarcely see more
than one of them in attendance at the chapel. This chapel
is the one which was built by the venerable Father Van
Quickenborne, whom I saw at Philadelphia. He had just
begun to announce the gospel to the Kickapoos, when he
was recalled to St. Louis, and from there was sent to Prairie
des Sioux, where he died in three weeks. His place was
supplied .at both stations by other Fathers, who did not possess his experience, and to-day both posts are abandoned,
one in part, and that of the Kickapoos entirely. The people
of the neighborhood are persuaded that this would not
�3 20
Recolle{lions if tlze Rocky llfozmtains.
have happened, if Fr. Van Quickenborne had been able to
continue that which he had begun.
The Kickapoos are now at the mercy of a Methodist
minister, and of a certain Kenekuk, one of their own nation, who is commonly called the prophet. By his cool
effrontery and persevering industry, this man, who is a
genius in his way, succeeded in forming a congregation of
about three hundred souls, whom he used to assemble in a
church which the United States Government had built for
him, and palsied all the exertions of four missionaries of
the Society. He gives himself out as a messenger of the
Great Spirit: it would be too long to tell you the story of
his birth in the other world, and of his mission to this earth
of ours. He says that he came down from heaven through
a blue hole, and after having_ floated for a long time through
empty space, he at length ff!ll upon our planet. Here is a
capital point of his teaching, which will furnish you with
some idea of his impostures: The whites, he says, will not
be saved. And why? "Because the whites cause all nature to groan. They cut the grass with large scythes; they
hurt the grass, and the grass weeps: they chop down the
trees, with great axes ; they hurt the trees, and the trees
weep : they dig up the earth with great ploughshares; they
hurt the earth, and the earth weeps: they make huge steamboats run upon the ri'.lers; they hurt the rivers, and the rivers
weep. You see, my children, the rivers weep, the earth
weeps, the trees weep, the grass weeps ; therefore, the whites
cause all nature to groan, ungrateful that they are: and so,
they shall not be saved. PraCtical conclusion; for.:us, in
the spirit of thankfulness, let us not bring huge steamboats
upon the rivers, let us not cultivate our fields, let us not
fell the trees, let us not mow the grass" -in a word, let us be
just what we are: that is to say, stupid, lazy, thievish,
impure, blood-thirsty, etc., etc., and for recompense we shall
obtain eternal life.
This is a pretty fair piCture of what they are for the most
part. As for Kenekuk, in his quality of prophet, five wives
are not too many for him; his son has killed I don't know
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�Recolleflions of the Rocky Mountains.
321
how many men ; his house is dirtier than any stable ; his
temple is not a particle better off on the score of cleanliness,
and I can vouch for this on personal inspeCtion. But when
this prophet speaks of his revelations, they listen to him in
admiration. The proof of his mission is a little plank two
inches wide by eight in length, the piCt:ure of which I subjoin as I have seen it upon the place where he holds forth !
NOTE.- lVonderful instance of Justice and mere!} in the cmn·ersion of an
idolater on the rery day when the )fission of the Kickrtpoos ·1cas closed.
On the 1st of ~lay, 1841, Father Point went from '\Yestport, in order to consume the last Sacred Host which remained in the tabernacle of this poor
mission. He arrived at the Kickapoo village towards sunset. The·first news
that he heard upon dismounting from his horse, was, that about a mile from
there, a pagan was at the point of death, and consequently, in great danger
of losing his soul. He obtained an interpreter without delay, and proceeded
in haste to the hou"e of the sick man, whom he found in despair, as regards
both soul and body, for the only words he nttererl were these: "Every one
deserts me." "No, my brother, every one does not desert you, since I, who
am a Black Gown have come to help you, and this is certainly by the will of
the Great Spirit, Who wishes to save you." At these words the dying man
rallies, confidence springs up in his heart, the minister of divine mercy
speaks to him as is befitting such circumstanees, the most satisfaetory re/1lies
are given to all his questions. I helped him to repeat the acts of faith, 10pe
and charity, and as death might take place at any moment, I asked m~-self
why should I not baptize him without delay. The remembrance of St Philip
and the eunuch of Queen Candace:-; came to my mind, and reganlin~ this as
an inspiration of the Holy Ghost, I proceedetl forthwith to the administration
of holy Baptism. On the morrow, he exchanged this perishable life for, as I
hope, that life of bliss which will last forever. "'as not this the sweetest
bouquet which the missionary upon his first entrance to the field of labor
among the Indians, could offer to the Queen of Heaven, on the very day
when the month consecrated to her honor hegins? But how inscrutable are
the judgments of God! This same day was the last of a mission which had
been plunged into the deepest abyss of moral degradation by the scandalous
conduct of people who pretend to civilization.
Unus ne dcspercs, Sol us nc pm:smnas.
�OBITUARY.
FATHER JosEPH GroRDA.
(From tlze "Helena Daily Herald.")
Rev. Father Joseph Giorda, Society of Jesus, who died
of heart disease at Desmet l\Iission among the Cceur d'Alene
Indians, was a native of Piedmont, born l\Iarch rg, I 823,
and was consequently in the sixtieth year of his age at the
time of his death. He joined the Jesuit order when twentytwo years old, and previous to coming to America, for some
time filled the chair of Professor of Divinitv, and held other
high offices in the colleges of the Society in Europe. In
r858, Father Giorda arrived in St. Louis, and soon after
started for the wilds of the Northwest as Superior General
of the Rocky Mountain Missions, which office he continued
to hold until increasing infirmities, brought about by arduous
lab01:s and constant exposure in traveling, obliged those in
authority to delegate the duties of the position to another
Father in order that he might have the repose so long
needed. \Vhile Superior, Father Giorda established many
new missions amongst the whites and Indians throughout
Montana and the adjoining Territories, and was loved and
respeCted by all with whom he came in contaCt. Despite
his great learning and talents, which raised him in his early
years to an equality with some of the brightest intelleCts
among the priesthood in Europe, his disposition was modest and retiring, and his brilliant attainments, which might
have made him noted amongst the celebrated theologians
of the old world, were devoted wholly to the advancement
of the spiritual welfare of the Indian tribes in the Rocky
l\Tountains, where he labored in the humble garb of a missiollary.
He had a wonderful aptitude for languages and besides
speaking fluently the principal continental tongues, mastered, during his manifold duties in the Territories, the different dialeCts spoken by the Blackfeet, Nez Perce, Flathead, Yakama, Kootenai, and Gros Ventre Indians. In all
of these languages he preached to the different tribes, and
conveyed to them the knowledge of the Christian religion.
(322)
l
�Father J'oseplz Giorda.
His studies had made him so perfeCt a master of the Kalispel tongue, that he compiled and had published a few years
ago at St. Ignatius Mission, a complete diCtionary of that
language, which is said to be one of the most difficult spoken
by the tribes of North America.
The hardships and trials experienced by Father Giorda
in his journeyings at ali seasons through the wilds of the
Rocky mountains very often nearly proved fatal, and at times
were of a nature to discourage any man not wholly lost to
self, and devoted entirely to his sacred calling. Often he
experienced attacks of severe illness, when in remote Indian camps and far from aid of any kind, which brought
him to the verge of the grave. Once he was captured by
a war party of Sioux who stripped him of every particle of
clothing, even to his under garments and offered him other
indignities before he was permitted to depart. Another
time in crossing the Missouri river he fell through the ice
and was carried by the rapid current under the frozen stream
to an open space some distance down, where he was rescued
from certain death by a devoted Blackfoot Indian, who
bravely risked his life to save the good priest. Pages could
be filled with the recital of the heroic aCts and deeds performed in a simple, humble spirit by Father Giorda in the
course of his long missionary labors, but they would only
be a recapitulation of the history and experience of the
many noble men who preceded him in the same self-sacrificing field of duty. All generous admirers of virtue in
any guise, whether displayed in the narrow limits of the
home circle, where a charitable construCtion takes the sting
out of an unkind remark regarding the failing of a neighbor, or in the wider field where for over eighteen hundred
years devoted men have labored for the salvation of souls
in all the countries on the face of the globe, must join in
rendering respeCt and admiration to the memory of Rev.
Father Giorda. He was well known here in our midst,
being for several years pastor of the church of the Sacred
Hearts in this city, and the many, be they Catholic or Protestant, who remember his kind, benign face, his sweet, affable manners, and the fatherly interest he displayed toward
every one who approached him, will unite in reverently
saying :-May his soul rest in peace.
·
�OUR COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES FOR 1881-2.
____
-_-_
- - - - - - _ - _ -I
PLACE
PROVINCE
NA.\IE
-----
I
I
Baltimore, nld ........... Loyola College* ....... . nld. N.Y.
Boston, Mass ............ :Boston College* ........ ·1 nld. N.Y.
Buffalo, N. Y .•••.••••••• iCanisius College ......... 1 Germany
Chicago, Ill. ............. iSt. Ignatius College·~.... . Missouri
Cincinnati, 0 ............ ISt. Xavier College* ..... .
Detroit, nlich ............ !Detroit College* ...... ..
Fordham, N.Y .......... :st.•Tolm's College ....... . nld.N. Y.
Georgetown, D. C ........ IGeorgetown·Q.ollege ..... .
Grand Coteau, La ........ i St. Charles College....... . N. O.nliss.
Jersey City, N. J ......... :St. Peter's College* ..... . nld. N.Y.
Las Vegas, N. nl.. ....... Las Y egas College....... . Naples
Milwaukee, Wis ......... nrarquette College* ..... ·' Missouri
New York, N.Y ........ :st. Francis Xav. College*! Md.N.Y.
New Orleans, La ......... !rmm. Conception CoiL* .. N. 0. Miss.
Omaha, Nebraska ........ :Creighton College*....... ! nlissouri
Santa Clara, Cal. ....... ·IS.1nta Ulara College ...... i Turin
San Francisco, Cal. ...... St. Ignatius College* ..... 1
1
St. Louis, Mo ............ ,St. Louis University..... . Missouri
St. nlary's, Kansas ....... /St. niary's College ....... ·I1
Spring Hill, Ala .......... St. Joseph's College ...... i N. 0. l\Iiss.
Washington, D. C........ j Gonzaga College* ...... 1\Id. N.Y.
'Vorcester, nlass ........ ·I Uollegc of the Holy Cross 1
i
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*Day College.
,STuD's GRAD.
A.B.
!
1
110
4
241
18
206
208
4
262
6
157
240
11
191 . 7
68
148
264
83
465
22
327
4
231
190
2
782
4
2!l1
4
252
3
130
2
107
14!J
16
....· ...·
�CONTENTS OF VOL. XI.
-.
Page
PAPEUS RELATING TO TIIE EARLY HISTOUY OF TIIE :MARYLAND
MISSION:VI. The Annual Letters, 1638, 1639, 1640, 1641,-Father Thomas
Copley .....•.••..•.•.....•••••....•••..•...•••••••••.••.•• 3
vn. The Annual Letters-1642.-Difficulties with the Lord Proprietary .•.•.•.•••••..•••.•....••...••.•••....••..•....... 117
AcRoss TIIE CoNTINENTLetter n.-The National Park................................. 25
Letter III.-1\Iontana to Washington .......••.•...••••.......... 141
The Missions of the Rocky :Mountains in 1881. . . . . . . . • • . . . • • • . . . . . 43
Fifty Years Ago.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . . • . • . • . . . . . • . . . 56
INDIAN MISSIONS:The Rocky :Mountains ..••••...•.•...•••........•••• 65,179,269,275
Lake Superior. • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . • . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . 70
Jubilee Missions in Nebraska ..•..•....••....•.....••.••••.... 78, 169
The Catholic Seminary, Washington . . • . . • . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . • •• • 91
Missionary Labors ..•..•...•.•.••.•..•.•................ 101,211,287
Kansas. . . • • • . . . . • • . . . • . . . • • • • . . . . . . . . . . • . •. . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . 163, 279
Texas .........•.................•..........••.....••........... 185
Brazil. ..•.............•.. ~. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . • 191, 263
Charles Co., l\ld ....•......................•.........•...•....... 224
The Catholic Religion in the United Stales in 1818...••............ 229
The Vicariate oflllangalore ..............••...........••........• 246
Dememra .................................•..................•• 267
:Missouri. . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . 295
Recollections of the Rocky Mountains ........•................•.. 299
Our Colleges .............................................•...... 324
0BITUAUY:Fr. George I. Strong. . . . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Mr. James Power. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
111r. William Roche........................................... 99
Fr. Augu~tine Bally ...........•............••.................. 195
Fr. Charles P. Bahan .....•...............•..............•..... 200
Fr. John Blettner ........•..•............••.•....•.........••. 206
Br. Joseph Tschenhens ...•...•.....•......•••••.......• : . .•... 208
Fr.•Joseph Giorda ............................................. 322
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Dublin Core
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Woodstock Letters
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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Jesuit Archives & Research Center
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives & Research Center
Saint Louis University
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JA-Woodstock
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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2017-2
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99 items
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 11 (1882)
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1882 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives Central United States;
Saint Louis University
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JA-Woodstock-011
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BX3701 .W66
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eng
lat
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JA-Woodstock
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Reproduced with permission of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Permission to copy or publish must be obtained from the Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
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2017-2
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1882
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326 pages
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/26015/archive/files/c57026b65322cfc1d459c7bb90fb42fa.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=jHMb3x90kQ2tXHio5YhqsOEGiOmGvpgpcS0ACse20j13bVRVj7a1T2Q4%7EXYB-kAAnaoy8hSK7e0KQdozvJUFW75hjPvACW8EZNowKYJ3XKixYI1pi6eF0FR6%7ENrgz4ZpDcetfLtDXqQ-vX6Wzn%7EzelqOX-u3H-GoJOZMf7MFmaFOFIjlOjlkkk8VVc3CpzlBvK5nLN2oduAgEJ1iAZR8ehqoDQwc7DP5yGBgFA0%7EizRCjFIFpcxXEY9%7E1h6B9fRXjFTx1AFDJtvlQcyrwL1OB6rYZqE%7EitmzVVrUyyQd3PSrHspKLZiO-6lM7Uf3K%7EebAAwHCiuXxi07Mpppbe9HJg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
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Text
A.M. D. G.
WOODSTOCI( LETTERS
A RECORD
Of Cm·l'cnt Bt·cnt.<; and Ilistol'ical ...
Yote.~ eonnrctrtl 1l'iflt
the CollerJcs a ud .Jli~<~<ions of the So e. of ,J('.''II!.~
in Jl'ol'th anll South Amel'ica.
VOL. Xll.
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
�.,
I'
I
�I
WOODSTOCK LETTER&
I
I
VOL. XII, No.
1.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
BY FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
CHAPTER III.
On the March.
'
I
l
.I
)
I
'vVe started from Westport on the tenth of May, taking
along with us in five, two-wheeled wagons all the treasures
of our dear mission. Two Canadians, experienced teamsters, and three of our Brothers, who were new hands at
the business, had charge of the wagons. The priests, three
in number, journeyed in the saddle.
On leaving Westport, which is separated from the river
by a woodland stretch two or three miles in width, we
came in view of a smiling expanse of country known among
the natives· as the 'Great Prairie'; it was the great desertland of the 'vVest. 'vVhat a noble prospea it afforded! It
was in itself a sight to gladden any missionary's eyes. What
a joy then, for such as my own, which for twenty years had
lighted on little else besides grim, college walls! A glimpse
of that distant, azured landscape roused in me a thrill of
pleasure! At last I was face to face with fancy's ideal beauties of a missionary life! So my thoughts came and went,
while the tiny prairie flowers, thousands upon thousands of
�4
Recolleflions
if
t!te Rocky 111ozmtai1Zs.
which tinted the ground with varied colors, seemed to rivet
me to the spot.
.
In the course of this, our first day's march, we came
across the savages. Generally, a first encampment in the
wilderness has linked with it one or more other events of
importance. In this regard we were not to be without the
general experience; for the day on which we pitched our
first camp, was the Feast of St. Francis de Girolamo, one
of our greatest missionaries.
On the following day we traversed the Shawnee and
Delaware country. Here we saw nothing of note, unless
I mention a methodist school-house whose existence thereabouts, at least so far as it depended on us to account for it,
was without any meaning whatever; continuing on in the
heart of a lovely, fruitful land, we reached the right bank
of the Kansas river, where, in company with two 1t1en who
had conveyed part of our- tuggage to this point by water,
we met with two Indians, kinsmen to the great chief of the
Kaws. They had come thither expressly to meet us. One of
them straightway helped in getting the beasts of burden
across the stream by swimming in their front, the other meanwhile announced our arrival to the chiefs of the tribe who
awaited us on the oppqsite bank of the river.
It was soon made known to the chiefs that we would
make our camp witbin about six miles of their village;
whereupon, they immediately broke off from the caravan at
a gallop and disappeared behind a cloud of dust. The objeCt of this summary flight was soon made known to us,
when as we were putting up our lodges, we were visited by
the head chief of the tribe and six of his ch~sen war;iors,
who had come to proffer us their Indian hospitality.
Of course on such an occasion ceremony was indispensable. First we seated ourselves on a mat which the chief
had spread upon the sward; then drawing a purse from his
pocket the chief took a written paper from it which he handed to Fr. De Smet for perusal. It was a document signed
by the President of the United States, recommending the
chief's tribe to the good will of the whites. All this time
�RecolleClions
I
I
I
of
the Rocky Mozmtains.
5
the calumet was not forgotten; neither on our part did we
omit the gift due under the circumstances as a recognition
of the honor done us by the chief in placing at our disposal
his two warriors who had visited us at Westport. These
two braves, one armed with lance and shield, the other with
sword and bow, sto_od guard before our doors the three d~ys
during which we were forc~d to wait for the late arrivals.
It was the eighteenth of May by the time the American
Colony was ready for the march. Their expedition was a
search one after the much vaunted gold of California. The
most important personage by far among the number comprising the expedition, was a gentleman, named Colonel
Burleston, who had been chosen as its leader. He was a
man who had already entered upon the decline of life, was
peaceful in disposition, yet having much energy of character. He was lavish in his attentions to us throughout the
journey's length.
In point of religion, his belief was that no special form
is necessary; on the contrary he deemed it all sufficient
that a man be able to accommodate himself to that of the
people into\vhose company he may be thrown. This creed of
the Colonel's evidently was not one and the same with our
own; still we treated him with the like courtesy he bestowed
on us, and in this way perfea friendship marked our mutual
relations to the last.
As to the other travelers, diversity of every sort, in age,
nationality, and religious belief was apparent among them.
There were some who were wholly bent on acquiring wealth;
others intent solely on pleasure; others again of the years
and type of the Prodigal Son had just freed the home circle of their wretched presence. Yet despite these different
personal aims of each, all held one purpose in common,
that of preserving their lives through the march, come what
would. This spirit of union had its good result in making
the establishment of discipline a matter of easy execution.
It was of the first importance in the vast solitudes through
which we now traveled that we should have an experienced
guide. The choice for one was accordingly made, it falling
�6
Reco!leClions
if
t!te Rocky JIIozmtaz'ns.
not on the Colonel, who, indeed, had never once crossed the
mountains, but upon the Captain whom Fr. De Smet had
engaged to lead our party. This Captain was a brave Irishman to whom the Indians had given the name of 'White
Head.' By way of recommendation for the post to which
he was chosen, he had spent two-thirds of his life in crossing and recrossing the plains .. One result of this choice,
be it remarked, was that our little party went to the front,
so that we came to be regarded as the foremost body of the
vanguard.
The duties of the guide are very important: thus, the
Captain at early dawn gave the signal for rising and for departure, and once upon the road he regulated the m"arch and
halting times; he also chose the ground for camp and looked
to the keeping of discipline.
Whenever it was possibl~, we encamped on a woody bank
of some river, in order not to be without water for drink and
wood to serve for fuel to our fires. First of all, the Captain
would point out the spot for ereCting the tent; then the
wagons were ranged around, either in a circle or in a square,
each being more or less perfe8:ly formed according as the
lay of the land allowed; care, however, was always taken
that the wagons formed an enclosure, which might serve the
dumb animals as a place of safety, in case there should be any
need of such during the night.
For greater security each owner of the animals tied them
to stakes planted in the ground at suitable intervals; the
tethers used were long enough to permit of the animals
grazing with ease. From the first moment that sleep:~eigned
over the camp until the following daybreak each traveler in turn, even down to the priests, kept watch to guard
from any surprise of the enemy.
Our brave little force numbered seventy, ali told, out of
whom more than fifty were capable of bearing arms. As
it must seem in the judgment even of the most prudent
minded, such a force was more than sufficient for the march,
great though it was, we had undertaken.
On the nineteenth of May, while the main part of the ex-
I
�Recolleflimzs of the Rocky Mountains.
pedition advanced due West, Fathers De Smet and Point
turned towards the left to visit the first village of the Kaws.
·While as yet a good distance from their lodges we were
struck by the great resemblance they bore to the-large stacks
that cover our fields after harvest time. . There were about
twenty lodges in all, grouped without order, each covering
a circular area 120 ft. in circumference; this space amply
sufficed for sheltering thirty or forty persons. Judging from
these numbers, the whole village must contain from seven
to eight hundred, the calculation being based upon the faCt:
that the total population which numbers fifteen hundred
makes up two villages.
The lodges are of a peculiar kind combining the useful,
ornamental, and substantial all in one: the walls are circular, rising perpendicularly to a height of perhaps six feet;
from the top of these walls curved poles are extended, and
are made to lie in such a direB:ion that if they were long
enough their ends would meet at the centre point of the
roof. This ·effect howe~er is not desirable ; so instead they
form at that point an opening which is both window and
chimney to the struB:ure. The door of the lodge opens on
that quarter which is least exposed to the winds. The hearth
is located between four stakes which prop up the roof.
The couches are placed in a circle round the wall, and
in the space comprised between the couches and the hearth
fire, the frequenters of the lodge are to be found, some
standing, others seated or lying down either upon the skins
of animals or upon rush mats. It seems that the latter
are deemed more presentable for a guest, since it was one
of them that was offered us on our entrance into the lodge.
It would be no easy task, were I to render a detailed account of all the curious sights witnessed during the halfhour we spent among those strange beings. A Flemish
painter would have found in them a treasure. What struck
me most forcibly of all during our stay was the savage physiognomy, so well in keeping with the charaB:er. The strik.ing attitudes and easy gestures of the Indians were also to
be remarked; but especially the variety of their occupations,
�8
Recolutlzons of tize Rocky Mountaz'ns.
Only the women were working, and these the better. to
give themselves to their labors had disposed their offspring
all around them ; placing some at their feet, others in a nook
or corner, while such as were unable to walk were strapped
on to pieces of board-bark whose length and breadth had
been determined with a view to providing for baby occupant's protruding limbs. The men were on the point of
taking a meal (their principal occupation, by the by, when
not engaged upon the war-path or the hunt); as for the rest
of the tribe, they were occupied in smoking, chatting, and
laughing; some were removing from off their faces whatever down, eyelashes, and eyebrows they could find, others
were busy arranging their hair. This last occupation is a
favorite one of the savages. and they give much time to it.
Contrary to the customs of the other tribes, who invariably
wear the hair very long, the Kaws shave all the hair off
their heads, with the e.x;~eption of a tuft left on the crown
of the head to be decked out by means of the most beautiful and splendid ornament that, according to Indian fancy,
can adorn the head of man. The ornament I speak of is an
eagle's feather, which is invariably used when obtainable
because of its being emblematic of courage.. Most commonly it stands upright upon the head, though sometimes it is
seen drooping down over the nape of the . neck, and again
may be seen fluttering to and fro in the wind, resembling
not a little in its -motions the vane upon a house-top.
Meanwhile, as the great ones of the tribe were smoking
the peace calumet with Fr. DeSmet, I was giving my whole
attention to a savage dandy standing near, who. ever and
anon would scan himself over and then betake.· bi mself to
training his head dress into an ideal state of comeliness.
All to no purpos~ however! His looks and aB:ions told, as
plainly as words could, his ill success! I soon took my
eyes off this sight, however, on account of a feeling that I
myself was an objeCt:, at least, of attention, not to say, amusement, to the Indian children. What could be wrong with
me? I asked of myself. Then suddenly recolleB:ing that
my beard had gone unshorn for some days past, I hit upon
�Recol!eflions o/ the Rocky Mozmtaz"ns.
9
the reason of the children's mirth. Surely enough, I must
have indeed been a rare subjeCt of merriment to beingswhose
ideal of human beauty was such that it remained unfulfilled
so long as a face was marked by so much as a single eyelash or a head wore any part of its natural covering!
But so far we have been alluding to one feature only in
the general costume of'these savages, while their painstaking in regard to this is merely a slight instance of the
vanity they display about everything conneCted with their
outward person. In order, then, to frame some idea of the
appearance of a Kaw warrior who ·prides himself on his
bodily attire, many another trapping is to be added to his
dress besides those we have mentioned ; for almost every
portion of his body is bedecked with finery. Thus, for instance, a dash of vermilion is usually seen above either eye,
and huge streaks of paint, blue, black, and red, wander over
every portion of his face. The ears.are drawn down by the
weight of clay, glass, shell, mother of pearl and porcelain
ornaments dangling from them and which rest in a confused
heap upon the shoulders. _Another objeCt that catches a
Kaw's fancy is the collar he wears about his neck, which
rounds into a half-circle in its fall upon the breast and holds
pendant from it a silver or copper medal. Arms and wrists
bear their mite too of the body's general encumbrance,
being encircled by brass, wire, and tin bracelets. Nor are
we yet at the end of our catalogue. The loins are girded
with a gaudy colored belt from which depend a tobacco
pouch ornamented with glass beads, and a handsomely decorated case to hold the hunting knife.
Finally, add to this regalia a cloak-covering of wool, black,
white, green, or red as the case may be, and you have the
piCture of a Kaw warrior whose appearance everywhere
among his people will excite envy and admiration.
In many respeCts, as in dress, in manner of speech and worship, and in their mode of warfare, the Kaws resemble their
neighbors, the Osages, with whom they maintain friendly relations. The Kaws are tall and well formed in body and, as I
VoL. xn. No.
1.
z
�to
RecolleDions of t!te Rocky Mountains.
remarked before, their bearing is very manly. Their speech.
besides being monosyllabic and guttural is further noticeable for the decided and lengthened manner in which they
pronounce the final syllables, a habit that helps ever so much
to add to the monotony of their singing. The Kaw has
strength of limb, courage of heart, and moreover a better
gift than either of these last in the shape of a larger amount
of common sense than usually falls to the lot of the savage.
Like the white man, when at war or upon the hunt he uses
the carbine, in which he possesses an immense advantage
over his foes.
There are some really distinguished men to be met with
among their chiefs. The one most famous of all, and that
I take it, by reason of Bonneville's mention of him in his
memoirs, is called '\Vhite Plume.' In describing him, the
author of the Conquest ofGranada gives him a nature of
the true, chivalric stamp, and among other things speaks of
his understanding, candor, courage, and generosity as being
far from common.. He was especially intimate with 1\I. Lacroix, one of the first Catholic missionaries to visit this part
of the \Vest. and entertained, both for him and for all those
whom the Indians call Black Robes, the greatest esteem.
He did not extend the same reverence to the Protestant
ministers, for whom, in faCt, he felt neither affeCtion nor
respeCt. One day, one of the ministers approached him
with the purpose of converting him over to his creed.
"Well," returned \Vhite Plume, when the minister had had
his say, "of course a change of religion is good, provided
we forsake the old one to adopt a better. As for 111e, persuaded as I am of the good wrought by the Black~ Robes,
if you would convert me, you must first quit your wife and
put on the gown I shall make ready for you ; then, we may
talk of conversion." The gown was brought forward, but,
it is needless to say, the minister was not forthcoming.
The Kaws have other neighbors in the Pawnees with
whom they wage a bitter war of extermination. Last winter eighty Pawnee women and children were massacred by
the Kaws. Yet cruel and vindiCtive as the latter are in re-
�RecolleClions
o/ tlze Rocky Mountai1ls.
I I
gard of their enemies, do not think them entirely devoid of
the finer feelings of tenderness and compassion. They are
inconsolable over the loss of their relatives and carry their
grief to the utmost bounds. I would you had been witness
to the looks of grave surprise and tender pity, that overspread the faces of the Indians who visited my little chapel
at \Vestport as they viewed a piCture of Our Lady of Sorrows and an 'Ecce Homo,' and listened meanwhile to the
interpreter telling them that the head crowned with thorns
was that of the Saviour-God, that the heart pierced with
seven daggers was that of his mother, and that they had
suffered shame and suffering for our sins.
On leaving the village of the Kaws we passed over a field,
then laid waste, that had been cleared, enclosed, and sown
over with seed for the tribe by the United States Government.
Between vVestport and the Platte river lies a rolling
country whose undulations remind one for all the world of
the rolling of the billows in a tempest-tossed sea. On the
tops of the knolls we found shells and a number of petrified
substances such as are occasionally met with on some
u10untains of Europe. I doubt not that an honest-minded
geologist would find here as well as elsewhere indisputable
proofs of the deluge. I may add that a piece of stone taken
from the spot and still in my possession, furnishes abundant
evidence in this respeCt:.
As the traveler leaves Missouri and goes farther west,
the forests become less tall and dense owing to ·the poor
irrigation of the land. Upon the banks of small tributary
streams the merest outline of wood-growth is visible, but
nothing approaching to a real forest is anywhere to be seen.
Along the brooks only a few low willows grow, but wherever there is no water you would seek in vain for anything
taller than grass.
This intimate relation between water and vegetation was
so palpable that before we had been eight days upon the
march, the beasts of burden (especially if the march was
at all long) would brace up and quicken their pace when-
�r2
Recolle[lions of t!te Rocky llfountains.
ever they caught sight of a clump of trees looming up in
the distance. This scarcity of woods in the West, not to
be remarked in any other part of North America, is the
outcome of two principal causes .....
Two· or three days passed, when upon our left we sighted
two savages. One of them had wrapped himself up in an
American flag instead of a blanket ; the other had a scalp
fastened to his horse's bit. Both were Pawnees. This sight
seemed to proclaim that some harm had befallen our hosts,
the Kaws. But, on being asked by the Captain what success they had met with on their expedition, they replied
that they had not seen the Kaws and were very hungry.
\Ve then distributed to the fellows and fifteen others who
followed them food and materials for smoking. They eat
the food given them, but would not smoke, and, against the
common usage of the savages who never leave upon taking
one meal but wait for another, departed as if they were
poorly satisfied with their treatment and fare. Their unceremonious departure, the unsmoked calumet, the sudden
return of their expedition, their poor success, their well
known proclivities for thieving, all combined, made us fearful of malicious designs on their part, if not upon ourselves
personally, at least upon our baggage. Thanks be to God,
our fears were not realized; for after their disappearance we
saw no more of them!
In the commence'ffient of June we were encamped upon
the banks of a river which in the opinion of some has not
its equal ·in the world. It is called by the savages, Nebraska
or, the river of the stags; by the French travel¢rs, the
Platte,· and Father De Smet, in his first account of the
Rocky Mountains, says that it is the most wonderful and at
the same time the most useless river in existence.
After the Missouri river, which is to the West what the
Mississippi is to the North and South, the most beautiful
rivers in these parts are the Kansas, the Platte, Sweet Water river and Green river. The first-named empties itself
into the Missouri river and is remarkable for the great number of its confluents, no less than eighteen of which we
�RecolleClio11s of t!ze Rocky Mouutains.
I
13
counted flowing through the country lying between the.
Kansas and the Platte. Such a number must necessarily
have numerous sources, which, in turn, must have their origin in very solid earth. With the Platte the case is the reverse of the preceding: for it flows through highlands which
run parallel with the river-banks for some distance, and upon
these highlands neither sign of water nor a particle of shade
is discernible; because the soil, being for the most part
composed of sand, is everywhere so porous, that the rain
scarcely falls from the clouds before it runs down into the
depths of the valleys. For this reason, too, it is, that the
neighboring prairies acquire their amazing fertility. During the spring-time, especially, the prairies offer a lovely
sight, for then they produce a great variety of flowers. On
the Eve of the Feast of the Sacred Heart I was able to gather
a whole basket of flowers by plucking one only of each
kind. The commonest flower is the prairie hawthorn, a
small, yellow flower of five leaves. The prairies which
abound in them appear altogether destitute of green when·
seen from afar, but shine as if invested with a covering of
gold. The thorn resembles much the daffodil of Northern
France.
Now to come to the American cactus, the prettiest flowered ·plant in these sections, which also has been transplanted
and nursed with success in the gardens of Europe. Nowhere have I seen anything more limpid and life-like than
the carnation hue of its flower whose bell-mouthed cup
possess.es every color of the rose and every shade of green.
It is armed with thorns and attains a height of two inches
from the ground; its natural beds of growth seem to be in
the prairies alone. Taken all in all, it is a far better emblem
than the rose of this poor world's pleasures.
The choicest flower of the prairies resembles the campanula of Europe, though the union of its parts is better, and
it eclipses the latter also in the delicacy of its tints, which
vary from clearest white to deepest blue.
The noblest flower, Adal]1's needle, thrives only in the
mountains. Midway up its stem, which is about three feet
�14
Re~·o!leClions
of tlze Rocky lr!omztains.
high, it shoots out into a very compaClly formed pyramid
of flowers, light red in color. In form it is the image of an
upturned diadem ; its breadth dwindles down gradually towards the top where it finally develops itself into a point.
At its base it has a sort of proteClion in a species of long,
tough, prickly leaves. Its root is used in the manufaClure
of Mexican soap, as it is called, and again, when needs be,
it serves as a nourishing substance to the Indians.
We saw three other specimens of flowers which, I dare
say, are rare even in America, and certainly unknown to
the general lot of travelers. The first of these specimens
in the arrangement of its bronzed leaves immediately put us
in mind of a Corinthian capital; we accordingly gave it a
name to match with its looks, calling it Corinthian plant.
The second plant, I speak of, was straw-colored, and its
broad stock and branches; brought up in our minds the
recolleClion of the sheaf J<!seph had seen in his dream: we
called it, therefore, joscplt's s!traf. The third plant had for
its flower a round, yellow disk with here and there tints of
blue and red; the disk was made up of seven or eight petals
any one of which taken singly had formed a sweet flower
indeed: we named it La Dominica!e, both because it was
lady mistress of the prairie flowers and because we discovered it on a Sunday.
The Platte is alw~ys a beautiful sight to behold, and often
it is even an inspiring one; and that in spite of its beauties,
it has so common a name, we must pardon the travelers
who gave it, seeing that they were ignorant of meet terms
which might bear out comparisons and· applied t5:l' things
the first name that crossed their minds. Nor in tli~ case
before us was the appellation given to the river without reason: for the Nebraska of the Indians was well styled the
Platte, in as much as while its width was accounted to be
six thousand feet, its depth ranged from six feet at the
maximum down to less than one.
Despite the oft-repeated warnings of the Captain, a young
man of the party had wandered off, in order to go and hunt
the buffalo. He fell into the hands of a party Of Indians,
�RecolleClions
if
the Rocky Mountains.
I
5
who deprived him of his gun and horse, and answered his
complaints for the robbery by threats of personal violence.
Enraged, rather than dismayed at this treatment, he hurried
back to camp, and raised an alarm. It was drawing towards
evening, the camping ground had already been chosen, and
the horses turned loose, when the alarm reached us. In
the twinkling of an eye, the horses were saddled and bridled, and all had mounted and were drawn up in order of
battle. It was the Colonel who took charge of all the arrangements. The women and children were placed between
two lines of wagons. The men capable of bearing arms
were ranged to the right and left. Far off, several parties
of Indians were seen uniting into one body. The younger
men were eager to £1.ll upon the robbers without delay, especially the one who had been plundered wanted to slaughter them all, and to smash everything, unless his property
was restored. He had already started off, swinging his gun
in the air, and with such speed that he did not notice it,
when his cap was carried away. Fortunately, he was followed by our Captain, who would never allow his feelings
to run away with his judgment, a man of long and varied
experience, whom, to our great good fortune, the Indians
quickly recognized by his white locks, and instead of hostilities, peaceful terms of restitution were proposed. Our
truculent youth could learn a useful lesson from.this occurrence, that moderation and good sense can accomplish
more, even with savages, than force and fury. The Indians
were Cheyennes, who were roaming about in quest of adventure, after the manner of veritable knights-errant; they
have the reputation of being the bravest of the prairie tribes.
They encamped within twenty paces of us; and soon all
distrust being laid aside, the only thought was how we
could best display our feelings of mutual confidence: the
lances were planted in the ground, and the shields hung
upon them, and the warriors gathered together in small
groups. They chat, and listen, and question, and laugh,
and smoke the calumet in our honor. In general, the Cheyennes are less forbidding in physiognomy than the Kaws;
�16
Reco!Teflions
o/ tlze
Rocky Mountai11s.
I have even remarked some countenances of so gentle a
type that there seemed to be nothing of the savage about
them. Their dress and general make up are the same as
that of all the Indians : hair plastered over with a red pigment; face smeared with blue, red, white and black paints;
clothes fringed with porcupine quills, and bead-work.
The chief was invited to our table; and in the evening, at
our request, he sent his men back to their own camp. Next
day, and for several days succeeding, they followed us
closely, until we had passed the river.
To cross the river, you kill a number of buffaloes, take
their hides, stretch them into a canoe-shape by means of
sticks, and fill up the seams with the tallow of the animal. Then you pile on board of this craft whatever you
want to transport, and row or push the whole concern
across to the other side. ".•
.
vVe got over \Vith less ..trouble this time, for our guides
discovered a ford: but we had to usc great precautions, particularly with the oxen, which are much harder to manage
than horses. \Vhilst the first driver goaded them on from
his high seat, his subordinates on horseback at either side,
or on foot in the middle of the stream, shouted and whipped
them to make the team advance, and to prevent them from
turning aside. For greater safety, cords were stretched
from the tops of the wagons, and being drawn taut by vigorous arms. they helped to keep things well balanced. The
roaring of the waters, the bellowing of the oxen, the neighing of the horses, the excited and ear-splitting shouts of
the drivers-all combined to make up the most horrid din
that I ever listened to; it was astonishing that we effected
the passage almost without any mishap.
The most embarrassed members of the caravan were the
poor dogs : how they scudded up and down the bank ! how
they made the air resound with their plaintive howls! The
greater number of them held back until the night without
daring to attempt the passage. Finally, the example of the
boldest encouragcJ the rest to entrust themselves to the
�Recolle[lions if the Rocky Mozmtal1ts.
17
treacherous element, and with desperate efforts they rejoined
the camp.
Every one has heard of the rattlesnakes and mosquitoes,
which are so frequently mentioned in the reports of the
early missionaries of America. I shall then only speak of
them in order to take the occasion to return thanks to God
for the patience with which he fortified us to endure the
continual assaults of the one, and the signal proteaion with
which he guarded us against the other. On the feast of St.
Francis Regis, without leaving the wagon track, the drivers
killed with their whips, a dozen rattlesnakes, whose enraged
appearance and rattles sounding the charge sufficiently indicated their hostile intentions.
After the mosquito, the little harmless ant is the most
common insea. At almost every step, you come across
their villages, several feet in diameter, and composed, not of
seeds and grain as those which are found in our fields and
gardens at home, but of pebbles. This difference would
seem to require a modification in the opinion of those, who
concede to them equal foresight both in regard to their
food and the shape of their habitations. The grain which
they collea in our country may well supply them with a
winter store of provisions, but it is not so clear that it is to
serve for the other end which the supporters of the above
mentioned opinion contend for; and so much the more, because different kind of food is stored up in their chambers.
But the instina with which God has endowed them is not
the less admirable. · vVhy those villages composed of little
globules? the globules methodically arranged in heaps?
the regular inclination of those heaps? the entrance always
opposite to the direaion of the prevailing wind? All these
surely manifest in these tiny heads a wisdom that comes
from some cause superior to themselves.
Humming Birds. In the Relation of Paraguay, Murazil\i credits them with the power of singing equal to the
nightingale, and wonders how such grand notes can issue
from such insignificant bodies. Unless those of South
VoL. xn. No.
1.
3
�1S
RecolleCli7ms
if t!te Rocky Mountaills.
America differ in this respect from those that I have seen,
we must say that it is only by analogy that the illustrious
author joins the ravishing power of song to such enchanting plumage. This little masterpiece of beauty feeds only
upon the honey of flowers : he extraCts his nourishment by
means of his tongue which he prolongs, and before plunging it into the flower, he poises himself and seems to hum
after the manner of the bee. But. if you listen and regard
him more closely, you will be convinced that the humming
is caused by the rapid vibration of his tiny wings.
Prain·e Dogs. I do not know how or why this name was
applied to these animals: for they resemble a squirrel more
than a dog in shape, size, color, timidity and agility. l\Iany
are of the opinion that they are a species of marmot. Each
family has its own domicile and burrow, and the families
are so numerous as to constitute communities of villages.
These villages differ from those of the beaver, in that they
are as far removed from water as is possible. It is said that
they feed upon the roots of grass and drink only the dew.
It is one of the marvellpus traditions among \Vestern travelers that they sometimes issue from their burrows in a
body to hold a mass meeting.
\Vhen the prairie dog
sees or hears anything hostile, he tumbles into his hole,
and utters a sharp bark which is quickly repeated from
lodge to lodge, thereby warning the inhabitants to be upon
their guard. But as-he is by nature very inquisitive, at the
end of a few minutes, you will see his nose reappearing at
the door, and the hunter who is lying in wait for him,
chooses this moment to kill him. It requires much skill
to capture him, for the little animal is quick in his· movements, and possessed of the keenest sight, and never strays
far from his little hillock.
Beavers. \Nhat is reported of the extraordinary strength
of their four teeth is quite true, for I have seen trees of
more than a foot in diameter, cut entirely through by means
of these instruments apparently so feeble. I cannot say
whether what is added in regard to their manner of working
can also stand criticism : for it is reported that before felling
�Recollecli'rms
)'-\
r
I
I
of tlze Rocky Mountains.
19
the trees that are to serve in the construction of their dams,
they examine among the trees proper for the purpose and
select those which lean in the direction of the place where
they are going to build; if there be none which offers this
advantage, they wait until a strong wind corries to their aid,
and when ·the wind is bending the tree in the right direction,
they go to work and it is quickly floating in the stream.
Frogs. There is a species of frog which differs essentially
from ours, in that it has a tail, and lives in dry, stony and
hot places. I have heard it called a Salamander.
On the 28th of June, we left Fort Laramie, directing our
course towards the \Vest. In proportion as we advanced,
the traces of vegetation became more sombre, the outline
of the hills more severe, the front of the mountains more
frowning. On all sides, there appeared the signs not of
decline, but of old age, or rather of the most venerable
antiquity.
The most remarkable object in this sublime solitude is
lndepeudence Rock so called, not because of its isolation and
bold prominence, but because the Americans who first took
the idea of giving it a name, arrived in its neighborhood on
the anniversary of their separation from Great Britain. It
is probable that after naming it, they affixed their signature along with the date, and hence its surname, T!te Great
Register of tiLe Desert.
We arrived there on the 5th of July, and, according to
custom, each of us inscribed his name. At the base of this
colossus flows. tranquilly the little stream that is called
Sweetwater. It is rem"arkable for its clearness and its numerous windings, a proof of the little inclination of the
stream. But on ascending somewhat towards its source, its
character changes completely. It is seen bounding along,
or rather it is heard to fling itself down through a long
canon, choked up with thousands of boulders, in murky
. volumes and with horrid roar, which has earned for it the
name of Tlte Devil's Entrance.
Buffalo are so plentiful here that one of our people in a
few hours killed as many as eleven of them, bringing in to
�20
Recolletlions of t!tc Rocky lllozmtains.
camp only their tongues. Already two long months have
passed since we entered upon the wilderness, but at length
we are drawing nigh to those dear mountains, whither our
most ardent wishes transported us long ago. There was a
celebration in the camp in honor of the Rocky Mountains.
\Vhy are they called Rocky ? Because they are composed
of granite and silex. Some travelers have assigned to them
the prouder title of Backbone of t!te World, because their
principal chain runs along the whole length of the American
continent.
It was towards the middle of July, when, having cleared
the eastern spurs of the Rocky Mountain Range, we left
the tributaries of the Missouri behind us, and looked down
upon the streams which empty into the Pacific Ocean. How
magnificent the horizon l But who can describe the grandeur of the scene? ·with, the Royal Prophet, we exclaim:
Ab ortu soli's usque ad ac.~asum, laudabilc nomm Domini,·
and we carved upon the bark of a lofty cedar that Name
ever adorable, before which every knee must bend in
Heaven, on earth, .and in hell. May this blessed Name be
for those who come after us a sign of hope and salvation l
On our descent from these heights, we first followed the
course of the Little and Big Sandy rivers, and afterwards we
crossed them. During three days, our teams wandered
through sandy wastes, scarcely knowing which direCtion to
take. There was neither good pasturage for our animals,
nor good game for our men; we recalled with regret the
eleven buffalo tongues of the Sweetwater.
On the 24th of July, we came to the banks of Green
River: everything was smiling around us, and "\ve were
swimming in abundance. It was here that nine years before the wagons of Captain Bonneville had found their Columns of Hercules; and on this spot, we met the advance
parties of the Flatheads, and also a party of French Canadians, who were returning from California.
To the question, "What news?" these latter replied by
drawing so discouraging a piCture, that many of the adventurers in our caravan thought only Qf profiting by the cir-
�Recolleflz"ons of tlte Rocky Mountains.
r
) I
2I
cumstance and retracing their steps. We remained two
days in this place, to the great satisfaCtion of all those who
wished to take a rest. We had the happiness of celebrating
the Sacred Mysteries, at which all the Catholics assisted
with the greatest reverence.
When the encampment was broken up, and the day of
parting came, two of those who had shared our lodge, the
hunter and a young Englishman, came to bid us farewell.
The latter was a Protestant; nevertheless, in spite of his re.ligious principles, he promised that should Providen~e ever
bring us together again, he should esteem it a favor to testify his gratitude for the kindness we had shown him. I
recall this beautiful reflexion of his: "One must journey in
the desert to see how Providence cares for the wants. of
man." vVhat has become of him? I have learned that he
reached his home in safety-that is all; but that his companion, without a momen.t's warning, was assassinated by an
Indian woman, who had a grudge against his family.
As for those who were homeward bound from California
many of them were well aware that they needed to be reconciled with more than one obligation, and all of them
made fair promises to comply with their duty-but next
J'Car. For the greater number of them the next year was
never to come: scarcely a fortnight had elapsed before they
were attacked and killed, some by the Sioux, and others by
the Arapahoes and Cheyennes, and amongst the slain was
the greatest blasphemer of the whole party. Their leader
was one of the first to fall, shot dead with a musket. Poor
man! He had made his fortune, and looked forward to
spending his remaining years in comfortable ease.
During these days our line of march led through a labyrinth of mountains. One day, we had traveled without intermission from daybreak till evening, and finding no way
to get through, we were obliged to retrace our steps, surrounded on all sides by robbers and murderers.
Afterwards, our route was for a long time over a great
plain, and by keeping along Bear River, we reached the
most beautiful camping ground that we had yet seen. Clear
�22
Reco!!efiions if the Rocky Mountains.
springs, delicious fruit, game in abundance, landscapes the
most smiling, variegated and piCturesque, in a word, all the
surroundings seemed to invite the travelers to make this
their winter quarters, and there were some who were seriously inclined to do so, but as all were not of this mind,
and numbers were required to be safe in these d.istriCts, we
made our way towards a pass, and came out upon a plain
boundless in extent both to the right and the left. Here
we separated, the Missionaries inclining towards the right,
and t}le Americans making their way down towards the left.
'vVe had spent three months together, sharing the same
fortunes, exposed to the same dangers, and we felt like
countrymen towards each other. Our leavetaking was sad:
many prejudices had disappeared from their minds, but the
greater part of them remained attached to their errors,
which gave us but little hope of meeting them again in our
true country.
For the three following days, we were obliged to journey
until dark, in order to reach places that were fit for camping. On the afternoon of the third day, we had been already eleven hours on the march, and we were still advancing through a gorge that seemed to lead to the end of the
world. Left and right beetling mountain peaks towered
aloft; before us, it is true, there was some kind of open passage, since the river flowed in that direCtion, but it seemed
so narrow, and the .stream was so rapid, that it appeared
impossible for a cart to find room to pass. Nevertheless,
our gallant guide did not recoil before any obstacle, unless
it was clearly proved insurmountable: he commaqded a
halt, whilst he went forward to explore the way. How glad
we were when he gave the signal to come forward. Between
the rocks there was just the space to let us through between
Scylla and Charybdis: an hour afterwards we were within
a few miles of Fort Hall, returning thanks to God for the
constant proteCtion which He had extended over us.
�INDIAN MISSIONS.
LAKE SuPERIOR.
Letter tif Fr. Spee!tt to Rev. Fr. Henry Hudon.
SAULT-AU-RECOLLET,
September 27, 1882.
REv'n FATHER SuPERIOR,
);'
t
P. C.
In spite of my good will, I was not able to send you
sooner the account of my trip of last spring. I dare hope,
however, that it will not be the less interesting for being a
little behind time. This was the longest and most difficult
of all my journeys among the Indians; but, to make up for
it, it was also the most abundant in the fruits of salvation.
I had to struggle against difficulties of every kind, but after
toil comes harvest, and after trials, consolation. For companions of my journey and my hardships, r had two young
Cl~ristian Indians, of whom it will not be out of place to say
a word before beginning my account. They are two worthy fellows, as good as ever were, and have nothing Indian
about them but their name and appearance; for under an
outside that is rude, if you will, they possess hearts of gold.
They worked all day long, especially in the portages which
are very numerous and difficult, and, notwithstanding all
this, they were always cheerful and full of foresight for me.
And they did not do this for the sake of their pay, for I
gave each of them only twenty-five cents a day, that is, at
the most, one· fourth of what is usually given to those who
do the same work. One of them, whom we call familiarly
"Our Henry," deserves a special mention. He is a very
zealous young man, very punctual in frequenting the sacraments, and has at heart the interests of our holy religion
which he defends at all times without fear or human respect.
Some of the wags have surnamed him the "Kitchi-Ossaie,"
(23)
�~4
Indian Missz'ons.
that is, the "Coadjutor Brother." He has accompanied -the
missionary almost all the time since he became a Christian,
that is, for several years. So, our Christians, when they see
him coming, know that the missionary is not far off. As
for Henry himself, he is proud of his position and he has a
right to be. So you see, Reverend Father, there are noble
hearts everywhere, even among our children of the forests.
But to come to the real matter of this letter.
Fortified by the blessing of my Superior and the good
wishes of my brothers in religion, taking with me Henry's
brother, I left Fort \Villiam on Saturday morning, the 1 Ith
of!ast March. The indispensable "tobogan," or Indian sled,
drawn by four dogs, carried my chapel, my own and my
companion's blanket, a few books, and my modest collection of cooking utensils. The shortest way, and the one
usually followed, would have been to go straight to the end
of Thunder Bay and there to cross the portage so as to
come out on Black Sturgeon's Bay, commonly called
''Rlack Bay." This is our winter route to the missions at
the north of Lake Superior; and it is much shorter than
the route we follow in summer, which we always make in. a
boat or a bark canoe. However, as much to save Fr. Baxter a journey of 5ome twenty miles as to draw some edification for myself from our good Catholics, who arc chiefly
Irish, I turned my steps towards Silver Islet, where I arrived the following~ morning, Sunday. l\Iy visit was the
more agreeable to them from their not having seen the missionary for some time. I stayed with them Sunday, Monday, and a part of Tuesday, the 14th of March. A good
number profited by my stay to make their Easter ciuty. In
the afternoon of the 14th, I set out again, and in two days
was at Red Rock, the first of my stations. On arriving
there, I learned with sorrow that Fr. Hebert was seriously
ill, and that he had fallen sick the very day after my departure from Fort \Villiam. I determined, therefore, not to
leave the place before I should have received some news,
good or bad, of the Father's health.
At the same time, I exhorted my Christians to fulfil their
�Letter of Fatlzer joseplz Specht.
~I
Easter duties as soon as possible, as I did not know yet
whether I could continue my journey, or should be obliged
to retrace my steps. On the 22nd March, I got a letter
from Fr. Hebert telling me that his health was improving
and giving me to understand that I could go on. You can
easily believe that this message brought joy to myself and
to my Christians, too, who were continually asking for news
of the Father's health. Satisfied that they could do without me at Fort William, I set out for Fort Nepigon at sunset on the 27th, taking with me Henry and a half-breed.
The night was cold, but fine, and a brilliant moonlight made
it as bright as day.
\Ve took advantage of this to journey on until midnight
when we arrived at a portage. There we had to stop, so we
had time to take some food and a short nap to prepare for
the hardships to come. On the following day we started
early, but had not time to go very far; for, towards noon, a
severe snow-storm forced us to seek shelter in the woods.
It was so bitter and the snow fell so thick in all directions
that we could not distinguish the river's bank-we were on
the Nepigon-at a stone's throw from us. The next morning the sky was clear, and we set out again in an intense
cold, and on the 30th, arrived at Fort Nepigon, where Mr.
Henri de Ia Ronde, the Agent, as usual, welcomed me very
cordially. \Vhile they were getting some food ready, I
had not to be asked twice to sit by the stove and warm my
limbs which. were quite numb from cold. I had scarcely
sat down, however, before I began to feel the first attacks
of snow-blindness. This painful malady very often affects
those who travel over a large extent of snow for a considerable time while the sun is up, during March or April. I
had been three days on the river and the lakes, and it was
enough to catch it. I felt it for the .rest of the day; and the
day following, it was so severe that I had to give up even
the reading of the breviary. I had often heard of snowblindness, but now I know what it is by experience.
When I got to Nepigon, I found but a dozen persons
VoL. xrr. No.
1.
4
�1ndia1Z Missions.
there, the Agent, his sister, and the people in service about
the Fort. The others were scattered here and there in little parties, for the most part hunting at the mouth of some
river at different points of the country about Lake Nepigon.
The missionary is accustomed to visit each of these little
parties in the springtime, giving them a chance to make
their Easter duties. This year I was obliged to pass by
two of them, one of "Negondinonong" and the other of
"Onamanisaging," the former, because illness hindered me
from going to visit them, and the latter, because they had
gone too far inland. Consequently, I was able to make a
good stay at the Fort. This was just what Mr. de Ia Ronde
desired, as he is never so happy as when he has the missionary under his roof, and it is from him we receive hospitality all the time we are at the Fort. It is at his residence,
too, that we have divine s~rvice in summer, in a building
set apart for that purpose,-iind in winter, on account of the
intense cold, in his private dwelling. I stayed with him
three whole weeks. I left my little retreat but twice, to
visit some sick persons. The first time was on Palm Sunday, the 2d of April. Just before High l\Iass, I was told
that a man and a young girl were dangerously ill at a place
called "Namewaminkaning" that is, the Sturgeon Fishery,
about forty-five miles to the east of Lake Nepigon. It was
simply a matter of c.rossing the lake, so I set out with two
men at sunset; but the weather forced us to seek shelter in
the woods, so that it took us two days to get- to the sick
persons. I lost no time in giving Extreme UnCI:ion to the
young woman, and as the other had no need of it,.) heard
the confessions of all present. After evening prayers, I
started on my way back to Nepigon, as usual, at sunset.
We journeyed all night, as the Indians do. I still had my
two men. By turns we walked, or rather ran, and took to
our sled. The next day, Tuesday of Holy ·week, at seven
o'clock in the morning, we were at the Fort, and, as it 'was
time for Mass, I called together the few faithful that were
about, and began the service. vVhen I got to the gospel, I
felt so ill that I deemed it prudent and even necessary to
�Letter
if Father joseph Specht.
leave the altar. I was more or less unwell the rest of the
week. Holy Saturday was entirely taken up in hearing the
confessions of the Christians of the Fort and of a small
party from the neighborhood who had come to be present
at the feast of Easter Sunday. On Easter morning, I was
well enough to sing Mass. There was general communion
-28 communicants. It was really edifying to see these
poor children of the woods, in their best clothes, approach
the Holy Table, with their pious Agent at their head, singing alleluia with all their might. Joy and happiness shone
on every countenance. After the gospel, I spoke a few
words to them suggested by the occasion. I congratulated
them on their eagerness in coming to celebrate the feast of
Easter, for some of them had come some fifteen or twenty
miles, and I encouraged them to persevere in their good
dispositions. In the evening, we sang vespers and, as usual,
had prayers in common. The next day after Mass, those
who lived at a distance came to shake hands with me, and
all went home very happy. For myself, I stayed ten days
longer at the Fort, devoting all the leisure I had to the
teaching of Christian doCtrine and to the study of the Indian language. On the zoth of April I bade adieu to Mr.
de !a Ronde and the Indians (and these adieus are always
affeCt:ing), and promising to come back as soon as possible,
I set out at sunset for the river called the Namewanimkanisibi, where I was to wait until the breaking up of the ice to
go to Long Lake. \Ve traveled all night, and the next
morning at eight o'clock, we were at the river. I pitched
my tent. During the day, some Christians, who were camping at a distance, moved their tents nearer mine. Among
them were the two sick persons I had visited some days before. On the 23rd, the second Sunday after Easter, as there
are no houses in these parts, I said Mass in my tent, which
we.had fitted up as well as we could. Every one was at
Mass and received communion-in all seventeen. On the
day following, all except one family, went away. On the
;z6th, a worthy young man of the party, a recent convert,
�28
Indian Missions.
came back to be my second companion on the journey to
Long Lake.
I had expeaed to stay a week, or at the most, ten days
at Namewaninikaning. I spent three weeks there, and they
seemed to be months: for I saw myself reduced to inaaion,
while I had so much to do elsewhere. But I had to resign
myself to it, and if I could not do great work as regards
the ministry, I had at least an excellent opportunity of practising patience. On the 5th, the ice left the river and on
the 8th, we started up the river for Long Lake. The voyage lasted eight whole days in the midst of difficulties that
one must go through, to understand and appreciate them.
The portages are very numerous. To cross over them we
had to walk through snow, stones, mud, and very often,
through water up to our knees. Finally, on the 16th of
May, we arrived at Long Lake. The Agent of the Fort·of
the Hudson Bay Company, l\Ir. Godchere, although a Protestant and never having seen me before, received me very
kindly and gave me one of his houses to be used as church
and residence at the same time. It was in conformity with
the striCtest poverty, as its entire furniture consisted of a
table and a bedstead. An Indian had lived there previously.
Moreover, when it rained, the water came in pretty copiously at all parts of the roof and put us to some trouble.
Now, however, th;~t I have made a Catholic of the Agent
by God's grace, I hope he will put a more suitable place at
our disposal until we shall have built
church. On my
arrival at the Fort, I found but eight persons, and learned,
not without pain, that since the last visit of the missionary,
in May or June of last year, there had died no ~less than
thirty-nine Indians, all Catholics· except one, a Protestant,
and that of these at least a half were adults. They had
been taken off by the measles and some other disease. I
was told that there were still some sick. In one family
seven had died-the father, the mother, two children, a son
with his wife and child. I stayed three weeks at Long
Lake, from the 16th of May to the 5th of June. The Indians came only on the last four days, in two bands 1 La,~
our
�Letter of Father Joseph Specht.
garde's and Morin's. The first band, in eight canoes, arrived at the Fort in the afternoon of June the rst. Contrary to the usual custom of our Christians, they did not
come to shake hands with me, but kept at some distance.
Some of them went away after two days, doubtless to show
how much they appreciated the presence of the missionary
among them. The second band came on the 3rd. I went
to meet them at the water's edge, an aa of foresight I
should have done for the other party also. These last were
very fervent, and came of their own accord to prayers and
to the holy tribunal of penance. Their fervor consoled me
much for the negligence of the others.
I should have liked to spend another week with these
worthy Christia..ns, but my duties called me elsewhere; besides, the want of provisions for some days past and the impossibility of getting any, made it obligatory for me to go
to some other place, if I wished to preserve my own and my
companions' strength. One of my men had been sick for
two or three days. I had intended to go back to Nepigon
by the same route 1 had followed in coming; but, as I had
received no news from Fr. Hebert, I determined to return
by way of Pic and Red Rock, although this roundabout
way would make my journey much longer. On Monday,
the 5th of June, we set out early in the morning, and at
sunrise, we had crossed the lake, which, indeed, is not wide,
although very long. We went down the Pic River, and in
three days arrived at Pic. We got there at noon. On seeing the canoe app\oach, some Christians had gathered
about the bank. When they saw it head for the church,
they no longer doubted that it was the missionary, and
came to welcome me. It was my first visit to Pic; but I
was not the less received with expressions of joy. I arrived
just at the right time; for several of them were very sick
and were expeCting the priest with impatience. These were
the first objeCts of my care, without, however, causing me
to negleCt: the others who amounted to about forty. The
bulk of the party, would not return from the inland country before the end of the month. I expeCted to meet Fr.
�30
Indian Missions.
Hebert at Pic; but, as he was alone at Fort \Villiam, he
could not think of leaving his post for a whole m<?nth. He
sent me a letter, however, telling me to go to Michipicoten.
On the I 3th, with my two men, I set out for that station,
and got there in three days. Here, as at Pic, there were
sick calls, administration of the sacraments, and blessing of
graves.
The school, opened only last autumn, also took a share
of my attention. Add to this the other duties of the holy
ministry. I endeavored also to attraCt the Methodists; but,
whether from indifference or from fear, they kept away.
Some of them, however, came to Mass on Sunday, so I took
advantage of it to sow the good seed. \Vill it bring forth
the fruit of salvation? God only knows. Poor people, they
are like sheep without a shepherd.
On the 26th of June, I.had to leave my good Christians,
who asked me earnestly ~t.? stay a few more days with them.
I was pained at not being able to yield to their just and
praiseworthy wishes, but I could not put off any longer my
return to Pic. 'vVe left in the afternoon. As usual, every
one, large and small, was on the bank, and I had to shake
hands with them all and say a word or two to each as I
passed along. They stayed there looking after me until
they lost sight of the boat.
I arrived at Pic on the 1st of June, just as they were gathering in the church for evening prayers. I found several
new faces among them, for a good number had already
come back fr.om the inland country. The others returned
during the days that followed. It wn.s only then .that my
work at Pic began, and it lasted until my departureJor Red
Rock. My days \Vere so taken up that I could barely find
a little time during the day to take my meals, and at night,
the necessary rest. My health held out, but at the end I was
somewhat thinner. I had made several endeavors to start
for Red Rock, but the bad weather kept me back continually. except once when my occupations did not allow me
to go. Finally, on the 2 Ist of July, I received the following letter from Mr. H. de Ia Ronde:
�Letter of Fr. Yoseplz Specht.
jt
L. S.,
14th July, 1882.
RED RocK,
REV. FATHER SPECHT, S.
J.,
As Mr. Godchere is going your way, I take the liberty to
drop you a line, telling you of the great mortality here
(great, considering the smallness of the locality). The poor
Indians are losing courage, seeing the minister going up
every two weeks; and as to themselves, the path to the
church is being covered over with willow grass. At Nepigon all folks were pretty well. At present, my uncle, Sir
Charles (de Ia Ronde) is very low; he may be said dying, for
I do not think he will ever recover. I do not think he will
survive a week longer. I hope you will try to come as
soon as possible. \Ve all desire to see you soon.
Compliments from us all. Adieu.
I remain your ever sincere
H. DE LA RoNDE.
The feelings that this letter caused in me may easily be
imagined. However, I was by no means astonished at the
news it contained; for, before leaving Red Rock in the
spring, I had forewarned my Christians, that, after my departure, the wolf would come and try to injl!re my little
flock-referring to the above-mentioned Anglican minister,
-and I told them to be on their guard against him. I
could not, therefore, put off any longer my departure for
Red Rock, especially as I had not been there for over four
months, and there had been no one to go in. my absence.
Before leaving Pic, however, I had the consolation ofbringing back to the fold two sheep who had been very far from
it. Their conversion brought joy to the hearts of all my
Christians. The first of these converts is the sister of the
Agent of the Hudson Bay Company at Pic. Although she
was born of a Catholic mother and had been baptized by
one of our Fathers, she had always followed the Anglican
church. One day, when she came to see me on some business, I asked her to what religion she belonged. "By
rights," she said, "I ought to be a Catholic." ''Then," I
�Indian .Missz'ons.
answered, "you ought to be one by all means." I succeeded
in.making her read Mr. de Segur's "Plain Talk." This happened during my first stay at Pic. \Vhen I came back from
Michipicoten, I saw her again and got her to consent to
make her abjuration. On the 20th of July, I received her
in our little church at Pic, in the presence of several Indians.
My second convert was the Agent of Long· Lake, of
whom I have already spoken, a man of about twenty-five or
twenty-six years. \Ve had prayed a long time for this conversion. He had been a Catholic at first until his twelfth
year. At this period he was perverted by a false friend who
made him a member of the English Church. Having occasion to speak to him at Long Lake, I made him promise
to read ''Plain Talk." "The only difference between Catholics and Protestants," said he, "is confession. And, if you
can prove to me," he added, "that any man in the world has
power to forgive sins, I will become a Catholic." I proved
it to him there and then from his own Protestant Bible. He
recognized the truth and promised to come back to his for·
mer religion. He kept his word. On the 21st of July, I
received his public abjuration in the church of Pic, which
was filled with Indians eager to witness this affeCting cere·
mony, to which I gave all the solemnity possible. Three
days later, I took passage on the steamer llfanitoba, with
Henry, and the next morning got off at Red Rock. I found
that the Indians of Red Rock, those from the Flat country,
and several families from Nepigon had gathered at the post
of the Hudson Bay Company for their yearly settling of accounts. As I expeCted to see the Anglican minister arrive
from Grand Bay (on Lake Nepigon), I determined'lo'spend
the day at the Fort among my Christians. A few hours after, I saw a canoe coming down the rapids and heading for
the Fort. It was the minister and his schoolmaster. He
came doubtless to preach, and did not count on finding me
at my post. So he made haste to go back home on the
same day, to the great amusement of my Christians. The
paying of the accounts was all over on the afternoon of the
26th, and the Indians began to disperse. On the 27th, Sir
�letter of Fr. 7oseplt Speclzt.
r
33
Charles F. de Ia Ronde, uncle of Mr. H. de Ia Ronde, died
at Red Rock, aged eighty. He was, it appears, a descendant of the ancient nobility of France. He had aCted as
schoolmaster for the last two years of his life.
A most important, although almost the last act of my
whole trip was the conversion of a Protestant Indian family
of six souls,-a mother with her five children, three girls
and two boys. The eldest is a young woman of seventeen;
the smallest, a child of five. The father of these children,
it appears, had been a Protestant and had opposed their
conversion. He had died about six weeks previous. This
conversion was more consoling as it was unexpected. I
baptized them sub conditioue, the children in the church at
Red Rock, and the mother in her tent, where a pretty serious illness detained her. They promise to be among the
most fervent neophytes of the Flat Country.
My work for the season was over. It was near the end
of July, and I had to hasten on to Fort William for the
yearly visitation. I left Red Rock on St. Ignatius' Day,
and on the 4th of August at seven o'clock in the evening, I
arrived at Fort \Villiam, delighted to see Ours again after
such a long absence.
Thus ended my long trip of almost five months, during
tvhich I baptized three adults and fourteen children, some
of whom were of Protestant parents, and received five abjurations. Tl'Tere was still much to do among these poor Indians, who had been so tried by sickness this year. However, I could only do what was absolutely necessary and
leave the rest to Divine Providence. At present, I have
only to thank the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, St.
Joseph, my patron, St. Francis Xavier, the patron and
model of missionaries, for all t~1e protection they granted
me and the favors they obtained for me, and to beg our
Rev. Fathers and good brothers to continue to help me by
their zealous prayers.
Ra:: Va:! infimus in Xto servus,
Jos. SPECHT,
Vor-
XII.
No. r.
5
S.
J.
�34
lndian .fifissions.
1\liSSION OF THE ROCKY :.IOUNTAINS.
1.-T!te Blackfeet ludians.- Letter of ratlzer P. Prando to
Fat!ter J Cataldo.
MrssroN oFST. PETER, July 28, 1881.
The time, so long expeCted, for the conversion of the
Blackfeet, seems at length to be close at hand, and it appears that God is willing to pour down the streams of his
mercy and grace upon the hearts of these savages. Last
May, as your Reverence will call to mind, I visited several
of their camps, baptized a number of their children, and
promised to return in order to instruCt and baptize the
adults. Our Indians expeCted me with impatience, but as
week after week went by, an~ I did not come, they began
to suspeCt that I had changed my mind; and they said to
one another: \Vhat has happened to the Black Robe, that
he does not come ?
I reached their principal camp in the early part of the
present month, and without delay I got ready to call upon
W!tite C'a{t; the head chief of the Blackfeet. At the first
news of my arrival, they all turned out to meet me with
demonstrations of joy. An Indian, casting aside all pre- •
liminary remarks, began to address me: "Black Robe, after
your departure, the children fell sick, and in the other camps
more than a hundred of them have died: but here we have
not lost even one, because they were baptized by you." I
expressed my delight that their camp had been spared in so
remarkable a manner; but at the same time, I told .t~em
that we should not grieve too much over the little ones who
had died after baptism, for they were already in the enjoyment of heavenly happiness. I am fully persuaded that the
preservation of all these children in the camp of the head
chief is due to a special Providence: for if they had died,
superstition might have influenced him to attribute it to the
Sacrament, and as a consequence, he would have become
angry with the missionary and expelled him from the tribe,
I
�Letter of Fat!zer P. Prando.
35
There were several who came with their infants in their
arms, to remind me of the promise I had made at the time
they were baptized, of giving them a medal. I asked them
the baby's name, and then I consulted my register, and told
them the name of the father and mother, inquiring at the
same time if I was right. My savages then began to laugh
heartily, and could not understand how I was able after a
glance at my note-book, to tell the parents' names. After
satisfying their pious desires and their curiosity, I took my
way to the cabin of the great chief. I learned there that he
had gone to a dance at a neighboring camp, and I went in
search of him. I found all the Indians seated on the grass,
forming an immense circle, but divided up into groups :
there were the children, the women, the men, and finally the
chiefs in the place of honor. There were a dozen young
men dancing in the centre; and four others on one side
were beating their drums. My arrival put a stop to the merriment. The great chief came forward to salute me; then,
looking up to the sky, and remarking on the splendid
weather, he said: "I am glad that you have come on such
a fine day." He added that the dance would soon be ended,
and that immediately after it, he should cross the river with
his men, and that all should come to talk with me at my
camp. I requested him to let the amusements go on, as I
would willingly be a spectator of them. This announcement
excited unspeakable joy through the whole assembly; the
drummers instantly recommenced their deafening noise, and
the dancers began their exercise anew. Their clothing was
primitive-exceedingly so; it consisted merely of coats of
paint of different colors laid on to the naked skin. Each
one danced by himself, at a fixed distance from. his neighbor, but without change of place, and their movements were
like those of marionnettes. At the end of five minutes, they
all stopped, and the leader of the dance, who had learnt it
;:tmong the Crow Indians, was presented to me. The dance
lasted two hours. When all was over, the head chief, accompanied by all the men invested with any authority, betook himself to my camp to have a talk with the missionary.
�~
Indian Missions.
We opened the meeting: I began, and declared briefly the
objeCt of my coming: I had promised on a former occasion
to repeat my visit, in order to instruCt the adults of their
tribe, that is to say. all who wished to save their souls, and
I stood prepared now to fulfil my promise. The great chief,
\Vhite Calf, answered me in a long discourse, of which the
following is a summary: 'Down to the present time, said he,
the Blackfeet had led a wandering life, without ~any fixed
habitation, but now they were placed upon a Reserve, surrounded by soldiers, hemmed in like the waters of a stream
which it is feared will overflow; abandoned and left to themselves in this contraCted territory, from which they could
not stir. They wished to settle down here. As for himself, the head chief, he had already a little camp there, and
this little camp was stationary. And then he added: As
for you, Black Robe, you must always remain with us, and
never go away from us. - ..You must build a house and
church here, and we shall come to be instruCted by you.
The first time that you came, I did not know what to say,
because I did not see things clearly; it seemed as if there
was a bag before my eyes: to-day, I see clearly, and the
bag is removed. I see that you love us ; and, therefore, we
shall always take care of you, if you make your home here
in the midst of us.' The expression, we sltall take care of
you, was repeated to me several times. "vVell !" said I,
"you will take care -of me, and I of you: if you obey the
law of the Great Spirit, we sha11.get along well together; if
not, then nothing will go right." White Calf replied to this:
"You will instruCt us, and when you have told us anything
new, we shall examine it, and if we find that it is g<:;od, we
will say so." "The doCtrine which I preach is not mine,
but that of the Great Spirit; it is not to be judged, but to
be listened to and obeyed."
Thereupon, I produced my writings in the Indian language, and let them see that I had already thought about
them. I had the catechism, and I read a few lines of it;
on hearing me read it correCtly, my auditors looked at one
another, and seemed to be quite pleased. Mutual saluta-
�Letter o.f Father P. Prando.
37
tions followed, and the meeting was brought to a close.
White Calf asked if he should send the new-born babies to
me for baptism : I deferred the ceremony until the next
day, when I intended to visit the camp in person. On the
following day, the head chief went to the Agency, and, according to an appointment he had made, was unable to return until the evening.
Affairs ~ere now brought to such a pass that I made the
following refleaions. If I should remain there for several
months, the winter would be about to begin, and neither
house nor church would yet be built; on the other hand,
unless the Indians should quickly see something durable attempted, they would lose all interest and become disgusted.
Then I thought of returning to the Mission, to find what
could be done in order to second the good dispositions of
our poor savages.
The Blackfeet are sunk in want" and misery, and, in my
opinion, they will have trouble in getting through this winter without dying ofhunger. Furthermore, I am persuaded,
that the mission among them will not succeed, if we confine
ourselves solely to spiritual ministrations. These poor people need beyond all to be trained and encouraged to agricultural. labors: they themselves now admit the necessity
of this, and are anxious to receive instruaion. If this
method has been pursued in several other missions, and
with good results, why not employ it here also, and expea
from it a similar success?
I beg your Reverence to examine the whole question in
our Lord, and to come to some prompt and efficacious conclusion.
P. PRANDO, S. J.
fl.-Father Prando to Father Cataldo.
The following letter was written several months later than
the preceding.
I
�~
Indian Missions.
REv'n FATHER,
P. C.
You will certainly be glad to hear from me upon a subject which is interesting to us both: I mean the conversion
of the Blackfeet and the establishment of a mission among
those poor Indians. Mere occasional visits of the missionary, as long experience proves, cannot produce any
solid and lasting effects. I have already been three times
among the Blackfeet, and on my last trip I spent two
months with them.
During this time, I baptized three hundred and seventeen
in all, children and adults, and blessed eleven marriages.
For the greater portion of the time, my day was divided between four camps, and in each of them I gave instructions
upon the principal truths of religion. \Vhite Calf was pres.ent one day whilst I was teaching catechism : the subject
was the creation of the \vorJ.d, and after he had listened attentively for some time, he arose and came to shake hands
with me in sign of approval of all that he had heard. Then
he began to declare how well he knew that God had created
all things, and how, in consequence of that, He loved them
all. In order to instruct him and to impress the truth more
deeply on his memory, I proposed a difficulty to h~m which
had been made by an Indian some time before. "You
say that all the things created by God are good. Very
well. But wliy did God create bears, snakes, and so many
other ferocious beasts which are hurtful to man?" White
Calf saw the force of the objection. and set himself to reflect
and find out a solution. His people, puzzled as much. as he,
kept watching our friend, and waited for his answer, s-miling,
but also with some signs of disquietude. He got out of the
difficulty in this way: "God created the bears, because God
sees all things; and when God sees a bear going to attack
men, he says-'See! my children are going to fight against
the bears!'" The reason assigned was not the most convincing, as I made the chief see, and I promised to give him
the true explanation on another day, when I should speak
of the £<11 of the first man, his rebellion against God, and
the consequent uprising of the brute creation against him.
�Letter
1
t
r
r
if
Fatlzer P. Prando.
Whilst 1 was thus occupied, a young girl happened to die
in the camp. The parents were greatly affiiEted, and to
show their grief, they slashed their cheeks with many knifecuts; the wounds were not very deep, but the blood flowed
in abundance. Eight days after this, whilst I was going to
another camp, I heard sobs and lamentable cries proceeding
from a cabin. I asked the cause, and was told that a young
girl had died the night before. It was heartrending to hear
those poor people calling the dead child by her name followed by three prolonged groans: JVitorkuinniman! !zou!
.... !zou ! .... lzou .' .... The father sent for two horses to
slaughter them, but a half-breed succeeded in dissuading
him from making- such a sacrifice. The girl had been baptized; I recited the prayers prescribed for the burial of children ; then there was profound silence; then I recommended
these poor people not to mangle their limbs. vVhen the
pall bearers entered, the lamentations began again. They
placed in the grave ail the objeEts which had belonged to
the girl, her bedclothes, the dishes which she had used, and
the saddle on which she had begun to take her first riding
lessons. Early next morning, I went to see whether they
had followed my advice, and renounced the dreadful custom of tearing their flesh as a sign of mourning; my poor
savages, on this occasion, had been content with mutilating
one finger of the left hand. This is a pretty frequent custom among the Indians, and many are found who have inflitted such a mutilation upon themselves under similar circumstances.
In the midst of the instructions, my flock set out from
Birch Creek, and went to join the other Indians encamped
at Bagger Creek, for what they call the Medicine Tent. It
is one of their principal festivals, and is accompanied with
prayers. The ceremonies and amusements last for several
weeks. I had only lately come among them, and there had
not yet been time enough to instruct them sufficiently; and
as besides, they thought that they were rendering solemn
honor to the Great Spirit, prudence counseled me not to
oppose their aEtion.
�/ndz'an Mzssz'ons.
Two hundred cabins or tents had been erected about a
mile from the Agency, in a retired valley of great extent.
An unfortunate accident happened at the very beginning,
which marred the solemnities, and cast a gloom over the
joys of the festival. Some Indian children had gone to play
upon a pile of hay belonging to the Agency. One of the
white servants, to frighten off the children, fired a gun in
the direction of the hay pile, but the ball went a great distance beyond, and struck an Indian who was quietly sleeping in his hut. Thereupon, all the Indians rushed with
their guns to the Agency. The soldiers from Birch Creek
interfered, and after long explanations, it was concluded
that the shooting was accidental. But the Indians were not
entirely satisfied. The head chief remarked with good sense:
"I believe that it was really an accident, but to scare children, he should have used a whip and not a gun."
I went to see the wounded man, whose life was believed
to be in great danger, and not being able to find out whether
he had received baptism or not, I administered it conditionally. He was then on a fair way to recovery, but they had
been unable to extract the ball.
After having bestowed my attentions upon the wounded
man, I returned to the camp. The tents were arranged in
a great circle, in the centre of which was a large space reserved for the l\1e<!icine Tent. Profound silence reigned
around, either on account of the late accident, or because
they were making preparations for the prayers. I went
around among the savages and baptized several infants.
The Medicine Tent is formed of posts eight or ten feet
high, planted in a circle around a centre-post which.·i!:f much
higher, from the top of which other beams extend equal in
number to the upright posts, upon which they rest, so that
the whole wood-work is like the frame of an umbrella.
Green branches are strewn round about, partly for ornament, and partly to mark off the structure and constitute it
into a sort of temple. There is but one opening which
serves as a door. At the top of the centre-post, branches
are interla<;ed in such a way that they can receive and hold
l
�Letter o/ Fat!ter P. Prando.
all the offerings which the Indians make to the Great Spirit.
Among these offerings are shirts and other articles of wearing apparel, dishes, tin pans, rags, and-what is never omitted- a buffalo's tail. The honor of ereEl:ing the tent or
temple to the Great Spirit is not granted to all indiscriminately, but to the woman of the camp whose reputation
stands highest, and who is called Jfzkaki-aki, or "the virtuous woman," that is, she who has always been faithful to
her husband, and has not permitted any liberties from others. Consequently, those ladies-and their number is great
-whose nose has been cut off by their husbands through
jealousy or well-grounded suspicions, are forever precluded
from the hope of being chosen to this post of honor. The
~}fikaki-aki, before putting her hand to the work, is obliged
to abstain from all meat and drink for three entire days, to
shun the sight of every man, and to remain seated on the
ground, veiled and wrapped up completely in a covering.
The tent posts are bound together with strips of buffalo
hide. The privilege of cutting these strips is reserved to
some warrior who has killed an enemy with a knife. The
medicim pipe is also an objeEl: of devotion, confided to the
guardianship of several Indians. It must not be adorned
with any metal, because this pipe is smoked in time of
·prayer and peace; and metallic ornaments are forbidden,
because they recall warfare, combats and massacres. \Vould
you wish to have an idea of the esteem in which this pipe
is held ? Listen then. The first time that I celebrated the
holy sacrifice of the Mass in an Indian camp, I explained
the nature of the l\Iass before beginning. The Indians assisted with great calmness, modesty and respeEl:, and at the
end as I turned around for the Dominus Vobiscum, I saw all
the chiefs who were highest in rank, seated at the end of
the cabin which served as a church, smoking their calumet
in all seriousness and puffing up to the sky clouds of smoke.
At this sight, I said to myself: what little progress we have
made: plenty of work remains to be done, before these
poor people understand the first rudiments of religion. On
VoL. xrr. No. r.
6
�Indian .Missions.
the other side, I was encouraged by the thought that persevering efforts would rescue these benighted souls from
darkness and ignorance.
I come back to my narrative. When the grand day of
the prayer had arrived, they carried ten or twelve buffalo
tongues into the temple ; and some women chosen for the
purpose went in to offer prayer in the name of the whole assembly. Their prayer consists in taking one of the tongues
in their hand and swearing upon it that they have always
been faithful to their husbands, and will continue so for the
time to come. And if ever any Indian has made improper
proposals to them, they declare his name in the presence of
God, the sun, and the whole assembly. On the other hand,
if the conduCt of her who prays has not been what it should,
she is publicly reproached with her fault. So the number
of those who are eligible to this office is cut d6wn to an insignificant figure.
Then the prayer of the men follows. After having addressed the Great Spirit, they face the assembly, and begin
to rehearse their own praises ; as for example, how they
have slain a multitude of enemies, how they have stolen
many horses without receiving a scratch, etc., etc. And
they wind up this so-called prayer, by giving some proof of
their generosity, making a present of a horse to one, of a
gun to another, and so on.
Many other ceremonies, and then dances take place during the following days, in honor of the sun. \Vhilst these
solemn festivities were at their height, another unfortunate
accident happened. A white man, who was employed at
the Agency, and who was unacquainted with the nature and
objeCt of these Indian ceremonies, came over to take a share
in the sport. He carried fire arms, as is the universal custom here, but as ill-luck would have it, his weapon went off,
and the ball passed clear through an Indian. The festival,
as may be imagined, was quickly changed into a scene of
woe; and as this was the second time that such a thing had
happened in this same place, the Indians were boiling over
with indignation, and wished to shoot the unfortunate white
�Letter of Fatlzer J. Caruana.
43
man on the spot. He sought for proteB:ion near the head
chief, who, aided by several others, succeeded finally in rescuing him from the hands of the aggressors.
On the next day, I visited the man who had been
wounded, and I found him surrounded by medicine men. At
my arrival, they interrupted all their ceremonies, and permitted me to instruCt: and baptize the man, who shortly afterwards entered upon his agony. The medicine men,
thereupon, began to make a fearful noise with their drums,
and kneeling before the dying man, they began to chant
one of their songs: "ah ah! .... ah ah! .... ah ah! .... "
The women took up the same melody in full chorus. I remarked to one of the assistants, that such medicim as this
was calculated to kill, rather than to cure their patient. If
they had some medicinal herb to apply to the wound it
would be worth more than all their singing. My advice
was acknowledged to be reasonable. But the medicine men
continued obstinately at their senseless task. The poor
man died after three days.
The Indians were far from being satisfied with th~ir Medicine House; and I should have found this an excellent occasion to accomplish more for them, if I had been able to
prolong my stay among the tribe. But I had received an order to betake myself to the village of Sun River and to Fort
Shaw. After visiting those places, I might have found the
time to return to the camp of my Indians;· but, at present,
I am completely snowbound.
P. PRANDO, S. J.
!11.-E.rtra[l from a Letter of Fatlzer J. Caruana to
Fatlzer J Cataldo.
CoLVILLE.
* * * *
W. T., Jan.
21, r882.
There has been great excitement and division
of sentiment here, on account of two homicides committed
by a couple of Indians, a white man and an Indian being
the viB:ims. Serious trouble was apprehended, because the
relations of the murdered Indian were thr~tening vengeance, and the whites insisted that the Indian who had
�44
~flldimz Missions.
killed the white man should go the gallows; and a general
outbreak of Indian hostilities was feared, if the Indian should
be hanged.
Affairs were in this state of tension, and the I sth of November, on which day Andrew was to undergo his sentence,
was drawing nigh, when one of the Fathers was inspired to
make a last attempt in favor of public tranquillity. The
condemned man was already well disposed and resigned to
his fate, and the Father resolved to try and induce him to
propose as his last request, that all parties should lay aside
their animosities, and accepting his death as sufficient expiation, should bury every sentiment of vengeance in his
grave. This plan succeeded beyond all expeCtation.
Some time before the eventful day general orders were
issued from the mission, that all the chiefs and sub-chiefs
should use every effort to stop public games and indulgence
in liquor: this order was fai.thfully executed, and the public
feeling became somewhat more tranquil. l\Ieantime, the
Fathers made frequent visits to the prisoner, and busied
themselves in calming the white population, who feared that
there would be a massacre in the town by the Indians, either
the night before or on the morning of the execution. And
this dread prompted them to make repeated demands upon
the civil authorities, that a Father should accompany the
condemned man to the gallows, which was promised and
fulfilled. Eight inflttential men from amongst the nearest
relations of.Andrew were called together to deliberate. After much discussion, the conclusion was finally reached,
that according to the law Andrew should die, since l;le had
pleaded guilty in open court, but they begged to have his
rem.ains brought here. It was pledged to them that a
Father should claim and obtain the body, and having provided for its transportation hither, it should be buried in our
cemetery, if they, on their part, should bind themselves not
to be present at the execution; an exception was made in favor of Casimir's wife, the aunt of Andrew, who had reared
him as her own child, and whose presence was desired by
the Fathers as a proof and effect of the efforts made in the
•
�Letter
if
Fatlzer
Y.
Caruana.
45
interests of peace. They una'nimously pledged their words,
and faithfully kept the promise.
The day of the execution arrived, the coldest day that we
have had this winter: the Father went in the cart of
Abarca, uncle of the condemned, and Mr. Jones was driver.
They arrived in the town at IO A. M.; the snow was pretty
deep; not a living soul was visible, and every door was
closed, both of the houses and the shops. The Father
sought for and found the sheriff, who left him in the jail to
prepare poor Andrew for the last moment, He thanked
the Fathers a thousand times for all that they had done for
. him, and appeared to be much touched and filled with gratitude at the promise made to him, that after his death a
Father should accompany his body to his home, and that
the burial should take place in our graveyard. The Father
then asked a favor of him, that as his dying wish, he should
recommend to all his relations and friends, that, after he was
gone,_ they should forget the past, both in regard to his own
death and that of his brother, Louis. "I shall willingly do
so," Andrew replied, "and you must be the interpreter of
my wishes to my parents and friends." The priest replied:
"Your aunt is here; I shall have her to come in, and she
shall be your interpreter along with me." vVhen she had
been admitted, Andrew spoke very earnestly, as follows :
"To-day, by the time the sun has reached_ the meridian, I
shall no longer be among the living: in a short time I shall
die: and I shall die content, in satisfaCtion for my sins, and
in the hope that God. will have mercy on my soul: this the
Father here has told me, and this I firmly hope for. Before
dying, I should have liked to see myself surrounded by my
uncle, Joseph Cotolegu and all my relations and friends,
from whom, as a last favor, I wish you to ask, that they will
forget the past entirely, and that with my body they shall
bury all revenge, hatred, and other sentiments unworthy of
a Christian. Here, I cordially embrace Alexis, and in the
hand of the Father, I take the hand of all (and he suited
the aCtion to the word), and I declare that I shall die with
kindly feelings towards all, both whites and Indians; and I
�~Indian Missions.
desire that these may be the sentiments of Cotolegu, and
of each one of my kinsmen and friends, who must dismiss
all revengeful thoughts when my body is buried, and let all
pray for my poor soul. This is my last request, which you,
Black Robe, here present, and you, my aunt and fostermother, will communicate to all on this very day after my
death." At this, the aunt departed by his request, and I
remained alone with him to comfort and strengthen him for
the last aa of his life, and I was not a little consoled by his
complete resignation.
About 1 P. M. the sheriff requested me to warn Andrew
that his hour had come, and in a few minutes I came forth·
from the cell to inform him that the prisoner was ready and
resigned, and even cheerful. I pass over the description of
poor Andrew's death, which was truly edifying, and which
affeeted me deeply, as it was, the first execution that I was
ever present at, and I sincerely hope that it may be the last
in my life. ·when I had pronounced the prayers over the
corpse, it was delivered up to me by an official in the name
of the government, and in his presence, the rope having
been removed from the neck, I closed the coffin and started
for the Mission. It was quite dark when I reached home;
and having handed over the remains to his relatives, they
thanked me with all their hearts for all that I had done,
promised to comply striCtly with the last wishes of Andre.w,
and to observe whatsoever else the Fathers should prescribe.
After the burial, a great meeting was held, when the
Father made known the words and the wishes of Andrew.
All said that they were already acquainted with them, and
that they intended faithfully to aa in accordance with them,
and then and there, in presence of the whole assembly, Joseph Cotolegu first of all, and after him the others, laid
aside their enmities, waived all claims, and announced that
their feelings towards all their neighbors were friendly and
fraternal. Thereupon, every apprehension of danger was
banished, and even the talk of the whites ceased.
In the meantime, as we saw that we did not possess the
confidence of all the faetions, it was sought to bring them
�Letter
o/ Father :J.
Caruana.
47
together and place them again under the weakened authority of the chiefs. Inquiries were made among the young
men, the warriors, and those who were possessed of any influence, and it became clear that the chiefs had fallen forever, and all seemed to be well inclined, and even desirous,
to unite under Cotolegu as head chief and the only man
who had the ability to re-establish order. The Fathers
asked that he should be clothed with sole authority, and
that this should be recognized and respeaed by all, because
by this means order would be restored and good morals
promoted.
In a subsequent meeting, the resignation of the old head
chief, Chincanegue, was accepted, on account of his declining years, and Joseph Cotolegu was by common consent
seleaed as head chie( Then the two rivals, uncles respectively of the slain man and his slayer, arose, came forward,
and met in the middle of the assembly, and to the joy of all
cordiajly clasped hands, and in this impressive attitude Joseph made one of those speeches, which he knows so well
to do when he wishes, and with this an end was put to all
ill feeling and animosity.
Already we begin to see the fruits of the new chief's energy, and much is hoped from him in the future: we shall
see better next spring and summer, the seasons for gambling and drinking. The Fathers had already, with the divine assistance, succeeded in checking these evils; but to
put down concubinage, the strong hand of a chief, whose
authority will be obeyed, is needed. The choice of the
present head chief seems to have been determined by Providence,. for he has already broken up illicit conneaions
among the Indians.
I was much edified by the fervor of these Indians during
the-last Christmas holidays, which they anticipated by two
or three weeks, and then having been requested not to go
away before the Epiphany, almost all of them remained,
and the few who were obliged by necessity to absent themselves, did not wish to depart without the express permission of the Father and the chief. On Christmas Day, their
�lndia1l Mzssions.
fervor had reached its height; there were many conversions,
and confessions of two, three and five years, and some even
of ten or twelve years. As the festival of the Nativity
brought its consolation, so also, and perhaps in a more
marked degree, did the festivals of the Circumcision and
Epiphany, in which the few who had not been gained over
at Christmas, made their peace with God. I believe that
all the Indians of Colville, with one exception, all the Sudichisti, and with the exception of three or four, all the Uterochi, or Indians of the Columbia, approached the Sacraments, either at Christmas, or at one of the other festivals,
and some did so twice, and some on each occasion: Father
Canestrelli helped me in the confessional at Christmas, for
I would not have been able to hear all by myself alone; in
faa, when he had gone after Christmas to visit the Okinakein, I could not finish all the confessions at New Year's,
notwithstanding that I was ·in the box all the day before,
and again on the morning of the feast to so late an hour
that l\Iass did not begin until I 1.30 o'clock. Hence it happened that confessions more or less were heard daily until
the Epiphany; there were, confessions, I 250; communions, I IOO; about 35 hard cases converted; several illicit
conneCtions dissolved, and some marriages reCtified. The
fervor was not merely for the moment, but it has produced
lasting effeCts. Your Reve~ence should have seen them
coming to church d~ring the past winter, some every Sunday, others every second Sunday, from long distances, and
on foot, with the snow two or three feet deep, and in excessively cold weather, not only strong men, but also their
wives and children. It was truly a most consolin~(sight.
In contrast with the religious fervor of the Indians is the
indifference of the white and half-breed Catholic population.
You can scarcely get them to church at Christmas and Easter. and they are foremost in speaking ill of priests and religion. It is a wonder that they have not rooted out the
faith from the hearts of these savages: but this is so firmly
planted, that the bad example of their white neighbors has
not even weakened it. Deo Gratias /
�Letter
if Fatlzer Y. Caruana.
49
By the way, Father Tornielli was occupied at Christmas
in hearing the confessions of the whites and half-breeds.
Father Canestrelli has not yet returned from the Okinakein
-a sign that he finds plenty to do among them. The good
Father is strong and zealous. This winter-and the cold
weather this year set in by Ocrober I Ith-he had a great
many sick-calls, over deep snows, and when it was very
cold, to places which were from two to fifteen miles distant.
I always escaped them on the grounds that I did not know
the localities, and so poor Father Canestrelli had to go in
the twofold characrer of missionary and docror.
Here I end this interminable letter. All are well with
us, and all are working as hard as they can.
Kindest regards from all; I remain, as ever,
Your most dutiful servant in the Sacred Heart,
GIUSEPPE M. CARUANA, S. J.
JV.-Lettcr of Fatlzer Caruana to Fatlzer Cataldo.
.•
~
CoLVILLE, W. T., April 17, rSSz.
REv. DEAR FATHER SuPERIOR,
P. C.
Before beginning my Retreat, I think it my duty to write
you a few lines which may take the place of my quarterly
report. This time I shall be brief, as I find nothing of interest to mention, except the observanceS-- of Holy 'Neek
and Easter. These were celebrated with great solemnity;
and the devotion of the people highly edified me. The services were divided amongst the Fathers, but the largest
share and the most fatiguing fell upon Father Canestrelli,
who performed miracles of zeal, especially on Good Friday.
On that sacred day, there were four different funcrions in
the church: that of the morning, according to the Rubrics;
two others in the afternoon, conducred by Father Canestrelli, that is, the Way of the Cross and the Three hours of
Agony, to which was added the Deposition from the Cross.
The Three Hours of Agony succeeded wonderfully, and its
effecr was plainly visible upon the four hundred Indians
VoL. XII. No. 1.
7
�so
Indian 11-fissions.
who were present. Everything was adapted to the occasion in the ornamentation of the new and spacious church,
the windows being festooned with dark red hangings, skilfully arranged by Brother D'Agostino. But the Procession
of the Passion surpassed everything else. It began about
7.30 o'clock, just as night was coming on, and was preceded
by hymns adapted to the occasion, and by the beautiful canticle of the Passion: Kackscltiuim Jesus Kacilimigum. The
procession filed out of the church in the following order.
An aged woman carrying a large cross was followed by the
band of Magdalens, as they are called, walking two by two;
then came a young man with the banner of Our Lady of
Sorrows at the head of the girls, also walking two by two,
with the Sisters and their scholars in front, and then a long
file of two hundred women and girls; next in order were
half a dozen men bearing lanterns on poles, followed by the
great standard of the Passibn, borne by one of the chiefs
dressed as a Brother, and flanked by two other chiefs carrying torches and followed by the chanters; then came a
youth bearing aloft the instruments of the passion, followed
by the boys, our scholars and teachers holding the front
ranks, and one hundred and fifty men bringing up this division, all marching two by two. Last of all came the
clergy, preceded by the cross borne by an altar boy in surplice and red soutan~ with torch-bearers similarly dressed on
either side, and followed by twenty-four Socialists all carrying torches and aCting as a guard of honor around the dead
Christ with Father Tornielli in surplice and black stole, followed by the crowd in pairs. A long procession! co!nposcd
of at least five hundred Indians. Along the rout'e of the
procession, which marched down the hill and turning about
came back and re-entered the church, there were disposed
at short intervals fires of brushwood, and some men at fixed
distances followed the line of march with Indian candles, or
long pine splinters in their hands, to illuminate the way.
All the divisions recited prayers and sang hymns : a Father
aCled as marshal. Picket Edward was the life of the procession, attending to the fires, and direCting those who had
I
J
I
�Letter if Fatlzer J. Guidi.
51
to keep them going. The whole affair went off splendidly:
it was a wonderful success, especially the fervent addresses
which Father Cancstrelli made two or three times from the
top of the hill. This evening he surpassed himself, and at
the last discourse inside the church, he brought tears from
the eyes of many, and several were gained to God in consequence of it. The Sacramen~s administered from Palm
Sunday until Easter were: Confessions, I 200; communions, gSo. P. Canestrelli assures me that he never saw so
many people here before at Easter: they will be more numerous, I hope, at Corpus Christi.
All send their regards to your Reverence, and I remain,
in SS. CC., your most affeCtionate servant,
GIUSEPPE M. CARUANA,
s. J.
V.-Letter of Fatlzer J Guidi to Father J Cataldo.
PEND' 0REILLES, ST. IGNATIUS' MISSION,
Dec. 27, I881.
REv'o FATHER SuPERIOR,
P. C.
In compliance with your request, I shall mention some
occurrences of the last three months, that may perhaps be
of interest and edification. In the first place the pious sentiments of a dying Indian woman are worthy of being recorded. She had been for a long time confined to a bed of
suffering, affliCted with a most painful malady, which she
endured with Christian resignation. On one of my visits
she expressed herself as follows: "Black Robe, I suffer a
great deal, but I would be willing to suffer still more, in order to satisfy God for my many sins." Having received all
the consolations of religion with the greatest piety, she slept
in the peace of the Lord.
Here is a specimen of our many sick-calls to a noteworthy distance. One evening last month, at half past five, a
young half-breed came to me and said: "Black Robe, come!
there is a man in danger of death near my house." "How
can I go just now?" said I; "my horse is off at pasture."
"Take my horse then, and I shall return on foot: the
�52
·Indian Mtssions.
sick man wants you to go without delay." The place was
at a distance of eleven miles from the Mission; in a few
minutes I was ready, and once in the saddle went forward
as fast as possible. \Vithin two hours I had reached the
sick man's cabin, and as soon as he had cast his eyes upon
me, he expressed his joy and gratitude in the loudest terms;
-"Thanks, thanks, Black Robe! my father ! my friend!
thanks, that you have had compassion upon me; thanks, because you have come without delay to console me. I may
die this very night, and I rejoice that you have come, because I wish to make my confession and to receive the Last
Sacraments." I performed everything that the circumstances demanded, and he manifested great faith and devotion.
On leaving him, I was called to a neighboring tent, where
I found a Nez Perce family not yet Christians, but they requested me to baptize a child that was dangerously ill. I
returned home the same night, passing through a mountain
gorge that is frequently infested with bears. I placed my
life in the hands of Providence, and commended myself to
the guardian care of my good angel, and so I reached the
Mission safe and sound. Other sick-calls of the same nature are too frequent to be described in detail, as it has often happened for us to be called to a distance of twelve or
twenty miles. \Vhat is most trying to the patience of the
missionary is that the greater number of these calls are
without any real need, and in cases of trifling sickness. The
Father who is my companion had to travel thirty-five miles
at the beginning of this month, to see an old woman, and
whilst returning he had to suffer very much from the cold.
He has often had to go twenty miles on similar errands.
The celebration of Christmas this year was marked with
devotion. At the midnight Mass, there were about four
hundred and fifty communions, and the church was filled to
its utmost capacity. Besides our own Indians, almost all
the half-breeds were present with their families. The pupils of the Sisters sang with such devotion, and so well, that
they called to mind the angel choirs who chanted Gloria in
Excelsis, at Bethlehem. And it may not be out of place
�Letter
of Fat!ter L. Parodi.
53
here, to say a word concerning the Sisters' school. It is in
a pretty flourishing state, and has thirty-four young girls,
partly pure Indians, and partly half-breeds. In general, so
far as discipline and good conduct are concerned, better
could not be desired. They are respectful enough, and devout to a remarkable degree. I gave them a triduum of
spiritual exercises, and was edified and moved by their rare
piety. They study well, and are also making progress in
practical works of industry, which are proper to their condition. All who visit the school, and among these are
many non Catholics, speak of it in the highest terms. No
more at present. I recommend myself to SS. SS. of your
Reverence, and remain, in the Heart of Jesus your most
humble servant,
GIUSEPPE GUIDI, S. ].
VI.-Lettcr
of Fat!ter L. Parodi to ratlzer]. Cataldo.
YAKIMA, ELLENSBURGH, June I I, I 882.
REv'n FATHER SuPERIOR,
P. C.
I have been too busy to write, but I must now steal a little time from my other occupations, in order to comply with
my duty in this respect. I have not much to say concerning the Indians, but I shall mention such incidents as come
to my recollection.
In my last letter, I spoke to you of an Indian woman at
the point of death, who had been suddenly restored to
health after receiving Extreme Unction. She again fell
sick, and after three months of suffering, she died the death
of the just. I was called almost every week to hear her
confession and to give her Holy Communion. It is not
easy to repeat her expressions while she was in her last agony. I was moved to tears. She said that she would rather
die than live, because that being now assisted by the missionary, she was sure of a happy death; whereas, if her life
were prolonged, she would be in danger of offending God,
and then, deprived of the priest's assistance, she might meet
an evil end. "If I die now," said she, "I shall be saved
through the holy Sacraments that I receive often, and shall
�54
~Indian
Missions.
be helped by the prayers of God's minister. I have no affeEI:ion for anything of this world, nor am I attached to life.
Therefore, I wish to die, and go to God."
Some medicine men suggested to her husband that their
superstitious jugglery could effeEI: a cure ; when she heard
of this, she reproached him for his credulity, saying that
their superstitious praEI:ices are utterly useless, that they
have no power since they come from the devil. I might
also add that for three months she suffered the most acute
pains without complaining: the only alleviation of her sufferings that she received consisted in speaking to me about
them. Many Indians, and among them several pagans were
present at her funeral, and they were filled with admiration
of the ceremonies, which I conduEI:ed with all the display
that the circumstances permitted.
Another incident regards a new convert. He had been
baptized many years ago; ~l}e had learned all the prayers
and the catechism, and Father Sant'Onge, who was very
much attached to him, used to take him as a companion on
all his journeys. One day Father .Sant'Onge was giving a
discourse upon hell, and said that every filthy animal was
found there, and amongst others, frogs. Now, it happened
some time after this that the Father was on a journey, and
seeing a number of frogs, he told the Indian to catch them,
as they were good to eat. "How?" said the Indian, "do
you want to cat things that have the devil in them?" This
was enough to cause his apostacy, and ever since then, a
period of fifteen years, he has been a most determined opponent of the missionaries.
vVhenever we went to the camp, all the people, not excepting even the pagans, used to come out to salute us and
to offer their hands in token of friendship; he was the only
one who· manifested any dislike, refusing to shake hands,
and speaking against us. This year the Lord sent him a
severe sickness, and this brought about his repentance. I
was called to visit him, and he gave me a gracious reception. For the first time he took me by the hand, and then
I had to listen for an hotJr to his discourse, in which ht;
I
�Letter qf Fatlzer L. Parodi.
l
55
went over the story of his life, and dwelt especially upon
his hatred of the missionaries. He told me that he had
done much that was wrong, particularly in his condua towards the missionaries, who are the messengers of God to
point out to men the path of salvation: finally, he made a
general confession, and to-day he is the most fervent Indian
that we have. He comes every Sunday to church and receives the Sacraments, he is the leader of the choir and
prayers in common, and he is the best instruaed in the
questions of the catechism.
I shall.aud to this an account of the conversion of a pagan, who asked for baptism when he was about to die. I
had been at his house the year before to see if he would allow me to baptize his children, and I failed to get the permiSSIOn. This year some Indians told me that perhaps he
might ask for baptism. One Sunday an Indian woman
came here in great haste to inform me that this man was
dying, and that I should-go quickly and baptize him. I did
not feel well; and besides, it was already late, I had no
horse, and I could not go on foot, as the distance was ten
miles. Nevertheless, I succeeded in procuring a horse, and
set out. The lnuiall went ahead to point out the road, and
guide me to the sick man's lodge as I did not know where
it was pitched. I had to gallop almost all the time to keep
up with my guide: we made the ten miles in an hour, but
I paid for it by a week of fever. On our arrival, the man's
wife offered opposition to my entrance, saying hard things
of priests in general, and calling me an imposter. Some
young men who were present, told me not to mind her, as
she was crazy. The sick man was out of his senses ; but as
the Indians. assured me that he had asked for baptism a
short time before, I baptized him, and in three days he
died. I have not been able to baptize the children, because
their mother, although a Christian, will not listen to it.
The Indians lately gave me information of a woman grievously sick: but they told me she refused to make her confession just then, because she wished to try the superstitious
jugglery of the medicine-men. She was willing to make
�so
indian Misst'ons.
her confession afterwards, because she knew that if she did
so before, I would prohibit her from calling in these charlatans. Their performances brought no relief: on the contrary, they only aggravated the disease, and made her so .
furious that she appeared as if possessed. I was called in,
and seeing her in this condition, I seized upon the occasion
to speak at length upon superstitious practices, and said
that they were the works of the devil, etc. They all promised me that they would never again have recourse to such
sorceries. The woman died in delirium a few days after
that. \Vhilst I was delivering my discourse, the most famous of the medicine-men was present, and since then he
has lost all credit, and everytime we meet he looks at me
with indignation, and if he can harm me, he will certainly
do so.
I recommend myself to: your SS. SS.,
Va:. Rce infimus in Xto,
L.
PARODI,
S. }.
VI 1.-Ne:: Pad Jlfission-Extrafl from a Letter to
Fatlter Cataldo.
You are entitled to this consoling account of the state of
our mission here, where for so many years your Reverence
worked so zealously. The sad trials to which these poor
Indians, more than a.!_1y others have been subjected, still continue to draw many souls from God. In general, it may be
said, that one portion ()f these Indians are Protestants ;
though not from choice, but necessity, since no other form
of worship is allowed them, and this in spite of ev.ery law
of the U. S. Government, which fosters and protect.~ all denominations from the Capital to the meanest village of the
land. Another part call themselves Protestants, though
evidently from interest or fear, and the greater this fear and
interest, the more devoted Protestants they appear.
The truth is, neither of these two classes have any religion whatever, and it may justly be said that they have relapsed into their primitive infidelity; for remembering how
much blood, together with their liberty, Protestantism has
�Nez Perce Mission.
57
cost them, they look upon it not so much as the religion of
a Creator, as that of a destroyer. A third part of these savages, whom a special Providence has preserved from these
calamities, remain fer~ent Catholics, praCtising their religion in spite of every danger and temptation that surrounds
them. For the first class, your Reverence knows well, nothing can avail but prayer, whereby heaven may be moved to
pity their miserable lot. RespeCting the second class, patience is our only hope; still we do our best, meanwhile, to
turn to profit every occasion that offers itself, and God, ever
faithful to His promises, fails not to reward our labors with
conversions from time to time to our holy religion. These
converts are usually the very best Catholics, because they
are Catholics from conviCtion. The Catholics who gathered round the mission for the celebration of the late festivities, attraCted a good number of lost sheep, who, to
the joy of all, were brought into the fold. Thus by force
of patience, we hope in time to gain over the greater ·part
to our religion, and though heaven design for us but the
toilsome labor and martyrdom of waiting with patience,
leaving to others the consolation of gathering the fruit, we
submit willingly to the divine decree, and will continue to
cultivate this field with all diligenc<:.
The following incident is a proof that our efforts are not
batren. Not long ago an individual named Yatonatomischat, known to you no doubt, seeing himself fast sinking
under an ever growing disease, asked and obtained Baptism
from Latakol. Firm in his new faith, and conscious that
his end was fast approaching, he called on me to instruCt
him, which I had the consolation of doing, and of shortly
afterwards giving him the Sacraments. To effeCt this, many
obstacles had to be overcome that were thrown in his way
during the last epidemic. But our Lord, who wished to
grant him this consolation, brought everything about in his
favor; for, notwithstanding the difficulties made by those
on guard to prevent the spread of the contagion, a messenger succeeded in bringing me word, so that I was enabled
VoL. XII. No. r.
8
�ss
indian Missions.
to give him instruCtion and administer the Sacraments. A
few days later, thus strengthened, he passed, as we may
hope, to the bosom of his Lord. I had also the consolation, on this occasion, of baptizing a little girl, who most
likely, had never before received that Sacrament. Hence,
can I say in all truth, that my labors have been rewarded
an hundred fold.
A. t.IoRRILLO, S. J.
VII I.-St. Joseph's ,lfission, Yakimas.
About two months ago I left the J\Iission in order to be
nearer to the Indian camps, so that they might have an opportunity to receive some instruCtions, and to approach the
Sacraments more frequently. The impossibility of having
them all constantly in the neighborhood of the Mission, is,
in the present condition of affairs, an insurmountable obstacle, both to the praCtice of their religious duties, and to
their proper instruCtion in the doCtrines of our faith. Accepting the courteous hospitality of Mr. Becker, I devoted
all the time that I could spare to the instruCtion of his five
children. These poor white families, scattered here and
there through the Indian territories stand in need of care
and instruCtion no less than the Indians themselves.
On the occasions of t~e festivals especially, the Indians
flock from all sides in great numbers to this temporary residence of mine, where I have transformed an old house belonging· to Mr. Becker into as decent a chapel as the circumstances permit. Here I celebrate High Mass with Indian singing, preach, administer the Sacraments, etc.
The Indian music consists of hymns either compo_sed by
ourselves, or translated into their idiom, and they an~· executed with such devotional style as to be very attraCtive and
impressive. At the last celebration of the Nativity, so great
was the concourse of people, that it was precisely midnight
when I had finished hearing the confessions of those who
wished to receive Holy Communion at the High Mass. As
many Indians who still remain pagans are attraCted by curiosity to these celebrations, or induced to come by their relations, so these great gatherings and festivals are profitable
to both parties.
�St. J'osep!t' s Mission.
59
The day after the festival, an Indian came to tell me that
there was at his camp a woman who was dying ; could I
not go there to administer the Last Sacraments to her? I
told him that the fasting and fatigue of the preceding day
had made me very tired, and that I should go on the following day. But afterwards combating my weariness with
the fear that perhaps I might not be in time to offer the consolations of religion, after a few hours I set out, and in a
short time I had traversed the twenty miles or more of distance. I found her, as had been reported, almost in exfrom's: and I lost no time in hearing her confession, after
which I administered the Holy Viaticum and Extreme Unction. Her relations and friends surrounded the bed repeating prayers, and expeCting that each moment would be her
last. After the iapse of half an hour, she rallied and asked
for some nourishment: the bystanders hesitated to comply
with this request, being in doubt as to whether she was muttering in delirium, or speaking in her right senses, but as
she kept on insisting in her demand, they brought her some
food, of which she freely partook, to the amazement of all,
as during the preceding days her stomach had rejeCted
every kind of nourishment. I went to visit her next day,
and found her sitting at table with the rest of the family,
and at present she can be said to be perfectly recovered.
Amongst the many Baptisms that I administered during
my stay in this place, there was one which brought me
great consolation. An American, about fifty-nine years of
age, had for a long time been inclined towards the Catholic
faith, but he could not persuade himself to come forward
and ask for Baptism, as he was full of vulgar prejudices and
erroneous ideas. During the many conversations that I had
with him, ;ny first endeavor was to root out this wilderness
of errors, and then gradually to sow the good seed, which
was not long in !.>ringing forth the desired fruit. The first
day of the year was marked out by Providence to confer
the great boon upon him, and to fill me with consolation.
After his Baptism, he said to me: "Father, this is truly the
happiest day of my life."-
�TEXAS.
Letter of Father F. P. Garcsclti: to Fatlzer E. I. Devitt.
SEGUIN, TEXAS,
oa.
3. r882.
REv'o DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Your last number of the \VoooSTOCK LETTERS, sent gratuitously to my address, has brought the blush of shame to
my face though bronzed by the sun of Texas. You have
so often encouraged me to write and I have so weakly
shrunk from the contrast between my poor labors and those
of the other Fathers who write for your journal! I will
overcome myself, and tell, you the Story if my Luling
.ftfission.
This is a railroad town about 25 miles by country road
from Seguin. A frame church had been built there by Fr.
l\lanci. and paid for by Rev. Kosspiel. It has been served
by other secular priests who visited it from time to time.
The Bishop having annexed it temporarily to Seguin, with
the request that we should visit it once a month, I accepted
the charge, and announced for my inauguration a course of
leCtures on Catholic doCtrine. l\Iy experience in Texas
has convinced me that for such leB:ures it is always better,
if possible, to take a public hall, as the non-Catholics of this
State, especially the women, will not generally go to a
Catholic Church. A zealous Irishman, Chas. Boyle. by advertising and the distribution of hand-bills made suit~.. of an
audience. On a Sunday evening, then, we commenced, and
were cheered by a very respeCtable audience numbering
over two hundred, of which scarcely twenty were Catholics.
The audience continued numerous and respeCtable, until
\Vednesday, when I announced that we should have to
transfer the scene of aB:ion to the church, as the hall was to
be occupied as a skating rink. The result was just what I had
(6o)
�Letter
,,
o/ Father F. P. Garesclze.
anticipated, the number diminished, but those who came
were the cream of the place, among whom we counted
every evening four or five ministers. I have always endeav<?red on such occasions, while presenting the truth as
forcibly and plainly as I can, and denouncing Protestantism
as explicitly as possible, to so word my discourses as to save
personal feelings. I have reason to believe that the gf;!neral impression after my leB:ures was that the Catholic argument was unanswerable, and yet no single expression of
offended sentiments was reported to me.
In the meantime I was making myself acquainted with
the Catholics and asking an account of their spiritual state.
This I could do the more readily and easily, as for the
greater part they were Irish by birth, and had been remiss
only through the lack of opportunity. They were the more
willing to respond, as they were jubilant over what they
were pleased to think a public triumph of the faith in a place
where they had been contemptuously treated as a wellmeaning but ignorant set of people. On the Friday I had
to omit the evening leB:ure as· on that day Texas celebrated
the viB:ory of San Jacinto, and no person would have come
after· the fatigues of the festival. I accordingly returned by
rail to Seguin, and on Saturday morning came down on
horse-back.
Will you forgive me if I occupy some- of your valuable
space in telling you about my horse, Care to:? I will try
hard to be short, but I grow eloquent when I speak of him.
We are great friends and companions; he comes to my
whistle and will follow me like a dog. He is a Spanish Indian mustang, in size between a pony and a horse, piebald
or a paint as the Texans call him, beautifully marked, a
brownish black being his prevailing color. He has great
endurance, is gentle, spirited, and a natural pacer, though
for long trips I make him trot. If I am to continue these
letters you must expeCt: to hear of him occasionally.
On the following Sunday I announced that dunng the
next week I proposed to round up my flock and renew tlte
brand upon all estrays. I hope these expressions are intel-
�6z
Texas.
ligible to you: every child in Texas understands them. Indeed, I had found that a special effort was needed. The
Catholics lived on farms distant from four to ten miles, some
on this side, some on the other side of the San Marcos, a
deep, though not a wide stream, with treacherous fords, that
I have always dreaded to traverse alone. There were but
three families residing in the place itself. Of all the congregation there were not ten who were Easter communicants, and the greater number of adults had been from nine
to twenty years absent from the Holy Table. I could not
assemble them together for a mission, so taking Charlie
Boyle for guide, I determined to visit them singly.
Alas, my guide was not of the surest, and I found that in
cases of doubt the right road was the one that he condemned. My daily order of the mission was as follows:
Feeding and grooming my horse; meditation, Mass, instruEl:ion for first communion, breakfast and then 'boot and
saddle.' \Ve rode from fifteen to twenty miles a day. On
coming to a Catholic farm I would take down the names,
incidentally ascertaining ho\V many had made their First
Communion, and how long they had been from confession.
Then came catechism for children, more by the way of
examination than instruEl:ion, and following that, a special
exhortation to the parents. These few points were insisted
upon. Mass whenever there was Mass at Luling; prayers
of Mass or Rosary on all other Sundays; catechism every
evening, and repetition on Sunday, family prayers every
night. I am happy to say that in my subsequent visits every
month, which I prolong for a week, I have found that these
exercises are generally praEl:ised. \Ve were always·back in
Luling by four o'clock, when I had a class for First Communion. The nights I spent on a thin pallet on the floor
of a small room back of the altar.
The results were proportioned to the prayers of the holy
souls who at Seguin and San Antonio follow me wherever I go. I had thirty-three communions, and since then,
I have increased the number, and I give communion every
month to ten or fifteen, some of whom come ten miles anq
fast until noon.
�Letter of Fatlzer F P Garesciti
There were some incidents which I think may not be uninteresting. Three or four men gave me especial concern.
One of them, married to a Protestant, had three children
unbaptized. His mother-in-law did all she could to keep
them in that state, declaring that she would rather see them
dead than baptized into the Catholic Church. The husband and father triumphed, first in his children, and next in
his own case, for rarely have I received one in the tribunal
of penance who showed more compunCtion for a luke-warm
life. His wife gives promise of a speedy conversion. Another knew and "that in his day the things that were for his
peace." On the third or last Sunday of my stay he approached the Holy Table, and on the Thursday following
he was cut to pieces by a railroad train. Another refused
all compliance with the numerous invitations extended to
him by myself and by his friends. On my last visit I found
that he had suddenly taken sick and died, his Catholic
friends knowing nothing of his danger, his Protestant wife
never thinking of sending for the priest. Still a fourth
bound up in a secret society holds out, but in fear and
trembling for the late examples that he has witnessed. In
a fifth. case I could verify what Father Damen once told me.
He acknowledged that he had once been inclined to lament
that so many priests should be occupied in colleges who
could do so much on the missions for the glory of God, but
that his experience had shown him that one of our old students, though long negleCtful of duty, coming back to his
church and his God, generally became the right hand of his
pastor. An old student of Bardstown was living in Luling
married to a Baptist. His old faith was renewed. He
made a confession, the first in eighteen years, is now a
monthly communicant, the weekly Catechist, and is trying
to merit his wife's conversion by consecrating all his spare
moments to the adorning of the altar, to which he is adding
a reredos, and which he is enriching with scroll-work.
My visits to Luling, made on horse-back, lasting as I
have said a week at a time, are full of consolation, but are
also, as I hope, initiating me to longer and hardier excursions. Once I found myself surprised by the darkness of a
�Texas.
rainy day and early night about a mile from a farm where
I proposed to spend the night. ·what with the number of
cross-roads, the blinding lightning, and the falling rain, I
lost my way. At nine o'clock I found myself just on the
point of being precipitated into a deep ravine, but was saved
by the intelligence of my horse. I staked him out, spread
my horse blanket, placed my saddle and saddle-bags between two young live oaks, and then wrapping myself in
rubber coat (slicker), after reciting a pair of beads and sucking a short pipe lay down to my rest. I assure you that I
did not recognize any hardship. The rain was gentle and
warm, the night air mild and pure, and I was dropping off
into as sweet a sleep as I have ever enjoyed, when my un·
ruly and impertinent fancy suggested the rustling of a moccasin snake near by. It is true that they do exist and in
numbers in such places, but, reason told me that there was
no reality in my fears. Reason was of no avail, and feeling
that there could be for me no more sleep that night, I arose,
saddled up and gave my horse the reins, knowing that he
would take the road to Seguin. About eleven o'clock we
came to a small farm by the way-side where I was given a
bed for the night. I found it, though the doors were left
open, a stuffy place compared to my abandoned couch under the live oaks. One gets so accustomed to the open air
here that one prefers it to the close comfort of an apartment.
On my last visit~ I had my first swim on horse-back.
There had been a sudden rise and overflow in the San Marcos and its tributary, the Blanco, in consequence of a water
spout about twenty or thirty miles off. My first notice of
a flood was when I was twenty miles from Segui~;'and a
mile distant from a farm where I spent the next day and
night. The road crossed a ravine about fifteen feet deep
and twenty-five or thirty yards wide, in which ordinarily
there was not water enough to wet a hoof. \Vhat were my
surprise and disgust to find it bank-full, and carrying a great
deal of drift. I thought it as good an occasion of testing
my horse's swimming powers, and of enriching my own experience, as I could have, trusting that happen what might,
I could always save mysel( I packed my saddle-bags in
�os
Letter qf Fatlzer F. P. Garesc/ze.
my rubber, tied my boots to the pommel, unloosed my tierope which I coiled up and held in my left hand, and then
with my feet free of the stirrups, after an earnest memorare
and a brief appeal to my Angel Guardian, I pressed in. At
the first plunge we were over depth, Careto hesitated an instant, and was for returning, but with a few encouraging
words (in Spanish, of course, for he understands no English,
and I don't wish him to learn it) he struck out, and I almost cheered for joy as I felt how strongly he swam and
how bravely he held me up. The current was not very
swift, but we had no room for drifting and we barely made
the opposite bank where the road issued from the cut. Indeed Careto struck his forehoof on the side of the bank and
as he slightly reared, gave issue to such a sob, so full and
deep and pathetic, that it almost sounded human. In the
next minute we were out, and as we both, turning round,
looked at the stream we shook our heads as who would say
-'well out of that'-one of us at ltast gave thanks to God.
My friends, Protestant and Catholic, have assured me that
had I known all the danger of such an experiment, I would
neve~ have ventured it.
I am glad then, that I did not
know it, for now I do know what I can do, and better how
to do it.
F. P. G.
VoL. xii. No.
1.
9
�BRAZIL.
EDIFYING LIFE AND SAINTLY DEATH OF A BRAZILIAN NOVICE.
By Father R. M. Galanti.
lTu, OCtober I 5, I 882.
CHRIST,
P. C.
In fulfilment of the promise which was made in my last
letter, I come at length to relate some edifying things about
the life of a novice, who died three years ago at Naples.
EMMAXUEL AUGUSTUS NEVES, was born at Itu, July I3,
I86I. In his childhood, a long and obstinate disease, from
which he was delivered by an especial grace of our Blessed
Lady, had so undermined1I1s constitution, that he was ever·
afterwards weak and sickly. His mother, a most pious and
respeCtable lady, understanding the sublime mission entrusted to Christian parents, spared no trouble in the education of her son. Accordingly, from the very dawn of
life, she taught her child the holy fear and love of Aimighty
God, respeCt. and veneration for our Blessed Lady and the
saints; from her instruCtions he learned how to pray, and
hO\v to avoid all words and aCtions that might in any manner offend against purity and the most perfeCt modesty.
Moreover, she exercised constant personal supervision in
his regard, not permitting any familiarity with the servants
or slaves; nor allowing him to go abroad except: in her
company, or attended by some trustworthy person:· Her
care in this respeCt was so great, that even during the vacations which he spent away from the college, when he was
already fifteen years of age, he was never allowed to go out
alone.
Such a system of education is extraordinary and without
example in this country :-and so, too, was· the result obtained. It is not to be wondered at, that opposite methods
produce opposite results, just as from contradiCtory princi(66)
REVERE"'D AND DEAR FATHER
IN
�Emmanuel Augustus Neves.
6;
pies are derived consequences which are in opposition with
each other. It is not an uncommon occurrence to hear parents lamenting that their children have gone astray; and,
unfortunately, they will not understand that the evil is only
the necessary consequence of the unlimited liberty and irreligious education which is given to them.
,
Our Emmanuel Augustus, on the contrary, was so accustomed to obedience, devotion, and modesty, that these virtues see~ed to be a part of his nature. He lost his father,
when he was still a child seven years of age, and the circumstances of his family broug·ht him to San Paulo, where
he was admitted into the episcopal seminary, which was
then under the direCtion of the Capuchin Fathers. There,
he made his First Communion with. such devotion, that he
ever afterwards recalled that solemn day with the liveliest
pleasure: his piety and innocent simplicity attraCted the
notice of his teachers, who still remember these traits in his
charat1er.· His mother, for special reasons, preferred to
send him to our college of Itu, after a year had been spent
at this first school, and he came to us on the 8th of May,
1873. From the very beginning, every body in the college
observed that he had a soul made for virtue, and that he
was a boy of great promise. He found no difficulty in
adapting himself to the college regulations, and soon acquired filial confidence towards all his masters.
'vVith regard to studies, he applied himself earnestly to
the matter of his course, and tried his best to give satisfaction to his teachers. In addition to the regular preparatory
studies, he cultivated music and drawing with success. During the time of recreation, he disliked idle talk, and preferred to busy himself in anything that would be useful to
himself or others; always obliging, his services were freely
given to anyone that requested them. He was ever cheerful, but always within the bounds of the severest modesty.
On one occasion, an imprudent word caused him to abandon
a game in which he was engaged. For this reason, the
Father who aCI:ed as prefeCt: was always sure that so long
as Emmanuel Augustus was in a crowd of boys, the mor-
�68
Brazil.
ality of their conversation was safe; and whenever his suspicions were aroused in regard to any gathering, he used to
send him to join it. And yet, although his presence was
such a check upon impropriety, he was never known to use
sharp language towards his ~ompanions, whilst he had to
bear a great deal from some of them, to whom his purity,
modesty and devotion were a reproach.
But it was in the praCtices of devotion that the Christian
education received from his mother was most conspicuously
displayed, and from these, too, could be foretold the future
in store for him. How consoling it was to see him kneeling in prayer by his bedside before retiring, or in the church
and elsewhere: he showed at these times by outward signs,
and yet without any affc:B:ation, that he felt the interior impression of grace. He went regularly to confession, andreceived Holy Communion ~very Sunday, and even oftener
when he could obtain pern}lssion to do so. His conscience
was so delicate that frequently at night he asked \Vhether
he could go to bed without confession, as he had committed such and such a fault during the day. Yet, these faults
were so trifling, that when he asked me for the first time,
before I had known his interior, I doubted whether he was
speaking seriously or not.
He had great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament, to our
Blessed Lady and St. Aloysius. Nor was his devotion limited to mere words or barren sentiment. At the head of his
bedstead, and on his desk he was accustomed to keep a
crucifix and some pious piB:ure, and it was also a custom
with him to perform some aB:s of mortification in honor of
his patron saints. On Saturdays, especially, he..-showed
some such mark of honor towards the Blessed Virgin, abstaining from the mcrenda, and declining to partake of anything else that was given beyond the ordinary food. As I
closely observed the conduB: of this amiable youth, and
was gratified with his rapid progress in virtue, I subjected
him to trial whenever it could be conveniently done, by offering him on Saturday something that he naturally liked,
or by scolding him without sufficient cause, or by imposing
�Emma1Zuel Augustus Neves.
6g
some extraordinary task upon him; and, I can say, that I
found him steadfast in his resolutions. For on Saturdays,
he never accepted what I offered, and never complained of
my reprehensions, either to me or his companions, or to the
superiors. As for the work that I assigned him, when it
was too much, he did what he could, and then calmly reported that he had been unable to finish it.
I could add many particulars concerning his life at college. I knew him well, for he was in my class and also in
the division over which I had charge; but it is time to
speak about his vocation to our Society.
\Ve could easily conjecture from his conduct whither his
steps were tending. but as he was reticent on the subject,
we did not ask any questions, and left God to deal with His
creature according to His own loving designs. At the beginning of the year 1876, he asked the permission of his
mother and superiors to start immediately with two Fathers
who were about to set out for Europe. It is needless to
say that the superiors declined to grant a request proposed
without any previous intimation. It was only after several
months of delay, and after his determination had been subjected to several proofs, that they permitted him to be examined; and, although all were convinced that his vocation
was from above, yet the weak state of his health caused his
admission to be delayed until the end of the year. ·words
fail to describe the joy he felt at the accomplishment of his
cherished wishes; thenceforward, more than ever before,
his inclinations were for prayer, self-denial, retirement, and
zeal for the conversion of sinners.
At length, it was resolved to send him to Europe, a
favorable opportunity presenting itself, as two Capuchin
Fathers were about to return home, and he could travel in
their company. It was not difficult to obtain the consent
of his pious mother, although she was a widow, and on his
departure would be left with only one little girl: her permission was given in a beautiful letter, worthy of a Christian in the best ages of faith.
He keenly felt the sacrifice of leaving home and country,
�70
Brazil.
but whilst acknowledging the pain it cost him, he was
steadfast in his resolution, saying that he was ready to give
up everything, in order to follow his vocation. During the
voyage his cht>erfulness and modest behavior attraCted the
notice of the other passengers. He was also very particular in performing all his exercises of piety.
His arrival at the novitiate of Les Alleux, near Laval,
was a cause of consolation to the whole community: simplicity, modesty, light-hearted innocence, and, above all, filial confidence in his superiors, were the distinguishing traits
of charaCter, which he displayed from the moment of his
entrance. Father Camillo l\Iarini, Master of Novices, wrote
to Reverend Father ReB:or: "The arrival of a new novice
always diffuses joy throughout this community, but the joy
excited in all of us at the sight of the little Emmanuel Augustus was such as I had never witnessed before." Father
Albini, ReB:or of the hctuse, wrote on the same occasion:
"Yesterday, 31st of May .... we received into the house
Emmanuel Augustus, joyful, lively, and contented. He
caused general consolation. How happy and satisfied he
is! He seems to be swimming in a sea of honey. May
God preserve him for many years in good health." On
another occasion, the same Father wrote: "I did not know
that the Brazilians have such good qualities. You may
send to our novitiate as many as you choose, provided they
be like little Neves. He has but one fault; it is to be
somewhat scrupulous."
Every one observed the great facility with which he practised all the virtues proper to novices, together with an intense love of his vocation, devotion towards the- Blessed
Virgin and filial confidence in the direCtion of the l\Iaster
of Novices. During recreation he took delight in conversing upon spiritual subjeCts; he was conspicuous for charity
towards all; his demeanor was calm and cheerful. Unhappily, his health was too delicate to bear with the cold climate of France. The approach of winter made him feel
unwell, and at length he fell sick of a pleurisy. His patience
and resignation during this illness increased the opinion that
�Emmanuel Augustus Neves.
was entertained of his virtue. He recovered from the disease, but not perfeCl:ly. Therefore, it was resolved, in accordance with the advice of the physicians, to send him
back to Brazil, with the hope that his native air would benefit him. \Vhen the R. F. Provincial, who happened to be
there for his Visitation, announced this decision, Emmanuel
Augustus calmly, but firmly, answered: "Oh! not that,
Reverend Father; I would prefer to die in the Society,
rather than return home." "But your mother, what would
she say then?" "It is what she wishes. She will be far
better satisfied to hear that I died in the Society of Jesus,
than to see me home again."
The Father Provincial, admiring the virtue both of the
son and of the mother, said that he would try every means
for the restoration of his health, and on that same day he
asked by telegraph a place for him in the novitiate of
Naples. Therefore, after a few days, he left Les Alleux, to
the great regret of all. At Naples, his health was improved,
but it was not completely restored. Here, as elsewhere, he
soon won the affeEl:ion of all in the house. In numerous
letters· to his mother, he constantly speaks of the great
charity of that community, particularly of the superiors, and
shows the l11gh estimate in which he held his vocation, by
the words with which he invariably concluded his letters:
"I pray all of you to recommend me to_ God, and to the
Blessed Virgin, that I may persevere in my holy vocation."
He was allowed to pronounce the vows at the end of two
years of noviceship, and this he did with great devotion, as
appears from a beautiful letter written to his mother on the
occasion.
His health, to all appearance, was improving, but the appearance was delusive. Fever, inflammation of the lungs,
bronchitis attacked him, and the most skilful physicians of
Naples declared that the malady was incurable. Prayers
were offered for his recovery. Meantime, the renown of
his virtues was spread far and wide.
The Archbishop of Naples wished to see the sick novice.
He went to visit him, and was so well pleased, that he
�.Brazil.
seemed loth to withdraw, and before retiring he asked Emmanuel to send for him whenever he wished to see him, and
afterwards spoke in high terms of praise concerning the virtue he had observed in the young religious. Emmanuel,
fully aware that death was close at hand, asked permission
to take leave of his mother, which he did in a touching and
heroic letter. As the disease was making rapid progress,
he received calmly and devoutly the Last Sacraments, on
the Feast of the Nativity of our Blessed Lady. Next day,
about 8 P. ~I., his agony began: the whole community had
gathered around his bed. They remained there praying
until a quarter past ten, when our Emmanuel Augustus
Neves, without pain or struggle, repeating the holy names
of Jesus and Mary, quietly resigned his innocent soul into
the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ.
His body was buried with the other Fathers and Brothers, who had died in Naptes during the dispersion. I must
not omit that a funeral oration in honor of his memory \vas
delivered in the refeCtory of the novitiate-an extraordinary
fad:, which shows the esteem in which he was held even by
those in whose midst he had lived for only a brief time. A
Father, from whom I received these last particulars, concludes by saying: "This good Brother left us a wonderful
example of patience, conformity to the will of God, and exad: observance of our rules."
May he now in heaven pray for our beloved Society, so
much affiiB:ed, for his masters, and for this college. May
this notice also edify your readers, and move them to pray
for this unhappy country, which is rapidly drifting _towards
Protestantism, or something worse. and will lose tlie·'Faith,
unless God help it.
R. M. G.
�SOME OLD LETTERS (18oi-8).
[These letters, now published for the first time, were written by Bishop Leonard Neale, Father Anthony Kohlmann
and Father Charles Sewall to correspondents in England.
They furnish some interesting faCts and observations, in relation to the religious state of the country at the beginning
of the century, as also in regard to the condition of affairs
at Georgetown College, and the re-establishment of the Society in America].
I.-Letters of Bishop Leonard .Neale to Fat/zer .Marmaduke
Stone, Stonylwrst College, England.
LETTER
i
I.
I.
GEO. TowN, oa. 19, 1801.
DEAR ANn REvd sr,
I wrote to you some time past in answer to a letter received from you purporting the acceptance of my Bill of Exchange, and the payment being due, etc. In my answer I
observed that nothing was mentioned in yours concerning
the objeCt: of the Bill: or whether there was any prospeCt
of succeeding in the commission I so confidently presumed
to charge you with. I would wish to hear your explicit
sentiments on the subjeCt:.
The public prints announce the re-establishment of the
Jesuits in Sardinia. \Ve wish to know whether the report be
founded, and whether Societas Jesu, or Societas Fidei jesu,
be the objeCt: of the report. Farther, I wish to know the .
real sentiments of the clear-siglzted respeCting the latter, and
whether their fourth vow concerning the Pope's declarations, really involves any change of the objeCt: and spirit,
which the former held up and supported. In my weak
judgment, I can discern nothing in it, but the extending to
His Holiness that obligation of blind obedimce which all·
Jesuits profess to the Superiors of their Order, and in that
VoL. xn. No.
1.
10
(73)
�Some Old Letters.
74
supposition could it be deemed to change, and not rather
support and promote the genuine spirit of St. Ignatiuswho not only insisted on blind obedience with all the members of the Society, but would have the Professed Fathers
bound by a special vow of obedience to His Holiness? Be
fully communicative on this head and on every other point
which may concern a subjeCt so intimately interesting to us.
Revd. Mr. Molyneux is a convalescent from a serious attack of illness by which he was reduced to death's door.
All the members of the Society here are now grown old,
the youngest being past 54· Death, therefore, holds out
his threatening rod, and excites us to redoubled wishes for
the re-establishment of the Society on which the welfare of
this country seems much to depend. Could we have some
of its genuine members to fix in the possession of our College and estates, the gratification would be ·singular, and
our latter days would be cro.w'ned with joy and peace.
We are struggling to comm~nce Philosophy immediately.
'vVe hope to get a Professor from the Seminary of Baltimore for the present, till you can provide us one, if possible,
of the Society. Bishop Carroll has been indisposed, but is,
I believe, recovered from his indisposition. My brothers
are well, as are all in the college. Messrs. Young, Mat-·
thews and Lawrenson are still here. They and all our BB.
join me in every cordial wish and congratulation on the
flourishing state of Stony Hurst College, for which we feel
as for the elder brother of our own. Mr. Ashton has been
informed of l\Ir. Semmes' request, which I presume he will
attend to.
Present my kindest compliments to Mr. Semmes an'd-all
my other dear friends and acquaintance. \Ve want assistance. Pray, if you can, fail not to afford it. With all esteem and regard,
Dear and Revd sr,
I remain most devotedly,
yr Obdt Hble svt in X',
LEONd NEALE, BP of Gortyna and Presdt of G. T. College,
Rcv'd Fr. Stone, StollJ'Iturst.
+
To
�Some Old Letters.
75
LETTER II.
REvd Dr sr,
''
\
I
I
GEo. TowN, Ap1
21,
18oz.
I wrote to you a considerable time past, but have received no answer. Perhaps my eager desire of hearing from
you may have represented the time longer than it really is.
However, it appears to me as if you wished not to communicate at all with me. I could wish you to remove the impression, as it is not an agreeable one.
I write to you concerning the money forwarded to you,
the receipt whereof you have acknowledged, and also concerning the objeCt of said money. \Ve have heard of the
re-establishment of the Society thro' Mr. Strickland. But
the clear light does not as yet shine on us. You, who are
nearer the sun, should not refuse to communicate its benign
rays. If we could get members of the Society, they would
be objeCts of our wishes. Anything genuine from our ancient body would be highly gratifying. If possible you can
assi~t us, do not let the want of feeling for remote and distressed Brethren prevent the salutary aid. If Stonyhurst
can forward assistance to our poor George Town College
for 1\Iasters, etc., surely selfishness will have no influence
with you. I never looked upon you as a selfish man.
I am obliged to have recourse to extremes, even to make
scholars prcjcfls, etc. We have some moderate prospeCts
·of future success. This blessed day, I gave the tonsure to
six young men, all promising charaCters: more are coming
on for next year. \Ve have but four Philosophers, three of
whom are Clerics. Mr. Man~chal is my professor of Philosophy: he is one of the French gentlemen of the Seminary of Baltimore. There is but one Cleric studying in the
Seminary making his way to higher orders.
Rev'd 1\Ir. ·walton requested me to enquire whether the
money he made over to you has been received and applied
to the object he pointed out. I request a full reply to all
these different points. I write in a hurry. All our Gen-
�Some Old Letters.
tlemen here join me in the sincerest Wlsnes and most
affeCtionate compliments to our old friends and all the
members of Stonyhurst.
\Vith the greatest esteem and regard, I remain,
Dr. and Revd Sr.,
yr most affeCtionate and Hb1• svt,
+LEONARD NEALE, Bishr of Gortyna and Coadjutor to the
BP of Baltr•.
LETTER
III.
GEo. TowN, June 30, 1802.
REVd AND DEAR sr,
As an opportunity serves from our port of Geo. Town, I
could not omit writing a few lines, tho' I had received no
answer to my two last letters addressed to you. I must
own it is painful to have scr seldom any communications
from you, especially when they are intended to serve the
grand objeCt, Religion, which is common to us both and
our beloved BBn.
I wish to hear how matters stand and whether the small
sum transmitted to you will produce any bmcji.-ial proceeds
to Geo. Town College. I am frequently called upon by
our Gentlemen to know what effeCt my communications
with you have, or are likely to produce in our favor.
Mortifying it is to ~e to have no other reply to make,
but that I have received no answer to my applications, or
that I am left perfeCtly in the dark relatively to the objeCt
in question. For God's sake relieve me from my distressed
situation. If the Sulpicians remove to France (wl1ich is
threatened by Mr. Emery, their Superior in Paris), we shall
be left perfeCtly bare. Besides, I suspeCt some of our professors will quit the College for other views, say one or
two. In a similar situation, what would you feel without
any prospeCt of succor from our friends more happily circumstanced? In these circumstances do not aCt so cruel a
part as to retain from me the communications which may
either qfford relief, or form a basis for entering into new
plans,
�Some Old Letters.
}
77
It is strongly impressed on my mind that Almighty God
will send assistance to his distressed servants laboring in
his vineyard in the United States. vVhen human means
fail, I confidently expeCt: his providential interference, as the
work we are engaged in is not ours, but His. The urgent
necessities of the Catholics oblige Bp. Carroll to employ,
otherwise, exceptionable characters in the ministry, which,
you know, must produce evils of no small magnitude. The
few scholars I have in the College are flattering prospeCts of
future relief: but to be deprived of the means of carrying
them through their course of studies damps our sanguine
expeCtations and distresses our feelings in the extreme. If
possible, do something to alleviate our distress. vVe enjoy
good health, but all the members of our Old Society are
aged and worn down with continual labor. How long they
may subsist depends upon the hand of God which holds the
thread of life. If we form not successors before that fatal
period, the Society, tho' re-established, will scarcely succeed
to the property we have been studiously preserving for her.
A concurrence of our BBn in England, I think, is of striCt:
oblig~tion.
B• Francis, Messrs. Young, Matthews, Lawrenson, etc., etc., join me in most cordial wishes to you and
our worthy BBn with you. \Vith the sincerest sentiments
of esteem and regard, Revd Dear s•, I remain
Y• most affeCtionate friend,
and B• in J. Xt.
LEONd NEALE, BP of Gortyna and Presd' of G. T. College.
+
LETTER
IV.
GEo. TowN, June 25, 1803.
REv'n AND DEAR sr,
I am rejoiced that your pen is at length set at liberty, or that
the migltty control is removed. I had heard of the General's
advice to our BBn in England before I had the pleasure of
receiving your favor. The information came not from Mr.
Strickland, but from Mr. Nic. Sewall, who has our thanks.
We have adopted the advice, and forwarded the names of
�78
Some Old Letters.
the Postulants to the General, who will aCt in the matter as
it shall appear most suitable. Most of the old members
and many of the young men in Tonsure have subscribed the
petition. * * * *
The Revd 1\Ir. \Valton is gone to a better life to receive
the reward of his faithful and laborious exertions. He died
some short time before I received your favor. His loss is
severely felt. How to supply his place without leaving another point open, I know not. \Ve are reduced to a very
small number of suitable members. The gentlemen of St.
Sulpice are ordered back to France. Some have already
departed, others are on the point of sailing. Of course, the
seminary is no longer calculated on. The school of boys
ereCted there to the great prejudice of George Town College still exists: but as the Spanish youths, their chief support, are ordered by their· Government to return immediately to their native co-ll'ntry, it mu ..;t naturally fall to
nothing.
Our number of scholars is very small, but we still stand
in the critical moment of trial. \Vere it the will of Heaven
that the Society be speedily re-established here, I should be
happy to deliver up my Presidency to their happier guidance. Notwithstanding our small number of scholars, we
have a respeCtable number of postulants for the clerical
state, and had we b_ut funds for free places, we should undoubtedly be able to supply a considerable number in a
moderate time. Hence, as this must be our grand objeCt,
you will be kind enough to transmit to me the money I formerly deposited with you, if the objeCt then prop9_s'ed cannot be obtained. I have communicated the stateme~t you
made respeCting my old professor, Mr. Semmes, to Mr.
Ashton, who says that he has never received his protested
bills, which were necessary to claim the penalty due from
the drawer. I have no influence on the gentleman. His
eccentricity puts him beyond all that. He now lives on
Mr. Semmes' place, etc. Mr. Francis Neale still remains
with me, as also does Mr. Matthews. Mr. Young is turned
farmer on a piece of land left him by his father, and, of
�S011te Old Letters.
79
course, teaches no longer. The rest of my masters and professors are Eleves of the College in the Clerical line. They
all join most cordially with me in every good wish to you
and our Dr BBn with you. 'vVith sentiments of the greatest
respect and esteem, Revd Dr sr, I remain,
yr most obdt H. S"t and Br in Xt,
LEo"ARD NEALE, Bishop of Gortyna.
+
LETTER
),
r
V.
GEo. TowN C., May 5, 1804.
REvd FATHER,
I wrote to you some months past in answer to one received from you announcing happy tidings of a revival of
the Society of Jesus in England. Since that, Bishop Carroll and I have been solicited by many of the clergy serving
in this Mission to make known to the General their ardent
prayers for re-establishing the same Society in this diocese.
'vVe have readily complied with their request, but have not
been so happy as to receive an answer. The last despatches
were forwarded to your Reverence, which, I understand, from
a letter \vritten by R. F. N. Sewall to his brother, have been
received and sent on to their destination. I hope the issue
of the business will be happy. Could the General see and
feel our situation, he would certainly forward some suitable
members both to regulate matters on the occasion, and also
to fill the offices in the College, which I wish to deliver up
to the care and management of the Society as soon as possible. I am sorry to hear of Cardinal Borgia's opposition,
tho' I am not surprised at it, as the business was entered on
without the support of a Papal Brie( It appears evident to
me that Providence has excited this opposition in order to
enforce that public aut!toritative support without which the
commenced work would rest on a tottering base, and would,
of course, be either of short duration, or ineffectual as to its
grand object. \Ve endeavor to struggle through our great
difficulties as well as we can, trusting in the merciful providence of God. I have seven young clerics to commence
�So
Some Old letters.
Theology next scholastic year, all postulants for the Society.
But our Missions are left destitute of pastors in many places
to the great prejudice of religion. Lllessis quidem multa,
operarii autem pauci. Oh! could you by any means lend a
helping hand, it would certainly be co-operating with the
views of our holy founder, Ad Jl1aforem Dei G!oriam. I
wish to hear from your Reverence as frequently as possible, and now more especially as every occurrence becomes
more and more interesting. Bishop Carroll is well. None
of our gentlemen have died since Mr. \Valton's demise.
l\ly brother Francis requested before he left me, to be
particularly remembered to you. He is down in Charles
and St. Mary's counties on public business and will not return under one or two weeks. All my other co-operators
in the college join me in respectful compliments and cordial
affection to your Rev•• and all our BBn with you. Believe
me with the sincerest attachment and esteem,
yr most obdt H. S't
LEo"d NEALE, BishP of Gortyna.
+
LETTER
VI.
GEo. T., l\Iarch 15, rSos.
REvu FATHER,
Your long expected letter has been received. The contents,
tho' consoling in s-ubstance, have such a connection with implicating circumstances, as to render it difficult to send you
an appropriate· answer. This has been the cause of my long
delay. But now, as Father General's letter is received, by
which we are empowered to proceed in the great business,
and which seems to point out something more explicit than
was discoverable in yours, I have undertaken to reply to your
favor. I did expect from the directions given you by the
General, you would have sent forward some one of our
proved and venerable characters, who might have commenced the contemplated restoration, and I should have been glad
if the money I have placed in your hands, had been employed in defraying his expenses. Even now, if you can
�Some Old Letters.
.)
81
forward any assistance, that is, any of your subjeCts, I shall
be willing that they employ the said money to pay their
expenses. If this cannot be done, I wish you to employ at
least £30 to purchase scholastic books, such as you know
are suitable for our schools both higher and lower, as also
the rules of the Society, its constitutions, etc., etc., not only
in Latin, but also in English, as we are generally destitute
of them. Our lame and crippled situation in point of the
Old Members, renders the commencement of the business
perfeCt:ly awkward. However, Bishop Carroll will meet our
Gentlemen at St. Thomas's Manor soon after Easter, in order to put hand to work. If Scholastic Books be forwarded, .
I hope you will exert your endeavors to procure them as
low as possible: no matter if they be second-handed : and
they must be direCl:ed to me,for tlze use of tlze college, as
that will exempt them from import duties. The residue of
the money, if such there be, you will be pleased to refund
to me in a suitable bill. As for taking a bill on Mr. Ashton, I cannot. He is one I do not deal with in money matters. Your idea of sending our young men to Stony hurst,
etc., is perfeCtly eccentric. Much less expense would attend one of our Gentlemen from England to teach them
here, than would be necessary to transmit them thither to
be taught in your schools. Such a projeCt: was never contemplated by us. The glorious re-establishment of the Society in Naples, of which we have received accounts, h;ts
filled our souls with joy. May the infinite Mercies of God
be eternally exalted. My brother Francis is well, as are
also the other gentlemen, who unite with me in presenting
our sincere congratulations and most cordial wishes.
I am, Revd and Dear sr,
. Your most Obedt s•t in Xt,
LEONd NEALE, BishP of Grtna.
+
r
VoL. xu. No.
1.
II
�Bz
Some Old Letters.
LETTER VII.
GEo. TowN, Feb. 16, 1808.
S',
A considerable time being elapsed since I had the pleasure of hearing from you, I find it necessary to address you
in these few lines. The money I formerly deposited in
your hands is now much wanted, and I request that on the
receipt of this you will be pleased to transmit to me personally the full amount of the deposit, not by giving orders on
any one, but by a good Bill of Exchange.
We have had the happiness of receiving five members of
the Society, til and expeCt a further reinforcement ere long.
Since the arrival of the above five members, we have been
blest with the increase of two worthy Priests from Brabant,
who since their arrival have" been received into the noviceship of the Society.<2l Botfi·-are already engaged in the Mission.
The Novitiate is established in Geo. Town College. The
first course consisted of eleven Novices, and the second of
seven. All going on well. Several scholars are expeCting
to enter and form the third course next term. Thus the
College of Geo. Town, tho' short in point of numbers of
scholars has not been unfertile in genuine produCtions. The
proof drawn from st~bborn faCts must be an ample support
ofthe discipline and principles adopted in that College during my Presidency. It gives me solid comfort to feel in my
mind and conviction that I have contributed to the increase
and welfare of the Society by raising and preparing _tvorthy
subjeCts to join it. Four novices of the first co~rse are
studying Theology. They are in their second year and
will be admitted to Priesthood as soon as circumstances
will admit of it.<3l Thus things seem to go on well under the
influence and blessing of Heaven.
REvd AND DEAR
(ll FF. Anthony Kohlmann, Peter Epinette, Adam Britt, John Henry and
Francis Ualeve.
2
< > FF. Beschter and \routers.
(3) Benedict J. Fenwick, Enoch Fenwick, Leonard Edelin and James Spink,
ordained March 12, 1~08, uy llishup Neale.
�Some Old Letters.
All our Gentlemen are well and join me in presenting
our respeCtful compliments and sincere wishes to you and
all our Brethren. May Heaven proteCt: them all and pour
down its choice blessings on them.
vVith great respeCt: and esteem,
Revd sr, I remain
yr most Obdt H. Svt in Xt,
LEONd BishP of Gortyna.
+
!I.-Letters of Father Charles Sewall to !tis Brother,
Fr. Nicholas Sewall.
ST. THOMAS' MANOR:
Nov. 21st, 1803.
DEAR BROTHER,
* * * * I am glad to hear how much the College of
Stonyhurst flourishes, and that they are going to build, or
preparing a house in its neighborhood for little boys and a
Novitiate; but I am sorry that there are no hopes of our
obtaining help from the success of your College. As I inform.ed you in my last, our College is still declining, there
being about twenty students at present, all owing to bad
regulations, etc, which displease parents. I fear we shall
have no success until the re-establishment of the Society
here. I shall be glad to know how many Novices Mr.
Stone may have and whether all the ancient Gentlemen of
Stonyhurst have re-entered. By some letters written from
your neighborhood to America there was a diversity of
opinion in Stonyhurst relative to the propriety of re-entering the Society, at the time of Mr. Stone's instalment. Mr.
C. PlO\vden, etc., thought you ought to wait longer: as for
my part, I would never ask a Bishop's leave to be a Jesuit,
as long as there was the Pope's even verbal authority. God
grant I may live to renew my vows also in the Society: the
General's answer is no.t yet received by our Bishop.
If Bonaparte ever intends to execute his boasted attack
on England, I suppose he has done it by this time, so that
he has met with his deserts ; his brother Jerome is in Bal-
�Some Old Letters.
tim ore; a little, insignificant, dissipated youth of about 19
years of age. Lately there was a horse-race at Baltimore :
the winning horse was named Bonaparte: this elated Jerome
so much that he offered to run a foot-race with any gentleman; the challenge was accepted, the race was run, and
Jerome lost it; and immediately it was sung thro' all the
streets of Baltimore : "Bonaparte with four legs won the
race: Bonaparte with two legs lost the race." . . . . I informed you in my last of the death o(the Revd Mr. Jos.
Doyne, who departed this life on the 21st of the last month:
requiescat in pace.
I shall be glad to know how religion goes on in France;
whether there be any prospect of the Society re·existing
there or in other parts of Europe. . . . I fear there are little hopes during the reign of the Corsican despot. Comp1'
to all friends.
I am- yr affl• Brother,
Cs. SEWALL.
P. S. I doubt much whether the letters sent by our Bishops with our petitions to re-enter the Society of Jesus have
ever reached the General; or, if he has received them, I fear
his answer is intercepted. As his letters and answers have
been received by Messrs. Strickland and Stone, it appears
that there is a more ready and sure communication between
England and Russia, than between America and Russia.
Wherefore I cannot- close this letter ·without requesting you
to present my humble respects to your Revd Provincial,
whom I beg to do me the singular favor of obtaining leave
of the General for my re-entrance into the Society .9f Jesus,
as a member of the English Province, in case the General
has not or does not otherwise ordain by erecting America
into a separate Province: others of my Revd Brethren here
will be equally obliged to Mr. Stone for the same favor in
their regard. As we are very few in number, I think it
would be more to the advantage of .Religion were we united to you in the same Province. But this I suppose will
be regulated by Fr. Gruber. Be pleased to answer this letter as soon as you can.
yrs as above.
�Some Old Letters.
r
ss
ST. TH01IAS' 1\iANOR, Feb. sth, ISos.
DEAR BROTHER,
On the 28th day of last December I received your letter
ofthe 15th of Oar, 1804, by the packet; and your other of
the 20th of the same month sent by a private ship, I received last night; so that you see how much better it is to
write by the packet. Both of your letters brought most
agreeable news. Before the rect of your last, Bishops Carroll and Neale received from Mr. Strickland a copy of Fr.
Gruber's answer to theirs and our petition. Mr. Strickland
had received the General's answer as early as last April and
immediately sent it off; but hearing from BP Carroll, that
he had not yet received it, he sent a copy, which the General direaed him to take, lest the original might be lost, as
it so happened: this news, you may suppose, gives us the
greatest satisfaaion. I have not yet seen the General's
answer; but Bishop Carroll first, and then his Coadjutor informs me of it. The General's letter contains full direaions
for reorganizing the Society in this country; and it appears
from what Bishop Carroll tells me, that we are to be formed
into a Province, as we are to have a Provincial or ViceProvincial, on whom, a:s soon as he is appointed, the General confers the usual faculties. From the letters of our
Bishops they are to have a meeting of our oldest members,
when, i. e. at which time, a Superior will be appointed, etc.
But this can not be done till the weather is much more
moderate than it now is : we have had a most severe winter
hitherto. It began with great severity early in December,
and has continued with great fury ever since, attended with
much snow, dreadful North West winds, and ice so as to
render the roads sometimes impassable: the Potomack
river, which from this place is about seven miles across, is
now entirely frozen over.
As soon as the Society is re-organized here, I will write
to you again. In the meantime I thank God for having
preserved a few of us at least so long as this, and I hope we
�86
Some Old Letters.
shall live to see the happy day of our re-entrance :< 1) and
from your letters I confide and think there will be ere long
a general re-estabiishment.
For these six weeks past I have been confined to my
room with an attack of the gout in my right foot, unable to
say J\Iass; but I hope I shall be well to officiate in our
Church next Sunday, the Monday following -being the day
appointed for the Jubilee for the beginning of this Century.
- I can not learn that any of our family ever had the gout.
I never had the least symptoms of it before, and never expeered to be visited by such a noble disorder at this time of
life of sixty and upwards. I at_n
yr aff'c Brother-Cs. SEWALL.
111.-Letters if Fat!ter Ant!tony Koltlmmm to Fat!ter
William Strickland, Poland Street, London.
GEORGETOWN, Feb. 23, 1807.
Mv VERY REVEREND FATHER,
* * * * You are doubtless acquainted through other
sources with the facr that last autumn obedience sent me in
company with Father Epinette to _America; he is to teach
Theology, and I Philosophy. We arrived after a safe but
tiresome passage at Baltimore, where Bishop Carroll welcomed us with the kindness of a father: after a short stay
in Baltimore, he sent us to Georgetown, distant twelve
leagues from Baltimore. Our College, although not yet
completed, is a· fine building, capable of accommodating
more than two hundred scholars. The present nl!mber is
quite small compared with that of a few years ago ;..tlfe diminution is owing to a long chain of circumstances which
<1l This hope was realiz~d. ""hen Father Gruber authorized the former
members of the Society in )laryland to renew their vows, Fathers Hobert
:Molyneux, Charles Neale, Charles Sewall and Sylvester Boarman availed
themselves of the permission. Father )lolynenx was appointed Superior,
.Tune 27, 1~05, at which time, or shortly afterwards, Father Sewall had the
happiness of re-entering the Society which he loved so well; he survived this
only for a short time, dying at St. Thomas', Nov. 10, 1806. ret. 62. He was
the first stationary priest at Baltimore, which before his time used to be attended from Whitemarsh, Prince George County.
�Some Old Letters.
~
\.
87
it would be too tedious to mention in detail just now. It
is a favorable sign that in general a spirit of piety and re:
ligion flourishes in the house, and I have no doubt that under the new management the number of scholars will soon
be considerably increased. I am fully persuaded that there
is not a country in the world at the present time which is
better prepared than this to give a firm and lasting foothold
to the Society. Furthermore, there is not one which offers
a vaster field to the apostolic zeal of the Society; whether
you consider so many Catholics scattered through the different seCtions of the United States, and almost entirely deprived of priests, especially of the Society, and consequently
living and dying in complete ignorance of their religion;
whether you regard the unfortunate tribes of Indians, to
whom the Gospel of Jesus Christ has never been preached,
and who are so well disposed to listen to the tidings of salvation; or, finally, whether you refleCt upon the vast number of heretics, especially of Methodists in country distriCts,
the greater part of whom, as experience demonstrates,
would become Catholics, if there were anyone to point out
the truth to them. Surely, here is fully verified that saying
of our· Lord : Jlessis quidem multa, opcrarii autem pauci.
All these hopes rest upon the help that the Society can
furnish. It seems, indeed, that it is for the accomplishment
of his merciful designs upon this people, that God has sent
us a number of young men to be, as it were, the cornerstones of the Society in this new world. They are twelve
in number, viz: eight Scholastics (four of whom are in theology and four in philosophy) and four Coadj. Temp. The
Novitiate is in a house separated from the College, but not
far from it. Fr. Francis Neale is l\laster of Novices, and I
am his socius. Fr. Charles Neale resides with his holy Carmelites. Fr. Britt is in a German congregation at Philadelphia. FF. Henry and l\Ialeve are engaged on the missions
and are busy learning English. Fr. Epinette is at the College, and teaches Latin to several candidates for the Society.
Our worthy Father Provincial, Rev. Fr. Molyneux, resides
at the Novitiate, and has the confidence and affeCtion of all
�88
~
Some Old Letters.
by his kindness of heart and good humor. Our Novices
give catechism twice a week in the parish, and I do the
same on Sundays and Festivals, and our good Lord is
pleased to ble:'is these labors, because where as, formerly
seven or eight children at most used to attend the instructions, now there are more than eighty, and amongst them
some Protestants and grown persons. An infinite good can
be accomplished by means of catechetical instruCtion, as a
large proportion of the Catholics are plunged in total ignorance of their religion, and a great number, especially
Methodists and Protestants, would embrace the Faith, if
they knew it. Conversions are of daily occurrence. Heaven
grant that they send us abundant aid from Russia. If the
whole Society were transplanted to these countries, many
places would still be destitute of workmen. I cannot write
at greater length at present, for I am quite busy at the noVItiate. In a short time-1 am to go to Philadelphia, and
several other towns, to instruCt the Catholics in German and
English, and to hear confessions, especially of the Germans,
who, according to the letter of Father Britt, are no longer
well enough acquainted with German to confess in that
tongue, and he does not know English well enough to hear
them in that language. I have preached several times in
English, and every one tells me that I was fully understood.
l\lay God in His goodness bestow His benediCtion upon
the work : to this end, I commend myself to your Holy
Sacrifices, and I remain with the highest esteem and most
lively gratitude,·
~I y Very Reverend Father,
Your most humble and grateful servant,---·
ANT: KoHLMANN,
S.
J.
P. S. Mr. Zocchi is in charge of a congregation or parish not far from here, and has applied to be received into
the Society. There are several other postulants, and
amongst them all the masters of the College, but they are
obliged to wait until next year to begin their novitiate. Fr.
Molyneux, the Provincial, and Fr. Epinette commission me
to present their regards, as also Mr. Young and Mr. Mat-
�•
Some Old Lctttrs.
thews, who are going to make the long retreat after Ktster,
in order to enter the Society.
To t!tc Same.
PHILADELPHIA, April 23, I807.
VERY REVEREND FATHER IN JESUS CHIHST,
I write to you from Philadelphia, where I have been sent
by Bishop Carroll, to give a little mission in a German parish, which for a long time was in charge of unworthy
priests, but is now cared for by a venerable Father of the
Society. From this, I shall pass through the greater part
of the congregations of Pennsylvania composed principally
of Germans, and shall finish my missionary tour by a triduum at the German church in Baltimore. * * * *
To tlze Same.
GEORGETOWN, March 9, r8o8.
.We have at present ten Novices of the second
year, four studying Divinity under Father Epinette, four
~ho are to begin next year their course of Philosophy, and
two Lay Brothers. Eight Novices of the first year, five
Scholastics and three Brothers ; and eleven Fathers, of
whqm three are Novices. The College begins to raise itself from that state of degradation, to which it was reduced
since a few years. There are about forty students at present. A present made to the College of $500 enables us to
finish the building. Piety flourishes as well as a love of
application. I attend since a few weeks the congregation
of Alexandria, tho' residing in the College. There is a
great deal of good to be done in this country in every line
of the Ecclesiastical ministry. May it please Almighty
God to multiply this rural flock. To this end I recommend
me with my dear companions to your holy sacrifices, being for ever most respeCtfully,
Revd and Dear Sir,
Your most humble and obt Servt,
ANTHONY KOHLMANN, s. J.
* * *
VoL. xn. No.
1.
12
�90
Notes upon tlte Causes of Beatificatimz.
[A sketch of the Life of Father Kohlmann, together with
some interesting letters written by him from New York
(r8o8-w) appeared in these LETTERS, Vol. IV., page 137.]
NOTES UPON THE CAUSES OF BEATIFICATION,
RELATING TO THE SOCIETY OF JESUS, PE;-;DI:SG BEFORE
THE CO:\"GREGATION OF RITES.
About the middle of last OEtober, Father Negroni, successor to Father Boero, furnished the following notes, of
which we give the translation:
REALINI.-Proposed April 30. 1878, in full Congregation
coram Sanc7issimo, for the approbation of the miracles; the
cause was suspended, because~the Holy Father desires miracles other than those proposed.
THE FRENCH MARTYRS.-The cause was presented to the
Promoter of the Faith in order that he might make his observations. It was replied that ten years had not yet elapsed
since the presentation of the process, and that for this reason the cause could not be proposed. A petition was offered for the abridgment of the intervals; but the Ijoly
Father has not judged it proper to grant this favor. Meantime there have been sent certain instruEtions of the Promoter in order to strengthen the process on several points. But
the Vice-Postulator of the Province of France has not yet
answered.
DE LA CoLOMBiimE.-The cause was proposed in tl1~-'or
dinary Congregation, Feb. 12, I 88 I : a favorable decree was
obtained. After all the requisite formalities, finally, under
date of January I4, I882, the dimissorial Letters were
granted to make the apostolical process super fama £1t genere; it belongs to the Bishop of Autun to colleEt the
documents for this. Up to the present time, he has not
been able to begin this process, or has not deemed it necessary.
•
�Notes upon t!ze Causes
of
Beatification.
91
BALDINUCCI.-The cause was proposed for the approbation of the miracles in the Congregation of January 10,
1882. A final medical report was ordered. The physician
deputed by the Congregation has not down to this date
given his vote or his report.
THE ENGLISH lVIARTYRs.-Since the 8th of April, of this
year 1882, the cause has been before the Promoter of the
Faith, in order that he might make his observations. He
has not taken the charge upon himself; finally, in September, he intimated the desire of the Holy Father, that an application should be made, in order to name a particular
Congregation of five Cardinals. Application was made accordingly by. the Postulator, and the result will be known
after the autumnal vacations.<1l
Three other causes are being examined by the advocates,
and it is hoped that, during the course of next year, it will
be possible to pass on to further proceedings.-All the other
causes are in abeyance, either through defect of miracles or
for other reasons.
NEGRONI, S. J.
The progress made in the Causes during the past decade
can be learned by a comparison of these notes with the following statement which appeared in the ~'ooDSTOCK LETTERS for May, 1873 (Vol. II., p. 165).
DE STATU CAUSARUM SERVORUl\I DEI, SOC. JESU.
I.
Proxime ad Canonizationem sunt Causx BB. Petri Claver, Joannis Berch mans, et Alfonsi Rodriguez. Jam con(1) "To shorten the process for the En~lish martyrs the Pope has specially
appointed a committee of five Cardinals of the ('ongregation of Rites to con·
sider the ca.-e. These five are Cardinals Bartolini, Bilio, Oreglia, Serafini and
Parocchi. lhd the usual course of leaving the matter to the entire Congre·
galion been adopted, the rase would have been prolonged for many years.
The Postulator, Father Augusto Negroni, S. J ., has already made progress
with the proceedings. '.Vhcn his positio super introd11ctionem causro goes
before the five Cardinals, the Promoter of the Faith wiJI put in his animad·
vasioni, and to these a response will be made by the Postulator, probably
before the end of the year 1883. Afterwards the depositions will be laid
before the Pop•'·
"The proceedings will necessarily take up some time, as the number of
. English martyrs exceeds three hundred and fifty ;-38 of these belong to the
Society."
London Tablet, Nov. 25,1882.
�92
Notes upo1Z
tlze~Causes
of Beatificatz(m.
feai sunt Processus Apostolici _super novis miraculis in
Belgio, in Hispania et in America Septentrionali. Ideoque
statim ac probata fuerint eorumdem miracula, procedi poterit ad Canonizationem.
2. Ad Beatificationem pra: ceteris proximior est Causa
V. Rodulphi Aquaqviva: et quatuor MM.-Deest enim una
tan tum Congregatio, qua declaretur, procedi posse ad Beatificationem cum iis signis, seu miraculis, qua: proposita sunt.
3· Post bane venit immediate Causa V. Bernardini ReaIini.-Desunt tantum dua: Congregationes pro approbatione
miraculorum.
4. Circa virtutes in gradu heroico pendet Causa V. Antonii Baldinucci. Deest ultima Congregatio, proxime habenda, super iisdem virtutibus.
5. - Pariter una tantum Congregatio desideratur ad absolvendum ac dirimendum dubium de virtutibus in Causa
V. Roberti Bellarmini Card. et Eeisc.
6. Agitantur pra:terea in S. R. C., Causa: sequentes:
VV. MM. Cassoviensium, Marci Crisini Canonici Strigoniensis, et PP. Melchioris Grodzecii, et P. Pongratz S. ].Agendum est in tribus Congregationibus de Martyrio et de
sign is.
V. P. Juliani Maunoir.-Agendum est de introduaione
Causa:.
V. P. Emanuelis Padiai.-Agendum est de virtutibus in
gradu heroico.
7· Die r6 mensis Octobris 1872, bora IO. matutina, coram lllustrissirno Archiep. Parisiensi inchoatus est Processus
super Martyrio quinque Patrurn S. J. ab impiis in odium.
Religionis necatorun1.
-·
,Atque h<e s\lnt C<1usx, qua: in pr<esenti aguntur.
�ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S, NEW YORK.
DESCRIPTION
OF
THE NEW CHURCH.
[A full detailed account of the Dedication, etc., is promised for the next issue of the LETTERS. The following description is a condensed extraCt: from the guide book prepared
for the occasion by Father Aloysius J. D. Bradley: A Me-
morial of St. Francis Xm•ier's Clmrch, comprising a short biograpltical sketch of tlze Jesuit Missions in Nr& York, and a
Descnption of tlte New Clmrclt.]
The corner stone of this new church was solemnly blessed
on Sunday, May 5, 1878. The Cardinal Archbishop of
New York was at that time in Europe, and he was consequently represented by his Vicar General, Monsignor Quinn,
who aeted as officiant. The preacher was the Rt. Rev. Bishop Lynch, who, twenty-seven years before, had preached
at the dedication of the old church. Thousands of the
faithful were present. It was on this memorable occasion
that the Boy-choir, which has since become a special feature and glory of St. Francis Xavier's Church, made its first
appearance in public, and astonished and charmed the assembled multitudes with the sweetness, the gravity, and the
refinement of its chant.
On the face of the corner stone is cut a horizontal scroll,
bearing the title, "St. Francis Xavier," and having a raised
Maltese cross in the center. There is a recess in the rear
of the stone, in \vhich is inserted a metal coffer, containing
a roll of parchment inclosed in a sealed glass tube. The
parchment reads as follows:
D · 0 ·
IN ·
~I
HO:i'ORE~I
FRANCISCI • XA VERI
APOSTOL! · SOSPITATORIS . ORIENTIS
LAXIORIS · TEMPLI · OPERE · ADSVRGENTE
(93)
�St. '"Francis Xavier's, New York.
94
ANNVENTE • IO.unm · McCLOSKEY
S • R · E • CARDINALI
NEOEBORACENS · POXTIFICE · l\IAIORE
GVLIEL:IIVS · QYINN
EIYSDE:II • DIOECESIS · lYRE • VICARIO · MODERATOR
SOLLE:IINIBYS • CAERE:IIONIIS
QVAS · PATRITIYS. N ·LYNCH· CAROLOPOLIT · PONTIFEX
CON ClONE · AD · POPVLV:Il · HABIT A · CONDECORAVIT
LAPIDE:II · SACRY:II • AYSPICALE:II • STATYIT
III • NON · :IIAIAS · ANNO · MDCCCLXXVIII
LEONE · XIII • PONT . MAX
RVTHERFORDIO • B · HA YE'l
BOREALIS
AMERICAE · FOEDERATAE
PRAESIDE
LVCIO ·ROBINSON
NEOEBORACE~~
• REIP · GYBERNATORE
SMITit··· ELY . IYNIORE
NOYI · EBORACI · YRBIS • PRAEFECTO
QYY:\I
..t:DES
XAVERII
DICATA
PATRES
TEMPLV}I
S.
QYE
FETRO
BECKX
OPERE
ET
CYLTV
PRIYATAS
YF.RSYS
FYN:blTYS
PEDES
TE:!\lPLVl\1
QVE
TRES
RY::\1
STIPE
KEELY
HVDO~
INSTITYEND.E
ARDVVM
OJ'YS
HO!iORI
S.
FRA~CISCI
ESSET;
ORDlXIS
ADPROBA~TE
PR..EPOSITO
SPLENDIDIYS
EXCITANDY:\1
~EOEBORACE:SSIY:\I
YT
DECREYERE
CANADEl\~SIYM
DAVID
STVDIIS
COE)IERYNT
ET
:'!IOLITIOSI
COLLEGIY)I
IPSY:\I
IN
EXORNANDY::'II
EST.
SODALIV:!\I
S.
I.
PIETAS
CYLTO-
ERIT.
IVVE~TVTI
MERRICK
AREA..,.. f.ATERET
EYEIIENDV:~I
CmDIISSV)I
QVE
EARY::'II
CLXXXYI.
INCHOATO
QVE ADFYTYRA
ITE)IQYE
SY:ST
DE:'tiOLITI
CONATIBYS
COLLEGII
SEPTE)I
PEDES
AB
ARCIIITECTO
DO~ns
AD
TE)IPLI
LO:-<Gni
SL'::'!IPT\·s
RECTOR
SOLLERTIA
..£DES
PARTDI
GE:\IINATY:!\1
OPERIS
CONLATA
l!E~RICYS
BVS
C.
I:SGENTES
I~
LXXXIII
JXSYPER
PATRITIO
AD
DIES
l\IODERA'l"'RIS:
QYAQYA
QYATYOR
X
DIPAR
SY)DIO
!!IEDIA ALA EXCISA DETYRBAYERYNT
FRONTDI
!\IEXSES
INST.\NTIA THEOPHILI CHARAYX
SODALIY:\1
ADSITAS
YII
FREQYE!'{TLE CYLTORY)I
I.
ET
AX~OS
XXVII
CO)DIODIYS
AD)IONITV
QYE
IA:'II
REI.IGIONE
VICE
OMNIBYS
SACRA
BO~IS
QVE ART!·
ECCLESI.E
PRO)IOVEBVNT.
CVRATOR
�St..Francis Xavier's, New York.
95
AVE · FRANCISCE · SODALIS
SI •
A:~IPLIORES
· TIBI · AEDES
A · SOLO · EXCITAMVS
AST · 'IV · AMPLIORE · TVITIOXE
COLLEGIO · SODALITATAEQVE . NOSTRAE
VOLENS · ADESTO • FOVETO
BEXE · IVVATO
There are many other memorials inclosed in this chest;
among them we may mention a fragment of The True Cross
in a valuable reliquary, a portrait of the reigning Pontiff
Leo XIII., coins of every country of the present day, copies
of the architeCt's specifications, a list of the contributors to
the building fund, catalogue,; of the Jesuit Colleges, copies
of contemporary journals, both Catholic and Secular, etc.
THE DmENSIONS OF THE NEw CHURCH.-If we include
the portico on I6th street and the sacristies in the rear of
the chancel in I 5th street, we may describe the church (to
use the language of New Yorkers) as extending from street
to street.
The extreme length from the portico to the chancel wall
is I90 feet.
The portico itself is 48 feet by I 4·
Length of the church, including the vestibule, is I86 feet.
The vestibule is I8 feet deep.
The breadth of the nave and aisles is 78 feet.
The breadth of the nave at the interseCtion of the transepts, I 36 feet.
The transepts are 45 feet by 20.
The sanCtuary, including the steps, is 44 feet deep.
This leaves an area of some I I ,200 square feet for the accommodation of the congregation.
The height of the front elevation from the sidewalk is
I04 feet.
The height of the interior of the upper church, about 7 4
feet.
The height of the proposed campanile-tower, I So feet.
THE LoWER CHURCH OR CRYPT.-Before we describe the
church itself, it will be well for us to pay a visit to the
�St. "'Francis Xavier's, New York.
Lower Church, commonly knO\vn by the undignified coiioquialism, "Basement." Here we will be surprised to find
ourselves in what, but for its want of elevation, would be
considered a handsome and commodious parish church ;
not that it is by any means stunted in height, it is comparatively lofty, measuring almost 20 feet. The other dimensions are on the same liberal scale as in the Upper Church.
The tone of the decoration gives it a light and pleasing
effeCt: by day, while at night it is cheerful and even brilliant.
The stately High Altar of white and blue marble, inlaid
with mosaics, is the gift of the Sodality of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus. Half the cost was defrayed by an individual member, the rest was colleCted by the late Father Mignard. The
writer of these pages can vouch for a touching little incident that happened on the day of Father Mignard's funeral,
and which he is glad to place on record as a tribute to the
delicate refinement of the.. Catholic poor. A very indigent
woman brought a dollar, requesting him with the tears in
her eyes: ''Father dear, please say a Mass for the repose of
Father Mignard's soul, and say it at his own altar."
Above the altar is a copy of the well known piB:ure of
the Sacred Heart venerated in the church of the Gesu at
Rome. Two lamps of olive oil, the care of a pious association affiliated to the Sodality, burn constantly day and night
before it. They are kept lighted for three intentions :
1. In reparation ~of all the crimes now committed.
2. To obtain graces for America, especially her conversion.
3· For all the intentions of those who subscribe.·
The tabernacle door is a work of great beau'f)r.· It is
the design of a devoted member of the Sodality, whose
piety is not exceeded by her evident good taste. It represents the Sacred Heart, surrounded with sheaves of wheat
and clusters of grapes, with intertwining tendrils of the vine.
On either side of the main SanCtuary are the shrines of
our Blessed Lady and St. Joseph. The white marble altars, construCted in imitation of the ancient arcosolium, carry
us back in thought to the first ages of the Roman Church
~I
If
�St. Francis Xm,ier's, New Yotk.
97
when Christians worshipped in the catacombs, and the tombs
of the Martyrs served them for altars.
The arcosolium was a sarcophagus, or stone coffin, in
which the bodies of the more distinguished martyrs were
entombed. This was made the support of the altar-slab for
the celebration of Mass. In modern churches, especially
Italian, it the custom to inclose the relics of the enshrined
Saint in a wax model, representing him in the act of martyrdom. This is what has been done in the case of the two
altars we are describing.
Beneath the table of the Lady-Altar repose the relics of
St. Amantius, a Roman martyr. His body was exhumed
from the cemetery of Lucina, in the Via Aurelia, in the year
1666, during the pontificate of Alexander VII. These relics, and the phial containing the martyr's blood found buried with them, were given to the nuns of St. Theresa "de
urbe" that same year. \Vith Papal approval they were
transferred to the Rev. Father Dealey, who conveyec them
to New York. The authentification, dated 1666, very faded
and partly eaten away by the chemical action of the ink, is
preserved with the relics.
The other relics, under the slab of St. Joseph's altar, are
a portion of the body of St. Vincent the Martyr.
In the east transept there is a handsome altar in black
and white marbles, the gift of a generous benefactor. It is
an altar privileged for the souls in Purgatory. On the retable is inscribed the prayer "Requiem ;:eternam," etc.
In the west transept stands a fine-toned, two-manual organ, described elsewhere. The aisles are subdivided into
side chapels, four on each side. Each chapel is furnished
with an altar and a handsome oaken confessional.
The altars and chapels are dedicated as follows :
GosPEL SIDE (E.)
EPISTLE SIDE (W.)
St. Ignatius, founder of the I. The Precious Blood of
Society of Jesus.
Christ.
2. Blessed Margaret Mary.
2. St. Mary Magdalene.
3· St. Cecilia.
3· The Angel Guardians.
4· The Holy Child JEsus.
4· Blessed Peter Claver.
VoL. xu-No. 1.
13
1.
�St. Frmicis Xavier's, New York.
The Chapel of the Holy Child Jesus is used as the Baptistry. The Font is only temporary. It is to be hoped that
some generous soul may soon provide one more worthy
and substantial.
The whole church is seated with handsome open benches
of ash and cherry wood, providing ample accommodation
for 1250 persons, and leaving comfortable standing room
for at least a thousand more.
THE INAUGURATION OF THE LoWER CHuRCH.-The main
altar and those of Our Lady and St. Joseph were consecrated by His Grace the Most Rev. Archbishop Corrigan,
on the odave of Corpus Christi, 1882. The following day,
the Feast of the :\1ost Sacred Heart of JEsus, the Lower
Church was opened for public worship. The Most Adorable Sacrament of the Altar was exposed throughout the day.
At 9 A. ~I., Solemn High ::\Iass,was sung by the Rev. Father
Retlor, S. H. Frisbee, assisteq.by the community. It was
remarked of the clergymen officiating at the altar, that all
three of them were converts from Protestantism. Father
lVIagevney preached the sermon. The modest procession
of the surpliced choristers, chanting on their way the quaint
and beautiful strains, "0 quanta qua!ia"-an unwonted spectacle in this city-touched many a heart, and moved to
tears of delight many of those present.
The music of the l\Iass was a stately orchestral composition, by the famous modern maestro, Franz \Vitt.
A well known musical amateur (a Protestant lady), when
leaving the church at the conclusion of the service, was
overheard expressing with energy her emphatic critici;;m:
"T!tat was what I call worsitip." ''And the preaching?"
continued her interrogator. "\Veil, t!tat was what I call a
sermon; it did me good."
The solemnities of the day were crowned by the Benedictine Service.
THE UPPER CHURCH.-Intense difference of opinioneven fiercely contested-will probably always continue to
exist as to the style of architeCture best befitting ecclesiastical structures.
�St. Francis Xavier's, New York.
99
.Enthusiasts will doubtless never weary in overbearing attempts to enforce upon others their own a:sthetic predilections ;<t> meanwhile we may modestly venture the plea that
if the Roman Basilica is "urpassed in graceful elegance and
the minuteness and multitudiness of its symbolisms by the
Gothic Cathedral, it is undoubtedly better adapted to the
majesty and grandeur of Catholic worship. Moreover, the
Basilica is an historic;jl and eloquent monument of the triumph of Christianity.
The devotional gothic church-and we speak of pure
gothic, like our own Cathedral, not the cheap pretentious
imitations we all know too well-impresses the awe-stricken
beholder with the solemnity and deep mysteriousness of
religion. It draws a marked line betwixt priest and people,
and somewhat reminds one of the Temple of old and its sacred exclusiveness. The Basilica, on the other hand, exhilarates the mind with the joyousness, the boldness and
the grandeur of faith, the priestly charad:er of God's people
(I Pet. ii, 5) and the oneness of the universal church.
The most ancient ex profi:sso treatise on archited:ure extant defines the perfed:ion of architecture as consisting in
the combination of the three excellencies: stability, utility
and beauty.
With what success these three elements of good design
have been blended in the new Church of St. Francis Xavier
must be left to the goocl_ taste and judgment of each visitor
himsel( All we profess to do is to (as it were) accompany
him and point out the more notable features of structure or
nJ e. g. Prof. Ruskin rondemns ~lr. 'Vood for speaking of St. Mark's, Venice, as "remarkable chiefly for its ugliness." He protests that l\Ir. 'Vood is
naturally incapahle of appreciatin!{ it. He himsPlf regards it as":\ vi<ion rising out of the earth." . Again, the late l\Ir. Welby Pugin, in spite of his universal esteem, was, in the eyes of l\I1·. Ruskin, "not a great architect, but one
of the smallest possible or conceivable architects." Professor Parker, of Oxfor<!, consider~ the modern churches in Rome, "the most hiueous in Europe,"
and George Edmund Street is credited hy The Briti.<h Encyclop(£rlia with the
following outrageous indictment: "It is not too mnch to say that throughout
the interior of St. Peter's at Rome there is scarcely an ornament which is not
offensive; whilst not one of them has the slightest natural connection with or
use in a sacred building."
�100
St. Francis Xavier's, New York.
design. While doing this we may venture to remind the
reader that we are writing for the general and good-natured
public, and not for connoisseurs, still less for those-unhappy,
self-made outcasts "whose livelihood is to find fault," as
Thackeray puts it, and who, imagining themselves to be ~·ir
tuosi, make it their profession to put themselves out of harmony with everything that exists, created or made-saving
"number one"-and dub themselves sat:•ants.
The exterior of the church is of brick, and is plain and
solid. In this it presents a noble contrast to the too prevalent bad taste which piles up showy ornament on the outside, and this in spite of what the Divine Founder of Christianity has warned us concerning mere external professions.
The Fa~ade is in the best style of Roman architeCture. In
its main outlines it bears the stamp of the classical period,
without losing the distinCtive' charaCteristics of a church.
Nor is it, like the later Roman f:1.~ades of the Renaissance,
charged with minute ornaments better suited for internal
decoration thah fi1r a m::tssive exterior. With true architeCtonic taste Mr. Keely has not been content with building
merely an elaborate frontispiece that would suggest rather
than express the construCtion of the church behind it; he
has ereCted a monument which in itself is "a thing of beauty."
The framework is in rock-faced and bluish gray granite,
while the more ornamental parts of the struCture are in
mottled granite. It is -interesting to know that none of this
material ever crossed the seas; it -is all from the primitive
rock-bed of our mvn continent. To New Hampshire we
are indebted for the polished columns and the lightercolored cornices. The quarries at Monson, Massach~setts,
have furnished the blue, the mottled and the snow-flake
granite. A colossal bronze statue of St. Francis Xavier occupies the central niche. The portico is supported by columns of polished granite. A grand ascent of twelve steps
(hence the ancient word steop (step-up) and so stoop) conduets to the portals of the edifice. Pausing to admire the
massive oaken doors, the visitor passes into a commodious
vestibule, the iJeauty of which promises well for the church
J
�St. Francis Xavier's, New York.
IOI
itself. The pilasters are of polished marble. A Latin text,
appropriately selected from the promises of the Old Testament, runs in letters of gold around the threshold of this
New Testament Temple, in which the promise is indeed so
literally fulfilled: "Saitllifica'vi domum !tmzc ut pomrem NoMEM MEUM ibi et enmt oculi mei et CoR l\1 EUM ibi."
A broad sweep of gray marble steps invites him to enter
the church. The style of architecture is what is known as
"Classical Roman," liberally modified with adaptations of
the ancient Grecian and the latest developments of the" Re.
,
natssance.
The lavish profuseness of foliations, friezes, moldings,
corniCes, etc., surpasses even the Renaissance in luxuriance.
Yet the tout msemble cannot be described as overdone. It
is all blended in such good proportion, harmony of tone,
lightness of handling and lofty grandeur, that the emotion
first excited is that of admiring surprise, and next of contented satisfaCtion. To pretend, however, that either the
design or the execution is above criticism or without a fault,
would be, of course, an idle exaggeration.
The edifice is in the form of a Latin cross, consisting of
Chancel, Transepts and Nave. The chancel is apsidal. The
transepts also have small apsidal terminations, apparently
modeled from the Cathedral of Pisa; indeed, the ground
plan of the church is almost identical with that of Pisa-of
course, on a reduced scale.
The general outline of form reminds the traveller of the
churches of the Gesu and San Ignazio in Rome. The walls
are constructed on the principle of the pier-arch, the arches
being upheld by pilasters veneered with "Dove" Italian
marble, and crowned with foliated Corinthian capitals.
These pilasters (often richly clustered) range round the entire building, giving it almost the effect of a marble palace.
Corresponding with these and parallel with them a row
of polished granite pillars (monoliths) support the upper
story, technically called the triforium, which, by the way, is
not a gallery, nor intended for use -ns such. There are in
all ten of these beautiful columns.
�!02
St. Francis Xa·m'er's, New York.
Above the masonry of the arches a highly decorated horizontal entablature belts the whole interior. A higher
range of pililsters reaching to the top of the clerestory support the arches of the vaulted roo( The somewhat f.-llllty
loftiness of these pilasters is relieved by bracketed statues
of Saints, the brackets being so placed as to form a line of
unity with the hood moldings of the open triforium bays.
The series of arches formed by the bays is continued right
round the transepts and chancel, thus forming, with the
tribunes, one complete arcacie. The compartment~ of the
arcade are frescoed, excepting those which fl1nk the windows of the transepts. These are pierc<'d wi•h apertures
for a single light, which form a seCl:ion of the de~i -:n of the
beautiful windows.
The tribunes, at the intersection of the chancel and transepts, are intended-one for the use of the religious community, the other for a cholr·organ when it shall be given.
In the chancel apse the bracketed statues of the Saints
are placed in a series of niches abo<•c the arcade, thus giving
a crowning effect to the whole design.
The roof is elaborately decorated with stucco, and richly
ornamented and embossed.
The pavement is of gray marble. \Ve notice. no~ ., · .
out heartfelt thankfulness, that a step in the right dir:.:ctinn
has been made in the matter of seats. The hideous unsightly pew (the invet1tion of Protestantism). with its closed
doors and its proprietary air, has given place to an open
elegant oaken settee.
The six confessionals are handsome structures, li~ewise
of oak.
.•
The altar rail is of marble supported by Corinthian fluted
shafts in metal work, with arches elaborately wrought.
The chancel gates are of like skillful workmanship.
THE HIGH ALTAR, graceful and majestic, is, as it ought
to he, the central feature of admiration. It is constructed
of blue-veined Italian marble, with moldings and cornices,
etc., chiseled in fair white statuary ·marble. It is tastefully
decorated with mosaic work, and all the shafts (or small pil-
�St..Praucis }tavier's, New York.
103
Iars) are of Mexican onyx. The front panels are ornamented
with sculptured floral devices, and the Holy Name (I H S)
is conspicuous in the center.
The Agnus Dei and the "Pious Pelican" embellish the altar wings. The tabernacle is of white marble. In the
beautifully embossed door we recognize the delicate touch
of that loving hand which sketched the design of its sister
in the Lower Church. Waving palm branches enwreath
the Chalice and Host. The cross is in the background, and
the imitation of "wood" is perfect. In the Host appears
the Sacred Heart of our Lord, while the Precious Blood is
flowing down from the gaping wound into the chalice belL~ <1. "Ecce Tabernamlttm Dei cumlwmiuibus" (Apoc. xxi,
~
:::scrolled in golden letters.
;-\oove th~ tabernacle rises majestically a white marble
canopy, intended to serve as a throne at Benediction-time
for the exposition of the Most Adorable Sacrament. This
2gain is surmounted by a graceful cupola. The shafts both
of the cup•>la and canopy are of onyx. The height of the
cupola, measuring from the sanctuary floor to the apex of
the cross, is 24 feet.
The gradines (sometimes erroneously called super-altars)
are spacious and dignified. The breadth of the altar is
nearly ,.;-...·\en feet. The massive candlesticks are 6 feet high.
The s:de alcars are exquisite gems of art, and in workmanship and finish of detail surpass even the grand altar.
They are all constructed of white statuary marble.
THE BLESSED VIRGIN's ALTAR is on the Gospel side. The
mmsa is supported by shafts of very perfect specimens of
Mexican onyx. In the graceful capitals the initial letter M
is tastefully formed of intertwining lilies. The central front
panel contains the Heart pierced with Sorrow (St. Luke ii,
35) in alto rdicvo. It is wreathed with roses, and three lilies sprout from the neck Angels bearing scrolls, "Regina
J1Jart)'rllm" and "Rq;ina Angclorum," occupy the niches in
the side panels. The gradine is inscribed with the prayer,
"S{mt7a .Maria, ora pro nobis." The panels of the screen on
each side of the tabernacle are filled with lilies in basso rc-
�104
St. Fra'"'ncz:S Xavier's, New York.
lievo, with the angelic salutation engraved on scrolls, "Ave
Maria, Gratia Plena." The tabernacle door is embossed
with lilies and rosary beads.
ST. JosEPH's ALTAR is modeled after a similar design:
the materials equally rich. The capitals of the onyx pillars
display the letter J. A group of lilies in alto relievo beautify the central panel.
"SanEte Joseph, ora pro nobis" is carved on the retable;
"Ave Joseph, Justus et Fidelis" on the scrolls of the screen.
THE ALTAR OF THE SACRED HEART is ereCted as a memorial of the late Father l\'lignard, on the part of the archsodality of the Sacred Heart. The front is divided into
panels. In the central one the Sacred Heart of JEsus is
surrounded by adoring cherubs. The other panels contain
the instruments of the Passion: the ladder and spear, the
scourge and the sponge. On·the gradine we read the prayer,
"Cor jeSZt, misen·re nobis." -The central niche of the reredos
is ornamented with a foliated cornice, and bordered with a
wreath of Passion flowers, vine leaves, and grapes, in basso
relicvo. The panels are diapered, and scrolls convey the
gracious invitation: "Venite ad llle, Ego reficiam vos."
THE ALTAR OF ST. ALOYSIUS, otherwise called the Students' Altar, is exceedingly chaste and simple. The Front
consists of two panels of diapered lilies, broken by a sen;icircular scroll, on which is carved, in Roman sunken letters,
the Jesuit motto: "Ali majormz Dd gloriam." In the center is a medallion, with the crown of thorns, the sacred monogram, and the nails of crucifixion, in alto rdic~·o, a device,
which is, in faCt, the "Seal" of the Society of JESus. On the
gradine is the invocation : Sancte .Aloysi, ora pro 11obis.~'.· The
screen is subd1vided into small panels, three on each side of
the niche. In the central panels, sculptured angels carry
scrolls, with the names "Berchmans" and "Stanislaus."
THE MURAL DECORATION.-One very admirable feature
of the church is the irresistible appeal to devotion, which
meets the eye of the worshipper in every direCtion. It is,
as it were, "a temple built of living stones." vVheresoever
he looks he will find something to speak to him, instruct
�St. Francis Xa1JZ'er\ New York.
105
him, console him, animate him; either preaching to him
the eternal truths of salvation, or recalling the memories of
the triumphs of faith; here encouraging him to fight manfully the battle of life, there cheering him on to the attainment of the glory which is to come. Beauty and edification are combined. The style of architeClure is such as to
admit even profuseness in gilding; this however is merely,
as yet, tastefully indicated. The windows are filled with
pleasing- geometrical glass of delicate tints, and the rich and
subdued effeCt is that of holy cheerfulness rather than the
"dim religious light" of a Gothic church. It is perhaps
needless to observe that the piCtorial style of stained glass
would be quite out of place in a building so lavishly adorned
with mural scenic paintings.
The frescoes were sketched and painted on the walls
themselves by 1\Ir. William Lamprecht. This artist obtained the medal of h-onor awarded in 1864 by the Royal
Academy of Art in Munic4, and two years later carried off
the first prize for historical composition. He is a pupil of
the celebrated Professor Schrandolf of Munich.
As the visitor enters the church he almost seems to meet
our Lord Himself, bearing His cross along the Via Dolorosa,
for the stations of the cross, in charaCters nearly life-size,
are painted at fresco on the walls. These frescoes fill the
whole space between the pilasters, and very beautiful they
look in their chaste, simple setting of polished dove marble.
Looking toward the high altar the eye is at once attraCted
by the bold frescoes which form a background to the arcade round the chancel apse. These represent the five principal events in the life of our Saviour :-His Conception
(commonly called the Annunciation of the B. V. M.), His
Nativity, His Crucifixion, ResurreCtion, and Ascension.
On-a lower level, ranged around the altar are portraits of
five typical missionary saints of the Society.
B. PETER CLAVER, the apostle of the blacks, who died a
martyr of charity.
VoL. xu-No. r.
14
�to6
St. Frm7cis Xavier's, New York.
.ST. FRANCIS JEROME, the evangelizer of cities, admirable
for his sweetness and patience.
ST. FRA:::\CIS BoRGIA, the zealous organizer of foreign missions, remarkable for his intense devotion to the real sacramental presence of JESus upon earth.
ST. JoHN FRANCIS REGIS, the missionary of peasants and
the meek uncomplaining victim of calumny.
B. PETER CAKISIUS, the reclaimer of protestants and schismatics, who by his success in withstanding the progress of
Lutheranism won for himself the title of "Apostle of Germany," while for his prodigious learning he was surnamed
"The Incomparable Canisius."
The mural paintings above the altar of our Blessed Lady
illustrate the Visitation and the Presentation in the Temple.
Over St. Joseph's altar are two very sweet pictures of the
workshop at Nazareth and the,death of St. Joseph.
In the west transept the small apse which contains the
student's altar, is beautified by (rescoes depicting on one
side the Guardian Angel, and St. Stanislaus in the garb of
a pilgrim receiving the Holy Eucharist from angelic hands
on the other.
THE SACRED HEART OF JESus.-The Altar of the Sacred
Heart, in the east transept, is adorned by two striking paintings; that on the right is a landscape view of the church .
and garden of Paray-le-l\Ionial as they exist to-day. In
the foreground a statue- marks the spot where our Divine
Lord appeared to B. Margaret Mary on the eve of her profession-an apparition known as "au berccau de Noisetiers."
She herself is kneeling there habited in the novice dress of
the Order of the Visitation.
..That on the left describes the most famous of the many
apparitions our Lord condescended to favor her with. She
was kneeling behind the grating of the nuns' choir, in adoration of the B. Sacrament, on a day within the octave of
Corpus Christi, when suddenly our Lord became visible to
her. "Jesus came to me all resplendent with glory, His
five wounds shining like five suns. Flames issued on all sides
from His Sacred Humanity, but particularly from His ador-
�St. Francis .Xavier's, New York.
107
able breast, which resembled a furnace. At the same time
He disclosed to me His most loveable heart, the living
source of these flames. I beheld His Heart on a throne of
fire and flames, shedding rays on every side. The wound
the divine Heart received on the cross was visible, and it
was encircled by a crown of thorns, and above it appeared
a cross. My Divine Master then said to me: 'Behold this
Heart, which has loved men so much that it has spared
nothing for them ; it has been exhausted and consumed to
testify its love for them, and in return from the greater
number I only receive ingratitude; they unceasingly grieve
Me by their irreverences and sacrileges, by the coldness and
neglect with which they treat Me in the sacrament of love.
But what grieves Me still more, is that hearts consecrated
to Me should treat Me thus. Therefore I ask thee that the
first Friday after the octave of Corpus Christi be consecrated as a special feast in honor of My Heart: the faithful
shall receive Holy Communion on that day, and offer solemn reparation for the indignities My Heart has received
when exposed on the altar3. I promise thee, that My
Heart shall be opened to shed the effects of its divine love
abundantly upon those who shall render it this honor, and
who by their zeal shall cause it to be rendered.'"
In the arcade of the same transept are representations of
The First Vows of the Companions of St. Ignatius and the
death of St. Francis.
THE APOTHEOSIS OF ST. FRANCIS.-The large central medallion on the roof at the intersection of the nave and transepts is one of the most beautiful frescoes in the church. It
represents St. Francis, clothed in priestly vesture, borne
heavenward by angels. One holds in readiness his crown,
another the lily, others are weaving garlands of flowers,
while a group are carrying a scroll, on which is inscribed
his constant favorite ejaculation, so oft repeated as he lay
dying and abandoned, "0, Most Holy Trinity!" The subject is, of course, purely ideal. The four less medallions
which surround the center-piece represent angels bearing
t;crolls which celebrate his virtues. One holds out the green
�108
St. Francis Xavier's, Nezv York.
palm of victory to "Xavier, the Apostle of the Indies," another the lily of chastity for "Xavier, Virgin in Soul and
Body," a third carries the cross and chalice, and salutes him
as "Defender of the Faith," the fourth, mirror in hand, proclaims him to be a "Mirror of true piety." The whole roof
of the church is treated .in a similar style. Angels with
scrolls invoke him in joyous Litany as "Destroyer of idols;
Helper in famine, pestilence and war; Terror of devils;
\Vhose power the sea and tempests obey: Life of the dead ;
Most obedient; Most chaste; Most poor; \Vorker of Miracles; Overflowing vessel of Divine love."
THE JAPANESE MARTYRS.-When in I549 Francis Xavier
entered Japan there was not one Christian in the country;
forty years later there were more than 200,000. Among
them were kings, princes, and bonzes. In I 588, however,
began that era of fiery persecution which, for its cruelty and
duration and the fortitude and constancy which it evoked,
is perhaps without a parallel in Christian annals.
The year I 597 was specially memorable by the glorious
crucifixion of twenty-six martyrs. This is the subject of
the fresco-painting on the north wall of the west transept.
The sufferers comprised three Jesuits, SS. Paul (MichiJ,
John (Gotto), and James (Kisai); six Franciscans; two altar boys, fifteen years of age, and a third who was but
twelve; the rest were converts. It is on record that the
boys astonished all beholders by the joy and courage with
which they suffered. All these lovers of the cross of Christ
were beatified by Urban VIII., and subsequently canonized
by Pius IX. in I 862. Their feast is observed on the 5th of
February. the day of their triumph.
..- •·
THE PATRONS OF YouTH.-This is the painting on the left
of the Students' Altar. It is in the conventional style. The
Infant JEsus, standing on his mother's lap, is giving to St.
Stanislaus his hand to be kissed; on the other side, St.
Aloysius, on bended knee, is accepting the lily of purity
from the Immaculate Virgin; in the foreground kneels
Blessed John Berchmans, clasping in his hands his crucifix,
beads, and book of rules, These three young men, all of
'!
\
�St. Francis Xavier s, New York.
them scholastics of the Company of Jesus, are universally
venerated, especially in the colleges of the Society, as the
patrons of youth. Aloysius is a type of purity and the
spirit of penance; Stanislaus, a model of simplicity and innocence; John Berchmans, of modesty and studiousness.
All three, stainless lilies in the terrestial garden of grace,
were transplanted to the glories of the celestial Paradise in
their virgin bloom. May they watch over the alumni of
their dear alma mater, the Society of Jesus! How intense
their love for the Society was, may perhaps be inferred from
the faa that St. Stanislaus walked over 1,400 miles to enter
the novitiate; Aloysius used to say that he would have
been content to have passed through Hell to have reached
it, while B. John could never speak of it without transport:
"My dear society! ... The society of my heart! ... The
work of an almighty finger! ... The living image of the
life our Lord led upon earth."
THE STATUARY.-In the center of the apse, above the
High Altar, stands the image of THE SACRED HEART OF
JEsus, and on either side THE BLESSED VIRGIN and ST. JoSEPH ; next are ST. IGNATIUS, holding in his hands the book
of the Constitutions of the Society, and ST. FRANCIS XAVIER,
preaching with crucifix raised aloft. After these come ST.
PETER, with the keys, and ST. PAUL, grasping the sword of
martyrdom. Ranged around the transepts figure the eleven
Apostles, while the two great windows are flanked by the
four Evangelists. ST. MATTHEW is recognized by the angelic attendant in human form; the lion crouches at ST.
MARK's feet; the ox designates ST. LuKE; the eagle, ST.
JoHN. These ancient symbols, derived from the Vision of
Ezekiel (i, 10), indicate the special charaaeristics of each
Evangelist. St. Matthew dwells on the human nature of
the God-man; St. Mark begins his gospel with, as it were,
a lion's voice roaring in the desert; St. Luke insists on the
priestly (sacrificial) charaaer of Christ; while St. John soaring high, like an eagle, teaches us the sublime truth of the
eternal Godhead, of the Word made flesh.
�I 10
St. Fran"'cis Xavirr's, New York.
The Apostles, likewise, can be readily distinguished by
their respeCtive emblems.
}AMES THE GREAT, the Apostle of Spain, waits staff in
hand, as if inviting us to visit his tomb at Compostella, once
a so famous place of pilgrimage. He can also be recognized by the shell.
JAMES THE LESS wields the author's pen, as a New Testament writer.
ST. JoHN holds in his hands the poisoned chalice which
he drank unhurt.
ST. BARTHOLOMEW, the knife, for he was flayed alive.
ST. PHILIP glories in the cross, to which his crucifixion
entitles him.
ST. MATTHEW points to the open pages of his Gospel.
ST. Sn!ON leans on the saw, one of the instruments of his
torture.
ST. JunE, beaten to death ·for the faith, is grasping the
club.
ST. THOMAS is conspicuous by the carpenter's rule
(square). This is his emblem as the patron of architeCts; a
tradition originating in one of the miraculous events of his
apostolate in India.
ST. ANDREW rests his hand upon his x shaped cross.
Below these are half-length effigies of the four greater
prophets, rising from the capitals of the clustered granite
pillars, and seeming fo bear up the vast arches of the
vaulted roof. These, too, have their respeCtive emblematic
devices, copied from a mediceval design, commemorative
either of their personal history or the more famous of t_heir
prophecies. The saw indicates IsAIAS and his painful 'manner of death. The "burning coal" and the "tree of Jesse"
are explained by the following texts: "One of the Seraphim
flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal from the altar,
and he touched my mouth" (Is. vi, 6). "There shall come
forth a stem out of the root of Jesse, and a flower shall
sprout forth" (xi, I).
JEREMIAS is charaCterized stroking his beard and weeping
I
)
�St. Francis Xavier1s, New York.
ttl
his laments over Jerusalem, her idolatry, and her doom,
both symbolized in the medallions beneath.
EzEKIEL carries the sword of martyrdom and the scroll
of the Word of God which he was bidden to eat (Ezek. ii,
8). The "city gate" reminds us of his celebrated prophecy
proclaiming the perpetual virginity of the Mother of God:
"This gate shall be shut, and no man shall pass through it,
because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it;
therefore it shall be shut" (Ezek. xliv, 2). The pair of scales,
or "balance," is an allusion to certain mystic rites he was
bidden to perform (ch. v ).
DANIEL is easily recognized by the lions, the three children in the furnace, and the basket of bread miraculously
brought to him when he was imprisoned in the lions' den.
Thus praCtically are we reminded of that exultation of
St. Paul: "The Church is built upon the foundation of
prophets and apostles, JESus Christ Himself being the chief
corner stone."
The statues in the nave are ranged in pairs, as follows:
ST. AuGUSTINE.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS.
(These two face the altar.)
ST. JoHN THE BAPTIST.
ST. MICHAEL THE ARcHANGEL.
ST. PATRICK.
ST. BRIDGET.
ST. FRANCIS.
ST. DoMINIC.
ST. TERESA.
ST. RosE oF LIMA.
ST. VINCENT OF PAUL.
ST. ALPHONSUS.
ST. CATHARINE OF SIENNA.
ST. CECILIA.
�KANSAS.
Letter from Fr. P. M Ponziglione.
OsAGE MISSION, NEosHo Co., KANSAS,
December 3 I, 1882.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
From an article of the Catlzolic World, December, I88r,
and another from the San Francisco Monitor, reported by
the St. Louis TVestcm vVatclmzan, July IS, r88z, page 7, it
appears that some learned men are inclined to believe that
the great St. Thomas extended his apostolical labors from
farther India to the Pacific coasts, and from California came
down to Arizona and 1\Iexiccr ~ This matter being very important from a historical point of view, it is worth while in
my opinion to inquire into it, for if it could be proved that
St. Thomas came down as far as Mexico, it would become
very easy to ~how the origin of several religious practices
of our vVestern Indians, practices about which neither they
nor we can give any satisfactory reason.
And here I do not intend to contradict what eminent
scholars have said or written on this matter; I only wish
to help the development of an intricate question, and if by
such inquiries it could be found out, without going so far
back as to St. Thomas, how these Christian practices, yet
in use amongst some of our vVestern Indians, especially the
Mexican, came to be introduced among their natiot~s;.we
should prefer this to any other theory on the subject.
Having been living with the Osages since ISS I, and having during this long period of time come in contact with
most all the different nations of our Indian Territory from
the gentle Cherokees who dwell on the eastern line, to the
wild Kiowas, the terror of the western boundaries, I have
examined their ways, habits, and traditions as closely as I
(112)
�Kansas.
113
could, and the only conclusion I could come to has been
that they seem to be of Jewish derivation almost without exception, and if in some of these nations praCtices are to be
found which appear to be of Christian origin, I do not think
that such can be traced so far back as to St. Thomas, but
they must be of more recent date.
Some time ago I wrote a letter on this subject to a friend
of mine, but as I have reason to think that he never received
it, I will reproduce it here, in hopes that it may perhaps
throw some light on this question.
The idea of bringing St. Thomas to plant Christianity on
the soil of l\Iexico is certainly a great one, I should say a
gigantic one! Those who hold such an opinion are no
doubt very learned, and the arguments which they adduce
in support of this hypothesis would appear to be very convincing.
As regards the etymology of the names and the symbols
of the great personage supposed to represent St. Thomas I
have nothing to say, for I acknowledge that I am quite ignorant of whatever concerns Mexican literature and traditions. My objection is rather to the institutions and ceremonies of the Aztecs, as representing the Sacraments as
well as other religious rites and usages of our holy religion,
such as monastic life, the fast of Lent, public penances, processions and the like, for I cannot feel inclined to look on
St. Thomas as the author of all these good things, but
would rather believe that at some early day, long before
Christopher Columbus discovered this country, some holy
and zealous Catholic Priests might have landed in Mexico
and planted on that virgin soil our holy religion, with all
its good practices. In process of time, however, those
Priests having died, and no others having been left to succeed them in the ministry, the faith which they had planted
must gradually have disappeared, so that by degrees all
marks of Christianity were effaced with the exception of
some few relics I might say of sacramental ceremonies, and
of other religious rites which the ministers of the pagan
VoL. xu-No.
1.
15
�i
14
~
Kansas.
worship must very willingly have adopted to induce the
converts to Christianity to return to them. The Priests of
the Aztecs were indeed shrewd enough to resort to artifices
of this nature.
You might ask me on what authority do I advance a
supposition as bold as this? Well I will tell you, that all my
authority rests upon an account of the discovery of a cave
reported to have been found in Florida at the beginning of
our late war. If the account given at that time by the newspapers be true, I think that my supposition would be the
easier to demonstrate what has been the origin of all these
relics of Christianity to be found amongst the l\lexican, as
well as \Vestern Indians.
I do not remember well whether it was during the first or
second year of our civil war, but I fee~ confident that it was
before the end of the third year that l read in the newspapers an account of a very inter.esting cave having been discovered in Florida; neither do I remember what paper it
was that gave the account, though it seems to me that it
was the 1l1issouri Republican. The mind of the people at
that time was so much preoccupied with the daily bulletins
of the war, that generally they would hardly care about
reading anything except news and reports concerning the
two conflicting parties. I read the article again and again,
and I am sorry that I did not preserve that paper.
In that journal it wa'"S stated that two young men of a
town in Florida (the names of the town and county being
very plainly given) were out fowling in the country, and following up the wounded game, it escaped into a bush growing out of some rubbish. The young men, anxious to b';ing
out their game, began to clear the bush with the butt of
their guns, and in doing this the gun of one of them fell
heavily on a large slab which sounded as if it were hollow
underneath. They wondered at the sound, and not caring
any longer about the game, they determined to find out
what mystery the rock concealed. They cleared out the
bush, and to their surprise they noticed some rude steps
going down to a small opening like a door. Here you may
I
ii
i
1
�Kansas.
115
easily suppose how their curiosity was excited!" They must
discover where these steps may lead, and as the i~side appeared to be very dark, they make torches of pine sticks,
and start down the steps on their exploring expedition. They
had not descended very deep when they found themselves
on the floor of a large cave. Seeing that the ground under
their feet was solid they moved around very cautiously examining the walls. And lo ! when they came opposite to
the entrance of the cave, they noticed some writings carved
on the rock. Quickly they raise their flickering torches to
see what was there written, and behold they found an inscription telling that in a certain year of the Christian era a
party of Danish navigators having been shipwrecked on the
coasts of Florida, succeeded in making a landing; they
were kindly received by the natives, who allowed them to
repair their vessel, and this having been refitted they were
obliged to depart. At the foot of this inscription was the
name "Romanus Pr;esbiter," which I can only translate as
follows, "Romanus, the Priest."
From this I can come to but one conclusion, that these
Danes must have been Catholics, and Romanus (whether
this was his patronymic, or whether he called himself so to
signify of what church he was Priest, makes no difference)
was their Chaplain, or he was some Missionary traveling to
visit his people. Now, the inscription says that no sooner
was their vessel refitted than they were obliged to depart;
well, it would seem but probable that they must have direCI:ec! their course to the nearest coasts, to supply themselves with fresh provisions, of which their unexpeCI:ed delay must have made them stand in need. Going on a course
due west they could but strike in the vicinity of Mexico.
and in all probability there they landed and remained for a
good while.
Now, supposing that really this was the case, it is but
probable that Roman us, aCI:ing according to the spirit of his
calling, must have tried to enlighten the natives, and God
helping him he must by degrees have made followers, and
so introduced Christianity amongst those people. Whether
�II6
Kansas.
Romanus was the only Priest that was in the vessel, or
there w~re more with him we cannot tell; this, however,
would not interfere with my supposition, for we know that
an apostolic man can convert a nation by himself, in the
same way as the Apostles did.
This hypothesis in my opinion can stand, and the probabilities are in its favor. We know from history that Denmark was once a good Catholic country with numbers of
Monks, Nuns, Priests, and Bishops, whose names we frequently find recorded in the Martyrology. Relics of their
ancient churches, and monasteries are yet standing to show
what that country was in former times. Moreover, in those
old days the Danes were a powerful nation, perhaps .the
best navigators of that age, and they boldly coursed the
seas in search of new countries, just as people do in our days.
Now, this hypothesis once adri1itted, the religious problem
concerning the origin of Christian-like rites amongst the
Aztecs of Mexico could in my opinion be very easily explained without bringing St. Thomas from India to the
Mexican shores.
Here you might ask, how can this matter about the cave
be ascertained? Well it seems to me that this could be
done without much difficulty. Let some historical society
of Florida offer a premium for the one who would be able
to find out whether such cave really exists, or not. Let
the newspapers of the different counties of Florida printed
during the first three years of the war be thoroughly
searched over, and ·the truth will come out. The expenses
and trouble of such an investigation would by no mean.s be
useless, for in the supposition that the reported disc;very
was a mere fabrication calculated to create a momentary sensation in literary circles, by now proving its falsehood an
historical error might be prevented in time. But if an investigation of this kind should prove that really a cave with
.such an inscription does exist, who can tell what light this
might throw upon the history of this country, and who
knows that this discovery might open the way to some
other of still greater importance.
-
.
PAUL
M.
PONZIGLIONE,
s. J.
(.
�Brother Micltacl Kavanagh.
)
ll7
NoTE.-As statistics should always be correCt, so I take
the liberty to inform you of an error made in the printing
of your LETTERS (vol. 1 I, n; 3) for September, 1882. At
page 281, line 13, it reads: "no less tlzan nine t!tousaud, &c.,"
it ought to be : "no less tlzan nine millions."
Again on the same page, line 24; "dwindle away to
hardly .fiftem t!zousmzds," it ought to be: "dwi11dle away to
!zardly fifteen lzzmdreds."
OBITUARY.
BROTHER MICHAEL KAVANAGH.
No better epitaph can be placed upon the grave of dear
Br. Michael Kavanagh than the following:
"Christo viventi mori lucrum,"
for whoever knew him during the 23 years he passed at this
Osage Mission can bear testimony that he lived, and labored
only for God, whom he recognized not only in the person
of his superiors and brethren, but also in that of the poorest of the Indians, to whose service and instruCtion he devoted the best part of his life.
Br. Michael Kavanagh came to Osage Mission on the
21st ofOClober, 1858, and in those early days the life ofa
Brother at this place was really a hard one, for the Brothers being very few in proportion to the community we had,
and the duties they had to attend to, a Brother frequently
was obliged to fill different offices at the same time. This
was the case with our Brother, of whom I can say in truth,
that he was ad domestica, that is to say for ariy job imaginable. Yet withal he never appeared to be tired, never was
heard to complain of having too much to do. When his
assistance was needed for any new exigency he was always
ready to accommodate every one, and you were sure to
meet him with a smile on his countenance and a sweet word
on his lips. He wa~ the model of a perfect religious; his
patience and charity were the most prominent of his virtues,
and these he displayed most remarkably when for some
twenty-five days he volunteered to take care of a wretched
�118
Brotlz;r Michael Kava11agh.
white man, who having been fatally wounded in a quarrel,
was brought to us in a dying condition.
The unhappy man, an American by birth, had been shot
in the lower part of his body, and his bowels were literally
torn to pieces. He was senseless when some strangers
brought him to us in the middle of the night and left him in
our charge. Indeed we did not know what to do! The
poor man needed assistance, and could not be refused a
shelter, but who could take care of him? Good Br. Kavanagh seeing the perplexity of our Superior offers himself on
the spot to be the nurse. His offering is received with
pleasure, and every one feels confident that the wounded
man is in good hands.
The charitable Brother goes to work, and in a few minutes he has the dying man on a comfortable bed, he gives
him some stimulant, and watches by him most carefully
during the the balance of the ..night. The poor man, who
is of portly proportions, is quite helpless; he is sobbing and
roaring like a wild stag that has been shot by hunters, and
so exhausted is he from the loss of blood that for two days
he is not able to speak a work. He is one of those who
profess no religion, and his being so sadly hurt is but the
consequence of his debauchery! At last he recovers his
intelligence, and looking around, like a man who awakes
from a long sleep, he seems to wonder at finding himself in
a religious house. He~ looks up with suspicion and contempt, he gives no answer to our questions, he curses frequently and shows himself irritable and sullen! Such conduet did not discourage our dear Brother, 0 no indeed. :He
passes over all this, and just as if the poor man had been
one of his best friends, he nurses him, he dresses his
wounds, and tries to assuage his pains with more love and
tenderness than a mother ever would show to the dearest
of her children. Such charity was bound to conquer. The
unfortunate man by degrees became conscious of his dangerous condition, his looks became more friendly, he speaks
more freely, and appears sensible to kindness; he begins to
enjoy our company, likes to converse about God and the
(
�l3rotlzer Midzael Kavanaglz.
\
119
future life, and craves for instruCtion. Meanwhile the
weather being very warm mortification sets in, his flesh is
fast falling into corruption, and he is a living corpse! He
sees that death is on him, and following the inspiration of
grace with which God in his mercy is moving his heart, he
wishes to be reconciled with his Creator. He publicly par-·
dons his enemies, he deplores the scandals he has given
in his life time. At his request he is baptized, and strengthened with the last Sacraments, he dies the death of a sincere penitent on the 29th of July, 1868. The conversion,
and, as we hope, the salvation of this man were due to the
heroic patience and charity of our dear Br. Michael Kavanagh. These virtues, which in several other instances he
displayed with an equal courage and perseverance, drew on
him the esteem of all that knew him. vVe could but admire him, and the children loved him most tenderly.
By the end of last June, having settled all the accounts
of our scholars, he bade them farewell. They went home
to their vacations, and he being affliCted with an inflammation of the bowels was obliged to withdraw to the infirmary,
where his case soon appeared to be a serious one. He felt
that the time for his dissolution was at hand, and far from
flattering himself with the hope of recovery, he made his
preparation for death, full of confidence that he would not
miss his reward! And this was no presumption in him, for
after 23 years of continual labor in the service of God in this
our Mission, he could say with truth that he had 'fought
the good fight' against his passions, he had •finished his
course' with honor, he had 'kept the faith' in the midst of
numberless temptations, and now he had a right to expeCt:
that crown which God, always faithful to his promises, will
never deny to his servants.
He lingered in great distress for over one month ; at last
- on the 18th of August he slept in the Lord, after having received the last Sacraments with most edifying devotion. At
his death, he was 62 years of age ; of these he had passed
29 in our Society. In him we had a treasure, and alas! his
death made us really understand how valuable he was to
�120
.. Missionary labors.
us. May his soul rest in peace, this is the prayer of all,
who for so long witnessed his virtuous deeds; and this is
particularly my own prayer for him who during so many
years has been my right hand in taking care of the poor Indian children, and who never refused me a service no mat·ter how tired and busy he might be. R. I. P.
PAUL l\L PoNZIGLIONE, S. J.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM THE MIDDLE OF JULY TO DEC. 25TH, 1882.
MARBLEHEAD, MAss.- T~e Summer in Boston this year
during the months of May and June was unusually cool,
and thus favored the work of the Fathers engaged in Missions.
In the month of June we gave two missions in the diocese of Springfield, and we found the fire in our rooms very
comfortable, especially in the mo~nings and evenings.
In Houlton, Maine, where one of the Fathers gave two missions in June also, the snow was scarcely melted in some
places. 'vVe gave a mission even in July at Marblehead,·
about twenty miles-north-east from Boston, near the st:a,
and we found the weather very pleasant. We thus can
continue our work in New England during the Summer
months, which would be impossible in the South.
Retreats to the clergy and to the sisters formed the chief
work, however, in July and August. Rev'd Theodore A.
Metcalf, formerly Chancellor of this diocese, and now the
Pastor of the church in Marblehead, invited our Fathers to
give a mission to his people.
Marblehead is a port of entry of Essex Co., Mass., on an
irregular rocky peninsula of its own name. It is pleasantly
situated in an excellent harbor which is accessible at all seasons to vessels uf the largest class. The congregation of
�Missio11ary Labors.
121
this place is larger in Summer than at any other time, as
many persons from the cities have cottages here, and
the large hotels in the town are filled with boarders in the
warm weather. The inhabitants are extensively engaged
in the cod fisheries. Many ships and brigs, owned here,
.sail from and return direCt: to Boston. There are also
manufaClures of various kinds. The principal articles produced are boots and shoes, which give employment to our
Catholic people, both men and women.
The church is a very handsome one and being situated
on high ground the steeple with its large gilt cross is the
most prominent objeCt: that strikes the traveller's eye as you
come near the place. The Fathers found work enough for
a week. Many who made the mission and filled the church
every day came from a distance. The children formed an
important part of our care, as there are no Catholic schools
here, and many of them were being prepared for First Communion and Confirmation. Two converts presented themselves to be received into the Church. They were left in the
care of the Pastor for more instruCtion. One was an Englishman, the other a native of the town. One thousand
confessions were heard, and Holy Communion given to
nine hundred.
CENTRALIA, PA.- This mtsston began September 17th,
and ended on the 24th. Two days more were spent here, in
order to catch those who had not had the courage to come
to confession during the previous week. This was a good
idea, as some who had not been to the exercises, took advantage of this last opportunity to confess their sins. A
leeture was also given by Father Maguire during this time.
There was in honor of our Blessed Lady a fine procession
of the children through the town on the second Sunday of
the mission.< 1>
Centralia has about two thousand inhabitants, and is in
the very heart of the coal country. The miners are of va(IJ
Due to the zeal of Father Casey.
VoL. xu-No.
1.
16
�Missionary labors.
rious nationalities. The Irish are quite numerous, and
hold on to their faith and its praCtices. Notwithstanding
the troubles of former years on account of the "l\Iollie Maguires," it is now thonght that that reign of terror is over
forever. Certainly the Catholics in this town have no sympathy for secret societies, as they have already lost too.
much by them. The congregation numbers, perhaps,
twenty-five hundred, scattered through the town and the
neighboring collieries. It is composed principally of Irish,
though there are some Gennans and Poles, living near the
"Dark Corner," who are very good Catholics. The Irish
in some parts of the coal regions are more like a colony
transplanted from the old country. They have the oldtime customs and festivals, are very striCt in regard to the
holy days of obligation, and on St. John the Baptist's feastnight have the mountains ablaze with bonfires for miles and
miles around.
'
The Fathers were much pl~ased with these good people,
and, especially, with the children for whom two instruCtions
were given every day. The boys, though sent to work too
soon, are smart and innocent. They are the "pickers" in
the mines, that is, they separate the slate from the coal at
the breakers, or immense sieves on inclined planes. No
machinery can do the work of these urchins ; and hence
when they quit work, all mining operations have to cease.
And they know this, and, now and then, put the bosses in
mind of it by giving up work, when any injustice is done
them. During the evenings, it was amusing to see these
little fellows struggling, and almost fighting for their turns
at the confessionals. The Fathers were obliged to interfere,
to prevent trouble and to see justice done. The older folk
were no less anxious than their children to comply with the
conditions of the exercises. An old woman, who had
walked for four miles fasting said: "Father, I want to make
this mission under Father Maguire. I was one of those
who fasted until six o'clock in the evening seventeen years
ago, when the Fathers were in Pottsville in Schuylkill
County."
�Missionary Labors.
123
There were two thousand Communions; five Protestants
were received into the Church; a hundred persons gave
their names for Confirmation. Two or three hundred scapulars were distributed during the week.
Frs. Maguire, Casey and Morgan gave this mission.
In the midst of the coal country, one sees how gigantic
the business is, and what a revenue the companies must
have that own, or rather monopolize the mines. By purchase, or by tricks too well knO\vn on 'change, a few railroad corporations control the trade. The price current is
in their hands ; the miners get less wages now than formerly, and are not allowed, for months at a time, to work
more than three days in the week for fear of an overplus in
the market, and a consequent fall in the value of coal. Such
dealings give the companies a bad name at home and abroad.
,,
I
ST. MARY's, PHILADELPHIA (Oct. r-15).-This church was
built by the Society in 1763, but during the suppression it
fell into the hands of the secular clergy. Very little comfort has it given to its pastors since the opening of the century. What with trustees, bad Catholics, and bad priests,
the faithful have had to undergo many trials. Of late years,
and, especially, now under the management of its zealous
pastor, DoCtor Horstman, the congregation, once the most
aristocratic in the city, is gaining in the number, if not in the
wealth of its members. The history of this church and the
Hogan schism is too well known to be repeated here. Suffice it to say that the ringleaders against the Bishops were
cursed in themselves and their children. It is sad to read
the names on the tombstones in the graveyard near the
church, and to refleCt that many of the descendants of the
people buried there have lost their faith, and are now its
bitterest enemies. The Barrys, Meades and Careys, historic names in civil and ecclesiastical affairs of our country,
are for the most part, no longer Catholics. The spirit of
rebellion which they showed has produced in their children,
apostasy, its natural effeCt. The most infamous book ever
written in America on the celibacy of the clergy has for its
author a grandson of Matthew Carey.
�124
Missionary Labors.
The mission was overcrowded from the beginning, as the
pastor thought it unnecessary to divide the congregation.
The men fared badly, as the women took nearly the whole
church to themselves. The galleries, after three or four
days, were reserved for the men, and then they had a chance
to make the mission. The pastor saw his mistake too late
to correct it.
Among the results of the mission it may be mentioned
that eleven Protestants were baptized, and others left under
instruction. Though in truth this counting of converts as
the work of the mission needs to be taken cautiously. In
two cases out of ~hree, the candidates present themselves
the first days of the exercises, and are not carried along by
the general excitement, not having even heard any of the
sermons. The mission gives them an opportunity to receive
instruction, and encouraged -by the example of others, they
embrace the faith. These~femarks are made to do away
with the prejudice against mission converts, though it seems
a proper thing to listen to an erring brother and instruct
him at any time.
There were 4,250 Communions ; 1 10 adults were Confirmed, and 40 prepared for First Communion. Many marriage cases were settled.
J. A. M.
Our next mission~ was at ST. ANDREW's CHURCH, CITY
HALL PLACE, NE\v YoRK; it lasted two weeks, from OEI:ober 22nd to November 6th. Fathers Maguire, Langcake,
Morgan and Kavanagh gave the exercises. This church
was formerly used by the Universalists. Afterward?)~ was
known as Carroll Hall. Here it was that Archbishop
Hughes fought against the Public Schools. And yet, strange
to say, there is no school belonging to this church. In faEl:,
the parish)o-day is about what it was twenty years ago. It
seems to be waking, and will try to make up for lost time.
This mission was the first ever held in the church. The
pastor, Fr. l\IcMahon, was very well satisfied with our labors.
The women, of course, attended well. The men were
greatly benefited, and thE; vast majority received the Sacra-
�Missionary Labors.
125
ments, but not all. There are several who live within a
stone's-throw of the church, who have not ueen in the church
for over twenty years. A day or two before the mission
opened, one-of the assistants was called to see a sick man.
He asked the wife if she was going to attend the mission.
"What mission?" "Why, the one to begin Sunday." "That
is the first I have heard of it, your Reverence." Then she
began to speak about, as she supposed, the pastor, and
when told he died nearly three years ago, she was astonished. This is not an isolated case; plenty more like it are
to be found. The parish is quite cosmopolitan; all nations
are represented; Irish, Germans, Italians, Chinese, etc. The
pastor did all in his power to make the ~ission known, yet
he was a little afraid that the people would not attend as
well as he would like; but when he saw the number on
the first day he smiled, and said: "my trouble is over: the
mission will be all, and more "than I hoped."
Every pew was filled, and all the aisles were packed. St.
Andrew's never had so many within its walls betore, and
the men on the second week turned out even better than
the women.
This is perhaps one of the worst parishes in the city; the
famous Five Points is situated a little north of the church.
Here the Howard Mission House tries to entice the children to their services, by means of food and clothing. One
child accused herself in confession of worshiping false Gods;
that was too much for me, and asking how, the answer I
got was that she went to the Mission House. But this was
nothing in such a place, where ignorance and vice were
rampant. We shall have to travel far before we find, on the
whole, as hard cases. There were some very good ones,
where are there not? but the bad ones by f:1.r predominated.
Superstition was rife, and fortune tellers reaped a rich harvest, but the poor boxes did likewise during the mission.
This must have got abroad, as they were broken open once,
and twice a man was arrested who hid himself in the church.
I was a little astonished one day; a man had been away
from confession ten years; that much settled, I asked him:
�~
126
Missionary Labors.
"\Vhat have you been doing since?" "In the liquor business, your Reverence. "Confirmation was to be administered
after the mission, and as it can be received but once, grave
doubts were raised; e. g.: "I've got a ticket for Confirmation,
your Reverence; but I think I was confirmed before."
"Why do you think so?" "\Veil, your Reverence, I think
I was confirmed in Ireland." "But don't you remember?"
"Not very well, your Reverence; but I think I was." "How
old were you when you left Ireland?" "About eighteen,
your Reverence." "Surely you ought to remember then."
"Well, your Reverence, you know the Bishop does not
come around very often, and I was a little fellow at the time."
"But why do you ·think you were confirmed?" "\Veil, your
Reverence, I think I remember my mother telling me once,
that the parish priest put ashes on me." The poor fellow
was as serious as could be about the matter, and had grave
doubts whether he should present himself or not. Such
tales might be multiplied ad infinitum. One amusing case
I must tell. When we would tell the old women to say the
aa of contrition; not a word; then when we began it for
them, they would tell us, "I have it in Irish," and then say
it in Irish. One of this class who, I afterwards found out,
would not be satisfied unless she said a whole string of
prayers in Irish, before she began her confession, came to
me. \Vhen I opened the slide she looked at me in astonishment, her hood was- thrown off, she was all prepared to
hear well. When she saw me, she cried out, "Ah-h-h, sure
you are not my little man, where is he?" Supposing she
meant one of the assistants, I told her he was hearLn·g in
the box in the end of the church. She started up to go to
him, and instead of going around she climbed over three or
four benches which were placed between the boxes. She
did not go to the box at the end of the church, but stopped
at Fr. Morgan's, where in spite of all he could do, she had
her say in Irish, which took her nearly ten minutes. Those
preparing for confession, and bringing themselves to a hearty
sorrow, lost it all for a while; in faB:, one of them made it
a cause of confession that she laughed at the old woman
climbing over the benches.
�M£ssio1Zary Labors.
1.
As a result of the mission we had nearly 6,ooo Communions-So adults were prepared for First Communion. Ten
were Baptized, and two more left for instruction. On the
Monday following the mission, His Grace, Archbishop Corrigan, administered Confirmation to 588, of these 350 were
adults. Some of them were hardly able to walk from old age.
It was a grand sight, and yet a sad one; grand to see the
good work done; sad to think so many had been neglected.
I forgot to mention in the proper place an incident at one
of the sermons. One night while preaching on death, Fr.
Maguire said: "Now, I want to ask you two questions, and
I want you to answer them. Is there any one here in
mortal sin?" Here he paused as for a reply. One of the
men shouted out, "Yes, Father, I am," and immediately
another replied, "And I am too." Some thought they
were drunk, but the pastor says they were perfectly sober,
but earnest. The second question was then put: "Where
would you go, if you were to die to-night?" He did not
stop here, as he did not wish a scene, but in spite of all, the
first fellow shouts out: "to Hell, sure."
If the work is hard, such results as these well repay us
for all, and urge us on to gather in the harvest, and ask
the good Master to send more laborers. It is time I think
to stop or my communication may be thrown in the waste
basket. One word more, it is to return thanks to those
who assisted us to hear confessions. The two assistant
Rectors of St. Andrew's worked nobly; besides these FF.
Toner, Daubresse and Nash claim our thanks, which, for
want of something better, we most heartily give them.
If you would excuse me, I would add as a P. S. that the
mission ended the day before elections, a time to lay by lots
of barrels. The boys of St. Andrew's were not slow in this
regard, but to their credit let it be put, that two barrels belonging to the church were respected, and not one of the
young gamins thought of touching them, although they
were within their reach all day.
Enough about St. Andrew's. Let us on to Philadelphia
and take a look at
�128
... Missionary Labors.
ST. AGATHA's.
The west Philadelphians, not having the culture of the
Hub, are quite primitive in their pronunciation of proper
names. St. Agatha's in their mouths becomes St. Agatha's.
His Grace hoped one of the results of the mission would be
the proper pronouncing of the name of the patroness of the
church. This was the second mission given by Fr. Maguire in the new church; it began on November 14th and
ended on November 28th. The first one was four years
ago on the opening of the new church. The church is very
beautiful. The more you see of it, the more you like it.
What is best about it, it is all paid for. There is a debt of
twenty thousand dollars on the ground, which the pastor
says he can pay at any time ; but he does not care about
doing so. The old church with residence, if sold, would
bring him more than the debt. He has no school at present, but when opportunity~ offers he will have one. Just now
he is looking for an eligible site. Two or three could be
had, but a clear title to the property cannot be obtained,
DireCtly opposite the residence a splendid position, and sufficiently large-, is offered, but unfortunately, there is some
flaw in the title. It is only a question of time; a man who
can build such a church as the pastor has done, and pay off
the debt in such a short time will not be long without a
school-house.
Seventeen years ago, there were but three hundred people in the parish, now the number is twenty-five hundred.
I do not suppose they will increase much more, but they
are generous, love and respeCt: their pastor who l.~as their
interest at heart. He is indeed a father to them. We can
bear witness to the zeal of the pastor and his assistants, for
they were all at work during the mission nearly as hard as
ourselves. A hint was enough to get them to do anything.
They were always ready to do their share, and so willingly
that it was a pleasure to be with them: the name of the
pastor is Rev. John Fitzmaurice; the assistants are FF.
Brannan and McAnany.
�Missionary Labors.
129
The church although large could not hold all who came.
It was soul-inspiring to have such an audience before you.
There must have been more than five hundred at the five
o'clock Mass every morning. This is,. perhaps, one of the
best signs of how the mission is going on, when sleep will
be neglected, and fatigue forgotten in the good will shown
to do the mission well. If the priests pleased us so did the
people. The best of good will was shown. Even the little ones came out in numbers: over five hundred attended
the instructions every day. The class for adults also was
well attended, and among them were many Protestants.
Fifteen were baptized, and four left for further instruction.
One member of the adult class, said he was born in
Mexico. His color would give no indication as he was
much darker than Mexicans generally are. He was none
of your common trash, not he. Any one who could boast
of a name like his could not demean himself to be classed
among the Vulgar herd. He gloried in the name of General
Philip Sheridan, who gave it him. "Have you any other
name?" "Yes, sah." "What is it?" "Prince Albert, sah."
Who will ask what is in a name after that? • He was a conundrum from first to last. "'vVas he really baptized?" was
the question often put, but the darkey himself always insisted that he was, and that General Sheridan gave him his
name.
The number of Communions given numbered over 6,000.
Of course this number did not come from the parish. Persons came from all parts ; some even from the other extremity of the city. Over 40 made their First Communion.
To show the generosity of the people, let me give an account of the collection taken up to defray the expenses of
the mission. Two or three weeks before the mission began, the big collection of the year, that to pay the interest
on the debt, was taken up. During the mission, outside of
the ordinary collections, the women gave in their collection
$450, and the men $432. What great things can be done
in Philadelphia.
During this mission a great number of marriages was settled. I mention it here on account of the number-there
VoL. xn. No.
1.
17
�130
~
Missiouary Labors.
were enough for three or four missions. After the mission,
receptions to the Sodality and Temperance Society were in
order. Sixty boys joined the Cadets of Temperance, and
over fifty men the Temperance Society. The Sodality was
the great feature: over three hundred persons, male and female, consecrated themselves to our Blessed Lady. This
was a good ending to our two weeks' labors. May that
Blessed Mother always help us to make sinners feel that
she is their sure and safe refuge.
This mission was given by FF. Maguire, Morgan, Hamilton and Kavanagh. Our thanks are due to FF. McElhone
and Regnery, who came from other parishes, to help us to
hear confessions.
H. K.
MISSIONS
BY
FR. HAMILTON.
Fr. Hamilton opened a fTlission Oetober 8th in ST. BERNARD's CHURCH, \VEST NEWTON, MAss., Fr. C. McGrath,
Pastor. This mission lasted two weeks, during which time,
over I zoo persons received the Sacraments of Penance and
Holy Communion. Three mixed marriages were made all
right, and four converts were left for instruCtions for Communion. There is a great deal of bigotry existing in this
little town, even to such an extent that servant girls, in
some cases, were forbidden to attend the mission, on the
ground that it was enough to go to the meeting on the Sabbath day. Nevertheless, the good servant girls came every
da)' for at least one exercise. At the building of this church,
some years ago, the Protestants attempted to put a stop to
the good work on hand, but some found out to the"fr··cost
that the Irish were too much for them. The Mayor of the
town was called upon to aa as Umpire in the case, and finding the Irish in real earnest, he was obliged to decide in their
favor. At this mission the Pastor was requested not to ring
the big bell at so early an hour in the morning as 5 o'clock.
With this request the Pastor politely complied, as he would
not have the applicants disturbed at such an unseasonable
hour. But my good Irishmen turned out in strong force
about four and a ha~f in the mornings, and the clattering of
�Missionary Labors.
131
their heavy brogans upon the hard, concrete pavements,
was more than enough to disturb the slumbers of seven
times seventy sleepers.
On the 29th of OCtober, another mission was begun by
Fr. Hamilton, at the CHURCH OF THE STAR OF THE SEA,
EAsT BosTON, MASS., Fr. John O'Donnell, Pastor, Fr. Kenealy, Curate. Only one week's mission could be given in
this parish, on account of the mission which was about to
begin at St. Agatha's, West Philadelphia. The Pastor was
pleased with 8oo Communions and with the conversion of
the head of a family of seven Catholic children. Many who
had been away from their religious duties for years were
brought back to the church once more. During this mission at East Boston, the only death which took place was
that of a little girl, eight years old, who insisted on coming
to confession to Fr. Hamali1l and to get the blessing. A
few hours after she received absolution, she was terribly
mangled by the railroad cars, but lived long enough to receive the Sacrament of Extreme UnCtion.
The mission at ST. AuGUSTINE's CHURCH, BRIDGEPORT,
CoNN., commenced one week after the mission at St. Agatha's. In Bridgeport we have the residence of the celebrated showman, P. T. Barnum. As we enter the city of Bridgeport, our attention is attraEl:ed by the howlings of Barnum's
wild -cats, lions, leopards, tigers and. other animals.
Fr. Maguire who opened this mission was called at the
end of the first week to begin another mission in the beautiful church of St. Francis Xavier in New York city. Fr.
Kavanagh and I were left to continue the work at Bridgeport, and we were kept at that work from 5 o'clock Monday morning until 10 o'clock Saturday night. With the
help of the kind Pastor and assistants, we managed to hear
upwards of 4,000 men, and amongst the number we had a
good sprinkling of aCtors, aCtresses, weight-lifters and pugilists of Mr. Barnum's circus. Besides the men, we had over
4,000 women to confession, and 14 children were baptized,
�Missionary Labors.
each of whom was large enough to come to the mission unattended.
N. B. The Pastor's name is Thos. Synnott; assistants,
John Synnott and Fr. \V. Shanley.
The proprietors of the dance-h~lls, concert saloons, barrooms and other places of the kind were asking the question: "\\'hat is a mission? Our places are deserted. \Vhat's
going on?" The answer was: "You had better step up
that way and see for yourselves."
Fr. Hamilton was also engaged at Marblehead, Mass., to
prepare the people for the feast of St. Theodore, November
8th. Six hundred persons, more than half of whom were
men, received Holv Communion.
Whilst the othe; Fathers were engaged at Bridgeport or
New York, Fr. Morgan gave several small retreats. After
a triduum at JEXKINTOWN, where the people were prepaced
for the feast of the church, the Immaculate Conception, he
gave a three days' mission at SNOW HILL in New Jersey,
[December 10- I 3]. There js a settlement of negroes around
the church, but all are Methodists, and, at the same time,
great shouters when they get religion. Their ministers
kept up a revival whilst the Catholics were attending the
exercises. The fervor of these colored people did not prevent them from stealing a part of the. weatherboarding from
the Catholic Church sometime ago, nor the wooden monuments from their own graveyard.
Short missions were also given at GLASSBORO and WooDBURY. This part of Jersey is very sandy, and yet good crops
of corn and potatoes with other products of truck farming
are noticed on all sides in summer. The towns are kept up
by the manufacture of glass. In these retreats there were
nearly seven hundred Communions.
Fr. Langcake during the autumn gave missions at BosTON, in St. Mary's, for the Sodalities, in UTICA, and in vVASHINGTON for the colored people. Results were over-eight
thousand Communions.
General results for the autumn: First Communion, adults,
175; Confirmation, adults, 595; Baptism, adults, 48; Baptism, children, 20; Co~munions, 39,600; Converts to be
instructed for Baptism, 12.
NoTE.-To the above results must be added the figures
for St. Francis Xavier's Church, New York, where one of
the principal missions of the autumn was given. The account of it has not yet arrived, but is promised for our next
number.
·
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XII, No.
2.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
BY FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
CHAPTER IV.
First year among tlze Ffatlzeads.-St. Mary's Mission.
of
Aug. I5; I8p. On the _day
the Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, towards sunset, during the finest
weather imaginable, and when all our party were in excel-·.·
lent health and spirits, we arrived at Fort Hall, where we
. were welcomed as friends by Captain Hermelinger. Although a Protestant, this worthy Scotchman overwhelmed
us with favors, and promised to recommend us to all the
forts and trading-posts of his Company. vVe found Father
De Smd here, who had arrived the day before: he was full
of joy, for he was able to present to us the advance guard
of our prospeCtive neophytes. A meeting under happier
auspices would be impossible, and on both sides it was
marked with deepfelt manifestations of gladness. The Flatheads were very quiet and somewhat undemonstrative in
manner, but from the affectionate way in which they grasped
our hands, it was easy to perceive that their hearts were
satisfied. How much they had done to obtain the Black
Robes! How many repeated supplications, journeys and
sacrifices! They beheld us at last, and with us they saw
VoL. xu-,No.
2.
18
(133)
�134
Reco!le.flions if the Rocky Mountains.
..
those succors for which they had been hoping, and being unable to express their sentiments over their good fortune, they kept silent : but their silence assuredly did not
arise from want of feeling or intelligence. The Flatheads
think and feel deeply, and those before us were their chosen
men. "I am only an ignorant and sinful man," said the
chief of the deputation, "but with all my heart I thank the
Great Spirit for what he has done for me; I wish no longer
to live, except for prayer, and I shall pray until my death."
They told us that after the departure of Fr. De Smet, the
Flatheads never ceased praying for his happy return; that
all their brethren still persevered in their good dispositions;
that the greater number of them knew by heart the prayers
that had been taught them; that regularly twice a day, and
three times every Sunday, the whole tribe met to recite the
prayers in common; that five or six baptized children had
gone to heaven; that a young girl of twelve years, seeing
herself to be at the point-of death, had asked for Baptism,
and Peter, the Iroquois, had baptized her under the name
of Mary; and when she was about to die, she exclaimed:
"How beautiful it is: I see l\lary, my l\Iother !"
August z8. Setting out from Fort Hall under the guidance of our best friends, the first step came nigh proving
fatal to us; but thanks be to God, it only gave us a new
proof of their devotion towards us. At the passage of the
Snake River, which is a very rapid stream, one of our
Brothers having lo~t the control over his mules, the whole
team was swept into a place where the water was over their
heads. It was all over with the driver, had not our gallant
Flatheads immediately flung themselves into the \Y.,at_er, and
although they managed to keep the novel gondola· afloat,
yet in spite of all their efforts, three of the mules were
drowned, and one of the Brothers, who to avoid the same
fate had crept to the back of the wagon, would have also
perished, had not our hunter, at the peril of his life, enabled
him to escape by backing up his horse to the rear of the
wagon. In his efforts to save the baggage, which contained all
the treasures of our chapel, this brave man who was the most
�RecolleflioJZs
of
tlze Rocky Mountains.
135
powerful swimmer in the party, labored so strenuously that
on reaching the bank, he fell from exhaustion. Luckily,
everything was in safety, when his strength gave out. It
chanced that on this day, through some unforeseen causes of
embarrassment, we had, contrary to our custom, set off
without having recited the itinerarium. After such a lesson,
we never again failed on this point.
A few days 'after this, some Indians were perceived at
a short distance, and the cry was raised: ·'Blackfeet! Blackfeet!" Five of the Flatheads, as soon a:; the alarm was
given, seized their arms, and mounting their horses proceeded at full speed to reconnoitre the enemy. After an
hour's time they reappeared at the head of a dozen Indians,
who were fully armed for the warpath. They were not
Blackfeet, but the party was composed of men, who were
perhaps still more to be dreaded, seeing that but a short
time before they had violated the rites of hospitality in regard to nine Flatheads, who had escaped being massacred
only by defending themselves against the attack of a whole
village. On that occasion the brother of the chief had been
killed by the Flathead chief, Michael, and Michael was now
brought face to face with the leader in the treacherous assault. But this was not the time to call him to account for
his conduCt:. The Bannocks were received in a friendly
way; but, nevertheless, the Flatheads refused to smoke
with them. Two or three days afterwards, their whole
camp, of which these were a scouting party, joined us. We
profited by this circumstance, as in duty bound, to let them
see that the spirit of revenge is alien to the charaCter of the
true religion.
On the second Sunday after the Assumption, when the
Church celebrates the festival of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary, our little pioneer party consecrated itself to that pure,
compassionate and generous Heart, which had already been
a source of grace to its members, and which will become
for the whole tribe a source more abundant still of benediction and consolation. The eve of this day was remarkable
for the great quantity of fish which we caught with a line iQ
�I
36
Recolleflions of t!ze Rocky .Mozmtains.
~
a little stream flowing by the gospel-side of the chapel. In
less than an hour we landed more than a hundred, and it
was a neat performance-true, however improbable it _may
appear,-to catch two fish at a time on one hook. It seemed
like a prognostic of what was shortly going to happen. One
must travel for a long time in the wiluerness, in the midst
of privations and dangers to understand the joy that fills
the missionary's heart at the least sign which can be referred to his ministry.
August 30. After having wound our way through a long
gorge of the mountains, we emerged upon a great plain, on
the western edge of which the Flathead camp was pitched.
As we drew nigh to it, messengers in quick succession came
out to meet us. One of them, who was, distinguished
from the others by a broad red scarf, resembled in some
sort a marshal of France. He is one of the finest looking
warriors of the Rocky Mountains. As a proof of his regard
for the Superior of the Mission, he had sent forward his bes.t
horse, with a prohibition fo"r any one to mount him, until
he had been delivered up. Shortly after this, we perceived
a very tall Indian riding towards us at full speed, and all
began to cry out: "Paul! Paul!" It was, in truth, Paul,
who had received Baptism the preceding year; it was
thought that he was absent, but he was actually in command of the camp, for by a special providence he had just
arrived in order to have the pleasure of presenting to his
people those who were going to devote themselves to their
welfare. Towards sunset, Fr. De Smet and his companions
were in the midst of their neophytes; children, young men,
the aged, mothers carrying their little infants, all vied with
one another in pressing forward to shake our hands. ~Jt was
as if they had but one heart and one soul. As the sun was
about to sink, the scene was most touching and almost
magical. Only a mother can understand what is meant by
the return of a long absent son. She may in some manner
enter into the feelings of the Missionary, who for the first time
finds himself surrounded by a numerous family, which he
has never seen before, and which nevertheless, is already entirely devoted to him.
�RecolleCtions of tlte Rocky Mountains.
I
37
September. It was necessary before winter set in, to select a place for the future reduction, to prepare such shelter
as was indispensable, and, finally, ac·cording to the universal desire, to construct a house of prayer. There was, then,
no time to spare. Consequently, we left the hunting camp,
where all were busily occupied in gathering supplies of provisions, and continued our journey under the guidance of
the small party, which had been acting as our escort.
September 24. vVe passed through the gorge, which has
been called Hell-Gate, and entered upon a plain, bordered
upon the North by the territory of the Pend'Oreilles, and
on the West by that of the Cceurs d'Alene. Not finding
here that which we were in search of, we went up again
through a pass trending southward. It was quite narrow at
first, but constantly grew wider until we had marched a full
day's journey; it was already the evening of the third day,
and there seemed to be no brighter prospects of success
than during the preceding days, when suddenly, as we
reached the· foot of the highest mountain in these districts,
we were agreeably surprised at sight of the rich vegetation
unfolded before us. This fertility was due to two streams
flowing from South to North, and the broad valley, which
was guarded by a mountain range against the incursions of
the Blackfeet from the South, was also defended against the
rigors of North.ern winds by another chain of mountains
covered at the base with forests which would furnish firewood and the timber needed for building purposes. Between
these two ranges of mountains flowed the river of the Flatheads, called the Bitter Root. It was the unanimous opinion that no better situation could be discovered. We encamped, with the intention of laying the foundations.of our
future reduction here. We began by erecting a large cross.
I shall always remember the good old Simon, who, notwithstanding his weight of years, had come as far as Fort Hall
to meet us. Whilst our men were hewing the wood for the
cross, he was seated upon a log, obliged to lean upon a
staff in order to support his body, for he was very much
tired by the last day's march, but his eyes never wandered ·
�138
Recol!e{lions
o/ t/ze Rock)' Mou1ltains.
from the Tree which has saved the world, and which was
soon to open for him the way to his true country. The
mere sight plainly told to what his heart was fixed. He
was, I believe, the first to be laid to rest beneath the shadow of that cross, having given promise, during the short
time that he survived, after our entrance into this region,
that his life would be an example to all by the virtues of a
fervent Christian.
What name should be given to the first Mission of the
Rocky Mountains? We called to mind that the principal
events in our long expedition had generally coincided with
some festival of our Blessed Lady: the remembrance· was
like an inspiration, and all exclaimed: "\Ve will call it St.
MmJ''s." We shall see that our Holy Mother was not insensible to this spontaneous outburst of gratitude. 1\Iay the
remembrance of her favors live forever in the hearts of her
new children.
When the hunters retusried from the summer hunt, the
mission cross was standing; and their chapel was just beginning to rise above the ground. At sight of these works
which had all the charm of novelty for the Indians, and
which promised so much for the future, universal gladness
was spread throughout the camp, and all gave their highest
approval to everything, especially to the site which had been
chosen. They called to mind a prediction which had been
made some months before by a young child, who had since
gone to heaven with. her baptismal innocence unstained.
Peter, the Iroquois, was the first to remark it. ''You remember," said he to the bystanders, "you remember what
little Mary said when she was about to die?" "\Ve remember it perfectly·," they said.
- •·
Although still quite young, this girl, during Father De
Smet's first visit to the Rocky Mountains, had heard enough
about our holy religion to experience the desire of Baptism
before dying. Having fallen sick, and knowing that her
end was nigh, she sent for Peter, the Iroquois, and said to
him : "I am about to die, and I wish to be baptized." After
· some questions and instruCtions, Peter complied with her
�RecolleElions
if the Rocky Mountains.
I
39
request, and gave her the Queen of Heaven as patroness.
Believing firmly as she did, that death was going to open
for her the gates of heaven, she was so far from dreading its
approach, that, on the contrary, she rejoiced, praying and
singing with such fervor that her voice rang out above all
the others. Finally, like one rapt in ecstasy, she exclaimed:
"Mary! 0 how beautiful! I see Mary." Some time afterwards, she added: "I come back, and it is to tell you that
those whom you are expeCting are the true Llackgowns:
you must listen to what they tell you." Then pointing out
the spot where to-day the cross is ereCted, she declared
that the house of prayer would one day be built there; after
which she expired.
The enemy of God and of men saw with displeasure the
approach of so glorious a day, and God permitted him to
subjeCt us to trials. I shall merely mention these trials. The
men whose assistance was most needed under the circumstances, the interpreter, the prefeCt of the church and the
sacristan, fell sick. On the very eve of the festival, a hurricane discharged all its fury upon the neighboring distriCt,
and even upon the house of prayer; the windows of the
church were driven in, three lodges were whirled about at
the sport of the wind, large trees were uprooted,-but thanks
to God and to the fervor of these new children of the faith,
nothing could hinder their little sanct).lary from being decked
out in its best, and the time which to all appearances should
have caused it to mourn was converted into an oc;:casion of
glorification. On the third of December, Feast of St. Francis Xavier, a day seleCted by their piety, two hundred and
two catechumens were assembled within the body of the
church to receive holy Baptism. They had been sufficiently
instruCted, they could give intelligent answers to all the
questions of the priest. Never shall I forget their ringing
responses. The time for dinner excepted, the ceremony
lasted from six o'clock in the morning until nine in the
evening, and it was remarked that the Head Chief, who had
been baptized two years before, and who was almost ninety
years Of age, was present from beginning to end. More re-
�140
Recolleflions if tlze Rocky llfountains.
markable still was the apparition of St. Francis Xavier to a
catechumen, named Michael, belonging to the tribe of the
Crees, an event narrated by himself with such simplicity,
that it would be impossible to suspeCt: the least deceit. The
personage whom he saw, according to his narration, was
standing ereCt:, lifted above the ground to the height of the
altar, on the epistle side, wearing a surplice and stole over
the soutane, and he had upon his head a cap resembling
that of the Fathers.
Clzristmas-Apparition of tlte Blessed Virgin to Little Paul.
This little Flathead had barely passed beyond the age of
early childhood; in beauty, mildness and piety he was angelic; he was very desirous of Baptism, but his memory
was so treacherous that in spite of his hardest efforts, it had
been impossible for him to learn what was absolutely necessary in order to be made a sharer in that blessing; and now
the second solemn administration of the sacrament was to
take place on the morrQ.w-Christmas Day. The pious
child said to himself: "I shall go and find John ; perhaps
he may be able to teach me what I have to know." He departs, and enters John's lodge, from which he issues after a
few minutes, and with a thorough knowledge of all the
prayers. It was not John, nor his brother, nor his mother
who was better instruCted than either, who had taught him,
but a teacher far surpassing all earthly instruCtors. It was
the Queen of Heaven herself! This is the recital of the
child, given by him several times, and with never a contradiction. "At the moment of my entrance into John's lodge,
I saw above the fire, a very beautiful person. I cannot tell
whether it was a man or a woman, for the dress wa~such as
I had never seen before. Beneath the feet there \~a§ a serpent, and beside the serpent a fruit which I do not know,
and around the figure shone a bright light. It looked kindly
at me, and at the time my mind was clear, my heart was
warm, and I do not know how it all happened, but I knew
all my prayers, and after that the person disappeared. She
also told me that she was pleased because the village had
been named St. Mary's." In proof of his veracity, he rec!t-
�Recoiieclions of the Rocky Momztai1ls.
i4i
ed all the prayers with the greatest ease upon coming· back
to the tent of his parents. It is needless to mention that on
Christmas Day he was admitted to Baptism without any
difficulty, and took the name of Paul.
Edifyi11g deatlt of Peter, tlte first Head Cltiif of t!te F!atlteads w!to was baptized. His death was truly like the close
of a beautiful day. For even whilst he was still walking in
the darkness of idolatry, he never knowingly acted against
what he thought to be right. On the day of his Baptism,
he could say: "When I did wrong it was through error."
And when this man, who had been so upright through
all the vicissitudes of his former life, had reached the end
of his glorious career, and was invited to confess the sins
that he had committed after Baptism, he answered with a
sort of amazement: "Sins after Baptism! How could I be
guilty of any, I, who every day warn all my children to abstain from them." He received the Holy Viaticum in the
full possession of his faculties, and with the most edifying
dispositions. At his own request, he was buried enfolded in
the prayer-flag, that is, the flag that was hoisted on Sundays
to announce the day of the Lord. His mortal remains were
interred at the foot of the great cros·s erected on the day
when the land of the Flatheads was taken possession of in
the name of the Saviour of men. And beside his grave thus
protected were laid to rest, during the first months which
followed, five or six other members of the tribe, who at different ages were taken away by death.
December 29;-T/te vVinter Hum. According to custom,
although the preparation is active from the evening before,
yet the actual departure does not begin until the afternoon.
They go off in small squads. As the great hunt lasts for a
long time those engaged in it take along with them everything that they possess. As a general rule, each lodge includes seven or eight persons, and these together with the
provisions already made, or in prospect, necessitate the employment of about twenty horses. Between two chains of
mountains, which sometimes approach as if to give you a
VoL. xu-No. 2.
19
�i42
Reco!!e[lioJtS of t!te Rocky llfozmtailts.
nearer view of the grandest sight in the wilderness, and then
diverge widely to open up one after another far-off scenes
of varied beauty, wind fifty track,,s or more formed by the
dragging of the tent-poles. This is what is called the Broad
Trail of the hunters. The present hunt coming immediately
after the greater part of the tribe had received Baptism was
distinguished from all others by a spirit of piety. From
the very first evening, the chiefs, assembled for prayer, requested that during the expedition the same praCtices should
be observed as at St. l\Iary's. Consequently, it was proclaimed, that all should meet for prayer twice a day, and
that after prayer there should be an instruction, preceded
and followed by singing; that at daybreak, before setting
out to hunt, and at night before betaking themselves to rest,
each family should say the Hail l\Iary three times, etc.;
that finally, the Sundays and festivals should be observed
and celebrated to the best qf their power. No mention was
made of prayers of supert;_rogation, which each one could
multiply and prolong according to his fervor.
The Great Buf£1.lo Hunt presents a thousand thrilling
scenes, nor are comical incidents wanting: but it will be
described elsewhere.
Notes from DimJ'. Jan. 6, I 842. Eighteen Baptisms.Feast of the Holy Name. Two catechism classes established.-Jan. 31. Great Hunt.-Purification, Feb. 2. Fifteen
Baptisms.-Feb. 16. Friendly visit of twelve BlackfeetMarch 6. Organization of new catechism classes; preparation for Baptism.-March I 2. Fifteen adults baptized; visit
of the Pend'Oreilles.-Holy Thursday. Nine more Baptisms.-Holy Saturday. Four Baptisms: Eighty Baptisms
in all. Good dispositions of the Pend'Orcille Indians of
Grand Lake.-Easter. Return to St. l\Iary's. Recitation of
the beads in use. Living Rosary established.
The nomadic life of our new children is not without attraCtion, but it is so full of peril, because made into hostile
territory; so full of embarrassment, because of the aged and
the children who have to be transported from one place to
another, whenever the camping ground is changed; and so
�RecolleCliotts
of
t!te Rocky 111ozmtaitts.
143
full of occasions dangerous to virtue, on account of more
frequent intercourse with strangers, and the rapid transitions from scarcity to plenty; that our earliest care was to
instil into them little by little a love for fixed habitations.
This could be accomplished only by substituting the fruits
of agriculture for the profits of the chase, and the innocent
pleasures of the fireside for the varied excitement of the
hunter's roving life, and above all by introducing the pomp
of religious ceremonies. Thus the building of the chapel
was our first thought; then we applied ourselves to the cultivation of the land. From the first spring, every kind of
useful seed was sown, and the foundation was laid of whatever would further our views. The first grand solemnity
had been the sweet festival of Christmas, just before the departure for the Great Hunt; the first after our return was
that of Easter. The \\Tinter Hunt with its hardships had
lasted three months. Whilst the hunters were busy laying
in supplies of meat, the workmen of the mission assisted by
our Brothers had caused the rudiments of a plantation, and
even of a village, to spring from the ground. They had, in
accordance with the custom observed in places exposed to
hostile incursions, surrounded the whole with a strong
stockade. It is easy to imagine the joy felt by each one at
the first general reunion in the chapel on the eve of Easter
to sing the Regina Ca:li.
Easter had come, and there was a great duty to be accomplished, but it was rendered pleasant by the good dispositions of our neophytes. They were to be prepared for
their First Communion: with the exception of those who
had died at St. Mary's during the winter, none of the Flatheads had approached the Holy Table. None of them had
even been to confession in the interval since their Baptism.
All, therefore, were to be prepared for the reception of these
two Sacraments; consequently, another course of instructions was given, and the good conduct and fervor which had
characterized their preparation for Baptism were renewed,
until the day which was truly for them, as it has often been
called, tlte most beautiful day of t!teir.life.
�144
Recolle!lions
of tlze Rocky Mountaz'n1.
First 1Jzollt!t of .llfary among tlze Flatlzeads. It can be said
that if the observance of the Month of Mary was lacking
somewhat in splendor, yet the edification was as great as in
the most devout parishes of Europe: if in the singing of
hymns the voices were not always in harmony, it can be
said that there was but one heart and one soul amongst all
those who assembled three times a day in the chapel. At
the end of the month, a little wooden statue, made by one
of the missionaries, was borne in triumphal procession of the
whole tribe to the spot where the apparition of their patroness had taken place, as already narrated. It is needless to
say that after the statue of Our Lady, the principal personage on whom the eyes of the multitude were fixed, was he
to whom Mary herself had deigned to appear. Since the
erection of the little monument, there has been established,
under the title of Our Lady if Prayer, a sort of pilgrimage
and shrine, and no one passes along the road which leads
by it without reciting a H~il Mary, and every day after the
evening prayers all kneel to repeat three times the Angelical Salutation.
First Commlmiou among tlte Flatlzcads, During the Winter Hunt, occupied as we were constantly in preparing for
Baptism the fractions of stranger tribes which had foliowed
us with the desire of sharing in the happiness of the Flatheads, it had been impossible to prepare our new Christians
sufficiently for the sacraments of Penance and the Blessed
Eucharist. Upon our return to St. Mary's, the occasion
being most favorable, inasmuch as supplies of meat had
been gathered which would hold out until the Summer
Hunt beginning only in July, all devoted themselves with
so much the more ardor to tl;e duty of preparatior; ":is the
precept of Paschal Communion urged those who had received Baptism. But the grace of Baptism had been bestowed upon them in such abundance, that their present labor was real pleasure. The full submission of mind and
heart to the new mysteries which were proposed for their
belief, and to their practical consequences, cost them but little trouble: when asked if they believed with all their heart
�Reco!!eftions Of tlze Rocky Mouutains.
145
such or such a truth, their invariable reply was: "Yes,
Father, we believe that firmly." When the subjeCt of confession ~as proposed, many of them were of opinion that it
should be public. The day of Pentecost (I 842) was the
most beautiful that had shone upon the village of St. Mary's,
since on that day its principal inhabitants received for the
first time the Bread of Angels. The most striking incident,
apart from the aCtual reception of Holy Communion, was
perhaps that in which the missionaries came to meet them,
in full choir dress, preceded by the cross, and with everything that could help to add dignity to the pious ceremony.
You should have seen them gathered together to proceed
towards the church: the religious silence, the profound recolleCtion, the solemn march could not fail to excite the
deepest emotion.
First Procession if t!te Blessed Sacrammt.-On the feast of
Corpus Christi, we could not have the procession of the Blessed Sacrament, as we had no ostensorium, but this obstacle having been removed by the industry of a missionary,
on the festival of the Sacred Heart, we had the procession,
and, notwithstanding our povery, it was conduCted on a
magnificent scale, in harmony at least with the genius of the
savage, which one of our great writers has so justly described as simple and pompous. A repository profusely
decked with flowers was prepared at the spot where the
monument was ereCted to commemorate the apparition of
the Blessed Virgin, and there under the eyes of their august
patroness the people received for the first time the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament-a happiness enjoyed by
them every Sunday since that date. The praCtices of the
devotion to the Sacred Heart are already known to several
of the people: to propagate this devotion still more widely,
as also the devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, we
have laid the foundations of four sodalities, for the married
and unmarried of either sex, which have already inscribed
upon their lists the names of all those who are best in their
respective states. The great chief of the nation is prefeCl
of the association of the Sacred Heart, his wife holds the
�140
Recol!eflialls of t!te Rocky Jl,fozmtaitzs.
same office in the Blessed Virgin's Sodality, and the children of the chief are at the head of the other two. All were
elected to their offices by a plurality of votes; and to show
that merit alone was the standard and motive of each choice,
it will suffice to mention that the head of the men's sodality
was by the sole fact of his election to that dignity, elevated
also to the dignity of Head Chief to replace him who had
died during the preceding winter. vVould that every election amongst civilized people were conducted in the same
spirit.
First Summer Hu11t among t!te F!at!teads.-The first desire expressed by the Flatheads after the Baptisms administered during the winter was to have one of the three missionaries accompany them to the hunt which followed after
a large proportion of the tribe had received the sacrament
of regeneration. After all that had been done with so much
edification since their retuni'to St. Mary's, it was impossible to act otherwise now, anti the same missionary was appointed to accompany them again. As his poor horse had
been taxed beyond its strength, he had left it to die in the
land of the Blackfeet, and a better animal was now placed
at his disposal. We were getting ready to set out on the
Summer Hunt, when a deputation of Blackfeet Indians presented itself to the owner of the horse that had been abandoned, and wonderful to relate, since it is probably the first
case of restitution made by the Blackfeet, they offered in
the name of their chi~f to restore the horse gratuitously, on
the sole condition that the owner should go to their camp,
which was not far off, and take him away. But as our departure was fixed for the morrow, he was too bu~.y, and
could not afford the time to visit their camp. The liorse,
however, was after some time brought back to St. Mary's;
and when he caught sight of his master, the poor animal
came towards him galloping and c~rveting, as who should
say, we are glad to see one another once more: after that,
who will dare to say that animals are mere machines? The
Summer Hunt partook more of the character of a pious pilgrimage than of an ordinary hunt, and it can be said to
�Recolleeiions if t!te Rocky Mozmtaz'ns.
147
have been most remarkable under every respeCt, as will be
detailed in another place. In regard to piety, the numerous
Communions of every Sunday ought to occupy the first
place. The feast of St. Ignatius was marked by all the
chiefs and the most distinguished warriors being the first to
present themselves at the Holy Table. At the end of the
hunt, an old squaw was the only one of the party who had
not gone to confession: but, doubtless, in order to give a
warning, Heaven permitted her horse should go plunging
headlong down a steep hill, and being flung, her leg was
broken, at the distance of a few steps from the priest. · This
opened her eyes to the fault that she had committed, and
on the spot she wished to go to confession. The last day
of the hunt, after eleven hours of marching through the
mountains, the confessional was frequented through the
greater portion of the night, and next day there was a general communion.
CHAPTER
V.
Mission to t!te Camrs d'A/hze.
Towards the end of OCl:ober, 1842, Father Point set
out from St. Mary's for the mission of the Coeurs d'Alene,
in the company of three chiefs and some others of that
tribe. Having reached the plain which is called Hell Gate,
he sent off some messengers to the distance of one day's
journey from there in order to obtain domestic animals for
the new mission. In the interval, he baptized an adult halfbreed woman, who had been instruCted by Louis, a Canadian. This young man having shown a desire to join us,
the missionary engaged him at a trifling cost, because in
addition to a certai~ zeal for religion, he was not devoid of
the knowledge befitting farmer. With this reenforcement,
and a half. breed interpreter versed in the Flathead and Nez
Perce languages, the little expedition hopefully penetrated
the gloomy pass which separated us from our future destination. During ten days it crept along, now through
a
�i4S
Recollections (lf tfze Rock)' Mouutaz'ns.
dense forests, now around huge rocks, and now again in
the very bed of a stream so winding that one day in less
than eight hours, we were obliged to cross it forty-four
times.
After much stumbling of our horses, and upsetting of the
baggage, and after many a grave accident had been avoided
by the proteCtion of Heaven, the little company at length
reached the land of the Cc:eurs d'Alene, on Friday, N ovember the 4th. Since the first Friday of each month is set
apart in a special manner to honor the Sacred Heart, and
since the mission we had come to found had been already
placed under Its powerful proteCtion, it scarcely need be
said, that our first duty on dismounting was to kneel down
along with all those who had come to meet us, in order to
renew this consecration. To see these poor neophytes
mingling their overflowing feelings with the voices of those
who came to aid them, one would have said that the presence of their Divine Protedor was even then sensibly revealed to them.
vVhat wretched misery existed amongst these poor people! Some miserable huts thatched with straw, or construCted of bark were surrounded with piles of the bones of
animals and fish, and filth of every description; inside there
were bundles of roots flung in a corner, skins hanging from
a pole, fish smoking above the fireplace. And the occupants! squalid faces, unkempt hair, hands doing duty for
comb, handkerchief, knife, fork and spoon; in feeding, repulsive sounds were emitted from the mouth, nose and
windpipe. This external misery feebled imaged forth the
pitiable state of their souls. For at this date there still
reigned amongst this benighted people idolatry so &basing
that they paid divine honors even to the vilest animals, a
moral abandonment which knew no check save caprice, a
passion for gambling so absorbing. that it trenched even
upon their time for sleep, unmitigated sloth which nothing
but the pangs of hunger could make them shake off, and finally an habitual inclination to cheating, gluttony and every
mean vice: these are a portion of the spiritual miseries in
�Recolletlions
of
tlze Rocky 111"ozmtaius.
f49
which the Cceurs d'Alene had been immersed until our
coming. Happily, beneath all these, there was felt an undefinable yearning towards some superior power, and this
had always helped them to lend a wiiling ear to the least
word that could give them any information in regard to
Him.
What was to be done? The soil around their wretched
hovels was unsurpassed in fertility; it required but a trifling
labor to make it produce a hundred fold. It was, therefore, no great difficulty to assign the true cause that· lay at
the bottom of all their misery. The remedy was be found
in instrue1ing them, in inspiring them with a taste for industrious labor, by aiding, encouraging and rewarding their
efforts so far as our means allowed, and to attain this end
their scattered families must be gathered into one place. In
other words, we must found what our ancient Fathers called
a redue1ion. This was the consummation to which all our ·
endeavors were to be diree1ed.
It was a hard task to bring· together a people that were
occupying twenty-seven different localities, to make reason
triumph over the instine1 of native place so powerful among
savages, to instil a love of labor where idleness was inveterate, to satisfy insatiable appetites, and to extinguish the
jealousies that were rife among the bands. Add to these
obstacles, the redoubled efforts of the infernal powers to
prevent the union, and it will seem as if the projee1 were
hopeless. Nevertheless, the chiefs could not fail to see
clearly that all their interests depended upon the adoption
of this plan, and they agreed upon this preliminary point,
that without partiality towards any person, the preference
should be given in selee1ing a site to that place which combined most advantages for the whole nation at large. There
were only five places which could iay any claims to be chosen. In the first of these; all the conditions of wood, soil
and water necessary for the purposes of a redue1ion were
fulfilled, but on account of the spring floods, it was unsafe
to build there. The second place spoken of possessed
VOL.· xp-No. 2.
20
�i 50
Rcco!!e(.iions of the Rocky llfountaitis.
gently sloping hills, fertile valleys and a broad field. The
two extremities of the plain were bounded by two lakes, the
resort of numerous wild fowl; a hill facing towards the
South offered a fine position for a village. This, it should
seem, held forth every inducement to be selecred. But there
was only one position suitable for building purposes, and
that was deficient in springs and good lands, and besides it
was too far away from the river. Nevertheless, no conclusion having yet been reached, and the joy manifested at our
first meeting appearing to the old chief as a happy augury,
he gave us a hearty welcome, and, although the sun was on
the point of setting, he issued immediate orders to two Indians to go in search of the chiefs of Grand Lake.
Whilst waiting for these to comply with the invitation,
we went to inspeCt: the country of a fourth chief, since called
Gabriel, situated at the distance of nine or ten miles from
the place where we then were, and separated from the last
mentioned distriCt: by mountain ranges communicating with
each other only by paths so rugged and winding, that at
first it appeared to have no chance of being selecrecl in preference to the other places. But when we reached the point
where it unfolds all its beauties and advantages, we were
most agreeably surprised. Let one imagine, towards the
South, a horizon of mountains whose lowest peaks touch the
clouds; towards the East, a wide-extended landscape whose
tints melted away into the azure of the skies; towards the
\Vest, beautiful stretches of water which disappear through
dark gorges, and beneath our eyes a river with high banks
forming a peninsula large enough to serve for the establishment of a plantation. Between this river and the lofty
ground on which we stood, perpendicular rocks t~f'ming a
grotto carpeted with verdure, clumps of pines growing
straight upward, broken blocks of stone of every shape, and,
finally, below these rugged beauties, a copious spring lending to the producrions of the soil an air of freshness which
is ordinarily witnessed only along the water courses; in the
nearest environs all the woods suited for burning and building purposes; sugar maples, a quarry of white clay which
�Recollections
of tlze Rocky Mountains.
I
5I
could supply for lime and whiting-all unanimously acknowledged that nothing could be better adapted to our
purposes, and this decision gave us so much the more pleasure as it coincided with the judgment pronounced upon it
by Fr. De Smet.
.
The good old chief, Ignatius, on learning our decision,
was so depressed, that he was in danger of losing his mind.
"What!" he cried, bursting into tears, "I who am upon the
verge of the grave was in hopes that the word of God
would rest upon my lands, and now it withdraws from them."
Thereupon, he redoubled his lamentations, followed by heartrending shrieks. But as the greater common good demanded that we should stand by the resolution which had
been taken, we employed every effort to console him, and
succeeded in making him see that the close proximity of
the site seleCted would render it easy for him to reach it
without much difficulty.
The pretended head chief of Grand Lake arrived. I call
him pretended, for in truth he was only a chief for the occasion, not to say a fraudulent fellow. He was called Stetlam, i. e. 'Thunder,' presumably on account of the extraordinary lung-power he displayed in his harangues. For
more than one reason he was jealous of the chief whose
land we had lately visited, but especially his exemplary conduEt was a lively reproach to his own disorderly way of
life. He was accompanied by another Indian named Mon~
tesatlem, 'The Mountain Bull,' who, notwithstanding his
name, had a countenance sufficiently prepossessing, and a
very conciliatory disposition, but his aCtions were completely under the influence of Stell am. Thus prejudiced, it
was to be expeCted that they should look with an evil eye
upon the choice that had been made: but as they could
not gainsay the justice of the reasons upon which it had
been based, they remained satisfied with the promise that
we should go and spend the winter with them, binding
themselves at the same time to join us, if we persisted in
pur choice. We subscribed the more readily to this arrangement, because the land of Gabriel could not just at
present furnish the means of subsistence to all. But before
�15 2
Recolle!]ions of the Rocky .Mountains.
their departure, we could easily perceive that sincerity was
not in any high degree to be numbered amongst their virtues, and what confirmed us in this thought was that Stellam had not been ashamed to hint that to deserve his protection it was necessary that he should be appointed the
distributing agent of all the powder and tobacco that we
had, claiming that a positive promise to this effeCt had been
made to him by Fr. De Smet, at the time of his visit to the
Spokanes. But to understand more clearly what sort of a
man we had to deal with in the person of this chief, it will
be necessary to go back to an earlier period.
A dozen years or so before this date, the Cceurs d'Alene
had only some very hazy notions concerning the Deity, a
future state, the existence of the soul, etc. Their ideas of
wrong did not comprehend much more than theft, deceit,
and quarrels among themselves, and these crude notions of
morality had force amon'g them, because they had been
handed down from their f6refathers. Now about that time
a Spokane Indian, having had some intercourse with the
Protestants of Red River, returned to his own people with
some rudimentary ideas of religion, mixed, it is true, with
many errors, but yet novel enough to pique their curiosity.
A Cceur d'Aiene Indian having listened to the traveler's
story spoke about it to his countr};men, and the news
spreading quickly from neighbor to neighbor, a great number of Cceurs d'Al~ne, being curious to learn what should
be believed on the subjeEt from the lips of him who had
been its echo, met together for that purpose in the country
of Temisposomen. Stellam came there also, less through
any desire of enlarging his religious knowledge than to assume the role of objeCtor. He carried his opposition beyond
the mere limits of contradic1ion, for during the course of
the meeting he insulted the narrator, saying: "It well becomes. you, young man, to pretend to teach us." Before
separating from the others, he painted his body with grotesque figures, and went off in such a manner as to leave
them all under the impression that he had cast a spell over
the assembly. ·whatever may be thought of such a belief,
it happened that no sooner had he gone away than an epi~
�RecolleClions
if the Rocky Mountains.
153
demic broke out which carried off many of the people. This
method of aCting goes to prove what has been said of the
proud and haughty charaCter of our chid But Divine
Mercy knows how to draw good from evil. "I have heard
this (it is the missionary who narrates it), from the lips of a
good old man, who came nigh falling a viCtim to the plague.
Whilst I was in a swoon, said he to me, I perceived a light
streaming down from the sky, and a globe of blue color
which descended towards me, and at the same time I heard
a voice that said: •Tell your brethren that their prayer is
bad j that henceforth they must place their confidence in
Him alone who created the world, and in Jesus Christ, his
Son, who redeemed it. Cast down the idols on the mountain which projeCts into the lake; address your supplications to Jesus Christ; have faith and the pestilence will
cease.'"
lt may possibly be that all this was the effeCt of a disordered imagination still vividly excited by the news of the
day before: and this explanation is rendered more probable
from the faCt that the sick man was in a deiirious state. But
when the vision had passed away, it is most certain, that
scarcely had the dying man obeyed the voice that he had
heard, before his health was restored, he arose in his full
strength, and going through the sick camp, he reported
what had happened to him, and persuaded all of them to do
as he had done, and all having imitated his example were
in the same manner restored to health.
The upright charaCter of this good old man and the pious
gratitude which made him shed tears whenever he mentioned the occurrence, do not permit any suspicion to be
thrown upon that portion of the affair, of which he was the
only witness. The other circumstances are attested by such
a multitude of witnesses still living, that no man of good
faith can withhold his belief in regard to them. Furthermore, it is incontestable, that from that date all superstitious observances ceased, and they would probably have
been forever done away with, had not the miserable Stellam
re-established their credit, in consequence of a meeting of
!he Medicine Men.
�THE DEDICATION OF
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S, N. Y.
If any of the readers of the vVoODSTOCK LETTERS had
peeped into our new church in New York seven days prior
to its dedication, he would have been tempted to protest:"how in the world can all be got ready by Sunday next!"
In fact, a great many onlookers not only said this again and
again, but kept on repeating it in the most tantalizing way.
One great anxiety among others was the completion of the
pews. A whole set of pews had already ascended to heaven
as a fiery holocaust in the Indiana factory where they had
been constructed. New ones had consequently to be manufactured. For fully six months every member of the community had conscientiously discussed the pews twice every
day. "Have the pews come?" was asked with persistent
regularity by everybody e\'ery morning, and the laconic reply :-"No! but they're on the way," was so invariable, that
nobody any longer believed it; venerable Fathers laughed,
but of course in their sleeves, and even those models of mild
propriety -our estimable scholastics- were beginning to
exhibit slight symptoms of cynicism. At last-to the confusion of all skeptics, a cart load of the constituent factors
of pews arrived from Richmond and kept on arriving by intermittent instalment. Ends without backs-backs without
props-then more backs than ends-next more ends than
seats, and even this not without a great deal of the ele_ctric
battery on the part of exasperated superiors. As you- n1ay
believe, everybody had pews on the brain. In spite of all,
however, the church was decently in order for the consecration of the five beautiful marble altars on Friday morning, December the first.
The ceremony was a long one, lasting some five hours,
and the devout congregation had a patient opportunity of
( 154)
�Tlte Dedication of St. Francis Xavier1s, N
Y.
ISS
drinking in edification by admiring the unwavering meek and
reverent deportment of our saintly archbishop. The peace
of God which reigns in his soul overflows itself in a demeanor most Christ-like and gentle-it does a man good
even to look upon Archbishop Corrigan.
Early on Saturday evening all the arrangements were
well completed. True, the perverse pews were not all there,
but this was a real advantage in its way, because it afforded
more standing-room than would otherwise have been available. Loving hearts stole in again and again on that last
night to feast their eyes on that most contenting sight.
Everything seemed to be reposing in quiet radiant loveliness. " 'T is like the Bride awaiting the Bridegroom," whispered a dear Father whose present absence in vVashington
is a source of misery to many beside the writer of this
chronicle. And so it was. The very silence seemed to
breathe the prayer: "Come for all things are now ready!"
·• Veni, Veni, Emma1tuel /'' The High Altar so noble in its
own natural legitimate comeliness, unspoiled by tawdry
trappings, lace or spangles, and far less by the tasteless vulgar displays which too often degrade the Table of the Lord
to the level·of a horticultural market-stand-the six grand
massive candlesticks holding aloft their tall, graceful wax
tapers, with four slender but stately palms growing in between-the only decoration-the rich green sanctuary carpet looking like a fresh-mown lawn-the whole effect was
not only elegant and captivating, but dignified and majestic.
Meanwhile the old church had died in glory. The closing services comprised a solemn novena with discourses
every evening by alumni of the college, such as are the
Reverend Fathers Fox, O'Connor, Halpin, Cassidy, Pardow
and Campbell. The sermon at the last high Mass was delivered by Father Merrick, the quo1tdam pastor. There was
a packed congregation. The good man preached in so pathetic a strain that everybody was in tears. Te Deum
brought the function to a close.
The melodrama of this parting scene was somewhat comically enhanced by a histrionic but genuine improvisamento
�i 56
T!te Dedi'catio1t of St. Francis Xavier's,
.N. Y.
on the part of the six altar lights. It must be explainednot without blushes-that the altar was furnished with
those abominable imitation candles called "dummies," having an arrangement of springs within :-an invention worthy
of that venerable friend of our childhood, "Jack-in-the-box."
As the 1\Iass proceeded, one light after another extinguished
itself, so that when the Te Deum began only one solitary
light was burning. As the solemn chant proceeded, the
wick of this surviving candle leant piteously over, clinging
for dear life to its tin-sided supporter, and after repeated
spasmodic efforts died of sheer grief and exhaustion just as
the hymn came to an end.
The long-expe8:ed morn of Advent Sunday-December
3, 1882, awoke full of sunshine, but piercingly cold. The
Archbishop and clergy vested in the old church and thence
advanced in procession to bless the outer walls of the new
one. This accomplished, the procession entered the church
singing the Litany of the Saints, chanting it, more romano, in
its true diatonic form and not spoiling it by the use of that
modern mode, which has unfortunately become so common
in this land and which changes the whole charaCter of what
is meant to be a plaintive strain. The Litany. is intended
to be a penitential exercise; the new method of singing it
converts it into a pa:an of joy and triumph. This may indeed be pleasant to listen to, and easier to sing, but the effeCt: is the contrary of that which Holy Church has herself
in mind. This consideration is humbly offered to those
who instead of carefully studying the science of their
church's own chant from her own authorized liturgical
books, content themselves by adopting the vagaries of .some
provincial use, or worse still by following the cheap· elementary manuals of so-called church chant arranged for the
use of Sunday-School girls.
At all events, if we accept the verdiCt: of the New York
Tribune, the Litany as sung on this occasion produced the
desired effe8:-"The Archaic music, like an echo of the
Middle ages, was strangely impressive."
There were present 2 Archbishops, 3 Bishops, 3 Domes-
�The Dedication of St. Francis Xaviers, N. Y
157
tic Prelates, 2 Provincials, 2 ex-Provincials, 9 Rectors of
Colleges, 23 Parish Priests and some 20 others who were
for the most part alumni of the College and Curates in the
Arch-diocese. "Ours" were also represented in large numbers.
His Eminence, the Cardinal, supported by his attendant
clergy, entered the Sanctuary at the offertory, his increasing
infirmities not permitting him to be present during the preliminary portion of the service and the long sermon.
It should be mentioned that the First Sunday in Advent
being prima: classzs, a special indult granted by his Holiness
Leo XIII. in consideration of the exceptional interest of the
occasion, permitted the commemorations of St. Francis
Xavier to be made at Mass; and of course on the principle,
"Fa·ZJores sunt ampliandi," the pervading character of the
service was jubilant rather than sad, gold predominated over
the purple, and the organ far from being silent was supplemented by a full orchestra.
The entire Mass was sung, that means to say, the Introit,
Gradual, Offertory and Communion were chanted at their
proper times as well as the Kyrie and Creed, etc. The latter
were sung to figured music and were rendered in a masterly
style which won universal praise.
At St. Francis Xavier's there can be no question that the
boys are admirably trained, and if there is a fault, it lies in
the direction of over-refinement. Indeed, one of our distinguished guests-who when at home presides over a college
-"a dear innocent soul"-(to quote the venerable Father
Stonestreet) was in his surprised perplexity and to our considerable amusement, constantly protesting in a ;knowing
tone of voice :-"But they sing just like women"-as who
should say, '"Don't think to take me in; surplices can cover
a multitude of sins!"
The newspapers spoke of the music in the highest terms,
The New York Sun alone excepted. The Reporter representing that Journal chanced to be a highly sententious
young gentleman who delights to vent himself in very
VoL. xn-No. 2.
21
�158
Tlze .Dedication of St. Francis Xavier's, N Y
strong emphatics with regard to woman's rights in choirs,
but even he seems to have felt that the music was sacred,
for he very prudently, if not very generously, held his peace
on the subjeCl: altogether.
·
The Herald was more genuine; according to him, "the
music was of inexpressible sweetness and charm," but he
thought that this might be partly attributed to the perfeCl:
acoustic properties of the building. The Tn'bzme-the only
real musical critic among the reporters, described it as "a
peculiarly impressive musical service."
However all this may be, there can surely be no doubt
that the choir as it exists is admirably suited to a Jesuit
Church, and more especially one with such scholastic surroundings as St. Francis Xavier's.
The ceremonies were all that could be wished. Order
and tranquillity went hand in hand. The fussy ceremoniarius was conspicuous only for his absence, and the proverbial "Jesuit in Holy vVeek':.~id not put in an appearance.
Monsignor Preston, the Vicar General, openly affirmed that
never in his life had he witnessed a great funCl:ion in which
the ceremonies were conduCl:ed with such correCtness, coolness, order and precision.
"The scene at the elevation," to quote a reporter, "was
solemn in the extreme. The scarlet of the Cardinal, the
purple of the Bishops and Monsignori, the surpliced priests,
the youthful altar boys in their rich white soutanes, the
gleaming light, the beautiful blue-veined altar itself, the solemn majesty of the officiating Archbishop, the wreaths of·
incense ascending on high, formed a piCl:ure of majesty and
grandeur that can be witnessed no where outside the. Roman Catholic Church."
-- •·
The edifice was comfortably full, but not over-crowded.
After the beginning of Mass the doors were thrown open to
all comers. This little faCl: is carefully chronicled because
it gives the lie direCl:, to certain ungenerous striCl:ures which
appeared in a journal of not too Christian a tone, and which
were not merely disedifying but absolutely untrue.
The Te Deum brought the ceremonies to a close.
�The Dedication of St. Francis Xam'er' s, N Y.
r 59
In the evening the Bishop of Newark who is an alumof the College, pontificated and Archbishop Corrigan
preached .. The Church was brilliantly lighted by jets of
gas running above the entablature and thus incircling the
entire structure.
The following day-Monday the 4th-the transferred
Feast of St. Francis Xavier, the Very Rev. Fr. Hudon, S. J.,
sang the solemn Mass, the whole College assisting. Solemn Vespers were chanted at night and a sermon was
preached by Rev. Father Lilly, 0. P.
Next evening (Tuesday) the much admired Stations of
the Cross were solemnly blessed by the Very Rev. Father
Charles, Provincial of the Franciscan Order. Fr. \Vayrick,
C. SS. R., preached on Wednesday night, and Fr. Birk, C.
P. S., on Thursday. Friday, the Feast of the Immaculate
Conception, was kept with solemn Mass and Vesper~, Fr.
Hewitt, the Paulist, preaching the evening sermon. On Saturday morning the College boys attended Mass and Fr.
Campbell "improved" a shining quarter-of-an-hour- by
which it is mildly hinted that the length of his discourse
was not the measure of all he ever saw, or read, or dreamed,
or heard of, but was short, practical, eloquent, pithy and to
the point.
With Sunday appeared Father Maguire to open a fortnight's mission-one week for women and the next one for
men-and from the point of view that a mission is intended
to rouse sleepy sinners, it was eminently successful. Fr.
Magui~e blew "the Trumpet in Sion" with no uncertain
sound. Our venerable Father Thebaud was heard to remark that never in all his experience had the people's consciences been so deeply awakened. The Men's Mission
was a comforting sight, especially when over 200 came up
to the altar to consecrate themselves to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, by joining the Arch-Sodality.
It is difficult to estimate the number of confessions and
communions. The men's week lasted right up to Christmas
Eve; and of course all the women converted during the previous week, and all the other women, desired to make their
JZUS
�r6o
The Dedication of St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y
Christmas confessions as well as the men. In consequence
of all this zeal people had literally to fight their way into the
confessionals-and I regret to record that the women proved
themselves the mistresses of the situation. And if for once
a pun may be forgiven, "they held the fort." I doubt
whether any of the Fathers engaged in hearing confessions
will ever forget Christmas Eve, I 882.
On the last night in the year the beautiful Roman custom
so long established at the Gesu, was inaugurated at our
Church in New York The"l\Iost Rev. Archbishop pontificated, and the il1iscrere and Te Dmm were sung before the
BenediCtion Throne of our Lord Jesus Christ. The scene
was in the highest degree brilliant and impressive.
There is hardly anything more to be added, by way of
chronicle, except the course of popular Sunday evening addresses commenced by Fr. Prendergast on the first Sunday
in the year I 883, and which: are still in progress. They are
a great success. The discourse on Eternal Punishment, was
according to all who listened to it, a masterpiece of theological reasoning, good taste and common sense. It is a
source of great thankfulness that many of the Pastors in
New York are beginning to open their churches on Sunday
night, and thus attraCting by the charms of God's worship,
giddy souls who would otherwise risk their faith and their
virtue by seeking recreation elsewhere on that most dangerous evening of the week
The Lenten conferences will be given by Fr. Pardow.
The old church is metamorphosed into a "New Hall."
Platform, footlights, piano and the star spangled banner are
there already. l\Ir. vValsh, who it may be remembered left
Woodstock in a dying state, is so far from the "moribimd,"
that he is now aspiring to the post of theatrical manager.
He desires to introduce a veritable stage, trap-doors, drop
curtain and all complete :-but there is a Reetor at home,
and his reverence desires to know "who will pay for it?"
�MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM JANUARY 21ST TO MARCH 18TH.
ST. FRANCis', PHILADELPHIA, (Jan'y 21-Feb'ry 2).- This
church, under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier, was
begun in 1839, by Rev. Michael O'Connor, who at that time
was a professor in the diocesan seminary. The sodality, the
largest, perhaps, in the city, was organized in 1856, by Fr.
Barbelin of the Society. The present church is quite a
large and imposing struCture, and can hold in mission times
nearly three thousand people.
The weather was intensely cold during the first days of
the retreat, and the church was badly heated. The Fathers
had to put up with this inconvenience, not to mention others arising from bad air and draughts of cold wind from the
doors. and windows. Theorists on ventilation would have
to admit there is a confliCt: betwixt science and religion, and
when hardened sinners are to be reconciled to God we must
yield to the inevitable. The people of St. Francis' are engaged principally in fa8:ories, and though the associations
in these places are of the worst kind, and sinners abound,
no one could complain of any lack of faith or fervor during
the mission. The church was crowded even at the 5 o'clock
Mass, especially during the men's week, and when the bad
walking is taken into consideration, we can but admire the
good disposition of the congregation. At night, the church
was filled to overflowing. This was the third mission given
by the leader of the mission in this church, and in every
respeCt:, it was the most successful. From the first days of
the exercises, many Protestants a!Jplied for instruCtion, and
by the end of the two weeks nineteen names were on the
list. Fifteen of these candidates were baptized on the day
after the mission ended; thl:! others were left under instruc(161)
�162
\
.. Missionary
Labors.
tion. As most of these converts are married to Catholics,
we can hope more surely for their perseverance.
During the two weeks many marriages were set right,
and some children were baptized. These things happen in
every mission. Our thanks are due to Frs. Maginn, McElhone, Gallagher, Brannan, McAnany, Regnery, Meagher,
Scully and Daily, secular priests, and to Frs. Romano and
O'Neil of the Society for helping us in the confessional.
The following extraCt from the Cat!to!ic Standard of Feb.
10th will be, doubtless, interesting:
"THE JESUIT MISSION AT ST. FRANCIS XAVIER's was
brought to a close last Sunday evening, when Father Maguire, before imparting the Papal BenediCtion to the men,
announced the grand results of the labors of himself and his
three companions, Fathers Morgan, Hamilton and Kavanagh. During the two weeks nearly nine thousand confessions were heard. Almost 'one-half of these people must
have come from other parishes. Some of them went to
Communion in their own parish churches, but as mapy as
eight thousand Communions were administered in St. FranCIS.
An extremely gratifying feature of the Mission was
that the church was filled, especially during the men's week,
at the first and last Masses, when instructions were given.
There were fifteen persons received into the Church. About
fifty adults were prepared for the reception of First Communion. Fully one hundred such persons gave their names
for Confirmation, and- they will receive this sacrament at
the first opportunity.
"The Mission was remarkably well attended by both men
and women, and apparently there were even more of the
former than the latter. The children also did nobly~ about
a thousand of them going to the exercises held specially for
them. All of them who were capable of approaching the
sacraments did so. The Papal BenediCtion was given to
them on last Sunday morning by one of the missionary
Fathers in the chapel of St. Francis' school, on Green street,
below Twenty-fourth. At the same time about two hundred and fifty of them were formed into an Angels' Sodality,
�Missionary Labors.
"On Sunday afternoon there was a grand celebration of
the_ B. V. M. Sodality. The church was packed by Sodalists and others. Prof. MacGonigle had had the Sodalists in
training for some time, and the singing, which he himself
directed, was excellent, at least as fine as that of any of the
many other Sodalities taught by him. A beautiful discourse
on the nature of devotion to the Blessed Virgin and the advantages of belonging to her Sodality, was preached by Fr.
Hamilton. He also received one hundred and eighty ladies
and eighty-five gentlemen into the Sodality, a magnificent
accession of strength. The pastor, Rev. James Maginn, is
Spiritual Director.
"The order of exercises was as follows: "Litany,"" Heaven
is Love," "Consecration to 1\'Iary," Reception, "Holy Family," "Christians to the War," "Ave Maria," "Veni Creator,"
Sermon, "Evening Prayer," "Guardian Angel," "Why art
thou Sorrowful?" BenediCtion, "Tantum Ergo," "Laudate
Dominum," "Jesus and Mary."
"For this occasion the high altar was handsomely and
elaborately decorated with flowers and other ornaments and
brilliantly illuminated."
ST. MICHAEL's, TROY, N. YoRK.-This church belongs to
the Society and was built only a few years ago. Much
good was done here by a mission given by Father Langcake, at the same time the other missionaries were in Philadelphia. There were fourteen hundred Communions.
STs. PETER AND PAUL, BosToN, MAss. (Feb. I I-zs).-Missionaries look for hard work in this parish, as it is one of the
largest in the city, but the kindness of the genial pastor
makes the work seem less hard. From the beginning to
the end of the mission, all the exercises were well attended.
At night, a double mission had to be given; that is services
were held in the church and in the basement. Frs. Langcake, Hamilton, Russo, Blenkinsop, the brother of the pastor, and Morgan gave the exercises. During the two weeks
over eleven thousand Communions were given. The forty
�~
Missionary La6ors.
hours' devotion, which followed the mission, ran the number of Communions up to fourteen thousand. l\Tany thanks
are due to the priests of this church and the neighboring
parishes for their kind help in the confessional at no little
sacrifice to themselves. Our Fathers of the College and of
St. Mary's were also very good to us in the same way.
This congregation is made up almost entirely of people,
who earn their livelihood in shops and faCtories in the city.
Many cannot speak English, especially some of the old persons, and it is no little trouble to get rid of them, when they
come to confession, thinking you are from Limerick, or
Cork, or Galway. Though your eyes may never have gazed
with rapture upon the emerald hills of the old country, you
are thought to be a queer man for not giving shrift to the
penitent, to one of your own town. An interpreter will explain, if there is one to be had; if you cannot find one, you
have to remain under the Cloud, and hope for a better understanding afterwards.
Special instruCtions were given every day to the children;
in the evening two of the Fathers explained the catechism
to adults preparing for the sacraments. Eight Protestants
came the first night to be received into the Church. Four
did not return, because they were told that to become
Catholics they must be first weli instruCted in doCtrine. They
thought everything could be done in a few minutes. At
the end of the mission the Most Rev. Archbishop confirmed
two hundred and ninety-six adults, four of whom were converts. The Fathers in charge of the adults also prepared
one hundred and seventy-five for First Communion.
Amongst the other fruits of this mission, the bfst our
Fathers have given in the parish, it may be mentio;;ed. as a
consoling faa that the Sodalities for young women and for
young men were largely increased. The latter under the
care of its zealous diredor, Rev. Hugh Roe O'Donnell,
received nearly two hundred candidates.
The Fathers were much pleased with their work in Boston. The Communions were greatly ahead in numbers of
those of previous missions. The work was hard, monoto-
�Missionary Labors.
nous, a dreary desert without an oasis, except an amusing
incident now and then, which one is too tired to appreciate
at the end of the week. The boys here say, "I runs away
from Mass;" sometimes they make the verb regular in the
past tense, and say, "I rumzed." The Irish say, "I stood
away from Mass." The Philadelphia boy bags Mass. •Now,
all this can be explained, no doubt, and by it one has an insight into the charaCter of the people. The Bostonian is all
go-ahead, hence he runs from Mass, as he runs for an office.
The Irishman having had to stand at Mass in the old country, naturally stands away from it, when absent. The Philadelphian borne along by Quaker traditions, quiet and sedate
withal, looking neither to the right nor the left, self-satisfied,
bags the Mass.
J. A. M.
ST. GABRIEL's CHURCH, NEw YoRK.-On February 1 Ith
we opened a mission at this church, East 37th street, New
York city, Father Clowry, pastor. The last mission was
given by our Fathers three years ago. Every year the pastor has a retreat, or something of the kind, to stir up his
people. If possible he has our Fathers for this work. He
estimates his parish at Sooo souls, but, in reality, he does
not know. In proof of this, I need but repeat his own words
to Archbishop Corrigan in my presence. ·'There are people living next door to the church, that I knew nothing
about." "Not know those along side of the church?" said
the Archbishop. "Yes," he said, "l found that I knew nothing about them." This conversation was brought about by
talking of the confessions heard; and he was telling what
he had found out. As the crowd was so great, he was always ready to help, and did his share of hearing confessions.
The women's week was very trying, the weather was so bad;
yet the church was packed every night. The church, they
say, will hold 2500, but we found out at the mission that it
could hold many more. It was a common thing to see a
row of the people standing, and another sitting in the same
pew. So closely were they packed in the aisles, that the
VoL. xu-No. 2.
22
�t66
• M£ss£onary Labors.
colleCtors could hardly get through. The men were not
one bit behind the women in numbers, if anything, more.
were present during their week. The ushers say they put
seven (7) men where they put five (5) women. Yet the
church could not hold them, and many were satisfied to
stand outside and listen at the windows. The police officers on duty had to turn hundreds away, there beingno
room inside. The Fathers who gave the mission were Fr.
Maguire and Fr. Kavanagh of the regular band, nobly aided
by Fathers Dowling, Forhan, Jerge and V/alker, who are
making their third year of probation at Frederick, l\Id. Besides these six Fathers, the pastor and his assistants gave a
helping hand. Frs. Toner, Petitdemange, Haugh, O'Leary,
and \Vhite also came to help us. \Vhen it is taken into
consideration that these Fathers have their own work to do
and plenty of it, the meed of praise due them is beyond our
power to bestow. As for J1athers O'Leary and Toner we
cannot think of even beginning to repay them for their kindness and willingness to help. They have made us feel that
there is no danger of our ever calling on them, and being
disappointed. The number of confessions heard was close
on I 2,000, and I must say the greater number of them was
of long standing. This it was that made the pastor say that
he did not know Catholics living next door to the church.
It is astonishing what cases will be found in time of a mission. I had one who made the first mission given in the
church which was in 1863 or '64. He had not been to
church since, nor was it his intention tu make the mission.
To give it in his own words, as nearly as I can; may be better. "I have not been to church, Father, since the first
mission given in this church, and did not intend to" tome
now, but the night before last I asked a friend what theatre
I should go to, to see a good play. He told· me to go to
Father Clowry's, so I came." I must say that he gave all
the signs of being determined to do better for the time to
come. Another was a woman of thirty-nine years who had
never been to confession. Her history is a strange one, and
shows how good God is. She was born in England; when
�Missionary Labors.
seven years old her father died, and the mother was not able
to support the family. She was put in a Protestant institution, where she remained till she was thirteen years old,
then she went to service. She married a Protestant, before
a Protestant minister, of course, and some time aftenvards
came to this country. She had all her children baptized in
the Catholic Church, and even succeeded in having her husband baptized three years ago. Yet she had not been to
confession before this mission, when she made her first
Communion and was confirmed with her husband. Not to
multiply cases I will give but one more. A woman came
to speak about her son. He was born during the war, and
the father did not want to have him baptized till he returned.
The father was killed and the mother seemed to forget that
the child was not baptized, and allowed him to grow up in
this way. He was sent, as a boy, to the Catholic proteCtory,
an~ there made his First Communion, on the supposition
that he was baptized. Now the mother comes to tell about
it. Fortunately the young fellow came too, and was baptized.
At the end of the mission, the sacrament of Confirmation
was administered. There were 203 adults Confirmed; 140
made their First Communion; 7 were received into the
church, and 6 left under instruCtion.
MISSION AT THE CATHEDRAL AT ALBANY, N. Y.- On
March 4th, Father l\'Iaguire with Fathers Langcake, Morgan, Kavanagh and Forhan opened a mission at the Cathedral of Albany, N. Y. There has not been a mission in this
church for fourteen years. The former pastor did not think
it necessary as. he thought all his people went to their duties regularly. But he was sadly mistaken, as we found out
to our cost. ·
The present pastor judging from some missions he had
in past time in his church, and considering the size of the
Cathedral, did not want to have the men and women separated. But Father Maguire insisted, ·and said it would be
more beneficial, even if the .church were not filled, After
�168
Missionary Labors.
many letters, the pastor consented to let it be as Father
Maguire wanted. The result proved the wisdom of so doing. The church will seat from 1800 to 2000 comfortably,
but to seat all the women who came, it would need to be
half as large again. Those around the church were surprised. They did not know what to make of it. "Where
did all the women come from ?" said one of them to me. I
could do nothing but smile, as I was never in Albany before. But on the first night of the men's week, words could
not express their surprise. At least five hundred more men
than women came. One of the papers in speaking of it,
said that "never in the history of Albany were so many men
seen together in one place. Politically or otherwise there
were more men at the Cathedral last night than were ever
assembled together in Albany." But the first night was the
poorest of the lot; every night seemed to bring more.
It was a grand sight to the pastor,-and the wonder of
the city. Boys were kept~qut, therefore none but men were
present, and the number of young men showed that there is
no danger for the Church there, provided they are attended
to.
\Vhen Father Maguire asked to have Confirmation at the
end of the mission, he was told that if there were any to be
confirmed, of course, the Rt. Rev. Bishop would be only too
happy to oblige. But he says I do not think you will have
any, as we have Confirmation every year. The first couple
of days there were not many for the class, but it was the lull
before the storm. "How many new ones had you last night?"
was asked of Father Morgan, who had charge of the class,
''Seventy-five," he said. Next night there were seventy-five
more, next night sixty more new ones, the following·evening forty more; so it went on, and on the Sunday of the Confirmation four hundred and twenty were assembled to receive the sacrament. No one in Albany would believe it,
unless he saw it. Four hundred and twenty grown persons
from the age of twenty to eighty. There were very few
under twenty. The Bishop was astonished. The pastor
did not know what to make of it. But the fa& was there.
�Missionary Labors.
169
Twelve converts were baptized and five or six left under instruction. Among the converts, was an old man who was
known as an Atheist. He was br:ought to the class of instruction by a friend, and in reply to some questions put by Fr.
Forhan wanted to show his knowledge and said that he
knew that Aaron was a R. Catholic priest. That was a
sticker. The second night he had a tooth pick, and kept
himself busy chewing it. The third night he lent the weight
of his authority to Father Forhan by saying to everything,
"that's so, I read it myself in the Bible." ·He was true to
the last and was ort hand for Baptism and Confirmation.
Among those who attended the sermons was Dan Rice, the
famous circus man. Before he left Albany, which he did
towards the end of the men's week, he called on Father
Maguire, and thanked him for his sermons, and said that he
felt their power and would keep them in mind, but that at
present he could not et1ter the church as he was going to
start a circus again. But he promised to keep it in mind,
and did not doubt but he would soon become a Catholic.
The first night he was so enthusiastic, that he remembered!
his late preaching tour and could hardly keep himself from
getting up to let the people know how he felt. Poor Dan r
I hope he will not let the grace of the call pass from him ..
We had to call upon the priests of the city to help us to
hear the confessions. There were m•cr nine thousand heard,
about four thousand of these being men. The last day but
one of the mission was St. Patrick's day; instead of being,
as we feared it would be, a hindrance to us, it was a help,
as the men came to confession all day. We were afraid
that evening on seeing·so many in the church that we would
not be able to get through, but I think all were heard; at
least, no one was sent away.
On Sunday the r8th, the close of the mission, the Right
Rev. Bishop gave the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament,
and at the end turned to the people and addressed them. It
was a grand sight; not a space in the immense church that
was not filled. From altar to door, from wall to wall, nothing but faces to be seen. He told them that in his name and
�170
Missionary Labors.
in theirs he thanked the Jesuit Fathers for the good work
done. Then he encouraged them to keep faithfully their
good resolutions, and be fa_ithful to the advice given them.
It was indeed a fit closing to a noble work; a scene that
will not soon be forgotten by the people of Albany. During Holy vVeek, Father Langcake, who remained, gave
a chance to others, to come forward, if for any reason they
were prevented. His work for that week is not counted in
this report. Add to the 1 2 Baptisms, gooo confessions and
430 confirmed, ·rSo First Communions of adults, and you
will have the result of the two weeks. But the good done
will only be known, when the registry in the chancery of
heaven is examined.
H. K.
PATERSON, N. ].-Father \Valker gave the exercises in
St. John's church in this city from l\Iarch 4th to the I zth,
with extremely gratifying .results. He says: "The retreat
for the various Societies ~.d Sodalities of this fine congregation, which numbers gooo souls, came to a close last
night. The Rt. Rev. Bishop vVigger came to honor us
with his presence, and close the exercises with solemn Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The church is 72x 170
in the clear, and it was packed every night,-pews and aisles
jammed. Last night there were many outside of the church.
The number of Communions was three thousand. I said
the first .Vlass myself at 5.30, and gave an instruction of fifteen or twenty minutes. At the 8 o'clock Mass, I gave
another instruCtion. These two Masses were well attended
the pews being about two thirds full."
AuBURN, N. Y.-This place is in the diocese of Rochester. It is a beautiful town, settled in a great measure by
New England men, who are always remarkably tidy in their
household surroundings. These people are always hostile to
the Church, and seldom come to hear us; but this is not the
case in New England itself. Frs. Hamilton, Jerge and
Massai gave the mission, working hard for two weeks
(March 4-18), and then ending all with the forty hours' de-
�Missionary Labors.
votiori. There were 4700 Communions. Towards the last
day of the mission the Rt. Rev. Bishop McQuaid confirmed
J06 persons above the age of sixteen. "The First Communion of adults," writes Fr. Hamilton, "is postponed until
June. I am fatigued, but hold out very well. We heard
confessions four nights of the men's week until I I P. M. ;
Saturday until I 1.30. and Sunday evening until 10 dclock
We had a sermon each Saturday; it was the pastor's wish.''
ST. JosEPH's, PHILADELPHIA (1\Iarch I I-18).- This old
church, from time immemorial, has had its yearly retreat.
One might as well fancy the Visitation Nuns sacrificing the
annual repast on the Exercises of St. Ignatius, as St. Joseph's
people doing without their Passion \Veek stirring up. Great
good is done, as persons come from all sides to this quiet
nook, to take part in the spiritual banquet, and to find
peace for their souls. Father Dowling of the third probation writes to Father Maguire: "Order of exercises: 5.30,
Mass; 6, Instruction ; 6.30, 7, 8.30, Masses; 9. Instruction;
3.30, P. 111. Stations; 7.30, Beads; 7-45, Sermon, followed by
Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Father Russo
gave the two morning instructions; Father Dowling the
Stations and the night sermon. The attendance was excellent. Number of Communions, 4050. Number of Confessions, 37 I 2. Several couples, living as man and wife, without the formality of a marriage, were married. Some six
or seven adults applied for First Communion, and were
given in charge to the pastors; the same was done for a
few who desired to enter the Church. The Sodality of the
B. V. M. received about twenty new members. The exercises closed Palm Sunday night with a sermon and Papal
Benediction, followed by solemn Benediction of the Most
Blessed Sacrament."
GENERAL RESULTS: Communions, 53,750; First Communion (adults), 55 I ; Confirmation (adults), I 135 ; Baptisms,
(adults), 38; Left under instruction, 16.
�WASHINGTON TERRITORY.
THEX AND
Now-By Fr. j. Joset.
SPoKANE FALLS, June 24th, 1882.
Tempora mutantur! and this country is a remarkable exponent of the truth of the saying. 'vVhen we arrived here
back in the Apostolic days, it was a savage country in the
full sense of the word. In point of fact it was a wilderness
owned by the savage whose barbarous customs prevailed
everywhere. You would journey in those times for whole
weeks and months without encountering a human being; and as long as you stayed here you were quite cut
off from civilization. In proof of this last-mentioned fact,
it is only necessary to rem~rk that it took two years for
a letter to come from Europe, nay, even from the Eastern part of the United States, or from St. Louis or the Missouri. It was when we were laboring undt:r difficulties such
as these that V cry Rev. Fr. Gent:ral Roo than once wrote to
us: "How can I speak to you, afar off as I am, and beset
with obstacles in the way of communication? I can only
say: Do your best." \Ve were used to travel on horseback,
or in Indian canoes in case the journey were a short one;
but whether travelling in either way we always had to take
along all such necessaries of life as provisions, tents, beds,
utensils, etc. We cro~sed the rivers in Indian barges. It
is true that this mode of travelling was slow and tedious,
but it had withal its attraCtions: first of all, you weri(everywhere at home; then you could choose for your encampment any beautiful spot you pleased, with rich pasture for
the horses near by, wood for fuel close at hand as well as
water, and a soft grassy carpeting around you of nature's
own deft wea\'ing. In winter a few branches strewn over
the snow made a comfortable couch. In general, the more
(172)
�flzen and NO'W.-Letter of Fr.
J.
jose!.
173
busily occupied you were in this kind of life, the better you
liked it.
In January, 1846, we had a rain that better deserved
the name of deluge; it continued even up to the moment of
our halting, when I took up my station beside a fallen tree
that measured four feet in diameter. On this occasion, my
companion, who amongst lazy Indians passed for laziness
personified, for once forfeited his reputation. ·whilst he
occupied himself with caring for the horses, I cut some
stakes with which to prop up the hut and also lighted
the fire. My Indian companion, his first work done, next
set about cutting down some small trees and, breaking
them up into pieces of the proper length, he afterwards took
them to the spot that was pointed out to him. In this way
our big tree was quickly in a blaze, and the heat of this
bonfire soon dried us where we were beneath our tent. But
the ground on which we tented was both icy and sloping:
hence the water soon began to run underneath our feet;
then out of strips of bark of about two inches thickness I
made a little platform on which to rest our beds; this done,
we supped, sang, said our prayers and passed a happy night.
It was in February, 1859, that in company with Rev. Fr.
De Smct, the venerable founder and ever ready benefaCtor
of these missions, I was standing-upon the further shore of
Pend'Oreille Lake; it was just after the war of the Creurs
d'Alene. Fr. De Smet turned to me, saying: "In a few
years there will be a city standing on this site and steamships will ply up and down this lake." What a flight of
fancy, thought I to mysel( And yet what has happened?
The event has sealed the truth of the Father's prediB:ion
and proven a lack of foresight on the part of your humble
servant. One after another, war, the construB:ion of military
routes, and finally the mines have brought the whites hither:
once here they were charmed with the country and spoke
and wrote of it untiringly. But it was emigration that cast
the final die; for with it Fr. De Smet's prophecy was fulfilled
and many other things undreamt of then. Now we have
VoL. xn-No. 2.
23
�174
J:Yaslzington Territory.
not only steamships, but also a railroad, two lines of teiegraph, and cities springing up from the ground like mushrooms. Yes indeed, everything is changed: instead of vast
wastes, the eye meets beauteous fields; the Indian, being
now in the minority, is no longer lord and master of the
land; now he must needs be quick in availing himself of
the government grants to choose a homestead and domicile;
otherwise he will not have ground whereon to set up his
poor wigwam and may not be able to cut wood for his campfire. The whites in the past were fearful of the Indians: of
this fact the numerous military posts that dot the country give ample evidence; now the tables are turned, ·it is
for the Indian to tremble and keep himself in check, and as
for the forts, they are at present well nigh useless.
This is not all I have to say. We must change our
customs to suit our changed circumstances. \Ve came hither expressly to work for the InJians' welfare, and up to
the present time we have l'iad dealings only with them. In
order, however. to keep our missions flourishing we ought
to conciliate the new-comers: now, you must know there
is no sympathy lost berween the whites and the Indians and
were we to confine our ministry to the savages we would
share in that disfavor with which the whites look upon our
flock. On the other hand the Indian keeps an eye upon
his rival whose superiority he cannot fail to recognize: if
then the whites appreciate the missionaries, the Indians
will also esteem us the more. Considering, moreover, that
the white man also has a soul to save, what wonder that we
minister to the spiritual needs of white and red alike. Notwithstanding our own fears, we are bold in answeri_ng the
seers who foretell the coming dissolution of the Indi~n·fami
lies, and consequently of the Indian missions,-that both
their prophetic selves and we shall have long been in the
grave before the missions are destroyed.
Some time ago I was called by Rev. Fr. Superior to Spokane Falls. On my arrival, Fr. Superior told me that a
friend of ours, the geologist of the rail-road Co., had asked
for one of the Fathers as companion and interpreter for him
�Tlun and NOUJ.-Letter of Fr.]. joset.
175
among the Kalispels. The occasion was a good one for
visiting the tribe which had not had a priest since the preceding summer. Our friend secured places for us on the
train as far as to the lake, a distance of more than twelve
miles; we took along our beds, our friend his tent. The
train left at 6 o'clock, P. M.; at 8 o'clock, P. M. it stopped at
Westwood to allow us to take supper, and at the stroke of
I I o'clock, P. M. we were at our journey's end. Everybody,
barring the sentry, was asleep. Through his letters from
the railroad authorities, the geologist counted on a courteous reception; doubtless also he wished to see his companion, the septuagenarian missionary, treated becomingly.
He asked, therefore, to be led to the chief employe of the
road at his camp which was situated in a marshy forest.
The sentinel, thereupon, hoisted my bed upon his shoulders,
our scientific friend shouldered his own, and thus burdened
we trudged along, our friend who was ahead with his lantern giving us timely warning of fallen trees and branches
to be avoided. Finally, we reached the camp, when our
man, who after his day's fatigue was not overpleased at our
arrival, scrutinized our papers and said to the sentinel:
"Lead these gentlemen to such a barrack." There was no
help for it, we had to resume our journey of the night and betake ourselves to the opposite end of the camp, which stood
on the side of a rather steep hill. Arrived there, another
individual, who like his fellow was found in bed, was unlike
him in affording us a better reception; for he picked out an
empty place for us wherein we might stow ourselves away.
There was a littering of straw on the spot too; but it was
not thick enough to proteCt one from the dampness of the
ground. Fortunately I had with me a water tight wrapper,
and upon this we stretched our bed and took a peaceful
sleep. The following morning we had to make our way
across the fields, for the conduCtor in charge of the train
not being informed about us had naturally enough started
without us at an early hour. After rising we entered the
workmen's barrack and breakfasted there. My companion
wished to settle for our departing on the b4ggage-wagon;
�Washington Territory.
we had then, mind you, already taken to the road when my
scientific friend formed his resolve of awaiting the said
wagon. However, everybody told us that it was already
overloaded and had no room to hold us, albeit our little
store of effects was aboard it. So then it only remained for
us to take t~ foot travelling along a path that was rough,
muddy, and in fact, abominable; every moment it was necessary to pick your steps. Had I been alone I would never
have minded our misfortune for a moment, but it must be
known that all this time our man of science was out of sorts.
Believe me, you must never take a sanguine-tempered person on a journey of this nature. It will only serve to sour
his disposition. To begin with, my poor learned socius was
not wholly pleased with the reception given him, and whenever he spoke it was_ to vent his spleen against that road
master. I hearkened, not without some disgust, to these
. doleful strains; but it was-, music that had to be endured
and that, too, daily as lang.-as our journey lasted. Finally,
he began a tirade against the Indians. He Stlpposed, as
· the whites in these parts do only too often, that Catholic
Indians are ready to obey the least sign of the missionaries,
thus making us morally responsible for all harm done by
the savages. My good friend was in error on this point,
and found it out, as I shall relate anon.
By chance we came across a certain Mr. Campbell, the
proprietor of a store at Ventnor on the lake shore, and he
showed us many acts of kindness. While on the road we
saw a crowd of white and Chinese workmen engaged in the
building of bridges, etc. Omnis val/is implebitur, omnis
mons /mmi!iabitur. Alas! that among so many thousands
who give themselves to these material works perhap~3'"not one
thinks of the moral significance of their labors. Towards
midday we came upon a large camp: we went into a tent
to get lunch,. and fortunately were endowed with appetites
that meant business; I say, fortunately; for the sight of
these way-side taverns is not of a kind calculated to excite
a desire for dinner. However, to quote an old French saying;
i/1tf jaut pas avoir toujours z~ gout si diffici!e.
In the even-
�Then and Now.-Letter of Fr.
J
joset.
177
ing we were at our lodgings in good time. Beyond the
buildings of the railroad company, I had riot as yet seen
any pioneer settlements ; the village comprised a market,
a restaurant, a number of temporary cabins and about a
dozen taverns. The population is made up of loafers, vagabonds, gamblers and general mainstays of a tavern. Mr.
Campbell gave us of his best, but his shop was chock-full
of merchandise and people. He took us to the restaurant
for our supper, and when bed time came on, he invited us to
scale a ladder that ran up the wall. It was not the first
time I was called upon to play the athlete, so I climbed
to the loft. The floor of the loft was already covered with
recumbent sleepers; hence, another feat of gymnastics was
called for in order not to. step on anybody. T~ere was only
a small number of beds, one of which had been reserved for
me. My guide let fall some drippings from the candle on
a piece of wood, and thus improvised a candlestick. I would
have preferred to sleep under the open sky in my blankets,
but I could not easily decline the well-meant kindness of
our hospitable friend. At another time, being in this district, I made bold to ask for a room to mysel( They gave
me one poorer than that of Eliseus. (In the prophet's chamber, as you know, there was a bed, a table, a stool and a
candlestick). In mine, there was indeed a bedstead, but
neither table nor candlestick. My· hostess fetched me a
stool, telling me it was the only one in the house. Add to
this, that my apartment had a window with two squares of
glass, only that one of them was broken, and yet in the face
of all this, I deemed myself comfortable, considering where
I was. On another occasion I wished to procure to myself
the luxury of a room, but it was not to be had; sometimes,
indeed, two of us had to go to sleep upon the same bed. As
to the matter of cleanliness and a pair of white sheets, I leave
you to infer whether they are to be expected here. Still, to
appreciate comfort aright, you must sometimes feel its want.
In the course of these last months I had come to learn the
value of the smallest nook or corner where I might be alone;
and, to tell the truth, our old-fashioned way of travelling,
�1;Yash£ngton Territory.
that is, carrying along with us tent, bed, and cooking utensils, was by far preferable to the one of which I have been
telling.
To return to our expedition. The following day we hired
-a canoe with three rowers and bore down stream. On the
passage we met several Indians whom my friend, the geologist would fain have hired to accompany him to a place
eighty miles distant, where he had discovered a mine. His
purpose in this was to secure a means of transporting his
gold to the line of the railroad. The Indians, however,
would not travel with a SC!fapi, as they called an American
Protestant, giving as reason of their refusal the absence of
their chief, without whose consent they could not undertake
such a journey. Moreover, one of them said that one of the
rowers whom we had hired was a scamp and had committed a crime that he then and there specified. Very probably too the Indian was correCt: in his accusation. We halted
at the house of a merchant .. around which were clustered
several cabins ; this was my chance to inform the Indians
that the geologist was a Catholic like themselves, and to
persuade them that if they agreed to the proposal made, I
would settle the matter with their chief, that the three white
men should be discharged, and that the geologist would
make his journey with them alone. It was all to no purpose, however. I had my trouble for my pains in this aCt
of diplomacy, to the great chagrin of my learned friend, who
inveighed most heartily against our poor Indians. "They
were," he said, "the worst Indians "of any whom he had
come across ; they were enemies, and nobody could trust
them, etc. The faCt: is that these brave Indians have a)ways
been on good terms with the whites, and they boast of never
having harmed one of them : at the same time they are
afraid of Americans, whose invasion of their country displeases them and serves to keep them aloof from the whites.
The chief, we were told, was expeCted daily at the mouth
of the Priest river, ten miles off; thither, then, we journeyed.
On the way we met the chief's daughters, who had come
from Lake Roothaan on horseback, while the men were
�Then and Now.-Letter if F1·. j. Josef.
t 79
coming by way of the river, hunting, and travelling leisurely. One of these women, who was already a grandmother, of her own accord went off in search of her father.
She spent two days at the quest during which time it rained
continually. Her journey extended over a tract of forest
and was fruitless as far as its main object was concerned.
"However," said she, "I have left a letter for him at his address;" then she explained the nature of the letter mentioned. At a certain point on the river bank that her father
had to pass she had placed a certain sign whereby he would
know that a missionary was present in the region. At this
point my companion's patience gave out and he decided to
push forward with his three rowers, since the treasure he
had discovered lay above the great falls where Clark's river
ceases to be navigable. Hence is seen his need of Indians
to bring the gold down from the mine. There awaited him
a difficult navigation of eighty miles. All this time I was
only once forced to abide in an Indian tent, and then only
because I could find no other.
The feast of All Saints was drawing near. Our present
position made it impossible to think of saying Mass, so the
other Indians had previously been told to gather at the settlement of the merchant of whom I have spoken; back to
it, therefore, we came. The chief had seen the sign intended
for him by his daughter and now joined us. I heard the
confessions of the good savages and gave them Holy Communion. I was yet staying at this settlement when my
treasure-hunter came back. He then proposed for the Indians again. The chief replied: "I cannot give permission;
I must speak first with my people." A consultation ensued,
the conclusion of which was that the station to be reached
was too far away, being cut off from communication with
the river, so that owing to the heavy falls of snow it was
better to postpone the undertaking until spring. The treasure-seeker thereupon resumed his former abusive language.
According to him, the real excuse was only Indian laziness;
as for himself, he was sure there was a path on the route
that led along the river-shore. Forthwith he left me again,
�t8o
W.asltington Territory.
at which action I was not overpleased. I could stop then
only a few days, for I had to go elsewhere in an opposite direction. The chief conducted me in his canoe as far as
Ventnor, the land of taverns. You can have but a faint idea
of this kind of travelling. It is as follows: you must sit
down and keep quiet in the bottom of the boat which is two
feet wide and one half of a foot in depth; this you do the
whole day, unless, as was the case with us, the little craft
had need of repairs, when it is necessary to steer for the
bank. \Ve had only eighteen miles to go; but it was
straight against the current. Hence it was a great relief
when we could land and move about a little. I often wondered at the skill of our poor savages, a clear evidence of
the truth that, 'necessity is the mother of invention.' In
making their canoes they stretch out the bark of white-pine
trees upon a framework of nicely arranged pieces of wood,
and close up the chinks with,pitch: aboard this little craft
they encounter storms with~ .r.nore assurance than we have
on board our great vessels. There is no metal used in its
construction, and what is still more surprising, the Indians
made these boats before they got hold of any steel instruments, How, do you ask, did they join these little pieces
of board? How did they cut those pine trees and strip
them of their bark? I can only answer that they did all of
these things and besides cooked their meat in caldrons of
wood.
From Ventnor 1 took the stage and as there were no
lodgings in the wood, I had perforce to await the train of
the following day in an empty wagon. 1 arrived early at
Westwood, another city of recent origin; there I del_a.yed
one day to hunt up some Catholic families, but found. o'nly
some Indians from Colville, who came to confession to me,
The following day I came home and spent a night there,
Then I was off elsewhere.
]. JosET, S.].
·I
�DEMERARA.
Letter from Fr. L. Casati to Fr. C. Piccirillo.
PLAISANCE, Jan. 30, 1883.
DEAR REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
* * * * * I have many projeCts in my head, and I
should like to carry them into execution, but I fear that
they are going to end in air-built castles. My first and
greatest want to be supplied is a little sack of those grains
of faith which can move mountains, and then .... Meantime, I wish my intention to be recommended to the Apostles/zip of Prayer. My present purpose is to establish an association of good Portuguese young women, who, living
withdrawn from the evil influences of the world, will have
for the objeCt: of their institution to assist the Missionaries
in the education of orphans, in caring for the sick, etc., after the manner of the Sisters of Charity. The want of ready
money is the only obstacle to the accomplishment of this
design.
Even here persecution begins to assail the Society. A
certain man, who belonged to the Free Masons, wished to
aCt: as sponsor at a Baptism, and the Vicar General having
rejeCl:ed him, his friends have begun to write against us in
the newspapers. I came in for my share of the abuse, because I had refused for the same office a man who had attempted to commit suicide; this man has died since then
by the hands of his own son, who struck him so violent a
blow as, without fully intending it, to deprive him of his
senses, and he expired without the sacraments, and without
giving any signs of repentance. Corruption is on the increase: in the city it is frightful; it is somewhat less in the
country ; but the empire of satan is daily extended more
and more.
VoL. xn-No. 2.
24
(181)
�Demerara.
My church is adorned with a beautiful chapel of our
Lady. The Sodality of the Sacred Heart increases in numbers and in fervor; the same can also be said of the Sodality
of St. Aloysius. My life passes happily in the humble mission. It true that the little orphans now and then worry
m~ with their mischievous pranks; but on the other hand,
it is a true source of joy to see them making progress in
virtue.
With the coming of Lent and Holy vVeek the labors of
the mission are sensibly augmented, but these labors are
recompensed by the greater good which is accomplished.
A custom prevails here which was much in vogue with our
early Fathers of France and Spain when they gave their
miSSIOns. I subjoin a short account of this praCtice as it is
carried out here during the procession of the Way of the
Cross. On Passion Sunday, an image of our Lord Jesus
Christ is used. representing, Him as in the fourth station,
when pressed down by the..~urden of the cross, he is in the
aCt: of meetinR his Blessed Mother. The preacher begins
his discourse inside the church, and narrates the history of
the Passion down to the moment when Jesus begins his
journey to the Mount of Calvary. At this point. the abovementioned image is borne in by four members of the Confraternity. The procession starts, and halts at three different
places within the precinCts of the church-yard, where chapels have been ere8:ed with the piCtures of the Stations of
the Cross. vVhen the last chapel has been reached, the
sermon proper begins, during which the statue of Mary, the
Mother of Sorrows, appears, as she comes forward to meet
her Son. Then are heard the wailings and lamentations of
the devout bystanders. After the sorrowful colloquy, the
procession re-enters the church, and the two statues having
been removed, the description of the Passion is continued,
as far as the moment when our Lord is about to breathe his
last. Then the curtain is withdrawn disclosing Christ upon
the cross, with our Blessed Lady kneeling at its foot. Words
cannot express the pious emotion of the people ; they break
forth into exclamations of pity, and frequently, the women
�The Prisous and Hospitals of New York.
183
faint away overcome by their feelings. This scene is renewed in part on the evening of Good Friday. * * * *
I remain your affectionate and obedient servant in Christ.
LUIGI CASATI,
s. J.
THE PRISONS AND HOSPITALS OF NEW YORK. <1>
Letter of Fr. H. Durauquet.
NEw YoRk, Nov. 6, 1882.
REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
I once wrote-it was a good long time ago-a pretty
lengthy letter in regard to the work which forms the subject of the present communication; it was printed in Les
Etudes in 1857 or I859; I ought to have continued thenarrative ; and if I can manage to be a little more faithful to
my good resolutions, you will shortly receive a letter from
me. In the meanwhile, here is an abridged report of our
situation, our labors and their results.
Our mission of the prisons and hospitals of New Yorkthe Mission of tlze Islauds, as we call it,-employs at present
five of our Fathers, which is one less than last year. Each
Father says two Masses and preaches twice every Sunday.
Three of us live constantly on our islands, and visit the
College only once a week, for confession, for the supply of
altar bread, etc.... In these various institutions there are
more than ten thousand souls ; four fifths of them are Catholics, the majority being Irish or of Irish descent. The establishments of charity and correction, in which we exercise
our ministry, are situated for the greater part on four islands,
which belong to the municipality. These islands a~e all
quite close to the city, except one which is almost twenty
kilometres from New York. These different stations are ·
(1)
Translated from the Lettres des Scholastiqv,es de Jersey,
F~bruary,
1883.
�184
The PrisonJ and Hospitals of New York.
reached by boats. which belong to the authorities in charge.
Our works of zeal meet with no opposition in the institutions which belong to the city. Unfortunately, the same
cannot be said in regard to other houses which are controlled by parties who possess private charters.
It is unquestionable that the people of different nationalities, when they intermix, borrow the failings of one another,
and lose to some extent their own charaCteristic virtues;
nevertheless, our poor Irish people preserve enough of their
native qualities, to render it possible to accomplish much
good among them. Even the Fathers, when they first enter upon the mission, ordinarily find so much consolation,
that their joy during some time partakes of the nature of
real enthusiasm. It must, however, be owned that perseverance is not always the mark of the members of our dear
flock; and many of the sinners so thoroughly converted in
the prison or hospital, return again after a short time in a
state worse titan the first; bUt, they die most edifying deaths.
And after all, are these poor people the only ones who after
repeated falls reach the celestial throne? The Christian
death of our parishioners is some consolation for their inconstancy. \Vere the missionaries only to see their converts after a short interval of time, how many fair illusions
would vanish away. When we took charge of this work, I
made the following remark to Archbishop Hughes, which
was highly entertaining to His Grace: "Other missionaries,"
said I to him, '·are like hunters who pursue their game; the
mission of the Islands is a royal chase; the police officers
et ceteri beat up the covers and drive the game in flocks to
the missionary."
. _ .
I spoke just now of inconstancy. Still we have ~t all
times and everywhere a fair number of our good people who
go to confession and receive Holy Communion. Cases of
infidelity are phenomenal, and are met with almost exclusively amongst the Germans and French. It is only at
long intervals that I have come across a poor Irishman who
was an unbeliever. I regret to be obliged to say that of
late years, I have had th~ sad experience of meeting with
�An Historical Hypotheszs.
several of them.-With respeCt to preaching, our dear parishioners are very easily satisfied, and they appreciate the
efforts of their pastors. If they should understand nothing
more than the music of the sermon, they would draw profit
from it, at least for a time. I have already prepared for
death more than twenty unfortunates, who were hanged at
New York. All of them met death in a truly Christian
manner, and several of them with sentiments that were edifying in a high degree. I have just now three who have
been condemned to die ; but I think that they will not all
be executed. One of them is a Protestant, but ready to be
received into the Church. Pray for him and the other two,
not forgetting the Missionary of the Islands.
H. DURANQUET. S. J.
AN HISTORICAL HYPOTHESIS.
In the January number of these LETTERS, Father Paul M.
Ponziglione of Osage Mission, Kansas, recalled a newspaper
report concerning the discovery of a cave in Florida, which
it was alleged, contained an inscription indicating the presence of a Catholic priest in that State prior to the time of
Columbus. Father Ponziglione has noticed the existence
of certain religious rites and ceremonies amongst our Western Indians, similar to those which prevailed amongst the
Aztecs. They seem to be of Christian origin. The Indians
themselves can give no satisfaCtory explanation of them,
and one ingenious hypothesis, discussed in the Catlwlic
World, December, I 88 I, would trace them back to St.
Thomas, the Apostle, who extended his labors from farther
India to the Pacific coasts. The paper of Fr. Ponziglione
had for its scope to conneCt them with the alleged discovery
in Florida, and thereby with early Danish explorers. The
Lettres de jersey (February, I883), supplement Fr. PonzigJione's argument with the following historical note:-
�186
A~
Histoncal Hypotlzesis.
It 1s not for us to discusss the curious discovery mentioned in the preceding pages. Is it a fact, or a mere hoax?
Let us hope that the future will reveal this. The appearance, however, of a Danish vessel on the coasts of Florida
is not wholly improbable. The discovery of America by
the Normans about five centuries before Columbus is a fact
known to history. Adam of Bre.nen, a chronicler of the
eleventh century, speaks of the country of Vi11land, now
either Rhode Island, or some spot in its vicinity, and affirms
that he has obtained a knowledge of this district, "not
through any mere groundless opinion, but through the very
reliable accounts of the Danes: 1/0il fabulosa opi1Zimze, sed
certa relatione Danorum." If, therefore, the Danes or Normans (who, according to the same chronicler, were considered by the historians of the Franks as belonging to the
same family), visited the site of the future Boston and also
the future confines of New York, is it rash to believe that
driven by the tempest, they .. had touched on the borders of
Florida ? Here is something still more remarkable. In
the year 1120, Eric, a Bishop of Greenland, set out on a
visit to these same shores of Rhode Island. Therefore, it
is more than probable that there were, or had been, some
Christians living there. Norman Greenland was converted
to Catholicity towards the beginning o'fthe eleventh century.
The episcopal see was at Gardar on Eriksfiord: in the fourteenth century, Greenland had six churches and two monasteries; and in 1448~ Pope Nicholas directed the Bishop of
Iceland to provide for the spiritual wants of that country.
Those of our readers, who should wish to have an accurate
idea of the discoveries made in North America priorjo the
time of Columbus, will find an abridged history of them in
the learned articles of Fr. Joseph Brucker.<'> In these articles they will also find the titles of the works to be consulted
on this question so very important in the study of geography, history and the advancement of the Catholic faith. We
shall here quote two passages. The first is an extract from
the article entitled: Tlze North Pole (vo!. ix. page 270.): "We
Cll See
Etudes, 5th series, vols. ix. and x.
�An H£ston"cal Hypotlzeszs.
will be sparing in details concerning the discovery of America by the Normans of Greenland nearly five centuries before Columbus. This event is too far removed from the
polar explorations, to which we intend to adhere as closely as
possible. It cannot be matter for very great astonishment,
that these bold sea rovers after so many other discoveries,
should reach the shores of that land, and yet fail to attach
any special importance to their discovery. From Eriksfiord to the coast of Newfoundland, where Leif, son of Eric
the Red, was the first to land about the year 1000, the distance is no greater nor is the navigation more difficult than
from Iceland to Greenland. Once arrived on the shores of
the New vVorld, it seems to us that our adventurers would
find it mere child's play to follow the coast-line indefinitely
towards the South or at least to push forward from station
to station as far as the tropical regions. How great must
have been the astonishment of the rude children of the
North at tlie sight of those regions teeming with life and
beauty, which met the gaze in all their varied and wonderful forms? We can have some idea of what their feelings
would have been by recalling to mind the enthusiasm that
swelled the bosoms of Columbus and his companions, though
unaccustomed to behold (like their brothers of the North)
vast fields of snow and to do battle with nature barren and
ice-bound. But the Nor mans did not proceed so far Southward. After having sighted Labrador, which differed very
little from their own Greenland, they explored in one nearly
uninterrupted expedition, Newfoundland, which they named
Helluland (land of rocks), then, Nova Scotia, which they
called Markland (land of woods), and finally, a country to
which on account of its wild-vines they gave the name of
Vz"nland (land of vines), and which must lie somewhere between Boston and New Y ark. Here these first discoverers
of America stopped. They had already seen enough to
excite a desire of settling in this new territory. Several establishments were founded during the opening years of the
eleventh century. They kept up an uninterrupted intercourse with Greenland and with Iceland, their original home,
�t88
An Histon·cal Hypothesis.
which sent them continual supplies of fresh colonists_<ll
Several ruins can be pointed out at the present day in Nova
Scotia, Rhode Island and elsewhere, as far down as to below the 42° N. Latitude, which bear traces of the ancient
Norman construCtion.
We borrow the second passage from the article entitled:
"The Relations of Catholicism to Geography," Etudes, vol.
ix, page 564.
We know that the Norwegians (Nordwegia and Nordmannia according to Adam of Bremen are synonymous), after having towards the end of the tenth century colonized
Greenland, arrived a short time afterward at the shores of
Newfoundland and the present United States of North
America. But by approaching the new continent they
learned from the Esquimaux that other strangers had preceded them. From the description given to them they immediately concluded that tl1eir forerunners must have been
Catholics and Irish monks<.Hence, to that part of the country said to be occupied by this people they gave the name
of Great Ireland (Irland it Jlllzk!a): it was also called the
country of the white men (Huitrammmalatzd), on account of
the white dress by which the Irishmen of the New World
were distinguished, similar to that of their brethren whom
the Norwegian pirates doubtless had met at the Orcades, in
the Faroe ~lands, and at Iona. This occupation by the
Irish race of a land to whose population and Catholicity
they were destined~six centuries later to contribute so
largely is a faCl: well worthy of notice. We wish, moreover,
to call special attention to the faCl: that the discovery was
made under the conduCt: of monks, of Catholic priests .. Since
we are on the subjeCt: of Norman America, we will ~remark
that the Gospel followed closely in the footsteps of the Norwegian colonists. Greenland was converted to Catholicity
about the same time as Iceland, that is, about the bef{inning
of the eleventh century. In I 120, it received its first Bishop,
Eric, who also made a tour to Vinland in the New World.
Rafn, the learned historian of the Scandinavian colonists in
CI>Rafn.-Antiquitates Americance.
�Patlter Bemardi1t F. Wiget.
189
America observed that the polar expeditions, properly so
called, were begun by priests." Therefore, whatever we are
to think of the grotto or mysterious cave of Florida, the
presence of Danes, Norwegians or Normans, and of a Roman priest on those shores as early as the eleventh or
twelfth century, is by no means unlikely. If the story of
the grotto is a fable, it has at least a coloring of truth about
it. Se 1zo1t e vero e but trovato .
•
OBITUARY.
FATHER BERNARDIN F. vVIGET.
On Tuesday, the 2nd of January, 1883, the Rev. Father
Bernardin F. vViget, a professed Father of the Society, departed this life in the 6znd year of his age. Fr. Wiget was
born in Schwytz, a town in Switzerland, the capital of the
Canton of the same name, on the 5th of April, 1821. His
parents were a respeCtable and very pious pair, whose greatest desire was that their children should rather inherit their
virtues than their wealth. Father Wiget made his classical
course in our college of the same city with the reputation
of a talented, virtuous and studious youth. In the Sodality
of the college, he imbibed the truly filial devotion to the
Blessed Mother of God, which growing stronger with his
years, made him the Apostle of her glory, wherever he
went. On the 4th of OCtober, 1838, with seven others he
entered the Society and made his novitiate at Briegg in the
Canton of Valais, where after his admission to the vows of
religion he also studied Rhetoric for two years. He was
then sent to Friburg, where he made two years of Philosophy and entered upon the usual course of teaching, which
he continued nearly to the time when the Jesuits were expelled by the Radical government from Switzerland. Being
VoL. xu-No. 2.
25
�Fat/~er Benzardin
F. Wiget..
sent with a good number of his exiled brethren to George·
town College, he was applied to Theology and was ordained
in 185 I. During all this time nothing ever diminished the
reputation he had brought into the Society. Always cheerful and devout, he was an example to all of the regularity
and attention to study that become a scholastic of our Society. The promise that his talents held out of great usefulness in every office· that Providence might ordain for him
in future was never belied. After the completion of his
third year of probation in 18 53, he was made minister of
the Novitiate at Frederick, and supplied the place of the
ReCtor, Fr. Angelo l\1. Paresce, who was sent with Father
James Ryder to the General Congregation in Rome. On
Fr. Paresce's return, Fr. \Viget was sent in succession to
St. Thomas', Boston, Frederick, \Vashington, \Vhite Marsh,
and again to St. Thomas', where he ended his course. In
these places with his usual ~cheerful zeal and devotion he
gave himself to the works of. the sacred ministry. He had
a wonderful taCt in attraCting to God and the praCtice of religion the youth of his various missions, particularly boys
and young men. He was ever most zealous in promoting
devotion to our Blessed Lady, and the flourishing condition
of the Sodalities in several places, and notably in the parish
of St. Mary's, Boston, is mainly attributable to the good start
he had given them.
vVhen Fr. \Viget went to Boston in 1856, sodality work
was in its infancy, confined to a small association of women
in St. Mary's parish, and unknown outside of it. He saw
the needs of the rising generation, and the possibilities of
the work into which he threw all his charaCteristic ~nergy
and enthusiasm, and his efforts were crowned with ;utcess
that was astonishing for its rapid and wide-reaching influence. On November 14, 1856, sixteen young men were
enrolled as postulants to form a male sodality : their good
example, the encouragement of the Bishop who presided at
the first reception of members, the spirit which the direCtor
infused into all who were brought within the magnetism of
his influence, soon attraCted candidates ·from every seetion
�Fat!zer Bernardin F. T17iget.
of the city and from the neighboring towns. In less than
two years, the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception bore
upon its rolls the names of more than eighteen hundred
members. The meetings were held in the basement of old
St. Mary's Church, which at an early period was found too
small to hold the increasing throngs. This original Sodality was composed of men without any distincrion of
married and unmarried, embracing all above sixteen years
of age. The great majority, however, of the early members ranged in age between sixteen and twenty-five years,
and their youthful vigor and earnest fervor were just the materials for such a spiritual direcror to mould and move. The
North End of Boston was transformed; the socialists shared
in the apostolic zeal of their guide and leader; many a
young man was saved to the faith ; the good effecrs of the
work were not confined to St. l\Iary's, nor were they shortlived. Fr. Maguire, at a grand reunion of all the Sodalities
attached to the church, on the last day of the mission given
in June, 1881, congratulated them upon the blessings God
had be~towed on them and others through their example.
"Twenty-five years ago," said he, "the Sodality was a mere
handful; now you have on to four thousand members.
Twenty-five yea·rs ago, there were but three Sodalities in
the Stat.e; now scarcely a parish is without one, through
the example you have set." To Fr. vViget belongs the
merit of originating and giving the first powerful impulse to
this good work, and his memory will long be venerated at
St. Mary's.
His stay in Boston was also signalized by another important labor in the cause of religion-the foundation of the
first Catholic Parochial School for boys. Trouble had
arisen in one of the public grammar schools, on account of
the attempt to coerce the Catholic children to take part in
the recitation of Protestant prayers and Bible-reading. One
boy was severely punished; his father brought an acrion
against the school-master, and lost the suit. Father Wiget,
equal to the emergency, received the boys who deserted the
public school en masse: .<l.lld to him is due the merit of be-
�Fatlzer Bernardin F. Utzget.
ginning the boys' school of St.. Mary's, which has ever since
been in successful operation.
He began his missionary work in vVashington, at a very
critical time, when the civil war between the States was raging and suspicion and distrust seemed to be a great obstacle
to zeal and devotion. Distinguished alike for his unassuming piety, his devotion to duty and ardent charity, he attraCted the attention of the authorities and was appointed
Chaplain, withthe rank of Captain, to the hospitals in the
DistriCt. The following extraCt is borrowed from the Port
Tobacco Times:''An anecdote is told of him at this time, which manifests
his energy and popularity. The Secretary of \Var gave orders that St. Aloysius' Church should be used as a hospital.
Father \Viget, horrified at the idea of seeing the sacred edifice used for such a purpose, visited President Lincoln, and
asked him, if a hospital was all that he wanted. On Mr.
Lincoln's replying in the affirmative, he asked for a suspension of the order to use the church until noon of the next
day. At 12 o'clock the next day he had almost finished a
large and commodious hospital, and the church was saved.
"He was confessor and spiritual adviser of poor Mrs. Surratt, who was executed in the Arsenal grounds in July. 1865.
"In 1868, his superiors sent him to Europe to recruit his
exhausted energies amid the mountain scenery of his own
native Switzerland. On his return he was stationed at
vVhite Marsh, Prince- George, Md., and in 1875, was transferred to St. Thomas' Manor, the scene of his first missionary labors and the destined scene of his last works of zeal
and mercy.
_
"Father \Viget was a man of rare natural ability a~d-·won
derful energy of charaCter. Quick and rapid in his movements, his aCtions kept pace with the aCtivity of his mind,
which was large, clear and comprehensive. His firmness
was well-known, and when his determination was formed to
accomplish an objeCt, no difficulties could baffle and no
obstacles deter him, from his purpose. But it is on his
charaCter and conduCt as a priest, as a pastor and friend,
that the memory love~ ~o dwell. Modest and unassuming.•
�·Father Felix L. Verreydt.
193
kind and fatherly, charitable and loving in manner, he attracted all souls and won all hearts. And in the sunset of
his long life, when the sweet halo of religious charity encircled his head and enshrouded his venerable form, virtue
grew more lovable in his presence and charity more attractive."
His funeral took place on Thursday, the 4th of January,
in the Church at St. Thomas' Manor, Charles county, Md.
For the last five years he had been the devoted pastor of
this mission and this was the second time he had been appointed. After the Solemn High Mass and the funeral
ceremonies he was interred among his brethren in the little
cemetery annexed to the church. Infirmities brought on
by untiring labor had made him aged before his time, but
nothing ever diminished the cheerful zeal, that had begun
with his entrance into religion and crowned his last days as
it had blest his first in the service of his God. Dile[lus Deo
et lzominibus cujus memoria in benedi[lione est. R. I. P.
FATHER FELIX L. VERREYDT.
[Rev. Felix L. Verreydt, S. J., died at St. Xavier College,
Cincinnati, 0., March Ist, and was buried at the Novitiate,
near Florissant, Mo., on March zd; I 883. He was the last
survivor of that noble band of missionaries who labored so
faithfully among the Indian tribes of this and of neighboring States. At our request, REv. WALTER H. HILL, S. J.,
of St. Louis University, has prepared for our journal the
subjoined account of Father Verreydt's conneCtion with the
early Indian missions in Missouri and the northwest; to
which we call the attention of our readers. It is well worth
perusal and preservation as a valuable addition to the history of that interesting period.]The Central Catholic Knight, St. Louis, March, I 883.
Father Felix L. Verreydt was born at Diest, in Belgium,
February 18th, 1798. In 1820, the Rev. Charles Nerinckx,
a holy priest who had gone to the missions of Kentucky in
1805, visited Belgium with a view of colleCt:ing means to
establish a novitiate for the Lorretto nuns, a society of re-
�194
Fatlzer Felz:-c L. Verreydt.
~
ligious women founded by him in I8Iz; and also to build
a school for boys at "Mount ~iary," where St. :Mary's College, in Marion County, Ky., now is, the property of which
belonged to the Loretto society.
On the return of Father Nerinckx to the United States
in the summer of I82I, he was accompanied by a number
of young Belgians, who came for the purpose of joining the
Jesuit Society in Maryland, where a countryman of theirs,
Fr. Chas. Van Quickenborne, from Ghent, was then Master
of novices. They entered the novitiate at \Vhite Marsh,
Prince George's County, :Maryland, on October 6th, I 821.
The names of these young men were: Felix L. Verreydt,
P. J. Verhaegen, P. J. DeSmet, Judocus F. Van Assche, J.
A. Elet and J. B. Smedts. Right Rev. Bishop Dubourg
had then visited Maryland in order to obtain Jesuit Fathers
for his missions in :\Iissouri, which were wide-spread and
growing; and they included several Indian tribes which
still lingered in the forests- .ilnd prairies west of the Mississippi and on the banks of the :Missouri. At a second visit
of Bishop Dubourg to Georgetown, D. C., which was early
in 1823, Fr. Chas. Neale, superior of the Maryland province
of the Jesuits, who had recently succeeded Fr. Anthony
Kohlmann in that office, consented to allow F. Van Quickenborne and his socius, Fr. Peter J. Timmermans, together
with the above named young Belgian novices to go to Missouri, and found there a mission of the Society. These two
priests, seven scholastic novices, and .three lay brothers, left
'White Marsh for Missouri on April I Ith, I823, and after a
journey, attended with not a few hardships and perils, on
foot to \Vheeling, by flatboats to Shawneetown, and ·thereafter on foot, the band reached the banks of the Mis~issippi
at I o'clock P. liL on May 3 Ist, I823. They stood to gaze
in wonder at the mighty river, then high with the early
mountain rise, and the town of St. Louis on the opposite
shore, with whose history their own lives were to be in
some manner identified. Past this same scene Marquette
and Joliet had floated in their reed canoes, then just one
hundred and fifty years before. What change since that
�Fat/zer Feliz L. Verreydt.
time, when the first Europeans beheld the spot now contemplated by these youthful missionaries to the then "Far
West;" what still greater change within the sixty years since
Father Verreydt and companions first saw St. Louis and its
surroundings as they were in 1823.
The party landed in St. Louis, and after a few days' rest
with the hospitable priests, who then conduCted the St.
Louis College, where Elihu Shepard was professor of languages, they went to their home near Florissant. Their
dwelling was a primitive cabin, I6 x 20 feet, one story high,
with a loft, which was the dormitory of the young men.
With their own hands they added a story and a wing or ell
to their new home, and this, with the addition of a frame
building, 30 x 40 feet, t\VO stories and a half high, added a
year or two later, for the "Indian Seminary," was their
home, and that of all succeeding novices till the year I 849,
when the present stone building was occupied.
1\Ir. Felix L. Verreydt, P. J. DeSmet, J. A. Elet and J.
F. Van Assche, were ordained priests in the church at Florissant, by Bishop Rosati, in September, I 82 7 ; P. J. V erhaegen and J. B. Smedts had been ordained early in I 825.
Immediately after the ordination of Father Verreydt, he
and J. B. Smedts were sent to reside at St. Charles, which
had for the two preceding years, been mainly attended by
Fr. P. ]. Verhaegen. Fr. Verreydt went to reside at Portage des Sioux in I 834, and during that year he built the
church at that place, which was burned down in January,
1879· In I836 he went with Fr. Charles Van Quickenborne
to found the Kickapoo Indian Mission, at a place just above
Fort Leavenworth, on the banks of the Missouri, in what is
now the State of Kansas. The Kickapoos were vicious and
indocile, they were restless and roving, had a great passion
for "fire water," and when beyond the control of the military and the influence of the missionaries, were both arrant
drunkards and arch horse-thieves. Finally, a young "prophet" arose up among them in 1838, and induced nearly all
the tribe to wander off to far distant hunting grounds, where
�tg6
Fat/zer Felix L. Verreydt.
~
they would be freed from the military and missionaries, thus
rendering longer stay of the Fathers at that place useless.
In the summer of I 838, a delegation of Pottowattomie
Indians from Council Bluff visited the missionaries near
Fort Leavenworth, where Father Verreydt was then superior, and asked to have a "black gown" come to reside among
them at their new home. These Indians had just been
transferred by the United States authorities from Michigan,
which was admitted into the Union as a State in 1837. The
"Platte Purchase" previously made, at the instigation of
Thomas Benton, had the Indians, the Allowas, now called
the Iowas, moved from it also, at the same time. The
Platte Purchase, so named because of the Missouri-Platte
river running through it, comprised several of the present
northwestern counties of l\Iissouri, and it was then joined
to the State of i\Iissouri.
"Council Bluff' was then, all the territory which is now
Iowa and Nebraska; and the location opposite the present
city of Omaha was named from the territory to which the
Indians were transferred from Michigan. The original
"Council Bluff," was so named by Lewis and Clarke in 1804,
because of a council there held by them, at which chiefs
from the Ottoes, the then nearly extinCt tribe of l\Iissouris,
and other tribes, were present. That "Council Bluff" was
in Nebraska twenty-five miles higher up on the l\Iissouri,
and near it Fort Calhoun (IJ was ereeted in 1827 by General
Atkinson.
(ll In company with Rev. Thomas H. ~Iiles, President of Creighton College,
Omaha, the writer of this article visite<l Fort Calhoun, in :\lay, 1881, carrying
with him the report of I,ewis allll Clarke's journey across the Hockv :\lountains to the Pacific Ocean in 1804-1800. ltain rendered a careful ~'urvey of
the entire scene impmcticable, but even a general view of it suftice'd to idcn·
tify the spot as the one described by Lewis and Clarke, and named by them
"Council Blutl'," August :.?d, 180-l.
The Diary of Lewis and Clarke's expedition across the continent to the Pacific Ocean was first published in London, in 1814; with the title page:
"Tnwels to the Source of the ~Iissouri Itiver and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean, performed by order of the government of the United
States, in the years 1804, ISO.) and 180li, by Captains Lewis and Clarke. Lon·
don, printed for J,ongman, Hurst, Rces, Orme & llrown, Pater Xoster How,
1814." The work, somewhat abridged, is published in "Harper's Family Library.'' No publication ofit seems ever to have been ordered by the govern·
meqt of the United States.
�Father Feliz L. Verreydt.
In the midsummer of 1838, Father Verreydt, and Brother
George Miles, who still survives and is residing at St.
Charles, went up to Council Bluff, with the view of establishing a mission there. Colonel Gant had ereeted what
was known among boatmen as "the Issue House" at that
place; so called because the military there issued blankets,
food, etc., to the Indians at that storehouse. This house
was kindly made over to the Missionaries by the military,
and Fr. Verreydt built a small dwelling near by it, turning
the storehouse into a church and school. These houses
were near the foot of the bluffs, now called the "Council
Bluffs," and were about a mile distant from the Missouri, on
its eastern or left bank.
A prominent charaCter among the Pottowattomies at
Council Bluff was the notorious "Billy Caldwell," a fierce
and violent chieftain, who had been quite distinguished near
the great lakes, especially in the vicinity of Chicago. He
was friendly to the whites, however. An attack was made
on Fort Dearborn, at the mouth of the Chicago river, in
1812, when part of the garrison holding it was slaughtered
by the Indians. In the year 11>28 another attack was
planned, but it was opposed, and, perhaps, prevented by
"Billy Caldwell." He lived in a house built expressly for
him at Council Bluff, near that of the missionaries; he
never became a Christian, and died September 28th, 1841.
In the autumn of 1838, Fr. DeSmet went to the assistance of Fr. Verreydt at Council Bluff, and the two did all
in their power for the religious welfare of the Pottowattomies, and neighboring tribes of Indians; and meeting with
no great success in their efforts to improve the adults, they
got up a school for the Indian children. In the autumn of
1839, Fr. De Smet went to St. Louis in order to purchase
supplies and procure additional help for the mission at
Council Bluff. It was at this time that messengers from
the Flat Head Indians of the Rocky Mountains were in St.
Louis on their second visit to invite a "black gown" to go
among their tribe and teach them the Christian manner of
VoL. xu. No. 2.
26
�198
Father
Feh~
L. Verreydt.
living and dying. As no one had volunteered to undertake
this work, Fr. De Smet offered to be the one to go to that
tribe and devote himself to their spiritual welfare. His zealous wish was acceded to, and accordingly Father De Smet
started early in 1840 on the first of his famous journeys
among the Indians of the Rocky Mountains and on the
Pacific slope. Fr. De Smet was replaced at Council Bluff
by Fr. Christian Hoecl~en, who remained at Council Bluff
until the summer of 1841. The Pottowattomies at this
place were called "prairie Indians" or "wild Indians," because they were nomadic in their habits, and were wild,
fierce, and even somewhat ferocious. It was gradually discovered by the missionaries that there was little or no good
done among them, and there was a poor prospect of better
res.ults in the future. It was concluded, thererore, in the
summer of 1841, that it was expedient to abandon this section of the tribe as incorrigible, and depart for the more inviting field of evangelical J~bor at the Sugar Creek mission
near the head waters of the Osage river, just beyond the
western borders of l\Iissouri.
In 1838, the main body of the Pottowattomies was removed from Michigan to the Sugar Creek region. Nearly
two thousand of them had become Christians in Michigan,
where, in the vicinity of St. Joseph's river, they were cared
for by the illustrious Fathers Badin, Desailes and Petit from
the diocese of Vincennes. Father Petit accompanied these
Christian Indians in-their journey to Sugar Creek in 1838.
Fr. Petit's health failed, and he started to Vincennes, got to
St. Louis and there died at the St. .Louis University early
in January, 1839. The charge of his mission was committed to the Jesuit Fathers of St. Louis, and thenceforth-these
Indians were cared for by them.
Father Verreydt reached the Sugar Creek Mission in
1842, and was shortly afterwards made the superior. There
were two gooJ schools at Sugar Creek; the boys were
taught by Brothers, and the girls were taught by Ladies of
the Sacred Heart, who first arrived at the place in 1841.
The mission and its schools proved a source of much good
�Father Felix L. Verreydt.
199
also for other small tribes, who roamed the circumjacent
woods and prairies, as the Miamis, Shawnees, etc.
In 1847, the government determined again to remove the
Pottowattomies, and this time to a reservation fifty miles
square, on the Kaw river, immediately west of the present
city of Topeka, Kansas. This measure was deemed necessary, because of the inconveniences arising from the white
settlements in Missouri, which \yere near to Sugar Creek,
from which whiskey, the bane of the red-man, was then
easily procured. The Pottowattomies, by mistake, were
settled in 1847, on the lands of the Shawnees and they
reached their own reservation north of the Kaw, only September gth, 1848, when the zealous Fr. Maurice Gailland
was added to the number of missionaries. Here Fr. Verreydt remained superior till declining strength and old age
rendered the comforts of a better home, necessary for him.
He went to reside at College Hill, in 1859, and remained
there in charge of St. Thomas' church for ten years; he was
then sent to St. Xavier college, Cincinnati, where he spent
his.remaining days on earth. He died Marcil 1st, 1883, in
the eighty-sixth year of his age. The last twenty-five years
of his life were devoted to easier employments, more suited
to the condition of his lost health and strength. He and
the other Indian Missionaries often spoke in the highest
terms of the treatment received both by them and the Indians from the military. The officers were always exceedingly kind to them, and were always the true protectors of
the Indians. Many years of observation furnished no exception, nor did any change in the officers in command ever
make any change in the treatment received from the military. But despite all that has been done for these tribes of
.
I
aborigines by the government, and by the devoted missionaries, it is often said that no very general or permanent change
was ever effected in any tribe; that they seem to be, as a
race, well nigh indomitable.
The fact is undeniable, however, that much good was done
for the Indians, at St. Mary's, Kansas, by Fr. Verreydt and
pis companions, aided by the zealous Ladies of the Sacred.
�200
Father Augusti11e Regm"er.
Heart, and among the Osage Indians in Southeastern Kansas, by the venerable Father John Schoenmaker, Fr. Ponziglione, and the devoted Sisters of Loretto.
A mere detail of the places at which Fr. Verreydt spent
his busy life, with a list of the employments in which his
zeal for the wel~<re of the poor savage Indians was exercised, leaves no space within the limits of such an article as
this must be, to say anyth!ng of him personally except what
is very general. But, on the other hand, the works of a
man's life tell what the man himself is, better than any other
language can.
Father Verreydt spent sixty-two years of his long life, as
a Jesuit in America; and sixty of these years he lived in
missions of the Jesuit Society in Missouri. It is no ordinary commendation of him to say that, during all this long
period, his conduCt as a priest and a Jesuit, was always
perfeCt, always blameless. >He was not distinguished for
eloquence or great learning; but he was eminently distinguished for his piety, and his extraordinary virtues. His
long life passed in doing good and in charity proved b}: its
deeds, was surely a great work. None but high motives,
and they strong and enduring, could have induced him to
leave his native land, loved ones at home, and all that is
near and dear to the heart, and persevere, firm in his purpose, sixty-two years, in privation, self-denial, and a variety
of hard employments. Such a man, beyond a doubt, is
greatly good; and s1Ich a man was Fr. Felix L. Verreydt
. FATHER AUGUSTINE REGNIER.
~
.
On Sunday, April Ist, Fr. Augustine Regnier died at the
college of St. Francis Xavier, New York, after having received the last rites of the Church.
He was born at Lacadie, near Montreal, in I 820. Having
completed his classical and philosophical course of studies at
the college of St. Hyacinth, Canada, he determined to embrace the ecclesiastical state,, and studied, in the same insti.
�Father Augustine Regnier.
201
tution, theology during one year, and during a second year
at the seminary of St. Sulpice, Montreal. This was in 1842.
In 1843. a novitiate of the Society having been opened in
Montreal, Father Regnier entered it, as the first Jesuit Canadian novice in this century. After his noviceship, in 1845.
he was sent to Georgetown to complete his theological
studies and the following year was recalled to St. John's
College, Fordham, which had been just made over to the
Society. In 1847, he was ordained priest by Archbishop
Hughes in the cathedral of New York. After his ordination,
his ministries in the Society were of various kinds. During
some seventeen, or eighteen years he was employed in our
colleges at Fordham, New York and Montreal, as prefeCt:
of discipline, teacher, treasurer or minister, making himself
agreeable to all by his gay, courteous manners in the fulfilment of his offices. The last twenty years of his life
nearly were spent in the duties and works of the sacred
ministry, whether in Troy, Chatham (Canada), or Blackwell's
Island, New York. In the discharge of these duties of the
sacred ministry, his generous devotedness recommended
him to the faithful, while his tender charity for the poor and
the affliCted caused him to be loved by them.
Within the year before his death, his health, amid the labors of his mission on Blackwell's Island, was giving way. A
change of residence, it was thought, would relieve him, and
he was sent to St. Inigoes, but returned worse than before.
Now occupied with some little duties, he tried to bear up
cheerfully with his affliCtions; a few months before his decease he felt that there was no hope of his recovery. Day
after day, he saw death approaching, but was not afraid;
the thought of the Venerable Bede seemed to be uppermost
in his .mind, "nor do I fear to die, for we have a good Lord."
Full of this holy confidence, he used to say that in another
world he would meet his best friends. In this hope he died.
R. I. P.
�MR. CHARLES
c.
LANCASTER.
On Monday, April 2nd, 1883, at Loyola College, Baltimore, Md., died Charles C. Lancaster, in the 72nd year of
his age. He had been suffering severely for a long time,
but was still able to attend to the duties of his office as
Procurator and agent, and no one felt any apprehension of
so sudden a death. He was stricken with apoplexy and in
ten hours departed this life, being unconscious almost from
the first moment.
He was born on the 18th of July, 181 I, at Rockhall, the
family residence, in Cobb neck. Charles county, Md., and
was brought up with that sedulous attention to religion,
which distinguished the old Catholic families of Maryland.
He had finished his classical course and even commenced
the study of medicine, when,he felt himself called to thereligious life in his 19th yeat. He entered the Novitiate of
the Society of Jesus in the mission of i\Iaryl<~nd at Georgetown on the 13th of June, 1830. The master of novices was
the saintly Fr. Dzierozynski, who was soon succeeded by
Fr. Fidelis Grivel, sent over as companion to the Visitor,
Fr. Peter Kenny, and appointed for this office on account
of his great experience in the spiritual life and his long and
faithful service in every office of the Society. Under these
experienced guides he passed the two years of probation,
partly at Georgetown College and partly at \Vhite Marsh,
with the reputation of an exemplary novice. He was then
sent to Georgetown College to be prefeCt of discipline and
teacher, and at the same time to study his philo?ophy.
These occupations filled up two more years, but th;y\vere
years of pain as well as of faithful fulfilment of duty. Hence
he was sent to the Bohemia farm on the Eastern Shore,
with the double duty of studying Theology and attending
to the exterior labors of the farm. It was thought that this
mingling of study and manual labor would tend to mitigate,
if not entirely cure the severe headaches, which had ren(202)
�Mr. Charles C. Lancaster.
203
dered the confinement of college life a torture that was almost intoferable. But the result was not in accordance with
the desires of his Superiors; and although he passed a
satisfaB.:ory examination and was deemed worthy of promotion to the priesthood, he thought he could not conscientiously assume a position, when he felt himself totally unfit
and incapable of fulfilling its sacred duties. He therefore
begged humbly and earnestly of Superiors to allow him to
remain a scholastic or to serve the province as a Temporal
Coadjutor, as in either grade he thought he could do more
good. Three several times they urged on him the acceptance of Holy Orders, the last time even \Vith dispensation
from Rome, and he !?O far yielded as to try to prepare himself, but the condition of his head always growing worse
from the necessary application, he was forced to the conclusion that it was not the will of God and he gratefully
declined their kind offers. Judging that the exterior occupations of Procurator and agent, which required much outdoor exercise, would suit him better and knowing how well
he was fitted for those offices, they acquiesced in his petition
and appointed him to the management of all the temporal
business of the province. In spite of his almost continual
and sometimes even agonizing sufferings he continued to
fulfil these duties until relieved by death. For forty years
he had the care of the temporalities of the province and had
to visit frequently the farms and see to their improvement
and provide for the support of the Novitiate and Scholasticate. From this it is easy to conjeB.:ure how great must
have been his fortitude and devotion and how intense his
affeB.:ion for the Society. Indeed it is impossible to enumerate the difficulties he had to encounter and overcome in
the performance of these duties. Yet such was the respeB.:
he inspired among all with whom he transaB.:ed any business, and such the confidence reposed in his integrity that
every one was ready to help him even more than he asked.
During his administration the revenues of the province were
more than doubled. And with all this immersion in temporal business he never forgot even for a moment that he
�M~
Clzarles C. Lancaster.
was a religious. No novice could be more exaa in meditation and prayer and spiritual reading. The frequentation
of the sacraments and fulfilment of all the praaices of the
common life were regularly and simply and devoutly attended to. Indeed the maxims that he had learned in the
novitiate were as faithfully his guides on the last day of his
life as they had been during the days he studied the first
principles of religion. That very morning, when the summons to eternity came, he had prepared the minutes, which
were to occupy the attention of the Trustees of the Corpo·
ration, of which he was the agent, and had transaaed some
business for the novitiate in his usual exaa and attentive
manner. Returning home about noon he was struck with
apoplexy, and though he survived for over ten hours he
never recovered consciousness. Although his death was
sudden, it was neither unexpeaed nor unprovided. He had
already for five years had e\iery thing provided for his successor and the thought ol··its coming was a familiar and
daily thought for a long time. 'vVe may truly use in his
regard the words of Divine 'vVisdom : Fidelz~· servus et prudens quem constituit Dominus super familiam suam. After
the celebration of Holy Mass and the funeral rites over his
remains in the church of St. Ignatius, Baltimore, they were
taken to the cemetery of the Society at Woodstock College.
R.I.P.
�THE JUBILEE OF THE PROVINCE.
1833.
ERECTION OF THE PROVINCE-THE PERIOD OF CHANGE.
The present and future of the American Mission had been
the theme of constant meditation and anxious deliberation
with Rev. Fr. Roothaan from the time of his elevation to
the position of General. The territory of the United
States presented a field boundless in its extent and inviting
in its promise of fruitfulness to the zeal of the Sodety.The Republic had lived through more than fifty years of a
probationary eKistence and by its successful struggle against
foes from within and without had proved itself to be endowed with the principles of stability and endurance.-The
thirteen original States had developed into twenty-four, and
some of them covered an area broader and longer than the
domain of many a kingdom of the old world, that had given
a home to several provinces of the Society. The trde of
emigration rising higher and higher each year was sending
to its shores from every European country multitudes that
gave no uncertain signs of becoming a kind soil under the
hand of God's husbandman. A large proportion of the settlers were already Catholic in faith, and their greatest affiiction in their new horne was the want of one who would
break unto them the bread of life. The spirit of intolerance,
that had, in the colonial times, shut the gates of almost
every town against the zeal of the missionary and confined
the great souls of our fathers within the limits of Maryland
and Eastern Pennsylvania, had taken flight on the advent of
Independence.-Well nigh every sign,was propitious for the
development of our reviving Society in the New World.
Against the projea of creating the province stood the
Vox.. xu. No.
2.
27
(205)
�2o6
T/ze Jubilee of tlze Province.
very vastness of the mission, and the isolated life that the
majority of its members were obliged to lead :-a necessity
that did not promise an immediate relief, and yet was fatal
to the diffusion of a knowledge of the Society. How, then,
could love for the vocation of the Jesuit instil aspirations
after the perfeaion and sacrifice of the religious state and fill
up the ranks of the new province.
As early as 1808, Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, clearly foreseeing the barrenness that must otherwise affiia the American
Mission and delay our firm establishment in this country,
was planning the ereaion of colleges in New York, Philadelphia and Boston, as the only means of increasing and
propagating the Society here.
Twenty years had passed since Fr. Kohlmann's first endeavor to meet this absolute necessity of the mission, and
yet it pressed almost as keenly upon us in 1830 as in 1808.
The question then was not one to be judged in an instant, and its resolution wa;i certainly perplexing; for delay
might be fatal to the interests of the Society in this country,
whilst premature action would certainly dwarf its development.
Rev. Fr. Roothaan looked about him for an escape from
this state of indecision : perhaps he had overestimated the
difficulties that opposed his projea, and if they really assumed the proportions he gave to them, possibly, the way
might be paved for speedily vanquishing them, by the experienced management of a trusty representative.
Father Peter Kenney, whom Rev. Fr. General chose for
this very responsible charge, was not ignorant of the peculiar conditions in which the Society found itself in this
country; nor was Fr. Fide lis ·Grivel, his companion~-second
to him in the qualities requisite for moulding into a Province the missions of the Society.
The history of the founding of the Province would be
very incomplete without a sketch of the career of the two
men that lent us their invaluable services during this period
of change. Fr. Peter Kenney, a native of Dublin, entered
the Society in 18Q4, being then in the zsth year of his a~e,
�Ere{limz of tlze Province-I8JJ.
,)
207
and made his profession of the four vows in I 8 I9. His
higher studies and Theology were completed at Palermo,
and there he was ordained priest. He it was that revived
the ancient Irish Mission of the Society, holding office in it
as its first Superior until I819, when he was appointed Visitor of our Mission. On his return to Ireland in I822, he
was again declared Superior, and in I 829, when that Mission became a Vice Province, he became its first Vice Provincial. It was while filling this office, that he was deputed
a second time as Visitor of this country. He remained
Vice Provincial of Ireland until I836. He died at the Gesu
in Rome,.in I841, at the age of6z. This brief testimonial
of the esteem in which the members of our Mission held
Fr. Kenney is copied from the diary of Georgetown College.
"This morning, July II, I833, we all embraced for the last
time our beloved and honored Fr. Kenney. He himself
was very much moved at his leavetaking. Never has a man
lived among us whom all without exception so loved and
reverenced."
Fr. Grivel was born in Franche Comte, Dec. I 7, I 769.
Already a priest, he joined the Fathers of the Sacred Heart
in I794· sharing the varying fortunes of that body until
I803, when he was received into the Society of Jesus in
Russia. Here he remained and labored until the expulsion
of the Society from Russia, in ISIS, when he returned to
France. In the following year he was appointed Visitor of
England, and shortly afterwards became Socius of the
Provincial of France, to whom he rendered no little service
in regulating the affairs of that Province. He was a member of the zoth General Congregation which in I 820 eleB:ed
Fr. Louis Fortis General of the Society, and during its deliberations he very clearly proved his attachment to the Institute. Immediately before his coming to this country he haci
taught Theology at Stonyhurst and Paris. From February
22, I83I, until December 16, I834, he was Master of Novices, first at White Marsh and the last year at Frederick. He
was then assistant at St. Inigoes, and finally Spiritual Father
�208
Tlu Jubilee of the Province.
at Georgetown College, where he died June 26, t842, in the
73rd year of his age.
So generously did the members of the Mission second
and supplement every effort of Fr. Kenney and Fr. Grivel,
that all doubts which Rev. Fr. General might have had of
the prudence of the aa he was contemplating were completely dissipated, and he hastened to consummate the fond
wish of his own heart and reward the deserving and persevering loyalty of the American Mission. On the 2nd of
February, 1833, he sent to Fr. Kenney the decree elevating
the Mission into a Province, and on the 8th of July it was
publicly proclaimed at Georgetown College, and Fr. Wm.
McSherry was named the first Provincial. The following
simple record of the event was made in the Georgetown
College diary for that date :
"Quod perpetuo fe!ix-:faustum-fortunatumque sit. This
evening at 6 o'clock, Fr. Kenney delivered an exhortation
to the community, replete·with eloquence and holy fervor,
which he said would be his last. He then announced to all
that this Mission is constituted a Province by decree of
Rev. Fr. General Roothaan, with all the rights of other Provinces of the Society. He urged us to enter with confidence upon our new life and amid all our difficulties to press
onward with good heart. Two hundred years, he said, had
already passed since our Fathers first founded the Mission,
and now at last was witnessed the crowning of their labors.
There were present at this exhortation and therefore witnesses of the new .order of affairs: FF. vVm. McSherry~
Thomas F. Mulledy, Reetor of the College; James Ryder,
Minister; Francis Dzierozynski, Pr~( Spir.; James Neill,
Professor of Rhetoric; Wm. Grace, Poetry; George Fenwick, Humanities; Richard Hardy and James Lucas, Operarii ad SS. Trinitatis; Helias; and Fidelis Grivel~ Master
of Novices from White Marsh."
Another diary of Georgetown College has the following
entry:"The community were ordered to assemble at 6 P. M., in
the Ascetory. Accordingly, at 6 P. M., Fr. Kenney made a
parting address to the community, after announcing to them
.the new ereB:ion of the Mission into a Province, its first Provincial, Rev. Fr. Wrn. J\!IcSherry. His address was a most.
�Erifl£on of the Province-I8JJ.
eloquent and fervorous incentive to pure, operative and indefatigable charity: in conclusion, he got one of the Fathers to read the decree of Very Rev. Fr. General Roothaan,
creating the American Mission a Province, with the title of
Province of Maryland, its Provincial Rev. Fr. Wiliam McSherry; next were read the Patents of·the new Province
(which was done all standing); finally, Fr. Kenney delivered them into the hands of the new Provincial with a profound and respeCtful bow. Then the usual prayer was
recited at the end of the instruCtion, and Fr. Kenney having
risen bowed to Fr. Provincial to go first. Fr. McSherry
was placed from among the community at the ceremonial
by Fr. Kenney at his right."
The decree of Rev. Fr. Roothaan, copied from the archives
of the Province, reads as follows :
Decretmn Erectiouis Prol'i11ciw 1J£arylmuliw Societatit1
Jestt in Statibtts Unitis .Ame1·icre.
JoAN. RooTHAAN Soc. JEsu PR,EPOSITUS GENERALIS.
Cum satis jam accreverit Americana Statuum Unitorum
Missio, nihilque ipsi desit eorum qu~ ad justam Societatis
provinciam efformandam requiruntur, quippe qu~ idoneam
Sociorum copiam et, prceter amplum Georgiopolitanum
Collegium. propriam quoque tironum domum pluresque residentias numerat; hinc est quod, re diu multumque Domino commendata, scepeque cum PP. Assistentibus discussa,
decernendum visum fuerit, uti prcesente nostro decreta decernimus, supradictam Missionem, prout uni hucusque Superiori subjecta fuit, deinceps in Provinciarum numerum
habendam esse cum omnibus facultatibus juribusque, qme
ceteris provinciis, et in specie provinciis transmarinis, juxta
Societatis Constitutiones et Congregationum Generalium
Decreta attributa sunt.
Datum RomaJ pro festo die Puri.ftcationis BeatissimaJ Virginis, 2 Ft:b. I8JJ.
Loc. SIG.
JoAN. RooTHAAN, S.].
The condition of the Province during the first year of its
existence appears from the following brief summary of the
catalogue for 1833 :-The total membership of the Province
was 90 :-38 priests, 20 scholastics, 32 coadjutors. The
�210
Tke..]ubilee of t!ze Province.
residences that we possessed were located at Alexandria,
Va. ;-at St. Thomas', Newtown (now Leonardtown), St. Inigoes, Bohemia, St. Joseph's (which lately passed from our
hands), and Frederick, in Maryland, and at Philadelphia,
Goshenhoppen, Conewago and Paradise in Pennsylvania.
Each residence gave occupation, on an average, to two
priests and one brother.
The House of Probation which was then in a flourishing
condition, having 14 scholastic and 7 coadjutor novices,
was at White Marsh. This estate is situated about midway
between Annapolis and \Vashington, in Prince George's
county, Md. It came into the possession of the Society in
1760, and as early as 1820 was the seat of the House of
Probation. During the ten following years, the fate of the
Novitiate was quite varied. It ceased its existence in 1823,
was revived again at Georgetown in 1828, and thence, on
Fr. Kenny's arrival, was transferred to its old home at the
Marsh. So that the Novli:tate may be said to have been
instituted anew, when the creation of the Province was seriously contemplated.
At Georgetown, which was then in the forty-second year
of its career, the community numbered 40 Jesuits-almost
one-half the membership of the whole Province, and about
as large a corps as it possesses at the present day. The
college was proving itself worthy of the patronage it was
receiving, and its clq_im as a superior educator was generally recognized by Protestants as well as Catholics.
This was the capital with which the Province embarked
upon its new career. Though raised to a higher plane of
existence its overstrained energies were not unb~,raened,
but rather taxed to a still greater extent. And though the
members of the Province were suffering many hardships,
and had the vision of severe trials in the future, yet they
felt that God's hand was lightening the weight upon their
shoulders and His blessing was upon their labor of supernatural love, and they resolved to await in patience and
with confidence the time that He had appointed for the increase.
�Announcement cif the jubilee.
2Il
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE JUBILEE.
Rev. Fr. Provincial, in the subjoined circular letter, proclaimed the Jubilee celebration; we add the text of the
petition to His Holiness, together with the reply:DEAR REV. FATHER SUPERIOR,
On tlze twmty-second cif
November 16]3, Fr. T¥/zite and Fr. Alt/zam left England to
found tlze flfiss(on of Mmyland. Two centuries later, on tlze
eighth of :.fuly I8JJ. was promulgated at Georgetmvn College
the decree by whiclt the J11ission of il1aryland was ere{led into
a Province. The creation if tlze first Province ofour Society within tlze limits of the United States, is full if interest not on(v to
members if the Prom·uce, but to all if Ours in this country; nay,
to all of the Society throughout the world. There would be
some impeaclzmcnt of our lo;•al~y should we allow the mmiversary to pass mmoticed.
I am sure, therefort, that I respond to the um:Z1ersal wislz in
giving t/ze following dzi-ec?ions.
I.
Each local Superior will smd to lVoodstock, as speedily
as possible, a brief history of !tis house, tlzat the materials so
compiled may be inten»17Z'Cil into a history of the Province.
2.
Each local Superior will also smd to Woodstock photographic views if Ius residence, clwrclz and college, to be presented to our 'iJCI/erable Father, inviting him to rt:joice in !tis
children's joy. ivfinute dire{lions wtll be forwarded from
Woodstock as to tilt' accomplzshment if these two orders.
3· Since the amziversmy itself occurs dun'ng the z,acation, I
propose to anticipate it, and celebrate the 7ubila if our Prov. ince o1t the fiftemtlz of April. Let a no11ma in lwnor if
St. :.foseph precede the day,· let t/ze Masses and communions
be offered for the special intention of the day; let the late
ll1ass for the congregation be a solemn High Mass, an appropriate dzscourse be preached and the Te Deum sung.
Let tlze special intention qf novena, Mass, coml!mJzion and
all our devotions be to offer to God tlze meed if tlzanks for the
countless favors if the past years, to implore abundant outpourings if grace for the future. Co-operating witlz tlzis
grace, let us add our own exertions, fostering the interior spirit,
�Tlze~jubilee
212
of the Province.
invigorating tlte external a{l, tlzat from this year may be
, reckoned the dawn of a goldm age of the Society in this our
land.
Yoitrs devotedly in Clzrist,
RoBERT FuLTON, S. J.
Provincial of New York-Maryland.
Novitiate, Fredenck, jan. 27, I88J.
BEATISSil\IO PADRE:
II P. Roberto Fulton, d. C. d.
G. presente Provinciale della Provincia Maryland-Nuova
York, negli Stati Uniti dell'America Settentrionale, prostrato
ai piedi della Santita Vostra, umilmente espone che ricorrendo in quest'anno 1883, il cinquantesimoldacche fu nominata ivi il primo Provinciale, mentre per l'addietro in quelle
parti non vi era che una semplice l\lissione, si vorrebbe celebrare questo Giubileo con un triduo solenne in tutte le
chiese della Compagnia di quella fiorente Provincia. Onde
pero eccitare viepiu Ia divozione dei fedeli e procurare !oro
un maggiore spirituale v<~ntaggio, il suddetto P. Provinciale
supplica Ia Santita Vostra-a·degnarsi accordare l'Indulgenza
Plenaria a tutti coloro, che poste le necessarie condizioni,
assisteranno al triduo da celebrarsi come sopra nelle Chiese
della Compagnia nella detta Provincia del Maryland-Nuova
York. Che etc.
_h_%
Audientia SSmi. Diei 4 Martzi", I88J.
SSmus D. N. Leo div. prov. PP. XIII, referente me infrascripto S. Congregation is de Propaganda Fide Secretario,
Indulgentiam Plenariam ab omnibus et singulis utriusquc
sexus Christifidelibus lucrandam, hac vice tantum, benigne
conccssit, dummodo vere pcenitentes sacramentaliter confessi ac S. Eucharistia refeCl:i triduana! supplicationi ut in
precibus celebranda!, singulis diebus adstiterint, Ecclesiam
visitaverint, ibique aliquas preces pro S. Fidei propagatione
et juxta Summi Pontificis intentionem effuderint.
Quod si novendialia celebrentur, Indulgentiam Plenariam
benigne concessit, dummodo ultra medietatem dierum adstiterint, aliaque ut supra servaverint.
Datum Rom;e ex a!dibus dicta! S. Congregationis die et
anno ut supra.
L. S.
+ D.
ARCHIEP. TYREN.
Seer.
�CELEBRATION OF THE JUBILEE.
We publish below the various accounts of the celebration
which have been sent to the LETTERS. Original descriptions in manuscript occupy the first place; then follow the
accounts compiled from newspapers which have been sent
fo~ the purpose.
CHURCH OF THE GESu, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
The Golden Jubilee of the Province has been duly celebrated at this Residence. We had a double Novena conduCted in the church ;-one at the children's Mass at halfpast eight o'clock, with suitable points of meditation and
prayers, by one of the Fathers. At this Novena the school
children attended, as well as that portion of the congregation who could not come at another time. The church was
nearly full of people at the morning services.
The other Novena took place in the evening, with greater
solemnity, fine singing, sermon every night for the nine
days and BenediCtion of the Most Blessed Sacrament. During this Novena the church was crowded. The confession·
als were thronged with penitents; many great sinners were
converted, and ·we had numerous communions every day.
On the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, Solemn High
Mass and Solemn Vespers, both with Deacon and Sub-Deacon, were celebrated, and an excellent Panegyric delivered
by one of our Fathers. Upon the whole, the celebration
had a very salutary effeCt: on the people ad maj'orem Dei
g/oriam.
B. VILLIGER, S. J.
VoL.
XII.
No.
2.
28
(2I3)
�214
The~fubilee
q( the Province.
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE, D. C.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER IN XT.,
P. C.
God saw fit to turn our Jubilee festival into a day of .
mourning; and with the remains of our dear Fr. Whiteford
lying in death in the house, which for many years had
claimed his labors, not even the presence of the many Fathers who had done honor to the community by accepting
our invitation to dinner, could put aside the pall that rested
over the gathering. The fervor with which the students
followed the exercises of the Triduum ordered by Very
Rev. Father Provincial was consoling indeed, and a most
edifying spectacle was presented on Sunday, the feast of the
Patronage of St. Joseph, when nearly all the communicants
amongst the boys presented themselves at the Holy Table
and complied with the other conditions for gaining the
Plenary Indulgence graciously extended by the Holy Father.
Later in the day Solemn High Mass was sung in the student's Chapel, and thus In a quiet manner, did the religious
feature of our Jubilee receive due honor from the successors
of those students, who in 1833 rejoiced at the birth of our
Province.
On Monday, the students were· granted a: full holiday;
and the college entertained at dinner Very Rev. Father Provincial of the Maryfand-New York Province, Very Rev. Fr.
Bushart, Provincial of Missouri; Very Rev. Fr. Lessmann,
Superior of the German Mission of Buffalo; the Reverend
ReCtors of St. John's, Fordham; St. Francis Xavier=s, New
York; Loyola, Baltimore; Woodstock ; Gonzaga~- Washington; Novitiate, Frederick, and a number of our Fathers
who made sacrifices to be with us on the occasion. A feature of peculiar interest that distinguished this social reunion was the presence of the venerable Fr. Curley, one of
those assembled Jesuits to whom fifty years ago was officially made the first announcement of the ereCtion of the
Maryland Mission into a Province of the Society.
�Alexandria, Va.
215
Thus in saddened joy in the old home of the Province
was our day of Jubilee spent; one less on earth to share its
happiness; one more in Heaven, we trust, to pray for God's
blessings upon the inheritance of Andrew White, John Carroll and William McSherry.
Faithfully ·yours in Xt,
]AMES
A.
DooNAN,
S. J.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VA.
There was' a Novena to St. Joseph, followed by the BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament after the six o'clock Mass
each morning, for the nine days preceding the feast of the
Patronage o'f St. Joseph. On the festival, a large number
of persons approached the holy table at the first Mass.
At High Mass, which was celebrated by Fr. John Fox,
of Georgetown College, Father H. C. Denny, of Gonzaga
College, preached from St. Luke, xxiii, 45, 48.
The commission, he said, was a very simple one-to be
witnesses of the ResurreCtion of our Lord. The Apostles
were to establish a kingdom; the means provided-their te,stimony-was apparently insufficient. Referring to St. John,
xxi, 3: "Simon Peter saith: 'I go a fishing.' They say to
him: 'We also come with thee." It was not, he said, for
amusement that St. Peter went fishing, it was to provide
himself with food, for he was miserably poor. Suppose a
modern newspaper reporter, having heard of the great
promises made him by our Lord, to have met him, and, in
the fashion of to-day, to have "interviewed" him. "I learn,"
the reporter would have said, "that your Master promised
to establish a kingdom through you." On the assent of
St. Peter to the truth of this statement, he would probably
have continued thus: "Now, do you really think you are
the sort of man to carry out the plan? and if you are, have
you the means of doing it? Fleets and armies are required
for an undertaking of that kind, and you have none. Above
all, you will need money, and you have none. Then, supposing you had means, look at the opposition you wilt
�216
The.,. Jubilee of the Province.
meet; neither the Jews nor the Gentiles are going to give
up their old religion for your new one. The Romans have
established an empire almost universal; do you think they
will abandon the worship of their gods upon your unsupported testimony that your Master died and rose again ?
"But, besides this external opposition, see what you will
have to oppose in the hearts of men. You preach mysteries, and ask people to believe what you cannot even
explain; you require that they shall conquer their passions;
the rich man must not be avaricious; the lover of pleasure
must praaise self-denial ; the proud man must become
humble; your law must not be observed outwardly alone,
but must govern even thought.
"And what do you promise in return for all this? misery,
suffering, and even death, with a heaven which no man has
seen. The establishment of a universal empire has been
found impraaicable, even by the greatest conquerors, their
kingdoms approaching it, have fallen to pieces upon their
death. Now what are you going to do about all this?"
St. Peter would have acknowledged the force of all he
had said, and admitted that he did not know how the promise of his Master was to be fulfilled.
"Well, then," would the reporter have replied, "what do
you propose doing?"
St. Peter would have answered: "When the time comes,
we will do just what God tells us; He will do His part."
And so it has happened. On the day of Pentecost; St.
Peter testified to the resurreaion, and three thousand men
were converted; then St. Peter and St. John wrought a
miracle by curing a man lame from his birth, and,:~gain,
gave testimony to the same great truth, and converted five
thousand. Next, St. Peter had a vision by which he was
taught that the Gentiles were also to partake of the Redemption, and he baptized the centurion, Cornelius, testifying to him, also, of the Resurreaion. St. Paul also bore
witness before the philosophers of Athens in the Areopagus, and while some mock~d,_ and SO!l1e. said: "We will.
�Alexandria, Va . .
217
hear thee again concerning this matter," some adhered to
him and believed.
At last, Christians became so numerous that they ceased
to be counted. Justin Martyr, in the second century, said:
''There is no nation which has not heard of us," and Tertullian, soon after, told the heathens that the Christians filled
their cities, their workshops, their armies, and their schools,
and left them but their temples. For centuries, men gave
testimony with their lives,-for a martyr is but a witness.
The Church is a missionary society; she goes out among
the nations, and preaches the ResurreCtion. St. Patrick
gave testimony to Ireland, St. Augustine to England, St.
Boniface to Germany, and after the great spiritual revolution in Europe, others continued to testify. Zeal for the
preaching of the Gospel to the heathen stimulated discovery; it led Columbus across the unknown ocean, and guided
:'vlagellan first around the world. Kings and princes promoted explorations, to bring new nations to the knowledge
of Christ. In a recent number of the Century, there is evidence that in the r 2th century there were Christians in
America, and when we look upon the Round Tower at
Newport, we see the baptistery of an ancient church. There
was a· Bishop there. Irving and Prescott show that a century before the Puritans trod upon Plymouth Rock, Mass
was celebrated upon American soil, and there were Christian Indians within fifty miles of Boston, years before Eliot
began to preach. The Ark and the Dove just two centuries and a half ago, bore to the virgin soil of Maryland
two Jesuit missionaries; so we are not strangers in the land.
We must all be witnesses to Christ, by true faith and
good works, commencing at Jerusalem-our own homes.
Let us give testimony to Jesus, who fought the fight, suffered the shame, and won the viCtory ;-and who now sits
at the right hand of God."
After the Mass, the choir sang the English version of
Tc Deum Laudamus. At Vespers, the Novena was concluded, and the ceremonies were closed with the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
�Tlz& Jubilee o/ the ·Province.
CONEWAGO, ADAMS COUNTY, PA.
At Conewago, the Golden Jubilee of the Province was
celebrated in the manner which suited the simplicit~ of surroundings. It was charaCterized more by piety than by
display of ceremony or ornamentation, more by a quiet
spirit of thanksgiving to God for favors granted than by
eloquent panegyrics of famous workers, or praises of work
done. Our good country people neither appreciate nor love
much display; but they do love to say their prayers and
hear simple, plain instruCtions on the truths of salvation,
and we tried to satisfy them. As most of them have a long
distance to come to church, we thought special devotions
for three days would be a sufficient preparation for the feast.
They attended in goodly numbers. At the early Masses on
the festival itself about tw_o'hundred and fifty received Holy
Communion, and, as was evident from the gratitude depieted
on their faces, thanked God with full hearts for all the good
he had accomplished through the labors of our Fathers in
this old Catholic settlement, and fervently begged him to
continue to assist us in our efforts to promote his greater
glory and the salvation of souls. Fr. Manns, who has sung
Mass in this church almost every Sunday for nearly twenty
years, celebrated High Mass. The music was suited to the
joyful occasion and well performed. The sermon which
was given by the assistant pastor, alluded briefly to our
great Jubilee, to the motives for celebrating it with joy and
thanksgiving, and touched with becoming modesty on the
principal points in our history; then dwelt more a(Iength
on the virtues and merits of St. Joseph, pointed out how
dear he is to the Society, because of his near relationship to
Jesus and his mother, and finally urged the strong motives
of hope and confidence for the Church and her children
which are founded on his powerful patronage. The attendance at church was very large.
Taking our celebration all in all, it was everything our
circumstances would allow, and the piety of the faithful
�Frederick, Md.
219
could make it. The people who have grown up under our
care in this rather remote district evidently needed only the
occasion or opportunity to show their warm regard for us,
and many were the prayers offered up to God that he might
abundantly bless the Society and her ,children in the future
as in the past.
H. A. QurN, S. J.
FREDERICK, MD.
On Sunday there was a Solemn High Mass in St. John's
Church. The juniors and novices were in the sanctuary.
Fr. Casey preached on the text: "Go to Joseph, and do all
that he shall say to you." (Gen. xli, 55). After speaking on
St. Joseph's life of faith and applying what he had said to
his audience, he presented for their consideration motives
why they should rejoice on the feast, and thus passed
smoothly into the second part of the sermon, in which he
alluded to the Jubilee. Thanksgiving for the past and present of the Province, and an eloquent forecasting of future
success made up this part of the discourse. After Mass,
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given. Our
choir sang the Te Deum and Tmztum Ergo. In the evening
there was Solemn Vespers and Benediction in the church,
and Benediction and the singing of the Te Deum in the Domestic Chapel.
A Frederick newspaper says :-"Solemn High Mass was
celebrated by Rev. Fr. Lancaster, with Rev. Fr. Forhan as
Deacon and Mr. O'Malley, a scholastic, as Sub-Deacon.
The sermon was a most eloquent discourse-the only regret was that it was too short. The music by the choir,
Mr. John Eisenhauer, director, Mr. Edward Lamb, a scholastic, organist, was first-class in every respect. The High
Altar and St. Joseph's were a scene of exquisite beauty and
taste, decorated as they were with choice flowers and brilliantly illumined with numerous wax candles. The sight
within the sanctuary was brilliant in the extreme. The officiating priests, clad in their vestments of yellow and gold,
stood in bold contrast to the fifty scholastics, who wore
�220
TJ:.e Jubilee of the Province.
simply their black cassocks and white surplices, while the
rich dress of the ten altar boys threw a warmth and color
over the scene- which was very pleasing to the eye, and
clouds of incense floated over the worshippers. The "Te
Deum," sung by the choir from the Novitiate after the celebration of Mass, was admirably rendered, after which BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament was given. At 4 P. M.
Solemn Vespers were held, the pastor officiating, when the
music was again of a high order of excellence, especially
the instrumental, which was executed by Lamb, the young
organist. Both services were largely attended."
On Thursday, the 19th instant, the Jubilee was celebrated in a literary specimen given by the juniors. The programme was as follows:PRELt:DE-An Allegro. From Handel's :Messiah ............................. J. Deck
CHORUS- reni Jrsu, Cherubini.. ...................................................... Choir
C.umEX SACRU)I-Alcaic Ode; .••; ....................................... C. B. :Macksey
THE Vrswx-Poem .................. ::........................................... G. A. Pettit
A LEGEXD OF THE KlltLY )Iis;ltfn-Poem .............................. A. O'Malley
SoLo-Adaptation from Hnydn ................................................ P. J. Casey
I~TERMISSION.
SoLo-"Jie has gone on Hiuh." From the :Messiah .................. E. L. French
TR!U)!PH OF THE BLESSED SACIL\)IEXT-Redtation ............ J. B. O'Leary
0Uit GOLD EX JclllLEE-Poem ................................................... D. Hearn
THE PLEDGE OF TIIE SACBED HEART-Poem ........................... E. C. Kane
CHORUS-Adaptation from Le Petit Tambour .................................... Choir
~
MANRESA, l\EW YORK.
FATHER GLEASON writes:The celebration in this house was confined to the community. \Ve prepared ouselves for the feast by a,'Novena,
~ •·
and an exhortation from Fr. Doucet.
ST. JOSEPH's, YORKVILLE, N.' Y.
We celebrated the Golden Jubilee in our church by a
general communion of the men's Sodality, a Solemn High
Mass, and an appropriate sermon both in German and English.
H. BLUMENSAAT, S. J.
�Clzurclz of the Immaculate Conceptiott, Bost01t.
22 I
CHURCH OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, BOSTON.
Looking back to the last great celebration that occurred
at the Church of the Immaculate Conception,-I refer to its
consecration in 1878,-we will see that the grand preparations, untiring energy, and crowning success of those days,
were witnessed in the Golden Jubilee of '83.
Each ensuing year has seen our Church gather strength
and increase in numbers and splendor. Each Christmas and
Easter has received fitting tribute of adornment, so that the
celebration of the Golden Jubilee on a vaster scale than any
of these, required extraordinary preparations to ensure success. The Novena preparatory to the celebration attraCted
large crowds, and the discourses each night, so forcible and.
full of interest, awoke enthusiasm and generosity in the
breasts of many. The little notes too, soliciting contributions, sent out by the ladies in charge of the decorations,
hinted vaguely at large expenses; and invitations, requesting
the attendance of the pastors of the various churches in and
around the city, met with cordial and flattering answers.
Thus it became noised throughout the aity that the Jesuits
were to commemorate an important event, and for that purpose were making vigorous efforts to celebrate it in a grand
and perfeCt: manner.
Evenings were spent by busy tongues discussing different
plans, whilst busy hands wove the green into various figures
or strings, as need required. All seemed to enter into the
celebration with the greatest earnestness. It was a grand
enthusiasm that filled them, an enthusiasm which feels as if
it could not do enough to realize the perfeCtion of the ideal.
Our ReCtor, Fr. O'Connor, seemed to have thrown all his
love for the Society into this celebration, and at all times,
his suggestions, encouragement and ready assistance, kept
alive the interest in the work. The plans are enlarged as
success seems assured-for nothing is to be done by halves;
a satin curtain to fill the central arch, and several hundred
VoL. xu. No. 2.
29
�Tfu jubilee of the Province.
yards of art drapery are purchased. It involved much trouble and anxiety to find the shade of satin, to make the
lining, test it, and then adjust all properly. At length it is
finished. Anxiously did the diligent laborers witness the
raising of the curtain to its destined position, as eagerly as
the inventor watches the trial of his invention, or the discoverer the hoped-for land in the distance. And when the
curtain swung into place, not a piece or a fold having to be
altered, applause testified their entire satisfaction; for all
felt that this was to be the crown giving perfeCtion to the
whole. The curtain is fixed upon an iron frame that sets
securely in the arch, and is composed of five parts. The
spring of the arch is twenty feet, the span, forty, and the entire height from the sanctuary, sixty. Let us glance for
a moment at the banners-with their traceries of silver
and gold; some are subdued in color, yet rich; others
clothed in the brightest 'ornaments. They are eight feet
long by four wide, and number fourteen of this class. Flowers, and plants, and gifts that can in any way grace the
altars, are here in abundance. The liberal donations of
money, in answer to the notes, sped on the work, and by
Friday night the untiring workers saw the finish and perfection of a beautiful whole. How exquisite all appeared
that night in the deep fulness of repose! In the college,
Saturday is a busy day, everything is to be transformed, the
dining hall decorated, and numerous little wants to be supplied.
Sunday, April 15th, has come, and the day full ofbright
sunshine and blue sky welcomes the glorious anniversary.
As early as nine o'clock, great crowds, restless, busy, are
gathering before the church. Soon the doors a~ ·thrown
open; group by group they enter, rapidly filling the church;
and now standing room is not to be had. Within the sacristies the altar boys, sixty in number, clad in white merino with
sleeves braided in crimson and gold, with gauze surplices,
are proudly awaiting the signal to move. Through all
these preparations sweet tremulous music, with strings
gently sounding, strikes on the ear. It is the choir under
�Clzurch of the Immaculate Conception, Boston.
223
the leadership of Signor Campanari, assisted by the Germania Orchestra, preparing for the services. The programme
of music for the Mass is as follows:PRELUDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Salome.
PROCESSIONAL- "Hymn of St. Cecilia" Gowzod.
OFFERTORY-' "Alma Virgo" .
. . . Hummel.
MAss . . . .
. Mozart's 12th.
TE DEUM . . . . .
. Rombng.
RECESSIONAL . . . .
. . Laclmauer.
PosTLUDE- "Chromatic Fantasy" . . . . Thiele.
The portieres are now thrown open, and exactly at 10.30
A. M. a loud burst of music ushers in the slowly moving
procession. The boys pass out with reverent mien and proceed to the seats, then come the scholastics, then the Fathers of the house,-the secular priests, the archiepiscopal
cross- borne by one of the scholastics surrounded by the
choir boys who are to assist the officiating prelate, the ministers of the Mass, the deacons of honor, the arch-deacon,
and last, the Archbishop in full pontificals. The prelates
and clergymen who were present are as follows: Most Rev.
Archbishop Williams; the Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Reilly, of
Springfield; Rev. L. O'Toole; Rev. John O'Brien; Rev.
T. Gallagher; Rev. James O'Brien; Rev. L. O'Connor, C.
SS. R. ; Rev. l\1. O'Brien ; Fathers Bodfish, McMahon,
Delahunty, Ronan, of Dorchester, Flatley, Daily, Corcoran, and many others; Fr. O'Connor, Rector of the college; Fathers Welch, Daugherty, Byrnes, Jamison, Charlier,
Heichemer, and Massi, of the Society.
In humble prayer at the foot of the altar the Mass is begun, and the music in harmony with the time, floats softly
through the church. In quick succession we pass from
Kyrie to Gloria, from Gloria to the Gospel, now ceremony,
again art, displaying all that can move the heart to God.
The sermon by Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Reilly was taken from
St. John xv. I 6. The Daily Advertiser briefly sums up
the whole sermon, as follows: "The sermon by Bishop
O'Reilly of Springfield was both historical and critical. He
spoke of Loyola and his times, and also of the achievemeQts
�224
[lze Jubilee of the Province.
of the Society of Jesus. He contrasted Loyola with Martin Luther. Almighty God, he said, raised up these two
men side by side so that the world might see the difference
between them, and might learn salutary lessons. Loyola
sought the salvation of the world. Luther puffed up by
pride, hurled his defiance at the whole Church, and even
the head of the Church, when he posted up his theses.
Herein is seen the wonderful providence of God. When
God permitted the German monk to declare war on the
whole Church, he took the means for the wider spread of
pure Christianity. Luther supposed the whole world could
not overcome his arguments, but in overcoming them the
world has come to a better knowledge of Christianity. These
two men seemed to be pitted against each other, and have
fought each other from that day to this."
He then spoke of the Jesuits having traversed the ·entire
continent during the past 250 years_ How they went among
the savages, and sixteen··( 16) of them gave up their lives.
All the country from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, has been marked with their
blood. Loyola did not limit his followers to missionary
work. No society in the world has given a larger number
of men distinguished in literature, art and science. Infidelity
hangs over this country, but this is not so dangerous as indifferentism. In closing, the Bishop congratulated the Society upon its remarkable career, and wished for it an
equally efficient future.
Again ceremony and music come to charm the heart.
The SanB:us, Elevation, and Communion, each with its hallowing associations passes, and the blessing co~·es, which
the Archbishop solemnly chants from the altar, \vhile the
breath is hushed, and head bowed, until the last echo dies
away. A gentle silence is around, as God's benediB:ion
sinks into the soul. Then with strength added to strength
we rise to profess our faith. And so we pass through the
whole, our thankfulness has been expressed, and our hearts
gladdened by joining in the "Te Deum" that finishes the
services.
�Church of tlte Immaculate Conception, Boston.
22 5
The banquet hall is decorated with streamers of various
colors flowing from the centre of the room to the windows
and walls ; at the upper end of the hall are the Papal arms
with-Thrice Welcome All-beneath; at the lower end the
picture of St. Ignatius in a recess draped with green and
maroon; on one side, a large banner, with the inscription
"25oth An11ivcrsary of the Jesuits in Maryland, I6JJ-I88J,"
and around the room large graceful folds of blue and white
drapery. Here dinner is prepared for fifty invited guests.
In the evening Solemn Vespers were sung by Rev. Theodore
Metcalf, of Marblehead, the Fathers, Scholastics, and some
of the Secular Clergy assisting, in copes. The congregation
was one of the most numerous that ever filled the church,
and this was partly due to the faCt: that no tickets of admission were required. Mercadante's Vespers and the Te
Deum were sung by the choir, assisted by the Boston Symphony Society. Father O'Brien, C. SS. R., preached.
Thinking that the best view of the decorations could be
obtained at night, for the breathing lights give then the
freshness of youth to all around, I chose my position near
the end of the church. As seen from this point the picture
was grand-complete in itsel( Above the main altar, in
lights-for Vespers is just beginning,-was the motto of
the Society,-A. M.D. G.; on each side three large candelabra were swung, sparkling with their gas candles; and
behind these crimson drapery flushing the face of the church
with its rich warm glow. Below, the altar nestled; decked
with its gold cloth, the tabernacle covered with white satin
trimmed in gold, on which a sheaf of wheat and grapes was
gracefully fastened; whilst hanging baskets kept reverent
watch before its door. The sanctuary lamp was adorned
with flowers, and budding calla lilies like a wreath of pearls,
crowned it. Six portieres hung over the doors leading from
· the sacristies. They were of cardinal plush, with a rich
band of old gold two feet wide, on which large clusters of
flowers were wrought in applique; the heavy fringe that
bordered them gave a perfect finish to the whole. The
�226
The~Jubilee of
the Province.
throne ereCled on the Gospel side was of white satin, covered with arabesques of gold leaves. Far above-amid the
fretted dome rests the satin canopy, its outer edge trimmed
with a double row of gold lace, twelve hundred yards being
needed. The gathered folds of the curtain upon yon bowshaped edge of the arch refleB: the splendor of a thousand
lights. It seems so thin, so frail, that the slightest heat
might melt it away. Yet how peacefully it looks down on
the sacred tabernacle, and the low murmuring crowd beneath. How grand it appears in its pride of place! Nothing
distraCts the attention from the beauty of its folds, from the
loveliness of the waving satin bright with refleCled light.
Through the central nave, over sixty feet from the ground,
six groups of art drapery flow down, darting and dipping
from capital to window-arch, where they unite with the
crimson drapery coming from the altar, and gleam on the
white background of the \Valls. The first group is white
and blue, colors of the Im;Jraculate Conception; at the end
of the aisle, are white and gold, the Papal colors; in the
centre, black and orange, colors of Maryland; then gold
and grey, pink and blue, fill the intermediate spaces. Between each group, seeming to live in upper air, the banners
of the different associations are hung. Festoons of greenery, beginning from the altar, winding in and out, now
lightly springing, now creeping from arch to arch, and pillar to pillar, circle th._e whole church. The columns, twelve
in number, colossal, and beautiful with their richly carved
capitals, are entwined with art drapery in three spiral folds;
and the frieze paper, encircling these spirals, at the top, bottom and centre, refleB:s their traceries of silver and.gold in
the changeful light. The first column on the Gospei side
is enwrapped with white drapery, the names ofF ABER, REGIS, and PIGNATELLI, being in blue letters; that on the epistle side is blue, having in white letters, the initials in black :
PAULUS III CONFIRMAVIT-IS43· And in like manner, all the
columns are variously bound, appropriate names and aB:ions
of Ours adorning the folds. Where the crimson drapery
unites in a festoon on the pilasters, hang the large banne.-s
�Church
if the Immaculate Conception, Boston.
227
I spoke of before. They are made of satin and art drapery.
On the Gospel side, the first banner is white, with a large
Maltese cross of emerald satin as centre piece ; the second,
scarlet and white quartered, with gold satin dexter bar inscribed in black letters, S. FRANCiscus XAVERIUS. On the
Epistle side, the first banner is pearl and white quartered,
blue satin chevron, with name of S. IGNATIUS LoYOLA; the
second, purple and gold, large Latin cross in scarlet letters.
Where the loops catch up the great satin curtain hang two
banners, the one on the right, of gold and white, with a
broad purple band, on which shines the name LEO XIII, in
red letters; the other, made of black and gold, has two
dexter bars and the inscription, PRov. MARYL. NEO·EBORAC.
1880. At the further end of the church, hanging from the
galleries, swing two beautiful banners; that on the right, is
pink, with white fteur-de-lys in dexter chief, broad black
dexter bar bearing in white letters "MISSIONIS," and 250 in a
black lozenge; the other, violet, with gold fteur-de-lys, gold
dexter bar with "PRoVINCIIE" in red letters, 50 being worked
in a gold lozenge. In each of the windows are statues of
our Lord, the Immaculate Conception, and saints of the Society, surmounted by small banners. The banners number
thirty-three.
Everything looks grand, yet all is so subdued, and invites
to simplest prayer. Now BenediCtion begins. The incense
ascends in slow circling wreaths, melting as it rises. How
the lights seem to haunt the altar, and cloud-like gather
around it. How patiently they stay, growing brighter and
richer as the eye continues to gaze. Now the soft notes of
music droop, gentle murmurs steal through the nave and
die away: in solemn stillness clad, the church stands alone
in her grandeur. God and man are speaking in heart music to each other. How strongly God's glory impresses
our souls! And how clearly the scene speaks to the eye,
telling of the beautiful piCl:ure before us. At length all is
finished, the Te Deum is sung and the procession has passed
from out the sanCtuary, and the lights, like stars vanishing,
disappear. As we watch the change, and see the dim
�228
Tlte jubilee
if the Province.
lights, and the deep clouds of shadow settling on the church,
the heart sighs for the loveliness that is gone, yet thanks
God for the bliss felt during this day.
AD SS. TRINITATIS, BOSTONII, MASS.
1. Novena habita est coram Sanaissimo, prcecedens Festum Patrocinii Sti. Josephi cujus statua et imago ornamento
plurimo decoratce fuere.
2. Indulgentice plenarice promulgatce cum conditionibus
numerum non exiguum prenitentium attraxere.
3· Die ipso Festo campance in altitudine turris inusitato
sonitu et clangore celebritatem ad plurium leucarum distantiam annuntiaverunt, et apud Sacrum Solemne ingens populi
concursus assistebat et sub fine Sacri, "Te Deum" omnes
alta et sonora voce concinebant.
4· Post meridiem Vesperce Solemnes. ·
5· Sermonis Synopsis:
a) Domus Dei, Sanaa Christi Ecclesia, Sub Patrocinio
s. Josephi longe lateque per orbem terrarum dilatata est;
b) In hoc opere propagandce Ecclesice Ordines Religiosi
plurimum laboraverunt;
c) Inter quos Societas Jesu prceprimis;
d) Hujus una Provincia, sc: Neo-Eboracensis-Mary·
!andice J ubilceum duplex celebrat; sunt enim : a) 250 anni ex quo Missio Marylandice fundata est, et
19) 50 anni ex quo ad gradum proprice Provincice elevata
est;
e) Quapropter hoc peculiare Festum gaudii et gqtiarum
actionis, non solum pro membris hujus Provincice, ;ea pro
omnibus Catholicis in Statibus Frederatis Americce, etiam
pro Germanis. Cur?
�Whztemarsh, Md.-Fordham, N.
Y.
229
WHITEMARSH.
FATHER JAMES MAJOR writes:The Golden Jubilee was duly celebrated in the Church
of the Sacred Heart, Whitemarsh, by the devotions of a
Novena and a Triduum in honor of St. Joseph, the former
commencing on Thursday, the 5th of April, the latter on
Thursday, the 12th, and both ending on Sunday, the ISth,
with the reception of the Holy Eucharist by the faithful
jubilants.
Not having sufficient clerical force for a Grand High
Mass, we had to be satisfied with a Missa Cantata celebrated by the Rev. James Cotting, S. J., who also delivered an
appropriate discourse on the virtues and glories of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under whose
holy auspices the Society of Jesus first planted the standard
of the cross on the land of Mary two hundred and fifty
years ago ; and two centuries afterwards crowned its labors
by the appointment of a Provincial.
The notes of praise were pealed forth from the grand old
Whitemarsh organ under the skilful fingering of Miss Agnes Iglehart, accompanied by the vocalism of a dozen or
so of fine healthy Teutonic throats.
After BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament, a Te Deum
was chanted by the same choir, not the Grosser Gott wir
loben DicJz, which they are so fond of, but the real old Latin.
Te Deum laudamus,-the music as arranged by St. Gregory.
ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, FORDHAM, N.
Y.
FATHER HALPIN writes:We had all the ceremonies and observances indicated by
Fr. Provincial's letter. In the parish church, a Novenaon tlte day itself, Solemn High Mass-Te Deum-Benetliction; Sermon by Rev. Fr. Jouin, S. J. In the college
chapel, the same. Sermon preached by Fr. F. McSweeney,
a secular from Rome, and one of our old students.
VoL. xn. No. 2.
30
�The Iubilee of the Provz'nce.
ST. JOSEPH's CHURCH, WASHINGTON, D. C.
I am sorry that we could not celebrate it in a more solemn manner. Our means do not allow us to make expenses
for grand musical displays nor for costly decoration. The
festival was preceded by a Novena, some prayers being said
every day after Mass. On account of our people living
very far scattered, not many could assist at this devotion as
often as was required to gain the plenary indulgence. On
the day itself, we had a Solemn High Mass; celebrant, Fr.
]. P. M. Schleuter; Deacon, Fr. Joseph Busam; Sub-Deacon, Joseph Mattson. Fr. Busam preached. After High
Mass, the German Te Deum, Grosser Gott wir loben Diclz was
sung by the whole congregation. A good number received
Holy Communion on the day of the Jubilee.
JoH.
P. M.
ScHLEUTER, S.].
COLLEGE OF THE HOLY"GROSS, WORCESTER, MASS.
(From t!te TVorcester Evening Ga::dte.)
The day of the Jubilee, Sunday, the 15th inst., Feast of
the Patronage of St. Joseph, was preceded by a Tn'duum.
This was held in the college chapel, and consisted, each
evening, of Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the
recitation of prayers proper to the occasion. Choice m usical selecrions were rendered. Those given on the first
evening, that of Thursoay, the 12th inst., were Lambillotte's
Quid Retn.buam, with solos and chorus; 1\Iorrison's Tantum
Ergo, solos and chorus; and the Laudate Dominum, a chorus, by Lloyd. On the next evening, the 0 Salutaris )\'as a
trio by Mercadante, the llwtum Ergo in the form o( solos
and chorus was by Berge, and the Lallllate Dominum, a
chorus, was by Bristow. The last evening of the Tn'duum,
the music consisted of Stearn's 0 Salutaris, a solo; Rossi's
Tantum .h.rgo in A, solos and chorus; and Fisk's Laudate
Domznum, solo and chorus.
On Sunday there was a Solemn High Mass at 9 o'clock.
Besides the students, an unusually large attendance filled
�College
~f
the Ho(v Cross, T/Vorcester, Mass.
23 I
the spacious college chapel to its utmost capacity. The
weather was delightful. A pleasant breeze tempered the
warmth of the sun, which, shining from a cloudless sky, illumined the incipient green of hill and dale in the neighborhood. Within the chapel a striking scene was presented
by the benches crowded with worshippers, the sanauary
and side-altars with their tasteful decorations, the numerous
troop of brilliantly-dressed altar boys, the ministers in their
rich vestments, and the resplendent ornamentation of the
main altar. The maroon-colored hangings which covered
a part of it brought into relief the green of the plants and
shrubs, the varied hues of the flowers and the soft light of
innumerable tapers. The High Mass was celebrated by
Fr. F. W. Gockeln, S. ]., with Fr. H. D. Langlois, S. J., as
Deacon, Mr. F. B. Goeding, S. J., as Sub-Deacon, and Mr.
J. B. Lamb, S. J., as Master of Ceremonies. Not less in
keeping with the scene and the occasion was the music.
The vocal part was furnished by the same choir which had
done such good service during the Tnduum. It is composed of students of the college, and is under the direaion
of Mr. T. J. Gannon, S. J., and Mr. C. I. Riordan. The latter gentleman presided at the organ at all the exercises both
of the day and of the Tnduum. The choir was supported
by a selea orchestra of seven pieces, under the direaion of
Pro( G. P. Burt of the college.
The Mass was the second of Haydn, with the exception
of the Credo which was from his first. Before the sermon,
Lambillotte's Veni, Santle Spiritus, a duet and chorus, was
sung, and, at the Offertory, his Lauda Sion in D, with duets
and chorus, was given. The postlude rendered by organ
and orchestra was Et Vitam Ventun·.
The sermon was preached by Fr. C. H. Stonestreet, S. J.
His discourse embraced the Society of Jesus in general and
the Province of New York-Maryland in particular.
He
portrayed the cha·raaer of St. Ignatius in terms glowing
with all the enthusiasm of a devoted son, and described. the
celebrated Spiritual Exercises, of which he said that the Order is the offspring. He showed the wonderf1.1l ef(eas they
�232
The Jubilee rzf the Province.
had wrought, and how the giving of them is one of the
great works of the Society. Another of its charCl:eristic
employments he said, is the missions, especially to foreign
countries. He dwelt with enthusiasm on St. Francis Xavier
as the great type of this work. Then he dilated upon the
third great charge undertaken by the Jesuits,-the education of youth in colleges,-and pointed out some of the
fruits of their endeavors. Passing to the New York-Maryland Province, he contrasted its humble beginnings with its
present flourishing condition, and returned thanks to God,
without whose merciful assistance this progress would have
been impossible. The reverend gentleman spoke then of
the College of the Holy Cross, and concluded with a moving exhortation to the students present to do all in their
power to correspond to the efforts of those who are laboring in their behal(
At 6 P. M., there was Solemn BenediCl:ion of the Blessed
Sacrament. Fr. A. M. M<tndalari, S. J., was celebrant; Fr.
A. K. Peters, S. J., first cope-bearer; Mr. F. X. Sadlier, S.
J., second cope-bearer; and Mr. J. B. Lamb, S. ]., Master
of Ceremonies. The attendance was large, the ornamentation of the altars even more elaborate than in the morning,
and the music particularly choice. Its chief feature was the
Te Deum in D, solo and chorus, by Lambillotte. The other
pieces, likewise from this composer, were his Tantum Ergo
in F, a chorus, and his Laudate Dominum in C, also a chorus.
Thus ended a day~ which had been one of extraordinary
rejoicing for the College of the Holy Cross, as was made
evident to all who came within sight of the building by the
national flag which floated from the balcony of the; main
entrance, as the day closed a celebration satisfaCl:ory in
every particular to all who took part in it.
***
�St. Ignatius' Church, Baltimore, Md.
233
ST. IGNATIUS' CHURCH, BALTIMORE, MD.
(From the Catholic J1irror, Apnl 2I.)
At St. Ignatius' Church great preparation for the Jubilee
had been made, the culmination of which was reached on
Sunday with most impressive ceremonies. God's sanctuary
had been beautified with exquisite taste, the high altar being chastely adorned with calla lilies and other choice flowers, and lighted with innumerable candles, supported by rich
candelabra. On the Gospel side of the sanctuary a rich
canopy and throne were erected for Most Rev. Archbishop
Gibbons, who pontificated. His assistants were: Assistant
priest, Rev. Fr. Magnien, President of St. Mary's Seminary;
first Deacon of Honor, Rev. Joseph Keller, S. J., formerly
Provincial of the Maryland Province, and at present Rector
of Woodstock College; second Deacon of Honor, Rev. Jno.
Lessmann, S. J., Superior of the German Mission, of
Buffalo, N. Y.; Deacon of the Mass, Rev. E. A. McGurk,
S. J.; Sub-Deacon, Rev. P. P. Fitzpatrick, S. J.; first Master of Ceremonies, Rev. J. McCallan; second Master of
Ceremonies, Mr. Charles S. Williams, S. J. The attendants
on his Grace the Most Rev. Archbishop were chosen from
the members of Blessed John Berchmans' Sanctuary Sodality attached to St. Ignatius' Church.
Among those present in the sanctuary were Rev. E. F.
Schauer, Provincial of the Redemptorist Order; Rev. Henry
Dauenhauer, Rector of St. James' Catholic Church, and
Rev. Thomas Lee of the Cathedral.
As the Most Reverend celebrant and his retinue of. assistants and attendants entered at 10.45 o'clock, the joyful strains of Mendelssohn's Prelude in C filled the temple
with its richness. The scene in the sanctuary was such as
has been rarely witnessed within the walls of St. Ignatius'
Church. The imposing appearance of the Most Rev. Archbishop in his Pontifical robes, the assisting clergy in gold
chasuble and dalmatics, the numerous array of attendants,
�234
J?te Jubilee
of the Province.
and the beautifully illumined altar, united m forming a
speCtacle of surpassing grandeur.
The orator of the day was Rev. vVm. F. Clarke, S. J., who
was one of the first novices at the Novitiate after the foundation of the Maryland Province. His text was taken from
the Eighty-eighth Psalm, 6th verse: "Blessed is the people
that knoweth jubilation: they shall walk, 0 Lord, in the
light of Thy countenance, and in Thy name they shall rejoice all the day."
[The sermon is given zit extenso, occupying four columns
of the Mirror. Some extraCts from the narrative portion of
the discourse are here subjoined, which contain a large
amount of historical information, compressed into small
space,-information concerning the Society not easily attainable elsewhere.]
"Catholicity in Maryland and the Jesuits were identified
from the advent of the Ark and the Dove to the death of
Archbishop Neale. in 1&1.7. At Bohemia, the name of our
farm and residence, in Cecil county, Maryland, in the only
Catholic school in this country, John Carroll and Charles
Carroll of Carrollton were prepared by our Fathers for the
collegiate course which they made in Europe. John Carroll entered the Jesuits' Novitiate at St. Omer's in 1753, was
ordained in 1759, became a professed Father in 1771, returned to America in 1774. was Vicar-Apostolic, with power
to administer Confirmation, in 1784. and in 1790 was consecrated Bishop or Baltimore, the limits of his diocese being
the boundaries of the United States. As the first missionary in this country was a Jesuit, so the first Bishop and
Archbishop of this country was a Jesuit, and th_e second
Archbishop of this country, Most Rev. Leonard Ncllle, was
a Jesuit. Their signatures appear, with those of other
Jesuits, on our books as trustees of our property in Maryland and Pennsylvania until the respeCtive death of each.
Hence the body incorporated by the Assembly of Maryland
to administer the property of the Jesuits was entitled simply
the "Roman Catholic Clergymen."
"Archbishop Carroll wished to have for his coadjutor and.
�St. Ignatius' Church, Baltimore, Md.
235
successor, first, Fr. Molyneux and then Fr Gressel, both.
Jesuits. Fr. Molyneux, declined;and Fr. Gressel died at
Philadelphia, a victim of charity, during the yellow fever in
1793. So Archbishop Neale offered the nomination of coadjutor and successor to several Jesuits, but all declined .•
"This city was indebted to the Jesuits for the faith, and
the facilities of praCtising and enjoying it until the close of
Archbishop Neale's administration, and partially so indebted
after that period. Here, indeed, were the Sulpitians from
1791. But their labors were almost exclusively confined to
the education of subjeB:s for the sacred ministry, in which,
thank God, they are still zealously and successfully occupied. Nearly 140 years ago, when this now beautiful city
was a little village, too poor to support a resident priest, a
Jesuit Father from vVhite Marsh, in Prince George's county,
visited it regularly, celebrated Mass and administered the
Sacraments. In I784, Fr. Charles Sewall was stationed
here. Fr. John Carroll joined him in 1786. Fr. Francis
Beeston was here from 1794 to ISos. Fr. Enoch Fenwick,
who built the present cathedral, was reB:or of old St. Peter's,
then the Cathedral, from r8o8 to IS20, and Fr. vVm. Beschter was pastor, from I 821 to I 829, of old St. John's, which
stood where now is St. Alphonsus'. But from 1829 to 1849
the Jesuit was unseen in Baltimore, save as a pilgrim, and
might exclaim as di.d holy Job : "They that knew me, have
forgotten me. They that dwelt in my house have counted
me as a stranger" (Job xix, I4, I 5). In I 849, Archbishop
Eccleston welcomed the Jesuits back to the scene of their
labors, the old homestead of their Carroll and their Neale.
I had the pleasure of opening my pastorate at St. Joseph's,
in this city, informing our Very Rev. Father General of that
Archbishop's uniform kindness to us, and the happiness of
being, by commission of the General, the bearer of his compliments and thanks to the Archbishop. At the invitation
of his successor, Most Rev. Francis Patrick Kenrick, our
Fathers opened Loyola College, in Baltimore, September
IS, I852.
"When the Mission of Maryland became a Province, July
�17te Jubilee
of tlte Provt"nce.
8, I833, Rev. William McSherry was appointed Provincial.
Of him it is related that when he was an infant in his mother's arms, a mysterious voice from mid-air bade her take
special care of that child, for he would be of service to the
Church of God. He admitted me to the Novitiate shortly
after his accession to office, and consequently I was well acquainted with him and with his successors, and I know
something of the history of the Province. But that history
I do not propose to rehearse. I would merely and briefly
call your attention to the wondrous change wrought not in
the Province only, but in the Church in this country, and in
the country itself. Fifty years ago the Province of Maryland was confined to the States of Maryland and Pennsylvania and the DistriCt of Columbia. Now, besides Maryland, Pennsylvania and the DistriCt of Columbia, it includes
New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
Then there were but six:. Catholic colleges in the United
States: one-half of them were in the Diocese of B'altimore,
and two of the six were Jesuit Colleges-the present Universities of Georgetown, District of Columbia, and St. Louis,
Missouri. Then our Province had but one college, now it
has nine. Then we had but four city churches, now we
have I7. In the Province then there were only 38 priests,
now there are 2 I 1 ; then I 7 scholastics or candidates for the
sacred ministry, now 156; then 30 lay brothers, now I73;
the total then being 85; the total now 540.
"\Vhereas in 1833 there were but ten dioceses in the United States-but one of these dioceses comprised all the New
England States, another all the country west of the Mississippi-there are now 63 dioceses and eight Vicariales-Apostolic. Then there were I 2 Bishops, two of them being
coadjutors; now there are a Cardinal, I 3 Archbishops and
59 Bishops. Then there were scarce 250 priests, and a
Catholic population of half a million; now there are more
than 6,500 priests, 7,400 churches and chapels, 3 I ecclesiastical seminaries, 81 colleges, sSo academies, 275 asylums,
185 hospitals, and a Catholic population of nearly 7,000,000.
"Of all the Prelates and priests who attended the first
�St. Aloysius' Church, Washington, D. C.
237
Council of Baltimore, only one is now living, the Archbishop of Cincinnati; and of all who were members of the
Jesuit Mission of Maryland when it became a Province, July
8, 1833, only four are living, three who were priests-Fathers Finnigan, Havermans and Curley-and one who was
a novice, Fr. Ward, now of Loyola College."
At the termination of Mass the Most Rev. Archbishop
Gibbons, by virtue of the privilege granted him by the Holy
Father, bestowed upon the large congregation the Papal
Benediction, which brought the impressive ceremonies to a
close; and as the procession left the sanctuary the choir
sang with excellent effect Handel's "Alleluia Chorus," with
orchestral accompaniment. The music was of unusual excellence, the Mass selected being Haydn's Imperial in D,
which was sung by a choir of sixty voices, supported by an
orchestra of twenty pieces, under the leadership of Pro( E.
G. Hurley, the organist and director of St. Ignatius' choir.
The effect throughout was of the grandest order, and most
apposite to the solemnity of the festival. Before the sermon, Veni Creator, by Buehler, was superbly given, and at
the Offertory, Alma Virgo, by Hummel, was sung.
ST. ALOYSIUS' CHURCH, WASHINGTON, D. C.
(From tlze National Republican.)
St. Aloysius' Church was crowded yesterday by thousands anxious to take part in the celebration of the fiftieth
anniversary of the Jesuit Province of Maryland.
Over the high altar burned in letters of living light the
motto of the Society of Jesus: "Ad majorcm Dei Gloriam."
On both sides hung a series of flags and banners-:-the papal
colors, the stars and stripes, the flag of Maryland, banners
emblazoned with the images of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
St. Joseph, St. Aloysius, etc.
Over the tabernacle stood the seal of the Society, surmounted by a cross, both of natural flowers.
The seal was six feet in diameter, composed in the backVoL. x:u. No. 2.
31
�Tke jubilee of tlte Province.
ground of lycopodiums, the body of pure carnations, the
border of calla lilies, the rays of yellow roses, and the nails
and cross of red and crimson carnations, all surmounted by
a cross at least three feet in height of white carnations and
calla lilies. The altar itself was tastefully decorated with
St. Joseph and calla lilies, while here and throughout the
sanauary rose clumps of camellias and palms. The musical
portion of the services was very judicious in seleaion and
really splendid in execution. The chorus singing was massive and artistic, with that nice attention to crescendos and
pianos which is needed to make a chorus perfea.
The church from the sanauary railing to the street door
was crowded, the aisles being also filled, while many could
not gain entrance.
Taken all in all, the solemnity at St. Aloysius' yesterday
was perhaps the grandest in all its details which that church
has ever known.
>
The sermon by Fr. M~rphy, was a very brief one, but, at
the same time, very full of matter. He spoke the thoughts
suggested by the occasion, and explained their meaning
and their drift. Blazing, said he, in splendor above our altar to-day, you read what is at once the watchword and
battle-cry of the Society of Jesus, "Ad fi,fajorem Dei Gloriam." For the greater honor and glory of God, Ignatius,
the soldier saint of Loyola, marshaled his little band in the
beginning. With~this motto on their banner, and with its
prompting in their hearts, they went forward, nobly fighting,
nothing fearing, fully confiding, to the conftia which the
Lord had summoned them to engage in, and through the
chances and the changes of three centuries in t.!le. past of
men. For this same "greater honor and glory of God"' the
sons of Ignatius have lived and labored and gone to their
account. Like Him whose name the Company bears, and
whose monogram you see engraven in rich crimson flowers
above the tabernacle, the Society of Jesus has had days of
darkness as well as days of glory. In early infancy it was
marked with the sign of the cross, and no matter how splendid were its achievements, no matter what triumphs it won
�St. Aloysius' Church, Wasltington, D. C.
239
in the field of letters, theology and missionary enterprise,
the weight of the cross was always heavy upon it. Like
Jesus Himself it had its Palm Sunday, when Xavier, rivaling the glories of the first apostles, traversed with apostolic
zeal the distant Indies and Japan; when Suarez and Bellarmine astonished the schools of Europe by the brilliancy of
their genius, and when, in 1633, the Jesuit Andrew White,
friend and adviser of Lord Calvert, helped to plant the
standard of civil and religious liberty in the soil of Maryland. In such days hosannas. were abundant and songs
triumphant rang aloud, but darker days were coming on
apace. Good Friday was close in the wake of Palm Sunday; and the Society of Jesus, the viB:im of calumny and
corrupt intrigue-the target of designing Pombal and brazen Pompadour-was pursued as a disturber of the peace
and a fomenter of sedition ; was hounded on to death and
laid in a grave which, like the grave of Jesus Christ, was
not inglorious. Gloom, it is true, had settled over it, but
the quickened eye of faith could pierce the cloud and read
the legend of hope: "I will arise again." And the day of
glorious resurreCtion did come, and one of the first of the
nations of the world to give a welcome and a home to the
re-established Society was the young republic of the West
that had won her right to freedom by fighting for it under
the banner of the stars and stripes. Washington himself
offered his prayer of thanks in the old Jesuit church of
Philadelphia, and was glad to honor with his majestic presence the Jesuit professors and students who thronged the
classic halls of old Georgetown college. He then spoke of
the general encouragement which the Jesuits received in
the United States. They were no longer looked upon as
enemies to civilization and liberty, no longer denounced by
crafty statesmen, no longer loaded with chains and led to
prison or the stake. They were assimilated into the organism of the nascent republic. They labored for her welfare
and God's glory. Their schools and colleges spontaneously
multiplied, until superiors at Rome felt that the time had
come tq reward the good wishes of the people by raising
�T~e
Jubilee of tke Province.
the Mission of Maryland to the rank of a Province of the
Society of Jesus, in 1833; and aptly, too, one of the sons of
old Maryland-one of those whose ancestors had battled
for religious liberty in the past-was chosen to be its head.
From that time during the last fifty years, owing to the
kindness and encouragement of the faithful, the Province
has increased and multiplied, having in view ever the motto
of Ignatius, the glory of God and salvation of man. And
to-day we come forward to return you thanks for your
kindness to us in the past, and beg your prayers that we
may be faithful to the example left us by our Fathers in the
past, that we may carry out the designs of Ignatius to the
glory of God and your salvation.
LEONARDTOWN, MD.
'(From tlze
~t.
-!
Mary's Beaco1Z.)
The day was commenforated in St. Aloysius' Church by
a High l\Iass, Rev. Father Jenkins officiating and Rev. Fr.
Swagers preaching the sermon from the text : - "The
Kingdom of Heaven is like unto a mustard seed." He
spoke of St. Ignatius, his life and labors; of the works
of the Society in every land Ad .lrfajorem Dei Gloriam; of
Father White and the early Maryland Mission; of the suppression and restoration of the Society. He told how the
Mission grew, until in 1833, fifty years ago, it was formed
into a Province; how the Province grew and sent out Missionaries to other States ; how six young Belgians entered
the Novitiate at Whitemarsh, and what a glorious destiny
God had for them; how they became in 1823, the Founders
of the Missouri Province, and he rejoiced that he had
known them all ; fin'ally, bringing down the history to our
own day, how the Maryland and New York Provinces were
united. After speaking of the labors of the Jesuits in Maryland, and particularly in our own county, the Rev. Father
in conclusion, expressed the hope, that his hearers "might
lead happy lives here and one day might meet their Teachers before the throne of God.''
�St. :Joseph's Church, Philadelphia, Pa.
241
The choir sang the Kyrie, Gloria and Credo from Concone's Mass, and the Smzflus and Agmts Dei from Mercadante's. At the BenediCl:ion, the Tt! Deum was chanted.
This, in our memory, wa;> the first time that this great
Hymn of Thanksgiving was. ever sung in St. Aloysius'
Church.
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, PHILADELPHIA.
(Compiled from tlze Ledger, Press, Inquirer, and Catlzolic
Standard.)
Five notable events were commemorated yesterday in old
St. Joseph's Church, in Willing's Alley. The occasion was
the Golden Jubilee of the establishment of the Province of
Maryland of the Society of Jesus, the feast of the Patronage
St. Joseph, the 250th anniversary of the establishment of
the Jesuit Missions in America, the I soth anniversary of
the building of St. Joseph's Church, and the fiftieth anniversary of its restoration to the followers of St. Ignatius.
The dusky walls of this venerable edifice, standing in the
midst of what was once a graveyard, but is now a closely
built block of business houses, surrounded on all sides by
the busy hum of coal, railroad and iron men all the week,
have still a solemn charm peculiarly their own. The first
Jesuit church on this spot was built just I 50 years ago, the
Jesuit Fathers then taking up their abode in the reCl:ory
whose walls sta~d now as solidly as when built in I730.
This same church edifice has been built and torn down
twice, each time proving too smal.l for the necessities of the
Fathers, until fifty years ago yesterday it was finally rebuilt
and given back to the Jesuits.
No efforts were spared to make the solemnity of the ceremonies worthy of the occasion, and the observance appropriate. The sanCl:uary, but especially the high altar, was
richly adorned, and excellent taste was shown in the selection and arrangement of the flowers.
Entering the church, after passing the two confessionals
on the right, a shrine of the Blessed Virgin was reached, in
front of which were flowers and a burning gas jet.
�Th( Jubilee qf the Province.
Then came a life-sized image of St. Joseph with the infant Jesus in his arms, and a corona of burning gas jets
above his brows. Then came the great altar, with its more
elaborate floral decorations and. illuminations, a great bell
resting on each corner of the altar and two magnificent candelabra, with blazing candles throwing a soft glow over all.
Above the altar and high up toward the dusk of the ceiling
was another corona of gas jets, bearing the name "Jesus"
in letters 9f flame.
The celebrant of the Solemn High Mass at ro o'clock
was the Rev. John E. Fitzmaurice, pastor of St. Agatha's,
Revs. A. Romano, S. J., and Francis O'Neill, S. J., being
Deacon and Sub-Deacon, and the pastor, Rev. Fr. Ardia,
S. J., Master of Ceremonies.
The St. Cecilia Mass, composed by C. Wels, was very
effeCtively sung, under the leadership of Prof. M. F. Aledo,
direCtor of the choir, Madame Aledo presiding at the organ.
The composition, a very fltle one, was produced for the first
time in Philadelphia at St. Joseph's Church, on Easter Sunday last, and its repetition yesterday added materially to
the impressiveness of the celebration.
The Rev. F. X. Schnuttgen, C. SS. R., Rector of St. Boniface's Church, preached an eloquent sermon appropriate to
the occasion, alluding particularly to the Jesuits' great success in the dissemination of the Gospel and the establishment of schools, colleges, etc., since their first entrance into
the United States. He also dilated on several of the more
prominent episodes in the life of St. Joseph, who, he said,
was an effulgent beacon light for all Christians to pattern
after who desired to conform to the will of God anc!_~dvance
towards perfection in serving him and obeying hi~ commands.
The hymn of St. Ignatius was sung at the conclusion of
the Mass, after which the large assemblage dispersed.
In the afternoon Solemn Vespers were sung, Rev. J. B.
Guida, S. J., of East Denver, Col., being Celebrant as well
as orator. The Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was
given by Father Guida, and the service was concluded by
the singing of the Te Deum.
�Pravidence, R. I.
243
PROVIDENCE, R. I.
(From tlze Catholic Visitor.)
It was a happy day for Providence that witnessed the
celebration of the zsoth anniversary of the introduCtion of
Jesuits' missionary labor into this country. Not that this
city can claim the quarter of the millennium that marks the
existence of the Jesuits in this land, but it, in common with
the other cities which enjoy the presence of these evangelical Fathers in their midst, can be conscious of the multiform benefits which the Jesuit Order has bestowed upon
Providence and elsewhere. A mere traveller in that part of
the municipality in which the Reverend Fathers have taken
their abode can not fail to be stricken with the improvements that the introduCtion of their Order has created. The
schools, which were certainly needed in St. Joseph's parish,
are now opened and, better than all, they promise to be
eminently successful. The societies have multiplied in
number, while there is no doubt that a deeper religious sentiment pervades the whole Catholic community of the parish.
In the Jesuit celebration, which .occurred last Sunday,
there was not the least deviation from tenets which the
Church ordinarily teaches. There may have been more
display; more ostentation, but the faith which prompted the
observance in all the grandeur it obtained here in the city,
was identical with the belief that filled the hedges of Ireland
with worshippers and which, long before the Green Isle became famous, heard with attentive ears, the mysteries of the
crucifixion celebrated in prayer and song.
But of the Jesuits, and of their stay here in our city,
what shall we say? That they have proved a blessing and
a benediction in many ways cannot be denied. That their
presence here in Providence has awakened warmer feelings
of religion can hardly be controverted. Therefore it is only
right that the Catholics of this city should rejoice in the
anniversary of the Order which has brought them so many
spiritual benefits. Nor be it thought that in mentioning
�244
Tlze~Jubilee of tize Province.
this city there is intent to refer merely to the district in
which, and Providence, the Jesuit fathers are stationed.
Their presence in the city has been felt in places their feet
have never trod. The echoes of their voices, like that of
Longfellow's clock, which ticked "never and forever" are
heard through all the streets and inculcate the sublimest
doctrine.
(Front tlte Evming Bulletin.)
The Jesuits were introduced into the Diocese of Providence in 1877, through Right Rev. Bishop Hendricken,
who gave St. Joseph's Church to their charge. During this
short period their influence has been widely felt, not alone
in their own parish, but in all parts of the city. St. Joseph's
Church, under Rev. Fr. Cleary's pastorate, has become one
of the most beautiful sacred edifices in the diocese, and
compares very favorably with the older churches. in the
United States. The parish. is the youngest in the New
York-Maryland Province and one of the most important
and promising. Although a Jesuit college has not yet been
founded, the grammar and high school is one of the best of
Catholic parochial schools, and in the near future steps will
be taken to found a college.
Saturday, April 7th, a Novena was commenced in St. Joseph's Church as a preparation for the feast of yesterday,
and to which, by special favor, a plenary indulgence was
granted to all who faithfully complied with the conditions.
Yesterday a large congregation attended the impressive services that commemorated the Jubilee in this city. Solemn
High Mass was celebrated at 10.30 o'clock with th¢ Rev.
W. B. Cleary, S. J., officiating as celebrant; Rev. F; Sheerin, S. J., Deacon; Rev. Fr. Nagle, sub-Deacon, and Rev.
C. Hughes, pastor of St. Patrick's Church, Master of Ceremonies. The sanctuary decorations were as profuse as
possible to be in keeping with the richness of the altar and
surroundings. The pinnacles and arches of the altar were
decorated with bands of laurel, arranged as on Easter Sunday by Mr. Edward Seagrave. Plants and choice cut flow-
�Providence, R.i.
ers added their choice perfumes to the brilliant display of
light which flooded the sanctuary, and in particular near
the close of the services, du_ring the BenediClion of the
Blessed Sacrament. The discourse was preached by the
Right Rev. Bishop Hendricken, after the singing of th~
"Veni Creator Spiritus."
He began by speaking of devotion to the saints. The
first portion of the discourse treated of devotion to St. Joseph, during which he said :
"The first Jesuit Fathers that came north placed all the
churches they built under the Patronage of St. Joseph. In
Quebec three hundred years ago a little church bore the
name of Joseph, and with churches and institutions the
name of Joseph has always been associated. The first of
the Hurons that came to be baptized received the name of
Joseph, and the first of the Iroquois that came to be married
took Joseph as his name."
After exhorting his hearers to confidence in the protec·
tion of him whose patronal feast they honored, he spoke of
the special event which was celebrated :
"Together with the great feast of St. Joseph celebrated
to-day, there is a solemn event commemorated, the 250th
anniversary ofthe settlement of the Jesuit Province of Maryland ; 2 50 years of a history of the greatest religious order
that God has permitted to exist in the world. It is a history
that no other order could furnish, no matter whether we
consider the work accomplished by them, the men produced
or the enemies overcome. It had the good will of heaven
from its foundation. The Society was founded by St. Ignatius
Loyola during the time of the Reformation. It was during his
attendance at the university of Paris that he prevailed upon
seven fellow-students to adopt his example, abandon all
worldly pleasures and band themselves together to stem
that dreadful torrent that threatened to pour down in violence upon the world. Year by year they increased in
numbers, until within a hundred years they are found everywhere throughout the world, ever ready to shed their blood
VoL. xu. No. 2.
32
�The J.:tbilee uf tlze Provine~.
for their faith. At the very foundation, when kneeling together, they made their solemn vows that God might never
leave them without persecution. In Asia, China, Japan,
South America, everywhere, they had enemies, who succeeded in suppressing them for awhile. The Province of
Maryland has never been suppressed, but has continued,
practically speaking, in unbroken succession. The charges
preferred against them and for which they died martyrs
were never proved. At one time they were the head of all
the colleges and universities which were the most renowned
institutions of learning. They have been the greatest statesmen the world has ever seen and the Order is the most eminent in the Church to-day. The order will not pass away.
You may kill a Jesuit, yet he will not die, but live forever.
It is now driven out of France and other countries, its
churches and colleges given to the infidel sway. France,
poor France, in her dire condition banishes God's holiest
servants from her realm. ·1;u-day you have plenty to think
of,-this great community in its rejoicing,-and St. Joseph."
The Bishop imparted his blessing at the end of Mass,
which was followed by the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. During the exposition, "0 Salutaris Hostia" was
sung, the concluding prayers of the novena said and then
the chanting of the "Te Deum" in thanksgiving for the
favors conferred during these years. During the chanting
of the "Te Deum" the officiating clergy and vast congregation remained standing. The singing of "Tantum Ergo"
and the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament given by Fr.
Cleary concluded the lengthy and interesting services.
The chorus was enlarged for the occasion, and sang parts
of Mozart's 12th, Generali's and Mercadante's Masses:·· At
the Offertory, Lambillotte's "Alleluia Chorus" was sung. At
the end of Mass, the trio ''0 Salutaris," the "Te Deum," full
chorus, and the duet, "Tantum Ergo," Rossi, were rendered
with good effect.
�St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y.-St. Mary's, Boston.
247
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S CHURCH, NEW YORK.
(From the ]\lew York Times.)
The services in St. Francis Xavier's Church yesterday
were elaborate. A Solemn High Mass was celebrated by
the Rev. Fr. Frisbee, ReCtor of St. Francis Xavier's College. Fr. Thiry was Deacon and the Rev. Mr. Hart aCl:ed as
Sub-Deacon. The special music for the occasion consisted
of a new Mass by Greith composed in honor of St. Joseph,
and was sung by the full choir of the church, accompanied
by an orchestra, in addition to the great organ. The Rev;
Fr. Fulton then preached the sermon, speaking of the hardships and persecutions which the Jesuits underwent in the
early days of their mission in this country, and traced their
continued growth in power and numbers, especially in the
Maryland distriCt, which he said was the mother of many
missions in the West which had even outgrown her in numbers. The missions were now in a prosperous condition,
and of the work in New York city St. Francis Xavier's
College and the great church in Sixteenth street was an
evident proo( Afterward, the procession passed through the
church, and the services closed with a Te Deum.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH, BOSTON.
(From t!te Pilot.)
Special services were also held at St. Mary's, Endicott
street. The Celebrant of the Solemn High Mass was the
Rev. Fr. Duncan; Deacon, Fr. Reid; Sub-Deacon, Father
Holland : Master of Ceremonies, Fr. Byrne. The Rev.
Theodore Metcalf, of Beverly, preached a masterly discourse
on the history of the Society, and eulogized Loyola and his
faithful followers for their zeal in the conversion of the
heathen and the education of the young. The choir sang
Mercadante's Mass.
·
.. .- ..
.
�The jubilee of the Province.
ST. THOMAS', CHARLES CO., MD.
(From tlze Port Tobacco Times.)
The services at St. Thomas' Church last Sunday, were
marked with a solemnity rarely witnessed in that church.
The altars were most beautifully and tastefully decorated
with candles and flowers, the altar of St. Joseph especially,
whose feast also occurred on that day, being particularly
striking for the great degree of care and taste that had been
bestowed on its embellishment. Rev. A. P. Keating, pastor of the congregation, celebrated the Mass. The choir
under the direB:ion of Mrs. Nicholas Stonestreet and Miss
Eliza Jenkins, the accomplished organist, rendered Borlese's
Mass in a manner that was highly creditable, and deserves
more than a passing notice .. The parts were all well sustained, the choruses grand, _and under the able direB:ion of
the leader all was as accurate as could be wished. At the
Offertory, the "Regina Cceli" was sung by the full choir,
and as the sweet words of the music from the well-trained
voices blending so harmoniously with the soft, deep tones
of the organ, under a master's touch, rose in rich cadence
on the air and were borne by the rippling wavelets of sound
to every part of the old church, it seemed to us that every
heart should be touched and every head bowed in thanksgiving to Him who had allowed us to see the zsoth anniversary of the establishment of His Church in "My Maryland." "Tantum Ergo" was sung by full choir, and at the
conclusion of the services the "Te Deum," the glo.rious
hymn of thanksgiving and praise, was sung by full--cpoir.
The sermon, or rather a leB:ure appropriate to the occasion,
was delivered by the Rev. E. Connolly. It was such a
masterly effort, evinced such deep and careful thought and
study, and abounds in so many historical reminiscences that
are of local interest, that we lay it before our readers elsewhere in to-day's issue. It occupies considerable of our
space, but after a perusal we are sure an apology for devoting our space to it will be superfluous.
�St. Thomas', Charles Co., Md
249
We give some extraB:s from the discourse:"The commemoration of an event so important, so significant of the progress made by the Catholic religion in this
country, as early as fifty years ago, would be inadequate, if
it did not embrace the panegyric of the faith, the devotion,
the self-sacrifice of the pastors and people who won so glorious a triumph for the church in the new world, of men
who came across the seas bearing with them the seed
of the faith, and carefully tended the sapling that sprang
from that seed, until it grew into a very great tree, whose
branches cover all the land, and under whose shadow millions of souls find refreshment and rest.
"It would be an honor to be permitted to preach the panegyric of these men on such an occasion as this in any place
or in any temple. It is an honor and a privilege to be permitted to preach it here, here in the very home of some of
the first colonists of Maryland, in the place which witnessed
the labors of Father White, the Apostle of Maryland, for
the conversion of the Indians, which bears testimony to the
zeal of Fathers William and George Hunter in the earlier
days, and to that of the Neales, and of Father Wiget in later
times.
"But not .only this. It is an honor and a privilege to be
permitted to commemorate the first formation of the Province here, in the very Church where Fr. McSherry, the first
Provincial, offered the holy sacrifice every day during the
early years of his administration. Such an honor and such
a privilege have fallen to my fortune-! had said good fortune, did I not feel myself unequal to the task which this
honor and privilege involve; for not every man is fitted to
pronounce the eulogy of the heroic band who first came
hither over seas. But this also I feel, that I have been
exalted by being thought of in any way in conneB:ion with
such a theme, and this feeling of exaltation is the only
qualification I can bring to the task for which I have been
chosen. Let me say, too, that for another reason it would
have been more fitting that the praise of the Jesuit pastors
of your fathers and of yourselves should come from other
�'Pte Jubilee qf t!te Province.
lips than mine. For I, also, though most unworthy ofsuch
a grace, am a priest of the Society of Jesus, and while eulogizing my brethren who have gone before, I may, by implication, appear to praise myself. Not necessarily so, I
think; for the last recruit who joined the old ·Maryland Line
for the reason that he took a manly pride in their valor, did
not, after his enlistment, boast by inference of his own courage, merely because he found delight in praising theirs. He
had boasted of them in the same way long before, as a boy;
and it would have been hard to deprive him after he had
joined, of a pleasure which may have been the noblest inspiration of his youth.
"So, too, these Jesuit Fathers, these devoted pastors of
yours and of the men from whom some of you are descended, these men of the Company of Jesus, whose shoe-thongs I
am unworthy that I may loose, were honored and venerated
before my day, as they :yill always be honored in the after
time; and so, too, it would be hard if I should be deprived,
now, that, through God's favor, I am one of their number,
of a right which I enjoyed and exercised with the keenest
relish in the days of my boyhood. It may be admitted
then, I think, that a priest of the Society of Jesus may
praise the noble sons whom the Society has produced, without seeming to arrogate any part of that praise unto himself.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
"There were tw.enty Jesuits on the Maryland Mission at
the time of the suppression. Afterwards eleven more, natives of Maryland, returned from abroad, making the total
number 3 I. Within the space of thirty years, I 8 of these
had died, and of the I 3 who still survived, IO neve; Jost the
hope of dying in the restored Society. They continued, as
Secular priests, to attend to the ministry with all the heart
that was left to them, although they felt not any more the inspiration which had, in happier days, soldered them together
in firm fellowship of heart and hand. They had waited ten,
twenty, thirty years and more, their dim eyes always straining towards the hoped-for restoration. Four of them by
authority received from Russia renewed their vo:ws in .I8o6,
�St. Thomas', Charles Co., il-fd.
an aa which bore witness to their devotion, but probably
did not reconstitute them canonically as Jesuits.-Set a
plant upon a shelf within doors, before the window-pane,
and its leaves turn to the light, its branches bend towards
the light, it becomes warped with its reaching for the light,
· and all of it seems dead except what sees the light. So it was
with these venerable men. They were out of place, set
upon a shelf, and all the life that was in them turned towards the hope, and grew towards the hope of the restoration.
"Of those ten who had kept the hope of the restoration, all
except three had passed away before the brief of Pius VII.
reconstituting the Society was promulgated. Two of the
surviving three, John Carroll and Leonard Neale, the Archbishop and the Coadjutor Archbishop of Baltimore, coultl
not be permitted to abandon their charge. Only one was
left to be the link between the old and new. He was one
of those who had renewed their vows in r8o6, and now, at
last, in r815, clasping on either hand the outstretched palms
of the old Society and the new, he raises his eyes to heaven
and thanks God for vouchsafing to grant the blessing he
has been asking for more than forty years. This man
was of a family which has given eight of its sons to the
Society of Jesus. His name was Charles Neale of Charles
county, Maryland.
"My brethren, if you should ever hear the calumny repeated that the religious life in the Catholic Church is
one of weariness, and pain, and agony of mind, or that the
life of the cloister is a life of coercion, tell this story of the
old Maryland Jesuits.
"Now what was it that made these feeble veterans, who
had been scarcely able to totter over the threshold. of
the present century- what was it that made them care
to have the Company of Jesus formed anew ? The reason of it, I think, was this : "They could not forget the old
discipline in which they had been trained, always to strive
for what is best and noblest; and, in their view, the best
and noblest thing was to give, under vow, themselves
�252
T~e
Jubilee of the Province.
and all they had to God, in that same fellowship wherein
they knew from experience that their powers had been
multiplied for good. And they wished this benefit not
for themselves only, but for others also; they wished it for
the sake of the Church. Their watchword had been, "All
for the greater glory of God," and this cry was still ringing
in their ears. What though their blood ran chill, the old
spirit still tingled along the courses of their veins. It was
with them as it had been in former days with those whp
had followed the banners of Godfrey de Bouillon or of St.
Louis in the cause of Christendom. What though the old
Crusader's arm were now too feeble to couch a lance, he
still could train younger knights, or elevate their thoughts
wi~h talk of noble deeds, of gallant feats of arms ; or if not
this, he could at least, out of love for the old cause, die in
the old mail, which he wore when he first went forth under
the pennon of the cross.> And although they nearly all
passed away, with their-desire unfulfilled in themselves,
their constant prayers may have brought about the fulfilment of it in the persons of other men. But whatever may
be the case, it is most true, that the good name they won,
lived after them. We have been told how the Spanish cavaliers of old time gained victories over the Moors by buckling
his armor about the dead Cid and setting him on his charger
in their army's van, as if he had come once more to lead the
Christian host-so, too, under the prestige of the old Jesuits'
name, later and younger men have found it easier to advance the cause of the faith.
"Of these venerable men Charles county had given, as it
had given from the first, more than its due proportion. The
records left by the early Jesuits in Maryland are- few, for
they. did not care to say much about themselves or their
good deeds. However, in catalogues of the Society of Jesus,
I find the following Charles county surnames: Smallwood,
Lewis, Neale, Diggs, Mattingly, Matthews, Floyd, Semmes,
Boarman, Jenkins, Pile, Doyne, Mudd, Edelin, Stonestreet, Lancaster, Brookes. These historic names tell
better than tablets of perishable stone of the faith and de-
�St. Thomas', Clzarles Co., Md.
253
votion of St. Thomas' children. It was no wonder that so
many generous men should be produced in a community
comparatively few in numbers. They had been born among
high minded and devout Catholics, and here their childhood
had been passed. The nobleness of their origin, the inspiration of their environment, would not suffer them to be
less than noble themselves.
"The men of the older time could point out the scenes
where Father White spent himself in his labors for the Indians. Those of later days breathed the atmosphere made
fragrant by the virtues of the Carmelites near by, whose
lives of penance, like the leaves of the sweet briar, scattered
their odors over all the country side. They could hear the
old bell of St. Thomas' calling, calling on them to come
and pray and bear witness to their faith and the faith of
their fathers. This church ·was to them a memorial of the
generosity and liberality of their sires in the cause of the
faith, as the story of its restoration will be to your children,
my brethren, a memorial of yours. If these old walls of
English brick had the power of utterance, what a tale they
could tell of the piety of pastors and people.
"God's providence, my brethren, chose your ancestors to
be the seed of this great harvest. Think of how vast the
harvest is throughout the whole country! For the Jesuits
in the United States with their congregations, only form a
small fraCtion of the pastors and. people. God is called a
husbandman in the gospel. It is the part of a good husbandman to choose good seed for the sowing, that he may
have a good harvest. The seed this good husbandman
chose, to produce a great harvest of souls, were the pastors
and people of 250 years ago; that is to say, the 8,ooo,ooo of
Catholics now in the United States are the harvest of the
Maryland seed. They, your fathers, my brethren, did their ·
·part; and hitherto you have done yours, keeping the faith
steadfastly and well. So may you keep it always, and thus
show yourselves to be the worthy produEt of the good seed,
thus render yourselves worthy of God's continued blessings.
VoL. xu. No.
2.
33
�254
The~Jubilee
of t/ze Province.
God has indeed blessed you in many ways ; but in no"
way so conspicuously as in your pastors. I shall recall
them to you one by one, accurately as I have been able to
procure their names, not always perhaps in the exaCt order
in which they come. In the early days Fathers White and
Altham and Copley and Morgan and Rigby had much
to do with the Indians and settlers near St. Thomas' Manor.
After them the most conspicuous name is that of Fr. Wm.
Hunter of whom we hear often about the year 1704. In
1750, Fr. George Hunter shows himself a zealous and able
advocate of the rights of the Catholic colonists. Then
come Charles and Francis Neale, Epinette, Cousinne,
Combs, Francis Neale, a second time, Mudd, Lilly, Powers,
Barber, Barrister, Vicinanza, Wiget, a second time, and, alas,
that we should have to say it, for the last time. They do
not answer to my call; only the breath that breathes a soul
into clay can fan their ashes into life. But there will come
a day when the Son of Man, whom they faithfully served,
will descend from heaven, clothed with the majesty of God,
and a voice stronger than a mortal voice shall summon
their souls back to their dust, and the angel who keeps the
roster of those who have fought the good fight, will call
this same roll which I now read, and, as we trust, shall bid
those who bore them stand on the right hand of God."
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE.
(Compiled from the Baltimore Sun and Washington Post.)
The closing event in the commemorative celebration of
the semi-centennial anniversary of the founding of the,! Jesuit
Province of Maryland took place yesterday at the 'college
of the Sacred Heart, Woodstock, Md., the scholasticate of
·the Order in North America. At 6 A.M. a Solemn High
Mass was celebrated, at which all the community received
Holy Communion, thus conforming with the conditions lor
gaining the indulgence granted by the Papal rescript. The
Very Rev. Robert Fulton, Provincial of the New YorkMaryland Province, was Celebrant of the Mass; Rev. S.
�Woodstock College.
255
Frisbee, President of St. Francis Xavier's College, New York,
Deacon; Rev. P. F. Dealy, President of St. John's College,
Fordham, New York, Sub-Deacon; Rev. J. Henry Sandaal,
Master .of Ceremonies. Them usic of the Mass was Mozart's
"Kyrie" and "Sanaus", Rosewig's "Gloria" and "Credo,"
Winter's "Ave Maria," Weber's "Benediaus" and Mercadante's "Agnus Dei."
The early morning train brought a number of visitors,
who together with the community made the largest .reunion
ofmembers of the Society ever assembled at one time or
place within the limits of the United States. Those who
honored the celebration with their presence were : Very
Rev. Robert Fulton, Provincial of the New York-Maryland
Province; Very ·Rev. Leopold Bushart, Provincial of the
Missouri Province; Very Rev. John Lessmann, Superior of
the Mission of Buffalo; Rev. Peter Racicot, Socius of the
New York-Maryland Provincial; Rev. James Perron, Frederick; Rev. P. F. Dealy, President of St. John's College,
Fordham, New York; Rev. S. Frisbee, President of St.
Francis Xavier's College, New York; Rev. A. J. Tisdall,
Master of Novices, Frederick; Rev. Jeremiah O'Connor,
President of Boston College ; Rev. E. A. McGurk, President
of Loyola College, Baltimore; Rev. E. D. Boone, President
of Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass.; Rev. J. J. Murphy, President of Gonzaga College, Washington, D. C.;
Rev. John McQuaid, President of St. Peter's College, Jersey City; Rev. W. H. Duncan, St. Mary's Church, Boston;
Rev. W. F. Clarke, Rev. Thomas Hayes, Loyola College,
Baltimore; Rev. R. W. Brady, St. Peter's Church, Jersey
City; Rev. J. B. Emig, Conewago, Pa.; Rev. Joseph Ardia,
St. Joseph's, Philadelphia; Rev. Burchard Villager, Church
of the Gesu, Philadelphia; Rev. C. K. Jenkins, Leonardtown, Md.; Rev. J. P. M. Schleuter, St. Joseph's, Washington; Rev. D. O'Kane, St. Mary's, Alexandria, Va.; Rev.
J. A. Morgan, St. Mary's, Boston; Rev. H. St. C. Denny,
St. Aloysius', Washington; Rev. P. H. Toner, New York;
Rev. A. P. Keating, Charles county, Md.; Rev. J. Pye Neal,
.St. Inigoes, Md.; Rev. F. W, Goc~eln, Worcester College,
�2£6
Tlu:. Jubilee if tlte ·Prav£nce.
Mass.; Rev. H. Kavanagh, St. Mary's, Boston; Rev. L.
Vigilante, St. Inigoes, Md.
At 10 o'clock a literary and musical entertainment was
given in the library of the college, in which a raised plat-.
form had been ereEted. Around its base were massed
choice potted flowers and plants from the college conservatory. On one side was a life-size statue of St. Ignatius, and
on the other side of St. Aloysius, placed beneath canopies
of blue and cardinal. Over the rear centre of the stage, in
the attitude of ascending, was an American eagle, with the
legend "1633" in its beak. Prominent in the background
were the portrait of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor, and paintings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and of Mary.
The order of exercises was as follows : ·
"ACROSS THE WAVE OUR
F~THERS
SAIL:" QUARTETTE-Rossini
SUPPRESSIOY A.YD RESTORA TIO~'! •••••.••..•••••.•••••••••••••..•.... REv. R. S. DEWEY
EARLY RELATIONSHIP BETWEEX NEW
YOR~
AND MARYLAND
·
H. vAN RE:s"SSELAER
FORTES CREANTUR FORTIB US ET BONIS.............................. J. A. BUCKLEY
PRAISE OF THE SOLDIER: DOUBLE QUARTETTE-Boieldieu
BEFORE THE USION................................................................. D. O'SULLIVAN
A FEW TRIALS......•.•......•••.....•.•.•......•.•...•.•..•....••••••••.••••••••• REv. J. A. CONWAY
"WATCIBIAN THROl[GH THE DREARY NIGHT:" DUETT-Donizetti
THE PERIOD OF CHA:KGE.••.•..••..••.....••....•••••.•..•••.•.•..••••••...••••••••. W. P. BRETT
EARLY INDIAN JIISSIONS .••.•••••.•••••.•.••••.••.••••.•.••• .-••••.• .-.••••••.•.... J. T. HEDRICK
SOKG OF THE PIONEERS..- ...................................................... C. J. CLIFFORD
THE RUINED CHAPEL: DOUBLE QUARTETTE-Becker
THE HOUSE OF STUDIES•••.......••.••.•••••.••.•.•..•.•••.••••••••.••.•.•... _ J. J. A. BECKET
FRO.li RETROSPECT TO PROSPECT•••...•••••.•••••••••.••••••••••••.. REV. E.
ARISE NEW SUN: QUARTETTE-Rossini
CoNNOLL~
�Woodstock College.
A. D. 1634-1733·
Across the wave our Fathers sail;
Sorrow Is for a night:
Their hope long waiting may not fail.
Joy cometh with the light.
They love their land of l\Iary : night
Drops down again more drear:
Brave hearts, hope on, await the light,At darkest, dawn is near
A. D. 1773-1805.
Watchmen through the dreary night,
See, amid the gloom that shrouds
Earth and heaven with blackest clouds.
Glory opens on your sight.
-Glorious visions far away,
Through the rifts amid the gloom
There where darkest clouds uploom.
Onward sweep to endless day.
-0 ye toilers! night drops down;
Fold your all unwearied hands!
But, athwart the thronging lands,
Shines a newer day and crown :
-Crown that, at the close of day,
When with folded!hands again
You shall fare from haunts of men,
Brightens out and far away.
-Fadeth not again to night?
No, but to the endless rest:
For the life that sets to west,
Eastward breaks in perfect Light.
A. D. 1805-'33-'83.
Hearts sick with waiting long, behold !
Past is the turn of night:
Arise, new sun! the sadness old
Flees from the morning light.
Fleet hours speed onward from the night;
The workmen follow soon :
Fade not from sight, 0 fair day's light,
Till uncreated Noon!
257
�Tlte.Jubilee qf the Provt"nce.
The music rendered was arranged with special reference
to the notable dates in the history of the Maryland Mission
and Province. The first period from the year 1634 to the
year 1733, the period of missionaries, was represented by
the song, ·'Across the wave our Fathers sail." The years
1773 to 1805, which formed a dark and foreboding period
in the history of the Province, were appropriately typified in
the verse commencing "Watchman through the dreary
night." The years 1805 to 1833 and then to 1883, which
ushered in the prosperous days of the Province, were represented by the last song, "Hearts sick with waiting long,
behold."
At the conclusion of the exercises Solemn BenediCtion
was celebrated, with Rev. J. E. Keller as Celebrant; Rev.
W. F. Clarke, as Deacon; Rev. James Perron, as Sub-Deacon. The music at the BenediCtion was as follows: 0
Quam di/ecta, Lambillott:_ ;' Te Deum; Gregorian ; Tantum
Ergo, Lambillotte; Laudate, Lambillotte.
This ended the formal exercises of the Jubilee celebration.
At two o'clock dinner was served in the refeCtory of the
college, which had been decorated with banners filled with
legends pertinent to the great celebration .
. 0.
D.
M~
���WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XII, No. 3·
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
BY FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
CHAPTER
V.
Winter among lite Ca:urs d' A/em.
On the I 3th of November, a sufficiently nott;worthy day
in the Society of Jesus, we took our departure for lands,
destined to afford us the greatest trials, as well as the greatest consolation. Early on the 14th, we arrived at the domains of Stellam. Everybody came to shake hands with us,
but the snow, which was falling in large flakes, helped to
shorten the ceremony, as we were in a hurry to get our
luggage under cover.
We landed at a spot where the lake flows out through
the river of the Spokanes. Quantities of fish colleCt here
and the Indians continue to catch them by means of a wier
stretched from one bank to the other, up to January. To
this facility in obtaining sustenance, a facility rendered still
greater by the skill of the medicine men, do the Cceurs
d'Alene owe their sluggishness and other faults derived
from this; but there are good persons and customs everywhere among them. The spoils from the fishing, as well as
the hunt, are divided ati10ngst all that are hungry, whether
VoL. xu-No. 3·
34
(261)
�262
RecolleClions of tlte Rocky Jrlountains.
they have contributed to the result or not. They never
begin either their fishing or hunting without invoking some
one or other in whom they put their trust. Formerly, it
was some manitou according to their view of a provident
deity: to-day, thanks to the grace of God, which has revealed at last the truth to these poor idolaters, it is to the
creator o( heaven and earth, or to Jesus Christ, or to the
Blessed Virgin that they betake themselves. This year for
the first time they addressed themselves to the true God, to
obtain assistance and to return their thanks for the success
permitted to them.
The first Friday of December, one month to a day after
the consecration to the Sacred Heart, the august sign of our
redemption was planted on the river bank where they assemble for the fishing, not far from the house of prayer.
During the ceremony, a most edifying one, the Creurs
d'Alene carne and kisseq the sacred emblem, exclaiming
"Jesus, I give you my ~heart!" The priest chanted: ''0
crux, ave spes unica.
"Hail, holy cross, our only hope"and the entire people repeated this after him. From this
out there was no longer any of the questionable amusements
in which they had been wont to indulge, nor any of the diabolical incantations, which once found favor with them. To
these and their cult of the manitou, succeeded the worship
of the true God-and these mountain heights often re-echoed
to the chant of sacred canticles.
Under such circumstances, one might have expe8:ed
these new children of the faith to have experienced even
temporal blessings in excess of those heretofore enjoyed.
On the contrary, to the great surprise of the g~>Od neophytes, the cross seemed to have removed both .fish and
ga~1e from these regions, which were so well stocked with
both at the corresponding time the year before, and a feeling the best calculated to restore to the spirit of lies his old
adorers began to obtain. \Vhat could he the cause of a
result so different from what had been looked for? A victorious solution was earnestly desired to this query. The
missionary priest could only ascribe it to some secret ad-
�Recolleclions of die Rocky Mountains.
263
herence on the part of a few to their old practices in opposition to the good faith of the majority-and if such there
was, it was highly necessary to discover and remove it for
the glory of God, and the greater good of souls. He expatiated on the crime of hypocrisy, setting forth the efforts
which the wicked one would make to retain them in his
meshes, and depicting the serpent in the terrestrial Eden
and the temptation of Jesus Christ, he set forth in glowing
colors the tricks of him, whom the scripture calls the father
of lies, and, on the other hand, the rigor of the divine justice toward those, who lend ear to his deceptive promises.
As a result, every day there was brought to the missionary's
tent to be cast into the fire a medicine-bag, or some superstitious trifle like a feather, the tail of an animal, or what
had been retained in the possession of those who had
adopted the worship of the true God. This continued up
to the Purification, a day to be .noted as that on which it
could at length be said : "The tree of death has been cut
down to its very roots." To ensure credit to their superstitious practices in the midst of the dearth, which was making itself felt, the foremost of the medicine men exultingly
proclaimed that on one day after an invocation of the manitou one hundred and eighty roe bucks fell before their arrows. To this taunt the believing Indians were enabled to
retort: "And we, almost without using gun or arrow, by
the power of Him who has created and redeemed the world,
have struck down in six hours no less than three hundred."
Polygamy. - The low sports and idolatry of the Indians
had yielded to grace; but an enemy still more redoubtable
remained to be conquered. This was polygamy. Deprived
of the light of faith, and possessed of but little in point of
reason, these poor blinded creatures were scarcely less dissolute in their morals than they were insensate in their beliefs. Thus to leave one wife, to take another, or to have
several of them at the same time; was with them so common an occurrence, that a father for the merest trifle would
�264
Recolleflions
of
tlze Rocky Mozmtains.
give his daughter to a man already having a number of
wives. The chiefs set the example in this shameful traffic.
One of them with three wives was married to a woman, who
had formerly been the wife of his own brother, and she
gave to him in marriage two of her daughters. Stellam had,
in point of fact, but one, though her youthfulness was sufficient proof that she was not the first. l\Ioreover, as avaricious as he was vile, he gave consent for his niece's marriage with a man, who had already espoused and dismissed
a number of wives, on the payment of a horse. So one can
easily conjeCture that polygamy with the Cceurs d'Alene, if
not regarded as extremely honorable, was extensively practised. To induce such people to act more in accordance
with reason, it was necessary to employ all possible indulgence: and notwithstanding this, the difficulty of getting
them to do right was incredible. Two days after Christmas,
the principal polygamists heard again from the mouth of the
missionary the conditiorl;>' on which alone they could be
admitted to the sacrament ·~f baptism, and the great motives
which should lead them to avail themselves of such a favorable opportunity. Thereupon l\lontesalem arose and unable
to restrain his emotion, exclaimed amid his sobs: "My
brothers, I want to save my soul : let us listen to the voice
of God. Do as I am going to do." His example was so
contagious, that they all followed it except one, and he deferred doing so for a few days, only in order to better repair
the effeCts of his scandal. Of the three chiefs who were not
present, one after a night of serious refleCtion came to the
best possible conclusion; t"he second was assisted in his
doubts by the voluntary withdrawal of one of his. wives:
and the third, despite himself, was destined to heiR to the
good of the community by evidencing the manner in which
God punishes even in this world hardened hearts : for in a
short time by gaming or unexpeCted misfortunes, he lost
half his fortune, and if his two wives remained, it only
showed the excess, of which women are capable, who prefer to God's friendship half of man's heart.
a
�Recollec?ions of the Rocky Mountains.
265
Chnstmas Ntght.-From the beginning ofthe mission, the
holy mysteries had been celebrated in an enclosure large
enough for all the catechumens who came three times daily,
either to pray or to hear the word of God. It was under a
roof much like that which proteCted the Holy Infant, that
light began to glimmer in the darkness of their minds. For
midnight Mass, the place was hung with garlands of green
and mats covered the grouml, and various piCtures, representing the different mysteries were hung about. At midnight, there was a rattling fire of musketry, announcing that
the house of prayer was open for the piety of these new
children of the faith. Crowds of adorers hastened to prostrate themselves in the temple of the Infant God, and filled
with sweetest emotion at the sight of the brightness in the
middle of the dark night, they cried out: "Jesus, I give you
my heart."
The baptism of the adults, which was to be administered
solemnly on the feast of the Circumcision, found in these
Christmas days of devotion an excellent preparation; but
as usual the days of grace, which preceded that ceremony
were not without their severe temptations.
The wretched Stellam, from the first of these days, opposed
himself to the work of God, either contradiCting the missionary, or recalling the happy times. when he could spend
his life in enjoyments. Never had his attacks been more
hostile. One day, he told the missionary that a Protestant
chief had told him that thirty men of his sea would make
him pay for the deference, with which he heard the words
of his minister and those of theirs. This was a pure invention on his part. When discovered to be such, and his
news had been treated as it deserved, he was not disconcerted, but pretended to be very repentant, and, as a proof
of his devotedness, he told the missionary that there was
some secret opposition to the truth, and that the fire of
superstition had been re-enkindled. He aeted with such
apparent sincerity, that the missionary went to his tent, to
consult with hi~l some means of doing away with this apostasy. He was well received, but when he said, "Come, let
�266
Recolleftions
of t!ze Rock)' Mountains.
us go at once," the devoted friend beat a retreat, giving it
to be understood that the affair would be much better without him than with him. The missionary then took his leave,
accompanied by two young savages. They arrived at the
camp ground and made suitable representations. To their
reasonings there was offered no opposition but that of absolute silence. The young savages who had accompanied
the Father put out the fires, and the Father himself withdrew. But scarcely had he disappeared before Stellam arrived. And for what? To rekindle the extinguished brands ..
He did more; he presided at the assembly of apostates,
and sung there with more vigor than ever the diabolical cries
of his old cult. But neither his cries, nor his gestures, nor
his invocations, nor any of the things, which his imagination
could add, was of avail in arousing the powers, formerly so
potent, of his manitous.
.
To the reproaches mad~£o him for conduCt: in such contradiCtion to his promises of the night before, he merely
answered, laughing, "I did not know I was doing anything
wrong, but since you say I was, I won't do so any more."
For the honor of his relatives, we hasten to add that they
were among the first to express the strongest disapproval
of such conduCt. For a long while. his wife, the jewel of
our catechumens, had only awaited her husband's conversion, to become baptized: two of his sisters were among
the first to receive baptism, and were remarkable for their
many virtues. The son of Martha, one of them, was gifted
with all the qualities held most in honor among the Indians,
and was the first of the catechumens to take part in the instruCtion of others. In reward for his zeal, the mis1ionary
had given him the glorious name of Vincent at his baptism.
Let us hope that some day these good examples will succeed in recalling to a sense of duty the unfortunate chief,
whose vagaries we so deplore. ·The young people have
been the greatest help to us in assisting to instruCt: the others.
With their aid we often saw the poorest memories learn all
that was prescribed. One of them learned in one night all
the necessary prayers. She assisted her memory in this
�Recollec7ions of tlte Rocky "}fountains;
267
wise. She had as many little sticks in her hand as she had
words to learn-and after learning one word she would drive
a stick in the ground, and after learning another, would
stick in a second; and so on, until she had learned them
all. Then she would take up the first stick, repeating the
word, and then with the whole series, until by dint of repeating this proceeding she contrived to learn them all.
Sometimes one would come to the tent of the examiner,
accompanied by a <:hild or grand-child, and when the memory would fail, the eyes of the old man would rove towards
the little one, as if begging it to have compassion on him
and help him. By this means, they soon were nearly all
acquainted with the prayers. Then it was necessary to
learn their dispositions of heart, which was done in this
way. Three days before the baptism, the name of the catechumen was read out morning and evening in the chapel,
and each one who was present, when he heard his name
thus called, had to rise. Then the whole assembly was told
that if they knew any impediment to the baptism of the
person so called out, he should tell the priest of it. On
the last day, there was a meeting of all the chiefs, and each
one was asked what he thought, and they would confirm
the testimony of the assembly. Seventy-nine adults were
finally admitted to baptism on the feast of the Circumcision.
Nothing had been omitted, to render the ceremony an imposing one, and thanks to Heaven, it seemed worthy of
God's gaze.
But what was pleasing to God, was not so, at all, to the
enemy of mankind. On the very evening of the great solemnity, we learned that Steltam had made more complaints
than ever, saying, among other vicious remarks, that he
was glad he was not to be baptized, since baptism instead
of giving life, as we had said, made people die: that among
the Flat-heads many had died after it, and that Gabriel, one
of the first baptized, was at the point of death, and Stephen
also, as well as many others. As many of the Indians had
in truth, died the first year of our mission among the Flatheads and Gabriel and Stephen were really sick, we feared.
�z68
~
llfissionary Labors.
that such talk would shake the faith of those who were not
very strong. Providence came to our help, for Gabriel and
Stephen, who were sick enough to receive the last Sacraments, had such faith, that after Extreme UnCtion they were
both cured, and moved about. So the sacrament of the sick
did not make people die -a fortiori, Baptism would not do
so. And besides the two sick men who had just been
cured, not one of the old men who were baptized the preceeding year had died, but all enjoyed the best of health.
So the whole weight of these truths fell ori the author of
the contrary saying, not to punish him, although he deserved punishment, but to determine him at last, to surrender to the solicitations of grace. From that time the contradiCtory chid dared no more to run counter to the general belief.
'
~-~-·
-
-~---
----------
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM APRIL FIRST TO JULY FIRST.
ST. MARY's, NEw YoRK (APRIL I-15).-This is one of the
oldest churches in the city; coming in order of time next
to St. Patrick's. The congregation was formed about sixty
years ago. Few, who saw the modest beginnings of the
third parish in New York, could have imagined its present
flourishing state, much less the gigantic growth of Catholicity about the city. Forty thousand baptisms have been
performed in St. Mary's alone since the first pasta{ was installed. No wonder then that native born Catholics are so
numerous in New York. Amongst the older Catholics
there is a great attachment to St. Mary's; all are reluCtant
to leave its neighbo'rhood, when bid to do so by the march
of trade. Still the congregation is large, notwithstanding
the inroads of business. Even now the five zealous priests
at work here have more than they can do.
There were eleven thousand Communions, a thousand
�i'tfi.s.sionary Labors.
more than at the last misssion we gave in this place, two
years ago. We hope the good will be more lasting, as special efforts were made to increase the sodalities and other
societies. These keep up the good work done in a mission.
It is common enough to find societies for women, who, as
a rule, do not need them so much, but the poor men, and
the young men, particularly, are negleeted. "I send my
daughters to a Catholic school," said a northern Protestant
to one of Ours. "Why don't you send your sons to a Catholic college?" "Ah! the boys," said he, "they'll go to
hell any how." It is true that the philosophy of this answer
has no weight with any priest; but the difficulties, real or
imaginary, prevent many good priests from undertaking any
work for men in the way of sodalities. "What's the use?
the thing will be a failure." And yet at the mission the
men did remarkably well. As many Communions were
distributed to them, as to the women.
On the last day of the mission, Archbishop Corrigan administered the Sacrament of Confirmation to four hundred
and sixty-nine adults. Seventy of these had been prepared
for first Communion .during the exercises. A Jew and a
Jewess were· confirmed. This faCt: is mentioned, not that
the Fathers had anything to do with their conversion, but
as a sign of the lifting of the veil from the eyes of some
poor wanderers.
The Archbishop made a very instruCtive address to the
candida~es upon the importance of the Sacrament, and then
alluded quite affeCtionately to the two jubilees, the one at
St. Joseph's church in the city, the other of the Society of
the Province. He spoke at length of the great labors of
Ours in early days for the Catholics of New York; how
the first sacraments were administered by Father J ogues,
when a guest here after his ransom from the Indians; how
Frs. Gage and Harrison under Governor Dongan had a
school ana congregation. Coming down to more modern
times, he spoke of Fathers Kohlmann and Fenwick, the
former having baptized the Cardinal, and afterwards been
his direCt:or at the Propaganda for years. Nor did he omit
to speak most kindly of the Society of the present day.
�270
~Missionary
Labors.
Among the results of our work, it is agreeable to state
that a number of marriage cases. were settled. Nineteen
Protestants were received into the Church, and four others
left under instruction.
Our thanks are due to Frs. Rapp, Toner, and .O'Leary of
Ours for their help. The priests of the parish, Frs. Hughes,
Gleason, Dunphy, and Parks were most kind in their attention, and, what we like above all, most ready in the confessional.
Fr. Langcake gave the mission to the children the week
before the other Fathers arrived. This was a good move,
as it made the parents a\vare of what was coming.
ST. PATRicK's, HARTFORD, CoNx. (April 22nd-May 6th).Catholicity has nota remote antiquity in Hartford. In 1837,
when the first church was .]:milt, there was a mere handful
of worshippers. Now th~.' faithful number on to fifteen
thousand, having two churches and a magnificent cathedral.
The Catholics are about a third of the population, and yet
two thirds of the births are of Catholic parents. Divorce
and its attendant evils are the canker on the home life of
the Protestants. More than half of their marriages in Hartford last year were offset by so many divorces. Generally
the rate is not so high, though high enough, ranging from
ten to fourteen per cent. The great wealth of the city, and
the consequent facilities for evil courses, may give it its unenviable position. Other causes explain the birth rate in
favor of the Catholics. Hartford is a fine city and very
rich. The state capitol is a magnificent building o( white
marble, and for light, air, good taste. and cleanliness.· is far
ahead of most of our public edifices. Immense sums of
money are invested in the insurance business in Hartford.
The other industries, common in New England towns, are
not so flourishing here as in other places, because the millionaires do not encourage them. Such things are too
plebeian.
The mission was very consoling. The services were
always crowded at night. The men did very well. There
�Missionary Labors.
271
have been schools in the parish for twenty-five years, and
they tell a great deal in time of a mission.
The results were 7000 Communions; first Communion
of adults, 43; Confirmation of adults, I 70; Baptisms of adults, 2; left under instruction, 2.
The Church of St. Patrick's is a large and expensive
building of Portland stone, as it now stands. The first edifice was burned down in I875, after having done good service for twenty-five years.
During the work at Hartford by Frs. Maguire, Langcake,
Kavanagh, and Morgan, a mission was given at NoRWOOD
and WEST RoxBURY in Massachusetts by Father Hamilton.
A great deal of good was done. Two maried women who
had been brought up Protestants, although baptized Catholics, were reconciled to the Church. Many hardened sinners
went to their confession. There were fourteen hundred
Communions. Two adults received baptism.
ST. JosEPH's, PROVIDENCE, R. I. (l\Tay I 3 -27).- This
church of Ours has been greatly improved since the last
mission, two and a half years ago. Perhaps, on the day of
its dedication thirty years ago, when it was fresh from the
hands of the builders it did not appear neater and more devotional than now. The restoration effected by Fr. Cleary
is most thorough. The congregation meanwhile has done
well. The sodalities are doing good, and will do more good
hereafter with the large increase brought about ·(two hundred and fifty members) by the mission. The school for
girls is in a good state. The people are most willing to
send their children, being not so much led by worldly motives as are Catholics in other places. It is to be regretted
that the boys as yet have no school. In a short time they
will be provided for.
During the exercises, the usual sermons and instructions
were given. The night service, of course, was always better attended. The morning instructions, however, considering the occupations of the people, had good audiences.
On the last day, May 27th, there was a reception into the
�272
~
Missionary Labors.
sodality. This was a most edifying sight, a most loving
tribute to our Lady during her blessed month.
There were nearly six thousands Communions, a much
larger number than in any former mission. About twenty
persons were prepared for Confirmation. An adult was
baptized, and two others were left under instruCtion.
Not unfrequently missionaries are bothered by crazy, or
drunken persons. If there are any in a parish, and there
are always some, they show themselves during a mission.
Now it is a crank, who may ask you to read a poem devoid
of terminal facilities; now a man too deep in his cups, to
make a confession, wants to tell you his whole life. One
day at Providence, a drunken fellow stretched himself at
full length in the church, and when requested to move on,
begged to be allowed to die before the altar. He was told
to go outside and bid farewell to this nether world. He
yielded immediately, went out of the church, but forgot
to die.
J. A. M.
ST. MARY's, BosTON.- On l\Iay 13th, Father Kavanagh
began a one week's mission for the married women of St.
Mary's Boston. This mission was given under the auspices
of the Married vVomen's Sodality. There were about fifteen hundred present every night, and at the Mass, which
was followed by a sermon, there were every morning about
one thousand. In a- parish, so well worked up as St. Mary's
is, one would not expeCt to find many long cases, yet there
were enough; I do not think it fair, however, to give St.
Mary's credit for all of them, for they came froq1 other
parishes. One woman when asked "when were you~t confession last?" answered, "never." ''How old are you?"
"forty-three." It was about time to go, sure enough. She
had four children, the youngest only was baptized. The
other three, one over twelve, one going on nine, the other
over six, were baptized during the mission. The Fathers
of the house, six in number, heard confessions all the week.
The number of Communions was over seven thousand. I
do not wish any one to think these were all married women;
�Missionary Labors.
273
as the last day of the mission, May 20th, was also the last
day of Easter time, we heard all who came. Those who
attended the mission were warned to get through before
Saturday, so as to leave that day for those who had not yet
made their Easter duty. At the close, we had a reception
of new members; one hundr.ed and ninty-five were received.
Among these were several of the "quality" who could not
be prevailed upon to join before. By far the greater number were young married women. As a general thing, several imagined that the Married Ladies' Sodality is only for
old women, and so kept aloof. They were told they were
the ones most wanted, and they nobly responded to the
call.
The sodalities of St. Mary's are all in a flourishing condition. The Married Ladies now number over seven hundred and fifty. \Vith such mothers as these must be, the
faith will surely not be lost. There is a Married Men's
sodality, Young Ladies' sodalitY., a Boys' sodality, and a
Girls' sodality. In faCt:, nearly all the parish are enrolled
under Mary's banner, and all have their Sunday every month
for communion.-On the last night of the mission as I was
blessing religious articles, a young woman came to have
her ring blessed. I asked her if it was her marriage ring;
she said it was. "Did you loose the one you were married
with?" I asked. "No," she said, "I was married by a Protestant m1mster. I am a Protestant," "Is your husband a
Protestant?" "No." "When will you become a Catholic?"
"I don't know, but I want my ring blessed." In hopes that
Almighty God would give her the grace of true faith, I
did so, and she went away rejoicing. Just as I returned to
the house, I was called to the parlor. I found a lady there
who could not go home till she would let me share in her
joy. . She had been to confession some days before, and
spoke of her husband who had not been to confession for
some years and wanted !-idvice what to do. I told her to
tell him I wanted to see him. "It's no use, Father, he won't
come.
"Tell him I want to see him," I repeated; and dismissed her. When she got home she told him that I wanted
�274
Missionary Labors.
to see him. "\\'hat for?" he asked. ''To go to confession,
of course," she replied. Then she began to coax him to
go, until he said he would, and he did. She gave me the
credit, and wanted me to know the result, that I too might
rejoice with her in her great joy.
ST. DAviD's, RocKLAND, MAINE.-Frs. Maguire and Kavanagh began a mission here on June 10th. The work lasted
for a week. The pastor, Fr. Peterson, considered four hundred communicants as the limit of his congregation; but
the people carne from distant places, and the result was
nearly five hundred at the Holy Table. There were some
persons who lived from four to ten miles from the church.
They would come and stay for a day in town, to make the
mission. All showed the best of dispositions. One could
hardly blame those, who had been negligent in their duties
(and this was their greatest sin), when one considers the
distance from a church,)nd the bad country roads. Unfortunately, the children ..are not attended to, being so far
away; but we could not be expeEted to do much with
them. I prepared privately three persons for first Communion. The ages of two of these were, respeEtively, twentyfi\·e and twenty-eight years. One had never been to confession; another had not been for a long time. One, a poor
girl, lived four miles from the church, and as her mother
was dead, the work of the house fell upon her. These
duties kept her from Sunday school. She knew almost
nothing. I told her if she studied her catechism, and came
back next day, I would let her make her first Communion.
I was surprised next day to find that she knew her catechism welL notwithstanding my long questioning •. on the
matter.
At THOMASTO\YN, where Fr. Kavanagh gave a retreat of
three days, all came. Over a hundred received holy Commumon. I had to hear a blind woman who came ten miles,
to make the mission. The pastor puts the number of his
people here at a hundred; so we must suppose all attended.
�.Missionar_y Labors.
275
It was indeed consoling to see how anxious they were to
benefit by the grace offered them. The results do not show
the work done. The number of people is small; still we
have to work harder, as we have to do everything ourselves.
At DAMARISCOTTA MILLS, where we ·began a mission on
Sunday; June 17th, we had nearly a hundred communicants.
Whilst Fr. Maguire finished at Rockland, Fr. Kavanagh
opened the exercises here. The church, St. Patrick's, is
built of brick and is of some note. This sacred edifice was
ereaed at the expense of Mr. Kavanagh <ll and another gentleman. The priest who used to attend the Indians, would
come here, when they were out on the hunt. Bishop Cheverus used to spend considerable time here. Miss Kavanagh, seventy-seven years of age, the 24th of June, 1883,
and daughter of the gentleman above mentioned, gives
many interesting details of these things. She is a staunch
Catholic of the old school, and is as anxious for the welfare
of the Church and the spiritual good of the people as any
one can be. 'vVere it not for her, Catholicity would not be
able to contend with the difficulties to be met with here.
The pastor comes once a month, but should any priest wish
to rest here, he is always welcome. Whenever one comes,
the people are immediately notified by Miss Kavanagh that
Mass will be said. Thus she spends her life in good deeds.
The incense I used at Benediaion, this good lady told me,
has been in her house for sixty years; it was got when the
church was dedicated. Many other interesting things might
be said, but other duties demand my attention.
The people, although receiving so little attention, are the
most fervent Catholics I have ever met. They are always
ready to come to church, when they know a priest is here.
During the mission all attended the exercises splendidly;
some came ten miles and remained the whole day, returning
home at night.
To sum up the results: Communions at Rockland, 475;
(I)
Once governor of the ::;tate of :\Iaine, and again l". ::,;. :\Iinister to Portugal,
�Missionary' Labors.
Communions at Thomaston, 109; Communions at Damariscotta, go.-Total, 684.
There were three adults prepared for holy Communion.
A child three years old was baptized. Two marriage cases
were left in the hands of the pastor.
NEWBURYPORT.- Fr. Langcake gave a week's retreat
(June Io-17), to the young men of the parish. There were
two hundred and twenty-five Communions.
WooDsTocK, N. BRUXSWICK.-Frs. Maguire and Kavanagh
opened a mission in St. Gertrude's church on June 24th.
This parish has been lately divided, and the pastor estimates
the number of his people at six hundred. It would be hard
to say how nearly correct this is, as we had persons from
all directions and distances ; from near the church to Me
Adam's Junction, which I take to be sixty or seventy miles
away. It was nothing to come eight, ten, twelve, sixteen,
and twenty miles distans_e: The greater part came and
staid at a hotel, while the ''mission lasted. Those from a
less distance, if they had a horse, came to church and
returned home every day. Some walked from home distances of twelve and sixteen miles. No one thought anything of walking four or five miles, fasting, and then returning home the same morning. On the last Sunday of
the mission, an old woman walked six miles fasting, in order
to receive holy Communion, which she did at I I o'clock
Mass, and then walked home without breaking her fast.
The pastor was looking for her after Mass, to give her some
breakfast, but she got away before he met her.
From such faCts you may see that plenty of go?d will
was shown. The good done \vill make the angels...of God
rejotce. Confessions from one month to forty years in
length were listened to, and promises of amendment, received. The best of dispositions was shown on all sides.
There were nine hundred Communions. Twenty-one persons of adult age were prepared for their first Communion,
and many more were left with the pastor to be properly instructed.
H. K.
�Miss£onary Labors.
277
Since Easter the work has been hard enough and withal
very consoling. The results are quite flattering: Communions, 26.474; Adults, prepared for first Communion, 161;
Adults for Confirmation, 659 ; Baptisms, 22 ; Persons left
under instruCtion for Baptism, 8. The results for the year
have been considerably ahead of any figures so far given:
Communions, 128,659; Frst Communion of adults, 888;
Confirmation af adults, 2,389 ; Baptism of heretics, 108;
Baptism of children, (negleCted) 21. Left under instruCtion
for Baptism, (adults), 36.
Since the last papers and documents were sent to Rome,
six years ago, the Fathers have given missions in nearly all
the large cities of the East, and in San Francisco and Denver in the \Vest. Occasionally, a band of Tertians has
helped them, or worked independently. The sum total of
all the missions given by the Fathers and their assistants
will, no doubt, be interesting:
Communions, 618,679; First Communion of adults, 4075;
Confirmation of adults, 6,914; Baptism of adults, 993;
Baptism of children negleCl:ed, 149; Persons left under instruCtion for Baptism, I 87; Marriages settled, 250.
VoL. x1i-No. 3·
35
�JUBILEE OF THE PROVINCE.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S, NEW YORK. (l)
This modest and belated little chronicle intended to memorize the Golden Jubilee of the Province as celebrated in
our grand new church at New York, owes its untimely appearance to a strong desire expressed by many of "Ours"
for a notice fuller and more circumstantial than the mere
meagre newspapers report transplanted to the pages of the
last series of the vVOODSTOCK LETTERS.
The extraCt in question, though in point of faCts correCt,.
was not of unquestionable parentage. It is no marvel that
its birth should beget in turn a spirit of scepticism. Newspaper reports of ecclesiastical funCtions, not to speak of
newspaper versions of s-etmons, are likely (unfortunately)
to mystify antiquarians yet unborn, but are not calculated
to over-awe a modern reader. Always unreliable, often grotesque, sometimes they are absolutely stunning! Imagine,
for example, the following announcement which aCtually figured in that king of "Dailies"- The New York Heraldon Sunday, l\Iarch 25th r883 : "On the Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, the Golden
Jubilee of the est~blishmcnt of the Catholic Church in the
Province of l\Iaryland will be celebrated at St. Francis Xavier's in this city, and the Rev. Robert Fulton of Brooklyn
is announced to deliver the sermon."
The elucidation of a joke-even an involuntary one-is
always dis-enchanting, yet we feel that perhaps w~ ought to
risk something in charity to those of our Brethren who
know not New York, and explain that the Brooklyn divine
mentioned above is a notorious, litigious, red-hot Protestant
demagogue with an orange complexion of exceeding fierceness.
(I)
Jteceiveu too lute for our last number.
(278)
�St. Francis Xavier's, New York.
279
Evidently the genius who concoCted this Bulletin was laboring under midnight influences very deeply mixed, in?eed.
Let us, however, return to sober narrative.
We prepared for the Jubilee with hearty good-will; in
proof of which we urge the unanswerable plea that whereas the Provincial's letter of instru8:ion left it optional to
adopt ~ither a preparatory Novena or a Triduum, we took
both. There was a novena of prayers and a Triduum of
sermons and BenediCtions. The preachers were the Rev.
Fr. Re8:or and Fr. McKinnon. The musicial portion of
these services was given by a volunteer choir, who with
good reason invoked the spirit of St. Cecilia. At St. Francis Xavier's we are blessed with two choirs, to quote the
definition of our Scholastics, one is the surplice choir and
the other, the surplus. The former appear in soutanes and
the latter, not.
The generous souls who patronized the novena gained
their indulgences with comparative ease; not so those who
repressed their fervor until the shorter Triduum. These
had to battle with angry hurricanes and rain and hail, wading ankle deep in streams, for precisely at the time of Divine Service a deluge broke over the city, each evening,
pun8:ually.
"It never rains but it pours" in New York, and this was
our experience, not only during the Triduum materially,
but also on the Feast itself spiritually, for the Jubilee celebration coincided with the annual Forty Hours' devotion,
and the ceremonies were consequently protraCted indefinitely. Holy souls who daily pray that the years of Archbishop Corrigan may be prolonged upon the earth felt grateful that he should be spared the ordeal of pontificating at
such a fun8:ion. Long before the promulgation of the
Jubilee he was engaged to preach another Jubilee sermonthe fiftieth anniversary of our neighbor Parish (St. Joseph's).
It is, however, due to his Grace and to ourselves to record
that his inability to be with us was a real disappointment
to himself and that he went out of his way, to testify his
love by speaking in his sermon at St. Joseph's in the most
�280
j~bilee
of tlze Province.
cordial manner of the Society of Jesus and her work in
New York. The Cardinal was quite too feeble to venture
out; hence our festivites were exclusively m famzlle. Rev.
Fr. ReCtor was celebrant, Fr. Thiry, Deacon, Dominus Hart,
subdeacon; Fr. Campbell was ceremoniarius; Fr. Bradley
was door-keeper. An immense congregation was present.
We were obliged to make use of the Triforium which accommodated at least five hundred men with standing room.
Every available space in the church was filled. The sermon by the Very Rev. Fr. Provincial was a charaCteristic
one. In his own easy, flowing, epigramatic style he reviewed the Jesuit missions from their Maryland cradlings
to the Jubilee of their golden manhood, this day; dwelling
especially on the life, labors and gifts of the venerable pioneer, Fr. ·white.
The music was an orchestral Mass of the famous Carl
Freith, lately composed "in}zonorem S. joseplt." After the
Mass there was a processio.(l of the Most Adorable Sacrament, the Fathers and Scholastics accompanying: little
white-clad innocents strewed the way of our Lord with
fresh cut flowers and the choir sang superbly a capellathat is to say, without accompaniment. The effeCt was
very touching: we, nevertheless, may be permitted to suggest that interludes by the organ and orchestra between the
verses of the Pange Lingua would have greatly enhanced
the impressiveness thereof. Let us hope that this hint may
not be forgotten on 'future occasions. After the Procession
the litanies were chanted and the long, long service came to
an end with the truly magnificent Te Deum of De Witt. It
was verily amazing to witness the constancy of the .people.
Very few left until all was over, and that was not until after
two o'clock.
The brilliant Tc Dc11111 had the desirable effeCt of sending
every one away in high good humor, doubtless strengthened to bear the mortification\ of spoiled dinners and to
brave the wrathful reception of awaiting house-wives.
Thus it is that jubilation and tribulation have ever to
meet and kiss each other.
�St. Peter's, jersey City.
281
ST. PETER'S, JERSEY CITY.
The Golden Jubilee of the Society was celebrated in our
Church with a grandeur and a solemnity never exceeded
in the history of a church, which for the pomp of its ceremonial is unapproached by any other house of worship in
the city. All the the other Catholic churches in Hudson
County regard St. Peter's, not only as a mother, but also a
model. No effort was spared, to do all honor to the Society, and to make this a day, which the memory of our
people would not willingly let die.
The preparatory Novena in honor of St. Joseph was conducted by the Rev. R. Brady, S. J. The crowded attendance, the fervor of the people and the eleven hundred Communions were a gratifying testimonial of the devotion of
our parishioners to the Patron of the Universal Church. On
the Sunday preceding the Festival, two thousand hand-bills
hand been distributed; so that we were not surprised to
see the church thronged at the 10.30 Mass of Jubilee. A
cordial invitation had been tendered to his Grace, Archbishop Corrigan of N. Y., to deliver the discourse for the
occasion. Unfortunately, a prior engagement precluded the
possibility of his honoring us with his presence. We then
addressed ourselves to the Right. Rev. Bishop Loughlin of
Brooklyn. He answered Rev. Fr McQuaid, that having
announced Confirmation for that day, he feit compelled to
forego the pleasure which a visit to St. Peter's would afford
him, ):mt that on any other occasion he would be much gratified to welcome a similar request. Loth to relinquish all
hope of realizing our anticipations of a grand celebration,
we extended our invitation to the V. Rev. F. W. Keegan,
vicar General of the same diocese, one of, the veteran graduates of "Old St. John's," who ever keeps in memory's
hall a favorite niche for Alma Mater and the sons of Loyola.
He was only too happy to be at liberty to pay a tribute of
respect and affection to the Society. After the first Gospel,
he ascended the pulpit and selecting for his text the words
�282
JUbilee
o/ tlze Province.
of St. Luke, vi, 28 : "Consider the lilies of the field," etc.,
and having dilated on the providence of God, who, in His
watchful care, forgets not the tiniest grain of sand, he paid
an elaborate tribute to the triumphs of the Society, which,
under the special providence of God, has achieved such
marvels in t!Ie walks of religion, art and science. He traced
the likeness of the Society of Jesus, to Him whose name is its
watchword and its reward; in its cradle it shared the meagreness of Bethlehem ; its growth was shadowed by the gloom
of Calvary ; its shoulders had been galled by the wood of
the cross; it had descended into the darkness and coldness
of the sepulchre, and after a brief triduum had again illumined the world and confounded its enemies by the blaze
of its risen glory. This jubilee was not a barren cycle
tr?ced only in the heavens by the hand of time, but a centenary of years written on. the fairest pages of history and
inscribed upon the gratefu(inemory of the thousands, whose
minds had been enlightened, whose souls had been saved
from sin, and hearts from harm.
The Mass was Haydn's Grand Imperial, preluded by
Meyerbeer's Processional l\Iarch. After the Epistle the
choir rendered with beautiful effeCt: "Te, Joseph, celebrent"
by Gottschalk; at the Offertory we were treated to Berge's
"Ave Maria." The Holy Sacrifice was offered up by the
very Rev. Father Thomas, Provincial of the Passionists, assisted by Rev. F. A: Smith S.]., as Deacon and Mr. \Villiam
Quigley, S.]., as Subdeacon, and Mr. F. D. Brady, S. J., as
Master of ceremonies. When, at the conclusion of the Mass,
the full choir with accompaniment of violin anfl. piano
caught up the inspired pzean and pealed forth its grand hosannas, it seemed as though some being of holier heart and
heavenly voice had descended from a higher sphere, to give
a tongue to the .emotions of many hearts, and embracing
in one grand, solemn symphony the minor melodies of earth,
to return and lay at the feet of our King the combined
jubilee of Loyola's sons, and of those to whose salvation
they had c~nsecrated their lives.
At the grand pontifical Vespers, the sanCtuary was aglow
�St. Peter's, jersey City.
with the light of many tapers. The altar of St. Joseph,
for whose statue the parting sun-gleams had just woven a
mantle of gold, while the hands of the twilight were fringing each fold, was profusely adorned with bouquets of natural flowers relieved by the gleam of the branched candelabra and the mellow lustre of the lighted tapers. The main
altar, rich in mosaics, shone with the radiance of a hundred
lights, and in their midst flickered gracefully the illumined
monogram "Jesus." The choir, with accompaniment, rendered with exquisite taste Gounod's processional March
Pontifical; Mercadante's "Domine ad adjuvandum," and
"Dixit Dominus;" Mozart's "Magnificat;" Giorza's "Regina Creli," and Berge's "Tantum," concluding with a Jubilee Grand March by our organist, Mr. \V. Dressler. The
Rt. Rev. Bishop Wigger of Newark delivered a touching
discourse upon devotion to St. Joseph. The church was
crowded. The Rt. Rev. Bishop intoned the vespers; he
was attended by Rev. J. Jerge, S. J., as Assistant Priest, Rev.
F. Fullerton, S. J., as Deacon, and Mr. Wm. Quigley, S. J.,
as Subdeacon. Take the celebration for all in all, we may
not expect to see its like again until, perhaps, the day when
the mother's centenary shall be followed by the daughter's
Golden Jubilee, on the day of her consecration in 1884-
�FATHER ANDREW WHITE'S NOVICE-HOME.
Near the Clzateau Cmsar, or "Castrum C.:esaris," Louvain,
high up on Mont-C.:esar, stand three or four private dwellings, and a ruined stable. Few, even among the students
of Louvain, know that these dwellings occupy the site of
the old English Jesuit Novitiate, and that the stable itself
was once a part of that hallowed house. \Vhen our English Fathers were driven from their own country, in 16o7,
they rented a house on Mont-Cesar, and used it for a Novitiate. This Novitiate was opened by Father Parsons, in
the same year, with six priests, two scholastics, and five
lay-brothers. God gave this Novice-Home a singular and
wonderful benedietion.-He gave it an Apostle and a Martyr.
While Hugh O'Neill, Priu;e of Ulster, occupied the Chateau
C.:esar, near him, in the h·~tmble Jesuit Novitiate, Andrew
White, the future "Apostle of America," and Thomas Garnett, a future Martyr, were passing their days . of probation in prayer, penance and manual labors. As O'Neill
spent several months on Mont-C.:esar, and knowing him to
be the great Catholic hero of his time, we may take it for
granted that he often visited the exiled English priests, and
that he often saw the novices, White and Garnett. How
proud the old chieftain would have felt had the future destiny of these two young men been revealed to him.
Father White began his novitiate on the 1st day of February, 16o7. Besides Garnett, Father White ha~ for a
fellow-novice, the illustrious Father Henry More, the historian of the English Province, and the great-grandson of the
martyred Chancellor, Sir Thomas More. Among Confessors for the Faith, among the descendants, the near relatives
cif martyrs, the future "Apostle of America" laid the foundation of his religious perfeCtion, and caught the flame that
burned in his great heart as he traversed the forests, or
sailed the rivers of the New World.
�Father Stonestreet's Golden Jubilee.
285
Father More faithfully described White's Novice-Home
as seated on "high ground, commanding the whole city;
below was a walled garden, and on the slopes of the hill
pleasant walks among the vines, which were ranged in terraces, and the whole, though within the city walls, as quiet
and calm as befitted a house of prayer."
In 1614, in consequence of the remonstrance of the English Government, the Louvain Novitiate was transferred to
Liege. In 1626, the Novitiate* on Mont-Cesar was taken
possession of by the exiled Irish Dominicans, and thus it
became once more the peacefu I home of Confessors for the
Faith. The Dominicans remained there only until 1650,
when it passed into the hands of seculars. In 1799, the
principal part of it was destroyed.
W. P. T.
FR. STONESTREET'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
On August 22nd, 1883, was celebrated at the College of
the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass., Rev. Charles H. Stonestreet's Golden Jubilee. The celebration had a tinge of
solemnity for the younger members of the community, who
had seldom seen so many venerable priests, rich in the
graces that crown long lives well-spent, gather together for
a festal occasion. Fifty years had failed to rob Fr. Stonestreet of all his old companions and co-novices, and many
came to hail the golden years of his life in the Society of
Jesus, who had known him in boyhood, or years agone in
the fulness of his Jesuit career. Some there were, among
the many who came to congratulate him, whom he, as Provincial, had received into the Society; and there were others
who had lived under him and toiled with him in the Society's severest struggles.
The Scholastics-Teachers and Prefects of the Collegeprepared a programme of reading and music, which, as they
have praised it whose praise is worth the taking, we may
*This house was once the home of the Knight' of St. .John.
�286
Fat!ter Stonestreet's Golden Jubilee.
call a success. Mr. J. W. Collins in a short "salutatory" recalled some early recolleCtions of Fr. Stonestreet. Mr. P.
J. Casey read an elegant "Sapphicon," full of the graces and
dainty compliments of the Latin tongue. Mr. A. Maes's "Un
Reve" was a musical French poem, written for the occasion.
Mr. F. X. Sadlier in a pleasant English prose composition
told the reasons for our rejoicing; and Mr. A. Brosnan read
a "Greeting" in English verse.
The programme was an inter-prandial exercise, and between the readings some choice songs were rendered by
the Scholastics. "Auld Lang Syne" had, of course, a prominent place in the musical portion of the entertainment, and
was duly appreciated by Fr. Stonestreet's venerable friends
who had gathered around him, to keep with him his Golden
Jubilee.
To the programme there _were two very pleasant additions
which, though not printed~o'n the billet, must not be omitted
here. One was an address by our Rev. Fr. Provincial, given
in his own happy manner; the other, a French Song composed for the occasion, and sung, by Fr. Dcsribes, of New
Orleans. This roundel was almost extempore and neatly
adapted to an exquisite French air.
Among the invited guests were, Right Revd. John Moore
of Florida; Rev. Fr. Provincial; Rev. Wm. A. Blenkinsop;
Fr. B. A. Maguire; Fr. William Francis Clarke, then on the
eve of his own Golden Jubilee; Fr. Duncan, of Boston; Fr.
J. O'Connor, President of Boston College; Frs. Cleary and
Nagle, of Providence, and Fr. E. Connolly, of Woodstock
College; Md. Fr. Stonestreet was the recipient of many
kind congratulations, and the day was surely a gald!!n one
that ushered in the golden years of his Jesuit life.
E. M.S. N.
�FATHER CLARKE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
BALTIMORE,
08:. 20th,
I88 3.
REv'n AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Last Sunday was celebrated at Loyola College the Golden Jubilee of Fr. William Francis Clarke's religious life.
Having entered the Society Aug. 1,4 I 833. his life since at
Georgetown, Frederick, ·washington, Bohemia and Baltimore, has been, notwithstanding great delicacy of health,
one of strenous labor and unremitting zeal in the "Loyolcean lists of the Lord."
Invitations had been sent to the various houses of the
Province, and a goodly number of Ours assembled to honor
the Jubitatus, and rejoice with him at his golden banquet.
The Mass was unusually solemn,- Fr. Clarke himself,
celebrating, with Rev. Frs. ReCtor and Fitzpatric;k as Deacon
and Subdeacon; Mr. Spillane, Master of ceremonies. The
choir sang Haydn's Imperial 3rd, with an occasional interpolation composed by the organist, Pro( E. Hurley; Rev.
Fr. Doonan of Georgetown preached the sermon on the
occasion, discoursing on the text:-" T!te eart!t is lite Lord's
and tlie fulness thereof" In this finished address of over an
hour the orator closely argued the absolute ownership of
God and His: creatorship: then pointed out the real and
historical significance of sacrifice as being man's acknowledgment of God's supreme lordship-then by a beaotiful
transition, in which he naturally and with mnch grace referred to the reverend objeCt of the day's honors, he drew
a piCture of the sacrifice a religious makes of wealth, of
natural inclinations and of will as the noblest profession of
Almighty God's absolute dominion and sovereignty. After Mass a dinner, quite in keeping with the other features
of the day, was served in the refeCtory, which abundantly manifested the procuratorial ability of Fr. Minister. At
(287)
�288
Two Letrers from Archbishop Carroll.
the end of dinner the guests adjourned to the Fathers' recreation room, where, after a few introduCtory remarks by Fr.
ReB.or, Fr. \Vard, Mr. Cummings and Mr. Spillane read
severally some congratulatory verses, to which Fr. Clarke
replied in a neat little speech, recalling the days when Fr.
Ward, Fr. Stonestreet and himself played boyish pranks
together.
C.
TWO LETTERS FROM ARCHBISHOP CARROLL.
Concerning the Restoration of the Society.
BALTIMORE, July l4, 1805.
REv. AND HONRD SIR,
My last to you was, I b~elieve, thro' the favor of the Rev.
Mr. Byrne, the effeCts of ~hose zeal are yet felt, and who
would still.be more useful, if he tempered his ardor with
more prudence. It is much better to be a profitable catechist, as he proved himself here; and, excepting in two or
three of our largest cities, eloquence would be thrown away
upon our American auditors.. But he is so good anu laborious a priest, that I pray sincerely for his return hither,
where many like him are wanted. In the meantime, assure
him of my cordial wishes for his happiness, and my longing
desire to see him again. When he was with us, I gave him
on some occasions my candid advice, and I hope that he
was· not offended by it.
.
Since my last to you, I have nominated a Superior. of the
Society here, pursuant to a commission from the Rev. Fr.
Gruber, and in the manner prescribed by him. The Superior is the Rev. Mr. Molyneux, who resided many years at
Philadelphia, but long since sought in Maryland a more retired situation. A lew ex-Jesuits (about five) propose renewing their vows; the others, like yourself, are fearful of doing
so, without a better security for their re-entry, and preservation of the Society, than such security as now exists.
�Two Letters from Arclzbislzop Carrol!.
289
My Coadjutor, the Rt. Rd. Bishop Neale, has formed
under the conduct of four or five very pious Ladies, a female
academy at George Town, and has acquired for them a
handsome property of lots and houses. These ladies, long
trained to all the exercises of an interior and religious life,
are exceedingly anxious to bind themselves more closely
to God by entering into an approved religious order, whose
institute embraces the education of young persons of their
own sex, poor and rich. 1\lr. Byrne and others have given
information here of your having under your care a house of
religious women, whose useful and exemplary conduct has
gained general esteem and confidence.-Now the prayer of
Bp. Neale, and I may add, mine too, is this; that you would
choose, and if possible, engage two of those "Ladies, fully
approved by you, to leave their country and sisters and
friends, to establish here a house of their order. One of
them ought to be fit to become immediately the superior
and mistress of novices; and the other to preside in the female academy.-The two principal ladies of this institution
are natives of Ireland, and both women of exemplary and
even perfect lives.-I know not whether one of them, whose
name is Lawler (Ally Lawler) be not known to you. Bishop Neale hopes that Mr. Byrne will return and take them
under hi::; care; and he will be answerable for all their
expenses.
I am with the greatest respect, Rev. and hd. Sir,
Your most obedt. St.
+ ]. BISP. OF BALTME.
To REvo. DR. BETAGH,
Castle Street, Dub!iJZ.
BALTniORE, Oct. 22, xsos.
REV. AND HONRD SIR,
You afforded me great comfort by your favor of August
6th in giving the agreeable information of Mr. Byrne's safe
arrival at Dublin, and affording at the same time, a hope of
his return hither, with some other valuable companions.
They cannot be wanted more than at this time, many sta-
�290
Two Letf..ers from Archbishop Carroll.
tions being now vacant, and I earnestly entreat you to make
every possible exertion to forward them as soon as possible.
The impression and memory of Mr. Byrne's eminent services at New York are in the minds of those who were benefited by his ministry; but let me likewise beseech you who
have so much influence over him to advise him strongly to
measure the exertions of his zeal by a regard for his bodily
strength and to the preservation of his health. He forgot
in the ardor of his charity, the weakness and derangement,
to which our nicely formed frame is subjea; and in this
variable climate, the· stomach of few men can bear so much
fasting and abstinence, as he joined to his incessant labors.
At the rate he went on, he would soon have been exhausted. I often told him that if he did not regulate his
mortifications by the direaion of a prudent and religious
superior, he had not yet imbibed the spirit of the Society,
to which he is so much devoted. But, in this point, I have
reason to think, my advice-~vas not followed. Your account
of the progress of that Society in England and elsewhere
afforded us great satisfaaion. Here a beginning is made
for promoting the same good work. In consequence of a
power granted to me by the late Genl. Fr. Gruber, I have nominated the Rev. Mr. Molyneux, the Superior here; he has
renewed his former engagements, and some others have
done the same: a novitiate is to be made ready during this
ensuing winter and part of next year; several candidates
offer themselves; b~ut I must say with you, that tho' I lend
my co-operation, yet I wish much to see a firmer foundation,
than any yet known here. But this is not our greatest difficulty.-The provincials of England were not in the habit
of sending hither many of their best subjeas: ancfof those
who were in America, many are dead, and the others ani
generally too far advanced in years, too inactive, of course,
for those employments and that constant vigilance, which
the first beginnings of such an important undertaking require. If the Society be destined to rise again, my prayer
is, that it may renew again, as in its first origin, that fervent
spirit of religion, those solid praaices of piety, and that
�Two Letters from Archbishop Carroll.
291
sound knowledge, sacred and profane, which rendered it the
ornament of the Church and its best defence. To produce
these happy effeas, we must have more men endowed with
its genuine spirit, and capable of imparting it to others.
After receiving your promise of sending the debates on
the Catholic questions and Bp. Milner's answer to the objeaions etc., I wait impatiently for some arrival from Dublin.
- I f one should offer for N. York, or Philada., either of
these would answer; be only careful to send it direaed to
me, to the care of Andrew Morris Esq., at N. York, or the
Rev. Mr. John Rossiter, of St. Mary's Church Philada., with
a line informing either of them of the package containing
a book or books for me.
Tell l\Ir. Byrne, that his friends at George Town, especially Bisp. Neale, and his Br. Francis are well, and that I
have acquainted them of his safe arrival. He will likewise
be pleased to accept of my cordial and ardent wishes for his
happiness and speedy return, and the respeCtful compliments
of my worthy companion, the Rev. Mr. Beeston.
I am with the highest esteem, and great affeaion,
Rev. and hd. Sir,
Your most obedt. Servt.
BrsP. oF B.uTME.
To REvn. DR. BETAGH,
Castle .Street, Dubli1z.
+ ].
�KANSAS.
Letter from Father Ponzi"g/i"one.
OsAGE MisSION, NEosHo Co., KANSAs,
July
2,
1883.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
The Easter holidays over, I hastened to visit the distant
Osage Reservation. On my way there I stopped at twelve
Osage settlements, to give the people an opportunity of
fulfilling their Easter duties. Many of the half breeds have
done so. These half breeds are getting along quite well in
the way of farming, and remain firm in the faith despite the
efforts of the Protestants under whose control they have
been for over fourteen years. I must acknowledge, however, that though they claim to be children of the Church,
some of them are not over particular in keeping its precpts,
especially in what regards marriage.
Misled by false
principles, and above all by the bad example of Protestants
under whose guardianship they .are, they make no scruple
of putting away one wife, to take another, and this without
the f?rmality of a divorce. The agent, as well as the missionaries who have charge of them, far from reproving these
transgressions of God's law, rather connive at them. One
of the half breed.s is 'living with two wives. Heretofore, this
was unheard of among the Osages. The agent and missionaries, though they knew of the fact and the scandal which
it caused, took no steps to remedy it, but treated jt as a
small peccadillo.
- ·
I found the full-blood Osages in a state of great excitement. Their condition was fully as bad as it was thirty-two
years ago, when first I came amongst them. Awful sicknesses, such as measles, scurvy and small-pox have reduced
·them partially. Among the victims of the diseases is the
chief or governor, as he was called, of the Osages. He
(292)
�K a 1zsas.
293
is known among his people by the name of Joseph Pawneenumpa-tsce. He was about fifty years old.
Joseph had been brought up at this mission. His original
name Whatciecka-hickie was changed in baptism to Joseph.
He made his first Communion and was confirmed. As a
boy at this school he was bright, quick to learn and w,ell
behaved. After leaving school he continued doing well for
a few years, giving general satisfaCtion, and promising to
become at some future day very useful to his nation. But
flattered by his people and urged by the braves to claim his
birth-right, the first chieftaincy of the Osages, he yielded
to their persuasions, threw off the clothes of the white man,
painted his face vermillion green and blue, married four
wives, and started on the war-path with a company of
braves. They made strait for the endless plains of the \Vest,
and what they did there, God alone knows. An Osage war
party on the plains are truly wild. According to them there
is no good fortune without bloodshed. Joseph returned
from the expedition with reeking scalps hanging from his
belt. These were the trophies by which he showed himself to be his father's son, and with the rights of his father
he assumed his name, Pawne-numpa-tsce, which" means in
their language Pawnees-two-he-killed. This name was given
to his father for having with one stroke of his tomahawk
killed two Pawnees, who have a! ways been the most bitter
enemies of the Osages. It is needless to say that Joseph's
early training tended to make him even worse than the rest.
He was a terror to the whites all along the Kansas line.
Many foul deeds were laid to his charge, and though he
himself had no direCt hand in them, yet they were certainly
done by his men upon whom he put no restraint. In spite
of all this, Joseph, be it said to his honor, would never
apostatize, though he was urged to do so time and again
by the Agent and the missionaries. He always claimed to
be a Catholic, always paid great respeCt to Father John
Shoenmakers, and tried by every means in his power to
re establish a Catholic mission and school on the new re-
VoL. xu-No. 3·
36
�294
Kansas.
servation, but all to no purpose; for no sooner did the agent
hear that Joseph had sent a petition to the President in favor
of a Catholic school and mission than he would send to
vVashington a counter petition, to which fictitious names
were affixed.
The Osages as well as most of our western Indians look
upon calamities, especially sicknesses as punishments inflieted on them by the Great Spirit for negleCting the Medicine-man-wot:ship and abandoning the customs of their r,,.
thers, to adopt those of the vVhites, When in 1852 the
great chief George (White- Hair), died, the medicine men
went among the Osages telling them that their chief had
been taken away for giving up the Indian traditions and
aping the ways of the \Vhites. They exhorted the warriors
to stick to their old worship, and to put all their trust in
their bows and arrows. T_hey are at this very time going
around on the same missio.t:.~ The mortal,ity which surpasses a~ything the Osages have of late years suffered seems to
have completely turned their heads, and they seem to think
that the only means of propitiating the Great Spirit is to
return to the old worship.
The excitement caused by this great calamity is not confined to the Osages, but has spread to the neighboring tribes,
and as is always the case, some crafty Indians are speculating
on the situation to turn to good account the general excitement. Not long after the death of the great chief
George, a very cunning Indian took advantage of the excited state of the Osages which got him both money and
fame. This man whose appearance was very wild succeeded
in taming a big wolf so that it hung around his lq_dge and
followed him like a dog. He told the people that he had
come from the Great Spirit who had given him this wolf as
a companion and a defence, that the Great Spirit had bestowed on him the power of calling the dead to life, and
that if they lent him a willing ear he would at the end
of three years return them all their dead friends. This was
a very bold proposition. But the bigger the humbug the
easier it is believed by simple people. The Osages did not
�/(a1zsas.
295
doubt the truthfulness of this fellow, and anxious to see
their old friends returned to them, they treated the impostor
with all possible kindness. They gave him food and blankets and fine furs. This was what the cunning Indian was
after. At length the end of the third year came and the
expeClation of the Osages had reached its highest. Some
had made preparations for receiving their long departed
friends. But the appointed day came and went, and the
dead slept as quietly as ever. The Osages were sadly disappointed and going to the would be thaumaturgus, they
asked him why he had failed to keep his promise. He answered that their faith was too weak.
It seems that another game of this sort is on foot. In
my last excursion I heard that a shrewd full blood or buck,
as they are called, has made his appearance, and is running
about the different tribes. He calls himself a great prophet.
He is thirty-five years old, rather portly. He claims to be an
intimate friend of the Great Spirit, and to have come down
from heaven in a big shower of rain? He tells the Indians
that their doom is sealed unless they listen to him and follow his advice; that he has come, to re-establish the medicine
worship of their fathers. They must put off the customs
of the white man and return to their old habits. He
promises them, if they do this, an Indian rnillenium. Large
herds of buffaloes, deer and antelopes will, he says, appear on
the plains. Clothing and food will be in abundance. "vVoe
to them,he says, who heed not or despise my words! Woe to
those who work fields and build houses! Their labor will
be lost and their hopes shall be blasted and their children
shall starve, their flesh shall rot on their bones, they shall
die premature deaths and their bodies after death shall be
torn by wild beasts." The tone and words of this impostor
have stricken with fear and dread some of the more ignorant Indians, who anxious to make a friend of him bring all
sorts of presents. This is all the great prophet is after,
and, doubtless, he will ply his trade with good success.
Here you may feel curious to know whether the Indians
generally put any trust in the medicine worship. Well, to
�K
a 1z sa
s.
tell you the truth, those among them who have common
sense do not; they make sport of it. Still they assist at
the worship and take part in it, if they see they can make
anything out of it. To illu~trate this, I will relate a little
incident that happened years ago when our St. Francis' Institution was but an Indian manual labor school. A good
sensible full blood Osage, Mansha- kita by name, brought us
a bright boy called Tajutze, about thirteen years old, and
calling for Fr. Shoenmakers thus addressed him: "Father,
this boy is my nephew: I have taken him into my family
and look upon him as a son. I wish you to make a smart
man of him and a good Christian." Fr. Shoenmakers answered that he would do the best he could for the boy. He
brought the lad to the dormitory, and after having washed
the red paint from his face, dressed him neatly, after the
manner of white boys. Tajutze was quick to learn, and
being gifted with a good :tnemory, made rapid progress.
At the end of six months he was deemed ready for baptism.
He received at the font the name of Peter. In a short while
he received his first Communion. vVinter had passed away
and spring was setting in, the time for celebrating the medicine worship. So 1\Iansha-kita came to ask if Peter might
not assist at the celebration. Fr. Shoenmakers listened
quietly to the Indian till he had finished, but smoked away,
without venturing an answer. Mansha- kita, feeling the uncomfortableness of the situation, grew somewhat nervous,
but after a few moments silence, he mustered up courage
and repeated his request. But Fr. Shoenmakers smoked on,
heedless of the petition. This was hard on the patience of
the Indian. He felt sure of the Father's unwillingness to
grant his request. After some time during whi~fi both
smoked in silence, the Indian made another and more respeCtful request. Father Shoenmakers at length answered:
"l\Iy dear friend, some months ago you brought your nephew here, requesting me to educate him in the ways of the
Son of God. I have .done all I could to teach him what
is right. Now you want to destroy all the good I have
done and give him to the evil spirit; I cannot allow such
�K a 1z sa s,
297
a thing." Mansha-kita felt the power of this argument,
and looked very sheepish. Having taken a long puff he
said, "Black Gown, I know you love Peter; you are a father
to him and wish only for his good; you have placed him in
the ways of the Son of God and I do not want him to get
out of them. If I wish him to come with me to the medicine worship, it is not that he may do homage to the evil
spirit. No, I wish him to get some meat and buffalo robes.
Father, when during the ceremonies my turn comes, I will
stand up and pointing towards Peter tell the big chief that this
boy is the son of the great Kula-Shutze (red eagle) who was
our leading man on the war-path, who took so many Pawnee scalps. Kula-Shutze is dead and I take care of his son.
When I have said this, the big chief will give him some
bundles of dry meat, blankets and buffalo robes, and the
like. I will have all these things brought to my lodge and
then see that Peter is returned safely to you. I am a poor
man, Father, and must try to make a living somehow; so I
wish Peter to come with me, not on account of the worship,
but on account of the meat." And so it is with the greater
part of the Indians. They attend the worship through a
motive of gain. During the year the big chief receives,
by way of taxes, an abundant supply of provisions. After
helping himself freely, he distributes what is left among the
people and thereby gains their good will.
On my way back from my missionary excursion, passing
through Elgin a small hamlet on the Kansas line, I noticed
a dot1or operating on a young man, who seemed the while
to be suffering great pain. Recognizing the boy I immediately made inquiries about the matter, The dot1or told me
that a few minutes before my arrival the poor lad had been
eating a pickled peach. He tried to swallow the stone,
which stuck in his throat, and he was now choking. While
telling me this, the doCtor was working at the boy's throat
with a long piece of blunt wire. His vigorous twists and
turns of the wire only caused the boy more pain. There
was no time to lose, for the poor fellow's breathing was getting very heavy. I asked the doCtor if he had any hopes for
�Kansas.
the boy's life. He said not. Then I suggested that when
my machinery is out of order, I apply oil to make the
wheels run smoothly. This I thought might work in the
present case. At this the doetor burst into a loud laugh,
saying that would be of no use whatever. "For you see,"
he said, "this is quite a critical case. The a!sophagus of this
boy is in a precarious condition. The trachea is obstruCted.
One has to be very prudent, or an ulceration of the membrane might be the consequence. Then suppuration would
probably follow, which might bring on a paroxysm, and at
length a syncope might set in, and in such an event suspension of vitality, with fatal consequence might ensue." 'vVhile
overpowering me with his technical lore, he took from the
shelf a small bottle, to all appearances containing oil, and
having dipped the blunt wire into it, he introduced it again
into the boy's throat, who. t?aking a slight effort swallowed
the peach stone. The doetor'looked at him, quite astounded
at what had happened.-T~li"en turning to me he said, "Sir,
I do not believe you can find any one in all our western faculty who can beat me at a surgical operation." I laughed
in my heart at the simplicity of my medical friend, and
thanked God for having brought the affair to such a happy
end, and for preserving the life of a widow's only son. The
young man Edgar, in thanksgiving for the danger he had
escaped, did not negleCt: the opportunity of receiving the
Sacraments.
Yours in X to.
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIONE,
S.
-- ·
...
J.
�I
•
NEW MEXICO.
REv'n AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I had no desire whatever to intrude myself again on the
readers of your periodical, but your persuasiveness has overcome my resolution. You request me to write something
about that far-away, little known, and less understood mission of New Mexico and Colorado, where it was my good
fortune to spend a considerable part of my life in the Society.
Not a few persons labor under the impression that to go to
New Mexico is to bid farewell to civilization and to civilized
life; to lead a life devoid of comfort and full of miseries of
all kinds ; to enter upon an existence as far removed, morally,
from life in the East as New Mexico is distant, geographically. My experience has taught me that these ideas have,
in fact, no foundation whatever. Making all due allowance
for differences in habits, nationality, climate, etc., life is the
same in the far South-west as it is in any other part of the
world. I preface my letter with these remarks, because
people have the most extravagant, and sometimes even ridiculous notions about New Mexico. Complying with your
request, therefore, I shall give all the information I can regarding the mission, and I am sure that all who will read
my little account will be astonished at the vast progress
that country has made in the short space of six years.
As the space allowed me is rather limited, I shall speak
at present only of Las Vegas, giving an account from the
establishment of the college down to the present time. Perhaps, at some future day, when I shall have gathered sufficient data, I shall give a history of the mission of New
Mexico and Colorado from its foundation in 1867 to the
year 1883.
Rev. Fr. Gasparri, who was Superior in 1876, had long
had in view the building of a college, for he justly reasoned
(299)
�~
New Jliexico.
that, as teaching was one of the principal duti~s of the Society, it could not fulfil its end properly, unless schools were
established. Besides, ~e thought that a college there would
give an opportunity for training some young men for the
novitiate, and thus the Society would increase; for then
there were certainly too few members for the immense
amount of work they had to do, as is the case also at present. The Archbishop, Most Rev. J. B. Lamy, had about
this same time conceived the design of having a seminary,
where he could have his own priests trained, and he wished
the Jesuits to take charge of it. So there was every reason
for beginning a college. Up to this period, there were many
schools in charge of the Christian Brothers, as in Santa Fe,
Mora, Bernalillo and other places. The Archbishop, ever
zealous in promoting the interests of religion and education,
desired to have in his diocese, over and above a goodly
number of elementary schogls, at least one college which
would afford his people every opportunity of acquiring a
complete education in all branches, classical, commercial,
and scientific. \Veighing well all these reasons, our Fathers
finally resolved on the undertaking, and commenced work
at once. On the 5th of Nov. 1877, they opened classes in a
house kindly placed at their disposal by a generous-hearted
Mexican gentleman, Don Francisco Lopez, whose name
shoulu ever be held in grateful remembrance. They also
began the ereCtion of a new college to which they gave the
name, St. Mary's, but as there was already a school in Mora
of the same name kept by the Brothers, they changed the
title, and called the new institution simply Las Vegas \ol!ege,
S. J. This was to avoid all difficuties. The wor-k _in the
beginning was, of course, very hard. Indeed, the history of
the college's first two years, consists of little else than severe
trials most patiently borne. The faculty consisted of seven
members, six of whom were to do all the teaching and prefeCl:ing, and of these six two were seculars. Twenty-five
boarders, four half-boarders and eighty-five day scholars
had to be accommodated, and how they managed for room
only those who have labored under similar circumstances
�New Mexico.
301
can understand. To look at the buildings and then think
of the number to be lodged therein (about forty altogether),
one would think it a problem whose solution was more difficult than squaring the circle. The faculty were, doubtless, cramped for room, but they cheerfully suffered the inconvenience in expeCtation of the good times to come.
Want of room was by no means their only mortification.
They had very rough, though good material to work on.
As the boys were not very far advanced, they were obliged
to begin at the lowest rudiments with some, and the teachers
who came immediately afterwards can tell what rapid progress was made. Many of those first engaged in the work
were men capable of teaching philosophy and theology,
and yet they labored hard and earnestly in their humble
position, knowing that all they did was for God. While
class was going on in the old house, as it is now called, the
Superior, the lamented Fr. Gasparri, was pushing on the
work on the new building, in order to have it ready by the
op'ening of the second year. . At that time, the country was
in a backward state, and competent and expeditious workmen were difficult to find; so that it required constant watching, to see that the work was done. It was towards the end
of this first year that Rev. Fr. Mazzella made his visitation,
and while at Las Vegas he wrote to Woodstock for two
scholastics, who had just finished their philosophy. They
were Messrs. Mandalari and Lezzi, who have this year returned, to study theology. Their journey to Las Vegas
deserves to be recorded; and as it occurred during the
vacation, I shall mention one or two incidents. From Woodstock to Pueblo and Trinidad, it differed in nothing from
ordinary railroad journeys. Beyond Trinidad, they were
obliged to go by carriage, for the railroad had not been
built beyond that point. Four started in company, Fr. Salvador Persone, president of the college, the two scholastics,
and a lay-brother. The distance was about one hundred
· and forty miles, a very tedious drive. Over the vast plateaus, through dangerous defiles and ravines, across deep
arroyos, clambering up and creeping down the mountain
·sides, truly it was a novel experience for them. At night,
�302
~
New Mexico.
they camped on the plains, and slept as best they could.
When they wished to make a fire, to cook the coffee, they
had considerable difficulty, for there was no wood to be had.
But they had read in the travels of Abbe Hue in Tartary
and Thibet, how that famous missionary managed in similar
circumstances, and profited by his experience. One night
they were fortunate enough to meet a Mexican ox-team,
and they camped in company, the Mexicans being overjoyed
to have the Fathers with them. The driver of the ox-team
kindly lent them a buffalo-robe, to enable them to get a
little sleep. So they fixed themselves for the night. Fr.
Persone with Mr. Mandalari shared the robe, Mr. Lezzi
had a blanket, while the brother made a bed-room of the
carriage, and he had the best of it, for he was proteCted
• from the cold. During the night the two who were proteCted by the robe had similar dreams. One dreamt that
he was cold and likewise Efd the other; one tugged and
pulled at his side, to cover himself better, and so did the
other, and hence there was a continual confliCt going on till
early dawn, when Fr. Persone, awakened by the cold, found
himself robeless on a barren plain with naught but a cloudless New Mexican sky over him. The second or third day,
one of their mules got sick, so that the tiresome journey
continued for three days and a half.
These two scholastics above mentioned were the first in
"the mission and the fic.st scholastics who ever taught in Las
Vegas. They had their share in the trials kept in store for
the Fathers until the beginning of the second year. The
house occupied as the college was built of adobes, like all
Mexican houses, Though to strangers these are curiosities,
to my mind the only peculiarity is the roof. This is for.med
by laying rafters across the walls, flooring the rafters, and
then over this floor depositing a layer of earth about a foot
thick, which when pressed down becomes quite hard. In
the dry season, which fortunately continues in these high
latitudes about nine months of the year, these adobe houses
are very comfortable, warm in winter, and cool in summer,
but when the heavy rains come on, they are anything but
�New Mexico.
301
pleasant. The roofs, as might be supposed, are not perfeCl:ly
water-tight, and consequently if the rain continues for any
length of time, it is likely to occasion some slight inconvenience to the inmates. Thus it happened to our people.
When the rains began, the house afforded them but little
shelter. The water first oozed through in tiny drops, and
as the porous roof absorbed more and more water, these
tiny drops grew to little streams, and soon the rooms became
unfit for anything else but shower-baths. Nothing could
be done except to bear it, and this they did. They kept
urging on the work, but despite all their efforts, they succeeded in preparing only the class-rooms and dormitory for
the boys. It was a consolation to them in the midst of their
troubles to know that there was some comfort in store for
the boys. Such was the gloomy condition of affairs at the
openinig of schools in November 1878. The rains continued,
and the Fathers were almost flooded out. The writers of
the Revista Cato!ica could not do anything but try to find
some dry spot to rest in. The rain spared nothing, and so
even at night they could take no rest. Only one room in
the house was habitable, and that one was reserved for a
sick Father; but all who could be accommodated went there,
to rest at night time, while the others wrapped themselves
in blankets and tried to sleep, sitting in their chairs. \Ve
have often read and heard of dismal times, but we think
that a more dismal time than this can scarce be imagined.
Few men could bear up unmurmurringly under the severe
trials that fell to the lot of the founders of Las Vegas College. They never repined, but cheerfully awaited the time
when they could find better accommodations. \Vere any
one tempted to give way to sadness, some cheerful soul
would buoy him up by communicating his own cheerfulness
to him. On one occasion, they were in the refeCtory taking
dinner. All were huddled together in a corner standing
with their plates in their hands and the rain deluging them
on all sides, when one of them exclaimed that they should
read .for their mutual consolation, "The History of the
Universal Deluge." Superiors did all that possibly could
�~New
llfexico.
be done, to hasten the finishing of the rooms in the new
house, but seeing that it was less an inconvenience to live
in a house sheltered from the rain, than in the old one which
was completely water-soaked, they bade all fix themselves
as well as they could in the new house till the rooms could
be finished. The rooms were comfortless enough, but they
afforded shelter. Some days after this, the refeCtory and
kitchen were finished, and on the feast of St. Stanislaus the
community inaugurated the new refeCtory, taking their dinner standing; for as yet there were no seats. These were
the hardest times they had seen and though their troubles
were not yet over, still those that followed were only slight
compared with what they had already endured. Once in
the new house, they had to undergo all the inconveniences
of settling down, truly not a difficult task in their case, for
their furniture was not too abundant.
Thus began the second year. The number of boarders
increased to thirty-five and th~ day-scholars to one hundred
and five, and in addition to these the Fathers took charge
of the public school. The faculty numbered nine, six of
whom were for the college, and one was to take charge of
the public school. From the establishment in the new house,
began the real college, and from that time it has been constantly increasing in numbers of pupils and in popularity.
Everything went on steadily and quietly, and the Fathers
suffered no other inconvenience than the necessary confusion
of having the:: workmen about the college. At the end of
the year, Outs had the satisfaCtion of holding the commencement exercises in the new hall which, though with
little architeCtural beautv, was the best and most coinmo,
.
dious in the territory. With this year terminated the severest
trials they had to undergo. They had begun with nothing
the stupendous task of establishing a college in a poor country; they had labored with more than ordinary courage to
fulfill their purpose, suffering more than the usual share of
miseries, and now after two years their objeCt was fulfilled,
the college was a faCt, nay more, itc was a success. Too
much credit cannot be given to those who struggled so
)
�Rocky Mountain Missions.
zealously for the good of the Society in New Mexico. First
and foremost in the work was Fr. Gasparri, a man whose
influence for good was felt in all parts of the territory. He
was loved by all the Catholics, esteemed by Protestants and
Jews. The first president of the college, Rev. Salvador
Persone did all that man could do, to make the undertaking
a success, and the high place which the college now holds
in the esteem of the people is due, under the providence of
God, to his endeavors, for he worked day and. night for its
advancement.
I here close the account for the first two years, which
were, in truth, years· of trial. The college had a severe
struggle for existence, but it came forth victorious, and from
that period it has been growing in strength and favor until
to-day it stands unrivalled as the educational institution of
the great south-west. As I have in this letter recorded as
faithfully as I could the incidents of its birth and infancy,
I shall in my next strive in my humble way to continue its
history to the present day.
H.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSIONS.
Letter from Father Pnmdo to Rev. Fr. Cataldo.
ST. PETER's MissiON.
REv. FR. SuPERIOR,
P. C.
In November of last year, I received a summons from
my immediate Superior, which obliged me to leave the
camp of the Black Feet. I had been preaching and laboring among these Indians for three months, during which
time I gave four missions. I found my subjects well disposed, and willing to submit to the sweet yoke of the divine
law. I had wished to return to them by the month of January, and had cherished hopes that the opening of the new
�Rocky- Mountat'n Missions.
year I 882, would be the dawn of a new era for my dear Indians; but my return was unavoidably deferred to the month
of May, as if our dear Virgin l\Iother herself wished to become the propagator of the faith among these poor people,
during her own month of May. I, therefore, decided to pass
this happy month among the Indians, and to give special
honor to the Mother of God, under whose auspices I began
my labors, with the expectation of happy results. Here
are a few details of my expedition.
I had foreseen that my prolonged absence from the Indians might have caused great dissatisfaction among them,
and as they had repeatedly sent for me, they might easily
conclude that I had little affection for them, and tell me on
my arrival that .I might go away just as empty-handed as
I carne.
Anticipating this difficulty,_ I went to Helena and bought
the biggest pipe I could QrOcure. The stern was about
three feet long, so that the smoker would require the assistance of some one to light it for him. Now here is the \Vay
I reasoned with myself. As soon as the Indians see me,
they'll gather around me, and comment on my big pipe, and
grow envious with the desire of getting a puff from it. As
soon as I let them have their smoke, we'll ali be friends
again. My expedient was a childish one, it is true, but after
all, the Indians are but children. But a difficulty arose. The
pipe had been procured at great expense for me. How to
get enough tobacco to fill it? But here the good providence of God came to my aid. I went to Fort Shaw, to give
a sermon. There I met with the Commander Colonel Galson. Our conversation naturally turned to Indian~affairs,
and I took occasion to speak of my pipe and my need of
tobacco. The Colonel, who is a good Catholic, invited me
to come and see him on.the following day. Next morning,
I said l\Iass, and went to the Commander's apartment, where
I received ten pounds of tobacco for my Indians. With
many thanks I received the gift and set out for the Indians'
camp, where I arrived on the first day of May. I gave them
no time for parley, but immediately produced my big pipe
�Letter from Father Prando.
and lit it. The greatest admiration was depicted in their
countenances as they watched the volumes of smoke, clouding the air. Such was my entry on the first day of May.
Next day, I visited other tribes of Indians repeating my
former experiment with the pipe and tobacco. Soon all
the men and women were gathered about me, each of them
receiving a little present of tobacco. Finally, lest I should
excite too much envy, I went to see the great chief, White
Calf, who received me cordially, to whom I presented my
large pipe and a goodly share of tobacco. The chief is a
good fervent Catholic. I baptized him last year. He told
me all that had happened during my absence, and with great
signs of grief, spoke to me of the deaths of many of the
Indians who were unbaptized.
Last year, in September, Rev. Fr. Damiani our immediate Superior, paid me a visit, and in obedience to your instruCtions, charged me with the building of a hut which
should serve me for a chapel. I built a log hut about thirtysix feet square. As yet it has neither windows nor door.
The Indians often ask me when it will be completed. I
promised to have it ready by the first Sunday in May. On
my arrival among the Indians, I followed my ordinary plan
of assembling the different families, and instruCting them as
best I could. To give instruCtions and to teach catechism,
are the principal occupations of a missionary. It is very
difficult to make them understand the simple truths of religion, and make them abolish their inhuman praCtices. The
poor Indians have a number of superstitious praCtices, which
they employ especially in presence of their dead. When
one of them dies, the friends, in token of grief, cut deep
gashes in their legs, and cut their ring or little finger.
In presence of the dead bodies they place all the possessions which belonged to the deceased. The dead bodies
are covered with skins of animals, then laid out under trees
on a mound, and enclosed in coffins, but left unburied. Still
there are some who bury their dead. For months after a
death, the relatives continue to show signs of great grief.
Oftentimes they rush out from the house to the burial spot,
�Rocjy Mountaitt Missz'ons.
c~lling on the name of the dead man, with sobs and groans.
It is a heart-rending sight ; and after witnessing it many
times, I resolved to seleB: a suitable place for a cemetery and
finally chose one on a little elevation near the church. On
the third of May, the feast of the Finding of the Holy Cross,
I purposed to ereB: a cross 20 feet high upon the summit
of the little hill, which I had chosen for a cemetery. On the
following Sunday, the first of May, I spoke to the Indians
in these words: "vVe have made a cross, a great cross. It
was on a cross that Jesus Christ died, in order that He might
be our Saviour. He bore His cross to the top of a mountain. On His shoulders He sustained its load. And now
the great chief and I will bear this cross upon our shoulders,
and God will look down upon us and will be pleased. He
will bless our camp. \Vhen we die, we shall be buried upon
that hill, and at the end of the world, we shall rise again.
The earth in which we will>plant this cross will be sacred
to the dead, and they wlt<r die unbaptized, shall have no
burial in this ground."
'vVhen I concluded, we set out, and came first to the spot
where the cross awaited us. The part of our Lord I assigned to the chief, while I aB:ed as Simon of Cyrene; the
old man· Robear preceded us; the others followed in procession. \Vhen we had gotten over half the journey, we
halted, for the load was very heavy. I took occasion to
tell them how our Saviour was forced to carry His cross,
alone, and how His~ enemies seeing Him fall three times
beneath its heavy load, forced Simon of Cyrene to carry it
for Him. When I had finished speaking, they took up the
cross and triumphantly carried it to the hill. As so~n as it
was placed in its position, I went before them, and falling
down before the cross, kissed it reverently, inviting the
chief to imitate me. He did so; then turning to his people,
he said: "Kiss this cross, for the Son of God died upon a
cross for us." Each of the Indians obeyed, and returning
from the cemetery, all were fu 11 of fervor and consolation.
It was an important day for the savages.
Up to this time no human persuasion could have induced
�Letter from Father Prando.
the Indians to carry the cross. The old man Robear was
so astonished at my influence over the savages, that he exclaimed: "I never saw a priest who exerted so powerful an
influence over the Indians as you have." "It is not I, who
have this influence," I replied; "but the grace of God is
triumphing over their hearts, for the day of their conversion has come." The new· cross furnished a topic of conversation for the savages, so that for many days, they lost
all thought of the war which was impending with the Assiniboines. On the 6th of May, war-cries were heard. Some
of the Assiniboines stole upon the camp, and firing, killed
one of our warriors. As in coming to our camp they had
to pass by my hut, I thought it wise to make an act of contrition. But nothing more serious followed. In the midst
of the excitement which prevailed in our camp, I went about
instructing the Indians. I kept a constant watch on the
movements of the chief, White Calf, to see if he would
prove himself a fit candidate for baptism.
One day, he came to my tent, and ordered me to rise and
walk on ahead of him. I obeyed, and after a time, he explained his action by saying, that he thus wished to show
that he was ready to follow the leadership of the Black
Robe. To fulfil his promise, White Calf had to make some
sacrifices. He had four wives, three of whom he had abandoned, at my command, and thus gave the first blow to
polygamy. Seeing his good dispositions, I decided to baptize him on the zd Sunday of May.
When the day had arrived, White Calf sent me word that
his wife would be unable to cross the river, which was much
swollen by the heavy rains, and asked me to come across,
to baptize and marry them on the camp-side of the river.
I complied with his request, and the ceremony was performed with all solemnity.
I summoned three men to bear witness to the fact, that
the chief gave full liberty to the then discarded wives to
marry any suitor who was single. I then made the following speech to the assembled Indians : " This whole tribe
VoL. xu-No. 3·
37
�Roc'"ky Mountain Missions.
is as yet shrouded in darkness. But light has now begun
to dawn upon you. To-day, I baptize your chief, White
Calf, and his wife. Chief, I pour the water of holy baptism
upon your head, and God purifies your soul. Your soul,
on this day, is as bright as the sun, and as beautiful as
heaven's inhabitants, and as you are properly married
to-day, you have become God's friend, for God hates polygamy, and shall condemn all polygamists to everlasting
fire. To-day, light is beginning to shine upon the entire
tribe, and that light is God's commandment. The commands of God are like an axe. The axe cleaves the tree,
and God's commands cut away that great evil, polygamy.
I felicitate the great chief and his wife, who have shown
such fortitude and good will, They have to-day entered
upon the good road ; they have but to persevere, in order
to reach heaven in safety.': After the ceremony, the Indians remained silent for so!~e time, then they got ready to
smoke the calumet or pipe of peace. I did not remain for
this ceremony, but set out to recross the river, telling them
that I would soon see them again. I was happy with my
victory over the powers of darkness, for if, as it ordinarily
happens, subjects follow the example of their chief, I had
reason to hope that all the Indians would soon abandon
polygamy. The three wives, after obtaining permission,
returned to their parents, who belonged to another tribe.
The next day, I baptized Natosi-Onista who had asked
for the grace of baptism. He had three wives. His example showed me very clearly how the grace of God was
accomplishing its ends. This Indian at first showe9 great
reluctance to dismiss his wives, as he loved them and their
children, and could not endure the thought of abandoning
them. I explained to him how unhappy he would be, if he
refused to observe God's commandments after he had learned
them. A few days afterwards, his eldest son was killed by
the Assiniboines, and another was wounded and fell from
his horse. The unhappy father was greatly grieved, and
found his only consolation in his third child, a girl of six
years ; but this child was also taken from him by sickness
�Letter from Father Prando.
after a few days. Natosi-Onista in the excess of his grief,
folded his tent and left the camp. Some months later, he
returned, and came in haste to me, saying that he was ready
to abandon his wives, and receive baptism. I baptized him
on the I sth of May, giving him the name of Francis. What
surprised me was, that he dismissed the two wives who
were young, keeping the eldest whom he had first married.
He sold a large hut which he possessed, keeping for himself and his wife, a small cabin which he said would be large
enough ~or him now, and he exerted his best influences ~o
induce his companions to abandon polygamy, and to lead a
Christian life. On the I 8th of May, I baptized a chief
called ltokinma, who also dismissed three wives. Last
year, he had shown great aversion for the priest, but this
year he had greatly changed.
On the 2 Ist, I baptized a chief called Innik-kajantossa, a
man of very stern appearance. He sent his second wife
away, and employed his time in learning his prayers and
teaching them to others. He was greatly pleased with a
chant I had composed against polygamy. saying that it was
a great blow to the polygamists. I had gone to see him
during the preceding year, but he had shown such opposition to my efforts, that I had been forced to abandon him.
But this year when I came to visit the tribe, I saw him
coming towards me. I took a by-path, in order to avoid
meeting him. But he hastened after me, and soon came up
with me. I talked to him very kindly, and from that day
forth, he has been one of my greatest friends, and much devoted to the cause of religion.
It is not enough for the gardener to plant good seed in
the ground; he must pluck out the weeds, water the plants,
and gu~rd them while they are tender. So with the missionary; he must not only baptize the converts, but also
guard them· from error, and instil into their hearts a true
Catholic spirit. vyith this knowledge in mind, I prepared
twenty Indians for their first confession, and admitted thirteen of them to Holy Communion on the fourth Sunday of
May. They were principally of the tribe of Jossarka, and
�312
Rocky Mounta£n M£ssions.
had been baptized the year before. The Indians have the
custom of getting up very late, and it was with great difficulty that I got them to church in time for ·Mass. \Vhen I
told them to be at church at R o'clock, they came about
dinner-time, giving as an excuse that they couldn't find
their horses, or alleging some such reason. But, finally, by
dint of constant remonstrances, I got them to come in time.
The chief Jossarka who lives four miles away, always comes
at the appointed hour. On the day of his first Communion,
he arrived at camp together with his people, some time before I had arisen, and felt so proud to be able to rouse me,
that coming to my hut he shouted: "Black-Robe, are we
in time to-day?" This was a proof to me that they were
really in earnest. I haG! great difficulty in forcing the Indians to abandon their superstitions. For instance, the custom they had of singing their mournful songs and beating
the drum, when they came t9. cure one of the sick, or were
making their medicines of buffalo tails and other things of
odd compound. One day, I explained to \Vhite Calf, that
the offerings and prayers addressed to the sun were sinful
and displeasing to God. Immediately, the savage answered
by proposing a two-fold objection. " You yourself," he ·
said, "love the sun, and the devil. You love the sun, for
you carry a watch which indicates the sun's course." I
answered: "Yes, truly I have a watch, but I make no
offering to it, nor do I pray to it." Disappointed, he turned
to his second objection. "You love the devil," he said,
"for you keep a picture of hell, in your room, and there
you have the representation of many devils." I answered
this second objection by seizing a broom and saying :
" \Vhite Calf, suppose I had a little boy here in my room,
whom I should rouse every morning with blows .of the
broom. You would surely say : ' The Black Robe doesn't
like the small boy.' Now, although I keep a picture of the
devil, in my room, yet I show it to all wJ10 come to visit
me, and I tell them of the wickedness of the devil. So
you can't say that I have any love for the devil." At this,
all White_ Calf's attendants laughed loudly, and all were sat-
�Letter from Father Prando.
I
~
isfied with my answers. It seems to me, that
ought not
pass over in silence the following faCt which shows forth so
clearly a just chastisement coming from God, and the devil's
displeasure at the success of our mission.
During the preceding year, I had put a stop to all offerings made to the sun, with the exception of a spear, furnished with a haft which was enclosed in a double case.
By means of this spear, the Indians imagined that they
could know future events; and especially whether or no
they were to be attacked by their enemies, and by what road
their opponents would come.
One of the braves, who wished to get possession of the
spear, had signalized himself in various encounters with the
Assiniboines, and, finally, had bought the spear, giving in
return four horses. I visited this warrior, and tried my best
to get the spear from him. I told him it was wrong to
offer tribute to the sun, and that the spear should be thrown
into the fire. But he obstinately refused to give it to me,
and I was, at last, obliged to leave him, with these words:
" You will become very unhappy." When I came to see
him again, he was sick. I noticed what appeared to me a
lance-wound in his back, and I again entreated him to give
me the lance, as he could not be cured by it. He still refused. After fifteen days, I came again; his wound had
grown more serious, and resembled a large cancer. I earnestly begged him to give up the spear, and what was more,
to send away all his wives except one, and to call in the
doCtor. He said : " The spear is not really my property.
It belongs to the tribe. If you wish to have it, ask White
Calf'' I went to the chief, who told me to take it, but when,
on the morrow, I ·came to get the spear, the Indian was
gone. I asked one of the wives to give me an axe, that
I might destroy the lance. She in great alarm only answered my demand with cries ·of despair. In the twinkling
of an eye, I was surrounded by a band of savages, who
manifested the g~eatest alarm. As I persisted in my demand, a young man, coming forward, seized me by the
breast, and pushed me back forcibly, without uttering. a
�314
Rocky Mountain Missions.
word. I rushed forward, asking my opponent what he
meant by his aCtion. The women untied my horse, and
placing the bridle in my hand, entreated me to go. I tied
the horse again to a stake, and seeing some warriors approaching, among whom I recognized many friends, I asked
them to assist me. But they responded with cries of:
" 'Tis sacred, 'tis sacred : touch not the lance." I was
powerless against all this opposition, and asked for the
chie( They pointed to a tent a short distance away, which
I approached, finding therein the very man who was the
cause of all the trouble. There lay the sick man. I recalled to him his promise. While I was speaking with him,
the women seized the lance and hastened to conceal it. I
saw their aCtion, and could scarce repress a smile. One of
the warrior's wives came, leading my horse, and the chief
. said briefly, "go." I made answer, "yesterday you told
.me to ask the great chief for-Fhe spear, and the great chief
told me to take it. Now,i~·stead of keeping your word.
you tell me to go. You have lied to me." Then I left
him, satisfied that I had put him to shame. When the
chiefs heard that one of the young men had laid hands on
me, they were greatly alarmed. The sick man was brought
to the physician, and was soon cured. In a few days, he
sent me word that he was willing to give up the spear, provided that the four horses which he had given in payment
for it, should be restored to him. Here was a case of conscience. The contraCt had been made when the Indians
attributed some worth to the spear, but now they considered
it useless; was the possessor of the horses bound to make
restitution?
At sight of the great good accomplished on the mi~sion,
and the numbers that were brought to the true faith, the
devil was greatly enraged against us. You are aware, Rev.
Father, that there is an agent appointed for the Indians.
The American Government has assigned to the Indians a
very limited seCtion of country, called a reservation. In
consequence of this, the Indians cannot, as formerly, support themselves by hunting, and so, an agent is placed over
�Letter from Fathe;- Pratzdo.
them who supplies them with food and clothing. Under
the present agent, our Indians are slaves. Some have died
from hunger, and many are on the road to death. Consequently the Indians hate the agent, and would long ago
have killed him, if he were not proteCted by soldiery. Our
agent is a Protestant, and an open enemy of Catholicism.
His only aim is to get rich and, meantime, live as comfortably as possible. \Vhen I converted the great chief, this
agent took it so ill, that he was on the look out for some
pretext for ·my banishment from the reservation. Towards
the close of l\'Iay, I was going to baptize some children,
when I learned that the physician was spreading a most
calumnious report about me, to the effeCt that I had advised
some of the Indians to shoot the agent. I immediately
·went to the agency, and asked the lieutenant to summon
the physician, who came after some delay. I questioned
him, but he denied that he had ever spread any reports
about me. There was rumor, he said, of a conspiracy
formed by some of the whites, against the agent, but I must
seek elsewhere the author of the calumny. As soon as the
lieutenant and the physician left me, the agent broke out
into most abusive language, telling me that I must leave
the reservation. " It made little difference to him," he said,
"whether Mormonism or Catholicism were propagated
among the Indians." " But do you not recolleCt," said I,
" how, at our first interview last year, we agreed to commence a sort of college among the Indians, and how you
granted me 'permission to go about the reservation, as I
pleased? Do you not recall your words to me : I love the
Catholic priest. In faCt my mother died a Catholic." " I
never told you anything of the kind," said he," and, furthermore, you must leave the reservation and never enter it
again." I went, to pay my respeCts to the person who had
told me of the calumny which had been spread against me,
and immediately left the reservation, at full speed. The
agent seeing me going, doubtless, congratulated himself at
the ·success of his plans, and flattered himself that he had
triumphed over the Catholic cause. Certainly if I alone
�Rocky Mountain Missions.
~
had been concerned, I could have borne my defeat with
equanimity, but his rage was injuring the Catholic religion.
Captain Stans, who went a few days after to the agency,
brought news that he had heard nothing but what was good
concerning me, but that the cause of my expulsion was my
religion. After a ride of twelve miles, I came to. Birch
Creek, crossed over, and was outside the reservation.
This event took place towards the close of May; so that
the end of the month of May was the beginning of my
exile, as if the Blessed Virgin wished to intimate that it was
due to her goodness alone, that I was allowed to remain in
the reservation during the month consecrated to her.
As soon as my Indians learned of my expulsion, they
became convinced that the agent was doing all in his power
to ill-treat me, and as I could not enter the reservation, it
remained for the Indians to cross the creek and visit me at
my residence, and they did this every Sunday, in order to
be present at Mass. They who lived at a great distance
sent me word that they wer'e getting ready to come, camp
by camp, on a pilgrimage to my house, in order to be instruCted and receive baptism.
Permission is granted to any white man to enter the reservation, to speak to the Indians, to remain there one
night, and go on towards the north. Consequently a Catholic priest can journey to the north, then to the east and
west and return south to his residence; but the agent can
always prevent him from building in the Indian "territory a
permanent residence.
I will give you more details in my next letter.
P. PRANDO,
S:
- -·
J.
�Letter from Father Prando.
317
ANOTHER LETTER FROM FR. PRANDO.
REV. FATHER SUPERIOR,
P. C.
In my last letter, I told you how the agent had driven
me from his reservation, simply because I was a Catholic
priest. Well, that same day I sent him a letter in which I
told him some pretty rough truths, in the hope of inducing
him to modify his unjust pretensions. After this, without
paying any heed to his prohibition, I crossed the river daily,
and instruaed the savages from morning till night. The
agent, of course, knew all this, but pretended not to. I
pushed on sometime as far as sixteen miles into the interior
of the reservation, going by the road/ so that I was able to
continue my instruaions to the savages up to the 20th of
June. On June 20th, a company of soldiers under command of Colonel Kent arrived here, and encamped on the
banks of Birch Creek, not far from our chapel. They had
been called out in haste because of a difficulty which had
arisen between the savages and some whites. Colonel Kent
is a Protestant, but a ma11 of some distintlion, and frequently
invited me to dine with him, when I went, to preach at Fort
Shaw. He regretted much my expulsion, of which he intended to speak to Lieutenant Anny.
Soon after his arrival, the Colonel wished to learn from
myself a statement of many of the questions relative to the
savages and whites. He afterwards remarked that the agent
had certainly not been very sharp, since he failed to see that
it was to his advantage to have near him Catholic priests
whom the Indians love so much. He added that if he were
agent, he would rather have a priest with him than a whole
company of soldiers. He promised, furthermore, to undertake the defence of my cause with the agent.
A short while after this the Colonel invited me to accompany him on a visit to White Calf, and aa as his interpreter. Having crossed the river, I called his attention to the
misery that reigned among the savages. Here and there
�Rocky Mountain JJ1issions.
little patches of land were cultivated with a hatchet or a
piece of iron; in the cabins there was utter destitution ..
White Calf welcomed us kindly, and in the conversation
confined himself to showing us how the poor savages were
dying of hunger, which raged to such an extent, that even
the great chief saw his own children weeping around him
for the want of a little food, and himself often grew giddy
from sheer hunger. The Colonel was astounded at the sad
recital, and convinced with his own eyes of the pitiable conclition and slavery of this people.
A few days later, Colonel Gibson, commander of the fort,
also arrived. As Colonel Gibson is a Catholic, it was deemed
best to send Colonel Kent to confer with the agent; for on
seeing him take up the defence of the Blackfeet, no charge
of favoritism could be used as a pretext against him. The
agent· was so confused at Colonel Kent's representations,
who insisted on his allowing.full liberty to Catholic priests,
that he knew not what answir to make. At last, he took
to pretexts, asserting that I had spread discord among the
savages, and kept trying to gain their friendship: "Commove! populum docens."-Seeing, then, no way of extricating
himself, he asked the Colonel to be kind enough to send
on the following day his observations in writing. Colonel
Kent sent the writing as asked for, and was careful to answer in it the objeCtions brought forth by the agent. , But
the agent knew better than to answer in writing as the
Colonel had desired ;~so, on the followicg day, he sent two
workmen from the agency, to inform us that he would not
grant the privilege we claimed. Colonel Kent was astounded at such an unexpeCted answer, and on the follqwing
morning, left in haste with his soldiers because of a sea.rcity
in their provisions.
In my last interview with Colonel Kent, I told him that
ever since my expulsion from the reservation I had confined
myself to instruCling the Indians of Birch Creek with the
intention of avoiding any difficulty with the agent; but
that for the future I would traverse the whole reservation,
and pay no heed at all to the agent, for I intended to cling
�Letter from Fatlzer Prando.
to my rights as a white man, knowing, too, that the constitution of the United States grants religious liberty to all.
A few days after this, I went to the agency for a general
census of the whole Blackfeet tribe. The Indians were
gathering for their Jlfedicine Lodge. I remained three days
among them, and made a tour of the whole encampment,
passing several times on foot or on horse-back before the
agent's door. The agent eyed me with some surprise, but
had not the courage to speak a word to me. So I believe
that this difficulty is settled. For my part, I suspect that
the agent, for reasons easily understood, did not wish to
officially authorize Catholic priests to remain on the reservation; but that is now preserving so quiet a mien, to avoid
bringing trouble upon himself, and through fear lest his injustices be made public. He is in still greater fear because
of the dispute which he had with the Colonel.
On this supposition, Fr. Damiani sent two workmen, to
complete our cabin, and to make it twice as large. The
work was finished up in a week, and we have now a chapel
twenty feet wide and forty-eight long. On the I 2th of
June, I celebrated the first Mass in the new church. · For
a long time the Indians have been earnestly wishing to have
their church finished, so that they could go there, to pray
and hold their accustomed "smoke."
On the following Sunday, the I 8th of June, there was a
solemn opening. Up to that time the church door had been
fastened, and when the Indians were, at last, permitted to
enter, they were warned that as the church is the house of
God, they were forbidden to talk therein, or to smoke. I
must note that after this order the respect of the Indians,
their behavior in the church edified me extremely. I opened
the ceremonies by an instruction in catechism, at the beginning of Mass.
After the Gospel followed a short address and a sermon
propos of the church. The Indians then continued in
prayer. and after Mass listened to another catechetical instruction. \Vhen all was over, they lit their pipes outside
.the church in the presence of their united chiefs.
a
�320
Rocky MouJttain MissioJts.
On the succeeding Sunday, the ceremonies were more
impressive because of the large number of Indians and presence of soldiers. The Indians of Isarka's camp, men and
women, flocked in, almost all on horse-back; and one would
· take them for a body of cavalry, so regular was their march.
The day before, I invited the soldiers to attend the divine
office together with the savages; but as most of the soldiers
are Protestants, I sent the invitation on condition that if they
wished to come, they would have to remain kneeling during
the time of Mass. I thought it proper to take this precaution, for, if my savages, as yet but ill instructed, saw the
soldiers remain standing, they would take scandal from it ;
and besides, if they knelt, I would not have trouble afterwards in obliging the Indians to remain kneeling. The soldiers turned out in fine number, knelt during the whole time,
with a blameless deportment to the great edification of the
Indians. At the Gospel, I t~rned toward the soldiers and
addressed a few words to them in English, after which I
gave an instruction in the Indian tongue.
During my sojourn in these parts, three little children
died without baptism,-partly, because I really had not time
to baptize the whole world, and partly, too, because the
parents, out of their ignorance, sent me no word of the condition of the little ones. It is exceedingly difficult to convert
the ailing Indians, unless they have been well instructed
while in good health ; for it seems that in the time of sickness all the powers -of darkness are leagued against the
poor savage. In the first place, the parents offer such stout
opposition, that the priest is unable to see the sick person;
for they fear that the presence of a priest will only aggravate the evil, So, they put off the missioner, telling .,him
to come back when the poor person who is dying will have
recovered. This very case happened to me with regard to
a poor Indian who had several wives, and who died without
altering his condition. Other obstacles, too, are the superstitions, of which the Indians cannot ever rid themselves.
The other day, an Indian came to tell me that a woman
whom I had baptized last year, was dying at Citon, distant
�Letter from Father Prando.
about forty miles. I mounted my horse, and after six hours
brisk ride, arrived at the woman's hut. I heard her confession, and after two days she died.
bzdicm Cwzning.-I was one day engaged in hearing confessions in a hut when a young man, married but a short
time ago, came,. to bid me hurry to see his wife, and baptize
her, for she was dying. I went and found a woman who
had not, at all, the appearance of a sick person, and who
upon my questioning her assured me that she was quite
well. I told her that her husband had come, to inform me
that she wished to be baptized, for that she was dying. The
woman then broke into a fit of rage against her husband,
crying out: "My husband lied. He knew that I intended
to !~ave him, so he said,-' You intend to leave me do you?
Very good, I'll go and get the Black Robe to make you be
baptized and marry me ; then you cannot leave me, for you
will not be allowed to marry any one else.' " On hearing
this, the Indians who stood by all laughed heartily. The
woman continued: "That man is a wretch. He is forever
beating me, and has even gone so far as to try to choke me.
I do not wish ever again to hear anything about him."
Pretending then to speak in earnest, I said to her: " So
you are not yet baptized? Well now, you just cast about
for another husband, and I'll marry you to him." At this,
the Indians again broke into roars of laughter, and the poor
young husband stood sheepishly apart, utterly confused,
and not daring to open his lips. \Vhen leaving, I told him
for his consolation that it was impossible to settle the matter just then, as they were both very angry, and that I would
reserve my decision for another time.
Suicide among tlze Indians.- Itorkujipujop was a young
Indian of such refined manners, that one would almost take
him for a civilized man. His tender-heartedness was the
ruin of him. Last winter, he wished to take to wife a young
Indian girl raised by Itarka, and so he asked her hand of
him. Itarka intended to await the coming of the Black
�Rock}'- Mountain Missions,
Robe, so that the marriage might proceed regularly, and
after the baptism of the parties; but moveu by the repeated
insistence of the young lover, he gave the girl up to him.
Soon after Itorkujipujop took up with a young widow, and
eloped with her. The young girl's parents pursued the fugitives, and fired upon them twice, but without bringing
them down either time. On my arrival, I ·made him give
up the young girl; but one day she came to meet Itorkujipujop, telling him that his brother had outraged her. The
young Indian, unwilling to take revenge on his brother,
turned his gun upon himself, and shot himself in the heart.
He died almost instantly.
Tlze Medicine Lodge.-According to their tradition, the
Indians have to hold every year a Jlfedi'cine Lodge or sundance, so as to obtain success in their chase. I had been
told that at these fetes thep~ was a great deal of superstition and much immorality; "therefore, I have often shown
my. displeasure on the subjeCt of the Lodge. One day,
White Calf came to tell me that he wished to hold a Medicine Lodge, but, on the other hand, he would not like to
offend me; so he came to learn what there was allowable
in it, and what was forbidden. I explained to him that they
might without any harm sink the posts and ereCt their lodge,
beat the drums, dance beseeming dances, and h3:ve their
speeches ; but that they were not allowed to utter evil prayers, nor to offer anything whatever to the sun. White Calf
was very well satisfied at this, and, a few days after, all the
Indians of Birch Creek gathered at the agency, to tak~ part
in the ceremony. I wished to see from afar how the-thing
was carried on, and take occasion from it to instruCt the
savages who flocked thither in large numbers. I remained
in the camp five days, taking my meals in White Calf's hut,
and soon perceived that the general intention was to offer a
great sacrifice. The better instruCted among the savages
intended to offer their sacrifice to God, and looked upon
the present time as one of prayer. Before lighting their
pipes, they caressed them tenderly in their hands. When
�Letter from Fatlzer Prando,
the pipes were lit, one of the Indians filled his mouth with
smoke and held up the long stem of the calumet; then
turning his face to the sky, he blew a cloud of smoke toward the heavens, and pronounced the words," To God."
Soon after, he came to ask me what I thought of his aaion.
I told him that there was no harm in it, waiting for a more
favorable opportunity of instruaing him better. One of
them then brought out to an Indian woman a cup of coffee
and a piece of bread. Before eating, the woman prayed for
a while; then taking a bit of the bread between her thumb
and forefinger, with her other fingers she dug a hole in the
ground, and cast the bread into it; after this she moistened
it with a little coffee. I disapproved entirely of that proceeding, and took occasion from it to instrua the savages
who stood around me. The Indians had with them (as the
ceremony demanded) seven or eight tongues of beef, which
had been faithfully kept for the sacrifice, although they had
nothing else to eat; for this camp, you must know, is quite
a poor one. I mys~lf was then suffering with keen hunger;
indeed, I literally " heard the barkings of hunger," and
casting a glance at the tongues of beef, I suggested, laughingly, that it would be much wiser to serve them up for us
at supper. The tongues were surrounded with dry cow
dung which one of the Indians proceeded forthwith to light,
and the smoke of which was to serve as perfume to the
tongues during the sacrifice. When this was over, I told
them seriously that such sacrifices would not be pleasing to
God ; for the Black Robe now offers in their midst the sacrifice of the Mass, a sacrifice above all others, for in it is
offered up to God His own Son. Henceforth, then, the
Black Robe must be to them in the place of their wise woman. The Indians at these words eyed me with some suspicion, but said nothing.
The following day, I made an excursion of some ten
miles into the neighboring country, accompanied by two
of \Vhite Calf's sons, and in the evening I returned again.
On arriving I heard some of the people praying; but a child
who stood at the door of the hut bade me not to enter;
�Rocky ....Mountain Missions.
pointing out another hut where I could remain, for at that
moment they were holding the Okan, that is, they were
blessing the tongues of beef; how, I do not know, I said
to myself that some evil was surely going on within, else
how explain their refusing to allow me to be present. However, as I was weary with fatigue, I betook myself to the hut
pointed out to me. The Indians soon perceived from my
stern bearing toward them that I disapproved of their Medicine Lodge. I remained for some time among them, but
\vithout speaking a word to any one. One of the savages,
to break the silence, made bold to ask me, if I was hungry.
I told him that I would eat by and by, adding that ii they
continued to carry on in this manner, I would be obliged to
leave them altogether. Thus far, they had refused to tell
me what they did at their prayers, and this I took for a very
bad sign. I concluded by telling them that the Medicine
Lodge was their ruin; for ever.y year some heavy evil had
befallen them during it. Last year, one of them was murdered; this year, another committed suicide; they lose a
month and a half in idleness, and instead of pleasing God,
they offend Him. After this I left the hut, stopping only
to shake hands with one of the children who accompanied
me in the morning, and who was now watching me with a
sad countenance.
In the hurry of leaving, I forgot to tuck up my habit before mounting my horse, so that a gust of wind caught it,
and spread it out, giving me the appearance of a man with
wings. The Indians followed me with their eyes full of
wonderment. I soon lost sight of the camp, and in order
to avoid meeting \Vhite Calf, returned to Birch Cree'k -by
the road. On the following day, White Calf sent one of the
sub-chiefs of his camp, to tell me that he was very sorry
for having begun the Lodge.
. He was anxious now
to know, if I had determined to forsake the savages. I answered that if the savages intended to obey the law of God,
I would never abandon them; but that if they wished to
set up for teachers and diCtate to me how God was to be
honored, I would certainly leave theri1. I finished by say-
I .
1\
�Letter from Father Praudo.
ing that on the following day I would leave for the Mission
of St. Peter.
The Indians knew that, at least, after a few days I would
have to return to that mission, and this was why I wished
to hasten my ·departure and leave them suddenly, so as to
give them a lesson.
I believed that when I was returning I would be able to
cross Pan river at almost any place, for the water did not
seem to me to be_ very deep. But when I had reached
about half- way across, my horse could scarcely touch bottom; and being no longer able to resist the current, threw
himself on his left side. I tried to release myself from the
saddle, and leap into the water, but in so doing, I somehow
gave the bridle a vigorous jerk that sent the horse springing
to his feet. I then paused an instant, but at last drew clear
of the danger. On reaching the opposite bank, I turned to
look at the treacherous waters, and asked myself what I
was thinking of at that so critical a moment. I had not
given a thought to the danger I was in, for all my attention
was fixed on guiding the horse. Later on, however, I recognized in my deliverance a special providence of heaven,
for the left hand pocket of my habit, in which was a little
statue of St. Joseph, remained perfeCtly dry; while the other
was soaking wet.
And now, Rev. Father, I have arrived at the end of my
excursion among the savages. After to-morrow I leave again
for Birch Creek ; for I have taken sufficient rest during the
past few weeks in the mission of St. Peter. Since my arrival here I have learned that the agent is having his share
of troubles; for the Indians, driven by hunger, made an
outbreak on the agency; tore open the doors, and carried
off the food. Soldiers were called out by the agent, and
came in great numbers. But on the day of the distribution
of provisions, Colonel Kent dispatched a company of soldiers to the agency, to weigh the rations, and they found
some which fell far short of the weight assigned. The
Colonel sent a report of this to Washington. Thus it 1s
VoL. xn-No. 3·
37 *
�Rocky Jfountain Missions.
that the agent will have other misfortunes, too; and we can
repeat our proverb: chi Ia fo l' asppetti ;-who doth evil to
others, let him fear evils for himself We can say likewise:
Salute1n ex inimicis nostns; for as long as these are at discord among themselves, they will leave us in peace.
I must not forget to thank you, Rev. Father, for having
decided to establish a residence at Birch· Creek, and for
having destined another priest to evangelize the Blackfeet.
In the hope of seeing all your wishe~ accomplished, and
in union with your holy sacrifices,
Your Reverence's humble servant in Christ,
P. PRANDO,S.J.
FROM THE SAME TO HIS SUPERIOR.
REVEREND FATHER SuPERIOR,
.,,
··~
BLACK RocK CAMP .
P.-c.
On August the 28th, I reached the Indian camp where I
found things greatly changed. The Indians had been driven
by hunger to threaten the agent's life, and he had called on
the troops to protect him. This terrified the poor savages
whose minds were full of former horrors, and they struck
into the mountains. Peace was finally restored, however,
and when the savages returned, they found in the soldiers
their most devoted friends. Colonel Kent showed them
great kindness by obtaining from the government an increase of rations.
My first Sunday here, the church was thronged and Col.
Moole and the other soldiers seemed highly pleased ..yith
the ceremonies.
~ •·
There is a vein of romance in the nature of these savages .
that accounts for their great love of song, and which greatly .
aids me in teaching them prayers and the truths of religion.
I kept only the baptizeu after Mass, and the married people,
to instruct them separately. I first congratulated them on
their fidelity in keeping their promise of retaining but one
wife. This I dare not do to all, as I have great anxiety
�Letter from Father Prando.
327
about their fidelity. Afterwards, I questioned them one
after another, and found to my great surprise that every one
of them had scrupulously kept their word, giving full liberty to their former wives to do as they wished. Among
others, there was one Indian who answered my questions
with an energy that not only greatly consoled me, but also
had a good effect on the rest.
This separation of the savages from many wives is a great
sacrifice. One day .while the Indians were listening to one
of these instructions, I called for a large knife and putting
it like a sword in my girdle, I told them that the Black
Robe had orders from the Son of God to take the sword
and, going among those who had many wives, to separate
them. Then knife in hand I added, "for this have I come
among you, to separate you in the name of God from your
many wives. But, as you are aware, my knife is not the
one you here behold; it is the commandment of God. For
the moment, I know this separation gives you pain; but
what will be your joy hereafter, when you will be the friends
of God and forever happy in heaven!'' My words pleased
them and they greatly approved of my oratorical device.
Every one at Innikkayantassa camp asked for baptism, and
for the eight following days, they crossed the river regularly, to assist at instruction. The last day, I selected those
only from among them who were free from impediments.
With the exception of two, all were disposed to give up
their women; but these two, though willing to give them
up, still insisted as a condition that these were not to marry
again, but were to live secluded in a hut set apart for them,
for they did not like the idea of their sons being maltreated
by other men. I tried my best to compromise matters; but
to no avail, and so they had to be ·rejected as unworthy of
the Sacrament. The chief Innikkayantassa, seeing their
obstinacy, stood up and left the church indignantly. One
of the polygamists who has six wives rose also and left
the church followed by them, and the other who had refused baptism, cried out on leaving, "let us all go;" but. he
found no followers save his wives. I then concluded my
�Rocky~
Mozmtai?Z Missions.
instruction and baptized twenty-eight adults and blessed six
marriages.
The next day, the church was filled with Indians who
have the custom of bringing their dogs with them. This
was a cause of annoyance to me; so I placed a sentinel at
the door with strict orders to allow no dog into the church,
and also to prevent the two Indians from entering, who on
the previous day had refused to part with their wives. Towards evening, one of these came to beg my pardon, saying
that the chief's conduCt had irritated him, but I took the
good chief's part, commending his aCtion in every respect,
and after exhorting him to abandon his wives, I promised
him baptism. That he promised to do. Sometime later,
one of the tribe came to intercede again for him, and during
the night Onistagissa himself came secretly, to tell me that
some months before, his little daughter had fallen into consumption, and fearing to lose> her, he had made a vow to
God that if his child were cured, he would become a Christian. "Now," said he, "my child is in perfect health, and I
wish to fulfil my promise. There is now remaining no obstacle but my wives, whom from this moment, I permit to
do as they please." I praised these sentiments, and on
the following day baptized him, and blessed his marriage
with one of his wives. The chief Issarki tells me that the
other recalcitrant, since the death of his daughter and the
loss of all his horses, gives signs of mental derangement, a
statement I am inclined to believe.
I few days ago, one of the savages while in conversation
with Colonel l\Ioole, to prove his asseveration, showed him
a medal that he carried round his neck, and lifting i~· towards heaven said : "See by this that I cannot lie; -fo·r I
wear this medal. "The Colonel who is also a Catholic drew
forth his own and replied: "I too, as you see, wear a medal."
Since then they are the best of friends.
Pitnotokun came on a visit to me, and being quite blind
was led by his wife. He met me on the road and invited
me to go and baptize at his home a child of six years that
was dying of consumption. I did so, and regenerated at
�Letter from Fatlter Prando.
the same time two other infants. On my return he accompanied me for the purpose of receiving baptism himself, and
on the way he never ceased praying. Though I was riding
before him, I could easily overhear his fervent prayers.
When I proposed to him to give up one of his two women,
he made no resistance, saying that from that moment he gave
them up, with perfeCt: freedom to do as they pleased. A
few moments completed his instruCtion, as he had been very
attentive to my sermons, and the next day, I baptized himself and his first wife. I think I have never met an Indian
in better dispositions.
These Indians scrupulously avoid intermarriage with relatives; I could never find out to what degree this extends.
\Vhen a young man marries the eldest daughter, he has
the refusal of the other sisters, and it is not a rare case to
meet a man who takes to wife all the daughters of a family.
Not long ago, an Indian who had two wives asked for ba·ptism. I asked him if he was ready to give up the second
one who was with her father at the time. He said he would
willingly, should her father agree to return the six horses
he had received at their marriage. The compromise was
effeCted and he was baptized. The girl in question was but
seven years old at the time, and was then married two years,
while he was a man of fifty years.
Some days since, while I was teaching prayers to some
Indians in a house, the master of the house was on the
point of entering when, of a sudden a young girl cried out
to him: "Stop she is here." Hearing this, the man turned
round and started back to the field.
On inquiring what all this meant, J was informed that
there exists a custom among them forbidding the son·inlaw from ever looking on his mother-in-law, and vice versa.
This is why he dare not enter, for the old lady was in the
house. I told them that when there was question of religion such customs should not be observed, for no one
should deprive himself of instruCtion on so slight grounds.
This seemed to embarrass them, for on the one hand not
wishing to violate their usage, yet on the other they were
�330
Rockz Mozmtat'n Mt'ssions.
loath to displease the Black Robe. But the old lady found
a way out of the difficulty by prostrating herself in one corner of the room with her face to the ground. She was then
covered by some garment and the other women took up
their position in front of her. This done, I went out and
brought in the son in-law after some difficulty, who took to
the opposite corner of the apartment, where he remained
with back to the audience· during the instruction. \Vhen it
was over, the old lady went out first, and he then sat down
contented.
P. PRANDO, 5. J.
Letter from Fatlzer i11on!!o.
LAPWAI, lnAHO Tv., }any. 2nd t 883.
REv. FATHER SuPERIOR,
-
P. C)
I lately visited a sick woman at Camiai to whom I gave
the sacraments and consoled her in 'her trouble. The poor
creature, besides suffering from a painful and obstinate disease, has many trials to bear on account of her conversion.
Last year, I was called to Camiai in the Nez-perces territory,
to baptize a woman on her death bed. She had heard several of our sermons and her heart could no longer resist
the conviction she felt that ours was the only true church.
Stilr there were many obstacles over which she had no control. Her husband being a Protestant, she was forced to
live in a heretical country where blasphemies and calumnies
against the Catholic Church were ever falling on her ears.
But God in His mercy overcame all these difficultie.S at a
stroke, by sending her a mortal sickness that open~cf' her
eyes to the rigor of His judgments in the next world. She
now decided to renounce Protestantism and asked for baptism. \Vhen I reached her the disease had somewhat abated, which made me fear a little for her constancy, but I soon
recognized the complete triumph of grace in her soul. As
my time was limited and she seemed well instructed in the
faith, I gave her conditional absolution and baptism, after a
�Letter from Fatlzer Morillo.
very brief instruB:ion. Her husband promised me he would
live amicably with her, and I then left them, with a fervent
prayer to God for the perseverance of His regenerated
daughter.
When the news of this conversion got abroad, loud cries ·
went up from the heretical Indians. They would never
allow any Catholic in their territory, belonging as it did to
Protestants, and Catholicism being an exotic plant was
brought there by the evil one. This anathema incurred by
the wife on her becoming a Catholic made it impossible for
her Protestant husband to live with her; so they were
forced to separate, though he was much attached to his wife.
She, on her part, might easily have escaped this war declared against her, but so powerfully did the grace of the
Holy Ghost strengthen her, that she did not seem to mind
it in the least. Such perseverance in one scarcely initiated
in the truths of our faith appears to me to be a little less
than a miracle of grace; especially when I remember that
she knows but few prayers and sees a priest only two or
three times a year. Her husband, I am sure, adheres to his
errors more as a family inheritance than for any solid reason,
for he is a good simple man at heart. Were it not for his
simplicity, he would have been a Catholic long ago. Once
he received a medal that he kept very carefully, and having
lost it, he unfortunately met a Protestant minister who baptized him. The man submitted to this very willingly; for
as he looked at things, it was better to be a Christian of
any sort than an infidel.· All this happened when there
were no Black Gowns in the country. He is now surrounded by a crowd of ministers who are alternately sending all
Black Gowns to hell or extolling them to heaven, and hence
he has come to the conclusion that all religions are equally
good, and considers himself free to serve God in his own
way.
I was afterwards called on to baptize an old blind woman
who had received baptism from the heretics during the
quarrel between the Americans and the Nez-Perces, when
the Indians were taught to look upon Protestantism as the
�surest means of gaining government favor.
This blind
woman assured me she knew nothing of her religion except that water had been poured on her head. Fearing
she would not be able to learn the prayers, she had not
dared to ask for baptism from the Black Gown. These difficulties soon vanished, and after a few instruaions she was
ready for conditional baptism, when I gave her the name of
Susanna.
I went to see the wife of Branchard who is suffering from
paralysis. I then said Mass and gave them both communion. The husband is subjeCl to heart disease, by which he
may be carried off at any moment. Contrary to all expectation, we had a little feast in our chapel on the day of the
Assumption ; for at this season the Indians are usually dispersed. I omit many other incidents which, though edifying, are not extraordinary. I unite myself with your prayers.
Your Reverence's servant in Christ,
A ..MORRILLO, s. ].
SPOKANE MISSION.
Letter from Fatlzer Jacquet.
SPoKANE FALLS, ST. MICHAEL's MISSION,
June 8th, I 88 3·
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. c.
May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved everywhere more
and more!
I am sure that you are wondering why I have not written
to you sooner about Spokane Falls, the Indians etc.-- ·Well
as soon as Fr. Cataldo saw me, almost the first thing he
told me was, "what a pity you could not have been here for
the Sunday after Easter, to see the gathering of the Indians
on the occasion of the visit of the Bishop; it would have
given you an idea of our work here. However, you will
have another chance, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, at
the Creur d'Alene mission. I will so manage as to make
\
�Letter from Father Jacquet.
333
you go there. The Archbishop of Oregon and the Bishop
of Montana are expected to be there." So I laid in hopes
of seeing something not often witnessed, and to give you
an account of it; for though this is a mission among the
Indians too, yet there are none around here now, all being
either fishing, hunting, or gathering roots. However, as on
the Sunday before the Feast of the Sacred Heart, I was,
after saying Mass at Spokane Falls, returning to the mission
here, my horse got suddenly scared, and before I had time
to ·control him, threw me against a tree to the ground. I
had hurt my shoulder pretty badly, without, however, having any bones broken. I managed to walk back to the mission, and got some horse-liniment put on it, till something
better could be had at Spokane Falls, eight miles from here.
I was kept in bed for four days, and have to carry my arm
in a sling yet. But what is more to the point is this. The
Brother who took care of me, in fixing up my room, saw some
papers which he thought I did not need, and destroyed them.
\Nhat were there but my notes on my trip across the ocean,
about Spokane Falls, the neighboring places, when after getting better, I wished to send them after copying them ! I
looked for them in vain ; to my great disappointment, I perceived they had been destroyed.
Not to make you wait any longer, I prefer to let you
know it. I do not think the WooDsTock LETTERS will lose
much.
I will try to get up something else. Meanwhile, believe
me, your devoted servant inS. C.].
A. jACQUET, S. J.
NoTE.-Since the above was written, Spokane Falls has
been united to the outside world bv the Northern Pacific
Railroad. The usual fate, no doubt,.awaits the poor Indian,
but great advantage must accrue to the Church from the
presence of our Fathers, who, failing the Indians, will have
more than enough to do in saving the souls of the whites,
who will crowd in with the railroad and civilization. And
thus will, perhaps, be the final history of all the Rocky Mountain Missions before twenty-five years have passed away.
En. LETTERS.
VoL. xu-No. 3·
�OBITUARY.
FATHER WILLIAM
T.
WHITEFORD,
s. J.
(From tlze Georgetown College Journal.)
Born Septemb.. r 19, 1843; died Aprll16, 1883.
So sad a day rarely falls into the calendar of college life
as that, which we had thought to keep as a jubilee for the
founding of the Jesuit missions in Maryland, Monday, April
16, 1883, At supper, on the evening previous, we were
shocked by the announcement that Father Whiteford, whose
absence none had noted, so recently had he been amongst
us on the play-ground and in the class-room, was dangerously ill; but no one was prepared to believe that the hearty,
robust, genial gentleman whose presence and. speech were
everywhere eloquent of life.. and health, was really within a
few hours of his death. He had for some days complained
of a cold and of oppression on the chest, but not until Saturday morning about 10 o'clock, did he consent to go to
bed for treatment. Symptoms of pneumonia and pericarditis manifested themselves early on Saturday night, and by
9 o'clock A. ::.t., on Sunday, the disease had taken so malignant a hold on the sufferer, that it was evident even his
vigorous frame would find difficulty in casting it off. From
the first appearance of alarming symptoms Father vVhiteford declared that his end was imminent, and with resignation
and fortitude he set about making needful preparati~n and
all final arrangements. In the full possession of hisJaculties, which indeed he lost only with life, he received reverently and devoutly the last rites of the Church about 8 P.M.,
on Sunday, and entered upon his last night on earth in great
pain and distress, for the ravages of the_ disease upon his
heart and lungs had made respiration exceedingly difficult
and labored.
Frequently, as the hours wore on, he renewed the offer(334)
\
�Fatlzer Wz'!!iam T. Wh£teford.
335
ing of his life to God, fervently commended himself to the
prayerful remembrance of all who loved him, and in all respeCts bore himself as a true soldier of the cross, fighting
the last good fight Two of his brothers, both of them
physicians, kept watch by his bed-side during that painful
night, and nothing that skill and affeCtion could suggest
was denied him. Once, when the agony of pain grew more
violent, he asked if no anodyne could be administered that
would bring relief. He was told that a potion could be
given for the purpose, but that it would at the same time
compromise his vitality and render him unconscious in the
moment of death. He declined the relief to be thus dearly
bought, and bore his sufferings without murmur to the end.
This came at 8.30 A. M., on Monday, April r6, and our day
of recreation was mournfully ushered in by the tolling of
the De Profimdis bell.
)
Father Whiteford was but sixteen years old on entering
the Society of Jesus, and he passed through the usual probations of the Order, coming first to Georgetown in 1863,
to make his philosophical studies ; after which he was employed in teaching 'and in theological studies until 1876,
when he returned to Georgetown to assume the position of
First PrefeCt and Professor of English Literature. Here he
remained almost without interruption up to the day of his
death; at one time Vice President of the College, at another
Professor either of Rhetoric or poetry, but in all positions
the college boy's friend, guide and counsellor.
It would be presumption on our part to touch upon the
portions of Father Whiteford's career spent in other institutions of his Order, as it would be a task unfitting our pen
to attempt a portraiture of his charaCter in these columns.
We can tell only what he was to us and to the generations
of students, our immediate predecessors. By reason of his
fresh, kindly nature, his sound, praCtical views, his erudition,
his refined literary taste, his strong affections, and, in a
word, that complex of charaCteristics, mental and moral,
which men call magnetism, he was peculiarly fitted to win
the esteem of young men, and to mould and influence,
�Father William T. Whiteford.
where he seemed only to amuse and entertain. In the
class-room and on the play-ground, whether the question
was one of intellea or of heart, Father \Vhiteford's approval or reproof was never a matter of indifference to the student under his eye. Who of us that ever sat before him at
his desk can forget the uninterrupted play of wit, sparkling
and spontaneous, called out by every line of his favorite
Horace or his familiar Juvenal; the keen satire, which aaed
as a spur to the laggard, while the viaim could not mistake
the kindly motive that prompted its use; the unfailing cheerfulness which cast spirit into the dullest task; the hearty
good humor which enchained attention and bound the class
together under the spell of his genial presence. He was a
born magister, and he added to acquirements and native
talents, a gift rarer than learning or strong intelleaual powers, the faculty of imparting information. Not only for
members of his own class, buJ: for all the students who cho~e
to share the privilege, his ro9m held out a welcome always,
and he was never seen to better advantage as a man of
mind and heart, than when seated in his easy chair, surrounded by a group of past or present students, and, bubbling over with humor, wit and kindliest feeling, he rehearsed anecdotes, recalled incidents of college life, sent
his barbed shafts against the foibles and follies of men and
things, and ruled, a "master of the feast," at these symposia
of letters.
\Vhere weightier interests were in question, Fr. Whiteford displayed zeal worthy of his calling, and it is safe to
say that no professor of our time exercised more potent or
more salutary influence over the minds and hearts of students. A word of counsel from him was prized; a "Principle of aaion, accepted without question ; a look or speech
of reproof, received in grateful submission, and even the less
docile were amenable to the friendly guidance which his
sense of duty taught him how to exercise.
It does not become us to dwell upon the marks of esteem
and affeaion which the students spontaneously paid Father
Whiteford's worth. The gloom that overspread the com-
�Brother James O'Ne£/l.
337
munity and, for days after his death, repressed the efferves~
cent spirits of youth, spoke louder than words of the place
he held in their lives, and his gentle loving nature would
have found rich reward for all his service in our behalf, in
the grief his loss entailed, and in the prayers his death
claimed from our sorrowing hearts. The class of Rhetoric,
which he had resigned only a few \veeks before, and the
class of Poetry, which he was aCl:ually teaching when death
set a term to his labors, shared the privilege of watching
his remains, and of extending to them the last marks of respeCt:: nor was it difficult to see that genuine affeCl:ion rather
than forms of custom diCl:ated the ministrations to their
deceased professor.
Not those only from whom death immediately withdrew
him have found cause for sorrowing in his loss. Old stu~
dents scattered over the land were shocked and grieved to
hear the grievous news, and our columns might easily be
filled with the warm tributes from ''old boys" who knew
and loved him.
"~Iultis
ille bonis flebilis occidit,"
this good man, zealous priest, loyal friend and ideal professor.
He has left a place in our midst not soon to be filled, a
memory too dear ever to be forgotten, and the pious wish
of the humble Christian, that by all who loved him here
his soul's needs should be faithfully remembered in prayer.
Let thus our -affeCl:ion follow him, whom death has placed
beyond the reach of other love.
BROTHER JAMES O'NEILL.
Brother James O'Neill, who was called to his reward, June
13th, 1883, was born in the County Longford, Ireland, May
25th, I 815. He left his home for Canada at the age of
twenty-two, and, after a voyage of as many months as it
now takes days to cross the ocean, he arrived in the Provinces, in May, 1837· Here he spent but a very short time.
Crossing over to the States and applying for admission into
the Society, he was sent to vVhite Marsh and thence to
Frederick, where he began his noviceship, September Ist,
�Brotlzer James 0' Neill.
1843. His noviceship over, he was dispatched to the newly
founded College of the Holy Cross, where he spent the remainder of his life, the single year 1853 excepted.
No one that lived at Holy Cross during all these years,
whether as a student or member of the community, could
fail to be impressed with the evidence of strong, natural
charaCter and the example of really solid and deep-rooted
virtue manifested in the life of good Brother Jimmy, as he
was familiarly called. Charity, patience, a love of labor and
devotion to the Society and to his special calling in it were
the virtues he cultivated.
He was a man of large heart, of ready sprightly wit, that
could force a smile to the face of the most downcast.
Charity was his pet virtue and, the better to satisfy its
promptings witl1in the very limited sphere of his influence,
he brought into play with a simplicity truly childlike, all
the gifts with which God ha? blessed him. His very retentive memory kept stored ..'up recolleCtions of his early
life, full of incident and always savoring of the mirthful,
with which, when asked, he would entertain his brethren in
recreation; and with such marvellous interest would he tell
his story and with such wonderful exaCl:ness of detail and
vividness of discription as to fill you with admiration of the
great natural gifts of the man.
He was always ready to supply, in as far as he could, the
needs of his brethren; and with such a warmth of good will
would he lend himself to meet your little necessities, that
you carried aw~y a very wholesome lesson of the magic
power of self-sacrifice and brotherly love.
One that knew nothing of his bodily sufferings would be
led to believe from his massive frame, that he was a stranger
to the name of sickness, and yet chronic asthma that forced
him periodically to take to his bed and, finally, caused his
death, and other maladies kept him constantly on the rack
of suffering; but his indomitable energy would never succumb till resistance was physically impossible, and then you
might apprehend the worst. In one of these attacks he
passed away in the peace of God.
\
�Father :John Schoenmakers.
FATHER JoHN ScHOENMAKERS.
On Saturday, July 30th, Father John Schoenmakers died
at the St. Francis' Institution, Osage Mission, Kansas, after
having received the rites of the Church.
He was born in the town of Waspick, Langstaat, a province of North Brabant, in Holland, in 1807. He was ordained priest in 1833. Shortly after his ordination, he sailed
for America with the intention of becoming a missionary.
He landed in New York, on the 25th of Decem~er; thence
he proceeded to Georgetown, D. C., where he was admitted
as a novice in the Society of Jesus, on the 16th of January,
1824. In July of that same year, he with several other
missionaries left for St. Louis, Mo. He worked zealously
in and about that city until the spring of I 847, when divine
providence called him to another field of apostolic labor,
the desolate region of south-eastern Kansas. About this
time, Father Verreydt's zealous little band was traversing
various portions of Kansas and had also met with the
Osage Indians; but as it had fixed its principal missionary
station among the Pottawatomies, at St. Mary's, it could not,
on account of the great distance between these two tribes,
attend to the welfare of the Osages. Father Van de Velde,
then Vice- Provincial of the Missouri Province, thought it
best to ereCl a new station in· the south-eastern part of Kansas. After Father Verreydt, who was well acquainted with
the Osage reservation, had seleCled the spot, which is now
known as Osage Mission, the Provincial appointed Father
John Schoenmakers, as its first Superior.
Father Schoenmakers accepted his new appointment, and
at once prepared himself for its demands. Having colleCled
sufficient supplies for a long and tedious journey, he, with
Father John Bax and three Brothers, left St. Louis for Kansas in the spring of 1847. He ascended the Missouri river
as far as Kansas City where he found some three or four
huts built along the riverside. From Kansas City, he direCled his course towards the south-west in wagons, drawn
�340
Fathe! :John Schoemnakers.
by oxen. The inconveniences encountered on this journey
can be better imagined than described ; but as these zealous
laborers knew that they were doing a work of love, they
overcame their natural repugnances in an heroic manner.
After several days of travelling, they reached their mission
on the 28th of April, 1847. and occupied at once their new
residence, consisting of two log houses, prepared for them.
Father Schoenmakers, knowing the importance not only of
religion and literature, but also of manual labor, inaugurated wliat was then called: "A manual labor school for Indian boys." Having provided for the Indian boys, his next
task was for the good of the girls, which entailed not a
little difficulty; but ever ready to promote God's greater
glory, he was equal to the emergency. He proceeded at
once to Kentucky and there, with the permission of the
Rev. Bishop of Louisville, obtained sisters of the Congregation of Loretto. \Vith this new corps a school for Indian
girls was opened on the lOth-of October, 1847. As Father
Schoenmakers had his schools in fair progress, his next
solicitude was to procure farmers and mechanics. \Vith
regard to farming, he soon taught the art to the Indians,
but to obtain artisans, he was obliged to invite strangers,
who, after some hesitation, finally gave their aid to the promotion of the mission. \Vhen these few volunteers saw
that it was possible to live amongst the Osages, whose very
name was a terror to all the whites living along the borders
of Missouri and Arkansas, they, in turn, invited their friends
to settle among them, and thus began the settlement of the
whites in south-eastern Kansas.
In September, 186g, the Indians ceded by treaty their
lands, nine million acres, to the United States, and mig;ated
to their new reservation in the Indian Territory. The departure of these souls grown so dear to Father Schoenmakers was a sad blow for him, but ever. vigilant for doing
good, the zealous missionary directed his attention to the
welfare of the whites, who were now scattered around his
station. · The manual labor schools of the Indian boys were
converted into "St. Francis' Institution for Boys," and St.
�Mr. ·Yames Aloysz"us Mugan.
341
Ann's Academy succeeded to the school for Indian girls;
under these names these houses of education are known,
at the present day, throughout the West. The flourishing
condition of both institutions and the good they have done
are due to the pains of our departed Father.
The career of Father Schoenmakers was, perhaps, a hidden one, but those who were acquainted with him and were
eye-witnesses of his zeal, testify that his reward must be exceedingly great in heaven. Only on the last day, shall be
known what privations and hardships he had to endure, in
promoting God's greater glory and the salvatio~ of souls.
May his soul rest in peace.
MR. ]AMES Awvsws MuaAN.
On the I Ith of OCtober, at the College of Las Vegas,
New Mexico, died Mr. James Aloysius Mugan in the twentythird year of his age. The immediate cause of his death
was paralysis of the brain which in his already weakened
state easily proved fatal.
He had come to Mew 1\Iexico in March last, hoping that
the climate, so beneficial to consumptives, would rid him of
the disease-pulmonary consumption~from which he was
suffering. He had contraCted an affeCtion of the lungs during his J uniorate at Frederick, but he paid no attention to
it until it had developed into consumption. The disease
rapidly grew worse, and by the time he came to Las Vegas,
it was in a stage so advanced, that the physicians deemed
his case hopeless. But when we saw the wonderful improvement th~t New Mexican air effeCted in him, we began
to have well-grounded hopes of his recovery, and it is hard
to say what the result would have been, if this new disease
had not attacked him.
Mr. Mugan was born in Providence, R. I., on the 1 Ith of
February, 1860. He made his studies at St. Mary's College,
Montreal, where his course throughout was an exceptionally brilliant one, distinguished, not less by his rare talent 1 ·
VoL. xu-No. 3·
38*
�342
.Mr. :James. Aloysius Mugan.
than by his piety and the winning natural qualities that
endeared him to every one that knew him. After
graduating with all the honors of his class, he entered the
Novitiate of Manresa, vVest Park, for the old mission of
New York.
This time, he used to say, was the happiest of his life:
and one of the most amiable traits in his entirely amiable
charaCter was the grateful affeCtion he was so fond of expressing, for Fr. Daubresse and Fr. Gleason, his two ]\lasters of Novices. It is not surprising that his recolleCtions
of .Manresa remained always so fresh and so dear to him,
because the air of the Novitiate seemed never to have left
him. Up to the last, he retained the cheerfulness and modesty, the forgetiulness of self, and. a certain charming enthusiasm, which are supposed to charaCterize the novice.
And for the other and solider virtues, every one that has
lived with him knows that::: his words and aCtions were
ruled always by an exquisit.e charity, and a humility that
were always unobtrusive, because always sincere.
Certainly, if sickness is a good test for the quality of a
man's virtue, his gold was well proven pure. During the
whole time of his illness, no one ever heard him utter a word
of impatience. He seemed afraid only of giving trouble;
he complained only that too much care was taken of him;
and those who know Fr. Pantanella, will not need to be
told that he did everything that could be done, to make
his last days happy. ~
Mr. .Mugan's death was a fitting close to so beautiful a
life. It was attended by no suffering, no appearance of
agony; life left him so gently, that his dying seemed rather
a sinking into sleep, And as became a Jesuit, the f~st aCl
of his life was to kiss the feet of the crucifix, in obedience
to Fr. ReCtor's suggestion, and it was on the crucifix that
his eyes were fixed dying, and in death.- R. I. P.
!~lost
\
�Brother Richard
o: Connell.
343
BROTHER RICHARD O'CONNELL.
I'
The old proverb, common but true-naught so uncertain
as life-receives now and then striking confirmation. Just
one month ago (OB:ober 14), St. Ignatius, Baltimore, resounded with alleluias at the "Golden Jubilee" of one of
us, and to-day, (Nov. 14th), robed in sable, it echoes the
"de profundis" and "requiescat in pace" for another who
wanted only two years of the half century of religious life.
Brother Richard O'Connell, while glazing on the fourth
floor, fell from a window to a porch some forty-.five feet below, ~nd died two or three minutes afterwards. Fr. Clarke
was summoned by a Brother who saw the accident, and he
arrived in time to give conditional absolution.
While yet a young man, following his trade at Savannah,
Ga., Brother O'Connell repeatedly felt the insistence of divine grace, urgently calling him to the religious state; yielding at last, he came to Georgetown, and entered the Society
in 1835, being then twenty-seven years old.
During his religious life, he was remarkable, chiefly, for
humility, industry, kindness, and cheerfulness, always ready
to assist with lightsome word or helping hand, a weary brother. Death met him engaged in the work obedience had
alloted him, and not unprepared for the encounter by a life
of labor and humility. He received Holy Communion on
the very day the sad accident ocurred. His whole career
suggested a pleasing pattern to those in the same station.
There is a grandeur of life as well as of knowledge, and the
perfeCt: model of conduCt: which the life of B. Alphonsus exhibits, is no less precious to the world than the genius of a
Laynez. Those who knew Brother O'Connell are aware
how manfully he strove to reproduce a living copy of the
chivalrous knighthood and loyal fealty "to our fair Father
Christ" of his illustrious patron.-R. I. P.
�INDULGENCE FOR THE PRAYER SUSCJPE.
BEATISSIME PATER!
Petrus Beckx, Pra!positus Generalis Societatis Jesu, ad
pedes S. V. provolutus quam humillime petit, ut infra scripta! Orationi SUSCIPE ex S. lgnatii libello Exercitiorum desumpta! aliquam indulgentiam ab omnibus utriusque sexus
Christifidelibus lucrandam adneetere dignetur.
Pro qua gratia etc.
"Suscipe, Domine, universam meam libertatem. Accipe.memon'am, intelleflum atque volzmtatem mmzcm. Qui'dquid /zabeo vel possideo, mihi largitus es: id tibi totum restituo ac tuce
prorsus voluutati trado gubenzandum. Amorcm tui so/zan
cum gratia tua mi/ti dones et dives sum satz:S uec aliud quidquam ultra posco."
)
Santtissimus Dominus Noster Leo Papa XIII, in Audientia habita die 26 Maii, 1883, ab infrascripto Substituto
Secretaria! Sacra! Congregationis Indulgentiis Sacrisque
Reliquiis pra!posita!, omnibus utriusque sexus Christifidelibus, qui corde saltern contrito ac devote pra!fatam oratio~
nem recitaverint, indulgentiam tercentum dierum, semel in
die lucrandam, benigne concessit. Pra!senti in perpetuum
valituro absque ulla Brevis expeditione. Contrariis quibus~
cumque non obstantibu.s. Datum Roma! ex Secretaria ejusdem Sacra! Congregationis, die 26 Maii, 1883.
AI. Card. Oreglia a S. Stephana, Prcefeflus.
L. S.
Josephus M. Can. Caselli, Substituli;s:
Concordat cum Originali asservato in nostro Archivio.
PETRUS BECKX,
(344)
�Indulgence for tlte Prayer SusciPE.
345
(TRANSLATION).
MosT HoLY FATHER!
Peter Beckx, Superior General of the Society of Jesus,
prostrate at the feet of your Holiness humbly begs that you
will grant an indulgence, to be gained by all the faithful of
both sexes, to the following prayer. "Take, 0 Lord," from
the book of the Exercises of St. Ignatius.
For which favor, etc.
"Take 0 Lord, all my liberty. Receive my memory, my ·
understmzding, and my wlzole will. vVhate<,er 1/zave or possess Tlzou hast givm it to me. To Thee I restore it all and
hand it over w/zol!y to be disposed of according to Tlzy will.
Give me only Tlzy love and Tlzy grace, and I am n"ch enough
and ask not/zing else."
Our Most Holy Father, Pope Leo XIII, in an Audience
granted, l\1ay 26th, 1883, to the undersigned, substitute from
the Secretary's office of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences aQd Sacred Relics, graciously granted to all the
faithful of both sexes, who with a contrite heart shall devoutly recite the aforesaid prayer, an indulgence of three
hundred days to be gained once a day. The concession
hereby granted to hold good forever, without the formality
of a Brie( Given at Rome from the Secretary's office of
the aforesaid Sacred Congregation, May 26th, 1883.
AI. Card. Oreglia a S. Stephano, Pre.fefl.
L. S.
Joseph M. Can. Coselli, Substitute.
The above is a true copy of the original perserved in our
Archives.
PETER BECKX.
�GONGREGATIO GENERALIS XXIII
A RESTITUTA
SOCIETATE
IV.
A. R. P. N. BECKX
Prrepositus Generalis.
NOMEN ET COGNOMEN
I
I
GRADUS
INGRESS OS
ORTUS
----~~------~--~---~
ASSISTENTES ET PROVINCIALES
;
P. Firminns Costa, A8&is-\
tens Hispanim • .••.... 1 11 Oct. 1806 i 14 Feb. 1826f15
1
P. Ambrosius Rnbillon, !
'
\
Assistens Gallim . ..... I 7 Dec. 1804 i 10 Sept. 1825 15
P. Josephus Boero, Asm-f
;
I
tens Jtalim ... .••..... ! 15 Aug. 1814 · 6 Jan. 1830 1 2
P. Antonius Auderledy,
Ar.sistens Germanim .. . 3 Jun. 1819 : 5 Oct. 1838 i 26
P. Vnlentinus Steccanella,
Pro!!inciali.~ Venetm . .. 15 Feb. 1819 : 10 Oct. 1838 [ 2
P. Vinccntius Ficnrclli,
Pr01)incialis Lusitanm. 6 Jul. 1820 1 23 Oct. 1839 i 2
P. Fmnciscus Vannutelli,
Pro!!incialis Romanm .. 3 Jan. 1824 I 4 Nov. 1840 i 2
P. Alfredus Weld, Assis- i
. .
I
tens Anglim .......... , 5 Aug. 1823 I 12 Oct. 1842 2
P. Ferdinandns Ferrante, '
i
Provincialis Siculm .... ! 25 Sep. 1827: 2 Nov. 1841 19
P. Franci~cus Grandiclier, i
I
Pr01)incialis Oampanim. l 18 Jul. 1823 · 22 Aug. 1845 2
P. Robertus Fulton, Pro- I
;
1
vin. ltfaryland.N-E'bor. '28 Jun. 1826! 31 Aug. 1843' 15
P. Stcphnnus Clairet, Pro- !
'
vincialis Lu_qdunensis .. ~ 21 Jun. 1829 1 12 Oct. 1849 2
P. Mauritius l\Ieschler,
'
Pr01)inciaUs Germanim. , 16 Sep. 1830 8 Nov. 1850 2
P. Augustinus Delgado, '
Provinci'alis Toletanm. : 15 Oct. 1826 • 19' Nov. 1853 2
P. Edunrdus Purbrick,
.
PrO'C'incial1's Anglim ... : 22 Jun. 1830: 15 Oct. 1851 2
P. Adriauus Carrere, Provincialis Tolosar..m ..... · 28 Oct. 1833 5 Nov. 1852 2
P. Henricus Chambellan
Provincia lis Francim. : 18 Jan. 1834 29 Sep. 1853 31
P. Josephus 1\lilz, Pror:incialis A ustrim.. . . • • . . . 25 Dec. 1841 17 Sep. 1857 2
P. Henricus Jackowski,
Pro!Jincialis Galicianm. 8 Aug. 1834 31 Dec. 1861 2
P. Gosuh_m~ V:an Heyst,
Pro1Jznczal1sNeerlandim 28 :Mar. 1840 9 ,Jul. 1859 , 15
P. Jonchimus Vioni Pro.
r:incialis Neapolitanm . . 9 Jan. 1835 29 Sep. 1855 , 1
P. Josephus Van Reeth
Prom"nc't"alis Belgi'caJ.' •. 6 Aug. 1843 25 Sep. 1860 j 2
I
I
I
!
Aug. 1841
Aug. 1842
Feb. 1848
Mar. 1855
Feb. 1856
Feb. 1857
Feb. 1858
Feb. 1860
Mar. 1861
Feb. 1862
Aug. 1862
Feb. 1867
Feb. 1867
Feb. 1868
Feb. 1869
Fe~. 1871
.fiii.·· 1871
Feb. 1875
Feb. 1875
Aug. 1876
Oct. 1876
Feb. 1878
�ORTUS
NOMEN ET COGNOMEN
P. Franciscus :Muruzabal,
Pr!Yl!incialis Castellanre. · 29 Jan.
P. Joannes Capell, Pro"Cincialis Ara,qonim . ...•.. 28 Sep.
P. Jacobus Razzini, Pro'IJincialis Taurinensis . . 9 Dec.
P. Thomas Browne, Promncialis Hiberni{(' .. ... 9 Oct.
INGRESSUS
•
GRADUS
1842 : 26 Jun. 1862 I 15 Aug. 1878
1844' 2 .Jul.
1866 1 15 Aug. 1880
I
1816' 8Mai. 1834 : 28 Aug. 1881
1845
1 Aug. 1866 ! 15 Apr. 1883
ELECTORES
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
Eugenius Labarta. . . . .
Adulphus Pillon ......
Franciscus X. Gautrelet
Michael Fessard.. . . .. .
Ludovicus Van Gulick
Secundus Franco... . . .
Petrus Fontana .......
Alexander Weninger ..
Amabilis Du Bourg ...
Augustinus Henriet...
Josephus Felix .......
Petrus Gallwey .. _....
Petrus Portes .........
Valerianus Cardella ...
Caietanus Tedeschi.. ..
Franciscus Lovis......
Franciscus Ferrante...
J\Iaximilinnus Anselmi
Hugo 1\Iolza. ~........
Caietanus l\Iascalchi...
Gaspar Szczepkowski..
Georgi us Porter.......
Eduard us Kelly.......
J\Iatthreus Ciravegna. .
Georgius Cannata.....
Josephus E. Keller ....
Josephus Jannssens ...
Ambrosius J\Ionnot ....
Joan. ,Jos. De Ia Torre.
Gulielmus Blanchard ..
Nicolaus Walsh.......
Antonius Langer......
Romanu1:1 Vigordan.. . .
Emmanuell\Iourier....
EduardusHiggins,Proc.
Missouri. • • • • .. . • • • • .
Joannes Mayr.........
Gaspar Hoevel.. ......
Joach. Campo Sancto..
Franciscus Llopart ....
Robertus W. Brady ...
Joannes Urraburu.....
Alfredus D'Aherce ....
Benedictus Rodrigues.
9 Oct.
21 Aug.
19 Sep.
25 Oct.
6 ,Jan.
5 Feb.
19 Sep.
12 Aug.
13 Dec.
10 Oct.
29 Sep.
7 Sep.
11 :Mai.
25 Dec.
16 Scp.
1 Oct.
3 Nov.
10 Nov.
17 Oct.
4 Jul.
12 Scp.
7 Sep.
23 Oct.
18 Nov.
2 Dec.
7 Dec.
24 Scp.
11 Nov.
9 Oct.
7 Jan.
21 Feb.
29 Sep.
19 Oct.
29 Nov.
6 Sep.
25 Apr.
~ 15 Feb.
10 Feb.
21 Nov.
22 Jan.
! 15 Sep.
; 13 Feb.
15 Nov.
4 Mar.
, 28 Jun.
' 13 Nov.
i 1 Aug.
itO .Apr.
! 13 Sep.
! 19 Jul.
2 Mar.
1
• 13 Oct.
8 1\Inr.
17 Nov.
1 Jan.
27 Aug.
3 Dec.
19 1\Iar.
17 :Mai.
25 Jul.
, 4 Sep.
! 4 Apr.
: 19l\Iar.
i 6 Feb.
22 Jun.
8 Sep.
28 Feb.
7 Jan.
1807
1804
1807
1812
1813
1817
1816
1813
1813
1817
1810
1820
18HJ
1820
1820
1817
1818
1819
1821
1823
1823
1825
1824
1825
1827
1827
1826
1831
1830
1829
1826
1833
18'22
1835
23 Dec.
13 Feb.
15 Sep.
11 J\Iai.
1 11 Feb.
1
6 Oct.
1
23l\Iai.
: 25 Apr.
; 14 l\lai.
1838 15 Jul.
1832 13 Jan.
1831 14 Oct.
1841 16 Jan.
1840 21 Aug.
1825 31 Aug.
1844 3 l\Iai.
1836 20 l\Iar.
1842 i 7 Dec.
1
1
1
1826 2 Feb.
1823 15 Aug.
1829 1 2 Feb.
1833 8 Dec.
1835 2 Feb.
1832 25 l\Iar.
1829 1 Apr.
1832 15 Aug.
1834 . 15 Aug.
1835 i 19 l\Iar.
1837 2 Feb.
1836 15 .Aug.
1839 15 Aug.
1834 2 Feb.
1838 2 Feb.
1838 2 Feb.
1838 2 Feb.
1838 2 Feb.
1840 2 Feb.
1837 2 Feb.
1840 2 Feb.
1841 2 Feb.
1842 2 Feb.
1842 25 l\Iar.
1842 15 Aug.
1844 2 Feb.
1845 2 Feb.
1846 15 Aug.
1852 15 Aug.
1851 2 Feb.
1858 2 Feb.
1852 15 Aug.
1861 2 Feb.
1855 15 Aug.
1
1854
1857
1856
1859
1859
1843
1860
1861
1860
2 Feb.
2 Feb.
2 Feb.
15 Aug.
15 Aug.
81\Iai.
15 Aug.
15 Aug.
19 l\Iar.
P. Torquatus Armellini, Seer. Soc.
P. Josephus Betti, Proc. Gener. (excusatus a sessionibus)
P. Emmanuel Botalla, Substitutus SiculOJ.
1841
1842
1846
1848
1850
1850
1850
1850
1850
1853
1854
1853
1854
1855
1856 ·
1856
1856
1856
1856
1857
1858
1860
1860
1860
1861
1863
1863
1864
1865
1867
1870
1870
1872
1872
1873
1873
1874
1876
1876
1877
1877
1877
1878
(847)
�VARIA.
BELGIUM.-Ours are doing great work, but may be driven
out, at any moment, by the infidel government.-In Holland,
our Fathers are unmolested. In faB:, about the only safe
places for good Catholics, are the Protestant countries. Ours
remain as well as they can in the Catholic countries, and
must try to save something from the wreck.
CHINA.- By the Letters from Shanghai, edited by Fr.
Pfister, and by those of the Scholasticate of the Province
of France, Lettres de Jerse}', we learn that Ours have two
centres of work, Nan-King and Tche-ly. In Nan-King there
are 553 stations, with 101,300 Christians, governed by a
~ishop and 82 Jesuit Fathers._ In addition to these, there are
12 secular (native) priests, a11d 87 students in their seminary
at Zi-ka-wei, which is also a '"house of studies for Ours, as
well as the place for the third probation. A number of natives has entered the Society. They are engaged in teaching and studying. \Ve give some of their names, omiting
the Chinese equivalent, Li, \Vang, Gni. Tsiang, Tong, Yang,
Chen, etc. The mission of Nan-King has a college for
Europeans at Shanghai. Fr. lJechrevrens has charge of
the Chinese meteorological observatory; Fr. Heude takes
care of the government museum. In Tche-ly, there are
fifty members of the Society, and 31,000 Christians. -A
scholastic (Emile Berton), who is studying theology at Zika-wei, writes to Mr. De Villiers of\Voodstock: "The .mission of Nan-King is nearly two-thirds the size of Fran-ce in
territory. The population is about 50 millions, and amongst
these there are 101 ,ooo Christians. For the needs of these
Christians, and for the evangelization of the pagans, we
have 94 priests, including I 2 secular priests, natives of China,
and 18 Brothers, several of whom are natives. This year
we had 1239 adult baptisms, 21,371 baptisms of children
(348)
�Varz'a.
349
dying, and abandoned by their parents, children (of Christians) baptized 3200. In our schools, there are 10,628 pupils, Christians and pagans. There were this year, in our
mission, 321,145 Communions of devotion. We have, as
you can easily see, too few workers for this vast field. In
our college at Shanghai, some English speaking Jesuits
would be of great service, on account of the Europeans who
come there.-Pray God that war between France and China
may be averted, for, humanly speaking, such an event would
be the ruin of the mission. The Chinese are very hostile
now towards all Europeans; a war with France would exasperate them beyond measure."
CANADA.-Our Fathers have accepted a parish in Montreal, and have begun a mission in the valley of the Ottawa.
The theologians (of the short course) study at Three Rivers;
the philosophers, at Montreal.
ENGLAND.-Brother Foley's book, "Records of the English Province," is finished. There are ·auout 50 novices in
the novitia'te in England. Fr. Clarke of the J11outlt has
given lectures in most of our cities.
FRANCE.-The Province of France has now its scholasticate on the isle of Jersey, at St. Helier, thirteen miles from
the French ~oast. The "Imperial Hotel" was bought for
the purpose. Ours have not been, always, even under the
English flag, free from annoyance whether from individuals
or from the local government. A bill was proposed in the
"states" or parliament concerning: "A foreign association
known umler the. name of the Congregation of the Society
of Jesus;" in the bill an investigating (or smelliug) committee
was asked for. The papers took sides. Fr. Purbrick interested himself very much in behalf of the exiles and wrote
letters to the press, invoking the common law of England
in favor of our Fathers. The Tablet also had some articles
on the subject. Finally, the whole thing went to the wall.
Since then the governor paid a visit to Ours, and was kind-
VoL. xu. No. 3·
39
�350
Varia.
ly received. The Lettres de :Jersey give many items of interest. St. Helier is a college for boys from France, besides
being a scholasticate under the patronage of St. Louis ..
Tlze Province of Lyons has its scholasticate at Mold in
Wales. The house was formerly a prison. From the Lettres
de .llfo!d, \Ve find many of our Fathers are working well and
successfully in Egypt and Syria. There are missions at
Cairo and Alexandria. At Cairo there is a college, which
is well attended by the sons of the elite of the Egyptians,
pashas and beys. Two colleges in Syria, and many missions, give employment to Ours, amongst whom are 7 Fathers, 6 scholastics, and a Brother, natives of the country.
There are establishments at Beyreut, Aleppo, Damascus,
Mount Libanus, etc. One of the letters says the English
army in Egypt did not forget God. A third of the army
was Catholic, served by five chaplains. A brigadier and four
)
colonels were Catholics.
Province of Toulouse.- The ·exiled scholastics of this Province seem to be very well content in their new house at
Ucles. This is an ancient fortified town in the province of
Cuenca, in the sou~h-eastern part of Spain. They are established in an old monastery, very generously offered for the
purpose, by the Bishop of Cuenca, without charge, or other
condition than the teaching of "the doCl:rine," as the catechism is emphatically called in Spain.
The convent has a most interesting history, having been
successively in the pos~ession of three great military orders,
the Knights Templars, the Knights of St. John, and the
Knights of St. James. The latter made of it one of the
principal strongholds of the Christians, in their protc;~.'Cl:ed
wars against the Moors.
•
An excellent photograph of the town forms the frontispiece of the first number of the Lettres du Scho!asticat d' Uc!es,
an admirable view of the antique pile of the convent, with
its vast proportions and massive architeCture, dominating
the surrounding country, and flanked by the ruined walls
and heavy square towers of the ancient fortress.
The scholastics find time to do some very important work
�Varia.
I
351
in catechising the children of UcU:s and the neighboring
villages, and have instituted what seems to be an extremely
efficient system of boy-catechists, who are very zealous in
attracting their companions to the school, and in giving instruction during the week in what they themselves have
already learned. A confraternity of the Hermanos de San
Lui's Gon:::aga has also been established among the children,
and missions have been given with great success. The
necessities for these may be easily understood when it is
said that in one case a population of 1400 souls had not
heard a word of religious instruction in the church, in the
shape either of sermon or catechism for fourteen years, i. e.,
since the expulsion of the religious orders. Yet the people
are described as full of faith and of very good dispositions.
The first number of the Lettrcs contains an account of the
"emigration" from Vals to U cles, a charming history of the
town and monastery that reads like some romantic page
from a medieval chronicle, a number of interesting notes on
the apostolic labors of the Fathers and Scholastics, letters
from the novices of Toulouse, who have found a refuge at
the convent of San Geronimo de Murcia, from the college
of Malaga (in which a most graphic account is given of the
stupid course pursued by the government in regard to ex·
aminations), from the college of Murcia, etc.
These notes only locate a portion of the members of the
dispersed Provinces. The Fathers not engaged in any of
the scholasticates and missions are scattered through their
native country in Seminaries, Colleges and parishes. , The
Province of France held the Congregation in Paris.
IRELAND. -The Cardinal Archbishop with the Bishops
have put the Catholic University, Dublin, into the hands of
our Fathers. Fr. William Dulaney is Rector Magnificus,
. Fr. Sturzo has been made Superior in Australia.
ITALY.- The various Provinces, though dispersed, have
houses in many parts of Italy. Naples has a college of Ours
with 200 boys. This Province has also a novitiate. In
�Varia.
Rome there are many Fathers in.the Gregorian University
(the old Roman College that was), which is now located in
the German College. There is a novitiate at Castel-Gandolfo;
in it only those can be received who are not subject to conscription on account of health. Ours have houses in Mantua, Bergamo, Venice, Paciua, Milan, Piacenza, etc. and are
much sought after by Bishops, priests, and religious communities.-The Province of Venice has a college at Scrutari
in Albania, and a novitiate, with 40 novices, at Porto Re,
near Fiume, in Croatia. There is a college at Cremona with
140 students. Ours are engaged in mission work in Dalmatia, and, moreover, have some schools. The following
extract from the Let/ere Edijiante, will, no doubt, be interesting. The Fr. Paladini, whose death occurred at Casamicciola, was formerly Provincial of Naples: "A lady," writes
Fr. l\L M. Musto to Rev. Fr. J. Viani, Provincial of Naples,
"at Casamicciola who had lodged Fr. Joseph M. Paladini, the
scholastic Joseph Jodice, an<J. Brother Politi during the
bathing season, gives the following account of their deaths
by the earthquake. 'I was in conversation with the Father
on the evening of the 28th, which was to be the last or the
last but one of his sojourn. It was his wont to entertain
my sister and myself, with the discussion of some pious
subject, and on this evening, he had protracted his edifying
discourse more than usual. It was about half past nine,
and the scholastic Jodice had just retired to his room,
when a violent wind broke open the windows and extinguished the lights. A sudden and tremendous roar was
heard, and we were thrown to the opposite side of the room
and buried beneath a heap of stones. As soon as our bewilderment had subsided a little, my sister and I called.-oi.Jt
to each other, and then both of us called out to Fr. Paladini. He answered with a dull, hollow groan, which lasted
a few instants and was soon followed by difficult breathing, .
resembling the death rattle. We began to cry aloud for
help and were heard by some relatives who had survived
the catastrophe. They came to our aid and rescued us
from the common calamity. I shall never forget the edifi-
I
�Varia.
I:
\
353
cation given me by the extraordinary virtues of those two
saints; saints, I say, in name and deed. In name, because
the people looked on Fr. Paladini as a St. Joseph, and the
scholastic Jodice they were pleased to call another St. Aloysius. By deed, because the former during his stay at Casamicciola proved himself a true apostle, while the latter made
it a point to be seen as seldom as possible on the streets,
and used to avoid very carefully any unnecessary talk. Of
Brother Politi, I must say he gave such evidence of virtue,
both in word and deed, that it was impossible to approach
him without being influenced by it.' "
"Next day," writes Fr. A. Dionisio to Fr. J. Ferrante, "I
returned to Casamicciola, in order to learn about Fr. Paladini, the scholastic Jodice and Brother Politi. ·when I came
to the place where they were supposed to be, I mourned
over the loss of these saintly men. On that very spot, I
had heard Fr. Paladini's last confession only two hours before the earthquake. The corpses were, finally, taken out
of the ruins, but it was forbidden to bury them. Fr. Paladini was found seated, clinging to his desk. His head was
split open and his body horribly crushed. The scholastic
Jodice was leaning against the bed. His head was frightfully bruised, his eyes were out of their sockets and his face
horribly disfigured. Two days afterwards, Fr. Paladini was
buried where he was found, and the scholastic, in the garden attached to the house. Brother Politi was disinterred
by the soldiers, and buried by them very likely in a public
grave-yard."
MADAGASCAR.-By the intrigues of the Protestant ministers with the premier, Ours have been forced to leave the
capital of this country, where they were doing so much
good. They are now at Tamatave, a town of Madagascar
under French proteCtion, or in the island of Mauritius.
MExrco.-This country was once the garden spot of the
Society. The old Provincia Mexicana numbered its hundreds of professed ; but all this has been spoken of in these
�354
Varia.
LETTERS. Now the Province numbers 15 Fathers, 25 Scholastics, and 5 Brothers. Ours are allowed by President Gonzales to remain, but they must not be too prominent.-Ours
have a college and seminary at Saltillo in North Central
Mexico. There is a novitiate at San Juan near the Capital.
The Fathers, not otherwise engaged, go from place to place,
giving missions, and helping on Sundays, as priests are very
few in some parts of the country distriCl:s. There is a mission also at Seguin, in Texas; the college here was closed
for want of English speaking teachers, and on account of
debts.
· The Mexican government has done everything to destroy
the Catholic religion, confiscating churches and church property, and handing over some of the churches to the Protestants. These, however, notwithstanding the aid and comfort thus received, are a failure. Bishop Reilley of .l\Iexico
was called to give an account, by the last Protestant Episcopal Convention in Philadelpll,ia, of the moneys intrusted to
him, and, to the disgust of all, said he was not ready and
refused to appear. And this faCt:, said some of the Bishops,
is a serious blow to the cause of Protestantism in the valley
of Mexico.-The Methodists are no better off, as may be
seen from the following extraCt::
"To THE EDITOR OF THE TRIBUNE.
SIR: The Protestant doCl:rine teaches that 'the shepherd knows his sheep,' but of late the cry has arisen here
among members of this mission, "who, and where is the
shepherd?" And seeing that both the superintendent of
the distriCt: and the pastor of this (Pachuca) church have
been absent from the country for some months, it i9 not
without reason that such a cry should be made. vVhen
this mission was started,· everyone fondly hoped it would
be the means of doing much good; but it is to be deplored
that the only apparent good it has effeCl:ed is to give employment (or rather pay) to a few lazy Mexicans, and ladies (as
school teachers) seeking husbands. The pastor rejoices in
the salary of $25 per week and house rent, and a grant of
$100 per year for each child he happens to have; and yet
�Varia.
355
he has only resided about three months in this town for the
last twelve months.
"It was also thought that Protestantism was so entirely
opposed to Roman Catholicism, that the mision authorities
would discountenance the holding of holidays on Roman
Catholic feast-days ; but to the surprise of all, these days
are made an excuse for holidays in the school wherein one
and all carry out the adage, 'When you are with the Romans do as the Romans do.'
"In asking you, sir, to publish this, we do not wish to cast
the slightf!st aspersion on the mission, but we wish the
authorities in America to know how their money is being
spent. \Ve may also say that the congregations of the Pachuca church have decreased 6o per cent. during the last
eighteen months, and at the Real del Monte church no service has been held for over three months. Could not the
Conference send out Messrs. Drees and Barker again, with
an efficient staff of helpers, and find other employment for
those who (while professing to teach the rising generation)
make husband-catching their paramount interest here?
"In conclusion, for the enlightenment of :Americans in
general, we beg to say that the Methodist Episcopal mission
in this country is a complete farce.
Yours truly,
JoHN JoNES REED,
G.
WILLS."
Paclwca, fiicxico, Sept. 30, I 88 3.
Ro:\IE.- The Congregation met in September. Father
General presided at nearly all the sessions. Father Hugh
lVIolza was the secretary. Father Antony Anderledy was
eleCted Vicar-General of the Society, with right of succession. The following sketch from the Georgetown College
Joumal, which was furnished by one of his former pupils,
will be acceptable, no doubt.
"The Very Rev. Father Antony Anderledy was born June
3, i8Ig, in the Canton of Valais, Switzerland. His birthplace at the pass of the Simplon, has set an Alpine trait in
his charaCter. At an early age he entered the College of
�Varia.
the Jesuits at Brigg, where his fine parts, especially for languages, ancient and modern, insured him a brilliant success.
He left college only to cast his lot with his masters, made
his noviceship at Sitten, and after his rhetoric, went to engage in the usual teaching of the Society at Freiburg. Here
he devoted himself more particularly to philology and the
cultivation of a pure and polished Latin style, learning the
letters of Cicero by heart for this purpose. He bestowed
less attention upon Greek, but urged others to obtain a mastery over this language. He studied theology at Rome
under Passaglia; was banished, and together with forty
other members of the Order, arrived in America in the year
1848. Being ordained in this country, he was for several
years pastor of the German Catholic Church at Green Bay,
vVisconsin. As soon as the Jesuits obtained a tolerable
footing in Germany, he was recalled and placed in a missionary band. He was also a-fellow-worker in the apostolic
field with the eminent Fath~r Hildebrand, of the secular
clergy, who gave many missions in the diocese of Faderborn, Prussia. A limit was set to his zeal by a hemorrhage,
which overtook him as he was one day preaching. He was
then appointed Rector of the Scholastics at Cologne, a position that he continued to hold when the Scholasticate was
transferred to Paderborn. He did effective work at Cologne,
mainly by the spirtual exercises, which he gave to students
and persons of high social position. The utterance of a
man of distinguished ·merit and influence, with regard to
Fathers Roh, Roder and Anderledy, is still remembered.
When at the request of Cardinal Von Geissel, these three
Fathers joined one of the public processions held in that
great Catholic city, and all eyes were riveted on them~- this
gentleman observed: "These men exhibit in their faces a
history of the world." In fact, Father Anderledy has very
marked features; his eyes, especially, light up with animation to such intensity that they have been described as
'flaming.' He is of medium height and well-proportioned
"When at Paderborn, he was appointed Provincial of the
Jesuits in North Germany. He continued in office for two
�Varia.
357
terms, and was then sent to fill the chair of Moral Theology
at the seminary of the order established in the splendid
media!val abbey of Maria- Laach, the purchase of which he
effected with singular sagacity. His success in this position
may be inferred from the perfect knowledge of canon law
which he possessed over and above his theological attainments, as well as from his clear, precise, trenchant method
and the exquisite latinity of his style. During this time
he prepared a new edition of Father Reuter's Nco-Co1tfessan'us, of which he also furnished the notes. He was raised
to the Rectorate of Maria-Laach in I 868, and in the following year was summoned to Rome to act as Assistant for
Germany. Being a thorough scholar himself, he sought to
promote learning in every direction, and insisted in particular on increasing the amount and weight of authorship in
the Society. In an audience given him by the Emperor of
Austria, on business conne[ted with the College of Feldkirch, he explained his ideas on education, science and kindred subjects so satisfactorily, that the sovereign declared
himself anxious to have all the youth of his realm formed
according to these principles.
"This is, in part, the record of the new Vicar-General, who,
loved within and respected without the Society, with an intelligent and experienced eye on the century, promises to
plan and achieve much,- and, we trust, for many yearsad majorem Dei g!oriam."
I,
I
SPAIN.- Ours are doing what they can, in colleges and
by missions, always uncertain of the morrow. 'Tis strange;
our college at Havana is supported by the Spanish government, because we are considered as a conservative element.
But in the mother country we are driven out, at short
notice, for the same reason.-The Province of Arragon has
a flourishing mission in the Philippine Islands; the West
Indies belong to the Province of Castile.
UNITED STATES.- The New York Maryland Province
held its Congregation in New York city in July. Two
�Varia.
things are worthy of notice, the great harmony that prevailed, and the manner in which all knowledge of the meeting and its proceedings was kept from the public. Father
Joseph E. Keller and Father Robert W. Brady were chosen
Eleaors; the alternates were Father Peter 0. Racicot, Fr.
James Perron, Fr. Bernard A. Maguire. The Eleaors departed for Rome at the end of August. Fr. Edward Higgins
was the Eleaor for the Province of 1\Iissouri, Fr. Rudolph
Meyer, alternate.-The Oaober devotions, recommended
by the Holy Father, were very well attended ; it was like a
mission in some places. In Boston, our churches were
crowded. "The letter of the Cardinal, proclaiming his Holiness' desire, that the faithful be urged to special devotion
during the month of Oaober," says a Boston letter, "has
produced a profound impression everywhere in this seaion;
and you would think there was a mission going on in all
the churches. In ours;~every day, at ~he boys' Mass, there
is a Sunday congregation, and at the evening service the
place is full. Last Sunday we had well o~ to two thousand
Communions."
Ecclesiastical.- These faas were compiled by one of the
Scholastics at Woodstock for Fr. Ramiere :-Archbishops
in the United States, I 2; Bishops, so; Vicars-Apostolic, 8;
Prefeas-Apostolic I ; Regu 'r Priests, I soo; Secu 'r Priests,
42 so; Sisters, 3 I ,000 ; Brothers, 3200; Catholic population,
8,000,000.
Pueblo, Colorado. - At a meeting here of a literary society composed of lawyers and other professional men,
nearly all Protestants, it was voted that the Jesuits have deserved well of the civilized world, especially in ·regard to
higher educati~n.
~- -·
The city council, at the urgent request of the state superintendent of education, resolved to found a college for the
the Jesuits, rather than for the Presbyterians who were mentioned in that conneaion.
�Varia.
UPPER GERMANY.- This dispersed Province has four
houses in Holland; a juniorate, novitiate, a house for the
philosophers, and a residence. The house of the third probation and the scholasticate of the theologians are in England. The Stimmen is still edited in Holland, and has been
pronounced one of the best reviews in Europe. The Fathers have a residence at Hamburg, and are doing work in
other parts of Germany and in Switzerland. They have a
college at Feldkirch, in Austria. Maria-Laach, the once
famous scholasticate, is still in our hands. This Province
has also a college and many missions in Brazil, Fathers
scattered through Chili and Peru, three colleges and some
residences in India, two colleges and five residences in the
United States. The missions of the Germans in Denmark
and Sweden are doing well, and there have been some very
remarkable conversions. We have a college in Copenhagen,
attended by sixty students of the best families. One of Ours
took the grand competitive prize offered by the University
of Copenhagen.
HoME NEws.-Fr. Peter 0. Racicot was installed ReCl:or
of this house of studies on Nov. 25th. Our community
numbers 193 members, the largest, perhaps, in the Society.
-The class of matin dogma is reading the treatise De Deo
Uno et Trino _- the vesper reading is De Ecclesia. The month• ly disputations will be held on the 14th and I sth of December. vVe have two books in press, one, De Deo Uno et Tri1zo
by Fr. de Augustinis; the other, T/zeologia Mora/is by Fr.
Sabetti. The ./Vlessmger of the Sacred Heart is also printed
and published here. A new series-the fourth-will commence with the January number.
NOTICE.
We ask for items, to fill up this department of the LETTERS.
Communications, scraps from papers, letters, giving news,
will always be acceptable. On account of the Jubilee number and the other demands made upon our press by the
�36o
Varia.
works mentioned above, our issue is later this time than
usual.
We hope that Superiors of the different houses will give
us pecuniary aid, not only to meet current expenses, but
also to undertake some works conneEl:ed with the history_ of
the Province..
CORRECTION.
Mention was made in the account of the mission at Damariscotta, Maine, of a pious lady, Miss \Vinifred Kavanagh.
Her brother was the Governor of Maine and afterwards
Minister to Portugal ; it was not her father who had this
honor, as was stated before. The good lady died recently.
During her life-time, she gave Sso,ooo to the charities of the
diocese of Portland.
The General Congregition, the members of which were
given on pages 346 a"nd 347, ended on .the 26th of October. Fr. \Villiam Blanchard was eleEl:ed Assistant for
France; Fr. Gaspar Hoevei, for Germany; Fr. John
Joseph De Ia Torre, for Spain; Fr. Joseph E. Keller, for
England; Fr. l\Iatthew Ciravegna, for Italy. All these
Fathers have been Provincials.
D. 0. M.
--
�Our Colleges in the United States, 1882-3
NAME
PLACE
1.
PROVINCE
i
STUD'S
1---- --
GRAD.
A. B.
1
Baltimore, :Hd .....
Boston, l\Iass ......
Buffalo, N. Y......
Chicago, Ill. .......
Cincinnati, 0 ......
Detroit, l\Iich ......
Fordham, N.Y ....
Georgetown, D. C ..
Grand Coteau, La ..
Jersey City, N.J...
Las Vegas, N. 111...
Milwaukee, Wis ...
New York, N.Y...
New Orleans, La ...
Omaha, Nebraska..
Prairie du Chien,\
Wisconsin.. . . .
Santa Clara, Cal ...
San Francisco, Cal.
St. Louis, l\Io ......
St. 1\Iary's, Kansas.
Spring Hill, Ala ...
Washington, D. C..
Worcester, 1\Iass ...
Loyola College*....
Boston College*.....
Canisius College ... 1
St. Ignatius Coli.* i
St. Xavier College*
Detroit College* ..
St. John's College ..
Georgetown College
l St. Charles College.
St. Peter's College'"
Las Vegas College.
Marquette College* •
St. Francis X. Coli.* :
Imm. Concep. Coli.* :
Creighton College*
i
Coil. Sacred Heart ·
Santa Clara College J
St. Ignatius Coil* ..
St. Louis University
St. 1\Iary's College..
St. Joseph's College
Gonzaga College* ..
Col!. of the H'yCross 1
Ud.N. Y.
l\ld. N.Y.
Germany
Missouri
Ud. N.Y.
101
228
248
249
284
186
268
216
N. 0. llliss.
l\Id. N.Y.
Naples
Missouri
l\Id. N.Y.
N. 0. 1\Iiss.
l\lissouri
113
83
242
138
372
318
269
Germany
Turin
91
243
710
308
284
156
135
162
Missouri
N. 0. 1\Iiss.
1\Id.N. Y.
"Day College.
Students, total number, 1881-2, 5082
1882-3, 5794
Graduates, A.. B, 1881-2, 107
" 1882-3, 96
We hope some day to give the number of children in our
parochial schools, where the most good is done for the people.
It would be interesting to know the number of churches and
souls under our care- Data on all these points will be very
acceptable.
The colleges are all better attended this year.
Eo.
13
6
9
7
8
11
9
4
1
6
4
17
��CONTENTS OF VOL. XIi.
,
,
Page
Recollections of the Rocky Mountains, by Father Point ..••.• 3, 133, 2(ll
INDIAN JIIISSIONS :Lake Superior. • • • • • . • . • • • • . • • . • • • • • • • . . . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23
Rocky J\Iountains ..••••.•••••.•......•••••.••.••••••••••.•. 34, 305
Work in Texas................................................. 60
Brazil.......................................................... 66
Some Old Letters................................................ 73
Notes on the Causes of Beatification, S. J. • • . . • . . . • • • . . • • • . . . • • • • . . 90
St. Francis, New York,-Description of the New Church .•••••.•••. 93
Kansas ...•••...•....••••.•••..........•......•••••••••.• / .. 112, 292
:Missionary Labors ..••.....•••.....••••..•••.•.•••••..•. 120, 161, 268
Dedication of St. Francis Xavier's, N. York ..••••.•.......•••..... 154
Washington Territory, Then and Now ...•........•.....••........ 172
Demerara .....•..•............•..... '......••...•.......•....•••. 181
Prisons and Hospitals, N. York ....•.•...••.••........•.......••• 183
Historical Hypothesis ........•..........•..•..•.•.....•••..••..•• 185
Jubilee of the Province ...•....•......•••..........•...••••.. 205,278
Father White's Novice-Home ..•.......•..........••....•.•...•... 284
Golden Jubilee of Father Charles H. Stonestreet ..•....•.•...•.••.. 285
" William F. Clarke .....•....•..•••.•....• 287
Letters from Archbishop Carroll on the Restoration of the Society .• 288
New nlexico .............••..•..•......•....•..•...•..........•. 298
OmTUARY:-
Br. Jllichael Kavanagh .••.••...•....•••..•.•••.•.••..••••...••. 117
Fr. Bernardin F. Wiget .....•.•..••..••••..••.•...•......••.... 189
Fr. Felix Verreydt .....••..•••••.•....••••...••..••••••..•...• 193
Fr. Augustine Regnier .•.•••..•..•..••.•..••••..••...•••••.••• 200
nlr. Charles C. Lancaster ....•...••••.••..•.......•••....••.•...• 202
Fr. William T. Whiteford .....•...•••••.•••.•••.............•.. 334
Br. James O'Neill ..••..••.•....••.•..••..••..••.•.•....••..... 337
Fr. John Schoenmakers .•.••...•.....••••••.•.•••••.••••••••••• 339
J\Ir; JamesJIIugan .••••••••••......•.•.•..••••••••.•••••••..••. 341
Br. Richard O'Connell .•••••.••..•••.•..•..•...••••••••••..•••. 343
Indulgence for the prayer "::iuscipe" .•.•••.•••••.•••••.•..••..••.. 344
General Congregation ..•.••..••••.•.••••••..••.••••...•.•..•••. 346
Varia ••....••.•.••....•••.•...•..••.• ; •.•••.•.•••.•.•••••..••••• 348
Our Colleges in the United States for 1882-3•.••.•••••••••••.•••••• 361
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Woodstock Letters
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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Jesuit Archives & Research Center
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives & Research Center
Saint Louis University
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eng
lat
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Text
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JA-Woodstock
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Abstract
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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2017-2
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99 items
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 12 (1883)
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1883 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives Central United States
Saint Louis University
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PDF
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JA-Woodstock-012
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BX3701 .W66
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eng
lat
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JA-Woodstock
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Reproduced with permission of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Permission to copy or publish must be obtained from the Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
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1883
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PDF Text
Text
A.M. D. G.
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WOODSTOCI\ LETTERS
A" RECORD
Of Cm·rent Events mul Historical Notes connected with
tlte Collcycs wul ~liissions of the Soc. of Jesus
,in Korth aml South Ame1•ica.
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VOL.
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WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
FOR PH!VATE CIRCULATION.
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�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XIII, No.
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I
1.
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
BY FATHER NICHOLAS POINT.
CHAPTER
VII.
The building of a clwrc!t on tile domain of Gabriel.
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Nov.JO!It, I845.-We hailed at last, as did the Israelites the
promised land, the domain of Gabriel, the spot chosen to be
the centre of the ReduCl:ion of the Sacred Heart. Gabriel
·and Michael with the strongest and most courageous of
their associates were there. They worked with such ardor,
that the framing-of the church was up by Friday of Passion week, and, on the following Thursday, that day so
memorable for the institution of the Holy Eucharist, the
missionary was able to offer in it, for the first time, the sacrifice of the Holy l\Iass, in gratitude for the favors received
by this people. Whilst the house of prayer was rising to
everybody's satisfaCtion, work was also carried on, upon the
side of the rock which f.1ces the south, in ereCl:ing the Stations of the Cross, and we were already at the Station of the
Holy Sepulchre,. when the missionary swooned, a thing easily accounted for, since it was a fast-day. The event was
(j)
�4
Recolleflions of the Rocky Mountains.
also brought about by the numerous contradiCI:i~ns that
the Father had to endure from every side. Feelmg that
this weakness might be the forerunner of death, he gave a~l
his attention to preparing for it. The day was Good Fnday, and about 3 o'clock in the afternoon. ~he day an~
hour and several other circumstances made hm1 regard 1t
as a happiness to end his career thus, but, as the M~ster of
life judged otherwise, on Easter Sunday, he was agam. able
to ascend the holy altar.
What has been already said of the jealous and trying disposition of Stellam, wh'o since his baptism was called Joseph, manifested itself yet more conspicuously at the preference given to the domain of his rival. He repaired there
the last of all, and evidently to annoy the workmen in their
efforts rather than to encourage them. Scarcely, in faa, had
he and the twenty useless creatures who accompanied him
arrived, when he began by saying that they were quite resolved to stay on these lands, and nowhere else; that he
could make his living much better by gaming, as he used
to do, than by working. He, finally, insinuated in all probability to some of the chiefs that their interests were the
same as his, for from this time they began to make friends
with him; but not content with the baneful influence exercised by his words, he added to them the example of the
most flagrant scandals. On this very day, Good Friday,
the missionary learned that by Stellam's advice a man had
just left his wife, who had been a model durincr the two
b
months following her baptism, to elope with another woD_lan, the objeCt: of his guilty passion. As public indignat~on, however, was quite strong against him, Stellam gave
Signs of repentance, promising to repair his faults on his
retu_rn from the root-gathering, by engaging with the others m labor for the good of the ReduCtion. However he
fell back slowly into his old ways and began to sow co~kle
once more in the good grain; he complained that his part
of the harvest had not been kept for him, and demanded by
~i~ of ~ompensation that certain things should be given
Which he knew could not be his, and put. the finishing
�Recolleflions of tlte Rocky Mountains.
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touch to his odious and absurd conduCt: in the following
way. The day the people scattered to make a provision of
roots, while waiting the sowing-time, the unhappy man under the pretext of the merest shade of relationship with a
man, who had been dead for five years, had the effrontery
to steal in broad daylig-ht three horses from the man's heir,
leaving him a beast of burden as his only share of the inheritance.
Having arrived at the Spokane reservation, where they
were to gather the roots, he threw open his tent to every
gambler of the whole neighborhood. At first, he contented
himself with simply watching the game; afterwards he took
part in it, and, finally, having lost his gun, he threw himself
on the winner with such violence, that had not his brother
rushed between them, he would have transfixed him with
the arrow which he held in his hand. Not content with
sounding the praises of gambling, he as shamelessly added
those of polygamy, avowing that far from being an evil, it
was a great good, for the minister of the Nez-Perces had told
him so, etc. To what excess will not jealousy and hate impel a man who has once be.come an apostate! But the very
excess of the evil, through the grace of God and the prayers
·of Martha, the sister of the guilty wretch, who never ceased
to implore his conversion, wrought good. He seemed
ashamed of himself and disposed to do everything, to remove
the effeCts of his scandal. Some days before, another sheep
equally gone astray, though less scandalously so, had returned to the fold, so that despite scandals and difficulties
of every kind, the work of the ReduCl:ion did not cease to
advance. From the first day of meeting till the hour of
dispersion, this is a summary of what was done: the church
was finished, the seed was sown, each one planting his little
field, while there was a public field for the whole people.
Religious exercises were as follows: the Angelus, the Benedicite, thanksgiving, four or five canticles, examcn of conscience, the whole of the little catechism, and all this in
addition to the ordinary prayers which were learned by
heart by a great many, and everyon~::'s confession in prepa-
�6
Recollellious
if tlze Rocky Mozmtahzs.
ration for the communion which took place only at the end
of the harvest. There should have been progress, and there
was great progress, not only in regard t~ instruaion in religion, but also in point of general educatwn. In. regard to
the latter which embraced religion and morals, as It was eas' ier for the chiefs and men of mature age to grasp it, it naturally came to be more frequently treated, and as w.ith
them force of example was joined with personal authonty,
the effea on the crowd was great enough to lead even such
as might be but little disposed to associate themselves with
their fellows.
In point of faa, from that time till the moment in which
I write these lines, about four or five months, there has not
been committed to my knowledge in the village of the Sacred Heart a single fault that could be styled grave, and
although there may have been some trifling shortcomings,
the greater part of them have been so well repaired, that
the public good has scarcely been less advanced than if
these things had not been committed. I have seen fathers
and mothers of families make long journeys, to come and
accuse themselves of the least fault, and this out of confession, and sometime~ publicly, and always asking a penance;
and I haye often seen husbands following their wives, and
mothers following their daughters, to excuse the faults that
had been· declared, saying that they themselves had been
the first to give way through want of patience and of cha~ity.
The children imitated their parents. One day, there came
a little boy who accused himself of having made his companion cry by throwing a plaything at his head, and after
showjng the plaything which had some little value for him
he begged the Black Robe to keep it as a penance for th~
misdeed.
It was during this period of salutary graces, that the remaining adults, who had not yet received baptism through
lack of preparation and sufficient instruaion, made the
greatest efforts to merit this favor. Of all those who presented themselves for their first Communion there was not
one who was held unworthy of,. being admitted to it. . The
�Reco!leElions 'of t/ze Rocky Mountains.
7
majority of them might have been proposed as models to
more than one fervent Christian of civilization. What simplicity ! What charity l But above all, what faith in these
poor children of the forest l
Undoubtedly, these virtues were necessary to the old
men who became the humble pupils of their little ones,
while patience was required in these children who instructed
their aged fathers. And what virtue in the mothers of families, who after having given to their children the morsel
that they refused themselves, passed, moreover, long nights
in breaking with. them and with others the bread, still more
necessary, of the divine word l What zeal in those men
who not content with the hard toil of the day, passed entire
nights in getting into the head of some poor idiot or sick
person what was absolutely requisite for baptism l What
self-denial in those more intelligent men who, giving up the
pleasure of adding to their own information, repeated not
ten, nor twenty, but a hundred times what they themselves
had learned at a single hearing l Lastly, patience was necessary for the chiefs of each tribe, in order to exhort their
people to rise at break of day, to lament their sins, recalling
these sins to their minds, as well as the fires of hell and the
happiness of heaven and the Passion of our Lord, and whatever subjects had most touched themselves.
I have spoken of their faith; how simple, how pure, how
trusting is the faith of the savage l The first idea that the
missionary instilled into their minds was that the goodness
of God is no less great than His power. What admirable
fruits have not only the sacraments of Baptism, of Penance,
and of the Eucharist produced in their minds, but also the
simple sign of the cross, the use of holy water, the mere
sight of a medal ! They would be told, for instance, that
Extreme Unction has the double virtue of purifying the soul
and of giving bodily health if God judged it good for the
soul : and they had no more doubt of the second effect than
of the first. More than once cures almost instantaneous
have rewarded their confidence.
One day, I was told that a woman who was still only a
�8
RccolleElions
of t!ze Rocky Momztains.
catechumen was unwell. I replied that I would go to see
her. Almost immediately after, her sister came, runn.ing to
tell me that she was dead. I hastened to the spot, m the
hope that she might have been mistaken, and as I arrived,
all those who were near her cried out, "she is dead." I
took every measure to assure myself of the faCl:: there was
not the smallest sign of life. I begged them all to pray,
and they did so with great fervor. I returned to the woman; I pronounced over her the words of baptism. At
these words her lips, hitherto perfeCl:ly motionless, forced
themselves to pronounce something; probably she understood me. Then I baptized her. She breathed, opened her
eyes, sat up upon her mat, made the sign of the cross, and
opened her mouth to thank heaven for the two-fold £wor
she. had just received. For she was fully convinced that
baptism had not only given life to her soul, but had also
restored health to her body. Probably she had only been
in a faint, but, however it may have been, the prayers of
these good people had been most efficacious.
, Another proof of their faith was the habit they had of
making the sign of the cross, not only before and after their
principal aCl:ions, but also every time they took their pipes
to smoke, or bent over some stream to quench their thirst.
They taught their children to make it even before they were
able to pronounce the words.
· .. The week before the feast of the Immaculate Conception
was consecrated entirely to a preparation for their communion. Not that there were more instruCl:ions • lonaer
b
prayers or more complete confessions, for this could hardly
have been, but they: did everything with a fervor and an ex. aCl:ness which was most edifying. I had some little doubt
about permitting communion to certain ones of very feeble
understanding, but in them as in the others the effeCl: of the
sacrament was so evident, that I was very glad I had done
so. I thought the same also in the matter of confessions,
heard without an interpreter, thinking it better to run the
riskof some lack of integrity, rather than to have the inconveniences which ath:nd a confession made through such
�· Recolletlions of tlze Rocky Mountains.
assistance. The last two days of the retreat, the young people of both sexes vied with each other in their efforts to
adorn their little church, so little indeed, and so poor! But
if one raised his eyes to the towering heights of the surrounding mountains it seemed almost rich and grand for
such a wilderness.
On the 8th of December while the stars were still blazing
in the firmament, the chant of the "Lauda Sion Salvatorem"
was heard rising on the still air. The wigwams of the entire tribe stand deserted, and you must have repaired to the
little church if you would find their owners. It was no
longer merely the house of prayer. Jesus was enthroned
therein, and it was the palace where the treasures that His
Sacred Heart has promised to those who love Him were to
be obtained. The august sacrifice was offered with such
recolleCtion on the part of those assisting at it, that the
priest thought it better not to speak, save a few brief words
as they knelt at the Holy Table, so deeply recolleCted were
they, and attentive to whatever the interior voice of God
might whisper to their souls, after receiving Holy Communion. They seemed absorbed in the happiness bestowed
upon them, and again the priest judged it wiser to leave
them to themselves, and not mingle anything human in the
work of God. A few petitions for the intention of the Church
and the singing again of the "Lauda Sion" after their
thanksgiving were the only prayers. This recolleCtion and
fer...:or lasted the entire day, and even the young people were
observed to withdraw in solitary communings, with their
souls filled by this new happiness. High Mass was at ten,
and the consecration to the Blessed Virgin in the afternoon.
In the evening, the renovation of the baptismal vows took
place. The little chapel was brightly illuminated, and to
recall more to the minds of the faithful the promises which
they had uttered at the baptismal font not long ago, the
sacrament of Baptism was administered to some adults, accompanied by a short instruCtion on its nature and the obligations it imposes. In place of the ordinary formulas which
were long and not easily translated into their tongue, they
�10
Ret·olleflions of the Rocky _J,fountains.
recited three times the aa of the love of God that they knew
by heart. They did this so devoutly, that one might· have
supposed they were answering the triple .interrogation of
the Saviour, as the prince of the apostles dtd of old. After
this expression of their sentiments, so simple, so true, so
fervid, their eyes turned to the Blessed Sacrament .on the
altar, and they seemed to exclaim with St. Augustme, "0
beauty ever ancient, ever new; too late have we loved Thee,
but we will love Thee ever!" The BenediCtion of the Blessed
Sacrament which then followed was a seal to their promises
and the crowning grace in the spiritual favors they had received during this day, too brief for all. So rich had it been
in blessings, that they tore themselves, as it were, from the
house of God with genuine sentiments of regret.
CHAPTER VIII.
Visit
of ten chiefs o/ the Nez-Perces to tlte Ca:urs d'Alene.
Toward the end of November, 1845, ten chiefs of the
Nez-Perces presented themselves at the Mission of the Sacred Heart, to receive instruCtions. They were half civilized
by Protestantism; that is to say, they were of those who
are led with more difficulty to embrace the true faith than
mere idolators; but as they seemed disgusted with the
teachings of Protestantism, I thought it would not be useless to instruCt: them. Notwithstanding the pinching want
from which we were suffering, we retained them ten days.
After passing the day either in listening to our explanations
of the different points of Christian doctrine or in translating
the Catholic prayers into their tongue, they would spend the
evening in repeating these prayers to one another, to get
them fixed in their minds-so that in a short time nothing
was required in point of the information striB:ly necessary
for admission into the fold. But not having their wives
with them, we knew that on their return to their people
t~ey "':~uld suffer ~any attacks which would try their good
dtspostttons. We JUdged it better to defer the accomplish-
�Rtco!leflions of tlze Rocky Mountains.
1t
ment of their wishes for some months, that we might see
whether their atlions would tally with their promises.
vVe have learned since that they made two kinds of prayers in their camp, one Protestant, for those who were Protestants, and the other Catholic, for our visitors and such of
their families or friends as wished to be converted. As
these were by G1r the more influential and the more respeCtable in every way, there was every reason to hope that all
would soon enter on the true path.
Even the best disposed savage rarely sheds tears, as they
are regarded by all as something quite unworthy of a man.
Nevertheless, one day while I was explaining to them the
Stations of the Cross, with the representations of them before their eyes, the oldest of my hearers, whom I had baptized in the camp of the Flatheads during my first winter
hunt, and the youngest of the catechumens, began to weep.
"What," cried out this latter amid his sobs, "the Great Chief
of heaven and earth has suffered all that for us! Ah! hitherto I have had two hearts; but that is past. Henceforth
I wish to have only one!"
Tlte wonderful ways of Divine Providmce zn regard to tlu
most abandoned souls.
Towards the end of autumn in the year 1845. Fr. S. and
· myself left the Redutlion of St. Ignatius for that of the Sacred Heart. After rowing for two days, there still remained
some thirty miles to be done. The wind was against us,
and the bank along which we were coasting was becoming
so steep, that after some few morrients more of rowing it
would have been impossible to land; so we deferred till the
morrow the rest of our journey. The next day, the wind
was still adverse; the waves which during the night had
drenched us to the skin, had not abated. The day after we
had rain and always the same wind, while for four mouths,
and good appetites, we had only some meal, with no other
seasoning than pure water. What should we. do? We attempted to retrace.our course, but we had scarcely gone .a
�12
RecolleEit"ons (if 'tlze Rocky Mottn!alns.
mile when the wind became still more contrary and forced
us back to the place we had left. To get ourselves out of
this difficulty, we considered the practicability of heading
for a little inhabited island, three miles distant in the lake.
But to accomplish this distance, we had only a birch canoe,
and so small, that one was obliged to kneel, another to
stand, while the rest would arrange themselves as best they
might as regarded convenience and the directing of our frail
craft. Besides, even in the finest weather the passage would
be difficult without a smooth water course, and now there
were high waves rising in our path, which the movements,
sometimes jerky, of the rowers only made worse. Without
any great knowledge of the laws of physics each one told
himself in secret that very little would be required to upset
us. But there was not much choice in the matter, and everybody was of the opinion that we had to make the attempt.
To do so with more probability of success, we left out our
prov1stons. While we mournfully took a draught and eyed
the distance that separated us from the nearest lodge that
rose against the sky, the savages told us that in this settlement was an old Indian woman nigh unto death. It was
then clear to us that God was leaving this only exit to us
for the salvation of this poor soul, and without further delay we hastened to the canoe. Scarcely had we left the
shore before we found the waves so menacing, that our two
rowers, strong and courageous as they were, turned to us
and asked what was to be done. The reply was: "Do what
you wish." How did they interpret this answer? That I
know not, but it is certain, from this moment they faced and
cut the waves with tightening sinews and lowered head as
if heaven its'elf had said to them, "Courage, and on!" ' A
voice would sometimes ask as the sides of the frail craft
contracted or expanded more, "shall we get there soon."
·•Yes; pretty soon," would be the answer and lona as this
"
tt
e.
. pre Y so_on appeared to all, we did finally arrive. "How
IS your s1ck woman getting on?" "Very badly" was the
reply, "hurry." And in truth we hurried with ;uch good
result that two hours after, cleansed in the regenerating
JJ
,
�Reco!!ellions of tlze Rocky Mountat'ns.
13
waters, the poor woman's soul entered on a blessed eternity.
Six days were then passed in this spot blessed by so happy
a death, and there were several other baptisms of adults, and
three marriages. On the seventh day, the whole island was
Christian, the sun magnificent, and the wind astern; our
provisions were renewed. Then the Fathers expressing a
heart-felt hope that they would meet them once more where
there would be no parting, availed themselves of the favorable circumstances to resume their course.
For an hour everything went as well as one could wish.
Already we had Eassed the spot, where eight days before we
had found the pillars of Hercules, when suddenly, wind and
waves again rising violently. we were driven on a terrible
bar, and for a moment thought, despite the powerful proteCtion that had guarded us hitherto, that this would be insuperable. "0 thou of little faith ! Why dost thou fear?"
At this very moment, a gun-shot rings out in the air and
the apparition of a buck pursued by hunters breaks on our
VISion. The hunters are our friends, and this puts an end
to our apprehension, and also to our fast. That night we
sat at a blazing fire in the ReduCtion of the Sacred Heart,
as if in the bosom of our family, recounting the wonderful
things that had befallen us in our short expedition, and blessing God for all He had done for us.
If the recolleCtion of these things does good to me, I
have thought that they might also benefit others, and for this
reason have deemed them not too unworthy to be written.
I
�INDIAN MISSIONS.
THE NEZ PERCEs.
Letter
if Fat/zer Jlllorn'llo to Fat/zer Cataldo.
LAPWAI, IDAHO TERRITORY, Jany., 1883.
REVEREND FATHER SUPERIOR,
P. C.
. I went to Lewiston on horse-back, some twenty miles distant, under a pelting rain, to bury a young girl who had
died on the far bank of the Snake River. On arriving. I
found a large crowd assembled before the church; as it was
already late and as I had the key, some had tried to force
an entrance. Having made the necessary preparations with
all possible dispatch, I proceeded to pronounce the absolution over the corpse. The subjeCt: of my sermon, which
was in English, was drawn from the occasion, and, after
my remarks, I followed the corpse to its final resting place.
Returning to my cell, worn out by the day's fatigue, I passed
a very bad night, so bad, in fact, that the following morning
found me too weak to celebrate Mass; yet on learning that
the old Zuskas was at the point of death, I mustered up
strength sufficient to say Mass and bring him Holy Communion, as also to another Indian named Mikzupelikt, who
for some time back has been unable to come to the·church.
When I reached our residence, I was unwell for some days ;
still for a priest the duty of assisting the dying is so pressing, that he should be willing, if required, to perform it at
'.the risk of his life;· I have been occupied from Nov. 21st
to Dec. 14th, as you are aware, in the grand mission given
to the Indians of Umatilla. The fruit was abundant, and I
may add as a remarkable faCt: that to reach the place, we
had to make a journey of three hundred miles. I reserve
(14)
�Tlu Nes Percis.
IS
details for another letter. On my return home, I had to begin the Christmas novena, and being alone, as usual, was
obliged to fulfil not only my priestly duties, which of themselves might well occupy two men, but also to become sacristan and decorator. The following is the daily order of
exercises:
In the morning, Mass and Rosary, followed by a catechetical instruction, ending with a hymn. In the evening,
we have Benediction, catechism and a sermon. followed by
another hymn. The Indians are very fond of these hymns.
In the course of the novena, I was called to the bed-side of
a sick man and had to make a journey of forty miles in one
day. Christmas eve and the night previous, I was in the
confessional till a late hour; on the first named day, I was
up till midnight from early morning, with scarcely a moment to take my meals. From the confessional I went to
the altar without a moment's repose and sang midnight Mass.
All present, save a few who had not been able to get to confession, approached Holy Communion with a fervor of devotion that delighted my heart, as I thought how agreeable
we must have been to the Infant Jesus in the grotto, in
·spite of our exterior poverty; for we had done all in our
power. For my own part, certainly I would not have changed for the most renowned cathedrals with their magnificence
this sight so edifying of the recitation in choir of prayers
before and after communion, the short instruction in Indian
with the sermon on the Gospel, then the hearing of second
Mass, followed by prayers and other canticles. The thought
of this desert wild where the memories of our Lord's Nativity are renewed, and the intensely religious spirit of this
people who but a few days since were little less savage than .
the roaming beasts, conspire to fill the mind with a sublime
idea of these ceremonie::s, and with a sublimity too that, at
first sight, might seem less real than imaginary. On my
arrival at this mission, during ceremonies far less striking
than those I speak of here, I was deeply moved, though I
am not easily given to tears.
At half past one, I went to bed, with my head so fatigued
�16
A Vzs£t to the Flatheads.
after twenty hours of uninterrupted work, that it felt like a
stick of wood, and, of course, I could not take the rest required by nature. Next morning, in spite of fatigue, I sang
the third Mass and preached again. The feast was closed
by solemn Benediaion. No rest, however, could I enjoy
until after New Year's which was celebrated by a ge11eral
communion. Since Christmas I have baptized two young
pagan girls, besides a Protestant woman with her six year
old son.
Yours in Christ,
A. MoRRILLO, S. J.
A VISIT TO THE FLATHEADS.
Some time ago; a German Protestant visited the mission
of St. Ignatius which lies in the centre of the Flathead
country in Montana Territory. On his return to fatherland, he published the following account in the llfiinclmzer,
Algemeine Zeitzmg. This sketch appeared in Spanish dress
in the last issue of the Revista Catolica. A translation of
it is given for the benefit of our English readers.
"It was a beautiful day in autumn. Our little band, arriving at the mission of St. Ignatius, was received most
cordially by two Jesuit Fathers in charge. The mission
was founded in 1856. Fr. Van Gorp who has been here for
seventeen years, is the Superior, and a man of fine administrative ability. On our arrival, he conduaed us to the
church. Observing that we did not take holy water on entering or make the sign of the cross when passing the altar
where hangs the painting of St. Ignatius, he very naturally
took us for Protestants, and so avoided with great care any
topic that might lead to unpleasant discussion. From the
church we were escorted to the boys' school, where fifty
little Indians are taught reading, writing and ciphering in
�A Visit to tlte Flatheads.
17
the Indian and English tongue. We were exceedingly interested in the youngsters, and could not help seeing that
teaching them the language was no mere rote exercise,
but a work that showed very careful and zealous training.
All the children read well, though with a slight accent, approaching somewhat to the Italian. They are surpassingly
quick at figures, particularly the children of mixed blood.
'We were then invited to dinner with two other Fathers and
the two Bandinis, brothers, who spoke English rather indifferently, whilst the Father Superior conversed elegantly in
French, English and German. Grace being said, all set lustily to work at their rice soup (which was so thick that it
stuck to the spoon), their exceilent roast beef and vegetables
of which there was a goodly variety, finishing up with the
dessert and tea. The kitchen and domestics are under the
supervision of four coadjutor Brothers, two of whom are
Germans; one of them, a native of Paderborn, Westphalia,
has been in Indian service for forty-two years.
"After dinner the Brother accompanied us to the garden,
which is his special department, and whilst he entertained
us with his dear Indians, we were much pleased at the simple honest pride he took in pointing out his massive, thicklyset cabbage, the lovely cauliflowers and the rich Indian corn.
These Indians are peaceable, harmless, and amiable, avoiding the very shadow of a quarrel with the whites. All
young lads in the mission are required to learn a trade;
some are carpenters, others, shoemakers, while others again
are millers. All, however, must take their time at the plough,
so that they may turn out good useful citizens, and keep
down the inclination they have to roam about. Farming
is, doubtless, a big job here where the process ofirrigation
is a daily necessity. But the example of the Jesuit Fathers
is powerful and always finds imitators.
"The water that flows down the mountain side has been
so utilized, as to form a young oasis in the desert. The
stream running through the settlement is strong enough to
run the grist, sawing, and planing mills together with the
VoL. xm-No. I.
2
�18
A Visit to the Flatheads.
other machinery for washing the clothes and churning the
butter. This skilful combination of natural forces to such
advantage, whilst it lightens the labors of the Fathers, leaves
a very marked impression on the Indian.
"In the afternoon, we visited the girls' school which numbers forty-five pupils, in charge of seven Sisters (mostly
Canadian) of the Congregation of Providence. Here, too,
good results are shown, more satisfactory even than those
we witnessed in the boys' school, whilst we noticed, as elsewhere, the superiority of the mixed bloods over those of the
pure Indian type.
"The Jesuit Fathers receive an annual income of $6,ooo
from the government for the education of the Flatheads,
which allows them about $IOO for each child. Assuredly
never was money appropriated to a more deserving cause
by the national congress.
"Returning about sunset, we passed through the numerous
Indian estates, with their beautiful fields, and the old Indian
thatch replaced by the dwellings of solid beam. As we
passed along, we were courteously greeted by the natives,
who conversed and answered all our questions, leaving us
most favorably impressed. There was one family that particularly arrested our attention. The father and the two
elder boys rode by, each having his own horse, whilst the
mother went along with one of her darlings strapped to her
shoulders, the other, a little papoose of some three months,
snoring away most tranquilly, swung to and fro in a basket
suspended from the pummel of the saddle. Losing sight,
at last, of our interesting Indians,· we came away with the
picture of a noble christian work present to our minds
fondly hoping that the civilization, as carried on by the Jes~
uits in the mission of St. Ignatius, may be crowned with
the happiest and most successful results."
�HISTORY OF THE SOCIETY'S WORK
SOUTH-EASTERN KANSAS.
IN
OsAGE MisSION, KANsAs,
RT. REV. LOUIS
M.
FINK.
0.
s. B.,
July 3I, 1883.
P. X.
To comply with your kind request, I send you a plain
statement, showing the dates of the establishment of missionary stations and of the subsequent building of churches
in South-eastern Kansas, by the Fathers of the Society of
Jesus, or through their influence, by the Secular priests who
came after them, and this I do to comply with your request;
otherwise I would never have undertaken the task, lest it
should be said of me that I was sounding the praises of the
Society and exaggerating its work. For the names of the
Fathers, the dates and lengths of their ministry in this part
of Kansas, I am indebted to the church records of St. Francis' Institute and the "History of the Catholic Church
among the Indian Tribes," by]. G. Shea, New York, I8SS·
RespeCtfully,
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIONE.
To give a right idea of the way in which the Church in
South-eastern Kansas rose from such small beginnings to
its present flourishing condition, I must go back to the establishment of missionary stations. The Osages, for whom
the mission was begun, were in the habit of going twice a
year on a great hunting expedition in which the whole nation joined. They were absent about two months each
time. So during four months of the year we were left alone
at the mission, with some half-breed families and many children. As the care of these did not take up all our time, we
thought our spare moments could be put to no better use
than in making short visits to the neighboring tribes who
had lately crossed over from Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
Among these were many Catholics, who since their reinoval
(19)
�20
The Society;s work itt Soutlz-Eastern KaJZsas.
had no opportunity whatever of approaching the Sacraments
or of hearing Mass. They were located about ninety miles
above this mission. Nearer to us still, in the north, were
the six nations, commonly called, New York Indians.
About one hundred miles to the south the Cherokees roamed wild. And then, in 1845, white settlers came pouring
in, among whom were not a few Catholics; and these, of
course, claimed a share in our ministrations. In ·our visits
to these small settlements, we would seleCt a central station,
equally distant from the families scattered round about.
Before setting out for tl1ese central stations, we managed to
let the people know of our coming, that warned beforehand,
they might gather at the appointed place, whither they generally came in goodly numbers. 'vVe celebrated Mass, ad. ministered the Sacraments and gave instruCtions, especially
to the children. These central points were called missionary stations. In course of time the Catholic population increased, small settlements grew into large towns, and then
divine service was held in the town hall or in some store or
in the school house, and hither flocked not Catholics only
but Protestants. also. Time flew by and still the Catholics
increased, as in numbers, so also in means. \Ve suggested
the propriety of having a small church, just large enough
to accomodate all, and soon the holy edifice rose modestly
from the quiet prairie. The town corporation generously
donated the land, and Catholics as well as Protestants gave
liberally of their means, to defray the building expenses.
And thus was the ground broken and the sod upturned for
the plentiful harvest which we are now reaping. Small,
indeed, was the seed of our beginning, but thanks be to
God, it took kindly to the soil, and burst through the sod
and grew into a stately tree, whose roots underlie half of
this immense state and whose branches gather within their
shadow people of all nations. When the Osage mission
was begun, the Catholics in the state fell short of one hundred and fifty persons; now you can number them by the
thousands.
Our work was truly a hard one, but it was at the same
�The Society's work in Soutlz-Eastem Kansas.
I
I
I
21
time a work of love. The great distances we had to travel
generally on horseback; the bad accommodations we met
with at our journey's end; continued exposure to inclement
weather; nights spent in the open prairie or in the still
woods, with no other bed but a blanket; these were things
to which we had not been accustomed. But with the help
of God we kept on doing our duty as best we could, though
the difficulties in our way were harsh and disagreeable to
nature. And now we rejoice and are exceeding glad, looking at the rich fruit of our hardships and labors.
Speaking of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, who in
those early days exercised the ministry in what is now
called South-eastern Kansas, I cannot pass over the name
of Father Charles Van Quickenborne, who seems to have
been the first to celebrate the Holy Mysteries in this part
of the country and who deserves, in consequence, the high
name of Pioneer Priest of South-east Kansas. In 1824, Father Charles opened a boarding school for Osage children
in the Novitiate of our Society at Florissant, St. Louis Co.,
Mo. It came to a premature end, however, even in the fulness of its promise. The Osages, this year, sold by treaty
to the United States all their lands in Missouri and moved
westward into Kansas, then called Missouri territory. They
settled on the fertile banks of a large river, which took their
name, and is known to this day as the Osage.
I 827.-In this year, we find Father Charles, visiting the
wigwams of the Osages in Eastern Kansas, at the trading
post of the American Fur Company, situated a little below
the confluence of Sugar Creek with the Osage river. At
this place the Osage is called Marais-des-Cynes by the
Creoles. Not far below on the Missouri side, the Presbyterians had set on foot a school for Osage children, which
gloried in the name of Harmony. Mission. It lay near the
small town of Papinville, Bates Co. Father Charles, having
heard of it, resolved to go down on a visit. The Presbyterians received him very kindly, and with a thoughtful charity,
worthy a better cause, fixed up for him a temporary chapel,
in which he said Mass and baptized many children.
�22
Tke Society's work in Soutk-Eastem Kansas.
The main body of the Osages had already settled around
the new agency which lay near the junCtion of Four Mile
Creek with the Neosho. Hither, then, Father Charles
hastened to visit his children in their new home, and on
the occasion of this visit formed among them a missionary
station.
1828.-This year Father Charles spent in visiting the
Osages in their hunting camps along the creeks in Linn
County.
1830.-We learn from our records that Father Charles
visited his dear Osages in the towns they had formed along
the Marmiton in Bourbon Co., not far from the present site
of Fort Scott. The travelling in those days from Florissant
to the Osages was slow and toilsome. Railroads were unknown and the route of the stage-coach would have led him
far out of his way. But this did not cost the good Father
a thought. He knew full well that the soul of an Indian,
viewed in the light of faith, was as worthy his love and care
as that of the best born white man in the land. So he bore
these trials cheerfully, in hope of bringing salvation to
many. From the banks of the Marmiton the untiring pioneer turned towards the south-west, visiting in his way all
the Indians along the banks of the Neosho even to the point
where it meets the Saline, about forty miles north of Fort
Gibson. He formed missionary stations in the Osage settlements on the Chanteau, Pryor and Cabin creeks, all in
the Cherokee nation.
Now that Father Charles had seen the Osages comfortably placed in their new home, with every advantage both
of soul and body, he turned his attention to the Indians who
had of late been removed by the government from east of
the Mississippi to Kansas or, as it was then called, Missouri territory. Among these were many who had embraced
the Catholic religion in Indiana, Illinois and Wisconsin .
. Thoug~ they were Catholics only in name, still they gloned even m that. They gave a cold reception to the Protestant ~inisters who were sent to them, and applied, time
and agam, for the Black Gowns to come and take care of
�The Society's work in South-Easteru Kausas.
I
I
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23
their children. Of these tribes the Kikapoos and Pottawatomies were the most demonstrative in their attachment to
the Church. The wigwams of the former lay northward
at the junCtion of Salt creek with the Missouri; the others lived more to the south, near the meeting of Sugar
creek with the Osage. Father Charles thought that if missionary stations were established among these two tribes,
they would serve as centres, from which the Indians of Kansas might receive spiritual assistance. So he set to work
forthwith, and despite some opposition which promised to
thwart his plans, he received authority to open two missions. For reasons unknown to me the Kikapoo mission
lasted but a short while. It wa~ afterward joined to the
mission of St. Mary's on Sugar creek. Now that the hopes
of Father Charles had come to a happy issue, he appointed
Father Christopher Hoecken superior of the Pottowatomy
mission, and withdrew to the Portage of the Sioux, in order
to repair his shattered health. Shortly after reaching his
destination, he was taken with a fever, which carried him off
after a brief illness. He passed away peacefully with the
hope and assurance of a welcome from Him, whom he had
served so well. He was fifty five-years old at the time of
his death. To this great man is due the honor of having
planted the faith in Kansas. He sowed the seed at high
noon, when the sun was burning hot, and for moisture to the
parched soil he gave the lavish sweat of his brow.
As my present purpose is to show the work done by the
Fathers of the Society among the Osages, I !~ave to others,
better informed than myself, the task of recording the good
wrought by the Fathers of St. Mary's mission in the west
and north-west of Kansas.
1838.-It appears from our records that Father Hoecken
succeeded Father Van Quickenborne in attending to the
spiritual needs of the Osages.
1830.-Father Hoecken seems to have been succeeded in
his turn by Father Herman Aelen,_ whose name appears on
the baptismal record from Feb. 2 Ist, 1840, to April 2nd,
1842.
�24
The Society's work in South-Eastem Kansas.
1842.-Father Felix Verreydt followed Father Aelen in
the charge of the Osage mission. He labored among
the Osages for five years, visiting them at regular intervals
in the settlements which they had formed in Bourbon,
Cherokee, Crawford and Linn counties.
In the Spring of 1845, the Pottawatomies shifted their
quarters on Sugar creek, directing their course northward,
and moving very slowly, as is the custom with Indians
when they change their habitation. They passed the winter on the banks of the \Varakusa, and at last, in the Spring
of 1846, reached their new reservation on the Kansas river.
From that time forward, the head-quarters of St. l\Iary's
mission remained unchanged in the very place where it now
stands. As "the Pottawatomies were now separated from
the Osages by many miles, it was difficult for the Fathers
to attend to the spiritual needs of both nations. The Osages tried to remedy this evil by securing for themselves and
their children the services of Catholic priests. They tried
in vain to interest the agents in their behalf. At last, encouraged in their purpose by some members of the American Fur Company, they sent a petition to the President,
who kindly granted their request, referring the management
of the business to the Commissioner for Indian affairs.
The Commissioner instructed the Archbishop of St. Louis
to provide priests for the Indians. Archbishop Kenrick,
knowing how much the Fathers of the Society of J csus had
already done for the Osages, offered this new mission to
Father James :Van de Velde, then Provincial of the Society
in the State of Missouri. Father Provincial accepted the offer
with joy and placed the new mission under the patronage
of St. Francis Hieronymo, appointing Father John Schoenmakers, as its first superior. As Father Verreydt was well
acquainted with the Osage reservation, to him was given
the charge of choosing a suitable spot for the head-quarters
of the mission.
Father John Schoenmakers did not tarry long in preparing his outfit. He purchased what supplies were needed
for the moment and then set out on his journey, taking with
�The Society's work in South-Eastern Kansas.
25
him Father John Bax as his a'ssistant and three Brothers
who were to have charge' of the house and scho·oi. They
ascended the Missouri river as far up as Kansas City, which
then consisted of a few log shanties. Thence they took a
south-western direction, making the rest of the journey in
good old patriarchal style, in \vagons drawn by oxen.
After several days of long and tedious travel, they at last,
on the 28th of April, 1847, reached their destination, and
having taken formal possession of the two log houses, just
built for them by the Indian Department, they began what
to this day is called the Osage mission.
Father John Schoen makers knew the importance of training the Indian boys not only in religion and letters, but
also in tilling the soil and in the other useful arts. So, on
the 10th of May following, he opened a Manual Labor
School for Indian boys, quite a number of these being already in attendance as boarders. The work of education,
however, would have been incomplete ifthe boys were instructed and the girls wholly neglected. With a view to
providing for the girls also, Father Schoenmakers went over
to Kentucky to see the Bishop of Louisville. He asked
the Bishop's leave to take back with him two or three
Sisters of the Congregation of Loretto, to whose care the
Indian girls might be intrusted. The Bishop granted the
request if only the Sisters were willing. The· zeal and readiness of the Sisters in offering themselves was truly apostolic. Of their own free choice they agreed to dwell and
labor among the wildest of the wild Indians, the Osages,
. whose name in those days was a terror to the whites, living along the state line of Missouri and Arkansas.
The charge of the new mission ~vas given to Mother
Concordia, who took along with her, as assistants, Sisters
Bridget, Mary and Vincentia. With joy and hope the good
Sisters set about making ready what was absolutely necessary for opening a new convent and school, and, on the 20th
of September, started from St. Louis for this far western
country. After many days of slow, tedious sailing through
the sand bars of the Missouri, and after many days of rough
�26
The Society's work z"11 Soutlz-Eastenz Kansas.
driving over the endless prairies of Kansas, where no human
habitation ever arrested the weary eye, they at last, on the
sth of oa. 1847, reached the Osage mission and, on the
roth of the same month, opened their school for Osage
girls.
Now that the schools were in running order, Father John
Bax began his regular visits to the Osages, ereaing missionary stations in their settlements on the Verdigris, Neosho and Labette rivers and on the numerous tributaries of
these rivers, which water the traa of land now comprised
in Wilson, Allen, Neosho, Montgomery, and Labette counties.
In the establishment of Osage and St. Mary's missions,
two great centres of Catholicity arose, and from these as
from a fountain flowed the stream of doarine and faith.
As every thing about the mission was in a rough, rude state,
we needed workmen to till the land and carpenters to fix
up the house and church. Neither the full-bloods nor the
half-breeds could render any assistance in this line. So we
were obliged to call in white people, and, of course, our
choice fell upon good Catholics of our own acquaintance.
These, seeing that nothing was to be feared fro~ the Indians,
sent for their families and friends. In a short space the little
circle of white Catholics widened. Wherever there was a
mission house, around this they clustered, in order to provide for themselves and their children the blessings of religion.
Soon the mission churches became too small for the
growing congregations. So the white Catholics, meeting
with no opposition from the Indians formed settlements of
their own.
·
'
The holy Father Pius IX, hearing of the increasing Catholic population in Kansas, thought proper to appoint a Vica:-Apostolic over those parts. The choice of the holy
Father fell upon Father John B. Miege of the Society of
Jesus. Father Miege was consecrated, at St. Louis, March
25th, 185 I, Bishop of Messinia z"n part. and Vicar-A?ostolic
for the country east of the Rocky Mountains.
�Tlte Society's wwk in South-Eastern Kansas.
I
I
27
Looking at Kansas from a Catholic stand-point, the conviction is forcibly born back upon us that truly the labors
and trials without number, endured by those early pioneers
whose names I have just mentioned, were not fruitless.
For upwards of twenty years they struggled on, those brave,
apostolic men, traversing footsore and weary, that immense
waste of land, where, up to I 850, not a village of whites
could be found. They broke the ground, and "going
they went and wept, casting their seeds," but not in vain.
The harvest, indeed, came slowly, but it came at last, and
the devout and learned priests of the diocese of Leavenworth are now gathering of its fulness. And they too still
endure the labors of the seed-time, and under the leadership
of our most zealous Bishop, Rt. Rev. Louis M. Fink, 0. S.
B., they continue, with a courage nothing inferior to that of
their predecessors, in the progress westward, establishing
churches through the length and breadth of the immense
State of Kansas.
May Gotl prosper their labors; may He increase their
numbers; for "the harvest indeed is great, but the laborers
are few."
The following statement will show the number of churches erected by our Fathers, or, though their influence. I
give also the stations established by Ours of the Province
of Missouri in South-east Kansas.
CHURCHES ERECTED BY THE JESUIT FATHERS OF OSAGE MISSION,
NEOSHO COUNTY, KANSAS, SINCE I 847.
St. Francis de Hieronymo, Osage Mission; Neosho Co.
St. Mary, Queen of Angels, Fort Scott, Bourbon Co.
St. Joseph, Humboldt, Allen Co.
St. Bridget, at Scammonville, Cherokee Co.
St. Francis Borgia, Cottonwood Falls, Chase Co.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Hickory Creek, Crawford Co.
St. Ann, Walnut Station, Crawford Co.
Sacred Name of Jesus, Coffeyville, Montgomery Co,
St. Stanislaus, Independence, Montgomery Co.
�2
g
The Society's work iu Soutlz-Eastern Kansas.
St. Patrick, Parsons, Labette Co.
Immaculate Conception, Ladore, Neosho Co.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, Neodesha, Wilson Co.
St. Agnes, Thayer, Neosho Co.
St. Francis Xavier, Cherryvale, Montgomery Co.
CHURCHES ERECTED BY THE SUCCESSORS OF THE FATHERS AN!l
BY THEIR INFLUENCE.
St. Boniface, Scipio, Anderson Co.
St. John the Evangelist, Prairie City, Douglas Co.
St. Joseph, Baxter Springs, Cherokee Co.
Immaculate Conception, Defiance, Woodson Co.
St. Francis Xavier, Burlington, Coffey Co.
St. Lawrence, Canute, Neosho Co.
St. Mary, Star of the West, Boston, Elk Co.
STATIONS ESTABLISHED llY OURS.
Father Charles Van Quickenborne, residing at St. Stanislaus, near Florissant St. Louis Co. Missouri, visited the
Osages from time to time for ten years. In I 827, he
visited Trading Post, Linn Co., Harmony Mission, Bates
Co. (Missouri), Osage Agency, Neosho Co, and 1\iarmiton,
Bourbon Co. He established many missionary stations
among the Osage half-breeds, in the U. S. army barracks
and in other places. He visited, in I 830, Grand Saline,
Indian Territory.
Father Christian Hoecken visited, in I 836, Ottawa, Franklin
Co.
·
In 1840, Father Herman Aelen visited Sugar Creek, Franklin Co. Father Aelen, together with Father Hoecke~ and
Fr. Verreydt established missionary stations among the
Osages.
In I 842, Pawnee, Bourbon Co. and Kickapoo, Leavenworth
Co., were visited; the former, by Father Felix Verreydt,
the latter, by Father Hoecken.
In 1847, Father John Schoenmakers established the Osage
�The Society's work in South-Eastern Kansas.
I
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29
mission and built the church of St. Francis Hieronymo.
He also commenced a school for Indian boys and girls.
In 1849, Father Charles Truyens and Father H. Van Mierlo
established, at Miami town, Miami Co., a mission for the
Miamis, Peorias, Weas. It did not last long.
In the same year, Father John Bax visited the Miamis at
Middle Creek, Bourbon Co. He established missionary
stations amongst them.
In 1849, Father Ignatius i\Iaes visited Spring River, Jaspar
Co. (Missouri), and established missionary stations among
the Osages and Guapaws living there.
In 1850, Father John Bax established a regular missionary
station in the garrison of Fort Gibson in the Indian
Territory.
In 1851, Father Paul l\'Iary Ponziglione visited Barnesville,
Bourbon Co., and at the same time established missionary
stations among the six Nations, commonly called New
York Indians.
In 1853, Father Adrian Van Hulst went to Cabin Creek, Indian Territory, and established missionary stations among
the Osages, Cherokee half-breeds and Senecas.
In 1854, Father Paul Mary Ponziglione visited the Chippeways and Appanooses, Franklin Co., and established there
missionary stations for the Chippeways as well as for the
Sacs and Foxes. He also established, in 1855, a missionary station at Cow Creek, Crawford Co.
In 1858, Father Joseph Van Leugenhaege established missionary stations in the camps of the Osages, along Hickory Creek and near Briar Town, Neosho Co.
In the years 1857 and 1858, Father Paul Mary Ponziglione
established missionary stations at the following places:
Mound City, Linn Co.; Greely, Anderson Co.; St. Boniface, Anderson Co.; Burlington and Le Roy, Coffey Co.;
Humboldt, Elizabeth Town and lola, Allen Co.; Prairie
City, Franklin Co.; Columbus, Cherokee Co.; Lightning Creek, Crawford Co.; Owl Creek, Woodson Co.;
Fridonia and New Albany, Wilson Co.; Fall River and
Eureka, Greenwood Co. Most of these missions had
�30
- The Society's work £11 Soutlz-Eastem Kansas.
their head-quaters in the houses of white men. At Burlington and New Albany, churches were built through
the Father's influence. He ereCted St. Joseph's church
at Humboldt, in 1867.
In 1859, Father J. Van Goch established missionary stations among the white settlers at Little Osage, Bourbon
Co. Through his influence St. Lawrence's church was
built.
In 1859 and 1860, Father Ponziglione established missionary stations among the white settlers at the following
places: Pleasant Grove, Greenwood Co.; Granby, Newton Co. (Mo.); Defiance, Woodson Co.; Otter Creek,
Coffey Co. ; Emporia, Lyon Co. ; Marion Centre, Marion
Co. Through his influence a church was ereCted in
honor of the Immaculate Conception at Defiance.
In 186o, Father John Schoenmakers founded a missionary
station at Osage City, Osage Co.
In the same year, Father Van Goch established a missionary station at Mapleton, Bourbon Co.
In 1863, Father Ponziglione established a missionary station at Fort Scott, Bourbon Co. The old church of
Mary, Queen of Angels, was built by the Father in 1864.
In the same year, Father John Schoenmakers established a
missionary station among the coal miners at Gerard,
Crawford Co.
In the s~me year, Father James Van Goch established missionary stations among the Osage half-breeds, at Oswego,
Labette Co.
In I 864, '66 and '68, Father Ponziglione established missionary stations at the following places: Madison, Woodson Co.; Dry Creek, Woodson Co.; Diamond Creek,
Bazaar and Cottonwood Falls, Chase Co. ; Coxville, \Viison Co.; Neodesl:la, vVilson Co. At Cottonwood Falls
the Father built a church in honor of St. Francis Borgia.
In 1866, Father Setters established missionary stations at
Thunderbolt, Crawford Co,
�The Society's 'work in South-Eastern Kansas. In
31
I 868 and '69, Father Colleton established missionary
stations at the following places: Baxter Springs and
Scammonville, Cherokee Co.; Chelopa, Labette Co.; Laclore, Neosho Co.; Hickory Creek, Crawford Co.; Thayer and Morehead, Neosho Co.; Parker and Coffeyville,
Montgomery Co.; Florence, Morris Co. ; Dodge City,
Ford Co.; Newton, Harvey Co.; Fort Larned, Pawnee.
He built churches at Hickory Creek, Neodesha and Coffeyville. He established a missionary station at Walnut,
Crawford Co. Here he also built a church.
In I 869 and '70, Father Ponziglione established missionary
stations at the following places: Winfield, Cowley Co. ;
Hutchison, Reno Co.; Boston, Elk Co.; Howard, Elk
Co.; Eldorado, Butler Co.; Council Grove, Morris Co.;
Timber Hill, Labette Co.; Wichita, Sedgwick Co.;
Greenwood, Greenwood Co. Through the Father's influence a church was built at Boston, Elk Co.
In the same year ( 1 870) Father John Schoenmakers established a missionary station at Morgan, Montgomery Co.
He also built the church of St. Stanislaus.
In 1871, '72 and '73, Father Ponziglione established missionary stations at the following places: Cherryvale,
Montgomery Co.; Cheyenne Agency and Fort Sill, Indian Territory; vVilmington and Oxford, Sumner Co.;
Harper, Harper Co.; Sedan and Elgin, Chantaugua Co.
In 1873, Father John D. Condon established missionary
stations at Mound Valley, Labette Co.
In 1878, 'So and '82, Father Ponziglione established stations
at the following places: Muskogee, Venita, Enfaula,
Fisher's Town, Checkota and Tahlequash, all in the Cherokee nation; Pawska, Osage Agency, Indian Territory.
�32
The Society's work in Sout!t-Eastem Kansas.
NAMES OF THE JESUIT FATHERS OF THE PROVINCE OF :IIISSOURI WHO HAVE IlEEN, OR ACTUALLY ARE NOW EMPLOYED IN
THE MISSION OF SOUTH-EASTERN KANSAS.
A. D.
1827
TO
1883.
1827 Charles Van Quicken- 1857 James C. Van Goch.*
1862 Adrian Hoecken.
borne.*
1838 Christian Hoecken.*
1869 John Setters.
1840 Herman Aelen.*
1869 Philip Colleton.*
1842 Felix L. Verreydt.*
1873 John D. Condon.
1847 Charles Truyens.*
1875 Adrian M. Hayden.
I
840 Henry Van Mierlo.
I
878 Adrian Sweere.
1847 John Schoenmakers.*
1878 John Drissen.
1847 John Bax.*
1879 John Van Krevel.
1850 Ignatius Maes.*
1879 William Van der Ha-
1851 Rt. Rev. John B. Miege.
gen.
1851 Paul M. Ponziglione.
1879 William J. Schmidt.
1853 Adrian Van Hulst.
1880 John F. Kuhlmann.
1858 Joseph Vander Lcugen-1882 Philip Roos.
haege.*
1883 John G. Vennemann.
-:;: Ileceased.
�PHILADELPHIA'S CATHOLIC SCHOOL,
ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
REV. FR. MORGAN:
The following list of subscriptions for the first Catholic
School in Philadelphia, appeared in the "Catholic Standard," Sept. rsth, 1883. As the \VoODSTOCK LETTERS proved so valuable a source of information at the time of the
Jubilee of our Province, I think these documents should be
preserved in your pages. If you can spare room, I shall
feel thankful.
In the sketch of St. Joseph's church, published in the
first volume ofthe WooDSTOCK LETTERS, in 1872, mention
is made of the first Catholic School in Philadelphia. But
where so many interesting historic faCts are enumerated,
it could hardly be expeCted that special prominence would
be given to a Parochial School. Perhaps, to your readers
some account of this school will not be uninteresting.
One hundred years ago, though there were two chapels,
St. Joseph's and St. Mary's, there was but one congregation, parish or mission. As early as 1781, Fr. Molyneux,
remembering the importance of educating the young for
heaven, while their minds are being prepared for the duties
of life, had his parochial school ereCted. He knew that the
hearts and minds of parents could be more easily gained
through the affeCtion and careful training of their children.
At what precise date a Catholic School was first opened in
Philadelphia, I am not prepared to say, but it was prior to
178 I ; for in the subscription list of that year mention is
made of the" Old" and of building the" New School-house."
In 1781, was signed the following paper:
"Subscriptions towards paying for tlze Old Scltool House and
lot purclzased for £4oo, A. D. T78I."
VoL. xm-No.
I.
3
(33)
�34 Philadelphia's Catlzolic School, one hundred years ago.
£sd
I
I
II,,
:I
:11
:'1
!.11
i,i..; I
!r:!..
Estate of James White .
Rev. Rob't Molyneux .
Jas. Byrne .
Patrick Byrne .
Redmond Byrne .
Roger Flahavan'.
"
Jr..
"
Dennis Dougherty
Timothy Carroll
Peter Gallagher .
}as. Price
Jno. Aitkin
Edw. Hanlon
Laurence Cook
Thos. Carroll .
Edw. Nugent .
Thos. Betagh
}as. Mullen (shopkeeper)
Jno. Barret
Mich. Green
Thos. Shortall
Walter Byron
W. McDermott
Patrick Hare .
Geo. Connelly
Jno. Welsh
Henry Lawlor
Jeremiah Sullivan
Jas. Welsh.
Ber'nd Fearis
Dennis McCarthy
Thos. Heapenny
Jos. Griswold
Capt. Roger Kean
Jno. Keith.
Jno. Levins
Jas. Cottringer
. 30
0
0
7
I2
6
6
4
0
0
0
0
I IS
0
6
0
0
I IO
0
3
0
0
3
7 6
4
3
0
IS
0
Q
3 0
I 10
0
0
0
0
0 IS
0
I
6
3
2
3
0
0
3
I
0
0
s
6
I 10
0
I IO
0
3
0
0
I
0
0
I
2
6
I
IS
0
IS
0
I
3
7 6
IS
0
3
I
0
0
8
0
3
0
0
s
0
0
2
I IS
0
8
0
0
I
0
0
3
2
0
0
5
0
�Philadelphia's Catholic School, one hundred years ago. 35
Jno. and Thos. Flahavan .
6
Jas. Forrest .
I
Chas. White .
4
Thos. Carroll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . o
Benj. Hemings .
3
Capt. J no. Baxter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I
Jas. Oellers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
"Continental money wluclt was sold at I50 for I,
though per/zaps of more value when received."
Mich. M. O'Bryan, $6oo
1
1
Moses Bussey, $6oo .
Jno. Tracy, Ssoo . .
I
Peter Loret, $300 . .
o
o
Patrick Hogan, $zoo
Angela Ceronia, $400
1
Don Robert Pousey, $8oo .
2
Capt. Jas. Byrne, $1000
2
Thos. Fitzsimmons
9
Total . . .
o o
IS 0
o
0
IS
o
IS
o
o
0
o
6
10
o
10
o
5 o
IS o
IO o
o o
o o
IO o
o o
. £r8o 3 o
After buying the "school-house and lot" the house must
have been torn down and the "New school-house" built,
as the following subscription list and copies of bills of
1781 prove.
£. s. d.
Rev. Robert Molyneux
. 20 0 0
Mr. Bourke, of St. Croix .
10 2 6
Captain Murphy
6 0 0
Jas. Byrne . .
7 10 0
Don Francisco .
11 5 0
£54 17 6
The "New school-house" was finished in May, 1782. The
payments made were :
For building the little house well and foundations for the
school-house . . . . . . . . . . . . . £20 17 47{
�36 Pkiladelpkids Catlzolic School, one izundred years ago.
This school-house conneCl:ed with St. Joseph's and St.
Mary's, then under the same management, was situated
north of St. Joseph's, in the rear of what is now Cochran's
wholesale Liquor. store. The masters had to instruCt six
pupils free and receive pay for all others. The affairs of
school, as of church temporalities, were seen to by "Managers" until September I788, when St. Mary's was incorporated, and the affairs were in the hands of trustees. On
September Ist, I783, the managers agreed to give the children premiums to the value of twenty shillings, four times a
year, for improvement in studies.
One account for I783 shows the following contributions,
received by Rev. Fr. Molyneux, for the school :
£ s d
IS 0 0
Capt. John Walsh
9 00
Jeremiah .Sullivan .
3 0 0
, John Comely
3 0 0
Patrick Crogan
II
Mons. Rendon, Spanish Agent
IO 0 0
Capt. Baxter's wife
2 6
Felix Me Kernon
0 0
John Tracy
3
Honor Lee
3 00
3 guineas
Chas. De Costes
Alex. Rogers
o ISo
Felix Me Kernon
o 10 o
Owen Garrigan
o Is 6
Daniel Fitzpatrick
.
.
o 7 6
The £ S zs. 6d. in the name of Felix Me Kern on, doubtless, were .cqlleCl:ions, while the ten shillings was his own
contribution.
, Besides these direCl: contributions, colleCtions were made
twic~ a year. These faCl:s show that our Fathers, Molyneux,
Le~ls and Farmer, were watchful of the young of Philadelphia, a hundred years ago; and it is to be regretted that
the work of education in Philadelphia, so zealously begun
by our Fathers, has not been more successfuly carried on,
ss
s
�Plziladelphia's Catholic Sc/zool, one hundred years ago. 37
!
'
I
I
I
f
f
•
that the second largest city of the Union is still without a
Catholic college, properly so called.
If we consider the difficulties that encumbered our Fathers, the location of the church and school-house, we must
acknowledge that the work of Fr.. Molyneux to build a
Catholic school in 1781, ere the warm feelings caused by the
Revolution had ceased, in the hot-bed of prejudice, within
a short walk of Penn Park, and within a stone's throw of
the Quaker Almshouse, was an arduous task.
As the many flourishing and stately churches, which are
now the pride of Philadelphia, have sprung from St. Joseph's
humble beginnings, so the magnificent and costly Seminary of St. Charles, at Overbrook, took its rise from the ruins
of the "Old school-house." The first attempt at an ecclesiastical seminary for the diocese was in the residence of
Bishop Conwell, the Old St. Joseph's residence. Among
the students were Michael Keenan (l) of Lancaster, Penn.,
and John Hughes, afterwards Archbishop of ~ew York. <2l
When Bishop Kenrick was appointed administrator of the
diocese, he also had a kind of seminary in his residence first in Fifth street below Powell,- afterwards on the east
side of Fifth street below Prune, close to St. Mary's graveyard.
But the first ecclesiastical seminary, of any pretentious as
a seminary, was located in an old building in the rear of the
pastoral residence of St. Mary's church, whence it was transferred to the N. E. corner of eighteenth and Race streets,
and later to Overbrook, West Philadelphia.
Delta.
Ol
l'l
Died a few years ago, having been parish priest in Lancaster over fifty
years.
He finished his c<lucation in )It. St. Mary's College.
�BRAZIL.
Letter from Fr. R. M. Galauti.
ITU, Dec. 1st, 1883.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
A long time has elapsed since I sent my last letter; but
the delay was unavoidable; I hope that now I shall be able
to make up for all deficiencies.
What I wish to tell you this time has reference to the
position of the Protestants in Brazil. They are very numerous and seem to have complete possession of the country;
in the Upper Amazon, Para, Pernambuco, Bahia, Rio Janeiro, S. Paulo, Minas, their presence seems little less than
an invasion. Everywhere, they open small colleges, enjoy
the protectio~ of the authorities, and assume a very bold
attitude; so much so, that one of their newspapers, last year,
proposed to the people to "kill all the Jesuits.J' A few
years ago, public opinion was decidedly against them, but
now, as the numerous sectarian newspapers are ever chanting their praises, the tide of public opinion is rapidly turning in their favor. Their mission is far from being a religious one. They preach the most advanced revolutionary
principles, and all who become Protestants give up their
political party, to embrace a rabid Republicaizism. From
the way things look, in a few years, we shall have a revolution, and Brazil will become a republic, or rather a colony
of North America. I have not much news, but the facts I
state with regard to the conduCt of Protestants here, I know
for certain. When the seCtaries first appeared in this province, they were challenged to a dispute by the students of
the Academy of St. Paul, and being badly worsted two or
three times, they withdrew for a while, only to infeCt other
little towns, where they had no such opposition to fear. In
(38)
�Brazil.
39
one of these towns they succeeded in making not a few perversions, when a Capuchin in disguise went to one of their
reunions and boldly offered to prove that the supreme rule
of Faith could not be the Bible, as the preacher would have
them believe. The Capuchin spoke loud, learnedly and well,
but the parson instead of answering, as he had promised,
made an apology, and during the night disappeared, "insalutato hospite." On another occasion, a minister went into
another little town of the province and was going to preach
in th-e house where he had been welcomed. But the people,
learning this, rose in arms, attacked the house, and ordered
the man to leave on the spot. As he strove to resist by
force, he was seized, brought into the street, and, threatened
with death. He was spared only at the intercession of
some friends and on condition of leaving the town within
an hour. His exit was made to the accompaniment of
music and hisses.
A few years ago, in the very capital of the province, a
Protestant was accustomed to hold religious service in a
house quite near the cathedral, and used to preach while
the Catholic service was going on. One day a number of
students chanced to enter, and were welcomed as converts.
In the middle of the service, however, they rais.ed a great
disturbance, and laying hands on the preacher, who had
grown angry, gave him a thorough trouncing and went
their way. The consequence was, that on the following
Sunday a soldier was stationed at the door of the meetinghouse, and the students were prevented from repeating their
pranks. I am far from approving such conduct, which seems
to be .the rule in several places, but I mention it, to show
that Brazilians, in general, have no particular affection for
Protestantism, and take this peculiar method of showing at
once their distaste, and their loyalty to their own religion.
Ten years ago, the Protestants opened a college at Campinas, a town almost sixty miles from Itu. For t\~o or three
years, they had great success with regard to the number of
pupils, but soon failed, as it was discovered that they attempted to convert, or rather pervert, everyone. In fact,
�Brazil.
bibles, richly bound, were gratuitously distributed, sweet
bread and butter, under the name of Holy Communion, was
given in the church, and those who assisted at the sermons
were paid! All who accepted the bibles, received the communion, or attended the services through love of the money
given, were counted as Protestants. At first, many were
deceived by one or other of these devices, but after a while,
their eyes were opened, and both college and church were
deserted. At present, their followers are only those who
had already given up all religion, and if they call themselves
Protestants, it is through sm.ne interested human motive.
In fact, these Protestants have very few of those qualities
required to produce a true conversion, i. e. to triake people
good. They are neither edifying in their bearing, as is well
known, nor learned, as far as religious matters are concerned.
Here I must stop short, lest my letter arrive too late; but
soon I shall be able to send you a long letter, telling you
of all the efforts the Protestants are making for the perversion of this poor country.
P. S.-I beg pardon, Rev. Father, for my long delay, for
though I had the best will in the world, it was an impossibility to write. I have been ill three times this year, and
am still unwell. Sometimes I feel not in the best of spirits,
and always have my hands full of occupations. Meanwhile,
I thank you heartly for the LETTERS of May, and the account
of the feast at Woodstock. Let me congratulate you and
all Ours for such a grand and beautiful celebration of the
Jubilee of the Province. All here were much edified, and
gave thanks to God. I hope that in future I shall be able
to write more frequently, and tell you what has been done
in the South by our Spanish and German Fathers. As to ·
ourselves in the college, at present, we are getting along
very well; we have four hundred and ten students. The
general state of the country is one of quiet, but of late, a
terrible event thrilled the land with horror. It is but one
example of the results to be expected from liberty unrestrained by religion. For the last five or six years, there
�Brazz"l.
41
has been at Rio Janeiro a newspaper called "Corsario" (the
Privateer). It speaks with the greatest boldness, license,
ahd even cruelty against almost every one. The Emperor,
Bishops, priests, private individuals are attacked; no one is
spared. The most private family secrets have been revealed,
and the most delicate personal doings of individuals, detailed with their minutest circumstances. The worst feature
of the case was, as I have been told, that the editor did not
generally content himself with facts, but wrote whatever he
wished or imagined. Hence every honest man had a deadly horror and fear of this paper .. Nevertheless, the police
did not interfere; for in Brazil the laws in regard to printing is such, that the most malicious may write what they
please with impunity. At last, the editor went a little too
far; he attacked some army officers, and they swore to be
revenged with his life. The poor wretch,learning of their resolve, sought protection from the police, at the same time
informing them of the whole state of the case. But at the
very moment he was engaged with the police, a crowd
gathered under the windows, shouting most terribly, and
openly saying they were going to murder him. He was
foolhardy eno-ugh to venture out of the house in company
with one of the chief officers, who assured him there was
no danger. But the people, who, it seems, were soldiers in
disguise, having got hold of him, killed him in a most cruel
manner; and this, in one of the principal streets of Rio
Janeiro. . It was done at four o'clock in the afternoon. As
far as I could learn, no inquiries were made and no one was
arrested. The newspapers of every kind of opinion agree
in condemning the act, although every one is of the opinion
that he should have been hung long ago.
I remain your affectionate servant in Christ,
R. M.
GALANTI,
s. J.
�NEW MEXICO.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
During the year I 87g-8o, Rev. Fr. Baldassare, the successor of Rev. Fr. Gasparri in the superiorship of the mission, wrote to our Provincial, Rev. Fr. Brady, requesting
him to send at least one American scholastic, to teach English. Some time previous to .. this there were one or two
secular teachers at the college, but, as often happens in such
cases, the boys entertained little respeCt for them (who consequently had no control over the pupils). In other ways
also they did not prove a success. Besides this, the parents
who sent their sons to the college were not pleased that
they should be placed under seculars, for they reasoned,
and justly too, that as it was a Jesuit college, Jesuits should
have the care of their boys. Therefore, to satisfy the parents and to advance the college, English-speaking Jesuits
were required. After some necessary delay, our Fr. Provincial appointed one who was supposed to possess the necessary qualifications, and who left for New Mexico, in September, I 879. This scholastic had the unique honor of b-eing
the first American Jesuit to teach in Las Vegas College and
also of being the first Jesuit who travelled from the States
to Las Vegas all the way by rail, the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad having been finished to that point just
two months before. On the glorious festival of our national
independence, the first train arrived at Las Vegas and thousands ·of natives gathered around, to view the wondrous
sight, and as a free trip was offered, hundreds had the courage to take their places in the houses on wheels, as they
called the coaches, behind the locomotive, which many took
for the very diablo himself, and ride for a few miles.
The year I87g-8o was a very successful one for the college, as the number of boys increased considerably, but as
(42)
�New Mtri'co.
43
might easily be supposed, it required a large amount of selfsacrifice on the part of the community, for each and every
one had to make himself generally useful. It was customary at that time for the people to pay part of their boys'
tuition in kind, and the consequence was that carnero was a
rather common dish, and after a while there was rather too
much of it for comfort, but before the winter had passed a
much worse trial was in store for us. For nearly eighteen
months there had been but little rain and consequently
everything was parched and dry; there was no herbage for
flocks and herds, and the cattle had to be driven to other
parts for pasture. The few that were left were lean and
starved and useless, and so no meat could be had. When
we consider that meat is the principal article of diet in those
high places, we can understand the straits to which the
people were reduced by this long continued drought. The
poor Brother cook was at his wit's end, but as he was an
inventive genius, he labored hard to concoCt: dishes that
would please the palates of his customers, and, as far as the
boys were concerned, he succeeded.
Many items of interest were given in a letter to Woodstock four years ago, and I think it useles to repeat here
what was said then. During the year several societies were
established. The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin, the St.
Cecilia Society and the Literary Society were org;:mized at
one and the same time in January. I believe Las Vegas College wished to imitate her older sisters in every respeCt:.
These societies added something more to the work of the
prefeCl:s and teachers, who already had the average work of
two in any other college. Indeed, from 5 A.M. till 9 P.M.,
there was no rest for us, but every one was willing to do all
he could, and cheerfulness made the work seem light. It
is a surprise to sec how in the short course of four or five
years things have changed. During that time the number
of scholastics and teachers has increased so considerably,
that though there are no idle hands, no one has to do the
amount of work that fell to the lot of every one during the
first' years of the college.
�44
New Mexico.
After the close of school, some of our scholastics took a
trip to what we may call the villa, La Junta, which name,
like all Spanish names, is very poetic. It means "the meeting of the waters," and was so-called, because there two
rivers, the Mora and Sapello, meet. vVhile in this beautiful,
but lonely place, we had a very pleasant time. There were
only two of us, but we managed things pretty well, for we
had horses and a carito at our command; a very good use
we made of them, driving to Fort Union, to some out-lying
mission, or to the depot, to meet two of our friends expeCted from the East. These t'_yo friends arrived at vVatrous,
in September, 1880. Their first experience of life in New
Mexico was a ride over a not very smooth road cut through
the fields and crossed by innumerable accquias and arroyos,
and the exercise according to their own testimony was very
exhilarating, though the bumping process they had gone
through was not over-agreeable to their tender eastern systems. The novelty had worn off for us, <J!d-stagers; but we
were amused at seeing our friends amused and astonished
at everything. I shall never forget how heartily one of my
friends laughed during th.e course of a wedding ceremony
that took place in the church the first Sunday after his arrival. The bridegroom was dressed in his best, which consisted of breeches <!nd shirt and nothing more, arid the
bride was gloriously decked out in a flaming skirt and a
little black mantilla, which, like all Mexican women,, she
wore over her head. My friend did not know that these
patriarchal people who live in lonely places, tending their
flocks and herds, have no need of styles. They have a
simple style, the same as their fathers and grandfathers had
before them, and they have no desire to change. One of
the things that most of all provoked the risibilities of our
friends was the immense number of canine visitors that attended church with their masters. One told me that he had
never before understood that part of the sacristan's rule
which says "he should also drive all dogs out of the church,"
but, he added, it would take at least a dozen very aB:ive sacristans to perform that office here.
I
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�New Mexico.
45
Things at the college went on very smoothly this year,
188o-81, nothing important happening, except the formation
of a brass band, the Blessed Berch man's Society and the
Athletic Association. The commencement exercises were
very successful this year, and did much to establish a permanent good feeling for the college. It was the first attempt at dramatics and many of the boys, who, it should
be remembered had never before seen anything of the kind,
showed remarkable aptitude. The aristocracy from all parts
of the territory was present, and hundreds of friends came
to sec and judge for themselves the merits of the new college. One and all went away satisfied, except a few who
grumbled because the exercises were in English, forgetting
that it was principally to learn English that they sent their
boys to college.
During the summer vacation, one scholastic left for the
East. Towards the end of the summer, the community was
increased by the arrival of three scholastics, two from Florissant, where they had been studying rhetoric, and one from
the East, Mr. Lubbe, then a novice, and since ordained priest
by Archbishop Lamy. He was the first Jesuit ordained in
New Mexico. In the April of 1882, was recorded the first
death in the community, that of Rev. James Diamare, the
ablest missionary in the territory, renowned for his preaching and sanCtity of life in all parts of the country where
his voice had been heard, calling sinners to God. He was
born in Naples, February 22, 1829. He made his studies
at our schools in that city, and, in the year 1863, was ordained priest. About a year afterwards, he entered the Society, and after having filled many important positions in
various colleges, he came to New l\1exico, in 1873. At different times, he was stationed at La Junta, Albuquerque,
Conejos, Col., and Las Vegas. \Vherever he was, he always
gained the hearts of the people, and everywhere he was regarded as a saint. While at Las Vegas he filled the threefold office of minister, spiritual prcfe[t and business manager of the Rem"sta. He was a most edifying religious, an
example to us all. In addition to his labors at the college
�New J.lfe.rzco.
he went from ti1ne to time to different places, to give missions, and ever ready and willing was he, never complaining
of inconveniences nor fatigue. From the month of September, when with Fr. Marra, he went to Fort Davis, 690 miles
from Las Vegas, a great part of which journey was by stage,
until the Easter before his death, he was almost continually
employed giving missions. He had been sent to San Miguel, to preach during the Holy vVeek services, and while
here he caught a slight cold which on his arrival in Las
Vegas settled into pneumonia, which put an end to his useful life, on the 25th of April, 1882. He was buried in the
parish church. During the .. funeral ceremonies there was
continual weeping, for the people loved him and looked
upon him as their good, holy father.
After the exhibition in 1882, the scholastics enjoyed by
way of vacations a trip, some to Trinidad, Pueblo and Denver, Colorado, some to Albuquerque, New Mexico, and
Isleta, Texas. All returned home pleased and contented,
and well prepared to begin the next year's work. The most
important event that had occurred since the foundation of
the college took place this year. By the death of Rev. Fr.
Gasparri, superior at Albuquerque, that important position
was left vacant. Rev. Fr. Persone, our ReCl:or, was chosen
to fill the vacancy, and our college and his many friends in
town were obliged to say good-bye. Rev. Fr. Pantanella
from Woodstock, became our ReCl:or. He was installed
some time in tlie beginning of January, 1883, and at thereception given him by the students, he made one of his happy
little speeches that captivated the hearts of a!) present, among
whom were many Jews. He went to work at once, to continue the good work that Fr. Persone had begun, and, in
the course of a few months, great improvements were made
about the house. Class-rooms, chapel, dining rooms and
the Father's private rooms were all put in excellent condition; new desks and .benches were brought all the way
from Chicago for the class-rooms ; excellent teachers'
desks, made by a Las Vegas firm, were put in. Nor was
he idle outside of the house. In less than a month, he had
�New Mexico.
made friends everywhere, and he easily persuaded them to
give substantial token of their kind feeling for the college.
In l\Iay of this year, r883, Rev. Fr. Lubbe was ordained
priest by Archbishop La my and came to Las Vegas, to say
his first Mass. Before this time he had been at Isleta, the
warm climate of the South agreeing with him better than
the cold air of Las Vegas. A very nice reception was tendered him by the community, and he felt very happy, indeed. It was at this entertainment that Mr. Mascia made
his last public appearance, for next day he was taken seriously sick and one disease followed another in rapid succession until, finally, he was stricken with pneumonia of which
he died. Seeing the two that night, nobody could ever have
dreamt that our genial, kind hearted and good natured
friend, who looked the piCture of good health would be
called before the young priest whose ordination seemed to
prepare him for the grave. But thus had God decreed. The
usual office of the dead was recited in our own little chapel
and from thence the funeral procession marched to the
grave-yard in the middle of our grounds. Many persons
came from town, and the Ne\v Mexico band together with
the ·college band added to the solemnity by their sad dirges.
This last thing was done on account of the people, whose
feelings must be respeCted.
With this we must finish our account of the college. That
it is very incomplete, we are well aware, but as we are obliged
to trust entirely to a memory that is remarkably bad, it cannot be otherwise. The college was never in a better condition than that which it enjoyed during r882-83, and those
who had been engaged so zealously in the work began to
see some of the good fruits. It had been begun and was
carried on by the untiring exertions of the Fathers themselves. The organization of the classes was effeCted by the
labors of the prefeCt: of studies, Rev. Fr. Marra, to whom
is due in a great measure the success that has thus far been
gained. Two of our boys are now studying at the Buffalo
Seminary; one of them will soon be ordained priest. Five
or six students have entered the Society and are now mak-
�New Mexico.
ing their novitiate or juniorate at Florissant. Many others
are engaged ·in important positions, and we think that after
a short period of six years this is a very good showing.
We will close our account by giving a brief sketch of the
life and labors of Rev. Fr. Gasparri, the founder of the
mission.
He was born in Bicciari in the Kingdom of Naples, on
the twenty-sixth of April, 1834. His studies were made at
the Jesuit college of Salerno, where he remained until his
sixteenth year, when he entered the Society, Oct. 19, I 850.
He made the usual course o( rhetoric and philosophy with
the success that his high ta!'ents promised and was then
sent to Naples, where for four years he taught humanities.
His theological course was made at Laval, and here again
he gave evidence of the superior talents that had marked
him out for great deeds. After this time he was sent to
Spain where he made the third year of probation, and was
engaged in the ministry in various places until the year I 867,
when he was sent with some Fathers and Brothers, to establish the mission of New .Mexico and Colorado. After a
most difficult and dangerous journey, being attacked py
the Indians on the plains, he reached Santa Fe. For several
years he was superior of the mission. His principal \'{Ork
was the founding of the Rez,ista Cato!ica. He was alsO' one
of the most urgent promoters of the college.
·while superior of the mission his ardent zeal in promoting the interests of. the Society, and the good of the people
among whom the society was laboring, was manifested in
the establishment of the Revz:Sta Cato!ica which has done
so much for the cause of religion throughout all the Southwest. It was not an easy task that Fr. Gasparri proposed
for himself and his brothers in religion, but he said : "God
wishes it; let us commence the work, and God will supply
what is wanting." This indeed was his principle, not only
with regard to the Rtvz'.sta, but to everything that he saw
would be to the interests of religion. "Let us begin-God
will provide," was the encouragement he held out to the
others in all their undertakings. At that time, when th<;
�New Me.rico.
49
members of the Society were few and all were engaged in
the arduous labors of the missions, when the means were
not at all adequate, it seemeu a folly to propose such a thing,
but he applied himself to the work and in a short time
raised the amount necessary to purchase a splendid powerpress, and in a brief period after the first number was issued,
the subscribers to the Revista were more than those of all
the other periodicals in the territory together. For two
years and a half, Fr. Gasparri was at the head, direCting and
editing the paper, and, at the end of this period, obedience
called him elsewhere. Change of life did not lessen his indefatigable energy; on the contrary, it seemed to increase.
With the same zeal with which he had defended Christian
marriage, religious education, the unity of faith, the independence of the Church of God, as a writer, he now addressed his people from the pulpit, preaching penance to
sinners. He was a most eloquent preacher, and his eloquence consisted not in elegant language and rhetorical
figures, though he was master of both, but in simple words
that never failed to touch the hearts of his hearers. It was
impossible for such a man to escape the hatred and the calumny of the enemies of God, but threats and insults made
him smile; he knew what his duty was and what he was
bound to do, let the wicked say and aa as they pleased.
His natural talents, his firmness and aB:ivity, the necessity
which he felt for constant occupation contributed, no doubt,
to make him the untiring minister of the gospel that he was,
but these gifts were animated and direBed by his faith,
simple as that of a child, but vigorous as that of an apostle.
His desire was to be always laboring for God. His last
great works were the convent for the Sisters of Charity, and
the church in New Albuquerque, which was built for the
English-speaking people, and was almost finished at the
time of his death. These are monuments to his memory.
In the beginning of 1882, he thus spoke to his parishioners:
"Last year, I told you that we needed a Sisters' convent and
school and now we have it; this year, I tell you we need a
VoL. xm-No. 1.
4
�so
Colorado.
hospital, and we shall have it." God did not wish to grant
him the satisfaCtion of seeing this last work accomplished.
He had heard his oft repeated request to die like a soldier
on the battle field, and He called him to Himself while still
fighting the good fight. That grand, generous heart had
ceased to beat, too soon alas! for his sorrow-stricken children who were deprived of a kind and loving father.
H.
r
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COLORADO.
l
Letter from Fatlter Tomassini.
ST. IGNATIUs' CHURCH, PuEBLO, CoLoRADo,
January, 19th, I 884.
REV. DEAR FATHER
c.
PICCIRILLO,
P. C.
One of the Woodstock scholastics asked me, some time
ago, to tell you something about Pueblo; so I send you in
this letter what items I can gather, hoping you will find
them of some interest.
The readers of the vVooDSTOCK LETTimS heard long"ago
of our residence and church of Pueblo, Colorado; I remember myself reading of this land of the far-west, six years
ago, when I was at \Voodstock. But since that time, the
Society has had a sad disaster to record here. On OCtober
r8th, 1882, a dreadful fire destroyed our beautiful residence
and church; the loss was estimated at $15,000, nothing
being insured. Thousands of people were looking at the
conflagration, but they could not give any help on account
of the strong wind. The two hose companies of the place
failed to master the fire, as the water supply was very scanty,
and the wind scattered the stream from the hose. In two
hours both buildings were destroyed by the fire, only the
brick walls remaining. The Catholics felt very sad at the
misfortune, for St. Ignatius' church was the only place where
I
�Colorado.
they could meet for religious services. The little church
was dear to all as being the result of many years of effort
and privation on the part of our Fathers, and of a few good
Catholics. At the time of the fire, our new church of St.
Patrick, situated three miles from St. Ignatius' church, was
in course of erection, but·was not completed and ready for
services till long after the sad event: so for nine months we
were compelled to receive the congregation in a wretched
little wooden shanty, which, nevertheless, was filled to the
utmost. The three Fathers of this residence lived in rooms
of proportionate fashion and style, near the Methodist
church, a·nd what they suffered during the summer baffies
description. It was clear then that no time should be lost
in providing the congregation and ourselves with a new
church and residence, and every effort was made, to build
the new and commodious church of St. Ignatius. This is
the church which was inaugurated on the third Sunday of
August, 1883; that is less than a year after the sad occurrence took place. It is located on High and 10th streets,
that is, nearer the centre of the city than the old church
and is twice as large. Adjoining is a little residence, with
seven good rooms, for the accommodation of the three Fathers. The work of the whole building is well done, though
it was completed in ninety days, and the expenses were
very moderate. It was clear that our holy Father St. Ignatius wanted this church dedicated to his honor here in Pueblo, ·for we had all the help we could expect from divine
Providence. The beautiful Munich statue of St. Ignatius,.
which stood in the old church, was saved uninjured from
the conflagration, and is at present in the new church. Taking into consideration the fact, that in a small city of hardly
sixteen thousand inhabitants two Catholic churches and
a large and beautiful hospital under the management of
the Sisters of Charity, have been built in one year, you may
judge that in Pueblo, Colo., we have a good, religious, and
generous people. The Pueblo Daily Chieftain, of August,
2 rst r 883, describes our dedication thus:
"The Catholic congrega~ion of Pueblo had last Sunday,
�Colorado.
19th instant, great reason to rejoice at a very agreeable
event. The sad calamity which befell them last Oaober by
the burning of their church has been replaced by great joy
at the occasion of the inauguration and dedication to the
service of Almighty God of a new church, which is partly
due to the liberality of all the Catholics, as well as of the
non-Catholics of the city; and partly to the untiring zeal
and energetical efforts of the Fathers of the Society of Jesus
in charge of the parish. The sacred building is a neat and
handsome brick struaure with stone basement. It is forty
feet wide by one hundred feet long, the rear of it forming
the pastoral residence. The pi~ns of this elegant building
were drawn by lVIessrs. Weston and Trost, of Pueblo, and
the execution of the whole work is quite a credit to the well
known contraaor, Mr. F. Nicholson, who brought the edifice to completion in the short space of ninety days. The
very large attendance which occupied every available spot
in the new house of God during the ceremony of the dedication bespoke evidently the great interest and the more
than friendly dispositions of the people. The Right Rev.
Bishop Machebeuf was surely gladdened at having this favorable opportunity to give a new mark of his fatherly feelings towards his Catholic children of this city, by solem.nly
dedicating and res.toring to their piety a temple under the invocation of St. Ignatius, the glorious founder of the Society
of Jesus. The ceremony was of an imposing and impressive charaaer. First took place the solemn blessing of the
sacred building by the Right Reverend Bishop; then followed the High Mass by Rev. Fr. J. F. Holland, S. J., pastor
of the church, assisted by Rev. P. Tomassini, S. J., pastor
of Conejos parish, as deacon, and Rev. F. X. Tomassini,
S. J., assistant priest of this parish of Pueblo, as sub-deacon;
Rev. Fr. D. Pantanella, S. J., late professor of theology at
Woodstock university, Maryland, and now Reaor of Las
Vegas college, aaed as ·master of ceremonies, and Rev.
Fr. A. Montenerelli, S. J., as assisting priest to the bishop,
who addressed the people with an elegant and very touching allocution. The good Sisters of Loretto academy, with
�Missionary Labors.
53
some of their well prepared pupils, had charge of the musical part of the celebration, and the whole congregation rejoiced at their perfeCt: success."
I enclose a photograph of the new church of St. Ignatius,
·and a sketch of Pueblo, published by the "Board of Trade,"
a few months ago. Another time, I may be able to tell you
about the dedication of St. Patrick's church, and about the
public wishes to have here a Jesuit college, the offers made
towards it by several companies, and the favors promised
by the "Board of Trade," not by the city council, as was
inexaB:ly stated in the last number of the WooDSTOCK
LETTERS.
Remember me, please, in your holy Sacrifices.
Your obedient servant in Christ,
FRANCis X. ToMASSINI, S. J.
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM JULY FIRST TO DECEMBER SEVENTEENTH, 1883.
JoHNVILLE, NEw BRUNSWICK.-Father Kavanagh, having
finished the mission at ·woodstock, N. B., on the evening
of July 3rd, took the train for Johnville, on the next morning. He had engaged to open a mission in this place on
the evening of the 4th of July. The journey was a pleasant
one, though an overcoat was needed on account of the
cold. The pastor, Fr. Chapman, met him at the depot, and
after a drive of about an hour they arrived at the church.
Johnville is a settlement that is named after Bishop John
Sweeny of St. John, N. B.; it was begun about twenty years
ago, and is now quite flourishing. There are but two other
houses in sight of the church; but the land is cleared more
and more every year. The hardships of the pioneer are
fast passing away, and the people are becoming very comfortable. Fashion is unknown, and no one is ashamed of
�S4
Missionary Labors.
homespun clothes. There is not a Protestant in the settlement.
The pastor, who has been here for seven years, built some
time ago a comfortable church, which is large enough for
the congregation. There arc about seven hundred communicants, and the pastor thinks all of them attended the
mtsswn. It was edifying to see the regularity with which
they came. The order of exercises was, Mass at 7 o'clock,
followed by a sermon; again, at 9 o'clock, Mass and sermon.
In the evening at six, instruEl:ion, beads, sermon, and BenediEl:ion filled out the time to a.,quarter to eight. Fr. Murray, pastor of Woodstock was here every day except Saturday and Sunday, and this gave the people a third Mass
which was said at 8 o'clock. He afforded great help in the
confessional. The people came for the first Mass and remained about the church until the last Mass was over; some
then went home, whilst others remained the whole day, but
all were present again for the evening service. The preacher
was greatly annoyed by the babies brought by their mothers to the church, and,-on more than one occasion, was
almost silenced by their opposing cries at the last sermon.
It was, however, to be expeEl:ed, as they had been kept
about the church the entire day.
Nobody here looks for excuses to stay away from church ;
six or seven miles on foot are as nothing. The only reason
for not being at Mass during the winter was, "I live in the
new settlement;" this is called Chapmanville and is nine
miles away, and the roads are impassable except in good
weather. The mission fi>rtunately was at the best season
of the year, and all came to it, even those living fifteen miles
away. Some had to leave home at 3 o'clock in the morning, to be present at the first Mass.
There were over seven hundred communions, and the confessions were over nine hundred. The mission began on
the 4th of July and ended 'Oil the evening of the 10th. The
forenoon of the 1 Ith was given to the hearing of the confessions of the children, who gave evidence that they were
not tired out, since a large number of them who had not
�.Jfissionary Labors.
55
made their first Communion presented themselves. There
were two hundred and fifty of them; and the pastor with
Fr. Murray from \Voodstock and Fr. Kavanagh had work
enough for some hours. The mission was in every way a
success, and the pastor was extremely pleased.
A man, now over fifty years of age, who had been tossed
about the world and had not even learned his prayers or
anything about his religion, attended every exercise and
was prepared for his first Communion. His exclamation
was, "Am I worthy?" and he wished to be put off, until
he might be more deserving. As it was expected that he
will marry a good Catholic girl, it was thought she could
see that he attended to his duties hereafter,; therefore, there
was no hesitation in letting him approach the Holy Table
at once.
Results: Communions, 745 ; Confessions, 938; first Communion of adults, S·
ST. RAYMOND's, WESTCHESTER, N. Y.- On September
14th, Fathers Maguire and Kavanagh started out, to begin
the year's work. The first mission was at St. Raymond's,
\Vestchester, quite near the Catholic Protectories and about
three miles from Fordham. It is a country church with an
out mission, and numbers, according to the pastor, about
1200 souls. There are four priests here, two of whom are
employed in attending to the Protectories. In the boys'
Protectory there are 1400 boys, in the female ProteCtory
there are g8o girls, making quite a respeCtable congregation
and giving work enough for two priests. The church will
hold about sao, and was well filled at the exercises during
the mission. The first week was for women, and the second,
for men. The men far outnumbered the women. The result was certainly very satisfactory, as we had more persons
to the sacraments than the pastor thought he had in his
congregation. There have been several missions in this
church, the last one about four years ago; but from the
number who were away for six and more years, it was plain
that another was needed. In a parish of this kind every one
�l'rfisswnary labors.
is known. Every night, we would hear a list of hard cases
who attended, fellows who had not been to church for years.
Some that were thought to be Protestants, showed themselves regularly. Better still, all of them went to confession. The pastor, hearing these things, rejoiced. He has
been very sick for some time, and during the mission he
could not go out as he would have wished. His house is
situated about a quarter of a mile from the church, so it
would require too much exertion for him to go there. Still,
the good news brought him by his assistants so excited
him, that he improved very much and did go to the church
from time to time, to see for h'imself. If we could judge of
the success by ~is and his assistants' feelings, there is no
doubt of results. There may be a few, but very few, who
did not make the mission. Better results could not be asked.
The children had their own mission, boys and girls together,
for the two weeks. The little ones were terribly in earnest;
they would not miss an exercise for anything. There is a
school attached, but the distance is so far for some to come,
that half of the children do not attend it; still, all came to
the afternoon exercises intended for them. The confessions
heard were 1300; communions given, 1250. Nine adults
were prepared for first Communion. This task the pastor,
Fr. Me Evoy took upon himself. As he could not do-<inything else, he said at least he could do that. Every night
he was ready to receive, those to be prepared for first Communion, at his house. Our thanks are due to Father Freeman who came from St. John's, to give a helping hand.
The mission closed on Sunday, Sept. 30th, the sam.e day
that the mission opened at the Transfiguration church. So
Father Maguire left on Saturday, to open the work there.
It was hard on him to go from one place to the other without any rest. Besides the long walk from the church to
the house after his sermons did not help him. Yet no one
would think he was in the least tired.
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�Missionary Labors.
57
THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION, on Mott Street in
New York City, was formerly a Protestant church. It is in
one of the roughest parts of the city. The famous "Five
Points," and the "Tombs" are in this parish. An evil has
sprung up, and threatens to surpass anything that the past
could produce. The Chinese have located around the church
and turned the street into a Chfna town. Opium dens flourish here. Father Barry, the first assistant curate, made an
attempt to break them up, but failed for want of witnesses.
The evil was plain enough and every body could see it, but
to convia, more than belief was required; positive proof
was needed, but those who had been ruined in them would
not come forward. Many can be found who were corrupted
in these dens, but none who would admit it in public; so
the good work of closing them was stopped.
Every nationality is represented in the parish. The Italians form a congregation by themselves. The basement of
the church is given to them on Sundays, where they have
two Masses and a sermon by a Franciscan Father from Sullivan street. The children are not cared for and have no
Sunday School. Those who can speak English are permitted to attend with the other children. There is a number
of the Italian children attending the parochial school, but as
the school is not very large, they are merely tolerated.
More care should be given to these poor people, as their attendance at Mass was very good; they filled the basement
at both Masses. You can understand from such surroundings what kind of a place we were to labor in for the next
two we~ks. Father Maguire met FF. Langcake and Macdonald here and opened the mission on September 30th.
Father Kavanagh, having to close the mission at \Vestchester, joined them on Monday; so the full band were at work.
Plenty of work there was, and but for the good help rendered by Frs. Freeman, Finnegan and O'Reilly of St. John's,
we would not have been able to accomplish all. Our confessions outnumbered the communions, as many went to
other churches to communion. The Redemptorists on south
Fifth Avenue and the Franciscans on Sullivan street, hav-
�58
Missionary Labors.
i ng their devotions going on, drew some to communion in
their churches. Besides some who live in Jersey City, or
Brooklyn, but work ncar at hand, attended the mission, but·
could not get over in time for communion and were allowed
to receive in their own. churches.
There was a young girl from Jersey who was brought by
a companion. She had never been to confession and would
not be allowed by her relatives. She made the mission,
received her first Communion and was confirmed. Of course,
she was old enough to be able to attend to herself: but being negleCl:ed, did not know any better. Hearing of the
mission, the grace of Baptisi11 seemed to revive, with the
above result. The second night of the mission, a young
lady brought a child of five years to be baptized. The
mother had married a Protestant, and was almost one herself: she had never made her first Communion. An older
girl (about seventeen) was present, and wished to be prepared for her first Communion. She, like the little one, was
brought by a friend to be baptized. The mother was induced to attend, and was with her oldest daughter prepared
for first Communion, and was confirmed. There were eight
children brought in for Baptism during the mission; they
ranged in age from one to eight years.
We expeCl:ed to hear in the confessional some long.accounts and were not disappointed. Ten to forty years' recitals were common. All showed an excellent disposition;
so we had no trouble on tha:t point; one, a freemason, promised to give up his order and burn his apron, and would not
be satisfied till he came back, to say he put the apron in the
fire when he went home. Men who had not been inside of
church for twenty years, could hardly make their confession
for sobs and groans. One could not begin to think of what
he had done, and thought he could get through by accusing himself of everything except suicide. Another was
dead in earnest and thought himself the most contemptible
of beings; striking his breast he said: "Father, I am a sinner; I'm"-here he used a harsh word about himsel( The
publican who stood by the door was eclipsed, We had
�Mi'sst"onary Labors.
59
Confirmation at the end of the mission; Rt. Rev. Bishop
\Vigger kindly consented to come and administer the sacrament. The results of the mission were 6200 Confessions,
5500 Communions. First Communions, 200; confirmed,
254. Eight adults were baptized and three left for further
instruCl:ion.
ST. PETER's, TRoY, N. Y.-Our next mission was at St.
Peter's Church, Troy, N. Y. This church is one of the few
which have the old trustee system. Here the pastor is
as nothing and the trustees do everything. The congregation is put down at a 6,000, and for this number there arc
but two priests, the pastor and an assistant. The Masses
on Sunday are three in number, which would require the
church to be packed, seats and aisles, at every Mass; even
then I do not think all the people could hear Mass. ·when
it was pointed out to the pastor that all his people could
not hear Mass on Sunday, and that he should have another
assistant, he said the trustees did not want one. I have
since learned that the Bishop has been applied to for another priest. Since the mission there have been four Masses,
and their necessity is noted. This result can be credited to
the mission. The pastor, who is also Vicar-General, is an
excellent man, but had an idea that missions do no lasting
good, but when he heard of the results of the mission given
last Lent in the cathedral, in Albany, his ideas on this score
got a shock, and he applied at once for a mission for his
church. He thought his flock all very good, but during
the mission he heard people talk of those attending who
had not been inside the church for ten and more years.
One old man was found, a hundred years old, who had never
been to confession. He made his first Communion during
the mission. The miss ion began on OCl:ober 21st, and lasted
two weeks. The usual separation, the first week for the
women and second for the men, was observed. We were
told that we would have the church full the first week, as
there were many more women than men, but the second
week we need not look for a crowd. \Ve are nearly always
�6o
~Missionary
Labors.
told this, but results prove that the men attend in as great
numbers, if not larger numbers than the women. The
kneeling benches were turned into seats in. the aisles both
weeks, and many, especially men, could not get in. We
heard confessions at night in the school-house, which is direEI:ly opposite the church. Those who could not get into
the church, walked across the street and went to confession.
At least four nights, we had five hundred in the schoolhouse, the church also being full. Valuable aid was rendered by Fr. Fevey from the seminary who helped every
night. Frs. Nash, Casey an.9 McDonell from St. Joseph's
(Ours) also did noble work. vVe cannot give these Fathers
too much thanks for their assistance. It must be borne in
mind that it was during the jubilee of the Rosary, when
they had services in their own church, morning and evening, and confessions all the time. So those Fathers, who
remained at home and did the work there of those who
came to our aid, are also to rec~ive their share of our
thanks.
This was an extremely hard mission. The assistant was
all the time at work outside. The children were to be
prepared for first Communion and Confirmation; so besides
the afternoon exercise at which all assisted during the two
weeks, those for first Communion and Confirmatioti.-had a
triduum. \Vork was, therefore, multiplied. Fortunately
the people began to come to confession on the very first
day and continued to do so all the time, and the result was
that we heard more confessions here than usual.
The girls of this parish deserve to be spoken of with all
praise. Take them all in all, it would be hard to find better. The training is bearing fruit.
The result of this mission is 8300 Communions; Confessions, 7750; first Communions, 450, of which 200 were of
adults: 546 persons were confirmed, 296 being adults; 13
were baptized and 4 left for further instruEI:ion. These figures will tell their own story, but allow me to add that the
pastor expressed his utmost satisfaEI:ion in such a manner,
that it was plain to see he acknowledged the great good
done.
�Missionary Labors.
61
SACRED HEART, PHILADELPHIA.-From Troy the scene
of our labors was transferred to Philadelphia. Fr. Langcake, having work in other fields, was not with us during
the mission in the church of the Sacred Heart. Fr. James
Fitzmaurice, the pastor, says he has, at most, 2 500 souls under
his charge. He says they are excellent people, and, from
what we saw, we must admit they are. Still there are many
dark spots around the parish which sent in their quota of
sinners. I don't believe there is a parish in the city that
had not some representatives at the mission. All the
churches in \Vest Philadelphia certainly had, and Camden
too had its share. We had I 500 more than the parish can
number. The church could not hold more than were in it.
"There is room for one more" could not be said at the night
services. From November I Ith to the zoth, it was the
same story. I would not like to say which was better attended, the women's week or the men's. Both were as
good as they could be. \Vhat a change from forty years
ago! Then t~e church burners were rampant; now th~
Protestants are vying with each other to attend the mission.
This is one of the best parishes for converts we have yet
been in. During the last mission, four years ago, there
were, I believe, over thirty-five converts; this time, twenty
persons were received and seven left for further instruction.
Amongst them was two brothers the father of whom.was
one of the leaders in the church burning before they were
born. One night as Father Maguire was passing a confessional after the sermon, he saw there was no penitent inside,
but a man standing near. The Father said to him, "why
don't you go in?" and giving him a gentle shove, put him
inside. When the priest opened the slide, he saw the man.
"I did not intend coming to confession," he said, "but Father Maguire put me in." "All right; how long since you
went to confession?'' said the priest. "Twenty-four years,
your Reverence." So a big fish was caught, and a good
confession he made. A murder was commited in a neighboring parish during the mission; the following day, a
young fellow came to confession; he had been attending the
�62
Miss£onary Labors.
mission regularly, being up for the five o'clock Mass every
morning during the two weeks; he had not been to Mass
for five or six years. He was much in earnest. "Father,"
he said, " I am going to be a good boy from this time.
I've been a bad one. Just to show you what I am, there
was a fellow shot last night; well that's the kind of company I used to go with." As in all cit~es, you can meet
some very good and some very bad people in Philadelphia.
\Ve always find priests to help us in this city of "Brotherly
Love." Show a signal of distress, and at once they come
to the rescue. One of the priests from the cathedral helped
us two nights. Frs. Blenki~sop, Claven, O'Neill and Romano from our houses were on hand to aid us in our time of
need. Of course, the pastor and his assistant, Fr. Spalding, were at work too.
A mission is not a time of idleness for anybody; every
one has to work for all he is worth. I wonder if your readers know what a mission consists o( Perhaps it would be
good to tell them. First Mass at 5 o'clock with a sermon;
then at 6, 7, and 8 o'clock, Mass is said if there are enough
of priests; the last Mass at 9, with a sermon. After the
sermon, religious articles are blessed, and those who wish
to receive the scapular are invested. At 3 P.M., the Way
of the Cross and at 4, the instruction for the children:" • At
7.30 P. ~1., instruction and beads, followed immediately by a
sermon. Confessions arc heard from 5 A.M. till 10 P.M.
This order gives a full programme. The Sacred Heart mission had for result, 4000 Confessions, 4250 Communions; 67
adults made their first Communion; 20 were received into
the Church, and 7, left for further instruction. There are
many more on the threshold, who, if not before, will come
in at the next mission. The last Sunday, there was a reception into the Sod;dity. Two hundred and fifty new members were enrolled under Mary's banner.
ST. JoHN's, UTICA, N. Y.-From Philadelphia to St. John's
church, Utica, New York, where, on Dec. 2nd, we began a
two weeks' mission. Fr. Langcake joined us, Monday the
�Missionary Labors.
3rd, after gtvmg a i:nission at High Bridge which finished
on the 2nd. St. John's church is the oldest in this part of
New York, not the present building but the original one.
The old inhabitants of these parts held the faith through
great tribulations, but the contact with Protestants shows
bad results. The late trouble with their Bishop, their refusing to accept the pastor placed over them (although he
once was a favorite) show this Protestant spirit. The present pastor, Father Lynch, who tried to become one of Ours,
is doing very well and aiding greatly to the settling of the
difficulties. During the trouble, many of the pew-holders
left St. John's, and went to other churches. They boast
that during the whole time they never missed Mass. They
have still the idea that they did good work at that time, and
see no wrong whatever in the scandal given. The mingling
with Protestants has another evil attached, that of mixed
marriages. This is a terrible evil in the parish.-Before and
during the mission, negligent Catholics were hunted up,
and many persons who were thought to be Protestants were
found to be Catholics, at least by Baptism. Families of
with four or five children were found out; none of them had
been baptized. There were over twenty such children.
Some were baptized at once ; others had to be prepared and
are still under instruction. They were of different ages
from babyhood to twenty-three years. A lady particularly took upon herself to look up the careless ones, and
every day she had a new case. One of these cases was a
woman fifty-one years old who had never been to confession and had not been inside a Catholic church for twentyseven years. She was prepared for first Communion and
Confirmation; her husband forbade her to go to church; she
feared greatly and was going to give up, but was advised to
persevere and be confirmed; she did so, and when she got
home, instead of finding the husband angry, he laughed at
her and asked if she had got religion. She then saw that
if she had been attentive to her duty before, it would not
have caused any disturbance. One of the families whose
children were not baptized, was in a similar position. The
�Missionary Labors.
father said if the children were baptized, he would chop
their heads off. Two of them were baptized and two are
preparing for the sacrament, but I did not hear that their
heads were taken off. The curse of mixed marriages hangs
over these people, and the younger flocks are so blinded,
that they will not see. If plain talk and the pointing out
of some of these evils will do any good, we can rest satisfied that we did our duty.
Our number for Confirmation would have been larger, if
we had been enabled to announce for certain that we would
have Confirmation at the el!d of the mission. The pastor
did not like to ask the Bishop'i:ill he knew whether he would
have enough. I asked him how many would he want. "At
least a hundred," he said. I told him if it were announced
he would have over two hundred. He would not believe
it, but when he saw the number coming for first Communion, he was satisfied ; so he wrote to the Bishop. After
three days he got an answer from the secretary, stating that
the Bishop was in Cincinnati, and would not be home for
two weeks. 'vVe prevailed on the pastor to telegraph to the
Bishop. The answer was, "I will be with you, Sunday at
I o'clock."
This left us but three days, yet during that
time the numbers swelled till there were two hundred. and
one, the vast majority being between twenty and forty·years
of age. It was very kind of the Bishop, but when he saw
the number to be confirmed, and, by· the by they were, two
thirds of them, men, the church full to overflowing, he was
repaid for the exertion he had made, to be with us. The
mission took the city by storm. Every body was speaking
of it. The papers were full of it. This was one of the
headings of the papers : "The greatest revival ever held in
Utica. The mission by the Jesuit Fathers in St. John's
church: one-fifth of the entire population receive communion!"
The following is taken from the Utica Herald of Monday,
Dec. 17th, the day after the mission closed:
i'
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Missionary Labors.
THE MISSION AT ST. JOHN'S.
"The mission given at St. John's church by the Jesuit Fathers during the past two weeks closed last night. At the
high Mass Rev. Father Kavanagh preached on "Humility
and Obedience to God." After this Mass, 200 adults were
confirmed by Right Rev. Bishop McNeirney; IS of them
were converts baptized during the mission. The reception
into the Church of a number of other persons desirous of
becoming Catholics was postponed until they shall be fully
instruaed in its teachings. Bishop McNeirney congratulated Father Lynch upon the success of the mission, thanked the missioners for the grand work they had done, and
explained to those who were confirmed the benefit they
were to receive from this sacrament. It was not necessary
to salvation, but it was a great help to it: it strengthened
them : made them strong and perfea Christians, soldiers of
Jesus Christ. The church at this Mass was crowded; hundreds of people being obliged to stand in the aisles. At
vespers Father Langcake received ISO new members into
the Young Men's Sodality. This Sodality was organized
by Father Langcake when he gave a mission to the men of
St. John's in Oaober, I882,· and he was much pleased with
the increase in its membership and the work done since
then.
"At the evening service Fr. Maguire preached the concluding sermon. He stated that over 7000 persons had
made the mission. Some of them had for forty years negleaed their religious duties; others had done so for ten, fifteen and twenty years. Men who had not been inside a
church for ten years had returned to God. The first thing
to do was to express gratitude to God for the favors received.
This church was now filled with men who had made their
peace with God, been relieved of their sins, and their first
duty was to thank Him for it. The next duty was perseverance. They had promised to avoid sin and were now
VoL. xm-No.
I.
5
�MiSsionary Labors.
happy and free from it. He asked that they attend faithfully to their religious duties, say their prayers morning and
night, avoid the occasions of sin, the places where they had
sinned, and the companions who led them to sin. He advised young men to get married. He knew it would be
said that men could not afford to get married ; that in these
times women were extravagant, wasteful, and no man could
provide for them. He acknowledged that there were such
women, but said, "Don't marry such a woman. Marry one
who can help you, who is not ,afraid to put her hands in the
wash-tub, or to do housewor)s. What is now spent in the
saloon, upon bad companions foolishly and to your injury,
will support such a wife." Then he said to the married men,
"Be gentle, kind and true to your wife. No provocation can
excuse a man for striking a woman." The father and
mother ought to faithfully praCtise their religious duties. He
recommended daily family prayer and the saying of the rosary by the family before the children went to bed. Husbands should spend their evenings at home with their families and keep away from drinking places. Such a life would
make their children respeCt and honor them. The children
would appreciate the many benefits received, and always
respeCt and help their parents.. Never negleCl: prayer .. He
urged all to frequent the sacraments, to go to confession
and communion at least once in three months. If they did
this they would continue the good lives they had now begun to lead. He recommended that they seek the intercession of the Blessed Virgin with her divine Son. He
stated a number of incidents of special benefit, believed by
those who had been benefited, to have come from wearing
the scapular or the medal of the Immaculate Conception,
and reciting the prayers said by those who wear them. He
spoke of the miracles obtained through her intercession at
Lourdes and at Knock. After the sermon the men all arose
with uplifted hand, and· in distinCt, earnest voices repeated
their baptismal vows. He then gave the papal benediCl:ion.
"This mission is the most successful ever given in St.
John's. Th~ attendance has been larger, and more persons
�Missz'onary labors.
who h)d negleCl:ed religious duties have returned to them,
than at any previous mission. This Fr. Maguire attributes to
the prayers said for the success of the mission during the
month preceding it, especially to those of the orphans, the
Sisters of Charity and the school children. Fr. Lynch is
congratulated by his bishop upon the great success of this
mission."
The results of the mission are, Confessions, 6goo; Communions, 68oo; first Communion of adults, 120; confirmed,
201; received into the Church, 16; left under instruCl:ion,
12. Several marriages were settled, and over twenty children, either baptized or left for preparation.
On the 5th of November, one of the band opened a retreat for the pupils at Mt. St. Vincent's on the Hudson,
N. Y. One hundred and thirty young ladies followed the
exercises; the younger children did not make the retreat.
On the I 2th, the same Father began a retreat for the seminarists and students at Mt. St. Mary's, Emmittsburg, Md.,
number of seminarians, 24; students, 90.
No·vember 25.- The same Father commenced a week's
mission at High Bridge, N. Y. The Catholic population in
this seCl:ion is not very large; nevertheless, they have contrived through the energetic perseverance of their pastor,
Fr. Mullen, to ereCl: a good, large church, reCl:ory and public hall. Number of confessions, 348. The proximity of
High Bridge to the great city, and its many attraCl:ions for
pleasure seekers, do not tend to the improvement of morality; still, what has been accomplished already, encourages the hope that more may yet be done for God's glory.
L.
General results: Communions, 27,394; first Communion
of adults, 597; Confessions, 27,730; Confirmation of adults,
65 I ; Baptisms of adults, 57; Baptisms of children negleCl:ed,
28; adults left under instruCl:ion for Baptism, I9.
In reading over the account of the mission given at St.
Mary's, Boston, I was pained to find the account of the Sodalities so meagre and misleading. One would think in
�68
Missionary Labors.
reading it that no care was taken of the young men, while
the contrary is the faCt. The young men's Sodality under
the charge of Fr. Scanlan is second to none. It numbers
nearly 6oo. The young men have rooms set apart for them
in the school-house where they meet every evening. They
have a very fine library attached, daily and weekly papers
and periodicals. They can also amuse themselves in gymnastic exercise, a complete gymnasium for their use being
a part of the many inducements to bring them together.
There are eight Sodalities of. the Blessed Virgin Mary in
St. Mary's: "Married Men's,"_over 700 members: "Married
\Vomen's," also over 700; "Y'"oung Men's," Iooo<•> and
"Young Women's," about 700. The children are divided
as parochial school and. working and public school children .
. The parochial school has two Sodalities, one for the boys.
another for the girls. The public school and working children also have Sodalities, one for the boys and one for the
girls.
No means of doing good is left untried; each direCtor,
working with a will for_ the success of his charge, keeps
these Sodalities in fine order, and the pride of St. Mary's.
H. K.
<•> It was increased from GOO to 1000 members at a recent mission.-E!Uto!··
�HISTORICAL POINTS CONNECTED WITH NEWTOWN MANOR AND CHURCH,
ST. MARY'S COUNTY, MARYLAND.
We may affirm, without fear of contradiction, that St.
Mary's county, Maryland, is one of the most hallowed spots
on this continent. As Mr. Bancroft said, it was at one time,
"the only home of religious freedom in the wide world." (I)
Dedicated itself to the Virgin Mother, nearly all its rivers
and creeks, its farms and villages, its roads, woods, and hills
have been placed under the protection of saints and angels.
The Mass bell has been heard for more than two centuries
in all its hamlets, and the Clean· Oblation, which was foretold by the prophet, has been offered up in hundreds, aye,
in thousands of its devout old homes. It ha.s been sanctified by the labors and sufferings of devoted missionaries,
and by the faith and charity of a pious and truly Catholic
people..
St. Mary's County was, from its first settlement by European colonists, a Catholic colony, and is to this day, thank
God, nearly as Catholic as Belgium, Ireland, or French
Canada. It is true that the Protestant party, helped by the
English Protestant or Puritan government, was, from time
to time, in power, and finally, in the Revolution of 1689,
gained complete ascendency; still the mass of the people
always were Catholic.
Mr. Davis, a Protestant author, writes as follows on this
subject:
"St. Mary's was the home-the chosen home-of the disciples of the Roman Church. The fact has been generally
received. It is sustained by the tradition of two hundred
years and by volumes of unwritten testimony; by the proceedings of the privy council ; by the trial of law cases ; by
(I)
Bancroft's llist, U.S. vol. I. 246, 247, Boston, 1839.
(69)
�Newtown Manor a11d Clturck.
the wills and inventories; by the land-records and rentrolls ; and by the very names originally given to the towns
and hundreds, to the creeks and rivulets, to the traas and
manors of the country. The state itself bears the name of
a Roman Catholic queen. Of the six lumdreds of this small
county, in 1650, five had the prefix St. Sixty traas and
manors, most of them taken up at a very early period, bear
the same Roman Catholic mark. The creeks and villages,
to this day, attest the widespread prevalence of the same
tastes, sentiments, and sympathies."
But in St. Mary's, without -at all referring to St. Inigoes,
or St. Mary's city, there is one place whose story is more
sacred and more interwoven with the history of our holy
religion in these parts than any other, and that is Newtown, or, as it was often called in former days-Neapolis.
Besides the creeks of St. \Villiam and St. Nicholas, there
were here the traas of St. Frances, St. Margaret, St. Laurence, St. Peter's Hill, St. John, and St. John's Landing,
St. Winifred, St. Micha~l, St. Gabriel, St. Anne, etc.
The Newtown Church, St. Francis Xavier's, and the (I)
Manor are beautifully situated on Britton's Neck.
The Manor-house is still standing, and is in a good state
of preservation. It is now a large and stately mansion,
though originally it was a one-story dwelling, and is b~ilt
of "old English brick." It differs but little from our more
modern residences, except, perhaps, in this, that it has a
great number of closets which are formed in the walls of its
(ll In Maryland, "tracts of a thousand acres aud upwards were erected into
manors, under the proprietary, with the right given to the lords of these
limited territories, to hold courts-baron and courts·leet." The duties of a lcct
jury seem to have been those of both grand and petty juries. All felonies
and lesser offences were enquirable. Courts-leet were often held on Bedlam
Neck, at St. Clement's ~[anor, but never, I believe; by our Fathers at New·
town. There is an account in the St. Clement's records of the fining of two
Indian boys for some thievish pranks. Moreover, "the Indian King of Chap·
tico" himself is presented for ste-aling a sow and her pigs and having ''raisetl
a stock of them." On the death of Thomas Gerrard, his wife became by will
ruler of St. Clement's Manor, and judge of its Courts-leet. See ''Old :\lacyland Manors," and Kilty's "Land-Holder's "\ssistant," and Gerrard's "\Viii, on
record in Leonardtown, Md.
�Newtown Manor a11d C!zurch.
7I
several rooms. It has two porches, one in front, and one
in the rear. Over its front porch may still be seen the
monogram of the Society. From its windows can be observed the distant Potomac, and some charming views of
bays, creeks, and woodland scenery. Britton's Bay, which
lies close to it, being a safe harbor, is generally on Sundays,
covered with dredgers' boats. A good number of these
dredgers, who come from the Eastern Shore, and are not
Catholics, attend the Sunday services at our church. In
former times the Newtown Manor was surrounded by so
many outhouses and workshops that it seemed to stand in
the centre of a village. A beautiful garden and an orchard
that gloried in fruits of almost every description, were at
one time attached to it. Most of the fruit trees have died
a natural death, or have been felled by the cruel axe, and
the once lovely gan.len, that grew many fair and rare flowers for the altar, and in which our Fathers recited their office, and our Brothers told their beads, is now a thing of
the past.
Maryland is noted for its hospitality. But in no house
in the whole state were guests more welcome, or. more
kindly received, than in Newtown Manor during the time
our Fathers resided there. In many respeCls, it seems to
have been conduCled on the plan of the old monasteries of
the middle ages. Here those who came fasting to early
Mass were sure of a good and substantial breakfast. Here
the poor received liberal alms, and the sick received medicine gratuitously. Though the Newtown Manor had for
many years a great number of colored servants, it gained
nothing from their labor. In faa, they were a real burden
to the Fathers who were obliged to feed and clothe them,
and always treated them as children. So much attached
to Newtown were its servants, that when they were
obliged to leave, I have been told that great, indeed, was
their sorrow.
Newtown Mission was in a very good condition~;when
the distinguished Father Peter Kenny made his visitation.
We transcribe here the opening sentences of his cheering
�Nnvtown Manor and Church.
memorial: "It is a great consolation to the Visitor to find
that the religious spirit and constant exertions of this residence, and its associates in the holy ministry, have left him
little matter for comment or reform. After a stay of two
months and one week in this residence, he has acquired an
intimate knowledge of the state of the church, house, and
farm, both in spiritual and temporal matters. The prospeCt
now held out to him is such, that he feels most confident
that by perseverance in the present system of management
and regular observance this ancient residence and mission of
the Society of Jesus will not·only continue to produce fruit,
but will bring forth more abundant fruit to the greater glory
of God, and the preservation and propagation of the holy
Catholic faith." <1>
Further on he adds: "No doubt is entertained that the
spiritual duties prescribed by our rules and the general practice of the Society are duly performed by the Fathers in this
residence, as their regular, retired, and laborious lives are
sufficient security for the due praCtice of their private obligations."
There is a tradition in our Province that Newtown was
for. some time used as a Novitiate. This tradition is supported by the faCt that there is in our library a great ryumofbooks marked: "Domus Novit. S. J. in Prov. Marylandice." Newtown Manor was a Novitiate, probably, about the
middle of the last century. l 2l
The Superiors of Newtown showed their zeal and love of
education, not only in forming a truly seleCt library for the
grown members of their flock, but also in opening a Catholic school for the benefit of the children of the surrounding
country. In this school, some of the lay-brothers gen(1) We may form some idea of the frugal fare of the Xewtowu missionaries,
when we find that it was deemed nece"sary for the Very Rev. Visitor to leave
the following regulation: "The Fathers ought to receive fresh meat at least
every second day."
<•> At a very early period our Fathers, at Newtown, opened a circulating
library. From a note-book, dated 1740, I find that it was in that year in a
very flourishing condition. I gather from a long .list, marked "books lent,"
that it was chiefly composed of controversial and ascetic works.
�Newtown Manor and Church.
73
erally taught. The blessings that flowed from this undertaking may still be felt in the devotion and Catholicity of
the present Newtown congregation. (l)
Further on I will have occasion to speak of the ''Fathers'
Library." Here it may be worthy of notice that many of
the books in this library, which is now preserved at the
Leonardtown residence, have the signatures of not only
many of our Fathers, but also of some disting!Jished laymen. On some of the fly-leaves I find the honored names
of Henry Darnall, Michael Taney, Charles Carroll of Carrollton, well known in the history of Maryland, and great
champions of religious freedom and of Catholicity. Among
the names of our Fathers found written in these books may
be mentioned those of Frs. Peter Atwood, Robert Harding,
John Lucas, John Bolton, Joseph Doyne, Augustine Jenkins, Arnold Livers. Charles Neale and Robert :Molyneux.
I find also the names of some of our Fathers, who, it would
seem, never came to Maryland.
In front of the Manor-house, and not many yards from
it, stands the Church of St. Francis Xavier. For a long
time this church, though humble in appearance, was considered, and called, the "Mother-Church" o( this part of St.
Mary's. It was attended by the Superior of these missions,
and from it were served St. Joseph's, the Sacred Heart, St.
Aloysius', at Leonardtown, Medley's Neck, and St. John's.
Old men tell us that in the early part of the present century
the elite of Leonardtown, Bedlam Neck, and Medley's Neck,
flocked there on Sundays for the purpose of hearing Mass.
We are told that on Sunday mornings the waters of St.
Clement's Bay, of Britton's Bay, and of the Potomac were
white with the sails of those who came from all parts to attend the religious services. At St. Francis Xavier's the
ceremonies of the Church wer~ carried out on a grand scale.
1
< > In the present century a sort of preparatory college was kept hy our
Fathers at X ewtown. ~ome of the pupils of this school still survive, honored
and respected in their native county.
For some time Newtown served as a "country-house," for the Georgetown
students. In one of the journals I find under the heading, College .4ccour<t:
"Wednesday, July 31st, 1850,-arrived at Newtown 38 students.''
�74
Newto·wn Manor and Churc!t.
Though some long wooden candle-sticks, which I found
under a stair-way in it, speak of days of great simplicity,
and perhaps, poverty, still other articles of church furniture
which I found tell of the care and generosity with which
the priests and people of Newtown tried to adorn and enrich their little chapel. The relics of a fine old organ, which
even now may be seen on the choir-loft, recall to the memories of the aged residents here, the sweet voices of former friends, the dear sound of loved voices forever hushed
in death. Both the main altar and the Blessed Virgin's altar are Privileged. A new bell was lately purchased for
Newtown. The old one, which was taken down with reverential care, bears the date r6gr. It was cast in England,
and weighs about 79 pounds. We will not attempt to decipher its disfigured inscription, or to explain its hieroglyphic charaCters.
Near the front door of the church on the east side, is the
little burial ground of the Fathers and Brothers of our Society. Not a single stone marks their respeCl:ive graves. A
simple wooden cross, \vithout mark or inscription, is the
only monument raised above the last resting-place of our
loved and honored dead. vVe trust the time is not far
distant when suitable head-stones will be placed above the
graves of those who sleep their last sleep in the quiet sliades
of this little burial ground.
Between the present church and the Manor-house, the
foundations of some ancient building may still be traced.
Those who have examined them carefully say that they
were, judging from their form, the foundations of a church
which was built anteriorly to the present one.
As I have already stated, the Newtown Church and
Manor-house are situated on Britton's Neck. This is a traCl:
of rich land, piCl:uresquely indented by several creeks,
bounded on the south by the "blue Potomac," on the west
by St. Clement's Bay, and on the east by Britton's Bay. A
great part of it is now highly cultivated, but when first
taken possession of by the early settlers, it was almost altogether covered with woods. In olden times the waters
�Newtoum ltfanor and Church.
75
lying around Britton's Neck swarmed with the canvass-back,
'the most delicious duck in the world," and its banks were
sentinelled by tall grey herons. In the heart of its woods
nestled the huts and wigwams of the redmen. To the south,
in the bosom of the Potomac, rose the pretty isles called
the Heron Islands, and St. Clement's, "the Island of the
First Mass."
In our day Britton's Neck is popularly known as "Beggar's Neck." Tradition says that this name was first given
to it by a band of vagrant beggars, who having asked in
vain for alms in several parts of Maryland, were here kindly
received and obtained liberal assistance.
The history of the Newtown Mission embraces a period
of over two hundred and forty years. It begins with the
very foundation of religious freedom on this continent, passes
on to the establishment of the Protestant Church, by law, in
the colony, then proceeds to the time of the Revolution,
from that to the Civil War, and then moves quietly on to
our own days of peace and prosperity. As it is the history
of our missionaries among the descendants of Japheth, and
the sons and daughters of Cham, so is it the history of their
ministrations among the red men of the forest.
The names of many of the priests who attended to the
spiritual wants of the Catholics of Britton's Neck are unfortunately forgotten on earth, but we feel confident they are
recorded in letters of golden light in the great Book of Life.
Certain it is, that, at least fo.r the first hundred years, they
were, most of them, confessors of the faith, men who had
suffered imprisonment and banishment for loyalty to conscience; men who, like St. Peter, had worn chains for their
love of the religion founded by the Crucified One. A great
number of them were scholars who had distinguished themselves at the colleges of Rheims and Douay, at Liege and
Louvain. Nothing can give us a clearer insight into the
character of the early missionaries of Britton's Neck than a
careful examination of the library they formed. If this library can prove anything, it can show that our first Fathers
in this place were serious and deep scholars. They seemed
�;6
New!O'ZtJit llfanor and Church.
to delight in the study of learned and profound works.
They daily communed with the ablest thinkers of Europe;
they continually feasted on the spiritual works of the most
approved ascetic writers. On their tables could be seen the
Summa of St. Thomas, the Commentaries of Cornelius a
Lapide, the Controversies of Bellarmine, and the Annals of
Baronius. That they made a careful examination of the
Holy Scriptures is told by the faa that they had in their
library many testaments in Latin, Greek and English. Before me lies "The Holy Bible Faithfully Translated Into
English Out Of The Authentical Latin," and "printed at
Douay by Laurence Kellam, at the signe of the holic
Lambe," in the year r6o9. Before me also arc two large
volumes of "Proemial Annotations upon the Booke of
Psalmes." These venerable tomes were printed at Douay,
in the year r610. The learning of our missionaries is also
shown by the faa that many of them, no doubt while yet
students, wrote their notes on the margins of their books in
the Greek and Hebrew tongues.
Their spirit of piety and childlike devotion may be learned from the little piau res and copies of prayers, which they
used as book-marks. St. Ignatius, St. Francis Xavier, and
likewise St. Catharine seem to have been great favqtites
with them. Under an ancient print of the monogr~'ru· of
the Society I find the following words-Cristus Nobiscum
Stato!
Only four years after the Dove and Ark had entered the
Potomac, that is to say, in 1637, William Bretton and his
wife and child arrived in St. Mary's County, Md. Bretton
was one of those real old Catholic gentlemen of England ·
who preferred freedom and exile in the wilds of the New
World to persecution and bondage in their native land. "Mr.
Bretton," says The Day-Star of American Freedom, "soon
afterwards held a large traa upon Bretton's Bay ; and many
years lived in Newtown hundred; was a soldier of St. Inigo's
Fort, at a very critical period, in the Administration of Governor Calvert;. and the register of the Provincial Court,
under Governor Green, with the power, during the lieuten-
�Newtown Manor and Church.
77
ant general's absence, to sign writs, under the governor's
name ; kept some of the most important records of the province, till the arrival of l\lr. Hatton, in 1649; and was clerk
of the Protestant Assembly in 1650. In the legislature of
1648, he held four voices; three of them certainly from
Newtown; probably the fourth also. And, from his familiarity with the records, as well as his general knowledge
of business, we cannot but presume he was one of the most
influential members of the Roman Catholic Assembly in
1649. He is also worthy of remembrance in consideration
of the fact, that he founded one of the first Roman Catholic
chapels of the province-a chapel which was erected and
sustained by the pious members of his own church in Newtown, and in St. Clement's hundred; which also bore the
name of the the patron saint of Maryland."
Mr. Davis, the author of "The Day-Star," here gives a •
note in which he says : "St. l\Iichael was one of the guardian angels. But St. Ignatius was generally regarded the
patron saint (of Maryland)." From this, as well as from the
wills of Col. Jarboe and William Tattershall, both of whom
were planters upon Britton's Neck, the former of whom gave
a legacy to the Fathers of "St. Ignatius' chapel," in 167 I, and
the latter to the "Rev. Father" of the same chapel, about
1670, I infer that the first church erected in Newtown was dedicated to our holy founder. As the pres~nt church in Newtown is dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, the Apostle of the
Indies, some one may ask how came this change of patrons?
In the absence of documents, I explain it in this manner:
The first church ereCted in this county by Fathers White
and Altham was under the patronage of St. Ignatius. In
the course of time, owing to some confusion, growing out
of the fact that the only two churches in the same county
bore the same name, it became necessary to change the title
of one of them, and Newtown, being the younger, yielded
its name, and placed itself under the protection of St. Francis. The Day-Star co~tinues: "A mystery clouds the latter
part of Bretton's life. About 165 I, he married Mrs. Temferance Jay. Misfortune seems soon after to have attended
�Newtown Manor and Church.
him; and his 'son' and 'daughter' received 'alms,' at a moment of deep distress. Nor can his will be found; or his
posterity traced. But there is no doubt, whatever, he was
one of the Roman Catlwlic Assemblymen of 1649. He held
a traCt: bounded by St. Wt!liam's Creek; the most striking
part of his cattle-mark (a fleur-de-lis) was a favorite device
with the members of his church, at that period; his name
is not among the signers of the Protestant Declaration; and
the very phraseology, in his gift of the church-lot, has the
unmistakable marks of his sympathy with the faith of the
Roman church, and (independently of other evidence) is
sufficient to satisfy a reason~able mind."
In an old record we have the following words: "Memorandum; That I have assigned seven hundred and fifty acres
of land to l\Ir. Britton in a neck upon the main to the north• ward of Heron Island and to the eastward of St. Clement's
Manor, provided, that he enter his names for which the said
land is due in the Surveyor's book, and procure the same to
be surveyed within a twelve month from the date hereof,
and take a grant of it ~under the great seal.
Signed, Leonard Calvert."
"28th OB:ober, 1639.- William Britton Gent. demandeth
five hundred and fiftie acres of land in freehold due by" conditions of Plantation for transporting himself and wife ·and
one child and three able men servants, and two hundred
acres more due by Conditions of Plantation to Thomas
Nabbs, whose assigne the said vVilliam Britton is by intermarriage with 1\'Iary, daughter and heir of the said Thomas,
the said persons transported into the Province of Maryland in the year 1638, to plant and inhabit there, and was
allowed. Names of the three servants, John M, Richard
H, James J.
"June 29th 1640.-Laid out for William Britton Gent. one
neck of land lyeing in P?tomack river, over against Heron
Island, and bounding on the South with the said Potomack
river on the west with St. Clement's Bay, on the east with a
great Bay called Brittaine Bay, and on the north with a line
.
'
�Newtown A1anor and C/mrc!t.
79
drawn across the woods from St. Clements Bay unto the
head of a little creek in Brittain Bay called St. Nicholas
Creek where now goeth the hedge of the said William Britton, the said neck containing in the whole seven hundred
and fifty acres or thereabouts.
JoHN LEWGER."
PATENT.
"Cecilius etc. Know ye that 'vVe for and in consideration
that William Britton, Gent. hath transported himself in person, his wife, one child , and three able men servants into
our said province of Maryland in the year 1637, and that
the said William Britton is the lawfull heir of Thomas Nabbs
who transported himselfe and his wife into our said province
in the year aforesaid, to plant and inhabit there, and to the
end the said William Britton and his heirs may be en-·
abled etc. Have by and with the advice of our Dear Brother etc. and according to the tenor of our Letters, under
our hand and seal, bearing date at Portsmouth in the
realm of England, 8th August 1636, and enrolled by our
Secretary of our said Provin~e granted enfeoffed etc. unto
the said William Britton, all that neck of land lyeing in
Potomack river etc. (ut supra in survey): To Have and To
Hold etc. to the said 'vVilliam Britton and his heirs, etc., to
be holden of our Manor of Little Brittain Yielding therefore at our usual receipt at St. Maries fifteen shillings in
money sterling or one harrell and a half of good corn, etc.
Given etc. this tenth of July, 1640."
(To be continued.)
�OBITUARY.
MR. JonN O'GoRMAN.
Some months have passed since our good brother, John
O'Gorman, was called to receive his reward. It was in July
last that the first symptoms of a hasty consumption manifested themselves; and befor~ even those, who were most
intimate with him, could realG:e his condition, he was fast
sinking into the grave.
There are many who can recall the day-upwards of three
years ago-when he first came to Woodstock. Little did
they who then saw him, think what a change three years
of close application to study would bring about. Tall, strong
and healthy, he seemed to be cut out for a Rocky Mountain
missionary, for which career he had nobly offered himself.
He was a native of Ireland, and had inherited the generous
and kindly feelings of his race; and these grand gifts of
nature, fostered by grace, had carried his thoughts across
the broad Atlantic and the equally broad Continent. of
America, to the remnants of the down-trodden, and ·now
almost extinCt Indian tribes. How in his younger days
' these good and holy instinCts were so providentially direCted will not be known till the day of Revelations. The
Catalogue places his birthday in April, I 85 5, and what is
wanting to us of the record of his early years may be easily
guessed at by the life he spent at vVoodstock.
Though not endowed with more than ordinary abilities,
he had a gift which fitted him to become the Apostle of the
Indian, if such an apostolate were ever to be granted himthe gift of solid piety. This he watched over with never
failing care, persuaded that a holy life is the best means to
advance the glory of God. In his studies, his humility had
nothing to fear from unusual and brilliant success. The
(So)
�Mr. :John 0' Gorman.
Si
path which he had trod was strewn with difficulties, which
another might have fancied insuperable; but he met and
overcame them like a true disciple of Christ: and that,
which humanly speaking was a defeat, through the agency
of grace, became a victory. Humility found in his soul a
soil well fitted to take root in; and a plentiful shower of
daily trials, the outcome chiefly of his studies, kept the tree
well watered. The fruit was quickly brought to its maturity. Still no one fancied it was so soon to fall. It was not
granted to look into that soul and see the hundred fold
with which his patience and humility had already been rewarded.
His familiar conversations were particularly edifying.
The mission of the Rocky mountains was his grand theme.
Words never failed him when he spoke on the subject which
had captivated his heart; and when occasion offered, he
showed how anxious he was to enlist the sympathy, the
prayers, and if God so granted, the active co-operation of
his brothers in the mission for which his heart longed.
His devotion to the Sacred Heart and his practical exhibition of it were altogether remarkable. It was, in his judgment, only natural that he should make use of this precious
legacy bequeathed to the sons of St. Ignatius. From the
silent adorer, he became the fervent apostle. The Sacred
Heart he acknowledged to be the well-spring of the graces
he received, and in grateful return he made It the guiding
star of all his actions. Thus did he prepare himself for
that mission which was the object of his dreams and the
source of his inspirations, but which in God's designs, he
was never to see. In Woodstock he had found his Sancian,
and his desires, like those of the Prophet, had hastened for
him (and may we not hope for his Indians too?) the corning
of his Saviour.
As to the real good he was effecting, since good so often
passes unnoticed, few seemed to be aware of it; but it will
yet be seen, written in never-fading characters, the silent
apostolate which his example exercised on those around
Vo~.: xm-No. I.
c
�Father Francis LUbbe.
him. Towards the end of his third year of philosophy, excessive application began to tell upon his health. A cold,
in itself slight, did more than anything else to undermine
his already weakened constitution. Still he never gave up.
Vacation came and he joined his companions at the Villa.
But his sunken cheeks and sickly smile, added to the story
of his sleepless nights, gave warning of what was to come.
More care, it was thought, could be taken of him were he
sent back to Woodstock. It was hard for him to leave his
dear companions; but he had the Sacred Heart, to support
him in this new trial. Nor was his death unlike in one respeCt that of the Master \Vhom he had served and loved so
tenderly. Never again was he to see his brothers alive.
Just as the scholastics were leaving the train on their return to Woodstock, the passing-bell tolled the "De Profundis" for the repose of his soul. Though the kind attentions
of the Fr. Minister were not wanting to him in his last moments, he died comparatively alone, with only one or two
familiar faces near hi_:; death-bed, but in that peace and
confidence with which God rewards the faithful religious.
Among the many lessons which this short life offers us, one
stands out prominently, and that is the "age quod agis," for
whatever he did, he did with all his might.-R. I. P:/
-·
FATHER FRANCIS LiiBBE.
(Revi'sta Catolica, January 20th, r884.)
On the roth of January, Rev. Fr. Francis Liibbe, of the
Society of Jesus, died at Isleta, Texas, after receiving all the
sacraments of our holy Mother, the Church.
Fr. Liibbe was born, on January 29th, r855, of a prominent Catholic family of Quincy, Ill. He studied belles-lettres and philosophy in. his native city at the Franciscan
College, where he was admired by all for his angelic demeanor and bright talents, as well as for his great progress
in the beautiful art of music. Feeling himself called to the
priesthood, he entered St. Mary's Seminary at Emmettsburg,
�Father Francis Lubbe.
where he applied himself to the sacred sciences for four or
five years, acquiring the reputation of a teacher rather than
of a pupil. During a retreat he made at our Novitiate, Frederick, Md., he saw that God wished him to be a Jesuit, and
finding no opposition on the part of his pious parents, but
rather meeting with their encouragement and blessing, he.
entered the Novitiate at West Park, N.Y., on September
3d, r88o. It was whilst he was laying up the store of virtue necessary for our apostolic life, that the germs of that
terrible disease, consumption-which had already taken
away from his family four of its members, and was now
about to take him away also from his dear mother, the Society of Jesus-began to show themselves. The healthy
climate of New Mexico was judged by the superiors to
be the best remedy for his complaint; but their hopes and
ours were alike doomed to disappointment. Seeing, therefore, that he had not long to live, the superiors decided to
grant him not only the privilege of pronouncing his first
vows, but also to give him the consolation of the priestly
dignity. Accordingly, on the 25th of April of last year, he
received Holy Orders from the hands of our Most Reverend
Archbishop. From the moment of his ordination Father
Lubbe was entirely absorbed in the thought of eternity,
which he was so rapidly approaching, and it would be a
hopeless task to enumerate the many striking examples
of virtue which he gave for our edification during his last
days.
Towards the end of October, he was sent from Las Vegas College, N. M., to our residence of Isleta, Texas, which
place is remarkable for the mildness of its winters, and
whose beneficial influence he had experienced on former
occasions. It is worthy of notice that on taking leave of
the Fathers, forcasting, as it were, the short time he had yet
to live, he said: "Fathers, we shall not meet each other
again in this life !" Alas 1 how soon were those words to
be verified,-words, which, accompanied with his wonted
smile, clearly intimated his sublime resignation to the will
of God.
�Father Fratzcis de Sales Cazeau.
Fr. Liibbe continued to offer up the holy sacrifice of
Mass till the very last; thus uniting the sacrifice of his own
life to that of the divine Viaim of Calvary, he made his
offering more meritorious and pleasing before the throne
of God.
His death was calm and quiet, and his peace of soul was
an earnest of the eternal peace of the blessed who die in the
Lord. At the funeral, which was very solemn, the tears of
the good people of Isleta eloquently showed their great
love and esteem for the deceased.
Five priests were present at·the burial, and the body was
deposited in our church at that place.-R. I. P.
FATHER FRANCIS DE SALES CAZEAU.
(From "L'Etmdard," Montreal.)
An event as sorrowful as it was unexpeaed has brought
grief to the Catholic population of Montreal. On Feb. 3rd,
Almighty God was ple-ased to call to himself the Rev. Father Francis de Sales Cazeau, of the Society of Jesus. In
him Catholic Canada and the order of St. Ignatius lose one
of the most remarkable men of our day. For several y.ears
back, and up to within the last few months, he held the ··responsible position of Reaor of St. Mary's College, Montreal. He conduaed besides a number of pious associations
and other useful works, which brought him into contaa
with a considerable portion of our population.
Gifted with the best qualities of heart and mind, he made
for himself as many friends as he had acquaintances. The
high duties, which entrusted to his charge the training of
youth in one of the first, if not the very first, seat of learning in the country, enabled him to exercise a large influence
on education: and no one ever possessed; in a more eminent degree, the happy knack of blending together firmness
and mildness, so as to be the living image of paternal authority.
No doubt, we but express the feelings of our fellow-
�Father Francis de Sales Cazeau.
citizens, in paying to his memory this tribute of gratitude.
God alone can bestow on him a reward worthy of all the
good he has done us. And this death, for us so unexpecred,
is, we are sure, to him a blessing and a reward; for to no
one can we apply more fitly the words of the Apocalypse:
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: for their works
follow them."
\Ve shall be able to give to-day but an outline of his life,
short in years, yet full of merits. Later on, we may perhaps be allowed to give a fuller account of his works and
his virtues.
Francis de Sales Cazeau was born, July 29th, 1843, at
St. Pierre de la Riviere du Sud, a village near St. Thomas
de Montmagny. His father, a respeB:able farmer, was firstcouzin to Mgr. Cazeau, late Vicar-General of Quebec, and
was related to the best families of the country: to the Blanchets, the Casgrains, the Panets, the Letelliers, etc.
Francis, when thirteen years of age, entered the college of
St. Anne de Ia Pocatiere, where he made two years of grammar and one of poetry. He studied rhetoric at the seminary of Quebec, where he went through two years of philosophy, and three and a half of theology.-As he longed
ardently for the missions of the Pacific and of the Rocky
mountains, he was, at the early age of twenty-three, ordained
priest, on the 30th of September, 1866, by his near relative,
Mgr. Blanchet, Bishop of Oregon City. He left with him
for those far-off missions, where he spent two full years in
works of zeal. There he became acquainted with the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, who are in charge of that portion of the missionary field, which lies on American soil.
As Fr. Cazeau was naturally much drawn to a religious life,
he wished to enjoy all the advantages of living under obedience, without, however, abandoning the field of his beloved labors.
Accordingly he entered the Society of Jesus, on Nov,
I8th, 1868, and made the first nine months of his novitiate
in the Rocky mountains. In August, 1869, family affairs
brought about his return to the province of Quebec, and
Providence arranged ·matters so that, by a decision of
�86
Father Francis de Sales Cazeau.
Very Rev. Father General, Peter Beckx, he was transferred
to the old mission of New York and Canada. Fr. Cazeau
continued his novitiate at the Sault au Recollet, where
piety,-a natural gift in him,-marked him out among all
his brothers. Certainly he was not wanting in talent; yet
it must be confessed that his natural abilities alone, however
excellent, could never have produced the happy results and
the fruits of salvation, which made his short career so remarkable.
Where then are we to look for the secret of Fr. Cazeau's
great success? Where else indeed, but in the inspirations
which he was wont to draw from the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
His religious life was really an apostleship of the Sacred
Heart; and Fr. Cazeau was the Ramiere of Canada. In
him were fulfilled the promises made in favor of all those
who devote themselves to make this devotion known and
loved. It was in his novitiate that Fr. Cazeau laid the foundations of his apostleship, which he began in September,
1870, at the College of St. Francis Xavier, New York.
During his first year there he was assistant prefecr of studies and discipline. The three following years he held the
same office alone, and strained every nerve to raise the
standard of the college. Through careful study, and with
his natural tacr to grasp in every thing the genuine ·~pirit
of the Society, he soon gained a mastery of the Ratio
Studiorum, which he was later on to carry out with still
greater perfecrion, at St. Mary's College, Montreal. But,
above all, his wonderful gift of instilling piety into others
gained him every heart ; for that holy fire, kindled at the
furnace of love itself, could not but inflame all who came in
contaa with it.
He remained at this post until 1874, when his superiors
sent him to France, to complete his theological studies.
He spent two years at Laval and then went to Laon to gain
new strength at the school of the heart, "in schola affecrus,"
as St Ignatius calls the tertianship.
Here, in a chapel, built unuerground in the garden,
there was a statue of the Blessed Virgin, to which Fr. Cazeau had vowed a special devotion. It was the statue,
�Father Francis de Sales Cazeau.
which for over half a century had replaced at Our Lady of
Liesse the old and venerable one, brought miraculously
from Egypt by the Knights of Eppes and the Princess Ismenia ; and in it were preserved some of the ashes of the
old statue, which had been burnt during the revolution.
No day passed but some tertians said Mass at the shrine
and paid it regular visits.
Now, as the tertianship was to be broken up at the end
of that year, the venerated statue had to be removed from
Laon. Where was it to be sent? This gave rise to a holy
conflia between the different missionaries finishing their
year of probation. Should it be given to the missions of
China, of Syria, or of Africa ?-It was, no doubt, Fr. Cazeau's piety that won him the viaory. After a novena of
Masses offered up for this intention, it was settled that the
miraculous statue was to go to New France, and Fr. Cazeau with his companion brought us this precious token of
Mary's preference for our dear land. With what happiness
he deposited his treasure in St. Mary's College.-But another difficulty arose, whether it was to remain there? The
superiors hesitated and were rather inclined to send it to
the novitiate of the Sault.
Fortunately, Fr. Cazeau was appointed to the office of
prefea of studies at the college, and by his prayers he obtained that Our Lady of Liesse should deign to manifest her
power by some extraordinary cures, and thereby her desire
to be honored in the church of Gesu.
Thus with the devotion of Our Lady of Liesse and the
devotion of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Fr. Cazeau brought
all kinds of blessings to the college. Three months after
his arrival, he became Rector of the institution. Piety soon
received a new impulse among the students. The studies
were not only kept up to the mark, but made steady progress; and, for six full years, Fr. Cazeau exercised his dear
apostleship, the remembrance of which will not easily be
effaced from the hearts and minds of his boys. He was a
real father to them. He had given them his heart, and in
return had gained the hearts of all, for every one looked
upon him as a saint. Besides his college duties, he gave a
�88
Brother Anthony Me Nerney.
series of public conferences in Montreal, exerting over his
hearers the same sweet and strong influence as over his pupils. We shall never forget the fervor of his addresses, and
how his soul-stirring words electrified his numerous audiences.
During these last six years, Fr. Cazeau gave new life and
vigor to many a poor soul; but the young men especially felt
the effects of his zeal. Fr. Cazeau had charge of the tertiaries
of St. Francis of Assisi, and in him this association loses
and laments a most devoted and enlightened direCtor and
father.
The works of Fr. Cazeau might be summed up in a few
words: he was the apostle of the Sacred Heart and of Our
Lady of Liesse; the great promoter of the Apostleship of
Prayer, to-day so flourishing at the Gesu ; the father and
and the spiritual guide of the students of the college, of a
great portion of the youth of Montreal, and of the third
Order of St. Francis.
"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: for their
works follow them."-R I. P.
BROTHER ANTHONY
Me NERNEY.
(From tlze Georgetown College Journal.)
Shortly after six o'clock on the morning of January the
16th, the bell tolled out the De Profimdis, the signal that
good Brother Anthony Me Nerney was no more. We had
been expeCting his death for several days; for the thin
emaciated form told us clearly that he could not be with us
much longer. Now he is gone, but he will still be remembered as long as gratitude holds a place in the hearts of this
community.
Those who at any time during the last seven years have
have been obliged to attend the infirmary, cannot but think
of him as a martyr of charity, trying his utmost to lighten
the sufferings of others. Even though he himself was a
patient for nearly all that time, yet no one ever saw anything in him but that kindness and attention toward others
�Brother Ant/tony Me Nerney.
which are the charaCteristics of those souls that are always
aB:ing for a noble end. He wrote no books or long treatise
on philanthrophy, nor did he ever preach to us about it,
yet he taught us what Christian charity is as it is presented
to us in the counsels of Christ. He seems to have been almost entirely forgetful of himself, such was his generosity
towards God and towards those for whom he labored.
As a proof of this let us take a glance at his life. Fourteen years ago he was a hale, hearty man of the world, who
had always been conscientious in the discharge of every
duty and especially in the service of God. But one day he
thought he heard those words that once fell upon the ears
of a few poor fishermen as they were mending their nets by
the sea of Galilee: "Come and follow me.'" And it was to
follow the Master into no fairy fields that he was now invited, but to a life of earnest labor. He had never been
obliged to do any hard work before ; but he was not alarmed or abashed, and he did not "turn away sad," but offered
himself as a postulant at Georgetown, desiring to be admitted into the Society of Jesus. Here be remained for
one year doing everything and treating every one with that
gentle, loving manner for which he was remarkable ever
after. He seemed already to have a full appreciation of
the greatness of his calling; for there was nothing, how-ever low it might seem, which he was not willing to do for
love of Him whom he was now striving to imitate. The
following year he was sent to Frederick to begin his noviceship. He entered upon this new mode of life with earnestness and zeal, and soon became conspicuous for his forgetfulness of self and his devotedness to others. When his
term of probation was over, he pronounced the three simple
vows of the order, and after that he was appointed infirmarian and procurator at the novitiate. Here he remained six
years, becoming still more forgetful of himself in his care
and solicitude for others. It was at this time that his health
began to fail, and this may be said to have been owing to
the impulses of his generous heart. For his negleCt: of
self and his anxiety for the welfare of others was more than
his frame could bear; so <Lt the end of six years he was sent
�go
Brother Anthony Me Nerney.
to Georgetown to fill the easier position of assistant in the
infirmary. Here, however, his strength hastened on in its
decay, and he became a chronic sufferer. This notwithstanding, he worked so satisfaCtorily for all who came under
his charge, that we would be inclined to pronounce him a
strong man. Moreover, in spite of all his ill health, he
never lost his sweetness of disposition; it seemed as though
he had been naturally incapable of giving utterance to a
harsh word. \Ve have seen him in all those circumstances
that try men's patience; we have seen him after the long
day of weary toil, listening to -p~tulant complaints and more
- unjust accusations; we have seen him spending long and
sleepless nights in ministering to the whims of fevered imaginations, yet we never saw him otherwise than the same
kind, loving soul, whose life was to walk in the footsteps
of his meek and much-enduring Master. For the past two
years he was, indeed, able to do very little, and since last
September he was confined to his bed. His life had inured
him to the heroism with which he met death. There was
no need of long and \Vary circumlocution to tell him that
his end was near at hand; he was glad to hear the physician's plain announcement of his doom. There was nothing
to keep him in this world any longer; he had done his w.ork
manfully, and could go to receive the recompense.-- He
must have felt that he had not lived in vain.
Consumption had done its work fast and with pitiless
certainty. About three weeks ago he received the Extreme
UnB:ion. During the last few days of his life he was cheerful, even happy; nothing could disturb him even in death.
Half an hour before his decease he made the Holy Communion, which he had latterly received in bed, his final Viaticum; struggled to repeat the pious ejaculations suggested
to him by the brother infirmarian, sank back heavily on his
pillow, and passed into the unconscious state from which
he never returned.
On the morrow the Office of. the Dead was chanted for
him by the Fathers and scholastics, and a Mass of Requiem
celebrated by the reverend president of the college. His
brethren in religion likewise attended his remains to the
�Var£a.
grave in the cemetery that lay shrouded with snow, and then
again expressed in prayer for him the Christian's hope that
the gentle spirit of the departed might be lapped in eternal
rest and be brightened with perpetual light.
VARIA.
AusTRIA AND HuNGARY.-This Province has nine colleges,
two novitiates and ten residences. It has two missions in
Australia, that engage 36 members of the Society. Fathers
Polk and Pallhuber well known in the United States are in·
Australia; Father Janalik who taught philosophy for several years in the Province of Maryland is Spiritual Father
in the residence of missionaries in Styria.-The University
at Innspruck, so famous in theology under the Austrian Fathers, draws ecclesiastical students from all nations; at present, there are twenty-two students from the United States
in the theological course.-Members of the Province: priests
275; Scholastics, 101; Brothers, I75; total, 55 I. Increase
last year, I I.-Cardinal Franzlin, whose name is prominently placed on the catalogue, will celebrate his golden
jubilee, July 27th.-Catalogue, I884.
BELGIUM.-A little over 50 years ago this Province was
established ; there are now 8 33 members (increase of I 8 last
year) engaged in the various works of the Society. The
colleges or schools are I 2 in number ; philosophy is taught
in one place only, Namur. Number ofpupils in all the establishments is -5868, divided as follows; philosophy, 25;
sciences, 33 ; higher mathematics. 50; classics, 2668 ; commercial course, I 169; elements (beginning of Latin), 1515.
The day-schools have 3798 pupils.-The college of Brussels is the residence of the Bollandists, Frs. De Smedt,
Van Hoff, De Leu, De Backer.
The college of Calcutta, with flourishing missions in va.rious _Parts 9f East Bengal, belongs to Belgium. The Arch-
�Vart"a.
bishop, formerly Provincial of Belgium, has the superior
of the mission, a Scholastic and a Brother residing with
him.
Fathers on the mission, 43.-Scholastics, 34.-Brothers,
13. Residences in Belgium, 8.-Novices, 22.-Catal., z884.
BoLIVIA.-The President of this republic has invited the
Province of Castile and Toledo to resume their old Indian
missions, but the conscription, to which our young men are
subjea in Spain, will not probably allow the invitation to
be accepted.
BosTON.-A retreat was given by Frs. Langcake and
Macdonald to the young men of our parish of St. Mary's
of the Sacred Heart; over 2000 followed the exercises and
received Holy Communion. The Sodality of the young
men received 400 new members during this time.-The new
school-house will be finished in the summer. There are
1500 children in the parochial schools.-By a statement
made in an address of welcome to the Archbishop after his
return from Rome, the Catholics are one half t>f the population of Boston.
ENGLAND.-Ditton Hall, Widnes, Lancashire, is the scholasticate for theology of the Province of Upper Germany.
The house of the third probation of this Province is at Portico, Prescot, in the same shire. The following houses belong to the Province of France: St. Mary's College, Hales
Place, Canterbury, Rector, Fr. Stanislaus du Lac; Aberdovey Hill!, Aberdovey, North Wales ; this house is the
novitiate and juniorate and the Rector is Fr. Albert Plate!;
Hadzor House, Droitwich, \Vorcestershi~e. the place for
the third probation, under Fr. Edward Dorr as Rector; St.
Aloysius' House, St. Helier, Isle of Jersey, a scholasticate
and college, Rector, Fr. Emmanuel Mourier.
The College of St. David's Mold, N. Wales, Rector Fr.
John F. Tissot, is the scholasticate of the Province of Ly-----------------------------------OJ )lost ltevd. Paul <;oethals Archbishop of Hi era polis, Vicar·Apostolic of
West Bengal.
·
•
�Varia.
93
ons; the novitiate, Fr. Joseph Petit, Rector, is at Peak
House, Sidmouth, Devonshire.
Hampton House, College of St. Joseph's, Little Hampton, belongs to the Province of Champagne and is the "Apostolic School" under Fr. Francis Xavier Barbelin, a brother
of Fr. Felix Barbelin of happy memory in our Province.
IRELAND.- Frs. Leahy, Murphy, Bannon, Thomas and
Peter Finlay, Curtis, O'Carroll, Hogan; and others, graduates of Oxford, Cambridge or London, have been appointed
professors in the Catholic University at Dublin. The "Freeman's Journal," noticing these appointments, compliments
the Society very highly and foresees great advantages to
higher education from the fact that Ours have charge of
the University.
MADURA. - This mJsswn belongs to the Province of
Toulouse. There 70 Fathers, 20 Scholastics and 5 Brothers
are engaged in the work. They are aided in their apostolic
labors by 82 catechists and school-teachers and 83 Sisters.
The population is made up of Catholics, !61,690; Heretics,
I I 8,000 ; Mahometans, 300,000 ; Pagans, 6,82 5 ,5 10.
Fr.
Chartier writes: "I have seen Trichinopoly. It has from
So,ooo to 100,000 inhabitants. The Catholic churches are
multiplying very rapidly. A superb church has just been
finished.-Our college of Nigapatam will soon be transferred
to this place. The building is almost finished, and there
will probably be an astronomical observatory connected with
it. If so, it will be the first in this country. For some time
past the Christians of the city did not dare to salute us, and
the pagans contemned us. Now the Christians surround us,
wherever we appear, and the pagans show us great respect.
-The tomb of B. John de Britto is at Oriour in charge of
the priests of Goa ... At Ramnad, the capital of Marava,
where the Blessed John was martyred, he works many miracles, some of which I have witnessed."
�Varia.
MISSOURI.-Father Higgins since his return from Rome
has given a course of leCtures in St. Louis against Hume
and Gibbon. Fr. Francis Ryan of the Canada mission is
giving a course of leCl:ures in our church of the Holy Family, Chicago. The following statistics are taken from this
year's catalogue of the Province: Fathers, I I 8; Scholastics, I2I; Brothers, 102; Scholastic novices, 26; Coadjutor
novices, 10; Total number of members, 34I; increase, 9·
There are 8 colleges and 10 residences.
NEw GRANADA.-Father l:.opez gave some very successful missions last year in the United States of Colombia, and
this faa makes all hope for better things in these parts where
the faith seemed almost dead. Writing to Fr. Gonzales in
Spain, about a great mission given in one of the large
cities, Fr. Lopez says : "My sermons were so successful,
that in three weeks I settled 220 marriage cases, where the
parties had been living, three, four, and some as many as
twenty years in concubinage. The confessions were 10, 20,
and even for 40 years.~ The number of communions reached I 2,000, Though we were I 2 confessors, it seemed as if
we should never come to an end. Freemasons, heretics,
notorious criminals and excommunicated persons, whose
censures I removed, came to weep for their sins. Bad'books
were burnt, ill-gotten goods restored, and friendships, broken
off by long and deep hatred, renewed. You cannot imagine the blessings of heaven on this mission. It was quite
affeCting to see the generals of the Colombian army become
enthusiastic about our Society. The whole city was in tears
at my departure."
NEw ORLEANs.-This mission is doing remarkably well;
it has 2 I scholastic novices ; three colleges and three residences; I 5 I members divided thus: Fathers, 6o; Scholastics, 53; Brothers, 38. ·Total increase in I883, 8.- Catalogue, 1884. The college of New Orleans is one of the most
flourishing day-schools that the Society has in our country.
�Vart"a.
95
PANAMA, U. S. CoLOMBIA.- Br. Eguren writes to Father
Gonzales in Spain: "On the morning of the zznd we arrived
at Cartagena where we stayed two days and two nights.
Here we visited the tomb of B. Peter Claver . . . . The
church in which he lies buried has been turned to profane
uses. A lamp is kept burning before the tomb by a pious
Jady.-On the 26th, we came to Panama, and were kindly
received by the Rt. Rev. Bishop Paul of o'ur Society. In
Peru Ours are in statu quo, but in Costa Rica they fear a
storm. Ours are asked for in Colombia .... Here, although
we enjoy great peace, the spiritual advancement of the people is very slow. Nothing is thought of but sensual pleasures, money-making and the great canal."- There are ten
Jesuits in Panama. Fr. Ignacio Velasco of the Society has
been appointed Bishop of Pasto in the state of Cauca, U. S.
of Colombia.-The Apostolic Delegate, appointed last year
and now residing in Bogota, is doing a great deal for the
cause of religion; he is much respeCted by the people.
SPAIN.- Two philosophers of the scholasticate of Ona
have set out for the Province of 1'lexico. Several others
have asked to follow them.-We are attacked every day in
the papers and in pamphlets.-The government has recently exempted the novices of Viruela in Aragon from the
conscription. 'What will become of the novices of Loyola
and Murcia? Rev Fr. Provincial of Castile is working
very hard, to keep his young men out of the army. He
has lately laid the foundation of a new college in Comillas.
Another has been begun at Bilboa.-Our Fathers have undertaken the direB:ion of the Spanish Messenger formerly
conduB:ed by Senor Don l\Iorjades, now Bishop of Vich.
TURIN.-This Province, notwithstanding its long dispersion of more than twenty-five years, has 325 members, of
whom I64 are in the United States, in the missions of California and the Rocky mountains. It has a flourishing college and an apostolic school at Monaco, a college (inchoate) at Turin, seven residences in the northern part of
Italy, two colleges and eleven residences in the United
States. The novitiate for Italy is at Chieri, nine miles from
Turin, and has nineteen scholastic novices and as master of
novices Fr. Secundo Franco, the author of the •'Devotion to
the Sacred Heart." The California novitiate has four scholastic novices under Fr. Bartholomew Calzia.
~n California there are 44 Fathers, 3 I Scholastics, and 3 5
�g6
Varz'a.
Brothers; the superior of the mission is Fr. Nicholas Congiato. In the Rocky mountains there are 26 Fathers, 2
Scholastics and 26 Brothers. Fr. Joseph Cataldo is the
superior of the mission.-Catalogue, I884.
ZAMBESI.- This mission has a college at Grahamstown,
Cape Colony, South Africa; it has eight residences or stations scattered through Upper Zambesi, and Portuguese
Zambesi. There are 22 Fathers, 32 Scholastics, and 22
Brothers, enrolled for this apostolic work-Catalogue, I884.
By a letter from England we are informed that Fr. Alfred
Weld, the ex-Assistant, has ~been appointed the superior of
the mission; he left England"for Grahamstown in February
with several coadjutor Brothers. Eight scholastics will soon
follow.-Father Depelchin is now in Europe to recruit his
health.-Vocations to the mission are so numerous that superiors are at a loss to dispose of all the applicants.
HoME NEWS.- Fr. Sabetti's "Moral Theology" will be
through the press shortly after Easter. The work of Fr.
De Augustinis "De Deo Uno et Trino" is advancing to
publication. See adz•t·rtiscment on tltc cover of tlte LETTERS.
The disputations in-Theology and Philosophy took place
on the 19th and 20th of February. De Scicntia Dei, Mr.
Alexius de Stockalper defended; l\Iessrs. Michael H. O'Brien
and Henry W. Otting objeaed. In the treatise De Ecclesia, Mr. \Villiam Power defended: Messrs. Martial I. ·Boarman and Vincent Chiappa objeaed. -In Philosophy; the
programme was, for t!te tlui-d year, defendant, Mr. Peter A.
Roche: objeaors, Messrs. James F. X. Mulvaney and
Michael J. Eicher: for t!te second year, defendant, Mr. Charles J. Borgmeyer; objeaors, Mes,;rs. James L. Smith and
John G. Nicholson: for t!te first year, defendant, Mr. James
De Potter; objeaors, Messrs. James J. O'Connor, and Charles F. 'vV orpenberg.
In sciences: Calm/us -tracing of curves -specimen by
Messrs. Joseph A. Gorman, Patrick F. X. Mulry, and Peter
Keyser; C!te111istry of P!totograp!ty, by Mr. Edward H.
Brown, assisted by Messrs. Edgar J. Bernard, Edward F.
Reynaud and Edmund J O'Sullivan. This interesting entertainment took place on the evening of the 2 I st. The
electric light was of great service for the experiments.
Mr. John F. X. O'Conor leaured in Baltimore, Feb. 18th
on Cuneiform Inscriptions.
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XIII, No.2.
HISTORICAL POINTS CONNECTED WITH NEWTOWN MANOR AND CHURCH,
ST. MARY'S
COUNTY, MD.
(Continued.)
.
Mr. Bretton (I) found many -Indians settled in the woods
and along the creeks of his new plantation. These aborigines belonged to that class of red men term_ed jislting Indians,
to distinguish them from those of their race who lived by
hunting. Like other Indians, they had their fanciful, and
sometimes horrid ways of adornment. They painted their
faces and wore gaudy feathers in their hair. Their Werowances, or chief'l, as well as the Wisoes and Cockorooses, were
highly esteemed by them. A deep mystery seemed to envelop their medicine-men, who were thought to be possessed of supernatural gifts. They held the existence of
one Supreme Being, but worshiped corn and fire as minor
deities. The "sacred weed" which they burned in their
calumet the.y considered as a precious boon from the Great
Spirit. The early missionaries tell us that they possessed
(ll The early writers of ~laryland enjoyed as much liberty in their orthography_ a~ in their religion. It seemed fashionable to spell one's name in several <h!lercnt ways. l'luts Bretton ami Coruwaleys, in many old documents,
are written llt·itton and Cornwallis. This will explain the changes which
may be observed in the spelling of some names in this article.
~ Some recent authors sneer at the inability of a few of the founders of St.
· fary's to write their names. These writers seem to target all about the Penal
Laws made by Protestant England against Catholic education.
VoL. xm-No.
2.
7
·(97)
�Newtoum Manor and Church.
many moral virtues. They were temperate, grateful, and
chaste. They were steady in their purpose, grave and deliberate. Towards their friends they were amiable, and
even to their foes they were generous. In the earliest letters of our Fathers we find that great hopes were entertained of them, once they should embrace the Christian religion. For our part, we have no doubt that many of them
under the spiritual guidance of our first Fathers became
models of every virtue. We have no doubt that many of
the aged chiefs among them became real Christian heroes,
and that many of their maids were as pure in their lives,
and as patient in their sufferings, as was the Iroquois girl,
the Blessed Catharine Tegahkouita, of Onnontague in Canada. Here and there in the woods they hacked down with
their stone hatchets some of the smaller trees, tore up the
roots, and made f01; themselves small gardens in which they
raised an humble crop of beans, maize, and tobacco. For
a fishing tribe as they were, Britton's Neck was not a utqpian, but a real paraqise. The deep Potomac,-''the Place
of the Burning Pine"-and the broad waters of Britton's Bay
and St. Clement's were tremulous with the swift motion of
the perch, shad, tailor, rock, herring and sheep's-head. All
the adjacent fairy-like creeks were literally packed with
large oysters of great delicacy. The shell-banks al~ng the
sides of all the southern l\1aryland rivers are unquestionable
monuments in proofof the Indians' relish for the "oysterfish." "Manninoses," too, abounded along the sand-shores
of the Chesapeake and in the bays of the Potomac.
In Mr. Bretton these poor children of the forest found no
enemy. Those who wished to leave their settlements he
paid for their little plots of cultivated land, not in gewgaws
but in articles a.f real value, and the others he allowed to
keep a quiet possession of the land they had. But if Mr.
Bretton did not distu~b them, they were not left altogether
in peace. The brave and warlike Susquehannoughs frequently made raids upon them and harassed them. This
fierce tribe gloried in military exploits, and were proud of
their ferocity. They attacked the more orderly tribes they
�UBRARY
Newtown ltfanor and Church.
~
.
found living in peace, and even extended their ravages to the
very posts of St. Mary's City. They made all who had the
misfortune to be weaker than they were become tributary
to them. Still even the Christians were obliged to admit
that these wild ~avages were the "most Noble and Heroick
Nation of Indians that dwelt on the confines of America."
They are described by an old writer, "as a people cast into
the mould of a most large and warlike deportment, the men
being for the most part seven foot high in latitude (sic) and
in magnitude and bulk suitable to so high a pitch; their
voyce large and hollow as ascending out of a Cave, their
gate and behaviour strait, stately and majestick."
Even before the arrival of English settlers on Britton's
Neck we doubt not that Fr. White and Fr. Altham had
preached to the Indians there. The untiring zeal of these
Fathers is sufficient warrant for this. supposition. It is
more than probable that these Fathers sometimes left St.
Mary's City and turned the prows of their little barks towards the Potomac, and on reaching that royal and majestic river, rowed against its current to that favored Island on
which they had said their First Mass, and had raised the
Saving Rood on their arrival in the New World. And we
can hardly doubt that while on some one of these devout
pilgrimages they visited the pine-crowned headland that ran
over towards the Heron Islands and seemed calling the
priests to come and shed the glorious light of Christianity
upon the benighted children of the forest. Fr. White himself tells us that some of these Indians went on board the
Dove while she was anchored in the Potomac. And the
author of the Relation of Maryland says that the neighboring Indians "began to cast off feare," and entering into their
light canoes paddled towards "Saint Clements Ile," and on
gaining it, fearlessly went ashore. Is it not, therefore, most
credible that Fr. White after he had settled at St. Mary's
City returned to evangelize them? We may add too that
while the "Pilgrims" were staying on the Heron Islands
they built a fort to protect the river. Where this fort was
we do not exactly know. Some authors think it was on
�too
I
:1
..1
Newtown ilfanor and Church.
St. Clement's Island; some say it was on Bedlam Neck,
while others stoutly maintain that it was on Britton's
Neck. Now, some Catholics from the crew, or from among
the passengers of the Dove and Ark remained to guard this
little fortress. By what priests were they attended, if not by
Fathers White and Altham? Before passing on we may
remark that the two venerable pieces of cannon to be seen
at St. Inigoes, originally belonged to the fort of which we
have been speaking. And we learn from old documents
that the soldiers of the little'fort were accustomed on the
eve of St. Ignatius' feast to fire off several glorious salvoes
from them in honor of the hero of Pampeluna, in honor of
the spiritual Father of White and Altham, in honor of the
Patron Saint of l\Iaryland! Grand beyond description must
have been the faith and piety of the early settlers of Maryland; grand beyo1;1d description must have been the effeCt:
of the boom of cannon, amid the silence of a July evening,
as their balls glanced along the wide and shining waters of
the calm Potomac. _
It is true, as far as I have studied the question, that Fr:
vVhite's residence was never on Bedlam Neck. But whether
his chief abode was on Kent Island, at St. Mary's City, or
at Piscataway, this remains to be said: his parish_" in the
beginning included several of what we now call St~e~. and
his flock were composed not only of the Catholics of St.
Mary's County, but also of all the Christian redmen who
dwelt along the Patuxent and the Potomac, and on the
shores of the Chesapeake.
In the sketch of Newtown this may be the proper place
to say something in general with regard to the labors of
our Fathers among the Indians. After having closely and
calmly examined many old dusty records and yellow manuscripts I feel myself justified in saying that the early apostles of Maryland dest::rve a brilliant chapter in the History
of Christian Missions. Their zeal and fortitude, their devoted charity, their utter contempt of earthly comforts, their
patience under wrongs and insults, their heroic conduCt: in
the midst of dire hardships and great dangers are worthy
�Newtown llfanor and Church.
101
of the glorious men whose names are justly emblazoned in
the histories of India, China, and Japan. The same spirit
that animated the missionaries who first explored the Mi~
sissippi, the Ohio and the Illinois rivers, the same spirit that
fired the souls of our Fathers as they sailed the great lakes
of the North or the lazy and flower-lined streams of the far
South burned steadily and brightly in their apostolic hearts.
If martyrdom had presented itself to them they would have
as joyously embraced it as did Isaac Jogues in the Mohawk
valley, or as the heroic priests, Lallemand and Brcebeuf, did
upon Lake Huron. Mr. Scharf, the able historian of Maryland, pays our Fathers the following beautiful tribute: "The
missionaries, fearing nothing, went at once among them
(the Indians), and shared their wild forest life. They followed them on their hunts ; they launched the frail canoe
on the bosom of unknown streams, they bivouacked with
them in the depths of the primeval forest, and after chanting matins and lauds, slept fearlessly and peacefully among
these dusky warriors, beneath the starry canopy of heaven .
.Hardships and privations they cheerfully endured ; they
patiently learned the barbarous tongue that they might win
the confidence and affeCtion of the untutored savage, and
raise his untaught mind to the height of Christian faith and
Christian morals. Death itself sometimes stared them in
the face-not only death from fatigue, from exposure, from
fevers and other diseases, and the lack of proper medicines
and attention, but death in more terrible forms of the tomahawk, the scalping-knife, and the torturing stake, in the
many inroads which the fierce and cruel tribes of the north
made upon the weaker Indians of southern Maryland."
Of course, it is by something like poetic license alone that
the gifted historian represents our Fathers as "c!tanting matins and lauds." With this remark we pass on.
Father Philip Fisher was the next after White and Altham to bear the torch of Gospel truth in among the Indians
of Britton's Neck. This worthy Father was born about
the year 1596, at Madrid, in Spain._ His family had to
fly from England, probably on account of the persecution
�102
Newtown Manor and Clzurck.
raging so fiercely in that country. When he had attained
his twentieth year, he forsook the world and entered the
Society. During his missionary life in England he seems
to have adopted as his alias, Musket. Sir John Cooke says
that he was for the most part employed at "Ladie Dormer's." From the State Papers for 1627 we learn that he
was that year in London: "the Countess of Buckingham's
lodge, called 'the Porch,' at the end of the King's garden,
lodgeth Fisher, Walpole, and Floyd." On the zoth of October, 1630, he was professed of the four vows. In 1636,
he and the amiable and zealo.us Father John Knowles (l) arrived in Maryland. In some of the catalogues for that year
he is named as Superior of our Mission. After Fisher's
promotion, Fr. White spent a great part of his time in laboring among the Patuxent and Piscataway Indians; Father
Altham took up his residence in Kent Island, and Father
Fisher himself attended to St. l\Iary's City, Britton's Neck,
Bedlam Neck, and those other plantations that were not
too far removed from the Capital of the Province, where his
presence was often required. In those early days of which
we treat, when most of the settlers dwelt along the great
water-courses, much of our missionaries' journeying was
accomplished in small boats. One of our Fathers was,lost
whiie going in a frail bark to visit some of his people.-· We
have no doubt that the missionary life of Fr. Fisher would
furnish us with many details full of interest and edification.
It is unfortunate that we have no full record of his various
adventures and labors as he rode around the lonely paths
of St.. Mary's, crossed the stormy bays in winter, tried to
instruCt the slave, or visited the Indians in their villages.
His life must have been, indeed, hard, perilous, and laborious. Though he often found an Indian hut, or some settler's habitation, which was then but little better, in which
he could offer up the Adorable Sacrifice, while away from
St. Mary's City, we fear, alas, that often he was obliged to
say Mass in the open air beneath the shade of the spruce,
sassafras, pine, black gum, thyas, or juniper. Often, with(1)
English Records.
�Newtown Manor and Church.
103
out a doubt, he sailed in and out the many creeks of Britton's Bay and St. Clement's ; often could he be seen on foot
penetrating dense woods in search, not of the beaver or
fox, but of immortal souls. He was continually travelling
from house to house, baptizing the children and converts,
hearing confessions, administering the Holy Sacrament of
the Eucharist, and assisting the dying. Many a time did
he lay his weary limbs to rest beneath the fish-hawk's nest,
only to awaken at dawn when the eagle's cry, as she swept
down upon the industrious hawk: sounded upon his ear.
Sometimes, indeed, the holy missionary could be found at
the comfortable fire-side of some prosperous farmer, or trader, or in the manor-house of some Catholic gentleman,
telling the sad tale of the latest persecutions of his friends
and brethren in the British Isles, or instructing the young,
but more often could he be found in the cold and cheerless
cabins of the lowly poor, or in the wigwams of some friendly
Indians.
Without having passed through the red fire of persecution a glory would be wanting to our early missionaries of
Maryland which is never wanting to truly apostolic men.
·without their having suffered for justice sake we should miss
a halo from their heads which is never missing from the '
heads of the heroic followers of the Victim of Calvary.
Early, indeed, did the light and glory of persecution shine
round about our Fathers in Maryland. As the parliamen- .
tary party grew strong in England, so did the violence and
intolerance of the· Puritans increase wherever the British
flag was raised. Even from the very beginning our Fathers
and the Catholics in general began to suffer in St. Mary's
from the bigotry and Pope-hatred of the Protestants of Virginia and the "saints" of New England who were invited to
take a peaceful abode among them. About a decade of
years after that memorable day on which Fr. White, amid
hymns and prayers, planted the rude cross on Heron Island,
"he was seizeu by some of the English invaders from Virginia, the avowed enemies of civil and religious liberty, and
carried off a prisoner to London." Two other Fathers were
�104
Newtown JJfanor and Cltztrch.
taken with him and sent back to England in irons. Thus
was the seal of a true apostleship put upon the devotedness
and labors of the first of our missionaries who sowed the
good seed in Maryland.
One of those Fathers who were dragged with Fr. White
back to England was Fr. Fisher.
"In 1645," say the Annual Letters, "the civil war was
raging in all the counties of England, with the most ·savage
cruelty on the part of t~e Parliamentary rebel soldiers universally against Catholics. Not a,few of the Society were
seized and committed to prison. It extended even to Maryland, where some heretical· tealots to curry favor with the
·Parliament, carried off two of our Fathers, viz., Andrew
White and Philip Fisher, whose family name was 'Cappicius.' Both were brought to England and tried, but acquitted, on urging that they had not entered England of
their own· accord, but had been forcibly and illegally
brought thither. Fr. Fisher boldly returned to Maryland,
but Fr. vVhite was not allowed to do so on account of his
advanced age, and he_ died a few years later in England."
Some of the Fathers that were captured with Fathers
White and Fisher were retained in Virginia and underwent
the direst kind of sufferings. In 1646, Fr. Rigby died there,
a noble Confessor of the Faith. For the benefit .9'f our
readers we will here transcribe a letter from Fr. Fish~-r to
. the Very Rev. Father General, Vincent Caraffa. It was
written soon after Fisher's return to America.
"Our very Revd. Father in Christ: At length, my companion and myself reached Virginia, in the month of January, after a tolerable journey of seven weeks: there I left
my companion, and availed myself of the opportunity of
proceeding to Maryland, where I arrived in the course of
February. By the singular providence of God, I found my
flock colleCted together, after they had been scattered for
three long years; and !hey were really in more flourishing
circumstances than those who had oppressed and plundered
them: with what joy they received me, and with what delight I met them, it would be impossible to describe, but
I
�Newto·wn Manor and Church.
105
they received me as an Angel of God. I have now been
with them a fortnight, and am preparing for the painful
separation; for the Indians summon me to their aid, and
they have been ill-treated by the enemy, since I was torn
from them. I hardly know what to do, but cannot attend
to all. God grant that I may do his will for the greater
glory of his name. Truly, flowers appear in our land : may
they attain to fruit. A road by land, through the Forest,
has just been opened from Maryland to Virginia; this will
make it but a two days' journey, and both countries can
now be united in one Mission. After Easter I shall wait
on the Governor of Virginia on momentous business, may
it terminate to the praise and glory of God. My companion, I trust, still lies concealed, but I hope will soon co~
mence his labour under favorable auspices. Next year I
trust to have two or three other colleagues, with tl1e permission of your paternity, to whose prayers and sacrifices I
earnestly commend this Mission, myself, and all mine.
Dated from Maryland this rst March in the year of God,
1648.
I remain your very Revd. Paternity's Most unworthy
servant and son in Christ,
PHILIP Fr~HER."
According to the Colleflanea Father Fisher died in 1652,
in Maryland. The labors of this worthy Father were
crowned with success not only among the Indians, but also
among the non-Catholics of the Province and of Virginia.
Many of those, who, like Saul, went from place to place,
persecuting the faithful, were converted by his zeal and
charity, and afterwards assisted him in his apostolic undertakings. Fr. Fisher was in every respeCt: a fit companion for
White and Altham. He was zealous and courageous, and
was filled with a beautiful and touching spirit of piety. He
was learned and humble, and sought only the greater glory
of God. "Fr. Fisher," writes Mr. Campbell, "was eminently
successful in his labours among the settlers. On Sundays
the Catechism was explained; on other solemn festivals,
discourses were delivered ; Protestants as well as Catholics
�100
Newtown Manor and Church.
attended the public exercises of religion, and several persons were converted to the Catholic faith."
The next Father whose labors we trace in Britton's Neck,
and in different other parts of the Newtown Congregation,
is Fr. Thomas Copley.<'> This missionary was descended
from a distinguished English family, and was related to the
Stanihursts of Dublin, and to the holy Robert Southwell.
He was born in Belgium about the year I 591. He arrived
in Maryland in 1637. Though his principal place of residence was with the Superior, Fr. Fisher, at St. Mary's City,
still he did not confine his labors to that place. It is my
impression that on his arrivai' he took charge of Fr. Fisher's
outlying missions. With true zeal he labored for all the
settlers and the Catholic Indians who lived between St.
Mary's City and Charles County. In wills and other legal
documents I trace his footsteps in places far apart. At
Calverton Manor, which stood at the head of the vVicomico,
he was always a welcome guest. Its proprietor, the Hon.
Robert Clarke, loved_ and esteemed him for his many virtues and shining qualities. At Calverton Manor the holy
priest occupied a chamber, which was known as "The
Priest's Room." At the Head of St. Clement's Bay he
gathered his flock at the hospitable home of Mr. Luke Gardiner, who owned a farm there of about two hundred' !lcres.
The distinguished Governor Thomas Green seems to have
had a special regard for him. This gentleman gave him
several presents for the benefit of his church.
Though Fr. Copley attended principally to spiritual things,
he did not neglect temporal aff:1irs. He seems to have been
chosen by the early Fathers as their agent in worldly matters. All the lands and houses of the Society were taken
possession of in his name, as Mr. Copley. As long as the
Penal Laws were in force in England the Catholic clergy
were in a precarious state, not only in that country, but
likewise in all its colonies. This is the reason why all our
(I) We are aware that some consider this Father as identical 'vith Fr. Fisher.
The question is still an open one. \\'e arc, therefore, at liberty to treat of
them as two distinct Fathers. In "the Records of the English Province,"
they are treated as such.
�Newtown Manor and Church.
107
property was held in the name of Mr. Copley, and not of
Father Copley, or of the Rev. Mr. Copley. It is worthy of
remark that Fr. Copley, on entering religion, forsook a large
inheritance, which he left to his second brother, William.
But on his arrival in Maryland he saw the necessity, in the
troubled state of the times, for some means of supporting
the missionaries who were to devote their time and their
labors to the evangelization of a new and yet poor country.
In prudence then, and in an ardent desire for the advancement of religion, he took possession of several large traB:s
of land. The after history of" the Maryland missions fully
justifies Father Copley's conduCt:, and is the best eulogy of
his prudence and forethought.
Mr. Cuthbert Fenwick was the intimate friend of Father
Copley, and aB:ed for some time as his trustee. This gentleman was one of the grand old Catholic founders of St. Mary's,
and not only as the friend of Copley, but also as the ancestor of many of our Fathers, deserves a few words here.
"Mr. Fenwick was one," says 1\fr. Davis, "who breathed the
spirit of Copley, of Cornwallis, and of Calvert: a sincere
believer in the faith of the old Latin church; one of the
original Pilgrims of 16j4; and the fairest exponent of that
system of religious liberty, which had constituted the very
corner-stone of the first settlement under the charter. Many,
also are his descendants in the United States. They held
a distinguished rank in the field of civil and mititary services. And they have been ornaments not only of the priesthood, but also of the hierarchy of the American Roman
Catholic church. Some still linger among us; our neighbors, and our friends, through evil, and through good, after
the lapse of many .years, in the midst of vast social and political revolutions, they have clung, with the fondness of
children, to the faith of their first forefather.''
Mr. Fenwick lived at Resurreflion Hundred. From an
old survey by George Fenwick, which was kindly shown
me by a gentleman now possessing a part of the Fenwick
estate, I learn that the Fenwick Manor began at Coles'
Creek, then ran almost up to the "Three Notch Road:"
�108
Newtown Manor a1td Church.
thence, taking an easterly course, extended to a little below
the head of St. Thomas' Creek. The Manor was on one
side, bounded by the Patuxent River. Mr. Fenwick showed
his good-will towards Father Fitzherbert by leaving him a
legacy. We read in the will of his wife, a most estimable
lady, that she bequeathed "to Father Francis Fitzherbert, a
hogshead of tobacco, for five years."
There is a popular belief that the lands in Maryland, now
in the possession of the Society, were grants from the Lord
Proprietary. This belief was put down as a simple fact by
the author of "Old Maryland'Manors." Now, this is a gross
error. The lands were purchased by our Fathers, some, indeed, under the conditions of plantation, others in the current money of the time. For the conditions of plantation,
we refer our readers to Kilty's work, "The Land-Holder's
Assistant.'' Under the laws of plantation every "adventurer" was entitled to a certain number of acres. He was also
entitled to some land for every person he brought with him,
whether that person was his \vife, child, or his servant. Now,
Mr. Thomas Copley-{Father Copley) brought into the Province at least, forty-nin·e persons, as may be proved from
the following entries :
"Entered by Mr. Copley, brought into the Province in the
year 1633, Mr. Andrew White, Mr. John Althe.n1, etc.
Thomas H. etc. to the number 30."
·
· "Brought into the Province in the year 1637, 1\Ir. Thomas
Copley, Mr. John Knoles, Robert K. etc. to the number 19."
'vVe just now said that Father Copley brought, at least,
forty-nine persons. This is true only in the sense, that Father Copley represented the Fathers who then lived in the
Province. The thirty persons mentioned in the first entry
came with Fathers White and Altham, and arrived before
Father Copley, who did not come until 1637.
In 1641, when the colony was on the eve of a war with
the Indians, to the other conditions required, a new one, to
carry a certain amount of arms and ammunition, was added:
"A particular of such arms and ammunition as are intended and required by the Conditions abovesaid, to be pro-
�Newtown Manor and Clzurclz.
I
109
vided and carried into the said province of Maryland for
every man between the ages of sixteen and fifty years which
shall be transported thither.
Imprimi's.-One Musket or Bastard-Musket with a snaphance Lock.
Item.- Ten pounds of powder.
Item.- Fourty pound of lead-Bullets, Pistoll and Goose
Shot, each sort some.
Item.-One Sword and Belt.
Item.-One Bandelier and Flask.
Dated at London tenth day of November 1641.
C. Baltimore.
Council Proceedings, 1st Book, folio 81 ."
Father Copley obtained patents for about 28,500 acres of
land lying in St. Mary's, and Charles County. With true
and admirable generosity he gave a very large portion of
this land to poor Catholic settlers, and to gentlemen, who,
having been robbed of their property, and deprived of all
civil, military and religious rights, in their own Merry England, were forced to seek their fortunes along the shores of
the Chesapeake, and on the banks of the Patuxent and Potomac.
Father Copley also made over a considerable traet in favor of Father Ferdinand Poulton, alias, John Brookes. But _
this Father never obtained a patent for his property. This
matters little, as an old document before me justly states
that Mr. Cuthbert Fenwick, Father Copley's trustee, afterwards obtained patents for all the lands in the possession of
our Fathers.
Father Copley was one of the noblest of that hero-band
of priests who through trials and persecutions, through
pains and hardships, through evil report and good report,
through vigils, prayers, and f~stings, stood valiantly at their
posts and triumphantly kept the faith among their people.
There is a. moral grandeur in the whole conduCt of our
missionaries who labored at St. Mary's City, on the Patuxent, and on Britton's Neck from the devoted time of Father
�110
Newtuwn Manor and Church.
Copley down to the autumn of 1809, when Father John
Bolton died at Newton Manor, not easily to be surpassed.
\Ve know from the dark history of the days in which they
lived that their every step by way of preparation for their
arduous mission was one of danger and risk. It was at
great peril that they, as Catholics, slaked their early thirst
for knowledge under the charge of some proscribed priest
or some banned schoolmaster of their own Creed. Their
reception of Holy Orders was a thing forbidden by the laws,
the unjust and cruel laws, of their native land. Their return to England after years"of study on the Continent, their
return to England as priests, as :Jesuits, from St. Orner's,
from Liege, from \Vatten, from Louvain and Rome, was
charge enough to commit them to the Tower, or even to
the very block that had drunk the blood of Sir Thomas
More, and of so many other faithful sons of England.
Terrible and grim as was the lot of priests in the British Empire during the Penal Days we must not suppose
that it was a task Qf pleasure for our missionaries to set
sail from England for the shores of 1\laryland. The voice
of Obedience alone could make many of these generous
champions of the Faith forsake the great battle-ground
where the rights, truths, and honor of our Holy E:eligion
were to be defended, where their religious Brethr;n ··pined
in loathsome dungeons, or were outlaws upon the hills,
where their relatives, where their dear flocks were robbed
and plundered by brutal soldiers and greedy miscreants,
where the palm-branch and martyr's crown were daily won
by members of the priesthood and laity, by noble lords and
ladies, by holy bishops and generous peasants. And God
rewarded their Obedience. Though England, the land of
their birth, the land of their love and their pity, lost the
Faith, lost the pearl without price, amid a sea of sorrowful
tears and noble bloo~, their countrymen along the shores
of the Chesapeake remained in the bark of Peter, and were
saved from the almost universal deluge. Next after her sons
who bled at Tyburn or Newgate, or who perished in the.
,, :
�Newtown Manor and Clzurch.
lit
Tower, the English Province may be proud of her children
in Maryland.
Though we have no proof to show that Father Copley
built a regular church in Britton's Neck, still we have sufficient reason for believing that in the time of Father Francis
Fitzherbert, who came soon after him, a chapel existed at
Newtown. The name of Father Copley disappears from the
Catalogue in 1653.
Father Laurence Starkie probably succeeded Father Copley at Newtown. This Father was sometimes called Sankey·and Sanchez. There is no doubt that he lived for some
time at St. Inigoes with Father Copley. From the faa that
his name is often coupled in wills and other documents with
Father Francis Fitzherbert's name I conclude that he likewise lived with that Father for some time at Newtown. He
was born in the year 1606, and entered the Society about
1636. He was sent to the Lancashire Distria, in 1638. He
arrived in Maryland, in 1649. This was the year in which
the great Toleration A a was passed in the Maryland Assembly. The majority of those who made religious freedom the law of the land were Catholics. Some of the Assembly-men who voted for liberty of worship even belonged
to the Newtown Congregation. We may name among them
the unfortunate Walter Peake, William Bretton, Cuthbert
Fenwick, Thomas Thornborough, John Maunsell of St.
Clement's hundred, and the Honorable Robert Clarke. The
Catholic settlers of Maryland had been treated as helots in
their native land by the "sincere followers of the pure doctrines of the heaven-sent Reformation;" they had since their
arrival on the shores of the Chesapeake felt the hatred of
the Virginia Protestants ; Claiborne and Ingle, both enemies, deadly enemies, to the Faith of Rome, planned and
plotted for their utter destruaioo, and hovered around them
like vultures ready to pounce upon them in a moment of
weakness; and so they wished to be avenged. And they
avenged themselves sweetly, gloriously, triumphantly. They
passed the Toleration Aa, and the history of mankind will
forever proclaim to the world ·in the praise it gives them
�I 12
1
Newtown Manor aud Church.
that they are avenged, fully, honorably avenged. Little,
perhaps, they dreamed in the moment of their generosity
in according to others what had been so long, and so cruelly denied themselves, that their kindness and magnanimity
would be ill requited. Yet such unfortunately was the case.
Puritans who had been expelled for non-conformity from
Virginia and other places, the "Saints" who loved the sword
and gloried in the shedding of human blood, but hated the
Cross and abominated the purity of holy water, stalked in
upon them from the wasted fields of England, and from red
scenes of carnage in Ireland;- and began to oppress and persecute them. Troopers who had learned canting hymns
and fearful oaths in the camp of Carlyle's charming hero,
Oliver Cromwell, began to despise their rights, and to trample their benefaCtors as worms beneath their feet. The missionaries became objeB:s of special hate, and viB:ims not to
be spared. The light that shone upon Father Starkie on the
day of his arrival was turned to gloom and darkness. Here,
as in England, he foui1d himself proscribed and banned. To
evade his enemies h; was obliged to adopt every species of
disguise. When he wished to visit the gentleman in his
manor, or the Indian in his hut, he was obliged to dress as a
farmer, or a soldier, and wear a beard t.hat covered his breast.
He had to adopt more than one alias. At last being betrayed,
he was obliged to fly into Virginia where he died in r657.
What this Father and others suffered in Virginia we do not
fully know. But from the enmity of Virginia at that period of its history towards Catholics we may easily guess.
Forced to live unknown, to hide their priestly charaCter, to
pass as men of the world, they often suffered, no doubt, from
hunger and want. In time of sickness they had no kind
hand to assist them, no friendly voice to cheer them. They
sank amid an accumulation of wrongs, injuries, and miseries,
and were cast into the earth by strangers in a foreign land,
without a prayer for their souls, without a tear for their sorrows, without a cross to mark their graves.
In a school book is written "Thomas Sankey, July 3rd,
1608." This can hardly have been Father Starkie's book,
�Newtown Manor and Church.
as we cannot believe that he wrote his name in it when only
two years old. Though nearly everything regarding the
life of this Father is now lost, in his own time, however, he
seems to have been widely known. In wills, he is sometimes termed "the well known priest, Father Starkie."
The next Father who labored in Newtown was Francis
Fitzherbert, alias Darby. "He was a native of Derbyshire;
born 1613; entered the Society 1634; and was made a Spiritual Coadjutor, September 15th, 1655. He was camp Missioner at Ghent in 1645; then Missioner in Portugal; afterwards Professor of Moral Theology at Liege, and in 1654
was sent out to the Maryland Mission. Returning from
Maryland in 1662, he was sent to the Devonshire DistriCt.
In 1672, he was in the Oxfordshire DistriCt, having been
unoccupied for several years, owing to some difficulty in
placing him in England." He died at St. Orner's, May 22nd,
1687.
The following graphic description of Father Fitzherbert's
journey to Maryland may prove interesting: "1654. This
year Father Francis Fitzherbert, destined for Maryland, at
the first intimation of our Superior, entered without a single companion, but with great magnanimity and alacrity,
upon an arduous expedition, and a long and laborious journey among strangers differing wholly in morals and religion. Nor, during his entire expedition, did he lack an
abundant harvest of merit, through his confidence in God
and his extraordinary patience. Four ships sailed together from England, but were overtaken by a fearful storm as
they were passing the vVestern Isles, and the ship which carried the Father was so shattered that, springing a leak in
battling with the continued violence of the sea, the ,pump
became almost useless. Four men at a time, not only from
the ship's crew, but from among the passengers also, were
kept constantly working at the great pump, each one in
turn day and night.
"Having changed the course, their intention was to make
sail towards Barbadoes, but no art or labor could acVoL. xm-No. 2.
8
�II4
NnviO'lvn Manor and Church.
complish this, and so they decided on abandoning the ship
and committing themseJves with their wares to the long
boat. As, however, the swelling sea and huge waves prevented this also, many a form of death presented itself to their
minds and the habit of terror, now grown a familiar thought,
had almost excluded the particular fear of death. The tempest lasted in all two months, whence the opinion arose
that it did not come from the sto;m of sea or sky, but was
occasioned by the malevolence of demons. Forthwith they
seized a little old woman suspeB:ed of sorcery, and after examining her with the striB:~st severity, they killed her,
whether guilty or not guilty, as the suspeCted cause of all
the evil. The corpse and whatever belonged to her they
cast into the sea. However, the winds did not in consequence abate their violence, nor did the raging sea smooth
its threatening billows. To the troubles of the storm sickness was added next, ·which attacked almost every person
and carried off not a few. The Father himself escaped untouched by the disease,_but in working at the pump somewhat too laboriously, he contraC1:ed a slight fever of a few
days' continuance. Having passed through multiplied dangers, at length, by the favor of God, the ship reached the
port of Maryland."
We have said above that a regular chapel was prob~~ly
built in the time of Father Fitzherbert. In the trial of this
Father at St. Leonard's Creek, the 5th of OB:ober, 1658,
one of the charges brought against him was that he tried
to force Dr. Thomas Gerrard, the proprietor of St. Clement's
Manor, Bedlam Neck, to go to clmrclt on Sundays. Father Fitzherbert seems to have been a very zealous missionary. This is proved by the very charges brought against
him by the enemies of religion in his time. He was a man
of courage and resolve, and we owe him a debt of deep
gratitude, on account of the noble course he pursued during
his famous trial. Being accused, among other things, of
preaching and teaching at Newtown and Chaptico, he neither denied nor acknowledged_the charge, but defended himself under the plea that "by the very first Jaw of this coun-
�Newtown Manor and Church.
us
try, Holy Church, within this province, shall have and enjoy all her rights, liberties, and franchises, wholly and without blemish, amongst which that of preaching and teaching
is not the least. Neither imports it what church is there
meant; as, by the true intent of the ACt concerning religion,
every church professing to believe in God the Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, is accounted Holy Church here. Because
by the aCt entitled 'An ACt Concerning Religion,' it is provided that no person whatsoever, professing to believe in
Jesus Christ shall be molested for or in respeCt of his or
her religion, or the free exercise thereo( And undoubtedly
preaching and teaching is the free exercise of every churchman's religion. And upon this I crave judgment."
The decision of the court was favorable to Father Fitzherbert. It is given in the following terms: "The opinion
of the Board is, that it is neither rebellion nor mutiny to
utter such words alledged in the 4th article, if it were
proved."
For some time the Catholics belonging to the Newtown
congregation, who had been growing in number and importance, had been desirous of a more commodious church
than their original one, in which they could assemble together on Sundays, and holydays, to offer up their prayers
in common, and to assist at the august Sacrifice of the
Mass. Many of them, no doubt, remembered well the
magnificent churches, cathedrals, and monasteries of old
Catholic England. And now they felt it hard to be obliged
to build an altar, and to light a sanCtuary lamp, in a poor
miserable hovel. And the fervent ones among them wept
as they thought of the sufferings of their Holy Church,they wept as "those that wept by Babel's stream,'' and they
mourned because "where their God hath dwelt the godless
dwell." Their song in those.days must have been something like this:
.
"And where shall Israel lave her bleeding feet?
And when shall Zion's songs again seem sweet?
And Judah's melody once more rejoice
The hearts that leaped before its heavenly voice?"
�n6
NewtO'Wn Manor and Clzurch.
Among those who grieved most, because the settlers had
no suitable church was Mr. William Bretton,-whose name
be forever blessed. This pious and liberal man formed the
generous resolve to give a piece of his own land upon which
a church might be built. The priest and people determined
upon the most fitting place for such a purpose. The spot
agreed upon by all is a little triangular piece of ground at
the head of St. Nicholas' Creek, now Bowling's Cove, and
lying between the people's grave-yard and the gate on
the road, near the store of "Carberry and Cryer." Some
old bricks, with mortar on them, may still be seen in this
place. They are the last relics that we know of, that belonged to St. Ignatius' Chapel.
In the beginning of this century, a neat little cottage, with
a small porch attached to it, stood here, near the present
burial-ground of Alexander Merriman. The last inmate of
the cottage was a Miss Jennie Digges. This lady is described by old residents, as a venerable person of superior
attainments and great· piety. She used to attend, in her
younger days, to the altar of the Newtown Church. She
seems, from all accounts of her, to have been something
like a nun. (I) Indeed, we find that our early Fathers bad
in their vicinity some very pious persons who used tp attend to the decoration of the church, and who lived ~under
something like a religious rule.
The old grave-yard attached to St. Ignatius' Church ran
over towards the head of St. William's Creek, at present
Barn Cove. I have been told that some old wooden crosses
and broken tomb-stones could be found near the cherrytree in Mr. Dent Jarboe's field, even thirty years ago. A
portion of the old grave-yard has been ploughed up and cultivated, while the remaining part has been inclosed with the
new one.
On examination I find that the oldest tomb-stone in the
new grave-yard is dated 1788. I will here give two sam1
< l The dying request of this lady is worthy of record: "Place my grave,"
she said, "near the gate leading into the burial ground, so that my body may
he trampled on by all, and that my friends on seeing my last resting-placu
may be reminded to pray for my poor soul."
�Ne-.vtoum Manor a1td Clzurclt.
ples of the "moral" that may be read on some of these stones
in this home of the dead:
"Behold, 0 man, in us thy fate
And mend thy ways ere 'tis too late."
Again:
"Remember, friends, as yon pass by,
As yon are now so once was I ;
.\s I am now so yon will be,
Prepare for death and follow me."
The deed of 1\Ir. Bretton, granting ground for the church
and grave-yard, is couched in the following terms:
"April y• rz, r66z. This day came Mr. William Bretton, and desired the ensuing to be recorded, viz. :
c\d Perpetnam Rei )Jemoriam.
"Forasmuch as divers good and zealous Roman Catholic inhabitants of Newtown, and St. Clement's Bay have
unanimously agreed, amongst themselves, to erect and build
a church or chapel whither they may repair on Sundays, and
other holy days appointed and commanded by Holy Church;
to serve Almighty God; and hear divine service. And the
most convenient place for that purpose, desired and pit~hed
upon, by them all; is on a certain parcel of the land belonging to William Bretton, gentleman. Now know y•, that I,
William Bretton, of Little-Bretton, in y• county of St. Mary's, in the province of Maryland, gentleman; with the
hearty good-liking of my dearly beloved wife, Temperance
Bretton; to the greater honor and glory of Almighty God, the
Ever-Immaculate Virgin Mary, and all saints; have given,
and do hereby freely forever give, to the behoof of the said
Roman Catholic inhabitants, and their posterity, or successors, Roman Catholics, so much land, as they shall build
y• said church or chapel on; which, for their better convenience, they may frequent, to serve Almighty God, and
hear divine service, as aforesaid; with such other land adjoining to y• said church or chapel, convenient likewise for
a churchyard, wherein to bury their dead; containing about
one acre and a half of ground, situate and lying on a clivi-·
dend of land called Bretton's Outlet, and on the east side
of y• said dividend of land, near to y• head of the creek
�118
Newtown Manor and Churck.
called St. William's Creek, which falleth into St. Nicholas's
Creek, and near unto the narrowest place of the freehold of
Little-Bretton, commonly called The Straits, &c., &c." The
deed is dated the "tenth" of November, 1661.
Among the principal Catholic gentlemen who lived in St.
Mary's County in early times may be named Mr. Maunsell,
who resided in St. Clement's hundred, and had a traCl: of
land on the West side of Britton's Bay, called St. John's;
Colonel William Evans, Mr. Maunsell's administrator, and
the guardian of his orphan son ; Mr. Thomas Thornborough of Wolleston Manor, at the mouth of the Wicomico;
Captain James Neale; the Honorable Robert Clarke, who
resided at Calverton Manor, at the head of the 'Wicomico;
Mr. John Pile, who had his seat at Salisbury, on the Wicomico. These, and many others too numerous to mention
here, were among the attendants at St. Ignatius' Chapel,
and may well be counted among its friends and benefactors. Newtown may, indeed, be proud of the faCl: that
thos~ who built its little ·chapel, and first gathered around
its humble altar, were cavaliers of unblemished charaCl:er,
Christian knights full of faith and piety, the very men who
helped to plant the tree of religious liberty in this country.
Not-to speak of the many aCl:s of all these gentlemen •to
prove their devotedness to our Holy Religion, it wil( tie
·enough to say here that during the Puritan ascendency, a
moment of dire persecution, Mr. John Pile, like one of the
confessors of old, professed his faith in the very face of his
persecutors; "He confessed lzimseif in court to be a Roman
Catholic," and acknowledged "the Pope's supremacy." Mr.
Robert Clarke did the same. \Ve read in the proceedings
of the Provincial Court, OB:ober term, r655, "t!tat Robert
Clarke, gentleman, hatlz openly in court confessed lzimscif to be
a Roman Catholic, owning tlze Pope's supremacy."
I know not for how long a period the people of Newtown
gathered peacefully to worship God, and to sing His praises,
in their dear little chapel, but this much I have learned,
that a time unfortunately came when the lights were extinguished on St. Ignatius' altar, the lamp of the sanCl:uary
-
�Short Account of tlze Maryland Province 43 years ago.
I
19
torn down, and broken to pieces ; a time, alas, came, when
the little Catholic church and burial-ground became the
property of Protestants.
On the return of peace and prosperity the Catholics, who
grow fervent and strong under persecution, again resolved
to build another church for themselves. This new church
was, doubtless, the one that once stood near the Newtown
Manor, and to whose foundations we have already alluded,
(To be continued.)
SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE MARYLAND PROVINCE FORTY-THREE YEARS AGO.
A Letter of Fr. Dubuisson.
Our humble Province of Maryland is not intended for
the Indians who excite so much interest in Europe; but its
labors among the white population have caught some of
that heavenly dew that begets increase unto Christ. Owing to the small number of secular priests, our Fathers
have been obliged to take upon themselves the care of par-.
ishes and cannot, in consequence, give their whole time to
preaching, the instruEtion of youth and the like. "Still, with
all their parish work they further the cause of religion in
no small degree. They are daily making converts to the
church. In Alexandria, for instance, some time ago, out
of sixty persons who received Confirmation, nineteen had
been Protestants; and in the way of conversions, Alexandria is far behind some other cities. The indefatigable Fr.
McElroy whose great physical strength answers the demands of his great zeal, besides having charge of the Mission and College at Frederick, gives missions and retreats
even outside the limits of the Province, in New York, Ohio
and Kentucky. Fr. Havermans has been doing much good
�120
Short Account of tlze Maryland Province 43 years ago.
in the lower counties of Maryland, by preaching and giving
missions.
Our College at Georgetown has had for several years
back from one hundred and twenty to one hundred and
twenty-five boys in attendance, a number by no means small
for this country. The commencement exercises last year
were highly praised by the newspapers. President Tyler
attended and gave out the prizes. Georgetown serves also
as the Scholasticate of the Province. It has at present fifteen Scholastics. Fr. Ryder who is ReB:or of the college
just now, spends much of his.time in giving controversial
leB:ures up and down the country. He is at present giving
Sunday evening sermons at the new church of St. Matthew
in Washington. Crowds flock to hear him, amongst others
the President. His winning address and true eloquence
are praised by every one.
The Novitiate of the Province is at Frederick. It has ten
novice Scholastics and seven novice Brothers. Over against
the Novitiate building is St. John's day school, direB:ed by
three priests and one Scholastic. Fr. McElroy whose great
labors have been crowned with as great success, has just
finished the new church. There are few churches in the
United States that equal it and fewer still that surpass it.
Its consecration took place on the 26th of April 1837, Jfrchbishop Eccleston performing the ceremony. The time was
happily chosen. The Council of Baltimore had just closed
and most of the Bishops and priests were willing and glad
to take part in the ceremony. The Archbishop appeared
in the sanCtuary followed by seven Bishops, twenty-six
priests and twenty-eight young men with surplices, either
novices of the Society or seminarians from Emmettsburg.
This is the twelfth church that the Fathers have built during the last fifteen years. St. John's school or college succeeds remarkably well. Indeed, Frederick is blessed in religious institutions. Besides the old and the new church,
there are the Novitiate, the college and house of the Fathers adjoining, and the house and school, of the Sisters of
Charity.
·(
�Skort Account of tlze Maryland Province 43 years ago.
121
We are trying to build a college at Philadelphia. The
one we have is rather a preparatory school than a college.
A better building and more teachers are needed; but neither is forthcoming. We have great hopes of Philadelphia,
but their fulfilment depends upon the means at our disposal. Old St. Joseph's, which was looked upon as a privileged sanB:uary, has given place to a new church. The expenses incurred in the building were cleared by fairs and
colleB:ions and free contributions. The main altar is of ·
marble, and is in good taste. There are two .side altars,
both of which bear marks of the same good taste. Outwardly St. Joseph's is not so imposing; but taken all in all
it is one of the prettiest churches in Philadelphia. It is
known throughout the city for its large and well conduB:ed
Sunday school. Upwards of a thousand boys and girls are
in constant attendance. Two societies, one of young ladies,
the other of young men, have charge of the classes. Not
only in Philadelphia, but elsewhere is this good work thriving. At Frederick and Georgetown the Sunday schools
are large, and at Alexandria the children in attendance are
remarkably numerous, seeing the small number of Catholics who are there.
A spirit of extreme bigotry has been showing itself of
late among a certain class of Protestants. The burning of
the Ursuline convent near Charlestown was an exhibition
of this bad feeling. In the southern cities, however, a good
feeling towards Catholics is growing. At Georgetown the
free school attached to the church is helped now and then
by the local government. Some months ago a Frenchman
of Alexandria, named Foucard, left in his wiii several hundred dollars to the new church. On examination the will
was found to have been illegally drawn up, and though the
pastor of the church put in his claim, the case was decided
against him. Some months passed and the pastor again
laid claim to the money. The city council met and after
some discussion decided to the surprise of all that the will
should be followed out and the money given to the church.
Here is another proof t.hat bigotry is fast dying· out: a cit-
�122
Short Account of the Maryland Province 43 years ago.
izen of.--had been baptized and brought up in the Church.
His father was a Catholic; his mother was a Protestant.
As he grew up he mixed in with Protestant young men,
and by and by lost all traces of his early faith; so much so
that at the age of thirty he did not believe in our Lord's
divinity. He married and was doing prosperously. He
had many friends. Shortly after his marriage a fatal disease began to make its appearance. He bore up bravely
under it for a time, though he felt that he should give way
soon. By some chance or other he made the acquaintance
of one of our Fathers who visited him frequently during his
illness. His Free Mason friends were always about him;
but he liked the Father's company better than theirs. Just
before the day of his death God deigned to open his eyes
fully to the truth. He made his confession and passed
away peacefully. Shortly before. dying he had given orders that the Free Masons should not have charge of his
funeral. They were strongly minded to dispute this and
take things into their ha'nds; but they gave way in the end.
The man was buried fr~m the Catholic church in the Catholic burying-ground; the Free Masons attending, though
not in uniform.
STEPHEN L. DUBUISSON, s. ).
To tlze Direllors of t!te Association of tlte Propagation iftlze
Faitlz.
�TEXAS.
Letterfrom Fr. Persone to a Sc!tolastic at Woodstock College.
ISLET A, T&XAS,
January 17th, r884.
DEAR MR •..•
P. C.
You must have learnt by this time that the good, holy
soul of Fr. Liibble went to to its Creator, on January roth,
at I I o'clock, A. 1\I. Fr. Liibbe said Mass every day, except the last few days of his life, when being unable to stand
up, he received holy Communion in his room. His great
desire was to die a holy death, and for this end he asked
the assistance of. our prayers, begging us not to cease praying till he had breathed his last. He was never left alone,
and this attention on our part was a source of great consolation to him.
Being unable to write a letter, he sent two postal-cards,
one to Las Vegas, and the other to his family, bidding both
a last farewell.
His visits to Isleta, but especially this last one, were
sources of great edification to us all. It seemed to us he
was praCtising heroic patience, constantly raising his eyes
to heaven in evidence of his great conformity to the will of
God. Besides the usual recital of the Breviary, he added
other prayers and devotions amidst his constant suffering
and severe pains. As soon as the tolling of the bell announced his departure from this life, and warned the faithful to pray for the repose of his soul, almost the whole town
oflsleta flocked to our residence, in order to show their heartfelt sympathy for us in the loss of the "very dear you?Zg Father Li"tbbe."
The different sodalities and societies gathered in their respeCtive rooms and held a meeting, the result of which was
(123)
�Texas.
124
that they offered to take charge of everything, in order to
make a splendid funeral. I gave my approval; and to render it more solemn, I invited Rev. Fr. Ortiz, pastor at El
Paso, Mexico (one, as you know him, of the oldest and
most respected priests of these parts), and Fr. Echallier,
pastor at San Elezeario, not far from Isleta. They arrived
early in the morning, and about 9 o'clock, the funeral procession took place in the following order: First, the acolytes with the cross-bearer; then, the young ladies' sodality
of the Blessed Virgin; the association of the " Madres
Cltristimzas" and the Men's Catholic Union; finally, the
Rev. clergy and our Fathers, chanting psalms, according
to the ritual of the Church. The procession moved all
around the plaza.
Fr. Tummolo, sang the "Requiem" Mass, Fr. di Palma
and I assisting. After the Gospel, Rev. Fr. Echallier
preached a beautiful and a very touching sermon, taking
for text: "Being made perfect in a short space, he fulfilled
a long time; for his soul-pleased God." <'>
He related in his elo'quent manner a few facts of the
young Father's life which had come under his personal observation and others which he had gathered from us. In
concluding, he said that though Fr. Liibbe's life had been
short, still it had been full of merits, and was worthy ofthat
glory which lasts forever.
The church was crowded with people, so much so, that
a great many were forced to remain outside.
I gave the last absolution. We buried the corpse under
the altar of the Blessed Virgin, which belongs to the young
ladies' sodality.
May our Lord, in his mercy, give everlasting peace to
the soul of our very dear Father, Francis Liibbe. Amen ....
Yours in Christ,
CHARLES PERSONE,
(IJ
Wisdom, iv, 13-14.
s. J.
�Texas.
t2S
SEGUI~.
Fr. Morandi of Seguin has received orders from his Provincial to sell the property the Society owns there and return to Mexico. So the Jesuits' sojourning in Seguin is
drawing to an end. Four years ago they were twelve; now
they are but two; and thus they are going out by slow
degrees-an unreplenished hearth. This little trope has a
value for me. It reminds me of the day when the exodus
was first bruited; how the butcher and the grocer and the
banker, who had often warmed their hands on us, were
chilled quite stiff with grief; how they told us confidentially
that they loved us ; and how sacredly we guarded that confidence from the world. The primal cause of the departure of Ours was the breaking up of the college four years
ago, next June. Mexican money falls from five to twenty
per cent. on crossing the Rio Grande; a new building must
be built on borrowed money; the government of Mexico
was growing less intolerant or more indifferent, and the
people were anxious for our Fathers; the college was an
American college and there was no assurance of American
teachers; these were some of the reasons which brought
the institution to an untimely end. I had been there only
a year and a half at the time, but I had done my share in
the long summer day of the South at the stubbing and harrowing and sowing that ever fall to pioneers; and when I
saw that our spring would have no autumn-tide, I vowed to
pluck the unripened ear and thrust it upon the notice of
men that they might value it, at least for the labor it had
cost.
The nucleus of the college buildings was an ancient twostoried struCture of pudding stone frosted over with plaster.
It had been the village school in years gone by, and sedate
matrons, who now and then called in to see the old place
again, would point with pardonable pride to paper spheres
that flecked the ceiling, and that they themselves had raised
"to that bad eminence." A third story to the college was
�Texas.
quickly raised, making the building, next to the court-house,
the highest in town. It stood in the middle of an ample
square. Near the gate were mulberry trees and here and
there about the ground were clumps of live-oak and
mesquite hung with moss and mistletoe. For a time the
community lived in a cottage near the school; but soon
a two-storied frame building was put up adjoining the
school, and the cottage was deserted. Meanwhile, a dozen
of boys had come from l\Iexico, and nearly as many Americans from different parts of Texas. An English-speaking
Scholastic was procured and a ~ecular gentleman from town;
and the little boarding-college started out propitiously
enough. l\loreover, a preparatory department was opened
for small boys from town. These were mostly Germans and
were tutored by a certain l\Ir. Schaeffer.
After a few years of varying success the Superior of the
Province, Fr. Artola, perceived that they were working
against terrible odds; that debts were following in their
wake, and that they strained at reverses which other colleges took in without an effort and fairly throve upon. He
determined on discontinuing the school. This was in the
August of 1878. But by some strange mismanagement
the college was advertised as opening· in September, and
the advertisement allowed to continue in the paper. ~-·Fr.
Artola departed for Mexico leaving Fr. Manci as Superi~r;
and under his management school was resumed, early the
next month. I fancy all this was providential. At any
rate, four sick men were sent from the \Vestern Province in
course of the second sess_ion ; and of these two were made
sound in health and a third was certainly improved.
These new arrivals together with a contingent of seminarians crowded out the town boys, who were forced to take
up quarters in a shed that stood at the north-west corner
of the square. The Scholastics roomed together in the
place vacated by the boys; their chattels were disposed
along one side of the room; their beds, curtained off on the
other; and the middle of the room left open for exercise.
There was a certain simplicity about this disposition, an
~·.
�Texas.
127
air of domesticity that was positively refreshing. But it was
the same all about us. The boys used to volunteer to hunt
up the eggs ; the dog and cat kept company like two of a
feather, and never fell out ; the pony used to come to the
kitchen door and turn the knob with his snout, and whinny
for his share of bread; and time and again did the chickens
perch upon my lap and shoulder and fight for the largest
grain of corn. So there was a rude harmony in it all, and
in view of this the Scholastics patiently bore their burden
of the strain.
The next year opened cheerfully, not only in point of
numbers, but also for accommodations. Everything up to
this had been cramped, but Fr. Manci was determined to
make things more agreeable; so he bought a long, low
building belonging to the Sisters, and each Scholastic was
given a room in the residence, and the small boys were
lodged in more suitable quarters. The long, low building
I speak of was of wood, with no plaster within nor clapboards without; so it was dismembered with little damage,
and brought to the college yard in seCtions. There it was
put together by a carpenter, adroit enough, doubtless, but
yet belonging to a very breezy school. Like most of the
houses in the place, it was supported on cedar posts which
projected a foot or two above the ground, so as to give the
wind full play. But besides this our interesting carpenter
left the seams open here and there along both sides of the
house; and apparently got the window sashes all wrong.
The furniture in the class rooms was uniform and severe.
There were no desks, but in their place some unpainted
boards, fastened by hinges to the studding, and resting
when in position on two supports that swung out beneath.
These boards were not provided with inkstands; nor did
they present enough. horizontal surface to rest a book on
securely; but each boy brought an ink-bottle to class or
kept it there, and propped up his books the best way he
could. The benches had no backs to them, and hence,
whenever the boys turned about for recitation, they naturally tilted against the desks to the utter ruin of the furni-
�128
Te%as.
ture. It wasn't long indeed before legs w~re broken off several of the benches; but the boys were equal to the emergency and propped them up with Astral-oil boxes; and, as
nothing was ever attempted in the line of wood-work after
the carpenter's leaving, those boxes that came in as temporary expedients remained as fixtures.
The prophet once complained that the heavens were of
brass, but brass is cheery beside unpainted planks ; and
everything about the class-room was of unpainted planks ;
the floor was of plank, the walls were of plank, the ceiling
was of plank, the desks and benches and props ; and all unpainted. No pieture, no crucifix on the wall, no niche, nor
bracket, nor statuette; not even a map, to relieve the dull
monotony of the unpainted plank. But it took a rainy day
to bring out the nicer points of this establishment. It didn't
_rain often in this part of Texas; but when it rained, it
poured.
Now, on such occasions the rain beat hard for admittance
on the unproteCted sides of the school-building and was
given ready entrance through the rifts in the wall and by
the windows. This was a signal for a general migration
towards the centre of the room ; yet so as still to keep a
fair distance from that point, for the planks of the .floor
were old and worn into irregular grooves, while the mipdle
of the room was naturally more depressed than the sides.
So the rain trickled down throug_h several grooves and
formed a lagoon at the centre of confluence. On one of
those occasions when the teacher found it too inconvenient
to move from the window, he used an umbrella; and as
the ·rain seemed rather to grow heavier with falling, some
of the boys suggested that he go outside and dry himself.
This is the unpleasant side of the pi8:ure, and the fault must
be laid to art. Nature showed no stint of blessings and encouragement. The climate was proverbially healthy, and
the scenery beautiful. ·Near by was a wood with a clear
stream winding past its yonder margin; nearer still a brook
abounding in charming vistas. Around about were long
�Tlze Cur£a and Rome.
129
reaches of pasture land and distriCts for hunting, in abundance.
Fr. l\lanci had been superseded on St. Ignatius' day,
1879, by Fr. Larracoechea. The new ReCtor was an able
man and a prudent man. He saw that things were running as smoothly as they might; but like all prudent men,
he had the habit of looking ahead; and he saw only too
clearly that things could not always be thus. In February
of r88o, Fr. Alzola the new Provincial was at Seguin on
his visitation; In June I 880, he was in Mexico, but a Jetter
from him was at Seguin, saying that the college was no
·more.
Had our labor been in vain ? I fancy not. The outward
structure that we built is at best an accident. It is the
strong faith and manly purity, with which we strengthen
the youthful mind, that are the substance and the aim of
all we do; and these remain when master and school have
passed away.
z.
THE CURIA AND ROME.
(Letters mid Notices.)
A Roman catalogue of this year is not likely to fall into
the hands of many of our readers, and as it contains many
things that may interest them, we propose to place before
them such of its contents as concern the whole Society.
And first we will begin with our Very Reverend Father
General and his Curia.
Father Peter Beckx has just entered on his ninetieth year,
having been born on February 8, 1795. He entered the
Society on October 29, 1819, so that he now is in his sixtyfifth year of religion. He was professed on the feast of St.
Ignatius, 1830, and he was elected General on July 2, 1853.
Next to his Paternity comes the Vicar-General, Father
VoL. xm-No. 2.
9
�130 .
The Curia atzd Rome.
Antony M. Anderledy, who was born a few months before
Father General entered the Society, the day of his birth
being June 3, 1S 19. His admission into the Society was
on oaober s. 1838, and his profession on March-26, I8SSOn September 24, 1883, by the authority of the Pope and
the consent of Father General, he was eleaed perpetual
Vicar-General, with right of succession ; and by a Circular
dated from Fiesole on January 20, 1884, Father Beckx informed the Society that he had granted to Father Anderledy
all the faculties that it was in his power to give; that all
members of the Society might have recourse to him in
their necessities, and that Father Anderledy's precepts and ·
letters were to have all the authority and force they would
have had if issued or signed by Father General himself.
The Curia consists in all of twenty persons, of whom
twelve are priests, and eight lay-brothers. Two priests and
one lay-brother live at Rome, Father Torquatus Armellini,
the Secretary of the Society, and Father Joseph Betti, the
Procurator General, with his Socius. Of the ten Fathers
who live at Fiesole with· Father General and Father Vicar,
five are the Assistants, and five hold the office of Substitute
of the Secretary.
Assistancy.
Italy .
Germany
France .
Spain
England
Father Assistant.
Father Substitutt...
Fr. Matthew Ciravegna . Fr. John Baptist Alpi
Fr. Gaspar Hoevel
. Fr. Frederic Heynen
Fr. \Villiam Blanchard . Fr. Charles Lavigne
Fr. John J. de la Torre Fr. Matthias Abad
Fr. Joseph E. Keller .. Fr. Alexr. Charnley
In their own community life at Fiesole, Father Ciravegna,
who is Father General's Admonitor, is Spiritual Father,
Confessor of the house, and Prefea of health. Fathers
Blanchard and Keller are also Confessors of the house.
Father Alpi is Minister, Procurator, and Prefea of Reading.
Father Heynen is Prefea of the Library, Father Abad of
the Church, and Father Lavigne catechizes the lay-brothers.
The first mentioned of the lay-brothers is taken out of
�The Curia and Rome.
alphabetical order, because he is Father General's Socius,
Brother Ernest Guggeri. Of the other seven, two are marked
as amanuenses, Brother William Muller and Brother Joseph
Piccolboni, the latter being Subminister. The usual domestic offices are assigned to all seven.
The next page in the Catalogue is devoted to the name
of His Eminence Cardinal John Baptist Franzelin, who was
born on April 15, 1816, entered the Society July 27, 1834,
was professed February 2, 1853, and was created Cardinal
of the Title of SS. Boniface and Alexius on April 3, 1876.
His Eminence lives in Rome, in the Pio-Latino-American
College on the Quirinal.
We then come to the Roman Provincial, Father Francis
Vannutelli, his Socius, Father Francis Tongiorgi, and his
lay-brother Socius, Brother Ratti, and his Consultors, Father
Molza, the Rectors of the American and German Colleges,
and Father Socius.
The Pontifical Gregorian University, since its expulsion
from the Roman College, has ·taken refuge in the German
College. Sixteen Fathers belonging to it are residing there,
and fifteen other Fathers, residing elsewhere in Rome, are
attached to it. First among these is Father Provincial, who
is himself Rector of the University, Father Mazzella being
the resident Superior. The Rector of the German College
is Father Schroeder, and six other Fathers belong to its
staff.
The College of the Civilta Cattolica ranks between the
Gregorian University and the German College. Father
Fantoni is its Rector, with four Fathers under him, and two
Brothers at Rome, while Father Berardinelli is the Superior
at Florence, and seven other Fathers and two Brothers are
with him there. The College is thus divided between its
two residences in the Piazza Scossa-cavalli at Rome, and
the Via Conti at Florence.
The Pio-Latino-American College on the Quirinal has
ten Fathers, and four others, whose work does not lie in the
College, are subject to the same Superior. The phrase,
lfuic Collegio adcensentur, occurs several times in the Cata-
�The Curt'a and Rome.
Iogue, showing how an immediate Superior is found for those
whom the troubles of the time have unhoused.
We have then the Institute in the Piazza di Termini, with
four Fathers, and we then come to those who are dispersed
through the city of Rome. There are eight Roman residences, four of them with three Fathers, one with four, one
with six, one with nine, and one, where there are twentyfour scholastics, with seven Fathers. Besides these there
are nine Fathers attached to various churches, and it is a
pleasant surprise to see that some of them have confessionals
in the Gesu and in St. Ignazio; and that Ours are not entirely excluded from churches with which the Society has
been associated from time immemorial, like St. Eusebio and
the Caravita. In all, this gives us the unexpeCl:edly large
number of ninety-three Fathers, still living in Rome.
In the neighbourhood of Rome we have the College of
Mondragone, near Frascati, the property of Prince Borghese,
and at Castel Gandolfo, in the villa belonging to Prince
Torlonia, the Noviceshie of the Province, with ten juniors
and sixteen scholastic novices. Two other scholastic novices·
are elsewhere. There are but nine lay-brother novices in all.
vVe need not go through the rest of the Catalogue, but
we may say in conclusion that the Roman Province has ·no
less than ninety of its four hundred members engage·a in
foreign missions, about half of the number being in Brazil.
Address of Very Rev. Father General; San Girolamo,
Ft'eso!e, lta!t'a.
�PERSEVERANCE IN THE SOCIETY.
(Translation.)
(Letters and Notices.)
A PAPER BY OUR HOLY FATHER ST. IGNATIUS PRESERVED BY
FATHER POLANCO.
Reasons wlzy a religious oug!tt to persevere in his vocation,
and not return to the world.
JESUS. MARY.
Examine, dear Brother, the following reasons, not in the
spirit of contradiCtion, but as one who, in the presence of
God, is desirous of finding out the truth in a matter of importance.
I say, then, that it will be better for you to persevere in
the state of life which you have chosen, and to adhere firmly
to your resolution, because!. It is a safer course for you. II. It is more perfeCt:.
III. It is more pleasant. IV. It is more useful.
I. That it is safer is evident.
I. For when you are in doubt about your vocation, is it,
or is it not, safer to remain true to the one in which you
have begun, especially if that is a true and holy vocation,
than to change? For according to the opinion of the Fathers,
every change, even when it seems to be under the pretext
of a greater good, ou~ht to be suspeCted. What then ought
we to think when there is no appearance of a greater good?
2. If you make up your mind to persevere in your vocation for God's sake and for your own perfeCtion, you will
be most certainly doing a good and holy aCtion. If you
decide to give up, it will indeed be very doubtful whether
you are going to do an equally good or a better aCtion.
Assuredly it is more in accordance with reason to say that
(133)
�134
Our holy Fat!zcr St. Ignatius
the contrary would be the case. You should then take the
safer side.
3· It is dangerous, according to the words of Christ, "to
put one's hand to the plough and to look back." Truth
itself says that men who aa thus "are not fit for the kingdom
of God." But, Brother, to look back is to abandon the path
of perfeCtion that we have entered upon, for merely human
motives, or for motives that have their origin in the fleshi.e., for the sake of parents, &c.
4· It is not safe to enter another Order, for you yourself
acknowledge that in this Society you have made progress,
although on account of your immortification you have been
in some disquietude.
5· Take care lest your ingratitude towards God, who out
of His infinite mercy has called you to this holy institute,
and has given you the grace of a good beginning, as well
as much good example, should cause Him to deprive you
of His grace, for in the case of the ungrateful He is wont to
dry up the fountain of His mercy.
6. If you were to leave the Society, your ingratitude
towards it might be the source of danger. For the Society,
with a sincere and no slight feeling of charity, fosters you,
and labours with you, and is reauy to aid you in every possible way for the future. Besides, it looks for nothing elitE
than your salvation and perfeCtion, and that God's honour
may be promoted in you.
7· I am afraid that if you return to the world you will
not preserve your chastity intaCt: in the midst of so many
occasions of violating it at your age.
8. I am also afraid that the world would involve you in
the snares of its "desire. for money which," in the words of
St. Paul, "is the root of all evils." For if you do not possess a very abundant inheritance, yoursolicitude in procuring what is necessary for your station in life might overwhelm you.'
9· You are in danger even in those things that relate to
"the pride of life," and especially with regard to worldly
ambition, on account of your natural disposition, &c.
�on Perseverance in the Society.
135
IO. It would be a source of danger to you to follow your
own will and judgment in your occupations, since experience
has shown ·to what an extent caprice enters into your nature; so that without the steadying influence of obedience
you would be sure to waver, especially (if you will allow
me to say so) since your judgment has been proved to be
not of the soundest. Now a man of such a disposition
stands in the greatest need of obedience for his guide.
I I. Since Christ has said, "He that loveth father or
mother more than Me is not worthy of Me," there is reason
to fear that He would cast you off as unworthy, and allow
you to run along the path of obstinacy into danger of losing your faith and His grace. For if, through love of flesh
and blood, you abandon Him, with justice would He abandon you. But let us hope that this may not be the case.
I 2. On account of your impetuous character, and of your
fits of sadness and diffidence, it would be more dangerous
for you than for others to go out of religion, where you
have those who would console, guide, and encourage you.
For in you, if in any one at all, is verified that saying of
the Wise Man, "Woe to him that is alone; for when he
falleth he hath no one to lift him up:" and that other too,
"A brother helped by his brother is like a strong city."
I 3· .It is also dangerous to follow the suggestions of flesh
and blood, even that of Satan himself, as you :vould do,
rather than the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Now it is
God that has called you to the Society, for neither flesh
nor blood nor the devil would have called you to the state
of perfection; and so it follows that God would not call
you back. It is then the flesh or the devil, or rather the
devil by means of the flesh.
I4. Some have ere now abandoned this institute, have
returned to the world,-and have, in consequence, miserably
and unhappily perished. Some have entered other religious
orders, and have, though too late, given unmistakable signs
of repentance. I am afraid that one or other of these things
would happen to you.
I 5. It is dangerous to be a source of difficulty or scan-
�Our lzoly Fat/zer St. Ignatius
dal to others, as we see from the words, "Woe to him that
shall scandalize one of these little ones," and the other
words that follow. But, Brother, how many little ones
would you scandalize at Rome, Vienna, Cologne, and Louvain.
16. In general the happiness of heaven is attained more
securely in religion on account of the numb~r of impediments that are therein removed.
17. According to St. Bernard, religious fall with greater
difficulty, rise with greater case, &c.
18. Hitherto I have said nothing of your vows, but do
you yourself consider whether it is safer to observe them
simply as they stand, or to look for uncertain, and, as I
think, false interpretations and conditions. Consider also
what it is to wish to deceive God, \Vho nevertheless "is not
mocked," and see what "a fearful thing it is to fall into the
hands of the living God."
II. It is clearly more perfect.
I. For perseverance alone crowns the work. It is not he
who has only begun, &c. You know the rest.
2. You will fulfil that counsel of perfeClion given by
Christ: "If thou wilt be perfeCl:, go sell what thou hast apd
give to the poor, and follow Me." This you are able to-.tlp.
3· You will guard your chastity in an eminent way,
in accordance with the counsel of perfection about the
eunuchs, "who made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom
of God."
4· By obedience you follow this counsel: "Who will
come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and
follow Me." Self-denial is by obedience.
5· You will offer a most acceptable sacrifice to God, your
liberty, and what is best in you. By so doing, you will
attain the highest perfection, if with true resignation you
have made your offering..
6. You will obtain a greater purity of conscience in the
Society than out of it. Of this you have already had some
experience.
�on Perseverance £1Z the Sodety.
137
7· Your intelleCt will be more enlightened in your pursuit of the knowledge of God, and even in your other studies, because the light of grace is a help to those who study
through obedience, because in the Society you will find
better oportunjties for making progress in your studies
than elsewhere, especially if you take gain into consideration, and because your time ;will be well employed, and
not wasted over things that are useless, as would be the
case in the world, which again is an advantage in study.
8. You will acquire more devotion, and attain to a higher
degree of charity in the Society than out of it. For the
Society is a school of perfeCtion, "and the bond of perfection is charity."
9· The more fully you give yourself to God, resigning
yourself wholly into His hands by means of your Superiors,
and keepiti.g back nothing for yourself, the more liberally
will He communicate Himself to you by bestowing His
graces on you.
10. In accordance with the words, "Blessed are the poor
in spirit (that is with a spiritual intention), for theirs is
the Kingdom of Heaven," you will receive more blessings
if you remain in a state of voluntary poverty.
I I. Under obedience you will attain to a higher degree
humility, and consequently to a higher degree of virtue;
for humility is the vase in which the other virtues are contained, and God bestows virtues on us in proportion to the
size of this vase.
12. You will more perfeetly imitate Christ, "Who was
made obedient unto death," and Who laid down his life so
as not to lose the merit of obedience.
13. It is but an ignoble spirit that would be influenced
by these human motives of flesh and blood in a matter of
such importance as to abandon for them the state of life
that you have entered upon, and to cause great displeasure
to your father, if he be a high-minded man. It would on
the contrary denote a noble soul to overcome these inclinations, and treat then1 as inferior to reason and to the
love of God.
�Our holy Fat!ter St. Ignatius
. 14. In a word, see if the motives which influenced you
in the beginning were not more perfeCl and more noble
than those that now influence you. You will then acknowledge that the former were an inspiration from God, and
the latter the temptation of the devil.
III. It will be more pleasant for you.
I. For if you conquer yourself you will have a tranquil
conscience, which is the most delightful of all possessions,
according to those words of the \Vise Man: "A secure
mind is like a continual feast." But if you remain you will
certainly conquer yourself.
· 2. If you withdraw, remorse, and the worm of conscience,
that punisher of instability, will torment you; and it is to
be feared, judging from the spirit of sadness which has
weighed upon you these past days, that you will come to be
utterly weary of life, and to fall into discouragement.
3· Since both in religion and in the world some annoyances must be borne with, and swallowed down, is it not
more agreeable to bear them for God's sake and for the
sake of the eternal reward that is due to them, than to
bear them to no purpose, even with loss? Assuredly hope
makes labours pleasant. Listen then to St. Paul: "Thilt
which is at present momentary and light of our tribulatibo
worketh for us above measure exceedingly an eternal weight
of glory."
4· Even though the devil should suggest that you will
be always sad, believe him not; for you will experience the
contrary if once for all you resign yourself wholly into the
hands of God by means of obedience to your Superiors,
and in this matter trust those who have had experience of
it, for melancholy does not come from the vocation itself,
but because you comply with your vocation contrary to
your wishes. Remain joyfully, and you will perceive a fair
sky when the clouds have rolled away.
5· That you will find rest by humbling yourself, learn
from Christ, who says: "Learn of Me, because I am meek
and humble of Heart, and you shall find rest to your souls,
�o1z Persevcra11cc in tlze Society.
139
for My yoke is sweet and My burden light." Believe th<;
words of Truth, if you will not believe those of men.
6. It is also pleasant to live in the company of Brothers
who love one another with a spiritual love, according to
these words of the Psalms : "Behold how good and how
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
7· Just as outside the Society anxiety about having what
is necessary would be disagreeable, so in the Society it
will be pleasant to have all that one has need of without
anxiety.
8. Just as the perplexity and anxi~ty about the arrangement of our property would be wearisome and annoying
outside of the Society, so in it, it will be pleasant to lay
aside all care for self, according to these words of the
Psalms, which are also the words of St. Peter, "Cast all thy
care upon the Lord."
9· Amongst religious institutes I know of none more
mild for a well-disposed man than ours,_ as well because in
exterior matters it conforms itself to the dispositions of
individuals, as that it prescribes nothing which obliges under pain of sin, with the exception of a very few substantials, to act contrary to which, even out of religion, ~ould
be nearly always sinful.
IO. If you were to leave, it would be hard, Brother, for
you to bear men's judgments of you, and their contempt;
for apostates are usually thought nothing of, and are looked
upon as fickle and inconstant, and as being but little devoted to the pursuit of virtue, or even of honour.
I I.
If you resign yourself in earnest you will either obtain the very same satisfaction with the merit of obedience,
that you now desire at the cost of sin; or if that should
no be expedient, God will console your parents and yourself more by your not visiting them than if you were to
visit them. For God is more inclined to give consolation
than sadness to His ~ervants, although He proves them
sometimes by attacks of melancholy, since in the words of
St. Paul, "He is the Father of mercies apd the God of all
consolation.
�140
Our koly Fatker St. Ignatius
. 12. Virtue itself brings pleasure with it, if the contrary
vices are unceasingly opposed. But in remaining, you will
give proof of strong virtue.
IV. That it is more useful for you is evident.
That is useful, according to Aristotle, which helps to the
end; and that is useful simply which helps to the final end,
which is the end simply so called. Since, then, this end is
eternal happiness, it follows that it is more useful for you
to remain under the yoke of obedience.
1. For you will, as has been said before, obtain greater
virtues, which are the means of arriving at eternal happiness.
. 2. You will obtain richer graces from God; and in proportion to the measure of grace will be the measure of
eternal happiness.
3· You will arrive more securely at the goal of eternal
life by this means.
·
4· You will have more merits; for those who live under
obedience gain merit from all the actions done through
obedience, although it be to walk, to speak, to eat, to sleep,
which are by no means acts of virtue in themselves.
5· Your studies, and the learning you acquire and afterwards transfer to others, will be of great merit in the .sight
of God, if done through obedience; if not, they will be i_n no
way meritorious.
6. One of the holy Fathers saw in a vision, that those
who live under obedience, from the fact of not doing in
this world their own will, but the will of another, are exalted above others, even holy men, and abound in the goods
of eternity.
7· For the sake of your own reputation it will be more
useful to remain. For what can you say; either you will
accuse the Society (a thing which you could not do with
truth, nor without grave sin, and yet good men would give
no credit to your words), or you will have to accuse
yourself.
8. By remaining you will be helped by sharing in all the
merits of the Society; for to every member joined by
�on Perseverance £n tlze Sodety.
obedience to this body, belongs a share in all the good
works and merits of all the members. Since, then, the
merits are so great in the Indies, in Portugal, in Spain, in
France, in Flanders, Germany, Italy, and Sicily, and since
they will increase from day to day as this holy seed spreads
itself more and more, how can you deprive yourself, without the greatest loss, of so useful and great a help and such
spiritual riches.
Finally, my dearest Brother and son, consider that this
is the opinion ofthose who desire your welfare even more
than you do yourself, and who on account of their practice,
experience, and learning, are better able than you to understand what is in you the spirit of God, what the spirit of the
devil. It would then, in a way, be better for you to go
astray in their company than, by following your own inclinations, not to go astray.
PRAISE BE TO GoD AND TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN.
Remarks by the Editor.
All the foregoing was copied word for word from a manuscript in the Bollandists' Library. The following notice
was prefixed to it: "The whole of the above document was
taken from a copy that is preserved in the Archives of the
Society at Rome. To this I bear witness.-IGNATIUs PmN.
Perhaps it will one day be of use to enrich the life of St.
Ignatius."
Tronchiennes, November 13, 1870.
�KANSAS.
ST. FRANCIS' lNSTITUTI0:-1,
OsAGE MISSION, NEosHo Co., KANSAS,
January 1st, 1884.
REv. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
There is an old saying which is as good to·day as it was
some hundred years ago, namely: ''Quoad differtur, non
aufertur"; and as I have some leisure moments, I shall aCt
in accordance with this adage, and relate some interesting
items about Father John Schoenmakers of happy memory.
These items will be prefaced with a few remarks concerning one who was for six years.the bosom friend of the good
Father's; nay, Father John Bax was his main support in
establishing this Osage mission. His virtues and talents
were above the average, yet they did not win a mighty
name, for dying he passed unnoticed to the grave. If I by
my remarks shall cause his virtues to shine in becoming
splendor, I shall feel that I only fulfil a duty of justice, in
giving honor where honor is due.
..- •·
It was in the spring of 1849, that these two brave sons
of St. Ignatius, moved by an ardent desire of spreading the
good tidings of the Gospel, left St. Louis University for the
Far \Vest. Their scene of labors lay amongst the Osages,
who were considered at that time as one of the wildest nations east of the Rocky Mountains. Now their virtues and
the effeCts of their untiring toil alone survive, for the Fathers have passed away. And if we consider the circumstances under which they passed away, we must conclude
that they are at present receiving the reward to which their
many virtues entitle them. I knew both of them intimately;
I loved them both as dear brothers ; I was a companion
with both on many missionary excursions; I administered
( 142)
I
�kansas.
the last sacraments to both, and their dying words still ring
in my ears. Their heroic example of self-denial is fresh
in my memory, and their devotedness to the cause of our
holy religion I shall never forget.
Both were invested with the spirit of Bn':beuf and Marquette. For not only had they the name of missionaries,
but they had the labor also; and toil and untold hardships
were theirs. For it they received no thanks; praise they
did not expect, for God alone looked down upon their labors, and He was their only witness. How often have I
not seen them setting out, now beneath a scorching summer's sun, again courageously facing the biting blasts of a
northern gale, little heeding the rain or snow, which made
the forests and plains through which they journeyed, almost impassable. But why would they thus expose themselves? For the sake of christening some Indian children,
or of imparting to some dying savage the last rites of Holy
Church.
vVhat sufferings did they not experience from want of
food and drink, while travelling over the endless western
prairies in search of the savage who needed their instruction! This manner of living would have deterred many
whose virtue was not as solid as theirs. They were not
wont to take their difficulties to heart; nay, whithersoever
their duty called them, thither they went. When hardest
labors called them they responded, not for human reward,
but relying with confidence on Him who had called them
to His service, for He would not allow them to lose a single hair of their heads without accounting it to their advantage. Indeed, they proved themselves to be of the noble
seed of those of our own Society, whose untiring labors and
watchful word have opened the gates of salvation to millions of despised Indians in North as well as in South
America.
Father John Bax was gifted with rare talents. He was
an eloquent speaker. His facility for languages was extraordinary, for he learnt the Indian languages quickly, and
in a very short time he mastered most perfeCtly the tongue
�Kansas.
of the Osages. This gained for him the confidence of the
Indians in whose spiritual and temporal welfare he labored
unceasingly. In faCt, it was his zeal for their welfare that
brought about his premature death.
The spring of 1852 happened to be the warmest that had
been experienced for a long time in this, our latitude; and
the sudden change from one extreme to the other caused
a great amount of sickness to break out, the most predominant being the measles and the scurvy. In a few days,
forty of our boys were attacked with the measles, and in
our adjoining convent nearly as many girls were down with
the same complaint. The symptoms of the disease soon
became alarming, and several of the boarders died. This
excited the Indians, and they threatened us with the sword
and our mission with the torch. In their fury the Osage
squaws came into our rooms, took away their sick children
and carried them to their wigwams, saying that we did not
know how to nurse them. But the consequence was that
the open air and damp ground caused them to pass away
in greater numbers than they ever did amongst us. This
opened the eyes of the untutored savage; they saw that
our care of the sick was better than theirs, and so they became reconciled to us and brought back several of their
childre~ to be nursed according to our method.
..Meanwhile the epidemic spread, and soon men and
women were numbered amongst its viCtims. Father John
Bax was ever at their side, acting the double part of doctor
and spiritual consoler in that forbidding scene. He well
knew that love is proved by action, and it was uppermost
in his mind that there is no greater sign of our love than
to lay down our life for another; and this our good Father
did for the Osages whom he loved as dear children. After
three months of attendance on these poor Indians, Father
Bax himself at last was _attacked by the prevailing distemper, and before those whom he had prepared for heaven
had passed away, he was in his death throes, and on the
5th of Augnst, 1852, he fell a victim of charity, being but
thirty-five years of age, ten of which he had passed in the
f
I
�kansas.
145
Society. His missionary career was brief, for he labored
only six years, but in so short a period "implevit tempora
multa," and ripe for heaven, God called him to Himself.
Father John Schoenmakers survived him for thirty-one
years, during which time the labors which his zeal prompted him to do for the Osages are almost incredible. The
Indians beheld in him their loving father and trusty adviser.
Indeed, whenever the U. S. Commissioners called them into
council, they always wished the good Father to be present,
and by his opinions were they ever guided in deciding matters of importance.
Nor were the Indians the only ones who esteemed him
so highly; the whites vied with each other in showering
upon him the testimony of their love and affeCl:ion. Children would follow him in the streets and beg his blessing.
The newspapers of this town passed an excellent eulogy on
him, declaring, that among the rare few whom the world
had reason to laud for their far-reaching and deep-hearted
goodness, Father John Schoenmakers was pre-eminent. Now
let us view the good Father nearer home, that is, in his relation to us as a father, a guide, a superior. For more than
thirty years he was our Superior, in disposition most amiable, in the manner of governing, most discreet. The virtues
he preached were always practised by him. Always resigned to the will of God, in Him he had placed his hopes
from the very morning of his years, and never once through
the long life-day were these hopes belied; nay, in the very
night of his years, when the earthly day was passing from
his view, he cried, "In Te, Domine, speravi, non confundar
in ;:eternum," and thus asleep to earth, he awoke to find
himself face to face with the object of his hope, God, on
whom he would gaze for all eternity. The hopes which
the good Father placed in God, were always amply repaid.
No matter how hard the trials, or how difficult the circumstances, his hopes in the Lord always buoyed him up. The
following incident will show how the Lord protected him
who hoped so much in the Lord. At the beginning of the
VoL. xm-No. 2.
10
�kansas.
late war, a furious mob attacked a U. S. Officer and would
have most certainly buried him alive, had not the good Father saved him at the risk of his own life. Now, this heroic
aetion inspired a most wicked man, who before had often
been befriended by the Father, to offer the sum of five hundred dollars for the head of his former benefaClor. And
surely so tempting a bait would have caught some mercenary scoundrel, had not God come to his defense and by unexpeCted means placed him far out of the reach of his
enemy. Not only did God proteCt the good Father, but
also a short time after visited the would-be assassin with a
most terrible judgment; for although the man was leader
of a band of those ruthless western desperadoes, who accompanied him to do whatever he wished and who always
were about him as a body-guard, yet, one month had hardly passed since he had offered the reward for the Father's
head, when he was surprised about day-break by a drunken
mob, and murdered in his own house.
The good Father being full of days and merits, worn out
by the excessive labors which thirty-six years of missionary
life necessarily entailed, felt at last that his strength was
abandoning him-for as a lamp whose oil has reached the
lowest ebb, sends forth at intervals a flickering flame, until
at length it dies, thus with him. During the winter he en:__
joyed comparatively good health, but as soon as the warm
days of spring arrived, he felt a great oppression about the
region of the heart, a sickness every summer brought him.
But the ailings this year passed not away with the summer;
they increased to such an extent, that he was obliged to give
up the care of the Convent, and all that he could do was
to say Mass in our own domestic chapel. Even this soon became too trying for him, and as he grew weaker and weaker,
he was forced to forego that exuberant source of heavenly
consolation, the offering of the Holy Sacrifice. About two
weeks from this time feeling assured that the hour was nigh
at hand when he would be" dissolved and be with Christ,"
he requested that the Last Sacraments should be administered to him. The aged Father seeing the entire commu-
�Kansas.
147
nity krteeling about him rallied sufficiently to beg pardon
for his faults and for the scandal he might have given: after
this he received the Holy Viaticum and Extreme UnCl:ion
with the greatest devotion, answering the prayers himsel£
This happened on the 24th of July ; for four days he did
not seem to be worse, but on the morning of the 28th every
one saw that his last day had come. At 4 P. 111., the community again gathered around his bedside, to recite the
prayers for the dying. The Father was always conscious
and answered the prayers also, thanking us all for praying
to God for him at so momentous a season and begged us
to have him in our memories when he should have passed
away. He spoke no more, for as we were praying for him,
his soul like an uncaged dove, broke away from the perilous
toils and unsafe pilgrimage of earth, and flew with joy to
that most pure, most safe, most holy land of his Creator
and Redeemer. He died at 4.30 P. 111., on the 28th of July,
in the seventy-sixth year of his age, forty-nine of which he
had passed in the Society.
As the Father died on Saturday,- a day on which the
country people are wont to gather ih the town,- the news
of his death was spread abroad at night while the good
people were returning home, each one desirous to be the
first to convey the sad tidings to his acquaintances. No
wonder then, if the next morning there flocked in· from all
sides anxious crowds eager to see once more the face of
him they loved to call their well-beloved Father. Dressed
in the sacerdotal vestments, Father Schoenmakers reposed
in a rich casket before the main altar, and his calm and sweet
countenance made him seem more like a pure soul resting
after the labors of a well-spent day, than like one on whom
the hand of the destroying angel had been laid.
Both the early and late Masses were well attended. And
though at noon the people returned home, they soon re. turned, and at 2 P.M., already filled the church. Fully seven
hundred persons crowded the little edifice, while more than
four times that number remained outside waiting patiently
until the funeral procession should begin. At 4 30. P. M. 1
�Kansas.
the last absolution having been sung and a eulogy on the
virtues of the deceased delivered, the casket was closed.
Six of the most respectable members of the congregation,
representing its different nationalities, immediately advanced
to act as pall-bearers, and carried the casket out of the
church. The order of the procession on its way to the
cemetery was as follows: First came the clergy, immediately followed by the body borne according to the custom of
Catholic countries on the shoulders of the six persons just
mentioned. Then came, each in turn, the members of the
different Sodalities,-and, finally, a crowd of people whose
number was estimated at three thousand five hundred. The
procession extended over half a mile. Two brass bands of
volunteers, who wished to pay a last tribute of honor to one
who was called the Father of the country, played a solemn
dirge on the way. Were it not for the mournful strains
thus given forth and the tears that fell from the eyes of
many made sad and desolate-by the loss of one so fondly
loved, the whole would have seemed rather a triumphal
march, than the last journey of a man, now no more.
Thus passed, as we feel confident, to a life of sweet repose
a zealous and indefatigable missionary. Never did he seek
his personal glot:y, or long after the praise of a great name.
upon earth. Humble, earnest and devoted,-more pleased.·
with the poor and simple than with those in higher stations,
and forgetful of self, he thought only of one end to his labors: "Omnia ad majorem Dei Gloriam." And God in return has given him honor among men and has made him
beloved by all. His name is graven in every heart and shall
remain there forever.
As a sign of their esteem for this worthy and apostolic
man, the Osages though now removed one hundred and
fifty miles to the south-west of this place, uniting with the
citizens of the town, have caused a memorial bell of the
best metal, and weighing twenty-one hundred pounds, to
be cast in St. Louis. The work has been done most skilfully-and the melodious notes daily resounding from it
shall tell the tale of Father Schoenmaker's labors and of
'I
�Kansas.
149
the love he so deservedly won. The inscription on the bell
which we give below tells the story to every new comer
and makes known the founder of the Osage Mission.
IRS
D
0
M
IN · MEMORIAM
PATRIS · IOANNIS · SCHOENMAKERS · S ·
J
QVI · MISSIONE · OSAGIANA · FVNDATA
A · D · 1847
OBIIT · IN · PACE · CHRISTI
DIE · 28 · IVLII · A · D · r883
On the other side of the Bell under the monogram of the
Virgin Mary is given the name of the Patron of our
Church and Mission.
S · FRANCISCE · DE · HIERONYMO
ORA · PRO · NOBIS
A · D · r883
This large Bell was raised on the tower of our new church
on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, some 2500
people being present at the ceremony of the blessing.
Yours in Christ,
PAUL MARY PONZIGLIONE,
s. J.
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
We translate from the Letters of Turin the following letter
addressed by the Right Rev. Bishop of Montana to the Fathers of the Mission of the Rocky Mountains. As it contains grateful testimony of the good works of our Fathers,
we must not omit inserting it in our annals.
HELENA, MoNTANA, Nov. 17th 1883.
REV. FATHERS,
The undersigned Bishop ofVancouver, Administrator
Apostolic of the Vicariate of Montana in the United States
of America, requests you to direCt: your missionary care to
the Indians under his jurisdietionY>
You know how Fr. DeSmet of your Society, some forty
years ago, laid the first foundation of the Catholic Faith
among the savages of the Rocky Mountains, and published
several volumes of annals about them, which moved many
to come and exercise the sacred ministry among the poor
Indians. With gratitude I acknowledge that to these rec- •
ords I owe my vocation to the Missions.
~- •·
Several Missions exist, it is true, among these savages,
where the Fathers of the Society of Jesus, leading a truly
apostolic life, do much good. It suffices to record here
those under the jurisdiCtion of the vicariate of Montana.
As to places, the first one is that of St. Ignatius condueted
by Frs. Van Gorp and Bandini : in my last visitation there,
six hundred savages received Holy Communion. The second is that of St. Mary's conduCted by Frs. Ravalli and
D'Asti; here, on the same occasion, three hundred sava. ges received Holy Communion. The third is St. Peter's
under the charge of Frs. Imoda and Damiani. The fourth
is conduCted by Frs. Barcelo and Prando among the Crows,
(1)
Recently made Bishop of Helena, Montana.
(150)
�Rocky Mountaz'ns.
a tribe numbering three thousand souls. The chiefs of this
tribe have already been confirmed.
There are other Jesuits at Missoula, Benton, and Helena,
who take care of the whites. Fr. Cataldo, the Superior of
the Mission, accompanied me in my pastoral visitation this
year, affording me such help, that I hold myself bound to
express my gratitude towards the whole Society of Jesus.
Now I ask of you, Rev. Fathers, to use the authority,
which you enjoy in this place, to establish two new Missions, one among the Crows, and the other among the Cheyennes. I entreat you, moreover, to come to the determination of opening a college in the city of Helena, where you
have already property suitable for that purpose. . . . . If you
grant my requests, you wiil do, I believe, what will redound
to the good of the Society, the advancement of these poor ·
Indians, the education of youth in the Territory, besides,
giving a solid help to the Bishop.
Your humble servant in Christ,
+ JAMES
B. BRONDEL.
Letter from Fatlzer Robaut to Mr. Boug-i's.
SPOKANE FALLS, WASHINGTON TERRITORY,
·
October, Ist 1883.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
It was my intention to write to Wodstock at least a month
and a half ago, but man proposes and God disposes. I will
try now to write you a pretty long letter, as I cannot tell
when I may be able to .write again, ·
On the feast of the Assumption I was at Cceur d'Alene
Mission where Frs. Giorda and Gazzoli died. This day is
one of the great feasts for these Indians, who are by far the
best of all, as Catholics, as farmers, and, I might say, in
every respect. Though it was their best harvest time, and
�Rocky Mountains.
many had miles to ride to church, still no one failed to come.
We had about two hundred and fifty or nearly three hundred Communions. I celebrated High Mass: Fr. Joset and
Tosi were assistant priests. The Creur d'Alene are really
good musicians and sing 1\Iass well for, Indians. They have
beautiful voices and all, men and women, young and old,
sing with great earnestness. In turning around to sing the
'Dominus vobiscum,' I was struck with admiration at seeing
them kneeling on the floor, without any support, and again,
at the 'Gloria' and 'Credo" at seeing them sitting Indian
fashion on the floor, though I was told of it before. Perhaps, it would not have seemed so strange, if on~y the old
men and women, wrapped in brightly colored blankets, had
used the floor for kneeling-bench and chair, but, even the
Sisters' girls, so well dressed that you would have thought
them fashionable young ladies, did so.
Only the Sisters and a few of the older girls sat an a
rough kind of bench, or rather a board. In the evening,
all the chiefs, the officers and soldiers held a meeting or
session in the Fathers' residence, to settle their civil affairs.
You must know that the American Government has nothing to Jo with the internal affairs of the Indians ; they
themselves have a police force of soldiers, officers, judges,
etc. Some time before, a young man, a relative of the head~-··
chief, ran away with a girl, and the soldiers were sent after
them. The runaways resisted the soldiers, and were helped in this by a third party who had joined them; he in his
excitement shot a horse of one of the soldiers, and again
threatened to shoot the soldier himself. This so exasperated the soldier that he fired and killed him on the spot.
Immediately the runaways gave themselves up. They were
then brought back, put in a dungeon, and tied, with their
hands behind their backs, to a log. So tightly were the
·thin bands drawn that their arms were soon swollen ; they
remained thus for several days, and, I think, without any
food; but no further punishment was inflicted. The people of the tribe were greatly enraged, and dissatisfied with
the conduct of the head chief towards the delinquents; all
/
·
.,.
1; 1
1f
J.'l
"
.~: .~
1·
:'
,'('
�Letter from Father Robaut.
I
53
the more so, because, contrary to their old and invariable
system, he had acted without consulting the Father. This
was one of the principal reasons of the meeting, and in it
every thing was satisfactorily settled. The chief acknowledged his fault, and promised never again to do any thing
of importance without consulting the Father, the chiefs and
military officers. He imposed upon himself the fine of a
horse ; the young man was fined five horses and ten dollars
and was subjected to a hundred lashes; this last is a terrible punishment. The chief was not deposed. They all
thought that the soldier who had killed the man mentioned
above would go crazy : the thought that he had killed a
man, and probably sent him unprepared to meet his~ God
was something awful for a good Catholic as he was. Fr.
Tosi found it hard to convince him that he committed no
crime, but simply did his duty, and that he should in similar circumstances do the same. This seemed to reassure
him.
When Fr. Tosi was asked about burying the body of the
man who had lost his life while resisting the officer, he
would not allow it to be interred in consecrated ground, but
in the place where he was killed, and without religious
ceremonies. This ·decision created a great sensation among
the Indians, and they were in fear and trembling. After
the meeting which ended about 9 o'clock, in the evening, a
procession was formed, four of the chiefs carrying a statue
of the Blessed Virgin; we went about a quarter of a mile
from the church, singing the Litany of the Blessed Virgin,
and many hymns. vVhen we returned to the church, the
statue was placed in the sanctuary and Fr. Joset vested in
surplice, stole and cope, read an act of consecration to the
Blessed Virgin, the four chiefs repeating it after him with
great earnestness. After this he gave benediction, I acting as
deacon and Fr. Tosi as sub-deacon, master of ceremonies
and altar boy. The position of this Mission ofCceur d'Alene
is fine; one can have a view extending for fifty miles around.
The Fathers' residence is new, very comfortable, and has a
fine appearance. The church, a few steps from the house,
�154
I
Rocky Mountains.
is .better than you would imagine, and, though unfinished
and without pews as yet, is very pretty. A little beyond it
is the Sisters' house; they have about twenty girls, but expeCt soon to have thirty. The boys are cared for by Cornielli, my ex-novice.
I saw him here at Spokane Falls when he was on his way
to Creur d'Alene; he would not enter into Fr. Jacquet's
room, being too tall, or rather the room is too low; I mysf;lf have to be careful of my head when I enter.
In my first letter to Fr. Filippi, I said I had three days
allowed me to prepare two sermons to be given at Sprague,
in place of Fr. Grassi; one was for the first Mass, the other
for the second; instead of being sent for that time only, I
now attend there regularly and have gone ever since, once
a month. I stay about a week, sometimes more, especially
when I have to go around the country, on horseback, of
course. So you see I am parish priest, building a church,
baptizing, marrying, etc. Besides I am 'missionarius excurrens.' I have to go wher,ever there is a town about or
wherever there is a Catholic family. I always carry my
altar with me, and say Mass, hear confessions, baptize, in
any place, even in the kitchen.
Some time ago, I was at Fort Creur d'Alene, some fortr.·
miles from Spokane Falls. On Sunday, I had the servic~-. •·
as "they call it, in the chapel, built for the use of any denomination, but there was no altar, so I used a little desk instead.
I said Mass at 10 o'clock A. M; in the evening at 7, I delivered a leCture. During the week I said Mass here and
there in different soldiers' private houses, and never where
both husband and wife were Catholics. I often took my
meals with the wife of an officer who was a Protestant and
grand master of the Freemasons. Often, again, I dined with
another officer who had been baptized in the Church, but
this was the limit of his Catholicity; his wife had never been
baptized; I slept in this officer's house and during my stay
baptized his child. As you have already noticed, the life
here is somewhat different from that of Woodstock.
Learn at my expense; make even now a goodly provis-
I
II
i I
}
�Letter from Father Robaut.
155
ion for your coming missionary life. I mean; write out in
good English some instructions on the Our Father, the Creed
the Ten Commandments, The Pope, Infallibility, etc. Fr.
Mazzella's book De Ecc!csia is a treasure in this respect, but
I have nothing of the kind, nor did I prepare anything before I came here. I expected to get six months at least, to
perfect my English, but I was disappointed, and have to do
my best, but I assure you it is not pleasant to be obliged to
improvise. Learn, I repeat, at my expense, and be well
prepared when you come.
Fr. Grassi is building the college, and he cannot leave
the place. Fr. Jacquet is always very weak and cannot go
about much; besides he has to attend the Indians of this
Mission, baptizing, burying. catechising, etc.; he does not
understand the Indian language as yet, and I have not had
time to begin it. I attended two lessons of Fr. Cataldo's when
he was here three or four weeks ago, and that is the extent
of my study; still I can read the catechism as well, at least,
as Fr. Jacquet. Fr. Cataldo's name among the Indians is
caoslzi1Z (broken leg), Fr. Jacquet's, caoagan (broken arm)
since he fell from his horse. I have not heard my name; I
call myself Ignace. I do not know whether they have another name for me. I cannot go by the name of Louis, because when I came here, there were three Fathers known
by that name: Fr. Vanzini, now dead, Fr. Folchi, now·at
Colville and Fr. Jacquet. These Indians cannot pronounce
my name; instead of Robaut they say lupo, as they have
no, r or b in their language; their gutterals are frightful,
much harder than the Spanish j. You would think they
were spitting at you when they speak.
They sing Mass nearly every Sunday; but before Mass
they say their prayers and catechism aloud. When they
do not sing Mass, they say the beads and other prayers, interrupting them now and then with Indian hymns. When
Fr. Grassi is at hand to hear confessions, a great many receive communion every Sunday, and always at the late Mass.
Last week during my absence, Mr. Rink, from Belgium,
.and Mr. Connolly, from Scotland, came here; they are now
�Rocky Mountains.
at Cceur d'Alene Mission. Mr. Connolly has to begin his
noviceship in Colville; I do not know when he will do so.
I hope that by the time Frs. Filippi and De Villiers come
here, they will be able to look upon the present condition
of St. Michael's Mission as a monument or memoir of the
past, for by next autumn the college of brick will be ready: ·
its ground dimensions are a hundred feet by fifty; the foundations of stone are finished; 300,000 bricks are ready, and the
rest of the work will be done next spring. Perhaps, by that
time there will be no Indians here; they will be driven away
by the whites \vho settle everywhere and cheat the Indians
continually. The Indians talk now of going, some to Montana, some to Cceur d'Alene.
The Spokane Indians are few, and many of them still
Protestants; they are considered very low by the other Indians, and the last of the Cceur d'Alene, for instance, would
scarcely deign to marry the greatest Spokane woman, while,
on the contrary, the highest Spokane woman would be happy
if she could marry the lowest of the Cceur d'Alene. There
are several tribes that have never seen a priest and which
are idolatrous; nor is there any one to go to them; we have
as much as we can do to attend to those we have, besides
seeing to the whites who flock around everywhere and:
whom we can not neglect, as we are the only priests here: •·
I wish some few \Voodstockians would come here and display their English eloquence; they would be sure to have
a large audience, even of Protestants. They came even to
hear me who have so little eloquence, simply because there
is no one else to speak to them. Archbishop Seghers, with
whom I spent two days, said that when he should arrive in
Rome, he would not fail to urge Father General to send
more of his subjeCts to the Rocky Mountains; he is able
to plead his cause well, and I hope he will succeed, and then,
at least those who have asked to come will be sent. We
need some who know English well.
When you .write do not forget to give me a goodly stock
of news, as I know absolutely nothing about the events in
the States. The only letter I have received is from Fathel,"
,,
,,
/
�California Missi'o1Z.
157
Filippi. I wish I had time to write a more interesting one ;
matter is plentiful, but time is scarce, as I am always so busy.
On my last journey to Sprague, Fr. Grassi told me that,
next time, I was to start on horseback and go to Medical
Lake, Fairview, Carrys, Spokane and Sprague, visiting all
the country for about two hundred miles around. I had no
idea of all these places, as I have never been in that direction. Once, it is true, I started on horseback for Medical
Lake, but when I reached a certain place, I could not persuade the Indian pony to go further; he turned round and
round, and as I had never ridden him before, Fr. Joset tried
to urge him on, but he failed worse than I, and he told me
it was better to go home, and not to risk my life on such a
horse. Remember me to all the professors and my old
friends.
Yours in Christ,
A.
ROBAUT,
S.
J.
CALIFORNIA MISSION OF THE SOC. OF JESUS.
FOUNDED BY THE PROVINCE OF TURIN, ITALY.
The· foundation of the Mission of California was one ·of
those seeming accidents, which afterwards prove to be integral parts of God's design for the salvation of men. Prior
to the year I850, Fr. Accolti, who was then Superior General of the Missions of Oregon, had twice received letters
from the few European settlers of California, asking for
teachers and schools. Not seeing his way to fulfilling their
request, Fr. Accolti quickly forgot the poor Californians.
In the course of the above year, however, Fr. Nobili returned from an unsuccessful mision to the Okanagans, and re- ·
ported himself to Fr. Accolti at the headquarters of the
Mission, near Oregon City. The question then arose:
"What shall be done with Fr. N obili ?" While thinking
over the matter, the forgotten letters from California return-
�Califonzia Missz'on.
ed to Fr. Accolti's mind; and addressing Fr. Nobili:
"Come," he said, "let us go to California, and see what
these people want." On their arrival at San Francisco, they
found that the cholera had broken out in the country: but
this did not hinder them from placing themselves at the
disposal of the Bishop, the present Archbishop, of San Francisco. The latter, hearing that the parish priest of Santa
Clara had quitted his post, asked one of the Fathers to replace him. Father Nobili at once went thither, where he
remained throughout the pestilence, nursing the sick, assisting the dying, and burying the dead, whom he carried to
the grave upon his own shoulders ..
The plague having abated, Fr. Nobili remained at Santa
Clara, then the most thickly settled part of Upper California. Here it was that those dwelt, who had formerly written to Fr. Accolti; and they renewed their request for a
school. Fr. Accolti, who had remained with the Bishop in
San Francisco, could not refuse their urgent petition; and
accordingly, in the beginning of ISS I, upon the feast of St.
Joseph, a small school was opep.ed with about twenty or
thirty children; and thus was established the College of
Santa Clara.
Meanwhile, owing to the discovery of gold, San Francisco had sprung up into a flourishing city; and it became.: ..
daily more apparent that Divine Providence had here prepared a field, where evangelical laborers, driven by revolutionists from the Master's vineyard in Europe, might work
profitably and in peace. The Bishop, who had but few
priests, urged our Fathers to remain; but Fr. Accolti, as
Superior of the Oregon 1\lission, felt that, under existing
circumstances, this was impossible. He, therefore, resolved
to go to Rome, in order to see if some one of the dispersed
Provinces could not undertake the care of the promising
Mission. He succeeded in this; and the Mission of California was assigned to the Province of Turin. Several Fathers and Brothers started at once for the new field of labor; amongst whom we find Father Maraschi, assigned for
San Francisco, and Frs. Congiato,· Messea, Careda and Mas-
�Califomia Missz'on.
nata for Santa Clara. On their arrival in California in 1854,
Fr. Congiato, at the present moment again Superior of the
Mission, was appointed Superior General of the united Missions of California and Oregon; and so the Mission of California began its regularly organized existence.
The College of Santa Clara, founded by Fr. Nobili, was
at once taken charge of by the newly-arrived Fathers. It
must not, however, be supposed that they had an elegantly
appointed institution from the very first. The college buildings, when they took possession of the place, were no other
than the old Mission premises of the Franciscans. The
boys brought their own blankets, and slept wrapped up in
them, upon the floor of a common room; while the Fathers laid themselves down to rest wherever they could find
a convenient place. Several years afterwards, when things
had become more settled, desks were an unknown luxury
in the College of Santa Clara; and in default of a better
writing-table the Fathers used their little cot-bedsteads,
which they folded up every morning and covered with a
counterpane, when they were fortunate enough to possess
one. Fr. Messea began to lecture on Natural Sciences, and
had to construCt: his instruments as he went along. The
college however, prospered, and on its registers are found
the names of many of the foremost men of the state. From
time to time new buildings have been erecred according as
necessity required; a cabinet, laboratory, and library have
been gathered together, worthy of a far older institution;
and a degree of efficiency has been reached, which makes
Santa Clara College famous from the burning Isthmus of
. Panama to the frozen regions of Alaska.
When Father Maraschi reached San Francisco, he was,
in the first place, installed as assistant pastor of St. Francis'
Church, Vallejo Street. Fr. Congiato, perceiving that the
place was destined to become a city of importance, ordered
him to procure a piece of land, which might, at some future
day, serve as a site for a church and college. This he did
by buying one third of a block in what was then known as
St. Anne's Valley, where he _erecred a small chapel and
�r6o
California Mi'ssi'on.
school, in the year 1855. On this same site, Fr. Villiger,
in the year 1863, built the college which we occupied until
the year 18So. In the year 1S79, the present college, which
has been our home for the past four years, was ereCted, Fr.
Varsi being Superior of the ,Mission.
The college and church of St. Ignatius are acknowledged
to constitute one of th.e principal ornaments of San Francisco. Standing upon a block bounded by four main streets,
they form, including play grounds, etc., a reCtangle of about
400 feet by 275. The Church measures 200 feet in length,
100 in breath, 75 feet from the floor to the roof, and has an
exterior elevation of about 90 feet. The two towers rise
to the neighborhood of 200 feet. The college building is
in round figures 140 by So feet, and is in four storeys. The
lowest is given up to the preparatory department, the classes of the upper division occupy the next; the third contains
the scientific cabinets; and the fourth is taken up by a fine
hall, 100 feet by So. The total cost of construCtion was
about $1,000,000. The church contains six altars, of which
some are very costly. These, together with the greater
part of their ornaments, are the gifts of generous benefactors, who have also provided us with some extremely rich
vestments and other church furniture. Thus we have lac~
frontals for the altars worth $400 or $500, and the rest in.·
proportion. Such a church could not fail to attraCt the
faithful, and do honor to religion; and so the mission, given
shortly after its opening by Frs. Maguire and O'Connor,
had unprecedented success, the Holy Communion being
distributed in its course to no less than 20,000 persons.
Thus far I have sketched briefly the history of our Mission and its material state at the present time. Let me now
go on to indicate the work we are doing, and to forecast
what is to be done by Ours for the glory of God and the
good of souls. The educational establishments direCted by
Ours are, at present, three in number; a day college of
about 700 students, in San Francisco ; a boarding college
of about r6o students, at Santa Clara; and a day school at
San Jose attended by 6o children. In San Francisco we
,
~~
~
i
�California Mi'ssio1t.
r6t
have no parish: but our church is not on that account the
less frequented. About Sooo persons hear Mass there every
Sunday; and the Communions are from sao to 6oo, while
the confessions average I 200 a week. Attached to the
church are, 1st, The Sodality of the Blessed Virgin in three
branches, for men, women and boys ; 2nd, The Sodality of
the Holy Angels for children who as yet have not made
their first Communion; 3rd, the Confraternity of the Sacred Heart; 4th, that of Bona Mors; sth, the Altar Society,
for defraying the expenses of Divine Worship, and for the
care of the SanCl:uary; 6th, that of Blessed John Berchmans, for the service of the Altar, the members of which
are chosen from amongst the best boys in the college; 7th,
the St. Aloysius Circle of young ladies, which, besides procuring the good of the members, has also as its objeCl: the
instruCtion of little girls in religion. Lastly, we have two
Sunday-schools attended by about I sao children. Novenas are preached in the church before every great feast; and
no evening passes without, at least, a short instruCl:ion followed by the Rosary. In visiting the public institutions
we are always kimlly received by the officials. The Industrial School is, as far as the Catholic boys are concerned,
under our care; and the State Penitentiary is attended by
Ours, jointly with the secular clergy. We are also engaged
in evangelizing the Public Hospital ; but being subordinated
here to the parish priests, we cannot extend our labors as
much as we would like. In this last good work the Scholastics participate. The Society also serves four parishes ;
and in the course of the year, and especially during vacation, gives missions and retreats throughout the country.
In Santa Clara we have the care of souls, but as the population is not considerable, our work there is principally that
of an ordinary college. The residence of San Jose is, on
the contrary, chiefly engaged in parochial duties.
It is difficult to say what could be done here if everything was favorable to our work. The Catholic population
of San Francisco does not fall far short of IOo,ooo. MoreVoL. xm-No. 2.
11
�162
Califrmzia Mission.
over, the people in general are well disposed towards us ;
so that it is not difficult to enter into relations even with
Protestants. Conversions amongst these are not unfrequent;
and some of our converts occupy a prominent place in society. The population of the State, too, is constantly increasing, and, as a consequence, the field of operations is
ever widening. But here, as elsewhere, is realized the complaint of the Master: "The laborers are few." Our greatest obstacle is want of subjeCts: so much so, that at the end
of the year it is not always an easy task to arrange the status of the two colleges for the coming term. Hence we
have been unable to close with two or three opportunities
of extending ciur houses into surrounding states. Death,
too, has been busy amongst us, and our Lord has seen fit
to call many of our young men to himself, and to nail others to the cross with maladies that limit very materially
their capacity of engaging in the aCtive duties of the Society. On the other hand, we receive few novices, for vocations are rare in this part of the world : "Pray therefore,
the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers
into his harvest."
Another obstacle to our success is that we are in competition with State educational institutions. I believe I am
right in saying that a completely endowed Catholic college- _.
is unknown in America, whilst those with any endowment
whatever are extremely rare. Our colleges, therefore, like
any commercial speculation, must first and foremost be
made to pay expenses. For this we must charge for teaching, while the State makes no charge whatever, even in its
University. Then our teaching must compare favorably
with that given in State institutions ; and here we meet a
new difficulty. Although as regards the professors we have
nothing to fear from a comparison with any institution on
the coast, we do not, unfortunately, always find in the scholars the disposition to receive that education which we are
ready and desirous to give. These are, generally speaking,
poor; and as they seek only sufficient knowledge to give
them a start in life, with few prospeCts of advancement, and
1
'
I
�California Mz"sslon.
as their estimate of what is necessary is rather below than
above the mark, it follows that they are, as a rule, too anxious to finish their college course when it ought to be only
beginning. Hence follows the impossibility in which we
find ourselves of following as striCtly as we would wish the
methods of the Society, whereby alone our colleges can be
made what they ought to be. Our Superiors are, it is true,
constantly trying to raise the standard of education ; but
in this they must proceed cautiously, otherwise there is a
risk of seeing our class-rooms emptied, and our work
strangled instead of being strengthened. We, however, do
what we can, both by encouraging the study of the classics
and the other higher branches, and by discouraging, as far
as prudence permits, the commercial course.
As the American public is apt to judge the efficiency of
an educational institution by its exterior, we are obliged to
maintain a handsome building, with elegant class-rooms,
fine chemical and physical" cabinets, and everything else in
· proportion. The scientific department alone is worth a sum,
the taxes on which the students' fees scarcely begin to meet.
Yet of this fine apparatus a large portion has been out of
use for the past two years, merely because there were none
to follow the complete course of Natural Science. This
year, however, things are better; for besides the graduating
class, we have also a class of graduates going for their second degree.
It is evident that with time our difficulties will disappear,
whilst the advantages which we enjoy will remain, and even
increase. As the population becomes less cosmopolitan,
and as our Catholics rise in the social scale, a demand for a
more solid and serious education will spring up naturally.
Moreover, the gradual fixing of social grades will tend also
to bring about this, as a necessity. With time our resources will also increase, and with them our means of doing
good; and with time our great need of laborers will, doubtless, be satisfied, so that we shall be able to extend our
operations, and give to each man the time necessary to make
himself a perfeCt master in his special branch.
�Califorma Mission.
With regard to the Chinese inhabiting California, many are
of opinion that nothing can be done amongst them. This
opinion is based upon the moral degradation of the Chinese
themselves, the unchristian lives of many professing Christians, and lastly the bitter race hatred that exists between
the Chinese and \Vhites. Moreover as this hatred is strongest in the working classes, with whom the Chinese come
into direct competition; and as the working classes are, to
a great extent, Irish Catholics, the difficulties in the way of
Christianizing these unfortunate heathen are augmented.
However, though I am loath to believe that there are any
pagans, to whom it is practically impossible to carry the
light of the Gospel, the conviction forces itself upon me, that
he who would evangelize the Chinese of California must be
.no ordinary man. A second Claver would be required for
the work; one who would identify himself with these poor
wretches, and become not "the slave," indeed, "of the negroes," but the "slave of the Chinese forever!" That God
may raise up such a one amongst us, for His greater glory,
and the good of the perishing souls is my earnest prayer.
HENRY
Woons, S.
J.
.... ..-
�MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM JANUARY 13TH TO APRIL 6TH.
PouGHKEEPSIE.-On January 13th, Fathers Maguire and
Kavanagh opened a two weeks' mission in St. Mary's Church
Poughkeepsie, New York. The pastor, Rev. Edward Me
Sweeney, D. D., who is professor and Superior of the Seminary of Mount St. Mary's Emmittsburg this year, is the
first pastor of St. 1\Iary's. The church was bought from
the Protestants, and is at present sufficiently large for the
congregation which is set down at 1400 souls. The pastor
has a very fine school under the charge of the Sisters of
Charity. In St. Peter's parish the schools are under the
board of education, but the teachers are Sisters of Charity.
Every day from one to half-past one, the priest gives a catechetical instruCtion to the children who are all Catholics.
There are three churches in the city; one of these is for
the Germans.
The season was against us; all the time we were there
it was disagreeable. Snow, rain, thaw, frost, came so quickly, that the boast of New England was left unheeded. It
was a common thing to see the water running in the streets
at midday and the thermometer telling you at night that
the cold was intense. To make matters worse for us, the
house was about an eighth of a mile from the church. As
far as the people were concerned it did not seem to make
any difference. The church was well filled at the five
o'clock Mass and again at the nine. At the evening services, the capacity of the church was taxed to the utmost.
Quite a number of Protestants attended. To give proof of
the good will shown by the people in general, I will merely
take the servants of Vassar College as an example. The
college is situated some distance outside the city. The
(r6s)
�r66
Missionary Labors.
horse-cars take forty minutes to reach there. These cars
stop running about eight o'clock in the evening. The servants of the college chartered a car to take them home
every night and to fetch them in the morning for the early
Mass.-We certainly had far more than the parishioners
making the mission, as there were 2900 confessions during
the two weeks. Fortunately for us, a new assistant priest
came at the end of the first week. He being a stranger,
the people flocked to him as to one of the missioners, and
kept him busy all the second week. Father Cruden who
has charge during the absence of Dr. Me Sweeny also gave
us a helping hand. \Ve had about 500 children attending
their instruCtion. I found out after some days that they
were not all from St. Mary's, but a good representation from
St. Peter's also.
The last Sunday at Vespers, the crowd was so great, that
hundreds had to go home for want of even standing-room.
There is a Sodality for the Young Ladies already established; the intention is now to have one for the young men,
as one hundred and seventy~five of them gave in their names
on the last day of the exercises. They were to have their
first meeting on the following Sunday, when. many more
candidates were hoped for. The Young Ladies' Sodality.
received many new members also. The results of the misw· •·
sion were very satisfaCtory in every way. The good will
of the other priests was made known to us by their offers
of assistance. Rev. Father Gleason, the Master of Novices
at West Park spent a day with us and gave invaluable assistance in the confessional.
The children who were old enough were prepared for first
Communion; they were thirty-three in number. Nine adults
also made their first Communion; four were baptized and
one left for further instruCtion. 2900 Confessions were heard
and 2500 persons received Holy Communion.
ST. MARY's, BosTON. (Jan. 14-21.)-Fr. Scanlan, the zealous and energetic direCtor of the Young Men's Sodality,
wishing to infuse new life and vigor intQ his Sodalit:y, as,
�Missionary Labors.
well as increase the membership, invited Frs. Langcake and
Macdonald to give a week's mission to the young men of
the parish. The mission proved successful beyond all expeaations. Notwithstanding the unusually cold weather
during the week, the church was well filled at the five o'clock
service, whilst, in the evening, it was packed with persons
eager to hear the solid and learned sermons of Fr. Langcake. About 2000 persons approached the Sacraments
during the week, and the Sodality received an addition of
350 new members. This Sodality is, perhaps, the most numerous and best organized Sodality for young men in the
country. It has a membership of about 1000 young men,
Soo of whom, at least, are in good standing. Much credit
for the present excellent condition of the Sodality is due to
the untiring zeal of its director.
ST. PAUL's, CAMBRIDGE.- On the 27th Jan., Frs. Langcake and Macdonald opened a mission in St. Paul's church,
Cambridge, of which Father Orr is the pastor. The subjoined report sent to the "Pilot" by the pastor shows the
result of the mission and the pastor's appreciation of the
work done.
"A Successjitl ilfissiott.-A Mission was recently conduaed by Father Langcake and Father Me Donald, two Jesuit
missionaries, in St. Paul's Church, Cambridge. The Mission opened on Sunday, January 27th, and closed on the
following Sunday. It was a grand success. There are in
this parish about 1400 communicants, and of this number
there were not fifty 'who did not attend the mission exercises and receive Holy Communion. The number who received the Holy Eucharist during the week of the mission
was I 832. This includes, of course, many persons who are
not residents of the parish. There were besides many persons who assisted at the Mission exercises a'nd received
Communion in the neighboring parish churches, so that the
number of communicants may be counted at 2000. This is
the fruit of the labor of two priests in one week. When
girls working in printing offices, when living out girls, when
men and boys rise at four o'clock on a cold winter morning,
go to the: church over snow and ice, attend Mass and instruCtions at fivt: o'clock, hasten home to take their break-
�168
Missionary Labors.
fast, and go to work, then after a hard day's work again return to church to say the holy Rosary, to listen to sermons
and instruaions, and to be present at the Benediaion of the
Blessed Sacrament, who will say that the faith is dead in
the American Catholics? \\'hen two priests will rise at four
o'clock every morning, and not retire until eleven o'clock
at night, will preach and instrua at least twice each day,
and hear nearly 2000 confessions in one week, who will
say that the spirit of Ignatius does not still survive in the
Jesuits?"
R. V. M.
This report may be supplemented by adding, that eight
adults were prepared for first Communion, one Protestant
was received into the church, while another, who has attended the mission, made up his mind to become a Catholic,
and two weeks later was baptized in a neighboring church.
In order to make the fruits of the mission lasting, special
efforts were made to increase the membership of the So·
dality, and to put it in good working order. Fr. Langcake
spoke on the advantages of belonging to the Sodality with
such effea, that 240 new members were added to its roll.
The Fathers were much ·pleased with the result of their
mission, and were loud in their praise of the kindness and
princely hospitality of the pastor.
ST. PETER's, LoWELL, 1\'IAss.-On Feb. 2nd, Fathers Ma.·: .
guire and Kavanagh started for Lowell where they were
joined on the 4th by Fathers Langcake and Macdonald,
who were giving a mission at East Cambridge. This mission was the first given in St. Peter's Church; it lasted two
weeks, the first being for the women, and the second for the
men. Lowell is situated about twenty-eight miles from
Boston and is supported principally by its faaories. Sixtytwo years ago Catholics first came to the town of Lowell,
and to day they are in the majori"ty (population, 6s,ooo),
and more than three fourths of the city offices are in their
hands. In faa, nearly all the important ones from Mayor
downward are held by Catholics. A little bit of history
that I got hold of may be interesting to your readers. At
the Semi-Centenial Celebration of the incorporation of the
�I~
Missionary Labors.
town of Lowell, March rst 1876, a letter was read from Mr.
John F. Me Evoy which I quote as it gives an account of
the Catholic progress of the city:
"I thank you for your invitation to the Semi-Centennial
Celebration of the birth of our city, and regret that a business engagement will prevent my presence, but I cannot
allow the occasion to pass without bearing my testimony to
the enterprise and labor expended by yourself and others
in our midst, to perpetuate the ancient history of our town
before it is forgotten. It is always pleasant for me to recur to the more ancient days when Lowell was a series of
farms; when Charles street was a cranberry-meadow, and
when a farmer's little daughter, now a venerable matron,
drove the cows to water at the spring where now John Street
pump is located; still later, when one could go across lots
from Central Street to the Town House, but cutting through
a foot path in the swampy ground now occupied by Middle
Street and the surrounding territory. You do a great public good, in my opinion, in keeping alive our ancient history, and if it were a possible thing I should like to aid you,
although no better way occurs to me than to send a few
data I have been able to gather concerning the early Irish
settlers in the city.
"The pioneer among these was Mr. Hugh Cummiskey
who came here with thirty men from Charlestown, all on
foot, to work on the canals. Kirk Booth met them at what
is now the American House, gave them money to refresh
themselves, and they went to work widening the old Pawtucket Canal and building the new ones. Ground was first
broken, in this kind of work, on the 6th of April, 1822.
From this time forward the town became the centre of attraction for the hard working Irish laborers, many of whom
settled here, became most reputable citizens, and some few
left families behind them to perpetuate their name and fame.
The town was then in a most primitive condition, and the
laboring classes contented themselves with the rudest kind of
habitation. In 1828, they had mostly concentrated them-
VoL. xm-No.
2.
II*
�Missionary Labors.
selves in that part of the town lying west of the Suffolk
Canal and north of Broadway, still known as the "Acre."
It is somewhat difficult at this time to conceive, that then
with the exception of a few houses in the woods, back of
the First Congregational Meeting House, it was all an open
common between the American House and Pawtucket
Falls, but such was the fact, and it was upon this ground
that the laborers pitched their camps, their tents, or whatever was attainable to shelter their hardy natures from the
wind and rain. The title to some of this land was afterwards called in question and it was eventually decided by
the United States Supreme Court in Washington under the
name of the 'Paddy Camp Lands,' and the case is known in
the books, to this day, by that title.
"It may not be unknown to you that the history of the
Irish is almost identical with that of their Church. Their
efforts outside of the attainment of creature comforts, have
invariably spent themselves in developing their religion and
furnishing means and facilities for its enjoyment. The Bishop of the diocese came among them in person, oa. 28th.
1828, and religious services were held in a two-story school
house next above Dr. Blanchard's Meeting House on Merrimack Street, which was owned by the town and loaned to.
the three or four hundred Catholics, then here, for the pur:-·
pose of religious worship. Father John Mahoney after that
used to come regularly once a month from Salem to celebrate Mass, and regularly the children were taught the
catechism, and a day-school was established, in which the
ordinary English branches were taught by a school-master
who previously had found the same employment in Ireland.
This was one of the pioneer schools of Lowell. Prominent among the Irishmen of those times were Hugh Cummiskey, Patrick Me Manus his superintendent, Nicholas
Fitzpatrick, Patrick Powers, grocer, Edward Kitts, shoemaker, and John Green, who was a gardener by trade and
was Mr. Booth's steward.
"The Irish grew apace in number and the little school
house grew too small for their needs. Kirk Booth, repre-
�Missionary Labors.
171
senting the Locks and Canals Corporation, gave the Bishop
the land on Fenwick Street, where now St. Patrick's church
stands, and a frame building seventy by forty feet was projeaed in the month of July 1830, and such was the harmony and united zeal developed in the· enterprise that it
was dedicated in twelve months from that time, much to the
chagrin unfortunately of some disfavored few who were unwilling to see a Catholic church ereaed in the town. Bishop Fenwick and Rev. Dr. O'Flaherty came from Boston
the day before in a carryall and took lodgings at the Stone
House now the residence of Dr. J. C. Ayer. The church
was dedicated under the auspices of St. Patrick, July 3rd,
1831, and Dr. O'Flaherty delivered the dedication sermon
preaching from the text, 'This place I have as a house of
sacrifice and prayer.'
"The music at the dedication of the church was furnished
by the cathedral choir of Boston, assisted by Mr. Edward
Kitts, Mr. Heaor and Miss Catherine Hogan of Lowell.
"The old church, as I have said, was a frame building,
seventy by forty feet, and was, of course, small, but sufficient to accomodate the Irish Catholics in the town. In
1832, Father Mahoney built the priest's house, which was
located next the church, and, having within a few years
been moved away, is now located on Lewis, direaly opposite
Fenwick Street.
"In 1835, Rev. Father Curtin came to Lowell as assistant priest to Rev. Father Mahoney, and staid here only a
short time, being displaced by Rev. Father Connelly, who
under Father Mahoney's direaion and with his assistance,
built the two wings to the church, making it cruciform in
shape and exaaly in the form in which it existed many
years, and was afterwards dismantled and taken down.
"Many of those who will read this, cannot fail to remember Rev. Father J. T. Me Dermot who succeeded Rev. Fr.
Mahoney, in the spiritual care of the Irish Catholics of Lowell in the summer of 1837. Father Mahoney moved to
New Bedford and died there, in the aaive ministration of
the Gospel.
�Missionary Labors.
"In 1839, Rev. James Conway was appointed Father Me
Dermott's assistant, and was not here long before the necessity for a new church became apparent to him, \vhich was
made more necessary from the faa that the Irish were settling in around vVilliam, Greene and Gorham Streets, and
were consequently too far away from the old church on
Fenwick Street, to make their religious duties easy to them.
He received the lot on the corner of Gorham and Appleton
Streets in August 1841, upon which he built the brick church
still standing, but much enlarged, which was dedicated, under the auspices of St. Peter, oa. r6th, 1842.
"The old Fifth Grammar School, now the Manor School,
was then a very important item in the social life of the Irish
Catholics of the town. Mr. James Egan, afterwards a prominent lawyer in Boston, was the first Catholic principal of
the school, assisted by 1\lr. Peter Me Dermot and Miss Esther Howland. It was the school where most of the middle aged Irish Catholics of the town received their grammarschool education. Mr. Daniel Me Elroy was also a teacher
in this school, who subsequently achieved quite a reputation as a lawyer in Chicago, Ill., where he died a few years
ago.
"Rev. Father Conway was removed to Salem in March,
1847, and Rev. Peter Crudden installed in his place as his
successor. Rev. Father Me Dermott purchased St. Mary's
church on Suffolk Street, of the Baptists, and it was dedicated in 1847, and after the brief pastorate of Rev. Father
Tucker, the Rev. Fathers Timothy and John O'Brien were
appointed to the pastorate of old St. Patrick's. The magnicent new church now ereaed on the site of the old frame
building by these zealous clergymen, was dedicated in oa.
1864.
"The Academy of Notre Dame, on Adam's Street, in the
care of the Sisters of Notre Dame, now so flourishing, which
gives constant employment to nearly thirty teachers, and
which maintains a free school for over six hundred and fifty
pupils, with a boarding school for nearly one hundred and
forty, was established in 1853.
�Missionary Labors.
173
"St. Peter's School and Orphan Asylum under the charge
of the Sister's of Charity, a refuge for over seventy orphans,
was established in 1866.
"St. John's Hospital, under the same charge, which can
accommodate nearly twenty patients, was incorporated by
special act of the Legislature, in I 86;.
"All these institutions have ever since their establishment
been prosecuting their useful work, quietly and in the face
of many difficulties, but in such a manner as to make their
final success assured.
"As if the Irish Catholics in the town and city of Lowell had not done all that was needed to secure their permanent comfort and maintain their personal needs, the magnificient stone church, now (I 876) in process of erection in
Belvidere, will be before another year dedicated to the services of religion. The Society of Oblates for poor missions
have this in charge, as also a mission church for the French
Catholics, who are already numerous enough to fill the
church in Lee Street, which they purchased from the Unitarian denomination some years ago, and have increased its
size to double its former capacity.
"The data I am aware are extremely meagre, but they
will be sufficient to give those who live after us, some general idea of the part the Irish Catholics have taken in the
early history of the town and city.
Very truly yours,
JoHN F. Me Evov."
Since the foregoing was written there have been some
changes. The parishes are now divided. The church in
Belvidere has been dedicated, with seating capacity, 1950.
Two new churches are being erected. There is a school
for boys attached to St. Patrick's of which no mention was
made; it is under the care of the Xaverian Brothers.
Rev. Peter Crudden of St. Peter's, incapacitated by old
age, has been replaced by Rev. M. Ronan, for whom the
mtsston was given. I doubt whether any of our missions
were better attended than this one in St. Peter's. From the
very start the numbers that came could not all find room,
�174
Missionary Labors.
The church was packed with no possibility of getting a footing anywhere; the basement was then opened and this was
soon filled; so a double mission had to be conduCl:ed. By
a double mission, I mean that as there were two congregations, two sermons had to be given at the same time: two
missions were going on together. Were the church twice
as large, I have no doubt, but it would be with the same result. Many who would have liked to attend had to give up
all hope of being able to do so, unless they could get to the
church before 6 o'clock. The evening services did not be- ·
gin till 7.30; yet the church wasfull at 6, and the basement
at 6.30. As soon as their work was over the hands flocked
to the church and filled it at once. Many came without
supper, but the greater number soon learned a lesson and·
brought with them when returning from dinner, something
to eat; this was all the supper they had. They eat it before the end of work, so there was nothing to delay them.
One evening, as I was going to supper at (6 o'clock), I met
four or five girls running ; one of them was left behind ; so
she cried out to the others, "No use of your running; you
wont get a seat no how." From 6 o'clock, and then have
to stand an hour and a half before the services begun and
till they were finished ! May I not then well say the li\<e
was seldom seen before? It was not only the women who
did this: the men were at the church just as soon, and they
came without supper. Church and basement were again
filled during the men's week, as during that of the women.
One of the. Protestant ministers wanted to know from some
of his young men if he would be allowed to go in. "Oh,
yes," said they, "but you must get there before six, if you
want to get a seat."" vVe gave him a seat in the sacristy.
One Monday morning when I went to the basement to hear
confessions, I found about fifty persons waiting. It was the
same to the end. We never feared that we should not be
kept busy; but we were apprehensive we should never finish
the work. Every time we left the boxes for meals or rest,
penitents were still waiting in numbers to give us employJllent for hours, The cases were long and the work was
�.Misst'onary Labors.
i75
necessarily slow. Had the men not begun to come at once,
we never could have finished the confessions. It was not
the short cases only we had the first day but also there were
long ones. My first confession of the men was a twenty-seven
years' account; but this was nothing unusual; so I did
not mind it. Many men of forty years of age and some
even older had never been to confession. We were seven
(four of the band and three of the church), hearing all the
time; on occasions we were ten, with work at hand for ten
more.
•
The priests of St. Patrick's generously came to our assistance. Fathers Scanlan, Byrne and Brie from St. Mary's,
Boston, did what they could, to relieve us. I must in spite
of the modesty of these Fathers call attention to the faa
that after hearing for six hours, they had to return to Boston, a tedious ride of an hour and a quarter, with the knowledge that they would have three days of confessions in
their own church. Therefore, their assistance deserves far
more thanks from us than we can give.
I am afraid this account is becoming too long; so I will
be brie( The priests of the other two churches of the city
gave us help, by hearing their own people on Fridays and
Saturdays, when they were kept quite busy. In one of
them there were five and in the other seven priests confessing the people; this force with our own did the work, and
on Saturday night we had the consolation of not sending
any one home unshriven.-Sodalities were begun, or greatly increased in numbers, of married men and married women, young men and young women. The Rosary and the
Sacred Heart societies were equally benefited. I can not
give you the numbers of any but that the Young Ladies' Sodality; they received 500 new members and now number
6oo. The other Sodalities, I believe, are very good.
Confessions heard, 9800: Communions, 10,200, of these
300 (adults) received holy Communion for the first time;
633 were confirmed, all adults; 25 persons were received
into the Church; four we left for instruaion. Two men
who had doubts about their Baptism were baptized, and
�Missionary labors.
three children who had not been negleCl:ed were made Christians. The two men spoken of were born of a Catholic father and a Protestant mother. Their mother having died,
the father married again a Protestant. He is now a pervert
and a hater of everything Catholic; none of the children
of the second marriage is baptized; these men feared they
had been treated in the same way. They could not believe
anything the father said ; so to ease their consciences and
remove all doubt, they were conditionally baptized.
ST. }AMES', BosToN.- On March 2nd, Father Maguire
with Frs. Kavanagh, Macdonald and Dougherty began a
mission at St. James' church, Boston. It lasted two weeks,
the first week being for the women, and the second, for the
men. Although the church is large, still it could not accommodate all who came. The basement was, therefore,
thrown open, and that too was soon filled. A double mission was carried on to the end ; th~: men as usual were ahead
of the women in attendance. Fr. Maguire was the preacher of the upper house, \vhile Fr. Kavanagh filled that position in the lower. We could not think of hearing all who
came, as the difference between the Communions and
Confessions will show. The other churches around had.to
give a helping hand to hear them. When our penitents -s·a.w
the crowd around the boxes and the slight possibility of
being heard, they betook themselves to the other churches.
We had a good force, but as I have said not enough to satisfy the demand. Frs. Costin and Brand did noble work;
every after school, they presented themselves for work and
they had plenty of it. Were it not for their assistance, we
should have been sadly behind hand. Frs. Brie and Scanlan too gave us a helping hand. Moreover, we had the
priests of the parish to do their share. On Wednesday of
the second week, Frs. Langcake and O'Leary, who just
finished a ten days' mission in Canton, came to our relie£
The Communions outnumbered the Confessions by 3600;
this faCl: will show that many went to confession in other
churches. St. James' embraces all classes from the devote~
�Misst"onary Labors.
177
to the hardened sinner. There was an excellent disposition
shown during the whole. time. Every exercise was crowded,
from the 5 o'clock Mass to the night service. Many of the
working girls who could not be present at the "Way of the
Cross" would come in on their way home and make it privately. The little girls of the school would make it in
small groups. Every day, you might see children, that did
not look to be more than five or six years old, going around
from station to station as seriously and piously as any old
woman could. A great spirit of faith is shown by the people. A statue of our Lady with the dead Saviour in her
arms, always has some one praying before it. The foot of
a statue of the 'Mater Dolorosa' has almost been worn away
by kisses. These and many other tokens are to be seen
daily. It was, however, very trying to give a mission in
this church. The weather was unfavorable all the time as
we were made to feel, since we had to walk nearly a quarter
of a mile from the pastor's house to the church. This
journey had to be made eight times a day; it was not an
easy thing to avoid a cold.
The pastor, Fr. Shahan, expressed himself as delighted
with the results and gave expression to his feelings and his
thanks to the Fathers, in presence of his Grace, the Archbishop, in a manner that, to say the least, was most flattering.
The Archbishop expressed delight at such a consoling report. We have. then every reason to be thankful, but all
thanks to Him to whom thanks are due for the results of
our labors. If we had to work hard, we were rewarded by
grand results.
In counting the Confessions, I have to estimate for some
of those hearing, but I always put the number below the
mark. We keep an account ourselves; so we can rely on
this; but the priests of the church who help can only approximate the number of penitents heard. As these are
put at the lowest possible figure, the sum total is rather below than above the mark. vVe had I I,200 Confessions;
I4,8oo Communions, ISO first Communions of adults; 309
VoL. xm-No. 2.
12
�Missionary Labors.
adults were confirmed ; 24 grown persons were baptized.
All of these converts were above the ordinary class, and
seemed to be fairly educated.
CANTON, MAss.- On the first Sunday of Lent, Fathers
O'Leary and Langcake, began a mission at Canton, Mass.The mission lasted one week, and was followed by the "40
hours' devotion .." During the mission r6oo Confessions were
heard, and Soo more during the 40 hours! A few persons
commenced instruCtions to be received into the Church, and
were left under the pastor's care ...
PoRTLAND, MAINE.-From March 22nd to April 7th, the
time was employed in Portland. There are two churches
in the city, the Cathedral and St. Dominic's. A mission
was given in both at the same time. Frs. Maguire, Kavanagh, Guldner and l\Iandalari were engaged at the Cathedral. The property of the Cathedral is large and valuable.
A covered way leads from the Bishop's house to the church.
About a hundred feet from the house is situated the Kavanagh School, built by the alms of Miss Kavanagh lately deceased. It is a splendid monument of her generosity; would
that more people followed her example. The school, thougp
large, is occupied by girls and very small boys. There-is.·
as yet no school for the larger boys. The entire Catholic
population of the city is counted at about 9000. This must
be below the mark, as we had many more than that number to make the mission. True it is, many came from all
the adjacent towns, but not enough to make up the difference. The women filled the Cathedral every night; not a
seat was left vacant and many had only standing-room. The
men during their week outnumbered the women by from
three to five hundred. The steps around the sanCtuary railing were all occupied, and a number of settees placed back
to back in the aisles (which being wide, gave them more
room) were also filled. Many Protestants attended every
night. The general verdiCt: declared this the most successf~ll mission ever given in the Cathedral. There are very
�Missionary Labors.
179
few persons left who did not make the mission. The Protestant spirit of divorce being accepted by some few, nothing could be done with them. Mixed marriages, and before a Protestant minister, are quite common. About twenty
such cases were settled during the mission. In nearly all
of them the Protestant party had never been baptized. One
good pious woman whose husband was a Protestant (she
had been married by the priest), had the consolation of
seeing her husband baptized; and he received holy Communion with her on the last day of the mission. She had
been praying for him for years, but, by advice, never spoke
to him about religious matters. During the month of OCtober last, she told her adopted daughter to ask him to go to
church with her. Just then a friend came in for the daughter; so he declined. After all of them had gone he locked
up the house and meeting a Catholic friend who was going
to church went with him. From that time he never missed
Mass on Sunday. He was present at 5 o'clock Mass every
morning of the mission. On the second evening, he presented himself at the class for converts. It then came out
that he had gone some twenty times to the priest to be instructed, but courage failed him at the last moment. Among
those confirmed was quite a number of persons who had
never been to confession, and there was no reason why it
should have been so. We found drink one of the great
causes why confession was neglected. The "Maine Liquor
Law" is far more of an evil than a good. There is far more
drinking going on in Portland than any city of its size in
the Union. Many buy liquor in bottles and carry them
about with them, at least till they are empty, and this is not
long. On the train returning home, it seemed as though
every man had his flask, and was not bashful about taking
a drink in public. This seems to be the result of the law.
The Bishop was away in California when we began the
mission, but returned on Wednesday of Passion Week. We
had, therefore, Confirmation on the Sunday of the closing
of the mission for the men: 15 2 adults were confirmed, 93
of whom made their first Communion; 10 Protestants were
�180
.Mi'ssronary labors.
received into the Church and 5, left for instruB:ion: 2 children, negleB:ed, were baptized, and 20 marriage cases before
a Protestant minister reconciled.-One young fellow, who
had been married by a minister, came to be reconciled. His
child was not baptized. He was told, of course, that he
should have it baptized at once. "I will," he said, "but I am
in mortal sin, and I want to get out of that first, then I will
have the baptism." The wife is now receiving instruB:ion
for her reception into the Church.- \Ve had 6510 Confessions, 5800 Communions.
ST. Do:-.rmrc's, PoRTLAND.-Frs. Langcake, O'Leary, and
Macdonald opened a mission on Sunday, March 23rd, in St.
Dominic's church. This church is one of the oldest in the
diocese, having celebrated its soth anniversary two years
ago. It was for several years the Cathedral of Bishop Bacon. At present, it is a dependency of the Cathedral parish,
and though one of the two priests who reside there, bears
the name of pastor, still he is merely an assistant of the Bishop, who is pastor of the whole city.
This was the first time our Fathers \vere invited to give
a mission in Portland. The Redemptorists had given two
there within five years, and it was plain at the outset to be,
seen that the people were much attached to them, whilsf -·
we were entire strangers to them. Before the close of the
mission, however, we must have made many friends, as nothing succeeds like success. God seemed to have blessed
our labors in a special manner, as we had a much larger
number of confessions than the pastor had reckoned of souls
all told in the parish. He told us that his congregation,
including the children, would not exceed 3000 souls, and
great was his amazement to find out we had 3823 Confessions, and that 3900 persons received holy Communion: 50
• were prepared for first Communion and 120 for Confirmation. Among the latter was -an East Indian, a native of one
of the Islands in the Indian Ocean. He was a young man
of 17 years of age, and came to Portland with the English
consul some few months ago. He speaks French, English
�Missionary Labors.
and his own (the Indian) language. He was an object of
great curiosity in the Confirmation class, and every one
seemed to wish to have a word with him.
Fr. Kavanagh, on April I sth, began a retreat to the pupils of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Boston; some of the
former pupils also attended. There were sixty-eight who
made the retreat, all of them going to Confession and Commumon. This retreat was thrown in as a rest from the mission work. The Father expresses himself as well satisfied
with his work, as the pupils showed much fervor in making
the retreat. They tried to do it as seriously as religious.
H. K.
l\IISSIONS BY THE FATHERS OF THE THIRD PROBATION
DURING LENT.
The mission of St. 1\Iary's, Alexandria, Fr. Denis O'Kane
S. J., pastor, was given by Fathers Jerome Daugherty and
Thomas Stack. It opened on the 16th and closed on the
night of the 23rd of March. There were about 650 Confessions and Communions.
The same two Fathers gave a mission at old St. Joseph's,
Phil., Father Ardia, pastor. There were nearly 3500 Confessions and about 3000 Communions. The mission opened
on Passion Sunday and ended Palm Sunday night. Two
converts were baptized: others were left under instruction :
and a number of negligent Catholics got back into the middle of the road.
ST. JoHN's CHURCH, FREDERICK, MD.-This mission lasted
one week, and was made up of three exercises daily: at 9
o'clock in the morning there was Mass with instruction; at
3 P.M., "Way of the Cross" followed by an instruction, and
at 7 P. M., Beads, sermon, and Benediction of the Blessed
Sacrament.
The attendance at the various exercises was satisfactory,
and the instructions and sermons were listened to with a
steady and serious attention which was highly encouraging.
The immediate fruit of the week's work, was that out of
�Missionary Labors.
a congregation of about six hundred, over 300 approached
the tribunal of Penance.
ST. GABRIEL's CHURCH, NEw YoRK.- A two weeks' retreat \Vas given in this church, to prepare the people of the
parish to make their Paschal Communion in large numbers
and with greater fervor. The first week was for the women,
the second for the men; the attendance at the evening sermon both weeks was all that could be desired, and the number of confessions heard by the two Fathers sent to conduct
the exercises was, women's week·- ·2053, men's week 1461.
Tho pastor of the church, Rev. W. Clowry, and his three
assistant priests, besides being in attendance for the confessional, kindly took upon themselves all the secondary work
of the retreat, such as preparing children and grown persons for first Communion, saying the Rosary, giving the
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The retreat began
on the fourth Sunday of Lent and ended on Palm Sunday.
FoRDHAM, NEw YoRK.-On the first Sunday of Lent, Fr.
Me Er!ane and myself opened a mission of two weeks in
the church of our Lady of Mercy at Fordham, New York.
It is computed that the number- of parishioners amounts to_·
about 700. Although the weather was unusually inclement •·
there was a very large attendance at all the exercises. Many
came from the neighboring parishes. There were about
IJOO Confessions heard andas many Communions given.
ST. MARY's, N. Y.-On the fourth Sunday of Lent, Fr. P.
Murphy and myself began a retreat of two weeks in St.
Mary's church, Grand Street, N. Y. The parish numbers I
believe, about gooo souls. We were very much consoled
by the attendance and fervor of the people, who during the
men's week, as well as the u:omen"s, filled the church every
evening. We estimated that there were about Sooo Confessions heard. I think the Communions exceeded this
number, as many of the people were obliged on account of
the rush to go elsewhere for confession.
F. A. SMITH, s. J.
�Brazii.
ONEIDA, NEW YoRK.-Two ofthe Tertians, Fathers Guldner and Mandalari, were sent to Oneida Co., N.Y. They
worked there for three weeks, giving missions to the farmers and mill-people. They did not keep an· exaCt record
of the number of confessions heard,-it is safe to say that
they heard one thousand. A few persons were baptized,
and one or two reconciled to the church.
General results since January I 3th: Communions, 58,5 I 8 ;
first Communion of adults, 640; Confessions, 65.465; Confirmation of adults, I 204; Baptism of adults, 67; of children negleCted, 5 ; persons left under instruCtion for Baptism, IO.
BRAZIL.
Letter of Father Gala11ti.
lTu, February 24th, I884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
During these last three years Saint Louis' College at Itu
has reached the height of its glory and prosperity. May
our Lord Jesus Christ deign to continue these favors.
These years, our boarders have reached the goodly number of 420, and would have gone far beyond that figure if
we had more accommodations. The name of the college
is favorably spread far and ;.vide, and even our seCtarian
enemies have not dared to say much against us. So much
so, that last year a seCtarian newspaper, telling the people
of Rio Janeiro not to send their children to our college,
could only support its exhortation, by saying that Itu is too
far, and it added, there are to be found in Rio Janeiro teachers, who are able, not less than those of Itu, to keep up a
high standard both in morals and learning. So that he
gave us a high standard both in morals and learning. You
�Braz£1.
will say, perhaps, that it is not much; but we must remember that a few years ago they refused us even this, and
treated us merely as if we were people come from Africa.
In these three years, we have been visited by five Bishops, and by Baron Hiibner, the author of the life of Sixtus
the Fifth and a member of the Upper Chamber in Austria,
and in former times Austrian ambassador at Rome. As he
was visiting South America, at Rio Janeiro he was directed
to visit us by the Viscount of Paranagui, our friend, who
was then the Prime Minister. The Baron is a perfect gentleman and a good Catholic. He. said he recognized this college as one of the Society of Jesus, from the easy and respectful familiarity of the boys towards their professors, and
added that he had observed the very same thing in all our
colleges, which he had visited in his numerous journeys
throughout the world. He did not fail to talk about the
United States of America, and praised a great deal our colleges that he had seen there.
The Bishops who visited us were: Monseigneur Goyas,
a Lazarist, a great friend of Ours ; the Bishop of Marianna
in Minas, who remained here for three days; the Bishop of
Pernambuco, who, the year before last, came to assist at the
distribution of prizes; the Bishop of Ceara, who did the
same last year; and the Bishop of Rio, who came up tw"ice.
The first time, he came merely to take a walk, and remained
here for fifty days, living in a great familiarity with us: the
the second time, he came to honor the feast of St. Aloysius,
and stopped only for a fortnight. As he is the Bishop of
the capital, we gave him a nice reception, consisting of poems,
songs, music, articuli ad modum S. Thoma! Aquinatis, and
so on. He relished every thing and became quite enthusiastic.
Besides these prelates, our Bishop of St. Paul came last
year for the feast of St. Aloysius, on which he preached,
sang the high Mass, and carried the Blessed Sacrament in
the procession. He is very kind towards us and a great
friend to our Society. By the by, at present all the episcopal sees in Brazil are held by such Bishops as the Holy See
�.B razz"!.
wished: all of them are friendly to our Society and nearly
all ask for some of Ours ; but we are few and cannot do
more than we do.
I cannot now avoid saying something of our feasts, which
in these last three years took large proportions. They are
three; the first is that of Saint Aloysius, the second is for the
end of the year, and the third for the Rev. Father ReB:or.
This last one is a feast of the family, and, as a rule, onlya
few friends assist at it. But the two others are noisy, and
generally we have then with us from twenty to thirty gentlemen, of the first rank, and nearly all of them come from Rio
Janeiro. To appreciate better the meaning of such a concourse, you have to know that Rio Janeiro is from here
a distance of two days by rail-road, and that these gentlemen come up merely for the college, for Itu otherwise has
nothing to attraCt the attention of a gentleman. Upon such
occasions the seB:arian newspapers give vent to all their indignation with the professed purpose of lessening the moral
force we may receive from such visits; but heretofore they
have obtained nothing at all; on the contrary, they have
done us some good.
The feast of St. Aloysius, first of all, consists of a triduum, made both by the boys and by the people, but separately. The boys receive holy Communion on the twentyfirst, but the solemn feast and the general Communion of
the people are on the Sunday i11Jra oilavam. On Saturday
evening, our boys in military uniform with their band going
ahead, and attended by their prefeB:s and professors, take
the statue of St. Aloysius from the church of the college to
that of a little residence, which we have at the other end of
the town, where the feast is celebrated for the reason that
the church is large. There is then a sermon, followed by
BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament. Upon returning
home, we are obliged to illuminate by means of Bengal
lights the whole street from the church to the college. For
in this town, which seems not foremost in civilization, there
is not as yet any gas-light.
VoL. xm-No. 2.
12*
�t86
Brazil.
On the morning of the feast, we are awakened at four
o'clock by fireworks and music. It is the common custom
of the country. At six o'clock there is the Mass of the
general Communion. At ten, there is a solemn high Mass
with a sermon inter missarmn solemnia: there is of course,
both vocal and instrumental music by the college boys. Our
maestro, a young Roman, on that day is in rapture. The
celebration never takes less than three hours. When everything is over, the boys return home, formed in a large battalion, the band of the college goes ahead, and the musicians show they are not yet tit;ed, and the people that they
are still willing to hear.
··
In the evening, there is a solemn procession, that goes
through two streets of the town. Some of the boys carry
the statues of St. Aloysius, and St. Stanislaus; others carry
banners, oriflammes, and the like. All, or nearly all the
schools of the town, several confraternities, three bands, and
many people attend the procession. The guests of high
rank, as a rule, follow the clergy taking their place behind
the baldachin. The year before last, besides the governor
of the province, there were two senators, who at the same
time were state counsellors. In Brazil they hold the first
rank after the emperor. This little town had never se~n,
and without our college, was never to see such a spectacl~.
The church is always beautifully decorated by one of our
lay-brothers. At the end of the procession there is a sermon, and Benediction. We then come back to the college
as the day before.
Do you think that now every thing is finished? No,
we have yet a full day of burly-burly; for next day, we
have the college feast, and it is great sport for the boys.
Early in the morning, the boys begin their preparation for
the great illumination of the night in the play-ground.
Every body contributes as well as he can, and prepares himself for the amusement. . The three divisions rival each
other. They are at work during a whole month, but, on
this last day, the immediate preparation calls for redoubled
activity.
�Brazil.
At two o'clock, there is a solemn dinner, in which with
all the boys and the Fathers there are generally forty or
fifty guests. Then there are several toasts, speeches, songs,
music. After dinner the boys display in their preparation
for the illumination as much aCtivity as possible. The great
burly-burly begins as evening comes on and-- "twilight
gray has in her sober livery all things clad". There are
generally three thousand lights disposed in the most whimsical way; there are bowers, arches, gardens, squares and
the like, all glowing with lights : there are also several bonfires to augment the light, in order to have the whole playground illumillato a gz'onzo. At the same time some balloons
are sent through the air, and fireworks of several kinds, of
·which the Brazilians are very fond, make such a noise that
one would think himself in the middle of a battle. Every
boy has a store of these fireworks, and every one amuses
himself as well as he conveniently can. The order, however, is not disturbed; on the contrary, nearly every thing
is done in concert at a signal given by a whistle. The
whole affair lasts about three hours; then at a signal given
every thing is over in a moment; silence reigns ; there are
then night prayers, tea, and rest.
You wonder, perhaps, that in the middle of the winter, as
June is in this country, we may keep our boys at the playground up to ten o'clock. But you must remember that
winter in this country is very mild, and dry too. A danger
far greater comes from fire-works, and I own I am always
frightened on that day; but owing, I believe, to a singular
proteCtion from above, we never had to deplore any disas~
ter on the occasion of this feast.
Next morning our friends mindful . that fish and guests
smell when they are three days old, go away after taking a
good breakfast. At the same time the boys take again to
their books and the professors already weary of the feast,
begin again their work.
At the end of July there are three days of retreat for the
boys, and, on the day of our blessed Father Saint Ignatius,
there is the first Communion for a good many of them,
�188
Brazil.
The feast of the end of the year lasts for two days, but
it is only at night, and only in Aula majori collegii. It consists of literary and musical productions, in the representation of some drama, or farce, and is concluded by the
solemn distribution of prizes.
This is what is going on, but we have still to struggle
with many difficulties. A principal one is that of the examinations. In this country what every one looks after is
to get free of his examinations, in order to go to the university as soon as possible. It is incredible how much the
Brazilians are driven by this mania. It is not a question of
learning, but of examinations, and the sooner they get
through it the better, no matter what they know. We are,
like the thermometer; and any college, from one year to
another might see its boys reduced by a half or even more,
if at the end of the year the examinations be not successful.
Now, as the college is far from the capital, our students are
obliged to go and stay there one or two months. But the
moral atmosphere is so corrupt there that, as we have learned by sad experience, when a boy has been for some time
alone at Saint Paul, he cannot remain any longer in our
college. Therefore, the Rev. Fr. Rector, two years ago, attempted to obtain from the government a permission for
our boys to stand their examinations in the college its"flf,
as it is done, for instance, at Stonyhurst in England. Fr.
Rector was comforted in the business and supported by
several friends ; every thing seemed to go on very well, but
at the last moment he received a formal refusal. Then Fr.
Rector took another resolution, but full of difficulties; it
was to hire a part of a large hotel at St. Paul, and to go
there with the boys,. who had to stand their examinations.
He subjected them to discipline as well as he could. We
have withal many other difficulties, and some of us feel
forebodings that the time of some great trial is at hand.
Some signs are warning us of it. For hitherto we had
never in this college any serious diseases, but last year we
had several, and chiefly a contagious one. Here it is called
Sarampo, and it is, I think, what you call measles: it is a
�Brazz"l.
disease akin to small pox, and as dangerous. It commences with catarrhal symptoms ; and is marked by an eruption
of distinCt red circular spots. In spite of the greatest precaution to prevent its spreading, we had fifty odd boys sick
at a time. The seCtarian newspapers, of course, exulted
heartily at our difficulties, and strove to strike terror into
the parents ; but, thanks to God, nobody died, and in a few
weeks every one got well.
Another sign of our approaching trial is a new religious
question raised in Brazil. The present cabinet has declared
that it is going to get hold of all the goods of the religious
orders, except for the moment those houses, in which teaching is imparted. Some Bishops have energetically protested,
but meanwhile the minister goes on, and even has refused
to receive the protestation of the Nuncio.
At the same time some people in Pernambuco are beginning to make again some noise against the Bishop, though
he is very well known for his prudence and moderation.
How it shall end, God alone knows : we shall see, and shall
be ever mindful that our Lord said : in mzmdo pressuram habebitis >" sed coJtjidite, ego vici mzmdum.
But during the last days of the past year we met with a
great misfortune. I mean the sudden and melancholy death
of good Fr. Speranza. The accident happened in the following way. Four Fathers of this college were on the seacoast near the town of Santos, in order to rest a little from
their scholastic labors, and take some baths. We were
there very well off (the writer of this letter was of the company); the spot was perfeCtly secluded, though near the
town; we had a good house, the beach was magnificent,
the sea quite still, and just in front of the house, so that
we could get a bath at any time. It was just the eighth
day after our arrival there, a day of extraordinary heat, when
Fr. Speranza went to bathe at four o'clock in the afternoon.
As it was very near, and as there was no appearance at all
of any danger, he went alone. Five minutes after this, one
of us, who had told the Father not to go, because the dinner was ready, feared some mishap and repairing to the
�190
Brazll.
beach, saw the 1 Father carried away by the tide. A man
was immediately sent in a canoe to rescue the Father, but
he was already drowned. You may fancy our sadness at
that awful moment! We did our best under such circumstances, but no sign of life appeared ; he was already dead!
A doCtor was called as soon as possible; it was too late.
We then apprised the police of the faCt, and took proper
measures for a modest but decent burial on the next day.
On this mournful occasion, we were consoled by several
friends, who showed us a good deal of sympathy, and by
some of our boys, who were ·enjoying their vacations at
Santos. All of them assisted at the burial in spite of a
heavy rain. It was the thirtieth of December of 1883. The
Rev. Fr. ReCtor, who at this time was on business at Rio
Janeiro, being apprised of this accident sent to Rome a telegraphic communication, in order to have the suffrages of
the Society offered up as soon as possible. It was a great
aa of charity, and probably this was the first time that a
telegram was ever sent from Brazil to Rome for such a purpose.
Father Vincentius Speranza was born at Spoleto, Umbria,
April 15th, 1833: he was received into our Society at Rome,
OCtober 22nd, 1868, and made his solemn profession in this
college, February 2nd, 1882. At Spoleto, he had taught
rhetoric in the episcopal Seminary, and was a canon of the
cathedral. He made his novtiate at Rome, repeated his
philosophy, at Marialach, Germany, and his theology at
Laval.
He made his tertianship at Tronchiennes, Belgium, where
he asked for the Mission of Brazil. He was, however, called
to Italy where he taught grammar, and the year after, at
the end of 1876, he was sent to this college. Here he passed
two or three years prefeEl:ing and, at the same time, teaching grammar; then he was employed teaching philosophy.
As you know well the wear and tear of such a hidden and
crucified life, I shall merely add that this good Father had
great zeal; he worked truly A. M. D. G.; he was edifying
in every thing, prudent, obedient~ humble~ anq foremost in
�Canada.
every point of regular observance, chiefly in our daily spiritual duties. He was ever attentive to his class, for which
he prepared daily with no common diligence.
Before closing this letter, I cannot help rejoicing heartily
with you and all of Ours at the great good you are doing
in your country : your fruitful missions, your colleges, your
festivals and everything else cause us here great joy, and
console us in the Lord. The WooDSTOCK LETTERS are
found here quite interesting by the Fathers who can read
them in English; those who don't know English have asked
to have them read in Portuguese at dinner. May our Lord
ever prosper more and more our beloved Society, especially
in America that promises so great a future. Crescite et
multiplicamini et replete terram.
Yours in Domino,
R. M. GALANTI,
s. ].
CANADA.
SIX MONTHS OF A .MISSIONARY.
Letter from Father Chambon to R. F. Superior.
February, 1884.
REv. AND DEAR FATHER SuPERIOR,
P. C.
I know that you are not indifferent to the labors of your
children in these distant Missions where civilization is only
beginning to take a firm grasp, and I am confident that a
more or less detailed account of a few months of my missionary life will be interesting to your Reverence. Some
little glory may be procured to God even here on the shores
of Lake Superior. But that is all one may seek; for hardships and fatigues are the only earthly recompense of the
Missionary in the North-West. I shall try to give in this
�Canada.
letter the details of my travels during the latter half of the
year 1883.
You will remark that stoppages were frequent. This was
unavoidable. The prospect of hearing a confession or of
saying Mass and giving the Food of angels to some longing
soul was a reason sufficiently strong to make me many a
time turn towards the shore and moor my little boat.
On the third of July last, I left Garden River in a sailboat, accompanied by a guide. The wind was favorable,
but not strong, and we went along slowly, perhaps too slowly.
The next day we tied our boat to a steamer and reached
White Fish Point, a distance offo;ty miles from Garden River. We staid in this neighborhood for a few weeks, and
it was not until the first of August that we continued our
voyage to Grand Marais. Providence saved us from a severe
storm which had commenced but a few hours before we
reached Grand Marais. As it was, we only touched land
in the middle of the night, after a wearying trip of fifty
miles.
Here we pitched our tent. The stiff gale blowing off the
Lake made it hard work for us to keep the tent in position.
The night was dark; and neither light nor anything else
that would indicate a human habitation was to be seen. J
remained with the tent, and I sent my man out into the dark:.·
ness to explore. The place was not unfamiliar to him, and
he was the one to look for a house where we might have
our victuals cooked. He found one. A bright light appeared now and then between the branches, and guided the
boatman to a small house where a French Canadian woman
held sway. The good lady at first objected to receive me,
much less lend me her stove to cook my food. She gave
me to understand that it was not her custom to harbor Protestant preachers, and only after I had convinced her that I
was not one of them did she show any willingness to receive me. She offered many apologies for her mistake, and,
perhaps, treated me all the better for it. Her husband was
glad to see me, and did everything to make my stay happy.
On Sunday, July 5th, I said Mass in the schoolroom at
�Canada.
Grand Marais. The attendance was pretty large ; amongst
those present was a number of Protestants. The Confessions and Communions were few. I had service again in
the afternoon. It is to be deplored that some of the Catholics of the place are ashamed of their religion, and do not
dare praaise it openly. Several of them are of mixed blood
-the fruits of marriages between whites and Indians. Their
condua is far from edifying. But we may easily account
for this pitiable state of things : a priest was, perhaps, never
here before. Grand Marais is only in its first stages of
development; it may in the future become a small town.
A narrow piece of land projeaing into the Lake forms a
fine harbor; the government workmen are now employed in
making the passage in and out more easy. Excellent timber covers the land for ten or fifteen miles around, and sawmills the nucleus of so many other towns and cities have
already made their appearance. A road cut through the
woods conneas the settlement with the railway running between Marquette and Point St. Ignatius.
On Sunday, I and my boatman left Grand Marais. We
arrived the same day at Life Saving Station, No. 12. These
Life Saving Stations are placed along that part of the coast
of Lake Superior, to assist vessels in distress, there being no
harbor within a distance of many miles. Each station has
a staff of eight men and two strong row-boats capable of
holding many persons. The Captain or Keeper of No. 12
is a Protestant, but that did not prevent me from pitching
my tent for the night, and saying Mass next morning.
There were present at Mass three Canadians and an Irishman. We left No. I 2 after breakfast; we wen.: obliged to
row all the way to No. I 1. Here we found the Keeper
and the greater part of his men Catholics. As on the previous day, Mass was celebrated under the tent. The attendance was large also. The narrow Two Hearts' river
separates the station from a settlement of fishermen ; their
presence served to increase the number at the Holy Sacrifice. We started some time during the forenoon; stayed a
VoL. xm-No.
2.
13
�Canada.
day at Station, No. 10. Here I had two Communions. At
the next Station, No.9, all the men with the Captain were
Catholics. Some of them went to Confession and received
holy Communion.
On Friday, August 10th, I reached ·white Fish Point, a
little village made up of a light-house and a dozen other
houses built around it. The Point is a rendezvous for Indian fishermen hailing from different directions. The resident Catholics are very few ; those who attended Mass in
the room of the village hotel were almost all strangers.
There were a few Confessions al}d Communions.
On Monday, we left White Fish Point; a clear sun and a
favorable wind gave us every reason to believe that we were
in for a pleasant day's travel; we were not disappoint~d.
The waters of Lake Superior seldom presented a more
beautiful surface ; for a few hours our sails carried us along
the Lake like the wings of a bird. In the afternoon the sea
grew rough, but only of a roughness that hardly ever leaves
these great inland seas. After a pleasant day's sailing we
neared at dusk a place called Mamikon. This place is a
settlement of fishermen-a good-natured, whole-souled set
who are always glad when the priest comes. We stayed
with them for the night. The next morning we went to.a
place called La Point aux Pins, about six miles from tfur
residence. My boatman was anxious to be home again,
and we continued our journey immediately to the Sault.
Here I met your Reverence.
I was again at Point aux Pins for the feast of the Assumption. The point is on the Canadian shore, between Waiskai Bay and the Sault. A number of Indians gather there
every summer, to pick berries. I visited them during the
last two berry-seasons. I said Mass in a house; a small
number went to Confession and received holy Communion.
On the evening of Assumption Day, I left Point aux Pins
with an Indian to go to Dollar's Settlement between White
Fish Point and Waiskai Bay. I said Mass there the following morning. The settlement can only count three Catholic families in their midst. Waiskai Bay can boast of some-
�Canada.
195
thing better. Six Catholic families are occupying farms
not far from the Bay; three other families are living along
Whisky River, a good-sized stream flowing into Waiskai
Bay. Upwards of fifteen or sixteen persons were present at
Mass in the school-room.
Below the Sault on the American side, is Sugar Island.
There are two small Indian villages situated upon it. The
inhabitants are American citizens. They vote for the President, and exercise all their other civil rights like the proudest citizen in the land. In one of the villages called Wantnodinang, there is a school. The teacher is a Protestant;
besides his ordinary duties as teacher, he tries his hand at
proselytizing by a regular Sunday sermon. There are "over
three hundred Catholics on the Island, and I was told that
the Protestant teacher has quite a number of them among
his hearers every Sunday. This is a sad state of affairs; it
is sad to think that we are unable to do anything, to prevent the evil results that must necessarily arise here as
well as in a dozen of other places in this neighborhood
where Catholic ignorance has to deal with Protestant error.
During my short visit here this year, I baptized a Protestant Indian woman, the wife of a French Canadian. She
had been a Baptist. Last year I baptised her mother who
was supposed to be a Methodist. The Methodists, she told
me, had baptized her without giving her any instruB:ion,
and besides, she never told them she wanted to be baptized.
On the 3rd of September, the Right Rev. John Vertin,
Bishop of Marquette, came to Detour, whither I had come
a few days previously, to prepare some children and grown
up people for Confirmation. The ceremony took place in the
room of Mr. Lyons, the builder of the Detour saw-mills.
Fifteen or sixteen received Confirmation; his Lordship
left immediately for Point St. Ignatius. His stay at Detour
was of fifteen minutes' duration. I accompanied his Lordship to the Point.
On Sunday, 9th of September, I said Mass in the Sailors'
Encampment; next morning I returned back to Detour. In
the afternoon, I embarked in my boat with an Indian to sail
�Canada.
to Les Sables, a reserve on the Canadian bank about
thirty-two miles from Detour. We arrived during the night.
And we had some trouble in getting ashore. Neither myself nor my boatman was well acquainted with the place;
the sea was heavy and rough, and had it not been for a
light that we sighted while yet some distance out on the
Lake, there is no telling what might have become of us.
Guided by the light after I had landed, I knocked at the
door of a small lonely house not far from the shore. The
door opened, and on a table near the window on the opposite side of the room I saw a sm~ll coffin. A burning lamp
standing on the lid furnished the bright light we saw when
on the Lake. Next morning, I performed the funeral service over the body of the dead child. I then started accompanied by two young men, to see some French Canadians, living about four miles from Les Sables, and I remained there a couple of days. A few Confessions and
Communions were the result of my visit.
On the roth of September, I was at Thessalon. During
my week's stay there I was employed in hearing Confessions, preparing children for first Communion, visiting Catholics who live out in the country, etc. I had also some
work done in the dwelling raised for the priest a few montl;ls
before. I reached Bruce Mines on the twenty-eighth·"of
September, Hilton on the thirtieth. To the latter place I
had carried the two thousand feet of lumber that lay in the
church at the Mines. I prepared a number of young people,
almost all past the age required for first Communion. They
live in different parts of St. Joseph's Island, but fortunately
not far from Hilton. On Sunday, OEI:ober 7th, I said Mass
in the house of a Catholic living four miles from Hilton.
Here I stayed some time, preparing four children for first
Communion. A part of the month of OB:ober I spent in
gathering materials for the building of a small chapel, for
my occasional visits. During the rest of the month my
time was pretty well employed, going from one place to another, hearing Confessions, celebrating Mass and giving
holy Communion. Connelly's Landing, MacCarthy's place
�Canada.
197
and the Sailors' Encampment were among the number of
my halting places. A small church graces the Encampment. It is as yet unfinished, but I expeCt: before long to
give the finishing touch to this humble house of God. The
Bruce Mines' lumber that I brought to Hilton was just the
kind required to finish the church, and I transported it a
second time in my boat from Hilton to the Encampment.
In the beginning of November, I left Hilton in the steamer
"Africa" for Thessalon. Here I took passage in a sail boat
to the Indian Reserve, Les Sables. The trip was a short but
a very perilous one. The boat was full of lumber and badly
balanced. The bow was much too heavily laden. We had
been out from shore but a short time, when a stiff breeze
filled the sails. The boat began to heave and plunge in an
alarming way.
The waves dashed over the sides and
drenched us completely. A complete drenching is at all
times a most unpleasant thing, but one cannot help thinking
that it is particularly unpleasant to receive a drenching in
the middle of November, many miles out from shore and
many miles away from a dry suit of clothes. But this is
only one of the little incidents that tend to make the life of
a Missionary interesting, if it is not followed by evil results.
Happily in my case nothing serious resulted from the
drenching.
Two weeks more were spent in going to and from the
Indian Reserve, Thessalon, Hilton and Bruce Mines. On
the twenty-third of November, after trying in vain to get
some one to accompany me to the latter place, I set out
alone in my boat. The wind was off shore, and I thought
that by keeping close to land I would not encounter rough
seas,-and after all, the distance was only eight or nine miles.
After I had been some time out I found that the trip would
be too long if I followed the shore ; so I decided to keep out
much farther. A stiff head wind was blowing, and I was
obliged to row all the time :-the boat, in faCt:, was not less
heavy for having a stove at the bottom. After nearly seven
hours' hard rowing, I had made about six miles. I was still
~hree miles from the Mines. I was becoming exhausted,
�Canada.
and I steered for the shore. But the land as I approached
looked like a black wilderness. The prospect was anything
but pleasant. Night had already come on. It \vas pitch
dark, and not a light to be seen. Rather than lose myself
looking for a house, I decided to remain during the night
partly in the boat and partly in the woods. God favored
me with a mild night. Had it been cold, mine would have
been a sorry lot, and I should have suffered much more than
I did. After all, the night was a dreary one and dragged
slowly along. I counted the hours and the minutes,-now
resting against a tree, now seeki~g a dry spot to lie down
upon, now lighting a match only to see the second-hand of
my watch turning even more slowly than was its wont. At
last day broke. Half dead with fatigue and want of sleep, I
got into the boat and rowed in the direCtion of the mines.
The wind had turned and was blowing hard to land. It
pushed me to shore at a rapid rate. I rowed against wind
and water as long as my strength allowed; when I could row
no longer I dropped the oars, and found myself carried towards land in a twinkling, and thrown on a rock. Luckily the rock was a smooth one. The boat did not suffer
much damage. I jumped out, took everything from the
boat, and threw it into the lake. The stove had its turn,.
but it fell in shallow water and I marked the spot. I did.·
not know where I was. I could see neither path nor road.
All was bush, rock and marsh. A high rocky ridge ran a
few hundred yards from the shore. If I could only gain
the top of that, I should have a good view, perhaps, of the
other side and find out whether I was on an Island or not.
I bagged my provisions-one large loaf of bread-shouldered my axe, and started for the ridge. The prospect ou
the other side was anything but encouraging.-Nothing
but marsh and bush as far as the eye could reach. I walked along the ridge, now and then halting, to take a view of
surroundings. After walking about an hour in a high state
of anxiety, I caught a glimpse of a house lying in the midst
of some trees on an elevated piece of land a good distance
away. This cheered me, and I made great efforts to reach
�Canada,
it. Nearly an hour's walk brought me to the house, but I
was greatly disappointed to find it abandoned. However,
it was a house, and I set to making myself comfortable. A
good large fire place was built in one side of the kitchen
and with a few matches, and the dry wood that I gather.ed outside, I built a glowing fire. I piled up the fuel. The
crackling of the logs was music; never was fire or heat more
welcome to me than on that day. I thanked Providence
for this place of refuge. My situation was looking less
gloomy than it did in the morning. After submitting to a
thorough warming and drying,· I started out again to explore, determined, however, to return to the abandoned
house if nothing better presented itself before evening. I
followed a path leading through the woods, and came at
last to a glade. Here just in front of me stood a little farmhouse. Three persons-a man, his wife and daughter, came
forward to meet me, and after they heard my story, did all
they could to make me welcome. They were not Catholics, but I shall long remember their kindness. They prepared a hearty meal for me, and listened with great interest
to the details of my little mishaps of the preceding twentyfour hours. After I had rested a few hours, the good farmer and his neighbors accompanied me to the place where
the boat lay; we pulled it out of the water and put it in a
safe place. I left the baggage with the boat, and took only
what was necessary to say Mass next morning, with my
Breviary and a few other articles. During the following
week I paid another visit to the boat, and tried to raise the
stove out of the water. It was a harder job than I expeB:ed when I threw it in. The ice was about two inches thick
over the spot where it lay; it took a long time to make
holes and probe it at the bottom with hooks and poles. After much patient searching, my companion's grappling-iron
caught it fast, and it was soon at the surface. It is now in active service at Thessalon.
My next stoppage would be at Les Sables. After having
tried in vain to get some one to row me thither, I embarked in a large sail-boat bound for Detour. This would
�200
Canada.
leave me twenty-two miles nearer my destination, and I
should soon be able to get to the Canadian shore. This
was on Friday, September 30th. ·when we started the wind
was favorable; the two men who were in the boat were confident that we should reach Detour before night. Now I
was safe, I began to forget the events of the last few days
when I felt myself carried away from the scene. For our
stout little boat ploughing the waves before a stiff breeze,
left the land behind her in a way that any enthusiastic boatman would admire. I composed myself for a pleasant score
of miles over the Lake and began reading my Breviary.
But man only proposes. We were twelve miles from De·• tour, and night was approaching, when suddenly the wind
veered, and carried us into the ice. 'vVe were caught fast;
only after four hours hard work did we succeed in extricating ourselves. Here God's protection was evident. Had
we been forced to remain in the midst of the ice during the
whole ofthat cold November night, it is hard to say if any
of us would have been left to give this narrative.
But we escaped our danger only to encounter another.
The wind had again changed, and we were off under full
sail in the direction of Detour. The darkness was complete;
we had no means of knowing where we could land. ,TJle
fates were evidently against us ;-we landed on a rock"l
This was even a more serious encounter than that with the
ice; God did not fail again to protect one of his unworthy
children. The boat was sailing at a rapid rate and the
shock caused by the blow on the rock almost stunned all
three of us. Our first care was to look for leaks, but besides a severe strain, the· boat suffered little damage. We
made our way to Detour, and arrived there near the middle
of the night. Detour is the most considerable of all the
stations that I have to attend. The resident Catholics expect to see a church built there before next Spring. I
spent the first two Sundays of December there. On week
days, I went into the country, visited many families, and
said Mass in different places.
During the remaining days of December, I visited the
�The Society's Work among the Indi'tms.
20i
Missions south-east of the. Sault, saying Mass every day in
a different place. May God in His mercy grant many
blessings to those poor half~abandoned people whom He
deigns to visit sacramentally.
My letter is already too long. Perhaps, I have gone too
much into details, but your Reverence has read enough to
form some idea of the life of a Missionary on the shores of
the Great Lakes. There is still room for laborers in this
region. Our present number does not suffice to meet the
spiritual wants of these people. Generosity to God could
not be shown better than by helping to care for flocks that
are only awaiting pastors. And what a consoling Apostolate ! The dew-drops that fall from heaven are not more •·
refreshing to the flowers they moisten than the few Communions and Confessions I gather here and there are consoling to me and welcome to the Sacred Heart of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
I remain, my dear Father Superior,
Yours sincerely in the Sacred Heart,
J. F.
CHAMBON.,
s. J.
THE SOCIETY'S WORK AMONG THE INDIANS.
THE VIEWS OF A PROTESTANT SENATOR.
The Indian appropriation bill being under consideration
in the Senate of the United States, Mr. Vest of Missouri
·said:
"Now, as to education, in all my wanderings in Montana
last summer I saw but one ray of light on the subjeCt: of
Indian education. I am a Protestant, born one, educated
one, expeCt: to die one, but I say now that the system adopted by the Jesuits is the only praCticable system for the education of the Indians and the only one which has resulted in anything approaching success. When the Senator
from Massachusetts, the chairman of the Committee on InVoL. xm-No. 2.
13*
�202
The Society's Work among tlze indians.
dian Affairs, said the other day that the reason of the success of the Jesuits more than any other sea with the Indians was that they devoted their whole lives to the work,
he struck the key-note of the entire situation. Take a
Protestant clergyman and send him to the 'Nest, I do not
care how aCtive and zealous he may be, he goes there with
his family ties; he goes there looking back to civilization,
he goes there half devoting himself from a sense of duty
to this ungenial life.
"Take a Jesuit and what does he do? He is a semi-military preacher. He belongs to the Company of Jesus. He
owns nothing but the robe upon his back. If he receives
an order from the commander of ..the Company at the dead
hour of night to arise and go to Asia, he goes without a
question. He is a number, he is not a man. He is segregated from the world. I talked with Father Ravalli at St.
Mary's Mission, who had been forty-two years among the
Indians in Montana, had devoted his whole life to them, had
been· sent there from Italy, an accomplished physician; and
when I visited him at his little room in the Mission he was
lying there, having been bed-ridden for five years and still
administering medicines and performing surgical operations
on each recurring day. This man's whole life was given up
to the work, and what is the result? To-day the Flathead
Indians are a hundred per cent. advanced over any other
Indians in point of civilization, at least in Montana.
"Fifty years ago the Jesuits went among them, and today you see the result. Among all those tribes, commertc'ing with the Shoshones, the Arapahoes, the Gros Ventres~
the Blackfeet, the Piegans, the River Crows, the Bloods, and
Assinaboines, the only ray of light I saw was on the Flathead reservation at the Jesuit Mission schools, and there
were boys and girls-fifty boys and fifty girls. They raise
cattle; the Indian boys herd them. They have mills; the
Indian boys attend them. They have blacksmiths' shops ; ·
the Indian boys work in them. When I was there they
were building two school-houses, all the work done by the
scholars at the Mission. They can not raise corn to any
extent in that climate, but they raise enough vegetables and
enough oats to support the whole school; and I never saw
in my life a finer herd of ~attle or horses than they had
upon that Mission. Five nuns, Sisters, and five Fathers constitute the teachers in the respeCtive schools. We had a
school examination there which lasted through two days.
I undertake to say now that never in the States was there
�The Society's Work among the India11s:
203
a better examination than I heard at that Mission of children of the same ages with those that I saw there. The
girls were taught needle-work; they were taught to sew
and to teach; they were taught music; they were taught
to keep house. The young men were taught to work upon
the farm, to herd cattle, to be blacksmiths and carpenters
and mill-wrights.
"Here is the whole of it in one single sentence: I asked
Father Van Gorp, the Father in charge of the Mission, to
give me his experience as an Indian teacher and to state
what had given the school its remarkable success. He said
it resulted from the faa of teaching both boys and girls.
He said for twenty years the Jesuits had had only a male
school. I call the attention of the Senators who are interested in this question to this single point. He said when
they educated the boys and graduated them at the school
they went back to the tribe; they were immediately re·
ceived with jeers and reproaches, told that they had white
blood in their veins, that they talked like the white people,
and that they dressed like the white people, and that they
were apostates to their race. The result was that the Indian, in order to maintain his position with his fellows, became a worse barbarian than he ever had been before.
'"I do not want to say anything against the schools at
Hampton or Carlisle. I undertook on that expedition to
use one or two of those scholars as interpreters. All it
seemed to me they had advanced in was to learn to deplete
the plains of running horses, and General Sheridan agreed
with me that they were the most expert horse-thieves on
the top of the earth. They go back, and instead of teaching the other Indians, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred
they relapse into barbarism.
"I do not speak with any sort of denominational prejudice in favor of Jesuits; I was taught to abhor the whole
sea; I was raised in that good old-school Presbyterian
church that looked upon a Jesuit as very much akin to the
devil; but I say now if the Senator from Massachusetts, the
chairman of Committee on Indian Affairs, will find me any
tribe of blanket Indians on the continent of North America
- I do not speak of the five civilized tribes, because they
got their civilization in Georgia and Alabama and by immediate contaCt with the whites- but if he will find me a
single tribe of Indians on the plains, blanket Indians, that
approximate in civilization to the Flatheads who have been
under the.control of the Jesuits for fifty years, I will aban-
�204
The Society's Work among the Indians.
don my entire theory on this subjeCt:. I say that out of
eleven tribes that I saw-and I say this as a Protestantwhere they had had Protestant missionaries they had not
made a single, solitary advance towards civilization, not
one; and yet among the Flatheads, where there were two
Jesuit Missions you find farms, you find civilization, you
find Christianity, you find the relation of husband, wife and
of father and child scrupulously observed. I say that one
ounce of experience is worth a ton of theory at any time
and this I saw and know."
CATHOLIC BUREAU OF INDIAN MISSIONS .
..
The following resolutions were adopted at a meeting of
the Catholic Bureau of Indian Missions held in this city,
May 18th, 1884.
Resolved. That, as the representative in vVashington, of
Catholic Indian interests in their conneCtion with the administratio-n of the Government, Tlze Bureau of Catlzolic Indz{m Missions tenders its sincere thanks to the Hon. George
G. Vest, Senator in Congress from the State of Missouri, for
the eloquent tribute paid by him, in the Senate of the United States, on Monday, May 12, 1884, to the excellence of
the Catholic methods of imparting useful knowledge to the
Indian races, as exemplified at the St. Ignatius Industrial
Boarding Schools, in the northwestern Territory of Montana,
and witnessed by him during an official visit there in the.
month of September, 1883. For his keen appreciation of..
the merits and details of the system by means of which the
Reverend Fathers and Sisters in charge of that work have
been enabled to accomplish such satisfaCtory results, as well
as for the bold, impartial, and independent expression of his
conviCtions on the subjeCt: at that time, this Bureau shall
ever feel grateful, as, it is sure, will also the laborers in that
distant vineyard, together with the entire body of Catholic
clergy and laity throughout the land.
Resolved. That this Bureau have the remarks of Senator
Vest on that occasion republished, and transmitted to every
Catholic Archbishop and Bishop and Indian school throughout the United States.
Resolved. That a copy of these resolutions be transmitted
by the Secretary to the Hon. George G. Vest, and also
published in the "National Catholic," of Washington, the
"Catholic Mirror," of Baltimore and "The Republican" and
"The Democrat" of St. Louis.
�THE GOLDEN JUBILEE
OF FATHER BASIL PACCIARINI.
"And tltou slzalt sanClify tlte fijtietlt year, .. . for it
year ofjitbilee" (Levit. cxxv, v, 10).
is tlte
From the beginning of the current year, we of the community of Fordham had been looking forward to April as
to the month in which Fr. Pacciarini, our dear Spiritual
Father, would attain his fiftieth year of religious life and so
celebrate his Golden Jubilee. \Vhen, therefore, about two
months ago Superiors settled upon the twenty-third of
April as the day of the feast, everybody began to pleasantly
forcast the event. Some hoped that the day would be propitious; others again, that a full and fitting ceremonial
would be observed; while all joined in wishing Fr. Pacciarini to be in good health to receive and enjoy the congratulations due ajubi!atus. The following account of the celebration will show in what measure each of these hopes was
fulfilled.
In the afternoon of the twenty-second, Fr. Pacciarini had
the happiness of welcoming his fellow-novice, Fr. Sestini,
who had come from Woodstock to attend the jubilee; in
the evening of the same day he was present at the entertainment given in his honor by the college boys. The
next morning ushered in the feast proper. It was a clear,
bright day that, were it not for a certain coldness in the air,
might have passed for one of sunny Italy's own special
boast.
Early in the day visitors began to appear, amongst whom
were Fr. Theband, a co-novice of Pacciarini, and Fr. Toner
who was to preach the sermon of the Mass of jubilee.
High Mass was celebrated in the students' chapel, the boys
and the members of the community being present, the lat.ter in the sanctuary. The Mass was sung by Fr. Paccia-
(zos)
�2o6
Golden Jubilee of Father Paccian"tzi.
rini himself, assisted by Rev. Fr. ReCtor as deacon, and by
Fr. Sestini as subdeacon. The other and minor offices were
filled by the scholastics: Messrs. Fagan and Mullan being
acolytes, Mr. Welworth, thurifer, Mr. Quirk, master of ceremonies. It was an impressive sight for all to witness two
such venerable men as Frs. Pacciarini and Sestini officiating
side by side during the Holy Sacrifice, and the tell-tale tears
gathered unconsciously to the eye of the observer. After
the gospel came the sermon of Fr. P. H. Toner. It was a
narrative of the life of Fr. Pacciarini, prefaced by a few remarks on the scriptural authority for the celebration, and
followed by an earnest appeal to the boys in which the
preacher exhorted them "to take the lesson of the Father's
life home to themselves and to look to it that they stifle not
God's grace working in their hearts and calling them to
this or that pursuit in life." The narrative itself was simply
told, but with that touching eloquence that springs from
the heart of one who is all absorbed in his theme. He
spoke of the fifty years~ so well spent in the labors of the
Society, of the toilsome drudgery in the class-room in his
native country, of the life of the faithful student when as an
exile from Italy he was preparing himself for Holy Orders.
All these edifying facts, so gracefully recalled, and rQany
others conneCted with Fr. Pacciarini's missionary career
were the grateful tribute of the speaker to the day's festivities. And we need not say how much we admired the piCture drawn for us of the long wearisome days which zeal
made days of gladness, because meritorious, when the Father was laboring for souls on the Indian Missions in Maine,
or spending the best part of his life in the Maryland counties. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," could
Fr. Toner justly say, sure of a hearty response from his
hearers. Need I say how grateful all felt for the allusion
made to the affeCtionate. regard the community entertains
for the ;itbilatus as the Spiritual Father?
During dinner, remarks of congratulation were made by
Frs. Rector and Thebaud, and a'poem was read by Fr. Pye
Neale. In replying to his well-wishers, Fr. Pacciarini said
�Goldm jubilee of Father Piccirzilo.
201
that his heart was full of gratitude, though his lips failed to
give it utterance. The day was one of unalloyed pleasure
for Fr. Pacciarini, and the sight of his long, useful life crowned by the celebration of this joyful occasion reads to all the
simple lesson : "0 taste, and see that the Lord is sweet :
blessed is the man that hopeth in Him" (Ps. xxxiii, 9).
THE GOLDEN JUBILEE
OF FATHER CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
'vVoodstock witnessed her second celebration of a Golden
Jubilee on the twenty-seventh of May, 1884. Fr. Charles
Piccirillo on that day completed the Fitieth Year of his religious life, the last ten years of which have been passed at
this Scholasti~ate. His untiring labors to forward the best
interests of the place have been deeply felt by the members
of the community, and the exercises with which his Jubilee
was duly commemorated were hailed by them as a happy
privilege.-Among the warm deep words of simple praise
there was not a single note out of the register of the community's voice.-Eulogy was sincere; flattery had no place.
The day was one of cool greyness well suited for a festive
event. A large number of Fathers assembled, to do honor
to the hero of the day.-Everything passed off with religious gayety, and all felt that a fitting tribute of affeB:ion was
accorded a fitting subject. The venerable Father celebrated
the community Mass, at \vhich all received holy Communion for his intention. At· the end of Mass the little chapel
resounded with the hearty tones of the "Te Deum," chanted
by his religious brethren.
We give the order of literary and musical exercises which
were held in the large library of the college at half past
three, P.M.
�Golden Jubilee
of Father Picdrz'llo.
A. lt. D. G.
"Sanctijicabi.s quinqurtge.."imum annum .... ipse enim est jubilxus"-Lev. xxv. 10.
ECCE. REX.
o~I:<IPOTE:ss.
CVRsVs. PVERI. VIDIT.
PART FIRST
Orche~tra -~Iidsummcr
night's DrC'nm- .Jfendclssohn
.Jubilato Gratulatnur-Ln.tin Addre~~ -
Rev. W. Power
A Social Gathering- Engli~h Prof:e
Alex. J. Burrowes
Yisione-Itnlinn Sonnet
A. M. Mandalari
Solo-Saluto-REv. J. BecKLEV- Thomas
M. Izaguirre
Los Prhneros Votos-Spanish Pocn1
P. Arthnis
Une Vocation-Frcneh .Address
De Senectnte-English Prose
E. O'Sullivan
C1torus-''Ecce, quan1 bonttm''-Ps. cxx...··di-Gerold
ET. MENS. DIVINA. VT. NOBIS. LVX. ESSET. IIVNC. CONSECRAVIT
PART SECO-:o."D
Orchestra-On the Beautiful Rhinc-Kcler Bela
l.,a.lhntJsestus 'Voodstockiensis-I.ntin Pro."le
J. F. X. O'Conor
J. A. Chester
''ictor sine clade-Lntin Alcaics
C. Clifford
The llousc not made "·ith llan(ls-English Ode
Glee Club-Moonlight on the L'tke- TV/lite
'II ar=a nvv 1/J"JrruJ.iin llO.,;w-Grcck Anacreontie
GrPetings front the Sciences-English Prose
Ad l\lultns Annos-English Prose
Orchestra-Exhibition Galop--Jat'elot
L. Weber
D. Doherty
,V. Cunningham
�Go!dm jubtlee of Fat!zer Piccirillo.
KAL ·
SEXTO
IVNIAS
MDCCCLXXXIV
· AN
QVE:l.I . DIEM · CONSILIO · INITO
WOODSTOCKIANI · EPHEBEI · S · I . SODALES
CELEBRANDV~I
CVRARVh~
·
QVO · FAYSTA • FELICIAQVE ·OMNIA· ADPRECARENTVR
CAROLO PICCIRILLIO
QVI
· VII ·
KAL • MAIAS · INEVNTE · ADOLESCENTIA
ANTE · ANNOS · L · VITAli! ·IN · SOC • IESV • AVSPICATVS · EST
QVI · l\IORVlii · SVAVITATE · INGENII · INTEGRITATE
A · CANDORE . ADOLESCENTIAE · NVNQVAM . ABLVSIT
DOCTRINA · ERVDITIONE . 01\!NIGENA · INTER · EXIl\IIOS
PRAECLARIS · MVNERIBVS · IN · S · I · EGREGIE · FVNCTVS
QVI · STVDIORVJII · li!ODEll.ATOR • IN · COl\IliiODVlii • ALVl\!NORVlii
O:l.INE · STVDIVlii · CVll.AM · i<'WVSTRIAlii · CONTVLIT
SPLENDOREM • EPIIEBEI · WOODSTOCK IAN! · ARDENTER • CVRA VIT
BIBLIOTIIECA · MVSEO · SOLLERTIA · INCREDlniLI · A VCTIS · EXCVJ,TIS
GRATIAl\1 · VEL • PLA VSVS · ZELO · ET · OFFICIO · POST · IIABVIT
1\IAIORAQVE
·
~!ERITVS
. QVAll!
· TITVLO ·
REFERRI
· POSSINT
l\IODERATORES · DOCTORES · DECVRIALES
SO DALES
VNIVERSI
ALVl\!NI
VIRTVTE · AC
PATRI
· CHARISSil\!0
· STVDIIS
DE
·
EIVS
QVI
CVRA
ADOLEVERVNT
SE
1\IVLTIS
·
NOJIUNIBVS
OPTIME · MERITO
VOTA
Oil
INCOLVli!ITATEl\!
GRATVLATIONESQVE
OFFERVNT
NoTE.-This Inscription was composed by Father Charles Cicatcrri
of the Gcst), Philadelphia.
VoL. xm-No. 2.
14
�210
Tlze Academies of
Woo~stock.
During the entertainment in the library, telegrams of congratulation were received from Boston College and from St.
John's College, Fordham.
At the end of the exercises, Fr. Piccirillo made a very
touching address in which he thanked the community for
the heartfelt interest manifested in his Golden Jubilee.
THE ACADEMIES
OF
WOODSTOCK.
May 27th, 1884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I can not say your Reverence will be glad to hear how
our academies are conduCted and what success has attended
them, for you have been present on several occasions and
are fully informed. Y ounteaders will be pleased, no doubt,
to know what we have done.
We heartily availed ourselves of the privilege of having
an Academy as granted by the Institute to externs attending
our schools, and have endeavored to do everything in its
spirit. We felt the necessity of this help for the furtheri~g
of our future work in the Society, and were more inclined
to take the step, in order to improve our style by writing
and speaking in the vernacular on theological subjeCts.
Nor was the acquiring of a facility in putting these
matters in an intelligible way before the people the least of
the objeCts in view. All know how rare the accomplishment is in pulpit oratory of coming down to the level of the
average hearer who is not skilled in the language of the
Schools.
Our manner of conduCting the Academy is quite simple.
A paper, a half an hour iri length, is read on some class
matter, and two disputants previously seleCted by the presiding officer propose difficulties. After these have been
solved by the reader of the essay, the discussion is general
�The Academics of Woodstock.
2I I
to the end of the hour. This discussion is frequently the
most interesting feature of the meeting.
In regard to the success, I can say that the larger portion
of the theologians are members of the Academy and take
tl~e greatest interest in its workings. Papers have been
read that would do honor to the Society. And this makes
us hope for our long-desired "Review." Be this as it may,
our Academy has done good work and is stronger to·day
than it ever was.
I give you a list of the essays and their authors :
Aristotle on God. . . . . . . . . . . . REv. JoHN ScuLLY.
Our Natural KmJUJ!edge of God . . . . REV. D. GrACCOBBI
Necessity of a Second Revelation . . REv. JoHN A. BucKLEY
Negative side of tlze Question of Revelation Emmined . . . . . . . MR. WILLIAM P. BRETT
Religion, the Basis of Morality . . . MR. EDWARD GLEESON
The Existence of God proved f·~m
the Consmt of Nations . . . . .
. MR. H. OTTING
Controversial bearing of tlte History
• REV. R. DEWEY
of the Inquisition . . . . . . .
A Proof of the E:cistmce of God from
• • MR. P. QUILL
the Faa of Propltecies . . . . .
Scientia Media . . . . . . . . . . . MR. M. I. BoARMAN
Peter, tlze Primate of tlte Clmrclt . . . . MR. M. H. O'BRIEN
Nature and Possibilit)' of Miracles . . . . MR. M. E. DoLAN
The Schism oftlze West . . . . . . . . MR. JonN C. KEVENY
1lze Faa of Christ's Resurreaion is
tlze Corner Stone of Cltristimzity . . REv. E. CoNNOLLY
Father Raphael Dewey is the,presiding officer.
The Philosophers in the class of Ethics have also organized an Academy. They have every reason to be satisfied
with their work. Through the kindness of one of the
members I am able to give the following list of subjeCl:s
tre~ted;
�212
The Resig1lation of Very Rev. Father General.
The Moral Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MR. P. RocHE
Duelling, its Moral Aspefl . . . . . . . . . MR. M. EICHER
Tlze Natural Law . . . . . . . . . . . . MR. J. V. KELLY
Socialism and Right of Property . . . . . . . MR. P. MuLRY
Smcide, its Evil and Prevalence . . . . MR. J. HANSELMAN
The Origin of tlte Right o/ Property . . . . . MR. T. WALSH
Money, its History and Uses. . . ..
MR. J. T. HEDRICK
The Intn"nszc Malice o/ Lying . .
. MR. E. MAGRATH
Have bntte Animals any Rights?·_,
MR. J. GORMAN
Education o/ Miud and Heart. ··
. . . . MR. L. WEBER
Necessity o/ &temal Worship . . . . . . . MR. D. DoHERTY
0
•
0
The presiding officer is Mr. M. Eicher.
0
A.
..
THE RESIGNATION ~OF VERY REV. FATHER
GENERAL.
The farewell letter of one who ruled the Society so well
for more than thirty years in times remarkably calamitou~ •.
cannot but touch a responsive chord in the hearts of us all.
We feel that a kind fatht:r tears himself away from his beloved children whom he has cherished as the apple of his
eye. May God prolong his days that, like another Moses
on the mountain of prayer, he may gain strength for us in
the battles against our enemies.
TO THE FATHERS AND BROTHERS OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS.
.
When the late General Congregation, by God's help, was
happily ended, I was graciously received by the Sovereign
Pontiff whom I apprised of"the fact and also of the election
of Reverend Father Vicar. Availing myself of the occasion,
I submitted to the Sovereign Pontiff that as a vicar had
been chosen who could succeed me, I was no longer neces-
�Tlze Resignation of Very Rev. Fatlzer General.
2 I3
sary for the government of the Society, and thought, in
view of my advanced age and the weakness of body and
mind consequent thereon, that I ought humbly ask leave to
retire from my post, betake myself to some house of Ours,
and there await, in perfect quiet, my last day, unless His
Holiness should see good to make other disposal of me.
The Pontiff, while lending the most considerate attention to
my request, expressed the wish that I should retain my
office yet a little longer, resting on the support which the
counsel and assistance of the Father Vicar would afford me.
In furtherance of which desire I transferred my authority
to the said Father Vicar, with some little reservation to
myself, enjoining on all that they should obey him as they
would me, and that his commands should be received as if
they were my own : and I took care that all, especially the
Provincials, should learn this through a letter under date of
January the 20th, 1884.
In the meantime my years and infirmities have become
greater, and, with the conviction in my mind of what His
Holiness would desire, I believe the time has come for me
to withdraw and hand over the entire management of the
Society to Reverend Father Antony Anderledy. I have
decided that this should be put into execution on the 15th
ofthis month of May. Then, repairing to Rome, there in
our former house of probation, now the Seminary for South
American students, I shall strive to prepare myself for eternal repose.
In this last letter, then, which I shall write to you as Father General, I may be allowed to lay bare, most dear Fathers and Brothers, the very inmost feelings of a parental
heart which are so strong within me at this memorable
moment of my life, and, like a father when forced by death
to part from cherished sons, give a few last words of advice.
First, then, I must render unbounded thanks to God, the
Giver of all good gifts, who, by so marked a providence,
during the long course ot years and through matters and
times of such marked vicissitudes, has deigned to give me
�214
The Resignation of Very Rev. Father General.
the grace to care for, nay, to even advance, the Society.
Join with me, most dear Fathers and Brothers, with all the
praise a grateful heart can give, in extolling a hundred, ah!
a thousand times, the divine goodness that, despite all the
violence and wicked virulence which the powers of hell
have brought to bear upon us, we have seen Our Mother the
Society increase and flourish in a wondrous way, establishing new provinces and new houses, and traversing various
regions of the earth with apostolic labor, and nourishing
them with her very blood.
After God, my thanks are due. to you, most dear Fathers
and Brothers, for your kind will towards me, the proofs of
which, manifold and signal, I shall lovingly cherish, written
in my heart, till life shall close. To you especially am I
grateful who, established in posts of authority, have, by
your devoted zeal to me, lent relief and assistance in the
government of the Society. May God bestow on each of
you the reward worthy your deeds.
Moreover let me say God is my witness that I have ever
cherished you as my son'S, and therefore have ever had your
good before my eyes. If strength has failed me, this steadfast wish of mine has never failed, nor will my fatherly love
for you ever fail, that love with which my heart now more
than ever burns. Ever w.ill this urge me to hold you·-all
embraced in Christ, to pour forth fervent prayers to God
for you, to study your interests to the utmost of my power,
to keep you always in my heart.
Nor will your good will towards me ever fail if you guard
these fatherly warnings which I will set forth briefly that
your mind may more easily retain them. Let your union
with God be constant, in loving Him, in the earnest accomplishment of works of piety, in seeking with a single eye in
all things His greater glory, in the faithful and holy observance of our rules. Be united also with Superiors, especially with the Reverend Father Vicar, whom I commend
to you as I would myself, and let this be notably displayed
in love and in obedience. Lastly; let there be union among
yourselves through which you may be of one heart and on~
�Father Clzarles Booker.
215
soul, as we hear the members of the infant Society were,
though so widely different in point of nationality, and, as
is meet, stand forth sons of the self-same most worthy
Mother.
That you may achieve these results, most dear Fathers
and Brothers, may the most signal glories and most assured
proteCtion of the Society, the adorable Heart of JESUS and
the Immaculate Virgin, be present to you, to whose fostering care and goodness do I commend you, as with all the
love of my heart I give to each and all a father's benediction and again and again commend myself with the whole
Society to your prayers and Holy Sacrifices.
The Servant of you all in Christ,
PETER BECKX,
Fiesole, May I I tit, I884.
s. J.
OBITUARY.
FATHER CHARLES BooKER.
(From "Momiug Star," NC'W Orleans.)
Many of our readers will hear with sorrow the announcement of the death of Rev. Chas. Booker, S. ]., at Grand
Coteau, after a short illness. Fr. Booker was born in London, August 7th, 1822. His father was a well known Catholic publisher, who, in times when English Catholics were
the proscribed and barely tolerated few, strove by devoted zeal to keep alive their faith and hope. At an early
age Charles Booker was sent to Stonyhurst, where he followed the course of studies pursued in that famous college.
At the end of his classical course he decided to ask admission into the Society of Jesus. He was accepted and sent·
to Hodder for his novitiate. After his two years of trial he
took his first vows at Hodder, and was sent to Belgium,
there to complete his philosophical studies.
�216
Father Charles Booker.
Archbishop Blanc and Bishop Portier, of Mobile, desiring
to establish Catholic colleges in their dioceses, applied about
this time to the Very Rev. John Roothan, General of the
Society of Jesus, for professors. The Province of Lyons in
France was to have charge of the new Mission. Fr. Maisounabe, the saintly and learned rector of the great college
of Vals, was named first Superior.
The French Province sent a band of not only earnest and
zealous religious, but consented to the sacrifice of several
of the most brilliant subjects. ·The Catholics of the South
have learned to revere and recall with pride the names of
Cambiaso, Gautrelet, Jourdan, Curioz and others, who, for
years, toiled and suffered amongst us. Meanwhile, the
Province of England had been asked to join in the new
foundation and to furnish English-speaking subjects. Several young scholastics were chosen, among them Father
Charles Booker. He reached New Orleans in 1848, and
has been, therefore, for thirty-six years in our midst. New
Orleans, Grand Coteau and Spring Hill have been the theatres of his zeal.
All who knew Father Booker loved him. Simple as a
child, he had the artless power of guilelessness to multiply
friends. His boys especially loved him, and in and out of
class, among young and old, "Daddy Booker" was the·'(ond
name given him in affection by his devoted children. Simple and artless, Father Booker was true. Once his friendship gained by the most trifling act of kindness, one was
sure of overflowing gratitude and of stanch and bold defense.
His friends, one would think to hear him speak, had no
faults. His generous fealty made him blind to their blemishes, and he saw only their good qualities. Dear Father
Booker!
Father Booker was also remarkable for his-wide cosmopolitan spirit. He was an Englishman and loved his country, but nationality was not able to warp his genial, true,
generous character. He was above the pettiness of sec. tional partiality. For him there was no distinction of Jew
or Gentile.
�Mr.
2tj
!lames McCarthy.
Another bright trait was his frankness. He had to be
taken as he was. He wore no mask. His straightforward
language, in its quaint bluntness, had no sting. His heart
was too gentle to wish to inflict pain.
The clergy of this and of the neighboring dioceses will,
we are sure, not forget Charles Booker at the altar, andiii
their prayers will keep green and fresh his memory. His
many friends, his boys especially, will think of him with
sorrowful affection, and whilst asking God to give rest to
his soul let us all beg to be like him-gentle, true, generous
and faithful to God and man.
Fr. Booker died 24th January, 1884.
MR. }AMES McCARTHY.
We who had lived with the subject of this notice for the
past few years and knew the condition of his health, were
not wholly unprepared for the news of his death ; but his
relatives and many friends at home from whom he parted
so lately in good health and buoyant spirits, will receive
the news with some surprise.
Gifted by nature with more than an ordinary share of
sound practical judgment, he was enabled to bring this
quality to a still further degree of perfection by the facilities
afforded him of studying the customs and characters of the
different countries in which he had lived. Few, even among
our older members, have had the enviable opportunities of
forming so large a circle of acquaintances among his brothers in religion as our departed friend. During the nine
years that have now nearly elapsed since his entrance into
the Society of. Jesus, his lot was cast among five. different
Provinces, while in some of the houses of study in which he
spent part of that time, he met a great number of the younger members from other Provinces.
After two years of novitiate at Clermont, in France, he
was sent to Roehampton, England, where he studied rheto-
VoL. xm-No. 2.
If*
�Mr. James McCartlry.
ric for one year, towards the end of which he received a
letter from the Rev. Father Provincial of Lyons, his Superior at the time, intimating to him that a teacher of English
was needed at the University of Beyroot, Syria, and that
he had been appointed to this arduous Mission. Arrived
at Lyons en route for his new destination, a slight incident
often mentioned to the credit of our friend, occurred, which
served to show his spirit of missionary zeal and prompt
obedience. He was informed by the Superior that when
he should have been provided with everything necessary
for the journey and rested a "few days, a French Father
would be in readiness to accompany him. Mr. McCarthy
replied that he would be ready to start the following
morning.
'vVe must not here imagine that our friend's determination consisted in a feverish purpose resulting from imprudent zeal or novice virtue. He had too clear a judgment,
too keen a foresight not to realize the hardships that
awaited him; but he had made the sacrifice of a comfortable home and loving friends in answer to the call of God,
and every sacrifice that could henceforth be demanded of
him seemed little in his eyes. In the meantime, however,
his destination was changed to that of student of philosophy at Va\s where he remained till the expulsion of "(he
Society from France. He was then invited to the Mission
of New Orleans.
They who knew Mr. McCarthy will readily admit that
he would have set out for the distant and difficult Mission
of Syria with as much quiet of mind as he proceeded to the
Scholasticate of Vals; and we will here ask the masters of
asceticism, if his fervent zeal and ready obedience, did not
gain for him the merits he should have reaped from the labors attendant on the hard missionary duty he was so willing to undertake? Only a few years before, the Superior
of the Seminary at Mt. Mellery, where Mr. McCarthy spent
the five or six years immediately preceding his entrance
into the Society, advised him, as the course of studies in
the Society of Jesus was very severe, it might be well to
�Mr. James .JfcCarthy.
219
remain another year at the Seminary, so as to lay a more
solid basis for the future work. He acknowledged the reasonableness of the advice, but answere{ "vVill you, Father,
assure me that I shall live another year and then be received into the Society of Jesus." He felt the call of God, and
severing the many ties that bound him to his native home,
within the shadow of the historic Rock of Cashel, he had
not hesitated to follow. It would seem as if God had rewarded him for this generous promptitude with that strength
of purpose and holy cheerfulness in the face of difficulties
which charaCterized him the rest" of his life. And was there
not, perhaps, in that answer some presentiment of a premature death? "\Vill you, Father, assur.e me that I shall live
another year." Surely no one could have thought that he,
the foremost in all the out-door games, so hale, so elastic
in his movements was marked out by consumption for an
early vicrim.
Very soon after his arrival at New Orleans in August
r88o, he contracred a slight malarial fever which developed
into consumption. During the whole time of his sickness,
even during the six months preceding his death, when he
had a daily attack of hemorrhage, his cheerfulness never
abated; in fact such were his gay, buoyant spirits, that we
were all, except himself, betrayed for a time into the hope
that his disease would not prove serious; but in his quick
forecast he himself detecrcd the gravity of his case and
plainly foretold the fatal end. For the two years that he
remained in the Mission he was treated by the ablest physicians.
Last year, his Superiors, thinking he might profit by a
change of air, sent him to Woodstock College, Md., where
he was to finish his course of philosophy, necessarily interrupted at the time of the expulsion of the Society from
France. There being no notable change in the state of his
health, he was recalled at the end of the scholastic year to
Springhill College where it soon became evident that our
friend's earthly career was coming to a close.
During the last six months of his life, he meditated solely
�220
Fatlzer Daniel Lynch.
and constantly on death, and when it came he met it with
calm and cheerful resignation. On Saturday, the 5th of
April, he made at his own request a general confession, after
which he conversed freely with those who visited him.
Having noticed that his finger-nails had changed color, he
showed them to those present, remarking that it was a sure
sign of death. At 545 P. 111., he asked for Extreme Unction, and being seated in a chair, requested out of respect
for the sacrament to be laid on his bed. He then clasped
his crucifix, and in this attitude, during the administration
of the last sacred rites of the .. Church, he quietly passed
away to a better life. He was in the twenty-eighth year of
his age. "0 Death where is thy victory," over him who
showed no fear of th~e, because he so dearly loved and served his master, God?
The space here allowed us will not admit of our doing
full justice to the many excellent qualities of our brother;
his solid piety, his great devotion to the blessed Mother of
God, his tender sympathy with others, even while in the
world, would supply matter for an edifying notice. Few
have ever left the Seminary at Mt. Mellery more beloved
and respected both by teachers and companions ; yet even
then, as ever after, no one was more insensible than himself
to his rare gifts, his fine intellect and many virtues.
~ .On the day of his burial, a fitting tribute was paid to his
memory by the President of Springhill College, Rev. Father Mclniry, S. J., his constant friend and adviser.-R. I. P.
FATHER DANIEL LYNCH.
(From the "Capital," Washington.)
On Wednesday evening, April 2nd, Father Lynch passed
away from life. His death was very sudden, and though
he had been ailing for some few days, no serious termination
of his illness was anticipated by his friends. He himself,
however, seemed to have some foreboding of his approach-
�Father Daniel Lynch.
221
ing end, and had made preparation to meet it in a manner
becoming a true son of the Church. Father Lynch was
born in County Meath, Ireland, March 7th, I 8 I 3· His father, Mr. Ambrose Lynch, emigrated to this country about
the year I8IJ, and settled with his family in this city. By
his natural shrewdness and untiring industry he amassed
quite a fortune, and became one of the best known contraCtors in the DistriCt. He resided for many years in the
dwelling situated on the southeast corner of Sixth and E
streets, afterwards purchasedby the late Mr. John Hanna.
Mr. Lynch invested a considerable amount 6f money in
the purchase of large traCl:s of land, bounded by North
Capitol, H, First and L streets northwest. A large portion
of this property he presented to Gonzaga College after his
son's entrance into the Society. Not, however, as stated by
a daily paper, on condition of his son's permanent retention
in the DistriCt, a bargain to which his Superiors could never
have been parties, but simply moved thereunto by his great
zeal for religion, and his desire to make a thanks-offering
for his son's vocation, a most precious thing to his Catholic
heart.
Young Daniel was at the age of ten sent to the old
"Washington Seminary," on F Street, where he laid the
foundation of that great erudition which has won for him
such a high rank among literary men. He remained there
until 1829, when the Seminary was closed. He next attended school at Georgetown College where, with the exception of one year spent at home on account of sickness,
he remained until I835, when he was graduated.
In November of this year he entered the novitiate at
Frederick, where he remained until I839, when he returned
to Georgetown to teach.
In July, I845, he was ordained priest in Trinity Church
by Bishop Fenwick of Boston. In the summer-of I846 he
left Georgetown after having taught there for seven successive years, and proceeded to Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass., where he remained one year. At the end of this
period he returned to Georgetown College, to fill the chair
�222
Father Dame! Lytzch.
of rhetoric and history, which he occupied until August,
1848, when he went to the novitiate at Frederick to teach
the junior Scholastics of the Society. In Septemher, 1849,
he returned to Georgetown College and resumed the chair
of rhetoric. In July; 1850, he was placed in charge of Trinity Church, Georgetown. In the fall of 1851 he returned
to the college as vice-president and prefect of schools. In
this capacity he continued until 1858 when he was appointed vice-president of the newly chartered Gonzaga College,
until that time known as the "Old Seminary." With the
exception of· one year, which he .spent teaching at St. Francis Xavier's College, N. Y., all the remaining years of his
life were spent at Gonzaga College. For many years he had
charge of the Sunuay school at St. Aloysius Church, and
brought it to a high state of perfection. Though engaged
busily all day in the class-room he found time to satisfy his
zeal for souls. Many were the converts that he made, many
the sinners that he reclaimed. Feebleness of health prevented him during the past five years from active missionary labors, but he continued to minister to many of his old
penitents who found it hard to tear themselves away from
so excellent a director as .Father Lynch. He persevered in
his favorite labor of teaching up to the very day of his
death, and may thus be said to have "died in harness." -- ··
Father Lynch was a linguist. His philological researches were constant and thorough. He had mastered
before his death the Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, Spanish, Italian, French, and Irish languages. His knowledge
of foreign tongues proved of the greatest utility to him in
the confessional. Excellent though he was in all these his
forte seems to have been the Greek. His acquaintance with
this language was most thorough, as the excellence of many
of his pupils in this branch of knowledge fully attests. He
was a most successful teacher and was greatly loved by his
scholars. He knew well how to blend strictness with kindness, and while he attached the boys to himself he caused
them to be diligent in their tasks. As a result those who
enjoyed the advantage of his training were ever distinguish-
�Father Dame! Lync/z,
ed for their scholarship. He was no less conversant with
. the English language than with foreign tongues. He was
a great and appreciative reader, and there was hardly a book
in the language of any literary excellence that he had not
read. His favorite study was history. While resident at
Gonzaga he delivered two courses of leCtures on history,
one to the students of Georgetown College and the other to
the public. He was a most charming conversationalist, full
of anecdote and varied information, with a dry vein of humor oftentimes enlivening his remarks.
He was a little over 69 years of age when he died; of
these he had spent forty-five as a teacher and thirty-nine in
the ministry. Of the forty-nine years of his religious life,
he spent forty-three within the limits of the DistriCt. There
was no man more beloved by those who knew him, none
whose loss will be more deeply and widely felt.
The funeral took place Friday morning from St. Aloysius
Church. The sacred edifice was crowded with his numerous friends, many of whom accompanied his remains to the
grave. Among the clergy present we noticed Fathers Denny, Noonan, O'Connell and Boone, of St. Aloysius; vValter,
of St. Patrick's; Chappelle, D. D., of St. Matthew's; O'Sullivan and Sullivan, of St. Peter's; Ryan, D. D., of the Immaculate Conception; Kenny and Dougherty, of Canada; Devitt, Poland, O'Kane, Gache, Roccofort, of Georgetown;
Schleuter and Archambeau, of St. Joseph's; De Wolf, of
Alexandria; Mullaly, of Woodstock College, Maryland;
Carroll and parke, of Baltimore. The office of the dead
was recited and was followed by low Mass and absolution.
Father Denny officiated. The teachers of Gonzaga College,
Messrs. Gillespie, Brownrigg, Mattson, Conway, Powers and
Mac Avoy, aCted as pall-bearers. Nearly thirty carriages
followed the remains to the Georgetown College grave-yard.
The vice-president of Georgetown College, in the absence
of the president, read the burial service, at which all the
professors and students of the college assisted.-R. I. P.
�224
Fat!ter Robert lgllatius Pardow.
FATHER RoBERT IGNATIUS PARnow.
Father Robert Ignatius Pardow was born in New York,
April gth, 1839. At the age of twelve years he made his
first Communion, having been prepared for this great aa of
his life by the Sisters of Charity who at that time had
their establishment in what is now a piauresque part of
Central Park.
At the end of his school-days·he engaged in business on
Wall Street, and became a member of the Board of Brokers.
He remained thus occupied for twelve years, with the interruption, however, which happened from his conneaion with
the army in the civil war, when he was for a time a member of the twenty-second regiment of the New York troops,
stationed at Harper's Ferry. After the war he resumed the
business he had broken off at the call of duty, and was
married in 1865. Going to California, he resided for a few
years at San Rafael. Here the sudden death of his wife in
1873 put it in his power to find himself, where he had always longed to be, in the Society.
This important step was taken in response to a call to the
religious life which he had often felt in his younger days··
and did not follow, because advised to remain in the world.
Accordingly, after having made suitable provision for his
three children, he entered the Society, oaober Ist 1874.
and here, though coming late, by his eagerness in the way
of perfeaion, his stria observance of rule, his fervor and
strong faith he tried to make up for the time he had spent
in a Christian manner, doubtless, but still in the world. He
made his noviceship at Sault au Recollet in Canada, and at
the end of the two years he was sent to St. John's College,
Fordham. Here he aaed as assistant prefea for two years
and was then appointed professor and sub-minister for the
college in Jersey City.
In 1880, we find him at Woodstock preparing for the
priesthood, to which dignity he was ordained in Easter week
�Father Robert Ignatius Pardow.
bfthe following year. In 1882 and 1883, he had charge of
the missions in and around Woodstock, and greatly endeared
himself to the people by his untiring zeal in finding out and
bringing to their duty the Catholics scattered throughout
the wide extenl: of his field of labor. His great care and
anxiety seemed to be for those of the faith ; of course, others are to be brought in, but first feed them that are in the
fold. Their salvation is demanded of us; their good lives
will be the most eloquent preaching of the Gospel.
At the beginning of the present year, he was at his own
request appointed as chaplain to Blackwell's Island in New
York harbor, and here he labored night and day in visiting
the sick and dying. Whilst performing this greatest aCt of
charity and engaged in administering the Sacraments in the
wards of the typhus patients, he caught the fever of which
he died. The physician said that his was ':\very malignant
case. As he had not slept more than from three to five
hours a night for months, we are not surprised that he was
unable to withstand the attack, which was first felt on the
last Friday of April.
"The disease," writes his brother Fr. William Pardow of
the Society, "did its work in just fourteen days. In spite
of his feeling ill, he said two Masses on the Sunday following the attack and preached at each Mass. On Tuesday
he succeeded in dragging himself to St. Francis Xavier's,
but could scarcely get up to his room on the second floor.
"On Thursday he called me to his bedside and said :
'Give me the last Sacraments soon : don't wait till I am unconscious.' That night I gave him the last Sacraments; he
was perfeCtly conscious and answered the prayers himself.
Doetor Wood remained with him all the night, and· now
and then asked him if he had slept a little: 'If I am going
to die,' he answered, 'I don't want to sleep.'
''He received Holy Communion again on Saturday, and
on Sunday sent for Fr. Reetor whom he asked to hear his
confession. The delirium began soon after, and by night
he had become very violent, so that it was decided to re-
VoL. xm-No.
2.
15
�226
Fat!ter Robert Ignatius Pardow.
move him in the ambulance to St. Vincent's Hospital. By
Tuesday, the typhus had unmistakably declared itself, his
whole body being covered with a fiery eruption. The air
of the sick room was so dangerous that the doB:or forbade
the good Sisters of Charity to remain more than an hour
at a time by his bedside. But those who had taught him
his first lessons of Christian doB:rine and prepared him for
the first coming of our Lord into his heart, could not be
kept away, now that he was preparing to meet the Master
face to face. At least one of the-Sisters was always with
him, and some of them remained"~ix or seven hours by his
side, repeating short prayers and words of consolation.
"The violent convulsions ceased on vVednesday; so that
he became very quiet. Our Fathers were assiduous in visiting him, Fathers Brennan, Duranquet, Daubresse, Ronayne
and Mulry being frequently by his bed. Fr. Ronayne remained with him from 7 o'clock, Thursday evening, until
death came a half hour after midnight.
.
"The body could not be seen after death nor taken to the
church; but the· funeral services were held as usual, his
Grace the Archbishop giving the last absolution. The mortal remains repose close beside those of Fr. Michel, the preceding viB:im of typhus caught also on Blackwell's Island,
and not far from those of Fr. Man~chal, who met death on.his way to the same place, and those of Fr. Regnier who
toiled on the Islands.till strength forsook him, and then left
his spirit and his love for the poor outcasts to his successors.
"My brother's only regret during his sickness was that
he could do no more work tor the salvation of souls, but
he added: 'God knows best.'" Thus at the beginning of
the day of May 9th, the soul of this zealous priest and fervent religious passed away. May his prayers and the sacrifice of his life for the sake of the poor, bring down a blessing on our Province and raise, up new workers for the ripened
harvest.-R. I. P.
�Fatlzer Isidore Baudry.
227
FATHER IsiDORE BAUDRY.
(L'Etaudard, Montreal.)
On April the 18th at half past eight in the evening, Fr.
Isidore Baudry passed away from this life at the Hotel-Dieu
in this city. He was seventy-one years of age and had just
completed his forty-seventh year of priesthood. He was
born in the diocese of Lu«on, in La Vendee, and received
Holy Orders in 1837. He was employed as curate in his
native diocese and later received there the charge of a parish; this honor he sacrificed in 1845, to enter the Society.
At the end of his noviceship he was appointed to the arduous work of the missions, for which his natural talents, indefatigable zeal and winning grace of speech seemed to
have destined him. Learning the gifts of the man, his Superiors resolved to send him to Canada, to renew the labors
of Jog~es, ·Brebeuf and Lallemant; and he was certainly
well deserving of this high mission. He reached Montreal
in the spring of 1849; but almost immediately was prostrated by a serious attack of typhoid fever. From this he
happily recovered, and when restored to health, undertook
the work of his first mission in this city. He then set out
for Quebec to join Father Sache, who three months before
had opened a new house of Ours in that city.
For sixteen full years Father Baudry was permitted to
give free rein to the promptings of his apostolic spirit; he
undertook the direCl:ion of the Sodality of the men of Quebec, gave the spiritual exercises to religious communities,
preached in the churches of the city, and conduCl:ed missions not only in the city limits, but in the towns of the diocese, which then embraced in its vast extent the entire eastern part of the province. The whole diocese felt the influence
of his missionary labors. He accompanied the Archbishop
in three pastoral visits of the diocese, and similarly assisted
the Bishop of Three Rivers on one or two occasions. Then
and long afterwards were felt the good effeCts produced by
�228
Fatlzer Isidore Baudry.
the holy missionary. He was transferred in I 865 to the
Gesu, in this city, which was just completed, and here, as
in the neighboring diocese, he renewed the apostleship to
which he had so successfully devoted himself in the eastern
part of the province. Here he remained conneCted with the
Gesu for more than sixteen years ; and during this period
of years the province of Quebec, Ontario and some of the
States even, were the theatre of the ever aCl:ive missionary's
labors. The clergy of the several dioceses of the province
had many times the happiness of making the spiritual exercises under his guidance; and~~olleges, sisters' schools,
religious communities of men and women shared also in
this great privilege.
On the 10th of July, 1882, he was transferred to the pastorate of the Canadian church of Notre Dame at Worcester,
Mass., where he remained a year. He then returned to
Quebec, which had welcomed him often for short visits during his eighteen years of absence, and which still retained
undimmed the memory of him ; here he resumed his labors with the same zeal and success as of old.
He was called to :Montreal in January, 1884, to give the·
spiritual exercises to the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin,
which had been founded by him sixteen years before; and.
immediately after he was invited to give a retreat to the- .·
people ofthe church of the Nativity at Hochelaga. Though
greatly fatigued after his labors in Montreal, he did not
hesitate to open the second mission on the third Sunday of
Lent. On Tuesday, he sank in a swoon in the pulpit, and
was carried in a state of unconsciousness to the sacristy;
he revived for a moment, but only to faint away a second
time. A Father of the college was obliged to preach in his
stead the evening sermon. On Wednesday morning, Fr.
Baudry heeding only the promptings of his native ardor and
indomitable zeal ascended the pulpit again, striving, but
without avail, to hold himself in check; the fire of his soul
when once kindled made him forget his body's weakness,
and he gave himself without restraint to its consuming flame.
He concluded .the mission, but he was so exhausted
�Father William B. Cleary.
229
by his labors in the pulpit and confessional, that it was impossible for him to offer the Holy Sacrifice on Sunday. The
doCtor who had been with him all day long judged his case
critical and had him removed to the Hotel-Dieu; here he
finished the purifying of his great soul by intense suffering.
We may say that our beloved Father died with his arms
in his hands, and fell like a valiant warrior on the field of
battle.
His soul was adorned, and that in no ordinary degree,
with all the virtues and natural gifts that go to make the
holy missionary. Courteous and affable in his dealings with
men, full of kindness and strong manliness in his treatment
of souls, a model of mortification and regularity in his community, he edified and infused his sanCtity into all those that
approached him. He has spread abroad the good odor of
Jesus Christ, and this lasting scent of sweet incense will
continue for many a year to keep alive in the hearts of all
the memory of our Father's life truly apostolic, and altogether devoted to God's greater glory and the eternal welfare of men's souls.
FATHER WILLIAM
B.
CLEARY.
Died at St. Joseph's Residence, Providence, Rhode Island,
on May 30th at 7.27 P. 111., Father William B. Cleary. He
had been in ill health since last autumn and had been confined to the house the greater part of the winter by a stubborn attack of aggravated rheumatism. The immediate
cause of his death was peritonitis. His symptoms became
very alarming during the morning of the day on which he
died, and, at half past eight, the last sacraments were administered. Soon afterwards he lost consciousness and remained in a comatose condition to the last.
Seldom does the death of one of Ours give so great a
shock to us as did that of the subjeCt: of this obituary. We
had heard only of some ailment which was not looked upon
,as serious, and had cherished the hope that it was only a
�Fat!ter William B. Cleary.
passing infirmity, and that he who was so dear to us all
would be long with us, to continue his career of usefulness
in the works of our Society. And he was abundantly fitted
for any station as a professor, as a preacher, as a Superior
and as a direCtor of souls. But God in His all wise providence has taken him from us and from our Province so
much in need of such workmen. We bow humbly to the
divine will, while at the same time our heart is grieved that
one who was so dear a friend, so bright an ornament to the
Society has been taken away by his Master.
Father Cleary was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on Aug.,
I I, I 837, of pious Catholic parents who were proud of their
faith, which they considered the richest treasure God had
bestowed on them. His grandfather had become an exile
from his native land, in order to enjoy in our free country
what was denied in Ireland, religious liberty, and though
taking up his abode in Occoquan in Virginia, fifty miles
from a Catholic church, he kept the faith and gave it as a
rich legacy to this children.
When the ·washington-Seminary reopened in 1848, we find
the names of Fr. Cleary and some of his brothers on the
roll of students, and thus he continued until imitating the
example of his uncle who had died in the Society, he was
admitted a novice, Sept. 14, 1852. Here in his sixt~nth
year he gave himself heartily to all the things expeCl:ed of
him, and heaped up that store of virtues which were made
more perfeCt in maturer days. Obedient, kind, light-hearted,
full of humor, he made the time of his companions less irksome. And I need not speak of his modest and retiring
disposition which charaCterized his novitiate life; indeed so
much did he shun all putting of himself forward, that a certain timidity was remarked in him which manifested itself
in after years on many occasions and was with difficulty
overcome.
For his juniorate he Had as professor Fr. George Fenwick, a rare classical scholar who acquired his exquisite
taste for ancient letters at Georgetown and at the Roman
College in its palmiest days. He had an apt pupil, and.
�Father William 13. Cleary,
often before his death expressed his satisfaction at the hapPY issue of his labors; for Fr., Cleary was with his other
brilliant accomplishments no common classical scholar.
His writings in prose and verse attest his skill in the language of Rome, and he had the enviable tact of imparting
to his pupils his own enthusiasm for such studies. Many
of the Juniors who in later years were taught by him know
how earnest he was on this head and what flattering success attended his endeavors. He made his philosophy in
Georgetown with great success.
After his teaching in Baltimore for several years and his
prefect duty at Georgetown for a time, whither he was sent
for the benefit of his health, impaired by his arduous duties
as professor, he made his course of theology in our scholasticate which had only a short time before been transferred
from Boston to Georgetown College. He was ordained in
June r866, at the Baltimore Seminary by Archbishop Spalding. When he had finished his fourth year of theology,_
he was appointed Minister and Vice-President of Gonzaga
College, 'vVashington. At the same time he gave help as
preacher and confessor in St. Aloysius Church. I pass
over the intermediate years, his third probation, his teaching
of Juniors, his labors as professor of Rhetoric in Georgetown,
his years as operarius in Providence, and the last year of
his teaching in Roston in 1879. when he was appointed Superior to succeed Fr. Bapst in the church and residence of
St Joseph's, Providence. Here for nearly five years Fr.
Cleary worked earnestly and judiciously, showing great
ability in dealing with the clergy and winning the affections
of all, lay and cleric. The Bishop by whom he was much
esteemed appointed him moderator of the clerical conferences, and during his absence last winter made him virtually a Vicar-General.
As long as health was granted, our lamented Father labored zealously for the welfare of the parish: he had missions frequently, took great care of the Sodalities himself
or by his assistants, and~ what is more to be praised, saw to
the education of the young. He opened the school for the
�Pat!ter 'William B. Cleary.
girls, and was about to make arrangements for that of the
boys.-He built a new residence and completed'many improvements in the church and entirely restored it. The last
undertaking which he had just succeeded in bringing to a
happy end was the building of a: large and commodious sacristy of stone. And he never wanted the means to make
these improvements. The people had confidence in him
and saw the fruit of their liberality. The people loved him
and Ours who were with him.
The funeral services took place on Monday, June znd.
Many a heart was weighed down with grief at the sad ceremony.. The esteem in which he was universally held is
evidenced from the large congregation who filled the church,
the presence of the Mayor, some members of the City
Council and the State Legislature, and many others, Protestants or Catholics, from various parts of Providence. The
Right Rev. Thomas F. Hendricken, Bishop of the diocese,
. and many priests were present and took part in the services.
The following extraCt: from the Providence journal shows
the affeCl:ion of all classes for the deceased :
"The funeral services were held at 8.30 o'clock and were
attended by a very large congregation, every seat being occupied, while many of those present were forced to stand.
The elegant casket enclosing the remains reposed irt•"the
same position in the middle aisle as on the previous evening,
and to the left of it rested a wealth of fragrant floral offerings from the several organizations conneCted with the
church, as well as from personal friends.. These included a
cross, crown and wreath, bearing the words, "Our DireCl:or,"
from the Young Ladies' Sodality; an elegant piece, repre- .
senting the "Gates Ajar," from the children of the Sunday
School; a pillow with the symbolic letters, "J. M. J.," from ·
the choir of the Young Ladies' Sodality; a pillow from the
Married Men's Sodality, with the word "Father" in purple
immortelles; a combination piece, representing faith, hope
and charity, consisting of a cross, anchor and harp, from
St. Joseph's Conference 'Of the Society of St. Vincent De
Paul; a cross and crown, from the Young Men's Sodality;
a floral star bearing in its centre a cross and crown of white
and yellow flowers, from Mrs. John Me l\Ianus; a wreath
and a cross of ivy and forget-me-nots, from Mr. Seagrave;
�Father William B. Cleary.
233
a magnificent piece, nearly three feet in height, representing
a broken .column, and composed of daisies, roses and pansies, from Mrs. Joseph Banigan; an elegant floral anchor,
from Dr. William F. Kenny; a pillow with the words "Our
Father," from the sanctua~y boys, and several others.
"At the conclusion of the Mass, the Rev. Jeremiah O'Connor, President of Boston College, made a few remarks. He
spoke of Father Cleary as having been brought up in the
very lap of religion. We first see him taking the vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience, and entering his faithful
and honorable membership of the Society of Jesus. It was
only at the request of the reverend Bishop, said the speaker, that he should have said anything to-day, for he could
not trust himself to speak of his love for him whose life
has just gone out. He believed he voiced the sentiment of
every clergyman of the diocese, which has been spoken
also by the Bishop, in saying that Father Cleary's death
was one of the greatest losses the diocese had ever met.
He was beloved alike by the clergy, whose presence here
testified to their love and respect, and by the people, and if
a monument to his memory was asked we had but to look
about us and see the completion of the parochial residence,
the beautifying of the church and other marked improvements, the products of his intelligent energy and zeal, while
. there are many sincere mourners in your homes whose
hearts he has cheered with the grace of God."
He was buried in the cemetery of Holy Cross College at
Worcester, Mass., forty miles from Providence, among many
of his religious brethren. Fr. Cleary was professed of the
four vows, August 13th, 1872, and he was in every way, in
heart and intellect, deserving of this intimate union with
the Society. Those who lived with him knew his accomplishments; how much he loved the Society and longed to
advance her interests. He was a brilliant and witty man,
rich in humor and anecdote, a good religious, As a theologian he was eminent, as a preacher he had marked ability,
as a general scholar he was distinguished for his varied acquirements and fine taste. In his dealings with men he
showed great judgment, was the trusted adviser of priest
and people, and enjoyed the fullest confidence of his Bishop.
-R.I.P.
VoL. xm-No.
2.
15*
�234
Father .llficltael Costi1t.
FATHER MICHAEL CosTIN.
Father Michael Costin was born in Halifax, N. S., on the
24th of August, I838. At an early age he was sent by his
father to our college at Clongowes, Ireland, where he remained until he had completed his classical course. He
then returned home and shortly after, on the 23rd of April,
1854, entered the Society. He -,made his novices hip at
Sault-au-RecolleCt, near Montrea~~ Canada. At the end of
the usual two years he was sent by his superiors to St.
Francis Xavier's College, Sixteenth Street, New York,
where he remained one year. The next two years he taught
at Fordham. In 1859 he was sent back to Montreal to begin his philosophy, and the next year when the Scholasticate in Boston was opened, he went there and remained until
he had completed his philosophical studies. The next
seven years he spent as teacher at Fordham. When the
Scholasticate was transferred to Woodstock in r869, he was
sent thither for his theology, and was there ordained on the
29th of June, 1872. During his theological studies, in company with the late Fr. Treanor and several others, he. estab;
lished the printing office, which has since done such goocL
work for the Society. He, and his companions under his direCtion, set and distributed the type, correCted the proofs,
and worked off the impressions. 'vVe do not think that we are
derogating from the just claims of any one else if we style
Fr. Costin the principal founder of the Woodstock College
Press. At the end of a brilliant four years' course, he went
to Paris, where he spent some months in the study of the
natural sciences. Next came the usual third year of probation, which he passed at Tronchiennes, Belgium. During the Lent of that year he gave missions in England. His
preaching there was very successful, and his abilities were
duly appreciated by some of the most cultivated and distinguished of the Catholic nobility and gentry. Fr. Costin
had not much poetry in his composition, but whatever his
�Fat!ter Mzc!tael Costin.
235
sermons lacked in fire or imagination was fully made up
for by the clearness, conciseness and logical vigor of his
style, which never failed to impress deeply in the minds of
his hearers those truths of the Catholic faith which he
sought to impart. After his tertianship he returned again
to St. John's College, Fordham, where on the 15th of Aug.
1878, he took the four vows of profession. At St. John's
he held the chairs of natural sciences and mathematics until last year, when owing to failing health he was relieved
from teaching and was made pastor of the church of our
Lady of Mercy. During one year in addition to his other
duties he was spiritual Father for the community.
Not long after his return to Fordham he undertook the
care of the deaf and dumb children in the institutions at
Fordham and Throgg's Neck, and soon became very proficient in their sign language. He also formed a congregation of adults among the deaf and dumb in New York City.
This work was emphatically a labor of love for Fr. Costin; to
it he gave himself unreservedly; and in it he displayed more
energy than could have been supposed possible in one suffering so constantly.
Fr. Costin had been affiiEl:ed for many years with malarial troubles, which during the past year became so aggravated, that Superiors in spite of the great work he was doing at Fordham, ordered a change of air in order to save
his life. Accordingly he was sent as professor of physics
and chemistry to Boston College. Here, at first he seemed
to become somewhat better, but at the beginning of June
he had another malarial attack, which however did not seem
to be at all serious. On Sunday evening, the 8th of June,
a sudden attack of heart disease seized him, and in less than
five minutes he expired. .One of the Fathers had barely
time to give him the last absolution. However sudden
this summons was it did not find Fr. Costin unprepared;
for a long time he had been in the habit of going to confession every day.
Though Father Costin was a good philosopher, theologian and mathematician, he was modest and retiring, and
�Father Mic!tael Costin.
never sought to display his great talents. He had to be
known to be appreciated; for under a somewhat gruff exterior there lay hidden a most tender heart. His devotion
to duty was such that notwithstanding his life-long illness,
he never missed a class.
The funeral services, which took place in the church of
the Immaculate Conception, Boston, were attended by all
the students of the college and many prominent members
of the congregation. 'Whatever was mortal of Fr. Michael
Costin awaits the Last Resurreqion in the little burying
ground of Ours attached to Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass.-R. I. P.
�VARIA.
AD VERTISEJJIEN'l'.
TVe are thankful to our houses in the United St<lles and C.tnada for the
promptness 1t'ith which our bills aguinst them 1vere puid. TVe shall now be
able to make some improvements. Our gratitude 1rw't be spu!.·enfor the many
kind -words of encouragement, accompanying the vario11s remittances in pay·
ment of subseriptions.-As the LETTERS are in grmt demand, u•e u•o11ld be
grateful for any duplicate numbers, -in order to accommodate the lwuses that
are anxious to complete their sets. The earlier numbers and the number for
No~·ernber, 1883, are needed most.
BALTIMORE.-The services during Lent were very well attended, especially
from the third to the fourth Sunday when Monsignor Capel gave a course of
sermons and instructions. His controversial discourses attmcted many Protestants who were most favorably impressed, and some of them have been
reconciled to the Church.-The Lenten programme for the convenience of the
congregation is very tastefully printed.-Fr. Conway of Woodstock gave the
sermon on Holy Thursday.-Fr. McGurk, the Rector, intends to restore the
interior of the church this summer.-The fair netted considerably over $7000,
and lasted only ten days.
llOSTON.-Rev. Fr. Provincial gave the annual retreat to the Young Men's
Association connected with the college. The exercises were exceedingly well
attended throughout and did much good. On the last night 15 Fathers were
engaged in the confessional.- The school-bouse at St. Mary's is now finished.-The services in all of our churches during Lent and the month of May
were quite successful in attracting the people.-The college has over 200 hun·
dred students.
CIIAMPAGNE.-This Province, notwithstanding its dispersion, had an in·
crease last year of 19 members.-There are 262 Fathers, 157 Scholastics, and
125 Brothers. The Novitiate, containing 37 Scholastic, and 7 coadjutor
novices, is situated at Gernert in Holland. Fr. Depelchin recently paid them
a visit, and in offering his thanks for the welcome given him, took occasion
te say that the Zambesi Mission is the most difficult one the Society has lately
undertaken.-Champagne has 31 Fathers, 11 Scholastics, and 8 Brothers on
the Chinese Mission ofTche-ly.-Oatalogue, 1884.
CIIICAGO.-Fr. Damen has just finished a fine parochial school-house for
the church of the Sacred Heart of which he is the pastor. He was engaged
during Lent in giving missions, and was assisted by some Fathers of the
third probation. The mission in the church of the Sacred Heart was very
successful.
�Varia.
CIIINA.-"The French," writes a Neapolitan Magazine, La Scienza e La
Fede, '' in their endeavors to effect the conquest of China found that other
conquerors had gone before them and done the work of civilization and free·
dom much more successfully; we mean the Fathers of the Society of Jesus.
A correspondent of the Fig<tro gives the following information: 'The Jesuits
have charge of two provinces in China, X an-King anu Tche-ly (here follow
some statistics given in November number of the LETTERS.) The Sisters of
Bon Secour have a boarding school at Zi-Ka-wei. A convent for Carmelite
nuns, nearly all natives, is being erected. The Sisters of Charity direct the
general hospital of Shanghai. In this city there is a flourishing college for
_Europeans anu the Jesuit Fathers who manage it are in high favor with all,
except a few -Frenchmen. These harass the Fathers not a little, and by means
of a contemptible little paper strive to shinder them, and even to force them
out of China. What a sad spec table to --h.~holu our U.iscords and our deadly
hatreds carried even with us to foreign countries.'
•
* * * *
"Father Dechevrens is in charge of the meteorological observatory (of
Shanghai) at Ze-ka-wei outsiue of the city. In the navigation of the Chinese
seas the charts of this Father are found to be the most safe and useful. For
this reason the Board of Trade composed of English, Americans, Chinese and
Germans voted to the learned Jesuit 24,000 francs as a yearly subsidy, and in
order to honor the Society to which he belongs granted to it the free use of a
special wire in the submarine telegraph between China and Japan.
"Fr. Dechevrens a few years ago was a professor at Vaugiranl; some months
since he went back to Paris to buy instruments and apparatus with money
which was, in great part, the gift of Englishmen. The work of :Fr. Rende
upon the Conchology of Nan-King and Central China is highly esteemed.
'Such men' concluues the Figaro, 'we have driven away from France; the
English would clothe them with gold and applaud them to the skies, if they
belonged to their nation.' "
Fr. Pfister's Letters come to us regularly from Shanghai and are very interesting. In the number for .\pril1st, he gives a list of the Protestant mis·
sions in China; these, as usual, are confined to the large cities on the sea ~Olist
or near it. Quoting from the Ch-inese Recorder, he gives the following statistics:London Mission
founded 1807 has 27 members in China
Bible ~ocicty
" 1843 " 13
"
Church Miss. Society
1844 " 26
"
Baptist Miss.
1846 " 7
Engl. Presb. :mss.
lt-147
25
" 185:l " 16
Wesleyan Mission
"
Method. New Connection Miss.
18GO " 5
Church of England, N. China
1874 " 6
National Bible Soc., Scotland
1868 " 5
China Inland ::l!ission
1865 " 78
Canada Presbyt. Mission
1871 " 2
"
Society for the Promotion of Females
1864 " 2
UnitedPresbyt. Church of Scotland
1865
7
"
181)8 " 4
United :Method. Free Church
•
"
Irish Presbyt. Church
186\J " 2
Church of Scotland
1878 " 3
"
Unconnected ...................•................................. " 5
"
In all, 233 (English) of whom 31 are absent.
�Varz"a.
A. B. C. F. M. )lissions
Baptist Miss. Union
Prot. Episcopal Mission.
Presbyterian Mission.
)lethod. Episcopal. Miss.
Southern Baptist )fiss.
Seventh Day Bapt. )Iiss.
Meth. Episcop. South )£iss.
American Heforme<l .\Iiss.
'Voman's Union Miss.
Southern Presbyt. ~[iss.
American Bible Society
founded 1834 has 16 members in China
1835
"
15
1838
1847
1847
1847
1848
1858
"
"
"
"
"
"
53
35
13
1859
'·
3
1867 "
1876 "
"
11
2
14
6
7
In all, 213 Americans: 20 are absent
Rhenish Mission
founded 1874 has 2 members in China
Basel )fission
"
187-1 " 17
"
Berlin )fission
1831 "
4
Berlin Foundling Hospital
1850 "
5
Germans 28-1 absentee. In all there are 474 )fissionarics (52 absent) belonging to 33 different sects. ~lost of the ministers arc married. The paper docs
not give the number of converts.
DETROIT.-The college and church are doing remarkably well.- The excellent work on "Frequent Communion," re-published at the suggestion of
Father Rector of the college, was written by Father Alexander ~IacKensie
of the old Society. He was born, 1730; entered the Society, 1749; was chaplain of Thomas Weld, 1781: died in Tlublin, 11"00. His assumed name was
A. G.-Alexander Clinton.-Sce De Backer's Biblioth<:qu.e des Ecrivains de la
Oornpagnie.
EGYPT.-One of our Fathers writes from Cairo that among the Indian troops,
forming part of the British army in Egypt during the war with Arabi, were
many Catholic natives of !Iindostan. This is an encouraging sign of the progress made by the missionaries in India.
ENGLAND.-Father Gerard Hopkins has been elected to the Fellowship for
Classics in the Royal University, Ireland. A Father writing from England
says that the Vari<t prove most interesting. The editor hopes that this will
be an incentive to those who have items of interest to forward them for publication in the LETTERS. The same Father goes on to say: "It has oftei1 occurred to me that the LETTJmS might be made the means of communicating
to Ours in general facts of value on any burning question of the day, e. g.
at the time of the Luther Celebration, if any one had some precious 'find'
against Luther, why not lodge it in the LETTERS.
}'ORDILUI.-The College has over 200 boarders.
his Golden Jubilee on April 2:lr<l.-The Fordham
paper.
Fr. Pacciarini celebrated
is a very readable
~IIfonthly
FOUNDERS' DAY.- The two hnndreth and fiftieth anniversary of the first
Mass offered up in )[aryland was celebrated in Baltimore on the 25th of Uarrh,
on which occasion addresses were made by Fr. Edward A. ~Ic Gnrk of Loyola
College, General Bradley Johnson and others. On the 15th of May the cele-
�Varia.
bration of the founding of the colony took place on the site of the ancient
city ofSt.)lary's. After high Mass was sung at St. Inigoes' by Fr. Me Gurk,
with Father James Pye Neale, as deacon and 1Ir. Francis Cummings as subdeacon, the civic portion of the programme was transferred to the site of the
old City near the Seminary, from the porch of which were read to the large
audience present a poem in Latin by Francis I. Coad and another in English
by Charles J. Bouchet: both of these young men are students of J,oyola. 'Fr.
l\Ic Gurk gave an address, followed by the oration of Hon. RichardT. Mer·
rick, the eloquent and distinguished lawyer of Washington. Both of these
celebrations, the one in Baltimore and the other iu St. Mary's, were under the
auspices of the Pilgrims Society of Maryland.
GALICIA.-Very Tiev. Fr. General has approved the publication of a new
magazine in Poland. The chief editor will be Fr. Morawski.-Fr. Holubowicz
edits the "Catholic 11issions" in Polish. ~Fr. Zaleski has published a new
history of the suppression, using document~ hitherto unpublished. Father
Vivier is translating the work into l'rench.-From the Catalogue of 1885 we
learn that the Province has 278 members (increase, last year, 7). There are
114 Fathers, 8S Scholastics, and 76 Brothers. The novitiate is at Starawics
and has :30 Scholastic, and 7 coadjutor, novices. -There are four residences
and two Colleges.-The Basilian novitiate at Dobrowil is in charge of four of
our Fathers. This was done at the request of the Emperor of Austria.-Fr.
Ignatius Poczubut, eighty-eight years old, is put down in the Catalogue as the
last survivor of the Province of ·white Russia.
GEORGETOWN.-The College Journal is always welcome.-The Third Gram·
mas Class have published, we krrow not how often, an interesting little pa·
per by hectograph.- There are lGO boarders in the college.- Fr. Devitt is
making a collection of Catholic works printed in this country at the end of
the last, and at the beginning of the present, century. 'Ve hope he may find
Fr. Bcschter's on Luther-a good work, published, perhaps, in Georgetown.The Merrick Debate took place, )lay 20th, in Lincoln Hall, Washington. 'f){e
debaters were RalphS. J,atshaw, l\Io., Thomas S. Ransom, N.C., Augustine
di Yturbide, )[exico, and Peter D. Smith, Ind.
GONZAGA COLLEGE.-The mission given by Frs. Doherty and Kenny of
Canada in St. Aloysius Church drew large crowds to all the services, but
especially to those held at night. The Communions were over 6000. The
Good Friday sermon was preached by Fr. Conway of our house.-The college
is doing very well this year.
HAY ANA.- Our college of Belen is in a very prosperous condition; it has
200 boarders and 100 day-scholars. Fr. Thomas Ipiiia who studied Theology
at Wooustock is the Rector. Our church is much frequented by the faithful.
-Fr. Benito Viiies is still in charge of the government observatory.
INDIAN AFFAms.-In a recent pebate in the U. States Senate, :Mr. Vest,
one of the most uistinguished members and a Protestant, saitl: "I see but
one ray of light on the subject of Intlian education. The system adopted by
the Jesuits is tlie only practicable one, and the only one that has resulted in
anything at all."-)Ir. Ingalls used the same eulogistic language concerning
�Varia.
the Jesuit Missions and schools; this gentleman is not a Catholic. See report
of )fr. Vest's speech in another part of LE'ITEP.S. We give it, in order that
so flattering a tribute may be preserved in our pages for reference hereafter.
INNSPRUCK.- Fathers Wieser and Grisar of the Society are editors of a
learned Review connected with the University. These Fathers are· also professors of theology in the same institution.
Ir.ELAND.-Our Fathers have bought a new house at Dromore near Belfast
which is to be used as a Novitiate. Milltown Park wiil be taken for a house
ofstudies.-Eleven of Ours are put down in the catalogue as being connected
with the Royal University, Dublin.
JERSEY CITY.- Our church will celebrate its golden jubilee this yeargood news, no doubt; but better than this, Fr. Rector most likely will pay off
the debt beforehand and thus be able to have the church consecrated on its
fiftieth anniversary.
liiADAGASCAR.-Until the troubles began there were 48 Fathers of the Society in this country, doing much good amongst the 81,000 Catholics.- The
heretics on the island number 300,000; the pagans, 3,200,000.- Fr. Cazet re·
turned to l\Iadagascar some time ago and was very kindly received by the
Minister of foreign affairs, who immediately took some measures in favor of
the Catholic missionaries.-The heretics, as said above, are set down at 300,000,
but· this is merely nominal, as only 60,000 are church members, and most of
them are in connection with the London missionary society, and adopting congregational principles. In 1874 the church of England placed a bishop at
the head of its mission there. The exalted motives of some of the Protestants
may be judged from the following extract:
"The Queen Rasoherina died on the 30th day of March, 1868. Three days
before her death she had been at her request baptized by the French Consul
J.abor<le. She also left orders to entrust the education of her children to Catholic llfissionaries. She was followed on the throne by her sister, Hasoherina,
on April 2nd, 1868, who was baptized together with her husband by a Protestant minister. The reasons which imluced her husband, who was at the same
time premier, or chief minister, to become a Protestant rather than a Catholic
are contained in his address to the Council of State: 'Catholicism has as
foundation obedience. If we become Catholics, then we must obey the priests,
who themselves obey the bishops and through them the Pope, who in his turn
obeys Jesus Christ and is taught by the Holy Ghost. In the profession of
that religion my lowest slave can become a Saint, whilst I am no Saint at all,
and his conduct can even condemn mine. Thus my slave should make me
blush, and I would most probably be the last and worst among the Catholics.
But Protestantism is the very opposite of all this: this teaching does notrequire obedience at all. If we embrace Protestantism, then we will hold in
our hands the bible and the whole doctrine it will be a help for us, to unite
in us the spiritual and temporal powers. In this form of Christianity we are
the maker, in the other we would be the subject.'"
VoL. xm-No.
2:
16
�242
Varia.
BRITISII )!ADUTI.A.-Trichinopoly-Onr college numbers 800 students; the
success is more apparent every day. Our institution has been incorporated
with the University of )Iadras, and it is conducted by thirty of Ours and fif.
teen secular teachers. Such professors as have received the government
diploma are paid by the government, and such colleges as distinguish themselves are rewarded with a prize. This year wq got the first prize for excellence in the primary departments, and the second, for mathematics. Fr.
Rector is a member of the Tioard of Instruction. Fr. Barbier is preparing
the materials for the. foumlation of an observatory, which the government
wants to entrust to our care. Last .Jan nary we were visited by the cholera.
In three days seventy boys were attacked; four died of it, and the college was
quarantined. The Protestants were at the acme of their joy, and published
in the papers that 'the Rom ish superstition was drawing to a close.' At the
end of February, the college was re-opened and 800 students a<lmitted. This
)lission of British India, as we stated before;-belongs to the Province of Toulouse; 70 Fathers and 20 Scholastics are engaged in the work.
MANGALORE, INDIA.-The new college will be opened in June. The Governor of )ladras, though a Protestant, is very kind to Ours, and promi~es pecuniary help for the completion of the building.- Fr. Thomas Uallo on the
)lalabar Coast has a pagan cook who one day askl'd permission to visit a child
at the point of death. Fr. Gallo told him to baptize the child, and showed
him how it was done. The man did baptize it, but not satisfied with this he
performed the same ceremony· for another chihl in danger of death that died
immediately afterwards. The pagan assured the Father that a cross of light
was seen on the forehead of the dead child, ami gave his written deposition
to that effect. The students of the S"'Cminary a<l<lresscd a Latin letter last year
to Rev. :Fr. Vioni of Naples. Their professor, Fr. Damiani, says he did not
correct it. "\V e give a few sentences :
R. P. Ioachimo )[ Vioni Prrep. Prov. Neap. S. I. alumni Seminarii mangalorensis S. D.
·
RetJercnde Pater.
Erat nobis in animo litteras ad te scribere an no elapso, quibns tibi gratum
animum ostenderemus, propter eomrudias quas dono misisti. Set! turn propter quamdam negligentiam nostram, tum quia tempus supervenit parantli qnrc
opus erant ad probationis pcriculum subenudnm, non scripsimus. Hoc etiam
an no, per breve illud tempus quod est ah initio scholarnm a<l vaeationes maias insistendum nobis fuit in exercitationes grammaticas, postea vcro usque adhue in concioncs tum anglica lingua tum nostm comparundas. Nunc vero
quoniam in latinas elucnbratioues, mcumbimus, hanc primam opcllam optavimus epistolam esse, qua meritas tlbi grutias ageremus et qua excusationem
acciperes quod tam seras egimus grates pro iis, qurc tu tot magni momenti negotits detentus tarn citius nobis misisti. Pergratrc quidem fuere nobis hrc
comrodire, tum propter max imam utilitatem, quippc qurc adjuvcnt nos mt1ltum
in cxercitio declamationis, nee non in familiari sermone, co tempore, quod
post camam nobis ad relaxationcm deputatur; tum ctiam quod missrc sunt a
Patre nobis acceptissimo, a quo multa alia aP- potiora protcct.o percepimus
beneficia, quippe hanc nostram regionem tanta semper prosecutus est cura.
Verum quum nihil sit nobis quo beneficia tuo viccm solvamus, nos saltem
gratias tibi semper habituros promit~imus, Deumquc, ut uberrima dona tibi
largiatur, deprecaturos.
MONTMARTUE.-On the 15th of August 1534 (three hundred and fifty years
ago), seven fervent, zealous young men, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier,
Peter ~efevre, James I,ainez, Alphonsus Salmeron, Nicholas Uobadilla, and
�Varia.
243
Simon Rodriguez met together in the subterranean chapel of Montmartre and
there, vowing themselves to perpetual chastity and poverty, dedicated their
lives to the service of the Church, binding themselves to especial obedience
to the pope. From such small beginnings sprung the wonderful Order which
checked the spread of heresy in Europe, and won in Asia and America thou·
san<ls and thousands of new children to the Church.- John Gilmary Shea, in
C<ttlwlic H01ne Almanac, 1884.
~EllR.\SKA.-~everal of Ours of the Austrian and Fr. Stuer of the Galician Province have a residence and school at Olean, and are working with happy results among the Bohemians and other ~lavic races. At first the Fathers
met with difficulties, as quite a number of the people were indifferent, or had
fallen away from the faith, and united themselves to secret societies.
NEw :MEXICO.- The writer of the history of Las Vegas College had an
error in the first number. lie said that the work was urged on by the Superior, Itev. Fr. Gasparri. Rev. Fr. Baldassari had succeeded Fr. Gasparri
before the new college was begun, and it was under his administration that it
wus finished.- Fr. l'antanella has gone to Europe in the interests of the
~Iission.
NEw Om.EANS-Our Fathers intend to build a church for the colored people.-Fr. David UcKiniry Hector of Spring llill college gave the installation
sermon in the Cathedral, Mobile. The Bishop, 1\Ianucy, was educated at Spring
llill.-Ours have been requested to take charge of a college in Galveston, and
have accepted the offer.
NEw YonK.-Our churches are doing much good. The Tribune, a leading paper of the city, had a very flattering account of St. Francis Xavier's in
its issue of March loth. After giving a short sketch of the history of the
church and college anc.l having paid a well deserved compliment to the architect, Mr. Kiely, and the artist, Mr. I~amprecht, the writer goes on:"In these large churches Masses succeed in alternation on Sundays, beginning at 5 A. M. and closing with the Grand High )lass at 11. During that
time ten ~[asses are saitl, and commonly, 12,000 worshippers have come and
gone. So<lalities, t-1ocieties, coml>line, vespers, conferences, lectures and other
duties crowd the remainder of t 1e day until late evening. Every week day
six )lasses arc said at the high altar in the lower church, and every one of
the twenty-five Jesuit Fathers, who constitute the society, says Mass each day
either in the college chapel or at some one of the seventeen altars of the two
churches. The pastoral work of the church is nuder the care ot six of the
Fathers, who nre reinforced by sermons, lectures, and conferences from the
<:>thers who fill the various professorships in the college under the direction of
the ltector. These Fathers have besides the missionary work and chaplaincies for the Catholics in all the city institutions and charities on Blackwell's,
Hart's and Handall's Island. Yet another ministers at the tombs, and stands
by the gibbet of every condemned Catholic. The college is regularly incorporated, gives the Bachelor's and )[aster's degrees, and between three and
four hundred pupils are in the various classes."
Speaking again of the twenty.five Fathers of the community, he says:
"The Society holds every soul of them ready to start anywhere and do any
lawful bidding at the motion of the Provincial. No man dreams of the probability or possibility of personal gain or advancement. 'l'here are bare floors
and spareness everywhere. The furnishings and appointments of a Father's
room, aside from a handful of books, would hardly brmg ten dollars at auction.
Yet there is no friction nor visible weariness. They seem like a "forlorn
�244
Varia.
hope" of an army who, having burned the bridges and left their impedimenta
at the rear, push on cheerily to close with the foe at the front. Yet private
relations discover the fine individualities, rare tastes, exquisite accomplish·
ments, keen wisdom, gentle humor, kindly charity among them. These men
have lost everything as men put it, yet insist on seeming to have everything.
They seem, to the common observer, riveted in hopeless bondage, yet there is
the buoyancy and freedom of the upper air in their speech and behavior.
There is no cringing nor sheer servility. They walk, talk and act like men
who have entered into a transcendent freedom.
"It seems not impertinent to consider as well as to observe these twenty-five
men who appear to have got rid of all will. Yet might it not be that each
man's will in the surrender was enriched and augmented to the twenty-fifth
power, as the mathematician would put it; and that a body or corpus with
twenty-five vigorous, enlightened wills stranded and annealed as one, grew in·
to greater potency ; so that each man casting his own will into the trea;;ury
found himself enriched in a joint proprietorship of twenty-five other wills?
At anf rate these Fathers believe and act" as if they had found the golden secret o life in this absolute devotion to au ideal which offends and repels every
-predisposition of man and societv. Povcttv, chastity, obedience, are galling,
msufferahle shackles to the average life. \" et these men gather about them
lovingly and proudly the insignia of their bonds as if they were better than
coronation robes. It may he there is some hint here concerning the mystery
of the "Society" as a social force, when only 10,000 men, under these bonds,
'* * * * *
find themselves pitted against the world.
"The preaching on a recent Sunday was hold, brave, imperative, complete
in logical power, and charged with the individuality of the preachers. It was
noticeahlv quickened with Scripture, through and through; then it was electric and intense, then it became impassioned and kindling, and yet again a
very storm of dialetic onslaught in which was found no sting or gall of malice
or partisan hate. The ideal of religious teaching and living seemed boldly
sketched from the Sermon on the :\Iount, centred by an almost realistic, oh·
jective conception of the Saviour and Lord of men, verily abiding and dwell·
ing among them."
....
*
*
PIIILADELPIII.\.-". ork has been resumed on our grand new church of the
Gesii.-Father Blenkinsop will celebrate his Golden Jubilee on August 15th.
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.-The fifth number of the Letters of the Father!! of
the Society in these :Missions has just appeared. It was printed in ~Imiilla
and contains seventy-two most interesting letters, covering about one hundred
and seventy-six pages. Xothing can be more interesting than the relations of
the missionaries, showing the great progress the Catholic religion is n1aking
in those Islands. Although in some places they have to regret the incon·
stancy of some of the native tribes, in gcnernl these Fathers have every reason
to thank God who crowns their work with succe;;s. The poor natives aro
everywhere embracing the Faith aml the fatigues and sufferings of the missionary are more than rewarded by the piety and fervor of his new converts,
-Mr. Tyrrell, from Ofia.
PORTUGAL.-This Province ever since its foundation has had to labor hard
for its formation and increase. Few Provinces have had so many difficulties
to overcome, chiefly on account of the Jesuits' not being sufficiently known,
or rather on account of the false ideas that most of the Portuguese have about
the sons of St. Ignatius. This is', in a great measure, to he ascribed to the
Marquis of Pombal of unhallowed memory. At present, however, many hegin to see the· falsity of the statements made against us. The colleges of
Campolido and S. Ficl (Fidelis) have each over lGO boys. Campolido which
is situated in the surburhs of Lisbon is the best attended college at the capi-
�Va r£ a.
245
tal, an•l many of the first families of Portugal send their sons there. Very
often the religious sentiments of the parents are far from being favorable to··
wards the masters whom they choose for their children, who are sent to the
college solely on account of the well merited reputation it enjoys. Ever since
its foundation the college has been increasing in the number of its pupils, and
this is due to the zeal ami energy of Fr. Francis Sturzo who has governed it
since 1866. At present, a new church is being built which has taxed the zeal
and prudence of the Father. The church will be completed in a short time,
and the Patriarch of Lisbon has promised to perform the ceremony of conse·
crating it.-The education of the youth of Lisbon is hut a part of the work of
the college, for every year, during the vacation, a:number of priests and sev·
era! Bishops go there, to perform the Spiritual exercises.- St. Fie! is less
fortunate in its situation, as it is very far from Lisbon, but is sufficiently near
the city of Castello Branco. The college is called after the holy martyr St.
Fidelis whose relics are preserved there. This college has given a great many
novices to the Society. The enemies of the Society could not look "nmoved
at the good this college was effecting; its success should be prevented. Many
speeches were made in parliament, calling on the government to suppress the
college and expel the Jesuits. The .result, however, was quite contrary to
their wishes; the government did not interfere and the speeches only served
as advertisements for the college. The number of boys suddenly increased,
and no more could be received for want of room. In a short time, the new
buildings will be completed and the college will be large enough for two hundred boys.
At Setuhal besides the juniorate there is also a day·school. The Province
has also five residences, scattered through the principal cities of the kingdom.
The residence or college of Quelimane well known to the readers of the Let·
ters from the Zambesi Mission, owes, I may say, its foundation to the Province of Portugal.-Every year some of the Fathers, at the earnest request of
the Bishop of Funchal, visit the island of )Iadeira, to give missions and
preach the ecelesiastical retreat. This Bishop and also the Archbishop of
Goa are most anxious to establish residences of Ours in their dioceses, but unfortunately a want of subjects does not permit the Superiors to comply with
the request, the Province having only 42 priests, (iS Scholastics and 41 laybrothers, in all 151 mem hers. There are eighteen Scholastic novices. The
total increase of membership last year was 4.
The Catalogue of the Province for this year contains a long and interesting
list of the names of the members of the Society who sailed from the port of
Lisbon for the East during a hundred years, that is, from April 7th, 1541
(when 8t. Francis Xavier set out), to 1641. The list contains the names of
947 Jesuits, of whom 57 had the glory of shedding their blood for the faith,
whilst 58 died on the voyage. Of the 947, about (ilO were Portuguese, 185
were Italians, 85 were Spaniards, aud the others, from tlitfer•~nt European nations.-IIow different is the position of the Society in Portugal to-day from
what it was three hundred years ago, when all Lisbon would assemble to bid
adieu tu the humble missionaries and cheer on their way those noble souls,
leaving home and friends, to save the lost sheep, and destined, many of them,
to gain the martyr's crown.-Frum t!te Spanish, by nSclwlastic at Oiia.
�Vart'a.
Scnoi.ASTICATES.-,Ve have received some of the theses defended at the
Public Disputations in Scholnsticatcs of the Society during this year, "·e
have looked over the the,cs from· Oiia (Castile), Tortosa (Aragon), Jersey
.(Province of France), Ditton Hall (Province of Germany), Tchang·Kia-Tchouang, of the Chinese ~Iission, Tche-ly (Province of Champagne). In the
Spanish Scholasticates theses de Justitia et Jure were publicly discmse<l,
whilst in Jersey theses, de Scriptura Sa en< were treated after the same method.
The Ditton Hall programme inclmles points on Ecclesiastical History (in the
vernacular). The Fathers generally take a lively interest in this discussion.
In Ecclesiastical History as well as in Theology every member of the class
must be ready to defend the theses, as the selection of the defendant is mncle
only at the opening of the <lisputation. The objectors, however, are chosen
.three clays heforehan<l.
SPAIN.-The Nolliliate at Loyola.- Fo~'tl1e past five years the number of
.Schola.tic novices has been stea<lily in'Cr.easing. From 1868 to 1879, they
were with the philosophers and theologians at Poyanne in France an<l their
number seldom amounted to forty, but since their return to their ol<l home
at Loyola, they have more than <louble<l that number; at present there are
.about seventy Scholastic and twenty-eight Coadjutor novices.
Everything around Loyola reminds them of St. Ignatius. The Urola slowly murmurs along as when the young Iiiigo strolled along its banks. About
halfway between Loyola and Azpeitia, the parish church of Ignatius, which
is about a mile from Loyola, is a striking proof of the Saint's love for his Immaculate Mother, for here is erected a slab, stating that there Ignatius when
a boy doffed his cap each time he passed and recited the S<1lve Regina whilst
facing a little sanctuary ou the hillside opposite, dedicated to the Immaculate
Virgin. The novices are not the- only ones who now imitate the pious practice of our holy Father, for no one would think of passing without saying his
Salve. The fine old church of Azpeitia has also its traditions of the saint.
There is the pulpit from which he preached and the baptismal font where he
was baptize<l, with his statue surmounting it, whilst he points to the Basque
.inscription:._•
"IIere I was b"ptizcd."
At about the same distance on the other side of Loyola is another little
town very like Azpeitia in name and appearance; it is called Azcoitia. It was
her the pious' mother of our Father was born. The house still stands, on the
sitlc of a hill outside the town. The people love the Jesuits and are proud
of their great countryman, whom they all honor as a father. They are greatly attached to the novices whom they regard as future Tgnatiuses. Indeed, if
the whole country was like the province of Guipuzcoa the Jesuits could never
have been driven out of Spain.
Every road and path about Loyola has its traditions, but it is iu the Santa
Casn itself that all the associations may be said to be concentrated; here every·
thing breathes peace and holiness; in everything the novice seems to hear St.
Ignatius, whispering the virtues he ~ust acquire and the great work for which
he is preparing. The little chapel dedicated to their patron, St. Stanislaus,
was formerly the bedroom of St. Ignatius. Then there is the chapel of our
holy Father with the high altar on the very spot where he lay when St. Peter
appeared to hi,;.l. Then there is the little chapel dedicated to our Lady of
Dolors which was the family oratory when Ignatius was a child. It is doubly
�Varia.
dear to every Jesuit, for it was here that St. Francis llorgia celebrated his
first Mass, in 1551. Each little oratory has its traditions and its endearing
associations. Uany celebrated missionaries and martyrs have spent the happy
years of their novitiate at Loyola.
At present most of the novices are very young; in fact, many of them are
so young, that at the end of their two years' novitiate they are obliged to wait
before they can take their vows, as they have not attained the canonical age.
If the Society be allowed to remain in peace for a few years, the Province of
Castile will be one of the largest, and not only Spain, but the New World
will profit by it, for at present there are several novices at Loyola belonging
to .Mexico; but alas! things are far from being in a settled state and threatening clouds from time to time appear. Let us hope that those clouds may soon
disaJlpear and that the novices may enjoy in peace their old home, whilst they
learn to imitate the great men who have passed there before them and who
have so nobly worked A. U. D. G.
In looking over the catalogue of the Province, which has 729 members with
an increase last year of 26, we find that some were received in their fourteenth
and others in their fifteenth year. ""e notice in the J uniorate two classes of
rhetoric, a class of humanities, and that 27 Juniors are in a class of grammar.
Carrion- On the evening of Jun. 26th, about 4.30, in the College of
Carrion, of which Fr. Cristobal is Rector, the boys of the ~econd division,
who had been out walking, returned to the play-ground. Several of them
went into a kind of deambulacrum, which ran along side the play-ground.
Their prefect was with them, and preparations were being made to give a kind
of musical entertainment there in honor of Rev. Fr. Provincial, as it was his
first visit to Carrion since his return from Rome. They had scarcely entered
the building, when the wind, which had been blowing furiously all day, suddenly rose to a storm, ami blew with such fury that the roof and front pillars
fell in, catching the prefect and about twenty boys beneath the ruins. 'l'he
building had been formerly at the other side of the play-ground, and was just
removed; the roof had not yet been completed ; a lay-brother and several
tradesmen were working at it. They were more or less injured. One of the
boys lived only about half an hour, another died that night; a third the following day; aud a fourth, who had his leg fractured, lingered for over a fortnight. A jn<licial inquiry was instituted, and it was declared that no blame
could be attached to the Society. 'fhe parents of the unfortunate boys edified all by their Christian piety and resignation ..,
-Letter from Oiia .
.Had1"id.-Fr. Joseph l.I. 11Ion a missionary (discurrens) of the Province of
Toledo, whilst preaching a sermon in ;\[adrid, was inveighing against those
who durin:; the Lent were serving the devil by going to see doubtful French
plays, though now and then coming to the house of God; in the midst of the
discourse an offending party, a member of the royal family, entered ami heard
some salutary truths. But odium ptperit veritas; the truth must not be told
to those in high places! The Father was requestetl to discontinue his sermons.
***
ST. LOUIR UNIVERSITY.-In the post-graduate course Father R.udolph .J.
llleyer gave lectures on historical subjects; Fr. II. 1\f. Calmer, on Science and
R.evealcd Iteligion; Fr. E. A. Higgins, on llumc, Gibbon, and Scholastic
Philosophy; Father M. 111. Harts, on points of Anglo-Saxon and Saracenic
history·; Fr. Thomas Hughes, on Ethics; Fr. W. II. Hill, on Psychology.
�Varia.
Altogether there were forty-five lectures delivered by the Fathers.-Fr. Harts
has published some valuable historical charts. 'V e have not seen them.
UPPER 0EI::1.1.\NY.-Father John Lohmann has been appointed Provincial.
For the last few years he has been Superior ami Rector in Denmark.
HOME NEws-Fr. Sabctti's Moral Theology, now in the binder's hands,
will be on sale at Benziger's, New York. - We cannot speak too highly· of
this work for its adaptation to the needs of our country; its clear exposition
of moral doctrine; its copious index. The author whilst embodying in the
text all that is of importance in the work of Gury, the notes of Ballerini, and
later writers, has been most careful to cite the tlecrees recently publishetl in
Itome.
Fr. De Augustinis' work, De Deo Uno, now ready, will be for sale at Benziger's. The Scholastics gave a rece\rtion to Archbishop Gibbons; for this
hearty welcome on his return from !tome he expressetl his gratitutle in a very
happy address. In the evening after litanies he gave the Papal Benediction
to the whole community. Next tlay his Grace conferred )Iinor Orders on
thirty-two of the Philosophers of the first year, an< I suh-deaconship on )[essrs
.Joseph I. Zeigler, ,fohn A. Buckley, Daniel I. :l.Iac Goldrick, George E. Quinn
and .John Scullr of our Province, and E<lward A. Gaffney and William Power
of the )lission of New Orleans; ou the 18th, the same were ordained deacons,
and on Saturday, the 10th, together with three Seminarians from Baltimore,
were elevated to the ortlcr of priesthood. The newly ordained priests said
their first )[asses on Low Sun<lay.
The Philosophers gave a fi~e specimen in elocution on April 1Rth.- The
disputations in Theology aml Philosophy were held, 21st and 22nd of April.
Ex tmctatu de Deo Uno, Mr. William P. Brett <lefen<letl: )[essts. Thomas
Gannon and Et1gcne )!agevncy objected. Ex tmctatu de Ecclesia, Mr. George
Lucas <lcfcntled; ~Icssrs. Herman ~Ieiners and Edward Gleeson objected.-In
Philosophy for the third year, b'thi:cs, defen<lant, ;\lr. Patrick Kenncd)~; objectors, ~lessrs. Peter Kayser and Peter Bougis; Jlietaphysics, defendrtiit, Mr.
John T. Hedrick; objectors, ~[cssrs. E<lward llanhauscr and Joseph O'Heilly.
-For the second year, defendant, l\Ir. C. J. Clift(ml; objectors, )[essrs. l\Iartin Lucrsman antl'E<lgar Bcrnard.-For the first year, defendant, )[r. James
·Curran; objectors, ~[c"srs . .John O'Leary and Henry )[arinl!;.- On the 2:lml
Mr .Joseph Hanselman gave a lecture in the lihrary (with lantern views) on
"Yolcauoes and Volcanic Aetion-pynamical Ueology."- On the z:lrd, :l.lr.
William Cunningham, assistc<l in the experiments, by )[essrs. C. J. Borgmeyer, E. H. Brown and J. Condon, lectured on "Electrical discharges in
rarefied 6-.nses. ''
Frs. William F. Clarke, Edward Doucet, ·Maurice ltonayne and Edward
II. 'Vclch, of the committee on studies, together with Fr. Rector and the professors of theology of this house, hehl their second series of meetings here
during Easter week. The same Fathers began their sessions again, May 23rd,
and after three days' hard wor~<a<ljourned sine die.
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS.
VOL. XIII, No. 3·
LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.<1>
CHAPTER I.
T !te Copley Family.
Among the pious and devoted Jesuits, who, at the command of the Father General, two hundred and fifty years
ago, turned their faces westward, and accompanied or followed the Catholic pilgrims to that "new found land of
Jesus," Maryland, one of the most ~nergetic and efficient
was Father Thomas Copley. Among the English gentlemen who gathered around the council table of Governor
Calvert none ranked higher in birth and fortune than Thomas Copley, Esquire. Yet of him little is _known; he is not
even mentioned by Oliver, and Foley, in his "Records of the
English Province," suggests that Copley was an alias of
White or Altham. In histories of Maryland his name only
occurs as one of the early missionaries. One writer, Streeter, somewhat puzzled by the distinction invariably accorded
to him by the Annapolis Records, naively inquires "how a
Jesuit could be an esquire," though even he would have acknowledged that the kinsman of Elizabeth of England had
(IJ The above pages have been communicated to us by the writer, Mrs. K.
C. Dorsey, of Washington, D. C. We gladly print them in full, as materials
of permanent value for the early history of our Province.
VoL xm-No. 3·
17
(249)
�~so
Life of Father Thomas Copley.
a right to that title, in spite of his having relinquished a high
position for the priest's robe, and exchanged an ancient patrimony in England for plantations in the new colony which
are still held by his successors. Here he faithfully sowed
that others might reap, turning not back for the years that
were given him; and when his work was done, here he lay
down to rest.
In the attempt to gain some knowledge of the fortunes of
this negleB:ed founder, we have learned something of the
lives of his father and grandfather; men whose fate was so
strangely shaped by intense loyalty to that faith for which
he sought an asylum, that they are well worthy to be remembered, even if their history had not thrown new and
unexpeB:ed light on that of Maryland.
When, in 1558, Elizabeth ascended the throne of England, few untitled families ranked higher, or possessed greater wealth, than that of which Thomas Copley of Gatton,
Leigh Grange, Raughley, Colley, Manor of the Maze in
Southwark, and Mersh~m Park, was head. Through one
ancestress he claimed the barony of Welles, through another
that of Hoo, and was related through them to the Queen herself. Both Burleigh and Walsingham, her trusted counselors, were his kinsmen ; so that it seemed no one had a f<\lrer
outl~ok, could he only have gotten rid of his troubles'"orl1e
conscience and his Catholic mother. She -was Elizabeth
Shelley, daughter of Sir William Shelley of Michelgrove,
Sussex, Judge of the Common Pleas; one who stood high
enough in the favor of Henry VIII to be sent by him to
Esher, in order to wring from Wolsey, then about to fall,
a grant of York House, known afterwards as Whitehall.
vVolsey demurred, saying he had no power to alienate the
possessions of the church, and that "the judges should put
no more in the king's head than that law which may stand
with conscience." Judgt:c Shelley replied, "that having regard to the king's great power it may better stand with conscience, who is sufficient to recompense the church of York
with double the value." Knowing well the charaB:er of his
Majesty, Wolsey must have felt how small was the chance
�Life of Father Tltomas Copley.
that the see of York would again receive this bread, cast
into the fathomless waters of royal rapacity. However, the
King got Whitehall-and granted to Sir William the Manor
of Gatton in Surrey, as a pourboire after his journey. This
place, celebrated in reform days for its rotten borough, is
within eight miles of London; and had been held in early
times by Sir Robert de Gatton, for the extraordinary service
of marshal oftwelve maidens who waited in the royal kitchen. Its lords had gone crusading and otherwise extinguished
themselves, and it had fallen to the crown, to be regranted
in this wise. Sir William Shelley settled it on his daughter
at her marriage with Sir Roger Copley; as well as Leigh, a
moated grange, one of the few in England that still retain
their ancient character. Willing as Sir William Shelley
showed himself to drag down the too powerful Wolsey, he
seems to have shrunk back as the evil qualities of Henry
developed themselves, ami "in Lord Cromwell's time passed
storms and with great loss" as we learn from a letter of his
son, Sir Richard, preserved in the Harleian Library. His
whole family seem to have clung with unshaken fidelity to
the Church; his eldest son, Sir William of Michelgrove, for
presenting a respectful petition of his co-religionists to Elizabeth, was thrown into the Tower and died there; Sir Richard, another son, was the last Turcopelier of St. John of
Jerusalem. This great office was equivalent to that of general of cavalry, turcoples being the light horse in the holy wars,
and was always borne by English knights, the conventual
bailiffofthat language alone bearing the title, and the Grand
Master only being above him. Sir Richard was a favorite of
Cardinal Pole and the trusted friend of the noble LaValette,
whose battles he shared, and so high was his character, that
even Elizabeth, though she deprived him of his e~tates and
drove him into exile, employed him in rsSr in negotiations
with France; which he conducted so successfully, that he
had leave to return, though it does not appear that he ever
did so. Sir Richard on this occasion, caused a medal to be
struck, an engraving of which is given in the Gentleman's
Magazine for IJSs. On one side is his own noble face, on
�izJe o:f Father Thomas Copley.
the reverse a griffin, his crest, with the motto, "Patria! sum
excubitor opum."
Holding so high a place in a great order, the Lord Prior
seems to have exercised a controlling influence in his family,
several other members of which joined it during his time;
and we have dwelt on his career thus long, because it seems
to have been an important faaor in determining that of the
Shelleys, Copleys, Gages, and South wells, all of whom were
conneaed with him. Lady Copley, besides her only son
Sir Thomas, had three daughters; one of whom, Bridget,
married to Richard Southwell of St. Faith's in Norfolk, is
said to have been a very learned lady, and Latin instruaress
to the cruel Queen, who afterwards condemned to torture
and to death her son, Robert Southwell, S. J. poet, priest
and martyr.
CHAPTER II.
Persemtio1l a1ld &i!e.
Thomas Copley was a Protestant in the reign of Mary,
perhaps influenced by his relationship to Elizabeth. In
March, I 558, sitting then doubtless for his borough of Gatton, he incurred the displeasure of the House of Commqhs
for "irreverent words against Queen Mary,"(l) and was c;nimitted to the sergeant-at-arms, in whose custody he still
was when the house adjourned soon after. He then went
abroad, and was in France when Mary died; for the Commissioners she had sent to treat for the recovery of Calais,
dispatched him to Elizabeth with letters of congratulation,
for which she told him "she owed him a good turn." We
shall see hereafter how she kept her word. Standing thus
well with her majesty, and holding high hopes for the future,
Thomas Copley, not yet twenty-three years old, bestirred
himself about his marriage.· He seems at first to have turned
his eyes towards a daught'er of Howard of Effingham, but
ultimately chose Catherine, one of the daughters and co(1)
Journals of the House, 7 & 8 of March, 1558.
�Life of Father Tlwmas Copley.
253
heiresses of Sir John Lutterel of Dunster, Somersetshire,
"who was handsomer," says her granddaughter in the Chronicle of St. Monica. In the Loosely MSSY> there is a letter
from the bridegroom, asking from the Master of the Revels the loan "of masques," etc., for the wedding, which he
says "is like to take place in an ill houre" for him, whence
it would seem he already presaged evil. Indeed, it is said
that the Lord Chamberlain, Howard, never forgave the slight
his daughter had received, nor ceased to· use his influence
with Elizabeth, to whom he was related, until he had driven
Copley into exile. However, in 156o, the Queen still smiled
on him, for in that year she became godmother to his eldest
son, to whom she gave her father's name, Henry. Copley,
in a letter written long afterwards, says that at this period
he "indulged in costly building, chargeable music, and such
vanities as my age delighted in :" no doubt ruffling it with
the best, and displaying the splendor then expected from a
gentleman of ample estate, who quartered the arms of Hoo,
Welles, Waterton, Shelley, Lutterel, and a dozen moreY>
No further record is found until 1568, when he obtained
Mersham Park, an estate of about twelve hundred acres in
Surrey, which had belonged to the Priory of Christchurch,
Canterbury, and then to that greedy spqiler of church lands,
Sir Robert Southwell, who this year had leave to alienate it
to Thomas Copley-now a Catholic. He at once settled it
on his wife and children.
It is probable that the change in his religious opinions
had taken place some time before this period. St. Monica's
Chronicle says it was brought about by reading controversial works; perhaps the belief was latent in him and became
apparent as the policy of the government toward those of the
old faith displayed itself; he being tolerant to a degree singularly remarkable for those days. ·He was nevertheless willing to endure all things rather than renounce or conceal the
least of those things he believed essential. Perhaps the loss
of his mother, who died in 1560, may have drawn him toCll
C2l
Edited by Kempe, London, 1830.
Manings IIist, of Snrre;r, England,
�254
Life
of Fatlzer Tlzomas Copley.
wards the religion of her family. That the change must
have been known soon after this event is certain :-for he
speaks of "six years of imprisonment patiently borne,"and "of troubles with the Lord Chamberlain and broils with
the Archbishop of Canterbury about religion"- in a letter
the date of which fixes the faCt: as about that time.
An hour dark for him and for many others was at hand;
in rs69, the discontents, arising from the imprisonment of
Mary Stuart, and other causes, broke into a storm ; the
North was in a flame, the great -Earls arose;- and for the
last time, the "halfmoon" of Percy, the "dun bull" of Neville
gathered together men in battle array. But the power of
the feudal lords was gone, and the rebellion was suppressed,
but not before the county of Durham was almost turned
into a desert; whilst the roads leading to Newcastle were
dotted with gibbets on which hung by twos and threes the
bodies of gentlemen who had taken part in it. It does not
appear that Copley had the least hand in this revolt; nor
does he seem ever to have favored the claims of Mary Stuart, or to have been accused of doing so. The outbreak
may have intensified the suspicion with which all recusants
were regarded, and there may have been an intention of recommitting him to prison, of which he had a hint before he
took that step which he never was to retrace.
~·
We have been unable to find the exaCt: date of his departure from England, but we learn from himself, that having
written to the Queen and her council his reasons for not
waiting for their license to dwell abroad, he escaped beyond seas.
In 1570 information is given to Burleigh that "Copley
and Shelley are at Louvain."-There is a curious "accompte"
published in Colleetanea Topographica, Vol. 8th, kept by
Donald Sharples, an agent of Mrs. Copley for some property
settled on her, belonging.to. the Maze in Southwark-itemizing various articles bought:
"On I rth Nov. 1569, To Robert Bowers blacksmythe
and gonne maker, for a gonne called a fyer-locke piece for
Mr. Copley, 40s." whilst the next entry is for "sealing threde
�Life if Father Thomas Copley.
255
•
and a quier of Venis paper for my mistress." Perhaps at
that time Copley was preparing for his departure, and his
wife got some Venis (Venice) paper so that she might let
her lord know how things were falling out at home. There
are evil rumors abroad-the Lord Chamberlain and divers
other gentlemen of the court have solicited his lands for
themselves, but only for his life-time, he having made settlements on his family which prevented their forfeiture. On
the 1st of February, the year then ending at Lady's Day25th of March-Mrs. Copley comes from Gatton to look into
this ; perhaps, if the worse shall come to the worst, to prepare for another flitting. She was a capable woman se~m
ingly, and able to take care not only of hersel,f, but of
the numerous family, five or six children, thrown on her
hands. She lodges at "the house of Mr. Whyte," citizen
and merchant tailor in Bow Lane, one of her tenants, and
does some shopping, besides attending to more important
business in the matter of fines and indiCtments. Among
other things she buys "a grammar booke for master Henry,
covered and past in lethare-3s. 2d," also "a new boke made
by one of the Temple against the Rebels -4s. ;" more important still "a copy of commission to inquire of the lands
and goodes of such persons as have gone over seas without the Q'' M1•• Lycense and for serch~ thereof--9d."
She also bought "a reade goat skyne" and had it dyed and
dressed to make "jerkins for Maister Henrie and Mr. William"; that of "Maister Henrie" was adorned with "a dozen
of buttons of Gold and a velvet girdle," but Mr. William
being a younger son, had only "a leatherne girdle."
On the 24th of February "a wagoyne" came from Gatton
and Mrs. Copley went home in it, seemingly in bad weather;
she "paid for packneedles and packthrede to sowe the blewe
clothe about the wagoyne 2d."; and she gave before her departure to "Mysteres Whyte, her maydes, to Jelyon 12d.,
and to the other Maid 6d."
Soon the blow fell, (I) Howard of Effingham swooped down
(I)
Chronicle of St. M~nica in possession of Augustines of Abbotsligh, England,
�Life
of Father Tlzomas Copley.
on Gatton. Elizabeth had delivered her cousin as a prey
to his hand, and stripped the stately hall of its armor, several hundred suits having been carried off, whilst Copley's
books were carted away to Oxford. Mrs. Copley joined
her husband. This journey took place in 1571, for in 1572,
Sharples paid "to Mr. Page the post, for bringing letters
from my mysteres being beyond seas to my Ld. of Burley,
Ld. Treasurer, 2d." : it may be the very letter we are about
to give, which is found in the D. L. P. of Elizabeth edited
by Bruce. It is dated Antwerp, ·Dec. 26th, I 572, enclosing
one to the Queen which deserve!l, insertion, if only to contrast its manly tone with the sickening adulation of the
epistles addressed to her by Leicester, Hatton, and Raleigh.
Copley in his letter to Burleigh says :
The times are so much against him that he has no hope
of justice; flies to him ·for aid and encloses letter to the
Queen, thus going to the well-head. If Burleigh is unwilling to move in it, hopes he will give license to his servant,
Donald Sharples, to present it, and hopes Burleigh will
get an answer to it. He 'gives as his reasons for seeking
Burleigh's assistance; "first his wisdom, incorruptibility and
temperance;" secondly, the union of their houses- "tho'
your house is now weighty, it can never be stronger by the
fall of mine;" thirdly, his ability with her Majesty to defeifd·
him from wrongdoing. He says he "has not had one penny
from England, since May 1571"-that he "is 400£ in debt,
it having grown by forbearing, for love of Prince and country,
to accept foreign pensions," but that the time may come
when it may be wished that so honest a subjeCt had been
retained. "If the rigor of that strange statute lately made
should be executed, yet would my wife enjoy a third of my
living," and that he has offered the Queen roo£ instead
during his absence.-His letter to Elizabeth we give in full:
"If my innocency had been a sufficient defense against my
slanderous enemies, I woultl not trouble you, but hearing
through this night's post of the three prosecutions against
me, with a new charge for property in Southwark the I rth
of this Dec., and returnable by the roth of the next month
�Life of Father Thomas Copley.
257
unless you order otherwise, I presume to offer you wo£
a year. I hope you will rather take it direClly from me,
than through the perjury of the jurymen who may award
it to you. Your profit or· safety is not the mark they regard, but rather their insatiable desire to enrich themselves
with my spoil. My conversation was peaceable at home :
during the twelve years of my chargeable and faithful service to you in my poor calling, I never omitted in any public charge aught that might tend to encourage to love and
wish the continuance of so happy a government under so
gracious a Queen. How far I have been from entering into
praClices since my coming here, may appear in that I have
never been to court, never saw the Duke and never treated
with him. Though since May twelvemonth I have never
received a penny of my country, yet I have forborne a
foreign service, till necessity, which has no law, shall force
me to the contrary. I have on my hands- which I trust
will move you to the more compassion for my estate-my
poor wife and seven small children, of whom my eldest son,
not yet twelve years of age, is your godson and dedicated
to you; and if the advices be true which I receive from the
University of Douay, where he is brought up, he may prove
in time to do you and his country good service. My zeal
and dutiful affeClion to you have abundantly appeared, being so great as, though God reduced me back from the
errors whereunto my unskilful youth was misguided, to the
embracing of the true Catholic faith, yet never could I enter
into any praClices or conspiracy against you, whom I beseech our Lord long to preserve. If mine enemies objeCl
that I am not worthy of such favor as to remain by license,
having departed without it, I did nothing therein unlawful ;
for the law of nature teacheth every creature to flee from
imminent peril. The law of nations permits every free man
to go where he lists, and therefore that wise gentleman, the
Duke of Alcala, late Viceroy of Naples, making sport with
the simplicity of a silly gentleman that'sued for license to
go forth of the· kingdom, asked him whether he was a man
or a horse. If he were a horse, then there was indeed re-
�Life of Father Thomas Copley.
straint on him, but if he were a man, he might bestow himself where he listed. Further, the very laws of England, by
a special proviso in that old servile statute, gave me liberty
to pass and repass the seas at pleasure, being free of the
staple; though I have chosen to live after my better calling.
Yet had I not attempted to come without license, considering the general restraint of that old aCt:, if the malicious praCtices of mine enemies had not overtaken me, denying me leisure to follow such a suit, unless I would have
tarried with manifest hazard at my departure, as I signified
by letter both to you and to tht;, council, being sorry for
any aCt: that might betoken offence to you.
I trust that these causes will move you to compassion on
my case and to set your authority for a buckler between me
and my enemies, who seek my ruin and that of my house,
without regard to the slander of the government by the note
of injustice, and cruel peril of the precedent which may be
withdrawn to the shaking of all estates and conveyances
within the realm, or to any other respeCt to God or to you.
In granting this license you shall save a jury of souls, stop
the raving mouths of my greedy adversaries, and bind me,
whom necessity is like otherwise to draw into foreign service, to be a loving subjeCt: and a faithful servant, which I.
trust to signify by some notable service, if you like to em·-.
ploy me in any cause wherein a good Christian may, without hazard to his body and soul, serve his temporal Prince.
Antwerp, 26 Dec. 1572."
It seems her Grace did condescend, in consideration of
the hundred pounds, to become "a buckler;" at least, the
property in Southwark remained in the hands of Mrs. Copley's agent, who continues the "accompte,". paying on the
8th of OCt:. 1573, "for a Proclama~on made against certain
bookes which came from beyond seas, 2d' ." Of one of these
we shall hear further,-it is now known to have been written by Sir Nicolas Throgmorton, at the instigation of the
Earl of Leicester; hd in it both Burleigh and his cousin
Bacon, the I..ord Keeper, met with very severe treatment.
They were accused of governing England by Machiavelli-
�Lzfe of Father Thomas Copley.
259
an policy, and it was charged that Burleigh had been "a
creeper to the cross in Queen Mary's time." This, though
strictly true, was a disagreeable reminiscence and as well
forgotten. Also, rude things were said about their parentage; that it was not so high as that of Norfolk and Northumberland, lately sent to the scaffold. Copley, connected
in some way with Lady Burleigh, through the Belknaps, is
in the Low Countries where this vile book is published;
through him we may find the author, perhaps put our
finger on him. About this time, Mrs. Copley, attended
by Thomas Brooke, secretary to her husband, slipped over
to England to attend to her affairs. The "accompte" makes
considerable mention of "a Mastiffe Dogge" which Brooke
was appointed to take abroad with him. On the 13th of
Oct. there was "carrage of a trunke, a great Fardell, and
a chest from Mayster White, his house, to Belensgate,
when my Mysteres went over seas, 6d." This time she
went with license furnished her by my Lord Burleigh,
for on the 26 of Nov. Copley writes a courteous letter to
Dr. Wilson, the Queen's Ambassador, thanking him for that
favorY> On this letter there is an endorsement-12th Dec.that Wilson had seen Copley, and they had spoken of a
book against Elizabeth's title and in favor of that of Mary
Stuart. This Wilson at once communicates to Burleigh,
saying that he had promised Copley "if he would bring it,
and declare the author, he would be an humble suitor to
the Queen for him." That he continued to hold out inducements is evident; on the 15 of Dec. 1574, Copley, answering his persuasions, "does not see how he can return to
England without danger, the laws now standing as they do;
but if his living is restored to him, is willing to give up his
pension from the King of Spain, renounce his service, and
serve the Queen." Wilson seems to have transmitted this
letter to Burleigh, who, on the 28 of the same month, two
years after Copley had begged his intercession with the
Queen in the letter already given, answers it and others at
(I)
S. P. English Po reign Affairs, Eliza beth.
�Life of Father Thomas Copley.
great length, regretting that for religious scruples he should
have left England, inquiring in the most innocent manner
"the foundations of such a change," an-d asking if he knows
"who is the author of a life lately published against himself
and the Lord Keeper." Copley replies to this from Antwerp, I 575: he thanks him for allowing "his brother-in-law
Gage (I) and his wife to come over and live here" ; hopes
Burleigh will not see him spoiled for seeking quiet of
conscience; reminds him that in Germany princes use their
subjeCls of whatever religion, and wishes "that some means
were adopted to appease these miserable controversies that
rend the world." Then deftly declining to answer arguments on religion, he promises not to favor the Queen's
enemies. "As for the author of the book set forth against
you and the Lord Keeper, in I 572, I am so unhappy as to
be unable to tell you. I think the author knew my alliance
to your house and that of Suffolk, and kept it from me as
unlikely to allow it; I was one of the last that saw it, and I
believe it was made at home. I have offered in company
to defend you against any that should say you were not of
gentle blood. If you suspea the author of the book, let
me know, and I will put him to his purgation." Whence it
would seem my Lord Treasurer found him a very unsatis-.
faClory informer.
.;
Further badgered by Wilson as "untrustful of the Queen's
goodness and undutiful in not throwing himself on her
mercy and returning home," and urged that he shall at least
leave Antwerp and reside in some city in Germany, Copley,
writing to Burleigh, March 5th, I 575, refuses to do this,
on account of "its distance from England and the grossness
of its language, which he neither understands nor wishes to
understand." He says further that during his first year of
service he has gained a noble pension, and that the King of
• Spain is a father to him. "As long as I am entertained by
him I will truly serve him." Still he wishes that "the Queen
who has pardoned greater traitors would pardon one void
m Ga~e of Firle.
�llfe o/ Fat!ter
Thomas Copley.
of offense, and allow him a portion without binding his services for a supply ;" he has seven children and expeB:s an
eighth.
CHAPTER. III.
Foreign Service.
It has been seen from Copley's letter to the Queen how
reluB:ant he was to enter into the service of a foreign prince;
that such was his real feeling is evinced by the faB:, that
though greatly needing money for his large family, five
years passed from the time of his arrival to his acceptance
of Spanish aid, though his uncle, the Lord Prior, was all
powerful at that court, and the Duke of Alva, who ruled the
Low Countries with an iron rod when he sought refuge
there, would have gladly received him. His supplications
to the Queen and ministers treated with profound indifference, Copley seems to have held out as long as he could ;
at last "venter 1zo1t lzabet aures" he writes, and in 1574,
Burleigh inscribes in his list (I) of pensioners of the King of
Spain, "Mr. Copley, 6o ducats a month." Then he becomes
an objeB: of the deepest interest: Dr Wilson indites letters
to him, the Lord Treasurer renews his former friendship
and takes an interest in the state of his soul, and his informers begin to busy themselves with Copley's concerns.
Sept. 3rd, 1574, Edward Woodshawe, t 2l a hardened villain,
who had been Count Egmont's servant thirty five years,
obliged by his execution to return to England, where he was
forced by the parcimony of his relatives-he "who was
brought up like a gentleman not knowing want"-to break
into a house, steal twenty pounds and return to the Low
Countries, writes from Antwerp to Burleigh that "Mr Copley is in great favor with the New Govorner," Requesens,
Commendatore of Castile, who succeeded Alva in 1573,
"but has not much knowledge of martial affairs: he exIll
Strype's History; Appendix.
121 S.
P.-Foreign Affairs.
�Life if Fatlzer T!tomas Copley.
amines every Englishman who comes over, and sends all but
Catholics away; he has sent Phillips away, and says he ought
to be hung." This remark shows that Copley had a wonderful insight into charaCter, for Phillips was Walsingham's
private forger, who twelve years afterwards introduced into
Mary Stuart's letters to Babington fatal expressions which
sealed her doom.
Burleigh's objeCt: seems·to have been to induce his wife's
kinsman to betray the secrets of Philip's councils by promises of a restoration of property and other favors. His
letters are not given in the S. P., but Copley's are. They are
kind and friendly- his wife's portion might still be taken
away, but he speaks always in one tone; he will always
honestly serve the king who supports him, whilst he is a true
subjeCt: to his own prince.· Ere long it was announced in England that the King of Spain had made him Baron of Gatton
and Raughley and Master of the Maze, and given him
letters of marque to prey on the commerce of the Dutch.
On the 17 of Nov. I 575, he writes to the Queen that he
had heard from De Boiscot, newly arrive9 at Court, that
she was offended with him for having drawn her mariners
to serve the Catholic King; and reminds her that she, from
· amity to Philip, had given De Requesens leave to do so; and
Copley, being aware of this, thought she would not objec't·
that he should take a commission from him, intending it only
to apply of course to the (Dutch) rebels; that he and his
friends had dealt openly with the wherrymen of Sandwich
to procure rowers for the new galleys, and that he had no
thought of doing it without her knowledge. He had also
heard that she was offended with him because he had taken
greater titles than those belonging to him. The commission had only styled him "Nobilis Anglus et dominus
Gatton et Raugltley." Nobi!is was used for gentleman, as
• generosus meant a gentle Englishman and not an English
gentleman. On the continent armiger means only a cutler or
swordbearer; and in Spain it was usual to call all nobles
lords. "It is said I fish in troubled waters, but all the waters
in Christendom are troubled by faB:ions; and I had much
�Life of Father Thomas Copley.
rather fish in the calm rivers and sweet streams of my own
country." Elizabeth, who "liked not her sheep marked with
others' brands," was very indignant with Copley now-perhaps she was not pleased altogether with the lesson in Latin
from her old teacher's brother-and expressed her sentiments
in a letter to the Commendatore to which Burleigh told
the Advocate Fiscal "he would not have consented had he
known it, as Copley was . related to his wife, and, but for
preciseness of religion, an honest gentleman." This storm
soon passed away, for letters from Spain to the Queen, to
Burleigh, and others (perhaps captured in a Dutch ship),
falling into his hands, Copley courteously forwarded them
to those to whom they were addressed. In consequence of
this favor, Gage and his wife had leave to return, and an intimation was extended to Copley that he might do the same,
"as his fidelity was not doubted, only his course disliked."
"Surely it is in .vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird,"
he knew that his case was not like Gage's, for since he left
England a law had been passed by which "I would have to
yield myself to a bishop and renounce my religion, than
which I would rather beg my bread," but he would gladly return if he could as a Catholic. All through the summer of
1586 the negotiation continued, Burleigh pretending that
he .is exerting every effort to obtain the recall of Copley.
To secure this financial sacrifices seem to have been made,
as Copley says he "is willing to give up his rents i:o enjoy security' of person and quiet of conscience." In spite of
the strong hints of his correspondent, he imparts no information, though towards the end of July he shows that he sees .
through the design of those who are trifling with him, "that
no drop of mercy falls," and that he "is being punished by
God for youthful errors.''
After the death of the·Commander in I 576, the Spanish
soldiers, whose pay had long been withheld, broke out into
violent mutiny, took and plundered Alost, Lierre, and other
cities, and even threatened Antwerp itsel( Jerome de
Roda, the only one of the state council who had escaped
out of Brussels to Antwerp, claiming to be sole Governor of
�Life of Fatlzer Thomas Copley.
the Netherlands, assumed the chief authority in that illfated city, where there seems to have been, for some time
before the final day of wralb, forebodings of the coming
storm. Copley, who up to this time had resided there with
his family, writes on the I Ith of oa. from Lierre, where "he
lodges with one of the court," to Burleigh, explaining that
the report of his having been arrested in Antwerp for attempts in favor of the King of Spain was untrue. De Roda
had asked him to raise and command a company of his own
countrymen, but he had refused;~ though he had offered to
serve with his own servants to show he was not afraid and
willing to serve the King. He had lately heard from the
Lord Prior, "who will soon be over for freer talk" - and
rejoices "for freedom of conscience in the midst of garboils."
On the 3rd of Nov., three weeks afterwards, Antwerp was
stormed and taken by the mutineers with all the horrors
then attending the reduaion of a city-"the Spanish Fury"
it was long called, -and great cause had Copley for gratitude that those dear to him were in safety. On the 29th of
December, an informer writing from Luxemburg, says, "Mr.
Copley is here, who seems to have no love towards her
Majesty or his country." He had gone there no doubt, to
wait on Don John, who arrived ··at that place, in the di,sguise of a Moorish slave, the day after Antwerp was storm~d:
(To be continued.)
�HISTORICAL POINTS CONNECTED WITH NEWTOWN MANOR AND CHURCH,
ST. MARY'S COUNTY, l\ID.
(Continued.)
At this distant date it is not easy to form a just estimate
of the labors, pains, and successes of our early missionaries
of Maryland. That they were true apostles, that they were
men filled with the fire of Pentecost is an undisputed faet.
Though they reaped in joy, it may truly be said that they
sowed in tears. Their journey to this continent in a miserable sailing-vessel was a fit prelude to the life they were
henceforth to lead in the service of the slave and the untutored savage. Here they were to be deprived of the thousand comforts and advantages of the civilization of the Old
World. With the poorest mode of conveyance they were
obliged to travel over traCts of forest-country, and to cross
sheets of water, that seemed to have no limits. In cases
where dispensations were required they had to communicate with an ecclesiastical superior who was separated from
them by the waters of the Atlantic. Grave obstacles were
often thrown in their way by those who should assist and
cherish them. A vile soldiery were glad to hunt them
down, while bigoted judges were only too happy to have
an occasion to rebuke them, if not to condemn them to
punishment. With weary hearts and bleeding feet they
carried on the great work for which they had left their native land. Still they did not grow faint-hearted. They
bravely toiled on and kept the Lamp of Faith brightly burning beside the river, creek and bay, and in the depth of the
forest shade. They went around with the cross they loved
hanging on their breasts, or shining in their hands, scattering the rich seeds of peace, joy and virtue. Their apostolate was thrice blessed, and even non-Catholic writers are
VoL. xm-No. 3·
18
(265)
�266
Ncwtoum Manor and Clzurclt.
louder and bolder in their praises than we would venture to
be. "Before the year 1649,'' says a generous and accurate
Protestant historian, "they labored with their lay-assistants,
in various fields; and around their lives will ever glow a
bright and glorious remembrance. Their pathway was
through the desert; and their first chapel the wigwam of
an Indian. Two of them were here, at the dawn of our history; they came to St. Mary's with the original emigrants;
they assisted, by pious rites, in laying the corner-stone of a
State; they kindled the torch of: civilization in the wilderness; they gave consolation to~ the grief-stricken pilgrim;
they taught the religion of Clmst to the simple sons of the
forest. . The history of Maryland presents no better, no
purer, no more sublime lesson than the story of the toils,
sacrifices, and successes ofher early missionaries."
Though, as we remarked in our last article, many of our
Fathers would naturally prefer laboring in England during
the Penal Times to evangelizing a new country, still this
was not the case with all. Many a venerable Jesuit in England, many a novice, many a lay-brother, many a distinguished professor in the colleges of Liege, Watten, Bruges,
and St. Orner's longed and prayed to be sent to Maryland.
The story of the poor infidels who dwelt along the shores of
the Chesapeake-or as that beautiful bay was known to the
Spaniards, St. Mary's-touched many a generous heart in
Europe, and when the English Provincial, Father Edward
Knott, asked for volunteers for his American Mission, Jesuits, old and young, novices, Brothers, and Priests enthusi·
astically petitioned to be sent to work for the salvation of
the hapless redmen. From the letters of those who asked
to be sent on the Maryland Mission, we can learn the motives that actuated our first Fathers here, and the spirit that
guided them. Some wrote that in going to Maryland they
wished to imitate the glorious St. Francis Xavier. Some
asked to go there in hopes of winning a martyr's crown.
All wished to go, that they might advance the glory of
God, and procure the salvation of souls. "Whether I die
by sea in my journey, or by land in Maryland," wrote Fr.
�NewttrUJ1z ltfanor rmd Cizurciz.
Christopher Morris from Liege, in 1640, "sure I am I shall
have as good, yea more glorious a sepulchre than in Liege.
The cause will ennoble the death. The inconveniences of
diet, apparel and lodging will be made easy and supportable, by the frequent memory of my Saviour's vinegar and
gall, and nakedness, and hard bed of his cross." In the
same letter Father Morris said that he more highly esteemed "the teaching of Christ's cross in all senses in Maryland to the most honorable chair either in Liege, or all
Europe besides." Father Lawrence Worsley wrote to Fr.
Knott: "I had no sooner heard the relation of the happy
s~ccess of our Mission in Maryland, and the great hope of
converting souls to their Lord and Creator, but I \\;'aS surprised with no small joy and comfort; which, nevertheless,
was but little, compared with that which I received when I
read those sweet and no less comfortable lines with which
your Reverence invited not any one in particular, but all in
general, to employ their lives and labors in the undertaking
of so glorious an enterprise, of converting souls to God by
means of that mission. And to tell you the truth, my joy
was so great, that no thought nor word for a long time
could come from me which resounded not, 'Maryland."'
Since the letters of St. Francis Xavier were read in the halls
of Coimbra, Paris, Rome and Lou vain, no letters from distant missions excited so much the zeal and enthusiasm of
students and priests as those that came from Maryland.
"Maryland" became a loved name, a cherished, a venerated name among apostolic men. "Maryland" became the
watch-word among the English sons of St. Ignatius.
In 1661, that is about twelve years before Father Marquette floated down the Mississippi in his birch-bark canoe,
and about twenty-one years before La Salle made his way
to the Gulf of Mexico, Father Henry \Varren, alias Pelham,
completed with distinction his fourth year of theology in
one of the English Colleges on the European Continent.
Immediately afterwards he was sent on the "happy Mission
of Maryland." On his arrival, according to some old
documents, he obtained a conveyance of our lands from Mr.
�NeuJtown Manor and Ckurck.
Fenwick to himself, "Mr. Copley's successor." On Oaober the 6th, 1662, he procured the Patent of St. Thomas'
Manor from Dr. Thomas Matthews.
Henry Warren was a native of "brave old Kent," in England. He was born in 1635, and was of a good family. He
was probably the brother of Father \Villiam, who, at the
age of nineteen, was converted to the Catholic Faith by a
priest in England. William was not a Jesuit, as Oliver erroneously states, but a pious and devoted secular priest. It
was to him that Father Barton 'referred when he said:"Father Warren was a man who 'never sinned in Adam."
Henry, having arrived at his twenty-seventh year, entered the Society. In February, 1670, he was professed of
the four vows. He was in Maryland at the time of his profession,as we find him named Superior of our Mission in 1665.
After laboring for some years in Maryland he was recalled
to England. During the remainder of his life he was
obliged to live in the midst of dangers and hardships. He
lived in the midst of pe!secution. ·The old block that is
now on exhibition in London Tower was then red and wet
with the blood of his brethren. He was the minister of a
proscribed creed, and went on his duties with a price set
upon his head. He was in England during the bloojy
Revolution of 1688. To be a priest in those times, to be a
priest who was faithful to his God, required no ordinary
courage. He, who, like Father Warren, was true to his
vocation during the Penal Days, "that dark time of cruel
wrong," was undoubtedly a hero, an apo~tle, a noble soldier
of the Cross. In 1701, we find Father Warren laboring in
the Oxfordshire Distria. The Catholics at that period who
claimed his ministrations were not numerous, but they were
far apart, and he was obliged to serve them in secret, and
at the peril of his life.
The Superior of St. Mary's Residence, the headquarters
of Father Warren, ami from which he sallied forth under
the cover of night, and in disguise, to attend his persecuted
flock, was ·Father Francis Hildesley, a man "who admirably
administered the duties of his office." His co-laborers were
�Newtown Manor and Clzurck.
Fathers John Alcock, alias Gage, Charles Collingwood, Edward Levison, John Mostyn, and Thomas Poulton.
Father Warren was not only a good religious and a fervent missionary, but was also a man of great business capacity. Like Father Copley, he attended to the temporal
affairs of our Mission, and like him he was prudent and farseeing. After a long life of constant toils and sufferings,
he crowned his days with a peaceful and happy death in
the scene of his last labors on June the 7th, 1702, in the
sixty-seventh year of his age. To his exertions we are indebted for the possession of our Newtown property. Mr.
Bretton, being obliged to sell his estate, gave up all his
right and title to it, to Father Warren, who paid him 40,000
pounds of tobacco. As a thousand pounds of tobacco in
colonial times were valued at 44 dollars, the price paid for
that part of Britton's Neck which we possess was 1,760 dollars. When we consider the uncultivated state of the Newtown land and the value of money at that period, we are
compelled to admit .that Mr. Bretton was amply paid for
his property. There can be no shadow of doubt with regard to the legal purchase of Newton Manor by Fr. Warren. The Rev. Editor of the LETTERS lately discovered the
deed among some old documents. He kindly showed it to
the present writer. It is dated 1668, and signed by William Bretton and his wife, Temperance Jay. The names of
many witnesses are attached to it. I have insisted on the
fact that Newton was lawfully purclzased by our Fathers,
because I have heard it stated many times by gentlemen
who seemed to have examined the matter, that it was a
grant.
It was probably during the last year of Father Warren's
government of our Mission that a school of humanities was
opened in the centre of Maryland. In 1677, such a school
certainly existed. It was directed by two of our Fathers,
and doubtless was the first Catholic school opened for classical scholars in Maryland. Its students made great progress,
and many of them afterwards distinguished themselves in
the higher branches of study, at St. Orner's. In competi-
�270
Ncwtcnvn JJ!anor and Clwrdz.
tions for honors the young Marylanders were second on
few Europeans. "So that not gold," writes one of ·our
Fathers, "nor silver, nor the other produCts of the earth
alone, but men also are gathered from thence to bring those
regions, which foreigners have unjustly styled ferocious, to
a higher sfate of virtue and cultivation."
One of the missionaries of Britton's Neck was Father
Thomas Matthews of the llfatagon Family. He was born
in Liege in the year r6r8. He entered the Society in 1635,
and was professed on the 6th of December, 1650. He was
probably the brother of Father-Francis Matthews, who, at
the peril of his own life, visited and consoled. the Catholic
prisoners who were confined in the Tower of London. Fr.
Francis even ventured to say Mass daily in one of the
prison-cells. There is mention made in old records of a
Father Matthews who in July, 1654, baptized in Lancashire,
James Swarbrick, afterwards a member of our .Society and
known by the alias, James Singleton. Perhaps, this Mr.
Matthews was our Father Thomas. .In 1663, Father Warren "conveyed 400 acres t~ Thomas Matthews." In a catalogue preserved at Rome for the year 1674 this Father's
name is mentioned. I have been unable to find the year of
Father Matthews' death, but it is certain that after laboriJ:!g
for some time in Britton's Neck, he died at Newtown. ~ ·
It seems that even after his return to England Father Warren still held the Society's land of Southern Maryland in his
own name. In 1685, he had it conveyed to the Penningtons, Fathers Francis and John.
John Pennington was born in 1647, in the city of London. When about nineteen years of age he entered the
Society at Watten, and became a professed Father on the
2nd day of February, 1683. He was a missioner in 1678,
in the College of the Immaculate Conception (Derby DistriCt). He departed this life on the 18th of OE'tober, r685,
in the thirty-eighth year ofh.is age. I find him named in some
documents as "Mr. John Pennington, of St. Clement's Bay.
This is sufficient proof that he resided for some time at
Newtown.
�Newtown Manor and Church.
271
Father Francis Pennington, who was for some years Superior of the Maryland Mission, was born in 1644, in Worcestershire, and entered the Society in his twentieth year.
On the 2nd of February, 1682, he was professed of the four
vows. He sailed for Maryland in October, 1675. Though
the Colleflanea says that he died on his passage back to
Europe, I learn from an old document before me that he
expired on the 22nd of February, 1699. in the house of
Mr. Hill, in Newtown. It is probable he was taken suddenly ill while visiting some member of his congregation.
Since the time that Father Warren took charge of our
lands it seems to have been the practice of our Fathers to
transmit the deeds of the different estates from one Superior
to another. Sometimes the Superior of the Mission held
all the lands in his own name; sometimes the local Superiors held the deeds of the property attached to their own
churches. From some papers that I have exarhined I find a
few cases where even a local Superior held all our lands in his
own title. During the Puritan Persecutions our lands were
held .in trust by laymen, sometimes even by Protestants.
In 1693. Father Francis Pennington conveyed our lands to
Father William Hunter. Father Hunter did not become
Superior of the Mission until 1696. Among the old papers
examined I found one with this heading: "Mr. Wm. Hunter's title to St. Inigos', Britton's Neck, St. Thomas' Manor,
etc., proved and deduced from the first original to this 26th
of June, 1720." From the deed of Newtown I learn that
Father Hunter conveyed that property to Thomas Jamison
in the year 1717. It is probable that before 1720 the Newtown estate was once more conveyed to Father Hunter.
Father William Bennet, in 1734, gave the deed of our property, bearing date, 9th of April, 1728, to Father Atwood.
Atwood conveyed the land to Father James Whitgreave,
and this Father in turn to Father Richard Molyneux and
Father James Farrar. After some time, perhaps, on Father
Farrar's return to England, Father Molyneux held all the
property in his own name. Father Molyneux made over
the lands in favor of Father George Hunter, and this latter
�272
Navtown flfanor and Church.
Father transferred them to Father James Walton. From
1793 the "Corporation of the Roman Catholic Clergy" took
charge of the property. At the first meeting of this body
held at St. Thomas' Manor, on the 4th day of OCtober,
1793. the following gentlemen were present: Right Rev.
John Carroll, Rev. James vValton, Rev. Augustine Jenkins,
Rev. John Boarman, Rev. Henry Pile, Rev. Chas. Sewall,
Rev. Joseph Doyne, Rev. Leonard Neale, Rev. Chas. Neale,
:Robt. Molyneux, Rev. John Ashton, Rev. John Bolton, and
Rev. Sylvester Boarman.
.
In another place we said th!it according to some old
documents Father Warren on arriving in Maryland took
charge of our lands. We may state here that according to
some papers he did not obtain the deeds of St. Inigoes before r663, that is, about twenty-two years after Cuthbert
Fenwick had obtained a Patent for that property.<1>
We had desired to give the names of all the Superiors of
Newtown, but the data at hand, from the death of Father
Warren in 1702 to that of Father Bolton, are not sufficient.
Certain it is that the Superior of the Mission often resided
here and many of our most distinguished Fathers were
laborers in this vineyard. We content ourselves with giving sketches of the lives of these zealous men. A [e\~
other faCts bearing upon the history of Newtown during
these years are also inserted.
Father Henry Poulton labored zealously for some time
at Newtown. This good religious belonged to a family
distinguished alike in church and state. He was the son of
Ferdinand Poulton, of Desborough, Esq., and Juliana,
daughter of Robert Garter, of the County of Northampton.
He was born in Northamptonshire, in 1679. While still
young he was sent to St. Omer's College, where he made
his humanity studies. In the year I 700, he entered the
Society. After his studies .and ordination he came to Maryland. On the 27th of September, 17 I 2, being still in the
flower of his age, he died at ''the Newtown Station." Fr.
(ll
In 1706, Father Thomas :Mansell obtained the Patent of St. Xavier, and
in 1721 the deeds of Bohemia, Cecil county.
�Newtown Manor and Church.
273
Poulton had two brothers in the Society, namely, Charles
and Giles, Jun. The latter held several important positions
in our Order, and was usually called, on account of his virtue and sweetness of charaCter :-"The Angel." In the
chancel of the Desborough church there was a monument
raised which bore the following inscription: "Sacred to the
memory of the honorable family of the Poultons, who for
fourteen generations were lords of this town of Desburgh
or Desborough. Descended from princely, most noble, illustrious, and holy progenitors of this kingdom. Besides
this lordship, they possessed manors and lands in Cransley,
Kelmarsh, Broughton, and Hargrave in this county."
In some old books in our library I find the name of
Jolm Dyne. There were two Temporal Coadjutors of
this name in our Mission. The first of them was a native
of Sussex, born Februrary I 5th, r656, and entered the Society on the 7th of September, I68 r. After devoting himself to humble and charitable duties for some years, he died
in Maryland, April I Ith, I703.
I have not been able to discover the place, or the year,
in which the second Br. Dyne was born. According to
Oliver, he died in Maryland, I Ith of January, I7I r.
It may not be out of place to note the faCt that many of
the early missionaries of St. Mary's County were of gentle
blood. Many of them were born in lordly homes amid the
rich and beautiful fields of England. When we call to
mind how they were in youth nursed in the lap of luxury,
how they were loved and honored by vast numbers of servants and dependants, how their every wish was gratified
by indulgent parents, we can more fully realize their sacrifice in coming to Maryland, we can better appreciate the
zeal which enabled them to endure every species of hardship and suffering in their daily toils and duties.
Before proceeding any further, it may be well to devote
some space to the Protestant Revolution of r68g. We are
glad to be able to state that all the non-Catholic authors
whom we had occasion to consult speak in just and honorable terms of the Catholics of that period. Mr. Davis, who
�274
Newtown Manor and Church.
is one of the very best authorities in matters conneaed
with Maryland's early history; and who seems everywhere
free from prejudice, deserves our gratitude for the manner
in which he deals with this question. A few words are
h~re necessary as to the character of St. Mary's early settlers. "These," writes Mr. Thomas D'Arcy McGee, in his
Catholic History of North America, "were chiefly of the
better classes of England and Ireland; educated young men
in search of employments; heads of families in search of
cheaper subsistence; men, proud of their ancient faith, who
preferred an altar in the desert to. a coronet at court; professional or trading men, bound by interest and sympathy
to these better classes. They composed a wise and select
community worthy of their rich inheritance." From the
very beginning they treated others as they themselves
would wish to be treated. They were neither cruel nor unjust. They dealt fairly with the poor redmen, teaching
them the comforts of civilization and the consolations of
religion, and paying them with conscientious strictness for
their furs, game, and land.Vile and unscrupulous miscreants took advantage of the
·friendship that existed between the Catholic settlers and
the Indians to accuse the former of a black and horrible
crime. They accused them of entering into a compact with··
the Indians for the purpose of slaying all their Protestant
neighbors.
"The history of the Protestant revolution in 1689," writes
Mr. Davis, "has never yet been fully written. But there is
evidence upon the records of the English government to
show it was the result of a panic, produced by one of the
most dishonorable falsehoods which has ever disgraced any
religious or any political party- by the story, in a few
words, that the Roman Catholics had formed a conspiracy
with the Indians, to massacre the Protestants. The testimony comes from the most respectable sources- not only
from the members of the Church of Rome, but also from
many of the most prominent Protestants of the province,
including the Honorable Thomas Smyth, the ancestor of
�Newtown Manor and Church.
275
the Smyths of Trumpington, subsequently of Chestertown;
from Major Joseph Wickes, at one time chief justice of the
County Court, and many years a distinguished representative of Kent; from the Honorable Henry De Courcy (then
written Coursey), a descendant, it is strongly presumed, of
an illustrious Anglo-Norman, and a perfeCt master of the
whole aboriginal diplomacy of that period; from Michael
Taney, the high sheriff of Calvert, and the ancestor of the
present chief justice of the United States; from Richard
Smith, a brave and generous spirit, conneCted with the
family of Somerset, and the forefather of the Smiths of St.
Leonard's Creek, and of the Dulanys and the Addisons;
and from Captain Thomas Claggett, the progenitor of the
first Anglican bishop of Maryland." With Mr. Davis all
Catholics will heartly join in saying, "the opposition of
these Protestants is, indeed honorable, in the highest degree
to their memory."
Among those who boldly defended the fair name of the
Catholics at this period, were Michael Taney and Henry
Darnall.<1> Both these gentlemen were high in the favor of
the Lord Proprietary, and were honored and respeCted by
all true lovers of peace and prosperity in the province.·
Their letters proving the falsity of the charges brought
against the Catholics may be found in The Day-Star.
"Taney was one of the vietims of a cruel imprisonment, accompanied with gross insults and indecent taunts, in consequence of his cool and inflexible refusal to sanCtion the iniquitous proceeding of Col. Jowles and the other leaders of
the revolution." The spirit of Michael Taney will soon be
learned when we say that he was accustomed to make his
spiritual reading out of Rodriguez. The old volume he used
is in our library and bears his name.
The success of the Revolution was the destruCtion of the
1
< >On an old volume, a commentary on the Psalms, we find the following
note;
Decem b. y• 29th l 685
·Then was this Booke & y• other
two partes belonging to itt
Lent to :Mr. Cannon by mee
Henry Darnall.
�Newtown Mauor and Church.
hopes of St. Mary's City. After the overthrow of the Lord
Proprietary's authority the seat of government was removed
to Annapolis. The Catholics were again to be persecuted,
and to be made the victims of a crying injustice. The
Anglican Church was established by law in 1\Iaryland, and
the Catholics were taxed for its support. Those who have
read and studied the history of the Established Church in
England and Ireland can easily understand the monstrosity
of such an establishment in this country. Catholics were
obliged to build churches in which they would never worship; they were forced to feed parsons whose services they
would never use, to support a creed which their conscience
condemned as false.
The Brooke family in England, though a few of its members unfortunately lost the faith, were distinguished during
the Penal Days as bold and fervent Catholics. Sir Basil
Brooke was a loyal son of the Church. Sir Robert Brooke
who was knighted in the reign of Queen Mary, "was always zealous in the cause of the Old Religion," Through
his influence many laws "favorable to the Catholics were
passed in the days of Mary. We count at least five of the
Brooke family in Maryland, all natives of that state, who
became Fathers of our Society. There were two branches
ofthe family at an early date in Maryland. Robt. Brook~;
the founder of a Protestant settlement in Charles county,
and whose estate, De Ia Brooke, joined the Fenwick Manor
at Cole's Creek, as I learn from an old survey, was at the
head of one of these branches. At the head of the other
was Francis Brooke, a Catholic, and one who was chosen
by the freemen of St. Mary's hundred to represent them at
the Protestant Assembly of 1650. At that famous Assembly he sat at the council-board with Cuthbert Fenwick,
Geo. Manners, John Medley and Philip Land, all Catholics
• like himsel(
Father Robert Brooke was probably the son of Francis.
He was born .in Maryland on the 24th day of October, 1663.
Having attained his twenty-first year, and being filled with
a desire of his own perfeO,iop. 1 and burning with zeal tq
�Newtown ~Manor ami Church.
labor for the salvation of souls, he entered the Society at
vVatten. He returned to his native state about the year
1696. On the Feast of the Assumption of our Blessed
Lady, August the I sth, 1702, he was professed of the four
vows. In the year IJIO, he became Superior of the MisSIOn. Father Brooke suffered much from Protestant intolerance. He was tried for saying Mass at the Chapel at St.
Mary's City during Court time. Governor Seymour severely reprimanded him, and warned him under heavy penalties not to repeat his offence. The Sheriff of St. Mary's
county was ordered to lock up the Chapel and to keep the
key in his possession. After many trials Father Brooke
died at Newtown, on the 18th of July, 1714, aged 51. He
is called a "worthy Father" by Oliver.
According to the Co!!ectanea there was a Father Matthew
Brooke, who made his studies at Liege, and died in Maryland, his native state, in 1702. In an old Catalogue I find
the following note: "Mr. Robert Brooke, assisted by Fr.
Manners, died holily on the 22nd of Oetober, 1667." What
Robert Brooke was this? It can not be Robert Brooke,
junior, the son of Robert Brooke who founded the colony
in Charles county. Was he not one of our Fathers?
Father Francis Floyd was born in Wales, November the
17th, 1692. He entered the Society September the 7th,
1710. He was professed of the four vows August 15th,
1728. He was sent to Maryland in 1724, and died at Newtown, 13th ofNovember, 1729, at the ageof37.
The name of Peter Atwood is written on the pages of
several books in our library.(!) Father Peter Atwood came
from Worcestershire, England. He was born in 1682, on
the I 8th of OCI:ober. His father was George Atwood of
Beverie, near Worcester. His mother.was Winefrid Petre.
It was at St. Omer's College that young Atwood made his
humanities. Being called to a religious life he entered the
Society in September, I 703. In I 72 I, February the 2nd,
he was professed of the four vows. In the Co!!eflanea I
find the following communication from Hon. Mrs. Douglas,
(tl ~ewtown
Library.
�Newttr.vn Manor and Churclz.
sister of Lord Petre: "George Atwood of Beverie, Worcester, married Winefrid Petre. He died in 1732, she in 17 14;
both buried at Claines, near Worcester. They had at least
five children, viz: Winefrid, Thomas, Peter, George, and
William."
Father Atwood came to Maryland in 171 I. He labored
zealously in Charles County, and also in Cecil County, on
the Eastern Shore of Maryland .. He seems to have succeeded Father Thomas Mansell, as superior of Bohemia.·
"In 1732," writes Mr. Johnston, 'in his History of Cecil
County, "Peter Atwood, who i!>-·then said to be of St.
Mary's County, purchased another traCl: of land called
'Askmore,' from Vachel Denton. This traCl:. was supposed
to contain 550 acres, and had been granted to John Browning and Henry Denton in 1668. Denton claimed it by
right of survivorship, and from him it descended to his son
Vachel Denton, who, as before stated, sold it to Atwood."
On Christmas Day, 1734, Father Atwood, being then, as
he had been for years, the Superior of the Mission, while
notes of. gladness filled the- earth, and our churches rang
with the "Gloria in Excelsis," yielded up his faithful soul
to God. ·
On the 5th of January of the same year, one of out:·
young Fathers died in the Mission, and very probably at ·
Newtown. This was Father John Fleetwood, a native of
London. Born in 1703, he entered the Society at Watten, in
1723. For some time this youthful missionary labored
zealously at Broughton Hall, County York, England. In
1733, he came to :Maryland. He had not been many
months in this field of his .labor when God saw fit to call
him to receive his reward. Fleetwood Joamzes is inscribed
on one of the Newtown library books.
In the Colle{lanea I find: John Knowles, Jun., Temporal
Coadjutor, born in Cheshire, 1696; entered in 1731, aet. 35,
and died in Maryland March 8th, 1743, aet. 47· There
seems to be amistake in the Colle{lanea with regard to the
time of this Brother's death, unless, indeed, there were another Br. John Knowles in the Mission about the same
�Newti.m.m i't!anor and Church.
period. In an old note-book preserved at Newtown I see
a notice in Latin, which states that Br. John Knowles' de-1
parted this life on the 10th of April, 1742, between the
hours of nine and ten, in the morning, fortified with all the
last rites of the Church.
Father Thomas Poulton was a native of Northamptonshire, England. He was a younger brother of Fr. Henry
of whom we have already spoken. He was born on the
16th of May, 1697; he made his humanity studies at St.
Orner's College, and entered the Society in December,
1716. In 1730, he was Prefect at St. Orner's. He was
professed of the four vows in Rome, February 2nd, 1734.
In 1738, he was sent on the Maryland Mission. He arrived in St. Mary's County on the 4th of April of that year.
In 1741, he is named in the Catalogue as being in Charles
County. In 1742 we find him laboring at Bohemia. He
died at Newtown in January, 1749, being at the time Superior of the Mission.
Father James Carroll was a native of Ireland. He was
born on the 5th of August, 1717. He joined the English
Province at Watten on the 7th of September, 1741. In
1749, he began his apostolic career in Southern Maryland.
After seven years of zealous and fruitful labor among the
"dear Marylanders," he died happily at Newtown, about the
middle of November, 1756, aged 37 years.
About two years before Father Carroll's death he was
joined in his labors by Father Michael Murphy, also a native of Ireland. Father Murphy was born on the 18th of
Septembef, 1725. Having made a great part of his studies
in the "Island of Saints and Doctors," and having witnessed
the desecration and profanation of sacred vessels and holy
altars; having seen the pillage ana the burning of grey abbeys and ivied convents, he left his native land and became
a member of the English Province. This was on the 7th
day of September, 1745. Nine years afterwards he was
sent on the Maryland Mission. On July the 8th, 1759, he
expired at Newtown Manor. His missionary life, though
brief, was very successful, and full of merit.
�Newtown Manor and C!turclz.
In the Newtown library I find on a copy of the New 'testament, published in I 582-''Jacobus Breadnall, 1769, Societatis Jesu." Father Breadnall was born on the 8th of
April, 1718. In his twenty-first year he entered the Society. He was enrolled among the Professed Fathers
eighteen years later on. In 1749, he was at St. Thomas'.
From the very foundation of the l\Iaryland Mission up to
the present time it has been customary for our Fathers to
say Mass in private houses. This is to enable all, even
those persons who live at a great-distance from any church,
to assist at the Holy Sacrifice.- .. In times of persecution,
when all our churches were closed, or in the hands of our
enemies, of course it was absolutely necessary, if the people
were to hear Mass at all, that the missionaries should celebrate in some farm-house or manor. This they usually
did. What a beautiful piaure it is to see the priest in some
neat little room, surrounded by a band of pious and faithful
worshippers, offering up the Immaculate Lamb to the
greater glory of God, and for the atonement of the sins of
mankind. It seems that ~in Father Breadnall's time this
pious praaice of celebrating in private houses was forbidden
by the bigots of Maryland. Indeed, we read that he was
indiaed for saying Mass in this manner. He was also
tried for endeavoring "to bring over a non-juror person to tli'e·
Romish persuasion." With regard to the charge of saying
Mass he was acquitted, as he proved that he was allowed
to offer up the Holy Sacrifice "by an order issued by her
Majesty, Queen Anne, dated at Whitehall, Jan. 3, 1705-6."
As the second charge was not proved, he was set free. Fr.
Breadnall died in Maryland, on the 9th of April, 1772.
Father John Lewis was a native of Northamptonshire,
born September 19th, 17"21. He made his humanity studies
at the famous College of St. Omer's, that illustrious home
of confessors, scholars, and martyrs. On September 7th,
1740, he entered the Society at Watten. He was professed
of the four vows, February 2nd, 1758. In the same year
he was sent to Maryland. He labored in different parts of
that Mission with great success. In 1753, he was engaged
�Newtown Manor and Cizurch. ·
281
in missionary work at Bohemia. He was at Bohemia also
in 1758. In 1765, he labored at White Marsh. In 1769,
he was at St. Inigoes. On an old and torn sheet of paper
we find,-"Appendix to y• first page." On this paper may
be read the following address: "To the Revd. Mr. John
Lewis, at Newtown, In St. Mary's County." Near the address we read,-"To be put in y• Post-office at Annapolis
and forwarded with care and speed." The reason why the
letter was sent from Annapolis and not from Bohemia is
told in the letter itself in a P. S. : "You rather send y• letter to Mr. Mosley if you write to me; for if you write by y•
Post y• letter in all probability will be intercepted. I have
reason to suspect it, because tltey would not let tlzz:S letter go
witlz y• Post, but was obliged to take it /zome again, and to try
anotlur chane!." It is evident from the tone of the letter
that at the precise time it was written Father Lewis was
Superior. Father Manners begs of him to write regarding
the business on hand as soon as possible, and adds : "be
sure your order shall be punctually observed, and complied
with to a tittle." · He reminds Father Lewis to write Warwick legibly, otherwise, he says, "y" letter will go to Frederick Town and be put into y• office, where it may lie for
half a year, as it happened in Mr. Harding's time; for they
never will send it except they meet with an accidental opportunity." In Father Mosley's "Day Book" for 1764, I
find the following references to Father Lewis: "1764, Augt
1 Ith, I arrived at Bohemia with Mr. Lewis:" "Augt 14th,
Mr. Lewis returned." From the same Book we learn that
Father Lewis was at Bohemia from the 17th of Nov., 1764,
to the 21st of the said month. The following entries by Fr.
Lewis are found in Mosley's "Ordo :" "5th June, 1787: Buried Jenny Parks at St. Joseph's. Eodem die, R. Jos. Mosley
in y• Chapel. R.I. Pace.-]. Lewis." Father Joseph Greaton,
one of those early apostles who labored zealously and fruitfully amid the ice and snows of the Pennsylvania mountains,
died on the 19th of August, 1753. From an old catalogue
I learn that Father Lewis "officiated at his funeral."
VoL. xm-No. 3·
19
�Newtown Manor and Church.
From the year I 634 to a date nearly I 50 years nearer
our time, the English Province continued to send learned
and zealous missionaries to Maryland. Though engaged
in a continual and deadly fight with error and corruption
in England, though persecuted and bleeding from every
pore, still she generously spared some of her tried and devoted sons for the arduous and, at times, perilous Mission
on the borders of the Chesapeake. She sent to Maryland
apostolic men like White, Altham, Morgan, Fisher, Sewall,
Hartwell, Chamberlain, Casey, Cooper, Roels, Carteret,
Lawson, O'Reilly, Diderick, I)eRitter, Geisler, Philips, Beeston, Browne, Harrison, and Scarisbrick. Despite hardships
and persecutions, these true sons ofSt. Ignatius heroically
kept the banner of the Cross triumphantly waving. While
some of them labored among the settlers and the slaves
and red men of the Eastern and Western shores of Maryland, others preached in Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania,
and New York. Their motto was,-"To The Greater Glory
Of God." They preacped Jesus and Him Crucified. Like
the crusaders of old they cried out in chorus-"Not to us,
0 Lord, give glory, but to Thy Name." Dwelling in the
forests with the redmen, occupied in the "quarters" of the
poor colored slaves, they knew little of the evils in stot:e for
them. They knew, it is true, that the princes and ··the
mighty ones of the earth stood in judgment against them.
They knew that the French philosophers and Jansenists
hated them with a relentless hatred. They knew that their
brothers in France were accused of regicide and immorality
by Le Pelletier de St. Fargean and Chauvelin. They knew
that they had bitter enemies in D' Aranda, Choiseul and
Pombal; in Manuel de Roda, Campo manes, Grimaldi, Mofiino, and the Duke of Alva; but in the innocence and purity of their conscience they feared not. Judge then of their
sorrow when they learned of the total suppression of the
entire Society througho~t the world. PiCture to yourselves
their grief when they received the Papal Brief and the following letter that came in a small ship from the coast of
England;
�.Newtown Manor and Church.
"To Messrs. the Missioners in Maryland and Pennsylvania.
To obey the orders I have received from above, I notify
to you by this the Breve, of the total dissolution of the Society of Jesus; and send withal a form of declaration of
your obedience and submission, to which you are all to
subscribe as your brethren have done here; and send me
back the formula with the subscriptions of you all, as I am
to send them up to Rome. Ever yours,
Oct. 6th, 1773·
RICHARD DEBOREN, v. Ap."
Like true followers of Ignatius they bowed their heads
in perfect submission. Like their Brethren of Europe, of
Asia, and of Africa, they bent in reverence before the decree
of the Vicar of Christ. They urged not their innocence;
they pointed not to their labors. They heard and obeyed.
The following note is so pertinent to the present subject
that I think it well to give it here: "The Brief of Suppression was ordered into execution in such a way that it was
to take effect only when it had been communicated by the
Bishop to the local Superior within his jurisdiction. As the
Mission of Maryland formed a part of the London District,
it devolved upon Bishop Challoner to notify Father John
Lewis, Superior in 1773, of the Suppression. After the dissol uti on of the Society, Father Lewis was appointed VicarGeneral, and continued to govern the Mission in America
for the English Bishop, during the seven years of the Revolutionary struggle. * * * * After the termination of
the war, Father Lewis was unanimously chosen Superior
at a meeting of the clergy of the Southern District of Maryland, held at Newtown, Sept. 23rd, 1783. At this meeting
were present Bendict Neale, Ignatius Matthews, Jas. Walton, Peter Morris, John Bolton, John Boarman and Augustine Jenkins; Mr. Matthews collected also the votes of
Benjamin Roels and Leonard Neale, who were absent." At
the time of the Suppression there were twenty Fathers
working zealously in various parts of the Mission. These
Fathers were John Ashton, Thomas Digges, James Framback, Ferdinand Farmer, Lucas Geisler, George Hunter,
John Lewis, John Lucas, Matthias Manners, Ignatius Mat-
�28_4
Newtown Manor and Church.
thews, Peter Morris, Joseph Mosley, BenediCt Neale, James
Pellentz, Lewis Roels, Bernard Rich (Diderick), J. B. Ritter
(de), James Walton, John Bolton, and Robert Molyneux.
Besides these the Mission had some subjeCts pursuing their
studies in Europe at the time of the Suppression. From
the Beadle's Diary, lately published in the Letters and Notices, we learn that on the suppression of our College at
Liege some of the Fathers and scholastics almost immediately left that city. Ignatius Brooke left Liege, on Monday,
September 27th; Charles Neale;'Francis Beeston, and Jos.
Boone, September 29th; Charles· Boarman, September 30th.
From an old document we learn that Father Lewis died
at Bohemia, March 24th, 1788.
Father Joseph 1\Iosley, alias, Jos~ph Frambeck was the
brother of Father Michael who was for some time Superior
of the Residence of St. Winifred, and who died at Holy
Well. He was born in Lincolnshire, in 1730, and studied
his humanities at St. Omer's College. He entered the Society in his eighteenth y~ar. Early in 1759 he was a missioner at Bromley, in the College of the Holy Apostles.
Though the Colle{lanea says he was sent to Maryland
about 1764, we know from unquestionable sources that he
came here at least five years before that time. From tJis
own writings I know that he spent the Easter of 1759- at
St. Joseph's Forest in Maryland. In his Ordo Baptizatorum, which was kindly sent us from the Archives of our
Province, we find the date 1760. Some may think that he
brought this "Ordo" from England. But on the first page
we read: "St. Joseph's, St. Mary's County, Christenings of
Jos. Mosley, 1700." Besides, I find in an old Catalogue,"1700, Joseph Mosley at Newtown." Mr. Geo. Johnston,
the historian of Cecil County, says that Mosley was at Bohemia in 1700. This is a mistake. He himself says in his
"Day Book," as we noted elsewhere, that he arrived at Bohemia, August 1 Ith, 1764, in company with Father John
Lewis. There is also the authority of an ·old catalogue for
saying that he did not arrive at Bohemia before that year.
From his "Day Book" we learn that on the 31st of August,
�Newtown Manor and Church.
I764,he began his "journey and Mission in Queen-Ann's and
Talbot County." On September 2nd he "first kept Church
in Queen Ann's Cty." On the 9th of the same month he
"first kept Church in Talbot Cty." Qn the 5th of Oct. he
received a visit "from Mr. Harding who arriv'd from Philadelphia." On the I sth of October Mr. Harding returned
for Philadelphia and he accompanied him thither. On that
occasion he received from "Mr. Manners 4£ cur. for Paint
for y• House." On the 21st of October he "preached at
Philadelphia. in y• old chapel." On the 23rd of October he
left Philadelphia in company with Mr. Harding. On the
next day, having parted with Mr. Harding on the way, he
arrived at Bohemia. In 1765, he settled at St. Joseph's,
Talbot Connty. The precise day was the eighteenth of
March. On the 2nd of February, 1766, he had the happiness of making his religious profession to Father Farmer.
In a catalogue we find "Joseph Mosley, 1769, at St. Joseph's,
E. S." On the I sth of June, I 775, he had the sad privilege
of burying Father Matthias Manners, who died in peace
with God and man, at Bohemia. Father Mosley himself
died at St. Joseph's Station, June 3rd, 1787, aged 56 years.
He was interred in the chapel which he himself had erected.
Father Mosley kept a very faithful record of all burials,
marriages, baptisms, and conversions. He also took note
of the numbers of confessions he heard, and the number of
times he distributed the Holy Eucharist. In his note-book
we find: "Confessions receiv'd at Easter and Communicants
From y• year 1759 to A. D., 1787." During
the Easter-time of the year 1759, in St. Joseph's Forest, he
heard 1078 confessions. Out of this number 945 were communicants. At Easter, 1760 and 1761, the number of confessions and communions was nearly the same as in 1759.
It seems that in 1762 he was no longer in St. Joseph's Forest,
for in that year he states that he heard 95 5 confessions "in
Sakia and Newport." In 1763, and up to August in 1764,
he continued to labor with much fruit at Sakia and Newport.
If the zeal of Father Mosley was great while among the
�286
Newtown MallOY and Clzurch.
Catholics of St. Mary's County, it burst into a bright and
all-consuming flame on his arrival on the Eastern Shore.
Here he found few members of the true fold. And sad it is
to relate, that some who had been brought up in the Catholic Faith had grown cold, and others, alas, had fallen away
altogether from the Church. One of the principal causes
of these losses was the lack of priests and Catholic teachers.
Persecution, too, had much to do with them. "There is
reason to believe," writes the historian of Cecil County,
"that the Protestants of Sassafras~, Neck, Middle Neck, and
Bohemia Manor petitioned the l~gislature at the session of
1756, praying that stringent measures might be taken
against the Jesuits. At all events the lower house at this
session was about to pass a very stringent bill prohibiting
the importation of Irish Papists ~~ia Delaware, under a penalty of £zo each, and denouncing any Jesuit or Popish
priest as a traitor who tampered with any of his Majesty's
subjeCts in the colony." It is true, that, owing to the governor's "having prorogued the legislature shortly after it
was introduced" the bill did not pass; but still private, petty,
harassing, cunning persecutions went on everywhere in Cecil County. It is no wonder then that under the bonnet of
a quaker lady could be seen the meek face of a little Rachel
Murphy; it is no wonder that one sometimes met a gentR>
man with a broad-brimmed hat who was known to his
neighbors as Ephraim O'Keefe. Among the converts made
by Father Mosley I find a Rachel McGonigal. Among the
converts made by Father John Bolton, after the death of
Mosley, I find Mary O'Keefe, Jonathan Callahan, and "an
Irishwoman at Mr. Summer's, called Catharine Murphy."
Father James Ashbey, alias, 1\Iiddlehurst, was born in
Lancashire on the 18th of Oetober, 1Jl4· He was admitted to the Society at vVatten, June 13th, 1739. He was
• professed of the four vows either on July the 28th, 1751, or
August the 15th, 1752. He labored zealously at St. Inigoes, St. Thomas', and at Newtown. In the Catalogue for
1758, we find "James Ashbey, late of Newtown, now at St.
Thomas'." In 1761 he is said to be in St. Mary's County,
�Newtown Ma1tor a1td Church.
287
He died at Newtown on the 23rd of September, 1767. A
residence for our Fathers at St. Inigoes was built by Father
Ashbey about a hundred and thirty years ago. This was
the old house which some years back was destroyed by
fire.
In the old Newtown note-book I find the names of Geo.
Thorold, James Whitgreave, and Vincent Phillips.
Father George Thorold was born of a wealthy family in
Berks, Feb. 1 Ith, 1670. He entered the Society, February
2nd, 1691, and was professed of the four vows, June 19th,
1709• He was sent, in 1700, to the Maryland Mission
where he labored for forty-four years, and became the Superior of it, from March, 1725, to June, 1734. He had previously been chaplain at Michaelgate, Bar Convent, York.
He died in Maryland, November 15, 1742, ::et. 6g. He was
probably brother to Edmund or Epiphanius, alias, Turner,
who was for some time Superior of the Mission of Market
Rasen, in the College of St. Hugh.
Father James Whitgreave was the son of Thomas Whitgreave, E.sq., of Mosley, County Stafford, and his wife Isabella, daughter of William Turville, Esq., of Aston-Flamville.
His father's second wife was Isabella, daughter and co-heir
of Sir Aston Cokayne, Kt., of Pooley, County Warwick. He
was born March 14th, 1698; studied his humanities at St.
Orner's College; entered the Society at Watten, Septemqer
7th, 1715, and was made a Spiritual Coadjutor, February 2,
1731. He was in Maryland about 1724, returned to England about 1738, and became a missioner in the College of
St. Chad (his native county of Stafford), being declared its
ReCl:or in 1743. He died at Mosley, July 26th, 1750, ::et.
52. He had a brother in the Society, Father Thomas, who
labored in the Missions of Salden, Bucks county, of Oxford
and St. Chad.
Father Vincent Phillips was a native of Worcestershire;
born September 23rd, r6g8, he entered the Society at Watten, Sep.tember 7th, 1717, and was professed of the four
vows May rst, 1735. After serving the Missions in the
London and Suffolk DistriCts, in the latter of which he was
�288
Newtown Mattor and Church.
chaplain at Giffard's Hall, he was sent to the Maryland
Mission, and appears there in 1741. Returning to Europe
he became a missioner (1754) in the Oxford DistriCt, and
died at Ghent, February 22nd, 176o, cet. 62.
Father James \Valton arrived in St. Mary's County, May
2nd, 1766. He was born June 19th, 1736, and became a
member of the Society on the 7th of September, 1757. On
the 5th of June, 1768, he left St. Mary's. He then proceeded towards Frederick Town where he began "to live
alone." The day of his arrival at Frederick is said to be
the 27th of June, 1768. He is·marked in our old ~ata
logues as being at Newtown in 1778 and 1780. On the
19th of December, 1784, he succeeded Father Ignatius
Matthews at St. Inigoes. In 1785, July 13th, he laid the
corner-stone of a new church there. At a meeting of the
Roman Catho.lic Clergy convened at St. Thomas' Manor,
on the 4th day of OB:ober, 1793. he was present. In that
same year our lands in St. Mary's County and Charles were
held in his name. He was present at the meeting of the
Clergy held at White Mar~h, on the 25th of February, 1794.
Bishop Leonard Neale ·announced his death in 1803, aged
67, in a letter to Father Marmaduke Stone, Superior in
England. The letter was dated Georgetown; Maryland,
June 25th, 1803. This good priest sank from his labors~a{
St. Inigoes, where his body was laid in holy rest. · His loss
was severely felt in the mission.
Wappeler (Wilhelm) was a native ofNuman Sigmaringen,
Westphalia, and uncle to Father Herman Kemper. He
was born January 22d, I 71 I ; entered the Society, OB:ober
18th, 1728, and was professed of the four vows, July 6th,
1749· He was sent to Maryland, and served the mission
in Pennsylvania for several years, but returned to England
in 1748. In 1754, and for some years later, he was PrefeCt:
at St. Orner's College. In I763, he was a missioner in the
Residence of St. Michael (Yorkshire DistriCt:), then for a
short time in Liverpool; subsequently at Ghent and Bruges,
and died at the latter place in September, I 78 I, aged 70
years. He had been at Ghent at the suppression of the
�Newtown Manor and Church.
289
College in 1773, and was examined before the Commissioners (Proces verbal in MS. vol. of Belgian Colleges, Province
Archives). He was in Newtown May 7th, 1744. In 1742,
he bought seven lots at Lancaster, Penn.
In one of the books of the Newtown library I find the
name of John Boone. This Father, probably the brother
of Edward Boone, who died in the Mission of Danby,
Yorkshire, in 1785, was a native of Maryland. He was
born February 29th, 1734, and entered the Novitiate with
his brother, September 7th, 1756. Being ordained priest he
was sent on the Maryland Mission in 1765. He was not a
professed Father. He went back to England in 1770. In
1784, he again returned to our beloved Mission. At the
meeting of the "SeleCt Body of the Catholic Clergy," held
at White Marsh, on the 25th day of February, 1794, he was
present. About one year afterwards he yielded up his soul
to God.
It would have been difficult for the English Province to
supply its Mission with priests during the Penal Days if
God had not called many young Americans, chiefly Marylanders, to work in His vineyard on this side of the Atlantic.
The priest of whom we are just going to speak, like the
Boarmans, the Sewalls, and the Fenwicks, was a native of
Maryland. Ignatius Matthews, being already ordained
priest, entered the Society at Watten, on the 7th of September, 1763. After his noviceship, and some studies, he
was sent in 1766 to the Maryland Mission. He was at St.
Inigoes 29th March, 1784. He died at Newtown, May the
I 1th, 1790, at the age of 60.
I have been informed that
there is a fair piB:ure of this Father in a private residence
at Washington. It is in India ink, and is the work of
Ethelbert Cecil, a young artist, whose great talent was lost
for want of encouragement and proper cultivation. The artist represents Father Matthews as a venerable, yet hale
man. He is in the aa of delivering a sermon to his congregation in the Newtown Church.(l)
1
Cl In the old note-book already alluded to, I fiud the names of the Rev.
Newtown, 1742, and the Rev. England. I have been unable to learn any facts
relative to these father8. In the same book I find, "By my expenses to Vir-
�Newtown Manor and Church.
Father Ralph Falkner was a native of Maryland. He
probably made his humanities at the school opened by our
Fathers at Bohemia in 1745, or 1746. It may be weii to
remark here that it was in this school that Archbishop Carroil made a part of his studies. It is also probable that his
cousin, Charles Carroii, of Carroilton, also studied here for
some time. Young Falkner was admitted to his logic, Nov.
12, 1755. He took the old form of oath, June 20th foilowing.
He was ordained subdeacon in December, 1760; deacon
..... and priest in March, on the 7th day, 1761. One
month after his ordination he set~sail for Maryland. His
name is on one of the books in the library of Newtown.
Among those who are at rest in the quiet Newtown
churchyard is Benedict Neale. Benedict was a native of
Maryland and was born on the 3rd of August, 1709. He
entered the Society, September 7th, 1728. On the 2nd of
February, 1746, or 1747, he was professed of the four vows.
Soon after his ordination he was sent on the Maryland Mission. He died amidst his labors on the 20th of March,
1787, within two years of being eighty.
Father John Boarman, who had two brothers, Charles
and Sylvester, in the Society, was born in Charles County,
Maryland. The date of his birth was January 27th, 1743.
He joined our Order on the 7th of September, 1762. It is~
probable that he made his noviceship at Ghent. He pursued his phi,losophical and theological studies at Liege. On
the Suppression of our house in that city, he returned to
his native state. Though he left Liege on the 22nd of November, f773, he did not arrive in our Mission before the
24th of March in the following year. Father Boarman was
at Port Tobacco in 1783. He was present, as we have already intimated, at the meeting convened at Newtown,
Sept. 23rd, 1783. He also attended the meeting convened
.g-inia-£7:10:0." Also, "One tome of Joly to Mr. Poulton," probably Father
Thomas Poulton of 'Bohemia: "to Hen: Darnall y• Dunciad ;" of course this
was Darnall, Junior, who was the sincere friend of Father Atwood. The
names of the noble steeds in the Newtown stables in 1740 are preserved to us
in this book. It may interest the reader to learn a few of them- "Silver,"
"Thunder," "Tulip," "Ph::enix," "Blackco," "Brandy." I will give one
more note: "Hugh Win Gardiner, hired from y• 1st of:May, 1741, till y• end
of Septbr, at the rate of 2000 tob0 , "
·
�Newtown Manor and Church.
at St. Thomas' Manor in 1793. and that held at White
Marsh, in 1794· Father Boarman was not a brilliant man.
He was not possessed of deep and varied learning like some
of our missionaries in Southern Maryland; but according
to the best authorities he was a pious, zealous and devoted
priest. His labors were incessant and most fruitful. During twenty years he prayed and toiled for the people committed to his paternal care. God was pleased to call this
saintly priest to Himself in 1794, in the 51st year of his age.
He died at Newtown and was there interred amidst the
prayers and tears of his sorrowing congregation.
No name is more familiar to the student who examines
the books of the Newtown library than that of Augustine
Jenkins. His name is found written in the pages of several
Latin, French, and English works. Augustine Jenkins was
a native of Maryland, of Welsh origin, and was born January 12th, 1742. White Plains which originally belonged
to the Jenkins family was described to me by one who saw
it many years ago as being a charming place. Rows of tall
poplars guarded the avenue leading up to the venerable
residence. A rich, green lawn lay spread before it. Pebbled walks, fringed, perhaps·, with snow-white shells, over
which drooped fragrant and delicate flowers, wound around
it in graceful curves. Everything within the mansion; as
well as its surroundings, bespoke the elegant and refined
taste of its inmates. The influence of early associations
will generally last through life. It is almost impossible for
one whose childhood and early boyhood were passed in
the midst of elegance and refinement to grow rude or unpolished in manners and behavior. This is the reason why
the missioners of Maryland, whether in the hovels of the
poor white settlers, or in the wigwams of the Indians, could
always be distinguished as gentlemen by birth and education. The effeCt: of his first education at White Plains
was always seen in the conduCt: and bearing of Austin Jenkins. He was sweet, affable, and gentlemanly in all his
ways. He felt perfeB:ly at his ease as well in the cottage
as in the Manor. The charm of his manners was univer-
�Newttiwn Manor and Church.
sally felt. He had a winning grace about him that won the
affeCl:ion of all who came in contaCt: with him. His gener·
ous heart overflowed with kindly feeling. It is no wonder
that he was most successful as a missionary. Father Jenkins entered the Society September the 7th, I766. After his
studies and ordination at Liege, he returned to Maryland,
and arrived here on the 24th day of May, I774· From old
catalogues I see that he was at Newtown in the years I780
and I798. He took part in the meetings held at St.
Thomas' Manor, in I793 and I79l;'at White Marsh, in I794,
and at Newtown in I798. It appears from a letter preserved in the English Archives, that at Easter, 1787, he had
one thousand and forty-nine communicants. Father Jen.kins died a happy death at Newtown on the 2nd of February, in the year of our Lord, 1800.
It seems likely that Father Robert Harding spent some
time at Newtown. At all events, I find his name on one of
our books here. Father Harding was born on the 6th of
OCl:ober, I70I. In his twenty-first year he entered the Society. In 1733 he was m~de a Spiritual Coadjutor. He
came to Maryland in May, I73~· In 1733 he went to St.
Thomas'. In I748 he was in Prince George's County. He
died in Philadelphia, on the rst day of September, I772, ~f _
the age of 7IY>
Father Peter Morris, after having labored zealously during I3 years, died suddenly at Newtown of apoplexy. He
was born on the 8th of March, I743. and entered the Society on September the 7th, in the year I 760. He came to
Maryland in I
Arnold Livers enriched the Newtown library with several of his books. This Father was born in Maryland on
the I rth of May, 1705. He entered the Society at Watten,
September the 7th, I724. On the 2nd of February, I742,
• he was professed of the four vows. After having finished
his studies he came back to ·Maryland, and died here August 16th, I767, aged 62.
John Lucas was born on the 5th of May, 1740. Twenty-
no.
<I>See History of St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, in
LETTERS.
�Niwtown Manor and Church.
293
three years afterwards he entered the Society. Soon after
his elevation to the priesthood he was sent on the Maryland Mission. That was in 1770. He died in Maryland in
1795·
· It was about the time that Father Lucas labored in the
Mission that one of our .Fathers died heroically in the performance of one of his priestly funCl:ionsY> The Father,
some say it was Lucas himself, being summoned on a sickcall in the depth of a dark and raw night, was overtaken by
a heavy snow-storm. For some time he struggled on
bravely towards the house of the sick man. At length being overcome by the cold and fatigue, he fell prostrate on
the ground. Some farmers passing early the next morning
to their work found him dead in the snow. As we write,
the words of the poet Longfellow come naturally to our
mind:
"There, in the twilight cold and grey,
Lifeless, but beautiful he lay,
And from the sky serene and far
·
A voice fell like a falling star, Excelsior."
This may be the place to insert an anecdote which we
have on very good authority. One evening a Protestant
gentleman rode past the Newtown Manor on his way to
Long Point. The hour was calm and beautiful. The sun
was sinking behind the groves of Bedlam Neck. A flood
of glory lit the waters of St. Clement's Bay. The traveller
rode on leisurely, little dreaming that the heavens would
soon be rent by forked lightning. Yet such was the case.
On his return home a terrific storm swept over Bedlam
Neck. The rain fell in torrents, the sky grew pitchy black,
the winds lashed the tranquil waters to fury. In his fright,
the wayfarer sought an asylum in the hospitable old Manor.
The Fathers received him very kindly and remained with
him for hours at the parlor-fire. About midnight the bells
of the hous.e were rung with violence. In a moment one of
the attendants rushed into the room and announced an urgent sick-call. Without a moment's hesitation one of the
Fathers arose and begged the guest to excuse him, as he
(I> Related
by Rev. James Fitton who died in Boston a few years ago,
�Newtown Manor and Church.
had to attend to a sick-call. The gentleman was surprised
and urged the Father to wait until the storm had abated.
The Father smiled graciously and said: "My dear sir, it is
impossible for me to remain. At all hazards, I must attend
the sick." Soon the sound of a horse's hoof could be heard
on the road leading from the Newtown Manor. The
Father was on his way to visit the dying. The Protestant
gentleman was so touched by the devoted charity of the
priest that he exclaimed: "The religion that produces such
heroic self-sacrifice must be divine." He prolonged his
stay at the Manor, received instra&ion, and became a good
and fervent Catholic.
Joseph Doyne was born in l\Iaryland, November 1 Ith,
1734. He entered the Society on the 7th of September,
1758. He served the Mission of Stonyhurst for eleven
years. Having been sent on the Maryland Mission, he labored in different parts of the lower counties. He was for
a long time at St. Thomas' l\Ianor in Charles County. He
is mentioned many times in the letters of Bishop Carroll. I
find his name in several of the books of the Newtown library. He was a member of the SeleCt: Body of the Catholic Clergy. He took part in the meeting convened at St.
Thomas' Manor in 1793. He was also present at the meet-_·
ing held at White Marsh in r 794· He was one of thos; -Fathers who wished to join "the Institute of the Faith of
Jesus." He died at St. Thomas' Manor, 1803.
The name of Robert Molyneux is closely conneB:ed with
the history of the Newtown Mission. This learned scholar
and eloquent preacher was born at or near Formby, County
Lancaster, July 24th, 1738. He was descended from a
high and distinguished family. The piB:ures hanging on
the walls of his ancestral chambers were well calculated to
inspire him with generous and noble sentiments. On Sep• tember 7th, 1757, he entered the Society. He had the happiness of seeing one of his brothers, William, a member of
our Order. In 1764 Fr. Robert was a Master at Bruges
College. Soon after his ordination he was sent on the
Maryland Mission. So highly did Archbishop Carroll es-
�Newtown Manor and Church.
teem him that he was anxious to make him his Coadjutor
Bishop, but he could not be persuaded to accept the post.
In 1786 and 1787, we find him distinguishing himself in
Philadelphia as a good and zealous priest, and as a remarkably eloquent speaker. In 1789 we find him employed in
missionary work at Bohemia. He spent the years 1796 at
Georgetown, and 1797 and 1798 at Newtown. Ip. 1805 he
is said to be in St. Mary's County. At the meeting held at
Georgetown in 1805, it was resolved that Robert Molyneux
and Charles Sewall should take care of the business affairs
of Cedar Point Neck. On the restoration of the Society in
this country, he was appointed the first Superior of the Mission. While Superior he won the confidence and affection
of his subjects by his kind and affable manner. Fr. Molyneux was no ordinary man. On account of his learning,
zeal, and solid virtue he may well.be considered one of the
chief glories of this least Society of ours in this country.
He died at Georgetown, in 1808, universally regretted by
the clergy and laity.
Father John Bolton was born October 22nd, 1742. He
entered the Novitiate at Watten on the 7th of September,
1761. Soon after his ordination in 1771, he was sent on
the Maryland Mission. In 1780 he was zealously employed
in Charles County. He was sent by his Superiors to the
Eastern Shore of l\faryland in 1787. I find an entry for
that year in Father Mosley's "Ordo" as follows: "gth September, I Jno. Bolton buried for y• first time at St. Joseph's
Talbot." At the meeting held at St. Thomas' Manor on
the 4th of October, 1793, Father Bolton was present. He
was also at the meeting held at White Marsh on the 25th
day of February, 1794. There are two shelves full of venerable breviaries in the present Leonardtown library. At
the top of the title-page of one of them, which was printed
in I 7 59, I find "Joan. Bolton." Father Bolton's labors on
the Eastern Shore were most fruitful. He not only confirmed the Catholics he found there on his arrival, but led a
great many wanderers into the true fold. In Mosley's
Ordo I find: "ab anno Dfii 1787, J. Bolton, R. Jos. Mosley's
�Newtown Manor and Clturclz.
successor." Then follows a long list of converts made by
him in various places along the Eastern Shore of Maryland
and in Delaware. Among his converts were many Quakers. That he devoted himself, like another Peter Claver, to
those of African descent is proved by the vast number of
colored persons whom he received into the Church. Fr.
Bolton, we have it on excellent authority, was not a very
learned man. He had not the "transcendent talent" of Father
White, nor the great business capacity of Father Copley,
but he shared with them in their solid virtue and burning
zeal for souls. His missionary career was not brilliant like
that of St. Francis Xavier, but like that of St. John Francis
Regis it was painful, laborious and successful. In a former
article we incidentally said that he died at the Newtown
Manor in the autumn of 1809.
(To be continued.)
-- .
~
�A FUNERAL SERMON
On tlze Deatlt of tlte Rev. Ferdinand Farmer, 'Who Departed
tlzis Life tlze I7tlz of Aug. z786, in tlte 66th year of Jus age.
Bv
THE REv. RoBERT MoLYNEuxY>
PHILADELPHIA:
(Printed by C. Talbot in Front Street, I786.)
"Tlze ;itst slzall be in everlasting remembrance; he shall not
fear the evil /zearing,· lzzs lzeart ts ready to Jzope in tlze Lord;
Jus lzeart is strengthened,· /ze sltallnot be moved untzl lze look
over Jus enemies,· lze /zatlz dzstributed, lze lzatlz given to tlze
poor; Ius jitstice remainetlz forever and ever." - Psalm cxi.
7. 8, 9·(2)
Among these was our venerable brother and amiable
friend, your pious and zealous pastor, who has now paid
the debt we all owe to nature, and has left us, to go, we
hope, to enjoy the reward of his long and faithful labours;
he is gone too soon for us, who still wanted his fatherly
counsels and wholesome instruCtions-but not too soon for
himself, who had· no other desire on earth than to serve his
heavenly Master, under whose banners he had enlisted;
and no other hope in leaving it than that of resting in His
embrace for all eternity.
1
< l This Father has already been mentioned in the present number of the
LETTERS. The tradition is that he was a man of very imposing appearance.
His oratorical powers were well known in his day. Father Farmer (Steinmeyer), of whom he give so high a eulogium, "was born," according to Oliver,
"in Suabia the 13th of Oct. 17:!0-entered the Novitiate at Landsperge at the
age of 23-was admitted to the profession of the four vows the 2nd of Feb'y .,
1761. United to the English Province, he was sent to the Maryland )lission,
where Dr. Carroll said, 'he did much good until his death the 17th of Aug.
1786.',
2
< lThe sermon was delivered in St. Mary's Church, or the "New Cha.Pel,"
and afterwards printed by the firm mentioned above. Rev J. M. Finott1 had
seventy-five copies of it reprinted in 1878 at his own expense, for private circulation. We publish it in the LETT EnS on account of the historical points.
VoL.
xm-No. 3·
�2g8
Funeral Sermon on Father Farmer.
Thither, then, we hope, his noble and immortal soul, delivered from the dark prison of flesh, has taken its happy
flight and amidst the cheering rays of light and glory, experiences the sweet consolation of finding the end of all his
views and wishes unchangeably accomplished.
Born of reputable parents in the circle of Suabia, in Germany, 13th OCl:ober, 1720, he was early initiated in the duties of piety and the elements of liberal learning; after compleating the course of philosophy, he entered on the study
of physic, to which he applied with, success for the space of
three years-when Almighty God, ..\vho had other designs
over him, turned his mind to a religious state, in which he
might be more effeCtually beneficial to his neighbor, as a
feeder and a physician of souls. In consequence thereto,
he entered the Society of Jesus on the 26th of September,
A. D. 1742. Here, aCtuated by a growing desire of being
still more useful to his neighbor and instrumental to the
salvation of souls, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, he offered himself as a candidate for foreign missions and was
appointed for China. When again, behold, the finger of
Providence interfered and an unexpeCted disappointment
changed his destination to bless this western hemisphere
with the bright examples of his virtues, and raise him an •
ornament to the little Society he served by a faithful and".·
able discharge of the duties of his ministry.
He began his mission at Lancaster, where he resided six
years in all the poverty and humility of an apostle. From
there he was called to Philadelphia, where he has lived ever
since in the same humble and aCtive style, esteemed by all
ranks: and particularly reverenced and beloved by his flock,
who had nearer opportunities of knowing his singular worth
and merit.
His learning and other commendable qualifications soon
drew the public notice. Hence, without seeking the honor,
he was admitted, by the suffrages of learned acquaintance,
a member of the Philosophical Society. To his correspondence with Father Myers, late astronomer to the eleCtor
Palatine, now Duke of Bavaria, that Society is indebted for
�Funeral Sermon on Father Farmer.
299
some curious pieces of that celebrated mathematician in
the transit of Venus, dedicated to the Empress of Russia.
He had since been appointed to the Board of Trustees of
the University of this city, but his multiplieq immediate
funCtions of another nature prevente-d him from giving that
punCtual attendance to the duties of these appointments and
from being of that general utility for which inclination, as
well as abilities, would have otherwise rendered him ~vell
qualified.
Such has been the man whose remains are before us;
while, therefore, we are assembled to pay the last tribute of
our regard and affeCtion to his memory and drop the mourning tear on his funeral tomb, let us not indulge ourselves
in unreasonable grief nor be sorrowful, like those who are
without hope. He is gone but a little while before us and
points, by edifying examples and faithful instruCtions, to the
way we must follow him.
Let the remembrance of these be renewed on this awful
occasion and so deeply impressed on your hearts and minds
as never to be effaced. They will be unto you a surviving
guide through the walks of virtue into which he has direCted
you; they will be as the polar star, by which you may safely
steer to the port of eternal bliss, to which we hope he is himself arrived. His voice is no longer to be heard from this chair
of truth from which he so frequently and so fervently delivered those lessons to you. His hands are no longer lifted
up at that altar to offer sacrifice and supplications in behalf
of his cherished flock.
The thresholds of your houses are no longer frequented
by those graceful steps which he so often made to bring
tidings <;>f peace and good greeting of salvation to your
ears. He can no longer, with his accustomed and sincere
goodwill for your eternal welfare, invite you to come and
partake of those pledges of reconciliation with your God
and drink at those fountains of life which flow so plentifully from the loving Heart of Jesus.
But while others shall remember and tell his other virtues
of the priest and citizen, you will not forget those offices of
�300
Funeral Sermon on Fatlzer Farmer.
his past benevolence and zeal for your spiritual interestwhile the poor shall bless his memory for his liberal charities and generous benefaCtions- while all tongues shall
speak in praise of the many great endowments of his enlightened mind and ~pright heart: some admiring his
penetrating judgment, his lively genius, his extensive memory, particularly in the sacred branches and generous
knowledge in the sciences; others extolling his sacred
affability and uniform deportment through the full career of
life; you who are the parents of children regenerated by
his ministering hands at the fontof baptism will recolleCt:
the salutary lessons he delivered and the charge he gave
you to educate those pledges of your mutual affeCtion in
the fear and love of Almighty God, the common Father of
us all, warning them to hold fast to the vows of their baptism, that living on earth as dutiful children of the heav~nly
Father they might one day become heirs of his kingdom.
Many will long remember with what unwearied solicitude
he aB:ed the part of a tende~ and vigilant shepherd, sparing
no pains of labour to seek out and reclaim any of the flock
under his charge that had unhappily strayed out of the
sweet pastures of virtue and righteousness, in which he
strove to feed and preserve them from every infeCtion of_·
vice and danger of perversion. His fatiguing and extensive ·
excursions through a neighboring State and various parts
of this, in search of little flocks scattered in the wilderness,
will be long retained in their minds and preserved in their
breasts as grateful monuments of his unwearied zeal and
unbounded charity, and as perennial proofs of the faithful
performance of the duties of his ministry.
There is yet a hidden treasure laid up in heaven, unseen
and unknown to the world, but highly precious before God,
who knows the inward man and searches our reins and
hearts.-Those scenes of silent contemplation on heavenly
truths and secret conversations with God himself, to whom
he daily poured forth his pious soul in extacies of love and
raptures of admiration of the divine perfeCtions ; could the
humble cell of his late habitation but relate what passed
�Funeral Sermon on Father Farmer.
301
in these moments it would go far beyond what you have yet
heard or seen. These are those inward beauties of the righteous soul: those springs which impart life and aB:ion to all
that outwardly appears so zealous and virtuous, and imprint
the stamp of solid worth and merit. These will be found to
shine as no inferior ornaments in the celestial crown. View
him in fine, through private or public life, you will not find
hfm intentionally swerving from that golden device of the
institute of his order-the greater glory of God.
This appears to have been the origin, the aim and end to
which, through every step of life, his mind and heart have
been uniformly t!ireB:ed. Like the faithful husbandman, he
has cultivated his Master's vineyard, and with zeal and diligence; he has dug it and pruned it in the scorching heat and
pinching cold; he has watered it with his tears and enriched
it with the sweat of his brow; he has used all possible endeavors to clear it of the brambles and thorns which he discovered to encumber it; in fine, he has fenced it round with
a double hedge of edifying examples and of sound and
faithful precepts. If it has not produced all the fruit he
wished; if the success has not proved adequate to his labours, let those on whom his frequent exhortations and fatherly admonitions have been so repeatedly bestowed lay
their hands on their breasts and impartially inquire if no
blame lies there.
As to our deceased friend and brother, the public voice is
in his favor, the uniform tenor of his life and conduCt:, his visible zeal and edifying piety, his love of prayer and assiduous
attention by day and night to every call of duty, speak him
the good and faithful servant that has carefully husbanded
and improved his Master's ta!mt- and hence we may confidently conclude and on good grounds hope that he has
deserved to receive in heaven the commendation of his Master and the annexed reward: "Well done good and faithful
servant, because thou hast been faithful over few things, I
will set thee over many things. Enter thou to the joy of
the Lord."
·
It remains with us whom he has left behind, carefully to
�302
Missionary Labors.
follow in the steps of virtue which he has traced out for us
by his bright and edifying example. If we closely adhere
to these, you, who have been the constant obje[ts of his
pastoral care and whom he has always cherished as his "joy
and crown, entreating and comforting you as a father doth
his children," will reap the fruits of his past labours to your
own present consolation and furture happiness, and to his
joy and glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at
his coming; and you and your children after you will be
blessed in his successors with pious and zealous pastors,
who, continuing. in the steps ot '50 worthy a predecessor,
will, it is to be hoped, by labouring with a like zeal and
fidelity in this little vineyard of our Lord, bring to perfection what he has so happily begun.
Which God grant. Amen.
Moriatur anima mea morte justi hujus.-"May my soul
die the death of this just man."
MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM APRIL IgTH TO JUNE 9TH.
ST. MARY's, NEw LoNDON, CoNN.-On April rgth Father
Maguire and Father Kavanagh started for New London,
Conn., where they were met by Father Finnigan, pastor at
Fordham, who kindly came to our assistance in the time of
need. The other members of the band being engaged at
the same time giving a mission in New Jersey, we were left
short of help. The congregation of New London proper
is calculated at 2500 souls; the church being large we did
• not think it necessary to divide the congregation or to allow
more than ten days for the 'work. We gave the first five
days to the women for confession, and the last to the men.
New London is not much of a business place, and during
the winter is very quiet. The summer months bring a great
�· Missionary Labors.
many visitors, as it is quite a watering-place. There are
many summer residences along the water side, and most of
them belong to Catholics. This places the Catholics well
in the front and many converts are the result of it. How
different from some thirty years ago when the Catholics
were few in number and priests so scarce, that all of this
district was attended by our Fathers from Holy Cross College, Worcester. One of these, Father Logan, when
attending a person sick of the small pox, caught the disease
and died of it. He had to be buried at night; and even
then the Protestants instead of honoring a man who sacrificed his life in the duties of his holy calling, stoned the
remains as they passed through the streets to the grave-yard.
The few Catholics of the place showed their love and veneration for one who offered his life for his flock, by attending
the funeral in a body. The servant girls, of course, were
present in spite of the consequences, for every one of them
lost their places by so doing. To-day the Catholics are respected by all and feared by the ministers. When Father
Tierney was promoted to the pastorship of St. Peter's, Hartford, the ministers met and passed a resolution of congratulation on his removal from their midst, as he was a most
dangerous man, winning many of their young man to his
church. This fact was told us by a convert, who had it
from one of those present at that meeting.
The church, a magnificent one of stone, is situated on
one of the most beautiful sites of the city. The pastor is
now trying to get a house for the Sisters, so as to have a
school. The Bishop, Right Rev. Lawrence Me Mahon, insists on all the pastors having a school, and will not allow
any of them to increase the debt by any improvements until the school is in running order. The people are good
and attend very well to the church services. Eighteen hundred and more were present every evening, while the morning services were equally well attended. I had a talk with
a Protestant doctor who passed by as the people were coming out after the evening service, and he declared that there
were not less than 2500. Seven Protestants presented them-
�Misst"onary Labors:
selves for instruCtion and were left under the care of the
pastor. He has some one for instruCtion nearly all the time.
One of the summer residents, a convert, presented to the
church a picture of the Assumption for an altar-piece, and,
hearing that the devotion to the Sacred Heart would be
established during the mission, gave also a large oil painting of the Sacred Heart. The devotion to the Sacred
Heart was established with magnificient promises. We
remained for the first Friday, which was two days after the
missio.n closed, to help with the confessions and see what
would be the result. Over two-~undred persons went to
Holy Communion, and as many more who could not attend
Mass on week days were to communicate on Sunday. We
had, therefore, every reason to be pleased. Many came
from outlying districts during the mission and swelled the
number of confessions to 2600. The Communions were
2550. Twelve adults were prepared privately for first Communion, and 73 children made theirs. One boy of seven
years was baptized ; seven Protestants were left for instruction,· as we stated before. PATERSON, N. J.- The mission given by FF. Langcake
and Macdonald in St. Joseph's Church, Paterson, N. J., be;
ginning on April 20th, lasted ten days. It was most satis--·
faCtory in every way. The Frs. who gave it were very much
pleased with everything and every body. The pastor was
pleased with the results and was of the opinion that all of
his parishioners made the mission and approached the sacraments; 1828 confessions were heard, and 2000 persons received Holy Communion. The mission was quite fruitful
in converts, for nine were received into the Church. One
of these was a lady whose husband should have been a
Catholic, but though he never gave her any example of
what a Catholic ought to be, the grace of God triumphed,
and she became a member of the Church. One of the Fathers thought it a good time to approach the husband and
talk to him about his religious duties, showing him how, in
spite of his carelesness, God was merciful to him and be-
�Missionary Labors.
stowed on his wife the gift of faith. Should he not have an
immense amount to answer for if he did not give thanks to
God for these favors? It struck him forcibly and the result
was he received the Blessed Sacrament with his wife on the
day of her first Holy Communion.
ST. MICHAEL's, NEW YoRK CITY.-May 3rd, the mission
in St. Michael's began. The FF. who gave the mission
were FF. Maguire, Langcake, Kavanagh, and Macdonald.
Hard work was the order of the day from the very begining. In order that the members of the parish might have
a good chance for confession, the pastor, Father Donnelly,
had a man at the door of the chapel, where confessions
were heard, to prevent any one, except parishioners, from
entering. As might be expected some outsisJers got in,
but not very many, as a notice on the door also stated
that none but members of the parish were to enter. It was
discouraging at times to see the chapel full of penitents and
feel that some would have to be sent away unheard.
\Ve sought for help in every direction, that all who presented themselves might be heard. The priests attached to
the church had to take a box and do duty as missioners.
All praise must be given to Fr. McCarthy, as he lost no
opportunity to help us. FF. Brennan and White, also of
St. Francis Xavier's, and F. O'Reilley of Fordham gave us
a helping hand. I hope all the people were heard. Certainly we did our best, as a record of 8900 Confessions will
show. Still I am led to believe that if we had had more
help there would have been work enough. Seldom does a
mission take such a hold on the people; everybody was
talking about it. The crowd that attended the five o'clock
Mass gave a good indication of the interest taken. All
the other Masses likewise were well attended.
Father Donnelly's generosity to the missioners was such
as to call forth abundant thanks. All the collections of the
two last Sundays were given. to the FF., and F. Donnelly
himself urged on the people to contribute generously and
. VoL. xm-No. 3·
20
�Missionary Labors.
told them that everything would be presented as an offering
to the missioners. His people are not well off, still they
give generously. For the 24 years he has been pastor he
has collected from them over $I ,ooo,ooo; this is his own
statement. He has two fine schools, one for boys, another
for girls. This year he will open his orphan asylum which
he has purchased on Staten Island. He has now very little
debt. Excuse this digression. The facts it unfolds made
us feel bad, when we had so little help in the confessional.
It is remarkable with all the missions given in New York
how many persons you meet who ..have not been to the Sacraments for years; numbers from three to over forty years
absent from duty presented themselves. Yet in this church
they have had missions regularly every two or three years.
Let me relate one case. A woman, now about forty five
years old and married, supposed she was a baptized Catholic
and had been going to the Sacraments regularly. Her mother who ought to have been a Catholic was very careless
and let the children look out for themselves as far as religion
was concerned. A daugh-ter had been baptized in some
Protestant church and was attending it. About two months ago the mother was dying and the eldest daughter, the married woman spoken of, not knowing why, asked her if she
was baptized. "No," was the reply; "you never were." S'~-·
during the mission she and her sister were baptized, made
their first Communion and received Confirmation, the former validly this time taking advantage of the graces of this
sacrament. The husband came and was prevailed on to
renew his marriage vows; she did not want him to know,
that she was only that day baptized. The class for Confirmation numbered 222 adults. His Grace came on the
Monday after the mission ended and administered this sacrament. Of grown persons 163 made their first Communion;
23 were baptized and 5 children that had been neglected;
8goo Confessions were heard, and 8450 persons received
Holy Communion.
ST. PATRicK's CHURCH, BROCKTON, MAss. - From May
24th to June 9th we labored in Brockton, Mass, This.is
�Missionary ·Labors.
the first time our FF. have given a mission in this city.
There are rS,ooo inhabitants in the place. Formerly it was
called North Bridgewater, but that name did not suit some,
so it was changed into Brockton. The change displeased
others, if we can judge from one of the songs of that time.
The Catholics number, all told, 4700 souls. They make
up as fine a parish, as far as material is concerned, as one
could ':'ish to have. The principal industry is the rpanufaeture of shoes, and those employed make very good
wages. Girls make from. $1.50 to $3.00 a day. Some of
the men can make $4.00 a day. All have work about ten
months of the year. There are no poor in the parish, that
is, no one who requires assistance. Nearly all of them own
their houses and are, what might be called, comfortable.
With schools the people would be as good as could be
found anywhere. The material is there waiting for somebody to make use of it.
We heard 4500 confessions; allowing 500 for repeaters,
outsiders, etc., which will well cover the ground, we have
4000 people who were heard belonging to the parish. We
have, therefore, the consolation of knowing that almost all
made the mission. The children were most attentive and
showed by the way they tried to follow the instruCtions
given them, that if they had Catholic schools they would
be all one could desire. They know the catechism, but do
not understand it; if you ask them a question even in the
least different from the book they cannot answer you. I
could not blame them, for it was not their fault. They have
the average Snnday-school teachers, nearly all of whom are
not much better instruCted than the children themselves.
We were told that we could hunt the parish over and over,
and not three dozen grown persons could be found who
were not confirmed. Judge of our surprise. when I 19 were
reported as candidates. "They can't belong to the parish,
etc.; I am here 13 years and every time we had Confirmation we got them in," said the assistant; but he was mistaken.
Unfortunately the Archbishop was so busy that he could
�Missionary Labors.
not confirm the candidates before July. \Ve trust they will
be kept together till that time.
One young man attended the first sermon and the grace
of God was so plentiful, that he was made to see the errors
of the way he was going; he had no religion at all; so he
resolved to enter into God's service and presented himself
for Baptism. Confessions, 4500; Communions, 3950; prepared for Confirmation, I 19; baptized, 2 adults and 2 negleCted children.
Results since April 19th: Communions, 16,950; adults
prepared for first Communion, I7?; prepared for Confirmation, 341; Confessions, 17,828; negleCted children baptized,
S; adults received into the Church, 34; left under instruction for Baptism, 7·
Resume of the work done by the missionary Fathers
during the year, from July 1st, 1883, to July 1st, 1884:
Communions, 103,862; Confessions, I I 1,023; prepared for
first Communion, adults, 1414; fo.r Confirmation, adults,
2206; for Baptism, adults, I 58; children baptized, 41 ;
Protestants left under instruCtion for Baptism, 36. Besides
these results we may add the following: Catechetical instructions, 170; Sermons, 1409; Exhortations, 197; Missions,
73, counting each week a mission, since the full exercise~
were given each week to a different congregation, though~·
in the same church generally where the mission began;
moreover, at times, there were two or three missions going
on in other parts of the country; Exercitia Spiritualia, 1 1 ;
Visits to prisons, 2; to the sick, 34; to hospitals, 8: Tridua, 3; Novena, I; Matrim. revalidata, 49; Ultima Sacram. 2.
H. K,
�KANSAS.
OSAGE MISSION, KANSAS,
June 6th, I 884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
.
P. C.
Ours in the East will be pleased to know of our progress
here in Kansas. 'vVe have at last succeeded in finishing
our new church which for dimensions and architectural
beauty might not be out of place in one of your big cities.
It was, as you may readily see, a happy day for us when,
after our long struggling for years, we were at last able to
dedicate this temple to the Almighty. I send you a description of the church and the dedication servtces as reported in the Osage 1lfission journal.
SOLEMN DEDICATION
Of St. Francis de Hieronymo Clmrclt, at Osage 1Jfission,
Kansas, JJfay l I, I884.
"Before proceeding wtth the description of the dedicatory
services, it will not be amiss to give a brief history of the
new church from its inception on to this time.
"In the spring of I872, Rev. John Schoenmakers, S. J.,
commenced work on the foundation, the stone for which
had been quarried and hauled the preceding winter, and on
the 23d day of June, of that year, the corner-stone was laid
by Rt. Rev. L. M. Fink, Bishop of Leavenworth, in the
presence of an immense multitude of spectators.
"\Vork on the church was then suspended for the period
of six years for the want of funds, till the fall and winter of
I877-78, when Rev ..Adrian Sweere took steps to carry on
the work. Stone was quarried and hauled on the ground
so as to be ready for use when needed; however, the work
made slow progress till Rev. J. T. Kuhlmann's arrival here,
he having been appointed superior in Fr. Sweere's place.
"Several important changes were made at the foundation,
(309)
�310
KatZsas.
before work on the walls was commenced. Buttresses were
added to the side-walls, corners, and tower; also a door,
facing toward the east, was changed into a window. For
the last three years the workmen were almost continually
employed, during winter cutting stone and laying the walls
during summer.
"The building is 140 feet long, 70 wide and 32 high on
the sides; the gable ends are 67 feet high to the comb of
the roof. The tower is 102 feet from the ground to the top
of the cross which surmounts it.
"The interior is divided into sanEl:uary, auditorium and
gallery; the lofty ceilings are supported by two rows of
graceful columns, that divide the~body of the church into
nave and side-aisles. Doors, windows and ceilings ate of
the Romanesque style of architeCture. Three large double
doors are at the south end, one on the west side, and one at
the north end. Fifteen large windows admit the light into
the body of the church, and four into the sacristies and
sexton's apartments. Transoms are placed over each of the
doors and add greatly to their beauty. Besides the windows already named there are three circular ones and one
diamond-shaped one at different points of the church.
"For the benefit of our readers we will here give the expenses that have been incurred up to the present time. Cost
of foundation, $7,000; stone, sand, lime, and cement, $3,980; lumber, $6,700; nails and other hardware, $1,600;
masons' wages, $16,576; carpenters' wages, $4,500; plas-.
tering, $2,370; doors, windows, etc., $6,075; incidentals;·.·
$5,800; bell, $569; total, $55,000 in round numbers.
"For solidity and excellence of workmanship, the building is not surpassed by any in the United States. The
stone-work was done by Zehner and Doyle, carpenter work
by Louis Scheider and his assistants, plastering by G. H.
Sims, of Corsicana, Texas, and the painting by Louis Bohrer, of Osage Mission. "By their works ye shall know
them," can justly be said of these mechanics; for, in the
new church, they have left a monument of their skill and
dexterity, which shall sound their praises through the aisles
of time, when they and their names shall have long been·
. forgotten.
·
"If it ever be proper to feel. proud of any earthly possession, Osage Mission has a cause for it in its grand new
church ; not Osage Mission alone, but the entire state can
point with a just pride to this imperishable monument of
faith, ereEl:ed to the honor of God by the zealous sons of
�Kansas.
)
311
the Great Loyola, who taught them to despise the world
with all its tinsel, gloss and veneering, and spend their lives
in the promotion of God's honor and glory, and in the salvation of their fellow creatures. "Not unto us, but unto thy
name, 0 Lord, give glory," is the watchword of the good
Fathers, who have so assiduously labored for years and
years to build a fit temple in which to adore the Triune
God. Jehovah has led them over many a thorny path before they, at last, reached the goal of their desire. Let us
rejoice on this day and give thanks to God for all He has
bestowed upon us; but especially let us thank Him for the
favor <5f seeing this Grand Basilica, dedicated to His holy
name. How ardently did dear Father Schoenmakers long
for this day; but as Moses beheld the promised land from
the top of Mount Nebo\ so did Father John this day in the
future. Before his arrival, however, he was called to a
more glorious dedication in the heavenly paradise, where
tears and sorrows cease, and toils and pains are unknown.
"\Vhile speaking of the dead, let us not forget Fr. Philip
Colleton, who so energetically worked at this grand undertaking, which we to-day dedicate to the service of God.
May heaven's perpetual light shine o'er him forevermore!
"Joyfully, to-day, rang out the bell from its dizzy hight,
calling the people together for the celebration of this festival, which opens a new epoch in the history of Osage Mission. At 10 o'clock a. m. the Bishop, preceded by the
cross-bearer and acolytes, and accompanied by the attendant clergy, left the pastoral residence and marched to the
front of the new church, whence he passed around it, besprinkling the walls with holy water. Having reached the
main entrance again, he entered the church and blessed the
interior in the same manner. The doors were then opened
and the immense multitude standing in waiting without,
was admitted, and filled every available place within the
immense struCl:ure to its utmost. Many were obliged to
stand during the entire services for want of sitting room,
and many failed, even, to find standing room and were compelled to remain out of doors. Solemn high mass was
celebrated, Father Ponziglione being celebrant, assisted by
Father Hagan as deacon, and Mr. Luersmann as su'?-deacon. In the sanC1uary were present, Rt. Rev. J. J. Hogan,
Bishop of Kansas City, Mo.; Rev. A. Hoecken, of Parsons;
Rev. P. J. Ward, St. Mary's Mission, Kansas; and Revs.
Kuhlmann and Rimmele, of this city.
"The dedicatory sermon was delivered by Father Ward,
�312
KatZsas.
and was listened to with breathless silence and attention by
the immense assembly, the text from which the sermon
was preached being Matt. vii. 23-28. Seldom have the citizens of Osage Mission had an opportunity to listen to a
more eloquent and able sermon than that delivered by Fr.
\Vard. Immediately after high mass, about eighty candidates
received the sacrament of confirmation from the Rt. Rev.
Bishop. Catechetical instruCtion was given by Fr. Ponziglione at 3 p. m., and at 7:30 in the evening, His Grace, the
Bishop, leCtured on the "ResurreCtion of the body, and its
immortality after its resurreCtion." The leCture was a most
able one, and was attentively listened to by the audiunce.
"Never, since the founding of.. Osage Mission, was a
greater concourse of people assembled here, than that
which was brought together to witness the dedication of
the new church. A special train fr'om Parsons brought up
hundreds of speCtators; Chetopa, Neodesha, Chanute, Defiance, Erie, Walnut, and Ft. Scott were numerously represented in the vast concourse; and besides these, the country for miles around turned out an almost endless train of
carriages and wagons, filled with eager speCtators, who
poured into town to witness the solemnities. Competent
judges place the number in attendance at nearly 5000
persons.
"Before bringing this subjeCt: to a close, let us turn to the
old church and take a parting look at its hallowed walls.
Many a fond memory clings to those dear old logs, and
many a sad scene have they witnessed in their time. Youth::
ful hearts were there united, and from there have joyfully •·
started on life's checkered journey; but, too often, short
was the career from the cradle to the grave, whose solemn
portals closed, but too soon, on the course so happily begun. Forcibly do these mouldering logs remind us of the
shortness of all earthly joys. But yesterday, as it were,
were these trees cut from the forest, where they proudly
grew and throve; to-day, decayed and worm-eaten, fit for
naught but to cast aside. So with us; now we carry our
heads aloft ltke monarchs proud, but to-morrow, like the
withered leaf of autumn, we are trampled under foot, our
fame and name alike forgotten. Let us learn, then, to be
• wise and lay up treasures in that life which has neither end
nor knows decay !
·
"To you, dear Father Kuhlmann and Ponziglione, we owe
a debt of gratitude which we can never cancel, and for
which God alone can adequately reward you, for this noble
�.Kansas.
struCture that your untiring zeal and energy have brought
to completion. May God, in his mercy, grant you a long
life and strength to guide us still o'er life's boisterous tide,
is the fond wish and prayer of your humble parishioner."
SOME REMINISCENCES OF THE MISSION.
The skilfulness of a gardener does not appear until after
days of labor and toil. The small seed he sows may seem
to have perished under the frosts and snows of winter, but
let the balmy breeze of spring begin to enliven the atmosphere, let the soil once more grow warm, and lo! what a
change will take place! The seed that seemed to be lost
will soon develop, blossoms will bud forth and produce
fruit in due season. And though sudden northern gales
may occasion a great many of these to drop to the ground
before maturity, yet enough of them will remain to do
honor to the gardener and to show that after all his labors
were not in vain.
Such I must say has been the case with our missionschool and the untold labors endured by o11r great gardener, Fr. John Schoenmakers, in tilling the ground of this
apparently barren place, have gradually brought forth fruit
among the Osages, fruit that matured slowly indeed, but at
last brought and does daily bring honor on the good Father,
showing evidently that the faith he planted in their hearts
far from being chocked either by their wild habits or sectarian influences is living yet and has taken deep root, so
deep and so full of vitality, that though now for over fifteen
years they have been under the exclusive control of Protestant Missionaries, yet these over-zealous fellows could not
succeed in making proselytes among the Osages I They
have, alas! perverted a great many of the growing youth;
they have by connivance endorsed their wicked habits, but
they could not make them Protestants.
The Osages well remember the honesty, prudence and,
above all, the great charity of the good Father, and shall
VoL. xm-No. 3·
20*
�314
Kansas.
never forget the lessons he gave them in the praetice of
those noble virtues. During the long winter nights at the
light of their campfires, they will for years to come repeat
one to another the glorious deeds and teachings of the good
Father. They will relate to their children the truths of our
holy religion which they learned from him, and though the
praCtice of their live~ does not always correspond to those
teachings, yet in case of death they well know how to aa,
and if it be in their power, they will send for a priest to
come and assist them.
An old Osage woman, by name~Rosalia, being very sick,
was visited by a Quaker preacher from the Osage Agency
at Pawhuska. The preacher not doubting of success entered boldly the dilapidated shanty in which the old woman was lying, and, saluting all that were there, said: "Dear
sister, there being no other minister here but myself, I just
came to pray for thee," and he was going to begin his
prayer when the sick woman stretching out her hands made
him a sign to stop. The preacher thinking for certain that
the poor sister had already ~experienced a change of heart,
stopped to listen to what she might say. She was very
weak, yet colleCting all her strength, she said: "Sir, I do
not want your prayers; I belong to Fr. John Schoenmak- •
ers' church ; in this I lived and in this I wish to die; please" •·
now get out of this place." Having spoken these words,
she appeared quite exhausted for a while, but, having regained a little of her strength, she began to recite the prayers
she had learned at this Mission over thirty years ago, and
kissing the rosary she always kept in her hands, she
calmly expired. I need not tell you that the old Quaker
did not offer himself to preach the funeral sermon.
Catholic education has formed in many of the Osages, as
well as Quawpaws and Kansas, a kind of character by which
• a Catholic Indian is easily known from all others, for the
Catholic Indian has generally a noble and grave mien,
shows himself reserved in his conversation, and at the same
time interes!ing, so that in dealing with hi.m you soon find
�Kansas.
\
out that his moral and intellectual powers are above the
average.
Marks of this kind were most perceptible in the character of the late Chief of the Osages, Joseph Pawnee-numpatsee who died about two years ago. And those good
qualities which placed him above the common standard of
his nation, he owed to Fr. Shoenmakers who took the
greatest imaginable care in educating him. And would to
God Joseph had always followed the advice given him by
the Father; if he had done so, how much happier would he
not now likely be.
Joseph Pawnee-numpa-tsee has, in all probability, been
the last regular chief of the Osages, and with him the old
patriarchal government of his nation has come to an end.
According to the aboriginal customs, Peter, the son of
Joseph-numpa-tsee, ought now to be the ruler of the nation.
But being hardly of age when his father died, the U. S.
Agent took willingly advantage of the fact and passing over
all the rules and traditions of the Osages, appointed Strikewith-the-axe to succeed Joseph till a new chief should be
elected. No matter, however, who may be elected, according to the Osage customs, Peter is known by all to have the
best right and title too it, and, if he lives, he will sooner or
later be the head chief of the Osages. This was exactly
the case with his father, for though the U. S~ Agents tried
many times to get him out of office, yet Joseph was always
looked upon as the head man and chief and was treated as
such by Indians as well as by white men.
The U. S. Commissioners well knew the power and influence of Joseph over the Osages, and for this reason they
would frequently come to visit him apparently to do him
homage, but in reality to see whether by flattery or promises or even by bribery they might not induce him to let
them have more of the Indian land. Joseph had become
well acquainted with such land-grabbers' tricks, and though
he would sometimes receive their presents, yet he would
never let himself be bribed to betray the interests of his
people; so he would never favor their requests, and, the
�Kansas.
beauty of it was, that in so doing he would not permit himself to be carried away by passion, but, on the contrary,
would always aa in such a manner as to command their·
esteem.
Father Schoenmakers being well acquainted with the Indian charaCter, in speaking with them would frequently
make use of gestures, and would likewise illustrate his
teachings with figures and parables, in order to imprint on
their minus the lessons he was giving them. Joseph had
noticed this, and could imitate the Father to advantage. A
proof of this he gave on the following occasion.
Some U. S. Commissioner anxious to get more land from
the Osages, having come to visit Joseph, tried to prove to
him by a number of arguments that it was in the interest of
the Osages to trade a strip of a few miles all along the
Kansas line. "The Osages," said he, "could spare that little strip of land which was of no use to them, and, besides,
by allowing the white men to settle on it, they would gain ;
for the white people would bring trade, and they would
have a good time generally':" Joseph listened attentively
to all he had to say, but did not give a definite answer; and
being requested by the Commissioner to tell what he
thought about it, he replied that he wished to be allowed a ·
little more time to refleCl: on the matter. Meanwhile, he'
very politely invited the Commissioner to take a stroll with
him through the wood close by.
The invitation being accepted, both went off examining
the trees that grow all along Deepford Agency, and having
come to a log which offered a convenient seat, Joseph said:
"Why, Commissioner, let us sit down here a little while and
take a smoke." "0 yes," replied the officer, and both sat
down. In a few minutes their pipes were in full blast, and
meanwhile clouds of smoke were ascending the sky, when
Joseph, who was telling the wonders which, according to
their tradition, had happened'around that place in ancient
times, and in the heat of conversation, was moving on the
log towards the Commissioner, got close up to him so that
he was forced to move a little further to give him more
�Kansas.
317
room for his declamation. But Joseph seemed not to mind
such courtesy, and after a while he again pressed upon the
Commissioner, who again very kindly let him have more
room, till by little and little the matter came to the point
that the Commissioner found himself at the end of the log,
and then, in a kind of burlesque tone, he said, "my friend
if you continue pushing me further and further, I will have
to give up the log to you altogether, for I have no room-to
move any more." Joseph smiled and said, "well, Commissioner, this now is just the case between us poor Indians
and the white men. You have been pushing us all the
time away from the coasts of the Atlantic to this very spot,
and you are not yet satisfied, but want more land. Well,
where shall we go?" The Commissioner understood very
well the moral of the ingenious trick Joseph had. played
him, and putting on a very jovial face said, "well, Joseph, I
see you are quite a clever fellow, but, now I must try to get
back to the hotel, for it will soon be supper-time." Exit
Commissioner-and surely on the next morning he was on
his way home to tell his friends in Washington that Joseph
was too smart a fellow to deal with.
The quick and shrewd way in which Joseph was aCl:ing
when playing such tricks was so reasonable that the party
concerned could not be offended. He knew nothing about
rules of rhetoric, yet, the good common sense he had
gained under the teaching of Father J. Schoenmakers made
him not only eloquent, but very interesting in his speeches.
In council he knew how to speak as a gentleman, but he
could also be pungent and sarcastic if needed. Of this he
gave a nice specimen on a certain occasion, a few years ago,
when a special committee was sent from Washington to the
the Agency on Deepford, to investigate into some grievous
charges brought against different Government contraCtors
who were reported as enriching themselves at the expense
of the Osages. This investigating committee was made up
of five gentlemen, the chairman being a Colonel of some
notoriety.
These ~entlemen having come to the Agency called for
�Kansas.
a· great council which, as usual, was held in a beautiful
grove near by, and was largely attended by the chiefs,
braves and warriors of the Osages, besides a great number
of whites. The sight of this assembly was worthy the
brush of a Raphael, for the appearance of the Osages in
their colored blankets, their painted faces, 5haved heads,
bristly scalps, their shining bracelets and rich wampum
collars was really something classic to look at.
All being comfortably squatted according to the Indian
fashion, the Colonel, six feet in height, arose, and having
repeatedly pulled his long black-.heard, addressed himself
to Joseph, saying, "I come a very long way to see you, my
friend; I come from the far east, from the very house of
the Great Father, the President, who, having heard of your
grievance, charged us to come and find out from you
whether there is really any truth in the complaints that
have been sent to him." Then putting on a very grave face,
he said, "now before all I w~nt you to understand this well,
that the officers the Great Father sends you, are all good
men and his personal frien~ds; so I warn you to be careful
in speaking of them, for I shall not allow any of the Great·
Father's friends to be abused, either by Indians or white
men." The manner and tone in which the Colonel deliv.
ered his introduCtion were such as to indicate that he did··
not want to hear any complaint.
Joseph understood every word he spoke, for he could
speak good English, but, in order that every one of his
people might know what he was saying, he now spoke by
an interpreter, and said, "Colonel, we believe that the Great
Father at Washington sends us none but good men, for we
suppose he does not keep company with any bad men. But
I must make a remark about the men he sends us. When
I
these men leave ·washington, they are all good, but before
• they reach this place they have to pass through a great
many cities, and in travelling such a long distance, they
here and there drop some of their good qualities, and by
the time they come to us, they have lost all their goodness."
You may imagine what an Otltburst of laughter this first
�Kansas.
'I
\.
part of Joseph's reply drew from the audience. "Now," he
continued, "do you see, Colonel, that man yonder," and he
pointed out a fellow who had a big contract of supplying
them with beef; "when that man left the Great Father's
house he certainly was a good man and promised he would
give us beef all the time, but, on coming here he forgot all
his promises, and since he r~ached this place he gave us
nothing but rotten, stinking bacon." Then turning to another side and pointing out another gentleman, he said,
"well, Colonel, do you see that smooth, old, sanctimoniouslooking man leaning against that big stone? He, too,
when he left the Great Father's house, was, no doubt, a
good man; now, we know not what happened to him on
the way, but the fact is that he had promised the Great
Father to give us so many hundred sacks of good flour, but
when he came here, he cheated us and gave us black flour,
full of worms, so dirty that our squaws can make no bread
out of it." And so he went on exposing the tricks played
on them by others, to the great amusement of the Osages
who endorsed every word he said, by crying out at the end
of every sentence he delivered, "Oway" which means yes, it
is so I The Colonel, as you may easily imagine, was very
much annoyed at the turn the whole affair was taking, for
the result was, indeed, beyond his expectations, and the
tricks and robberies of the contractors, so nicely exposed
by Joseph, were so evident that no one dared to deny them.
So he thought better to adjourn, sine die, and putting on as
oily a face as he could, shook hands with Joseph and told
him that all was right, and returning to Washington he
would see that justice should be done to the Osages, and
off he went. Once out of the hearing of the· Indians, he
swore a big oath, and declared that surely Father Schoenmakers had told Joseph to bring out all those charges
against the contraCtors; "nay," said he, "I would bet any
thing that the Indian who spoke, was not Joseph at all, but
a Jesuit in disguise." Next day the whole investigating
committee left for Washington, where far from accusing the
contractors of their crimes, to use a western expression,
�,320
.Kansas.
they white-washed them, and made the President believe
that all was right.
The prudence, fortitude, and, I might say, shrt!wdness
displayed by Joseph in business of this kind, were virtues
he had learned from Fr. Schoenmakers, for the good Father
did not limit himself to teaching the boys who attended our
schools, but, by his exhortations private as well as public,
by his letters to those afar off, but especially by his manner
of aCl:ing in difficult enterprises, he continually showed the·
people how they should aCt: in sim,ilar circumstances. This
example, in a word, was a living_lesson which the Osages
took to heart and knew how to fo'ilow.
So we can say with truth that Joseph owed the success
of his administration to Fr. John Schoen makers, and would
to God he had followed the good Father's advice and ex. ample in transaCting the principal business of life, namely,
the salvation of his soul, which, I am sorry to say, he negleCl:ed, not exaCl:ly through any bad will or hostility to the
Catholic Church, but for want of opportunities of praCl:ising
his religion.
PAuL MARY PoNziGLIONE, S.].
--
�t
I
1/
BRAZIL.
Letter from Fatlzer Galanti.
SAINT
LUiz
Iru,
August 2oth, 1884.
CoLLEGE,
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Our Fathers have retired from Para, owing chiefly to the
lack of subjeCts. Though somewhat late I will tell you in
this letter something of what they did there. They had
the spiritual direCtion of the two seminaries, and were
teaching in one of them. The work of the seminaries did
not give a great result. There is a marked lack of vocations notwithstanding all the endeavors of the worthy and
zealous Bishop. Ours, however, did something more by
the spiritual ministry of the Society. They had the church
of the theological seminary, which had of old belonged to
our Fathers, who built it together with the present palace
of the Bishop, which is a wing of our old college. The
other wings are gone ; the foundations are still to be seen.
The place is still known by the people under the name of
"College.'' The church was formerly dedicated to St. Francis
Xavier, but afterwards, we could not find out how or why,
was called the church of St. Alexander; the titles of several altars were changed and the statues of several of our
saints were exiled into a dark lumber-room, where they
patiently waited for us, in order to see again the light of
day. In this church our Fathers preached regularly, and
exercised the ministry. They also founded in it a guild for
the devotion of St. Aloysius, and another for the teaching
of the christian doCtrine under the patronage of St. Dorothea, in short, it was the principal centre of devotion in the
town. At the same time the Fathers had the spiritual direCtion of the colleges for girls, in which they established
VoL. xm-No. 3·
21
(321)
�322
B'razil.
the Sodality of the Children of Mary, as well as a guild for
the christian doCtrine.
This was the ordinary work; but there were besides some
extraordinary labors, neither less laborious, nor less fruitful.
The principal one was to preach retreats to the priests, to a
Sodality of ladies, and to another of gentlemen. A Father
attended the Bishop several times whilst visiting his immense
diocese; another went three or four times over to the neighboring dioceses of Maranhao, where each time he preached
with good success a retreat to the clergy, to the two seminaries, and to an asylum; he a]s'o founded a Sodality of
Saint Aloysius, and did several other most useful works.
At the same time a third Father preached some missions in
the neighborhood of the city. I need not say that a great
deal of good was done by the retreats.. As for the missions,
I may simply say that they were well attended; a great many
confessions were heard ; many a conscience was soothed,
and a great deal of good done. Yet I will relate a few
little incidents in which God's hand appeared clearly enough.
A man striving to commit a sin, said that he wished so
much to gratify his passion, that after gaining his end he
would be willing to die! On the eleventh day after his sin
he died suddenly. Another had refused to go to confession •.
but at last he did so after hearing a good sermon on death:.·
Well, on the next day he was suddenly crushed by a big log
of wood. In the evening his corpse was in the church in
the midst of the people, that listened in fright to a second
sermon on the same subjecl. The confessional was then
besieged in such a way that the poor Father had to stay
there till one o'clock in the morning, though he had admitted only men. A third man refused to attend the mission, though he was several times invited to it; but the
mission was not over before he died suddenly. Two men,
who had utterly negleCl::ed to attend the mission, happening
• to have a quarrel, shot at and wounded each other; both
died before the mission was over.
As two children were crying in a house, a man losing
his patience, said he would give two pence to Saint Anthony
�Brazil.
if within a week he would take away those two little troublesome brats. Their mother being also worried answered
half in joke, half in vexation, that Saint Anthony would
not do such a favor as he was growing somewhat lazy. At
the end of the week the two children died almost suddenly
without any previous malady.
Let me relate some other incidents which, though not
connected with the missions, are consoling, and may be
useful to your readers.
A lady was preparing her house for the feast of St.
Lucia, as they are wont to do in this country, when losing her
patience on account of the mocking of a tease, she earnestly
asked the saint to be rid of that knave. Well, on that very
evening the man was suddenly struck dead to the great sorrow of the same lady, who repented earnestly and soon
went to expose the case to one of Ours.
One day a young gentleman appeared at the door of the
seminary asking for an English-speaking priest in order to
make his confession. His story was soon told. He was
from Ecuador and brought up in one of our colleges, where
·he had been distinguished for his piety and diligence. He
had, however, soon after leaving the college been corrupted
by bad companions and bad books. He went so far as to
be turned out of home by his own father. He then sold
himself to freemasonry, and joined those, who were worrying Garcia Mareno and the Bishop of Quito. He assured
me that both fell as victims of freemasonry. Yet as his position was very pitiful under all aspects, and was ever growing worse and worse, he betook himself first to Panama,
and then to New York. There he opened a small shop,
and gave himself up to the study of those numerous sects into
which the pseudo-reformation is divided. Happily he did
not find any able to soothe his troubled heart, and so he
gave them up at once. At the same time, as he was every
day becoming poorer and poorer, he gathered what money
he could, bought some articles of merchandise, and set out
for Para in order to retire to the upper Amazon quite near
the Cordilleras. During the voyage, which he was making in
�324
Brazil.
a sailing-vessel, a dreadful storm drove him to the very
brink of the grave, and feeling again in his heart that devotion which he had received in the college, he took a vow in
honor of our Blessed Lady to amend his conduCt, and to
go to confession as soon as he was landed at Para. So
he did; he stayed there a week, during which he received
several times the Holy Communion with devotion. This
narrative may comfort those who deal with boys in the colleges. Many a time everything seems lost, but it is not so ;
the seed of devotion we sow in the hearts of children will
sooner or later bear its fruit.
In Maraj6 a man upon seeing his field invaded by a
cloud of grasshoppers, that would have laid waste to everything, promised to our Blessed Lady to sing her litanies
every Saturday during a year, if the harvest were saved
from the plague. Next morning going out to look at his
field, he found there numberless big birds of prey, that in
a few hours saved the harvest by eating the grasshoppers.
I have this faCt from the son of the owner of the field, who
assured me that the gathering together of such, and so
many, birds was a faCt, that had never happened before
nor since this occasion.
A few years ago (July 8, 1870) near the mouth of the Rio
Negro on the upper Amazon, a ship running foul of another,-·
there was a frightful wreck, in which more than two hundred persons perished, as it is related in a well known guide
book of the pilots. Now, there was a woman (I heard it
from herself), who sank as the others to the bottom of the
river; but having invoked our Blessed Lady, she felt herself
pulled to the shore and was saved. She did not know
how to swim, and the river is there upwards of two miles wide.
On another occasion a ship was wrecked on the Rio Madeira, and all the cargo was lost except a box containing a
large statue of our Lady; this floated and was saved. I
- have seen the statue myself,-and heard the faCt related by
several persons, who had been present at the disaster.
Since this letter is on the mission of Para, it seems right
to say here something also of the peculiarities of this equa-
�Bra zit.
torialland. The first curious thing I will notice is the cus~
tom of singing Mass on festival days early in the morning.
When the feast is one of the first class, high Mass is sung
at four o'clock; but on feasts of the second class, it is at five.
Vice versa, Vespers are at half-past seven in the evening for
the feasts of the second class, and at half-past eight for those
of the first. The processions too as a rule are early in the
morning or late in the evening.
Among the natural curiosities there is the king of rivers, the true father of waters, I mean the Amazon. Yet
I don't know what to say about it. It is difficult to imagine, or even to believe what it is. It is like an inland sea,
and but for its numberless islands one would say it is tr1,1ly
a sea, and thus it is commonly styled by the inhabitants.
They say (I take it from a guide-book for the pilots) it has a
course of over four thousand miles; the steamers go regularly from Para to Iquitos in Peru, a distance of two thousand and eighteen miles; its mouth is upwards of forty
miles wide ; while at Obidos, at the narrowest point, the
river is little over a mile wide. There are places, where one
even upon the masts of the steamer is not able to see either
shore. Its depth is from seventy to nearly four hundred
feet, and they say that in some places it is unfathomable.
The vegetation is wonderful, the islands numberless and
large; its paranas, or bayous look like broad streets of a large
town. Of its numerous affluents Madeira and Purus are
more deserving of notice on account of the great quantity of
borraclza (gum elastic, or India rubber) that is continually
taken along their banks; the former has six, the latter
eight hundred miles of navigable water. Another notable
affluent is the Rio Negro, which through a natural canal
called Cassiquiari communicates with the Orinoco, forming
in this way an immense island of Venezuela, the three Guia~
nas, and a large portion of Brazil.
The foreign commerce on the upper Amazon consists
almost exclusively of borraclza, while on the lower Amazon,
besides borraclza there is a great exportation of cacao and
castanha, or Brazilian nuts. The interior commerce is
�BrazU.
chiefly of pirarucu (it is a large fish akin to the cod), and
tortoise, which constitute the principal food of the inhabitants. There is also a little fruit called assai, of which they
make a simple drink of a beautiful purple color. In the
beginning you must take it with sugar, as it has no taste at
all. But one soon gets much accustomed to it, and begins
to be fond of it. Dr. Agassiz, who, as you know, wrote
something on Para, mentions it and even says :
"Who visits Para is glad to stay,
Who drinks assai goes never away."
Yet I don't know how far this popular saying is true.
The best fruits of Para are bananas, caju and oranges. I
think it is not easy to find better in any part of the world.
The greatest part of the population throughout the immense valley of the Amazon live by the river-side. This
circumstance gives a particular character to the Amazonians. So, for instance, they seldom have roads, or carts,
or horses, because nearly all their transporting, journeys,
and the like are made by water, on which even their children travel very boldly, ana don't seem to be any way sen-sible of the danger of getting drowned. The phenomenon
of the tide nowhere, I think, is so wonderful as in the Amazon. It goes up the river six hundred miles, and almost all
the voyages on canoes are regulated by it. Hence the pe: •·
culiar phraseology of telling you the distance of one place
from another by the number of tides that it requires, whether
you may use both the ebb and the flood, or only one,
etc. Besides the regular tide there is an extraordinary one
called piroraco by the Indians. As far I am told, it consists
of a sudden and violent rise of the tide, that in a few minutes raises the depth of the water seven or eight feet. Last
year the newspapers spoke of one that almost exceeds
belie£ They said that the river was upwards of twenty-five
• feet above its ordinary level. Nobody is able to explain
this phenomenon, because it'is very difficult to study it, as
it happens quite irregularly, and suddenly. In some places
it is more frequent than in others. It is easy to imagine
the danger from piroraco for ship or man. Yet disasters an~
�Brazil.
327
not frequent, as people know how to avoid the tide as soon
as they hear from afar its frightfnl noise. As far as I am
told, this phenomenon is to be found, only in the East Indies, but I don't know whether this be true. I, therefore,
would be much pleased if any of your readers would say
something about it.
The valley of the Amazon is very hot, damp and constantly plagued by numberless mosquitoes called carapana by the Indians. The inhabitants use always their
hammocks instead of beds, and commonly dwell in thatchedroofed houses supported on slender wooden posts that
projeCt one or two, sometimes five feet, above the ground.
The better to give full play to the air they make the floor of
round slender poles loosely fitted together. It is what they
call girao. The mosquitoes in some places are so numerous
and so troublesome that people, besides the mosqueteiro at
night, are obliged to put a veil on their hats to proteCt their
faces. This veil is tied around the neck also.
Of all the islands of this immense territory, Maraj6 which
stands at the mouth of both Amazons and the Tocantins,
is the largest. On the authority of geographers it is as
large as the kingdom of Portugal. It is ecclesiastically divided into ten parishes, each as large as a diocese in Europe. A peculiarity of Maraj6 is that people there ride
oxen instead of horses, and use them also as beasts of burden. Our Fathers of old had in Maraj6 a good many fazendas (manors), that now belong to the government; their
herds afford food nearly to the whole province of Para. As
far as I know, our Fathers had formed several settlements
on the lower Amazon and one on the Madeira. People
still show as having once belonged to us, in one place, the
ruins of a large house, in another, those of a church, a
chapel, a manor and so on. But such ruins, in Brazil, are
to be found everywhere, and I hope I shall soon be able to
send you more information about them. I cannot avoid
speaking of a novelty that the Amazon has not as yet, but
is going to have soon, as I hope. I mean a shipchurchnavio igreja-or rather a floating·church. Let me explain,
�Braz£1.
please, my thought. The diocese of Para comprises the
two provinces of Para and Amazon, and is nearly as large
as six times the territory of France.
In so large a territory the whole population is so scattered, and lives so long in the woods in search of the borraclta that it is very difficult to reach them, especially considering the small number of priests, who are at hand. Add
also that travelling in canoes on so many and so large rivers
is troublesome, dangerous, and expensive. Therefore, the
better to overcome in some measure so many difficulties,
the Bishop of Para has in his ar~pt zeal planned a floatingchurch, in order to carry pretty frequently to all the points
of his diocese priests, whose duty should be to administer
easily and gratuitously the sacraments, to preach and the
like. The steamer, whose name should be Christophorus,
has to have some rooms for the priests and the Bishop,
and a large one for a chapel with all the furniture of a parish
church, so that every function of a parish may be exercised
there, and even the Blessed Sacrament is to be kept. If the
enterprise succeed, it will do, I hope, a great deal of good;
but the difficulties are many and great, as it is easy to see.
Yet the zealous prelate is undaunted, and has set hard to
work at it. The Civi!ta Cattolica in the second volume of
the 1 zth series, page 745, has spoken of this projeCt:.
~ -·
Before I finish, I must tell you that we are already passing through the trial I spoke of in my last letter. vVe have
lost two boys, who died almost suddenly of pneumonia, or
some other disease, since the doCtors don't agree in diagnosing it. vVe have saved four others more by prayers
than medicine. I think it was a true miracle of our Venerable Joseph Anchieta, though it is not so strikingly clear
that it may be proved to be so. Add, moreover, that the
Rev. Fr. ReCtor is frequently in bed on account of rheumatism, and Fr. Minister being a suffer from the liver was
obliged to retire from his office and go to the springs. That
was an awful day, in which both the ReCtor and Minister
were in bed, while several boys were sick, two dying, and
one already lying dead in his bed. Nevertheless let us ever
�Brazil.
love and praise the infinite goodness of our sweet Jesus,
"qui consolatur nos in omni tribulatione nostra." The parents of the deceased boys received the news with noble
Christian resignation, and one of them has proved thankful
even in the newspapers for the services of the college towards his son, in whose place he has sent two of his nephews. vVe have the same number of boys as last year, and
they are in good enough spirits.
The feast of St. Aloysius this year was grander than ever.
There were present the Bishops of Rio and of Par;i. Both
preached; one sang high Mass, and carried the Blessed Sacrament in the procession. Yet for me nothing was more
beautiful and consoling than the feast of our holy father
Ignatius. On the morning of the feast all our boys received the Holy Communion from the hand of the Bishop of
Rio, who had been so kind as to preach them a retreat on
the three preceding days. After the high Mass there was
Confirmation, and the giving of the scapular to the boys of
the Communion class that were upwards of one hundred. I
understand that such news is not interesting abroad, as these
funCtions are very common everywhere; but in Brazil they
have a particular meaning, as nearly all these poor boys, but
for our college, would have never received the Holy Communion nor gone to Confession. Does it look like an
exaggeration? Oh! I wish it were one. Oh ! dear Father,
let us pray the Sacred Heart of our sweet Jesus to have
mercy on this people, and to preserve the faith in this land,
converted and watered of old by the sweat and tears of our
Fathers. Yours,
R. M.G., S.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
21*
J.
�MASSACHUSETTS.
DEDICATION OF THE NEW PAROCHIAL SCHOOL-HOUSE,
ST. MARY's, BOSTON.
Our Fathers ever since they took the parish of St. Mary's
in r847, have labored earnestly in the cause of Catholic
education. The names of Frs. McElroy and vViget will be
ever held in benediCtion not only iu the parish of St. Mary's,
but throughout the New England states, for the efforts they
made to bring up the young in Catholic principles by
means of the parish school. Their successors in the same
good cause deserve well of their parishioners and the community at large for their untiring zeal, which has at last
been crowned by the dedication of a new and commodious
edifice for the needs of the young.
What has been, and is done, in St. Mary's parish redounds
to the good of the entire city; for St. Mary's is a feeder for
the other parishes. The Catholic education there received
produces its fruits elsewhere also. No wonder then if we
see the large Sodalities of all grades conneCted with the·
parish. The children in the schools are early trained ti{ •·
become members of these pious societies, and for this reason it is not strange to see the Sodality of the young men
so large, with its six or seven hundred members receiving
Holy Communion every month.
What by many priests is avoided for fear of expense has
proved a mine of wealth to St. Mary's. The purse-strings
of all have been loosened by the education received in the
parochial school. St. Mary's has within the last ten years
received over two hundred thousand dollars from its people,
• and this independently of the ordinary revenues of the
church. By three fairs alone·one hundred thousand dollars
were realized. It was the work of the whole city and the
distriCts adjacent, for thousands, who had received their
(330)
�Massachusetts.
331
education in the parish school of St. Mary's and long since
moved away, felt bound to help her, their Alma Mater, when
there was question of ereCting a finer temple for the service
of the Almighty, or enlarging the buildings intended for
Catholic education. Gratitude for the favors they had received made them generous, even though many of them
were not so wealthy.
The 29th of June, therefore, was a day to be remembered
in the annals of St. Mary's. The following extraCt from the
Boston Pilot will be read with pleasure we have no doubt:
"The new parochial school in St. Mary's parish, Boston,
was dedicated on Sunday last, June 29th, by the Most Rev.
Archbishop Williams. This is the latest proof of the zeal
and work of the Jesuit Fathers. At precisely half-past three
o'clock, P. III., Vespers were celebrated in the church by
Rev. Father Scanlan, S. J., and a sermon preached by Fr.
Henning, C. SS. R., ReCtor of the Mission Church, Boston
Highlands. After Vespers the Archbishop gave the BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament. After the BenediCtion,
several hundred school children, the girls dressed in white
and carrying banners, bouquets, and floral pieces, marched
in procession to the school building. Previous to their entry into the building the various rooms had been blessed
by the Archbishop. The exercises were of a very brief
charaCter, and consisted of singing by nearly a hundred
children, an address of welcome to the Archbishop by
Master Edward Shannon, an address by the pastor, the
Rev. \Villiam Duncan, S. J., and the reply of the Archbishop. In his address His Grace recalled the time when
he was a boy, when his parents resided on Endicott Street.
Then-fifty years ago-he witnessed the inception of the
parish. vVhy do we want parochial schools? Are not the
common schools good enough for us? They are good
· enough for us in the things of this world. Their reading,
writing and arithmetic are excellent, and we wish to emulate them, but we want more than they can give us. Of
what use will their education be to us when we are to pass
away from this world? If we were to live here forever, or
to perish when we died, we might, perhaps, prefer their
schools to ours, but we look upon the schools here as stepping-stones to the great eternity. We want our children to
grow up not simply knowing writing and arithmetic, but
knowing why they are here, and this is what they do not
�332
Massachusetts.
teach in the public schools. We have nothing to say
against the public schools. But we do not want them when
we can do better; and, with the blessing of God we shall
certainly do better (applause). They tell us we can teach
our children religion in the Sunday School. But it is not
mere teaching, not the learning of the catechism, that
makes the benefit of the parochial school; it is the Catholic
atmosphere in which they live from morning until night.
That is what makes the Catholic school a benefit to Catholic children. \Ve want schools. too, that we shall not be
ashamed of. We want to be able to open our schools to
every one and say there is nothing better than this. I trust
that all of you will become more~and more attached to your
schools, and if any of your friends have neglected to send
their children encourage them (applause).
"It was announced that Edward Shannon, M. McLaughlin, James O'Brien, Edward Kerr and Joseph Hogan were
entitled to scholarshio in Boston College.
"Among the clergymen present were Bishop Moore, of
Florida, the Rev. Jeremiah O'Connor, S. J., President of
Boston College; the Rev. R. W. Brady, S. J., President of
Holy Cross College, \Vorcester; the Rev. Fathers Vetter,
Kavanagh, McDonald, Maguire and Byrne, of the Society
of Jesus, the Revs. M. J. Supple, H. R. O'Donnell, Richard
Neagle, Thomas Shahan and W. A. Blenkinsop.
"The building is four large stories in height, of brick, with
heavy sandstone and white stone caps and trimmings. It
has a frontage of sixty-five feet on Stillman street, and ex.:.
tends back to a depth of ninety-five feet, in connection with •
the old Cooper street Armory Building, which has been
used by the school for several years. It was built on plans
of ex-City Architect Bateman, and the sanitary and ventilating arrangements are said to be as nearly perfect as it is
possible to make them. There are eighteen class-rooms
with a capacity of 700 scholars. The hall seats about 1400.
The Rev. Michael F. Byrne, S. J., is Director of the school.
Architecturally the building is, for the purposes for which
it was ereeted, one of the most commodious in Boston. and
compares favorably with any of the public school edifices.
Mr. Bateman's long experience as an architect has enabled
him to show excellent results in this his latest and best
work,"
�BOHEMIA, CECIL COUNTY, MD.
Travelling south on the Philadelphia, Wilmington and.
Delaware Railway one cannot but notice the long reaches
of level and highly cultivated land. The peach orchards on
either side which seem, in some places, to have taken up
almost the entire acreage are signs of the prosperity of the
people, for this luscious fruit is a great source of wealth to
the growers. A few miles beyond Wilmington we come to
the historical boundary between Delaware and Maryland,
Mason's and Dixon's Line, and pass over into Cecil County,
one of the richest and best cultivated portions of the latter
state. Cecil County organized in 1674, and nameu in honor
of Cecilius Lord Baltimore, forms the north-east corner of
the state and touches upon Pennsylvania on the north,
Delaware .on the east, the Susquehanna river and Chesapeake bay on the west, and the Sassafras river on the
south. From the Maryland line to Middletown in Delaware we notice the peculiar formation of the land which has
lead to the belief, and the marine deposits warrant it, that
all this part of Cecil and the adjoining distriCt: of Delaware were the bed of a river from ten to twenty miles wide,
possibly the channel conneCting the Chesapeake with the
Delaware bay; this channel during one of those huge periods so much affeCted by evolutionists and geologists was
filled up. Our residence of Bohemia is in the midst of this
former river, though the site must have been an island, as
it is considerably above the level of the surrounding country. Be this as it may, the situation chosen by Fr. Thomas
Mansell in 1704 for our church and residence is a fine and
commanding one. The whole adjoining country is like a
garden and must be especially charming in the spring-time
when the peach trees are in bloom and the Osage orange
and the hawthorn hedges are decked with flowers, reminding
(333)
�334
Bo!zemia, Cecil County, Md.
one of the luxuriance of England and I~eland at this season
of the year.
At the time our Fathers arrived in Bohemia, there were
some Irish Catholics settled near Little Bohemia creek and
for these, no doubt, they had come from St. l\iary's County.
A number of Protestants were converted, and baptized
Catholics who had lost the faith by reason of their education among heretics were reclaimed. Not unlikely the
hope was fondly cheerished of bringing the gospel of peace
to the Indians who still lingered, among the white settlements. The Indians who live<! 'near Bohemia were the
Nanticokes, the Minquas, the Tockwoghs, who were of a
gentle disposition; the Shawanese, who had come from the
south to avoid extermination, were not far away. Nor
must we omit to make mention of the Passagonke and
Chauhannauk tribes who inhabited other parts of Cecil
County. The most warlike, however, of all the Indians in
this part of Maryland, and to whom all the above:mentioned
were more or less subjeB:, were the Massawomekes and the
Susquehannocks; these were mortal enemies and most
probably belonged originally to the same stock, the Iroquois. The annals of Maryland and Pennsylvania are filled
with the depredations of these warriors, and for years it was.
a question whether the settlers should be able to withstand -·
their incursions. Capt. John Smith, the first white man
that visited Cecil County, gives a wonderful account of the
size and prowess of the chief of the Susquehannocks in these
words: "the calves of his legs were three-quarters of a yard
about, and all the rest of his limbs so answerable to that
proportipn that he seemed the goodliest man I ever saw.
The Susquehannas met us with skins, bows, arrows, targets,
beads, swords, and tobacco pipes for presents. They seemed like giants, and were the strangest people in all these
countries both in language and attire; their language well
·becomes their proportions, sounding from them as a voice
in a vault. Their attire is the skins of bears and wolves ;
some have cassocks made of bear's heads and skins, that a
man's head goes through the skin's neck and the ears of
�Bohemia, Cecil County, Md.
335
the bear fastened to his shoulder, the nose and teeth hanging down his breast, another bear's face split behind him,
and at the end of the nose hung a paw ; the half sleeves
coming to the elbows were the necks of bears, and the
arms ran through the mouth with paws hanging at their
noses. One had the head of a wolf hanging in a chain for
a jewel, his tobacco pipe, three-quarters of a yard long,
prettily carved with a bird, a deer, or some such device at
the great end, sufficient to beat out one's brains, with bows,
arrows and clubs, suitable to their greatness." Some are disposed to look upon this sketch as of a kind with others
written by Smith and th~ adventurers of those days-tales
for the marines-and, no doubt, some of them might be so
catalogued, but recent discoveries made by the workman
while digging the foundations of the bridge of the Columbia and Port Deposit Railroad across the Oetararo Creek of
a number of human skeletons, the remains of persons of
extraordinary size, and taken from an Indian burying-place
apparently, seem in some measure to confirm this account
as to the "greatness" of the men. As far as I can learn, our
Fathers were never able to spread the gospel to any extent
among these tribes, though some of the Indians who dwelt
nearer our residence must have received the light of faith.
I suppose most of the Nanticokes had retired before the
white man and united themselves with the more northern
Indians. In reading the "Archives of Pennsylvania" we are
continually informed that the Indians in the state, the Susquehannocks, Conestogas and others, are to be dreaded and
that the Jesuit priests have great influence with them.
Our farm which has now over thirteen hundred acres
divided into five holdings is commonly called Bohemia
Manor, and in the last century it is frequently mentioned as
. Little Bohemia. Neither name is correCt if we consult the
records, though usage has, perhaps, settled the matter in
favor of the present title. Bohemia Manor is some miles
distant from our residence and received its name from
Augustine Hermen, a native of Prague. This man distinguished in colonial history had been in the service of the
�Bolzemia, Cect'l County, Md.
Dutch before coming to Maryland about 1659. "He had
resolved," says a recent writer, "to leave the barren shores of
Manhattan Island and take up his residence on the fertile
plains of what was afterwards called Bohemia Manor." He
proposed to Lord Baltimore to make a map of the Eastern
Shore of Maryland. This was a work of some magnitude
and cost him ''no less than the value of two hundred pounds
sterling, besides his own labor." For this service he received a patent, dated June 19, I662, of four thousand acres
of land, the original Bohemia Manor; ·by another patent of
the same date he became owner ().f Little Bohemia which is
much nearer our residence and was supposed to include a
part of our property, for though the Fathers purchased the
land, disputes arose afterwards in regard to some of it. It
appears that Fr. Thomas Mansell became owner of a traCl:
of land, containing 458 acres, and called it "St. Xaverius,"
July 10th, 1706, and of another traCl:, "St. Inigoes" which
he bought of James Heath in I 72 I ; this parcel contained
335 acres. Father Peter Atwood who was Superior at Bohemia in 17 31 was involved in a dispute with Jos. George,
the proprietor of Little Bohemia, which he had purchased
of Ephraim Augustus Hermen, the grandson of the original founder of the Manor. After George purchased the.
property he obtained an order from the provincial court tb •·
have it surveyed. This surveY. took in all of"St. Xaverius,"
and there was question of ejeCl:ment when Fr. Atwood compromised with George by paying him "35 pounds for a deed
of release to all the right or claim he might have to any or
all the lands I hold between the two branches of St. Augustine's creek." (t) 'vVe can easily see how the name, Little
Bohemia, came into use in conneCtion with our estate, as it
is evident from this that at least the traCl: "St. Xaverius"
belonged to that manor.
Hermen, the founder of the Manors, Bohemia and Little
• Bohemia, died probably in 1786 and was buried on his estate of Bohemia. He direCl:s in his will, that "my monument stone, with engraved letters of me the first seater and
It> Old
MS.
�Bolzemia, Cecil County, Md.
337
author of Bohemia Manor shall be placed over my sepulchre, which is to be in my vineyard, upon my manor plantation upon Bohemia Manor, in Maryland." This slab is
of oolite, the kind of stone from which the boundaries in
Mason and Dixon's line are made. This kind of stone is
very durable and resists admirably the aB:ion of the elements. The inscription has come down, though the year
is changed from that mentioned by Hermen:
AUGUSTINE HERMEN
BOHEMIAN
THE FIRST FOUNDER,
SEATER OF BOHEMEA MANNER
ANNO I66I.
The exaa spot of Hermen's grave is unknown. Our
present land at Bohemia embraces, as I said before, over
thirteen hundred acres, for besides the "St. Xaverius" and
the "St. Inigo" traCl:s, another was added by purchase,
"Askmore." This was bought by Father Atwood from
Vachel Denton. The residence and church are on an eminence near the centre of the estate, and make a fine appearance from the valley below. The church is united to the
residence and forms with it an L. The church is not very
old (l) and by the energy of the pastor is in good repair.
The dwelling-house is also in fine order owing to the same
cause. On one side of the church is the graveyard for the
people; undoubtedly it has been in use since the coming of
our Fathers to Bohemia, but I was not able to find any
monuments whose dates went back so far, for in those early
days gravestones were costly and could not be easily obtained. The oldest headstone I could find after a long
search had the following inscription: "Died Sept. 2, 1750,
William Knaresborough."
In the rear of the residence and church there is a spot
surrounded by box-wood; here rest the remains of many of
(1)
It was built on the site of an older one at the end of the last century.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
22
�Boltemia, Cecil County, Afd.
Ours. No tombstone marks the graves. The box-wood
is the largest I ever saw except that at St. Inigoes. The
trunks of the trees, for they deserve the name almost, are
four or five inches in diameter and would be welcome to
many an engraver, who has to import his material from
Turkey in Asia and cannot use the wood even then without
eking it out with many a joining to the required size, unless
he be fortunate enough to find trees of the proper age, that
is, over a hundred years old.
The residence has eight or nine rooms besides the kitchen,
pantry, and servants' apartments·and was built in I825,
of bricks taken from older buildings which were partly used
as a boarding-school in the last century. The library of
the residence is not large; it contains a few old and quaint
and rare books. I noticed among others a pocket edition
of Horace, printed in London in I6IO; Douay Bible, I682;
"Alphabeticum Pastorale" a Jacobo Tyran, Cologne, I7I I an excellent book for preachers, in eight volumes; an edition of Bourdaloue, I 7 I 7, in nine or ten volumes, with an
engraving of the Father, re-presenting him as seated whilst
delivering a sermon; an Avencinus, printed in Venice,
I733; and a Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, a huge tome. The
quaintest one of all is thus entitled: "Deligltt and Judgemen{.;
or a Prospec7 of t!te Great Day of Judgemmt, and its power
to damp and imbitter sensual delights, sports and recreations." Printed in London, I 684, "by H. Hill, Jun., for
Mark Pardoe at the sign of the Black Raven over against
Bedford House in the Strand." This work belonged to
Susanna Oliver, according to an inscription on the fly-leaf;
it is excellent in many things, is Catholic in its views of asceticism, and but for two or three malicious allusions to
the Pope, the reader would set down the author, Anthony
Horneck, DD., as a member of the true fold. li) He gives
-----------------
----
A German who studied at Heidelberg and Oxford; after receiving orders,
he held several benefices in the Englisl1 Church, and died in lti0li a prebend
of,Vestminster. He has a monument in the Abbey. He wrote six ascetical
works, and amongst them "The Gentle }cscetic." :Since his day asceticallit·
erature has languished in England. Like Jeremy Taylor, he drew upon
Catholic writers for most of his materials. and like him gave them no credit
for their help.
(l)
�Bohemia, Cecil County, Md.
339
a systematic treatise on the matter in hand and uses arguments from saints and other ascetic authors of the Church.
He allows us to take delight in some things, in others not.
I quote what he says about "Masculine exercises whereby
the body is preserved in health and rendered more capable
of serving the soul in her religious severities; as \Valking
or riding abroad to take the Air, Planting, Gardening, Raising various Plants and Flowers, Running, Wrestling, Fowling, Hawking, Hunting, Fishing, Leaping, Vaulting, Casting of the Bar, Tossing the Pike, Riding the great Horse,·
Running at the Ring, and such divertisements which stir the
blood, make us aB:ive and vigorous, fit us for greater and
more useful enterprises, and promote cheerfulness and liveliness: such cannot be supposed to be forbid by the Gospel,
provided they be used, I. Seasonably, not on those days or
hours, which are appointed, either for devotion or more
weighty business; and therefore cannot be proper exercises
of the Lord's day, tiJ or days of Fasting and Abstinence, or
days of Mourning. 2. TV£1/z moderation, so that much time
be not spent in them, and our love to them may be kept
within due hounds and limits. 3· For a good end, which
must be to render ourselves fitter for the discharge of our
duty to God and man. 4· Widt purposes o/ self-denial, so
that we can leave or quit them for a greater good, when
either a work of piety or an aa of charity is to be performed, or scandal to be prevented.; where these limitations are
not observed the honey turns into gall, and that which deserved only our civility and transient respeCt: becomes our
Idol, and our souls receive considerable hurt, which, had these
divertisements been used with circumspeCtion, might have
been beholding to them in some measure for their welfare
and edification." He is not much in favor of worldly "Musick or Dancing."
Ours in taking possession of Bohemia had in view the
Irish Catholics in the neighborhood; they also came in
contaCt: with many of the Protestants, some of whom they
brought back to Catholicity. But of the labors of the Fa1
< >Excuse his Puritanism.
�340
Bolzemi'a, Cecil County, Md.
thers, their zeal, their well-spent lives, of the history of Bohemia as a mission of the Society, I intend to speak in my
next paper, hoping to give many items of general interest.
I close this contribution to our annals by giving a sketch
of an heretical seB: who had settled on the original Bohemia
Manor, and were near neighbors to our Fathers. No doubt,
the early missionaries had some dealing with them and may
have shown some of them the truth. I mean the Labadists; they were led by Peter Sluyter, Jasper Danckers,
Peter Bayard, John Moll and Arnold de la Grange. All
were disciples of John de Labadie; a French mystic, born in
1610 and died in Altona, Holstein, 1674. He was educated in our college of Bordeaux and was for some time a
member of the Society, but having left us, no doubt on account of spiritual crankiness, he became first a Carmelite,
and then a Protestant in 1650, settled at Montauban, was
eleCled pastor of the church, and remained there eight
years, during which time he founded a new mystical sea
called Labadists. Banished from Montauban for sedition,
he went first to Orange, and afterwards to Geneva, whence
in 1666 he was invited to Middleburg, Holland. Here his
followers increased in number, and included many persons
of rank and education. Again giving trouble by reason o(
his heterodoxy and contumacy, he was deposed by the-·
Synod of Naarden and banished from the province. He
formed a church in a small village near Amsterdam, and
established a press for the publication of his works, but was
ultimately compelled to remove to Altona. Labadism had
communistic principles, besides many other bad ones which
we find among the Calvinists, the Anabaptists, the Hernhuters, and the Quietists as taught by Molinos. DireB:
inspiration from the Holy Ghost even in the commonest
things was also an article of their belief. The Quakers at
one time made overtures to them for a union, but seeing
• their mistake, they did not urge the matter. The reputation of the Labadists who came to Maryland from Wiewert
in Denmark was unsavory, and the Quakers were quick
enough to find it out. Sluyter and the other leaders were
.
I
�Bohemia, Cedl Coutzty,
'I
Md.
341
. too much given to grasping, craft and lying, and too eclectic in their monstrous errors to take root on this side of the
Atlantic at that time. The colony was despised and detested by the people in the vicinity.
The land was held in common until 1698 when there was
a division of it among the principal members; attempts,
however, were made to keep up the life in common and
with some success for a few years. After the death of
Sluyter in 1722 the Labadists dwindled and disappeared as
a sect. Samuel Bowers, a Quaker preacher, who visited
the Labadists in 1702, thus describes their curious ways:
"When supper came in it was placed upon a long table and
in a large room, where, when all things were ready, came
in at a call twenty men or upwards, but no women. We all
sat down, they placing me and my companion near the
head of the table, and having past a short space, one pulled
off his hat, but not so the rest till a short space after, and
then they, one after another, pulled all their hats off, and in
that uncovered posture sat silent, uttering no words that
we could hear for nearly half a quarter of an hour; and as
they did not uncover at once, so neither did they cover
themselves again at once, but as they put on their hats, fell
to eating, not regarding those who were still uncovered, so
that it might be ten minutes time, or .more between the first
and last putting on of their hats. I afterwards queried
with my companion concerning the reason of their conduct,
and he gave for an answer that they held it unlawful to
pray till they felt some inward motion for the same, and
that secret prayer was more acceptable than to utter words,
and that it was most proper for every one to pray as moved
thereto by the spirit in their own minds. I likewise queried
if they had no women amongst them. He told me they
had, but the women ate by themselves, and the men by
themselves, having all things in common respecting their
household affairs, so that none could claim any more right
than another to any part of their stock, whether in trade or
husbandry; and if any had a mind to join with them,
whether rich or poor they must put what they had in the
�342
Eohemi'a, Cecil County, ll!fd.
common stock, and afterwards if they had a mind to leave
the society, they must likewise leave what they brought
and go out empty-handed." The Labadist community of
Bohemia numbered over a hundred persons; they conformed in most respects to the mode of living followed by
the sect in Denmark. "They slept in the same or adjoining
buildings, but in different rooms which were not accessible
to each other, but were ever open to the father or such as
he appointed for the purpose ofinstruEl:ion and examination.
Their meals were eaten in silence, and it is related that persons often ate together at the sam.~ table for months without knowing each other's names. They worked at different employments in the houses, or on the land, or at trades,
and were distributed for that purpose by the head of the
establishment. Their dress was plain and simple, eschewing all fashions of the world. Gold and silver ornaments,
jewdry, pictures, hangings, lace and other fancy work were
prohibited, and if any of the members had previously
worked at such trades, they had to abandon them. They
worked for the Lord and not themselves. The product of
their labor was not to satisfy their lusts and desires, but
like the air, simply for their physical existence, and hence
all their goods and productions should be as free and com- .
mon as the air they breathed. They were to live concealed·· •·
in Christ. All the desires or aversions of the flesh were,
therefore, to be mortified or conquered. These mortifications were to be undergone willingly. A former minister
might be seen standing at the washtub, or a young man of
good extraEl:ion might be drawing stone or tending cattle.
If any one had a repugnance to particular food, he must eat
it nevertheless. They must make confession of their sinful
thoughts in open meeting. Those who were disobedient
were punished by a reduEl:ion of clothing, or being placed
lower down the table, or final exclusion from the society.
• There were different classes among the members, which were
to be successively attained by probation, in conforming to
the rules of the establishment, and the final position of a
brother was obtained by entire severance from the world,
�,I
Eolzemia, Cecil County, Md.
)
341
Their peculiar belief about marriage was, that a member of
this community could not live in the marriage relation with
a person who was not a member of it. \Vhile it was all
right in their opinion for Labadists and unbelievers to
marry, it was very wrong and sinful for a Labadist to marry
an unbeliever. It was owing to their efforts to enforce this
peculiar doCtrine that Ephraim Hermen (son of the founder
of Bohemia Manor) deserted his young and amiable wife
and called down upon himself the displeasure and maledic~
tions of his aged and infirm father, who no doubt was
shocked and mortified by his con duB:." (t)
Thus they believed and aB:ed. Moroni in his Dizionan"o
di Erudizione gives their tenets: 1. They belkved that God
is able, and wishes to deceive, and, in faCt, on occasions has
done so. 2. According to them, the Holy Spirit a& im~
mediately upon souls, and gives them various degrees of
revelation by which they can direCt themselves in the way
of salvation. 3· They considered baptism the seal of the
alliance between God and man; they thought it good if
children had been baptized, but counseled the putting off of
baptism to a more mature age, because, said they, it is a
mark of one's being dead to the world and risen in Christ.
4· They pretended that the new alliance admits only spiri~
tual men, and that it endows them with liberty so perfeCt
that they no longer need law or ceremonies, a yoke from
which Jesus Christ has freed all the truly faithful. 5· They
maintained that God does not prefer one day to another,
and that observance of the day of rest is a matter of indif~
ference; that Jesus Christ did not forbid work on that
more than any other day of the week; that it is allowable
to work on Sunday if it is done devoutly. 6. They distinguished two Churches, one corrupt, the other composed of
only the faithful, regenerated and detached from the world.
They believed also in the millenium when Christ was to
come, rule over the earth and convert the Jews, pagans and
bad Christians. 7· They did not believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist: in their view this
~---~-~-
---~-
--------------------~
11>George Johnston's
History of Cecil Countr.
�~44 St. Mary's Clmrclz and Residence, Alexandria, Va.
sacrament is only a memorial of the death of Christ, who is
received only spiritually when one communicates with the
proper dispositions. 8. The contemplative life, in their notion, is a state of grace and divine union ; the perfect happiness of that life is the sum of perfection. They used a
language, in speaking of the spiritual life, entirely unknown
to the best masters on this subject." Speaking of their
spiritual jargon, Bergier makes this remark : "the language
of piety, so energetic and touching in the Catholic Church,
becomes nonsensical when used by,heretics." The soil is
too barren. There were communities of Labadists for some
time at Cleves in Germany, and at vViewert in Denmark,
but they have long since died out and the Christian word
is rid of the sea.
ST. MARY'S CHURCH AND RESIDENCE,
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
Alexandria, a port of entry and capital of Alexandria
County, Virginia, is situated on the right bank of the Poto· _
mac, seven miies below Washington, and has a population~
of twenty thousand. ' The Potomac is here a mile wide,
forming a harbor deep enough for the largest ships. The
city was until I Soo one of the most notable commercial
ports of the Union, but lost most of its ships in the troubles
with France and its trade by the overwhelming competition
of Baltimore. What these two causes left undone in regard
to the city's decline was easily finished by the civil war.
The city was laid out in I 749 upon land already in part
occupied by the Hamlet of Belhaven, which had grown up
?round a tobacco warehouse established by the colonial
authorities about the year I 7 30. The first sale of lots took
place on the 13th of July, I749· Alexandria was named,
doubtless, with some reference to the greater cities of the
same title; but primarily after the Alexander family that
�St. Mary's Clmrclt and Residence, Alexandria, Va. ·345
owned the ground on which it was laid out. John Alexander the elder bought the land in 1666 of Captain Howsen,
who was the patentee by grant from the King. After 1749
houses were built quite rapidly along the streets recently
mapped out. Looking over a chart now before me it is
easy to deteCt the staunch loyalty and the aristocratic ideas
of the first citizens, who gave such names as the following
to the streets of the new city: "King and Queen; Prince,
Duke and Duchess; Fairfax, Cameron and Royal." And
the inhabitants of those early days were not content with
mere names ; many of them were very wealthy and lived in
aristocratic style. Judging from old residences which are
still to be seen and the spacious and well-arranged grounds
about them, we conclude that Alexandria was the centre of
a rich and refined community. An article in the Century
published a few years ago calls attention to the refinement
and wealth of the city and surrounding country, when the
vVashingtons, the Custises, the Fairfaxes, the Lees, and
others used to spend their winters here, and the streets of a
Sunday were crowded with the equipages of the country
gentry who attended service at Christ Church, where the
pew occupied by General Washington is still preserved as
a memorial of his respeCt for religion. (I) The streets of
this rising city must have been quite gay in the winter of
1755, when the British soldiers under Braddock were stationed here, whiling away their time, little conscious of the
sad fate in store for officers and men in the disastrous campaign they were soon to undertake. <2>
Perhaps, the most interesting season in Alexandria at the
end of the last and the beginning of this century was the
advanced spring, when the streets were crowded with the
country people and backwoodsmen come to town, to lay in
their supplies and sell their produCts, especially their tobacco, which had been the cause of much fun and many a
1
< > Here is shown also a Bible presented to the Vestry by :Mary Washington.
2
< > Braddock's headquarters are still pointed out, and form a part of the
"Braddock House;" the rooms are bare as he left them, and are never used,
VoL. xm-No. 3·
22*
�346 St. llfary's C!mrclt and Residence, Alexa11dria, Va.
frolic in its rolling to market. At this time also the wharves·
were thronged by the foreign shipping and the small fishing
smacks laden with herring and shad for the back-country
farmers. Strange looking people are seen on all sides ;
now a person respeCtably dressed ·lands from a small boat
just come up from Maryland. Some say he is an officer of
the government ; others suspeCt who he is, and the word is
passed round that he is a Romish priest-a great show for
Virginians in those days, and they are set upon enjoying
the sight. A friend meets him ·and leads him away, to perform a work of his sacred ministry. <t>
Alexandria belongs to the territory ceded by Virginia in
I789 to the Union as part of the distriCt of Columbia; it
was retroceded in I846. But all these short glimpses of its
civil history in passing. \Ve are concerned with the work
of our holy religion in this venerable city, and this means
the work of the Society ; for from the beginning Ours have
had the care of the faithful here. The secular priests mentioned in the course of this sketch were placed in charge
temporarily by our Fathers, as was the case in many of the
old Maryland Missions.
THE FIRST MASS AND CHURCH.
~-
.;
According to Mr. \Villiam Carne, a writer in the Alexandria Ga:;ette, the first Mass in the city was celebrated in
I 78 I by a French chaplain on the return from Yorktown.
"The origin of the congregation now known as St. Mary's,
Alexandria," writes Mr. Richard L. Carne, A. M., and
brother of the gentleman above mentioned, "is involved in
great obscurity. <z> In the period which immediately followed the Revolution; a number of Catholics from the Potomac co_unties of Maryland settled in Alexandria, and
1
< >A lady. who was still living in 1874, received the sacrament of Baptism,
in one of the old warehouses, in what is now called "Fish town," at the hands
of a )[aryland'priest in 1804; he had come ove·r in a boat to make purchases
for his household.-Carne.-Fr. Francis Neale in one of his visits to the city
during the last century was stoned as he passed along the streets.
<•> A Brief Sketch of the History of St. Mary's Church, Alexandria, Va., by
Richard L. Carne, A. ~I. We are indebted to the author for many interesting
facts in this history.
�St. Afary's Clwrclz a11d Residmcc, Alexandria, Va. 347
/.1
~-
,•.
attracred by its promise as a commercial city, several
French, Irish and English merchants of the same faith
made it their home. Prominent among these was Colonel
John Fitzgerald, a gallant Irishman, who served as aid-decamp to Washington during the struggle for independence,
and at whose house, on the site now occupied by Burke &
Herbert's bank, (IJ Lafayette is said to have had at one time
his headquarters. At the earliest period of which authentic information can be obtained, the spiritual wants of these
few children of the Church were attended by the priests
who had been members of the Society of Jesus, then recently suppressed by Pope Clement XIV, and who lived on
the manors formerly belonging to it, in Maryland. There
is a tradition, which appears to be well founded, that there
was a resident priest who lived in a large log-house somewhere near the interseCtion of Princess and Royal streets,
in the suburb now known as 'Petersburg,' and that·he used
that house as a chapel ; certain it is that there was a building there used for Catholic worship, though no one now
living can remember to have heard the name of the priest
who officiated in it. Such was, at that. time, the ignorance
prevailing among non-Catholics, that the little chapel was
regarded by the very children among them with superstitious terror, so that they feared to linger in its vicinity."
The priest who is supposed to have dwelt in the large log. house may have been one of those ofwhom Fr. Benjamin
A. Young, of the Society, speaks in a letter to Fr. James
Ryder, then Provincial. The letter bears date October 12,
1844, and has the following information: "Prior to 1800,"
he writes from Alexandria, "divine service used to be performed in a private dwelling by the gentlemen who visited
the Catholics of this town from time to time. These clergymen were, as far as can be remembered, Mr. Thayer, Mr.
McCaffry, Mr. Eden,·and Mr. Griffin.l2l
South-east corner of Fairfax and King streets.
J\Ir. Thayer had been a Protestant and was
converted in Rome in 1783 on seeing the miracles performed at the tomb of
Blessed Benedict Joseph Labre; was ordained iu France 178.'i; came to America, 1790; returned to Europe and died in Limerick in 1815.-Ur. James
Griffin served also on the Mission of Maryland for a time, and had an Academy near St. Joseph's Church, St. Mary's Co., at the beginning of this century,
(ll
2
< l They were secular priestR.
�348 St. Mary's Clmrclt and- Residence, Alexmzdn'a, Va.
About the end of the last century, Fr. Francis Neale, who
then resided at Georgetown College, attended the little congregation with zealous care._ A Protestant gentleman, Mr.
Robert T. Hoe, having offered a half acre lot on the outskirts of the town along Hunting Creek "to each of several
congregations then in Alexandria, on condition that they
should build each a church on their respeCtive lots," the
Catholics alone accepted the condition and built the first
church of their creed in this seetion of the country. This
church was of brick and was situated at the north-east corner of the present cemetery of St..)\iary's. The older folk
used to tell of hearing :Mass in this place, and of the confessional as a sort of box made of olanks set upright in the
corner of the building; upon this box the priest used to
stand when he gave sermons or instruCtions. The sacred
vessels were kept in a private house, and it is related that
on one occasion' the altar-boys, thoughtless then as now,
were scolded by a pious lady who, passing down the lane
which led to the church, saw the chalice, wrapped in a
handkerchief, lying under- a cherry tree by the wayside,
whilst they with a keener eye and better appetite for present
good than things to come had climbed up to help themselves to the tempting fruit.
.
The old church was never finished; the town did not ex-.
tend in that direCtion, as had been expeeted, and attendance at a place of worship so far away, especially in bad
weather, was difficult. It stood, however, in a dismantled
condition until 1839, when, after having been for years a
hiding place for gamblers and other disreputable charaCters,
it was torn down and the bricks were sold. The proceeds
of the sale were applied towards the enclosure of the graveyard.
Besides Fr. Neale, Fr. Anthony Kohlmann and, perhaps
Frs. Enoch and BenediCt Fenwick, officiated in the old
church before it was abandoned. While it was still in use,
about 1798, "a wealthy 'Catholic lady from Maryland,"
writes Mr. Carne, "having married a gentleman who came
to reside in Alexandria, brought with her a large number
�St. Mary's Churclz and Residence, Alexandria, Va. 346
.of Catholic servants and her chaplain, Revd. Joseph Eden,
for whom she rented the house on South Pitt street just
below \Volfe: As the church was far away, he sometimes
said Mass there" (in his house). Thus we see again that
the first beginnings of the faith here as in many other parts
of the country were mainly due to the Maryland colony.
They loved their religion to which they had clung amid
persecution in the land of their adoption for more than one
hundred and fifty years, and when compelled to go to other
parts of the country, they took their faith with them and
planted new churches, as happened in Kentucky, Louisiana,
Georgia and Missouri.
'
THE FIRST RESIDENT PASTOR.
~~I
Father Eden, the first resident pastor, is mentioned in
our archives as a member of the "Corporation of the Roman Catholic Clergy of Maryland" in I794. which was most
likely the year of his arrival in America. In the proceedings of the Corporation for Feby. 25, 1794, it was "resolved
that the number to compose the Select Body of Clergy entitled to active and passive voice in the administration of
their temporalities, to a support when living in their houses
or employed by due authority with a stipulated pension out
of them, or declared to be invalids, shall not for the present
exceed the number of twenty-six. That the said number
be composeu of the following clergymen, viz: The Rt. Rev.
John Carroll, Revd. Messrs. Thomas Digges, Jas. Pellentz,
James Frambach, Lewis Roels, Jos. Doyne, John Boone,
Jas. Walton, Robert Molyneux, John Ashton, John Bolton,
Henry Pile, John Boarman, Charles Sewall, Sylvester Boarman, Augustine Jenkins, Leonard Neale, Charles Neale,
Francis Neale, Francis Beeston (ex-Jesuits), Joseph Eden,
Stanislaus Cerfoumont, Francis Xavier Brosius, Robert
Plunket, (I) Lewis de Barth and P. D. Erntzen" (secular
priests).
By consulting the baptismal record we shall find that Fr.
(1)
Had left the Society before the suppression.
�350 St. Mary's C!zurclt and Residence, ·A!exandn'a, Va.
Eden remained in Alexandria from Sept. 1798 until late in
the year 1806. He was allowed eighty dollars a year by
the Corporation, and this they signified in a resolve passed
in Sept. 1806, whilst also appointing him a direCl:or of
Georgetown College for three years, together with Revd.
"William Matthews and Rev. Notley Young; but as this
last office was without revenue, the poor Father must have
relied a great deal on the wealthy lady and the rest of the
congregation for his maintenance. He was transferred to
Deer Creek in Harford County, Maryland, to take charge
of an old Mission of Ours there. !i.e died in 1813. Archbishop Carroll (I) writing to Fr. Charles Plowden of Stonyhurst, thus speaks of Fr. Eden : "I know not whether you
remember Mr. Jos. Eden, or Edenshink, whom the late Mr.
Semmes brought from Bavaria to Liege, where he studied
theology and was ordained: thence he came to Maryland,
and served in this mission with as much success as his
health (always precarious) would allow him. Death deprived us of him the 22nd of December last. Tho' he never
joined the Society, yet I recommend him to the charitable
prayers o(our Rev. Brethren."
Independently of the sketch of Mr. Carne where Father
Eden is represented as residing in Alexandria, the following resolution of the Corporation passed May 1.2th, I8o8t.
goes to prove that he was a resident pastor: "Resolved that
the seventh resolve of the Corporation meeting held on the
ninth day of September, 18o6, so far as respeCl:s Rev. Mr.
Eden, was not meant to be of force longer than during his
attendance on the congregation ofAlexandria."
After the departure of Fr. Eden, Fr. Anthony Kohlmann attended the congregation, and after him Fr. Francis
Neale.
(ll
From Baltimore, Feby. 3rd, 1814,
�St. Mary's C4urclz and Residence, Alexandria, Va. 35 I
THE NEW CHURCH.
)
I
"About the year 1809 or 1810, the old Methodist Chapel
on Chapel Alley, occupying a part of the present site of St.
Mary's, being for sale, a subscription was taken up under
the direCtion of Father Neale, who, with the proceeds, purchased it for $900." The Meeting-House was purchased
of Richard Libby. The entry of the transaCtion in this
gentleman's books is queer:
"Priest Neale,
To one church
I•
Dr.
$900.00."
Fr. Neale by the bequest of a pious old Frenchman,
Ignatius Junigal, from whom he received several thousand
dollars, his entire property, was enabled also to enlarge a
residence already bought, and adjoining the church, for the
pastor. This was an old house on Chapel Alley formerly
owned and occupied by \Villiam Waters, a Methodist
preacher; Father Neale purchased the building about the
year 1810. The addition, lar.ger than the original dwelling,
was made in 1817. A bell tower was ereeted on the residence, in order, it is said, to evade the penal laws still feared
in Virginia. The bell, a small but sweet-toned one, after
doing service for many years now hangs in the belfry of St.
Mary's Hall. The house, having become almost uninhabitable, was torn down in 187 4 by Father O'Kane, the present pastor; in its stead, and partly on the ground it occupied, the present handsome and commodious residence was
ereCted in the same year.
From the baptismal and other records it appears that
Frs. Anthony Kohlmann, Enoch Fenwick, John Anthony
Grassi, all engaged in Georgetown College, served the congregation in the new church for six or seven years. As
there was great need of priests, these Fathers helped the
cause of religion in Alexandria as well as their other duties
allowed them. In 1817, Fr. Roger Bax~er, celebrated as a
-.
�352 St. Alary's Clzurclt and Residmce, Alexandria, Va.
pulpit orator and belles-lettres scholar, who had been sent
from England, to teach rhetoric in Georgetown College, became pastor, and though he did not reside altogether in
Alexandria, a young man whom he had brought from England and who was in deacon's orders remained there. This
was the Rev. Joseph William Fairclough, who after his
ordination to the priesthood by Archbishop Neale in. 1818,
was appointed pastor of St. Mary's. Before speaking at
length of the pastorate of Fr. Fairclough who was never a
member of the Society, a few words must be said of his predecessor. Fr. Baxter was born at \V.\llton le Dale, near Preston, in the county of Lancashire, England, on the 27th of
Feby. 1792; he studied at Stonyhurst, entered the Society,
Sept. 8, 1810; came to America about 1817 ; was ordained
by Archbishop Neale, May 13th, 1817. He taught rhetoric for two years in Georgetown ; for a time he had
charge of the congregation in Richmond, where he engaged
in a controversy with a Protestant minister; this was in the
year 1819. He returned again to the college as professor
of rhetoric and prefeCt of schools. Some of the examination papers by him during this time are excellently written
and are models of their kind. His name disappears from
our catalogue in 1826, as about that time he was dismissed
from the Society. He died in St. Joseph's, Philadelphia,~- •
May 24th, 1827.
Fr. Baxter was looked upon as a great preacher. A gentleman who was a student in Georgetown sixty years ago
thus writes to me about him: "His sermons to us boys
were many of them master-pieces. Two of them are still
fresh in my mind: one, a Good Friday sermon; the other, a
rehearsal, as it were, which he delivered in the college
chapel on the Sunday before the dedication of the Cathe_dral at Baltimore. ti) Starting out with the twelve ignorant
fishermen of Jerusalem on Pentecost, he went rapidly over
·the progress of the Church from country to country, coming
once in a while to the twelve ignorant fishermen which
formed the keynote of the symphony."
---------------------
(!)This sermon was for the dedication of the Cathedral.
�St. Mary's Clzurclz and Residence, Alexandria, Va. 353
Fr. Baxter was the author of the following works : I.
Remarks on Le .frlesun"er's Sermon on Invocation of Saints,
Svo., London, I8I6. 2. T!te most important Tenets of Roman Catholics fairly explained, I2mo., Washington, I8I9Y>
THE "fiRST RESIDENT PASTOR AT THE NEW CHURCH.
Father Fairclough, as was stated before, came to America with Fr. ·Baxter whose pupil he had been most likely in
Europe. With the consent of Archbishop Neale he was
appointed pastor by Fr. Francis Neale whose agent he was
in temporal matters. In other words, he was the Society's
representative. The new pastor served the congregation for
twelve years, and as the people were few and poor, for the
wealthier Catholics had died or moved away, he earned his
support partly by teaching a small school. "In I 826 he
purchased the lots adjoining the church and erected the
present building on the site of the old one. Its original dimensions were forty-five feet by sixty; it had no gallery
but the organ loft, and the pews, high and unpainted, occupied not more than half the floor, though they quite sufficed
for the congregation. The altar-rail, however, and the .
three large doors .in front were of solid mahogany, a Catholic gentleman from the West Indies, who had just brought
a cargo here for sale, presenting the material. The central,
double door, cut down, is now used at the entrance to the
gallery, and the railing and the altar and tabernacle, of mahogany, inlaid with maple, are still in use at the church of
the Seven Dolors, Fairfax Station."
In I830 a difficulty occurred which gave no little scandal
and ended with a change of pastors. To understand the
state of affairs it is necessary to go back a little. In Au(ll In 182~ there was published in Georgetown by Edward )lilligan (printer
J. C. Dunn), "Baxter's )leditations," us the work is generally known. The
meditations were written originally in Latin in 1639 by an English Father,
and translated into English by ltev. E. )lico in 1G69. Fr. Baxter improved
the style at~d added a few medituti~ns. ';L'l~e author's ~ame is N. D., an~ was
"in an emment employment Ill hlS reltgtous professton." The treuttse on
Mental Prayer in the American edition is from the pen of Fr. Charles Plowden. Benziger has printed a new edition of the )leditations.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
23
�354 Si. Marfs C/mrc!t and Residence, Alexandn·a, Va.
gust 181g, Fr. Fairclough appointed "Messrs. M. Robinson,
Nevitt, A. Baggett, E. Sheehy, B. Rochford and T.
Mountford as trustees to aid him in the temporal concerns
of the church." This was a mistake and an assumption of
authority. A mistake, because experience had taught the
first Archbishops of Baltimore and the Bishops of other
sees that the trustee system was a bad one and very frequently gave rise to scandals, and sometimes to schism, as
happened in Philadelphia. It was an assumption of authority, as the church property was hel? in the name of Father
Francis Neale, the representativ~.?f the Society, and he
should have been consulted about the arrangement. The
matter was not even referred to Archbishop l\1arechal of
Baltimore, under whose jurisdiCtion the church was at that
time. Finally, the State Jaw could not recognize trustees
appointed in this manner. Nevertheless they aCl:ed as if
there had been no legal flaw in their title, held meetings
presided over by their pastor, and passed measures for the
government of the parish. -Some of the resolutions showed
bad tendencies and that a little brief authority may go to
great ends.
At a meeting held July 16, 1821, "it was unanimously
resolved that John B. Gorman, having used disrespeCl:ful.
language to our Rev. Pastor and to members of this board· •·
in the discharge of their official duties, is no longer entitled
to hold a pew in St. Mary's church." No doubt this aCl:ion
was inspired by the pastor who presided at the-meeting and
signed the proceedings; still it was too grave a matter for
the votes of a board of trustees even if legally existing. At
a previous meeting, Jany. 7, 1820, a still stronger measure
was adopted, and that was only four months after the board
was formed: "Resolved that the resolution of the board
passed Nov. zg, 1819, relative to interments in the burying
ground be construed to read as follows : that persons professing themselves members of the Catholic Church of St.
Mary's, Alexandria, who being able, and refuse to support
the said Church, shall not be entitled to interment in the
Catholic burial ground, belonging to the aforesaid Church,
J.
�St. Mary's Clmrch and Residence, Alexandria,
fia. 355
provided, this Resolution meet the approbation of the
Archbishop."
The pastor knew that trustees had nothing to do with
such matters and Christian burial was too solemn a thing
to be submitted to their deliberation. Canon law has already given the reasons for excluding certain persons from
interment in consecrated ground. It is not said what answer was received from the Archbishop, though he must
have told these self-constituted promoters of the faith to
mind their own business.
During this time Fr. Fairclough had a controversy with
a Protestant minister named Wilmer, I believe. The verdiCt was that he had gott;n the better of his opponent.
There is a copy of this discussion in the college library,
Georgetown. The parish in the meanwhile was doing well.
The records are well kept and some entries in them are
unique. Not unfrequently in the book of burials, the disease is mentioned, the day of the funeral, the sermon, and
a few words about the departed. I copy one: "Patrick
Connley, OCI:. 6, 1828; he was a true friend of his country,
and an ardent defender of the Catholic Religion." How
much these few words contain.
It is to be supposed from the aCtions of the trustees,
which have been mentioned, that trouble would arise of a
serious nature whenever the opportunity was at hand. The
occasion came at last. For four years there is no record of
a trustee-meeting; but OCtober 13, 1830, has this entry on
the Secretary's book: "I hereby appoint the following gentlemen as trustees to aCI: with me in all things regarding
the property belonging to the Catholic congregation. J. W.
Fairclough." The appointees are William Egan, J. C. Generes, Edward Smyth, John Roach, James D. Kerr, J. Ne- .
vitt. Why this sudden revival of what the pastor had
learned to be, perhaps, troublesome, if not dangerous? He
had been suspended by the Archbishop of Baltimore, and
Fr. Neale, the representative of the Society, had requested
him to hand over the property to another. Two things
were arrived at through the trustees; they were to ask the
�356 St. Mary's Church and Residence, Alexandn·a, Va.
Archbishop to reconsider his censure, and to wrest the title
of the property from Fr. Neale, but these points will be
treated of hereafter.
The ne'xt day, Oct. 14, the new board held a meeting, Fr.
Fairclough presiding, J. C. Generes, J. Nevitt, and Wm.
Egan being absent. Thomas Poincy was appointed Secretary, pro tem. A committee consisting of Messrs. Kerr
and Smyth was appointed to wait on R. J. Taylor, Esq., to
lay before him the extracts of wills, etc., and ·to ascertain
if the property could be secured to the congregation.
On oa. IS, the trustees have a~meeting and resolve to
assemble Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the time being. The written opinion of Mr. Taylor is read, maintaining that the property does not belong to Fr. Neale, but to
the congregation. It is useful, perhaps, and curious without doubt, to see how a leading lawyer viewed the title to
the property and what twists and turns may be used against
a title clear.
In the next paper the controversy between Father Neale
and the self-appointed guardians of the church will be further described. An effort will also be made to show the
good work Ours have done since resident Fathers of the
Society have had charge of the congregation.
�MISSOURI.
A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY.
By Fr. N L. Sc/zleclzter, S. J.
CHAPTER I.
I'
I have been repeatedly asked to write an account of our
missions in Osage County, Mo. I have declined up to this
time, because the task seemed too difficult; not, indeed, for
want of interest in the subject, or much less for its lacking
in edification. \Vhat more edifying than to look at the great
work done by some four or five of our Fathers during the
last forty years !
Forty years ago, Osage County was but thinly settled
and yet very little government land was left for the emigrants from Europe ; because the Americans living in these
parts made it a rule to secure large tracts of land and to
build their houses in the centre of their estate, not with the
intention of clearing the woods and of tilling the earth for
better harvests ; but for the purpose of protecting their
hunting-grounds. Indeed, it was a custom of theirs to
leave between the farms large tracts of land, where people
might hunt without endangering the sport, while tillage of
the soil was limited to some fertile valleys embosomed between receding hills. The want of cereals was made up for
by nature's boon, a variety of game. In fact, so abundant
was game in those days that hunting was then what farming is now, that is, the chief means of subsistence; while at
present hunting is what farming was then, i. e. a side issue
in the struggle for well-being and comfort.
The life of the old Missourians, who themselves had
come from Kentucky, was simple and noted for its hospitality. They never refused shelter to the wayfaring man nor
(357)
�358
A Short History
if Osage Coullty, l'rfo.
complained if he prolonged his stay beyond discretion. I
have heard several German families saying that when they
came to the County they were in great poverty and obliged
to beg, and that, too, for entire weeks and months; but
they invariably added: "The Americans were good; they
never grew tired of our asking, but simply said: 'take it.'"
As for religious matters, it seems that they never troubled
oth~rs or themselves either. Education was at a low figure, seeing that schools were few, or, in some parts, did not
exist.
~'
Things, however, began to take· a different turn with the
arrival of people from Europe. The first of these found
their way to Osage County as early as '37, arriving there
for the most part in great destitution and settling there, as I
am told, at hap-hazard. No time was to be lost; no room,
given to idleness. Money they had none, the long journey
from Europe having consumed it. Tools for grubbing,
such as axes, picks, spades, saws, etc., were not plentiful in
the County. But where !here is a will there is a way.
Tools were borrowed from the right and from the left; trees
were felled ; logs rolled together and piled one upon the
other and, with a temporary roof of cornstalks and leaves,
formed the back-woods' cabin.
Meanwhile new settlers came in, some directly fro-;;·
Germany and others from St. Louis, and all in spite of privations were cheerful. Let any one remind the now grey- .
headed pioneers of those early hardships, and their eyes
will kindle a!ld they will say: "In those days there was no
pride, because no one had anything to be proud of." Money,
they add, was so scarce, that some persons had lived for
years in the County without seeing as much as one single
coin of the republic. Then again as grist mills were few
and not within easy reach, the good old coffee- mills brought
from the Rhine or from Westphalia were put to use ; and
·at times when work pressed heavily, you might see in the
same family one baking corn-cakes, another eating them,
and a third grinding the corn in the coffee-mill. What the
farmers missed above all were good, strong wagons. But
�A Slzort History of Osage County, Mo.
359
then money was wanting, and even for money it would
have been difficult to get them as communication with St.
Louis was irregular ~nd difficult. Hence the visitor to
Osage County is told of the strange wagons which necessity, the mother of invention, had made fashionable in those
early times. No iron was used in the making, beams,
cross-beams, shaft, axle-tree-all being fastened with wooden bolts, while the wheels were of one piece, that is, rounds
sawed from the trunks of heavy sycamore trees. Horses,
they had none; but the plodding ox served as well, if not
better, for drawing these wagons. But the clatter and rattle which they made are still proverbial in the County; and
woe betide tlie new comer from Europe who in his rash
daring leaped to the driver's stand and took the reins
when the sycamore wheels were worn and looked rather
like circular saws than wheels. Such a one might learn by
experience that where there is a way of getting up, there is
surely one of g~tting down.
But to proceed; almost from the beginning a system of
clans was observable in the colony. Those peasants that
came from the lower Rhine settled in the northern part of
the County with L.oose Creek as a centre; those that came
from Westphalia and Hanover sought a more western direCtion and founded the city of Westphalia; the Bavarians,
on the other hand, bought lands in the southe~n part of the
County and their chief town figured on the map as Richfountain.
To tell, if it could be briefly told, the hardships the pioneers had to undergo during the fit:st ten or fifteen years,
would be a matter of much interest; to tell how sickness
and malarial fever made ravages among them and threatened at one time to destroy the hope of the colony; to
describe their varied toil in clearing the woods with illsuited tools and without experience in that line of work; to
refer to the labor entailed by draining--or labor which had.
to contend with many lesser swamps, and ended but two
years ago with the great work, planned by Rev. Averbeck,
S. J., of laying bare the great lake near Richfountain, there-
�360
A Slzort History if Osage County, Mo.
by procuring wealth to the owners and health for the com..:
munity, would detain our readers too long.
While the settlements were thus struggling for a temporal existence, a special Providence looked kindly upon their
spiritual wants. I say a special Providence; for the viClory
is not always to the strong, nor is the race always to the
swift. It is well known that in other places entire distriCts,
settled by Catholics under similar circumstances and almost
at the same time, have now lost the faith. \Vhy? Because
the sheep were without a shepherd. However, Osage County
had a shepherd and a good shep]lerd in the person of Rev.
Helias, S. J., of happy memory. ··
He was then visiting the scattered families in and about
Jefferson City and Taos, Cole Co. He heard of the new
colony, crossed the Osage river and, like another Moses, he
came to see what his brethren in the faith were doing. This
Father is looked upon by the grateful people of Osage
County as their apostle. He encouraged them in their
hard work and held out to them the hopes of well-ordered
parishes in the future. For the time being he visited them
at certain intervals, said Mass for them, baptized their infants, instruCted their children, blessed their mardages and
seleCled sites for ereCling churches. On looking one day
at the fine church in Loose Creek, built only fifteen year~
ago by Rev. N. Niederkorn, S. J., an old farmer came up to
me and said: "The first time that Fr. Helias saw this place
he halted his horse, and pointing to the top of the hill, he
said: 'On that spot there will be a fine church one day.'"
The church is a fine o_ne, being built in the basilica style,
with vaulted ceiling and rows of pillars; so that if the spot
is the one indicated, the prediCtion is verified to the letter.
Fr. Helias was a remarkable man. I have heard old people speaking of him with enthusiasm. In their feelings towards him, there is the reverence for the priest blended
with the warmth for the friend. He, the man of noble birth,
must have been possessed of great kindness, so that his
aristocratic manners became winning in the eyes of the
simple peasantry; and his severe virtue must have been
�A Slz~rt History of Osage County,
Mo.
301
mated with great cordiality, so that people remote from asceticism were cheered by his conversation, while they were
instructed. Much, indeed, can be accomplished when nature and grace go hand in hand. But to speak of·his toils
and troubles, his hunger and privations were a lengthy
chapter. ·with his compass in hand, he would strike
through the rude wilderness, and though night should overtake him in the forest, he was nothing daunted either by
howling wolves or by prowling catamounts. He would
spread his saddle-blanket for couch and place his saddle for
pillow, and sleep while his faithful horse, Pete, stood by
and grazed. But when the dawn streaked the east and the
first light danced in the upper leaves Pete would come near,
sniffing the sleeper's clothes and face as if saying: "Master,
awake; it is time to. rise and to pray." Whereupon he
would rise and meditate, and then ride to the next settlement where the news of his coming was soon made known.
The first farmer told his neighbor, and he the family further
off, and so on, till all had become acquainted with the good
news. On the day following, he said Mass, preached, instructed, settled difficulties. This done, he moved off, beginning the same round of work at the next station.
Thus Fr. Helias was alone in the field for about ten years,
the records showing that his first baptism in Osage County
was as early as '37· The face of the County, within ten
years, had been changed for the better. Though singlehanded in the work, though the only toiler in Osage
County and even in parts of the adjoining Counties, he had
succeeded in putting up log churches in Loose Creek, in
Westphalia, Richfountain and Taos, thereby forming the
nucleus of so many parishes which now deservedly attract
attention for their flourishing condition. About this time
it was that Rev. Fr. Buschots came from St. Louis to share
the toils and rewards of Fr. Helias. But more of this Father
will be said later on.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
�SOME CHAPTERS OF THE HISTORY OF THE
JESUITS IN CANADA.
I
On a bright afternoon in May last, I stood on an elevated spot close to the mouth of a rapid Canadian river. A
span of many miles lay before me, and my eyes ran quickly
·from point to point. Two rivers~ mingled their waters at
my feet; the spires of seven chur'ches were visible within
a radius of a few miles. In the background a lovely lake
glistened in the May sun. A sky dotted with white puffy
clouds hung over the whole scene .. Here I was on the
north bank of the wild and piCturesque St . .Maurice, contemplating one of the lovliest scenes that Canada may boast
of. On the opposite bank seated on the point formed by
the junCtion of the St. .Maurice with the St. Lawrence, lay
the peaceful little town of -Three Rivers. Lake St. Peter
lay beyond-not a ripple on its surface, save [those formed
by an occasional vessel.
My companion-a scholastic who had spent the years of
his childhood in this neighborhood, and who knew its his,..'.
tory and traditions-told me that this very scene had many
a time met the eyes of the heroes of the Old Society. "They
had all," he said, "spent some time on the banks of the St.
Maurice; its savage grandeur drew many a cry of admiration from their lips and many an aa of love from their noble hearts to the Author of all." The scene was fraught
with many inspirations, but foremost among them was the
following: I resolved to learn something of the history of
our Society on the St. Maurice and in the little town of
Three Rivers that graces its bank, whither our Fathers
have come again to live after an absence of over two hundred years.
Where was I to seek my information ? The old registers
. (362)
�Canatia.
of the parish, I thought, would help me; the Jesuits' Journal,
too and the Clzronique Trijluvienne. But my chief source
would be the Jesuit Relations. These different works I have
pe~used, and the many items hidden in their pages, relating
to the important mission at the mouth of the St. Maurice,
may interest the readers of the LETTERS.
II
"The terrible missions of Canada," says Chateaubriandyes! but they set many a gem in the crown of the Society,
and few contributed more freely than the little town on the
bank of the St. Maurice. J\ spot, indeed, that sheltered
Brebeuf, Jogues, Bressani, Le Jeune, the Lallemants, and
Buteux, who tinged its soil with his blood, would have
many an interesting tale to tell if the earth could speak.
The town of Three Rivers derives its name from the
small islands that form three mouths to the St. Maurice. Its
favorable situation gave it great importance as a trading
station during the early years of the Canadian colony. The
savages gathered here during the months of July and August with thousands of skins and furs, and bargained with
the French traders. Gold and silver had no value to them;
they held in higher esteem the knives and tomahawks, the
blankets and clothing, that the traders brought from France.
Utility had the upperhand; but very often, too, they coveted the worthless trifles that Europe could supply them
with, and they returned to their forests laden with pocketmirrors, headwork, jewelry, paints and a thousand other
things that their childlike characters highly prized.
Three Rivers was the principal post for the fur traffic
during the second quarter of the seventeenth century. But
besides the few huts occupied by the French during the
fur season, no steps were taken towards establishing a
colony. Once the trading over, the site was abandoned;
the trader returned to France, the savage to the woods.
Religion had not yet taken a gentle hold of those poor natives, and taught them to appreciate the advantages of
�Cattada.
civilized life.. They still roved through the woods like the
animals that they hunted, and if they appeared near the
French colony at·Quebec, it was to burn and plunder.
When the Rouen Fur Company was formed in 1614,
Samuel de Champlain brought four RecolleCts from France
to evangelize the savages of Canada. Two of them remained at Quebec; while the other two, Fathers Le Caron
and Jamay, sailed up the St. Lawrence with Champlain on
their way to the country of the Hurons.
When they arrived at Sault St. Louis, near Montreal, ,.
Father Jamay for some reason returned to Quebec. On his
way he stopped at the little trading station at the mouth
of the St. Maurice, and there offered the Holy Sacrifice of
the Mass-the first that was ever offered at Three Rivers.
The RecolleCt Leclerq gives us a simple and pleasing
description of the first Mass celebrated in this wild spot.
He tells us how the French and savages built a little
chapel, how they raised an altar and ornamented it with
leaves and wild flowers plucked from the forest that lay behind them. There the God of Glory deigned to appear for
the first time under the sacramental veil in the midst of the
few that had gathered in his name.
The intention of the RecolleCts was to form a fixed mis:·
sion at Three Rivers. But the members of the Rouen Fu"'r -·
Company, from whom so much was expeCl:ed in the beginning, put many obstacles in the way of the missionaries, and
virtually opposed the establishing of the mission.
The Frenchmen and savages, however, who frequented
the post were not left without spiritual care. Priests from
Quebec visited Three Rivers from time to time, and administered the sacraments. In summer they traveled by boats;
in winter the deep snow and the cold made their journeys
painful. The sufferings and privations of the servants of
• God in these regions had already begun. Three Rivers
saw her first missionaries enduring the pains of hunger and
fatigue. The RecolleCts began here the life of sufferings
that was adopted a few years later by the heroic sons of the
Society-sufferings that ended for many in death.
�Canada.
III
In 1617 Father Huet, a Recollect, said Mass every day
during the trading season, in a small temporary chapel.
Pickets placed close together and driven into the ground
formed its four walls. They were joined at the top by
branches of trees. The walls and roof were covered over
with bark, while a bark curtain or blanket served for a door;
an altar with a few lighted candles, a crucifix suspended on
the front wall, completed the chapel.
This was the first building raised to honor God on the
banks of the St. Maurice-a striking contrast with the noble
Gothic Cathedral whose spire, two centuries and
half
later, was to raise itself over the city.
Modest though the chapel was, it served its purpose. The
ceremonies of our holy religion inspired the savages with a
profound respect for the Great Spirit, and God was fervently
adored by hearts that had but lately learned to know him.
The rich fur company, serving only its interests, persisted
in leaving the missionaries without support; and the Recollects who labored among the Hurons were reduced to the
last extremity. Shortly before 1625, they invited the Jesuits to share their labors. They laid before them a picture
of the sufferings they would have to undergo, and the torments of the stake and fire that were perhaps awaiting them
amongst the savages of Canada. A few months later, Fathers John de Brebeuf and Charles Lallemant and three
lay-brothers landed at Quebec.
Father Brebeuf and a Recollect started immediately for
Three Rivers. Brebeuf's intention was to continue on his
way to the Huron country as soon as the fur season was
ended, but news came of an uprising among the savages,
during which they had drowned the Recollect Fr. Vie!. <I>
a
U> This religious was thrown .from his canoe into the lower of the two rapids
that exist between the Isle .Jesus and the Is lana of Uontreal. The nei!(hhorin,g parish has ever since kept the name of Sault-au-Recollect. It is the seat
of' the Canadian novitiate.
�Canada.
Brebeuf left Three Rivers for Quebec, where he remained
until peace was restored.
This is the first trace of a Jesuit found at Three Rivers.
, Father Lallemant also visited the post shortly after 1627,
but there is nothing to show how long he remained there.
The events of the next seven years are briefly told. The
Comoany of the Hundred Associates was formed in 1627
under the patronage of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. It
replaced the Rouen Fur Company, and was. to realize the
plans that Champlain had contemplated for the colonization
of Canada. The first vessel, hoWever, sent to New France
by the Company, was seized at sea by the English. This,
added to the capture of Quebec by. Kertk in 1629, completed the ruin of the little colony. The RecolleCts and Jesuits and a large number of the colonists were sent back to
France.
When the English restored Quebec to France in 1632,
the RecolleCts did not again undertake the Canadian missions; but our Fathers h~d their eyes turned toward the
land, where so much glory might be given to God, and they
came back to Canada the same year.
IV
Champlain, a profound Christian as well as an able commander, had at heart the advancement and prosperity of the
colony. He knew its great resources; he saw the immense
advantages that France and Catholicity would gain if the
fur-trade was properly direCl:ed and the interests of religion
attended to. A fort established at a central point would
proteCt the French and neophytes living above. Quebec, and
shelter the missionaries that France would furnish.
Three Rivers was the favorable point. Its happy position at the mouth of the S~. Maurice would render it easy
for the savages to bring their furs from the north; its proximity to Lake St. Peter would afford proteCtion to the furs
coming from the Upper Ottawa and the Great Lakes; both
these routes would be highways to the missionaries. It
�.Canada.
had become impossible to sail up or down the St. Maurice
or St. Lawrence, without falling into the snares of the Iroquois. A fort at Three Rivers would put a check upon
these marauders, and Champlain resolved to build one.
A fleet arrived from France in June, 1634. The moment
had come for Champlain to aCt:. He fitted out a bark at
Quebec with tools and provisions; he chose a good number of workmen and colonists, and sent them off to Three
Rivers.
Two Jesuits, Le Jeune and Buteux, followed them two
months later, and founded the mission, September 8, 1634.
They called it the Residence of the Immaculate Conception,
-the name it still retai~s-a standing testimony to the devotion of our first Fathers to the ever glorious Queen of
Heaven.
The circumstances of this foundation were lost sight of
for over a hundred years. It was not until 1844, that our
learned Father Martin, in the midst of his researches, discovered the first page of the Catalogue des Trespassez au
Lieu nomm!: Les Iro£s Rivieres. In it is mentioned the building of the fort and the arrival of the two Jesuits to "help
the French to save their souls."< 1>
v
The conquests of their brethren in the Southern Atlantic
were lingering in the minds of the first Jesuits who came
to North America. The dream of Paraguay might also
find its realization in Canada. Colonies of savages m'ight
be formed, and the mee~ government of the Jesuits bring
happiness where desolation reigned.
All the efforts of our Fathers were direCted to this end.
This end, however, pursued for years with an admirable
(IJ Fac-similes of this document have recently been made and placed in the
museum of our Scholasticate at Montreal. The original was penned by Fr.
Le Jenne about 1635, in a style antique yet handsome, but exceedingly i!legi·
ble. For many years one of the phrases battled not a few of our archreologists
-even Fr. Martin himself-and it was only ten or fifteen years after the dis·
co;very that the name of a disease. mentioned therein was certified to be mal•
fle·terre.
�Canada ..
perseverance was hardly ever attained. The Jesuits •in
Canada never approached the ideal that the Jesuits in Paraguay had surpassed. A spirit very different from that of
the South American tribes reigned in the savages of Canada.
·Father Buteux had succeeded in persuading a few Algonq uins to lodge near the new fort at Three Rivers. He
furnished them with corn to sow, and he promised to help
them when they should be in want. The readiness with
which they accepted his offers gave Father Buteux hopes
that his cherished idea of a reduEtion was on the point of
being realized. But he was deceived. The Algonquin's
charaEter was docile, but inconstant. The love of the
absolute liberty which he had receiyed- as a heritage from
his ancestors was deeply rooted in his nature; and settling
down to tillage and following the ordinary life of a French
colonist displayed a monotony that his free and roving disposition could not brook.
In the spring time of 1637 a tribe living on the St. Maurice visited Three Rivers. Father Buteux hoped to be able
to bring a few families ove~:. to the faith, and at a feast which
he prepared for them, he broached the subjeCt of religion.
vVith what success, th~ Relations are silent. Two years
previously, he had invited the same tribe to join themselves
to the Algonquins, and settle on the banks of the St. Mau: _
rice, a few miles from the fort, but their fear of the Iroquoisprevented them.
The presence of the savages at Three Rivers was the
occasion of much religious ceremony, and a scene occurred
that }1istory has always cherished. During a procession of
the Blessed Sacrament, the great Algonquin chief Makheabichtichou called upon all his warriors to prostrate themselves and adore the God of the French. This was in 1637.
During the three following years nothing of any importance conneEted with the mission at Three Rivers appears
• to have taken place. Fath~r Buteux, who remained during these years at the fort or further up the banks of the
St. Maurice, devoted himself to the colonists and Algonquins, baptizing the converts and children.
�Canada.
The names of several Jesuits are found on the parish registers: Fathers Brebeuf, Duperon, Davost, Dequeu, Raymbaut, etc. In the summer of 1640, a Jesuit, probably Fr.
Jerome Lallemant, writing to his Superior, said: "We have
a church for the savages at Three Rivers, which is not as
prosperous as the one at Sillery, because it is much more
recent."
VI
The Iroquois, the mortal enemies of the French, had not
shown themselves too troublesome at this time. They approached the fort occasionally, but their fear of cannon prevented them from doing any considerable damage. The
aspea was far different in 1641. In February of that year
some Iroquois savages prowling around Three Rivers seized
two young Frenchmen, Normanville and Marguerie, and
carried them into captivity. This threw the little colony
into consternation.
The Iroquois were fierce and powerful; the French, weak
and with little prospea of reenforcements. In an expedition against the Iroquois, the French were unwilling to rely
upon their allies, the Algonquins; and on this occasion, to
play the offensive would have been bad policy. The Iroquois probably knew this; and they hoped to receive a
ransom for their prisoners.
One morning at dawn, five months after the seizure,
twenty Iroquois canoes were signalled below the fort; others were seen in "midstream-all laden with warriors. A
single canoe, carrying one man was detached from the main
body and drew near the fort. The gay dress of an Iroquois
warrior was worn by the approaching stranger, and all eyes
were turned upon him. When he touched the shore and
jumped lightly upon the ledge of the rock, a cry of joy
rent the air. Francis Marguerie stood free. . He had been
sent by the crafty Iroquois to claim a ransom of thirty guns
for his fellow-captive, Normanville.
This demand was not well received by the French. They.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
24
�370
Catzada.
saw the danger of adding to the fire-arms that the Dutch
had already given to the Iroquois, and they decided to gain
the liberty of their countryman at a less risky ransom. A
Jesuit was entrusted with this delicate task. Father Ragueneau could here utilize his long experience. The Iroquois had on former occasions shown him great respeCt,
and had always listened to his counsels. It was decided
that he should open negociations for the release of Normanville-and take two days to ~o it in. In the meantime
a boat was despatched to Quebec' to notify the Governor.
Ragueneau, accompanied by a"Frenchman named Nicolet, left the fort and in a short half hour was nearing the
Iroquois. He approached slowly and solemnly, took his
place in the midst of the warriors and declared the council
opened. Then began those loud and long harangues that
meant nothing, those promises of eternal friendship and
peace that were not sincere. The Iroquois were wily and
deceitful, and Father Ragueneau had to take them with
their own weapons. After five days of parleying, during
which time, De Montinagny came from Quebec with aid,
Normanville escaped from the clutches of the barbarians,
and returned to the fort.
VII
..,· ...·
This abrl.\pt way of aCting did not help to gain the good
will of the Iroquois. They became the terror of the St.
Lawrence and the other waters above Three Rivers. Hundreds of these tigers lay in the vicinity of Lake St. Peter,
ready to pounce upon everything French, Huron or Algonquin. It was only by a miracle that a band of Hurons accompanied by Fathers Jogues and Raymbaut, reached
Three Rivers with a large supply of furs, during the season
of 1642. This little band had travelled nine hundred miles
and were thirty-five days on the road. (IJ
Father Raymbaut's ill-health kept him in the French
•
(I) Fathers Jogues and Raymbaut were coming from the Great Lakes. They
were the first missionaries who visited the Indians at Sault Ste. :Marie ;-the
first; therefore, were they not, to find the entrance to Lake Superior f
�Canada.-
l
colony, but Father Jogues after a few days' stay at Quebec,
returned to Three Rivers on his way back to the missions
on the Great Lakes. Rene Goupil was with him. The eve
of their departure was the 31st of July. The French and
Hurons celebrated the feast of St. Ignatius with great pomp;
and the two heroic Jesuits~ Jogues and Buteux, who were
in a few years to give their lives for Jesus Christ, spent
some pleasant hours together.
The next day they separated. Father Jogues had gone
but a few miles above· Three Rivers when he was seized
and carried off by the Iroquois. The sufferings that he endured during the two years of his captivity are well known.
They form an attractive but horrible page in the history of
our country.
After his escape, and return from Europe, Father Jogues
came to Three Rivers, where he found another heroic servant of God awaiting him·- Father Bressani.
During- the year 1643, Father Brebeuf, writing from Three
Rivers to the General of the Society, gives a pleasing picture of the little mission. He tells Father Aquaviva that
he was edified by the regularity and fervor that reigned.
"In the mission from which I date this letter, it is not vice
that reigns but virtue itself, not only among Ours who show
themselves true children of the Society, but also amongst
the French and savages." By the savages, Fr. Brebeuf
very probably referred to the Huron students who were
then living and studying at Three Rivers.
·
The Jesuits were making an experiment. Good example
was a powerful means of conversion amongst the Hurons.
If this good example were shown by members of the tribe
themselves, the result might be satisfactory. Nine or ten
young Hurons, chosen for their inclination to virtue and
aptitude to learn, were brought to Three Rivers. Here
they passed through a kind of noviceship. They were continually under the eye of one of our Fathers, and besides
receiving a solid instruB:ion in the Christian doB:rine, they
led exemplary lives. They were to teach both by word
�372
Cana'da.
and example amongst their brethren of the forest. But see
how God crumbles to dust the projeas of man .
. In April, 1644, Father Bressani and the young Hurons
left the fort for the missions on Georgian Bay. Three miles
above Three Rivers, at a place now known as "Calvary,"_<Il
the Jesuit's canoe capsized and he had to swim to shore.
He continued on his route the following day, but he had
not gone more than twenty-five miles-near the site of the
present little village of Louiseville, ~hen the whole band fell
into the hands of the Iroquois. ·Two Hurons were killed;
the rest with Father Bressani were carried into captivity.
VIII
A fort, recently built at the mouth of the river leading to
Lake Champlain, checked the Iroquois for a time. It prevented these savages from coming up to the mouth of
the Richelieu in their canoes, but it could not prevent them
from landing a few miles from the mouth, throwing their
light canoes upon their shoulders and crossing overland to
Lake St. Peter. They were still roving over the lake, inspiring terror into the French and their allies.
During the year 1644, they received a surprise. A band
of Hurons and Algonquins, coming from the Island_.Ot
Montreal, overcame a body of Iroquois on the lake and car~
ried off four prisoners. One of these, a captain of his tribe .
named Totiakencharon, was given to the Algonquins living
at Three Rivers, to be burned alive. Father Brebeuf and
the Governor of the fort did everything possible to prevent
this piece ·of cruelty, but the Algonquins, enthusiastic over
the capture of an Iroquois, were uncontrollable. Father
Brebeuf baptized the unfortunate prisoner. <2l
(I) "Calvary" receives its name from a very large crucifix that was planted
on the roadside in 1820. The crucifix is still standing; and the three miles
that separate it from Three Rivers are a favorite walk with the Theologians.
"Le Calvaire" becomes doubly int~resting to Ours when the history of the
spot is known.
<2l The act in the Parish Register reads thus: Anno Domini 1644, die 30
Julii, Ego Joannes de BrebeufbaJ?tizavi sine cmrimoniis Totiakencharon, Iroquensem, in periculo mortis. Hmc Ignatii nomen destinatum est. Fac-similes of this piece of Fr. Brebeuf's )land writing have been taken for the Schol,
Museum,
·
�Canada.
373
The cruelties perpetrated on prisoners were thus described
by Brebeuf himself: "The savages spend five or six days in
glutting their rage and in roasting their prisoner at a slow
fire. The sight of a poor viCl:im all charred and hurried
does not satisfy their cruelty. They cut open his· legs,
thighs, arms and other fleshy parts of his body. Into these
openings they thrust flaming embers or reo hot axes. Sometimes, in the midst of his torments, they oblige .:the viCl:im
to sing; and he who has the boldness to do so :'-:omits out
thousands of curses against his inhuman torme~t~rs.-, 0~.
the day of the prisoner's death, he is obligecUto pass
through this ordeal; and the pot in which the lidt~s of the
miserable wretch are to be boiled is on the fire while.._~-~ is· ·
singing. If he has shown much courage during his torments,
his heart is torn from his breast, broiled on coals and given
to the young savages. This food is supposed to impart
bravery and fearlessness to those who eat of it."
Dear Father Brebeuf! When he wrote these lines did
he feel a presentiment that the same tortures in all their
rigor were awaiting him? Six years later this glorious
servant of Christ fell a victim to the barbarous J roquois. \I)
1
< > Thirty years ago Father Nicholas Point, a worthy follower of Brebeuf,
wrote from l\Janitoulin: "Last autumn I had the consolation of making a pil·
grim age to the spot where our Fathers Brebeuf and J"allemant suffered their
martyrdom. ·what remembrances rise from this earth moistened with their
sweat and their blood! What reflections awaken in such a solitude! To-day,
this spot so dear to our Society, is nothing more than this: A litte brook flow·
ing into the Severn river and this river in turn unites the great Lake Huron
to Lake Simcoe; between these two bodies of water a piece of land; in the
middle of this land and near the brook where our first missionaries often
quenched their thirst is the spot where they had raised their 'house of
prayer;' a little on this side, a few traces of an entrenchment that the brave
neophytes had made to resist the furious onslaught of the Iroquois; grass and
moss, and an almost impenetrable forest of shrubbery and trees protecting the
mysterious sanctity of the spot, vast crops of wild oats covering the borders of
the lake; now and then a flock of pigeons crossing in the air: this is all that
remains of what our Fathers called their 'Reductions.'"
Father Brebenf's skull is kept at Hotel Dieu, Quebec. It rests in an ebony
case surmounted by a lifecsize silver bust of the martyr.
A painting of this bust and relic hangs in Berchruan's Hall in the Novitiate
at Sault-au-Recollect. Those who have spent the short years of their relig·
ions childhood in this venerable and beloved house are familiar with the
painting, but there are few, perhaps, who know its history. In the year 1841,
Father Char.elle .gave a retrent to the clergy of the Quebec diocese. On the
eve of his departure, he was brou.ght into the midst of them and presented
with this painting. Tn the centre is the ft1ll-size likene"s of the silver reliquary. All the other ruementos that render. Canada dear to the heart of a
.J esmt find a place around the bust : the History of Charlevoix open at the
frontispiece and title page, together with the arrows and tomahawks that·
made our martyrs. The carved frame is also a precious relic. It belonged to
the old Society, and encircled a painting that hung for many year3 in the
church attached to our College at Quebec.
�374
Canada.
IX
From the year 1640 to 1645 the neighborhood of the
St. Maurice did not count over a hundred souls, half of
whom were continually travelling along its banks or on the
Great Lakes in the interests of the fur-trade. The Jesuits
followed them on these perilous trips and attended to their
spiritual wants.
During 1645, Father Jerome Lallemant arrived from the
Huron Country after an absence '.of seven years. He had
only reached Three Rivers when .. he was appointed. Superior of the Jesuits in Canada.
The fort at the mouth of the Iroquois river was attended
by the Fathers of Three Rivers. Father Anne de Noue
was the first missionary stationed there after the foundation.
Ft1ther Le Jeune succeeded him.· In 1646 the garrison
grew smaller, the soldiers that were removed not being
replaced. Fathers d'Eudemarre and Duperon left Fort
Richelieu at the end of September. During the winter the
remaining soldiers would nave their spiritual wants attended
to from Three Rivers.
On the 19th of December, Father de Noue left Three
Rivers for the fort, to give the soldiers an opportunity of
gaining the jubilee. On the 30th of January, he again T~ft
Three Rivers with two soldiers and a Huron. But he never
reached the fort. A fierce storm coming on, the little band
were obliged to camp in the snow during the first night.
Father de Noue started alone in the early morning to the
fort to have help sent to his companions who were in distress. He was a viB:im to his charity. He lost his way in
the storm, roamed aimlessly for two days over the St. Lawrence, and perished in the cold, Feb. 2, 1646. He was
found frozen a few miles beyond the fort, his hands crossed
over his breast, and kneeling in the position in which St.
Francis Xavier is ordinarily' painted. The body was brought
to Three Rivers where Father de Noue was revered as a
saint.
The death of this servant of God had a most salutary ef~
�Canada.
375
feet on the little population. The Relation of 1646 tells us
that conversions were numerous, and many instead of praying for him thought only of praying to him. vVhen his
body was placed near the fire to be thawed, his features
became angelic, and tears of devotion were shed ~y those
who stood near. He was buried in the public cemetery,
with a large piece of lead secretly placed in the coffin, in
order that the remains of the holy priest might some day
be recognized. (I)
The searches that have since been made have been unsuccessful. Father de Noue was very probably buried on
the river's edge and close to the chapel. The banks of the
St. Lawrence stretched out much farther in the seventeenth
century than they do now. A large quantity of sand being
carried away yearly from the edge, the chances of finding
Father de Noue's remains after two.hundred and fifty years
are exceedingly slight.
On the 31st of July, we find Father Jogues again at Three
Rivers, after his successful trip to the Iroquois country. He
wrote his quaint and interesting description of New York
and Albany during this visit. When the sad news of his
martyrdom came the following year, it threw the little mission into the greatest sorrow.
Father Jogues was truly an apostle and martyr. The
recital of his sufferings and death has become familiar to us,
and we cease to shudder at the sickening details. But
neither his name nor the tale of his sufferings shall cease to
live. In Father Martin's 'Life of Jogues', posterity will find
the recital of those many sufferings, and his name will live
in Joguesville, the future city that is to grace the borders of
the pleasant Lake Nominingue. Thus while waiting for
that day when Rome shall proclaim the glory of FF. de
None and Jogues, the 'Life of Jogues' and Joguesville will
be pleasant monuments to recall to mind these champions
of the Canadian Missions.
(To be continued.)
(1)
Suite's Ohronique Trifluvienne.
�WISCONSIN.
CoLLEGE oF THE SACRED HEART,
PRAIRIE ou CHIEN,
Wis.,
Aug. 25th, 1884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
-~·
I am very happy to learn that you take an interest in our
still infant College, and though somewhat tardy, I take
pleasure in giving you all the important information I am
possessed of with regard to its origin and rather meagre
history. First allow me to make a brief Compositio loci.
On the east bank of the Mississippi about two miles from
the mouth of the Wisconsin river-that memorable spot
where the intrepid Fr. Marquette first launched his canoe
on the placid bosom of the ~·Father of \Vaters," is situated
a beautiful amphitheatre, enclosed by piCl:uresque bluffs,
known by the name of Prairie du Chien. How such a
charming place could come to possess a name so despicable
is one of those vexed questions which are wont to puzzle_'
the brains of the scrutinizing local historian. Some bring
_it in conneCl:ion with the Fox Indians, who are said to have
been the aboriginal inhabitants; others derive it from the
name of an Indian chief, who was the Dog among the Foxes,·
while some local Frerrch patriarch, wiser in his generation,
ascribes it to the name of an old French settler, Du Chene.
In written documents, however, that reach far back into the
last century, we find it figure as: Prairie les C!tiens, des
Chiens and ultimately in its modern aspeCl:, du Clzien, which
in all likelihood will maintain its authenticity with canine
• obstinacy in spite of all futurt: cavil and contradiCl:ion.
The city thus located and nomenclated, though small in
extent and population, is next to Green Bay, the oldest settlement in the State of Wisconsin, dating back, at least,
(376)
�Wisco?tst'n.
377
as far as 1730. For a century it was the scene of many a
bloody battle between the French and the Indians, English
and Americans successively; and the presence of Fort
Crawford, whose grim ruins are still well preserved, testifies
that it was a military post of some importance. Thus you
see that our Prairie historically considered, is not the "least
among the cities" of our great northwest.
The College building with which I would make you acquainted is situated in that seB:ion of the city called Lower
Town. The original struCture, a large frame building, the
finest of the kind I remember to have seen, consists of two
wings at right angles, is three stories high, with appartments and corridors, spacious, very commodious and well
lit. It was originally intended and served for some time as
a hotel ; but in the course of time when the boom of. business veered and took other direCtions, it became an unprofitable investment and was put up for sale.
It was thus that it came into the hands of Mr. John
Lawler of this city, who, a true friend of Catholic education,
desired for the convenience of his own rising family and the
country at large to have a College of the Society established in it. Neither the Missouri Province, however, nor
the German Mission, being at that time able to comply
with his wishes, he came to an agreement with the Christian Brothers, who accordingly in 1870 opened the College
under the title of St. Joltn's. Its success proved rather in-·
_different, so that in I 879 the Brothers found themselves
necessitated to abandon their .undertaking. Mr. Lawler,
however, who by this time had spent some $50,000 or $6o,ooo on the institution, impatient of failure, as he is, convinced that it would thrive in the hands of the Society,
applied again to Ours, and, at the special desire of Very
Rev. Father General, the College was accepted and opened
Sept. 8th, r88o, under the proteCtion of the most Sacred
Heart of Jesus.
Humanly speaking, the prospeCt was by no means a
bright one. The blessing that attends holy obedience, and
VoL. xm-No. 3·
24*
�Wisconsin.
an unshaken confidence in the Sacred Heart alone cheered
the pioneers on their westward way. There were, beside
the difficulties ordinarily attendant on every new foundation
of the kind in this country, the prejudices consequent on
the recent failure of the Brothers, the remoteness of the
place, which is, however, to a great degree compensated
for by the beauty of the site, the number of institutions,
some thriving, some struggling for existence, in the vicinity,
and countless other obstacles. But the Sacred Heart has
been true to Its ·promises, and I may safely say that the results thus far obtained not only surpass the general expectation, but must be pronounced truly successful, considering the usual march of such institutions in the country.
The number of boarders the first year ranged from thirty to
forty. The second year, it rose to sixty, while in the third
year greater strianess in receiving pupils, kept it much on
the same level. Last year, it passed eighty, which together
with the day-scholars made about a hundred in all, the
highest number which the existing building could conveniently accommodate.
It was time then to think of enlarging, and during the
winter the preliminary steps were taken toward the ereaion
of a new building, which was begun as soon as spring set
in and will, it is expeaed, be available about the first <if-·
November next, affording accommodations for about 200
students. The enclosed scrap from the Catlzolic Review,
May 31st, on occasion of the laying of the corner-stone,
gives the principal items conneaed with the new edifice:
"On Sunday, the 1 Ith inst., our tranquil "Prairie City"
witnessed a grand and imposing speaacle, which will long
live in the memory of its inhabitants-the laying of the corner-stone of the new college building of the Sacred Heart.
The interest which Tlte Catlzolic Review takes in educational
matters warrants us to suppose that a short notice of the
• solemnity will not be unwel~ome to its readers.
"The corner-stone was solemnly blessed and laid by the
Right Rev. Bishop Flasch of Lacrosse, on Sunday, the 1 Ith
inst. It was his first visit to the college since his return
from Rome, whence he was received with more than ordi-
�Wisconsin.
379
nary enthusiasm. The students met him at the depot of
Upper Town, about two m!les distant, on Saturday evening,
and escorted him in solemn procession, to the sound of the
college brass band, to the college. At 9 o'clock, A. M., Solemn High Mass, Coram Episcopo, was sung, after which his
Lordship conferred the sacrament of Confirmation on thirtyone students of the institution. He then gave the Papal
blessing with a plenary indulgence specially sent by the
Pope to the college and its inmates.
"At 4 o'clock, P. M., a solemn procession of the students
and faculty, followed by the Bishop and his assistants in
their sacred vestments, was formed in the college chapel
and moved to the place of the ceremony, while the brass
band played some choice seleEtions of sacred music. A
spacious platform, handsomely decorated, was occupied by
the clergy, the college choir, and a few distinguished citizens and visitors. Some 2,000 to 3,000 persons occupied
the grounds and followed the ceremonies with that interest
and respeEt which is charaCteristic of Americans. Before
proceeding to the blessing of the stone the Bishop delivered
an earnest and impressive address to the multitude on the
blessings of a true Catholic education, in which knowledge
is combined with religion. During the course of his remarks he paid an eloquent tribute of praise to the institution
and to its illustrious founder, Mr. Lawler. The weather
was exceedingly fine and the eloquent words of the Bishop
and the melodious voices of the choir, who admirably rendered some seleEt pieces during the ceremony, were borne
far and wide in the stillness of the evening."
This year seven of the students completed the classical
course of six years. The classical course is beginning to
take well. Though at the beginning the demand for Latin
and Greek was at a minimum, yet it is now looked upon as
an honor among the boys to belong to the classical course,
and about sixty per cent. take classics and study very diligently. Those who have had experience of colleges in the
Old Country universally acknowledge that in talent and
application our young Americans compare very favorably
with European boys. For my own part, I must confess I
never met a better or more traEtable set of boys than I have
found here for the last two years. Besides the religious
training which the students of the Society receive, two cir-
�Wisconsin.
cumstances contribute very much to the good spirit which
is to be found among our boys here, viz: a stria and firm
discipline, which keeps us rid of, or very quickly disposes
of, really bad subjeas; and the faa that we mercilessly
rejea that class of students, so common in the \Vest, who
would come to college only to winter there. This system,
it is true, will keep our numbers moderate for a time, but
it will undoubtedly work better in the long run, and has
already contributed to give the college a fair reputation
with the better class of Catholic parents. It also keeps us
free of too great a drift of non•Catholic students, who
would prove a bane rather than a boon to the institution.
By the way, we had a very consoling conversion of a
Protestant boy here the first year. He began by saying
the be·ads devoutly with the others, and our Blessed Lady
soon led him to the truth. He is now in a military school
in the East and very fervent in the practice of his religion.
This year we baptized a young pagan, the son of ought-tobe Catholic parents. Two other young Protestants made
overtures to be received into the Church this year, but the
difficulties on the part of the parents were such that we
could not enter upon their wishes at the present.
It is very creditable to our so-called graduates that twq
of them go to the novitiate, four others study for the priest-··
hood, and the seventh and last takes philosophy in George- ·
town College.
The outlook for the next year, judged from the number
of new applications, is very fair. The faculty will consist
of eight professors, four prefeas of discipline, who are at
the same time supplementary teachers, and three secular
teachers. Besides, two Fathers are employed in giving
missions and two in parochial work.
We have opened a new Indian Mission in \Vyoming at
. Lander City, where two Fathers and a lay-brother have already taken up their quarters.
With kindest regards to my few but much esteemed acquaintances at Woodstock, I am, dear Father,
Sincerely yours in the S. Heart,
}AMES CoNWAY,
S.
J,
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
CmuR n'ALENE MISSION, July 21st, 1884.
Letter from Mr. Artlutis.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
Father Cataldo arrived quite unexpeCtedly at Spokane
some days ago. I was the only one at home at the moment of his arrival, as Fr. Ruellan was teaching Catechism
in town, and Mr. Brounts was out taking a ride on horseback. On my asking Fr. Cataldo, why he had called us so
suddenly away from Woodstock, he told me that he stood
in absolute need of us this year. The next morning he
called me, and told me that I should have to start, early
next day, for Creur d'Alene Mission, which is about sixty
miles from Spokane. At 5 o'clock next morning, I set out
for my new destination, in company with Mr. Brounts and
a Brother Coadjutor. Mr. Brounts had asked permission
to go and see the Mission; he performed the journey on
horseback, while the Brother and I travelled in a wagon.
Nothing of interest occurred during the trip. Mr.
Brounts remained on horseback the whole morning, which
is not so bad for a beginner. In the afternoon while we
were jogging along quietly, all of a sudden Mr. Brount's
horse fell down and threw him to the ground. Happily he
received no other injury than a slight hurt on the hand.
vVe were agreeably surprised, on our arrival at the Mission, to find a beautiful frame church, a comfortable house
for the Fathers, and two spacious school-houses, one for
the girls, in the care of Canadian Sisters, the other for the
boys, taught by our Fathers. The next day being Sunday,
we went to the Mission church. Before Mass, the prayers
were recited in Indian, all present answering in a loud, slow
(381)
�Rocky .Mountaills.
and solemn tone of voice.
Mass was then begun. The
Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sallfius and Agnus Dei were sung by
the Indians. At the Elevation and Communion, Indian
hymns were sung. About thirty Indians approached the
Holy Table. It is a consoling sight to witness the marvels
which grace has worked in these children of the forest.
From a savage and barbarous people, they have become a
civilized nation. Listening to the advice of our Fathers,
they have settled down at the Mission as farmers. Many
of them are well to do, and even wealthy. The great chief,
Celtis, owns seven or eight hun&ed horses, and as many
head of cattle. Although civilized, these Indians have not
abandoned their laws and their own peculiar .customs.
Their reservation is a small state. The agent of the U. S.
Government has very little to do with them. "It is Celtis
who administers justice, and rules this petty state. He
possesses an army of well-drilled Indians, who perform the
office of policemen. Celtis is, above all, an excellent Christian, who makes the laws Qf God and the Church to be respeeted. Woe to the unhappy one who is guilty of bad
behavior in the church! This same chief more than once
routed the American armies during the Indian wars. He
is also a clever politician, and has often puzzled skilful law_:
yers with his subtle questions and artful explanations.
- •·
I am appointed prefeCt of the boys, and teacher of arithmetic and music. This evening, I start for the woods,
where they are encamped for the last fifteen days. I shall
be obliged to sleep on the bare ground, wrapped in a
blanket,-true missionary life. Pray for me.
Truly yours in the S. Heart,
P.
ARTHUIS,
s. J.
�MEMBERS ·oF THE SOCIETY SLAIN WITHIN THE
PRESENT LIMITS OF THE UNITED STATES.
This roll of honor was compiled by a philosopher of the
second year. Concerning the Spaniards who were put to
death about the Rappahannock a few words must be said.
The Indian novices, who had taken Spanish names, were
young men from some American tribe and had been educated in an Indian school at Havana. The scene of the
deaths of Frs. Quiros, Segura and companions is mentioned
in an article in the Catholic World, March, 1875· The editor of the LETTERS had doubts about this paper and addressed a note to the distinguished historian and eminent authority on Indian Missions, John .Gilmary Shea,
LL.D. The following reply was received: "I wrote the
article in the Catholic T¥orld. * * * I wrote my paper
with Menendez' correspondence, reports of official pilots,
letters of Frs. Segura and Quiros, as well as Tanner, and
extracts from the Chrono-Historia de Ia Provincia de Toledo. These results I have never had any occasion to
doubt. * * * There is no more difficulty with the
Spanish derroteros in hand in locating Axacan or Jacan, as
it was often written, than in locating St. Augustine or Santa
Helena." The same gentleman in another place says that
he has consulted sixty documents, and been strengthened
in his position.-Axacan pronounced by a Spaniard suggests Occoquan : a creek of this name almost touches the
Rappahannock.
Fr. Peter Martinez; born at Calda, Spain, OBober 15th,
I 533; killed by the Indians near San Augustine, Florida,
Sept. ~8th, 1566.
Fr. Louis de Quiros, a Spaniard, Brs. Gabriel de Solis,
(383)
�384 Members, S.J. Slain witlzin tire present limits of the U.S.
John Baptist Mendez, Indian novices, massacred by the Indians near the Rappahannock, Va., Feb. 3, 1571.
Fr. John Baptist de Segura of Toledo, Brs. Gabriel Gomez, Peter de Linares, Sancho Zevallos, Spaniards, and
Christopher Rodondo, an Indian novice, massacred by the
Indians on the banks of the Rappahannock, Va., Feb. 8th,
1571.
Br. Gilbert du Thet, killed by the English who were
making an attack on fort St. Sauveur, Mt. Desert Island,
Maine, Dec. 1613.
l
Br. Rene Goupil, born in Anjt>u, put to death by the Iroquois in the Mohawk Valley, near Albany, N. Y., Sept. 29,
1642.
Fr. Isaac Jogues, put to death by the same Indians near
Auriesville, a station on the West Shore Rail Road not far
from Albany, Ott. 16, 1646.
Fr. Sebastian Rasle put to death by the English colonists
at Norridgewalk, Maine, Aug. 23, 1724.
Fr. Paul du Poisson, Prov. of Champagne, killed by the
Natchez tribe, Mississipp( Nov. 28, 1729. (l)
Fr. John Souel, Prov. of Champagne, killed by the Ya2
zoo tribe, Mississippi, Dec. J 1th, 1729. <>
Fr. Peter Aulneau, Prov. of France, killed by the Sioux,
Lake of the Woods, Minnesota, June 6, 1736. (Cat. Roni.)
Fr. Anthony Senat, Prov. of France, put to death by
3
Chickasaws, Mississippi, March 26, 1736. < >
Fr. John Deguerre, killed by the Indians of Illinois: date
of death unknown? (Spalding's Life of Bishop Flaget.)
Fr. Claude Virot, killed by the Iroquois, in Genesee
Valley, N.Y., July, 1759. The Iroquois were then allies
of the English in the war against the French. Fr. Virot
was an army chaplain.
In all
19.
Total number of Fathers and Brothers put to death, of
the whole Society, 754; total number of canonized or beatified, 90 : .
(1>At
Natchez.
('>Not far from Vicksburg.
(3>
Pontotoc County, Miss,
�St. Ignatius' Clmrch, Baltimore.
Portuguese, 37; Japanese, 24; Spaniards, IS; Italians, 7;
Polish, 2 ; Belgian, I ; Corean, I ; French, 2; Dutch, 1.
.Of these: Martyrs, 78; Confessors. I2. Martyrs divided
.as follows :
Fathers, 17; Scholastics, 29; Nov. Schol I2; Coadjutors, I9; Nov. Coadj. 1.
Confessors, as follows:
Fathers, 8; Scholastics, 3; Coadj. I. First member of
the Society put to death, Anthony Criminali, Sp. Coadj.
at Punchal, East Indies, Feb. 7, I 549·
ST. IGNATIUS' CHURCH, BALTIMORE.
Sunday, oa. 5th, was a day of unusual solemnity at the
church of St. Ignatius of Loyola, Baltimore. The occasion
was the re-opening of the church which since May had
been undergoing extensive repairs. The Reaor of the College, Rev. E. A. McGurk, sang the Solemn High Mass,
assisted by the Rev. Wm. H. Carroll, Minister of St. Francis Xavier's, New York City, as deacon, and Mr. Wm. H.
Morrison, as sub-deacon. There were also present in the
sanauary, the Reaors of Woodstock, Georgetown and
Frederick-Rev. P. 0. Racicot, Rev. Jas. Doonan, and Rev.
A. J. Tisdall-together with the Rev. J no. A. Morgan, Rev.
Edw. Connolly, the clergy and faculty of Loyola College
and representatives from the secular clergy of the city.
Four months of anxious waiting had prepared the people
for some transformation, but that which met their eyes was
far beyond their most sanguine expeaations. The walls
and ceiling had been tastefully tinted, the former a pale
pistachio green, the latter a very light chocolate.
A fresco in oil of the Assumption now adorns the ceiling.
This painting is the work of the artist Lamprecht, whose
frescoes give such a pleasing effea to the church of St.
VoL. xm-No. 3·
2S
�St. Ignatius' C/wrc!z, Baltimore.
Francis Xavier, New York City. It represents our Lady
borne aloft by angels, three of whom form with her the
chief group of the painting. A burst of heavenly light illumines the upper part of the fresco, and the Queen· of
Heaven appears wrapt in ecstasy as the beatific vision
dawns upon her. Below, but dimly in the distance, appears
a segment of the earth, upon which one of the ascepging
angels scatters the sweetest blossoms, an earnest qf the
fruits of our Lady's Assumption. The face of the Blessed
Virgin is full of heavenly expression, and there is a repose
and grandeur about the figure"St a choice and happy blending of colors, which at once stamp the painting as a masterpiece.
Not less successfui than the painting from an artistic
standpoint "re the new stained-glass windows. T\Je design
is simple, and a positive avoidance of anything like extravagance in color is at once apparent. The effea which the
light, tempered by such a medium, has on the tinted walls
cannot easily be described.
The wood-work of the church has also undergone a thorough renovation. The old pews have given place to new
ones of cherry wood, while the confessionals and wainscoting around the church have also been finished in ·the
same material.
~- •·
The new altar railing is very beautiful. Short pillars of
brass with branch-like conneaions support a handsome
strip of cherry which serves as communion rail. Along the
base runs a plate of brass some six inches in height, highly.
burnished and studded at frequent intervals with fruits and
flowers in bass-relief. A pleasing background to the railing is formed by a heavy drapery of crimson cloth.
An improvement has also been made in the way of lighting the church. This is now effeaed by numerous jets of
gas-lighted by elearicity-which projea from above the
entablature and encircle tbe whole edifice.
The preacher on the occasion of the re-opening was the
Rev. Jeremiah O'Connor, S. J., of New York. After an
allusion to the beauty of God's temple and a few words of
�Recol!ec7ions.
praise for the eriergy of pastors and the generosity of pe'oc
ple by which such work had been accomplished, he drew
attention to the embellishment of another temple, the spiritual temple within us. Then, as it was well known that
there· i.vere many Protestants present, he passed by an easy
transition to the vindication of the claim of the Catholic
Chutch to be the Church of Christ.
RECOLLECTIONS.
You ask me to look back over my fifty years in the Society and give some recollections of men and places. You
request me, also, to write out any traditions concerning our
Society that may have been handed down through my
family. I comply with your request, but I take the liberty
of doing my work in the order that these things of the past
occur to my mind. The olden time and the heroic age that
I have heard about, will, I much fear, become "a twice told
tale" by any notice I may give of them, but fertur / a prioribus audivimus / traditum est are Livian, and in thus far.
respeCtable.
uH<Ec olim meminisse juvabit.,
Georgetown and lVashington.-The oldest Catholic college in the Union is that of Georgetown, D. C. It was even
down to 1830 the chief educational establishment and the
quasi-Rome of the Catholics throughout the land. In the
early times of the formation artd appointment of our American hierarchy the few Bishops who constituted it, after
their councils iri Baltimore, used to visit the College in a
body, with speech-making. and holiday giving. This gave
general satisfa~ion· and harmonized with the views of all,
especially those of the then students. The nearness to
1
< l We hope to continue this department. of the LETtims: We invite contributions. )[any interesting things will soon pass out of memory unless some
record is made of them. These recollections are not intended· to be confined
to our Province.
�Recol!dUons.
Washington City was a great advantage to the College; for
though Philadelphia gave forth the cry of independence, the
government soon after was transferred to the banks of the
Potomac. From that time Washington City has had a
marked importance. The administration of the general
government turned all eyes towards this city; and now ten
or fifteen thousand visitors are daily, while Congress is in session, walking its streets. \Vashington was, in the early days
of the republic, a rival of Baltimore for the location of the
episcopal see. A building was,once on the point of being
ereeted for the purpose, and th~ site of the Primate's cathedral had already been seleeted on or near "the Y o·ungs'
property, ad ripas Potomaci." <1>
When Georgetown was opened as a seat of learning the
president's house was not yet built in Washington. The
corner-stone was laid by the Free Masons in 1792. Gen.
vVashington was present. It was proposed to call it the
Palace; the people protested it was not Republican. Congress called it the Executive Mansion. Mr. Hoban was the
builder and architeCt. He wished to put a third story on
it, but Washington said, "no; for in that case the people
would look upon me as preparing myself for a King!" Mr.
·Hoban's son, a Father of the Society, related this anecdote
to my informant. Such an expression is of sufficient~mo
ment to warrant its record. It shows the pulse of the community of that day and how their beatings were counted.
Let me finish my:remarks with an extraa from the Century
for April: "When James Hoban, the Irish architea, who
had established. himself in Charleston, and was building
substantial"lihouses on the Battery for S. Carolina planters,
and tradesmen of that town, received notice that his plan
for the president's house had been adopted, he hastened to
Washington to claim the prize of five hundred dollars, and
to take charge of the ereCtion of the building. Hoban had
not seen much of the world, and had modeled. his plan
pretty closely upon one of the best houses he knew-that
(1) The land was given for the purp,ose, and still belongs to the Archbishop
if we mistake not. It is known as 'Cathedral Lot."-EDITOR,
�Recollec?ions.
of the Duke of Leinster, in Dublin. The Duke's house
was in imitation of one of those spacious and stately villas
which the Italians learned to build when the rest of Europe
was living in uncouth piles of brick or gloomy fortified castles. Indeed the world has not improved much to this day
on the Italian house of the middle ages, save in inventions
for water-pipes, warming and lighting. Thick walls secured
warmth in winter and coolness in summer; the windows
were made to admit plenty of air and sunlight, the wide
doors for ingress and egress, without jostling, of people
walking by twos and threes ; the stairs were easy to climb,
the rooms high, well-proportioned, and of a size fitted for
the several uses. Thus was the White House built."
General Wasltington.- The Canada question, the sending
to the people of that country of our three commissioners,
and many other things brought General Washington in frequent intercourse with Bishop Carroll. It is believed that
they were intimate friends. It was said the Bishop privately visited the General in his last illness, to sympathize
with, solace, and aid him in his last moments. As the English knife that had been used to disembowel the martyr
(before he had died by hanging), at that period, had hardly
had time to let the blood of the viCl:im dry upon it, such an
interview was whispered "sub rosa." Not a few corroborating circumstances of this private meeting, which I now
no longer bear in mind, were told. My opinion is that it
was rather a pious thought than anything more substantial.
Gratitude would most naturally raise from the world of
probabilities all blessings and gather them around the
death-bed of the "Father of his country."
Fr. George Hunter.-"Traditum est." In the early times
of the Mission of St. Thomas near Port Tobacco, a message
came by night to old Fr. George Hunter, calling him in
haste, over the Potomac river into Virginia. Fr. George
was one of the earliest pioneers, and built the church and
house of St. Thomas'. The two callers who aroused him
from his bed, entreated him to come at once to one in
grievous sickness beyond the river. Two young men of
�390
Recollefli{ms.
comely mein- well-favored, as the phrase then wentcame on a "sick-call." The priest receiving their message
girt himself for the trip. Everything having been made
ready, they set out for the river. The two young men
walked ahead to the boat that was ready by the shore. All
aboard, the youths took to their oars and sent the boat
spinning through the waves. Their trip of about five or six
miles was duly made. Upon landing on the Virginia shore,
they saw three horses ready for their conveyance to the
house of the sick man. One of the youths led a horse to
Fr. Hunter and respectfully held-,.the stirrup for him to
mount. The young men then mounting the other horses
trotted on briskly in advance to point out the road. Arrived at a lowly dwelling, the Father went up stairs, and
found the patient far gone in his sickness and waiting in
pain for the last rites of the Church and her parting blessing. These, given with faith, were received in humble
hope. All over, the Father found his attendants awaiting
his return, with the horses ready. They soon galloped
back some four or five miles-to the banks of the river. Entering the boat, that threw on either side the foam of the
waves, they soon neared the Maryland side and landed at
Chapel Point. The Father was about to bid his attendants
good-bye; but "no;" they insisted on accompanying him to-- •·
the house; for the mere loneliness of the night would make
his walk dreary and unpleasant. The Father felt full of joy
while he walked and conversed with them on the way.
When nearing the church, the Father was upon the point
of speaking to invite his attendants into the house to take
some refreshments-"They had food he knew not of"when lo! in the clear and bright night-this is mentioned
-no one was to be seen. His companions of the night had
vanished. The office of the angels was discharged and
. they had returned to their Father in heaven. Fr. George
stood before the church door a picture of wonder. After
his amazement the dear old priest humbled himself before
God, and in gratitude thanked the Lord, who never forgets
the poor. that live in the sanctuary of Christ's Sacred Heart.
�Recolle[lions.
391
Holy Communion.-"Fertur"-I can only speak in general now. But the earnestness of God's friends is a warranty of their truthfulness. Those who have become exiles
from their native land to help their brethren on the way to
heaven are hardly to be lightly accused of honoring, by a
gratuitous lie, "the father of lies." . The following is a plain
and simple narration: A very sick woman, at the time of
receiving the last rites of the dying, after having made her
confession, was, at the moment of communicating at one
end of the sick-room and the priest, with the Communion,
at the other. This faa happened in St. Mary's Co., Md.
The priest at the table after blessing his patient was holding
the host in his fingers: when the "Domine non sum dignus," had, as usual, been repeated for the third time, the
host went out from the priest's fingers and passed quite
athwart the room to the communicant's mouth. The lips
were open to receive: an invisible power was administering
Communion, and so the priest found himself superseded by
a providential interposition.
"Laudetur SS. Sacramentum."-How our Lord showed
himself in the Eucharist was even in my own sight manifest. The prince-priest Hohenlohe used some forty or
fifty years ago to say Mass on certain days for the Catholics of the different countries. A novena was usually made,
and often by some religious community, for the purpose of
obtaining favors through the Most Bd. Sacrament. A novena of this description was made in Frederick City, Md.
Communion was given on the last day of the riovena at 4
o'clock, A. M. This time corresponded with the hour of
prince Hohenlohe's Mass in Europe. The infirm person
was nearly dead of pulmonary consumption; hardly, if at
all, able to turn in bed, and at the very instant of receiving
Communion was perfealy cured and made free from all
ailment. The Sisters of the Visitation of Frederick had
also made the novena.
S.
(To be continued.)
�OBITUARY.
FATHER PAUL DE HAZA-RADLITZ.
On July 16th, 1884, died at the ,hospital of the Alexian
Brothers, St. Louis, Mo., a good and faithful servant in the
Lord's vineyard, Father Paul de Haza-Radlitz. He was
born in 'Germany, of a noble family, on the 25th of January,
1830. His father was a convert to the Catholic Church.
Two of his brothers entered like himself the Society of
Jesus;, three were officers in the Prussian army, and his
sister embraced the religious life. Paul entered the novitiate at Munster, in Westphalia, on August 23rd, 1852; he
was ordained priest, April the 9th, I 8 59; in 1867 he left
his native land to devote hiinself to the American Mission;
and on May the 11th of the same year he landed in New
York. After a short stay at St. Joseph's Church, St. Louis,
he was sent to Washington, Franklin Co., Mo., as assistant.
to Rev. Father Seisl, S. ].. where he remained for two year{ •·
and visited regularly the surrounding German missionary
stations. In the autumn of 1869, he was removed to Westphalia, Osage Co., Mo., where he spent his energy, and
sacrificed his health in attending to the various neighboring
missions.
When his brethren in Germany were driven from their
fatherland by the persecuting laws of the Prussian government, and there was no prospeCt of a speedy return to their
country, Father Haza requested and obtained his transfer
from the German to the Missouri Province. Though the
life of a missionary priest in the west, must have offered
many hardships to one who had been raised in luxury and
had spent his youth among the nobility of Germany and
(392)
�Father Paul de 1-iaza-Radlib.
393
France, yet his love for his sacred calling, and his zeal for
souls made him endure courageously and cheerfully his
many privations and hardships.
Father Haza was a poet of no mean attainments; and the
German Catholic papers offered to their readers refreshing
effusions of his poetic muse. But these were only the products of his few leisure moments. His time, so long as his
weak health allowed it, was devoted to hard and prosaic labor for the salvation of souls. He thought that he
could spend his talents and his strength in no better cause
than that of working for the good, simple people, that were
entrusted to his care. For their welfare he sacrificed willingly his more refined inclinations. To establish thoroughly
Catholic families, where the faith would be transmitted pure
and undefiled from parents to children, was his ambition.
To the attainment of that end, he devoted his time and his
labor. And the good people among whom he was working appreciated his devotion and zeal. With sorrow they
beheld him depart from their midst, when his Superiors ordered him to seek in St. Louis a remedy for his long and
obstinate sickness. They feared, and their fear was but too
well grounded, that they would never see him again. He
had spent years in his small cabin; and when at length a
new and comfortable house had been completed, he exchanged his poor dwelling not for the new building, but for
the hospital of the Alexian Brothers, in St. Louis. But his
labors, his privations and his continued ill health had worn
'out his strength.
Despite the assiduous care of the good Brothers, and the
attendance of skilful physicians, he grew weaker and weaker, till on July the 16th, the feast of our Lady of Mount
Carmel, he quietly breathed his last. He died on the feast
of her, whom he had honored in sermon and in song, and
whom he had made others love and honor. Armed with
the sign of her special protection, the scapular, and on its
very feast, he passed from his labors and sufferings to eter~
nal rest and joy. His obsequies were celebrated at St,
VoL. xxi1-No. 3·
I
25*
�594
Father jolzn B. M~igt.
Joseph's Church, St. Louis; and his mortal remains now
rest in the quiet graveyard of the novitiate at Florissant.R. I. P.
FATHER JoHN
B.
MrEGE.
The persecution which in I848 assailed the religious Orders in Europe and the Society of Jesus in particular, caused
. a general dispersion of the Fathers in Italy and the neighboring States, and was employed by providence as an occasion of sending new bands or ·Missionaries to America.
John Baptist Miege was among these apostles. Born in
ISIS, he was the youngest son of a wealthy, pious and
widely known family of the parish of Chevron, in Upper
Savoy. Several members of the family all of whom, it appears, were endowed with talents in a remarkable degree,
had occupied prominent posts in the government or held
important positions in the Church. Urban, a brother, fif.
teen years Fr. Miege's senior, was for nearly forty-two years
DireB:or of the Episcopa-l Seminary of Montiers. When
at a very early age John Baptist was committed to his care,
his solicitude for him was the more tender and his surveillance the more unremitting, as his affeB:ion for him W'}"S
truly paternal. His zeal was amply rewarded, for John··
Baptist was not slow to display a marked fitness for every
branch of literature, and that relish for spiritual perfeB:ion
which he ever after experienced, even in the most distraCting duties of his episcopacy.
He completed his literary studies at nineteen, when he
surprised his direB:ors who had been already convinced of
his preference for the ecclesiastical state by a sudden turn
of his thoughts. One morning when about to return home
for his vacations, he timidly approached his brother's room
and communicated to him his intention of joining the army.
His brother was painfully s"urprised, but, knowing well the
state of Europe and understanding that the atmosphere of
war could penetrate even to the Seminary, he said calmly
after a moment's thought, "brother, I am willing, but upon
�Father joh1z B. Miege.
395
this condition, that you finish your course of philosophy.
You are yet young and have ample time to enlist, while a
course of philosophy is sure to prove one of your praCtical
needs." He gladly assented, and after two years of philosophy, again presented himself before his brother. "Well,
John Baptist," said Urban. "Brother, with your consent I
would like to enter the Society of Jesus." "What about
the army?" asked his brother. "Oh well, that is entering the
army," replied the young philosopher. Urban gave him
all assistance possible, and two weeks later, on the 23rd of
Oct., 1836, he was admitted into the Society by Rev. Fr.
Puty, Rector of the novitiate at Milan.
His first years of spiritual life were spent under Father
Francis Pellico, brother of the illustrious author, Silvio, and
afterwards Italian assistant to the General. He lost no time
in laboring to master the virtues of his calling. There are
those still living, companions of his novice life, who recall
the favor they enjoyed of witnessing in one so young the
most condescending charity, a humility that ,coveted every
abjection, an uncompromising spirit of discipline, and an
absorbing devotion to his institute-virtues which shone
brilliantly during the remainder of his life.
Like the beloved disciple his most fertile theme when
discoursing to his brethren was: "Love one another. Bear
with each other and forbear." And when on his death-bed
after having been annointed, he was asked by Rev. Father
Provincial : "What advice shall I give from you to the
young men gathered around you," he answered, "tell them
to be charitable." 'vVe know the profound humility and
the deep attachment for his own dear Society of Jesus,
which induced him to strive with such persevering eagerness to cast aside the honors of the episcopacy. His zeal
for discipline is evidenced by the fact that under a press of
affairs that suggested so slight a disturbance of discipline as
the postponement of community prayer, he always yielded
to his predominant passion for the military precision of his
Order rather than expedite business at its expense.
He pronounced his first vows on the 15th of Ott. 1838,
�Fatlter jo!tn B . .lfiege.
and after two years of Juniorate, was transferred to the
large boarding-school at Milan, where he was appointed
Chief Disciplinarian. In I 843, he was removed to Chambery, where he remained until Sept., I844, his jovial and
genial disposition ~nd the fulness with which he sympathized with the students endearing him to them, and rendering them as pliable as wax in his hands. In Sept. 1844,
the Provincial, Fr. Breciani, seeing that to insure the future
eminence of his young subjea nothing would better correspond to the spirit of the Institute than to afford him the
advantage of eminent masters, ~ent him to Rome. And
eminent professors were his : the erudite Perrone, the brilliant but unfortunate Passaglia, Father Patrizzi, the great
authority in bibliography, and Father Anthony Ballerini,
the eminent moralist, were the four under whom he began
his theological studies. In all things were his labors thorough and exceedingly successful, but his eminently praaical mind rendered him especially fitted to take in the varied
solutions of moral questions. His opinion in moral questions was invariably the l_!lost desirable to follow, perfealy
safe, and as liberal as well regulated charity would permit.
In I 847, during his third year of theology, he was ordained priest at Rome, and in 1848 he completed his theological studies. During this year, the houses of the Society
were closed by the Revolutionists and the Fathers dispersed, the greater number going to England, Belgium or
France. Among those who hastened to Civita Vecchia to
take shipping for Marseilles was Father Miege. He was
ordered to France, whence at his own long and earnest petition, he was to sail for the Indian Mission of ·North
America. It is admirable to contemplate the attention
which the young Father manifested for his brothers in religion during those perilous days. The steamers then plying between Naples and Marseilles were in the pay, if not
in the power of the Revo_lutionists; insult was, therefore,
unavoidable, were it not for the confiding care of this
great-hearted man. Father Miege arrived at Civita Vecchia
a day or two before his brethren, and was ·so completely
�Father :Jolttz B. llfiege.
397
disguised that his identity was not for a moment suspeaed
by the officers of the vessel. He was not slow in perceiving this and took every liberty secured to him by his t"tzcognito. Assuming the role of protector of the exiles, his
address was so bold, his rebukes and his orders so peremptory that all on board honored him as an Italian grandee.
Under his sheltering patronage, the exiles sailed not only
unmolested, but pleasantly. He left Marseilles for America
in the mid-summer of 1849, and reached St. Louis early in
the fall. At this point his travels were for a time interrupted. He was appointed to the pastorship of the little
church of St. Charles with its accessory charge of the mission of the Portage.
Later on he was removed to Florissant, the House of
Probation, where he taught Moral Theology until the
spring of 1851, when he was transferred to St. Louis University. One evening in the fall of 1851, Father Miege
found upon his desk in the Study Hall a large sealed packet addressed to himself.
He did not open it, but after
studies took it to his room where it remained untouched.
The Reaor and many of the Fathers aware of its contents
had remained silent, desirous of seeing its effea upon the
humility of Father Miege. He, however, regarding the
packet as a good joke played at his expense by the boys,
did not even open it, and was not in the least affeaed by its
contents. When, therefore, the Rev. Father Reaor assured
him that it contained his appointment to the Vicariate
Apostolic of all the territory between the States and the
Rocky Mountains, he was painfully disturbed. It was more
than his humility could bear, and he firmly but respeafully
returned the documents to Archbishop Kenrick who had
sent them. A short while after, a formal order from the
Holy See obliged him to assume the burden of the episcopacy with the assurance that he would never be forced to
become a titular Bishop, thus severing his membership with
his order. He was accordingly consecrated by Archbishop
Kenrick on the 25th of March, 185 I, in St. Xavier's Church,
�Father joh11 B. Mzifge.
St. Louis, receiving the title of Bishop of Messana (£11 partibus i11.fidelium ).
On the 1 Jth of the following May, he left St. Louis, and
after a tedious journey by boat, up the Missouri, reached
St. Joseph. Four days later, accompanied by the Rev. P.
M. Ponziglione, a life-long missionary among the Indians
of Kansas, he crossed the Missouri. Having reached St.
Mary's, his future see, the young prelate immediately entered upon the busy work of a missionary priest. He often
visited the distant limits of his broad vicariate, traversing
the then trackless wastes of Ka.~sas, Nebraska, Colorado
and the Indian 'territory. (I) In August, 1855, he removed
to Leavenworth where he found seven Catholic families ;
when he retired in 1874, he left several thousand faithful
members of the Church. Having built there a magnificent
cathedral and furnished an elegant episcopal residence, he
made his final and successful petition to the Holy See for
his successor. After the appointment of his coadjutor, he
travelled through California, Chili, Brazil and other states
of S. America, the charity of the faithful enabling him to
liquidate his debts.
Having provided everything for his successor, Fr. Miege
earnestly besought the Holy Father to relieve him of hi;;
episcopal duties. After many entreaties his prayer was.·
granted; and in July, 1874, he quietly retired as a simple
Jesuit Father to St. Louis University, whence twenty years
before, he had gone forth to found the western church. A
week after his resignation, he withdrew to the quiet of
\Voodstock College, Maryland, where he aCl:ed as spiritual
adviser to the young men of the Society. He remained in
this position until June 1877, when he was sent to Detroit,
Michigan, to open a college of the Society in that city,
where he became a universal favorite of clergy and people.
In 188o, he again retired to \Voodstock.
His remaining days were· full of physical trials. In the
spring of 1883, he was prostrated by paralysis. He lingered
---
(llln 1853. Fr. Miege was in Rome, and acted as procurator for the Vice,
province of :;IIissouri in the twenty-second General CongrPgntion.
�Father Jolm B. llfiege.
399
in this state over a year, undergoing during this period
many sufferings, and the annoyance from a frightful burn,
the result of an accident that deprived him of the full use
of his hands. At length, fortified by all the rites of Holy
Church, and surrounded by the kind offices of his religious
brethren, this humble prelate and great missionary surrendered his grand and simple soul into the hands of his maker
on the zoth of July, 1884.
It is indeed difficult to do even scant justice to the leading features of this truly patriarchal character. Fr. Miege
was a holy priest, an humble religious and a zealous Bishop.
His presence ever proved an unfailing spell, charming the
young into a confiding freedom of intercourse, an.d his older
friends into a mingled veneration and love for his great
social and religious virtues. He had a smile and a hearty
reception for everybody, simply because all had a deep
share in his sympathy, and none ever proved the object of
his suspicion or dislike. With the sad and dejected he was
always discriminate. He perceived, one would say, intuitively, where there was a dangerous or harmful melancholy,
and none knew better than he what to say and how to say
it. To these afflicted friends, he was really a father; but,
when trifles disturbed the mind, his raillery was simply
baffling. It gave no quarter, admitted no explanation, but,
provoked an entire oblivion, or a ludicrous recollection of
the little things that sometimes make a man miserable. He
so adjusted his attentio~ to everybody, that it was a perfect
pastime to entertain him, and a treat to enjoy the favor ·of
his company; disliking unnecessary distinctions, his great
soul sympathized equally with all who found in him a kind
father and an unswerving friend.-May he rest in peace.
Amen.
�Fatlzer Joseplt Enders.
FATHER JosEPH ENDERS.
Fr. Enders died at the Novitiate, Frederick, Md., Sept.
10th, 1884, aged 77 years, 9 months and 23 days.
Some enduring record should be made of the labors of
this zealous and holy man, who leaving his native country
and all that the word carries with it, gave forty-four years
of his life to our Province. Another and an infinitely
higher record was made in heaven and the reward bestowed
there, we may hope; still gratit1.1,de compels us to say something here. Besides, the bright example given by our departed Father of zeal, devotion, patience and amiability may
move us to imitate him.
Fr. Enders was born near Munich, in Bavaria, Nov. 17th,
1806. · His parents were pious people engaged in farming,
who taught him from the cradle the praCtice of his holy religion. At an early age he expressed his desire to become
a priest, and his father took him to the nearest town to begin his studies. At the age of twenty-five he was ordained
a priest in the diocese of Munich. Later he felt drawn to
the Society; he entered the novitiate in Brieg, Canton of
Vallis, Switzerland, Sept. 28th, 1836. Here "he was always modest, humble, pious and laborious and kind to ali,"
writes an old acquaintance; "hence also loved and esteemed
by all. The Superiors found in him a docile and obedient
religious who loved the Society and its rules with a cordial
affeB:ion." After his noviceship he repeated his rhetoric
for a year and was then sent to the college of Friburg. After spending some time at this great seat of learning, then
at the very zenith of its renown, he was sent to our Province together with Father Anthony Rey, and arrived in
Georgetown College at the end of 1840.
The first mission given Fr. Enders, after he had spent a
few months in the study of-English, was at Newtown in St.
Mary's County, and this he served faithfully for over two
years. He was then sent to Frederick where he had
charge of the out-lying missions for a year. We find him
�Fat/zer }osepit Enders.
as Superior at Newtown in 1845, '46, '47· Whilst here he
began the present church of St. Aloysius in Leonardtown ;
an older <:hurch, a mile from the town, and built in the last
century, was found to be too small for the congregation.
To form some idea of the labors of this mission forty years
ago, I may say that two Fathers then had charge of the
churches that are now attended by four, and they will tell
you that they have enough to do.
From 1848 to 1858 he was Superior at Conewago. During this time he attended, together with the Fathers with
him, many missions which are now surrounded by populous
towns and have resident pastors. These missions had been
established by Fathers Wappeler, Pellentz, and Manners in
the last 'century, and Fr. Enders and his companions may
be justly styled the last of the illustrious line of missionary
priests who kept the faith alive in this part of Pennsylvania,
until the increasing population called for resident pastors.
In 1850, he enlarged the church at Conewago with transept,
sanauary and sacristy. His rare skill in the arts of painting and architeaure was now of great service to him.
Here and in St. Mary's County sometime afterward, he
used his pencil for altar-pieces and other works of no mean
merit.
In 1859 he was again made Superior at Newtown. The
first work he undertook was the improving of the church
in Leonardtown. He enlarged it considerably and added a
beautiful spire of his own design. The altar-piece in this
church, as well as the one in the Medley's Neck Chapel
were painted by him. He was a man of untiring energy.
The spiritual needs of the congregation were most near to
him. No labor, no exposure to the inclemency of the season were thought of when their was a question of duty, or
some one in danger of death required his spiritual help.
Not unfrequently, his bodily infirmities weighed him down;
not unfrequently the saying of Holy Mass or the visiting of
the sick was a torture to him, and yet he never flinched
from his duty. It was whilst riding to one of his missions
VoL. xm-No. 3·
26
�402
Father Joseplz Enders.
in 1866 he inet with a severe accident by being thrown
from his horse; his collar-bone was broken, and he was
confined for four weeks to his room under the hospitable
roof of one of his parishioners. In all his trials and sufferings he was remarkably patient; and there was great need
of this virtue when towards the end of his life his infirmities
were multiplied.
In July, 1868, Fr. Enders made Leonardtown the residence of the mission; this was a judicious change; for it
he had already made preparations by the enlargement of a
building he had purchased. N.ow the Fathers from a central point could more easily attend their churches.
In 1870 he was transferred to Conewago. Here he again
made improvements in the church by the ereCtion Of a spire
and a marble altar, and in the residence by the introduction of water. This great comfort he had previously seen
to, but for want of care the machinery for raising the water
had become useless. He remained in Conewago until the
winter of this year, when Superiors bade him retire to
Frederick to spend the ·last days of a profitable life. It is
needless to say that hi.-> people regretted his departure, for
it was a token .of another soon to be. For twenty-four
years he worked for them, and they, as well as the faithful
in Maryland, revered him as a saint. Year in and year·-out
was a continual round of works. Day or night, rain or
shine, sick or well-duty was to him imperative. And this
his people knew well. "As a Father," wrote a friend of
his, "he is most kind and patient; as a friend, true and
warm-hearted; as a gentleman, most genial, hospitable and
cultured; and above all, his solid piety and many virtues
stand conspicuous."
Fr. Enders had been a sufferer for many years, and those
who saw him in his retirement in Frederick could not but
be edified by his resignation to the will of God, by his fervor in his religious dutie-s; especially during the sacrifice of
Mass. His life had been of the kind that leads to a happy
death, but here surrounded by all that makes novice life so
holy, he prepared himself for the next world. He requested
�Brot!ter Patn"ck Hayes.
to be allowed to make the annual retreat with the community, and this was partly granted him. The one who gave
the exercises could not help feeling humbled, when explaining the points he beheld among his listeners the first priest
he ever saw, the Father to whom he made his first confession nearly forty years before, the one who, in common
with many of our Fathers on the Maryland Mission, was
revered as a saintly man.
"His death like his life was full of peace and holy calm,"
writes the Father who was by his side; "he was conscious
till within the few last moments before he expired. Father
Bapst, who had been his fellow-novice, asked me to beg his
prayers for himself that our Lord would call him soon if it
were His holy will. I did so, and Fr. Enders replied that
he would not forget him. The last few months, the retreat
you gave, he passed through with the idea that he might
be ready for the end. Preparation for death was his sole
thought."
.
Ripe in years and merits, Fr. Enders has gone to his rest.
His good works were there before him. His apostleship
was comparatively hidden; his eloquence was not that of
the tongue, but the far better one of example, for this will
last when the sound of words has long since died away.R. I. P.
BROTHER PATRICK HAYES.
Those who saw this Brother during vacation at St. Inigoes, and were every day witnesses of his manly vigor and
unflagging energy could never have imagined that so soon
he should pass away. He died at St. Inigoes on Sept.
27th. For some days he had been unwell owing to an attack of malarial fever; having almost recovered, he exposed
himself imprudently to the sun's rays at midday and was
again taken ill. Soon symptoms of typhoid were noticed,
and in a short time his case was hopeless.
Br. Hayes was born in Ireland March, 17th, 1843. He
entered the Society April 20th, 1867, after having spent
�Fatlzer Mzdiad]. Tracy.
some time as a postulant at Fordham. He made his novitiate at Sault-au-RecolleCt in Canada, and whilst engaged
in this first training for his \Vork, ht! edified all by his fervor,
regularity and everything becoming one in his station. He
was remarkably industrious in doing the task allotted him
by Superiors, and this trait of charaCter was only made
more perfeCt in his after life. He always took the greatest
interest in his work, whatever it might be, because he knew
that he was doing it for God.
After his novitiate he was sent to Chatham in CanadavVest for sometime; thence he1"~turned to Fordham. From
Fordham he was sent to Troy. Leaving Troy by the order
of Superiors, he repaired to the Indian Missions in Canada,
where he spent several years and was of great service to
the Fathers in the management of the farm. The work was
hard and required no little patience and skill in the one on
whom the responsibility rested for its being properly done.
Two years ago Br. Hayes was recalled to the United
States; he was again stationed at Manresa, where he had
charge of the farm. Early last spring Superiors sent him
to St. Inigoes where he was of great service until his last
sickness.
This is a brief sketch of our Brother who has gone to his
rest in the prime of life. We had hoped for many years" of
usefulness at his hands, but God has willed otherwise. This
hidden career has come to an end, but the good tord who
rewards all who are enlisted in his service, and takes account of even the most trifling thing we do for His name's
sake will not overlook the toil and sweat of our Brother,
nor the love and fervor with which he labored.-R. I. P.
FATHER MICHAEL
J.
TRACY.
The subjeCt of the following sketch was born November
1st, 1839· A native of Ireland, he came to this country in
185 I, and, after preparatory studies made at St. Joseph's
College, Bardstown, Ky., was employed as a teacher for
three years at St. Xavier Parish School, Cincinnati, and
�Fatlter Mic!tael]. Tracy.
later on at a Business College in the same city. It was
while filling this latter position that he acquired that proficiency as a book-keeper and accountant for which he became distinguished, and which he turned to so much practical advantage in the Society afterwards. Called by God
to the priesthood, he entered the Seminary of Mt. St. Mary's
of the West, but stayed there only two years, leaving it for
the novitiate at Florissant, which he entered in the summer
of '63. His years of noviceship and juniorate over, he was
sent to St. Louis University to teach, and then to his philosophy, in both of which undertakings he met with commendable success. He made his theology at Woodstock,
and, returning to his Province early in the spring of 1875,
was ordained priest in the Cathedral of Cincinnati on Pen~
tecost Sunday, May I sth following, after which he was appointed Procurator of the college in St. Louis, where he
remained until a grievous attack of inflammation of the
lungs forced him to give up his office and seek needed
rest in travel.
Somewhat bettered by a change of air and occupation,
he again fell to his wonted task, and for the last five years
of his life was treasurer of St. Xavier College, Cincinnati.
His exceptional ability as a financier tided that institution
over more than one strait and set it upon a firm financial footing. It was while at St. Xavier that he contraCted the cold
which brought on the consumption, to which his delicate
frame eventually succumbed. Despite the care he took of
himself, he was never wholly ridded of it, and its work,
though gradual, was so telling that in the fall of '83 his Su. periors relieved him of official duties altogether and sent
him east for the benefit of his health. Upon his return he
resumed his former labors, but only to surrender them
again and entirely in the following spring, and go south in
search of another lease of a life that was fast slipping away.
He remained at the south less than three months and then,
realizing that he was beyond all hope, hastened back to
Cincinnati-there to die, where so much of his life's best
work had been done, and where so many of its earliest and
�Father Mi·clwCl
J
TraC)'.
happiest recolleaions still clustered. On Sunday night,
Sept. 21st, at half-past eight, strengthened by the sacraments and surrounded by his brethren, his pure soul passed
painlessly and without a ruffle, into the broad daylight of
its eternity, and into the endless realization of that blessed
hope which had been laid up in his heart for years-the
hope of the Psalmist when he sang: "Conmpivi sa!utare
tuum Domine." Tuesday following, solemn High Mass of
Requiem was sung by the Reaor, Fr. Henry Moeller, and
the Office of the Dead chanted in the college church in the
presence of a great throng of acquaintances and friends, who
had gathered to pay a last sincere tribute to his memory.
Many of them followed his remains to St. Joseph's Cemetery, where he was laid to the quiet of his long, unbroken
rest, in the midst of his religious brethren.
Father Tracy's charaaer was not difficult to understand.
Plainness of manner, largeness of heart, delicacy of sympathy and a resolute straightforwardness of purpose were its
most striking features. The many virtues which he practised and which formed the mainspring of his aaions, were
discoverable in everything he did, and were doubly enhanced by an easiness of address, which made his company
desirable, and won for him the friendship, love and esteem
of all with whom he dealt. He was in no wise warped'- cfr
narrowed. He lived and worked for others rather than for
himself, and his charity went out in full measure to those
with whom he came in contaa. He operated upon a broad
and steady basis, his condua being always sweetly and judiciously toned and tempered and guarded by the saving
principles of religious life, which he understood so well, and
which lay at the hidden root of that wonderful readiness
and exaaness in the discharge of spiritual and official duties for which he was particularly remarkable. And though
he was eminently a man of enterprise and determination,
and had very pronounced views of his own upon most
points, especially upon matters of business, yet he knew
perfealy ho~ to blend and harmonize them with the higher
and holier and more certain rules of condua, laid down fo~
�Father Michael ]. Tracy.
his guidance by those to whose watchfu.l keeping God had
committed him. This spirit of simple and unassuming obedience, added to his many natural attainments of no mean
order, qualified him highly and made him a fit and sure instrument in the hands of Superiors for the accomplishment
of good and permanent work, and gained for him the various positions of trust and consequence, which he has held,
at one time or another, ever since the days of his novitiate.
Industrious to a fault, he never tired at his post, but worked
long and well-perhaps, too long and too earnestly for the
frail constitution which he bore. His passion for unabated
and thorough laqor never deserted him. He may have
been, and doubtle:ss was, occasionally fretted and tried by
the reverses and perplexities commonly incident upon office, but no one was suffered to know it but himself.
Through them all he moved with a balance of mind and
manner, and lightness of heart, and resignation of soul that
made it evident, even to a chance observer, that he was
doing not his own but the difficult and encouraging work of
the Lord.
The responsible position of minister and procurator which
he held, off and on for so many years, gave him ample opportunity of exercising his charity, patience and prudence;
and those who dwelt with him will recall, with pleasure, the
use he made of the means thus afforded him of sanCtifying
himself and benefiting others. Kind to all, he was at the
disposal of all, and no one, not even the humblest member
of the community, ever appealed to him in vain for counsel
or aid, which he always bestowed with a smile or an
exhibition of praiseworthy condescension. Even when protraCted illness had wrought frightful inroads upon his shattered health, and when one would naturally have expeCted
his spirit to be more or less broken and his disposition
changed in consequence he was still the same considerate,
thoughtful "Father Tracy"-forgetful of himself, wholesouled and equable in his treatment of others.
But now he is gone. His day has declined, and God has
taken him to the joy of his rest and reward. Yet, the rich,
�Father .Miclzael .Mulry.
ripe fruit of his works will remain for many years amongst
us-a splendid and ever-enduring monument of his zeal in
his own and others' behalf; while the recolleEl:ion of his
humble charity and pleasant ways will linger long-delightful memories in the minds of those who lived with him
and loved him, and will pray for him and keep his name in
benediEl:ion forever.- R. I. P.
FATHER MlcH.AEL MuLRY.
·From Tlle·Xavier.
The Rev. Fr. Mulry, late Assistant to the Vice-President
of the College, died at St. Vincent's Hospital on Tuesday,
September 30th, at 1.45 P. III. His death which had been
expeEl:ed for many weeks past, was caused by a lingering
though violent consumption lasting over five years. He
was born in New York, July 26th, 1853, and after attending for some time the De La Salle Institute, he began his
classical studies at St. Francis Xavier's, entering Introductory Class in 1872. By dint of earnest study he secured
promotion to Classics the following year, and after a retreat
made under Rev. Fr. Cazeau, S. J., in 1874, he entered .the
Jesuit Novitiate at Sault-au-RecolleEl:, near Montreal, ·canada. . Two years later he was sent to Florissant, Mo., to
finish his literary studies, arid from thence to Woodstock,
where he began his philosophical studies in 1877. In the
spring of 1879, he caught a severe cold, which rapidly developed into consumption. Both his doEl:ors and Superiors
were agreed that he needed a more temperate climate, and
he was accordingly sent to Seguin, Texas, where he spent
a year, as Professor in the Jesuit Academy of that city. In
I 88o he returned to continue his theological studies in
Woodstock, where he was ordained priest, April 23d of
I 88 I: Though at the time of his ordination, his Superiors
feared that he could not live long, they were aware that his
energetic ~pirit could not brook the invalid's inaEl:ivity, and
in order to satisfy his desire of working they named him
�Father· Basil Pacciarini.
Assistant to the Vice-President of this College. This office
he held the past three years, during which time he won the
love and admiration of the students for his zeal, patience
and gentleness, despite his many occupations and trials.
No detail in the management of the College could ever
escape him, nor would he consent to resign his office until
·sheer weakness forced him to his room and death-bed.
Nearly four months agp he was sent to St. Vincent's Hospital, and from that time his resignation and gentleness became
even more remarkable. His life of 3 I years was not one of
worldly renown or happiness, but it was full of good deeds
and a pious joy that was born of a well founded Christian
hope. He had left all things to follow Christ, and for years
past his only longing was to die and live for Christ; be it
our prayer that his longing may be fulfilled. The Office of
th~ Dead was chanted by his brethren, Thursday morning
at half-past eight o'clock. After the Mass, which was attended by many of the students, his body was taken to
West-Park-on-Hudson for interment.-R. I. P.
FATHER BASIL PACCIARINI.
Fr. Basil Pacciarini was born in the province of Umbria,
Italy, on the tenth of February, r8r6. The place of his
birth was hallowed by the traditions of St. Francis; for
near by stood Mt. Alvernia, in one of whose caves the seraphic saint abode when he received the impression of the
sacred wounds. At eighteen years of age our Father received the call of grace which he generously answered by
leaving home and kindred to enter the novitiate of Sant'
Andrea at Rome. The first years of the young religious
were the usual ones of novitiate and juniorate during which
he showed marked fervor of spirit by his attention to the
rules. Then came the three years of philosophy and in
their turn the years that are devoted to teaching in the colleges. While engaged, whether in studying or teaching, he
displayed like zeal for his Master's service-that zeal which
Vox.. xm-No. 3·
26*
�Patlzer Basil Pacc£arini.
in its works was afterwards to lead to broken health and
sickness, when he might freely say to God in the words of
the psalmist: "The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up."
He studied philosophy at Rome. His years of teaching
were spent at Loretto, where he was doubtless happy in the
thought that his youthful labors were wrought in . the
neighborhood of that holy house which had been the scene
of the youthful Christ's sweat and toil.
\Vhen his years of teaching were over, he returned to
Rome in 1845, to give himself.up to the study of theology;
hut he had not passed a year there when he came to America with several Scholastics, to join the Province of Maryland and completed his course in Georgetown. He was
ordained July 23d, 1848.
He spent the first year after ordination in Frederick for
the third probation. Charles County, Maryland, next
claimed his ministrations for two years, at the end of which
he was called to the arduous mission of evangelizing the
Indians of Maine. He _!lad there for his fellow-apostle, Fr.
John Bapst, and, in common with every one else that ever
met Fr. Bapst, loved him (to use his own words) dearly. It
was while Fr. Pacciarini was yet in Maine that the Ellsworth mob made their foul assault on Fr. Bapst, and._he
must have been sorely grieved to see his noble brother
missioner the objeCt: of such indignity. But the sorrow
occasioned him by the treatment of Fr. Bapst, was not the
only su~ering he experienced on this mission; physical
sufferings visited him continually; for he was now living in
a cold, northern latitude and, we must remember, he had
been reared in the land of the grape and the olive under the
blue sky of Italy. After two years in Maine, and another
spent in Boston, Fr. Pacciarini went to Philadelphia: there
he soon became known and loved by the people of his parish ; so much indeed wa~ he esteemed by them, that when
called from Philadelphia he left without a word of farewell
in order to spare his children the pain of parting.
And now we arrive at an important period in Fr. Pacciarini's life, when he entered on his great field of labor at St.
�Father Baszl Paccian·m:
41 I
Inigoes in St: Mary's Co., Maryland. It is hardly necessary
to speak of his arrival there before the war, when all the
people were happy and affluent; nor must I relate how
soon after his coming the civil war increased his labors
tenfold. At one time there were nearly ten thousand Confederate prisoners of war at Point Lookout. Many were
Catholics, and they and the Protestants also used to profit
by the weekly visits of the pastor of St. Inigoes. He gave
the last sacraments to many a prisoner. He labored in the
County· unceasingly for the good of souls during twenty
years, all of which time the negroes not less than the whites
were the objeCts of his zeal. Finally, when a score of his
years had been thus spent at St. Inigoes and Leonardtown,
the fevers that prevail in those parts began to tell upon his
health. He was then sent to Fordham, where he spent the
remainder of his days as the beloved Spiritual Father of the
community, the chaplain of several adjacent convents, and
as the guide and friend of the children of the parish.
He had great zeal for souls; his fondness for the young
gave him remarkable influence over them, and after the space
of twenty-five years his apostleship among the children of
St.John's, Philadelphia, is still held in benediCtion. He was a
a man of great simplicity of charaCter and yet withal he had
great taCt in dealing with men, especially with Protestants,
many ofwhonr he received into the Church. An eye-wit·ness gives the following incident: Fr. Pacciarini had gone to
Manresa, our novitiate, on the Hudson, to give the Italians,
engaged on the West Shore Rail Road, a chance ·to make
their Easter in r883. He succeeded in getting over two
hundred, nearly all, to fulfil their duty. One day when the
·snow was four feet deep, he went to prepare an Italian for
death, who had been terribly mangled by an explosion.
This good work done, he called at a shanty where thirtyfive Garibaldians were lodged. They cursed _him and _bade
him: get away at once. He sat down and smoked with
them, conversing upon indifferent· topics. He :cunningly
brought in serious matters and in a half hour got all to go
to confession. before he left them. He was refused admit'
�Brother llfic!zael Carroll.
412
tance into another room in the same hut; they offered to
force an entrance, but this service was declined. They accompanied him a part of the way home and took him and
his companion on their shoulders over a very dangerous
ascent.
At Fordham on the 23d day of last April he celebrated
the fiftieth anniversary of his entrance into the Society, and
received the congratulations of his brothers in religion and
fellow-workmen in the Lord's vineyard.
Although his health was somewhat broken, it was not
then thought that his stay with us would be short. But
God in His all-wise providence had seen fit to shorten the
days of his exile, and so on the first day of October He
took Fr. Pacciarini to his long home. Thus was a holy
and useful life crowned with a death precious in the sight
of God.-R. I. P.
BROTHER MICHAEL CARROLL.
Brother Michael Carroll has been taken from our midst,
and now rests from labor after long years of faithful service.
It would seem that God wished to mark him out by a special favor, in calling him to Himself on the feast of St. Francis Borgia,-a day which is so sacred among us. As- ~e
look back upon the life of our departed Brother-a life
beautiful as it was simple-we find in it much that makes ·
us bow down in silence and admiration of the ways of God.
· Brother Carroll was born in Tipperary, Ireland, on the
23d of February, r8o5, of good family. On leaving Ireland
he lived· for
time in Canada; but later came to Mt. St.
Mary's, Emmittsburg, with the intention of studying for the
priesthood. He spent some years at the Mount, and· in after times loved to speak of his stay there, and its many
happy memories. It was there he first met with our saintly
Fr. McElroy, and it was the advice of this holy man that
influenced him to put aside all thought of the priesthood,
and enter the Society of Jesus as a lay-brother. This he
did Sept. 7th, 1836; but not before his simple and amiable
a
�Brother Midzael Carroll.
413
charaCl:er had won all hearts at the Mount. Some years after he returned to the old Seminary on a visit, and the glad
welcome tendered him showed in what esteem he was held.
This good and holy Brother passed most of his life in
the Society in the houses of G~orgetown, Whitemarsh
and Bohemia ; but about ten years ago he was sent to the
Novitiate at Frederick to prepare for death. He wore his
age well, and though no longer fit for aetive service, was
never idle, but ever engaged in some light work. Always
cheerful and kind, in everything he seemed the model of a
lay-brother, and worthy of imitation. As his life had been
the joy and consolation of his religious brethren, so, too,
was his death ; and we may fondly hope that he now enjoys
the glory ofthe chosen servants of God.
In all this there is nothing striking; it is one quiet round
of religious duty: in the eyes of the world he has passed
away, and left after him but a modest fame; yet for men
who know the merit of a hidden life, who seek not the
glory of this world, but the bliss of a life to come, there is
here much that is at once edifying and consoling.
May the example of this holy Brother long live m the
memory of his fellow religious.-R. I. P .
.''.
�VARIA.
ADVERTISEMENT.
We thank our readers for the interest taken in the VARIA. lVe hope,
howe-cer, more items of news may be sent to the editor.
We will be enabled, through the generosity of our friends, to issue the next
!!olume with its pages imprO'I!t!d in appearance .
.APosToLIC ScnooLs.-The first of these schools was begun at A.vignon
in 1865. Since then the enterpise has prospered beyond anticipation,
and· at present in spite of opposition and persecution there are at least
twelve flourishing schools in Europe. The scope of the work is to furnish the Church-not the Society alone, or even primarily-with welltrained, well-formed recruits for the priesthood. It is not God's doing
that the supply of apostolic laborers is unequal to the demand. Vocations
are not wanting, but they are marred by the numerous, ever-increasing
evil influences which conspire to spoil God's work, especially in the young.
Hence the need of seeking out and saving from these blighting influences
those chosen little ones upon whom God's special love has set its seal.
To accomplish this the Apostolic School was instituted. It has been
blessed and encouraged by the Sovereign Pontiffs, Pius IX, and Leo XIII,
and the most eminent prelates of Europe have attested their appreciation
of the work it has done.-Iri the next number we intend to give a long;er
paper upon the manner of conducting these schools. Their founder $as
Fr. Foresta of the Society.
A. SHRINE AXD POSSIBLE AMERICAN SAJNTS.-General JohnS. Clark,
of A.uburn, N.Y., a well known authority in regard to New-York Indian
topography and who has successfully applied himself to the location of
the old Jesuit mission sites, has within the past few years identified beyond all doubt the situation of the village of the l\Iohawk Indians, in
which Rene Goupil, novice, in 1642, and Father Isaac .Jogues, priestS .•J.,
in 1646, met violent deaths for the faith; and where also Catherine
Tegakwita was born. Near this place a permanent mission afterwards
grew up, in which the latter was baptized in 1676, and where she began
her heroic sanctification. A.fter 200 years absence (1684-1884), the Fathers
have returned to their historic 'Mission of the Jfartyrs; an appeal is being
widely made for contributions to the erection of a pilgrim chapel to
Our Lady of Martyrs, by the Father in charge, Rev. Jos. Loyzance, St .
•Joseph's Ohurch, Troy, N. Y.- Very Rev. Fr. Vicar has also approved the
asking of Postulata to the Holy See for the introduction oft he Oause of the
three mentioned above. The documents in the case are ready, and advan-
(414)
�Varia .
.tage will be taken for.thts of the meeting of.the Plenary Council..Members of the Society are invited to make themselves acquainted with the
case and help in the good work.
BosToN.-Tbe College bas more students this year than ever before.
The roll bas 250 names. St.l\lary's is doing well in its new school-house
with 1500 pupils.-The school of the German congregation is also very
full. Great preparations are being made on all sides to celebrate the tercentenary of the Sodalities.-The city has appropriated $2.000 for the
Catholic services on .Deer Island. Fr. :Mandalari will now be able to
.have a quartette choir, and 20 Sunday school teachers to aid him in
teaching the Christian doctrine. A steamboat will be at his command
·
every Sunday morning.
BoHEMIA.-Fr. Gaffney has succeeded in finishing the new church in
' Middletown, Delaware. ~lost likely the Fathers will have their residence
after a time at Middletown instead of at Bohemia. In the article on ·Bohemia in our present number the writer mentions a Douay Bible printed
in 1682; he bad 1582 in his l\IS. and be was right.-The church in !liddletown was dedicated on Rosary Sunday, Oct. 5th.
CALIFORNIA.-An Ecclesiastical inquiry was held at Santa Clara College concerning the heroic virtue of Fra l\Iagin Catalao who is buried in
our church. He was a Franciscan and died in the last century. The
court sat in August, and Fr. Congiato, Superior of the Mission, was a
member of it.-Fr. Varsi is the theologian of Bishop Monogue in the
coming Council.
CANADA.-This mission has 178 members-increase last year, 12. Scholastic novices, 17; coadjutor novices, 12.-Two or three .new residences
lmve been established.- Catalogue, 1884.
CHINA.-By the catalogue of the Nankin Mission we see there are 134
members of the Society engaged in the apostolic work. It is gratifying
to find out that so many natives have joined us. Twelve native secular
priests help our Fathers.-By the Lette1·.~ of Fr. Pfister we learn that the
Mission of Tche-ly is progressing satisfactorily. A.s far as we know, the
war has not injured our Missions: the colleges at Hong-keu and Zi-kawei resumed their classes in September.
CoLoRADo.-Our Fathers of New :Mexico have opened a college at
:Morrison, and Fr. Pantanella has been appointed the Rector.
CoNEWAGO.- Fr. Forhan, the Superior, is having the church and residence repaired.-Littlestown has been given up to the Bishop.
CosTA HrcA.- The College at Cartago in which 15 me~;nbers of the
Province of Castile were engaged was closed, and the Fathers, Scholastics, and Brothers have l1een sent into exile, together with the Bjshop of
the diocese. They were allowed only a few hours to get ready. The
Free :Masons were the prime movers in the affair, because the Bishop·had
published the Encyclical of the Holy Father against their sect.· Fr.-Ga·
�Vart'a.
mero, the Rector of the College, published an eloquent protest in the name
of the Society. Fr. Espana sent to a Spanish paper in New York an
account of the tyrannical proceeding; by the reading of this we can see
how much the republics in Central and South America are rulerl by secret Societies.-Tne Bishop has been recalled to his see by the "government.
ENGLA~D. - The Province has 507 members. The increase in 1883
was 30 subjects.-There are 21 Fathers and a Scholastic in Scotland. In
.Jamaica, Guiana, and Honduras there are, all told, 27 Fathers and 5
Brothers. The College in l\Ialta seems to be doing well.-Gatalogue, 1884.
ExcHANGEs.-We have received the'Letters from 1\fold, Ucles and Jersey. In our next we intend to draw
them largely for the Varia.
on
FR. RoBERT PARsoNs.-In Caxton's edition of "Kenilworth," after a
long quotation (in the Introduction) from Ashmole's "Antiquities of
Berkshire"-wherein Leicester is charged with the murder of his wife,
this follows.-"The same accusation has been adopted and circulated by
the author of '"Leicester's Commonwealth," a satire written directly
against the Earl of Leicester, which loaded him with the most horrid
crimes, and among the rest, with the murder of his first wife."
A note to this runs thus:
"This satire was written by the notorious Jesuit, Robert Parsons, and
was largely copied by Ashmole in his Antiquities, etc."
Is not this false? Father Parsons says in one of his works that he is
not the author of''Leicestcr's Commonwealth."-De Backer.
FIESOLE.-Very Rev. Fr. General enjoys good health at Rome. Rev.
Fr. Vicar is very weli.-Fr. Armellini has been appointed Postulator
causarum NN., and he will urge the cause of the EngliRh 1\Iartyrs::.-Fr.
A. Rota, a Spaniard, is the new Secretary of the Hociety; he is now in
Fiesole, acting as Substitute for Spain.- Letter from Fiesole, Oct. 16.
FLATHEAD 1\IISS!ON.-The Fathers of St. Ignatius' Mission have published a dictionary of the Flathead language. A Leipsic house has ordered a dozen copies.
FRANCE.-Notwithstanding the dispersion, the catalogue of 1884 gives
a very consoling exhibit for the Province of France; it has 858 members
-increase, for '83, 8; the~e are 35 novices (scholastic) and 6 novice Brothers.-The College ut Canterbury is doing remarkably welL-The Mission
of Nankin in China belongs to this Province; we give a notice of it in
another plucc.-The college of St. Ignatius, Paris, had 750 pupils last
year.-The training school at:Jersey where youths are prepared for
the navy has most consoling results. "It is not possible," writes Fr. de
Villiers, "to receive more than 80 pupils, and yet there are more than 90
applications fur places in the school. The boys who range from 15 to 18
years of age arc very pious and work well. Of 42 that went up for the
examination, 39 passed, 4 leading all other candidates. The government
'
�Va1-ia:.
is astounded at these results. :Many of our former pupils have already
distinguished themselves in the campaign in China."
FREDERICK, :Mn.-The Novitiate chapel was newly frescoed during the
vacation. A fine marble altar has taken the place of the old one.
GEORGETOWN CoLLEGE.-The College has the largest philosophy class
it has seen for years. There are about 160 boarders, with a good attendance of day-scholars.
GUAYAQUIL, EcuADoR.-At the request of the government, Fr. Robert
Pozo has been appointed Bishop of Guayaquil by his Holiness.-La Liberia Oattolica, Naples.-Fr. Pozo is now operarius in the residence of
San Jose, Guayqauil. He was born in Hl36, and entered the Society in
1851.
GEUMANY.-The Province of Upper Germany has 937 members; it has
il50 of these engaged on foreign 1\lissions, of wllom 113 are in the United
States. The novitiate is at Exaeten in Holland; the novices are 44
t::icholastics), and 35, Coadjutors. The total increase in '83 was 16.-The
Mission in Denmark is doing much good, and many conversions are taking place amongst the educated classes.-Uatalogue, 1884.
HoLLAND.-Tllis Province, by the catalogue of 1884, has 403 members.
There are 29 Fathers and ll Brothers on the Missions in the Dutch East
Indies.-The house of studies for the theologians is at .Maestricht; the
philosophers btudy at Oudenbosch. The novitiate is located at Mariendaal; there are 24 Scholastic and 10 Coadjutor novices.-Fr. Frederic
Heynen, formerly Substitute for the German Assistant, was appointed
Provincial of Holland on the 26th of September.
lRJJ:LAND.-This Province has 227 members, us follows, Fathers, 119;
Scholastics, 67; Brothers, 41. There are nineteen Scholastic novices. A
coadjutor novice keeps his part of the novitiate a-going. Increase of
memben.hip last year, 7. The novitiate has been removed to Drumore,
County Down. The Irish Fathers in Australia have opened a novitiate
near Melbourne.-Fr. Ronan is in this country collectmg alms for the
Apostolic School of 1\lungret, County Limenck.-Thirty members of the
Irish Province are in Australia aml two in New Zealand.
lTu, BRAZIL.-Fr. Cocumelli, formeriy Superior of the Brazilian Mission, has I.Jeen made Hector of the S. American College in place of l!'r.
·
Ghett1 who is now Provincial of Home.
LYoNs.-The novitiate has been transferred from Sidmouth to Hastings, England. The house at t:lidmouth was too small. Fr. Rosette is
1\laster of Novices in the place of Fr. Petit, who is now t:lpiritual Father
at Mold, N. Wales.
.1\IANGALOUE, E. lNmEs.-On the occasion of Luther's festival last year,
the Fathers bought engravings of the hero of the hour from the Protestant publishers, wrote on them some of his immoral principles and spread
them broadcast. Thus they showed the people how they were called on
to honor an immoral monster.
VoL.
xm-No.
3·
27
�Varz'a.
MAXILLA.-The Mission is progressing very rapidly. In some places
our missionaries have baptized almost all the infidels. The Normal
School celebrated the feast of St. Francis Xavier with great pomp. At
the Atheneum the celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception
was still more brilliant. A grand literary entertainment was held. The
subject was the Battle of Lepanto. All the State Officials were present,
and since that day entertain for us a higher regard than heretofore.-See
Pltili'ppine Iblands.
MILWAUKEE, Wis.-Fr. Thomas S. Fitzgerald is Rector of Marquette
College.-Fr. Lalumiere has taken Fr. Vander Eerden's place at St. Gall's
Church.
l\!Issoum PROVINCE. -Fr. Henry,l\Ioeller is Rector in Cincinnati.Fr. Thomas O'Neill is Tertian }laster at Florissant.-Fr. l\IcErlane is
Rector at St. 1\Iary's, Kansas.-Fr. 'zealand is Rector at Chicago.·-Fr.
Coppen~, former Rector of St. Mary's, Kansas, is now teaching the juniors at Florissant.-Frs. Damen, Lagae, Coghlan and Vander Eerden will
give missions.
1\Io:s:TREAL.-St. Mary's College had-last year 400 students. This year
over 50 boarders had to be refused for want of room.-"Fr. Henry Hu·
don, Superior of the Mission, and Fr. Lory have returned from their trip
to the northwest. The Canadian Pacific took them to the foot of the
Hockies. During his stay in Winnepeg l!'r. Lory preached the ecclesiastical retreat.-The retreats given by the Canadian Fathers during the Just
three months have been numerous and fmitful. FF. Kenny and Connolly have been busy in Ontario; FF. Hamon, Beaudevin, Desy, Larue
and Desjardins in the neighborhood of Quebec and MontreaL-The new
Scholasticate in Rachel street, Montreal, is approaching completion. This
large wooden building, l!JOx50 ft .. three storeys high, will be ready about
Xmas, to receive the philosophers. In the meantime they are st)l~lying
at Quebec."-Lette;·from Quebec, eeptember.
•
NAPLEs.-In 181:l:3 this Province had a net _increase of 8 members. Of
the 316 members of the Province, 62 are in New Mexico, 19 in our Province, and 20 in Missouri.-The novitiate is in the city of Naples; there
are-18 novices_(Scholastic) and 15, Coadjutors. Two of the novices have
before their names ag. miliC: that is, they are now conscripts doing service in the army.-Fr: Canger, the nephew of Fr. Piccirillo, is Provincial.
NEW MEXICO.-Fr. D'Aponte accompanied Archbishop Lamy on his
tour through a part of Mexico. At Puebla in the Colegio Pio de Artes
and Oficios, directed by Fr. Angel of the Society, a musical concert was
given for his Grace.-Fr. S. Persone is Hector of Las Vegas.-Ours ofN .
.Mexico have been allowed by the Bishop of Durango to give tn:issions in
his diocese.-Fr. S. Pcrsone gives in the Revista Oatolicn some very interesting papers about his jom'ney through old 1\Iexieo.-Fr. fantanella
brought from Europe 11 recruits for the Mission.-Fr. Schiffini is organ·
izing a parish in Las Vegas.
NEW ORLEANs.-Thfs Mission has 10 Scholastic novices in our novitiate at 1\lanresa.-The College has been opened in Galveston; Texas.
�Varia.
~EW YoRK.-St. Francis Xavier's College has begun a preparatory
department, which is placed in a separate building. Fr. O'Connor late
of Boston gave the retreat to the boys.-Fr. Wm. Doherty gave the boys'
retreat in Fordham, Father Denny in Jersey City.-Fordham has 205
boarders.
OMAHA, NEB.-Fr. Hugh Finnegan is Rector of the College.-Fr. Lam·
bert will give missions through the State.
OsAGE MISSION, KANSAs.-'•St_ Francis Institution for Boys" had last
year 197 pupils. 'Tis a pity none of them study Latin.
PARA, BRAZIL.-D. Antonio de Macedo Costa, Bishop of Para, delivered a discourse before a distinguished audience in which bespoke in the
highest terms of the old Missions of the Society on the upper Amazon;
he proposes to build a steamboat, a floating church, in order to take the
gospel to these parts formerly so dear to our Fathers.-See Fr. Galantts
letter. The Bishop contrasts the pre~ent state of religion there with
what it once was before the Society was suppressed.
PIIILAD.ELPH£A.-The work on the church of the Gesu is assuming
magnificent proportions; the walls have been raised forty feet already.
This will be the largest church in our Province.-Fr. Peter Blenkinsop
celebrated his golden jubilee on the 15th of August.-Frs. Ardia and
Duddy of St. Joseph's are much improved in health.-Fr. Jamison takes
the place of Fr. O'Neill who has gone to Boston.
PJIII,JPPINE lsLANDs.-The Fathers of the Society are still doing a
great work in evangelizing the natives of these parts.-The College of
Manilla is very flourishing.-By a recent decree of King Alfonso of Spain
Ours have been put in charge of a meteorological observatory at :Manilla.
There are 13 stations connected with this central point. Liberal salaries
,
have been granted to the Fathers in charge.
RoME.-The HolyjFather, Leo XIII, hal'! lately spoken on several occafions in the most favorable terms of the Society.-Recent Letter.
ST. MARY's CouNTY, 1\ln.-Fr. Jenkins is enlarging the residence in
Leonardtown.-Fr. Walker has made great improvements at St. Inigoes.
Fr. Lancaster intends to enlarge his church of the Sacred Heart. There
are about 10,000 Catholics in the County, with six Fathers of the Society.
-A lady has given a farm and dwelling in Leonardtown for a parochial
school.
SICILY.-This Province has 223 members, i. e. 105 Fathers, 56 Scholastics, 62 Brothers. Forty-seven members are engaged in foreign missions.
The novitiate has 10 Scholastic and 6 Coadjutor novices.-In the bouse
of studies at 1\Ialta there are 14 philosophers, 12 rhetoricians, and 7 studying grammar. The Province has a large college in Constantinaple.
SoDALITIEs.-We hear thnt grent preparations arc being made to celebrate the tercentenary. Archbishop Hyan will preach on the occasion in
St. Joseph's, Philadelphia. Here the first Sodality (for the people) in the
U. States was established in 1837. There was a Sodality for the students·
of Georgetown as early as 1812.
�Varia.
SPATN.-The increase in the Pro>ince of Castile in 1883 was 26. It has
'729 members of whom 37 are in Havana, 14 at Cienfuegos (W. I.), 15 at
Panama, 6 at Pasto, 4 at Bogot!l (U. S. C.), 54 in Ecuador and 3 in Peru,
which belongs to Toledo. The College at Quito is flourishing. The new
president of the republic of Ecuador is a good Catholic and seems to be
following the example set by Garcia Moreno.-By letters from Spain we
are informed that all of Ours nre exempt from the conscription, and thi~
was granted, because the professed bind themselves by vow to go to foreign missions if sent by the Pope.-At Ofia, the Collegium Maximum, 6
Fathers are making the biennium.-By this year's catalogue we see that
Castile bas 70 novices; the novices of the second year study grammar or
humanities.
..
Toledo.-This Province (Cat. 1884) has 318 members-increase (for '83)
35. The Provincial lives in Madrid:· The novitiate is at :Murcia; the
Scholastic novices are 36; Coadjutor no vires, 19.-A pamphlet bas been
printed concerning Father ~Ion's sermon that ga>e so mnch offence to a
princess of the blood last lent .
.Aragon.-Has 809 members-increase, 39. The Provincial resides at
Barcelona. Aragon has 113 members in the Philippine Islands, and 187
in Chili and the Argentine Confederation. The Scholastic novices number 50; Coadjutor novices, 34.-In 186<'i, the Spanish Provinces had 1,050
members; in 1884, 1849.-The Province of Toledo bas a s<'cond bouse of
probation in Ecuador near Quito: besides 28 Scholastic and. 4 Coadjutor
novices, there are 28 juniors, 26 philosophers, 4 theologians, studying in
the same place.-There are 1"20 members of this Province in El'uador and
Peru.-There are about 450 members of the Society inS. America.-The
following extracts are taken from La Seman a Catolica (Madrid, Aug. 3d):
"On the feast of St. Ignatius eight newly-orclained priests celebrated in
the church attached to the Scbolasticate of Ofia their first ~Tass. .They
bad been successively ordained subdeacons, deacons, and priests by".his
Grace, the Archbishop of Burgos, ns were several others the preceding
year, to the great joy anrl consolation of the worthy prelate, wl10 haA always shown such singular love and affection for the Society of Jesus."
"The same day took place at Jerez de la Frontera (Sherry) the solemn
re-opening of the ancient church of the Society of Jesus, which has at
last been restored to its lawful owners after it had remained closed for
over a hundred years from the day when it was ruthlessly taken from the
Society and devoted to profhne usage."
"On the 80th July, eve of the feast of their holy Founder, five young
Jesuits from the 8cholasticate of Ofia, embarked at Cadiz for Havana.
Those generous souls little heeded the danger to which they would be
exposed from Yellow Fever whilst trying to teach by their virtue and
science the youth of the College of Belen which the Fathers have in
Havana."
•
The College at 'Balbao will be a magnificent building-the grandest of
Society in Spain.-All the colleges of Castile are crowded this year.
TrrE GENERAL CoNGREGATION.-Extracts from a letter of Rev. Fr. Capell, Provincial of Aragon.-In the year 1873 Very Rev. Fr. General asked
�Varia.
421
and obtained permission from the Holy Father to bold a General Congregntion: but there were some obstncles in the way, which impeded it.
When, Inter on, Pope Pius IX, died, our Very Rev. Father General exposed the state of .the question to His Holiness Leo XIII. The Holy
Father thought better to defer it. Last year. after a mature consideration, owing to the serious difficulties that might occur in course of time,
the Holy Father acceded to Father Geneml's requrst allowing him to
convoke the General Congregation for the election of a Vicar twm jure
sucessionis. An order was then issued for the Provincial Congregations;
and all was finisl1ed before August 15th. The 16th of September was
fixed for the first meeting in Rome. The Provincial Congregations met
everywhere without difficulty, even in France. The FathPrs of the Province of Aragon assembled at Barcelona, those of Toledo nnd Castile
at 1\lurcia and in Castile respectively. The tumult, which arose just then
at Badajos, did not affect us; but the Fathers of Castile were obliged
to close before their work was finished. Our Congre(\"ntion sent two postu·
lata; the first regarded the study of theology nnd philosophy, and the
other the consecration of the Society to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. . .
On their arrival at Rome, the Fathers began to discuss the form of
election to be adopted and the power, with which the Vicar was to be
invested. As to the former point they followed the mode employed at
the election of Fr. Oliva, when Very Rev. Fr. Nickel was stricken with
apoplexy: as to the lntter point, since Father General wa~ still vigorous
nnd in full use of his faculties it was decided that the Vicar-General should have no determined power, not even cumulati1:e with thnt
of Father Geneml, but Rhould assist him in the government of the
Society and succeed him in case of death. This donr, the committee*
ad detrimenta was elected. The four following days were employed in
taking informations, and on Sept. 24th the election of the Vicar took
place. First of nll, our very Rev. Fatlwr Gem•ral exhorted ns to chose
1\ man generous, of middle ap;c and fitted to restore the studies according to the doctrine of St. Thomas, our Constitutions, and the wish of
the Holy Father. Every one took the oath of electing the Vicarium
Generalem S..J., cum jure .~ucce.~sionis quem .qmtiebamus rul hoc on1ts ferendum apt!:~.•imum. Thereupon Very Rev. Fnther General cnst his vote,
all the others following him in due order. Rev. Fr. Anderledy received
52 votes, the rest being scattered among ten candidates, none of whom
received more than four. The newly elected Vicar remained for some
time astonished, contemplating in silence a little crucifix on the table.
Father General rnlled him to receive the tokens of submission due to
him. Advancing to the middle of the hall he prostrated himself at
Father General's feet, kissing them; but Father Genernl raising him
embraced him and kissed his htmds: we nll followed his example. After the election Fr. Cornoldi was sent to bring the news to the Holy
Father. Leo XIII, was busy with some Bishops when Fr. Cornoldi was
announced- he admitted him without delay, and as· soon as he heard
*Thl• committee was made up thus: Frs. Vioni. Purbrick. ~Ie•chler, Chambellan,
and Labarta.-The committee ad decemenda:postulata were Frs. Valllllltelll, ~Iuruza
bal, Van Reetb, Mourier and Porter.
�422
Varia:
Fr. Anderledy's name, be told Fr. Cornoldi in a cheerful-and graceful.
manner to inform the Congregation that he was satisfied with their
work. He added that a choice more to his own liking was impossi·
ble. The secrecy with re~ard to the election having been imposed on
every one of us, we sang the Te Deum.-All the following meetings
were presided over by Fr. General, Fr. Vicar being seated at his left.
The Congregation appointed the committee ad dece1·nenda postulata and·
five others entitled de tl'jlir-itu, de paupertate, de studii, superioribus, de
gymna:riifJ et oonf:ictibus, de minz:~teriis. Before the discussion of the pos-.
tulata another difficulty arose. Was it necessary to re-elect the Assistants, for eomm est eligere ass-istente.~ quorum e.<t el(!/ere generalem? On
the other hand, the Assistants now to be ekcted by the Congregation
could only take their office nt the death of the General. Some pro·
posed to elect new Assistants, who should enter office with Fr. VIcar,
the old ones remaining still with Fr. Gen('ral. But the old Assistants,
that all doubts might be removed, and full freedom given to the Con·
gregation, resigned their office, nnd we proceeded to the election of
their successors.-The discussion of the po8tulata was then commenced.
The first was that the Congregation should adhere to the Bull ..:'Eterni
Patris of Leo XIII, and confirm all that our Constitutions and preceding Congregations ever decreed about the doctrine of St. Thomas.
This postu!atum was approved and presented to His Holiness. The
Sovereign Pontiff wished to examine it himself. and sent it nfterwards
to Fiesole by Fr. Cornoldi, afttr having signed it with his own hand.
He approved likewise another postulatum, in which our theologians, quo1"ltm !aus in ecdesia est are recommended and Ours exhorted to consult
them and adhere to their doctrine. There were many other tmtulato.
about the studies of the Society. The Congregation seeing that the
time was too short to examine them all, it wns resolved to nppoint.h·
committee in every Province to see to the rlifficultirs arising from tlHr"
circumstances of place. The result should be eubmitted to the consideration of another committee composed of Fathers of the five Assistencies, and, finally, Fr. General would chose the best system. This
plan has been partly executed. As to what concerns the postu!ata de
gymna.~ii.~, the Provincials must consult Fr. General.
As to the ministry, the Society must endeavor to form good preaC'IlCrs: with regard
to the convents of nuns, .•tandum decretis. As to the residences, the
Congregation did not wish to give rule~ to the Superiors, anrl it was
decided thnt they might hold property. The last po8tulatum was that
concerning the devotion to the Sacred Heart. It was approved by acclamation, and the feast of the Sacred Heart will be celebrated most
solemnly.-After forty-six or forty-seven sessions the Congregation assembled on Oct. 21. Fr. General 'recommended the fulfilment of what
had been determined, saying th~t all the evils of the Society came
from want of fidelity to the decrees of past Congregations. During
my stay in Rome I saw the Pope twice. He wished to see privately
Fr. General and Fr. Vicar ; he said to the latter that he wanted to use the
help of the Society in some works of great importance to the Church;
�Varia.
that he would call several of Ours to the Vatican and would often see
the Vicar himself.-Our Society has been deprived of all her houses in
Rome. W c have still control by means of our Brothers of the Gesu
and a part of the Roman College; the room and chapel of St. Ignatius
were left to us with a free entrance from the street. The same must
be said of those of St. Aloysius and Blessed Berchmans, which are in
the Roman College. A part of Sant' Andrea is appropriated to the S.
American College, which is conducted by Ours. The chapel of St. Stan·
islaus still remains intact. The garden has been changed into an exhition building. Some of our Brothers are at Sant' Eusebio.- Our meetings
were held at the German College. During the time of the Congregation, the most intimate union and great fraternal charity reigned among
us all. Informations were given in all simplicity and sincerity: everyone had in view nothing else but the glory of God and the good of the
Society. The languages more commonly made usc of were the Latin
and French. The Fathers from America, Galicia, Austria, some from
Germany, Holland and Italy wore the cassock of the Society. 'Ve left
Home on Oct. 24th.-Among the things which I shall never forget will
be the remembrance of the Congregation, and of those Fathers, who represented the science, prudence and virtue of our beloved and least Society
of .Jesus, nnd above ,,11, the virtue of our venerated Fr. General. This
holy old man, aged ninety year::~, so modest, so tumble, so prudent, always the same, nlways amiable, with the glory of thirty years' govern·
ment and interior martyrdom, caused him by the mishaps of the Society,
was such a spectacle us to fill me with admiration. His angelic mien de·
lighted me. 'Vith what charity did he receive me in his room! with
whnt deference! His poor cassock was patched. He is as punctual to
all the exercises as the most vigorous and exact. In spite of his old age
he observes rigorously all the laws of abstinence and fnsting. At a quar·
ter past five he commences his J\Iass and spends considerable time kneel·
ing before the Blessed Sacrament. God grant us many imitators of his
virtues.
TRoY, N. Y.-Father Loyzance finished last summer a fine parochial
school-house. The Christian Brotllers and the Sisters of St. Joseph are
the teachers.- Fr. Maguire and companions are now giving missions in
our two parishes in Troy.
VENICE.-By the catalogue for 1884 we find this Province has f79
Fathers, 87 Scholastics, 70 Brothers, total 314-increase for 1883, 8.Tilirty-four members are on the Mission of J\Iangalore. There are 31
Scholastic and 8 Coadjutor novices.-The Letters of Venice have a long
account of the East Indian Mission.
W AsmNa•roN, D. C.-St. Aloysius' Church celebrated its silver jubilee,
Oct. 19. Archbishop Gibbons was present and preached a sermon, The
decorations by Br. Fealy of Boston were fine and in good taste.-Twenty·
five years ago this section of the city, through which Tiber creek wound
its way to the Potomac, was looked upon as too far in the suburbs for a
hirge church. Now there is a new city about St. Aloysius' and beyond
�424
Varia.
the Tiber, which like its name-sake has changed its course, "doctus iter
melius."-Twenty-five years ago when the church was dedicated }lass
was sung by Fr. B. Villiger, then Provincial, and Archbishop Hughes
preached a magnificent sermon in the presence of the President of the
U. States, Jamct; Buchanan, cabinet minb;ters, senators, ambasSlldors and
the like. In the evening Fr. James Hyder preached, giving a brilliant
discourse, wilich was taken down in short-hand, though imperfectly,
thus preserving for us a fair idea of his oratorical powers.-Gonzaga
College ia doing very well tilis year.
'VoonsTocK, .i\ln.-Tile new parish church whose walls are now tilree
feet above ground will be of granite. It is 76 feet by :!4, and will be
finished by next autumn. The site iB well cilosen, near William Butler's.
Several tine springs are near at hand. The church will have its front towards tile railroad. 'V e hope old 'Voodstockians may help the energetic
pastor, Fr. Treacy. Any contribution will be acceptable.
Hmm NEws.-Fr. De Augustiuis' work De Deo Uno is already published. It is refreshing and consoling, even in the Society, to see the
doctrine of .Molina JJe &ientia JJei followed ad unguem.-Fr. Brambring
is printing his lectures this year, De Deo Ureante.-Mr. John F. X. O'Conor,
a theologian of the second year, is the author of a work polished by Benziger Reading £tiul tl!e .liiud,uith something to read. This little book deserves every commendation, and our teachers, especially those of the
higher .classes, will thank the writer lor giving us a work so much needed
in our schools.-'Ye have four sermons a week in the refectory.-A frame
building, tilrec t>toried (UO by 30ft.), is being erected in the rear of the
kitcilen. The oftices and the rooms of the Broth!:'rs will be in the new
IJuilding.- The theologians have reorganized their Academy. By invitation we attended several of the meetings, and were highly pleased with
the papers read nntl the debate upon tilem. Fr. John Scully is the. prel!ideut. The tileologinns have also Academies in Hebrew and RubricS..·
Papers read in the tileological Academy:
Predestination ..••...•••...•••.•••••...•••... Mr. W. F. Gregory
'l'he Holy 1'r£nity in the first three centuries .••••.•••.. .Mr. V. Uiuppa
Was /::it. l>tttr m llumel •.••...•.....•.....••• •.. lllr. P. J. Dooley
1'/w lufalii&ility of the Pope .•.....•••••..••. .••.•• Mr. C. Jones
Uircumci,ion, a bucrament uf tl!e Old Law. . . . . . . . . . . Mr. J. P. Fagan
The pililosophcrs of the third year have also an Academy for the discussiou of topics of the dnss. '!'he presiding officer is lllr. W m. Cunuingham.-The philosophers of tile second year have also their Academy;
the vresident IS .Mr. James Cun'!m-Mr. u. Borgmeyer of the third year,
1ead a paper on bclwla,ticisrn and Nodtrn i::JCieJtce- All the philosophers
attend .Academies in Greek and Elot:ution.Papers read by the philosophers of the second year:
Logical 1'rulh . .••............. ;· •..••.•.••••••.• Mr. C. l\Ioulinier
'1'1·,.tllscendental Good ..••.•...•.••... ....•....•••• Mr. U. Macksey
1'/w Beautiful .••......•....••.•.••••......... Mr. A. P. O'.lllalley
Uartesianism . .• •••....•....•...•.•••••.•••..•.... llr. J. De Potter
The philosophical committee, Frs: Devitt, O'Leary, and Jouin, with
the pro!Cssors of tilis house, had meetings, on the 5th and 6th of Septem·
per, and then adJourned Bine die.
�Our Colleges tn the United States, 1883-4
PLACE
NAME
PROVINCE
ISTUD'SIGRAD.
--------------1--------------1---------1-----l
Baltimore, !Id ....• Loyola College*....
Boston, Mass ....•• Boston College* ..•
Buffalo, N.Y ..•••. Canlsius College...
Chicago, Til ........ St. Ignatius Coli.*/
Cincinnati, 0 .••••• St. Xavier College*!
Detroit, Mich ...... Detroit College*...
Fordham, N.Y .... St. John's College..
Georgetown, D. C.. Georgetown College
Grand Coteau, La.. St. Charles College./
Jersey City, N.J... /St. Peter's College*'
Las Vegas, N. !I.. .!Las Vegas College.
!Iilwaukee, Wis .. ·IMarquett~ College:
New York, N. Y ... iSt.Franc1sX.Col!.
New Orleans, La... Imm. Concep. Coli.*
Omaha, Nebraska.. ICreighton College*
Prairie du Chien,
Wisconsin ...•. 1Col1. Sacred Heart
Santa Clara, Cal. .. 1Santa Clara College
San Francisco, Cal. ist. Ignatius Col!.*..
St. Louis. Mo ...... ' St. Louis University
1
St. Mary's, Kansas. 1st. Mary's College..
Spring Hill, Ala ... !St. Joseph's College!
Washington, D. C .. Gonzaga College*..
Worcester, }Iass ... Coll.ofthe H'yCross
I
Md. N.Y.
Md. N.Y.
German;y
Missoun
"
"
Md. N. Y.
"·
N. 0. Miss.
!Id. N.Y.
Naples
Missouri
:r.Id. N.Y.
N. 0. Miss.
Missouri
Germany
Turin
Missouri
. "
N. 0. Miss.
Md. N.Y.
"
*Day College
Students, total number, 1882·3, 5494
"
"
1883-4, 5612
Graduates, A. B, 1882-3, 96
"
.. 1883-4, ·102
A.B.
1181I ....
250
Hi
267 '
265 I
277 1
217
284
207
133
94
206
130
382
363
264
9
7
7
12
5
10
5
111
261
704
308
283
174
9
170
17
144
2
4
�-..
.
.
�CONTENTS OF VOL. Xlll.
·
Page
Rocky Mountains,-Recollections of Father N. Point.............. 1
"
Letter from Fr. Morvillo................... ... 14
"
Flathead ~Iission......... .. . . . . ... . . .. . . .. . .. . 16
"
Other Letters ........................ 150, 151, 381
Kansas,-History ofnlission inS. E. Kansas...................... 19
"
Letterg ............................................ 142, 309
Some Reminiscences. . . .. • . . • .. . . . • .. . . • • .. .. • . .. • . . . . . 313
Brazil,-Letters from Fr. Galanti ..•.••.......••••......•.• 38, 183, 321
New Mexico,-History of Las Vegas College...................... 42
Colorado,-Letter of Fr. F. X. Tomassini................. •. . ... • . 50
nfissionary Labors ....................................... 53. 165, 302
Newtown l\Ianor and Church,-Historical Points ............ 69, 97, 265
Maryland Province in 1841 ...................................... 119
Letters from Texas ............................................. 123
The Curia and Rome....... . . . . ...... : .. ..................... 129
Perseverance in the Society, by St. Ignatius ............•.•.....•.• 133
California.-IIistory of our Mission .............................. 157
Canada,-Letter from Fr. Chambon ............................. 191
"
Some Chapters of our History. . . . • • . . . . . . . • . . • • . . . . . . . . 362
Our work among the Indmns, U. S. Senate ........................ 201
Golden Jubilees ............................... : ................. 205
Academies of Woodstock ........................................ 210 I
Re~ignation of Very Rev. Fr. General. ............................ 212
Life of Fr. Thomas Copley. .. .. . . .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . • .. . . • .. . ...... 249
The Funeral Sermon on Fr. Ferdinand Farmer .....•...•.......... 265
Massachusetts,-Dedication of School-house, Boston ....••......... 330 v
Bohemia.-Cecil County, l\Id. . . . . . . . . • • • . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . • . • . . 333
St. Mary's Church and Residence, Alexandria, Va ....•....•....... 344
l\Iissouri.-Short History of Osage County. . . • . • . . • • . . • . . • . . . . • • . 357
Wiscon~in,-Colle~e of Prairie du Chien .........••...•.•......•.• 376 _-;
Members of the Society slain within the present limits of the U. S .. 383
St. Ignatius', Baltimore, Did ...................................... 385
Recollections ................................................... 387
OBITUARY:-
.
l\Ir..Tohn O'Gorman... .. .. . . .. .. . .... . .. .. . . . .... . . .. . ... . .. . .
Fr. Franr.is Ltibbe. . . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . • • • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Fr. Francis deS. Caseau......................... . . . . . . . . . .. . .
Br. Anthony McNerney.......................................
Fr. Charles Bookrr ...........................................
1\Ir..Tanw~ 1\IcCRrthv .........................................
Fr. Daniel Lynch .. : .......•......................•..•....•...
Fr. Robert I. Pard ow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . .
Fr. Isidore Ban dry . . . • • • . . • . . . . . . . • • . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . .
Fr. William B. Cleary. . . • . . • • . • . . . . . . . . . • . • . . . . . . . • . . . . . • . . . . .
Fr. Michael Costin ........••......................•...........
Fr. Paul de Haza-Rndlitz ......................................
Fr.•Tohn B. 11Iiege .............................................
Fr..Toseph Enders .............................................
Br. Patrick Hnyes........................................ ·.....
Fr. Michael J. Tracy ..........................................
Fr. :M:ichael 1\Inlry. . • • . . . . . . . . . . . • • . . . . . . • . . • . . • • . . • . . . . . . . . . .
Fr. Basil Pacciarini. . • . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . • . . . • . . • . . . . . . . . .
Br. 1\Iichnel Carroll. ...........................................
Vnria .................................................. 91, 237,
Our Colleges in the United States for 1883-4 .......................
80
82
84
fJ1
215
21 i
220
224
227
234
237
392
394
400
403
404
408
409
412
414
425
��Ministeria Spiritualia Provincial Marylandirn Neo-Eboracencis, a 1· Julii, 1883 ad 1•m Julii, 1884.
~
li
:d
g.
"'<
ALEXANDRIA..................................
BALTIMORE.....................................
BOHEMIA........................................
BOSTON COLLEGE.............................
"
St. Mary's ...........................
Missionaries........................
H. Trinity ..........................
CONEWAGO......................................
FORDHAM.......................................
FREDERICK.....................................
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE....................
"
H. Trinity.................
GOSHENHOPPEN..............................
JERSEY CITY...................................
62
21
17
4:4
33 9
214
261
1381
95
46
31
184
661
396
"
Islands.....................
"
St. Joseph's .................
''
St. Laurence's.............
PHILADELPHIA, Gesu.....................
"
St. Joseph's............
PROVIDENCE...................................
ST. INIGOES;....................................
ST. THOMAS ....................................
TROY...................... ........................
WASHINGTONSt.AloyslUS' ...............
"
St. Joseph's...............
WEST PARK....................................
WmTE>~ARsH .................................
WOODSTOCK .. .,................................
1052
2651
223
120
185
219
134
184
390
214
371
1
143
411
~~~t-~~~'Sf.·F~a;;·ciS''xavi'e~;s·.:·}
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WORCESTER ....................................
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Woodstock Letters
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 13 (1884)
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1884 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/26015/archive/files/39978f4cfefe1a197cd94806d31372ff.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=mLA06YIRTaQOQVdCsQccDK5PP9q6N0Acs4ZmldFCo4%7E88g2AclzZVmXC7QEzD51tmHcdp0x8jMM15bri4kPpGSUiMCud8ovFhevXT6K%7EAiAmmYjX8MhtKtD0hADrGVN8R8iwzdfPGfsBfab6GORcz-w9thp4na8Oq27SIxV4OcgV-iwZlgQAikQI3H%7Eo3Du-PZXxmeFfZU1u0J-4GY85uazNE1rMmVw1yzp2XAg54Nm%7EBa1qgkBQPBsyODUIALjzEc8yjxa2JMARi6rSeCUEmyPspKTDP%7EL1ul87C0FqXebmdyB48tfAdohKxPbnc18mxTNqc1DbemdotvpETdpIWw__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
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Text
A.M. D. G.
WOODSTOCK LETTERS
A RECORD
Of Om·1·ent Events ancl Histm•·ical Notes connected wltlt
the Colleges and lJiissions of the Soc. of Jesus
in North and South America.
VOL.
XIV.
'""'
-/
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
I8 8 5·
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
�•
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XIV, No.
1.
SOME CHAPTERS OF THE HISTORY OF THE
JESUITS IN CANADA.
(Conclusion.)
X
In 1648, the land in the immediate neighborhood of Three
Rivers was beginning to fill with colonists. Less room
than heretofore remained for the pasturage of cattle. The
following document issued this year will show the interest
that our Fathers had in live stock. The land mentioned
herein is still known as "the common."
"Charles Huault de Montmagny, knight of the Order of
Jerusalem, Governor and Lieutenant-General for the king
along the whole of the great River St. Lawrence in New
France, along the rivers and lakes and the lands that border
thereon, declares that the lands limited as follows shall hereafter and forever be common to the inhabitants of Three
Rivers to serve as pasturage for their cattle."
The Governor fixes the limits of the future common, and
then specifies the conditions :
"And this on condition: 1. That the said inhabitants of
�4
CANADA.
Three Rivers fell the trees found on said common as soon
as possible, in order that the grass may grow on the said
land, and in order. that our enemies the Iroquois may not
approach too close to the fort and to the houses that are
situated near it; 2. That no inhabitant put to pasturage
more than six head of horned cattle, great or small, on the
said lands . . . . "
Father Jerome Lallemant, the Superior General, on behalf of the Jesuits, added an acre and a half to the common
out of their land, and see how he is repaid by the Governor:
"And to serve as a remeh1brance, we declare that the
Reverend Fathers of the Society of Jesus or their Procurator at Three Rivers .... may put to graze on the said common double the above nt!mber of cattle-large or small, as
they please; and inasm:uch as the said Reverend Fathers of
the Society of Jesus merit our highest esteem, we declare
that besides all that we have given them by the present declaration, they may put to pasture six other head of cattle on
the said common."
"Given at Fort St. Louis, at Quebec, 15 Aug. 1648.
(signed) DE MoNTMAGNY."
A wise condition is that obliging the colonists to fell the
trees. Owing to the thickness of the woods on the com~on, the Iroquois could approach within a hundred -yards
of the colonists' houses. They· still continued their depredations, one of their favorite pastimes being to kill the cattle
fomid grazing and to carry off the carcasses. It was unsafe
for a colonist to leave his house. He knew not the moment
when an Iroquois bullet would reach him. \Vhen the husband or son left the fireside in the morning to plow or sow,
the wife or mother was in anxiety until a happy return in
. the evening.· The next day brought with it the same anxiety. "The Iroquois," wrote one of our Fathers, "have
drawn many a groan from the hearts at Three Rivers. They
have mingled the tears of many a mother with the blood of
her children."
This was the heroic age of Canada; and our Fathers shed
a lustre on it by their sufferings and their heroism. In
�CANADA.
5
1649, Fr. Buteux, mentioning the continual danger in which
he was living at Three Rivers, wrote: "If God in His goodness, wishes me to expose myself, sinner that I am, to the
fury of these barbarians, I will freely give my life for the
glory of God and the salvation of my flock." We shall see
later that God took him at his word.
In the same letter he gives us the number of the Community at Three Rivers: "'vVe are in all five Jesuits-three
Fathers and two lay-brothers. 'vVe have, besides, six domestics, who render us great service in tilling the land and
aiding the savages in their work."
The domestics, whom we meet so often in the Relations
and journal, were something more than mere hired servants.
Owing to the great wanf of lay-brothers, the Fathers adopted some young Frenchmen who without being bound by
vows, obliged themselves to live with them. These domestics were very useful to the Fathers ; in I 649 there were
twenty-three of them. At their death Masses and beads
were said for them, and a goodly share, too, if we may
judge from the following notice read in the refeCtory at
Three Rivers in August, r6so: "Each Father will say six
Masses and each· Brother six pair of beads for the late Robert Le Coq, deceased in this country in the perpetual service
of the Society." Le Coq had been killed by the Iroquois
near Three Rivers a few days before.
XI
There was question of building a church at Three Rivers
during the year r6so. The Jesuitjoumal tells us that at a
consultation held at Quebec in the month of April, at which
were Fathers Jerome Lallemant, Vimont, Bressani, De la
Place, and Richard, it was decided that it would be out of
place to ask anything from the "Association of Inhabitants"
for the building which the Fathers wished to raise on their
ground at Three Rivers. (l) The Jesuits probably enlarged
<tl Benjamin Sulte in his Chronique Tr~fluuienne says that it was the So.
ciet\• of Jesus that had during the precedin:r year generously offered 2,000
francs to the mission of Three Rivers for building purposes. He credits the
Journal des Jesuites with this. Rut :M. Suite is wrong. The French word
�6
'CANADA.
their chapel, for the church was not built until fourteen
years later.
Three Rivers is the subjeCt of a consoling passage in the
Relati'o1l of 1651 : "The residence of the Conception is on
the enemy's frontier and, therefore, much exposed to the incursions of the Iroquois. But we may say with truth that
greater peace or greater piety was never seen amidst the
noise of arms and the horrors of war. The neophytes who
are here in fair numbers, have made this place their residence through a motive that one could hardly expeCt from
barbarians converted to the faith for so short a time. 'It is,'
they tell us, 'to combat the ene~ies of prayer that we freely
expose our lives. If we die in fighting we believe that we
die in defence of the faith.' Their sentiments are the same
when they go on the hunt after confession .... The God of
love for whom they expose themselves so willingly to the
dangers of fire and death, seems to take a special care of
these good neophytes. Not one has been taken or pursued
by the enemy; and though the snow is deep in these quarters during the winter, they never fail in their chase after
moose and beaver. They are not ungrateful to Him who
helps them. When they come back from the hunt, they
enter the chapel and ordinarily lay at the foot of the altar
the best part of the animals that they have taken."
~ ·
This was the state of Three Rivers in 1651. The happy
influence of religion had begun to tell on those savage
hearts, as we are going to see.
XII
On the banks of the Upper St. Maurice dwelt the Attikamegues or White Fish tribe. These savages were powerful,
but lovers of peace. The chase had charms for them that
war had not, and they preferred to use their strength against
the beasts of the forest. Three Rivers was their usual meet"communaute" (des habita,nts understood) occurring alone in the Journal, he
did not very well see how it could mean anything but a religious community
and under the circumstances, that of the .Jesuits. This is only one of ~f. Sui:
~!l'S blunders; for a thousand others, see his Histoire des Canadiens·Fran~ais,
I
�CANADA.
7
ing-place for the peltry trade. During the season they
lodged near the fort to have free access to the chapel hard
by, where they were present at all the offices. They sought
the society of the colonists, and they never were happier
than when with our Fathers. Father Buteux was particularly beloved by the Attikamegues, and the presents that
they brought him every year were innumerable.
Several times previous . to 165 I they·had pressed him
earnestly to visit them in their country. He had always
been obliged to refuse. He was asked again in the spring
of that year, and this time, notwithstanding his shattered
health, he left Three Rivers when the snow began to melt
and followed the Attikamegues up the banks of the St.
Maurice. The events occurring from day to day he jotted
down on paper, and the journal of Fr. Buteux forms an interesting chapter of the Relations. The high moun~ains he
had to scale, the deep ravines and precipices he had to
avoid, his narrow escapes from drowning in the swift current of the St. Maurice, the portages he had to make, his
fatigues give an excellent idea of the life of our early missionaries.
Holy week and Easter were passed in the thick woods
that cover the banks of the river. These days brought with
them numberless blessings to himself and his companions,
and his pains were mingled with consolations. On Easter
Sunday he said Mass. in a little chapel built of cedar branches, where all the Christians received Holy Communion.
This was a sight sufficient to give joy to the angels. A
wilderness of Canada had, without losing its savage aspeCt:,
become a paradise.
On Ascension Day, Father Buteux wrote: "After having
said Mass on a rock in the middle of a little island, and after having passed over places dreadful to look at, I was ravished with joy to see a gigantic cross planted on an eminence before me. Our little band venerated it; we invoked
the aid of our angel guardians and of St. Peter, the patron
of these parts; we then fired a salute." The thunder ran
through the forest and touched the mountains, and the echo
�8
, CANADA.
on its way to heaven came bounding back to the place
where they stood.
This scene took place nearly two hundred miles from the
mouth of the St. Maurice, where no white man had ever
gone before. The cross had been raised by the Christian
Attikamegues who had been instruCI:ed at Three Rivers
during· the preceding years. "It would seem," said the writer of a Relation, lavishing his praise on this worthy tribe,
"that Innocence banished from nearly all the empires and
kingdoms of the earth has come ·to dwell in the thick forests
of the Attikamegues."
XIII
Father Buteux's trip to their country crowned the joy of
the Attikarnegues. These good children of nature received
him as they would have received an angel. He baptized
many who had been instruCI:ed by their fellow-savages. After a short stay with them he left, promising to return the
following year.
~
In the spring of 1652, he set about fulfilling his promise.
The Indians who had come to Three Rivers with their furs,
were on the point of starting for their homes. Father Buteux was to accompany them. Before starting he wrot~ a
letter to Fr. Paul Ragueneau, Superior at Quebec, "whi~n',"
says Suite, "shows up in all its candor the generous soul of
a missionary." He had gone only as ,£1.r as the Falls of
Shawenigan when he was killed by the Iroquois.
Father 'Ragueneau gives the details in the Relation of
1652. The day after leaving Three Rivers when Father
Buteux and his two companions "were making their third
portage, they found themselves surrounded by fourteen Iroquois who were waiting for them at this passage. The savage walking in front was seized so suddenly that he had not
time to make a step backward. The two others were
thrown to the ground. F;ther Buteux fell wounded by two
bullets in the breast; another broke his right arm. The
savages jumped upon him, pierced him with their spears,
and finished him and his companion with blows of their
�CANADA.
9
tomahawks. The viEtims had no word on their lips at the
moment other than the adorable name of Jesus."
This massacre took place on the tenth of May, 1652. Buteux was the seventh Jesuit that fell under the blows of the
Iroquois. \Vhen the news reached Three Rivers, two bands.
were sent out to bring the precious remains to the Mission.
But they only found the body of Fontarabie, his white companion, half eaten by the birds and wild beasts. Father Buteux had been stripped naked and thrown into the St.
Maurice.
His death was an irreparable loss to the pious colonists.
During eighteen years he had been their guide in the road
to heaven; he had helped them by his counsel to bear patiently their perilous existence; now that he was dead, their
sorrow knew no bounds. The Mission of Three Rivers had
grown fervent under his guidance and it has remained so.
Who doubts that Three Rivers of to-day owes many a favor
to the intercession of the holy Jesuit whose blood reddened
its ungrateful soil? Ungrateful, indeed, for nothing has
been done to commemorate his martyrdom. Not a streamlet, not an islet bears his name. Let us hope that a monument will some day put an end to this negleCt. The lovely
Falls of Shawenigan would not lose any of their beauty if a
simple cross, raised to the memory of a martyr, were to cast
its shadow over their waters.
XIV
Father Rene Menard became Superior of the residence.
Among the first certificates of baptism written by him and
preserved in the Parish Registers, we find that of a famous
Iroquois chief, Agontarisati, and his companion, who were
taken by stratagem and burned at Three Rivers, on the
fourth of June, 1652. (l)
The death of their great chief excited the fury of the Iro(t) Anno Diii 1652, 3 .Tunii, Ego Renatus ,',[enarJ, saccrdos Societatis Jesu,
baptizavi, sine creremoniis, in sacello nostro, captivos duos hostes, .\gontari·
sati et ta Akenrat. Prior, Franciscus vocatus est; posterior, Petrns. Tlter·
que sequeuti die igue vitam fiuiit-(lteg. Paroch. pp. ti8). Suite says that th~
date should be the 3d of July.
�IO
CANADA.
quois, and they determined to strike a death-blow at the
colony. They continued their massacres during the rest of
the year 1652. The early months of the following year saw
numbers of these dreadful enemies in the neighborhood of
Three Rivers. The Governor De Lauzon feared an onslaught. At his invitation, Father Le Mercier, Superior,
left Quebec to superintend the fortifications that were about
to be put up at Three Rivers. The Jesuit met with violent
opposition from those whom he had come to guard. M.
Benjamin Suite, in his new History of the French Canadians,
says that the Jesuits themselves.;were to blame for this opposition, but M. Suite takes the wrong way to prove it.
According to him the whole cause of the trouble was a wall
that our Fathers had negletl:ed to build. Here is a reason
just as probable. The colonists whether through discouragement, or because their enemies had for years done nothing more than threaten an attack, turned a deaf ear to the
Jesuits' appeal for aid. They preferred to attend to their
private rather than to the public weal, and Father Le Mercier had accordingly much difficulty in getting the help he
needed. This reason is also Mr. Sulte's-the one he gives
in his Chroniqm· Trijluvimnc. \Vhich are we to believe?
The fortifications were completed; and the venerable
Mary of the Incarnation, in one of her letters, wrote that
"Father Le Mercier had shown much skill in fortifying
Three Rivers; and that the French were now in perfeCt:
safety." The end proved that Le Mercier had more prudence than all the colonists put together.
On the seventeenth of August, the Iroquois determined
to fall upon the little colony. The blood of the chief Agontarisati had to be avenged and the French blotted out of
existence. Five hundred Iroquois planned a skillful attack.
They separated into three bodies and approached the fort at
the same time. But they reckoned without their host. The
ne\v fortifications amazed them. The mouths of the guns
. pointing in every direction was too much for their courage
and they retired disconcerted.
The historians of Canada almost to a man ignore the part
�CANADA.
II
taken by Fr. Le Mercier in the defence of Three Rivers.
The praises of the multitude arc generally lavished on Peter
Boucher, the commander of the fort, who, it appears, distinguished himself inside the fortifications. But faC):s prove
that had it not been for the skill of the Jesuit, even Boucher would have had his scalp raised by the Iroquois.
XV
Father Leonard Garreau succeeded Fr. Menard as Superior. The Parish Register has about twenty-seven baptismal certificates in his handwriting.
In October, 1654, Le Lauzon, the Governor-General, gave
St. Christopher island in the St. Maurice to the Jesuits. The
act of transfer tells us that the island was given to our Fathers in recognition of their services in the conversion of
the savages, "which," says the act, "cannot be too fully appreciated." It was to remain free to them forever, and they
had power to rent the whole or parts, subject to the laws
existing at the time. The island has a surface of eighty
acres, and it is the largest of the six that lie at the mouth of
the St. Maurice. The year after the transfer, Fr. Garreau in
the name of the Society, rented it to a number of tenants,
the chief of whom was Christopher Crevier, from whom
the island received its name. One of the conditions of the
renting was that the tenants should have their corn ground
at the Jesuits' gristmill, "when the said mill should be
built!"
·
In 1660, the Jesuits at Three Rivers appear as grain-dealers.
The jo.urnal tells us that Mr. Boucher left for Quebec in the
community boat with one hundred and eighty bushels of
corn, for the Fathers. This helped the colonists to sow
and live, for the want of grain was extreme. "We did not
want to profit by the extreme misery of the country and we
were satisfied with the ordinary price of the past, namely five
francs, although other people were selling their grain at six,
seven, and even eight francs."
During the years that lay between 1655 and 1661 theRelatiolls give no important details in connection with the Tri-
�CANADA.
fluvian residence. A few peace-parleys took place between
Fathers Le Moyne and Druillettes and the savages. Promises of peace were made by the Algonquins and Iroquois in
the presence of Father Ragueneau, 1656.
In September, r66o, Father Allouez became Superior at
Three Rivers. A large number of the Ottawa tribe came to
the mouth of the St. Maurice, bringing with them furs to
the value of $50,000. An excellent opportunity now presented itself to introduce the gospel into the country lying
on the south bank of the upper Ottawa. Fathers Albanel
and Menard were chosen for thY, work. The latter died two
years later in the woods abandoned by man. Fr. Jerome
Lallemant, in r663, tells us how the poor old missionary,
worn out by age and labor, harassed by long and painful
journeys, bathed in his sweat and blood, went to die alone
in the depths of a forest, five hundred miles from Quebec.
Heaven was unwilling that any mortal should hear his last
sigh. Only the forest echoed it: and the rock on which he
lay down to die was the only witness of those last raptures
of love that he sent to heaven with his soul.
XVI
The colony had increased in numbers during the _few
years that had just passed. The little chapel belonging to
the Jesuits was now too small to hold all the Trifluvians,
and . the people began to talk of building a church. The
same subjeCt: had been broached in r6so, but nothing was
done. In: the spring of 1664 His Lordship, Bishop Laval,
the Governor-General and the Superior of the Jesuits met at
Three Rivers. The colonists laid their wants before them,
and asked for a church and cemetery. The ground was allotted and the church built in r665.
During these years the attention of our Fathers began to
turn to the "Cap de Ia Madeleine," the point on the bank of
the St. Maurice opposite fo Three Rivers. A traCt: of land
twenty miles long and six deep had been given to the Jes~
uits for the benefit of the savages converted to the Christian
faith, As early as the year r639 the land was in their pos-
�CANA~DA.
IJ
session, but it was not until 1678 that their titles to the
estates of Cap de Ia Madeleine and Batiscan were confirmed
by the King of France.
About the middle of the century the Jesuits succeeded in
drawing many savages from Three Rivers and its neighborhood, and settling them· at the Cap. This step was taken
to check an evil that had begun to spread. The use of "firewater" had already created much disorder among the savages. The author of the Relation of 1663 tells us that his
"ink is not black enough to depiCt the evil caused by this
enemy. Only the gall of a dragon could write the bitterness that the Jesuits felt at the sight of the ravages caused
by drunkenness." The bad example of the whites aeted
powerfully on the savage charaCter, and the ]fsuits isolated
their wards as much as possible. They built a fort for them
at the Cap, where they lived and followed the praCtices of a
religious life with all the regularity of a monastery.
The history of the old Society at Three Rivers thus draws
to a close. The little reduCtion on the opposite bank of the
St. Maurice took up the attention of our Fathers. In 1672
the RecolleCts appeared again on the scene and they received back from the Jesuits the Mission that they had quitted forty-two years before.
XVII
The residence at the Cap de Ia Madeleine became the
centre of a number of Missions that had been established in
the neighborhood during the last few years." Among these
were counted Batiscan, St. Genevieve and Becancom. Fr.
Claudius Allouez had the care of the savages at the Cap
some years after the permanent Mission was established in
1651. In 1663 he returned to Quebec and Fr. Fremin took
his place. Two years later Fr. Fremin became Superior at
the Cap. He applied himself to instruCting the Montagnais
and Algonquins, while the principle care of the Mission was
given to Fr. Albanel. ·When Fr. Francis Duperon died at
Chambly in November, 1665, Fr. Albanel went to take his
place. He was replaced at the Cap by Fr: Druillettes.
�CANADA.
These fe\v details have been taken from the Jesuit Jouma!,
but they are not numerous enough to give us anything like
a satisfactory account of this important Mission.
Unfortunately, our success is not· much greater when we
look for details connected with the other Missions. For
this the Relations do not suffice. True, the life and labors
of our first missionaries are well drawn in these precious
works, but they were drawn for the whole of France. And
the rough strokes of the pen that roused such enthusiasm
in France when they appeared, are not sufficient now to satisfy a pious desire to know tbe little incidents of Jesuit
Community life in Canada two hundred years ago. The
incomplete journal is the only relic left to supply this want.
This diary, embracing only the years between 1644and 1669,
contains all the details that the Superiors thought worth
while noting down from Latin hexameters to the deeds of
the scalping-knife. It resembles to an iota what the uninitiated would consider a well-kept diary of a Father Minister
of the nineteenth century. Perfection of conciseness and the
absence of far-fetched euphemisms are two of its good
points. ClJ
111 A few items taken at random from the pages of the Journal may edify. It
is needless to say that the 1'\uperior's ordinary residence was at Quebec; and
it was there that the Journal was kept.
.'
1645-0ct. 30.-It has been decided that only one candle be lighted during
)lass, at least on week-days.
November.-At the beginning of this month we ltmt the Ursulines the tab·
ernacle of our Lady of the Angels. The angels were lent to the parish to
decorate the altar.
Nov. 12.-We gave Mrs. Giffard a piece of old soutane to line sleeves with.
-)1. Nicolet has finished his chapel at Goose Island. He has a silver chalice
and a white damask chasuble. We gave him two packages of tapers and
three large pictures. We lent him two books-the life of our Lord and one of
Dupont's works.-Father Dequen, Superior at Sillery, got himself into trouble for having accepted a few beaver skins from an old squaw and her relatives. This gift installed him unwittingly in the place of a relative that had
been killed, and he was oblil(ed to do as much for them as their dear departed
would have done. He had to lodge and feed them all winter.
Dec. 4.-About this time we began to make our own bread. That made at
the store-furnace is not good bread, and besides, it is time to try the wheat
raised in this couutry.-At this time the Algonquins at Sillery took some rude
disciplines for having got drunk several times. But they complain that the
French get drunk and play the rascal, and not a word is said.
1646-New Year's day.-)Jr. Uiffard came to see us, and the Religious sent
us letters with their compliments. 'Jhe Ursulines sent us some gifts of candles, beads and crosses, and at dinner-time two fine tarts.
Jan. 5.-This· evening ~lr. Giffard gave us a bottle of ''hypocratins ;" the
ladies of Hotel-Dieu a cake and six wax candles. On the Epiphany they sent
us a fine dinner.'
�is
CANADA.
When Fr. Charlevoix visited the Cap in 1721;the Mission was far from being in a flourishing condition. From
the way he speaks of it in his letters, the Jesuits must have
abandoned the place several years before. One of the Fathers probably remained with the savages.
Charlevoix writing to the Duchess of Lesdiguieres, says :
"The Mission which our Fathers formed at the Cap de la
Madeleine did not continue very long. This was partly the
effeCt of the inconstancy of the savages. War and sickness,
however, were the chief causes of the destruCtion of this
rising church. A large number of Algonquins are still living in the neighborhood, of whom a great many were baptized when they were young, but they have now no religion.
The West India Company have tried to remove them to
Chicoutimi where there are many h'lmilies of the same nation living under the care of a Jesuit missionary; others
wanted to join them to the Abenaquis at St. Francis. These
1647-Feast of St. Ignatius.-Benediction was given the evening before at
7 o'clock; Landate, Iste Confessor, Similabo, Nagnijicat and Salve Regina.
This went well.
Au!(. 28-Feast of St. Augu<~tine.-I (Fr. Jer. Lallemant) said )lass at the
Hospital, and said a word or two on the Gospel ex plano in honor of the saint.
:Fr. Vimont preached in the afternoon. The Ursulines were a little vexed because I did not say Mass there, but the Sisters of Hotel-Dieu had asked me
first.
1649-New Year's Day.-The Governor sent his butler this morning with
two bottles of Spanish wine, a turkey-cock and an Agnus Dei.
)larch.-Durmg this winter I finished the Friday exhortations bra general
review, in order to give notice of defects. Jn the last two exhortatiOns I read
the rules for priests and lay-brothers. In these ordinary Friday exhortations
I generally read the rules or the last treatise of Rodriguez.
165Q-New Year's Day.-The Sisters of Hotel-Dieu sent us a letter early
this morning by Mr. de i:iauveur, to whom I gave a cake of wax for tapers, a
crucifix and a Gerson. The Ursulines sent us the compliments of the season
by :Mr. Yignar,-but they sent nothing else.
1658-)lar. 31.-The Abbe Gueylus said in his sermon that it was a mortal
sin to sell strong drink to the savages, He had said before that it was not a
mortal sin.
1667-:Mar. 13.-Fr. Julian Garnier who is not yet twenty-five years old has
just been examined in the whole of theology according to the custom of the
Society. The examiners were F~tthers Lallemant, Pijart, Dablon and Pierron.
Dec. 8.-:Mr. Philip Pierson preached in the refectory with satisfaction.
1668-New Year's Day.-Fr. de Beaulieu preached in our church nirnius
in societatis nostrm laudibus.
The orig. :MSS. of the Journal is in the possession of Laval University at
Quebec. It was published in 1871, and formed a book of four hundred pages,
4to, in pica. Much information has been drawn from its pages by our Cana·
dian chroniclers. Two of these, Benj. Sulte and Pascal Poirier, by twisting
the true meaning out of several of the items and ignoring the guileless inten·
tion with which they were written, have said many things unfavorable to our
Society.
.
�16
(:AN ADA.
efforts were made in vain. The only answer the Algonquins
give is that they cannot leave the place where their forefathers are buried."
XVIII
Many years after Charlevoix's visit a fire destroyed the
registers and archives of the Cap de Ia Madeleine and many
precious documents were thus lost to us forever. Three
venerable monuments still remain to show that our Fathers
once lived there- the Residence, the Gristmill and the Parish Church. The savages' fo.:t disappeared probably at the
time of the fire.
The old residence-the one in which Father Le Moyne
died a holy death in 1665-is now the Post-office of the village. The walls are massive, and they were raised, it would
seem, for eternity. This was the manor-house of our Fathers, and it is not larger than our country-house at Hochelaga.
The gristmill built shortly after 1665 has also borne
bravely the wreck of time, and like a faithful servant still
grinds its neighbor's corn. A wooden storey has lately
been raised on the old stone foundations. The motivepower is furnished by a rivulet flowing from the St. MaJ.!rice.
This rivulet was once only a little creek, but it has de.veloped into a good-sized stream, and. it is still called the "Riviere des Peres."
These relics of the Old Society are objects of rare interest
to the members of the New. A visit to the Cap is not despised even by our grave theologians; and on walk-days it
is not an uncommon sight to see dark-robed Schols. wrapped
in lgnatian mantles, crossing the St. M;uJrice on their way
to the scene of their ancestors' labors.
The old church is naturally the centre of attraction. This
little building, hallowed by the presence of the Old Society
for seventy-five or a hundred years, has many claims to the
veneration of the little community of theologians that has
come to live in the neighborhood. Everything is there to
remind us of the former owners-the hagiogram of the So-
�CANADA.
17
ciety, the paintings hanging on the sanauary walls. One
of these is of St. Francis Borgia painted before his canonization. The absence of the nimbus produces a strange impression ; and one begins to realize, despite our ordinary
feeling to the contrary, that God's great saint was once a
man like ourselves.
In the sacristy there are several sets of vestments beautifully wrought that belonged to our Fathers. Tradition has
it that they were presented to the Jesuits by a French princess when the Mission at the Cap was established. There
are also five or six sacred vases in massive silver; and one
-not the least interesting-is the chalice used by Father
Charlevoix, the historian of New France, when he visited
the Mission at the beginning of the eighteenth century.
The bell in the steeple bears the date 1713. The names
that were graven in the bronze when it was lifted to its present position have not yet been erased by the hand of time.
The chief is that of Baron Robineau de Becancour. This
Baron was lord of the manor on the opposite bank of the
St. Lawrence, and firm friend of the Jesuits. He had on his
lands an Abenaquis village under the spiritual direaion of
our Fathers.
XIX
The church is in excellent condition, and was the only
one in the parish up to 1882. At that time it had a narrow
escape from destruaion, as we shall see. The hand of
Providence visibly preserved it from a piece of vandalism
that the Society in Canada would have long deplored. During the winter that the new parish church was building, the
St. Lawrence did not freeze, and the building material could
not be brought from the quarries on the opposite side of the
river. An idea that could only have originated in the regions of Pluto came into t_he mind of one of the residents of
the place.
"Let us knock down the old Jesuit church," said he; "we
will soon be able to build the new one."
VoL.
XIV.
No.
1.
~
�r8
.CANADA.
"Amen," answered a dozen voices.
And the Vandals were soon to begin their work of destruction when the parish priest forbade them to remove a
·stone from the venerable pile.
"Let us make a Novena," said the worthy Cure, "and
God will soon see us out of our difficulties."
The Novena was begun and the river began to freeze.
\Vhen the Novena closed, a narrow strip of ice stretching
across the river had frozen strong enough to bear men and
horses. On either side of this miraculous road the dark
water was visible. Full of confidence in God the whole
parish set to work to draw- the stones from the opposite
bank, and in a very short time all the material 'was removed.
\Vhen the last load had touched the shore, the narrow road
of ice parted in the middle of the river and floated down
with the current, leaving the inhabitants astounded at this
evident mark of the goodness of God. (t)
The old church grew dearer to all the neighborhood; and
the parish priest profited by the circumstance to put into
execution a project he_ had formed some time previouslythe new Society of Jesus at Three Rivers should formally
renew her relationship with the old Society at the Cap de
la Madeleine.
One Sunday it was announced to the parishioner.~." that
on a certain day during the following week all the Jes~Iits
at Three Rivers would come to tlie Cap, and the day would
be a holiday for the parish. A High Mass of Thanksgiving
would be sung for the return of the illustrious Society that
had once dwelt upon that soil; confessions would be heard,
and Holy Communion given for the prosperity of the parish
and for the success of the works of the Company of Jesus.
The day came and went and the results surpassed all the
expectations of the worthy parish priest. The whole village
turned out, and our Fathers were kept busy for hours hearing confessions. More than three-quarters of the parishion(I) So strong was their belief in the mira~ulous nature of this road, that no
one dared to. cross the river unless on business connected with the building of
the new church. A resident of the Cap, wishing to go to the other side on
pr1vatc business, first asked permission of the Uure, and then promised, as an
as~unmce of his safe return, to bring back a load of stones.
�CANADA.
ers approached the Holy Table, and Heaven poured down
innumerable blessings on those who assisted at that happy
family feast.
XX
\Vhen our Fathers left Three ·Rivers in 1672, the little
colony comprised only a few houses and a church built beside the fort. A high and strong palisade kept the colonists
hidden from the outer world during the moments of danger.
\Vhen the Iroquois were no longer feared the palisade fell
to the ground, and a prosperous era seemed to open up before those brave colonists who had seen the thickest of the
fight. In the latter half of the seventeenth century Three
Rivers had before it the brightest future of any spot in
America. Hither came the most distant savage tribes with
their furs. Hither, too, came the European traders. Few,
indeed, of those who walk along the quiet boulevard that
lies on the river's edge ever think that a time was when
nearly all the commerce of America centred there. The
two hundred years that separate that time from the present
have produced many changes, but those changes never realized the brilliant hopes that were formed for the little colony in its early years. Scarcely nine thousand souls tread
the earth that was moistened with the sweat and blood of
their forefathers. Modern progress, too, finds it a difficult
task to gain a footing within the limits of the little city.
Many of the customs that the first colonists brought from
France are still kept sacred. As an example, Three Rivers
is the only town in America where the antique town-crier
still lives and flourishes. (I)
A fine gothic cathedral, built twenty years ago for the
resident Bishop, towers majestically over the city. But the
city does not look younger for that. A gothic cathedral
(IJ The only town, we may add, where Ayer's Pills and Genuine Hop Bitters
do not aftlict the traveller's eyes. The bill posting fraternity give Three Riv·
ers a wide berth, and clean street walls are the result, ·
�CANADA,
takes us back to other centuries and lends a city a venerable
aspect. Three Rivers shares this fate,
Between 1844 and 1850 the Fathers of the new Canadian
Mission preached retreats in this and the neighboring towns.
A century and a half had not been sufficient to blot out the
remembrance of the Fathers of the old Society from Three
Rivers, and those who followed them so many years later
were received with open arms. But all traces of the old
Fathers had disappeared. Only the parish registers remained to show their presence here in former years. The
St. Lawrence still rolled past, but the canoes of the savages
that glided lightly over its su~face when Fathers Lc Jenne
and Buteux used to watch them from the shore, had yielded
their places to steamships going to other continents. The
swift current had eaten away the soil where the Jesuit chapel
stood. The old fort, too, had disappeared, and the high
plateau that frowned on the passing stream, lost its fierce
military look. The ground where the soldiers were drilled
. became a green. All that remained were the souvenirs and
legends that we like to-hear told.
The parish church that was built in r665 was replaced in
1715 by the present stone one. But even this has become
a relic. Everything around it has grown tired of existepce ;
it alone is left to recall the memories of the past-the-steep
roof, the carved sanctuary walls, the canopied altar ;-even
the old sexton has become an object of interest. This little
grey-haired man is bent forward, thin and age-worn. The
weight of years makes him totter when he walks. He has
lived so long, that those whose birth and baptism he announced with the sound of the parish-bells, are becoming
grey like himsel£ Many, indeed, whom he saw as little
children have left this world, and their joyous christening
peal he changed to a saddening death-knell. Fifty years
ago the old sexton stood at his post for the first time. Ever
since he has been a faithful servant in this house of God,
and the marks of respect that he receives from every side
are due to his devotedness and virtue as well as to his grey
hilirs.
�CANADA.
~I
XXI
Close to the parish church, and bordering on a part of the
old Jesuit Estates-the fief Pacharini-there stands a large
stone. house, built in the last century style. The walls are
high and massive, and cut up with innumerable windows.
An old French chimney stands at one end, and looks as
solid and as formidable as an Egyptian pyramid. This was
the residence of the British officers, who were stationed at
Three Rivers after the Capitulation of I 763. A private
residence for many years, it became the episcopal palace
when the diocese of Three Rivers was formed thirty years
ago. Dr. Cook the newly-consecrated Bishop lived in it
until his death. ·when the magnificent residence was built
for the present Bishop, the old stone l~ouse found itself
abandoned.
In 1881 His Lordship, Bishop Laflech~, invited the Jesuits to give the theological courses at his diocesan seminary,
and he offered them the large stone house to live in. The
offer was accepted, workmen were immediately set at work,
and what with the knocking down of walls and partitions and
building up of others, the interior soon began to look like a
Jesuit residence. \Vhen the half dozen scholastics, with
their professors, came to take possession of it three years
ago they found themselves at home. They have lived and
studied here ever since. The courses of Canon Law and
Moral are followed at the Bishop's Seminary. The Repetitions and Circles, and the classes of Dogma, Holy Scripture and Hebrew are given at the residence.
As soon as the Montreal House of Studies will be completed the residence at Three Rivers will cease to be a
theologate. This change will have many advantages, but
Montreal cannot supply us with the magnificent scenery, the
pleasant landscapes, the bosky groves, the fine country
walks such as are to be found on the banks of the St.
Maurice,
EDWARD E!VEND,
J..
s.
�MISSOURI.
A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY.
By Fr. N. L. Scltlcclttcr, S. J
CHAPTER II.
In this manner came on the -year '48, so ominous to Europe and so full of blessings for America. Jesuit exiles
from Switzerland were received with open arms in St. Louis
and a fertile field of aCtion denied them at home was offered
them by our Province in the valley of the Mississippi. It is
said that in olde11 times hospitality was rewarded by the
harboring of angels, and our Province might be proud, if
pride were not forbidden, of having sheltered him that now
is the head of the whole Society.
Some of these Fathers~ then, came out to Osage County,
and with this additional help Fr. Helias could say that the
condition of Catholicity ceased to be problematic. However, before proceeding it will not be out of place to gJve
the reader an idea of what Osage County was in '48. Fron1
'37 to '48 the number of families haa grown partly from immigration, and partly from natural increase to such an extent
that the parishes are supposed to have been as populous
then as they are to-day. The reason for this seeming standing still of the population from '48 till '84 is explained by
the faCt that from '48 onward there being no room for newlyformed families in the old settlements, a system of emigration set in, and on this account as many as seven new parishes in and outside of Osage County were formed; and even
to-day some two or three springing from the same sources
are in process of formatio~. In '48 Osage County had undergone a great change. Extreme poverty had disappeared,
wagons with wheels of sycamore and pulled by oxen were
.
~~
�A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY, MO.
23
going out of fashion. The first German settler, a certain
Dohmen, that used a wagon made by the wheelwright and
had a team of mules instead of oxen, is noted for this
achievement in the County. And from that day onward the
old wagons were doomed; for perfeCtion put at the side of
imperfeCtion dazzles even the eyes of the dullest with its
splendor. The ecclesiastical authority was vested in the
person of Fr. Helias. He resided in Taos, Cole County,
eight miles from \Vestphalia. His assistant was Fr. Buschots. During the week Father Buschots taught school
mostly for the sake of instruCting the children, but partly
also for getting what money he could. Money in those
days was scarce. The tea then in use was peppermint, or
rather that kind of salvia known as penny-royal. That
plant was then in esteem and old matrons will tell you to
what perfeCtion they had raised it in their gardens. To-day
it has again resumed its charaCter of weed. Salt was not
always to be had in the settlement and salad if eaten was
eaten without dressing, while the leading dishes, namely
potatoes and bacon, were done up in various ways but always so that, as one of the Fathers said with pleasantry,
the forma substantia/is was still retained. The farmers, by
this time, had improved their homesteads and the roads
throughout the county were made passable.
It is easy then to see that in '48 and in many years following the task of the missionaries was not an easy one.
But to make the measure full and overflowing there was a
certain spirit of opposition and contradiCtion against the
priests-a spirit which was kept alive among the peasants
by some four or five half-educated men, called Latinicms, because in Europe they had aimed at learning Latin, but had
given up the hopeless task before coming to America.
\ Vhat their purpose was is not easy to point out; but they
found a sufficient number of followers among the peasants
-among such as mistook the land of liberty for the land of
license. And if I were writing a detailed history of Osage
County I would have to speak of an anti-clerical party ; I
would be obliged to tell how something like a plot was got-
�24
A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY, liFO.
ten up; how tipon discovery of this the people true to their
pastors roused themselves to meet violence with violence;
and finally how it came to a street -skirmish, in which victory turned the scales in favor of the clericals, so called,
over their detested adversaries-the heretics.
The wise man says : "Better is the end of a speech than
the beginning;" so it was here. But the lingering embers
of opposition were kept aglow for some time, and it is mentioned among the special merits of Fr. Goldlin, S. J., that
he, in his wise management, smoothed over all difficulties
and effaced the last trace of ·distrust against the Fathers.
These things happened in \Vestphalia. Yet this same
Westphalia so unruly at first has become the very gem of a
parish where the young men, one and all, belong to the Sodality, numbering at their monthly meeting about I 20 communicants; and just as much may be said of the' young
ladies, and of the marrkd ladies' Societies. \Vhat a change !
"Let it hiss and spurt and fuss in the barrel," says Goethe,
"in due season it will give a mellow wine." But the Latinians! I must add what !-heard again and again, namely that
they came by their deaths in a miserable, unchristian manner dying unmwinted and unco.ifincd.
But I am forestalling, in as much as these events occurred
sometime after '48. In that year then owing to the unl~ok
ed for help from abroad more missionaries were sent to the
County, and with their aid the regular parish system was
begun. There was room for improvement on all sides. The
· churches must be enlarged, school-houses ereCl:ed, residences built for the priests. There was work enough for
the Fathers at home, one might think ; so that there was
no need of looking abroad for more. But not so. Hardly
had the Fathers domesticated themselves in their respeCtive_
residences and parishes when they began to form new missions. Indeed, the Fathers, possessed of the true spirit,
showed as much enterprise for spirituals as the farmers for
temporals, and everywhere success followed in their wake ;
for "man toiling hard is ever an objeCt: of interest to the
gods." Thus Fr. Buschots, then Superior in Loose Creek,
�A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COW\'TY, JfO.
25
founded three new missions, being as it were the daughters
of Loose Creek, viz: Maria Hilf among the Germans, Bailey's Creek among the Irish and St. Isidore among the
French. Maria Hilf is a middle-sized parish to-day. Bailey's Creek is growing. It is there that only two years ago
Fr. Gonser, S. J., built a very pleasing church and that for
little money. The church of St. Isidore, on the other hand,
is no more, the :french being satisfied to go, if indeed they
go, to a church, supported by others rather than to keep up
their own.
Turning our eyes to \Vestphalia where Fr. Goldlin was
Superior, we see him, assisted by several zealous Fathers,
not only attend to the spiritual wants of \Vestphalia and
Richfountain; but also engaged with the starting of new
congregations, or in improving those already started. And
first of these was Koeltztown, now a parish as large as Richfountain; the second was St. Thomas', where a fine brick
church is being built, the third was \Vardsville, which then
had another name ; and even as far as Vienna, the capital of
Maries County, did the field of Fr. Goldlin's work extend.
Trips of forty to fifty miles on horseback were no exception
in those days; and happy for the Fathers that several of
them were noted for great endurance in this manner of travelling, especially Fr. Buschots, but, above all, Frs. 'Neher
and Goldlin.
I feel that here would be the proper place for giving an
account of each Father's work during that busy and enterprising period from '48 to '6o. To say what the common
people told me so often during these two years of my stay
in the County, would make a fine panegyric. But it cannot
well be done. First, because we are told not to praise a
man before his death, and yet many of the Fathers in ques. tion are among the living. Secondly, because the living, if
mentioned would wish to be mentioned with exaggerated
modesty rather than with undue praise. But the golden
middle is not easily found, or if found, not easily followed
up. Hence I choose to check my desires rather than to
enlarge upon the works of such men as Rev. Fr. Catting,
�z6
A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGF:
COCYT>~ "~VO.
S. J., one of the pioneer Fathers, now at \Vhitemarsh, of
Rev. Van Mierlo, S. J., now stationed at St. Charles, of Rev.
de Haza, S. J., whose late loss is so deeply felt by his faithful people; of Rev. Shulak, S. J., the well-known missionary
among the Poles and Bohemians, of Rev. \Veber, S. J., for
years the beloved pastor at St. Joseph's church, and of
Rev. \V. Niederkorn, S. J., who may be considered_as the
link conneCting Osage County of the p~st with Osage
County of to-day.
I have thus, in quick survey; brought down the history
of Osage County from the beginning to the year 1 86o,
thereby trending upon the last period to be mentioned in
this paper. This period might be called the period of refinement and culture, using however the words with such
limitations as a country distriCt necessarily demands. The
new railroad from St, Louis to Jefferson City gave the farmers a ready market for their produce, and their land grew
proportionately in value. Plenty began to reign in the settlements. I say plenty, not wealth, because the hilly nature
of the country forbids fa~ming on a large scale, thereby putting a bar to wealth and, it is thought, to luxury also. Indeed, the soil would be fertile, if it were more level, and the
scenery would be beautiful, if it were less crammed, an_d if
the hills were not put like cannon balls, as the people ~say,
side by side. It is only here and· there that miniature alpine scenery arrests the attention; and it is only here
and there that a quiet lake "holds her mirror to the fringed
bank." But where there is an open valley, there surely extends from mountain here to mountain yonder a waving
harvest; and what grows, grows well.
But to resume the thread of the narrative! \Vith the
railroad came an increase of specie in the settlements, and
also an increase of liberality among the people for supporting religion. The log-churches, the log-houses for the pastors, the log-schools lost. credit, and stone churches, brick
residences. and schools and convents took their places. The
oldest stone church in the County is St. Joseph's at \Vestphalia, built by Fr. Catting, S. J., enlarged, later on, by Rev.
�A SHORT. HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY, lJIO:
27
W. Niederkorn with an additional heptagon sanauary,
which gives the church an antique appearance, and, finally,
brought to completion by Rev. Fr. Krier, S. J., who in '83
finished the hitherto unfinished steeple. The next large
church was that in Loose Creek, of which notice was given
before. The last one is the church of Richfountain, built
by Rev. Averbeck, S. J. It is the largest church in the
County. Bishop Ryan, now Archbishop of Philadelphia,
on seeing it for the first time, exclaimed : "I find a cathedral
rather than a country church."
After the churches were finished, it was in season to
think of ereaing convents. The first convent was built in
Westphalia, under Fr. Goldlin, S. J. It is a large brick
·building three stories high; and the schools are conduaed
with great credit by the Sisters of Notre Dame from Milwaukee. The next convent was ereaed in Loose Creek by
Rev. de Haza, S. J., and given in charge of the Sisters of the
Precious Blood. Lastly came the convent in Linn, capital
of the County, finished only last year under Fr. Krier, S. J.,
and also given in charge of the school-sisters of Notre
Dame; while Fr. Vallazza, S. ].,.convinced of the importance attached to convent education for a parish, fitted out
the old frame church of Richfountain and the adjoining pastor's residence as a convent for the same Sisters. Add to
all this that with but few exceptions the many lesser schools
scattered throughout the country are Catholic schools
though receiving government money for their support:schools in which catechism is taught and bible history is
read ; these faas will give an idea of the firm and lasting
charaaer. to which Catholicity has attained in this and partly
in the neighboring Counties. Yes, the lesson taught by
the history of Osage County is encouraging, and it is this:
the work may have been toilsome in the beginning, but it is
paying in the end.
Osage County has been pretty much in this condition for
the last eight or ten years. And all those Fathers that
came hither during that time were reaping harvests large
and comparatively easy in as much as they reaped where
�28
A SHORT HISTORY OF OSAGE COUNTY, ilfO.
others had sown, so that sowers and reapers were rejoicing
together. But our work was done. The parishes were on
a good and easy footing and ripe for the reception of secular priests.
However, if I said the parishes in Osage County were in
good running order, I must make an exception of Linn,
which only two years ago was made a regular parish.
Linn, having a mixed population and but a small territory
to draw from, it being surrounded on three sides by large
parishes and churches, will need nursing for some time.
Still the number of families necessary for the making of
Linn are gradually coming in.
·
This \vas the condition of things in August, I 88 3· The
elegant proportions of the new steeple in \Vestphalia were ·
still a novelty to our wondering eyes; the four new bells
with their cadenced harmony were still our daily surprise;
the new clock in the steeple marking solemnly the rotation
of time was still the great talk of the town-when the hour
of parting sounded. Letters reached us from St. Louis conveying much meaning ~in few words. It was August the
25th and the import was as follows: "Osage County is your
home no longer; \Vestphalia will have a secular priest immediately; the other parishes, soon." It is needles~t to
dwell upon the grief which this news carried with it th~;ugh
the County. People had accust6med themselves to look
upon the Fathers not only as spiritual guides, but also as
colonizers; and where spiritual and temporal interests are
linked ·the ties of attachment grow strong.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
A FOUNDER OF MARYLAND.
CHAPTER
IV.
Hopes of Return.
There now comes a curious incident in the correspondence. In the beginning of I 576, De Requesens, who cultivated the friendship of Elizabeth, complying with her wishes,
ordered away all her exiled subjects; and Nevilles, Nortons
and Markinfelds departed with their miserable dissensions
and hopeless plots to other places. Copley, of course, came
under the same ban, but he found means to obtain from
Elizabeth a letter to the Commendatore, desiring him to
show favor to Thomas Copley who has done her good service, and is not of those traitors and rebels who have fled
from the realm, but is abroad for his religion and liberty of
conscience. She can not deny that he is ancientment of
her blood, or that he has formerly· honerably served her.
The copy of this letter is in French, dated Hampton Court,
Feb. ISJ6.
Folded with this in the State Papers as though it had relation to the same person, is a document without date or
signature which bears a singular meaning when viewed in a
light received from another quarter. The words it contains
are these:
"I have spoken with your friend, whose answer is he can
not send the bird until it is hatched. The hen has busily
built her nest and sits f.1.st; so sure as any of her eggs be
disclosed, you shall have speedy advertisement, not by letter, but by a trusty messenger, whom I have already sent
many miles hence to serve that turn. You must procure
him a passport from that side, and I will take charge to do
.
(2~)
�JO
LIFE OF FATHER THO.lFAS COPLEJ:
the like from this.
Here is more likelihood of peace than
\Var."
Many years afterwards, John, the youngest son of Copley,
joined the English College at Rome to study for the priesthood ; and entered, as was usual, an account of his previous
life in a book kept for that purpose. He says-"l was born
at Louvaine in I 577 ; and nine days after my birth I was
sent to England, where I was nursed and brought up until
my ninth year." \Ve learn from the same source that Richard Southwell of St. Faith's, in ~orfolk, who had conformed,
received his wife's nephew, this..'poor little waif whose passage seems to have been taken before his birth. There can
be little doubt that Copley paid well for leave to send his
child home, as he had before paid for his wife's portion.
By a comparison of dates it seems probable that the two
brothers-in-law exchanged children, or perhaps, if Bridget
Copley were living she had a hand in the matter. Robert,
her second son, was then a bright boy of fifteen, but he can
enter neither of the universities. His cousins, Henry, \Villiam
and Peter, are doing \\·cH at Dr. Allen's new college, now at
Rheims-may he not go there and be trained in the right
path, as one of his uncle's children, while this small infant,
whose soul is as yet as safe in one place as another corpes
to. us here in Norfolk?
~ .
It is certain that Robert Southwell, born in I 562, went in
his fifteenth year, I 577, to Douay; and that in later years,
when foremost in merit and danger, he tenderly interested
himself for a brother of this youth, Anthony, procuring him
in I586, through Cardinal Allen, a position in the English
College at Rome, and a pension from the Pope, a favor most
ungratefully requited.
A grave mistake has been made by those writers who
have accused Thomas Copley of imparting information to
the English governmentY>, Strype after quoting from the letters we have given, says honestly, "his cause still hangs dubious, the Court still doubtful of him; but I find in I 577,
Dr. Wilsoi1 still tampering with him." In faCt, that ambas<1> Strype, Vol. 2.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOllfAS COPLEY.
3I
sad or writes to Burleigh from Brussels (t) in the spring of
this year, that Mr. Copley has written him from Hoye, but
has not satisfied him, as Mr. Bingham made him believe he
would; in April he says that he cannot get Mr. Copley to
be plain enough with him ; again that he "is so fearful and
precise I cannot get any particulars'out of him. Don John
has had fo\.1r posts -from Spain, four from Rome, and two
from the Emperor, yet Mr. Copley is ignorant of all these
things."
The Court is at Louvain where \Vilson proposes to go,
perhaps to see what can be done in the way of false keys
and bribery after the diplomatic manner of that time. On
the 14th of April, Copley writes to \Vilson from Louvain
that he is sorry he makes so light of the information he has
given him; it were easy to forge an untruth, but he will
never do so to please any man; what he (Copley) says 'is
true and what \Vilson will needs persuade himself but
causeless fears which some man has put into his head;· and
that there is no danger of a blovv to their country. It must
be remembered that the Netherlands though torn by civil
wars were still at peace with England; the Dutch sought to
gain the aid ultimately lent them, and the Governor's appointment by Spain to prevent England from taking sides
with the enemy, made large concessions to her. Thus when
Elizabeth's ministers found they could not bend Thomas
Copley to their purposes, it was determined to secure his
banishment from a land, where in spite of Beggar and Spaniard and \Valloon, Catholic, Lutheran and Calvinist, struggling in a frightful chaos of blood and ruin-the exile wrote
he "had found liberty of conscience and peace from garboils." On the Ist of May, 1577, Don John made his triumphal entrance into Brussels ; on the 7th of that month
Copley wrote from Louvain to Dr. Wilson, complaining
that his servant, Brooks, on reaching England, had been
taken and spoiled of all he had, and carried to Court, merely
because he had taken some piCl:ures, sent without Copley's
knowledge by women and children to others at home. He
(ll
S. P. Flanders.
�j2
LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY
remains in Louvain by His Highness' advice, as the Queen's
ambassador had begged he should be sent out of the country. He does not care whether he stays or goes, but as long
as he is entertained by the King of Spain he will truly serve
him. This then was the reason that he gave up, almost
from the hour of his birth, his youngest born-he at least
shall breathe the native air and stretch his young limbs on
English turf. Exiled from home, driven from Antwerp and
now from Louvain, who can tell what dark hours, what
dangerous travel, what pestilential air in beleagured cities is
before them ; so the little cl~ld, confided let us hope, to
faithful hands, crosses the sea "imd all record of the father
disappears from the State Papers for three years. \Ve learn,
however, from St. Monica's Chronicle that he retired with
his f:<mily to France, having been recommended to Henry
III. by De Vaux, (I) Don John's Secretary. Both Copley
and his eldest son were knighted by that King. This Sir
Henry Copley, own uncle to the Maryland founder, and said
to have been a youth of singular promise, died at Paris of
the pleurisy in the nineteenth year of his age.
Soon afterwards Copley, sorrowful and yearning more
than ever for his native land, met Dr. Parry, one of Burleigh's
peripatetic informers, a man of fathomless treachery, who
was destined by a strange fate to meet the bloody deatJ1 to
which he had beguiled others. At that time he seem"ed
merely a gentleman making the grand tour, a fashion set by
the Earl of Oxford- "home staying youths have homely
wits." This person, having frequented Copley's house, writes
to his employer in I 580, commending in the highest terms
Sir Thomas' dutiful speech of Her Highness and offering, if
he is allowed to go home, to become security for his good
behavior; mentioning the relationship between the exiled
and the young Cecils, and concluding with, "in truth, my ·
lord, there is nothing more apparent in the face and countenance of tl1e whole hous_ehold than to conform in the least
to whatever I have written."
1
C>
Strype.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
jj
In the summer<1> of this year Copley himself wrote to
Burleigh thanking him for his favorable mind, conveyed
through Parry, and arguing against withholding his title
because conferred by a foreign king, when so many English
titles are conferred on strangers. After expressing his desire for a restoration of the Queen's favor, he says in a postscript that as he cannot send a handsome present, he encloses him a pedigree of the Belknap side of his family. In
this he showed a perfea appreciation of the favorite weakness of Elizabeth's favorite minister, who, despised by the
ancient nobility as a new man, sought to attach himself,
parasite like, to any old tree-if he could gain their living
as well as claim their blood, why not? That many hours
which he might have spent in unravelling plots, mostly of
his own devising, were given to the fascinating amusement
of drawing up tables, not only of his own descent but those
of many other persons, is known to every one who has gone
through the English State papers. Jessopp has shown in
his "one Generation of a Norfolk House'' how he tried to
prove his affinity to the \Valpoles, when the estates of that
family were likely to fall to the crown, owing to recusancy
and other charges against the heirs. The manors of the
Copleys are broad, they count kin with many great names
-even with Her Highness ; if certain things should fall out
it were well to keep the conneaion in view in behalf of Robert and the other hopeful Cecil inheritors !
This attention was well received. Soon after, Copley
writes the Lord Treasurer that he takes advantage of Parry's going over to renew his suit, hoping that his wife,
whom he intends shortly, to send home, will be received. It
may be that the intercession of the Lord Prior, who this
year secured from the Venetians important concessions for
. English merchants, obtained that favor; at any rate Donald
Sharples made the final entry in the "Accompte" "IS8IDelivered to My Mysteres, Mrs. Copley, at Mr. Whyte his
(IJ
English S. l'. Foreign A1f'airs.-France
VoL. xtv, No.
1.
3
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS.COPLEY.
house, in \Vatlinge Strete at her last being here in lnglande,
£
20."
No doubt, Lady Copley had the happiness of embracing
the infant she had not seen for three years; she was probably
accompanied in this journey by another son, Peter, whom
we find in I sso(l) writing from Paris to his h<ther at BeCl:on,
that after a difficult journey they had reached France, that
his brother had resumed his studies and they want money.
This third son of Sir Thomas Copley became a priest; he
is mentioned in the Douay list as having taken orders on
his coming out of England in) 582, and having been sent
back. He may have been the priest Fennell or Blithe "entertained''- afterwards by "Lady Copley- young Shelley,"
but as John Copley said nothing of him when he gave his
account at the English College, it is probable that he died
before I 599·
Henceforth we lose sight of Burleigh; perhaps, Lady
Copley discovered during her absence that no hvors were
to be expeCl:ed from his cold, calculating temper, though it
would seem that the dark £<naticism of Sir Francis \Valsingham, to whom Copley now applied, offered en:n less
prospeCt: of success. It must be remembered, however, that
in January, I 582, the Duke.of Anjou \\·as in England, ;u1d,
to speak figuratively, on his knees before Elizabeth; rings
had been exchanged and the whole world believed that as
soon as the bridegroom should be invested with the sovereignty of the Netherlands, which had been offered him, their
nuptials would take place; and though Campion and his
companions were butchered during his love-making, that the
more earnest among her reformed subjeCl:s might not be
alarmed-a proceeding which Anjou viewed 'vith profound
indifference-it was highly probable that some relaxation to
the Catholics might be expeCl:ed should he once become
her husband.
On the 3rd of January, ·I 58 I, Copley writes from Paris to
his cousin, Lady \Valsingham, acknowledging a letter ~e
ceived frori1 her. Her husband, Sir Francis, was in Paris at
(I)
Intercepted letter Eng. S. P.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
that time, having gone 'to France the July before<1> and
"busied .himself in looking for plots involving Catholics;
not finding any he invented them, suborning false witnesses
to swear to them. Burleigh seems to have been his accomplice in this proceeding;" so it was not about ribbons
or gloves that his wife bethought herself of her good cousin.
In this letter Copley says, referring to their connection:
"There lived not, I think, a more good-hearted couple than
my good father and my dear aunt, your grandmother; I
have seen them both, old as they were, weep with joy when
she sometimes came to Gatton." He then mentions that
he had been twelve years deprived of his property, and
though he has enough to live on, there is no overplus. He
laments the dissensions among those "who believe in one
God in three persons, which is the principal foundation,"
and concludes by asking her intercession with Sir Francis
in obt:c<ining leave for him and his k'lmily to return to England.
\Valsingham for some reason flattered this hope and Copley believed that license to return would soon be granted
him. In April he writes that he is going, with his wife's
household, to remove to Rouen, there to await the Queen's
decision, which if granted, his "case would be the more
honorable, seeing the whole world is ringing withthe·vigorous persecution of the innocent Catholics." Surely only
a bad courtier would have penned such lines while his cause
hung uncleciclecl!
Later, after a letter from Sir Francis' secretary, comes an
outburst of loyalty, a declaration that he loves the Queen
clearly and had never imputed the hard dealings used to
him to her, but to one whom God would not suffer to live
to enjoy such benefit of his livelihood as he hoped-God
forgive us all !
All this time Copley was in the service of the King of
Spain, though he seems to have obtained leave of absence
from the Prince of Parn~a, then engaged in reducing Oudenarcle. The very day that place fell, July the 5th, Sir
(ll ~ympson's
life of Edmund Campion, S. J,
�. LIFE OF FATHER THO.lf.4S COPLEJ~
Thomas writes \Valsingham that his "absence from the Low
Countries, dutiful speeches of the Queen, and open hope of
being recalled," have already caused him to lose credit
"which it is time to repair, lest between two stools I fall to
the ground;" and after rc;citing all his claims on the Queen,
including their relationship through the Bullyns, begs that
whatever is done for him may be done quickly. To induce
dispatch, he sends according to promise an annuity of £wo
a year from the Manor of Gatton to Lady \Valsingham
"while I shall by your means be permitted to remain abroad"
-the greater desire being now abandoned. \Vhilst this
correspondence was going on and the heartsick exile was
deluded with false hopes of return, it seemed to \Valsingham
that it would be well to know what visitors were entertained
by him in Rouen. "vVilliam Smith who had lived nine years
in St. Paul's church yard" was accordingly sent over and
obtained admission to Copley's service. Having been in it
five months, he informs his employer that "to Lord Copley's
house resort Lord Stourton's brother, Browne, Vaux, Talbot, Tichborne and Pmfnde," that audacious nephew of the
Earl of Southampton, who, but a little while before, had published Campion's bold challenge to the Privy Council. The
spy corroborates the statements of his master's expeaations
from England being known and that though "he is g'oing
to the Low Countries, it is thought he will lose his pension."
CHAPTER
v.
Disappointmmt and Death.
In the spring of 1583, Copley still lingering in Rouen,
beguiled by vValsingham, wrote, "Hope deferred makes the
heart sick; fourteen years is a long time for a man to be
kept out of his own." By accounts lately sent of his wife's
poor portion, he finds it diminished, whilst not three days
since, he had a schedule' of twenty pistoles more a month
of entertainment sent him without any solicitation. He
finds those abroad are as loath to lose him as his own country to help him; yet if the Queen will restore him his reve-
�LIFE OF FATHER THO.l!AS COPLEY.
37
nue he will bestow every penny on her and his friends in
England! . In May of this year, William, now heir of Sir
Thomas Copley, joined the Prince of Parma at Tournay
which city he had lately taken after a brilliant defense under the Princess Espinoy. This youth, then in his nineteenth year, was well received by Alexander Farnese and
had a grant of fifteen crowns a month ; but could not obtain another year's leave of absence for his father, who is
recalled to the camp. This faCt Sir Thomas imparts to
vValsingham, saying that "it is better to have lack of living
with liberty, than living without it at home-nay, as matters
are now handled of both, if it be true that twenty £s a
month is exaCted of all Catholics. I tremble when I think
what consequences such hard dealings are like .to breed."
He now believed with his friends that he deceived himself
in hoping for any good unless he went to England ; which
he dared not do ''for fear of Morris,. the pursuivant, and his
mates, at whose mercy I would be loath to stand; it is better to sue for grace ·here than at home in a dungeon."
All prospeCt of the profligate Anjou's wearing the crown
matrimonial of England was at an end ; after having broken
faith with both religions and all parties, he was tried as constitutional duke. of Brabant, grew weary of the checks imposed upon him; and, attempting an unsuccessful coupd'etat in Antwerp, was driven from that city to die, not long
afterwards at Chateau Therry, "with strong symptoms of
poison"-as became a Valois. If the Catholics ever cherished hopes of alleviation of their miseries through him they
were over; and \Valsingham seems to have deemed it no
longer useful to treat with one, who, while suing for grace,
had the boldness to hold language like this, and to be friends
with the outlawed friends of Campion; as to his revenues
what use to grant them to him to live on abroad when they
will serve the servants of the Lord at home ? Therefore,
"all f.wors are withheld until he returns home and throws
himself on the Queen's mercy"-the quality of which Copley knew too well; he writes to Sir Francis in courteous
and dignified terms thanking him for his good will though
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJfA.SCOPLEY.
it has not been able to do him any good; imputing his ill
success to the error of his own youth towards God, not to
any offense against Her Highness.
He had received an intimation that he should spend no
more Spanish crowns in France, nor have one penny more
out of Flanders until he returned to his place about the
Prince of Parma's person. He will remain at St. Omers until Antwerp or Bruges arc reduced and he will trouble
vValsingham no more. The date of this last letter is July
1583; on the 24th of September,. 1584, Sir Thomas Copley
died in Flanders in the service .. of the King of Spain, an
upright, loyal English gentleman who, had "liberty to worship God according to the di8:ates of his conscience been
granted h!m," might have served his country as f:'lithfully as
Raleigh and more honestly than Drake.
It is impossible to study Copley's letters without forming
a very high opinion of qis charaCter: of his devotion to his
religion there can be no doubt, for professions of Catholicity
to Burleigh and \Valsingham ,,·ere not likely to be insincere.
Whilst this may recommend him to those who agree with
him, his honesty of purpose and manliness of nature should
command the respeCt: of all who value those qualities.
Driven by persecution into exile, plundered of his posse.ssions,.he remembers that he is an Anglo-Saxon freeman cie:
prived of his rights, and represents-his wrongs to the Queen
in words which have a f:'!r-off sound of Hampden or Henry.
Comparing his language to her with that used by the subservient slaves who trembled at her glance and stabbed
themselves when she frowned, we feel the superiority of this
banished Catholic; he is reclaiming his own unjustly withheld in words which might be used to-clay ; they became as
worms beneath her feet compared with a forfeited manor or
a new monopoly. Though he desired above earthly things
to return home and was willing in all things to render to
Cesar that which belonged to him, he steadily refused "to
undertake more than as a good Christian he can perform :"
clear are th~ wide walls of Leigh and the fertile fields of·
Gatton; still dearer is a man's soul which he must save;
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJfAS COPLEY.
39
nor through all those years of exile when "no drop of mercy
fell" could he be lured to betray the king whose bread he
ate ;-others might be won to such baseness, but not for
him was the vile trade of the informer. He lived for years
surrounded by the adherents of 11ary Stuart, yet his loyalty
to Elizabeth as his rightful Queen was never doubted; indeed to the las~ he entertained an affeCtion for her sufficiently surprising when we consider the treatment he received. His confidence that ultimately "her virtuous conscience," as he called it, would recognize the wrong done
him and recall him, is constantly expressed and is pathetic
when we remember ho\\' little she had of either quality.
But one charaCteristic impresses us more strongly than
any of these-a consciousness, that came to him far ahead
of the times when driven to seek the proteCtion of Philip
and Alva, that it might be possible for men of different religions to live together in peace; his soul sickens over the
contentions that rend the world; his eyes turn admiringly
towards "the Emperor of Germany who uses his subjeCts of
both faiths." "\Vhy,'' he asks of a statesman incapable of
rising to such a height, ''should we, who believe in one God
in three persons, persecute each other about matters of less
importance?"
Fifty years afterwards a handful of men,· of whom his own
grandson and namesake was one, proclaimed perfeCt religious toleration to all Christian seCts on an isolated spot in
the New \Vorld, with a result well known, it being highly
probable that his transmitted teaching greatly influenced
that aCt. The younger Thomas Copley had, as will be
proved, far more share than has been supposed in the foundation of Maryland; and to the forgotten Confessor and
negleCted Jesuit we are indebted for "the aCt of Toleration."
Sir Thomas Copley died in his forty-ninth year, not a fortunate man in the world's estimation, but happy he believed,
in being able to retain "a conscience void of offense;" also
happy that he died before things chanced as they ere long
did, when he either would have been forced to abandon the
King who had befriended him, or to meet with the Armada,
English galleys set in battle array.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJfAS COPLEY.
He left eight children; of his four daughters the eldest
had married one of Parma's captain's, and another became
the second wife, in I585, at Dundalk, of Richard Stanihurst, the intimate friend of Campion; thus adding another
link to the chain which bound the Copleys to the foremost
martyrs of the faith in England. College companions at
Oxford, they had gone together to Ireland where Stanihurst's father had been speaker of the House of Commons;
and Campion's history of that country, and a contribution to
Holinshed's history were long supposed to have been written by his friend. Stanihurst hp.d some literary credit of his
own; he was the first who attempteCI English hexameters,
having published, I.583, a translation of the first four books
of the .!Eneid. "He bussed his pretty prating parrot" is his
way of expressing that Jupiter kissed his daughter. Both
of Stanihurst's sons by Helen Copley became Jesuits; he on
her death also took orders and died chaplain to Albert and
Isabella in I6I8.
~HAPTER VI.
Tlze Family in Englaud.
Lady Copley,. who had 1\Iersham Park; besides other
property settled on her for life, returned to England \\·ith
William, owner of Gatton and the .other estates of his t<mily,
and Margaret, an unmarried daughter. Anthony is mentioned in the pilgrim book of the English College, as in
Rome in I 584 ;-and soon after, as one of the studentswhile little John was still with his uncle Southwell at St.
Faith's, though reclaimed by his mother on her return.
The fall of I 586 was a season darker than usual to the unfortunate Catholics; worse than the insults, fines and imprisonment they were forced to endure were the evils
brought upon them by tha~ fated princess, shut up amongst
them, and endowed with some strange power to draw the
young, the noble and the gifted to their death"The bodies and the bones of those
Who sought in other days to pass
Were withering in the thorny close,
Or scattered bleaching in the grass;"
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJfASCOPLEY.
.p
they saw: them not, nor Gifford's treachery, nor \Valsingham's wiles, but only one face fairer than that of which their
Norse ancestors caught glimpses in the din of battle :-truly
to them was Mary Stuart "a chooser of the slain." Among
the youths implicated in \Valsingham's conspiracy was
Robert Gage, second son of Robert Gage of Haling, Surrey,
a Catholic gentleman, who had been a member of Parliament. The young man had been ignorant of the attempt
until after its discovery, but sought to assist the flight of
his friends and was, as accessory after the faCt, executed with
more than usual barbarity at St. Giles in the Fields, on the
I 5th of September. Ten days before, his elder brother John
had been arrested and committed to the Clink prison. Margaret Copley was also in custody at this time, and severely
interrogated as to her knowledge of a person called Phipps, (1)
now known to have been the Rev. Nicholas Smith who was
also arrested; he owned that he lived at Gatton and was
supported by L•dy Copley, he being her kinsman; he had
been to Gage's house the night before. The two young
recusants who thus shared a common danger were, soon
after their discharge, married and lived at Haling, as quietly
as those evil times would permit, until 1590. They were
then both arrested at a Mass said -by the Rev. George Beesley, for which he was tried on the first and hung on the
second of June. Gage and his wife were also condemned
and, after two years imprisonment, drawn to the gallows in
a cart with their hands ignominiously tied, but received a
respite and were not further punished except by deprivation
of goods. P> He was imprisoned in the Tower·; and in the
Broad Arrow tower, between the first and second recess, is
shown· a long Latin inscription, consisting partly of biblical
texts and partly of refleCtions on the last day, made it is
supposed in expeCtation of death, most ingeniously cut, and
signed by him.
Haling, with about five hund~ed pounds a year, was
granted to Howard of Effingham, son of him who had spoil(1l
D. ::5.1'.
(2 l
Bray ley's Tower of London.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJfAS
COPLEJ~
ed Copley; nor was it ever restored-Gage and wife were
long forced to live on the charity of their friends, Gage of
Firle, doubtlessly assisted by Lady Copley. They were the
parents of Sir Henry Gage, Governor of Oxford, who fell at
Culumbridge fighting for Charles I, and of several other sons
who were priests.
This year there landed on the coast of Norfolk, Robert·
Southwell; he had been known at Douay as ''the beautiful
auburn boy;" and was now a man, who, at any period,
would have won distinCtion; as poet, in beauty of rhythm
and wealth of imagery he bears 'Cl.,close resemblance to Shelley; strange to say, they were descended from a common
ancestor. His birth, education and accomplishments entitled him to a place amongst those brilliant men who have
lent such splendor to the reign of Elizabeth ; yet not to bow
at her shrine, or to rival them in love or war had this young
hero, generous, brave, unselfish, returned. It was to redeem
the pledge given five years ago by Campion, to lurk in garret chambers and false chimneys during the day; to go .
forth at night to bury the dead, to comfort the dying, to
strengthen the weak; often not knowing where to rest his
head on which a price was set as that of a wolf; and to
meet at last shameful tortures and a horrible death with a
fortitude and courage almost incredible.
- ·
From the first, he, as well as his Superiors, had recognized
the future before him, and he easily obtained a position as a
scholar of the Pope and a pension for his cousin, Anthony
Copley, at the English College, who requited this kindness
by becoming a spy for Burleigh. A list of Englishmen
in Rome transmitted by him may be found in the fourth
volume of Strype's Memorials; and unpublished letters of
the same charaCter relating to Spait'l and Flanders are said
to exist in the Lansdowne MSS. However, the other members of his family seemed to have been regarded with great
suspicion at that time; ,\·e·find "\Villiam Copley of Gatton<')
committed to the charge of Anthony Radcliffe, Alderman
of London·, until the Council return from Fotheringay,"
!I>
D. S. P.
�LIFE OF FATHER TliO.lfA.S
COPLEJ~
43
who reports to Davidson that his prisoner "is very traCtable
and he thinks may be easily won to be a good Christian."
This hopeful young man was far enough from realizing such
expeCtations; for on becoming of age, he found that to enjoy his estate he would have to take the oath of supremacy;
to avoid which, he let it at small leases, took fines in their
place and escaped to Flanders."with only one servant," noted as a rare instance of self-denial at a time, when men of
rank were surrounded by many retainers.
CHAPTER VII.
Jlfarrzagc
of vVil!iam Copley.
There lived at that time in Louvain an English family
esteemed on the continent for high cultivation and venerated
for their intimacy with one of the greatest men of that century.
Margaret Griggs, who married a gentleman named Clements, had been the intimate friend of Margaret Roper and
an inmate of the cultured household of Sir Thomas More ;
he had always greatly regarded her, and a few days before
his tranquil passage to the scaffold he sent to her a mysterious package, the haircloth shirt which, unknown to others, he had long worn, but which he had confided to her.
She remained long enough in England to assist the Carthusians of Sion House, each chained to a post and starved to
death in prison, to the roof of which she gained access and
let down food to them until discovered and prevented by
their jailors ; she then escaped abroad. Of her daughters,
\Vinifred, who married Sir \Villiam Rastall, nephew and
biographer of Sir Thomas More, is said by Fuller "to have
been an exaCt Grecian;" to Margaret, Prioress of the Augustine nuns of St. Ursula, Louvain, she gave the relic of the
Chancellor which is now at Abbotsleigh, England. Helen,
a third daughter, became the wife of Thomas Prideaux of
Devonshire, who seems, from letters of that time, to have
aCted as lawyer for his fellow refugees in the courts of Flanders. To this couple was born an only daughter Magdalen;
�44
LIFE OF FATHER THOJfAS COPLEJ'.
"who was brought up at her aunt's convent; she was finely
educated, had. the Latin tongue perfeCt, also poetry, was
skillful in painting and of good judgement and powers," says
St. Monica's chronicle. On reaching maturity, she was
taken by her father to Spain and met \\'illiam Copley there.
Father Holt, writing in 1589 from Brussels to Cardinal Allen in Rome, says he has had a letter from Sir Francis Englefield in Madrid, who says that "the bans between young
Copley and Mistress M. Prideaux were asked on Candlemas
day; he has more need of wit than a wife in these troublesome times-but youth will hav.e its swing," adds the good
priest. Thus it would seem that the mother of our Maryland founder had not degenerated from the attainments of
those who had preceded her, nor was she unworthy to rear
him who was to help to lay the cqrner-stone of a great edifice. \Villiam Copley had a pension from the King of
Spain, and lived in that country for many years. In January
1596, he writes to his cousin, Robert Tempest, Mignon
College, Paris, about some jewels and apparel of his which.
were at Rheims; he wishes them sent to him, as he is not
going to Flanders nor to England until it is converted which
he thinks will be "in three or four years"-it does seem "he
wanted wit."
CHAPTER ~III.
Birt!t l!f .filtltcr Tltomas Coplq in 1lfadrid.
The four children of \Villiam and his first wife were all
born in Spain, which faCt was afterwards a proteCtion from
pursuivants and rabble of that kind to Father Thomas who,
born in 1594, was the eldest son, though he on becoming a
priest transferred his rights as to family inheritance to his
brother 'William. The early education of Father Thomas
must have been received .at the ancestral seat of Gatton.
The Copleys had returned about 1603; during their absence in Spain the proceeds of the estates had been enjoyed
by Sir 'William L·me, whose mother was a sister of Sir
Thomas Copley. The nomination for the borough of Gat-
�LIPE OP FA THEN THOMAS COPLJfJ~
45
ton had been in the hands of the government; Francis
Bacon, who was also a relative through the ubiquitous
Belknaps, at one time sat in Parliament for that place.
The return of the Copleys from Spain to Gatton after an
exile of many years, which they endured willingly and joyfully for their faith, was brought about in this way. ·when
Isabella and Albert of Austria went to govern in the Low
Countries, \Villiam Copley had his pension transferred and
also went thither to be near home, and in I 599 his wife
crossed over to England to see if there were any possibility
of recovering the estates. Before her departure, she placed
Mary, <I> her eldest daughter, then only seven years of age,
at St. Ursula's, at Louvain, with her aunt; her other children. including Thomas, were then very young and it is not
known what disposition was made of them. Lady Copley
remained away in England three years, when finding that
nothing was to be accomplished as long as Elizabeth lived,
she returned to her husband. On the accession of James in
1003 and the proclamation of pardon, \Villiam Copley and
his £-unily returned to Gatton; he compounded for his estates in the sum of £:woo, to raise which he was obliged to
sell a manor; besides this, "he paid £zo a month from that
time until the present," says St. Monica's Chronicle from
which the above faB:s are taken.
The persecuted Catholics had expeCted, with reason,
some alleviation of their sufferings from the son of Mary
Stuart; they were soon deceived, as not only the previous
exaB:ions co"ntinued, but others more distressing came upon
them. Those among them who had property were begged
and obtained by James' favorites and courtiers "to make
money of" by whatever means they could, as coolly as if
they had been cattle. \Ve find at the commencement of the
reign of James a grant for that purpose of \Villiam Copley
to the Earl of Southampton. This may have been an aCt: of
friendship to prevent his t'1lling into other hands, South!I> j[ary remained at Lou vain two years, and though young she exhibited a
fitness for religious life, but her father reclaimed her, saying he would have
her see the world ere she relinquished it. Later ou :Mary, and Helen her
sister, were professed at Lou vain.
·· ·
�~6
LIFE OF FATJII;'R THOJfAS COPLEJ'.
ampton's father having been a recusant himself and in custody on that charge, of Sir \Villiam More of Loosely, when
this Earl, Shake,;pere's friend, was born. It has been impossible to discover the exaa date of the return of the Copleys; perhap,;, by troubles brought on other members of
the family, and on himself, by the foolishness and wickedness of Anthony Copley<1> it was some time delayed.
The Copleys though obliged to alienate more of their
estates on account of fines and amercements were still well
off in this world's goods. Father Thomas now in his teens
\vas given such a training as a-Catholic who thought more
of his conscience than advancement before men could allow
his off.;;pring. l\Iost likely tutors of undoubted loyalty to
Mother Church were seleeted, as it is too much of a risk to
expose the faith of the young to the chilling influence of
teachers who have a false religion. Probably some priest,
some Jesuit Father, who before the world passed for a gentleman of refined tastes and seemly behavior, but at heart
was thirsting for souls, ready and eager to undergo an igno •.
minious death for their sake, was the guiding spirit of
Thomas Copley during his early years. And there was
need of that heroism, that spirit of martyrs, that unflinching
self-sacrifice which we consider the glory of the early
Church. Plots and counterplots, dissensions among~- the
members of the true fold, ill-f., ted attempts, like that of the
Gunpowder Plot, on the life of the sovereign, the consequent
persecution that followed-all these trials were. the faithful
to endure in the days of James. Glorious the renown of
those who stood firm. Father Copley spent his early years
amid such scenes. And that they were not unfruitful let
his entrance into, and after work for, the Society bear witness. His joining the Jesuits was, no doubt, the rebound of
an heroic nature, influenced by God's grace; still the bright
example set by his sisters had its effeCt. Despising the
(I) This perfidious wretch seems to have been one of the false brethren so
common in those days; a traitor to his religion he hesitated not in the least
to betray his friends and kindred to gain favor or, most of all, money. We
shall give at the end of this history an account of his misdoings which may
throw some light upon the condition of Catholics in those times.
�LIFE OF FA TilER THOMAS COPLEJ:
riches of the world, <I> he withdrew to the continent to prepare himself for greater things. His sisters had already
gone thither to dedicate themselves to the service of God.
St. Monica's Chronicle speaks of the journey of these young
ladies from England to Belgium and the mishaps by the
way. \Ve quote from it the leading faB:s to show the spirit
which animated the Copley family.
In 1610 Mary, the eldest daughter of \Viliam Copley of
Gatton, and Helen, her sister, two years younger, "being
IlOW of an age to undertake any state," says St. Monica's
Chronicle, determined to pass over to the continent and become nuns.
Having relations at the BenediCtine Convent at Brussels,
they at first thought of going there, but hearing that their
great aunt, the Prioress, and the English nuns had left St.
Ursula's at Louvain and established in 16og St. Monica's
Convent of English Canonesses of St. Augustine in the
same city, they changed their intentions and determined to
1join that house. They informed their mother of their design and she acceded to it, but begged them not to take
leave of her nor tell her when they were going.
A widow lady whom they knew being about to go over
in the suite of one of the ambassadors, they repaired to
London to join her and took lodgings at an inn in Southwark. There was great excitement in London at the time,
as news had just been received of the assassination of Henry
the fourth of France; many Catholic houses were searched.
And the two young ladies got into a religious discussion
with the inn-keeper's wife, who gave information of her suspicious lodgers to the nearest justice of the peace. They
had with them an aged nurse who had come out of Spain
with them, and a Flemish man-servant.
That night just as they were going to bed, the justice and
many men came and demanded admittance ; the frightened
girls at first refused to open the door, but as they threatened
to break it open,-"taking their books and money for the
1
< > William Copley, the father of Thomas, had sold ~fersham Park, as we
have said already. The transaction was for the benefit of some greedy Scottish
favorite of the King.
�LIFE OF I·:~ THER THOMAS COPLEi~
voyage, they got into bed, leaving out one vain book of
Virgil which was taken away." So lying still in bed they
desired their nurse to open the door. There came into the
room many men who drew open the curtains; the justice
of the peace sat down by the bedside and asked of what religion they were. The eldest answered that they were well
known in Southwark to be recusants; for their family had
one manor and many houses there. He asked if they would
go to church, to which l\Iary replied ''no, they would not be
dissemblers; he then asked Helen the same question and
recei\·ed a similar answer. H~ did not distrust them, but
put their man, who lay ii1 another chamber, in prison. They
sent for their mother who got them released and went with
them to the water side, which she had not intended to do,
and their man was released through his ambassador.
At St. Omer's, they were received with great kindness by
their relation, Dr. Redmond and at Louvain by Dr. Cxsar
Clements, their mother's own cousin, Dean of St. Gudule.
The Mother at Lou vain rejoiced over them, saying: "it i~.
now time that I go to -my home, for I have two to leave
in my place;" she died ten days afterwards.
"The two Copleys' eldest brother came over in 1611 to
pass his philosophy in this place (Louvain); and boar)led
with our Fathers (their Chaplains); some time after their
professiot1 he himself entered into. the Society of Jesus, leaving his inheritance unto his second brother, vVilliam, taking
our Lord for his better portion."
CHAPTER IX.
Entrance
o/
llwmas Copley into t!tc Society.
In 1604 a noble Spanish lady had left twelve thousand
crowns to build a house in which English novices of the
Society of Jesus might be trained ;-a mansion which had
belonged to the Knights of Malta and thence called "St.
John's" was bought in Louvain two years afterwards-and
besides the original purpose yot:111g gentlemen were received
for the higher studies. Thither came as Reetor, in the very
�LIFE OF FATHER TH0,1fAS COPLEY.
49
year that Thomas Copley entered the Society, one of the
most remarkable men which that age, fertile in greatness,
produced, who concealed under the alias of "John Thomson," a high name and romantic career. His real name was
John Gerard and his life is said by an English periodical "to
be equal to anything which has been published since the
days of Defoe.' '(I}
Born of an ancient Catholic family of Lancashire, still extant and still Catholic, in the early part of Elizabeth's reign
he joined the Society before his twenty-fifth year, when he
at once returned to England and became the most aCtive
and formidable of those champions who defied the warrants
of the Privy Council, and the search of the pursuivants. Of
distingui~hed appearance and fine manners, familiar with the
usages of the best society, as much at home with the hounds
and hawks of my lord, as in the withdrawing-room of my
lady, he so won the hearts of all men that he was enabled
to win them to the love of God.
2
The elegant gentleman < > "attired costly and defensibly in
buff leather garnished with silver lace, satin doublet and colored velvet hose with correspondent cloak and gilded dagger,'' with whom Sir Everard Digby was so fascinated, that
before he discovered Gerard's true charaCter, he wished
him to marry his sister-gave instruCtions as he sat with his
catechumen at the card-table and heard confessions returning from the hunting-field; his converts were of all classes
from serving men to earls ; the widow of Essex \Vas his .
penitent, and he almost won to a better life the beautiful
lady Rich, "the Stella" of Sir Philip Sidney, but most of all
his influence was felt by the young.
"At least ten young men of birth and fortune left England
and joined the Society of Jesus before the close of Elizabeth's reign, and in every instance we can trace his influence," says Jessop, and since the publication of Foley's
"Record" the number has been considerably increased. He
~------
-~-----
---
-~~----~~~---~--
-----·~--~--~-~~~-
O> Xotes and Queries for 1881.
!2 > Description of his arrest-~ISS. at Hatfield.
Vor.. x1v.
No.
1.
4
�so
LiFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
seems to have inspired the deepest attachment and reverence ; wealth and position were exerted as his safe-guard,
but his best protecrion was his deep insight into the hearts
of others, a far-sighted sagacity in which audacity and prudence were singularly combined; he divined the treachery
'of the false brother and eluded the snares of the priest-taker
with an address and coolness which Carson, in his encounters with men scarcely less savage, never ~urpassed. He
was, however, captured at last and thrown into the Tower,
where he was repeatedly and ,:ainly tortured by Topcliffe;
he could not be won to betra)~·his friends. vVhen scarcely
recovered he gained the good will of his keeper and, with
the assistance of two de\'oted lay-brothers of his order, made
his escape from that prison, and recommenced his labors,
which were brought to an abrupt close by that mysterious
puzzle in history, known as "the Gunpowder Plot,'' for
which his com·ert and intimate friend, Sir E\·erard Digby,
was executed. Gerard himself was accused of being privy
to it, but while the pursyivants ,,·ere close upon his track
and his fellow priests were under arrest, he had letters in
his own handwriting, denying his knowledge of it, dropped
in the streets of London, and made his escape to Spain, and
soon after to Rome, where, being appointed penitentiary at
St. Peter's, he resided some years. Robert Parsons, th~n
approaching the end of his labors, was there, and to these
two, the most eminent Englishmen of their order, the outlook in their own country must have seemed dark indeed ;
for now the succession of. the Stuart line was assured and
the future, to the Catholics, under beings as subservient to
the Puritans as James had proved and as bitter as his heir,
Prince Henry, was known to be, must have extender! like
an arid desert marked only by the bones of the dead.
We believe that Parsons and Gerard then first conceived
that design, which, thoug_h not carried out until more than
twenty years afterwards, was patiently adhered to, a scheme
which seems to have first originated with the father of the
latter, and of which we owe our knowledge to Father Parsons himself; he says, "Sir Thomas Gerard, father of Father
�LIFE OF FATHER THO,VAS COPLEY
51
John, petitioned Queen Elizabeth to be allowed to colonize
the northern part of America, but the projeCt: £<iled owing
to the coldness of the Catholics." Their reluctance to engage in an enterprise of that kind in an entirely unknown
land \d1ere, as yet, there was not planted a single foot of
their nation, is not surprising; now the success of the plantation in Virginia was certain; why might not that old plan
be resumed, a grant be obtained which will empower Catholic Englishmen to win from savage nature a new home 'in
the New \Vorld; where, under other skies and by strange
streams, they may dare to praCtise the old faith as it was
praCtised everywhere less than a hundred years ago. There
too may the red men, whom Segura and others of Ours
gave their lives to gain, be won to christianity and civilization; 'tis a mighty continent; who knows but in a few hundred years the cross, aspiring heavenward, may rise over
the shrines of a hundred cities richer than Antwerp or Venice ; and venerated prelates from great empires not yet
dreamed of, may be called to Rome to Council or Conclave?
If such were the visions of those far-sighted Jesuits they
have been fully realized. Unfortunately the records of the
Society lost during its suppression renders proof impossible,
and we can only judge from the result.
In 16ro Robert Parsons died; in 1611 Gerard passed to
Louvain to train others to tread in his footsteps ; before his
arrival there, among the first novices to enter St. John's was
one destined to play an important part in the new design, Andrew White, a secular priest and experienced missionary,
who having been sent into exile in 1606, had come the next
year as an aspirant to the Order. He seems to have known
the elder Garnett and corresponded with both Parsons and
Gerard, though he left Lou vain before the arrival of the latter, being sent back to England in 1610. He was professed
in 1619, and seems to have returned to the continent whence
he was called to join the Maryland expedition.
We find that in 1615 William Copley, younger brother of
Father Thomas, had letters of naturalization granted him, he
having been born in the dominions of the King of Spain;
the next year he was married to Anne Skelton, whose father
�LIFE OF
FATHER TF-iO.lfA.S
COPLEJ~
settled on her Ongar and other property_in Essex; Gatt01i,
Colley, and the Maze were settled on the issue of the marriage.
Before this, Thomas Copley had probably been admitted
to holy orders and had transferred his rights as heir to his
brother, being then of legal age, having been born in 1594
or 1595, and was no doubt pursuing his ecclesiastical studies at Liege, the house of novices having been removed
from Louvain to that city, Gerard still remaining Reetor.
On "the 2oth of August, 1610, died Magdalen, wife of
\Villiam Copley, Sr."-the first f'ecord of the £1mily that occurs in the Parish register; she was buried in Gatton church
where Aubrey saw her tomb and others belonging "to the
gentile family of Copley."
The parliamentary returns from that place seem to have
been anything but satisfaCtory to the House of Commons,
which had already begun to manifest that spirit which rose
so high during the next reign; in 1621 the Committee of
Privileges report that "John Hollis, son of Lord Haughton,
and Sir Henry Britton, both papists, were returned for the
borough of Gatton, through the influence of Mr. Copley,
owner of almost all the town ; that Sir Thomas Gresham
and Sir Thomas Bludder were chosen by the freeholders.
The House declared the former eleCtion \·oid, and retunl'~d
the last." About this time \Villiam ·Copley of Gatton finding "it not good to live alone," or unable to withstand the
fashion of the period, to marry as often as circumstances
would permit, though fifty-seven years old, contraCted a second marriage with Margaret, sister of Bartholomew Fromonds, of East Cheam, Surrey. Her Aunt Jane had been
the wife of the celebrated Dr. Dee; her brother was a
Catholic gentlemen who seems from D. S. P. to have been
frequently in trouble for entertaining priests, and who regularly paid twenty pounds a month for recusancy.
Manning says that \Villiam Copley "prevailed on his son
by a former. marriage to join with him in settling Leigh
Place on his second wife for her jointure, and on his issue
by her, which was accordingly done."
If William was the son referred to, he did not long sur-
�LIFE OF FATHER TH0.1!A.S COPLEY.
53
vive his disinteres!ed aa, but died on the sth of July, and
was buried on the 6th, 1622, in Gatton Church, leaving two
daughters, Mary aged three years, and Anne, one year old.
It seems that their ·grand£'1ther disputed the deed of settlement, but it was confirmed by the Court of \Vards-and he
had the mortification of knowing that the main part of his
inheritance would pass from his family through these females, instead of descending in the right line, and to a son
whom his second wife had lately borne him.
CHAPTER X.
Fat!tcr Coplefs Return to England.
About this time there lived in England a man named
John Gee, who had taken orders in the Church of Engiand;
his {l) enemies said he "had cozened a widow out of a large
sum of money, forsook the country, and going abroad either
became, or pretended to become a Catholic." He after~
wards returned to the established church, obtained prefer~
ment and published "The Foot out of the Snare" between
I 623 and I624, in which he gives a list of priests and phy~
sicians in London, To him we are indebted for the infor~
mation that "Father Copley, Junior, on:e that hath newly
taken orders and come from beyond seas" was among the
2
number. < > His old ReCl:or, Father John Gerard, had been
recalled to Rome in I 622 from Liege, and was now confessor at the English College; and as there had probably
been a general change, Father Copley may have been
sent home to arrange about the portion reserved to him,
which the death of his brother and the new domestic ties of
his father rendered necessary.
It is not likely that his real position was as well known
to everyone as it was to Gee; he probably passed in society
for a young' gentleman whose peculiar tastes induced him
to forego matrimony and to reside mostly abroad :-whilst
he was pr;teCl:ed from the "evil crew" of pursuivants by his
1
< >-:lrarden,
a fellow clergyman of Established Church, in D. S. P.
1632 Rev. W. Clarke writing to the Clergy Agent at Rome, gives a list
of the regular and secular priests in England i we fipd in it this entry:
"Jesuits out of prison, Thomas Copley, etc,"
2
< >In
�LIFE OF FATIIER THO:liAS COPLEY.
birth in Spain and by Gondomar, then all-powerful at the.
English Court. He had another friend there also, his cousin
George Gage, son of Gage of Haling; George was a priest
like himself and had been an aCl:ive agent in promoting the
marriage of the heir apparent with the Spanish Infanta; he
had also been employed by James on a mission to the Pope;
Sir George Calvert, the Secretary of State, known to be most
anxious to see it accomplished, no doubt assisted at the interviews of the King and that young ecclesiastic ; perhaps
he had introduced him to his notice; for, from his position,
the history and members of the great Catholic families must
have been known to him. Geo-r'ge Gage, though prothonotary for the See of Rome and trusted with important state
secrets by his own King, was a young man at this time; he
was . probably older than his brother Sir Henry, who was
·born in 1597, but he seems from his subsequent career to
have merited the confidence reposed in him. He was now
in London with his Cousin Thomas Copley; it is not improbable that the two, who had so much in common may
have recognized each otller sometimes strangely disguised,
or, wearing ruffs and rapiers with hawks on their wrists, may
have ridden as gay gallants to Gatton to tell its owner how
His Highness fared in Spain.
The necessity of caution was so paramount in those e.,;iJ
.days and so many stratagems were necessary, that it is almost impossible to identify a priest when he appears in any
record. It is hoped that Foley's ''List of real and assumed
names," soon to appear, may throw some light on the "by"
names of Father Thomas Copley; it is almost too much to
expeCt: to be informed what became of him during those
years during which we lose sight of him. He may have
been doing humble duty in some remote country distriCt:,
hearing the confessions and sharing the life of cottagers, or
have been the honored guest of those high in place and,
taking his proper position .·under another appellation, may
have been on intimate terms with the justice 'who would
have arrested, or the judge who would have hung the audacious Jesuit "who went about to seduce the King's subjeCl:s
from the church as by law established," He may havG been
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJ£45 COPLEY.
55
employed in some house of the Society on the Continent;
and this idea is borne out by a glimpse we get of him from
D. S. P.-probably an intercepted letter from Francis Plowden, head of a well known family of Shropshire, and brother
of Thomas Plowden, S. ]., dated March znd, r6z8, to
Thomas Copley, relating to a bond in which Plo\vden had
joined with his late brother William Copley, for four hundred pounds to Drue Lovett, and in which Sir Richard
Munshull had some interest. Plowden seemed to desire
Copley's intercession with the latter gentleman.
Drue Lovett was one of three brothers, all goldsmiths or
bankers, and Catholics, who were extensively employed by
their co-religionists in settling the fines with which their
estates were charged, and as security for them in the troubles to which they were constantly exposed. Perhaps this
document was found at the Jesuits 1 house in Clerkenwell,
from which many papers were carried off and eight priests
arrested the I ;th of that month; and this seems probable
from the r.,a of Thomas Plowden, or Salisbury, being one of
them, and that the letter was captured in transitu. Here,
also was arrested Robert £eaumont, whose real name was
Jamison, a nephew of :Wather Gerard, and Thomas Poulton,
an uncle of Ferdinand Poulton (IJ who was subsequently to
be Thomas Copley's companion in the New \Vorld. They
were tried and one of them was condemned to death, but
they were all released through the influence of Sir Lionel
Cll The Poulton family had several of its members in the t>ociety. Father
Ferdinand (whose name in Confirmation was John) alias John Brooks, ot·
Brock, alias )[organ, was the son of Francis Poulton and Ann )[organ. In
the )[arylund catalogue he appears as .John Brock ('Vere l\Iorgau). He hat:\
an uncle named Ferdinand Poulton who was at one time a member of the So-.
ciety, but left about 16~3, and was known in England under the alias of John,
)[organ. The }'ather Ferdinand Poulton of :\Iaryland was born in Bucking,
hamshire in 1601 or 3; he was educated at St. Orner's and entered the English
College at Home for higher studies in 1619 as .John Brookes, aged 18; he entered the ~ociety in 1622. lie was at ~t. Orner's in 1633, at \Vatten 1636 ;,
was ~uperior in Maryland under the alias of John Brock for several years,
beginning with 1638. In 1640 (19 Sept.) (;ov. Calvert specially summoned
him as Ferdinand Poulton, Esquire, of St. Mary's County, to the Assembly.
He was accidentally shot whilst crossing the Ht. )[ary's river, June 5th, 1641.
says an old catalogue, though Br. :Foley has .July .~th. Fr. Poulton was professe<l of the four vows, Dec. 8th, 1635.
.
There seems to have been a great intimacy between the Calverts and Po tiltons. I find that Williem Poulton alil!s Sachervall, a secular priest and
brother of Father Ferdinand, was chaplain to :llary Lady Somerset, a daughter of Lord Arundel! of W arrlour !J.nd sister-iu-law t<> Cecil Ca!vert ~ord.
Baltimore.
�56
,LIFE OF FATHER THOJ!AS COPLEY.
Cranfield who had been, or was in business with Giles Poulton, another brother of the priest, the Earl of Dorset, son-inlaw of Cranfield, bringing the warrant for that purpose to
Newgate.
CHAPTER XI.
Fat!ter Coplq in MarJ land.
1
On the 29th of Sept. 1633 a ship known as the Ark attended by a pinnace, the Dove, was lying at Tilbury Hope
waiting for Edward Watkins, "the searcher of London," an
official who seems to have united the duties of a customhouse officer and a notary public, to come on board and administer the oath of allegiance to the colonists. He certifies that it was taken by a hundred and twenty-eight individuals; unfortunately it can never be known how far Mr.
\Vatkins was reliable, or if it were not possible for him to
confuse a broad piece slipped in his hand with the required
attestation, an hallucination not unknown in much later
times.
As the oath was such..that Catholics refused to take it,
only the Protestants who had joined the expedition with a
few lay-members of the older £<itlf may have done so. <IJ
Lord Baltimore states that three hundred and twenty pt;rsons had sailed in those ships ; the remainder may lut\Ce
come on board after \Vatkins' departure, as it is known Frs.
White and Altham and the lay-brother Gervase did. Fr.
Thomas Copley was not with them; the year before, in
1632, he was professed as we learn from St. Monica's Chronicle; where he was stationed at that time does not appear,
but two months after the departure of the Ark and the Dove
. and while they were in mid-ocean, he was in London, and
presented, on the first of December, a petition to the King
which may be found in D. S. P. for 1633.
"Petitioner is an alien born and, therefore, he conceives
that for his religion, he is ti.ot liable to be troubled by the
laws of this realm, yet fearing he may be arrested by some
messengers ·while following occasions which concern his
father's and his own estates, he prays his Majesty to refer
(Il Letter
to Wentworth,
�LIFEPF FATHER THOJfASCOPLEY:
57
this petition to one of his principal secretaries who may signify to messengers to forbear to trouble petitioner. Underwritten refers to Sec. \Vindebank to inform himself of the
truth of the above petition and take such cause for petitioner
as may be fit."
For thirty-five years the owners of the Copley estates had
been in exile; the estates had been sequestered and had
thus been preserved intaCt, instead of being sold piece-meal
to pay fines and amercements; so that the family retained
a larger share of wealth than others of their faith; and
Father Thomas had, probably, when he relinquished his
rights as the heir, been allotted an ample portion for his
support. This portion he was now engaged in selling and
in the purchase of goods and the transportation of men to
Maryland. He may have been interested also in assisting
Lord Baltimore to fit out the expedition which had just
sailed, for though Father ·white in his '·relation" says that
nobleman bore the whole charge, it is apparent he was mistaken; on the tenth of January, 1634, Baltimore writes to
\Ventworth, Lord Stafford: "I have sent a hopeful colony
to Maryland with fair expeCtation of good success, however
without any danger of any great prejudice unto myself, in
respeCt that others arc joined with me in the adventure." It
is certain that on his arrival in Maryland Copley claimed,
not only the nineteen men he had brought with him, but
twenty-eight who had come before, including \Vhitc and
Altham, making forty-eight in all, which entitled him to ten
thOtlsand acres of land which he took up. St. Inigoes near
the old city of St. Mary's, and St. Thomas' Manor in Charles
County formed part of this domain and arc still in possession of the Society, the. oldest rcligio.us foundations iri the
United States-albeit the founder is forgotten, and are the
mother houses of Catholicity in this land.
The position Father Copley occupied was a peculiar one;
though a professed Father of the Society, he retained his
worldly rank also, by which he was recognized both in England and Maryland, and he had either powerful friends at
Court, or the King must have been aware that he was one
�LIFE OF FATHER THO,liAS COPLEY.
of Lord Baltimore's associates when he gave him the following protection, lately discovered at Annapolis: (I)
"\Vhereas Thomas Copley, gentleman, an alien, is a recusant and may be subject to be troubled for his religion ; and
for as much as we are well satisfied of the conditions and
qualities of the said Thomas Copley and of his loyalty and
obedience towards us, we hereby will. and require you and
every one of you whom it may concern, to permit the said
Thomas Copley freely and quietly to attend in any place,
and go about and follow his occupation, without molestation or troubling him by any :n'eans whatsoever for matters
of religion, or the persons or pfaces of those unto whom he
shall resort, and this shall be your ,,·arrant in his behal(
Given at our palace of\Vestminster the 5th of Dec. in the 10th
year of our reign ( 1633).;. It was ten years before the civil
wars and the King's name was still a tower of strength;
under this ample protection Copley could go and come as
he pleased, collect his men, buy his goods, and it may be,
"follow his occupation'' in more important matters, administering spiritual and bpdily comfort to his less fortunate
co-religionists, confined in the noisome prisons, while the
vile brood of "messengers" could only snarl at him from a
distance. He may have resided at Gatton going up to London as his business required his attention.
~-· •·
A new family had sprung up at Gatton, John and a
younger half brother, Roger, oniy two years old at the settlement of :Maryland. His t\ro orphan nieces resided with
a guardian appointed by their mother, \rho was buried in
Gatton church in 1632. There was little to retain him in
England save the command of his Superiors; but there he
remained until 1637· In the spring of that year he took
ship for Maryland, b~inging with him John Knowles, an enthusiastic young ecclesiastic from Staffordshire, and nineteen
laymen whom he "transported;" that is, whose passage he
paid, on condition that t_hey remained in his service for a
specified period. That these men were, as a rule, Catholics
there can be no doubt. At a time when it would have been
an act of suicide for a Jesuit to disclose himself to the aver(!)
In Neill's Founders of
~Iaryland.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
59
age Protestant, it is not likely he would have sought recruits among those who would continue in the New \Vorld
the severities which drove him from the Old; and an examination of the names shows that many were identical with
those in lists of recusants, with those who were set down for
"fines and amercements" and "given away;" all such were
known in those days as "papists" to pursuivants and greedy
courtiers, and they are so regarded by modern readers who
have toiled through many volumes of State papers. The
men thus transported felt no shame in the title of "servant"
which then bore another meaning; their poverty was often
to them a sign of steadfastness to the faith; and it were better to exchange a few years of labor in the fields of the
Fathers with the promise of peace and plenty beyond, than
fall, a soldier of fortune, in the Low Countries.
In the July of this year, whilst the ship that bore Thomas
Copley still breasted the Atlantic, his old teacher, Father
John Gerard, who had been for many years confessor in the
English College, died in Rome-an aged man whose wisdom, zeal and sufferings intitled him to give counsel to
those Superiors who seleCted the laborers for Maryland. It
is probable that he, with Father Fitzherbert, chose them.
\Vhite, Altham, and GetTase were known to Gerard, having
shared the dangers of the English Mission thirty years before with him. \Villiam Copley had been the intimate friend
of Fitzherbert in Spain, whilst Ferdinand Poulton was his
relative and the cmwert of Gerard. Richard, second son of
Sir Thomas Gerard of Bryn, Lancashire, one of "the gentlemen" pilgrims of 1634. was great·nephew to Father Gerard,
who thus lived long enough to rejoice over the success of
the expedition; the one ray that came to cheer the hearts
of English Catholics after long years of gloom. On theCl)
Xth of August, 1637, Thomas Copley, Esquire, entered his
claim for six thousand acres of land due by condition of
transportation, for thirty-one persons he had sent out, and
registered the names of Andrew ·white, John Altham, Thos.
Gervase, Thomas Stratham, Matthias Sousa, Mr. Rogers,
John Bryant, Michael Hervey, Henry Bishop, John Thorn(IJ
Annapolis Records.
�6o
LIFE OF FATHER THOJfAS COPLEr
ton, Thomas Clarenton, Richard Duke, John Thompson,
John Hollis, Robert Sympson, John Hilliard, John Hill, John
Ashmore, Thomas Hatch, Lewis Fromonds, l\iary Jennings,
Christopher Charnock, Richard Lusthead, Robert Shirley.
It also appears that in 1634 several gentlemen of the expedition, who probably returned to England ~oon after, assigned to the Fathers of the Society the men they had
brought out. John Saunders assigned Thomas Hodges,
Richard Cole, John Elkin, Richard Neville, and John Marlborough; Richard Gerard assigned to them, Thos. Munns,
Thomas Grigston, Robert ~~vards, John \Vard, and \Villiam Edwin. Edward and Frederic \Vintour assigned \Vm.
Clarke, John Price, \Vhite John Price, and Francis Rabenett. Matthias Sousa was a negro, having been added whilst
the Ark and Dove wintered in the \Vest Indies. Hervey,
Hollis, Hilliard, Ashmore, Fromonds, Charnock, Shirley,
Cole, Neville, Edwards, may have been cadets of well known ·
Catholic gentry bearing those names. Lewis Fromonds
was doubtless of the family of East Cheam, in Surrey, t?
which Thomas Copley's stepmother belonged; several members appear from its pedigree which was prolific in younger
branches, to have borne the name of Lewis, which was afterwards given to a nephew of the priest. From a fur,ther
memorandum in the Annapolis Record "Thomas Copley,
Esquire, demandetl1 four thou~and acres for transporting
into this Province himself and twenty able men to plant and
inhabit"-the names appended are his own, John Knm:vles,
Thomas Dawson, Richard Cox, Robert Sedgrave, Luke
Gardiner, Thomas Mathe~\', John Machin, James Campbell,
James Compton, \\1alter King, George \\'hite, John Tuo,
Philip Spurr, Henry Hooper, John Smith, \Villiam Empson,
Nicholas Russell, Edward Tatersell, Thomas Smith, Henry
James.
It is probable that Luke Gardiner was of a family in Surrey, a branch of the Gardiners of Norfolk, to which belonged
Fathers Humphrey and Bernard Gardiner of the Society,
who were· relatives of Thomas Cornwallys, the Maryland
Commissioner. Gardiner also at this time demanded land
as having brought out his father, mother and several other
�61
members of his f.>mily; he took up a plantation on St.
Clement's bay and was ancestor to a f.1.mily which still supplies worthy members to the Church of God.
HISTORICAL POINTS CONNECTED WITH NEWTOWN MANOR AND CHURCH.
o;T. ~IARY's COl'::\TY, li!D.
(Concluded.)
The Newtown Manor must be forever dear to every American Catholic heart from the f.>ct that it was frequently chosen by the SeleCt: Body of the Catholic Clergy as a fitting
place for their little councils. Long before a Bishop sat in
the Sees of Ne,,· York, Philadelphia, Boston, San Francisco,
or Baltimore, councils were held in the old Jesuit Residence
on Britton's Neck. Those who are concerned in the progress
of Catholicity in this New \Vorld cannot but take an interest and a pride in those old wainscoted rooms where, immediately after the Revolutionary war, over a hundred years
ago, a few zealous priests gathered together to devise the best
means for spreading the light of the Eternal Verities throughout this \Vestern Hemisphere. \Ve have already seen that
a council was convened at Newtown in I783. It remains
for us to state that a like council was held at Newtown on
Dec. 3rd, I 7-98. The Fathers present were James \Valton,
Charles Sewall, Augustine Jenkins and Francis Neale. In
1 Soz at a meeting of the SeleCt: Body of the Clergy held at
Newtown the following historic Prelates and distinguished
ex-members of the Society of Jesus were present: Right
Rev. J. Carroll, Right Rev. Leonard Neale, the Rev. Messrs
John Bolton, and Barnaby Betouzey. The meeting was held
on the I 3th of 08:ober. John Bolton was ele8:ed one of the
trustees. In the first resolutions of the Body the same Father was unanimously ele8:ed Secretary of the Corporation.
In the 3rd resolution Rev. Francis Neale was made its
�XEWTOWX .lf.·LYOR .·LYfl CHfTRC"'H.
Agent. The Right Rev. John Carroll and Bishop Neale,
James \Valton, John Bolton, and Barnaby Betouzey constituted, according to documents examined, the Corporation
of the SeleCt Body of the Catholic Clergy of that period.
Justly do all Catholics take a pride in the grand Councils of
late years held in New York and Baltimore, but it would be
ungrateful in us to forget the little band of early missioners
who sowed the seed that we are reaping, to forget the roof
that sheltered the pioneer priests of the glorious American
Catholic Church.
\Ve have already stated fhat the Newtown Church is
humble in appearance. This is perfeCtly exaCt. It is a low
frame building without any pretensions to architeCtural
beauty. Attached to the main body of the church are two
apartments, a sacristy and a room. The room is above the
sacristy. Near the stairway leading up to the room is the
confessional. This was built in r8r5. Over the front part
of the church is a neat, square bell-tower with a cross on it.
This church was probably considerd large and beautiful at
the time it was built. Father Ashley had it ereCted in 1767.
Certainly few Catholic churches in this country can boast of
such an age as that claimed by the Newtown chapel. It
has several times been repaired, painted and shingled.:,..~llld
is still tolerably well preserved.
-·
In the early part of this enHghtened century Newtown
was an interesting spot; it presented a piCture of romantic,
piCturesque beauty worthy of the brush of one of the old
Flemish or Dutch masters. Fe\Y of our modern poets with
their gilded, st.ilted style could do its rare simplicity ample
justice. There stood, quite adjacent to the lofty manor, an ancient wind-mill such as at presei1t may be seen gracing some
of the landscapes of Belgium or Holland. The white sails of
this vene.rable machine generally moved slowly, and with a
dignity becoming their age and importance; but it would be
hard to calculate the rapidity of their flying movements
when the \\'inds were high and angry upon the neighboring
bays and river. There stood, too, close to Britton's Bay,
and looking out upon its white-plumed waves, a few rusty,
�.YRTTTOWX J[.4.l'v'()R A.YD CHl'RCH.
wide-mouthed cannon~the relics of warlike times-the once
proud defenders of St. Inigoes Fort. There was the smithy,
whose gloom was lit 'by raining fires, before whose heavy
anvil stood a huge dark vulcan. There were the piEturesque
cottages, robed in flowers and graceful vines, in whose bosoms the industrious shoemakers and the nimble tailors
sang and worked, and worked and sang, from the rise to the
set of sm1. The Indian wigwams, it is true, had already
disappeared, but in their places, scattered here and there
through the woods and by the duck-infested creeks, rose
up the numerous old log cabins of the Newtown servants.
On an autumn evening when the tempest raged, and the
"the winds lashed the dark waves to silver," a regular fleet
of fishing boats tacked up the safe deeps of .Britton's Bay.
Now and then, when the summer's light glowed upon all the
surrounding waters a graceful ship glided silently up St.
Clement's Bay and left its missionary or gentleman farmer
on Priests' \Vharf, took in its freight of tobacco and fruit
and sailed away in mute magnificence. If we stroll down
to the garden we will find rich clusters of red and white
grapes hanging gracefully and temptingly from all the rustic
arbors and irregular fences. If we turn into the orchard
there we can see large apples, green as if painted on the exterior, but rich and yellow beneath their skins as the oranges
that droop in golden groups above the marble pools of "Bagdad's citron groves." It was a pleasant thing to see the dewy
beds of sword-like tobacco, and the white waving fields of
blooming cotton. \Vhat could be more touching than to
hear the slaves, during the husking season, singing their ancient lays in their quarters or in the white barns full of the
year's golden grain. A pitture to be preserved in the museum of ancient art was that of "old Harry" playing on ·his
shining banjo, Uncle Abraham cutting on the• strings of his
green-coated fiddle, while "Aunt Priscilla" accompanied the
music with a voice, though untrained, full of melting harmony.
A prominent figure at Newtown in the early days of this
ce!ltury was Mrs: Helen \Vathen, with her craped bonnet,
�XEWTOWN JfAXOR AXD CHURCH.
and her pair of bright steel speCtacles. This lady with Miss
Polly Ford, Miss Sally Jarboe and l\Iiss Jennie Digges, already mentioned in a former article, attended to the Newtown altars in their palmiest days. These pious and respeCtable ladies washed the linens white as driven snow, dusted
the church so that you could scarcely find an atom on the
floor or on the pews, mended the \"estments, and nursed the
tenderest buds for the holy altars. l\Iiss Sallie Jarboe lived
a hermit-life in a little room, or cell, which was attached to
:Mr. Russell's house -about the spot where Mr. Benjamin
Jarboe now resides. She spe.nt her time in pious works,
silent prayer, and holy contemplation. \Vhen not at the
church, or engaged in sanCtifying herself in her piCtured
cell, she quietly went around, like a true Sister of Charity,
to visit the sick or to comfort the unfortunate.
Miss Polly Ford, a lady of good taste and high education,
to her other duties added that of scribe. It is from her that
Miss Jarboe, who could not read herself, though quite respeCtable, and refined in many ways, learned all the prayers and lives of the saints which she knew. It is said that
the two aunts of the celebrated James Usher, who had been
blind from their cradle, from the retentiveness of their memory could repeat with accuracy nearly the whole of •the
Bible. Almost as marvellous things are told of Miss Jai:boe.
From Miss Ford she learned by heart all the prayers in the
Pious Guide, and the lives of several of the saints. In I 8 I 9,
there was no press in St. Mary's County, This Father Edelen st.1.tes in his controversy with the Rev Mr. Brady. The
difficulty arising from the want of a press was obviated in
some degree by the use of scribes. \Ve find Father Edelen
engaging Miss Ford, in the year 1 Szo, to transcribe a large
number of copies of"George Ironside's Observation." These
copies in the neat and graceful handwriting of Polly Ford
were eagerlr sought after by the ladies and gentlemen of
the Newtown Congregati'ons. Some of them arc still treasured up as precious mementos by some of the old· f:·unilies
in Southern Maryland. Mr. Ironside was a sincere and
zealous convert to our holy Faith, and was well known in
�NEwroin\' "lrANOR
AND CHURCH.
6s
Washington where he taught at the old Seminary. Miss
Ford lived long enough to be able to attend to the altars of
St. Aloysius', the new church at Leonardtown. Her funeral
was described to me by some old colored folks as one of
the finest that ever took place in St. Mary's. "The bell of
Leonardtown," said one old colored woman, while tears filled
her eyes at ~he recollection, "tolled, and tolled, and tolled
until her corpse reached the grave-yard gate." Miss Polly
Carberry took upon herself the education of the children of
the Newtown congregation. This excellent lady, while she
taught the little ones the rudiments of learning, tried above
all things, as far as in her lay, by word and example, to instil into their young hearts a love for virtue and religion.
She had her select school near the old St. Ignatius' graveyard. At certain stated times she led the children in bands
to confession and Holy Communion. In the school-room
she fixed a little altar before which the children loved to
pray. One of the fairest sights that could be seen at that time
was the May Procession of Miss Polly Carberry's school.
It surely was a picture for angels to gaze upon with pleasure, to see the innocent children, with simple bannerets and
waxen tapers encircled with modest flowers, and a high cross
carried before them, marching down the road towards St.
Francis' Church. It made the aged weep to hear those sinless children singing the praise of the Mother-Queen of
May. Miss Carberry, though she led a holy and useful life
in the world, was not yet satisfied. She sought to be still
nearer her dear Lord. She longed to be counted among
His chosen spouses. God saw the desires of her soul and
blessed her with a religious vocation. She died at a very
advanced age, not many years ago, in the Carmelite convent
in Baltimore.
\Vhile speaking of the Newtown scenery I should have
mentioned a tan-yard that could be seen "just below the
kitchen and toward the creek." This is a fact scarcely worth
mentioning, still as the tan-yard helped to enhance the picturesqueness of the Newtown landscape, I thought it well
not to pass it over in silence. All must confess that the
VoL x1v. No. 1.
5
�66
XEWTOWX Jf.-LVOR .LYD CHl'RCH
beauty of a piece of natural scenery is very much increased
by the appearance of a mill; a ruined hut, or a rustic bridge.
Though these things in themselves may not possess much
to attraCt the eye, still when placed in the proper place in a
view they certainly help to lend an additional charm to the
whole landscape. This secret is well known to poPts of nature and to scenery painters.
The visit of a Bishop to St. Mary's County, in olden times,
was always sure to create a great excitement and a holy joy.
The old people still speak in glowing colors of the receptions that used to be giyen to Bishops Carroll, Neale, l\Ian!chal and \Vhitfield. The whole country gathered to meet
them with joyous hearts and beaming countenances. The
young men spread green branches,· and the children scattered
fresh flowers, all aiong their route. Processions ,,·ere formed,
hymns were sung, and all the large bells were rung in uni. son as they passed a town or hamlet. Old men and women,
who had lived in the days preceding the ereCtion of an episcopate in this country, threw themselves upon their knees·
on the road side when they saw the prelate's carriage advancing, and, while they bent their heads to receive a blessing, thanked God they had li,·ed long enough to see those
princes of the Catholic Church among them.
_
Newtown, for over two hundred years, has been noted ~s
a place for making retreats. No house could be better
suited than Newtown Manor for such a purpose. Its solitary position on Britton's Neck, its quiet and repose, far
away from any town or hamlet-we do not take into account
the few outhouses, or the old log cabins scattered over the
Manor grounds; the beauty of the surrounding scenery
which naturally raised the mind to the Source of all Beauty;
the holy recolleCtions that clustered around it; the presence
of holy and devoted missionaries ; the nearness of the chapel
on whose humble altar dwelt the Holy of Holies; the graves
of those who had loved and kept the faith in days of persecution and trial; all combined to make it a house fit for
prayer, a place where the soul, forgetting for a time the
things that are of earth, rose up into close union with God,
�NRTITOWY .VANOR ANn CHURCH.
rose up to the companionship of angels and saints. Some
of those who sat in the Assembly of 1649, some of the patriotic officers and soldiers who crossed the Delaware with
vVashington; some ofthose who fought in the war of 1812
for the defence of their country could be counted among
those who retired to the Newtown :Manor to divest themselves of all stains and blemishes. Holy Prelates and Priests,
too, have on several occasions retired to the old Manor to
meditate more freely on the things that are of God.
The old Manor was not always a quiet safe home for those
who wished to meditate in solitude. During the Puritan
Ascendency it fell into the hands of the fierce and merciless
enemies of all virtue and all true religion. Its halls and
corridors were profaned by revelry, and by the ribald jest
and song of the drunken trooper. In place of the crosses
that so often shone there, its ,,·ails glistened, or grew red,
with the stacks of thirsty swords and bayonets piled against
them. During the Revolutionary \Var, its peace was often
disturbed by red-coated soldiers who sometimes knocked
in its doors with the butts of their dllainous guns. Tradition says, however, that during the \Var of Independence
our Fathers did not wholly abandon it. On the contrary
they, as soon as circumstances would allow, threw open
all its rooms to the heroes who fell wounded in the cause of
their country. And thus a new interest is attached to the
famous old Manor from the faCt that it was a temporary hospital for tltc soldiers of rn6. In the war of I 8 I 2 the' chain
of its deep repose was once more sundered. It was no longer a place of peace or security. The British soldiers, who
sailed around the Potomac and the waters of Britton's Bay,
and St. Clement's, rendered it a place of insecurity and unrest. For months such was the unsettled and troubled state
of things that no public service could be held at the Newtown church. As an example, I have been told, that on a
certain Sunday, when the people had piously gathered at
St. Francis' chapel to hear Mass, the alarm was given that a
British sloop of war had entered Britton's Bay. Great was
the consternation of the congregation. The priest, who was
�6S
NEWTOWN 3fANOR .-l;VD CHfTRCH.
in the aB: of preaching, finished his discourse immediately,
and urged the people to fly at once to their homes. They
reluCtantly abandoned him, and he went on to finish the
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Neither "the dry powder" of the Puritans, nor the famed
claymore of the Highlanders, who came with the Parliamentarians, could destroy the pure faith handed down from
their noble forefathers to the Catholics of St. Mary's. Persecution failed, ignobly failed, in the Southern Counties of
Maryland. The persecutor and his swords have long since
descended, "un_wept, unhonored and unsung," into unhallowed graves. This the enemies of our Holy Religion
were forced to acknowledge even before the light of this
great century dawned upon us. But e\·en as late as I8Ig,
they did not give up the struggle to force the Catholics into
the evangelical light which fell'trom the countenance of Dr.
Martin Luther. The zeal of rich parsons could not bear to
see the benighted "Papists" walking in the paths of "error
and superstition," walking in the footsteps of those who bled
in the Roman arena for the Faith which Augustine, Polycarp, and Ignatius held. A pompous and Rev. Mr. Brady,
a Protes.tant ReB:or in St. Mary's County, imagined that he
could do what whole armies could not-uproot Catholicity
in the first home of the .Maryland Pilgrims. His eyes glistened and his heart beat f.1.st as he thought of the easy method by which he could accomplish his desires. Hi;; plan
was a simple one-to distribute the Bible, published with
the divine approbation of the king of England, among.·the
Catholics. The plan, it must be confessed, was not an original one. But that mattered little to the zealous Mr. Brady,
for his wife and seven daughters, and his housekeeper, too
strongly, warmly approved of it as being a good one. \Ve
must here give a brief account of the Bible Movement as it
will help us to understand better Mr. Brady's aCtion, as it
will prove, too, that we ,,·ere right in boldly asserting that
he had not even the merit of originality in his undertaking.
In 1804, the "British And Foreign Bible Society'' was formed
in London. Shiploa~s of Bibles, without note or comment,
�•
were sent to all ·parts of the world- to Asia, Africa, and
America. Almost every one knows how the Holy Writings were treated by the Bible-loving Savages of India who
used them to kindle their fires when they offered sacrifices
to their idols. The amusement too created by the mishaps
of the colporteurs in the beginning ofthis century are a matter of romantic history. In ~'lay, I 8 r6, at a Convention
held in New York, some very zealous gentlemen resolved
to imitate their friends in England, and so the "American
Bible Society" was inaugurated. The Honorable Elias Budinot, of Burlington, New Jersey, was at the head of this
apostolic work. It certainly looked well for the work that
it was begun under a gentleman who was an "Honorable,"
and an "Elias." Dr. Mason was appointed to prepare an
"Address to the People of the United States." The Dr.
who certainly knew something about sensational writing be-.
gan his ponderous Address as follows: "Every person of
observation has remarked that the times are pregnant with
great events. The political world has undergone changes
stupendous, unexpected, and calculated to inspire thoughtful men with the most boding anticipations. That there are
in reserve, occurrences of deep, of lasting, and of general
interest app•-ars to be the common sentiment." Here we
pause as "thoughtful men" to say that we wonder to what
wonderful changes he alluded, and to ask whether these
"boding anticipations" were ever fulfilled? We do not intend to embody in this article the whole of the "grand Address" ; we shall merely take its more beautiful and soulstirring passages. The Dr. in his own elegant way, goes
on to speak of the rapid growth of the Young Republic:
There was one danger that he feared, and that was that the
moral cultivation would not correspond with the increase of
the population. "In the distinct anticipation of such an urgency," he continues, "one of the main objects of The American Bible Society is not merely to provide a sufficiency of
well printed and accurate editions of the Scriptures; but also
to furnish great districts of the American Continent with
well executed stereotype plates, for their cheap and extensive
�1/1
70
YHTfTOWV .1!.LVOR .LVD CllfTRCH.
diffusion throughout regions which are now supplied at a
discouraging expmse."
\Ve know not how long it took the Address to reach the
few parsons in St. Mary's, but it looks as if it had taken
nearly three full years. But when it did reach them, great
was their joy, and it w'as hailed as a heaven-sent boon. \Ve
may imagine with what zeal and pathos the Rev. Mr. Brady
read the following magnificent passage to his handful of
parishioners at the churches of "\Villiam and l\Iary, and St.
Andrew:" "Come then, fellow-citizens, fellow Christians,
let us join the sacred co\·enant. Let no heart be cold, no
hand idle, no purs[· rdullant ... Come while room is left
for us in the ranks whose toil is goodness, and whose recompense is viCtory. Come cheerfully, eagerly, generally. Be
it impressed on your souls, that contributions, saved from
even a cheap indulgence, may ~-i'nd a Bible to a desolate faml~J'."
l\Ir. Brady immediately began to distribute Bibles
not only among the members of his own church, but also
among the Catholics. The Rev.· Father Edelen, as a watchful and careful guardian of his flock, would not allow of this
conduCt. He made any Catholics who had received Protestant Bibles bring them to him. A controversy arose between
him and Mr. Brady, in which, it need not be stated, the latter gentleman fared very_baclly. Father Edelen throws some·
light upon the Catholic history of the period by saying that
if Mr. Brady w~ulcl only \'isit his next-door neighbor he
would find a copy of the Douay Bible on the table.
The colored population of St. Mary's County have J.ong
claimed the labors and care of our Fathers. Thi.s portion
of our flock is now very considerable, and has been for more
than a hundred and fifty years. Up to the ci\·il war nearly
every important farmer had a certain number of SCI'<'ants in
his possession. Some gentlemen had from fifty to a hundred, or even more of them. To attend to the spiritual
wants of all these was no light duty for the missionaries.
To baptize and instruCt them, to teach them the beauty and
sanCtity of the Sacraments, to explain to them the Christian
doCtrine, was not a trifling task. Though some were gifted
�NEWT()WN c1£ANOR ANJJ CHURCH
with sharp, clear wits, though most of them were docile
and good-hearted, still this only lightened the work. Many
of them were unable to read, were not blessed with good
memories, and some unfortunately were fond of those sorts
of amusements, such as dances by moonlight, where virtue
is too often lost. The vigilant eyes of our Fathers had
nearly always to be upon them. The old-timed, old-fashioned
colored people were very much like children who needed
careful and fond guardians to keep them from contraCl:ing
bad habits. To the credit of our Fathers, after the Grace
and Mercy of God, and the kindness of good masters and
kind mistresses, it is to be said that the colored members of
our church in St. Mary's are a people full of a lively Faith,
a people burning with an ardent charity. They are for the
greater part a pure, temperate and honest class of the community. They are as affeCtionate as children towards those
who take an interest in them; they are humble and respeCtful towards those who have authority over them. To see
them hurrying through the fields and \\·oods at the sound
of the early Mass bell is a sight well calculated to repay the
priest for all his labors in their behalf. To see them crowding around the confessionals, even before daylight, is a beautiful and consoling sight to the eyes of Faith. In olden
times it was, in some respeCts, much easier to attend to the
colored Catholics of St. Mary's than it is at present. In
former days the priest was wont to visit a gentleman's house,
aml gather together all the servants of the neighborhood.
He then gave an instruCtion, read some prayers to them,
recited the Rosary, and heard their confessions. In the
morning he said Mass in the t<rm-house and gave Holy
Communion to the adults. Since the war the colored folks
have taken up little pieces of land here and there in the
woods, and along the creeks and road-sides. They are
scattered in all direCtions, and, generally speaking, having
no mode of travelling, except on foot, the priest is obliged to
seek them out separately, and in twos or threes instru8: them,
and exhort them to virtue. Of course, I speak now more
especially of the young and infirm, and of those already far
�72
.YEWTOWX JfAXOR AND CHURCH.'
advanced in age. The strong and healthy young men and
women think very little of marching through the snow or
rain from five to ten miles to hear Mass or attend a mission.
Some of our Fathers took a deep interest even in the temporal welfare of the colored servants. Father De V os whose
body after death, it is said, exhaled a beautiful odor, was accustomed to visit them in their "qu<lrters" and examine into
their general treatment by their masters. And no master
was ever offended because the holy priest gently reminded
him of his duty towards the poor slave. Nearly all the distinguished Fathers whose names have already been mentioned in our preceding articles had to labor for the colored
members of their congregation. It surely must have been
an edifying spectacle to see an At,,·ood, a Poulton, a Molyneux surrounded in some of the "quarters," or in some old
log cabins teaching the elements of the Christian Doctrine
to a group of little colored children. In our own Nineteenth
Century such men as Stephen Dubuisson, German Barnaby
Betousey, Rantzau and Epinette, Yicinanza and Nota became
the servants of the lowly slaves, and spent years in teaching
them the way that leads to life everlasting. The names of
Father Thomas Lilly and Father Peter Miller come naturally to our pen when we write of the Apostles of the colored
race in St. Mary's County. Others, too, rush to our mem- ·
ory, but as they are still on this side of the grave we dare
not speak of them here, lest we offend their modesty.
By a special act of God's Providence the Society ,\·as
never suppressed in \Vhite Russia. \Vhen the Clms~!:rm
princes of France, Spain, and Portugal hunted down the
sons of St. Ignatius these latter received a kind welcome
and ample protection in the dominions of the infidel Catherine II, Empress of Russia. On February 2nd, I 780, some
novices were received at the famous Novitiate at Polotsk.
A few years later on a Vicar-General was appointed in the
person of Father Czerniewicz. In I So I, Pi us VII, formally
constituted the Society in Russia. Immediately afterwards
fervent students and zealous priests hurried from all parts of
Europe to join the novices at Polotsk. Among these were Fa-
�.YEWTOWX JfcLYOR •.JND (HURCH.
i3
thers Francis Maleve, John Henry, Adam Britt, John Grasr8o3, Bishsi, P. Epinette, and Maximilian de Rantzau.
op Carroll addressed a letter to Father Gruber, General of
the Society, begging him to send some of his subjeCts over
to Maryland. The request of the distinguished Prelate was
granted, and Father Gruber sent the above named priests
all of whom were "men of eminent virtue and learning." On
the arrival of Maleve and his companions they found several of the members of the old English Province in Maryland.
It would be difficult to describe the mingled feelings of joy
and gratitude to God of the veteran ex-Jesuits when they
found themselves in the company of their brethren from the
far-off land of \Vhite Russia. Long had they wandered
from place to place, from house to house, with little to cheer
or console them, in order to preserve the grand old Roman
Creed among their beloved people. Days of joy, no doubt,
they saw during their long missionary career. But the longest chapter in their lives was filled with details of hardships
and sorrows. They lived at a time when "with desolation was
all the land made desolate." They saw that awful moment
when it was announced to the Christian and to the Pagan
and Infidel world, that the Society of Jesus was dissolved.
And oh, the dreary time, the sad time, that followed the sacrifice of the Order that they loved, the mother whom they
cherished and honored, and to whom they had willingly
vowed obedience and surrendered their hearts and their wills.
Long, painful, and mournful were the hours of darkness and
gloom through which they watched for the day-star that
would herald a new morning, a morning of light, and life,
and strength, and beauty for their ever-venerated Society.
But, thanks to God, before they die, before the old guards
fall at their posts, their constancy, and hope, and faith are
fully rewarded, and their Order is once more sent forth on
its glorious mission. Now they feel like chanting the hymn
of holy Simeon:- "Now, 0 Lord, dismiss thy servant in
peace."
Father Francis Maleve was born in Belgium, on the rst
of December, I
He entered the Society in I 804, and
In
no.
�~VEWTOWX
Jf..-l,VOR
~-LVD
Cllf.'RCH.
received his grade one year after the Restoration· of the Society. He was for some time Pastor of Jodoigne, near Tirlemont, in Brabant. He was the intimate friend of the saintly
Father Charles Nerinckx, who highly esteemed him. \Vhen
that holy priest determined to devote his life to missionary
labors in America Father l\Ialeve resigned his parish and
accompanied him as far as Amsterdam with the intention of
crossing the sea with him. \Vhile at Amsterdam, having
resolved to become a Jesuit, he changed his mind and set
out for the ~ovitiate at Polotsk. The Princess Gallitzin,
writing to Bishop Carroll, says that Mr. Francis Maleve was
"a candidate perfectly recommended by all that there is most
pure in Brabant." Father Francis was a brother of Father
Melchior who was sent to Astrachan, the Capital of Persia,
and became so proficient in t~e Armenian tongue that he
preached publicly in that langti:tge a few years after his arrival. He also soon spoke Turkish and Tartar. On AshvVednesday, I80J, Father Nerinckx wrote to his parents:
"In the midst of our trials consoling news comes to us by
letters from Maryland, purporting that, in Georgetown, the
Order of the Jesuits rises like an aurora, ,,:hich will. before
long, I trust, spread its light through our wilderness, and
through the woods which overshadow these our unexplored
regions, darkened mor~: by the cloud of heresy, unbelief,
error, and sin than by their foliage. Five Jesuit-';' have arrived there froq1 Europe, among them a professor of theology and one of philosophy. \Vith the others is Father
l\1aleve, who having resigned his pastorship of Jodojgne,
near Thienen, at the time that I left Everberg-Meerbeke, ;tccompanied me to Amsterdam with the intention of going
with me to America. He there joined the Jesuits, under
the impression that, as he was fold there, no Catholic priests
were allowed to land in America (a most egregious falsehood). From Holland he \\·as sent to Riga, in Russia, thence
to Astrachan,< 1l the Capital of Persia, and is now in Georgetown in the immediate vicinity of the Capital of the United
(I)
)lost likely Father N eriu~kx was thinking of Melchior
Malev~.
�75
States of America-a rather memorable journey. Behold
how wonderful are God's designs."
'
In May, 1807, Nerinckx also writes to his parents: "I
have not yet determined where to live. The Vicar-General
Badin wishes me to remain with him, and the Bishop of
Baltimore (Bishop Carroll) entreats me not to go to the state
of Indiana, where he intends to send two countrymen of
mine, the Jesuits, Fathers Maleve and Henry. As soon as
other Fathers arrive from Europe to fill their places at Georgetown they will start for that mission."
Bishop Carroll wrote from Baltimore, February 2nd, 1809:
"Mr. Nerinckx, Henry and Male,·e are continually busy in
the vineyard of the Lord and render most important services for the salvation of souls."
Father Male,·e after having spent some time at Georgetown College was sent by his Superiors to Newtm\·n. On
February 21st, 1809. Bishop Carroll writes: "Fathers Henry,
i\laleve, and "Tot1ters attend numerous congregations on
the right and oriental shore of the Potomac. The first lives
about ten leagues from \Vashington below the river; the
second ten leagues further down; and the third, at about
the same distance from Father Malen~; not far from the
mouth of that majestic ri\-er, ,,·hich flows into the Chesapeake."
Again the venerable Prelate writes on the 5th of September, 1Sog: "I have the happiness of having with me for the
last few clays your excellent friend, Father Maleve, formerly
pastor of Jocloigne, in Brabant, now a Jesuit. He writes to
you, and no doubt tells you, that I recalled him from his
former residence, LVczetown, near the mouth of the Potomac,
where the climate did not agree with him; I send him to a
more healthy place. The regrets, veneration, and affeEl:ion
of his parishioners prove the assiduity and success of his
labors for their salvation. I can render the same testimony
to the Jesuit Father Henry, formerly a vicar in the diocese
of Liege, and to Father \Vouters, born at \Vormhout, in
Flanders, and singularly to Beschter, also a Jesuit, formerly
pastor and dean in the province of Luxembourg, Netherlands, in the several congregations which they direEl:."
�~VEWTOTrX
J!AXOR .-IXD CHf'RCH.
Father Mal eve succeeded in I 8 I I, Father Dubois, afterwards Bishop of New York, at St. John's, Frederick Besides his many duties in Frederick itself Father Maleve attended an extensive mission, comprising four counties in
Maryland, and a great part of Virginia. Though, as I have
lately learned from a venerable priest whose childhood and
boyhood days were spent at Frederick, that town was noted
for its bigotry in the early part of this century, still Father
Maleve was highly esteemed by many of its most respeCtable inhabitants. Several lots of ground were bestowed on
him by them for the benefit of his mission.
In an account of his journey from Bardstown, in Kentucky, to Baltimore, written by Father ~erinckx in London,
in I8zo, the holy priest thus refers to Father Maleve: "Proceeding on our journey (the -"'eather continued cold), we
arrived on Thursday night in Fredericktown, at the house
of Rev. Father Maleve, an old acquaintance. This zealous
missionary has recently bought a house, which he intends
altering into a school for the education of children whose
parents are unable to pay. A married man with his £<mily
lives in the house, with the understanding that he has to
teach the poor children." As stated in the "History of St.
John's Church and Residence," already published in the
LETTERS, Father ~Ialev.e died at Frederick, on the 3rd of
qetober, I 822.
Father John. Henry was born in Belgium in 1765. He
entered the Society in I 804, and received his degree on the
I zth of March, I 81 5· Before entering the Society, as Bishop Carroll stated in his letter, he had been a vicar in the
diocese of Liege. Father Nerinckx speaking of the Jesuits
of \Vhite Russia who came to America, after mentioning
three of them, says: "the fourth one is Father Henry, well
known in Lou vain, and, it is said, a man of merit and talent."
Father Henry made his Novitiate at Polotsk. He had as
fellow-novices some of the most distinguished missionaries
of modern times. Among others may be mentioned the
illustrious Father Giles Henry, his namesake, his countryman, and, very probably, his near kinsman, who helped much
�.YF:WTOW.Y J!A~WJR AND C'HflkCH.
to carry the light of religious truth throughout the vast
Russian Empire. Father Giles Henry and Father Suryu,
says a modern writer "offer a striking instance of the undaunted spirit that has e\·er charaCterized the apostles of the
Society. By the desire of the emperor, they went to found
a mission at Mazdok, in the Caucasus, a place colonized by
prisoners and malefaCtors, whose extraordinary ferocity the
Russian forces had hitherto f:<iled to subdue. But the persevering efforts of the Jesuits were more fruitful; they succeeded in converting and civilizing men plunged in the lowest depths of degradation 'and depravity, and in the words
of the missionaries themselves, their converts, from being
as savage as wolves, became as gentle as lambs.'' Fr. John
Henry had also for a fellow-novice "Brother Roothan," afterwards a holy and illustrious General of our Order. In the
"Documents Inedits" published in 1869, by Father Augustus Carayon, we find the following letter from Mr. Roothan:
"Duneburg, the 1st of August, 1805: I hope that in a short
time Father John Henr): will arri\·e at Amsterdam in good
health, and that he will find you equally, as also Father
Groenen and Father Verbeck, in good health to the greater glory of God. I trust that he will soon be in a condition
to aid you in taking charge of souls, and that, communicating to others tltc abundant trmsurcs t!tat ftc !tas amassed, he
will produce fruits of salvation and correspond perfeCtly to
the end of the Society. I know that the Divine Goodness,
in order to propagate Its glory, will give him the grace to
make rapid progress in the Dutch language. To be a missionary of the Society, and especially at Amsterdam, is a
sure sign that he will soon become master of that language.
It is manifest that God gives special graces to the missionaries of the Company to learn foreign languages." In proof
of this last assertion Mr. Roothan refers to the success of
Father Melchior Maleve in acquiring strange tongues. Towards the end of his letter, which was addressed to Father
Adam Beckers, at Amsterdam, the good priest who direCted
Father Henry to Polotsk, Mr. Roothan says, that on the 28th
of ] uly he had the happiness to receive Minor Orders from
�the Right Rev. Monsigneur Bcnislawski, and adds, that Fa~
ther Henry will tell the Fathers at Amsterdam all about the
occasion. Father Henry was a priest, or at least a Divinity
student, during the sway of the French revolutionists
of 1793-he was then twenty-eight years old - and heard
daily of their terrible works of plunder, blood, devastation,
and desecration in their own unhappy land, while he also
saw their miscreant and unholy deeds in his O\Vn dear Brabant. The memory of these dark times must have gone
clown to his gra\·e deep-written in his generous and noble
heart.
In 1806, Father Henry was at Georgetown College. In
1807, he is said to be on the missions and busy in learning
English. The following year we again find him at Georgetown. In I 809. according to~ Bishop Carroll, he was at St.
Thomas' l\Ianor. Sometime ;fterwards we find him Superior at St. Inigoes. In 1X16, he left St. Inigoes for Bohemia.
He is said to be an aCtive missioner in 1X17. In IXIR, he
is named in a manuscript catalogue, for that year, as being
assistant to Father ~Ialen~ at Frederick. In 1822, he was
appointed once more Superior at St. Inigoes. The following year he was removed to Newtown where he died of what
doCtors call ''bilious fever."
The result of the work done by the Missionaries of St.
Mary's must not be judged by the number of Catholic inhabitants at present in that County, though even in that respeCt it is a grand result .. It must be remembered in n~ak
ing our calculations of the successes of missionary labor. in
Southern l\1aryland that even in the last century St. Mary's
became the mother of many another Catholic settlement
from Frederick County to Kentucky. To-day .the children
of St. Mary's keep the priceless pearl of Faith with them
in many a home from Boston to the Golden Gate. The descendants of old St. Mary families have become distinguished
missionaries in the far regions of the \Vest; they have become prelates in the Church distinguished alike for piety
and learning; they have shown themselves laymen worthy
their grand old pilgrim fathers. The pure daughters of St.
�XEWT()W.Y .lfA,YOR .LYD CHURCH
79
Mary's have filled the cells of convents not only in Georgetown, \Vashington, Baltimore, Mobile, New York, and Philadelphia, but also in many a European town and city.
\\'e will finish these "Points" on Newtown (I) by giving a
list of the Superiors of that Mission from the year I797
down to the time the Fathers changed their residence :
Fathers Robert Molyneux, Superior from I797 to 1805;
Ignatius B. Brooke, I805 to I8I I; Leonard Edelen, I81 I to
I823; John Baptist Cary, I 823 to I830; James Neill, 1830
to 1833; Aloysius Young, I833; Aloysius Mudd, I833 to
I835; Peter Havermans, 1835 to I84I; Ignatius Combs, I84I
and I842; Robert \Voodley, I842 to 1845; Joseph Enders,
I 845 to I 847 ; Nicholas Steinbacher, I 847; Thomas Lilly,
I848; Ignatius Combs, I849-185o; Robert \Voodley, I85 II854; James Power, I854; George King, 1.856; Peter Miller,
I857; James Moore, I858. In 1859. Father Joseph Enders
became Superior, for the second time, of Newtown. Under
him the Fathers moved their residence to Leonardtown.
Since this change of residence Newtown has been attended
by the Superiors or by some of the missionary priests who
live at Leonardtown, near St. Aloysius' Church.
\VILLIAM
P.
TREACY,
S.
J.
1
< > Any documents or letters relative to this interesting old Uission for the
present century will be gratefully received by the writer of the foregoing
articles--J.:ditor of the Letters.
�MISSOURI.
ST. LoUis
U:-~rVERSITY,
Nov. 25th, r884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
The sixth year of the Post-Graduate Course having opened,
and the members presenting themselves in very much the
same proportions, some new, some old, as in former years,
the averages and general aspeCts of this department may
prove interesting to not a few among us, who have a special
regard for higher education. The results from the tabulated
account read as follows, up to~ the present date:1\'IE~IBERS:- Grand total f~r six years, 108. Many of
these having attended during more years than one, the number of memberships thus represented by 108 members
amounts to I 78. Among the complimentary memberships
conferred on some friends and benefaCtors, only those are
counted which resulted in aCtual attendance.
DEGREE.-;:-The number of degrees conferred upon members, in fixe annual commencements, has been 3 I. That of
Ph. B. requires an oral examination, besides the presentation of an essay, upon the subjeCt matter of the course ;
twelve such degrees have been conferred; of Ph. D., one;
of A. M., eighteen. Only a small proportion of the n~em
bers have not had a degree before joining the course. ~Next
to the simple college graduates. A. B., the largest class represented among the members has been that of M. D., of
whom we have had eighteen or more.
RELIGIOX :-Chiefly Catholic: 19 have been non-Catholic,
of whom two are ministers, Unitarian and Episcopalian; one
member is an Israelite. \Vith regard to Catholics, it may
be noted that these philosophical expositions of science have
done, in some one instance or other to our knowledge, what
the pulpit had failed to do, in reviving faith and praCtice.
(So)
�.lflS SO URI.
8r
This is significant with regard to the effect of this same
philosophy upon non-Catholics.
LECTURES:- 266 private lectures have been given up to
date. and I 3 public lectures besides to a general select audience, admitted by tickets purchased at half a dollar each.
ATTENDANCE :-Average at the 266 private lectures about
I5 or I6 members an evening; average at the I3 public lectures, about I 50 persons an evening.
COURSES OF LECTURES:-There were about 6o lectures in
each of the first three years : then, one of the three weekly
lectures being struck out, there remain yearly about 44 or
45· Last year and this, I 2 of this number are public.
SUBJECT:":- rst p:ar :-Metaphysics: Insanity, Kantism;
Ethics: Questions; History, Points; Science: Electricity.
2nd J'rar :-Metaph.: Biology, or The Principle of Life;
Anthropology and History, Points; Ethics: The Principle
of Authority.
3rd year :-Ethics: Church and State, Theories on Society ; Metaph.: Sensation ; History and Anthropology,
Points; Education in the middle ages, Feudal System.
4tlt year: Logic, Formal and Applied ; History, English;
Anthropol., Points.
stlt J'ear: Ethics: The Moral Structure of Man; History of Saracens and Turks; Metaph.: Knowledge, Animal
and Rational.
6t!t year: General Physics: Transformation of Species,
Evolution; History, Historians. Previously to this year
the {lublic lectures were announced as repetitions of private
lectures : this year, Astronomy and Geology arc popularly
treated, without being repetitions.
LECTURERS:-They have been eleven in number. The contributions of short courses, comprising from three to six
lectures, do not come heavily upon the Rev. Professors, if
the general responsibility of the department is sufficiently
provided for, by being made to rest on one person or two.
These are some of the general results appearing from a
conspectus of five years' work, the sixth having opened
auspiciously.
Respectfully,
ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY.
Vor..
XIV.
No.
I.
6
�RECOLLECTIONS.
Laudetur 55. Sacramentum.-To say nothing of the miraculous cure of Mrs. Mattingly< 1> which aliunde has been
treated of exhaustively, there were three instantaneous restorations of health in the Visitation Convent in Georgetown.
After the cure of one of these Sisters, whose name in the
world was Miss Millard, my teacher, who is still living,
though it is fifty-one years since he taught me Natural Philosophy in Georgetown College, gave an account of the marvellous event. He said he felt sure on .the morning of the
Sister's recovery that our Lord had given her new flesh at
, the moment of communicating. How he and Leibnitz and
the modern agnostics who s~y. according to their name,
they don't know, may agree on such a point, "deponent sayeth not."
Fatlzer Francis Neale.- He was the brother of Archbishop
Leonard Neale, and a holy man. As our pastor at Saint
Thomas' he gave us fine preaching and plenty o( it. The
steps to the pulpit wound up by a large window through
which the preacher had a view of the stragglers, who not
unfrequently in country places stand about the church to
talk over their crops and cattle instead of hearing the sermon. This they do more readily, as the preacher, at least
this was the way in my time, speaks after Mass, having. allowed himself a short time to break his k1.st. Father Neale
would tap at the window as he passed up to the pulpit:
"Come in and hear instruCtion," he used to say in a commanqing voice. And we may be sure no one unheeded the
call; for his word was law. Once on a church-day, it was
given out that the choir was to be reprimanded next Sunday from the pulpit. As many were anxious to hear that
(I) Mr. Carberry, brother of Mrs. :l.Iattingly and ex-Mayor of Washington,
told me he lookP.d upon the cure of his si>tcr as being "a miracle equal to the
resurrection of Lazarus." Of course, he meant the miraculous nature of the
event.
(82)
�RECO!J.ECT!Oc\'S.
instruction, there .was, on the day appointed, a large attendance. Those who had provoked the coming Philippic, my
seniors, but still youths, took care to fill up all the seats in
the choir; so that some two or three good old pious men,
noted for praying there, not finding a place to be seated during the sermon went to a retired spot behind the organ,
where they could hear instruCtions but not be seen. I
should myself have probably been on the field of aetion had
not our pious female sex confined my piety to a pew. I
still remember how animated our dear old priest was and
how the congregation enjoyed the sermon. \Varming in
his zeal and still thinking that there were greater disorders,
than he had noticed, he exclaimed: "Even at this very moment there are, perhaps, some behind the organ, conversing
instead of hearing instruCtion: come out from there I tell
you !" 0 misery! The pastor must be obeyed! and out
walked before the whole church, with their hands most
piously joined and their heads bowed down, two of the patriarchs mentioned above, while the youths looked, and no
doubt, felt most jolly--and the rest of the congregation
cared more, perhaps, for the fun', than the disaster.
Amid scenes of this checkered kind we boys got our
"first preparation" for holiness. But as there is a variety
that spices life, so coming shades darken the light-heartedness of youth; and hang a misty gloom over declining
years: "So goes the world," on its march to eternity. Our
dear old Fr. Neale (before the scenes alluded to), occasionally attended from Georgetown the missionary church of
Alexandria, Va. In the course of. his visits there, he met
with a strange experience at the Communion railing. This
was on a large Communion day, Easter, I believe. The
communicants, as the season called for them, were quite numerous, and the church, in its humble beginnings no ample
Basilica. Three rows of recipients approach the holy Table
and Father Neale observed that notwithstanding the crowd,
there was all the three,times he went around the railing still
one vacant place. Mass over, an enraged woman, out of
breath and full of wrath came into the sacristy while he was
�RECOLLECTIONS.
unvesting and complained bitterly that h~ had exposed her
to disgrace before all the congregation by refusing her Communion three several times. This charge he positively denied. "How can your Reverence say so?" rejoined the woman. At the moment, a thought flashed upon the Father's
mind of the curiously vacant place at the Communion rail!
"Come," he said to the woman; "come with me into the
church. \Vhere did you kneel during Communion?'' "Just
there," she said. "Then, my good woman, look into yourself; for there I never saw any one whilst going around.
That place was always vacant."
There had been a difficulty the previous evening in the
confessional; but of this only the penitent could speak. and
for her alone it was an open question. The vacant place at
the rails only gave a right to the confessor to admonish,
with a pious consideration, his· penitent. The "unseen" woman was, it would seem, a heavenly monition. An unspeaking angel guarded the chair of the confessor.
"A majoribus acccpimus; Patrcs nostri narravcrunt nobis."
-The divine warnings are more frequently, tllan strikingly
presented to us. Our own generation has experienced not
only the mercies of God, but his terrific justice in the instance I now record. Fr. George King of George, as the
style then used to go, 12arrated the f.<Ets to me, which I no\y
pen down, and these same were remarkably corroborated by
an after occurrence. There is a row of houses in Georgetown, not far from the monastery, known by the name of
"the twenty buildings." Some of their inmates were di~.repu
table, indeed wholly degraded. In a thunder-storm, God so
disposed, that one of the infamous inmates was struck by
lightning, and on the instant killed. It was a misfortune
sometimes happening, and would probably have been little
heeded, had not God in this case set His divine seal upon
it: "digitus Dei est hie." "The handwriting" was here not
on the wall of the house, but on the body of the culprit.
The gleam of the eleCtric light appeared on the breast of the
viCtim after her death. The light shone bright and then
faded soon away, as it is s~.en in the .sky during a stor!J1. So
�RECCJLLEC'FIONS.
\vonderful a phenomenon attraCted great attention. bn oBserving it, words were seen written with light. These words
being unintelligible to the bystanders, the priest, one of our
Fathers, was sent for to decipher them. The sacred Daniel
at once read the handwriting, as follows: "Damnata in a!ternum !" The words appeared in full brightness and plainness at the lightning's flash and again disappeared, as the
brightness of the flash faded away. The priest read them
plainly and clearly written ; and gave out their meaning to
the awe-struck attendants.
The news of this being bruited abroad, a great crowd
came to the house. All could see the repeated flashes of
light and the words written in Latin.
The present nuns of the Vi;=;itation in Georgetown were
preceded by "The Poor Clares." Each community in succession lived at the same place and each, I believe, had their
scholars. ''The Poor Clares," were very humble in their
beginning, and the Visitandines had no wealth in those days
to be proud of. As the Sisters had no private play-grounds,
their scholars used to play at that time on the streets and
the commons about the school. The crowd around the
lightning-struck house attraCted these girls' attention and
they ran there to see what it \Vas. The bad reputation
of the locality made them quite shy; but curiosity and the
reported miraculous occurrence led them to creep up to the
window. From the street they looked in and saw the priest
stooping 0\'er the stricken body and reading the writing·
upon it.
This narration of our informant was confirmed thus wise.
Some fifty or sixty years after this event he met a venerable lady who is still living in Washington, D. C. At
the time of the lightning accident she was a pupil in a
school in Georgetown. vVhile on a sick-call from St. Aloysius' our informant was overtaken by a thunder-storm and
sought shelter in the lady's house. To suit the conversation to the surroundings our informant related the case of
the olden time in Georgetown. To his utter surprise, she
exclaimed, when he mentioned the nuns' girls: "Father, I
�86
CANA nA.
was with those girls of the Georgetown school ! I stood
on the street there ; I peeped thence through the window
and I saw the priest looking on the woman's breast and
reading the words."
This was a wonderful coincidence and a striking confirmation of the above relation. And all this reminds us forcibly of the miracle of St. Francis de Hieronymo. In nearly
similar circumstances, he asked a dead harlot laid out on
her bier: "Catharine, where are you?" The dead woman
rose up from her bier and answered the saint, "In Hell!"
s.
CANADA.
THE OLD FORGES ON THE ST.
~IAURICE.
It may be well now to throw a little light on the history
of the large stone house at the ''Old Forges" on the banks
of the St. Maurice. commonly called the "l\Iaison des Jesuites." (!) This title given to it even by the inmates themselves
has led a few of Ours astray in regard to the past ownership
of the building. A.ncl t.he chapel-ceiling of the present
kitchen, together with the long corridors that run through
the house, has only helped to complete the deception. The
facr is the house was not built by the Old Society and, in all
probability, never belonged to it. Here are a few f.'letS
which may prove the assertion.
•
The Forges on the St. ;\Iaurice \\'ere established b; s.e\·eral indi\'iduals shortly before 17 36. In that year they
were sold to the King of France, and began to be worked
in his name. Only coarse ·articles were manufacrured and
the revenue was trifling. Three years later, engineers were
sent out from France to put the establishment on a firmer
footing. The Forges prospered, and in 1746 or thereabout,
the large stone house was built at a great cost by Louis XV.
(1) This sketch was intended to form a chapter of the interestin!)' article on
.T esuit History in Canada, but it came after the paper had been prmted.
�CANADA.
87
and made the headquarters of the officials of the establishment. A heavy iron plate in the back of the chimney-grate
bears a date 1746 or 1756, the third figure being illegible.
But it matters not. Suffice it to say that the Old Society
did not build the house. Did it come into its possession
afterwards? It is not probable, as we shall see.
The St. Maurice Forges were the only iron-works in the
country and were in constant operation. It is not probable,
therefore, that the King of France gave the Jesuits a house
of which he had the greatest need himsel£ After the Capitulation of 1763, George III. reserved the "Old Forges"
as part of the Crown's domains in Canada and carried on the
work with the same vigor. It is not probable, either, that ftc
gave the residence of his officials to the Jesuits. In 1767 a
Stock Company formed at Quebec leased the works and
made the stone house their headquarters. \Vhen this lease
ran out in I 782 the Jesuits had ceased to exist.
The sketch of the "Old Forges" from which I have
gleaned these facts covers the period from the establishment
of the works down to r853. No mention whatever is made
of a Jesuit, except Charlevoix, and that only in an unimportant matter. \Vhat is likely is that one of our Fathers may
have come from Becancourt or G:ap de Ia Madeleine, or he
may, perhaps, have lived at the Forges, and attended to the
spiritual wants of the people employed there. The present
kitchen may have been the chapel. There is no other foundation, I take it, ·for saying that this was a "Maison des
E.
Jesuites."
•
�APOSTOLIC SCHOOLS.
An Appeal of Rev. William Ronan, S. ]., Retlor of t!tc Apostolic College of Limerick, Irdmzd; to t!te Venerable Hierarclzy, t!ze Rev. Clergy and t!ze faitliful of t!ze United States.
[\Ve gladly insert the appeal of Fr. Ronan, believing as
we do that the work which he has so much at heart cannot
fail to interest our readers and command their earnest encouragement and support. \Ve have watched with pleasure
during the past few years the development of the idea embodied in the Apostolic Schools. The work Fr. Ronan has
already accomplished and his thorough-going determination
with God's help to secure the means of carrying out his
large and elaborate plans, confirms us in the belief that great
things are to be hoped for from this institution both for our
Society and for the Church.
Mungret is three miles fr_om Limerick. It was in olden
times one of the great monastic centres of Ireland. The
community numbered not less than 1500 monks; and from
its schools apostles and scholars went forth to every country in Europe. But when the evil day came, like many another sacred spot l\lungret passed into the hands of strangers. Some years ago it was used as a Government Modelfarm, but being found unsuited for this purpose, Fr. Ronan
with the express approv.1.l of Fr. General obtained a lease of
the property for 500 years at the nominal rent of 70 pounds
a year, which sum by the way is returned to him as a gift of
prize money for his scholars. And so l\Iungret is once more
an apostolic centre. Fr. Ronan proposes to usc the a_lms
from our churches for the support of boys who wish to' enter the Society. He is going to take six Indian boys sent
by Fr. Cataldo to be educated for the priesthood.]
Loyola CoiiLKC, Baltimore, )lfd., I8 JVm•. I88j..
I have been for years engaged in giving Missions throughout Ireland, and in every parish I found a number of highly
gifted youths who would willingly have embraced any opportunity of becoming priests and devoting themselves to
Foreign Missions, but whose parents were unable to procure
(88)
•
�APOSTOLIC SCHOOLS.
for them a suitable education. In speaking the matter ove-r
with the bishops and priests who knmv the country best,
the conviCtion forced itself upon us that we have in the
youth of our virtuous poor, who are the descendants of the
Saints and of the old nobility of the country, the best materials for Missioners, and in such numbers as to be praCtically
inexhaustible. I have prayed, and hoped, and labored for
more than twenty years, and I have at length, with God's
help, succeeded in founding the Apostolic College of Limerick. Fifty promising youths have been received into our
College, who are being trained and prepared for the priesthood by Fathers of our Society. \Ve hope to be enabled
to add ten each year to our present number.
\Vith the consent of their Lordships, the Bishops of Ireland, I ha\·e visited almost e\·ery diocese in the country, and
ha\·e met the Re\·. Clergy at their Conferences, and in their
homes; I ha\·e exposed to them our plans, and I have asked
them to find out, and seleCt:, proper subjeCts for our training.
Our standard is high, and we require Ist. that none be seleCted except children of virtuous parents; 2ml. they must
be able to graduate with honors at the Royal Irish University; 3d. their \·ocation to the priesthood must be vouched
for by the priests who recommend them. The result is that
the number of applications for admission increases daily,
and hundreds of most desirable youths are anxiously waiting
for the time when they too may be admitted.
So earnestly have the Irish Clergy taken up our cause,
that many of them ha\-e invited me to their parishes, and
have gone with me from door to door urging· our claims
upon the f.'1ithful. r\ large number of them have become
annual subscribers to our college fund, and within three
years the sum of fifty thousand dollars has been contributed
by the Clergy and people of Ireland.
So f<tr the success of our \\·ork lea\·es nothing to be desired. Ours is one of the Colleges of the Catholic Uni\·ersity o( Ireland, and our students have been singularly successful at all the examinations of the Royal Irish University.
In addition to this, our Collegiate instruCtion includes a
�APOSTOLI(" SCHOOLS.
thorough course of scholastic philosophy. The spiritual
training of our students has made such an impression on
our Venerable Bishop, Rt. Rev. Dr. Butler, that his Lordship has given us charge of his diocesan Seminary.
Much remains to be done to develop and consolidate this
charitable work. The help I have received in Ireland, during a most distressing period of her history. for a work from
which she can reap no benefit, gives me double assurance
that those for whom the work has been principally undertaken will come to my assistance. \Ve require one hundred
thousand dollars to complete our scheme, and to place the
Apostolic College on a basis of permanent success. A mite
from each of the f.:tithful will bring about the accomplishment of designs which must certainly recommend themselves to even the most scep~ical. Our young men can re. peat in the nineteenth centur)· the work done by the Irish
apostles from the fifth to the eighth centuries. And as our
Divine Lord chose the Greek language and the Roman
people as the natural means of establishing His Church, so,
in these latter days, has He chosen the English language
and the Irish race to spread His Kingdom over the New
\Vorld, and to perpetuate the work of saving souls, which,
above all others, is dear to His Sacred Heart.
Contributors of $2 5QO, or $1 25 a year in perpetuity, folll1d
a free place forever, and furnish a continual succession of
Apostolic men to the Foreign Missions.
Contributors of $600 each, can secure the entire education
of one student at the College, and become the adopt~s:f parent of an Apostolic scholar.
Contributors of $25 annually, are inscribed on the list of
special benefaCtors of the College.
In return for the alms given to the Apostolic College of
Limerick, the following spiritual advantages are secured:
1. A Plenary Indulgence on the principal festivals.
2. The benefit of five Masses, offered every week for our
contributors.
3· Special claily prayers and Communions of the Apostolic students for all who contribute to the support of the
College.
�APOSTOLIC .SCHOOLS.
4· A special share in the good works which shall be done
later by these young apostles in distant Missions.
I have the honor to subscribe myself,
Your obedient servant in Christ,
\VILLIAM RONAN, S. J.
The following are a few of the letters written by the Bishops of Ireland to Father Ronan on his mission to the United States:
Letter
of t!te Bis!top
~l Limerick, in w!tosc Diocese JJ1imgret
College is situated:
l\'1 Y DEAR FATHER RoNA!\-I earnestly hope and pray that
you mission to America to colleCt: funds for the Apostolic
College of Mungret may be crowned with the success which
it deserves. The College, which you have set up under the
authority of your own superiors, and with the warm approbation of the Irish Bishops, is already a signal success; and
it only needs the material support which you are now seeking to give it stability, and make it a permanent boon and
blessing to the For~ign Missions.
Already you have within its walls, under the most efficient training in piety and learning, 11 large number of youths,
who, though gifted with exceptional abilities, and most holy
dispositions, and blessed moreover with a strong vocation
for the foreign missions, yet because of the want of worldly
resources, could ne,·er fulfill that vocation, or attain to the
priesthood at all, if God had not inspired and helped you to
open to them your Apostolic Colleg·e. 'There can be no
doubt but the work to which you are de\·oting your life is
the work of God. The Irish Bishops and Clergy, who have
given yi)U such generous support, have recognized this;
and I am sure the American Prelates and Clergy for whose
help rather than for ours the work is undertaken, will not
be slow to recognize it, and to extend to you that helping
hand, which they never refuse to a work stamped, as yours
is, with the seal of God's approval and blessing.
Believe me to be your affeCtionate servant in Christ,
(Signed)
+GEORGE Bun:.ER.
�APOSTOLIC SCHOOLS.
Letter of the Pr£mate of all lrela1td:
REv. AND DEAR FATHER RONAN-I have to acknowledge
your esteemed letter, in which you say that your Father
General has ordered you to proceed to America to colleCt:
alms for your Apostolic College. Your objeCt: is a most
deserving one. It is to supply priests from the virtuous
children of Ireland, principally for the Irish abroad. You
deserve a blessing, and you are sure to get the aid of the
charitable children of St. Patrick wherever you go; and it
is idle forme to assure you that I bless your mission from
my heart and recommend it.
(Signed)
+DANIEL l\IcGETTIGA~.
Letter l!( tlu· rlrcltbislwp C!f Cas ltd:
MY DEAR FATHER Ro~A;-.;....:.0...1 have heard from a friend
within. the last fe\Y days. that you are on the point of proceeding to the United States, with a view to the interests of
your Apostolic College. I approve highly of your projeCt:,
and believe that in this, as usual, you· are aB:ing wisely and
well. I have no doubt, indeed, that wh~n you lay your projeCt: carefully before our American people, and tell them all
that you ha\'C alreaJy done and all that you hope later on
to do, your finances will be largely served, and your consequent power for good considerably increased. I know· of
no greater charity tha;1 the one you are so earnestly striving
to advance; and I heartily recommend it to the kind consideration of mv countrvmen in America.
(Signed)
'
+ T. W. CR~KE.
Letter l!{ the
Hz~1-!wp
l!{ Elpltin :
:VIY DEAR FATHER Ro~AK-Most cordially do wish you
success in your mission to America, and I promise you it
shall not be forgotten in my prayers. The continuance and
extension of the Apostolic College \\·hich you have established in Limerick, is a work which must be viewed with
special favor by the Bishops and Clergy of America, and
which is sure to receive their generous support. If it has
been so warmly encouraged and sustained here in Ireland,
which is not to be the work-field of your future missioners,
�.-JPOSTOI..fC S(f[O(JLS.
what sympathy and support may you not expect in those
countries in which they are to devote their life-long labors?
The mission you are undertaking, in obedience to your superiors, is not a pleasant one to nature, but it will be "Ad
majortm Dei G!oriam," and that is enough for a child of St.
Ignatius.
(Signed)
+ L. GILLOOLY.
Letter q/ tltc /Jislwp t!l Ardaglt and Clo!l/lltlotoisc:
MY DEAR FATHER Ro:-<AN-\Vith all my heart I bid you
''God-speed," and pray our D.ivine J\iaster to grant special
blessings to your labors in America on behalf of your Apostolic College in Limerick. Having been so long connected
with the Foreign ivlissionary College of All Hallows, I naturally take a great interest in the holy work of educating
Irish students for the foreign missions. And I cannot but
rejoice, that the Society of Jesus, which in times past gave
St. Francis Xa\·ier and Blessed Peter Claver to the two
hemispheres, is now de\·eloping that work through you.
May the Lore! of the Harvest multiply the fruits of your toil
to His own greater glory, in your holy institution.
(Signed)
+B. \VooDT.OCK.
Letter if tltc /Jis!top if C!ol?/crt:
lVIY DEAR FATHER RoNAN-The arduous work of founding
your Apostolic College, which you have with such holy zeal
undertaken, has my best wishes and earnest prayers for its
success. I am confident our exiled countrymen .in America,
when they learn the great object you have in view, will assist you with the splendid munificence which characterizes
their response to every appeal made to them on behalf of
the Catholic faith, and of this afflicted old country.
There are thousands of the rising youth of Irish pious
parents who are ready now, as were Irish missioners in former days, to carry the faith into distant countries. All that
is needed is the opportunity of being trained in holiness and
learning in institutions like your Apostolic College, which
already, by your superhuman efforts, bids fair to bear abundant fruit.
(Signed)
+PATRICK DUGGAN.
�.APOSTpL!C SCHOOLS.
94
Letter qf the Bishop qf Rap/we:
Mv DEAR FATHER Ro::o;AN-1 wish you every success and
every blessing in your mission to America, on behalf of
your Apostolic College. I could not speak too favorably of
the success which you have already achieved with the limited means at your disposal. I am perfetl:ly sure our countrymen in America will appreciate the work as it deserves.
It is a work full of promise for the good of religion and the
salvation of soub. I have no doubt it will be a powerful
instrument in the hands of Di,·ine Providence for giving a
fresh impetus to that missionary spirit which has been one
of the chief glories of our country for centuries.
(Signed)
+MicHAEL Lo<;ur:.
Lctft•r 1!{ tltc
Bz~~lwp
1!/ Cr"ah,•ay, A-ilmaoluaxlt and A-i(fmom:
MY nEAR FATHER Ro:-;A::o;'.:......l recommend most earnestly
your meritorious undertaking of making an appeal to the
dispersed sons and daughters of Ireland in favor of your
Apostolic College. How many poor boys are there in Ireland who would become most zealous missionaries if they
had only the means and opportunities of preparing themselves for the sacred ministry.
(Signed)
TumrAs J. CARR.
+
Letter qftltc Bislzop of Dromorc:
I earnestly recommend Rev. \V. Ronan and the objetl: of
his appeal, hoping that all on whom he may call will receive
him kindly and generously. I have known him for many
years as a most zealous priest, and now he is about io undertake a very laborious and harassing task to forward the
spread of piety and religion.
(Signed)
+ J01m· P. LEAHY.
Letter of t!tc Bislzop of .Ac/zonry:
The Rev. \V. Ronan, S. J., has with singular zeal established in Ireland an Apostolic College, with the view of
helping to supply priests who would minister to the spiritual needs, principally, of the Irish in foreign lands. He is
nc;l\v about visiting America to seek aid for ·his admirable
�APOSTOLIC SCHOOLS.
95
and holy work. I take leave to recommend the objeCt: of
Father Ronan's most laudable mission to the hearty benevolence of the faithful children of our dispersed race.
(Signed)
+F. T. MAcCORMACK.
Letter t!/ t!tc His/top t?fKi!!a!ot':
VERY REV. DEAR FATHER Ro:-<AN-The priests of this
Diocese having already in some degree contributed to your
very meritorious projeCt:, is a proof that I cordially approve
and wish success to your labors on behalf of your Apostolic
College. I hope that all who take an interest in the spread
of our Holy Faith will respond to your appeal, and I wish
you e\·ery blessing.
(Signed)
+].RYAN.
/_ctter t?l tltc His/top t?l Ross :
MY DEAR FATHER Ro:-<AN-1 need scarcely say that I
wish your mission c.r corde every success, and that I shall
be delighted to learn that by your journey across the Atlantic you will have secured all the assistance that you expeCt:,
and all the sympathy and friendship which our countrymen
in the United States ne\·er fail to extend to a good cause,
and to an earnest and de\·oted advocate.
(Signed)
\V. FrrmERALD.
+
letter of Coar(jutor
Rt~~ltop
f!l Cor!..':
MY DEAR FATHER RoNAl'\-! most heartily recommend
your Apostolic College to the charity of the faithful. I
know by experience that many vocations are lost, because
young men do not find a way open to them. I am confident you are supplying a great want and I wish you every
success.
(Signed)
+ T. F. O'CALLAGHAl'\.
Father Ronan has received several other letters from the
Irish Bishops, all most kind and wishing his mission every
success.
Letter if tlte Eng!is/z Assistant if tlte Society if jesus:
I earnestly recommend to the charity of all zealous Catholics of the United States the work for which the Rev. Will
�.
~
APOST(JL!C SCHOaLS.
liam Ronan, S. J., is authorized by his superiors to solicit
contributions. The A.postolic College of Mungret is destined to train and educate priests for the missions, and as
Ireland has always been the most fertile soil for ecclesiastical and religious \·ocations, the supply of well-trained missioners will be in proportion to the means contributed for
their preparation.
(Sig-ned)
J.
E.
KELLER,
S.
J.
[As to the working of these schools it may be well to say
briefly: the apostolic pupil is the child of honest, pious
parents, none the less estimable because at times they a1;e
not largely blessed with the world's goods. His dispositions of mind and heart and body are such as to gi,·e promise of a holy, zealous priest, else he is not eligible. His
parents, or some friend, or the parish priest, or the Sisters
of the convent where he ser.v.~s Mass have noticed his good
dispositions; they J..:no,,· he \Vould like to be a priest, and
they foster and encourage his aspirations. They communicate with the ReCI:or of the Apostolic School, their protege
is examined and if judged fit. is admitted, if there be a vacant place. If his friends can afford it, they help him to
defray the expenses of his education. If not, God's providence and the generosity of the faithful are relied upon, and
are not found to f.l.il. Sometimes a pious person, or a family,
or a Sodality will undertake to pay for a pupil, in order to
dra\\' God's blessings on themseh·es, and to share in the
prayers and future laBors and holy Sacrifices in which the
pupil \Yill not forget his benef:<etors. Sometimes a larger
donation is made; or Bishops or Superiors of missions and
religious Orders will contribute a certain sum to be deyoted
to the education of boys for their dioceses and missions.
Thus in one \\·ay or another means is had to educate 50 or
6o, or even more boys, in each school. The daily life of the
pupil is more or less like that of our juniors-a round of
literary studies and spiritual duties all carefully arranged
and graded through a course of four or five years, so as to
build up and f.l.shion according to the di,·ine ideal, the charaCter of a holy, learned, earnest priest. As a military school
undertakes to train up competent soldiers, so the Apostolic
School aims to form capable subjeCts for the priesthood,
and as the military pupil, though he intends to be a soldier,
yet determines for himself according to his circumstances
th!i! regiment, or the branch of military service which he
�sr. JIARY's CH[TRCH&
RESin ..
ALEA:.4l\'DRIA, VA.
97
will join, so the apostolic student means to be a priest,
but as to the question whether he will join a religious Order;
or this Order rather than another, or whether he will be a
secular priest, it is to be decided by himself according to
his inclination, disposition, capacity-according to his vocation. · This is considered a most sacred matter and no influence is ever allowed to interfere with the boy's free choice
and God's designs.-Editor.]
1
ST. MARY'S CHURCH AND RESIDENCE, <>
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
In my last paper I spoke of the legal warfare between the
trustees, headed by Fr. Fairclough, on the one part, and Fr. .
Francis Neale, the representative of the Society, on the other.
The opinion of Mr. R. ]. Taylor, a prominent lawyer, was
sought for concerning the validity of the title of the Society's agent. At a meeting of the trustees, as mentioned before, the following opinion was read : "I have examined
the Deeds by which the Lot, on which the Roman Catholic
Church of Alexandria is ereCted, and the contiguous lots,
forming parts of the Establishment, were conveyed to the
Rev. Francis Neale.
"They all purport to be absolute Deeds, for the individual
use of Mr. Neale, disclosing no Trust and no specific objeCt
of appropriation.
til The first )fass in Alexandria, according to )fr. William Carne, was celebrated in 1781, and this was so stated on his authority in the last paper. Since
then my attention has been called to the following letter which appears in a
book, Adventures of my Grantlji1ther, London, 1867, by John Lewis Peyton:
"Stony Hill, Stafi(>rd Co., Ya., Sept. 20, 1772.-Gaston came with me and remained a week, then leaving for Alexall(lria, where he has many friends. He
is a Roman Catholic in faith, and my sister told him yesterday she thought he
must be going to Alexandria, where there is a Catholic Chur .. h, to make ~on
fession." These word" throw some light upon the tradition conceruiug the
large log house in which a priest is supposed to have resided in the last ccn•
tury. This tradition was mentioned in my paper.
Vox.. xxv. No.
1.
7
�gs
.
.
.
ST. Jl.fARY'S CHURCH& RES/D., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
"The following faCts, however, can be clearly made out by
parol and written evidence"First-That the Lots and the Building on one of them
were avowedly purchased for the use of the Roman Catholic Congregation of Alexandria for church purposes.
"Secondly-That a large portion of the purchase money
was derived from voluntary subscriptions of members of
that church.
"Thirdly-That large sums of money were received by
Mr. Neale as legacies from Ignatius Junigal and other pious
members of the church, which by the Terms of their wills
were expressly declared to be for the use of the Roman
Catholic Church of Alexandria. That these legacies, if not
in part applied to the purposes of purchasing the said Lots,
and enlarging and improving-the Buildings, have never yet
been appropriated as direCted ·by the said wills.
"Fourthly -That the Lots and Improvements, from
the periods they were respeCtively purchased (beginning
about the year 1810) have until this time, always been used
for the accommodation of the members of the Roman Catholic Church of Alexandria, as a place of worship, and for no
other purpose-that the church has been solemnly consecrated according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church,
all of which was well known to 1\lr. Neale and was acquiesced in by him.
~
"Fifthly-That large and expensive additions and improvements have been made adapting the Building to the
use of the members of the church as a place of wors)lipwith funds derived from the voluntary subscription of the
members of the church in Alexandria-with the knowledge
and acquiescence of 1\'Ir. Neale.
"Sixthly-That Mr. Neale, when the said conveyances
were made, was, and has since continued to be a Priest of
the Roman Catholic Church.
"From all these circumstances no rational doubt can be
entertained that the purchases above-mentioned were made
for the use of the Roman Catholic Church of Alexandria;
�Si: ;lEARY'.~ CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
99
and that the conveyances, tho' in appearance absolute, nevertheless were in Trust for that purpose.
"And I am clearly of opinion-that parol or other evidence is legally admissible to shew the Trust in which Mr.
Neale held and yet holds the property in question-and
that the Trust for the use of the Roman Catholic Church
of Alexandria is legally to be inferred from th.e facts before
stated.
"I am further clearly of the opinion that a Court of Chancery will protect the R. C. Church of Alexandria in the use
of th~ said property for religious purposes, as it has been
heretofore used, and .will by Injunction prevent Mr. Neale
or his representatives from asserting his legal title, to the
disturbance or prejudice of the R. C. Congregation of Alexandria." (l)
Ari extraordinary meeting of the trustees was held Oct.
21st, 1830. Two letters< 2> were read by the Rev. Mr. Fairclough ; one of these was from the Archbishop of Baltimore
and in it the faculties of the pastor were revoked; the other
came from Rev. Father Dzierozynski, the Superior of the
Society, authorizing Father John Smith (the bearer of both
letters), to take possession of the "Church and House adjoiniiig." The trustees were startled by these communications and immediately determined to resist the demand for
the surrender of the "Church and the House adjoining."
The following resolution was passed and entered in their
records: "Resolved, that the trustees declare that they acknowledge no right in the Rev. Francis Neale, or any of his
representatives, to take possession of the Church and House
~djoining it of the congregation of Alexandria."
In the meanwhile the trustees were becoming very suspicious, and one would think from the way they acted that
Fr. Neale was going to sell the property and make way
with the money. At the same time, as if judge and jury
(ll I give this opinion in fnll, as ~Ir. Taylor has macleont a strong case. The
ll. S. District Conrt. however, dhl not think it strong enou~h to deprive
:Fr. Neale of the property.
2
< l Th., Archbi<lwp's letter was dated Oct. 14th, and that of Uev. father
Dzierozynski, Oct. :ttst.
�roo
ST. MARY'S CHURCH& RES/D., ALEXA.VDRIA, VA.
had decreed the property to them, they passed two or three
significant resolutions on OCt. zzd. A former resolution of
OCt. 18th, by which Rev. Mr. Fairclough was to "keep possession of the property belonging to the congregation until
otherwise directed by the trustees" was amended so as to
read that "three months' notice be given to the Revd. Mr.
Fairclough of any intention on the part of the trustees to
remove him from the property." By another resolution,
passed at this meeting, "Rev. Fr. Neale was requested to
make a transfer of any right or title that he may claim upon
the property, belonging to the Catholic congregation of Alexandria to the Archbishop and his succes~ors." Fr. Smith
was requested to show a copy of this resolution to Father
Neale who at the same time is respectfully invited "to communicate with the trustees ~n' writing as soon as possible.''
The trustees received on Oct. 25, a letter from their secretary who informed them that he handed to Fr. Smith a letter,
addressed to Fr. Neale, which embodied the resolutions
passed OCt. 22nd. Fr. Smith did not notice it. Captain ].
Nevett was requested to call on the Archbishop of Baltimore
and "demand the petitions that \vere sent to him for the
non-removal of the Rev. Mr. Fairclough.''
\Vhen the secretary waited on Fr. Smith, as we gather
from the report, the re,·erend gentleman refused to receive
their letter for Fr. Neale, because he questioned the authority by which the trustees aEI:ed. And in this he was right.
He, moreover, said that the communication should be signed
by each trustee. \Vhen the signature of each men2l:ier of
the board had been obtained, with the exception of that of
Capt. Nevett, Fr. Smith kept out of the way of the secretary
and returned to Georgetown without the letter. All this is
duly reported by the secretary. Fr. Smith had, no doubt,
in the meantime reported to his Superior and been congratulated upon his tact in not making himself the lettercarrier of a self-appointed board of trustees.
At a stated meeting held by the trustees, Oct 27, the following letter from Fr. Neale to Fr. Fairclough, demanding
possession of the church property was spoken of:-
�ST. JIIARY'S CHURCHd:' RES!D., .-ILEXANDRIA, VA.
tot
"Being informed that his Grace, the Abp. of Baltimore, has
been pleased to withdraw your pastoral care of Alexandria,
after thanking you for your zeal manifested in the discharge
of the powers I had placed in your hands, I am now obliged
to recall those same powers. You will, therefore, Rev. Sir,
deposit the keys of St. Mary's Church into the hands of the
Rev. Stephen L. Dubuisson, residing at present, at Georgetown College, who will visit you for that purpose and from
you recei\·e the above keys for me and in my name, he being authorized by me to take possession of the property
which I hold in Alexandria. My present ill health prevents
me from waiting on you personally; I am now convalescent
from a strong attack of the paralytic and the bilious complaint.
"\Vith every sentiment of respeCt and thanks for the discharge of the powers I entrusted you with,
I am, Rev. Sir, Very respeCtfully,
(Signed)
FRANCIS NEALE."
St. T!tomas' Jlfanor, oa. I 2, I8}0.
This letter had been in the hands of the pastor for two
weeks and, as was said before, had caused the resurreCtion
of the board of trustees who were to wrest the property from
the Society and persuade the Archbishop to remove the
suspension of the pastor. Mr. Taylor's opinion had in the
meanwhile been sought. He advised the pastor "to write
to Fr. Neale and say to him that he acknowledged no right
in Mr. Neale to the property; and ask him whether he demands it as having a right and title to it according to the
deeds recorded in the clerk's office." (l) The pastor quickly
complied with the advice, when the trustees added the
weight of a resolution to this effeCt. Fr. Neale is requested
in Fr. Fairclough's letter to answer in regard to his demand
for the property, and this he does. He claims the property
by reason of deeds on record, and concerning the power
which he gave the pastor to aCt as his agent, he recalls to
mind that this faCt was stated to the congregation prior to
(ll
Trustee J ourp&l,
�102
ST. 1lfAR Y' S CHURCH & RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
the building of the present church. "You were in my name
and with my authority to make the addition. * * * * If it were
not for the power given me by those deeds you find in the
clerk's office, I would not have given you the power of attorney, etc."
The trustees held a meeting, Oct. 29, and passed a resolution to ask Rev. Mr. Smith on whose authority he aaed;
they say, however, that they are willing to receive him as
pastor, provided he disclaims any interference with the
church property. So that poor Mr. Fairclough is to be
thrown overboard. Still the letter of Fr. Neale arouses
them, and they resolve to bring suit for the property, which
they would have transferred to the Archbishop and his successors in tntst for the Catholiccongregation of Alexandria.
The trustees met on Nov. Isttand the committee appointed
to consult Mr. Taylor in regard to the suit against Father
Neale made their report. They are requested to wait on
Fr, Neale on hearing of his arrival, "and acquaint him of
the resolution of the trustees to prosecute him in a court of
justice, and endeavor to prevail on him to make a transfer
of the church property to the Archbishop and his successors." A letter addressed to Fr. Smith in which the trustees express their willingness to receive him as pastor in
case he urges no claim to the property, has been shown to
Fr. Dzierozynski, who says "that things should go on as
usual." The committee reported also that Fr. Dzierozynski
would write to the Archbishop. The trustees felt that they
should write too; hence it was "resolved that a lette--r ·be
addressed by the trustees to the Archbishop stating a number of circumstances attending the remO\·al of the Rev. Mr.
Fairclough; relative to the church property, and praying
the restoration of the Rev. Mr. Fairclough." There is no
little plausibility tinged with cunning in this letter. It is
evident, the trustees, by whom inspired we can easily conjeaure, are eager to get rid of the Society altogether and to
have a pastor of their own liking.
�ST. MARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
103
ALEXANDRIA, Nov. r, 1830.
fifost RrJd. Sir,
\Ve, the Trustees of St. Mary's Church, Alexa. beg in the
most respectful manner to state some important facts rela~
tive to the distracted state of the great and respectable rna~
jority of the Roman Catholic Congregation, and indeed of
the Town generally speaking.
In the first place-we profess ourselves as dutiful and
obedient Catholics to you, our Spiritual Superior, and bow
submissively to your orders (however repugnant to our feel~
ings) inasmuch as your Grace's spiritual jurisdiction extends.
\Ve beg of your Grace not to think for a moment that the
smallest idea of rebellion exists among us.
In the second place-\Ve beg with all deference to your
Grace to assure your Grace that in our opinion yourGrace
has been deceived respecting the Property of the Church
and House adjoining. Your Grace has been informed that
the Property in fee simple is vested in the Revd. Fr. Neale.
It is true that the Deeds speak this, but then the monies
which have from time to time been bequeathed, and donations and subscriptions to a very large amount, evidently
prove that the legacies, donations, su~scriptions, etc., were
all intended for the sole use and benefit of the Catholic Con·
gregation. \Ve have· taken counsel upon this subject and
we are supported in the assertion.
Now we are informed that the Revd. F. Neale as a Jesuit
cannot hold property even in Trust for any specific purpose
consistently with the Institute of his Order. \Ve are in~
formed that the Revd. Father Dzierozynski has acknowl~
edged this. The Revd. Mr. Smith has acknowledged this
also. Now, if the Revd. F. Neale's heir die intestate the
property may be alienated, or subjected to a long and tedious law suit, and finally, perhaps the property adjudged
to his relations. All this is very painful. And this we wish
to avoid.
In the third place-Religion has suffered severely from
the late violent proceedings. A sensation has been created
which will not easily subside. Many who were inclined to
judge f.worably of our religion have expressed strong sentiments of a complete opposite nature.
In the fourth place-This congregation has for years past
before our late Pastor's, the Revd. J. VI/. Fairclough's, arrival,
been subjected to a variety of Priests, one presenting himself
one week, and another the next, etc., and for some weeks
�Io.J-
ST. ilfARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEX'"ANDRIA, VA.
none at all. Your Grace is well aware that confidence ought
to exist between the confessor and penitent. This cannot
be the case in repeated removals. \Ve, the Trustees, judging of the future from the past, and dreading the consequences to ourselves and families, have determined that the possession of the Church and property shall be vested in your
Grace and in your Grace's successors in Trust for the Catholics of this our Congregation.
In conclusion we beg of your Grace to consider the
dreadful consequences which must necessarily take place if
resistance be made. Your Grace's name and that of. Mr.
Neale must be dragged before a Court of Justice in no hallowed manner. To prevent all these sad scandals we would
humbly propose that the Revd. ~Ir. Fairclough should be
reinstated in his Pastors hip, and that, if such were the desire
of the Jesuits, one of their members should be appointed to assist him; and that the ,Revd. F. Neale should be
privately induced to surrender·<\PY nominal claim which he
may think that he possesses upon the property of our
Church. \Ve disclaim any interference in spiritual matters,
in proof of which we have offered the keys of the Church to
the Revd. Mr. Smith provided that he in accepting of them
disclaim any interference in the temporal concerns of the
Church, which terms have not been accepted. It is now we
believe in your Grace's power by adopting the above measure, to put an end to the scandals which have been produced.
\Ve and the whole Town can testify to the ready obedience and edifying deportment of the Revd. J. \V. Fairclough ·
upon receiving his orders-from your Grace. The Revd. Mr.
Smith testified to it himself before a third person, so that we
hope that this will operate in his favor for receiving from
your Grace a restoration of his £<culties.
We are, your Grace,
~·
Your Grace's Most Obdt. Servts.
Signed by
J. C. Generes, Js. D. Kerr, Ed. Smyth, Wm. Egan, John
Roach.
Absent from Town, in Baltimore, J. Nevett.
THos. PorNcv,
Sec. Pro tem. of the Trustees of St. Mary's Ch.
I know not how this letter was received by Archbishop
Whitfield. From what happened afterwards I judge he was
not over pleased with its contents. The trustees were not
idle in the meanwhile. Th,e committee appointed to wait
�ST. MARY'S CHURCH<:'!:' RESID., ALEXANDRIA, f/A.
105
on Fr. Neale made their report. They said "that the committee waited on the Revd. Gentleman and that he was determined not to give up his right to the property as vested
in him by law; that he would not make a transfer to the
Archbishop; that if the property were not given up to him,
he would have to use such means as would get it. The
Revd. Gentleman denied of any legacies left to him in Trust
for the congregation, but that they were left for any use that
he might chose to apply them."-Mr. Kerr of the same
committee reported an interview ·he had with Mr. Taylor,
who now recomn1cnded a new policy. The trustees, enjoying the nine points of advantage coming from possession,
arc to let Fr. Neale bring suit for the property. And thus
the trustees were engaged on ~ O\". 5th.
The Archbishop is criticised at a meeting held, November
8th, for not answering the letter of the trustees. "They consider that the Archbishop has treated them with great contempt and that they feel themselves much aggrieved in consequence ;" so runs the resolution. At the same meeting
a committee was appointed to "wait on l\Ir. Taylor or Mr.
T. F. Mason, and inquire if it be necessary for a bill of injunction on the property·, and, if so, to obtain it forthwith."
The committee reported, No\·. 10th, that Mr. Mason had
said that an injunction was not necessary. At this time the
trustees were about to pass a resolution against Fr. Smith,
who was to be informed "that he should have nothing done
in the church or sanction anything that might be done
therein without the authority of the trustees." This bold
measure was deferred. At the next meeting, Nov. 12th, it
was passed with the amendment "except those things only
which are connected with the discharge of his clerical functions." This is strong language from laymen who were not
even recognized by the State law, who on the strength of a
few resolutions had deluded themselves into the belief that
they could dispose of the church property as they liked.
Capt. Nevett who had been appointed to wait on the
Archbishop concerning the letter of the trustees of Nov. I st,
and which had not been noticed by his Grace, reported, Nov.
�to6
ST. MARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRL4, VA.
19th "that he had not seen the Archbishop, but that he had
had an interview with the Revd. Mr. Damphoux, and stated
to the Revd. Gentleman the objeCt of his visit to the Archbishop. The Revd. Gentleman observed that he did not
know that the Archbishop had received the letter of the
trustees and thought that the Archbishop would not have
treated it so indecorously as not to ha,·e replied to it. The
Revd. Gentleman advised Capt. Nevett not to see the Archbishop; that he himself would see him and inquire into the
subjeCt."
"The Revd. :\Ir. Fairclough," says the Journal of the trustees, "had been requested at a previous meeting to write to
the Revd. Father Kenny lil and invite him to Alexandria in
order to lay before him all the documents in his possession
regarding the property of th~ church. in order to effeCt, if
possible. a peaceable adjustment of the property.'' The letter to Fr. Kenny is dated Nov. 16th, and reads as follows:
"I am truly pleased," writes the pastor, "to hear of your arrival in the DistriCt, as I expeCt much from you, inasmuch
as regards the convulsed state of things in Alexandria. You
must already have heard of the Archbishop's determination
respeCting mysel( But that is a matte~ of small import.
The main question is property. Father· Francis Neale
claims all the property as his own ; this the congregation
disputes, and unless the aft..tir be amicably settled it must
come before a Court of Justice. Ha,·ing kno\\·n you in
England and America as a man of sterling honour and impartiality, I hail with f~clings of no common kind your'. arrival at this critical junCture. I would have visited you in
person at the college, but my present feelings would not
consent: besides I have a quantity of documents to expose
to you upon which you may form a correCt judgment.
Could you, Revd. Sir. make it convenient to visit me next
Friday evening and spend the night \Vith me, so that every
nec~ssary explanation might be made both for your satisfaCtion and mine? Be pleased to let me know by post, if
this arrangement will suit you."
Ill Father
Peter Kenny, then acting as Visitor.
�ST. .VARY'S CHURCH& RES!D., ALE.\-ANDRIA, VA.
107
Father Kenny replied to this letter Nov. 18th from
Georgetown College :
"REVD. DEAR SIR, I learned at Baltimore the unhappy
state of things at Alexandria. It most sincerely grieved me
to find you at issue with Father Francis Neale; but still
more so to hear the Archbishop say, that he had withdrawn
your faculties, and that he was determined not to restore
them, though he had been solicited to do so by some of the
inhabitants of Alexandria. I cannot express the affliCtion
which this news gave me. To displease him and to oppose
your old friends were not the deeds, that I expeCted to hear
of you. Though the circumstances under which we meet
diminish \'cry much the gratification, which I should feel
in seeing you, yet as you seem to hope for some good from
the interview, I will be with you to-morrow, and happy shall
I be, if the result prevent further dissension and disedification. Your obliged and faithful friend,
PETER KENNY."
The interview with Fr. Kenny was unavailing. In the
Journal of the trustees "Re,·. :\Ir. Fairclough reported that
he had an interview with Revd. Father Kenny and that he
had declined having anything to do in the affair, leaving it
entirely to Nir. Neale to aEl: as he pleased, and refused to
look into any of the documents which the Rcvd. Mr. F.
wished.to lay before him. The Revd. 1\Ir. Fairclough pro~
posed to the Revd. Father Kenny thai: the Archbishop
would send a pa;o:;tor who was not a Jesuit, and that the congreg;ltion would place him in possession of the property
without the least difficulty." On hearing this report, the
trustees approved highly of the proposition made by the
Revd. Mr. Fairclough, and passed a resolution to that effeEl:.
Thus on Nov. 19th, 1830, the contest was dragging its
slow length along. My readers are as tired' of it as I am;
but this dispute is a part of the history of St. Mary's. The
trustees had planned to remain in possession and leave the
�roS
ST. .lfARY'S CHURCH"-"' RES/D., .-lLE.\:.JNDRIA, VA.
writ of ejectment to Fr. Neale. This good Father<1> in the
interests of the Society and for the benefit of our holy religion did not hesitate to take measures against the trustees,
or more properly, the pastor, who was acting through them.
The trustee system is a bad one always; but in the present
case where the trustees were self-appointed, without legal
existence, time was not to be lost in treating with them.
Accordingly on Dec. znd a writ was served on the Rev. Mr.
Fairclough, by the U. S. Marshal of the District of Columbia. The document was of this tenor:
·• Distric7 l!f- Colzonbia,
r
.
t-Ollll(l' £?f •4'
tcxmu f na,
I, T
J 0
.t.
WI
.
"'Whereas the Revd. John Sn~ith of said county, agent of
the Revd. Francis Neale, and.parish priest of the Catholic
church of St. ~Tary's in Alexa;1dria in the county aforesaid
hath this day complained on oath before me Adam Lynn,
justice of the peace for the county aforesaid, that the Revd.
Joseph \V. Fairclough of said county, unlawfully and forcibly holds him out of possession of the church of St. .Mary's
in Alexandria in the county aforesaid and Presbytery adjoining with appurtenances belonging thereto, and prays to
be put in possession of the same, these are therefore in
the name and on behalf..of the United States, to require you
to cause to come before me twenty-four good and lawful
men, of the county aforesaid on Tuesday the 7th inst. at I 1
o'clock, at my office, to inquire upon their oaths of spch
things as shall thet\ be enjoined them touching the said·unlawful and forcible detainer, and also to require you to
ill Fr. Francis Xavier Xeale wa• born in Charles County, :11<1., .Tune 3rd,
1756. lie made his classical studies like his brothers, Leonard ami ChHrles, at
lit. Omer's; afterwards he went to the "Academy" at Li\·ge which during thP
suppression continued for a time the good work of the English Scholasticate.
Having been ordained, he left J.it'ge, April 3rd, 17~~. and returned to Amerh~a
and served on the old Mi"ions of the Societv in :IIaryland. He was a promi·
uent member of the "Select nody of Clerg}·" under the "C'orporation of the
Catholic Cler1,'J of :llaryland." \Vheu permi<Siou was obtained by Arch·
bishop Carroll to establish a novitiate, one of the first to enter the :"ociety on
the feast of St. Fran~is Borgia. Oct, lOth, 1801>, wa• Fr. Francis Neale, and at
the same time he was made :\laster of Xovices, havin~ un<ler him, Br., af·
terwards, Fr. John )fcEiroy. There is in the Alexandria residence a fine por·
trait in oil of Fr. Neale, lie died at St. Thomas' Manor, Dec. 20th, 1837.See Recollections,
�ST. MARY'S CHURCH& RESin., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
tO<)
summons the said Joseph W. Fairclough then and there to
attend to answer the said complaint, and have there· this
warrant.
''Given under my hand and seal this 2nd day of December, 1830.
ADAM LYNN."
To tlte Mars/tal of D. C
This writ (I) gave no little annoyance to the trustees. It
settled the point about their legal existence-they were ignored, and Mr. Fairclough had to answer for his trespass.
On Dec. 3rd two resolutions were recorded. The trustees
disclaim having used any unlawful and forcible means to
keep the Revel. John Smith "out of the possession of the
church" and house adjoining; that the church has been
open to the said Revel. John Smith from the time of his arrival. They seemed to• forget that any means of keeping
the rightful owner from the full benefit of his property is
"unlawful and forcible." They were of the opinion that
as long as they did not shoot at or threaten Father Smith,
though they had annoyed him quite effectually, nothing
unlawful and forcible had been done. The trustees also
complained that Fr. Smith had never yet exhibited to them
"his authority from the Re\". Francis Neale as his agent."
In this Fr. Smith was right, for they were not the former
agents of Fr. ~calc, but Mr. Fairclough was one, and on him
the proper notice had been served.
\Ve find the trustees again assembled on Dec. 10th to
take measures for the good of the cause. Mr. Zachariah
~icholas was authorized to take the keys of the church and
house if Revel. l\fr. Fairclough wished to absent himsel(The proceeding of the writ served on Rev. Mr. Fairclough
having been stayed by the authority of the Chief Judge, and
the Judge's opinion in regard to the demand of an Injunction having been deferred, it was "rcsobed that if the said
(IJ In our Catalogue for 18~9 it is noted, "that the Society ha' a house and
church in Alexandria, D. C., in the care of a secular priest, for some years
back, and up to this time he cannot be induced to give them up." It would
seem that Fr. Fairclough received another summons besides that of Justice
Lrnn, and, perhaps, had treated it with contempt.
�11o
ST. .lfARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
injunction be granted to-morrow or any time thereafter, that
a committee of :Messrs. Kerr and Egan wait on the Revd.
Mr. Smith to complain of the remarks he made on the last
Sunday regarding the trustees; and request him to desist
hereafter from anything of the kind in the church." I don't
know what Fr. Smith saiJ in church, but most likely it was
no more than the ·trustees richly deserved.-Mr. Egan was
appointed treasurer "to receive such sums as may be given
to him by individuals for the purpose of feeing the counsellors at law; and of defraying any other expenses that <may
accrue in sustaining our claim in law." Messrs. Kerr and
Smyth have to se~ to the disbursement of the money.
For Dec. 17th I find the following entry in the Journal:
"The trial took place last l\Ionday, but not having terminated satisfactorily, a new trial ~·as ordered for this day. Our
counsellors, Taylor & :i.\Iason, obtained a certiorari from the
Chief Judge, which superseded entirely the trial and confirmed the Revd. Mr. Fairclough in possession." This triumph was brief, as the ejeCtment ,,·as finally granted by the
United States Circuit Court. <'l And this ends the affair.
Fr. Fairclough, as alway" happens in such cases, had his
party in the congregation who presented him with an elegant gold chalice on his departure for England. Fr. Smith
succeeded him in February, 1R31. <~>
THE FIRST RESIDE:\T PASTOR OF THE SOCIETY.
Fr. Smith the first member of the Society who, a9 resident pastor, took charge of the congregation had a oifficult
work to do, and, from the accounts that have come down to
us, did it well. "The Rev. John Smith," writes Mr.
Carne, "was an eloquent and whole-souled Irish Jesuit, (JJ
who, though he assumed the pastoral charge under circumstances of a most difficult character, yet, by his zeal and
---------·-· ------------------tlll'!ll'ne, p. 6.
111 Revtl. :\Ir. Fairclough lnhoretl for mnny years, ~ays )fr. Carne in his na·
tive country in the cluttes of his sacretl ministry. ~o doubt, he had become a
sadder and a wiser man by his experience in ;\]exandriu.
(3) lie made his theological studies in the U. States.
--------~--------
1
J
�si: .lrARY'S CHURCH& RF:SID., .·1LE"YANDRIA,
VA.
III
charity healed, in as large a measure as possible, the breach
which had been created among the Catholics, and by his intrepid discharge of duty during the cholera epidemic of
1832 as well as by his free and engaging manners, won the
respeCt: and esteem of the entire community." Fr. Young
writing to Rev. Father Ryder, in a letter. we have already
quoted, speaks of the hard task marked out for the zeal and
charity of the new pastor. "Rev . .Mr. Smith was commissioned,'' says Fr. Young, "to take possession of the church
and property in the name of the Society. There were many
unpleasant difficulties attending the transaCtion. A great
blow was gi\·en at that time to religion in this place from
which she has hardly yet well recovered. God speed the
realization of the prospeCt: which now seems to brighten before us. It was during Mr. Smith's residence here, that the
Sisters were established, in Alexandria, and a respeCtable
school for boys."
The Sisters of Charity purchased a house on the corner
of Fairf..<x and Duke streets, where they opened a boarding
and day-school which for a time was well patronized. The
Sisters ereCl:ed also a small frame building on Fairf..<x street
on a part of their lot, and began a free school for girls. \Ve
must not suppose that Fr. Smith in training the young gave
all of his attention in the line of education to the girls, as he
felt, as all should feel, that the boys have pressing needs in
this respeCt:, and in truth are exposed to f..<r greater temptations of losing the f..<ith from ignorance of it. He purchased
the property on the northwest corner of Duke and Royal
streets, and with the assistance of l\Ir. Joseph Brigdon, a
pious layman, "built the old St. John's Academy and established that school on a firm basis, using his own house as a
boarding-house, and drawing students even from Philadelphia." This school, (I) though not long in the hands of the
Ol I have before me a printed progmmme: "Premiums distributed at ::lt.
John's Academy, July :!~th, 1838," for reading and spelling, geography, Eng·
!ish and Latin grammar, al'ithmetic, mathematics, classes in Virgil an• I Ca~s·
ar, the French language, and writing. Another programme, July 23th, 1850,
tells us twenty-eight speeches were delivered, the exercises ending with the
distribution of prizes. Does not this rewind us of the olden time? Then the
�II2
ST. JJfARY'S CHfTRCHe RF.SID .. Al.F.XANDRIA, VA.
Society, has continued down to the present time, and is now
in a flourishing condition under the charge of Mr. Richard
.Carne, whose sketch of St. Mary's we have so often quoted.
During Fr. Smith's pastorship immigration began to reach
Alexandria in consequence of the work on the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal. :Many Irishmen with their families settled
in the city and soon became the larger portion of the congregation. The pastorwas glad to see them and labored
zealously in their behalf until he severed his conneCtion with
the congregation, which took place in June, 1838. (l) During
Fr. Smith's stay in Alexandria the Fathers at Georgetown
helped occasionally. I find in the baptismal records three
entries made by the venerable Father Curley of the College,
fifty years ago. I notice also that Fr. \Villiam Grace was at
one time the assistant of the ·pastor, (Z) and taught classics 111
the Academy in 1837 and !838.
exhibitions began (infamlum jubes renovare dolorem ~)as early as il o'clock
in the morning and were kept up with speech"" of the student•, addresses to
:Societies, distribution of prizes and diplomas, and farewell advice to graduates
and the rest of us until ~ o'clock in the afternoon or later, perhaps. All this
was done near the Calends of .\ugu't. .\nd I belieye people enjoyecl it; they
like<! public 'peaking. The young collegians clwrishe<l the ambition of becoming orators, and parents desired to sec their ~ons excel in declamation.
The effect was good ami showed itself in many way<. l n this practical age
since the war, we can scan·ely fill a hall with people, though our programme
is cut down to the shortest limits of time-an hour or two-and our speakers
do not philosophize on the known and unknown. The truth is there is now a
shorter route to money and f>wor than by the cultivated intellect and the elo·
quent tougue.
11>lie left the ::'ociety about this time, ''and," says )lr. Carne, "labored
faithfully in one of the churches in Brooklyn, giving his life for his flock in
visiting the emigrants affiich·d with ship fever."
-·
<•> The record of funerals has the tiJllowing entry by Fr. Smith in !.S31: "At
the house of Jlr. Edward t'mith who had afiimlet! him a refuge in his later
years, Pierre La Croix in his s.-<th year, probably the last surYiving soldier
who served under Montcalm, the be:;t general of the :French, who with a superior force defended Qnebec against \\' olfe when they both fell on the field
of battle. La Croix was then 12 years of age, a drummer in one of the French
regiments. He afterwards sernd during the reYolutionary war, spoke often
of the bravery of :Montgomery who fell under the walls of Quebec. La Croix
was a soldier and he died a chrisUan, professing the faith of the true Catholic
Church of which his name, the Cross was an emblem. The writer has often
greeted him in passing, anti he was a real sample of the old French regime ill
pative courtesy."
�MISSIONARY LABORS OF FATHER MAGUIRE
AND COMPANIONS,
FROM AUG. 31ST TO DEC. 22ND,
1884.
FAIR HAVEN, CoNN.-Fair Haven was till very recently a
separate town, but, now, it forms part of New Haven. New
Haven is one of the most important cities in the State, as it
is one of the handsomest cities in the whole country. The
private residences are especially beautiful, and the streets
are shaded with lofty elms. From the numbers of these
trees, New Haven is often called the "City of Elms." Yale
College, one of the oldest institutions in the country, is one of
the great ornaments and attraCtions of this city. It is said,
that its scientific course holds the first place among all the
colleges and universities in the States.
There are six Catholic Churches in the city, all having
large congregations. This is most remarkable, when we
remember, that when Fr. Fitton, one of the pioneers of
Catholicity in New England, undertook to build a church
for the few Catholics in the place, no one would sell him the
land. When by some stratagem he succeeded in purchasing a site, the Protestant carpenters all refused to work for
him. Not very many years have elapsed, and now the
Catholics of New Haven number nearly one half of the population. They have not only large and well finished churches,
but excellent parochial schools attached to all their churches.
Here I think I am safe in saying, that the priests of Connecticut take a more lively interest in religious education
than any others in New England. Not only do they ereCt:
schools, but they seem to follow up their working.
Fr. Mulholland is the Pastor of St. Francis Church, in
which Frs. Maguire and Macdonald opened the first mission
of the season on the 31st of August. The mission lasted
but one week. As the mission was asked only for the men,
VoL. xxv. No.
1.
8
(113)
�ll4
MISSIONARr LABORS.
of whom we were told there \Vere about 1000 in the Parish,
we did not suppose we would have very laborious work. To
our surprise, we found we were supposed to attend to the
women and children as \veil. \Vith the mission set. in the
warmest spell of the season .. \Vith the intense heat, poor
ventilation and the church packed even into the sanCtuary,
the work was most oppressive and it was with great difficulty the Fathers were able to bring the mission to a close.
\Vith scarcely any assistance from the priests of the House,
1800 Confessions were heard, and 2000 received Holy Communion. Many went to Communion a second time on account of the Triduo previous to the 8th of September.
Fr. l\Iulholland has a beautiful Parochial School under
charge of the Sisters of Mercy. He devotes much of his
time and attention to it, and, though open only a couple of
years, it has already done nuid1 good. One thing we could
not help noticing. It was the excellent discipline and behavior of the children. The manner in which the Sisters
brought them in and ·out of the church was admirable.
Though about 700 in number they pass by the church to
and from school without the least noise, whilst the majority
of them enter the chqrch morning and evening to make
a visit to our Lord. I have never anywhere seen children
that gave such satisfaC!ion as the children of Fair Haven.·
FAIR HAVEN, VT.-On Sept. 14th, Frs. Maguire, Langcake, and Macdonald opened a mission in Fair Haven for
Fr. O'Carroll. This mission lasted but one week. .Two
Fathers would have easily sufficed for the work to b; done
here; but the Pastor \vished to make the mission more solemn and to enable us to do our work in the Confessional
more thoroughly. He was right, for after all it is in the
Confessional that the great work of the mission is to be
done. Here it is that the sores of the penitent are to be
healed, and such advice to be given as may prevent a relapse and insure a permanent cure. In small missions we
can so do our work, that the fruits may be more lasting. In
large missions, this is not easy. With a band of four men,
�c1!1SSJONARY' LABORS.
IIS
often without any other or else very little assistance, with
about from six to ten thousand penitents to hear in I4
days, we have to rush confessions more or less. It is often
simply a question which is best tp be done: To send all
away in the grace of God without being able to take the
time needed to more likely effeCt: a lasting conversion ; or
else devote all your time to about one half of the people and
at the close of the mission send the balance away in their
sins with a strong probability that they may not go near a
Priest till the next mission? So I say again, there is much
satisfaCtion in a small mission. Accustomed as we are to
the wickedness of the large cities, it was a pleasure for us to
pass a few days with the good people of Fair Haven. It
was very edifying to see many of them walk three or four
miles twice a day. .Many Protestants attended the evening
sermons, but it would require more than ordinary logic and
grace to convert some people, and so we had no conversions.
As fruits of the mission, we may count 1 I78 Confessions,
900 Communions; many came to" confession from adjacent
Parishes in the State of :N. Y., distant only a mile or so.
The second week our band was increased by the arrival of
Fr. McCarthy; and during this week we gave four missions
in four small succursals of Fair Haven, and all returned to
Fair Haven on Saturday of the second week to assist at
Confirmation to be administered by Bishop Goeshriand on
Sunday. Sunday was a great day for the people of Fair
Haven. The Church was packed; a solemn High Mass
was celebrated; the Bishop himself preached, and after
Mass administered the sacrament of Confirmation to I 1 I
<;andidates. Fr. O'Carroll at the close ascended the pulpit
and gave a statement of the good work done by the missionaries during the preceding fortnight and very handsomely
thanked them for the results thus obtained. The Bishop
treated us very kindly, and told the Pastor he should invite
us back in the course of a year or two.
Fr. O'Carroll is a zealous and hard working man. He
has ereeted in Fair Haven a very beautiful Gothic Church
about I 70 feet long, and also ereeted or bought four other
�II6
JfiSSIONARr LABORS.
churches in the outlying missions. There is scarcely any
debt on any of them. The interior of the Church at Fair
Haven is very elegantly finished. The frescoing is, perhaps,
not of a very high order of art; but it is, what is much better, calculated to inspire religious sentiments. The mysteries of the Rosary and the chief events of our Lord's life and
other lessons dra\vn from the Bible are most instruCtive. Indeed, one is surprised to see such a magnificent struCture in
a small village of 2500 inhabitants. The Protestants of the
town are proud of it, and invariably bring strangers to see
it. The Catholic population of Fair Haven is chiefly Irish
with a good sprinkling of French Canadians. The latter
attended the mission very faithfully, and the Pastor speaks
of them in the highest terms of praise. Most of the people
in this part of the country work in the slate and marble
quarries, for which this part of Vermont is famous. The
marble and slate ·are exported to all parts of the country.
They marbleize slate with such perfeCtion, that it is most
difficult to distinguish the slate thus worked up, from genuine marble; and many, no doubt, buy marbleized slate
thinking it to be marble.
One thing that struck me in Fair Haven, was that the
people were very tall. On inquiry I learned that the Vermonters are noted for ~eing tall. I suppose the mountain"
ous country along with the bracing air may have something
to do with the growth of the people.
CASTLETON, VT.-Frs. Langcake and Macdonald op.<;!il.ed
a mission in the Catholic Church at Castleton on Sunday
the 21st Sept., and closed it on the following Wednesday
evening. This place forms part of Fair Haven Parish. Fr.
O'Carroll told us we would have about 250 confessions;
but at the close of the mission we had 430 Confessions and
380 Communions. The attendance was very large, considering the Catholic population. Some came ten and twelve
miles. No one could tell where the people came from.
Many had been scarcely looked upon as Catholics; many
had never been seen in the church before; and many now
�Jf!SSIONARr LABORS.
lt7
turned up who neglected to make two previous mtsstons
given in this church. A great number, who live,d at some
distance from the town came to the Mass in the morning
and remained about the church the whole day. One poor
old widow had a very wild son, who had not been to confession for years. He left home some twelve months ago,
and the poor mother did not know where he was. When she
heard the mission announced she began to pray and had her
friends pray that he might return and make the mission. On
our arrival, she asked us to pray for her intention. To her
great joy, her son returned on the Monday after the mission
opened. It appears that he made up his mind only on Sunday to go home to his mother, and finding a mission going
on, he had the grace to make it, thereby filling the heart of
his good mother with great consolation.
The Protestants attended the mission in larger numbers
than in any place we have as yet been. Three ministers
with their wives attended every evening. We did not hear
what they thought of what they heard. A little scene somewhat unusual in a Catholic Church occurred one night during Fr. Langcake's sermon. The Father, seeing the great
enthusiasm of his audience, made some good hits and after
one more than usually good, the audience right heartily
clapped hands. Th~ Father was obliged to interfere and
stop the applause.
Castleton was organized as a town in I 777, and is the oldest town in the State of Vermont. As Castleton is the oldest town, so the old Catholic Church, still standing, is the
oldest in the diocese. The present church, a large and very
comfortable building, was a few years ago one of the leading
Protestant Churches of the place; but the congregation
dropped off and Fr. O'Carroll purchased it at a great bargain. Opposite the old church some forty years ago, stood
a Medical College, at that time a very flourishing institution,
One Saturday night, some of the students placed a corpse
on the steeple with a chaplet of potatoes around its neck.
The Irish, on observing it Sunday morning as they gathered
for Mass, were shocked and very indignant, and were aboqt
�uS
MISSIONARY LABORS.
to destroy the College and to deal summary punishment to
the perpetrators of this shameful outrage. The priest interfered, and calmed them down, telling them that God himself
would punish these wicked youths in his own good time.
The priest was right. One after another, they died an unnatural death; one cut his throat; another was shot by a
friend; another, found dead in a lonesome place, and so with
the others. One still survives, and he has been paralyzed,
walking around on crutches for the past fifteen years. The
Catholics fully expeCt to see something worse happen to
him before his death, though they regard his present infi.rmities as a just punishment for his co-operation in this outrage.
There are two literary charaCters in Castleton, whose acquaintance we formed during otF few days' sojourn. One
of them is jimmy Carney, the Irish poet, as he is familiarly
called. Jimmy can neither read nor write, and his songs
are popular, not on account of their literary merit, but because he sings them well, and generally makes some of the
well known young ladies the subjeCts of his muse. Some
of these young ladies were so much annoyed at the liberty
Jimmy had taken with their names, that they came to
us, to see if there was any possibility to get redress from
him. It was too late, holvever. Sof!1e of Jimmy's friends
had his songs published in a small book, and they arc now
sung all around those parts. The book is titled: ''A complete colleCtion of songs of Jimmy Carney, as composed and
sung by that Gentleman in the hotels, groceries, markets,
stores, shoemakers' shops, private residences, church sociables and other places of entertainment."-He winds up a
piece on the Bomaseen Hotel, in which we lodged whilst in
Castleton; thus:
"You may travel the \Vest, likewise the East, with North and South all round,
And I'll bet you a pound, 'mid the Yankee race, nowhere can such a place be found;
The praties are sweet, the grog is strong, the table the best ever seen,
So strangers all, both great and sinall, come to the House called Bomaseen.,
The other literary charaCter boarded in our hotel. The
following list of titles appended to his name in the title page
of a pamphlet will be a suf?cient notice of him; ";History of
�l
"kiSSIONARY LABORS.
. . . . compiled by G. D. Spencer, First app.ointed agent of
Virgil & Co's New National Express; Operator of the Canada and Troy JunCt:ion Telegraph Co. in St. Alban's; formerly organist in the Congregational Church, Castleton;
graduate of Castleton Seminary; clerk in a Dry Goods Jobbing House in N. Y.; merchant at Castleton; Cor. Sec. of
Y. l\1. C. A., Fair Haven; correspondent of various newspapers ; Sec. of the Rutland Co. Merino Sheep Producers'
Association ; a foe to tyrants and an upholder of liberty; a
lover of right and a hater of meanness."
\VEST CAsTLETON, VT.-Frs. Langcake and Macdonald,
having driven from Castleton, a distance of six miles to West
Castleton, on Thursday morning, found on their arrival at
9 A. M., the handsome new church crowded with the good
people of the place, and that, too, notwithstanding quite a
heavy rain. l\Iass was said and the mission opened. Immediately after the sermon there was a rush for the confessionals. \Ve had at the close of Mass on Saturday morning
280 Confessions and 250 Communions.
Every one in the
place made the mission. The Catholics of this place formed
a settlement by themselves; and in any part of the world it
would be hard to find a people so good and virtuous as
those of \Vest Castleton.
The church is situated on the borders of Lake Bomaseen
-one of the most beautiful sheets of water on the earth. It
is nine miles in length and two and a half in its greatest
breadth. The word "Bomasccu" means beautifitl waters, and
the name is a proof that the savages had a keen appreciation of the beauty in nature. In the middle of the lake is a
pretty island, covering about ten acres. On this island, well
covered with trees, is a very fine hotel, the resort in summer
time of many visitors-even from N. Y. The island is called Taghkannuc after an old Indian Chief of this name,
whose daughter was buried at the foot of a large pine tree,
which is still standing on the island. The lake abounds
in various kinds of fishes. Among others, I may mention
salmon-trout, pickerel, swago bass, rock bass, perch, bull-
�120
.lf!SSIONAR Y LABORS.
head or pout, eels and white fish. Salmon-trout weighing
18 lbs., have been taken here; pickerel weighing 30 lbs.,
have been taken; but the usual weight is from 18 to 25 lbs.
There is also excellent sport for the hunter on and around
the lake. \Vith the grand scenery surrounding the lake, I
do not think of any more beautiful spot.
I might say with Jimmy Carney, the poet of Castleton:
"You may travel through all Amerira and Europe also,
Through Asia ani through Africa you may likewise go;
But no where in your traveh wiil you 6n1 a spot, I ween,
To compare in beauty and grandeur to our Lake, called Bomaseen."
PouLTNEY.-At the end of the week's mission m Fair
Haven we divided our forces, Frs. Langcake and Macdonald moving on Castleton and \Vest Castleton, and Father
Maguire and I on Poultney and Middletown. The latter
began operations at Poultney and continued until the following Thursday morning. The people came not only from
the village and immediate environs, but also from distances
of ten and twelve miles, and from across the border from the
Albany diocese. The very first day a gentleman came to
ask a private interview, and on its being granted, stated that
for some years he had abstained from the Holy Table, because he was unable to believe in the lnf:·d!ibility of .the
Pope, which he thought a docrrine never taught, or, held
by the Church prior to the Vatican Council. He quoted
Catechisms, works of controversy, such as "Hughes and
Breckenridge," "Purcell and Campbell," etc., and the letters
of Pope Honorius. A long half hour had passed~ere he
struck his colors and went away with a lighter heart and
step than when he came.
The work at Poultney was almost incessant. The attendance at the evening service was so large that not even standing room could be had, and many had to listen at the windows and from the sacristy. The number of Confessions
heard at Poultney was about 630. Sixty were prepared for
Confirmation and received that sacrament the following
Sunday at the hands of Bishop de Goesbriand, of Burlington. When we arrived. at the church we found it already
�JfiSSIONAR Y LABORS.
t2f
full and a large number in the church-yard. We then
brought the children m,tt into the church-yard on the hillside and drew them up in three parallel lines, one behind
the other and a few paces apart. Before them stood the
Bishop with Fr. Carroll and Frs. Macdonald and McCarthy
and "stante vulgi corona." Above, was a cloudless sky from
which the sun poured down his beams and flooded everything with brightest light; below, a feast for an artistic eye
in the little girls dressed in spotless white contrasting with
the many-hued attire of the speB:ators, and the venerable
prelate clad in sacred vestments. The Bishop's address had
a military ring about it. Indeed the long lines of confirmandi made one realize that these were being incorporated
into the soldiery of Christ. The sacrament was then administered and the touching and piB:uresque ceremony
brought to a close.
F. McC.
MIDDLETOWN, VT.-On Thursday morning we set out for
the above-named village situate high up in the mountains,
and a favorite resort for those who can afford to flee from
sultry cities to drink in the sweetness of the mountain air.
Vve found the people waiting for us at the church (a new
one) and, after a short delay, I offered up the Holy Sacrifice. The greater part of the day was spent in the church,
or, in converse with the good people, some of whom came
from a distance and remained in the village until after the
evening service. Here we had but 70 Confessions; and
twenty-four hours after our arrival we took our leave and
returned to Fair Haven. We regretted the shortness of our
stay, as we felt sure, three or four days could have been
spent among these people, who showed excellent dispositions.
F. McC.
NoRwicH, CoNN.-Norwich, bounded on three sides by
water, claims to be the most beautiful city it) New England,
and hence, is familiarly called "the Rose of New England."
I may say it deserves the pretty title. \Vhilst the greater
portion of the city is peculiarly handsome, there is no part
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
of it that is shabby. Many of the citizens are millionaires.
The Protestants are noted for their bigotry, and when Fr.
McMullen, about fifteen years ago; purchased a lot for a
church on Broadway in the most £.1.shionable part of the city,
a large amount was offered to recover it; and when this was
refused, an appeal was made to the State Assembly to stop
the erecrion of the church. The church went on, and stands
to-day a proud monument of the piety and generosity of the
good people of Norwich. It cost over $300,000, and is regarded as one of the finest Parochial churches in the whole
country. The reB:ory is a very palace, and the new school,
erecred two years ago at an expense of S49,ooo, is a magnificent specimen of school architeCture. This is, perhaps,
the finest church property in New England, and what is
most worthy of note is, tlpt, though having cost nearly
$400,000, there now remains 'only a small debt of $4o,ooo,
which the Pastor means to cancel in four years.
St. Patrick's, the name of the parish church, is situated in
the centre of the city, whilst the majority of the Catholics
live in the outskirts, notably at two points-Greenville and
Bean Hill-the former two miles and the latter a good mile
from St. Patrick's. On Sundays, Masses are said in chapels
in these places for the accommodation of those who do not
wish to go to St. Patrick's Church. During the mission, all
the exercises were held in the principal church, and the attendance was excellent, many walking from the neighboring
parishes several miles night and morning. Many o.f the
most respecrable Protestants attended the mission~ . 'tnd
among others Chief Justice Parker. ;\I uch good was the
result of this mission, and n1any hardened sinners made their
peace with God. Among them was one who had not been
to confession for over 30 years. Though several other missionaries had even gone to his home to talk to him, and
though various priests used all their powers of persuasion to
get him to approach the sacraments, he invariably resisted
the grace of God and proposed doubts about religion, which
no one seemingly could answer to the old man's satisfaCtion.
On Tuesday of the second week, the old man of his accord
�.1JISSIONARY LABORS.
12J'
came to the church and met one of the missionaries, who,
luckily, got a hint from. one of the assistants who he was.
He at once began to expose his doubts, when the Father,
after telling him how glad he was to meet him, expressed
his regret that he had not then time to solve his difficulties,
but he invited him to hear Fr. Maguire's sermon that evening on Confession, and, if his doubts still continued, to call
on him towards the end of the week. To the great surprise
of this Father, the very next evening the old man came to
his confession-the grace of God took possession of his
heart-his doubts had all disappeared and he went home a
happy man.
Fruits of the mission 5,6oo Confessions; 6ooo Communions; 15 adults prepared for First Communion; 55 Confirmed; and 2 converts received into the Church, whilst a
few others were left under instruCtion.
ST. MARY's, BosTO:->.-On Sunday, the z6th oa., Fathers
Maguire and Macdonald opened a week's mission in this
church for the Married :Men's Sodality on the invitation of
Fr. Reid, its zealous DireCtor. Though missions and retreats are quite common in this church, and though this was
the week preceding the Presidential eleCl:ion, the attendance
was, nevertheless, excellent both morning and night. About
2000 men approached the sacraments during the week.
As a result of the mission, Fr. Reid received I So recruits
for his Sodality, which now numbers over 700 members.
This Sodality is doing excellent work, and it is, indeed, hard
to find such a body of good men as belong to this Sodality. ,
It is a truly grand sight to sec them on their Communion
Sunday receive in a qody. Fr. Scanlan was not idle during
the mission. He, too, had an eye to business, and had arrangements made to have one portion of the church reserved
for his young men, who turned out nobly. A large accession of new members to the Sodality of young men was the
gratifying result. Experience teaches all, who ha\·e anything to do with parochial work, that Sodalities arc the very
life and soul of a parish. This the Fathers of St. Mary's
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
seem to thoroughly understand, and I have no hesitation in
saying, that, though this parish cannot be by any means
called a very large one, still its Sodalities, at least in numbers, stand second to none in this country.
Since the appearance of the last number of the \VoonSTOCK LETTERS, the new school of St. Mary's, built at a cost
of about $75,000, has been opened. This school is an addition to the Boys' school, and is a building of four stories
I05X70. The old building is three stories high 75x50; so
that the entire length of the parochial school from Cooper
street to Stillman street is r8o ft. The school contains 24
classes, capable of accommodating about 1800 children. The
actual number attending school is about 1500. The girls
are in charge of the Sisters of, Notre Dame, and the boys are
taught by competent young_ ladies under the direction of
Fr. Byrne, who takes a lively and active interest in the work
and is fast improving the order and discipline and progress
of the children. The upper story of the new school is a
hall, having a yery capacious gallery. This hall is quite
handsome and has a seating capacity of 1300; but many
more cou.ld be easily packed into it. On Sunday afternoon
the children meet here for instruction and Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament.
The lower flat of the Boys' school, 7 sxso, has been fitted
up by Fr. Scanlan for roo~s for the young men. The
young men are this Father's pride and he is working hard
for them and with excellent results. These rooms are very
compact. The largest is the Gymnasium, well equipped
with various means of promoting the bodily education. Near
this room, we have a Billiard, a Pool and a Smoking Room.
all nicely and tastefully gotten up. The Reading Room
and Library, stocked with excellent books and papers and
periodicals, is at some distance from the Gymnasium and
quite retired. These rooms are free to members and open
only to them. At night when they are lit up, they are very
comfortable and attractive, and, situated as they are in the
centre of the parish, they are well attended.
St. Mary's Parish is now well equipped. With its mag-
�MISSIONARY l-ABORS.
hificent church, its large and comfortable house, and its excellent schools, nothing more is now needed for the spiritual
welfare of the people in the way of buildings. Much credit
is due to Fr. Duncan and the other Fathers, who have taken
part in this noble work. St. Mary's has ever been a model
parish, and has accomplished much good in Boston. The
fine results achieved by our Fathers in this parish are not
only the good done within the parish limits; but their example has stimulated others.
ST. DmmucK's, PHILADELPHIA.- \Vhilst the m1sswn at
St. Mary's was going on, Fr. Langcake was giving one in
St. Dominick's, a small parish a few tniles outside of Philadelphia. He was much pleased with the result of his labors
in that place; 550 confessions were heard, and this number
included, I believe, all the communicants of the parish.
Eden Hall, the grand boarding-school of the Ladies of the
Sacred Heart, lies in this parish. The Pastor, Fr. \Vall, is
chaplain of the convent.
BROOKLINE, MAs;;;.-On Sunday, Oct. 26th, I was called
to Brookline to give a week's mission for men in the Church
of the Assumption, of which Rev. L. J. Morris is Pastor.
The sermons were well attended throughout; but the confessionals were not crowded owing to the faCt that it was the
week before the Presidential eleCtions, and processions and
meetings in the interest of the several party candidates
proved too strong an attraCtion. The number of confessions
heard was about 420. Thus my labors were light. My
stay in Brookline was made pleasant by the genial companionship of the zealous Pastor. One of the fruits of the mission was· a not inconsiderable increase in the· membership of
the Sodalities.
F. McC.
·wHITEHALL, N. Y.-At the end of the second week (Nov.
23rd) of our mission in Troy, Fr. Maguire sent me to give a
week's mission in vVhitehall, a town situated at the southern
extremity of Lake Champlain. I found there a large brick
�i26
~lfiSSIONARl'
LABORS.
church and Pastoral Residence, both built by the energetic
Pastor, Fr. John ~IcDonald, who has been in charge of this
congregation from the time of his ordination sixteen years
ago. His people are for the most part natives of that country,
and possessed of much shrewdness and intelligence. They
came to the exercises \·ery faithfully. in spite of stormy
weather. On the closing night the church was very full,
owing to the presence of a large number of non-Catholics.
The number of communicants in the parish is about 500.
Of these 425 approached the Sacraments. A Sodality of
the Blessed Virgin \\·as organized, and began its career with
a membership of fifty. The Pastor was so good as to declare himself more than satisfied with the results of the
mission.
F. McC.
ST. JosEPH's, TRov.-FtE;,. ~Iaguire, Langcake, McCarthy
and Macdonald opened a mission in this church on Nov.
gth, and finished it on the 23rd. This church was commenced by Fr. Havermans, an ex-S. J., in I847. Fr. Havermans has been through life a very zealous priest, and in
Troy has built several churches, and is to-day the earnest
and indefatigable Pastor of St. Mary's, the fashionable church
of the city. St. Joseph's came into the hands of the Jesuits
about I 848, Fr. Verheyden being the first Pastor. ·He
said Mass for some time, I was told, in the basement on the
bare ground, and it is said that his first Christmas collection
amounted to the enormous sum of $1.50. At that time,
there were but very few families in what to-day con.stitutes
the excellent parishes of St. Joseph's and St. Michael's; numbering, the first, 6ooo souls, and the second, 2000. Fr. Verheyden was succeeded in I852 by Fr. Thebaud, who here
wrote his work on the Twit-Twats. In I 86o, Fr. Loyzance
succeeded Fr. Thebaud, who again took charge in I863, and
was in I868 followed by Fr. Driscoll, who remained in
charge till 1875, to be then replaced by the present zealous
Pastor, Fr. Loyzance.
St. Joseph's Church is not very stylish in point of architeCture, but is quite large and comfortable. At the close of
�.1risslONARl' LAROR.'>:
12i
the men's mission 2300 men were counted as they passed
into the church. The good Fathers of St. Joseph's are very
zealous and doing excellent work. Their confessionals are
crowded by persons from all parts of the city. The choir of
this church is an object of special interest. Both the organist, Dr. Guy, who has played in this church for 31 years,
and the soprano, l\Iiss Mitchell, £<miliarly called the Music
Box from her great vocal powers, have a musical reputation
reaching far beyond their native State. The Litany they
sang at the opening of the e\·ening service was something
divine. It is needless to say that the mission was \Yell attended. People came not only from adjacent parishes, but
even from Albany. The work in the confessional was hard
and continuous, and only for the valuable assistance of the
Fathers of the House, all of whom were ever ready to lend
a helping hand when needed. much work must have remained undone. Fr. ~Iaguire, seeing the great enthusiasm
of the people, seemed, if possible, to ha\·c surpassed himself
in his evening sermons.
We heard Sooo Confessions, and about the same number
of Communions were gi\·en; 5 or 6 Protestants were received into the Church, and some others were left under
instruction; 30 were prepared for their First Communion ;
and 102 for Confirmation.
Fr. Loyzance has a very handsome parochial school just
opened under the charge of the Sisters of St. Joseph. These
Sisters have their Provincial House in this parish, and a
flourishing novitiate. They were brought to Troy in 186o
by Fr. Loyzance. The present school is intended for the
girls, and, as soon as circumstances will permit, the zealous
Pastor means to build another school for the boys. In the
meantime many of the boys go to the orphan asylum which
is under the charge of the Christian Brothers. This asylum
is another fine institution of this parish, accommodating at
present 3 50 orphans : 1 200 children of this parish attend the
Catholic schools, and every morning at 8, they assemble for
Mass, and twice a week they meet in the church in the af-
�128
NISSIONARY LABORS.
ternoon for special instructions, which are given at present
by Fr. Quinn.
ST. MICHAEL's, TROY.-\Vhilst Fr. Maguire was closing
the mission in St. Joseph's, Fr. Langcake was opening one
in St. Michael's. In this mission, Frs. Langcake and Macdonald with valuable aid from Frs. Nash, the Pastor, and
Quinn of St. Joseph's attended to the confessions, Fr. Maguire coming only for the evening service. St. Michael's
is a beautiful church planned by Keely and costing $65,000.
It was built in 1874 and is entirely out of debt It is a mile
distant from St. Joseph's. The Pastors of St. :Michael's since
its opening, in their regular order of succession, are as follows: Frs. Regnier, Fitzpatrick, Flynn, Man!chal, Cooney,
McQuaid and Nash, the present zealous and popular Pastor.
The number of Confessions \V.as 2000 ; many came from St.
Joseph's and made the mission a second -time, and many
from other parishes as during the preceding weeks at St.
Joseph's. Six were prepared for First Communion; 35 for
Confirmation, and three or four Protestants left under further instruction.
St. Michael's, situated on Snow Hill, commands a magnificent view of the city, the Hudson, and surrounding country. The great industry of this parish is the iron and steel
works, a visit to which is most interesting. One great curiosity is the manufacturing of horse-shoes. In one of the
iron mills there is a water-wheel, 6o feet m diameter, the
largest wheel, it is said, in the country.
-·
CHURCH OF THE HoLY INNOCENTS, N. Y.-This m1sswn
was opened by Frs. Langcake, l\IcCarthy and Macdonald,
of the band, assisted by Fr. Fitzpatrick from Baltimore, and
Fr. Harpes from l\ianresa, on Sunday the 7th Dec., and
closed the 2 r_st. Fr. Maguire was unable to attend through
sickness, and his absei1ce caused many and sincere regrets
among numerous friends he had made in a previous mission
given in this church. The parish was formerly very much
larger. Large slices were taken off and given to adjoining
�JUSSTONARY LABORS.
parishes, so that the parish now, according to the Pastor's
estimate, has a population of almost 6ooo souls, chiefly made
up of s~rvant-girls and coachmen. There arc but very few
families, one consequence of which was that we were frequently idle during the day. This was especially the case
in the men's week. :\!any went to confession to St. Francis
Xavier's and other churches, and thus the number of our
Communions much exceeded the Confessions heard in the
church. Frs. O'Connor, Carroll and Toner gave us valuable assistance. During the mission, a Sodality of 300
young ladies was established, as also an association of young
men to the number of about 2 ;o. Perhaps, what afforded
the greatest pleasure to the Pastor was our booming of his
Clwrdt Debt Socic~J', which resulted the first week alone in
an accession of 500 new members, which means a yearly
revenue of S I ;oo.oo.
The fruits of the mission \Ycre 547R Confessions; Communions, 6500; First Communions of adults, 35 ; converts,
2, and 6 left under instruCtion; and ;R adults were confirmed by Archbishop Corrigan.
General results: Confessions, 27,665 ; Communions, 30,I 25; First Communion of adults, R6; Baptisms, I 3; Confirmation of adulb, 272 ; left under instruCtion for Baptism, 10.
Since the aboye account was written, the leader of the
::\Iissionary Band, Fr. Bernard A. l\Iaguirc, who has labored
so zealously and fruitfully for the last ten years, has been
relieved from his arduous duties. The weight of years and
his increasing infirmities caused Superiors to give him the
rest so much needed. l\Iay we not hope that the milder
climate of \Vashington will prolong the usefulness of this
eloquent Father and exemplary religious?
R. M.
Vor..
XIV.
No.
I.
9
�OBITUARY.
MR. FRANcis T. McNuLTY.
The fairest flower in the garden is generally plucked and
God in like manner often chooses the best, taking them
away to enjoy early the beatitude promised to His faithful.
Thus was it with our young brother, Francis T. McNulty,
whom God took to himself in all the bloom of his youth.
His most edifying death occurred on the night of Oct. 2 I st,
and has left a deep impression on those who were present at
this most touching scene.
Born in Boston, July 2 I st,- .\862, he attended our college
there until, in J88I, he entered the Novitiate at Frederick
as a Scholastic novice, where during two years of his probation he delighted every one with his many and great virtues. \Vhat shone principally in him were his great cheerfulness and simplicity, and it was impossible not to be immediately attracted to him by these endearing traits of character, though others equally beautiful adorned his pure soul.
Gratitude too formed a special virtue for him. Those who
had done him any little service could tell by the lighting
up of his eye, the thanks that he could in no other manner
express, and the f.<ithfulness with which that service was
treasured in his memory.
His piety was great, but so
unobtrusive that no one was aware of its perfection except
his Superiors, though indeed all could not but feel certain
that it was no ordinary piety that so patiently met the inroads of the fell disease which finally took him from us.
His natural talents were in harmony with the virtues that
adorned him, and with truth may it be said he had those
natural quali'ties so essential for reaching a high sanctity.
A smile constantly lit up his amiable countenance, and all
of us were put to the blush at beholding such resignation
united to such suffering. The day before he passed away,
(130)
�RR()THER .fA:1fES JfAHER.
we came, at his request, to bid him good-by. This parting
was most affetl:ing, and certainly one of the greatest proofs
of the happiness that attend those that die in religion. All
this time he was constantly invoking his Lord, and it was
something most edifying to see how, like a true religious,
borne down by sufferings, he ceased not to praise his eternal
Creator. As he had lived, so he died, gently breathing out
his pure soul in the peace of the Lord whom he had loved
so well.
Looking at him so calm, so angelic in the cold embrace
of death, we could almost imagine the days of Aloysius or
Berchmans had returned. Though his stay had not been
long, \\·ell did he perform his work and show to his young
companions how strong is the spirit of the Society and how
great this dear mother can render eyen the youngest of her
children.
BROTHER }MIES MAHER.
At X o'clock A. ~!., on the feast of All Saints, I884, while
all the inmates of the Novitiate at Florissant were rejoicing
at the happy conclusion of the long retreat, the death-bell
suddenly rang out for the departing soul of Brother James
Maher, who had come some months before to prepare for
his approaching end, and whose spirit was at that moment
set free at last, to enter a better world. Every one felt that
a meritorious life had just been crowned by a holy death.
Born in the diocese of Dublin, Ireland, on March 19th,
the feast of St. Joseph, I 8 I 7, James Maher had led at first a
rather checkered life. part of which he spent as a sailor. He
was 42 years old when he entered the Novitiate at Florissant, August 6th, I 8 59; but during the twenty-five years of
his fervent religious life, he made up for lost time. Employed successively in a variety of occupations, first as
clothes-keeper at the Novitiate, then as sacristan at Milwaukee, as cook at Cincinnati, as porter for nine years at the St.
Louis University, and lastly as sacristan in Detroit where
his health, much weakened before, broke down entirely, he
�132
FATHER FRA1YCIS RECKER.
was in every employment a model of obedience, of humility;
of charity, and of fervent piety.
\Vhile porter, he could be found at almost any moment,
when not aCtually occupied in his aCt:ive duties, either making beads in his little room, or more usually saying his beads
before the Blessed Sacrament. But his piety never interfered with the diligent discharge of his temporal duti~s. He
was especially solicitous to relieve the wants of the many
poor people who thronged to the college door in every variety of need; and the only times when he might appear to
find obedie.nce a little irksome were when his charity to the
poor was kept in reasonable bounds by the prudence of Superiors.
It was evident that his mind was constantly united with
God, to whom he referred all.?enefits with edifying· simplicity. Once when present at a conversation, in which
some of our Fathers were enumerating the Confessions, Holy
Communions and other spiritual fruits reaped of late in their
growing parish, the good Brother at the conclusion remarked in terms more pious than complimentary to the Fathers
present, and with the greatest sincerity of heart: "And the
good God has done all this wit!{ such weak instruments."
For the last twelve year; of his life he suffered from a
lingering disease, which-at last took the shape of a cancer
in the stomach. But he worked on as long as he could,
only anxious to make himself useful, and to do the holy will
of God, a perfeCt: model of a good religious. After receivjng
in good time the last sacraments, he lingered a couple of
weeks more without complaining of his ailments, and at last
died as quietly as a child that hils asleep in the arms of its
mother.
R. I. P.
: FATHER FRANCIS BECKER.
Father Becker came to this house nearly eighteen months
ago, and in a short time rnade himself many friends by his
candor and amiability. ·with the members of his class in
Ethics he was much resp~Ct:ed and loved, for every one saw
�FATHER FRAJ\-CIS RECKER.
13.3
in him a master, and one also who elicited the affeCl:ions of
his hearers by the simplicity of manners and the kindness
of heart with which he listened to everyone who spoke to
him concerning the difficulties usually met with by students.
He was a well-read m<\n, not merely in the standard authors,
but in all the branches conneCl:ed with the matter of the
class. He was e,;pecially well informed on international law,
political economy and the theories of modern writers on
Ethical topics. Those under him this year were looking
forward with pleasant anticipations, when a fatal disease attacked him a few days after the opening of schools.
Fr. Becker was taken ill of a carbuncle on the neck during the first days of September. Everything was done to
relieve him, and after a time the crisis seemed to be passed.
The greatest hopes were entertained of his recovery; indeed,
no apprehension was felt of a f.1.tal turn in the disease. All
at once, a few days before his death, un£1.\'orable symptoms·
were noticed, and in spite of what was done for him, he
did not rally. He passed away on the morning of November i 5th, after receiving the last sacraments with great devotion. The last words he uttered, at the suggestion of the
Father who was with him in his dying moments, were his
vows ; he offered himself again to God with all the strength
and fen·or he could summon in his exhaused conditio.n,
and then yieided up his soul. His death was a great shock
to the community, not only as unexpeCl:ed, but as the taking
pff of one whom all loved as a kind and edifying religious.
Fr. Becker was born in Maestricht, Holland, March 7th,
'838; after his humanities, made partly in his native town
f1nd partly in our college of Sittard, he entered the Society,
oa. 3rd, I 8 54· He was ordained in Brussels Sept. 7th,
1867, by Rt. Revd. \Valter Steins, Vicar-Apostolic of Ben~al, and took his last vows, Feby. 2nd, 1872.
R. I. P.
�134
1ffR. JOHN A. DOYLE.
MR. JonN A. DoYLE.
On November 18th, 1884, at Detroit, Mich., died John
Aloysius Doyle, at the early age of 25 years. Though for
the last four years, the deceased had been regarded as delicate no one imagined his death was so near. It was only
three weeks previously to his death that he remained from
class. and at first his ailment was regarded as being only of
a temporary nature; in a short time it was thought he
would again be able to resume his duties. Almost always
during his illness we indulged in fond anticipations regarding his recovery, and whether or not it was that the wish
was h'lther to the thought, we could not bring ourselves to
recognize the fact that we shm1ld lose him; we were hopeful even to the last, and it was oi1ly a day or two before the
end came that a serious change manifested itself. E\·en
then though gra\·e apprehensions were entertained, we
thought he would live, if not till spring, at least till Christmas.
About midnight, however, of the I 7th November the Brother
who with the most lm·ing care had waited upon him during
his illness, thought he would see if anything was needed.
\Vhen he approached the bedside, to his surprise he saw_
that a total change had taken place, and that his poor patient
was fast sinking. He ran down stairs for Father Minister,
who as soon as he entered the sick-room; seeing that no
time was to be lost, at once annointed our then dyi~1g
brother. He lingered till about half-past four, and whilst
the prayers for the dead were being recited and the last absolution given he breathed his last. His death was a very
happy one, calm, and apparently without any pain ; so
quietly did he expire that it was some time before those
about him realized that he was dead.
The death of this dear brother made a great impression
upon outsiders as well as those of the household. Taking
as he did a prominent part in church services, by reason of
his having charge of the Acolythical Society during many
years, he was well known t~ frequenters of the church. They
�J!R. JOHN A. DOYLE.
IJ5
were struck by his bearing, by his taB:, by the easy grace
with which he conduB:ed the setirices of thesanB:uary, and
as they saw him lifeless before that same altar, around whose
hallowed precinB:s he so often ministered, many a fervent
prayer went up to heaven for the young levite whose zeal for
the glory of God's house did so much to rc::nder the church
services attraB:ive. Those who knew him best, his own
brethren, felt most the loss of one so suddenly taken away.
He was child of the Society ; he rather never knew the
world than abandoned it. His true Catholic parents forbade
his ever setting a foot inside a godless school ; from the
moment he could lisp his alphabet he was placed under the
care of our Fathers in St. Louis, and whilst yet very young,
in the summer of 1875, he went to the Novitiate at Florissant. After his noviceship and juniorate, he went to
\Voodstock, and having there finished his philosophy, he
was sent to Detroit to teach. He thus never knew the world,
and his whole manner of aB:ion showed that he was ignorant of its wiles and its deceits. He may be said to have
been always a boy, as owing to his great innocence, all that
is good and attraB:ive in boyhood clung to him.
In charaB:er he was most energetic,. full of life and spirit,
and so great was his courage that it added to his lease of
life ; had he been of a less determined nature, to bodily
weakness he would long before have succumbed. His class
was his joy, and a better teacher it would be hard to find.
He had a wonderful faculty for making boys learn; his pupils !tad to know their lessons. \Vhence his power over
them cqme it would be difficult to say, but certain it is that
he was a most successful teacher. His knowledge was as
varied and as solid as his powers of communication were
great. In the natural sciences he was a master; his pupils
in this branch justly held him in the highest esteem. As a
classical scholar he was equally proficient, whilst as regards
music he was far above mediocrity ; the services he rendered the church through his St. Cecilia Society are ample testimony to his capability on this point.
That his pupils always appreciated him was well known,
�,lfR. JOHN FELL\' .lfAHAN.
but it was never imagined their love for him would show
itself to the extent it did. As soon as they heard of his
death they met together in order to lay on his bier some
testimonies of their regard. The most beautiful floral tributes were the result. That of the Acolythical Society to its
"President" was ,(me of the richest ever seen in the church,
whilst one from his class to its "Professor" was second in
beauty of design and costliness only to that presented by
the altar boys. At his funeral sen·ices there was an ·immense crowd of people. The sight of the young religious
in his coffin was well calculated to make the profound impression it certainly wrought. In death a holy calm, not to
say, beaut):. shone on his face; the terrors of death seemed
turned from his bier; he was in truth only '':-;Jceping,'' and
from the lips of those that gaz~d on his placid angelic bro\\'
only one prayer came forth,':- 'inay we too die the death of
the just, may our last end be like unto his."
R. I. P.
At Frederick on the fifteenth of January, in the twentyfourth year of his life, the seventh after his entrance as a
Scholastic into the Society, Mr. John Felix l\Iah_an passed
to his rc\\·ard. He had been ailing for m·er t\\·o year,; with
ai1 acute form of pulmonary disease, which kept growing
persistently worse in spite of the best efforts of physicians to
overcome it, until the end came ,,·ith his death.
l\'Ir. l\Iahan was born in Philadelphia on the four1i~ nf
S~ptember, 1861.
His early life \\·as spent as a san8:uary
boy in St. Joseph's parish, where his piety and the openhearted simplicity of his ways won him many \\'arm friends.
\Vhen later he felt himself called to serve God in the Society, he attended the private _classes at Stiles street, where
he remained until his entrance into the noviceship at Fredcrick in 08:ober, 1878.
Young l\Iahan's life in religion was edifying. His noviceship was charaCterized by exceptional fervor. The testimony of those who enjoyed his society during these day~
�.1fR. JOHX FELIX
i1fAHA1\~
IJ]
is very remarkable. "He was so regular," says one of his
co-novices, "so exaCt: that one felt quite safe in taking him
as a pattern." His charity too was Yery great, ever watchful and self-forgetting, and full of consideration for others.
During his juniorate he gave evidence of good talent; so
that Superiors fancied they saw a great career of usefulness
in store for him ; but that was not to be. At the beginning
of his second year of studies he was made bidellus of the
Juniors, but after a few months was taken out of the office
by the Superior, who noticed en:::n then that he was beginning to show signs of disease. About a year afterwards,
while pursuing his course of philosophy at \Voodstock, it
became evident that a change from the confined life of a
scholasticate a\·as needed ; and he was sent together with
l\Ir. l\1 ugan to Las Vegas. The good care there bestowed
upon him did much, and he seemed for a time to rally; but
it was soon found that no real impnwcment could be hoped
for. The end was not ttr distant. l\Ir. :\Iahan \\·as fond of
talking about this little episode in his life-his trip, as he
was wont to call it-and the many kindnesses he had received from his Superiors and those of the :\Iissouri Scholastics, whom he met with on his way.
In the summer of 1 RS 3. he was sent to St. Francis Xa\'ier's in New York, where he was engaged to do some light
work about the Vice-President's office. The aCtivity and
energy which he brought to bear on the work here entrusted to him was a matter of wonder to those who knew of his
weak state of health. Early last f.<ll he contraCl:ecl a cold
which settled on his chest; and that prm-cd the beginning
of the end. In December he was sent to Frederick to prepare for death. There under the kind care of the Master of
Novices, he died as he had lived-without a complaint of
his great suffering without a word of regret for the young
life which God was calling to Himself. So are they taken
from us: Fenton, Liibbc, Mugan, .Mahan. Humanly speaking it seems stran:;e; but God, who knows best, will surely
listen to our prayers and raise up others in their stead, who
may in many ways be like to them.
R. I. P.
�VARIA.
SOULS UNDER THE SOCIETY'S CARE IN THE UNITED STATES.
The jollmoiny statistics ·were compiled from ansturs to inquiries made last
autumn. In a fezr pltrces the parishioners a1·r not reckoned, for there are none,
or very .flw, but the pe-rsons who frequent our churches for Jiass, sermons, in·•tructions, and t"e sacraments of Penance and the Eul'ltm·ist. A few houses
did not send an steers, and the result •rill fall short on thi., account.
PROVINCE O.F
.\lexandria, Va., and :\Iissions.
whites 1600, colored 100, total
children in parish school.....
Baltimore, ~~d.
whites................................
Bohemia, )ld., and Missions,
whites 500, colored 50, total...
Boston, )lass., College,
whites !1000, colored 12, total
:-'t. )lary's {Boston)
white 9000, colored 15, total...
children in parish school .....
H~~~h;te~i~~~:: .: ~~-~~-t-~~~~.. .. .........
~E\\"
1i0t>
180
:?:JI}(l,
.};}t!'"
!>01:!
8Ul;i
1500
.)OIJO
children in parish school......
4~0
Islands (Boston)
whites................................
·'3:!
Conewago, Pa., and )Iissions,
whites 3600, colored i, total... 3tiOi
children in parish school......
~no
Frederick, )Jd., and Missions,
whites !130, colorerl i18, total 1ti48
children in parish school......
5o
Ueorgetown Coli. D. C., whites
300, colored 10, total............
;~10
If. Trinity {<ieorgetown)
whites :!300, colored 7tl0, total 300tl
children in parish school......
3.30
Goshenhoppen, Pa., whites ......... 1:lllo
children Ill parish school......
80
Hanover, Pa., whites 750, color·ed 7, total........................
7.J7
children in parish sr·hool......
110
.Jersey City, N.J., whites ........... /5011
children in parish school......
~50
Leonardtown,Md., and ;\Iission;:,
whites 4400, co I'd .'1000, total /4011
~ ew York,St.Francis Xavier's,
whites ................................ HI,OOII
children in parish school......
!lOO
YORK )!.\HYLAND •
Islands (New York)
whites ............................... .
St. Joseph's (~ew York)
whites .............................. .
children in parish school.. ... .
:-'t. Lawrence's (~ew York)
whites .............................. ..
children in parish school. ... ..
Philadelphia, Pa., Gesii, whites
:?:?50, colored 5, total.. ........ ..
children in parish school.. .. ..
St. Joseph's (Philadelphia)
whites 2,)00, colored 30, total
children in parish school. .....
l'rovidence, R. J., whites 5000,
colored 7, total.. ................. ..
children in parish school.. .. ..
:O:t. .John's, Fordham, N. Y.,
whites ............................... .
St. 1nigoes, "!d., and }Jissions,
whites 1:?00, col'd 1800, total..
St. Thomas', }lrl.,and :Missions,
whites ;100, col'd 1000, total..
Troy, ~ew York and ~lissions,
whites .............................. ..
childr•m in pal'ish school.. ... .
\\"ash.ington, D.C., St. Aloysius',
whttes .............................,,.
children in parish school. ..... •
St. Joseph's (Wnshin.~ton)
·
whites 1100, colored ::0, total
children in parish school.. ....
Whitemarsh. )[d., whites 350,
colored 11 :?:>, total. ............. .
Woodstock, )!d., and )[issions,
whites 907, colored lOi, total
""orcester, )[ass., whites .........
9000
-two
500
litM>
5011
:!255
-1511
2.350
:wn
5007
434
1300
:iooo
v;oo
soon
1200
7.)t)(l
5011
ll.'W
137
14/.'i
1014
1-1.5
Prov, of N. York Maryland-Whites 109,264; Colored 8743; total, 118,007.
Children in parish schools, 8877.
J
�VARIA.
•
139
PROVINCE OF MISSOURI.
Chic~go,
Ill., Holy Family,
whttP"······· .. ···•···•·••············ ~0,000
chilrlrPn in pari'h school..... 4300
Sacrf'fl Heart (Chicago)
whit.es .•...••.......................•. :J:?OO
!JDG
chil<lren in parish 'chon!.. ....
Dett·nit, ~lich., College Church,
whites ....•••••....................... 40illl
children in parish school......
3411
Florissant, ~fo., German, whites
Silo
Florissant, ~fo., English, whites
1100, colored 60, total........... 11611
Loose Creek, ~lo., whites !GOO,
colored I, total..................... 16111
children in parish school......
!!41
)filwaukee, Wis., College Ch.
whites ............................... . l.JIHI
St. Gall's ()lilwaukee) whites .. 36011
()11(1
children in parish school.. ....
Xormandy, ~[o., whites :l~.;, col·
ored 17, total.......................
:l4!!
children iu parish school......
tiS
Omaha,Neb.,H'yFam'y,white,; litlll
Osage )fission, Kansas, whites
13011, colored 10, Indians .100,
total................................... ltiltl
children in parish school......
2!1~
Pal""on•, Kans:l", whites 900,
colored 4, tot a 1...... ..............
904
childrt'll in parish school......
145
St. Charles, :llo., whites 1000,
colored!!:), total................... 1025
• <"hiltlren ih parish srhool......
!10
St. Lnnis. :\lo .• St. .Jos'h's, whites 5000
children in parish school...... 10.)0
Uninrsitv Church (St. Louis)
white' 7oon. colored SOO, total 7800
chiltl!·en in parish school......
477
St. )lary's, Kansas, whites 1000,
Indians :!Ott, total................. 1200
chiltlren in parish school......
80
""a>hington, )fo., whites........ 1600
children in parish school......
~!JO
~t. Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio,
whites 10,0011, colored 500, to·
tal.. ................................... l11,5UO
chiltlrcn in parish school...... 12011
~lavic )lis~ions in Xeh., under
Frs. Stuer, ).faly, Turk, Pold,
~ebastianski, whites 6@11, col·
ored 1, total........................ ti691
children in parish school......
380
Pro\·. of )fhsouri- Whites 7-l,:Jl.i; Co lured 1418; lllllians ;jtltl; total
I 'hildren in parish schools 111,7."11.
Sault Ste ~larie,~Iich. ( :\liss.C'an.)
whites 1200, Indians IOO,total lfltiO
childr~n in parish 'chool......
1ill
16,~:33.
~egnin,
Tex. (Pro\·. )lex.)
whites ............................... .
children in parbh school.. ... .
.)(Ill
70
mSSION OF XE\\' ORLEAX1'.
•\ugusta,Ga., wh. t)OO,eol. .)II, tot.
children in parish school.. ... .
t <alveston, Texas, whites ........ .
Orand Coteau, whites ............. .
:\Iobile, .\Ja.,~t. Jos'h'.s, whites
children in parish school.. ....
~!ission
!).)()
:!.)11
~IIIII I
~010
81)(1
Xew Orleans, La., whites ....... ..
Spring Ifill, Ala., whites ......... .
Selma, Ala.
whites ;;oo, colored 4, total.. ..
children in parish school.. ....
lOti
of X ew Orleans-Whites 10,4.)0 ; t'~lored C.4 ; total lll,i\114.
Children in parish school' 410.
;,o-t
I ill
�V.r!R!A.
qo
)li~SIOX OF CALIFORNIA AXD. ROCKY ~!OUXTAINS (TURIN).
~anta
:-it. )Iary's. )f. T.
Clara Church, College,
and )!iss ions, Cal., whites...
1 ~00
whites 140, Indians :l40, total
480
children in parish school.......
811
children in parish school......
12;')
San Francisco College (Cal.)
Yakima, '"- T.
whites................................ 61100
whites 31~)0, Iml's :woo, total 5000
~t. Francis Regis )Iission,•\\r. T.
children in parish school......
i)()
whites 5000, Ind's :l.JOO, total· 8.)00 'Rest of .\Iissions, from Father
children in parish s~hool......
~no
Cataldo
~t. Ignatius' )Iission, )[. T.
whites 3t,4oll, Indians 32,660,
whites 400, Indians 1500,total 18011
total. ................................. 64,11 o
children in parish school......
10::!
children in parish school......
1~5
:-<an Jos•\Cal., whites .............. 10,000
children in parish school......
120
:Miss. Cal. and Rocky )[ouutains- \\'bites;;; ,tun; Indians 40,ooo; total 8!1, 1\lO
Children in parish schools /02.
)IJ~S!OX
OF XEW )[EXICO (l'lwY. XAPLES) •
•\lbuquerque, X. )lex., whites.. ~:;tio Las Yegas, X. )lex., whites .... . .)(Hl
( 'oneios, Col., whites................ 3000 Pueblo, Col., whites ............. .. 2000
150
children in parish school......
t.>O
children in parish school.. .. ..
Henver, Col., whites .................. li>Oo Trini•lad, Col., whites .......... .. 7200
children in parish school......
:!illl
Isleta, Texas, "·bites, 2400, colored 5, Jndians 1.)0, total..... 2.J.J.)
Mission of Xew )[exico-Whites 2.),100; Colored:;; Indians 15il; total :!:i,2.5.>.
Children in parish schools 500.
)LJSSIOX OF THE OER)L\X PltOYIXCE, BUFFALO.
Iowa, whites ....... . 312.) Prairre Lln Chien, ·wis., whites
~.)0
children in parish school.. ....
children in parish school. ... ..
( 'anisius Coli. and ~t. :IIichael's,
~t. Ann's, Bufl'alo, N.Y., whites
children in parish school. .... .
Buffalo, X. Y. whites .......... . :1~00
{)(~)
children in parish school. ... ..
St. Jlary's, Toledo, 0., whites... .
)iankato, ~linn., whites ........ . :!.)Oil
children in parish school-·.. ..
:;on St.:Mary's,Cleveland,O., whites
children in parish school.. .. ..
children in parish school. .....
Hurlin~ton,
162ll
:wn
6000
1:mn
4000
620
3000
.).)6
:llission oftlHl <;ennan Province, Buffalo-Whites :.!4,li·l.'i; total :!4,6·1.).
Children in parish schools .t1~n.
\\'hok number of souls under out· care: :1.:;4,:!31, divided thus: Whites,
30:!,6n4; Colored, 10,220; Indians, -t1,3.50.- Children in parochial schools,
2.5, 72!'1. More ·detailed returns from the 1\Iission of New Orleans might change
the total of colored people.
�VA RTA.
CAIRO.-Our Fathers have lately discovered in their own grounds a spot,
which i" h~· tradition pointt>tl out as a halting place of the Holy Family.
CALCUTT.\.-)fo,t !ten!. Paul Uot•thals, .\rchhishop of Ilierapolis, Yicar.\postolie of West llt>ngal, i' engag(•d in the lmilding of a Cathulie University
in Calcutta. It "·ill he in eonnet•tion with tht• magnitiet•nt eolleg(' ot tlw ~o
t•iety there.- Unitit Gattoli(a.
C.ALIFOI!XL\.-Onr:-: han~ h·a~t'tl theit· nhf pro}Jerty in ~an Franci~c.:o for
fifteen yt'ars on very favorahlP te·nn:-o. Thi:-: arrangt•tnent rt'liPve~ the tinan-
ct•s of thP collt•ge and church.
C.\X.\DA.-Coutrary to t•xp<'l'lation the new Hou"· of >'tiHJie,. at )lnntreal
will not he ready t\,,· a few months yet. Tht• church, howe\·er, was opened,
llt•e. 8th, by the Bbdwp of )foittn•ai.-Tht• ~rission inereast•tl its memht•r,hip
b~- 10 in l~S4.-FF. l'iehou mul Ruhlmann an· the new prt•aeht•rs this yeat·
at the (it·~tl, )fontreal.- ~\. nt•w organ i:-: bt>in.~ placed in the (iesll.- Publie
disputation:-: in philo:-oophy bt·.;p.tn in Xon•1nher nt ~t. )lary's ( 'ollegP, nndt•r
the auspiet•:-: of tht• ..\ po~tolie ( 'omtnis:-::ary, l>on1 ~UH.'nltlers.- (ion•rnor )[n:-;'<lll and stall', togdht•r with the :llayor ancl nil tht• prineipal eitizens Wt'l'e
pre><t•nt at tht• Thin! Ct·nlt'nnry t·elehration in Ft·. Desy'>< ~nclalit~- C'hapt'l,
t~neht•c, flt•t•. ~Fr. LP Yt•nx prt'aehPtl. Fr. lle,;~- has erel'tt•tl in the ehapt'l
a tine altar in mt•mor~- of thP teret•ntcuary .-The Ink attPmpt to hlow up tlw
ParlianH•nt lmiltlings, <lnehee, with tlyn:uuitP,
phirH' strPt't hartl h~T a .!.!'nntl ~haking.
.!.!'H\'t'
our He:-;itlt·tH't' in I>an-
CHI:>;.\.-On thP 11th of ~0\"t•mher last at midnight, a hantl of hrig:uH!.s fell
upon tht' residt•net~ of our Fatlwrs at T:-;in-elwn-kiao.
The tlonn: tlt•w open
under lht• hlows of tht• ax<', all!! tlw hou>'P was tillt•<l with the t•n· of t!rath.
Fr ..Jt•ekin,~er, who w:.h the tir;-t to
:-;et•
tht' dan.~·l'r near at hatu1: t·alled up
hnrrit'tlly tlw otht•I' Fatht•rs, :nul rang thl' ehnreh-hPII fot' ht•lp.
thenl~Plve:-:
.\11 savecl
hr flight; and
thP peoplP on hl'ariug the fir:-;t :-;ountl of tlw lwll,
rushPd out of their houst•:-; to the Fathl'rs' a:-:~istanet•, without tli:..:tinction of
pag-an:-; or Chrh•tians.
They obliged the hrigantls to take to their lu_•p]~, awl
hntl hPPll set tn t]w hon:-:e lH'fort~ tht•y eo\thl
~oon extin_~ni:-;hed tht• tin•, whieh
pren•nt it.
ll!SITTATIOXH.-\\'e han
'<'Cll
the thP'<':< tin· disputations from nearly all
tlw ~ehnla:-;tieatt'~ on the l'outinPut. The u~ual.:-ottLjt'Ctf; are attiruH'd. ln
smnc plaet•s the theolo,!.!'ians deft•wled the~t·s de virtntibus mora1ibus, de )nrc
canonico, de pcccato actuali, de actihus human is, et de jure etjustitia.
Our own disputations took place on Dec. l~th ant! 10th; the defenders were,
lJe Sacramentis in gencre, ~[r. H. Hichanls; ohjt•l'tor>, :\[essr,, Henry Ottiug
and Yincl'nt Tt•><tnntt•nto: De Dco Greante, )[r. "'illiam Brett; obj(•_etor:<,
.\[es~r:<. Ferdinand .\foeller allll .\lexamler Burrowes. Fr .. John Buckley read
a tli,;sertation upon tht• last ver;es of ~t. ~[ark'>< Go><pel.-ln philosophy (:lrtl
Y<·ar), )[r . .Jno. Brosnan t!efelllletl; )[t'"rs. E. O'~ullivan and Howard Brown
objectctl; in :?nd year, :\[r. Chas. )faeksey tlefi·ntktl; ~[e"rs ..John A . .\[oore
and .Tames .\[cCahc ohjectl'tl.-.\fe"rs. II.~. ~faring, and J .. J. Curran I:(UVC
the ")fechanics Specimen."
�V_-1 RIA.
E:-~GLA::'W.-This Province with the )Iission of Canada has 71:! members;
the increase in 1."~-l "'"" :17.- Fr>. Gower and .\nselm Gillet of the Honduras
)Iission paid a Yi:o'it to thi~ hon:-:P; the latter gaYe us a !!raphic ncconnt of hi~
imprisonnwnt. ThPre an' eight Fatht•I-s <uulnne Brother in Hondums, in four
ret-:idenees.-Fr. \\.. illimn Burn:-: eallt·d hert· eu ronte to J:unaica. Jmuaica
en111loys 1:! lllt'tnbt~rs of the SoC'iL•ty; Fr. Thonw:-: Porter i:o:. Superior and \ .. iear~\pn.stolie.- Thta Enuli~h Provinet.~ ha~ X:! nlernher~ in 1nis:o-ions.- Catalogue,
1~.~;),
FHA:'IL'E.-The :\o,·itiatt' of tlH" Provin"e of Fran(•t· ha:; been removed to
two aml a half milt·" :\. X. E. of \\'ind:<or.- In Lille, Province of
~lou,gh,
Chan1pagne, Fr. \\'atri.:.:ant (•ontltwt:oo a hon~e of rdrl'at for tnen; it i~ now in
its third y•·ar and dm·" \Hll.-Fr. l'ro>twr Bawlot hn" introduced at
Boulogn~
the praetit'l' of a tlay'~ reeolll'etion onet> a tnnnth atnon~ tlw ~eculnr prie.sts.Fr. E. tlt' (~uillwrtny, tht· author of tlw IW\; '[pnolotr~· of tht• ~O('iPty, 1lit>ll
in Pari~ :-.oint- tnnnth:-o a~o.
l:>IJl.\.-\\'t· takt· th .. followin,,- nihutt· to tht·
~larqui:<
of l:ipon from a lt·t·
tPr of Fr ..\u_gu~tt' .lt·an of Triehint._ipol~· :-"\\'orth.'· Lnrtl Hipon i~ about to
lt~avt• u~. lit", too, i~ ht'l'liHH', in a ~·ertain ~t·Jbt', 'a ~ign which shall lw con·
tracliell'cl.'
'rh .. lnclinn" an· •·nth!bia:<tie ahem! him, while thl' mnjorit~· of
hi~
<·nuntrynwn, :-.ollu' of who:-oL' privileg-l·~ lw ha~ attetnptrtl to t•nrtail, han·
tnrnt•tl ug-ain~t him. .\ll•uu:o:t· at·knowh~clge tlw perfeet n·ctitutlP of his in·
tention~.
Lortl I:ipon i~ a nwn who dot>:-o not :tt't ht..,fon· hnving prayed antl
hasin.t! h~Hl prnyPr:-; nfit•n·1l. lit> had t·oH\"t'yPtl ton~ his tle:-;irt:. . that n ncn·t·na of
'[a~~t·~ :-ohould be otlt·rt'tl up at thP eolh·.~e for hi:-; intention lwf4Jn' the feast of
~t. Franl'i~ XaYit·r.
lit· h,·:.u·~ ""~~daily, eotnntnui<"ah•:-; thn•t:• or four tinw~
H Wt'Pk 1 a~:-;i:-ot~ fl'l'tttlt'llt}y nt thl' puh}i(' ~l'f\'if'l'S, atHl t•tlifiPs tho:-;t' }H'P:O:t:'llt hy
his tleYnnt l't:l'olleetinn. 11.-< htr <"nllt'.!!t' nt Tri('hinopnly ha:-; lO~fi stntlPnt~.
Tlwy holtl tht•ir nwn itt thl' unin·rsity exmninatioll"'.-Lefler~~ of U,.,fls.-~lan·
.ualon• will ha\'t', it i~ ~aid, n Yi,·ar-.\postolit·.
lREL.\~11.-The Lni,·t·r~ity
Last year's Hu·t·t• . . st's
Wt'rt'
( 'ollt:g-t• uow nndt•r our ean· is Wl'll launehetl.
hl'yontl <·xpt·t·tation. < )ur Fntlwrs nrt· Pxtreuwl~~
plea,ed with the fruit of thl'ir lahm·>'.--Dublin Lrtter.-Th,, XoYitiat<' at Dro·
tnore i~ in thP palnt't' of the tin·1ner Prntt·stant Bislwp who, :-oitH'P tli~e:-;tnl,]ish·
ntent, ha:--; no ot'L'Hpation. Tlw palaPt', whi<"h Ours havt• htni.~ht, w~~~ OIH'f' the
resitlPneP of Bh-dwp .ft'l'f'tny Taylnr.
..,
L.\~flEH l'ITY, \\'nn!l:o;n.- Fr. Brl'll!H'l' write' fmm thi' plat'<' that. the
work i:;ju:<t ht•ginning for tln' whit"' ant! thl' Indian"; therP ure 1:10 white'
ll!Hler our t•an•. A :<chool ha' hcl'n opeill'cl for tht' [ !Hlian' hy Fr .•lutz, twenty
miles from l,an<h-r. Fr. Brt'nner will opt•n a ""hool very ~oon, and will be
the teacher of it him:<df; he goes onee a month to Fort 1\'ashakie to attend
the sol1liers .. Thi~ rui~sion hPloug:-; to the Province of Gerrnany.
Lyo:-~s.-The thirst for knowh•d,,-e, innate in the Armenian, the hope of
learning French an<l the aifahility, eharit~· ant! <li:<inten':<tctlness of our Fa·
!hers help to till our school:< in the Lvvant. lkspite the wretchetl accommo·
dati~ns, there wert> ju't 3:.13 childrPn attending our sehool in :lh•rsivan at the
clo~e of its first year. Prayers arc taught an(l rccitecl in school, and the for·
�VARIA
gotten practice of family prayers is being revived, even among the schismatics. The methods alll• results of St. Francis Xavier in India are repeated in
Armenia. )[any of the children han:- already been admitted into the Church
and made their First Con;munion. fn a few cases parents followed the ex·
ample of thPir oftsprin!!". .\t tlw n<"wer posts of Lokat, Amusia, Sebaste and
Ccsarea, the numbers at the schools are smaller, but the results are encour·
aging. At .-\Llana in Cilicia nothing- hut a good ~chool is needed to bring over
the people en masse. An attendance of 800 might easily he harl. Already
two native Prie~ts lun·e ahjuretl tlu")ir errors. Fan1ily tit'~ alone nn1l the necessities oflife keep many oth<"rs nway.-.\t il<'yrout those of tlw SPholastics
who han• suftit'iently mastered .\rahie are or!!"anized into cateehetical bands
and art> lining ntnch good. Tlu•re nrP about .)OO ~tntlent:o' in tht> Cniversity, ex<·lusi\·e of Ours. )fP<licinP has rL'et•ntl~· lwt•n added to the faculties already in
<·xistence. In arts tlw standard of the IH·st Fn•nl'h sqhools is maintained. A
)[aronite
n•li.tdnu~ pa~~etl
a
~ncep~:-;ful
exantination f{•r the I>oetorate of T!u·-
ology. ~inP po:-:ts in all havl' lwPll oerupit>cl in ~yria . . \ lar.~t· aJHl hPantiful
dmreh has heen eree!P<l in AIPppo.-Lyons has 'l·nt -!0 of Ours to t'yria within
the last year.-c\ coil<'!-:'' has been opem•<l reePntl~- in "Uexan<lria. Owing to
the nnalterahle resolution of tlw Fathers to mak<' religions instrnetion and
the llltntht•r is ypt :-:mall. ~\.t Cairo tht•
The tnost eortlial f(•lation:-: exist
throughout tlu") East ht>twt•t•n Onrs nn41 tllt' t'('<'lf'siastiral anthm·itiP .... -Letlf'rS
of )fold.
Pxercises obligatory on all
l'Olllt~rs,
eollege is well atteiHlt•tl antl tlnnrh:hing.
~[Annu.-Fr. Cdlc has gain<•<l tlu· atl'eetion an< I eonfi<IPnce of the pagans.
At )[amtnHlllnrP in f'IH'vugnngah ht> wa• rerptPstP<l by them to ron<lnct all
their sehools. He has alrently accl'pted their oft"l•r. The Protestant tt>achers
Ur(• fnrinns, and thPy art' makinp: pn·parations ti)r qnittin,:: tlwsP two p]a('t'S.
)[JSTA~q:-;r .~:\I> THE .J Ef<ITf;<.- The n•ct•nt discovery of Lnkt• )Iista"ini in
the Hud'!m hay r<').don hy Explorer Bign\'11, nl'lin,l( muh•r tht• auspi<•t•s of the
Canadian gt-ographienl socit>ty, wn:-: an important OIH'. But it lost•s sonu• of
its importance in the light of the information hron!!"ht out in anothPr <'olumn,
whieh goes to show that the lakt~ was known ovt•r :!-lO yt?ars ag-o.
It i~
t't'r-
tainly myHterious that the t>XiHtl'IlC<' of so great a Jakt• Hhould re)ltain un·
known to the world even atl<'r it luttl hPen discoven•tl. But that was no fault
of the ori~inal disl'ovt•n·r. A son of that womlt·rful <mler-the .Jesuitswhose nwmhers spen<l half their lh·es in learning how to do goo<! durin~ the
other half, was tht' fi"t diseon·rcr of Lake )listassini, anti rq10rlt'<l his im})ortant UiscoYery at oneP to his religious superior~, hy whmn it was at onet~
given to the world in the Relations des Jewites. Of tlw i<h•ntity of the great
lake of lG-!3 and lGi:Z with that diseovercd hy Bignell in 188-!, there can he
no doubt. Tl\c proof is too plain, the e\·idt'ncc is too positive, and the honor
of ori~inal discovery can he given to the Perc Alhanel without in any mamwr
detracting from the merit of )fr. Bignell. Pere Albanel leaves no room for
doubt either about the identity of the lake he discovered or about tlw fact
that h~ was fully aware of its size an<l importance. He describes it as so
large that it required 20 days' sailing with fair wiml to traverse its length,
and reports the characteristics of the fauna and .flora of the rt>gion, the fish in
its waters, the islands and hanks, and the rocks from which it takes its name,
jq almost as great detail as does ~Ir. Bignell, its new discoverer. The s-eo·
�graphical sqciety of Quebec, while it has done itself great creuit, has auded a
new laurel to tltt_• glory of that ht•ruie hand of .J e~ujt tuissionarit·~ who trnYt.>rs.ed this eontinent ~o thoroughly nntl tle:o:cr·ilwtl it :000 Hl'rnratel~r ns to h•avt•
little oriJotinal work ttw their sut~ee."~or~.-Detroit Pftpe1·.
)II:--;~ol·Hl.-Tht>
Prnviiu.·e ha:-: now :;til lHt'tnher~; inere<l!"ot' in l~t'J, 20.-St.
l'ollegt•, Kan:-'as, ~an_• 1:! vot•atious last yPar.-The tni~sionaries are
kept lJn,y.-Fatht>rs Higgins, LunlJt•rt and Bratly 1.-dure<l in the town of
~lary':-:
.\nn .\rhnr,
~lidt.,
at the illYitatinll of ~Olllt-'
:-:i_t!llOf ( 'apt•l opt>nt•tl
t)f
the rniYer:-:ity·
~tUllPBtS.
){on-
thl' t'o\ll":-w.
~.\l'LE~.-.\ :-.l'hola~tieatt•
will1w opl'ned in tht• t'ity of ~aplt·~ thi~ yt•ar.
l'onclition.-Tlw oltl novitiatl~ whieh i~ in the
~uhurh-. ha~ bet•n hou~ht haek hy the l~e,·, Fr. Pro,·inl'ial, who intPtHb to ust·
it ti1r a hoanlin~-:-:l'hool.-.\rrall.!.!t'lllt'llt' havP het·u nwtk to bn~- a portion of
onr old eollt>ge nt Bari, when· our Fatht•r:o: de:·.:tint·tl to lu.n·l· eh:.u·.t:t.• of tht> oltl
t_·hun·h of tht_· ~~~eiety will n•:·ddt·. Frotn tlH·~~· i~teb with nwn~· otlwr~, it i:-o
t•vitlt·nt that tht• :-ouppn•-. ... t'd ProvitH't' of \'aplP~ i..: fa:-ot n·,·ivin~·.
Thl' no\TitiatP bin a
t\ouri~hin).!
'
:\"EW t li:I.E.\:S:-;.-Tht' ~li..:-.ion h:"!:-o; now lti/
t~.···q,_
nu•tnht·r:-;, an int·n·a~t· of lti for
Tht· t·ollt·!!'t·..: nn· doin!.! wt1t-\\~, . ...:t>t' frotn a eorrt•:-;ptHltlt·nt in till' ~t·w
York Trihnnr that .\n·hhi:-;hop Len1~· ha ... ]. . ~uetl a t•irenlnr t'OIWl'l'ning· tlw
l'hun·h fnr tlll' t'olort·tl pt'oplt>. Tht· p:qwr ~a~·:-. ( hu·:-o will hnse t'ltarg-t• of tht"
eoll!.!Tt·~·ation.-Fr. ( 'ha...:. Pieeirillo, n\11' prt•ft•t•t of :-;tudit>...:, i:-: tarryinj.! in Xt·w
<)r!t•:lll' for tht• l .. ·nefit of hi> IH·alth.-\lr . .fohn n. "'hitn<'y, Oil!' of the thPo·
lot.dan-. ot'tlH· :-.t•t•ond yt>ar. i:-: in :'prin~ llill ('olll'_!.:'t' fnr the ... :.IIIH' l't':l:O:tlll.
~E\\' Ynt:l..:.-~t.
Fnuwi:-o Xarit·r':-. will puhli~h a l'alt'ntlar nlollthly.-TIH'
dt·pal'tlllt'llt i~ doin!.! Wt'll.-Fr ... lt•rt•ntiah ()'Connor .!.::ave lt•l'tnrp:-;
on tht· ~nntlay~ of :uln·nt.-1 t j, :-;aid work will lw rt•-.nuJt·tl 1111 tlw ehurt'h ut'
~t. Lnwn•JH't' in tht' :··prin!!.
prt_•parator~-
P.\1:.\(il'.A Y.-"lt "'t't'lll.' that :-.t•aredy any thin.~· n·tuain' of our old huildin.tt:-;.
Ht•v. Fr. ~npt~rior :--tart' llt'Xt month on a jolll'ttt•y to :-;t•n•ral pl:tel'~· in
thi..; eonntr~-; hP ha~ prmni...:t•tl to t·ollt•t·t nll tlw fat·t ... ht· C'UII ahont nnr oltl
l·'atht•r<"-Lcllcr jrorn HNzil.
PJilLIPI'l~E I~L.\;o;t>~.-ThL..; _\li ....... ion }tll.':-'t'':-:t·~ two <"ollegt•:-: '"'r~t·,.~lnnilla,
whieh an· t'tllHlndt•tl hs fortyMtwo .lt•:--nit:-:. Two Fatht·r~ havt~ t.·har.¥e of the
( lh:o:Prvutory. .\ t ).[ iudanao tht•rt• art• ~t'\"t•nty-two .J t•:-ouit:-~, laboring for 110
Heduetion"' of Hativl':-:. Xtnnher of ( 'hri:-:tian:-:, ll!l,ti8\1.-The Philippines, a~
before, lwlun.!.!' to the Provint'l' of ~\ra.t!'on whi<"h ha:.-o thPrP (Catalogue.
l~;:i-!) nt; FathPr:o:, .'i ~ehola"tie:' an(l -tl Brothl'l~.
•
~aid
I'J.E;.;.\IlY.( '<ll·;.;nL.
-lle>idt•' till' :'uperinrs of the dift'erent Provinces and
Fr. I:. Fulton, l:cY. Fr. Leopold Bushart, HeY. Fr. Theobald
Bnth·r, HeY. Fr .. John B. L"'"'"'nn, l!cv. Fr.•\.~!. G~ntilc, and Rev. Fr. ,J. ~[.
Cataldo who de jure took part in the council, the following Fath~rs w~re
'l'lwologians: Fr.•Emil in> ~1. lle .\ugustinis for the Apostolic Delegate; Frs.
Peter Uacicot and Aloysius Sabdti for Archbishop Lamy of Sante Fe, N. ~I.;
Fr. Charles Piccirillo for Bishop Jansens of Natchez, )liss.; :Fr. F. X. Wen·
~li:<sions,
Jt,.,..
�VARIA.
inger for Bishop Vertin of Marquette, Mich.; Fr. A. Yarsi for Bishop Mo.
nogue of Grass Valley, Cal.; Fr. Isidore Daubresse for Archbishop Corrigan
of New York; Father William F. Clarke for Bishop Gallagher of Galveston,
Texas. These Fathers were all engaged on committees. The only thing
known here of what was passed is the Postulatu1n for the Cause of Father
Jogues, Rene Goupel, Catherine Tegakwita.
PROVINCE CATALOGUE.-Our Province has 552 members, an increase of 3
in 1884, and this notwithstanding 15 deaths and the leaving of four or five.The Sodality celebrations were quite successful. In the next issue of the
LETTERS accounts will be published of these celebrations.-,Ve have now 28
novices.-The whole Society numbers 11,530, an increase of277last year.
ROCKY )fomrTAIXS.-The January number of the Century has a flattering
article on the Flathead ::\fission at St. Ignatius'.-Frs. Ravalli and Ruellan
have been lost to the )fission by death; the latter died of pneumonia quite
recently. "'e hope to give longer accounts of these deserving missionaries in
Our next number.-Fr. Cataldo is in Europe for the interests of the ::\lission.
Rmm.-Fr. Cornely, Prof. of :Sacred Scriptmc in Rome, went to France to
make arrangements for the publication of a great work on the Sacred Scripture, which he and some other Fathers have undertaken. He wrote the introduction, 3 vols. in 4l<>. All the necessary approbations were given. This
work will embrace every thing on the subject and will contain about forty
,·olumes 4w.-Fr. Rucceroni is now prof~ssor of )!oral Theology in the Gregorian University. He published this year a very valuable work on the Decretals of Benedict XIY.-Fr. Querini, prof,•ssor of moral la~t year in the
satne university, hnviug seen the Sovereign Pontiff' on son1e occasion, waR
addressed bv him in these words: "Tu es sucee~sor P. Ballerini, fac ut ejus
vestigiis inl;::ereas."-Fr. S. Schiffini is prof. of Dogmatic Theology in the
Gregorian also.-The Province has 14 novices; the chapel was burnt at Castel
Gandolfo, but has been rebuilt.
SCIEXTIFIC CmcLE.-Last October a Scientific Circle was started here by
philosophers of the second and third years- Its aim is to awaken and promote
a thorough interest in science. The members eom·cne whenever any paper
is written, and after the reading of the paper propose for solution any phenomenon they may hm·e noticed in their walks or otherwise. These questions
if not answered there and then arc not•Jd <lown and answered at the following
meeting. Up to the present the <'ssayists and essays have been as follows:
~Ir. J. J. Sullivan, "Analysis of Drinking-water." )!r. J. A.llrosnan, "The.
Eye." )1r. C. Borgmeyer, "Stellar Spectra." )lr. J. De Potter, "Animal
Heat." ::\Ir. E. J. O'Sullivan, "The Building of the Earth." )fr. C. B. Macksey, "The Crystals of Nature."
SPAIN .-The novices of the l'rovinee of Toulouse who had been domiciled for
several years at Oiia, Province of Castile, have been transferred to Vittoria.
There they were met by thirteen or fourteen novices from France. At Oiia
there were five Scholastic and five Coadjutor novices. Fr. Portal is the :Mast.er of Novices in the new house of Vittoria.-"The College of Saltillo in
VoL. XIV. No. I.
9*
�VARIA.
)fexico," says a letter from Spain, "is doing remarkably well. Seven or eight.
novices have been received at Loyola and Vemela for the )fexican Province."
Aragon.-This Province has 81!l members, an increase of 10 during 1884.
-The students of our college in )[alaga had an "Academia Poetica'' in honor of St. Stanislaus; this is, no doubt, a _good way to develop vocations.-Aragon has 5:l novices; ~juniors study grammar, besides those who study humanities and rhetoric.
TROY, N. Y.-Fr. Joseph I,oyzauce has published two <lialogues for Boys:
"The Xativit~· of our Lord Jesus Chrbt" and "The )[onth of )fay." These
pieces are well written, instructive aud entertaining.
ToULOl'SE.-The Scholastics of this Province at Ucles in Spain are exerci,.
ing an apostolate on a small scale, among the poor of the neighboring villages.
Food is dispensetl daily to large crowds, and conferences and catechetical in.
structions are given at stated time' every week. Tramps in large numbers,
among 1vhom even America is representetl, eall at the college for assistance.
Xot only are their temporal want:< "ati>fietl, hut their more pre"ing spiritual
necessities are relien•tl. The amount2f gootl tlmw may he appreeiated from
the fact that, in ont• month alone, :?44 of'tlu•,-e "birds ofpassa!!<'" were assisted
and instructetl. One of the Father~ appointed to hear them could reckon in a
~ingle n1onth a~ large a number as :Ji tranlp-pl•nitents. _\nlong then1 1ni.ght
be found fhhes of :?0, 30, or even 40 ~-,•ars growth.-Letters of Uc/c~.
THE .·\ltGE:\TI:"'E
pupils; Santa Fe
Cu:"'FEDEil.\'l'IO:"'.-Our college in Buenos
200. These colle!!es helong to .\ rnl!on.
.\~·res
has
~01)
ha~
THE SociETY'~ _\)lEHICA); ~-\.);CTt-A HY.-( )ur.... are ag~1iu t'arnt·~tl~- requL·~t
ed to make themselYe~ acquainted with the following two works, "·hich are
rapidly taking on large proportion~ 1 antl uwler Providence nwy hecmne of
the greatest help to souls. Tile tir>t is the restoration of the shrine of tiw
Blessed Virgin at the fot'lllt'l' ~[ission of the :'l[artyrs (originall~- Notre Dame
de Foy, now Our Lady of ~lartyrs). The little peri<lllical orl!an of the work,
The Pilgrim, etc., having appwbatinns almost national in llltmht·t· an<l extent,
and clevotcd moreover to the lwroic mission history of the past and to tlu~ living Indian missions of the prc•scnt, antl intentle<l tn stir up faith autl piet..f antl
zeal even far froul the sanctuary it~l'lf, has been sent to all our house:"-, a~king
the good offices of Ours in :<prca<lin!! it>< circulation .•\Father of "'oodstock is
editor, but it is isssued from the hot>'l' having care of the erection of the pilgrim chapel (Rev. J. Loyzancc', ~t. Joseph's, Troy, X. Y.) The seeo111l
work, as is believed directly providential, is the taking up of tlw Cause of
Beatification of Rene Goupil, Fr. Isaac .J ogucs, and Catherine Tcgakwita, all
belonging to the ).fission of the ~Iartyrs,.thc two former, both of the Society,
having given their blood to found it, the latter hcing the flower of the church
thus founded. The recent Plenary Council of Baltimore unanimously voted
a conciliar Postulatmn to the Holy Father, asking in the name of the assembled American episcopate the Introduction of the Cause of the three SetTant s
of God at Rome. Ample accounts of this will be found in the )larch number
of the Catholic World, and shorter notices in the Messenver and Ave Maria.
�f'ARIA.
147
Articles on the pilgrim chapel have also be~n published there, and in nearly
all of the Catholic papers, even as far away as Liverpool, England.
U. STATES OF COLO)lBLI..-Rishop Paul of Pan'tm'l has been m't1e Arch·
bishop of Bogot:l. He was a member of the Society when made Bishop.
YTU, BRAZIL.-The college of Sa6 Luis of Ours in this place is still remark.
ably flourishin~ and belongs to the Roman Province. By the catalogue we
see that a number of the students study English.
Z.DIBESI.-The ~[i:;sion has made considerable prn·,ress since the arrival of
Fr. 'Veld. A :<cholasticate has been e:<tabl!,;hecl at Dttnbrody, 15 miles from
Port Elizabeth, South Afric:l: there arc :11) per,;ons in the community, G Fathers, 1.5 Scholastics, an.-J. !l Brothers. 'Ve intend to gi,·e m~re details in our
next number.-Recent Letter from 8. Africa.
Ho3IE XEW~.-Fr. ])e Augn:;tinis is printing his work, De Incarnatione.)fr..John F. X. O'Connor has just translaterl a cuneiform inscription which
will be puhlishetl. Fr. J. X. Strnssmaier, who has been for some time engager! in im·l'sti<rations in the British ~Iust•um, fil!Ptlup the lacunre in the in·
scription.-Our .\cademies are tloing remarkabl)· well; more animation
might be shown, pt•rluq'"· an<lless scholastie terminology in the debates.
Papers rend in the theological .\endcmy:
Fra Creative Decree: ................. ............................... ~Ir. ~f. ""· Shallo
Catliolicit•1 of the Clwrch ......... .................................. ~fr. J ..\.Chester
Divine TVill and Omnipotence .................. ........................ Fr.""· Power
The Divinity of Christ p•·on·d from Ifis prophecies ....... ~Ir. E. ~fngevney
Origin of Circwntision ......... ................................ ~Ir. T. "\.Brosnahan
Tniu1·e Of the Creativt Act .......................................... ~Ir. W. J. Tynan
Crmtrot•asy betwan St. Cyprian and St. Step!ten ................. ~Ir . •\. ~fans
~Vecessit!l of Real Intention in the Jfinistrrs of tl11· Satraments
•
-)fr.•J. B. l\.okengP
Eternal r!reation .................................................. ~fr. A. ~f. ~Ianrlalari
The First Da!! of Creation ........................................... )fr. II. ~Ieiners
Pnpe•·s rend in
th~
phii<»ophieal A!'atll'm)· of the third year:
J[fm's Last End ..................................................... ......... ~Ir. S. Bueno
Criterion of Jfornlitl/ ............... ................................... ~Ir. ""m. Curle,·
F1·ee lVill .............. : ................................................. ~Ir. Jas. L. Smith
Foundation of Jfornlit1J ............ ............................. ~Ir. Jas. J. Sullivan
Eternal Punishment ... :.................. :............... ............ )fr. F. X. O'Neil
Origin of Idea.< ....................................... ......... ~fr. Wm. Cunningham
Divine Worship ................................................... ~Ir. John Nicholson
Ethicul Relations of man to the lou·a animols .............. )fr. John Condon
Papers read in the philosophical Aca•lem)· of the second year:
Cau.•nlity .............................. .................................... ~fr .•J. .T. Curran
First Prindples of Pllilo.<opliy ......................................... ~Ir. H .•TudgP
The .final Cause of the World ................................... )Ir. C. Worpcnberg
Prrnthei.•m ~f the Gcnnrrn School .................................... ~Ir. H. Marin~
The Composition of Bodies according to the Sclwlastir.• ... )fr. ,V, .T. Enni'
CritPrion of Truth ........................................................... C\Ir. T. Neat!'
C'reation ............................................................... ,)Ir. John O'Leary
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XIV, No.2.
TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION OF THE
SODALITY
IN THE NEW YORK MARYLAND PROVINCE.
(DEDICATED TO VERY REV. FATHER VICAR.)
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE, D. C.
A letter from the Very Rev. Father Vicar of the Society
of Jesus, addressed to the members of the Order throughout the world, called attention to the faa that on December
5th of the current year would occur the three hundredth
anniversary of the establishment in the Roman College of
the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary; and inviting the
members of the Society of Jesus, as well as the faithful under their care, to unite in celebrating appropriately so interesting an event. By gracious concession of our 'Holy Father,
Leo XIII, special indulgences were granted for the occasion.
The response made to this circular, judging from what
has been done in our own country, was most cordial, and
cannot f.1.il to gratify the fatherly concern of the Sovereign
Pontiff. Novenas, triduums and commemorative services
have been largely attended, and the devotion, fostered in
this pious confraternity, has received a powerful impulse.
VoL.
XIV,
No.
2.
ro
(149)
�rso
TERCENTENARY OF TlfE SODALITY.
In Georgetown College, special reasons existed for the
observance of this Tercentenary. Here, in r8IO, antedating by many years any similar establishment elsewhere,
was instituted the first Sodality ereB:ed within the limits of
the United States. On the desk before us lies a time-stained
manuscript book of some forty pages, in which is to be
found the first copy of the Rules of the Sodality drawn up
for our American Catholics, and following this the list of
the original members.
On Sunday, December 8th, I8IO, George Boarman, \Vm.
Brent, John Cottrell, Thomas Downing, Robert Durkee,
Edward Kavenagh, John Kelly, George King, of Chas.,
\Villiam Llewellin, Richard l\IcSherry, Henry Quinn, Ignatius Newton, Thomas Richardson, and Aloysius Young, all
students of Georgetown College, were admitted into the Sodality of the B. V. l\1., ancl.!hus formed the first band of
socialists canonically existing in our country. One year
later, Benjamin Fenwick, Leonard Smith, John Gregory.
John Durkee, George Fenwick and Joseph Carberry, were
united to the same body.
George Boarman, whose name heads the list, was probably a relative of Commodore Chas. Boarman, who died in
.Martinsburg, \V. Va., a few years ago, and whose college
career was cut short by the war fever which raged in these
parts about the year -I 8 I I, the enthusiastic lad having exchanged his dormitory bed for a hammock on board a sloopof-war of our then infant navy. Edward Kavenagh, one of
the original group, became Governor of l\Iaine, and was for
a time Minister from the United States to Portugal:· -The
religious spirit which made him a proto-socialist in his native land never left him in the walks of public life which he
was destined to tread; and at the present day the splendid
Kavenagh School in Portland, 1\Ie., is a monument to this
fidelity of his to the faith of his fathers. Richard McSherry,
the tenth on this roll of honored names, died eleven years
ago, at the residence of his son, in Baltimore. From the
obituary notice which appeared in the Joumal at the time,
�TERCENTENARY OF i'HE SODAJJTY.
r,'ir
we extract the closing paragraph, satisfied that the eulogy
therein pronounced was richly deserved:
Dr. McSherry's life was spent in the labors of his profes>-;ion and in doing good. No man in the community was
more belm·ed or respeCted. He was a skillful and successful physician, a good neighbor, a good friend, and a good
citizen. Fifty years after leaving Georgetown College, where
he made his first spiritual retreat, he made another with the
Jesuit Fathers of Loyola College. His long life was indeed
a preparation for a better one. He died peacefully, fortified
by the sacraments of the Church, whose precepts he had
always f:1ithfully observed, and his remains now rest beside
those of his parents, his beloved wife, his children, and
grand-children at Martinsburg.
•
The last of this band of first Socialists became a Jesuit, and
for many years Father Aloysius Young was widely known
and esteemed for his piety and rare classical learning.
George Fenwick and Joseph Carberry became Jesuits.
The former was one of the scholastics sent to Rome to pursue his studies- Ryder, Fenwick. Mulledy-and who, on
returning to this country, did so much to elevate the standard of studies in Geoq.;etown, then the only college of the
Jesuits in this country.
Running down the list of socialists who, in successive
years joined this pious society, we come across some of the
most honored and honorable names in Maryland, Virginia,
Louisiana, Pennsylvania and other States of the Union. Not
until r825 do we find mention made of the spiritual director
of the Sodality. In that year we read: "Rev. B. Fenwick,
Superintendent," the same who became afterwards Bishop of
Boston, had directed the Sodality here in the fifteenth year
of its existence.
With all modesty do we glory in this claim of our association, of being the oldest Sodality in the United States, and
we may confidently hope that our College shall never be
without its share of her f:1vor, under whose patronage so
many years ago pious youths gathered to do her honor.
Our celebration on the 8th of this month was simple,
�152
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
though, we trust, none the less sincere and acceptable to
the Blessed Virgin, whose festival we kept. A Tr£duum
preceded the feast, BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament
being given every evening. High Mass was sung on the
morning of the 8th, and all the Catholic students, who have
made their first Communion, six only excepted, approached
the Holy Table. At the same hour, in the small community chapel, a little band of first communicants were admitted to receive from the hands of Father Stack the Holy
Eucharist.
That indispensable feature of every college-boy's celebration was not wanting-"a feast"-and Father O'Kane, the
DireCtor of tht! Sodality, who holds also the position of
"Minister of the Interior" in our little State, provided for
his sodalists a bountiful supply of good things, to which
they did full justice at 5.3D··in the evening. One of our
former prefeCts of the Sodality, Mr. Conde B. Pallen, of New
York, was our guest on the occasion.
At 8 P. M. there was a solemn reception of twenty-seven
members into the Sodality, who were addressed by Rev.
John A. Conway, S. J., of\Voodstock College, formerly a
professor in our institution. His discourse was admirable,
and deeply interesting to all who were present. The exercises closed with the BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament.
ST. JOSEPH'S, PHILADELPHIA.
Sunday evening, Dec. 7th, 1884, the Tercentenary .bf the
Canonical institution of the Sodality of the B. Virgi; Mary
was celebrated with becoming magnificence in the historic
St. Joseph's of Philadelphia. In preparation for the feast of
the Immaculate Conception, a novena was conduCted by
Fr. Romano, direCtor of the Sodality. The exercises were
largely attended. The church and altar were magnificently
decorated for the Sodality celebration and for the feast of
the Immaculate Conception. The members of the Sodality
approached Holy Communion in the morning, and in the
evening an ehiborate musical programme of litany and
�TERCENTENARY OF THE
SODALIT1'~
153
hymns in honor of the glorious Queen of heaven was rendered with that precision and excellence for which St. Joseph's Sodality has become specially noticeable. Before
Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament, a sermon was
preached by Fr. Brie, who spoke of the great work done by
the Sodalities. They were one of the means of counteraCting the heresies of the 16th century and of restoring piety
throughout the world. Like all institutions of the Church
they had a twofold effeCt:, a spiritual and temporal onefrom the sanCtification of its members flowed temporal blessings. Many young men who become wrecks would be
llseful members of society if they had the graces and the
proteB:ion which the Sodality obtained for its members. It
was because he realized the importance and value of Sodalities that Fr. Aquaviva obtained of Pope Gregory XIII, in
15 84, the Canonical Institution of the Sodalities of the
B. V. lVL
The present large attendance and the equally large attend:ance at the novena exercises showed the interest the people
of St. Joseph's and the members of the Sodality especially
took in their association. They had reason to love it. It
was the oldest in Philadelphia and one of the oldest in the
·country. It was a mother or primary Sodality after which
the others in the city were modeled.
The members of the Sodality should be faithful to its
rules and regulations, and do all in their power to induce
their friends to put themselves under the proteB:ion of the
Queen of heaven by joining her Sodality and assisting at
the devotions in her honor.
After the sermon Benedicrion of the Blessed Sacrament
was given by Very Rev. Maurice \Valsh, V. G., 'assisted by
Frs. Ardia, Romano and Brie. The Vicar-General presided
in absence of the Most Rev. ArchUishop Ryan who had
promised to preach, but was detained at the Plenary Council.
On Monday the 8th, feast of the Immaculate Conception,
there was Solemn High Mass, Fr. Romano, celebrant. The
church was crowded to overflowing as on Sunday evening.
�IS+
TERCENTENARY OF THE
SODALJTJ~
The Sodality at St. Joseph's numbers over 300 attending
members; it is under the spiritual direCtion of Fr. Romano,
who has had charge of it for over four years.
BOSTON COLLEGE,
~IASS.
As it was not feasible to hold the Sodality celebration on
the day on which the Church commemorates the Immaculate Conception, the oCtave was fittingly appointed for the
purpose. Accordingly, on Monday morning, the I sth inst.,
at nine o'clock, the students gathered for a solemnity so
edifying and at the same time so peculiar that it stands without a parallel in the history of the college. They first proceeded in a body to the church, where they attended Mass
which was offered by Fr. Pius l\lassi, their chaplain in ordinary. After this preparatory aft of worship rendered to
the Most High, they went to participate in the Academia
which the senior Sodality had arranged in the Ilu!a ll:laxima. Ho~v amazed were they at the nm·cl effeCt of the hall
from which the garish light of day had been excluded, and
how they admired the emblematic decorations that glowed
with richer hues in the soft illumination of gas and tapers.
A variegated mass of satin and art drapery had been lavished along the walls and across the clusters of pilasters; in
banners and oriflammes which with their religious devices,
gave to this temple of the academic muses, the appearance
of a medieval cathedral. It was the stage, however, that
presently caught and held the eye by its transformation
into a brilliant shrine. On the proscenium two stan~hrds
displayed the legends :
GREGORIUS XIII. SANXIT
MDLXXXIV
LEO XIII. FOVET
MDCCCLXXXIV
The scenes had been set to represent the hall of a royal
palace. At the extreme arch of the vaulted an0 pillared
spaces, beneath a canopy _of satin and embroidery, arose the
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
155
statue of the Immaculate Virgin Mother in whose homage
the entire festival was inaugurated. The vista that culminated at the pedestal, and was formed of exotics with the
exquisite symmetry and the deep glossy verdure of their
foliage, and of gilt candelabra with their decades of lighted
tapers and their crystal pendants furnishing a merry dance
to myriads of irises, fulfilled· more than the humble part of
giving locality to the celebration; it remains an image of
beauty in the memory of the spectato4. The Senior Sodality had invited as guests and also as participants in the
demonstration, the Faculty and Fathers of the College, some
former members, the Junior Sodality and the students in
general. As the exercises were to blossom forth from the
heart and so might lose their simple delicate charm by publicity, even the friends of the students were rigidly excluded.
In response there were present: the Rev. President, Father
Edward V. Boursaud; the Prefect of Schools, Fr. D. Leo
Brand; Fathers \Velch, Charlier, McQuaid, Byrnes, Russo
and Shandelle of the college; the ReL Thomas Coghlan
and the Re\·. Francis Butler, alumni of this institution and
the large corps of Professors. In all about three hundred
took up the elegant programme into the more minute details of which we shall not enter, since these may be readily
understood from the first column ·of our Stylus supplement.
It may be noted in passing that the .dcademia, or series
of literary and musical performances with a predominant
religious tone, owes its existence to the Primary Sodality of
the Roman College, where it was originated in 1569. So
effective an aid did it prove in education, that it was shortly
after recommended by the Jesuit authorities, and statutes for
its conduct were framed for it in the Ratio Studiorum. It
was the happy intention of our Sodality to arrange its Academia on the antique model, and those who were acquainted
with the scheme of the original did not consider their effort
an inferior imitation.
The exercises were opened with the prayer "Actiones
nostras" by Mr. P. F. Mulry, S. J., under whose management as Director of th<;: Senior Sodality, they were con-
�156
TERCENTENARY OF THE
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duEted. In the rendering of the pieces, all the choruses of
the students, the "Holy Angels' Tribute" and the Latin
hexameters bore off the palm. The greatest individual triumph was obtained by Thomas J. Hurley, '85, who had
written the words, composed the music and who then sang
his hymn in that sweet and finished tenor of his that has
been the gem of many a celebration in college and church.
Mr. Edward J. MacGoldrick, the college choir-master, duly
presided at the piano, enjoying the reward of his interest in
arranging some of the hymns and in direCting the St. Cecilia Society. The Latin ode, it may be observed, is taken
from the colleCtion of lyrical poems written by Fr. Matthias
Casimir Sarbiewski, S. J., surnamed the "Horace of Poland,"
and is a cameo of classic excellence-is, in faa, one of the
neatest specimens of Hebre~v imagery cut into the Roman
idiom we remember to have""seen. We must congratulate
the Sodality on having brought to light that sublime invocation to our Virgin Mother which St. Gregory the theologian places at the end of what we might style his Divine
Tragedy. A pretty thought to bind the almost inspired
psalm of the Gregory of the East with the music of the
great Gregory of the West. It is, moreover, noteworthy
that the strong and ardent language which the holy DoCtor
of the fourth century ,employs in regard to the "all-blessed
Virgin," rivals the most affeCtionate terms, sometimes deemed exaggerated, which we find in the writings of St. Francis
de Sales and St. Alphonsus Liguori, the DoCtors of the
Holy Church in the nineteenth.
_• .
The short hour had passed and the accents of the venerable Greek hymn died away, when the Rev. Fr. Boursaud
arose to express his gratification as a most interested witness
of the piety of the students and the ability displayed by them
in their literary and musical efforts, all of which they had
rightly direCted according to the Jesuit motto-ad maj'orem
Dei gloriam et BeatCIJ Marim Virginis ltonorem. As a little
episode which proved most agreeable to the collegians, he
presented the Stylus prize to Mr. Richard F. Harris, '85,
with a few remarks complimentary to the winner and incen-
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
157
tive of equal endeavor to the rest. All then adjourned to
the church where solemn Bendiction of the Blessed Sacrament was imparted. At this ceremony, the Rev. President
was the celebrant and was assisted by Father Brand as deacon and Mr. Kelley, Director of the Junior Sodality, as
sub-deacon; all the Fathers and Scholastics of the college,
robed in surplices, appeared in the sanctuary. The sublime
chorus of the "Te Deum" crowned the celebration.
The rest of the day which had smiled from foul into fair,
was devoted to recreation. \Ve may confidently state
that all who were present will not forget, as long as memory
holds her firm seat, the spectacle in our College Hall in
which the students decorated with the medals and ribbons
of Mary's most favored Sodality, applauded with the enthusiasm peculiar to themselves, all that was said and sung in
honor of the Mother of the Emmanuel. It was, indeed, a
scene that would have gladdened the heart of the Chief Pastor of Holy Church who loves the associations of the young
and styles them fmgijera: sodalitates, and would have rewarded the zeal of the· Very Rev. Anthony M. Anderledy,
the Vicar of the So_ciety, who is the chief promoter of this
Tercentenary jubilee, had they been witnesses. In all
modesty we will only suggest that no more genuine piety
could have been shown at the Roman College three centuries ago, when the canonical institution of the Primaria was
proclaimed, than that which welled from the sweet and sincere hearts of our fellow-students on this three-hundredth
anniversary.
LEO~ARDTOWN,
MARYLAND.
We commenced with a novena of preparation. There
was a general Communion for the Socialists on the feast.
Besides the Socialists, many of the congregation went to
Holy Communion. Fifteen children made their first Communion at the early Mass. Quite a number of Communions was distributed during the octave. 'vVe had High Mass
sung by Fr. Jenkins on the feast. In the evening there was
a sermon on the Immaculate Conception by Fr. Hayes, fol-
�158
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
lowed by Benediaion ofthe Most Blesed Sacrament Music, very good-furnished by St. Aloysius' choir of this town.
Number of Sodalists sixty-one ; all black, but beautiful, as
says the Scripture.
CHURCHVILLE, PE:-INSYLVANIA.
The Tercentenary of the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin
Mary was celebrated in the church of the l\Iost Blessed Sacrament at Churchville by a novena with the Benediaion of
the Blessed Sacrament. Every day during the novena at
7 P. :\l., the services began with singing, the recitation of the
litany and other prayers seleaed for the occasion; a sermon
or an exhortation was given each time by the spiritual direaor of the Sodality, Fr. A. Rapp. The church was well
filled with the pious children of l\Iary, and they flocked
thither not only from the ~~ighboring village, but also from
places over five miles distant. The first few days heayen
helped in sending us the benefit of the full moon and fair
weather, but for the last three days rain set in and in consequence thereof not so many confessions were made as we
expeaed. I am happy to say that the pious people showed
a great deal of devotion to our Mother during this time, and
,they expressed their wish to have every year such a n<?vena,
which we are willing to give them with the approbation of
our Superiors.
CONEWAGO, PENNSYLVANIA.
On the feast of the Immaculate Conception we celebrated
here the Tercentenary of the institution of the Sodalities devoted to the honor of our Blessed Lady. It had been announced two weeks previously that, in order to give all the
Socialists an opportunity of gaining the indulgence, confessions would be heard on the following Saturday and Sunday, dispensing with Sunday School, Vespers, etc., on the
latter day, and also that another Mass would be celebrated
at eight o'clock on the holyday to accommodate those wh:o
could not assist at the first which was to be at half-past six.
Saturday came, and wi,th it a dreadful storm of wind and rain,
�TERCENTEi'v'ARY OF THE SODALITY.
159
so that no confessions were heard. This unpromising state
of affairs determined us to postpone the celebration, but, lo
-Sunday dawned bright and clear and numbers of people
came to confession long before the time for Mass. Being
perplexed how to act, I asked an intelligent old f.·umer how
were the roads, and what were the prospects for a large attendance. He replied that the rain had beaten down the
roads and that the strong wind during the day would dry
them up considerably; besides the mornings were moonlight
. and if a frost came (a very likely event), the walking· and
driving would be excellent. This decided me, and at the
Masses I announced that e\·erything would proceed as had
been promised. All of that day, and for a great part of the·
morning of the eighth, we heard confessions, and the result
was over 900 Communions, a bEl: which astonished e\·erybody.
At the first Mass, besides the usual choir singers \\·e had
part of the McSherrystown band as an orchestral accompaniment. In the afternoon at three o'clock we had appropriate exercises, and Fr. Haugh preached a sermon worthy
of the occasion. i\Iost all the members of our congregation from the time of their first Communion, are enrolled in
the Sodality. \\'e received about forty ne\\' members, most
of whom were boys and girls. ?\ othing occurred to interfere with our prog-ramme, and thus passed a day which will
be long memorable in Conewago. The day was celebrated
in the missions as well as their opportunities would admit.
The number of Communions, in proportion to the bulk of
the congregation, was respectable. Fr. Emig's church, at
Hanover, was decorated to such a degree, as to extort admiration from even the most prejudiced against our f.1ith.
ST. JOHN'S COLLEGE, FORDILU!, XE\\' YORK.
The eighth of Dec., I SX4, will often be remembered by
the students of St. John's with feelings of pleasure and piety.
Doubtless, for long years to come the members of the three
Sodalities at Fordham will often return in spirit to the College
�t6o
TERCENTENARr OF THE SODALITY.
Chapel to gaze upon the altar which on that day was lit up
with hundreds of lights and fragrant with the perfume of
fresh bright flowers. Perhaps, in years hence the souls of
our Socialists will again thrill with delight, when, in fond
recollection, recalling their joy on Our Lady's Feast, they
seem to hear once more the sweet voices of companions
who have long ago been called away to that eternal celebration of which our grandest solemnities are but the merest
shadow.
·
All the Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin began, as Rev.
Fr. Provincial had prescribed, a novena to Our Lady preparatory to the feast of the Immaculate Conception. During
· the progress of the nine days' devotions, the first Friday of
the month occurred and quite a number of Socialists went
to Communion. The nu!_Tlber of those who approach the
Holy Table on the first FriC!ays of the month this year has
notably increased. If this practice continue it cannot fail of
drawing down blessings upon the students at Fordham.
The novena over, the morning of Our Lady's Immaculate
Conception dawned bright, chilly and clear. It found the
boys, after a general confession the evening before, with
bright faces and light hearts ready for the feast. At 6.30
· there was a Low Mass, at which not only the Socialists, but
~ll the students in the college communicated. At 9 o;clock
all again assembled in the chapel for Solemn High Mass,
which was celebrated by Fr. Cahill, assisted by Fr. O'Reilly
as deacon and Mr. Richley as sub-deacon. The vestments
of heavy golden cloth used on the occasion were pr~sented
to the college a .few days before the celebration ; while the
beautiful chalice and costly missal also used on this occasion
were given some years ago to Father Rector by their Holinesses, Pius IX, and Leo XIII. The green house had been
shorn of its fairest and most fragrant blossoms to deck Our
Lady's shrine ; while the main altar was almost hidden beneath its weight of bright flowers and starry lights. Another
feature of the Mass was the order and grace which appeared
in all the movements of the altar-boys. About thirty or
forty boys in their red and black cassocks, and representing
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODAL1TY.
r6r
aimost every age, size and class in the college, added considerably to the beauty and grandeur of the ceremonies.
The singing under the direction of Mr. Quirk was in keeping with the celebration, and it was evident that the best
voices had been chosen and carefully trained.
At 6.30 P. M., all again met in the chapel for a sermon and
solemn Benediction. The sermon was delivered by Rev.
Fr. McLaughlin of St. Stephen's. Some years ago he left
Fordham and went to Rome to make his studies. There
he was ordained less than a year ago. vVhen he heard of
the Sodality celebration he offered to preach on the occasion, and his sermon was all that we could desire. \Vhen
the preacher had finished the altar was lighted up for Benediction. Loud and clear, amid sweet flowers and numerous
lights and clouds of humble incense, rang out the sweet
voices of our choir in a thrilling anthem of praise to Our
Lady. The music at Benediction was rendered especially
fine by the college band accompanying the choir.
But the feast of the Immaculate Conception did not end
our celebration ; for on the Sunday within the octave of the
feast the reception of larger boys into the Sodality took
place. The reception for those of the second and third division had been held some weeks before. Before the larger stu·
dents enrolled themselves as clients of Mary they all went
to Communion; after the Mass Fr. Halpin preached a forcible and touching sermon on the necessity of keeping one's
word, and showed them that they were about to give their
word to advance the honor of Mary and consequently they
were bound to stand to their promise. On this occasion
twenty-one were admitted to become members of the Sodality. At the two receptions which preceded this one
about thirty-five new members were received, making a total of over fifty new members admitted into the Sodalities
this year.
Before closing this paper it may be interesting to give the
total number of Communions here since the year began.
The boys returned on the 10th of Sept., and since then the
number of Communions received by tlzem amounts to 1443,
o~ about 96 a week. This certainly speaks well for the
Piety of the students of St. John's.
�TERCENTENARJ: OF THE SODA/.JTJ:
<;F.St\ PHILADELPHIA.
In answer to your communication, I beg to inform you
that our celebration of the T ercentcnary was a thorough
success. The Sodality, small in number (32 1) which is due
to the faE't that there is one established in every parish, and
also to the smallness of our 0\rn parish since the new limits
prescribed, came to the devotions every night, and what is
more their example seems to have awakened the whole congregation. For the church was literally packed all through
the nO\·ena. Fr. Burns from Li\·erpool opened the exercises, and Fr. Villigcr conduCted the rest. \Ve have every
reason to be thankful for the great good that was done, and
hope its fruits may last.
l!A:\0\"ER,"'PE:\X,;YL\"AC\IA.
St. Joseph's Church, Hanover, Pa., has two Sodalities.
They sprang into existence with the church, A. D., 1877·
The one is for young men, the other for young ladies. The
latter was a success from the start, and has ever since continued a model Sodality. It numbers 66 members. That
of the boys is less numerous. It counts but 29. It is a
herculean task to establish a confraternity among boys in a
small country-town.~ Half of them have to leave home to
find work. However, what we have is worth having.
A novena in honor of the Immaculate Conception preceded the celebration of the Tercentenary of the Sodality of
Our Blessed Lady. St. Joseph's Church on the da}··of the
feast wore its gala dress. The altar of the Blessed Virgin
was a gem of beauty. An ocean of lights intermingled
with the rarest flowers gave it a heavenly appearance. During the l\lass the Sodalities approached the Holy Table, followed by twice as many devout parishioners.
During the afternoon service the programme was the
following: r. Recitation of the Office. 2. Renewal of the
aCt of consecration by the prefeCts of the respe8:ive Sodalities ; all the members holding lighted tapers. 3· Recitation
�TERCENTENARY Of<~ THE SODALITY.
·ib3
of the Litany of the B. V. M., with other suitable prayers.
4· Hymn by the choir. 5. Short address by the pastor.
6. Tantum Ergo and Benediction. J. Te Deum laudamus.
HOLY TRINITY, BOSTON, )f.\S:-;.
The only considerable parish of German Catholics in Ne\\"
England, owes its prosperity to the perfect organization of
its confraternities. But for these, the parishioners scattered
as they are over the outskirts of Boston, would be induced
to frequent the nearest churches and lose their identity
among their Irish-American correligionists; whereas now,
they all loyally converge to their beautiful gothic Dom, "the
German cathedral," as it is sometimes styled, situated in the
very heart of the city, and there maintaining the pious traditions of the fatherland, form one of the most edifying congregations of this country. The system of these confraternities
is in so far different from that in operation in other Jesuit
churches, that the h<thers and mothers of families are members of the Archconfraternity of the Rosary, whilst their
unmarried sons and daughters are associated in the Sodality
of the Bless·ed Virgin duly affiliated to the Prima Primaria
of the Roman College. \ Vith this statement and the addition that the married men's section of the "Living Rosary''
numbers four hundred, and that of the married women six
hundred, we pass on to report the solemnities with which
the Sodality celebrated its Tercentenary. A novena to prepare for the event and to comply with the conditions of the
jubilee, was begun in season to conclude on the Sunday
within the octave of the feast of the Immaculate tonception.
In order to intensify the fervor of this preparation, a triduum
was preached by Father Hauser of Buffalo, formerly a missionary in Hindostan, who drew an audience that crowded
the little space left in the church by the Sodalities. The
sermons closed on Friday night, Dec. 13, in prudent anticipation of the numerous confessions that occupied the afternoon and night of Saturday. On the next morning, at
the seven o'clock Mass, both branches of the Sodality, the
young men as well as the young women, received Holy
�r64
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALiTY.
Communion together, in pious emulation of which might
present the more complete ranks. This was the interior
and spiritual celebration of the Tercentenary which must
have proved most gratifying to Our Lady; the public demonstration took place at half-past seven in the evening. The
national taste for a splendid ceremonial was eminently displayed on this occasion. The coldest Puritan blood would
have been warmed by the jubilant bells, the orchestral peals
of the organ, the glowing saints in the windows of the richly
illuminated church, the voices of the Sodalists reinforced by
the old and the young of the congregation, singing their
sonorous hymns ; no wonder then that the veins of these
Catholic Germans were throbbing with enthusiasm. ·
The exercises opened with the Veni Creator by the choir,
after which Fr. Hauser ascended the pulpit and gave an
impulse to the piety of the. e\·ening by the fervid breath of
his exhortation. Then followed a reception of new members into the Young Ladies' Sodality, together with the
profession of faith and the renewal of the aa of consecration
made according to the peculiarly solemn ritual of this
church. The procession was next in order. 'It consisted
of various groups: little maids attired as angels, boys who
bore bannerets floating the titles of the Litany of Loretto, a
. bevy of girls with the symbols of the Blessed Virgin on
satin cushions, fouryoung misses who bore aloft a statue of
Mary Immaculate-of her who was the recipient of all this
loving homage-the young lady consulters and the officers
of the Young Men's Sodality in evening dress with ·lighted
tapers in their hands, their medals glittering on theii:breasts.
The clergy of the church who had in the meantime appeared in the chancel, closed the long and festive pageant. After the march through the aisles during which the members
of the procession alternated with the choir and congregation
in chanting the litany, the sanauary was again reached and
the Tr Dmm intoned; the "Grosser Gott" was given in the
full throated response to which only the fretted vaults of a
German church can echo. Solemn Benediaion concluded
these ceremonies; Fr. F. X. Napper aaing as celebrant, Fr.
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY
i65
H. J. Shandelle, as deacon and Fr. Joseph Krieg as subdeacon.
Both Fr. Jansen who as direCtor of the Young Men's Sodality, has three hundred and thirty members on his roll,
and Fr. Krieg who presides over the Sodality of three hundred unmarried ladies, deserve to be congratulated on the
spirit that reigns in these flourishing bodies, and that was
made manifest in this n1cmorable and brilliant celebration of
the Tercentenary Jubilee.
DDIACULATE COXCEPTION, BOSTO:\.
The contributions to the observance of the Tercentenary,
on the part of Ours at Boston College and at the Church of
the Immaculate Conception ,,-hich they sen-e, amount principally to three: the ·solemn commemoration of the event
by the large and fervent Sodalities of the congregation; an
Academia by the studenb of the college, and lastly, the suggestion and promotion of an English translation of Father
Louis Delplace's History of the Sodalities, recently published in Belgium. \Vithout any further reference to the
contribution last mentioned which, we trust, has by this
time reached our brethren, we now briefly describe the two
celebrations that rendered this December venerable to the
participants, whilst they produced much good among our
people and our students.
On the night of the feast of the Immaculate Conception,
the four SodaJities which usually meet in St. Valentine's
chapel, assembled in the upper church. The young men
who arc generally in the minority, were reinforced by deputations from the sister Sodalities of the church of the Holy
Trinity, and St. Augustine's; whilst their seniors appeared
with ranks considerably strengthened by a delegation from
St. J oscph's. The Sodality of the ladies, married as well as
unmarried, overflowed their half of the church until the spacious edifice was crowded almost exclusively with Socialists.
In the brilliant illumination of the altar and of the coronals
VoL.
XIV.
No.
2.
II
�166
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THE SODALITY.
that gird the pillars, this most beautiful of temples looked
more virginal than ever: and deserved the privileged name
of "the Immaculate" which it has among Bostonians.
The order of exercises was as follows : The rosary recited by the prefect of the Young Men's Sodality; Hummel's
Alma Virgo, with the solo by Mrs. Lewis, the soprano of
the church quartette; the reception of new members; the
Veni Creator; the Ave Maris Stella, and in fine, the Solemn
Benediction. The sermon was preached by Fr. Michael J.
Byrnes, who made the Tercentenary his appropriate subject.
Rev. Fr. Edward V. Boursaud, the Rector of the College,
conducted the reception by which a considerable increase
went to swell the ranks of the Sodalities which now number
close on two thousand. He was assisted by Frs. Nicholas
Russo and Henry J. Shandelle, the Directors, respeB:ively,
of the Married Ladies' Sotlality and of that of the young
men. Frs. Charlier and Jansen, the latter from our German
Church, were present in the sanctuary. The Te Deum with
which the evening closed, was a first effort of congregational
singing in the church and was given with fine effeB:, in alternate strophes, by the select choir and the large body of
the Socialists who, by direB:ion of Fr. Boursaud, had been
trained by the organist, Mr. Edward J. MacGoldrick.
· 'vVe should overlook an event of prime importance which
happened this same~ Monday, the 8th of December, if we
failed tp mention the introduction of a custom unfortunately
new in this, as it would be in many other churches of the
country, we mean, the due observance of the holy~ays of
obligation with the Solemn High Mass usu~lly postponed
to the followingSunday. Here, what a contrast between
last All Saints' with the old regime simple missa cantata
served by a wee bit of a clerk and without a sermon, and
this feast of the Immaculate Conception set off with all the
splendors of an ecclesiasti{:al funB:ion and with a magnificent discourse on the mystery commemorated! What a
change too in the choirs! Then, a perfunCtory paid quartette; now the choir of college students singing with all the
~weet, fresh melody of young and enthusiastic-artists, w~
�TERCENTENARY
OF THE SODALITJ:
r6;
would almost style them. The congregation had been completely gained over to the new idea, and further incited by
the announcement that the sermon would be by Fr. John J.
Murphy, Reetor of Gonzaga College, attended in large numbers. We may count upon thi~ experiment of properly solemnizing the holydays as a success from this moment. It
is not the least effort that was made to touch with pleasure
the Immaculate Heart of Mary on this festive occasion of
the jubilee.
LOYOLA COLLEGE.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception will long be remembered by the members of the Sodality of the Blessed
Virgin Mary attached to the church of St. Ignatius. Ever
since it was committed to his charge, the Rev. DireCtor has
been making heroic efforts to infuse new spirit into the Sodality, and the number present on the evening of the 8th,
showed with what happy results his labors had been crowned.
In the morning the members received Holy Communion,
and at the evening services the church was so well filled
that many persons were obliged to stand throughout. The
altar of the Blessed Virgin ·was gayly decked with numerous lights and flowers, and the bright new church, brilliantly
lighted from above, looked fairer than ever.
After the recital of the Little Office by the Sodality, the
Rev. \Vm. Pardow of St. Francis Xavier's, N, Y., delivered
a sermon on devotion to our Blessed Lady. His subjeCt
was taken from the words of the epistle for the feast: "The
Lord possessed me in the beginning of his ways, before he
made anything from the beginning"-and he pointed out
their application to the Mother of God. "\Vhat shall we
say of those," said he, "who profess to honor God and yet
despise His Mother? vVhat should we think of a person
who professed to give us the works of an author to read, but
withheld the author's masterpiece? Of one who essayed to
recount the glories of Michael Angelo, and in his panegyric
said nothing about St. Peter's? Do they not aa in like
manner, who profess loyalty to Jesus Christ, and yet never
�168
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
speak of His Blessed Mother? Such persons begin with
despising the 1\Iother and end with rejeCting the Son." His
exhortation was strong and to the point. ... If we wish," said
he, "to be children of 1\Iary and her possession we must
avoid sin-the only obstacle . to the accomplishment of our·
desires."
After the sermon the reception of fifty new members into
the Sodality took place. Diplomas of membership were
then given to all the Sodalists, and the exercises closed with
BenediCtion. A new feature introduced into the Sodality
by its present DireCtor is the singing of its members in unison at their regular weekly meetings and at the BenediCtion
which follows. It is a step towards full congregational singing which may be looked forward to as an easy and natural
outgrowth of the present movement. Mention should be
made of the intention of the -Sodality to leave a memorial of
this day, by tiling the church floor. For this some $1500
will be necessary, but with the generous spirit that animates
the members, there will be little difficulty in realizing that
amount. Moreover, the names of all the members present
on the 8th will be engraved on a tablet to be placed in the
vestibuie of the church as a memorial of the three-hundredth
anniversary of the founding of the Sodality.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER'S, NEW YORK.
The novena for the five Sodalities conneCted with this
church and parish began on the evening of Tuesda_).[: Dec.
. •·.
8th.
The sermons ,\·ere preached by the Rev. _FF. Pardow,
Prendergast, J. O'Connor, McKinnon and Denny.
The admission to the church was by tickets. The tickets
were of divers colors according to the different Sodalities,
and indicated the seats reserved for members. The members alone were almost enough to fill the church.
At the close of the novena, vVednesday, the 17th, there
was a procession, during which the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin was sung, and a reception had into all the Sodalities.
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
z6<}
About one hundred and fifty candidates were received. The
special feature of this celebration \~as the congregational
singing under the direB:ion of Fr. Young and Mr. Klein,
the organist. The book used was the Roman Hymnal.
Smaller hymn books were distributed to all Sodality members .
. The gene~al Communion day was Sunday, the 14th, at
the half-past 7 o'clock Mass.
ST. JOSEPH'S, NEW YORK.
The third centennial of the institution of the lay-congregations of the Blessed Virgin Mary has been celebrated in
a solemn manner in our little church.
Our Sodalities are the following: Men's Sodality under
the title of St. Joseph, members, 6o; l\Iarried \Vomen's Sodality under the title of the Holy Angels, 70; Young Men's
Sodality under the title of St. Aloysius, 50; Boys' Sodality
under the title of St. Stanislaus, 40; Young \Vomen's Sodality under the title of St. Rose, I 23.
\Ve had a novena; every evening we recited the rosary,
and had BenediB:ion. On the evening of the feast itself
there were a sermon and a solemn procession of the said
Sodalities; the celebration was closed, according to German
fashion, with the "Grosser Gott."
ST. JOSEPH'S, PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.
\Ve celebrated the Tercentennial of the foundation of the
Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin Mary by a novena which
terminated on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. The
exercises consisted of the singing of the Litany, the recitation of the beads, a sermon by the Fathers on alternate
evenings. The Sodalists in all' number a little over one
thousand. During the novena we heard about 1400 Confessions and gave as many Communions.
�tio
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
ST. JOSEPH'S, TROY, NEW YORK.
The great anniversary was celebrated in our chur.ch in a
manner long to be remembered. The devotion shown by
all the Sodalists was very consoling to the Fathers, and
made them hope for great things in the future from these
clients of l\Iary.
The Sodality of the young men had their celebration on
the 14th of December after a novena of instruCtions. There
was a general Communion in the morning, and in the even·ing a sermon and reception of postulants. Three hundred
Sodalists pronounced solemnly the aCt: of consecration to
the Blessed Virgin Mary. The exercises were ended by the
BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Young Ladies' SoCiality had also their novena in
their own chapel at the convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph ;
on December 21st, they had a celebration in St. Joseph's
Church.
The Tercentenary was also celebrated at St. Michael's.
We did our best.
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, WASHINGTON, D. C.
Our people living ..so much scattered, we had to b~ satisfied with saying the prayers for the novena during the 8
o'clock Mass. On the feast of the Immaculate Conception
we had Solemn High Mass at 10 o'clock, during whi~h the
Rev. Father Brambring preached an excellent sermqn on
the great privilege of our Blessed Mother. In the evening
at 7 o'clock the service began with a hymn sung by the
choir, followed by the "Veni Creator," preceding the sermon preached by Rev .. Father Brambring on the greatness
of the Blessed Virgin. It was a splendid sermon, at least
equal to, if not even excelling that preached in the morning.
After the sermon I finished the prayers for the novena according to the Raccolta. ·whilst a hymn was sung the candles to be carried in the procession were lit, after which the
procession started: Crossbearer, acolytes, priest with white
�t-ERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
I7I
cope, accompanied by two priests in surplice; Young Men's
Sodality (about 20); Married Men's Sodality (about 30);
the statue of Blessed Virgin carried aioft by four girls,
preceded by winged angels and followed by willged an. gels. Then followed the Sodality of young ladies (about
so), and the Sodality of married ladies (about 6o-;o).
You see \Ve had a rather long procession. All the
members of the So:ialities, old and young men not excluded, carried burning candles in their hands. The procession moved several times through the church, whilst the
whole Litany of the Blessed Virgin was sung by the choir.
At the end of the Litany I put the statue on the altar of the
Blessed Virgin. All the members of the Sodalities took their
respective seats in the pews and kept the burning candles
in their hands, whilst I recited aloud a short formula of a
renewal of the consecration to the Blessed Virgin. After
the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the solemnity
closed with the German Te Deum, Grosser Gott,sung by the
whole congregation.
ST. LAWRENCE'S, NEW YORK.
\Ve had a novena with instructions ending on the 8th of
December, on which day there was Solemn High Mass in
the morning, and a Solemn Benediction in the evening,
when a very interesting sermon was preached by Father
Cassidy of St. Francis'. Afterwards I invested a number of
the Sodalists with the blue scapular.
Remember this is not a big parish numerically. The
Gentlemen's Sodality has 1 so members, the Ladies' the
same; the children of Mary are 16s. The Boys' Sodality
numbers 100; the Girls', the same. The smaller children in
Sodalities amount to a hundred. Heretofore no Young
Men's Sodality existed in our congregation. One has been
started with a roll of fifty members to begin with, very finelooking fellows, some of whom we know to be excellent
young men. This makes over Soo Sodalists in all,
�172
TERCENTENAR V OF THE SODA LIT}·.
ST. ~L\RY'S CHURCH, ALEXANDRIA, VA.
Early in I 85 5, two Sodalities were organized in St.1VIary's
Church, Alexandria; one for bdies, the other for gentlemen. They have always united in the recitation of the office, and, during the whole period of the war for the independendence of the Confederate States, matins and lauds
were recited by them daily, before ::\lass, to implore the proteCtion of our Blessed Lady, with the result that the Socialists and their families were preserved from the danger and
misfortunes incident to that unhappy period in a manner
which they thought quite exceptional. After the war a Sodality was organized among the colored people, of whom
there are many in the congregation.
On Sunday, Nm·ember ~3'bth, the pastor addressed the
congregation on the subjeCt: of the Tercentenary, and earnestly exhorted the young people especially, to join the So- •
dalities, at the ,;ame time announcing a novena, to begin at
Vespers and to be continued each e\·ening of the following
week, ending on the feast of· the Immaculate Conception.
In response to his appeals eighty-six persons gave in their
names as postulants, and on the morning of the festival al'most the entire congr.rgation approached the Holy Table.
That night, the prayers of the novena were recited by the
DireCtor of the Sodalitic~. Re,·. J. B. De Wolf, after which
Rev. Father Connolly of Georgetown College rlelivererl an
~ •...
able and ·effeCtive discourse.
He said that thirty years ago the pastor of St. l\'Iary's had
been his instruCtor, and that when he had appealed to him
for aid in this matter he could not appeal in vain. The letter of the Holy Father, and his own charaCter as a priest of
God, besides, called upon him for every exertion he could
make. The Sodality needed new members and the lukewarm Socialists needed a revival of fervor. Our Lord earnestly desired the salvation of sinners. Love for the ever
Blessed Virgin l\Iary was a mark of perseverance to the end.
Her prayers were all powerful with God. Read the prayers
�1'ERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY
173
of St. Bernard and see his faith in Mary. But there were,
at this time, special reasons for devotion to our Blessed
Mother. Secret societies were active, and the religion of
humanity, so-called, was sought to be substituted for the
gospel. Pagan superstition had coexisted with the civilization of Greece and Rome, and the horrors of the French
Revolutio!l, when the Goddess of Reason was even throned
upon the altar of God, were the outcome of pretended enlightenment. The Sodality was a powerful agent in counteracting the machinations of the wicked who work in darkness.
Its regular Confessions and Communions kept young men
in the path of duty and prevented them from shutting out
God from their hearts. Its first members were young men
whom the Church honors, and in its early history, kings and
emperors had sought admission, and its introduction into
communities had brought peace and concord to many families. Seven popes, eighty cardinals, the kings of Hungary,
Poland and Belgium, and several emperors of Germany had
been affiliated with it. vVhy not join it? Some say they
have no time. It takes but little and they must find time
to save their souls, for this is the very end of their creation.
Some say, "what will people think of me?" They will
think that you have done well in embracing so powerful a
means of leading a better life. You will have greater peace
of conscience and will not regret that you became a Socialist.
After the sermon, the reception of candidates into the
three Sodalities took place, the exercises concluding as had
been done during the novena, with the Benediction. of the
Blessed Sacrament. The junior choir furnished the music
during the entire week.
ST. MARY's, BOSTON.
Our celebration of the Tercentenary of the Sodality of the
Blessed Virgin Mary was very successful. vVe had the exercises of the novena every evening with Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament, and our large church was full at every
service.
�I7-t
TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
Fr. Langcake was engaged to preach on the last· three
evenings of the novena, and at the closing celebration, but
on Saturday he was unexpectedly called away to commence
a mission in New York city, reluB:antly leaving his task but
half completed. Our plans were somewhat disarranged, but
we were fortunate in finding a substitute in Father Maguire
who, though incapacitated on account of rheumatism from
attending to his usual labor as a missionary, was able to
ascend the pulpit on Sunday evening and preach a sermon
that delighted his immense crowd of hearers. \Ve had, besides the rosary, Vespers and Solemn Benediction, after
which the Sodalities renewed their act of consecration to
the Blessed l\Iother of God. The church was full to repletion with the good people eager to gain the indulgence
promised by the Holy Father. Our beautiful church was
lighted up to the full extent;· and looked gorgeous.
The most satis£1ctory feature of the celebration was the
immense number of Confessions and Communions. In this
was exhibited the true spirit of piety which pervades our
poor people. Every afternoon and evening from Thursday
to Sunday inclusively, the people surrounded the confessionals, and we were often reminded of the little "darkie"
who mentioned as an important point of his preparation, "I
fights to git in." T!1ey were nearly all Sodality members,
and a great number was heard. The Communions for the
novena began on Thursday morning, and it would be hard
to estimate the great number who received the Bread of Life.
In my experience of nearly fourteen years here, I haye never
seen so many persons at the Sacred Table in one day as
were present last Sunday. Two large ciboriums consecrated at one Mass were both emptied at the next, and this I
have never known to happen in this church before. At
every Mass there were rails of Communions, and I think we
can safely put the sum total for the four days at 4000.
There have been great accessions to the Sodalities. At
the reception of the Married Men, a few days ago, 16o; at
the Young Men's on Monday evening, 65 were received;
at the reception of the Married Ladies about 50 were added,
�TERCENTENARY OF THE SODALITY.
r75
arid the Young Ladies will next Sunday make a great addition to their Sodality. So that the Sodalities aggreg~te between 3500 and 4000 members. They hold weekly meetings at which they recite the office and say the rosary. Each
Sodality has a weekly instruction from the Father Director,
and all except one have Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at every meeting. They all have their respective Sundays for Holy Communion, and it is very edifying to see
the very large number approaching the Holy Table. They
assist us in all our works about the church, sometimes giving valuable presents. For instance, the Married Ladies
have lately given a beautiful carpet for the sanctuary; the
Young Ladies have fixed up the altars and the sanctuary ;
the Married Men are presenting a very beautiful marble
altar, and the Young l\Ien have furnished their gymnasium
and reading room in a very creditable style. These societies are, in every way, the life of the parish, and it is to be
hoped that they will still continue to increase not only in
numbers but also in true piety and devotion.
TRINITY CHURCH, GEORGETOWN, D. C.
In compliance with the circular requesting "an account"
of our celebration of the "Tercentenary of the Sodalities of
our Blessed Lady," I send the following:
Previous to the feast of the Immaculate Conception a novena was commenced-the prayers were recited each evening and attended by many of the faithful. Every morning
devout clients of our Blessed Mother received Holy Communion-the number during the nine days reaching over
five hundred. The Sodality averages two hundred regular
attendants at the weekly meeting, the reception on Thursday adding thirty-five to this number.
WORCESTER, MASS., HOLY CROSS COLLEGE.
The celebration was one of the pleasantest and most successful that Holy Cross has witnessed. The High Mass,
the sermon, the reception into the Sodalities of the Blessed
�r;6
TERCENTENARY OF THE SOIJALITY.
Virgin and of the Holy Angels, and the literary entertainment, all were as we could have wished them. From early
morning until late at night, both Faculty and students
seemed to feel that a great day was being celebrated. Nor
could one cast a glance at the superb decorations in the
chapel without being convinced that an extraordinary celebration was in progress. The Solemn High Mass took
place at 9 o'clock in the Students' Chapel. Five o'clock
in the evening witnessed a reunion of the household in the
same place. The sermon was preached by Rev. Thomas D.
Beaven of Spencer, Mass., a graduate of the College. His
discourse was mainly a glowing tribute to the surpassing
perfeCtions of Our Lady, but was partly an exhortation to
swell the ranks of her glorious Sodality.
It was followed by the imposing ceremony of the reception. Some twenty-five students were received into the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin, and five into that of the Holy
Angels. This interesting event was followed by Solemn
BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament. The scene presented
by the richly adorned and brilliantly lighted altars and by
the sanCtuary filled with Sacred ministers and the altar-boys
was one of solemn and striking beauty. A bountiful repast
. had been prepared for the students who did ample justice to
the :Minister's catering. After supper, they and the Faculty
met in the study-hall and were well pleased with the entertainment which was furnished by representatives of the
higher classes. \Ve send you a copy of the progr~mme.
There were several items of interest, both in the ffilJsical
and in the literary line, but its chief feature was the openingaddress in which one of the philosophers gave a history of
the Sodality. This combined effort of our picked students
brought to an agreeable close a day which will be long
and pleasantly remembered.
REMARKS.-In several places the celebrations' have not
yet been held, as the DireCtors of the Sodalities have availed
themselves of the privilege of seleCting the time best suited
�CANADA.
177
to the surroundings. We shall be glad to receive accounts
of these festivities in honor of Our Lady.
In our Province the Sodalities have about thirty thousand
members ; that is nearly one fifth of the souls under our
care are in these pious congregations.
CANADA.
THE LAKE SUPERIOR MISSIONS.
Letter from Fr. Speclzt to Rev. Fr. Hudon.
FoRT WILLIAM, 0NT., Dec. 3, I884.
DEAR FATHER SUPERIOR,
P. C.
In finishing up the details of my mission trips in the
spring of I883, I expressed the. hope that the Lake missionaries would soon be able to leave aside their oars and boat
and follow the locomotive in its headlong course near the
shore of Lake Superior. This hope has been partly realized.
I sold my boat last spring, and I now travel almost exclusively by rail between Fort William and Michipiceton.
But this facility of communication with the different
points in my mission, aided as it is by the telegragh-wire,
far from shortening my trips and making my task easier,
only sen•es to lengthen the'one, while it makes the other
more difficult. Time and distance are hardly any longer
thought of even on the Upper Lakes, and my converts profit
by the railway to bring me often to them, chiefly on sickcalls. · It is to this increase of work that I would ask your
Reverence to attribute my tardiness in sending you the relation of my missionary labors of the spring and autumn just
past.
Besides these ordinary journeys, I undertook last winter
a trip from Fort William to Michipiceton, over three hundred miles alonl? the line of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
�CANADA.
This trip lasted three months; and what with the deep sttow,
the cold of mid-winter, and the thaws of spring, adventures
pleasant and unpleasant were not found wanting. They
mingled themselves in a strange and interesting confusion,
and helped, as they always do, to make the life of a Lake
Missionary agreeable and meritorious. One night, tired after a long day's march, and not being able to go further, my
two companions and myself camped out under a bright sta~
lit heaven. \Ve fell fast asleep. But the cold and wind
awoke us in the middle of the night, when we found that
several inches of snow had £<lien upon us for a covering.
Notwithstanding this forethought on the part of the upper
regions, we found it impossible to sleep longer. So up we
got and off we went in the middle of the snow-storm. Happily, we knew pretty well where we were, and after a sharp
walk we caught the provision-wagons on their way to Michipicoten village. An obliging driver took us into his wagon,
and we arrived at the village shortly after dinner the same
day.
On the return trip we narrowly escaped a freezing in the
midst of those many miles of high and open, unwooded hills
through which the supply-road passes from Michipicoten
to the Canada Pacific line.
I had hardly returned from this winter tour when I set
out again for Grand "Portage, Minn., to give my Christians
there the opportunity of fulfilling their Easter duties.
A few days after my return from Grand Portage, strengthened by the blessing of my Superior and encouraged by the
good wishes and prayers of our brothers, I left Fort William
for Nepigon (Red Rock) to begin my long spring tour.
More than on any previous trip, this one was to me a continual series of disappointments and agreeable surprises.
And a thing to be remarked is that the disappointments and
surprises came from quarters whence they were least expeCted.
Arrived at Nepigon, Wednesday in Holy Week, I decided to remain there until after Easter Sunday. I had no
ne~d of hurrying on to the Fort. I knew that iny little.
�CANADA.
179
flock was safe under the venerable eye of Fr. Ferard who
had been there since the preceding fall working in solitude
at his great Ochipwe Dictionary. On Easter Monday I
started for the Fort, not so much to make an official visit as
to meet Fr. Ferard and salute in passing our friend, Mr.
Henry de Ia Ronde.
On the way I stopped a day at the source of the Nepigon
River (Godjidjing) to baptize some children and to hear the
confessions of the savages who happened to be there hunt..
ing. Next day I was again on the road to the Fort; and
in less than twenty-four hours I had reached this first halt
in my long journey. My intention was to stay only a day
or two with my host and then leave to visit the few Indians
scattered here and there on the baqks of Lake Nepigon,
but for reasons that charity will not permit me to mention
here I had to give up this project, and remain two long
weeks at the Fort. I utilized this time in gathering a few
Indian roots in Fr. Ferard's garden, which, by the way, I
found very useful afterwards.
The season was advancing, and the ice was breaking up
on Lake Nepigon. The Indians who were to bring me to
the mouth of the Namewaminikan River,-whence I wished
to go up Long ·Lake-were late in coming. There was not
time to lose, and I decided to wait for them no longer. Consequently, May 5th, in the early morning, after having tah:n leave of Fr. Ferard and Mr. de Ia Ronde, I set out for
Namewaminikan River, a distance, I think, of forty miles.
The two men hired to draw my baggage had been on the
road since midnight. That I might join them with greater
facility, Charles de Ia Ronde, the .b'ourgcois' brother, p~aced
his strong toboggan and five dogs at my disposal. I jumped
on to the toboggan and clung to the side-rods in order not
to upset. vVhen the driver began to shout, "Get up, Blucher! Away Cartouche !" off the animals went over the
snow like a flash of lightning; and I soon joined my men.
Master and dogs then left me and returned to the Fort,
while I continued on my way. The crossing over the Lake
)Yil~ not free from dan~er ; for the ice was very weak i11
�t8o
CANADA.
many places, and every where covered \Vith water. Notwithstanding these obstacles, we counted on reaching our destination the same day. \Vet feet all day did not make the
journey pleasant. i\loreover, a thick fog spread over the
Lake and we strayed considerably out of the right path. I
had placed my confidence in the steering capacities of my
two companions, and had not thought onc:;e of consulting
the little compass that I always carry with me in these trips
on the lakes and in the woods. I found too late that instead
ol going east as we should have done we were heading due
north. \Ve then took the right road and started off again.
\Ve walked on and on until the sound of a water£.<11 reached
our ears. \Vrapped as we ,\·ere in a dense fog, this noise of
falling water was musi<;; to our cars-for we were close to
land. Off \Ye went in the 'direCtion o.f the noise, and we
soon descried through the~olouds of mist a high mountain
eight miles north of the place whither we should have gone.
All three of us were tired. Night had come on, and we
camped in the snow. The cold snow was grateful enough,
for we could get nothing better. \Ve closed our eyes, and
the noise of the waterfall soon lulled us to sleep. The situation was weird and would have been poetical, perhaps, had
it not been seasoned with such a dose of stern reality.
Next morning the fog had disappeared sufficiently to
show us the direCtion-we had to take. At 9 o'clock we had
reached the mouth of the River Namewaminikan. According to previous arrangements, I should have met a band of
my Christian Indians there. Great was my surprisc;,'when
l found not a soul. A letter tied to a stick driven i';;to the
ground, Indian fashion, informed me that they had been
visited by the measles. It would have been easy for my
two men to notify them of my arrival; but the fear of catching the disease-servile fear that makes a savage abandon
his nearest and dearest friends-pre\•entecl them from rendering me this little service, which under other circumstances they would willingly ha\·e clone. They would have remained with me until the Indians made their appearance;
but in doing so they would have aCted contrary to orders
.
~
�CANADA.
received at the Fort to return as soon as they had left me
at the River Namewiminikan. They left me alone about
nightfall, taking with them only the food that was necessary
for their tdp back. I kept the rest-a small quantity indeed.
The certainty of meeting the Indians had made me indifferent to the amount of food that I brought from the Fort-an
imprudence that I hope will not happen again.
Here I was in a wild solitude, alone, with a few crusts of
bread, without a dry piece of wood or an axe to cut it, and
not knowing when any one would come to join me. My
position was not reassuring. I saw before me only one al
ternative-and that embarassing enough: either to cross a
large bay to where the Indians were-a trip not without
great danger at that time, May 6th, owing to the melting
ice, or to remain where I \\'as and wait until Providence
would help me one way or another. I made my eleEl:ion and
determined to remain where I was and fast rather.than expose
myself alone on the treacherous ice. Two days passed thus,
at the end of which it pleased God to send me two Indians.
I had begun to count my crumbs, and things would have
gone hard with me had I had to remain much longer on the
river's edge. The savages started off immediately to notify
their people of my arrival. These did not delay in coming,
bringing with them my canoe and provisions. Four days
later the river was free from ice, and I set out for Long
Lake. I reached there at the end of eight days, May 2 rst,
eve of the Ascension. I found only a few women in the
neighborhood of the Fort. The officer, Mr. Godchere, was
absent with his Indians and would not return before the end
of the month. I took up quarters in the modest house that
I had occupied, two years previously, during my first visit
to Long Lake. This house also served as a chapel. I
spent the greater part of my time preparing a few women
for first Communion-a task not so easy as innocents think.
These good people are so little used to refleEl:ion, that it is
necessary to repeat a truth ten or twelve times before they
can retain what is taught them.
VoL. .xiv, No. z.
12
�CANADA.
While I \Vas thus occupied, Mr. Godchere came back to
the Fort, bringing with him a few savages. Others- continued to come every day, so that ten days later a large number of the tribe was at the Fort. The harvest was ripe, and
I set to work-beginning by what was most pressing, the
baptism of children and rehabilitation of marriages. Then
came the instruCtions on the principal mysteries of our religion, generally twice a day. These were well attended by
all the Christians, and by many infidels. My little chapel
was so crowded that I was obliged to keep the children out.
These I instruCted afterwards apart Between the instructions I heard confessions and prepared those of the infidels
who asked to be baptized; and happily, there was quite a
number of the latter. I only baptized three of them, however; the rest were not sufficiently prepared, and as circumstances did not allow me to remain longer at the Fort to
instruCt: them, I was obliged to put them off until next
spring. But I consoled them by telling them that, in
danger of death, Mr. Godchere or any one else could baptize them.
One of the three infidels who received baptism was a
squaw whose conversion appeared to me so strange that I
cannot withhold the details. :This was the wife of Francis
· Lagarde (vulgo Meshkiash). Four years ago her husband
and children were baptized by Fr. Hebert; she preferred to
remain in her infidelity. And as if the conduCt: of those
who had responded to the call of grace were a silent reproach to her, she began to mock them. One day when
husband and children were going to the chapel for i,>ening
prayers, "Go," said she, "nothing but prayer! Is prayer
going to make you live?" These words reached the ears
of Mr. Godchere. He called the chief, and feigning a severe look: "Listen, friend," said he, "if your wife does not
want to become a Christian, that is her affair, but I will not
allow her to mock those who have embraced our religion.
\:Vhat is that infidel going to teach your children?" The
following day I was greatly surprised· when I heard the
same wpman telling me that she wanted .to be baptized.
�CANADA.
Thinking that the language of the Bourgeois had intimidated her, and that her fear of him had caused her to take this
step, I insisted twice on knowing the truth, whether she
had not been unduly influenced by some 6ne to take so sudden a determination. She answered that she herself wished
to be baptized, and this she said with such a convincing
tone that I could not doubt the action of grace. As I had
to leave on the following day for Le Pic, I began immediately to instruct her, and near eleven o'clock at night the
waters of baptism moistened her brow. I suggested the
name of Madeleine which she took as her own.
This was on the tenth of June. On the eleventh I was
ready to leave From early morning all the Indians were
on foot ; the flag of the Hudson Bay Company was raised
for the occasion and floated gaily in the breeze, every one
from the Bourgeois to the little Indian was on the shore.
After having shaken hands with all and said a few encouraging words, I made a sign to my two men, jumped into
the boat and sailed off for the other side of Lake Long.
As I felt myself gliding away from land, I gave thanks to
God, the "Giver of all good" for the changes that his allpowerful arm had made in the hearts of those poor children
of the forest.
The settlement of Long Lake, in fact, has completely
changed since the conversion of Mr. Godchere. This worthy man has, by his practical talent and his open charity,
become the right arm of the Missionary. Under his direction a little church (28x35) is going up at the settlement,
and will be ready next spring for the first offering of the
Holy Sacrifice.
When I arrived at the other side of the Lake, I replaced
the boat by a bark canoe and with my two savages steered
for Le Pic. This trip is comparatively easy. The portages
are generally good, and what is not to be despised-the
rapid current of the River Pic runs our way. After three
days in the canoe we reached our destination.
Things did not look as brilliant at Le Pic as they did at
L~ng Lake. The Indians and half-breeds had found rneaqs
�CANADA.
of procuring whiskey, and they had freely induged in it be-·
fore my arrival. In the other stations along the north shore
of Lake Superior the situation is hardly better, and for a
like cause. It is "always the same story. Here as e1sewhere,
now as two hundred years ago, the savage likes his "firewater" (ishkotewabo). The only difference is that formerly
the savage could not get his "firewater" so easily; now-adays he is able to get as much as he wishes cheap-sometimes for nothing.
After having spent a fe\\. days at this station, I went to
Michipicoten. I met four people there, and my stay was
short. \Vhen I returned to Le Pic, I received orders from
Fr. Hebert to go immediately to Fort \Villiam to meet His
Lordship, Bishop Jamot, whom I was named to accompany
on his visit to the Nepigon Indians. I left immediately and
arrived at Port Arthur Jtily 1 Ith. His Lordship had got
there the clay before. It was not, howe\·er, until the fifteenth that we took train for Nepigon (Reel Rock), and we
arrived at 5, the same evening. The sound of the churchbell announced to the f.1.ithful the arrival of their Chief Pastor among them. One of the notables of the place, a halfbreed, served us up a rustic supper of boiled fish, unpealed
potatoes, bread, butter and tea. The presbytery being too
small, we lodged in_the school-house. This statiot1 is seldom visited by the Missionary; and it is easy to realize how
few were the accommodations at hand for an episcopal
visit; but with the aid of our intelligent schoolmaster, Mr.
McKay, one of Fr. Baudin's converts, I succeeded ji1 making things as comfortable as possible for His Lordshifl.
The following day, July 16th, was taken up in preparing
for Confirmation thirteen children and an adult (the schoolmaster), and in hearing the confessions of all who were at
Nepigon. The number was considerable; for besides the
residents of the place, a band of Christians had come from
the Fort. It was near eleven o'clock, and a goodly number
had to remain until the morning. His Lordship would
have willingly shared the task with me, but he cannot speak
Ochipwe. "This is the way I visit my Indian missions,"
�CANADA.
!85
said he; "the priest is obliged to do all the work while I
remain idle." July 17th, the Bishop said Mass at ;, at
which several children received from his hand the Bread of
Angels for the first time. After Mass he confirmed those
who had been prepared, and preached in English, while I
aaed as interpreter. In the afternoon, in the presence of
the Indians and half-breeds, he blessed a bell and named it
tht; "Sacred Heart." This bell weighs three hundred pounds,
and is partly the gift of Mr. Henry de Ia Ronde. The ceremony was imposing, and my Christians were charmed at
the sight. ~fany infidels of the woods were also present .
.-\t 5 P. ~1.. we took again the train for Port Arthur, and
arrived there about midnight. This ended my long journey
of three months, during which time I had administered
twenty-four baptisms-of which three were to pagan adults
-and blessed and rehabilitated five marriages.
In finishing up this relation already too long, I wish to
:signalize a faa so much the more significant, as the infidel
savages use it as an argument against Christianity. It is the
gradual thinning-out of their race in these regions. J.\iany
a time I have heard old infidels,-excellent drummers, accomplished jugglers-telling me with sighs: "In times that
are gone the Indians were numerous, but since the Prayer
(the Christian religion) has come amongst us, we are disappearing rapidly." "It is like a vast burning," said the old
Kinojewabo, in his figurative language, last autumn. This
old Indian was baptized by Fr. Duranquet, but he has abandoned his religion and taken up his drum and drumsticks
of former years.
Though I have many a time made them see clearly that
it is not the Christian Religion that is crushing their race,
still they do not fail to bring forward this miserable objection as if it had never been refuted. Poor people! they
have not had the happiness of being born in the bosom of
the Catholic Church, and they have consequently many prejudices to fight against. Unhappily, the scandalous condua
of a great number of whites-who though Christians in
name are pagans in nature-is not calculated to rid their
�t86
BRITISH t;UJANA.
new brethren of their prejudices. Let us hope, however,
that He who is the light that illumines every man coming
into this world, will pour down the light of faith into the
hearts of the poor infidels that are still so numerous in my
miSSion. I recommend myself, Rev. Father, to your holy
sacrifices and prayers.
R<e. V<e. infimus in Xto. Servus,
Jos. SPECHT, S. J.
BRITISH GUIANA.
.. ,
GEORGETOWN, DEMERARA .
Letter from Father joh11 Moura.
MY
DEAR FRIEND,
As far as my health is concerned I am very well, thank
God, although the Yellow Fever is here making its vietims
whom it carries off in about 24 hours. ·Perhaps, I may be
one of these vietims when I least expeCt: it, but God's will
. be done; I have long since made the sacrifice of my life. (I)
The religious spirit is sufficiently reanimated here; the
frequentation of the sacraments is f:1.ir, and great crowds
come to hear the word of God. This is indeed somet~ing,
but it is far from being all that it should be; still let u.s con~· •·
sole ourselves, for it might be far worse.
I do not remember if I have already told you that we
have established here the Association of the devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus, in a special form for men. More than
200 have already joined it and nearly all of them had made
white silk cloaks with scarlet hoods. The general Communion is once every three months. The second general
Communion took place on the feast of the Sacred Heart,
which was preceded by a triduum of preparation. His Lord(ll This
letter was translated from the Portuguue Jffusenger by !Ir. Tyrrell
~-~··
.
.
�• BRITISH GUIANA.
ship, the Bishop ·of Melipotiunus and Vicar-Apostolic of
this Vicariate, distributed Holy Communion on that occasion. It was a most consoling sight; the communicants
were very numerous, especially the men, who with their
white cloaks and scarlet hoods gave good example and
great edification to all. I felt my heart inflamed with the
desire of making known to the whole of this large city the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Vve placed between the two spires
of the church a long flag-pole with a large white banner
with a heart in the centre surrounded by a crown of thorns
and surmounted by the cross.... On account of the dimensions of the banner and its struCture, it could be seen from
' almost every part of the city.
It being something new, it attraCted the attention of every
one. The hearts of the Catholics, especially the Portuguese,
were filled with joy at the sight of that Heart inflamed with
love of us. Many of the principal Protestants were heard
to say that they admired it and were pleased with it. The
pagans (from China, Madras and the country itself) caused
me pain when I beheld them staring at the mysterious banner
without knowing the great depths of love it signified.
The -feast. of the Sacred Heart, not being here a feast of
obligation, it was transferred to the following Sunday. In
the front of the church was ereB:ed a number of flag-poles
bearing the flags of the different nations, festoons of box
hung gracefully between the flag-poles, whilst the banner of
the Sacred Heart, which was placed between the spires, towered above all. The church within was tastefully decorated
and on account of the happy blending of the colors presented
a most graceful appearance. In order to make the feast as
splendid as possible, the Catholic Union, composed only of
men, united with the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament
and named a committee of four who acquitted themselves
most creditably of the work imposed upon them, nobly
laboring for the glory of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which is
the patron of our church. About 10.30 A. M., the members
of the committee went with two . carriages splendidly
equipped, to the episcopal palace to bring his Lordship, who
�t88
BRITISH GUIANA.
entering the first of the carriages came immediately to the
church, at the door of which he was received by the clergy,
confraternities, music, etc. His Lordship celebrated pontifical High Mass. The church which can accommodate
two thousand people, was packed. At the gospel I preached,
the sermon lasting about three quarters of an hour.
In the evening we had Solemn Vespers, his Lordship
presiding. Then came a procession in which the statues of
the Sacred Heart and of the Infant Jesus were carried for
the first time. The statue of the Infant Jesus was carried
by four little girls, and was surrounded by a number of little
children representing angeis. His Lordship delivered a
brilliant discourse in English which delighted every one.·
Then followed Solemn BenediCtion, and afterwards the
grand illumination. The procession with so many men, all
in silk cloaks, and the musiC" following the Blessed Sacrament, and the little children dressed to represent angels
filled the Catholics with enthusiasm. And really it was a
grand feast. The incidental expenses of the day were only
about 250 dollars and were paid by each association. .Next
year I hope we will have a still more solemn feast, for the
sons of l\Iadeira, (I) although somewhat negligent in their religious duties and too much occupied with the things of this
'present life, are still g_9od Christians; they ha,·e f:>itl1 and at
times are generous for the cause of God and His holy
Church. Would to God that they would but profit by the
grace which the Saet·ed Heart offers to them, and by the
labors which we have undertaken for their sanetificatio!l.
U>:Most of the Portuguese in the ""est Indies are those who have emigrated
not from Portugal, but from the )fadeim Islands.
�CENTRAL AMERICA.
A SHORT HISTORICAL RELATION OF THE MISSION OF THE
SOCIETY IN THE REPUBLICS OF CENTRAL AMERICA.
I
Whilst one day reading the WooDSTOCK LETTERS and
considering the liberty which the Catholic religion possesses
in the United States, I could not help admiring the free~
dom which Ours enjoy in that Republic, untrammelled by
the petty persecution of government officials or the open
violence, sanCtioned by law, which has so often disgraced
the so-called Republics of Central America. In the United
States, decrees of expulsion at the caprice of president or
ministers are not even dreamt of, but to your less privileged
brothers of Central America these decrees are not only possible, but a stern reality, and have had to be faced more
than once during the past twenty years.
Perhaps, I thought, a short account of our :Mission and
its difficulties might not be uninteresting to the readers of the
LETTERS. I was soon confirmed in that opinion by being
assured by one who had spent several years in \Voodstock
that unfortunately not enough is known in the States of
what our Fathers and Brothers have had to suffer in Central
America, of their heroic example of patience and self-denial
which have excited the admiration even of their enemies.
II
For nearly twenty years the Fathers of the Province of
Castile had been established in Guatemala and enjoying the
greatest peace. That Republic was then governed by a
truly Catholic president, Rafael Carrera, who had invited the
Fathers to establish themselves there. Carrera restored the
religious who had been driven from their convents not only
(189)
�Iqc>
CENTRAL AllfERICA.
in Guatemala, but also in all the Republics of Central America by his predecessor who had been placed at the head of
what was known as the "Central American Confederation,"
and which Carrera destroyed. He had no less at heart the
religious than the temporal welfare of the country, and during his government the Republic prospered in every way.
General Cerna, his successor, adopted the same.line of policy
and was not less favorable to the Society.
During these years of tranquillity the Fathers were busily
engaged in different parts of the Republic giving missions
and teaching. They had taken charge of the diocesan
Seminary, and during that period it was in a very flourishing condition. Later on they opened a college at Quesaltenango. But their labors were destined to come to a very
sudden and sad end. In I S7 I the revolution came and with
the revolution a new preside;t, and from that time we may
date the persecution against the Catholic religion ; this
confliB: lasts till the present day, and in its nature is exaB:ly
the same as we find in France and Italy, and which is nothing more than the offspring of liberalism and Freemasonry.
The new president was a Spaniard, Garcia Granados, and he
inaugurated his presidential career by a decree expelling the
.Society from Guatemala. Fearing a revolt on the. part of
the Catholics who were sincerely attached to the Fathers,
Granados made their expulsion a regular military exploit.
At that time the governor of Quesaltenango was the famous
Rufino Barrios, so notorious for his brutal cruelty, an9 who
was afterwards eleB:ed president by the revolutionary party
and still merits the title of the Nero of that unfortunate
Republic on account of his barbarous conduB: to all good
Catholics.
The Fathers stationed at Quesaltenango were dragged to
the capitol before the decree of expulsion was published
there, and by that means and by a strong military escort all
attempt at rescuing them was frustrated. That the Fathers
of Quesaltenango had much to suffer, it is sufficient to say
that Barrios was the the governor of that city ..
AU the Fathers and Brothers numbering nearly eighty
�CENTRAL AJfERICA.
were then placed between a double line of soldiers and conducted to the port where they were placed on board . a
steamer, the government having arranged that they should
be taken to Panama, but Ours did not know whither they
were bound.
III.
Rev. Fr. Francis de San Roman who was then Superior
of that Mission was most anxious not to abandon Central
America, and tried to land at each of the ports where the
steamer stopped and which did not belong to Guatemala,
but the government that had expelled them sent one of its
agents to predispose the governors of the different harbors
agai.nst the Jesuits, and make them refuse to allow them to
land. This emissary of the government thinking that neither Nicaragua nor Costa Rica would admit Jesuits, did not
proceed any further than the last port in Honduras. But
he counted badly with Nicaragua, for in Corinto, one of its
harbors, the laws allow all strangers to land, and Fr. San
Roman took advantage of this law and disembarked with
his eighty companions. He asked and obtained permission
from the Bishop to settle in his .diocese. The good Bishop
received him with open arms in the city of Leon, and then
gave him an old convent which had once belonged to the
Franciscans where the whole party at once took up their
residence. Here a novitiate was opened and a good number of novices received. The Fathers were engaged in giving missions in different parts of the country. It would
seem as if God wished to punish Guatemala by depriving it
of the Jesuits for the good of Nicaragua, as everywhere the
missions were crowned with success. Internal feuds and
party strife were suppressed and· in proportion as the Fathers became better known, the number of vocations increased. Nearly every town where they had given a mission desired to have a residence of Ours, but it was impossible for them to satisfy all ; they could only form a few
residences, their number being too small, They formed,
�CENTRAL AllfERICA.
however, besides the college in Leon, five residences in the
principal towns.
In 1876 some of the Fathers were sent to the neighboring
Republic of Costa Rica, and in a short time a college was
opened there, at Cartago, and presented to the Society by
the municipality.
·
IV.
In the meantime, the novitiate in Nicaragua continued to
increase in numbers; already more than thirty novices had
~een received, but the Superiors soon found that the climate
of Leon was far from being healthy, and consequently very
badly adapted for a juniorate or scholasticate. Many of tl~e
Scholastics had already suffered from the effetl:s of the great
heat and want of air in that 1ocality. The Superiors, therefore, determined to remo,·e to a better and more healthy
position. They soon found a place nearer to the mountains
where they built a college, and in the beginning of May,
1879, the Scholastics and Novices moved thither. In the
other residences the Fathers still continued their good work
of preaching and giving missions. They had established
many successful congregations, especially that of the Apostleship of Prayer which was· established throughout the diocese, and a "l\Iessengcr of the Sacred Heart" was pu"blished
by Ours in Leon, which helped very much to propagate
that devotion.
But it was not alone in spiritual matters that the Fathers
made themselves useful. One of them made the pl<ui.and
superintended the building of a large hospital for the city of
Rivas, and another undertook the building of a church at
Matagalpa, which · he left almost finished, and which is
amongst the most precious monuments Matagalpa contains.
In the meantime, Freemasonry and the so-called liberal
press were not idle, but constantly spreading calumnies
against the So'ciety and calling on the government to expel
the Fathers from out the Republic. Barrios not content
with driving them out of Guatemala, still employed emissaries to calumniate them and obtain from the Nicaraguan
government their expulsion.
�CENTRAL AllfERICA.
v.
Notwithstanding the efforts of Freemasonry, the Society
remained for ten years in Nicaragua and, during these ten
years, had given a great many missions and improved very
much the education of the Republic. Many natives had
joined the Society, so that the number had considerably increased and both philosophy and theology were studied
there. But alas! the president is constitution, law and all
v~ry often in Central America.
In I 881 the new president,
Zavala, who sympathized with the policy of Barrios, decreed
the expulsion of the Fathers, and in June of that year they
had again to seek another refuge. But in this expulsion the
government made a distinCtion ; seeing that so many young
men had joined the Society there and wishing to lessen the
number of Jesuits, the government decreed that all the Jesuits, natives of the Republic, should return to their fc<milies
and all the others should immediately quit the country.
This was a very severe trial for the missions, but God always
sends abundant graces in time of trial. The Novices and
Scholostics were dispersed in different houses or sent to
their homes; still, however, they remained fc<ithful in their
holy vocation, and when the time came that they could
unite again, it was found that only two Novices out of
thirty-two Scholastics and Novices were missing. The government in order to justify its injustice, was not slow in
having calumnies spread broadcast against the Fathers.
They were accused of inciting the Indians against the government in a revolt which took place at Matagalpa. · But
the conduCt: of the Fathers soon belied the calumnies published in the "Gaceta Oficial," and the people were not slow
to see that the expulsion of the Jesuits was nothing more
than an a8: performed in hatred of the Catholic religion and
at the instigation of the Freemasons.
The Catholics were loud in their denunciations of such
an aCt: of injustice, and showed every mark of respeCt: for
the Society; a petition sii;:'ned by thousands was fonvarded
�cENTRAL ANERic~.
to the government, asking that Ours should be allowed to
remain in Nicaragua, but all in vain. They then decided
on defending their rights and preventing the expulsion of
the Fathers by a force of arms, but the government gave no
time for preparation and immediately expelled all the Fathers violently, giving them only a few hours to prepare to
depart. \Vhere? The government did not care, but they
should immediately go out of the country. The Scholastics
were sent to Ecuador to continue their studies, whilst the
Fathers were scattered about in all direCtions, some going to
Cuba, others to the United States, and some to Quito.
VI.
Driven from Guatemala and Nicaragua, the Fathers still
held on to Central America •. and the college in Costa Rica
still remained: Ours who had gone there as professors to
the College of San. Luis at Cartago found that they had
very little liberty in the exercise of their ministry; still,
however, they worked on, and were rewarded by seeing the
improvement their pupils were making in both learning and
piety. They established the Apostleship of Prayer which
was sadly needed in that city. Other members of the. So·ciety both Scholastics and Fathers soon joined them, and in
a short time the college was in good working order. The
president of the Republic was then Don Tomas Guardia, an
energetic and upright man, who well understood the good
that Ours were doing in the city; he despised the clamors
of the Freemasons who had resolved that no Jesuit s'hould
remain in Central America.
Alas, the Republic was not destined long to enjoy its upright president. God took him to himsel£ The triumph of
Masonry was now at hand; they eleeted Don P. Fernandez
for president and in him they had a willing tool for the accomplishment of their evil designs. One of the first aas of
the new president when he became the tool of the Freemasons, was to expel the venerable Bishop A. Thiel and all
. \h.e)esuitsthat ~ere in t~e Republic. The order was exe-
�cuted on the 18th of last July, and the brutality of this expulsion threw the cruelties of Nicaragua and Guatemala
completely in the shade. The Fathers were not allowed
even one quarter of an hour to prepare, not even waiting
until one of those tropical showers which was falling at the
time had ended; they were driven out and not even allowed to stop one moment during the fifteen hours they had
to ride to the nearest port, and riding on horseback on such
roads as they had for such a length of time was not a small
mortification for some of them who were old men and very
badly fittted to travel. Those who understand the many
things that require to be attended to before the boys are
sent home on the annual vacations can well understand what
confusion there must have been when the Fathers were
dragged off without fifteen minutes warning, leaving all the
boys in the study-hall to go home or do as they pleased.
\Ve would understand such acts of tyranny if they took
place in Central Africa, but in Central America, that boasts
of its civiliration and freedom, in a Republic at the end of
the 19th century, it is almost incredible. Speak of despotism, but what despotism can be compared to the arbitrary
actions of these so-called Republics ?
The government of Costa Rica, in order to conceal its
crime and deceive if possible the good Catholics, accused
the Bishop and the Jesuits of conspiring against the Republic. But the people were not to be deceived ; they esteemed
their Bishop and they knew that the calumnies against the
Fathers were false ; the faithful would have openly resisted
this expulsion, but the government foreseeing their determination, were too quick, and Ours were expelled before it
was well known that a decree of expulsion was talked of.
Unhappy country! where religion is ruled by the caprice
of government officials. Let us pray that the evil-minded
will soon see the errors of their ways and invite back again
those that have labored so much for them, and that Central
America may soon again become one of the most flourishing Missions of the Province of Castile.
JoHN C. LESCANO, (Ona.)
�EXTRACT OF AN OLD LETTER OF FATHER
FERDINAND FARMER.
PHILADELPHIA, March the 2d, I 778.
REv. SIR,
Since your last which was, I believe, dated Aug. 25th,
1773, I had no opportunity of writing to you. Should I
make any mistake in the date of your last, I hope you will
excuse me. The strange resolutions with regard to the
quondam Society, and the dreadful consequences of such a
civil war, are enough to make me forget every thing else,
however dear. I missed you,r literary correspondence very
much, as I wanted to know...how matters lately stood with
regard of the Society, for though since last Oaober our correspondence with Europe is opened again, yet I have not
been able to hear anything concerning it that I could depend upon. Perhaps it will please you to hear that your
British General when arriving here, upon my waiting upon
him, proposed the raising of a regiment of Roman Catltolick
Volunteers. Mr. Clifton, an English gentleman of an Irish
.mother, is the Lt. Colonel and commanding officer of it.
They desire me to be their Chaplain, which embarrasseth
me on account of my age and s~veral other reasons. (I)
The rest of the letter speaks of a small sum of mon~y left
him for charitable purposes, and of his desire to be allowed
to spend the few remaining years of his life working for his
little flock in Philadelphia. The letter is addressed to a
priest in London and signed by
FATHER FARMER.
11>At
this time the English held possession of the city.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
A FOUNDER OF MARYLAND.
CHAPTER XII.
Evmts at St. Mary's City.
Father Copley at first resided at St. Inigoes;<'> soon after
his arri"l<al ·an epidemic disease, supposed by some to have
been the yellow fever, decimated the little colony. Gervase,
the faithful lay-brother, who had come with White and Altham, died, and Copley's companion, John Knowles, an ardent young aspirant, succumbed six weeks after landing.
The labors -of the surviving Fathers must have been severe
and unremitting; they faltered not in their duty, and the
Relation says, "not one Catholic died without receiving the
last rites of the Church." They journeyed from house to
house, often many miles distant, through the thick pine forests, finding their way by notches on the trees, no breath of
air reaching them through the interminable branches, or
by slow canoes when the rays of the sultry autumn sun
.withered the human frame. If they made their way at night,
the swamp air was loaded with death-dealing miasma. Many
a brave and faithful soul, who, having greatly endured at
home, now perished in the attempt to win in the New
World a home for his ancient faith ;-"building better than
they knew," their ashes unmarked by stone or name rest in
the old grave-yards of St. Inigoes, St. Thomas', or Newtown,
but every Angelus bell, throughout this broad land, is an
echo of that they rang-and their proclamation of toleration
widening with the years grew· into that great declaration
which was issued a hundred and twenty-seven years later.
In November 1637 "the St. Marc" arrived in the port of
St. Mary's, having on board "for Mr. Copley, clothes, hatchCll That
Vor..
is, in the Residence at St. llfary's City.
XJV, No.2.
13
(197)
�t9B
iJFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
ets, knives and hoes to trade with the Indians for beaver.' 1
The sale of these articles brought the Fathers in contaB:
with the natives-enabled them to win . their friendship and
acquire their language. A catechism in an extinB: American tongue sent from Maryland by the early missionaries
still exists at Rome to attest their labors. John Lewger
and his family came out in the St. Marc, and Robert Clarke
who had charge of Father Copley's goods; he is once mentioned as "a boy, servant to Mr. Copley," but this must have
been a way of expressing that he was a young man, for he was
summoned the following January to the Assembly as "Robert Clarke, gentleman," a title which never would have been
given him unless he had a right to bear it. He seems to
have aB:ed for some time as agent or intendant for the Society, became chief surveyor of the Colony, married the
widow of Nicholas Causin, ~··French emigrant of some distinB:ion, and was a prominent member of the Colony. Some
light seems to have been thrown on his origin by St. Monica's Chronicle, which states that "Mark Clarke, a Catholic
gentleman of Vanhouse, Surrey, died, leaving four orphan
children, two boys and two girls. To prevent the girls from
being brought up Protestants they were sent to their rela' tive Mrs. Bedingfield in Flanders," and in 1632 became in·mates of the convent where were Father Copley'~ sisters;
The fate of their brothers is not stated, but it is not likely
they were neglected by their friends ; they were natives of
the same county, perhaps neighbors of the Copleys, and a
recruit for the Maryland enterprise may have been fo.ul)d in
one of them. Governor Leonard Calvert convened an Assembly, composed of the freemen of the Colony, to meet at
St. Mary's City on the 25th of January, 1638. Vain now
would be the attempt to locate the precise spot where this ..
legislative body met; the town of St. Mary's has entirely
passed away; a few broken bricks and shattered potsherds
turned up by the ploughshare are the only corroboration of
the tradition of its existence. The State House, which however must have been ereB:ed at a subsequent period, was af~er the re~oval of the seat of government to Annapolis,
�LiFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
pulled down and its materials used to construct a small
Episcopal church which stands hard by. Governor Calvert's
own house, constructed probably of oaken logs, with flooring of the same roughly smoothed with the adze, was most
likely the place of meeting. It is easy to imagine that rude
hall hung with skins of deer and panther, pieces of defensive
armor and a few sacred pictures while above the presiding
officer, the Governor himself, the escutcheon of the Lord
Proprietor blazed in sable and gold over the founders of
Maryland.
Leonard Calvert, born the ·same year with Milton, but
thirty-two years old at that time when the Assembly met,
was one of those men who only seeking to do the right unconsciously win fame. The Marshall was 'Robert Percy,
gentleman;' there are strong grounds for believing that he
was the eldest son of Thomas Percy, a chief conspirator of
the Gunpowder Plot. John Lcwger of Trinity College, Oxford, a man whose mind had been sorely tossed by winds of
opinion, who had \'ibrated from the Established Church to
Catholicity, and had turned back again to his first £1ith with
Chillingworth, but only to abandon it and to die later a
martyr of charity, ministering to the sufferers of the London
plague, took his place as a law-maker in the Assembly.'
Close by was Thomas Cornw·allys, Counsellor and Commissioner, of sufficient wealth but troubled about m~ny matters,
for to his strong sense and clear judgment was submitted
the greater part of the affairs of the settlement. His family
held high rank in Norfolk, and he "transported" to the
Colony stlch men as Cuthbert Fenwick and the two sons of
Sir Robert Rookwood, grandsons of that Ambrose Rookwood of Staningfield, whose barbarous execution in 16o7
had been a spectacle for the London mob.
Here too was Robert Wintour, commander of the little
pinnace, the Dove, on the first voyage. Sprung from a
great sea-£1ring race and nephew of the loyal Marquis of
\Vorcester, he had played many parts; had conferred with
the Pope on ecclesiastical matters and had steered into London harbor the sliip Black Lion, to the horror of an othodQX
�LIFE OF FAT.liER THOMAS COPLEY.
informer, who thought that its "eighteen pieces of ordnance
in show" boded no good 'when in the hands of an arch-pc.pist, whose sister was a Benedictine nun at Brussels and his
cousin, Lady Mary Percy, abbess of the convent there.
Eldest of three brothers who came on the first voyage, he
seems to have been the only one that remained, and had, in
the last five years, braved many an Atlantic storm as he
passed and repassed between England and Maryland, being
a sea-captain as had been his ancestors for generations. The
head of the house, Sir John \Vintour, a noted partisan, acted
during the English civil wars very much the part of Mosby
in ours; his mansion of Lidney was bravely defended by
Lady Wintour, a daughter of the "belted Will Howard"
sung by Scott, against the Parliamentry forces, and near it
fell a brother of Sir John, with a musket ball in his brain,
either Edward or Frederick. Wintour, who, like Richard
Gerard, turned back from the furrow ere it was well begut1;
surely it were better to have abided in that land which alone
promised peace to English Catholics, than to perish thus
for the faithless Stuart. Now the labors of Robert 'Wintour
are nearly over; he is often too ill during the session to appear, or to cross the frozen stream between his own plantation and St. Mary's, and a few months after the adjournment
he died, as did another sailor, Captain Richard Lowe, of the
Ark, also present at that time. One other of the original (l>pilgrims was there, John Metcalfe of the great Yorkshire family of that name, numerous about Kipling \yhere
lived the Calverts, a man well educated according to .that
time, for when he was afterwards called upon in tourt for
his testimony in a divorce case; he gave it delicately in
Latin, as one might who had "made his humanities" at
Douay or St. Orner's.
There was Jerome Hawley, commissioner and cousin to
Lord Baltimore, second son of a family long established at(2)
Brentford in Middlesex. They were Catholic recusants in
the second year of James I. Hawley had sought to gather
(l>Peacock's List of Recusants in Yorkshire.
(3l podd's Hist. of the Church.
·
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
:rot
grapes from court-favor and had found but thorns, having
been committed to the Clink prison in I6I5 for indiscreetly
repeating some remarks of Lady Lake, touching the King's
resemblance to an old woman. Joining the Maryland adventure he had been one of those chosen to return to England to report its success.· On the I Ith of Dec., I635,
Governor Hervey of Virginia was charged before the Privy
Council with (I) favoring the popish religion, "Lord Baltimore's servants having slain three men in keeping the entry of
the Hudson river which goeth up into Maryland." Jerome
Hawley was also charged with a declaration "that he had
been sent to plant this Romanish religion in Maryland," a
statement he utterly denied. He soon after received an appointment to collect a tax on tobacco in Virginia, but had
lately come back with his wife Eleanor, to St. Mary's. He
died before the end of the year; he was not wealthy. It(%)
seems that his only daughter was afterwards in Brabant,
probably the "Hon. Susan Hawley," who joined the English
nuns of the Holy Sepulchre in I64I and was perpetual prioress at Liege from I652 until I 7o6, when she died at the
age of eighty-four.
Thomas Copley, Esquire, and Andrew White and John
Altham, gentlemen, were also summoned to this assembly,
but they asked, through Robert Clarke to be excused, knowing well how the Puritan faction, then daily gaining strength
in England would regard their appearance as legislators.
John Bryant, freeman and planter, had a seat; he was one
of those first transported by Copley; on the 31st of January
he was killed by the fall of a tree-and on the settlement of
his estate, Robert Clarke on behalf of Thomas Copley, en~
tered a caveat for "50 harrells of corn." Bryant had prob~
ably "bought his time" and had not yet paid all that was
due. It was also found on the settlement of Jerome Haw~
ley's property that he owed to Thomas Copley a debt of
eighty-seven pounds secured by judgment, and other sums,
for which Mr. Copley took fifty pounds of despera:te debts
1
< lD,S.P.
2
<l Oliver's !lis. of Eng. Chnrch,
�202
liFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLE}~
due the estate. It would thus seem that the term of service
was not long, nor was it attended with disgrace.
A proof of the esteem and confidence from those whom
Fr. Copley had brought out, was furnished by a case which
came before the Court this year. Thomas Cornwallys had
for overseer on one of his plantations near St. Mary's City,
a man named William Lewis who was a zealous Catholic.
On the last Sunday in June two of the servants who were
Protestants, Francis Gray and Robert Sedgrave, were reading
aloud from the writings of an almost forgotten divine of the
Church of England, things not very agreeable to the ears of
a man like Lewis ; theologians used vigorous language in
those days; there was a heated discussion. Lewis lost his
temper, threatening to burn the book, and they deeming
themselves martyrs, drew up a statement of their grievances,
intending to forward it to Governor Hervey of Virginia as
.the nearest authority of their t<ith. Sedgrave who drew up
this document and seems from it to have been well educated,
had come out the year before with Father Copley, but does
not appear to have been bound by the usual terms, as he
sat as a freeman in the Assembly of the previous winter and
was now employed by another person. Lewis grew fright.ened and reported to Cornwallys that his servants were
about to petition the Governor of Virginia against him.
Cornwallys, as justice ~of the peace, summoned them before
himself, Governor Calvert, and Secretary Lewger, when the
whole circumstance was rehearsed. Sedgrave testified that
Gray wanted the petition, but he retained it until he):ould
speak to Mr. Copley :-on Sunday last he saw Gray at' the
Fort and told him that "Mr. Copley had given him good
satisfaCtion, had blamed William Lewis for his contumelious
speech and ill-governed zeal." (l) rhis was also the opinion
of the authorities and Lewis was obliged to pay a fine of
tobacco.
·
Father Philip Fisher, at this time Superior of the Maryland Mission, was probably Thomas Copley's companion at
St. Inigoes, he having been sent from England either Ill
Ill Fr. Copley may have said that Lewis was indiscreet, but no more.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
1635 or 1636, according to Oliver. Great confusion has resulted from confounding this priest, who, following the same
authority, was born in 1595, entered the Society in 1617,
and was professed in 1630, with John Fisher, otherwise Musket, w4ose real name seems to have been Percy.
The first notice of this Father Percy, Fisher, Fairfax, for
he passed under all of those names, occurs in the memoirs
of Gerard, who placed him as chaplain with Sir Everard
Digby. Arrested at the time of the Gunpowder Plot, he was
confined in "the Tower in Little-Ease, a crypt under a
crypt," where he has left his protest carved on the wall: (l)
'.'Sacris Vestibus indutus dum Sacra Mysteria servans,
captus et in hoc angusto carcere inclusus. J. Fisher." He
was still in prison in 1614, for he was then examined and
refused the oath; he was in Wisbech Castle in 1615, from
which, with several other priests he escaped, as afterwards
out of Lincoln Castle. He was then banished, but returned
to England in the suite of Collona, the Spanish ambassador,
in 1624. In May 1625, according to Domestic State Papers,
he had a grant of pardon for offenses against the Statutes :
in March, 1627, there appears "a list of popish books and
other things taken in the house of William Sharples, Queen
St., St. Giles in the Fields, belonging to Mr. Fisher, otherwise Musket ;" and in June of the same year there is a
memorandum that "the Countess of Buckingham's Lodge
called 'the Porch' at the end of the king's garden, lodges
Fisher." <2>
Ere long we find him in prison ; in October of the next
year there is a warrant from Secretary Conway "to search
the closets and trunks of George Gage in the Clink and of
one Musket in the Gatehouse," after which there is no men~~~~~~~~--------------
Hepworth Dixon's "Her Majesty's Tower."
<•l Not long since an able writer advanced the theory that Philip Fisher and
Thomas Copley were the same person. The reasons he adduces for this opin.
ion whilst very weighty, still do not exclude all doubt, and until further research in England, or in Rome, throws light upon the subject, it must be relegated among the many "vexed questions" of history. Oliver says Philip
Fisher's real name was Cappicius, which may have beeq a misspelling of
Copleus. Thus writes Br. Foley in a recent letter.
(ll
�20-f
LIFE" OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
tion of him until 1632, when it is stated in a note respeCting
priests "that Father Musket remains in Count Arundell's
house." His proteaor is·known to us as Lord Arundell of
Wardour, having been so created a few years aftenvards;
and was the father of Ann Arundell, the wife of cecil Lord
Baltimore. On the I 2th of December of the next year Musket appeared at Whitehall before the Privy Council, being
brought by John Gray, one of the vile brood of messengers,
and "it was ordered, according to his Majesty's pleasure, that
he should depart the realm forthwith-and give bond with
securities not to return ; and that he should stand committed to the Gatehouse until he had peformed the same.
Nevertheless, he is to remain in custody until he has satisfied Gray and has defrayed his expenses in the house where
he lodges." Some years afterwards there is an indignant
petition from the same messenger to the Council, "that one
Fisher, alias Percy, who was committed to the Gatehouse
and sentenced to be banished, has been abroad these three
years and does more mischief than he did before." Gray prays
for an order to retake him. Rushworth in his "Colleaions,"
volume fourth, says that in 1640 he was released preparatory to banishment, but makes no allusion to America, and
Challoner in his '·Missionary Priests" states that he succeeded Kellison as Reaor at Douay in Nov. 1641, and died
there fortified by the rites of the Church and surrounded by
his weeping friends <•> in 1645, the very year that Ingle's ship,
the Reformation, appeared in the peaceful creek of St. Inigoes and carried off White and Fisher to England. OJiver
says that during the last years of his life, Father M·~1sl<:et
was aftliaed with a cancer. Streeter says that he was celebrated for his dialeaic skill and disputed with Lewger before his conversion. It is certain that he was called from
prison to engage in religious controversy with James himself; the good Father must have remembered the ancient
philosopher who declined to reason with "the master of forty
legions," though the king was good-natured ; perhaps, he
(I) We follow the MS. though itde:parts ;\ little from the views {)f Brother
foley in his "Records,"
·
·
�LIFE OF FATHER THOJIAS COPLEY.
205
in his vanity thought that having vanquished an opponent in
ar-gument it would be an abuse of power to hang him. It must
have been while residing in the household of Lord Arundell
of Wardour, that Musket encountered Lewger, then a min~
ister of the established church, and a college companion of
Cecil Calvert, who no doubt introduced him to his wife's
confessor.
In the fall of 1638 the English Provincial sent another
Father into Maryland, perhaps to supply the place of Copley's companion, the young and devoted Knowles. On the
30th of November arrived Ferdinand Poulton, bringing with
him Walter Morley, a lay-brother; Richard Disney and
Charles the Welshman. Father Poulton applied for land,
due by condition of plantation, under his real name, though
he was known by that of Brooks : and it was supposed that
his true name was Morgan, until the publication of Foley's
"Record" set that, as many other matters, to rights. <t>
CHAPTER XIII.
Fatlter Copley at "'VIattapony.
In 1639,<2> Thomas Copley and Ferdinand Poulton were
stationed at Mattapony, a plantation near and south of the
junt'!ion of the Patuxent and Chesapeake Bay; this·land at
that time belonged to the Fathers, and here they exchanged
their goods with the natives, gained their good will and im·
proved themselves in the dialect of the country, preparatory
to establishing more distant stations. Here they may have
been visited during the winter, for the distance from St.
Mary's is only a few miles, by Governor Calvert, by Thos.
Cornwallys, or other gentlemen of the colony who had
come to seek counsel from them as ghostly f:1.thers or to
advise with these mature men, their equals in birth, their
superiors in education, who had "traveled much, endured
much and knew councils, climates, governments"-concern:ing the temporal affairs of the little settlement. And when
Ill See
note, page 55,
(2)
"Relation.''
�LIFE OF FATHER THOllfAS COPLEY.
they were disposed of, some weighty matter conneCted
with the site of the wind-mill about to be ereeted, or a case
of conscience difficult enough to a military layman, but
which the learned divine "unloosed as easy as his garter,"
their conversations would have been as diamonds and pearls
to the historian could they have been transmitted to him,
for they must have known many of the aCtors in the great
confliCt: then approaching, a,pd had mingled familiarly with
those who had borne no insignificant part in the Courts and
camps of Europe. Copley's father may have gazed with
awe-struck infant eyes at Elizabeth Tudor; he had bowed
before the cruel and cowardly. Catharine de Medicis, had
served under the magnificent Prince of Parma, and awaited
in the Escurial the coming of Parma's dread master, Philip
.of Spain; whilst in England 'the loftiest names mingled in
his domestic matters; the Queen herself is his cousin, as are
some of her ministers and many of her viCtims ; and to the
cities of refuge in which he spent his youth, came men with
secrets they dared not confide even to cipher. Perhaps,
Poulton had heard Fitzherbert speak of Mary Stuart whose
cause he had supported ; and of his own evil kinsman, Gilbert Gifford, his unprovoked betrayer. They both knew
Gerard, had seen on his strong wrists the marks of Topi::liffe's gyves, and had heard, from his own lips, of the stirring scenes in which iie had taken part.
To Louvain had come under an assumed name whilst
Thomas Copley was there, William Ellis, the faithful page
of Sir Everard Digby, who alone shared that wild· ride
which ended in a traitor's grave for his master; if Were
something to know what words were spoken as they galloped side by side.
Frances Parker, daughter of Lord Mounteagle who received a fateful letter, and niece to Francis Tresham who is said
to have written it, was professed at St. Monica~s in 1626, and
inay have communicated to Copley's sisters faB:s throwing
some light on an enigmatical portion of history, which
might have been made plain in that rude lodge in the New
World, where the Fathers sat secure in the love and respeCt.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
of\vhite and red men, while George Gage was slowly dying
in the Clink and Henry More wrote from his prison in
Newgate, begging "to be executed, that he might cease to
be a subjeCl: of discord betwixt the King and his parliament."
At this time Mattapony must have been an advanced settlement of the colony, the only manor on the Patuxent beyond it being that of Fenwick; for it was not until ten years
afterwards that Robert Brooke came and took up his great
estate of De La Brooke on both sides of the river. This
mission had been given the Fathers by Macaquomen, king
of the Patuxents, a tribe which fished, hunted and trapped
beaver on both sides of the broad stream which there expands into an estuary. Ten or fifteen miles further up the
river on the St. Mary's side, there was a village, perhaps
only used at the fishing season, still known as Indian Town;.
here the Fathers preached, taught and, finally, baptized; for
they seemed to have had little trouble in converting these
people who are said to have been neither warlike nor numerous·. Their language, however, must have been that
generally spoken by the aborigines of the colony, since the
Jesuits devoted time and care to its study. The book first
printed by them in Maryland and still preserved in Rome,
is said to be in the tongue of the Patuxents,<1> unspoken now
by man. Nearly forty years ago two brothers, then about
to proceed westward, were pointed out to the writer as the
last of the tribe. In September 1640 died Father John Altham, whose true name \vas Gravener; he had long labored
on the island of Kent, and was one of the original missionaries. Pushing their way northward the Fathers had reached Portupaco, an Indian village, situated on a creek flowing
into the Potomac; "proceeding to a distant mission," which
may have been this, Ferdinand Poulton was killed by the
accidental discharge of a ·gun in the canoe in which he
crossed the river. Thomas Copley, thus deprived of his
companion, remained at Matlapony ministering among the
Patuxents and the white settlers, who even then were taking
the places abandoned by the natives. Father Copley went
on occasional expeditions towards the Potomac until 1642,
(!)
Scharf's Hist, of Maryland, vol. 1, p. 190.
�2o8
LIFE OF FATHER THOJIAS COPLEY.
when the first permanent mission was established at Portu~
paco, where he took up his abode; Father Roger Rigby, a
native of Lancashire, born in I 5 ss), and of the Society since
I6o8, remained on the Patuxent, Father White, at Piscata~
way; and the Superior, Philip Fisher, at St. Inigoes.
CHAPTER XIV.
St. Thomas' Manor.-Dijjiculties with Lord Baltimore.
"This year Portupaco received the faith with baptism :"
brief, like the language of Scripture, come down the words
of the Relation ; it were well that Superiors should know
how went the day, but humility forbade that one should be
commended where all had alike labored. It is evident,
however, that this success was' due to Thomas Copley; may
he not have named the Mandt near Port Tobacco which he
then took up "St. Thomas"' in thanksgiving to his patron
saint. It is unfortunate for modern research that the annual
letters sent by the Superiors in Maryland were not address~
. ed to the Father General in Rome, where they would have
been preserved. As Maryland was but a branch of the Eng~
!ish Province, they were sent to the Provincial, always an
outlaw, often a prisoner, who, after transcribing such transac~
tions as seemed most important in his own account, destroyed documents which would have been highly compromising both to the receiver and the sender. For instance,
this very year the Vice-provincial, Henry More, then confined in Newgate and awaiting the trial which soon con~i"gned
him to death, received a communication from Philip Fisher
that "twelve heretics had been converted" in the colony,
each conversion, as the laws then stood, subjeCting the priest
to death ; though they did not take place in England, still
the parties were the King's subjeCts. If such communications fell into the hands of the authorities the results might
be disastrous.
The Provincial was also informed of difficulties which had
arisen with the Lord Proprietor on account of the bequests
of Indian converts and jealousy, which seems to have origi ..
�LIFE OF FATHER riioM.As coPLEY.
nated with Secretary Lewger, of estates held by mortmain
in the province. On the other hand were papal decrees binding on all Catholics, which the Fathers affirmed, and a list
of propositions was submitted to the Propaganda for discussion. There appears to have been danger at one time
that not only would Mattapony be taken away, but other
property was threatened; at least we must conclude so, from
a transfer made by Thomas Copley this year to Cuthbert
Fenwick of "all the land due him by conditions of transportation, which was laid out; four hundred acres of town land
and four thousand of other land."< 1> It was no uncommon
thing at that time of attainder and pramzzmire thus to secure
estates ; the sharer in this transaCt:ion was one of whose fidelity there could be no doubt, Cuthbert Fenwick being one
of the founders of Maryland whose devotion to the Catholic
Church has never been denied. How long he held the
property in trust is uncertain, but it was unknown, or had
been re-transferred before Nov. 1643, when Lord Baltimore
wrote to his commissioners, Giles Brent and Lewger, Leonard Calvert having then returned to England, "to rent Mr. ·
Copley's house in St. Mary's City for Mr. Gilmett and his
family who are about to come out, until midsummer, 1645,
at a reasonable rent, to be paid from my revenues in Maryland, but not to be charged to pay anything here." This
letter is dated "Bristol."
Thus Thomas Copley flits before us in the few memorials
which have come down to us from early days; in "the records" as one deeply concerned in worldly affairs, bringing
out servants, taking up land, owning houses, suing and being sued in the Courts of law. White and Altham came
before him, Fisher, Poulton and Rigby were his fellow
priests, but never once do they appear as his partners in any
transaCtion. In the deeds and wills he emerges in his spiritual capacity. Hebden asks that "he will pray for his soul,"
and secures property to him and his successors, as does
Governor Green. It is impossible to say at this day to what
Father Copley owed his peculiar pre-eminence, whether it
11> Annavolis
Records.
�~to
LIFE OF FATHER TliOAfAS coPLEY
was to his superior executive ability, or the high rank of his
family and the immunity which his Spanish birth and the
King's proteCtion secured to him should questions arise;
surely a gentleman allied to the best blood in England had
a right to hold lands and goods and to plant in my Lord
Baltimore's plantation; and who can prove that he hath taken Romish orders or entered into any forbidden association?
The latter points were so carefully concealed that no evidence of his profession being found, he was long thought to
have been a layman employed to superintend the tempora.J
interests of the Society; he is spoken of in the Relation as
"Coadjutor Copley," but St. Monica's chronicler, one of his
sisters perhaps, states distinaly that he was a professed
Father.
In December, 1643, Willi~m Copley of Gatton, the father
of Thomas, was buried in the church of that place, aged
seventy-nine. For thirty years he had been an exile and
returned to England a man of forty, too late to throw off
the impressions of other lands and to take on English habits.
He seems never to have been happy ; and harassed in various ways, vainly sought relief from law. His 1ast appeal
is a petition to the King presented 1638. In this he sets
forth that Anne, the widow of his son William, had at her
death left Sir Richard Weston of Sutton Court, Surrey,
guardian of her two daughters, Mary and Anne. Mary was
already the wife of John, Sir Richard's eldest son, and Anne
had just been contraaed to a younger brother, though Sir
Richard had promised faithfully she should never m~tch
with any younger son. "This engagement" the petitioner
considers "an outrage which is like to result in the utter
ruin of his family," and prays that the young couple may be
sequestered and kept apart until the cause is decided,
•
which was granted.
This young lady whose forgotten romance flickers dimly
amidst prosaic state papers, ultimately became the wife of
Nathanael Munshull and died childless. William Copley
was the last male of that name who owned Gatton, which
wa~ then inherited by his oldest grand-daughter.
His
�i..IFE OF FATHER THOMAS cOPLEY.
widow, Margaret, lived at Leigh Place in which she had a
life estate. Her first son, John, seems to have been in some
way deficient; his death in 1662 is the only record of him
in the Gatton register; the second son, Roger, soon after
his father's death, perhaps through the intervention of his
brother in Maryland, was placed at St. Orner's whence he
went four years afterwards to study philosophy at Louvain.
Whilst there, he, with Lord Carrington boarded at the
Gatehouse of St. Monica's ; they both obtained leave to
help the sisters in the organ house, "Roger Copley being so
skilled in music that he composed songs to the organ."<1>
In 1645, Ingle, a Puritanical buccaneer, plundered St.
Mary's City and the Mission of St. Inigoes, and carried Frs.
Wliite and Fisher to England where they were thrown into
prison. They were tried two years afterwards on the usual
charges, as Jesuits -who had come into England to seduce
the subjects of the commonwealth, but it being proved that
they did not come, but were brought very much against
their will, they were banished. In 1648 Father White was
in Flanders and director of Margaret Mostyn who founded
the Carmelite Convent at Lierre; he died in London in
1656 at a great age "in the house of a nobleman," probably
that of Lord Baltimore. It is stated that Ingle also attacked
Copley's house at Port Tobacco; this, however, seems
doubtful; at any rate he and Rigby, who was his companion
at that station, made their escape, probably across the river
to the loyal province of Virginia, whence they might return
whenever it was safe to minister to the spiritual needs of
their own people, now, save for their assistance, entirely deprived of ghostly comfort. Gravener and Poulton and
Knowles were dead, vVhite and Fisher absent, and save
these two there is not the slightest mention of the presence
of any Jesuit priest in Maryland until three years afterwards.
In Virginia in 1646 died Roger Rigby, and towards the
close of the year, Governor Leonard Calvert came to Mary. land and re-established the authority of the Lord Proprietor,
and with it peace and prosperity. Copley, doubtless, rem
et. ~tonica's 9hfollic.~e.
�LIFE OF FATHER THO.VAS COPLEY.
turned with him and sought to bind together again the
sheaves of the scattered harvest, in the sowing of which he
had seen so many of his Order k'llL He had soon to lament
the death of a secular friend ; in June, 1647, he, as the only
priest in the colony, and the intimate friend of Margaret
Brent, must have stood by Gov. Calvert's bed-side and administered to him the final rites; it was, doubtless, with that
purpose that the by-standers were turned away from the
room a little before his death, even professed Catholics being obliged to observe secrecy in the praCtice of observances
for which priests and assistants might be called in question.
Every historian of Leonard Calvert has stated that he was
not married; there is, however, a tradition in the Brooke
family, now one of the most extensive in the State, that he
was, his only daughter, Mary, having been the wife of Baker
Brooke. It is certain Cecit Lord Baltimore, in appointing
him surveyor general of the province, designates him "our
trusty and well-beloved nephew." (I) Margaret Brent is
mentioned by some writers as Leonard Calvert's "relative;''
she certainly was his executrix; may she not have been his
sister-in-law? Leonard Calvert appointed, for his successor,
Thomas Green, one of the Council, and a Catholic, who
seems from a subsequent transaCtion to have ~een a friend
of Father Copley an_!i familiar with his career since his entrance in the province.
CHAPTER XV.
Tltc ACl of Toleration.
The civil war in England had now almost ended, and the
condition of affairs there strongly affeeted those in Maryland;
though Charles I, had found his most faithful adherents
among the Catholics, a high authority, Hallam, stating "that
out of five hundred gentlemen who fell on his side one third
were of that faith," there were some who felt that the Stuarts deserved nothing at their hands, and remained neutral·
or supported the parliamentary party. And this sentiment
(I)
Kelty's Land Owner's Assistant.
�LJFE OF FA T'liER THOMAS COPLEY.
2ij
was increased when the deep duplicity of Charles to Lo-rd
Herbert, son df the brave old Marquis of Worcester, in regatd to affaiYs 'in Ireland became known. After the King's
execution, when anarchy seemed imminent, many of the
Giitholics we're willing to exchange their support of Cromwell for a limited toleration. Sir Kenelm Digby conspicuous among them for his rare endowments of body and mind,
\vho had lost a son and a brother in the royal army, was
deputed by them to treat with the Lord ProteCtor. To this
very -sensible party Lord Baltimore probably belonged ;
from -liis wife's conneB:ion with the Somersets, her sister
having married Lord He'rbert's brother, he must have long
ago 'Come to a true un-derstanding of the charaCter of Charles,
for whose cause he appears not to have been fanatical ; the
old crusader, Arundell of \Vardour, was now dead, and his
son, as staunchly loyal, had fallen at Lansdowne ; to both of
these b:irotts Baltimore owed debts contratted to advance
the Maryland enterprise, but he was now freed from their
influ-ence, a new order of things was beguri, and to pave the
way for toleration at home he appointed as Governor of
Maryland, William Stone, who was a member of the Established -Church, but there being as yet no Puritan of note in
t~e province, what better could be d-one? He, doubtless,
~Ring under advice df the Lord Proprietor called an Assembly which passed on the zd of April, 1649--"the ACt: for
Toleration irt Religion," the first legislative recognition of
an idea which though it had dawned on some advanced
minds l<mg before, as best suited to the new condition of
affairs; \Vas not thoroughly accepted until a hundred and
twentyofive years afterwards when it w_as protnttlgated in the
gre<1t Detlamtion. Of the circumstances attending the
fmtning Uf the remarkable document of toleration little is
kn~.F:~· Kehnedy, well informed in the history of his native
State, says "the first act for toleration was penned by a
}t!suit," atrd Davis has proved 'that it was passed by an Assembly, the majority of whose members were Catholics.
Alfibl1g itnperfeB:ly ·educated men, many of whom left Eng-
. Vf».. xtv, No. sz.
14
�214
LIFE OF FATHER THOJ~TAS COPLEY.
land very young, engaged in planting, hunting and building
up a new country, there could have been few capable of
drafti~g it. The thorough training of the F~thers, and the
enterprise which must have furnished them a library as well
as supplied them with a printing-press, made them the literary superiors of the other colonists, who, doubtless, often
employed them in the capacity of clerks, as all clergymen
were still thus designated in England, to draw up wills and
other instruments, and recourse may have been had to
them in the present case. Father Philip Fisher had obtained
leave to return to Maryland, and had arrrived a few days
before the first of March, leaving his companion, Lawrence
Starkie, in Virginia; Francis Derbyshire did not reach
Maryland until after the adjournment of the Assembly. The
honor, therefore, lies between, Copley and Fisher, though it
does not seem likely that ohe who had just arrived after a
long journey, and who was ignorant of the questions which
had sprung up in his absence would have been called upon.
Copley was a man of high education and enlightened views,
fully capable of expressing in a statesmanlike manner the
principles entertained by his grandfather more than sixty
years before. Indeed the AB: seems but an e~1bodiment of
the opinions expressed by Sir Thomas Copley in his letters
to Burleigh and \Valsingham that "we, who believe in
one God in three persons which is the principal foundation,
should not persecute each other for matters of less importance wherein we may differ." The first clause in the ACt
of Toleration is a paraphrase of this expression, "they who
.shall deny our Lord Jesus Christ to be the Son of.God, or
shall deny the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost,
or the Godhead of any of the said three persons of the Trin:ity, or the unity of the Godhead shall be put to death.:'
With this exception, it grants perfect liberty and equality to
all Christian sects, even making the use of "papist, heretic,
separationist, Brownist, etc.," as tending to create discussion, punishable by fine.
No people in the world had more reason to desire toler;lc
tion than the English Catholics; ground, for more. than
�liFE OF F.4 THER THOMAS COPLEY.
2r5
ninety years, between the upper and nether millstones of
relentless' persecution, the conviB:ion (I) expressed by Father
Parsons, "that neither breathing, nor the use of common
ayre is more due to us all, than ought to be the liberty of
conscience to Christian men, whereby each liveth to God .
and to himself'' had come to many others, and at last found
utterance in this aB: of Legislature, though its principles
had been praB:ised from the first -foundation of the colony,
as is proved by the case of Cornwallys' servants in 1638.
On the 16th of August, 1650, Thomas Copley, Esq., made
a demand for twenty thousand acres of land, ex-Governor
Green certifying that he had transported at least sixty men
into the province. This demand does not seem to have
been complied with, and was probably made in consequence
of the dispute about Mattapony, "King Macaquomen's gift,"
being re-opened. It may have been a part of some legal
proceedings, or a proof of possession. For the same year
there occurs "from vVilliam Lewis, constable," the person
whom Copley had accused of"ill-governed zeal" twelve years
before, "a return of articles seized for rent at St. Inigoes:
"I copper kettle of Mr. Copley's, 1 brass ladle, 4 brass
ladles, 5 pewter plates, I pr. of great iron andirons, 5 doz. of
thin glass tumblers in a box, six piB:ures, I leather chair, a
chest of drawers. Left in the house 3 tables, all the bedsteads in the house belonging to Mr. Copley." The records
show that Thomas Copley was one of the most prosperous
men in the community; it could not have been for lack of
means that he allowed the "disjeB:a membra" of the household goods of the Mission left from Ingle's raid, to be seized
by the constable, but because he denied the justice of the
debt. That he was at that time on good terms with the
Protestant Governor Stone appears from the faB: that not
long before, Margaret Brent writing from Kent to that•gerttleman, acknowledges a letter received from him, "conveyed
by Mr. Copley," whence it would appear that Father Copley
now served that Mission.
Cl>Judgement of a Catholic Englishman.
�216
LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
CHAPTER XVI.
Last Days.
Father Copley was defendant in a la.wsuit tried at St.
Mary's City, January I 5th, 165 IY> It appears that Richard
Blount of Virginia had a servant, Nicholas White, who ran
away and took refuge at St. Inigoes, and his master employed Henry De Courcy as his attorney to reclaim the fugitive and seek damages, for his detention, from Mr. Copley,
as he had sent for him the preceding June, when he was
not delivered up. Governor Stone testified that Mr. Copley
had promised him that the servant should not be taken, until Dr. Taylor could be brought forward to prove that he
had made an agreement with Blount for fifteen hundred
pounds of tobacco. At the request of 1\lr. Copley "Ralph
Crouch, Esq., testified that the servant was at the house
when the chimney was on fire, which was the Grange house
belonging to Mr. Copley, and further saith not." \Vhereupon
Mr~ Copley demanded a jury which was granted. They
found that the servant was injuriously detained, and should
be delivered up with one thousand pounds of tobacco in
·cask: harboring fugitive "redemptionists" was a question
affecting a jury of planters in that most "sensitive part of the
human anatomy, the pocket," and not to be overlooked
either in priest or presiding officer. "Ralph Crouch,(2) Esquire," was a member of the Society, of the date of whose arrival in the province and the length of whose stay. n~thing
is known; he was alive in London in 1662.
Thomas Copley is then lost sight of for nearly two years;
on the 4th of November, 1652, he binds himself to pay the
debts of Paul Simpson, and Simpson makes over his property to Copley, Ralph Crouch signing as witnes;'>.
This is the last notice to be found of Father Copley in the
1
< >Hecords at Annapolis, Liber 1.
He was born in Oxfordshire aml went to ;\Iary land, where he rendered
great service to the Missionaries. He died at J,iege in 113i9, aged 59, a Tern·
2
<>
poral Coadjutor.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOllfAS COPLEY.
217
fragmentary papers that still e:x;ist at Annapolis ; he is said
to have died in 1652; the place of his burial is unknown.
It was probably St. Inigoes, the oldest of the Missions. No
stately monument befitting his high degree arose over him,
no carved escutcheon bearing the black lion of Hoo, the sable and argent of\Velles, or the golden welks of Shelley
blazoned his descent from the fierce barons who fell at St.
Alban's and Lowton Field,-only the black cross<1> which
marks the grave of the humblest Christian, and which,
strangely enough, was the device of his own family, for
a while showed his resting-place; it mouldered away; in
spring the wild violets spread azure over him, and the autumn shed leaves of red and gold; the mocking-bird built
in the boughs over his head and the partridge hid her
young in the grass at his feet; thus he lies forgotten by
men, but living, let us hope, in a better life, and living in his
works, which yet remain to us. vVhen the Society of Jesus
was suppressed in 1773, Maryland reverencing her founders
respected their possessions, so that on the restoration of
the Order a few aged priests lingering within the walls of St.
Inigoes and St. Thomas' Manor< 2> were left to murmur "nunc
dimittis," and to transmit those estates, the sole remnant of
the great establishments which once arose in every quarter
of the globe, to their present possessors.
Both Gatton and Leigh Grange of the Copley estates
. were sequestered during the Commonwealth as the propCll The arms of Copley were .\rgcnt, a cross, moline, sable. Fr. Copley's
pcuigrec was a distingui'h~d onl', running hack to Thomas Hoo, Lord Hoo
and Hastings, K. U., who was killed at Ht. .\!ban's in 1455, to Lord ·welles,
killed at Lowton, 1-!l.il, to Sir William tihelley, to Sir Hoger Copley, citizen
and nwrcer of London. The Copleys were related to Lord Bacon, to Cecil,
to the Houthwells, etc. \\'hat remains of the old estates has descended toHenry Francis Salvin, Esquire, a Catholic, of Sutton Court near Guilford,
Snrrey, Englan41.
2
C > The parish church of the ~[anor of the Maze, a large estate in Southwark
very rwar the Thames, anu possessed by the Copleys from about the middle
of the fith•enth century, was name< I "St. Thomas';" perhaps, Father Copley
transferred the old name to the new Mission and :lllanor of St. Thomas which
he founded in Maryland.-A riew church, unuer the invocation of St. Edward
was built in 1876 at Sutton Park, which is 1\0W, as we said before, the :prop.
erty of Mr. Salvin.
�218
LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
erty of Catholic recusants and were sold by the family in
1655· Roger Copley had married, and seems, for a time, to
have lingered near the old place, the burial of four of his
children being recorded in the register of Gatton between
1658 and 1672; after this. date the name no longer appears.
He is supposed to have been the father of \Vm. Copley, S.].,
who was born in 1668 and took his last vows in 16g8,labored
in Wanvickshire and died in 1727. There seem to have
been another priest and three nuns, two BenediCtines and a
Poor Clare, at Gravelines, who, perhaps, belonged to this
family. In 1714 Henrietta Copley, a Catholic widow, was
possessed of property valued at fifty pounds near St. Olive's,
Southwark, and in 1721 Henry Copley, the son of Don John
Copley and Mary Conquest, born at St. Germain's in 1705,
entered the English College, Rome : "he had been educated
at St. Omer's and was ordained in 1728."
Twenty-five years ago there existed in St. Mary's County,
Maryland, a class of poor whites, who, lived mostly by fishing; among them were Copleys and Gattons, both races
remarkable for handsome fc<ces and aristocratic bearing; it
may be they were the descendants of the ancient lords of
the Manor of Gatton in Surrey.
ERRATA.
Page 207, line 2, for More read Morse. Page 208, line 12
from bottom, read Henry More, who had been in prison and
died afterwards at Watten,
�NOTES TO PAGE 46.
The preceding pages show the heroism of the Copleys. Grandfather, father,
sons, daughters, and those allie•I to the house by the ties of blood or marriage,
are reveale•l to us as staunch in the f[tith ami, if need be, sacrificing fortune
:md life for conscience' sake. And this was their history for generations.
Still there were "orne tlegenerate sons; Anthony ami John Copley, uncles of
Father Thoma,, come before us as the unworthy off-;pring of heroic Hues. "\Ve
give what we have been able to gather cOJwerning their history as tending to
throw some light upon the difficulties the Catholics had to encounter in clinging to the religion whieh they held 'o dear, and which was rendered immeasurably ;:acred by the blood of the martyrs around them.
We will now return to the black sheep Anthony, who, before 1592, had
gone back to Englami; he seems to have been one of those men who conceal
under a frank exterior, great tlupiicity. Richard Topcliffe, the notorious informer, on the arre't of Southwell in l:>U:I wrote to the Queen: "Young Anthony Copley, the most desperate youth that liveth, hath most familiarity
with Southwell. Copley did shoot at a gentleman last summer and did kill
an ox with a musket, and in Horsham church threw his dagger at the parish
clerk and stuck it in a seat in the church; there liveth not the like I think
in England for ~uddeu attempt'; nor is there one upon whom I have good
grounds to have more watchful eyes for his sister Gage's and his brother-inlaw Gage's sake,.ofwhose pardon he boa:<teth he is assured." After this letter Topclitfe, having license of the Queen, took ~outhwell to his own house
and tortured him, From this it appears that Anthony Copley's previous per,
fidy was unknown to this contemporary scoundrel; let us hope he had not
exchanged the life of his sister for that of his cousin and benefactor.
From Douce's Illustrations of Shakspeare it would seem that Anthony Copley had literary aspirations. In 1.~95 he published ""\Vitts, Fittes, and Fancies," consisting of saying:<, je,ts and anecdotes in part translated from a
Spanish work entitled "La Floretta Spagnola," at the end of which was
printed a poem by him called "Lo.ve's Owle, in a dialogue wise betweene
T.ove and an Oltle ~!an," of which he thus speaks in his dedication: "As for
my Love's Owle I am content that ~I om us tnrne it to a tennis ball if he can,.
and bantly it quite away; namely I desire ~[. Daniel, M. Spencer and other
Prime Poet~ of our time to pardon it with as easy a frowne as they please, for
that I give them to understand that an University muse never penned it,
though humbly devoted thereto." This book was reprinted in 1614 without his name. In 15~6 he published "A Fig for Fortune." From Collier's
account he seems to have been as had a poet as he was a man. He married,
and seems to have lived at Raughley, a moated mansion, in Surrey, which
had descended to his family from the IloM, and not far distant from Horsham
church, mentioned by Topcliffe, in which is still a beautiful tomb to the last
Lord Hoo and Hastings killed in the wars of the Roses.
(219)
�220
LIFE OF FATHER THOllfAS COPLEY.
In the latter part of Elizabeth's reign the most unfortunate dissensions had
arisen among the Catholics. An archpriest, Dr. George Blackwell, having
been appointed by the Pope, a number of priests who were opposed to such an
office, sought his dismiss;J.l, aQd appealipg tQ Ro~E!'. fqr, that purpose, they
were called "Appellants." There was also great ill-feeling between the Seminarians and the Regulars, which is said to have been encouraged at 'Visbech,
a prison where many of both kinds were confined, by Elizabeth who remembered, perhaps, that "a house divided against itself shall not stand." The
adversaries of the Jesuits necusing the Order of being "hispanolized," pointed
to Robert Parson's book on the Sticcession, in which he avowed tlie doctrine,
that kings derived their right from the will of the governed. lloth Regulars
and Seminarians accused each other of fumishing information to the government.
One of the most active of the appellant priests WM 'Vatson, nephew of· the
Bishop of Lincoln, the last survivor of that hierarchy which had come down
from St. Austin. ""atson was n strong supporter of the claims of James to
the crown; had visited him before ElizabL>th's death and recdved from- him
strong assurances of indulgence for the Catholics should he become. King of England. In the qunrrel with the Jesuits Watson published a book called "Quod
libet" which happily no man now livillg has enr read; his friend and supporter, Anthon~- Copley,rushed into pri,ot, with what we would term a pamphlet, the name of which we have been unable to discover; intimate with these
two was a secular priest named Clarke, who with them cherished high hopes
of a happy future under James. Their disappointment was very great when
they discovered what his real intentions were, or rather what were the designs
of Cecil who had obtained entire influence over him. Watson who had· a
true appreciation of his character, gained, perhaps, while in Scotland,-"if·I
hae Jocko by the collar I can gar him bite you"-thought that if the Catholics would seize him they could control him, nnd it would not be treuson,-because he had not yet been crowned! He, with his two intimate friends al·
ready mentioned, with Sir Griffith ::l[arkhum nnd a few other Catholics, in
the summer of 1613 forme<! a little plot of their own inside of a larger Protestant one, in which were engaged Sir 'Valter Raleigh, Lor<l Cobham, LOrd
Grey of Wilton, a strong Puritan, and others; at least Sir Edward Coke"}
tlescribed it; and he should have known, for he was learned in plots. "Tht·
~lain," or Protestant conspirators, were to carr~- off· the king, "the Bye;'' ot·
Catholics, were to take him from them; if the two knew each others' designs,
to
and· if so, how they reconciled their conflicting views, I cannot tdl.~·
the fact that anything of the kind was contemplated is known only t{) the allseeing eye. Such a charge, however, served· Cecil's turn. The accused·gentlemen were arrested, examined-nnd Ill Anthony Copley, after. his usual fashion, at once told all and probnbly a great deal· more thnn he knew: to us it.
seems incredible that men should have incurretl the fearful penalties. of treason in the reckless way he describes. To know the character of this man, in
which the swash-buckler and the pedant seem to have met in equal proportions, it is only necessary to read his confession given in his own handwriting
to the Lords of the Privy Council on the 14th of July. In it he tells how h11
rode to London and visited Watson in his chambers a·t We~tminste~, who
offered him an oath which he took without question; o~ which Watson informed him that a supplication was offered to th~ King; and that it ~vas n~t
(1) Confession in appendix to Dodd's Hist, of the Church.
As
�LIFE OF FA THE!? THOllfAS COPLEY.
granted;· "the more mettlt\d spirits had fl. recourse which he declined to explain," as "the course was rough and not thoroughly tried," deferring fuller
information until his next visit. Copley was, however, perfectly satisfied,
"giving him his hand and Catholic promise to be seen as far as any man,"
and promising to bring up as many resolute men as he could, he departed to
the country. On the 21st of June he again visited ·watson who said he expected "many tall men on the 23d" and desired to know how many Copley
had brought, who said "not one, for I know never a Catholic near me for sev"ral miles who is not J esuited." They spent the evening in talking of cutting off head,, to which Copley says he was opposed, and of getting the great
seal, of which the bloody-minded ·watson WIL'! to be keeper in the event of
their success.
The next morning Copley called on his sister, ~Irs. Gage, taking two of his
hooks and a letter which he had written to the arch-priest "to reconcile himself to the main body of Catholics," which documents seem to have been sent
through her-it was not the least of Blackwell's sufferings if he read them!
Going back to ·watson's chamber, Copley found Sir Griffith Markham there
and they discu,sed the capture of James "either by day or night" at Greenwich, Copley offering "to be one of thirty men to take him from five hundred." They aho considered how IH' should lw com·erted when once in
their hands, "whether by disputation, exorcism of those possessed of the devil,
or trial by battle." In case the latter were decided on, 'Vatson asked, "'Vho
amongst lL~ will be the gallant. )fachabec to take that trial on himself:" to
which Copley t·eplh>d: "Doubt ye nut, sir, enough will be found, or, if all
failed, rather than so fait· a ball should fall t{> the ground, I myself would be
the man; provi<lt>d if it might be without scandal to th<' Church upon the
canon of the Council of Trent to the contrary of all duellums, if I choose the
weapon, not doubtin)( but that m~· wife, who by the sacrament of matrimony
is individually intert>sted i11 my person, would, Rhc being a Catholic and the
cause so much God's, quit at my request, such her interest, for the times; and
not doubting to find among the host of hml\·en that blesse<l queen, his )faje•·
ty's mother, at my elbow at that. hour."
The next day was Corpus Christi, and thf>se men with their lives at stake
eoncluded to do nothing until it was over, or as Copley expressed it, they determined "to feriate" in its honor ; so they part~d, he going to )£ rs. Gage's
where he discoursed a long time about the discontents of the Catholics, boa.•ting of what his party would do to remedy these evils, wishing that th.e other
side, a.~ ha.ving more ·men and greater pur:;<', would join them. He blamed
)frs. Gage for her remissness in the common cause, which he attributed to the
influence of the Jesuits, "of which," said he, "she took no notice." It may
he that Margaret Gage's thought~< were with one of that Order whom her
brother seemed to have fin·gotten, one who had been the companion of their
ehj)!ihood; that she saw the gaping crowd, the gibbet tree, the loved face fit,
l.eJ.I by. suffering borne here to wear the martyrs crown hereaftei·, then the
bit«lr agony, the kind1·cd hlood flowing nnd the noble heart quivering in the
hangman's hands. Knowing her brother as 'he must, and probably deeply
mistrusting him, her silence wa.~ golden, but it must have tried qer soul.
That evening the conspirators heard that warrants were out for them; on the
next, the expected "tall men" mnde their appearance, filling. the hall and
;;ather~ng about the door of Watson's appnrtments, hut only a handful ;
Clarke came in; worq wit)l riding, hopeless aqd blaming the Jesuits. Theq
�%22
LIFE OF FATHER THOJJfAS COPLEY.
Watson flinched and told the gentlemen they had as well break otT and go
home.
Anthony Copley, knowing that his road was barred, concealed himselfun.
til Saturday night, when he crept to his sister's, but she, with tears streaming
down her cheeks, told him her husband had been arrested, her house was no
place for him, and shut the door in his face. He then gave himself up. On
his testimony principally, Clarke and Watson were hung; he and Markham
received the same sentence, afterwards commuted to banishment, most likely
with the understanding "they should divulge some worthy matter." This
was an old trade of Anthony Copley, and Markham beeame an intelligencer
for Cecil at the Court of the Duke of ~uremberg who took pity on him in
his exile
The last record fouml of ~\nthony Copley is 1tiUti when he dined at the English l10spital in Rome; he had a companion who !'ntered the name of "Robert Southwell of Norfolk." Anthony had the effrontery to remain here with
the Jesuits from January until ~\pril. Gage of Haling was also found guilty,
perhaps only of listening to the nonsense of his brother-in-law without revealing- it, ancl was again condemned to death, but subsequently pardoned.
Treason was, however, an expensive luxury, and though pardons were purchasable, the courtiers who obtained them required large "gratifications."
'Ve find that Lady Copley sold het" Jife estate in )lersham Park in 1603, the
year her son and son-in· law were condemned to death, and that 'Villiam Cop·
ley aliened the same manor nt that time, the price going to some Scottish
favorite of the King, who had, perhaps, used his influence in obtaining par·
don for Anthony and others.
The history of John Copley, another uncle of Father Thomas, is also a disgraceful one by the side of the glorious record of the family. In my reading
I have come across the following facts: Lady Coplq had been able to obtain
the discharge of her chaplain, ~ieholas Smith, and sent her youngest son
John, under his care, to the continent, with whom he went from nne Jesuit
school to another, until, attempting with some other students to reach Spain
· by sea, he was captured and brought to England, hut set at liberty on giving
bail; either he or his brolher .\nthony was probably the ".\[r. Copley, the
Earl of Cumberland's servant," who in 1594 "con~sponded with Donna Mag·
dalena Copley." In 1599 he made the following entry nt the English College
in Rome :<ll "I was born at Lou vain and I am twenty-two years old; nine day.
after my birth I was sent to England where I was nursed and brought up un·
til my ninth year. I then went to Li~ge on my mother'~ leaving England and
remained there a year with her. On her then returning to England I was
~ent to Douay where Father ~ichola.~ Smith took charge of me, my mother
having committed me to his care. When Father ~mith became a .Jesuit, he
~ent me to Yalencia when~, after spending n half yt>ar in grammar, he again
called me to Douay. I was placed in the English College and studied syntax
for a year and then, when the College of St. Omer's wa.' erected, in 1593, Fr.
Smith was made minister and summoned me thither, where I made my po·
etry and commenced rhetoric. I was then sent by superiors with Fr. Bald·
win and other students to Spain by way of Cadiz, viz: with William Worth·
ington, John Iverson, Thomas Garnett, James Thompson, and Henry Montpesson. All of us were captured at sea by the English fleet and taken to
England, 1 alone was separated from the rest and sent to the Bishop of Lon(1) Foley'a Records of the ~- Provine&-Series 1st.
�LIFE OF FATHER THOMAS COPLEY.
\.
\
i
. i'
don, but was released on some friend going bail that I would not leave the
kingdom.
"I was my own master during this time and spent it in worldly plemmre,
hunting, society ancl such like vaniti~'· ~Iy father was Baron de Hoo and
J.ord Thomas de Gatton; my mother was of the family of Lutterel. I have
two brothers and fonr siAter"; the thin! of whom married )lr. John Gage,
and, with Jwr husband, was condemned to death after an imprisonment of
two years on account of a certain prie;t 'vho "'metimes said Mass in their
house and WtM afterwartls a martyr.
"Ther were hoth carried in a eart with their hands bound, but she received
a letter on tlw 'catfuld respiting them. X either she nor her husband was
pardoned or n•stored by the Queen, and Baron Charles Howard of Effingham
took possession of .John Gage'' estate which he tllis day possesses by the
Queen's gift.
"I have a Catholic unele, )[r. Gage ofFirle in Sn.''<'X. )fr. Geo. Cottam, Mr.
<le Lid••s (<lc ~e''Y"), )lr. de Price, )[r. Skinner, )Ir. Cryps, a part of the
family of i'<outhwell prof,.,, the Catholic faith. Father Robert Southwell,
martyr, was a re]atin• on part of my f:ttlwr's sister. )[y Protestant relations
ou IllY fathe:·t·'s_ :-:ide are Lane!", ~hlney~, IIow·ards and liungerfords; on my
mother's, Lutt<-rd,, 1\'ind'<Jr~, ~n~t·rs,"'arwi~l", (']itfortl~, )lallets and Stuckleys. \Vhen a ·hor with )fr. ~outhwell, m~- unc!P, I went sometimes to the
Protestant church, but I was not till'n resp<m~ihle. I was brought up from
the age ofsc1·en in the Catholic· faith." He then <'Xpres"'' a desire to become
n priest and tht•re is :":trong n•a!-!on to l1elit•ve lu~ h(•eanu:~ one. Foley says that
though the Pilgrim hook 'ays he was admitted to the scholar's habit there is
no n•cor<l in tht• Dint·~-; howe1·er, in a Ji,t of priests eoufinl'd in Xewgate in
11Mu, aft<•r thl' Gnnpomlt•r Plot, is thP name of .John Copley with that of An<lrew "'hitt• and .Joint Altham, afterwanls fdlow priest~ of his nephew in
)[urylaml. In llil:? hP is fimnd as a !'l'OtPstant clergyman and rector ofBlethersden in Kent prPsentc<l hy Ahhot, the Archhishop of Canterhury; which
position he resigned to hPcomc rPctor of Puekley in the same county, where
he seems to han• l•cen always in trouble with the J.ord of the )[anor, Sir Ed·
warrl nerin~. who as late,., 161-! speaks of his "currishness" and "face," as
may be seen in the )lcmoir of this Lord by the Camden Publication Society.
There is no <louht of the hlcntit~· of the pupil of the .Tesuits with the cler;::yman of th~ Estahlisherl Church; the visitation of Surrey by Rerry, taken in
162:~, reconls him as "John, son of Sir Thomas Copley of Gatton, ofPuckley,
Kent, aged 40, an<l married to-~[oone, whiht his position as rector of that
place is to be founrl in Halsted's count.y hi,tory •lnrl in the Archives of Canterbury. There seemed, at one time, no prospect of discovering the circumstances which imlucc<l .fohn Copley to take a step at once at variance with
his early teachings and the traditions of hi' f:1mily. J)iscontent shared with
his brother Anthony, or con,irleration of the strong argument furnished by
years of imprisonment endure<! filr his priesthood in Newgate, and the comfort of a Kent living for conformity, might have had weight with him, as it
had with other unheroic souls; however, a pa,sage in a letter from Sir Dudley Carlton to Sir Thomas Etlrnunth, London, .Tan. 29th, 1611, explains his
conduct: "One Copley, a priest anrl <lomestical chaplain to the Lord Uon·
tague, falling in love with an ancient Catholic mairl there, that attended the
children, they have both left their profession and fallen to marriage." Neill
quite strangely confounds this apostate with Fr. Thomas Copley of )!&ryland,
�NEW YORK.
MISSIONARY L'\BORS OF THE NOVICES AT MANRESA.
!881-1883.
In the early autumn of 1881, two novices were returning
from a visit to a family, whose children were pupils at the
Sunday-School. \Vhile walking through the woods that
line the western shore of the Hudson, they met with some
thirty men, busily engaged in felling trees. Not far off
stood a shanty, the dwelling place of these laborers, who had
come there to cut a road through woods and rocks and
mountains. The novices were reverently saluted by the
men, and after a few kind \vords, continued on their way.
On reaching home, the probabilities of opening a Catechismclass among the railroad men were warmly discussed, and
great was the joy of the novices, when Fr. Master granted
full permission to do so and urged all to use their best endeavors. Accordingly, on the following Sunday, two novices started for the above shanty, and found on their arrival
there the greater part of the men in attendance. They received a hearty welcome from all; for a time they strove to
entertain the men by c~onversing on the prospeB:s of the future railway, but gradually began to work their own point,
and make \vay for religious topics. Before an hour had
passed, the first religious instruB:ion had been given, and a
permanent class established. \Vith the promise to ··come
again, they left, much pleased with their opening labors.
Thus the first mission on the railroad was begun. By and
by, more laborers arrived, and more missions were formed,
so that, before winter commenced, there were six Catechismclasses in various shanties between the Highland and Manresa. Each of the missions was placed under the proteB:ion
of some patron Saint and named accordingly. There was a
"Mission of St. Bridget," "St, Patrick," "St. Boniface," the.
(224)
�YEW YORK.
"Holy Family," "Blessed Peter Claver," etc., with·an attendance that varied in each of them from twenty to fifty men.
It might here, perhaps, be interesting to give a general
plan of the method followed in these classes.
As soon as the novices arrived, the men assembled for
class; those who were more zealous went to bring others
who liked their beds and cared not over much for religious
instructions. You would often hear them say:
''Brother, that fellow needs it especially. You must go
for him." Sometimes the novices had to go themselves ; ·
there they would find the so-called "hard-cases" stretched
out upon their beds, snoring away and pretending to be fast
asleep; of course it was hard to wake them; but once awakened, a little coaxing did the rest. As soon as all had
come together, they knelt down to say a short prayer. After the prayer, one of the novices explained the Sacraments,
Creed, Prayer or some other part of the Catechism. The
instruction was followed by a sermon, generally taken from
the first week of the Spiritual Exercises. Those who wished
to take the pledge, received it as soon as the sermon was
finished; questions and difficulties were answered and, finally, all knelt down again to prayer and so ended the formal
exercises of the class. But these exercises were only the
beginning of the better work that followed. Whilst one of
the novices tried to keep the men together by his conversation, the other picked out his man and took him aside for a
private talk, inquiring into his life and habits, to learn how
often during the year he went to the Holy Sacraments;
whether he attended Mass regularly, etc. In these private
interviews, the men told candidly the state of their consciences, confessed their wrong course and willingly listened
to the good advice given them. Though many tried for a
time to put off their duty, yet almost all finally followed the
voice of conscience and became good Catholics. I remember one, who was over-obstinate, and stoutly denied the necessity of the Holy Sacraments. Every possible means to
convert that unhappy man had proved a failure, when the·
novices joined in the almost infallible novena to St. Igna-
�NEW roRK
tius and St. Francis Xavier. The novena had not yet been
finished, when one evening the man of his own free will
came to confession. From that time on, he was a changed
man.
The Irishmen showed throughout excellent dispositions,
a faCl: that cannot be said of the Germans, though the latter
had the additional difficulty of being ignorant of the language of the country. Yet this cannot excuse them, since
there were German novices to attend to them, and not far
off a German Catholic parish.
It must not, however, be thought that all the laborers had
to be urged to come to Mass and to the Holy Sacraments.
It would certainly be a mistake. There were some very
good men among them, who had never forgotten their duties towards God, and their pious example helped much towards a change in the others. -··Most of the difficulties, which
had to be overcome, arose from a false shame to tell in sacramental confession their sins and their sinful negligences
of long-standing. Besides, the men were more or less given
to drinking, so that the good resolutions which they had
made whilst the novices staid among them, were weakened
and sometimes entirely broken during the week. Therefore
men of this sort were very frequently taken along at once
to make their confessions, whilst the impressions of divine
grace were yet fresh. The bad example of others, who did
not wish to hearken to the voice of God, often repelled those
who still wavered between yielding to grace or following
their old course of life.
~·
Another and not the least obstacle came from a false
shame; they did not like to go to church and to the Holy
Sacraments in their working-clothes, and often they had no
others. Yet these and many other difficulties were gradually overcome, and the Mass which was said for them on
Sundays at 10 o'clock was attended by a large and edifying
congregation. It not unfrequently happened that the two
Fathers at Manresa heard confessions on Saturday from
about 6 o'clock till after evening recreation, and again in the
fl)':>rning before and during Mass, which for a long time was
�Ht
ceiebrated by our dear Fr. Bapst, who did riot wish to' be
deprived of what he considered a privilege. All the railroad men loved the venerable Father.
I remember that on Christmas day, besides those who
had received Holy Communion during the earlier Masses,
fifty-two other railroad men approached the Holy Table at
the late Mass. It was a touching and consoling sight!
The great weakness, so common among these laborers,
of spending their money for liquor was gradually overcome,
when after the reception of the sacraments they took the
pledge, at first for a short, and then for a longer time. One
day, two novices took a surplice, two candles, a crucifix and
a white altar cloth to their mission. Having arrived there,
they fixed up a table, and the senior-novice in surplice delivered an eloquent temperance sermon, at the end of which
eighteen men took the pledge in the presence of all the
others.
The better the men became, the stronger grew their love
for the Blessed Virgin ; and this was shown by their eagerness to receive the scapular. Very many were invested ;
five or ten at a time were frequently found kneeling at the
altar of the Blessed Virgin to n;ceive the scapular.
Many among the railroad men who attended the instructions were Protestants. Divine grace touched them, and
thus we had the great joy of receiving some Protestant
Irishmen and Germans into the Church. The laborious and
even dangerous work, in which they were engaged, made
them appreciate the more the peace of soul with which they
went to their daily toil. The few sad accidents helped not
a little to urge the men to their religious duties. There
lived an old laborer in one of the shanties, who had for fortyfive years staid away from the sacraments. He had received
Holy Communion only once in his life. The novice, to
whose mission he belonged, continued for six weeks exhorting and admonishing him in every possible way, to turn
back and make his peace with God; but to no avail. On
the seventh Sunday after the same novice had again spoken
-.witp him for half an hour without getting any other answer
�than "It is of no use for me!" he was about leaving, when
God inspired him with the idea of awakening in the man the
thought of his beloved mother. He at once returned and
had the following dialogue:
"l want to ask you something yet. Do you love your
mother?"
"0 yes, Brother, and would do everything in my power
to please her/'
"\Vould you do whatever your mother might wish you
to do?"
"Certainly, Brother; I could not refuse anything to my
mother."
"Now, see; it is your mother, who is now praying for
you in Heaven, that wishes me to tell you: 'My son, go to
confession; do what the Brother wishes you to do.' \Viii
you refuse to comply with your mother's wish?"'
"Do you think my mother would speak so to me?"
"Most certainly."
"No, Brother, I shall not refuse. \Vhen may I go to
confession?"
"vVell, prepare yourself and come to the Novitiate on next
Saturday morning at 9 o'clQck.''
_ The man came, and continued to receive the Holy Sacraments weekly for abo_ut a month, when one Monday morning, after receiving Holy Communion the day before, he
was instantly killed by an explosion.
Time went on and the missions outgrew the number of
novices. Besides the above-mentioned missions, five others
were established between Manresa and the village of Esopus. Yet, Fr. Master arranged everything in such a manner, that all the missions were provided with novices every
Sunday. In Esopus 'were two shanties with each a hundred men; another with forty-five Hungarians; a third with
twenty-five Greeks, and a fourth contained about twenty or
thirty colored men, one of whom was from Ireland.
None among the novices understood the Hungarian language. Nevertheless, two novices went to the Hungarians
one Sunday, hoping to. find some one among them who
�NEW YORK.
might perchance understand German. Their hope was to
be fulfilled. Whilst they were gesticulating with the poor
men, they saw a young Hungarian Jew, and approaching,
asked him whether he understood German. He answered
in the affirmative. He at once became the interpreter and
translated to the Hungarians the instructions given in
German.
\Vhen Easter drew nigh, every one came to fulfil the duty
prescribed by the Church; and even the numerous Italians
were included, for Fr. Pacciarini came to Manresa and
staid there about a month so as to offer an occasion to the
Italian-speaking workmen to attend to their Easter duty. ·
Some three hundred followed the zealous Father's call. Fr.
Pacciarini went himself to the shanties to stir up the lukewarm and enliven again with faith those who had been so
unhappy as to be dead to it. One day, he came across
twenty or thirty Garibaldians, to whom nothing was more
detestable than the sight of a cassock. They received him
with curses ; but before his departure, all had received the
Sacrament of Penance.
Remarkable, indeed, and manifest beyond any doubt was
the working of divine grace among those poor men, who in
their poverty and wretchedness were most precious in the
sight of God. His mercy was especially shown them at the
moment of death. I remember a young Protestant Irishman who lived in one of the shanties and who had out of
curiosity attended the instructions of the novices. He fell
ill and when the novices saw him on Sunday, he did not
seem to be in danger of death. The next morning, whilst
they were going on a walk-it '~as a special recreation day
for the novices-they met a boy on horseback, hastening to
the Novitiate. As soon as the boy saw the novices, among
whom was also the novice to whose charge that shanty belonged, he told them that the young man was dying and
earnestly desired to see a Catholic priest. Fr. Doucet hastened at once to the shanty, provided with the Holy Sacrament and Holy Oils. He baptized the man, gave him the
VoL. XIV. No. 2.
IS
�A~NSAS.
·
last Sacraments and shortly after the Father left the house,
the young convert died a happy death.
Thus the novices continued their zealous work for two
years. When the railroad was finished, the men went away,
their shanties were torn down and the wonted quiet returned
to Manresa Novitiate and its inmates. A happy recolleaion
only of former missionary labors remained.
KANSAS.
OsAGE MISSION, NEosHo CouNTY,
,
Dec. 3 I st, I 884.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I would not be surprised if perusing the "Neosho County
Journal" on the dedication of our St. Francis' Church, which
you reported in your LETTERS of November 1884, vol. 12,
n. 3, you wondered at some apparently mysterious expressions the writer made toward the end of his account in speaking of the old church. \Vell, there is no mistake about it,
. the old church was a most devout sanauary which had
grown up in size as well as in veneration with the material
improvement of this Mission, and of the events which took
place there, some were most solemn, and worthy indeed of
a poem, as well as of history. And no wonder that the impressions they left on the mind of those who had .part in
them should be indelible.
·
To satisfy the curiosity which these remarks might have
excited in your readers, it becomes necessary for me to take
this matter ab ovo, and record several items which accompanied the growth of the old St. Francis' Church and gradually brought us to the building of the new one. The few
digressions which I have to make here and there, will, perhaps, appear out of place, but the light which they may
throw on the subjea will, I hope, prove interesting.
The first church that was ever dedicated to God in this
�· itANSAS.
beautiful valley of the Neosho was ereCted in 1848. It was
an unpretending log-struCture, 30 by 30 feet in size, and I 2
feet in height. It was blessed under the invocation of St.
Francis de Hieronymo, the Patron and Titular of this our
Mission. Its architeCt: and builder was Father John Schoenmakers of happy memory. That church was small and
poor indeed, but was to be the cradle of that large and daily
increasing Catholicity now spreading all over southeast
Kansas.
For about five years our congregation amounted to perhaps a hundred all counted. The members of it were few,
but the prayers they offered to God from that humble sanctuary were most fervent. In it generous souls consecrated
to God the flower of.their virginity, willing to pass all their
life-time in voluntary seclusion from worldly pleasures, and
in self-denial; there catechumens were instruCted and baptized, the spiritual exercises were given to people who for
many years had negleCted their ·christian duties ; there on
every Sunday instruCtions were imparted to a cosmopolitan
audience of French, Creoles, English-speaking mechanics,
and wild Indians of different tribes. Father John Bax had
care of them all, and as he had mastered many different languages to perfeCtion, the church was always well attended, and the number of our neophytes was increasing,
when alas ! a premature death came to put an end to his
apostolic labors! He died a martyr of charity on the 5th
of August, I 8 52, being but thirty-five years of age; of these
he had passed ten in our Society. His death was a great
loss to us, but we are confident we do not mistake when we
attribute to his prayers in our behalf the prosperity which
has subsequently been attained by this Mission.
The method of instruCting the Osages adopted by Father
]. Bax was faithfully followed by us, and, with the help of
God, we began little by little to gather the fruits of conversion, and the number of our Catholics began to increase s 0 ,
that by the end of ten years our church became too small to
accommodate them all, and we were obliged to put an addition to it. Here again Fr.]. Schoenmakers made the plan
�232
KA~NSAS.
for it, and under his direCtion Brother John DeBruyn aCl:ed
as the chief carpenter, a position which he could fill to the
satisfaCl:ion of all, for having served as a pontonier in the
army of the King of Belgium for several years before entering our Society, he knew how to handle the axe to perfection, and this was the principal tool he needed in the construCl:ion of this building. Br. John being of a very friendly
disposition, soon raised a company of wood-cutters amongst
our Half-breeds, and with their help in a few days had all
the logs nearly hewed, and all being ready, the addition was
raised. The work was going on with alacrity, when an accident happened to mar its progress. Just at the moment
when Br. John, standing on the apex of the new roof was
trying to bring a tenon into its mortise, his axe glanced from
the log to his right foot making on the top of it a very deep
cut. The shock which the \vhole of his body felt at that
instant was terrible, but the brave old soldier did not mind
it, and calling up all his strength, came down fr_om the roof,
but no sooner did he alight than all his power left him, he
fell and remained unconscious, while the blood was flowing
profusely from his wound! vVe ran quickly to his assista~ce, and, laying him on a stretcher, brought him to his
bed. Here Brother Thomas O'Donnell, our infirmarian,
was summoned, and coming without delay, he made use of
all his surgical knowledge to stop the blood which was
flowing from the cut in an alarming degree. An amount of
lint plucked from linen rags was soon at hand, scraps of
buck-skin were mixed up with it and a large quantj_ty of
brown sugar saturated with alcohol having been added, the
whole was put over the wound, and carefully bandaged. We
watched the poor Brother day and night, and as the pain
he suffered made him delirious, Br. O'Donnell gave him a
few grains of morphine to make him feel a little easier, and
to procure him some rest. The effect of this dose was to
throw the patient into a state of lethargy, which, added
to the great loss of blood, took from him all signs of life, so
that our surgeon began to fear that he had mistaken in the
treatment, and, perhaps, might be the cause of his death!
�KANSAS.
In consequence of this he was in great trouble, and could
not be persuaded that he was not to blame. There is no
doubt that the life of Br. John was in great jeopardy, but by
the end of three days, he got over that terrible crisis, his
countenance began to look more cheerful, and we felt happy
to perceive that to all appearances he was now out of danger.
You can imagine how pleased and satisfied good Br. O'Don.
nell appeared! He would shake hands with every one, and
say, with a kind of self.complacency, "did I not tell you
that he would recover? indeed he had to pass through a
great paro_xysm, but I was not alarmed on account of it, and
was waiting for developments." Then we all congratulated
our good-humored surgeon, and as we happened one day
to be all together around the bed of Br. John, we concluded
to have a professional meeting, and calling on Br. O'Donnell, we commended his skill, approved the course followed in the treatment of the patient, and conferred upon him
the degree and title of "DoCtor Magnificus," to the great
amusement of Br. John who was now fairly entered on his
convalescence. Perhaps, you wish to know whether we had
any doCtor in this country? Well we had none at that time,
and the Osages would have none, so we were bound more
or less to praCtise medicine, and in many instances by taking care of their bodies we gained their souls. Father J.
Schoenmakers was a "DoCtor Excelsus" and I, your humble servant, was considered next to him "DoCtor Egregius,"
a title of which I am more proud than of all the stories
which some newspaper reporters, through an exceeding
kindness in my regard, have invented about my pedigree,
But to return to our dear Br. John, I must say that after
having been bed-ridden for two long months, he recovered
at last and was able to attend to his regular duties as before,
His sickness created a momentary delay in the work on the
church addition, but after a few days' labor the building was
completed, giving us a room 6o by 33 feet, which was ready
for service in the summer of 1858.
And now our church was considered the wonder of this
Indian Territory. The rumor having spread all around,
�KANSAS.
people would come from the back-woods of Arkansas as
well as of Missouri to get a sight of it. Indians of nearly
every tribe coming from the far west to visit the Osages,
would never return to their homes without having visited
our church: These wild people would notice everything
most carefully, and being naturally very inquisitive, wished
to know the meaning of everything, and generally what
seemed to please them most were the paintings of the Way
of the Cross. They would stop for quite a while before
them, looking at them attentively, and seeming to take great
interest in the mystery represented. Do not think, however, that what attracted their attention so much was always
the image of our suffering Saviour, of whose passion we had
spoken to them ! 0 no! I am bound to acknowledge with
sorrow that this was not always the case! In fact noticing
once that several of them sto-od with their eyes fixed on the
last picture, where Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea
with their servants are laying the body of our Lord in the
sepulchre, I thought that, perhaps, they were moved by divine grace, and asked them to tell me what was it that
pleased them so much in that representation, and would you
believe it? One of them replied, "Father, those people are
wearing mighty nice blankets. I wish I could have some as
nice!" "Ab uno disce omnes."
By this time our sch~ool had gained a great name, and at
the opening of 186o most all our neighboring tribes wished
to send their children to us. We could not receive all the
applicants, but generally found room for some few besides
the Osages and Quawpaws for whom the U. S. Government
was paying us a regular sum annually. Besides these the
Miamis, Cherokees, Peorias, Weas, Piankishaws, Kaskasias, Ottawas, Chippewas, Cayugas and Kansas had at different times some representatives of their respective nations
at our school, so that counting the boys in our house, and
the girls in the adjacent Convent of the Sisters of Loretto,
we were at this time educating three hundred boarders. To
be near their children several Indian families belonging to
the above nations came to settle in our vicinity, and consid-
�KANSAS.
235
erably increased our congregation. Moreover, about this
time different white families, having come from the States
to work for the Osages, also in great part located around us,
that their children might have the convenience of attending
our schools as day-scholars. This being so, no one will be
surprised if our church was again too small to accommodate
the large congregations it was drawing on the holydays. So
in 1 86o, we once more went to work, and put up another
addition to our old church, and this was not built of logs,
but it was a simple frame-work, of the same size as the preceding and with a small gallery over the main entrance.
Though since the spring of 1854 the Territory of Kansas
had been open for settlement, yet our Osage lands were
considered as an Indian Territory, or rather Reservation,
and white people were not allowed to "take up any claim"
on them. Since 1858 some twenty families of Osages determined to follow our advice, and began to work small
farms all along the Neosho river. They were doing quite
well, growing large crops, and raising a great deal of stock,
when in 1861 the civil war came· to put an end to their farming, and as we were just on the line dviding the two belligerents, this was considered a· dangerous place on account of
the hostile incursions which were frequently made either by
one or the other party. In consequence of this, not only the
white families that were around us, but all our Osages abandoned this Mission, leaving us alone exposed to all kind of
dangers with no other proteaion than that of divine Providence. And indeed our situation became a critical one, for
we were left here by ourselves with great responsibilities,
having to answer for what might happen to our large and
helpless community, for we had quite a number of Indian
boys in our house, and the Sisters had an equal number of
Indian girls in their Convent, and in case of a sudden attack
by the hordes of desperadoes scouring this country, we had
no one to defend us, and Fort Scott the nearest place to
which we might have applied for assistance, was forty long
miles from us ! Our two establishments were about a hundred yards apart, and the old church stood between them, just
�KANSAS.
in the middle. We, therefore, concluded to make this our
headquarters, and turn it, as it were, into a fortress for our
safety. So we did. In this we kept constant watch, and
the army we had for our defense were those words of the
psalmist, which OJ.l.Ce proved so powerful in the mouth of
St. Clare, when seeing the Saracens already climbing the
walls of her Convent, and not having any means to proteCt
her Community, she confronted them with the most Blessed
Sacrament, whilst her lips were repeating that most fervent
prayer, "Deliver not up to the beasts the souls that confess
to Thee ; and forget not to the end the souls of Thy poor."
Yes, this was the prayer which our children hourly offered before the holy tabernacle, .for we had formed a kind of
perpetual adoration amongst them, so that at nearly every
hour of the day some would be in the church watching before the altar, and we are sttre that their prayers obtained
for us the singular grace of having been preserved from total ruin in those days of fratricidal strife ! I said a sillgular
grace, and not without a reason ; for as these bands of marauders who were overrunning the country had destroyed
all the Indian Missions lying south of us in this Indian Territory, so they had determined to do with ours, and indeed
many times seeing ourselves surrounded by these unruly
soldiers destitute of all principles, seeing them too rushing
into our old church, uttering meanwhile the most abominable curses, we thought that our last hour had come ! But
no sooner did they notice those poor children kneeling before the altar and absorbed in prayer, than they seemed to
be changed, as it were by magic, into quite different ~en !
They stood silent looking around for a while, and as if they
had seen a flash of lightning, or had heard the crash of a
thunderbolt, they would bow their proud foreheads, leave
the church, and go off without doing any harm!
At last the cloud of war gradually disappeared. In
1865 people began once more to trust their neighbors; our
Osages returned from the western plains, and a new set of
immigrants, mostly Catholics, came .to settle down around
us. So our church again proved to be too small to accom-
�KANSAS.
~37
modate all our people. To provide for the need and give
all a chance to attend, at least now and then, to their Christian duties, we thought proper to build five chapels around
this Mission; namely one in Parsons, fourteen miles south,
a second in Ladore twelve miles southwest. a third in Thayer,
eighteen miles west, a fourth on Walnut Creek, ten miles
northeast, and a fifth on Hickory Creek, eight miles east of
this place. By this fact you see that our old church can
lay a claim to the title of Metropolitan Church, for indeed
she has been the mother of many churches which gradually
sprung out of the hundred and thirty-five stations which in
progress of time were started by us. Now, each one of these
succursals being regularly attended, they soon became the
nucleus of small congregations clustering around them. By
this arrangement, on Sundays we could afford more room
for those living in the vicinity. But in spite of this, the number of our Catholics was increasing daily, and Fr. J. Schoenmakers saw that the time had come for building a church
large enough for all. And here just in time Father Philip
Colleton was sent to our assistance. Being a very energetic
man and a fine speaker, especially when there was question
of raising funds for any such purpose as to build a church,
the charge was given to him of getti!lg subscriptions and
collecting the money for the new church. He did not delay, but went to work and with success; so that the amount
he collected in a few months was sufficient to justify the
commencing of this, for us, gigantic work.
By the middle of August, 1872, the ground was broken
for the foundations, and the honor of doing this was left to
good Brother John Shehan, a stout Corkonian, who from
the very start of this Mission had been, I can say, the right
hand of Fr. J. Schoenmakers in managing our farm, and
caring for our stock. He was a true Hibernian, always
ready to defend our faith, especially when the honor due to
the Mother of God was concerned. Being endowed with
herculean strength, in a few days he had the foundations
dug out, so that early in May Fr. John Schoenmakers laid
the first stone, according to the plan made by Mr. John
�KANSAS.
Murphy the architect, and under the direction of Mr. Michael Kavanaugh, the chief stone-mason. According to the
plan of Mr. Murphy, the building was to be of a cruciform
shape, and not only had the ground already been dug, but
also several very large rocks had been placed in the foundations of the west transept, when a great many remonstrances
being made against it by persons not acquainted with the
rapid development of these western countries, Father John
Schoenmakers,pro bono paczs, had those big rocks taken out,
and the ditches of the two transepts again filled up, leaving
the church in the form of a parallelogram, 140 feet long,
north and south, and 70 feet east and west. By the I 5th of
June the foundations having been brought up two feet over
the ground, to what is generally called the water-table; the
corner-stone was laid with great solemnity in presence of a
very large number of people~··whites as well as Indians, by
Rt Revd. Louis M. Fink, 0. S. B., Bishop of Leavenworth
on the 22d of June, I 872. This done we gave up work for a
while, thinking it more prudent so to do, than to plunge
ourselves into debt. Now, as it was to be expeCted, some
people seeing the foundations above the ground, and noticing not only grass, but thick shrubs and saplings growing
all around them, would make a great many remarks, and
\Vould blame Fr. J. Sc~oenmakers for having begun such a
large building here in the wilderness! The good Father
listened to them with wonderful patience, and smiling would
say, "my dear friends, do not trouble yourselves about it, for
time will show whether this church will be too large, qr not
large enough."
Here things remained in statu quo till the fall of 1874,
when Fr. Adrian Sweere, who had superseded Father John
Schoenmakers as Superior of this Mission, wishing to continue the work, examined the foundation in company with
Mr. Louis Scheider, a very expert architeCt:, and after having
had many consultations with him and Fr. J. Schoenmakers,
they agreed to modify in part the former plan, by diminishing the intended height as well as thickness of the walls,
and supplying the building with strong buttresses between
�KANSAS.
each window. By this change the width of the church
would remain the same, the walls would not lose their solidity, and. the look of the whole would be greatly improved;
moreover by reducing the height of the structure, this
would be rendered more secure against the cyclones so frequent in these high prairies. So the alteration proposed by
Fr. A. Sweere was considered by all most artistical, and at
the same time most economical.
•
Meanwhile Father Philip Colleton was progressing in his
collections, when unfortunately he was brought to the end
of his days in consequence of an accident he met with on
the railroad, in the early part of 1876. He died suddenly
on the first day of December, 1876, being then fifty-five
years old, and counting twenty-two years in our Society.
His death was a heavy blow to the finances of our new
church. This, however, did not discourage Father Sweere,
and as soon as the spring of 1877 fairly opened, he and Fr.
James C. Van Goch called the leading men of our conljregation to a meeting, to see whether they were willing to
assist us in the case we should resume work. Not only
every one was pleased at hearing such good news, but all
promised that they would volunteer to fetch the stone we
needed for the building. Father James C. Van Goch, who
was very popular amongst our people, formed different circles or clubs of ten or fifteen farmers who would come together and bring us the stone, some of them for one week
and others for two, and would do this as a part of their contribution towards the building. They kept their word, and
during the summer of that year a very large quantity of the
needed material was brought to the ground, and during the
coming fall as well as winter, the stone was cut and numbered to have it ready for the raising of the walls by the
next spring. The former plan of the building having been
changed, the corner-stone laid by Rt. Rev. Louis M. Fink,
_0. S. B., was moved from the southwest corner, where it
was, to the northwest corner of the lower inside of the
church, and now remains covered by the wainscoting of the
interior. Meanwhile as every one was feeling happy at see-
�KANSAS.
ing' the walls gradually rising we met with another heavy
loss, that, namely, of Fr. James C. Van Goch, whose energy
and kindness had procured us so many friends among all
classes of people. He also died suddenly of an attack of
apoplexy on the 24th of August, 1878, being but forty-seven
years of age; of these he had passed twenty in our Society.
At the time of his death the walls of the new church had
been raised five feet over the water-table, and as funds again
were insufficient, we had to stop the work. However, our
delay this time was not very long. Thanks be to God, new
friends having come in during the spring of 1879. we again
put our hands to the work \\"ith alacrity, but about June
not only the money, but also the stone had been used up
and we had to halt once more.
At this junaure Fr. A. Sw~ere was called away from us,
and Fr. John Theodore Kuhii'nann took his place on the
30th of June, 1879. Our new Superior saw at once the importance of completing this church, and having well exam•
ined what had been done so far, he made some change in
the lateral doors, filling up altogether the east one. And
this was all that could be done this year. As all the stone
which had been brought in was now in the walls, so before
anything else it was necessary to obtain a new supply. · The
g"etting of stone as well_as the cutting ofthe same, took the
whole of r88o, and it was only in r88 r that the work of
building was resumed in earnest, and was kept up till the
summer of 1882, when the walls reached what is generally
called the square of the building. Now to be sure that the
north gable end would not damage the rear of the building
with its heavy pressure, it was thought advisable to let the
whole settle till the next spring, when at last the gable end
and the tower were s.o completed as·to allow the carpenters
to work at the roo( The stone walls of the tower were only
raised two feet over the pitch of the roof, .and a temporary
covering was placed on it. To finish the tower, according
to the plan, it will require twenty more feet of wall ; the
stone needed for it has already been brought in, and will
be put on when our means will allow it. .. As .iri !he fall :and
�kAivsA
s.
\vlnter of I883 all the timber necessary for the roof had been
prepared, by the opening of spring the carpenters began its
construction.
It was the desire of every one that as Fr. John Schoenmakers had laid the first stone of this noble church, he also
should be the first to officiate in it. For this reason the
work was now pushed on with great rapidity. The Father
saw with joy the frame of the roof prepared, and partly raised, and for a time we all hoped that he would be the one to
dedicate the new St. Francis', but the excessive heat of that
summer pro\·ed fatal to him! At the beginning of July he
felt so weak that he could no longer stand on his feet, and
on the 28th of that month he calmly expired!
By the end of this summer the whole building was covered. During the fall and winter the carpenters and plasterers kept at work, and by the first of May, I 884, everything was ready for divine service. We invited our Rt. Rev.
Bishop, Louis M. Fink, 0. S. B., to come to bless our new
church, but he not being able to do so on account of prior
engagemei1ts, with his .consent we invited Rt. Revd. John
Hogan, D. D., Bishop of Kansas City, who very kindly
came, and dedicated it on the second Sunday of May, which
was the I Ith day of that month. As the dedication had
been announced several days in advance by the newspapers
of our surrounding towns, the attendance amounted to about
5000 people.
Fr. Schoenmakers displayed great energy in undertaking
so great a work in a country so poor as this was then, but
Fr. Kuhlmann was equally energetic in pushing what had
been begun, and this in spite of criticisms and complaints
on all sides. And now almost every day strangers come to
look at our new St. Francis', and all are astonished at what
they call "its classical simplicity." These visitors will examine evetything, and then address a number of questions,
always anxious to know how could such a fine structure be
built in such a poor country as this. To all questions of
this kind we always have but one answer to give, namely,
that divine Providence moved the hearts of many people to
�iui.NSA$.
assist us, so that help came to us from. sources from which
we would never have expeCted it. In faa the Jist of our
benefaCtors is a very long one, and amongst their names
you would also find that of Father Peter J. DeSmet. He
always took great interest in all concerning this our Mission,
and he assisted us according to the extent of his means.
The last valuable present he made us consisted of a large
box full of rich vestments for our out-lying missions.
To those who blamed Father J. Schoenmakers for having
begun too large a church he used to reply, that time would
tell whether he had been right or wrong; now, that time
has already come, and we can say with truth that this
church is hardly large enough for the congregation we have
at present; for the faa is that of the one hundred.and thirtyfive pews we have in it none is vacant, and if we could put
in twenty'- five more, we could rent them all in less than one
week. So in conclusion I will say, praise be to God for
what we have at last accomplished with His assistance.
PAuL MARY PoNZIGLIONE,
;
S. ].
�ST.
MARY'S CHURCH AND RESIDENCE,
ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA.
FATHER STEPHEN
L.
1
DuBUISSON. < >
Father Dubuisson served the congregation from June,
1838,'to August, 184I, when he was obliged to go to France
for the benefit of his health. The new pastor was much liked
by Catholics and Protestants. The children were especially
attached to him; one who learnt his first lessons in Catechism from the lips of the zealous pastor thus describes his
manner of teaching: "Besides a separate, private Catechism
for both boys and girls on Saturdays," writes Mr. Carne in
1874, "he had a public catechetical instruCtion for both, in
the church, on Sun9ays before Vespers; standing in the old
tub-like pulpit high overhead, he would call upon any boy
or girl to rise and say the lesson, questions and answers,
aloud, before a large congregation, which always attended,
and great was the mortification if the child called upon was
unprepared. He would then tell scriptural or other stories
and require the older children to write them down during
the week, and on the following Sunday would read the best
of them with public comments on the spelling, grammar,
etc., and the exercises were enlivened by the singing of
hymns which he had carefully taught and praCtised. To
say that Fr. Dubuisson was loved by these children would
give but a faint idea of their feelings towards him, for while
they feared his displeasure more than the severest punishment inflieted by others, their affeCtion for him was so deep
!ll Born in St. Domingo, hut had gone with his parents to )larseilles before
the insurrection. He was a huzzar, under Napoleon: entered the Society in
thil; country in 1815; died in France in 1864. He was well known through·
out the country for the prominent part he took on the occasion of the miracu·
lous cures attributed to Prince Hohenlohe.
�244
ST. flfARY'S CHURCH& RES/D., ALEXANDRIA,
i-A.
that to this day they reverence his mem,ory as that of a
father."
Fr. Dubuisson's labors for education were not, however,
always so successful. The Sisters of Charity, after spending
several years in Alexandria in teaching the school for girls,
left the city in I 840. They had made changes in the personnel of their teaching force which did not give satisfaaion
to their patrons, and their school, as a consequence, dwindled away. This was greatly regretted by Fr. Dubuisson ;
he felt very much also the decline of St. John's Academy,
which had suffered not a little by the withdrawal of Mr.
Brigdon and the lack of discipline in his successors. (I) St.
Mary's Sunday-School which had been organized under Fr.
Fairclough, but had been broken up, was revived and has
been doing well ever since, at least the one for girls.
Some improvements were made to the church with funds
obtained from the City Council; this money came out of
the estate of an old French gentleman named Foucard. The
bequest had been made to the church, but escheated to the
government in consequence of a defect in the will. Father
Dubuisson writing from Lyons, oa. 22d, 1841, to the Direaors of the Propagation of the Faith, thus describes the
contest he had with the city authorities: "Eight or nine years
ago a Frenchman, nam.!!d Foucard, left in his will a thousand francs to the Catholic Priest for his church, but this
will being irregular, according to the law the property was
escheated to the United States. Several attempts were
made to obtain the bequest from the City Council that had
charge of the matter, but nothing was done ; there was a decided hostility towards us. at that time. \Ve had to say no
more. * * * * In 1839 the case again came up through our
(1) The following notiee in the neat handwriting of Fr. DubniHson I f<mnd
in the .Journal: "< >m modp,;t eomment•ement of ~t. .John's Academy will
take place in tltis <"hun•h, on next ~attmlay, the :!8th inst., at 10 o'clock,
.\. )[. The dntr<"h will be arrang·t·tl for the purp'""• the B. S. removed from
the tabernaclt·, ant! the altar eoneealt'tl from the view of the assembly. .\sit
will not he a" meeting for the pnrpo,;e of worshipping, the pew-holders will he
expec!t'<.l on that occasion to waive their claim to tlwir respective pews. There
are per"ms in the habit of leaving their Prayer-Books in their pews; they
will do w.ell to take them home to-day."
'
�ST. .ilf'ARY'.'> CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
245
endeavors ; public attention was drawn to it, and every one
said it would be a shame to keep us out of the money. In
short, thirteen of the sixteen members of the Council voted
us the money, and thus the affair was brought to a happy
conclusion."
The names of Frs. James Power and Jas. Moore are found
in the records, but their stay was very short. <•> Fr. Roger
Dietz succeeded the latter in December, 1841, and remained
until September, 1842. Speaking of these Fathers that were
thus filling ·the place of Fr. Dubuisson, who was expected.
to return, Mr. Carne says: ''Neither of them (Frs. Power and
Moore) remained long enough to become acquainted with
the congregation. For about a year, the pastorate was then
filled by an eloquent and devoted German, Rev. Roger Dietz,
S. ]., but unfortunately he spoke English so badly that few
could understand his preaching."
Before I come to the pastorship of Fr. Benjamin Aloysius
Young who is put down in our catalogue in 1843 as the
successor of Fr. Dubuisson, though, in fact, from the records he began his ministry in 1842, I must lay before my
readers the statement of a public penance incurred by
two unfortunates who had been married by a Protestant
minister. The account of the affair is in the handwriting of
Fr. Dubuisson; it shows the manner of proceeding in such
cases nearly fifty years ago : "Public Penance for marrying out of the Church-Extract
from a letter of the M. R. Archb. James Whitfield to Fr.
Dubuisson dated Feby. 29th-ultimo.
"'\:Vith regard to your penitent couple, who married out
of the Church, I leave the whole proceeding to your charity and prudence, only observing that in such cases, I do
not remember, that in Baltimore any kind of public penance
has been imposed, either in my late predecessor's time or
mine.'
"I had briefly stated the penance imposed, which the peo1
< >I notice a record, Nov. 1, 1841, by Fr. Anthony Rey, who wa.s afterwards
killed while chaplain in the U. S. army in Mexico.
Vor..
XIV.
No.
2.
16
�246
ST. "lfARY'S CHURCH&' RRSID., ALE:XA.Ni.JRiA,
VA.
ple found extremely severe, <I> and mentioned the direaion
given by Archb. Neale to Fr. Lucas, whilst in Norfolk, and
which was this: To call upon the parties, then in the church,
but in no particular place, desiring them to rise, and confirm
the apology made in their name, though no mention of
names at all was to be made. Father Dzierozynski advised
merely to declare the apology, without naming, nor bidding
them rise."
FATHER BENJAMIN ALOYSIUS YOUNG.
Fr. Young assumed charge of the congregation on September 26th, 1842. He was a native of Prince George's
County, Maryland, and came from a highly respeaable
Catholic family that_has given s~veral priests to the American church. Some of the Youq.g family owned a large portion of the land on which Washington City is built.
Fr. Young had the church frescoed and otherwise beautified. He attended to his charge with great zeal though a
sufferer from that disease, which at one time threatened to
be national, dyspepsia, and of this he died Dec. 21st, 1844,
being the only priest who ever departed this life in the pastorate of Alexandria. On the funeral record I find this entry in the well known hand of Fr. George Fenwick: "Benjamin Aloysius Young, "S. J., died at I 2.15 A. M. (Dec. 21 ).
On the 22d (Sunday), the funeral service was performed in
St. Mary's Church after Mass which was celebrated by Fr.
Charles H Stonestreet. The Rev. James Ryder preached
to a crowded congregation; after which the body was conveyed to George Town College and interred in the Religious
Burial ground. Mr. Young was born Feb. 15th, 1798. Entered the Society of Jesus 29th July, 1815; was professed
of 4 vows, 15th August, 1833. He went to Rome in 1817,
where he terminated his noviceship and made his vows in
the chapel of St. Ignatius. He studied philosophy and the(IlThe penanee was: "Kneel down, near communion-rail, during the whole
time of solemn )lass and Yc pcrs, sermon included, on Sunday." To thi~
day in a few of our }Iissions of )lary land some such penance is enjoined.-
Editor.
�ST. NARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
24i
ology at Ferrara and Rome; was professor of theology at
Viterbo. Returned to the U. States in 1828 ; was professor
of rhetoric and philosophy in George Town College, and for
many years professor of Belles Lettres in Frederick city, (l)
Maryland. On the the 26th of September, I 842, he took
charge of the congregation of Alexandria, D. C., where he
made many improvements. He died regretted by all.
R.I.P."
FATHER CHARLES
" .
H.
STONESTREET.
Fr. Stonestreet succeeded Fr. Young, December, I844,
and remained in charge until August, 1845. It is needless
to say the congregation became greatly attached to him,
and if his tarrying had been more lasting, their love and respect would have been intensified and withstood "long
knowledge and the scrutiny of years."
Fr. Ignatius Combs, "a warm-hearted Marylander," says
Mr. Carne, succeeded Fr. Stonestreet for a short time. Fr.
John F. Aiken, a Tennessean and a convert to our holy faith,
was the assistant of Fr. Combs to whom he succeeded in·
November, I846. <2>
THE PASTORATE OF FATHER AIKEN.<3>
From the records it appears that Fr. Aiken remained in
Alexandria until May, I 8 50. He had for his assistant in
1847, Fr. James Power; in 1849, Fr. Camillus Vicinanza;
in 1850, Fr. William Malony of the Irish Province, and after him for very short periods Frs. Pacciarini, Finotti and
Ciampi. The high esteem which the people had for the
pastor who labored so earnestly in their behalf may be
shown from the tribute of Mr. Carne, who thus w~ites of one
well known to him: "Father Aiken's life was one great act
(tJ Whilst here he prepared a course of rhetoric which was greatly admired
by his pupils. It was never printed.
<•J Fr. Combs was made Socius of Fr. Yerhaegen, Provincial, Nov. 8, 1846.
<SJ Fr. Aiken was educated at Georgetown where he became a Catholic;
entered the Society 1837; was ordained in 1844 by Archbishop Eccleston;
died at Georgetown, 1860. He had the happiness of converting his pwn,
family to the faith.
�24S
ST. J1fAR}'S CHURCHe RESiiJ .. ALEXANDRIA, VA.
of charity. He visited none but the poor and lowly, and
his labors among these were blessed with the most abundant fruit. Many a soul wandering in the darkness of error,
did he bring to the light of truth, and though the want of
time to establish them firmly in the faith, caused some of
them to relapse when he was no longer with them, many
there are among us who thank him for their hopes of salvation, and we may well believe that many who owe heaven
to his labors, surround him in everlasting bliss. His selfsacrifice knew no bounds, and it became known, after he had
been removed, that he had often gone hungry after giving
his dinner to the poor."
Father Aiken had parish schools, and also took great interest in the Sunday-School for boys; this necessary adjunCt:
in parochial work had, perhaps, suffered a little for want of
care. The pastor in his zeal gave .the Sunday-School a new
impulse, and the effeCt: has been lasting even down ~o the
present day.
During the stay of Fr. Aiken in Alexandri;t a remarkable
. conversion took place. A gentleman named Magraw, a
professed infidel, was lying very ill. His Catholic 'vife and
family were quite distressed at his unhappy state. The mention of religion and priests to him set him in a rage. A
friend, Fr. John P. Donelan, a secular priest of Washington
and a benefa8:or of our Society, paid a visit of sympathy to
the dying man. At the word religion the same scene was
ena8:ed; the priest was horror-struck at the blasphemies
uttered. Finally, trusting to our Blessed Lady, he had the
happy thought of asking a favor of the sinner who was fast
nearing his doom.
"One thing do for me," he said, "recite
with me the memorarc." After much persuasion the prayer
was recited, and a wonderful change \vas wrought. The
heart of the dying man was softened ; faith came in place of
scepticism, and he was baptized, and receiving Holy Communion and Extreme Un8:ion, died in the most consoling
sentiments of religion.<1>
Ill Fr. Donelan, who was considered a great pulpit orator, preached the fu·
neral sermon. In a .Vonth of JJJay publtshed in Baltimore over forty year$
ago this remarkable conversion is related by the Reverend Father.
�ST. llfARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
249
The health of Father Aiken began to fail in 1850. "It
pleased God," says Mr. Carne, "to affliCt him in 1850 with a
grievous illness, the result of his labors, and his Superior
removed him to Trinity Church, Georgetown, that he might
have less to do. Of such a man, however, this earth was
not worthy." <t>
FATHER JosEPH
M.
FINOTTI.
Fr. Finotti w.as the next pastor; he was assisted for brief
periods by Fathers Pacciarini, Vicinanza, Anthony Ciampi,
Verdin, Vetromile. These Fathers were in the third probation and were sent to give help on certain occasions. The
house diary kept by Fr. Finotti has this entry: "Pater Armellini patriarchum egit Alexandrinum
the pastor's absence."
The new pastor was much liked by the people, and he
did a great deal to advance piety among them. He took
great care of the children, especially in preparing them for
the first Communion, which he thought could be best made
on Christmas day on account of the associations. The people were prepared for the great festivals by retreats. During Father Finotti's charge twelve Protestants were received
into the Church; amongst them was one of a prominent
family, who afterwards became a priest in the diocese of
Richmond.
Father Finotti did much work among the Irish, especially
among those engaged in construCting the railroad and canal. He said Mass for them here and there as he could
assemble them together and thus gave them an opportunity
to fulfil their Christian duty.
The church of St. Ignatius across the Potomac in Prince
George's County was built by Fr. Finotti in 1850, as this
part of Maryland was attended from our residence until August 15th, 1858, when Alexandria was united to the diocese
of Richmond. And this was not the only mission attended.
in
<I> On the funeral record the following entry attracted my attention: "Died
Br. Edmund Quinlan, June 6th, 1846; he was born June 6th, 1797. Sermon
by Fr. Early." This brother met with his death from an accident.
�2.50
ST. MARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
Our Fathers before the war in 1861 and for some years after
it, used to visit Culpepper, Manasses and the adjacent distriCts until the Bishop of Richmond appointed a resident
priest at Warrenton.
In 1852 Fr. Joseph Bixio was the permanent. assistant of
the pastor who in April of this year left the Society. I
must not end this part of my history, however, without
transcribing an entry which I found in the funeral record.
Such things will soon take their place among the antiquities of our history :-"Feb. 2d, 1852, Robertus Fay 73 annos natus, tumulo consignatus a patre Bixio." Then follows a notice taken from the Alexandria Gazette: "The
deaths of old and faithful servants may well be mentioned,
especially when their character. entitles them to be regarded
. as examples by their fellow-servants-and when they can
know that honesty and correctness are duly acknowledged
by their masters. Before the death of the late William H.
Foote of Fairfax County, he wrote a notice of one of his
servants, which in case of the death of the servant after his
own, he desired to have recorded. At the conclusion of the
page on which it is written, he adds,-'Cut this leaf out, and
send it to the Gazette office.' The old man Bob Foy survived his master, and died in this place on the 1st inst. The
notice written by his master is as follows :-'Bob Foy has
filled places of the highes( trust for more than forty years,
and went down to his grave spotless. No suspicion ever
rested upon his good faith, honesty or veracity. If an hon~
est man be the noblest work of God, then was Bob Foy one
of nature's nobility.' "
FATHER GEORGE VILLIGER.
Father Villiger began his pastorship after Father Finotti
left the Society. Mr. Carne says of Fr. Villiger "that he
was a good and zealous man and an excellent manager of
the temporalities." Six thousand dollars were collected towards erecting a new church in the northwest corner of
King and Royal streets, but the pastor was removed before
�ST.
MARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
251
the plan could be realized. Fr. Villiger did not a little to
advance the interests of Catholic education by his care for
the parish schools. In all of his parochial work he was seconded by his assistant, Fr. Bixio, who remained for a time
in the same office under the successor.
FATHER JoHN E. BLox.
Father Blox was appointed pastor in 1854· Here, as
elsewhere, Fr. Blox was much beloved. His parishioners
soon yielded to his lovable nature, and many intelligent and
influential Protestants were gained to the faith by his ardent
and prudent zeal. "He loved the beauty of God's house
and doubling, by his earnest appeals," says Mr. Carne, "the
sum left by his predecessor, he enlarged and beautified the
church in 1856." He added twenty feet to its length, put
in galleries, stained gothic windows, an organ, a large bell
and a marble altar which was solemnly consecrated by
Archbishop Kenrick the 30th of June, 1856. A fine steeple
was also erected, which added considerably to the beauty of
the church.
The Young Catholic's Friend Society, the Association of
the Bona Mors and the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin were
formed under Fr. Blox. The last-mentioned society has
always prospered and during the civil war many of its members were soldiers, and though taking part in various battles
were more than usually fortunate in escaping the dangers of
the conflict. The office of our Blessed Lady had been said
for them every day. Father Blox, besides Fr. Bixio, had at
different times, as his assistants, Frs. Livy Vigilante and
Peter Kroes; the last-mentioned became his successor in
I 859.
It is needless to say how entirely Fr. Blox had won
the hearts of his people. To this day his memory is dear
to them. On his death in I 8 59 the congregation, to attest
their veneration for him, erected a cenotaph in front of the
church. Fr. Blox was born in Belgium, but entered the Society in our Province in 1832.
�252
ST. MARY'S CHURCH & RESID., ALEXANIYRIA; VA·.
FATHER PETER KROES.
Father Kroes was a native of Holland and entered the
Society in America, Nov. sth, I832. He whilst a man of
learning was at the same time a little eccentric. It was
hard at first for the people to understand his ways, but when
once he was known he could not but be loved, for there was
a depth of affection in his soul which outward coldness
could no longer veil. He served St. Mary's during the war,
a most trying period. The Federal troops poured into the
city, while his congregation were mostly in the Confederate
service or in exile. The few that remained were heartily in
sympathy with the rebellion. It was hard to please both
classes of people whom he had to deal with. The military
and restored State authorities wer~ too fond of dictating to
the churches in regard to fasts, p~ayers, festivals of thanksgiving; an oath of allegiance was exacted of every minister
of the gospel before he could be allowed to perform the
marriage ceremony. <I> Fr. Kroes was respected by all, had
a pass to go anywhere, and saved not only his own but a
neighboring Presbyterian church from occupancy as a hospital. The secret of this was his untiring care of the sick
and wounded soldiers, who could not but be exceedingly
grateful. The following an~cdote is related by Mr. Carne :
"On one occasion having refused to ring the church-bell for
the call of a 'war-meeting,' two civilians, nominal Catholics,
threatened to have the door broken open and ring it themselves; he went out for a short time and on his return found
his parlor full of officers, who assured him that if he gave
the word, a thousand men they had within a mile, in camp,
'would clean out the town' for him. Indeed, it was only by
positively refusing to give the names of the two men who
had threatened him, that he saved them from exemplary
punishment"
In a diary kept by the writer during the war the follow<I> Father Kroes performed this ceremony once on the ferry-boat between
Alexandria and Washington; he sent the parties sometimes to one of our
fathers in Washington.
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�ST. JJfAR Y' S CHURCH & RESTD., ALK\-ANDRIA, VA.
251
ing item was put down: "Fr. Tissot was here (Washington)
to-day, and said that some Orangemen had threatened to
burn our church in Alexandria." This'was in February,
1862, and the men who were so hostile belonged to an Illinois regiment. On the previous Sunday they had dragged
an Episcopalian minister out of his pulpit and taken him in
his surplice to prison. His daughter caused quite a scene
in the church and on the streets by going into hysterics.
The minister had refused to say the prayer for the authorities at the bidding of the Colonel of the regiment. During
the week the Protestants chaffed the soldiers and dared them
to try the same thing with the priest. They threatened to
do it, and not to burn the church, as said above. In the
meantime an Irish regiment got wind of the intended movement, and on the Sunday had a line of pickets all the way
from the church to their camp two miles out of town.
At the high Mass the Illinois men were ready with a detective to see that the priest, Fr. John Early, who, at that
time president of Georgetown College, had gone to preach
for Fr. Kroes, should say the prayer when ordered. The
preacher had come before the altar; the detective had his
notes ready, and the Orangemen were about to give the order from the gallery, when the measured tramp of soldiers
was heard at the do~r of the church. Soon they were
marching up the aisles, and to the relief of the Catholics
kne!t down and blessed themselves. These were Irishmen
who had come to protect the priest. The Orangemen scampered off and felt they had done well, for they saw two hundred muskets stacked in the church-yard and a sentry ready
to raise the alarm in case of attack. The preacher gave an
eloquent sermon and all was over, but if the least violence
had been offered to God's minister in th~ holy place, the
State of Illinois would have sent fewer soldiers to the front
on account of this day. A Virginian, a Protestant, went to
the church also; he \vas going to fight for the priest. "If I
am killed," said he jokingly, ''I'll die in the church anyway."
During Father Kroes' incumbency St. Mary's Hall was
erected by the Young Catholic's Friend Society, on a lot
�254
ST.llfARY'S CHURCH& RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
exchanged for one given by the Sisters of Charity to Archbishop Eccleston in trust for the congregation ; the old
cemetery was enlarged to three times its former area; it was
handsomely. laid off, drained, planted with trees, and enclosed. The church at Fairfax Station on the Virginia
Midland Railroad, about eighteen miles from Alexandria,
was ereCl:ed by Fr. Kroes; it was dedicated Sept. 23d, 186o.
The congregation was formed of Irish laborers engaged
upon the construCtion of the railroad. Many of these afterwards settled on farms near Fairfax Station, many took up
their abode in Alexandria and increased the congregation
which was small at that time. The Catholic Beneficial Society and the Conference of St. Vincent of Paul were organized; the house now occupied by the Sisters of the Holy
Cross was purchased ; parish schools and an academy were
established during the administration of Fr. Kroes, who also
had improvements made in the church, and built the sacristy and the chapel of St. Joseph. (I) The pastor procured
new and elegant vestments for the service of the altar.
The assistants from 1856 to Dec. 1872 were Fr. James
Ryder for two years, Fr. Bixio for a short period, then in
order of time, Fr. Alexius Jamison, Fr. Peter McDermott,
Fr. Bernard Toale, Fr. Thomas McDonough, Father Toale
again, Fr. Charles Cicaterri; these fathers helped in the
home church and had care of the out-lying missions. Fr.
Ryder gave a course of controversial sermons in his usual
eloquent manner and attraCted great attention among the
Protestants. The Know Nothings then quite strong even
in Virginia, though Henry A. \Vise had given them a terrible defeat, were ill-disposed towards the speaker, and one
evening caused the fire-bells to be rung to draw the people
away from the church and thus break the spell.
Fr. Kroes had been a sufferer froin a painful disease for a
long time; and yet was always a most hard-working priest.
He often said Mass when he had to hold on to the altar to
keep himself from falling, and frequently heard confessions
(ll A Sunday-School for colored people, and used for ~I asses during the week
in winter,
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�ST. MARY'S CHURCH & RESID., ALEXANDRIA, VA.
255
when suffering great pain. He never spared himself when
a duty was to be performed; and no danger could deter
him from fulfilling his holy ministry for the dying. He was
removed in December, 1872, and died in the winter of 1873.
FATHER DENIS O'KANE.
Father O'Kane became pastor in December, 1872. The
congregation has greatly increased, so that the pastor has
been obliged to make important enlargements and improvements in the church. In 188 I he raised the walls six feet,
put on a new and substantial trussed roof which is covered
with slate, tore down the old sacristies and extended the
sanctuary to the full width of the church. Besides these
improvements the new ceiling of the church was made of
Iron. The pastor also erected a large sacristy on the north
side of the church. And yet the congregation could not be
accommodated; the church was thereupon enlarged in 1883
by transepts and additional galleries. A fine organ was
also purchased in 1 88 3 instead of the old one that had done
service for so many years. <Il
Father O'Kane has had up to the present time three different assistants: Fr. Thomas Sheerin, Fr. Andrew Keating
and Fr. John B. DeWolf. The Sodality organized by Father
Keating for the colored people is still prosperous under the
care of Fr. DeWolf; the meetings are held Sunday evenings
and the singing is good.
I cannot end this history without giving the state of the
churth in Alexandria and out-lying missions at the present
day. "Alexandria and its missions," writes Fr. O'Kane, "has
a Catholic population of about 1600 souls. The extent of
territory is about 40 by 20 miles. Two small mission
2
churches are attended from Alexandria, viz: Falls Church < >
which is about 10 miles and Fairfax Station which is 17
1
Cl
The
pa~toral
residence was erccte!l in 1877, not in 1874, as before stated
error.
(2l Thi' church, under the title of St. James, was erected by Fr. O'Kane in
1Si4; it was dedicated Oct. 18th of that year by Rt. Rev. Jamee Gibbons of
Richmond.
by
t~·pographical
�256
ST. 1lfARY' S CHURCH <5:' RESID., ALEXANDRIA, V" A:
miles from Alexandria." There are parochial schools for
boys and girls. These schools had been had off and on
from the days of Fr. Smith, but it was not until I870 that
they were put on a firm basis. The various Sodalities and
Societies mentioned in the course of this writing are still
doing good and are a great means to the frequentation of
the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Protestants are occasionally converted to the faith : the exhibit
given below of our work in conversions was prepared by
one of the Fathers in Alexandria, and I am surprised to see
how many persons have been brought to the faith. The
records from I 8 I 5 to I 8 3 I are defecrive; before and after
that epoch they are quite full:Adults baptized by Fr. Kohlmann
(I8o8-rs)
"
Smith... . .
(I83I-37)
Dubuisson .
(1837-41)
Dietz . . . . . (I 842-43)
"
Young . . . . (I 843-44)
Stonestreet ... (1844-45)
Aiken . . . . (1845-so)
Finotti . . . . . (1850-52)
"
"
Bixio . .
(I8SI-S4)
Villiger . . . (I852-54)
-vigilante . . . (I854-56)
"
Blox . .
(I854-57)
"
Kroes . . . . (I856-72)
Ryder. . . . (I857-59)
McDonough .. (I87o-7I)
Toale . . . . (I864-72)
O'Kane .
(I872-83)
Sheerin . . . . (I873-75)
Keating . . . (r875-8o)
DeWolf . . . (r88r-83)
Visiting Fathers at different times . . . . . . . .
7
29
28
6
5
7
I38
12
IS
4
20
I2
55
13
I1
6r
56
II
23
13
I7
543.
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�VERY REV. FA THEA; dEIVERAL lN HiS RETIREMENT.
257
We.have seen in-these pages the good Ours< 1> have done,
with the blessing of God. The church .is in fine· order and
can seat over a thousand persons, if need be. The congregation is in a prosperous condition, and, perhaps, in a few
years a much larger church will be required.
VERY REV. FATHER GENERAL IN HIS
RETIREMENT.
Letter if Fr. Lavigne, !tis Companion, to Fr. Portal.
RoME, 1884.
REV. FATHER,
P. C.
I have, as you see, followed our Very Rev. Fr. General
into his retirement at Sant' Andrea, near the Quirinal; or
to use his pious expression, "We are making our noviceship
over again." Our dear Father gives us in his solitude many
examples of virtue, and you will, no doubt, be pleased if I
tell you how he spends his day.
He rises three quarters of an hour before the Community,
that is to say, at a quarter past four, and begins his meditation at half-past. At five he goes to the church to finish it
before the Blessed Sacrament. He makes his meditation
kneeling, sitting down but seldom, and then only when he
is extremely fatigued. At half-past five he says the Mass
''De Beata." \Vhen, on account of a first class feast, he
wishes to celebrate the Mass of the day, I assist, whispering
nearly every word to him. On the eve of the feast of St.
Aloysius, we read the Mass together so that he knew the
Gospel by heart; next morning after rising we went over it
again and, thanks to this precaution, he succeeded tolerably
1
Cl The Brothers who contributed in their sphere, according to the spirit of
the Society, to the happy results I have recorded were John' Cotter (his name
disappears from the Catalogue in 1837), Patrick Carroll, Edmund Quinlan,
)Iaurice Stanton, Charles Toomey, Henry Rimhaugh, Patrick Cassidy and
.llichael Yash.
�~s!;
VERY REV FA THF.R r;F.JYF.RAL IN HIS RETIREJl!EN1'
well. · He keeps, besides, a Missal in his room, from which
he reads during the day, making up in this way for not being able to say the Mass of the day in the morning. After
hearing in Thanksgiving the Mass of Card. Franzelin he
returns to his room a little before seven o'clock. Br. Guggeri, who has waited on him for the last twenty-nine years,
brings him his breakfast, which is the same as that of the
Community, and during it he reads for him. He breakfasts
in his room, because it is the custom ,since the time of St.
Ignatius for the Generals to do so. An old man of ninety
years is dispensed from fasting: nevertheless, on fast days
our dear Father considerably diminishes the quantity of his
bread and milk, and this to such a degree that if it were not
for the milk his breakfast would be a frustu!um. The recital of the little hours, which he says alone, takes up his
time until eight o'clock. The day before yesterday he came
to my room and said, "After saying Nones, I wanted to find
the office of to-morrow, and how long, do you think, did I
turn over the leaves of the or do and breviary? Three quarters of an hour. Indeed, it is a great h~miliation for me not
.to be able to see any more." How often have I not told
him that he ought to dispense himself from saying the bre-viary, but he will hear no reason when you speak of such
things. "There are some priests," was his answer, "who dispense themselves far too easily."
When I go to his room at half-past eight, I find him ordinarily occupied in writing letters; this work, however, is a
real suffering for him on account of his weak eyes. Often
he says to me, "I have just written a letter but cannot read
it over; look if there is not something wanting here or there.''
Sometimes when he is writing, his sight troubles him so
much that he does not see the trace of the ink on the paper,
so he is obliged to continue at random. More than once,
after being interrupted in the middle of a word, he has not
been able to find the place where he left off, and has called
me to place nis pen on the last letter formed. Happy are
those who receive these his last letters ! He often tells me
to copy his scribblin~, because he does not wish to send a
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�17ERY REV. FATHRR r.r..'JIIRRAL IN HIS RETIREMENT.
~5<1
letter with erasures of faults in it, or even written in a hand
which is hard to read. Many of Ours on the contrary, when
writing to our Father send him a scrawl which a professor
would not accept from his pupils.
I stay with him long enough to read his letters for him,
which are becoming fewer by degrees, the Institute, the life
of a saint, and some religious news. As he sleeps but little
during the night, it often happens that he goes to sleep during my reading. I have something soporific in my voice
and for my present employment this defect becomes a precious quality. This reading gives me an opportunity to ask
our good Father about many circumstances of his life; but
he is not like Horace's old man, a "laudator temporis acti ;"
he does not like to speak of them and turns the conversation to some other topic. If occasionally I catch him off
his guard, he never fails to finish his story with these words:
"I should not speak to you in this manner of myself." With
this reserve you can easily understand that I have not as
yet succeeded in reading his interior and knowing the nature of his dealings \vith God. All that I have been able to
conjecture from certain exterior signs and from some words
which escaped him by chance is, that he walks in the common path of meditation, the presence of God and purity of
intention. On one occasion· he asked me what spiritual
reading I made. "I read Scaramelli, your Reverence, in order to have at least an idea of those extraordinary states of
prayer, of which you hear people talk, and which one may
have occasion to meet in the sacred ministry." "A page of
Rodriguez," he replied, "is worth more than all these grand
things. The life for us Jesuits is the common life." When
in the lives of saints mention is made of revelations, raptures and ecstasies, he tells me that these wonders edify
him less than the mere recital of their virtue. His purity of
intention is truly admirable. I must confess that I observe
him very closely at ti_mes to detect in him some merely human intention or natural motive, ·and I have not succeeded
once. When I think that I have caught him in the very act,
I perceive on closer observation that, as Rev. Fr. Blanchar?
�~
VERY REV. FATHER GEi\'ERAL fA' HIS RETIREJIIEN7:
says: "Grace hides itself un-der nature, and nature in its
turn conceals itself under grace." No personal feeling ever
influenced the government of our dear Father; the good of
the Society went above everything, and he counted for
something only in as far as he represented her, and within
these limits he knew how to preserve his dignity and to
make it respeCted. In faCt this is what struck me on arriving at Fiesole; the absence of all human motives in the
performance of duty.
The rest of the morning is spent in paying visits, in praying in the chapel, in taking a few turns in the corridor, and
also in remaining alone for some time: after a life of so
much labor,.a few moments of solitude are a consolation.
At twelve we have litanies, followed by the examen and
dinner. In order to arrive at the Community exercises if
not before the others, at least ont;: of the first, our good Father leaves his room a little before the time. Going to the
refeCtory he leans on the arms of Br. Guggeri and myself,
a circumstance which makes Fr. Boussac remark that I fulfil
the rule of obedience to the letter: ".A:s an old man's staff,
etc." From the room of Fr. General to the refeCtory there
are fifty-four steps and these in very bad condition. The
distance alone would authorize him to have his meals
brQught to his room, but we must not even speak of exemption from the common life: He submits himself, however,
to two orders of the physician : to use meat and take wine of
a superior quality to that of the Community, and he has told
me several times: "I am convinced that meat and the Bordeaux wine do me no good ; it is all imagination! but I submit, since they want to have it so." At least once a week
the Father takes part in the public penances, and it is a very
edifying sight indeed to behold the old man get on his
knees, kiss the floor and stretch his arms in the form of a
cross during the prayers. You will never see him seat himself first: he waits, delays! and feigns embarrassment until
his neighbors are seated; and this not only in the refeCtory
but in the recreation-hall and everywhere else, avoiding,
however, all obstinacy and ostentation. He behaves in the
�VERY REV. PATHER GENERAL IN HIS RETIREhiENT.
26r
same way towards me in his ·room, and at times there arises
a laughable scene, a silent comedy: each one pretends that
he does ·not see the other's play; for the most part, however, his humility gets the upper-hand over my just respeB:,
and for the sake of peace I sit down first. He does not stop
here; he watches for the least wishes of Br. Guggieri and
myself to accommodate himself to them. These words are
often on his lips, "\Vhat do you want me to do?" Arid this
is not an effeB: of old age which enfeebles the will, for he
retains all the independence of his judgment, as he has all
the clear-sightedness of his mind; it is rather the effeB: of
his desire to obey in something, and in proof of this, here is
an incident which happened not an hour ago. We went to
St. Mary Major's to assist at the litanies ; the first door of the
church on our way from Sant' Andi-ea, has an ascent of
twenty-five steps, the other,· a little further off, has but
four; it was, therefore, not a matter of indifference to the
Father to enter by one door or the other. As the coachman would naturally stop at the first entrance to shorten
his route, I asked our Father where he wished the carriage
to stop; his answer was: "Let us allow the coachman to
pull up where he likes; we shall thus perform a little aB: of
obedience." Since he has resigned his power into the hands
of Fr. Vicar, he is all anxiety to anticipate his wishes, that
he may conform his condu8: to them.
But to return to our refeB:ory: when Fr. ReB:or arrives
after the meal has begun, our dear Father salutes him, as
he was also accustomed to do to Fr. Vicar at Fiesole. After
meals he should take a cup of coffee, and one day he even
acknowledged this need to me. But how could he do this ?
The Community does not take any, and nothing will induce
him to make us'e of what he calls a singularity; he prefers
to put up with a difficult digestion and to fight painfully
against sleep during recreation. "J cannot perform many
penances," he says, "but I wish at least to follow the common life."
At two o'clock every one goes to his room to take a siesta.
Yor..
XIV.
No.
2.
17
,
�262
•
VERY REV. FATHER GENERAL IN HIS RETIREMENT.
If you should ever come to Italy you will experience that
this rest is imposed by the climate. Our dear Father says
Vespers and Compline first, and frequently goes on" to recite
his rosary, and then he rests himself in an arm-chair. The
Americans have an exercise of piety at three o'clock in the
chapel, and when they arrive they find our Father at his
prie-dieu. Generally speaking, he assists at all the exercises of the pupils, even at catechism.
At half-past three he returns to his room, and I should
be there to recite Matins and Lauds with him ; but I confess that I fail to be exaCt, in order to oblige him to take
another half hour of rest. I do not go, therefore, until four
o'clock, unless he comes to seek me in my room. The
recitation of the brevjarT is very meritorious for him on account of his eyes. After the breviary I try to entertain him,
distraCting him by a little reading or conversation until
half-past five or six o'clock. Then we invite him to take a
stroll and to assist at a service in some church or other;
and hereupon we three start out together. The passers-by
look with admiration at the old man who drags himself
along resting on the arms of his companions. When he is
more feeble than usual we make tise of a carriage; but he
does not like this driving on account of the expense. In
that. case we tell him that the Society does not hesitate to
give daily a costly remedy~ to. those who need it, and that
the remedy for him is a carriage. Our argument, however,
does not always hold, and in that case we take our walk in
the corridor. Last Wednesday we went on foot to the German College: ten minutes walk would bring a younger man
there, but our Father took nearly half an hour, and still he
arrived there fatigued. After a rest in the parlor we paid
a visit to the church of St. Ignatius. He wished to pray
befor; the Blessed Sacrament, before the altar of St. Aloysius, of Bl. John Berchmans and of the SS. Heart. On leaving he felt his legs give way under him, and from the top of
the steps he looked at the coaches which were standing on
the square; turning to me he said, "How much does a
coach cost!" "A franc, your Reverence." "Well then," he
.
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�PERY RiiV. FATHER GENERAL iN EiiS RETiREMENt: 263
said, "let us save a franc for the poor, and go home on foot."
With difficulty we set out on our homeward journey: I
rather dragged than conduCted him. Ascending the steps
of the Quirinal he had to stop four times to take bfeath. At
length, after a struggle of three quarters of an hour he entered the house covered with perspiration.
The stations which our Father makes in the different
churches are long; for they last from a half to three quarters
of an hour, and during this time he is almost always on his
knees and often even without resting his hands on the priedieu. One day we told him it would be better if he were
to shorten his stations, and we agreed that he should not exceed a quarter of an hour. The day after I went with him
to the church of St. Alexis which is the titular church of
Card. Franzelin. On kneeling down he said to me : "You
will tell me when I have been long enough ;" and as after a
moment I made a slight motion, he turned and asked, "Is
it time to finish ?"
On returning to Sant' Andrea I read the points of meditation, and, if time allows, make another spiritual reading,
after which he goes to the chapel to await the hour of supper. When I bring him back to his room and there is no
particular necessity for my entering it, he stops before my
door, which is only three steps from his and does not allow
me to conduCt: him further. ·He goes to bed at ten just as
the Community.
I have given you these details in all their simplicity, because they show the true nature of his virtue in his private
life. Many f:1ets escape my memory; if I wished to note
them all down, it would take me half the day to write what
I had seen the other hal(
LAVIGNE.
�RECOLLECTIONS.
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE IN I 820.
About the middle of the afternoon of September I sth or
16th, 1820, the stage from Baltimore rumbled into the yard
of Georgetown College and set down a lot of unfortunates.
Amongst them was your humble servant. It is 65 years
since, and perhaps a few reminiscences of college and college life may not be without some interest to you. We were
all well known to the Revd. Enoch Fenwick, who had been
for so many years the pastor of St. Peter's church, Baltimore,
and who was then in his first year' as President of the College. His kind smile and welcome took from us much
of the rough edge of exile and made us feel at home.
The staff of the college, as well as I recolleCt:, was Revd,
Father Fenwick, ReCI:or, and Father Cary, a Frenchman, I
think, our Minister, and good old Fr. Me Elroy was treasurer.
There was also a Fr. De Theux, who spent most of his time at
the old college and did not come (except in the confessional) much in contaCt: with the boys. Mr. Grace and Mr. Newton, scholastics, wielded their batons as prefeCI:s, and with
Dr. Henry <1> in the infirmary, Br. Drain in the refeCI:ory, Br.
De Meyer as cook, and Br. Jordan as baker, who died at
Newton in 1828, made up the executive officers of the College. I beg his pardon; but old Dick who lived at the gate
and gave us our polished shoes on Sundays and vVednesdays of each week should have been named as one, in his
own opinion, not the least in importance. I can hear him
now in his darky magniloquence setting forth that one pair
of boots was the equivalent of two pair of shoes. For
teachers we had in rhetoric and philosophy, which were
combined in the graduating class, Father Baxter, a fullfledged Englishman ; he was very kind with all. He was in
(IJ
llr. Henry llciselmann, who dic<l in the :Missouri Province.
(264)
�REC.OLLECTIONS.
1.
truth a rhetorician, and his sermons to us boys were, many
of them, masterpieces. Two of them especially are still
fresh in my mind. One was a Good-Friday sermon; the other
a rehearsal, as it were, which he delivered in the College
Chapel on the Sunday before the dedication of the Cathedral at Baltimore. Starting with the "Twelve Ignorant Fishermen" of Jerusalem on Pentecost, he went rapidly over the
prospeCts of the church from country to country, coming back
once in a while to the "twelve ignorant fishermen," which
formed the key-note to the symphony.-Then there came
for the other classes Mr. Van de V elae, afterwards Bishop of
Chicago, Mr. Neill, Mr. Finegan, who is still living at Conewage; Mr. Me Carthy, a mercurial little Irishman, had charge
of the third grammar class and counted me amongst his
victims, whilst the rudimentals were consigned to Brother
Moberly who with his dogwood jackanapes, as he called it,
ruled over his class in one of the rooms off the long passage. In mathematics and its kindred sciences we had Father Toomey, <IJ and he was succeeded by Fr. Levins. Both
were men of great abilities, but they passed away from the
College in a manner that baffled ou'r boyish curiosity. In
my second year I had Mr. Finegan as teacher and was
there when he first became unwell. My last two years were
under Mr. Callaghan of Baltimore. He was a fine belleslettres scholar, and had a better gift of imparting knowledge than any teacher I ever had. He did not' remain in
the Society. He drifted about \Vashington for a few years
as a translator and copyist in some of the departments and
disappeared.
I wonder if the "College Journalists" know that away in
those far off ages we had our college paper, "The Minerva." It was in manuscript; the contributions were by
the rhetoricians, and at the time we thought them quite equal
to many of the printed pages that came to our notice. But
the labor of copying it to be read to the boys trenched so
heavily on recreation that with all its talent it only survived
a few issues. Perhaps, in some pigeon-hole about the Colct> lie was not a member of the Society,
�RECOLLECTIONS.
lege you might unearth a copy. About that time there was
a learned newspaper discussion in Washington, on some
chemical question. One of the writers called himself "Jem
the Sawyer." I have forgotten the other nom de plume, but
after a while Fr. Levins came out as Philo Junior and demolished them both. We college boys took it, each and
every one, as a personal triumph.
Our day at College commenced in summer at 5, and in
winter at 5.30. .A.. M., by a run out to the pump for a wash.
A long line of roller towels was hung between two locust
trees nearly opposite the College door. In the winter of '22
and '23, luxuries began to creep in, and we had a wash-room
extemporized in the small boys play-room, but in the sumwe took our ablutions at the nozzle of the pump. Morning
prayer, Mass and studies took up, the time till breakfast.
Our bill of fare at that meal was-- .(Ilonotonous-bread and
coffee. Butter was an unknown faCl:or in our menu, except
occasionally at dinner on fish-days, and semi-occasionally,
if I may use the word, at breakfast, for Christmas, Easter,
and the Sunday that closed our annual retreat. After a
short recreation of half an hour, classes commenced, and
went on regularly until about 1 1.30, when after a half an
hour's recreation we had dinner. No doubt, the food was
good. and wholesome, for we all throve on it, but to us, all
the meat was sheep meat, and the tea was known as shoestring tea. Some wag of a boy saw Souchong on a tea chest,
and gave the name a free translation as above. But the
coffee was too good to have a nickname; every boy of us
relished his two bowls every morning. A short visit to the
chapel after dinner was followed by recreation for an hour
and a hal£ During the first hour the study-room was locked,
and no one was allowed to have a book of any kind, a very
good rule, but in our case a useless precaution; for I don'~
think any of us were given to private study. A half hour's
study was followed by the afternoon classes till about four,
when we had our piece of bread, and I can see the boys even.
now, climbing up and reaching for the toothsome bottom
crust. A recreation of an hour and a half was followed by
�RECOLLECTIONS.
Rosary and evening studies, then supper of bread and tea.
We had recreation in the play-rooms till 8 o'clock, when
after night prayers in the chapel we went to the dormitory,
and very soon all were sleeping the sleep of tired schoolboys.
The college records will show that in these years the number of scholars was very small, and my memory is that the
discipline was very lax. In 1821, I think, Frs. Dzierozynski and Sacchi came over. Father Zero, as we called him,
was mostly with the Jesuits in the old college. Fr. Sacchi
tried (but not with success) to improve the college discipline. It was not until the return of Frs. Mulledy, Renwick,
Ryder and Young and under their administration the College lifted up its head again, and continued to thrive until
the war which took away all its Southern scholars. Since
the war, it has again resumed its prestige, and now the spires
of the University say to those in its study-rooms and classes:
Sic itur ad astra.
Georgetown College need not blush when she looks at
the records of her students. To say nothing of the many
distinguished Jesuits that have come from within her walls,
she can point with pride to many of her sons that adorn
both the legal and medical professions, and many a hillock
in the South covers the remains of some gallant soldier, who
drew his first patriotic instinCts during the years he spent at
the College.
Of all my school-mates, I can only call to mind as still living, the Hon. Charles J. Faulkner (I) ofVa., Dr. De Loughery
and Austin Jenkins of Baltimore. Mr. W. W. Corcoran of·
Washington, Hon. John H. B. Latrobe and professor Clarke
of Baltimore had been there and left before my time. From
them you might get some memoirs of college days and experiences much more to your purpose than anything that I
have given you.
J. W. J
<ll Died since this was written.
�CANADA.
FIRE AT WIKWEMIKONG, MANITOULIN ISLAND.
Towards the end of January last, two most destruCtive
fires occurred at our Indian mission of Wikwemikong, by
which the boys' school and, three days later, the convent
were laid in ashes. These establishments were doing much
good among the savages of Manitoulin, and their destruCtion
is an almost irreparable loss. The boys' school was a large
frame building, 90 by 40 feet, four storeys high, and supplied with all that was necessary for an industrial school. It
was built by Father Du Ranquet four years ago, and cost
six or seven thousand dollars. The fire was discovered at
midnight, Sunday, Jan. I8, in the wall of the recreation hall,
and had started either from the chinmey or from a stove r~n
ning thr~ugh a wooden partition. The building burned during three hours, and there was ample time to rescue the
children and nearly all the furniture, but the latter in a very
damaged condition. Many things were destroyed, among
which was the plant of the first printing-office ever seen in
Algoma.
Scarcely had the ashes of the boys' school grown cold
wheii another conflagration~threw the little mission into despair. The convent had caught fire and became as easy a
prey to the flames as the boys' school had a few days before. The fire this time began in the third storey through a
defeCtive chimney and before it was discovered had reached
the roof. The building was levelled with the ground; loss
ss.ooo.
Neither of the buildings was insured, and the total loss
may amount to $I 1.000. The boys' school contained thirty
or thirty-five boarders besides the day scholars:...._and was
under the charge of Father Du Ranquet, with a scholastic
and a few lay-brothers. The convent was conduCted by the
Servants of Mary and h<~.d about thirty-five pupils at the
time of the fire.
D.
(268)
�OBITUARY.
BROTHER PATRICK TRACY.
One of the most attractive features about the novitiate at
Florissant, Mo., is the extensive garden. The walks lined
with flower-beds, elegant parterres, a few sacred statues, a
rustic chapel of the Blessed Virgin, shaded promenades, set
with maples, cherry trees, and acacias, an extensive arbor
decked with fruitful vines, a multiplicity of evergreens judiciously distributed, the quiet hill with its central cross and
its regular rows of tombstones, all combine to make the
spot a little paradise. And good Brother Patrick Tracy was
the man whom the Lord had placed there to guard ~nd cultivate it.
Active and tireless, ingenious and experienced in his trade,
solicitous to improve and multiply his flowery treasures, he
seemed to be just the man in the right place. His great
earthly ambition was to make the inmates of the novitiate
happy in their retired life; while it was his higher ambition
to be in every way a perfeCt lay-brother. He was in faCt a
pattern of all the virtues which adorn that holy state.
Born on March 7, 1833, in the County of Limerick, Ireland, he early applied himself to study, and went far enough
in his classes to acquire a taste for elegant literature and
works of solid thought. He afterwards came with other
members of his family to the United States, and worked for
a time as gardener in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Received into the novitiate at Florissant, April 11, 1856,
he was then employed in the same occupation, and without
change of abode continued in it till his death.
While he thus pursued his quiet course of virtue and usefulness, it pleased our dear Lord to try his faithful servant
by a deafness that came on him nearly twenty years ago :
only partial at first, it gradually grew worse till he lost his
(~69)
�FATHER ANTOINE BRA UN.
hearing altogether. While this affliaion deprived him of
conversation with men, it drew him nearer and nearer to
God, whose holy will was his greatest consolation. Perhaps, there was one objea yet that bound him to creatures:
it was a beautiful colleaion of plants and flowers, which he
had gradually accumulated for years, and which in winter
he tended with a mother's care in an elegant greenhouse.
The Lord wished to have his heart without earthly alloy;
and so, one night of last winter, he allowed the very care,
which the Brother took to keep his flowers from freezing,
to bring on a fire, which consumed all his treasures. Like
Job he blessed the will of the Lord, who had given and
had taken away.
·
For years, infirmities had multiplied with him, and he told
us last summer that he expeaed/'soon to be called home."
In the fall, a cancer was developed in his stomach, attended
with dropsy and palpitation of the heart. Still he dragged
his swollen feet along to tend his flowers till within a few
days before the end. Though death was evidently approaching, it came on him sooner than any one had expeaed. But
he was prepared. On the morning of January 8th, 1885,
when the infirmari~n went to wake him, he found him as if
in a quiet sleep; but his soul had fled to a still happier home.
R. I. P.
..
FATHER ANTOINE BRAUN.
In the death of Father Braun, which occurred on February I, 1885, at St. Mary's College, Montreal, another of those
venerable French priests, who have labored so strenuously
for the cause of Catholic education, in the Mission ·of New
York and Canada, went to receive the reward of a life of
ceaseless aaivity.
Three years ago a first attack of paralysis warned him of
his approaching death, but with that love of labor so characteristic of the religious man, he continued to fulfil the duties
of a preacher in the church of the Gesu, and to administer
to th.e wants of his numerous penitents, until a more violent
�FATHER ANTOINE BRAUN.
271
stroke condemned him to silence and a life of forced retirement.
Father Antoine Braun was born February 5, 1815, at St.
Avoid, in the department of the Moselle, France. At an
early age he was sent to the college of St. Avoid, where he
received a thorough training in Latin and Greek. After
completing his studies at this college, he passed on to the
seminary of Metz. Here he gave three years to the study
of rhetoric and philosophy. Finally in the year 1839, he
had the happiness, a happiness he had long desired, of entering the Jesuit novitiate, at Tronchiennes, Belgium. At the
end of two years, although he had already made a brilliant
course of philosophy, he was sent to Bruzelette to devote
an entire year to rhetoric and two to the study of philosophy; he then went to Laval, where he received his theological training.
After devoting a few years to the ministry in his native land, in August 185 I, he offered himself-for the missions of Canada. Laprairie was the scene of his first ld.bors in the New \Vorld. The three years, that he remained
here, were marked by ten missions, produCtive of great fruit.
From Laprairie he passl'!d on to Quebec, where he continued
his apostolic labors for more than fifteen years. Here persons in the highest ranks of life, judges on the bench, officials in the different departments of the government, chose
him for their guide and consoler. Morning and evening his
confessional was crowded. Although the appointed preacher at the cathedral, although sent on various missions in
lent and advent, he still found time to hear annually from
27,000 to 28,000 confessions. In 1870 he was summoned
to Montreal. Here he passed the closing years of his life,
signalized by that same love for study, that same zeal for
the salvation of his neighbor, the same indefatigable labors, that had made him in his early years so prominent a
figure in the ecclesiastical history of Canada.
The Etmdard, Montreal, commenting upon his death says:
"Fr. Braun was distinguished for a sturdy reCtitude of judgment, a great love of justice, and was possessed of latent
•
�BROTHER GEONGE JlfiLES.
sensibility, which, if it did not make itself felt in his ordinary discourses, overflows in his epistolary correspondence,
and brightens up every page of his recent work, A Flower
if Carmel. These natural talents enhanced by a pure uncompromising faith, a passionate love for truth and an ardent zeal for souls, won for him the affeaions of all who·
came in contaa with him, and stamped upon him the impress of a true apostle."
All those, who have had the advantage of knowing Fr.
Braun, will appreciate the vast extent of his scientific knowledge, the sublimity of his thoughts, his apostolic piety, and
will continue to hold, for years to come, his name in reverence.-R. I. P.
Brother George Miles, who died at St. Charles, Missouri,
on January the 23rd 1885, was the second novice to enter
the Missouri Mission of our Society, Brother James A. Yates
having preceded him a few months ; both entered as novices
in 1827, and both were natives of Kentucky. Br. George
Miles was born Sept. I 3th 1802, near Holy Cross church,
Nelson County, Ky., the first Catholic church built in Ky.
His father, Josias Miles, :vas an uncle of Bishop Miles, first
Bishop of Nashville; he moved in I 81 I with his brother-inlaw, Walter Carico, and settled in the vicinity of Fort Bellefontain some four or five miles above the mouth of the Mis.souri river, and in St. Louis county, Mo. \Vhen the founders of the Missouri Province reached Florissant in June,
1823, and took possession of St. Stanislaus Novitiate, Brother Miles' father was their next neighbor, occupying the
farm near St. Stanislaus Novitiate which was subsequently
owned by Mr. Mareschal. Brother George became a novice
Dec. 26th 1827, and had as novice master Father Theodore
De Theux, who came from Maryland to Missouri in 1825.
Father De Theux was a man of austere piety, and was a stern
ruler of his first novices ; at one time Brother George was
neat: abandoning his vocation, but was induced by Father
�FATHER HENRY VAN MIERLO.
273
Van Assche to defer his departure for a few days, during
which he changed his purpose, resolved to persevere, and
he lived to the fifty-eighth year of his life in religion.
In 1836, he went with Father Van Quickenborne to establish a mission among the Kickapoo Indians, near Fort
Leavenworth on the Missouri river, a few miles above the
present city of Leavenworth. These Kickapoo savages were
indomitable, and they abandoned the Fathers, rambling far
away into the western prairies. Father Van Quickenborne
died at Portage des Sioux in August, 1837, and his succes. sor in the mission, Father Verrydt, accompanied by Brother
··'Miles, proceeded in 1838 to Council Bluff, Iowa, to establish
there a mission among the "Prairie" ·or wild Pottowattomie
Indians. \Vhen this place was abandoned in I 84I, Brother
Miles was again Father Verrydt's companion, this time to
the Pottowattomies on Sugar Creek, Kansas, near the Missouri border. Brother Miles remained here, and later at St.
Mary's Mission, Kansas, till ISS 1, when he was transferred
to St. Charles where he passed the remaining years of his
long life. Brother George Miles was always remarkable for
the virtues that become the good lay-brother, as humility,
obedience and diligence. He had the simplicity of a child,
was amiable, and was loved by all that ever lived with him ;
and he was withal an exaCt: observer of all the community
exercises. He died peacefully on January 23rd 1885, at
6-45 P. IlL, in the eighty-third year of his age.-R. I. P.
FATHER HENRY VAN MIERLO.
"United in life, they were also united in death." Fr. Van
Mierlo and Br. George Miles had been living together at
the residence of St. Ch.arles, Mo., in the early part of their
life in the Society; the last eighteen years were likewise
spent in each other's company at the same place. vVorn
out with labors and infirmities, they used to comfort each
other with the hope of the approaching 1eward. During
the last illness of the Brother, Fr. Van Mierlo kindly volunteered to stay with him in the same small room, and remained
�Ji'ATHER HENRY VAN MIERLO.
there day and night for a couple of weeks; administering to
his little wants, until relieved by the arrival of an infirmarian from the novitiate. The day before the death of Br.
Miles Fr. Mierlo was taken sick. The illness soon developed
into pneumonia, and made such rapid progress that, on the
burial of the Brother, the last Sacraments had to be administered to the Father. In the meantime the frequent inquiries of Fr. Mierlo as to the condition of Brother Miles had
to be met by evasive answers, for fear of the bad impression
which the news of the death of this dear Brother might
·make on him. Thus the Father was not aware of the loss
of his friend, until they were reunited in death on the third
day, the 26th of January, 1885, when he quietly passed away
in the seventy-second year of his age, and the fiftieth since
his entrance into the Society. Had he lived till next NewYear's day, he would have enjoy~d the happiness of celebrating his jubilee.
Father Van Mierlo was born in Sverandonk, Province
North Brabant, Holland, on the 7th of March, 1813. He
made part of his theological studies in his native country,
where he was also ordained subdeacon. In 1835 seven
young Hollanders and Belgians, among whom was Mr. Van
Mierlo, set out for America to enter the Society. Their
voyage from Antwerp to New York together with their
journey to Florissant, Mo., took fully ninety days. After his
ordination to the priesthood in 1840, Fr. Van Mierlo was exclusively employed in the sacred ministry, chiefly among
the Germans. Portage, Mo., and St. Charles County generally, an Indian Mission in Kansas, Franklin County, Mo~,
Florissant. Mo., St. Joseph's (St. Louis), Osage County, Mo.,
Portage again, and finally, St. Charles were in turn the scenes
of his labors, and everywhere his memory is held in benediaion.
Fr. Van (as we used to call him) was a true Israelite, in
whom there was no guile. Among his many virtues his
charity was, perhaps, the most conspicuous. Those that
have known him, will, I think, agree that to him St. Paul's
beautiful description of charity was applicable in a remark-
�FATHER ISIDORE
J. BOUDREAUX
275
able degree : his charity was patient, was kind, envied not,
dealt not perversely, was not puffed up, was not ambitious,
sought not her own, was not provoked to anger, thought no
evil, rejoiced not in iniquity, but rejoiced with the truth;
bore all things, believed all things, hoped all things, endured
all things.-R. I. P.
FATHER IsiDORE
J.
BouDREAUX.
Father Boudreaux entered the Society on July 16th, 1836,
immediately upon the close of his studies at the St. Louis
University. He made his novitiate at Florissant, under Fr.
De Theux, and was then sent to St. Charles College, Grand
Coteau, La. After his regency and his studies, which he
completed during his long residence of nearly ten years in
this college, while preparing for ordination, he taught French
and English classics at the University, and in September,
1849, Very Rev. Fr. Vicar and he were raised to the priesthood by His Grace, Archbishop Kenrick, of St. Louis. He
continued in St. Louis until 1852. During the summer of
that year he was removed to St. Joseph's College, Bardstown,
Ky., whence he was transferred, a year later, to St. Xavier's
College, Cincinnati. Here he acted as Spiritual Father for
the session of 1853-54 and was Rector of the college from
· 1854 to 1857. Upon the death of the saintly Fr. Gleizal in
the winter of 1856, Fr. Boudreaux, against his own most
earnest representations, was appointed to succeed him as
Master of Novices, on the 23rd of February, 1857. He was
Master of Novices for twenty-three years. Exhausted with
the vigilant labors of this protracted period, he was relieved
in I 88o and retired to St. Louis, as Spiritual Father and Socius. Later, in 1881, he removed to Milwaukee where he
spent his remaining years either as superior or spiritual director of the faculty of Marquette College. He was administering this latter stewardship, so congenial to his tastes
and talents, when summoned to appear before his divine Master. He had gone to Chicago for the occasion of Father
Oakley's jubilee; there, a day or two after his arrival, he was
�FATHER ISIDORE
J. BOUDREAUX
taken with acute pneumonia which carried him off on Febr.
7th, after a brief illness of four or five days. His remains,
which were accompanied from Chicago by his brother, Fr.
Florentine J. Boudreaux, were conveyed to Florissant and
interred in the novitiate cemetery, near the home he loved
so well.
Father· Boudreaux, was a very happy illustration of some
of the leading features of our training. By disposition a
person of the most affable presence and winning address, he
had further realized so many of the nicer suggestions of our
rules, that his inborn grace, without becoming at all mistaken for it, was intimately blended with an easy but impressive and kindly spirituality. Indeed, kindness, in its deeper
notion of a highly sensitive charity, appeared to mainly actuate him. His fine perceptiol} of the susceptibilities of a
charaB:er, as well as his hum~ring but controlling concession to individual temperament, sprung from this and artfully, '
although never obtrusively, illustrated it. If he was firm or
even severe, there was so much taB: and consideration in
his resolution that, outwardly, it looked more like a vigilant
solicitude than the uncompromising pursuit of a purpose.
It was a pleasure for this reason to deal with him. The
kind sympathy of his manner invited everybody; a stranger
therefore, or an acquaintance was readily at his ease with
him, while it is hardly probable that he ever trained a novice
whose intercourse with him was not that of the most unreserved confidence.
But Father Boudreaux was much more than a kind Christian gentleman or an adroit manipulator of charaB:er. ~·He
was eminently a spiritual man. In the measure that anything, even of trifling moment in itself, aided the pursuit of
perfeB:ion, it was advocated by him with a corresponding
patronage. Expediency, it is true, would, in a certain sense,
have obliged him, as superior of a young community, to affeB: a high estimate of certain .features and praB:ices of novice observance, even in the supposition that he had no very
high esteem of them for their own sake; independently, however, of any such extrinsic motive, he set a very essential
�FATHER ISIDORE
J BOUDREAUX
importance upon the most minute details of discipline, not
because he saw in them efficient checks or goads to spiritual progress, but simply for their intrinsic merits as devout
traits or their significance as interior affeCtions. Nor will
this appear surprising, when we understand his deep concern
for the perfeCtion of his community and his own very certain intimacy with God. He appeared to live in a sort of
anxiety about those minor excellencies that make a house
pleasing to God, and to study in this, if one could so say it,
the prejudices of his divine Master. Still his personal devotion was founded upon a far deeper spirituality than could
be easily seen in his zeal for the details of religious discipline. This might have been conjeCtured but not sufficiently
deduced from the profound calm in which he seemed to be
always moving, the serenity of word and aCtion which few,
if any, ever saw ruffled, the patie1ice which, with his novices,
passed for something so natural that it could not be disturbed.
Uniformly adapting itself, however, to the ordinary life, his
deep religious feeling remained too hidden ever to become
a topic with his brethren. His presence indeed impressed
it upon you, but he was the very last man in the world to pa-·
rade his virtue or to aCt the saint. If his piety became at any
time manifest, it was when he sought to introduce or promote some holy praCtice. Thus in his own beloved de\·otion
before the Blessed Sacrament, his whole attitude betrayed the
profound charaCter of his piety and the delight he experienced
in the company of his divine Master. For one, two, even three
hours together he would kneel before the altar, motionless, his
eyes intently fixed upon the tabernacle and his whole countenance radiant with a sweet, quiet smile. It was truly a
beautiful piCture-that calm, silent form of the aged master
kneeling alone within the devout gloom of the domestic
sanCtuary, praying for his novices. His whole heart went
out before his God in these visits; and if there was anything
which he sought to transmit to his sons, it was this habit of
a frequent recourse to the divine Master in the Blessed 'Sacrament. This praCtice was, for him, a proof of solid virtue
VoL. XIV. No. 2.
18
�FATHER ISIDORE
J. iJOUDREA UX
and an unmistakable sign of a pious Jesuit. It was thence
he himself learned to cherish his deep love and reverence
for the Institute and his solicitude for our smallest observance, and whence he was taught the true meaning of the
spirit he sought to breathe into others.
Nowhere, however, was Father Boudreaux's religious
spirit seen to better advantage than in the special sphere of
its own activity, his relation to the Society and its novices.
Not unlike Father Ignatius, he looked upon the Society as
a body of ecclesiastical auxiliaries, as a sort of spiritual reserve, whose efficiency depended exclusively upon the spirit
and availability of the rank and file. Intimately persuaded,
moreover, that it was Providence who was to officer it, to
make and unmake its heroes, his main efforts, during the
prolonged trust which his province confided to him, were
directed towards the training oh:fficient Jesuits of the ranks.
An earnest, every day Jesuit was an idea which he never
tired of inculcating, and an ambition which he sought to create and foster in the young. It would be interesting to
watch his method in this, but it is, of course, impossible to
enter here upon the features of that gentle but definite imbuing of the novice Jesuit with this spirit of his vocation.
This supposes a closer acquaintance with the Jesuit in the
M-aster himself than has been afforded us in these scanty
allusions. And yet it \vould argue very little familiarity
with Father Boudreaux, not to say a complete ignorance of
his strong Society prejudices and genuine zeal for the more
ambitious works of the Order, to see in him a mere enthusiast for routine excellence. He loved order, it is true, and~in~
sisted upon a spontaneous, disinterested and persevering application to ordinary duty, but never to the suppression of
any well regulated endeavor after eminence. On the contrary, he was quick to remark and appreciate any superiority; and although it was no easy thing indeed to understand
how he was treating this or that feature in an individual, or that he was, at times, aware of its existence
at all, events sooner or later revealed his very early· and intimate relationship with some of the most distinguishing
j
�ilm. JOHN BAPTiST PROULX.
~79
traits of many, who have since become prominent in virtue
of these very characteristics. For this very reason, perhaps,
if not for the spirit which he matured, or rather founded in
his province, it will be a generation before he shall have
ceased to exert a very immediate influence upon its most
illustrious enterprises, and long years before he shall have
finally rested from his labors in the men whom he has trained
to carry on the work of the Missouri Province for the next
forty or fifty years.-R. I. P.
MR. JoHN BAPTIST PROULX.
The little community of Philosophers at Quebec has just
had to mourn the loss of one of its members, Mr. Proulx,
a scholastic of much promise, who was called to his reward
after a very short illness.
John Baptist Proulx was born at Nicolet, in the Province
of Quebec, June IS, I8S9· His parents were pious, and
they laid a solid foundation of Christian training in his
young soul. He began his studies at the College of Nicolet
at the age of sixteen.
After his course of studies, he decided to embrace the religious life. He entered the Society, Aug. I 3, I 881, and
·passed through the two years like a good pious novice.
Though he looked well and strong, his tall manly exterior
hid but a weak constituton.
The studies in the juniorate told upon him, and he
dragged himself slowly along till the end of the year. He
was sent to Quebec in August last, to begin philosophy,
but after a month of school, headaches added themselves
to his other ailments, and he found himself entirely incapacitated for study. The five months that followed this last visit
of Providence, he bore with much patience and resignation.
His passion was for study, but he could not look at a book.
He passed his time saying his beads and sometimes in doing
a little manual work outside. In this latter employment he
caught a severe cold which developed into typhoid fever,
and brought him to the grave in two weeks.
�BROTHER IGNATIUS WIEMAN.
\Vhen his condition became critical, he was sent to the
General Hospital, Quebec, and spent his last ten days on
earth there, cared for by the good Sisters. All that gentle
care and medical skill could do, was done to save him. He
received the last Sacraments with fervor, and spent his hours
invoking the Blessed Virgin, his Good Angel, his Patron
Saint, and the saints of the Society. During the ninth day
he became delirious ; his agony had begun. On the second
day of his agony, at noon-time, while the Angelus-Bell was
ringing, he regained consciousness, opened his eyes, kissed
the crucifix that had been placed to his lips, and almost immediately expired, Feb. 27.
Thus died piously our dear Brother Proulx. The four
years that he passed with us in religion were amply sufficient
for us to know his charaB:er, \\·hich, when it was known,
could not fail of being loved. His natural ardor and gaiety
felt the influence of the religious life. All his words and
aB:ions were decked with a pleasing simplicity; and recreation-hours spent in his company were always cheerful and
interesting. On this point alone his loss would be deplored,
if his present lot were not envied. He was preparing for
the Indian Missions on the Lakes, and to listen to him
speaking of his future apostleship among the savages was
to ·listen to a flood of holy enthusiasm breaking out from
the depths of a zealous soul. He bade fair to do much for
God; but God was satisfied with his desires; and he has
gone to heaven laden with the merits of a life of labors and
(<tigues.-R. I. P.
BRoTHER IGXATIUS \VumAN.
Br. \Vieman was born in Munster, \Vestphalia, Sept. 29,
844. Though somewhat advanced in years when he entered tbe Novitiate at Florisant, (Aug. 20, I 88 I), and though
his years were few among God's eleCt:, still Br. \Vieman
fulfilled a long service in a short space,- for his religious
life was pious and laborious.
Shortly after his long retreat, owing to his willing aptiI
�FA TilER CHARLES DRISCOLL.
281
tude for work and the confidence reposed in him by Supe.riors,·.the Brother was intrusted with duties generally given
only to longer-tried hands. In the discharge of these duties
he was f:'lithful and exaCt. \Vith things intrusted to him he
was most careful, and yet he knew well how to discriminate
between close dealing and holy dealing. He made his vows
on the -8th of Sept. 1883.
About this time the growing College of St. Mary's, Kansas, required the assistance of a trust\,·orthy and handy Brother, capable of fulfilling any of the numerous occupations
that devolve upon temporal coadjutors. On account of his
staid charaCter and 'general usefulness Br. \Vieman was sent
to this post by his Superior. During the short space of
about a year-the time of his sojourn at St. Mary's-the
Brother gave great satisf:'lEtion to· all by his ready and
obliging disposition. Not unfrequently he cheerfully sacrificed the allotted time of recreation in order to complete
the work entrusted to him. This generosity was so much
the more acceptable to Superiors, as it was spontaneous on
the part of the Brother. He died of pneumonia, after a few
days of illness, on the 6th of Dec. 1884. As his short life
in Religion had been edifying to all, so were his few days
of sickness. He was perfeCtly resigned to the will of God.
May he receive the reward of his generous labors.-R. I. P.
FATHER CHARLES DRISCOLL.
In the death of Fr. Driscoll (Van der Driesche) the
Missouri Province has lost one of its oldest, most efficient
and best beloved members. He was born at Bruges in Belgium, May 13th, I820, and came to this country early in life,
entering the novitiate at Florissant on the I 2th of April,
I 842. Having completed his noviceship, he was engaged
as prefeCt and professor in St. Louis University until I848,
when he was transferred to Cincinnati, where he \vas ordained priest on July 26th of the same year by the late
Archbishop Purcell. On the 19th of OCtober following, he
was set in charge of St. Xavier Church in that city, in which
�FATHER CHARLES DRISCOLL.
position he remained until his death, which occurred on
Monday morning, March 2nd, at half-past three o'clock.
For several months he had been suffering fr?m hemorrhage
of the stomach, the development of a cold contracted in
the beginning of Autumn, which, although it did not prostrate him entirety or interrupt to any material extent the
routine of his daily work, nevertheless wrought so tellingly
upon his stout frame as to make it speedily evident to himself, no less than to others, that his days were nigh spent
and were not difficult to number. \Vhen, at length, the
moment came, comforted by the sacraments, in the enjoyment of the fullest consciousness and surrounded by many
of the Community, with whose prayers for the dying his own
were blended, his generous spirit left the tenement of its
mortal keeping and passed into,the overwhelming presence
of Him, whom he had loved SQ tenderly and served so faithfully. "Tell the congregation/; he said to the Fathers at
his bedside when about to die, "that I cherished them upon
earth and will continue to do so in heaven." And again: _
''I thank God for all the joys and crosses with which he has
seen fit· to visit me in life." Such were the last words and
sentiments upon 1the lips and in the heart of this- devoted
Shepherd in Israel, after thirty-seven years ofmost remarka~le usefulness-befitting echoes, indeed, of a career always
in signal accord with the supreme dignity of his lofty profession.
The news of Fr. Driscoll's death spread rapidly thro~gh
out the city and State, and the mournful . multitudes that
thronged in from all quarters to his obsequies, packing tbe
aisles and blocking the sidewalks for squares around, were
proof abundant, if any were called for, of the fast hold he
had taken upon the hearts of those with whom circumstances
had thrown him in contact. All Tuesday evening, and far
into the subsequent night, his remains lay in guarded state,
while in and out of the heavily-draped church a dense stream
of people surged steadily to and fro, coming to take a farewell look into the chill, mute face of their never-to-be-for~
gotten father in Christ.
�FATHER CHARLES DRISCOLL.
At eight o'clock \Vednesday morning, a Pontifical Requiem was celebrated in the presence of his bereaved parishioners, who crpwded every available spot.
His Grace,
Archbishop Elder, officiated, whilst two brothers of the deceased, both of them priests, acted as deacons of honor during
the service. A large concourse of visiting clergymen, numbering over sixty, occupied seats in the sanctuary. After~
the funeral oration, a touching eulogy delivered by VicarGeneral Halley, the Archbishop briefly, yet feelingly, rehearsed the toilsome labors of Fr. Driscoll during his arduous and fertile ministry, all of which, he said, had prodticed
in timely season a copious yield of fruit, in testimony whereof they needed no other argument than the living vestiges
about them. He closed by exhorting the people to hoard
up as priceless legacies the salutary recollections of their
saintly pastor, and the assembled clergymen to take pattern
by the irreproachable life of their fellow-priest, whose memory they were then honoring by the solemn tribute of their
presence. The last absolution given, the remains were borne
to the hearse by six of the attendant priests, and the long
train of carriages, headed by the various detachments of
Catholic Knights, started for St. Joseph's Cemetery, where
all that was mortal of Fr. Driscoll was laid to earth in expectation of a glorious summons.
It would be difficult to estimate aright the extensive work
done by Fr. Driscoll during the useful period of his residence in Cincinnati. The praiseworthy zeal and singleness
of purpose, which brought him to this country in the ambitious prime of his youth, grew with the years that passed over
him, every day broadening the circle of his influence and
popularity, thereby enabling him from small beginnings
and with scanty means to compass large and important results. He certainly made St. Xavier, what it admittedly is
at present, the most thriving congregation in Cincinnati ; hjs far-sighted, penetrating counsel and personal supervision
lending steadiness and security to its growth, not a little
jeopardized upon occasions by the untoward circumstances
and vicissitudes which checker the pathway of every human
�FATHER CHARLES DRISCOLL.
enterprise. \Vell-attended and well-equipped schools, numerous Sodalities, a complete system of charitable organizations
and the ereB:ion of two elegant Churches, one upon the
ruins of the ?ther, left no want in the parish unanswered,
and was a portion of the fair showing he had to make of
his stewardship when he passed, full-freighted with the gar~nerings of years, to the peace and plenty of his eternal heritage. It was, however, only a portion. For no one can tell
the unwritten amount of greater good wrought in quiet upon
the poor, the wayward and the afftiB:ed, whose path through
life he had so often smoothed, whose bruised and bleeding
hearts he healed and up-lifted, and to whom in his death
he gave a shining illustration of that perseverance until the
end, which alone can crown and seal the perfeCt: work.
Doubtless, the thousands who wept so bitterly at his funeral
· - were but testifying, by the lav\?h outburst of their feelings, to secret debts of gratitude contraB:ed during years of
familiar acquaintanceship with him, in manners, which, if unknown to the world, were, nevertheless, told in heaven for
his everlasting benefit.
Yet, that it should have been so-that he should have
scored such unqualified success and made such complete
seizure of the hearts of his people, ceases to be matter of
surprise when we bear in mind, as we may, that few men
have fashioned themselves-more stfenuously, by prayer and
study, than Fr. Driscoll for the serious demands of the
ministry, and few have threaded their perilous way more
judiciously through the mazy multitude of its cares and
distraCtions. He may IlOt have been a brilliant man or~-a-·
comprehensive scholar, as the words currently go, but the
charm and sweetness of his disposition and his eminent
virtue, allied to long-headed prudence and diversified experience, made sufficient amends and served him in admirable
stead. Deeply and early imbued with the vivid realization
of Religion's sober and f.>r-reaching truths and the requirements of his inestimable calling, he had taken ample precaution to school himself well in the ways of God, until
yirtl!~ ripened within him, purifying and charaCterizing hi01
�FATHER JOHJ\" HACKSPIEL.
works and endowing them with a marvellous attractiveness
in the sight of those whose guide and model he was appointed to be.
No wonder the attachment displayed for him, in consequence, by his flock was singularly rare and beautiful-and
when, in the years to come, they kneel about the "memorial
altar," which is building to his me1i10ry, it will be with feelings of unalterable thankfulness that they recall his tireless
and unmixed devotion in their behalf. They will then remember, what they now dwell upon so gratefully, that
nothing was of more intimate concern to him than their spiritual advancement, one of the last acts upon his bed of
death being to consecrate them anew and finally to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, whose glory it had been his life's purpose to
disseminate amongst them, and in the mysterious splendor
of whose ineft:"lble beauty, let us believe, it shall be his delight to revel throughout the boundless ages of God.
R. I. P.
FATHER
JonN
HAcKSPIEL.
We are sorry we have to add to the long roll of honor
of our Fathers that have gone to their God to reap the reward of many labors, the name of Fr. John Hackspiel who
died at St. Joseph's, Yorkville, New York, on April 7th, at
3 o'clock in the afternoon. He had been ill for seven days.
A severe cold from which he had suffered for some days
forced him to take to his bed on the 30th of March. Up to
this time he insisted upon performing his work; in fact, on
the day he had to yield to the malady he heard eighty-four
confessions at the House of the Good Shepherd and attended
to several sick-calls. On March 3 I st he was unable to move;
a violent fever manifested itself, and as his constitution was
undermined and his lungs had been affected for years, it
becarne evident that he would rise no more. From the beginning he gave all his thoughts to God, declined to speak
of worldly matters, showed himself very grateful for the least
service, and suffered <lnd died with a thorough resignation to
�286
FATHER JOHN HACKSPIEL.
the will of God and a firm hope in the mercy of Him whom
he had served faithfully for so many years. His tranquillity
of soul in his last moments was very marked ; noticing that
he was fast nearing his end, he called attention to the faCt:,
and then asked for the Holy Communion again.
Fr. Hackspiel was in the fifty-ninth year of his age. He
was born August 25th, 1825, in Riefensberg, a small village
of Vorarlberg, Austria. He made his classical studies in
Feldkirch, a course of philosophy at the University of Innsbruck, and after having studied theology for four years at
Brixen, was ordained priest in 1849. For seven years he
was aCtively engaged in his native land, partly as assistant,
partly as parish priest, in Krummbach and in Lustenau.
Moved by his great zeal for souls, he applied for the American Missions and was received by the Bishop of Cleveland.
He was parish priest at CantonfQr a time, and for nine years
at Sandusky, under his new Bishop.
Fr. Hackspiel entered the Society in 1865; he made his
noviceship at Sault-au-Recollet, Canada. His first work as
a Jesuit was the giving of missions; then he was operarius
for some years in St. Ann's Church, Buffalo. The last
eleven years of his life were spent in St. Joseph's, N. York,
where he aeted as the assistant of the pastor. Here his
energy was great, and his work was among the poor. He
was wont to give but four hours to rest; though thus hard
on himself, he was very cheerful, unselfish, ever ready to
take the last place and to do the hardest work. His selfsacrifice for the good of souls overstepped the limits marked
out by a weak constitution.
~- -·
Fr. Hackspiel was a man of prayer. His union with God
was remarkable. On the streets whilst going his numerous
rounds of mercy he .was always saying his beads; in his
room he was wont to recite his breviary upon his knees.
People came from a distance to have him read prayers over
them that they might be relieved of their infirmities, and
some did not come in vain. During the day his mortal remains lay in the church, large numbers of the faithful came
to gaze upon the face of one whom all regarded as a holy
�FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
man. The funeral services were overcrowded; this fact and
the tears of all, especially the poor, showed how deeply his
loss was felt. A class of two hundred penitent women, of
whom he had the spiritual charge in the House of the Good
Shepherd, were touchingly demonstrative in the expression
of their sorrow. They had lost their father and best friend,
and it was enough to mention his name to make them
solemnly promise to lead a good life, to be reunited with
him in heaven.-R. I. P.
FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
Father Durthaller died at the rectory of St. Joseph's
Church, in east Eighty-seventh street, shortly after noon of
Sunday, May 3rd. His death was due to congestion of the brain, with which he was stricken in the sacristy after Mass.
Fr. Durthaller was born in Alsace, Nov. 28th, 1819, and
after the usual preliminary studies was ordained a secular
priest. Soon 11.fter his ordination, he entered the Society,
oa. 21St, 1844. In 1848, he left France in company with
other exiled Fathers, and on arriving at Montreal, he began
to teach in St. Mary's College. He was afterwards transferred to St. Francis Xavier's, New York, where he was
successively professor of philosophy and prefect of studies
till 186o, when he was appointed Rector. To his efforts,
whilst Rector, is due the present college building. In 1863,
he went to Buff:·do, N. York, and during his stay there
built the present church •of St. Michael's. From Buffalo,
he returned to St. Francis Xavier's in 1871, and again became prefect of studies. Thence he was sent to St. Lawrence's Church, Eighty-fourth street, for the purpose of forming the new German congregation of St. Joseph's, ofwhich
he was named the Superior in 1874 and so continued till
his death. When he first went among the people of Eightyseventh street, he was literally "without scrip or purse," but
his devotedness and disinterestedness soon gained the hearts
of his new flock and to-day St. Joseph's Church, its large
�FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
congregation and parochial school, attest the undoubted
success of the zealous pastor.
Father Durthaller's warm nature, gentle bearing and evident but unobtrusive piety, won him many friends, nor did
he lose their esteem by showing an unswerving firmness of
purpose \vhen duty called for it. His was the varied life of
the Jesuit, involving many duties, in responsible positions,
and in localities the most diverse. 1\'Iany are the persons
who will remember his kindly greeting, his cheery words
and works of disinterested goodness which he did for them
in the hour of need. The qualities of head and heart, which
characterized the deceased, filled the measure of a useful
and meritorious life of forty years in the ministry and, though
dead, his works will live and fructify unto salvation in the
hearts of others. The famous Gustave Don~ was once a
•
pupil of Fr. Durthaller, and so~e time before dying, sent to
his old teacher a set of his works, as an expression of his
esteem and love.-R. I. P.
....-
-·
�VARIA.
AD VERTISEJJENT.
We return tlwnks for items sent to the YARL\; the 1wws of our Prot·ince
and our own crmntry should be fulfer, and so it 1/'0'Uld be, (t' Ours 1vere not
.<o modest in not letting 11s knmo tl1e good works they are doing. The Colfege
papers and such like data 1tould ansu·er our purpose.
"The "llenology of the Society" (in Engli.•h), the "Litan,ilc ad usum Patrum
8. J." and "E:urcitia Spiritualia 8. P. Ignalii" with Ji'. Roothaan's notes,
"re for sale here•
..\l)Oi"TOI~IC ScHOOI...'-3.-Fr. Ronan is having great success in hi~ collections
for the .\postolic Sehoob of )[nngrd. lit• i~ now in the ""pst.
Amzo:-i.t.-Fr. Ilowt•n W'l.' killt>tl in the Pima rt•bellion of 1751 at Sonoi·
•lag, propahly in what is now Arizona .
.\
l'~TitL\-lii'XO.\HY.-This
Province ilwrea't•d its membershi1• last year to
a gain of ;) Ineinhers. It has in ..\n~tralia a eollege tnu1 fh~e residences,
in whieh there art• :li .J esnits: ~0 Fatht•f', a S.. holastie and 16 Brothers. Tht>re
are two seholasticates, tht' one a(, lnnsbrnck, Tyrol, the other at Pressburg in
Hnngar~·. Tit ...\ustralian )[i"'ion wa" fonndetl in 18-!8 by Father Aloysius
l~ranewitter who arri\~t•(l in chargt> of a hand of Gernuln enligrnnts.
The
.. migrants settletl in South Australia. The )[ission of the Irish Province was
fountletl in 181i.J, antl has tlntr collt>ges awl three residence~, mnploying thirty
.J estlits. Ff'. LPntaign<' and \\"illiam Kelly were thP ftntntlers of the ~li~sion.
Tht• Austrian Fathers ha,·e a )liS'ion among the aborigim•s at Port Darwin,
X. Australia. The mi"ionaries speak well of tht•ir prosllt'cts.
.;vo,
BELU!t:)!.-Louvain ha" been tleclarecl the Collegium J[aximmn by
Father Yieat·.
Rt>Y.
At:TIIORS.- Last year ft·om January 1st to December 31st, 12:; new works
wt•re puhlishetl by our Fathers of Europe and Anwrica. \\'e have seen the
catalogue of them in the .Jersey Letlers. It nppears from the titles that
most of them treat of theological qta•stions. .\mong them there is a IH'W
Dictionary of anonymou" and psewlnnymous works of our Fathers, since
the fotmtlation of tlw Stidety. It is a valuable hook from the JWII of Father
t'ltnrle~ Stmtllll'l'Yt)gcl.
BEYHOl'T.-A school of )!t•dieine has het•n opene<l in conm•ction with the
l'nh·ersity of St. JosPph, lkyrout. The Fathers arc jubilant over their first
1"\H'Cl'~s. ..\t the hl•ginning of the course thl·n~ were l'lcven ~tnth·nts in attPIHlall(•e, an<l Ly their examination ,at the mul of the y<'ar, they showed that they
were up to the stanclanl of the French "''hool,. Thert• are !lOW thirty stutlc11ts
in this department.--The weekly paper published in "\.rabic at the University
(289)
�VARIA.
has been engaged in a controversy, brought about by its making known the
encyclical of the Holy Father against Free-masonry. It was sharply attacked
by ::llasons, who an• be,ginning to 'pread in Syria: but it defetHled itself and
the Catholic cause with ahility, atHl opened the eyes of many of the simple
::IIaronites to tlw machinations of ::l!a,mtry an<l Protestantism. After two
months, probably at the instigation of the ::llasons, the Turkish authorities
put ane!lll to the conte>t.-Tiw l'nive"'ity has nearly five hundred >tudent><.
BOSTOX CO!.LEGE.-::IIr. Conde B. Pallen, a graduate of Georgetown, gan~
a very able lecture on e\·olution in refutation of Herbert Spencer. The le<'turc was delivered in till' College hall before a select audience on January
~~tHl.-Fr. ::lla'Si was in Augusta, Ga., for the benefit of his health.- Father
::llandalari of St. ::llary's is giving a course of Ethics for the Catholic Union.
BALTDWRE.-A course of literary and scientific lectures was given hy the
Fat hers aml other profe,:,:ors in the Coll<•ge Hall. ::llr. Havens Tiichards of
'VonLhtock gave a lecture on the Eye.-The Smlality i>< doing remarkably
well; the funds for the memorial of thl• tercentenary !'dehration have been
collected, no <louht, by this time.
CAX.\DA.- At the Easter onlination~.at Three" Hivers two of Ours were
raised to the prie,tl]oml, FF. Leonard Lemirl' and Stephen Proulx.-Father
Partlow lectured to a large mulience on "Paray-le-::IIonial and the Sacred
Heart," )larch lllth, in the Gestl ~\endemic Hall, ::IIontreal.- Father Hamon
is gh·ing Inis:-:ion~ in the 'Vest.- Sinec the burning of the two schools at
\Vikwemikong, .:\Ianitoulin, cla~:<ps have been continued in out-buildings aml
houses hire<l for the purpose.-The new scholasticate, )Iontreal, is approaching co1npletion.- Fr. Partlow gan:• an eight t.lay~' retreat at St. Gabriel\:
Church, ::IIontreal. He was assisted a great <leal by the Fathers of the College. A tw\·el feature of the retreat ,,.," the bh•ssing of tlw babies; this service attracted great attention atul wa' highly appreciate<! by the parents.The Dominion Go\·enunent has ju't publishpd a document that the archivi><t,
::llr. Brymner, bought in Paris so1ne month> ago. It is the "Hecit veritable <lu
::llartyre <les PP. Brebeuf. et Gabril'l J1 ~\h·mant" by Christopher ltegnault, a
lay-brother, who was on the spot. _\\' e ,hall give this <locument in our next
i:-::-;ue.- 'Vork will 1nost likely he rt.'snutetl this spring on our grand new
church in Guelph.
CASTILE.- The Catalogue of 188.) ~hows 747 Ine1nber:-:-increa~c for 1~84, Hl.
-The )!i"ion of Central ~\m<•riea whieh i~ part)~· <lisperSl'<l, has !11 members,
of the'e :l~ arc in the rnite<l State:< of Colombia. Since the appointment of
Bbhop Paul of Panama to the archiepiscopal see of Bogota, i Fatlwrs have
begun a resi<lcn<'e in that capital. Father )lanrus Yalenzucla wa>< appointed
Superior of the ::lli"ion Oct. 14th, 1884. -There are 54 of Ours in Culm and
Porto Rico.- Castile has 4.) juniors studying rhetoric, :!8, poetry aml ~1,
Urauqnar. The Provinct~ has S eoll(•ge~, a sentinnry and 13 re.~idcnccs.
Cll.\)!1'.\fiXE.-Th<• membership"'"' inerease<l by 1R, ~o that the ProYince
has now 5i1 memlwrs. It lost 1:lmcmher' by <lcath. The )!i~sion of Tche-ly,
China, employs 51 of Ours who be ion~ to Champagne. The Produce has 50
Scholastic novices at Gemert in Holland.-The retreats for men given by Fr-
.•
'
�VARIA.
"Tatrigant at Lille in a house (Saint Joseph des Champs) set apart for the
purpose, are gaining favor, and every year the results are more consoling.
Whilst a scholastic at Yals in 18i8, Fr. Watrigant published in the Letters
of Aix several interesting articles on the history of the retreats in the old Society.-The first retreats fur men at Lille were given in 1882, and since then
there has been a succession of them. )l. <le )fargeri!', dean of the literary
department of the Catholic University of Lille, treated the subject admirably
in a paper published in Xovember, 188:?. He writes from a philosophic standpoint. Besides this paper, two others have been given to the public; the
first in 188:? by )l. le Compte A. de Caulnincourt, and this was a report mntle
to the Catholic Congress in Paris, the seemul in 1.~.~:1, and is likewise a report,
made by )l. A ..Jonglez <le Ligne, for the Catholic Congress (du Xord et du
Pas·de·Calais); the writer says many things concerning ~e retreats given by
the old Society.- Fr. Joseph Brucker writes from .Jersey, Nov. 23rd, 1884,
that he has been examining old manuscripts in the libraries of Brusselles aiHl
Paris, and has tliscoveretl many valuable documents, as yet unpublished, bearing on our history, esJwcially in the East and in America. )fany important
1nattt:>r~ concerning our hi~tory in Europe, especially in France, were fount!
in the National Library at Paris. Fr. Brucker is professor of Sacred Scripture
at .Jersey and has recently published papers in the Revue des Questions Historiques upon the inspiratron of the Scripture apropos to the article of Card.
Newman.-}'r. Doyotte has begun at Rheims the giving of retreats for men,
and model< his work on that of Fr. Watrigant.-Fr. 'Vatrigant asks if there
j,, any rich American who would help him to publish a volume of rare docutnent:-: on the Exercis('~ of St. Ignatius.
CHICAUO.-Frs. F. Boudreaux a!lll 'Vard gave a two weeks' mission in the
church of the Holy Family. Great suecess attended their efforts. .\.t one
)fnss on Palm Sunday :?000 persons received Holy Communion.-The Sodnli·
ties have 4000 members in good standing.
CI!IXA.-A French·L'hinese Dictionary has been published by our Fathers
-1 vol. Svo.-Fr. Dechevrens was lately in Europe; his visit was in connec-
tion with some very important scientific <liscoveries made by him in Chinn.
CoRI:ECTIOX.- In the "History of the Catholic Church On the Island of
New York," also in the "Catholic Chnrch.In The United States," and in the
late "History Of Philadelphia" it is stated that Father Ilan·ey died in li1!1.
'Vith all due regard f(>r the authority of the learned authors of these works
we woul<l 1·enture to say here that we believe this to be a mistake. In the
Catnlognes of the Soeiety kept at the Gesu, in Home, Father Harvey is sai<l
to have <lie<l in lti%. This is also a"erted in the English Heconls, t>dited by
Br. Henry Foley, S. J.
EGYPT.-TIH're arc 140 students in onr College of the Holy Family at Cairo.
The majodty are Catholics; nearly 30, schismatics, over 20 Jews, and R )I ussulmans. The.Protestants have se1·eral great institutions, especially in the·
northern parts of Egypt, an<l their influence o1•er tbt• people cannot he neutralized but by har<l aiHI vigorous efliwts. This is at present the aim of our
Fathers.-The College of Alexandria numbers 90 students.
�'T"ARJA.
2g2
FR.L'\CE,-Thi" Pro\'ince has SuO members-an increa'e of two for iast yeat',
notwithstanding the dbpersion antll.J tleaths. The )lissinn of X an kin, China,
en1ploys 13:1 nwntber~ of the Province. In FruncP a great deal of good is
Uone. The Catalogue for 1.'-\~.J ,gives a very intt>resting surnnutry of the )lis~
siuns of the Society at the beginning of last year; then :?.):~0 of Ours were 'en~
gaged in the apostolic work of carrying the ~ospel to foreign and infidel na·
tions.-Francc has ~)-1 ~cholastic Xo,~ices.-Sotne of our Fathers are now preparing a new t·tlition of Uohrhaeht'r's Ilistory of the Chnrch.-I1i spite of the
open persecution which our :;:ociety is encluring in France~ our Collt>gt~s are
in a emnparati,~t"ly pro.-.:perous eontlition. Yanne~ nu1nbers :~.)0 stwlents;
EYreux, 300; ~Ian~, :!30; Tour:-:, 1~0; Poi tier:-:, :!Ot); Ynugiranl, --11H; Bor·
t!eaux, ;).')0. .\11 tht•>e College> l•elong to tliP Province of France. Faiher
J-""'elix gave a retreat at I.aval. lie work~ with the ener~y ancl sucee:-:s of a
young 1nan in spite of his ; 4 ye~1r:-:.
GEoHta·:TOWX CoLLEGE.-The war artide in the Journal, taken from the
of .\[r. llooley, who tlie<l '"'a >eholastie in the Society, wa> highly appn·ciate<l here.-The .\[erriek Debate attraett•tl con>itlerablc attention; it was
heltl in "'illanl Hall, ""a:<hington.
<liar~~
.
HoLY C1:oss CoLLEGE.- The phiF•sopher> gm·e an •·ntertainment, Feb.
:!tul, in honor of th .. ir prnf<•»or, Fr. t:li'ic lh·inzle, who nn that t!ay took his
soll'lHil
YOW~.
IIoxnt:I:.\>'. -Fr .•\n,elm Gillett tlil'<l
was at 'Yooclstoek during the winter.
rect•ntl~·.
It wa' hi' brother who
InEXTIFH'.\TIOX.-In lli.Sii, there Wt'l'l' three .Tt•>nits in Xe"· Ymk, Father>
Charle' Gage, Thoma' Harvey, ant! Henry liarri>on. About IG8;, Father
Uage rl'turnetl to England, for we find hint at Xorwieh in 10."1~, the yt·ar of
the Or:.Hl!-!l' He\·olntion.
In
16~!t,
thPrf•
wen~
only two
.Jt~.;:uit:-:
at Xew York,
ant! IIarri>on. .\,; Jlarn·y wa' known by th<' alias, Thoma' Barton,
ids eompanion, lfarri>on mn;;.t certain!~· lll' the prie>t Julm Smith alhu!t•tl to
at thb n•ry timt•, in the "Documentary History Of Xew York."
IlntT<'Y
lXDIA.-Fr.•\ngn>tn'
~[udler
ha' puhli>hetl a "H .. pcrtory of Homeopathic
l'r.
.
treatlnent by fifty nu·clic.:inp:-:" for tlw n~c._· of familie~, lni:-::-:ionat·h·~, etc.
Xiehola:-: Pagani ha~ hel'll appointetl Yic..·ar·.\_postolie of Jlangalort'. .,
IXX~BUl'<'K,-\\\• han· n•et•in•t! two eatalngue,, one CatalOffUS Convictus
1'heologorum Ocniponto.ni who h:n·e ht·~n ~<tmlent' in the L"niver,ity since
Our:-: took eharge of the theological tlepartmPnt awl estahli . . he!l a Setninary
:.!1 years ago. Then in a :-~nwll hnilcling under our care there were thrPe
stnch~nts; now tlll're are :?:;o attcnc.ling the thPologieal coucst•, anti every year
the th•num<l fin· plal'e~< i> incn·a,ing. .~nother Catoloyus give> tlw fi>llowingitt•tns: Numht:t" of ~tutlents iu the Sentinary HlHlt•r our C'~ll'e, 1.)2; thPologians
• who an• lh·ing- in JlriYate htnt:-:t>~, ;); ; Our~ who are atte1ulin.!; ledures,
:l.); ltt•g-ular' of otht•r Onler,, :!:L Tht•re are :!0 'Indents in theology fi>r the
Unitetl ~tail·:-:. In :!7 years 7:~-t. pril•:-:ts have nla(le tlwir thl'olngy in our eourse.
Fr. Ant!rew Kobler who wa,: in St. Franci,; Xader'"• Xew Xork, from 1850
to 1854, thus writes to the editor: "I find in the LETTERS some names I was
�PAJUA.
weil acquainted with when I was in ~t. Xavier's College, X. Y. I requested
Rev. Fr. Rector to send filf the "'Voodstock l-etters" a Catalogue of the Austrian Province am! some papers relating to the "Theological Faculty" at the
University of Innshruck." He then speaks of the catalogues mentioned above,
and we thank him for them. ''Our Fathers," he continues, "are also publish·
ing a Quarterly Review on Scientific Theology, and Fr. Hurter's Theologia
as also his 'Nomenclator' containing the live' an<! writings of all the Catholic Theologians from the Council of Trent to the year 1810." The new Seminary, a fine four-story building, will be rea<ly next )fay.- The Review for
.April has an article written by Doctor B. Otto concerning fiH recently discovered-letters of St. Ignatius; one of these letters was written in 1550, the
others in 155~; four were addressed to Fr. Leonard Ke"el of Cologne and onE>
to Fr. Arnold II deus of Lou vain. It is sail! that one of the letters had miraculous powers. The "Cartas <le S. Ignacio" published at )fad rid in 1814 do
not mention any of these lettl'r,.-The Review has an article upon the fiunous
Christian inscription in China, mentioned by Abbe Hue; the authenticity of
the piece is proved beyond a t!oubt. -Fr. Nicholas Nilles has published a
work on the documentary history of the Greek Church in Hungary. - Fr.
Francis Ehrle with the help of Frs. Francis Beringer and Boniface Felehlin
has published Bibliotheca Philosoph ice Sclwlasticr.e from Aristotle; the last
two Fathers are the authors of Bibliotheca T!teologice Sclwlasticce from St.
Thomas.
LEOXARDTOWN.-A memorial bell was blessed by Fr. Charles K. Jenkins
on )larch 1iith. The hell weighs 11~0 pounds, and is presented by the J enkins' family in memory of their ancestor William Jenkins horn at 'Vhite
Plains, St. )[ary's County, in 16:l4. The inscription is, besitles the sacretl one:
. ET • LAUD!
. JENKINS
ANXO - 18~4 . IL·EREDE~ • DEDICANT
YITA~! -· IXIIT • ANXO . lo:l.t
IN . P.\UO - WHITE . PJ,AIXS
IN . STATU . MAHYLAXI>Ih;
~IE)IOHI.iE
GULIEL~!I
On the 25th of ~larch Fr. ~!c Gm·k gave in the church at Leonardtown his
lecture about the early Catholic history of M:trylaml. On this day, the two
humlred and fifty-first annin•r,;ary of the lamlinq of the Pilgrims and the
celebration of the first Jlnss, on St. Clement's Island, the new bell was rung
for the first time. St. Clement's Islam! is only a short distance from our old
)fanor of Newtown.
LYoxs.-The ProvinPe has now li>l members-an increase of fin• for last
year. It lost 13 by death. It has 140 nwmbers in Syri:t, 4:! in Egypt, and 24
in Armenia: these Missions :tre very flourishing. The University of St.
Joseph nt Bcyrout, as sni<l before, h:t>' 500 students, exclusive of Ours, who, to
the number of :?:l, are studying philosophy or theology there.-Lyons has 39
Scholastic novices. In the various missions the Fathers have settled down to
the work of instilling Catholic principles and habits into the minds of the
children. The attendance at many of the schools is very encouraging. At
VoL.
XIV,
No.2.
19
�VARIA.
)[arsivan in .\nnenia tluring tho last year there were over 300 present.
There were -ttl chiltlren preparetl for their first t 'ommunion, :33 of whom were
converts from schism.-Two new schools have been recently opcnetl among
the )[aronites. The chiltlren in one of thPsl' amountetl to 110 at the end of
tht> year. \\'ith more teachers and a little money, it woultl be an easy mat·
ter to ritl the Lebanon of Protestants. Their heartless teaching and worship
have little to recommewl them to the Orientals.-Tlw number remains small
at tlH' Colle.c:e of Alexamlria, owing to the religion;: instruction which is matle
obligatory. Alread~- two .Tews h:we heen baptizc<l, after careful preparation,
and even among a few )[ahnmetans a leaning towards the Faith h!l." mani·
festetl itsdf; hut in their case the <liffienlties are even greater than with Hebrews. A Jlli:-'~ion, not without fruit, wn~ .t!'h~en in vnriou~ ( 0ptic: villages of
l'pper Egypt hy one of our Fathers.
1
)L\Il.Hi.\,<'.\lt.-This great African island bat present tleprin•tl of it~ )[issionaries1 our Fathers, who thirty-five years a,~o took ehar~e of the work.
Sinee their exile Ours hm·e rcceivetl consoling accounts of the fen·or and perseverance of their neophytes. Shortly before the expulsion, tht> number of
converted nath·cs was estimatetl at about -'0,000; there wert> 1 j'tl eh nrchcs antl
chapels, not to speak of many others in. _course of erection. Xumerous antl
tlourishing schools were etlnenting :!0,0011 chiltlren. Sixty llll'llllwrs of the
Society have tlied in )!atlagascar, of fevt!l', hanhhip, aml prh·ation since the
)fission was begun.-Fr. J. B. Cazet of the ::<ociety has been appointed YiearApostolic with an episl'opal title.
)lrssrox~.-"'e are sorry not to be able to give an account of the successful missions of Ours since tlw last numbl•r. Xo doubt, the accounts will be
sent us for our next issue.-Tht• Fathers of the thinl prohatim~ were l'ngagctl
tluring lent. BesitlPs hl'lping thP haml, Fr. Campbell gave a retreat in St.
Ann's, X. York, amlin the Immacnhte Conception, Boston.-Fr. Cttscy gave
two tritlnums.
)[Is~ot:lti.-Ground has lwcn... broken for the completion of the College in
Cincinnati.-Fr. Hyan of l'hieag-o gave the )[en's retrL•at in Cincinnati. Fr.
Harts gnve the retreat to the stnth•nts of the Collcge.-1-'r. John Polaml gave
the retrent to the stn<lcnts in St. Louis l'nh·ersit~-- Tlw Province has had
serious losses hy th•aths sinee thl' hl'ginning of this year.-The ~~ issionary Fa·
thl'l'S arP <loing great work.-A Fnthcr, well known as an nuthor, has llll<1ertaken to write a history of till' l'l'<lvilll'l' fin· the LETTEHS.- Fr.•Tamest'. X.
Iloc·tfer has gone tn ~!ilwankee; Fr. :\!iehael O'Xeill, to St. ~[ary's, Kansas.
-Ft-,: .•Tames Foley, .John lkrgin, )[mtin :\!cGinni.s, Cornelius Sullivan,
Joseph Prinre, DaniPl Lowry, nn<l Sydney O'llryan, wert' ortlainetl in February by c\rchhishop Kenrick.
~[OXTIILY D!SI'l"T.\TIO:-\s.-Then• han• ht'l'n two tlisputations since the beginnin.c: of lt•nt. Tlw tll'fcntlers De Sacrmnentis w<>re ~Ir .•\. :Maas anu Fr.
J. Buckley; objel'lors, :\[P>'sr,, U. Luens, .T. Conway, l'..). llooley anu N.
Davis: De Dco Crtante, ~Ir .•\. Dl' Stockalpcr aml Fr. J. Scully; objectors,
)lessrs. )I. O'Brien,\\'. 'fpum, S. Blackmore, inal )I. Boarman.-In philoso·
pby, 3rd year: Detenuers, :\lessrs. 1;'. Itoy anu J. Smith; objectors, Messrs.
C. Clifforu, J. )lurphy, J. Sullivan and J. Condon; :2nd year, )lessrs. W. )lc
�VARIA.
295
Donough and C. ·worpenberg; objectof', )fe><srs. T. Xeate, )[.Yzaguirre, A.
Guyol and E. French; Jst !t"rr, )[essrs, D. Hearn, 0. Hill; ohjcctors, )[cssrR,
G. Petit, )[. ~ullivan, .J. Hockwell am! .J. Deck.
)[ORm~ox, Co LOlLI nn.-The prospedns of the new CollegP oilers great in·
ducements to students. The Denver Time.< speaks in the hi~he:<t terms of tht>
advantnf!PS the institution puts hd(>re its patrons. ~enntor Salazar recently
paid a visit to )[orrison an<l was so much please<! with the Colkge that he
sent a letter to the Dail!J Nenw of Den1·er. ·Bishop )[aehhoeuf was lately at
the College all< I the stwlents ga1·e a very ll,f'reeahlL• entertainment in his honor.
:X~\PLEs.-Xot long sinee a 1ninwle wa:-: pt•rformccl through the inh•n•es~ion
of f:t. Franeis <I<• llieronymo at nrottaglia, his native placl'. .\. poor woman
was in her agony, antl on the applieatiou of an itnage of the Saint, an in~tan
taneous cure follow<·tl. To the· surprise of all she aro><e from her hml of sick·
ness.-.\.! Xaples, as in )farsl'illes wh<•re till Fathers assiste<l the cholora pa·
tient~, Our~ wen• bn~y in acts of charity cluring- the plague; some were in the
hospitals all the time. They mutle a vow to St. Francis Xavier to fast on the
eve of his feast fi>r three years if they eseape<l the contagion. Xo one was
stricken down.
NETIIETILAX!l~.-The
npo~tolate
Fathe" of this Province are carrying on quite an
an1ong the Chiru_·~e innnigrants in Dornt•o, Bauka anrl .Tava.
Among them are to he found some Catholics converted in China before their
emigration. These, for the most part very exemplary in their lives and zealous for the conversion of the pagans, disp<l'e their compatriots to embrace
Christianity; it work which is much easier here than in China itself, from the
fact that they are cut off from the pagan rites mul tnulitions of the mother·
country, and from the influence of family and friends. The missionary has
only to add some further instruction and admini>ter Baptism. The converts
here retain the Chinese custom of chanting the prayers. .\ great <!raw-back
to the good work is the diflieulty of communication, since but few of the Fathers speak Chinese, while most of the converts arc ignorant of the :Malay
language. In one excursion muong the tin InineR, where the Chinese are
chiefly employe<!, one of the Fathers administered Baptism to 3.'i persons.
Hopes nrc cntertaine<l of establishing stations amongst the aborigines also.The Fathers 1vork with success also amongst the Dutch soldiers and civilians,
XEW GR.\XAllA- In a series of mi><sions given by Ours, about a year and
a half ago, the chief et!orts of the .Fathers were directed against the prevailing
scandal of the country, concuhinage_ GO<l blessed the labors of the Father"
in a signaltnanner. llt'sicles getting many vocationR and establishing several
· branches of the.\ postkshi p of Prayer, they were the means of ending ,;~3 illicit marital unions. The parties were reconcile<! to the Church, ant! united
in the homls of matrimony.-Lettrcs de .Jersey.
XEW OI:LEAXH.-One of the Scholastics is writing a history of our Church
and College. He hopes to have a part of his work rmt!y for our next is,ue
in Xovember.-'fhe little pamphlet cle,crihing the miraculous cure, in 1867,
of a novice in the Convent of the Sacre<l lleart, Grand Coteau, through the
�VARiA.
intercession of B. John Berch mans, was re·pnblished last autumn by )Iurphy
and Company, Baltimore.
XonTIATE, FHEDEl:!CK.-Fr. I:ector is having the front of the house repaired and paintetl.-The old St. John's graveyanl, now enclosed in the
garden of the Xovitiate, has no tombstone with earlier tlate than 1783, though
the mission was establbhed at least twenty years before hy Fr. John 'Villiams.·
-An inscription on a f!rave tells us that the perHm huried there made a good
preparation fur, "an cverlasti1iy eternity." The epitaph of Chief Justice
Taney, who was at his wish entombed at St. .John's by the side of his mother,
is neatly written and true.
PHILADELPIIIA.-Archhishop Ryan preached an eloquent sermon at St.
Joseph's on the occasion of the pat ronal feast. The church was so crowded
that many had to stallll outsitle tlnrin;.: the services. Rev. 'Villiam Kieran,
D. D., Hector of the Seminary at Overbrook, sang the ~Ia" Coram Pontijice;
Fr. A. Romano was deacon and Fr. James J. Brie, subdeacon.-In the afternoon the Archbbhop aceompanied by Fr. Anlia visited St. Joseph's Academy
on Locust Street.-The Holy 'Veek services were well attentletl. Thousands
visited the church on Holy Thursday; -there was a stream of devout worshippers passing through the abies the. whole day.-The Gesu is assuming
grand proportions.
PHILOSOPIIIC.\L .\CADE)IY.-Papers read for the T/u'rd year.
Sensation .......••........ )lr. J. Bro"mn
A!Jnosticism ...•••••. .... )lr. C. Clitrord
.lliracles ......... ......... )!r. E. Bernartl
A!Jnosticism ...••.... )!r. E. O'Sullivan
Conscience ........ )!r. )f. McLaughlin
Education ...•..•.......... )Jr. W. Coyle
Socialism .......•............ ~ir. R. Ryan
Papers read for the Second year.
Activity of Bodies ...... )[r. E. F~ench
Non-necessity of Eternal Creation ....................... )!r. P. CaHey
Common Sense ........... )Ir. E. Burke
Wonders of Nat><re ..••.••.. ......
.Hr. W. ~lcDonongh
Essence and E.ristence .......... ..
::IIr. P. Cormican
Optimism ............... ... ::IIr. T. Cryan
Nature and Divine Interference ..................... )(r. John ::IIoore
Scholasticism and j)fodern ~- •·
Thou!Jht ...•••..•........• ::llr. J. Coyle
Papers read fur the First year.
Certitude versus Scepticism .....
::IIr. P. Walsh
The Value of Historical Testi;nony ............... ~Ir. J. Rockwell
Axioms ......... ........... )Ir. E. Corbett
Tlw .Universal Ide" .... )Ir. G. )Iulry
Trnth .................... )Ir. )f. Sullivan
The Judyments of Common
Sense ............... ...... )[r. D. Hearn
Descartes' j)fetlwdic Donbt .....
Mr. G. Pettit
PoRTUGAL.-The Province has 17 Scholastic novices at Barro. The members pf the l'rovince munber 155, an incret1se last year of 4,- A11 interesting
�VARIA.
list is given, at the end of the Catalogue, of those of the Portuguese Province
sent on foreign Missions from 1641 to 17~4. This is a continuation of last
year's list, but unfortunately the period from 17:!4 to the suppression can not
be accounted for.-Our' have two colleges in Portugal. They have much to
fear from the hostility of ~laS<m' antlliherals: but by prudence have managed
to avoid a collision. On the occasion of Carvalho's centenary, which occurred recently, troops were massed in one of the towns occupied by Ours, ostensibly to <]Hell any tlemonstration on the part of our friends, but in reality to
provoke a contest. Ours got wind of the project in time, and so the farce
went of!" quietly, much to the disgust of our enemies. ~Inch fruit is reaped
from our most important labors,-missions to the people and retr~ats to the
clergy.-Lettres d' Udes.
Pm:n·GrEsE ZA)!BESl.-A Protestant lady <ll whilst travelling upon the
Zamhesi river about a year ago, met the descendants of the converts of our
Fathers in the last century. These simple people are generous anrl eager to
receive baptism. They still retain some glimmer of the teachings of our
Fathers who were expelled by the Portuguese in 1750. At Zumbo, on the
Zambesi river, the old church of the Society and a large bronze bell are still
to he seen. The natives never undertake an expedition without having their
Jlfis"'t first; this is a form of prayer recalling some dim reminiscence of the
Holy Sacrifice. They have also a hymn to our B. Lady, which at the same
time seems to allude to the departure of the Fathers:~rary I'm lone, mother I've none,
~rother I've none, she and father both gone.
Xonc to pity, none to listen, none to speak to me.
~Iute indeed then, still a mother Mary be.
The Fathers who iu 1870 re-entered this field of labor of the old Society and
formed fresh settlements at Quilimane, )lou pea, and Tete, all important posts
in the territory of )lozambique and garrisoned by Portuguese soldiers, found
the ruins of churches and monasteries where, in former times, the Fathers of
the Society side by side with the sons of St. Dominic and St. Francis suffered for the conversion of the natives. Nor is there any reason to doubt that
in those days a large portion of the population was numbered among the children of the Church. At present, writes Fr. Courtois, the natives are well disposed and great hopes are entertained for the future of the Church on the
Lower Zambesi. The .\.frican fever is here, as on the upper Zambesi, a deadly enemy and has carried oft' in six years ten Fathers and five Drothers.Thc Portuguese Fathers of the old Society labored in this :Mission from 1610
to 17 50; two were martyred.
Hmw.-IIas 406 members. It lost 1!J members by death in 1884. There are
20 Scholastic, and() coadjutor Novices. The ).[ission of Drazil with a College
at Ytil and a residence at Nova Trento belongs to Home and employs 52 of
Ours.-In other foreign ~fissions 38 members of the Province are engaged in
variott' apostolic labors.- Father Augustus Stanislaus Aureli is Superior of
the Drazilian :Mission.-Rev. Father Ghetti is the Roman Provincial.- The
Canonization of Blessed .John Berchmans, Ill. Peter Claver and Ill. Alphonsus Rodriguez is rapidly advancing.-The Novitiate at Castel Gandolfo was
formerly the villa of the Curia; after the suppression it was sold, and now be(1) To1Vards the 3Iountains of the Afoon. By
Edinburgh and London.
M. A. Pringle. Blackwood and Sons,
�·VARIA.
longs to Prince Torlonia who kindly allows Ours to have the use of it. In
this house extremes meet: the old aml the young- are here. The invalids of
the Provine~, espeeially tlw old Brothers, find an agreeable home. Each one
has his own little office and thinks he is still useful to the Community. These
old men are very e•liiYing indee<l. The lamplighter, a very old Brother, is
neat and exact and is praying all the time. The old baker of the Gesu, in
spite of his infirmitit's, drags himself along by resting on a crutch, and spends
nearly the whole day in the ehureh. The porter, whose hotly is bent at right
angles an•l whom they call the "swallow," on account of the rapidity of his
walk, lives in a kiml of niehe near the door, in the company of several little
statues and pictures. He reads a pions book all day long. It would not be
at all surprising, they say, if he were to work miracles after his death. Four
or five other sick Brothers fill up the tahlean. Just at prt'sent the Fathers
are less ntunernn~: only two ol<l Jnen worn out by age, infinnity and fatigue,
and a tertian, who is continually swaying between life and death. Our Holy
Father Leo XIII, has on several occasions spoken most kindly of the Society.
Lately to a gentleman from Philadelphia he said, calling the attention of the
Cardinals to the remark, "the J esuiis are doing !(ood everywhere."-A laybrother has charge of a piow; a'"oeiation_of boys; the Holy Father granted
hin1 and f-:OJne of his a~~ocinte:-- an audienCe of three quarters of an hour, and
expre"ed great sati,faetion with the W(:i-k.-Hev. Fr. Vicar pre,ente<l sometime ago the addre~s of our ~tudent' of Colocza in Hungary concerning the
Encyclical, Ilnmanwn gnws, aml was pleased to hear the'e words of the
Pope: "You ar~ always my good helpers."-A college of Ours, protected by
the name of Prince )la"imo (Father )las8imo), ha' 450 students.
ST. REI:'XO's, E:s-G.-Fr. Syhester Hunter, editor ofthe Letters and Notices,
has been made Rector of this scholasticatc.
SANTA FE.-Fr. Joseph Hepetti writ<'' from this College in the .\.rgentine
Confederation, and says it is han] to do good, owing to the worldliness of the
people. Students come, but seem to think of nothing except 'uccess in life.
Work outside of the College is ;ttended with many difficulties on account of
government hostility. Free speed1 is not allowed to preachers of the go,pel.
ST. FRAXCIR XAnER's, N. Y.- ~Jr. Charles G. llerhermann has been
elected president of the Ahimni Association.- The students celebrated. the
Tercentenary in "'Iay.-The Holy "'eek serviees were better thb year 1hn'n
ever, and the attendance of the faithful was much larger. The "Three Hours'
Agony" was had this year for the fi"t time in our church, and, we may say,
for the first time in New York.
ST. lNIGOER.-As our theologians and philosophers will soon be enjoying
themselves at the villa of St. Inigoes, we give a few points of his lory to ~qide
those who are fond of looking back into the past. The first settlement was
made by the pilgrims at St. )[ary;s City in 1634; the first chapel and residence of Ours were situated not fiu from the state-house, whose foundations
are still pointed out. The chapel, a temporary one, was located in what is
now the site of the barn of Dr. Rrome; this chapel gave way to a larger one;
the bricks for this "structure were brought from England. No doubt, the
graveyard was close by this second chapel. In 1705 the fathers mov.ed to St.
�VARIA.
Inigoes and built the resid~nce, which was burnt a few years ago, of the·
bricks taken from the chapel we mentionetl above. A third chapel was built.
iu Chapel field (near )lr. Raley's house); the foundations are still to be seen,
about 400 yards from the t~nant's hot!:'<', on the road !earling thence to the
present church, which was built in 18~0. In Chapel Field not far from the site
of the old chapel w~ find the graveyartl; here, am! most likely at St. )lary's
City, some of our Fathers are buried. The present re;itlence of St. Inigoes is
built of the bricks of the old om· that was hurnt down. ""e add for the antiquarian that the Potomac was called hy the Spaniard; the river of the Holy
Spirit; they knew the Che,apeake as the hay of St. )lary's. In colonial
times, Smith's creek was known as St. Elizalwth'", am! Chapel Creek, as St.
Luke's.-See LETTERS for 1880.- The ohl "Yespcr Bell" now on exhihition
at Xew Orleans belont!"s to St. Inigoes Church, am! was hrou.ght from England
by the first mi"ionaries.-Kennetly in his "Rob of the Bowl" has many in-·
tere~tin~ thing~ about St. )[ary'~ City.
ST. JOI!N'H COLLEGE, X. Y.-The Hector's feast was very becomingly celeby a literary entertainment on April ~Sth. Several other literary sean-·
ce~ were succe,sfully held tluring the year.
brat~d
ST. Lou1".-The Post-gratluate course was mentioned in our last number.
sncces" of the undertaking speaks well t\Jr the talent and energy of all
connected with it. This year 44 lectures were tlclivered (public and private
course); the lecturer" were Fr. Thomas Hughes, Fr. C. Coppens, Fr. C. )1.
Charropin, Fr. John J. Coghlan, Fr. M. M. Harts, Fr. H. J. )[eyer.- From
.July 1SS:l to .July 1.'<84 Ours heard 1ll,Hill confessions in the church of the
University. Seventy-four a<lulb were baptized. There are 11 Sodalities in
the church.-Fr. Coppens' book: "The Art of Oratorical Composition," is an
excellent work, well-'!tited for our Colleges, am! has the advantage of having
been written by a Professor of great experience. It is publishd by Benziger.
Th~
ST. PETER'S, JERSEY CITY.- The Sodalities are doing gootl work.- The
students of the College gave a successful dramatic entertainment on :\fay 6th
in the Academy of Music.
SICILY.-'l'his Province has a large College at Constantinople; a new
building is going up, which will Sl\Vl' a rental of ~3,000 francs a year.A College has been opened at Mcs,ina and another at Aurealc near Catania.
ScrE~TIFIC.-Two pape" were read in the "Circle,": "A rapid flight over
an Aerial region," )fr. E. Reynaud; "Ornithology," ~Ir. E. Bernard.-.\
lecture with experiments was given Feb. 21st: "Special Adaptations in Nature, illustrated by Oxygen ant! Hydrogen," by )fr. C . .Moulinier, a'Sisted by
)le"rs. A. Dierckes and A. O'Malley. On April 2~th )fr. T. Treacy lectured on "Ditl"raction of Light"; the Experiments were conducted by
)[e"rs. J. A. )[oore, .J. f!e Potter ant! ·J. S. Coyle. Mr. C. J. Borgmeyer
lectured on "Corals an!l Coral },lands." These etlort8 formed part of t!w
monthly disputations.
�VARIA.
SPA I~.-It is rumored that a public monument is about to be erected at
Talavera to the great historian of Spain, Fr..John de ~Iarianna.-The Lett res
of the Province of Castile will soon appear and he known as 01rtas de Oiia.
The first number will have many in!t•resting letters from South America.The Province of Toulouse has its Xovifiate at Vittoria, as we stated before;
twenty novices have been receivPd and the house will soon be too small. The
Fathers and novices are very mueh respeeted by the Basque people. Toulouse
has several novices in ~[adura who there learn End ish and the language of
the country; tllis is a necessity, as some take their degrees in the University.
-At Ucles, the Toulouse Scholasticate, a1 of Ours were onlainetl in September.
-At )lalaga our residence was greatly shaken hy the earthquakes from Christmas day until the second week of .January. The Fathers couhlnot sleep in
the house at night, but went to one of the hospitals, th[s being considered safer.
The College whieh is ahout an hour's walk from the city was not injured,
though many huildings in the neighborhood were destroyed. For several
nights the whole Community remaint•tl on the ground floor. The hoy' hehaved very well, though much alarmed. 'Ve have every reason to he thankful to God that not one of the Community or of the hoys was injured, though
many persons were killed in the adjoining hui!tling~.-Al1 will he ghlll to
hear that a royal decree allows the huilding at Loyola to he completed; it
has remained in its present nnfini,hed·~iate sinct• hefi>re the suppression of
the old Society. It is thought that three years will he enough to finish the
work. The people of Azpeitia were so much pleased with the news that they
had a fl'stival on the head of it, not omitting anything that perfects a Spanish
celehration. They go in number~ daily to the chapel of St. Ignatius in thanksgiving for the favor.
THEB.AID.-Fr. Michel Jullien of the Province of Lyons, in company with
Francis Sogaro, Vicar-Apostolic of Central Africa, and )!gr. Autonn
~Iorcos, Yisitor·Apostolic of the Catholic Copts, after a journey of ten dap
through the desert, succeeded in reaching the convents of St. .l.nthony and St.
Paul in the Lower Thehaid. These convents are reputed to he the most ancient in Christendom, and they occupy the sites where the two holy patriarch'
lived and died. Unfortunately these shrines are in the hands of the schismatical Copts; here the Bishops of the schbm are edueatetl. The visitors were
kindly received aml .:IIgr. l\Iorcos gave the monks a short instruction in St.
Paul's convent on the Primacy of Peter, exhorting them strongly to unite
themselves with the Successor of St. Peter. The address was lbtened to·•i·ijh
great attention and respect, and at the end all enthusiastically answered,
Amen, Amen.-Fr. •Jullien has written a very interesting account of his
journey.
~Igr.
THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY.-TI<ejollowillg papers were read:
The first day of Creation and Laplace's Theory ... )Ir. Hermann ~Ieiners
The Exemplar Cause of the World ......... ........... ~Ir. Cornelius Gillc,pie
The impossibility of Eternal Creation ....... ~[r. Alphonsus M. ~[andalari
The first four days of Creation and Laplace's Theory .. )Ir . •Joseph Zwingc
Is the Doctrine of Snbordinate Elementary Forms in the Ilttrnan
Body rendered untenable by the Definition of the Council of
Virnner ................................................................. Fr. John Scull~·
�VARIA.
JOI
The Subject of the Sixth chapter of St. John ..... )fr. Ferdinand A. Moeller
The Promise of the Eucharist (John vi) ................. Mr. :Michael P. Hill
The Pronoun in the n·ords, "This is my Body" ....... ;...... Mr. J. F. Lehy
Transubstantiation ................................................... )lr. E. ,J. Gleeson
Tertullian and Origcn on tlu Eud:arist ...... ......... )lr. 'Vm. B. Brownrigg
TrRix.-Has increa,ed from 3:!8 to 3-!0 members. In California and the
Rocky )fountains are lj;3 of its members. It has lii Schola,tic novices in
Italy and 11 in Calif'ornia.-San Jose is put down as a Collegium inchoatum.
-Fr. Cataldo whilst in Rome, in the interests of the MiSNion of the Hocky
Mountain,, was very kindly received hy the Holy Father and Cardinal Simeoni. The latter in a testimonial athlressed to European Bishops, speaks in
the highest terms of the Society's work amongst the Indians, and urges the
Ordinaries to allow such priests as are tit for, and willing to undertake, the
labor to do so.
UPPER GER~L\XY.- This Province ha' 9.);] members, the largest in the
Society. La't year there was an increa'e of 16 members. According to this
year's Catalogue, lO:lmemhers are living extra Provincimn, and :353 do work
on )fissions, as follows: in the United States, 1W; in Bombay, 80; Brazil,
68; Chili, 1i; Denmark, 3-!; other places, ;~s. The 'uccess in Denmark and
Sweden i' very consoling; there are two residences, one at Stockholm, the
other at Copenhagen; there i' a college also at Ordrupsh6j near Charlottenbund, Denmark.-The Province has -!9 Scholastic and :J,'; Coadjutor novices.
-Fr. Oscar 'Verner has published an atlas of Catholic )Iissions.-The Slimmen is always tilled with leading a~d practical articles; the )larch number
has a tine sketch of Herbert Spencer's moral system.-Fr. 'Vitasse visited
last year our old church at Cologne, which was closed to the public at the
timP. of the suppression of the Society. It seemed to him that our Fathers
had abandoned it hut yesterday, as so little change was noticeable. He was
allowed by the chaplain to see a ca'Sock worn by our Holy Founder, with
two autograph letters, a Ro,ary used by St. Francis Xavier and brought
from the Indies, and the Crucifix of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. These relics are
kept with great devotion in the sacristy of the same church.-Rev. Dr. Ragshawe, a chaplain in the English army, speaks very highly of the work of
the German Fathers in Bombay.-Letters and Notices.
UPPER ZA~IBESI.-As our readers know, this ::IIission was undertaken in
187!!. In January of that year the first detachment of Fathers and Brothers
landed at Cape Town, and thence proceeded under the guidance of Rev. Fr.
Depelchin, the first Superior, by way of the Transvaal into the country of
the ::llataheles, a journey of four months by wagon from Grahamstown. :Meeting with a kind reception from Lo Renguln, the native monarch, they established themselves in his capital of Gulmlawayo. The following year Father
Depelchin pushed on to Uoemba where he established his first station. This
wa,, however, soon broken up by the death of Father Teriirde a few days
after the departure of his Superior. Frs. Law, and 'Vehl died on the way to
Umzila. Other stations have been equally fatal to Ours. The prospects are,
however, quite encouraging. Fr. 'Veld is Superior of the Mission ahd ha'
established a house of studies at Dunbrody, 15 miles from Port Elizabeth,
South Africa. A recent letter thus speaks of D\lnbrody: "We are now over
�,302
VARIA.
thirty in the Community and every year the number is likely to increase, as
Dunbrody is intended to be the centre of the "'Iission." This year they have
philosophy, a juuiorate and the lw.t:inniug of a novitiate. X ext year philosophy will be completed and everythint: ebe will be in good order. This place
is to train all the Zambesi. missionaries"; here they will imbibe the true spirit
of sacrifice which awaits them in the interior. Dunbrody is situated on San• day river, in the centre of a vast property over :!ll miles in circuit. The estate
of the Fathers raises a large number of cattle, has 31l0 goats, 10 ostriches
valuable for their feathers, SO ox<>n, etc., and this the result of six months
work, since Fr. \\' el<l's arri\·al. Thus we see repeatetl the slow but sure method adopted by Ours in J\Iarylaml :!:"iO years ago; land ant! a church and then
on to another settlement of the same kim!, .until numbers of centres of apostolic wcrk are fiJrmed.
VE:o;IcE.-Jlas ;):!:! members-increase in 188.!, S. There are :lO Scholastic
novices at Porto Ite near Fiume in Croatia. There are GS of Ours employed
in other parts of Croatia, Dalmatia, ant! .\lhania; there is a large College
at Scutari in Albania.- Venice has a College at Crenwna and S residences in
middle Italy.-The "'li"ion of "'Iangalore in India helongs to Vepice ant! employs :H memhers. Itev. Father Xichohi~ Pagani is l'ro-Yicar-Apostolic in
"'langalore.-From letters received by F.11ther Socius from Sutari, Ours are
doing good work in Albania.-Fr. Augustus )fueller writes from Mangalore
that he is able to gain the confidence of the pagans by his know ledge of medicine and his book is a great help to the missionaries. The poor arc at tlw
mercy of the native quacks. The Father has not unfrequently 300 patients
in a month. Father General allows him to tlo all the good he can in this way,
in order to gain the souls of the pagans.
\VASI!I;o(GTOX. -Fr. )Iurphy has receh·ed a donation which will realize
$:.!0,000. The College and congregation are doing well. Fr. )Iaguire preached
a retreat for the young men; he also took part in the great mission in the
Boston Cathedral.- Of Fr. Schleuter's translation of the Chr-istian Jiother
16,000 copies have been sold in live years.
'VYO)IIXG.- Fr. Brenne~ writes from Lander City: "My school is finished;
I have 30 children (11 of them Protestants) in my school, and I myself am
schoolmaster 5 hours per t!ay ; so your Heverence knows I have little spare
time. The puhlic school was closed here 3 days ago for wallt of scltoi<o'{;•I
have no want of them, but want of desks, since lumber cannot be had here,
at this season, even for money, and the latter is abo very scarce."
Yn;, BH.\ZIL.- Fr. Uallanti writes that Ours arc re<[ltested to open two
other Colleges nearer Itio than Yttl. He speab also of the death of Father
Charles Candiani. He was born, in 1813 in )lilan, and was educated in the
grant! seminary. He was well known in Italy as the author of many works.
He took part in several Catholic congresses and notably in that of "'!a lines in
18ti:l. In his fifty-eighth year he entered the Society, and in li-iti6 was sent to
Brazil. The la't fifteen years of his lite were spent at Ytii. Bef\lre receiving the la:-:t Sacrmnent~ he expressed in a .~onnet his great jo~· at dying- in the
Soeiety. He again referred to this joy when the Sacraments were administered
�VARIA.
303
in the presence of the Community. He was very fond of the )'Otlrtg. Besides
his published works, he left in manuscript a large dictionary in six or seven
languages, an English pronouncing dictionary, and two volumes of poems.Fr. Camliani <lied December Rth, ll<R4.
II01IE XEWS. - 'Ve have reason to congratulate the Academies for the
amount of work <lone. Since la.'t October, 75 papers have bceri read and dis·.
cussed; of the><e, 2.i were by the theologians who have but one Academy.
The philosophers wrote ,;o papers, hut they had an Academy for each class,
besides a Scientific Circle.-The Fathers of the theological commitee have had
two series of m<'etings since January.-The new building for shops is finished.
-Some impro\·enwnt>< will be made in the College during vacations. -Our
parish church will be ready, we hope, by autumn. The corner·stone was laid
by the Archbishop on the illst of ~Iay.-Fr. Socius gave for the Community
his lecture on Paray-le-:\[onial.-Fr. Piccirillo lectured several times concerning his visit to the Exposition in New Orleans.- The Cuneiform Inscription
<leciphered by :\Ir. J. F. X. O't'onor of this house is also published in the
April number of the Hebraica, Chicago.-Fr. LEmilius de Augustinis, our
matin profe"or of <logma, will represent, by the appointment of Rev. Fr.
Vicar, the English A'Sistency on the Committee that will meet July 31st in
Fiesole to arrange a new plan of theological stn<lies for the. Society.
D. 0. M.
��\
CATALOGUS NOSTRORUM
Qui in Missionibus versantur ineunte anna 1885.
MISSIONES
Nmr.
PROVIXCI£
IN EUROPA
1
2
3
4
Constantinopolitana..................................................... .
Helwtica (Switzerland) ............................................... .
Illyrico-Dalmatlca ........................................................ .
Insulamm h:greamm (Syra, Tinos) ................................
Sicula
Germanire
Veneta
Sicula
23
lG
4
18
61
IN
AsiA
24
95
80
Lugdunensis
Belgica
German ire
Tolosana
~~!~~~f~r~~si;-:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::1 Veneta
10 Nankinensis .................................................................. ' FranPire
11 Syriaca........................................................................... I Lugdnncnsis
12 Tchelicnsis..................................................................... Cnmpani::e
5 Armenica...................................................................... .
6 Betlgalensis...••••..•......••••••.....••••
7 Botnbayensis ................................................................. .
u
....................................
102
g
34
133
140
51
659
IN AFRICA
13
14
1;)
16
"Egyptiaca .....................................................................
Algeriensis ....................................................................
1-Iadagascaricnsis cn1n ~lanritins et Reunion ............... .
Zaml)esetlsis ................................................................ ..
Lugduneml~
Lugdunensis
Tolosana
J.Iissio
I
42
I
~
195
IN A)IERICA
Toletana
Germanire
Romana
Taurlnensis
Angli::e
Aragon ire
Castellana
Germanlre
Anglire
Angli::e
Angllre
Toletana
'raurinensis
J.l!issio
Ncapolitana
Castellana
33 Peruviana ..................................................................... ! '1 oletana
17 "Eq ua torialis ...................................................................
18 Brasiliensis
~Ieridionalis .............................................. .
19 Brasiliensis Septentrion. et Central!s.............................
20 Cal!t'orniensis .............................................................. .. 1
21 Canadensis .................................................................... .
2'2 Chilo-Parngttariensi~ ..................................................... .
2'J Cubana ........................................................................ ..
24 Buffalensis .................................................................... .
25 (luianen~<is Britannica ................................................. .
:.!G 1Ionrt11ren:-.i~ Britannica ............................................ ..
~ t~~§f:~;~;;~:::~~-~~-:··.;::. : :.: :~: : :-~1
1
145
GS
52
142
1
I
:~
53
I
. 1~~
I 98
I
24
14:
IX 0CF.AXI lNSULIS
Australi:>e Orientalls et New Zealand .............................
35 Anstrali::e ~eptentrionnlis et ~Ieridionalis ................... ..
36 Indiartun Orient. (Sumatra, Floris, 'raya et Borneo) ..... .
37 Philippina ................................................................... ..
34
Hiberni::e
Austro-IIung.
Neerlandioo
Aragon ire
I
I
37
35
1117
2"..5
Universi... ••••••••••••••••••.•.......... I 2576
SUMMARIUM
Provincia Anglire ...........................
"
Aragon ire .......................
Austro-llnng..................
~elgica .•_.........................
Carnpam::e .....................
Castellana .....................
Franci::e .........................
Germanire ......................
Hibernioo........................
131
301
37
~5
o1
152
133
280
36
Provincia Lugdunensis ..................
''
Neapolitana...................
Neerlat1dire....................
Rontana .........................
Sicula.............................
1'oletana ........................
Tolosana .............. : .........
Taurinensis....................
Veneta ...........................
235
93
35
52
41
177
176
196
38
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XIV, No. 3·
MISSOURI.
THE FIRST MISSION FROM IIIARYLAND.
We publish from our archives the following status sociorum, running from I824 to I832, when Missouri was made
an independent Mission. Ours of the vVest will, no doubt,
be pleased to have these data, as they are very rare and are,
now printed for the first time, from a lithograph catalogue.·
As an introduCI:ion, we give some extraCI:s from Fr. Walter
H. Hill's excellent History of St. Louis University:"So soon as Bishop Dubourg had come to St. Louis
(I 8 I 8) and been made acquainted with the general condition
of things in Missouri, then better known as Upper Louisiana, he requested Father Anthony Kohlmann, at that time
Superior of the Jesuits in Maryland, to send some Fathers
of the Society to establish a college in this part of his diocese, and take spiritual charge of the Indian tribes that still
lingered in Missouri. Owing to the circumstance that
t_here were not more members of the Society in Maryland
at that period than were striCI:ly required to fulfil obligations which had been previously assumed, Father Kohlmann
was not then able to comply with the Bishop's zealous wish
for help.
"Early in the year I823, Bishop Dubourg went to Washington ·City, for the purpose of consulting President MonVoL. XIV, No. 3·
20
(305)
�JlfiSSOURi
roe, and the Secretary of War, John C. Calhoun, on the
subjeCt: of devising means for educating the children of Indian tribes within his diocese. He was kindly received by
these courteous officials, and during his interview with them,
Mr. Calhoun,<•> the Secretary of War, suggested the expediency of inviting the Jesuits of Georgetown to furnish
members of their Order to assist in that work. The Bishop
at once laid this proposition before Rev. Charles Neale, who
had recently succeeded Rev. Anthony Kohlmann in the office of Superior. The Bishop offered to donate a fertile
farm near the Missouri River, in a northwestern direCtion
from St. Louis, and at a distance of seventeen miles from
that town, and make over to them his own church and residence in St. Louis. Father Neale believed it might be possible for him to promptly accept the former offer, with a
view of getting up a school;_ but the prie~ts could not be
spared, over and above, to take" charge of the church in St.
Louis. The Bishop's kind offer was made at an opportune
time for the Jesuits in Maryland to spare a number of the
younger members, as the sequel will show.·. . . . The Superior, Rev. Charles Neale, proposed the wish of Bishop
Dubourg to Father Charles Van Quickenborne,. novice
master, and expressed his own desire for the pious ReB:or
of White Marsh< 2>to be the leader and Superior of the band,
including such of the nQvices as might freely choose to accompany him, and that with them and a few older members
he should start to Missouri, so soon as necessary arrangements for the journey could be made. Father Van Quickenborne gave his cordial approval to the undertaking,
which he did all the more fully and promptly, as it wa~ a
desire of being a missionary among the savage Indians that
had at first prompted him to leave his native land and come
to America. . . . .
"The members of the Society seleB:ed to begin the new
Mission in the West made up a band of twelve: two priests,
Rev. Charles Van Quickenborne, Superior, and Rev. Peter
(I) )fr. Calhoun was an intimate friend of Fr. Dzierozynski, then Socius of
2
< > The novitiate.
of the Superior.-Editor.
�MISSOURl
J. Timmermans, his assistant.
There were seven aspirants
to the priesthood; namely, F. J. Van Assche, P. J. De
Smet, J. A. Elet, F. L. Verreydt, P. J. Verhaegen, J. B.
Smedt, and J. De Maillet. There were three lay brothers:
Peter De Meyer, Henry Reiselmann, and Charles Strahan.
The day settled on for their departure was April I I, 1823 ;<t>
they started early on that day, and when sunset came they
had reached the immediate neighborhood of Baltimore,
where they spent the night all together in one large room."
Fr. Hill then gives an interesting account of the long journey of six weeks to Missouri, where they arrived and took
possession at St. Ferdinand's, Florissant Valley, on June
I
stP>
\Ve now give the status for
I824
D01lfUS S. FERDINAND/
(Florissant, Missouri.)·
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-ReCl.-Opcr.
P. Petrus Jos. Timmermans-Oper.
AUDITORES THEOLOGIA':
Anno Primo
Josephus Verhaegen
Joan. Antonius Elet
Livinus Verreydt
Petrus Josephus De Smet
Jodocus Franciscus Van Assche
Josephus Smedts
(I) The young men and the lay brothers had started two days earlier to
Conewago, Pa., where they remained five days to copy Fr. Plowden's exhor·
tations, and then joined the others in Frederick.
<•> On the arrival of the party in Frederick, Fr. John McElroy made Fr.
Yan Quickenborne a present of a fine roan horse-an excellent pacer.
�llfiSSOURi
joS
COADJUTORES
Petrus De Meyer-Proc.
Henricus Reiselmann-Cult.
PP. 2.-Sc/wl. 6.-Coadj. 2.-Uniz'. Io51l
1825
J11ISSJO AD FLORISSANT
(Missouri.)
P.
Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup. dom.-Promr. Mission.
SCHOLASTIC!
Joannes Elet
Josephus Verhaegen
Jodocus F. Van Assche
Josephus Smedts
Livinus Verreydt
Petrus De Smt;t
COADJUTORES
Petrus De Meyer-Coq.
Henricus Reiselmann-Injirm.-Agrimlt.
P. I.-Scltol. 6.-Coadf 2.-Uni1•. 9·
_ Vita funCl:us, Florissant, 3 1 Maii, r 824, P. Pctr. Joseph Timmermans, ;et. 34·
1826
RES/D. ET MISSIO AD FLORISSANT -· ...
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup.-Opcr.
P. Theodorus De Theux-Opcr. 2.-Prif. t!tcol.-Colls.
AUDITORES THEOLOGIA<:
Joannes Antonius Elet
Petrus De Smet
Josephus Smedts
(ll The scholastic, J. De }.failld, h:ulleft the Society.
returned to )Jaryland, and was dismissed in 1827.
Brother Strahan had
�li!ISSOURJ.
J odocus F. Van Assche
Josephus Verhaegen
Livinus Verreydt
COADJUTORES
Petrus De Meyer-Coq.
Henricus Reiselmann-Injirm.-Agric.
Joannes O'Connor-Hortul.
PP. 2.-Sclwl. 6.-Com(j.J.-Univ. II.
1827
RES/D. ET llfiSSJO IN FLORISSANT
(Missouri.)
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup. dom.-Oper. I-COJif.
mon. SS. Cordis
P. Theodorus De Theux-111i"n.-Pro/. t!tcol.-Prcef. spir. et
scltol.-(ons. dom.-Adm.
P. Joannes Smedts-Opcr.-Proc. dom. ct prced.-Cons. dom.
-Stud. tlteol.
P. Josephus Verhaegen-Oper.-Prces. soda!. MarianStud. tlteol.
SCHOLASTIC! THEOLOGI
Joan:nes Antonius Elet-Stud. tltcol. ct doc. sclwl.
Assche-Stud. tlteol. ct doc. scltol.
Livinus Verreydt-Stud. t!tcol. ct doc. sc!tol.
Petrus de Smet-Stud. tlteol. et doc. scltol.
Jodocus Van
COADJUTORES
Henricus Reisclmann-!Jij'lrm-Doc. Rudim.
Joannes O'Connor-Soc. proc. prced.-Agricult.
Petrus De Meyer-.didit.-Hortul.
PP. 4.-Sclwl. 4.-Coat{j. J.-Univ. II.
�3IO
llfiSSOURL
1828
D01lf. ET JIIISSIO IN FLORISSANT
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup.
Theodorus De Theux-Jifz"n.-Prif. tltcol.
Josephus Verhaegen-.Mi"ssion. adS. Car.
Joannes Smedts-J1fissimz.
Petrus De Smet-Stud. tltcol.
J oannes Elet-Stud. t!tcol.
Jodocus Van Assche-Stud. tlteol.
Livinus Verreydt-Stud. tltcol.-Pra;f. stud.
COADJUTORES
Henricus Reiselmann-Doc. sclzol. Indian-Infirm.
Joannes O'Connor-Agric.
~
Petrus De Meyer-Pra;f.jamil.
Jacobus Yates-Soc. pra;j.fam-No7•it.
PF. 8-Coad. 4-UmrJ. z2.
1829
DOJIJUS ET MISSIO AD FLORISSANT
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup. mzss.-Opcr. I.-Ercurr. ad S. Lmus.P. Theodorus De Theux-1lfz'n.-Cons. "lftss.-Admon.Pra;j. spzi-.-Opcr. ad eccl. S. Fcrdin.
P. Josephus Verhaegen-Opcr.-Erc. adS. Louzs.-Conf.
P. Joannes Elet-Pra;j. stud. ct cam.-Prif. I.-COJ7s.~
Opcr. ad cccl. S. Ferdin.
P. Jodocus Van Assche-Soc. prref. cam-Prref. sac. dom.
et san.-Opcr.
P. Petrus de Smet-Pra;f. 2.-Pra;s. bibl.-Opcr.
COADJUTORES
Joannes O:Connor-Crcdent.-Hortul.
Petrus De Meyer-Proc. pra;d.-Doc. Iudian.-Agric,
�'
'
JJfiSSOURI.
3II
NOVITII COADJUTORES
Jacobus Yates- Vcstiar.-Injirm.-Disp.
Georgi us Miles-Sut.-Soc. proc. pra:d.
Petrus M. Kenna-Fab. mur.
Gulielmus Fitzgerald-Fab. lign.
DOJl!US ET MISS. AD S. CHARLES
P. Joannes Smedts-Opcr. I. ad cccl. Si. Caroli-Exc. ad
colllJT· Portage
Livinus Verreydt-Oper. 2. ad cccl. S. Caroli, ad congr. Si.
Petri in Darden
COADJUTOR
Henricus Reiselmann-Doc. sclwl. d.-/Edit.
PP. 8.-Coac(/ 7.-Uniz'. I5.
D011IUS SEU COLLEGIU1Jf INCHOANS APUD S.
LOUIS IN MISSOURI
P. Van Quickmbornc ct P. Jos. Vcrlwcgm eo cxcurrmzt donee
cedijicium pcrjiciatur, ct stabilcm ibi lzabitationcm jigmtt.
1830
COLLEGIUM APUD S. LOUIS IN JlfiSSOURI
P. Josephus Verhaegen- r;: Rector-Pnf. I class.
P. Thcodorus De Thcux-llli'n.-Pra:f. spir.-Cons. Dom.
-Prif. ling. gall.-Exlzort. studios.
P. Petrus vValsh-Pra:f. stud.-Prif. 2 cl.-Conf. COllV.
P. Joannes Antonius Elct-Proc. dom.-Pra:f. stud. intern. et
cxtcrn.-Prcef. san.
COADJUTORES
Joannes O'Connor-Credmt.-Hortul.
Jacobus Yates- Vestiar.-Injimz.-Ad dom.
Gulielmus Fitzgcrald-Fab. lign,
�JI2
JJIISSOURL
DOllfUS ET llfiSSIO AD S. CHARLES
P. Joanncs Smedts-Opcr. I ad cccl. S. Caroli.-Ercurr. ad
Dardm. et Portage
P. Livinus Verreydt-Opcr. 2.-Pn:ej. scltoi.-Ercurr. ad
Salt Riz. er, Prairie Franklin
COADJUTOR
Henricus Rciselmann-Prif. sclwl. cion.
DOJ1JUS ET llfiSSIO AD FLORISSANT
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup.-Oper. I.-Excurr. ad
tn.bus Indian
P. Petrus De Smet-Prmf. pucr. lndian.-Prif. ling. angl.
P. Jodocus Van Assche-Mi'!_.:._Oper. ad cccl. S. Ferdin.
COADJUTORES
Georgi us Miles-Soc. prmf. pucr. ct proc.
Petrus De Meyer-Proc. prmd.-Cust. vest.
PP. 9.-Coarlj: 6.-Univ. I5.
1831
COLLEGIUM APUD ST. LOUIS
(llfissouri.)
P. Petrus Josephus Verhaegen-Rect. coli. a die I Nov., I829
P. Theodorus M. De Theux-1lfi"n.-Prmj. spir.-Cons.Pro.f. ling. latin., grcec. et gall.
..,·
P. Petrus \Valsh-Prif. grmmn., ling. aug!., mat!tes. ct gcograplt.-Exhort. stud.-C.
P. Joannes Ant. Elet-Prmf. stud. ct cmncrm.
P. Joannes De Smet-Proc. co/I.-Doc. class ling. angl.
minor.
COADJUTORES
Jacobus Yates-Doc. schol. clcmmt.
Joannes O'Connor-Cust. tricl. ct hortul.
�MISSOURI.
JIJ
DOMUS ET 111/SSIO IN FLORISSANT
P. Carolus Van Quickenborne-Sup.-Opcr. I.-Ere. ad
tribus ludimias
. P. Jodocus Van Assche-Opcr. 2 ad ccd. S. Fcrdin.
COADJUTORES
Georgius Miles-Sut.-L'Edit.-Agricult.
Gulielmus Fitzgerald-Fab. lign.
Petrus De Meyer-Proc. prced.-Cust. vest.-Prcef.familice
DOMUS ET .MISSIO AD S. CAROL!
P. Joannes Smedts-Oper. I ad ecc!. S. Carolz:-Exc. ad
Dardm. et Portage.
P. Livinus Verreydt-Oper. 2-Prref. sclwl.-Ermrr. ad Salt
River, Prairie Franklin.
COADJUTOR
Henricus Reiselmann-Ludim.-L'Edit.-Crcdcut.
PP. 9.-Com(/ 6.-Uuiv I5.
1832
Hoc mmo Jj,fissioucs llfissourince a Prom·ncia llfarJ'landice
fuerwzt separatce et llfarylmzdia in Prm.Jinciam crclla.
ST. STANISLAUS NOVITIATE, FLORISSANT.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Charbonniere< 1> is the name given to one of the hills that
separate the Florissant Valley from the Missouri River.
French settlers finding that the interior of the bluff contained
veins of coal, called it "the place where coal is made,"
meaning in their own language Charbonniere. Although
in former times miners had settled around the spot and had
Cll
The hill on which the Juniors spend the weekly recreation day.
�3I4
llfiSSOURI.
aCtually begun work, yet for lack of success, or ill management, the undertaking was soon abandoned, and the greater
part of the hill restored once more to the exclusive care of
over-liberal nature. The steep little bluff lies near the
shore, on the right side of the river. Along the sides of the
hill little creeks wind their way through bra~bles and
bushes, incessantly murmuring as they are forced to leap
over huge rocks and gigantic trunks of trees that block
their way. The side that faces the Missouri is but scantily
covered with brushwood, whilst the plateau of the Charbonniere is crowned with venerable oaks and maple-trees.
From the top of the hill the eye enjoys an extensive view
up and down the river and over the plain that extends from
the opposite shore for miles i!lto the country, until at last
it is bounded by a ridge of g£ay rocks, which run along the
horizon like the wall of a colossal amphitheatre. An Indian
mound,-:the highest spot of the Charbonniere,-calls to the
visitor's imagination all the sad or joyful scenes of which
the hill may have been the theatre in by-gone days. Indeed
how many a sad complaint may not have been sent up to
the Great Spirit! How many a cruel sacrifice may not have
been offered up to the manes of their departed chieftains !
But how often too did not those venerable trees shed their
-cooling shade over me(ry groups of successful hunters and
viCtorious warriors ?
Though the red man is gone, the pretty hill is not left deserted and alone. \Vhenever the weather allows, the Juniors
at St. Stanislaus spend their weekly recreation day on."this
picturesque elevation.
At 9 A. M., the beadle of the Juniors gives the order in a
loud, sustained voice, "Charbonniere." The word works
like a charm. At once books 'and pens are dropped, papers
put aside, and desks closed. But a few moments more and
all the late occupants of the study-halls have disappeared
behind the curtains of their alcoves in the dormitory. There
a transformation scene takes place ; and the young gentlemen come out in costumes reminding the speCtator of our
ancestors who flourished in the beginning of the century,
�JJfiSSOURI.
315
In the meanwhile the muleteer brings up the cart which is
to convey to the camping-ground all the necessary provisions, from the home-grown potato to the exotic Indian
pepper. Presently numbers of pots, -and kettles, and cans
are taken to the cart, on which they lie peacefully cheek
by jowl, until their arrival on the scene of aCtion.
At last the caravan is ready to start, The sign is given,
and in clusters of three, four, and five, the party moves on.
As soon as the Juniors have left the premises they say the
Litanies of the Blessed Virgin, thus placing themselves and
all their doings 'under the special proteCtion of their heavenly Mother; and indeed never has it been heard of that
anyone met with an accident on that day, an evident proof
of the great care with which Mary watches over her own.
A walk of three miles brings the party to the famous Charbonniere. And what does the visitor see on the top of the
hill? Of luxury very little indeed. There are what are called
a parlor, a kitchen, and a refeCtory. Each one of these
struCtures consists of a number of stakes driven into the
ground, on which rests a roof of boards or branches. Of
course, the Juniors themselves are the architeCts of these
buildings; and from the earliest times it has always been
the ambition of every generation of these young gentlemen
to excel the works of their predecessors in the beauty and
style of architeCture.
The first thing to be done after the party has arrived is
to start a fire and prepare dinner.- Space does not allow us
to spea~ of this very remarkable and very enjoyable feature
of the day, with its manifold occupations and its various
groups of workers. However, it must be admitted that this
operation, though full of variety for the most part, ends in a
truly spicy and substantial meal. After dinner recreation,
which is chatted away in the parlor, each one passes the
time according to his own wishes, and likings, and bent of
charaCter. Some go fishing, others botanizing, whilst those
who are of a more poetic turn of mind than the "commune
vulgus," roam through the neighboring woods, revelling in
the exquisite beauties of leaf, and bud, and flower, listening
�. .316
llfiSSOURI.
to the singing of the birds,· and the murmuring of the
waters, and peopling air and earth with the creations of
their teeming imaginations. No boating is allowed, for the
simple reason that the river is too swift and treacherous,
and then too in most places it is impossible to approach the
water, on account of the quicksand that lines long tracks
of the shores of the Missouri. Last summer some of the
Juniors thought it would be a very charitable thing to water
the mule; but hardly had they approached the river, when
to their great dismay, they saw that the poor animal began
to sink slowly but surely. In vain did the creature try to
extricate itself from this dangerous position. At the signal
of distress the whole party hurried to the spot. Some at
once declared for shooting the animal, thus to spare it the
pain of being buried alive ; others, however, remembering
the motto, "In union is strength," threw a rope around the
mule, and thus by the combined strength of the party succeeded in drawing the animal out of its muddy grave.
At 4 P. M., the different parties assemble for lunch. It is
then too that they communicate to each other their various
adventures and observations of the day, and in general have
a good and joyful time, chat, and laugh, and sing, and tell
stories until about 5 or 5.30 P. l\1., when the signal is given
t6 return. Part of the W_!lY home is taken up with saying
the beads in common. Thus as true children of Mary, the
students begin and end their holiday with reciting the
praises of their good dear Mother.
In this manner the Juniors at St. Stanislaus restore thei_r
strength and vigor of body and mind when fatigued with
the toils of the class-room, and with the fresh, pure country
air they drink in new ideas of all that is good, and noble,
and sublime.
�LOUISIANA.
A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE SOCIETY IN NEW ORLEANS.
Love thou thy land, with love far-brought
From out the storied Past, and used
·within the Present.-1'ennyson.
New Orleans may say, without the charge of vainglory
being preferred against her, that she is not unknown among
the cities of the earth. At one time it is some incident of
her romantic history that fires the heart of the chivalrous,
at another it is her behavior in the hour of battle that causes
her name to be thundered through the earth ; another time
the days of pestilence come, and the eyes of men are rivetted
on the cypress-crowned Queen of the South, as she sits by
the banks of the Father of ·waters, shunned of the nations,
mourning her stricken ones. Men have read of her too.
History writes her name on its most illuminated page, as the
foe of Engiand, when that country, with an energy worthy
of a better cause, made a last attempt to beat down the
liberties of a free people.
Other pens, more or less noble, have likewise been busy
with her name. Some, it is true, were steeped in the bitterest gall, and some, like that of Mr. George Cable, while recording £.1.Cl:s that redound to the credit of the Crescent
City, have, being guided by the spirit of wounded pride,
damned her people with "faint praise," and so entwined
truth with falsehood that it has become well-nigh impossible
to unravel the tangled skein. But of late, what with her
colossal Exposition and all that it has brought with it, New
Orleans has been more before the world than ever. She
has had a chance to speak for herself, and she has not let
it slip. She tried and looked her best. Besides collecting
about her the wealth of the world, and especially of the
United States, she gathered up the golden strands ofher romance to show them to her visitors; she dug up her old
(3 17)
�LOUISIANA.
legends, that were well-nigh forgotten, and furbished up the
rusty ones; in a word, colleCted all her folk-lore from the
days of the brothers Iberville, and Bienville, down to the
day on which President Lincoln signed the aCt: of emancipation, when as the story runs, the old slave bell on the Marigny plantation fell from it<> belfry and was broken and silenced forever. She scattered these gems of her history
broadcast in newspapers and guide-books, to such an extent
that one felt as if he would not be so much surprised should
he read in his morning paper an account of a raid of the
redoubtable Bras Coupe,-the Spartacus of the South,-or
the cutting out of· one of the ships in port by that fierce
buccaneer Lafitte, or of a duel under the Oaks. But what
are these legends at best but beautiful designs wrought on
a texture of strong commonplace thread? ·without this
background, which is hidden away from sight, their very
beauty would hasten their ddbm. Let us put them aside
and examine some of the strong threads of those hidden
lives which have gone to make up the web of the history of
our city, and which, while they might, gave of their strength
to others.
In 1718, Bienville, the Governor of Louisiana, came with
fifty followers from Old Biloxi (Ocean Springs, Miss.), then
the capital of the province, to the banks of the Mississippi
In search of a locatiOIJ for his contemplated town. He
chose the present site of New Orleans as being the most
eligible. The river gave him communication with the
interior of the country,. and the lake behind gave him the
means of trading with the rest of the world by water.;."!?ecause before the days of steamboat navigation it was extremely difficult for a sailing vessel to stem the mighty
current of the river. Bienville left his fifty followers
-here to build a blockhouse and barracks. The little colony struggled bravely on amid the difficulties that ever
crowd about the cradle of a new empire. In 1719, work on
the new city was suspended on account of the overflow of
the river, and on the subsiding of the waters the colonists
began to throw up, as a defence against future inundations,
�LOUiSIANA.
JI9
those earthworks that are still cherished by their posterity
as n'ever Hollander cherished his dykes. Was there a priest
in the colony during those days of toil and suffering? It
is hard to say; certainly there was none of Ours, because
just then there was not a Jesuit to be found in this part of
Lower Louisiana.
The first of our Society to visit New Orleans was Father
Pierre Francois Xavier Charlevoix, afterwards the historian
of the Canadas. This Father embarked at Rochelle,
France, in the summer of 1721, to visit the Catholic Missions established in those parts of the New World that were
under the dominion of France. He reached Canada in
September, travelled up the St. Lawrence and over the
great lakes, floated down the Illinois and Mississippi rivers,
visiting all the missionary stations along his route, and telling in his charming letters of the great spiritual destitution
of the Indians and settlers," until, finally, he moored his
boat in front of our city on one of the last days of 1721. In
one of his letters to the Duchess Lesdiguieres, dated New
Orleans, January 10, 1722, he thus describes the town, then
a little over three years old :-"This city is the first which
one of the greatest rivers in the world has seen raised on its
banks. If the eight hundred fine houses and the five parishes, which the newspapers gave it some two years ago,
are reduced to an hundred barracks placed in no very great
order, to a great storehouse built of wood, to two or three
houses which would be no ornament to a village in France,"
the account would be more in keeping with the facts. A
little farther on he adds :-"The truest idea you can form of
it, is to represent to yourself two hundred persons that are
sent to build a city, and who are encamped on the side of a
great river, where they have thought of nothing but to shelter themselves from the inclemencies of the seasons whilst
they wait for a plan, and have built themselves houses."
Notwithstanding these defects noticed by Father Charlevoix, which were being set right at the time by Sieur Blond
de Ia Tour, Knight of St. Louis, and chief of engineers to
Bienville, the city gave such promise for the future that the
�j2o
LOUISIANA.
Father prediCl:ed a glorious career for it, as the metropoils
of the largest and one of the richest valleys in the world.
In truth, his reverence was a shrewd observer. Blemishes
that would have escaped the notice of the ordinary traveller,
were noted by him ; thus before leaving the city he had a
good-natured fling at the colonists for their bad French.
They styled their newly-built town La Nouvelle Orleans, and
concerning this he writes :-"Those who have given it that
name thought that Orleans was feminine; but what signifies
that? Custom has established it, and that is above the rules
of grammar." Between the lines of the above we can read
what he may have said to himself: "There is nothing surprising in it, for of those who had the christening of the
town in their power, all, from the Governor down, are adventurers." (It would be interesting to know what his reverence would think of Custon: for establishing such a jargon,
though a melodious one, as our Gombo French.) But the
good Father might not loiter in the newly-born city, which
must have welcomed him right royally, for from the day of
its foundation it has ever been a hospitable place. Duty
called him away to the islands that lay to the southward.
He obeyed, and New Orleans saw him no more.(l)
But although his stay was brief it wrought a great change
for the better. The Council of the Province,· which at this
time (I J22) began to Jwld it sessions at New Or!eans,the recently constituted capital of Louisiana,-took immediate steps to secure, as far as in them lay, the moral wellbeing of the colony. The time was come, it was thm!ght,
to put the spiritual concerns of the province on a firm.-fQoting, and not to leave . them as heretofore to take care of
themselves, or to be looked after by chance, or the accidental zeal of an unaided missionary, the fruit of wh'ose
labors wasted away, for lack of attention, after his death.
·what is everybody's business is nobody's; so the Council
resolved to have some responsible workers who should be
(I) Father Charlevoix was born at St. Quentin, France, October 20th, 1682,
and died at La Fleche, France, February 1st, 17lil. lie is the author of a
"History of Japan," "San Domingo," and "Canada;"-Feller.
�LOUiSIANA.
answerable for the religious affairs of Louisiana. Agreeably
to this decision the Council sent a letter to the Bishop of
Quebec, requesting him to allow this portion of his immense diocese to be divided into three spiritual departments, to be placed under the jurisdiction of the Capuchins,
Carmelites, and Jesuits, respectively. The Bishop acquiesced, and the division went into force at once.
The charge of all the missionary stations west of the Mississippi, from a spot opposite the mouth of the Ohio to the
Gulf, and extending westward to the Spanish possessions,
was given to the Capuchins. Their Superior was to establish himself at New Orleans, of which he was to be the pastor, and at the same time acting as Vicar-General of the
jurisdiction for the Ordinary of Quebec.
The Carmelites were to have the management of all the
Misssions on the east bank of the river, from the Ohio to
the Gulf, and eastward to the English colonies, making Mobile their headquarters.
The conduct of all the Missions north of those assigned
to the Capuchins and Carmelites, and including the Illinois
countty, where Ours were already, was put into the hands
of the Society.
The arrangement did not last long; the Carmelites could
not attend to their portion, and before the year was out the
Bishop of Quebec annexed their jurisdiction to that of the
Capuchins. This was a great drain on their forces, and
since they could not, on account of the fewness of their
numbers, attend at one and the same time to the Indians and
settlers, they devoted themselves entirely, as in duty bound,
to the latter. So the Indians were as badly off as ever, nay,
their condition was growing worse, for in addition to their
own vices, they had contracted, or were contracting apace,
the vices of the whites; and yet under the circumstances
no priests could be spared to avert the ruin that menaced
the devoted Indians, and bid them to the feast of the King.
This state of things could not go on ; sound policy, if
nothing else, forbade it, and so the·West India, or Western
VoL. XIV, No. 3·
21
�LOUiSIANA.
Company, which had assumed control of the affairs of the
colony, and which, according to the terms of its charter, was
"to build churches and provide clergymen," was called upon
to remedy the evil. After casting about for some time, the
Company made choice of our Society, as being the best
suited to the kind of work required.
The Mission of Louisiana was accordingly tendered the
Society, and being accepted by it, a new treaty was drawn
up between the \Vestern Company and Ours in 1726, by
which the old one of 1722 was annulled, and provision
made for a more extensive field of operations. By this new
arrangement the Company bound itself to bring to the colony Fathers and Brothers of the Society, on the following
conditions :-Each priest to receive a salary of 6oo livres
($133-35), with an addition of 200 livres ($44-44) during the
first five years, and 450 livr~s (Sxoo) for his outfit; and
over and above this the Company was pledged to build a
chapel at each missionary station. Lay-brothers had their
passage paid to the colony, and received a bounty of 1 50
livres ($33·35) each, but no salary. By another clause it
was agreed that the Fathers should, on their arrival, receive
a land grant of 3600 feet frontage on the river, and of the
usual depth, to wit, 9600 feet, and that they should have
the privilege of purchasing negro slaves on the same terms
as the planters.
\Vhen all the preliminaries were arranged, Father de
Beaubois, the old Superior of the Illinois Mission, hastened
to New Orleans to take possession of all the moneys ;;tnd
grants in favor of the Society, and to welcome the missionaries who were expeCl:ed about this time. This was in the
fall of 1726; but Fathers du Poisson, Souel, le Petit, Baudoin, Dumas, and Guienne, who made up the first band that
came over under the articles recited in the newly-made contraCt:, arrived only at the close of this year, or in the beginning of 1727. Their land grant was assigned them at once.
It was situated above the city, from which it was separated
by the Common or Park (tlie space extending from Canal
·Street to Common Street inclusive), and embraced what was
�LOUISIANA.
afterwards known as the faubourg Ste. Marie, and is now
called the First DistriCt:. Pending the ereCtion of their residence, our Fathers lived in the vieux carre, or present
French quarter, which in those days was all there was of
the city.
Thus we find the Society established in New Orleans in
the eighth year of the city. It seems that some of the Capuchins extended no very warm greeting to the new reapers
sent to help them gather in the great harvest. They were
displeased at our coming. It is so strange that a body of
simple, undesigning men, who were willing to do the work
that others, lacking means, left undone, should be the bugbear of those who ought to have known better. But so it
was. Some of the Capuchins took umbrage at our coming,
and time, it would appear, was powerless to change their
first impressions of us. Lest anything that may be said
should seem to be prompted by the feeling apt to be engendered by the consideration of the misunderstanding, it may
not be amiss to cite the authority of one of our martyred
Fathers in confirmation of what has been asserted as being
the first feeling of the Capuchins towards us, for history
will prove its abiding nature. Fr. du Poisson, when on his
way to the Arkansas Indians, paid a visit to the Rev. Fr.
Philibert, Capuchin cure of the French post at Natchez. Of
this priest our Father thus writes :-"This is a man of good
sense, who has not been put out (qui n'a pas ete eft:\rouche)
at seeing us, as some of his fellow-laborers at New Orleans
have been." \Vhy they should have been put out it is hard
to see. They certainly longed for the conversion of the Indians, and at the same time they must have felt that they
could not bring it about. Four years had passed since they
came to the colony, and they had not yet, as it stands on
record, learned the language of any of the tribes within
their jurisdiCtion; the consequence was that, leaving out of
our count the hordes that roamed the trackless wilderness,
they were not in a position to instruCt: even the Indians that
hung about the forts, and tliese Indians, of course, never
thought of karning French: they could exchange their
�LortJSIANA.
game and peltry without it. Thus the Capuchin Fathers, if
they chose to impart any religious instruEl:ion to the Red
Men, were obliged to call in an interpreter, who would
generally be a <•oyagmr.<'l Now, not to speak of other
methods of teaching, our colonial records tell us that the
VOJ'agmrs of those days were for the most part recruited
from the ranks of transported conviEl:s, or from a class of
people of about as unsavory a reputation, and it seems pretty
certain that religious truths, passing through such channels
would not gain in unEl:ion by the transit. Be all this as it
may, no converts were made-f:<r from it; and the Indians
of Lower Louisiana, who met the trader first and the Black
Robe aftenvards, can never be compared, as far as religious
matters are concerned, with their red brothers in the north,
who fell in with the Black Rob~ first, or at least met the
Black Robe and trader togetbcr. But if this disposition
which some of the Capuchins e~tertained towards the Society in Louisiana, served no other end, it was a fruitful cause
of those trials, now amounting to persecutions and now
dwindling to petty annoyances, which our Holy Founder
prayed should ever be the portion of his beloved "least
Society."
It is now the month of May, 1727, and nothing has as
y~t been done, beyond concerting a plan of aEl:ion. The
house is too small even for those it now shelters, and new
arrivals are looked for daily. Moreover, the clamors of
those famishing for the Bread of Life ring in the ears of our
zealous missionaries, as of old it happened to another
apostle. For these reasons the Fathers determined to ··set
out at once, although the season was not propitious. The
25th is fixed upon as the day of departure for those sent to
the tribes up the river. After saying their Mass and receiving the benediEl:ion of the saintly veteran, Father de Beaubois, Fathers Souel, du Poisson, and Dumas, assigned respeEl:ively.to the Yazoo, Arkansas, and Illinois tribes, take
their leave.
Let us accompany them to the newly-built landing, where
1
< > A name given to the employes of the fur companies.- JVebster,
�LOUISIANA.
Brother Simon of the Illinois Mission is aw~utmg them, to
see them off. They are aboard their pirogue or dug-out
already (the whole distance must be rowed!) perched on
top of the chests, containing church ornaments and other
n1issionary outfit, sitting as still as they may, for the build
of a pirogue does not allow of much gymnastic exercise
being taken on board, and in this cramped position they
must travel day after day under a blazing sun for two or
three months, according to their destination; travelling by
night, on account of the danger arising from colliding with
drifting trees, is too risky to undertake in a crazy dug-out.
As to the larder of the expedition, even at this early stage,
before the painter was cast off, it was in a sorry state. Hard
tack, musty bacon, rice, maize, peas, and these even in no
great abundance, were their food. If we could follow the
Fathers we would see that all the provisions gave out before
the end of the voyage, except the rice, and that was eaten
seasoned with salt, bear's oil, and a good appetite. But
our brave missionaries are nothing daunted; Father du
Poisson especially, who is something of a wag after the oldtime notion, is in a merry mood, but even his gay spirits
shall· be damped later on, when the excitement attending
the departure is over. Mosquitoes shall render life a burden to him; at night, when they go ashore to camp, and he
has tried by stratagem and artifice to slip beneath his mosquito-net, leaving as many as possible of the attacking
hordes on the outside of his muslin citadel to sit down before it, and await his unconditional surrender in the morning, but still finds that notwithstanding all precautions, some
have entered with him, then shall he pour forth a few pious
wish~s for the extermination of "gallinippers, mosquitoes,
gnats, fireflies, ct omne genus muscarum." Then, repenting
of his complainings, he encourages himself by the example
of the "correCtion girl"<IJ in the other pirogue, who suffers
.
(I) "Correction girls," or girls taken off the streets or from the prisons and
workhouses of French cities and "<·nt to Loubiana to be the wives of some of
the colmtbts, were thus designated to distinguish them from the "filles de Ia
cassette," or "casket girls," who though poor were rc~pcctable. They were
dowered by the King, and on their departure to the colony received each a
box of clothes, whence the name.
�J26
LOUISIANA.
all that he is suffering, for a less noble end, and still chatters,
and titters, and sings all day long. But let us wave them
adieu; we may not tarry with them longer though they are
worthy of our attention, for they are the first martyrs of our
house at New Orleans.
A short time after, two more of the little band plunge into
the wilderness to seek out the lost sheep. Father Guienne,
who, judging from the extent of his rovings, seems to have
been of an adventurous spirit, went to the Alibanions, and
Father du Petit sought the wigwams and hunting grounds
of the Choctaw braves.
Father de Beaubois was now in daily expectation of the
Gironde, which was to bring seven Ursulines, escorted by
Fathers Tartarin, · d'Outreleau, and one Brother. If there
had been in those days in the colony a soul that with
prophetic sight could dip into tlte future, that soul must have
longed with ~11 the passionate vehemence of the royal bard
for the wings of a dove, that it might fly to the gates of the
morning and hover over the good ship that bore to our
city the daughters of St. Ursula. Jesuit and Capuchin shall
pass away, overwhelmed by the stormy waters, but the frail
bark of Ursula shall "climb with the climbing wave," and
stand by the city for one hundred and fifty-eight years,
tiuough war, and pestile!?-ce, and flood, and fire, nursing its
wounded and plague-stricken, ministering to its destitute,
teaching its daughters, edifying the good, astounding the
brave-a beacon to all. Much was given to our city when
God sent us the Ursulines; mighty are the deeds these Sisters wrought in our midst. May our city never hear the
sentence :-"\Noe to thee, for if in Tyre and Sidon the
mighty works had been done, that have been done in thee,
they would long ago have done penance in sackcloth and
ashes."
P. J. K.
(To be continued.)
�LOUISIANA.
327
ST. CHARLES CoLLEGE, GRAND CoTEAU, LA.,
July 24th,
rsss.
REv. FATHER,
P. C.
The appeal of our Very Reverend Father General, which
was throughout the entire world the signal of a general outburst of devotion to Mary, could not pass unheeded by the
Sodality of Grand Coteau. Formerly very prosperous, it
had some time after the late war undergone a nearly total
eclipse, when in the year r88r, the college being in a fair
way of again rising to its former pre-eminence among Southern educational institutions, it was reorganized and has ever
since yielded most consoling results by developing filial devotion to Mary and frequent reception of the Sacraments,
even among the students who do not belong to the Sodality.
Had· we consulted but the earnest desire of the members,
the solemnity of the third centenary would have taken place
in December last; however, it was deemed advisable to postpone it until the 31st of May r885, thus making it coincide
with the closing of the month of May. This long delay,
besides stimulating the devotion of our Socialists, added numerous and valuable recruits to their number.
In addition to the preparatory novena, our students were
present on the last three days at the exercises of the more
solemn "Triduum" and the benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, which united every evening in the beautiful new
church of the Sacred Heart the three Sodalities of the parish.
The Father who preached on this occasion chose for the
subject of his sermons the praise bestowed upon the Sodality by St. Alphonsus Liguori, and contributed by his fervent
exhortations to impress upon all a greater esteem for the
Sodality, which is the channel through which God and his
holy mother dispense to men their choicest blessings : Omuia bolla ve1lerwzt mihi pariter cum illa.
In the mean time programmes were printed, and invitations were tendered to the former members ofthe Sodality,
�LOUISIANA.
to honor by their presence the ceremonies of the tercenten~
ary celebration, and a graceful altar was ereeted by the untiring effort of the Sodalists and other devoted students under one of the thickly shaded alleys of stately oaks surrounding the college. The weather, threatening for a few days
previously, was delightful Sunday, May 31st; the sun shone
in a cloudless sky, while a refreshing breeze tempered the
heat of its rays. At three o'clock in the afternoon the whole
college with the faculty, headed by tl1e college brass band,
repaired to where the Academy was to take . place. Some
of the old members had gladly availed themselves of our
invitation to come and renew their fervor by witnessing
the touching tribute of filial devotion to :rviary on the part
of their younger brethren. All the gentlemen of the parish
Sodality were also present. On their reaching the altar,
each repaired to the place appt)inted by the master of ceremonies. The Blessed Virgin from her altar .seemed to smile
upon her children, and the "Magnificat" which arose at the
beginning from scores of enthusiastic breasts was plainly
the echo of everybody's feelings. The praises of Mary and
of her Sodality were there celebrated in prose and verse.
In an historical review one of the dignitaries related the
foundation of the Sodality, its gradual diffusion through the
various classes of society, the combats it waged against
the enemies of the church and the triumphs it achieved in
all countries from the top to the bottom of the social scale ;
in conclusion, he quoted the words of holy and remarkable
persons with respeCt: to the Sodality. A piece of Latin c\lstichs represented the Sodality as a vine whose rapid ~n(I
noiseless growth rejoices the heart of the Master whilst its
fruits delight and infuse new life into the world. Now the
Prefect arose and commenting upon this text: Beatam me
dicent 011mes ge11eratiolles, proved the fulfilment of this prophecy, first in the Old Testament, showing how many figures,
some animate, others inanimate, how many prophecies, both
among Jews and Gentiles, already foretold Mary to nations
still sitting in the shadow of death; but more especially in
the New, when shining in her full splendor, she has been
�LOUISIANA.
honored and declared blessed by all nations, as is testified
by the numberless shrines and churches built under her invocation, by the Apostles, the first Christians, the Fathers
and the DoCI:ors of the Church, the Saints, many Pontiffs,
Kings and :E:mperors, and even by her deadly enemies who
in spite of themselves have at times been compelled to utter
her praises. In a piece of French poetry entitled Our Lady
o/ Lourdes, Mary invites all Christians to unite under the
standard of the Immaculate Conception, and bravely with-.
stand the growing insolence of the powers of hell. The
audience were still under the spell of these great truths,
not the less pleasing for being uttered by children, when
floods of delicious harmony broke upon their ear announcing the end of the first part of tht: academy.
The second part opened by a contrast between the Sodality and Freemasonry; between the reception into a lodge,
drawn from authentic sources, and a reception into the Sodality. This was likewise followed with great interest, not less
than the subsequent dialogue upon the Sodality in Heaven.
In fine, one hour and a half passed delightfully ; the interest was heightened at intervals by the execution of the
choicest pieces of the college brass band.
At five o'clock a large audience filled the church to hear
the last exercise of the Triduum, which was followed by
the procession in honor of the Blessed Virgin. The various
Sodalities preceded by their banners filed off through the
high arched alleys of oak trees, singing hymn·s in turn.
The brass band again signalized itself; the clergy followed,
in surplice and stole, Rev. Fr. ReCI:or officiating with deacon
. and subdeacon ; all the altar boys in their red cassocks and
surplices preceded the clergy. It was a touching speCI:acle
to see boys in the spring of life and gray haired men, young
maidens and grave matrons, vying with each other in the
manifestation of their devotion to Mary, and exemplifying
what they had heard some time before that the service of
Mary ennobles and sanCI:ifies all ages and conditions, from
the cradle to the grave. Among the clergy Rev. Fr. Abbadie, the patriarclt of the region, deserves special mention.
�330
LOUISIANA.
Come to this country in 1836 already a priest, he has witnessed all the phases o.f the growth of the Church in these
parts, and though over So years of age, he is still in spite
of many accidents and fraCtured limbs as aCt:ive as a young·
man. Happiness beamed from his countenance on seeing
so many of his parishioners paying their filial tribute to
Mary and putting in praCtice the precepts he has so often inculcated. The procession halted first at the altar ereeted by
the students, and before which the Academy had taken place.
Having resumed its march, it stoppt.d a second time before
the altar raised by the ladies' Sodality, and decorated in the
most gorgeous manner. This latter altar with some additional work was transformed into a repository for the feast of
Corpus Christi, which took place a few days later, symbol
of the effeCts of devotion to Mary upon souls, since she invariably leads them to Jesus. On our return to the church
a solemn BenediCtion was given, during which the PrefeCt:
of the college Sodality followed by his two assistants went
before the altar of the Blessed Virgin, and in the name of
all renewed the ACt: of Consecration.
On coming out of the church the sun shot its last golden
rays, as if to cast a last approving glance on the solemnity
of that day, which will long be remembered with delight by
th-ose who were either aet_?rs or witnesses of the ceremonies.
Totus in Xto ttms,
A. T., S.
J.
�THE :MAP,TYRD011 OF FF. BREB<EUF AND L' ALE1IANT.
BY AN EYE·WITNESS.
(The Dominion Government has lately published this document. We insert
it in the LETTERS, in order to preserve it for reference. The translator has
very aptly rendered the quaintness of the original.)
Recit veritable du Martyre et de la Bien heureuse rnort, du Pere Jean de Bre·
bmu.f et du Pere Gabriel L'Alemant En la Nouvelle France, dans ee pays
des hurons par les Iroquois, ennernis de la Foy.
Le Pere Jean de Brebmuf et le Pere Gabriel L' Alemant partirent de nostre
cabane, pour aller a un petit Bourg, nomme St. Ignace eloigne de nostre cabane, environ un petit quart de Lieiie pour instruire les Sauvages, et les nouveaux Chretiens de ce Bourg. Ce flit le 16m Jour de :Mars an rnatin que no us
apperceumes un grand feu, au lieu ou estoient alles ces deux bons Peres; Ce
fen nons mist fort en peine, Nons ne s9avions si c'estoit des ennemis on bien
que le feu auroit pris a quelque cabane de ce village. Le Rd Pere Paul Raguenau nostre Superieur, pnst aussi tost la Resolution denvoyer quelqu'un
onr s9avoir ce que ce pourrait estre. )lais nous n'eusmes pas plus tost pris
e dessein d'y aller voir que no us apperceumes plusieurs sauvages dans le che·
min qui venoicnt droit il no us. N ous pensions to us que ce fust des Iroquois,
qui nons venoient attaqucr, mais lcs ayant consideres de plus pres nons ap·
perceumes que c'estoient des hurons, qui s'enfuyoient de la meslee et qui s'estoient eschappes du combat; Ces pauvres sanvages nons faisoient grand pi tie,
Ils estoient tout blesses. L'un avo it la teste cassee, I' autre le bras rompu;
L'autre nne fleche dans I' mil; I' autre avoit la main conppee d'un coup de
hache. Enfin la journee se passa il recevoir dans nostre cabane tons ces pan·
vres blesses, eta regarder par compassion, le fen et le lieu ou estoient ces deux
bons Peres. N ous voyions le feu et les barbares, rna is nons ne peumes voir
aucun des deux Peres.
Yoicy ce que nons dirent ccs Sauvages de la prise dn Bourg de St Ignace et
des Peres Jean de Brebmnf et Gabriel L' Allemant :Les Iroquois sont venus au nombre d'environ donze cents hommes, ont pris
nostre vilage, out pris le Pere Brebmnf et son compagnon, ont mis le feu par
toutes les cabanes. lis \'ont llecharger leur rage sur ces deux Peres, car ils
les ont pris tons deux et les ont depouillez tous nuds, et attachez chacun iltm
lOsteau. lis ont les deux mains liees ensemble. lis leuront arraches les onges des doigts, ils leuront d~charge une gresle de coups de baston sur les epaulles,
sur les reins, sur le ventre, sur lesjamhes, et sur le visag:e n'y ayant aucune partie
de leurs corps qui n'ayt endure cetourment; lis nons uirent encore; quoyqne le
Pere de Brebmnf fust accable so nbs la pesanteur de ccs coups de baston, line
laissoit pas de tousiours parler de Dien et d'encourager tousles nouveaux Chretiens qui estoient captifs comme lny, de bien souffrir, afin de bien mourir pour
aller de compagnie avec luy dans le Paradis. Pendant que ce bon Pere enconrageoit ainsi ces bonnes gents, un miserable huron renegat, qui demcnroit
captif avec les Iroquois, que le l'ere de Brebmnf avoit autrefois instruit et
baptise, L'entendant parler du Paradis, et dn St Baptesme fnt irrite et luy dist,
Echon, c'ctait le nom du Perc de Brebmuf en Huron, Tu dis que le Baptesme
et les sonftrances de cette vie meine droit en Paradis, tn irras bien tost, Car je
te vais baptiser et te faire bien sonffrir, afin ll'aller au plus tost dans ton Paradis: Le barbare ayant dit cela, prist un chaudron plein d'eau toute bouillante et le renverse sur son corps par trois diverses reprises en derision duSt
Baptesme. Eta chaque fois qu'il le baptisoit de la sorte le barbare luy disoit
par railleries picquantcs va au Ciel, carte voila bien baptise. Apri;s cela ils
lny firent souffrir plnsieurs antres tourments: Le lr fut de faire rougir des
haches toutes rouges de feu et les appliquer sur les reins et soubs les aisselles,
Ils font un collier de ces haches tontes rouges de feu et le mettent au col de ce
bon Pere.
r.
l
C;m>
�332
THE llrARTYRD0"1fOF FF. BREBCEUF&' L'ALEJfANT.
Yoicy la faeon que iay vcu faire ce collier pour d'antres capt if.,; Ils font
rongir six hachcs prennent nne grosse hart de bois vert passent les li haches
par le gros bout de la hart, prennent les deux bouts ensemhlc et puis lc mettent au col du patient. Je nay point vu de tonrmcnt qui m'ait plus esmcu a
compassion que celuy 111. Car vo voycz nn hommc tout nwl, lie a un posteau,
qui ayant ce collier an col, ne ~eroit en quelle po:-;ture se Inettre Car s'~l ~e
pcnche sur le de\·ant ccllcs de dessus lcs epaulles· pesent danmta;..:e; s'1l se
vent pencher en arriere, ccllcs de son estomach lui font soutlrir le mesme
tourment; s'il se tient tout droit sans pencher de coste n'y d'autre, Les haches
ardentes de feu, appliquees egallement des deux costcz lm· t!onnent un double
supplice.
·
Apres cela ils luy mirent nne ceinture d'ecoree toutc pleine de poix et <le
raisine et y mirent le feu 9ui grilla tout son corps. Pendant tons ccs tourments,
le Pere de llrebccuf soullroit comme tm rocher inscnsibile aux feux et aux
fiammes, qui cstonnoient tons les bourcaux qui le tonrmentoient. Son zele
qui estoit si grand qu'il preschoit tousjours aces infidclles pour tascher a les
convertir, ses boureaux indignez contre lnv de ec qn'il parloit tousjours de
Dieu et de leur conversion. Pour l'empcschcr den plus parlcr ils luy coupe·
rent la langue et les lev res dembas et denhaut. A pres cela ils se mirent tons
a luv decharncr toute Ia chair des jambes, des euis"~' et des bras jusqu'anx
os. et la mettent rostir devant lui pour la manger.
Pendant qn'ils le tourmentoient de Ia sorte ces miserables se moquoient de
lny, en luy disant, Tu vois bien que nons te traitons d'amy puisque no serous
cause de ton bonheur Eternel, remercie no done de ces bons offices que note
rendons, car plus tn soullriras, plus ton Dien t'en rccompensera.
Ccs bourreaux voyant que ce bon Pere eommen~oit a devenir faihle, ils le
firent asseoir contre terre, et l'un d'eux~ pn•Jwnt un couteau, luy con pent Ia
peau qui couvre le crane de Ia te,te, un autre de ces barbares, voyant que le
bon Pere alloit bientost mourir, lui fait nne ouverture au de,sus de la poi trine
et luy arrache le camr le fait rostir et le mange. D'autres vinrent boire son
sang tout chant!, qu'ils bem·oient avec les tleux mains disant que le Pere de
Brebccuf avoit este bien couragenx a sonll"rir taut de ma, qu'ils luy avoient
fhit et qu'en beuvant de son sang ils deviendraient courageux comme luy.
Voila ce que nons avons appris du )[artyre et de Ia bienhenreuse mort du
P~re Jean de Brebu•uf par plusieurs Chretiens <lignes de toy qui ont tou><jours
este presents depuis que le bon Perc fust prit jusqu'a Ia mort. Ces bons L'hretiens estoient captifs des Iroquois ct les menaient en leur pays pour les faire
mourir, mais nostre bon Dieu leur fist Ia grace de se pouvoir sauver par les
chemins et no sont venus racontcr tout ce que iay mie par escrit.
Le Perc de Brebccuf fut pris le loe jour de )[ars au-matin avec le Pere
L' .\lemant en l'annee lti-![l. Pere de Brebccuf monrut le mesme jour de sa
prise sur les-! heures tlu soir. 'Ces barbares jetterent le reste de ~on corps
dans le feu, 1nais la graisse qui restait en cor a ~on corps esteignit le feu et ne
fut point consommt>.
Je ne donte point que tout ce que je vien8 de raconter ne suit vray et ie le
signcrois de mon sang, puisque j'ai veu faire le mesme traitement aux captifs
Iroquois que les sauvages hurons avoient pris en guerre, a Ia reserve de l'eau
bouillante que ie nay point veu verser sur aucun.
.•• .
Je m'en vay vo decrire au vray ce que iay veu du martyrc et de Ia B h mor1
du Pere Jean de Brebccuf et du l'ere Gabriel L' Alemant <les le lendemain
matin que nons eusmes assurance du depart de l'ennemy, nons alasmcs sur Itt
place, chercher le reste de leur corps, au lieu oil ils avoient cste faits mourir.
Nons les trouvames tons deux, mais llll peu t•;cartez l'un de !'autre ; on les
rapporte a nostrc cabane, ct on les exposa sur des escorces de bois on ie lcs
consi(lere aloisir plus de deux heures de temps, pour voir si ce que les sauva·
ges no us avoient dit de leur martyre et de leur mort estoit vrai: je considere
prem't, Le Corps du l'ere de Brebccuf qui faigoient pi tie 11 voir, aussi bien
que celui du Pere L' Alemant; lc l'ere de Breb<enf avoit lcs jambes, les cuis·
ses et les bras tout dechurnez jusqu'aux os, j'ay veu et touche quantite de
grosses ampoules qu'il avoit en plusieurs endroits de son corps, de l'eau bouillante que ces barbares lui avoient versee en derision duSt. Baptesme. .Jay
veu et touche Ia plaie d'une ceinture d'i'corce toute pleinc de poix et de raisi·
ne qui grill a tout son corps. Jay veu et touche les brulenres du Colier des
haches quon lny mist sur les epaullcs et snr l'estomach; Jay veu et touche
�'F.l!E JlfARTYRDOJif OF FF RREBCE[!F & L' ALEMANT. 333
ses deux levres qu'on luy avoit couppees it cause qu'il parloit tousjours de
Dieu pendant qu'on lc faisoit soutfrir.
Jay veu et touche tons les endroits de son corps, qui avoit recu plus de deux
cents coups t!e baston; .Jay veu et touche le dessus de sa teste escorche ; Jay
veu et touche louverture que Pes bar bares luy firent po luy arracher le c<rur.
Enfin, jay veu et touche tm1tes les playes de son corps, comme les sauvages
nons l'avoicnt dit et assure; nons ensevelismes ces precieuscs Reliques le Dimanche :!hue jour de mars lii-l!l avec bien de la Consolation .
.T' euz le b01iheur de les porter en terre et de les inhmner, avec celles du
P~re Gabriel L' Alernant; Lorsque nons partismes du pays des hurons nons
levasmes les deux corps de terre ct nons les mismes a bouillir dans de forte
lessi,·e. On gratta bien tons les ns, et on me donna le so in de les faire seicher;
.Te les mettois tons les jours dans tm petit four de terre, que nons avions, apres l'avoir un pen chaufte. Et estant en etat de les serrer on les enveloppa
separl>ment dans <le l'etofte de soye Puis on les mist en deux petits cotfres, et
nons les apportasmcs a Quebech, ou ils sont en grande veneration.
Ce n'est pas un Iloctenr de Sorbonne qui a compose cecy vous le voyez bien;
cest un restc d'Iroqnois et nne personne qui a vescn plus qu'il ne pensoit, qui
est et sera toujours.
;\[onsieur
Votre Tres Humble t:'t Tres obeissant serviteur,
CIIRISTOPIIF. REGNAliT coadjuteur,
(Frere anx .Tesuites de Cat:'n Hl78).
Compagnon des peres RrPhcruf et Il Alemant cy de" us.
(Translation.)
AccouNT o/"t!ze martyrdom and most happy death o/
Fatlzcr John de Brcbamf and of Gabriel L'A!cmallt in New
France, in the country o/ the Hurons, by tlze Iroquois, ellemies o/ tlze Faith.
TRUE
Father John de Brebceuf and Father Gabriel L'Alemant
had set out from our cabin, to go to a small Village called
St. Ignatius, distant from our cabin about a short quarter of
a league, to instruct the savages and the new Christians of
that Village. It was on the 16th day of March, in the morning, that we perceived a great fire at the place to which these
two fathers had gone. This fire made us very uneasy. vVe
did not know whether it was the enemy, or a fire that had
taken in some of the huts of the village. Rev. Father Paul
Raguent;au, our Superior, immediately resolved to send
some one to learn what might be the cause. But no sooner
had we formed the design of going thither to see, than we
perceived several savages on the road coming straight toward us. We all thought that it was the Iroquois who were
coming to attack us, but having considered them more closely, we perceived that they were Hurons who were flying
from the fight, and who had escaped from the combat. These
�334
THE MARTYRDOM OF FF. BREBrEUF e L'ALEJJfANT.
poor savages caused great pity in us. They were all covered
with wounds. One had his head fraCtured;· another his
arm broken; another had an arrow-cut in his eye, another
had his hand cut by a blow from an axe, In fine, the day
was passed in receiving into our huts all these poor wounded people, and in looking with compassion toward the fire
and the place where these two good Fathers were. We saw
the fire and the barbarians, but we could not see anything
of the two Fathers.
Here is what these savages told us of the taking of the
Village of St. Ignatius and of Fathers John de Brebceuf and
Gabriel L' Alemant : "The Iroquis came to the number of twelve hundred men;
took our Village; took Father de Brebceuf and his companion ; set fire to all the huts. They proceeded to let loose
their rage on these two Fathers, for they took them both
and stripped them entirely naked, and f.<stened each of them
to a post. They tied both their hands together. They
tore the nails from their fingers. They beat them with a
shower of blows from cudgels, on the shoulders, loins, belly,
legs and k<ce, there being no part of their bodies which did
not endure this torment"
They told us further :-"Although Father Brebceuf was
ovenvhelmed by the weight of these blows, he did not cease
speaking continually ot God, and encouraging all the new
Christians who were captives like himself, to suffer well,
that they might die well in order to go in company with
him to Paradise. \Vhilst the good Father was then encouraging these good people, a wretched Huron renegade, \~ho
had remained a captive with the Iroquois and whom Father
Brebceuf had formerly instruCted and baptized, hearing him
speak of Paradise and Holy Baptism, was irritated and said
to him 'Echon (this is Father Brebceufs name in Huron).
'thou sayest that baptism and the sufferings of this life lead
straight to Paradise. Thou shalt go thither soon, for I am
about to baptize thee and make thee suffer well, in order that
thou mayest go sooner to thy Paradise'. The barbarian
having said this, took a kettle full of boiling water which he
�THE AIARTYRlJOllf OF FP. BREBCEUF & L' ALEilfANt: 335
poured over his head three different times in derision of
Holy Baptism. And each time that he baptized him in this
manner, the barbarian said to him with bitter sarcasm : 'Go
now to heaven, for thou art well baptized'. After that they
made him suffer several other torments. The first w<.s to
heat axes red-hot and apply them to the loins and under
the arm-pits. They made a co !'far of these red-hot axes and
put it on the neck of this good Father; this is the way
that I have seen the collar made for other prisoners : they
heat six axes red-hot, take a large withe of green-wood, pass
six axes through the thick end of the withe, draw the two
ends together, and then put it round the neck of the sufferer. I have seen no torment which moved me more to compassion than this, for you see a man naked, bound to a post,
who, having this collar on his neck, cannot tell what posture to take. If he lean forward, the axes on the shoulder
weigh more heavily on him; if he lean back, those on his
breast make him suffer the same torment; if he keep ereB:,
without leaning to one side or another, the burning axes,
applied equally to both sides give him a double torture.
"After that they put on him a belt full of pitch and resin,
and set fire to it. This roasted his whole body. During
all these torments, Father Brebceuf remained like a rock insensible to fire and flames, which astonished all the bloodthirsty wretches who tormented him. His zeal was so great
that he preached continually to these infidels to try to convert them. His executioners were enraged against him for
constantly speaking to them of God and of their conversion.
To prevent him speaking more, they cut off his upper and
lower lips. After that they set themselves to stripping the
flesh from his legs, thighs and arms, to the very bone, and
put it to roast before his eyes, in order to eat it.
"Whilst they were tormenting him in this manner, these
wretches derided him, saying, 'Thou seest well that we treat
thee as a friend, since we shall be the cause of thy eternal
happiness; thank us, then, f0r these good offices which we
render thee, for the more thou shalt have suffered the more
will thy God reward thee.'
�336
TriE llfARTYRDOllf OF FF. BREBCEl!F & L' ALEllfANT.
"These monsters seeing that the good Father began to
grow weak, made him sit down on the ground and one of
them, taking a knife, cut off the skin from his skull. Another of these barbarians seeing that the good Father would
soon die, made an opening in the upper part of his chest,
tore out his heart, roasted and ate it. Others came to drink
his blood still warm, which 'hey did with both hands, saying that Father Brebceuf had been very courageous to endure so much pain as they had caused him, and that in
drinking his blood they would become courageous like him."
This is what we learned of the martyrdom and most
happy death of Father John de Brebceuf from several Christian savages worthy of belief, who had been constantly present from the time the good Father was taken till his death.
These good Christians were prisoners of the Iroquois who
were taking them into their c9untry to put them to death.
But our good God was gracious enough to enable them to
escape on the way, and they came to us to relate all that I
have set down in writing.
Father Brebceuf was taken on the r6th day of March, in
the morning, with Father L'Alemant, in the year 1646. Father Brebceuf died on the day of his captivity, about four
o'clock in the afternoon. These barbarians threw the re_mains of his body into the fire, but the h<t which still remained in his body put out·the fire and he was not consumed.
I do not doubt that all which I have just related is true,
and I would sign it with my blood;" for I have seen the same
treatment given to Iroquois prisoners -whom the Huron
savages had taken in war, with the exception of the bo'iling
water which I never saw poured on any one.
I am now about to describe truly what I myself saw of
the martyrdom and most happy death of Father Johrr de
Brebceuf and of Father Gabriel L'Alemant. On the next
morning when we had assurance of the departure of the enemy, we went to the spot and looked for the remains of their
bodies at the place where their lives had been taken. We
found both, but a little apart one from the other. They
were brought to our cabin, and laid uncovered upon the
�THE llfARTYRDOllf OF FF. BREBCEUF &
L' A LEAfANT.
337
bark of trees, where I examined them at leisure, for more
than two hours, to see if all that the savages had told us of
their martyrdom and death were true. I examined first the
body of Father de Brebceuf, which was pitiful to see, as well
as that of Father L'Alemant. The body of Father de Brebceuf had his legs, thighs and arms stripped of their flesh to
the bone. I saw and touched a great number of large blisters, which he had on many places of his body, from the
boiling water which these barbarians had poured over him
in mockery of Holy Baptism. I saw and touched the wound
from a belt of bark, full of pitch and resin, which roasted his
whole body. I saw and touched the marks of the burns from
the collar of axes which had been placed on his breast and
shoulders. I saw and touched his two lips which they had
cut off, because he constantly spoke of God whilst they were
making him suffer. I saw and touched all the parts of his
body which had received more than two hundred blows from
cudgels. I saw and touched the top of his scalped head. I
saw and touched the opening which these barbarians had
made to tear out his heart. In fine, I saw and touched all
the wounds of his body that the savages had told and assured us o( \Ne buried these precious relics on Sunday,
the 21st day of March, 1649, with much consolation.
I had the happiness of carrying them to the grave and
inhuming them with those of Father Gabriel L'Alemant.
When we left the country of the Hurons; we raised both
bodies from the ground and set them to boil in strong lye.
All the bones were well scraped, and the care of having
them dried was given to me. I put them every day into a
little oven made of clay, which we had, after having heated it slightly; and when in a state to be packed, they were
enveloped separately in silk stuffs. Then they were put into two small chests, and we brought them to Quebec where
they are held in great veneration.
It is not a DoCtor of the Sorbonne who has composed
this, as you may easily see; it is one left by the Iroquois
VoL.
XIV.
No. 3·
22
�338
THE MARTYRDOM OF FF. BREBCEUF & L'ALEMA.NT.
and one who had lived much longer than he expected, who
is and shall be ever, Sir.
Your humble and very obedient Servant,
CHRISTOPHER REGNAUT,
Companion of Fathers Brebceuf and L'Alemant
above mentioned, Coadjutor Brother with
the Jesuits of Caen~ 1678.
The foregoing is a copy of an unpublished MSS. bought
a few months ago in Paris by Mr. Brymner, archivist of the
Canadian Government. It is a precious acquisition; for it
confirms almost word for word the details of the martyrdom
as given in the Relation for 1649. The cruelty of the Iroquois is well shown up in the simple language of Brother
Regnaut; and besides, much light is thrown on the motives
which actuated the savages, aii.d on the real dispositions of
Father Brebeuf and L'1llemant at the moment of their death,
A few details are given that are not found in the Relation.
Fr. Ragueneau says he sent several Frenchmen to gather
up the remains of the martyrs ; Br. Regnant enters into
particulars, and tells us how it was done. He also tells us
how and when the relics reached Quebec. Further details
of the transportation of these relics from the Huron country
to Quebec may be had in Father Crepieul's MSS.
Brother Regnant errs slightly in saying that the Fathers
were going to the "Bourg" of St. Ignatius when they were
captured. They were taken thither by force from the village St. Louis. This little error is excusable, when we iemember that the writer is an old man penning down .. h1s
recollections of an event that took place thirty years before.
vVe should be surprised at his fc'1ithful memory, rather than
be critical of his faults.
A strange fc'1ct concerning Fr. Brebeuf is mentioned by
the Venerable Mother of the Incarnation which may find
place here and may be taken for what it is worth. In one
of her letters written seven months after the martyrdom,
she tells that it was gleaned from the writings of Father
Brebeuf, that he had had several visions concerning what
�'i'JiE ~fARTYRDOMOF PF. BREBrEUF& L'ALEMANT. 339
was to happen to him at the time of his death. He saw his
own face disfigured, and he described it just as it was found
after his death according to the report of over a hundred
witnesses. In the same vision his hands appeared to him
to be whole and unhurt; and it happened that though his
body was mutilated in every part, his bones stripped of their
flesh, and his flesh eaten, while he was stiii liv.ing, there was
not the least injury done to his hands. This was contrary
to the customs of the savages, who, when they wanted to
torment a prisoner, began by tearing off the finger-nails,
cutting off the fingers,-this to fondle their patients. According to the Venerable Ursuline, Father Brebeufs remains were recognized only by his uninjured hands. But
this is contradicted by the present document and by the Relation. The writers of both expressly tell us that the hands
of the martyrs were mutilated; their finger-nails torn off,
etc. So that we are left to choose between the testimony
of Father Paul Ragueneau and Br. Regnaut on the one side,
and that of Mary of the Incarnation and her "hundred and
more witnesses" on the other. Father Martin in his "Life
of Brebeuf" passes the matter over in silence.
It may be remarked that Regnaut devotes his article almost exclusively to Brebeuf, and gives Father Lallemant
only a secondary place. This may easily be accounted for,
if we assume that some member of Brebeuf's £<mily asked
the lay-brother, witness of the martyrdom, to write down
what he knew of the matter. Naturally, he gave more
prominence to the details that would gratify the interested
friends of the heroic Jesuit.
Of Br. Regnaut himself not many details are given. At
the time of the martyrdom he was one of the domestics on
the Huron Mission. On All Souls' Day, 165o, according
to the ".Jesuit Jouma!," he left for France with the hope of
entering the Society. His signature at the foot of the interesting document that he has left us, proves that his hopes
were realized.
Another domestic who had the privilege of helping to
gather the relics of the martyrs and of carrying them a few
�SYRiA.
miles on the way to Quebec, was Francis Malherbe. He
too was one of those sent by Fr. Ragueneau to the scene of
the massacre. According to Father Cn!pieul who wrote
about him after his death, Malherbe's vocation began in the
country of the Hurons. . He became a lay-brother and died
at Lake St. Jean in r6g6, after having spent forty-two years
in the Society.
There is no one who will not see in the vocations of Malhe.rbe and Regnaut to the Society, a great grace obtained
for them by the martyrs, whose precious remains they had
so tenderly and so charitably cared for.
EDWARD DEVINE, S. J.
SYRIA.
Letter from Mr. Jos. Noo!J' to Fr.]. B. Quinlan
if Gai<Jeston.
BEYRouTn, ST. JosEPH's UxrvERsrTv,
April 25th, r885.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I am two letters in ~your debt, partly through want of
time, and partly through bad health; but, belie\·e me, through
no remissness of the friendly bonds that unite us forever in
the Heart of Jesus. I dare say you will forgive me. Therefore, without any further preamble, I relate to you my recent voyage to Egypt under the following circumstances.
This year one of our older schobrs fell into a dangerous
illness. Michael Antoon, a f.1.vorite with all of us, was born
in Cairo of a noble Coptic f.1.mily which belongs to the Catholic church of St. Mark. Owing to a slender constitution,
weakened by too rapid a growth, a mortal disease of the
chest suddenly developed itsel( So copious a flow of blood
streamed from his lungs that deep basins were filled in a
very short time. For fully six days he neither ate nor drank
�SYRIA.
34I
and hardly breathed. The clever doCtors of our Faculty tried
every human means for his relief-but all in vain. On the
sixth day they held a consultation, in which their combined
opinion proved to be the worst. "The young patient," said
they, "cannot be rescued from impending death." Nay, we
were frankly told that he would not live three hours longer.
He received Extreme UnCtion with the Holy Viaticum
of the expiring christian. Wan was his face, but his eyes
beamed forth unquenchable hope. Suddenly, he lifted ·up
his languid head and cried in his Arabic tongue: "0 Mary,
our merciful Lady of Pikt:<ya, thou wilt and canst heal me;
-oh ! bring Her in, bring ncar my couch my gracious
Mother." You yourself know her well ; her name is our
Lady of the Delf<•etmtce, which she realizes. Often have you
seen her thronged shrine at Pikf.<ya, towering over the
flowery head of Mount Libanus. Unfortunately Her holy
portrait was required, as it was only two days before the
anniversary feast. Hence arose a difficulty; for she is the
special patroness of Pikfaya, and her devout clients were
never bereft of her revered image. \Vas it then possible to
remove it from the village? The Rev. F. Lefevre, our
Superior General, foreseeing the obstacle, wrote a letter to
obtain it. He wished the Minister of Pikfaya to lend us
his miraculous Madonna for a day, promising to return it
in time for the festival. His missive he sent along with two
Fathers, quick and unwearied walkers, who went on foot up
and down the smiling mountain for the space of nine hours.
"Hail, swift harbingers of joy! You carry in your arms
the comfort and life of our poor dying boy! Twice brave
for performing speedily this mission of life!" \Vith such
greetings did our anxious community welcome them. Her
holy piCture having been received with due honors, was
forthwith put in Michael's room. So great was his f.<ith, so
powerful is Mary that he immediately arose full of life and
strength; he whom the physicians had resigned to the jaws
of death now walked steadily to the shrine of our Lady,
offered on his knees, unsupported for hours, his heartfelt
�342
SYRIA.
thanks, ran up and down stairs, communicating to all he
met, the wonderful cure by his heavenly physician.
Our young academicians made him the hero of their
solemn and public exhibition. Five days afterwards he was
able to journey from Syria to Egypt. It was a source of
happiness to me to accompany him and see once more my
dear old native land. To the glory of our Lady, I must declare that during our whole journey by. land and sea he exhibited no traces of his late disease nor the least symptom
of weakness. The story of his recovery drew tears from
the ship's crew and our fellow passengers. What filled me
with most emotion was the meeting of Michael with his
mother. She had heard only too much of his wasting ill~
ness; now she was consoled, and she revived with her son.
And the widow's heart yearned for him ; she longed to see
her only child. Every mQrning and every evening for
twenty-three days she repeatedly asked our Fathers in Cairo
when her boy would come. On the day of his arrival they
announced the good tidings to her at least five different
times within four hours, in order to calm any violent burst
of joy. "Yet four hours," said they, "and you shall see
your dear MichaeL-He now comes homeward.-Do you
not hear his glad steps in the street ?-Hark! he knocks at
the door.-He is coming up stairs.-Behold! here he is before you." Though thus prepared, I saw her bewildered as
in a fit of madness. For twelve long minutes, breathless,
pale, ovenvhelmed with emotion, distraCted with joy, she
gazed on her son. Throughout her mansion, when w~ arrived, had rung the praises of the Mother of God. ·Many
friends and relations who crowded her spacious rooms dazzling with eastern wealth, had thrice uttered these acclamations: "Glory to our Lady of Pikfaya, alleluia! Glory to the
compassionate Queen of Heaven, alleluia!" Throughout the
echoing halls strong cheers of men alternated with the silvery ::iralccts of women,-a chorus which the daughters of
Egypt sing on happy occasions. Silence now reigned over
the whole assembly. All looked with anxiety at the entranced mother. We feared lest her reason or heart should
�SYRIA.
343
waver under an overpowering joy. Michael himself fell
back awe-struck beneath his mother's gaze. He wept in
silence; we all wept likewise. At last she heaved a deep
sigh and burst into a flood of tears. Thank God ! she was
saved.
She recognized at length him she thought dead. " 'Tis
he," she cried aloud; "my only child is yet alive; 0 Mary,
you restored him to his mother."
She said nothing more but clasped him to her bosom and
covered him with kisses. Her maids then gently constrained
her to sit beside Michael, and I availed myself of the
silence ensuing to narrate the particulars of his wonderful
cure. This served to give glory to the Blessed Virgin and
also to divert the widow's mind from her overpowering emotion. As I ended my relation, she said aloud : "I entered
into a covenant with my Immaculate Queen, and my soul
shall not breathe in peace until I fulfil it. To-morrow the
most skilful goldsmith in Grand Cairo shall wreathe for her
a crown of pure gold studded with orient pearls and diamonds. In Pikfaya at her feet it shall remain an everlasting
memorial of my gratitude and love. Never did I doubt that
she would heal my son." No wonder, then, that our merciful Lady has rewarded with a miracle the unshaken faith of
Michael and his mother.
After the discharge of my errand, my Superiors granted
me some weeks of rest in Egypt. I took occasion to revisit some old monuments and our young colleges in Cairo
and Alexandria. In both places they are thriving: the latter reckoning upwards of ninety, the former, about one
hundred and eighty boys. These belong to the most honorable families and behave as little gentlemen. Yesterday Br.
Clement, our skilful architect, was sent to Alexandria to plan
and superintend the new building. He will set out afterwards to Grand Cairo for the same purpose.
With regard to St. Joseph's University, the following
changes have taken place: Fr. Tardy, Rector of the College, properly so called, and Fr. Cattin its prefect. The
Superior General, Rev. F. Lefevre, special Rector and prefeCt;
�344
SYRIA.
of our scholastics, and likewise Reaor of our rising Faculty
of Medicine.-Fr. Marcellier, chancellor of that Faculty.Fr. Crey, vice-Minister, and good Fr. Simon Comeau, chief
Minister of the University. The last remembers you well.
As he usually takes his walks with me, we have many an
opportunity to talk about you. We remind each other of
the same walks we once took with you, of the happy days
we spent together; we cannot help grieving at your absence.
A week ago he pointed out a silk faaory ncar the winding
river of Beyrouth at the foot of a beautiful hillock. "This,"
said he, "is the first faaory that Fr. Quinlan saw in Syria
with me." \Vhen I told him I intended to write to you, he
eagerly wished me to send you his kindest regards. "Sicut
potestatem habcns," he allowed me to give you the last three
numbers of our Arabic newspaper. By the by, our French
Fathers made quite merry with your American puff of the
Capadura cigar. F. Dillemann received Holy Orders by
favor during his second year of theology. The candidates
for priesthood on next Trinity Sunday are, Messrs. Bouloumoy, Laperriere, Lauzierc, Kersante, Angeli!, Chalfoun, and
Eugene Nourrit. All of them pay you their respeas and
beg your prayers. Our English schools hold the even tenor
of their way. My name is marked in the new catalogue as
Doc. Ling. Angl., but the doaor has prescribed a thorough
rest on account of my "bad health. An English auxiliary
teaches the first morning and evening forms, in my stead.
I long to hear good news from your apostolical labors. Forget me not in your holy sacrifices. vVith warmest lov.~ in
Jesus Christ,
I remain, my Reverend and dear Father,
Yours faithfully,
JosEPH NooRY,
S.
J.
�ENGLAND.
Letter from Brother Fo!q.
1 I I MouNT STREET, GROSVENOR SQUARE,
LONDON
June I6th, 1885.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER, P. c.
I beg to congratulate your Reverence upon having brought
the very interesting and valuable biographical sketch of Fr.
Thomas Copley to a conclusion. It is to be hoped that a
revised edition of it will be published for the benefit of the
public, to whom the \VooDSTOCK LETTERS are closed. I
beg to call your Reverence's attention to a curious mistake
that has crept in at pp. 203, seq: the writer in seeking to
account for Fr. Philip Fisher, states that great confusion has
resulted from confounding Fr. Philip Fisher with John Fisher, a!ias Muskett, whose real name seems to have been Percy.
Now, I am not aware of any such confusion between them.
A reference to the ColleEl:anea in Vol. vii, Records S, J.,
shows them to be so totally and widely different both as to
time and place of birth, entrance to the Society, missions,
etc., etc., as to render any confusion impossible. Fr. John
Percy, too, was never known by the name of Jlfuskctt; the
.
t
Rev. George Muskett or Muscat, introduced mto pp. 203,
seq., was a Secular Priest not a Jesuit, whose real name is
supposed to have been Fisher; after a long life of suffering
for the Catholic Faith, he succeeded Dr. Kellison as President of the Secular Clergy, College of Douay (sec Bishop
Challoner's Miss. Priests (1645) and Dodd's Church Hist. of
England, Vol. iii); consequently the f..1.El:s introduced into
pp. 203-4 are entirely misplaced. _ If any confusion exists,
it arises from the puzzling a!ias system adopted in the times
of persecution, and could Fr. Copley's biographer be only
convinced of the faCt that he and Philip Fisher are one and
the same, then all confusion gives place to perfeCt harmony,
and all treading of Copley and Fisher upon each other's
heels ceases. This identity is clearly established by the
original Catalogues and Annual Letters ofthe English Province S. ]., in the Roman Archives, which were lent to me
\V.;
(345)
�,346
ENGLAND.
by Very Rev. Fr. General for the purpose of the Record
Series, and the new ColleB:anea, and from which I sent your
Reverence full extraCts. In the same page 203, (I) the writer
mistakes in making me give Dr. Oliver as the authority that
Philip Fisher's real name was Cappicius, which may have
been a misspelling for Copleus. The statement was derived
from the Annual Letters of the Province quoted in Records
Vol. vii, p. I J46. In the same note, the writer whilst admitting the weighty reason adduced by an able writer (the
learned author, I presume, of the article in the Jany. 1882,
number of the \VoonsTOCK LETTERS), in support of the identity of Frs. Copley and Philip Fisher, goes on to say that
they do not exclude all doubt and until further search in
England or in Rome throws light upon the subjeCt:, it must
be relegated amongst the many "vexed questions" of history. Now, as I have already 'said, the information given
in the original Catalogues, etc., "in the Roman Archives fully
bears out the faCt: of identity, and renders any further research or any relegation unnecessary. I may add that Dr.
Oliver makes no mention in his ColleB:anea S. J., of any Fr.
Muskett, S. J., nor did the DoB:or know Fr. Thomas Copley
by his real name, it being buried beneath the alias of Philip
Fisher, nor had he in his day, the means of discovering the
r_eal faB: of the identity of Copley and P. Fisher. I would
beg to refer the writer o( the article to the biography of Fr.
John Percy (who was never a prisoner in \Visbeach) in Records S. J. Vol. i. Perhaps, I may be allowed to add that
in all the long and painful experience of the compilation. of
the Alias Catalogue of nearly 1000 names (many of which
cost a day or more of research) I never met with a more
complete case of identity than that of Thomas Copley with
Philip Fisher. <2>
(Il The note meant to say that Br. Foley suggested Cappicius as a misspelling for Coplcus, not that he relied on Dr. Oliver as his authority in regard to
the real name of .E_'ishcr.-Editor.
C2l Concerning this identity, we hope to give in oitr next nqmber some interesting notes from the pen of Br. Foley-.
�BOHEllfiA, CECIL CO., llfD.
347
Begging the favor of an insertion of my letter m your .
next number of the WooDSTOCK LETTERS, I am
Yours very truly in Xt.,
HENRY FOLEY, s. ].,
Editor of the Records of the English Province, S. J.
BOHEMIA, CECIL COUNTY, MD.
FATHER THOIIIAS MANSELL.
Our Fathers of St. Mary's were ever on the alert to seize
any opportunity of spreading the Gospel. Restrained by
unjust laws which, on occasions, were almost as inflexible
as those of the penal code in England, they nevertheless
were untiring in their efforts in the midst of hardships and
dangers. Their bitter foes of the Established Church, the
Puritans no less hostile, false brethren, who, be it said, were
by God's grace, very few, might pass still severer laws against
the faith, but they could not quench the zeal of the sons of
St. Ignatius. Crippled in resources, doubly taxed to support the Established Church and the government, Ours
found means to keep alive their enterprises, and to bring the
word to many souls in danger of losing the faith. In !704,
Fr. William Hunter, the Superior of the Maryland Mission,
determined to found a new centre of apostolic work in Cecil
County, on a part of what was called Bohemia Manor. He
had been led to take this step by the needs of some Irish
families, who had settled there, of whom some unhappily
had fallen into heresy. Catholics from St. Mary's County
or from England, who had also taken up their abode ncar
Bohemia, claimed the attention of the Superior; and he was
most willing to help them, though at the time there were
but nine Fathers in the Mission which embraced all the
counties then formed on the Western Shore of the State.
No doubt, the faithful in Cecil County had been visited now
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
and then by Ours. The Indian tribes, as I said before,
offered special attraCI:ions to the zealous missionary. The
traCI: of land, "St. Xaverius," was most likely bequeathed, or
made over on easy terms, to Fr. Mansell as an inducement
for Ours to establish a mission there. Of our land, the
way it was acquired and how it was preserved to the Society,
notwithstanding hostile laws and the suppresion, I intend to
speak further on.
Fr. Thomas Mansell (I) was chosen to undertake the work.
The Superior had made a good choice. Fr. .Mansell was a
man of learning, having just made his profession in February of this year (1704); he was well acquainted with the
Mission, in which he had labored for four years, and knew
the toil and sacrifice expeCI:ed of him. Moreover, great
zeal for souls, in which he imitated his brother, Fr. \Villiam,
and the vigor of age attraCI:ed·dle eyes of the Superior to
wards him. Leaving St. Mary's in I 704, Fr. Mansell sailed
to the Chesapeake and up this inland sea to Elk river, turning a few miles above its mouth into Bohemia river. A
short sail now brought him to Little Bohemia creek, and to
the landing not far from the present residence. Here he
founded the first Mission for the Eastern Shore of the State.
"It is highly probable," says Mr. Johnston,<2> "that he brought
\\:ith him the ancient cross, which has been at. Bohemia ever
since. This cross is abont five feet high and is said to have
been brought to St. Mary's by the first settlers who came
there from England. It is made of wrought iron and certainly looks ancient enough to have been brought over by
the Pilgrims, who came in the Ark and the Dove."
-- •·
Fr. Mansell must have had his dwelling in what is now
the kitchen of the residence. The first chapel was close
by; it was torn down and enlarged at the end of the last
century.
(ll ~!anscll, Thomas, alias Han ling: horn in llili!l, in Oxftmlshire; studied
hi" humanities at St. Omer's Colleg-e: cntcrc<l the Society September 7, l!iSii,
am! was professed of the ftmr vows February :!, 1704. After receiving Holv
Orders he was sent to the ~larylnnd :l!i"ion in 1100, ami in liT! mHl t<ir
"evcral years following, was the Superior of it. He died there ~[arch 18th,
li24, act. 55.-Foley, Collectanea.
!2) History of Cecil County.
•.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., JlfD.
349
The first land owned by our Fathers was called "St.
Xaverius." This traCt, or at least the larger portion of it,
had been formerly surveyed by virtue of the power contained
in a warrant granted for Mary Ann O'Daniell and Margaret,
her sister, March I 8th, I 68o, and was known as Morris
O'Daniell's rest, containing three hundred acres. This survey was never recorded, nor any grant issued for it to the
sisters. Of the two sisters, Margaret died first, and the
right to the estate was vested in Mary Ann, who dying bequeathed it to Fr. Thomas Mansell and ·william Douglas.
The latter made over all his right and title to Fr. Mansell,
who in order to avoid all difficulties petitioned for and obtained a special warrant to resurvey the traCt and take up
the same as vacant land together with "surplus or vacant
land thereunto contiguous." The petition was conceded
and the grant made out as from the Lord Proprietary. <I>
The parchment on which the grant is written bears date,
July 10th, 1706, and is as follows: "Charles Calvert, absolute Lord Prop'1y of the Provinces of Maryland and Avalon,
Lord Barron of Baltemore, &c. To all persons to whom
these presents shall come, Greeting in our Lord God everlasting. · Know ye that whereas Thomas Mansell of Cecill
County by his humble petition to our Chiefe agent for
managemt. of our affairs in our said Province of M;uyland has
set forth that heretofore viz. on ye Eighteenth Day of March
Sixteen hundred and Eighty-three there was surveyed by
virtue of our special warrant for Marian O'Danicll and Margaret O'Danicll upon the suggestions therein specified, a certain traCt of land called Morrice O'Daniell's rest;- (here
come the description of the land as surveyed in I 704 and its
transfer, as mentioned before, with the grant to Fr. Mansell):
"togeather with.all rights, profitts, bencfitts and privilliclges
thereunto belonging (royall mines excepted); To Have
and To hold the same unto him, the said Thomas, his heirs
and assigns forever, to be holden of us and our heirs as of our
(ll This survey calls tor 4iiS acre". Afterwards Fr. Atwood hat! to pay £30
to Joshua Gt:org(' for the same lam!; so that the gmut became a purchase, as
I said before.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO.,
MD.
manner of Baltem•. in free and comon Soccage<1> by fealty for
all manner of services, yielding and Payeing therefore yearly
unto us and our heirs at our receipt, at the City ofSt Maryes,
at the two most usuall feasts in the year, (viz. the feast of
the Annuntiacion of the B. virgin Mary and St. Mich11• Ye
arch 11 .) by even and equall porcions The rent of eighteen
Shill'. and four pence Str. in Silvr. or gold, and for a fine
upon every alienacion of the said land or any parte or parceil thereof, one whole years rent in Silver or Gold o·r the
full value thereof in such Comodities as we and our heirs
or such officer or officers * * shall adopt, &c". Signed by
Henry Darnall, "the Trusty and vVell-bcloved Keeper of the
greater seal of the Province," as in the words of the grant.
Oliver says that Fr. Mansell "zealously cultivated the
Maryland Mission until his death, on the 18th of March,
1724." His work was hard ariCI·for many years he must
have been without any assistant. Cecil County, now so
highly cultivated and thickly settled, was in 1704 almost a
wilderness; a few houses here and there in the forest indicated that some daring planter had undertaken to conquer
the soil. If he desired to buy goods for his family he followed the Indian trail to the nearest town. Fr. Mansell had
to seek out his flock under these difficulties, to say Mass
and preach in private houses, to ride long distances, to visit
the sick. How different n-ow with good roads and the forests cut down ; even the streams that had to be forded at
great risks are now rivulets ; creeks and bays once navigable for schooners and brigs can now scarcely float a canq~:.
These were only some of the difficulties and perils of the·
missionary; fever, at that time, and even at the beginning
of this century, so prevalent in the County, the hostility of
the Protestants, or a possible raid of the Indians was to be
guarded against. All these draw-backs was Fr. Mansell
contending with when by order of the Provincial of England,
C2J Soca~c: a tenure of Iantis antl tenement~ hv a certain and tleterminate service; a t;nure distinct from chivalry or knigl;t's service in which the render
was uncertain. The service must he certain, in order to he denominated socage, as to hold by fealty and twenty shillings rent.- Webster.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
351
he was made Superior of the Mission, in 1712.<1> He continued to reside at Bohemia until the end of 1723. Our
catalogue says he was residing at St. Inigoes at the time
of his death. I think he was Superior from I 7 I 2 to I 724,
from the faCl: that no one else is mentioned in that coMI.ection during these years, though his name has not always the
affix Superior (Sup.) in our catalogue. In regard to his
stay at Bohemia until IJ23, a strong argument can be drawn
from the deed for "St. Inigoes," a traCl: of land bought from
James Heath in I72I; Fr. Mansell is put down as living in
Cecil County_<2> In 1723 a deed from Henry Darnall to the
same for land in Kent County is recorded. <3> I notice in all
these papers no mention is made of Father Mansell's sacred
charaCl:er. This was a matter of prudence always, and now
especially, as the Catholics of Maryland were supposed to
be favorable to the Stuarts who, through these years gave no
little trouble to the House of Brunswick. The attempt of
I 71 5 to put the Stuarts i11 possession of the throne proved
disastrous even' in America, and the property in Maryland
of the Irish subjeCl:s of the British crown, who had taken
part in the uprising was confiscated, and the sheriff of Cecil
County was ordered to seize upon it for the use of the
government.
Br. Foley says lil4. · I follow an ohl catalogue in our archives.
This St. Inigoes tract contained 335 acres an<l included two other tracts:
"'Voo<lbridge" and "'Vorsell )Janour."
C"l Fr. )[ansell received a gift ofi5 acres ofland in Kent County from John
Simms. As he was a minor, a grant was obtained in li14, as for escheate<l
land. 'Vc had a church in Kent in the last century, if I am not mistaken.
""'orsell ~Ianour," was taken up by Colonel Saver or Savin; "'Vootlbridge"
was originally taken up by David ~Iac Kenny. by him soltl to Darby Now·
land, an<l sold by his son, Dennis, to James Heath. llPath was a member of
an oltl Catholic family; he was the ft;umler of the town of Warwick aml died
in li31. His son, John Paul, who <lictl in 174o, appointed Daniel Delancy
an<l Charles Carroll his executors, antl directed that his sons, .James and Dan·
iel, should be educated at St. Omer's.
·
1
Cl
(2)
�BOHEMIA, -CECIL CO., MD.
FRS. TnmtAs HODGSON AND PETER ATwooD.
Mr. Johnston quoting from some papers, which had been
lent him by the late Mr. C. C. L<ncaster of the Society, says
that Fr. Hodgson or Hudson lived at Bohemia in 17I3. He
came to Maryland in I 7 I 1 and was probably the assistant
of Fr. Mansell until the latter went to St. Inigoes in I723.
In I 724 he is put in the catalogue as a consulter of the Mission ; this £.<8: and the testimony of the historian already
quoted, make me believe that he was Superior at Bohemia
after Fr. Mansell began to live at St. Inigoes. (I) The writer
ofthe paper in Newtown seems to think that Fr. Atwood was
the successor of Fr. Mansell in Bohemia. Fr. Atwood, in
the catalogue, is put down as being in Charles County in
I729: the Annual Letters say h'e was also Superior of the
Mission in I 72SY> In the mi~\'St of these confliCting data
I can only give conjeCtures. Fr. Hodgson died in I726,
and Fr. Atwood may ha\'e been with him at the time. It
is certain that in I73I there was a dispute between Fr. Atwood and Joshua George about the title of some of our
property. Following Mr. Johnston, I stated in my last pa3
per, that Fr. Atwood < > was in Bohemia at this time; and I
now see that the historian made a mistake, as in the release
1
< > Fr. Thoma~ Ho<l~snn, a na1h·e of Yorkshire, hom November::!, 168::!;
entert'tl the Soc:idy ~l·ptt>mher 7, litt~; nntl was proft>:-;sed of the four vows in
li:.!l; ht> wn~ st•nt to the ~laryl:tn<l ~!ii<sion in !ill; antl diet! in Bohemia,
Maryland, ll<'<'<'lllht·r 1-! or IS, li~G.-Foley.
2
< > Aeeonling to thP oltl catalognP, Fr. Gt•orge Thorold was Superior from
li:.!.> to 1;:1:1.
•
l3) "~\ Cmnmi~:-:ion out of Chntu•ery" wn:"t appointed to arrange the nuit1er.
Depo:-:ition:-: takt>n in 17:!1 an~ nn1neron~. The ori~inal grant to Augustirie
Herman iN hottlldetl hy a et•rtain ro,Hl eallcd tlw Delaware Road, and these
dept"ition" whil'h I lutn• hd'orp me an• all <·oneertll'<l with it. Before the
Commi"ion coml"""tl of ~lajor ,John Dmnlall, Capt. Bet~jamin Pearee, Fran·
ei' )fanl<l<'n atHl "'illiam !>art•, <l<·pn'<•<l Thomas ~!ereer, Ilt·njamin Coxe,
Samud Byard, Heury Slay!Pr, \\'altPr Scott, Thomas Terry, Olw<liPnce Ohe·
ueP, .Tolut lkdlc, \Yilliam Boy<'r, ( 'ol..Tohn \\'ani, OthoOttoson, Hiehanl Ford,
Herman \'an Barcelo<', Thomas Boyer, Elizabeth Keys, \Villiam Freeman,
about blazed path~ and I tHlian trails through <lcnse fim•sts, atHl all, to Ioeate
the lJelrtware Road. Iu 17:11 bcfon> anothet· commission l'<HHpose<l of B.enj.
Pearee, "'m. HamS<oy, and John llahlwin, Nathaniel Sappington, \Vm. Boulding, John l'hiek, PPter ~\llahay and others g-h·e t.lepo~itions concerning the
same matt<•r. Fr. Atwood was presl•nt ami produeetl witnesses. This was in
June, 17~1; in July oftltis year he settled with George, as stated above, by
compromtse.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL
co., MD.
signed by George, it is said that Rev. Mr. Peter Atwood "on
the other part" is of St. Mary's County. In a deed in 1732
from Vachel Denton to Father Atwood (I) the same statement is made. Who was the successor then of Fr. Atwood,
granting that he succeeded Fr. Hodgson? It may have been
Father John Bennet who, as will be shown, though this fact
is not conclusive, inherited by will the land from Fr. Hodgson. Fr. Bennet came to the Mission in 1723 and returned
to England in 1729. For 1724 and 1728 the catalogue locates him at Mrs. Carroll's, Annapolis, where he was domestic chaplain.<2> Oliver says his real name was Goding, our
catalogue has the same, but Br. Foley's researches are more
trustworthy; these have Gosling.
FATHER THOMAS POULTON.
Fr. Poulton came to Maryland in 1738, and was, perhaps,
stationed at Bohemia. There are records to show that he
was there from 1742 to January 1749.<3> Whilst Fr. Poulton
was pastor a classical school was opened at Bohemia in 1745
or 1746. His zealous endeavor to train up young men for
the Society has been considered by some as the first by
<•> Fr. Peter Atwood, according to Father George Hunter, died December
25th, 173G; Oliver and Foley say, perhaps more correctly, in 1734. lie came
to Maryland in 1711, and Iabore<! many years and at the time of his death at
Newtown, ww; the Superior of the llfisRion. He was a native of '\Vorcester·
shire, son of George Atwood, Esquire, of Beverie, near ·worcester, and his
wife, '\Vinefrid Petre; born Oct. 18, 1682; made his humanities at St. Orner's;
t•ntered the Society Sept. 7, 1793-4, and was professe<l of the four vows Feby.
2, 1721.
John Bennet, alias or vere Gosling, a nath·e of London, was born
17, 1G9:l; entered the Society September 7, 1710, and was professed of
the fin1r vows November 2, 1728. He served the Maryland Mission for some
years about 1724-28, and wa~ also ·missioner at Lytham, County Lancaster,
about 1750, and died at Highfield, near Wigan, April 2, 1751 (0. S.) aet. 59.2
< > Fr.
~[arch
Foley.
(3) From the old papers aJHl catalogues I can not fill up the gap between the
death of Fr. Hodgson, aml the coming of Fr. Poulton. Frs. Bennet, Floyd,
Gerard, Whitegrave, Fleetwood, Quin, Case, Leckonby, Philips, Reynolds,
'\\'hetenhall, Livers, Farrar, Hichard ~lolineux, are mentioned in the catalogue, and no residence is given.
VoL. xxv, No.3·
23
�35+
lJOHEAfiA, CECIL CO., Arb.
Ours in Maryland, but other schools had been carried on.
Fr. Poulton as Superior of the Mission could command the
services of his subje8:s. The first pupils that came to Bohemia were BenediCt: Neale, Edward Neale, John Carroll,
James Heath. From some scraps taken from an old diary
I find these items: "Feb. IJ, 1745-46-Peter Lopez to son's
board.- May 20, Daniel Carroll to son's board.- June 24,
Edward Neale, board of two sons,-1748, Apr. 22,-Daniel
Carroll, 2nd time son John came.- July 8, Jacky Carroll
went to Marlborough.-Aug. 5, Robt. Brent,-Aug. 20, Ben- •
net Neal and Archibald Richard.-N. B. All that learn
Latin, 40£ ;-the rest at 30lb as by agreement this day."
Such the records of Bohemia Classical School. Jacky Carroll
was afterwards to tarry at Bohemia as the first Archbishop
of Baltimore. Mr. Johnston s,ays there is some reason to
believe that the Archbisho~~ cousin, Charles Carroll of
Carrollton, was a pupil there at the same time. "This school,"
says the above-mentioned writer, "was the only one in the
colony under the control of the Jesuits or any other order
of the Catholic Church; consequently it was patronized by
many of the leading Catholic t"lmilies in the colony, who
sent their sons there to receive the rudiments of their education, after which they were sent to St. Orner's, in French
_Flanders, to finish it. This was the case with John and Charles
Carroll, both of whom~afterwards took such a prominent
part in the history of the state. It is impossible, owing to
the loss of a portion of the records of the l\lission, to ascertain how long the school continued to exist. Though it is
considered to have been the germ from which Georgdown
College grew, it seems probable that it was &,continued
before the college was organized. Every vestige of the
school-house has long since disappeared, but it is well known
that it stood in the lawn, a few feet south of the manse, and
that the bricks of which its walls were composed were used
in the walls of the dwelling-house, which was built about
1825."
A writer in the "Catholic Herald" of Philadelphia, March
6, 1843, has the following: "You have, no doubt, seen in
�BOifEilfiA, CifCIL CO.,
JJiiJ.
the life of Archbishop Carroll, recently published, that he
was early sent to the school at Bohemia Manor. I have
just made a visit (shall I call it a pilgrimage?) to this spot
consecrated by the juvenile studies of the Patriarch of the
American Church, and was much gratified by the view of
the very chair, in which the embryo Archbishop plodded
over Sallust and Virgil. There is here, at present, no school,
but a very neat church and large parsonage house. The
church is of brick, surmounted with a spire, at the top of
which shines a cross, brought to this country from England,
by the band of Jesuit missionaries."
Fr. Poulton <I> died Jan. 23, 1749, at Bohemia, says Fr.
George Hunter, and Fr. Bennet Neale makes the same statement. The old catalogue puts his death at Newtown.
FRs. JoHN KINGDON AND JosEPH GREATON.
Father Poulton must have had other Fathers to help in
his arduous labors; however, I find nothing to show who
the assistants were, until 1748 when Fr. Kingdon is mentioned. He came to Maryland in 1747; probably he was
at Bohemia from 1748 to 1750; we know that he became
the successor of Fr. Poulton in 1749. The school continued to flourish; but I presume the teachers were seculars.
I find by our catalogue that Fr. Kingdon returned to England in 1757; he came back to America in 1759 with Fr.
George Hunter; after laboring two years, he departed this
life at St. Thomas', Maryland, July 7, 1761, and he is buried
by the side of Frs. Frederick or Ferdinand Le6nard and
George Hunter. Our missions are hard even now; what
must they have been a hundred and forty years ago? And
can we say too much in praise of those Fathers who in
til Fr. Thomas Poulton, alias Underhill, Brook, Oswald, Thomas, son of
Fertlinand Poulton, of Dcsborough, E"Juirc, ant! brother of Fathers Giles
a111l Henry Poulton; ~native of Northamptonshire, born ]\fay 8, 1697; made
his humanity studicR at St. Omer's Coll<'ge; entered the Society in December
1716, a111l was professed of the four vows in Rome, February 2, 17:34. In 1730,
he was prefect at St. Orner's; in 1738, was sent to the :Maryland J\Iission and
died Superior of it Jan'y 13-23, 1749.-Foley.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL
t:O.,
MD.
season and out of season, through evil and good report,
worked earnestly and zealously to preserve the faith in these
parts of the vineyard ? They had sacrificed everything and
suffered all things for our Lord, and have received their reward. \Ve must not withhold our gratitude. The things
our Province is able to accomplish; the means by which our
novitiate and scholasticate have been, and are kept open, are
considerably due to these men of the last century. Had
they flinched from duty, abandoned their trust, or been recreant to their Order amid the dark days of the suppression, the faith would have died out in the United States,
and the opening of the nineteenth century found no Catholics; the Society's labors might have been summed up in
one word--= failure. Father Kingdon <I> was one of these
workers so deserving of our praise.
Father Joseph or Josiah Gre~ton is said to have succeeded
Fr. Kingdon in 1750; it may have been that the latter was
a year or two more at Bohemia. Oliver calls Fr. Greaton the
Apostle of Pennsylvania, as he had toiled in that state for
nearly twenty years before going to Bohemia. He was the
founder of Catholicity in Philadelphia; at fi,rst his congregation numbered eleven persons, says Mr. Westcott. St.
Joseph's Church together with the residence in \Villing's
j\lley was built by Fr. Greaton, in 1733. "So little of that
freedom of conscience,!! says a writer, <2> "for the enjoyment of which Penn and his companions had left the English coasts, was allowed in Philadelphia at that time, that Fr.
Greaton was accustomed to assume the garb of a Quaker,
whenever ·he visited the city." After he took up his "fesiclencc there he soon gained the confidence of all. The labors, however, of this Father in Philadelphia have been so
well told already in the LETTERS, that I must follow him to
a new field of apostolic work, transcribing beforehand, a
(ll Father .John Kingdon, born in Somersctshire, .July 29, lilG; entered the
Socidy SPptemlwr i, ti:~;;; mHl was profe,sed of the four vows February 2,
li53. After "en·in,g the l.fis,ions in the College of the Holy Apostles, was
sent to )farylantl in liW, anrl tlictl there .July i, lilil, net. 45.-Foley.
(2) " ' OODSTOCK LETTEr.s,
Y ol. 2, N 0. 1.
�BOHEJfiA, CECIL CO., "1fD.
357
few remarks of Archbishop Carroll: "About the year 1730,
or rather later, Fr. Greaton, a Jesuit (for none but Jesuits
had yet ventured into the English colonies), went from
Maryland to Philadelphia, and laid the foundations of that
congregation, now so flourishing; he lived there till the year
1750, long before which he had succeeded in building the
old chapel, which is still contiguous to the presbytery of
that town, and in assembling a numerous congregation which,
at his first going thither, did not consist of more than ten
or twelve persons. I remember to have seen this venerable
man at the head of his flock in 1748." (I)
Father Greaton had been in Maryland and Pennsylvania
twenty-four years: "worn out with labor," says Oliver, "in
that vineyard," he passed away August 19, 1753. His stay
in Bohemia must have been more trying than that in Philadelphia, as all know who have any experience of our country
missions which, are, no doubt, suited to develop on occasions
as much virtue, true manhood, and often heroism, as any
Zambesi or Rocky Mountains, on the map of the world.
Fr. John Lewis was with Fr. Greaton in his last moments,
and performed the funeral service over Iiis remains; perhaps,
other Fathers residing at the Manor, though I know not
their names, stood around his dying bed and helped to consign his body to the grave.
Fr. Greaton was born in London, February 2, 1679; entered the Society July 5, 1708; was professed of the four vows
August 4, 1719. He was sent to Maryland, as said in our archives, in 172 1. In his will he devises all his worldly goods
to his friend Robert Harding, of Philadelphia, "Gentleman;"
in case of the death of Robert Harding before himself, to
Robert Digges of Prince George's County, Maryland, the
executor to be Harding or Digges. The will was probated
in August, 1753.
(1) WooDSTOCK LETTERS, 1880.
�PENNSYLVANIA.
ST. JosEPH's, PHILADELPHIA,. r885.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
On the evening of the 12th of June, 1885, took place at
St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia, the eleventh annual celebration of the Sodality of the Sacred Heart of Jesus attached
to that venerable church. It was a beautiful and fitting
close to the solemn Triduo of the Sacred Heart given there
under the direCt:ion of Fr. Morgan, of Woodstock College,
Md., and the sermon he delivered on the occasion was replete with solid and praCticaL suggestions to devout souls,
animating them to increased.fervor in the love and service
of the divine Heart. A procession of white-robed children
chanting their sweet hymns and bearing their votive flowers
to the Sacred Heart altar, was a fair ~md touching feature
in the services ; an~ after the reception of new members into the Sodality and the reading of the ACt: of Consecration
to the Sacred Heart, the BenediCtion of the Most Blessed
Sacrament was given by the spiritual DireCtor of the Soda!. ity and the pastor of St. Joseph's, Fr. Joseph M. Ardia. ,Fr.
Ardia was assisted by'Fr. Aloysius Romano, and Fr. James
Brie, Fr. J. A. Morgan, and Fr. P. Duddy.
On the 8th of March, r 884,-more than a decade of years
ago,- this first Sodality of the Sacred Heart of Jesps in
Philadelphia, was established in St. Joseph's Church b/the
Very Rev. Joseph E. Keller, the then Provincial in Maryland, and now, at Fiesole, as the Assistant for the English
and American Provinces. "Whilst the great mass of the
faithful," says the Manual of the Sacred Heart Sodality,
"honor and· worship the Heart of Jesus according to the degree of grace given to each, and as each one's time and occupation permit, there are many who feel drawn to a closer
union with it, and whose condition in life gives them more
(358)
�PENNSYLVANIA.
359
leisure to perform special aets of devotion in its honor.
These may, then, form themselves into a special Sodality,.
and thus, besides increasing one another's fervor by emulation and mutual good example, render their aets of homage
and love more precious and more efficacious, by the union
which Sodality produces of the devotions, the fervor, the
aets of piety and zeal of all ,its members."
That these ends of its institution have been satisfaCtorily
accomplished, may be recognized, in a measure, by the good
fruits which St. Joseph's Sodality has manifestly brought
forth in our midst,-:- but the number, extent, and priceless
value of its graces and blessings will never be fully known
until that hour when they shall be revealed to the world by
Him, the Redeemer of men, whose promise has come down
to us by the lips of one of His own chosen virgins like a
strain of celestial music,-"Perso!lS wlzo propagate tltis devotion s!ta!! !tave t!tcir names inscribed Oil Jlifj Heart uez,er to be
effaced from it."
St. Joseph's Sodality of the Sacred Heart has been the
nucleus of all other Sodalities of the Sacred Heart throughout the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, if not, indeed, throughout the entire state of Pennsylvania. It was the blessed
leaven of the Gospel hid in a portion of the meal until the
whole was leavened. Or, like the grain of mustard-seed
mentioned in the same Gospel, this little Confraternity of
divine Love has grown into a mighty tree, extending its
branches to the uttermost parts of the great metropolis, and
inviting all the lovers of the Sacred Heart, like the birds of
the air, to come and dwell in its branches.
a
A.M. D. G,
�A SKETCH OF ST. MARY'S CITY,
THE ANCIENT CAPITAL OF MARYLAND.
The final resting-place chosen by Leonard and George
Calvert, brothers of Lord Baltimore,· and the the two "hundred gentlemen adventurers and their servants" who sailed
from England, in 1633, in the Dove and Ark, was the little
Indian village, known in Maryland history as St. Mary's
City. The fact that this ill-fated town (I) has almost entirely
disappeared has long afforded writers a theme for much
beautiful and pathetic description. At present scarcely "a
stone is left upon a stone" to remind the visitor that it once
existed. A few scattered bricks, and a vault, the very names
of whose occupants are unkno\vn, are its only relics now.
St. Mary's City was selected as the head-quarters of our
mtsstonaries. The wigwam of an Indian chief was converted into a place of worship; and thus the poor hut of a
savage became the first chapel in Maryland. "As this humble shelter" writes Mr. Bernard Campbell, "must have been
too small to admit the colonists, it is most probable divine
worship was performed in the open air. How interesting
must have been the spectacle presented on the first Sunday
.after the landing, when the venerable priest (Father Andrew
White) assisted by his fellow missionaries, celebrated the
Holy Sacrifice of Mass, with all the pomp and splendor
which the humble means of the colonists enabled them to
impart to the August Rite. Their Church was the great
temple of nature; the beautiful river of St. Mary spread her
broad and mirror-like bosom at their feet; around them
were the deep forests, which under the gentle influence
of spring, had now begun to form the leafy canopy that
sheltered our infant church." The idea of LOTd Baltimore
in sending Jesuits to Maryland was to afford the colonists
(I) "St. Mary's never had more than sixty houses, but the settlers call town
any place where as many houses are as individuals required to make a riot;
that is twenty." Rec. Eng. Prov. Series vii,
�ST. llfARY'S CITY, llfD.
all the succors and advantages of religion. He thought
also of the poor savages who sat in the shades of unbelie(
But, no doubt, he gave them only a secondary thought. But
the missionaries could hardly be expected to confine their
ardent zeal to the little band of settlers at St. Mary's, while
the woods around them were dark with the night and gloom
of souls who lived in ignorance of all great Christian truths,
to whom the clear vision of the Light of the World had
never ·appeared. We know that almost immediately after
the landing of the passengers of the Dove and Ark, Father
Altham began his work of evangelizing the Indians. Father \Vhite after describing the celebration of the First Mass
on St. Clement's Island thus writes :-"Now when the Governor had understood that many princes were subject to the
Emperor of Pascatawaye, he determined to visit him, in
order that, after explaining the reason of our voyage, and
gaining his good will, he might secure an easier access to
the others. Accordingly, taking along with our pinnace
another, which he had procured in Virginia, and leaving the
ship (the Ark) at anchor, he sailed round and landed on the
southern side of the river. And when he had learned that
the savages had fled inland, we went on to a city which takes
its name from the river, being also called Potomac. There
the young king's uncle, named Archihu, was his guardian
and acted as regent in the kingdom ; a sober discreet man.
He willingly listened to Father Altham, who had been selected to accompany the Governor, for I was still kept with ·
the ship's cargo. And when the Father explained, as far as
he could, through the intrepreter Henry Fleet, the errors
of the heathen, he would ever and anon acknowledge
his own; and when he was informed that we had come
thither, not to make war,.but out of good will towards them,
in order to extend civilization and instruction to his ignorant race, and show them the way to heaven and at the same
time with the intention of communicating to them the advantages of commerce with distant countries, he gave us to
understand that he was pleased at our coming. The interpreter was one of the Protestants of Virginia, and so, as the
�ST. llfAR Y' S CITY, liiD.
Father could not stop for further discourse at the time, he
promised that he would return before long. 'That is just
what I wish,' said Archihu, 'we will eat at the same
table; my followers too shall go to hunt for you, and we
shall h'lve all things in common.' "
In the beginning our missionaries were obliged to reside
at St. Mary's City, and not among the Indians as some of
them desired. From their head-quarters, however, they
sallied forth, from time to time, in order to convert the savages. Love and esteem for the lives of the priests seem to
have been the motive which urged the rulers of St. Mary's
not to allow them to remain for any long period among the
Indians. The Annual Letters for 1637-8, say: "Though
the authorities of this colony have not yet allowed us to
dwell among the savages, on account both of the prevailing
sickness and of the hostile disposition shown by the barbarians towards the English, to the extent of murdering a man
from this colony who had gone amongst them for the sake
of trade, and also of entering into a conspiracy against our
whole nation ; still-we hope that one of us will shortly secure a station among the barbarians. Meanwhile, we devote ourselves more zealously to the English ; and, since
there are Protestants as well as Catholics in the colony, we
have labored for both, and God has blessed our labors. For
among the Protestants nearly all who came from England
in 1638, and many others, have been converted to the faith.''
Great piety, fervor, and peace soon reigned among the inhabitants of St. Mary's. Many of the leading gentlemen
there made the Spiritual Exercises according to the method
of St. Ignatius, <~.nd became exemplary Catholics. "As for
the Catholics," say the Annual Letters for 1639, "the attendance on the Sacraments her~ is so large, that it is not
greater among the faithful in Europe, in proportion to their
numbers. · The most ignorant have been catechized,
and catechetical leB:ures have been delivered to the more
advanced every Sunday ; on feast days they have been very
rarely left without a sermon. The sick and the dying, who
were numerous this year and dwelt far apart, have been as-
�ST. JJfAR Y' S CITY, MD.
sisted in every way, so that not a single person has died
without the Sacraments. We have buried very many, but
we have baptized a greater number."
The early government of Lord Baltimore's colony was
patriarchal, and all the settlers lived something after the manner of the chosen people of old. It was not until their
numbers had considerably increased that they thought of
framing a code of laws and establishing a political constitution. In 1635, was convened the first popular assembly of
Maryland, consisting of the whole body of, "ffreemen," by
which various regulations \Vere framed for the maintenance
of good order in the Province. Two years later on, the second assembly of Maryland was convoked. To this council the Jesuit missionaries, Fathers White, Copley and Altham were summoned. The third assembly was held in
1639, and was rendered memorable by the introduction of a
representative body into the provincial constitution.
The infant colony of Maryland found itself surrounded
on all .sides by evils and dangers. The principal part of
Lord Baltimore's followers, as Catholics, could hope for no
help, no protection, no friendship from their Protestant parent-country. They might well be thankful, indeed, to the
rulers of that kingdom for being permitted to forsake, without stripes and blows, their ancestral ho~es and hearths, and
their rich and broad domains. Their next-door neighbors,
the Virginians, watched them with an eye of envy and hatred. The Indians who surrounded them in the beginning,
for the most part, were friendly towards them ; but how long
could they rely on the fickle friendship of those red warriors whose "axe," as one of their chiefs truly said, "was always in their hands?"
It is a fact of history, admitted even by Protestant writers,
that the Catholic founders of Maryland treated the Indians
in the most humane and Christian-like manner. "Governor
Calvert," says Kilty, "made a free and fair purchase of the
natives with articles suited to their state of life, and brought
from England for that purpose. The prudence and justice
which dictated this policy in preference to the forcible in-
�ST. ,lEARY'S CITY, 1lfD.
trusion which had marked the commencement of the first
Southern plantation, appeared to have governed the subsequent proceedings of the Proprietary and his Officers for
extending their limits of possession." Still the redmen,
sometimes stirred up by jealousy, at other times excited by
the deceitful words of desperate plotters, who hated to see
the Catholic colony flourishing like a garden, made deadly
onslaughts upon the ''pale-faced" inhabitants of St. Mary's
City.
In 1641, the Indians grew extremely hostile to all who
were not of their race. The warwhoop of the fierce Susquehannoughs could be heard almost within a bow-shot of
the little Capital of the Maryland settlement. Their light
steps could be heard by attentive ears in all the encircling
woods. At dusk, too, their bark canoes could be seen by
watchful eyes gliding silently.. among the tall reeds on the
banks of the St. Mary's River. Often the flight of a frighted
duck, or the cry of a heron, was the only signal given that
the Indian foe was near. We cannot easily picture to ourselves the disturbed condition of life led by the peaceful and .
virtuous followers of Lord Baltimore during these days.
They rested, if rest they could under such circumstances,
with their defensive weapons at their pillows. Our missionaries, who had the'ir headquarters at St. Mary's City, shared
in all the trials and hardships of the period. For a time, as
they were mere prisoners, and could not accomplish the sublime end for which they had come, they thought of removing
from the Capital to some place of more security, ang in
which, or from which, they could carry on their apostolic
Jabots. "Even the devoted and fearless missionaries," says
a Protestant writer, "began seriously to think of abandoning
their station, and establishing themselves at Potupaco, which
was less exposed to the ravages of the cruel and warlike
Susquehannough tribe."
.
About 1644, one year before the arrest of White and Fisher, St. Mary's City was endangered by the rebellion of the
pirate Ingle and the desperado Claiborne. The infamous
histories of both these bad men are too well known to need
�ST. MARY'S CITY, llfD.
a recital here. We allude to them at present as being the
probable cause of the removal of our Fathers from the Capital to St. Inigoes. In the above year, when Claiborne took
St. Mary's City by force, the missionaries were immediately
obliged to fly for safety. It has been stated that they then
retired to St. Inigoes. This was a part of the property taken possession of by our Fathers on their first landing with
the pilgrims in Maryland.
.
After some time Claiborne was expelled from St. Mary's
City, but he and his Puritan party again succeeded, in 1652,
in becoming masters of it. It is not our intention to depict
the battles fought between the contending parties from that
time to the beginning of 1658, when the Lord Proprietary
was once more reinstated in his lawful rights and authority.
But as many of the facts that help to form the history of
that period will throw some light upon the story of our missionaries, we shall glance at them in passing.
After the defeat of Governor Stone, in 1655, the Puritans
took many distinguished prisoners to Annapolis. Among
these were Governor Stone himself, Colonel Price, Captain
Gerard, Captain Lewis, Captain Kendall, Captain Guither,
Major Chandler and all the rest of the councillors, officers,
and soldiers of Lord Baltimore. Among the commanders
and soldiers who fought with Governor Stone, we are told,
were many papists. From these was taken all their "consecrated ware." The "consecrated ware" consisted of "Pictures, Crucifixes, and rows of Beads, with great stores of
Reliques." Historians tell us that the Puritans of Providence, now Annapolis, several days after the fight on the
Severn, put to death, in cold blood, four of Governor Stone's
men. These were vVilliam Eltonhead, one of the council,
Captain William Lewis, John Legatt and John Pedro. Persecution again raised its "red right hand" in Maryland. The
Catholics were prohibited from voting, and it was "enacted
and declared, that none who profess and exercise the Popish (commonly called the -Roman Catholic) religion, can be
protected in this province, by the laws of Engla1td formerly
established, and yet un-repealed: nor by the commonwealth
�ST. JliAR Y' S CiTY, illb.
of England, etc. : but to be restrained from the exercise
thereof.J' Liberty was granted to all "provided" it "be not
extended to Popery or prelacy."
The Puritans sacked and plundered our Fathers' Residences at Portobacco and St. Inigoes. The following is the
Annual Letter for 1656: "In Maryland, during the last year,
our Fathers have passed safely through grievous dangers,
and have had to contend with great difficulties and trials, as
well from enemies as from our own people. The English
who inhabit Virginia had made an attack on the colonists
of Maryland, although their own countrymen, and having
guaranteed their lives on certain conditions they carried off
the Governor of Maryland, with many other prisoners.
Their promise was, however; treacherously violated and four
of the captives, of whom three, were Catholics, were shot
dead. Rushing into our hous~.they cried out death to the
impostors as they called us, determined on a merciless
slaughter of all who should be caught. But the Fathers,
under the proteCtion of God, passed in a boat before their
very faces, unrecognized by them. After which their books,
furniture, and whatever else was in the house, fell a prey to
the robbers. With almost the entire loss of their property,
private and domestic, and with great peril of their lives, they
w.ere secretly carried into Virginia, where they now are suffering from the greatest-want of necessaries, and can find
no means of support. They live in a mean hut, low and
confined, not much unlike a cistern, or even that tomb in
which the great defender of the Faith, St. Athanasius, lay
concealed for many years. To their other miseries thisill"convenience is added, that whatever comfort or aid under
the name of stipend was this year destined for them from
pious persons in England has been lost, the ship in which
it was carried being intercepted. But nothing distresses
them more than that there is not a sufficient supply of wine
to enable them to offer up the Holy Sacrifice. They have
no servant either for domestic use, or for direCl:ing their way
through unknown and suspeCl:ed places, or even to row and
steer the boat when needed. Often over spacious and vast
�ST. .AiAR Y' s CITY; .Mb.
rivers, one of them, alone and unaccompanied, passes and
repasses long distances, with no pilot directing his course
than divine Providence."
In 1688, the Orange Revolution swept over England.
James was dethroned, and William and Mary took his place.
The hopes of the Catholics were dashed to the ground, and
these saw with dismay a new reign of terror inaugurated.
Catholic schools and chapels were everywhere closc;:d, and
priests and schoolmasters proscribed and banned. The next
year, r68g, the .English Revolution extended to America.
It does not enter into the scope of this article to tell how
the Puritans took forcible possession of St. Mary's City. A
full account of this sad event may be found in any history
of Maryland. Suffice it to say, that the venerated Catholic
settlement was for a time in the hands of the bigoted "Committee of Safety," and that this body passed over the government to Governor Copley. The first act passed by the Assembly convened by this gentlemen was one recognizing
the title of William and Mary. "The next was an act making the Church of England the established church of the
province, and thus putting an end to that equality in religion
which had hitherto been Maryland's honor. It provided
for the division of the ten counties into thirt)r-one parishes,
and imposed a tax. of forty pounds of tobacco upon each
taxable person, as a fund for the building of (Protestant)
churches and the support of the (Protestant) clergy." Governor Copley died on the 12th of September, 1693, and Sir
Thomas Lawrence, his former Secretary, assumed the govvcrnment ad i11tcrim as president Uiltil a new Governor
should arrive.
A new Governor soon arrived in the person of Francis
Nicholson, well known in the histories of New York and
Virginia. It is supposed by some .that Nicholson was at
one time a Catholic. I found, in "The Documentary History of New York," the following sworn testimony to that
effect:-
�ST. JJIAI? Y' S ClTY, JJflJ.
Affidavits Against Nicltolsmz.
The depositions of Nicholas Brown Aged Twenty three
Years, the said Deponent declares that he being in the Service of Y• late King Anno One thousand six hundred
Eighty Six some time in July and August, did see Frances
y• late lieu 1 Governor of y• fort at New York severall
times in Y• Masse, but especially two times in y• Kings
tent at H unsloheath in old ingland, being there to Exercise
his devotions, & did y• same upon his Knees before the
Alter in the papist Chappel, where the Mass was said, that
himself, this deponent is ready to Confirm and declare upon
Oath in testimony of the truth & have hereunto Set my
hand, In New York this 12th day of Septemr Anno 1689.
Nicholas Brown.
Signed
1689 the 13th ;t•r in New York
Then appeared before me Nich~s Brown & sworn before me
the aforesaid to be the truth.
Signed
G. Beekman Justice.
"Soon after his arrival," writes Scharf, "Governor Nicholson convened the Assembly to meet on the 21st of September, not in St. Mary's but at Anne Arundel town, afterwards
called Annapolis. This choice foreshadowed the doom of
the former city, the cradle of the province; and at this session the removal of the seat of government was decided
upon. The reasons. alleged for the change were not \Vithout weight; but it is probable that the true motives were to
be found in the fact that St. Mary's was especially a Catholic settlement, was, beyond other towns, devoted to the proprietary government, and was closely connected with all
those ties and associations which it was the policy of the
new government to break up. Great was the consternation
. at St. Mary's at a change which brought her certain ruin,
and a pathetic appeal was made to the Assembly to reconsider their action. Pathos and humility were but thrown
�S'r. .MARY'S CITY, M.I).
away on the Lower House, the coarse and almost brutal
scorn of whose reply shows the acrimony of the dominant
party. Remonstrance and appeal were all in vain. The
ancient city was stripped of her privileges, of everything
that gave her life, and she was left to waste and perish from
the earth. Her population departed, her houses fell to ruins,
and nothing is now left of her but a name and a memory."
It was in the year 1694, that the seat of government was
moved from St. Maty's to Annapolis.
\Ve shall now say a few words on a subjeCt: of great importance-the care with which the missionaries kept aloof
from all politics.
The colonists of St. Mary's, as we have already said, found
themselves surrounded on all sides by evils and dangers.
It is not strange then that they wished to gather into their
councils all the learning, wisdom, experience, and virtue of
their glorious little band. It is not strange that in their
earliest documents we find them inviting Fathers White,
Copley, and Altham to meet at their council-board. Independently of their virtue and long training in the famous
schools of Europe; independently of their experience in England as missionaries, as the intimate friends of persecuted
· nobles- independently of all these, I say, White, Copley,
and Altham, by their natural abilities, their inherent wisdom,
their. energy and devotedness to what they considered a just
cause, were the very men to rule sagely in the councils of a
young colony,-of a colony born of persecution, and to be
nurtured in the midst of trials and dangers. But if it were
not strange to find St. Mary's Founders- Fenwick, Cornwallis, Bretton- anxious to have the Jesuits seated at the
council-board with them, neither is it strange to find the Fathers absenting themselves from the national assemblies as
frequently as possible. White, Copley, and Altham sometimes pleaded sickness as a motive for not mingling in the
councils of the land. They sometimes urged their spiritual
duties, as attending to the sick, or visiting the Indians in
their towns, for not attending the meetings of the assembly.
VoL. x1v, No.3·
24
�ST. li!ARY' S CITY, JJ!D.
They gave a hundred and one excuses for not assuming the
right and place of temporal rulers in the colony. The f:<et
is, they did not wish to mix, or interfere, in the dangerous
affairs of state. They had enough to do to attend to the
spiritual wants of the colonists and to the wide-scattered
· Indians who longed to see the black-robe chiefs among them,
without troubling themselves with the whirlpool of politics.
Protestant authors are fond of talking about the intrigues and
ambition of the Jesuits,-we would ask them, were the early
Jesuits of Maryland desirous of power, were they fond of
sitting in the councils of the great? If the Jesuits had been
ambitious, if they had longed to sway the destinies of a
young colony, instead of being the servants of the ignorant,
the lowly, the savage, their names would be written in capital
letters in every page of the early secular annals of Maryland.
But this we say with pride, and gratitude to God, is not the
case. The importance of the following short, but eloquent
entry, taken from the "Archives of Maryland" must not be
underrated: "Thomas Copley, Esquire, and Andrew \Vhite,
and John Altham, gentlemen, were summoned on the 26th
of January, 1637.-And Robert Clerke made answere for
them t!tat tltey desired to be e:rmscd from givi11g a 7.1oice in t!te
Assembl;' and was admitted."
...- ..·
�CALIFORNIA.
SANTA CLARA CoLLEGE,
SANTA CLARA, 15th July 1885.
REV. FATHER,
P. C.
I am sure that you will be glad to hear something about
our college and church at Santa Clara. The average number of boarders has been about 165 ; and their conduCt: was,
indeed, satisf:<El:ory. With regard to the piety of our boys,
we have reason to be well pleased. The Sacraments have
been often used, and the sodalities, well attended. The yearly retreat was made, not only by all the Catholics, but also
by every Protestant .but two, and even by one Jew; and the
devotion shown was as great as could be expeEl:ed from so
large a number of youths. Two Protestants received holy
Baptism during the year, and two more are still under instruB:ion.
If we wish to make our boys happy and contented, the
playground must be carefully attended to; nay more, if we
would have them virtuous, we must provide them with
plenty of good honest amusement. And, conversely, if we
find them entering with spirit into their games, we may be
sure that they are happy and contented, and we have good
ground for believing that they are also virtuous. In these
matters, we have no cause to complain. The base-ball nines
of the college have been decidely above the mark. The
Occidentals, the first nine of the second division, is remarkable, for the steady play of its members. The first nine
of the college has an envied reputation. Their play is certainly excellent.
A feature of the past session was the revival of the Santa
Clara College cadets. These now number about So members in two companies, company A, belonging to the first
division, and company B, to the second division. Each
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�372
CALIFORNIA.
company has its officers, elected by the boys from amongst
themselves; while the whole corps is under the command
of Captain Cash, late of the U.S. army, and a graduate of
\Vest Point. Their drill, but especially that of company B,
is pronounced excellent; and wherever they go, they receive warm applause. Capt. Cash speaks of them in the
highest terms, saying, that he never had a body of men under him so quick to learn, and upon whom he could place
such reliance for the perfect execution of their manceuvres
in public. There were during the year, two exhibition drills;
one upon the. president's feast day, and the other upon comn:tencement day, for a sword of honor, and a gold medal,
respectively. In both cases company B was successful. The
judges, officers of the National Guard of California, and,
with but one exception, Protestants, and, moreover, practic~lly strangers to the college;-were highly pleased with the
smartness and military bearing of the boys, and in their
award, gave the winning company, on the first occasion, 90
per cent. and on the second, 95 per cent. out of a possible
100 marks.
Coming now to more serious matters, let us see what is
being done in the way of studies.
The studies of the college are well up to the mark., Although the degrees of Bachelor of science may, according
to the rules of the college, be taken by those who have com-·
plcted the first year of natural science, and the second class
of mathematics; nevertheless, as a matter of hct, a large
number of the graduates finish the whole course, both_· of
natural philosophy and of mathematics, before presentii\g
themselves for examination. \Vith regard to mental philosophy, our course as far as I can learn, compares very f..1.vorably with that of other colleges of the Society in America.
The philosophy of St. Thomas is strictly followed, and, we
use, as far as possible, the method of the schools. \Ve have
at present no text book; but Fr. Liberatore's work is the basis of the professor's lectures, which he dictates to the class.
At the last commencement, the exercises were altogether in
the hands of the class; and the essays, though long and
�CALIFORl\riA.
373
serious were listened to with attention, and, I think I may
say, pleasure, by a large audience. The following was the
programme : &say-What philosophy is identical with Wisdom?
" -Human Testimony, a source of Truth.
Poem -St. Catherine, Patroness of Philosophy.
Essay- \Vhence comes our Idea of God ?
-Creatures, a Ladder to the Creator.
Not only did the Archbishop, who was present, express his.
satisfaEl:ion with the exercises, in his address to the graduates; but he also took occasion next day, at the exhibition
of the Convent of Notre Dame, to refer to our Commencement in terms of the highest praise ; and the daily papers,
both of San Jose and San Francisco, were warm in their admiration both of the matter of our essays, and of the style
in which they were delivered.
So much for the college. You perhaps know that we
have also care of the parish of Santa Clara, as well as of
two outlying missions. In this field also good work is being done. The Sunday-School and various Sodalities are. in
a most flourishing condition. The childrens' 1\iass at 8
o'clock on Sundays is popular with people of all ages. At
this hour the church is crowded, and consequently at this
Mass 10 minute sermons have been introduced. A splendid esprit de corps reigns and the people seem really proud
of their parish. The confessions and communions arc increasing considerably in number, as well as the attendance
. at the daily Masses. A choir of boys has been organized,
and here in one of the oldest settlements of Northern California, the Gregorian music of the church is fairly rendered;
and I think I do not err when I say that this is, as yet, the
only place on the Pacific coast where it is hear~!.
Towards the end of last December, Father Bouchard gave
a mission in the church, and the results answered every expcEl:ation. The weather was truly pitiless; the rain ca'11e ·
down in tor.rents, yet the services were always thronged with
people who came, even from a great distance, from the
whole country round. The number of confessions and com-
�374
CALIFORNIA.
mmunions could not have been less than six or seven hundred ; and at the close of the mission the Sodality of the
Blessed Virgin for men and women was erected in the parish. The sodality for men numbers now some seventy
active members, of whom quite a large proportion are
young men. That for women has about one hundred; truly
a large number in a parish so small and so scattered as that
of Santa Clara. In consequence of all this the congregation has become too larg'e for the old mission church, which
is the parish-church of Santa Clara. Moreover the church
itself was by no means safe. The adobe walls, though thick,
were far from solid, and the ceiling was in danger of falling.
The building, too, though long, was narrow and low, and
therefore was by no means healthy. It was therefore resolved to improve it. The plan followed is as follows.· Some
years ago, in order to check qe~ay, it had been found necessary to encase the whole str~cture in wood. The roof of
the wooden exterior was some twelve feet higher than that ·
of the interior adobe building, and as the walls of the latter
were six feet thick, the former was therefore more than
twelve feet wider. It was therefore resolved to move the
adobe walls from the interior of the wooden building, and
to finish the latter in perfect imitation of the old church,
_retaining all the old ornaments, the rude pulpit, the roughly
frescoed ceiling, and the. ancient Mexican altars, which were
packed hither on mule-back so many years ago, so that interiorly the new church might be a f:"lcsimile of the old with
the exception only of the increased height and width. This
work is now in progress, and there is no doubt that w11en
it is finished, the result will be found most beneficial to all,
HENRY
,
Wooos, S. ].
�CHAPLAINS DURING THE CIVIL WAR OF I861.
•
One of the most interesting and edifying chapters in the
history of our Society in this country could be written
about our Army Chaplains. We know that the Jesuit Fathers who came to New York with Governor Dongan aB:ed
as chaplains to the royal troops stationed at Fort William,
and that at least one of them, "the priest John Smith" had
a most varied and romantic career. During the Revolutionary struggle ·Father Robert Molyneux performed most of
the duties of a chaplain among the French and Irish soldiers
of the Continental Army stationed in, and around Philadelphia. I do not at present remember that any of our Fathers were engaged as chaplains in the war of I 8 I 2, but
most of us are aware of the faB: that Father John Me Elroy
and Father Anthony Rey were appointed by President P<;:>lk
to accompany General Taylor's army during the Mexican
War.
\Vhen the great Civil War broke out, in I86I, many applications were made to the Superiors of the Society for Fathers to attend, as chaplains, to the needs of the Catholic
soldiers.· Scarcity of ·subjeB:s rendered it impossible for
Provincials to grant the request in every instance. The Superior of New York could spare but five Fathers. These
he sent to the gap of danger with God's blessing on their
heads. The five sent were Fathers O'Reilly, Ouellet, Nash,
Tissot, and a Father of the German Province. The Government at first c·ommissioned the chaplains as Captains of Cavalry, to whose pay, emoluments, privileges, and honors
they were entitled. Later on the question 'arose whether
the office should be suppressed or not. The question arose
on account of the class of men wh.o served as Protestant
chaplains. After some serious debates it was agreed upon
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CHAPLAINS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
that the grade should be suppressed, and a monthly salary
paid them.
Our Fathers, as chaplains, soon began to lead lives far
different, at least exteriorly, from those which they led in the
quiet shelter of our college-walls and pastoral residences.
One of them, with the corps to which he was attached, made
an irregular course through the country from New York to
Key \Vest, and from the Atlantic to Texas. This same Father, with his corps, was in fifty-two engagements-of course
these were not all pitched battles. But counting skirmishes,
bombardments of Forts, surprises, and regular battles, he
was in fifty-two mgagcmmts. During these marches and
confliCts many officers and men were received •into the
Church. Of all the Protestants who died of sickness, or
wounds, only two refused to embrace the Catholic Faith. In
response to dying soldiers' calls .the Father, accompanied by
a squadron of cavalry for his proteCtion, often passed from
camp to camp, from division to division, to baptize Protestants and prepare Catholics for death.
"\Vhy, is it, Father," asked General Arnold, one day, "that
Protestants, slighting their ministers, send for you beyond
the limits of their camp- and there is no instance of a Catholic sending for a minister?" The greatest consideration
was shown to the Father by the Protestants, officers and
· men-every confidence was placed in him, every facility of
attending to the spiritual wants of all who might apply to
him, was constantly afforded him. Thus, an exclusively
Protestant regiment who had exceptionally good quarters,
offered to turn over to the Father for a chapel their quartc~s·,
and live in the open air themselves. The Commander of
the corps, noticing the generosity of the regiment, sent a detail of carpenters with planks and nails froni. the Fort to
build an altar, and form scats. The snug little building was,
however, used but once-it was large enough to accommodate only the officers. This same Department Commander
cursed in the chaplain's presence on an occasion of great
provocation. In the evening he sent an orderly requesting
the Father's presence at his quarters, On the priest's arri-
�CHAPLAINS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
377
val he said: "Father, I sent for you that I might apologize
for my profane language in your presence to-day. I do this
because you are a priest,-! would not do it to a minister."
Passing through a city chiefly Catholic, and whose pastor
was absent, the inhabitants sent a petition to the General
asking that the Catholic Chaplain be allowed to remain with
them for some time. The Commander answered that he
had but one priest in the corps, and his services were absolutely required for the soldiers. Again, Fr. Kunincq, a
priest of Key \Vest, was dying of yellow fever, and sent for
the Father to come and prepare him for death. This same
General positively refused to allow the Father to go-saying; "I am not responsible for any but soldiers. If the Father goes to Key West, to attend the priest, he may himself
die-and then what will become of my soldiers? No the
Father cannot be allowed to go."
The greatest charity was shown to each other on the field
of battle by the wounded soldiers. Thus the Father passing amongst the wounded, would come across a soldier
. whose leg had been shot off-" Hurry, Father," he would
say, "over in this direCtion, you will find some worse than I
am. They need your immediate care, you will find me on
your return." Again-"Father, a Protestant is dying over
there- hurry to him- you will find me on your return."
Catholic families living at an inconvenient distance from
their priest's residence, brought their unbaptized babes to
the camp that they might receive their first sacrament from
the Catholic Chaplain. \Vhilst the army was moving along
the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the marines and sailors
of the fleet were kindly allowed every facility to land and
visit the Father. The poor fellows profited by it in great
numbers. Seeing the accommodations of the Chaplain, these
noble hearted men of the Navy gave a surprise to the Father, one day, by landing in g1·eat numbers and arranging
quarters for him after their own manner.
All had to be left in a few days, as the army moved away
to another point. Flag Officer Madigan, a Catholic, did all
he could for the Chaplain and for the marines. So courteous
�378
CHAPLAINS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
were the officers of the army to the Father, that they invited
him to two of their councils of war. Thus he could leave
camp, and pass the lines without difficulty at any time. Our
Father, ever with his corps in sight of the enemy, spent the
first twelve months of his military life, without seeing a
priest. No Easter duty! At length a gun-boat was left at
his disposal by the Navy Commander, and he went five hundred miles, the nearest point within our lines where a priest
could be found. It was a God-send for both. This poor
priest had been seven months without having an opportunity to go to confession. The gunboat had some delay, and
whilst arranging matters, the Father gave a Triduum to the
people. On returning to the army, the Father found that a
battle had been fought, and many killed during his absence!
Thus, during these long and severe marches, much hardship
was met with. During three y~ars the Father never slept
in a house, winter or summer_::never had a day's furlough,
never a day's rest. Always and ever in the field. Yet he
was never sick. The drummer-boy whilst serving Mass, ·
was shot through the heart and died at the Father's feet
without a groan. The Father was as much exposed to be
shot as any one else. In one battle, his altar and vestments,
and chalice were all destroyed-burned with the camp. Still,
c_onsolations were multiplied. General Sherman offered
him a "Post ChaplaincY:' -which he graciously declined
- saying he would prefer to follow the men to battle.
The men were proud that the priest preferred them to his
own ease, and General Sherman (not Tecumseh) was edifit:;d.
vVhilst this same Father was on board the armed transport, "Nightingalc"-on his return from visiting portions
of the corps stationed at Forts Taylor and Jefferson, an incident occurred which deserves to be recorded. It proves
in an especial way what God will do for those who earnestly desire to be reconciled to Him. The sailors and marines
were, with very few exceptions, Catholics. These men had
had no opportunity of going to . confession since their enlistment. Now the priest is near them-and yet it is very
difficult for them to profit by his presence. For the priest
�CHAPLAINS DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
379
is merely a guest; and naval etiquette forbids him mingling
with the men, and remaining a guest of the officers' mess.
The officers must invite him, or he must ask the permission
to attend to the spiritual wants of the Catholics. There
were many difficulties in doing either. A storm was blowing, and the Father sat on the bulwark and began to recite
Vespers which he offered for the poor men so anxious to
profit by his presence. Presently a sudden jerk of the ship
nearly pitched the Father overboard. In his efforts to save
himself, he lost his Diurnal, which fell into the seething
waves. Captain Van Horn ran over to the Father's aid, and
said: "You were very near going-you have lost your Bible
however." The Father replied that he had another- "Oh
no! I'll have it for you, see, it does not sink-cutter No. 2!
out with cutter No. 2 !" The chaplain protested against the
men being thus exposed to lose their lives, but no use. "It
is a matter of drill for these men. If it were a man who fell
overboard they should have to do i t - it must be done."
The designated boat was launched, as boats are under such
circumstances. But on reaching the water, it upset, and
threw the men into the now raging waves. Still, to the
amazement of all, there was the Diurnal riding safely on the
top of every mountain wave. The men were safely hauled
on board out of the threatening danger, whilst "cutter No.3".
was being manned and launched safely. This cutter with its ·
brave crew pursued the book over "mountains and through
valleys." Now the book disappears, now the boat disappears- again the book is seen on the crest of a high wave,
again the boat rises on the top of a billow. Officers and
men with glasses tp their eyes, contemplate with breathless
silence, the exciting scene before them. At last, a shout of
"well done" from Captain Van Horn, informed us of the capture of the Diurnal. The noble "Nightingale" bearing so
impatiently the restraint imposed on her during this chase,
was now given headway to aid the poor fellows to get on
board. In due time all were safely on deck, and the book
in the hands of the captain, who said to his officers: "Gentlemen ! talk of miracies ! Here is a miracle! Not a leaf wet
�3so
CHAPLAINS Dr:RING TIIE CIT7I, WAR.
-not one of the little pictures or loose pieces of paper displaced! ... " Every one took the book in his hands and
examined it. The great wall of separation was torn clown.
The captain led the Father to the men's quarters, where he
attended to the noble fellows, who were more than ready to
profit by the occasion.
In Pensacola, where the citizens, suffering from great
scarcity of provisions, applied to the military authorities for
relief, Col. Shipley, chief quartermaster, appointed the Father, almoner. As the soldiers were never settled in camp,
-always, what might be termed-on "the field of battle"confessions were heard under great difficulties. At night, at
the end of a day's severe march, while manceuvering, or during bivouac, the priest heard the confessions of the infc<ntry
and officers-on the march he h,earcl those of the cavalry and
artillery. Mass was said only~on Sundays. As the Father
could not keep Consecrated Pa;ticles, he could not give Holy
Communioh to those who died during the week. He never
gave Extreme Unction on the field of battle-merely absolution, after a hasty confession. On one Good friday, all the
Catholics in Grover's division, contented themselves with
dry bread alone. Yet they marched thirty miles that day.
�A BRIEF HISTORY OF ST. PETER'S CHURCH
AND COLLEGE, JERSEY CITY, N.].
For many years Right Rev. James Roosevelt Bayley,
Bishop of Newark, N. ]., had been trying, but without success, to introduce into his diocese, some members of our
Society. At length Rev. John Bapst, the Superior General
of New York and Canada, yielded to his wishes, and in the
summer of I 87 I, sent Fr. ViEtor Beaudevin to take possession of the house and church, offered by the Bishop, in
Jersey City. Fr. Beaudevin received as assistants Frs. John
Me Quaid and Ignatius Renaud. The church given by the
Bishop was a new one, having been built only three or four
years before. In I874 Fr. Beaudevin was removed and Fr.
l\Ic Quaid, the present Superior, appointed to succeed him.
About three years after his appointment, in the spring of
I 877, Fr. Me Quaid, at the earnest solicitation of the Bishop
of the diocese, began the college, and succeeded in ereCting
a substantial building which ranks among the finest in the
city. It is built of brick with brown stone trimming. In July,
I 878, it was opened to visitors, and in September classes
began with one hundred and twenty-three students, and the
following staff of Officers and Teachers :-Rev. George B.
Kenney, President and PrefeCt of studies ;-Rev. Charles J.
O'Connor, Rev. Ignatius Renaud, Mr. Francis vV. Gunn,
Mr. James L. Smith, and Mr. Robert I. Pardow.
There are two distinCt courses of study, the Classical and
the CDmmercial. The Classical course embraces all the
branches usually taught in the colleges ~f the Society, comprising the DoCtrines and Evidences of religion; Logic,
Metaphysics and Ethics; the English, Latin and Greek languages; Rhetoric, Poetry and Elocution; Mathematics and
the Natural Sciences; History, Geography and Mythology;
(38!)
�ST. PETER'S, JERSEY cf'FY,
N,j
German or French at the option of the student. The Com~
mercia! Course embraces Religious instruCt:iori, English
Grammar and Composition, Elocution, Mathematics and
Book-keeping, History and Geography. Those students
who are not yet far enough advanced in their studies to enter either of the above courses are placed in a preparatory
department where they are taught Reading, Writing, Spelling, Arithmetic, Geography and the rudiments of English
Grammar.
We have had no Societies, except the ·sodalities, until this
year. \Ve have now started a debating society for the higher
classes. The college has all the privileges of a University,
and is intended for day-scholars only. The religious_ interests of the boys are cared for in two sodalities, one for the
senior and one for the junior students, by the monthly confessions, annual retreat of thre~ days, by especial catechetical instruCtion in class, and a sermon every two weeks at
the Saturday Mass. Our annual commencements are usually presided over by the Bishop of the diocese.
T!tc Clmrdt.-The parish contains over seven thousand
souls. It was at one time the only parish in the city. The
old church, which was then used, is now doing duty for the
Sisters of Charity who have there an Academy for girls and
~mall boys.
This Academy is the only one in the present
parish. Once a week one of the Fathers goes to Newark
as spiritual direCt:or of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
and their Magdalens, and also to hear the confessions of the
Little Sisters of the Poor.
The present church was commenced in 1865, the cori'iei·stone beipg laid September 8th of that year. It was finished
and dedicated in 1867. Rev. Fr. Me Quaid is working hard
to pay off the debt and to have the church consecrated.
The people have four Masses every Sunday and there is one
for the Sunday-school children. There arc two sermons
every Sunday and numerous instruCtions, for the members
of the various Sodalities.
Our parish school-house was built and occupied in 1861.
At present there are eight hundred children attending the
�ST. PETER'S, JERSEY CITY, N.J.
school. They are taught by the Sisters of Charity and a
number of ladies of the parish. The school-house is a large
brick building, three stories high, well lighted and ventilated.
\Ve have the Society of St. Vii1cent of Paul in the parish.
It numbers over fifty members. It was established before
our Fathers came to this city. We have also a Temperance
Society, numbering about I 50 members. It was in existence
when we came here. We have a Rosary Society, founded the
year before we took charge of the parish. There are about
I 50 persons belonging to it.
Our Fathers organized the
Sodality of the Sacred Heart the very year they came to
this city. It was small in the beginning, but it has gone on
increasing, so that it now numbers about 450 members.
They also formed, about five years ago, a St. Aloysius' Sodality for boys, which now numbers nearly one hundred.
About the same time, a Sodality of the Blessed Virgin for
girls was formed. This counts over a hundred among its
members. There is also a Sodality of the Blessed Virgin
for young ladies. This already existed when our Fathers
took possession of the church. It has increased in numbers
very much since that time. There are about I20 members
in it. A "Children of Mary Society" was started by our
Fathers in I872. The most respecrable and best educated
ladies of the parish belong to it. Ladies of other parishes
may be enrolled among its members. Those belonging to
this Society make clothing for the poor of the parish, and
take part in other charitable works. It numbers over fifty
members. We have also a Sodality for young men, organized by our Fathers. There are 40 members in it. A "St.
Peter's Catholic Union" was started by one of our Fathers
about a year ago. It has for its objeCt: the development of
literary tastes of the better class of young men, the presenting of amusements which will make the evenings very enjoyable, and thus prevent them from frequenting places
where their virtue might be in danger; it numbers about
50 members. Since our Fathers came to the city they have
converted about fifty to the £'lith. ·
�WHAT WAS FATHER ANDREW WHITE'S
NATIONALITY?
In the history of the missionaries of Marylahd there is
no figure so prominent, or so highly venerated as that of Fr.
Andrew \Vhite. This truly great and holy priest rises up before us adorned with all the gifts, and crowned with all the
virtues, requisite for an Apostle of Nations. "Like a giant
he exultcdt- o run his course."
Before his appointment to accompany Lord Baltimore
on his expedition to Maryland he had been well-known as
a most zealous missionary in England, and as a distinguished
and successful Professor of Sa~rcd Scripture, Dogmatic Theology, and Hebrew, both at Seville and Valladolid. Though
Father Nathaniel Southwell, Dodd, (IJ and others, state that
he was born in London, there arc some who still think that
he was a native of Ireland,-the mother not only of Saints
and DoCtors, but likewise of Missionaries. it is certain
that at the time of our illustrious missioner, the \Vhitc t<milics of Kilkenny, \Vaterford, \Vexford, and Tipperary
furnished the Society with some of its, most distinguished
in embers at Salamanca .. Seville, Toledo, Dillingen, Pont-aMousson and Ingoldstadt. I have heard it asserted that the
characte!' of the "Apostle of America" was Iris!t and not
Eng!is!t, and that his Christian name, Andrew, adds an :tdditional force to the surmise that he was a native of Ircbud
-or at least the son of Irish parents. Having examined
"a map" of the \Vhitc £-unily, I find that Andrew was a name
which was carefully passed down from one generation to
another.
(Il To say tht' lea,t, Dodd is a wry poor authority.
The English lteconls
aeen"' him in the :wconnt of th~ College of St. Ignatius of making a "most
reeklt·ss a"ertion." Oliver in one of his notes to the Col/ectanea, says that
"'everal of his statpm.,nts 'tan<l refuted ant! emulemiwd in the very authorities
which he enumerates in the liref[tee to the first volume of his History."
�WHAT WAS FR. ANDREW WHITE'S NATIONALITY? 385
It is certainly strange that nothing can be found, at least
I have found nothing, in the English Records, or documents,
relative to Father vVhite's youth. Southwell merely says
that he was an Englishman, born in London, about the year
1580. He tells us nothing about his boyhood days, and
does not mention the name either of his father or his mother. He leaps from the time of \Vhite's birth to his entrance
into our Society - our missioner being then a priest and
about twenty-eight years of age. If it be admitted that Father vVhite was an Irishman it will be easy to account for
the ignorance of all our writers in regard to his early days.
We know that historical documents were destroyed in Ireland by the cart-load about the end of the sixteenth century.
Besides, Father vVhite proceeded to the old Continent while
still young, and was there ordained. Thus Ireland may
have lost sight of him, as she did, during all the Penal Days,
of thousands of her gifted and holy sons. That nothing of
Father vVhite's youthful years was found in the Irish Record of the Society is accounted for by the faB: that Father
\Vhite joined the English Province, as many Irishmen of
that period did, and as many of the present do. Our English writers alone, then, are the persons to whom we should
look for a complete life of our Father. If they knew his
life, why did they not give it? If they were ignorant of it,
was it not because he was born in an alien land, in an Island
entirely separated from them by broad waters? Accounts
differ as to the College in which Father \Vhite made his
higher studies of Philosophy and Theology. Some writers
say he made them in Seville, while others maintain that he
made them at Douay. Though it be true that in Father
\Vhite's days both these cities possessed Englislz Colleges,
it is no less true that they also had colleges which were destined for the education of the yout!t o/ Ireland who desired
to embrace the ecclesiastical state. vVe can, therefore, decide nothing from the knowledge that English Colleges existed at Seville and Douay while Father White pursued his
studies at the one, or the other of these cities. We know
VoL.
XIV,
No. 3·
25
�3~6
TrH.-I.T WAS FR. A..YDR1nr WHITE'S .YATIO.YA.LJTY?
from history how much Catholics, and especially priests and
Jesuits, suffered from persecution in the 9ays of Fr. White.
But if E11glislz Catlwlics had to undergo great pains on account of the faith that was in them, the ftislz Cat!tolics had
much greater pains still to endure for the same holy cause.
Their nationality as well as their religion was hateful to the
oppressor. For prudential causes then, Irish missionaries
in England and all its colonies were advised not to make
known "the awful fact" that they were lrishmen,-the brothers or friends of those chiefs and kerns who fought under
the Red Hand of Ulster or the banner of Tyrconnell. I
have seen, I have in my possession, an old letter in which
an Irish Missionary is advised not to proclaim from the
house-tops that he was born and educated in Ireland. The
letter prudently remarks that if known to be an Irishman
he would be exposed to countle5s. trials and troubles on account of his nationality. It is no wonder then that Father
White, if an Irishman, passed in England and in Maryland, one of its colonies, as an Englishman.
Father White, before his entrance into the Society, employed his days in teaching, in Spain. At the same time
Father Stephen White, the distinguished Irish hagiologist,
was also in Spain. \Vere these two great men in the same
college? It is a remarkable coincidence that almost at the
precise period that Father~ Stephen \Vhite, of our Society,
left Spain to become Professor in the new University of Ingoldstadt, Father Andrew left that country to enter the Novitiate on Mount Caesar in Louvain.
We know from experience that Englishmen and Irishme~··
are often not distinguished on the continent ofEurope. "Les
Anglais" often denote either Englishmen or Irishmen, or
even Americans. Les Alll[lais are for Frenchmen and all
French-speaking peoples those who use the English tongue.
Thus Father White, because he spoke English, would be
called an Englishman by them. Some may deem it strange
that we seem to doubt that Father White was an Englishman after having been thus named by so many writers. It is
well for us to remind these that most of the Irish Saints
�jffSSiONARY LABORS.
were once claimed by Scotland until Father Stephen White
and Father Henry fitzsimmons, both of our Society, and
the Franciscans, Ward, Colgan, Fleming, and others, proved
conclusively that Scotia was tlte ancient name if Ireland.
Have we not all heard Burke, Sheridan, and Goldsmith
called Englishmen ?
The writer of the ·foregoing pages does not pretend to
prove that Father \Vhite was a native of Ireland. He merely writes to show forth the reasons why there are some who
still doubt that that Father was an Englishman. If what
has been written will only stir inquiring minds to search out
something of importance in regard to our illustrious missioner's genealogy, and early history, then this article will
not have been written in vain.
MISSIONARY LABORS.
ARLINGTON.-On Feb. 22nd FF. Kavanagh and Heichemer began a mission at Arlington, Mass., which lasted a
week. The Pastor, Fr. Shahan, who had just been transferred from St. James' Church, Boston, wished on assuming
his new parish, to give his people the benefit of a mission.
The Catholics of Arlington though not wealthy are very
generous in supporting their church; and during the exercises showed the most excellent disposition. It is thought
that all availed themselves of the opportunity to approach
the sacraments. The Confessions amounted to 1650 and the
Communions to over 1600.
LEXINGTON.-This is a small towri adjoining Arlington
and contains 500 Catholics. The beautiful new church
remains still unfinished, so that services are held in the
basement. The mission opened on March Ist and continued for five days. ·During the whole time the attendance
both at the morning and evening servic~s was most sati'>
�llfiSSIONARr LABORS.
faB:ory and edifying. During the mission Fr. Kavanagh
was forced to take lodging at the hotel, as there is no resident Pastor at Lexington, the church being attended from
Arlington. Fr. Heichemer kept his old quarters with Fr.
Shahan and drove over every day and returned in the evening. The fruits of the Fathers' labors were very consoling,
the Confessions numbering 700 and the Communions 675,
besides one convert.
NEw YoRK.- St. Paul's, Harlem, N. Y. City, was the
scene of the labors of FF. Campbell and Kavanagh from
March 8th to 22nd. During the first week they were assisted by Fr. George Quin and during the second by Fr.
Harpes. To St. Paul's is attached a very fine parochial
school, and both church and school are in good condition
and are well attended. At the tlose of the exercises, Very
Rev. Fr. Provincial and Fr. Socius took their places in the
confessional, so that when the mission closed all who wished
to confess, had had an opportunity of doing so. The results were very gratifying. Confessions, 3785; Communions 3715, besides four converts.
SANDY HILL, N. Y.-At this place FF. Kavanagh and
Brislan, the latter from New Orleans, began a mission on
the Feast of the Annunciation and continued until April I st.
Sandy Hill is a beautiful little town situated some miles
back from the Hudson, and lies between Fort Edward and
Glen Falls. The number of English speaking Catholic;:s
amount to about 7 50. During the exercises, however, pe~:·
pie crowded in from the country round, in order to attend
the services. Morning after morning large numbers of good
people stood round the door of the church as early as four
o'clock. The sexton used to say that he did not know one
of them. Although the work during this mission was excessively hard, still the eagerness of the people to hear the
word· of God, their faith in the virtue of St. Ignatius' water,
their desire to have obje& blessed and niany other evidences of their piety, amply repaid the mi<>Sionaries for their
�JJIISSIONARY LABORS.
labors. On the ,morning Our Fathers left Sandy Hill over
three hundred C?f the parishioners were at the station, .and
many a fervent ":God bless the Holy Fathers," was heard as
the train moved away.
The Confessions numbered 1599; the Communions 1630.
Three converts ; one under instruCtion.
FAIRPORT, N. Y.-This is a small town lying ten miles
cast of Rochester. FF. Langcakc and Kavanagh gave a
mission there which lasted a week. The Catholic population numbers about 500. Some years ago when Fr. Codyre
was sent there to take charge of this mission, he found a
very old church situated very close to the railroad. To
make matters worse on account of an up-grade two engines
were required for every freight train. Indeed the noise of
the cars was so loud that devotion at the services was next to
impossible. One day while Fr. Codyre was urging his people to contribute for a new church in a more quiet locality,
the puffing of the engine began. To go on in his appeal
was out of the question; so taking out his watch he waited
until the disturbance had ceased. After twenty-five minutes
he was able to proceed. Then, turning to the congregation,
he said,-" if that does not convince you of the necessity of
another place for the House of God, then my words will be
useless." It is needless to say that a new church was begun
immediately.
At the end of the exercises, during which the Catholics
showed themselves in real earnest, the Pastor seemed to
think that every one in his flock had made the mission.
The results were Confessions 630; Communions 630, besides one convert.
RAHWAY, N. J.-From the 17th to the 24th of May FF.
Macdonald and Kavanagh were employed in giving a mission at Rahway, N.J. The zeal of the Pastor is, indeed,
very admirable. He never allows a year to pass without
having a mission for his flock, and every night he says the
beads publicly in his church. No matter what business o<;-
�llfiSSIONARY LABORS.
cupies him during the day he is never absent from this exercise. Our work in the parish of such a good pastor, was,
as may be imagined, very consoling. The people showed
during all the exerr.ises the greatest devotion and piety.
Some months ago Fr. McCosker, the Pastor, meeting one of
our Fathers and speaking of the mission said,-"after other
missions the confessions were very few for some time, but
now I am kept busy until late every Saturday night."
The result of the week's work in Rahway was 810 Confessions and 830 Communions.
PROVIDENCE, R. I.-A mission at St. Patrick's Church
opened on May the 24th. It was given by Fr. McCarthy,
assisted by FF. Macdonald and Kavanagh. Everything attached to the church such as, the reB:ory, the schools, the
Sister's residence, is in exceljent condition, but the church
itself is rather small and poor... The Pastor, although urged
by the Bishop to begin a new church, is unwilling until he
has paid his debts. During the exercises which were well
attended the people manifested great faith and devotion.
From the results it is evident that the labors of our Fathers
were not in vain.
The Confessions amounted to 3025 and the Communions
to 3050; in addition to 6 converts.
The total number of Confessions heard during all the misstons mentioned were 9174. The Communions received
9130. In all 9 were converted to our holy faith.
.- .·
�MEXICO.
Letter
if Fr. Gcntz!e to the members if the Mission if New
Mexico at lVoodstock.
In order to give you an instance of the great faith of our
good Mexicans, and at the same time a pledge of the great
affection I bear you, who are the hope of our Mission, I
take a few moments from my continual occupations to place
before you th~ incidents of a missionary tour in Old Mexico.
On the 2oth of February last I arrived at Las Vegas, N.
M., from Albuquerque, where I had been making the Visitation, and on the 2 I st I was obliged to leave Las Vegas to
give a mission in Sapello. One of the Fathers who were to
give the mission being unable to do it, and I having already
. promised the two Fathers to the Pastor, there was no other
way than to supply the Father's place myself, notwithstanding the many things I had in hand.
Fr. D' Aponte and I started together, but before reaching
the scene of our future labors we parted. Each of us was
to give the missions in different villages of the parish. \Ve
began in those near the mountains, and finished in Sapello
and Los Alamos. Singly we had to do the work of two in
order to finish the mission in the different places in a fortnight. I said Mass at 9.30 A. M., which was followed by an
instruction, and in the evening at 3.30, sermon, the Rosary
and the Way of the Cross. The rest of the time I spent
in hearing confessions and preparing children for their first
Communion. The other Father did the same, and in this
way we gave a few days' mission in every village.
The principal fruit of the mission was the great number
of confessions, a few of which were of persons who for many
years had not approached the sacraments.
On the last day I joined Fr. D'Aponte, and together we
came to Los Alamos, where with the aid of the Pastor, R,ev,
(391)
�,lfEXICO.
392
Fr. Fourchegu, the mission was concluded on the gth of
March. On the evening of the same day we returned to
Las Vegas. During the days of the mission I despatched
the most important part of my correspondence, but still
much was left undone. Hence I expeaed to have a few
days, not of rest, but of change of labor. However, "man
proposes and God disposes."
Since last year we had engagements for several ·missions.
The sickness of Fr. Baldassarre made a change of Fathers
necessary, and hence arose a difficulty in fulfilling our engagements. Among others, I had promised Fr. Borrajo a
mission, or at least the aid of a Father during the last weeks
of Lent. A mission not being possible, a Father had to go
there. Who was to go? I had no one to dispose of. What
was I to do? I wrote to the Fathers of La Y sleta, Tex.,
that one of them should go to the parish of Fr. Borrajo,
and that I would take his place, discharging my own duties
there, and doing his work at the same time.
Having sent these instruaions, I started for La Y sleta on
the night of the I zth of March, and arrived there on the
evening of the I 3th, after a journey of nearly 400 miles by
railroad,. and I 5 by stage. Fr. Borrajo arrived there the
same evening in order to accompany the Father on the next
·day. I was surprised to find that neither of the Fathers at
La Ysleta could go. There was no time for a new arrangement; nor would it do to fail in keeping our promise. It
was, therefore, necessary that I should go with Fr. Borrajo,
which I did, starting on the 14th at 7.30 in the morning.
After travelling a few miles we crossed the Rio Grande~- rtot
without some fear, because it had risen considerably. About
midway on our journey we stopped in a wood where we
rested and took our dinner. \Ve resumed our journey, but
had not proceeded far when we met people on horse-back
who were coming to meet us. The men who were working
at the accquia (I) stopped, and mounting their ponies, followed us. We were about five miles from Guadalupe, Mex.,
a town made up of about a hundred and twenty houses,
Cl)
Drains used for the purpose of irrigation.
�iii EX ICO.
393
when we began to meet small wagons and carriages containing entire families. As we drew nearer the town, people of
all ages and conditions came out to meet us. All from the
very bc::ginning, were wont to approach and kiss our hands.
It was now a large procession. Nearly 200 mounted men
headed the march. About I 5 carriages followed up with a
great multitude of people on foot. As we entered Guadalupe, those who had remained in their homes came out to
the street and saluted us very respectfully-many even did
it kneeling. Having come to the Priest's house I sent all
to their homes, after expressing my gratitude for their warm
rec~ption, and exhorting them to comply with their Easter
duties. It was about 5 P. 111. when we arrived. Shortly
afterwards we went to the church, in which the Way of
the Cross was made. I preached a brief sermon to prepare
the people, calling their attention to the fact thq.t I did not
intend to give a mission (which would take place under
more favorable circumstances), but that I had come merely
to help the Pastor in the confessional. On the following
day, Sunday 15th, having said Mass, I continued hearing
confessions, and preached at the high Mass. In the evening, at 3.30, the \Vay of the Cross was performed, and the
Rosary recited under the direction of Fr. Borrajo. In the
meantime I heard confessions till late in the night. Such
was my daily work till the xgth, the Feast of St. Joseph,
which is a holiday of obligation in Mexico. I was requested
to sing the Mass of the Saint and preach his panegyric.
During those days confessions and communions were very
numerous, the edifying circumstances of which would deserve a goodly share in my letter. One of which I cannot
omit mentioning. It is that of two old men who did not
dispense themselves from coming, in spite of their decrepit
age and a hundred various complaints. So feeble were they
that I feared they would die in the confessional. About
noon the services of the Igth were ended. Immediately
after dinner the Rev. Pastor and I were ready to leave Guadalupe, and directed our steps to St. Ignatius, Mex., a town
of the same parish, about six miles distant. This parish '
�394
llfEXICO.
contains So or more families. · On our departure the crowds
accompanying us exceeded those on our first entrance. It
was very touching to see the grief of the people at our leaving. A good many persons had come early that morning
from St. Ignatius, and together with those of Guadalupe '
they formed a very imposing procession. Those on horseback and in carriages accommodated their pace to those on
foot. It was about 1.30 P. M. when we started. Many from
the town of St. Ignatius were coming to receive us, ardently
desiring to see the poor Jesuit, who for the first time came
to their place where neither Mass had been said, nor sermon preached for many years. They had no church, and
their Pastor, though a very zealous man, had not the faculties to officiate anywhere else. All the people were out of
their houses ; many had come. t,o meet us, and others waited
for us in the streets. The mo~~ of them knelt down as we
passed by. It would be difficult to describe what those
pious people felt within their hearts; because the reception seemed to be more that of a God than of a mere man.
They had cleared the streets beforehand and prepared several triumphal arches at the entrance of the plaga, and had
decorated their doors and windows with whatever they had
in their possession that was precious and valuable. Several
.robust young men walked before us, two by two, carrying
arches covered with sillN!rapery and bedecked with flowers.
Others saluted us with volleys from their fire-arms.
We alighted before the house that was to be our residence,
and walked down to the church. Young girls, dressed. in
white, with wreaths on their heads, strewed flowers in~-our
path, and pious women burnt incense on porcelain plates.
We reached the church, or the place where it is being
built-for as yet there is nothing of it but the walls. A
temporary altar had been ereCted, over which, instead of a
roof, large canvasses were suspended. Over the altar stood
a piEt:ture of our Holy Founder. This piCture was painted
with artless simplicity. We entered, knelt down, and after
a short prayer I spoke a few words to them, thanking them
and praising their faith and devotion, I invited them to as-
�MEXICO.
395
sist at the recital of the Rosary and Stations in the evening
and concluded with a hymn. About an hour and a half afterwards they gathered in the same place. The Rosary was
sung, and the sermon had scarcely commenced, when the
rain began to pour down upon us. I shortened the sermon
and requested them to seek shelter. I began immediately
after to hear confessios in the house in which we lodged,
and continued till late in the night. Beginning again early
next morning. About 9 o'clock there was high Mass in
honor of St. Joseph, with a full chorus of singers and players. The wind and rain, menacing every now and then,
disturbed us during Mass, and especially during the sermon
which came .immediately after Mass. The people gave no
sign of impatience whilst the rain was pouring down upon
them. T~ey remained motionless as if nothing was happening-more desirous of hearing the word of God than of
avoiding the inclemency of the weather. They would have
undergone the trial for a long time, but, of course, I bade
them retire. With difficulty I prevailed upon them to do so.
In the evening at 3.30 o'clook we had the Stations, sermon and hymns. This done, I heard the confessions of the
women till night-fall, and afterwards those of the men till
two o'clock next morning. Next day, Saturday 21st, confessions, etc., as the day before, till after midnight, and Sunday morning confessions again till the hour of Mass, which
was the third arid last day. Mass was followed by a sermon. People might be seen approaching the sacraments,
some of whom had never received them, whilst others had
not done so for many years. . This was not a mission-a
few sermons only; but God has no need of our exertions;
without them He can do wonders.
We started from St. Ignatius, Mex., at one P. M. on Sunday. The whole population, with the exception of a few,
came out of the town to accompany us. After travelling
for about three quarters of an hour we arrived at the outskirts of the town which extends lengthwise for quite a distance. There Fr. Borrajo ordered those on foot to return,
which they did rather rei uB:antly, after receiving a blessing.
�JJfEXICO.
The rest of them, riding and driving, came with us down to
Guadalupe, Mex., where we all went to the church, and after making the Stations and reciting the Rosary, I spoke a
few words of farewell. But I still remained there at the request of Fr. Borrajo till the Feast of the Annunciation.
This was very consoling to the people, many of whom had
nQt had as yet an opportunity to go to confession ; while
others wished to do so again. Thus I continued the other
two days, occupied only with hearing confessions. On the
25th I said early Mass and immediately after heard confessions till the time of high Mass, during which I preached
for the last time.
At 12 o'clock we were prepared to return to the United
States. Fr. Borrajo and all the people insisted on accompanying me, notwithstanding my request to the contrar.y.
The former enthusiasm of the.,people was aroused once
more, and with greater ardor if possible. After a few
miles journey, we sent back the people who accompanied
us on foot; and farther on we sent back the others. Some
twenty, however, of the. horsemen insisted on journeying
with us, and these were, indeed, of great service to us for
the Rio Grande had risen very much, and the ford was not
entirely safe. They, therefore, went in before us, and after
e~ploring a good distance found out where it was not so
dangerous. Still they took great precautions, some going
ahead, whilst others went beside our carriage, and escorted
us across. Thus after a journey of more than thirty miles
without stopping, we arrived safely at our residence in
La Ysleta, Tex. God ga11e me this opportunity to find o~t
what these good people are, in order that I may love to devote myself more and more to their service, according to
the spirit of the Society. With what joy would I withdraw
from the duties that now occupy my attention to. devote
myself to the spiritual welfare of these poor souls.. May
Heaven grant my desire. With this intention pray :for
Yours in Christ,
;
A. M. GENTILE; s. J.
�OBITUARY.
FATHER CLEMENT M.
J.
MICHAELS.
Father Clement M. J. Michaels died on April 26th, 1885,
while in his Third Year of Probation at Florissant, Mo. In
him the Missouri Province has lost a man of great virtue
and of remarkable ability. He had acquired a thorough
knowledge of Philosophy; the hardest problems of mathematics were the recre·ations of his leisure hours; and he
was an experienced professor of Physics and Analytical
Chemistry. Being as industrious as he was talented, he
could never find occupation enough to satisfy his zeal, even
when his Superiors thought him burdened beyond the measure of discretion.
Father Michaels was born January 24th, 1857, of pious
German parents at the small settlement of St. Philip's;near
Evansville, Ind. Raised up in great innocence and simplicity on his parents' farm, he was at eleven years of age sent
to St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky., where he received
the first rudiments of a classical education. After spending
two years there, and devoting one year more to the study
of Latin at his home under the direction of hi!l parish priest,
desiring to consecrate himself to the holy ministry, he entered the Benedictine College of St. Meinrad, Indiana. At
fifteen, he determined to become a religious, and he consulted his confessor on the choice of a religious order. Informed by him of the objects and the chief rules of various
religious institutes, though he had never seen a Jesuit, he
chose the Society of Jesus.
But his widowed mother firmly opposed this choice of her
only son. He had exhausted unceasingly all his store of
arguments to obtain his request, when a strange thought
suddenly flashed upon his mind. "Mother," he said, "I have
only just twelve years more to live; do let me spend them
(397)
(
�FATHER DOMI1\'IC P. COPPENS.
where God calls me." It was a prophecy, as the event has
proved. His mother felt it to be such at the time, and allowed him to depart. On March 31st, 1873, the boy entered
the Novitiate at Florissant. His progress in virtue and learning were uncommonly great. Though so young, he was
soon transferred to the juniorate; next he spent three years
at Woodstock; the!l assisted the professor of Chemistry in
Chicago College, where he soon passed to the chief scene
of his useful labors, St. Mary's College, Kansas. As Professor of Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics, he aroused
wonderful enthusiasm in his pupils to perfeCt: themselves in
all the studies of the College. His excessive labors brought
on hemorrhages and soon developed the seeds of consumption hereditary in his family. He then related the former
prophecy, adding that he had still-two years to live. They
were two years of tedious sufferings borne with exemplary
patience. A short residence at Grand Coteau, La., gave him
temporary relief; but he soon relapsed. He was ordained
in the summer of I 884, that he might have the consolation
of offering the holy Sacrifice. He made his Long Retreat
with uncommon fervor; and after being confined to his bed
for three months, joyfully expired on the Feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph.-R. I. P.
FATHER DomNIC
P.
CoPPENS.
Fr. Coppens was born in Alost, Belgium, on the 14th of_'
June, 1848. At an early age he \vas sent to our college i; . .~
his native town, and after passing through the various classes
was graduated in 1867. At school he always showed that
energy of characrer which afterwards was so useful to him
in the mission. Called to the ecclesiastical state, he entered
the Seminary of Ghent in I 869, and applied himself for
three years to the study of theology. In I 872 he was.ordained priest, and for the next five years we find him acring
as an official in the diocesan seminary. This duty was a
trying one, as all know who have had experience in the
�FATHER DOllii.YIC P. COPPENS.
399
management of youth, and especially of those destined for
the service of the altar, where so much insight into the character of the aspirant is required.
From 1867 to 1879 he was engaged in the diocesan mission of Ghent, when he applied for admission into the Society. He began his noviceship in Frederick on the 21st
of October, 1879. It is needless to say that his life as a
novice was signalized by great fervor, and love for his vocation which was an abiding trial with him. His zeal for souls
was manifested in many ways whilst he remained in the novitiate. For some time he had charge of two of the outlying missions in Frederick County, and very soon endeared
himself to the people under his care.
After his term of probation had ended he united himself
to the Society by the holy vows, and his after career made
known how much he esteemed them and the happiness they
bring. From this epoch of his life until disease called him
away from the field of labor allotted to his zeal, he was connected with our missions in Maryland and in Massachusetts.
It was whilst serving two of the churches in St. Mary's
County that his health began to fail. Change of climate
and work seemed to do some good for a time, but his constitution had been so much shattered, that a cure was impossible. A year ago it was evident that death had marked
him for its own. He was permitted to go to Philadelphia for
treatment, and though everything was done that the science
of medicine or the tender care of a loving brother could
suggest, he did not regain his strength. After a long and
tedious illness, which he bore very patiently, he died in sentiments of great resignation to the will of God, on June 26th.
In the death of Father Coppens the Society has lost an
energetic worker one who gave promise of long years of
toil, one whose zeal for souls and, especially the good of the
colored people under his charge, was remarkable.-R. I. P.
�FATHER CHARLES H. STONESTREET.
FATHER CHARLES
H.
STONESTREET.
· Few deaths in our Province have caused more regret than
that of the subject of this notice. Rarely could we meet
one more generally beloved, more kindly regarded, whose
presence was a blessing, whose life was an example of solid
virtue. In him there was a mingling of the pious and the
genial seldom found. Austere certainly when there was
need of it, he knew how to temper his .dealings with others,
so as not to repel them from the Master's service. Brilliant
in conversation, original in thought, naturally impulsive, if
ever he said the least thing that might hurt a brother, he
was quick to make amends, and this from the heart, since
he esteemed most highly fraternal, charity. The love of his
brethren of the Society was so~gear to him, that he could
not bear to think that he had offended. These qualities
which'shone forth in a life that was illustrated by the virtues we look for in a religious man endeared him to all, and
made his death a matter of general sorrow.
Fr. Stonestreet was born November 21st 1813, in Charles
County, Maryland. At an early age he was sent to a classical school conducted by an able teacher, Mr. Philip Briscoe,
in St. Mary's County, Md. Here the young pupil, according
to- the statement of a fellow school-boy, was a favorite, for
his talents and for his happy disposition of mind. It was in
Georgetown College, however, that he got the perfecting of
his literary education. Here he spent several years, and·
after passing through the various classes with honor wa; •·
graduated in 1833. There was a bright future before him:
his father was already a lawyer in the County, and offered to
his son every inducement to join him in his profession. \Vith
the talents of the young graduate and the fostering care of
a loving father we should have looked forward to a successful and brilliant career. But this world was not .for him;
he felt that he was called away from it, no matter what the
sacrifice. With prayer he made his Election, and though
friends may have dissuaded him, though his kindred may
�FATHER CHARLES H. STONESTREET.
40I
have opposed the step he was taking, he did not look back.
He entered the Society on the 14th of August, 1833. At
Whitemarsh and Frederick he made his noviceship. Under
the guidance of Fr. Fidelis Grivel he soon became a fervent
religious and gre:cttly attached to the Society. In after life
this deep-seated love for his Order was remarkable, and its
success and triumphs were with him a matter of enthusiasm;
its troubles a matter of sincere grie( \Vhen the noviceship
was ended, h.e was sent to Georgetown College to teach and
be prefeCt. But it is not my duty to follow him through
this trying ordeal that was naturally so severe. After the
term of work at the college was completed, he began his
Theological studies and was ordained, July 4th, I843· He
made his fourth year of Theology and was then engaged
in various duties, serving for a year as pastor in Alexandria.
In I 8 51 he was appointed Rector of Georgetown College.
During the year that he had charge of the institution he
showed great taB: in winning the confidence of the students.
In I852 Very Rev. Father Ignatius Brocard died, leaving
the name of Father Joseph Aschwanden as his successor
until Rome should appoint a Provincial. To the great surprise of Father Stonestreet, who little dreamed of so high an.
elevation, Very Rev. Fr. General's choice apointed him to
the office. He made his profession and was proclaimed
Provincial on the same day, the I 5th of August, 18 52. He
• began immediately the great work which his Superiors had
allotted him. The colleges were very flourishing during
his administration. Loyola in Baltimore and St. Joseph's
in Philadelphia, gave promise of success. Holy Cross was
rebuilt and began to prosper. There was also during his
provincialship a notable increase of novices.
It is needless to add that the rule of Fr. Stonestreet was
p~ternal in the right sense of the word ; he corrected when
correction was needed ; he rewarded and encouraged as the
occasion demanded. His instructions and writings whilst
Provincial were full of thought and rich in argument. I
might signalize a circular letter upon obedience to an order
VoL. xrv. No. 3·
26
�402
FATHER CH.~RLES H. STO_\'ESTREET
of Very Rev. Father General. In this instruCtion the newly
appointed Provincial showed himself a master.
In 1858 Fr. Stonestreet and Fr. Burchard Villiger changed
places. As ReB:or of Gonzaga College the former took
great interest in the advancement of the- classes. Congress
was petitioned by the ReB:or and ~'1culty of the old Seminary,
to have that institution chartered as Gonzaga College. This
favor through the influence of Fr. Stonestreet was readily
obtained. The most arduous work, however, was the completing of St. Aloysius Church in I859· Very soon a large
congregation drawn from other parts of the City testified
their appreciation of the new pastor and his co-laborer, Fr.
B. A. Maguire. It was thought at that time that the church
was too far from the centre of population to attraCt:, but the
after success showed that no mistake had been made, and
the eight thousand people who now belong to the congregation are a proof of the prudence of the movement.
In 186 I and I 862 the class of rhetoric and the duty of
prefeCt: of schools in Georgetown occupied the attention of
Fr. Stonestreet. In the latter year he was chosen by the
Provincial Congregation as delegate .to the Congregation of
.Procurators which met in Rome in November. Returning
from this meeting he served in various capacities, as ReB:or
in \.Vashington, as parish priest in several places until 1880,
when he was appointed Spiritual Father at Holy Cross College. -In this office he soon became the trusted adviser of
the community. In spiritual difficulties he knew how to
instruCt: and encourage those who were downcast. Those:
who went to hitn \vere certain of receiving consolation. His... . .·
way of treating the scrupulous was masterly; his advice to
such was to the point and final. All felt thaf hi.s word could
·be trusted, and his counsel safely followed to the letter. The
priests of the diocese, the faithful who came to confession
at the college, the students,-all knew his worth, and availed themselves of his fatherly direCtion.
He had been in bad health for two years, but no one
thought that the disease which first attacked him on the occasion of the Province Jubilee after an eloquent discourse:
�\vould so soon prove f.<tal. His love for the Society was
not equalled by his physical strength. But this love so deep
in his heart and his zeal for our holy Mother the Church
always aroused his enthusiasm, and at the time we speak of
overtaxed his energy. He died on the 3rd of July of this
year. Thus was taken frpm us one whom all respeCted and
loved as a father. He was a man of brilliant humor, an
original thinker, a preacher of no mean powers, as shown
on many occasions, a zealous worker, a friend of the poor
whom he was always ready to receive in the confessional
though with no slight inconvenience to himself. . He was a
fervent religious, a man of prayer, and one whom his spiritual flock could esteem as a true father.-R. I. P.
MR. FREDERICK
E.
TOURTELOT.
The death of Mr. Tourtelot is another proof, if proof be
needed, that it is ever easy and pleasant to die in the Society. On Tuesday July I sth at I I. 45 P. M. after five days
of pain and suffering' he was called and was found ready and
even anxious to go. Hardly had he arrived at West Park
where he was to have spent his vacation, than he began to
spit blood copiously and these hemorrhages were repeated
about every third hour for five days. After the first night
spent in his old novice-home, where he had passed three'
quiet and happy years, he was so weakened by the loss of
blood, that he felt sure our Lord would soon take him to
Himself. Shortly before receiving the last Sacraments he
said to the scholastic who watched at his bed-side. "I do
not want to live any longer, for even if I should survive this
attack, I will be unfit for work." On Sunday, July 12th, he
received the Holy Viaticum with the greatest devotion.
From that time until his death, he frequently requested
those around him not to allow him to give way to impatience·
in his pain. From time to time he asked his attendants to
suggest him some ejaculatory prayers so that he might more
easily keep his mind fixed on Heaven. In these edifying·
�FATHER PA TR JCK J. CLA VEJI/.
dispositions and, conscious almost to the end, Mr. Tourtelot
passed sweetly and quietly away.
No one who had the happiness of knowing him will be
the least surprised at the peace and joy of his death. His
whole life was a constant preparation for the summons of
our Blessed Lord.
Born in Philadelphia oa. IOth I853, at an early age he
moved to Chicago whence at the age of thirteen he was sent
to St. John's College, Fordham. On account of his mother:s death he was obliged to leave college early, but not until a longing to enter the Society had taken deep root in his
soul. For nine years following his departure from Fordham Mr. Tourtclot worked as a clerk to support and educate
his sister. \Vhen in I 876 he saw that he had sufficient
means to leave his sister comfortabfy provided for, he asked
permission to enter the Society an-d- on April 26th I 876 he
was received into St. Joseph's Novitiate, Sault-au-Recollet,
Canada. From his entrance into the Society as a novice to
the day of his death, in all the houses where he lived whether
at West Park, \Voodstock, Loyola College, or Fordham,
Mr. Tourteolt was a model of a good and earnest religious.
All who have ever lived with him can testif)· to the purity
and nobility of his life, his intense love for the Society and
his unwearied charity. Ever thoughtful of those around
him he never tired of trying-to forsee their little wants; no
sacrifice seemed hard, no effort appeared difficult to him
when there was question of aiding others. In fine, we may
hope that it was this charaCteristic of Mr. Tourtelot, his con- :
stant charity, which obtained for him that sweetness and con-~ •·
solation which were his in his last moments in the quiet retreat at Manresa.-R. I. P.
FATHER PATRICK
J.
CLAVEN.
Father Patrick Joseph Claven was born at Rahan, in the
King's County, Ireland. At an early age he. was sent to
Dublin for the purpose of engaging in mercantile pursuits.
�RATHER PATRICK J. CLAVEN.
But he soon saw that God had destined him for a higher
and a holier state of life. He heard an interior voice calling upon him to consecrate himself entirely to the service
of his Creator. He made known his feelings to his parents,
who, like all good Irish parents, desired nothing more ardently than to see their son become a priest. They took
him home, and he resumed his studies at a private school
in the neighborhood. After spending some years at this
school, he entered St. Finian's Seminary, Navan, "where,"
writes one who knew him well, "his sterling piety, gentle
and winning manners, especially his good temper, which nothing could ruffie, endeared him to all. His irreproachable
conduct soon gained him admission among the 'Children of
Mary,' as the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin was there
called. During his stay at St. Finian's he was always remarkable for his fidelity to the rules of the Sodality, and
his zeal for the honor of our Blessed Mother."
In 1875 the late lamented Father Joseph Shea made a
visit to Ireland. On his return to New York he was accompanied by several students who wished to enter our Society. Among these was Mr. Patrick Claven. During his
noviceship, which he made partly at St. Joseph's Sault-auRecollet, Canada, and partly at Manresa, on the Hudson,
Br. Claven endeared himself to all, and was especially admired for his guilelessness of spirit, and singleness of heart.
After his Novitiate Mr. Claven was sent to St. John's College, Fordham, where he was. employed as prefect. From
Fordham he was sent to Louvain, where he studied Philosophy and Theology, and where he was raised to the sublime
dignity of the Priesthood. On his return to America, Father Claven was sent to work in that most fruitful field, the
Gesu Parish, Philadelphia. There he labored with zeal, until, broken down by severe illness, he was obliged to retire
to St. Joseph's Hospital. While at the hospital he proved
himself a good religious by his patience, and the resignation which he showed to the Divine Will. The care and
attention which he received from the good Sisters of St.
Joseph's proved so beneficial that he was enabled to leav~
�4o6
FATHER WILLIAM VANDER HAGAN.
Philadelphia, and proceed to Manresa House, Roehampton,
in England, where, in 1884, he made his Third Year of Probation.
Father Claven died piously in Ireland on the 21st of July,
being in the 39th year of his age.-R. I. P.
FATHER WILLIAM VAN DER HAGAN.
It is with pain, writes one of our Fathers, that I record
the loss of our dear Father William Van Der Hagan so unexpectedly snatched away from us by death. He was a man
loved by all as he was trying to do good to all, especially to
the poor. Of him it can be truly said, that "he became all
things to all men, that he might save all." As a religious
he was exemplary, faithful to his rules, pious, and especially
devout to the most Blessed Sacrarpent. He was giving the
Spiritual Exercises to our community with great fervor, and
had just finished giving the points for the last meditation
of the 7th day, when he was summoned before his God !
He lived and worked with us in this mission for six years,
and his work was successful both in converting Protestants
to our holy faith, and in bringing back to their Christian
duties cold and indifferent Catholics. His memory shall
long be cherished amongst our people.
Fr. Van Der Hagan was accidentally drowned July 26th,
1885, whilst trying to water his horse in the Neosho River.
"His funeral," says one of the newspapers, "was very largely attended, not only by members of the church but also by
a great many others who came to assist at the last sad rites~·.·
of one whom they had held in high esteem and respect.
Father Hayden, of Parsons, conducted the funeral ceremonies aided by the clergy. The procession reached almost
from the church to the cemetery, and the stillness was broken only by the prayers and sobs of the sad cortege.~'
Father Van Der Hagan was a native of Holland, and had
been in America about nine years, having been ordained
priest prior to his arrival in this country. At the time of
hi.s de<lth he was <lbout 42 years of age.-R. I. P.
�VARIA.
ADVERTISEJIIENT.
We regret not being able to furnish some items in theY ARIA respecting our
Colleges. Wr hope that some who take an interest in thi8 matter will ·in future
help us to la,IJ bej(n·e tnrr readers the solid and edifying work that is constantly
going on in our educational houses. We hau Just received another edifying
account of the labors of our Jfissionary bands, and feel sorry th.at it came too
[((fe for this number. Thanks are due several t'<mtributors for interesting
articles received.
As the WoOD:SToeK LETTERS are for private cin·ulation only, they should
twt be. krpt, or left, in tfro.•e parts of our Houses, or Colleges, to which extern.•
may hat'e rrccess.
AURIES\"ILLE, X. Y.-OUR LAllY OF :II.ARTYR:s.-The fir,;( pilgrimage to
this new Ameri<>an shrine of the Blessed Virgin took place on the Feast of the
.\ssumption, the 2-!3d anniversary of the arrival of Father Jogues, Rene Goupil aud their fellow-captives on the spot. Tlw little oratory, which for the
time being takes the place of ~oruething better, bears with its own the inscription of the former shrine of the ~Ji8'ion of the )lartyrs, Xotre Dame de Foye,
167.3, Our Lady of Jfurtyrs, 188.3. A large memorial cross of wood has suitable
historical inscriptions on the panel~ of its pedt>stal, relating to the scores of
Christians of different races put to death there, to the Fathers of the Society
who toiled there for half a centurY, and to the heroic virtues of Catherine
Tegakwita and other neophytes. the pilgrimage had been limited to memhers of St. ,Joseph's, Troy, and St. )fary's, Amsterdam, who wou!tl communicate at the shrine; but manv others came by the regular morning trains. It
was intended not as the finnl inauguration, but simply as the re-entering into
possession of one of its Holy Places on the part of the Society. The demon·
stration, however, outran the utmost limits of expectation. There were 1500
eommunions, and nearly -1000 people present during the two )lasses. The
procession from the station to the chapel was \'ery grand, the sodalities with
their ba<lg<>s and banners, and the priest-; in cassock and surplice. Rev. Fr.
Provincial blesst>d the chapel by delegation from the Rishop, who was ill and
specialh· requested the prayers of the pilgrims; he also said the first ~lass,
after the gospel of which Fr. Langcakc .;poke on the devotion peculiar to the
place-the Stabot J!ater. After a short intermission for lunch, which the
pilgrims had brought with them, HeY. Fr. Wayrich, C. SS. R..preached 011
pilgrimages as aids to faith. .\II lasted four hours.
BELUIU~r.-Four of our Fathers are in charge of the Shrine of our Lady at
Oostacker near Ghent. This pilgrimag<>, so popular in Flanders, owes its
origin to a pious lady, the :Marchioness of Courtebonne, who in lSiO built on
her estate an aquarium Ull(l an artificial grotto, and this in memory of Baron
de Plotho, a very holy man who~e death took place in 1811. The Cure of Oos·
tacker in lHil persuaded the )larchione's to erect in the niche of the grotto
a statue of Onr Lady of Lourdes. In 1Si3 the statue was blessed in presence
of many persons who had come in procession to take part in the ceremony.
Leave was given afterwards for the people of the neighboring parishes to
make visits to the grotto, and many favor" from Our Lady were the consequence. Finally the )larchioness had erected a large church, and this was
opened to the faithful in 18itJ. t'ndoubted miracles have been performed;
exvotos by the hundred linP the walls of the church. Not unfrequently
twentv thousand people make the pilgrimage in a day. The Province of Bel·
gium has charge of the church and several Fathers are engaged in the holy
work.
�VARIA.
BRAZIL.-On the 14th of ~lay, 1873, a mob excited by the Free ~Iasons of
Pernambnco, pillaged our college, desecrated the chapel, and inflicted severe
treatment on the Fathers. On the recei~t of this sad news the Bishop wrote
immediatelv the following letter to theE at hers, and as it has never been published we gl"Ve it to our reatlers:
")Iartyrs of Christ !-I greet you from the bottom of my heart. I give you
my most sincere congratulations. I kiss your feet. You are privileged men,
for ;on have been found worthy to suffer for the name of our Lord Jesus
Chr1st.
•
"It must have been some sin of mine that deprived me of so inestimable a
grace. Pray the Lord to fcrgive m)- sins, and to make me also worthy of the
same grace.
· "Brethren, have you shelter wherein to rest to-night? Come to me, come
to me; you will find in my arms a refuge, and in my· bosom a place to rest
your head. .\.re any of you wounded? 0 glorious blood of martyrs!
Pray for your brother,
FREI YITAL, Bishop of Olinda."
+
Fr. R. )f. Gallanti is translatiu.: into Portuguese Fr. 'Veld's book on the
Suppression of the ~ociety in the Portuguese Dominions.-The college at Ytu
is doing better even this year than last.-The Roman Fathers, who have
charge of the )fission of Brazil, have opened a new college at X ova Friburgo,
about a hundred miles from ltio.
BRct<ES.-Our new Church at Bruges was consecrated and opened about
the end of September. It is a substantial ..Uitice of brick and stone, iu the
Early Pointed style, erected from designs by M. Pavot, and built under the
supervision of Father Yan Derker, who it well-known as a confessor to the
English-spcakini( visitors to Belgium. The church is dedicated to the Sacred
Heart, with St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier as its secondary patrons. It
was in a street, the Rue Es1"1gnole, behind the new church, in a house now
marked F. 15, that St. Ignatius was the guest of a wealthy Spanish merchant
during his three visits to Bruges. St. Franei:< Xavier, it may be also noted,
was chosen by the city of Bruges in l1Jti6 as its protector against the plague,
while our former l'hnrch, now St. '\"alburga's, was the fif't church in Europe
dedicated to the saint. The crowds that visited the new church on the Feast
of St. Ignatius, tmd •luring the solemn octave of the consecration, show that
the thoroughly Catholic population of the Flemish city has lost nothing of its
old devotion to the Founder of the Soeieh· of J esns and to the Apostle of the
Indies.
·
C~LCTTTX.-The number of stmlents attending the College of St. Francis
Xavier in this city, amounted in 18ti.t to lii.t. Of these 270 were Catholics,
138 Protestants, 1~3 Hindoo, 3ti .\rmcnians, 21l )fahometans, !l Parsis, 4 Burmahns, 2 Jews, and 1 Chinese.
CAXADA.-IIis Urace Archbishop Tache has given his college at St. Boniface, )[anitoba, to our Fathers. It is a new building 120xli0 feet, four stories.
high, capable of accommodnting one hundred boarders. This college is on~ .
of the three forming the l'nivcrsity of )Janitoba. Schools opened An,g. 19th. •
The faculty this first year comprises Fr. Lory, Hect.; Fr. Lussier, )lin. and
Proc.; Fr. Drummond, Pr. of Stud. and Discip.; Fr. French, Spir. Father
and Prof.; )DI. O'Bryan, Paquin, Blain, Belli van and a few ecclesiastics.The new House of Stu•lies, ncar Montreal, is now occupied by the theolo~
gians and philosophers from Three !livers and Quehec. There will be twelve
of the former and fifteen of the latter. The house is large and airy, and
healthy, being just outside the cit)· limits--The school burnerl down in Jan·
uarv last at the Indian )Iissiou of Wikwemikonl( i~ about to be built again.Father< F. X. Caisse and Edm. Rnttot were ordainPd Au~ust 30th by Bishop
Fabre in the Gesll, ~Iontreal.-R F. Superior is visiting the Indian )fissions.
-Retreats and )fissions kept a large number of our Fathef' busy during the
vacations.
CHI~ A.-From the latest accounts of the missionaries in China we gather
the following items which give a tolerably- good idea of the two missions in
chll!"ge of our Fatl!ers ;
�VARIA . .
Churches attended by Ours •..............•.....•.....•........•..•.•..••.. 919
Chapels
"
"
......••.....•................•.....••...••.••.. 172
Annexes (stations ?) •.....••.•.•••••••••.••••.•....•..••••••••.•... : ••••••••• 1766
Christians ......................•••••....•••.•..•........••.•.........•...•. 13.5,507
Catechumens ••..•••.•.....................•..............••.•••......•••••.••. 5,487
Baptism of adults in the past year .•...........•...•....••...••.••.••• 1, 749
"
" Christians' children ........•.....................•..•..•• .4,134
"
" pagans' children .....•.........•..••..•....•.............. 25,407
Confirmations ....•.••.........•............••..•...........•...........•..... 5,711
Confessions ...................................•............................ .435,210
Communions ......••.•..•••......•..................••.•••................ .474,579
Extreme Unctions ..........••..•.................................••.•...•... 2,564
)larriages (blessed) ...........•........................•...................... 707
"
revalidated ..•..•........................................••..••.• 183
Boys in Catholic Schools ...........................•.•.....•............. 8,524
Girls ''
''
.................................... .............. 4,370
A Franco-Chinese dictionary, the work chiefly of Fr. Converue, has been
completed. It is an Svo volume of about 1000 pages. It is favorably noticed
by the Canton Gazette. Among the adults baptized are reckoned 240, who
were converted on their death-bed in the hospital of Shanghai. Our Fathers
have built at Mao-ka-tseng, a fine church in honor of St. Francis Xavier. The
church is the gift of a pious Canadian gentleman, )I. Baillarge, who has determined to build,.five churches in honor of the Apostle of the Indies in five
different parts of ihe world.
DEXMARK.-The }'athers of the German Province have taken possession of
three po•ts in this country. The first is in Copenhagen, where they assist the
secular clergy in the ordinary labors of the mmistry. Lately the direction of
a superior school, attended by the children of the best Catholic families; has
been confided to them. The second residence is at Aarhus, the capital of
.Jutland, and the most important seaport in the kingdom. Fnder the care of
Ours the Catholic population has increased from tll'o souls in 1873 to about
400 at the present time. There is a parochial school with about 70 pupils attached to the church. The third house, a college, is at Ordrupshoj, within
about six miles of Copenhagen, and occupies one of the most picturesque sites
in Denmark. The pupils, a fifth of whom is Protestant, number about 70.
Their literary training is not surpassed by any of the Protestant schools, and
is equaled by but one. The good reputation enjoyed by the school bids fair
to increase the number in a short time.-Jer~ey Letters.
DETROIT COLLEGE.-To-rlav will be remarkable in the historv of the .Jesuits of this city. The colleghite department of their ~chool was' to-day separated from the academic department, and the classes in philosophy, rhetoric,
poetry and humanity, the studies whi<>h constitute the collegiate course, will
henceforth be conducted in a separate building, on the north side of .Jefferson
avenue and immediately opposite the old college. In the new house, which
was originally a portion of the )foran estate, and was purchased for $13,750;
there will be five class rooms in constant use, with additional rooms for science and chemistry classes. A room has been set apart for the purposes of a
museum, which is now being formed in connection with the college. The
Fathers appeal to the public generally for contributions of' specimens for the
museum. A few minerals, some agates and a few old coins have already been
donated. Presents of curiosities will be duly acknowledged. Sixty students
will immediately go into the new quarters, and 200 juniors will remain in the
old building until they have passed the academic course.-Recent Paper.
EGYPT.-The Coptic college of the Holy Family at Cairo contained during
the past year 140 students, of whom about half are Catholics, 30 schismatics
(Copts). some :lO .Jews and 7 or S ;\Iahometans. They follow the ordinary
classical course and study French and Arabic besides. When they wish to
prosecute their studies further or prepare for the priesthood, they go to Beyrout in Syria. The number of Catholic Copts in Egypt is about 7,000.
ENGLISH PI\OYINCE.-Changes in the'Status: Father Isaac Moore goes to
Univ. College, Dublin. Fr. Reg. Colley is Rector of Stony hurst, Fr. Eyre
�410
VARIA.
is spiritual Father at St. Beuno's. Fr. Homyold ha.< gone to )Jalta.
Rigby and Ed. Sidgreaves to Demarara.
Frs.
EXGLA~D'S )IARTYR>l.-In our la.~t issue, •ay the Letters and Notices, we
drew attention to the very long time the Promoter of the Faith had taken in
drawing up his animadversions on the cause of the English Martyrs. 'Ve are
happy to be able now to state that those animadversions have been finished
and returned to the Postulators, in fact that the cau<e has advanced a great
step forward. X or does this progress merely consist in the important preliminaries which have thus been settled, but the very nature of the objections
made also gives us the greatest hopes of our being soon permitted to salute
our )lartyrs as Y enerable.
Perhaps the most remarkable point in the Promoter's animadversions is the
very large number who have been allowed to pass altogether unchallenged.
Thus out of 3,';3 names on the list, 273 are in no way objected to, and this lat·
ter number ineludes well-nigh all the greatest names, mch as those of Cardinal Fisher, of Sir Thomas )lore, Father Campion, Father Southwell, Father
Walpole, Prior Houghton and his companions, Philip Earl of Arundel, )[argaret Clitherow and Archbishop Plunkett.
GER:\IA~ )fls,;ros.-The new church of Om·s in Buttalo, St. )lichael's, is a
grand edifice; it is nearly finished am\ has no deht npon it.-The college in
Buffalo is remarkably successful.-Fr. l'otgeiser is preparin.>.r his sermons for
publication.
of
GER)IAN PRO\'IXCK-The philosophers
Castle Blyenbeck, in Holland,
have exchanged homes with the novices oi Exaeten. Fr. Yictor Frins, late
Professor of :\[oral Theology at Ditton Hall; has beeome one of the writers
for the Stimmen aus Jiaria-Laach. The present editor of this periodical, in
place of Fr. Gerard Schneeman, is Fr..Tame' Faeh, late Rector of the College of Feldkirk.
HAYAXA.-The excellent work, entitled, "Apuntes relativos a los huracanes
de las Antillas," uf Fr. Vines, S. J., the well-known director of the observatorv attached to the "colegio de Belen," was tran~lated bv Lieut. Dver, and
recently issued by the Hydrographic office. Some of Its many valuable
points were mentioned in a late number of Sciente, in which the results of Fr.
Vines met with a due recognition of their merit. The concluding remarks of
the review are: "It is well that the excellent work done b,· Yiiies is thus in
part brought before our naval officers; for, although it is some years since his
con<;_lusions were translated in Ferrel's "1Ieteorological Researches fur the Use
of the Coast Pilot in the Coast-Survey Report, we fear that some of our lieutenants h:we fi1iled to read them." '
HoNJJliRA>l.-The Feast of St. Ignatius has never before been celebrated
here with such complete success as it has this yl'ar. Among the gentlemen
who visited the Fathers on that day were the Honorable Colonial Secretary,
and the Consul• of Spain and Guatemala.
.;
INJJIA.-St. Francis Xavier's College in charge of the German Fathers ha.•
1000 stndents. They have 'I college and some tlourishing missions for the
natives in the island of Salsette, ten miles from Bombay.-The College of
Goa, founded by St. Francis Xavieri had in its palmiest days 3000 students
and 88 Fathers as professors.-By a etter from Trichinopoly we see that our
college is doing remarkably well. There were over :500 pagans attending the
classes last year.
IXSTR!i)IEXTS OF TOHT!iRE.-Some of the instruments of torture employed
during the reign of Queen Elizabeth are dailv exhibited in the Tower of London. It is hard to look upon the thumb-screw, the scav~nger's daughter, and
the axe and block, without being deeply moved to pity for our sutiering
Fathers of the Penal days.
IRISH )[I~HIOX.-ln 159.), the Irish :\fis•ion seems to ha,·e ceased for a season, for what reason I cannot tell. Dr. Oliver thinks i~ never entirely ceased,~
.·
�VARIA.
ipi
and his opinion is borne out by the well weighed words which Father Young
wrote to his Father General in 1661 :-The Irish ::llission is one of the oldest
European ::llissions of the Society. It was founded by St. Ignatius, was carried on by Fr. Lainez, was much increased by St. Francis Borgia, and was
specially beloved by F. Aquaviva.
·
LoUVAI~.-We are glad to see that Fr. Joseph Corluy, the distinguished
Professor of Sacred Scripture at Lou vain, is appreciated in this country. One
of the reviews of his new work, Spicilegium Dogmatico·Biblicum, says: "Fr.
Corluy is a man well versed in the Semitic toUI,'lJe,, as well as the Greek and
modern languages, a man the business of whose whole life has been the study
of the scriptures and all therewith connected. ,y e hope to see his work rapidly spread among professors and students in the rnited States."
MADAGASCAR.-In the ab,;ence of our Fathers from the four churches in
the capital, Antananarh·o, and the stations of the interior, their place is supplied, as far as it can be by laymen, by the members of a confraternity, the
(Catholic L"nion), established before the expulsion of Ours. The members of
this confraternity, cho•en from the most exemplary and best instructed natives, visit the different Catholic centres, direct the schools, assemble the congregations for prayer, instruction and exhortation, and report every week on
the work done to a central committee in the capital. The director Is a native
Christian Brother. The whole work is under the protection of a native princess, daughter of the Prime ::llinister. Six native Sisters conduct a school for
girls at Antananarivo. Their difticultie>, financial and spiritual, are very
great, having been for two years alren<ly deprived of direction and the sacraments. Yet their courage is equal to their trials. ''Oh, if they could only
have an American, who would be perfeetly free from hostility on the part of
the government!" The French officials, even when well disposed, are wary
of extending any protection or encouragement, through fc>ar of exciting the
hostility or resentment of the home govormnent.
UANILA.-For want of room our Fathers have been obliged to refuse several students at the Atheneum and Xormal School at ::l[anila. The number
of students at present under our Fathers in these schools is six hundred and
.seventy.
::11Ao-KA-TSE~G.-The seminary at ~lao-ka-tseng counts at present 20 seminarians. They are all quite youthful, the most advance<! in age being 18
years, and the youngest 12.
.HISSOURI.-Fr. ::llichael Dowliug has been made Rector of Creighton College, Omaha, Xeb.-Fr. John Frieden of Detroit College, ::llich.-A new villa
about thirty-five miles south of !llilwaukee on the C. .\1. & St. P. R. R. was
purchased last June by Rev. Fr. Provincial to serve in future' as a vacation
resort for the scholastics of all the colleges in the )lissouri Province. It is
situated ou Beulah Island and lies in the heart of a large, breezy and beautiful lake, well stocked with fish and easy of aece,s. Prior to its transfer to
Ours it was a popular summcriuo- place for the people of those parts. The
entire forty acres of the island, the spacious and recently constmcted hotel
with its complete appointments, as well as a numerous water craft, were included in the sale and will aftord, as the experience of last vacation can more than
testify, every desirable means of healthy and plea:mnt relaxation.-The basement of our new church in St. Louis is finished.-St. Frnncis' Institution at
. Osage Mission, Kansas, had 172 pupils last year.
NECROLO!iY
OF
THOSE
WHO
DIED
IN THE ~OC!ETY Vl'IUNG THE
YEAR 1884.
1. Number of Fathers, 108; of Scholastirs, 31; of Brothers, 51.-Total 190.
2. Average age, 52 years.
3. Ratio of those above 60, I< in 11.
4. Number of those above .'iO years in the Society, 24 .
• Province~ where mo~t <.lied in proportion to the respective number of
1.
subjects in each Province :Portugal-died:; out of 151. Champagne-uicd 11 out of JG;J. .:-;ew Orleans :Miss.-died 3 out of 151. Where fewest died ;-Ireland-died 2 out of
227. Aragon-died 11 out of 809,
�412
VARIA.
XETIIERL.\XDS.-In the official account of their missions, the Dtltch Prot"
estant mi'"ionaries bear a reluctant, hut to us a gratifying testimony to the
zeal, charity and efficiency of the Roman Catholic mi"ionuries. They serve
without salaries with as much alaerity as when paid, and those who are paid
by the government cheerfully share their pittance with others whose only
hope of snbsistance is in the Provi<lcnt·e of God. The good done by Ours
among the soldiery is incalculable. One Father has jn't been named Knight
of the order of the "Lion of the Xetherland~," for his tlistinguished services
rendered during the military operations at Atjeh.~la•ey Letters.
XEW LIFE OF FATHER .Tota·Es.-:\[r..John Gilmarv Shea has translatetl
the Fr. )lartin's excellent life of Fr..Jogues, which eontains the martyr's own
account of his companion, Rene Goupil, and pre,entctl it to the new shrine of
Our Lady of :\[artyrs. Adtlitional interest is attached to the work, as Rome,
in answer to the petition of the late Plenary Council of Baltimore, ha• or·
dered that the preliminary process in the Cause of Beatification of these two
servants of God, along with that of Catherine Tegakwita, the Iroquois virgin,
be at once begun. Fr. de Augustinis abo beal">l to the Holy Father new }Jetitions of 12 Canadian bishops, and of 31 Indian nation' in 2li different lan·
guages. The book, l2nio, :!.)()pages, is now out. ( htl">l are requested, for ohvious reasons, to onler their copies from Itev. R. S. llewey, "'oodstock.
~EW ORLEAXS.-.\ll the colleges are doing well.
in Galveston is quite successful.
The new establishment
.PAR!s.-The Province of Paris is ,-ending :!tf .Jesuits to China. Ten left on
August the 30th, and the remainder on Sept":' ,;th. It is also sentling one to
the Zambesi ~Iission and three to the I:nckv :\[ountains.-Fr. Clair's A'8ocia.
tion of young Artists is in a prosperous condition. It is cmupo,-ed of painters,
scnlptol">l, engravers, etc. These meet togethl·r at the Hue des Senes.-Fr.
Truck preached the "~Ionth of :\[ary" at X. D. des Yietoires with great success. Fr. Labros;e writes that the Fif't Communion ceremonies at Yangirard were very beautiful. Among the dh•tinguisln•d}ief'ons present were the
Duke de Xemouf', the Dnke tl' Alen~on, whose son made his First Communion on the occa,ion; ('ent•ral de l'ools, :\[.de lladgnan antl others. Father
Cara of the Cit·iltri is at Paris to stmly up the lat<'St advances made in Assyrian and Egyptian lore.
PORTl'GAL.-Fr. Radiuuaker, who <lied on the 6th of July last, was one of
the lJ.est known Fathers of the Province of Portugal. It was he who re-established the Jesuits after they had been driven out in 1~:;:;. The province is
no'v tloing very well. It has thb Yt'nl' eontnlciwetl a ~chola!"ticnte in Setubal,
not fiu from Lishmi, where 10 philosophef' begin tlwir studie,-. Let us hope
that Setubal n1ay ~oon heeorne the worthy sneee:-;:o:or of Cointbra, a ru:unc ~o
familiar to every J e,-uit.
Rmm.-The Fathers of the Civiltti have enlarge< I their re,-itlenee at Home
hy the purchase of a new house.
..SPAIX.-The old college of the Society fouutletl hy St. }'rancis Borgia at
Gandia is an immense building, which unhappily is falling into ruins. The
Lazarists makt• use of it as a charitahle institution. The chapel if' grand. The
inner court of the l'Ollege is surrounded by a gallery supporte<l by columns
of white marble, which represent in tableaux the life of St. Ignatius.-Father
Zarandona died at Madrid a year or two ago. "'hen he was seen in the
streets, he was the admiration of l'\'eryhody. He had a breviary incensed by
St. Francis Borgia, a very smallmi"'al which B. Peter Faber made nse of on
his journevs, the meditation book of ::it. Francis Xader, and an autograph
letter of St. Teresa. Fr. Provincial in Madrid has a large collection of un·
published letters of St. Frnnci . Borgia. B. Charles Spinola, Fathers Laynez,
..,
Huarez, llellurmine, and llalta,-ar Ah-arcr., together with some precious relics
of the la,-t·mentione<l.-Whit-~Iontlay was a great day in Loyola, perhaps the
greatest since the re-establi>hment of the Societr. There was a solemn Triduum beginning on the Feast of Penteco,;t. Pontifical High :\lass was celebrated by the Bishop of the diocese. Sermon each day in the morning in
.·
I
l'
�VARIA.
Spanish and in the evening in llasq ue. The governor of the province assisted,
and deputations from nearly all the towns in the Basque provinces, and on
Monday evening (the :!6th) the ceremony of laying the first stone, for the
continuation of the left wing of the building, took place. .:\!any changes had
taken place in ~pain sinee the lmilding wa' discontinued. One hundred and
eighteen years have rolle<l by. The Snciety had been suppressed, and it had
arisen, and it is now about to sPe a work, raised in honor of St. Ignatius and
dear to every .Jesuit'; heart, completed.-The buildings have remained in
their unfinished condition since the year 17ti7, when by an edict of Charles
III, the Jesuits were all drinn out of the ~ptmish dominions. Although it
has so long lain exposed to the tain and snow, with the walls scarce twenty
feet high, still on aecount of the solidity of the material used, it has suffered
comparatively little, so that not much of the old work had to be removed be·
fore beginning again to buil<l. The new wing (or left front) will correspond
with the right wing and will be :!OS feet long and between 60 and 70 high,
and will cost about WO,OUO dollars.-The present block of buildings which
contain tht> Santo Ca.·m which remained intact, was begun in :February, 1682,
bv Fontana, then one of the first architects in Spain, hut owing to various
circumstances the work adntnee.t ,·ery slowly, aiH! scarcely more than one
half the original plan was completed in 1 <li< .-Since the restoration of the So·
ciety many attempts were made to complete the wo•·k, but each time, owing to
the unsettled state of the country anrl. other causes, the work had to be aban·
do ned. f n l.Sti.S the stones wert• already prepared and ready to begin the
work, when the ~ociety was su<ldenly expelled from Spain, and was only al·
lowed to return after l.J yean< of exile.-l.et us fervently pray that at last the
work may he successfully completed, and that. no sudden political change
mav again interrupt a work whieh cannot but he dear to St. Ignatins.-The
BaSques are a brave, .~enerous people, thorough, practJCal Catholics, and glory
in having given to the Society its foun<ler and so many <listinguished mem·
bers. They are all <leYoted to St. Ignatius, who is the patron of Guipuscoa,
and their darling soldier saint. They do not look upon Loyola as a mere
house for religion, a simple novitiate of the Society of .Jesus; it is for them a
national monument of whit•h the humblest peasant is proud. When the bill
allowing this completion received the royal signature, crowds from the neigh·
boring towns flocked to Loyola to ,;oin in the 'l'e Deum in thanksgiving. Az·
peitia (in which pnri;h Loyola i.~ situated) celebrated the happy event with
fireworks, and the nevt•r omitted national pastime, the hull tight. But the
good inhabitants di<l not contin<' their joy to mere words an<l amusements, but
Het to work to give their sentiments a practical turu, and lilr weeks bamls of
from 40 to 100 men were seen lmsy in the numerous quaries around, getting
out and cutting enormous bloeks of marble. HulHlre<ls were willing to show
their devotion to their patron saint by working a week or a fortnight gratis.
The new wing will like all the building he of <lark grey marble, which is
very plentiful in the neighborhood. The hardness of the stone and the ditli·
culty of using machinery will render the huiltling fitr more expensive than it·
would be otherwise. The Basque provinces have subscribed very generously.
Collections were ma<le in nearly all the parishes, and already a very large
sum has been realized. It is hoped that in a year or two the building will be
completed and that monument so long desirerl. will at last adorn the beautiful
valley where the hero of Pampa] una spent his childhood, and where the grand
work he commenced still continues, the ti>rmation of companions of .Jesus and
of laborers.- The colleges at Comillas and Bclboa will soon be finished. The
novitiate in Castile is too small for the large number of novices received this
year. )!any of the Spanish no,·ices and juniors are in preparation for old
Mexico, as the gover1~ment does not ol\ject to Spanish .Jesuits.
SYRIA.-The library of the University of Deyrout has been enriched by the
addition of about 60 manuscripts of .\.rabic works. They were collected in
the various libraries an<! mosques of"Damascus by Fr. Cheiko of the Univer·
sity. A native'" knowle<lge of the language and manners of the people, to·
gether with European gold, opened to his gaze and purse works which might
otherwise have remaine<l concealed.-Fr. Angeli!, the director of the schools
in the Lebanon, is being kept busy trying to find means to satisfy all the calls
which are being made upon him for men and money. The number of chi!·
dren is on the increase-the schools already open, and the amount of good
�!.
•
VARIA.
being done in them is incalculable. At the least, the children's faith is saved
from shipwreck, since they are cut off from contact with Protestantism. ·with
more means it would be possible to multiply the good inrlefinitely.-Re.lations
d'Orient.
SYDNEY.~';T. IGNAT!t:S COLLEGE, U!\"ER\"IEW.-The students of this college come from )felbourne, Sewcastle, Ro<'khampton, Soulburnt, Tasmania,
)Iaurice au•i Port Darwin. Some have to spend three weeks on sea in coming
to the college; for example, those who come from Port Darwin. Of course,
Sydney sends the greatest number of students.
TROY, X. Y.-There was a grand reception of young men into the Sodality
of our Bles"•rl Lath· on )fav :31st. The Fathers have everY reason to be
pleased with the result of their labors in enrolling so mady under the banner
of our )!other. Yery He,-. Fr. Provincial preached on the occasion. The
ceremonies were enlivened by excellent 'in.!!ing with orchestral accompaniment.
""yo~IING TERRITORY.-The German Fathers have given up their Mission
in Lander City. Durin,g their stay much ,good was <lone for the white settlers
and for the soldiers.
Z.UIBE>il )Ils~ION.-Before returning to his difficult but dear African mission Fr. CroonenbPrghs, who had come to Europe in the interests of the mission, wished to thank the generous Catholic:; of Belgium who had so nobly
assisted the first apostles of the Zambesi. In the Xovember and December
numbers of the Precis Hi-~t'>riques of Bru;c.;e}s, he publi;hes an interesting relation of the labors of nnr Father,: in that mission. It forms a complete history of the mh;:o;ions for the pa><t two years 18<".'l and 1884, and serves as a
continuation of the histor.v of the Zambesi already published in the same review from 1878 to 1:,\S:l.-Fr. Croonenherghs speak,: with feeling of the ten
Fathers and five Brothers who, in the short space of five or six years have
already sacrifiel'd their lives in trying to establish the mission. His naration
is divided into two parts. First the Upper Zambesi with its stations Panda)fatenka, Tete anti Gubuluway•>; he speaks of his friendly relations with
King Ln Bengnla, a name that has beeome quite familiar to the readers of the
letters from the Zambesi. His Jllt\jesty is always very friendly, but cautiously enquires if tht• Father who is going to or coming from the Cape has
any political ~ission. Being reassured that the mission i_s !n no ~my a political agent, he 1s at once at ea~e, nnd onlv tl-"'ks for :-:orne trlfhng g1ft, such as a
speaking parrot, a pockethandkerchisf or any other present worthy of his
royal acc.eptance. And to tell the 'trnth, his majesty is not very particular.
Some few kitchen utensils would he nry acceptable. Father Croonenberghs
begins the second part of hJS narration with a most pardonable, and we would
say, nece;;ary digres;ion, and pays a tribute to the memory of the Portuguese
Fathers who labored on the mission of the Lower Zambesi from 1610, when
the work was begun, to 175H, when the Fathers were drag,ged back to Lisbon •
and cast into prison. Fr. Croonenberghs gives many interesting details about- .
the three stations of .\Iopee, Quilimane and Tete. Let us hope that the mis- •
sion so long ago watered by the blood of a Gonzales and de Sylveira may soon
bring forth its fruit.- It is said Fr. Croonenberghs is ~omin.g to the U. States
for the interests of the mis;ion.-A new post, Zombo, once occupied by the
missionaries of the old :Society, has been handed over to Ours by the Portuguese government, whieh also gives a sttlary of :lOO dollars to the Priest in
charge. Lo Bengula has given permission fnr five years for the establishment
of schonls in his dominions.-A new house has been opened in a very eligible
site at Tseni-Tseni among the Batlapines, a Betchuana tribe ofthe Transvaal.
It will be at least mluable as a resting place for travelers going to the Upper
Zambesi. At Duubrody the Scholastics•already number 15, of whom 13 are
studying philosophy in the 1st and 2nd years. A translation of a Cafro-Portuguese dictionary, undertaken by some of the Fathers will be finished by
Christmas.-Fr. Courtois contemplates writing a Caffre grammar.-Jersey
Letters.
'4
�T'ARIA.
HoME NEws.-The Ordinations to the Priesthood took place at Woodstock
on Saturday, the 29th of .\ugust. Twenty-two were ordained. Province of
Uaryland-Kew York :-Rev. Patrick Quill, Henry T. B. Tarr, Patrick J. Dooley, Jeremiah F. X. Coleman, 'Vm. P. Brett, Joseph H. Richards, )fichael
C. Dolan, )Iichael J. Hughes, .fohn F. X. O'C'onor, .Joseph J. Himmelheber.
-Province of )Iissouri :-Rev. Ferdinand .L Moeller, Herman )feiners, Edward J. Gleeson, John C. Kelly, Simon.\.. Blackmore.-)Iission of New Orleans :-Rev. Xicholas J. Davis, Joseph Stritch, Bernard J. )fagnire.-:Mission of Kew )Iexico :-Rev. Vincent A. Testamento, .Uphonsus M. :Mandalari.-California )lission :-Rev. )Iichael G. Shallo.-Rev. John Whitney
was or<lained at Spring Hill, Ala., and Rev .•T. P. Lezzi at Denver, Col. Both
of these Fathers made their studies at "'oodstock.-Fr. Brandi replaces, for
the present, Father de A ugustinis, as Professor of )lorning Dogma ; Father
Holaind teaches Ethics; Fr. Heinzle ~I eta physics of the 2nd year; Fr. John
Verdin is now Spiritual Father in place of Father )forgan, who is Superior
of St. Joseph's, Phila.-Fr. Sestini has g-one to the Gesil, Phila.; Father
Dewey edits the Jiessenger.
OuR CoLLEGil')l .'IIAXIMDI.-A fitting celebration in honor of the official
announcement that the College of the Sacred Heart, "'oodstock, had been
declared our Colle_qiutn Maximum, took place here on September the 8th. A
literary entertainment was given by the Scholastics on the occasion. Appropriate pieces were read hy )fr. T. "'alsh, ~fr. C. ~Iacksey, Ur. J. Fagan and
)fr. E. :1.Iagevney. Rev . .J. Ziegler read the Introduction, and )fr. P. Casey
sang-"The King's Champion" (words by Mr. A. O'Malley).-Very Rev. Fr.
Provincial ended the proceedings by some remarks suitable to the event.
Among the Fathers present were-Uev .•James A. Doonan, Rector of Georgetown College; Uev. John A. ~!organ, Superior of St. Joseph's, Philadelphia;
Rev. Edward A . .'IIcGurk, Rector of Gonzaga College, Washington; Rev. Stephen A. Kelly, Pastor of Trinity Church, lleorgetQwn; Rev. Dennis O'Kane,
Superior of Alexandria; Hev ..James Perron, Instructor of 'l'ertians at Frederick; Rev. "'illimn Francis Clarke of Lovola, Baltimore, and Rev. Edward
I. Devitt, of Georgetown College.-"' e shafl append here a list of some of the
works published by the Rev. Professors of Woodstock College:De Religione et Ecclesia-By :Fr. Camillus 1\fa:r.zella.
De Deo Creante-Bv the same.
De Virtutibus Infu.<is-By the same.
De Gratiu Christi-By the same.
De Re Sacramentoria.; 2 vols.-By Fr.•Emilins De .\ugustinis.
De Deo Uno-Bv the same.
.
Compendium Tlieologire Jioralilr--By :Fr. Aloysius Sabetti.
De Tempore Sepulturre Christi-By Fr. Francis X. Jovino.
Logicre Generalis Institntiones--By Fr. B. A. Schiffini.
S. Thomre, Tructatus De Homine-By the same.
S. Thomre, Tractatus "De Jfotu Hominis In Dewn..!.By the same.
De Facultatibus Ani?n<e-By Fr. Joseph l\I. Piccirelli.
Summa Logicre S. Thomce et De Fallaciis-By Fr. Aloysius X. Valente.
Principles of Cosmography-By Fr. Benedict Sestini. ·
A·nimal Physics-By the same.
Elements of Theoretiral J[eclwnics and Manuul of Geometrical
An<~ lysis-
By the same.
Tr·ue Faith of Our Forefathers-By a Professor.
"Our Examining Chaplain"- By the same.
Several books have been translated here, and the Rev. Professors have at
various times contributed historical, doctrinal, and scientific articles to the
leading Catholic Reviews and i\Iagazines of the country.
�Our Colleges in the United States, 1884-5
---- ----f--
~~~---------------------~-
PLACE
NAME
PROVINCE
Baltimore, Md ..... 'Loyola College* ....
Boston, l\lass .•..... Boston College* .... ,
Buffalo, N. Y ...... Canisius College ... 1
Chicngo, Ill ........ 'St. I~natius Coli.* .. !
Cincinnati. Ohio ... 'St. Xavier College* I
Detroit, Mich ...... 1
Detroit College* ....
Fordham, N.Y ... 1St.•John's College.. :
Galveston, Tex .... ·St.l\lary's Univ.* ...
Georgetown, D. C. Georgetown College'
Grand Coteau. La .. ,St. Charlett- .College:
Jersey City, N.J... ,st. Peter's College*[
Las Vegas, N . .M ..• Las Vegas College .. I
Milwaukee, Wis ... 1
Marquette College*]
Morrison, Colo..... :Sacred Heart CoiL*.
New York, N.Y... 1St. Francis X. Coll.*l
New Orleans, La ... rmm. Concep. Coli.*.
Omaha, Nebraska .. 1Creighton Uollege* 1
Prairie du Chien,'
:
Wisconsin .... -~Col!. Sacred Heart.. :
Santa Clara, Cal. .. Santa Clara College
San Francisco, Cal. ,St. Ignatius Coli.* ..
St. Louis, l\Io ...... [St. Louis University
_St. !Iary's, Kansas.[St. Mary's College..
Spring Hill, Ala .... ,St.•Joseph's College
Washington, D. C.. f Gonzaga College* ..
Worcester, Mass ..• :Coll.ofthe H'yCross:
't
I
1rld. N.Y.
!ld. N.Y.
German;r
Missouri
134
264
289
306
263
227
19
11
3
7
Md.N. Y.
N.O. Miss.
1\ld.N. Y.
N. 0.1\liss.
1\ld. N.Y.
Naples
l\lissouri
Naples
Md.N. Y.
N.O.Miss.
283
Mi~souri
199
Germany
Turin
115 I
259:
7571 2
337 i 1
285! 4
141 I 10
138
163: 25
"
Missouri
"
N. 0. Miss.
1\ld.N. Y.
"
100
216
102
9
14
127
249
151
24
382
364
11
5
*Day College
~-
Students, total number, ••••.. 1883-4, 5612
"
"
"
•••.•. 1884-5, 5915
Graduates, A. B. ............. 1883-4, 102
"
" ............. 1884-5, 121
Increase of students inN. Y.l\ld ....... 49
.:
�C 0 NT EN T S 0 F V 0 L. X I V.
Page
Canada,-Some Chapters of Jesuit History...........................................
1
"
The Old Forges on the St. Maurice......................................... 86
Letter of Fr. Specht ........•..................•........•...............•.•...... 177
Fire at 'Vikwemikong ....................................•.............•...... 268
llissouri,-St. Louis University-Post-Graduate Course.......................... 80
"
The First Mission from ~Iaryland ..............•...•••..............•••• 305
Letter from St. Stanislaus' Novitiate .................................... 3V\
Life of Father Thomas Copley ........................................•......•........ 29, 197
Newtown Manor and Church,-Historical Points................................. 61
Recollections ..............•.................•.................•..•.......................... 82, 26-!
Apostolic Schools ........•......•••..........................•.........••.•.•........•... :..... 88
St. Mary's Church and Residence, Alexandria, Ya .................•......... 97, 24~
~Iissionary Labors ........•................................•••••........................• 113, 387
Tercentenary Celebration of the :,!odality .....................••.•.•.................. 14fl
British Guiana,-Letter of Fr. .ltloura ................................................... 186
Central America,-~Iissions of the 8ociety .....................................•.••••• 189
Old Letter of Fr. Ferdinand Farmer ..............................•.•..•••............. 196
Missionary Labors of the Novices, ~Ianresa, N. ¥ ................................. 22-i
Kansas,-Letter of Fr. Ponziglione .....•••.... .-..•.•............•.•..•....•...•...•.•••• 230
"
A Short History of Osage County.......................................... 22
Very Reve Father General in Retirement ............................................. 257
Louisiana,-A Short Account of the Society in New Orleans •..••.•••.......•• 317
"
Letter from St. Charles Colleg-e, Grand Coteau ..•................• 32i
The Martyrdom of FF. Brebroufand L'Alemant .............................•••••• 331
Syria,-Letter from Mr. Jos. Noory, St. Joseph's University, Beyrouth ... 340
England,-Letter from Brother Foley ................................................... 34~.
Bohemia,-Cecil County, 1\Id .............................................................. 347
Pennsylvania-Letter from St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia .........•.••.. 35.S
A Sketch of St. Mary's Citv, the Ancient Capital of Maryland ............... 3611
California,-Letter from l\Ir. Woods, Santa Clara College ....................... 371
Chaplains During the Civil War of 1861.. ............................................. 375
New Jersey.-A Brief History of St. Peter's Church and College ...........• 381
What was Fr. Andrew White's Nationality? ...........•••........................... 384
Mexico,-Letter of Fr. Gentile ............................................................ 39!
OB!TUARY:-
N:.· J::;~~iM~h::.~~~.'.t.:::::::::::::.:·.·:::.:·::::.:·:.·::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ~~i
Fr. Francis Becker .................•..•.............•......................................
13~
~~: ~~~: ~~lfx 1i:h~t;·:::.:·.·:.".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".~·."."."."."."."."."."."."."." .".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".".·.·.::::::: ~~~
0
Br. Patrick Tracv ............................................................ : ............... 26!•
Fr. Antoine Braun ...........................................................•.•............ 270
!~: ~~~~i ~~~~~~~b:.:.:::::.:::::::·::·:·:::·:·:·:.·::·:·:·:·:::::·:·:·?.::·:::·:·:·::·::·:·:·:·::::::::::::: ~~~
Mr. John Baptist Proulx ...••.••.........................................................
Br. Ignatius 'Vieman ...........................•.•.••...........................•.......••
Fr. Charles Driscoll ........................................................................
Fr. John Hackspiel.. ........•.•....•.•.•.•................................................
Fr. Joseph Durthaller .....................................................................
Fr. Clement M. J. 1\Iichael• .......•..•.•.•••...•••••........•...........................
Fr. Dominic Coppens .....................................................................
Fr. Charles II. Stonestreet ...............................................................
Mr. Frederick Tourtelot ............••...•..•..........•.................................•
}'r. Patrick J. Claven .....................................................................
Fr. \Villiam Vander Hagen ....•••••...................................................
Varia ................................................................................. 131>, 2S~,
27!•·
28(•
281
28.'1
287
397
39~
400
40:)
40J
406
407
�l· . ):I
'.
·' i
i
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,.
.'
-~
�Ministeria Spiritualia Provincial Marylandioo Neo-Eboracensis, a die 1• Julii 1884 ad diem 1•m Julii 1885.
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Rt. M!'r;v's.......................... 329 17
H. TnmtY: ......................... 269 8
I>Ilssionanes...................... 27 W
ao ..................................... 123 11
74 6
l RICK.................................... M 5
'. ETOWN CoJ.J.EGE.................. 17 ......
I,
H. Trinity............... 1r.8 1R
. HOPPEN..............................
04 :1
, ' CITY ............................ ;...... :17~ 8
RDTOWN .............................. :134 15
ORK, St. Francis Xavier's..... :16:1 77
St. Joseph's.................. 360 R
Rt. Lawrence's ............. 266 7
Islands ........................ 1171 70
ELPHIA,Ges1L. ................... 137 19
"
St. Joseph's ........... 197 29
':1: E;'CE ................................... 213 8
- Gos ...................................... 108 ......
1
O>IAS' : .................................. 190 10
........................................... 303 12
NGTON, St. Aloysius'............ 234 11
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Woodstock Letters
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 14 (1885)
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1885 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives Central United States
Saint Louis University
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JA-Woodstock-014
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BX3701 .W66
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eng
lat
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JA-Woodstock
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https://d1y502jg6fpugt.cloudfront.net/26015/archive/files/872825cbd7bdb71330f375a3f629cd0a.pdf?Expires=1712793600&Signature=X%7Ee8b8sOWB%7Epyx6vwDStuxQpAzYJJfnjonm8PV9jpj9IUrDyUm5ntWTngJ2iJEST9-IOJ45kpF6-b%7EtXCTnBQ20X9jieUvriA8KxN%7E0CjFsOVuTUDxcC0lCH1vms7fqesmvcCYxCn8EEkAS%7EUYDdgTmkLIIoFiROU74gke6VFHVJPJfOc6Dtrmu%7EEhmOvU6eSukSjhISrQGaMi4-gSFOTo390M4CBVuClJqmXGad0F49FKG5YUJpUGPtcaGjiBwtso67Fk7faGG4%7EztO4pTXcsnQeNcszF9ahy4s9wFm7TfsGZUqsbr-2obbUQV50LnuxCJNfE9oPSL4Ny5XUF6BZg__&Key-Pair-Id=K6UGZS9ZTDSZM
efce943be82dfb8fc872890aad230e4b
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A.M. D. G.
-
WOODSTOCK LETTERS
A RECORD
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Of Ctw1•ent Events and Histo1·ical Notes connected with
tlte Colleges and JJiissions of tlte Soc. of Jesus
in North and South America.
VOL.
XV.
91_9
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
I
8 8 6.
FOR. PR.IVATE CIR.CULATION.
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VOL. XV, No.
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1.
TERCENTENARY CELEBRATION AT QUEBEC.
The consoling accounts of the Tercentenary celebration
of Our Lady's Sodalities in a past number has given me
reason to believe that another celebration, not so brilliant
perhaps as any of those, but interesting at least, since it
comes from the old city of Quebec, would please the readers
of the LETTERS.
In Quebec the first Sodality in America was established.
On Ash-Wednesday, Feb. 14, 1657, two years before the
arrival of Bishop Laval, Fr. Poncet held in his room in the
old College, the first assembly of Sodalists. There were
twelve of them. Ten days later, on Saturday, Feb. 21, the
first solemn reunion was held in the College Chapel. This
was the root whence sprang the flourishing tree that has its
branches now so widespread in America. Ever since 1657,
that is during two hundred and twenty-eight years, our
Lady has had her Sodality in Quebec. After the suppression of the Society, the direCtion remained with our Fathers
for ten or fifteen years, and they put ''jesuite" after names as
in former years. When the English turned the College into
a barracks, the Sodalists were given a chapel in the Basilica.
Here they remained until they built their own chapel on
Dauphine street in the beginning of this century. The di- .
reB:ion was given back to our Fathers in 1849, and the Sodality, now known as the Congregation de la Haute Ville, still
�4
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CENTidvNL4.L CELEBRATION AT {)ili'£BEt.
flourishes with a membership of three hundred, "counting
among these, judges. lawyers, doB:ors, literary men, all the
Catholic elite.
This was the only Sodality in Quebec up to 1839. In
that year a new one was formed in St. Roch's suburb. This
too fell into the hands of our Fathers in 1854, and has become one of the most flourishing in America. Over seven
hunqred men are aB:ive members. Nothing is more edifying than to see how punB:ual these seven or eight hundred
sons of Mary are in attendance, and how proud they are of
their title of Congreganiste. Father Desy was given the direB:ion six years ago and he has done much to popularize
the Sodality. The ceremonies in the chapel are gone through
splendidly. Good preachers are always secured, and all that
is Catholic in the old city make it a point to be present on
the feasts. A magnificent chapel holding about one thousand two hundred people belongs to the Sodality.
Unusual preparations were made to celebrate the Tercentenary, and succe<;s crowned the efforts of Fr. Desy. The
following article translated from the "Nouvelliste," published
the morning after the feast will give some idea of what was
done:
"FETE DE FAMILLE.
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"Family feasts have always some peculiar attraB:ion. One
cannot help liking those charming reunions where there
reigns such sweet cordiality, such pure joy, such sincere
affeB:ion. This speB:acle, so beautiful in families of the natural order, assumes a charaB:er much more imposing when
transferred to a family of the moral order, which unites under one freely-borne discipline hundreds of persons of every
condition and every age. This is true of those pious congregations that are formed in the bosom of Catholicity; this
is true, to limit ourselves to something local, of the men's
congregation of St. Roch.
"There reigns the veritable equality of the Gospel, there
may be seen in the same ranks, voluntarily mingled, the
rich and poor, the old and the young, t~e public man and
�CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT QUEBEC.
5
humblest tradesman, the learned and the unlearned. And
they are there, nearly eight hundred of them, obedient to
the direcrion of a Father of the, Society, who is happy, nay
proud, to be at the head of such a family, to the prosperity
of which he has consecrated during six years his entire self.
"This important congregation, now in its forty-sixth year
of existence, is enjoying the greatest prosperity. Like
other associations of the kind, it is affiliated to the Primary
Congregation at Rome, founded by a Jesuit in 1563, and
canonically instituted by Gregory XIII, 1584. It was to
commemorate the third centennial of this canonical institu. tion that Fr. Desy organized the present feast for Pentecost,
r885.
"The Sodality chapel, which is one of the finest religious
edifices in Quebec, possesses, for the last few·months, a high
altar of great beauty, ouilt from the plan of Mr. E. E. Tache,
Deputy-minister of Crown Lands.
"Special decorations were indulged in for the feast. Bouquets of natural flowers sent in by pious friends literally hid
the altar, garlands of verdue hung around the interior of the
building; bandrols ran from pillar to pillar, bearing in letters of gold the names of twenty canonized and beatified
Saints, once Socialists of the Blessed Virgin. Ten of these
belonged to the Society of Jesus: four to the Franciscans.
Among the six others may be found the names of St. Francis of Sales, St Alphonsus of Ligouri, and St. Charles Borromeo. Other streamers hanging here and there, revealed
pious sentences : Monstra tc esse MatrCJJt; Ave, Gratia
plena; Sub tuum prmsidium, cOJifugimns, Filii sancrorum
sumus, etc., etc., etc.
"Looked at with the eyes of faith, the finest part of the
feast was the morning ceremony-office of our Lady, Mass,
reception of thirty-two new members, and finally the general
communion of the Sodality, together with a large number
of the faithful.
·
"In the evening at seven o'clock a splendid service was
held, which closed the Novena that had been preached tq
�6
CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION AT QUEBEC.
the Socialists by Fr. Hamon, a former direaor of this congregation.
"A large number of distinguished personages were present. His Grace, Archbishop Taschereau presided. His
Excellency, Lieutenant Governor Mas!:>on, of the Province
of Quebec occupied a place of honor in the sanauary.
There were present too, FF. Sache, Beaudevin, French, Resther, Desy, S. J.; Bournigal and Lacasse, 0. M. I.; the
chaplains of the different religious houses; and priests from
the Laval University. Just outside the altar-rail knelt His
Honor, the Mayor of Quebec, Hon. Judge Routhier, Leo
Duchastel, Consul General for France, Hon. Mr. Shehyn,
M. P. for Quebec, and many other prominent citizens. The
ceremony began with Lambillotte's Veni Creator, well rendered by Mr. Dessane, the Sodality's organist.
"Father Hamon then went up into the pulpit and delivered his final sermon of the Novena.
"After the sermon a solemn benediaion was given by His
Grace, the Archbishop. This ended the beautiful feast of
this prosperous Sodality."
�NEWTOWN MANOR.
APPENDIX.
Bague, Fr. Clzarles.-Father Bague was born in Berne
Switzerland, on the sth of August, ISos. He entered the
Society of Jesus on the znd day of OB:ober, IS3o. He took
his last vows on February the znd, IS43. In IS4S, he was
Minister at Frederick, Md. The following year he had. to
attend to the missions at Liberty, Maryland-TraCt, Carroll's
·Manor, Middletown, Harpersferry and Hagerstown. In ISS r
he was missionary to Middletown and Jamison. The next
year he visited, besides the last-named places, St. Mary's,
St. Joseph's and St. Peter's. In ISSS he was at Newtown.
The following year he was Superior at White Marsh. He
visited Laurel. In 1874 he was at St. Joseph's, Capitol Hill,
Washington. He died at Providence Hospital, Washington,
D. C., on the 24th of September, 1S77.
Betouzey, Rev. Barnaby.-Bishop Carroll writes that Fr.
Betouzey "is a French Priest of great intelligence and unal~
terable evenness of temper." The Bishop also writes, we
copy from the Prelate's letters preserved in our Archives,
that this good clergyman was an able administrator, and
was much esteemed by all the neighbors (at White Marsh),
both Catholic and Protestant. He adds, also, that Father
Betouzey was blessed with many commendable qualities.
This excellent priest was at Newtown in 1794 and I79S·
According to Father George Fenwick's notes, he was also
there in 1797. He was stationed at St Thomas Manor,
Charles County, Md., in ISor. Thence he went to White
Marsh in ISoz. Some time before ISIS Father Betouzey
returned to Europe.
Boarman, Fr. Sylvester.-This Father was a native of
~aryland, and the brother of John and Charles, both Je~
lllts. He was born November the 7th, I746; entered the
Society September the 7th, I76S. At the time of the suppression he was studying philosophy at Liege ; and, returnIng to Maryland, was ordained and became a very zealous
missioner. From old records I learn that he returned to
(7)
�NEWTOWN 1lfANOR-APPENDIX.
8
his native State on the 24th of March, 17S4. He was stationed at Newtown in 1800. He was at St. Inigoes in 1So5.
He died at Newport, Charles County, in ISI I.
Brooke, Fr. Ignatius.-Fr. Ignatius Baker Brooke was a
native of Maryland, and probably the nephew of a Father of
the same name who died at St. Orner's College, in 175 I.
He was born on the 21st of April, in the very year in which
his uncle died. He entered the Society on September the
7th, I
At the time of the suppression, I 773. he was at
Ghent. He was at Newtown in 1So2. When Fr. Robert
Molyneux left that mission for Georgetown, in 1S05, Father
Brooke became his successor. He remained as Superior at
Newtown until ISI I. I am not sure in what year he died,
but I find his name in a manuscript catalogue for Is I 5·
no.
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Carbery, Fr. Joseplt.- The memory of Fr. Carbery is still
fondly cherished in St. Mary's County. The simplicity of
his manners, his pleasant words and innocent wit are still
the favorite topics with the aged t<rmers who dwell down by
St. Clement's Bay, and St. Mary's River. Father Carbery
was of a most respeCtable family. Mrs. Mattingly, who was
so miraculously cured, was his sister. His brother, Captain
Carbery, was Mayor of vVashington. This gentleman, who
was counted very wealthy for the period, was princely in his
charitable donations.
Father Carbery was born in Britton's Neck, St. Mary's
County, Md., on the 3rd of May, 17S4. He was stationed
at Newtown from July the 24th, 1S15, to Febr.uary 26th,
1S16. After leaving Newtown he was appointed to the
charge of St. Inigoes. Once there he began immediately to
make improvements. He states in one of his letters that he
"covered, arched, plastered and painted St. Inigoes' Church."
In 1S17 he had the brick confessional built. During Fr.
Carbery's time the little Novitiate of the Society was at St.
Inigoes. In August, I 820, he became a member of the SeleCt Body of the Clergy, and Manager of St. Inigoes. In
1S22 he began to build suitable houses for the tenants on
St. George's Island, and on the other farms. He was present at the meeting held by the clergy, at St. Thomas' Manor, in Oetober, 1S22. Fr. Grivel tells us in one of his letters that Father Carbery made many converts to the faith.
Death stole suddenly upon this good priest while he was
seated beneath a fig-tree at St. Inigoes, on the 25th day of
May, lS49· By the aetive and generous exertions of a
�NEWTOWN llfANOR-APPENDlX.
9
friend and admirer, a marble monument was raised to honor
the memory of Father Carbery.
Cary, Fr. jo/zn.-Father John Baptist Cary was born in
France, on July the I6th, I772. In his youth he witnessed
all the horrors of the French Revolution. The corruption
that deluged France in place of defiling him only made him
more anxious to keep his soul free from all contamination.
In his school-days he was proud to write upon the first
pages in his books-John Baptist Cary, a Roman Catlzolic.
To understand the spi•·it in which he added Roman Catholic,
it is necessary to go back to the days of pis boyhood in
France, when Rome, and everything Roman, when religion and everything religious, when Catholicity and all its
friends were the doomed objects of the wild and senseless
Republicans, whose chosen weapons were the Bastile and
guillotine. On the znd of September, I8IO, with a joyful
heart Father Cary bade farewell to a wicked world, and put
on the habit of the Society. In I 8 I 8 he was a missionary
at St. Thomas' Manor, Charles County, Md. In I8zo he is
named in a manuscript catalogue for that year as Minister
at Georgetown College. In I823 he was at Newtown with
Fathers Edelen and Henry. The following year he became
Superior of that mission. In I83I we still find him at Newtown, but attending to the missions of the Sacred Heart and
Our Lady's Chapel, Medley's Neck. The next year he was
sent to St. Joseph's Church, Talbot County. Here he was
for several years Pastor, Procurator, Preacher and Operarius ,·
he also attended the mission at Denton, and some scattered
Catholic families over sixty miles from his residence. In
I74I he went to Bohemia to recruit his health; but God
saw fit to call his faithful servant home. On the zoth of
May, 1842, Father Cary died at Bohemia Manor, at the advanced age of 7 1 years.
Carroll, Fr. .Midtael.-Father Carroll, a secular clergy!llan, arrived at Newtown on the 28th of February, I8r6,
Just two days after Fr. Carbery's departure from that house.
He labored on the Newtown Mission for about two years.
He is marked as leaving it on the 9th of January, 1818. "It
seems" says Father Fenwick, "from the Account Book, that
he returned to Newtown on the 3rd of November, 1819,''
and remained until May the 9th, 1820,
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NEWTOWN
JfANOR-APPE~"'DIX.
. Combs, Fr. Ignatius.-Father Ignatius Combs was born
near the Great Mills, St. Mary's County, Md., on the 27th
of July, 1794. He entered the Society on the 5th of February, 1815. He made his philosophy at Georgetown College. In 1822 he is named as one of the professors in that
institution. In 1823 he studied theology at the old Washington Seminary, under the distinguished Father Anthony
Kohlmann. In 1824 Father ·william Feiner was professor
of theology at Conewago, Penn., and Father Combs attended
his class. The following year he taught at Georgetown.
He was ordained by "the Right Rev. Dr. Fenwick, Bishop
of Cincinnati, by the permission of the Archbishop of Baltimore, at Frederick Town," on Sunday the 27th of February,
1825. In 1826 he was sent as missionary to St. Thomas'
Manor, Charles County, Md. In 1831 he was still at St.
Thomas', but is said in the catalogue for that year to attend
to Nangemoy and Cornwallis-Neck. In 1834 he was at
White Marsh, and attended Boone's Chapel. In 1835, besides attending to this last-named station, he served at PigPoint. In 1836 he became Superior of White Marsh, but
still kept his other stations. In I 840 he became Superior
of Newtown, and took charge of the congregations at St.
John's and St. Joseph's. The following year he became
Superior of St. Joseph's, Philadelphia. He had as his assistants, Fathers Felix Barbelin of happy memory, and the
worthy Virgil Barber. Father Combs while in Philadelphia was greatly beloved by his flock. In 1845 he was appointed Minister of the Georgetown College. The next
year he· became Superior of our house at AlexaQ_dria. In
1847 he was made Socius of the Provincial, Very Rev. Fr.
~eter Verh;.egan, and Consultor and Procurator of the Provmce.
Father Combs was a typical Maryland gentleman in charaCter. He was dignified in his manners, calm and mild in
his conduCt:, and was the possessor of that priceless treasure,
a large, generous heart. He was of a good size, "and looked," as I have been told by one who knew him well, "like a
man that possessed his soul."
,
Father Combs died at Newtown on the 21st of June, 1850,
.and was there interred beside the little church which had
witnessed so often his zeal and charity. He was deeply regretted by his faithful people.
De Neckere, Fr. Francis X.- This Father was born on the
2nd of Feb., 1810. He entered the Society on the 16th of
�NEWTOWN MANOR-APPE:>DIX.
II
September, I844. From the catalogue for I846 we learn
that Father De Neckere, in company with his brother Hippolyte, a scholastic, and Peter Meulemeester (Peter Miller),
also a scholastic, came to Maryland that year from the Belgian Province. We find Fr. De Neckere engaged in missionary labors at Conewago, in 1849. Ten years later on
he was employed at Frederick, Md., as professor of the
Greek and Latin languages. In 186o he was at Newtown
and attended Our Lady's Chapel and the Sacred Heart. In
I86z he was again at Conewago, attending to Littlestown
and McSherrytown. The following year he was attached
to Trinity Church, Boston. In I 865 he attended the stations at Paradise and Oxford. This worthy priest died at
Littlestown, Pennsylvania, on the 8th of January, I 879.
De Timex, Fr. Tlteodore.-Father John Mary Theodore
Joseph De Theux was born January the 24th, I779, and entered the Society on the 2nd day of August, 1816. In l 8 I 8
he was "Rector of Trinity Church," Georgetown, D. C. It
is certain that this Father was for some time at Newtown,
but I have not been able to find out in what precise year. In
I 826 he was at Florissant, Missouri, as assistant to the celebrated Father Vanquickenborne. He was also professor of
theology. He was, therefore, the first to teach Divinity in
the Missouri Mission. Among his pupils were several distinguished missionaries in the West-Fathers Peter De
Smet, Van Assche, Verh::egen, Verreydt, Smedts and Elet.
In I828 he was Minister at Florissant. To his other duties
was added, in I829, the care of St. Ferdinand's Church. In
1830 he was Minister at the College "apud S. Louis," in
Missouri. In 1830, on the 25th day of September, by a de. cree of the Very Rev. Father Roothan, General of the Society, the Missouri Mission was separated from that of Maryland. The after-history of Father De Theux belongs to the
Western Province.
Devos, Fr. Peter.- In the Baptismal Register of Newtown
I find the name of Father Peter Devos. This worthy priest
came from Europe with the celebrated Father Nerinckx in
1817. He had as his companions on the voyage from Europe, Mr. James 0. Vandevelde, of Lebbeke, near Dondermonde, who had been professor in the Petit Seminaire of
Mechlin; Mr. Cousin, a priest of the diocese of Ghent; Fr.
Henry V erheyen, of Merxplas, who had made the Spanish
~ampaigri under Napoleon; and Brother Christian Desmet,
�12
NEWTOWN .lf.ANOR-APPENDIX.
and good old Peter De Meyer, who, a few years ago, used
to thrill us at Florissant by telling stirring and edifying anecdotes about the early missionary life of the Jesuits who
went from Maryland to Missouri.
The following account of Father Devos, taken from the
excellent "Life of Rev. Charles Nerinckx," is too full of edification to be omitted by us: "Rev. P. Devos was a priest of
Flanders, born in 1782. He was a very pious man; but
finding that his settled habits of solitary independence rendered him unfit for community life, he left the Society of
Jesus in 1819, and Archbishop Carroll appointed him pastor
of St. Mary's Church, Rockville, Montgomery county, Md.,
about fifteen miles from Georgetown.
"Mr. Lemuel Clements, a venerable old resident of Rockville, has a vivid recolleaion of these old pioneer times. [lis
eyes moisten and his tongue grows eloquent when he speaks
of his old friend and pastor; and, as you listen to his account of days gone by, you cannot but think that it must
have been a virtue of no common order which could stamp
its impress so deeply on even one follower. Mr. Clements
furnished us the following details in 1877 : 'The church in
Rockville was built with a steeple or tower at the rear, the
lower part of which was used as a sacristy. Father Devos
lived in the upper room for two years. In 1821 I moved
him from the steeple up to my house, on the Wharton farm,
near where St. Rose's Church now stands. He lived with
me for four years. I gave him my best room which he
converted into a chapel where he said Mass regularly. At
this time he had charge of the whole county. He said Mass
at Barnesville, Rockville, and St. John's. \Vhen he inade an
appointment for Mass, he never allowed anything to disappoint his people. On one occasion he was going to· Barnesville on a very cold day, and found the branches with more
or less ice in them. \Vhen he reached Little Seneca, his
horse refused to head the ice ; and, being rather a poor
horseman, he· dismounted, walked through the water, and
made the horse follow him. A heavy cold, which eventually
proved the cause ofhis death, was the result.
"He never stayed away from his charge even for one
night, and being in the habit of going to Georgetown to
confession, he would never remain there over night, until
commanded to do. so by the Archbishop. During the
twenty-five years he was in Montgomery county, he visited
Baltimore only once.
"He became infirm several years b~:;forc he left the county,
�NEWTO TVN JJfA NOR-APPENDIX.
and was not able to attend to the duties of the mission. In
January, I844, I moved him to Georgetown. He thence
went to his friend, Rev. Edward Knight, pastor of St. Peter's
Church, Capitol Hill, ·washington, and died there in March,
I844. He was attended in his last sickness by Fr. James
B. Donelan, who told me that the almost unbearable stench
in his room previous to his death, was changed to a sweet
fragrance so soon as he died.'
"The testimony of Rev. Fr. Van Horsigh, then residing
at St. Peter's, corroborates the latter statement. He told
Rev. James A. Ward, S. J., now of the novitiate Frederick,
Md., after death the body of Fr. Devos exhaled a most extraordinary and delicious perfume."
I have spoken with some venerable persons in St. Mary's
County who remembered Father Devos. They all spoke of
him as being a man of great sanctity. They spoke very
touchingly of the zeal with which he labored for the slaves,
and the care he took of their material wants. He was very
fond of spiritual reading, and often refreshed his soul and
filled his heart and mind with holy desires and thoughts by
the perusal of the "Devout Life" and the New Testament.
Dietz, Fr. Roger.-Father Roger Dietz was born on the
8th of Feb. I796. He entered the Society on November
the 30th, I8I9. He took his last vows on the Feast of the
Assumption of our Blessed Lady, I846. In I84I he was at
Georgetown. The following year he was stationed at Alexandria. In I843 he was at Goshenhoppen, Penn., and visited Massillon and Pottsville. The next year he was at
Conewago and in his turn visited Littlestown, Mountains,
Gettysburg and Paradise. In I 848 he was at Wheeling.
He alone had charge of all the Catholics of the county. In
I 85 I he was at White Marsh. The next year he was made
Superior of that mission. In I853 he attended Annapolis
and Marlborough. In I859 he was at Newtown, and attended Our Lady's Chapel and the Sacred Heart. In I86o
he was at Georgetown as Spiritual Father, and Director of
the Nuns of the Academy. This worthy priest died at Boston on the 9th of August, 1861.
Dougherty, Fr. MzC/zael.-This Father was very zealous,
quiet in his tastes, and fond of classical reading. In his conv_ersations he was in the habit of frequently making alluSions to the great Latin and Greek authors, whom he had
studied in his boyhood, and eagerly poured over in more
�14
NEWTOWN MANOR-APPENDL"t.
advanced years. He was born in Ireland, and was about
seven years of age when the Battle of Vinegar Hill was
fought, in 1798. He could even at his death easily recall
the day on which Robert Emmett died. On the 30th of
November, 181g, he entered the Society. He made his
noviceship at \Vhite Marsh under Father Vanquickenborne.
In 1822 he was at Georgetown studying philosophy under
the professorship of Father Francis Dzierozynski. In 1823
he was a student of theology at St. Inigoes. His professor
at the time was Father Rantzau. The following year he
continued his theological course at Conewago, with Father
Feiner as master. In 1825, being still a scholastic, he was
with Fr. McElroy at Frederick, and was engaged in teaching. In 1826, now a .. priest, he was attached to Trinity
Church, Georgetown, D. C. Two years later on we find
him at \Vhite Marsh. In 1829 he was busy on the mission
at Conewago. In 1831 he was still at the same place, and
is marked down as attending to Littlestown and Mountains.
In 1841 he attended to Mountains and Gettysburg. The
following year he also attended Littlestown. In 1844 he
was at Newtown. He, Fr. \Voodley, Superior, and Father
Lekeu, in turn attended all the outlying missions. In 1848
he attended the congregations at the Sacred Heart, Our
Lady's Chapel, St. Joseph, and St Aloysius at Leonardtown.
In 1854 he was at Conewago. The following year he is
said to attend McSherrystown, Adams County, Pennsylvania. In 1862 he was sick at Conewago. After a life of
much zealous labor he died in that mission on .the 21st of
August, 1864.
-·
Dubuisson, Fr. Stcphm.-Father Dubuisson was a native
of St. Domingo. This truly distinguished and holy priest
was born on the 21st of OCtober, 1786. \Vhile still a mere
youth he entered the French army. In one of the engagements in which he took part he received a wound which
troubled him up to the moment of his death. Soon perceiving that martial glory was not worth fighting for, and
growing at the same time sick and tired of the carnage of
battlefields, and the disorders of camp-life, he left the army,
and enrolled himself under the standard of Ignatius of Loyola. This event took place on the 15th of December, 1815.
It is possible that Father Dubuisson made his Novitiate at
\Vhite Marsh. He made at least a part of his theology at
Georg·etown. In 1833 he was sent by his Superiors to Philadelphia. "The April of 1833," says a Philadelphia writer,
�NEWTOWN .MANOR-ArPENDIX.
ts
"I have seen it stated, was one of more than ordinary fickleness, and the Catholics of Philadelphia had begun to fear
the experience of their church was to be one continuous
April-day. But when Very Rev. Visitor Kenny, accompanied by Father Stephen Dubuisson, arrived about the middle of the month, at St. Joseph's, the May-day of Catholicity
dawned at once upon the Quaker City.
"Immediately upon their arrival, Our Fathers, as true
sons of St. Ignatius, began their pastoral duties, and at
once Fr. Dubuisson won the hearts of his parishioners by
his amiable conduCt and saintly life. One of our Fathers,
then a mere youth, relates that suddenly entering the Sac. ·risty, one Sunday afternoon, during Vespers, he found him
elevated in the air in rapt meditation. It is now over forty
years since his arrival, and to this day there are those who
talk of him as a saint.
"Soon after his arrival, Father Dubuisson began to make
converts, and was most successful among the Quakers, or
as Philadelphians prefer to call them, the Friends. In 1835
Fr. Dubuisson did not confine his zealous labors to the congregation of St. Joseph's. But in the early part of January
we find him amid the ice and snow, an'd whistling winds of
Susquehanna County, at Silver-Lake, Friendsville; in Car. bondale, Luzerne County; Honendale, \Vayne County, and
other places in the same neighborhood."
In 1839 Father Dubuisson was sent to Alexandria. Mr.
Richard L. Carne writes that the successor of Fr. William
Grace "was a learned and holy French priest, Rev. Stephen
L. Dubuisson, well known throughout the country as the
priest who said the Masses on the occasion of the miraculous cure of Mrs. Mattingly through the supposed intercession of Prince Hohenlohe. He was a native of St. Domingo,
but had accompanied his parents to Marseilles before the
massacre, and had been in his youth a huzzar in the armies
of the great Napoleon. He was a great favorite with both
Catholics and non-Catholics."
Another writer says that Fr. Dubuisson "spent his early
youth at Nantes, and was distinguished for his angelic piety,
at a period when an almost heroic courage was needed to
praCtice Christian duties openly. He was engaged in the
war office, followed the army to Germany, and in 1814 was
secretary of the treasury of the civil list. At this time he
entered the Seminary of St. Sulpice, and becoming a priest,
�NEWTOWN .MANOR-APPENDIY.
came to Maryland, and subsequently entered the Society of
Jesus."
Before going to Philadelphia Father Dubuisson had been
in several of our houses. He spent some time in Frederick.
In 1823 he attended to St. Patrick's Church, Washington,
D. C. In 1825 he was assistant priest at Trinity Church,
Georgetown. In 1826 he was ReB:or of Georgetown College. Thence he went to Rome and remained there a few
years with Fathers Aloysius Young, Francis Vespre, George
Fenwick, \Villiam McSherry, James Ryder and Thomas
Mulledy. In 1830 he was assistant to Father Cary at Newtown. He was sent about the end of 1829 to give a Mission
in St. Mary's County. He left Washington on the 23rd of
December of that year; and it had been agreed upon that he
was to preach at Newtown on Christmas Day, but a dense
fog prevented him from landing at Newtown, and he was
obliged to go on to St. Inigoes where he found Fr. Carbery
and Fr. Finegan. He soon was able to give his missions at
various churches in the county, and his arduous labors were
very fruitful. He himself has left us an account of these
missions of 1829.
Father Dubuisson loved the beauty and glory of God's
temples. In one of his letters he says: "Nothing is too
beautiful for the .service of the Master of Heaven and earth;
nothing is too magnificent to fill the minds of m.en with that
respeCt: which is His due."
In 1831 Father Dubuisson was again at Georgetown College, and was employed in various offices of responsibility.
At the same time he direCted the chosen Spouses. of Christ,
at the Georgetown Academy, in the higher ways of sanCtity
and perfeCtion. The year following he had charge of Trinity Church, Georgetown, D. C. In 1837, while still Superior
of St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, we find him also attending to
the wants of the Catholics of Trenton,. New Jersey. In 1842
we find him in Europe trying to recruit his health.
The following letter sent by Fr. Dubuisson to Very Rev.
Father Provincial will be read with interest.
Reverend Dear Fatlzer Provincial:
P. C.
I have been able, at last, to reach Rome again. Arrived
at Verona, June 29th : my intention was to have pushed on
straight to Rome; but on account of the quarantines on the
frontiers of Modena and the States of the Sovereign Pontiff,
I was advised to take the way of Turin and Genoa, as I
�NEWTOWN MANOR-APPENDIX.
f
wrote to your Reverence from Milan. After seven days
spent at Magenta, between Milan and Novara (6 full days of
quarantine) I went in two days and a half to Genoa. Thence,
after I had awaited a while for opportunities, upon the positive assurance given me by the Roman Consul, that I should
have only ten days of quarentine to go through Civita Vecchia, I sailed Aug. 4th on board a small vessel ( 14 tons);
but, we were refused even entrance into Civita Vecchia. We
had to come back to Genoa, where I landed again on the
12th. I then wrote to Very Rev. Father General, and upon
his answer, repaired to Leghorn, went through eighteen
days of quarentine, and then finally got back to Rome. I
had the happiness to travel from Rome to Florence with
Bishop Flaget.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I must see the Duke of Modena, visit Parma, spend a few
days with the Marchioness of Montmorency, who insists
upon my visit ....
Father Dubuisson was highly esteemed by both the clergy
and laity. The Archbishop even wrote a letter to Rome in
favor of raising him to the episcopal rank. But this dignity
the humble priest never desired.
Father Dubuisson after a saintly and devoted life died a
holy death at Pau, in France, in 1864, on the eve of the Assumption of our Blessed Lady.
Edelen, Fr. Leonard.-Father Leonard Edelen was born
at Bryantown, Charles County, Md., on the 2oth of October,
1783. He belonged to one of the oldest and most respectable families in Southern Maryland. He was good and pious
from his youth, and even as a boy was loved and esteemed
by all who knew him. On the roth of October, 1806, he
entered the Society. Father Edelen, together with Benedict
J. Fenwick, Enoch Fenwick, and James Spink, was ordained
priest by Bishop Neale on March the 12th, 1808. The next
year we find the young clergyman laboring at Philadelphia.
In 181 I he succeeded Father Ignatius Brooke as Superior
at Newtown. In 1814 he made some improvements in the
old church and manor on Britton's Neck. In that same
year there was question of removing the Novitiate from
Frederick to Newtown. In a meeting held at Georgetown,
June the 14th, 1814, Archbishop Carroll, Bishop Neale and
Robert Plunkett authorized Father Grassi to proceed to
Newtown and there to advise with Fr. Edelen as to the ac- .
Vox.. xv. No.
1.
2
�NETVTO Tf;N ,lfANOR-APPENDIX.
; :
!'
':1
i
III
i
i'.\
I'
I
commodations that r.ould be afforded by him for the Rev.
Mr. Beschter and the young men under his care. It seems
that about this period there was a good deal of trouble in
finding suitable shelter for the few novices of the Mission.
These youths often changed their residence. In 1812 they
were at St. Thomas' Manor, Charles County, Md. Then
they removed to Georgetown, thence to \Vhite Marsh. They
spent a little time at Frederick. In 1813 and 1814 they
were at St. Inigoes. This the Archbishop writes ought to
be a place sufficiently healthy for the Novices. "I remember," he says, "it was the favorite residence of several of our
venerable Fathers who lived there to a good old age." But
if St. Inigoes was a wholesome locality, it was not for other
reasons, a very desirable location for a Novitiate in 1814.
Bishop Carroll could justly write in I 8 I I, that St. Inigoes
is "a very tranquil and pleasing situation," but it could not
be said three years afterwards that it was very tranquil.
English cruisers could be found in St. Mary's River, and in
all its charming little creeks. English sailors and soldiers
carried on a predatory war even against private property.
The Novices were in continual apprehension when they saw
Britania's banners wave out on the waters, that an attack
would be made on their calm retreat. The booming of English cannon on all sides was not calculated to give peace and
rest to their souls. Nor was their alarm without foundation.
A raid, indeed, was made upon the old residence. Bishop
Fenwick gives us the following account of this event: "In
1814, on the last day of October, the house of. St. Inigoes
was robbed by a barge from the British sloop·-6fwar, Saracen, Captain Watts, by which the house was deprived of six
feather beds, together with blankets and sheets, and all the
clothing belonging to the Rev'd gentlemen, watches, silver
and brass candlesticks, silver spoons, knives and forks, ten
pairs of new shoes, six sides of leather, and of every article
of kitchen furniture. They took also the sacred vessels from
the c!tapd, including the ciborzt11t witlz tlze Consecrated Species,
and all the sacred vestments. Remonstrance at the time
was in vain. But complaint having been made to the Commander of the fleet some days after, an order was given to
restore whatever had been taken. This was done on the
18th of November, 1814, through a flag of truce, at least as
far as was practicable; for many of the articles taken, had,
it is supposed, been destroyed before the order had been
issued, and consequently were never recovered."
In 18 15 Father Edelen was made a trustee of the Corpo-
�NEWTOWN JJfANOR-APPENDIX.
19
ration of the Select Body of the Clergy. He attended several of the meetings held at Georgetown and St. Thomas'
Manor, in the years ·1 8 17 and 1818.
Father Edelen was of a weak and delicate constitution.
Ardent zeal alone could enable him to perform the hard and
constant labors of his mission. He died at Newtown on the
21st of December, 1823, highly revered and deeply regretted
by his flock and religious brethren.
Epinette, Fr. Peter.- Father Epinette was born on the 24th
of September, 176o. He entered the Society on June the
2nd, 1805, and took his last vows, May the 11th, 1811.
Bishop Carroll wrote to Fr. Molyneux, Superior of the Mis·sion, on the 22nd of July, 1806, as follows:"I have received another letter from Mr. Strickland, dated
June 3rd. The interesting contents are as follows : 'I received this day a letter from the Rev. Father Brzozowski,
General of the Society in Russia, by which lte informs me
that he proposes to send to you the Fathers Epinette and
Kohlmann; the former as a professor of Divinity, the latter
as a professor of philosophy. These two were formerly
Pacconarists and lived in the college erected by Messrs. Rosaven and Broglie at Kensington. They are good men, and
both of them men of talents. The General proposes to send
you three others from Holland, Fathers Britt, Henry and
Maleve, to be employed as missioners, or as you think
proper. It is probable that all or some of these gentlemen
will be sent to America by way of London.'" In November
these clergymen arrived in Baltimore, and Bp. Carroll wrote
again: "I have the pleasure of announcing the arrival of the
RR. FF. Epinette and Kohlmann; they came in time
this morning to celebrate Mass; if the ship gets up to-day,
which they left some miles below the port, so that their
baggage can be delivered to-morrow, it is probable that they
will set out on Wednesday for Georgetown. I most sincerely congratulate with you and the Society on the coming
of these respectable men. They speak English, French,
German and one of them at least (Fr. Epinette), Italian. The
General in his letter to me says: Mitto duos nostros Socios,
quorum alter Theologiam, quippe ctiam linguce Hebraicce
g~arus, alter philosophiam et mathesim doceat,-and they
bnng from him a string of recommendations to Bishop Neale,
you and myself, as regular, docile, obedient and every way
deserving religious.
The next day the kind Prelate again writes to the Rector
�20
NEWTOWN llfAKOR-APPENDIX.
of Georgetown : "The worthy gentlemen announced in my
letter of yesterday set out to-morrow. Make much of them ;
they are excellent men."
·
Father Epinette was for some time at Newtown, but I
have forgotten the exact date. In 1812 he was at St.
Thomas'. In ISIS he was professor of philosophy at
Georgetown. In 1820 he was made Superior of Bohemia.
He remained for several years in that position. In 1832
this learned and good priest died at Bohemia Manor, on the
8th day of January.
Franklin, Rev.jo!m.-In the Newtown Account Book I
find the name of the Rev. John Franklin. This gentleman
was not a Jesuit. I learn from papers before me that he
entered upon his pa~toral duties at Newtown on September
the 12th, 1S17. He was in charge of St. Joseph's Church,
which he served "two years minus eleven days." I find his
name in the Newtown Baptismal Register in 1819.
Farrar, Fr. james.-Father Farrar was enrolled among
the sons of St. Ignatius in 1725. His name occurs for the
first time in old catalogues for the Maryland Mission in the
year 1733. He was in Newtown in I742. I find his name
mentioned in that year in the Newtown Day-Book. He was
professed of the four vows in 1743. He returned to England, probably in 1747. According to Oliver he died at
Hooton in Cheshire, on the 18th day of July, I753, at the
age of 57· He was buried in the Chancel of Eastham.
\
Gibbons, Fr. Miles.- Father Gibbons was~· born in the
County of Galway, on the 15th of May, I 8 I 2. He came to
America in I837, and was received into the Society on the
3rd of February of the same year. He made his Novitiate
at Frederick, Maryland. In 1839 he was at Georgetown
studying his philosophy under Father James Ryder. In
1841 he was professor at Frederick. In I843 he studied
theology at Georgetown with Fr. Stephen Gabarra as his
teacher. In 1844 he was still at the same place continuing
his studies. Frs. James A. Ward, Charles H. Stonestreet
and William F. Clarke were among the students of the fourth
year of theology. In 1845 he was professor at the College
· of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Mass. In 1847 he was ordained priest and sent to the mission of Conewago, Penn.
In 184S he was at White Marsh. He also spent some time
~t Newtown. He died at Upper Marlboro, on the 7th of
�NEWTOWN MANOR-APPENDIX.
:21
August, 1850. In the various missions which he attended
"he was always known as a laborious and edifying clergyman."
Grace, Fr. Wii'!timz.-Father Grace was born in Ireland
on the 17th of OB:ober, 1789. He entered the Society on
the 20th of August, 18I7. He was studying philosophy at
Georgetown under Fr. Rantzau in I 820. The next year we
find him employed in teaching in the same college. In 1822
he was professor of the Poetry Class, and the following year
he is named as professor of Greek. In I 824 he aB:ed as
prefeCt:. In I825 he studied theology at Georgetown. The
.following year he was professor of the rhetoric and poetry
. classes at the Washington Seminary. Two years later we
find him as assistant priest to Fr. John McElroy at Frederick. In 1829 he attended Martinsburg, Winchester, Shepherdstown and Harpersferry. In I834 he was PrefeCt: of
Studies in that Institution. In I836 he was missionary at
Wh.ite Marsh. In 1837 he was professor of Greek and
Latin at St. John's school, Alexandria. Ih I839 he was at
Newtown.
He soon afterwards left the Society and died Pastor of
Auburn, New York Stat<;!.
Griffin, Rev. James.-There is a piCturesque traCt: of rich
land lying between the pretty and thriving little town of
Mechanicsville and the head of St. Clement's Bay. The
traCt: is bounded on one side by the Potomac and on the
other by the Patuxent. Timber, even to our own time, is
everywhere abundant there, but the most striking feature of
the landscape is the large number of its fine barns and respeCtable farm-houses. This belt of wooded land was known
in the days of Fr. Mosely, and is still known, as "St. Joseph's
Forest." After having left. Mechanicsville some seven or
eight miles behind, on the way to Leonardtown, the modern
traveller sees a large and stately brick-built church on his
right, and about fifty yards off the main road. If he enquires
of any of the country-folk near, the name of this church, he
will be politely told that it is "St. Joseph's." A little distance further on, near St. Joseph's hamlet, and on the left, is
the old burial ground, and the site of a former church. Near
this place in the beginning of this century there existed a
little Catholic school. Its master was a clergyman named
Griffin. In the old Newtown Account Book Father James
Griffin is marked as having arrived at Newtown on the 12th
�22
NEWTOWN JrfANOR-APPE~DI:lC.
of May, 1800. To his other duties he seems to have added
that of a village school-master. How long he remained at
Newtown, I know not, but I find his name mentioned in
conneEl:ion- with that mission as late as OEl:ober, I 814.
Hardey, Fr. Richard.-This Father was born on the 16th
of March, I803. He entered the Society on the 29th of
September, 1820. He made his novitiate at White Marsh.
In I823 he studied rhetoric at Georgetown under Fr. Roger
Baxter. For the two following years we find him studying
philosophy at the same college and under the same professor in the "old Seminary of Washington." In 1826 he returned to Georgetown where he had to teach a class and
study his theology under the ReEl:or, Fr. Feiner, who was
professor of that brartth. In I 829 he and Dennis Dunlery
and James Callaghan, besides studying their theology had
to give instruEl:ions in the domestic chapel and help in
the study-hall. On his ordination he was sent to St.
Joseph's, Talbot County, where he was "operarius," procurator, preacher, ahd missionary to Denton. In I 8 32 we see
him laboring at White Marsh, and attending to the missions
of Marlborough, Pig-point, etc. In I834 Fr. Hardey was
at Trinity Church, Georgetown. In 1836 he was transferred
to old St. Joseph's, Philadelphia. His name disappears from
the catalogue in 1838. Though I cannot find him mentioned
in any of our catalogues as being at Newtown, still I find
his name in some of the old Baptismal Registers of that
house. He left the Society.
Harent, Rev.Josep!z was at Newtown for a pa~t"Ofthe years
18I2 and I813. I know not where this Father went after
leaving Newton, but I have learned that he died on the 10th
of April, 1 8I7, on the Island of Martinique, a rocky and volcanic isle of the West Indies. From a letter written by
Archbishop Carroll, dated November the 1 Ith, I8I2, we
gather a few interesting faEl:s relative to Father Harent.
"Mr. Harent," writes the Archbishop, "after residing near
twenty years in Baltimore, and near Conewago, and leading
all that time the life of a most edifying priest, rather than of
a layman, resolved at length to solicit admission to Holy
Orders-renewed the studies of his youth, and added to
them those of Divinity in the Seminary here, and was ordained in the course of last summer. Soon after I brought
him to agree to go in this month to the assistance of good
Mr. Edelen at Newtown, who will have ca1,1se to rejoice in
�NEWTOWN llfA NOR-APPENDIX.
having with him a Brother Clergyman of so much virtue
and prudence, and steady character. With his and Mr.
Young's assistance, it is to be hoped that the necessary services can be performed in the neighboring congregations
without overloading Mr. Edelen. Mr. Young and Mr. Harent are destined for Newtown." A day or two after the
above letter was written, the Archbishop wrote to Fr. Grassi
to Georgetown, announcing that Mr. Harent would soon
visit him. On the I 5th of the month he sent a note by
Harent "merely to introduce him to the favour of the acquaintance of the President of the college."
Hattersty, Fr. Josep!t.- This Father was born in London
'on the I5th ofOctober, I735· He was the son of Joseph
Hattersty and Elizabeth Grogan, both fervent Catholics.
He entered the English College at Rome as an alumnus in
I749· Four years later on, in company with Father Anthony Lowe who was afterwards imprisoned by the Revolutionists who had taken Dunkirk, he was admitted to the
Society. "After his ordination," says Oliver, "he offered
himself with a good and willing mind, and generous heart,
for the American Mission." He arrived in Maryland July
12th, 1762. He was working on the Newtown Mission
during the years I 768 and I 769. On May the 8th, I 77 I,
he died at Philadelphia, at the early age of thirty-five. Our
catalogue, after mentioning his death, adds that he was "a
most holy and zealous missioner."
King, Fr. George.-This Father was born on the 8th of
February, I796, at Laurel, Delaware. He studied at Georgetown College, and entered the Society on the I 3th of June,
I 830. He was elevated to the dignity of the priesthood in
I837. After his ordination he was sent to Bohemia, in
Eastern Maryland, in I837. In the various missions both
in that part of the State and in the adjoining counties of
Delaware, he labored as an active and zealous missionary
for nearly twenty years. Weakened by his toils in the apostleship, he was in I855, removed to Newtown, where it was
hoped he would regain some of the health of which his ar?uous labors in Eastern Maryland had deprived him. His
ill health continuing, he, in the spring of the year I857, by
t~e advice of his physicians, repaired to Baltimore for surgical treatment. Here an attack of typhoid fever in a few
days entirely prostrated his already tottering frame, and
closed his useful, pious, and edifying life. He died at Loyola
�NE iVTO WN MAiVOl?-APPF.NDIX.
College on the 2oth of June, 1857, in the 6xst year of his
age. Fr. King was remarkable for his simplicity of manmers, his kindness to all, and his admirable humility. He
lived contented and unmurmuring in every privation. His
patience and meekness were all that could be desired; whilst
his zeal for the welfare of others led him to brave the scorching heat of summer, and the storms of many a severe winter
to visit the ·sick, sometimes to visit the sick at a distance of
a hundred miles. Perfea!y resigned to the will of God, fortified by all the consolations of religion, and sustained by
the presence and the prayers of his religious brethren, he
departed to a better life. The Society lost in him a good
and useful member. His remains were interred in the
Cathedral cemetery,- Baltimore.-Catltolic Di're{iory.
Lekue, Fr. Mattlzew.-This Father was born March 25th,
1788. He entered the Society on the 7th of August, 1816.
He was a Belgian and already a priest before entering the
Society. He was at Conewago with Frs. Adam Britt and
Adam Marshall in 1818. In 1823 he became Superior of
that mission and had as his assistant Father William Feiner.
In 1826 he had no assistant. In 1827 he had as his assistants two secular priests, Fr. Louis Debarth and Fr. William
O'Brien. In _1834, being still Superior of Conewago, he attended to York, Gettysburg, Littlestown, Carlisle and the
Germans of Chambersburg. In 1844 he was sent as assistant
to Fr. \Voodley at Newtown. In 1846 he returned to Belgium. In 1847 his name disappeared from our catalogues.
~·
.·
Lilly, Fr. Tlwmas.-This zealous priest was born on the
3rd of OCtober, 1806. He entered the Society on the 21st
of September, 1821. He took his last vows on Feb. 2nd,
1841. He had the Provincial of that year, the Very Rev.
Fr. Francis Dzierozynski, as his Master of Novices. In 1830
he was studying his philosophy at Georgetown, and had as
his professor in that branch, the Rev. Aloysius Young. In
I 8 3 I he pursued his theological studies at Georgetown under Fr. James Ryder, the distinguished orator. The following year he had his former Master of Novices, Fr. Dzierozynski, as his professor. In 1833 he was prefeCt, and continued his course of theology. In 1834 he was ordained
priest and remained at Georgetown. In 1837 he was sent
as missionary to St. Thomas'. In 1838 he was still at St.
Thomas' and attended to Pomfret, Newport, Cob Neck and
Cornwallis. In 1839 he became Superior at St. Thomas',
�NEWTOWN MANOR-APPENDIX.
25
In 1842 he was Minister at Georgetown, Fr. Ryder being
ReCtor. On the 31st of August, 1845, he became Superior
of Frederick. In 1848 he was Superior at Newtown. In
1858 he was again made Superior at St. Thomas' Manor.
In 1859 he was at St. Joseph's, Philadelphia. In 1861 he
had charge of the. colored Sodality in that city. He died
in Philadelphia on the 15th of March, 1863. Fr. Lilly was
a man of most pleasing appearance, generous of heart, and
remarkable for the special interest he always took in the
spiritual welfare of the colored race.
Marsltall, Fr. Adam.-F1·. Marshall was born on the 18th
of November, 1785. He entered the Society on the 10th of
·OCtober, 1807. He was ordained at Baltimore by Bishop
Neale in June, 1811. He was immediately sent to Newtown
but remained there only about a month going thence to
New York. In 1813 he went to St. Thomas'. In 1818 we
find him in Conewago as missionary. In 1820 he was professor of mathematics at Georgetown. In 1823 he was at
the Washington Seminary. In 1824 he became Superior of
that house. He died on the Mediterranean on the 20th of
September, 1825.
His brother was Br. Joseph Marshall, who spent a long
time at Newtown.
The following notes refer to Father Marshall: "In 1809 a
school was opened in New York city, near Broadway. The
Rev. BenediCt Fenwick with four Scholastics had charge of
it.. The names of the Scholastics seem to have been Michael
White, James Redmond, Adam Marslzall and Jas. \Vallace."
-Fr. George Fenwick's notes.
"Resolved that Rev. Adam Marshall be and is hereby appointed General Agent of the Corporation of the Roman
Catholic Clergy of Maryland with full power for transaCting
business for the same, and employing under him such subagents as may be found necessary for the same purpose.Anthony Kohlmann, Charles Neale and Leonard Edelen;
St. Thomas' Manor, August 20th, 1820."
Me Guigan, Fr. jolzn-This priest was born on the 8th of
July, 1816. He entered the Society on the 10th of September, 1835. He made his Novitiate at Frederick, and
had Father Dzietozynski as his Master of Novices. With him
at Frederick were Fathers John Early and Peter Blenkinsop. In 1838, he was at Georgetown studying Philosophy.
H1s professor was Father Stephen Gabaria. In 1843, he
VoL. xv. No.
I.
3
�NEWTOWN llfANOR-APPENDtX.
was professor at Frederick. Among those who taught that
year with him were Messrs Charles King, Patrick Duddy,
and Bernard Maguire. In 1844, he was employed as professor at ·worcester. In 1845, he studied theology at Georgetown and had for his professor Father John Balfe. In 1848,
he had as his classmates Father Angelo· Paresce, for a long
time Provincial of Maryland, Anthony Ciampi, Basil Pacciarini, Eugene Vetromille and Livy Vigilante. In 1849, he
was ordained, and appointed professor at Georgetown. In
18 50, he became professor at Frederick. In 18 5 I, he was
placed in charge of the colored members of St. Ignatius'
congregation. In 1852, he was named professor of rhetoric at Holy Cross College. In 18 53, he was attached to St.
Joseph's Church, Philadelphia. In 1854, he resided at Newtown, and attended Medley's Neck and St. John's. In I855,
he was Spiritual Father at St. Joseph's Residence, Philadelphia. With him in that house were Fathers Felix Barbelin, Peter Folchi, James Ryder and Francis Vespre. In
1856, he was at St. John's Church, Philadelphia, and was
prefeCt of the Blessed Virgin's Sodality, and the Bona Mors
Society. In 18 59, he was once more a professor at Georgetown. On the 24th of OCt. 1859, he died at \Vorcester, Mass.
Aioni!tan, Rev. James.- In a manuscript catalogue of the
Catholic cleqfy for 1813, I find the name of the Rev. James
Monihan. According to Father Fenwick's notes this Father was stationed at Newtown, April the I Ith, 1814. He
went to Bohemia in OCtober, I815.
~-
Ma!t01l)', Rev. Comelius.-In the Newto\vn Account Book
we find the following item: "Rev. Cornelius Mahony's coffin
was paid for, on September the 17th, r8o5."
Moore, Fr. James- This Father was born in Ireland, on
the 25th of July, I799· He entered the Novitiate on the
18th of November, I839· He had been a Sulpitian before
being a Jesuit. In I 840, he was a novice at Frederick and
visited the prison and hospital. In 184I, he was Superior at
St. Thomas'. li1 I844, he was attached to Trinity Church
Georgetown, and confessor of the children of the Visitation
Convent. In I 845, he was with Father Thomas M ulledy
at the college o.f the Holy Cross. The next year, Father
Ryder being ReCtor, he was Minister and professor of
French. \Vith him were Fathers George Fenwick and
Philip Sacchi. In I847, he became Superior of St. Thomas'.
In 1848, he was Superior of the Indian Mission in Old
�NEWTOWN lllANOR-APPE"SDIX.
27
Town, and had as his assistant the venerable Father Bapst.
In 1849, he was still at Old Town, but not Superior. In
1851, he once again became ~uperior of St. Thomas'. In
18 54, he was in Maine. In I 8 55, he was in the state of
Massachusetts. In 1856, he was at Eastport and visited
the surrounding districts. In 1858, he was Superior at Newtown. In 1859, he was Superior at St. Inigoes. In 1861,
he was at Holy Cross College as Minister. · In 1868, his
health failed him. The following year, on Jan. 2nd, he expired at Holy Cross.
Mudd, Fr. A/oyszits.-Father Aloysius Mudd was born on
the 8th of August, 1791. He entered the Society on the
13th of August 1818.. He made his Novitiate at \Vhite
Marsh under Father Charles Van Quickenborne. He was
taught theology at the "\Vashington House" by Father
Maximilian Rantzau in 182 1. The following year he was
sent as prefect of a division at Georgetown. It seems that
in 1823 St. Inigoes became a Theological Seminary and
Father Rantzau and his two students, Aloysius Mudd and
Michael Dougherty were sent to that place In I 824, Mr.
Mudd became a priest and was sent to Newtown. In 1825,
he was sent to White Marsh. The Catalogue of 1832 mentions him as being. at White Marsh, and attending also to
Boone's Chapel, and Annapolis. In 1834, he returned to
Newtown. In 1836, he was changed to St. Thomas'. Father
Mudd died in the 54th year of his age, on the 9th of November, I 844, at St. Thomas'.
On M:1rch 31st, 1834, Father Grivel writes, "Fr. Aloysius
Mudd having been sent to Newtown is succeeded by Ignatius Combs."
Neill, Fr. James.- Father James Neill was born in Ireland
on the 4th of December, I 798. He entered the Society on
the 5th of November, in the year 1813. In 1821, he was
a professor at Georgetown. In 1822, he taught in the Washington House. In 1823, he studied theology in the same
place, under its Rector, Father Kohlmann. The following
year he was professor of mathematics there. In 1826, he
studied theology at Georgetown, under Father Dzierozynski. The following year besides studying he had to act as
prefect. In 1828, he was Sub-Minister, and professor of
philosophy and mathematics at Georgetown. In 1829, he
was attached to Trinity Church, Georgetown. In 1831, he
was removed to Newtown. In 1832, he was alone at Newtown, In I 833, he was appointed professor of rhetoric anq
�NEWTOWN llfANOR-APPENDIX.
mathematics at Georgetown. In IS34, his name disappears
from the Catalogue.- In ISIS, Father Neill was at Rome
with Father Grassi.
·
Nota, Fr. Leonard.- Father Leonard Nota was born on
the 23rd of November, I807. He entered the Society on
on Sept. 27th, 1824. In I850, Father Nota was at Frederick, making his third year of probation. He was at the
same time professor of rhetoric for the Juniors. In I 8 5 I,
he was at Georgetown as Dogmatic teacher. In I855, he
resided at Newtown and attended the missions at Medley's
Neck and St. John's. In 1855, he was professor of Dogina
at Georgetown. Among his pupils of the first year were
two future Provincials. In I858, he was at St. Thomas'. In
IS6o, he was once more at Georgetown as professor of Dogma. In I S6I, he was at the same college as professor of
logic, metaphysics and ethics. In 1S64, he taught the
evening class of dogma, and likewise ethics. In IS65, he
was no longer professor of ethics, but had a clas<> of Moral
theology. In I 86S, he taught Logic, Metaphysics, and Ethics, at the College of the Holy Cross, \Vorcester. In 1S70,
he was Spiritual Father at Worcester. On the sth of April,
I87o, he died at that college.
Pasqitet, RiV. u;:-The Rev. W. Pasquet was at Newtown
in the year I797· He was for some time stationed at
Bohemia. He is said to have left America before the year
I8I6. When he died, or in what place, I hav~ been unable
to learn. In I Soo, I find that he was manager of .Deer Creek.
Power, Fr. James,-Father James Power was born on the
8th of July, I79S. He entered the Society on the ISth of
February IS46. In 1847, he was stationed at Alexandria.
The following year he was at St. Thomas'. He, and the Superior, Father James Moore, served by turns the stations at
Newport, Cob Neck and Cornwallis. In 1S48, he became
Superior of St. Thomas' and had as his assistant Father Eugene Vetromille. In ISS I, he was at St. Joseph's Talbot
County. He attended the missions of Queenstown, Denton and Dorchester. In 1S52, he was Superior of Bohemia,
and visited Elkton, Chestertown, and different places in the
State of Delaware. The next year he was at White Marsh
and had Pig-Point etc., in his charge. In I854, he was Superior at Upper Marlboro, Prince George's County, Md. In
I855, he was Superior at Newtown, He had as his assist-
�NETVTO TVN .MANOR-APPENDIX.
ants Fathers Patrick Creighton and James Catting. The
following year he was Superior at St. Joseph's Talbot Co.
Rantzau, Fr. Maximilian.- Father Maximilian Rantzau
was born on the 23rd of December, 1769, and entered the
Society on the 29th of November r8o8. In 1818, he was
professor of theology at Georgetown College, and Socius to
the Very Rev. Father Anthony Kohlmann, Superior of the
Mission. In I 822, he was Minister and Professor of Theology at the Seminary of Washington. In 1825, he was
Professor of Moral at St. Inigoes. In 1824, he was operariu·s in the same mission. In 1825, he was a missionary at
Ne\vtown. He died at Frederick, on the 7th of August,
1827.
Sanders, Fr. Matthew. - Father Matthew Sanders was
born in Holland, on the 30th of November, 1807. He
entered the Society Nov. 4th, 1832. He was already a
priest before he joined our Order. He made his Novitiate
at White Marsh under the distinguished Father Grivel, in
1833. He was at St. Thomas' in 1834. In 1837, he was at
Newtown as assistant to the venerable Peter Havermans, now
at Troy, New York. In 1840, he was Superior at White
Marsh. In I 841, he was there also, but was no longer Superior, Fr. Edward Me Carthy holding that post. In 1844, he
was again named Superior of White Marsh, having at the
same· time to attend all the outlying missions. In I 8 52, he
is marked as assistant to Father Dietz at White Marsh. In
1853, he was sent as Superior to Bohemia, and had to attend to Elkton, Chestertown and some stations in Delaware.
In the Catholic Dire8:ory for 1857, he is marked as assistant to Father George Villiger, and is said also "to attend
Kent, a station." In the DireCtory, for the following year
he is said to be at White Marsh, Prince George's Co. According to our Catalogue for I 8 59, he was that year Superior at St. Joseph's Residence, Talbot Co., and attended
Queenstown, Denton, and Dorchester. In I 868, he was at
Frederick, in a state ofbad health, where he died Feb. 2nd.
Sannen, Fr. Germmz.-I!'ather German Sannen was born
on the 6th of January, 1792. He entered the Society on
the 14th of August, 1817. In 1820, he was studying Theology at Georgetown. His professor was Father Rantzau,
and his fellow-students Father Dubuisson, John Murphy,
Virgil Horace Barber, Henry Verheyen, Peter Joseph Timmermans, Peter Walsh, and Joseph Schneller. Fr. Thomas
�30
NEWTOWN ,,L-lNOR-APPE:SDIX.
Mulledy was then making his second year of philosophy
under Father Roger Baxter at Georgetown. James Vandevelde, Charles C. Pise, George Fenwick, and James Ryder
were among the brilliant students of the first year of philosophy. In 1822, he was in his fourth year of Theology
at the Washington House. I know not whether it is by
mistake, or not, that he is marked in the Catalogue for 1823,
as among the "auditores Philosophi<e." In 1824, he was
attached to Trinity Church, Georgetown. In 1825, he was
at Newtown with Fathers Cary and Rantzau. In 1827,
his name disappears from the Catalogue.
Steinbac!tcr, Fr. Nicholas.- Father Nicholas Steinbacher
was born on the 27th·.of December, 1796. He entered the
Society on the 3rd of December, 1832, being then a priest,
and took his last vows, March 5th, 1843. In 1833, he was
assistant to Father Boniface Krukowski at Goshenhoppen,
and attended Reading, Libanon, Massilloh, Pottsville, etc.
In 1838, he became Superior of the mission at Goshenhoppen. In 1839, he was at Conewago and attended from time to
time at Littlestown, Gettysburg, Mountains and Paradise. In
1840, he was professor of the Juniors at Georgetown. In 1841,
he was once more removed to Goshenhoppen. To his other
stations, in 1842, was added Nippenoe. In 1844, he was
Superior at Conewago, and in his turn attended all the outlying missions. In 1847, he was at Bohemia and sometimes
attended Queenstown, Dorchester, Talbot, and St. Jos6ph's.
In 1847, he was Superior at Newtown, and frequently
visited all the other parishes attached to that~inission. In
1848, he was at St. Mary's Church, Erie, Pa. and attended to
the neighboring stations. In 1853, he was at Georgetown.
the following year he was at St. Thomas'. In 1855 he was
at Frederick. In 1857, according to the Catholic Directory
he was at Philadelphia. In 1858, he was at Worcester,
Mass. In 1859, he was Superior at the church of the Holy
Trinity, Boston. In 186o, he was at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Boston, the lamented Filther John Me
Elroy, being Superior. In 1861, he was at St. Mary's, Boston. He died that year at Boston, on the 14th of February.
Souge, Rn'. llfr. - When Fa.ther 'John Bolton left St
Joseph's, on the.· Eastern Shore, he was succeeded by the
Rev. John Ambrose Souge. This clergyman remained at
St. Joseph's from 1801, until 1803, when he seems to have
been succeeded by Father Monally. From Father George
Fenwick's notes I learn that Father Souge was at Newtown
�NEWTOWN MANOR-APPENDIX.
on the I sth of August I SOl It is probable that he was
sent from this latter place to take charge of St. Joseph's
E. S. During Father Souge's stay at Newtown he attended
the congregation of Our Lady's Chapel, Medley's Neck.
0
Vanhuffel, Fr.- There is a farm-house about a mile from
Leonardtown, near Drury's place, known in legal documents, and to the people at large, as Vanlmffel's. This is
so called from the faB: that a clergyman named Vanhuffel
resided there for some time. This priest in the latter part
of the last century attended the church that formerly stood
in the old St. Aloysius' grave-yard. From some notes
which I found in our Archives, in New York, in the handwriting of Father George Fenwick, I learn that Fathe"r Vanhuffel was at Newtown in I792. He had arrived in this
country only two years before that time. Father Vanhuffel,
having been assisted in his last sickness by Father Edelen,
was buried at Newtown.
·
. Walsh, Fr. Peter.- Father Peter Walsh was born on the
27th of Jan, I797· He entered on the 5th of November
IS I 3· In I 820, he was at Georgetown College studying his
first year of Theology. The next year he continued his
course at the Washington House. The following year he was
professor in that place. In IS24, he was ordained and sent
as missionary to St. Thomas'. In 1S26, he was changed to
Frederick. In 1S28, he was prefeCt: of studies at Georgetown. In 1S29, he was at Newtown and attended the missions of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady's Chapel. In IS30,
he was prefeCt: of studies at the St. Louis College, Missouri.
The after history of Father Walsh belongs to Missouri.
Woodley, Fr. Robert.- Father Robert vVoodley was born
on the 21St of oa. ISoo, in Norfolk, Virginia. He was
brought up in the Methodist persuasion. Being naturally
clear of intelleCt:, and disposed by grace to virtue, he became
a Catholic. Soon he heard an interior voice which called
him to the priesthood. On the 4th of June, IS 3I, he was
r:ceived into the Society. In I832, we find him at the No. VItiate of White Marsh. In IS34, being still at the same
place, he attended to Marlborough, Annapolis and Pig-point.
In I835, he is marked in the Catalogue as being at White
Marsh. In I84o, he was at Newtown with Father Combs.
In _I 842, he became Superior of Newtown and had as his
a~s1stant, Father Joseph Enders.
In I843, being still Supenor of Newtown, he attended the congregations of the Sa-
�j2
NEWTOWN
MANOR-APPENDIX.
cred Heart and our Lady's Chapel. In 1845, he was sent
as assistant to Father Carbery at St. Inigoes. In 1850, he
returned once more to Newtown. I.n 1851, he became Superior here and ·had for his assistants Fathers Vigilante and
·Dougherty. In 1852, he attended to Leonardtown. Father
Woodley seems to have been a man of very decided character. His zeal was proved on more than one occasion. During the time the yellow fever was sweeping off hundreds in
his native Norfolk, he applied for permission to his Superiors to go and attend the sick. This request was granted.
On arriving in Norfolk, he went through the streets, and
even from house to house, crying in a loud voice: "Is there
any one sick here who would wish to see a priest?" After
the epidemic was passed away he went to Charles County,
and as an old admirer of his said, "he was covered with
glory." In 1855, he was at St, Thomas'. The next year
he is marked as attending to Pomphred and Cob Neck. In
the DireCtory for I857, we find the following notice of his
death: "Rev. Robert D. Woodley of the Society of Jesus,
died near Port Tobacco, 08:. 25th, aged 57·"
Young, Fr. Aloysius.-Father Aloysius Young was born
on the 15th of February, 1798. He entered the Society on
July 29th, 18~5, and took his last vows on the 15th of August I833· He went to Italy in June I8I7. In the manuscript catalogue for 18 I 8, we find, "Extra Prov: Fr. Grassi,
Mr. 0 Neil, Mr. Young, Charles Vespre." In I Szo, he
was studying at Rome. \Vith him in the Eternal City, in
I82I, were, besides Vespre, Thomas Mulledy.;.\Villiam Me
Sherry, John Smith, Charles C. Pise, James "Ryder, and
George Fenwick. In I825, he was raised to the dignitx of
the priesthood. That year was added to the number of his
companioqs at Rome from our mission, Father Anthony
Kohlmann. The following year he had the happiness of having Father Dubuisson with him at Rome. In 1829, he returned to our mission and was appointed professor of rhetoric and poetry at Georgetown. In 1830, he was made professor of philosophy in the same college. In I833, he became Superior of the Newtown Mission. His assistant was
the venerable Father Peter Havermans, of Troy, New York..
In I834, the Very Rev. Father William Me Sherry, Provincial resided at St Thomas'. With him were Frs. Francis Neale, as R~Ct:or of that house, and Aloysius Young, as
his Socius. Father Young became Socius on the 8th of
July, I833· In I836, he taught humanities at St. John's
School, Frederick. In 1838, he was PrefeCt: of Studies, and
�LOUISIANA.
jj
professor at Frederick. In I 840, he was still PrefeCt: of
Studies at Frederick, taught the classes of rhetoric, and
humanities, and also attended to Carroll's Manor. In 1841,
to his other various duties was added the ministership. In
I 843, he was again in Alexandria.
He died there on the
21st of December, 1844.
LOUISIANA .
. A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE SOCIETY IN NEW ORLEANS.
(Continued.)
May, and June had passed away, and the heats of July
had descended on Bienville's swamp-hemmed city, and still
there were no tidings of the Gironde. The heart of the
valiant Catholic Governor was filled with anxiety, not the
least cause of which was the fear of losing the Ursulines,
whose services had, as we have seen, been secured to the
struggling colony. The colonists, too, grew anxious, and
well they might, for nothing had been heard of the ship,
since she sailed from Port L'Orient, France, on the 22nd of
the preceding February. Their anxiety, however, arose for
the most part from the fear of losing their friends, and what
was at that juncture more valuable than friends,-the much
needed supplies, with which the vessel was freighted. As
to the Ursulines; although the colonists were far from opposing them, or wishing them evil, still many looked on
their coming as premature, on the ground that as the colony
could not support them they would be more of an encumbrance, than a help. Taken all together the outlook for the
Mission, and colony was gloomy enough, and it cannot be
wondered at, that hope grew weaker and weaker in the
hearts of the settlers as the days laden with disappointment
slipped by, until at last they came to .look on the ship as
surely lost.
It was about the 12th of July that this gloom was dispelled by the news that a courrier des bois had announced
to the Governor, the arrival at the Balize of the long looked
!or. Gironde. This piece of intelligence put the town, and
1ts Immediate vicinity, into a state of great excitement. We
may well imagine the eagerness with which the enthusiastic
VoL. xv, No. I.
4
�LOUiSIANA.
Bienville communicated the news to his saintly friend, and
colleague, with whom, while he was yet plunged in doubt,
he was wont frequently to converse, and. speak of his hopes,
and fears regarding the overdue ship.
As soon as the Gi'ronde came to her moorings, the transfer of the passengers, and their baggage to pirogues was
commenced, and effe8:ed with such expedition that on the
day of their arrival at the Balize (July 8th) they began, with
galley slaves tugging at the oars to forge their weary way
up stream. Of the fatigue, discomfort, and utter tediousness of the the trip in those days from the Balize or Beacon
Isle (I) which is situated at the mouth of the Mississippi to
New Orleans we can form no idea. The distance is but one
hundred miles ; yet OJ.Ir travellers took fifteen days to cover
it! Early on the 23rd of July, 1727, news reached the city
that the flotilla bringing the passengers, and freight of the
Gi'ronde had passed what was then, and is now known as the
English Bend or Reach, and would be in sight within a few
hours. Thereupon the Governor, and Colonial Officials, accompanied by the Capuchins, and Jesuits, repaired to the
landing in front of the Place d'Armes (Jackson Square) and
there beneath a spreading oak, heavily draped with Spanish
moss, awaited the arrival of the pirogues. But besides these
were others ;-the future charges of the coming Ursulines,
and Jesuits. As soon as the travelers landed a procession
was formed, headed by Father de Beaubois, who led them
to the church <2> where a solemn Te Deum was sung, in
thanksgiving for the happy termination of their perilous
voyage. At the conclusion of the service, de -B~aubois formally introduced the newly-arrived Ursulines, and Jesuits
to Father Brun, the Capuchin Prior, and Vicar-General of
the Province, after which they retired. The Ursulines took
up their abode in the government house, the use of which
had been ten~ered them pending the ere8:ion of a convent,
and began their work which has continued without interruption to this day.
Ours retired with the Superior to our little house, which
stood opposite that of the Governor, at the corner of Bienville, and what was in those days the levee but is now DeCll This island is situated in that mouth of the Mississippi called the S. E.
Pass. It had been called the "Island of Toulouse," by :E ather Charlevoix,
S. J., but the name did not take.
(2) The church mentioned was built on the site of the present cathedral.
It
was destroyed by fire. Its successor perished in a conflagration that buried
half the town in ashes. The present edifice is the third erected on the same
spot.
�LOUISIANA.
35
catur, on the block bounded by Bienville, Conde (now Chartres) Conti, and Decatur streets.
The story of the voyage is a thrilling one. No sooner
was the Gironde which, says the Clzronicle, "was provisioned
as if for a siege" well out at sea, than it encountered violent
storms, which drove it hither and thither across the tumbling Atlantic, until when fair weather came at last, our
travellers found themselves off the Spanish Main in the
Caribbean Sea, the haunt of the ocean free lances of the
time. Now they were chased by a corsair, but managed
by some means or other to escape. A second time a freebooter bore down upon them, and no escape was left save
in giving battle. The captain of the Gironde resolved,
should it be necessary, to fight his ship to the end, rather
than strike his colors at the bidding of such a foe. But
first he wanted to try by every means in his power to escape
from a combat, that was sure, even though he came off victorious, to be disastrous to him. So, while the buccaneer
was approaching, and the decks of the Giro11de were being
cleared for action, he thought of a ruse, his last hope of
avoiding the impending fight. At last the roll of the drums
beating to quarters was heard, and as the ship's company
hurried to their stations, great was the surprise to see
many stand ready to serve the guns. ·whence did the Captain get his reinforcements ?-His stratagem, poor as it may
appear, was to frighten off the pirates by a show of strength,
and so, to swell his seeming fighting numbers, he commanded
that for the moment all the women on board should disguise
themselves, and help to man the guns. The ruse seems to
have succeeded, and the buccaneer to have steered off without doing them any injury. No sooner had this danger
passed away than our friends again encountered stormy
weather, which drove them northward, until finally, their
ship went ashore on Dauphine Island, which lies across the
entrance to Mobile Bay. They got off at the sacrifice of
the. cargo, and then, in all probability, considering their disabled condition, made their way through the quiet waters
of Mississippi Sound, and out again to the Gulf of Mexico
by the pass, which had been discovered a few years before
by Herr Christian, a Danish skipper, and so along the coast
to the Balize.
Our missionaries seem to have spent the remainder of the
summer in recruiting their health, which had been severely
taxed by their long, and painful voyage. In the fall of the
same year, as it was the best time for travelling on the river,
Fathers Tartarin, and d'Outreleau set out for the Illinoi~
�. LOUISIANA.
Country. The mission was now in good order, and all the
posts allotted to the Society as well attended to as could be
expected under the circumstances. Seeing this Fr. de Beaubois had a desire to be relieved of his office, that he might
go back to his dear Illinois, among whom he had lived for
eight years prior to his coming to New Orleans. To satisfy
his longing another Superior had to be chosen, and the lot
fell on Fr. le Petit who was laboring at the time among the
Choctaws. He was accordingly called to New Orleans, and
installed in the spring of 1729. This good Father had not
been among the Choctaws two years, and yet such was his
tact that he had completely won the savage hearts of his
charges. One year after his return to New Orleans, a band
of Choctaw braves came to see him. On the occasion of
this visit one of the sachems, Paatlako, by name made him
the following speech :
"Our hearts, and those of our children mourn since we see
you no more. You began to be like us. You understand
us, and we understand you, you love us, and we love you.
vVhy have you left us? Why do you not return ? Do come
along with us." The good Father was in a quandary, as to
the answer he should give this chief whose good will was
eagerly sought by the French. To talk to Paaltako about
the vow of obedience would be worse than useless, so Fr.
le Petit had recourse to some commonplace"s about his returning to them as soon as he could, and that after all he
was in New Orleans in body only, but his heart was always
away in the whispering forest among the Choctaw villages.
At this stage of the missionary's reply an attell:ifant warrior,
to whom bilocation did not commend itself, and \vho, moreover, was of a mercenary turn of mind broke in and said :
"It is good, very good. But your heart says nothing to us.
It gives us nothing." Here we may suppose the conversation ended with a promise that one of the Black Chiefs, as
the Choctaws and Chickasaws were wont to style Ours, would
be sent to them, for, even on political grounds, it was the
wish of the Colonial Government that one of the" Society
should be employed in christianizing this nation. This
work was allotted to Father Beaudoin. He lived with the
Choctaws for nineteen years, carrying his life in his hands
all that time, for they were a fickle, catlike tribe, and always
hostile to the French. Fr. Beaudoin was the last of the first
band of missionaries to leave New Orleans for a distant station; but he was not destined, as was the case with some of
that band, to meet a martyr's death; no, he is to suffer pangs
severer, perhaps, than those of the martyr who passes to
t
r
!
t
�LOUISIANA.
37
his crown through a violent and sudden death. He is to
drag out a weary exile in frying to cultivate a churlish soil,
and, after all, just as the dawn begins to break, he is to see
his companions driven out of the country, and their work
destroyed as far as it could be done by the hand of man. He
shall not be driven out; they dare not do it, and in due time
he shall find a grave in the city he did so much for, and
loved so well.
The last post under our care had now been provided for,
· and every one was busy, and doing well. The management
of our plantation, the care of the U rsulines, and colonial
hospital, together with excursions to Tchoutchouma (the
place of the Houma or sun), an Indian village on Bayou St.
John, gave sufficient employment to the Superior, and one
or two companions. It does not appear that we opened any
school, and it was not necessary, even if some could be
spared to conduCt: it, as the Capuchins had already supplied
that want. From up the river all manner of success was
reported to Fr. le Petit. Fr. Boullanger had written a Catechism, a Bible History, containing the principal stories of
the Old and New Testaments, a Method of Hearing Mass,
and a Preparation for the Sacraments in the Illinois tongue.
He was obliged, moreover, to enlarge his chapel which had
grown too small to hold his congregation. Fr. du Poisson,
it was averred by the voyageurs, knew more of the Indian
tongues than any trader in the colony, and yet he was
scarcely two years in the country. Fathers Souel, Dumas,
and the others could speak . the languages of the tribes
among whom their lot was cast. Surely here was great
promise for the future. There was peace, and a great calm
reigned-the forerunner of the storm. The time was at
hand, when, in the merciful dispensations of Providence, the
colony, and the mission, whose fate was bound up with it,
were to receive a set back from the effeCts of which they
never recovered.
Mons. de Chepar, Commandant of Fort Rosalie, the post
among the Natchez, was a fool-hardy sort of person. He
thought, as one of our Fathers tells us, as many of the
French thought, that the Indian was so stupid and apathetic,
that he could be used, were the colonists so minded, as a
beast of burden. The Commandant coveted a piece of land
belonging to one of the chiefs. He made use of promises,
and threats by turns, to induce the Indian to surrender it,
and these failing, he had recourse to stronger methods. The
~ation made the cause of the wronged man its own, and in
1ts grand council resolved to drive the French Ol.lt of Lou-
�LOUISIANA.
1s1ana. The Natchez did nothing suspicious; on the contrary, they were as profuse as ever in showing their love to
their "French brothers," but there was a bundle of sticks
placed in every medicine lodge, or rather temple (for the
Natchez had such edifices) and woe, woe to the unwary
French on the day that the last of the bundle is drawn. As
we know from history the bloody day was hastened by the
aCtion of a female Sun <t> who secretly extraCted several
stic:ks at once from the bundle placed in the fane which was
nearest the fort. But we are at New Orleans. It is the
2nd of December, I 729, and there are strange rumors in the
town. By and by these rumors take definite shape. There
has been a rising among the Natchez, and all the French
within and around th~ fort at the time have been either killed or captured. Some fugitives from the outlying distriCts
brought the news, and they told Fr. le Petit that a Jesuit
was among the slain. \Vho could it be? The Capuchins
had charge of the post. Excited men assembled in the
Place d'Armes to talk the matter over, and as they talked
they saw a pirogue come skimming down the river. It approached the shore, and as soon as it was beached a man of
extraordinary stature leaped out followed by some score, all
armed. This man was "Baby" the great Indian fighter, the
martinet of Louisiana. He is a cavalry officer, but for some
time past has -been doing naval duty, still he always wears
his eight-inch Mexican spurs. All know him, and crowd
around him while he confirms the news brought by the refugees. Soon the straight, narrow streets resound with the
cry: "the Indians come," and ·le Petit learns)hat the murdered Jesuit is none other than the light-hearted, energetic,
gifted Paul du Poisson. It appears that Fr. du Poisson, accompanied by Brother Cruey, was on his way to New Orleans to make arrangements with the Governor for transferring the Arkansas Indians to some place nearer the
Mississippi river, as, in their present location, they suffered
much from frequent inundations, and were too much out of
the way of trade.rs. On the trip Br. Cruey died suddenly of
a sunstroke, and du Poisson stopped at Fort Rosalie to bury
him. This duty performed, he determined on returning to
his mission at once, but as the Capuchin Cure was absent
he was asked to stop over and say Mass on the morrow, the
first Sunday of Advent. Again he determined on leaving
after his Mass, but there were many sick-calls, and he was
easily persuaded to put off his departure. Fatal delay. On
1
< >A title borne by all the members of the reigning family among the
Natchez Indians,
· ··
�LOUISIANA.
Monday, 28th Nov. he said Mass and carried the Viaticum
to some sick persons. As he was returning about 9 A. M.
the last stick of the bundle that had been placed in the Indian temple adjoining the fort was drawn, and the massacre
began. A stalwart Indian rushed on du Poisson, and threw
him to the ground, and severed the head from his body by
the repeated blows of a hatchet. The martyr's head, together
with that of the unfortunate Commandant, was presented to
the great Sun who sat in state under the tobacco shed of the
West India Company.
As the details of the massacre, which lasted two hours,
and in which two hundred French lost their lives, came to
light, the citizens literally became craze.d through fear.
They dreaded a universal rising of the Indians. When this
extreme terror abated somewhat a small expedition was fitted out to rescue the women and children in durance among
· the Natchez. Governor Perrier desired to lead it in person
but was dissuaded by Fr. le Petit who pointed out the imprudence of his leaving the town at such a time, which
would be nothing short of an invitation to the disaffeCl:ed
ChoCl:aws and Chickasaws to pounce upori it during his absence. Meanwhile more strange rumors,-this time about
the Yazoo Indians, were in circulation in the town. Many
did not credit them : "Oh ! no fear of the Yazoos, they are
our allies. Did not the refugees from Fort Rosalie fall in
with a band of them, and yet no harm befell them? On the
contrary, the Yazoos gave them a pirogue, and food, and
clothing, and ammunition, and helped them in every way to
reach New Orleans. They are our steadfast friends." But
is the savage steadfast? He is more changeable than the
wind:>. In a few days the colonists must even believe this
new rumor; Fort St. Peter among the Yazoos has fallen,
and the first to be killed was Fr. Soue!. A few words as to
the manner of his death may not be out of place. On the
I ~th December Fr. Souel was returning to his cabin after a
fnendly visit to one of the Yazoo chiefs,· and while passing
through a ravine was riddled with bullets by ambushed savages. His murderers, with the instinCl: of their fellows in
more civilized countries, threw themselves on his poor hut
to rifle it of whatever it might contain. The Father's negro
servant, knowing nothing of the fate of his master, tried to
defend the little property but was soon overcome, and dispatched. Poor fellow ! his death was sudden, but, as we
gather from the letters of Fr. le Petit, it was not unprovided
for. During the enaCl:ment of this second part of the tragedy,
a council was held in the wigwam of one of the sachems,
�LOUISIANA.
and some of those present who were of opinion that enough
had been done to bring the French to terms, counseled their
fellows to go no farther at least for a time. vVhereupon one
of the chiefs bounded to his feet, and in a loud voice exclaimed: "Since the Black Chief is dead, it is the same as
though all the French were dead. Let none of them be
spared." He carried the day, and Fort St. Peter was the
scene of a carnage as dreadful as that of Fort Rosalie.
New Orleans was now thoroughly terrified. Hearts that
never before knew dread now quailed, as they thought of
the stealthiness of the foe. In a word, the effeet of these
massacres on the citizens was the same, says Fr. le Petit, "as
though they had been wrought in the neighborhood." To
· make matters worse .. there were domestic foes ; the negro
slaves, who had contributed not a little to the bloody success of the Natchez. During those days of panic when all
was excitement, and every male citizen who had strength to
grasp a musket was enrolled in the militia, the Ursulines
and Jesuits were going about giving whatever spiritual and
temporal relief they could to the refugees from the outlying
plantations, and to the inhabitants of the town.
On a day, towards the close of January, 1730, while the
excitement caused by the recent massacre still ran high, Fr.
le Petit, saw approaching our house, a man clothed in a ragged soutane, with his arm in a sling, and his face so enveloped in bandages as to prevent recognition. He hastened
towards the figure, and found it to be Fr. d'Outreleau. The
first thought of the Superior was; had then the Illinois risen
as the Natchez, and the Yazoos; woe, then.tQ the colony.
He asked what had happened, and Fr. d'Outreleau while
under the hands of Brother Parise!, a skilled infirmarian,
told his story in fragments. An outline of his adventures
may find a fitting place here, together with a little explanati~n ~s to the cause of them, namely, his absence from his
miSSIOn.
In those pionear days, the distances were so great, and
the means of travelling so costly, slow, painful, and even
dangerous, and the laborers so few, that the Superior could
not afford, save on rare occasions, either the time or the
money to visit personally the various posts under his jurisdiCtion. To remedy this, the Fathers at the different stations, were wont to repair once in a while to New Orleans
to make their report. The time usually seleeted for the
performance of this duty was the hunting season, which began about the middle of Oetober, and extended well into the
following March. During this season the Indian villages
�LOUISIANA.
were abandoned, save by some old men and women, and ·the
youngest of the children.
It was to make his report, that Fr. d'Outreleau, ignorant
of the tragic events which had occurred towards the south,
set out on New Year's day, 1730, with five voyageurs en
route for New Orleans. All went well until the mouth of
the Yazoo River was reached. Here the party landed, and,
it being Sunday, Fr. d'Outreleau proposed saying Mass before calling on Fr. Souel who lived, or rather used to live,
some distance up the Yazoo River. ·while the missionary
was arranging an altar, some Indians approached in a pirogue, and being challenged by the wary voyageurs said that
they were Y azoos, "brothers of the French," and passed
their hands over their faces, this being the usual sign of
friendship. The aCtion disarmed the vigilance of the white
men. A few moments after, a flock of bustards swept into
view, and the voyageurs, seeing a chance of varying the rancid bacon and musty rice diet of the pirogue voyage, discharged two muskets, the only loaded ones of the party, at
them. Having brought down the game they negleCted reloading, a singular rack of caution in such men. However,
they may have thought that there was no need of such precaution, they were among friendly (sic) Indians, and the Holy
Sacrifice, moreover, had just begun. One of the voyageurs
served Mass, and the others knelt in front, while the Indians,
none of whom were Christians, sat or knelt in the rear. Just
as the celebrant stepped from the Epistle side to the centre
of the altar to recite the "Kyrie" the Indians brought their
rifles to their shoulders, and discharged them, some at the
priest and his server, and some at the kneeling voyageurs.
Fr. d'Outreleau was severely wounded in the arm, and fell
before the altar, the acolyth was killed outright, and two of
the others received some flesh wounds. There now followed
a fight waged with terrible odds in numbers and weapons,
against the whites. vVhile the affray went on at close quarters, with clubbed muskets, hunting knives, and tomahawks,
some of the Indians on the skirts of the melee fired again
and again at point blank range, on the prostrate form of the
?Jissionary without, wonderful to say, doing him further inJUry. The voyageurs saw all this, and deeming their priestly
c~mpa~ion past rescue thought only of themselves, and tried
wtth mtght and main to cut their way through the bloody
redskins. They succeeded, and once free of the savages ran
at the top of their speed to their pirogue. A few frantic efforts got the craft off the oozy bank in which it was embed-
VaL. xv, No.
1.
S
�LOUISIANA.
ded. Just as the pirogue floated, the voyageurs, to their
amazement, saw Fr. d'Outreleau running towards them with
all the swiftness a man may command whose limbs are
hampered with the sacerdotal vestments. They watched.
On came the Father carrying the shattered arm with the
sound one, and a pack of howling savages hard upon his
track. He reached the river bank in safety, floundered
down the muddy slope to the water's edge, flung himself
into the river and seized the pirogue. While clambering in
with the assistance of the voyageurs, he turned his head to
see if his pursuers were gaining on him, a,nd as he turned
one of the savages fired, and he received a charge of duck
shot full in the mouth. Some of the shot broke his teeth,
and entering, lodged .. in the gums, and some mangled his
cheeks and lips. But he was nothing daunted; in a few
seconds the pirogue, steered by the wounded Jesuit, shot
out into deep water in response to the vigorous strokes of
the sturdy pioneers. Meanwhile the Yazoos had divided
into two parties, one of which kept up a running fire from
the banks on the fleeing pirogue, and the other flung themselves into their canoe to give chase. Our heroes had some
hope; they had a slight start of their pursuers, and, moreover, the chase was likely to be a long one as it would be
a stern chase._ As to the Indians, they were infuriated, and
their wild efforts served in a great measure to defeat them.
Whenever they brought the fugitives within range they
stopped to fire on them, and they had no fear of doing this,
as they believed, and correCtly, that the whjte men were
without firearms. This was dangerous knowl¢ge for the
enemy to possess, and in consequence the voyageurs cast
about for some means of creating an opposite impression.
It chanced that a small swivel, which had not been used for
many a day, lay at the bottom of their pirogue. This ancient gun stood the fugitives in good stead, for whenever
the savages came too near, one of the voyageurs would proceed to train it on them, and at once the plash of the Indian paddles ceased, and every scalp-lock ducked below the
gunwale, thus giving time to the pursued to widen the distance between them and their pursuers. The ruse always
succeeded. But there is a limit to the endurance of man,
and this limit our friends had now reached. They were all
wounded; more or less, and one had his thigh broken by a
ball which just now came plunging into their midst, from
the Indian canoe ; they were faint, and weak from loss of
blood, and violent exertion, and so it came to pass that they
had thoughts of surrendering themselves to the scant mercy
.
I
~
I
I
�LOUISIANA.
43
of their savage foe. Fr. d'Outreleau would not hear of surrender. He begged of his companions to pluck up heart
of grace, for the Indians were fickle, and of their nature
averse to prolonged effort. Unless success continually
beckoned them on, they would prefer to go back to their
people and feed their vanitY by chanting songs of viB:ory.
Fr. d'Outreleau was right; little by little the gap between
pursuers, and pursued increased, until finally, the Indians
dropped out of sight. · The chase lasted an hour, and this
was the first rest the fugitives had since the onslaught at the
sylvan chapel. They now dressed their wounds as best
they could, and held a council of war in which it was decided to push on without delay to Fort Rosalie. They were
ignorant all this time of the massacre which had taken place
at that station. When they arrived at the post, and saw
some of the French dwellings wrecked, and others burned
to the ground, they deemed it more prudent to give the
place a wide berth notwithstanding the seeming friendliness
of the Natchez, who waved them signals to approach. Our
party, therefore, hugged the opposite or western shore, and
tried, successfully, fo get out of the range of the Indian
rifles. Dreadful thoughts concerning the fate of the colony
now haunted them. They determined not to land even at
New Orleans should there be any suspicious signs, but to
continue on to the Balize where they hoped to find a vessel
in readiness to pick up the remnant of the colony. In passing a village of the Tonicas, some distance to the south of
the Natchez, they were discovered, and a pirogue pushed
off from the Indian side, and gave instant chase. The voygeurs bent to their work with a will, but their pursuers were
quickly overhauling them, still they kept on, and it was only
when a voice in excellent French hailed them that they lay
on their oars, and allowed the strangers to approach. Our
poor fugitives were glad that they had not outstripped their
pursuers this time, who proved to belong to a body of troops
on their way from New Orleans to fight the Natchez. The
officers and men treated the missionary and his companions
with great kindness. The Commander gave them food and
clothing, and passage in a pirogue that was leaving on the
morrow for New Orleans, and the surgeon examined and
dressed their wounds as well as he might, in the few hours
t~ey remained with the troops. As payment for these~ser
vtces, the officers and men begged of Fr. d'Outreleau to return to them, as soon as his wounds were healed, to aB: a~
their chaplain. The good Father readily pledged his word
to perform what was asked of him, went on board the ph··
�4+
FR. THO.lfAS COPLEY. .\LIAS PHILIP FISHER.
ogue with his companions, and after a few days reached
New Orleans without further adventure.
Such is the outline of the story he told Fr. le Petit, while
Brother Parise! extra8:ed some shot, which had escaped the
eye of the army-surgeon; and already he thinks that he
ought to hurry off to his soldier friends. He says that he
shall grow well, just as quick before Fort Rosalie as here
at New Orleans.
P. J. K.
(To be continued.)
FR. THOMAS COPLEY, ALIAS PHILIP FISHER.
IDENTIFICATION.
We now consider the identity (I) of Thomas Copley and
Philip Fisher in some degree established. \Ve have come
rather relu8:antlv to this conclusion after a careful investigation of all the ·t:,as relating to it. \Ve say rcluflantly, for
we acknowledge that many difficulties were found in proving this identity. All our historians in Maryland have
spoken of Fisher and Copley as distinCt: missionaries. Fr.
Fisher's name occurs frequently in the Annual Letters,
while Thomas Copley is written in not a few places in our
Colonial Records. \Vhy should Copley give his real name
in legal courts, and still appear among his people as Philip
Fisher? ·what motive could have induced hiinto go under
an assumed name in Maryland, when religion was perfe8:ly
free, when he had enjoyed, even in England, the King's
proteCtion? Though his name did not occur in the English Catalogue, perhaps this was because he belonged to the
Belgian Province. vVe find him known even to the priesthunters in England by his proper name. Gee, in his "Names
of the Romish priests and Jesuites now resident about the
city of London, I623," mentions him as "Copley, jun., one
that hath newly taken Orders and come from beyond sea."
Another difficulty arose in this manner.-The Catalogues
stated that Philip Fisher arrived in Maryland in I636, while
K~lty affirms, and he has good authority, old land records,
that Thomas Copley came on the 8th of August, I637· But
we are now convinced that Fr. Copley came to the Mary(IJ See a learned paper on this subject in the
xi, p. 18.
WOODSTOCK LETTERS,
vol.
�FR. THOMAS COPLEY, .\LIAS PHILIP FISHER.
45
land Mission in 1636. At all events he must have come
very early in 1637, and not in August, as Kilty indicates,
for he was summoned to the Assembly held at St. Mary's
City on the 26th of January of that year. It seemed strange
that Fr. Copley in writing a confidential letter to our Very
Rev. Fr. General at Rome, should sign himself by his alias
and not by his real name. There exists a letter from Philip
Fisher to Very Rev. Fr. Vincent Caraffa. All these were
difficulties that could not easily be set aside, or despised.
Still they are but mere difficulties, and nothing else. The Annual Letters for 1636-37-38-39-4o-41, cannot be satisfaCtorily explained unless we admit the identity of Fisher and Copley. Fisher's name is frequently mentioned in them, but
not a word about Copley. vVhy this silence about a missionary so aCtive as Fr. Copley? The Annual Letters for
1639 give the number of priests in Maryland as four. According to the Catalogue these were, Fathers Fisher, Poulton, Altham and White: If we do not consider Fisher and
Copley as identical, we will be forced to contradiCt the Annual Letters, and say that the number of our Fathers in
Maryland in 1639 was not four, but five, Fathers Copley,
White, and Altham were summoned to the "General Assembly Held At St. Marie's" in 1637. Why was not Fr.
Philip Fisher, who was then Superior, invited to the Assembly? Among the members of the Assembly of 1638,
were Copley, White, and Altham, but not Philip Fisher.
Though it may seem strange that Copley should sign his
alias in writing to hls Superiors at Rome, still we know that
Philip Fisher was an alias of some one of the missionaries.
The Annual Letters "for 1645 say expressly that Philip Fisher's family-name wa;; Cappicius. Br. Henry Foley says in
a letter before us that he considers that the Roman copyist
made a mistake in writing Cappicius for Coplcus. He says
that no English or Foreign name could be concoCted from
the word Cappicius. "I prepared the alias of Fr. Fisher,"
continues the learned Editor of the Records, "assuming that
to nave been his real name, from the best information I then
possessed, but, if I had known what I now do, I should
. have put 'Copley, Thomas,' alias 'Fisher, Philip;' 'Philip,
Fisher,' vcre 'Copley, Thomas.' "
Both Philip Fisher and Thomas Copley were born at Madrid. Both, as far as we can decide, were born about the
same year, and entered, about the same year, St. John's
English Novitiate on Mount Cesar, at Louvain. Both arrived at London about the same time, and both in all probability were sent in the same year to Maryland. Br. Foley
(..\.
�46
FR. THOllfAS COPLEY, ALTAS PHILIP FISHER.
makes a good point in favor of the identity we are considering in the following item, which he had the kindness to send
to the editor of the vVOODSTOCK LETTERS :-"Fr. Fisher was
in London at the date of the apostate Gee's fatally accurate
list of Priests and Jesuits in and about London, but his name
does not occur, whilst Copley, a Jesuit, does. The Fisher,
a Jesuit, named by Gee, was Fr. John Percy, alias Fisher.
(See Gee's list in Records, Vol. 1). Gee knew most of them
personally, and generally uses the real names; the better to
betray them to the Government pursuivants." A strong
presumptive argument can be drawn from the faa that the
lands in Southern Maryland were taken possession of in the
name of "Mr. Copley." This would indicate that Copley
was Superior when th~ grants were taken up. In faa, Philip
Fisher was Superior at that time. The industrious and
careful Editor of the English Records adduces the following in proof of the identity of Copley and Fisher: - "The
Secular Agent, Rev. Mr. Clarke, in his list of Jesuits out of
prison (1632-3) uses the real name of Copley, but does not
name Philip Fisher, although then in London and out of
prison. Mr. Clarke, no doubt, knew Thomas Copley personally."
There is every reason to believe that Father Copley belonged to the English Province. He made his noviceship
at St. John's, (ouvain, an English Novitiate; after his ordination he was sent to England, and thence on the Maryland Mission. Still, his name does not once occur in the
Catalogues of the English Province, while that of Philip
Fisher does. It would seem that on entering:the Society
he immediately assumed an alias. It is impossible that he
could have taken any other alias than Fisher. If Copley
had entered the Belgian Province, as a learned writer suggests he did, then he would most probably have made his
noviceship at Tournay or Mechlin, and not at Louvain. In
the Mechlin Novitiate, Copley's two Irish kinsmen, William
and Peter Stanihurst, both of whom joined the Flemish
Province, made their Probation.
From the Annual Letters we learn that in 1645, Fr.
White and Fr. Fisher were taken prisoners in Maryland,
and brought back to England. From other sources we
learn that Thomas Copley and Andrew White were tried
at London in that year. We can nowhere find an account
ofthe death ofThomas Copley. We trace him from 1636
to 1650. No author tells us how, where, or when he died.
The English Catalogues record the death of Fr. Fisher in
I6S3-4·
t
r
I
i
I~
l
'
�ABP. CARROLL'S ESTIMATE OF OUR CONSTITUTIONS. 47
Fr. Henry Warren, who became Superior of the Maryland
Mission in 1663, on taking possession of our property,
signed himself, "Copley's successor." We nowhere find
Copley mentioned as Superior of the Mission.
The identification of Thomas Copley with Philip Fisher
is a matter of no small historic importance to us. It fills up
many gaps, and clears up several points, in the interesting
biography of one of the most distinguished missionaries of
Maryland.
ARCHBISHOP CARROLL'S ESTIMATE OF OUR
CONSTITUTIONS.
(From a Letter to Fr. Charles Neale.)
For the Constitutions of the Society, I believe that no one
feels more respeCt, or a higher estimate of their wisdom,
than I, not merely because I love the Society with a filial
tenderness; but because I have studied the Constitutions'
excellence, and in various circumstances and countries, have
had the happiness of observing their effeCts in forming the
minds and hearts of those who embraced them as their rule
of life. Everywhere they answered the religious views of
their author. Wherever they were observed in their letter
and spirit, they raised men eminent in learning, great masters of a spiritual· life, zealous and disinterested laborers, distinguished for their talents and success in the education of
youth, solicitous to recommend themselves to the First Pastors of the Church by their co-operation in the salvation of
souls.
�PENNSYLVANIA.
SOME HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS.
The first Jesuits who labored in Pennsylvania came from
the Maryland Mission. Though there was much work to
be done on the banks of the Patuxent, Potomac and Elk
rivers, still, our missionaries at Newtown, St. Inigoes, and
especially Bohemia, a little later on, could not neglect altogether the souls of those of the Household of Faith who
dwelt on the shore~ of the Delaware and on the wooded
mountains of Penn's ..Plantation. Though no Proprietary
invited them, though no Governor encouraged them, stiil
1
the Jesuits of Maryland often penetrated the stronghold of
Quakerism, disguised, and in secret, and ministered to the
wants of the few scattered Catholics of Pennsylvania, who
had as yet no resident priest among them. During the few
short years that New York possessed English Jesuits, it is
almost certain, that the Philadelphia Catholics were visited
by missionaries from the banks of the Hudson. But it was
years after the death of Harvey, Harrison and Gage that the
first Jesuit residence was built in the City of Brotherly Love.
"Previous to the year I733," says an old paper before me,
"the few Catholics who then resided in Philadelphia, held
meetings for religious worship in a private dwelling; for the
public exercise of the Catholic religion was not permitted,
according to the laws of England, which prevailed in America at that epoch. In the above year, the Rev. Mr. Crayton,
a priest of the Order of Jesuits, purchased lots near Fourth
Street, between Walnut and ·willing's Alley, and erected
thereon a small chapel, dedicated to St. Joseph, which has
since been enlarged."
We lately found an interesting paper relating to the first
visit of Fr. Joseph Greaton to Philadelphia. On this paper
'we find the following note: "This I have heard from Archbishop Neale, the 4th of December, ISIS, the first day he
was Archbishop of Baltimore." The document itself is as
follows :-"Mr. Greaton, one of the Jesuits of Maryland, being informed that in Philadelphia there was a great number
of Catholics, resolved to try to establish a mission for their
spiritual comfort. In order to succeed the better he went
first to Lancaster where he had an acquaintance by the name
(48)
�PENNSYLVANIA.
of Mr. Doyle. The objecr of his journey was to know from
his friend the name of some respeCtable Catholic in Philadelphia, to whom he could address himself, and by whom
he could be seconded in his laudable exertions to found
there a mission. Mr. Doyle direcred him to an old lady,
very respeCtable for her wealth, and still more for her attachment to the Catholic Religion. Fr. Greaton on his arrival at Philadelphia presented himself dressed like a Quaker to the lady, and after the usual compliments, he turned
his conversation on the great number of secraries who were
in that city. The lady made a long enumeration of themQuakers, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Church of England
members, Baptists, etc., etc. The Father then asked her:'Pray, madam, are there here any of those who are called
Papists?'
'Yes,' she replied, 'there is a good number.'
'Are you one?' asked the Father.·
The lady stopped a little, and then acknowledged that she
was.
'I am one too,' added the priest.
This gave rise to many other questions, among which
was the following: 'Have the Catholics any Church?' The
lady answered: 'No, they have none.'
'Do you think that they would be glad to have one?' continued Fr. Greaton.
'Most certainly, sir, but the great difficulty is to find a
priest.'
.
'Are there no priests in America?'
'Yes, there are some in Maryland, but it would be impossible to get priests from that quarter.'
'No, not impossible,' said the missionary, 'I myself am
one at your service.'
'Is it true!' asked the lady with warm interest, 'is it true
that you are a Priest!'
'Yes, madam, I assure you I am a priest.'
"The good lady could not contain her joy to see after so
many years a Catholic priest, and like the Samaritan woman who, having found our Lord Jesus Christ, ran to announce it to the citizens of Samaria, she went through the
neighborhood and invited her Catholic acquaintances to
come and see a Catholic priest in her house. This was soon
filled with Catholics, for the most part Germans. Then Fr.
Greaton began to expose to them the objecr of his journey.
At that very meeting a subscription was opened to raise
sufficient funds to buy lots, and build a Catholic church.
VoL. xv, No.
1.
6
�so
PENNSYLVANIA.
All willingly contributed to this good work. They bought
lots and a house of their hostess, who aCl:ed in a very
generous manner."
It seems that this bold step of Fr. Joseph Greaton,was
not looked upon favorably by some of the non-Cath6lics
around him. "Considerable jealousy of the Roman Catholic Religion," writes the historian of Pennsylvania, "prevailed
in the Province, whilst all others were tolerated without
fear. This arose from apprehension that a similarity of religion might lead the Catholics in the Province to support
the French interests. Governor Gordon brought this subjeCt: before his council for consideration, informing them
that a house had lately been built on vValnut Street, for the
exercise of that religion, in which Mass was openly celebrated by a priest,~ ·contrary to the laws of England, and
particularly the Ibth and I 2th of William III., which extended to all his majesty's dominions. The council were of
opinion that that statute did not extend to the Province, and
that the Catholics were proteCted by the charter of privileges, and the law concerning liberty of conscience; but referred the subjeCt: to the Governor, that he might, in his discretion, consult his superiors at home. But it does not
appear that the Governor took further notice of the matter."
Though the aCtion taken by Governor Gordon with regard to the ereCtion of St. Joseph's Church, has been already
noticed in a former number of the LETTERS, we shall here
again reproduce it:
"AT A COUNCIL HELD AT PHILADELPHIA,
Ju~y}Sth,
1734·
Presmt:
"The Honourable THOMAS PENN, Esqr., Proprietary.
The Honourable PATRICK GoRDON, Esqr., Lieut. Gov'r.
James Logan,
Ralph Assheton,}
Samuel Preston,
Samuel Hasell,
Esquires.
Charles Read,
Clement Plumsted,
"The Governor then informed the Board, that he was under no small Concern to hear that a House lately built
in Walnut Street, in this City, had been set apart for the
Exercise of the Roman Catholick Religion, and is commonly called the Romish Chappell, where several Persons, he
Understands, resort on Sundays, to hear Mass openly celebrated by a Popish Priest; that he conceives the tolerating
the Publick Exercise of that Religion to be contrary to
Laws of England, some of which, particularly the I Ith and
�PENNSYLVANIA.
51
12th of King William the third, are extended to all His
Majesty's Dominions; but those of that Persuasion here
imagining they have a right to it, from some general Expres:>ions in the Charter of Privileges granted to the inhabitants of this Government by our late Honourable Proprietor, he was desirous to know the Sentiments of the Board
· on the SubjeCt:.
"It was observed hereupon, that if any part of the said
Charter was inconsistent with the Laws of England, it could
be of no force, as being contrary to the express terms of
the Royal Charter to the Proprietary. But the Council
having sate long, the Consideration hereof was adjourned
till the next meeting, and the said Laws and Charter were
then ordered to be laid before the Board.
"AT A COUNCIL HELD AT PHILADELPHIA, July 31st, 1734·
Presmt:
"The Honourable PATRICK GoRDON, Esqr., Lieut. Gov'r.
James Logan,
Samuel Hasell, }
Samuel Preston.
Charles Read,
Esquires.
Clement Plumsted,
·
"The Minutes of the preceding Council being read and
approved:
"The Consideration of what the Governor had then laid
before the Board touching the Popish Chappell, was resumed,
& the Charter of Privileges with the Law of this Province
concerning Liberty, being read & likewise the Statute of the
I Ith & 12th of King William the 3d Chap. 4th. It was
questioned whether the said Statute, notwithstanding the
general Words in it 'all others His Majesty's Dominions,'
did extend to the Plantations in America, & admitting it
did, whether any Persecution could be carried on here by
virtue thereof, while the aforesaid Law of the Province,
pass'd so long as the 4th year of Her late Majesty Queen
Anne, which is about five years posterior to the said Statute,
stands unrepealed.- And under this Difficulty of concluding on any thing certain in this present case, it is left to the
Governor, if he thinks fitt, to represent the matter to our
Superiors at home, for their Advice and DireCtions in it."
It would appear that our Fathers in Pennsylvania were
for many ·years subjeCted to trials and troubles. Their enemies were continually taking advantage of their religion to
accuse themselves and their flocks of secretly plotting to
overthrow the English Government, in order to in,trQd.tJ.G~ ~
�52
PENNSYLVANIA.
French one. Catholics were regarded as persons altogether
unworthy of trust or confidence. Daniel Claus wrote to
Governor Hamilton, in 1754, that he "heard Col. Johnson
give Lidius the Character of a very dangerous Person in
any Province, as he was certain of his being a Roman Catholick, having heard it of a Frenchman, who was in Church
in Canada, when he made his Confession to the Priest."
Our Fathers having been seen vested in their sacerdotal
robes were accused of great riches, and said to walk about
"dressed in silver and gold." As we have seen, Father Joseph Greaton sometimes dressed as a Quaker in order to
avoid persecution or insult. It seems to us that it was for
the same reason he took the alias of Josiah Crayton, which
he is called in many old records. Outside influence was
frequently brought to "bear upon the somewhat tolerant authorities of Pennsylvania, in regard to the treatment of
Catholics within that Province. Governor Dinwiddie wrote
to Governor Morris from Williamsburg, Virginia, on the
20th of September, 1755. His letter is as follows: "I have
not omitted writing to the Ministry the unaccountable
Conduct of Your Assembly ; the Dangers we are in from
the German Roman Catholics, & I have no doubt the next
Sessions they will seriously consider of it, & make some
alteration in Your Constitution."
At the breaking out of the war between the French and
English colonists great fear of the Catholics arose in the
breasts of the Pennsylvania Quakers. The following letter
speaks for itself.
"A Letter of the 23rd Instant from the Jus!}C:es of Berks
County concerning the Roman Catholicks there, was likewise brought by the Express and read in these Words, viz.:
"Sir:
"As all our Protestant inhabitants J.re very uneasy at the
Behaviour of the Roman Catholicks, who are very numerous in this County, some of whom shew great Joy at the
bad News lately come from the Army, We have thought it
our Duty to inform Your Honour of our dangerous Situation, and to beg Your Honour to enable Us by some legal
Authority to disarm or otherwise to disable the Papists from
doing any Injury to other People who are not of their vile
Principles. We know that the People of the Roman Catholick Church are bound by their Principles to be the worst
Subjects and worst of Neighbours, And we have reason to
fear just at this Time that the Roman Catholicks in Cussahoppen, where they have a very magnificent Chappel and
l?-tely have had large Processions, have bad Designs, for in
�PENNSYI- VANIA.
53
the Neighbourhood of that Chappel it is reported and generally believed that 30 Indians are now lurking, well armed
with Guns and Swords or Cutlashes. The Priest at Reading, as well as at Cussahoppen, last Sunday gave Notice to
their People that they could not come to them again in less
than. 9 \Veeks, whereas they constantly preach Once iri 4
Weeks to their Congregations; Whereupon some imagine
they've gone to consult with our Enemies at Du Quesne.
It is a great Unhappiness at this Time to the other People
of the Province that the Papists shou'd keep Arms in their
Houses, against which the Protestants are not prepared,
who, therefore, are subjeCl: to a Massacre whenever the Papists are ready. We pray that Your Honour wou'd direCl:
us in this important Business By the Return of the Bearer,
whom We have sent Express to your Honour. We are,
May it please your Honour,
"Your Honour's most obed1 h'ble Serv18,
Henry Harvey,
James Read,
Willm Bird,
Jonas Seely,
Conrad Weiser.
"To the Honble Govr Morris.
"Heidleberg, July 23d, 1755."
Governor Morris did not always put much faith in the
many reports about Catholics made to him. In April, 1756,
he wrote as follows to Richard Peters :-"I have a Confused
letter from W. Trent at Carlisle, giving an account that five
S\~iss familys were gone from York county to Joyn the
French, and that many Roman Catholicks in York & Frederick counties had engaged to go off to y• Ohio; tlzere does
not appear to me muclt trutlz in tlzis accoum."
However, even Governor Morris could not help sharing
in the general dread of Roman Catholics. In July, 1756,
he wrote a letter to the Governor of New York which clearly shows the state of his feelings only some months after
he had written to Mr. Peters. We give his letter to Governor Hardy.
"GOV. 1\!0RRIS TO GOV. HARDY, 1756.
"5th July, 1756.
"Sir:
"By means of the Roman Catholicks who are allowed in
this & the neighbouring Province of Maryland, the free
Exercise of their Religion and therein the other priveleges
of English Freemen, the French may be made acquainted
�54
PENNSYLVANIA.
with the steps taken against them, nor do I see how it is
possible to deteCt: them, as from the head of Chesopeak Bay
the roads thro' this Province to Potowmic are open & much
travelled, especially by Germans, who have a large settlement at Frederick Town, in Maryland, a frontier place near
Kittochtinny Hills, none are examined who pass that way
& perhaps there are none who live there that are qualified
to make the prOper Examinations. The Secretary tells me
that of late years many French from Alsace & Lorrain (who)
have mixed with the Germans, were admitted to their Qualifications & live among them in the remote parts of the
Province.
"S• Charles Hardie,
5th July, 1756."
The inhabitants of New York, too, feared the Catholics.
A Catholic conspiracy was dreaded on all sides. What the
Catholics had done to merit this unjust suspicion I have
found neither in public records, nor in private correspondence, nor in secret archives. Their religion, then so generally misunderstood, and so foully misrepresented, was the
sole cause of the charges brought against them. Governor
Hardy says in a letter to the Governor of Pennsylvania that
he is inclined to suspect the Catholics of treasonable correspondence.
"GOVERNOR CHARLES HARDY TO GOV. MORRIS,
1756.
"Fort George, New York; July 9, 1756.
"Sir
~ •·
"The Letters of Croghans is by no means the hand I want,
I am rather inclined to think, the Treasonable Correspondence must have been carried on by some Roman Catholics;
I have heard you have an ingenious Jesuit in Philadelphia.
I have nothing new to Inform you of on this SubjeCt:, and
shall be much obliged to you for any thing that may occur
to you.
"I am with great Regard,
Sir, Your most Obedient
Humble Servant,
Chas. Hardy.
"The Honble Gov. Morris.
"Indorsed.
"From Gov. Hardy, New York, July 9, 1756."
�ss
P.E.NNSYi.VANiA.
About this time the different Provinces swarmed with
spies and informers. Degraded men could be found in all
the large cities, and even in the small villages, who lived
upon the bigotry of the times. These unfortunate wretches
thought nothing of swearing to the foulest and most incredible charges against devoted, pious, and patriotic citizens.
Disloyalty was charged against Catholics in general, and
priests in particular, without the least foundation or shadow
of truth to sustain the imputation. The following charges
against Father Benedict Neale of Deer Creek, Maryland,
will be apt to make even the gravest reader smile. If there
be anything certain in our history, it is that the early Jesuits
of Maryland did not mix or meddle in politics.
"THE EXAMINATION OF WILLIAM JOHNSON,
1756.·
"Aged twenty-three years or thereabouts, taken before
Thomas Cresap, Gen1• One of his Lordship's Trustees of
the Peace for the County of Frederick, in the Province of·
Maryland.
"This Examinant being sworn on the Holy Evangelists
of Almighty God, saith that he was born near Naaman's
Creek, on Delaware River, which place he left about three
years ago, and came to Deer Creek in Baltimore County,
Maryland, where he was for some time employed in the service of Thomas Burgons, Derby Foote and James McDon.ald, during which Time he was several Times to Mass at
Priest Neal's Mass House, and whilst in that Society it was
insinuated to them by the said Neal, that it would be much
better for them to live under the French than an English
Government, as they would thereby get their Lands on
easier Terms and might enjoy the Free Exercise of their
Religion. He recommended to them the providing themselves with Arms and Ammunition, to be ready to joyn
any Party of French & Indians that might come down to
invade his Brittanick Majesty's Subjects. This was generally approved of by the whole Society. This Examinant
saith one John O'Flaugherty likewise made himself very
busy in the matter & that the sd Neal informed him that
one Diggs who lived near York being an able Person would
be of great Service in effecting their Schemes, furnishing
them with Arms, Ammunition and the Like. This Examinant also saith that by the Discourse of the whole Society,
he understands that one Burke would do all in his Power
to_wards furnishing any that would joyn in their Schemes,
With Anns, Ammunition, &c. This Examt saith further, the
�s6
PENNSYLVANJA.
s4 Priest Neal understanding that he this Exam' from the
Notions that had been put in his Head of the several advantages of being under a French Government, had an Inclination to go back to the French and become a SubjeCt:
to the French King, apply'd to him to carry a Packet of
Letters to a French Officer at \Vinango, who as the sd Neal
informed him had but one eye, and this Examinant saith
that he at the earnest request of the sd Neal consented, and
undertook to carry sd Packet to the sd officer, & that Neal
gave him a Pistole."
This examination was taken the 29th of OCt:ober, 1756.
The enemies of Catholicity strove by all means in their
power to weaken the influence of the dreaded "Papists."
Even in Pennsylvania, if it were possible to the descendants
of Penn, the Catholics would find themselves trodden to the
ground, or utterly extirpated. A fear of the brave Fl"ench
soldiers on the banks of the St. Laurence, and along the
shores of Lake Champlain, worked powerfully in favor of
the small amount of liberty which Pennsylvania Catholics
enjoyed. From time to time, we find dishonorable and unworthy measures framed against the Catholics, even despite
the salutary fear of the French. We see laws passed to disarm them, and insult them and their honor. \Ve see laws
passed to insult them, and at the ·same time to tax them.
The following is a sample of this :
"ACT FOR FORl\IING AND REGULATING THE MILITIA,
1757·
"And be it en:aCt:ed by the authority aforesaid, That all
Arms, Military Accoutrements, Gun Powder' and Ammunition of what kind soever, any Papist or reputed Papist within the Province, hath or shall have in his House or Houses,
or elsewhere, One Month after the publication of this ACt:,
shall be taken from such Papist or reputed Papist, by Warrant under the Hands and Seals of any two Justices of the
Peace, who are hereby empowered and required to issue a
Warrant for Search as often as they shall receive Information,
or have good Cause to suspeCt: the Concealment of Arms
and Ammunition in the Houses of any Papist or reputed
Papist, And the said Arms, Military Accoutrements, Gun
Powder, and Ammunition so taken, shall be delivered to the
Colonel of the Regiment within whose DistriCt: the said
Arms are found, by him to be safely kept for Public Use.
And if any such Papist or reputed Papist shall have any
Arms, Military Accoutrements, Gun Powder and Ammunition, after the Time so as aforesaid limited, the same being
!
1
f
~.
�PENNS YJ, VANIA.
51
so seized, shall be forfeited; And if any such Papist or reputed Papist shall attempt to conceal such Arms, Military
Accoutrements, Gun Powder and Ammunition as aforesaid,
or refuse to declare or manifest the same to the said Justices
of tlte Peace, or t"o any other Person authorized by Warrant
to search for, seize and take the same, every such Person so
offending shall be imprisoned by ·warrant from the said Justices for the Space of Three Months, without Bail or Mainprize.
And whereas all Papists and reputed Papists are hereby
exempted from attending and performing Military Duties
enjoined by this ACt: on Days and Times appointed by the
same. And nevertheless will partake of and enjoy the Benefitt Advantage and ProteCtion thereof, Be it therefore enaCted by the authority aforesaid, That every male Papist or
reputed Papist, between the age of Seventeen and Fifty five
Years, within the several DistriCts or Divisions so to be
made by the Sheriff of each County within this Province,
shall and they are ltcrcby enjoined and required to pay on
Demand to the Captain of the Company of the DistriCt: in
which he resides, the Sum of Twenty Shillings to be rer.overed of him, in case of his NegleCt: or Refusal, in the
same manner as the Fines and Forfeitures of the Persons
enrolled in the Militia, are hereby direCted to be recovered,
and applied to the same Purposes as the said Fines and Forfeitures are direCted by this ACt: to be applied. And that
the Parents of every such Male reputed Papist, above Seventeen Years of Age, and under Twenty-one, shall pay the
said sum of Twenty Shillings for every such Minor under
the Age last aforesaid.
"9th April, 1756.
found to be true.
Examined with the Original Bill and
R. Peters.
Indorsed,
[Read the Third Time and passed the House, March
28th, 1757Chas. Moore
Cl'k of Assembly.]"
VoL. xv, No.
7
I.
•
�s~
.
About the beginning of 1757, the excitement of the Pennsylvanians rose to a high pitch. Not knowing the exaB:
numerical strength of the Catholics, the power of the "children of Rome "was greatly exaggerated and dreaded. But
the authorities did not wish to remain iri suspense. The
Governor thinking it necessary to know the exaB: Number
of Roman Catholics within the Province, ordered the Secretary to apply to Mr. Harding, the Roman Catholic Priest in
this City, for a List, which he delivered with the following
Letter:
"Hd. Sir:
"I send you the Number of the Roman Catholicks in this
Town, and of those whom I visit in the Country. Mr.
Sneider is not in Town to give an Account of the Germans,
but I have heard him often say, that the whole Number of
Roman Catholicks, English, Irish and German, including
Men, \\'omen, and Children, does not exceed Two Thousand.
"I remain, Hd S' Y' HumbleSt,
Robt. Harding.
"To the Rd. Mr. Peters.
"The Number of Roman Catholics in Pennsylvania; English & Irish in Philadelphia:
Males
77} I 39 .. In Chester Co.: Males
F ema1 25 } · 40
F ema Ies 6 2
es I 5
"Minutes..ofthe Provincial Council ofPennsyh·ania, March
21St, 1757."
This letter of Fr. Harding and the account he gave did
not seem satisfaB:ory. Fr Harding gave only the number of
Catholics in and around Philadelphia. Henc~ about a month
after we find :
~"A LIST OF ALL THE RO:.tAN CATHOLICS IN PENNSYLVANIA,
1757.
(That is of all such as receive the Sacraments, beginning
from twelve years of age, or thereabouts.)"
•
�PENNS!'LVANIA .
59
illo'DER THE CARE OF ROBERT HARDIXG.
Men
Women
In and about Philadelphia, being all Irish (or English) ............... ..
In Che..ter county .......................................................................... .
72
18
78
22
107
121
15
UNDER THE CARE OF THEODORE SCHNl:ID ER.
In and about Philadelphia, being all Germans ... _ ..... _ .......... ..
Philadelphia county, but up the country .......................................
Berks county .......................................... ....................................-.
Northampton county .................................................................... ..
Dltt<r-Irish ........................................................................... ..
Bucks county .................................................................................
Chester county ......................................... - ...... - ..... - ............... ..
Dltt<r-Irl!h.. .......................... - ......... - .................. - - - · -.. •
68
10
55
62
17
14
12
l2
IS
9
6
108
22
41
94
Zl
311
62
9
U:S DER THE CARE OF FERDIX.\ND FA.R){F.R.
In Lancaster county -Germans .................................................. ..
· "
"
-Irish .......................................................... .
CO'!;uty
Ber,ks
Che;:ter CO~)JIY
=fr~~.~.::::::·.:::::::::::::::::·:.:::·:.:::::::::::::::::::::
-Irish .... - ...... - ........................................ ..
-Germall! .............. - ..................... - .....-.
Cumberland county -Irish ..... - ...................................................
l:!'iDER THE C.\..R E OF )IATHlAS
~L\:iNER
5
2S
3
s
17
6
6
54
35
62
.
In York county-Germans................ .............................................
" -Iruh ................................................................ ..
692
38
673
692
Aprlll!!l, 175i."
Total 1365
It may be observed that the list given here by Fr. Harding does not tally exactly with his first list. This can easily
be explained. It was very difficult at that troubled period
to give the precise number of Catholics, on account of the
secrecy in which they lived. Besides, the Catholics were
continually moving from place to place on account of the
persecutions almost everywhere raised against them. It
may be, too, that the second list was not made by Fr. Harding himself, but by one of the missionaries, who could not
be expected to know the exact number in another Father's
district. Even to this day pastors find it extremely difficult
to give an entirely correct report of the number attending
their churches.
As early as 1741 a separate Mission was opened in Pennsylvania. This new Mission, which was independent of
Maryland, was placed under the patronage of St. Francis
Borgia. There were four Fathers in it with Fr. Greaton as
Superior. The Missions of Maryland and Pennsylvania remained distinct for about nine years. In 1750, the two Missions were reunited ancl consisted of thirteen Fathers anq
one Brother,
�6o
PENNSYL VAi\'L4.
Though our missionaries labored under great disadvantages, still the young Church under their charge grew and
flourished. Nothing could chill the burning zeal of the few
holy priests who resided at Philadelphia, or on the mountains of Pennsylvania. They did not confine their great
labors to Penn's Province, but entered boldly into the neighboring States of Jersey, New York, and Delaware. For the
benefit of the future historian of Pennsylvania, we shall here
mention some of the places visited by Fr. Farmer and other
Jesuits stationed at St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, from 1758 to
1786: -Concord, Pikesland, Chester Co., Ringwood, Hay
Cock, Bucks Co., Charlottenburg, Pilesgrove, Glasshouse,
Long Pond, Burlington, Springfield, Middletown, Hunterdon Co., Morris Co.., Mount Hope, Pottsgrove, Sussex Co.,
Greenwich, Bristol, Kensington, \Vhiteland, Goshen, Salem,
Gloucester, Cumberland Co., Cohanzey, Goshenhoppen,
Changewater, Pompton, Deerfield, \Voodstown, Greenwich,
Oxford, Fishkill, Sterling, Warwick, Orange Co., New Castle,
Trenton.
Father Farmer baptized-in 1758, 19-1759, 76-1760,
61-176I, 74-1762,105-1763, 107-1764, 92-1765, I IO.
In the memorable 1776 Fr. Farmer baptized 203. In 1758,
he had to record only 3 marriages; in 1763, he had to inscribe 13.
As the Catholics increased, new churches had to be built.
St. Mary's was ereaed by Fr. Robert Harding in Philadelphia itsel( Others had to be ereaed in the mountainous
parts of the state. As it is not our intention to write a history of our missionaries, or their churches in _·Pennsylvania,
but rather to embody in one article some doc'i1ments hitherto unpublished in the LETTERS, we shall end by giving our
readers one other document which we consider of some historic interest and value.
"PETITION OF ROMAN CATHOLICS OF
NORTHA~IPTON CO., 1767.
"To the Honorable John Penn, Esqr, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, &c., &c.
"The Petition of the Congregation of Roman Catholics of
the Town of Northampton and other Places adjacent, Humbly sheweth:
"That your Petitioners are about to build a Church for the
Worship of God in the Town of Northampton, & have already provided Materials for putting their Design in Execution. But they fear the inability of your Petitioners is likely to render their good Intentions fruitless, unless they arc
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�PENNSVLVANL4.
6r
at Liberty to ask Assistance from charitable and piously disposed People. They therefore, humbly intreat your Honor
to grant them a licence for the said Purpose; whereby they
may have the peaceable Enjoyment of their Religion according to Laws of the Province, & Reap the Benefit of
those Privileges granted them by your Honor's Benevolent
Ancestors. And your Petitioners, as in Duty bound, will
ever pray for your Honor's and family's Welfare.
John Ritter,
J. G. Enax, and others.
"To the ·Honorable John Penn, Esquire, Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Pennsylvania, &c.
"We, the Subscribers, Justices of the Peace of the County
of "Northampton, beg leave to recommend the above Petitions to your Honor.
James Allen,
Jno. Jennings,
Lewis Klotz.
September zsth I76J."
EPISTOLARY EXTRACTS RELATING TO ST. JOSEPH'S,
PHILADELPHIA.
On the 28th of M~rch, I785, Fr. Robert Molyneux wrote
to Dr. John Carroll as follows: "I forget whether I informed
you that I had purchased a lot, adjoining the old Chapel, of
George Meade. It cost £6oo. In order to pay for it I must
sell out either the front on \Valnut Street, or one of my
houses. I should be glad of your opinion on this matter.
The sale of that front, and of my stable lot, a front of fortyfour and a half, and eighty feet deep, would bring in the
money, and leave us a square of sixty-four feet wide, and
one hundred and forty long.
"I am glad to find we are likely to have recruits from
Europe. When that happens, I hope we shall be fully relieved here."
Fr. Molyneux again wrote to Dr. Carroll on the I 8th of
of the same year: "I have bought, as I informed you, a lot
of Mr. Meade, adjoining the old Chapel, very convenient
to us and the congregation, and, indeed, absolutely necessary in order to provide a free passage to Walnut Street,
and a drain for the water. Besides these advantages, and
that of a spot for building a house for ourselves, there is
room for building a College, should it ever be necessary,
�62
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, } "ORKVILLE, N. YORK CITY.
without incommoding the premises. In order to pay for
the same, and clear myself of present incumbrances of debt,
&c., I have sold a house of a far inferior value, and not producing a greater income than the present will bring. This
measure, therefore, will, I hope, meet with your approbation
and that of our Gentlemen. For my part, I have no private
views. The public good is all I ask."
On the 24th of August Fr. Molyneux wrote to Fr. Carroll: "If I thought it would be agreeable, I would invite you
to pass a fortnight at Philadelphia. I have a library well
fitted up in the choir of the old Chapel, and partitioned off
from the same, where you might spend many agreeable
hours in quiet study and application free from noise and
disturbances." In a letter written by- Fr. Molyneux to Fr.
Carroll, on the 23rd of April, 1785, he states that "a person of a discreet spirit for catechizing publicly might be of
great service at St. Joseph's. It should be publicly done,
in the face of the congregation." In the same letter he says
that "Philadelphia will always want three or four Priests."
Fr. Ferdinand Farmer wrote from Philadelphia, on the
13th of March, 1785, to Dr, Carroll: "If my letters of the
22d of February are not lost, your Reverence will find that
I applied for permission to say two Masses on Sundays, arid
also on the greater holydays, in the absence of Mr. Molyneux; for our old Chapel is generally overcrowded at the
first Mass, and the French Priest or Chaplain, is leaving this
city next month."
ST. JOSEPH'S CHURCH, YORKVILLE,
NEW YORK CITY.
~-
.
Up to the year 1872 the spiritual destitution of many of
the German Catholics residing in Y arkville was truly deplorable. This arose from the fact that the zealous priests
in that neighborhood were already overburdened with work,
by reason of the large number of English-speaking Catholics under their care ; and also, in some measure, because of
the inability, or unwillingness, of the German families to attend the English churches. A great many of those who
had come to this country with a love of our holy faith still
burning in their hearts were, unfortunately, gradually becoming totally indifferent to religion. Their children were
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�!';T. ]O.'>EPH' S CiWROi, YORKt~JLLE, N. i"ORK
CitY.
6;3
being educated at the public schools, or were, in many instances, receiving no instruction at all. Fr. Joseph Durthaller, whose name will long be in benediction among the German Catholics of Yorkville, cheerfully resolved, in the course
of the year 1872, to devote his remaining energies to the
noble mission of breaking the bread of life to these poor
people. Having secured the approval of Superiors, he began his work by making the acquaintance of a number of
German families in the vicinity of 87th Street. The Sisters
of Notre Dame, who have charge of the German Catholic
Orphan Asylum in 88th Street, were the first to aid him in
his zealous work. \Vhen Fr. Durthaller mentioned to them
his design of establishing a German parish in their neighborhood, they immediately offered him the use of their
chapel until a larger and more commodious building could
be obtained. On the 22nd of December the worthy Father
gathered for the first time his little flock about him, and
offered up the Holy Sacrifice that Heaven's blessings might
crown with success this small beginning. None but those
who knew Fr. Durthaller's tender piety and zeal can tell of
the joy and consolation which must have been his, when
three days later, on Christmas morn, he sang the Gloria in
presence of his scanty congregation. Now that a chapel
had been secured, the next question which suggested itself
to his mind, was how to procure a school for the children.
No one realized better than Fr. Durthaller that the stability
and advancement of his ne'.v work depended, in a large measure, on the Christian education of the young; he also knew
full well that the best way to the hearts of his flock was by
means of the little ones. He, therefore, hired the hall of
the Orphan Asylum, turned it into a school and intrusted its
direction to the care of the Sisters of Notre Dame. On the
opening day forty boys and girls asked for admission into
the classes.
But Father Durthaller had only begun his labors. The
Chapel in the asylum was soon found to be entirely too
small for his young congregation. A church was necessary
to supply the wants of his people. In 1873, therefore, he
purchased four lots on 87th Street, near Avenue A., and began at once the erection of a suitable church. The work
progressed rapidly, and in April 1874 from the spire of the
new Gothic church the bells rang out the "glad tidings" to
the German Catholics of Yorkville. On the 16th of the
same month St. Joseph's Church, and its three beautiful altars, were dedicated by his Eminence, Cardinal McCloskey.
�64
ST JOSEPH'S CHCRCH, YORE..TILLE, N. YORK CITY:
That evening, \vhen the pomp of the ceremony was over,
and the solemn "Te Deum" had ceased, Fr. Durthaller knelt
in silent prayer before the Tabernacle, and, with a heart
overflowing with gratitude, gav(:'! thanks for the work already
accomplished. From that hour the existence of St. Joseph's
parish was secure, and for the last ten or eleven years, owing
to the zeal of the Pastors, and the piety of the people, God
has been lavish of His blessings in that edifying congregation.
Shortly after the ·opening of the new church the House
of the Good Shepherd, containing about six hundred inmates, was intrusted to Fr. Durthaller. This new field for
his zeal in addition to his usual amount of parish work, was
evidently too much for the strength of even a younger man,
so an assistant was appointed to aid him in his labors. But
the question very naturally presented itself, where were the
two Fathers to be lodged? Up to this time.Fr. Durthaller
had been staying at our house in 84th Street. The difficulty,
however, was soon settled by the erection of a parochial
residence adjoining the church. \Vhen the work was accomplished Fr. Durthaller applied himself with renewed
energy to the spiritual advancement of his charge. ·with
the aid of Fr. \Veninger, of the Missouri Province, whom he
invited to give a mission to his flock, he succeeded in organizing a number of sodalities for the various classes of his
people, and by the help of these confraternities he kept the
spirit of religion and piety warm and fervent among his
parishioners.
By the year 1877, owing.to the growth of the city towards
the Harlem River, and also, no doubt, owing to the devotedness of Fr. Durthaller-and his assistant, the increase in the
number of their congregation was such that the help of another Father was deemed necessary. \Vith the aid of this
new assistant the good work of attending to the wants of
the German Catholics was zealously pushed forward.· In
188o, it became apparent that the school accommoditions
in the Orphan Asylum were entirely inadaquate to enable
the Sisters to carry on the education of the children in a
proper manner. Once more, therefore, Fr. Durthaller determined to build. He immediately purchased two lots adjoining the parochial residence and put up a substantial
brick school which cost $30,000. The building is formed
of three stories, the upper two of which are devoted exclusively to educational purposes; the lower story serves as
a hall for the meetings of the various sodalities connected
with the church, and also for the different exhibitions given
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SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
~5
by the children during the year. When the school was finished Fr Durthaller had the consolation of seeing instead of
forty boys and girls, who presented themselves on the opening day, in I 872, no less than five hundred children flocking
for admission into the classes of the Sisters. To-day the number has increased to five hundred. All these labors had,
however, told on the strength of the zealous pastor, and he
was soon to be summoned home to rest from his toils. On
the 3rd of May the call came, and he calmly went to meet
the loving Master whom he had served so faithfully and so
well. The prayers and benediaions of thousands to whom
he had given spiritual consolation and comfort in their many
trials and sorrows, followed him to the grave. Fr. Durthaller's life, indeed, was a noble one, and it is meet that his
memory should not depart from amongst us. Hence we
are glad to be able to put some of its beautiful traits on record in this issue of the LETTERS.
A SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
In summer I854, Fr. Tellier, our good old PrefeB:, was
made President of St. John's College, Fordham. His successor, we were told, was to be the Rev. Joseph Durthaller,
and the St. Francis boys were eager to see what manner of
man he was. In due time Fr. Durthaller appeared; his
appearance at once made a marked impression. Indeed, it
could hardly fail to do so, for the new PrefeB: of studies was
in almost every respeB: the counterpart of the old one. Fr.
Tellier was a stout, squat, broad-shouldered man in the early
fifties; hardly a furrow crossed his broad, kindly face, and
a pair of quiet eyes beamed benevolently from behind a pair
of eye-glasses even on the youthful malefaB:or; deliberate
in speech, he seemed a man of phlegmatic disposition. Fr.
Durthaller was spare, tall, and straight, and, though at the
time only 35 years of age, seemed far older than he was;
every wrinkle that marked his features as he lay on his bier,
appeared to be an old acquaintance. Underneath a high,
broad, and well arched forehead that spoke of a bright mind,
there shone a pair of blue eyes, whose occasional flashes indicated a strongly emotional temperament. A pleasant, wellmodulated voice and a kindly, hearty address put us at ease
with him, for all felt that he was no boy's enemy and every
boy's warm, nay, enthusiastic friend. Such was the impres-
VoL. xv, No.
I.
8
�66
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A SKETCH OF F.-lTHER .fOSE/'H DlTRTHALLER.
sian made on us by Father Durthaller in 1854· At that
time it did not enter our unhistoric heads to inquire into his
past; we took him as he was; as his biographers we must
be more methodical, and trace his furrows to their causes.
Fr. Durthaller was born at Ste. Marie au Migne, Alsace,
on the 28th of Nov. r8rg. His birthplace accounts for the
mixture of German "Gemutlz!ic!tkeib" and southern excitability, which were marked features in his charaCter. As
he grew up, he went to school and passed thence to the Lycee, at Strasburg, where, no doubt, he attraCl:ed attention·
both by his ability and his unblemished conduCt:. At the
end of his studies he took his bachelor's degree from the
University of France. To a young man of Joseph Durthaller's deeply religious turn of mind and enthusiastic nature,
the choice of a profession was easy. The call to devote
himself to God and his Church was irresistible. Accordingly he entered the Seminary at Strasburg, then, and for
. many years afterward, under the guidance of the distinguished Bishop Rass, an able and saintly man, who wrote a
monumental work on the History of the Convents since the
Reformation. Of Bishop Rass, Fr. Durthaller always spoke
in terms of great admiration. Among his teachers at the
Seminary was the Abbe Bautain, best known as the author
of a work on extempore speaking. At the end of his course
of theology, he was ordained. But he felt that he had not
yet found the. place for which Providence intended him;
this place, it seemed to him, was the Society of Jesus. Fr.
Durthaller never hesitated to follow the call of duty. So,
in~OCl:ober, 1844, he went to Belgium and became a Jesuit.
Whilst teaching in Europe he numbered among his pupils
the celebrated artist Gustave Dore. More than once since
Dore's:death the good Father recalled the bright-eyed little
Alsatian boy, who even then gave promise of his future
eminence as a draughtsman.
.
But Fr. Durthaller was destined to other fields o£-<Juty.
Like an unheralded hurricane the revolution of 1848 burst
upon Europe, carrying trouble and excitement everywhere.
The Society of Jesus especially was singled out for attack
by the revolutionists, and on it they poured out the phials
of their wrath. From Italy, from France, from Switzerland,
the Fathers were expelled and sought a refuge in America.
Then came to our shores the De Vicos, the Secchis, the
Anderledys and the Pottgeissers, and among the pious exiles
Fr. Durthaller held by no means the least place. From
this time forward his work and his destinies were linked
with the new world, and especially with the United States,
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�A SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH Dr:RTHALLER.
67
Not that Fr. Durthaller intended to make the great republic his permanent home. His fiery zeal and devoted
self-sacrifice conceived far different schemes. His chivalrous
spirit yearned for duties more arduous and more self-denying than those of the quiet, though hard-working, Jesuit
Professor. There were souls to be saved in the wilds of
Canada, there were Indians to be converted, and Fr. Durthaller thought that God summoned him to cary the gospel
to the redskin. At his own request the Superior-General
sent him to the Indian Missions, and in 1850 he arrived at
·walpole Island. Fr. Dominic Duranquet, the brother of
our own Fr. Duranquet, welcomed him to share his hut,
his hardships and his labors. Little had Father Durthaller
dreamt of the wearing burden he placed upon his frail body,
when he devoted himself to the Indian Missions. His spirit,
indeed, was willing, but the flesh was weak. On the night
of his arrival, Fr. Duranquet gave up to him his own straw
couch, and, with the Brother attached to the Mission, rested
on the qare floor. Still the veteran missionary rested, whilst
Fr. Durthaller tossed from side to side of his rude bed. Mosquitoes, countless and gigantic, instinCtively seemed to know
of the new Father's arrival, and courteously gave him a
warm welcome. Not an eye did poor Fr. Durthaller close
on that night. When at day-break he met his brother Jesuit's eyes, no words were needed to reveal to the latter the
hist~ry of his sufferings. Of course, the best of advice was
given, but the mosquitoes continued to make inroads on Fr.
Durthaller's strength, and unfortunately there were but few
means to restore it to him.
Fr. Durthaller's missionary life was soon ended. His
was not the constitution that could stand the extremes of
heat and cold, the fatigues of long journeys in the primeval
woods and the lack of fit nourishment. A malarious disease, probably typhoid fever, struck him down, and for weeks
and months he struggled with his insidious enemy. At last
the viCtory was his; but he conquered not without being
severely and permanently injured in health. By his superior's order he returned to St. Mary's College, Montreal,
where he sought to regain his strength, at the same time
that he worked in the College. From St. Mary's he was
transferred to St. Francis Xavier's, where we met him at the
beginning of our sketch.
At the time of Fr. Durthaller's appointment as PrefeCt of
Studies, the College of St. Francis Xavier had existed about
four years. Everything about it betrayed infancy and simplicity. Two· rude brick buildings, each perhaps 90 feet
�~
68
A SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH Dl'RTHALLER.
long and running at right angles to each other, constituted
this home of the Muses, though the stranger might readily
have it for a sugar house. The College classes proper were
confined to three, for so far the students of the Graduating
Class had gone to Fordham to complete their course. The
physical apparatus was of the simplest, consisting of little
more than a few models of the mechanical powers and a
Voltaic battery, with which, periodically, all the boys assembled in the great court yard were duly shocked, and Fr.
Kobler, since Re8:or Magnificus of the University of Innspruck, vastly delighted. Chemistry, botany, geology, were
unknown sciences. One advantage we had over subsequent
generations-a magnificent court yard; and right royally
did we use it. Here full many a game of house ball was
long and hotly contested, each skillful or blundering stroke
being duly cheered or hooted by numerous interested onlookers. Here eminent runners and leapers displayed their
prowess ; here the ball circled around in the pristine game
of "knuckle-all-over." Here, too, Fr. Durthaller ruled supreme; for no old St. Francjs' boy can think of Fr. Durthaller without seeing him at once as the monarch of the
recreation yard. There he stood in the centre of the yard,
bell in hand, surveying the field with restless glance, ready
to pounce on the evil-doer, majestic, tall and looking all the
taller because of his long Jesuit robes. Did space allow we
might tell many a story of our dear friend's methods of discipline. But all would only illustrate that whatever was
wrong, whatever \vas opposed to the rules of the College,
whatever was ungentlemanly, aroused his fiery indignation;
unfairness and favoritism were strangers to his soul; and if,
perchance, he hastily Clid wrong a boy, he would be in equal
haste to repair the injustice.
But Fr. Durthaller was not only PrefeCt: of Discipline, he
was also PrefeCt: of Studies. \Vith him an office was never
a sinecure. He always aBed on the principle "Ne,er entrust to another what you can do yourself" An excellent
Greek and Latin scholar himself, he never wearied of impressing on the students the importance of sound scholarship. As often as his manifo,ld duties permitted he visited
the class rooms, where he always had a kind, encouraging
word for the studious, whilst the lazy were held up to the
scorn of their classmates. 'With all he was sympathetic, and
at the distribution of prizes or other public exercises, Father
Durthaller might be seen vigorously applauding the successful prize-man or speaker. Besides he enlarged the
course of sttldies. A course of chemistry was instituted in
�A SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
~
the catacombs of the old College-buildings. In 1854-5 St.
Francis Xavier's for the first time had a philosophy class.
To accomplish this he was obliged to take upon himself, beside all his other duties, those of Professor of "Mental Philosophy. How he managed to perform them all seems a
mystery to the present day. At all events he is as much respeaed by the surviving members of the class of '55 as if
he had given all his time to infuse into them the mysteries
of metaphysics. They loved him for his scholarship, but
they also loved him for the good humor with which he made
allowance for their pranks.
From 1854-7, Fr. Durthaller watched and prayed for St.
Xavier's and its welfare. \Vhen he left it in 1857 to make
his third year of novitiate, he had no reason to blush for his
three years' work. The number of scholars had increased
nearly by one-half, the course of studies had been improved
and extended; chemistry, analytics and calculus were now
required of every graduate. The institution was ready to
apply for a charter, and take its place among the colleges
recognized by the Regents of the University.
Of the three yea;s that followed Fr. Durthaller's departure from St. Francis Xavier's we have little to say. The
first year was passed in self-study and the many praaices of
virtue which make up the Jesuit's Tertianship. The years
1858-6o he devoted to the cause of education at St. Mary's,
Montreal.
In summer, 186o, the faculty and students of St. Francis'
were pleasantly surprised by the news that Fr. Durthaller
was to return as President of the College. This position he
filled for three years; and a busy time it was. He arrived
in the very heat of the political campaign that preceded the
outbreak of the Civil War. Matters looked critical, values
sunk, the business world was in despair, but Fr. Durthaller
had come to do his work and he did it. He had come to
build a new College, and at the very time when the guns of
Fort Sumpter announced that grim war had taken possession of the land, when the banks suspended, and the building of the Cathedral was interrupted, Fr. Durthallar signed
his contraa and broke ground. Who can do justice to
the busy time that followed. From day to day the indefatigable President watched the progress of the building;
hardly a stone was laid, hardly a beam inserted without his
scanning it. As the higher stories were reached the gaunt
form of the Reaor might often be seen climbing up rickety
ladders, preceded and followed by~ hod-carrier. Meanwhile
he did not neg lea his other duties. He watched the classes,
~
�70
A SKETCH (jp FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
one and all, with paternal care. As President he did not
come into as close intercourse day by day with the scholars
as in olden times when Prefect of Studies. Still, often was
he descried·at his window overlooking the court yard, and
sometimes when the play grew exceptionally wild, the old
spirit took possession of him, and suddenly he stood in the
thick of the confusion with the appeal : "Mais, mais, mais,
my dear boys, what are you doing? Allons! go now and
be quiet." Frequently he listended to the class recitations,
though he seldom interfered with the discipline.
'vVe must not forget to say a word of Fr. Durthaller's
liberal provision for the cultivation of the interests of science.
Himself a scientist neither by temper nor by previous acquirements, he did his best to establish it on a sound basis
in St. Francis'. He enlarged the physical apparatus. He
laid the foundation, both broad and deep, of the fine mineralogical, botanical, and conchological collections now in the
college. He secured for the institution the services of Dr.
F. E. Engelhart, now since many years the superintendent
of the Salina salt-works, ;whose name will awaken many a
jolly memory in the minds "of old St. Francis' boys. It was
Dr. Engelhart who classified all the shells and minerals at
that time in the cabinet, and contributed the foundation of
the present botanical colleCtion.
Meantime, in 1860, Fr. Durthaller secured from the Regents of the University the charter of St. Francis Xavier's.
Had his life been spared a few more months, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most interesting figures at
the thirty-fifth annual Commencement. In 1861 the first
degrees were conferred by Fr. Durthaller in the name of the
trustees of the newly chartered college. The occasion was
all the more memorable because it was also the last time
that the Commencement exercies were held in the open air,
in the old college play-ground. In the following May the
"new building," the present St. Francis', was nearJy completed. As the classes were crowded in the old building,
Fr. Durthaller wished the preparatory boys to move at once
into their new quarters, on the basement floor. ObjeCtions
were made, on the ground that the rooms were still too
damp; but the impatient President, after heating the building for some time, thought the objeCtion was not well
founded. He was determined to refute praCtically the arguments of the objections. So one fine day he had his simple
cot transferred to the basement of the new college, and was
the first one to sleep in it. The new buildiqg did not prove·
as bad as the Indian missionary's hut; but it was not much
�A
SKETCH OF FATHER JOSEPH DURTHALLER.
71
better. After several nights' experiment he beat a glorious
retreat ; we say glorious, for his retreat was a great vietory
over himsel(
·
In August, 1863, after a three years' administration, he
resigned the Presidency of St. Francis' into the hands of Fr.
Joseph Loyzance. Obedient to his superior's will, Fr. Durthaller went to Buffalo. \Vhat shall we say of the rest of
the good father's career? It was marked by the same restless, the same consuming aCtivity that had charaCterized its
earlier periods. During the eight years he remained at
Buffalo he built a large church for the Germans, St. Michael's, together with a fine organ. If we mistake not he also
began a classical school, which under the fostering care of
the German Jesuits, has since developed into Canisius' College, an institution that enjoys a great reputation for scholarship and thoroughness. Once more, in 1871, we find Fr.
Durthaller at St. Francis Xavier's College, as PrefeCt of
Studies. He staid but a short time, however, and his administration was unmarked by events of any importance. To
Hoboken he proceeded next, in order to o_rganize a German
parish ; his earnestness and zeal promised to bring forth
fruit a hundred fold, but untoward circumstances suddenly
caused his retirement. (I)
St. Francis Xavier's College never can forget Fr. Joseph
Durthaller. President, Prefeet of Studies, first professor of
philosophy; it was he that built the new college; he that
made it legally a collegiate institution; he that fostered
in it every form of learning; he that extended the course of
science; he that strengthened its classical curriculum. His
name will be forever linked with the college so dear to his
heart. Of a mind-quick and bright-he was a good scholar
rather than deep, and a pleasant gentleman. His judgment
was sound, and his counsel wise, when his nervous, strongly
emotional temperament was not too deeply stirred. Fair,
honest, just, humble, he gained the confidence of all; and if,
as a man, he sometimes erred, no one could be more ready
than he was to correCt his errors. Kind, warm-hearted, and
affeCtionate, he loved his scholars one and all with a personal love, that years neither effaced nor lessened. Deeply,
enthusiastically religious, he was ready to sacrifice health
and life to his God and the Church. True to God, true to
the Church, true to his Order, true to his duty, true to his
friends, true to himself; to know Fr. Joseph Durthaller was
1
< l In the preceding article is found an account of :Fr. Durthaller's labors at
St. Joseph's, Yorkville.
�72
...
DISGUISES & ALIASES OF EARLY jussiONARJES.
to know a true man-one of nature's noblemen. To know
him was to receive a living lesson in religion and virtue.
Farewell, true heart! No more shall we hear your kindly
voice ; no more feel the cordial grasp of your hand. Long
ere this you have heard the l\Taster's words: "\Vell done,
good and faithful servant." For ourselves, all that we can
do is to cherish the memory of your virtue, and by copying
them, to make our lives a feeble reflex of yours.
CHARLEs G. HEBERMANN, LL.D.,
-Tite Xavier (Abrzdged).
·ss.
DISGUISES AND ALIASES OF EARLY
MISSIONARIES.
During the Penal Days cruel laws were in force against
Seminarists and jesuits who dared set foot in England and
Ireland. In many cases, ·the penal laws against Catholic
priests were also put into excution in the British Colonies.
In order, therefore, to escape deteCtion Catholic missionaries
generally adopted assumed names, and put on various disguises. Outwardly they took upon themselves offices which
became only laymen. They sometimes aB:ed in the capacity
of coachmen, clerks, or booksellers. Often they were forced
to assume charaCters more romantic. A priest was seen in
Waterford, Ireland, "with a ruffling suit of apparel, gilt rapier, and dagger hanging at his side." A Catholic bishop
was seen in the sa~e city dressed as a highland piper, and
playing martial airs upon the national instrument of Scotland. Sometimes our Fathers assumed military titles, such
as colonel or captain. Our Very Rev. Father General was
occasionally spoken of as, "his Lordship." Fr. Hog~n says,
in speaking of the Irish Jesuits: "On account of the..d~.mgers
to which they and the Catholics were exposed, the Jesuit
Fathers took or gave false names; thus Holywood is jo.
Bus., and sometimes Bushlock, Laundrie, the Pilot, etc.;
Archer is Bowman, or Bertram's eldest son; Wise is Barbarossa; O'Carney is De Franca; ·wall is Philaberto." Fr.
Acquaviva, General of the Society, was known as "Claude
Merchaunt at Rouen." By a glance at the "Catalogue of
our Missionary Fathers," in this number of the LETTERS, the
reader will see how common was the praCtice among our
Fathers in Maryland and Pennsylvania of assuming strange
names.
I
I
I
�DISGUISES & ALIASES OF EARLY .MISSIONARIES.
n
Though our Fathers were often screened by their .alt"ases,
it was by means of their strange apparel that they the more
frequently escaped the hands of their enemies. We learn
from old records that they sometimes attired themselves in
the trappings of worldlings, put gay feathers in their hats,
and wore "scarlet cloaks over crimson satin suits." If we
consult old writers we can learn what spies and priest-hunters thought of the adroitness of our Fathers in disguising
themselves. Gee quaintly writes: "If about Bloomsbury or
Holborn thou meet a good snug fellow in a gold laced suit,
a cloak lined through with velvet, one that hath good store
of coin in his purse, rings on his fingers, a watch in his
pocket, which he will value at £20, a very broad laced band,
a stilleto by his side, a man at his heels, willing (upon small
acquaintance) to intrude himself into thy company, and still
desiring to insinuate himself with thee, then take heed of a
Jesuit of the prouder sort of priests. This man hath vowed
poverty. * * * * Many of the Sec. Priests and Friars go as
gallantly as these, but the Jesuits have the supetlative cognizance whereby they know one another, and that is, as I
observed from this time, a gold hat-band studded with letters or charaCters. Perhaps at another time they may have
another mark, according to their watch-word given to them."
It may not be out of place to remark here, that there was
not much natural pleasure, if there appeared to be somewhat
of romance, in the life led by the Jesuits in England during
the Penal Days. W~ cannot help remembering that in a
black, strong fortress, not far from the Thames, a hundred
grave-like cells longed to receive them. We are still mindful that there were, in Christian London, a sharp axe, and a
thick block that thirsted hourly for Jesuit blood. We have
read, too, that when some of these gaily attired Jesuits were
stripped of their finery to be flogged, or to have their bodies
quartered and burnt, rough hair-shirts were found close to
their skins.
The correspondence of our Fathers in Maryland is often
a complete riddle to the uninitiated. Many of the expressions
embodied in some old letters that we have seen, will, we believe, forever remain unexplained. In writing to their friends
in England our missionaries used figures and metaphors
never referred to by our rhetoricians. Even the experts,
who made a livelihood by hunting down priests, must have
been sometimes puzzled to make out the meaning of some
letters which came by unlawful means into their possession.
When some of our missionaries wished to intimate that a
VoL xv, No.
1.
9
�74
DISGUISES e.'"' Ai.IASES OF EARLY MISSIONARIES.
great number had heen baptized, they merely said : "during
our journey water was in great demand." The following
letter, written by Fr. Henry Warren, one of our Maryland
missionaries, while stationed at Oxford, during a period of
great trouble, is a good sample of an ambiguous letter, and
deserves a place here :
"O.rford, 2nd JV[ay, I69o.
"Hon. Sir,-You are desirous to know how things are
with us in these troublesome times, since trade [religion] is
so much decayed. I can only say that in the general decline of trade we have had our share. For, before the turn,
we were in a very hopeful way, for we had three public shops
[chapels] open in Oxford. One did wholly belong to us,
and good custom we had, viz., the University [University
College chapel]; but now it's shut up; the master was
taken, and ever since in prison, and the rest forced to abscond. In Mag. [Magdalen College] we had one good man
in a good station, and in time might have had more concern;
but now, all is blown over, and our master, Thomas Beckett,
one evening was flung dowl"\. in the kennel, trampled upon,
and had been killed, had not one, upon the noise, come up
with a candle. In Christ Church, though we have had no
man, yet the master was reconciled by us1 and in a short
time would have taken one [of the Society], but now he is
fled, and the shop shut up. In other places, all were forced
to fly, and ever since to hide for fear of the law. Mr. Luson
[Father Edward Levison] was so closely pursued, that he
was forced to quit his horse, and by ways full of water and
dirt to walk in his boots, twenty-two hours together, sometimes up to the middle, so that before he could reach any
place • to rest in security, the blood was settled in his feet.
No rents are paid, and worse things we expeCt:, if some better settlement be not soon found out; of which we are still
in some hope. Thus, in short, I have sent you what I }-;now,
and am, honored Sir, your very humble servant,
__ .·
HENRY PELHAM.
�NEBRASKA.
LABORS AMONG THE POLES AND BOHEMIANS.
KELSO
P. 0.,
HowARD Co., NEBR.,
December 8th, 1885.
REV. FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
• I write a short account of what is being done out here
among the Poles and Bohemians. I have two missions, one
of which is in Nebraska, and the other beyond its limits. In
the former I have erected a new residence, adjoining the old
church dedicated to St. Anthony of Padua. Both residence
and church are free from debt. In St. Anthony's Parish,
New Posen, are one hundred and six Polish families, numbering about one thousand and twelve souls. All these live
within an area of fourteen square miles. In the Parish, also,
are two negro families. \Ve have a school here which is
taught by Br. Marcellus Chmictenski, a Coadjutor. About
sixty boys attend the classes.
This year the Rt. Rev. Bishop O'Connor visited us, and
confirmed two hundred and forty-eight persons. He was
very much pleased with the state of our mission.
Besides St. Anthony's, I have two other churches. The
first is dedicated to St. 'vVenceslaus, and is a Bohemian Station. This mission contains about forty families, or about
four hundred souls. Among them are five German families
and three Irish ones. This mission is four leagues from our
residence.
The second church is also for the Bohemians and dedicated to St. Wenceslaus. It is located at a distance of fiftyfour leagues from our residence. A third church, just
erected in Botesryn, Valley Co., is dedicated to St. Stanislaus. In this Parish I have thirty-six Polish families, numbering about one hundred and fifty-four souls. I have a
fourth church, which is dedicated to St. Joseph, and is situated in Elba, Howard Co., at a distance of about eight leagues
from our residence. I have begun to attend two other stations, one in Ord, and the other in North Loup, Valley Co.
This is truly a wide field for labor. I am not equal to the
task before me. Yet I have sometimes to take upon myself
other duties. Last Spring the Bishop of Green Bay invited
(75)
�NEBRASRA.
me to give two missions. The first was at Polonia, the oldest settlement of the Poles. Here I preached several times
to an audience of from three to four thousand people. Nearly
all the confessions were general, and amounted to three
thousand two hundred. Nearly all who had confessed went
to Holy Commnnion. Many scandals were removed, and
many enmities set at rest. Three of the Pastor's enemies
came and asked his pardon. vVe had the happiness of converting one person from heresy. I conduCted the mission
after the manner of our Fathers in White Russia, who introduced their custom into Polish Europe.
\Ve had a second eight days' mission in Heven's Point, •
\Vis. The confessions, which were all general reached
about twelve hundred. We had the same number of Communions. A Total Abstinence Society was formed, and
about seven hundred became members of it. Here, as at
the first mission, there was a large gathering, who manifested a great desire to procure St. Ignatius' Blessed Water.
A good many were enrolled in the Scapular of our Lady of
Mt. Carmel.
..
Our greatest mission took place in Chicago, in the Church
St. Stanislaus. This lasted from the 7th of November to
the 23rd of that month. The Superior of the band was Fr.
Alexander Mathauosrek, and I was his sole companion. At
the sermon from ten to twelve thousand people were present. There were twenty,.five Polish secular priests helping
us in the confessionals. We heard confessions up to eleven
o'clock at night. Nearly all the confessions were general,
and amounted to more than ten thousand. All the priests
declared that they h_ad never witnessed so great a mission.
Through the Grace of God many remarkable conversions·
were made, both from sin and apostasy. The Most Rev.
Archbishop visited the mission three times. He came twice
for the administration of Confirmation, conferring thqt sacrament on two thousand men. He came a third tirpe to
give the Apostolical benediCtion.
I commend myself to your prayers and Holy Sacrifices.
Your Servant in Christ,
LADISLAUS SEBASTYANSKI, S.
J.
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Letter from Mr. Bougis.
ST. PETER's MissioN, P. 0., LEWIS AND CLARKE Co.,
MoNTANA TERRITORY., oa. zsth, I88s.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I am happy to be able to tell your Reverence what I heard
lately from one of our missionaries who has been twenty
years among the redmen. "All the Indians," he said, "that
are under our care are thoroughly Catholic. So faithful are
they, that we do not doubt the eternal welfare of any one of
them." Every morning, during my own short stay at St.
Ignatius' Mission, the sight of many grown-up Indians, stepping forward slowly, and piously, in their moccasins and
variegated blankets, gave me, indeed, great consolation. Attendance at prayer was their first aB: at the rising of the sun,
and it was their last at its going down. Every night, the
sweet-toned bell summons them to a church, built by valiant pioneers forty years ago, and containing at the present
day the remains of some departed ones. At the bell's first
sound they leap up, and hasten from their wigwams towards
a large wooden cross that has stood· for many years, and
received many a kiss from the old Flatheads, as it does now
from their children, whose custom it is on going to church,
or coming from it, to go to its arms as a token of their
affeB:ion.
In St. Ignatius' Reservation there are two schools, one of
which numbers eighty children. These are under the care
of our Fathers and that of the Sisters of Providence. The
redmen are susceptible of feeling not only the gentle and
life-giving influence of the Catholic Religion, but can, under
the direB:ion of Catholic teaching, become sociable and even
refined. The progress made in learning by our pupils, together with their regularity of conduCt:, and their skill in
mechanics, are more than any visitors could expeCt: from
mere savages. The patient zeal of one of our Fathers impelled him to teach the boys instrumental music, and, as a
reward for his labors, a well-trained band, in uniform, awake
the ·echoes of our far-western wilderness, and strike with
(77)
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
amazement not only the parents of the boys, but even the
Governor of the Territory, and all other persons of note
who happen to pass there.
Civilization which has partly changed the nature of the
redman, has had, as yet, no time to leave its stamp upon the
features of his country. The Territory, save along the railroad, is pretty much what it ever was. It. is true, that the
missionaries, and some Indians trained by them, have rescued from the desert some goodly acres, and turned them
into wheat, corn, or potatoe fields. But, except these patches
of cultivated land, the whole is an unbroken wilderness. The
bear, as hitherto, roams at large, and not unfrequently prowls
about the valley, quite near the missionaries' dwelling-place.
I took several horse-rides, but did not, as others did, perceive him.
One day I had to inquire the direCtion of a sick-call where
I was to meet one of our Fathers. A full-blood Indian happened to peep out of his wigwam. Being unable to converse
with him in his native tongue, I addressed him in English.
According to my expeet;J.tions, he did not understand me.
I was about to ride away, when I chanced to speak to him
in French. This time the old man showed himself, by his
fluency of speech, to be perfeB:ly at home. Father Joset, a
veteran missionary, has taught him, besides his religious
duties, the refined language of France. Great, indeed, have
been the labors of Fr. Joset, and the other missionaries
among the heterogeneous races here-whites, half-breeds,
and above all, Indians. The Mission of St. Ignatius can afford a sample of their work. In the Flathead Reservation,
where the mission is located, there are about two thousand
Indians. All of these are thorough and earnest Catholics,
and are daily growing stronger in the Faith under the zealous care of two priests. Amongst these poor people, who
on the slightest feeling of ill-health, believe themselves in
danger of death, sick-calls are no less extraordinary by their
frequency than by their distance. After the missionaries
had made a printed language for their Indians, they succeeded in converting the adults. But they not only converted their children but also civilized them. To-day, then,
the education they impart to one hundred and seventy children enables them to vie with most of the schools in Montana, and astonishes the highest authorities in the Territory.
Two Scholastics, it is true, are kept busy from morning till
night, whilst the two Fathers are engaged in superintending
the intelleCtual and material welfare of the schools. Our
schools for Indian children are industrial, that is to say, the
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
79
pupils are taught every ordinary trade necessary for a working and self-supporting community. The girls are taught
everything· relating to housekeeping,-hand-sewing, the
making and repairing of clothes, cooking, the making of
butter and cheese, etc.. The Fathers are ereCting shops in
which boys will be taught blacksmithing, wagon-making,
carpentry, painting,. harness-mak_ing, shoemaking, farming,
and how to take care of stock. At present one of them
bakes for the whole community. One year all the harvest
was gathered in by the boys of the school under the guidance of a Father.
Such are some of the most important features of St. Ignatius' Mission, in which I was not destined to stay long.
On the 24th of September, I was direCted by Rev. Fr. Superior to accompany him to St. Peter's Mission, which lies
on the eastern slope of the Rockies. Towards night we
started, in company with two Fathers going to found a mission amongst the Cheyenne Indians. We arrived safe, after
a long journey, at St. Peter's Mission. After a few days of
rest, I began my work amongst seventeen Indian boys of
the Blackfoot nation. 1'hese I have to teach and watch over
from 6. I 5 A. :\!., to 8.30 P. :\!. I am glad to teach, together
with the Indians, eighteen half-breed boys, who had been
left without instruCtion from the time that Riel, their teacher,
became the leader in the Canadian war. We have also another boarding school for white boys which keeps me very
busy. A convent of eight Ursuline Sisters is a great aid to
this mission. These Sisters have two schools, the former
for twenty Blackfeet girls, and the latter for twenty-five,
whose number could be increased had they more accommodations. Our nearest neighbors are the half-breeds, whose
huts are scattered among the mountains. These are, indeed,
very assiduous in the praCtice of their religious duties, and
they never fail to come, on Sundays, to the Divine Service.
Our church cannot contain over two hundred persons, and
is too small for their large attendance. At some ninety
miles north of St. Peter's is the Piegan Reservation. The
three thousand Indians who live there are under the sway
of White Calf. They are visited several times a year by a
missionary whose headquarters are at St. Peter's. Further
north still, in the neighborhood of Fort Assiniboine and
Benton, live two powerful, and altogether distinCt tribes, the
Assiniboines and the Gros V entres, under the care of one of
our Fathers, who spends all his time in working for their
salvation. The same Father expeCts to work soon amongst
the Blood Indians, who so far have been visited once a year
�8o
ENGLAND.
by a BenediB:ine Missionary, whose station lies several hundred miles from them.
In union with your Holy Sacrifices,
Your Servant in Christ,
P. BOUGIS, S. J.
ENGLAND.
Letter from Brotlter Foley.
Tltc Nationalit)' of Fr. Andrew Wltite.
31 FARM STREET, BERKELEY SQUARE, LONDON W.,
,
13 Nov. 1885.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
..
P. C.
In regard to the article of enquiry upon this subjeB: in
the last No. of the WoODSTOCK LETTERS, I think there is no
doubt whatever that this distinguished member of our holy
Society was an Englishman. As the write_r observes, the
historians who have noticed him, call him English, and a
Londoner. I will mention five principal authorities in favour
of it. 1°. the Douay Diary (edited by the late D. Knox),
gives "A list of Englishmen who matriculated at Douay before 1612" (Preser.ved in the Archives of the Arch-Dioc. of
Westminster):
"Fol. 28.}
"Gulielmus Colfordus, Londinens. Pauperes ex Collegio
"Andreus vVhitus, Londinens, &c.
Anglorum."
The word Pauperes is a sort of key to Fr. White's class
or status in society. He was probably what we call in the
present day a "church boy."
2°. The Catalogi 1i personarum Prov. Angl. S. J. from
1621 (the first issued) to 1655, all insert "Londinensis," under the "Patria" column.
3°. Fr. Nath. Southwell, the eminent historian, whose real
name was Bacon, of an ancient Norfolk family, was probably
personally acquainted with Father White who was for sometime a Missioner in Fr. Southwell's native DistriB:; and he
could not have been ignorant upon the point.
f· He was indieted under the statute 27 Elizabeth, as an
�Sr
ENGLAND.
English Priest for High Treason in 1644, and tried for his
life, with Fr. Thomas Copley, alias Philip Fisher.
Fr. Tanner in his Soc. jesu Apos tolorum Imitatrix calls
him "Anglus." Fr. Tanner obtained all his English information both for this work, as also for his Istoria Soc. Gesit
(the Inghilterra vol.) from Father Christ. Grene a very ltiglt
autlwnty.
As regards Fr. White's boy-hood, we are left to imagine,
in the absence of any information about his parents, that,
like hundreds of other Church students of his class, he was
sent very early to J:?ouay, a course often adopted in these
times, as wellfor the purpose of education as to remove the
boys from the contagion of heresy.
In almost every case of a person of noble or gentle birth,
we generally find, such is the weakness of human nature,
some space allotted to a genealogical notice, not given to
poor, or middle class men.
I do not think that any stress can be laid upon the argument that Andrew and White are common Christian and
surnames in Ireland. Andrew is the national Xtian name
used in Scotland, and is very usual in England, while \Vhite
is equally common in England as in Ireland, perhaps more
so. Though Fr. White was educated and ordained at the
English Secular Coli. of Douay, yet it is very probable that
he may have spent a portion of his noviceship, perhaps the
znd year at some house of Theological studies of the Society,
in a repetition of his Theology-the usual practice in our
Province in the case of Secular Priests entering it. Whilst
our Province will be ready to bow to any satisfactory evidence that Fr. Andrew White is not an Englishman, yet it
must be thoroughly and legally convincing to induce her
to give up her national claim to so brilliant a glory and ornament as the great and holy Apostle of Maryland.
I am yours very truly in Christ,
s•.
HENRY FoLEY,
VoL. xv, No.
1.
10
S.
J.
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
JAN. 1ss 5, To JUNE zznd.
(Though this account came too late for our last number,
still we think it ought, even thus late, to find a place in the
LETTERS.)
ST. JA;.ms', BosTo:-<.- On Sunday the 1 Ith of January,
Fr. McCarthy opened a week's retreat for the men of St.
James' Parish. It was very well attended. About 2000
men approached the sacraments, and quite a large number
joined the men's sodalities.
·
ST. JosEPH's, L.o.cO.\'IA, N. H.- Frs. Langcake and Macdonald opened a week's mission in Laconia on Sunday,
Jan. 18th. Laconia is a bey,utiful little town of about 5000
inhabitants. The Catholic population is about equally divided between French and Irish, so that instruCtions were
given in English and French. l\Iany who had not been inside the church for twenty years, made the mission and appeared fully determined to lead new lives. Indeed, it was
most consoling to witness the excellent attendance of the
people, especially at the 5 A. ~I. l\Iass, notwithstanding the
f.'lCt that many had to walk two miles with the thermometer
varying from IO to I 5 degrees below zero. On rising at
4.30 A.~!., the Fathers generally found the water in their
pitchers frozen. From the house to the Church was a nice
little walk of ten minutes.
As fruits of the mission, 1076 confessions where heard;
30 adults were prepared for their First Communion.; and,
at the close of the mission, 74 adults were confirmed·l?y Bp.
Bradley, who expressed himself much gratified with the result of the Fathers' labors in Laconia.
ST. MARY's, BosTON.-On Sunday, Feb. !8th, Fathers
McCarthy, Langcake, and Macdonald opened a week's mission for the young ladies of St. Mary's. 1950 Confessions
were heard.
So much has been written about St. Mary's from time to
time, that the readers of these LETTERS are well posted upon the good work, that is being done by the Fathers attached to this Church.
(8z)
�PRo-CATHEDRAL, WILMINGTON, DEL.-A week's mission,
commencing Feb. 22nd, was given in the Pro-Cathedral by
Frs. McCarthy, Langcake, and Macdonald. Though the
Parish numbers only 1400 souls, 1980 confessions were
heard, many coming from the neighboring Parishes. The
work here was very constant. 3 converts were received into
the Church, and 6o adults were prepared for 1st Communion
and Confirmation, but, owing to the Bishop's absence, the
latter sacrament was not administered. This mission was
more than usually successful in its results.
ST. PATRICK's CATHEDRAL, NEWARK.-Fr. McCarthy, left
\Vilmington on Saturday evening about 6 o'clock, and
opened a two weeks' mission in the Cathedral at Newark
on Sunday, March the I st. Fr. Breslin from the Tertianship
was awaiting him at Newark. On Sunday evening Fr.
Macdonald arrived, and on Monday morning, Fr. Langcake,
who had remained behind in \Vilmington to close the mission.
The Fathers had quite a busy time, as, without aid of any
account, they heard 6223 confessions. 22 converts were
received into the Church; 6o were prepared for First Communion; and 79 for Confirmation. The attendance was excellent; the Church was packed every evening; and, at the
close of the women's mission, many were unable to gain
admission. Mgr. Doane, who treated the Fathers with the
greatest comtesy and hospitality, expressed himself as highly pleased with the results of our labors. The mission
closed with the solemn High Mass on St. Patrick's Day.
ST. lVLuds, N. Y.-On Sunday, the 15th March, Fr.
Langcake opened a two weeks' mission in St. Mary's. He
was assisted the first week by Fr. Geo. Quin, and the second week by Fr. Shandelle. The Fathers of the Parish
gave valuable assistance to the missionaries, and the results
of the mission were most satisfactory. 5902 approached the
sacraments of Penance arid the Holy Eucharist. During the
last week of the mission, Fr. Langcake delivered a lecture
on "The Church," in St. Paul's Church.
ST. JA:-.ms', PITTSBUR(;H.-On Tuesday, March the 17th,
the day the Newark mission closed, Frs. McCarthy and Macdonald took the 8 P. ;-.1. train for Pittsburgh, where they arrived about 2 P. ;\I. \Vednesday. The same evening at 7.30
they opened a Triduo in St. James' Church, Wilkinsburgh,
of which Father \Valter Burke is Pastor. The congregation
is small, and 48 5 confessions, which were heard,_ incluqed
�.ifiSSIONARJ" LABORS.
all his people. The weather was cold, and the Church was
cold, and it was not to be wondered at, that the Fathers
have caught a very bad cold. Fr. Macdonald closed the
Triduo on Sunday, whilst Fr. McCarthy, who left Saturday
evening at 9 P.M., opened a two weeks' mission in St. John
the Baptist Church, six miles distant.
ST. JoHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, PITTSBURGH.-A mission,
given by Frs. McCarthy and Macdonald, in this church
lasted two weeks, closing on Easter Sunday. The attendance at the exercises was very good, and the people showed
a great deal of piety and good will.
The number of confessions was 2016; 3 converts were
baptized ; and 30 adults were prepared for their first Communion.
AuGUSTA, l\h.- Frs. McCarthy and Macdonald opened
a week's mission for Fr. John Murphy, V. G., Augusta, on
Low Sunday, having travelled over Soo miles from Pittsburgh. This mission was..a rest to the Fathers after six
weeks of steady hard work. The parish numbers about
800 communicants, one half of whom are French. As the
latter had a mission lately, our labors were intended only
for the English-speaking Catholics. 430 confessions were
heard, and 2 were prepared for their first Communion. The
results were quite satisfaCl:ory. After closing the mission
in Augusta, the same Fathers gave a Triduo in Hallowell,
a mission attached to Augusta, and in charge of Fr. Murphy. 198 confessions were heard in this place.
CATHEDRAL OF THE HoLY CRoss, BosTON.-Frs. McCarthy, Langcake, Kavanagh, and Macdonald opened a two
weeks' mission in the Cathedral on Sunday the 26th of
April. Fr. Maguire was invited to take part in this mission,
and he gave the evening sermon in his inimitable .style.
The attendance, especially of the women, was good: The
results were 7506 confessions, and Sooo communions; 53
adults were prepared for their first Communion; 140 adults
for Confirmation ; 7 converts were received into the Church,
and 6 others were left for further instruCl:ion. As our
Church of the Immaculate Conception is within the limits
of the Cathedral parish, it is not easy to ascertain how many
people belong to the Cathedral parish; but Fr. O'Toole, the
ReCl:or, as also his Grace, the Archbishop, seemed quite
satisfied with the results of the mission,
i
l
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
ss
LEICESTER JuNCTION, VT.-On Sunday, the I Ith of June,
Fr. Langcake opened a Triduo in Leicester J unaion. This
is a small place. The Catholic population is made up of
French and Irish. Instruaions were given in French and
English. Many Protestants attended the mission and seemed
much pleased with the Catholic doarine. 105 persons received Holy Communion.
PROCTOR, VT.- Frs. McCarthy and Macdonald gave a
mission of the season in this place, commencing on the
17th of June. Sermons were given in English, French, and
Italian, in order to accommodate the three nationalities,
which make up the congregation. The English-speaking and the French responded handsomely. The number
of confessions and Communions was 594 and 8 were prepared for their first Communion.
MISSIONARY LABORS FROM AUG. 30th 1885, TO DEC. 20th.
GARDINER, ME.- Frs. McCarthy and Macdonald opened
a week's mission in Gardiner and Richmond, of which place
Fr. Jeremiah McCarthy is pastor. Fr. Macdonald gave a
Triduo in Richmond, and joined Fr. McCarthy in Gardiner
on Thursday. This parish is very small, so that the total
number of confessions was only 461.
CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASS.- Frs. McCarthy, Langcake, Kavanagh, and Macdonald opened on Sept. 6th, a fortnight's
mission for Fr. Scully in Cambridgeport. This parish is
very well equipped. It has parochial schools for boys and
girls, as also a classical course for those who desire it. This
year there is a class of philosophy taught by one of the
priests of the house. In conneaion with the parish there
is a magnificent hall, capable of seating about I 500 persons.
A large gymnasium is in course of ereaion, and, when completed, it is said that it will be second only to that of Harvard. Fr. Scully has accomplished great things in this
parish within the past twenty years.
The results of the mission were confessions 4,115 ; Communions, 4,250; persons for first Communion, 6o; Confirmation, 134; converts. 3·
MILBURN, N.J.- Fr. Macdonald left Cambridgeport on
the Saturday of the 2nd week for ·Milburn, N. J., where he
opened on Sunday the 2oth of Sept. a week's mission for
Fr. George Corrigan. Fr. McCarthy assisted on Wednes-
�~
JflSSIOi\'ARY L-lBORS.
day and Thursday. The parish is small, The number
of confessions was 548; prepared for first Communion, 5 ;
one Protestant was received into the Church and about 4 or
5 left under instruCtion.
EAsT LIBERTY, PITTSBURGH.- Fr. McCarthy opened a
mission in the Sacred Heart Church, East Liberty, on Sunday the 27th of September, and on Tuesday, Fr. Macdonald,
who closed his mission in N. J. on Sunday, came to his assistance. The mission lasted two weeks and was productive of good results .. The number of confessions was 1557;
prepared for first Communion 20; for Confirmation 98;
converts 3·
\VESTERLY, CONN.-Frs. Langcake and Kavanagh opened
a week's mission in \Vesterly on Sunday, OCt. 4th. The
mission was very successful. The results of the mission
were 1398 confessions; 1430 Communions; 2 converts and
three left under instruCtion,
CATHEDRAL, PnrLADELPiirA.- Frs. McCarthy, Langcake,
Kavanagh, and Macdonald commenced a fortnight's mission
in the Cathedral on the I 8th of oa. This is a large parish
and the mission was well attended. It has been observed
that the Philadelphia people are great 1;1ission-goers, and
many came several miles to our mission. The attendance
was very good at all the exercises.
The number of confessions, 10,074, and Communions,
I r,ooo. Prepared for first Communion 5 I, and for Confirmation 128; converts !4• and 3 left under instruCtion.
ST. MICHAEL's, JERSEY CrTY.-The same Fathers opened
Nov. 8th, a three weeks' mission in this church, of which
Fr. De Concilio is ReCtor. As the parish is not large, two
weeks would have have been quite enough to do.· all the
work; but the pastor insisted on three weeks. The work
was, consequently, very easy.
The number of confessions was 5,447; Communions
5,6oo; rst Communion 6r ; for Confirmation 144; converts
5, and 3 left under instruCtion.
PATERSON, N.J.-The same Fathers opened a two weeks'
misssion in St. John's Church, Paterson, of which the venerable and hard working ·Fr. McNulty is the pastor. This
is a grand parish and thoroughly equipped, owing to the
indefatigable zeal of its good pastor. The people showeu
they had strong faith, and turned out well. The number
�MEXICO.
of confessions was 5,416; Communions 5,500; prepared
. for rst Communion 57; for Confirmation 216; converts 10
and 1 left under instruction.
General Results of missionary labors from August 30th
till Dec. 2oth: Confessions 29,3 r6; prepared for First Communion 248; for Confirmation 717; converts baptized, 38,
and 10 left under instruction.
MEXICO.
Lctttr of lJfr. Pedro Lope:; de ArrOJ'a1'e to Fr. La Cerda.
SALTILLo, Nov. 9th, r885.
VERY REv. FATHER IN CHRIST,
I am very thankful to your Reverence for the many items
of Spanish news which you kindly communicated to me,
and, in return, I shall give you some information about this,
your favored Republic. To begin with our college:- On
the r8th of Oct. we had the distribution of premiums, and
on the morning of the 19th we brought the term to a close
with the reading of the notes obtained by each student in
the examination. There was a great concourse of people
present. The Right Rev. Bishop Montes de Oca presided,
and delivered a very eloquent address in verse. He narrated
the history of the college from its foundation to the present
time. I never heard his Lordship speak with so much feeling and earnestness.
Fr. Artola availed himself of the opportunity presented
by the vacations to give a mission in a village, near our
Villa, which is called Los Cerritos, because of its being surmounted by two small mountains. The inhabitants must
be about 1000. They were so much delighted to know that
we were near them, and that a mission was to be given in
the village, that they never ceased showing us tokens of
deep gratitude. There were from 450 to 460 Communions.
Very few of the men went to confession. This, unfortunately, is a very common occurrence in the these parts. During the mission the people from a neighboring town asked
to have a mission given them also. Many of the poor people
are excellently disposed, but they are very careless in attending instructions. Out of twenty boys whom I exhorted
to go to confession and Communion, I found only six fit to
�88
MEXICO.
approach the Holy Sacraments. I met one seventeen years
old, who did not know even how to make the sign of the
cross. The poor fellows work continually in the factories,
and so have no idea of what it is to be Christians. How
much good a zealous and devoted missioner couhl do by
visiting the villages and farm-houses of these border States !
Your Reverence, I think, knows Frs. P. Manci and Coronado. They left here for the Seminary of San Louis Potosi,
in order to train up able and fit ministers for the service of
the Lord. The Right Rev. Bishop Montes de Oca obtained
them from Fr. Provincial, and the inhabitants of San Luis
Potosi have already offered to subscribe funds for the foundations of a college of Ours. It is a pity we are so few.
·with regard to the reported inrqads of the savages ;-nothing of the kind, to my knowledge, has taken place. Some
trouble has arisen in a few of the States of Nuevo Leon between the different parties, on the occasion of the election
of a IU'!W Governor. The same state of affairs existed here
about a year ago, and the Government of Mexico sent a
Provincial Governor. It ls- reported now that they wish to
have a new election; I know neither how, nor when, they will
have it, and, indeed, it does not deprive me of a moment's
repose.
In one of my letters to you, or to Mr. Iturria, I said that
the Sisters of Charity would probably come to this city.
Now I can tell you with certainty that they will be here for
the Feast of the Presentation. The people of Saltillo owe
this great favor, after God, to our good Fr. Rector, who has
done much to obtain this blessing for them. How sadly
these good Sisters ,were needed ! May God fill them with
holy zeal for the good of the noble children of Anahuac.
The Protestants here are never idle, and although they
do not gain many followers still they do much harm among
the poor and ignorant. They are now building a .church
in what was once a Franciscan convent. It is said that they
are begging for funds to establish a hospital and intend to
build a hospice. You see that they spare no means in order
to accomplish their projects. Pray much to our Lady of
Guadualupe, and St. Stanislaus, for this your country, and
in particular for this State of Coahuila, in order that none
of its inhabitants may swerve from the path of virtue. . . . . .
Your Serv. in Christ,
PEDRO LOPEZ DE ARROY AVE,
s. J.
l
!
1
�•
CATALOGUE OF OUR MISSIONARY FATHERS,
1634-1Sos.
This Catalogue has been made out with much care and labor. The
compiler has used in its preparation, copies of the Roman Catalogues,
Annual Letters, Baptismal Registers, old records and note· books, private
letters, deeds, wills, and conveyances. He has also consulted the 'VoooSTOCK LETTERS, Br. Foley's English Records, Dr. Oliver's Collectanea and
other similar works. 'Vhere authorities differed, he has selected what
seemed in his judgment to be best established. In the spelling of proper
names he has followed, as much as possible, the missionaries themselves.
Though the compiler of this Catalogue has done all that he could, under
the circumstances, to keep it free from error, he can not hope, seeing the
mass of contradictory statements before him, that it is correct in every
respect. He trusts, however, that it will serve as the basis of a Catalogue
more full and more exact than itself. Being himself convinced of the
identity of Thomas Copley and Philip Fisher, as also of Henry Harrison,
and "the priest, John Smith," he has treated Fisher and Smith as aliases.
If further research should enable any historical students to show that he
is mistaken in this matter, he will be most ready to change his opinion.W.P.T.
1634.- Andrew White; .John Altham, alias Gravenor; Timothy Hayes?
alias Hanmer. Residence: St. :Mary's City, l\ld.
1635.-The same. All at St. l\Iary's City.
1636.-Thomas Copley, alias Philip Fisher, Superior; Andrew White;
John Rogers? alias Barnfield; John Wood? Fr. Hayes returned to
'England about this time. St. l\Iary's still the principal Residence.
1637.-Thomas Copley; Andrew White; John Altham. All probably
residing at St. l\Iary's. Fr. Knowles died soon after his arrival.
1638.-Ferdin::md Poulton, aliases John Brock and l\lorgan, Superior;
Andrew White; Thomas Copley. At St. l\Iary's City. Frs. Rogers
and Wood in England.
1639.-Thomas Copley, St. l\Iary's City; Ferdinand Poulton, with the
Proprietary, at l\Iattapany on the Patuxent; John Altham, on Kent
Island; Andrew White, in the palace of the king, whom they call
Tayac, at Piscataway.
1640.-Thomas Copley, St. l\Iary's City; Ferdinand Poulton, l\Iattapany;
Fr. Altham died at St. l\Iary's City, Nov. 5th of this year. During
1640 the missionaries made various excursions among the Indian
Vor.. xv, No.
1.
II
�~
90
CATALOG[?,' OF OUR .1riSSIONARY FATHERS, I63-t-I8os.
tribes. They baptized the Emperor alfd Empress of Piscataway, and
visited the King of the Anacostans ..
16·11.-Thomas Copley, St.l\Iary's City; Andrew White, at Piscataway;
Roger Rigby, at a new settlement which in the vulgar idiom they
call Patuxent. In this year the missionaries opened a residence at
Portobacco; almost the whole town "received the Faith with baptism." Fr. Poulton died.
lM'!.-The same as to missionaries and residences.
1643.-Andrew ·white at Portobacco. The rest as in 1641.
1644.-It is supposed that Fr. Copley, owing to the attacks of Claiborne
and Ingle, removed from St. ~lary's City to St. Inigoes. Fr. John
Cooper arrives in Maryland.
l(',.i.').-Bernard Hartwell, Superior, at St. Inigoes; .\.ndrew White and
Thomas Copley; probably residing at Portobacco. Both these missionaries were this year taken prisoners by a party from Virginia.
They were put in irons, and taken back to England. The other
missionaries, Fr.•John Cooper and Fathers Hartwell and Rigby fled
to Virginia.
1646.-Bernard Hartwell, the only missionary iu }Iaryland, died this
year, probably at St. Inigoes .. Roger Rigby, who had great influence
among the Indians, and w!w was high in the esteem of Leonard
Calvert, died of hardship in Virginia. Fr ..John Cooper died in Virginia.
1C.47.-This year the Catholics of }Iaryland mourned over the absence of
their beloved and devoted missionaries.
1r.48.-Father Copley returned boldly to Maryland. He was received hy
his dear flock as "an Angel from God." One of his companions, perhaps, Fr. Laurence Starkey, remained in Virginia.
1r.4!).-Thomas Copley, Superior, at St. Inigoes; Lanrence Starkey, alia3
Sankey, Fr. Starkey attL'nded to the different outlying missions,
Newtown, Portobacco, etc.
1650.-Thomas Copley, Superior; Lanrenre Stark(')'.
1651.-The same.
~
1C.52.-Laurence Starkey. This year Claiborne, and his Puritan party,
took possession of St. ~Iary's City and persecuted the Cntholics of
:Maryland.
1653.-Lnurence Stnrkcy, alone in ~Iaryland. Fr. Copley died.:
1654.-Francis Fitzherbert, alia.• Darby; Laurence Starkey. Arlotit 1654,
Fr. Francis Rogers came to Maryland, but remained only a short
time in that l\lission.
1C.55.-Francis Fitzherhert, at St. Inigoes; Laurence Starkey attending
to the outlying missions. This year the Fathers were again persecuted. They had to tly to Virginia for safety. Their residences at
St. Inigoes and Portohacco were sacked by the Puritans. The missionaries suffered much in Virginia where they lived in a low and
mean hut not unlike n cave.
1656.-The Fathers still forced to live in Virginia.
�CATA!,OGCf: OF or·R
,l!ISS!ONARl~
FATI!F:RS, 163-l-ISos.
9r
1657.-No missionaries in 1\Iaryland. Fr. Starkey died in the midst of
his trials in Virginia, on the 13th of Feb. 1657.
1658.-.Jesnits again in Maryland. Francis Fitzherbert; Thomas Payton.
This year Father Fitzherbert was arrested and tried for teaching and
preaching at Newtown and Chaptico. He defended himself under
the charter, and was acquitted.
16.')9.-Fruncis Fitzherbert. Fr. Payton returned to England on business.
1660.-Francis Fitzherbert. Fr. Payton, retmning to America, died on
the voyage, .Tanuary 12th, 1660.
1li6l.- r'rancis Fitzherbert; Henry Warren, alias Pelham. This year
\Villiam Bretton, gent., gave a piece of land on Newtown Hundred
as the site of a new church, and for a graveyard. The new church
was at tirst dedicated to St. Ignatius, but afterwards it was placed
under the patronage of St. Francis Xavier.
166'!.-Henry Warren. Fr. FitzL.erbert returned to Europe.
Hi63.-This year Fr. \Varren obtained a conveyance of our lauds from
Cuthbert Fenwick to himself, "Copley's successor." Father Edward
Tidder, al£as Ingleby in :Maryland.
Hiil4.-Ileury Warren; Edward Tidder; Peter Manner~, vere Pelcon. It
is a mistake to suppose that Peter J[anncr" and G(JIIr,qe Pole were
identical.
1665.-Henry \Varren; Edward Tid tier; Peter 1\Ianners. This year Fr.
Fitzwilliams, alias Villiers, died in Maryland.
1666.- Henry Warren; Peter ·Manners; Goerge Pole; Edward Tidder.
1667.-Henry \Varren; Peter Manners; Edward Tidder George; Pole ...
1668.-Henry Warren; George Pole; Peter 1\Ianners. This year Father
Henry ·warren purchased our Newtown estate from nlr. \Villiam
Bretton for 40,000 pounds of tobacco.
1669.-Henry ·warren, alias Pelham; \Villiam Warren, alias Pelham. It
is thought that these two missionaries were brothers. Father Peter
Manners died on the 24th of April, and Fr. George Pole on the 31st
of October.
1G70.-Henry Warren; \Villiam Warren.
1671.-Two missionaries in Maryland. Fr. William Wan-en died on the
7th of February.
167'!.-Two Fathers in Maryland.
1673.-Two Franciscans arrived. Great harmony existed between them
and Ours.
1674.-Fr. Clavering; l~r. \Valdegrave, alia.q Pelham.
1675.-Francis Pennington; Nicholas Gulick. Doth these Fathers came
with the Royal Fleet from London.
1676.-Fr:mcis Pennington; N. Gulick.
1677.-Thomas Gavan, Superior, with five companions-some pric~ts ami
some Coadjutor Brothers.
1678,-Michael Foster, Superior; Francis Pennington; Thomas Gavan;
Nicholas Gulick.
·
167!1.-l\lichael Foster, Superior; l<'rancis Pennington; Thomas Gavan.
1680.-The same.
�92
CATALOGf"E OF OrR J!JSS/O"YARY FATHERS, I634-18os.
1681.-The same.
1682.-To those in 1679 is added Fr. Thomas Percy.
1683.-The same. l<'r. Percy returns to England. A new Mission was
begun at New York with Thomas Harvey, alias Barton, as Superior,
and Henry Harrison, alias John Smith, as assistant missionary.
1684.-Francis Pennington, Superior; Thos. Gavan; John Pennington,
at Newtown. Fr. Foster died on the 6th of February.-New York:
Thomas Harvey, Superior; Henry Harrison.
1685.-Francis Pennington, Superior; Thomas Gavan returned to Eng·
land; Fr. John Pennington died at Newtown, on the 18th of October.--New York: Thomas Harvey; Henry Harrison.
1686.-FrancisPennington, at Newtown :l\Ianor.--New York; Thomas
Harvey, Superior; Charles Gage; Henry Harrison.
1687.- Francis Pennington.--New York; Thomas Harvey; Charles
Gage in England.
1688.-Francis Pennington.--New York: Thomas Harvey; Henry
Harrison.
1689.-Francis Pennington.--New York: Father Harvey and Harrison
are driven out. Fr. Harrison, in trying to make his escape to France,
is taken by Dutch pirates. Fr. Harvey walked to l\Iaryland.
1690.-Francis Pennington; Jolin Matthews. Fr. Harrison is in Ireland.
1691.-Francis Pennington; John Matthews.
1692.-William Hunter, Superior, residing at St. Thomas' Manor; Francis Pennington at Newtown Manor; John Matthews.
1693.-Francis Pennington, Superior; William Hunter; John Matthews.
1694.-Francis Pennington; William Hunter. Fr. John Matthews died
at Newtown, December the 8th, 1694.
1695.-William Hunter, Superior; Francis Pennington. Fr. Harrison,
at Lorretto.
1696.-William Hunter, Superior; John Hall; Robert Brooke. Father
Thomas Harvey died in Maryland, aged 84. He had spent 65
years in the Society.~
1697.-Wm. Hunter, Superior; John Hall, Procurator; Robert Brooke;
Henry Harrison.
1698.-William Hunter, Superior; Fr..James Gonent died on the voyage
to Maryland, Dec. 28th, 1698.
1699.-William Hunter; Fr. Francis Pennington expired at the".house of
l\Ir. Hill at Newtown, the 22nd of February, 1699.
Rev. James Haddock, 0. Jilin. Str. Obs.
1700.- William Hunter, Superior; Robert Brooke; George Thorold ;
·william Wood, alias Guillick, or Kellick ; Thomas Mansell. "Fr.
Harrison is on his way; but nothing has been heard of him," says
the Maryland Catalogue.
1701.-William Hunter, Superior; Robert Brooke;. Thomas Mansell;
George Thorold, and another Father. Fr. Harrison died.
1702.- William Hunter, Superior; Robert Brooke; 'l'homas Mansell;
George Thorold, Fr. l\Iatthew Brooke died at St. Thomas' Manor.
Fr.llenry Warren died in England, June 7th, 1702.
�CATALOGUE OF OUR MISS/ON.lRY FATHERS, r6J+-r8os.
93
1703.-William Hunter, Superior; Robert Brooke; Thomas 'Mansell;
George Thorold; William Wood; Richard Kirkham, alias Latham;
Henry Cattaway. Fr. John Hall died this year July 9th, at Ghent.
1704.-William Hunter, Superior, at St. Thomas' Manor; Robert Brooke,
at Newtown Manor; Thomas Mansell, at Bohemia Manor; William
Wood; Geo. Thorold; Richard Kirkham; Henry Cattaway; Thos.
Havers.
1705.-William Hunter, Superior; Brooke, etc., as the past year.
1706.-The same, except that Fr. Cattaway returned to England. Fr.
Mansell obtained the patent for St. Xavier's, Bohemia.
1707.- William Hunter, Superior; Robert Brooke; George Thorold;
William Wood; Thomas Mansell.
1708.-The same.
1709.-The same.
1710.-Robert Brooke, Superior.
1711.-Robert Brooke, Superior; Thomas :Mansell; 'William Hunter;
George Thorold; William Wood; Thomas Hodgson; Peter Atwood; Richard Thomas, alias 'Vebster; Charles Brockholes; Francis Beaumont, alia.~ or vere Williams.
1712.-The same. Father Henry Poulton died this year at Newtown
1\Ianor, tha 27th of September.
1713.-The same. Fr. Thomas Hodgson at Bohemia.
1714.-The same. Fr. Robert Brooke died at Newtown Manor, 18th of
July. Thomas Mansell, Superior.
1715.-Thomas Mansell, Superior; the rest the same.
1716.-The same. It is said that Fr. Brockholes returned to England this
year.
1717.-The same.
1718.-The same. Fr. Francis Beaumont returned to England.
1719.-The same.-Fr. William Gerard arrived.
1720.-The same. George Thorold at St. Thomas' Manor. Fr. William
Wood died in the month of August.
1721.-William Hunter at St. Thomas' l\Ianor; Joseph Greatou; Thomas
Mansell; George Thorold; William Gerard; Thomas Hodgson; Peter
Atwood; Richard Thomas. Fr. Mansell obtains the deed of Bohemia, Cecil Co., 1\Id.
1722.-William Hunter, at St. Thomas' 1\Ianor, Charles Co., 1\Id. The
rest the same.
1723. -George Thorold, St. Mary's Co., 1\Id. Thomas Mansell; ,John
Bennet; Peter Atwood; ,Joseph Greaton; Richard Thomas. Fr.
William Hunter died at Port Tobacco, 15th Aug., 1723.
1724.-Thomas Hodgson, at Bohemia; George Thorold; Peter Atwood;
Richard Thomas; William Gerard; J ohu Bennet, vere or alias Gosling, was living at Annapolis, at 1\Irs.Carroll's; James Whitgreave
came in December; Francis Floyd; Henry Wheten hall; Peter Davis;
James Case. Fr. Thomas Mansell, alias Harding, died at St. Inigoes
August 18th.
1725. -George Thorold, Superior, at St. Thomas' Manor; the rest the same.
�9 -t
CATALOG['£ OF Ol'R J!JSSJ0.\:1RY FATHERS, 163-t-tSos.
1726.-George Thorold, Superior; the rest the same. Fr. Hodgson died
at Bohemia, December the 18th.
1727.-George Thorold, Superior; Peter Atwood; William Gerard; Jas.
Whitgreave; Henry Whetenhall; Francis Floyd; .John Bennet;
Peter Davis; Richard Thomas; .James Case; Joseph Greaton.
1728.-Peter Atwood, Superior; .John Bennet at Annapolis. The rest
as in the past year.
1729.-George Thorold, Superior, at St. Thomas' l\Ianor; Peter Atwood,
in Charles Co.: Fr. Francis Floyd died at Newtown l\lanor, Nov.
13th. Fr. Bennet returned to England.
1730.-George Thorold, Superior ; Peter Atwood.
1731.-George Thorold. Superior; Peter Atwood; Fr. Wm. Gerard died
at St. Inigoes, the 16th of April. Fr..Jan1es Case died in the same
station, the 15th of February.
1732 .-George Thorold, Superior; Peter• Atwood in St. .Mary's Co., ~I d.;
Henry 'Vhetenhall; Fr. Robert Hanling arrived.
1'i3il.-Peter Atwood, Superior, in St. Mary's Co., l\ld. George Thorold;
Henry ·whetenhall, in Ann Arundel Co., ~I d.; Robert Harding at St.
Thomss' Manor; ,las. Quin; James Whitgreave in Ann Arundel Co.;
Joseph Greaton at Philadelphia, Penn.; Richard Molyneux; Vincent
Philips; James Farrar; Arnold Livers.-Pennsylvani6: St .•Joseph's
Church, Philadelphia, built this year.
1734.-George Thorold was appointed Superior of the Maryland Mission
in )farch; Henry '\Yhitenhall; .James Quin; James Whitgreave in
Ann Arundel Co.; Robert Harding; Peter Davis; Richard Moly·
neux ; Thomas Gerard; Arnold Livers at At. Thomas' ~Innor; Vincent Philips; some say that Fr. Thorold c~mtinucd Superior until
June, and that he was then succeeded by Fr. Atwood. Fr. Atwood
died on Christmas Day, 1734, at the Newtown Manor. Fr. Thomas
Leckonby, sen., died at Portohncco, Dec. 16th, 1734. Fr. John Fleet·
wood died on the 5th of January, probably at Newtown.
1735.-Vincent Philips;~George Thorold; James Quin; Father Richard
Thomas died the 16th of ,January.
1736.-Richard Molyneux, Superior; George Thorold.
1737.-Richard Molyneux, Superior, at St. Thomas' ·Manor; James Quin
in Ann Anmdel Co.; .James Whitgreave; Hobert Harding~ Thomas
Gerard; Vincent Philips; Arnold Livers at St. Thonui~' ·l\Ianor;
George Thorold, in Ann Arundel Co., l\ld. .James Farrar in Ann
Arundel Co.--Pennsylvania: Jos. Greaton at St. Joseph's Church.
l'i;lS.-Richard Molyneux at Rt. Thomas' l\Ianor; George Thorold; JaH.
'\Vhitgreave, St. l\lary's Co.; James Farrar; Thomas Poulton came
on the 4th or 28th of April. On this last day be gave testimony to
grants.
1'i3!J.-Richard 1\Iolynenx, at St. Thomas' ~lanor (old indenture); Owen
Joseph Kingsley, who spent some time on the Maryland Mission,
died at Wattcn, the 24th of January, aged 42.--Pennsylvania: Jos.
Greaton.
�CATALOGUE OF ()[TR .1f!SSm.V.1R Y FATHERS, I6J~-I8os.
95
1740.-Richard 1\Iolyneux, at St. Thomas' Manor; Hichard Archbold;
Robert Harding; Arnold Livers, at N ewtown.--Pennsylvania:
.Joseph Greaton.
1741.-Richard Molyneux; Thomas Poulton, in Charles Co.; George
Thorold; ,John Digges; James Quin, in "Queen Ann Connty."-Peunsylvania: Joseph Greaton; Henry Neale; Theodore Schneider,
at Goshenhoppen.
1742.-Thomas Poulton, at Bohemia 1\ianor; Robert Harding; Benedict
Neale, at Newtown; James Quin; Jas. Farrar, at Newtown; Thos.
Digges; Arnold Livers, at Newtown; Fr. George Thorold died till'
15th of November, at St. Thomas' Manor. This venerable missionary had spent more than forty years in ~laryland.--Pennsylvania:
.Joseph Greaton; Henry Neale. Fr. William Wappeler purchased
seven lots in Lancaster, Penn.; Theodore Schneider.
1743.-Richard ~Iolyneux. at St. Thomas' .Manor ; Bennet Neale; James
F~rrar; ,James Ash bey; Thomas Poulton.--Pennsylvania: ,Joseph
flreaton; Henry Neale; ~William ~Wappeler; Theodore Schneider.
1744.-Richard Molyneux; Thomas Poulton; .James Farrar; James Ashbey; Thomas Pou.lton; Bennet Neale.-- Pennsylvania: Joseph
Greaton; Henry Neale; Theodore Schneider; William W~ appeler.
This Fathenwas for a part of 1744, nt Newtown.
1745.-Richard :\Iolyneux; Thomns Poulton, at Bohemia; Vincent Philips; Robert Harding; James Farrar; Arnold Livers; 'Thos. Digges;
Benedict Neale; .James Ashbey. A school opened at Bohemia. Fr.
.Tames Whetcnhall died the 27th of)Iay, in ~England. Fr. Quin was
accidentally killed in getting out of a ferry boat, which was being
dragged l1y his horse, on Choptank River, November 27th.--Pennsylvania: Joseph Greaton, :"uperior; Theodore Schneider; Henry
Neale; William Wappeler.
1746.-The same with Fr.•James Le Motte, alias Lancaster. Fr. \Vhitgreave in England. Thomas Poulton, at Bohemia.
1747.-George Hunter, at St. Thomas' .Manor; Thomas Poulton, at Bohemia; .James Farrar; Benedict Neale, at Deer Creek, Baltimore
Co., Md.--Pennsylvania: Joseph Greaton; Theodore Schneider,
Henry Neale; William Wappeler.
1748.-Richard Molyneux; Robert Harding, Prince George's Co., l'tld.;
Vincent Philips, in St. ~Iary's Co., Md.; Thomas Poulton, at Bohemia. .John Kingdom, at Bohemia; Fr..Tolm Digges died.--Pennsylvania: Fr. Henry Neale died in Philadelphia. Fr. Wm. Wappelcr returned to Europe. Richard Molyneux, Superior; he returns to
England the next year.
1749.-Geo. Hunter, in Charles Co., Md.; Vincent Philips; .John Kingdom, at Bohemia; Robert Harding; Arnold Livers; Benedict Neale,
at Deer Creek, Baltimore Co.: Thomas Digges; James Ashbey, St.
~Iary's Co.; .Tames Carroll; Richard Ellis; James Lancaster; James
llreadnall, at St. Thomas' 1\Ianor. Fr. Thomas Poulton died at Newtown 1\Ianor, Jan. 23rd.--.Pennsylvania: Joseph Greaton, Theodore
Schneider.
�¢
CATALOGUE OJ:' Ol'R .MISS!O.YARY FATHERS, 1634-rSos.
1750.-George Hunter, at Port Tobacco; John Kingdom, at Newtown;
Benedict Neale, at Deer Creek; John Lewis, at Bohemia; Am old
Livers, at Newton; Thomas Digges, in Sequanock; Robert Harding;
James Ashbey, at St. Inigoes; Theodore Schneider, in Penn.; Jos.
Greaton, at Bohemia.
1751.-George Hunter; Benedict Neale; Joseph Greaton, at Bohemia.
Fr. John Bennet, alias Gosling, died the 13th of April, in England.
--Pennsylvania: Hobert Harding; Theodore Schneider.
1752.-George Hunter; Fr. Hunter made his Retreat at St. Inigoes; Jos.
Greaton.--Pennsylvania: Robert Harding; Theodore Schneider,
at Goshenhoppen.
1753.-George Hunter; John Lewis, at Bohemia; Benedict Neale, at
Deer Creek, Baltimore Co. Fr. Joseph Greaton died at Bohemia, the
19th day of August. Fr. John Lewis "officiated at his funeral." Fr.
James Farrar died at Hooton in Cheshire, the 18th of July.--Pennsylvania: Robert Harding, at St .•Joseph's, Philadelphia; Mathias
Manners, alias Sittinsperger, Conewago; Theodore Schneider, in
Hereford Township, Berks County.
1754.-John Lewis, at Bohemia; George Hunter, at St. Thomas' Manor;
)Iichael .Murphy, at Newtown Manor.-- Pennsylvania: Robert
Harding; nlathias Manners; Theodore Schneider..
1755.-George Hunter; James·Carroll; Michael Murphy.--Pennsylvania: Robert Harding; Mathias Manners: Theodore Schneider.
1756.-Fr. George Hunter returned to England in October. Fr. James
Carroll died at the Newtown .Manor. • Fr. James Lancaster died at
Loretto, on the 3rd of December.--Pennsylvania: Robert Harding,
Theodore Schneider, )lathias Manners.
1757.-James Ashbey, alias Middlehurst: 'Villiam Boucher: Fr. Boucher
was but a short time on the Maryland Mission. He died in England
on the 28th of September in this year.--Pennsylvania: the same.
1758.-Richard l\Iolyneux died in England. George Hunter was in England in March of this year. Fr. Ferdinand Steynmeyer, alias Farmer,
came to Philadelphia, and remained in that city until his death, in
1786: .Tohn Lewis, at Bohemia: .Tames Breadnall; James Ashbey,
"late of Newtown," now at St. Thomas' :i'tlanor: Fr..Tames Augustin
Framback came with Fr. James Pellentz and two other Jesuits from
England. Fr. Pellentz spent ten years at Lancaster, Pennsylvania,
and one year and a half at l<'rcderick Town, 11Id.--Pcnil$ylvania:
the same.
1759..:......George Hunter, Superior, returned from England, the 1st of July.
Fr. Peter Davis died in England the 1st of July. Fr. l\Iichael Murphy died at Newtown l\Ianor: John Kingdom arrived from England
with Fr. Hunter: Joseph Mosley, at Newtown.--Pennsylvania:
Ferdinand Farmer, Robert Harding, )[athias )Ianners, Theodore
Schneider.
1760.-George Hunter: Richard Boucher died in England: Vincent
Philips died at Ghent, in Belgium: John Kingdom; Joseph )losley,
at Newtown, Pastor of St. Joseph's Church, St. Joseph's Forest, St.
�CATALOGUE OF OUR MISSIONARY FATHERS, 1634-18os. 97
Msry's Co., 1\Id.: James Framback.--Pennsylvania: Fr. Frederick
Leonarda arrived, and formed a new settlement with German colon·
ists.
1761.-George Hunter: Thomas Gerard died In England: John Kingdom
died at Portobacco: Lewis Benj. Roels arrived from England, the
24th of June: John Lewis: James Ashbey, at St. Inigoes: Arnold
Livers, James Framback: Fr. John Digges died in November.-Pennsylvania: Ferdinand Farmer, Robert Harding.
1762.-Ralph Falkner: Fr. Joseph Hattersty arrived July 12th: Joseph
:Mosley, at St. Thomas' 1\Ianor.
1763.-St. Mary's Church, Philadelphia, was- begun this year. Joseph
Mosley at St. Thomas', attending Sakia and Newport. John Williams
at Frederick. He begins to build the Church and Residence.
1764.-George Hunter; Joseph 1\Iosley went to Bohemia; Fr. Frederick
Leonards died the 28th of October, at Portobacco.-- Pennsylvania:
Ferdinand Farmer; Robert Harding; Fr. Theodore Schneider died
at Goshenhoppen.
1765.-George Hunter, Superior; James Walton and Ignatius 1\Iatthews
arrived in St. Mary's Co., in Dec.; John B. De "Ritter and John
Boone _came on the 31st of 1\lay; John Lewis at ·white 1\Iarsh; J os.
1\losley settled at St. Joseph's, Talbot Co.,l\Id., on the 18thofl\Iarch.
--Pennsylvania: Ferdinand Farmer; Robert Harding; James Pel·
lentz, at Philadelphia.
1766.-James Ashbey, at Newtown 1\Ianor; John Bolton and James
Breadnall at Newtown; Richard 1\Iolyneux died in England, the 17th
ofl\Iay; John Lewis; Joseph:l\Iosley.--Pennsylvania: Ferdinand
Farmer; Mathias .i\Ianners; Robert Harding.
1767.-George Hunter; Arnold Livers, at St. Inigoes; James Ashbey
died at Newtown; James Walton; --Pennsylvania: Ferdinand
Farmer; Rob't Harding; Philip O'Reilly in Philadelphia.
1768.-George Hunter; James Walton began to live alone at Fredt-rick,
the 27th of June ; John Williams left Frederick, July 27th and re·
turned to England; Joseph Hattersty and Peter 1\Iorris at Newtown;
Arnold Livers died at St. Inigoes, the 13th of August; John Lewis;
James Breadnall. - - Pennsylvania: Ferdinand Farmer; Robert
Harding.
1769.-George Hunter, at St. Thomas' 1\Ianor; James Walton, 1\Ianager
at Newtown; Joseph 1\Iosley, at St. Joseph's, on the Eastern Shore of
.i\Iaryland; George Knight; Joseph Hattersty, at Newtown; John
Lewis at St. Inigoes; Fr. Hunter went to Canada, 1\Iay the 24th, and
thence to England; Philip O'Reilly returned to Ireland.--Pennsyl·
vania: Ferdinand Farmer; Robert Harding; Luke Geisler arrived
at Philadelphia, 1\Iarch the 26th.
·
1770.-Fr. Hunter returned from England, 1\Iay the 18th; James Breadnan; Peter 1\Iorris; John Lucas came from England ; John Boone
returned from Europe (Fr. Hunter); James Walton; Joseph Hat·
tersty, at Philadelphia.
Vor... xv, No.
I.
12
�9<"
CATALOGUE OF~OUR llfiSSIO,VARY FATHERS, r634-r8o5.
1771.-John Lewis; Peter Morris; Robert niolyneux; Joseph Hattersty
died at Philadelphia, the 8th of ~ray, aged 35; Fr. Hattersty was a
most holy and zealous missionary; James Pellentz; James ·walton,
in St. ~Iary's Co., ~Id.; John Bolton arrived on the 21st of n[arch;
nlathias ~Innners, at Bohemia.
1772.-John Lewis, in St. ~Iary's Co., }[d. Fr. James Breadnall died at
Newtown, September the 1st, according to some. I think he died in
1775.
1773.-Twenty Fathers in }Iaryland and Peimsylvania. Their names
are: John Ashton, Thomas Digges, James Framback, Ferdinand
Farmer, Luke Geisler, George Hunter, John Lewis, John Lucas,
}[athias }fanners, Ignatius ~[atthews, Peter ~[orris, Joseph Mos.ley, Benedict Neale, James Pellentz, Lewis Roels, Bernard Rich
(Diderich), ,J. B. De Ritter, James Walton, John Bolton and Robert
~Iolyneux. If it be true, as I have good grounds to think it is, that
Fr. Harding's death occurred only in 177.), then there were twentyone Fathers of the English Province in this country at the time of
the Suppression.
1774.-John Bolton; Fr. Richard Gillibrand, who served the Maryland
Mission for sometime, died at Bath, .March 23rd. Robert Molyneux
at Philadelphia; Ant1ony Carroll in the same city; John Carroll arrived on the 26th of June ;~Sylvester and John Boarman came the
21st of :March; Charles Sewall and Augustine Jenkins came the 24th
of May; Mathias 1\Ianners, at Bohemia; Ferdinand Farmer at Philadelphia. John Baptist De Ritter, at Goshenhoppen.
1775.-John Lewis, Superior and Vicar-General, at St. Inigoes; Austin
Jenkins; Robert l\Iolyneux; Mathias Manners died at Bohemia, on
the 15th of June; Joseph Illosley at Bohemia,; Philip O'Reilly, a missionary for some time in Maryland, and afterwards distinguished in
Guiana, died in Dublin, the 24th of February; Anthony Carroll left
for England on the 7th or 8th of l\Iay. Bernard Diderick attended
Baltimore and Elk Ridge from 1775 to 17::!4.
1770.-Augustine Jenkirt.s; Peter Morris, at Bohemia; James Walton;
Ferdinand Farmer at Philadelphia; Robert Molyneux at Philadelphia.
1777.-Arnolcl Livers died at St. Inigoes, August 16th.
1778.-George Hunter, at St. Thomas' l\Ianor; James Walton at Newtown; Robert Molyneux, at Philadelphia.
~ -·
1779.-John Lewis, at Bohemia; Superior and Vicar-General; Robert
Molyneux at Pbiladelphia; Fr. George Hunter died at St. Tbomas',
on August the 1st, and was buried beside Fr. John Kingdom and Fr.
Leonarda. Ignatius Matthews, at Port Tobacco.
1780.-John Lewis, Superior and Vicar-General; Ferdinand Farmer and
Robert Molyneux, at Philadelphia; John Ashton; Ignatius Matthews at Port Tobacco; James Walton, at Newtown Manor; Austin
Jenkins with Fr. Walton; John Carroll at his mother's residence in
:Montgomery Co.; Thomas Digges; Joseph Mosley, Talbot Co., Md.;
Benedict Neale; John Bolton, in Charles Co.; Charles Sewall.
�-·····v--· ·- -····-··-·••
UBRARY
CATALOGUE OF OUR ,1fiSSIONARY FATHERS, 1634-18os.
99
1781.-Robert Molyneux, at Philadelphia; Fr. Wappeler died at Ghent,
in Belgium,-an old paper before me says he died at Bruges.
1782.-John Lewis, Superior, at Bohemia; Bernard Diderick; Ignatius
l\Iatthews, at St. Thomas' :Manor; Peter l\Iorris died suddenly at
Newtown, November the 19th; Lewis Roels.
1783.-Ferdinand Farmer, at Philadelphia; John Boarman, at Port Tobacco; Robert Molyneux, at Philadelphia.
1784.-James Walton succeeded Ignatius l\Iatthews as Pastor of St. Inigoes on the 19th of December; Henry Pile arrived in the month of
July; John Boone.
1785.-Robert :Molyneux, at Philadelphia; Fr. Walton builds the second
Church at St. Inigoes. He laid the corner-stone on the 13th of July ;
John Ashton, Procurator; Ferdinand Farmer, at Philadelphia; Jas.
Pellentz, Conewago; Charles Sewall, at Baltimore ; Luke Geisler in
Lancaster Co., Penn. John Lewis, at Bohemia; Henry Pile, at Newport, Charles Co., 1\Id.
1786.-Fr. Ferdinand Farmer died at Philadelphia on the 17th of August;
Fr. John Baptist de Ritter died on the3rdof0ctober; Robert :Molyneux, at Philadelphia; Luke Geisler and Francis Beeston with Fr.
Molyneux; St. Peter's Church, New York City, was to" have been
opened on the 4th of November of this year. The "first stone" of St.
·Peter's was laid by the Spanish l\Iinister. Luke Geisler died at Cone·wago, Aug. 10th.
1787.-Robert Molyneux, at Philadelphia; Francis Beeston with Father
Molyneux; Benedict Neale died at Newtown on the 20th of March;
Joseph ~[osley died at St..Joseph's, Talbot Co., and was buried in
the church which he himself had built; John Bolton succeeded Fr.
:Mosley at St. Joseph's, Eastern Shore of }[aryland.
1788.-Charles Sewall at Baltimore; Fr. John Lewis died at Bohemia,
the 24th of }[arch. Robert ~[olyneux left Philadelphia to succeed
Father Lewis; Francis Beeston at Philadelphia; Francis Neale left
Liege on the 3rd of April, and was in Baltimore in November; John
Bolton, at St. Joseph's, Talbot Co.
1789.-Robert l\Iolyneux, at Bohemia.
1790.-Francis Beeston, at Philadelphia up to the 29th ofnlay; Charles
Sewall, at Baltimore; Ro!Jert Plunkett; Francis Neale. Fr. Ignatius l\Iatthews died at Newtown, on the 11th ofl\Iay. Francis Beeston spent a part of this year at Bohemia. Fr. Charles Neale, at Port
Tobacco.
1791.-John Ashton and Robert Plunkett, at White l\Iarsh; Francis
Beeston, at St. Thomas' l\[anor.
1792.-James Framback at Frederick; Charles Sewall, at Baltimore; Fr.
Charles Neale, at Port Tobacco.
1793. -Bernard Diderick died in September, at Notley Hall; Francis
Beeston, at St. Thomas' Manor; Charles Sewall, at Bohemia; Father
Charles Neale, at Port Tobacco.
·
17!l4.-Fr. Louis Rocls died at St. Thomas' l\Ianor, on the 27th of February; Fr ..John Lucas died on the 11th of September; Fr. Anthon!
919
�too
CATALOGUE OF OUR llfiSSIONARY FATHERS, 1634-tSos.
Carroll was killed by robbers, in London, on the 5th of September;
Fr. John Boarman died at Newtown; Francis Beeston, at Baltimore.
1795.-Fr. John Boone died at St. Inigoes, on the 11th of April; at the
same station died Fr. James Framback, on the 17th of August.
1796.-Robert :Molyneux, at Georgetown College, in June; Francis Beeston, at Baltimore.
1797.~Tohn Ashton, at White :Marsh; Charles Sewall, Agent of the Cor·
poration; Robert :Molyneux, at Newtown; Henry Pile, at Newport,
Charles Co., :Md. Francis Beeston, at Baltimore.
1798.-James Walton, in St. )[ary's Co.; Charles Sewall, at St. Thomas'
Manor; Austin Jenkins, at Newtown; Robert :Molyneux, Superior,
at Newtown; John Bolton, at St. Joseph's, Talbot Co.
1799.-Robert :Molyneux, at Newtown; John Bolton, at St. Joseph's, Talbot Co., :Md.; Austin Jenkins, at Newtown; Henry Pile, at Newport;
Charles Sewall, at St. Thomas' )lanor.
1800.-Fr. James Pellentz died at Conewago, on the 13th of March; Fr.
Augustine Jenkins died at Newtown :Manor, on the 2nd of February;
Sylvester Boarman arrived at Newtown, August the 14th; Robert
:Molyneux, at Newtown; Henry Pile, at Newport.
1801.-John Bolton, at St. Joseph's, Talbot Co.; Robert :Molyneux, at
Newtown; Ignatius B. Brooke, at Newtown; Henry Pile, at Newport; Fr. Charles Neale, at ':Port Tobacco.
1802.-John Bolton came to Newtown, on the 7th of April; Ignatius
Baker Brooke, Newtown; Robert :Molyneux, Newtown; Francie
Neale, at Georgetown College.
1803.-Robert Molyneux, Ignatius B. Brooke, and John Bolton, at Newtown; Fr. Joseph Doyne died at f't. Thomas' :Manor, Charles Co., ~Id.;
Fr. James Walton died at St. Inigoes; Henry Pile served Newport
and Cob Neck, Charles Co.; Charles Sewall, St. Thomas' :Manor;
Sylvester Boarman, at St. Inigoes; Francis Neale, at Georgetown;
Charles Neale, at Port Tobacco.
1804.-Robert l\Iolyneux, at Newtown; Ignatius B. Brooke and John
Bolton, at Newtown; Charles Sewall, at St. Thomas' l\Ianor; Sylvester Boarman, at St. Inigoes; Francis Neale, at Georgetown College·; Henry Pile, at N~wport, Charles Co., l\ld. Fr. Charles Neale,
at fort Tobacco.
1805.-Father ~Iolyneux left Newtown in August, and went_to Georgetown College; he was appointed Superior of the l\liss1on, and
resided at St. Thomas' ~Ianor; Ignatius B. Brooke, John Bolton, at
Newtown; Francis Beeston, in Baltimore; Sylvester Boarman, at
St. Inigoes; Fr. Thomas Digges died at Baltimore; Charles Sewall,
St. Thomas' :Manor; Francis Neale, at Georgetown College; Father
Charles Neale, at Port Tobacco.
�THE CANADIAN SCHOLASTICATE.
This new building, begun last year, is still in the hands
of the carpenters and plumbers. But their work is nearly
done. Nothing remains for them but a few minor details,
then the house will be complete. Studies, however, have
been in full swing since Sept. 9th.
The building is situated outside the city limits of Montreal, opposite the Mountain, about a mile distant from it.
For those who are familiar with the neighborhood, perhaps
the site may be located if we say that it is near the lower end of Sherbrooke Street, just behind St. John Baptist
village, in direct line with the Novitiate, and about half an
hour's walk from the college, Bleury Street
Twelve acres were bought last year and they have already
been cut up into walks, play-grounds, flower-gardens, etc.
The absence of trees is felt, but this want will be supplied
in time. A few hundred young maples have been planted
along the principal walks.
The building is one hundred and ninety feet long and fifty
in breadth, three storeys high. It is exceedingly comfortable - large, airy rooms, large windows, lofty corridorseverything to favor study. The ground storey contains the
domestic chapel and sacristy, the refectory, kitchen, pantry,
wardrobe, Fathers', and Brothers', recreation hall, bookbindery and printing office. The second storey has on it the
large library, Rector's, Professors', and Theologians', private
rooms, theology class-room and reference library. The
third storey is devoted exclusively to the philosophers, has
a fine instrument-room and museum, the physical and chemical laboratories, class-room, reference library and twentyfive private rooms. Two large steam-furnaces, placed in the
cellars, heat the corridors and rooms. A hot-house, to be
heated also by steam, is being put up in the south side of
the building.
The church of the Immaculate Conception, that stands
alongside, has been given to the Society by his Lordship of
Montreal. It is only about twenty feet above ground. It
was begun some years ago by tlle diocese, but want of eqcouragement, pecuniary and otherwise-caused the work to
be suspended. No attempt will be made for some time to
ra.is~ it higher. A roof, furnished with sky-lights, has been
(101)
�102
BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., JIID.
thrown on to the foundations forming a vast basement with
seating capacity of fifteen hundred. But the congregation
does not number more than two hundred yet.
A marked improvement has been noticed since our arrival
a few months ago. Land is selling on every side of us,
many houses are building, and a great deal of activity is
showing itself in various ways. The drawback thus far to
the populating of this district was the want of a church.
Now that this want has been done away with the transformation is taking place.
A large brick-yard is still in operation in front of us, but
that will move in a couple of years. The farm presented
by Sir \Villiam Logan to the Prince of Wales, in I86o, and
by the latter given to the city of Montreal is almost opposite
to our property. This ground, reserved for a park by the
city, renders our property valuable for its proximity. We are
near enough to enjoy the advantage of the park, and f.c1.r
enough away to avoid its noise and distractions.
'
BOHEMIA, CECIL COUNTY, MD.
FATHER JoHN LEwis.
The English Province deserves well of the Society in
this country. Not only were the missions in Maryland,
Pennyslvania, and, as far as possible, in New York, zealously worked up when- there were great needs in England of
apostolic men to keep the faith alive, but it seems from an
observation of the catalogues that not unfrequently the
flower of the Province were sent to America. Nearly all
the Fathers were professed of the four vows, and not a few
of them had made their mark as missionaries or--learned
teachers across the seas. And I may add that this sacrificing spirit for our good did not cease even after the Society
in Maryland was on an independent footing. In the letters
of Archbishop Carroll to Fr. Marmaduke Stone and to Fr.
Charles Plowden, allusion is made to the kind offers of English Superiors to our nascent mission ; that men had been
sent to us, that others were in formation to teach the higher
literary an1mathematical branches. It is well known also
that two English Scholastics were sent to the University of
Edinburgh to be taught by the distinguished Leslie, then
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
103
the great mathematician of the British Empire. These young
men (Il thus instruCted for our needs, came to the United
States, and were soon distinguished as the leading mathematicians of the country. Evidently, the Superiors in England
did not think that anybody is good enough for America.
Fr. John Lewis became the successor of Fr. Greaton at
Bohemia in I 7 53, and, as far as I can find out from papers
in my possession, remained there until 1765. He was a
hard worker, and had need of all the vigor of middle life
to acquit himself of the duties imposed by the school and
the congregation. Born OCt:ober 2 rst, 1721, having just made
his profession before going to Bohemia in 1753, he was in
every way suited to continue the labors of Fr. Greaton.
The school was in a flourishing condition in 17 54; so
much so, indeed, as to have excited the cupidity of the members of the Established Church. The Rev. Hugh Jones, (ZJ
a fiery Episcopalian, was the reetor of St. Stephen's Parish,
and his correspondence as early as 1739 shows that he was
very hostil~ to the Society. A bill was passed in the Lower
House of the colonial legislature to create a commission to
inquire into the affairs of the Jesuits in the state, and also
to ascertain by what tenure they held their land. Fr. Lewis
had, perhaps, a greater share of this odium, partly on account of the zeal he manifested in his school and church,
partly on account of the fewness of the Catholics on the
Eastern Shore. Judging also from the kind of Protestants
who were his neighbors, one might say there was greater
----~-
----~~-
------~
<n Frs. Levins and 'Vallace.
In 1~3!1 this gentleman writing to the Society for the propagation of the
Gospel speaks of his difficulties. from Deists, (~uakers, Presbyterians, etc.;
towards the end of his letter he has the following, no doubt a strong argument with his patrons: "Since the .1 esuits in my parish with them they favored and settle,! in Philadelphia seem to combine our ruin by propagation
of schism, popery and apostacy in this neighborhood, to prevent the danger
of which impending tempest, 'tis hoped you will be so good as to contribute
your exten:<ive charitable benevolence, by a set of such books of practical
and polemical divinity and church history as you shall judge most suitable
tor the purpose, but especially the best answer to Barclay's apology, the independent whig, and all the other tiworite books of the Quakers, Deists, l'resorterians, Anabaptists and Papists, with book" of piety and devotion and
vmdication of the doctrines and discipline of our Established Church against
all sorts of adversaries."
. "In li5i," says the historian of Cecil County, "there was much fear of a PoJ.'ISh plot intimated, and the manuscript history of Mr. Allen contains a letter
from David \Vetherspoon to ~!ajor John' Veazey, then commanding officer of
tl:e County, calling his attention to the French and Irish Papists, and begging
lum to bestir himself in behalf of the rights aud liberties of the people and
the interests of the Prote:<tant religion. l\Ir. Jones this year preached a sernJon called a protest against Popery, which was published in the ~!arylaml
ll,azette at Annapolis." From history it is apparent that the ministers of the
bstahlishell Church were a bad set; nearly all were loyalists during the revolutionary war.
2
<l
�104
BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
bitterness in Cecil County against the faith than elsewhere,
though it may be safely said that Catholicity was hated universally during these years. This state of feeling is owing
a great deal to the Indian wars then at their height. The
Society was unjustly accused, and this is evident, from the
Maryland, and Pennsylvania archives, of being in league
with the Indians and the French. Outlying distriCl:s near
the border of the Indian country, as was Bohemia, were especially exposed to this odium, this unreasonable accusation. Hence we are not surprised to see Mr. Nicholas Hyland, an Episcopalian, of North Elk Parish, in Cecil County,
heading the commission of members to inquire into our affairs. These seven wise men were also enjoined to tender
the oaths of "allegiance, abhorrence and abjuration" to the
members of the Society. The bill did not pass the Upper
House. Another bill was introduced in the Lower House in
1755, when all was excitement, and war aCl:ually going on
with the French and Indians, to prevent the "importation of
German and French papists' and Popish priests and Jesuits and
Irish papists via Pennsy!vania or the government of New
Castle, Kent, and Sussex, on the Delaware." This bill did not
become a law, still it is an index of the popular sentiment
which Fr. Lewis and others on the Eastern Shore and in
the northern part of the state had to contend with. Still the
Protestants of Cecil County were not disheartened, for some
of them from Sassafras neck, Middle Neck and Bohemia
Manor petitioned again the legislature in 1756, and their
prayer was that more stringent measures might be taken
against the Jesuits. "At all events," says Mr. Johnston, "the
Lower House was about to pass a very stringent bill prohibiting the importation of Irish Papists <'ia Delaware, under a
penalty of £2o each, and denouncing any Jesuit or Popish
priest as a traitor who tampered with any of his Majesty's
subjeCl:s in the colony ; but the bill did not pass, the governor having prorogued the legislature shortly after·the measure was introduced."
Ours had not only to meet this hostility, but were forced
to pay a double tax to the state, because they were Catholics.
As was natural, many of the laity were sore under this injustice. Mr. Charles Carroll, barrister, and cousin of Charles
Carroll of Carrollton, in a letter dated May 14, 1756, and
addressed to Ignatius Digges,< 1> Basil Warring and Clement
. Hill, Esquires, thus makes reference to the unjust tax: "I
(ll The'e gentlemen were then at Annapolis aml very likely members of
the legislature.
.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
105
apprehend the Governor<1> wants an excuse not to pass the
bill, not in favor to us, but for some end of his own. That he
has no regard for us, the whole tenor of his conduct since
his arrival leaves us no room to doubt. Would not his council have rejected the bill on account~ of the double tax had
he given them the least hint to do so? Would the council
have sent down such a bill, as they did against us without
his consent or instigation? This being the case, I think we
should act meanly to follow what the Governor intimates
we should do, and, if possible, more meanly in applying to
the Lower House upon any terms. 'vVe are in a regular
way with our petition to the Governor; indeed if our petition was put into a petty county court by way of declaration, a pettifogger might perhaps demur to it for a misnomer of the title-but the Governor must know we petition
not against the title of a bill, but against being double taxed
by any bill; we also petition against any bill by which we
may be injured. The prayer of our petition is full and general. I am therefore of opinion to abide by our petition to
the Governor. If you are of my opinion, you may, if you
please, give my reasons and say you followed my advice."
FATHERs MATTHIAS MANNERS AND JosEPH MosLEY.
Fr. Manners was appointed Superior of Bohemia in 1764,
and on this hard mission he was to spend the remaining
years of his life. If we look at the congregation in Bohemia
we shall find it is very small, and the little chapel is never
crowded, but the work of the Fathers embraced the whole
peninsula. From some old sermons preserved in 'vVoodstock
College Library we see that many stations in private houses
were attended from Bohemia. On the margin of the manuscript the stations in which the sermon was preached are
given; not unfrequently seven or eight congregations are
favored with the same production, and, what is more economical the same effort is rehearsed before the same people
after a year's interval. The missioners of those days, though
men of culture, had not time to write a new course of sermons every year; as they did not commit them to memory
but read them piously for the hearers, it is likely most of
the farmers who had ridden long distances over rough roads
to Mass, yielCled themselves to the "sweet restorer," and
after their qui-et slumbers were not fit to be hypercritics
(I)
V01.. xv, No.
1.
Sharp.
�106
BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., llfD.
when the course should begin anew the next ecclesiastical
year.< 1>.
Fr. Manners, alias Sittinsperger was a most zealous missionary and gave himself unreservedly to the hard life he
had chosen for himsel( A native of Augsburg, where he
was born, Sept. 2oth, I 7 I 9, he entered the Society at Lansperg at the age of nineteen; and four years later, from his
love of Missions, was aggregated to the English Province.
The remaining years of his life were dedicated to the vineyard of Maryland, where he was professed of the four vows
in I755· Most of the time he was alone, for Fr. Mosley
withdrew from Bohemia in I765, in order to establish the
Mission of St. Joseph's in Talbot County, abatit thirty miles
distant. Though these Fathers could visit each other occasionally, they could not, the good religious they were, but
feel their isobtion.< 2>
Under Fr. Manners the classical school was closed. The
dark days of the suppression were about to come and it was
difficult to find teachers, I presume. Mr. Johnston does not
give any date in his history-when he speaks of the closing
of the school, but I think it must have been shortly before
the suppression. The labor of the Mission was of itself amply sufficient for the Father, and little time could be set
apart for the school. A school that is not watched and
nursed continually must go down, and we need not look
back a hundred years for this bit of wisdom.
In I 773 Fr. :Manners was greatly annoyed by a certain
Daniel Heath, a grandson of that good Catholic, James
Heath, from whom a part of our Bohemia property was purchased. This unworthy descendant laid claim to all the
land that had been bot1ght of his grandfather, and resorted
to violent means to further his interests. In a long letter to
Fr. John Lewis, at Newtown, Fr. Manners speaks at length
of his misunderstanding with Heath. I give the most important part of the letter, correCting the antiquated spelling;
A gentleman in "·a~hington has an india-ink skl'lch of Father Ignatius
giving a sermon at Newtown. It was taken by ~Ir. Ethelbert Cecil ahout the year 17!111, anrl reprt'S<'nts the Father stantlin.g hefore the altar
and quietly reacling to his lwan·rs.
(ll
~Iatthews
2
< > St. Joseph's was given np a few yt•ars ngn.
as also that of Deer Creek in Harford County.
l ts history shonlcl he written,
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., "lfD.
IO'J
Bolzemia, Dec. I]tlz, I773·
REVD. SIR,
This cometh by the Post, and is to inform
you that we are likely to be entirely ruined at Bohemia :
Mr. Daniel Heath pretends to take away half of the plantation where Mr. Crosby liveth, as also the land we got
from his grandfather, viz.: the new design, or part of Warsell manor, \Voodbridge, and that of St. Ignatius. A part
of Askmore, or John Crosby's Plantation, he tells me, falls
to him by a warra1it given to his grandfather. The rest he
expeB:s to get by ejeB:ion, because it was only a gift to us,
and not purchased, etc. On the otherside. I am informed
that Mr. Sidney George is about taking away from us all
that Land, which was in dispute at his father's time, and for
which we have paid £35, Maryland currency, to prevent
lawsuits, because as he tells me himself, his father had only
a lease of that Land, and consequently no right to dispose
of it. He makes also a claim to a great part, if not to all
that Land our barn and dwelling house stand upon, and this
he tells me belongs to him by an older right he bought lately
from the Van Bebers; so that we shall have little or nothing
at all left to ourselves to live upon, if this should take place.
I think it is now high time something should be done.
But one thing puts me to a stand, viz; my being a foreigner, for if it should come to the trial of ejeB:ion, I am afraid
that this circumstance might be prejudicial to the cause, because I can hold no Land. It is only my own notion, and
I have not communicated this my sentiment to anybody,
but relying entirely upon you, I hope you will by the next
Post (for we are impatient to hea1; from you, and the lawyer
wants to see me every day) clear up this point as well as
prescribe what other steps to take. Be sure your order shall
be punCtually observed and complied with to a tittle. I am
with utmost submission,
Your most humble obedient servant,
MATHIAS MANNERS,
S.
J.
I'. S.-\Vhen you write to me don't forget on the superscription to add legibly: to be left at Warwick, or else the
letter will go to Frederick Town, and be put into the office,
where it may lie for a half year, as it happened in Mr. Harding's time; for they never will send it except they meet with
an accidental opportunity. I am etc.
P. S.-I must recall some words: you rather send the
letter to Mr. Mosley if you write to me; for if you, write by
�108
BOHEMIA, CECIL
co.,
JIID.
the Post, the Letter in all probability will be intercepted.
I have reason to suspect it, because they would not let this
Jetter go with the Post, but I was obliged to take it home
again and to try another channeJYl I was told that Mr.
Heath has declared he would not for anything I should discover this affair to you, or any of our Gentlemen on the western shore. Good reason then to think he is upon the watch.
I am once more, Reverend Sir, etc.
.
What answer Fr. Lewis made to this letter I know not.
Most likely it never reached him, as there is no post-mark.
As to the threatened lawsuit, nothing came of it, and .our
property remained intact. The Heath family lost the faith
long ago, and, as things ordinarily turn out in this world, I
may add that very probably this controversy had something
to do with it, for those who are unjust and overbearing to
God's ministers are apt to draw down upon themselves His
curse.
There may have been other Fathers at Bohemia during
the years Fr. Manners was Superior, but, as I have said before, I think he was alone most of the time. And now the
letter from Bishop Challon"er had come, and informed the
Fathers that the Society was no more. There was no hope
of help. Still our Fathers labored on until worn out and
sick at heart on account of the untoward news from Europe,
they passed away one by one to their rest. The work they
did still lasts; the ready obedience they showed when it was
an heroic task to do so, will ever be an example. Such devoted men as Fr. Manners could not but feel most keenly
the unfortunate turn of affairs, and in sorrow may have asked
his "Nunc dimittis."C2> "He survived," says Oliver, until
June 15, 1775,whenlhe gracious God whom he had served
from his youth, called him, to his recon)pense and repose."C 3>
Fr. Joseph Mosley was again at Bohemia in 1775; I suppose it was merely for a time until some one should. come
to take the place of Fr. 1\'Ianners. He may have rem?-ined
a much longer time. I have before me a diary which Fr.
Mosley kept whilst at Bohemia in 1764, and afterwards at
St. Joseph's, Talbot County. I give a few items:- - - - - - - - - - - . , _ , _______u
_ _ _ _ _ ,
The address of the letter has written in the left corner: "To be put in the
Post-office at Annapolis and forwarded with speed anrl care."
(1)
(2) Fr. Manners bought a farm in Hill Creek Hundred, Delaware, for the
support of a church. Thiq must ha,·e been the farm at Xew Castle that the
"Corporation of the Catholic Clergy of )[aryland" ordered to be sold at the
beginning of this century. There was a·church with attending priest at a
place called White Clay Creek in Delaware, in 1806.
3
< > An old breviary has August 7th, 1775.
�BOHElffiA, CECIL CO.,
;wn.
109
Aug. 11th. Arrived at Bohemia in Company with Mr. Lewis.
14th. Mr. Lewis returned.
31st. I began my Journey and Mission for QueenAnn's and Talbot County.
Sept. 2nd. I first kept church in Queen Ann County.
9th. I first kept church in Talbot County.
08:. Ist. Mr. Harding arrived from Philadelphia.
14th. Received of Mr. Manners a new pair of BuckSkin breeches.
15th. Mr. Harding returned for Philadelphia, whom
I accompanied thither, and received of Mr.
Manners 4£ Cur. for paint for the House.
2 I st. I preached at Philadelphia in the old chapel.
23rd. I left Philadelphia \Vith Mr. Harding.
24th. \Ve parted at Mr. Henderson's, he to Philadelphia, and I home, where I arrived that day.
Nov. 1st. My colt Ranter (now Spark) with a desk and a
chest of Books from 'Nye arrived here.
I.7th._ Mr. Lewis arrived here, bv whom Mr. Leonard's
death : Died 28th
1764.
I 7th. Do. returned.
30th. 'vVe killed our hogs in Number 23.
Dec. I st. I entered my Exercise for I 764.
10th. Mr. Ben. Naile from Baltimore came here.
oa:
FATHER JoHN LEwis.
Fr. Lewis came to Bohemia a second time as superior of
the Residence and Mission after Fr. Mosley <Il had returned
to St. Joseph's in Talbot. Fr. Lewis had been aB:ing as general Superior since I77I, and after the suppression was
appointed in I778 to the same office by the votes of the
Fathers. He was succeeded in I 785 by Father John Carroll who had been recently eleB:ed by the Fathers as their
ecclesiastical Superior.
I cannot find the exaB: date of Fr. Lewis' coming to Bohemia where he was to spend the l.ast years of his. life. He
had already passed twenty years on the mission in other
parts of the State. He was a good a11d zealous worker especially during the revolution, when the Fathers, now considerably reduced in numbers, had to help, as much as their
means and time allowed them, the patriotic soldiers who
were largely made up of Catholics in Maryland and Penn~lvania. Whilst the Protestant ministers in Maryland were
Ol Died at St. Joseph'~ T;tlbot County and wa" buried by Fr. Lewis June
5th, 1787.
.
�IIO
BOHEllfiA, CECIL CO., MD.
enjoying the livings of the Established Church and did and
said many things to discourage the popular movement, our
Fathers, even those born in England, were at one with the
people.
_
Amid labors and trials of all kinds Fr. Lewis continued to
serve the people entrusted to his care. He died March 24,
I 788.
Oliver's sketch of him we give as a fitting tribute to
one who was in every way an apostolic man. "Fr. John
Lewis," says the writer, "born 21st OCtober, 1721, was admitted at the age of 19, and professed in the 18th year after
his entrance into Religion. He often passed by the name
of Leppard. He was the mild superior of his brethren in
Maryland. Dr. John Carroll, in a letter dated zoth April of
that year, from Baltimore, mo\·ingly regrets the loss of this
valuable Father."
FATHER RoBERT MoLYNEux.
Fr. Molyneux succeeded Fr. Lewis, for whom most likely
he had performed the Ia~t rites of religion. The change
from Philadelphia to Bohemia was quite marked. It was
not merely from town to country, but from the most refined
congregation of the most refined city in the union to an outlying mission where rustics and backwoodsmen were legion.
He had shone as a" preacher before culti\·ated audiences, now
his best efforts would sound on uncultured ears; obedient
to his Superiors, now not one of his much-beloved Order,
but appointed by his Brethren, the remnant of former days.
Father Molyneux was deeply interested in the parochial
school which he had founded in Philadelphia, an account of
which has already~appeared in the LETTERS; but he gave
up all when required to do work in another field. · What a
far-seeing man he must have been to establish a parochial
school a hundred years ago! If the example set. by him
had been followed what a different showing there 1vould be
for Catholicity in America. Would it be an exaggeration
to say that if priests and schools had kept pace with what
should have been the natural growth of the Church that we
should now have half of the population Catholic?
Fr. Molyneux is too well known and has been too often
writterf about in the history of the Society to need any praise
here. Suffice it to say that Bohemia, a hard mission, engaged his zeal and energies until July I st, 1790, when he
was succeeded by Fr. Francis Beeston. In the house-diary
Fr. Beeston says under date July 15,-"Mr. Robt. Molyneux
left Bohemia for Portobacco; I accompanied him as far as
1.
�CHAPLAINS DfTRIN<7 THE CIVIL WAR.
rrr
Mr. Bolton's<1> but did not meet with the latter, who had
left home about five weeks to go to Tangier Islands. As
nothing had been heard of him, it was feared he had been
taken sick somewhere on the road. I left Mr. Molyneux at
2
Mr. Bolton's <>, where he intends to wait and try to hear
from Mr. Bolton." It would seem that route of our Fathers
in these journeys was across the bay, landing probably at
St. Inigoes and then up to Charles County by land or water.
Fr. Beeston in the account-book enters £10 lOS. given to
Fr. Molyneux to pay his way to Port Tobacco.
CHAPLAINS QURING THE CIVIL WAR.
Two letters from Fr.joscplt B. O'Hagan.
I.
CA~IP, NEAR FALMOUTH,
v A.
Nov. 30th, 1862.
REV. AND VERY DEAR FR. \VIGET : -
I arrived at my camp last night, about 7 o'clock, after
walking most of the way from Aquia Creek. My new home
was not the most inviting; but I had to be resigned, went
to bed, and almost froze to death before morning. To-day,
after Mass, I was out to the brink of the Rappahannock, opposite Fredericksburg. I could not get into the city, but
got very close to it. The river, about two hundred yards
wide, separated me from the Confederate pickets. I could
even distinguish the featues of the Confederates. Our soldiers were on one bank of the river-theirs on the other.
The Federal and Confederate soldiers were looking at each
other, and almost within whispering distance! No attempt
has yet been made by Burnside to cross the river, and if he
attempts it. here, it will be at a terrible sacrifice of life. The
enemy's works are all in sight on the opposite side, and
though not very strong, yet they are very numerous, and in
magnificent positions. Every eminence is crowned with a
redoubt.
Whilst standing on the bank of the river three Confederate officers came down and watered their horses opposite
us. We did not speak to them, nor they to us. vVe then
{I)
St. Joseph's, Talbot.
LETTERS, 1884, for sketches of Frs. Bolton and )Iolyneux,
I'> See
�112
CHAPLAINS DURLYG THE CIT7L WAR.
rode up to Falmouth, about a mile. The Confederate pickets extended all along the opposite bank,-ours facing them
on this side. It is a. strange thing to see two armies remaining inaEl:ive with only this little river separating them!
There is no present indication of an advance. To remain
here all winter seems impossible. To cross will be a sure
means of lessening our demands for subsistance. Our army
has suffered considerably for subsistence since they have
been here; but now are better supplied. They, however,
do not care for fighting any more.
I have not yet seen Father Tissot or Fr. McAtee, or any
other of our Fathers, though they are all near me.
Good-bye, my dearest Fr. \Viget, and accept my warmest
thanks for all your kindness to me.
In union with your Holy Sacrifices ~nd prayers,
I remain your devoted Br.,
J. B. O'HAGAN, S. J.
II.
- CA~IP, NEAR FALMOUTH,
v A.
Dec. I 8th, 1862.
REV. AND VERY DEAR FR. \VIGET : -
you have already, no doubt, heard of our brilliant ex-·
plait of taking Fredericksburg. \Ve held it but a short
time, and as it was useless after being shelled, we resigned
it once more to the Confederates.
The fight of Saturday last was the most sanguinary I
have yet seen during the war. Our division was held in
reserve on the north side of the river till Saturday, about 1
o'clock P. )!. \Ve were stationed on a high hill which commanded a fine view of the entire battle. The Confederates
had one of the most magnificent positions, both natural and
artificial. Their front was composed of a crescent of hills,
along the sides of which extended their breastw~rks, for
miles back. I am confident that half a million of men· could
not have taken them. I saw one of them assaulted four
times, and our men, column after column, cut down as fast
as they could advance at a double quick! Next day I examined the field with a powerful glass, and I never imagined that so many dead could be left on one field. They
were actually in heaps. Before the fourth assault- of
this I am an eye-witness-the Southern guns on the breastworks ceased firing. Every one thought they had been
silenced by our guns on this side. Our men advanced in a
solid column. The breastwork was regarded as already
virtually taken. \Vhen they got within musket-range, the
�CHAPLA!NS DUR!Nr; THE CIVIL WAR.
uj
works, as if by magic, became black or grey with Confederates. A stream of human beings rushed down each side
of the ramparts to form cross-fire on our men. Others remained on the front of the works. Such a volley of musketry as followed, I never heard. Our soldiers fell in hundreds. The remnant staggered back. As soon as the Confederate soldiers discharged their pieces, they fell back ; then
the cannon opened on them with grape and cannister. Few
remained of that attack. The Irish Brigade formed part of
it. The 69th Regt. came out with seventeen men. This
ended the assaults on that redoubt.
Meantime the battle raged furiously on the left. Franklin's Grand Division, after driving the enemy to their dwsen
position, fell back with terrible loss-bleeding at every pore.
Reinforcements were called for, and a part of our corps
went. General \Yard lost seven hundred men, out of nineteen hundred, in about fifteen minutes. Then our Division
was sent, but fortunately it was already late in the day and
they did not attack, but remained drawn up in line of battle.
The battle was virtually over, and, I may add, completely,
irretrievably lost. Picket firing and skirmishing continued
in front. Our Division lost in that operation about I 50.
My Regiment did not lose a man. \Ve remained in front
till Monday night, when our army retreated. Had they remained another day, they were gone beyond redemption.
The Confederates, in thousands, came, throwing up breastworks in front of positions which would have been mounted
the next day with cannon-then good-bye to the retreaters.
But we were too smart for them in running away for once.
The Colonel commanding our Brigade was at Burnside's
Head Quarters last night. There he learned that our loss
is twenty-four thousand. This number out of our already
disorganized army is considerable. I do not know what the
next programme will be, nor do I care much, provided our
poor men are not led to another butchery. It is horrible,
and I am only surprised that the entire nation does not rise
up against it unanimously. At the hospital department,
where I spent most of my time, the groans of the wounded
were really heart-rending. Many died before being operated
on-others during the operation-many after it. Some
poor unfortunate Confederates were carried to our hospital.
I saw them late last evening. All the Confederates that
Were carried to our hospital were kindly treated. On Sunday afternoon, General Ewell sent a.message to Gen. Sickles
to send out our stretchers for our wounded in their lines, and
•
VoL. xv, No.
1.
11
�rq
ClfAPLAI.VS IJf"RI.Yr7 THE CIT7L TT:·tR.
that all firing should cease on their side while the wounded
were being carried off-that the stretchers would be regarded as a truce. They did so, and the Southern officers
helped our stretcher-bearers to lift the wounded on the
stretchers! Once, during a truce, the picket lines of both
armies rose up quite close to each other, and with one impulse rushed towards each other, and had a most affeCI:ionate shake-hands, and said,-why are we seeking each others
lives? But this did not last long. Tobacco and coffee being exchanged, the soldiers were ordered back to their work
of destruCI:ion.
Fredericksburg is again occupied by the Confederates.
The pickets hold each side of the ri\·cr as before the battle.
The city is badly riddled with solid shot and shell. The
modest little Catholic church escaped with only two shots,
one of which glanced off the slate roof.
During the five days of the battle we suffered considerably for food, etc. \Ve, of course, had to sleep in the open
air-when we slept at all. ·No"· \\"C arc waiting for the next
mo\·e on Richmond! It i"..rumorcd that we are going back
to H unsilman; but I fear the news is too good to be true.
I hope, however, to sec you before very long. It is now
almo:;;t impossible to get a pass. \Ve are badly off for funds.
Good-bye, my dear, kind Father. Pray for me often.
Your devoted Br. in Christ,
J. B.
O'HAGAN,
S.
J.
--
..
�TRANSLATION OF A LETTER FROM V. REV.
GABRIEL GRUBER TO BISHOP CARROLL.
ON THE RESTOl{ATION OF THE SOCIETY.
~losT ILLUSTRIOus AND REVEREND
SIR,
Jlfv Jfost Gracious Patron:.
Your Lordship's two letters, one in
full bearing date of l\Iarch the roth and May the 25th of
last year, and a shorter one of September the 2 I st reached
me together. Prior to these I received nothing from you.
\Vords cannot express my joy, on reading these two letters.
I thank God, the Author and Di,;tributor of all heavenlv
gifts, from the bottom of my heart, for having fostered anJ
preserved in so many of our Society-notwithstanding the
great dista-nce that separates them one from another-that
holy spirit which in our young days we caught from the
Institute of our Holy Father Ignatius. Blessed be God, for
His l\1ercv endureth forever! After God, mv thanks arc
due to y~ur Lordship, who has taken so exce'edingly kind
an interest in Ours as to inform me of their holy desire. To
satisfy you and them to the utmost, I shall first with all due
sincerity unfold the state of our aff..1.irs here.
Our Society of Jesus, the same that was founded by St.
Ignatius, approved first by Paul III, and then in turn by the
Holy Pontiffs, his successors, has been most marvellously
preserved in the Russian Empire. Three years since, it
also recei,·ed Canonical Confirmation in the Empire of Russia from our Holy Father, Pius VII. Doubtless your Lordship is ~ware that we are, in consequence, living here under
the same primitive Laws and Col'!stitutions of St. Ignatius,
without the slightest change or innovation.
\Ve ha,·e held four General Congregations, in the last of
which, on the roth of OCtober, i Soz, the task of governing
the Society was laid on my weak shoulders.
You ask me, Illustrious Sir, if we have an Apostolic Brief
extending the Confirmation of the Society outside of the
borders of Russia. I answer that owing to the troubles in
Europe and the uneasiness of the Catholic Courts, or rather
the excitement of the enemies of the Church, which has not
yet subsided, the Holy Father hesitates to make public his
good-will towards us through a Brief, lest our enemies
(us)
�!l6
.
FR. GRCBER TO EISHO!' CARROLL,
should be further aroused against us. Yet he has given,
even for those outside of Russia, a viz,a voce permission of
which both His Eminence. Cardinal Consalvi, Secretary of
State, and Vincent Georgi, Tluo!ogus pa:nitentiarius, formerly one of Ours, have written me; as also has the Procurator General of the Society of Jesus, Father Cajetano Angiolini, whom I sent last year to Rome, and who has frequent
access to the Holy Father.
This vi1•a Z'OCt' concession empowers us to affiliate members to the Society in any place whatsoever, provided it be
done quietly and \Yithout ostentation. In proof of this, witness an incident occasioned through the instrumentality of
our Father Aloysius Poirot, Missionary Apostolic to Pekin.
Last year he sent to the Holy Father, in the shape of a
pamphlet, a petition asking of him the necessary faculty for
his reunion with the Societv in Russia. The officials of the
Roman Court (Romani Cu~iales) averred that it could not
be well done. Our Father Procurator laid the matter before the Holv Father, who answered that there was no obstacle whats;ever in the Wa):; nay more, he added that there
was no need of the petition or of insisting thereon; that any
one at all, no matter how far from Russia he dwelt, was free
to become affiliated to the Society, through the General of
the same; that this all belonged to each one's conscience
and so could give offense to no one. This alone, he continued, was forbidden, to wit,-for Ours outside of Russia
to unite together in a body, as it is said, and establish a
community with a special kind of dress peculiar to themselves.
It is clear from these ven· words of the Holy Father, as
well as from the letters to the same effect sent me by His
Eminence, the Cardinal Secretary of State, that to avoid
giving offense to the royal courts we must not build Colleges
or Residences, and we mt,st not wear a peculiar hab,it; for
all this, being exterior, would attract attention. Nu~hing,
however, is forbidden us that belongs to the interior, and
which we do cautiously and with prudence A. M.D. G. To
this latter category belongs the reception of new members.
That this also is to the mind and intent of the Holy Father,
is clear from another circumstance. On hearing that in
England we had received not only those who were formerly
of Ours, but outside students also, for which in the case of
the latter we had earnestly sought permission, he raised his
eyes to heaven and in most tender accents returned thanks
to God.
In view of all this I accept and receive into the Society
�ON THE RESTORA TIO.V OF THF, SOCIETY.
II7
all that solicit to be united with us, whether or not, they
were of the old Society. This is the plan I follow. The
old Professed, after a retreat of eight days, ratify in private
their Profession of the Four Vows according to the following brief formula :-I, N. N., before Almighty God and His
most Blessed Virgin Mother, ratify the Profession made by
me in the year .... the month of .... v. g. at Liege. Done
v. g. at Baltimore, the .... day of the month of .... in the
year .... Those who have not yet made their Profession,
after having in a like manner spent eight days in retreat,
renew their Simple Vows for the time being, as they are to
take their grade at the end of the year. Before this, however, they must spend a month in Spiritual Exercises.
As for those who were not in the old Society, they n1ust
pass through something of a noviceship, spending four weeks
in the Spiritual Exercises, and occupying themselves in reading the Institute and Rules, copies of which I shall take
care to have forwarded thither. in due time, and in the practice of humilitv and other solid virtues.
Wherefore i most humbly beg your Lordship, out of love
for our best of mothers, to appoint in those parts one of the
old Fathers, a man filled with the Holy Ghost and the spirit
of St. Ignatius, to examine these new postulants, to instruct
them, to watch over them and form them. He shall, if expedient, communicate with the Father Provincial of England,
Father Stone, or with Father Strickland, now residing in
London. In this new start we must, as f..•r as possible, treat
our novices as was done in the early days of the old Society,
where the highest perfection was not exacted of them in
everything, but only that they should make up in fervor of
spirit for whatever should be wanting in them. I pray your
Lordship also to have a catalogue made of all those who
shall be re-admitted, or newly received; in which special
note shall be made of the time of admission of the newcomers, of the time of ratification of their vows by the old
Professed, and of the learning, the Theology, the prudence
and virtue Glf those who have merely renewed the Simple
Vows of Scholastics; that I may know to what grade in the
Society these should be promoted after a year's time.
My trust in God is firm that we shall not have long to await
the public redemption of Israel. \Vhen that time comes,
and things are quieted in Europe, some one shall be sent to
America, if not hence, assuredly from England, to look into
matters and put them in due order and arrangement. For
the present I entrust everything to the good-will, zeal, and
protection ofyour Lordship and your Coadjutqr, His Lord-
�FR. GR['BER TO fl!SHOP CARROLL
II8
ship of Gortyna. If Ours judge that they can with ease
have recourse to Father Stone, the Provincial of England,
for all necessary go\'ernment, let them do so. If Fr. Stone
is too far off, let them notify me and propose to me some
one of Ours in America whom I may appoint Provincial.
Meantime I desire your Lordship of Baltimore to appoint
some one tq aEt in those parts as Superior over the entire
Society, that is again coming into existence, with all the
necessary faculties which I by such appointment concede to
him for the present. For the rest, as I began this letter by
giving thanks to God, so I close it in adoration of Him, the
Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and I beseech Him that,
as He has deigned to further with His heavenly favor this
beginning and recall to life there in secret, the Society of
His Son, the fruitful mother of so many Apostolic men, so
He will henceforth propagate it openly with the support ;mel
assistance of your Lordship, to whom, as well as to His
Lordship of Gortyna, with the deepest gratitude and profound submission, I recomrnend myself and all of Ours.
Your very illustrious at1d l\'lost Reverend Lordship's most
humble and obedient servant in Christ,
.
,'-,'t.
GABRIEL GRU!lER,
General of the Society of Jesus.
Petersburg, iVfardz I 2!/t, I8o.J..
..,·
.:
�OBITUARY.
F A'fllElt .JAMES
CLAUK.
(Prom the Georgeto1rn College .Tonl'nal.)
On the evening of ~eptemlJer 9th Father .James Clark, died in the College Infirmary, where he had been a sufferer for the last six year~. The
following tribute to his memory by one of his old 8Cholars we take, with
a few changes, from the Clltholic JJirror:
Father Clark was in his day one of the pillars of IJeorgetown College.
A convert to the Church, he had none of the ultra zeal of the convert, but
left self behind when he receive·.! holy orders. lie was of an old Pennsylvania Revolutionary family, and went through ~\Yest Point with distinguished honor. He was of the class of 18:?9, and had many classmates wlw have become celebrated. .Tames Clark was everY inch the
soldier by nature and training-. Of :m iron frame and with an eye and
demeanor which woul<l have commende<l him to Napoleon as the very
man to lead a fmlorn ilope, young Clark ha<l brilliant prospects in the
army. He was an engineer of the first rank. and his fame HS a mathematician was not confine<! to America. He never forgot his \Vest Point
training, and hi~ voice, ey<', and ~t(•p were always those of the commander. He cho;;p the militant order of the Church and de\·oted himselt~ aB
a soldier of the cross, to the salvation of son\s with that same in!lexihle
sense of duty whkh animated Brebceuf, the apostle of the Hurons.
Father Cinrk was first a seminarian at .\[t. St. Mary'" College. Becoming a .Jesuit in 1844.11(' served t'onsecutively as first prefect, professor
of mathematic~. and trensur(•r of Georgetown Col leg<', president of Hul~
Cross ColiPge, :\Tassachnsetts, and president of Gonzaga Co\lt>ge, ·washington. Returning in ohl age to his beloved Georgetown, he was sti'ieken
with paralysis a few yenrs ago, and since then has been :m invalid. Another stroke of the same disease terminate<l his life. His character was
an admirable one. Its chief attraction was the simple unity of its parts.
A knock at his door was nnswered by n thundrrous "Come in!" which
sometimes startled the timid, hut the icc of cen·mony was soon broken,
fur the old solt!in's henrt was full of responsive sympathy, and his busy
brain was full of pnrental thoughts of how he could best promote the happiness and comfort omd educntion of those about him. He once punished
-not severely-an unruly little boy, a day scholar at <1eorgetown, and
the boy's irate father came to the Colleg-e and attacked Father Cl>1rk with
a cane. For an instnnt the eye of the \V e;;t Pointer kindled with a wick<'d
fire, but only for an inslfmt. Folding hb arms across his breast, he bore
this cross With ·passive humility, until one of the scholnsties, Mr..Tames
~IcGuigan, scb:ed the assailant and shook him hack into his senses. Those
who witnessed the scene said that Father Clark looked sublime in his
conquest over himself as h(' stood with folded nrms dming tlw infliction
of the blows.
His talents as an administrative officer were excellent. Georgetown,
Gonzaga, and Holy Cross Colleges all attest his worth. Thousands of
gentlemen-his f<Hmer !'tudents-throughont the United States will read
of his demise with peculiar sorrow, for Father .James Clark was one of
nature's noblemen. and everywhere in the circle of his wide acquaintance
he was loved and respected. If ever a self-denying, holy servant of God
departed this life, I think it was this heroic old .Jesuit. But of his cilarity
let each one pray for his soul.-H.. I. P.
(119)
�120
FR. JAMES DELJHA.VT
FR. PATRICK MCQUAID.
FATHER JAMES DELIHANT.
On ~Ion day the 5th of October, 1885, Fr. James Delihant died at Florissant, Mo. During the wint!'r of 1878-79 he caught a cold which developed rapidly into consumption. He was sent South in the autumn of
'79 after 11 half year's teaching at St. Louis Uni>ersity, and the years from
'79 'till '84 he spent at :3pring Hill and Grand Coteau. In May, '84 he returned to St. Louis and that same month was ordained. The following
year he spent at Florissant, returning to St. Louis in the e11rly summer of
this year and doing duty as second pastor of the new church. 'Vhen
schools opened he was gin~n an internwlli:~te class at the University.
But his end was near at hand and after a few weeks of teaching he returned to Florissant and thence passed to an abiding home. He 11ttended
the community exercises up to the day before he died. The day he died
was damp and cold and h!' ditl not rise as he bad been used to. During
the lluy he grew ,ensibly weaker antl for the first I ime in the course of
his long struggle with dh:solution he spoke freely of death, and said he
was lwppy to meet it in the Society. ·when prayers for the dying were
be!!un he >muted to rise ami kneel beside his bed. Death had lost its
terrors by long acquaintance, ami now that it moved before the dying
man in all its sacredur·ss. he thought it fitting that his lim!Jg should be
bowed down at the pa~sing of his son!. Of course this wish was refused
him. Then he lay down on his side and so lying f..Jl asleep in death.
Fr. Delih:mt was born near Florissant, -:'llo .. and went to Chicago when
quite young, in April. 18.)>;. Uc entered the Society from :3t. Ignatius
College, in August, 1876.
·•
Those who knew Father Dl'lihunt will long remember his cheerfulness.
He was a person of fine fppJings, and harl the chnrnctcristic l!lending of
sunslline and gloom. and oomctimcs. when he realized tile hard circumstance of f'ickn<·>s an <I of tlistance from home. the gloom prevailed. Yet
in the pract irul details of life tbe sunshine always came to the surface.
)luch of his chl'l·rfulnl•ss was dtw to his di,;position, but much of it, too,
was due to the many friends he made; anrl if he made his friends by
natural sympathies he held them last by btrong and tender charity. On
one oft be papers "l>hich he left behind him the following is written:
"l may not liw long. hence I should 8>1!1dify the little time I have left."
And below is tlw word "Charity" written twel>e times. Chnrity then
was the source of much of his cheerfulne;s. His own light-heartedness
sometinH's gn·w faint. but he h'ld ~tored away sunshine in other hearts
and to them ht· turned for comfort. Even where persons had much that
was unnminblr he hat! that sun~ instinct whieh lays hold of the essential
goodnes~ which a11 men posse~s.
God had givPn our young FathPr splendid talents and a charming address. lie himfclf wns con~cious of the power within him and,. he often
lookPd filrwanl hopefully to his studies. But after u time he felt the
hopelessness of the stn!gl!le and gave over, though reluct:intly. But
God, ·who does all things for the best, has taken him away. 'Ve sba11
not see his face again on earth, hut we tnke comfort in the thought
that he li1·es still in the remembrance of his goo,] deeds.-R. I. P.
FATHER PATHTCK JllcQuAID.
Father ;'\!cQnaid wns born on th<' 17th of l\Inrch, 1827. He entered the
Society on the 6th of .June, 1854. After two years of Noviceship he was
sent to St. Francis Xavier's Collrgc, New York, as Professor in the Preparatory Department. The College was still almo!l& in its infancy, and
many Wl'l'C the trials ami inconveniences of ali connected with it, whether
as teachers or as prefects. It is not easy now to understand all the troubles
:md difficulties that .Mr..McQuaid had then to undergo in the fulfilment
�t:'R. FRANCIS X SADLIER.
di
· of his daily duties. Still he went bravely on until1859, in which year he
began his theological studies. After his ordination, which took place in
1865, he returned to St. Francis Xavier's College, and was engaged in
teaching. During the years 1870 and 1871, Father McQuaid was stationed at Chatham, Canada W., and was occqpied with parochial duties.
In this work he showed great zeal. He never seemed to think of his own
ease or comfort. He was always ready to hear confessions, and ever glad
to have an opportunity of conferring grace upon some poor soul through
the administration ofthe Holy Sacraments. It is not pleasing to human
nature to have to suffer either from the extremes of heat or cold. Yet on
the coldest day in Canada, he seemed not to think ofselfwhen there was
some duty to be performed which called him out in the snow and ice.
Even at night he seemed glad to go on some distant sick-call. Sometimes,
at the dead hour of the night, when he heard the bell ring, and knew
that the Father whose turn it was to attend sick-calls was unwell, oralready gone to see the dying, he would immediately hasten to answer the
call, and then go without hesitation to visit the sick. Fr. ~IcQuaid was
well acquainted with the needs of the people under his care and never
lost an occasion of preaching to them on their several dutie,. He was
an obedient religious and ever most willing to go where he was sent, or
to do what he was told, by his Superiors. While teaching, he won the
affection of his class by many little acts of kindness. The boys, too, liked
him as a confessor, and great numbers of them eagerly thronged to his
confessional. For some years Fr. :illcQuaid took part in the arduous
labors of a missionary band. That he devoted himself to the work allotted him as a inissionary, all can testify who then knew him.
Fr. McQuaid departed this life on the morning of October 17th, 1885,
at St. Vincent's Hospital, Xew York City. He had recently arrived
there from Boston where he had been an invalid for some months.
R. I. P.
FATHER FRA~CIS XAVIER SADLIER.
Fr. Sadlier was born in Montreal, Canada, on the 18th of January,
1852. "As a boy," says the New York Freeman's Journal, "he was remarkable for his gentle, affectionate disposition, and great talents. When his
preliminary studies were finished he entered Manhattan College, and after
completing his course there, embraced journalism as a profession. To
his friends he appeared at this time to be entering upon a long and useful
career in the world. But a far different future was awaiting him. Little
by little his thoughts turned from the things of earth, and the result was
that on November 1st, 1873, he entered the Jesuit Novitiate at Sault-auRecollet, near ~Iontreal, Canada."
It can truly be said, that the nwment Mr. Sadlier entered the Novitiate
he turned all his thoughts heavenward, and strove earnestly to perfect
himself in every virtue. His only aim seemed to be to reflect in his own
person the great virtues of the Saints of the Society. He longed to prove
himself worthy of his zealous Patron, St. Fmncis Xavier, but he never
lost sight of the model novices, St. Aloysius, St. Stanislaus, and Blessed
.John Berchmans. The Hules, all the Rules, '~ere sacred iu his eyes,
while he heard the voice of God in that of his Superiors. He was exact
in the perfimnance of all his religious duties, and I feel convinced from
close ob,crvation, that he would suffer any pain or inconvenience rather
than willingly violate the least regulation of theN ovitiate. Amiable and
·charitable, he tried to make the recreations of his fellow-Novices past~
agreeably and religiously. In time of silence he was as mute as a statue.
It was a touching sight to sec Br. Sadlier praying before the Blessed Sacrament, or kneeling before the statue of the Immaculate Virgin in the
domestic Chapel. He knelt erect and immqvable. His eyes were fixed,
and seemed to gaze upon beauties unseen by mortal eyes. His face apVoL. XV, No. I.
I~
�122
FR. ]OILY I J!C A fTI.EE
peared almost to glow with the fire that burned in his soul. His lips
moved not, but his heart, his soul, his whole being seemed to ascend to
heaven in pmyer. It was no wonder that he was looked upon by all who
surrounded him as a perfect novice. Not only novices, but also grave
Fathers assured the present writer that they never witnessed anything in
the conduct of Br. Sadlier that was contrary to the Rules or spirit of the
tiociety. With a strong and steady will he on all occasions sought God's
greater glory and the perfection of his own soul.
After his Noviceship }[r. Sadlier was sent to England for his ,Juniorate,
and thence to Louvain, Belgium. for his philosophy. Both in England
and Belgium :Mr. Sadlier gnve grent edification by his strict observnnce
of the Rules, and won the love and esteem of all by his charity and amiability. Several scholastics who knew him at Roehnmpton give most
willing te&timony to his more than ordinary virtue; they speak of him
as a model ,Junior. In Lou vain he continued the same fervent, patient,
amiable pnttern of virtue which he had been in the Novitiate. The Belgian Fathers and ~cho!astics always spoke of him in the highest terms
of praise. Almost immedia' ely on his arrival in Belgium, he took out a
diploma of Promoter of the Sacred Heart, and his fidelity to tlw duties
thus self-imposed was sho"·n in many 'Yay~. but especially by the quiet
publication of certain little pamphlets, translations, prayers etc., which
he had eirculnteJ. as a mean~ to propagate his special devotion.
In 187!l, )lr. Sadlier returned to Xew York anti remained one year at
St. Franci~ Xavier's College. He went thence to the College of the Holy
Cross,,,. orcef'ter, )lass .. This home, which Obedience had assigned him,
he never left save to go to 'Voodstock for his ordination to the priesthood. which took place on August the 2!lth, 18~5. fr. Sadlier died at
the College ofthe Holy Cross, on November the 14th, only a few months
after he had the happiness of celebrating his First }[ass.-R. I. P.
FATIIE!t
Jorrx ,J.
l\lcAULEY,
(Fro-m The Xat•ier.)
Father }fcAuley was born February ::?Oth, 1839, in Tarrytown, N. Y.
In the year 1850, he entered the College of St. Francis Xavier, and after
remaining five years was grn<lnate<l the fir~t of our Alumni, July,1855.
He entered the Novitiate, in August of the same year, at Sault-au-Recollet. In 1857, he wns appnintl'd PrPfect in the College of St. }lary, null
whilst there he began his stndi{·~ in philosophy, whieh he finished in
Boston, in 1863, after which he taught mathematics anti chemistry in St.
}11\ry's College, }lontreal. for one year. In 1864, he was Prefect of Studies in St. ,John's College, Fordham. The three following years he taught
Belles-Letters in St. Francis Xavier's, and the year following in St •.John's.
After which he again went to }[ontreal to teach Rhetoric. In-1870, he
began his theological studies at Woodstock, where he was ordained priest
,Tuly 2nd, 1873, by Bishop O'Ham, of Scrnnton. After returning to New
York he taught Hhetoric for five yenrs, when he was named to the same
office in Holy Cross Colkgc, ·worcester, }[ass., where he remained until
his <lentil. On the eve of St. Francis Xavier's day, while skating with
some of the college students, he tell into the pond, and grew much alarmed
at the chill thus caused. Later in the day he started for the city with
Father Langlois, hoping that the walk might restore the circulation.
Whilst sitting in the office of a medicnl friend he received his death stroke
from apoplexy. Fr. Langlois pronounced the last Absolution, and Rev.
Fr. McCoy, of St. Joseph's Church, gave him Extreme Unction.
Father McAuley was fond of the class-room, and of his pupils, nml
gained their hearty good-will•from the start by the interest and vivacity
be showed in his work. He was much loved also by many who had be-
�FR. JEREMIAH DRISCOLL
FR. ALEXIr'S L JA.lfiSON.
123
come acquainted with him in the exercise of his sacred ministry. His
lite work as a priest and teacher in religion will always abide with those
who were benefited by it.-R. I. P.
F ATHEU
JEREMIAH DRISCOLL.
Fr. Driscoll was born on the 24th of November, 1849. He entered the
Society on the 17th of}larch, 1867. After two years ofNoviceship, two
of Rhetoric, and three of Philosophy. in Santa Clara College, California,
he was appointed to teach iit the College just mentioned. Here he won
the respect and love of all. He was ~oon regnrded as an nble teacher, and
a vigilant prefect. He wa~ exact and diligent in all the duties of n teacher
and of a religious of the Society. After having well spent tour years in
t'anta Clam College, he was sent to "\Voodstock to pursue his Theologicnl
studies. At "'ood,;tock he proved himself a good religious, and gained
the affection of all his fellow-students by his charity and agreeable and
pleasant words. His ill· health, however, did not allow him to long enjoy
the peaceful life of a theological student. After two years of study, and
almost continual suffering, he wns recalled by his Superiors to Santa
Clara, where, with the exception of a few days, which as formerly he
Epent between the class-rooms and the play-grounds of the College, he
was almost constantly confined to his room. Until up to a recent date,
however, he did not manifest any apparent sign of imminent danger. On
the 3rd of December. feeling more unwell than usual, he was compelled
to take to h!s hell. His la:;t illne~s did not lust long, for he expired after
three days. He enjoyed the perfect use of his senses up to the moment
he passed awny. •·y csterday evening," says a ictter before me, "Brother
Bog-gio. the infirmarian, told Fr. Hector thafit would be well to give the
last ~acraments to Fr. Driscoll. Every one was surprised at this. But
Br. Boggio insisted on the necessity of administering the lust rites, saying,
-'There is no telling now how soon the final moment rnav come.' Fr.
Rector, as best he couhl, broke the news to Fr. DriscolL But there was
no need of much precaution, tor as soon as Father Driscoll learned his
danger, he immediately cxcluinw<l :-'0, thank God! thank God!' And
then big tears hegan to roll down his checks. When Fr. Rector added,
'there is yet some hope.' Fr. Driscoll immediately said :-'Please do not
sny that, Father; I want to he with God and at rest' At 0.30 P. M. Fr.
Rector administered the last Sacraments, and in Jess than three hours
nfterwards dear Fr. Driscoll calmly expired.''-R. I. P.
FATIIEl: ALEXIUS
L.
J.UIISOX.
(F'rom the Catlwlic Stnndard.)
Fr.•Jamison was born in Frederick City, :Md., on .Tune 19th, 1831. His
father came of an old Catholic family very well known in Maryland for
two hundred years, and his mother belonged to a family of the French
refugees from San Domingo. After a very careful nnd thorough early
training he, on September 8th, 1845, entered Georgetown College as a
student. Less than two years later, on August 11th, 1847, he joined the
Society of ,Jesus. After the u~ual term of teaching, as a scholastic, at
St. Joseph's College, Philadelphia, and at Georgetown College, be completed his theological studies in Rome, Belgium and France; and in 1860
he was ordained to the priesthood, in the Eternal City, by Cardinal FranRoni. Then returning to the United Rtates, he labored at different times
as assistant Pastor in Georgetown, Washington, D. C., Philadelphia, Pa.,
Troy, N.Y., and Alexandria, Vu., but only for short periods in the two
places last mentioned.
•
Towards the close of our civil war he bad a very severe attack of
tt
�12-l
pboid fever, which be caught while attending the sick soldiers. Though
he seemed to recover after a long illness, yet the effects always remained
with him, and were, no doubt, indirectly the cause of his death. For the
last four or five years he was almost constantly a sufferer from rheumatism, and last :Hay he had a stroke of paralysis, since which time he was
by both troubles confined to his room. He was taken from St .•Joseph's
Church, in this city. his last mission, to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he
remained until the beginning of December. At this time, at his own request, and with the consent of his superiors, he was taken to Georgetown
College, where it was hoped that a change of scene and clim,ite would be
beneficial to him. But no recovery came. ·within a few day; after his
arrival there he began to fail; and after receiving the last rites of the
Church he departed this life about half-past eleven o'clock on Tuesday
night, December 8th, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.
He was a man of wonderful Iilith and piety, and of zeal for souls also, as
long us his health permitted him to work; and wherever he labored be
made very many warm friends. He is fondly remembered by the people
of St. Joseph's, in this city, where he had charge of the B. V. }1. Sodality.
As a preacher he held a fair rank in the Society.
,
His funeral took place on the 10th, the funeral ~lass being celebrated in the college chapel. He was buried in the college graveyard,
where he lies side by side with many illustrious Jesuits of a past age,
among them the celebrated Father }lolyneux, a long while a resident of
Philadelphia, and the first Superior of the Jesuits of this country after
the restoration of the Order.-R. I. P.
FATHER AUGUSTUS
J.
TIIEBAUD.
(From The Fordham Jionthly.)
On the 17th of December the aged Father Thebaud, known not only to
the older friends of St. .John's, but well known, moreover, to many readers in higher literary circles, died at Fordham. :\!any reasons make it
difficult to offer our readers such a review of the life and labors of Father
Thebuud as they deserve. But feeling that at his death his services to
St. John's and the whole world oflearning ought to receive more than a
passing notice from Tile jlfonthly, we deem it right in us to add some
words, however hasty and incomplete, as a token of our reverence and
esteem.
Fr. Thebaud was born in Brittany, France, in the year 1807. He entered the Society of .Jesus at Home, came to this country about 18::!8, was
for some time at Bardstown, Kentucky, and was appointed rector of the
college there. From Bardstown he came in 1846 to Fordham, and when
the direction of St. John's was transferred from the secular clergy to the
Fathers of the Society of .Jesus, he it was who succeeded the late Cardinal .McCloskey in the presidency of the college. After the expinition of
his second successive term in office he labored in the missionary field for
a time, and was again culled to the rectorship of St. John's. His after
life was spent in various places; he spent some time in Canada, and for
years made his home at Francis' College in this city. He was a poet and
a scientist, besides an historian. Ever a healthy man and a hard worker,
he lived to celebrate the golden jubilee of the fiftieth anniversary of his
ordination to the priesthood. He died as he had lived, in piety and wisdom. He was full of energy to the last.
It is difficult, as we have said, for a novice in letters to give an adequate criticism of his works. ){any of them are no doubt known to our
deeper readers. Among the most noted are, ''The Irish Hace," "Gentilism," and "The Church and the }loral\\orld." These, like most of his
productions, are of a profound nature; however, he has written also on
lighter subjects. It can be said that all his works received favorable
�FR. T'INCFNT P. DEVLIN.
FR. ]OSFPH E. KELI,ER.
125
criticisms at their publication. "Gentilism" was warmly lauded even by
the Protestant press, but "The Irish Race" was the greater favorite on
the whole, and is to be found on the shelf of every thorough student of
history.
He was long a constant and able contributor to 1'lte .~Iontl! and The
Catholic Quarterly, and his writings have exerted an influence on the
minds of some of the most learned men of the age. The celebrated Dr.
Brownson in an appreciation, published in his quarterly, of "The Irish
Race," declared that after a perusal of the book he had changed life-long
opinions on questions of paramount importance in the philosophy of history. Perhaps, in concluding, we cannot do better than quote the words
with which that famous reviewer closes his notice of the work: "His
book is a great book-a book of solid and conscientious learning gravely
and chastely written. We have been both charmed and instructed by it,
and hold ourselves deeply indebted to the learned .Jesuit who ha~ in it
done credit to the illustrious society of which he is a distinguished member. He has made a most valuable acquisition to American literature."
-R.I.P.
FATHER YINCE;>;T
(F'rom
Th~
P.
DEVLIN.
Catholic Telegraph.)
Father Vincent P. Devlin departed this life on the morning of January
23rd, at St. Xavier's College, Cincinnati. Fr. Devlin was born in Belfast,
Ireland, March the 9th, 1853, and while a child accompanied his parents
to this country. He completed his college studies in the .Jesuit College,
Chicago, and at the age of twenty entered the Novitiate of the Society of
Jesus at Florissant, Mo. Although consumption early marked him for
its own, Fr. Devlin in his thirteen years of religious life proved himself a
useful and zealous member of his Order, endearing himself to all by his
gentle, and cheerful disposition. 'Yhilst a Scholastic he taught various
classes in St. Xavier's College, in St. Louis University, and in the Jesuit
College at Seguin, Texas, whither his Superiors had sent him to recuperate. Since his ordination, three years ago, in St. Louis, he was engaged
in pastoral work in Florissant and St. Charles, ::\Io. Last August he
came on to Cincinnati to assist in College work at St. Xavier's, but his
labors were soon to end. Kind Providence was satisfied with the ardent,
heart-desires of this zealous young priest, and called him home to an
early rest. He was buried from St. Xavier's Church, on l\Ionday, Jan.
the 25th.-R. I. P.
Father ,Joseph E. Keller, the English Assistant, died at San Girolamo, on the 4th of February. Although this news was not unexpected,
since we had heard so much lately of Fr. Keller's failing health, yet it
produced quite a shock throughout the Province over which be had
ruled so wisely, and had won for himselfsnch universal esteem.
Fr. Keller was born in Bavaria on the 25th of July, 1827, and came to
the United States, when a mere child. He began his studies at the St.
Louis University, laying there the foundations of the scholarship in ancient and modern languages fi>r which he was afterwards so distinguished.
He remained there until 1844, when be entered the Society on the 7th of
December. After his noviceship and juniorate he went to Rome for
philosophy, and afterwards taught in the colleges of his own Province
until 1853 when he was ordained priest. In 18G2 he was appointed Socius to Father CooRemans, the Provincial of :'\Iissouri. In this office he
remained seven years, during which he was for some time acting Provincial, while Fr. Coosemans was absent in Europe. When the Provincial
,Congregation was held in 1868 Fr. Keller was elected :Procurator. It
�FR . .fOSEPJT E. KEJ.LER.
was on the return voyage from this Congregation that lte met with the
terrible accident from which be never fully recovered. During a hurricane on the 20th of January, 1869, while Fr. Keller with his companion,
Fr. O'Callaghan, the Procurator from Maryland, were reciting together
the Vespers of the Feast of St. Agnes, the cabin was broken into by the
heavy sea. Fr. O'Callaghan was instantly killed and Fr. Keller was so
stunned that he remained for a long time unconscious. When he recovered he was horrified to find that Fr. O'Calla,gban had been buried in the
sea. He never recovered from the shock, ancl in after years, never willingly alluded to that terrible experience. He came home very much
shattered in health, but fully able to work. and in the following summer
was appointed Provincial of :Maryland. Notwithstanding his weak state
of health he undertook his new office with marvellous zeal and vigor, and
it was during this period that his remarkable talents were displayed to
the very best advantage. The new scholasticate at Woodstock was just
opened, marking a new em in the history of the Province. Hitherto the
-studies of the Scholastics had been irregular am! attended with great inoeonveniences. The study of philosophy was often begun after six
·or seven years of laborious teaching ami pn-fectship, and it can easily
be imagined how unfit Scholastics were, after such a life. to settle down
to the dry study of first principles. Am! ev~n when this time of study did
come, many were obliged, at certain hours of the day, to act as prefects
or teachers, thus dividing their attention and increasing the hardship of
the situation. Fr. Keller had determined that, cost what it might, the
regular training of the Society should he inaugurated, uml his firm will
carried it out unflinchingly. This-entailed upon the colleges, what seemed
to be ruin, for the place of the 'Scholastics had to he supplied with lay
teachers with all the inconvenience~ consu,uent upon such a system of
things. But Fr. Keller remained firm; he ~aw full well the present evil;
but he fore,;aw at the same time, the great future good, and that the years
of famine were necessary if years of plenty were ever to follow. It is unnecessary to speak of the wisdom of his plan, it speaks tor itself; and in a
few years he saw the abundant fruits of his labors. The intPrest he ever
took in 'Voodstock was remarkable. Scarcely a week passed that he did
not visit it; be was presPnt at all the disputations. while his frequent and
polished exhortations to its community. so full of unction and zeal, never
failed to produce a deep impression. His one idea seemed to be the need
of making the members of the Society nwn wholly deYoted to the idea of
its wotto-"The Greater Glory of God." As one said of him once-he
seemed to he a man that wotild calmly and remorselessly sacrifice the
dearest thing to him, if it interfered in the slightest degree with the honor
or glory of the Society's mission amongst men. His very presence at
Woodstock was an example of virtue not readily forgotton. His deep
humility, so natural that it scarcely seemed a virtue in him, his kind
words ofencotiragement, his unostentatious piety, all contributed to make
him reverenced as a bright exemplar of what the true Jesuit should be.
It used to be a cause of merry edification to see how persistenily he refused to allow any one to carry his valise from the f'tation to the bouse,
and some, we fear, used persistently to try to get it from him, just to see
how persistently he would refuse it. And when one did succeed on
some one extraordinary occasion, it was a sonrce of public gossip for a
time, and men woudered how it all happened. Father Keller was, as we
have said, a man of extreme firmness; so that when once he had made
up his mind and saw clearly that something had to !Je done, it was perfectly useless to dispute the question further with him. This quality so
essential in a ruler, made him appear cold and unsympathetic to the superficial observer; but those who ft:ncw him hl·st, well know what a deepfeeling, tender heart, there was beneath that frigid exterior. This was
almost painfully manifested when he performed the office of the dead
over :Mr. Lancaster with whom he had been associated for so many years.
And often on other occasions, which seemed in themselves trivial, as for
i.
�FR. JOSEPH E. KELLER.
127
instance, when young philosophers went out from Woodstock to begin
their course of teaching, often has he been known to show most deeply
·his interest in them.
After eight years in the office of Provincial, during which time he had
labored so unceasingly for the wellare of the Province, he returned to
St. Louis, where he was appointed Rector of the University in that city.
Here he was brought more in contact with secular people, and the deep
reverence and affection thev cherished for him continued even after his
departure, in an extensive correspondence, up to the time of his death.
When the term of his rcctorship at St. Louis had expired he was, after
n short interval, appointed Rector of,Vooclstock which he had helped so
much to build up and to nu1ke a success. Here he gave the same bright
examples of humility, gentleness, forbearance, and meekness which had
been the source of so much edification during his Provincialship. It may
lJe said, howe>cr, this, his gentleness an<l tenderness of heart, was more
manifest, from the nature of his position, during his rectorship; and he
was much beloved by his community. Be entered into all their joys and
sorrows to a remar ka hle extent; and he seemed to be perfectly happy
during the summer vac11tion with the Scholastics at the villa, though of
course nothing could have been less suited to his natural disposition.
He was selected aR one of the Procurators to accompany Hev. Fr. Provincial to the last General Congregation, and at the end of August, 1883,
he bade f>ncwell to his community, with no foreshadowing of the future
that was in store for him. The rest of his life is well known to the whole
Society; and nlthongh his ~ckction to fill the important office of Assistant of England gave unusual satisfaction, yet it was not unmixed with
sadness in his own counnunity at w· oodstock, which felt that it had sustained a great loss for the common good.
It is scl\rcely our !Jlacc to say anything of his certainly great literary
abilities-his elegant Lntinity and his tnllstcry of Greek- his perfect
knowledge of nearly all the modern European languages, which he wrote
and spoke fluently. These accomplishments were in him subservient to
the one end of all, the Greater Glory of God-to which alone his whole
life was devoted, and to which he directPd several of his written works.
Fr. Keller was amazed at his election as Assistant, and found it a great
trial; but inured to sncritlce, he undertook it with great zeal. He felt
that the end wag not far off, 11nd he cheerfully resigned himself into God's
hands. He suffered very much towards the end, hut his last letters show
ever the same holy, cheerful spirit.
On Wednesday, the Feast of the Purification, he felt himself, during
dinner, growing rapidly WGrse. He immediately asked for Extreme Unction, which he received so calmly and with so much piety that he edified
the whole community who were present. To those who did any little
act of kindness for him, such as moistening his tongue, he showed marks
of deep gratitude. At H o'clock, P. ~~.on Feb. 4th, the dying Father received the Holy Viaticum, and at 6 P. M. he quietly passed away. His
loss to us and to America, and to the Society, is indeed a-great one; but
the sweet memory of his many virtues will long live with us, and the
bright example of his life will long encourage us, while we feel certain
that, by his intercesRion he will still continue to obtain heavenly favors
for the country and for the Rociety which he loved so well in life.-R. I. P.
.
.,
�VARIA .
. >\usti·o-Hungarian
.
has two novitiates, two
Province.-Thi~ province
...-chola~ticate . . , mul carries
eounts ;).)() rnen1bers. It
on two nti~,.._ions, one ill
Xorth and the other in South Ati'tralia. It ha,; two eollege> in c\ustria, two
in Hungary, one eaeh in Bohentia, Bo~uin tUHl ~nuth Australia (Sevenhill).
The rule of learning to speak the lan.~ua.~e of the eountry where one re~idt•s
tnay entail, for a IIH::'Inber of thi~ prtnTince, t'\.,.en ~hould he not leave honH•,
the task of 1nasterin.~ six difll·rent tnngue:-:.-The colonial government of Au~·
tralia has Inade a . . Hght ~rant of rnoney and lmHl to the J'athers laboring in
the Xorth, for the purpose of founding a >ettlement fen· the Ahori,;:ines. After
an t>xperience of three years muong the natiVt·>, the Fathers find that they an•
not averse to work, not incapable of in>trnetion, and nrc deyote<l to their chiltlren. From time to time they return to their noma<! life f(w a few days, to
indulge in the plea>ure> of huntinl:, etc., a weakneS' which the Father; are
disposed to overlook at present. The chihlren show a remarkable aptitude
ti.w u1u~ic, pret\:-rrin~ lin~ly airs. Thi~ taste is nwde n:o:e of to teach then1 our
holy Relkion. llvmn> t·mhoddn,;: tht> artielt•; of our Faith have been composed in their natiVe tongue nnfl.-.:.t!t to Illlt~ic. Thn"' parents an1l chiltlren are
i n>tructetl.
Belghun.-The heart of Blc,.e.t,.John Bcrehmans i-. pre,erved in a rich
reliquary in the Church of the lmmn<·tilate Conception, Lom·ain.-The "Free
Cniversity" of Ghent originall~- w1\,;, one of the college> helon:;:ing to the Belgian Prodnce.-The novitiate at ~leehlin, "-here Blessed Berchmans made
hi' probation, is now used a,.: a thcntre.-The t"nive"ity student> of Lop vain
han· a tlourishing ~odality. One of our Father> is llin•etor.
Beyrout.-The l:niversit\· this vear numbers owr :>10 students of all
classe's, excluding Ours. In "tlw :'en1inary, or .\postolic ~chool, there are 6()
c-andidates for the prit•sthnod; the school of ~lc<licine lately begun, has alrt>ady :>S members. llesi<le> the coUI"'<'> of Thmlog~-, Philosophy and the
regular t•urricuhnn on the plan of the Ratio, special instruction is given in
Arabic, French and English. The 'tudent' of Engli>h number about 60.
Except where >pecial proficiency is <lcsirt><l, the course in Arabie and French
would probahly corre.-pmul to onr pub liP nrammar Schools.- Unirl'rsit.'l Catulognr.
Bihliograph)·.~llurin:.: tlw seho!a,-tie p·ar 18~-!-ii, the list of ( 'atholic
writers contain• llfl memlwrs of the Societ~·, who have published books or
pamphlets. \\' o<Hlstoek, past or present, i< repre;ented by four members..Jerse.'l Lett,.rs.
Brazil.-l"las;cs \Yere n•sunwd ln>t September in our college at Ittl with
an actual atteiHlanee of over -!00 >Indent'. In age the pupils range Jrom 7 to
19 year~. Owin,~to the very peeuliar regulations governing adtui:-;Sion to the
State Univer>it~-, it is diffienlt, t'speeially in the case of those who have made
part of their cour;e ebewherc, to apply onr >ystem of sltt<lil'>. Befort' matriculation at the l"niyersity <'ach >tn<le!lt mnst have passed :successful!\· 1:l
tlifl'erent exruninations in a:o; many hranehc·s. The ortler of prc~enting~ the
matter is almo>t t'ntirl'l~- left to thP option of the candidate. One must lw
examined in Arithmetic before he o1lers himself in Ucometry; but he mav
begin with f>hilosophy and wind up with GPography.-.Jersey Lfttcrs.
·
Calcutt a.-Out of 8 from our College at Caleutta who presented themselves for the Baccalaureate B.,\. 5 >Ueeeeded. Twentv-four sucecetled ten·
First Arts. Last June work was begun on the new Utiiversity-College, ilt.
Francis Xavier's. )Igr. Goethals lai<l the coruer·stoiw of thi" important
building on the 3nl of Deeember, 1~8:>.
(rz8)
�'1/ARIA.
Canterbury, ~nglatui.--'The New Ymr's festivities were held on a grand
scale at St. )lary's College, Canterbury, and the success, which is mmal with
the entertainments given at the College, was 'fully maintained. There was a
large rnunber of guest~, an1ong- whon1 were the ~Iayor ant] )Inyoress of Canterbury, Count and Conntes,.: de )Inn, Colonel Roe, and many othef'.-Eng1ish Papa.
·China.-The followin~ figure~ will help to g-ive an idea of tlu_• n1ission in
charge of the Province of France, and of the Fathef'' lnbors <luring the pa~t
year,
188-!-.~.i:
Ntunber of
Priest~ enga~ea,
136; ntnnhf'r of
Christian~,
l::W,-
~13;
adults baptized, 1,7-14; Christian,.:' children baptized, 4,0·1!1 ; Pagans'
chil<lren baptizetl, :!4,10~1; Cmnmunion,.:, 491,74!1.-0nr "choob are t\ltended
hy 1:?,3::?0 ehiltlrcn, of whom oYer a third are still pagans. The large number
of pagan children baptized is due to the work of the "Holy Childhoo<l."-The
mission inclUtles 1-! nati\e secular Priests. :!2 of Ours are of )longolian or
Tartar origin. The offices of all ar"e noted down in the CutaloguP of the )[ission in Cli.inese characters, a,.: well as in Latin-.Jersey Letters wul Jfissiou
Catalogue.
l<~nglant.l.-Ilis Erninence, Cardinal )fanning, has fnrn1ed a tribunal for
the purpo"' of eollecting testimonies regarding the English )!artyrs. Father
Knox, of the Oratory, gathered ~ vol., on the ,.:ubject. The,.:e were brought
to Rome by )lonseigneur H. Kerr in Octoher, 1884, nnd presented to the Con~regation of Hites.
They are now under examination. Cardinal Bartolini
~~ eharged with presenting the Cause. The Postulators are ~lonseigueur O'Calla~han, and Father Armel1ini, S .. J. The Jesuits on the list numlwr :l8. ~ra.Y
God and Home be propitious !-Ch inesr Letters.
Ger1nan ProYince.-Fr. G. SchneeBlann, one of the founder~, antl . . inee
1879 editor-in-chief of the ":otimmen," die<l at Kirchrath, Holland, Xov. ~Oth,
1~8.), in the .>ith year of his age. He was born at Wcsel, on the l~th of Feb.,
182~1.
Having tini,.:hc<l his preparatory sttulics, he first sttHlictllaw at Bonn,
and afterwards Th,~o]ogv at :IInnstPr an<l at Rome. He finishe<l his studie,.: in
the Society, which be enterpd on the ith XoL, 1~.")1. He was onlained Dee.
~2nd, l~.iG, and took his last vow.s on ::?n<l of July, l~li.j. lrith great zeal for
souh and ,great learning he acte(l succe~~ivdy as Pastor, Profes~or of Philo~
ophy, Eccle,.:ia,tical IIi,tory and Canon law. It is chiefly '"'a writer. however, that he is known. In 1,~6.> he started the Stimmeu, am\ in lSii~, under·
took with the aid of ><everal of his brl'thren the Col/ectio Loansis, at whieh h"
untiring-ly lahoretl evf:r ~ince, having- nearly cnn1pleted the la~t yoltnne, when
he was called to hi~ reward.-!:. I. P.
·
Glossop.-Fr. Bernard Yaughan lately ended a very ,;neees>fnl mis,ion at
(!lossop, Xorthampton, England. .'ct a lectun' gh·en by the same Father in
the Drill Hall, Lord Howard of Glossop, took the chair. The subject of the
lecture wa~, "Onr Ht•lation~ Soeial awl Dmne~tie." . .\bout :!000 per!".Oll~ wen•
pre.sent.
InnsiJruck.-The industn· of Father Hartmann Grber has ut length suc?eeded in deciphering the niann,.:eript works of Fr. Laynez. Fr. Gri,er Ita,.:
JU't puhlishc<l, with notes of hi,.: own, the Disp~ttationes Tridenti/l(e.
Ireland.-It is with pleasure we note the high places won by the stmle1its
o!" our Colleges at the Intermediate Examinations. "The schools of the SoCiety in Ireland," 'ay the Letters and Notices, "haYe competed in the intermediate examination from the start. There were many thine:,.: co11neeted
with the working of the seheme which seemed inconsistent with '-the course of
education thnt ;hould be ginn by Ours. But, all things con,idered, our
~athers decided to enter the lists. Thank God, they have been VPry successful in their work. It is rare for uny one of their boys to fail to pass at least.
St. Stanislaus' College, Tullamore, has made a great name for itself in these
a.nd all other competitive examinations. In 1885, Belvidere College, Dub1m, stands third on the list of distinctions, und we feel sure it will under its
present r~gime take an even higher place. It won two medals, twelve exhi-
VoL. xv, No.
I.
16
�IJO
VARIA.
bitions, one 'pecial prize, and thirteen ordinary prizes. The Sacred Heart
College, Limerick, held tor years a leading place. One of its boys took the
first place for three successive years in each grade. St. Ignatius College,
Limerick, took a medal for a modern language. Yery few go up from it tor
examination. Those who do succeed Y<'ry well."
Hindo,..tan.-In 1~."\4 Fr. llossan, of the South )[adura mission, conceiveu
the idea of fonnding an orphan asylum at Adeikalabournm for the mainten·
ance of the L"hildren of Pagans. In two years the lmilding was ready for infant~.
Durin~ the 30 Years of its existence it has ~ent innumerable souls to
heaven, for tli~e <lenth-rate among littlP Indians b very great. )[any stayed
long enough to :-;.(•cure a passport at the hapti~1nal font. The ~urvivors, 1nale
and female, after marriagt\ fOnn Christian t'olninnititie:', where, by the edific-ati<•n of their lin·s, they preach the ('ospel to their pagan neighbors. Together with thl' orphans there have bt>en supported >•tairl and zealous women
whose duty it is to go about fron1 plat•c to place, administering baptisn1 to
chil1lren in danger of death. The numbl•r of pagan children thn' .<aved i~
,;et down at no less than -!O,ooll. ~\rith better organization and more means,
both of whieh tlw Fatlwrs hope tn secure, the nnmher might be easilr madl'
thriee '" lar:;e. t lne ~·rmn.<! woman in rather ft'eble health"""' able to baJ'tize :!OU in three month,.- Cdrs Letters.- Fr. Gro"ciean, ~uperior of the )lt~
~ion of Calcutta, counts in his tlistrict l::',u-!-1 Catholic-s.
ln 18~..1-8.), the mis~ion hatl 1:!:!:) con,·ersion:--; at Calcutta -l.l Protesttlnts, nnd :~.) pagan:-:; in
Bengul )Ii.,:'ions ::.31 Protestant~ and 11:) pagans; in Ori-.:~a jt) pagans; ainongthe Kolf's .)-1: Protestants am] 1l6!l pag-an~. In all, :t;u Prote~tant:-:., and ~!l:;
pagan~.
'
,Jf'rse,·.-Fr. X01tn· nf the schnla.~ticate of Jt>r'e'- has made a <"omplete
colleetioi1 of the geo1~;.~.denl spflcimt~n~ to he found in" the i~land atul has pre:-ot~nted it to the nlu~t"Hnl of th.._, Cnllt"'g't"'.
Tht• i:·dawh•rs eould not iinagine
what the ~trang-er wa~ tloin!! with hi:-:. hammt•r awl wal1ct, n~ he groped hi~
way, without any appreeiahlc nhjt.>et in \·iew, into evt:•ry hole and cornPr.
X ow, when tlwy visit the ~clwla.-:tieate, tlu~y ·~Peon the well ordt•red ~helve.-:
of the tnn~eu1n the n~~ult of hi~ r•xenr:o;.ions. ;-;:orne of the :-:pecinit•ns have been
pronounced hy ex1wrt~ a~ an1nng- the n1o . . t remarknhlc hitherto ~een.-Jerse!J
L•tters.
Littlehampton.-Father X. Barlwlin, hrntlwr of tlw lament<'d Fr. Felix
Barbel in of ~t. Joseph',, Philadelphia, is Direetnr of the Apostolic School at
Littldtampton, Su"'"" t 'o., England. Littlehampton is a favorite wateringplace, ntHl i~ now the C't.)ntre of .-:t.'Yt•rnl rPlig-iou.-: t·~tahlishments. X Par it is
_\rnndvll, "·hen• the Dnkt• of :\"orf<•lk rP,ides. The llnke has at tinws kindlv
invited tlw pnpils to bn·akbst at hi' Pa,th•. Fnmte<'n of tht• >Cholars lei"t
Litth•ha1nptnn ln . . t yf'ar to Tll'eonu• Illi:'lnht.•l's of varions rt.•ligion.-: ordt"•rs.
LiverpooL-Fret> <linners an<l Plothin.g are supplied to the poorest ehil<lren attending thP Haigh-street •chool.•. Within the last three Years more
than -10,00il<li.nner' ha,;e ht>en .given to children who arc too poor io pay even
a penny for a meal. Fr. lluhlwrly, who has eare of tlw school.<, i' eng-agt>tl
in a. hlt:'S~etl work.
:\Iadagascar.-The l'hristians of the intPrior haY~ been deprived for almost thre(' years of all spiritual aid, yet they have held hrawl~· together amirl
mnn~· serious difficulties. Fr. Cazet, Superior of the 1nis~ion, ha~ he('n raised
to the episcopate to rule oYer his )!alagasys. Tlw Pope has !wen pleased to
grant thetn spt"cial privile,geR, and ha~ ~E'nt pre:o.:ent:-; of rmnf>os, gold cro~ses,
beads, etc. to tlw prince's \'ictoria, •innghter of tlw Prime Minister, and to
other prominent Catholics of Antananarivo Capture hy the French, and
forced detention in the island of Bourbon is not an unmixed evil to the Hova
prisoners. l'ontact with onr Fathers, who were expeller! from ~!adagascar at
the beginning of hostilities, hns resulted in the conn'rsion of many. One of
these spent mnch of his time at one of our houses aiding Fr. Cnllet to compile
a dictionary of the Ifova tongue; but a fever carried the good Father off before he could complete the task. Probably the peace just concluded between
�VARIA.
the French and the Hovas will remit in re8toring Ours to their former post~,
though some of those in power woulu glauly dispense with the prestige which
the mi•sionaries win for the French nmne.-Letters of Ucles.
:\(assachusetts.-Fr. E. H. 'Velch otl"ercd the prayer at the inauguration
of )layor O'Brien, of Boston, on January the -It h. This is the seconu time in
the history of Boston that a Catholic priest has officiated on such an occasion
-the fin;t tiiue being nt ~fnyorO'Brien's fi.r:-lt inaug-uration in January, 1885.
-Fr. Robert Brady, lteetor of "'orcester Colle~e. and Fr. E. Y. Roursaud,
Rector of Bu"ton CollL·ge, were present by invitation at the inauguration of
Governor Robinson, of )Jassachusetts.-In onlPr to promote the interest or
the students in En~! ish literature, Fr. Bour"nttl, Hector, has offered a special
testinwnial, in llostou College, to each class ftJr excellence in En~lish com·
position during each month of the present term.
)(ntal'ieh.-)[atarieh is situateLl about live miles and a half from Cairo.
There the Holy Family, during their flight into Egypt, rested for a time. .\.
beautiful and pleasant sprinl!, that still exists in the place, is ,;aid to have
been miraculuu>ly prodne~Ll by the DiYine ChilL\. From the earliest ages of
Christianit~· we can tnw~ th~ recunls of a chapel nf the Holy Yirgin at ~!ata
rieh. Thi~ ~hrine \Ya~ in the '"garden of baho.arn," near the tniracnlous fountain, and was anciently, no doubt, hd1l in g-reat veneration, since the Copt"'
throughout all Egypt yearly celebrated the fe,"t of' its dedication. The followers of )lahotnet, while nw~ters of Egypt, Ul·.~troyPd the original chapel,
either in l:!ll, or towanb the year 1000. \\'hen peace was restored another
chapel was built, but this abo Llisappcar~d, and made way for a house, for
pilgrims, which enclosed the holy fountain. Pion> travellers in Egypt had
the Sacred "'ell ornamented with a marble ba,;in, and religions merchants
from Yenice hac! a statue of the \1\e"eLI \'irgin placed in a niche in one of the
walls of the house. UnLier the niehe wa., a 'tone, on which, tradition says,
the Di\·ine Infimt repnsed in sh·Pp. In the last eentury the house for pilgrim'
was destroyed, anti henceforth the .~arden of halsatn beemne nothing Inore
than a pleasnrP-resort for the inhabitants of Cairo. The ver~~ tree under
which the Hnl~· Family re,tetl is 'till pointe<! out. Onr Fathers, in l.~~:J,
purchased the chosen spot of )[atariL•h, am! there built a beautiful new chapel
anLl a little 'hrine iu honnr of our LaLlY. Th~ 'hrim· is a faithful imitation of
thf' grotto at Lounlcs. It now po:-::-:es~P:-: a :-:tatue of the Holy Yirgin, whieh
was hles:-;et.l at tlw fanHHl~ French ~brine, antl abo ~ome of the ~toneH of )Jas>abielle. In the interior of the ehapel, wri!l's Fr .. Ju\lwn, the ornaments and
ex-votos testify to the piety of the hlithtul, an<\ the graces alreuLly obtained.
\Ye ~ee there a bt•autiful chantlelier whm·:l' globe~ are fornH.·d nf ostrich eggs,
artisticallY <lecurak<l. '\'hi.< i.-< the work of a friewiJy Llirector of an o'triehfarm, which is situated not far from the •hrim·. Scarcely a day pa>ses that
)!ary does not receive in her chapel the homage of pious pilgrims. The communitie~ ot Cairo, thtJ nlt•ntbt'rs of ~t. Yineent of Paul'~ ~oeiety, and the
hrave Irish soldier~ cmnt' therp often. "\~ ha\·t· spen there 1nanv ~I nssnhnan:-:.
in prnyer, and tlw~·lnnkcd '" ifrnvisiH•<l before the beautiful j>icturc of the
Holy Fmnily, whiL·h form" the nltar-pit•cL'. This sanctuary is the only place
nfpllgrimage of modern Egypt. It is the only l'atholic chapel which is exposed to the Yiew of all in tlli< beautiful tract of countt·y.
l\(exico.-From the l'atalogue of the )[exican Province we gather the fol-
l,~wing items. 'fhe number of ( )urs actually in the country at present is ~:l, di,.,derl among 1:! post• or hom<es. There are three Colleges; one at San S1mon,
where the noYitiate i<; a second at l'nebln de lo< Angeles, am! the third at
Raltillo. Two of our Fathers are Rectors of the diocesan seminaries of ~Iexico
and San Luis Potosi, in the latter of which Fr. ~fanci, a former student of
\\'oodstock, is Professor of Theolog-y. There arc 11} novices, one fourth of the
entire membership of the Province.
l\Iission>' of the Soeiet,-.-Thc Pnwinc<' of Franee has Kiang-nan;
Champagne,-Petchely, South Ea>t; Belgium,-Eastern Bengal; Uermany,
-Bombay, IUo Grande do f'ul (Brazil); \'enice,-~fangalore; Aragon,Philippines; Lyons,-Syria, Armenia and Egypt;, 'furin,-Rocky )lountail\s i
�VARIA.
132
England,-Jamaica, Honduras and British Guiana; An:;tria,-Sonth Austra-,
lia; Sicilv,- Constantinople; Toledo,-Ecuador; Hollaml,- ~Ialay Archipelago; ireland,-Ea<t .\u,tralia; Tonlonse,-~[adaguscar and ~Iadnra.
~Iissouri.-The public lectures of the Post-Graduate Course of the St.
Loui" Cniversity have attracted great attention, and have been highly spoken
of even hy prominent non-Catholics. Fr. John ~- Poland lately lectured on
Realisrn in Art, Greek and Jfodern; Father Charles ~I. Charrnppin, on The
Jfosaic Co,;uw'Jony; Fr. Thoma,< Hughes, on The Chemistry and Physics of
Life and Kon-Lij"e; Fr. Henry ~[odler, on The Beaut•Jul in Poetry; Yery
Rev. Fr. R. J. ~!eyer, on 1Y11tura/ism in Letters, Art, Science and Life.
~ew :'llt>xico.-The
tlwr~ to ~ive 1ni""~inn~
hein~ giv·en in Spani~h,
Bishop of Lo,; Angelt>s, Cal., invited two of our }'ain the :!H pari:-;he:-~ of his (liocese. The 1nission~ are
and will coYer a ~pace oftin1e not les~ than i n1onth~.
Frs ..J. :\!. :\[ontennrelli and Pa,.ehal Tomas<ini, who have already begun tht·
goOtl work, haYc :o:-:tu.·eeeded, at Lo~ Angeles, San ( 1abriel antl nt 'Vihnington,
in tnaking nutny convt:>rts, ren1oving :->everal scautlals. and in drawing crowd~
to the sacnunent~. Forty-four pPrson-., ntn~t of wh01n WPre young men, wert'
eonfirrnetl tluring the nti:-.:.:-'ion at Lo~ ~\ngPlt>:-.:.. "A rernarkable feature at thi~
mh:o~,ion," ~ay_... a reet>nt paper, "was the attendance of a venerable gentleman,
10.) year~ of n:;e, acc:Uinpnnit·t.l by hi~ yonn::e~t son, a hC'althy youth of :!ti
Yean::." Confes~ion~ had to hl• heartl till 1nidni~ht in order tu acconunodate
i:lw censeles' throng of penitents-the majority t~f whom were men.
Ohse•·,·ntorie,.;.- \\" e han· received from :,;tonvlmrst College Ol>'ervalory
the "Results of ~[eteorologieal and :\Iac:netieal Ob,ervatinns for 1~~4," by
the ltev. S. J. l'<>rry, F.R.S. Tl.\e work done at thi,; obsen·atory becomPs
JnorP and more valuable e\pl'lT Yt•ar. Of tlH' ~olar ~nrface :!~1 tlrawin~~ \\-ere
nuule during the year and ~K c~Hnplete ntea~ure:-o of the chrlmlo~phere. The
~rectra of sun-spot~ havt> been nu.'a~ure1l on :10 tlay~, antl tlw widening- of :?00
lines between Band ll accurately measnretl.-S11tnre. Pere Deehenens, the
head of the Zi-ka-wd Ob.--erYatory near ~handmi, has pnblbhetl a pamphlet
l"Htitled "The )leteornlo,gi<·al Elements nf the Climate of Shnn.ghai: TwPlYe
Years of Ol...,,rYatinn' ma•lt· at Zi-ka-wei by the ~[i.-,ionuri"" of the ~ocit'ty
of .Je~us." It is a ~eric~ of tahlP~ eontainirl!.:" "nll the infonnatinn that llH;teorolog-y can supply concerning the clint~ltt~ of Shanghai." ~\ c01nplete
nwteorolog-icnl periotl in China is :-:.aid to he about eleven yt>ar:-:, awl consc'lll<'Hth· thi,- pamphlet t'mhrnces nne such p<>riod.-"Y11t1tre. Other Observatories rlirectecl hy our Father', e"'pe<>ially those of Havana, )[anita and ltome,
are m·ea . . ionally, at h·a~t, retern·d tn in scientifie papers. The la~t-named i:-:
dirPcted by Fr. G. S. Ferrari, who, a~ :-otH'Cl'~:-:or of Fr. Sc(•chi, hiHl charge of
the obsen·ator~- of the !:oman Collcgp till he wa,; t•xpelletl from it hy the [talian G-overtnnent.
Tht>re are other oh~crvatorie:-:, though not :-:o well known
to the English·spt•aking [Wnple, at Caleutta, in Chili, at Gozo, and Kalocsa,
llnn~ary.
Pa•·is.-Th.- t:ue
tl,., l'nstes has athnittcd 70 to~- Cvr.-Fr. F. ~[artin con-
tintu:~s hi~ hbtoric labor~ on Canalla.-){on~ei!!'neur Citzet was. con.,t'erated at
Lourdes hy his Eminence, the Cardinal of Totllouse, assi,ted by ~fiinsei~neur
d' Aire, antl n Yiear .Apo~tolie of ~ene,!.!al. ..\fter his con~ecration, the new
Bishop proceeded to Ucles for nn ordination ofOurs.-Another miracle is ascribed to Father Oli\·aint.-Among tlwse leaving S. Cyr tltis year, two of our
'tudents hold the fir;:t place".
Philippine lslanll;;.-There are lllllll<'lllbers of the Society e11gaged on
the mission in these islands, i:l at )[intlunao and :li at )Ianilla. The Governor General, on the part of the Ki11g, conveyed to the Rector of the College
at ~Ianilla an expres,;ion of his gratifieation, hePau'e of the work tlone by our
Fathers in the oh•erYatory, and of the efforts made for the eonve"ion of the
pagans. 670 students atteml our classe:<, a11tl many more were refused f<>r
want of room. The mi>sionaries rc<•ortl-:!131 baptisms of adults during the
past year, 188-J.-5. The number of Chri,-tians under their charge is 138,000
,scattered over ~W missions and 133 "reductiom,"-Jersey Letters,
·
�VARIA.
I3,3
Rocky l'llountain l'llission.-This mission embraces :Montana, Idaho and
\Vashington Territories. The number of Ours engag-ed there is 61, of whom·
~2 are Priests, 8 Scholastics and 21 Coadjutors. Their efforts are mainly directed towards the conversion and instruction of the Indian population, who
number over .51,000. Their children frequent 1~ schools taught by Ours, or
by the Sisters.-Alaska, also, has been confided to our charge by Archbishop
Seghers. Fr. Catal<lo, Superior of the mission, cannot, for want of men, undertake to send lahore'" there before HiSS. The population is set down at
1,000,000 by the late )Irs. Jackson (H. H.), an excellent authority on Indian·
affairs. Owing to a warm ocean-current, the mean annual temperature at the
capital,. Sitka, is much higher (.,1.,1°) than one would expect in a plaee so near
the Arctic Circle.
Sicily.-The new" of what seems to he an undoubtt·d miracle has just
reached us by prirn.le Zeller from the no\·itiate of the Sicilian Province at
Gozo. The Very Rev. Fr. Filiti, Pro"incial, having examined the case, gives
permission to publish the facts in the different houses of the Society.-ln August, 1885, Albert P '' ''' '* entered the nm·itiate at (;ozo. .\. short time after
he was suddenly attacked by severe convulsions. He had already suffered,
the preceding year, in his native )!arsala, from sickne", and this had retarded his·entrance into the SocietY. .\fter hi• illne•s in the novitiate had
passed away, he became the victim of a seven'r trial-he lost the entire use of
sight. The novices frequently and fervently prayed for their dear Brother's
recovery. They Inatle a Xovena to St. Franci~ Xavier, ant] one of the novice~
wrote a letter, which was si;rne<l by all, aiHI addre"ed it to the .\.postle of
the Indies. Before )lass, on the 3nl of December, the letter wa' placed on
the altar. Tluring )[ass Br. P ''' .,, * prtt~·ed most fen·entl~-. After some time
he turned to one of the novices, an<l sai<l, "The Bles,:d \'ire:in has just appeared to me, and told me, that if I persevere in prayer I shall soon be cured."
The event prove<l the truth of the apparition. About a quarter past 11
o'clock, A. )!., Br. P ''' ''' "' smldenly arose from his knees, and rushe<l into the
hall, where the novit·es were at recreation, an<l exclaimed alotHl, "The beautiful ~[other of God has cure<l me, I ean see." :\ee<lle,:s to say that all the
novices were surprised and ove~joyed. The :Master of Xovices presented a
book to Br. P * ., , '\ who reatl it without <liffieult~-. All the nm·ices then
went to the chapel to oiler thanks to our Lord and His Blt'"e<l )[other for so
signal a favor. On the <mtlwrity of a private letter we gin• the manner in
which the cure was affet'te<l :-"\\'hen Br. l' ''' ''''''was pray in)! in the clwpel
with his fellow-novices, as he himself afterw::tr<ls infornw<l us, he fell into
something like a profound r<leep, and r<<tW lwfore him a beautiful field in
which were the Blessed Yirgin and the Infant .Jesus. lie then humbh· a.skeil
the Vir)!in :Mother to restor~ him his ·'i!!ht. Our Blc"e<l La<lv thereon turne<l
!o the Divine ( 'hild, and spoke with Him inn language unkiwwn to the nm·•ce. After a few seconil the heavenly Infant approache<l Br. P * ''' '* a1Hl
made the sign of the Cro'" on his eyes. It was then that the affiicted novice,
returning to himself, as if awaking from a deep sleep, becam(' aware of the
reRtoration of hi!4 F'ight.
·
Syr·ia.-It was decide<l ahout, three years ago to OJ>t'll a house of Ours in
that part of Svria known as El Hauran, the lan<l of Ilus of the hook of .To b.
!n the early ages of the Church it contained a large Christian population, '"
IS shown hy the many ruins of rich churches seattere<l over the country, and
from the fact that 3;) bishoJ" had their sees then• nn<lcr the Arehbishop of
Bosra. Four of these had no permanent residences, but wandcre<l from place
to place with their su~ject<, the nomad Arahs. The Christian population of
the country is now re<luce<l to 40,000, of the ( it·eek rite. Of these ahout a fifth
are Catholic, scattere<l O\'e1· .)0 or 1>0 villae:cs. Their hishop resides at llamasens. Dhamath El Oulia, in the centre of Lcdja (Traconitis), was selected by
our Fathef' as the site of their fntnrc operations. It can he reached from
Damascus in two davs, and is within a few hours of thrPe or four exclusively
~~hristian villages. 'It offers this attraction, too, that its Drti'e ruler and suh·
Jects are favorable to Christians, took no part in the massacres of 18u0, and do
not recognize any right of interference on the part of the Turki.•h government.
The Sheik made the most strenuous efforts to get the Fathers to reside in his
�VARIA.
134
town, hoping there b., to win back ..some of the former influence of his famil..over the resf of his nation. He naturally expects French intervention in hfs
behalf, should any dispute arise between his people and the Turks. He of·
fered them the choice of any house in Dhamath, not e\·en excepting his own,
made them a present of the grounrl about the house, when they made their
choice, lt>a\·ing them sufficient for a ganlen aml courtyard. The ignorance of
Christians, especially of the Schismatics is dt'plorable. Hatred of the Latin
would seem to be their chief tenet. It is to be hoped that, when they hear
'the doctrines of the Church propo,ed to them in their native .\.rabic, by men
who have come to stay and identify themselves with the country, they will
submit to the authority of the Pope. The chief difficulties of the situation
are, want of good water, and the necessity of procuring everything in the
shape of furniture and merchandise, either at Damascus, or St. Jean d'Acre
in Palestine.-Relations d'Orient.
Tl'ichinopoly.-You will be glad to know, writes Fr. Santiago, that devotion to the Sacred Heart is widespreatl in these parts, and that the many
pictures of the Sacred Heart of the .\.postJe,hip of Prayer, which the Re\".
l"ather Barbier had distributed to the various Pnnjoes, contributed much to
this devotion. clcbove all, there i• at ~nranam. and some other central place,,
the good habit of receiving Communion the first Friday of every month. l
was at Snranmn for the first Fridav of the n1onth, and there were one hundred and sixty-three confessions of people who had come, for the first Friday,
from dbtant villages.- During the cholera epidemic which prevailed in the
city last year, nut one member of the colle.,;:e (1000) or community suffered
an attack, a grace which is due to the special protection of the Sacred Heart.
_.!.
~I erie wa,; tnl\"ellitH! through the Syrian
tlesert in que:5t of a. ~ite for a 1nissi~;n-eentre, he was infonned hy son1e Bedouin chiefs, with whom he came in contact, that there ]i\·ed at a distance of L)
days' journey a tribe of Arab,; numbering ~0 or :lO thousand who stvled them·
selves ::\as,\ra or Christians. For centuries they luwe led a nomatl life, ha..-ing been obliged to !lee to the mountains, to t':<t•ape the wrath of Tamerlanc
whom they provokPd by tht' defeat of a portion of his army. They eat no
'l'urkish-Arabia.- \\"hen F<.
bread.
The ren:-oon they allege for
thi~ :-:in~ularity i~,
that in filrtner thnes
the\· were possessed of a ·mystical bre•Hl which they han' with them no long~r.
In inemory of that which they lost, •they abstain" from the use of all bread.
There is, however, a tradition mnong thetn that, ~onner or later, so1ne one will
bring them again the mvstical brea<l which the.- oneP had. I<r. :\!erie could
not lind out \Vhether they continue the use of B;1ptism. At present the tribe
is suppo~ed to wander somewhere in. Irak, or Turkish-Ambia, at the head of
the Persian Gulf. It is to be hoped that Protestant missionaries may not reach
them before Ours ean restore tlw mvstical bread. Xo one cau be spared at
present, else they would he attcndeti to imme<liately.-Lf"lters of ilfold.
Urugtu~.,·.-In .July last, the President of this republic, for rea,;ons best
known to himself, issued a decree appointing a commission to enquire the
name, age and nntionnlity, of all me1nbcr~ of congregations, of 1nen as well a~
of women, in the rt'Jmblic. .\.11 novices were to he compelled t<r return to
the world inside of three months, while all others were to be alli\\yed to do
the same. The inspectors presented themselves at our College in Montevideo,
but were tlatly refused admittance by the Hector, on the plea that the house
was a College and not a convent. They returned again anti again to the
charge, and entt'red at last; but left without the desired information. They met
the same treatment e\·erywhere. To effet,t their purpose at the convent of
the Good Shepherd, they had to break down the doors. The Sisters fled tn
private families, and were well received. The government itself now wishes
to exempt Colleges from the law.-Jers;y Lette~s.
H01ne News.-\\"e have had two Disputations since the beginning of this
scholastic year; one in Xovemher and the other in February.
OE GRATIA CHRISTI, the Defenders were, Fr. \\". Power and .Mr. J .•J.
Conway; Objectors, Frs. E. A. Gleeson, W. P. Brett, .J. H. Richards, and A.
)I,
~Iandalari,
�VARIA.
IJS
DE INCARNATIONE, Defenders,- Father A.).[. Moeller and Mr. M. H.
O'Brien,-Objectors, Frs. H. Meiners, N. Ilavi,, and Messrs. H. 'V. Otting and
E. A. )lagevney ..
Messrs. T. J. Gannon and .Tohn A. Chester read Di,sertations on Holy
Scripture.
IN PIIILOSOPIIY, 3rd year, Defenders,- )lessrs. )!. Izaguirre, J. A.
)loore and T. J. Cryan,- Objectors, )le"rs. "'·)f. )lcDonough, J. J. Curran, A. A. Dierckes, J. S. Coyle, A. 0':\Ialley and ,V. Ennis.
In 2nd year, Defenders-)lessrs. J. II. Hockwell and J. J. Sennhanser,Objectors, )lessrs. J.P. (ionzales, .J. J. Deck, J. S. Hollohan and P. "'alsh.
In 1st year, Defend-r,-~!r. )!. :\!oynihan,-O~jeclors, )(essrs. F. B. Cas~illy and G. Rittmenr.
)lessrs. U. A. :\Iuiry and )1, ll. Sullivan gave the spe0imen in :\Iechanics;
:l.Ir. U. A. Pettit explained Physic,, and :\lessrs. D. W. Hearn, 0. A. Hill and
J. J. Deck mane the Experinwnts. )!r. E. Corbett read an essay on Floating Bodies.
THEOU lGlCAL
ACA])E~IY-Papers
Read.
Original ~in ......................................................... )[. I. Boarman
Tradition on the Immaculate Conception in the Oriental Churches during the first three centuries .......... F. X. Brad,·
The Proto- Evangel hun,._ necording to Cajetan .................. J. Zwinie
The meaning of Almu, in I'aia,, vii, H ........... Fr. X. L. Schlechter
Possibility of External Elevation .......................... Fr. \\'m. Power
Excitant liraee,a Phy,ical I 'a use ofthe i:'alutary .-\.ct..Fr. \\'. P. Brett
The )!e.<si\th in the Prophecies ................................. 1!. \V, Otting
Divinit[ of l'hrist ................................................ J. H. O'Rourke
.
. .
.
, em1pe ag:wmsm ............................................................ J. Smith
The Testimony of the l"ibyls ....................................... C. Gillespie
Xature an<l Person ......... : ......................................... Fr. J. Scully
.\.Testimony to the Divinity of Christ, He b. i, 1-3 ...... T. Brosnahan
The Thomistic Idea of Sufficient nrace .......................... :\1. P. Hill
~
PHILOSOPHICAL ACAVE:\!IEi'-Papers Read.
In the third ytar.
Life ............................................................... J. )lcCabe
:\I esmerism .............................................. ,J. ,J. O'Connor
The Animal ~on!. .......................................... F. X. )lara
Darwinism ................................................... .J. De Potter
The Human Soul. ......................................... T .•r. Cryan
Herbert SpencPr's Theory of Evolution ......... ('. B. )lacksey
The Immortality of the t'onl.. ....................... A. 0')!alley
External Sen,ation .................................... A. A. Dierckes
Law ........................................................ C. 'Vorpenberg
Freedom of the Will ........................... W. !II. )!cDonough
Agnosticism ................................................. .J. J. Curran
In the serond year.
The .Efficient Cause ................. J. Sennhauser
The Final Cause .................... .T. P. Gonzales
The Good Can.<e .............................T. Banks
Evidence .................................... 0. A. Hill
Spinosism ........................................ J. Post
Substance .................................... A. Ulrich
Final Cames .................................. J. Deck
Space ....................................... )1, Sullivan
The Idea ................................... J. Gillespie
An ldeal World ........................... P. Walsh
�VARIA.
A USEI:TL BOOK.
The ""oodstock College Pres:; will issue next :\fay a volume of about -100
pages, large octavo, entitled REXOYATIOX READIXG. Besides directions
taken from the "Institute" and the E'lfnehu.< Rector-is, the book contains the
tran,-lation of the tollowing letters :
St. Ig-natius to the S<'holastics oft 'oi1nbra and of Gaudin. .
.\eqnaviva, on l:enewal of :,:pirit,-on Perfectiou and Fraternal Charity,on the Training of our
Schnla~ties,-on
Prayer and Penances.
\"itelle,-chi, on Precept" of Obetlience,-on Prayer and other Yirtues.
l'uraf~t, on the 1,rhlunm,--on Preserving the Spirit of the Society.
Uliva, on )Ianifestation of Conscience.
Tamburini, on Spiritual Thin!!s,-on the Oh•ervanee of the Institute.
Yisconti, on the Training of~('holastic~.
Roothaan, on the De,ire of Foreign :\lission,.,-on the Centennial Year,011 the Spiritual Exerci><c>',-on the Devotion to the Sacred Heari.
Beckx, 011 the Ob,en·ance of \"ows,-on BB. ( \1ni,;ius and Berclnnans,-on
Zeal for Sonls,-on Ohe<lit•nce nnd i,ther \"irtue,.
Oli\·a, lle lnformatinnihus a•l (iradum.
Uonzalez, De Prmno\·etHlis ad ~acenlutiutn.
ltoot!wan, De :\lint>rYali.
Censur~e
et Pneeepta.
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XV, No.
2.
MR. MOSELY'S REASONS FOR NOT TAKING THE
OATH OF FIDELITY TO THE STATE, 1778.
Secundum Evmzgclium ; in quo laboro quasi male operans,
Sed Verbum Dei, non est alligatum. Ideo omnia sustiueo
propter Etdlos ut et ipsi Salutem consequantur.-11 Tim. ii,
8, 9,
IO.
According to the Gospel, wherein I labour even ... as an
Evil-Doer; but the word of God is not bound, therefore I
endure all things for tht: sake of the EleB:, that they also
may obtain Salvation.-II Ep. ad Tim. zi", 8, 9, zo.
is
The Example of St. Paul, D. C., an Example that every
Christian is in Duty bound to follow. I can't think, but
that great Saint is much to be admired for undertaking his
own Defence against the Censures of the world, which
judged him an Evil-Doer, because he was bound in chains,
and in Cesar's custody. The world mostly judges by the
Eye and seldom scrutinizes either the Delinquent's Intentions or Reasons. Civil Government has even provided
Courts of Equity to search into the real Justice of Causes,
knowing the many evil consequences that have attended,
such weak and superficial Evidences, from FaB:s, not well
looked into. As St. Paul was the Minister of God, it was
absolutely requisite, that his charaCter should stand clear in
the Judgement of the World, that his Preaching might have
17
(137)
�138
.lfR. MOSELY ON THE OATH OF
FIDELJTJ~
the wished for success, and that his Ministry might appear
to all Men with Honour and Credit. For if the \Vorld
judged him an Evil-Doer, his L<bour and \Vords must have
lost their whole Effect, and the Word of God been evacuated; the Apostle knew these evil Consequences, he therefore judged himself under the strictest obligation to clear
his Character, that the Faith in Christ, which he preached,
might not be preached in vain. Therefore he tells his flock
(I Cor. iv, 4, 5): "Judge not before the Time; until the
Lord come, who both will bring to Light the Hidden things
of Darkness and will make manifest the Counsels of the
Hearts. For I am not conscious to myself of anything ...
but he that judgeth me is the Lord." So that altho' he was
in chains, and a common Prisoner in the Jail, he was not
conscious to himself of any Crime, that he had been guilty
of, he knew he had laboured in the preaching of the Gospel
and promoting the Faith in Christ. This gave offence to
the incredulous Jews, who stirred up the People and laid
Hands upon him, as at~ Evil-Doer (Act xxi, 27). When
arraigned before Festus 'the Governor, for Guilt, that his
accusers could not prove, he said (Act xxv, ;, R, 1 1): "I
have not offended in any Thing, neither against the Law of
the Jews, nor against the Temple, nor against Cxsar, as
thou very well knows." If" I have injured them, or have
committed any thing worthy of Death; I refuse not to dy."
It was by this manly Resolution, he convinced his Flock of
his Innocence, cleared his Character, and continued his
Ministry with Honour and Estccr~. I've not the least Intention, to draw any Comparison between that great Apostle and myself. He has here, in what I've alleged, drawn
an Example, for every Minister of the Gospel to conduct
himself by. For as our Characters, arc publick, there is
little Good to be expected unless they stan(l f.<ir and clear.
This thought induced the Apostle to plead in his.Defence,
and clear himself of every Aspersion, that his Enemies had
laid to his charge. I know none, that is laid to mine. Yet
as by a late Law of the State, which obliged every adult
male Inhabitant of the State to take an Oath of Fidelity and
Support to this Common- \Vealth. And as I was deficient
in taking the said Oath, for many sufficient and weighty
Reasons, which I've laid before the honourable House of
Assembly, and are by that Honourable Ilouse entirely approved; which you may be assured off, by my appearing as
I do, in the Character of a Preacher of the Gospel; I desire
also to lay the same Reasons before you, that I may clear
myself of any Censure or Aspersion, that may any ways
�MR. ftfOSELY ON THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
139
prejudice my Hearers against my Reputation or CharaB:er.
The Roman clergy are a Body of Men, of which I am an
unworthy member, so linked, bound and conneB:ed together
by Vow, AffeB:ion and other Tyes of Honour, consistent
with which no one of us all wou'd choose to aB: in any affair of real Consequence or Importance without the Knowledge, Consent and Approbation of the Rest. Thus I was
engaged under these Obligations of Conscience, and Honour, when the Oath first came forth autherized by Law; I
made every Application in my Power to know the conduCt:
of the Rest of our clergy. I sent an Express to the Head
of the Bay, where I thought that the Gentleman there residing, might have had some Intelligence of the Proceedings
of the Rest, but upon the Return of the Messenger, I found
him as Ignorant of it as myself: Here I acquiesced, trusting to the Indulgence of the Legislature, for as I lived in a
Part of the State so remote from the Rest, I judged all farther Endeavors must have been in vain and too late for the
Term fixt by L1.w; I have of Consequence submited to the
Alternitive, of being prohibited from teaching and preaching
the Gospel, till the Legislature shou'd, on Application, relieve my legal Inabilities. And I never received any Intelligence of their Cordial Concurrence and Consent till towards the End of May, 1778. ·when I took the earliest
Opportunity which offered itself, to pledge my Fidelity in
Concurrence with my Fellow-Clergymen, to the State. The
first Opportunity which presented itself, was at an adjourned
Court in Talbot, of which I was an Inhabitant, then judged
legal and sufficient by a Majority of that Bench. But as 1
soon understood that ObjeB:ions were made to the Propriety
of taking that Oath, at that late Season, on the weight of
which 1 presumed not to determine. And as I was resolved
to give no Offence to Government, I lay'd my Reasons before the honorable House of Assembly, as I now lay them
before you, and as they have judged them just and reasonable, 1 doubt not, but you will show me the same Indulgence. Yes, and my Approbation and good will must farther appear, that notwithstanding I had such Reasons to
wait for my Intelligence of the ConduCt: of my Brethren, I
must acquaint you that every Roman Catholic took it in
d~e Time, under my Direction, not one excepted, which I
think you will judge, that it must speak a kind word and be
P?Werlul in my Favour, with them that may any way be
disposed to censure me. Thus then being Ignorant, and as
I may say, excluded and deprived of the Sentiments of my
Fellow Clergymen; In this critical JunB:ure, I aB:ed accord-·
�i.j.o
llfR. MOSELY ON THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
ing to all the Reason and knowledge I had in the CanonLaw. I always maintain'd this Truth that a Clergyman's
Business, was to have nothing to do with this \Vorld (Joan."
xviii, 36), "My Kingdom says Jesus Christ is not of this
"World." And St. Paul says to Timothy in his Instructions
to him as a Clergyman (II Tim. ii, 4), "No man being a
Soldier to God, intangleth himself with worldly Businesses;
that he may please him to whom he has engaged himsel("
From this Authority of Scripture, which I well knew; and
being abandoned and left to act according to my own private Judgement, I must confess that I thought, that taking
such an Oath, was taking an active Part in changes of Government, which I conceived was acting out of Character,
and beyond the Business of a Clergyman. I conceived,
that swearing to defend to the utmost of my Power, and
taking up Arms was much the same thing. It is true
a Clergyman may advise and approve of a just war, but the
greatest Justice of it, will not entitle him to take up Arms.
The Altar and human Blood do not seem to cohere well
together. Murder and pacifick Oblations seem to be contradictory (Matth. v, 23, 24): "If thou bring thy Gift to the
Altar, says Christ, and there shalt remember that thy Brother
hath any thing against thee; Leave there thy Gift before
the Altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy Brother and
then come and offer thy Gift." I freely confess, that the
clergy have been often and justly blamed for meddling in
Politicks and State Affairs: and the Contents of this Oath,
compelled us into what, we ought to avoid by every means;
and as I always resolved to avoid this just Censure and Reproof, I conceiv'd it_better to submit to the Penalty and trust
to a future Indulgence on a serious Consideration of the
Difficulties, than take an Oath which my Conscience in the
then present circumstances, cou'd not approve off or permit. In every Contest for Liberty and Change of 9overnment, there are some capital Risks to be run. T-he most
glorious Champions for Virtue, meet always an Opposition
from an other Set of Men of a £1.r different Stamp. Every
Heroe has his Antagonist, jealous of his Fame and Renown.
This is our Case in our present Struggle for Liberty, we've
a powerful Enemy to oppose in every Exertion we make.
They stigmatize our Cause, with the Opprobrious Name of
Rebellion. They threaten its adherents, with the Punishments and Penalties of high Treason. It is the gauling
Yoke of Slavery, the sweet Comforts of Liberty and every
advantage of an extensive Trade that makes the Hero step
forth to vindicate his Country from Oppression, and exposes
�JIR. JifOSELY ON THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
141
himself to every Danger and Risk to see himself and his
Children enjoying every Advantage that Liberty and a free
Trade can promise and ensure. Therefore, where there are
such Benefits and certain Profits before the Eye, it behoved
every Inhabitant, that saw these Advantages before him, to
take Part in every Risk and Danger. Far different was the
Case of the Clergy in every Exertion of this kind. The
Clergy can expeEI: to reap no great Advantages, from the
most sanguine Success. It is quite out of their Sphere to
look for Posts of Profit, Honours in Government, or Advantages in Trade. No Man would expose his Head to
Danger, without he saw some Honour, Profit, Interest or
some advantageous View from the Success of his Perils and
Labour: where this is not seen nor can be expeEI:ed, it must
be judged Madness and Rashness to run evident Dangers
and be void of all Chance and Hope. Mistake me not, it is
not my present Purpose to blaim or censure any Man's
ConduEI:, my only aim is to deffend my own. Wherefore I
say, if the Clergy in every Change of Government can expect no Advantage from yr greatest success, as it is not
their Call to accept of Honours in Government, Posts of
Profit, or Emoluments in Trade, I conceived it rather rash
in me to expose my Person to the anger of a dangerous
Enemy, then threatening us at our very Doors for taking
an active Part to maintain, support and defend a cause, which ·
they then stigmatized with Rebellion. Nay it might with
some \Veight of Reason to be expeEI:ed, that they wou'd
have exerted the utmost Revenge on a Body of Men for
meddling in an affair, who had not, in the common Nature
ofThings, the least Business with it. They must know, as
well as the universal vVorld, that the Clergyman's Business
is not of this \Vorld, nor to meddle with affairs of State. In
all \Vars, Strifes and Contentions, let the Cards run as they
will, their ExpeEI:ations in this \Vorld, ought not to extend
beyond the free Service of God and his Altar. "Pasce agnos meos, Pasce oves meas" that is, feed my Lambs and
feed my Sheep, is the full extent of their Commission, and
their whole Charge and Business; and God send we may
compleatly fulfil it. Here some may say that this Excuse
of a powerful Enemy threatening at our Doors, may plead in
Favbur of any Nonjuror. I plead but my Cause, I shou'd not
choose to agrivate the Guilt of any Man, it is far from my
pacifick Dispositions. Yet for Reasons already given, I
think this Plea carrys with it more Influence for a Clergyman, than for any other Member of a Community. Where
all and every Member of a Community are to reap equall.y
�142
MR. }lfOSELY ON THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
Profits, Benefits, Emoluments, Privileges and Honours, then
I say every Member of that Community ought to share in
every Risk and Danger of his Life and Fortune; this is not
the Case with a Clergyman, you desire to expose him to
every Risk and Danger, and then exclude him from every
Profit, Benefit, Emolument, Priviledgc and Honour. Vide
Form of Government. Art. 37, where it is said (Form of
Government Art. 37 circa fincm): "No Minister or Preacher
of the Gospel, shall have a Scat in the general Assembly, or
the Council of this State." If we arc excluded from these
Priviledges and Honours why should we be exposed to
equal Dangers, with those who arc qualified to enjoy them.
No, they are Honours, which we neither expeCt or wish for,
they arc unsuitable to our Call and Business, therefore the
Legislature aCted wisely in preventing any Ambition of this
Kind for ever. \Vherefore as I've already said, if a Clergyman is by Law and Profession deprived of the greatest
Honours and Places of the State and excluded from every
Interest in Trade, having neither \Vifc or Children to provide Happiness for, on :}: future Day, but only his own Call
and Happiness in View, r must think that his Case is widely
different from any other Inhabitant, that has every Advantage in View not only for himself but for .his Children for
Ages hereafter. Therefore the Plea of Danger, is more excusable in a Clergyman, than in any other Member of the
Community. Here an other may say, these Reasons, cast
a Censure on this Legislature, for enaCting such Laws both
against Justice and \Visdom. No, D. Auditory, I blame not
the Legislature, I believe its Intentions were good and
equitable to prevent false and mutinous DoCtrine amongst
the People. Yet·! the wisest Law makers on more mature
Consideration, found amendments to diverse aCts, both necessary and useful. Read but the Codes of Law and you'll
find as many Amendments as ACts. No human Legislature
is an all seeing God. The Divine Law-Giver may and will
give to us Knowledge and \Visdom, but not Omnisciency.
Altho' (Prov. viii, Is). "by him ... Lawgivers decree just
things," yet they may err and will see their own Errors as
appears, by their frequent Amendments and Repeals of
Laws. And as there is no Law, without an Exception, so
there are many Persons, by Reason of Circumstances,
Places, Times and Persuasions, can not duely to the Letter
comply with them, as Absence, Distance, Ignorance, Misrepresentation and Conscience may easily prevent them, and
obstruCt an immediate Compliance. Yes I'll even say, that
there are many just and Salutary Laws, which may be impraCticable by many Persons in different Circumstances.
�II1R.JIIOSELY QN THE OATH OF FIDELITY.
143
For Example some Y cars ago, there was a Law past in
England to hinder clandestine Marriages, that no one shou'd
be marry'd but by the Minister of the Parish, under a heavy
Fine, and Illegitimacy of the Children. This was in it self
a Good Law, a just and advantagious Law, and put an effectual Stop to many Abuses and Irregularities. Yet many
for Conscience's sake cou'd not comply with it. For as the
Minister of the Parish, must be of the Church of England,
as established by Law, a Roman Catholic believing Marriage to be a Sacrament, cou'd not in Conscience receive it
from the Hands of one, who by his Religious Tenets, did
not belive it such: and as there were many genteel Families, and of Fortune of this Profession, they were obliged on
·the Point of Marriage to retire into France for the Performance of the Ceremony, and to legitimate their Children. Yet
I can't say, but what it was a good and advantagious Law
to the Community, for Rt;asons already given, and it wanted
but an ACt of Toleration and Freedom in Religious Opinions as this Happy Country now enjoys, to have made it
universally useful and agreeable ... These, Ch. Aud., were
my Reasons, and thL:se were my Sentiments in Regard of
the Oath of Fidelity and Support, which hinder'd me from
taking it in due Time. But as soon as I understood the
cordial Concurrence and Consent of the Gentlemen, whom
I confess to be far wiser than myself, I abandon'd every
Sentiment of my own and submitted entirely to their Judgement and ConduCt, and took the earliest Opportunity which
offer'd to pledge my Fidelity and Allegiance to the State,
which was at an adjourned Court of March before the Bench
at Talbot Court House. Undoubtedly many wise Heads,
all in the same Circumstances as myself must judge better
of perilous and doubtful Things, than one, and of Consequence I then submitted my Judgement to the more Wise,
on their Concurrence and Consent. As the Honourable
House of Delegates have approved of my Reasons and have
reinstated me in my FunCtions and other Priviledges in
common with other Inhabitants of the State, I hope for the
same Reasons you'll suspend all yr past Censures, and attend
hereafter to the \Vord of God, which in my preaching and
teaching may come from my Mouth (Text. Supra), "according to the Gospel, wherein I've laboured, even as an EvilDoer. But the ·word of God is not bound, Therefore I
endure all these things, for the sake of the EleCt, that they
also may obtain Salvation," which is the only objeCt of all
Labours, and the only Happiness I wish you all, In the
Name of the Father, etc., etc. Amen.
·
�LOUISIANA.
A SHORT ACCOUNT OF THE SOCIETY IN NEW ORLEANS.
( Coutiuucd.)
The promise, he had made to the friendly troopers at the
Tonica village, was ever present to Fr. d'Outrcleau, and
urged him on to beg of the Superior, permission to join the
forces among the Natchez. It was with reluctance that Fr.
le Petit yielded to the desire of the missionary, whose history, during this campaign, he thus sums us: "He partook
of the fatigues of the siege, and gave new proofs of his zeal,
his wisdom and his bravery."
This haste of Fr. d'Outreleau, to undertake the duty of
chaplain to the colonial army, may seem somewhat strange,
when it is borne in min~ that mention has been made of a
certain Father Philibert, Capuchin Cure of the Post among
the Natchez, whose absence, on the f:1.tal 29th Nov., involved
Fr. du Poisson in the massacre. All that can be said on
the subject is, that no mention is rriade anywhere of the
return of the Capuchin .. In fact, be it said here, and merely
as a matter of history, that the Capuchins drop out of sight
during those dark days of the colony; history is silent on
the noble work they must have done, in union with the Ursulines, and Jesuits of whom we hear so much at this time.
On the 25th February, 1730, the Natchez surrendered the
women and children, who were immediately sent to New
Orleans under escort, and as the war was practically over,
Fr. d'Outreleau returned to the city to them. The brave
missionary remained six weeks with the Superior, and then
returned to his mission in the Illinois country.
~:
The generosity of the colony was taxed to the utfuost in
providing food and shelter for the ~vidows and orphans of
the two hundred slain at Fort Rosalie, and of those who
perished at Fort St. Peter. The newly made widows, however, were not long dependent on the bounty of the colony ;
they were in haste to doff their weeds, and Father le Petit
blessed many a marriage during those troublous days.
When writing of this the good Father, thinking that his
readers might imagine that recent events would throw a
gloom over the festivities, attendant on such occasions, and
(144)
�LOu7SIANA.
145
that the weddings would be rather funereal, hastens to say
with great naivete that he is told "that there are great demonstrations of joy at these nuptials."
One day about this time, while Fr. lc Petit was at the
government-house on some business, a band of Illinois, consisting of Michigamian, and Kaskaskian braves. were announced. The former were headed by Chicago, after whom
was called an Indian village, which was situated ncar the
site of the present great western metropolis, and the latter
by another well-known chief named Mamal)touensa. Governor Perrier received them with all colonial pomp, in order
to impress them with the greatness and power of the French.
When the Council began, Chicago was the first to speak.
He spread a buckshin robe, bordered with porcupine quills
on the floor, and placing two calumets on it, said, pointing
to them: "See, two words which we bring you, the one of
religion, the other of peace or war just as you shall decide.
We hearken with reverence to the commandants, because
they bring us the behests of the king our father, and still
more to the Black Robes because they bring us the word
of God who is the King of kings. 'vVe are come from afar,
to lament with you the death of the French, and to offer
you our warriors to strike the hostile nations which you
shall point out. You have but to speak. When I was in
France, the king promised me his proteCtion for the Prayer
(the Catholic religion), and told me never to abandon it. I
shall always remember it. Grant us, you also, proteCtion
for ourselves, and our Black Robes." As Chicago concluded, Mamantouensa rose, and a spoke as follows: "Here
are two young Paduka slaves, some skins, and other trifles.
It is a small present that I make you, and it is not my intention to bind you to make me a greater one. All that I
ask of you is your friendship and proteCtion. I am more
desirous of these, than of all the merchandise of the world,
and when I ask you for them, it is solely on account of the
Prayer. My aentiments on war are the same as those which
you have just heard from Chicago. It is useless then, for
me to repeat what you know already." Gov. Perrier was
delighted with the loyal and Catholic sentiments of these
Indians, and as to Fr. le Petit, it is little to say, that his joy
was great. He contrasts these Indians with the settlers, and
certainly the latter suffer by the comparison.
As the Illinois were to remain in the city for three weeks,
Fr. le Petit offered them the hospitality of our house, which
they gladly received. They heard Mass every morning in
our church, and on Sundays and feast days sang their
�LOUISL4NA..
hymns during the Holy Sacrifice, and at the close they entoned with lusty throats a prayer for the king, and an bonester prayer for his Gallic Majesty's welfare scarcely appeared before God. During the singing, the Ursulines, who
were always in attendance, sang the first strophe in Latin to
Gregorian music, and the Indians then took it up in their
own tongue, and continued with the same melody. Every
evening they told their beads in two choirs, after which they
chanted the ''Stabat Mater," "Vexilla Regis" or other
hymns, which had been done into Illinois by some of our
missionaries. Everybody was surprised at the faith and
piety of these poor savages, and our church used to be
packed during the services. Such were the Illinois, and
such under God had they become through the labors of our
missionaries, and it is no wonder that Fr. lc Petit regretted
their departure.
And so the eventful 1730 has come to an end. The rising of the Natchez was put down, at least for the time, but
it cost many lives and much property. \Vith the advent of
peace came the necessity-of supplying the place of the martyred missionaries. Fr. le l'etit did what in him lay, and
others were sent, but of their names and their deeds there
is no record.
In 1733 Bienville was again appointed governor of the
colony, and it was during this his second term that an hospital was ereB:ed by royal bounty in our city. \Vhen it was
finished, in 1737, Fr. d'Outrelcau was summoned from the
Illinois country, and appointed chaplain of the institution. In
1738 Fr. le Petit paid a visit to the missionary stations in
the Illinois country, returning the following year to New
Orleans where he died on the 14th OEI:ober. He was succeeded by Fr. Peter Vitry. Like his predecessor Fr. Vitry
fell on troublous times. One of the first things he was
obliged to do was to deny the request of Gov. Bienville, to
establish a school in the city. We gather this fr§m a joint
letter, addressed by Bienville, and the Commissary" Salmon
to the French government on June ISth, 1742. The letter
runs thus-"It is a long time since the inhabitants of Louisiana pointed out the necessity of having a college, for the
education of their sons. Convinced of the advantages of
such an establishment they invited the Jesuits to undertake
its creation and management, but they refused, on the
ground that they had no buildings suited for the purpose,
and had not the necessary funds to support such an establishment. Yet it is essential that there be one, at least for
the study of the classics, geometry, geography and pilotage.
�LOUISIANA.
147
There too the youths of the colony should be taught the
knowledge of religion which is the basis of morality, etc.,
etc."
It was a strong appeal, but the corrupt Louis XV set it
aside, because forsooth the colony was too unimportant a
place for such an establishment, and in consequence of his
decision, money, that would have strengthened the waning
power of France in the New \Vorld, went to add new corruptions to his Court. Anent this subjeCt: of the education
of the creole youth of Louisiana, it may be wc11 to examine
a statement which is found in "The Social Statistics of Cities; New Orleans, Department of the Interior, ISS I. By
E. \Varing and Geo. 'vV. Cable." "The Jesuit f.<thers, wherever the fault may lie, seem to have put the people of New
Orleans, whose male youth they had engaged to educate,
very little in their debt." This is a fair specimen of Mr.
Cable's method of writing. The beginning of the sentence
would seem to distribute the blame, but towards the end
we sec the "cauda serpentina," for there he lays all the
blame at our door, which he would have been justified in
doing, if we had "engaged" as he asserts, "to educate the
male youth." Such was not the case, according to the
terms of our contraCt:. Martin, the H ugenot historian of
Louisiana, whom no one will accuse of partiality where
Catholics are concerned, says expressly, that the Superior
of the Jesuits was allowed only "the temporary usc of such
priests of his order, as might arrive in New Orleans." Such
being the case we could not well open a college. Moreover,
Bienville was not the man to stand by quietly, while we
infringed the terms of our charter. But why stop to rebut
charges brought against heroes, saints, and martyrs by one
who is regarded by his countrymen as at least a trimmer.
Again the political horizon became overcast. The English began to tamper with the ChoCtaws, and Fr. Baudoin's
position among them grew daily more perilous. Still the
Governor was loath to recall him, but at last, yielding to the
urgent demands of Fr. Vitry, he summoned Fr. Baudoin to
New Orleans and the ChoCI:aw mission was abandoned.
Fr. Vitry, who had been Vicar-General passed to his eternal
reward April 5th, 1749.
Fr. Michael Baudoin, who had passed so many years
among the ChoCI:aws, was appointed to the superiorship,
left vacant by the death of Fr. Vitry, and when installed he
r~ceived from the Bishop of Quebec, the commission of
VIcar-general of the Province.
Let us now say something on a subjeCt:, on which up to
�LOUISIANA.
this we have been silent, and that is the material advantages
which the Society brought to the colony especially at this
time, when it was under the guidance of the enterprising.
Baudoin.
Fr. Vivier writing in 1750, to a friend in Europe, among
other things makes mention of our residence at New Orleans, "where," he says, "the superior general, one of onr
Fathers and two Coadjutors reside. 'vVe have there quite
a large plantation, which is in a very good condition. It is
from the revenues of this plantation, together with the salaries paid us by the king, that the wants of the missionaries
are supplied." As our plantation grew to almost double its
original size in the course of the years which we have been
glancing over, a word as to the manner of its acquisition
may not be uninteresting. The plantation as granted by
Gov. Bienville on the 1 Ith April, 1726, had a frontage on
the river of 20 arpents (3,6oo feet), and a depth of 50 arpents
(9,000 feet), within straight lines, and lay between what is·
now known as Common, Tchoupitoulas, Annunciation, and
Terpsichore streets, and·.bayou St. John "for at that time,
this bayou extended far up into the bend of the river, in a
depression somewhat beyond the present Hagan Avenue, and
not yet entirely extinct." To this grant was added another
on the 22nd January, 1728, of 5 arpents front by so deep
next above. Finally, Fr. Vitry purchased on 3rd December, 1745, a further tract of 7 arpents frontage, and of the
usual depth, adjoining the second grant, and by this purchase our title comprised the whole of what is now the first
district, from Common street to Felicity Road. Our house
was situated some distance from the river on what is now
Delord street, in the vicinity of Lee (Tivoli) Circle. As
soon as our Fathers took possession, they planted a grove
of wax-myrtle shrubs, the theme of history, and the admiration of travelers. This grove of myrtle served .a double
purpose, it reduced the seepage on the front to a.minimum,
and furnished the Fathers with tapers for the altar: and for
domestic use; for be it known that this plant furnished the
only illumination known for years in the Colony, and the
cry of "belles chandelles" was a familiar one on our colonial
streets. Fr. Vivier tells us that with care, this wax can be
made almost as good as French bees-wax, and adds that if
a demand for it, could be produced in the mother country,
it would prove a source of considerable revenue to the colony. Notwithstanding all its good qualities, it is to be
feared, that a pen acquainted with the petroleum, gas and
electric lamps of the 19th century might write about this
j
I
Ji.!
�LOUISIANA.
I49
wax-myrtle with an under-current, more or less discernible,
of disparagement, and so it may be wise to give place to
one whose quaint lucubrations grew, and thrived in its
darksome light. Mons. Page du Pratz was a Frenchman,
who spent many years in the colony observing everything
he deemed worthy of note. He has left us some excellent
pages on the plant, and animal life of our State, and among
the rest he speaks of the wax-myrtle, and the manner of
making the wax. We are justified in asserting that the observations of Mons. Page du Pratz were made on our plantation;
first, because it was as history shows, the most perfeCt one
of its kind in the colony, and then again in his account of
the manufaCture of the wax we find a method of marking the
flight of time, rarely met with outside of our ascetic literature. But du Pratz is· impatient to speak. The passage
may be found in his second volume of the History of Louisiana, printed at Paris in 1758: "The wax-myrtle, is one of
the great boons, with which nature has enriched Louisiana,
where the bees construCt their hives in the ground, to put
their treasures out of reach of the ravages of the bears, which
are very fond of tid-bits, and which have little fear of their
stings. At first sight one would take it (the wax-myrtie) as
much by its bark, as by its height, for the species of laurel
that cooks use. It grows in a tuft from the root; its leaf is
shaped like that of the laurel, but is not so thick, and its
color is not so bright. Its fruit grows in bunches, and
throws out a number of stems, about twice the length of
your thumb, from the same place; at the extremity of each
of these stems there is a small pea, made up of a kernel,
enclosed in ashcll which is entirely covered with wax. Its
fruit grows in great quantities, wh~ch is all the easier to
gather as the branches arc extremely limber. It grows in
the shade of other trees just as well as in the sun, in swampy
places, and in dry soils, in a warm climate, and in a cold
one. For although it grows in abundance in the vicinity of
New Orleans, which is about 30 N. Lat., it grows equally
well much f.·uther to the north, and they assure that it is to
be found in Canada, a country as cold as Denniark. The
~vax that this tree produces is of two kinds, the one a whitIsh yellow, and the other green. It was quite a while bc!ore these kinds were separated, they were mixed together
Ill the primitive method that was followed in extraCting the
wax. In f.1.Ct, it was usual to throw the grains with the
stalks attached into a large pot of boiling water, the wax
became detached, and then the kernels and stalks were
skimmed off. The water was then left to cool, and the wax
�LOUISIANA.
to harden, after which the water was drawn off, and the result was a cake of pale green wax which however whitened
with age. An accident, as it ordinarily happens, taught us
quite recently how to separate these two kinds of wax. On
the grains and stems, which are put into a pot as much
boiling water is poured, as is sufficient to cover them. A
little after, that is to say, about the time necessary to recite
the "Miserere" the water is poured into a cold vessel. In
cooling the wax hardens, and that is the whitish yellow
kind, which bleaches rapidly if exposed for six or seven
nights to the dew. Then the water which has been drawn
off is poured back on the grains and stalks, and boiled at
discretion until it is judged that all the wax has been detached. The water which has served to dissolve this wax
is anything but useless. It has received from this fruit an
astringent virtue, so that it hardens tallow when melted in
it, to the" point that the tallow candle becomes as hard as the
wax-candles of France. It will be believed without difficulty,
after what I have said, that the French of Louisiana cultivate
this plant with care." Hel·e we have an account of one kind
of the agricultural labors of ours, but there were others from
which to this day Louisiana draws great profit. In 1751
Fr. Baudoin introduced sugar cane into the colony, and at
the same time imported some negro slaves from San Domingo, who were acquainted with the methods of cultivating it. He tried his experiment in the angle of our plantation between Common and Tchoupitoulas streets. It was
not a success, as is usual with first attempts, but in time it
became a leading industry in the colony. Besides the sugar cane Fr. Baudoin introduced oranges from San Domingo
and figs from Provence,. France, and many assert that Ours
were the first to introduce the indigo plant into Louisiana,
but of this the writer has come across no positive proof.
Let us conclude here, reserving for the next paper the
account of our expulsion from New Orleans, ·with the
words to he found in the Social Statistics, 1881: "Much encouragement was given to agriculture by the example of
their (the Jesuits) industry and enterprise."
P.]. K.
Non~.-Owing to a badly worded description, the location of our first house in New Orleans, as given in the preceding paper, is wrong. An old map, of good authority,
places our house on Bienville street, in the block bounded
by Customhouse, Royal, Charters and Bienville streets.
P.]. K.
�AN ACCOUNT OF THE EDIFYING DEATH OF
MR. ROBERT BROOKE,
WHO DEPARTED TillS LIFE IN MARYLAND ON OCT. 2ND,
A. D.
1667.
This gentleman, who was of noble lineage, had been for
some time seriously ill. On the eve of Michaelmas, seeing
that his end was near, he sent at once for me. I reached
his bedside shortly after midnight and found him-as I
thought-in the agony of death. But within half an hour
he returned to the full possession of his senses, and calling
me to him he said: "Father, this is the happy hour for
which my brother and I have in earnest and persevering
prayer besought the Blessed Virgin, that I might treat of
my soul-with you before I die."
Then, after spending half an hour in preparing himself
for the reception of the Sacraments, he made his confession
and without delay I ga\'e him Holy Communion and administered Extreme Unetion. He received the Sacraments
with such a profusion of tears, with so great piety, fervor
and contrition, and with so ardent expressions of the love
of God and of his neighbor, as would almost surpass belief. Then turning to me, he said: "My dear Father, now
my soul is in the enjoyment of the sweetest peace." A
quarter of an hour later his agony began and lasted some
hours amid the acutest sufferings, at each renewal of which
he seemed about to expire. But to our great surprise his
countenance suddenly became calm and he began with transports of joy to sing in a loud, sonorous voice. He remained in this condition for about an hour. He then relapsed again into the agony of death, which he endured
bravely for some three hours, when lo! in the twinkling of
an eye, again returned the tranquil expression of counte?ance, the transports of joy and the singing as before. Takltlg this as an indication that his soul was about to take
flight, I began to recite the Litany of Loretto, in which
I was joined by those who were by: and again he sang,
more earnestly still. The reason of this- as he told me
afterwards-was, that the angels were chanting the praises
of the Blessed Virgin, as we were telling them in the Litany.
We spent an hour in this fashion, after which returning to
(IS I}
�152
EDIFYING DEATH OF llfR. ROBERT BROOKE.
himself most unexpectedly he thus addressed me: "Father,
it is God's will that I should return to my senses for a time
that I may tell you of the incredible sufferings, which I
underwent in those hours of agony and also of the heavenly sweetness and delights which my soul experienced while
it expressed itself in song. For then all my pains were
gone and I heard the angels singing, and oh ! the harmony
of their song must be from heaven. Depart," he continued,
"ye riches and pleasures of the world! From my heart I
resolve never to offend God more, even by a venial sin.
Even should he restore my health, I will henceforth love
and serve Him alone." Then turning to his brothers, he
exclaimed : "0 my brothers ! Had you tasted but one drop
of the sweetness and joy, which I have just drunk, you
would bid everlasting farewell to the world and its wealth."
He added further good counsel to this appeal to his brothers and then he kissed them. He kissed his wife, blessed
his son and daughter and kissed them both tenderly. He
chided his wife for her tears and told her that she ought
rather rejoice with him that the will of God was being fulfilled in him. Then he said to me: "Father, let us talk of
God and the things of heaven." 'With this request I hastened to comply. Some time after I pronounced several
acts of faith, hope, charity and contrition and frequently repeated aspirations to God, all of which he repeated after me
with all the ardor of his whole heart and soul.
In the midst of these he told me that he felt his former
ecstasies returning, and true enough, abruptly seizing my
hand with one of his and with the other that of his brother,
Mr. Charles, he again gave token of experiencing ecstatic
joy and continued to sing for full half an hour. His countenance meanwhile shone with such an expression of love
that he seemed lost in the delights ot heaven. This was
undoubtedly an hour of sweetness, yet the interval was but
short, for he suddenly passed from these joys into a dreadful convulsion which for the space of an hour so worked
upon him that all his veins and artedes seemed on the point
of bursting. At length becoming calm again, he said to
me: "Father, for my part I believe these ecstasies have come
from God, and that the voices I have heard are those of
angels; yet I humbly submit myself to your judgment." I
then undertook to examine the dispositions of his soul,
to ascertain whether his consolations left any good fruit
therein; and I discovered in his soul effects, which none
other than the Holy Ghost could have worked. For I found
that he possessed his soul in humility, patience, indifference
�EDIFYING DEATH OF "lfR. ROBERT BROOKE.
153
and utter resignation to the will of God, -virtues which
were little consonant with his past life, as his brothers and
friends assured me, - and God had now brought them to
great perfeftjon in the soul o( hjs servant.
' He did not yet die; buF lingered' for two 9ays more.
Meanwhile I had withdraw11 to take··a little rest, and during
my absence he foretold that the angels would come to bear
away his soul. Shortly before h~ expired, he called his wife
and told her that he saw the angels standing by his bed and
waiting the setting out-of fits souE "\Vhen he had said this,
with fervent aspirations to God he breathed out his spirit
into the haiids of the angels to be borne up into the bosom
of the Most Holy Trinity. ·"Should one ask why his death
should be so happy, I can assign no reason save the firm
faith, high hope, burning charity, deep humility, singular
piety and devotion, and angelic purity, with which at the
hour of his death he received the Sacraments of Penance,
the Eucharist and Extreme Unction. For also after the reception .of the Sacraments he continued during the whole
remaining time of his illness to practise these same virtues,
until he breathed forth his soul. Precious indeed in the
sight of God is the death of His saints!
This testimony of what his own eyes have witnessed,
Peter Pelcon, priest of the Society of Jesus, has left in
writing.
I, the undersigned, Professor at Georgetown College, have
faithfully copied the relation given above.
CHARLEs BoARMAN- I 804.
I'
,
VoL. xv:,.No.
I•'
1
t.
I
18
2.
r
I
"
\
•,
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY
'
MISSIONARIES.
, FR. JoHN ALTHAM.
Fr. \Vhite, the Apostle of Maryland, was ably assisted irr
all his early undertakings by Fr. John Altham, 7•crc Gravenor, and Fr. Timothy Hayes, alias Hanmer.
Fr. Altham was a native of \Varwickshire, England, and
was born in the year I ssg. He was enrolled among the
sons of St. Ignatius in I623. Before coming to Maryland
he had zealously served the missions in the De,·on and
London DistriCts.
>
FR. TIMOTHY HAYES.
Fr. Hayes was born in Doretshire, in England, in I584.
Being already raised to the dignity of the priesthood he
entered a Jesuit Nodtiate in I6I7. For a long time he was
engaged in missionary life in London, where he was exposed to a thousand daily dangers.
BR. THOMAS GERVASE.
Br. Thomas Gervase, alias Gellway, rendered important
service to the missionaries, and though only engaged in
waiting on the Fathers, and attending as f.·w as he could
under the circumstances to their temporal wants fully shared
in the merit of their holy labors, and must ever participate
in the glory of their undertakings. This devotcd.. man was
born in Derbyshire, England, in I 590. Thirty-four years
afterwards he entered the Society.of Jesus as a Temporal
Coadjutor. From Catalogues we learn that, in I625, he
was a novice in the London Novitiate, Clerkenwell. It
seems that after his vows of religion he still remained in the
same house, for four years later on we find him still in the
same place. In I633, he is mentioned as being employed
in humble and useful duties in the Lancashire DistriCt. "It
is very probable," says the Collcc?mzm, "that he is identical
with Thomas Latham, the housekeeper at Clerkenwell,
(I 54)
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY li!ISSIONARIES. 155
mentioned in the report of the discovery of that Residence
by the Pursuivants of the Privy Council in I628, and committed with the rest to prison." Brother Gervase died of
the yellow-fever, in the August or September of 1637.
The Annual Letter for that year says, that "after enduring
severe toils for the space of five years with the greatest patience, humility, and ardent love, he was seized by the disease prevalent at the time, and happily exchanged this
wretched life for that which is eternal."
FR. JonN RoGERS.
Fr. Timothy Hayes returned to England about the year
I636. That year two other missionaries arrived in Maryland, Fathers John Rogers, alias Bampficld and John \Vood.
This last named Father did not remain many months on the
Maryland Mission, perhaps on account of ill-health.
Father Rogers was the son of an esquire, and was born
at Feltham, ncar Frome, county \Vilts, in England, about
the year I 584. Feltham was his L<thcr's seat. He was
brought up as a Protestant, but having been taken to the
Douay College by Father Bray of the Society he was convetted to the true Faith. I Ic entered the English College
at Rome in I004. The following extraCt is taken from the
diary of that College: "Iu04, John Rogers of Somerset,
near the town of Frome, aged twenty, not yet confirmed,
came from Douay with William vVorthington and Dingley
(Morgan). On account of his weak health his admission to
the College was deferred until the beginning of the following
year, when he was admitted among the alumni in January
1st, Iuos, and took the usual College oaths on the 10th of
August following. Having completed his philosophy and
theology, he left the College April 21st, lUI I, and entered
the Society. On entering the College he made the following statement: "My name is John Rogers. I am twenty
years of age, and was born in a village called Feltham, the
property of my f.Lthcr, ncar the town of Frome, in Somersetshire. I received the rudiments of education in various
places, but mostly in a town in \Veltshire, called Heytesbury, where I studied humanities for seven years. Thence,
at my L<ther's wish, I went to Oxford, where I lived for half
a year in Oriel College. After this I remained at home
idle for nearly two years, when a soldier named Richard
Diar, of the King's body-guard, came to my father's house,
and asked him if he was willing that I should enter the
service of the son of Lord Harrington, who was Lord-in-
�156 B/OGRAPHIC-11- SKETCHES OF EARLr MISSIONARIES.
\Vaiting to the Prince. The soldier, having heard my father's wishes, turning to me asked if I was agreeable. On
one special condition I said (meaning that I should preserve
my religion). "Thou wilt be pure in religion, he replied
(thinking I favored Puritanism). I refused his offer. At
length my uncle, Lord Stourton, asked my father what he
could do for me, and proposed my entering the service of
his wife, the Lady Stourton. To this my f:>ther assented
and committed me to her charge; and when I had spent a
year there, by chance I met a very aged priest, named Fr.
Bray, who had lived ten years at Douay, and by whose
means I was made a Catholic, and I then crossed over, not
without difficulty, to Douay. My f.<ther is an esquire, living upon his own estate; I ·have only one brother and sister,
and myself·the eldefit. I have many,rehitives, some of them
Catholics;' . My father is still a· schismatic; and I myself was
always so· until· my conversion· by the. above-named aged
priest." ·
•, . . _.
·
In 1624 Father Rogei·s was a missioner in the College of
St. Thomas of Canterbur}':,, In 1655 he was at \Vatten,
then being seventy-two yeat·s of age, having spent fortyfour in the Society and thirty-four upon the mission. He
died at St. Orner's College, on August 7th, 1657·
The summary of the deceased members of the English
Province for 1657, thus notices this Father: "Father John
Rogers, a learned man, and a very sharp defender of our
Francis Suarez... Being translated to the novitiate of\Vatten
in his declining years, he spet\t much time in prayer, either
in his private chamber ot· else before the Blessed Sacrament
in the Church. He \yas o;risiting the College of St. Omer by
way of t·ecreation, ami appeared in perfeCt: health, but was
found in the morning dead, yet modestly composed in bed,
on the 7th of this month 'of September." Fr. Rogers was,
with other Jesuit Fathers, sent into banishment in 1618,
under the name o( John Bampfield. According toj<ather
Edmund Goffin Father Rogers publicly defended theses of
philosophy (metaphysics) with Fr. Jol1n Port (Layton) in
Rome.
·
h1 Brother· Foley's' sketch of the College of St. Thomas
of Canterbury, we read: besides Fr. Baldwin eleven of the
En'g!isll Fathers of the Society passed, under the charge of
the good Count Gondm'nar into exile, Ralph Bickley, Richard' Bartlet, John Bampfield 7JCrc John Rogers, Alexander
Fairclough,'john Falconer, Henry Hawkins, John Sweetman; Francis \Vallis, Laurence Worthington, Francis Young
and William York. Mc>'St of these returned to England to
�BIOGRAPHIC·JL SKETCHES OF EARLY .lfiSSIONARIES. 157
resume their arduous labors, braving alike the danger of
recapture and of certain death. if caught.
From some cause or other, Fr. Rogers was not allowed
to spend· .his life in working on the Maryland Mission.
About 1638 he \Va:S recalled to England. One year or two
before his return, 'however, the mission was. increased by
the arrival of t'wo' new 'Jesuits, Fathers ThomasJ:opley, alias
Philip Fisher, and :John Knowles:
' '.
;
..
FR. JonN KNOWLES.
Fr. Knowles was a native of Staffordshire, and was born
in 1607. He entered the Society at the age of seventeen.
He did not last much more than six weeks in our Mission.
The Annual Letters say of him that though young, he "possessed remarkable qualities of niind which gave great prom>ise for the future.· He had scarcely spent two months in
this Mission, when, to the great grief of all of tts, he was
carried off by the sickness so general in the colony." The
Letters add, that ''none of the three remaining priests have
entirely escaped, yet we have not ceased to labor to the best
of our ability among the neighboring people."
' SoME TRIALS.··
r .;
The severest trials of the missionaries came from the. •inr
gratitude and injustice of men styling themselves Catholics,
The oppression and hatred of enemies were.to be expected.
The children of darkness naturally hate the brightnCSsfof
day, the pure glories of light. But ;that the sons of the
Church shmild 'seck to oppress and persecute Her, though,
alas, a· sin so common in our own day; is a thing' not only
base and unnatural in itself, but even a crime, the very
thought of which causes deep pain in every noble heart, and
causes every generous breast to swell with indignation and
horror. And so the conduCt of some of the Catholics of the
colony, who sought to infringe upon the rights of the
Church, caused our missionaries the most bitter pangs. A
missionary writes as follows from Maryland, in 1642: "One
thing, however, remains to be mentioned with a passing
notice, viz : that an occasion of suffering has not been wanting to us from those from whom we rather expeCted protection; who, in anxiety for their own interests, have not
hesitated to violate the immunities of the Church by endeavoring to enforce here the unjust laws passed in England,
that it shall not be lawful for any person or community~
�...
158 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY MISSIONARIES.
even ecclesiastical, in any manner, even by gift, to acquire
or possess any land, unless the permission of the civil magistrate be first obtained. And when our Fathers declared
this to be repugnant to the laws of the Church, two priests
were sent from England to teach the contrary doarinc. But
it ended quite the reverse of what was expeaed, for our
reasons being adduced and heard, and the matter itself more
clearly examined and understood, sentence was given in
our favor, and received the full concurrence of the laity
generally."
FR. JonN Cooi•ER.
Fr. John Cooper is mentioned as being in Maryland in
1644, and Fr. Bernard Hartwell is noticed as dying there in
1646. We arc of the opinion that these missionaries were
in ·Maryland in 1642. In a letter for that year we read: "To
our great comfort, two new Fathers have recently come to
us from England ; they had a bad voyage of fourteen weeks,
though it usually docs not take more than six or eight. But
of these, of their labors an.~ fruit, we shall, please God, speak
another time. \Vc hope indeed that it will be abundant,
and thus f.1.r we may predia much from their present zeal
and unity of soul with us."
If these Fathers here alluded to were not Cooper and
Hartwell we arc at a loss to know who they could have
been, as no other new names occur in the Roman Catalogue
about that period.
Fr. Cooper was a native of Hants, and was born in 1610.
In his twentieth year he entered the Society of Jesus. In
1645, he was one of those Fathers who were violently carried off ~o Virginia "to the great damage of religion." He
underwent many trials in that place and died there in 1646.
FR. BERNARD HARTWELL.
Fr. Bernard Hartwell was born in 1607, in B~cks, England, and became a Jesuit in 16~6. He was employed for
for some time at St. Omer's College. \Ve find that he
served in that college as Prcfea and Minister. As already
stated he died in Maryland, in 1646.
MR. RALPH CROUCH.
About Copley's time there was in St. Mary's County a
gentleman who signalized himself by his many virtues and
untiring zeal. His name was so often connccrcd with works
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY ,1fiSSIONARIES. 159
of mercy that some Protestant historians have mistaken him
for one of the Fathers. \Ve refer to Mr. Ralph Crouch,
who, it will be seen from the following account of him, taken
from the English Records, was merely a layman while in
Maryland: "Br. Ralph Crouch, a native of Oxford, who entered the Society as a temporal coadjutor, was born in 1620,
and joined the novitiate at \Natten, about 1639. Soon after
he left the noviceship, and went to Maryland, where for
nearly twenty years he was the 'right hand and solace' of
the English Fathers in that laborious and extensive mission.
Being a man of some education, he opened schoolsl1> for teaching humanities, gave catechetical instruCtions to the poorer
class, was assiduous in visiting the sick. He was a man
full of zeal and charity, and ready for every good and pious
work. Being at length re-admitted to the Society in 1659,
he returned to Europe, completed his noviceship at Watten,
and was admitted to his vows in 1669. He spent the remainder of his life at Liege, remarkable for piety and patience in sufferings, especially in his last protraCted sickness.
He died a model of edification to all, November the 18th,
I679, at the age of fifty-nine."
Mr. Crouch while in Maryland was greatly assisted by
some other religious laymen. Among these was a Surgeon
Henry Hooper. This gentleman, who died about 1650 left
a legacy to Ralplt Crouc!t for such "pious uses as he thinks
fit." Surgeon Hooper is mentioned in the Annapolis Records as one of those who came with Fr. Copley.
FR. THOMAS PAYTOK.
In 165 8, Fr. Thomas Payton came to labor on the Maryland Mission. This Father was a native of Lincolnshire,
England, ami was born in the year I607. He entered the
Society in I 630. His first priestly labors, we believe, were
as camp missioner in Belgium. In 1649, he was employed
in the London DistriCt, and six years later on we find him
employed as missioner in the Hants DistriCt. Having spent
one year and a half of zealous toils in Maryland, he was
obliged on account of special business to return to England.
Returning again to his Maryland Mission he died on the
voyage, January the 12th, I 660.
1
< lTI1e'e schools have prohahly the honor to he the first of their kind es·
tahlished in )[arylantl,
�x6o BIOGRAPHICAL •sKETCHES OF 'EARLY "1f!SSIONARIES.
••
•
~
J •.
~:,-I
FR. PETER '1\tA:s-NERS.i
1.
,,
•
Thttlname of Fr. Peter. Manners appears in the Catalogue
for 1664.' ··· .. · · ·
·
' ·· ' · ·
·
· · ··
I will here take ·the -liberty of citing some other extraCts
from the 1\Iarylaiid ·Annual L~tters. : The~ will hell_>· some
future. historian ·when· writing a· more ·complete' Cathono
work upon the tnissions in So'uthcrn Maryland:' r669: Two
Fathers)1ave ·charge of· the l\laryland.l\1ission; a thirdi Fr~
Peter Manners, ·was suddenly taken· from amongst us in th<t
beginning ofhis fruitful labors, ·no less to the regretthart to
the loss of the inhabitants. To repair our deficiency., two.
priests• and a temporal coadjutor \Vere sent over this autumn,
so that the mission now comprises four priests and three
temporal coadjutors."
Fr. Peter Manners, vert.' Pelcon, who was one of the tri'ost
zealous of the missionary Fathers, was unhappily drowriCti
in crossing a river. The Provincial, Fr. Joseph Simeons, has
left us the following descrjption of him:
"Father Peter Manners '\vas a native of Norfolk, thirtyeight years of age. He spent twelve years in the Society,
most of them in the Maryland Mission, with great zeal and
fruit. He ended his days on \V ednesday in the Easter week
of this (April 24th, 1669), by a sudden but not an unprovided death. Obedience direCted him to it, and charity
consummated his course, even amidst the waters, which
could not extinguish his charity, though they did extinguish his life. For having been summoned to a distant
call of duty, whilst crossing a rapid mill stream, which had
become unusually swollen by the rains, he, together with
his horse, was carried away by the torrent and drowned.
He was deeply lamented throughout the whole colony, in
faCt his loss was almost incalculable. He had been all
things to every one ; and none came to him for relief to
whom he did not afford it. As an indefatigable missionary,
filled with the apostolical spirit, he endeavoured great things.
He laid more than the foundation of'some hundred conversions, to which, after a little interval, the finishing stroke
was given by others. The very highest opinion of his virtue and integrity was entertained by all without exception,
and caused him to be venerated by them, so that he exercised a wonderful influence; he comforted the faithful and
made them courageous as well as good ; he inspired fear in
the heretics, and made them afraid to answer him."
Three other faCts are added by the Superior of the Mary-
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EA'RLY IJ<IISSIONARIES. r6r
land Mission, all which·,highly extol· the merits of this
Father.··· The first' is that• the priest, who· had. been his confessor from the time he landed until his death, declared he
never found anything·in him that was riot angelical, on which
account it was frequently necessary to refer to some fault of
his past life. to secure matter for ab'solution. The shc·Olid,
that on being appointed to.the Maryland Mission, he bound'
himself by a special vow to .consecrate all· his life and labours
to it, if approved of by his Superiors. ·The third faCI: is that
to this vow he dddcd another, far more excellent and ·of a
more perfeCI: charity, that he would love no creature except
in God and for·God; and thus all other love appeared sordid to him, which did not proceed from the, purest fountaill
of charity. . The Superior concludes his eulogy by saying,
"and, as far as it was· right for me to all0w it to be followed
out, he fulfilled this last vow pcrfcCI:ly, No further poiri~
can be added to such virtue."
·'
.·
' T:.·
1671. In the mission of Maryland this year arc two
priests and two temporal coadjutors~ 'The mission bears no
little fruit, as we learn from the last letters, and its fruit
would be still greater were the·'Jaborers more in number.
Few arc living of ·those sent in· former. years. Two· ditd
this year, Fr. \Villiam Pelham aild Thomas Shcrbotrte,'ai
lay-brother. There were fifty converts, many of high 'nutc;
and fifty-four were baptized.
•J:>t ·I
1672. Two priests and two lay-brothers have labored
diligently in the conversion of heretics and in strengthening
and instruCI:ing Catholics, and no little fruit has been gained
by them this year.
Since the last account, seventy-four converts have been
made and one hundred persons baptized.
1673. This year there were two priests, and a lay-brother
who attended to the temporal affairs of the mission, whilst
the Fathers devoted their labors chiefly to confirming the
Catholics in their faith and instilling into them the principles and praCI:ices of piety. They treated also occasionally
with the Protestants, of whom they have reconciled twentyeight to the Church. They baptized seventy infants.
Two Franciscan Fathers were sent last year from England as coadjutors in the labors of the ri1ission, between
whom and ourselves fraternal charity and offices of mutual
friendship are exercised, to the common good of the Catholic cause.
• 1674. There were three priests this year and one laybrother. Thirty-four converts were received and seventyfive baptisms administered.
�...
r62 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY JfiSSIONARIES.
1677. The mission was increased at the end of the year
by two members : one a priest and the other a lay-brother.
BR. FRANCIS KNATCHBULL.
Br. Francis Knatchbull died here June 6th, 1677. He was
admitted at Watten November 2oth, 1671, and while yet in
his noviceship, being full of zeal, he asked with great earnestness for the mission of Maryland, and obtained his request at the end of the year 1674; he lived in it only two
years.
According to the English Records, Francis Knatchbull
was not a priest, but a lay-brother. Fr. Robert Knatchbull,
who was for some time at Ghent, and served the Missions
of Brough and \Nalton Hill, county York, was a native of
lVIaryland; he was born in 1716, made his humanities at
St. Omer's, and entered the Society in 1735.
FR. JoHN FITZWIU..IA;o.Is, ALIAS VILLIERS.
The Fitzwilliams of Li'ncoln, England, gave some distinguished members to the Society of Jesus. \Villiam,
George, and John, alias Villiers, were probably brothers by
blood, as well as by the holy ties of the religious profession.
Father George made his studies at the English College, at
Rome. The other two brothers pursued their studies both
at St. Omer's and at the Eternal City. \Villiam leaves us
the following statement: "1\ly true name is \Villiam Fitzwilliam. I am son of \Villiam Fitzwilliam and Frances Hilliard, both Catholics and of distinction. I was born in
Lincolnshire. I have no relatives surviving on my father's
side, and have an only sister married to Lord Percy; on my
mother's side, arc two uncles and two aunts living in the
county of Suffolk But for the oppression of Catholics by
the heretics, my parents would be living in very zood cir•·
cumstances."
Fr. John Villiers made his Novitiate at \Vatten. Soon
after his ordination he was sent to· the Maryland Mission
where his death occurred on the 30th of October, the year
r665.
FR. EDWARD TmoER, ALIAs INGLEliY.
In Br. Henry Foley's Collcc7anca we have the following
account of this early missionary: Fr. Edward Tiddcr, alias
Edward Inglcby, was a native of Suffolk, born 1630; entered the Society September 7th, 1652, and was professed
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY JfiSSIONARIES. r63
of the four vows (under the name of Edward Ingleby, according to a list of professions in the archives, but as Edward Tidder, in the Catalogue of the Province), on February
znd, 1672. Being ordained Priest April 16th, 1661, he was
sent soon afterwards to the Maryland Mission, where he is
traced from 1663 till 1667. In 1669 he was missioner, and
Procurator or Superior in the College of the Holy Apostles
(Suffolk District). In 1679 he succeeded the martyred
Procurator of the Province, Fr. William Ireland, and retained
that office for some years, and is named Edward Ingleby in
a letter from Father ·warner (alias Clare), the Provincial, to
the Father General, dated St. Orner's College, June I 5th,
1690. (Ang!ia, Stonyhurst MSS., vol. 5, n. I 10). The temporal affairs of the Province had been nearly brought to
ruin by the persecution in the Oates Plot, and especially by
means of a traitor agent, and Fathers Edward Petre and
Tidder made great efforts to gather up the scattered fragments. Great difficulty is expressed in the above letter of
finding means to support the members of the Province, who
were either lying in prisons, or had no patrons to whom to
resort, for many of the noblemen and gentry who formerly
retained a chaplain, were then afraid or unable to do so,
both on account of their reduced means and of the dangerous times. August 1678-9, he retired for a short time in
concealment, and ventured back again in November following, as the Provincial expresses in a letter to the Father
General, November 7th, 1679 (Fr. John Warner's Note and
Letter-book). In September, 1679, he was appointed ViceRector of St. Ignatius' College, London (Id.).
He is
mentioned in several other letters of the Provincial in the
same Note and Letter-book. He went to teside at the New
College in the Savoy, Strand, May 24th, 1678 (Sec Records
S. J. vol. 5, p. 265). He was Vice-Provincial in England in
1690, and his death is recorded in the Necrology of the
Province, in the name of Edward Inglcby, in London, January znd, 1699.
FR. GEORGE POLE.
Fr. George Pole appears in Maryland in 1668. This
Father was a native of Derbyshire, and was born in 1628.
He entered the Society in 1656. In 1658 he was missioner
in the Yorkshire District, and during 1665 in the adjoining
Residence of St. John (the Durham District). He died in
the Maryland Mission on the 31st of October, 1669.
We will give here the copy of a letter from Fr. Joseph
�16-l BIOGRAPHICAL ..SKETCHES' OF EARLY MISSIONARIES.
Simcons, Provincial,. to the Very Rev. Father General,, recounting the· death of Fr. Pole : ·
Ill,
"Vcry Rev. Father in Christ,
·
Pax Christi.
On the 3 Ist of OCtober, 166g, died in Maryland, Father
George Pole. He volunteered himself two years· before for
that arduous Mission in Americaj having in the preceding
year, when the plague raged in London, heroically devoted
himself to the service of the affliCted. If anything· else in
his praise can be collccred, it shall later on be put into the
form of a eulogy. In the meantime, I humbly beg . your
Paternity to be pleased to order the usual suffrages for the
repose of his soul.
,
Since the Superior of· 1\Iaryland writes word that Ours,
on account of their fewness in numbers, are worn out with
over work,·the sick even, as was the case with Fr. George
Pole, being obliged to assist the dying, I humbly ask your
Paternity to allow the Provincial to send there some wb'o
have finished their studies~ ·
Your V. Rev. PaternitY's humble Servt. in Christ,
London, 28th Feb., 16~.
JosEPH SniEoNs."
. Fk.
vVILuAM -PELHAM.
-.-,
vVi.!. ha.;;-e already 'seen in· the Anni.1al. Letters for 167,1,
.that Ft<.'vVilliam Pclhari1 died •in .the Maryland Mission In
thaf'year. ,.;[his missionary was .born abodt the year.l624,
in Suffolk, Englai1d. · He entered the. Socidy. iru .1i643.
Twelve years afterwards we find him zealously laboring at
the College of the Holy Apostles.
FR. NICHOLAS GUILLICK.
Father Nicholas Guillick was a native of Rouen, and was
born in 1647. In his twenty-second year he ente'i-eC! the
Novitiate at vVatten. In 1675 we find him as missioner at
vVatten, but even then destined by his Superiors for the
Maryland Mission.
FR. THOMAS GAVAN.
Among the missionaries in Maryland in 1677, was Fr.
Thomas Gavan, who is thought, with much reason, to have
been the brother of Fr. John Gavan, who suffered at Tyburn
on June the 30th, 1679. Fr. John "was a man of remarkabl<:;
�BIOG'R'JlPHICAL Sl(ETCHES DP. EARL.Y JJUSSIONARIES. 165
talent, and· a·.noted preacher, and was called the silver trumpet, from his sweet and· clear intonation of voice." Our
missionary, Fr. Thomas Gavan, was probably of the Norrington, Wilts £<mily. He was born in London in 1646, and
became a Jesuit novice ini668. After having labored for
some years in Maryland, he returned to England in 1685, and
served the Mission of Thelton, in the College of the Holy
Apostles for some time. He was then sent to the Hampshire Distria, and subsequently to the College of St. Francis Xavier (the Herford and South Wales Distria). He died
piously in Lincolnshire, on June the 4th, 1712.
FR. MICHAEL FoRSTER.
Fr. Michael Forster, alias Gulick, comes before us in our
annals as Superior of Maryland in 1678. This missionary
belonged to a truly Catholic family of distinaion who suffered much on account of their fidelity to the ancient Faith.
His £<ther, Mr. Henry Forster, who after the death of his
wife entered the Society as a Coadjutor Brother, "was a
man of birth, and :highly conneaed in the county of Suffolk.
He was one of the six children of·Christoper Forster, Esq.,
of the parish of Copdoke, in Suffolk,. by his mother Elizabeth Rookwood, of the ancient £<mily of that name. He
married the eldest of three co-heiresses, daughter of a Mr.
Mason, of the county of Huntingdon, and had twelve children. The nine who survived inf.<ncy, namely, six daughters and three sons, all entered religion."
Christopher Forster and Elizabeth Rookwood, the grandparents of our missionary, ''were both persons of unspotted
£<me and reputation, and great· sufferers for their religion,
both as to imprisonment and loss, of means." Their son,
Henry, the '{<ther of our missionary, was a model of eyery
virtue both in the world and in religion. He "was one of
those several•Catholic £<milies who compounded with the
King not to be molested from abroad upon the account of
religion, and thus he and his wife, enjoyed themselves in all
.peace and prosperity from about. the twenty-fourth to the
forty-second year of his age, in as· well a regulated £<mily
as any doubtless in. England; keeping always an open chapel
as long as the· ti.mes did allow it, and Mass constantly about
eight in the morning, and at four after dinner on Sundays
and Holidays, V espcrs of the Divine Office read by the
priest, and always at nine at night the long litanies, and in
holy w'eek the whole office of the Church with all its ceremonies." ·But great. trials and troubles came at last. The
�166 BIOGRAPHICAL ..SA'ETCHES OF EARLY MISSIONARIES.
mother of our missionary passed away suddenly on .Good
Friday, about the hour of Tenebra:. She left behind her
nine children -"three sons and six daughters, whereof
Jlficltacl, the least and last, had scarce a year old complete.
But this," writes one of Mr. Forster's sons, "was as it were
only a little prologue to the grand scene which soon followed, the cruel wars not long after breaking out, and a
great persecution against Catholics, whereof my f.<ther had
his share. \Vhat stories were not raised against him?' of
armies underground which he had trained up in his court
by night; of I know not how many cooks, who after having
dressed and served in a vast number of oxen, and not so
much as a bone coming out again for them to pick, all quitted his house and service; and the maid of the parson of
the next parish was said to have taken her oath that she
saw a cart load of bright arrows enter in our great gate,
which vain and false report gained so much upon sober
men, that three nights together our house was beset by men
sent by the chief of Ipswich ,for to discover the hidden army,
etc., but the rabble of Ipswich was so incensed thereby, that
they could scarce be kept" from gathering into a head to
come and pull clown the house over our heads, lest we
should cut their throats with the hidden army, and what
they long threatened, six or seven thousand not long after
of t11e rabble, out of the associated counties did in a manner
effeCt, our house being the fourth they rifled and def.<ced,
in so much so, that one Squire Blosse, a Protestant neighbor, coming to sec it afterwards could not forbear weeping.
Indeed, my f.<ther had this advantage over his fellow-Catholic
neighbors who complained more of the insolence of their
own parishioners than of those who came afar off, whereas
the whole parish urged and offered to take arms to withstand the rabble, and defend our house, which my f.<thcr
refused, to hinder the mischief which might thence acrue to
the parish itself, choosing rather to see his house~and self
perish than to permit any harm to happen to any"onc of
them; resolved according to the example of others of his
Catholic neighbors to abandon all to God's holy providence;
but the parish would not rest here, but came in the night
with carts to transport the chief moveables to their own
houses, to which my f.<ther consented in part, fearing lest
finding the house wholly unfurnished it might occasion
their own plunder."
It would be going beyond our purpose of this article to
recount all the trials and sufferings of Mr. Henry Forster.
It will be sufficient to say that the rabble endeavored to
�BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF EARLY llflSSIONARIES. 167
catch that worthy gentleman in order to be able to burn
him to death in one of his own rooms; that his estate was
sequestrated, and that being thus reduced in circumstances
he was obliged "to break up housekeeping, and let out half
the manner (manor) house, with tillage to a tenant, and
make money upon his own stock to live upon in the other
part of the house, as it were privately, reducing his k'lmily of
some twenty, to himself, nine children, and one maid, and
priest when at home." After an endless series of persecutions Mr. Forster determined to leave England and go into
exile. He retired to Belgium. After spending some time
at Antwerp he removed to Brussels where he lived for nearly
three years. During this period "he dieted himself and
Michael with Mr. Bedingfield, but put his daughters to pension among the Devotes, and into monasteries, not to seem
to thrust them into religion, but to leave it wholly to God
and their own choice."
Michael at a very early period was sent to St. Omer's to
make -his studies. On the 30th of OCl:ober, 1659, being
then about eighteen years of age, he was admitted an Alumnus of the English College in Rome. On the 5th of April,
166o, he left the college and entered the Society at vVatten.
According to the Co!ldlmzra he came to Maryland in 1669.
He died in Maryland on February 6th, 1684. Father John
\Varner, Provincial, in a letter to the Very Rev. Father General, dated August the 2oth, 1680, mentions a report that a
school had been established in Maryland, of which Father
Michael was Superior, in which they taught humanities
with great success.
MR. TnoMAS HoTHERSALL.
One of the teachers in this early school was Thomas
Hothersall, an Approved Scholastic, who went by the alias
Slater. Mr. Hothersall was the son of William Hothersall
and his wife Ann Slater, both of the middle class of society.
"The Slaters," says a note in the Col!dlanca, "were a good
Catholic yeoman £<mily, Thomas Slater appearing in a list
of non-jurors in 1715, as holding an estate at Grimsargh,
adjoining the township of Hothersall. They were, later,
conneCted by marriage with the Heatleys of Brindle Lodge."
Thomas was probably the uncle of Fr. William Hothersall,
who was the last Jesuit ReCl:or of the English College,
Rome, from 1766 until the Suppression in 1773. Mr. Thos.
Hothersall was born at Grimsargh, and had one brother and
two sisters. He was always a Catholic, and made his stud-
�~
t6_'\
LET.TE,R OF FR, fl.(i
~RII,'EL
TO :A·FR/El\_'D IN PARIS.
ies at :St •. Oilier's College. He became a .J e~mit on the 20th
of June, i668. From Q.l)r,(:atalogue we learn, that though
-he -stuQif'!d, t,heology, he was never ordained priest. Two of
'the ol.d ~atJwlio and; lqy.a! j.1 ;;~ncashire family, the Hothersall k<mily, probably· uncl~~:.o( Thoin;H;dp~t their lives in
'the .servic<; of their Sovereign in the Givil.w;;t,lj. These were
George, a lieutenant; a,t; .L.iverpool, and John, a captain at
Greenhalgh, L<ncashire. Mr. Thbmas · Bothersall died in
Maryland in the y~ar 1698, aged 56 years.
LETTER OF FR. DE GRIVEL TO A FRIEND
IN PARIS.
Ox
THE BAXKS OF THE VoLGA,
April 5th, 1805.
MY DEAR FRIEND,
'
Perhaps you are of the ..opinion that the missions (I) of
Saratow arc like those of St. Francis Xavier, that here likewise are to be found, Pericula. jlu111inum, pcricula latromtlll.
There is not lacking some rcscmblahce but hardly any in
this particular. regard. · .\Ve dwell in a country which was
unCivilized twenty-eight years ago. At that time it was the
home of Tartar hordes, who disappcai·cd when the German
colonists. were established here under the proteCtion of
Catharine· I I. Though these .coloi1ists ·did not abandon their
industry, customs and civilization, still on account of their
neighbors there is plainly \'isible in their charaCter many
traces of the Russian, the Cossack and the Kalmouk. In
every other respeCt, they arc a good people, coming from
a Rood race and c_ountry.. However, they no longer manifest-that innocence and· simplicity peculiar to the Germans,
though their £1ith remains unshaken. The lack of spiritual
help has wrought great harm to their morals. But, as they
are still docile, and as the· spirit of novelty has not thus far
made its appearance among. tlH:!m, there is every reason to
hope that they will become fervent Christians. There is
already a marked change,. though it is but five months since
the Society took charge of these missions. The tavern'· U) This letter., pnhliRhP<I· in the ,/)(lcmnent.• In edits, vol. 20, is accompanied
hy the following note: ".Lc,t.ter written to a friend in Paris from the banks of
the Volga; by tJ.>e,Ahh~ de 'Grivef, son of a general of the army, and at presrent a: Jesuit .missioner in Russia.". ·It will be remembered that Fr. Grivel
sppnt;Illany years in our Pr9;;in?~:,, ,
�LETTER OF FR. DE GRIVEL TO A FRIEND IN PARIS.
r6<}
keepers and musicians complain that the people no longer
drink and dance so frequently, which is undoubtedly an
excellent sign. 'vVe suffer but one inconvenience, namely,
a great need of school-books as well as books of devotion.
It seems almost impossible for us to procure them. Still a
large number has been printed at Polocz and others are expected from Augsburg, where a collection has been made by
one of our fellow-laborers. But how far will these go towards satisfying our present need, when distributed among
the hundred thousand Catholics scattered throughout the
Province of Saratow? The faithful arc divided into ten
missions, six of which arc on the left and four on the right
bank of the Volga. Some missions arc composed of two
villages or settlements, others of three, others of four or five.
The settlers live in the houses built of wood and are in general well to do. The missionary dwells in one of the settlements of his missions and has in his possession a comfortable house and garden. 'vVe ar~ alone, living far from one
another like curates in charge of a parish. My mission is
that of Krasnapolis and is situated on the left bank of the
river. I have to care for 962 communicants who live in
four settlements, the f.·nthcst of which is distant five leagues.
In each of these settlements there is a neat wooden church.
\Vc live in perfect safety and tranquillity, although within
sixty or eighty leagues there is a band of Tartar robbers
worse than Arabs. They arc called Kirguis. Only three·
years ago they led away into captivity more than 300 persons, but they arc now held in check by the presence of a
body of soldiers on the frontier. The left bank of the river
is a vast plain without any unevenness, except those caused
here and there by the rains. It extends to the Ural Mountains, measuring in breadth from 1 so to 200 leagues. In
length it may be said to reach from the Caspian Sea to the
An9:ic Ocean, for it cannot be considered as interrupted by
the little hills which the people are pleased to call-mountains. \Ve arc situated in S0° N. Latitude. During five
months of the year the ground is covered with snow. Still
the summer is as warm as in Lombardy so that we are able
to grow melons in the open air. Seldom does it rain, but
this deficiency is made up for by the heavy fall of snow which
moistens the earth to a great depth. Not a stone is to be
found, in fact not C\'Cn a pebble. There are few or no fruit
trees and but a sparse growth of wood along the Volga.
Meadows and firms are almost the only objects that meet
the eye. Taking e\·erything into consideration this country
VoL. xv, No.2.
19
�170
LETTER OF Fil. flE GRJVEL TO A FRIEXD IN PARIS.
has not as many advantages as Germany. The old colonists look back to their fatherland with regret, while the
young deem nothing so beautiful as this vast plain where
they have bee1f born. As for myself, who have dwelt in
countries both beautiful and good, I must acknowledge that
I am very contented, for I feel that here below, whether dry
or marshy, beautiful or ill favored, warm or cold, it is still a
valley of tears and a place of exile. This spot cannot be
deemed like Japan nor the country of the Hurons; neither
does it resemble Paraguay, but it is at least with regard to
the spirit of the people a diminutive Germany. Consequently there does not seem to be any likelihood that we
shall die as martyrs. Our duties leave us only a short repose. Daily are we compelled to go from one settlement
to another. True, our good-natured colonists do not let us
stand in need of a conveyance, but these rustic wagons are
driven so slowly and jolt so much as to leave us greatly
fatigued. Happily the sleighs, which are in usc during five
months of the year, afforcL. us an easier mode of travelling.
Instead of jolting like the ~vagon, the sled sways continually
from one side of the road' to the other. Even this swift
conveyance is not without its inconveniences, for it is easily
upset by the slightest obstacle.
I am very happy and well content to stay here during
the remaining days of life.
I am, etc.,
FR. DE GRIVEL.
NoTE.-\Vhen Fr. de Grivel gave to his friends in Paris
this proof of the joy he experienced in the service of God on
the banks of the Volga he was already 36 years of age and
had long since outlived the enthusiasm of youth. But he
carried away from the no\·itiate at Polocz and preserved
throughout his life that wonderful energy which is born of
religious abnegation. Fr. Kohlmann has sent us in the
postscript of a letter written from Georgetown an~ dated
June 17th, I 864, this eulogy of the novitiate at Po loci. Fr.
de Grivel, says Fr. Kohlmann, writes to us as follows: "The
fervor reigning in this novitiate is admirable. My happiness is filled to overflowing. I am living among angels in
a land ofbenediCl:ion. Daily do we behold our joy increased
by the arrival of new companions, who seek to unite themselves to us and to share our future labors. Cheerfulness,
modesty, simplicity, exaCl:ness in the observance of rule,
union of hearts, charity, the spirit of Jesus Christ, behold
what there is in our novitiate and what is esteemed."
�SOUTH AMERICA -ECQUADOR.
Letter from Fr. A. Sa!a::ar.
QUITO,
Jan. 29th, 1886.
MY DEAR FATHER KRIEG,
P. C.
Although I have received no an-swer to a letter I wrote
you last year, I think in OB:ober, I suppose that we owe
the number we have recei\-ed of the \VooDSTOCK LETTERS
to your kindness in asking to have it sent to us. I, and all
here, thank you cordially.
I copy some paragraphs of a letter written to us from
Medellin by Fr. Raphael Perez who set out from here for the
North last September, to visit the houses in Colombia, and
with th~ intention of going on to Bogota. He afterwards
received the order to remain in Medellin, and is retl:or of
the college which is being founded there.
I inclose another from the Napo and, if I have time, I
shall add some news about that mission. Your Reverence,
or the editor of the LETTERS, can see if it is worth while
publishing them. I fulfill my promise by sending all I can
get.
Our house, here at Concepcion, was founded only recently,
about four years ago, at four leagues distance from Quito,
and is occupied by the Noviate and Scholasticate. There
are about 20 novices, 30 juniors, 19 philosophers, 12 lay
brothers and 10 f.<thers, two of the latter being in the third
year of probation.
The missions of the Napo have to struggle, as your Reverence knows, against the civilized men who go there to
reap advantage from the simplicity of the poor savages.
Among them there is one honorable exception, an honor to
his country, and a humiliation for us, for Mr. George, a
Yankee and a Protest;mt, is one of the best friends of the
Indians. In proof of this it is enough to say that they all
love him, whilst they generally detest the whites and fly
from them as from the greatest calamity. So rooted are
these feelings that when there was question of giving them
a sort of little mission, the meetings were held in the Protestant's house and the Catholic services celebrated there,
whilst neither would those who call themselves Catholics
(171)
�172
...
SOUTH A.1!ERICA-lr. S. OF COI.OMBIA.
let the Indians into their houses that they might be taught,
nor were the Indians willing to enter the houses of those
who did nothing but vex and maltreat them.
\Vith the best wishes for your Reverence, and hoping that
you will not forget me in your prayers and holy Sacrifices.
Your sen•'t in Jesus Christ,
Quito, Jan. 29th, rRR6.
A. SALAZAR, S. J.
SOUTH AMERICA-UNITED STATES OF
COLOMBIA ..
Letter from Fr. Rap/tad Pert:::.
MEnELLIN, Sept. 14th,
·ss.
Mv DEAR FR.l\1I~ISTER, A:-:n :-:EVER FORGOTTEN CmtMUNITY.<ll
I must before everything else thank all of your clear
household who ha\·e prayed for me, for I am persuaded that
to their prayers, and to obedience, qua: loquitur ''tllorias,
do I owe my having arrived safe and sound at this second
station in my long and trQublesome journey. I have not
experienced the least change in health, nor have I suffered
from hunger, thirst, or weariness. Two points, though but
two, God left me, that I might not be altogether deprived of
merit. The first was the journeying itself, a thing so little
suited to my nature, which loves quiet and retirement; and
the second, the length and dangers of the road in such an
unsettled season of the year.
The first two days there was nothing of note. The third
clay, on crossing a crest, we saw coming towards us a company of people drc.'L"cd in black and white. They were 25
Sisters of Bethlehem, of thn.'>c who were expelled from Costa
Rica. Some were Guatemalans, some Nicaraguans and
Costa Ricans; mnst of them I was acquainted with, and
many had been my penitents in former rhys. I was_ edified
to sec the joy with which these good religious bq_re the
fatigues of their long journey. After a few words of consolation and advice, they kept on their way towards Popayan, and I towards the great valley of the Cauca. This I
came in sight of a few hours later, a great level stretching
out like the sea, and botmdcd by a line of mountains, which
had the look of the coast when seen on approaching the
land.
In faa the valley of the Cauca is f.·unous throughout Colombia both for its extent and for its fertility. The point
Ill Fr. Perez had been superior of Juniors and Prefect of Studies at Concepcion.
�SOUTH A1TIERICA-U. S. OF COLO"TIBIA.
173
where I stood was the crest of a mountain chain, one of the
branches of the Andes. The chain here divides into two
great arms which gradually separate till they reach the
maximum distance of ~o leagues, and then close in again
till they arc but a league apart. Through this opening the
Cauca escapes, increased by the waters of its numerous
affluents. Imaginarc ampltitltcatrum, Pliny would have said,
in the form of an ellipse, its axis about 40 leagues by my
reckoning, though some Colombians would make it more.
The fertility of this great valley is wonderful, but it is almost
entirely abandoned. Here and there may be seen a few
farms, the cattle generally of a white color, the houses, dilapidated hovels, surrounded by little plats of bananas and
sugar-cane (the ordinary fodder for horses here), thick
though not extensive, groves, rivers of all sizes at every
step, of which, one, the Palo, is spanned by a magnificent
suspension bridge, another, that called "de Ia Vieja," is
navigable, and others still, dangerous to cross both on account of their width and of their depth and impetuosity.
Such is the valley; the type of the great majority of its
inhabitants is presented at every step in some such shape as
this. Imagine an undersized horse, more or less lean, on
whose flanks hanu four bi" bunches of rrreen bananas of
h
b
unusual size (a foot long at the least), and seated between
them a negro or negn:ss, of a pure African type, with a big
cigar in his mouth and an indescribable air of satisfaCtion.
These arc the "barbarians" by whose help various revolutionists have at different times put Bogota in peril.
\Ve follow our road which leads along the eastern range.
\Ve must reach a settlement at any cost, for to-morrow is
the feast of St. Raphael. Santander, a pretty town, is in
sight, but it is yet early and we may be able to reach Saloto.
. . . \Vc afterwards passed by Corinto, La Florida and La
Pradera, and arrived at Palmyra, a fair sized town, where we
changed the animals we had brought from Popayan. I remained here two days, and the parish priest treated us in
grand style. He gave up his own room to us, with a good
library and all the comforts of a well-to-do house. My attention was attraCted by a kind of sofa bed so rich and so
covered with ornament that it would have served in representing the death of St. Joseph or of the Blessed Virgin.
How was I to imagine that that was my bed! At night
when I saw myself in it, I could not but laugh out when I
called to mind our lodging a few days before. It was a hut
with the pretense of walls, of which only the remembrance
was left. In one corner was the fireplace; in that opposit~
~
�174
SOUTH A.1JF.RICA-
(T.
S. OF COLOJIBIA.
a man with the asthma; in another the loads of some muleteers, and in the fourth, the jars of water. The centre was
left for our sleeping place nearly under the eyes of Pablo
Mina or Paulo frfinus, a tall negro who with his dusky mate
and his pickaninnies dwelt in this skeleton of a house, and
almost made me think myself B. Peter Claver. The contrast of the lodging-places along those roads is very laughable .... \Ve kept up the valley, passing through settlements large and small, and crossing rivers of all sizes, till
we came to Cartago, quite a city, with five churches; the
two I saw seemed well kept. On All Saints' clay I said
Mass at Pereira, a town of some size, but with no church
but a shed thatched with straw. I continued my journey
the same clay; the country began to change. \Ve passed
two villages during the clay almo,:t exclusively of natives of
Anti6quia, whites, sturdy, harJ working men. I slept at
San Francisco, and they made me pay for my lodging by
preaching, c.r abrupto. The following day I passed the
Chinchinna, a pretty large river, the boundary between
Cauca and Anti6quia. h- .Js the :mel of November and I
find myself in l\Ianisales, a beautiful town, full of business
and with the air of a city. I am well- lodged with the parish priest. I secure four magnificent mules, well shod, large
and fat, and accustomed to these roads; we are sailing with
fair wind. But ah! illusions. Scarcely had our journey
begun, than our disenchantment begun~
This is without exaggeration the way the road went for five
days. \Ve were satisfied to make 5 or 6 leagues in a whole
day. There was a series of steep hills with only occasionally a level bit on the top and then never more than a hundred yards. The road, totally neglected for four years and
in a frightful state, and the season, a raw winter, there is no
need of recounting our dangers and fati<Tues. I was fast in
the mud twice, one of the times at a skep and dangerous
point. A woman who saw me poured forth fervid e~clama
tions and prayers (I) but could not help me. Thanks to the
strength· of my mule, I extricated myself from this and from
similar straits, but in a perspiration from anxiety and exertion. The villages we came across every half day on the
average, were on the crests of the hills, of pleasant aspect,
but with streets as steep as those of Quito. Nearly all have
a telegraph station, the churches are well built, clean, well
fitted up and with a fine clock in the tower. Finally, on
the 7th, we saw before us a beautiful valley and on the 9th
(ll
"Me jesuseaba con fervor."
�NF:TV YORK .1ff5iSION-I68J-I689.
175
caught sight of Medellin. It is in a long valley surrounded
by high hills. Through the middle there crosses on a level
with the plain, a charming river, like a band of silver, the
name they give it. Around the city which seems as large
as Quito, are a number of piCturesque country seats. In
the city the houses arc generally low, but around the pla:::a,
nearly all arc two or three stories high, with broad and
handsome balconies. There is no public building of note.
I have seen three of. the six churches, and they are only
pretty. In the Cathedral my attention was drawn to a colleCtion, though incomplete, of oil paintings of our saints, and
an altar on which was our holy h'1ther St. Ignatius, with Sts.
Borgia, Xavier, Gonzaga and Kostka; either a relic of our
forefathers, or a token of the affeCtion of the people to the
Society. \Vhichever it might be, it gave me great pleasure
and I went to say my Mass there the feast of St. Stanislaus,
and gave the novices of Concepcion a memento. There is
here an industrial school, well fitted up with machinery, a
public .library, and a museum of Natural History, rich in
minerals and curiosities but badly arranged. The University has a cabinet for Physics and Chemistry, but entirely
negleCted since the last war. The government would put
all in our hands, but there is a lack of subjeCts ....
RAPHAEL PEREZ,
s. J.
NEW YORK l\1ISSION-r683-r68g.
Colonel Thomas Dongan,<'> the Catholic Governor of New
York, had two Jesuits, from England, sent out to him in
r683. These were Fathers Thomas Harvey and Henry
(Il Colonel ThomaH Donf:UII was born in lti3l, in the County of Kildare,
Irelancl. He wa' clesl'encletl from an aneicnt ancl noble family. "His father
was Sir .John Dougan, of Castletown; arul one of his uncles, on the maternal
side, was the famouH J:icharclTalbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, who figured so conspicuous!\· in the reign nf .James II, and who, at one time, aimed at securing
the compfete inclependance of Ireland." Young Dongan served in the French
army, and comm:uulecl a regim1•nt uncler Louis XIV. He was afterwards
known :IS Earl of Limerick, and died Dec. Uth, 1715, aged eighty-one. He
was the author of the celebrated l>un1"" Charter. A favorite project with
Governor flongan was to colonize )~few York Rtate with his Catholic countrymen. It is idle to speculate now upon what would be the condition of the
Church in )~few York if his plan had h<'en carried out. On Sept. 8th, 1687,
he wrote a" follows: "~!y Lord there are people enough in Ireland who had
pretences to E.,tat,•s there and are of no advantage to the country and may
live here verv happv. I do not doubt if his )[atY think fitt to employ my
)i'ephew he w'ill brirlg over as many as the King will find convenient to send
who will be no charge to his Mat.r after they are Landed. 'ii iii "
* *
�NETt? YORK MISSIOJ\'-I6S3-I689.
Harrison. Fr. Harvey, alias Barton, was born in London,
1635. He was probably the brother of Fr. John Harvey
who was a missioner for some time at the College of St.
Ignatius, London DistriCt, at Grafton l\Ianor, and at \Vorcester. He entered the Society on the 7th of September,
1653, and was raised to the priesthood in 1663. He became
a missioner in the Lancashire DistriCt in 1664, ami was
there in 1678. In the Public Record Office, London, 1678,
is a letter from Mr. Fleming to \Vil!iamson, the Secretary
of State, giving an account of his unsuccessful endeavor to
arrest one Barton, a Jesuit, in Lancashire. He is named in
a letter of Fr. John \Varner, Provincial, November the 6th,
1682, as having been arrested in London, but had effeCted
his escape by means of a bribe. In another letter to Father
General, dated February the 26th, 1683, Fr. \Varner says:
"Fr. Thomas Harvey, the missioner, passes to New Yorke
by consent of the Governor of the Colony. In that Colony,
New York, is a respeCtable city, fit for the foundation of a
College, if faculties arc giv<;:n, to which College those who
arc now scattered througl.1_out Maryland may betake themselves, and make cxcursiot\"s from thence into Maryland.
The Duke of York; the lord of that Colony, greatly encourages the undertaking of a new mission. He did not
consent to Fr. Thomas Harvey's sailing until he had advised
with the Provincial, the Consultors, and other grave Fathers." Fr. Harvey became Superior of the New York
Mission in 1686.
Fr. Henry Harrison was born at Antwerp, Belgium, of
English parents, in 1652. lie entered the Society on the
7th of September, 1673. According to the Maryland Catalogue he was in Ireland in 1690. On the 28th of April,
1~5, he left Rome for Loretto, to take the place of Father
Philip vVright there as English Penitentiary. In r697, he
re-appears in Maryland, but seems to have been sent again
upon some commission, for the Catalogue of 1700 opscrvcs
that "he was on his way, but nothing had been ll'card of
him." Fr. Harrison died in 1701, the day and place being
still unknown. In 1686, Fr. Charles Gage joined Harvey
and Harrison at New York This Father was born in Flanders in·1655, and entered the Society in his twenty-second
year. His novitiate was made at vVattcn. In r683 he was
raised to the priesthood. He was engaged on missionary
duty at vVattcn, in 1685. Father John Warner, Provincial,
names him in a letter dated April 23rd, r683, as "the zealous Mr. Charles Gage, brother to the unhappy apostate
Philip, an informer in Oates Plot, once a member of the
�NETV YORK llfiSSION-r683-r689.
177
Society, but afterwards dismissed." Fr. Gage did not remain
long in the New York Mission. Between the year 1686
and that of the Orange Revolution, 1688, \ve find him aeting
as a good missionary at Norwich, in England, where in the
short reign of James II, the Jesuits had a well-frequented
chapel, in which Fr. Charles labored so zealously and effeCted such striking conversions by his sermons, that public
letters of thanks were written to the Provincial by the congregation for having given them so excellent a preacher.
Fr. Gage left the Society in 1693·
Harvey, Harrison and Gage were employed as chaplains
in the forts, and doubtless attended to the white settlers in
all the country surrounding New York. They also attempted to establish a college. But their efforts in this laudable direCtion proved fruitless, owing to the fewness of
Catholic citizens, and the bigotry of their enemies. Leisler
wrote to the Governor of Boston, on the I 3th of August,
1689 :-"1 have formerly urged to in form your llonr that
Coli. Pongan in his time did ereCt: a Jesuit College upon
cullour to !carne Latine to the Judges wcst-l\Ir. Graham,
Judge Palmer and John Tuder did contribute their sones
for some time, but noboddy imitating them the collidge vanished."
It is now pleasing to recall the faCt: that both Graham
and Palmer, who sent their sons to the college, were gentlemen highly respeCted in the colony. Graham was looked
upon with high esteem by the Council. Governor Dongan
thus refers to Palmer :-"The Council had soc good an opinion of Capt" Palmer that bee was thought the fittest to bee
the J udgc of y• Court for the Kings affairs."
\Ve arc of the opinion that Dongan wished to retain Harvey, and his two companions, for the benefit of the whites
alone. Though for reasons of political policy he desired to
send English missionaries among the Indians, we do not
think that he ever thought of sending his chaplains to the
Five Nations. Probably they had sufficient occupation
among the soldiers of the forts, and the Catholics on Staten
Island, Long Island, and elsewhere. Dungan wrote on December the 1st, 1686 :-"I have written to the King my
master who hath as much zeal as any prince living to
propagate the Christian faith, and assure him how necessary it is to send hither some Fathers to preach the Gospell to the natives allyed to us."
The following year the New York Governor continued to
urge the necessity of sending out some of our missionaries
who could devote themselves exclusively to the Indians. In
�.
XEW YORK .1fiSSION-I6SJ-1&<:.9.
a "Report to the Committee of Trade," dated the 22nd of
February, 1687, he says :-"These Indians have about IO or
12 castles (as they term them) those at a great distance
from on·e another, soc that there is an absolute necessity of
having soe many priests, that there bee three always travelling from castle to castle, the rest to live with those that
are Christians."
On the 1 Ith of june, 1687, Dongan wrote to M. De Denonville: "I am daily cxpeaing Religious men from England, which I intend to put amongst those five nations." On
September the 8th, of the same year, he said: "\Vhether
Peace or \Var it is necessary that the Forts should be built,
and that religious men live among the Indians."
From the following paper by Dongan we can form a fair
idea of Christianity in New York during his governorship:
"New York has first a Chaplain belonging to the Fort, of
the Church of England; Secondly, a Dutch Calvanist,
thirdly a French Calvanist, fourthly a Dutch LutheranHere bee not many of the Church of England; few Roman
Catholicks; abundance of Quakers, preachers, men, \Vomen
especially; Singing Quakers, Ranting Quakers; Sabbatarians ; Antisabbatarians ; some Anabaptists ; some Independents; some Jews; in short of all sorts of opinions there
arc some, and the most part of none at all."
All these seas, though at variance among themselves,
were united in their hatred of Catholicity. They could not
bear the idea of having a Catholic Governor placed over
them. \Vhat was still more galling to their prejudice and
blind bigotry was the faa that he kept Jesuits ncar him, and
had a chapel built in one of the forts for their accommodations. They consequently watched an opportunity to overthrow Dongan's government. The Orange Revolution in
1688, seemed to frwor their purpose. They hailed with delight the accession of \Villiam and Mary to the E_nglish.
throne. Leislcr "of Frankfort," placed himself at the. head
of a band of reckless men, and forced Governor Dongan to
fly from the city. The conspirator'? of New York formed
an unholy league with the rebels of Maryland, and the bigoted Governors of Virginia and the New England Colonies.
They proclaimed \Villiam and Mary with "Bonefycrs, y•
Bell, and fyrcworks," and burned the Pope's "figure" in the
public streets of New Amsterdam. The "powder treason"
was celebrated in the midst of great excitement. "Papists,"
"Irishmen" and "Strangers" were hunted down on all sides
with great cruelty. Leisler, a bold, bad man, gave information to the usurpating Assembly of Maryland that several
�NEW YORK ,1TISSION-I6fl.:;-I6R9.
Ii9
of their "papist grandees were at Philadelphia" and that he
did all in his power to capture them. On March the 4th,
r689, he writes to the plotting Coode; "Though your papist rebellious grandees have sheltered themselves in Virginia, I assure you I shall take all possible care and apprehend any such persons coming from your government in
this province without your pass.- I perceive that your
papists are very insolent and couragious, so it was with
ours. * * * * Hereincloscd is a copy of a letter received
from Barbadoes wherein you will sec how I have apprehended, suspeCted and sent 2 Irish rebellious traiters in a
pensilvania Bark but were conveyed ashore to goe to Maryland."
Leisler complained in a letter to Coode that two "irish
rogues," who had come from Barbadoes in a French ship,
made their escape from him. Coode soon after wrote to
the New York Governor: "I am heartily sorry I had not
sooner an account of these two Rogues, Henly and \Valsh.
I had them very lately in custody upon suspicion, being
Strangers, Irishmen and papists a·nd coming from Martinico,
but they much appealed to yourselfc for justification upon
which they were confined till they would produce a certificate from your Honor of their good behaviour. This they
confidently promised, but they soon deceived us, and made
their escape towards Pennsylvania. But we have made fresh
pursuit after them, and I doubt not to have them well returned in Irons and safely secured."
In another letter from Coode to Lcislcr \\'C find that 'ye
Priests have always y• Chief Share in y• Management of
intrigues against Protestants: Three of our Popish Governors are fled (to wit): one Darnall, Josephs and Sewall;
we have two only in Custody; one Pye and Hill, which
three Priests (Darnall, Josephs and Sewall) had a designc
towards your parts. If fear of discovery hath prevented,
they have with them a small yacht and Brigantine. If they
be not retaken having sent after them, we desire you would
be pleased to be as kind to us as your circumstances will
permit, which shall oblige us a due requital."
Cooclc knew well that Catholic priests would find no favor
in Leislcr's eyes. Note then his malice and cunning in
calling Colonel Darnall, Major Sewall and President Joseph,
"Jesuits." Leisler caught up.some of the Puritan cant so
ridiculous, and not unfrequcntly so blasphemous, in the
mouths of the Roundhcacls. In his "Declaration in favor
of King \Villiam and Queen Mary" he says that his "intention tended only but to the preservation of the protestant
�r8o
...
NEW YORK M/SSION-r683-1689.
religion, and the fort if t!tc city." He wrote to William
Jones,-"1 hope before two Jayes (come) to one end to have
some papists disarmed and also those !dolls destroyed which
we hearc arc dailly still worshipped." The Catholics who
held office under Governor Dongan's government were deposed, and many of them had to leave the Province. "The
Lieutenant Governor, Francis Nicholson ami the Council
being Protestants, resolved to suspend all Roman Catholics
from Command and Places of Trust in the government and
accordingly suspended ilfajor Baxter from being a member
of the Council and Captain of a Company at Albany and
Bartltolomc<v Rusdl from being Ensign in the fort at New
York, they both being Papists, who forthwith left the province." \Ve read in the Documentary History of New York,
that "llfatt Plo<eJJtall Being a Papist was suspended by the
Convention." In June, 1089, Lcislcr sent out his miscreant
followers to "disarmc all the papists" they could find. The
"Inhabitants Soudjcrs of the Traine Band. of New Yorke
looked "with great patience:' for their "Redemption," and
hoped "to have parte of tht;, Blessed glorious Deliverance
Procured under God by his Royall hcighness, \Vm. Henry
Prince of Orange," and they declared themselves "to be
Entirely and Openly Opposed to papists and their Religion." The bigots of ConneCticut encouraged the New York
fanatics in their onslaught upon Catholics. Secretary John
Allyn wrote to Lcislcr, in the name of the General Court of
ConneCticut, as follows: "Gent" considering what you have
don, we doc advise that you keep the forte tenable and well
nianncd for the defence of the protestant religion, and
those ends above mentioned, and that you suffer no
Roman Catholickc -to enter the same, armed or without annes, and that no Romish Catholick be suffered
to keep armcs within that government or Citty." In the
beginning of 1689, Leislcr ordered the officers, both military
and civil, as also all the sherif(., in several countics.-of the
Province, "to secure all Such Persons who arc reputed Papists." The following letter written by the New York
leader to the Assembly of Maryland, in OCtober, in 1689,
will throw additional light upon the history of the period of
which we treat: "I had Intelligence of scverall persons
meeting in a papist house where I thought some of your
fugitives might have been amongst them, made me resolve
to send 25 souldicrs who bcsett the house in the night but
found non but the family and disarmed the man and brought
him to me whom I released again upon his paroll to harbor
no Jesuit nor to intcrtainc bigger company than two in his
�r8r
house." Leisler writing from Fort \Villiam to the Governor
of Barbadoes, 1689, says: "\Ve are daily occupyed by some
popishly and evill affected people which puts us upon many
inconveniences and straits, and obliges me to have a watching eye over all." In the same letter he adds: "the 4th
November, being the birth day of our gracious King which
we did solemnise with bonefires and roasting one ox, etc.;
the fifth was gun pouder treason which also we did solemnize with bonefires and burning the pope." The self-styled
Lt. Governor of New York wished to be on "mutual and
amiable" terms with the Maryland Assembly, which had
usurped the government of Lord Baltimore. In September
he writes to that body: "we have considered the contents
(of your letter) with due affection, and retourne you many
thanks for your friendly and neighbourly advice, and embrace with all our hearts your offers of a mutuall and amiable correspondance with you, which we shall labour to keep
and preserve in~iolablc towards you, and without fail shall
om itt _nothing that may appcare any waycs to your interest,
peace and well fare, as we also doc with Boston and Connecticutt collony, being of the same opinion with you, that it
is the oncly mcanes to preserve their Majesties' interest, and
to prevent the papists and popishly cvill affected adversaries
to effect and bring to pass their wicked intents and dcsignes
against their Majesties' loyall protestant subjects through
all his dominions in these parts of America. It is 3 weeks
agoe that I heard of some of your papist grandees to be at
Philadelphia expecting them nearer these parts to conferr
with some of our papists, and for some bad designc, for the
which I made all the Inquisition imaginable with resolution
to secure them well if I had found them." Leisler sent the
following brand to the Governor of Boston in hopes that it
would help to keep alive, or increase, the fire of that gentleman's bigotry: "I have received letters from Coli. Coode
from Maryland, he advises me that the insatiable enemies,
the papists, there, are very insolent and couragious and that
some of their g-randees rcbclls arc sheltered in Virginia."
During these troubles and persecutions most of the Catholics fled the city. Many of them took refuge on Staten
Island. But even on that Island they did not find rest or
peace from their enemies. The most absurd charges were
sworn against them. The cry raised in England, and echoed on the shores of the Chesapeake, that the Catholics were
about to massacre all the Protestants, was taken up on the
banks of the Hudson, and out in New York Bay. One Le
Roztx gave the following reasons for keeping arms in hi:i
•
�...
NEW YORE.: J!JSSION-16El3-I68g.
•
house: "We had a relation in this city that the Papists upon
Staten Island did threaten to cut the inhabitants' throats,
and that the People had left their Plantations and were running the woods, and some gone with their familys in their
boats and lay upon the river, and further they threatened to
come and burn the City."
How the few Catholics in New York could so easily
massacre all the Protestants in that city, and on Staten
Island, is a matter very hard to be explained in our days.
The Catholics of those former times must have been giants,
or the Protestants must have been weak and shameful cowards. The truth is, the whole story of a plot to kill the
Protestants and burn the city is, and was, a foolish f..>ble.
Though Gov. Dongan was obliged to seek safety in flight,
still one, at least, of our Fathers, remained as Chaplain of
the fort. It must be said to the credit of Lieutenant Governor Nicholson that, as f..·u as we know, this Father received kind treatment at his hands. \Vhat Fr. Smitlt had
to suffer from others, from bigots like Leisler, we have not as
yet learned. From the Am).i.tal Letters of Maryland we learn
that he was finally obliged to flee from the city. Though
the "Deposition of Andries and Jan Meyer," has already
appeared in these pages, we publish it here in order to render our article more complete: "There was great Joy when
Sir Edmond Andros came here from Boston and not only
here at New York but through the whole Country, because
we were delivered from a Papist's Governor Thomas Dongan and had now, as we thought, another Deputy Governor
in the fort (Nicholson) who would defend and Establish the
true Religion, but we found to the contrary there was a cry
that all Images erected by Colo Thomas Dongan in the fort
should be broken down and taken away, but when we were
working in the fort with others, it was commanded after the
departure of s• Edmond Andros by Said Nicholson, to help
the priest John Smith to remo\·e, for which we \y_er~ very
glad, but was soon done, because said removal was not f..>r
off but in a better room in the fort, and ordered to make all
things ~or Said Priest, according to his will, and perfeCtly
and to ereCt all things, as he ordered from that time, we
were much troubled not knowing what to say or think and
what Signification was of the premises, but we left it to god
and providence. who in his time, shall make things Appear.
The Deponent Johannas heard it from said Nicholson and
told the S:tme to his brother Andries :tnd that both did do
the work as was ordered with Peter King,-This 26th Sept.
�NEW YORK MISSION-r68J-r68g.
r68g, the deponent Andries and John Myer appeared before
me and declared the truth of the above written Upon their
Oath.
Signed
]Aeon LEISLER.
The Annual Letters from Maryland for r6go give us the
following item in reference to the New York Mission: "Our
missions in the \Vest Indies of Maryland and indeed of New
York underwent the same f.<te with those of England. In
the latter (New York) there were only two priests, and these
were forced in this storm to change their residence, as was·
also the Catholic Governor himself. One of them travelled
on foot to Maryland, the other, after many perils on the sea,
having been captured and plundered by Dutch pirates, at
length arrived safe in France.''
As Father Harvey immediately after the troubles in New
York appears in Maryland, it is highly probable that he is
the Father who walked from the Hudson to the Potomac.
The missionary who was taken on sea by Dutch pirates, it
is the opinion of the writer, was Fr. Harrison who, as stated
before, went to Ireland in r6go.
�COPIES UF OLD WII,LS.
(Rep1·inted ji"OIII a pwmph/et of lS:?G.)
Previous to the year lii3, the few Catholics who then resitled in PhihulelJthia, heltl meetings for religious wor>hip in a private dwelling; for the public exercise of the Catholic relh:ion was not permitted, according to the laws
of England, which prevailetl in America at that epoch. In the above year,
the 1:ev. )[r. Crayton, a priest of the Ortler of .Jesuits, purehasetl lots near
Fourth Street, between ""a! nut Street and Willing's Alley, a11tl erected thereon a small chapel, tledicated to ~t. .Joseph, which has been since enlarged.
Even· vear added to their numbers; in consequence of which it became necessai-v" to purchase a lot for a burying grouutl elsewhere, which was done
accorJingly, in lii:O, by the exertions of the ltev. ltobert Harding, a .Jesuit,
who had been the chief Apostolic Missionary at that time in the Province of
Pennsylvania. This happenetl in the beginning of the reign of Geor"c the
ThirJ, when the penal laws against Catholics began to be somewhat rel•uetl.
The saitl Hobert Harding availed himself of this occasion to huiltl a Church
for the Roman Catholic worship, ou the lots purchasetl lor a burying gmund,
between Fourth ami Fifth ~trcets, which had been guaranteeJ to him alHI
his heirs, on contlition of his builtling a church on a proposed plan, describetl
in the article reterrctl to, which wa" built acconlingly. The church is tletlieat••tl to St. Mary, and was designed to he <'onnectetl invat"iahly with St. .Joseph's l'hurch, under the direction of the .l<'suits. The following tloemner{ts
ar·c authentic copies of the last will antl testament of the said Robert Hartling, as well as those of his heirs.
COI'Y OF Til F. WIT.!. 01•' I:OillmT JfARUINfl, llECEASF.D.
In the name of (;od, Amen.
I, ltohert llanling, of the City of Philatlel-
llhia, heing or sonndtnemory flllll nnderstmu.ling, hut not knowing thP hour
of mr dmth, make this my last will at1tl testament. First, l hecpwath my
soul to Uotl. hoping- thron.~h the inlinitc 1nerits of our only ~aviour·, JPsns
( 'hri>l, to ohtain lrte <'vcrlasting,
a~r<lmy
booly to he tle<'ently in tenet!, at the
dispn•tion of mv Pxecutors.
St•eondly, I glve anti ht••lHeath all my worldly estate, hot.h n•nl antlpersonnl,
whPrc."oe\'f'l', and of what tlt>uominalinn sot.•v<'r, whctlu.•r in Pcnnsvlva.nia,
M:u·ylan•l, or Ureat Br·itain, nnto noy LH·lovt•tl fl"ierul .John Lewis, at~tl in t•ase
of his dt•ath to my helovt'<l friet~tl.lames Walton of:,;t.. Mary's l'nnnt\·, in the
Provi11et> of ~larylawl, gt~nt.IL·ln:llt, to havt.• aml to hnhl the ~nme, tOr thetn-
selvPs, tlwir
lu·ir~, l'XPf'ntot·:-;,
:Hlminist rntorf' m· ass.ign!'l, for
evet·~-wlu;nn
I also
appoint my <>we11too·s. In wit.nt•ss w herr•ot' 1 have hereunto set mv J1antl and
seal this eighll'enth tlay or June, Amro Domini 17il.
- •·
IlOHEI\T JlARDJNU.
Sign<>•l, sealetl, anti tl<'liveretl
as his Ja,t will a111l le,;tanwnt
in the
pt·e~ell<.'f'
nf us,
}
r Gr.ot:••E
MEA DR,
j THOMAS FITZsiMONS,
li'ATI\ICK TttCE.
Phi/adrlphia, Rrpt. 10th, 1772.
Personally nppearetl (opm·ge )[,'arle anti Thomas Fitzsimons, two of the
wittwsses to the fnr·p~oing will, a11<l on oath tlitl tlcclarc th:tt thPy saw antl
heanl.Hnhert llartling, the tt•:-:tator tlwrein named, sig-n, Heal, puhlh;h and de-
clare the same \\"ill tor anrl ''" his lttst will anti te,;t:uuent, ami that at the
execution ther·eol", he was of sonrul anti disposing 111inJ, memory and understanding to thtl best of their knowleJge antl belief.
(18-1)
CORA~I BEXJAMIN CnKw, Reg. Gen,
�COPIES OF SOME OLD WILLS.
185
City and County of Philadelphia, 88.
I certify that the above' writing is a true copy of the original last will and
testament and probate thereof of Robert Hartling, deceased, on file, and remaining on reconl in the Register's Office at Philadelphia.
Given under m\· hand and seal of office this fourth day of November, Anno Domini 1824. •
.JOSEPH BARNES, Register.
COPY OF THE L.\ST WILL OF JOHN LEWIS, DECEASED,
AND PROilATE THEREOF.
In the name of God, Amen. J, John Lewis of Cecil County, Maryland,
though afilicted with sickness at present, yet of sound mind and judgment,
do make this my last will and testament, in manner and form followmg :-viz.
Imprimis. I bequeath my soul to God, hoping through the merits of my
Saviour the forgiveness of my sins, and future and eternal happiness.
::Second. I bequeath my bmly to the earth, to be interred in such manner
and decency as to my executor shall seem meet.
Third. I bequeath wholly an<l solely to my worthy and beloved friend,
Hobert Molyneux, of the City of Philadt>lphia, gentleman, all my real and
personal estate, of what uenomination soever, viz. my plantation in Talbot
County, :Maryland, now in the tenure of John Bolton, gentleman. Item, a
plantation in Newcastle County, State of Delaware, now in the tenure of
Con. Hallahan. Item. The Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary's, in Fourth
Street; also, the Roman Catholic Chapel in Walnut Street, together with the
lot or Jot~ of ground thereunto belonging; and also my two Houses in Chesnut Stt·eet, all in the City of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania. ItemAll my estate in Hereford Township, late in the tenure of R. J. Baptist de
Hitter, now of Rd. Peter Ilelburn, Berks County. Item-All my estate in
York County, now in the tenure of It. J. Pellentz. Item. The Homan Catholic Church, together with the Lots an<l Messuages thereunto belonging, in
the Borou~h of Lancaster, in Lancaster County, State of Pennsylvania, to·
gether with all my other estate or estates, real nnu personal, whatsoever, or
when•soever, in ~I:u·ylaml, Pennsylvania, or elsewhere. Anu in case of his
<.Ieath befor·e mine, I then bequeath all my said real ami personal estate, in
the same ample manner, to John Bolton, of Talbot County, gentleman, in
final token of my esteem and atleetion-to be dispose<! of in mch a manner
as to the one or· other .,halt SC<'III best. An<! as 1 have bequeathe<l nil my
whole estate atilresai<l, both real alit I personal, to Robert ~Iolyneux aforesaid,
so do I constitute ami appoint the said ltnbert )[olyneux not only my sole
heir·, but also Executor of this my last Will and Testament, hereby revoking
aud annulling all other Wills by me heretofore made, uesiring this, and this
only, ltlade on the twelfth <.ltty of )[arch, one thousand seven hunt!reu and
eighty-eight, be <lee met! my last wilt anu testament. In witness and testimony
whereof l have set my hand ant! seal, ami now finally vublisheu, executed,
and declared the same this thirteenth day of March, Anno Domini one thous·
and seven hundred and erghty-eight.
JOANNES LEWIS.
f
In the vresence of
JAMES O'DONALD,
BENJAMIN FLINTHAM,
Her
ALICE ~ O'DONALD,
)lark.
t
Cecil County, to wit, AprU 7, 1788.
'l'heu came Robert Molyneux, ant! made oath on the Holy Evangelists of
Almighty God, that the loregoing is the true and whole last will and testament of Joanues Lewis, late of this County, deceased, that had come to his
hands or possession; and that he does not know of any other.
Sworn before
DAVID SMITH, Regi8ter,
Vor.. xv, No.
2.
20
�COPiES OF SOJifR OLD triLLS.
!86
Cecil County, to wit, April 7, 1778.
Then came .Tames O'Donald ant] Benjamin Flintham, two of the subserib·
ing witnesses of the within last will and testament of .l oannes Lewis, late of
said County, deceased, and matle oath on the Holy Evangelists of .\!mighty
God, that they saw the said testator sign ami seal this will- that they heard
him publish, pronounce ami declare the same to be his last will and testament
-that at the time of his so doing he was, to the best of their apprehensions,
of a sound ami tlisposing mind, memory and understamling; alit! that they
and Alicl' O'Donahl respectively subscribetl the same as witnl'sses in the
presence and at the request of the Testator, am! in the l'resence of each other.
Sworn before
lAYIP SMITH,
Regi.•lrr.
State of JJur,1;la11<l, Cecil County, 8ct. .
I, H~>nry Il. ~Iiller, I:egister of ""ills for Cecil County in the saitl Stat~>,
do certify that the aforegoing and annexetl inscrunwnt of writing is 11. true
copy of the last will and testament of .Toannes Lewis, late of Cecil County,
deceased, taken from his original last will alit! testanwnt, now remaining on
file and record in my ofticc, mul the probate therPof.
In testimony whereof, I have hereto set my hand, and affixed the seal of
said otficP at Elkton, this secoml tlay of .June, Ann" Domini one thousand
eight hundred and twenty-six.
JIENHY D. ~liLI.EP.,
SEAL.
Regi.<ter of Wills jor Ceril Coun(l/.
State of JJaryland, Ceeil County, Set.
I. Frisby Henden<on, Presiding .Justice of the Orphans Court ofsaitl County,
tlo certify that the aforegoing attestation of Henry D. ~I iller, llegister of
~Wills for Cecil County, is in due form.
In witn~>ss whereof 1 have hereu'nto set Ill\" hand this secontl tlav of June
in the year of our Lot•tl one thousaml eight hitiuh·etl anti twenty-six.
F. IlENPRRSOX.
COPY OF TilE
LA~T
WILL OF Jtoi:EHT MOLYXEI"X.
In the name of Uod, Amen. I, Hobert ~!olyneux, now resitling in St.
)fary's County, in the State of Maryland, being in good health of hotly, ant!
of ;ountl judgment and memory, tlo constitute and make this my last will ami
testament in the manner antiform lollowing:-First, I give aut! bequeath my
>uul to Almighty God, in whose mercies I place my hopes, and my body to
the earth, to he decently interred.
Seeomlly, I give and bequeath all mv real personal or mixed estate, of
whatever kind or nature \\'hatsoever, in t1te State of Maryland, as also what·
ever right or title I am now possessed of in, to or from any real, pef'onal or
mixed property or estate, whether lying in Pennsylvania, or in )[aryland,
or in any other pnrts of the United States of America, or that I may be pos·
sessed of at my death to my beloved friend Rev. Francis Neale, of George·
tt)Wn, in the District of Columbia, to him or his heirs or assigns, for ever. 1n
case of the death of the above suit! Ueverend Francis Neale before.' mine, 1
:tlso the
give and bequeath the above said real, personal or mixed estate,
forementioned right or title to real, personal or mixed property, whether in
Penn~ylvania or Maryland, or in any other parts of the l"nitetl States of
America I may be possessed of at the hour of my tleath, to my friend Ht•·
vereml Ignatius Baker Brooke, of St. ~Iary's County, to him, his heirs or a,.
signs for ever. Finally, I t!o hereby nominate and appoint the above "aitl
Itevereud Francis Neale the sole Ex~cntor of this my last will and testament;
and in case of his death beli>re mine, I nominate and appoint the above mentioned Ignatius Baker Brooke the sole Executor of this my last will and testament, revoking all other wills ant] testaments ma•h• hy me at any other
period, and tl<'claring thi" to he my last will and te,tament. In witness where·
of 1 tlo hereunto ,;et my hunt!, atHI allix my seal, this thirteenth day of June
in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and five.
as
SEAL,
ROilERT MOLYNEUX,
�COPIES OF SOME OLD WILLS.
Signed, sealed, published arul declared by said Robert Molyneux, the testator, as his last will and testament in presence of us, who, at his request, and
in presence of each other, have snbscribed our names as witnesses thereto:
ETHELBERT CECIL,
JOHN STONE,
BER:SARD MEDLEY.
St. Mary's C01mty, ss. the 14th day of December, 1808.
Then came John Stone and Hernartl Medley, two of the three subscribing
witnesses to the aforegoing last will ami testament of Robert ~Iolyueux, late
of St. ~Iary's County deceased, and severally made oath on the Holy Evangels of Almighty Uotl that tlwy did s~e the testator therein named sign and
seal this will, :uul that they heard him publish, pronounce and declare the
same to be his last will and testament; and that at the time of his so doing,
he was, to the b<·st of their apprehensiOn, of sound and disposing mind memory anti understanding, and that they respectively subscribed their names to
this will in the presence ami at the request of the testator, and in the presence
of each other; and al'<l that they saw Ethelhert Cecil, the other witness to
this will, subscribe his name to the said will iu the presence and at the request
of the testator.
Certified by JA~ms FORREST,
Register of Wills for St. Mary's County.
In testimony that the aforegoing is a true copy, taken from reC'ord, I have
hereto set my hand, ami atlixetl the seal of my office this 16th day of June,
1826.
SEAL.
JAMES FORREST,
Register of IV ills for St. 1Jlary's County.
�CATALOGUE OF THE MARYLAND MISSION
FOR 1818-1819.
I
GP01'{Jetown CollPfle
BOR~
Priests
I
i
I
I
E:STERED
\
OFFICES
,
.\nthonr Kohlmann ... ~lay 16 1771 : Jul. 12 tso;; : Sup .• Reel., Prof. Hhet.
Peter Epinette ....•••.••••. Scp. 24 17GO Jun. 2 1~.-~ : Hpir. r~atlwr. Prof. Phil.
- - 1769 Xov. ~) lSO:J' Prof. Tlwnl.
Maximilian Rantzan ...
Ch. Van Qnickenbornc Jan. 21 1788 Apr. 14 1~15 ~la<ter NoY., Prof. 1'. S~ript.
Theodore Detheux ...•.• Jan. 24 1789 , Aug. 2 1~16 llcct. Trinity Church
John ~IcEiroy ............. . O~t. H 17S-I Oct. tO 1800 Proc. Coli .. ~Ii~'·· Prl'l". Sod.
Scholastics
Alexander Divoff....... . .Tan. 1 1791 Jun. 3 1>'13
Thoma~ Downing ....... . Feb. 5 179-t
Oct. 2'2 1812 Prof. Greek, ~tnd. Phil.
Stephen Dubuisson .....• Ort. 21 1786 , Dec. 1 181:> Prof. Fren~h
Ignatius Combs ....•••...•• Jnl. :!i 1797 ; Feb. •J 1~t.l
George Fenwick ......... . :May 2'2 1801 : Jnl. 29 1815
Thoma:.. Finegan.u ..... . ~laY H li!l\l i Fe h. :, 181:>
George Gough .............. ~la\· :!:! 179S Feb . .-) 181.-)
William ~cSherry .••••• Aug. 12179tJ Feb. 5 1:·\17l Prof. Arith .. Rhet., Pref.
Jeremiah ~Iudd .......... . NoY. 2617~)3 Feb. 51~15 Prof. Gramnulr
1'homa.s ~Iulle<ly ••....•.• Aug.12 1795 Feb. ;) 18J.l Prof. Poetry
John ~Inrl'hy .....•••...••.. Jnn. 5 17~1'.! ''NoY. Hi 1816 ~tntl. Tlwol.
Charles p.,,e..••••••......... XoY. :?'.! 1.'\01 1 .Jn1. :!9 1~1;) Prnf. f1nunmar
- - 1SOU.4 .Jul. 2;l lSl:l StUtL l{het.
James Ryder .......•.......
Jo"'Ph Schneller....••.•. .\pr. 2 17!17 . Jul. 29 1~15 Stud. Rhl't.
John Smith .••.••............ Feh. 21 tN~J .Tnl. 2i 1~1,-,
Peter Walsh ...••..•.•....... Jun.:..~ 1797 No\·. 7 UH3 Prnf. l"reneh. stud. Phil.
1
Cont!WnfJO
Adam llritt .•••..•.•...••....
Adam ~11\rshall... .......•
Matthew J,pkne ..•.•......
- - 1743: ~<'J>. H 17t;4
NoY. lS 17~-l Od. 1:! 1~07
~tar. :1""> 17SS , .\ug. '.! lSHi
~np.
Resid.
OJ1erarius
Operarius
l'it. luigoes
Br. Joseph Mobb0rly...
St.
Tlu~nurs•
Jan. 1~ 17i9
.J.1£n110r
Franc>is Neale..............
'Villia.n1 Beschtl'f.........
John Baptbt Cary........
I --
lSOS
1
I
Jun. :117:-(.' Oct. 10 l~)t) Sup. Hesid.
May :.!0 17ti:~ , Oct. 10 lNJO Operarius
Jul. 16 177~ ' >'<'P· 3 1810 Operurius
Ro11Pmin Manol'
Br. Benedict Heard......
Feb. '.!7 1787
Dt?<'. '.!5 lt>lti
..,-· ...
lJ"ltite Mm•s11
~
l'aul Kohlmann .......... .
~lay
Jul.
20 17GG
1~
Superior
18H
I
Charles Nenlc .............. .
Oct. 10 17:>1
Leonard Ellelcn .......... . 0<'!.
John Henry ................ .
Francis MaleY<'-. ......... .
~'0
I Nov. l:l1SOO
I
Oct. 10 lSOG i ,.:up. and Operarius
tig:;
17G.>
Cnnf. of the Nuns
! Jul.
Dec. 11i70 :
18 18041 Operarius
- - 180! i Superior
(188)
�CATALOGUE OF THE N'ARYLAND llfiSSION, r8r8-r819.
I
Charleston
nonx
I
E.XTERED
I
OFFICES
Benedict Fenwick ........ 'I Sep. 3 1782 ' Oct. 10 1806 Superior
James Wallace .............. ~Iar. 11 17871 oct. 10 18071 Opcrarius
_Vcw York
'
I
1
Peter Malon................
Oct.
a 17531
Jun. 13 u;o;;
i,.
Rcct. St. Peter's Church
Baltintorc
Enocl1 Fenwick............
May 15 1780
IOct. 10 18061 Vicar-Gen. Baltimore
~licltfltoltd
1
I
Roger Baxter...............
Feu. ~~ 17a3,. Oct. 10 1807
Opernrius
Out of tlte JJiissio,.
Fr. John Grassi.. ......... .
)lr. .Tame;-; Nl'ill.. ........ .
~lr.•\loysius Young... ..
S(·hol .....
Yoviccs, 2
Hugh Kiernan .............
~nnncn
'I
r,..
~'ii'i1\\~~~~~t~~~·.:::::::~:::::
(ferman
~cp. 10 177,; i·Nov. ~117!J7 1 ~hal. in Italy
Dec. 4 l7a3 Nov. 3 1Sl3 1 1-'tnd. In Italv
Feu. 15 17!r.l Jul. :!',1 1~1.·, Stud. in I!al~-
...........
~anutel Xewton ...........
Fr. Miehacl Cou:-:inne ...
Fr. Loui:-;·Dubarth ........
Edward McCarthy ......
Peter Zin1merman~ ......
James Van tle Vchle ....
Henry Verheyen ..........
)lay a 1778 Jun. 1~ 1~17
Oct. 17 t7sa Aug.~:; 1817
--
17!);)
.Jun. G 17tl2
Aug. 23 1817
7 lj~).")
Jan . 11 1S17
.:\lnr
Xov. s 1767
--
1794
Aug.!!;~ 1~17
Aug.:!:{
Jul. 3
1~17
1~1.)
Dec. 3 1Kl7
Htud. Theol.
Prof. ~yntax
Prof. English, Stud. Theol.
8tntl. Thcol.
Operarius at Bohemia
VIcar-Gen. Philadelphia
Prot: Eng-lish and Geog-.
Stnrl. Theol.
Stud. Rhet.
8tutl. Tht•ol.
Jul. 20 17~~
.\pr. ;{ 17!).)
Feb. !I 17:-17
Aug.~;; 1~17
Dec. 1 178ll
)lay 4 1781
Jan. :!J 17~16
.\ng. 117~1~
Aug. S 17V[
Dee. 1:! 17~fi
l'iKl
.\pr. ~ 1818 Stud. Theol.
)lay 2fl 1~ 18 Opcrarius, ;.:t. Inigoes
Jun. 14 l81S
17~3
1818
Aug.~;{ 1~17
.\ug. :!a 1817
Scltol . .3..o,i.ces, 1 l"'r.
John Ahern ..................
Fr. Jo~eCh Carhcry ......
Jos. Kcl cnuergher ......
Jeremiah Kiely ............
.Alon;ius Mudrl.. ..........
Johit Smith ..................
Fr . .John 'fnomy...........
Francis Yesprcs ............
--
.\ug. 13
.\ug.13
.\pr. IS
Dec. :!.J
--
181~
1~11-i
1~18
lSI~
Rtud. Phil.
Sturl. Then!.
l'rof. )lath.
Out of the ~Iisslon
Fr. )Iichael Jo,eph Couslnne, died at Bohemia, July 31st, 1819.
189
�PENNSYLVANIA, I 78 5- I 786.
Letters from Fr. james Pdleutz.
I
CoNEWAGO, October Ist, I785.
DR. JoHN CARROLL,
Re-.;. Fat!ter Superior, P. C.
I received last night your kind favor of the 28th of September. I am glad to hear that your Reverence is well and
going to Philadelphia and New York to give Confirmation.
All the Catholics here would rejoice with me if your Reverence in your return could call at Conewago and adminster
that Holy Sacrament here, But as the badness of the
weather and roads will not..allow it, perhaps, this time, I do
not doubt, but it will be dorie next Summer. The intended
removal did not trouble me, as I am perfectly resigned to
the Will of God, whose interpreter is the Superior. In my
youthful days I imprinted it on my mind, never to desire a
certain place, but to leave myself entirely at the disposition
of my Superior. Notwithstanding this, when Mr. Sewall
spoke with me about the change, I thought I should let
your Reverence know the reasons I had, not to go to Philadelphia. Among these was one, that I had very often a
sudden stoppage in my breast, which makes me break of
the sermon, which t'cally would look very ill in Philadelphia. Besides I feared disturbances in the Congregation,
and to make my burthen easier I made up one hundred
pounds to get two missionaries in the country, and will pay
fifty pounds more next Spring for their passage. ~fter I
had informed your Reverence of this, I was willing, ana am
still willing to go wherever you please.
Your Reverence, I believe, heard that this mission is
flourishing in a spiritual point of view. But in temporals I
am called a bad manger. I was long ago advised by a kind
friend to inform your Reverence of the debts I paid. But I
would not, knowing myself clear in conscience. Now I do
it, to make your Reverence easier. \Vhen I left Lancaster
I owed about three hundred pounds, which debt was not
certainly contracted by ill-management, as you shall now
·
(x6o)
�PENNSYLT:4NIA, q8s-r7S6.
hear. When I came to Conewago I found three hundred
pounds debt contraCted by Mr. * * * * Our Rev. Mr. Lewis
gave eighty, of which Mr. Williams owed me thirty-six.
vVhen Mr. Diderick came to Conewago I paid about two
hundred of these two debts. When Mr. Digges' Land was
purchased, I borrowed three hundred and twenty pounds to
make up some money for the first payment about that time.
Mr. Lewis gave his bond to Mr. Digges for 323 pounds.
\Vhcn I paid the bond it was four hundred pounds. All
these debts I have paid. Besides I paid Mr. Geisler ninetysix pounds for a house in Carlisle to keep service in; 3 I
pounds for a house at the Standing Stone, bought with Mr.
Sewall's advice. I do not mention several small donations
here and there given to a wanting Brother, but put together
they will make a large sum. Mr. Sewall tells me in his
letter that your Reverence intends to Keep a cow in Baltimore. I will be very glad to give you your choice among
mine. I wish your Reverence good health in your travels,
a great spiritual comfort, and safe return, and I recommend
mysGlf to your daily prayers.
Rev. Father Superior, your very humble servant,
JAMES PELLENTZ.
II.
CoNEWAGO, Feb. 27th, 1786.
DR. JOHN CARROLL,
Revermd Fat!tcr Superior,
,
I received your kind favor of
the I 3th instant, with the holy oils. I am highly obliged
for the same. I am entirely satisfied with Mr. Sewall's resolution to stay in Baltimore, as I always thought he would
not live long here, and that he could do more for God's
greater glory and the salvation of souls in Baltimore than
here. For that reason I advised him in his troubles to have
patience, and to take courage. To the same intent I called
to his· remembrance, that Saints Ignatius and Teresa expeCted always great success when they met with serious
obstacles in the beginning of a new college or monastery.
The hardships Mr. Sewall suffered made me think that Baltimore in time will be a very flourishing mission. I beg of
your Reverence not to be uneasy for keeping Mr. Sewall
from me. I am fully persuaded that he is more necessary
where he is than here. With God's help I will go through
all difficulties as well as ever. My foot seems to get better,
and I expeCt to be able the next week to visit the different
congregations. Mr. Doyne's settling at Frederick Town 1
�PENNSYLVA1\'IA, 1785-1786.
whether he stays there himself or with Mr. Frambach, will
be a relief for me. I wrote to Mr. Frambach. His answer,
I suppose, I shall have next week. I wish your. Reverence
good health and a happy journey, and I commend myself
to your daily devotions. Reverend Father Superior,
Your humble servant,
JA~!ES PELLENTZ.
LETTERS OF FR. ROBERT l\IOLYNEUX TO
DR. JOHN CARROLL.
PIIILADELPHIA, April 23rd, 1785.
HoNd DEAR SIR,
Mr. Farmer is now absent two weeks on his tour to the
Iron-\Vorks and New York. It will be two more before he
returns. He was very weak when he left here. If he lives
to return I wish some means could be devised to prevent
him from going any more. Since writing the above t!te
enclosed has been delivered to me for you by Mr. Hayes.
He is well acquainted with l\Ir. Farmer. Have we any prospeas of any assistence? ~From whom? And when? I
am with my hands full, and the mortification to prepare twq
criminals for death in our jail. For my part if Mr. Geisler
can be sent here, I hope you will give me a Successor: I 3
years hard service here is something, and I begin to feel it.
If Mr. Neale's health permits he might answer the purpose.
Yet still, Philadelphia will always want three or four Priests.
Since writing the above I have received a letter from Rev.
Mr. Fulham(I) of Dublin, olim S. J. He writes that our subjeCl:ion to the Propaganda has its inconveniences which may
be remedied by a proper application to Cardinal Antonelli,
who certainly wishes us well. Mr. Fulham says he knew
you at Blandyke many years ago. He wishes we could be
supplied from England and Liege till times grow more
favorable, and a change may be expeCl:ed. The rest contains an account of the Society continuing to floudsh in
Rusia, etc., of which I suppose you are informed b'y··your
European correspondents, but ends with an account of the
Emperor Joseph's destruCtive progress of reformation. The
Universities of Vienna and Pragu?, says Mr. Fulham, have
Ul Fr. John Fulham, horn in Dublin, Mar~h :?3, 1717 or 1719; entered the
Society in Lyons, December :l, 17:{5; was profe,sed of the four vows Fehruarv
2, 1754; died in Dublin, August 7, 17D:l. Came home to lluhlin in 174U: was
a great benefactor to the Irish ~Ij,sion and Province; he gave £50 each,
yearly, for ten years to ex-Jesuits of Lyons, and to Jesuits in Russia; taught
humanities six years; his piety, love for religion and for his Order, are com·
memorated by Fr. P. Plunket; he and his sister left a legacy to the .T esuits
in Russia.- Fr. Edmund Hogan. See Br. Foley's Col/ectanea and Oliver's
"Irish Members, S. J."
�PENNSYLVANIA, I785-17S6.
received orders to ~cknowledge the orthodoxy of the Cht1rch
of Utrecht, and to teach its principles. Matrimony is ·purposed to be celebrated before a civil magistrate without
Priest or nuptial benediClion. Auricular Confession begins
to be cried down. The general plan seems to be to abolish
all Religious Orders of both sexes, to lessen the number of
Secular Priests, to subjeCt: the Clergy to temporal tribunals
with respeCt: to their livings and discipline, to allow but one
altar in each church, to admit no affinity from Baptism or
Confirmation; the Parish Priests to be empowered to Confirm, etc., etc., etc.
\Vhile I was writing this I received the Packet for Mr.
Farmer and mysel( This again multiplies my business
which never ceases from the moment I rise till I lie down
again. \Vhether to send the letter to Mr. Farmer, or keep
it till his return, puzzles me; but fearing it would not fall
into Mr. Farmer's hands, I believe I will reserve it till his
return-if God pleases to give him strength. He is no
more ~t to take that journey than I am to fast forty days
and nights like St. Stylites without eating or drinking.
I wish Mr. Neale would and could come. Has he a discreet spirit for catechizing publicly? Such a person might
be of great service here. It should be publicly done in the
face of the congregation.
Our friend
has not complied with the Jubilee. I
am sorry for it. I exhort, I entreat, but the world runs
away with the seed we endeavor to sow. To preserve a
flock so exposed requires a multiplied ease, and a zealous
care-above our leisure and strength. \Vhen shall we have
the pleasure of seeing you in Philadelphia? This I long
for. By one visit more business might be done than by
twenty letters·. Oh, that you would come and join us ! I
think we should be soon able to accommodate you to your
liking. Your presence would give us new life. But I am
called on, and must go.
RoBERT MoLYNEUX.
To Dr. Carroll.
FR. MOLYNEUX TO DR. JOHN CARROLL.
PHIL., June I 8th, I 78 5·
REv. HaNd. Sir,
After a long silence, I once more enter on a correspondence, too long interrupted. Mr. Geisler has been here, id est,
arrived last Tuesday for dinner, and set off to-day, Friday,
after the same. He has been for some time in a poor state
�194 BP. CARROLL THINKS OF RE-ENTERING THE SOCIETY.
of health, contracted from three sweeping colds since Christmas. He is willing to come to Philadelphia whenever you
give the order, and Mr. Pellentz approves the means. Mr.
Framback is willing to go to Lancaster, on condition that on
the arrival of an approved Successor, he be allowed either
to retire to Conewago or to Germany, which Mr. Pellentz
thinks reasonable, and I think may be prudently promised.
Mr. Farmer is rather better than before his journey, but far
from being strong or equal to the labors of this place. I
have been constantly harrassed these five months past, and
I can not say that I am either sick or infirm. I am tired
and want repose. I hope you will consider us, and order
Mr. Geisler to our assistance if possible. It is pleasing to
me, to Mr. Farmer, and he himself is sensible of the necessity. For my part I have no private views, the public good
is all I seek. Yet after all I will not dissemble, that it would
be very agreeable to me to live elsewhere than Philadelphia.
I really feel the labor of this place, and thirteen years is not
a short time to have felt it. ,Every day the labor increases,
and my ability decreases. ~-Iy request is not an unreasonable one, and will, I know, be attended to. \Vhen the troubles began, I was not less uneasy than at present. But I
took heart, not doubting of being relieved, as soon as it
should be decided.
RoBERT MoLYNEux.
BISHOP CARROLL THINKS OF RE-ENTERING
THE SOCIETY.
Letter to Fr. Jfarmadukc Stone.
BALTIMORE, - -
1805-
REV. SIR,
In a letter to Mr. Strickland, I advised him of having received, and of my intention to acknowledge, the favor of
your letter of 1804, and its inclosures, viz: a copy of the
General's letter to me, and of the edifying accounts of Mr.
Causel's vocation to the Society, and the Bishop of Verona's
sollicitation for the same happiness. Before the receipt of
yours, I was already put in possession of duplicates of Fr.
Gruber's letter to me; Mr. Strickland having forwarded
them to me-though the original has never reached my
hand. Having referred to Mr. Strickland's former letters, I
�BP. CARROLL THINKS OF RE-ENTERING THE SOCIETY. I95
find that my preceding communication was correa, in which
it was stated that he informed me of your having first received and forwarded that original ; but he had done so
himself, and probably did not recollea the circumstance.
Soon after receiving the General's direaions, notice was
given to such of our Brethren as had been formerly of the
Society to meet me, which they did in May. Those who
did not meet sent certificates of their desire for readmission.
The whole number of them was as "follows-MM. Robert
Molyneux, John Bolton, Charles Sewall, Sylvester Boarman,
Charles Neale and Ignatius Baker Brooke. To these will
soon be added others, who never were of the Society; but
who could not properly be admitted til\ the Society was
organized by the appointment of a Superior, etc. Having
read and discussed, with the gentlemen above named, Fr.
General's letter, I appointed the Rev. Mr. Molyneux, for
the present, Superior, being satisfied that he would be the
most unexceptionable of those who in the first instance
would be members of the Society, and whom I would recommend to the General to continue in office, notwithstand- .
ing his desires of retirement, till some of those that will join
the Society shall have performed one year's noviceship and
then be enabled, by permission of the General, to make
their first vows. Amongst these last there will be one, at
least, who will give much satisfaaion as a virtuous and prudent, though not a learned Superior.
The example of the good Bishop of Verona is a lesson
for Bishop Neale and myself to meditate on; and it has, indeed, before, and since the receipt of your letter, been often
a subjea for consideration with me whether I ought not to
petition the Pope to resign and resume my former state.
My bishopric, as you know, gives me no worldly advantages, and is very burthensome. Can I promote the honor
of God more by relinquishing, than by retaining it? Into
whose hands could the Diocese be committed who would
not, perhaps, thwart the establishment of the Society, and
oppose a reinvestment in it of the property formerly possessed, and still so providentially retained ? These considerations have hitherto withheld my Coadjutor and myself
from coming to a resolution of reentering the Society. * * *
f.J.,
BISHOP OF BALTIMORE.
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Letter from Fat!tt'r Robert F. Smitlt.
SPOKANE FALLS, 'vV. T.,
April I sth, I 886.
DEAR BROTHER IN XT,
P.X.
After fifteen years of sighs and prayers I am at last in my
dear mission,-my happiness I leave you to imagine. I was
received with open arms by Rev. Fr. Cataldo and his little
community, among whom I found Father Ragaru and Br.
Kcerncr, who had outstripped me and arrived first at their
destination.
Of my journey I will not say much, except of my experiences with the Co·wboys, in whom I became greatly interested. They seem to be finG fellows, though their language
is somewhat coarse, abounding in ejaculations not found in
Rodriguez. After a long talk with one of these worthies
on sin, death and hell, he ended by saying: "Yep, whether
what you say be true or not, I hope in the next world to
play a harp at the right hand of Moses." \Vas this the
Cowboy's idea of heavenly bliss?
Some of my friends, made in the cars, were: a Norwegian
Lutheran, an indifferent Calvinist, an infidel Austrian, a
Scotch freemason, a Yankee free-thinker, and a graduate of
St. Francis Xavier's, New York; so you sec I had variety,
to say the least. I stopped over a day at Bismarck, Dakota,
staying with the BcncdiCl:ines. On visiting the Sisters'
school, I found that, an hour previous, an old Indian had
gone into the school, and refused to leave, saying that he
wanted to be taught, etc. His hunger for bread, hor.vever,
proved to be greater than his thirst for knowledge, and, on
the Father (who had been called in by the Sister) promising
him his dinner, he left the school, to the great satisfaCl:ion
of the frightened Sister Scholastica, who had not bargained
for such a class of scholars.
I paid a delightful visit to Bishop Brandel in Helena,
where I also met those veteran missionaries Fathers Imoda
and Grassi, S. J. I had to assist the Bishop at High Mass
on Sunday, in spite of my vehement remonstances; it is a
question who did the assisting? There were five of us at
(196)
�ROCKY llfOUNTAINS.
'97
dinner, and will you believe it, Ita(! a potato sufficed for us
all! It weiged four pounds! Four or five pounds is the
ordinary weight of Montana potatoes ! A cabbage was
raised last year at one of our missions which weighed thirtyfive pounds !
But, to return to Spokane Falls. Fr. Jacquet is one of the
most successful priests for miles around. He has just finished
the beautiful brick church, started by the lamented Fr. Ruellan, and it will be blessed shortly after Easter. He is an indefatigable worker, gives leCtures, writes for newspapers, visits
mining camps, soldiers' barracks, etc. B"ut he will soon
change his scene of aCtion, as he will start next month for
his new field of labor among the Kootenais, a tribe living
near the borders of British Columbia, that is to say the
Lower Kootenais, for the Upper Kootenais arc in the British Possessions. These Indians have never had a pennancilt mission among them, although many of them have
been instruCted atrd baptized during the visits to that tribe
of FF. De Smet, Giorda, Grassi and Tosi. These poor
savages have entreated our Fathers again and again to come
and live among them, but the Sup·~rior had no men at his
disposal, and so their piteous demand had to be put off with
a promise. Lately the chief said to his people: "Let us
return to our old habits of drinking, gambling, etc., and then
the Fathers, taking compassion on us, will come to live with
us." Then Fr. Tasi visited them and promised to build
them a church this spring, but being unable, owing to other
orders, to fulfil this himself, he will introduce Fr. Jacquet
to the tribe, and leave to the New Blackrobc the execution
of the promise.
To speak once more of myself, I spent a part of Holy
'Neck among the Spokane Indians, at St. Michael's Mission.
I arrived there on the eve of Palm Sunday in company with
Rev. Fr. Cataldo. An Indian met us before we reached the
camp, and he hurried back to spread the news of the arrival
of a new Blackrobe. I was quite anxious about my reception and the impression made, for I might expeCt to be
dubbed by a name that might be mine for life. My size
however got me the title of the 'little Father'-not such a
very distinCtive one, as Fr. de Rouge was long known by
this name. He has exchanged it by popular verdiCt for that
of the '\Vise Blackrobc,' on account of his wonderful f.'lcility
in acquiring Indian languages and for his skill in medicine.
What will my next name be?· I was greeted by the assembled tribe and had to shake hands with every individual
member, even to the very papooses, whose hands were laid
�1g8
CHAPLAINS FOR THE JlfEXICAN WAR.
in mine by their mothers. On Palm Stmday I took part in
the Passion and had to supply the turba, etc. I would
rather sing in, thanfiw, a crowd! You may draw your own
conclusions about the execution.
In my rides over the prairie I often get a chance of airing
my Chenook, and find it a great satisfaEl:ion to be able to
talk to the Indians whom I meet. They wear their blankets
with as much dignity as ever a Roman Senator did his toga.
But I must conclude with kindest regards for all. Do
not forget me and the mission in your holy sacrifices and
prayers.
Faithfully in Xt,
RoBERT F. SmTH, S. J.
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN \VAR-1846.
APPOINTMENT
oF
F~-s. McELROY
AND
REv.
(BJ' Fr. jolm JlfcEiroJ'.)
1. In l\Iay of last year ( 1846), the Bishops of the U. S.
held a Provincial Council in Baltimore; at its close several
of the Bishops visited President Polk, in \Vashington; of
these, Bishops Hughes of New York, Potier of Mobile and
Kenrick of St. Louis, waited on him the eve of Ascension,
being the zoth May; during their visit the subjeEl: of Catholic Chaplains for the army of invasion, was broached, I
know not by whom. ~ The President seemed anxious for it,
and requested the Bishops above named to give him the
names of two clergymen as soon as possible, that he might
forthwith commission them, etc. The three Prelates repaired
without loss of time to our College in Georgetown;~eing
the nearest, and where they were the more likely to succeed. They had an interview with Rev. Father Verh~gen,
Visitor, who had also a consultation with several of the
Fathers who were of opinion that two Fathers should be
sent, and Fathers McElroy and Rey should be appointed;
the three bishops dined at the College and returned to the
President with the names of the two Fathers; all was concluded in one half hour.
2. At the time Father McElroy was Pastor of Trinity
Church, and Father Rey, Socius to the Provincial, and Minister in the College. In a few days the two Fathers called
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE .ME:\7CAN WAR.
199
on the Secretary of \Var for instructions, how to preceed.
He (Mr. Marcy) received us very aff.<bly, expressed his desire that we should visit the President, and ordered his
chief clerk to prepare letters for the Commanders of different posts to f.<cilitate our journey; besides, he requested me
to give him my views of what we should expect whilst with
the army, which I sent. to him a little later in writing, and
which he embodied, almost transcribed, in his despatch to
General Taylor, which I copy below. The Secretary introduced us to the President, who received us with great kindness and regard-he expressed a hope that our Mission
would be one of peace, that -zuc carried not the sword, but
the olive-branch-that our mission would be a refutation of
the erroneous opinions held in Mexico, that the U. S.
warred against their religion, etc. He continued to state
very frankly the great desire he had to bring their matters
of dispute to an amicable conclusion.
As neither of us could speak Spanish I proposed to the
Presid~nt the propriety of associating with us a third clergyman, who was f.<miliar with the language; he very
promptly adopted my suggestion and told the Secretary to
embody that in his despatch to the General-in-Chief where
it will be found.
·
3· In a subsequent interview, the Secretary of vVar asked
us what we thought sufficient for our expenses. I replied
that I was ignorant of it, not knowing the country, our
manner of living, etc. He observed that when the law authorized chaplains their pay was from 1000 to 1200 dollars.
I told him that this would appear to be sufficient-he inserted in his despatch the larger amount. Although there
is no law of Congress authorizing the appointment of chaplains for the army the President in our case made out our
commission by virtue of his dz~·cretioltaY)' power-besides
the pay of 100 dollars a month, our travelling expenses to
and from the Seat of vVar were to be defrayed. An advance to each of three months pay was made, a hundred
dollars each for travelling, making in all 8oo dollars. This
sum we received at the Quartermaster's office in gold on
the first of June, '46. I may as well copy the Secretary of
\Var's letter to me of May 21st, as it states the views of the
President precisely, in the first place-then the others in
order.
�200
CHAPLAINS FOR THE .1fEXICAN WAR.
lVar Departmettt, JJfaJ' 2Ist, I846.
SIR,
The President is desirous to engage two Reverend gentlemen of the Roman Catholic Church to attend the army
of occupation now on the Rio Grande to officiate as chaplains, etc. In his opinion their services would be important
in many respeB:s to the public interest, particularly in the
present condition of our affairs with Mexico. Having sought
information as to the proper persons to be thus employed, his
attention has been direB:ed to you, and he has instruB:ed
me to address you on the subjeCt:, in the hope that you may
consider it not incompatible with your clerical duties, or
your personal feelings to yield to his request.
It is proper that I should apprize you that the existing
laws do not authorize the President to appoint and commission chaplains, but he has authority to employ persons, to
perform such duties as appertain to chaplains. Should you
conse~1t, as the President hopes you will, to visit the army
and remain some time \vithit you will be allowed a reasonable compensation for expen'ses and services. Your views
of what that ought to be, you will, if you please, suggest
to me.
\Vhen the law authorized the appointment of chaplains,
as it formerly did, the pay and emoluments were about one
thousand or twelve hundred dollars per annum. This amount
would be readily allowed together with the expenses of
travelling to and from the army.
I should be pleased to be f.worecl with a reply to this communication at your earliest convenience.
I ha,·e the honor to be,
Very respeCtfully,
Your obedient Servant,
w. L.
MARCY,
Secretary cf
JV:,ar.
To the Re,·erend
John McElroy,
Georgetown College.
It will be seen, this letter was written the day after the
visit of the Bishops to the President. A similar letter was
sent to Father Rey. I have alluded above to my answer to
his inquiries both as to pay and other matters which will be
found in the following letter of the Secretary to General
Taylor.
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE JfTEXICAN WAR.
201
(Confidential.)
~Var Department, TVasltington, May 29, z846.
SIR,
The President has been informed that much pains have
been taken to alarm the religious prejudices of the Mexicans
against the U. S. He deems it important that their misapprehensions in this respeCt: should be correB:ed as far as it
can be done, and for that purpose has invited the Reverend
gentlemen who will hand you this communication, Mr.
McElroy and Mr. Rey, of the Roman Catholic Church, to
attend to the army under your command and to officiate as
chaplains. Although the President cannot appoint them as
chaplains, yet it is his wish that they be received in that
charaCter by you and your officers, be respeCted as such and
be treated with kindness and courtesy-that they should be
permitted to have intercourse with the soldiers of the Catholic Faith- to administer to them religious instruCtion, to
perform divine service for such as may wish to atte11d whenever it ·can be done without interfering with their military
duties, and to have free access to the sick or wounded in
hospitals or elsewhere.
It is confidently believed that these gentlemen in their
clerical capacity will be useful in removing the false impressions of the Mexicans in relation to the U. S., and in inducing them to confide in the assurance you have already given
that their religious institutions will be respeCted-the property of the church proteCted, their worship undisturbedand in fine all their religious rights will be in the amplest
manner preserved to them. In fulfilling these objeB:s you
are desired to give these gentlemen such f:<cilities as you
may be enabled to afford, and at such times as in your judgment may be most prudent.
· You are requested also to cause to be provided for them
such accomodations as will render their abiding with the
army comfortable to themselves. It is believed that when
chaplains were allowed by law to the army, they received
in pay and emoluments, from about 1000 dollars to 1200 paannum. This amount will be paid to the gentlemen named
in this letter.
As these gentlemen do not speak the Spanish, they have
been desired by the President to associate with them another
clergyman who both understands and speaks it; such per-
VoL xv, No.2.
21
�son recommended by them you will receive on the same
footing with themselves,
Very respeCtfully,
Your obedient sel·vant,
W. L. MARCY,
Secretary ~ H'ar.
i.\iajor General Z. Taylor,
Commanding Army of Occupation
on the Rio Grande, Texas.
In addition to the above letters the Secretary gave us two
others to facilitate our travelling anrl accomorlations on the
\vay; l copy them both.
SIR,
The Reverend gentlemen (Mr. McElroy and Mr. Rey)
who will hand you this are the bearers of a communication
from this department to Major General Taylor; you will
please provide them with~cabin passages, in goorl sufficient
transport to Point Isabel, \vhence they will receive safe conduet to General Taylor's Headquarters.
Very respeCtfully,
Your oberlient Servant,
\V. L. 1\L-\RCY,
SccrctarJ' of lVar.
Lieutenant Colonel Thos. Hunt,
Deputy Quartermaster General,
United States Army,
New Orleans.
SIR,
The Reverend Mr. Me Elrov ancl Mr. Rev are the bearers of a communication from' this departn;ent to_· Major
General Taylor; they are recommended to your c<1urtesy
and hospitality, anrl you are requested to take such measures ·
·as will ensure their safe conduCt to the I Ieaclquarters of
General Taylor.
Very respeCtfully yours, etc.
w. L. MARCY,
Secretary~ War.
To the commanding officer,
Fort Polk, Point Isabel, Texas.
�THE PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
The story of the Paraguay l!eductions has been written so often that we
feel an apology i" neces"ary for the version we now offer. Tht>re is nothing
new in it; nothing that has not been toltl before. But we make bold to publish it, becan"e we believe it will be interesting to our reatlers, as affording
the view taken of the Society's great work in South America by an unprejudicetl English Protestant, living at the time of the events he narrates. The
history forms a chapter in a now forgotten work published anonymously in
London in li!i.l. It is entitled,.\:\".\( 'COl":\"T OF THE EUHOPE.-\X SETTLEMENTS
lN AMEIUC'A, IX ~IX P.Al~T~ . . . . Each Part contains an accurate descrip·
tion of the Settlements in it, their E.rtwt, Climate, Prodnctit•eness, Tradt,
Oenius and Di <position of their inhabitants; the Interests of the several Powers of Europe 11'ith ·re.pect to those Settlements; and their Political and Com;nercictl Vifll'S with regard to rach other.
The author, evidently some literary hack of the days of Noll Goldsmith and
Johnson, with shadowy ill-defined hopes of future fame, tells us with great
modesty in the preface to his work that, "the little sketch he has given in the
part of Portuguese America, if it has any merit, is entirely due to the judicious collection called ]farris's Voyctges," and he adds with suggestive candor: "There are not many finer pieces than the history of Brazil in that collection; the light in which the author >ets the events in that history is fine
and instructive; an uncommon spirit prevails through it; and his remarks
are everywhere striking and deep." There are two maps accompanying it, one
of X orth, the other of ~outh America. It i~ claimed that they are accurate,
-"and drawn from the best modern maps and charts and regulated by
Astron 1 Ob•ervat"'· By Emanuel Brown-Prog'. to his majesty, li·!7."
"The trade of Paraguay, and the manners of the people,
are so much the same with those of the rest of the Spanish
colonies in South America, that nothing further can be said
on those articles; but it would be inexcusable to quit the
country without saying something of that extraordinary species of commonwealth which the Jesuits have ereCted in the
interior parts.
"About the middle of the last century those fathers represented to the court of Madrid, that their want of success
in their missions was owing to the scandal which the immorality of the Spaniards never failed to give, and to the
hatred which their insolent behaviour caused in the Indians
wherever the)· came. They insinuated, that, if it were not
for that impediment, the empire of the gospel might, by
their labours, have been extended into the most unknown
parts of America; and that all those countries might be subdued to his catholic majesty's obedience, without expence
and without force. This remonstrance was listened to with
attention; the sphere of their labours was marked out; an
uncontrouled liberty was given to the jesuits within these
(203)
�THE-PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
limits; and the governors of the adjacent provinces had
orders not to interfere, nor to suffer any Spanish to enter
into this pale, without licence from the fathers. They on
their part agreed, to pay a certain capitation tax in proportion to their flock; and to send a certain number to the
king's works whenever they should be demanded, and the
missions should become populous enough to supply them.
"On these terms, the jesuits entered upon the scene of
action, and opened their spiritual campaign. They began
by gathering together about fifty wandering families, whom
they persuaded to settle ; and they united them into a little
township. This was the slight foundation upon which they
have built a superstructure, which has amazed the world,
and added so much power, at the same time that it has
brought on so much envy and jealousy, to their society.
For when they had made this beginning, they laboured with
such indefatigable pains, and with such masterly policy,
that by degrees, they mollified the minds of the most savage
nations; fixed the most rambling; and subdued the most
averse to government. They prevailed upon thousands of
various dispersed tribes orpeople to embrace their religion,
and to submit to their government; and when they had submitted, the jesuits left nothing undone, that could conduce
to their remaining in this subjection, or that could tend to
increase their number to the degree requisite for a wellordered and potent society; and their labors were attended
with success.
"It is said, that, from such inconsiderate beginnings,
several years ago, their subjects amounted to three hundred
thousand f..1.milies. They lived in towns; they were regularly clad; they laboured in agriculture; they exercised manuf..1.ctures. Some even aspired to the elegant arts. They were
instructed in the military with the most exact discipline;
and could raise fifty thousand men well armed. To effect
these purposes, from time to time, they brought over from
Europe several handicraftmen, musicians, and painters.
These, I am told, were principally from Germany and Italy.
"We are f..1.r from being able to trace, with the exactness they
deserve, all the steps which were taken in the accomplishment of so extraorclina1y a conquest over the bodies and
minds of so many people, without arms or violence; and
differently from the methods of all other conquests; not by
cutting off a large part of the inhabitants to secure the rest,
but by multiplying their people, whilst they extended their
territory. Their own accounts are not very ample, and they
fire partial to themselves 'vithout doubt What some others
�THE
PARAGr~4Y
REDCCTIONS.
205
have written is with a glaring prejudice against them. The
particulars which seem best agreed upon by both sides are
the only ones to be mentioned.
"It is agreed then, that in each mission or distriCt (the
country is divided into forty-seven distriCts) a jesuit presides
in chic( But magistrates arc settled in every town, answerable to those in the Spanish citi-es; these arc always Indians,
eleCted by the people, and approved by the presiding jesuit:
on solemn occasions, they appear in rich robes of ceremony,
attended with a suitable retinue, and every thing which may
make for the dignity of their government. The people which
compose this commonwealth arc composed chiefly of two
nations or tribes, one called Garanies, the other Chiquitos.
The latter arc aCtive, lively and ingenious, therefore their
<economy is more left to themselves; and they have something of property, but there is something too in common.
Amongst the Garanies there is no property; every thing is
done under the public eye, and for the public ; for otherwise
this people, naturally lazy and stupid to the last degree,
would be in perpetual want. Each man's labour is allotted
him in proportion to his strength, or to his skill in the profession which he exercises. The produCt is brought faithfully into the public magazines; whence he is again supplied
· with all things which the managers judge to be expedient
for the sustenance of himself or his family. All necessaries
are distributed regularly twice a week ; and the magazines
always contain such a stock of provisions and goods of
every kind, as to answer not only the ordinary exigences,
but to provide against a time of scarcity, or for those whom
accidents, age, or infirmities, have disqualified for labour.
Thus want is never known amongst them; their villages are
cleanly and decent, greatly exceeding those of the Spaniards
in their neighbourhood. Their churches are particularly
grand and richly adorned; and service is in them performed
with all the solemnity and magnificence of cathedrals; nor
are good voices and instruments wanting.
"They provide early for the marriage of their young
people, as well to prevent disorders, as to multiply their
subjeCts. Here, as interest can be no motive to the union,
there are few difficulties attending it. The young man applies to the governing jesuit, informs him of his desire of
marriage, and names the party : she is consulted, and if
there is no objeCtion upon her part, they are immediately
married. They arc supplied with all necessaries for their
establishment from the public stores, and they have at the
same time their task allottee\ them, by which they are tq
�THE PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
make amends for what they have received, and to provide
for others in their turn.
"The Indian magistrate is obliged continually to watch.
over the minutest actions of his people, and to give the
jesuit an exact account of the state of his district, and the
merit and demerit of the people which it contains. They
are rewarded or punished according to this report. The
punishment for smaller crimes is by imprisonment, for greater by whipping, from which it is said not even the principal
magistrates are exempted. Capital punishments they do
not inflict, as indeed crimes are rarely committed amongst
them. The correction is received by all, not only with patience, but acknowledgement. The rewards are seldom
more than benedictions, and some slight mark of the jesuits'
favour, which make those men entirely happy.
"Nothing can equal the obedience of the people of these
missions, except their contentment under it. Far from murmuring, that they have only necessaries of life, by a labour
which might in some degree>procur'e them the conveniencies of it, they think themselves a distinguished and favoured
people in wanting them ; and they believe their obedience
a duty, that not only secures their order and repose in this
world, but the very best means of insuring their happiness
in the next. This is carefully inculcated; and indeed, besides their attention to the government, the jesuits are indefatigable in their instructions in the doctrines of religion,
the regularity of life, and the contempt of this world. And,
by what I can find, the Indians under their jurisdiction arc
an innocent people, civilized without being corrupted.
"The jesuits, who govern them, are said to be extremely
strict in preserving their privilege in keeping all strangers
from amongst them. If any such should, by accident or in
his journey, arrive in the country of the missions, he is immediately carried to the presbytery, where he is treated for
a day, or two at most, with great hospitality, but regarded
with no less circumspection. The curiosities of the place
are shewed him in company with the jesuit, and he can have
no private conversation with any of the natives. In a reasonable time, he is civilly dismissed, with a guard to conduCt:
him to the next distriCt:, without expence, where he is treated
in the same manner, until he is out of the country of the
missions. Cautions altogether as striCt:, and in the same
spirit, are observed, when the natives are obliged to go out
of their own territory to serve in the king's works, or when
any part of their troops are called out for his service. They
shun all manner of conversation with strangers, upon whom
�THE PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
207
they look with a sort of horror; and so return, uninformed
and untainted, into their own country as they left it.
"I am sensible, that many have represented the condud: of
the jesuits in this mission in a very bad light; but their reflexions appear to me not at all supported by the fad:s upon
which to build them. To judge perfed:ly of the service
they have done their people, we must not consider them in
a parallel with the flourishing nations of Europe, but as
compared with their neighbours, the savages of South America, or with the state of those Indians who groan under the
Spanish yoke. Considering it in this, which is the true
light, it will appear, that human society is infinitely obliged
to them for adding to it three humlred thousand families in
a well-regulated community, in the room of a few vagabond
untaught savages. And indeed, it can scarce be conceived,
that the government has not some extraordinary perfeCtion,
which has a principle of increase within it, which draws
others to unite themselves to the old stock, and shoots out
itself a luxuriance of new branches. Neither can we, by
any means, blame a system which produces such salutary
effed:s; and which has found that difficult, but happy way,
that grand desideratum in politics, of uniting a perfed: subjeCtion to an entire content and satisfaCtion of the people.
Matters, which, it were to be wished, were studied with more
attention by us, who content ourselves with railing at the
diligence of an adversary, which we should rather praise
and imitate; and who, in our affairs, seldom think of using
any other instruments than force or money.
"This commonwealth is now become a subjed: of much
conversation, upon account of the cession which has lately
been made of part of that territory to the crown of Portugal. It is well known, that the inhabitants of seven of the
missions refused to comply with this division, or to suffer
themselves to be transferred from one hand to another, like
cattle, without their own consent.< 1> 'vVe are informed, by
the authority of the Gazette, that the Indians aCtually took
up arms; but notwithstanding the exactness of their discipline, they were easily, and with a considerable slaughter,
defeated by the European troops, who were sent to quell
them. It seems to have been ill-judged in this people, who
had never seen any real service, nor were headed by officers
who had seen any, without which the best discipline is but
a sort of play, to have hazarded a battle with troops from
---------··-------·----·-----------
The jesuits have been entirely disgraced at the court of Portugal, for
the share they are said to have had in this resistance.
!ll
�THE 'J>ARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
Europe. They ought rather to have first habituated themselves to aaion by attacking small parties, by convoys, by
little surprises, until by use and success in smaller matters,
they were entitled to hazard the sum of their affairs in the
open field. However, it is not improbable, that this opposition will rouse the indolence of the Spaniards, and make
them take the government of the country out of the hands
it is in at present. If they do it is not difficult to foresee,
that the same depopulation, the same distress, and the same
discontent, which distinguish the Indians in the rest of the
Spanish provinces, will be soon equally visible in this. It
will not be difficult for them to effea the reduaion of this
country; for the jesuits ~1ave too large and valuable an interest in Old Spain, as well as in the new world, to dispute
it with the court, whenever they shall demand in good earnest to have this country surrendered ; if it be true, that the
jesuits have really such influence on the inhabitants as is
attributed to them.
"It was not originally such bad policy, as it may seem, to
have intrusted the jesuits _with so great a power; since a
little time will shew, that they have given them a territory
unknown, unpeopled, and uncultivated, which they have the
certain means of possessing when they please, subdued,
peopled, and cultivated. As to its wealth, it is hard to say
any thing certain ; the jesuits deny it. And truly, if they
aaed with a perfea policy, they would never have suffered
any mines of gold or silver to be opened in that country.
Of this matter I have no information upon which I can
depend."
We are enabled through the kindness of the Hev. Dr. Middleton, 0. S. A.,
of Villa Nova College, Penn., to supplement this story with a list of the Fa.
thers of the Society at work in the Missions of Paraguay 17-Hl-1750. The
list is from the diary of P. Pedro de Parros who travelled in Parag"uay for
nearly twelve years. This Father was a Franciscan anti not a Visitor~f the
Society, as the translator of the manuscript supposed. \Ve give a translation
of the Excerpt:-
�THE PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
Extract from the Diary of Pedro de Parrosln Paraguay, 1746-1759.
LIST OF ALL THE JESUITS WHOM I FOUND IX THE TOWNS (PUEBLOS)
WHERE I STAYED.
In Santa Jfaria.
Ff. Bta. ~Iarqueseti, Cura; an Austrian.
Pedro Pablo Daneri, Compaiiero; a Roman.
Saint Ign Guazil.
P. Josef Ribcorola de St• Fee (sic).
Manuel Oldmed de Cordova.
Santa Rosa.
P. Fran, Maul Gutierres; l\lontafiez.
Mateo Cano; Sard.
Ant• Sosa de Salta.
Santiago.
P.Rafael Campamar; ~Iallorq•.
Marimon
"
Sebastian de Tegros; Paraguay.
~figl.
San Cosme (qu Caime).
P. Rartolemeo Pisa; Mallorquin.
Tad eo En is; Hungarian.
Rafael Cavallero; Paraguay.
ltapua (gy ?)
P. Felis Urbina ; l\ladrid ..
Felipe Arins.
"
Sebastian Toledano; Old Castile.
Geronimo Zacharias ; Sard.
Candelaria.
I
El P. Jaime Pasino, (?)Superintendent of all the Missions; Sard.
P. Felipe Ferder; German.
Ant• Estelles, (?) Valencia.
Ile.-mano. Fran•• Leone; Italian.
Hermano. Bias Gornit.
Ruperto Thahalamer, apothecary ; German.
Santa Ana (sic).
P. Xavier de Echitgue; Santa Fee (sic).
Hermeneg Sguirre ; Salta.
Inocencio Herber ; German.
San Ign JJlini,
P. Andres Fernandez; Madrid.
Lorenzo Balda ; Castellano.
Fran•• Y zedo ; S\& Fee.
�THE PARAGUAY REDUCTIONS.
210
Loreto.
P. Esteban Fena; Barcelona.
Ramon de Toledo; Biscayan.
Mathias Strove!; German.
Corpus.
Pedro Sanna; Sard .
.Juan Fahrer; :\lallorqnin.
Trinidad.
P . .Juarl Franco Valdivien; Baeza.
Juan Themao; 1\Iallorquin.
Jesus.
P. Juan Antonio Ribera; Taro (?J
Santos Simoin; Italian.
Antonio Forcada; Zaragoza.
San _Josrf.
P . .Juan Carrio, Cura; Old Castile.
P.-Apostoles.
P. Domingo Perfeti ; Italian.
Carlos Tuo or Tur (?) German.
Sigismund Aperger; Docta.
Hermano Norberto Chuilak, apothecary; Germ !ln.
Concepcion.
P .•Jaime :\!ascaro; Catalan.
;\!anne! Bozer; Mallorquin.
Conrad Order; German.
Sto. Thome.
P. Ignacio YmerP.o; S'" Fee.
Feliz Blanch ; Frenchman.
San
Bo~jn
(?)
P. Diego de Horbcgozo; Biscayan.
Iph. Cardul Reasano.
The latter was absent on my visit and I found in his place P. Xavier Leni,
a German. In all whom I knew 55.
�MEXICO.
2II
A DESCRIPTION OF THE DIARY OF FR. PEDRO DE PARRAS, IN THE
LIBRARY OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY IN
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
The work mentioned above is in Spanish, in ::liS. written in a clear and
beautiful hand; a work of about .tOO pp. (pages not numbered) a small 4to,
bound in parchment and with back-title.
On first page is"Dinrio <i< * * de los vinges gue hn hecho Fr. Pedro Iph.!'l de Parras, dest},e gne saUo de la Ciudad de Zarogaza *' * *para {a America. Con ttna * *
relncio•• de :ro ']" per.<onalm'" hn e.rperimentado en di•·ersos paises, y de las
cosas nias notnble$ 'l" en ellos ha vi-<lo."
N. B. He left Zaragoza, Oct. ~2. 17-18; sailed from Cadiz, Feb. 10, 17 !9;
sighted Cape St. Augustine, where the coast of Brazil begins, about Apr. ::!2;
travelled in Montevideo, Buenos .\yres and Paraguay from 174!l? !2)
At the end is a list of the missions which he visited c:<l in 1i.'l!l in company
with the Bishop of Paraguay and others.-Later on he gives a "Lista de todos
los .Tesnitas 9uc halt~ en los l'ttehlo.• por dunde J1!lse,"-about 18 places, and
about 53 religious, whose names he gives and in some instances their nationality.
This Diario was given to the "Am. Phil. So." in 1820, by Joel R. Pawsett
after his return from ::\Iexico.
MEXICO.
Letter from one if Ours.
1\lay 30th, 1886.
DEAR AND REVEREND FATHER,
I had intended to give you an agreeable surprise by sending you a detailed account of the Province of Mexico, but,
not having obtained sufficient data, I am not able to do so.
I have asked for information, and hope soon to get it. In
the meantime I will tell you what I know.
Some time last year, Ours recovered a beautiful church
which formerly belonged to the Old Society, in the City of
Worelia, the Capital of the State of Michoacan. The building is solid and displays no little art and beauty. It is well
preserved, having been in the hands of the Bishop, who took
care to have a chaplain in it who saw to its preservation and
cleanliness. In faCt: in place of losing any of its original
neatness and solidity, it has gained in both. The. college
annexed to it, unfortunately, did not meet with like success.
For, although it was not entirely destroyed, it has fallen in!ll A
contract-ion, I tkink, for Joseph. The •vhole work is full of similar
abbreviations.
12 l I am not now sure whether this is 1i 4!l or '50.
13l Fr. de Pt£rras Mems to lwve been the "Visita.tor" of the Society.
�flfEXICO.
to the hands of the Government, so that now it will be almost
impossible to recover it. It was Father \Vilde who recovered the old church from the Archbishop Arciga. This
Father is at present building a house alongside of the church.
This is intended as a residence, if God grants that the government should continue tolerating us.
The religious movement in Mexico seems daily advancing, as you may see by a few lines which I have just received from the Capital of the country :-"\Ve have finished
with success our labors of Lent and arc about to give the
devotions of the Month of May. In Lent Frs. Alzola and
Rivas gave three public retreats in the church of St. Bridget.
They were given in turns to ladies, servant girls, and men.
All of them were well attended, and very fruitful. Confessions were numerous, and what is especially consoling many
of them were made by those who had been three, six, ten,
twenty, and even more years absent from their religious
duties. The religious enthusiasm reigning throughout the
entire Capital has been greater than in any former year."
Respecting missionary wm:~ nothing of note is to be mentioned by reason of the small number of operarii. The
people, however, very earnestly desire missions. So much
so, indeed, that if they even get a missionary among them
it is almost impossible for him to get away. Fr. Labrador,
an old missionary of Spain, of whom no doubt, you have
some knowledge, affords a good example. He passed
through New York something more than eight months ago
on his way to the City of Mexico. Having to pass through
Saltillo, he intended to stop there for a few days only. Once
arrived, however, he was requested to give a mission, and
then a second, and a tfiird, and so on, so that he has to remain there still giving missions, and the desires of the people
to hear him have not yet been satisfied.
This is certainly consoling, Rev. Father, because I believe
that it is a good sign to see the sick, longing to be cur.ed.
He who would not receive medicine can hardly expect to
be restored to health. To finish I will quote a few lines
from the letter cited above : - "I suppose you know that
Very Rev. Fr. Superior is no longer acting as parish priest
of Tepotzotlan. He has left that parish and now stays at
St. Bridget's Residence. This move was very much in accordance with the desires of our Very Rev. Fr. Vicar. The
Letters of Oii.a are being published: They are to serve as
a continuation of those of Poyanne. A short account of
�/If ISS
0 l1 R I.
213
our Province, which was sent by the Novices and Scholastics of Mexico to their comprovincianos resident at Loyola,
has already appeared in them."
Your Servt. in Christ.
MISSOURI.
Letter from Fatltcr Tlwmas Hughes.
ST. Lours UNIVERSITY,,SL:. Loms, Mo.
·
·May 13th, 1886.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I take pleasure in sending to you items relative to the
new Post Graduate Society of the college, formed largely
by 1ton-Catlto!ics, including Protestant ministers; and chiefly, among the professions, by physicians. The constitution
now drawn up secures the pecuniary funds necessary for the
University to carry on the course. The subject aimed at
is to secure to the cultured community the continuance and
development of our philosophy. And though the Society
has begun with a majority of non-Catholics, still it is intended that our college in particular shall flourish with the
help of the Society. Next to the running expenses of the
course, a permanent and ample foundation for the Post Graduate chair is to be secured.
With the close of the first volume of abstracts of Post
Graduate lectures, the institution itself thus assumes a new
and auspicious phase. I beg to remain,
Your Reverence's obedt. Servt. in Christ.
THOMAS HUGHES, s. J.
\Vith the above letter has come to us the following extract from the St. Louis Globe-Democrat of May 4th.
PHILOSOPIIICAL POST GRADUATES.
"An adjourned meeting of the Philosophical Post Graduate Society of the St. Louis University was held at St.
Xavier parsonage, on Grand Avenue, last evening, and the
organization perfected. There were present: Rev. Father
Hughes, A. L. Berry, Dr. T. G. Comstock, F. A. Drew, A.
�:tq
APPOiNTAIEK;f OF
FR.
AiOLYNEiTX AS S(!PEl?JOR.
Grindon, Dr. Elmer Lee, Theo. Papin, Jr., Rev. M. W. Willis, A. V. Reyburn, A. C. Church, C. B. Pallen, M. A. Lindsley, Father Tuohy, Rev. Sylvester, Hon. Graham Frost,
Dr. L. C. Boisliniere, Sr., E. N. Cullen, Joseph Otten, and
others.
Dr. \Villis was elecred Chairman and R. L. Berry, Secretary.
A constitution was adopted in which it was decided to
call the Society the "Post Graduate Society of the St. Louis
University." The objecr of the society was explained to be
the development of philosophical studies, whether in metaphysical, moral, physical or historical science. The society
is to suggest the lecrure course. The question of the eligibility of members was referred to the Executive Board.
The following permanent officers were then elecred: President, Father Thos. Hughes: Vice-President, Rev. \Vm. \V.
\Villis; Secretary, A. L. Berry; Treasurer, Conde Pallen.
The elecrion of an Executi\·e Board was laid over until next
meeting."
APPOINTMENT OF FR. MOLYNEUX AS
SUPERIOR.
Bisltop Carroll's Letter.
BALTIMORE, June 21st, ISos.
REv. A:-.:o Dr:AR Sm : You know the purport of the letter,
which I received from the Very Rev. Father Gabriel Gruber, General of the Society in Russia : Messrs Bolton and
Brooke have likewise informed you of the proceedings had
thereupon at St. Thomas' Manor. To give life an~· vigor
to the measures recommended by the General, it -seemed
necessary to begin with that exercise of power with which
I was entrusted by his Paternity; that is the appointment
of a Superior, who is to be one of the former Society, and
a candidate for readmission. His authority will last till the
General's will be farther declared. I am, therefore, now to
make known to you, that you are appointed to that office.
And as no special form of appointment was made use of by
the General in delegating to me his power for nominating a
Superior, I am to presume, that nothing more ~han this noti~
�FR. jrol;YNEtr.\" ACCEPTS THE StrPERIORSHlP.
2rs
fication is requisite to invest you for the present with all the
rights and privileges, power and authority, wherewith the
Provincials of the Society were formerly invested; which
rights, power, and authority are to appertain to you till the
General shall otherwise ordain. Of this appointment notice
will be sent to Georgetown and St. Thomas' Manor. You
will cause this letter to be read to those who desire to belong to the Society in St. Mary's County. That God may
bless this attempt to restore the Society in the United States,
and all your labors to effeCt: it, is the earnest prayer of,
Rev. Sir,
Your most obed1 Servt,
J. Bishop of Baltimore.
+
FR. MOLYNEUX ACCEPTS THE SUPERIORSHIP.
His Letter to Bis!top Carroll.
NEWTOWK
MANOR.
July 24th, xSos.
RIGHT RE\'.
SiR:-
I sit down to answer your letter of
the 21st of June, xSos, concerning my appointment to the
exercise of the office of Superior over the members that
may reenter or be Candidates for entering the Society of
Jesus. Knowing my perfeCt: incapacity of undertaking such
a heavy burthen in the decline of life and health, nothing
but one consideration could induce me to submit to it, that
is not to retard, or put any bar in the way of those who are
desirous of seeing a beginning of this grand work in this
country. But I must propose the following queries, which
I wish to be solved by you and my Confreres, 1St. vVhat
are the vows I am to make in the first instance? 2nd. vVho
are the postulants, and on what terms are they to be admitted~ 3rd. What house or place will be the properest for
a noviceship? 4th. \Vhat are the means of support? 5th.
vVho will be a proper person to be appointed DireCt:or of
those Novices? 6th. \Vhat method to be followed in admitting Priests, serving in missions, who not having been
of the Society, may be desirous of entering? 7th. When
the number, and names of Candidates for admission is known,
when will be the most convenient Day to fix either for the
�216
FR ..MOLYNEt!X ACCEPTS THE SUPERIORSHIP.
renewal of vows, or entering the Noviceship. On these
and many other things I beg your advice, help, and instruction as your prudence and insight into these matters will
more fully suggest. Before I can proceed farther, it will be
necessary to have the preparatory queries clearly discussed,
and pointed out, that I may know how to aa. It will be
also necessary that the Constitution be put in my possession,
and also the Letters of Father General to you, which I do
not remember to have seen.
·when I shall have put the engine in motion, and other
Companions once more enlisted under the Standard of our
holy Founder, I shall then resign my commission into abler
hands, and sing with Holy Simeon- Nu11c dimittzs Ser<Jztm
tuum &c.
\Vith profoundest respeCt and humble deference I have
the honor to be,
Right Reverend Sir,
Your most obedient Servant,
ROBERT MOLYNEUX.
NoTE.-On a copy of Bi-shop Carroll's letter I found the
following answers to some of the above queries:
1st. Renew the same vows, he had made in the Society.
2nd. See the list. In my opinion, the terms mentioned in
the Examm Admittendorum, are to be strietly complied with
as £1r as to candidates, who were never of the Society ; and
partially with regard to others. 3rd. Bohemia, \Vhite Marsh,
or St. Inigoes. 5-6th. Consultation. 6th. Method as other
original postulants.
(Fully answered Aug. 19th, and 24th.)
B.C.
.
..,· ·
�ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
(From t!te ''journal if Commerce," San Francisco.)
In our annual addition in one chapter, on schools and
colleges, we did not mention St. Ignatius College, for the
simple season that our space was limited, and we wished to
reserve a description of this prominent educational institution until we could devote to it sufficient space to convey a ·
somewhat accurate idea of its scope and the ad\·antages it
possesses for giving a thorough education to young men,
so as to fit them for business or professional life. The College, as now organized, is complete in every department.
Its scientific department contains about the best collection
of instruments in the State, and we doubt if it is even second
to the University. These instruments show the advance in
invention for many years past, and thus the student in higher science may study with advantage what the brainy men
of the past twenty years have been doing. Electrical instruments of all kinds, the latest inventions of Edison and other
master-minds are used for purposes of instruction. In fact
this department is ·as thoroughly equipped as money can
make it. The library connected with the college is also
within access to the students and contains invaluable works
of reference in every branch of knowledge. Much lore is
also on the shelves, editions of the teachings of the Fathers
of the Church, essays and tracts, theology, history and literature of many countries, as also the latest additions to the
history of our own coast. The volumes are not equal in
number to those contained in a public library of course, but
they are select and certainly have the cream of knowledge
on all necessary subjects. It is especially a reference library,
and for all intents and purposes required, is complete. A
branch of study which receives great attention is that relating to ores. This is a branch of the chemical department.
The Fathers recognize the h'lct that this is a mineral country, and that many of their pupils may become interested in
mining development. They therefore prepare those who
desire it, thoroughly, o=;o that they may have more than a mere
smattering of mining knowledge. Ore analysis, a knowledge of assaying, the treatment of ores, etc., are all embraced
in this department. This branch is a great study in itself,
VoL. xv, No. 2.
22
(217)
�2r8
ST. IGNATIU~ C{)LLEGE, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL
and by praCtical examples and tests, it is made interesting
and instruCtive. Those who think of becoming chemists
and doCtors may study in this department. Though the
range of study differs in many essentials, there is an affinity.
As a preparatory school for the future chemist, physician or
mining expert, the facilities of St. Ignatius College are unsurpassed in this city, and everything needful to illustrate
an argument or praCtically explain any proposition is kept.
That is, there is a full stock of maps, charts, chemical apparatus, chemicals, etc., for the use of the coming medical men,
and a laboratory well supplied in all materials for the coming
assayer or mineralogist. r\ll other departments are equally
complete, as, for instance, the astronomical, where astronomy, navigation, etc, are taught thoroughly atid as praCtically as is possible under the circumstances. The class
books employed, it is needless to say, are by the masterminds of the age in each branch of study.
St. Ignatius College was first opened by the Fathers of
the Society of Jesus for the reception of students on the
15th of OCtober, 1855. It \vas chartered by the State on
the 30th of April, 18 59, and' empowered to confer academical degrees with such literary honors as are granted by any
University in the United States. The course of studies
embraces the Greek, Latin and English languages, Poetry,
Rhetoric, Elocution, History, Geography, Arithmetic, Bookkeeping, Penmanship, l\Iathematics, Mental, Moral, and Natural Philosophy, including Chemistry, with its allied branches
of Analysis, Mineralogy ami Geology. The study of the
French, Spanish and German languages is optional. The
book-keeping classes include a business department in which
that branch of the stt1dy is praCtically applied to the principal branches of commercial transaCtions, banking, etc. For
the benefit of younger students there is a preparatory department in which pupils are carefully taught spelling, reading, writing, and the elements of history, geography,
arithmetic, drawing and composition.
- -·
As to the Jesuits themselves, but little reference is required. They are instruCtors of youth through love for
the work. It is their vocation, and they do not embrace it
for the purpose of winning money or a name. As such instruCtors they have left their impress on every land.
In a visit to the College, the Reporter of the Journal o/
Commerce was shown through the building. Each department of instruCtion is separate, so that classes do not interfere with one another. There is a quietness throughout
the College that assists greatly in the advancement of the
�ST. IGNATIUS COLLEGE, SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
219
pupil; and this at once is evident to the visitor. The great
order that prevails is also a subjeCt of much favorable comment. The arrangement of the building is striCtly in accm·dancc with the best principles of health. All the rooms
arc large, well lighted, airy and are thoroughly ventilated.
The location is also very healthy, and the neighborhood a
good one for college purposes. Certainly, in both respeCts
the new College is far to be preferred to the old one. The
sewerage is perfeCt, so that there is not the slightest danger to be apprehended from sickness; in faCt, the Fathers
take great care in this respeCt, by enforcing personal cleanliness, and making the teachers under their charge enforce
it. At the present time there are about 650 pupils in attendance. This is an increase over last year. In faCt,
since the College was removed, January, I88o, there has
been a steady increase of pupils. The buildings front on
Van Ness Avenue, running back, including yards, to Franklin street, along the line of Grove. These buildings are
four stories high. The first floor is devoted to the Preparatory Department, the second, to the Grammar and Commercial Department, the third, to praCtical and experimental study in chemistry, astronomy, physics, geology, etc.
There the various instruments used are kept, and the
liquids, acids, etc. The Museum is also there. On the fourth
floor are the theatre of the College, the debating rooms, libraries, etc. The class rooms on the first and second floors
are divided by a corridor about twenty feet wide, extending
through from Van Ness Avenue, and interseCted by a similar corridor from Grove street. There are twenty class
rooms on both floors, each about 40 x 40, all well lighted
and thoroughly ventilated, having gas and water in each
room. On the third floor, experiments are made by the
higher pupils under the direCtion and advice of the professors. The rooms on the Grove street side are devoted to
chemistry, analysis, etc., excepting two, which are used for
museum purposes. The first room visited by the reporter
contained all the essentials for assaying. So complete, in
f.<Ct, are the facilities of the college in this direCtion that
substances have been sent from the outside for purposes of
analysis. \Vorking tests of ores arc made and the necessary direCtions given so that the pupil is thoroughly prepared for praCtical work. Both the wet and dry processes
are followed. The objeCt aimed at here is similiar in all
other departments; that is, not to obtain certain results alone
but to thoroughly understand why certain results follow
upon certain methods. Ore analysis is a branch of the
�22o
sT.
IGNATI[~ COLLE(; E. SAN FRANciSCO, CAL
chemical department, and the school of instruction here has
certainly no superior in the State, either in the rank of the
professors who instruCt or in the necessary applicances for
instruction. For the coming doctor, chemist or mining
expert the preparatory school of St. Ignatius is certainly
Unexcelled. The museum contains two collections of ores
and minerals; one a complete collection of California ores,
the other a general world collection, embracing many rare
and valuable specimens. There is also a great variety of
marbles. The bird world is also shown hv innumerable
·
varieties of birds of every plumage.
In the second room of the museum is exhibited manv
curiosities of Indian life. Chinese and Japanese figures and
a very fine collection of coins, some of which are very valuable, owing to their ag-e and rarity. The other wing of this
floor is devoted to scientific instruments treating of heat,
light and electricity. The progress of invention is shown
in the different instruments for a great many years back.
The collection is complete, and where ponderous machines
would be required for purposes of explanation, charts take
their place. It would be ctifficult to estimate the value of
the collection, but it certainly could not be replaced for $30,
000.
Every instrument required to throw light on the subjeCts studied has been bought. There are two dynamos,
one of these having done service at the siege of Paris. In
astronomy the same completeness in requirements is to be
observed, from a powerfu I telescope, mounted eq uatorially,
downward. For a study of sun rays, etc., there is a room
set apart, in which, by means of spectroscope analysis, the
composition of bodies in space is determined.
The theatre on the upper floor seats 2000, with standing
room for woo more. It has a gallery with a capacity of
6oo. ·The stage is fully supplied with all necessary scenery
and mechanical arrangements similiar to any stage regularly
appointed. Back of this is the debating room, w!lich is
neatly carpeted and furnished. This is used by the senior
and junior Philhistorian societies. These have each libraries, well appointed in magazines, encyclopedias and works
of reference. The College yards-there are two, one for
the small pupils and the other for the larger boys-are each
about soxzoo feet, floored in redwood and kept perfectly
clean. In £1.8:, throughout the whole building there is great
evidence of cleanliness and order. There is a place for
everything and everything is in its place. Convent cleanliness is about the best comparison we could use. \Vhen a
person institutes a comparison between terms of this college
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., MD.
22!
and terms for equal facilities twenty years ago, wonder is
expressed. There certainly is not a better equipped college
in this city, as we said before, and the low rates for tuition
excite surprise; but this is explained in the foregoing where
we showed that the aim of the Jesuits was not to gain money
but to give education. Of the past graduates of the college
we can recall such well-known names as Dr. A. A. O'Neill,
the present Judge J. F. Sullivan, T. D. Riordan, the wellknown lawyer, Gustave Maher Jr., James I. Boland, Augus-·
tus and Henry P. Bowie, John T. Fogarty, Alfred Tobin
and Matthew Sullivan. There arc several societies connected with the college of which the following arc the
principal: Sodality of the Immaculate Conception, Sodality
of the Holy Angels, Blessed Berch man's Sanctuary Society,
Alummi Society, Philhistorian and Junior Philhistorian Debating Society.
BOHEl\IIA, CECIL COUNTY, 1\ID.
(Concluded.)
FR. FRANC!;; BEE;;TQN.
Of the old records that have f..<llen into the hands of the
writer none are more satisf..<El:ory than those kept by Fr.
Beeston. Of course, the time of the missionaries in the last
century was· given to hard work always, and only a few moments now and then could be spared to do what might be
used as documentary evidence before His Majesty's courts.
To administer the Sacraments was treasonable. In Fr.
Beeston's days there was no longer any danger. So that
he could keep his church records and house diary and accounts without molestation.
·
Fr. Beeston took charge of Bohemia on July 1st, 1790, as
we read in the diary. From this date until his departure
from the residence he gives us a good account of what was
going on. I give some extracts here and there:
Nov. 3, 1791. \Vent to Baltimore ·to the first Diocesan
Synod assembled by the Rt. Rev. Father in God, John
Carroll, D. D. Bishop of Baltimore and first Bishop in
the United States of North America. <I>
1
< l The first :,<ynud of Baltimore, Nov. 7, li!ll, wa:< composed of Bishop
Carroll, Very Itev. James Pellentz, Y. G., Jamee J<'ramback, Hobert :Moly.
�222
BOHEJfiA, CECIL CO., .MD.
Nov. 18, Returned home [from Synod].
Dec. 10, Rev. Mr. Louis De Barth, a native of Alsace,
came to live with me at Bohemia.
I9, Got a He-Goat to keep with my horses, to preserve them from distemper.
Jan. 16, 1792. Daniel Heath's son Richard shot Mr. James
Matthews.
Apr. 28, Mr. Ashton arrived here.
" 29, Sunday -Mr. John Ashton preached on the danger of exposing one's self to temptation.
May 3, Rev. Mr. De Barth went to Philadelphia.
" 7, Pulled down parlour chimney and part of both the
gable ends of the house.
"
8, Began to rebuild.
9, Mr. De Barth returned.
10, Began to digg the foundations of New Church.
15, Tuesday-Rev. F. Beeston laid the first stone of
the New Church at the N. \V. Corner.
June 12, Mr. De Barth lefbto live at Portobacco.
Aug. 12, Rev. Mr Bolton--arrived.< 1l
"
2 I, Left on his return.
OCt. 16, \Varwick races began which arc to last 3 days.
Gave my people all 3 days.
Mar. 23, I792. Attended with several neighbors on the
line between this plantation and the land of Denis James
Nowland-the other parties didn't come.
Apr. 17, Ordered a cat to be killed, the dogs having broken
her back. She was the oldest cat I ever knew, being
near forty years old by the accounts of those who knew
her a kitten. She had not a tooth in her head, and still
I have seen her kill rats; she had kittens last year.
Apr. 30, 1793· Rev. Mr. Whelan arrived.
May 6, Mr. Whelan left.
"
13, Rev. Messrs. Sewall and Delavan arrived .•
"
I 8, Rev. Fr. Beeston left Bohemia delivering--tip the
care of it to Rev. Mr. Lewis Cesar Delavan. The Rev.
Mr. Charles Sewall accompanied Mr. Beeston to Baltimore, where the latter is to succeed the former in the
care of the congregation.
neux, Francis A. Fleming, F~ancis C. Nagot, John Ashton, Henry Pile,
J,eonard Neale, Charles ~ewall, Sylvester Boarman, \\'illiam Elling, James
Vanhuffel, Hobert Plunket, tltanis Cerfoumont, Franeis lleeston, Laurence
Gressel, Joseph Eden, Lewis C. Delavan, John Tessier and Anthony Garnier:
in all, twenty-one members, of whom twelve were ex-Jesuits.
11> I have noticed several such entries in the old diaries. It looks as if the
Father had come to make his annual retreat. Sometimes the annual Exer·
cise is alluded to,
�BOHE"lfiA, CECIL CO., lJfD.
Thus the diary proceeds giving various items concerning
the slaves, horses, farm, etc. Perhaps, in a century, the whole
of it will be most valuable as a record of missionary life in
I 790.
Fr. Beeston did all in his power to pay off the debts
which at his coming were £92 5 4s. 4d.<1> In his journal for
July I, I 790 he says by resolve of Chapter £333 6s. Sd. are
due St. Joseph's, Talbot County. The rest of the sum was
due to parties not mentioned. Some of it was owing most
likely for the property bought at White Clay Creek<2>where
towards the end of the last century Ours had a church.
This property, with the exception of church and graveyard,
was sold about 1820. The old church was torn down many
years ago and a new one built which is still standing and is
used as a mortuary chapel. The leading family was known
3
as the Holohans <> who had first settled near Appoquiniminck on Mount Cuba. This estate is not far from Bohemia.
In the records there is an entry of a baptism by Rev. Christopher Vincent Keating at Appoquiniminck, Aug. 10, 1791.
The Fathers of Bohemia at this time, as they were wont
before and since, attended many out-lying distriCts. The
home-mission in I793 numbered scarcely a hundred souls.
Fr. Beeston was in the prime of life and able to undertake
the long journeys necessary to visit the faithful. I should
judge, however, that he was a good farmer, as his diary
shows that he knew a great deal about crops, and servants,
and cattle. This Chapter spoken of by Fr. Beeston as deciding the amount due St. Joseph's was an organization of
our Fathers, and was chartered by the state of Maryland in
I793 as the "Corporation of the Catholic Clergy of Maryland."U>
1
< l En~:lish money was used at Bohemia until 1800. The Pound was seven·
teen shillings ami three pence.
t2l In old document,, tbe church i> also known a" St. Mary's on Coffee Run
or Red Clay Creek, near ""ilmington, Delaware.
m ~ow represented hy the Eslings of Philadelphia.
<'l Fr. Francis Beeston, horn June 15, 17,;1, entered the Society at Ghent,
Sept. 7, 1771. c\fter the suppn•s,ion of the Society in 1773, he became a
)laster at the Engli'h St•minary at Li(·ge, and appears as a missionary Priest
in the ~!aryland Cntalogue in 178.J.-Folcy. Our Catalogue says he came in
178ti, and was >tationctl in Philadelphia with Fr. ~Iolyneux; "he left this
city .June :?3, li(lll. lle remained in Baltimore, where he succeeded Father
Charles Sewall as Hector of St. Peter's, until Dee. 31, 180!J. He was snQ·
ceeded by .Father Enoch Fenwick.- Vid. Rt!fistcr.
�224 •
BOHEllfiA, CECIL
THE
co.,
JJID.
SGLPITL\NS.
Lewis c~sar Delavan "·as soon taken sick of fever at
Bohemia, and. as we learn from the diary, which for a few
years was kept in French by Rev. Anthony Garnier and
Rev. Ambrose l\Iarechal, had to leave for a more healthy
place. Mr. Garnier had care of the church and property
whilst waiting for Mr. Marechal, who came on June rS,
with l\lr. ChicvineauY> I suppose the last mentioned was
a priest, as also Mr. D'Ortic whose name is met once or
twice in the account books. The writer was greatly puzzled at seeing these French names on the registers. Most
of the Reverend gentlemen were known to be Sulpitians,
and yet nothing could be found at Bohemia to account for
their being there. Had the property been sold? Or was
it gi,·en up for a time to the Seminary, and for what purpose?
Our Fathers felt the necessity of recruiting the ranks of the
clergy, now thinned more and more by age and infirmities;
hence they surrendered tel the Seminary, recently established in Baltimore, the income of Bohemia. It was a generous aCt on their part.
The proceedings of the "Corporation of the Catholic
Clergy of Maryland," under elate Aug. 21, 1795, have the
following: "That the agent do write to the President of the
Seminary in Baltimore to inform him that it is the opinion
of the Corporation that I~J' tltt profits arisilll{ from t!tc tstatc
cf Bolwnia and l{rtllltcd to t!tc bmcfit £!( t!tc StmilllliJ' arc
understood the annual crops, rents, the increase of stock,
firewood not fit for building or fence-rails, etc."
The Sulpitians had the management of the Bohemia farm
and mission until OEt. 9. I/99· The Rev. Ambrose Marechal was assisted a part of this time by Rev. Anthony Garnier and by the Rev. John Lessier for the last two years of his
stay. In the house diary which was kept in Englisl{ by the
Sulpitian superior we arc told that Rev. Dr. Carroll arrived
at Bohemia on May I9, from Talbot County, and on the
2 I, administered Confirmation to fifty persons.
For October r, I 797 there is the following entry: "Said Mass for
the first time in St. Francis Xaverius' church at Bohemia."
It took nearly four years to build up what Fr. Beeston had
begun. It is said that some of the wood work in the sanctuary railing was done by the new pastor who was in cvci-y
O> In the diary, the words corne and ~led frequently occur.
that the harvest of bled was ripe by June 23.
We are told
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., llfD.
way a hard working and zealous missionary. In many of
his letters addressed to his lawyer, Mr. Hugh Matthews, it
is shown that he took great interest in the welfare of the
place, and was very earnest that the Society's trust might
not suffer loss at his hands. Many claims had to be settled,
and disputes arising concerning the boundaries gave rise to
considerable trouble. The letters to Mr. 1\Iatthews also reveal that the writer was a man of refinement, and that his
acquaintances in France. move in the highest circles. This
appears from a letter in which he speaks to his lawyer, who
was about setting out for France, concerning friends and
events before the great revolution.
Fr. Beeston was appointed by the Corporation, Sept. 4,
I 797, to arrange some matters with the agent and manager
of the estate. By a second resolution of the Corporation
the estate and mission were again placed in the hands of
the agents in October, I799·
Before coming to the successors of the Sulpitians and
the last of my work, I think it interesting to give a list of
the testamentary inheritors of the Bohemia property. It
will show the difficulties the Fathers had to encounter in
keeping their estates, and the care and fidelity with which
they watched over their trusts.
The Bohemia estate as it now is, with one or two slight
changes by sale or purchase, was bequeathed by Fr. Thomas
Mansell by his last will and testament to Fr. Thomas Hodgson dated Feb. 20, I722-3. Fr. Hodgson bequeathed the
same to Fr. John Bennett, May 7, I724. Fr. Bennett bequeaths the estate to Fr. Peter Atwood, April 9, I 728. Fr.
Atwood makes Fr. \Vhitegrave his legatee, Nov. 29, I733,
and recorded in St. Mary's County, Dec. 30, I734· Fr.
\Vhitegrave deeds the property to Frs. Richard Molyneux
and James Farrar. Afterwards Fr. Farrar conveys his right
to Fr. Molyneux as by deed recorded in Charles County, Jan.
I 5, I747· Fr. Molyneux bequeathed Bohemia to Fr. George
Hunter; Fr. Hunter to Fr. John Lewis, and Fr. Lewis to Fr.
James Walton. By a deed dated Oct. 3, I793. Fr. \Valton,
who by the last wills and testaments of Fr. Lewis and, perhaps, other Fathers, had become seized of all the property of
the old Society in Maryland, makes over all the estates to the
"Corporation of the Catholic Clergy of Maryland," using, after enumerating the various lands, the following words: "and
also all other lands and real estate in the State of Maryland
and all the mixed and personal property, annexed and appertaining to these several estates, hath been and now is
�BOHEJIIIA, CECIL CO., MD.
held by me the said James \Valton (t) under a confidential
or implied trust, for the benefit and maintenance of the
:Ministers of the Roman Catholic Church now exercising
their ministerial funaions within the United States of America, agreeably to the Rules and discipline of their Church,
and who were formerly members of the religious Society,
heretofore known by the name of the Society of Jesus."
PASTORS FRmi
1799
TO
1S17.
Rev. Charles \Vhelan,( 2) afterwards at \Vhite Clay Creek,
succeeded the Sulpitians. He may have attended Bohemia
from \Vhite Clay Creek. Rev. Mr. George Staunton is
mentioned as pastor in 1 SOI. He belonged to the Hermits
of St. Augustine. From the records of the house I could
find out very little about him. The Register was badly
kept, and for six years prior to I So5 there are no entries.
Rev. William Pasquet was most likely pastor from ISos
until Sept. ISIS. This gentleman was also careless in regard to his records for the last three years of his incumbency. These priests had nothing to do with the revenues
of the estate, as these were in ISOI allotted by the Corporation to Georgetown College for the support of young men
who were studying for the priesthood. Even then, hopes
were entertained of the Restoration, and these young men
were prepared for the Society, and in faa many of them entered the Order afterwards.
Fr. Beeston was appointed financial agent for Bohemia
Oa. 9, I 799 ; trouble had arisen in I SOl, and it was necessary that the agent should appear in court at Elkton, the
capital of Cecil County: He writes to Mr. Hugh Matthews
<t> Fr. Walton is buried at St. Inigoes. I give his Epitaph:HERE LIES THE BODY
OF THE REVd. JA~IES WALTON
OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS
~· •·
WHO DIED OX THE l!lth OF FEBHCARY
lSo:l, AGED 88 YEARS
He was born in Englan<l and served the ~Iission in ll!aryland during
36 years 8 months & li days with Indefatigable Zeal and Per,evering
Fortitude. His Brethren the Homan Catholic Clergymen of Maryland
Erected this lllonument as a tribute due to his singular merits, and
to Perpetuate the remembrance of his Zeal In the Vineyard of the
LOitD.
U. I. P.
Shaw & Birth Fecit • City of JVa,l!inytoll
2
< > On the burial record there is the entry : "Rev. Charles Whelan, Fran·
ciscan, formerly chaplain of the French Navy, Rector of White Clay Creek;
his remains were buried next to ltev. lllr . .Faure." .Fr. Whelan died at Bohemia, and was buried l\Iarch 21, 1806.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., .llfD.
227
that he has no certified paper of his agency, and that he
has sent a messenger from Baltimore to Charles County to
Fr. Charles Sewall, who is the general agent for the Corporation. This Father has the seal and will make out the
certificate in proper form. The paper reached Baltimore
l\larch 3, ISOI, and was forwarded with a note by Right
Rev. John Carroll. What became of the suit at Elkton I
know not, but the property remained intaCt.
By a vote of the Corporation, Sept. 9, I So6, the revenues
of Bohemia are given to Right Rev. John Carroll. This
took the place of the eight hundred dollars that had been
allotted him by our Fathers for his support. As early as
May 26, I790, the Bishop had written a paper in which he
asserted that he considered that no words in the Bull of
Pius VI., appointing him Bishop of Baltimore, gave him any
claim to the property of the old Society. Thus the State
of Maryland regards the matter; thus did our Fathers consider it. At the death of the Bishop the Corporation could
resume the property by paying a thousand dollars annually
to his successor. Afterwards the income of vVhite Marsh
was allotted for the same purpose instead of the revenues
of Bohemia. The Corporation· did this aCt of kindness as
to ex-Jesuits, and even allotted five hundred and sixty dollars to Archbishop Man!chal for three years. Of what followed after this generosity, of the claim of the Archbishop
to the \Vhite Marsh property, and the decree of the Propaganda, the protest of Fr. Charles Neale, our Superior at the
time, and the final compromise in the time of Archbishop
Eccleston, this is not the place to speak.
Rev. James Moynihan was in charge of Bohemia church
from oa. ISIS to March ISIJ.
PASTORS FROM
ISIJ
TO
ISS6.
The Fathers of the Society took charge of Bohemia again
in May ISIJ, when Fr. John Henry was appointed andremained until July ISIS. Fr. Michael James Consinne succeeded him in February I8I9. He died on July 3I, of the
same year, and "was buried," says the burial register, "near
the wall behind the church at the altar and near the other
priests." This interment ~as performed Aug. I, I 8 I 9, by
Rev. John Hickey.
From OCtober, I8I9, to January, 1S32, Fr. Peter Epinette
was pastor. He was buried Jan. 22, IS32, by Fr. Richard
B. Hardy, who also remained at Bohemia for a month.
�:228
BOHEJIIA, CECIL
co., 11/D.
Baptisms are recorded during this time by V. Rev. Father
Peter Kenny and by Fr. William l\IcSherry.
Rev. Francis Varin, a secular priest, succeeded Fr. Hardy
in February, I833· Fr. Varin remained in charge until
September, I 837. Fr. George King was pastor from Nov.
I837, to April, I851. During these years he had as assistants Fr. William F. Clarke in I 844; (t) in I 845, Fr. Michael
Tuffer and Fr. George Villiger; in I 846, Fr. .Nicholas Steinbacher. In I 8 5 I, Fr. James Po\\·ers was in charge for a few
months. Fr. Michael T. Saunders was the successor of Fr.
Powers in March, I852,and remained until November, I856.
From November, 1856, until April, 1859, Fr. George Villiger was Superior; he was succeeded by Fr. Leonard Nota
from April, I 8sg, to September, of this year. From Sep
tember, I859, to November, I878, Fr. George Villiger was
again pastor, and by his zeal and long days of toil in visiting
the out-lying districts did a great deal for religion. Several
new stations were begun, and one or two churches were
erected. Fr. Charles Heichmer succeeded Fr. Villiger in
November, I878, and remained ·until September, I88I. Fr.
John B. Gaffney has been pastci"r since September, I 88 I, and
has done much to make the old Mission tlourish again. The
home church and the residence have been repaired, and a
new church has been built in Middletown, Delaware. And
this ends my labors with Bohemia Manor. It has caused
no little work, as it required a great deal of reading of old
documents here and there. I propose to end this paper
with a few extracts from old records, that they may not be
lost.
0
RECORDS OF
BL'RI.\~.
The oldest entries I met with were : ;\Iary Belson, I 746,
and Aug, I9, I753, Rev. Joseph Greaton. These had been
copied apparently from an older record which is no lon~er
extant. In the old burial register now at Bohemia, I nqJtce
that mention is made of the person deceased, the residence,
the occupation, the malady, and finally the funeral sermon,
with a note sometimes ;:bout the people present. Dr. \Villiam Matthews in Sassafras (frax: in the old writings) had a
burying-ground which was used also by his Catholic neighbors.
For Jan. 2 I, I 796 the following record is made by Rev.
Ambrose l\Ian~chal: "Mr. \Valter Fullam departed this life.
1
< 1 Fr. John Baptist Can· died at Bohemia l\Iay ~0, 1~41, in the seventieth
year of his age. He had Leen Superior iu St. J useph's, Talbot County.
�BOHEMIA, CECIL CO., llfD.
He left to Bohemia a legacy of wo£, and by way of grateful remembrance it has been determined by Rt. Rev. Dr.
Carroll that on this day above mentioned, a Mass should be
said for the benefactor's soul by the priest living on the estate of Bohemia, every year forever."
For Aug. 2I, I798, "Died at Bohemia Rev. Stephen Faure,
a French priest, residing at \Vilmington, Del. He was
about 37 years old. His eminent piety, extensive erudition
and active charity had made him an object of respect and
veneration to those who knew him. His remains were buried
close to the north end of the church. The grave head begins at the east side or border of the gospel window."-This
clergyman had charge of the French congregation at \Vilmington, which was composed principally of refugees from
St. Domingo. Some of these unfortunately fell away from
the Faith : others persevered and are nm\· represented by
prominent Catholics in St. Louis and other cities.
On Feb. 5, I8I I, I find the following entry in French and
English: "Buried M. Joseph Etienne Vincendon-a distinguished lawyer at St. Domingo."
The earliest marriage record was made by Fr. Lewis in
1775. The banns were published, the license was granted
by the State. There were at that time few marriages with
Protestants.
In I 798 the congregation at Bohemia was composed of
white men, 2 5, white women, 29; colored men, I 3, colored
women, 23-in all, 90. Of course, this number does not
include the out-lying stations. The present congregation
is about 500. There have been some conversions to the
Church, especially during Fr. George Villiger's pastorship,
who did a great deal to further the spread of the true h<ith
by a book which he wrote on points of controversy.
From the records it appears that our Fathers had stations,
or, at least, administered baptism occasionally, at Appoquiniminck, Newcastle, Middletown, Georgetown, Tailor's
Bridge, Smyrna, and in Sussex County, Del. ; at Elkton,
Queen Anne, Chesapeake City, Tully's Neck, Queenstown,
Kingston, Sassafras Neck, Sassafras Hill, Little Bohemia,
Forest, Chestertown, Canal, Grove Point, Cecilton, Denton,
Easton, Galena, Head of the Elk, Railroad, Head of the
Bohemia, Head of Sassafras, Church Hill, and in other
places situated in Dorchester, Caroline, and Kent Counties,
in Maryland.
In the LETTERS for March there is a brief sketch of Fr.
George King. The following letter written by him in 1838
�:ijo
BOHErliiA, CECIL CO., .MD.
to his son Charles, then a scholastic in the Society, I transcribe, as a sign of his attachment to the Society : -
"Dear C!tarlcs,
It gives me pleasure to find that you have
at least so far overcome yourself as to write to me, and I
hope you will continue to write, at least occasionally. I do
not wish by any means to trespass upon your time, which
I make no doubt is much better employed than in writing
to me, but I might now and then fill up some of your mo- .
ments of recreation. - I had heard before you wrote that
Messrs. Donavan, Brogard, Frs. Smith and Grace had left
the Society, or had been dismissed from it, which is enough
to make us all tremble, and guard ourselves against anything that might be a most distant cause of such a most
dreadful misfortune happening to us. Nothing is better
calculated to preserve us from sad occurrences than humility and a hidden life in religion, desiring earnestly to be unknown in the midst of others; to do for God what men do
to please the world.-The other pieces of news you gave
are highly interesting. The 'three missionaries for Brazil
should meditate frequently on the advice given by my good
old Superior: to be careful lest whilst we preach to others
we ourselves may become reprobates; this care, according
to the Apostle, must be the chastising and mortifying ourselves for that end. I hope God will grant the necessary
grace in their arduous undertaking.-! was equally pleased
to hear of the arrival of a reinforcement of eight persons
for the Missouri Mission; it will become a very important
one in time. I hear that there is one likely to go to the
Noviceship, a priest from Canada; though I hope and expeCt: that next year there will be some from the College,
where you say there is much edification among the boys.
*****
I do not want you to give up German, as it is becoming
very useful in this country, and is now taught in an·-the
high schools, and many from that nation are coming to this
country.
Senator Benton will succeed in doing all that he wishes
for the Society in the \Vest for the benefit of the Red Men.
- I am pleased to hear that Fr. McSherry has recovered,
and I hope his health will continue to improve, but sorry
that Br. Heard does not improve. Tell him we have been
looking for him all the £1ll.-Br. Flaut and Mr. Mackin return respeCts to Mr. Maguire, and desire to be remembered
to him and by his prayers.
�BOJiE,liiA, CECIL CO., ,liD.
There is scarcely any news here; the only thing of importance is that the Episcopalians have quarreled with their
parson, and are publishing pamphlets against each other,
which I hope will open the eyes of his flock. However,
four of the most respeCtable ladies of his congregation are
reading Catholic books; one of whom has declared that
she will become a Catholic; the others will come in time.
I thank Mr. Aiken for thinking of me. I hope he will
remember me in his prayers. I desire also to be remembered most kindly to the Fathers and Brothers of the
College."
�OBITUARY.
Fn. BEH~ARD A. :MAGUIRE.
(From St. Peter's "Bulletin.")
On Easter :Monday, Fr. Bernard A. )[Rguire died in St. Joseph's Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa. He had been preaching a retreat in old St.
Joseph's Church in that city when the forerunner of death struck him.
He was an old man, if age be reckoned by usefulness; but not so old in
actual years.
Father )laguire was born in the county of Longford, Ireland, on the
11th of February, 1818. 'Vhen he was but six years old his family emigrated to )[aryland, and settled near Frederick City, his father obtaining
employment as a contructor on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Having
made his classical studies at Frederick, he entered the Society of Jesus
on the 20th of September, 1837. The term of his novitiate he spent at
· Frederick, ami at Georgetown College he pursued his philosophical and
theological studies. He had among his professors the distinguished scientists, Fathers Secchi and Pianciani. In 1850 he was ordained to the
priesthood, and, in 18;)3, was made President of Georgetown College, in
which position he remained until 1858. During a second term, from 1865
until 1870, he again held the presidency of Georgetown College. In the
interim between these two terms he was pastor of St. Aloysius' Church,
'Vashington, D. C., and again from .1870 unti118i5.
In August, 1844- before his ordination- the record shows that he
preached in St .•Joseph's Church, in Philadelphia. This was probably
his first essay in a sphere of work in which he had few equals. He entered on the work of giving missions by order of his superiors, after he
had ceased to be rector of Georgetown College. He had been an excellent
rector, but as a preacher of mission sermons he at once assumed a unique
piHce. He nnd his words are remembered all over the United Stutes ttnd
Canada, where he was as successful in touching the hearts of the people
as hP had been in Philadelphia. On the Pacitic Coast the news of his
death will he received with poignant sorrow. His work there had caused
him to be reverenced and loved; his sentences, drawn from the Sacred
:Scriptures-the study of which wns the mnin cause of a success which
other orators tried to fathom-are quoted as household words. Father
Maguire was direct and simple in his speech; he had the valuable quality
of adaptability; hut he never gave up one particle of his own individuality in thus adapting himself.
Father ~[aguire's grasp on the lives of the millions that listened to him
during his m~tny and extended jonrneys <lid not cense with his lite. The
good he did lives af1er him. And many who wt-nt before him owe, under
Uod, their awakening from a life of sin to his simplicity and fervor.•· He
used his great gifts veritably for the greater glory of God and the salva- •
tion of souls.
Early in .January. 1885, he was forced to give up the arduous life of a
travelling missionary. He obeyed the voice of his superiors, and ministered to the spintual wants of the people of St. Aloysius' Church in
'Vashington, IJ. C., where he was warmly loved. His last sermon was
preached in Philmlelphia, where so many of his curlier ones had been
delivered. He went baek to that city, expecting that he could uot work
lung; but, like the great Dominican, Father Burke, with whose eloquence
his had much in common, he struggled to preach until the end. His funeral took place on Wednesday, April 28, when he wns conveyed from
St. Aloysius' Church to the resting place of his I.Jrethren in the grounds
of Georgetown College.- H. I. P.
(232)
�VAR lA.
Adana, Cilicia.-ThreP FnthPrs an• Pmployt><l hen•. There is a <lay-school
with about ;)0 pupib, atul :t nid1t-~chool with about a tlozPn. Xot having a;irIn this way
they Io't from th~ night-sehnol latt•ly all persons hoi< ling any oflice un<ler tlie
govennuent. .\ t )lis~ is a ttnrn sonlL' In ilL'S to the east of Adana there is n station attetHh•d monthly citht•r hy <HlP of Ours or by an Armenian Priest lntely
couvertetl. The work of ('On version goes on slowly.
nwn to teaeh, thev an> liablt• to interferPnee from thP official;.
Atua;o;ia, in Pontus.- \Vhat was OIH"<' a snurce of ritlieule lll're has latelv
turned to tht• :uh·antage of our Fathers. I u l.'S:! the "'l""rior of the resi<lenc"e
wishpd to plaet' a belfry on•r our little ehurch. Such a piece of arl"ltitectural
t:"xtravag-anct• is unkiW\Vn in Armenia. Its possession hy the Cntholic:s tnight
be a point in theii· favor, "' tht• schbmaties appt·ale<l to tlw Turkish authorities. TIH• work was iunnetltah·ly stoppl'd; for the 1'urks were only too glad
to <'Urb tht• prdt•nsions of the Frank yiuours, The hl"lfry reruaint>tl half tini~hed for a whole year, to the autu:-:t~mt.mt of schi:-:ntatie~ and Protestants.
Finally Fr. Oli\"i~r tlecidt"l to eonstruet the belfry pit><"e by piece, ant! rah;e it
into position by night. Xo carpenter of the town wonltl han' part in such a
haz:mlons nntlt>rtaking, "''that the work h:ul to he <ltliH' by "importe<llahor."
There was .~reat roomutotinn in the to'"'"n wht•n the helfry was found in its positiou. The ~rhi~•natil':-:. wen' fnrinn:-:. and the Turks wert> arou~etl. EverY earpent<•r in the plat"<' was examint•<l a' to his ~han• in the work. .\ll tienied
any knowletl'(e of tlw matkr. The Tnrks, st•eing in it tlw will of Allah, sank
Ixwk intn tht·it· habitual lt•thargy. The hdfry with a hand are now strong
attradions to the Catholie Phnreh. Tht• m<"t hostilt• arc Jwpoming mollified
ant! enn1·ersions will rapidly fi>llow.
Armenian :\lis,.;ion.-Our Holy Father is very llllll"h interested in the
snt•t•ess of this mission cn•:tt<-<1 Ill- his Zl"al anti hanth•tl over to the SocietY. He
expe<·ts much from a JH"nple mitnrall.1· shrt•w<l, ent•rgetic anti talented: The
ehit-·f tlinieulty lies in di:-:.pelling pn•.iutlit•es of lnng stant.ling ng-ain!'lt the See
of Uontt' The suet.•t•sx of tiH· Cat holies so t:n· havt> heen suHicit:'nt to exeite
t~a1·s in the ~ehi~mati(·~ of ( 'on~tantinoplt' thnt thL' wholt> nation may bt> won
ovl'r to ltmm•. Tht• .\rnH·nian papt•r ealls on tht• Patriarch fin· enPrgetic
a<'tion to eountt•r:wt thl' org-anizl'd eflint~ of tlw llli~sionarit_-•s. .At•cnr4Jing to
the 1ate~t act'ounts frmu tht." East oyer ::oo f:llnilit.•:-4 han• :-4tmght union with
l{ome.-;l[issions Catholiqnt·.,_-'l'h<· Fatln•r·s of thP l'rnvitH"t' of Lyons who
cowlLu•t this mission !Hl' t•stahlisllt•tl in six tliH"t~n·Ht eities.
UeiJ:u·min.-Canlin:tl Bellarmin was not only a prolimwl "'holar, hut he
was abo :111 lWeomplisht•d lillel"lll<'llr. Critics havP not hesitated to compare
his prost~ styll' to that of Cieero. IIi~ poetry isjwl.t{t>d to restmlble the sweet
verst's of the Bard of
~lantua.
So11w itlt•:l ofthP <{llieknPs:-; and versatility of
"Bellannin's ;;t•nins may be ,'(:tthl'rl"cl from thl" fad that in tlw eourse of his
eveuing walks he t1·anslatt•d into HIUeh :ulmin•tl Un•ek verse, 1nerely as a
recreation, tht• l's:tltus of lla1·id. lie cxeeuted thi' wonderful task while at
the CtJIIP,t:e of l "lt-nnont, anti thl' work was publishecl in lii:li. Bellarmin
was nepht•w of Pop" .\l:trl"cllus II.
Bt>li:te.-On i-:nnclay, Feb. l~t.lt, Fr. Freder·it·k Uower, ofCorozal, took his
last vows in the <·hrlt"l·h of the Holy !tt"ch•t•mt•r. Fr. I>i Pietro, assisted by
Father Piemonte, of ()ran.~·" Walk, anti :tet·mnpanietl by a nmnber of choir
boys, proceeded to say ){,tss, while the childt•t•n "chanted hymns appropriate
to the solemnity. At the gospel the celebrant briefly sketched the nature and
progress of religious orders, as distinct from the secular clergy. The J\Iass
was continued ant! as the Domine non snm dignus was being said, Father Gow•
22*
(233)
�VARIA.
er ascended to the ><teps ofth<> Altar, aml, in presence of the Blesse<l Sacrament,
pronounced tlw formula nf the vow' a1ul receive.! the brotherly embrace of
his confreres on thi~ .ttn'at ocm,ion. The P.ev. Cn"ian Gillet, brother of
Father Henry, who is alren•ly known in thP Colon~·. arrin:<l hy thP "Kate
Carroll" to slwre in the labor' of tlw Howluras )!bsion.
Books.-Fr. Charh'' Coppens puhli,ht•tl, last year, a u,;eful an.! highly
practical work,- Tile Art of Orotoricol Co111po.;ition. It wnultllw vain in us
to recommeml tllis volume after the tiworahle rt'ct•ption it rceeived from many
of the leading Uevit•w:-: not only in thi:-: eountry, hut abo in
'r
En~htnd
and
Ireland.
e are glatl to lw a hie to announce that the 'a nil' Reverend Father
has a new work in tht• pn'".-Proctiml 1ntro•lnction to Enylisll Rhetoric.
This book will ht• out in thP t•ontin~ vaeatinn. Our readers, we are snrt", wi11
he glad to pcru,;e the l'retilce, whieh wt• insert l~t•r<> t\>r tht•ir henefit :After devoting nearly thirty year' of his lift' to the saeretl eau"e of education, the author of this \'olume has hL•en rt'<JUeste•l hy m:my of his friends to
arrange f(,r publieation thP note~ on Jthetorie and Poetry whieh he had g-rnd·
ually aecumulated. Thest· •·onRi,!P<l partly of prel'epts t•arefnlly selected
from the Inost tlistingubhetl writt·r~, to whirh Wt>n• ncltlt:>tl tlw results of his
own observation and experiencl'.
He began his ta,;k by publishing, last year, The Art of Oratorical Compo·
sit ion, for the henetit of those who aimed at "ll'Ce" in puhlie >peaking. Encnurage<l by the rl':ttliuess with whieh that treatise has alre:ttly been adnpte<l
in n1any le:.uling colll'g-e~, and urgt•tl hy his ~nperiors anti othel'~ to undertake
a work of still wi<ler nsefnlne", hl' has now written this Practical ;ntroduction to English Rhetorir ns a general tt•xt-hook on Composition li1r the use of
Colleges and AcademiL·s. He n•,;t,; his elnims to the patronngt> of such institutions on the following points:
,.
1. The work is"' eomprehL•nsive as to l'lllhntl'e all the precepts of Rhetoric
usually explained to tht• pupils of :w!l<,\emit•s. In L'onjnn..tion with 'l'he A1·t
of Oratorical Composition it t'nntnins tlw t>ntirP eour~e·nf Rhetoric, ns ~tutlit>tl
in colleges antl universities.
_
2. It is Yl'ry prnetit•nl, as will nppear frou1 t>ven a cursory glance nt the
numerous exereisc:-o ~ugge~tetl in its page:-:. In the first part of the work Innny
nu1.tt.ers are cxplaint~d and exerl'i~t·~ ~ug-ge~ted, whil'h the tPacher nuty utilize
for the itnprovenu•nt of even young children in the lowe~t e1asses.
:l. It contains a eopious collection of ehoice quotation~ in prose mul verse,
to serve as models li>r the imitation of pupils. But it <loes not contain long
lists of faulty sen tenet'"• ek., h<·eam<e the an thor thinks that sttulents, in their
tlaily exercises, supply thl' prof\·"or a sntlicient :uuouut of such mntter tor
cl'iticisnt.
4. J,astly, the work pretends to do what many text-hooks on l:hetoril' neglect, and what is really thL• mo,;t important task of all-nanwly, to P<lueate
the heart as well ns the hPntl of thp stll!lent; or ns :"onth<'y expressl's it, "to
throw his nfl'ectimu~ arig-ht" : .. to guidt> the stPp~ of tlw youn~ through the
pleasant path~ of lit..-.rature, without l'XlHlRing thctn to tht- dangt•r of losing
what is fnr more precious titan all tla· litPrntnrp of the world-the purity of
their Faith nut! the innoeen<·e of their la•arts.
The treatisP on "Yt•rsili<·ntion" wltieh limns part of this work is fmm the
able pen of]!,.,•. Eugl'ne II. Brndy, S . .J., of :-->t. Xavil't' Collegl', Cincinnati,
0. lt is highly :IJ>lH'<'l'iatPtl hy the author of this volume; and hP <loes uot
doubt that it will prove most acceptahk to thosl' lor whose hPill'fit it li uow
publishetl.
St. Lou.;., Univnsii!J, Apri/13, lSSG.
Bcyrout.-While on a visit to Beyrout Ja,t May, Lm11li Paseltn, \Vali of
DanutsC'us,
t'XJH"t'SS('tl
a wh;h to
st..~c
the l·nivm-:-;ity.
As hP was. a per-:-:ouage of
no small impmt:uwl', one, in li1<'1, who"' hand th .. Sultan himsp]f hmto1·s with
a kiss it was <leh'rminl'tl to pav him till' highl'st marks of n•spl't·t. As he
appro~clwtl the house, the l'oll;•gp hantl playt•tl a fpsti\·e air; the lh-<'tor and
community nwt him nt thl' <lnor. ~IPantime tht> hoardt•rs attire<] in their
uniforms, atHl the <lay-scholars in tlu'ir ,gaym;t dn·ss, assPmbled in the hall
to give an expression of tht'il' weleome. As n Turk is apt to judge of the
merits of a sC'hool by the nmnlwr of lang-uages spoken in it, he must have
formed a high idea of the J;niversity, since be was treated to addresses in
Turkish, French, Latin, Greek, Italiau 1 English 1 German and Arabic. Th ..
�VARIA.
ZJ5
party then proceeded to the medical department, where his Highness was received br the doctors and their pupils. In the museum of anatomy he was
delighted with the magnificent "P~cimens in wax, and took great interest in
putting together alHI takin.<: apart the anatomical man. The printing establishment was next visi!etl-cverythin.~ was in operation. The \Vali, stopping at the first pr~ss, was prcsL•nte<l hv the workman with a sheet printed
before his very t•yes-it was a superb slieet of compliment,; a<ldressed to his
Highness in ei.~ht ditrerent languages. In the birulery, the six volumes of
the Chrcstomathie .\rahic, with the names of the noble visit<JCS on the covers,
were ofieretl to the \\"ali and the Gnvcrnor of Bevrout In· the Father Director.
X ext, an hour was sl•cnt in the hall of physics ivhere the experiments astonishPd the noble Turk, especially the magic-lantern views. .\.fter a hasty vieit
to the church, the or_gan, the <lormitories ant! the refectory, where a collation
had heen preparetl, the \\"ali left the Unh·ersity. He had been there nearly
five hours. He had heart! much about .Jesui~', he said to one of his suite,
but what he hat! '<'<'ll in the University, exeet•tled all his expectations. He
signified to the Fatht'<' that they had only to make known any request to
have it grantetl.
That sarne evening a public entertaintnent wa~ g-iven in the city in honor
of the \Vali, who had just received a tlecoration of the first order from the
Suhlime Porte, eom·eyed to him by the first chamberlain of the Sultan. Three
Jesuit Fathers were mvitetl to present, in the name of the University, their
compliments to the \\'ali. They were the only members of the clergy of Bey·
rout that receivetl cards of invitation. :\Ioreover, they were tlw only persons,
at whose approach his Highness deigned to rise from his seat to greet them,
while pashas, consuls ant! other dignitaries filed before him without his
moving from his place. These marks of esteL'm caused much talk in the town,
and brought a host of visitors to the Fniversit\·.
Poor \Vali! Four months later he dit•d in ileyrout. An ice, taken after a
co pions repast, carried him oft" aft~r an illne,-s of three days. In vain did he
cry to the ten tloctors assembled around him in consultation: "save me, oh,
f:.ave tne! , )ledica.J ~cience wa:-: po,verless.
Do not imagine that he had a magnificent funeral. It was, as the Arabs say,
the story of the Cadi ant! his cow; if she tlictl first, she wonlrl have a grantl
funeral, because the t \vii was there to reward her sen· ices : but if the Cadi
go first, it is quite another thin~-a VL'n· onlinan· funeral is hisrortion. The
nntsuhnans have the cnstmn, \vhen a ·grent pei·:-:onage tlit>s, o wa. . . hing his
body and rubbing it until the mnseles of the f>tce in contracting make the lips
seem to smile. Then, "'Y the~·, the deat! man' has smilt•d, because he has
seen Fatina, the danghter of the prophet and Allah, god of the believers.
Then the interment can take plaee. For a week or two after the burial, sometimes longer, the f\unily lutYe the amount of foot!, that the deceased was in
tlw hahit of taking in life, plact•tl upon his tomb. lie is supposed to consume
it, for of course it soon tlisnppt>ars, hut the tlogs of the quarter could tell a tale.
British India anti Siam.-In British Intlia anti Siam there are 241 Jesuit
pries~,, and four Jesuit bishops. In the further East there are 1;1:3 .Jesuit priests,
and 2 Jesuit hisho]".-Jlodms Directory, 1.'\Sii.
Ccserca.-Ceserea employs three Fathers in teaching, and in the strict duties oft he minb;try, a., occasion otl"ers. The Catholic population is small, much
indifference exists mnong- the :-:chi~ntatics, anti ignorance is univer~al. Knowledge is confined to a working acquaintance with two or three languages.
Four boys of the higher section assist the Fathers in teaching Turkish and
Armenian in the lower. The see of 8t. Basil is, perhaps, the most unpromis·
ing post occupie<l hy ( )urs in Arrnenii1.
Chinese Litet•atut·e.-" A Course of Chinese Literature" composed by Fr.
Tottoli, S. J. of Kiang Nan, Chinn, wns crowned by the French Academy
last year. Sir ltohert Hart, in the serviec of the Chinese government, appre·
ciated the work so rnueh that he ordered ().} copies of it for the use of the
members of his tlepartment.-Jiissions Gatlwliqnes.
Dakota.-Thcr~ are over :J00\1 Catholic Imlians in Dakota.
are said to have au excellent school there for lntlian youths.
Our Fathers
�VARIA.
Ecuador.-This countn· is perhaps the only one at present in the world
which reco,gniz~s the Catholic religion as the religion of the state. The Province of Toledo has a tlourishing college at Quito, the capital, and a house of
studies at Pifo. There are in all15tl .Jesuits in the country, of whom 13 are
Novices or Scholastics.-Ucles Letters.
Hungar~·.-In a recent sitting of the Cham her of Hungarian deputies, the
:Minister of Instruction was interrogate<! rcganling the Jesuit College of Kalacsa. In the course of his reply he sai<l th~' College was eonsitlered to he one
of the best in the country, and it was a wdl known fact that many Protestant
parents sent their chihlrt'n to it. Tht• (;ovt>rnment coul<l not conscientiously
put any law in fnree a,gaiu:-:t it, p:o:pecially con~itll~rin~ thP nu1nber nf Tniserable colleges in existenet•.
Idaho.-Bishop Olnrieux has ·10011 lntliam• in his diocese.' This was the
scene of the lahors of Fr. de ~md, all< I our Fathers are IH>W at work there in
seven flouri~hing rni~"'ion:-: and :-;ehool:-:. The ~i~ters of CharihT arHl LTr~nlines
have charge of ihe female· schools.
·
Indnlgcnccs.-Our Holy Father Leo XI I 1., ha' honon•tl the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the first J/c.<.;ni[JIT~tht• organ of thP Ilnl~· l.eagn~ of the
Sacred Heart, calletl till' .\postle>hip of Prayt•r--with a truly magnificent
Brief.
In the Brief hl'
conveY~
his
t·hoiee~"t ble:-:.""in~s
anti
favor~
to the
As~o·
ciates of the great work, wher~·ver they may he . .\sis known, an [ndnl.gence
for the practice of the llol!! 1/oar hat! alt·t·at!y het'n e<>IIIIIIIlllit•ate•l to all the
memhers of the .\postlPship hy Pill,, IX., ~lay t:l, 1~j;), But l.Po XIII.,
taking into eonsith·ration that Jltany;of the .\s.,oeiatl'S, partienlarly arnnng
worki11g people, find it impo.....,ihlc to fH..•rform tltis devotion at the :-:tatecl timC'
and so lose its fruit, now permits tJie .. praetiee of the ll<>ly ll<>ur on 1111!1 day
and at any time when the Local llir<'l'I<>I'S shall gather to,;!ether the .\ssociates
for that purpose. The Indulg-enee i:-: Plcnwr.v, to hl' gainecl oru.:c a, li'ffk uJuh•r
the ordinary eontlition:-:. ~\ l)lcnary lwlu!ycncc i~ abo ~rante(l to all the
men1hers of the Apostleship who bel on.~ to the Ho:-:ary Band.-.:, fnr l
1
olliHHinion
on the feast day of the monthly l'<~tron, as th•signall'•l hy tlw llirt•dor of the
Apostle,hip on the dit!erent Ro"'"'Y Ticket,•.
~[a(lagascar.-Xo news as to th<· tn•all· hctw<'l'Il the I!ovas aiHI the
French has yet hcl'll m:ttle puhlie. The ]a,t ietter terminates with the wonls,
"Peace! Peace!! The ,;!<>O<l oftiees of the Italian minish·•·, :\1. ~ll'i,;!rot, wt•re
made use of to eoncltuh' tlw treaty. .\, h<• is a fern·nt l'atholie, anti a
friend of Ours, it is not prohahle that Catholie interests W<"I'l' ne;.:h-ell'tl. The
schools at the capital are t•ontlnete<l with the '<line rt•gnlarity as if th<'y WPrP
watched over Jn~ the tni:-:sionarit':-:. Six native llllll~ nml a native Christian
Brother are in ehar~e at ..\titanunarivo. The school~ in the eountrv cli~triets
are condueted bv seculars. The ~!cthoclist mini>ll'rs an· all-powei·t'ul at the
capital. 'fhc pi-o~eention nf war wa~ nwinly owing to thdr in~tigation.
Uclcs Letter.;.
JUarsivan.-Among tht• 1i ehihlren of our sehool in ~[arsivan whu made
their first Communion on ~lay ~4th last year, 14 were eonn·rt- fronvwhism.
The conversion of a schi:-:rnatie (leaeon, who b IW\\. employt'd a~ a teadit>r hy
our Fathers, is likely to he li>llowed hy several fiunilies of his a<"<Jnaintallce.
Five families of his nati,·e village have alrea•ly come on•r. The numht•r of
1)ersonR expre~sing a willin~np:-;s to abjure their error~, ha~ obliged ( )ur~ to
establish two or three new statio11s to'"' atten<lt'd from ~larsivan. Jn .Juh·
]al'.t a nornwl class was opene(l for .sou1e of the adnuu.•e(l ~eholar:--. Six pupiis
attend it, and are at present supported at the expense of Ours. They are given special instruction in Turkish, Arme11ian, Freneh, anti ~lathematies.
They are required to make a meditation of half an hour every clay.
'r
1\lissions.- e are able to con·eet a .t:rote~qudy f~tbe and exaggerated
report given hy the lJaify .Nell's, the Jlfastmtcd Loudon ]I,'<'U'S, and copied
into many other papers, '" to the.. 1esnit mi"ions. It appears fron1 the latest
authentic statistics (1~~:1) of the 1lissions of the Society, that there are on
their f't1reig-n tnis~ions, properly ~o called :- Prie~ts ( .J e~uits), til:~; Seholastics,
~27; Brother>, 10~1; Priests (t'ecular), 1;.!; Cateehists ami Sclwolmasters,
�VARIA.
237
930. All these are stationed among-1,275,881 f'atholics; 1,756,673 Heretics;
9,200,000 Mahommedans ; 9ll,G53,259 Pagans. There were aggregated to the
Church in 1883, 26,082 children of Catholic parents; 35,398 children of Pa·
gan parents, at the hour of death; 89-12 adult Pagans; 1652 converts from
here,y. This gives a total of 72,61<-1 souls aggre~rated to the Church in the
course of the year. They have 2;)0ll Stations; 2:386 Churches; 2271 Schools;
72 Orphanagps; 19 Hospitals; 7S,:;n.-; Scholars; 10,426 Orphans. If North
and South America are counted in with their Alissions, then, in 1883, the So·
cietY had in their M i'"ions :-Priests, lti.i3; Scholastics, rt:l2; Brothers, 1007 ;
total, 3.i!l"2.-Catlwlic Jlissia11s.
Philadelphia.- Fr. John A. )!organ, Superior of St. Joseph's Residence,
has made many aiHI important impro\;ements in his church. ~ ew floors have
been laid and pews set on platli>rms ahnve the aisles. The upper ends of the
gallery have heen remove<!, and the whole is remodelled with quadrants at
rear ends and graceful curves at the front, thereby afli>rding desirahle sittings.
The old columns supporting the gallery have been remove•!, and special or·
nate iron columns substitntt••l. All the ohl frescoes on the walls and ceilings
ha\·e been scraped off, and new frescoes in oil now replace them.· The walls
are divided into pand1-t, ancl havin,~ IJH"dallions in the centre, representing
ecclesiastical an•l f;eriptural emblems., The paiutin;,: in the centre of the ceil·
ing is eighteen feet in <iiamc!tor, repn·senting "The Angelic Exaltation of St.
Joseph into Heaven." It is painll'•l on ,·anv'"''· At the four intersections of
main panel on ceilin.~ arc cartonelw rnedallion portrait~ of the Evange1ists,"
finishe.l in bronze colors. The lar.~re pieture of the "l"rucifixion" in the rear
of the altar, has hcen renewPd, and the frame rPgil<led. The window open·
ings have heen glazed in taint tints of cathedral opalpscent glass, with Scrip·
tlHal emhlems; all exeeute<l in glass mosaic. A well dPsignPd tribune has
been constructed; the alta"" have been improved, etc.-Condensed from Cath·
olic Standard.
PnJ>C Pius IX.-This holy Pontiff~ while yet a hishop, wished to enter
the Soeiety. This he himself frequently said to many, aut! especially to Fr.
~ egroni.-Lcttcrs
of Jersey.
Pr·otestant Tactics.-.\. nounul Druse sheik of I,adja ('fraeonHis), on the
western border of the ~yrian desert, wished to have a schoolmaster tn accompany his tribe in their wanderings. He applied to Fr. Merle, who promised
to satist)' his desire, as soon as he couhl procure a suitable teaeher. The Protestant Inissionarics w~re iuf'onnetl of the promi~e, and detertnined to turn it
to their own aecount. They st•nt one of their own kith, amlloadetl him with
present., for the llrnse. The presents were aceepted, of course, and the teaeher
was assigned a il'nt fi>r school purposes. '\'hen Fr. Merle returned to Beyrout, he st•t to work to redeem his word, got a man f(>r the post, and sent him
otf to Ladja. The sheik was puzzled; both men asserted that they came on
the recommeudation of the Bcik Fmnzi (European or French Rey, the title
given to Fr. )Ierle): letters l"~'sed between the sheik and Reyrout, the fraud
was detected. )lost semi-civilized rult•rs would have made the post too hot
for the intruder; but such is not the mmle of procedure in the East. The
presents made by the Protestant secured fi~r him the rights of hospitality,
though they could not defend him from oriental expedil•nts. He was kept
in his place; but when the rainy season came, he was given a leaky tent.
So much cold water was thrown on his enterprise, that he determined of his
owu accord to decamp. The Catholic was recalled allll receh·ed a warm wel-
come.-Lcttcrs uf JJiold.
Hcsurrection and Ucsuscitation.-The study of Anatomy is pursued under great difficulties in the East; for, though you may kick a ~Ia·
hometau to your heart's content, if you are strong enough, or your station in
life lends you a substitute lor strength, yet yon must respect his remains after death. The body of a true heliever must never sutler the desecration of
the scalpel. :llahometan doetors, in conse•rnenee, know nothing more ahont
Anatomy than what they can pick up from the carcass of a goat or some
such animal. Our Fathers in Bey rout do not inform us how they manage to
have their students learn this branch of the mctlical science; but they do
tell us that the limited knowledge of the Turkish Hakino docs not satisfy
�VARIA.
the cravings of the students of the Protestant )fedical school in Beyrout.
The American missionaries have introduced the practice of body-snatching
as well as soul-snatching, into the East. Last vear, a case of the kind endangerPd thl'ir standin,!! with the civil authoritles. A young man was buried
with all the ritual of the Orient. ""hen all wa., over, it was an easy matter
for the ghouls of the eoll<>ge to transfl'r him, through the dark and deserted
streets, from his grave to the tahle of the dis>'l'!"ling room. ), student was
sent to practise on him. 'Vhen the disciple of .Escnlapins approached scalpel in hantl, he was horrifif'tl to he hold a pereeptible movement in the nostrils
of his victim. He ran otr to in limn his professor; but n•tnrm•d with the in·
formation that he was a poltroon, and the injunction to tlig 'deep, regardless
of consequences. He retnrnetl hrandishe•l his weapon preparatory to his work,
but let it fall, as he noticed the hands moving. Here the profess<>r entered.
The "suhject" opened his eyes, saw he was about to he attacked, and sat bolt
upright to defl'nd himself. The situation was an awkward one tor all concerned. It was inconvenient to go on with the •lisseetion, it was more ruinous ti>r the institution to have the man lc,we and relate at large the accident
of his restoration. )[alters, however, wt•re eompromisetl by giving the Oriental a dollar, on eondition that he should ,go to some tlistant town. Twentvtive pia.•trt•s! The man took the money, decamped for part8 unknown, arid
prohably set himself up for a millionaire.
Sodalitics.-.\t the hl't solemn meetin~ of the Smlality for gentlemen,
writes Fr. Barmier of Bt•yrout, Syria, more than a hundred associates, holding lighted tapers in their hatHls, renewe•l I heir ad of consecration; and to
express their adherenee to the teiwhin~s of the Holy !"ce, the~- added a promise never to become enrollt••l in the ranks of freemasonry, hut rather to combat it hy every means in their power. At the time of the Tercentenary, an
eighth sodality was founded in the·University. It is compose<I of the medical
students, ami is appropriately placed under the patronage of St. Luke the
Evangelist.-Pe!it Jfessagcr.
The following Instructions will prove '"eful :-
lXSTRl'CTIONS FOH OURS, ABOUT TilE EI:ECTIOX .\~D
AGGREGATION OF SODALITIES VF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN JIARY ,\ND OF TilE BON.t .~IORS.
1. All of Ours interestt•d in the Sodalities of the Blesst•d Virgin -'larv and
of the "Bona -'lors," should be fiuniliar with the contl'nls or'the two" leaf:
lets sent from Rome, on thPse suhjeets. The pn''<'riptions there laid down
are to be followed, under penalty of li>rteiture of all ill!lulgcnees.
:?. A Sodality must be eanonieally erected before it can he a~mrcgated. It
is canonically eucted when hy written act of legitimate authority, ordinary
or delegated, it is constituted ''in foro eccle.,iastico." It is aggregated when,
in order to share in more abundant indulgences and privileges, it is united to
a primary Sodality.
3. The General or Vicar of the Societv of Jesus has received from the
Apostolic See the power of er('eting a~ \veil as of aggn•gating, in our own
houses or churches, and elsewhere as wdl, hoth these Smlalities. .For the
erection or the aggregation of either, outside the Soeil't!f, the prcviou;- consent
of the Ordinary, g·iven if possible in writing-, is retptired; in otu· own 7wltses
and churches, onlv ti>r the "Bona )[ors." One diploma is sufficient for both
erection and aggn~gation.
4. Bishops have the power of erecting- any 801lality whate,·er in their dioceses, except the above two in onr fwuses or churches; am! they may delegate
the same to their Viears-General.
(X. B.-Sacred Heart Confraternities need a! wavs to be erected by the Ordinary.)
·
5. Xo ehange of importance is to be introduced into the general regulations
without the approval of the General of the Society, in the case of Sodalities
of the Blesse•l Yirgin; of the Ortlinary ami the l;eneral in the case of Sodalities of the "Bona ~lors."
6. It belongs to the Provincials and the 8uperiors of )[issions to appoint
the presidents of both Sodalities, in our houses and churches. The local Superiors, however, have the same powers as the presidents, and may for good
reasons temporarily substitnte others.
�•
VARIA •
239
7. His Holiness Pope LEO XIII., by dispensation, allows several Sodalities
of the "Bona Uors" in the same place. Sodalities of the Blessed Virgin were
never limited.
For details a!Jout each Smlality, 8ee separate leaflets.
The Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, 'Voodstock College, "'oodstock,
)[d., will furnish everything relating to these Sodalities (as well as to the
Confraternities of the Sarn•d Heart): notiees, forms, instructions, diplomas.
Rorne.-It seems that the rooms of St. Stanislaus at St. Andrea are to be
destroyed, on aecount of the enlargement of the street. The' only means of
saving them is by transportation, ac<'onling to the American process.-Ghi·
nese Letters.
Lokat.-The school here was deelared closed by the authorities, but as
pupils continued to eonw in spite of the otlicial notice, they received instruction as usual. A zaptich was stationed at the school door to drive the
children away, hut they slippetl in when thP guard turned his back. At
times the brawny haw! of a lay-brother within dom·s succeeded in wresting
a child from the grasp of the zaptich. The interference of the French am·
bassador put an entl to the unnatural struggle of fanaticistn ant.l ignorance
with faith nntl knuwletlge. ~00 families sent notice to our V. H. F. Genernl
that they were willing to embrace the Faith if a parish were established
among them, anti they were accorded the protection of the French flag.
The Pope a till Fran<'e grantetl their reqne,t.-Letters of 3Iold.
Toletus.-Tolt>tns was the first Jesuit elentte<l to the rank of Cardinal.
The learned Oratorian, Cahassutius, wrote, "\Ve must wait several centuries
to see such another as Toletns." The Sumnw Gasumn Gonscientiw was ap·
pro\'ed of in the highest terms hy the saintly Bishop of Genevn, St. Frnncis
de t'lales, ami hy the Eagle of )ft•anx-the ,giftetl Bossnet.
Trichinopoly.-Some six weeks hef(Jre the University examinations took
place, it was puhlicly announced in the first division of the College, that a
retreat of eight tlays wonhl Ill' given to those who felt courage enough to
mnkc it in silence. Onr twenty students presented themselves. 'Vhen the
ex::unin~ttions were over, DPe. Htth, tho~e who were cho~en, 17 in ntnnber,
were gi\·en rooms, arul bravely entered upon the Exercises of St. Ignatius.
Four metlitations were nuHle daily, and silence observed as in a Novitiate,
notwithstanding the fact that most of them hat! just finisht•d a written examination Pxtt>nding- over ;W hours, and that the titne now givt~n to spiritual
exercis.•s was taken amn- from their val'ation of one month. At the erHI of
the rPtreat, th·e of thP jutrty took the habit of the Soeiety. They are all
Hiruloos, ami the bt•st in the College. The youngest hat! just matriculated
for the tlnin•""ity, standing .J:lnl in the first class out of :!000. The other
four h:ttl takt>n tlH•ir Fil·.•t A1·ts, :tllll wanted but a few months to complete
their cour·se :till! take tlwir B. A.-Udfs Lt'llers.
:\lgr. Canoz, S. J., Viear·Apnstolic of the :\l:ttlnra :\fission, hat! his first
ordination of secular l'dcsts in Fehruary last. Th!' cantlidates were seven
young Jl intloos, Pt!Ul'atct! in tht> St'minar-y att,H·h!'tl to the College of 'frich·
inopoly. HithPrto all the wot·k of the )[ission has been performed by the
Jesnits.-Jfis8ions Catholique.<.
Ucles.-The Sl'holastics of Udl>s gin• us of 'Vootlstock, cretlit for setting
them a good Px:unpl!' in the matter of Academies- Theologie:tl ant! Philosophical. 'I'ht>y ha\'e lltotll'llt>tl theirs aftt>r ours, alltl acknowletlgt> their debt
wrth inany allll gntl'cfnl r·ompliments. Now that our Aeatlemit>s ure productive of good, t"\'en where Wt' never expPete(_l it, we tnust continue the work
even, if pos><ih!t•, with 1nort> e:tmt>shrt•ss ant! research. If the Ueles Acadenlie::~ are as iutere~ting, ft·onl a literary point of view, as the Letters are, it is
not to be wondered at that the sessions should bP oecasionally honored by the
presence of Superiors or Professors. We wish them e\·ery success in this new
work.
\\'ashington Territory.- Bishop Junker has 13,000 Indians in his
tlock i our Fathers have there four missionary residences, with schools,
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XV, No. 3·
SHORT MEMOIR OF THE LIFE OF FATHER
NICHOLAS PORTER, S. J.
CVritten by t!te Knig!tt ]no. Baptist Rasi, Consul-General of
!tis Sardinian JJfajesty at t!te Court of Rome. tl)
No more grateful request could be made me than that of
not burying with me in the tomb the recolleCtion, which
gratitude keeps alive within me, of my kind and principal
instruCtor and governor, Father Nicholas Porter, who afterwards held the same offices in regard to my children :
whose precious conversation I consequently enjoyed for the
space of about thirty years; that is, from September of
1773, a short while after the suppression of the Society,
which happened upon the 16th of August of that year, until
the 25th of August 1802, when he died and was buried in
the Church of the Gesu.
Fr. N. Porter was born at Porto San Maria near Cadiz on
the 10th of September I 724, as may be seen from the catalogue of the Roman Province printed at Rome by Salomoni
in the beginning of the year I 77 3, which was the last of the
first stage of the Society's existence. His father was an
English Catholic: he was a merchant by profession, and
traded with Spanish Amcrica.< 2> His mother was a Span(I) This memoir, which ha~ heen founu among the archives of St. Joseph's
Church, Philadelphia, is put in print chiefly on account of the picture it presents of the life of an ex-Jesuit in the Jays of the suppression.
C2J In the Reconls of the English ProvinceS. J., General Statistics and Col·
leetanea, etc., Part the First, his parents are said to he Irish; but the Records
S. J. vol. v, p. 5.1~, note, agree with our memoir in making his father Englbh
and his mother ::lpanish.
VoL. xv, No. 3·
23
�242
SHORT NE,lfOIJ!' OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTE.R.
iard of Porto San Maria, of whose Christian virtues Fr.
Porter frequently made mention. He had also a brother
who followed the mercantile and commercial profession of
his father, and who after the suppression of the Society,
frequently and kindly sent him supplies.
Having completed his 17th year, he entered the Society
of Jesus, in the College of Porto San Maria, as may be seen
from the catalogue cited above ; and being connected with
the English Province, he was sent to make his studies in
the Colleges of Flanders, and was successively in Bruges,
St. Omers, Liege etc. : and was finally stationed in the mission of London, where he lived for several years, employed
principally in the Catholic Chapel of his Excellency Lord
Arundel!. He went afterwards, by order of his superiors,
to Porto San Maria in 1757; but he found upon his arrival,
that the Society in Spain had just been suppressed, and consequently he was obliged, without having an opportunity
of seeing his mother or even of landing, to set sail in another vessel for London. (I)
From the catalogue cited_above, it appears that he made
his solemn profession, Feb."' 2nd 1759; but I know not
whether it was made in London, or in one of the Colleges
of Flanders. I have a confused recollection, that he was also
at Cologne and at some other Rhenish cities of Germany.
In 1766 he was called to Rome and appointed Spiritual
Father, Repeat or [Repetitor] and Confessor in the English
College, where he remained till the suppression of the 16th
of Aug., 1773. At this time he retired to a house situated between the new church and the palace of Cesarini in company with Fr. \Vm. Hothersall, ReEl:or of the College, Fr.
Jno. Mattingly, a native of Maryland in the United States,
Minister, l'refeEl: of Studies and LeEl:urer upon controversy,
Fr. John Thorpe, English Penitentiary in the Basilick
of St. Peter in the Vatican (subsequently an aEl:ive and
111 This date is certainly incorrect, for his most Catholic Majesty l'hafle>< I II
of Spain expelled the Jesuits from his kingdom in the year 17G7. The date•
of the events of Fr. Porter's lite as compiled from Dr. Oliver and llro. Foley
are the following :-In li5-! Fr. Porter was horn at Porto San Maria in Spain;
in li-!1 he entered the i:iociety; in 1157 he was professed of four vows; in
175-!, seq. he was a missioner in the College of the Holy Apostles in Suflolk
and Chaplain at Gifford's Hall; in 1i"G:3 seq. he was at the English College,
Valladolid, and for a short time J•reviously at the English Colle:;;e, Home; in
1771, seq., he was again at the English College, Rome, as Spintual Father.
Subsequently, this good natured little man, as Dr. Oliver styles him, aecepted
the situation of tutor to the sons of ~lr. Denham, bankers in the l:;trada Ho·
sella. Upon the lililure of Mr. Denham Fr. Porter retired to t-t. Carlo, and en·
rolled himself as a tertiary in the third order of St. Franci". lie soon afterwards left Rome lor Naples, and entered the tanlily of Palomba, a weorlthy
merchant in that ctty. In 17/~1 he returned and was admitted into the Gestl
where he remained until his death, August 25, 180:!.
�.
.
.
SHORT MEMOIR OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTER.
24.3
zealous agent of the English Miss\ons at the Holy See
under Pius VI). and Fr. Ignatius Rhombery, assistant of
Germany, together with a Lay Brother by name George
Simner.
My beloved and Christian Father, anxious that I should
enjoy above all others the benefit of more than an ordinary
education, took advantage of the leisure which the suppression of the Society gave to several of her most distinguished
members, and seleCted, as my instruCtor, Fr. Mattingly of
whom I have already spoken, and who commenced to give
me lessons in the English Language in the beginning of
that year. But he being yet young, about twenty-eight
(he was born Jan. 25th 1745, and entered the Society
7th Sept. 1766, as we learn from the catalogue already cited),
and of a strong constitution, he accepted the invitation of
going to the English Missions in Maryland, his native
country,<1l and setting out soon after in the December following, left me to care of Fr. Porter who had been his Professor in the English College; I being then in my 10th
year, and having already commenced the second Scholastic
year in the Class of Poetry in the Public Schools of the
College of Calasanzio of the Pious Schools, which were
then in a flourishing condition at Cesarini, and which unfortunately our own calamitous times have destroyed.
Fr. Porter having taken upon himself the care of my
education,began immediately with the most studied industry to promote it in every respeCt. Being in his charaCter
reserved without affeCtation, mild and kind without weakness, equal and unalterable without deviating even by one
of those first impulses of nature from his uniform line of
conduCt, patient so as never to give the least sign of change
in his temper, affeCtionate without ever committing the least
fault against gravity-in a word, enriched by nature and by
studied virtuous habits with all those qualities calculated to
inspire affeCtion and respeCt without debasing their possessor
by anything like too confidential an expression of affeCtion,
or: too great an outpouring of the heart, he excited in me
an affeCtionate respeCt and a respeCtful attachment to his
person, so that I was always ready to listen to his instructions with breathless silence and eager curiosity, unmixed
with anything like wearisomeness or pain.
1
C l After the suppressinn Fr. Mattingly did not return to the Mission of
MaryLwtl, but became travelling tutor to Hr William Gerard, Bart., and
other Catholic gentry. ln 180:!-3 he was with Sir Thomas Stanley, at Hooton,
Cheshire and died at Cansetown Ireland whilst visiting the Grainger family,
Nov. ~3, lSOi. He does not appear to have renewed his vows in the restoreq
bociety.
�~44
SHORT .lfE.lfOI!t OF F.4THER NICHOLAS PORTER.
He did not confine himself to the custom which had been
introduced, and which he had adopted, of giving me lessons
in English and French when I had returned from evening
School, from 5 o'clock till the Ave Maria; but also instructed me on the evenings of recreation and feast-days, conducting me in his walks to places which were at once pleasing
and instructive. And here he found a wide field for his industrious care, which busied itself in imparting to me instruction under its most pleasing form. In our walks, which
were certainly never short, we spent our time in examining
leisurely and minutely the most famous Churches, the old
edifices and palaces, and the most celebrated antiquities, not
excepting however the less important; and by this industry
he succeeded in enriching me, in a manner most acceptable,
with a cumpetent stock of historical and scientific knowledge of every kind, thus enticing me to have recourse, of
my own accord, to works which treated of those subjects,
and with which he himself frequently supplied me, by which
I might with method perfect those studies \vhich I had thus
begun.
"
He afforded me another- Source of improvement, in visiting with me, some learned and classical English gentlemen
residing here, the religious moreover of the Convents of
St. Clement, St. Isidore, St. Matthew in Merulana, a Church
afterwards suppressed, and in particular the learned ex-Jesuit Fr. Jno. Thorpe, of whom I have already made honorable mention (his other worthy Brethren of the English
College mentioned above having already left Rome). Thus
he exercised me in the English language and in instructive
conversation of every kind, even in polemics and controversy, in which he was profoundly versed. Upon these
subjects however he never touched unless when the circumstances required it, so ingenious was he in concealing his
knowledge under an admirable simplicity, so that his worth
and virtue were known only to those who were intin}"ately
acquainted with him; and I always considered, anti ·still
consider him in this respect unequalled, or at least unsurpassed, and such was the opinion formed of him by those
old religious, his former Brethren and acquaintances.
By such qualities and by so anxious a care in my regard
did this remarkable man-of whom it may truly be said
"omnibus omnia factus"-win any affection and esteem, that
upon Festivals when my good Father, in order to please
me, and for his own pleasure also, and for that of my virtuous mother, prevailed upon him to dine with the family, I
preferred to go walking after dinner with my good Master
�SHORT JfEllfOIR OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTER.
245
Porter, rather than to go riding with my parents to the most
delightful part of the country: unless perhaps my Teacher,
from whom I could not be separated, went by some accident
with them. This was the case particularly, when they
went to spend a day in the country during the month of
OB:ober.
On Festivals he came to our house unalterably at 12
o'clock precisely: and even after such a number of years,
he preserved whilst among us that same respeCl:ful and
modest simplicity, as if it had been the first time that he
had visited us, and as if all, myself and even the servants
included, were his superiors, and were then for the first time
seen by him; and this without any change for the space of
about thirty years.
Before dinner, and also after dinner when it was very
warm, before going on our accustomed walk, he engaged
with me, and sometimes with my Father, in a game of chess,
at which he was perfeCl:, and sometimes at piquet. And
even during the game his solicitude for my advantage was
not inaCl:ive, but was however as usual studiously concealed.
He sometimes omitted making a move which would have
put me in check; sometimes he seemed about to do it, in
order that I might be warned of my mistake, and then withdrew his hand dissembling his knowledge of the advantage
and made some other move ; at others he notified me of
my error by a benevolent smile. And thus, merely to moderate my vivacity, without speaking to me of it, under pretence of taking a pinch of snuff, or of blowing his nose, or
by putting to me some questions to distraCl: me, or by pretending to study an advantageous move, he prolonged what
would have otherwise been a speedily ended game. He had
recourse to such industrious means for the purpose of teaching me to restrain myself, and to accustom myself to aCl:
with refleCl:ion; thus moderating my passions without having
recourse to the tedious and troublesome method of preaching to me, if I may be allowed the expression, or of contradiCl:ing me-and this too during our walks, our studies, our
conversation, or other aCl:ion whatsoever.
In conversing with my parents, myself, or with some
friend who might be dining with us, he was very reserved,
but at the same time cheerful with modesty and simplicity,
without affeB:ation and without even a shadow of anything
that was unbecoming or of a dubious signification. On disputed points, whatsoever they might be, he never became
the least excited, but seemed to refleCl:, and said in the mildest and most modest manner possible, as if with difficulty
�246
SHORT .1f£.1fOIP OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTER.
and to render his opinion more palatable, "it seems to me,"
"I should think," whenever he was of a contrary opinion
to him whom he addressed; and this he did with such precision and exactness and in so pleasing a manner as to decide the controversy to the satisfaction of all parties. Or if
any of the disputants were any ways warm, he would by a
joke, which on account of the manner in which it was said,
never failed to have its effect, which was a laugh, terminate
the conversation-his unalterably aimable and modest appearance and naturally composed exterior helping him in
this ; for such was his modesty that he never looked anyone steadily and composedly in the face; but his manners
were always respectful and unalterably sweet and easy without degenerating either into inordinate seriousness which
cannot please, or into a forbidding severity which always
disgusts.
To this his physiognomy also contributed. He was rather
small of stature, but of a fine and noble appearance; his
feature were well marked; his nose and chin regular; his
eyes were rather bright whi_ch with light eye-brows set off
his modesty to greater advantage ; his complexion was fair ;
his forehead which was pretty high, was well formed and
always serene and free from wrinkles even in his old age.
He was well formed, brisk and active, having preserved his
agility to an advanced age. His constitution was good, the
only malady by which he was afflicted being a running of
the eyes.
He was very frugal and careful of his health, and in all
his actions he observed great order and simplicity without
however being too nice; and this regularity was observable,
even in the modest and religious arrangement of the furniture of his room. He was modest in his dress: he wore in
the house a morning gown, to which, as he was very sensible
to the cold, he added his cloak when he went out in winter.
In summer his clothes were black or of some other modest
color, and in walking out he carried a cane of Indian reed.
Such was the man whom, through the goodness of God and
of my Christian parents, I had for instructor from my roth
to my 17th year, in 1778; when having terminated my
course of studies in the public schools of Calasanzio under
other learned, pious and zealous teachers, Fr. Porter himself
suggested that it would be expedient to separate me from
him, that I might without distraction assist my Father in
his avocation of merchant. This being resolved upon, Fr.
· Porter left Rome for Civita Vecchia to take charge of the
two young sons of an English convert. He came to Rome,
�SHORT MEMOIR OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTER.
247
however, on business for the family in which he was employed, about the year 178 I, where, as Cate.chist for the
English and French, he was employed in the Convert Hospital in company with another who had been his companion
and fellow member of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Peter
Frambuchs, formerly Belgian Penitentiary in the Vatican
Basi lick.
I was delighted at this as I had again an opportunity of
enjoying his instruCtive conversation, at least during the
dinner and the evenings of Festivals. And the more consoling was it to me, as having completed my twentieth year,
and my parents having proposed to me to commence housekeeping for myself, I wished that my good Fr. Porter should
come with them to a garden seleCl:ed for the purpose, where
they might see my intended spouse, that so I might with
his approbation resolve upon the choice, as in faCt: I did.
Shortly afterwards he had to yield to the entreaties of
another family in Naples, and take charge of two other
youths. He wen_t but with an express promise that, when
God should have blessed me with children and they should
have reached their sixth year, he would return to take charge
of their education.
This promise he fulfilled about the year 1794, when God
had blessed me with four daughters and two sons, of whom
the elder, Antonio, was already seven years of age. He
dwelt in the Hospital of St. Charles al Corso; where he remained till 1767, when he succeeded in getting a place in
the Gesu, which for many years he had in vain desired. I
had however the consolation of seeing not only my dear
and eldest son, of whom I had the highest expeCtations,
profit by the services of such an instruCtor, but all the
others in succession, the girls included, until the year 1802,
in which (whilst I was absent with my eldest son on a voyage to the Levant) this my great benefaCtor and father
passed on the 25th of August to the realms of eternal rest,
dying in the room which when in health he occupied, and
\vhich was on the first story of the Professed House of the
Gesu, to the left of the little corridor leading from the large
one to that room of the Church which was opposite the
pulpit, and where was held the meetings of the Congregation under the title of the Annunciation.
Upon my return I was called by the very pious and zealous old Jesuit, Father Don Cajetan N., who was sacristan,
and had been Fr. Porter's Confessor, who told me, that the
deceased had commissioned him to tell me to seleCt: from
amongst his books, and keep as a memento of him, such a,s
�248
SHORT .1TE.MOIR... OF FATHER NICHOLAS PORTER.
I should please. The rest he bequeathed to the Library of
the house, as he was firmly persuaded the restoration of the
Society was not k<r distant.
I profited by so kind a legacy, taking four books which
were dear to me, because they had been employed by my
beloved Father to instruCt. me in the languages: they were,
the life of St. Francis Xavier, a classical French produB.ion
of Fr. Dominick Bouhours S. ]., the same elegantly translated into English by the famous poet Jno. Dryden; the
life of Theodosius the Great, written in a nervous style in
French, by the famous Abbe Flechier; the History of the
Church in Japan (written in English by I know not whom,
as the title page was wanting), which was a continuation of
the history of Fr. Solier S.J. as appeared from the preface.
I and my children profited by this precious inheritance.
\Vith the assistance of my son Antonio, I translated and
had published by Linus Contedini in 1824, the Life of St.
Francis Xavier in 2 vols. oB.avo; and in some notes to
the preface, I acknowledged the debt of gratitude under
which I lay to the donor, publishing some anecdotes concerning him.
That of Theodosius was handsomely translated into
Italian by my second daughter Maria Teresa, and I carefully
and religiously preserved the manuscript of it. As my
pious wife and children, who were ten in number, participated in the benefits, the fruit of them has already left the
world, and gone I hope whither it had been direB.ed, that is,
to heaven, whither I hope also to go, there to join those
who have been benefited with me and our common benefaB.or in rendering to whom this written and lasting testimony of my gratitude for the public imitation and edification,
I am filled with the most pleasing and grateful sensations.
Gw.
BATTISTA RAsi.
Rome, 2I Sept. I8JJ.
~-
.·
�MEMOIRS OF MANRESA, N. Y.
Manresa, \Vest Park, N.Y., was opened by the Fathers of
the New York-Canada Mission as their southern Novitiate
on July 27, 1876, a little more than ten years ago, when
Rev. Father Daubresse arrived there from Montreal with
four scholastic and one coadjutor novice. The property
had been secured in the spring of the same year by Fathers
Treanor and Shea, through the kind offices of a Catholic
friend, Mr. Donovan, of Kingston. The grand well-water,
we traditionally held, had decided their choice. The sublime prospeCt:, bracing atmosphere and delightful retirement
might have been equalled by other villas which they had
visited, but the ice--cold water with its delicate flavor of sui• phur was unsurpassed.
It is a-narrow strip of land about four hundred feet in
width, standing on the western bank of the Hudson River,
on the line of the \Vest Shore Railroad, about seventyeight miles from New York, being six miles from Highland
on the south and one mile from \Vest Park on the north.
It stretches up over the hills and into the woods for about
two miles to the shores of Black Creek, and was first, after
its Indian tenure, one of the colonial grants of the British
government to, probably, the Pells, whose descendants still
own and cultivate large traB:s in the surrounding country.
They in turn sold it to an old Hugenot farmer who lived
thereabouts in isolation amid a Dutch neighborhood. He
transferred it quite recently to a Col. Dodge, a \Vall Street
broker, from whom, finally, in came into the hands of Ours.
The first scholastic postulant arrived from New York on
July 28th. On the following day seven others joined him and
the first piece of manualia was performed, which, as it certainly deserves recording, was the weeding of the path that
led up from what afterwards became "the Grotto." Regular
common life began on the first of August. The first sod
for the new building, or Novitiate proper, was cut September 2nd, and on next Christmas eve formal possession was
taken of refeCtory, chapel and common room. Meantime,
Sept. 27th, the Aloysia Maria, the famous bell of the house,
about three hundred lbs. weight, presented by a lady friend,
arrived from Troy, and on Nov. 20th was placed in the
cupola of the new building, while three days later the great
(249)
�,1fEllf()IRS OF llfANRESA, N.
Y:
crystal cross was raised. We were proud of both for many
a day in their lofty position. The bell used to ring with a
clear, cold stroke that was borne high over Mt. Ignatius in
the rea_r, and for fully three miles across Black Lake, and
into the wild retreats of Penn-Yann ; and the cross used to
flash with dazzling brilliancy far up and down the river and
over the blue Taconic hills away to the east. Bell and
cross, however, soon began to prove a source of danger to
the house, which used to tremble underneath them in every
high wind, and in I 882 both were removed, the bell descending to a humbler position at the side of the building.
A grand display of fireworks and Japanese lanterns was
given on the grounds to a large number of Catholic and
Protestant friends, July 31st, I877· It was intended both
as a formal opening of" Manresa Institute" and as a sort of
proof to our neighbors that we were not altogether as dark
as we were painted. The latter intention was by no means
uncalled-for. At least one gentle lady living near had been
known to say that in passing the house in the evening, she
really feared she might see~one of us. The next month, August, 1877, the eleven senir>r novices having taken their
vows, were formed into the first class of the new J uniorate,
and in I878 a second class was added. Our shapely little
dock was completed OB:ober 30th, I877, and has stood
the wear of rain and ice very creditably. The coadjutor
brothers had first construCted crates of heavy timber, hewn
from the monarchs of Quinn's \Voods near Esopus, and
had towed them into position, where the novices filled them
with stones from their wheel-barrows, till they settled down
solidly. The late venerable Cardinal McCloskey visited
Manresa in the summer of 1878, and was so much charmed
with the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes that he granted an
Indulgence of forty days for every Hailllfary recited there.
His Eminence also attached the same Indulgence to the
. Grotto of Mt. Serrat (less properly known as Our L~dy of
the Forest), which lies, as a former writer in the LEri'ERS
expressed it, "under the beetling crags in one of the wildest
ravines" of the forest (Vol. 8, p. I 52).
After this, nothing more notable occurred except the two
or three royal picnics a year and the famous evergreen displays in the chapel and refeCtory at Christmas, Easter and
Assumption-tide, until, shortly after the .formation of the
New York Maryland Province in I 880, the change of Master of Novices occurred, when the Rev. Father Gleason
succeeded Rev. Father Daubresse, and the Juniorate closed.
His Grace, the present Archbishop of New York, paid us,
�llfEMOIRS OF JIIANRESA, N. Y.
a very pleasant informal visit, in August, r883, and spent
half an hour in the midst of the novices. In September,
r884, Rev. Father Butler, the Superior of the New Orleans
Mission, added to our community nine of his novices from
the Apostolic Schools of Europe with one chubby novice
from Manchester. This, we may say, was the last important event in our nine years' history.
In August, r885, the closing day arrived. The four
seniors had just completed their term, and six young postulants had just arrived, when, on the 17th, the seniors
were sweeping away on the Albany. They requested the
pilot to blow a salute in passing the house, which he did
with three prolonged whistles. Some of the novices were
on the balcony with Fr. Master, while the Admonitor and
an ex-Substitute on the roof above hoisted and dipped the
flag in graceful response. The following Thursday, our New
Orleans brothers took their departure for Florissant, by
way of Niagara Falls, and o,n the morrow, August zr, r885,
the Novitiate of St. Ignatius at West Park closed. Nine
novices and six postulants took an early train for Jersey
City, to make immediate connection there for Frederick, Md,
As they passed the house, all crowded to the car windows.
Fr. Gleason was on ,the balcony waving his berretta ; and
many, in parting from their first novitiate home, felt their
eyes grow dim.
Last July, Villa Manresa, as some have since styled it,
served as a summer villa for the professors and teachers of
St. Francis Xavier's, Fordham, St. Peter's, Loyola, Gonzaga
.and Georgetown Colleges.
Such was Manresa's history in broad outline. Let us
,enter now on the "composition of place." There are sacred
scenes, of course, which few historians would venture to
describe, from very reverence, and yet there are many, we
think, of a lighter tone which deserve the monumental
honors of the LETTERS.
The chief buildings are the Residence and the Novitiate.
The former is a modest little house, which soon becomes
hidden from boat or railroad passenger by a grand old walnut tree shading it in front, and the pines and horse-chestnuts gathering about it on the sides; the latter, with which it
is connected by a bridge, stands boldly out on the crest of
a hill, with no leaf to obscure it except the red rose vines
clambering up its brick colonnade. This it is which attracts
the attention of so many travellers : not a house from
New York to Albany, except, perhaps, the Convent of Mt.
St. Vincent, confronts one so unexpectedly and refuses so
�.l!EllfO-fRS OF
.~f.ANRESri,
N. Y.
persistently to be concealed. It is a narrow frame building,
five stories in height, with two broad balconies running
across its face, and, since the cross was removed, has often
been taken for some flourishing country hotel. Vineyards,
apple orchards and wheat fields cover the slope before it,
down which a wagon-road leads zig-zag to the dock. The
railroad runs through the property at a distance of about
three hundred feet from the river, but can hardly be said
to have done us much injury, as the embankment is high
and solidly arched at the road.
To the south of the building, St. Joseph's walk, our old
evening promenade, conducts us to the cemetery, where, of
twenty-five beloved inmates, 1\'Ianresa has laid away three
of its own children ~ Mr. Tourtelot, Mr. Fenton· and Br.
Purcell. Mr. Tourtelot's memory is still fresh in the minds
of us all. He was one of the pioneers of the house. He
had come to Manresa in July, 1885 to spend his vacation
there, when he was almost immediately taken ill, and, after
several days of great but heroic suffering, breathed his last
on the eve of the feast of Blessed Azevedo. Mr. Fenton
was born in Ireland. He came to this country at an early
age and entered the Society on graduating at Fordham.
He had come, he said, through no human attachment, but
solely from the conviction that God had called him, and his
whole life in religion was marked by the same determination to seek his perfection at any sacrifice .. \Vhat he understood by this is well illustrated by a remark which he made
on closing his long retreat: "No more venial sins, brother,
no more imperfections"; and it is the common persuasion
of all who beheld his uniform charity, humility, patience
and recolleCtion, that, as far as it is given to sinful man, he
had faithfully striven to keep his word. He died in our
new residence at St. Lawrence O'Toole's in ·New York,
whither he had been removed shortly after his illness bega1;1,
a_nd where he enjoyed his last pleasure on earth, tha.t of
pronouncing the vows of the Society. Br. Purcell also \vent
to his death well prepared. He had just closed an exemplary Lent, and a few days before his death had been heard
singing cheerily that none in the world was as happy as he.
His love of common life was shown in an edifying manner one evening during his first sickness when, though suffering violent pain, he begged to be excused from retiring
before being present at Litanies. Rev. Fathers Treanor
and Shea have likewise found a resting-place here under the
roses of Sharon, in the land which they purchased but a few
years before.
�MEMOIRS OF llfANRESA, N. Y.
253
Returning the way we came, and bowing, with prayerful
lips, as the novices were wont to do, before the statue of St.
Joseph, we come next to the great hot-house and vinery,
where the dear old brother in charge used to warm his
many vines into luscious maturity for the feast of St. Ignatius. The trees beyond, between the residence and the road,
are planted with much taste and skill, completely screening
the building from the gaze of passers by, and used to form
a shady "grand circle" for our noonday recreations. The
Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes lies hidden on the banks
of a purling brooklet, in the north-west angle of the grounds,
surrounded by a cluster of evergreens and overgrown with
moss and myrtle. It is reached through an avenue of gigantic Scotch firs, and over a rustic quince-embowered
bridge. It had acquired a double interest of late from being
the s.cene of some unique civil engineering. One of our
invalid Fathers, who was a frequent visitor at Manresa,
used daily to superintend the labors of two or three of us
in setting out rows of flowers and in building a stone embankment along the brook, so as to convert it into a miniature lake - which scheme, after a year's unflagging toil,
against unheard of obstacles, had hardly been realized at the
close of the Novitiate. Across the road lies the reservoir
and piggery, and the famous hill with its fossil-abounding
fields, its broad, square pond on the summit, and the steep
and stony road leading off into woodland. To Col. Dodge
belongs the credit of the many and commodious farm
buildings, besides the semicircular terrace in front of the
residence, and the truly magnificent cedar-hedge along the
highway, while his line of out-houses on the farm is a real
architeCtural study. He was a great bird f..<ncier, and to
proteCt: his costly and numerous favorites had had their
houses construCted with such labyrinthian skill that an ordinary thief would soon have been hopelessly lost in their
mazes or have abandoned his evil designs in despair.
Some of our number, self-styled explorers, sappers and
miners and geographers, had prepared a MAP of all the region around for thirty-two square miles, and we may safely
say that in our rambles every point of interest within that
compass was thoroughly explored. The nature of our
resorts may be gathered from most of the names, though we
made it a point to give no name where another had a prescriptive right. The first four to attraCt our attention are
grouped near home: "Stani~>laus Rock" or "The View,"
most befittingly situated on the summit of Mt. Ignatius, and
below it, in the heart of the hills, "Aloysius Rock," "the
�MEAI&IRS OF JIIANRESA, N.
Y.
Rene Goupil" and "Berchmans Rock," all of \vbich coni~
mand so many unrivalled prospeCts of the western country
-down over the forest ocean, across Black Lake, through
the uplands of Penn-Yann and away to the mountains of
Lake Mohonk. The large side of Berchmans Rock darkens all the wood as one approaches it, while its base is
honeycombed with a dozen chambers of the "Caves of St.
Ignatius." Some of these Caves admit of a man standing
upright within them, and show in various cases the first
stages of stalacrite formation. In the rear of the Rock is
"Chaos," an amphitheatre piled high with tremendous boulders and shrouded in perpetual twilight. A rustic cross on
the main road points us in to the Grotto of Mt. Serrat. A
fortress-like line of rocks here rises up from beside a tiny
stream, and in a niche near its summit, which is reached by
a winding flight of stone steps roughly placed by the novices, formerly enshrined a statuette of Our Lady. A spring
gushes forth at its base, and hard by is "St. Antony's Cavern," a hollow under one of_the crags. Legend has it that
one morning the novices found the statuette shattered as if
by bird shot, and that on tlfe· same day a poor hunter was
discovered further on in the woods with one of his hands
blown off.
\Ve may return hence to the main road and enjoy a romantic walk to Black Lake; or, following the stream, if we
are hardy enough to attempt what we know of only one
band accomplishing, we may penetrate "Poison Ivy Jungle,"
a rank morass that stretches for at least a mile to the wildrose borders of Black Creek, the exit from which is across
a "corduroy" bridge into a rocky hollow at the northern
limit of the Penn-Yann country. This is a beautiful farming
distriCt that figures in many a wild story. It comprises
within its area the cool and charming Black Lake (otherwise known as Black Pond and C !tataka Lake), the secluded
_Bear-Fly Pond, and, to the south-east, under ·several hills,
Penn-Yann (Binue or S!terzeood's) Pond. Looking~south
from the cliff east of Black Lake, it presents the appearance
of some royal park, with its silver stream, rolling meadows,
scattered groves, and the enormous side of Mt. Illinois
shutting it in on the south-west. It was originally settled
by a number of people from the other side of the Hudson,
who, starting west with the intention of locating themselves
near Penn-Yann in Pennsylvania, and getting no farther
than here when their funds ran out, remained here, and
called the place in their own vernacular "Pang Yang."
Formerly, nothing was too outlandish for belief concern-
�JIIEMOIRS OF MANRESA, N. Y:
ing these people ; and even now in Poughkeepsie, they are
almost proverbial for general oddity. The older immigrants seem to be dying out, however, and only an occasional relic may be found of the primitive stock. One of
these, a shaggy, villainous looking creature, used to fish from
the shores of Manresa, and boasted once to a band of young
and fervent but susceptible novices, that he had shot four
men, denied the existence of God, and held in contempt
the ties of human kindred, and that he ate raw meat and
walked barefooted in the snow. In spite of his "immeasurable falsehoods," he certainly revealed a sad state of things
in himself and a few of his neighbors. \Ve ourselves have
met children there, ten years of age, who never heard of
heaven or God. Wherever we went, however, the people
always treated us with marked cordiality. In early daysgigantes fuerzmt in diebus il!is, we of the younger generation
used to say-the novices had a mission there in the house
of the only Catholic resident, and even yet the people recall
their presence with much affeCtion; but though many
freely acknowledged the claims of the Catholic Church,
none could be induced to embrace it. Amongst other
strange stories, they told us that a certain old hag of
evil odor in the neighborhood had, two years before Manresa opened, foretold the arrival of strange people in black
who answered our description exaCtly -much as our dear
old colored friend Aunt Mary foretold of us at \Voodstock,
a prophecy to which she claims she owes her conversion.< 1>
Below Penn-Yann we find a number of villages, Centreville,
Ireland's Corners and New Paltz, to the west, and Pancake
Hollow, Blue Point, Mackerelville and Crum Elbow, to the
east, all of which from time to time have been the scenes of
novice Sunday schools. \Ve deeply regret that we have not
the materials at hand for a history of these schools. It
would abound in touching and edifying stories of prodigious
labors on the part of the novices, and strange conversions
on the part of the people. One class was composed almost
exclusively of Protestants. At New Paltz the novices were
so successful in hunting up old negligent Catholics, that a
chapel has lately been ereCted there for their convenience.
To the north our map is replete with points of interest.
Running our eye along Black Creek, we first meet
"The Haunt," a shady lagoon, washing the base of a ruined
and mortarless mill, which, as far as we could discover,
(I) A short account of this region was lately given in a letter to the .illessen•
ger of the Sacred Heart, August, 18SG, p. 37 4.
�llfEJI!DIRS OF llfANRESA,
N. Y.
must be some hundred years old, since its history antedates the memory of the oldest inhabitants. Then follow
in close succession "The Mystic Valley," a long and picturesque. rupture in the mountains, unapproachable on the
east, because of its preCipitous sides, except over the ice for
a month or two; "The Falls of St. Xavier," at its outlet,
twenty feet in height; "Paradise Pool," lately so named, a
lovely circular and amber-colored sheet of water sweetly
sequestered amid tall trees, thick bushes and scarlet flags,
and adorned with a tiny cascade, where the disciples of
Isaac \Valton used to come and catch with the greatest
facility, fish and turtle alike, and where they manned an
antique skiff now and then; "The Falls of St. Regis," roaring loudly from amongst the brambles, and never frequented
· except by our stoutest explorers; "The Poppletown Bridge
and Lagoon," a celebrated halting-place in the woods, half
an hour's walk from the house, and hence the terminus of
our summer Academies,· the three "Falls of St. Michael,"
enlivening a long ravine, which is dark even at noon-day;
"Godoi Gulch," famed for 'its thundering Tones,· "The
Falls of St. Joseph"; the b!:autiful "Black Creek Valley";
and, finally, near the mouth of the Creek, Camp Startle,
where wood, rock and gentle surf, combine to form an alluring picnic ground. Opposite, however, in the midst of
the Hudson, Fell's thickly wooded Island, three quarters of
a mile in length, is visible, the scene of our most extensive
picnicing; though during our last year, the honors were
divided between Mt. Kilpatrick, of the Shaupeneaks, towering over Esopus, Ocmoody's Pond, away in the woods to
the west, the Cataract of Dashville, and the sister lakes,
Binne and Repose, near Kingston.
Not far from \Vest Park station, on our return south, we
meet "The Enchanted Meadow," a spot very appropriately
named, spread out in attractive retirement between Brook- man's and Frothingham's Hills and the foot-hills _below
them, where evergreen trees, velvet lawn and shady ~woods
are disposed by nature with exquisite taste; and near by,
in striking contrast, "The Horrible Hut," a ghastly and desolate cabin at the entrance to the gorge between these two
great hills, and which the novice who named it protested he
could easily conceive as the abode of some fierce weltr-wo!f
or some unhallowed charcoal-burner of the Hartz. The
Horrible Hut and Paradise Pool are names upon which the
last generation of novices dwell, perhaps, with greatest fondness. Lastly, on the southern line of the map, we meet the
huge mountain, Illinois. It derives its name, somewhat as
�JIKJIOIRS OF .MANRESA,
N. Y.
257
Ohioville did, from an old. settler who had formerly lived in
Illinois and sought in this way to perpetuate the memory
of early days. It has two chief summits, at least a thousand feet in height, which arc reached only through the briars
and brush of unbroken forests and up the faces of jagged
precipices, but which amply repay the fatigue of the ascent
by the magnificent prospeCt: they afford. One of our sturdier novices planted here a colossal cross in a cleft of one of
the loftiest rocks, while another blazed a tree with the
legend, "A. M. D. G., 1\Ianrcsa, 1884," in the bir hope of
yet awakening a holy thought or kind remembrance in the
heart of some future mountaineer. "Old Mr. Lundy" was
a venerable solitary, "an old lion in the forest," who lived
on the Poppletown Road, and had become such an integral
feature of our life at 1\Ianresa that no history can at all be
complete which fails to record our mutual friendship. \\'e
visited his house well nigh weekly,.and more than once,
marching up the hill in a phalanx of eighteen or twenty,
serenaded him with our choicest melodies. He lavished
the most demonstrative affe8:ion upon us, and we in turn
loved to listen to him telling how he birly thmed with devotion to Our Lady and how he was wont to sit in the fields
for hours in meditation on the goodness and glory of God.
He is now eighty-five years of age, and 11-e fear that few of
us will ever behold his kindly bee again.
Our walks, ho\IT\'er, were not produ8:ivc of merely physical good or gentle recreation. Every rock, fill· example,
which stood in seclusion, every ravine and forest glade,
ever)· noisy cataraCt: prm·oked us to make an impromptu
pulpit for the lt!ll(S, and scarcely a band returned at e\·entide without having scattered some pious seed along its
paths. All of the woodmen-and strange, grizzled fellows
some of them were-all of the railroad men, and most of
the farmers were glad to see us. \\'e were thus sometimes
the means of securing the performance of an Easter duty,
or of brushing the clouds from some old Catholic's mind,
and in every case of softening much of the prejudice with
which we were formerly received. For the first few years,
the novices wore their cassocks on all of their walks, except
in the various villages, but the good people never seemed
thoroughly pleased with the custom and after a time it was
abandoned. But our greatest "Missionary Epoch" was when
the \Vest Shore Road was buildin~. and the novices used to
visit the laborers' shanties and by little instruEl:ions and sermons stir them up to their religious duties. Among the
VoL. xv, No.3·
24
�J.lfEMOIRS OF llfANRESA,
N. Y.
special features of this work were a class of Greeks, for
whom one of us used to prepare short exhortations during
the week, and a class of Bohemians, to whom the same
novice preached by means of a young Jewish interpreter.
In addition to these visits, novices were appointed to preach
at a late Mass in the chapel every Sunday, and the men
thronged to hear them with edifying regularity. (I)
The other fields which were open to us for what we called
our apostolic work, were the giving of retreats and the teaching in Sunday school. As to the former, those who were
given this employment generally explained the points and
spent the recreations with the exercitant, and found their
work a mine of spiritual learning and an intensely praCl:ical
method of acquiring their first greater relish for the Exercises. About twenty such retreats were given yearly. There
were seldom more than two fathers in aCl:ive service in the
community, and hence arose the necessity as well as the
advantage of allowing us these golden opportunities.
Our regular Sunday schools were four in number: Hyde
Park, the oldest, held in the church of Regina Cceli, just
across the Hudson, with an aftendance of forty pupils; Esopus, in the chapel of the Immaculate Conception at Esopus,
one of the missions of the pastor at Rondout, also with
forty pupils; Highland, in the parlor of a private house six
miles to the south, with, toward its close, an attendance of
about six children and three or four elderly maidens; and
our own little class of the Holy Innocents, or Parlor Class,
held latterly in one of the parlors of the residence and attended by some ten ingenuous children of the neighborhood.
Dear Mr. Tourtelot was an associate founder of the Hyde
Park Sunday school, having gone thither on Aug. I 3th, 1876,
with another of our Canadian pioneers, to make arrangements with Father Parker, the parish priest. Father Parker
and his successors always allowed us complete contr<?l of
the school. The number of teachers varied from two to
five, according to circumstances. 'vVe taught in our cassocks,
which we carried over in a valise, and delivered our exhortation within the altar-rail. Two sodalities of the Immaculate Conception, under the patronage of St. Barbara for
the girls and of St. Aloysius for the boys, met after class on
the first and second Sundays respeCl:ively. We were about
to affiliate them to the Prima Primaria when Manresa closed.
This school was always very well behaved and well attended.
(ll This "Epoch" is described at length in the Letters of July, 1885, and the
J[essenver of September, 1886.
�MEJJlOiRS OP JJiANRESA, N. Y.
It was reached by a row in the Xavier across the Hudson
and a path winding up to it through a quiet village and
past the gorge and cataraCt of Crum Elbow Creek. This
village also had its often-told and seemingly well-authenticated ghost-story, and is famous in its own little way for its
sturgeon fisheries, its salubrious Pines, the ice-yacht racing
in winter, the mournful wreck of the Sunnyside thirteen
years ago at midnight in the floating ice, and for having
been once the haunt of Captain Kidd, who is said to have
scuttled his vessel near by. This last tale is firmly believed
by many, and only a few months before we left, a Mr. Travers, while pursuing a fox in the woods near the Falls of St.
Xavier, came upon what he believed to be the entrance to
a subterranean vault of the pirate. His young son was able
to crawl on his hands and knees for twenty feet through a
passageway lined with white stone. Some sceptical novices
referred it to a freak of nature, but he had begun extensive
blasting operations when we last visited the spot, and was
sanguine of making a rich discovery.
Esopus Sunday school was opened just one month later
than Hyde Park, and, except for its being of a sturdier
charaCter, and that for two years we had ceased to teach in
our cassocks, the same methods of instruCtion were employed as at the former school. A grand new catalogue of the
library, containing over a hundred volumes, had just been
hung up by the musical direCtor three weeks before closing.
Esopus probably derived its name from the Dutch settlers
thereabouts, and was known at first as Klein Esopus as opposed to Gross Esopus, the former name of Rondout. Dr.
Wheeler, the venerable postmaster, since dead, and a legendary veteran of the battle of Sackett's Harbor in the
war of I 8 I 2, was responsible for this assertion, adding that
Esopus itself was an old Indian epithet, meaning close to tlte
river. The special features of this school were the long
walk to and fro, with always a charitable halt for refreshment at Lundy's Lane fountain, and the missionary work
on Thursdays, when the teachers went abroad to hill-top
and road-side and forest to seek out the delinquent pupils.
Ocmoody's Pond and Terpenning's Pond, the latte; glistening through the breezy heights of Poppletown, were first
located by us on one of these excursions.- Hyde ?ark
and Esopus, we must not fail to record, were the respective
termini of our two ann1,1al pilgrimages. On these occasions
we used to rise at four o'clock, and make our meditation as
we went along in the pure morning air. We heard Mass
and received Communion in the chapels and after singin&"
�J!EJTOIRS OF JJ!.LYRES.·1, N. V.
several hymns, we each received a sandwich at the door and
returned home, as we went, in bands of three and four.
Highland Sunday school was the last opened; dear l\1r.
Mugan, whose happy death occurred tl~e year before last at
Las Vegas, was one of its early apostles. It was held at
different times in different private houses of the village, according as the owner had fewer or more children in need of
instruCtion. Of these l\Ir. Lanigan's was, perhaps, the most
famous. His "True for you, brother" as he heard the young
preacher discoursing, has since become a celebrated commentary. It had lately been closed for about two years,
and had just been reopened in 1\Iay, r8~5. Several bands
of veteran catechists had gone down to the village in succession to secure accommodations, and, after divers disappointments and considering the propriety of using the loft
of a blacksmith's shop, they finally succeeded in obtaining
a sunny front room in the house of a :\Irs. Flanagan. \Vhcn
all due arrangements were made, two of our· brethren from
Esopus were commissioned ·to teach the half dozen young
catechumens and the variou,~ matrons \dJO dropped in for
occasional visits.
Amidst such scenes and employments as these, we spent
our days at l\Ianresa. \Ve might recall a thousand others,
but time and space forbid. \Vhcn the sappers and miners,
geographers and young apostles have grown gray in the
harness of Christ, these Jllcmoirs will not, perhaps, be ungrateful to their venerable eyes. They may awaken sweetest souvenirs, and, may we add the hope?- will yet be of
service to the loving chronicler who will carry out Perc
Gautier's scheme of a History of our Novitiates. The antiquarian who would search for further details, either of our
Sunday school labors or of common life at hon1e, must
thumb the pages of the old house Diary as well as the various diaries of the schools themselves; all of these an; still
·t:,ithfully kept in the Admonitor's box at the Villa,..:apd it
were no pride to say that they are deeply interesting.
�BRAZIL.
!.ctkr .from Fat!tcr Galantz:
ITu, July 15th, 1886.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P: C.
At length, I come again to
occupy my little space in your interesting publication; and
lest your readers should think that the advancement of literature is our only occupation here, I shall say very little
about the College; but shall confine my letter to the spiritual ministrations of our Fathers in this town.
Itu is a very small town: there are scarcely seven. or
eight thousand souls; but religion is pretty well practised
in it. Nearly the whole work is left to us, since the two
secular priests who are here do only what is strictly connected with the parish rights, as baptizing, marrying and
burying. \Ve therefore preach, hear confessions, and go on
sick-calls at any hour of the day, and even of the night.
\Ve celebrate Mass daily in fi\·e of the twelve churches of
the town. One Father is in charge of the hospital, another,
of a college of girls directed by some French sisters, a third
is the spiritual director of a small convent of some Brazilian
nuns, a fourth promotes the Apostleship of Prayer, while a
fifth goes e\·ery Sunday to say 1\Tass in a chapel that is at a
league's distance from the town, where he preaches, hears
confessions, and teaches the catechism. During the month
of May we preach every clay in four churches at different
hours for the corwenience of the people, who respond quite
well to our efforts. The month of June is preached in two
churches, and the people attend equally well. Besides this,
novenas, triduums, assistance at the feasts of the parish, and
the like are not rare.
The fruits of these our labors are various. First of all,
the Protestants who have almost wholly invaded this empire, and especially this province have not, as yet, dared fix
a dwelling in Itu. They and other sectarians have made
several efforts to withdraw the people from our influence,
but iq vain. Once even, they were pleased to show how
weak and wicked they arc, by placing at the door of the
church two men who distributed tracts to the people as they
.
(26!)
�BRAZIL.
were leaving after a sermon. The traCts were supposed to
be gifts of the preacher, and were joyfully accepted; but the
fraud was soon disco\·ered, and the Protestant booklet met
with the fate it deserved.
Another fruit of our labors, certainly no less interesting,
is the faCt, that some sixty four thousand persons communicate yearly; a great number of these. it is true, are people
of the neighboring towns, who sometimes come to Itu in
order to perform their Christian duties: moreover, the communions outnumber the confessions in a rather large measure, owing to the frequent communions of pious persons.
Catechism is taught every Sunday to poor children by one
of our Fathers, and every year there is a solemn distribution
of prizes to the most assiduous and diligent. These instructions in catechism are frequented by upwards of two hundred children of various conditions, who but for us would
grow up with very little knowledge of our holy religion.
At home, besides the spiritual work which of course we
do with our boarders and servants, we train up as Christianly as possible about forty poor children, who are learning
carpentry and joinery.
The people generally show a marked confidence, and I
should say even devotion and veneration towards us. Both
in the town and in the neighboring country npt a few devout souls pray every day for us, offering up to Almighty
God beads, holy communions and even penances. Whenever any of us is sick, or the college is in any distress,
many good souls double their prayers. I know even of
some who offered up their own lives to have the health of
a Father restored. A few years ago in a small village it was
falsely reported, that the Fathers were going to shut up the
College, and to leave the country; thereupon the people,
who have no priest among them, assembled of themselves
in the church, and made a fervent novena with_ the intention
that God would stay our departure.
.
· Both in the town and in the neighborhood incidentS have
several times happened, in which God's supernatural hand
is clearly manifest. I shall relate only two faCts for which
I am able to vouch with certainty. These regard the water
blessed with the medal of our holy Father St. Ignatius,
which is here pretty frequently asked for by the people.
Seven or eight years ago the nuns of the small convent, that
1 have mentioned above, were frightened by an invasion of
evil spirits, which during the night made a fearful noise
throughout the corridors and rooms. At first in their astonishment they knew not what to do, not understanding
�BRAZIL.
the cause of the disturbance. Finally, having consulted one
of our Fathers, they were direB:ed to sprinkle the house
with St. Ignatius' holy water, and in a few days peace was
restored to the convent. In order to ascertain whether the
noise was really due to evil spirits the water was first spread
only in some parts of the house, and afterwards by degrees
in others. Now the nuns unanimously affirmed, that the
noise was heard no more wherever the blessed water had
been sprinkled, but that it was far more fearful in the other
parts of the house. \Vhen all the rooms and corridors had
been sprinkled, the noise grew horrible upon the roof, on
the outside of the windows, and in the garden. Nor did it
cease until the holy water had been spread everywhere.
The other incident happened in a neighboring village, where
a Father had been preaching a three days' mission. A few
days after the departure of the Father, a poor woman, who
had been prevented from going to confession by her husband, saw one night, or thought she saw, the devil. She
was so affeB:ed that she became crazy, and, from her aB:ions
and words, her people judged her to be possessed by the
evil one. As she, or rather the devil through her, said
he did not fear any one but the Father of Itu, by whom
alone he might be turned out, the Father was called again,
and had to stay there for six days. He, of course, availed himself of the opportunity to convert all those upon whom he
had not prevailed on the preceding occasion. In short, four
hundred confessions were heard; a great deal of water blessed
with the medal of St. Ignatius was distributed; the frightened people were calmed, and the poor woman was soon
restored to her senses. The Father, however, refused to
make the exorcisms, as the presence of the devil was not
clear enough.
I am told also of some extraordinary things happening
on the death of several pious persons ; of one or two very
curious but salutary apparitions of the devil; of several extraordinary conversions; of some people, who having de~
layed their confession died in a sudden and unaccountable
manner without it; of many persons who recovered their
health by prayers. Still I prefer not to dwell on these faB:s,
because I do not wish to relate but what I am personally able
to answer for. At present we are suffering from a visitation
of the small-pox. This plague in these hot climates is truly
fearful, as it is very contagious, and those who recover from
it are very few. The faCt:, that for the last twenty years this
town has been kept free from it, is by pious persons attributed to a particular providence of God rnanif<;!sted 011 accoqnt
�BRAZIL.
of the presence of the Jesuits. Last month however, this
scourge was imported from a neighboring town, though the
cases were few. All, and we more than others, on account
of the College were in great uneasiness. However_ we redoubled our prayers and took greater measures of precaution, and are now nearly safe. Reverend Father ReCtor
appointed one of the Fathers to assist the plague-stricken;
but bade him reside, for the time being, out of the College.
This aCt of devotion was praised by every one, even in the
newspapers, and gained for us the sympathy even of our
enemies. The municipality formally tendered its thanks in
a beautiful letter. I hope I shall soon be able to tell you
something about the missions usually given every year during the \"acations, and of some tilts of our Fathers with the
Protestants .
•--\s for the College, thanks to God, we arc still doing very
well. The a\·erage of our boys is about the same as last
year; the sanitary state is excellent: our boys took a very
prominent part in the last examinations, and we arc now
stri\·ing to make them take ·a. like one in the examinations
of next No\-cmber. The-Ge!ebration of the feast of St.
Aloysius was more brilliant than ever; the Bishop of St.
Paul \\·as present, and ten priests and se\·eral gentlemen
came from Rio Janeiro. There were ninety-five guests at
dinner.· All were much pleased, but chiefly with the marked
satisf.1.crion shmn1 by our boys with regard to the College.
These people cannot understand how a rigorous discipline
can consist with entire contentment, and therefore admire
it. \Vc arc at present laying the foundations of a new
church, or rather chapel for the usc of the College. It is
ninety-six feet by thicty-six.
The College of Novo Friburgo was opened finally on the
twelfth of last April. A large concourse of boys was cxpccrcd, but owing to several circumstances only twenty-nine
presented themsch·cs. The name of the College is, however,
-spreading quite favorably, and there is good ground~tC:I expeCt a larger number the next year.
I rei\Iain yours in Christ,
R. M.
GALANTI,
S.
J.
�ROCKY MOUNTAIN l\IISSIONS.
AMONG TilE KOOTENA!::i.
SPOKANE FALLS, June 4. I RR6.
MY DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST.
From our good Fathers Jacquet and Tosi, who just returned from a missionary tour to the Kootenais, I picked up
some items which I thought might interest you.
The Kootenais are di\'ided into three smaller tribes called
respectively Upper and Lower Kootenais and Flat Bows.
The Upper Kootenais are attended by Oblate Fathers. The
Lower are visited from time to time by Fathers from St.
Ignatius' Mission. The Flat Bows, though all baptized and
very anxious to have a Black gown among them, are almost
entirely abandoned. Before the Fathers visited them for
the first time, they were firm believers in dreams, worshipped
wild animals and were all ardently addicted to gambling.
\Vhen they first saw the whites they thought they were the
spirits from the sun (about whom their medicine men had
so often spoken) come to them in flesh and blood to help
them against their enemies. This idea was soon confirmed
as one of the spirits took up a gun-a magic stick as they
thought-and pointing it towards a flock of geese that were
flying O\·er their heads, the stick spoke and two geese fell
dead ! This power they belie\·ed came from the body of the
white man and going through the stick killed the geese.
They hunt the deer and elk occasionally and depend for
a part of the year on fishing. The fish they cook in baskets! These are constructed out of strips .of wood plaited, . +
11
and by the aid of a little wax are rendered perfectly watertight.
They are first filled with water, fish is then thrown in,
and after that hot stones are put in until the water begins to
boil-and the fish is declared cooked. ·Their main subsistence however is upon roots, especially the Camosh. The
women dig it up in great quantities, steam it on heated
stones and deposit it in bags made of skins for winter pro- rp
visions. Some are clad in blankets, leggings and moccasons-others are decked in fine cocked hat and white man's
.oven::oat, in contrast to breech-clout and deer-skin leggings:
(265)
�POCKY .lf()ftNTAINS.
2
being "Tyee Boston man" <I> at top, and ragged "Siwash" <>
at bottom.
Little children were seen by the Fathers running about
with an air of self satisfaction with nothing on but a flour
sack; a slit being cut in the top through which they thrust
their head they strut about like those walking advertisements that we see in large cities. Having naturally a strong
devotional feeling and a childlike candor, they were easily
converted and baptized by Fr. Tosi in the years of I868'6g-'70 and '71. From 1872 until last fall they have not
been visited by a priest, and as a consequence have taken
again to gambling and horse-racing.
To visit these Indians, then, started Fr. F. Tosi and Fr.
Jacquet the latter part of last May. A ride of several days
over vast prairies brought them to a dense forest, which had
to be penetrated oftentimes axe in hand before they could
arrive at the Kootenais River, along and in the vicinity of
which live the Flat Bow Indians.
Arrived at the ferry they met some Catholic Indians
whom they sent ahead to gi\·e notice of their visit. The
Blackrobes' coming spread ~like wild fire through the different Indian villages. For the red man is by no means afflicted with that taciturnity generally charged upon him.
He will travel forty or fifty miles to disburden himself of
the least bit of news. In every village too, there are towncriers who go about proclaiming the news of the day; while
at St. Michael's during Holy \Veek, I frequently heard by
day as well as by night these walking newspapers publishing the regulations of the tribe, the commands of the chief,
and giving notice of the services to be held in the church.
The Fathers having designated the spot where they would
pitch their tent-chapel, the Indians flocked thither in great
numbers and set up their wigwams. In fact where but a
few hours before was a solitude, was now a large and busy
village. An Indian mounted on his "Kiuatan,"<3> his squaw
and papoose on another, is ready at a minute's notice to
move his domicile to any part of the country. Here then
the mission began in true Indian style ; the bell rang for
prayers and Mass at 5 A. M. Catechism was explained
about four times a day; infants were baptized, marriages
blessed and confessions heard all day. Seventy-two little
children made their first confession ; brave warriors and old
hunters made the mission like men, and sobbed over their
sins like tender hearted "Klootchman ;"< 4> and the Fathers
Cll Great
American man.
!21
A corruption of
~auva17e.
3
< >Horse.
m Woman."
�ROCKY MOlfNTAINS.
preached and sang and prayed. And at night the Indians
would come and seat themselves cross-legged in Turkish
fashion, and would throng or rather pile into the Blackrobes'
wigwam, one leaning over another until there was no further room, all listening with greedy ears to the "wauwau" (I)
of their "good Fathers," as they call the Priests. The long
talk was accompanied with the customary fragrant cloud
from "Stellame's" pipe, which passed from hand to hand
and from mouth to mouth.
Meal time presented a busy scene-groups were cooking,
some were repeating to one another their catechism lessons,
some were praCtising the Laudate which the Fathers had
translated into their language for them. In the blazing fire
made of branches roasted the luckless elk that before had
sported in their.shade. Fr. Jacquet officiated as cook for
the Blackrobes, and, if we are to believe Fr. Tosi, right well
did he succeed.
During his culinary reign however, the Indian dogs, those
veritable kill-drops, threatened devastation to the flesh pots.
The red man's Chesterfield prescribes that nothing must be
left of what is put before you in the shape of"Muckamuck ;"(2)
the canine guest, therefore, usually .comes in for a minus
quantity of the feast. As a consequence the poor brutes
have been driven to the praCtice of the light-fingered art,
and like all professional thieves they do their pilfering by
night. With what dexterity did they transfer the bread
which Fr. Jacquet had so nicely stored away in the hot
ashes for breakfast into their gastronomic stomachs ! What
a feast they had on a whole ham! Never had they tasted
elk so savory! But if they dared to hang around the fire
by day eyeing in silence, but with wishful intensity of gaze,,
the savory morsels that were preparing, an old beldam
squaw would come and give them such a beating that the
less cruel pale face could not help calling them "Les dignes
de pitie."
Venerable patriarchs came, and young maidens and old
ones, and the healthy and the sick, and received Communion on the last day of the mission.
The Indians were unbounded in their expressions of
gratitude for the visit of the Fathers. They would fain have
detained the Blackrobes to live with them, but the time for
departure had arrived. When the missionaries were in the
saddle and about to start, the whole Indian population surrounded them. The.chiefs, etc., etc., then came forward and
CllSermon.
2
C>Food,
�CANADA.
offered their hand; each filing off when he had shaken
hands to make way for another, until all had given the
pledge of love and friendship. Then came the firing of
the salute, and the Fathers set out on their return.
The good Indians could scarce restrain their tears, and
placing themselves on a little elevation they watched the
Fathers as long as they could sec them, when they returned
sorrowfully to their homes.
Do you, my dear Brother, pray the Lord to send some
Bbckrobes to live with these fervent but abandoned Neophytes.
Your Brother in Xt,
RonT. Smnr, S. J.
CANADA.
THE NE\\' VILLA j\T LA BROQL"ERIE.
This is the name of the ~old Boucherville manor-house
that has been given to the Canadian scholasticate for a villa.
It is the generous gift of His Grace, Archbishop Tache, of
Manitoba. Besides being an acquisition eminently suited
for the usc for which it is intended, La Broquerie is teeming
with historical sou\·enirs. The old manor-house sheltered
within its walls many Fathers of the old Society. \V c might
mention the names of Marquette. Vaillant de Guelis, Nouvel, Beschcfer and others. It is therefore no ordinary freak
of destiny that has thrown this relic of two hundred years
ago into the hands ofthe Society.
A monument in the garden bears the following inscription:
ON TillS SPOT
!668
PIERRE BOUCHER
BUILT TilE FIRST CHAPEL
FR. MARQUETTE
AD~!.
THE FIRST
llAI'TIS~I
Mi\RG. BOURGEOIS
OPENED TilE FIRST SCHOOL
ETC., ETC., ETC.
�CANADA.
Peter Boucher was one of the prominent men of the seventeenth century in Canada, and perhaps the most welcome
figure of that epoch met with by historians. He was named
in r653, to replace for a few months Le Ncuf de Ia Potherie
as Gm·ernor of Three Rivers. During the short period of
his Go\·ernorship, six hundred Iroquois made their appearance in the neighborhood of the fort. They planned a general massacre, to avenge the death of their great chief, Agontarisati, who had been taken the previous year at Three
Rivers, and burned.
Boucher had under his command only forty or fifty met1,
but thanks to the engineering skill of Father Le Mercier,though chroniclers of the event ignore the faCt-the little
post of Three Rivers was placed in a position to defend
itsel( Boucher succeeded in driving away the savages; and
the bravery he displayed on the occasion gained for him a
title from Louis XIV, while De Lauzon added another laurel
by making his Governorship of Three Rivers permanent.
In r668 Boucher resigned his position, and received the
Seigneury of the lies Pcrch·s- a cluster of islands six or
seven miles below Montreal-with the large traCt of land
that lay on the neighboring south shore of the St. Lawrence.
This estate he called Boucherville. The motives that induced him to retire from public life reveal the charaCter of
the man, while they let us take a glimpse at one of his favor~
ite devotions. In a l\IS. that is still carefully preserved in
the Boucherville family, he says: "I am moved to make
this change, first, by the desire I have to see in this country
·a place consecrated to God, where people desirous of living
well may do so in peace; secondly, that I may live more
retired, and free from the noisy world, whic,h only helps to
turn one away from God." After enumerating several other
motives, he continues: "To succeed in this aff.:lir I ask God,
through the merits imd intercession of his faithful servant,
John Brebeuf, to help on my enterprise, if it be fm~ his glory
and my salvation."
The martyred Jesuit's proteCtion was not sought for in
vain. The name and fame of the Boucherville bmily arc untarnished and honored in Canada. \Vhat the elder Boucher
did for his age, the present representative of the EunilySenator De Bouchervillc-is doing for his: giving the rare
example of a statesman pious and fearless when corruption
is well-nigh general around him; resolute when a sound
principle is at stake; t'cspcEtcd because he is resolute.
This was one result-and a happy one-gained by invoking the martyr's intercession for success in an enterprise;
�CANADA.
but had not Brebeuf another end in view for furthering the
glory of God when Peter Boucher was following his inspirations? Perhaps what we, a moment ago, called a freak of
destiny is only the accomplishment of the wish of the martyred Jesuit to see his posterity "in a place retired and free
from the noisy world" enjoying the quiet and needed repose
that old Grandpapa Boucher so ardently longed for.
Be this as it may, the old patriarch chose the loveliest
spot in his whole estate to build his home. There is a small
river-the Sabrevois-ftowing down through the woods into
the St. Lawrence, and forming a point that must have heen,
in Boucher's time, surpassingly wild and piCturesque. The
virgin forest that lay along its banks had never heard the
sound of the woodman's axe. The tall trees, bending forward and meeting at their topmost branches over the middle
of the little river, thickened the gloom year after year, until
the mouth of the Sabrevois looked rather like the opening
of a cave than the outlet of a stream. Here Boucher began
to fell trees and clear the ground for his house and chapel.
His first care, however, was~~9 build a fort, and proteCt himself against the cruel and sudden attacks of the savages. He
planted pickets in the ground, endwise, and formed a palisade high and strong around his future home. Within this
enclosure-called by him Fort St. Louis-he built the manorhouse, which is still standing. The chapel he built close to
the monument that was raised in 1879 to tell passers-by the
history of the spot. But the twelve-foot pillar does not
point out the exaCt spot where the chapel stood. It was
probably located a little closer to the river-perhaps where·
the highroad passes now. The bank of the St. Lawrence
extended out much further then than it does at the present
time. The constant flow of the water during two hundred
years has washed away many feet of sand and stone, eating
away slowly, and consequently narrowing· the strip o( land
that one would naturally expeCt to find in front of a church.
There is nothing strange in this : the site of the chapel of
the Old Society at Three Rivers was washed away in like
manner.
While the chapel was building, or shortly after, Father
Marquette appeared on the scene. He signalizes his presence by the baptism of a little Indian child, May 15, 1668.
This aCt is registered by himself in a clear legible hand,
probably the only specimen of Fr. Marquette's handwriting
in Canada.
Margaret Bourgeois, the venerable Foundress of the Nuns
of the Congregation, established a school here for the chil-
�CANAD.4.
dren of the new settle-rs shortly after the bl}ilding of the
chapel, but there is some controversy with regard to the
precise time of her arrival, and how long she remained.
\Vhen M. de Caumont was sent by the Bishop of Quebec
in I670 to take charge of the rising parish, the present site
-a mile further down the bank-was chosen for the new
church, while the little chapel was abandoned. The house
remained in Boucher's possession during the remainder of
his life. In I 7 I 7, death overtook the patriarch at the venerable age of eighty· five. He had spent his long life doing
good to his country and to his fellow-men.
Some years before his death he made his Will, which is
still cherished as well for the noble sentiments it contains as
for its pleasing simplicity. In it he names each of his children, and for each he has a word of wisdom. The "Derniers
Adieus" of the old patriarch are sad and touching; they
read like a letter from one who is about to make a long
journey. The good counsels written in their pages are the
most precious relic that Boucher could leave to his descendants, and the one they have most jealously guarded. In
one place addressing his daughter Jeanne, he says: "Farewell, my dear child De Sabrevois. Tell M. De Sabrevois
that I also say farewell to him and to his child. I give you
my blessing. Live always in the fear of God and horror of
sin. Pray to God for me and I shall do the same for you."
We quote this passage of the \Vill because it introduces us
to the occupant of the manor-house next after Boucher.
Sabrevois de Bleury was his son-in-law. He was the Lieutenant of M. Daneau de Muy, Governor of Louisiana. Beyond this little is known of him. According to Tanguay
he died in 1727, leaving four children. Which of these
succeeded to the manor-house it is hard to say. The De
Boucherville family cannot trace this branch after it left the
parent stem. They cannot tell us, either, when the property
passed from the hands of the Sabrevois into those of La
Broquerie, but it was probably at the end of the last century.
At all events, Sabrevois de Bleury gave the first half of his
name to the little river that flows down through the fief,
while the second half inclines one to find a strong resemblance with the name of the street in Montreal most familiar
to Jesuits.
These two names once centred in one man and now attached so closely to two places that are dear to Ours in
Canada, furnish a coinCidence that one cannot fail to remark.
If a pious refleCtion were permitted, one would be half
tempted to ask which of the two-Sabrevoi-s River or Bleur;r
�2J2
CLY.-IDA.
Street-will, years hence, bring back the most pleasant
SOU\·emrs.
\ Ve are not able yet to give the detailed history of the old
manor-house after the year I 727. Suffice it to say, for the
present, that seven generations of one branch of the Bouchen·ille family appeared and vanished within its walls. The
last of this branch, 1\I. de Ia Broquerie, was a holy man, re~
markable for his de,·otion to the saints and martyrs of our
Society. Like his \\·orthy ancestor, Peter Boucher, he had
frequent recourse to the martyrs of New France, and he was
often heard asking Fathers Jogues, Brebeuf, and others to
help him in his undertakings.
\Vhen he died eight or ten years ago, the manor-house
became the property of Archbishop Tache. This illustrious
prelate was the nephew of :\I. de Ia Broquerie, and he spent
the years of his childhood there. Rather than see the spot
rendered sacred by so many memories fall into the hands of
those who perhaps \YOtdd not appreciate it, His Grace gave
it, a fe\\· months ago, to the Society for a villa, where, he
told us one day, the Schola~tlcs may gambol to their hearts'
content, as he did when he ,,~as young. This kind t:wor of
l\Igr. Tache is only one of many that the Society has lately
recei,·ed from his hands.
The manor-house as it stands now is well suited for a
\ilia. ?\estlcd on the little point formed by the Sabrevois
and the St. La,nencc, and shaded by a few large trees that
han~ seen their centennial, the old pile is still very inviting;
though the old bridge across the little river, the thick brush\rood con~ring its banks, the moss-cO\-cred fence and trees,
the monument that speaks only of past glories standing in the
garden, the perfeCt stillness that reigns, gi\·c the house such
an air of lonclin:.:ss and abandonment that only the di\·ersified harmony of all the Theologians and Philosophers of
Rachel Street can infuse a spark of life into its walls.
A few reparations and interior changes were need~d to
render it habitable. 1\ partiti(m here and there half tb be
removed to form a chapel, refeCtory and dormitories. E\·erything is arranged now to make villa-time for future generations a pleasant one.
This year the two weeks spent at La Broquerie were
exceedingly agreeable-there arc such t:<cilities there for
boating, bathing, fishing and the other minor luxuries. And
the enol breezes that almost continually licked the'surface
(>f the ri\er made sailing· a treat even for the elders who
came to pass the time with us. Excursions up and clown
the ri\·er were in .order e\-cry day in the six boats that had
�CANADA.
273
been placed at our disposal by a kind Father Minister, and
what with picnics, rowing and the hundred other ways that
amusement may be had, we came home at night tired and
happy. But with us the day did not end at night. The
most agreeable part of the programme came after nightfall.
Every evening after supper, the six boats were manned;
sturdy arms wielded the oars against the current for a
couple of miles; the boats were then brought together and
allowed to float side by side down the stream. There was no
hurry; the only condition being that all should be in the refectory for lzaustus at 9 P. ll!. Hardly one failed. Nothing could
be pleasanter for those who remained at home than to sit outside under the trees and listen to twenty or thirty Scholastics
a mile away, singing while they floated down. The voices
made themselves heard easily; no noisy oars to distress the
ears, while the effeCt: was charming. During the first few
days of villa, the Sabrevois bull-frogs started an opposition
chorus; but they were a most unmusical set, and they received no encouragement.
Some days, not satisfied with ordinary feats, we tried
extraordinary ones. Early one morning the six boats were
manned by muscular Jesuits; the little squadron, joyous
and eager for a day's sport, rowed up to Hochelaga Villa, a
distance of six or seven miles. The Community of St.
Mary's College was there; and the reception given us was
so enthusiastic, the shouting so lustily indulged in that, for
a time, the men aboard the approaching boats began to look
serious and ask one another: "Is this friendly or does it
mean war?" A couple of powerful field-glasses were placed
in position, and brought to bear directly on the enemy. At
that moment a friendly salute from a flagstaff dispelled our
fears. \Ve landed only to find that smiles of joy-not warpaint-had changed the figures of the College Scholastics.
The two Communities spent a very pleasant" day together.
The prospeCt: of the delightful return home with the stream
at sundown added a relish to the other joys. But a stiff
wind springing up when the time came to raise the anchors
delayed our departure until nearly nine o'clock. The wind
blew; the night was pitch dark-still we had to return. At
a given si~nal, the oarsmen jumped to their oars, and in a
few moments we were skimming over the surface of the
water like sea-birds-our hosts on shore wishing us God
speed and a bon soir. \Vhile we rowed out into the darkness, a voice strong and loud enough to be heard by all, intoned the "A<•c Maris Stella." The moving strains were
VoL. xv, No. 3·
25
�274
taken up by all the crews; and the effeEI:, heightened by the
black night and the dancing waters, was weird and grand.
A gust of wind blew out our only guiding light; and we
separated rather than risk a collision. Happily, the wind
blew with the current, and the waves did not run high. An
occasional "All's <edl" from the lookouts that had been placed
in the bows to pierce the darkness for breakers, infused new
courage into the oarsmen, and we literally flew with the
wind and wave. \Vhitecaps now and then moistened the
crews, but we laughed them to scorn, and entered the mouth
of the Sabrevois triumphantly, after an exciting run of seven
miles in the dark. This is the history of one day at La Broquerie; the rest were more or less like it.
E.
J.
DEVI:'>E,
S. J.
FI~SOLE.
Letter from Fr. Rob!.
lf~
Hmdy.
FrESOLE, Sept. r rth, rSSG. ·
DEAR BROTHER !:'> CHRIST,
P. C.
I write to let you sec I have not foq~ottcn your request,
and as I know that anything I may write from Fiesole will
be acceptable, I don't intend to make any excuse for what
would otherwise be a-very uninteresting letter.
Fr. Higgins and I started on Thursday, Aug. 2oth, from
London, arrived at Brussels the same evening and were
kindly received by the Provincial and the Fathers. On the
Saturday following we arrived at Cologne in the· c...:t:ning,
and said Mass in the Grand Cathedral next morning.·· \Ve
spent nearly the whole morning in the Cathedral-but I do
not intend to describe it to you, as you can get a much better description in twenty different books in your library.
\Vhat pleased us most was the edifying deportment of the
people-good, simple, earnest Catholics that they are. At 9
o'clock there was High Mass with most charming singing
by a choir of boys; after that came a low Mass which was
best attended of all; and at which there was congregational
singing s\velling out grandly from hundreds of German
throats evidently used to the work. I suppose it was the
Parish Mass. \Ve went to Bonn by rail on Sunday evening,
.
�FIESOLE.
275
said Mass in the church which used to be ours on l\Ionday
morning, and at I I o'clock A.M. we got on board the steamer
which was to take us up the Rhine. Everybody knows
that from Bonn to Mayence the Rhine is at its prettiest.
\Veil we untutored Americans must give our votes according to the universal sentiment. The scenery is certainly
magnificent. Nature has clone much to make it grand, I
suppose we should say even sublime; but poetry and history, the myths of tradition and the aCtual bEts conneCted
with the Rhine, from Czesar down to our own time, have
done more to give celebrity to the beautiful river. The
Hudson is a greater river, and the scenery, from New York
to the Catskill, bolder and perhaps more impressive; but
the Hudson has had a peaceful career and we arc not likely
to have any thing weird or ghostly about it, unless some of
these clays the spirit of old Van Corlear awakes its echoes
with his trumpet.
\Ve arrived at Mayence in the evening, said Mass in the
Cathedral next morning, and were much edified by the piety
of the people. At 12.54 P. 111. we left for Basle where we
arrived at 7 P. 111. \Ve left Basic at I A.M. next morning(\Vednesday), and arrived at Milan at 5 1'. 111. after a disagreeable
ride, notwithstanding the sublime scenery presented to us
by the Alps and the St. Gothard's Pass. It was very warm,
notwithstanding the faCt that we were just beneath peaks
which are covered with perpetual snow. \Ve finally reached
Florence at 9-40 P. 111. on Thursday and said Mass on Friday
morning in our little church. Here we learned from our
Fathers the good news that they were about transferring
their residence to a Parish Church, the care of which had
been given them. They were very glad over it, as now their
sphere of usefulness was enlarged. After breakhst we secured a carriage, and made our way to Fiesole. Our driver
was a good natured Italian and evidently a good Catholic.
He tried to make us appreciate all the points of interest,
pointing out to us, with great efforts to make us understand
his language, the Duomo, San Marco, etc., and on our way
after leaving the city, the College of the Scolopii, or Schote
Pia~ (perhaps the \-cry one where Fr. Sestini got his early
education), the Dominican Convent where are still to be
seen some of the frescoes of Fra Angelico, the Episcopal
Seminary, the Franciscan Monastery, etc., etc. \Ve were
very much amused at the good understanding between the
old driver and his horse. The ascent in places was steep and
the load was not a light one-you know Fr. Higgins is a
pretty heavy man; whenever we would come to one of these
�FIESOLE.
steep places the old man would get off the carriage and walk
alongside of his horse talking to him to encourage him, and
now and then hitting him, not with a whip or a club as I have
seen these folk do elsewhere, but with his handkerchief!
The horse seemed to understand the gentle hint and would
pluck up new courage to please his master. But what am I
about? I did not know when I commenced this letter that
it would take so long to get to Fiesole; if I had known it I
would have plunged at once "in medias res." Authors new
to the business are apt to write long prefaces, so as to bring
themselves, if not their subjeCt, prominently before their readers. \Vel!, on Friday at about I I A.M. we entered the Villa
San Girolamo, and right glad were we to get here and still
more so when we received the most cordial welcome of Fr.
Vicar and all this delightful community. \Ve were immediately at home with everybody, and have been so ever since.
It looks as though they had made a business of seleCting all
the best-natured people of the Provinces just to make a
model community of this .. But don't think that I am falling
in love with the place an<:!_ \vould like to be one of the fortunate few who dwell here: This is a solitude, and none
but those to whom supernatural grace has been given with
no shortened hand, may hope to remain in it and be happy.
It is beautiful-no place more so-but it is a solitude. The
best means of getting an idea of it is to place yourself in
imagination on High Knob, ncar Frederick, when you look
down upon Middletown Valley. Now imagine you see
Florence about a mile away from you in an air line; bring
the Monocacy in from Frederick Valley, and let it take the
place of the Arno. Now terrace all the seemingly inaccessible places from High Knob down to the valley in which the
City lies, and do the same with the slopes of all the hills as
h<r as the eye can reach. Now fancy all this an immense
olive orchard interspersed here and there with villas having
gardens with beautifully laid out walks lii1ed witlr grapevines, fig, peach and other fruit trees and here and there large
oleanders to give variety to the scene. You must not forget
to put in the cypress trees which rear their tall, slim, ghostlike forms to do duty here as mourners over departed glory.
They must have a very sombre look and must seem to have
stood there from time immemorial linking the great past
with the dull present. The villa just above and adjoining
ours is the property of the Franciscans and in your plot
may be supposed to occupy High Knob itself. It has a
great history; for it used to be the fortress of Fiesole and
once was distinguished by having no less a personage as its
�·;
FIESOLE.
277
occupant than Cataline. Our own Villa has a history too ;
it used to belong to Cosmo de Medici, lately however it
belonged to the family of one of our Fathers, Ricasoli by
name, and is now legally held in the name of Fr. \Veld. The
Villa next below us, and separated by a wall, is now owned
by an Englishman named Spence. This place, according to
old tradition, is the spot where Cataline buried his treasures,
and in fact in the yea!' I 829 coins of the time j t)St preceding
his conspiracy to the value of about three thousand lire
were dug up. About two hundred yards below the villa of
Mr. Spence on the road to Florence is the famous Dominican Convent in which are still to be seen the frescoes of Fra
Angelico-but enough of description.
I mentioned that on the day we arrived our Fathers in
Florence were congratulating themselves on their good fortune in getting a Parish Church in which to labor. I must
now tell you that on that very day they got notice from a
Government Official to evacuate the premises in twenty-four
hours. They have done so, but will sue for their rights, not
as Jesuits but as individual citizens; with what success remains to be seen. The Congregation commenced its sessions on the 8th of September. To-day the I Ith the last
session has taken place and all is over, much to the gratification of all concerned. The last aCts were a vote of thanks
to Fr. Vicar for the favors obtained from the Pope; a letter
of thanks from the Congregation, in the name of the whole
Society, to our Holy Father the Pope; and a letter of thanks
to Fr. General, who had sent to the Congregation a letter,
in which he told us that though absent in body he would be
present at our deliberations in spirit, and would offer up his
earnest prayers to obtain the blessing of God on us. Having said something of the good people of this Community I
must give you the personnel of the house; you know the
names of all the assistants. The Secretary is Fr. Rota, a
Spaniard. The Substitute of Italy is Fr. Baldi, of France
Fr. Terrien, of Spain Fr. D' Arios, of England Fr. Charnley, of
Germany Fr. Delplace. The cook is a Frenchman, the other
Brothers are Italians and Spaniards. All seem to be very
cheerful and are always ready to oblige. You may imagine
what a pleasure it was to meet among the Procurators so
many whom we met three years ago, and among the new
ones to find Fr. Velez. He has not forgotten America nor
his American friends, and takes delight in questioning me
about his old acquaintances and the places he knew. He
wants us to go back to America through Spain, and I am
sure if we could _do so, he would do all in his power to make
�the trip pleasant. I send you a list of the members of the
Congregation. <I> I must not keep this letter any longer;
so asking your prayers for our safe return,
I am your brother in Christ,
R.
w.
BI{ADY,
s. J.
ST. STEPHEN'S MISSION.
SuosHoNE REsER\'ATioN, vVYo:'IIING TER.
Sept. :?oth, I 886.
DEAR BROTHEl{ IN CHRIST,
P. C.
About the middle of last June an unexpeCted letter from
Rev. Fr. Provincial direCted me to be in the city of Omaha,
with Brother John D. Kilcullin, by the 25th of the same
month; there we should re£eive from the Rt. Rev. James
O'Connor, the Bishop of thaf diocese, all needful information concerning our destination- St. Stephen's Mission,
among the northern Arapahoes in \Vyoming Territory. In
obedience to this order I left Osage Mission for Kansas City
at I A. ~1.. June 22nd, was joined at Kansas City by Brother
Kilcullin, and left that evening for Omaha, which we reached
at 8-45 next morning. The Bishop received us kindly, and
expressed a desire that ,,.e should begin our missionary
labors by the I st of July, if possible, that being the first day
of the fiscal year. So towards evening we started on the
Union Pacific for Rawling, seven hundred miles farther west.
During our monotonous ride good Brother K. would now
and then ask me what we should do after reaching Rawling,
what chances there were of being safely guided through the
mountains to the mission. "God will provide," was th~·only
answer I could give. And so He did; for shortly 'before
reaching Rawling we met on the train Rev. Father Cassidy,
pastor of the church in that· town, and an old acquaintance
of mine. The surprise and pleasure of the meeting was
mutual. \Ve arrived at Rawling at 3 A.M. of the 25th, and
after a short rest at the pastor's house we started at 8 A. M.,
on the regular daily stage, for Lander.
Ah! what a s'tage that was! Fancy one hundred and
fifty long rough miles in a miserable, uncovered express
(llSee Varia.
�ST. STEPHEN'S "1USSION
279
wagon. \Vel!, bad as it was, the country could offer us no
better, so in it we crossed the-Sweet-Water Mountains in a
northerly direction on our way to Lander, the principal settlement in Fremont County, \Vyoming Ter. A very corpulent Methodist elder. who was addressed as "Judge" took
up a large share of our crowded vehicle. He was just returning from Salt Lake City, and seemed to have been wonderfully pleased with the Mormons. He could not of course
advocate their principles, but he lauded many of their institutions to the skies and said that, in his opinion, the Mormons were not so bad as they were represented to be.
Our stage kept up an almost perpetual motion; our only
halts were to change horses every fifteen miles or so. The
clay was clear ; the air pure and bracing. But at noon a
change took place. Large black clouds began to gather
over us, and about two in the afternoon a terrific rain storm
burst upon us. Since leaving my native Alps I had seen
nothing so magnificent as that storm among the mountains;
the lightning was incessant, and the thunder echoed peal
after peaL You may be sure that we kept very quiet, and
that the fat Judge had nothing more to say about Salt Lake
City.
\Ve could scarcely hold our umbrellas in the high wind,
and they afforded us no protection; we were thoroughly
drenched. \Ve were certainly in great danger; we ran
along at full speed-God's angels shielded us from the lightnings which were striking the mountain-peaks around us.
In an hour or so the storm subsided, our cheerfulness returned and we kept on our way as merry as birds seem to
be after a storm. A strong west wind helped to dry our
clothes; the sky was cleared of clouds; and the sun shone
on us for about four hours to our great content. As evening drew nigh, the mountain shadows grew longer and longer,
and at last night came. Up, up we ascended, the air becoming steadily cooler; we were soon forced to put on our
overcoats, and when at midnight we reached the top of the
Sweet-\Vater mountains, the Sweet-Water-in the last days
of June, remember-was frozen ! Here we changed horses
and conveyance; so while the baggage was being moved,
we all jumped out and took some welcome exercise, for our
limbs were stiff-with cold.
Our dear Judge, in spite of his big fleshy cover, felt as
bad as we did ; and trying to get out, missed his footing and
was thrown headlong to the ground, landing between the
wheels of the stage. In the darkness of the night the summersault he must have executed was hidden from us; b1,.tt
�2So
his cries for assistance soon brought us all to the spot. By
the flickering light of lanterns the poor fellow was extricated from his dangerous position. You may imagine the
expressions of sympathy: "Judge, 0 Judge, how do you
feel? Are you hurt?" \Vith long drawn groans he answered: "My back is broken! 0 Lord! my bones! If I
were only home!" vVe cheered him and advised a little
gentle exercise. His first steps were tottering; but as no
bone was broken, he soon felt better. And now all was
ready for a new start. \Ve helped the Judge up, told him
to think no more of his fall, but to try to sleep. Soon we
were dashing down the steep, winding road as fast as four
horses could pull us, while the good Judge was snoring as
calmly as if he were reposing on a bed of down. At five
o'clock, on the morning of the 26th we were at the foot of
the mountain whose summit we had left at midnight. Here
we crossed Beaver Creek, made a fire, warmed ourselves
with a cup of strong coffee, started on at six, and about
three in the afternoon reached Lander. Here we called on
Mr. Ch. \V. Crowley, with whom we took dinner. He then
showed us to the Church of· the Immaculate Conception,
where we took up our lodging. For many months the
church had been without a pastor. \Ve sent out word to
the Catholics around that there would be a late Mass the
next day, Sunday. Next morning, in spite of the short notice, we had a fair attendance.
On the 28th we went to the Shoshone Agency, some sixteen miles west, to make our official call upon the U. S.
Agent. He received us politely, gave us all necessary information concerning our Mission, and warned us to be
careful in crossing the streams, now very high on account
of the melting snow. A day was spent in buying provisions
and house furniture, and at last, on the 30th, we started for
the Mission. Two wagons carried our household goods.
\Ve were obliged to go out of our way to avoid deep crossings, and thus a drive, usually of about twenty-five milei and
rapidly done, was much lengthened, and only by dint of
hard work did we reach the mission at 9 P. 1\f. after a long
day's drive. So here we were at last at St. Stephen's Mission after a journey of over twelve hundred and forty-five
miles.
The Mission is beautifully situated two miles from the
spot where the Little Wind flows into the Big Wind River.
It consists of a two-story frame building, and some thirty
acres of land. In the summer of 1884 Fr. John Futz, of the
German Province, came from Buffalo, with a coadjutor
�ST. STEPHEN'S JJfiSSION.
Brother, to start this mission. For some time they lived in
a tent and suffered many privations. In September he put
up the house. But the troubles and vexations incident to
the opening of a mission among savage tribes were too great
for him to bear, and he was compelled in November, I885,
to give up the work. Selling what movable property he
possessed, he left the house in the hands of Black Coal,
chief of the Arapahoes, who was to take care of it until told
what to do with it. The old chief promised to take care of
the house; and he did so by moving into it with his family.
Six months of uninterrupted occupancy had given him, he
thought, full title to the house and premises, and he could
scarcely persuade himself that we were come at that time of
night, with our loaded wagons, to evict him. He showed
no hostility, but he let us see clearly that he was not pleased.
vVe compensated him liberally for his services, and he gave
us full possession.
In accordance with the Bishop's instructions we are building an addition to our residence, large enough to accommodate about twenty-five Indian boys, as boarders. We are
also preparing to build a comfortable brick house as a school
for Indian girls.
Some one may ask, how is St. Stephen's Mission sup, ported? What are its resources? What its prospects?
Resources we· have none, save the loving charity of our
good Bishop, Rt. Rev. James O'Connor, and the offerings of
the faithful. Should we succeed in starting a boarding
school for Indian children the U. S. Government will assist
us. The future of this mission is in the hands of God ;
more I know not. Our Indians, the Shoshones, as well as
the Arapahoes, are to~day no less pagan than were their
ancestors. They seem to have no special religious worship.
Now and then they kill and eat a dog in the midst of carousing and war dances. Their greatest act of worship is the
Sun-dance, which they hold in the fall of every other year:
it consists of barbarous orgies, which are often accompanied
by the death of some of the principal participants.
They dwell in tents, or lodges, which, in their nomadic
life, they move at pleasure. A few cultivate small patches
of vegetables; most do nothing, varying it at times with a
little hunting. As a rule the women do all the work. In
their social life they practise polygamy; its accompanying
vices are common among them. The children are moral
and obedient while under their parents' control. Their dress
is, as a rule, scanty. Some few will at times put on the garments of the white man, but the Indian costume is generally
�ST.,. STEPHEX'S J!ISSION.
preferred. It is certainly the cheaper, consisting frequently
of a blanket and breech cloth. They wear their hair long,
like women ; were you to sec one of the braves on horseback going at full speed, with the wind in his face, and his
long hair streaming behind, it would bring to your mind the
terrible fate of Absalom.
Their carelessness about religion is really surprising;
· they seem quite unconcerned about a future life and the salvation of their souls. Some few have studied at the Episcopalian school, attached to the Agency; but they arc as
bad as the rest. Unlike manv of these mountain Indians,
ours have no Canadians intern{arried with them. A few can
be used as interpreters, and do well enough so long as you
speak of temporal affairs; but when you speak of religion
they arc silent, and say they do not understand. So our
only hope is the education of the children; the salvation of
the two nations depends on these little ones. \Ve need a
good school for boys and one for girls. Shall we succeed
in getting these? The matter is not so easy as, at first
sight, one would think.
.
Our Indian chief, Black C.c;>al, told the U. S. Agent in my
presence that he did not care about our school; he added
that he had never called for it, and, as they already had one
school, the Episcopalian, he saw no need of another. The
reason of his hostility is, of course, the loss. of the house,
which he had come to look upon as his own. Another
great obstacle to the success of this :Mission is the Episcopalian school which was opened a few years ago at the
Agency, thirty miles west of us. Things are kept "booming" there; and why not? The Indian Department supplies
all they wish; the superintendent is able even to make presents to parents and cfiildren, in order to gain a large number
of pupils. Hence you see that we labor under many disadvantages, and the outlook for St. Stephen's Mission is by no
means bright. However, we do not feel discourage?; on
the contrary, we trust in God the more, for we knQw__ that
the hearts of men are in His hands and that by means unknown to us He can change our worst enemies into our best
friends.
Now I have shown you plainly, without any rose-coloring,
what kind of field is open here to a man who is willing to
sacrifice comfort, talents, life, if need be, for the salvation of
these poor Indians, of whom so many go to eternal perdition. Some good and fervent souls are anxious to be sent
to the far Missions of Asia and Africa to convert infidels
and pagans to G~d, and to gain perhaps a martyr's crown.
�ST. STEPHEN'S JJIISSION.
Still these good and fervent souls feel no interest in the salvation of hundreds and thousands of people who are living
in the same condition at their very doors! vVhat an illusion!
\Vould to God that these, my simple words, might enkindle
in the hearts of our young students a spark of that noble
zeal which burned in the heart of the great Xavier, of Anchieta, of many other heroes of our Society who bedewed
with their sweat, and hallowed with their blood the shores
of the Atlantic and Pacific. They labored in earnest without any hope of earthly reward, and history has scarcely
transmitted to us their names. Truly did they sow in tears,
thinking that perhaps all their labors were lost. But no,
they were not lost. Slowly, but with Divine certainty, came
the ample harvest which this clay our Society is gathering
with joy all over this country in her colleges, universities,
and churches.
A word about our modus 11i·vcndi. Our community so far
consists of two persons ; the brother and myself, and between us we fill up the offices of the house. The order of
the clay is rather irregular with us, and depends in great
part on the number of Indians who from breakfast to supper
time visit us, now to get something to eat, now to beg a few
yards of cloth. Besides these our daily customers, there
come at times stragglers travelling through these mountains,
cowboys, too, and Rancheros, all very hungry. So you sec
we pass most of our time in performing works of mercy.
Our £1.re thus far has been most simple. For two months
we kept what might be called a black fast, for we lived on
bacon and Indian bread, and poor at that! For our consolation we had some coffee and tea; but milk, butter, eggs,
vegetables were not seen on our table. Now and then we
caught some fish in the river near by, but somehow or other
they seldom bit on Friday, when we needed them most. Of
late, however, we have fared better. This change has been
brought about by a party of men to whom I gave a contraCt:
to make three hundred thousand bricks for us. These men
came to start a brick-yard on our premises, and of course
market followed them ; so now we can obtain beef, vegetables, etc.
·
vVhat are we going to do with so many bricks? Build a
convent for the Sisters who are expeCted next spring to take
care of the Indian girls of this Mission. On the 16th of
September we began to break ground for the building which
will be forty-nine by sixty-two feet; the walls will be thirty
feet high. It will have a 'good basement, two stories, and a
large attic. The house is intended to accommodate five
�. CJRDINAL .1IAZZEiLLl.
sisters and thirty girls; it is being put up with funds supplied by a charitable lady living far away in· the eastern
states. One hundred and fifty thousand bricks will be
needed and have already been made.; an equal number will
soon be ready and will be kept to build a similar house for
boys, as soon as the money ccv:nes. For the present we
shall try to take care of the boys in our old house and in
the addition we are ereCting. The contraCt: for building the
Convent was given a few days ago to the lowest bidder for
$8,890. The building is to be completed by the 1st of
March, 1887.
You see what we are trying to do for St. Stq)hen's Mission. Pray that God may bless our labors, and recompense
the liberality of our benefaCtors, 'especially of our good .
Bishop whose kindly charity never fails us. ·
·
PAuL MARY PoNZIGLIONE,
S.
J.
CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
.
Father Mazzella's elevation to the rank of Cardinal Deacon, aside from its general consequence to the whole Society,
possesses a very special interest for us at \Voodstock. It was
here that the new Cardinal spent many of the best, and, we
believe we are not presumptuous in saying, the pleasantest
years of his life in the Society. Among us he laid the foundations of a reputation now world-wide; and the theological
works that constitute~the public pledge of his fitness for his
new dignity, were first written for our classes, and issued
from our press. For this reason, it is natural that we should
share more fully than others in the mingled, and to some
extent opposing, feelings that such events must always_ ex-cite in every member of the Society. Gratification at the
honor conferred by the Holy Father on one of our own
brethren, almost one of our own community, rejoicing for
the increased power for good coming with such honorsthese were the first emotions excited by the news of Father
:J\1azzella's promotion. But mingling with these and perhaps outlasting them, was a sense of grief, for our loss in
the separation, more or less complete, but inevitable, of a
deeply loved associate and efficient member from the body
of the Society. For many of us, this sense of loss was the
renewal of an old wound; for we still recall vividly the con-
�'
0
··-17-~
..
CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
�--
�CARDINAL, MAZZELLA_;
sternation with which we learned, eight years ago, that Fr.
Mazzella was to lt~ave us, and assume more important duties
at Rome. Nor could we avoid a certain regret, instinaive
to every son of St. Ignatius, at seeing ecclesiastical honors,
so carefully guarded against by our Holy Father, forced
upon one of his children.
We have thought it well to print "here whatever documents and details have fallen in our way concerning the
appointment of <>ur new Cardinal, together with soine recolIeaions of his life among us. Moreover, as several inaccuracies regarding Father Mazzella's earlier life have crept into
the accounts that have gone the roun9s of the newspapers,
we take the opportunity to give a correa sketch of his
whole career.
Camillo Mazzella was born on the wth of February,
I 833, at Vitulano, a town of several thousand inhabitants,
lying in the kingdom of Naples, about thirty-two miles to
the east of the city of that name. When raised to the cardinalate, therefore, last June, he was fifty-three years old.
There were several children in the family. Of the boys,
three gave themselves to the service of the Church, Camillo,
Ernesto and Pietro. Camillo and Ernesto were twins, while
Pietro was some six years younger. Ernesto is now a Prelate and Vicar-General of the archdiocese of Benevento, the
importance of which position may be gathered from the faa
that under its jurisdiaion are comprised no less than two
thousand parishes. Pietro will be remembered by vVoodstock students of about ten years ago as "Father Peter," by
which title he was familiarly known to distinguish him from
"Father Camillus." After teaching Philosophy in Woodstock from 1872 to 1875, he was recalled to Europe.
According to the custom prevailing among the wealthier
families of Italy, the three boys received the first elements
of their education from a tutor in their own home. At the
age of about ten or eleven years, Camillo and Ernesto were
sent to the Seminary of Benevento. This ancient city,
though possessed by the Popes with little interruption from
the year 1077, when it was given to them by Robert Guiscard, was entirely enclosed in the territory of the kingdom
of Naples; and, being only about eleven miles distant from
Vitulano, it comprised the latter with many other Neapolitan towns under its archiepiscopal jurisdiaion. Our Fathers had at this time a flourishing college in Benevento,
numbering between four and five hundred students. To
their classes the seminarians came every day, thus adding
about two hundred more to the number. On their entrance
�CARDINAL ,lJAZZELLA.
into the seminary, the future Cardinal and Prelate took a
very high position among their fellow-students. They were
precisely similar in appearance and disposition, amiable,
earnest and hardworking. Both in study and in piety they
were reckoned the models of the school. In the class of
Rhetoric, our present PrefeCt of Studies at \Voodstock, Fr.
Charles Piccirillo, was the boys' Professor, and he still relates how he made Camillo wear a ribbon in his button-hole
during the whole year, as the only means of distinguishing
him from his brother. This likeness extended also to their
mental endowments, and they were counted of precisely
equal talent. Though standing at the head of the class,
their proficiency seemed to be due not so much to brilliant
literary talent, as to a clear, logical, and exaCt cast of mind,
joined to untiring diligence. After finishing the classical
course of the Seminary, Fr. Mazzella and his brother made
three years of Philosophy and four years of Theology, completing these studies in the year I855, at the remarkably
early age of twenty-two years and seven months. This being nearly two years less than the canonical age for ordination to the priesthood, the Archbishop procured a special
dispensation from the Holy Father, Pius IX, and ordained
Camillo and Ernesto sometime in the month of September
of the same year.
Even before their ordination to the priesthood, the brothers had held canonries in their. native town, two of these
having been founded by their ancestors, and being consequently at the disposal of the Mazzella family. Accordingly,
for the first two years after ordination, Father Mazzella remained at home, attending to his duties as Canon in the
parish church of Vitulano. But on the 4th of September,
1857, he entered the Society, to which he was admitted by
Fr. De C-esare, then Provincial of Naples.
He immediately began his two years of probation. at. the
novitiate of La Conocchia. This house has probably one of
the loveliest situations to be found in the world. Seated on
one of the hills that, to the north of Naples, extend in long
promontories into the Mediterranean, it overlooks the city
and bay, and has Vesuvius in full view to the south-cast.
The elevation on which the house stands is honeycombed
with the excavations of an ancient Christian catacomb, from
which it takes its name. After serving as novitiate for several years, La Conocchia was seized by the government of
United Italy soon after the revolution of 186o, and transformed into a military hospital. Here King Humbert visited the cholera patients, during the scourge of 1884. Re-
�CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
cently the house and ground have been bought back by
our Fathers from the government, and fitted up for usc as
a college. The splendid opening of this large establishment
a few months ago, with our late professor, Fr. De Augustinis as ReCtor, is still fresh in the minds of all.
In this lovely and sacred retreat, Fr. Mazzella spent a
year in the usual exercises of prayer, meditation and the
various trials prescribed by the Institute. At the end of this
year, and while still a novice, he was sent to the Seminary
of Andria, in Apulia, to teach Philosophy. He remained
there, however, only one year, r858-59, being sent by his
superiors at the end of that time to fill the same chair in the
College of Cosenza, in Calabria, the southernmost division
of Italy. It was probably in this college that he pronounced
the first vows of the Society. How long his professorship
might have continued, or what his subsequent career might
have been, had his stay in Cosenza and Italy not met with a
rude and abrupt termination from the revolution, we have no
means of judging. But in the spring of r 86o, Garibaldi, at
the head of his red-shirted "liberators," crossed from the
Island of Sicily to Calabria, landing not far from Reggio.
Treachery had prepared the way, and not a gun was fired
in resistance. From this point, he direCted his march northward along the coast, until he reached the city of Naples.
vVherever Jesuits were met with, they were driven out, and
all their property confiscated; for in common with all antiChristian conspirators, the hero of the red shirt honored the
Society with his especial hatred. Cosenza, lying within ten
miles of the sea-coast, came in the line of Garibaldi's march,
and consequently the community there was obliged to take
flight. Fr. Mazzella, with other priests and scholastics, was
sent to Lyons, in France. Here, at the scholasticate of
Fourviercs, just outside the city, he spent the year r86o-6r
in reviewing his Theology and preparing for his examination "ad gradum." So brilliant did his examination prove,
that although he had not made his course of studies in the
Society, but only as a secular student under Jesuit professors, he was chosen to make the public defence de Uuiz,crsa
Tltco!ogia. One incident of this disputation is interesting, as
showing to what an extent the secular power had at that
time influenced the opinions of certain theologians in France.
One of the professors of the Seminary of Lyons, a pupil of
the celebrated Carrieres, argued seriously against Fr. Mazzella in £wor of the power of the State to create invalidating
itllpcdimcnts to the sacrament of matrimony. As had been
expeCted, Father Mazzella's disputation was a very brilliant
�.CARDiNAL lJfAZZELLA.
success, and was immediately followed by his appointment
as Professor of the Short Course of Theology at F ourvieres.
This position he held for three years, after which he taught
Moral Theology for two years more. At the end of this
period, he was ordered to Rome to make the third year of
probation, which he passed in the house of San Eusebio, an
ancient monastery. His Tertian-master was the saintly and
experienced Father Pellico, a brother of the famous writer,
Silvio Pellico.
The causes that led to Father Mazzella's coming to this
country had begun to work even before he left Lyons. Fr.
Paresce, whose name is a household word, never to be uttered without affection and reverence in the Province of
Maryland, having matured his plans for the fou~dation of
vVoodstock, and bought the property on which it now stando~,
began to look about for capable professors for his future
scholasticate. vVith this view he applied to the Provincial
of Naples, who granted him Fr. Mazzella, then at Lyons, and
several other members of that province.
Immediately on finishing his third year of probation in
August, 1867, Fr. Mazzelfa set out for this country, in company with Fr. Pantanella. The scholasticate was still at
Georgetown, whither it had been removed from Boston in
1864. For the next two years, while waiting for the completion of \Voodstock, Fr. Mazzella taught Dogmatic Theology in Georgetown. On the feast of St. Matthew, September 2 I st, I 869, Woodstock was solemnly opened and
Fr. Mazzella installed as Prefect of Studies and Professor of
Morning Dogma. The Latin oration that he delivered on
this occasion was considered an extremely able production,
but owing, perhaps._ to our isolated position, away from all
immediate intercourse with the outside world, the custom
of beginning the scholastic year with such an oration has
not been continued.
The printing of the works that have brought our Cardinal
his great fame and led to his elevation, was Llegun in .a very
small way, almost immediately after the opening of vVoodstock. Some of the scholastics, using a rude hand-press,
began to put the lectures in type and strike them off for the
use of the class. In 1872, a half medium treadle-press was
obtained, and the publication began in real earnest. This
important step was due in great part to the suggestions and
advice of our present Father Provincial and our lamented
Rector and ·Assistant, Fr. Joseph Keller, at that time Provincial of Maryland. It was pointed out by the former that
a method of studying theology little in conformity with the
�CARDINAL llfAZZELLA.
traditions of the Society had become more or less prevalent
in our province, as well as in others where Ours are exposed
to frequent contaCl: and discussion with Protestant controversialists. Instead of the exposition of a complete system of
dogmatic Theology, most of the labor of the course seemed
to be devoted to the refutation of errors, positive demonstration and explanation of truth uecoming rather a side-issue,
introduced chiefly on account of its denial. Of course such
a method, though it might produce tolerable controversialists, could give no really solid and profound theological
training. It was therefore judged of the highest importance
that from the new scholasticate of Woodstock there should
go forth a complete course of Scholastic Theology; based on
the great writers of the Church, especially St. Thomas and
the noted theologians of the Society in the past, but dealing
also with all modern questions, and refuting incidentally all
the errors advanced by heretics down to our own day and
country. The task was a gigantic one, and Fr. Mazzella was
several times on the point of intermitting, if not relinquishing it entirely, but the persistent urging and encouragement
of Fr. Keller kept him unflaggingly at work. The constant
interruptions consequeut on the duties of PrefeCl: of Studies
in so large an establishment as vVoodstock left little leisure
for thought and writing during the day, and accordingly
most of the work on these volumes was done at night.
Midnight almost invariably found Fr. Mazzella with pen in
hand.
By untiring- work of this kind, the four volumes corresponding to Father l\lazzella's class of morning dogma were
completed in I 876, and in the following year a second and
revised edition was begun. But this was to be finished at
Rome. The other four volumes necessary to make up a
full course were to be written and published by Father De
Augustinis, but only the treatises "De Re Sacramentaria"
and "De Deo Uno" have thus far appeared, the author being
apparently dest~.1ed, like his former colleague, to finish his
publication in Rome.
In the theological works of Fr. Mazzella, there are some
charaCteristics that give them very great value as text-books
for those students who wish to pursue a thorough and comprehensive course of studies. One of these is his remarkably luminous and exhaustive presentation of the state of
the question, in the preliminary notes to each thesis. Originality cannot be claimed for the author, nor did lie aim at it.
In no case does he seek to make a reputation by destroying
VoL. xv, No.3·
26
�CARDINAL 3FAZZELLA.
the systems of those who have gone before, and substituting
one of his own. But by a clear and methodical statement
of the opinions of opposing schools, and a full exposition of
the philosophical principles im·olved, he clears the ground,
anticipates objections, and renders the work of demonstration easy.
A second characteristic of Father 1\Iazzella's theological
method is the exceptional skill with which he uses extracts
from all the great scholastic theologians, more especially of
St. Thomas, Suarez and De Lugo. His motive for introducing these more abundantly than is usual in text-books,
is to accustom his students to the stvle of these Princes of
Theology, and so to lead them to 'study their works for
themselves.
In the year r87S, copies of the second edition of Father
Mazzella's works "De Deo Creante" and "De Gratia Christi,"
as well as of Fr. De Augustinis' treatise "De Re Sacramentaria" were presented to the Holy Father, Leo XIII. So
favorable was the impression made upon his mind, that a
special brief was transmitted to the authors.<'>
It was without doubt .owing in great measure to the esteem inspired in the mind of the Holy Father by the perusal
of these ,·olumes, that shortly afterward, when a chair of
Theology in the Roman College had been left ,·acant by the
elevation of Father Franzelin to the cardinalate, Leo XIII
himself requested that Fr. Mazzella should be summoned to
fill it. But before detailing this e\·ent, we must mention a
charge entrusted to Fr. Mazzella during his stay with us,
that was an evidence of the confidence placed in him by his
superiors, and a proof that his ability was not limited to the
regions of theore!ical science. This was the Visitation of
the Mission of New Mexico. Established by our Fathers
of the Neapolitan province in r867, at the request of the
excellent and zealous Bishop J. B. Lamy, this mission had
already effected a vast amount of good among the neglected
but faithful Spanish-American Catholics and Indi~ns of that
territory; but it was judged that the appointment of a Visitor would tend to consolidate and facilitate the work. Fr.
Mazzella was therefore commissioned for the purpose, and
twice traversed the vast region embraced by the Mission,
once in the vacations of 1875. and a second time in the summer of 1878. In the interval between the two visits, he empowered the Superior of the Mission, Father Baldassare, to
build a college at Las Vegas.
(I) As this brief has been printed in the WOODSTOCK
44, it has been thought unnece8sary to reprint it here.
LETTERS,
vol. viii, p.
•
�·CARDINAL lJfAZZELLA.
In the discharge of his office as Visitor, as in all other
details of his life in America, Fr. Mazzella showed not only
the energy, zeal and firmness, that constitute a strong charaCter, but also the moderation, prudence and tenderness that
must be added to make up the complement of true greatness.
His direCtion of the studies of \Voodstock was always energetic, but neyer impetuous or inconsiderate. \Vhile his
ability and erudition commanded the profound respeCt of all
who came in any way under his direCtion. his unassuming
modesty and charity gained their warm affeCtion; so that
when obedience called him away from us, it was not merely
the learned Professor and capable PrefeCt of Studies that we
regretted, but still more the simple, unaffeCted, humble religious and beloved companion. Another trait that may
have contributed to this result was the facility with which
Fr. Mazzella adopted not only the language, but also the
customs, manners, and indefinable charaCteristics of thought
and speech prevalent in our country. He seemed to make
himself intrinsically, as well as exteriorly, all things to all
men; and fell into American ways so naturally that when
he took out his papers of citizenship, we felt the word "naturalized" to be, in his case at least, no misnomer. The impression made by his simple and frank piety on the secular
persons with whom he came in contaCt, may be gathered
from the following extraCt taken from a recent number of
the New York "Catholic Review":
"The spirit of his Eminence Cardinal Mazzella, S. J., is
strikingly indicated by a little incident which occurred when
he was in this country. · He usually visited Boston during
the summer vacation to recreate at the Jesuit villa near New
Bedford. The trip from \Voodstock to Boston was made
by rail rather than the much pleasanter sail by water from
Baltimore. On being asked by a friend why he did not
prefer the latter, he replied : '\Vhy, my dear friend, in that
case I should lose two or three Masses.'"
Shortly after the beg·inning of the scholastic year, I 87879, Father Brady, then Provincial of Maryland and New
York, received a letter from Father General, direCting him
to send Fr. Mazzella immediately to Rome, to fill Cardinal
Franzelin's vacated chair. The order was so unexpeCted,
and the impossibility of at once replacing Fr. Mazzella so evident, that Fr. Provincial thought of sending a cable-despatch,
asking for at least a postponement; but on consulting Fr.
Mazzella he found that the latter had also received a letter,
in which were these words: "For your greater consolation,
I command you in virtue of holy obedience to leave for
�CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
Rome at once." In the face of such an order expostulation
and delay were of course out of the question, and our PrefeEt of Studies was soon leCturing to a class of more than
three hundred students in the Roman College.
This institution, since the seizure of its buildings by the
Italian Government in November, I870, has been generally
known as the Gregorian University, a title which was given
it in honor of Pope Gregory XIII, its second founder. The
Government officials retained the name Roman College for
the institution established by themselves in our buildings.
Before the robbery our Fathers counted fourteen hundred
scholars in the lower classes, w bile the schools of Philosophy
and Theology added four hundred more to the number.
Many of these were students from various seminaries of the
city, who came to the Roman College for leCtures. \Vhen
Fr. Mazzella arrived in Rome in the fc<ll of 1878, the classes
had been carried on for some years in the building devoted
to the German College, which being under the proteCtion of
the Prussian flag, was safe from Pieclmontese avarice. The
celebrated Fr. Kleutgeti' was then PrefeCt of Studies, but
after a short period, hiS··health having been seriously impaired, he had to be relieved from all scholastic duties, and
control of the studies was given to Fr. Mazzella.
Leo XIII was not disappointed in the result of his choice.
Yet neither Father Vicar nor Fr. Mazzella himself had any
warning of the manner in which the Holy Father's satisfaction was to be shown, until a few weeks before the appointment of the new cardinal was aCtually published. As soon
as the news reached them, they wei1t together to see the
Pope and endeavored to persuade him to spare the Society
this little-coveted ]10nor. The reply of the Holy Father is
contained in the Circular letter written by Father YLcar to
the whole Society, which though already known t6 our
readers, we have thought it well to print here, in order
that it may be preserved in the most accessible fo!:-~·
REYEREXDE IX CHIUSTO l'"\TER,
PAX CHHISTI.
Die 7 hujus mensis Sancti,simus Dominus Xoster, Leo PP. XIII, plaudente
Eminentissimo Cardinalium Senatu, R. P. Camillo .Mazzella, Provincire 1' ea·
politanre, in Pontificia Uninrsitate Gregoriana Scholasticrc Theologirc Lectori,
amplissimam SacrtB Purpurre dignitatem decretam voluit.
Accepto hoc nuntio, aliis sane faustissimo, dolehit profecto Ra. Va., dole·
hunt Xostri omnes, quod decennia vix elapso iterum patuerit in hac minima
Societatc J esu ad summos honores aditu,, <[Uem firmissimis Instituti nostri
prresidiis numquam nobis non penitus interclusum velimus. Jam vera neque
a me, cui legum nostrarum custodia commissa est, ncque a n. P. :Mazzella,
voti religione gravissime obstricto, pnctermissum quidquam puto, quod in rc
sibi sanctissima desiderare Societas possit. Quidquid uterque, aiebat Nobis
Sua Sanctitas, mihi opponere ex officio debet is, id ego optirne perspectum lwbeo.
Equidem non ignoro Societatem ~·estram eu mente comparatam esse, iisque
�CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
legibus constitutam, ut nihil ipsa magis abhorreat, quam suis Sodalibus delatos id genus honores; verum etiam probe intelligo Societati nihil magis inditum
divinitus fnisse, legibusque prrescriptum, quarn parati.<simum erga Romanos
Pontijiccs obsequium. Ego ~·ero itnfubeo, ac tibi, P. Camillo Mazzella, coram
R. P. Vicario, 8ocietatis Pr<rposito, in nomine Domini prrecipio, nt Sacramenti, quo teneris, vinculo n me solutus, in Cardinalium Ordinem cooptari
~·dis. Adversns hoc Summi Pontificis imperium, quum nihil conari amplius
liceret, reliquum nobis c'rat, nt Sancta., Obe<lientite pm:sidio freti, ad Romani
Pontifici~ vocent, tmnqnant atl Christi voce1n, quam pn)n1ptissilni essemus,
no~que ab eo, qui locun1 Dei h•net, ferri ac- gnhernari, perirule ut ~enis baculutn, sineren1ns; in quo, uti tnonet S. P. X. Ignatius, pr~ecipuun1 Societatis
nostr::e bonum ac salu~ universa consistit.
At vero Beati"imus Pater impo,itum Societati Xovoque Cardinali honoris
tun tum onus pluribus verbi,- benignitute plcnis levare curavit, unde nobis non
parum accedat
eon~olationi:.::..
''Yelle se sttuliun1 erga nos snnn1 honore·hoc
ntandando significare: ~tut.linn1 vcro ejns1nodi a pnero in scholis nostris sus.
ceptum adeo cnm tetate credsse, tamquc firmo optimi de Socictute judicii
fundamento constitni. ut nulla pror"" vi labefactari posse videretur." N e
autem hrec tum benevolenti' animi signiticatio intra parietes lateret, mox
coram Purpuratis Patribus, adstante optimatum freqnentio, Sanctissimus
Dominus verbis antpli:"sintis
profe.ssu~
est, quanti Socictate1n .fesu sen1per
fecerit, qua henevolentiu prose'luatur.
Sed mihi multam prretcrea attulit consolutionem itNllitus Novi Cardinalis
nHeror, quo se pra·ter 01nnem expectationeut vidit e conununi Sodetatis usn,
veluti e cari.s...;.;inue )[atris eornpll•xn, in pcregrintun quoUrl:un en\ltnn traduci,
<plOd N ostris jucnndnm rcdtlere honoris 'Plendor valuit null us. )falebat sane
Eminentia Sua, Toleti nostri exemplo, -in umbra Societatis delitcscere, quam
in Sacri Senatus luce conspici: itentque no:-:tro cunt Bellannino, dulces Societatis latebras tanto dolentius reqnirebat, qwmto altius Nlut in Solem Romance
Ouri<e productum se ·intuebatur. c\trjue i,- religiosi viri animus spem milli
certis.sinunn facit fore ut qui ingenio,,.(loctrina, virtute, rei Catholicre studio,
magno
8oe1etati~
anwre din aputl no.-; tloruit, Xostrorum,
quo~
Sacra Purpura
onerabat magis tjtulm honorabat, prreclare facta temnlatn,, Eccleshe uc Societati fructus deinceps feral tanto ubcriores ac pnestantiorcs, fJnunto altior ipse
at que illnstrior. <Noll nt dilccti"imo Societatis :E'ilio, in Sacra Purpura nobis
miniine mnisso, Paraclitn:-: ille Spiritu~, qui bonorum mnnium largitor est,
plenissinte conC'edl•re tlignetur, curet Ra. Ya., ut in sua Provincia mnnes
Xostri Sacertlotes sPmC'l Sncrum f;teiant, creteri vern coronmn nnnm recitent.
Connncndo Inc SS. SS.
Heverenti::c Ye:-:tra•
SPrvns in X to.
Fe.<ulis die lti Jnnii,
lS~ti.
ANT. ~f. A~mEBLEDY,
S. J.
On the 7th of June, r886, His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII,
held a secret Consistory in the Vatican Palace, in which he
creat~d Fr. Mazzella a Cardinal Deacon, together with one
other..raised to the same rank, and five to that of Cardinal
Priest. For the text of his allocution on this occasion we
are indebted to the Civz!ta Catto!zca of the 19th of June.
"YEXERADILF.S FR~\TRES:
In sacrum Concistorinm hodierna die Vos advoeandos censuimus non ea
solum de caussa ut viduatas pustoribus chrbtiani orbis Ecclesias novis Episcopis donaremus, vcrnm ctiam ut de Cardinalium crcatione ageremus, quam
Collegii vestri decus et ,;plcndor, atque ipsa temporum conditio postnlare a
nobis videbantur. Non paucos enim e vestro numero postremis hisce annis
vita exccssisse Nobiscum doletis, in quorum locum alios modo sufficere decrevimus.
Quoniam vero Apostoliea nostru sollicitutlo ad cunctos se porrigit diversarum gentium Catholicos quos paterna ex animo caritate complectimur; ac
summopere lretamur cum aliqna potior sc Nobis offer! occasio propensre in eos
volnntatis argumenta exhibendi, opportunum hac vice putavimus ex diversis
veteris ac novi orbis regionibus itlSlgnes IJUOsdmn Episcopos deligere in ordinem vestrum cooptandos.
Ac primo quidem oculos in Gulliam intendimus, ubi lectissimi sacrorum
�CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
Antistites incenso studio et constanti mentis proposito "\postolic::e Scdi mire
devincti, magnun1 et omni cotnmendatione dignissiinuni unitatis curi1 Ecclesire
capite in seipsis exemplum pncfcrunt; ac fide!cs eo rum cur::e concrediti innnineris pcene caritati:'l. et pictatis operibus suun1 in Ecclesimn rnnoren1 et in1·
motam erga Jesu Christi Yicariurn fith•rn, plure' inter gravesque t!iflicultates,
splent!ide profiteri non cessant; ac rei Catholic::e tuentht· vires suas et facultates lil>enter impendunt. Hac igitur purpuratorurn I'atrum renunciatione,
tum sacru eorum ordini qui Gallhe ecelesib pr::esunt, tum universa• Gallorum
genti publicnin et singulare dilectionis Nostne })ignus dare constituimus,
atque ea ::unoris et observantia~ vincula arctiu:-: adstringere, qu~l: gencrosam
nationem cnn1 Uomana Eccle~ia l:01nanoque Pontificatu conjungunt.
)Ientem deinceps Xostram ad se vacant Fn•derati Americ::e Status et Canadensis rt'giO. Florens in ea confrt'deratione catholic~e religionis conditio qu~e
latins se in dies explieat, novh:que augetur increinentis; ip~a etiarn consti·
tutio et forma, ad quant, sccnnclum saerontni Canonun1 leges, Ecclesire illre
quotidie 1nagi~ se con1pouunt; tnonent tptodannnoUo Xos ae po:ne fiagitant
ut aliu1n aliquen1 ex pr~ecipuis eanunden1 regionunt Episeopis in Patrnn1
Cardinalitnn selles reciJ•iarnus.
Quod ad Canatlenses attinet, omnibus exploratum est, quanta :mimi firmitudine Catholic:" fidei adh:ereant, quam sineero in Ecclesiam amore ferantur,
quam luculenter pictatern et fidem suarn ergn Tiomanum Pnntificem difficilIimo te1npore pro~arint. Qua de eaussa Ininimc dubitmnus, quin unius ex
Can:ulensibus Archiepiseopis ad tan tam dignitatcm eveetio, in Catholic::e religion is decus ccssura sit, bene ac feliciter vertat populo Canadcusi, et ejus
promptam erectam<JUC in J:omanam Ecdesiam volnutntem augeat atque
confirmet.
Igitnr hi sunt quos hotlie ex variis orbis regionibus in Collegiurn vestnun
referendos statuiinus, nimirum :~
YrCTOR FELIX BEns.\nm·, Archiepiscopus Senonensis et ~\ntissiodorensis:
-ALEXAXDER T.\SCIIEltEA l',- ,,\rehiepiscopus (~ue!Jecensis- JlEXEDICTl:S
)L\RLI. L~\XGF:XIEl:X, "\rehiepiscopus Tihemensis-J.v·om·s Gmuoxs, Archiepiscopus Bnltimoreusis-C.\ROLrs PIIILll'l'l'S PLACE, Archiepiscopus
Hhedonensis.
Quos omnes artlens religinnis Catholic::e nmplificand:~ et salutis animarnm
procurand:e studium, singulare in hanc "\postolicam Sed em obsequium rerumque gerendarum prtttlentia maxime commendat.
N ec vero Italitun pra·tcnnisitnus, ex qua eudern honore augentlos existi·
lll:lYiinus ..Ar<iT'STL)I THEODOLI, :-::pedati:-:.~iintnn e elero rmnano urbnnnin
antistitem, qui variis jam officiis et cnrationibns navitcr perfunctus, domus
Xostr::e Pontificalis Pra>fccturam multa cum fide ac diligentia pustremo hoc
ten1pore gessit; et C.A)IILLr)r ~IAZZELL.\. Societati~ J esu aluinnunl, insigui
doctrime fuma ac pari virtutis laude pr3:clarum.
Quid vobis videtur?
Auctoritatc itaque omnipotcntis Dei, sanctorumque Apostolorum Petri et.
Pauli ac K ostra creanllls ct puhlieamus S. H. E. Preshytcros Cardinales:
YICTOI:EM FELICE}f llEitX.\DOl"; AJ.EX~\XDI:li}f T"\SCIIERE.\l:; llEXElllC·
Tl-}1 )[Af(LDI L~\XG},:s"!ITX; J ACOill'}l GlllllOXS; CAROLDI PIIILII'PU}I
I'L~\CE; ct Diaconos Cardinnles: ArGl"STnr TIIEOilOLI; CA}IIL!X)J ~fAZ·
ZELI~~\.
Cum di.~pensationibus, tlerogntionibus, ct clausulis nccc"'ariis et opportunis.
In nomine Patris+ ct Filii+ Pj: Spiritus+ Saneti. Amen."
~ ~
Two days later, on the 9th of June, the conferring of the
cape and biretta upon the two Roman Cardinals, Theodoli
and Mazzella, was performed by the Pope himself in the
Vatican. At six o'clock in th~ evening, the two newly appointed prelates met His Eminence Cardinal Pecci, brother
of the Pope, and were conduCted by him to the Pontifical
apartments. Meanwhile, the Holy Father proceeded to the
throne-room, where he seated himself, surrounded by the
members of his household. A master of ceremonies then
announced and introduced the new Cardinals, who, after mak-
�CARDINAL 11/AZZELLA.
ing the. three usual genuflections, knelt and kissed the Pope's
foot. His Holiness then placed upon each of them the cape
and red cap worn by Cardinals. \Vhereupon they immediately unco\·ered their heads, kissed the hand of His Holiness, and received his embrace. Cardinal Theodoli, speaking in the name of his colleague as well as his own, returned
thanks to the Pope in an address full of dignity and feeling.
To this discourse, the Holy Father responded in words of
fatherly affection, and finished by giving the Apostolic
blessing.
After all the other persons present had left the hall, in
obedience to the extra Olllllt'S of the Master of Ceremonies,
the new Cardinals remained, together with Cardinal Pecci,
for a private audience with the Holy Father. Finally having taken leave of the Pope and received the ::;ucclutto, or
skull-cap from the hands of the Sub-keeper of the Robes,
they retired to the apartments of Cardinal Jacobini, Secretary
of State.
The Ci·uiltir remarks that by this last creation of Cardinals,
the number is raised to sixty-six, of whom twenty-six were
appointed by Pius IX, and the remaining forty by the present Pope. The dean of the Sacred College in age is Cardinal Newman, while the youngest is the Patriarch of Lisbon.
There are still wanting four Cardinal Priests to make up the
full number of seventy.
On the I 8th of July, Cardinal Mazzella solemnly took
possession of his titular diaconal church of St. Adrian in the
Roman Forum. This is one of the most ancient churches
of the city, and belongs to the Order of Mercy for the Redemption of Captives. Irr his discourse the Cardinal referred
to the historical memories of St. Adrian, dating back as far
as the sixth century. ,
As soon as the announcement of the new Cardinal's elevation reached \Voodstock, the scholastics addressed to him
a letter of which the following is a copy:
SO DALES S . .J. IX COLLEGIO .WOOI>STOCI!L\:\0
E)II:\EXTISSDIO CA)l JI,LO C.\JWIX.\LI )lAZZELLA
S. 1'. D.
tc nihil ejusmotli expectantem, in purpuratum Romame Eeclesirc
Colkginm Leo XIII P. ~I. sponte .sua coop!:tvcrit, id maximis nos gan<liis
cumnlavit. Tan tam cnim tihi apud nos in didnis scientiis sngacitatis et in
negotiis prwlentia• cxistilnationmn nactns cs; tot nobis rcligionis virtuhtnl<[ltC exempla, tot pro nostris emolumcntis ncerrimi studii tui monumenta
disce<lcmlo reliquisti; ut te semper, tanquam si prrcsens adfneris, ct cogitationc
et eloquio recoluerimns, et adhue t"que recolamus, licet jam longus fluxerit
(~nod
annorurn llecur:o:us, ct inuncn:-;o Occani (lis:.;idio
~ejungruuur.
~[irnrn igitnr tihi e.,se non dehet, si pro nostro crga te olJ,eqnio ct bcncficiorum memoria tam ardentcr tibi grntnlcmm·, quod apud Pontificem, tcquissimum nobilium ingeniorum jutlicem, meritus fueris tanta dignitate cohones-
�296
• CARDINAL JIIAZZELLA.
tari; quod campus solertire ture tam fnerit amplificatus, ut longe major
doctrime, virtutumque tuarum seges et proventus sit expectandus; tandem
quod altissimo loco situs fueris nmle non solum ip'e magis fias conspicnus,
sed insucta hue ipsius prmlentit~ rerum maximarum accedat experimenta.
Sed prreter hanc, qua tui causa exultamus, la:titiam, aliud quoque capimus
gaudium, quod claritas bonorum tibi collatorum radiolos quosdam in hoc
nostrum Collegium reverberet, illmlque splendore repentino perfnndat. Tu
enim Sacra: Theologire interpretationem heie prim us anspicatns es: hrec tuornm laborum decem continenter an nos fnit palxstra: exinde ture erudition is
fama, libris editi,, crebnit, et ita fnit dilfusa, nt dignns fueris ah ipso Romano
Pontificc inventus, qui ad Cathedram Theologix in Gregoriana Universitate
designm·eris. Jure igitnr non nihil mnplitudinis ex tna e,·ectione nobis accessisse existimmnns. Qua de re dtnn nos 1nirun1 in modun1 hilaranntr, tibi hoc
etiam accepttnn feritnus, et gratias ex anin1o persolvimus sincerissimas.
Has enixe petimus ut tn U'qui boniqne facias, nosqne sinus sperare fore ut,
qnemadmodnm te nostri profectns studiosissimum quondam anctorem habuimus, ita deinceps te siinus expertnri "'oodstochiani Collegii anspicem et
patronuin validissimnm. Yale.
WoonsTOCHII YII Inus Jux. ~IDCCCL:XXXYI.
To this letter Father Mazzella replied as follows:
CA)fiLIXS ~lAZZELL.\ S. R. E. CARDIXALIS
SODALI!ll'S S. J. IX COLLEGIO "\VOODSTOCIIIAXO
S. P. D.
J ucundissinue mihi vestrre littert~ fuernnt, quilms novam hanc di~nitatem
mihi gratulamini, qua me nee merentem nee opinantem Leo XIII Summus
Pontifex pro sua benignitate anctum voluit. X eque vero tan tum gratulationes vestras libentissime excepi~ sed illnd me maxime permovet, quod udeo
gratan1 tnei Inemori:.un teneati.s, ct si quid forte in vestrun1 conunodun1 con-
tuli, id honesta recordatioue commentletis.
Atq_ue hll:c eadem sensa erga vos,
Patreg 1-,ratrcsque dilecti.ssitni, nnin1o 1neo assulne obversantur, ctunque in
memoriam redeo illius temporis, quo versatus sum vobiscum, grata quadam
delectatione recreari me sentio. Yestram enim in me benevolentiam, humanitatemque, vestra studia atque officia repeto, quorum atleo pneclaras significationes cxhibuistis, ut neque ullo amplins Europt~ desiderio tenerer, quin
immo nihil mihi potius esset quam ut reliquum vittc cursum aptHl ,·os exigercm. .U Deo aliter visum fuit. Creterum lu~c sensa, qull: assidue erga vos
confovi ex quo tanto terrarum marisque intl•rvallo distraeti fuimus, tantum
abest ut in nova hac vitte conditione, <JUa me Deus esse voluit excidant mihi
ex animo aut obliterentur, ut si quid in vestrum usum ntilitatemque potero,
id ultrd impendere paratus sim. Gratias etiam vobis quam maximas habeo,
quod mea dignitate ornari Collegium vestrum et uccessione qundam honoris
illustrari arbitremini. Id etsi non omniuo inficior, quandoquidem in vestram
civitatem jure fuerim atlscriptus, tamen urbanitati vcstrm potius quam meis
lamlibus virtutibusque tribuendum existimo. \'erum hU'c tluxa sunt atque
externa. Tune enim vero amplissimum huic Collegio decus accedet, si quod
hactenus pn~stitistis, virtutis studium apud vos, et ea disciplina in scientiis
theologieis et philosophicis ex purissimis S. Thomre Aquinatis fontibus expressa elliorescat, quam S. P. Leo :XIII iterato et gravissimis con'lmendavit
verbis et qnte societati nostne vehementer cordi est. Unum supei'est, Patres
Fratresque dilectissimi, ut vestram in me voluntatem ]IOtiore beneficia cumuletis; assiduis, inquam, precious, qui bus me commendatum impense cupio, ut
gravissima ilia munia qull: mell:' sunt conditionis obire pro dignitate valeam.
Yalete in Christo.
Romre die 18 Julii, 1886.
C.DIII.L!JS CARD, MAZZELLA.
The appointment of Fr. Mazzella as Cardinal was received
with universal approbation both in this country and in Europe. Even the secular journals in America referred with
marked satisfaction to his citizenship of the Great Republic
and to his sojourn in our midst. It is also a testimony to
the general esteem in which the new Cardinal's personal
�CARDINAL llfAZZELLA.
297
charaCter is held, that even in Italy and France, where the
Society has so many open and secret enemies, not a single
voice, so far as we have heard, has been raised in unfavorable comment upon the honor conferred upon him. From
his native town ofVitulano, and from Lyons, where he was
so well known a number of years ago, delegations were sent
to Rome to thank the Holy Father for his choice.
·with regard to the Cardinal's future mode of life little
can be said at present. In its private details, it probably
will not differ greatly from the simple routine that he has
been wont to follow as a religious. In all public affairs,
however, he must, of course, conform himself, both in dress
and ceremony, to what custom requires of a Prince of the
Church. In addition to the work of the various Roman
Congregations of which he is a member, he will continue to
direCt: the Gregorian University, as PrefeCt: of Studies, and
will reside there. The Roman municipal Government having lately purchased and torn down one half of the German
College, with the view of widening the street, the remaining
portion continues to be devoted to class purposes, while for
the dwelling-place of the seminarians and faculty, the Hotel
Costanzo has been bought. In this latter building, a suite of
rooms has been set aside for Cardinal Mazzella, who will
therefore continue to be almost a member of the community.
To this faCt:, perhaps, is due the rumor lately printed in one of
the daily newspapers of New York to the effeCt: that the
Pope is preparing for the foundation of a new institution
intended for the higher education of the clergy, to be called
the Leonine University, and having the Jesuit Cardinal Mazzella as PrefeCt: of Studies.
But whatever may be the future occupations of Cardinal
Mazzella, and whether circumstances permit him or not to
keep up his conneCtion with the Society, all the children of
St. Ignatius, and none more than the community of Woodstock, will continue to regard him as their brother in religion,
and will not cease to offer for him the prayers which he will
need so greatly in his arduous position, and which Father
Vicar has so earnestly requested for him.
�MEXICO.
THE
i\IISSIO:'>S
OF FR. LADRADOR.
SALTILLO, June 24th, 1886.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I presume you can dispose of \·ery little time to read this
letter, so I shall make it short. I hardly need say anything
about the status of our College, as of course you must have
·seen the catalogue. Nevertheless do not believe everything
it says, for it has many innocent and involuntary mistakes;
for instance, Fr. Labrador remains in this college, and is
not in Mexico, where the catalogue places him. The reason for this is that there has been of late a great call for
him, and circumstances are such that in this matter we can
by no means perform what is required of us.
Fr. Labrador alone ga\·e the l\Iissions in Patos and Parras,
besides the one in Matehuala, where there were about twelve
thousand communions. It was indeed owing to the special
care of providence over him, that he did not die under the
weight of so many arduous labors. Fr. ReEl:or of this college lent him his aid on the last days. As might be expected, thousands of people were unable to make their confessions, for want of priests, as the missionaries had to come
back so that Fr. Labrador might give the retreat to the boys
of our college. As..this Father cannot allow himself to be at
rest, he invented reasons for preaching in this city, and gave
triduos, quiuos and no-untarios. The best of all was the
mission that he gave together with Fr. Alzola in the two
parishes of this city. After Fr. Alzola had left _him, he
alone continued this mission in the Church of Sf:' Francis
and in the prison. The whole lasted about a month. There
were more than two hundred marriages. One person, a
child of forty years, received baptism kneeling down. There
are other things of like nature which give great glory to
God.
You can hardly imagine the extreme want to which these
people of the borders are reduced. The country thereabouts
is a real pigsty. Things occur there that could not be mentioned. As regards religious instruction, one cannot tell
(298)
�lJfEX ICO.
how evident is the want of clergy. May God our Lord
look down upon them, and may He send zealous missioners
to labor for their spiritual welfare. We Fathers, who reside
at the college, did what we could here· in the city to aid the
mission, but outside the town who shall help Fr. Labrador
unless the missioner of Poza de Ia Sal should come?
At present Fr. Labrador is giving a mission at a farm of
this parish, which was preceded by another in a similar
place. Big sharks are caught of as wretched a charaE!:er as
that one in Oiia. Two more missions were given before
these; and as at least two more are asked for, who will give
them God knows. Fr. Provincial is expeE!:ed in a few days,will he take away with him Father Labrador? God will
dispose. The Protestants have just finished a church up
here on the same site, and, if I mistake not, with the materials of the old convent of San Francisco. I will not
tell you anything else, lest you may be grieved. But, believe me, our dear Mexico has great need of God's merciful
care.
*
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Your humble servant in the Sacred Heart,
F. RIVERO, S.
J.
SALTILLO, Sept. 29th, I 886.
DEAR FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
vVhile my scholars are hard at work on a prize composition, I steal a few moments to answer your kind letter. Let
me tell you something of our missions. As soon as Fr.
Labrador had recovered from his severe illness, he set out
from this city for Palos, the cradle of Protestantism in these
parts. vVhen the Protestants learned that a priest was in
their midst, their hearts were troubled and they left no stone
unturned to hinder his work. However, the magistrates of
the town treated the good father with all courtesy; and the
people, led captive by sound doE!:rine, flocked to the church.
The poor parson, confused and discouraged, left the town,
and carried his wares over the border. After his departure
all went smoothly: many confessions were heard, marriages
set right, and bad books without number burned.
In the mission given soon after at Parras de !a Fuente
there were fewer obstacles to grace. The people were deeply moved, and filled the church at all the services. Almost
all the simple country folk received the sacraments; few,
however, among the wealthier residents. Our Fr. ReE!:or
�300
. •lTEXICO.
helped during the last days of the mission. He found Fr.
Labrador with work enough for ten.
After preaching the word through all the country side, it
would have been strange if the missionary had left us, in
Saltillo, out in the cold. The time chosen for our mission
was the month of our Blessed Lady; the field of labor, the
parish of St. James. Fr. Labrador was aided throughout
by Fr. Lorenzo Alzola, and during the closing exercises
by the other fathers of this college. Over five thousand
confessions were heard; nearly two hundred and fifty illicit
unions were put right; and, according to his custom, the
missionary prepared a large number of children for Holy
Communion. They received the morning before the general communion of the mission.
Now let me change the scene to Santa Rosa, the residence
of the present governor of Coahuila. Fr. Labrador told
me that the first settlement was made here by our old fathers.
Including those who dwell in the ranches and country
houses in the vicinity, the inhabitants number about eight
thousand. The fathers fotind.the poor people in a God-forsaken state; many seemed ignorant of the first principles
of a Christian life. About five hundred confessions were
heard-a small number, indeed, yet most encouraging if
we bear in mind the strength of Free-Masonry in Santa
Rosa. The Confraternity of the Sacred Heart, the children
of Mary, and a Conference of St. Vincent de Paul were established, and placed under the direEl:ion of the parish priest.
Some leagues from Santa Rosa ncit a few Indians are
found, for whom civilized life seems to offer little attraEl:ion.
From time to time they come into the town to buy of the
whites. Both men <\lld women are mounted on good horses.
They have made attacks on Santa Rosa, and the present
Governor of Coahuila has more than once been forced to
cool their martial ardor with a little cold lead.
About five years ago, three or four of these Indians came
to Saltillo, to settle some business with the Governor~ -·They
were accompanied by the pastor of Santa Rosa, and during
their sojourn, paid our college a visit. How happy should
I be to devote my life to the work of their conversion !
On the 27th of September, Fr. Labrador, after passing a
few days in this college, departed for the city of Mexico,
where he was anxiously expeEl:ed.
I have much more to tell, which you shall hear in some
future letter; I have tried your patience enough for the
present.
�MEXICO.
Pray for the progress of the good work
land, and for us.
Your Reverence's servant in Christ,
,301
111
your native
PEDRO LOPEZ DE ARROYAVE,
s. J.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE.
September 26th, I 886.
MY DEAR BROTHER IN XT.
I am sure it will please you to hear an account of the devotion of the Mexicans to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The history of the apparition of the Patroness of the
Mexican people, is too well known to refer to it here at
length; I shall, therefore, without saying anything of the
history, pass at once to the devotion.
Ten years after Cortez had conquered the empire of the
Aztecs, the apparition took place. From that time the devotion has increased in proportion as the Faith spread
among the natives who formed the empire of Anahuac, and
the other independent states of that great monarchy, which
afterwards formed what is called the Kingdom of New Spain.
It has always been considered a special blessing of these neophytes that they received together with their Faith in Jesus
Christ, a tender and ardent devotion to His holy Mother.
They easily understood that she came to visit them in order
to become in a special manner their proteCtress; for the Mother of God had the delicate condescension of appearing to
them with bronzed features like themselves, and thus completely won their hearts, and obliged them, as it were, to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord.
There can be no doubt, indeed, that this apparition had a
wonderful influence in the rapid and peaceful conversion of
the Aztec Indians. The touching history of the apparition
spread immediately among them. Their poets made it the
subjeCt: of a religious drama, which they enaB:ed and still
play with indescribable joy. Their painters took it as the
subjeCt: of their pencil. Their sacred orators piB:ured it in
all its details from pulpits of the churches.
So great was the enthusiasm, and so immense became the
devotion to the Virgin who appeared in Tepeyac that from
the very beginning an appeal was made to Rome to obtain
from the Holy See the favor of proclaiming her the patroness of the Mexican nation. This· desire, however, was
granted only in 1754, when Fr. John Francis Lopez, S. J.
�flfEXICO.
was sent to Rome especially for this purpose by the Mexicans. Then came a glorious day, celebrated with ineffable
rejoicing, by the whole nation-the day when the Bull of
BenediCt establishing her as Patron, and granting a Mass
for the Feast of the Apparition with rite of first class and
OCtave was brought from Rome by Fr. Lopez, and published
to the happy children of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Neither time, nor the short space of a letter will allow me
to give you more details of the history of this devotion.
\:Vherefore, I must pass over in silence the part which two
kings of Spain and that whole nation had in it, and confine
myself to the aCtual state of the devotion in our own time.
It is something wonderful that among a people where everything is change and revolution, the devotion to the Virgin of
Guadalupe remains unchangeable like the religion that inspired it. It is not the work of man. Everything that was
present at its origin has disappeared. Kings have pa!)sed
away; empires have fallen asunder, and their broken fragments have tossed unceasingly like the waves of the sea. And
yet devotion to the Virgin'of Guadalupe and the tender
love of the people towards··her not only still survives, but
goes on increasing in fervor from day to day.
Surprising it is indeed, to see the number of shrines
ereCted in her honor throughout the Republic, from the
humble hermitage on the same site, where to-day stands
the splendid Colegiata, to the magnificent sanCtuary just
completed in the city of Cabadas. There is no place of importance that has not a chapel in her honor; and in the
cathedrals, churches, and even in the smallest oratories she
has an altar. Everywhere one meets magnificent paintings;
and there is no cottage, however poor, where you will not find
at least a simple print representing Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The chieftains of the independence bore her image on their
standards, and rich and poor wear it on their necks in reliquaries, or engraved on medals of gold or silver. l'vit:n and
women of all classes of society are named after her,· and
many persons, places, mountains and rivers bear the name •
of Guadalupe.
At dawn when the bands of workmen begin their labors
for the day, they salute her with songs, simple indeed, but
full of faith and devotion; and as they return from the fatigues they have borne, they salute her once more before
retiring to rest. These songs, it is true, are generally devoid of poetic inspiration, for they are but earnest prayers
springing from hithful and simple hearts. The following
stanza will serve as a specimen :
�_lfEXICO.
303
Oh! dearest Lady of Guadalupe,
Patroness of our Kingdom,
From death and he II deliver us,
Dearest Virgin ~[other.
I have often heard these simple hymns, and I can assure
you the devotion and fervor with which they were sung
excited my envy.
The clergy has done its part to foster this devotion among
the faithful, although, in truth, there was no need of any
stimulus. Our Fathers, as well as those of other religious
orders, have always taken an aCtive part in it. .As to the
Fathers of the Society, I may say that the Jesuits of the
old Mexican Province made the devotion to the Virgin of
Guadalupe so peculiarly their own that in the Collegium
Maximum of Tepotzotlan, I saw magnificent paintings of
Our Lady of Guadalupe bordered by piCtures of St. Ignatius,
St. Francis Xavier, St. Francis Borgia, St. .Aloysius and St.
Stanislaus. The Bull of BenediCt XIV is due to the zeal
and aCtivity of Fr. Lopez: and many formerly and recently
have written about this devotion. But to be brief, I shall
say that the last history of Our Lady of Guadalupe that
has seen the light during these two years is from one of our
Fathers, who writes constantly against certain Protestants
who have been striving to eradicate from the hearts of the
Mexicans their love for their powerful proteCtress. \Vhatever the literary merit of the history referred to may be,
one thing is certain, it has produced splendid results.
One instance is, that the Canon of the Puebla of Los
.Angeles on reading it conceived the projeCt which existed
last century, of crowning this sovereign image. He communicated his idea to the .Archbishop of Mexico, who immediately undertook the crowning of Our Lady as his
own work and has proposed to carry it out to the end.
He then wrote to the other .Archbishops of the Republic, and
these to their suffragans. The result has been the cooperation of all for the realizing of the pious projeCt of Mgr.
Labastida. .At present there is question of a petition to
His Holiness Leo XIII, from the Mexican Church, that in
his name and by his apostolic authority the miraculous
statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe may be crowned with a
crown of gold in December of the coming year.
The projeCt is indeed a grand and sublime one, and worthy
of that ever faithful piety of the Mexicans. It is said that
a shrine of pure gold, with two golden angels supporting
a crown encrusted with a thousand precious stones, will be
the offering in proof of the filial and affectionate devotion
�IRELAND.
of the Mexicans to their national patroness a devotion
which far from dying out is growing more and more ardent every day.
Very affectionately yours in Xt.
Y.
IRELAND.
:.IUNGRET COLLEGE.
BRussELS, Sept. 30th, r886.
X T.,
P. C.
This letter will prove of itself that I have not forgotten
my promise, howsoever dilatory I may have been in executing it. Filled with enthusiasm I really did intend to
dash you off a long letter from our first halting place; but
there were so many things to be seen, and consequently so
much travelling to be done· throughout the day, that in the
evening I was unfit for anything except rest, and sometimes
even too tired for that. As I have a little time on my hands
at present, after having seen all I care to see in Brussels, I
shall give you the first fruits of my tranquillity, as in duty
bound after the solemn promise made to you.
Let me begin then with the first house of ours we visited
after leaving America. I shall say nothing of our seven
days' trip across, which was as dull as all fine trips are-I
shall pass over our delightful sail "on the pleasant waters of
the river Lee" from Queenstown to Cork famed for Shandon
and its sweet sounding bells-and we shall go at once to
the south-west corner of Ireland where the people are entirely Catholic, and of that strong devoted texture so peculiarly characteristic of the ever faithful Isle.
~-· .
Through the zealous efforts of Fr. Ronan last year in its
behalf, Mungret College is well known, at least in name, to
Ours in the United States. Am I wrong in supposing that
little more is known of it than its name? Since it has just
sent forth its first little band of future missionaries, a fair
quota of whom selected the United States and the Society
as their portion, it may not be uninteresting to some of
your readers to see Mungret and its surroundings as they
appear to the passing visitor.
Mungret is a township about three miles south of Limerick, a city famous for the faith and devotion of its people,
My DEAR BROTHER
IN
�IRELAND.
and notorious in English History as the City of the Broken
Treaty. The stone on which the violated Treaty was signed
is still to be seen on the top of a large granite pedestal near
one of the bridges of the city on the western bank of the
Shannon. The drive from Limerick to M ungret, in a jaunting-car, of course, is over a fine hard road, through a wellcultivated and fertile country, encircled by the not distant
and sombre hills of Clare and Tipperary, which are a fitting
frame to the beautiful green picture. Notwithstanding all
the prose and verse that have been written in praise of the
Irish jaunting-car, I cannot look upon it as an unmixed
good-indeed, I think there is a goodly admixture of evil in
it, whether it be considered potentially or actually. More
pleasant ways of locomotion are certainly conceivable. It
is doubtless very romantic, but so are the lumbering old
stage-coaches of our forefathers; on it you get a splendid
view of the country through which you pass, but the same
end could be attained on the back of an elephant or dromedary. It dashes along at such a break-neck rate, your hold
upon the seat, and consequently upon life (for on the car
these two are as identical as subject and predicate), is so frail,
the bumping is so terrific, for a car with springs would be
a veritable solecism, and to crown all, the chances of a good
chilling shower at any hour of the day, and without a moment's warning, so numerous that, all things being considered, it requires pluck and resignation of• spirit to mount
one. Notwithstanding all these drawbacks, there is a fascination about the car that has forced all competing vehicles
to retire from the field bankrupt. It must be a fascination
like unto that which comes over a man to throw himself
from some lofty eminence; and both impulses might be
explained psychologically on the same principle. However,
it cannot be denied that there is another element to be considered in favor of the popularity of the ear-in many places
it is the only vehicle in use; though in some large towns, as
Dublin for example, cabs and hacks can be found for the less
daring. I think too the driver of a car has much to do with its
popularity; for in him usually are combined all that is racy,
witty and good-natured in the Irish character. Like the
wonderful vegetation of his country, though by no means
so green as the unwary or the sharper will soon learn, his
genius seems to thrive and luxuriate under open air influences; and the friction of intimate and continual intercourse
with tourists and visitors has concentrated on the surface all
the latent wit and humor of his race, ready to shine and
VoL. xv, No.3·
27
�IRELAND.
sparkle, and shock too, at the slightest contact. Not long
since an English gentleman was being driven around the
city by one of these "jarveys." They came to a large handsome Protestant church about which the Englishman made
some inquiries. "It must have a good number of worshippers on Sunday," he said to the driver. "vVell sir," the
driver replied, "it does hold the divil's own lot of a Sunday"
-an answer that reminds us forcibly of the Romanos te vincere posse of our Latin grammar days, and is quite as good
as any of the Delphic oracles that are gi\·en to youths as
models of intellectual acuteness.
But all this is a digression, during which we have been
flying along from Limerick to M ungret, every moment in
peril of our lives, and holding on manfully to the back of
the seat. The College, though small, is a fine building, situated in a pleasant valley full of historic interest. A short
distance away the glittering Shannon can be seen sweeping
down from Limerick to the ocean. \\'hat is now the only
Apostolic School in Irela1~d was originally built for an agricultural college, either b)1 the State, or by some Wealthy
corporation whose supply ·was f:\r in excess of the demand.
After a few years of vain philanthropic attempts to educate
the Irish husbandman in all the mysteries of f:\rming, as it
is carried on across the Channel, both the idea and the
premises had to be abandoned ; and the benevolent promoters of the scheme had to move farther north for a less benighted and a more docile people to profit by their instructions. As may well be imagined from the purpose for
which it was first selected, it is in a very fertile region.
Under the control of the Agricultural College it was well
cultivated, and very_perfeetly supplied with all modern improvements. Fr. Ronan's quick eye soon perceived what
an admirable place this would be for his College, and with
the indomitable courage, characteristic of him, never rested
until he had gained his point. I forget now the hi_!5tory of
the transaCtion in detail, but I believe it was accomplished
through the instrumentality of Lord Emly, who lives close
by, and has ever shown himself a devoted patron of the College and of the great work that is done there. The result
of it all was that our Fathers got the place virtually for
nothing, having a small yearly sum to pay, which is merely
nominal. The number of students in it at present is somewhere in the neighborhood of sixty, and this is as many as
its limited dimensions can just now accommodate. For
want of space, many applicants have to be turned away
yearly. The training is somewhat analogous to that of a
�IRELAND.
novitiate, except the study and class. Daily meditation,
examen of conscience, spiritual reading, instructions, etc.,
fill up the order of the day. The age for admission is between fourteen and eighteen. The students-or apostolics
as they are called-of M ungret seem a fine healthy set of
boys. We were quite surprised to see them playing baseball on their very extensive playgrounds. It seems that
among the other good things Fr. Ronan brought back from
America with him, the national game is to be reckoned. Of
course, I do not mean to say that he mastered all the intricacies of the game, in flying visits from one city to another
in quest of alms-that would require a life study; but he
saw quite enough of it J:o appreciate it, and to see its usefulness in broadening men's ideas: and so, with the aid of some
few American students, he started it in good working order.
Unless they keep well acquainted with baseball literature in
the meantime, I am afraid it will be scarcely recognizable in a
year or two. Some of the older students who have been tried
and found true are allowed to wear the ecclesiastical dress.
There are only a few, however, who have this privilege.
They act as guides or leaders for the younger ones. There
are no prefects, nor is there any system of prefectship. They
have all the academic classes including philosophy, and the
training appears to be very solid and satisfactory. As is
ever the case in a new enterprise, Fr. Ronan had vast difficulties to contend with, but he faced them like a brave man,
and the marvellous success which has crowned his labors
seems to indicate evidently that Providence was working in
his behalf, and that the finger of God was in his undertaking.
I have said that the building is far too small for present
needs; but a new one is in course of construction, which
will afford ample room for many more candidates. The
new chapel is already roofed in. It is a very magnificent
gothic building, more like a church than a chapel, and will
easily hold, I should imagine, between three and four hundred.
All the country around Mungret is historic ground. It
carries us back to a christianity and a monasticism that existed in Ireland long before St. Patrick set foot upon its
shores to preach that wondrous faith, that neither time, nor
persecution, nor invasion, nor deceit has been able in the
least degree to undermine. All the fields are said to have
been teeming with monastic cells, and beautified with handsome churches; and even yet everywhere traces can be
found of ancient foundations. At the very gate of the College stand the ruins of two churches, one said to belong to
�IRELAND.
the seventh or eighth century, and the other, in a more perfeCt: state of preservation, to the twelfth at the latest. Near
the latter, some twenty or thirty years ago, the Anglicans
built a parish church for the benefit of the minister and his
household ; for there was nobody else to occupy it, since
the whole country is as Catholic as Spain itsel( They were
then in the hey-day of their greatness. Their church was
the established church, which meant a good round sum for
doing nothing. But Mr. Gladstone's bill came, the church
was disestablished, the poor minister lost-not his business,
for he had no business there at all-but his income, something far more precious. So he and his household-that is,
pastor and people-had to depart, and to-day the modern
Anglican temple is quite as much of a ruin as the old ivyclad church by its side, in which Latin hymns were chanted,
and the unbloody sacrifice daily offered up ages before Protestantism was a possibility even in imagination. Fr. Ronan
wanted to buy out the old concern, in order to use the stone
for his new building at the _College, but the trustees, like the
dog in the manger, refused to sell it; and there it stands
crumbling and battered,-a· silent but eloquent witness of
what Protestantism would be in Ireland without State patronage or a fat income of some kind. St. Patrick himself is
said to have visited the monks of 1\Iungret, and it is historically true that the first Bishops of Limerick were chosen
from some of its celebrated monasteries.
About a mile from the College, stands all that is left of
one of the most famous strongholds of Southern Irelandthe Castle of the Candle, as it is called. It is an enormous
pile of stone, of very great extent, situated on the top of a
rocky eminence. It has great lofty towers and vast thick
walls. The old legend runs that on the last day of the year
at night, a candle shot up heavenwards from the spot where
the castle now stands and whoever was unfortunate enough
to see it would die during the coming year. Hence the
name Castle of the Candle. \Vhen St. Patrick visittr&·Mungret he exorcised this unhallowed '>pot, and nothing but the
name is left to perpetuate the tradition. Here the O'Brien,
the last native lord of all this country, made his valiant,
though ineffeCtual defense against Cromwell ; and the
breach is still plainly visible through which the ProteCtor's
fanatic followers entered to plunder and to massacre. From
the top of one of the ruined towers is obtained a magnificent
view of the lordly Shannon and of the whole country around
for miles. It is indeed a magnificent speCtacle, and all the
history of Clare, Tipperary and Limerick rise up before you,
�IRELAND.
as you gaze upon their mountains towering up to the clouds.
Fr. Rene is the present ReCl:or of Mungret. He had a
life time of experience in the Apostolic schools, and Father
Ronan was fortunate in being able to avail himself of his
efficient co-operation. He was exceedingly kind to us dur
ing our stay at Mungret, and frequently expressed his gratitude for the generous way in which Fr. Ronan was everywhere received in America. Fr. Ronan, the Founder of the
Apostolic School, and its first ReCl:or, is now Spiritual DireCl:or of the students. Unfortunately he was absent when
we visited Mungret, but it was easy for us to see the filial
affeCl:ion which all had for him who has given his mind and
his heart so devotedly to this noble work. \Ve have most
pleasant memories of our brief stay in the Irish Apostolic
School.
Limerick is a thoroughly Catholic city. vVe went from
Mungret to our college in the town, where our Fathers,
with true Irish hospitality, gave us a most cordial welcome
and made our 8tay with them most agreeable. Several of
the churches are strikingly handsome. The new cathedral
is a fine building with one of the most beautiful sanCtuaries
I have seen. Its steeple too is said to be a marvel of architeCtural skill. The Redemptorists have a very imposing
church and residence, and are doing a great work in the
city. They have a Confraternity of the Sacred Heart numbering thousands of members, all men; and last Corpus
Christi they had a solemn procession of the Blessed Sacrament from their church in the city to the college at Mungret.
The whole city turned out, and they who witnessed it said it
was a speCtacle never to be forgotten. But I must say, the
thing that struck me most in Ireland-and it is a thing that
must be seen in order to be appreciated-was the vast crowds
that go to daily Mass and Communion. Of course I only
saw our churches, but I am assured that it is the same everywhere. I really could see no difference between Sundays
and week days. The churches seemed crowded at all the
Masses. It is not to be imagined that they are women only,
as is the case in some Catholic countries on the continent,
where men are in a very striking minority at divine service
even on Sunday; but in Ireland the men seem quite as numerous at the daily Masses in the churches. This is indeed
a consoling and encouraging sight. In all her trials and
troubles and revolutions, Ireland has clung tenaciously to
the faith. Indeed, as sorrows press upon its people, they
seem to become more and more devout; and it is hard to
believe that God has not yet some high destiny in store for
�JIO
IRELAND.
a people \vho have served Him so faithfully and so lovingly,
when all the pO\vers of earth and hell seemed to have combined to separate them from Him. All the old churches
are of course in the hands of the Protestants; though what
earthly use they can make of them as churches would puzzle a wiser head than mine to divine. The old cathedral of
Limerick, like the rest, is in the hands of the stranger. It
is a quaint old building of a peculiar and indefinable style of .
architeCture. Although massive, it is not a very large
church, yet four times too large for the handful of people
who assemble there to worship on the Sunday. A small
portion is divided off for service, while the rest is simply a
museum and nothing more. The Disestablishment of the
Episcopal Church in Ireland was indeed a great blessing, as
its continuance had been a silly injustice, but it was not farreaching enough. It should have given back to their rightful owners the churches that had been stolen from them three
hundred years before; whose every window and image, and
carved stall, and memorial tablet tells of another rite, and
another worship, and another faith which alone they had
been ereCted to honor. ~ ..J can see why the old Catholic
churches in England were seized; it might at least be said
in palliation that the nation had apostatized ; and therefore,
that it had a right to these buildings which it had ereCted
and endowed. But in Ireland no such plea could be urged.
The nation kept the faith, and keeps it still, as well as she
ever kept it; and yet, she remains despoiled of the churches
which her treasures and her sweat ereCted to the glory of
God.
A good story is related in conneCtion with the Limerick
Cathedral. On the~ occasion of the Jubilee of the late Pope
Pius IX, Limerick was illuminated. Permission had been
asked to have a light on top of the tower of the cathedral,
which was peremptorily refused. The Catholics were determined to have the bonfire there at every cost, and so the
sleek old fellow (by the way all the church offitials are
sleek and well kept-the Church takes good care of the body
anyhow while she starves the soul) who had charge of the
entrance to the tower was iuveigled into a rum shop, where
he s'oon forgot all his cares and troubles and his duties too,
his companions of course mere passive se !tabentes. What
was the horror of the Protestant small portion of the population to see the tower of their principal church one blaze of
light in honor of the Pope of Rome. The Protestant Bishop
went to the Catholic Bishop to complain, but he had no difficulty in proving an alibi.
�3II
From Limerick we went to Dublin, where the same marvellous faith and devotion of the people continued to excite
my wonder. Indeed there is nothing in Ireland that impressed me more than this. Its churches and monuments
are the dead emblems of a faith that was, but the morning
Mass and the daily Communion are the palpable living faith
that can be seen and felt. It pervades all classes of society,
the rich and the poor, the tradesman and the merchant, the
lawyer and the statesman. All are proud of their faith, and
no attempt is made to conceal it. In Ireland at least human
respea will never keep a man from being a devout Catholic.
So much for our short stay in Ireland. I may be able at
some future time to tell you something more of other lands.
Yours in Xt.,
J.
A.
CoNWAY,
S.
J.
MALTA.
BROTHER POLIZZI.
In the LETTERS for July an account was given of the
wonderful restoration of sight to Albert Polizzi, a novice of
the Society. From a letter of Fr. Ippolito Marchetti, S. J.
to one of the Fathers of the Province of Turin the following
interesting account of the wonderful favors bestowed by God
on the young novice has been gathered.
After the restoration of his sight by the Infant Jesus,
through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, the fervor of
Brother Polizzi in God's service became remarkable. It was
a pleasure to see him at prayer or meditation. After par- •
taking of Holy Communion, he seemed more angelic than
human. One day blood began to ooze gently from his left
side moistening his under linen. This bloody sweat began
henceforth to be the constant effea of his Holy Communions.
In these dispositions he entered in the month of March
on his long retreat; but as soon as he began to meditate, he
fell senseless on the ground, so that two men were sent to
assist him. After the hour of meditation was over, they
called him and shook him, but in vain ; all absorbed in God
he remained in that state for a long time. \Vhen he came
to, he told Fr. Angileri, socius of the Provincial, who was
giving the Exercises, most extraordinary things, which1
�JI2
llfALTA.
owing to his tender age, he could not have known naturally.
At the beginning of the third week of the Exercises, the
Blessed Virgin appeared to him, and gently asked him if he
was willing to participate in the sufferings of the Passion of
her Divine Son, ordering him at the same time to take
counsel of his Superiors on this matter. The novice at once
informed Father Angileri of what had happened to him.
Though incredulous as to the reality of such visions, the
Father counseled him nevertheless to accept the offer. Our
Blessed Lady appearing to him again, he willingly offered
himself to suffer whatever God might be pleased to send
him. Here is the result of the offer. The novice began to
feel in himself the most cruel sufferings of our Divine Saviour, and in proportion as he went on meditating on the
various mysteries of Christ's Passion, he began likewise to
grow sorrowful and to be sad with Christ in the garden of
Olives. \Vith Christ too he was bound, and dragged
through the various tribunals, where he had to endure all
the injuries, buffeting and villanies that Christ suffered. To
Christ the Jews said, "hail King of the Jews" and to him
"hail follower of the Nazarene." During such contemplations, with the exception of a very slight breathing, the
novice hardly gave a sign of life. The following day he
had to endure the scourging at the Pillar, and his body became so affecred with pain that no one could· touch him.
Towards evening he bore the crowning with thorns, which
caused him such cruel sufferings that on coming to himself
after the contemplation, he burst into a flood of tears, and
neither he himself could touch, nor could he permit others
to touch even a single hair on his head. The Master of
Novices and Fr. Angileri tried to comfort him. On April
the 1 Ith a few moments after he had knelt down to contem• plate the Crucifixion of our Lord, he became as it were
powerless, and would have fallen to the ground, if those
who assisted him had not borne him up, and placed !lim on
a bench of the chapel where he was wont to pray. ~In this
position though apparently senseless, he gave at times signs
of great pain. But imagine the wonder, when the bystanders perceived that he had the stigmata in his hands and side!
The Master of Novices, ordered that the novice should be
brought at once to the room of Fr. Angileri, where taking
off his shoes and stockings, to their great surprise they S8.W
that the novice had the stigmata also on his feet. At such
a sight all, novices as well as Fathers, burst into tears.
\Vhen Brother Polizzi awoke, he began to cry as if in great
pain. On Father Angileri asking him what had happened
�ilEAL TA.
him, in all simplicity he answered: "I ascended Mount Calvary with Jesus Christ, I carried my cross on my shoulders,
and helped Jesus to carry His. I was nailed to the cross,
and a soldier pierced my side with a lance, the wound of
which gives me now intense pain. Ah! my Saviour," he
exclaimed, "both of us were nailed to the cross, but you died
and now you suffer no more, but I live in the midst of such
dreadful pains; take me away, take me away my dear Saviour." Fr. Angileri, his uncle, summoning up his courage
approached the novice and said to him: "Brother Polizzi,
pray." At this command the novice at once stopped crying,
and in less than a minute he became so absorbed in God as
not to give the least sign of pain. vVhen he is in this state
his body becomes almost as insensible and inflexible as a
log, so that no single man, however strong he may be, is
able to raise him with ease. When he arose from his contemplation he suffered intensely from the wounds in his
hands, feet and side and from his shoulders on which he
had carried the cross. Every day, however, the Blessed
Virgin appeared to him to comfort him and at times revealed to him secret things.
\Vhen the novice perceived that he had the stigmata, he
begged Fr. Angileri to keep the thing secret from strangers;
this the Father readily promised to do. A short time after,
however, the novice went to the Master of Novices, to announce to him, that the Blessed Virgin had appeared to
him expressing her wish, that all should know the graces
which God had conferred on him; "not for your honor"
continued our Blessed Lady to him, "but for the honor and
glory of my Divine Son, that His goodness may be made
manifest to all." * * * *
When he entered on the meditations of the fourth week
of Spiritual Exercises, all his sufferings were changed into
heavenly joys. On the very first day, however, of Holy
Week, he began once more to grow sad and sorrowful. He
again underwent all the pains connected with the mysteries
of the Passion of our Lord. On Good Friday at 2.30 P. 111.,
corresponding to 3 o'clock in Jerusalem, the wounds of his
hands, feet and side reopened. A few hours afterwards
seven physicians arrived, and on seeing the wounds, reopened at such an hour, they looked at one another in amazement without being able to account for it. .On Easter Sunday his acute sufferings abated, and on receiving Holy
Communion the usual bloody sweat did not come over him,
nor did the blood flow from his side. However, the wound
in lJ.js hands, feet and side continued to pain him consider-
�11IAL TA.
ably, so that he was unable to close his hands or walk unless
he was supported.
His ecstasies continued, and as soon as he began to pray he
became so absorbed in God that unless supported he would
fall to the ground. On such occasions he is usually placed
on a bed, where he remains motionless for a considerable
time. On the third Sunday after Easter, after receiving
Holy Communion, a most beautiful heart trickling with
blood, and surmounted by a cross was imprinted in blood
on the piece of linen which he usually keeps on the wound
of his side. The same thing happened again on the first of
May, with this difference, however, that instead of the cross
flames issued from it just as the Sacred Heart of our Saviour is commonly represented. On both occasions, when
asked what he experienced after Holy Communion, he answered that as soon as he had received the body of our
Lord, he felt as though his heart was cut asunder, and then
cast out of his side.
Various trials and experiments have been made, both by
Superiors and physicians, but all seem to confirm more and
more the supernatural charaBer of the stigmata. The Bishop
has given orders to watch him closely. One day, when the
Bishop was present and Brother Polizzi had fallen into one
of his usual ecstasies, they tried all means to awake him, but
in vain. The Superior then addressing the novice, commanded him in virtue of holy obedience to arise. No sooner
was the command given than the novice arose, to the great
astonishment of the Bishop.
On Friday, the fourteenth of March, the stigmata reopened, and his severe pains returned. These wonders
have produced in Malta all the good effeCts of a great Mission.
Every Friday at 2.30 P. M. the stigmata reopen and blood
as usual flows from them, but especially from the wound in
his side, which is considerable. During this time he suffers
exceedingly, but with meekness, cheerfulness and hravenly
joy. Twice a day he falls into ecstasy, during whicn, -either
our Lord or the Blessed Virgin appears to him. Sometimes
during Mass, instead of the Host, he sees the Infant Jesus
blessing him from the hands of the priest. At night the
little room in which he lives appears resplendent with light,
owing as it is believed to the heavenly visits he receives.
His existence in a word is but a series of prodigies. On
the Feast of Corpus Christi, the Heart of Jesus was again
imprinted in blood on the piece of linen he placed on his
side.
Of all the persons who are said to have been similarly
�1lfA L TA.
JI5
favored in later times after St. Francis of Assisi, at least
twenty of them have been men; all saintly indeed, but their
virtue perhaps, fell short of that high standard, by which we
measure the highest triumphs of divine grace. A rather
singular incident happened of late to our novice. An officer, with permission of Father Provincial, put his beads on
the arm of the novice whilst he was in ecstasy. The novice
clasped the beads and held them in his hands till he came
to himself again, when turning to the Father he said, "Tell
the officer that the Blessed Virgin has just appeared to me,
and told me, that I am not a saint, and consequently honors
paid to saints should not be given to me."
Dear Father, this is the substance of the many wonders
communicated to us by Ours in Malta. What strikes me
most, however, is the profound humility of the novice who
in the midst of so many favors and occasions of becoming
vain, has such a low opinion of himself, that he considers
himself one of the greatest of sinners. He has even gone
so far as to beg of his Superiors not to dismiss him from the
Society, and to receive him among the Lay Brothers. Let
us thank God for giving us such a token of his love for us.
We are requested by our Superiors not to communicate the
letters of Ours on this subjeCt to any secular, but may by
word of mouth relate to them whatever may concern him.
Some annoyance has already been given to the Society on
account of this faCt having been made public in Malta. Our
Rev. Father Vicar, to whom was sent one of the hearts
printed in blood, has been already called to Rome twice by
the Pope. Rev. Fr. Ciravegna, Assistant of Italy, was to go
to Malta, but it seems that the Holy Father has decided that
a committee of Fathers should be organized in Malta for
the purpose of drawing up an authentic process of all that
has taken place so far. It is the opinion of wise and prudent persons that God wishes by these wonders to confound
the spirit of unbelief so prevalent in our days.
�DAKOTA.
ST. FRANCIS' MISSION.
RosEBUD AGENCY,
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
oa.
zsth, !886.
P. C.
At last I am able to answer your welcome letter of Aug.
23rd, 1886, and send you some account of this mission,
which belongs to the great family of the Sioux. It
had already been started before these Indians were transferred hither from their old abode on the Missouri River.
It had been decided to confide the Brule Indians (as our
red skins are called) to an Episcopalian minister. Their
chief, Spotted Tail, objeEl:ed to this and demanded a Blackrobe. His request was acceded to, and a certain Fr. Frederick, an ex-Jesuit, accompanied the Brules to their present
site called the Rosebud Reservation. This Reservation is
about forty miles wide and eighty miles in length. It is
bounded on the south by the State of Nebraska, on the west
by the Pine Ridge Reservation, on the north by the Great
White River and the Cheyenne Reservation, and on the
east by the lower Brule Reservation. It is not known exaEl:ly how long Fr. Frederick remained with these Indians.
Fr. Brassard succeeded him, then Fr. McCarthy. Next came
Fr. Craft, who was banished from the mission by the Agent,
next Fr. Bushman and finally Fr. Hospenthal. The latter
was in charge when. on the 1st of January of this year Fr.
John J utz took possession of this mission in the name of the
Society. The mission was confided to the German Province by the Very Rev. Vicar Apostolic, Martin Marty. This
prelate considered that it was only by means of a religious
order that there could be any hopes of prosperousinissionary work. A wealthy lady ereEl:ed a school house here
capable of accommodating one hundred Indian boys as
boarders: Ori the Feast of the Annunciation I arrived here
with a Brother and three Franciscan Sisters of the Heidhuisen congregation. It soon became clear that the school
building far from being large enough to hold one hundred,
was only capable of accommodating seventy, or, at the utmost, eighty children. The situation was lovely but inconvenient, and we were occupied for a long time in removing
(316)
�DAKOTA.
the disadvantages resulting fr<?m this bad selection of a
building site. First of all it was absolutely necessary to
procure water, for as matters stood all the water for the
house and stock had to be brought from a distance of five
miles. \Ve therefore set about sinking a well, and for
months we worked without rest; finally on reaching a depth
of one hundred and ninety-five feet we struck a vein of water. At present this water is brought to the surface by
means of a windmill pump.
However, enough of these details Our Indians are a
harmless, friendly set; beyond a certain propensity to steal
and lie, they are reliable enough. They prize .the Blackrobes most highly. There is a report that they got rid of
their last Agent on this account. For years they have desired a Blackrobe school, and would not hear of a public
school which the Agent wished to open. The murder of
Spotted Tail by his rival Crow Dog had no bad effect upon
this desire, although Spotted Tail was the soul of the movement in favor of Catholicity. At present we have sixty-nine
children inscribed on the school register, but alas! all are not
present; for these Indians are so fond of their offspring
that they indulge their every caprice. For instance, if a
child has been corrected, or if we have thwarted his will in
anything, he invariably runs away, and his parents are silly
enough to wait till he is pleased to return. This is our
greatest impediment for efficient teaching.
Regarding conversions among the adults, so far we have
been able to do but little, as we have not yet learned the
language well enough to give instruCtions, and our interpreters are not reliable, particularly in religious matters. In
our school we have a young girl who aCts as interpreter;
she was several years in a convent in Minnesota. However,
we cannot make use of her to interpret the sermons in the
chapel, so we must wait till we learn the Sioux language.
This is certainly a labor which requires much time, as these
Indian languages have so little analogy with any other
known tongues, and in their construCtion they drive all logic
out of one's head. Still we have won some souls for Heaven;
we have baptized fourteen children and three adults in articulo mortis. Several who had been already baptized we
fortified with the sacraments in their last struggle. Now,
Rev. Father, you have some items about our dear mission;
if you can find anything worthy of insertion in the WooDSTOCK LETTERS you are welcome to it. I have so much to write
that I have jotted down the notes at random without follow-
�318
ing any order. Later on I may be able to send you a fuller
account. I recommend myself and dear mission to your
prayers and the prayers of others.
Yours in Christ,
E. PERRIG, s. J.
ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
MONTANA.
ST. PETER's MISSION, Sept. 15th, 1886.
REVEREND AND DEAN. FATHER,
P. C.
To get information from other quarters, I ought to have
written about the Rocky Mountain Missions; so, to-day, I
pen you a few lines, and let you know the chief events which
have happened at St. Peter's since my last letter. The
work is slow and uphill,~but not devoid of success. On
the 16th of May, solemn p'ontifical Mass was sung for the
first time in our little church, and Confirmation administered
hy Bishop Brondel to fifty-three persons-whites, half-breeds
and Indians. If the half-breeds were not so much addiCted
to roaming, the number would have been largely increased.
Some three weeks before the coming of the Bishop, they
had abandoned their village, named Chicago.
The part of Montana in which we live is the country for
cowboys. These are a rough, bold set of fellows fond of
the most daring feats of horsemanship. Every year they
spend a considerable- time in bringing together their cattle
straying at large. The technical word for it is round-up.
When this work is going on, one might well say that they
are day and night in the saddle. The scene of their exploits
extends in a radius of forty of fifty miles. They stal_'out all
the time until they have driven the cattle into their re'!ipeB:ive corrals. When this is clone they proceed to the task of
branding them. Our mission owns a pretty extensive farm,
thirty horses and four hundred horned cattle under the
charge of cowboys.
Quring this summer I had a clay of vacation. Being
wholly free from the worry of the school, I started on horseback early in the morning with two companions. \Ve cantered up hill most of the time towards the Missouri which
flows fifteen miles south-east from St. Peter's. The scenery
viewed from the summit of the mountain is gorgeous. All
�ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
along the way there are steep acclivities, rocky and woody
hills, the brows of which are covered with fir and pine trees.
From the loftiest heights the eye can wander at ease over
ridges of mountains; it is the imposing range of the Rockies looming up at a distance of about one hundred miles.
In less than three hours we had reached the banks of the
Missouri. At present they are building on that spot a railroad from Helena to Fort Benton. Here and there the
scenery is enlivened by clusters of cabins and very busy
people. The rails run all along the banks of the river, and
without doubt crowds of visitors will flock to this branch of
the railroad to admire the beauties of the country. We
alighted at one o'clock to take a hasty dinner in a deep
valley, where the river glides at the foot of rocky walls rising
perpendicularly one hundred and twenty feet in the air. In
the afternoon we dived into a very wild canon. \Ne were
in a virgin forest. Some tracks could be perceived on the
ground; but they had been printed by bears, the unmolested
lords of the place. After we had wandered for one hour or
so, we found out that there was no egress; so dismounting,
we had to climb up the mountain. The ascent was painful,
but it enabled us to reach the mission at night.
Last year ninety children were educated at St. Peter's.
The lack of accommodations had been an impediment to a
larger number, which we expeCt: to obtain pretty soon. We
have four boarding schools; two for the children of the
whites and two for those of the Indians. I teach the school
for Indian boys; the others are taught by the Sisters. Until
the close of last June, Catechism was taught in the vernacular,
since all the Indian children, but a few, were Blackfeet. At
present it is not so. Many have abandoned the mission, or
left it with the consent of the Fathers, and their place· has
been taken by Indians or half-breeds of many tribes. In my
school, for instance, there are boys of five different nations;
Crees, Gros Ventres, Blackfeet, Assiniboines and Snakes.
The Gros Ventres will soon outnumber all the others. In
August their parents and relatives made a visit to the mission. The first time I saw them, they were at the table,
where they showed that no other name could suit them
better. With the half-breeds of the neighborhood I have
in my school not less than thirty boys. To teach them English and prepare them for their first Communion will be my
chief work for the opening year. The winter, according to
indications, will be very severe; we have already had signs
of it in heavy snow storms. I am your devoted servant and
brother in Christ,
P. BouGis, S. J.
�OBITUARY.
FR. JOIIN CLARKE.
On the 23rd of last February was laid away, in St. Louis Cemetery,
New Orleans, all that was mortal of Fr. J. Clarke. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 25th. 1853. On the death (of his father, who
was killed in the Cnmean war, his mother took him to England, where
a better opportunity offered of rearing her only child. But Providence
had other designs, and at the age of six Fr. Clarke was without father
and mother. How he passed what rt>mained of his childhood we do not
know, but as a boy we find him in the service of our Fathers at Stonyhur:;t. The bright, energetic lad attracted the attention of the Snp('rior,
who, seeing in the frienuless boy the makings of a worthy member of
society, determined to place at his command all the resources of a good
educatiOn, and with this intention sent him to our College at Beaumont.
'Vhile here Father Clarke showed signs of a vocation to the Society, and
finally asked to be received into it. His request was granted, and he entered the novitiate at Lons-le-Saulnit>r, France, on Uecember 13th, 1869.
That he was a fervent. and pious novice we gather from those who were
with him, and from the same source we learn, that the consequence of
his severe self-discipline in those-days, was that lingering disease, which
worked silently on his system for many years, and at the close of his life
m:mifested itself in such a painfu1 form.
In 1873 he came to America, and spent tour years at Grand Coteau, one
at New Orleans, null one at Spring Hill, displaying wherever he was, zeal
and tact in the management of those committtd to his cure. At the close
of hi~ College work he wus sent to 'Voodstock, but, owing to ill health,
was obliged to come South before completing his third year of philosophy.
He spent another year anu a half in the colleges with his wonted success,
and was then sent to England to read theology. After his ordination be
spent some time at the Apostolic Sehoul at .:\Iungret, Ireland. In the
summer of'85 he received" letter summoning him home for the opening
of classes. But the school-room was to know him no more. On there·
turn voyage he hud several Eevere hemorrhages, and it was with difficulty
that he reached his cherished southern home. When he arrived at New
Orleans he rallkd somewhat, and we began to hope; but as winter np·
proached he sank so low that it was with difficulty that he could say
Mass. Christmas tiny, the U.ay of his birth. into the world and religion,
came round, and he celebrated the Holy Sacrifice once more, it was his
last offering, for nfh·r a few days he was ouliged to take to his bed, never
more to leave it. The proverbial easiness or death by consumption had
no place in his case, and in consequence great was the edification pe gave
by his fortitude and patience to those who knew how hasty and sanguine
was his natural temperament; his only complaint was, that he did not
deserve the kmtlncss and charity shown him by the community. To one
of his energetic character it was hard to die, but he made the sacrifice,
and when death came on the evening of the 22nd of February it found
him ready, and fortified with all the consolations of religion. He Jay on
his side, with his head lJowed, so as to see the crucifix that lay near him,
for he had not strength to hold it, anu while looking at the emblem of
salvation he fell asleep, and awoke in the presence of his God.-R. I. P.
(320)
�BR. JOSEPH WELLNER.
Bn.
BR. THEODORE LOHJfANN.
321
JosEPH WELLNER.
At Osage :1\Iission, on Thursday, April 8th, Br. Joseph Wellner fell a
victim to Jmeumonia·in the prime of manhood, after a short illne;s of five
days. He hnd just completed the 3:~rd year of his life, having been born
on the 4th day of April, in the year 185l.
A German Ly birth, he came to this country in 1874 to avoid military
service. Not long after, on November 24th, 1875, he enlisted under the
standanl of Christ in the Company of Jesus, in the lmmhle rank of a Lay
Brother. Naturally of a lively, genial llispositiou, he gave himself witb
cheerfulness am! ready obedience to the sen·JCe of our Lord by au exact
observance of his rules and a faithful dtscharge of his duties.
·
At the novitiate he was employed as tailor and portPr. The Eame duties, with those of Infirmnrian superadded, he fulfilled several years in
Chicago. After having been sent back to the novitiate for a few years,
he wusfinally transferred to Osa!"le MiRsion in 1884, to take charge of the
students' clothcs·room aucl dormitory.
All who knew him, eEpecially his Superiors, praise him highly as a
steady and willing worker, who never shirked any labor, but always did
his work promptly and well. As he had learned well the fumlamental
Jesson of spirituality, to be 'always actuatell Ly higher and superuatural
motives, we may hope that he is now enjoying the rcwanl of his humble
and hidden life, having heard the conwling words: "\Yell dune, thou
good and faithful servant, ... enter into the joy of thy Lord."-ll. I. P.
En.
THEODORE LOHMANN.
Over twenty years ago Br. Lohmann was sent by Rev. Fr. Provincial
to the novitiate at Flori>~ant, to rest fi·om long and faithful laLors, and
to prepare in retirement for his final reward, which nppearcd to be nigh
at hand. GctH'rntion :.fter gencrnt10n of novices were edified by his spirit
of cheerful obPllience; young men came all!! went, grew up to manhood
and died, and Br. Lohmann lived on, bent down with age, hut with lwnrt
as light as that of the youngest novice. Frequently he reC'eivcu Extreme
Unction and the Holy Viaticum; but each time death which seemed so
imminent, was elleated of its victim. His mind hnd gradually become
enfeebled; but hahits of piety nnll·ubct!icnre made his life edify1ng to the
end. He prayt•d llaily for the connrsion of Bismarck, and his warm heart
beat in sympathy with that of the Supreme Ponti II, of our Society and of
the Universal Church. Death came at last; it gained slowly upon him,
and he looked it bravely in thl· f:tce. Calm in spirit, and blessing the holy
will of God. he expired during- the night before Easter, April :!4th, 1886.
Born at Westkirchen, in \Vcstphaha, January 13th, 1797, Theodore
Lohmann was for ten years foreman in a liquor distillery at Schiedam,
Hoiland. He came to the t.:nited St:.tes with Hev. Fr. Oaldey, and cnterct! the novitiate at Floriss:mt, on February 3rd, 183.'). There were
tllen only two graves at the house of prolmtion, at a Rpot which is
now the centre of the garden; .the mound which at Jlre~ent holds the
sacred relics of so many of Ours was then a vacant grassy knoll. For
twelve years he was the buyer at the St. Louis Univcrtiity, for four
years at Cincinnati, fin· eleven more at Banl,town College. He was ever
as indef:ttiguble as he was judicious and edifying in the pe1formnnce of
his dutics.-R. I. P.
VoL. xv, No. 3·
28
�J22
Fn.
CAMILLus !MODA.
The sudden death of Fr. Camillus Imoda on the 18th of June, has deprived the }Iission of the Rocky }fountains of one of her most valuable
and zealous missionaries. He was born in Turin, Piedmont, on November 29th, 18~9, and entered the Soeiety of .Jesus, April 2~nd, 1854. He
had already received Holy Orders and had acted ati parish priest in a
town near Naples. Perhaps the example of his brother in choosing the
religious life influenced his own choice, and the elder in age followed,
after a lapse of four years, his brother to the novitiate. Fr. Henry Imoda
was for many years minister of the College at Santa Clam, Cal., but is at
present minister of St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco. A third brothtr
was for a time a temporal coadjutor of the Society. Their mother became a nun. Fr. Camillus, after two years of noviceship at }lassa Carrara,
in Italy, was made procurator of that College. In }lay, 18.58, he arrived
with eight companions at Frederick, ]lid., en route for California, lor
which mission he was then de;,tined. A trip across the contintnt was in
those rlays an arduous undertaking, ant! so they went by sea ria Panama,
the journey lasting twenty-five days. One of his companions had been
intended for the }lission of the Hocky }lountains, but Providence sent
Fr. Camillus in his place. and he accordingly set forth in }lay 18.59 lor
the mountains. His first mission was among the Blackfoot Indians in
what is now !\Iontana Territory, anti he had for a con1panion Fr. Hoecken. They spent that winter at the old ~lission of ~t. Peter. From the
first day of their arrival among the Blackfeet Fr. Imocla began to lcurn
their language, and give his whole-attention to their converswn. He followed them for weeks on their hnnting expeditions, living on their food,
sleeping in their 'lvigwams and shariug the1r privations. ~ometimes his
whereabouts would be unknown ft~r weeks. In the spring of 18()0 Fr.
Hoecken returned to .,lissouri ami Fr. lmolla was ordered to St. Ignatius'
:Mission. There he remained until June 11'61, when he went back to St.
Peter's in company with Fr. (~ionia. To his great gritf in lSU!i this mission was ordered to he closed !(>r want of mi>sionaries, and because the
locality was not adapted to t>mning, owing to the want of proper meuns
of irrigation. Fr. Imo\la was acconlingly sent to )Iissoula (then called
Hell Gate) with the stock und cti'ects belonging to the mission. On the
8th of September of this year he took his last vows. He was too deeply
interested in the welfare of his tirst neophyte~ nut to tuke his forced
abandonment of them very much to heart. .\nt! so he prayed and entreated the Superior of Jhe mis,ion again ami ngain to allow him to
return to the Blackfeet. He even had recourse to the General of the
Society. His prayers were granted nnd in lt-!i7 the mission of St. Peter
was reopened, but on a new ami more favoralJle ~ite. Thus it is to Fr.
lmoda that the mission among the Blackfeet owt·s its existence. lie
thought nothing of privations am\ sutl'erings when there was question of
saving souls, and in his frequent solitlll\e lw devoted himself to tlie study
of the language. ant! with such success that he knew Blackfoot ·uettcr
than any other Father in the mission. He even composed a small grammar and dictionary, which untortnnately nrc almost unintelligible owing
to the handwriting.
ln 1880 he was sent to live permanently in Helena, Montana Tcr.,
where the Society hacl a church and a residence, which became respectively the cathedral and palace of Bishop Brondel, when raised to the See
of Helena. For the last three years he has acted as Vicar General. 'Vhile
attending to the duties of his office, to quote an obituary notice in the
Uatlwlic Sentinel of Portland, Oregon, "his characteristic zeal, kind and
affable manner, and his many nnd most admirable qualities of mind and
heart have won for him the highest respect and warmest love of a large
�congre,gation, who to-day (June 18) with all tearful eyes and sad hearts,
mourn his unexpected death''
He had heen troubled for some time with rheumatic pains in the back;
but no apprehensions were entertained either by himself or his friends as
to the seriousness of the compl:lint. On Thursday morning be said ~lass
at 8 o'clock, and in the afternoon paid severn\ visits and attended to some
hnsiness as usual. In the evening not feeling- so well, he called in tbe
Doctor, who prescribed a simple remedy. .\.bout ten o'clock, Fr. Panneelyu, a secular priest attach!'rl to the rnthedrnl, went into Fr. Imoda's
room and, preparatory to a missionary trip on wllich he was to start the
following morning, m:Hle his own confession and received that of Fr:
Immla, who then b:ule him good night, and wished him a pleasant and
successful journey. Tht•st> wnc the last words bean! from his lips.
The next morning Br. ~Il·gazzini. hearing no answer when he went to
call the Father to say the" o'clock ~lass, did not ring the church bell,
thinking him to be aslee1~ ntlll unwilling tn tlisturb him. About 11 o'clock
n gentleman having cnlletl to see Father Imoda on busines8, the Brother
again knocked at the tloor which was lo<'kctl. Tieing- now a\anned he
entered the room through the window and found the Father lying on his
simple cot, pale nml colt! in death. The Doctor pronounced the cause to
be most probably rheumatism of the heart. The sad news soon spread,
and cast a ~\nom over the whole town where Fr. Imoda was universally
he loved. The Bishop, then ab~ent on a missionary tour, returned at once
to Helena, and, nn the day .of the funeral, celebrated the solemn high
Mass and preached in the presence of a very large and deeply moved
congregation. The r<'mains of Fr. Imoda were placed in the crypt under
the cathedral. The people of Helena defrayed all the expenses of the
funeral.-R. I. P.
Fn.
WrLLIA~I NmoEHKOHN.
A long and painful sickness, l1y which he was almost constantly con·
fined to his bed during a whole yem·, completed the preparation of :!<'ather
\Villiam Nic<lerkorn fc>r his holy death. Born on the 18th of February,
1823, at Ces~ingen, in tl;e Gram\ Duchy of Luxemburg, he acquired the
rudiments of a classical education hy the devoted labors of his elder
hrothcr Dominie, then a secular priest stationed close by, who had taken
his education upon himself. After finishing his course in our College of
Nnmur, Belgium, in 1848 he came with Fr. DeSmet to the novitiate at
Florissant. ~Elcnn years later hi" brother Dominic followed his example,
who is now the Spiritual Father of our College at Detroit, .Mich. \Vith
the latter, their sistc1· came to the United States to join the Ladies of
the Sacred Heart, of whose western vicariate she is now tlle Provincial
Superior. After a few years of teaching at St. Xnvier College, Cincinnati, and of study at the St. Louis Vnivcrsity, Fr. \Villiam was ordained
in 18.'i5, nud stationed at our regidencc of St. ,Joseph's, in St. Louis.
A devoted laborer in the vineyard of our dear Lord, he was remarkable
besides for his simple and sincere piety, his tender charity, and his strong
common sense. For ten years, from 1871 to 1881, he was tl!e Superior of
our residence at iVashington, ::\Io., where he finished the church begun
by his prcl1ecessor. He also built a church at Loose Creek, where he
lived as Superior from 18Sl to 18'33. For a considerable time before, he
had been sutferinp: from a painful hemin, which at last rendered him to·
tally incapable of performing the labors of the spiritual ministry. A
spinal affection supervened, accomp:mied h.v severe pains in his legs, so
that he could find no rest night or clay. The best doctors of St. Louis
gave him no hope of ever recovering the use of llis limbs. Still he trusted
in the power of prayer. Transported last autumn in an ambulance to
the novitiate at Florissant, he lay helpless on his bed for many weeks;
but he kept on praying, and made about twenty novenas one after aq,
�~FR.
/,OCIS J/0.\'ACO.
other. After a while he began to walk a few step~. His eager prayer
was that he might recover sufticientlv to say holy Mass every day.
He was hPanl at last. On the patronage of :-;1. .Joseph, he said his first
Mass after an interval of thirt<>en months, and he continued to celebrate
almost daily till a few days bt·fore his death. His sufferings too were
much diminished. ·With the last rlnyR of June however there came a
change for the worse. On tile 6th of .July he was struck with apoplexy,
and he died a short time after receiving Extreme l;nction.-R. I. P.
FR. Lours :UoNACO.
On July 29th Almighty God was pleased to call to himself Rev. Father
Louis ~lonaco. Those who saw him last year and were every day witnesses of his untiring energy and activity, could never have imngined
that he would leave us so soon. He contracted a cold on June 21st while
hearing confessions, ami on the following: day was prostrated by a violent
pain in the sitlc, with an acute fever. On Jnne 27th he seemed on the
sure way to a full reC'O\·cry; but unfortunately. an old affection of the
heart returned. Despite the solicitous care of Fr. ~!ini>ter and the attemlance of our hest physicians, he grew weaker and weaker, undergoing
intolerable ·sufferings. He could hardly sleep a wink at night. Ours
and strangers who saw him in so painful a trial, could but IJc edified by
his resignation to the will of Gml, and by his r.. rvor in preparing himself
for eternity. So t:n· was he from_fearing death, that he esteemed himself
verv happy. For years past his only happiness had been to live and to
die for Christ. Being consciou,._ !,ill within the few last moments before
he expired, he renPwed his vows, asked us to pray fur him, and surrounded hy his brethren, ~nrrendcrcd his holy soul into the hands of his
beloved .Je>us. Solemn ~Iass of requiem was sung by the professors of
the Pnlafoxian Seminary, and many acquaintances and friends followed
his r<'maius to the grave.
Rev. Fr. ~!onaco came to Puebla fi>r two yeaTs, after having spent sometime at Guanajuato am! Jalapa, and attended many missions. In all
things were his labors successful, but rhicfly while nccompanying the
Bishop ofVem Cruz on his pastoral visits. In Puehla he soon bt·cmne
beloved. His great learning, his solid virtues, his plainness of manner,
simplicity of character aml largeness of heart won for him the est~:cm
and friendship of clergy and people. He matle everywhere so favorable
an impression, that in the deep nml lasting misuntkrstanding IJetween
the Society and the Pal:lfoxians, he became an instrument of reconcilia·
tion and peace. As he was 1111 eminent divine, he was made onl' of the
first doctors of the new university established in Puebla hy letters apostolic of December 10th, 1885.
'Vhen appointed Superior of the Colcgio Cntolico, he had the good fortune to make in it great improvements, and to give it lustre. A few months
ufter his arrival, piety received n new impulse among the pupils-; l,)nd the
studies made stendy progress. No dctitil in the management of sc!Jools
could ever escape him. To form ~onw idea of his lalJOrs, I mny say that
he himself filled the offices of Rector, Procurator, Professor of English,
Confessor and Preacher. God alone can bestow on him a reward worthy
of all the good he has done us. The secr<>t of his constant success wns in
the inspirations he drew from the Sacrc<l Heart of Jesus; in him were
fulfilled the promises· made in f:tvor of all those who devote themselvea
to the spread of this devotion.-R. I. P.
�FR. PETER CH.-lSSOT.
J25
FR. PETER CIIASSOT.
In the death of Fr. Chassot on July 31st, St. Ignatius demanded from
us a sacrifice which we could but ill afford to make, and one which those
who knew him would be reluctant to make, even as a sacrifice. His post
was a difficult one to fill, and he was eminently fitted to fill it. As Pro·
fessor of Hebrew he gave such an impetus to the study of oriental lan·
guages that the province must ever stand indebted to him.
Pierre Fortune Chassot was born on the 28th of :November, 1851, at
Treyvaux, in Fribourg, Switzerland. He was educated at St. ~lichael's
College in the city of Fribourg amid scenes well calculated to develop all
his faculties of mind and body. ·when in after years he halted for breath
on the easy stair-ways of"Woodstock. he loved to recall the facility with
which be wns wont to climb, on the run, the steep hill on which St.
Michael's is built. Though a born linguist, he gave no signs during his
college career, of his peculiar talent. llesides the ordinary knowledge of
Latin and Greek which students possess, he knew no other language
than his native French. At the age of eighteen he entued the novitiate
of the German Province at Gorhcim. In a short time he mastered German so as to speak it like a native. During his noviccship the FranroGermnn war broke out, and he was sent to sen·c in the hospitals. The
hardships which he had to emlurc, whilst undugoing this practical experiment, developed the di~casc which ultimately put an end to his life.
The sight of blood, tile sufferings of the wounded, loss of sleep and irregularity of meals, were difficult enough to a boy of nineteen, but the impossibility of keeping clean or of avoiding vermin was repulsive.
After taking his vows in 1871 he was sent to ~larialaach to study Philosophy. On tile completion of his course, he was ordered to the Juniorate to study German literature preparatory to teaching. After his liter-ary labors were completed, he went to teach at Fcldkirch, but owing to
his failing health, it was found necessary to transfer him to t:a~icr work
in a milder climate. In 1877 l!e began the study of Theology in Lou vain.
Being unable to pursue the regulnr course, he studied tl1C compendium,
and took up Hebrew, more, perhaps, as a pastime, than with any hope of
becoming eminent in that branch. In a short while he made so much
progress, that he was emboldened to commence the cognate tongues of Arn·
bic and t5yriac. He began, too, to stmly Sanscrit, but wisely determined,
after a short experiment, to confine himself to the Semitic languages.
He had now found his vocation, ami determined to htbor at it, ns long as
his Superiors should allow. After his ordination in 1880 he was ordered
to Tronchienne for his Tertianship. Here he met some of tl1C missionaries from Syria, and learned much to l!elp him in his study of Arabic.
His Superiors resolved to devote him to his fitvoritc studies, and according-ly after his thin! year of probation he prepared to teach Hebrew in
'Voodstork.
·when Fr. Chassot arrived amongst us in September lSS'.l, he saw the
difficulties he had to overcome and despite temptations to despondency,
he determined to do his duty bm'l'ely. In his explanations he was clear,
and showed, as far as his pupils could jntlgc, a perfect mastery of his
subject. He mnde it evident to all that Hebrew could be learned, that a
knowledge of the lan~uage would greatly contrilmtc towards a proper
understamling of Scripture. He was, moreover, so very mmlcst in his
demands for time to be devoted to private study, that what he aske<l, and
much more, was given to preparation for class. 'Vith his second class
he was even more successful than with his firot; for success had been
achieved. To his patience, tact and ability must be attributed, in a great
mea~ure, what progress was mrtde in the study of the Oriental languages
in Wootbtock. For not only did he teach Hebrew, but he inaugurated
also the study of Syriac and Arabic, and gave all the encouragement in
�~FR.
PET£R
Clf.-ISSO?~
his power, and set an example to such as daretl to undertake the study of
Assyrian and ~£thiopic. In his efforts to promote his favorite studies,
he was materially assisted by the example of Protestants in the United
States. :Huch attention has been bestowed, within the past few years,
upon the sturly of Oriental tongues. In the seminHries the chair of Hebrew is becoming daily more prominent. .Amongst those who cannot
attend college lectures, circles are formed for the study of Hebrew, and
the same instruction is conveyed by mail, the ~arne exercises performed,
as in the class-room. Summer schools also have been established in
various cities for the study of Hebrew and kindretllan.!!uagt•s. Th•~ everincreasing numbers in nttemlance at these schools made it evi,lent that,
at no distant date, we shall have to solve many theological questions by
an appeal to sacred philology.
In the summer of 1884, after a hard vear's work. Fr. CJw.ssot determined
to take up the ~tudy of Assyrian. He resolved to attend the summer
school held in Worcester that year. Afler finishing his own labors in
~lay, he made whatever preparations he could make, in order to derive
the fullest benefits from the public Jer·tureB. Such was the filvorahle impression marie by his talents and attainmentR that he was in-vited to
conduct a class of Syriac during the next season. Of course, he tlecline<l;
though not without the hope that, sooner or later, he might be able to
inaugurate something of the same kind for Catholics. His f."liling health
obliged him to abandon the hope, as well as to resigu his chair in
Woodstock.
When he returned from 'Vorccster, it was evident to all that the strain
had been too much for his ~trength, and that the cold and moist climate
of New England disagreed with him. He complained of never having
l1een able to keep warm. The colrl settled upon his chest; his breathing
which was always difficult, now became more so, and finally. he hecame
subject to distressing fits of coughing. The best doctors of Baltimore
were consulted, but with very slight hope of a radical cure. During the
next year he remained under medical treatment, !!Oing frequently to the
city, though he did not discontinue his cla~ses. He never lost his conr·
age, even when his health seemed poorest, hoping for a complete cure
on the r~:turn of spring. Spring came and summer, too, but no pennanent improvement followed. The doctor pronounced the weakness of
his lungs and throat chronic, and stated that the only hope of prolonging
life was resirlencc in a dry climate. It was !letermined, accordingly, to
send him to New )lexico. It was with sincere rc!!rcts, and cordial wishes
fi)r a speedy return. that he left us in August 1885. Little rlid we imagine
that within one short yellr we would have to offer the suffrages of the
Society for the repose of his soul.
For three years he labored nmotH(St ns, never relaxing any of the en·
thusiasm which enabled him to ov!·rcomc tirst obs•aclcs. He sncr.eerled
in enrlcaring himself to all who had an opportunity of !mowing him outside of his clnss. Towards others he "·as remarkably kind and considerate. Though he was passionHtcly fond of the watci· and of...bqating, it
was with the greatest rlifil.culty he could be persuaded to go to St. Inigoes,
Jest his presence there und the consirlcration shown lum should be, in
any way, a restraint upon the scholastics. Not to be a lmrrlen upon others, he insisted upon tloing his share of rowing nn the excursions. and
even took part in the impromptu races which usually ended the day's
outing. These were often a severe tax upon his strength, as, carried
awHy by the excitement of the moment, he was liable to exert himself
too much, and woulu not cause delay by giving up his place to another.
No one, bowevcr, suspected this trouble the first year, as his mnlarly had
not fully declared itself, and his condition was unknown. He often contrasted our fiiCilities for boating and excursions with the difil.culties which
he, and others equally fond of adventure, had to contend against when
they crossed the waters of ~Iarialaach in a scow, using as au oar a piece
�FR. PETER CH.-ISSOT.
J2j
of board clumsily nailed to a young pine tree fresh from the mountain
side.
In stature he was tall, his shoulders were high and broad, his chest
weak and ill-developed. His features retained to the last their deep, European flush. In appearance he was grave and even reserved. Sickness
and years had deprived hiti1 of the animal spirits which were said to have
characterized his youth. l" ct the spirit of his younger days was manilested by the keen relish ami the laugh, half-apologetic, with which he
heard of such harmless dissipation as may take place in a well regulated
community. One can easily imagine how he chuckled inwardly, as with
countenance as impassive as that of a Sioux chief he witnessed the scene
which he descnbes in the following words: "One day the parish priest
of one of the Indian pueblos near by, came to my room with two Indians .
. . . . I was much amused at the remark of one of the worthy men, who,
on being shown various specimens of Arabic handwriting, told us without flinching, that, when his boy was attending the school he used to
write exactly in the same way."
'Vhile he was nut a man of one idea, his favorite subject of conversation was the language, literature, history and customs of Oriental nations.
He had read everytlling within his reach that could in any way throw
light on his linguistic studies. If it hall pleased God to preserve his life
he would assuredly lmve become an eminent linguist. At tile end of llis
tirst year amongst us he could converse without difficulty, and when he
left us after three years l.Je had mastered our idiom and pronunciation so
well that he might have hecu taken for one who was using his native
language. He spoke Italian w1th ease, and, after three moutlls' of ::lpanish, progressed so l[tr as to be able to hear confessions in that language.
This was no easy task, us his penitents took liberties with tlleir language
which wunld be resented in Castile. "The )!exicans," be says, "ha>e
sometimes loose notions about the pwpriety of words, as you may judge
from the following l[tir SlH:cina·n, one out of a thousand. Imagine to
yourself a good old pions woman conung to you with most contrite disposition and telling you: P,tdl'e, me acu•o de todos mis pecados, presentes,
ausentes y cuntemporaneo.•." It is not known huw far he had advanced
in speaking Arabic, though it is certain tl.Jat he was able to 4uestion an
Arab and obtain from him the proper pronunciation of the various letters.
On his arrival in New }lexico he was sent to Allmqnerque where he
improved lbr a time. He caught a cold in the beginning of January from
which l.Je snlfered li>r a few weeks but "recovered again," as he says,
"quite fairly, and I tee! now, I may say, better than ever." Tlw summer
heat l.Jegan to prey on his exhausted vitality. The following letter gives
an account of his last days:
"l would like to write you a long account of the last days of Fr. Chassot; but my occupations do not permit me to do so. I must be salislied
with a few words. He <lied, as he lind, a gootl son of the Society. In
the beginning of ,Tuly the heat here [Ail.Juquerque] was scarcely endural.Jie. The doctor advised Fr. Clwssot to spend a few weeks at Santa Fe.
He consented, ami, accompanied l.Jy·another Father he set off. But l.Jefore leaving, having a presentiment of death, he told -me many things;
amongst others, that the Doctor of Baltimore had told him that his malady was chronic and must run its course. Afterwards he made his will
in these words: •~'ather, I have left some books in my room, bOUle of
them l.Jelong to ·woodstock, and the rest to Buffalo.' That was all. At
Santa Fe he was placed under the charge of the Sisters of Charity who
took excellent care of him. He had a Doctor whom he liked, und we
Fathers visited him frequently. But· his disease made rapid strides.
During the last week of his life I received from his uncle !he information
that h1s only brother was dying, and after a few days that he was dead.
His sickness was precisely the same as that of Father Chassot. I did not
�~
FR. JOHS F. BERGIN.
dare to communicate the news to him. He used to recall his sister who
died too of the same malady.
He made his last confession to one of our Fathers. On the evening
of the 26th he received Extreme Unction, and from that day forward be
was confined to his bed; for be was extremely weak. During his last
days be sutft>red much, but with great patieuC'e and· re~i)!n&tion. Here
is what the Sister Superioress wrote to me on July 27th: 'Father is truly
very tdifying and patient. He knows that he JS in a very critical condition and may die at nny momcnl. He is, I think, anxious now to receive
his reward. He made the remark to the Sister that he hoped his Father,
St. Ignatius, woul(] soon take him.'
In fact St. Ignatius did summon him to his feast in heaven, as the
Father's holy life gives us reason to hope. His death was very calm and
he retained consciousness up to within a half hour of his end.''-R. I. P.
FR ..JonN F. BERGIN.
Fr.•John F. Bergin died at the novitiate, Florissant, on Tuesday night,
August 10th, shortly before 11 I'. ~r. Though taken away in the prime
of life, within little more than a year after his ordination, just wllen he
seemed prPpared to do much for the glory of God, he bore his sickness
• with great re;,ignation and through many days of pain calmly looked
forward to the moment when he bllould go to meet his God.
The illness whi(·h terminatPd fatally was consumption, the result of a
severe cold which the reverend Father contracted lust April. As Father
Bergin was by no means a strong man, the disease gained headway rapidly and in five mouths had completed its work. Shortly before the end,
he was compelled to give up hi~ office of vice-president of St. Louis
univer~ity, an office which he occupied but one year, but during which
short time by his too great solicitude to have things in perfect order, he
did much to injun' Lis already weak constitution. He retired to the no·
vitiate, in hnpes of builtling up his shattered health, but it was too late.
He dcl'lined day by day ami was soon brought to tleath's door. !Juring
his illn(•ss, he (·dified all by the perfect rcsi![nation with which he bore
his sulfl·rings ami though in acute pain, Bever uttered a word of complaint. but would rather look to the comfort ot others than to his own,
quL·,tionmg them minutely, to be sure that he was giving as little trouble
as possible. He prepared llim!'elf quietly fin· death and wns fully aware
of its sppedy npproal'h, remarking to a Father attending him in his last
illness, "if there is no change soon, I will not last two llours"-and in
fact, not long ~tfter, he 'Cxpircll.
Fr. Ber!!in at the time of his death "·as but 32 years of age, having been
bom at Cincinnati, August the :24th, 18.14. He studied tor six yenrs at
our College in St. Louis ami cntL•red the Society immediately after, July
2nd, 18i3. After the u"ual time spent iu the novitiate and JUniorate, he
pa-sed to \Voocbtoek where he gave three years to the studrof philosophy. Towanls tile eml of hb third ye-ar nt \Voodstock, his·fic.1lth gave
way, and he wns obliged to return 'Vest before passing his examination
in philosophy. He taught a few months at Cincinnati; two years nt
Omaha ami almost three years nL ::3t. Louis. .·\.8 duriug all this time his
hL·alth had not notably im1Hnvecl, his Sn1wriors deemed it best that he
should stmly thcolo_gy privately. Shortly after his ordination, which took
place in February 1885, he was appointed vice-president of St. Louis
University ami nt once set to work with zen! to make the College as successful us possible. He proved very efficient in his new po~ition, and
though an exact disciplinarian, nwrited the respect and love of the pupils.
Ever kind nn(i courteous and willing to belp along the students falling
behind their classes, he established a reputation which will always be
remembered by tllose attending the College at that time.-R. I. P.
�BR. PRISCUS CASO.
FR. PATRICK KENNELY.
329
BR. Purscus CAso.
The residence of"Isleta, Texas, belonging· to the ~Ii~sion of New ~Iex
ico, was salluenelliJy the unexpedell death .,f llr. 1'. Cas••. lie was taken
sick on the lOth of August last, aml in twenty hours or so the disease
made such rapid progre~s as to jJUt an cud to his life. This Brother
was the la>t of the thne Neapulilim Je,;uib, who, in the year ltW6,
foundetl that mb;siou, tlle oth•·r two being Fr~. Gasparri ami Bianchi.
Their lirbt entrance into the tieltl of their labors was coutestetl lJV a band
oftl.trt'e hundr~d well-urmelllmlians, against whom they hat! to-light for
life. In Hl7l Br. Casu, wllile ac.-umpanying Father P. Toma>siui in an
expeditiOn to tiocorro, ·was smltlenly surrounded hy an ovt·rfiuw of the
Rio Grande, whose alarming progn·ss he was barely able to escape. At
Conejos, Colo., where lle was afterwards stationed, h•l had to fi1ce the
inclemency of two winter seasons, destitute uf almost any means uut his
tried patience. In another poor ami solitary residence he even cndund
the pains of btarvatiun, and, what is at tinH s still worse, the gloominess
of a perfect sedusion, c~pecially when Fr. Carrozzini, his Sup~rior, went
out on missionary excursions. ::ll:my other trials like thesl', which we
omit for want of ,pace put to test Br. Casu's virtue, ant! largely contributed, we trust in writing his name with gulden letters in tile !Jouk of life.
-H. I. P.
FR. PATRICK KENNELY.
Father Patrick Kennely was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland,
of devout Catholic parents, on the 11th of Feuruary, lt-5;3. lndt·ell, such
was the influence of their piety over the hearts of their ('hildn·u, that no
less than live dctlwated thmr lives to the service of \he Almighty. Three
of them, Fr. Patrick Kennely bt;ing of the number, entered the Society.
His early years were spcut in attemhng the school of h1s native town.
But meanwhile, God, who had destined him to labor in America as a
meml.Jer of the tioeiety of Jesu~. ~poke to Lis heart. FaithfLrl to the diYine call, Fr. Kennely gcnerou~ly otlered the sacrifices it demmHled of
him, nut! applied for aumb,ion aruong the children of ::it. Igaatius. His
reque~t bdug granted, he proceeded to ::IIilltown Park and entered tl1e
novitiate on the lOth of ~lay, 1S7:.l. After remaining thne one year he
was sent to Clermont, where he had the happiness of prono1mcing- the
first vows of religion. The pkty aml lervor which had caused him to be
lovell and utlmin:d by his fellow-novices, did not cease to edify his brothers during the studies of the juniorute and scholastic·ate. The former
were mat.le at Lons-le-tiaulnier, the latter, partly at Vals and partly at
Laval.
·
Having now completed his philosophy, Fr. Kennely set out for the
Mission of New Orleans. On his arrival, he was s~nt to tiprmg Hill,
where fur three years, he fulfilled the arduous oflices of prefect and
teacher. Considerate allll kim!, he won the atfcctkliJS of tlw,e, whose
minds he improved uy his knowledge, nml whose hearts he tumetl to
~od by his zeal and piety. From thc~e same qualitie~. no doubt, cume the
mfiueucc he exercised over outsiders, und which, coluuined w1th his z~al
gave expectation of much fruit in the future, had his life l•een spared.
But his health naturally weak ami delicate, had now bct:onJc completely
undermined by consmuption. l'erceiviog that his condition rapidly grew
worse and desiring, before the close of his life to hold in his lmmls the
Bread of tlw :::ltroug, he sought and obtained permission t•J be ordained
beti1re the usual time. He then applied himself to the study of theology,
and on completing a short course, was raised to the prie~tliood in New
Orleans, during the et11ber days, preceding the Chri,tmas of '8:3.
Somet1111e after llis ordination, Father Kennely went to Grand Coteau,
VoL. xv, No. 3·
29
�...
330
.1fR. ]OH.Y B. O'LEARJ~
performing there what offices the weak sLate of his healll.t permiLtetl. But
the inclemencies of the weather during the winter of 1885 proved too
severe for his already shattered constitution and his condition became
worse. In hopes that a change of climate might bring the sufferer some
relief, he was sent to Spring Hill, where he arrived in the beginning of
June. The illness, however, could no longer be stayed. The sufferings
increased; still, they were borne with great and edifying patience to the
end. On the evening of the 22nd of September a change carne over him,
and feeling that the hour of his death had come, he asked for the last
sacraments, which were immediately administered to him. After having
received the last consolation of the Church, he addressed those assembled
in his room, asking their pardon for any diseditication he might have
given and beggin.~ their prayers to assist his soul in her last struggle.
Two hours after, Fr. Kennely had quietly breathed his last.-R. I. P.
Jllu ..Jorrx B.
O'LEARY.
Religion, when she restores to God the son she received from God, for·
bids a tear. and our mother the Society regards such clays as clays of
triumph. Such a day and such a triumph did the brethren at Frederick
witness on the twenty-second of September last, when our much-loved
brother, J\Ir. ,John B. O'Leary, went to his reward. Born at Georgetown,
D. C., on the twenty-fourth of June, 1864, he had hardly completed the
first quarter of his twenty-third year when God called him a way. Here,
ceived his early education at the school of the Christian Brothers. In
1877 he entered Gonzaga College, where he remained until his departure
for the novitiate at Frederick, in 1879. At college his quiet, unaswming
ways gained unto him many n friend, and his uniform conduct wrought
that untold good, which the example of the docile and diligent scholar
must ever work among school fellows. But it was at Frederick that the
full beauty of his character developed itself. As a novice, he was truly
remarkable for his chihllike piety and unfeigned humility. Of how many
other virtues he became master in this Fchool of holiness only God and
he himself know. He seemed to bury his own little troubles and his own
feelings. the more completely to give himself to the service :mel the solace
of his companions. The two years of n<wiccship, full of victories over
self and full of the good things born of charity at length drew to a close.
Then came that f:tircst of all mornings, when he knelt nt the altar, and
there in the presence of the Saviour, whose divine countenance had for
years been clm"'ing hiiu on, he se:llecl with hea\'ell a solemn contract, the
heroism of which was to clothe with its own Fplendor every little net of
the coming five year~. In the junioratc he put forth all his energies to
tit himself for the anluous, but consoling and fniitful duty of teaching,
which he was destined to ]Wrform only in will allll purpose. In every
little tmdt>rtnking, that promised to incrense his store of k11m~lcdge, and
so widen the prospective sphere of his usefulness, he took a diiep interest.
His companions cannot but remember the active zeal he displayed in furthering thp, prou:ress of clubs, formed at intervals for the cultivation of
literature and elocution. Indeed, this ardor of his, coupler! with the
graceful figure of which ,he was possessed in those early clays, with his
nice perception of oratorical proprieties and with numerous other excel·
lencies, more than once elicited the remark that he would one clay be an
ornament to the pulpit. Neither did he, whilst thns improving his mind
and inspiring his friends with high hopes for his future, allow his fervor
of heart to grow cold. In 188:l he bade f:trewell to the home of his religious childhood, to journey to 'Voodstock. Arrived here he threw himself
with his wonted earnestness into the study of philosophy, and success
seemed to attend his efforts. But at this juncture God interposed, and,
�FR. FREDERICK BRA!IfBRING.
33I
for rcasnn~ best knnwn to Him~elf. unexpectedly cnt ~hort the long rarrer
th:tt ~cme<l to npe11 out before our br .• tll<'r. During his sojourn at Fretlcrick, his lu·alth h:ul heen cxr<·ptionally g'•>O<I, nor oli<l it lo~c any of its
vigur during the ear 'Y p;art of his first year's ~tay at \Vootlstock. Towards
its close, however, a ;;crof<tlous sw .. lling appearetl upon his neek. anti
g:we the first in<licatinns of eoming tronhl<•. Long anti tedtou~ as was
his trial, he, neverthd•·s,, wit!J the h..Jp of th·tt grace which always attends
chastenmg-, provetl equal to ami hore up maufully un·h·r the IHtnlen illlpo~ed.
DJring his sec·oncl year his <IISea,e so >appetl hi~ stre11gth, that
from sheer \\'Pakness he, wlw was het(Jre " lt-atler in all kinds of recreation, was fill'cecl to he!'ome an i• lie spel'talor of our games :lll<l ;;ports.
Imleetl, so feeble was he as cxaruinations drew near that Supuiors
thon.!!ht it lu·st to allow him to S]Wntl h1s \':ll'ation:; at Fre<krick, and
forl'go the trip to St Inigo's. At the Olll't>ing- of da•sc·s in 't-5 he returned to \Vootbtoek with the intl'ntion of tinbhing his course of philosophy. The seemingly improvetl I'OtHlrtwu of his health let! many to
believe that he would compasg his intention. But tlwy soon p<·n·eivecl
their mistake. At the very bc~inning of the )'l'ar he was ton·•·d to abstain from stmly. Aftt·r a little space, he was continetl to his room.
Later, his lungs became affected, and day by cl:ty it grew painfully apparent that he was not to move long among us. L:>'t Jutw, when all
hope of recovery hall be,·n given up, he was again "''nt to Fn·th-rkk.
Tll!·re he lingered through the nH>nths of July atul August. ami tltt>re,
finally, on the twenty·f'CCOIHI of 8l'ptemher, he yit·ltletl Up his pure SOUl
to its Maker. Such was the life, ~udt the enviable death of a )'Ollllg
urother. He sowed on earth to reap in heaven a millis hurve>t will therefore IJe fuller.-H. I. P.
FR. FREDERICK BR.UIBRING.
Father Frederick Brambring was a native of that part of \Vt·stphalia,
which is called Sauerland, bemg born in the town of Brilon, April ut!J,
1837. Both his outwanl features and his characte-r IJetok<·nell the S:txon.
He was, imleecl, a true 'on oft he red ~oil of \Ve't pltalia (ein .edtl<·r Solm
der roth en Enlc). He began his cl:tssical ~t udics at the Pro,q]Jiflll!tSillm of
his native town, passing Stteces:'ively through all of its six l'l:ISs<·s. H•·re
he lived amid s•·etu•s ti'anght with m<'l'etl menwries, wh:eh may, even
then, have turnetl his thoughts towanl hi~ future vo<·ation: t<>r this ":!tool
oceupietl the llllihliugs of the Colleg-e of the Society of Je,ns befi•re the
suppression. In the last official report "'c tint! that Fritz Bramln ing, on
leuving this school for the G,llrn1w.,i1/m of :\liinsll'r, merited the highest
mark not only in c:on<lnl't and appl:cation, llllt also in all the importaut
branehc~ of~tlllly. Ami in a special certificate, written hy the Hector of
the ~chool, we read that "he was always cli;;tingnislll·d by gootl moml
deportment, ami an honorable, firm character, which had gained tor him
the confidence of his te:tehers." The boy ts f:tt her of the n>:<n. The nt·xt
two years he sp~nt, I believe, at l\1 iinster, finbhing his das,ical studies in
the fall of 185G. In the capital of \Vestphalia hl' was not t>nly >Ul'IOUtllh:d
by monuments of the pa~t gloril'S of the Society of .Jesus, hut became
acquainted with live .Je,uits; for the novitiate was at the outskirts of the
town. He heart! their eloquent sewwns in the cathctlral and olh<·r
churches, he probal.Jly went to coni'es,ion to a ,Jesuit. Fr,Jm the Gymnasium it was an easy ~tep to the novitiate. \Vc find him tht·Ie in Ul'lober, 185(). He remained four yt"ars at the Friul1ichsburg, Ftudying
Humanities ami Hhetorie the last two years. Iu ISGO he began his plnlosophy in the scl.Jolasticate of Aaehen (Aix-la-ehapelie). lu the first
year he had severe hemorrhages, which, for a time, end:tngeretl Ids life.
He was, however, al.Jle to finish the triennium, standing at tile heud of
�332
FR. FREDERICA' HRAJf/JRLV(r'.
his class. In the meantime Rev. Fr. Anderledy, then Provincial of Germany, had purchased the wonderful old Benedictine abbey of l\IariaLaach (S. l\Iarire ad lacum). Thither he brought the echolastics from
Aachen, establishing his own residence in the midst of his well-beloved
scholastics. From Lauch Frater Bramhring returns to the Fr'iedrich.Yburg for the next three years as professor of the juniors-a significant
proof of the esteem in which he was held by his Superiors both as a religious and a scholar. From 1866-70 we find him again in the classic retreat
of ~Iaria-Laach studying Theology. Those were the palmy days of Lauch.
It was then the abode of a group of men who have helped to •hape the
character and thought of contemporary Catholic Germany. Fr. Roh,
the celebrated preaclter, was Professor of Theology, with Fr. 'Vilmers,
a uistinguished Theologian and author of several excellent works. The
latter, more than any other left the imp1ess of his mind upon Fr. Bramhring. Fr. Cornely, now professor in the Roman College, taught ~crip
ture, Fr. Schneemann canon law, Fr. Riess ecclesiastical historv. Rev.
Fr. Anderledy was Rector and Professor of Moral Theology.· I have
often heard Fr. Brambring speak with admiration of him as l'rofessor of
~Ioral Theology, and quote his solutions of knotty cases. In 1869 our
young theologian was ordained priest by Bishop l\leurin, S ..J.,Vicar Apostolic of Bombay, who had come to Europe to 11ttend the Vatican Council.
From 1870-12 he is professor in the College of Feldkirch. The following
year he made his Tertianship at Tronchiennes. From 1873-75 we find
him as teacher in the then struggling little Cani5ius College, Buffalo,
where he pronounced his last' vow~. Next we find him at Feldkirch once
more, chiefly as Professor oJ Hiotory nntl College preacher. In 1877 be
was sent to Laval, where he'taught Ethics ami Theodicy for two years.
In 1819, at the instance, I believe. of his revered Profcswr Fr. 'Vilmers.
he was called to a chair of Theology in the Catholic University which
the Bishop ofPortiers, Cardinal Pie, had established in his episcopal city.
The disaster which overtook the French Provinces of the Society in the
following year, cut short his career ns a University Professor. He continned, however, to teach Tht·ology at :'>Iolll, in England, a gloomy old
prison which the scholastics of Lyons converted into a cheerful home.
In !8S2-83 Fr. Br:1m bring is back again in hi~ own province, us Professor
of the thircl yt•ar of Philosophy at Blyenheck. At the end of that year he
came to Woodstock.
Fr. )ling, to whom I am iudebtetl for many of these details, writes as
follows about our departed Fathu: "Fr. Brambring wns without doubt
an extraordinarily gifted man. He tlistinguh:hed himself in nearly all
the branches which he studied: in literature, iu the classical languages,
in historv; he was conversant \nth the natural sciences and mathemnt·
ies; was' a pretty good preacher; in Philosophy und Theology he was
deep, so lie! und clear, his conception was grand and lofty, his judgment
independent." This, I think, will be generally HCccptcd as a pretty correct estimate of Father Brambring's intellectual culibre. What with his
splendid mind, his retentive memory, the rare opportunities-he enjoyed
for cultivating his talents, and his indomitable energy, it is no wonder
that he came to be a thoroughly equipped man. His printed lectures,
which, of course, he had no time to polish, give no idea whatever of the
idiomatic elegance which he was capable of imparting to his Latin style.
But his predilection was for Greek. His knowledge of the langunge and
literature of ancient Greece was very great. Among his pupers there
was a carefully written commentary on Goethe's Faust, which I have
heard spoken of with praise, and a good deal of other literary work, also
a good muny papers on historical questions and a vast number of wellplanned sermons.
Fr. niing continues: "He was a religious of great earnestness and practical piety, made great sacrifices for the sake of obedience, and strove
sincerely to be helpful to others; in all his undertakings he showed great
�FN. FRRlJlc'NfCA" J/R_·L1l/JR!,YG.
333
energy and perseverance, and was capable of overcoming even the greatest
obstacles. Hence his early death is a real loss to the Society." Father
Brambring always took great interest in his scholars, liked.to talk to
them on literary or scientific subjects, endeavored to widen their intellectual horizon. In his intercourse with them, and in fact with everybody,
while wholly free from anything like affectation, he was exceedingly affable
and polite, always welcomed visitors with a smile, never seemed annoyed
at being interrupted in his studies, ever eager to give help and render
service. For quite a number of years he befriended a German nobleman
who was "down," at very great personal inconvenience. But nobility of
pedigree and nobility of soul do not always go together. This person
finally turned upon his benefactor, sneered at his Je.mitical conscience,
at his vows and his rules. Fr. Bramhring felt deeply hurt, his indigna·
tion was great. "You sneer at my rules," he writes, ''but to me they are
sacred. And let me tell you, when there is question of a rule, the Superior can, in certain contingencieg, grant a dispensation, but if he does not,
I will suffer death, before I break one of them." This was an emphatic
statement of his reverence for our rules, and we have been the witnesses
of the quiet regularity of his life in our midst. His love for his scholars
at Woodstock was very great, ns most of them, I think, had good reason
to know. It was his wont, for it lay in his kincll~· nature, always to encourage them, to lift them up, cheer them on. To crush any one with
harshness, to quench the dying spark of hope in any one's breast, was
not in his nature. Had tlll're been any doubt as to this mutual affection
between Fr. Brambring and his scholars. the scenes which we witnessed
during hi~ illness, would have <>ffectually removed it. Indeed their devotion to him was most admirable, and no less touching- was the heartfelt. gratitude and affection he showed them in return.~ How often did
we see him burst into tears when he ""itnessed or was told of some fresh
token of their kindness to him. This man of modest mien, of shrinking
disposition, of halting speech (he ha<l not very well mastered the English
language) edified and attracted towanl him persons whom he met outside
of our houses. An occasional visit to \Vashington was a great recreation.
He used to return to his work quite refreshed after such a visit. \Vhen·
ever he went there, he was sure to be called upon for a sermon. And
his scholarly, yet popular discourses, were very much appreciated. He
hecame acquainted with a few gentlemen in \Vashington. One of them
write3 during his sickness: "I feel so grateful to our good God that He
made me known to him (Fr. Brambring); and I sometimes wonder for
wlutt wise purpose it may have been,-for there is a motive, of eourRe, for
all things that happen. If I can discern nothing else in it, I can sincerely
say that I am edified and elevated by the sight of a man of giant intellect,
freely devoting himself to the service of the King of kings,-why, therefore, should we ordinarily weak mortals begrudge Ilim the little service
that is ours! Father Brambring has stimulated me, by my little association with him, to purer thoughts nnd holier aspirations than I had before.
This he has done, not by direct word, but by the elevating influence of
his company and presence . . . . . . The feeling with me, since I have
known him, is why so unworthy a being as myself, should come to know
one of the mighty chosen ones of God."
Idleness he did not know. And by his devotion to"his work he shortened his days. 'Ve all used to say to one another: "Fr. Brambring will
kill himself." Already in the winter the first symptoms of Bright's dis·
case began to appear. In the spring he broke down and bad to go away.
In August he came back from the north and went to the hospital in
Washington, where he remained about ten days. He said to me afterwards: ''No one has an:v idea of what I suffered there." But he was
anxious to come back to \Vooclstock, where he remained till his end, surrounded with all the tender care that our Holy Father bids us give to
our sick. He rallied a little at first. But the clay came when the Doctor
had to speak the decisive word. From that moment he was as eager tQ
�334
F-1? FREDERICK BRA"VBRING.
die as he bad been till then eager to live, recover and resume his work.
How often we heard him cry out: "Come, 0 Jesus, come. my dear, dear
Saviour, and take me awny !" However, he hnd the strangest ups and
downs, so that we were all puzzled, and the Doctor, ns Brother Infirmari:m said. was, at one timP, at !lis wits' end. Our sick Father himself
once ~nil! with a smile: "1 hnve seen many wonderful things in my life:
the mnjt·s•ic Alpg covc•red "·ith everlasting- snow, the fury of the storm
upon the ocean; I have spoken to my students of the wonderful attributes of GnLI, hut the most wonderful and mexplicnble thing is-that I
cnnnot die." His cross wns heavy. and he felt it, :md he toltlus fr:mkly,
ami with tems, tiJat he lelt it. But his thoughts constantly turned to
sacred thing~: the HlcsseLI Sncrnmcnt, wlnd1 be was alw:~ys eagl"r to
recein•, Our Blt·ss<'d Lndy, St. .To>eph, hi~ vows, whic·h he renewed time
and ngain. One day ht• reque,tl'd u SC"holastic to look in tile Bre,iary
for the Office of St. Andrew. ami read tlw beautiful words with which tiJe
Apostle s:~lntc~ the c·ross. He had to rent! tlwm twice nnd three timesami then the Father continued murmuri.,g: 0 bona crux, 0 bona crux!
As the sickne,s wo~rc on, tiJe crust of L·st phnlinn res .. rve mel tell awny
comph-tely, and IH• unft>ldctl nll the depth of l{•c•ling. that had bt:t·n hidden 111 his son!. Al!:ain and ngain he n~l>ed the ble>~lllg of his St.periors
nml of other Father•. kbsetl their hands, beg!.\ell their pnnlon lor his
faults, nnt! reqm•!'lt·cl them to bc·g pnrclon lor him of the community. One
day, while speaking of his slwrtC'Illllings, he said to me: •·How different
thing~ :tpJH'ar to us, when view•·• I in the light of t"tc•rnity." 'Vhnt scenes
of lea\·e-taldng from his dt·::tr S!'holastics! Ami thnt clenr veunable FatiH"r, 'the man~of go!tl,' ns ht• cnllecl him. hb most nsshluous visitor, the
sigllt ,,f whose chu·rful counll'nanC'e he likl'd to see· at his bed-side more
th:111 any other, wlwse gentle ,:P•·cc-h always comfi>rtt·d him, with what uffection he emhraeed !lim one dav amlthl'n lmr't into tears! At tin>es, as
his wt•akness grew, he lost c·onti·oJ of his will-pow .. r, untl would become
t1 little querulous, bnt afterwnnls L'Xcuse hin>s<·lf, saying thnt tlll'se W< re
act•ts 1n-imo prind; nml be l'lfusin· with wonls of gratitude: "Tllcy are
doing too much for ml', too muc·h !''
At last the t!eliveranc e en me. Townnl nine o'clock on thr evening of
O..toll('r lfllh his agony H'tlllL·cl to bent hnnd. Father tic:hlcuter snic\ the
prayl'rs fin· the ngonizmg. thl'n saicl some nspirntions in German which
the clying Fath .. r repmll·d distinc·tly anti with great ftrvor. Shortly
afterwanb he lo:-t consrionsnes~. nml e:-.pirecl "'etlnl'Hlay. October ~Oth,
1.4:) A. ~1., h:wing a few tlays hl'fore compktttl Ins thirtieth year in tiJe
Socil'ly. On Thursday morning his mortal rtmnins were laid to rest in
in our little ccmetcry.. in ~pem n"U1'1'<Ctiuni~.-H. I. P,
'V
�VARIA.
AD VERT IS ENE NT.- TVe hcwe been obliged to omit from the present
number two continued articles, one on the Chaplains oft he 11Iexiran TVar and
the otha on Louisiana; >l"e hope to continue them in our next numbers. In·
teresting accounts of the labors of Ours are 'olicited, and items for the VARIA. Our thflnks are due several contributors for their promptness 1:n responding to our ,reque.<t foro rticles .
.-\sores.-The people of Villa Franca lately celebrated with great :;olemnity
the me1nory of their illustrious enmpatriot, Bt>nedict de Goe~, S. J ., 1ni~sionary
and explorer of Asia at the be~innin,!:! of the 1ith t•entnry. The name of
"Bento de Goe~n ha~ been gin~n to the lnrge:-:t :SllUarc in the town, wherein it
is propo>ed to erect shortl~- a momunent in honor of the intrepid J <'>nit.- Letters of Jersey.
AlcxmHll'ia, Eg-ypt.- The ltev. 1-'r. Provincial of Lyons a"isted at the
layin[( of the first stone of the Church attaehc<l tn the College, at ),Jexan<lria.
The (ioL Pasha repre,ented the Khetlin: the compliments a<ltlre»ed to his
Hig-hnes~, hy Fr. Be~~on, were imn1ediatPly tele.~raphPd to the I\.:hetlh·e, at
Cairo. The numherof,ehnlar'<at the Colle!:!<' i' 140. ~H the last distribution
of prizes, the French Con>ul announct•d th;tt tliplomn' )!iYen by our Fathers
wouhllun·e the :o'HlllC vnlne as tho~e coming front t'nivcr~ities in France.
An Old ('alnnmy.- In a book lntdy publi,he<l under the title of Portland in the l'c~st, an<l written by ~Ir. '\'m. lioold, the f(>llnwing ocetm' :"Ras!e was a ·Jesuit of the four YOWs,' the fourth of which i< to undertake
any mission to whieh they may he or<lcre<l. ~\ part of the .T esuit ereetl is
that the end justifies the means; hence the em·out·agcment of the Indians to
drive off the settlers."
To this the llt. RcY . .lame' A.llealy, Bishop of Portland, replied in a letter
giyen to the public pn·,s.-Amon~ other thin:;' he sai<l :"As a puptl ami friend of the Je"tit< f<>r forty years, although not one my~elf, and bPing pa~~ably Clm\'·er~ant with their writing5<, [ have found them all
concordant with St. Paul: 'an<lnot rather (a> we arc ,}antlered, and as 'ome
affirn1 that we :-;ay) let us •lo evil that good n1ay cmne, who~e dnnutation is
jn~t.' Honu1n~ iii, S.
I :untold that in Europe there ha~ long been a standing oiler of reward to any one who woultl produce the phra>c, Tin· end Justifies the mMns, or its equiYalent, from any approved Jesuit writer. Now,
therefore, for the yindication of their good name, or for their condemnation,
if thev deserve it, I hereby oft"er to pay for 100 copies of your work, above
nameci, if you produce to the sati>faction of any Protestant gentleman, acceptable to both of us, from any J emit author, known as such, a thesis or declaration that 'the entl justifies the means.' You may be~in with the hand book
of Father llasle, nmnely Father Bn>enbaum's Jfrdul/11 TheolOf!i<e 1~Ioralis.''
\[r. Goold replied hy saying that there are at least fourteen .Jesuit author;
who wrote in support of tht' rightfulness of tyrannicide, "which I hold" Mr.
Goold naively proceeds, "i> equivalent to the maxim that 'the end justifies
the means.'" "A strang·e answer" the Bi:o;.hop replies, "from an American,
who certainly woul<lnot maintain that William Tell for the killing of Gesler, or Brutus for the killing of Julius Ca~sar were assassins." He then commends again to the perusal of ~Ir. <loold Father Rasle's well-thumbed copy
of Busenbaum, which is preserved in the Library of the Historical Society
of Portland. Up to date the desired citation has not been found.
Aragon.-At Yerdu (Leritla), the house where Blessed Peter Claver was
born, has been added to the possessions of the Province.-This is a source of
great jo~· to the people,
(335)
�VARIA.
Auriesville, Xew York.-The seconcl annual pilgrimage to the shrine of
our Latly of ~lartyrs, at Auriesville, took place on August 15th. The little
village is a picture'flUe place. Situated in the valley of the ~Iohawk and
nestling at the f(JOt of an extensive slope, whereon stands the dedicated shrine,
it'i position is engaging and secluded. The beaut~· of water and woodland,
field and meadow would of itself repay the pilgrim's journey thither, but sun·
light and clear sky g-ave an expression of hoi~· peace to a scene which once
witnessed the heroic toil, and tragic tleath of Father J ogues. 'l he pil_grims
numbered upward of -!000. "\\"hen Auriesville was reached the variou' SO·
dalities formed a long procession, and mo,·ing slowly up the hill sang the
Litany of the Blessed Virgin. The shrine is situated east of the village. It
stand, within an enclo,nre of about five acres of ground, which has become
the propert~· of Ours. The enclosure is on a side hill and is reached from the
winding roadway, lending from the village, by a rustic flight of wooden steps.
Just at the !wad of these steps and directly in a line with the shrine stands a
white woo< len cross twelve feet high, and set on a pedestal which is three feet
~quare.
This, in turn, i~ raise(l upon a little mound ~o that the ag-gregate eleva·
tion of the cross is about eighteen feet. On each of the four sides of the
pedestal is an inscription; that in front reaLls:
"On this 1mlian village site the mission of the martvrs was founded in his
blood by Father Jsaac Jogues, S. J., slain October 1~, i64ti. In this, the first
chief Iroquois mi"ion, fourteen priest>, S. J., suffered and toiled till its de·
struction in IuS-!. Erected for the two hundredth anuiversury."
On the opposite side are th<> words:
"The blood of martvrs is the seed of the church."
On the side facing etlst i,; the inscription:
"In memory of the native convert:-; of the Inissionaries, IInrons, Algonquins
and Iroquois, whose virtues like those of the primitive christians, shone in
captivity ant! persecution, especially of the Lily of the ~[ohawks, Catherine
Te_gakwita, the Iro!]uois yir,gi!1·; born here in 11>31); baptized in the mission
church,
Ea~ter ~nnda~~,
1670; died in Canada, IGSO."
Am! on the side t:1eing west:
"Xt>nr thi~ site, Hene Goupil, novice, S. J., was slain for the sign of the
cro~s, Septe1nher ~~~. lti-1~; and bl'fore and after, in different year~, many other
christian:'", 1ncn and wmne11, companions and disciples of the missionaries, of
:Fn·nch and variou" Indian rncc~, oft"t•red up their live~."
The front of the croS'-tree hears the inscription: "To the most Holy Trin·
ity, .June Hi-!G." and on the back: "St. ~[ary's 1667-St. Peter's 1673." The
shrine itself staJHls back a ft·w feet further from the road; for the present it is a
little chapPl of wootl only ten feet wide by t\\·cnty long, with stained glass
windows nml covered ln· an octagonnl dome. ·within there is a statue of
"Our L:uly of Pity" ><qiporting the prostrate form of the suffering martyr.
Stretehing- on the east ~ide of the ~hrine and frontin.~ it tentg were arranged
acpommodalL~ about 5000 JWople while hearing ~[ass.
~ln~:o:e~ w('re ~aid, and at lo.::;o o'clock a high )[ass was
which woultl
snng by
the Hev. Father Fi\·e;: of Trn\·. Communion was then administered to about
:?l100 pe"ons. Instructive adilrPsses \\·ere delin•red. In the afternoon receptions into tlw sodalities of the Blessed Yirgin ~Iary took place, and about 100
were rl'ceived. During the reception the choir rcn•leretl appropriate music.
The soclali;ts were addres>'t'd b~· the ftev. Father Scully, S. J. J'he services
at the shrine were very impressive and solemn. The shrine wa.;,-.::overed with
flowers arrangetl in symbols emblematic of the services. 'Vheb the hour
urrh·ed tiw the return to Troy a procession was formed of the sodalities similar
to the one in the morning and thev marehed to the trains.
Bc>itles Fr. Ca,ey. un.tler whose guidan~e the pilgrimage was conrlucted,
there were prcst•nt: Rev. Father Loyzance, S. J., pastor of St. .Joseph's; Fa·
thers Hyan, 8 .•T., of Baltimore; Sen !I~·, 8. J., of Jersey City; IIurlon. S. J ..
and Turgt•on, S. J .. of~lontrenl; and Fins, of Troy; also Brother Fabian and
many other Brothers of Troy and vicinity.
}"'our low
Beyrouth.-"The Fnivcrsity is succl'e<ling very well. About 550 students,
boarders :ltld day-scholars, fi•llow the classes. The Seminary counts 65 stu·
dents, and the Faculty of ~[edicine 40. You know, Dear Father. how the min·
istry is exercised in cur residences. At Beyrouth especially the concourse ?f
the faithful is very great. On Sundays and Feast days our large church IS
�VARIA.
337
filled to o\·erflowin~. The greater number are poor, so that onr church is
culled the church of the poor, a title very honorable to ns. The Sodality of
the gentlemen is directed by Fr. Barnier, that oft he European ladies, by R. Fr.
Superior; Fr. Zelle is Director oft he So<lality of the old students, the flower
of the young men of Beyrouth. Our residences are so many centres of perpetual missions; from all parts there come to us souls who wish to make
their peace with God. But how mnch there remain-; to be done! ""e see
around us a multitude of men, whom we know to be on the roa<l to perdition.
For these we can onlv prav. The ~fahometans do not oppose us, but woe to
him who should try t'l make proselytes of them. He would by the very fact
compromise all the Christians. Happy are yon, Rev. Father, not to be hampered in your ministry !-Our printing-presst:>s arc no longer so busy. The
demand for books has greatly decreased. The reason of it is clenr:-the
Oriental clergy took many books from us, which they paid for in stipends
taken for ~Ias-;es. At present these stipends are wanting, anrl hence fewer
sales of books.- Fr. Be lot is still Director of the printing office, and has a
great deal of work on hand, as he takes upon himself the correctin,g of all the
proof-sheets.-Br. Elias does the printing ar11l Br. Antoine <lirects the casting
of type, the photo-engraving, etc." E.rlract.from a letter of Fr. Carmean, S. J.
At the distribution of prizes on Jul~- Ulth, lS~tl, Fr. Lefelwre, Snperior General of the mission of Syria, gave a di,scou"e recapitulating- the \\·ork done by
the University 'ince its fonndation. "Eleven years ago" he 'air!, "the collegeseminary of Ghazir, for man~· reasons which nee<! not be recalled, was transferred to Beyrouth, and thanks to the generosity of the faithful in noble and
opulent America and the resolute spirit of a father well known to most of you,
this large establishment has been bron~ht to completion. From its foundation
the Universitv of St. Joseph has steadil~- pro~rc"ed; its pupils have each
year increase<! in numbers, until at present they number upwards of four hundred and fifty."
Boston College.- The True Religion and its Dognurs is a new book by
Fr. Russo. The work is concise, clear and convincing in thought, and in style
is bright and vigorous. The San Francisco :\Ionitor jnstly says: "The oldfashioned dryasdust method ofexplaining Catholic doctrine is happily avoided.
Catholics and non-Catholics alike will find the principal doctrines of the
Church presented lucidly and interestingly." Thomas B. Xoonan of Boston
is publisher.
Canisins College, Buffalo.-The college continues to prosper.
are now 120 boarders and liO day-scholars.
There
China.- Fr. Couvier is earnestly at work revising and gettin~ ready for
print his Chinese-Latin-French dictionary. Instead of 12,000 characters it
will have 40,000 illustrated by examples taken from classical authors.
Cleveland, Ohio.- Our Fathers of the Buffalo mission have this fall
opened a new College in the city of Cleveland, 0. It is called St. Ignatius'
College, situated on the corner of J erscy and Carro)l Stre~ts, opposite St. :\fury's
church. Bishop Gilmour and the cler~y of the cit~· are well disposed towards
the Fathers, and bespeak success for the new College. The students are recruited from nearly all the parishes of the city. The Fathers resolved to start
with only one class of either course, nnd to receive Catholic boys only. There
are at present seventy bors in the school: thirty-five in the Latin class, and
as many in the Commercial.
Corea.-~[. Cogardan has signed a treaty with Corea. He did not obtain
all that he desired on account of the influence exerciset! bv China over the
kin)! of Corea, who was kept ignorant of everything that
going on. The
Prime ~Iinister was replaced during these negotiations; an<l for twenty days,
1!. Cogardan often saw his attempts just upon the point of being frustrated.
He did not obtain a special clause for religious liberty; but after some slight
changes made in the text of other articles, the mis,;ionaries, with passports,
have the right of going and con1in,g, of going about without assigning a rea~on
for their travels; they can instruct, teach and open schools: they are amenable onl.r t<;J their C<;JJlsnls. Besides, a verbal promise has been made to cease
was
�VARIA.
persecuting the Christians. In fine, )fgr. Blanc and his missionaries are truly
satisfied with the result.-Chinese Letters.
Creighton College.-In the Interstate Expo,ition at Omaha, Xebraska,
Creighton College had on exhibition Philosophical and Chemical apparatus,
minerals, rare books, specin1ens of elm~~ work, coins and other curiosities.
During the course of the exposition students of the College were in attendance
to explain the utilit~· of the apparatus, and to illustrate by experiment when
feasible. A public exhibition of the .\Ialden Triple Lantern with Chadwick·
Steward dissolving system, of recent electrical appliances and other scientific
apparatus from the college collection was gi\·en at night during Fair-week in
front of the Exposition Duil<ling.-During the present year an astronomical
observatory was built on the grounds of the College nt the cost of s:JOOO. The
telescope is equatorial and has attached a driving clock to gni<le its motions;
moreover, the observatory has an astronomical clock an•l regulator with chron·
ograph and electrical contacts for the purpose of distributing central time
to merchants and others, who will make electrical connections with the college obsen·atory.
England.-On Jul~· :!9th, Fr. Perry, of Stonyhnrst, in company "~>ith )fr.
Lockver, )fessrs )launder and Turner, oft he Greenwich observatory and other
English scientists set sail on the steamer Xile for Granada, one of the "'ind·
"~>ard Islands, for the purpose of observing the total eclipse of the sun. They
reached Granada on the Hlth of August. It will be Fr. Perry's tluty to study
the inner corona.
Father Barhelin, S, J.-The life of this venerable and beloved pioneer of
Catholicity is being written by )!i's Eleanor«'. Donnelly. The work is a gift
of that di,tinguished lady to the J:enovation Fund of ohl St. Joseph's Church,
·willing's "\.lley. This donation, W'e.understaml, is a most exhaustive account
not only of Father Barbel in's times, but also of the early history of the Jesuit
missions in and around the (~uaker City. It is dedicated by special permis·
sion to )lost Uev. P. J. Hyan, Archbishop of Philadelphia, and bears His
Grace's Imprimatur. An admirable preface has been contributed to the work
by Rev. Dr. Horstman, Chancellor of the Archdiocese. The book is now in
press and will appear at an early tlate.-Catholic Standard.
Father lle Smet.- A bust of Father Peter John DeSmet is to be presented to the Chicago Historical Societ,·. The bust is of marble and of heroic
~~
.
Father l•'armer.-August 17th was the centennial annive"arv of the
death of Rev. Ferdinand 'Farmer, S. J., of St. Jo:"eph's Church, '\'illing's
Alley, below Fourth street, Philadelphia. Father Fanner was born in Suabia,
Germany, in 1720, antl entered the Jesuit Order at Landersperg, in Septem·
ber, 1743. He arrived in America in June, 175~, and after serving on the
mission in Lancaster, Berks, Chester, and Cumberland counties, came to
Philadelphia in Ii5S. In Iii!l he became a trustee of the l'niversity of Penn·
sylvania, and after the Revolutionary war founded the Church of St. Peter,
in New York. He continued to ofliciate at St. Joseph's until his dc~th, Au·
gust lith, liSG. It is stated that the American Catholic Historical Society
intend to publicly commemorate his memory by a memorial service in the tall.
For{]ham, N. Y.- A magnificent new building has just been erected at
St. John's College, :Fortlham, at a cost of m•nrly ."tiO,OOO. It is intended main·
ly for the Scientific Department of the College. Its extensive laboratory, with
auditorium built in ascending galleries, and its elaborate apparntus room are
well worthy of a viist. There are, besides, recitation rooms for the four sen·
ior classes, and a spacious hall for the new library.-St. John's Hall, which
hitherto had been partly given over to laboratory purpo;;es, becomes, in con·
sequence of this, quite a distinct department for the younger students. They
have now their own playgrounds, recreation-rooms, study-halls, class-rooms,
and chapel exclusively tor themselves in the beautiful old seminary building
adjoining the church on the western end of the college grounds.-Extensive
�VARIA.
339
changes have also been made in the middle divisions-some of the old land·
marks disappearing in the work of improvement.-N. Y. Paper.
France.- A new diploma for special secondary teaching has been intro·
duced, and is destined to ruin classical and literary studies. An immense
amount of mathematics will be exacted, likewise physics .... political econo·
my, some elements of natural and civil law, history and geographv; but
no Latin, no Greek. However, those that wish to continue their classical
studies, will be enabled to do so. This diploma will serve for S. Cyr, the
Polytechnic, and nearly all the professions, excepting those of Public Instruc·
tion and the Diplomatic schooL-Chinese Letters.
Galicia.-From the TVahrheit.'.freund of Jul~· 28th, we are sorry to learn
that the Xovitiate of the Pro\·ince of Galicia was destroyed by fire on July
3rd. The farm-houses, barns and stables with their contents, the roof and
part of the upper story of the College, as aho the roof and the two steeples of
the adjoining beautiful church were consumed by the devouring flames. The
interior of the church, thanks to the strength of the vaulted ceiling, was
spared, though the ceiling itself was partly damaged.-The Xovitiate was situ·
a ted at Starawies, and at the time of the sad accident the community num·
bered one hundred and fifteen.
Georgetown.-The Villa near Tennallytown which will be remembered
by the scholastics of former years, was sold last month. It was bought for
the Province and College in 1851. -The venerable Father James Curley, so
long director of the astronomical observatory and professor of botany at
Georgetown College, celebrated his ninetieth hirthduy on ~Monday, October
25th, having been born in 1796. His health and activity at this advanced age
are remarkable, and his mental faculties unimpaired. He has been at George·
town College since 1827, and was a valued friend of Jo,eph Henry and other
eminent scientific men in their dav. He now bids tair to rival the vears of
the centenarian Professor Chevreul in Paris, and a host of friends join in the
wish that he may do so.
Geronimo.-Fr. P. Tomassini and Fr. L. Fede, who \\-ere giving a mission
in the Cathedral of San Antonio, Texas, went the other day to pay a visit to
the terrible Geronimo, who at the time was detained at San Antonio by the
U.S. Government. Accompanied by Col. Otis they betook themselves to the
camp of the famous chief of the Apaches, uml immetliately began the con·
versation bv announcing themselves as Catholic missioners and by showing
him an ima'ge of our Hcdeemer. Geronimo gn1sped the crucifix and took it
to his cmnp, giving unequivocal signs of religious feeling. Fr. Tomassini
called him again and presented him with a large medal of the Blessed Yirgin.
The Apache chief looked at it with surprise, then pressed it agamst his breast
and hung it around his neck. The Father then asked him if he prayed to
God, the Great Spirit. Geronimo without saying a word, holding the crucifix
in his hand, made the sign of the cross in the presence of all. Finally, the
Father asked him if he had been baptized; and he, taking oft' his hat, put his
hand on his head in the place where he had received the regenerating waters.
All this Geronimo did without once speaking a word, and so the Father could
get no further proofs of his Christianity. But if he is a Christian, how badly
has he shown in deed what his name and creed require of him!- Revi;ta
Cutolica.
Grecian Archipelago, Tinos.-(Frmn a {flter to Fr. Sodus) .•. "God
only knows the good the Jesuits do in this poor Island, rich in faith but poor
in everything else. Their coming here dates three hundred years ago. Even
during the suppression of the Society, they lingered on as secular priests, till
the last old decrepit Father crawled out to die of joy in his young superior's
arms, when the company was restored. They arc adored by the Islanders
and through persecutions a"ld calumnies innumerable, have maintained the
Catholic faith, which is almost extinct in the Cyclades, except in Tinos and
!:lyra, where they have Hesidences."
Life ofV. R. Fr. noothaan.-On November 23rd, 1885, the centennial an·
niversary of the birth of John Philip Roothaan, twenty-first General of the So·
�VARIA.
ciety of .T esus, appeared a new biography of this distinguished man, written in
Dntch by Fr . .T ••\lberdingk Thym, S . .T., like Fr. Roothaan, a citizen of.\msterdam. The sources from which the author draws his material arc mainly an
historical sketch by Fr. E. Tcrmecnren. S . .f., puhlished in the Precis His'toriques in 185:l, a series of letter< of Fr. Hoothaan to his thmil~- extendin~ oyer
his whole life, and his writin~c', pre-;enTetl a..; precion" doentnents by )Iessrs.
Hermann Van Lenuep ami IV . .J. Hofdyk. By means of these Fr. Thym can
furnish many interestin~ facts hefore unknown to the public. The author
graphically portrays the beautiful character of his hem, as no\·icc, scholastic,
priest and Superior; his fidclit~- in obserdn~ the rules. his Joyc for the Institute and especially for the Spiritual Exercises, his taithfulne" in every
religious duty-his characteri~tie ,·irtue according to his ~l·cretary, :Fr. Pierlin~. Fr. Roothaan was remarkable all throu!!h his life for his ten<ler devotion to the Sacred Heart< of .J csus and :IIary, and he use<l eHry etl'ort to
make them better known aml love<I.
His Protestant teacher, Dr. Davi<I.T. \"an Lennep. had the hi;hest esll-em
for his young pupil, as we ntay see hy the following extraet from one of his
letters. ".T::un vero is est J.P. Itoothaan, ut si ad pner.lara~ illu-. animi ingeniiqne dot2:s quibus jatn nunc e1uinet, tali~, qualem VP:'tran1 es::;.e autlh~intns,
institutio nccetlat, nihil non eg-reginnt ah eo ~perari expt•etariqup po~~it.
Etenim litera' (inecas et Latinas non, nt multi "'lent, leviter attl!!it, se<l in
eas prorsus ~e insinunxit; nullnin non intelli~it ScriptnrL·ni., ad nulliu~ vi1n
ac stylum non a~~urgit. In Cicerone, De·nw:-:th(?'ne, Platone, Gra:ci:-; etiam
tragicis ita ,~ersatus est, ut accuratin"' fieri non pn:O::O:it. Aneture~ etiam Yf'teres,
non ad animi tantnm obleetationem, sed at! nsnm l'liam fructumque vit:e Iegere nihilque non eo conferrt> solet. Porro, qnutn }H?r :"l' acri .itulicio valeret,
illntl etiam Logicre, Dialectieesqne Pt on1nis mnnino Philosophi~e :;;;cholis frequentandis acuit in die::- atque exereUit. Animi Yero tlnte;.; hnhct ea~, ut pleniorcm officii, probitnti:':, humanita!_i ... ; Innnsnetutlini~ adoleseenten1, non 1notlo
nullum unqnam "Vitleritn, sed nee eo;!itare qnitlein po~..;itn."
Fr. Roothaan ha<l an extraordinar~· talent for preaehin~, and it is related
by Fr. Boone, his cou1panion when .!..!·iyinz Ini:'!:o-:.ion~, that he ...:n moved the
hearts of his atHlience, that one hear< I nothin!! bnt sohbing and cr~·ing. Although depri\'e<l of the po";ibility of bein!! an apostle hy the bur.len of the
Generalship, he Iabore<! earnest!~- to produce aJ""tnlic men. ~\sa seholastic,
he was a living in1a~e of Bh':-:~t·tl Berehman~; a..; a Gt>nl'ral, he reprmluced the
charaeteristics of St. Ignatius, and like our Holy Father, he saw a \vhole
world to be eonquen•<l. To prepare his army nine Provinees were established
by hin1: the Yenetian, Turin, Lynn:-:, Toulnust•, ..:\n:-:trian, Belgian, (~erman,
Dutch, and )[arylan<l, as well as two vice-Provinees: Ire law! a111l )[issonri.
He restore<! the mission in the ~\rehipdago, foumle<l that in the )(a<lnra, that
of Kiang- X an in China, one in AJg,•ria, in thP islam! of Bourbon, in )[a<laga~car, in Jmnaiea, in Canatla, in the Hoeky )fountain:-: nnd tho:-:e in tliil'rrent
parts of South America. Fr. )[inimi, in his pane!!yr:c of Y.lt. Fr. Roothaan,
says that to appreciate fufly the apostolie spirit nf the gn•at General "one
ha<l to .see him in the solenm moment when he ha<le farewell to his !!Cnerous
sons setting out to conquer error, and extend the em pin• of .J esns ( 'hri~t. Then
the Yery <lepths of his heart were stirred with emotion; then hj,, eyes bnrne<l
brightly with holy an lor; then intlaming words fell from his lip,, an<l expressions of sorrow that he hinl''elf might not ;o whither he sent other•. Once
a prelate expresse<l his 'nrprise to Fr. ltoothnan, that rdigions of grra~ in tel~
lect and talent ~honltl be ~ent muong- unknown nml sayag-t'·nations, where In en
of moderate ability conhl work \Vith equal fruit: "This is not my opinion,"
was the answer; "on the contrary, I will dcYote the lwst part to e\~an,gelizin,g
-that 1nost snblitne of work~.'' True to this conviction, ht> wrote regarding
-this point to Rector< an< I ProYinrinls: "llate et dahitur vobis."
It is to be hoped that this well written life of one so <lenr to ever~· member
of the Societv of .Jesus will soon he translate<! into En~lish. The stnd\· of
the eminent 'virtues of tllis truly representative .Jesuit,, eouhl not fail to be
profitable. Fr. Thym publishes man~- valuable dol'nnwnt,, many of Father
Roothaan's own \Hiting,, anti a carefully compilNl chronolo~il'al table of all
the memorable facts conneeted with the life from liS:; to 1~5:1. The volume
numbers 304 pages.
~\. S., S . .T.
Littlehatnpton, England.-The apostolic school at Littlehampton sent
out fourteen apostolics (as they are called) this year. Of these nine entered
�VARIA.
the Societv, and the remaining ti.ve went to various other religious orders.
The school is at present in a most flourishing condition and numbers in all
sixty-seven students.
Los An~cles. California.- Since last January Fathers Tomnssini and
)[ontenarelli, have been giving Spani:;:h missions fn the land made dear to
Jesuits by the labo" of F'r. :Kino and Fr. Sah"atierri, Southern California.
The ti.rst mission wa' i!iven on January :!7th, in the Church of our Lady of
Angeles in the city nf L<" "\.ngele,. In no p1are were their eflorts crowned
with greater surecss than at ~[onterey. While giving the mission at Bakerfield,
Fr. ~!outenarelli het·ame so .-eriothlY ill with a severe cold as to necessitate
his immediate rdnrn tn Colorado. iii.-< place on the mission was filled by Fr.
D' Aponte. In all about ~8 ditrerent Ini:.;;~ions were gi,~en in as n1any difierent
places, and as a rule were e1ninently :.::ucee!":-:fnl, being especially re1narkable
for the number of men who attL'tHle<l them.
IJoroia. Spain.-- The work~ at Loyola are going on prosperously; everything is covered now; the Ina in ~tair-ea~e and the furniture are vet unfinished.
Enough, lwwever, of the llC\1" buildin;! is completed to accommodate the
Juniors and the noviees of the second year. The people of Guipuzcoa have
shown unparalletl devotion to ~t. Ignatius. They voluntarily gtwe their labor in the erection of llto>t of the buildings. These same people felled the
tree~s, ~quare{l the trunk~ :uHltuade bc:un~ of the In; ::nHl carried on everything
with great pomp and aflection, tlw parish priests themselves being foremost
in the work. "\.t pn'"'nt (Sept. 12th, l~SG), they are having solemn celebra·
tions to thank Uod, fnr having, throu~h the interce:"sion of our Holy Father,
St. Ignatius, ahno~t wholly pre~pn·ed froin the rava~es of cholera the clties
of those provinces. The Bislwp of the diocese celebrated pontifically on
three sncccs~ive day~. The ~ennons of the n1orning were in Spanish and
those in the evening in Ba!"(pte; anti were delivered by orators of distin·
guishe<l eloquence. The lightini! of the temple and the grandeur of the worship have been extraordinary. The 1wople of the tlitferent districts of the
pro,·inee of Gnipnzcoa pre"·nll'd themselves at the Holy House during the
three days.
Lou vain.- A public dFfenre by a former .<tudent of Woodstock. (From
the Bien Public, .July 1st, l~~ll): "This year again at the theological "emi·
nary of the .J csnits, there was a public defence of thes~s embracini! all the most
important questions in Theology. The honor devolved upon ltev. Joseph
tirtnnnehanan, of the ProYinee of )lis~ouri, .A1nerica. 'l'he oceasion was
honored lly the presence of 1lgr. Paul de Goethals, .\.rchhishop of Ilieropolis,
am] Yicar "\.postolic of "'estern Bengal. As on other similar occasion" the
elite of the l' nin•rsity wnrl<l here, as \Yell as many of the clergy, both secular
and regular, flockctl to the exercises.. .A1nong others, there were present the
ltcv. Fr. Provincial of the Jesuits, Fr. Baudavyn, 0. P., formerly Provincial
of the Dominican:.;, 11. Canon Jansens, the professcm; of theoloi!y ut the l'niversity, aml the professors am] clergy of the American College. Betbre this
distingui~hL•d gathering, Fr. Grinuuelsnwn defen{led for five hours, the
seventY-three theses "·luch he hatl chosen. His adversaries were 1I. Professor
Letlonx, Professor~!. Lmn~·, Professor .Tnngmann, Profe.ssor Dupont and Dr.
Torget, men well nrscd in theology, and musters of all the subtleties of dialectic~.''
::\langalot·e.-(Extract from a letter of Father Zanetti) .... "This little
Novitiate of Ours does not contain over six members counting both Novices
and Schola>ties, as your ltevercnce ma~- 'ee from the Stat1lS )[issionis which I
have sent you along with this letter. Not u few more have lately· applied,
and soruc of them probably will be received. \Ve are rather slow in receiving any, ant] one of the conditions tor admittance is that they shall have
pu~sed certain exmuinations. The College is in quite a prosperous condition,
and owin.~ to its sucec~s in its various ex~uninations, ranks mnong the best in
the Presidency of ~!adras. By the report whieh I send you alon~ with the
Stat11s, you will he better able to pa" a correct judf!rnent on the "tate of the
College. The work of our ministry amon~ Christians and Pagans likewise
carries with it the ble"iug of Uotl. l n the free exercise of our missionary
labors the number of languages spoken, is not the lea't among the many diffi·
culties to be overcome. That the work of the missionary may be useful at
�VARIA.
large, he should possess a knowledge of the English, Konkane, Tulu, Canarese, ~Ialayalam and Tame! lan~uages. Thanks be to God we have every
reason to hope for a brighter future considering the good spirit that reigns
among our native seminarians and Scholastics, and the fair knowledge they
possess of the above nmned languages."
In the missions of ~Iangalore, the ·number of Jesuits is 38: 1 Bishop, 23
priest~, 8 Scholastics ami ti lay Brothers. There are 21 secular priests, over 20
Goanese priests, 2.) catechists !lnd 6tl Carmdites of the third order. The
Catholics number 43,67il. There is one seminary having 18 students, onP. College with 322 pupils and 2S schools which 2.)2() pupils attend. During the past
year 100 Pagan adults were baptized and 21 Protestants con,·erted; there were
1008 Confirmations, i1,0SS Confessions, 134,433 Communions, 421 marriages.
:;\lanitoba.-St. Boniface. "On the ith of September at 8 o'clock in the
morning, His Grace, the Archbishop, said the ~lass of the Holy Ghost, and
afterwards preached to the as><emble<l masters ami mistresses and hoys and
girls of the dill:'erent e<lucational institutions of St. Bomjace. This he does
every year. The ceremony is a very simple one; a few hymns sung with great
zest by half a thousand young people, during low "'lass, and then the sermon.
So much and no more is what a careless observer might have to say of this
yearly blessing at the opening of schools. Bnt to any one that knows onr
.Manitoba past and can reflect upon the present, every additional year invests
the beautiful simplicity of this archiepiscopal act with fresh and fresh charms.
Here is a man of man·ellously varied .t::ifts and stillmore varied experience,
one in whom the heart is as tender as the head is strong, with thirtv-fi ve vears
of episcopate behind him, with the record of an apos'ile among the Indians,
of a peace-maker among conflicting civilized races, of a high-bred, nobly born
gentleman in society, of a fascinating' writer and an eloquent speaker, andlast and crowning merit-of a whote,."ouled man of God. "'e listened with
undivided attention, because we felt that we ha\"e before us a Prelate who
would have she<! lustre on the noblest sees in Christendom, and whose bright
mimi gilds whatever it touches. We are warmed by the heat of his language,
because we know that what he exhorts us to with such deep conviction he
has practised for half a century with a fen"or that has often been heroic.
On this last occasion His Grace was particularly persuasive. With a view
to filling the roung minds of his hearers with a great esteem for the Catholic
education ther receive, he told them what the prize had cost him. For ten
years he strng:;-led against prejwlice and bigotry, in order to win and keep for
the children whom he so dearly loved the priceless privilege of being educated
in thoroughly Catholic schools. Their teachers might remember what the
pupils were too young to have witncsse<l, the harrowing anxieties of that fight
for the faith of future generations. The rising generation are now enjoying
the peace that has ti.lllowed upon the triumph of so righteous a cause. Let
them pray earnestly for its eontinuance. Let them recall with gratitude the
noble work done by the singularly able and devoted priests who directed the
students of St. Boniji•ce College, especially amidst the vicissitudes of the last
twenty-five years, an<l, while proud of the past, let all be full of reverent love
for the members of that great teaching Order that were now entrusted with
its management. Let them also think with filial fondness of those wjse and
gentle Sisters of Charity who, during nearly forty-two years of blllve and
earnest labor here, have tdentitied them,elves with our beloved North-western
country. Heaven had blessed the children of St. Bon~jnce with unusual
bounty. 'Yesterday,' His Grace said, 'Bishop ~lc Intyre told me, with tears
in his eyes, that he had not a single Catholic school in his diocese, not one
school in which the children could publicly make the sign of the cross, or be
taught the necessary truths of our holy religion.' Here, on the contrary, we
have five hundred youths of both sexes brought up in the life-giving shadow
of the cross. Heligion was the golden thread woven through and through
their young lives. How grateful they should be for so inestimable a boon!"
Northwestern Review.
Xecrology of the Socict)·, 188:>.- In the whole Society, during the
year 1885, 2~~ died; of these 125 were Fathers; 313, Scholastics; and 67, Brothers. The averngc age was 5:!.35. The percentage of those over 60 years was
40.4. Out of 22S there were 25 over 50 years in the Society. The percentage
out of each Province was :-
�343
Venice ......... 0.89 per ct. Ireland ........ 1.67 per ct. Paris ..............
Rome .••••••••. 0.96 "
)Iexico ....... 1.69
" Belgium ••••..•••
Toledo ......... 1.04
Champagne .. 1.72
" N.Y. ~laryl. ...
Holland ...... 1.18
Aragon ........ 1.71'\
Missouri .........
Germany ..... 1.:?2
Lyon• .•••.•••• 1.79
Toulouse .........
Castile ........ 1.30
Xaples ..•..... 1.83
Portugal .........
England ...... 1.:35
Turin .......... l.tlO
Galicia ...........
Aust. Hung .. l.D4
Sicily ..............
Xew Orleans 1.41
The percentage of the whole Society was 1.92.
2.16 per ct.
2.50
"
2.65
2.73
3.00
3.01
3.14
3.40
Xew York.,-St. Francis Xavier's College.-The College reassembled on
).fouday the 13th of September in the 15th Street half of the building, which
remains standing. The new building containing a large hall above, which
is to be used as a lecture and assembly hall, and that below, to be devoted to
the gymnastic exercises of the boys, is almost ready for use. The upper room
is beautifully decorated, the whole of the ceiling being frescoed in an elaborate geometrical design in blue, gold and various halftints.ofbrown and green.
There is a small stage at the upper end and the whole is lighted by bronze
pendant chandeliers and brass sconces on the walls. The walls themselves
are wainscotted half way up in ash and \'irginia pine, above which they are
colored in deep brown and oli,-e green. The upper part of the windows is
filled with stained glass in neutral tints.
The hall below is for recreation and contains various contrivances for athletic purposes, adapted to all ages and strength. The old college and church
of the Jesuit Fathers on 11ith Street, has disappeared, and the ground (quite
a large site) is being preparc'll fnr the erection of a new college, which is about
to be put up inuncdiately. The new building will be constructed of stone
and red brick, and will be of a massive and extremely artistic appearance.
In style it will conform to the clerical architecture employed in the church
next to it. The interior will contain the reception rooms and living rooms of
the community, a fair sized theatre and class rooms, etc., for the College. Of
the eighteen students aecepted for the ecclesiastical seminary of the archdiocese
of X ew York, seven were gra<luates of St. Francis Xttvier's College and four
from Fordham.-Nw· York Paper.
Oiia.-The Cartas de Poyanne, which, owing to the expulsion of our Fathers from French 'oil, were discontinued for the last six years, haye been resnmed under the new title of c,,rtas de Q,1a. 'Ve have received the first number, from which we extract the following itenB.-Collegium ll[r!ximum of Oil a.
The building of this scholasticate was an old Benedictine Abbey so very famons in the eleventh century nuder St. Iiiigo, its second abbot. The relics of
this saint are still kept on the major altar of the church in a beautifnl and
costly urn; while less precious nrns, placed on both sides of the altar, contain
those of some old Castilian kings and prince><, either founllers or patrons of
the Abbey. 'Vhen our Fathers took possession of the place, the rooms and
corridors were in a deteriorated state, as tltey had for a long time given refuge
to poor country families, who adaptell them to their household needs and purposes. The cabinet of Physics although as yet young and unprovided with
the latest improvements, is wantless as to what is necessary for the class-room.
The zoological museum is well furnished. Its rare't curiosity is the head of
a celebrated In,Jian criminal, reduced to its smallest proportions by the savages themselves. The museum of mineralogy contains 4000 specimens, and
the library, many thousand volumes. Oiia has also a meteorological observatory. One of the featnres of the community is, besides its perfect religious
discipline and thorough scientific training, the variety of nationalities of
its members.-Gonsillas. A seminary is being built at Consillas, near Santander, for the gratuitous education of such young men as the lack of sufficient
means might withold from the prie,.;thood. Don Antonio Lopez, a Spanish
nobleman, is the fonnller of this highly religious institution, and our Fathers
are intrnste<l with the direction.
Orientalia.-Assyriology has been lately enriched by the completion of
the valuable work of Fr. Stmssmaier, S. J. It consist~ of a complete vocabulary of Assyrian and Akkadian words in six parts, entitled "Woerterverzeichniss der Assyrische und Akkadische 'Voerter." For the last four years
Fr. Strassmaier has been at work in the British :Museum collating the origi-
�344
Y'ARJA.
nal tablets, and has thus pro,·ided for the future A•syriologist an invaluable
storehouse, for the time when the present clay and stone records shall have
crumbled away; which event, if we judge by the present progressing obliteration, is not very far distant. 'fhe work of Fr. Strassmaier embraces a vocabulary of 901:.? words, each word giving the cuneiform text, the context, and
sometimes pages of texts from other inscriptions when the word occurs, together with many transcriptions, in Homan letters. In the appendix is a table of
the usual As>-yrian signs together with a syllabus of Assyrian, of Ancient and
of later Babylonian characters, thus supplying a want long felt by the students of the latter texts. There is also a glo"ary of the Liverpool Baby Ionian
texts which were published previously in cuneiform, giving the contract tab·
lets from the time of ); ebuchadnezzar to Darius. The text was edited with
the publications of the sixth Oriental Congress at Leiden.-Another work of
patient and laborious research, not only lll Assyrian and Babylonian history,
but in comparative study of the texts of scripture as parallel with A>Syrian
records, has been given to us by Fr. Jo;eph Brunengo, ~. J., in his •plenrlid
series on the Empire of Babylon and );imveh, from the heginning to the conquest of Cyrus, according to the cuneiform records and compared with the
Bible. The h1s1oncal re>earch and reading, and the patient toil exbihited
in this monument of early history, make it an invaluable work for refereuce.
The translation in English of this work would be a valuable a1d to the English
students of Hible History. The history of each Assyrian monarch is recorded
in turn, with reference step by step to every known Assyrian inscription, and
to every cognate citntion in the B1ble, a perfect network of references, thus
showing that the history is built upon the most solid groundwork ol the earliest
documents. In a similar masterly style the II1story of Bahylon is treated, with
an interweaving of theological knowledge, that leaves the book not only a record but a well halanced history ;liining t<•rth in the light of revealed truth.
The two volumes are supplemente,d by a lahorious, painstaking, and excellent
chronology-a task in itsdf as difliC'Uit and as important as can well be imagined.
Another new work is from the gifted pen of Fr. De Cara, S. J., who has
achieved a marked success in his treatise entitled: "A critical examination
ol Philology ami Language as applied to )ly thology and the ::,cience of
Religion." \·igouroux, as well as other competent juuges, praises unqualifiedly
the successful completion of a task that hitherto has met with but llldillerent
success. A fuller account of the merit of this new work may be given in another numher. His review of Italian writers on Egyptology is full of interest and will help much to arouse and .sustain the energy of those who are
pursuing these >tuuies. In Sanserit, Fr. Joseph Yan den Gheyn, H. A. S.
coutinues his indefatigable labors.- In 1~~6, bes1ues his treatise on the "Populations Danuhiennes" we find his ''Xew researches on the eighth cla>s of~an
scrit Verbs." This is his third paper on this question, and was referred to in
discussi<>n by 'rllitney at the meeting uf the American Oriental Society at
Boston, ~lay, 18~5.
~
l'hila<lclJlhia.-0/d St. Joseph's. The old St. Joseph's College, north of
the Church, has been fitted up and turned into a parochial school for boys,
and a similar institution for g1rls has been opened at 417 Locust Street. Books
are supplied free to both. A special Latiu class tor young men dt'lsiring to
enter the priesthood in the Society of Jtsus, has been started in Stt J..o;eph'•
pastoral residence. Those who attend school during the day can follow their
smdies there in the evening.
1'he Gesll. The free reading room and gymnasium, under the charge of St.
Stanislaus Conlerence ol the Uesll, opened lor the season on ~lou day evemng,
~eptemher 20th, with an adurcss hy the pastor, Hev. Father Villiger, S. J.
The rooms, have uudergune great improvemeuts since the close of last season,
The Headmg·Room has heen paiuted and refurnished, and the Gymnasium
entirely refitted. Besides the Heading·ltoom and Gymnasium, a series of
lectures ::md entertainments for the benefit of the young men will be given
every )londay evening, commencing Oct. 4th, at S 1'. )!.
Philippines.- On account of the cholera the opening of our College at
)lanilla, was delayed until November. The ~linister of .Public Instruction
has lately issnetl S<•me uecrees .which do not augur very hworably tor the
future of our schools, or our religion. ln our chapel at Manilla on the 8th
�VARIA.
.345
of December, there were 1000 communions.-Our missions at :\Iindnnao continue to prosper. Fr. Gerbert baptize<! in one of his monthly tours over 100
infidels. Ours have commencer! several new "reductions," so that after a few
years, with God's blessing on the work, there will be few P"gans aroun<l :\lindanao.-At Tamontoca, our Fathers lately met with a serious loss. About two
o'clock the Moors from Dato Uto, set fire to the orphan asylum, the residPnce,
the old ch arch, and the new one in course of erection. Nearly everything
was reduced t" ashes. Evt·n our provisions of rice di<lnot e"·ape. Happily
no Jiyes were lost. The g-ood will nwnift•sted on all side< consoled the Fathers
in their aftl.iction. Troops were innned1a!Piy 'ent out for the protel'lwn of
Ours. And the Commandant came forwanl aud ga\·e what money and proYisions we needed. A rieh t hiuaman and, in h1d, all the inhabitants ot the missions contributed most liberally. Ours feel confident that this llHlnife>tation
of hostility will only sen·e to bind the peovle closer to them, and enable them
to do more g"od in the future.
Propagation of'thc Faith.-ReYerenrl Father C'roonenhergh of the Zambese missinn, as an iutrotluetion to a lecture tlelh·ered hy him at St. Fraucis
Xavier's, New -York, gave a brief, thongh str~kinlt s.vnopsis oft 'atholic <·harity
towards the support of mission work. The two Yital sources of support to
the 400 Catholic missions, are the Society for the Prop••r;•ttion nf the Faith,
fonn•led at Lyons, in France, about 63 y~n" ago, an< I the Holy Cllildho·>d. for
the last 43 years centred at Paris. B~· trifling c"ntrihntions fi'Om ad nit Catholics for the "Propognthm oj the Foith," ami hy eontrihution> more trifling- sti II
from school chiltlren fo~r the "]July Childlwod'' (viz.,1:l cents a year;, the Catho·
lie missions dispose yearly of nearly ;3:!,000,000.
The Society fi;r the Propagation ofthe Fa1th yearly
receives from Europe ;31,:~3:!,000;
and bestuwsAmerica
24,000
on European :Missions$ 202,000
Asia
1.000
" Anwrican llli"ions 14.'>,000
Africa
.~·,500
" Asiati"
}I issions 6U.'i,OOO
Oceanica
:l,OUO
'' Afncan
11 iss ions 2titi,OOO
.
"t <'Panic
lllbsions 109,000
The Holy Chilrlhood (exclusinly for pagan children) yearly
receives from Europe
$5/ti,tl/3;
aut! he>towsAmerira
Asia
27,.515
3,71-1
520
·~? European ?\lis:;dons
American )Ji~sions 828,000
" Asiatic
~I issions 3:!0,000
615
" African
:Missions 200,000
" Oceanic ~I isswns 60,000
The yearly total resources from both sources is $1.!1tl:l,OOO and the total expenditure in missionary work is $l,l'53,000; the surplus is for the exvenses of administration.
A cnmparison of the alms given by various countries to the Jfoly Childhood, is interesting
Europe, France .................. $2:l.j,000; number of Catholics (1> ........ 33,000,000
German Empire ..... 120,000
"
"
"
........ 25,000,000
Belgium............... 61,000
........ 5,500,000
Italy..................... 46,000
........ 20,000,000
Austria................. 32,000
........ 33,000,000
llolland ............... ~~1,000
"
........ 1,500000
Abace-Loraine...... 1~,000
........ 1,000,000
Switzerland........... 12,000
........ 1,000,000
Spain....................
9.500
........ 10,000,000
Ireland.................
9,000
''
4,000,000
England and Scot2,000,000
land ................ ..
5,000
"
Portugal .............. .
3,000
3,000,000
Turkey (J~suit College, Constantinople) .............. .
146
2,000
"
Denmark
(Jesuit
3,000
schools).............
116
"
"
Africa
Oceanica
Cl)
The number of Catholics is only approximate.
VoL. xv, No. 3·
�VARIA.
Greece •...•...•••.•.••••
40 number of Catholics
6,000
1,000
Sweden ........•••......
9
"
"
Russia .......••...•.•...
?
5
America, United States ...... . 15,000
8,000,000
Canada ....•••..........
9,000
1,500,000
R e m a i n de r of
.America ........... .
4,000
"
Of course in France, Belgium, .Austria, Spain and Portugal not all nominally
Catholics join in Catholic works; those who are Liberals naturally refrain
from liberality to the Church. The resources of the Society for the Propaga.
tion of the Faith would give statistics as remarkable as those already given.
The conclusion drawn by Fr. Croonenbergh, then, is that by organization and
without any burden on Catholic communities, Europe alone can bear nearly
the whole weight of Catholic Propaganda; futhermore, that by a further
extention of these simple means of obtaining resources to other states of
Europe and to America, missionaries would not in future be obliged to solicit
special help to carry on the noble work for which their present resources are
only half adequate. The number of missionaries throughout the world is generally estimated at iOOO, but in reality it would reach 80110. To this number
should be achled about -1000 Brothers and Sisters of various Orders. The
humble and active Franciscans on the missions, according to the English
Catholic Jfissions, number :l.iOO; the Jesuit Fathers, according to official statistics, number 25ti0, including Canada and the Cnited States where not more
than 100 members are engaged in mission work, properly so called; The Dominicans number 800; the secular Priests of the )Iissions Etrangeres (Paris),
iOO; the Lyons Society, 400; the Oblate•, l.'iO; and several other associations
fill up the number of soon.
Rome.-Cardinal )Inzzella is to continue Prefect of Studies in the Roman
College. Fr. de Maria will be assisi"ant Prefect of ~tudies and Father de )Iandato will lecture on Dogma. Fr. De .Augustinis will also lecture on Dogma. Fr.
Lugari replaces Fr. Anselmi as Hector. Fr. Bucceroni is occupied at present in
revising the Compendium of the Privileges of the Society, which will be printed
with the Bulls of the Popes in the :lrd vol. of the Institnte.-The Propaganda
has published a decree full of the praise of our Fathers of the old Society and
of their works in China. It recommends the Bishops to urge their missioners to the study of Chinese literature, in order that they may be able, as formerly, to gain influence over the upper classes.
St. Louis Fnh·et•sity.-The Post-Graduate eourse of Leetures for 1886-87
was resumed on ~[onday, October l:?th, ant! will continue till the middleofApril,
with a recess of four weeks at Christmas. The suhjects for the Private series
and the Lecturers are as follows :-Fr. James lloetler will give four lectures
on Psychology; Fr. H. ~!adler, four on Ethics; Fr. T. Hughes, ten on Anthropology: Fr. H .. J. Yotel, four on Physical Science; mul Fr. T. Hughes, ten on
Biology.-The property of the University has been sold to he put up in business blocks, the price being ;3-163,0(111 or a little over ::'!1.)0 a front toot. The
University was founued in ~~~ti before the citv had tiOOO inhabitants. The
new St. Xavier Church is situated on the sotith-west corner of Grand and
Linden Avenues. The exctn-ations lor the new College have been ~ompleted
and the UniveT'ity will occupy the central position of the hloc!Z'orr Grand
Avenue, directly south of the chureh,-thus commanding a clear view of Pine
Street and of the city below. l'ntil the builtlings are completed classes etc.
will be held in the old t•niversity.
Father Coppens' second work entitled, A Practical Introduction to English
Rhetoric, of which we printed the Preface in our last i~sue is now published.
It is clear, thorough, and, what it professes to be, practical. It will fully an·
swer the purpose for which it was intended and "guide the steps of the young
through the pleasant paths of literature, without exposing them to the danger
of losing what is far more precious than all the literature of the world-the
purity of their faith and the innocence of their heart."
Spain.-One of our Fathers while preaching a mission in Valenc-ia during
the rage of the cholera, in one of his sermons offered his life to God, if He
would spare the people who were dying on all sides. Fifteen days later the
�T'ARIA.
347
cholera ceased entirely in the city, and the preacher's offer seems to have been
accepted, for he was called to receive the reward of his labors, at. the time
that the epidemic disappeared. During the scourge, water blessed with t)1e
medal of St. Ignatius was in great demand. There was a stream of people
constantly coming to our College for a supply. One of Ours writes that many
miracles have taken place through the intercession of St. Ignatius. In one
village the disease ceased as soon as all the inhabitants had gone to confession
and been blessed with the water of St. Ignatius.- Fr. Jiigacl Jiir has been
admitted a member of the Spanish Academy at ~fadrid; this is the fi"t instance of the reception into that body of a Jesuit since the expulsion of the
Society from !'<pain in 1767. Fr. ~Iir's chief work is entitled J[armony of
Science and Faith.
·
St. 1\Iar~··s Co., :uat·ylan!l.-On the 2Gth of September, 1886, Rev. J. M.
Giraud opened a jubilee mission at St. Inigo's with a very good attendance
and attention. The exercises ccntinued with fervor till the close on \Vednesday, when the Papal Benediction was gh·en at 10 A.M. ThPre were :?47 con·
fessions and, in the words of an old resident, "some hard-crab' sherlded off."
The Rev. Father arrived at St. Nicholas, fifteen miles from St. Inigo's on
'Vednesday, P. ~r. Here the attendance was very limited at the D o'clock Mass
on Thursrlay. on account of insuflicient notice to the people. But in the after·
noon of Thursday the crowd became larger, and throughout the Friday aml
Saturday exercises, the church was too small. The people were very atten·
tive and kept the confessor busy. There were 30G altogether. The close was
at 10 A. ~I. on Saturday. After resting that night in the hospitable house of
,V. \\".Cecil, at the old Clifton factory, the mission was opened at St. George's,
some nine miles from St. Nichola<. The first Mass at 7.:l0 was well attended
and there was a crowd at the !O.SO J!ass. The music at this church as well
as at St. Nicholas added to the interest of the exercises. I·' rom late ~lass on
Sunday, until the close at :L~O on Tuestlay, the mission was all that could be
desired. A discourse on the reasons why people do not go to confession seemed
to produce a great effect. ~!any non-Catholics were present. Though the
congregation is murh smaller than the others, there were ~~2 confessions.
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament was given d<lily in all the churches ex·
cept St. ~Iichael's. A beginning was made in this last church on Thursday, at
9 A. ~1. Attendance was straggling in the beginning but they still kept coming
in so as to keep the priest busy. The mission was a success, and the beautiful little church was overcrowded at the principal exercises. The number of
confessions heard was :!O.i. The Rosary was recited in all the missions <laily.
The total number of confessions in the jubilee ~Iissions given by Fr. Giraud
was 1040.
Tchang-1Uang.-There are :l~ scholars in the boys' school, and 20 in the
girls' school. Col. Denby, the F. S. )[inister paid them a visit. He is a for·
mer pupil of Georgetown College. and hold.o his former teachers in high esteem.
Be i.• anxious to show his nffection towards their brothers in China. He and
his secretary, Mr. Fleming, on every opportunity praise all the works of Ours.
Trinit~· Church, Boston.-Father Kopper has published an interesting
sketch of the History of Holy Trinity Church, Boston, which is about to cele·
brate the golden Jubilee of its foundation. He tells in simple words the history of the many trials und painful vicissitudes through which this church
passed, lwfore it arrived at the prosperity and pe;tce, which it now enjoys. In
our next issue we hope to gi\·e an abstract of this interesting history. Till a
few years ago Holy Trinity was the only German Catholic Church in New
England. Fr. Kopper states also, with pride, that Holy Trinity school was
the first Catholic school in the six New England Stutes.
"'ashington, D. C.- St. Joseph's unfinished German church, \Vashiugton, D. C., heretofore in charge of our Fathers, has been given up to the Archbishop, and will be hereafter an English and German parish church, with
regular parish limits. Fr. Schleuter, S. J., has been succeeded as pastor by
Fr. Schmitt transferred from Frostburg, :Md.
·
�VARIA.
"'est Jn(lics.-Tn the J[etenrologische Zeit.•chr1Jt for .June, mention is made
of the more 1111 nnrtant meteorolo~ie stations of the"" est Indies, fitted with good
in!>.trumenb anll in (•harge nf ~ootl oh5:ervers. Amon!! these are: Jiavana, Cuba,
at the .Jesuit Col]<>.~e, in charge of Padre Benito Yiiiez; Port au Prince, Hayti, directed hy .Jesuits; 1\m in San .Juan, Porto Hico, one cuntrulled by the
government, the other in a .Jesuit re>idence.
Zambcsc :\lission.-The f<Jllowing account of the labors of our Fatherd
in South .\fnea, is taken from the "Letters of .Jersey" and may prove of interest to onr readers.
Father Weld, as. is generally known, left Europe in Feb. 1883, to succeed
Fr. Depelchin in the grn·ernment of the mission. The sad experience of less
than three years in which numbers of Ours fell victims to the fatigues and
privations of their nohle work, an<! to the fever so prevalent in the missionary districts, determined Fr. Weld to huild a house of studies. Here the
Scholastics attached to the mission could be e<lncated, learn the language of
the uath·es, ant! ~ccustom themselves to the requirements of the climate.
Here also the Fathers weakene<l and tired bv their labors in the interior could
cn1ue ami recrnit their feeble stren§:th, nuike their yearly retreat and taste
from time to time the sweetness of community lite. This plan Fr. \\"eld soon
~arried into effect. and at present there is at Dn1mbrody a tlourishing scholasticate occupied by fonr Father·s, eighteen Scholastics studyin.~ Philosophy and
eit:ht Brothers. But the idea of Fr. Weld included more than the building
of a Scholasticate at Drnmbrody; he intended to f(mn<l there a large Catholic
village of natives. In this also he has so far been su~ces•ful. Eight Catholic
net:ro families. numbering in all sixt~· souls, are already settled upon the
banks of a small stream not far from our house. Some of them are employed
in w"rkint: upon the t:mns helomdnt: to the Scholasticate, while the others
gain a tirir livelihood hy eulth·atiug- the land on which they dwell. "'ith the
<'onsent of their parents baptized 1,op am! girls from the Catholic school at
Grahamstown are adnpte<l ami educated by us, on condition that when they
become of ll!!e. the\" will settle pernranently in the new· born villag-e. The boys
are taut:ht thdr catechism d:~ilv hv Ours; :ul!l the girls bv two ladies of the
neighborhoo<l, wl10 await the e:irl):'arri,·al of the Sisters, In order to become
noviees. ~las-; is said e\·ery ~unday for the ~mall con.~rezation, and already
the C,1ffirs have learne<l a numl>er of hymns which they sing- during the Holy
Sacrifice. S" far the outlook fnr the success of the Drumhrody experiment is
very e1wourag-ing", and at no distant day the South of Africa, with the bless·
inl( of God, \\·ill present the same scene of prosperity and virtue, which
flourishe·l in l'arat:uay in the early <l:lys of the s.. ciety.
Reports frnm other points of the missions are eci'Hilly gratifying. At Gretlllnn,,fou·n in addition to the College of St. Aidan, there is a school for the
colored children with an attetHlarll'e of about a huntlred. The negroes have
already noticed the diii'erent spirit which underlies the activity of the Protestant ministers and that which prompts the zeal of our Fa the"· and they have
not heen slow to manifest their preference for the latter. There is e\·ery hope
of successful labor among the three thousand Xegroes residing at Grahams·
town, au<! already Ours ha\·e a good hold upon the atlections of a large number.
Home XPws. -Ordination,q. Cardinal Gihbons, who was to cohfer Holy
Orders, arrh·e<l on the evening of.\ ut:nst :25th. Occasion was taken"of this his
first eoming to "'oodstock since h1s elevation to the Cardinnlate, to give him
a reeeption. He was met at the c!Ppot hy Fr. ProYincial and Fr. Hector a11d
other Fathers of the collct:e faculty, while the Scholastics bearing torches
awaited his arrh·al on the bridge whi<·h spans the Patapsco. \\"hen the Car·
dina! reached the brid.:re, r•>ckets were fire<! from both sides of the structure
gh·ing momentarily a friry-like illumination to the river and woods. The
choir then sang a filllr·part chorus, Clari's Can tate; anrl the procession moved
slowly up the new woo<len path. which was t:racefully outlined by Chinese
lanterns. On reaching the summit of the hill the Cardinal was conducted to
a pavilion, situated on the broad lawn that f•·onts the College, while around
were seated the Scholastics and Fathers. The lawn was a coronal of light
within the circle of which blazed pyramidal masses of lil!ht in cardinal colors
and symbols. Rockets, Bengal lights and brilliant red balloons put the sky
jn keeping with the earth. The college windows were illumined, and the
�VARIA.
349
mellowness of the light against the grey granite, gave a delightful contrast to
the cardinal hues that pre,·ailed on the lawn. ·when the Cardinal was seated,
the following programme was presented :
FEST UARCH,
ORCHESTRA,
lJiichaelis.
Address of Congratulation, Fr. Piccirillo; Ordination, Mr. Connell; Pastor, Mr. Uulry; Vic1tr-Apostolic, Mr. Me Namara.
EXULTEMUS,
CHORUS '& ORCHESTRA, Clari.
Bishop, Mr. R. O'Connell; Archbishop,'Mr. P. Walshe; Apostolic Delegate,
Mr. J. H. Smith; Cardinal, Mr. Fagan.
FIN ALE,
ORCHESTRA.
The reply of his Eminence to all these expressions of good-will and affection was in kind. He regretted most sincerely, he said, that his health and
strength would not permit him to answer as he would wish. He was grateful
from his heart for the princely reception that had been tendered him-a recep:
tion, indeed, which he had been lead to look for; but which far surpassed his
expectations in its scale of magnificence. But it was not so much to this outward splendor that he looked, as, to quote Father Piccirillo's beautiful words,
to the smiles of greeting and welcome and love which beamed towards him
from all sides. It was indeed ever a happiness for him to come among the
sons of Loyola. His love for 'Voodstock was ever fresh. Great has been the
record of that young but illustrious seat of learning; and its name has already
gone forth. To bring learning to Rome was like carrying coals to Newcastle.
And yet two of the Fathers from Woodstock had been called to that city, to
take professorial chairs in its highest seat of learning. And there they had
gained additional lustre. One was to day listened to \Yith respect and attention by the le!trned of Rome; the other (and he thanked God for it) had been
meritedly raised to the princely rank of the Cardinalate.
Among the addresses none had touched him more nearly than that which
dealt with his life as Vicar-Apostolic; for it had brought back to his mind
many tender memories of the past. He himself could vouch for the truth of
the description of the ignorance with regard to the faith which, at the time
referred to, prevailed in North Carolina. That Catholic pictures and statues
were commonly to be found in the parlors of Protestant families (sold to them
by pedlars, and bought in entire ignorance of their meaning) was, as the
speaker had stated, qnite true. Indeed, it recalled to his mind a little incident, connected with his stay in the region of his labors as Vicar·Apostolic.
Whilst he was once casting about to obtain a statue of our I.ady, a Protestant offered to show him the "statue of some woman or other which had fallen
juto his hands." It proved to be a fine statue of the Immaculate Conception. "There it js," said the owner; "it's a fine statue of a woman, but that
darned snake under her feet spoils it all."
For years he had come regulnrly to 'Voo<lstock to raise its students to the
dignity of the prie"thood; and these occasions had been happy moments; for
he knew well what were the studies and training that went to the making of
a Jesuit priest: he knew what zealous laborers he was admitting into the
Lord's vineyard. Why, the Jesuit priests were a part of the history of Maryland in whatever was most glorious. With the noble colony that firRt put
foot upon the shore of Maryland were two Jesuit priests; the first Bi"hop to
take charge of its CatholiP. children was a Jesuit; the priest who erected"' oodstock, the great college of the United States, was a Jesuit.
Then his Eminence in words that "added praise to praise" dilated upon his
love for "'ondstock and the Society; and concluded with again and again tendering his heart· felt thanks to those who had so kindly and lovingly received
him. The gracious and consoling words of his Eminence, recalled to the minds
of manv the words of Hev. Fr. Yicar in his late letter.-"In tantis autem
..•.• laudibus .. : . . decet omnes nos diligentissime nohiscum ipsis reputare, quot quantreque sint, non dicam gloriandi, sed permodeste de nobis sentiendi causre."
The ordinations to the priesthood took place on Saturday, August 28th.
Twenty·eight were ordained. Of the Province of Maryland New York.Francis B. Goeding, John A. Chester1 Williali! J. Tynan, William F. Gre·
�350
T' ARIA.
gory, John C. Keveney, Thomas J. Gannon, :Michael II. O'Brien, Francis W.
Gunn, Francis X. Brady, Charles C . .Tones, James T. Gardiner, 'Villiam H.
Walsh, William H. Judge, Daniel ::II. ::lie Elhinney, Patrick S. Murphy, John
T. Hedrick, Thomas W. Wallace.
Of the Province of::\Iissouri-::\Iarshall I. Boarman, James J. Conway, Eugene A. Magevney, Alexander J. Burrowes, Henry ,V. Otting.
Of the ::\fission of Calitornia- John D. Walshe, Jerome Ricard, Vincent
Chiappa.
Of the Mission ofXew Orleans-Alexis de Stockalper, Patrick J. O'Leary,
and Rene Motte, of the ::\Iission of New 1Iexico. Fr. John P. Me Donnell was
ordained in Galveston, on the 2nd of July, by Bishop Gallagher.
Garmina Leonis XIII.- The Scholastics have brought out in English verse
the poems of our Holy Father. They have been very favorably rPceived even
by Protestant critics. The Xew York Independent says: "The volume bas made
its appearance in good form with neat red-rule<! margins, the Latin originals
on the left hand page and the English translations on the right. The poems
are ecclesiastical in •ubject and Italian in eolor composed in simple metrical
Latinity .... They are illustrated with numerous notes which are helpful in
their way . . . The translations are done with great pains and on the whole
well done, though they depart widely from the original in metrical form.
They are musical and poetic and faithful enough to be above criticism."Mnrphy and Co. of Baltimore, are the publishers.
Old Books. -Father Piccirillo is m'aking a collection of Catholic books
printed in this country before the year 18~5. Contributions of old books and
pamphlets, and information concerning them, will be gratefully received.
Why am I a Catholic ?-At the request of the Editor of the North Ameri·
can Review, Father Brandi, our matin Professor of Dogma, contributed an
article to that periodical on the si.tbject, "Why am I a Catholic?" With a sort
of tacit acknowledgement, probably, of the claim of the Catholic Church to
priority of time in existence, Father Brandi's article was giyen the prece·
deuce in order of publication, in a series of similar articles by ministers of
various denominations. The article was remarkably well receiveu, having
been copied into almost every Catholic paper of the United States. At the
request of friends and with the authorization of the Editors of the Review, it
has been republished at ""oodstock in pamphlet form, and with some additions.
}fessenger of the Sacred ~Heart.- On the 27th of July last, the }fes·
sen.qer of the Sacred Heart, which for the last sixteen years, was issued monthly from this house, changed its offices to the Gesii, Philadelphia. The first
number of the :Messenger in the United States appeared in April 1865, under
the editorship of Fr. Sestini, 8. J., who continued in that capacity until
November 1885, when the infirmities of old age made it necessary to transfer
the burden of his office, to younger and stronger shoulder•. He is now at the
Novitiate in Frederick under the care of the infirmarian, and enjoyed the
celebration of his Golden Jubilee or Fiftieth Anniversan· of his entrance in·
to religion, on the 30th of October. Meanwhile, the Jfessenger, under its new
Editor Fr. R. S. Dewey, and his assistant Fr. F. X. Brady, is growing so rapid·
ly iri circulation that one thousand additional copies of the October number
had to be ordered, to meet the demands of its widening circle of subscribers.
The following changes have taken place in our Faculty: Fr. Grimmelsman
teache• the 2ud year of Philosophy; Fr. Romano teaches the sh6rt course of
Theology; Fr. Jovene succeeded our lamente,l Fr. Brambring, as Professor of
evening Dogma, but was obliged to discontinue teaching about the beginning
of November. lie was replaced by Fr. Devitt, lately Professor in George·
town, and formerly Professor of Philosophy in ""oodstock.
Fr. J. A. Conway, who has tam:ht Philosophy for the last three years in
Woodstock, and Fr. Brett, who has just finished his course, reached Rome
about the middle of October to begin their biennittm. Their address is: Col·
legio Gregoriano, 102 via del Seminario, Rom a, Italia.
�351
CONGREGATIO PROCURATORUM
HABIT A FESULIS DIE 8 SEP. 1886.
R. P. ANTONIUS MARIA ANDERLEDY
VICARIUS GENERALIS
NOMEN ET COGNO)IEN
ORTUS
IINGRESS.
,
1
ASSISTE~T.ES
1
j
GRAD US
i
P. Matthreus Ciravegna .....•••.•.. Assislens Ilali!l' ...•.•••••••• !19 ~Iar. 18~5: 18 Nov. 18421 ~5 Mar. 1860
P. Franciscus Grandidier......... Sub~l. AssM: Gall_iac •••••• 11~ Jul. 18~3 1 ~ Aug.1~~~ ~Feb. 1862
P. Joan. Jos. de Ia Torre ......•.... AssUJtens Ht"Panur ...•..•. .19 Mar. 1&:0, 9 Oct. 1~o-,1o Aug.1865
P. Robertus Whitty •••••••• ......•.. Assi,<tens Angliac............ 7 Jan. 1817: 8 Apr. 1837[ 2 Feb. 1868
P. Gaspar Hoevel.. ................... As.,'islens Germaniac....... !15 i'ep. 183114 Oct. 1856: 2 Feb. 1874
!
PROCURATORES
I
I
I
P. Secund)lS Franco:••H ............ Prm·. T,aur-lnen..~is •••.••.••. 2'2 Jan. 181!1 5 Feb. 183~ 1 25 ~Iar.lS~O
P. Augustmus Hennet ............. Prot'. 1\eerlandt:!'........... : 4 ~Iar. 1811:10 Oct. 183:, 19 Mar. 1853
P. Antonius Caradonna ........... Pmt'. Sieul;e .................. 18 Xov.1821! 2 Dec. 1837 2 Feb. 1855
P. Cajetanus Tedeschi... ........... Pr<n•. l"enet'r ................. 113 i:'ep. 1820 16 Sep. 18~l8 2 Feb. 1856
P. Franciscus Ferrante ............ Pror. Seapolitanx ......... 2 ~Iar.1818 3 Nov. 1838 2 Feb. 1856
P. Hugo Molza......................... Prot•. Roman<r............... 8 )!ar.1821 17 Oct. 1840 2 Feb. 1856
P. Gaspar Szczepkowski.. ......... Prat•. Galician!l'............. ' 1 Jan. 182:!12 Scp. 1840,1 2 Feb.1858
P. Georgius l'orter.................... Pn•t'. Anolia-................. 127 Aug.1825! 7 Sep. 1841J 2 Feb.1860
P. Eduardus Kelly ................... Prol'.Jiiberniac .............. :l Dec. 1824 23 Oct. 1842 2 Feb.1860
1
P. Josephus Janssens ............... Prou. Belgtcw ................ 4 Sep. 1826'24 Sep. 1845 1 2 Feb.1863
P. Ambrosius Monnot.. ............. Prov. Lugdunensis......... , 4 Apr. 18:n: 8 Nov.1846·15 Aug.1864
P. Mauritius Meschler............. Pror. Gumania·............. !16 Sep. 1H30! ~ Nov.1850 2 Feb. 1867
P. Paulus Fristot ...................... Prov. Campanim ............ '29 Jun. 1833 31 Aug.1851 2 Feb. 1870
P. };mmanuel Mourier............. Prm·. Franci,e ............... l 7 Jan. 18.3.Y~a Nov.1855 15 Aug.1872
P. Eduardus IIiggins ............... Prot'. Jlissonrianm ......... 23 Dec. 1838 15 Jul. 1854 2 Feb. 1873
P. Franciscus Schwrerzler ........ Prm•. Aw~tri:e .•••••••.•...•.. 30 .Aug.1840:14 Sep. 1858 2 Feb. 1876
P. Josephus Castell:L ............... Prov. Amgonia! ............. i ..! Apr. 1843 12 Oct. 185a 2 Feb. 1877
P. Radulplms de Scorraille ...... Pror. 11•lu.;amr.............. j24 Jan. 1842'14 Jul. 1860 2 Feb. 1877
P. Robertus Bradr .................... Prov. Jfaryl. Neo-Ebor .. , 6 Oct. 182j'31 Aug.1843 8 Mai. 1877
P. Josephus Ve!ez .................... Prov. Toletanm ................ 19 Apr. 1843'31 Jul. 1860 15 Aug.1877
P. Josephus Da Cruz ................. Prov. Lusitanac.............. l9 Dec. 1847:~0 Apr. 1861 2 Feb. 1881
P. Ludovicus Martin ............... Prov. Ca.;tellanm ............ 19 Aug.1846113 Oct. 1864 2 Feb. 1881
1
1
'I
f
l
�352·
C 0 L L E:G E S 0 F T H E S 0 C I E T Y
IN THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA.
1885-86
1881-85
~
NAME
PLACE
PROYIXCE
------- -------
Baltimore, Md ............... Lovola College• ............ ~!d. N. Y ....... l 148 3
Bo~ton, )lass ................ Bo~ton College* ............ :\ld. N. Y . ...... I ~97
9
Bufralo, N. Y................ :!'auisius College ............ Germhn ......... 'l 278 7
Chicago, Ill .................. !St. Ignatius (~ollegc* .... ,
-)Iissuuri.. ...... 274 8
Cincinnati. o ............... •l:'t. Xavier College•......
"
Detroit, :\Iich ................ jDetroit College*............. 1
''
243
Fordham, X. Y ............ St. John's College ......... ,~Id N.Y ....... 230 12
Galveston, Tex ............. St. ~Iary'sTnh·• ........... l N. 0. Mis" ...... 1
I
Georgetown, D. C......... Georgetpwn College ..... 1;\!d. X Y ....... : 207 10
Grand Coteau, La .......... St. Charle!'' College ...... , N. 0. Miss ...... i 941
Jerser City. X. J .......... :"t.l'eter's College* ....... ~~Id. N. Y ....... l J().J,
Las \egus, X. }tl ........... :Las Vegas College ........ Naples ........... I 215
~lilwaukcc, "'is ........... )larquctte College* ...... :\li~~ouri.. ...... :
~Iontreal, Can ............. ;Colll>ge 1-'te. ~lane ........ Mi>s. of Can .. l s;;1
:Morrison, Colo ............. ~acred Heart College* .. Naples........... 31,
Xew York, N. Y ........... ~8!. Francis X. College* )!d. N.Y...... 1 398: 15
New Orleans, La .......... ' Im. Concept. ColJtoge* ... X 0 ~!iss ...... I 36:3' 6
Omaha, ~eb ................. ·creighton C01lege* ...... ~lissouri. ....... ' liS,
Prairie du Chien, \\'is .. College of 8 Heart ...... German......... 103'
St. Bonitilce, Manitoba. College of ~t. Joseph ... ~!iss. of Can.. 1 105! 4
~anta Clara, Cal ........... '. Sta. L'lara College ......... , Turin ............ I 2:\41
San Frandsco, Cal ...... ~St. Ignatius' College* ···I
"
8U 2
1
'1293111
1
1621
San Jose. Utl. ............... :St ..Tust.>ph's Colleg-e*
···1
"'
~
97
St. Louis, Mo ............... ;s_ t. Louis CniY.*_ ........... Missouri........ 344 1 5
St. ~[ary·,, Kan ............ :St. Mary's College........
"
288j 4
i:'pring Hill, Ala ........... 'i'l Jo>eph's College ...... N. 0. ~!iss ...... 119: 13
\\'asluugton, D. C ......... IGonzaga College* ......... ~Id. N. Y ....... l 118 ...
Worcester, ~Iass ...........1Holy Cross College.......
"
...... u_5_1j__l<)_
TOTAL ............ /6:18i j124
• Day Schools.
-· .·
259
757
2
.. .
337 1
285 4
1H 10
138
11>3! 25
5915 11:11
�OON1'ENTB OF VOL. XI".
Page
Canada-Tercentenary Celebration at Quebec
3
"
The Canadian Scholasticate
101
The Xew Villa at La Broquerie
268
•)<ewtown :\fanor-Appendix
.
•
•
7
Louisiana-Short Account of the Society in New Orleans
33, 144
Fr. Thomas Copley, ali•ls Philip Fisher-Identification
44
.~rchbishop Carroll's Estimate of our Constitutions
•
47
Archbi•hop Carroll thinkR of re-entering the So~i<>ty
194
PennsYlvania-Some Histori<·a l Documents
4R
••
1785-1786
.
.
•
•
190
Epistolary Extracts relating to St. Joseph's, Philadelphia
til
New York-St. Joseph's Church, Yorkville .
.
'
62
A Sketch of Fr. Joseph Durthaller
.
65
Disguises and Aliase.< ofEa.-Jy ~fis,ionarie,: .
72
X ebraska-Labors among the Poles and Bohemians
75
ltocky Mountains-Letter from :\Ir. flougis .
.
ii
"
"
••
"
Fr. Robert F. 8mith
.
19ti
''
Among the Kootenais, Fr. ltobt ..F. Smith
2ti5
St. Peter's Mission, Montana, ~Ir. Bougis
218
England-Letter from Br. Foley
SO
Missionary Labor
.
8:!
~lexico-Letter of :\lr. Arrovave
87
Letter from one or" Ours
.
.
.
:l11
:\Ussious of Fr. Labrador, Letter from Fr. Rivero .
~fJS
"
"
"
"
~fr.Arroyave
~~)!)
Our Lady of Guadalupe
:101
( 'atalogue of :\fissionarv Fathers
.
.
89
" '
" the Maryland )Iission, 1~18-181!1
188
Bohemia, Cecil County, )faryland
ltl2, 221
Chaplains of the Civil War
.
110
"
"
)fexican \Yar. 184ti .
.
.
19S
Very Rev. Fr. Gruber on the Restoration of the Society
.
.
llG
Mr."Mosley's Reasons for not taking the Oath of Fidel\ty to the State
137
An Account of the Edifying Death of:hfr. Robt. Brooke
.
151
Biographical Sketcl1 of Early Missionaries
15-1
Letter of Fr. de Grivel to a friend in Paris
16~
Ecuador-Letter from Fr. A. ~alazar
.
171
United State" of Colombia-Letter of Fr. R. Perez
11:!
Xew York )fissions, 16ii:J-1G8!l
175
Copies of Old \\"ills
184
Paraguay Heductions
,
~03
)fissouri-Letter from Fr. Thomas Hughes
.
.
:!1:1
Appointment of Fr. )lolyneux as Superior and his .\cceptance
:!14
California-St. l_gnatin'' College, San Francisco
.
.
:lli
A Short )[emoir of Fr. Nicholas Porter
:!41
~lemoirs of Manresa, ~- Y.
.
:!4~1
Brazil-Letter from Fr. H. Galanti
.
261
Fiesole-Letter from Fr. Rnbt. W. Brady
.
274
Wyoming-St. Stephen's )lission, Letter from Fr. Ponziglione
:!78
Cardinal Mazzella
.
.
.
.
.
284
Ireland-~Iungret College, Letter from Fr.. )no. A. Conway
304
)[alta-Br. Polizzi
.
.
.
.
.
:lll
Dokota-St. Francis' )lission, Letter from Fr. Perrig
.
.
:llti
< IBITUARIE>' :-Fr. Jame" Clark, 119; Fr . .James Delihant, 1211; Fr. Pat·
1·ick .illcQuaid, 120; Fr. Franci" X. ~adlier, 120: Fr . .John McAuley,
122; Fr. Jeremiah Driscoll, 123; Fr. Alexius L . .Jamison, 1:!:); Fr .
. \ugustus .T. Thebaud, 1:!4; Fr. Vincent P. Devlin, 125; Fr. Joseph E.
Keller, 12~: Fr. Bernard A. Maguire, 232; Fr. John Clark•·. 320; Br.
Joseph 1\"ellner, 321; Br. Theodore Lohmann, :l21: Fr. Camillu~ lmoda,
322; Fr. William Niederkorn, 323; Fr. Louis Monaco, 324: Fr. Peter
Chassot, 325; Fr. John F. Dcr~in, 32S: Br. Priscus Caso, 329; Fr.
Patrick Kennely, :329; Mr. John B. O'Leary, 330; Fr. Frederick
Bramhring, 331. ·
Varia
.
.
128, 233, 335
Congregatio Procuratorum
351
Colleges
.
.
35:!
Fructus Spirituales
�~-
.·
�Ministeria Spiritualia Provincire Marylandire Neo-Eboracensis, a die 1· Julii 1885 ad diem 1""' Julii 1886.
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�ERRATA:
p. 247 line 27 instead of r767 read I797·
p. 249 "
5 after sc!tolastic read novices
" "
" 27 instead of i11
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�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Woodstock Letters
Creator
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 15 (1886)
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1886 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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JA-Woodstock-015
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BX3701 .W66
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JA-Woodstock
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1886
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Text
A. 1\1. D. G.
vVOODSTOCK LETTERS
A RECORD
Of C1wrent EL•ents an(l Historical Notes connected with
the Colleges ancl 11Iissions of the Soc. of Jesus
in North anll South America.
VOL.
XVI.
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
I
8 8 7.
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
��WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XVI, No.
1.
FATHER BERNARD A. MAGUIRE.
A SKETCH.
From the cheering feast day of St. Francis Borgia, in
1806, when our Society began a new life in the new world by
opening her novitiate at Georgetown, few men have arisen
among us of whom we can be more proud than Fr. Bernard
A. Maguire. Though not born in America, he grew up
here, and was an American in education and sympathy.
Whatever he had of power as a ruler, piety as a religious,
and magnetism as a preacher of God's word was discovered,
. nurtured and developed by the training of the Society in
this country. Others have been remarkable in some particular sphere, few were so versatile as he.
Father Maguire was born February I Ith, 1818, in Edgeworthtown, County Longford, Ireland. He was proud of
his native land, making no secret of it, even when addressing people whose prejudices were strong. His parents came
to the United States when he was six years old, and settled
on the line of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, near Frederick, Maryland. Fr. John McElroy used in those days to
minister to the spiritual wants of the Catholics engaged on
the public works. On his visits to the Maguires he was
always attraCted by one bright lad, Bernard, in whom his
quick insight into charaCter deteCted the makings of a priest
of God. There were other ~oys in the family, but God had
(3)
�4
FA;f'HER BERNARD A. JfAGUIRE.
not chosen them to do His work before men. Fr. McElroy
resolved to give every means of education in his power to
the young aspirant to the priesthood, and took him to the
residence of the Fathers in Frederick. Here Fr. Maguire
was entered as a student in St. John's College, then quite
renowned as a seat of learning. Fr. l\lcElroy, as president
of the College, must ha\·e been highly pleased when he
heard the favorable reports about his protege ; how even
then in his teens he began to show forth the power that one
day would be remarkable. St. John's was well equipped in
those years. Frs. Aloysius Young and Virgil Barber were
the chief profes~ors; though Father Maguire's rudimentary
training was direcred for a time by a ;\lr. Kelly, who afterwards became a secular priest and was the founder of St.
Peter's Church in Jersey City.
In looking over some old programme:; of the College, we
notice two names: Bernard A. Maguire and Enoch Louis
Lowe. These two youth:; stood high in their classes, and
always took prominent parts in the school exhibitions as
declaimers. Both in aftei·life were noted for their eloquence,
but in far different roles... One after finishing his education
in Stony hurst returned to his nati\·e state and gave his energies to the law and to public life, and was a leader of men
for years; the other called by the grace of God to a sublime place of work, ga\·e himself to God, entered the Societv, and became a leader of men too. The one was admir~d and served, but is now scarcelv remembered; the
other was admired and lm·ed, and hi~ memory will last;
though dead, he still li\·eth. Those who do God's work
will be rewarded, and in this world their memory will be in
benedicrion.
_
Fr. Maguire entered the Society September 20th, 1837. and
had as his spiritual guide Fr. Dzierozynski for the time of his
noviceship. How well our no\·ice profited by the lessons
and example of his master, who e\·en when a young man
in \Vhite Russia was looked upon by the older ~Fathers as
a model, may be easily surmised from the tenor of his career.
In 1839 and 1840. Fr. l\Iaguire was studying rhetoric at
Georgetown under Fr. George Fenwick, and we must believe,
that this able teacher did a great deal to form the future
orator of the Province.
From the old Catalogues we can follow Fr. Maguire step
by step in his course through philosophy, teaching and prefecring, not that these duties came smgly, for in those days
Ours were expected to be many-handed and many-sided.
In 1840-41, he studied philosophy, and w·as at the same
�FATHER BERXARD A. "1IAGUIRE.
5
time prefeCt in Georgetown; in 1841-42, he continued his
study and was not called upon to aCt as prefeCt; in 1842-43,
he was in Frederick as teacher of mathematics and prefeCt
at St. John's College; at the same time, he had charge of
the library and museum. During the year 1843-44, he is
again at Georgetown as teacher of the first class of grammar, and the third class of mathematics; these duties he
continued with the variety at one time of a French class,
except during 1845-46, when he was relieved from the grammar class in order to be prefeCt. Finally, after all these
employments that in our days would be work enough for
two men, he began his last preparation for the priesthood
in 1846. His theological course, however, was interrupted
now and then, as he had to supply for others; in I 849-50,
he was catechist for the students. In the performance of
this latter duty, he ga\·e himself no respite. The students
who heard him remember the effeCts of his words to this
day. All saw that the promises of a brilliant career were
to be realized.
Fr. Maguire was ordained September 27th, 185I, by Bishop McGill of Richmond. The reason of the delay in the
ordination is easily accounted for. During the third year
of his theology a rebellion took place among the students,
se\·enty of whom withdrew from the college. By the taCt
of a \·enerable Father now in Philadelphia peace was restored by an unconditional surrender of the rebels, and Mr.
1\hguire was appointed first prefect, and under his prudent
and firm management the affairs of the College were again
in a flourishing state. After his third year of probation
under Fr. Felix Cicaterri, in 185 r-52, Fr. l\Iaguire, then in
his thirty-fourth year, was made Rector of Georgetown College by the Provincial, and his aCtion was confirmed by Very
Rev. Father General, January 25th, 1853.
As ReCtor of the chief College of the Province the subject of this sketch soon brought his charge to a flourishing condition. Never before was Georgetown so well
patronized; never was her fair name in better keeping.
The students idolized their president; they were proud of 0
him before the world ; their ~worship was lavished with- 1'\.eJYrf.
out stint. Nevertheless they feared and respeCted him, and
on one notable occasion he showed them that he was their
master. Some unruly students attempted another rebellion
and for a few hours gave no little annoyance to the authorities. The president appeared in the pulpit at breakfast the
next morning, and made so telling and terrifying an address
that the uprising was brought to an end. The writer of
�6
FA1"HER BERNARD A. MAGUIRE.
this sketch remembers hearing the students, some time afterwards, speaking of the event and how they had terror struck
to their souls by what was said to them. Fr. Maguire was
firm, severe at times; he always overawed us by his dignity,
and yet elicited admiration for his personal magnetism.
During his administration several improvements were made.
A more commodious building was ereCted for the Junior
department; the teaching of the College was put on a better
footing,and the literary and dramatic societies were encouraged. To the outside world one of the great attraCtions was the
College cadets on their grand parade through vVashington,
when invited to a reception by the President of the United
States, or by a member of his Cabinet. All things tended
to make Georgetown popular and ran up the roll of students
to over three hundred. The students themselves were well
pleased with their president and their Alma Mater. Everything was done to foster this spirit. There were dramatic
entertainments, celebrations of the national holidays, festivities of the literary societies. Those who were in Georgetown under Fr. Maguir~ can recall the monthly reading of
the "marks," as we termed the exercise. \Vhat sarcasm for
delinquents, what praise bestowed on the meritorious! The
refrain was, "you are students of Georgetown College ; you
must so aa that you may be an honor to this institution,
and to your parents who think it no ordinary matter for
their sons to be graduated here." But the day of all days
was the commencement; the congratulations and farewell of
the president which he gave in his usual style from the stage
are remembered to this day.
On OCtober sth, I8S8, Fr. John Early succeeded Fr. Maguire who was then transferred to St. Joseph's, Baltimore.
Here he was for the first time engaged in parish work, and
very soon won the applause of all for his oratorical giftsnot that he had not already acquired a reputation as a preacher and leCturer. But it was in St. Aloysius, W;;t"shington,
that he became most widely known. From 1859~t6 the end
of 1864, he had in his audiences many of the representative
men of the country, and his reputation as a pulpit orator
became national. Not a few of his Protestant hearers in all
walks of life were brought to the faith, and the Catholics
themselves greatly strengthened in their belief by listening
to his discourses, especially the doCtrinal ones, which were
delivered for the most part during Lent. There is no denying the power he exercised for good during those years.
As Very Rev Father Provincial said at the funeral of Fr.
Maguire, "critics might complain, but the people were moved,
�FATHER BERNARD A .•l/AGUIRE.
7
and if the end of all oratory be to move the hearts of the
people, and of all sacred oratory to urge them heavenward, where was the one \Vho could surpass Father Bernard
Maguire?"
Towards the end of 1864, Fr. Maguire was sent to Frederick as a missioner. During this and the following year
he gave most successful missions in Maryland and Virginia.
The number of converts to the faith was surp·rising, and
they were from the richest and the poorest. I have met
many ofthem who since their conversion have always been
fervent Catholics. Their admiration and affection for the
one who under God brought them to the Church was unbounded. But obedience called him again to the College
where he had spent so many years as teacher, prefect, and
Rector. This was a trying epoch in .the history of Georgetown. The war had almost ruined it. The class-rooms were
empty, and some said they would never be filled again. In
January, 1866, the new president was installed, and before
the end of his term in July, r8;o, the College was again
quite flourishing under his magnetic touch. The roll of
students ran up to two hundred, and there was the same.
spirit as in former years.
From 1870 to May 1875,Fr. Maguire was pastor ofSt.Aloysius' Church. Fr. J olm Early who had formerly succeeded him
in the rectorship of Georgetown, was again appointed to the
same office. In \Vashington the pastor of St. Aloysius' was
among his old friends and admirers, and very soon there
was a great change in the attendance of the congregation.
He preached generally twice a month at the High Mass,
and often at other times. All saw that his speech was none
the less gifted for his retirement from parish duty.
Fr. Maguire was now in his fifty-seventh year and had
done, some might say, his life-work, but other and greater
and more fruitful triumphs were in the future. The May of
1875 saw him beginning his career as a missioner which was
to last until disease in 1884 should bid him halt. The
Catlzolic Standard of Philadelphia pays this tribu.te to him :
"Though pre-eminently successful in the performance of
the duties of these positions, he was now about to enter
regularly upon the most useful period of his glorious career,
that of the ten years of his continuous missionary labors.
He had already given many detached Missions during the
leisure time of his previous duties, and had made for himself a reputation as a great preacher. Even before his ordination he was a brilliant orator,-so long previously, in fact,
that in August, 1844, six years before he became a priest,
�8
FATHER BERNARD A. MAGUIRE.
he preached _his first sermon in St. Joseph's, Philadelphia.
We are uncertain as to whether that was his first sermon
anywhere; but it is at least worthy of remark that his last
public discourse was delivered there, where his voice was
often heard in the meantime and whence he went forth to
die, leaving his work apparently unfinished, but certainly
having long since earned the reward of a crown of glory.
"He was, perhaps, the most successful missioner on this
continent, and as· a pulpit orator hi~ equal may not soon be
seen among us. For carrying on the work of the Missions,
both among the learned and the unlearned, he had no rival.
In all parts of the United States and even in Canada he gave
Missions as a perfeCt: stranger to those to whom he came to
preach, and the multitudes flocked to him, often blocking
up the space even outside large churches, as was notably
the case in a San Francisco church which is one of the most
spacious in the country. Many of his admirers are known
to have studied him in order to find out the secret of his
success, which might be said to consist of simplicity combined with choice ~eleB:igri of language, apostolic freedom
of speech and remarkable -earnestness of delivery."
Admirers studied Fr. Maguire's style of oratory, and I
think this writer has hit the mark. The old darkey in Maryland who said, "Priest Maguire is a grand preacher; he is
a rapid (eloquent) speaker, and I can understand every word
he says," gave a better criticism than he was aware o( As
Very Rev. Father Provincial said in his funeral address,
"his eloquence was conspicuous even then among the college
(Georgetown) lads. But when he came forth from that
scientific seclusion, and began his public life, qua: regio in
ferris nostri non pima laboris? I might almost say what city
on the Atlantic border has not heard of him, profited by his
labors, and reaped a part of the graces which he had bestowed." It is not my intention to pursue this criticism any
further. I could tell even of his early success as a ~t:holas
tic; how in lower Maryland a prominent Protestant was
converted by a sermon by Mr. Maguire; how the whole
country about Newtown and Leonardtown was carried away
by the eloquence of the young student. I could tell of
years of observation of his success as a missioner, but enough
has been said by others; and better said. The Providence
Journal, a leading paper of the country, gives me a fitting
conclusion to this part of my sketch:"Father Maguire was a recognized orator. His strikingly
ascetic appearance commanded at once the reverent attention of his audience, and his argumentative powers, logical
�FATHER BERNARD A. JlfAGUIRE.
9
reasoning and the truthful imagery with which he clothed
his theme, seconded by his fervid eloquence, carried conviCtion to the heart of the unbeliever, and strengthened the
faith of the wavering. \Vherever he preached his memory
lives, and thousands to-day will read with unfeigned regret
of the demise of this great and good man, who has gone
down to an honored grave. He has left an enviable record;
forgetful of himself, he studied the welfare of his fellow-man.
His mission was to bring peace where discord reigned, solace to the sorrowing, joy to those in sadness and light to
those who sat in the shadows of unbelie( His life mission
is over, and the harvest of his good works garnered. Long
will the tears of the widow and the orphan fall on his hallowed grave, long will the prayers of those who loved him
be breathed over the sacred spot where the black-robed
warrior sleeps in the peace of God."
Fr. Maguire began a retreat in St. Joseph's on Passion
Sunday of this year. He had finished a triduum for men
in the Cathedral, Baltimore, and was considerably fatigued.
Though suffering, he spoke with his wonted vigor; on the
third day he was engaged in the confessional, as he preferred
in his zeal to hear those who chose to confess to him. In
the afternoon his physicians came and put an end to his
work by ordering him to retire to his room. Their skill
could not cope with his malady. At his own request and
with the advice of his~edical attendants, he was taken to
St. Joseph's Hospital were fl'>r a few days he seemed to improve. But death was "near, a crisis came, and all hope was
lost. The last rites were administered bv one who had
known him for years, and on the 26th day of April he passed
away to his reward.
As a ruler, Fr. Maguire was firm and striCt. He wanted
men to be at their post. The writer of these lines was as a
student, a scholastic, and a priest under him as Superior,
and found him always a sincere, earnest, and a kind man.
As a. religious he was a model in many things; he was
eminently a man of prayer and believed in the efficacy of
it in his apostolic labors. Many a time have I heard him
say when there was question of shortening some of the religious exercises during a mission, "don't do it; rather shorten the sermon ; prayer will do more good." During his
last retreat in Philadelphia it was suggested that the Mass
should begin a few minutes earlier in order that the business
and professional men might have time to reach their offices
after hearing the instruCtion. He objeCted to this arrangement, saying that he was afraid they might not hear all of
�MANITOBA.
10
the Mass, as that would do them more good than his instruction. In all of his missionary labors he trusted more in
prayer than in anything else. It was prayer always: the
children, the orphans, the Sisters, all had to pray for the
success of the work. As an end to my sketch I may say
that our Province met with a great loss in Father Maguire's
death.
]. A. M.
MANITOBA.
Letter from St. Boniface College.
DEAR REVEREND
FATHER,
P. C.
In answer to your request for information about our College of St. Bonifa,ce, the first thing that naturally suggests
itself is the whereabouts.' vVhere in the world are we? We
are in the small town ot"St. Boniface, on the right bank of
the Red River, opposite Winnipeg, which is built at the
confluence of the Assiniboine with the Red River. As the
crow flies, or as runs the fiftieth parallel, we are just half
way between the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Though St. Boniface is now a mere village compared to
Winnipeg, it was for many years the more populous settlement. The first permanent mission was established here in
I 8 I 8 by a zealous Canadian priest, Fr. Provencher, who was
consecrated Bishop in partibus of Juliopolis in 1822, and created titular Bishop of St. Boniface in r847. On his arrival
here sixty-eight years ago, he immediately began to train a
few boys with a vie\v to classical studies, and ever since that
date this first germ of St. Boniface College has !'een kept
alive, and, of late years, has been steadily growii1g. This
early origin enables us to rank first among the three colleges
that constitute the working body of the University of Manitoba, the Church of England College, which comes next in
order of seniority, having been begun only in I 82 I, while
the Presbyterians, who manage the third of the associated
colleges, made their first appearance at the Red River Settlement in I 8 5 I.
Before the Riel Provisional Government in I 870, Winnipeg was nothing but a straggling hamlet grouped around
�MANITOBA.
II
Fort Garry. Soon after that date, however, the tide of emigration from Ontario and Quebec went on swelling every
year till the end of 1882. While those that spoke French
settled at St. Boniface and in the neighboring parishes long
since established, the Ontario people built up \Vinnipeg and
started new towns and villages in places that were, generally speaking, further away than the French parishes from
this, the central depression of the Lake Winnipeg watersystem.
Who has not heard of the great Winnipeg "boom" in
1882? Wages were fabulously high, property ran up to
fancy prices, almost every man in St. Boniface and \Vinnipeg thought he was going to become a millionaire. There
was one man who didn't, who held aloof as long as he could
from all sales, and who, in the end, when the financial tornado had whirled away almost everybody else's means, was
left with two hundred thousand dollars to the good. This
was our venerable Archbishop. Only when buyers harassed
him did he consent to yield up a small portion of those
church lands which he had wisely secured before they were
supposed to have any special value. With the proceeds he
paid his debts and then built the College we now occupy
and the Convent boarding-school. These two are substantial, whitish brick, four-story buildings. Ours is I 20 x 6o
feet. Its high French roof makes it the most conspicuous
objeCt: in St. Boniface. \Ve are surrounded on all sides by a
grove of trees, chiefly poplar and small oak, averaging about
twenty-five feet in height. Giant shrubs you will say. Yes;
but as trees go in this prairie land, they are not bad specimens. They don't give any shade to speak of; but they
break the monotony of the plain.
Before these twenty-two acres \vhich we now enjoy had
been made into college grounds, when classic Bonifacians
read "the deathless bards of Greece and Rome" in a wooden,
two-story struB:ure still known as "le vieux college," Winnipeg had grown ambitious. The Presbyterians from Ontario wanted something like the Toronto University. The
Anglicans of St. John's College, many of whom were trained
in English Universities, could not be ignored. And, if they
were taken into the compaCt:, the Catholic ecclesiastical authorities, whose influence on the early development of Manitoba was far greater than that of the Anglicans, must not
be overlooked. Archbishop Tache especially was too closely identified with the Red River country and its educational
plans to be left out in the cold. Thanks to dauntless energy
combided with taB: and forbearance he had succeeded in
�12
MANITOBA.
convincing the Protestants themselves that they must, if
they valued their own religious tenets as against infidelity,
maintain the denominational system which many of them
were trying to discard in favor of unsectarian or common
schools. Without doubt it was his clear-sightedness and
unselfishness that finally brought Anglicans and Presbyterians to consent to a scheme of higher education, which Catholics could conscientiously use for want of a better.
This scheme is embodied in what is called the University
Act of l\Ianitoba, the preamble of which begins thus:
...Whereas it is desirable to establish one University for the
whole of Manitoba (on the model of the University of London), for the purpose of raising the standard of higher education in the Province, and of enabling all denominations
and classes to obtain academical degrees; therefore, her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative
Assembly of Manitoba, enacts as follows," etc.
Thus the University of Manitoba is essentially an examining body. Each of the incorporated colleges manages its
own internal aff:<irs quite independently. The perfection of
t.he theory would be reacl1ed if all examiners were not at
the same time professors. But in practice, owing to the
scarcity of men, almost all the examiners are professors.
In this respect we are better off than either of the other
colleges, because we have the im·aluable assistance of two
very able secular priests who were formerly at the head of
this College and yet who have now no professorial functions
at alL One of them the Rev. G. Cloutier, is the mainspring
of our rather complicated machinery; he is a walking reference-book on all Uni\·ersity matters, as our Protestant colleagues frankly ack110wledge. The other, the Rev. A. A.
Cherrier is a man of varied gifts and scholarly attainments,
who· has been, year after year, elected Chairman of the
Board of Studies of the University.
This Board, which, practically is the life of the University,
deals with all the details of Examinations, though~it"i> decisions are often subject to the approval of the Council. Its
members for this year, 1886-7, are Father Cherrier and myself, elected by St. Boniface College Corporation. Father
Cloutier and Archdeacon Pinkham who represent respectively, the Catholic and Protestant sections of the Board of
Education for this province, Canons 0':;\Icara and Matheson,
who are elected by St. John's College, the Rev. Dr. Bryce
and the Rev. Professor Hart, elected by Manitoba College,
and Dr. Kerr, representative of the Medical College. This
last college is a comparatively recent addition to the Univer-
�MANITOBA.
Ij
sity. Other colleges may be affiliated· in the same way,
provided they be "in operation and possessed of the requisite buildings, and a sufficient staff of professors'' (University
Act of Manitoba, XXVIII). The Methodists, who count
the present Lieutenant-Governor as one of their most active
members, have long been trying to start a college of their
own ; but their funds are short.
The Chancellor of the University is Dr. Machray, the
Anglican Bishop of Rupert's Land, v.,-hose cathedral is at
\Vinnipeg. The present Vice-Chancellor is the Hon. Joseph
Royal, one of our Montreal (St. Mary's College) students,
and always a faithful friend to Ours. The Registrar is also.
a French Canadian Catholic. Prominent among the members of the University Council is His Grace the Archbishop
of St. Boniface. Our Rector, Rev. Fr. Lory, is also a member besides the three priests I have named as belonging to
the Board of Studies, and three Catholic laymen, one of
whom is a Minister in the Manitoba Cabinet and another a
Judge in the Superior Court. All these Catholic members
have hut one mind, and that the Archbishop's. Hence it is
that we are enabled to exercise upon University affairs an
influence more than proportionate to our numerical strength.
\Vhen an important question is up for discussion in the Council, His Grace tells us what line we should take, and himself, if need be, urges his point with an earnestness which
the dissentient members seldom resist. As he has seen this
country grow from a wilderness into a garden, and is gifted
with a marvellous memory, he knows the past history of
every one of the Protestant members of the Council, and so
he can detect "danger ahead" where an unwary new-comer
would see nothing but a plausible, harmless change. He
has not forgotten those early prejudices which it needed all
his patience to overcome in past years; and, though the
crafty heretic may have doffed his frown to don a smile, the
prudent Archbishop is never off his guard. I confess to
having thought him at first too distrustful of those Anglican
dignitaries and Presbyterian ministers, who seemed to me
so straight-forward, so affable, sometimes even so cordial.
That some of them may be all that, I still hold ; but I have
found by experience that others are not to be trusted in the
dark. Gentlemen they all are and very considerate; but
after many long hours spent in conference with them with
all the freedom that arises from the certainty that neither
faith nor morals would ever be impugned by them in the
course of our conversation, I generally come away with a
feeling of deep sadness at the sight of the essential worldli-
�MANITOBA.
ness of Protestantism. No wonder we have had to invent,
from the French, the phrase "human respect;" Protestants
are so steeped in it that they forget its existence, as an eupeptic man forgets the existence of the stomach that makes
him sprightly. "What people will say" is their great criterion of right and wrong. It serves them in stead of justice
and truth.
However, considering the discordant elements, the harmony in the Council, and Board of Studies has always been,
on the whole, surprising. Ten years ago, when the University sprang into being a new and unique creation, Lord
Dufferin said it would be a fiasco. He thought the divergencies between the three religious bodies would make the
scheme unworkable. Quite lately, Sir John Macdonald,
while on a visit to the Archbishop, expressed his surprise
at the continuance of so unusual a "happy family." No
doubt, the secret of this success is the wide range of subjects on which we agree to differ. Thus our Statute 13
reads as follows :-"If the majority of the Representatives
of any affiliated College 'object to the prescribing of any
book or part of a book f<Jr.examination in any subject, such
book or part of a book shall not be made obligatory on any
student of that College, but another book may be substituted on the proposition of that College, provided it be
considered by the Council as equivalent to the other."
This, of course, enables us to exclude all Protestant histories, and to get our boys examined in such thoroughly
Catholic histories as Chantrel's. But the University Act,
which is the ground-work of our Constitution, gives us still
wider elbow-room: for it provides that the examination may
be answered in either the English or the French language,
and "that it shall not be lawful for any member of the Council to impose on any person any compulsory religious examination or test, nor to do, or cause, or suffer to be done,
anything that would render it necessary or advisable, with
a view to academical success or distinction, that any.-person
should pursue the study of any materialistic or sceptical
system of logic, or mental or moral philosophy.''
The option of answering in French is of vital importance
to St. Boniface College: for, though the majority of our
bigger boys can speak and understand the English of daily
wants and of baseball, hardly any of them could answer examination questions in decent English. The provision for
freedom in religious teaching and in philosophy gives us full
scope to work up to the true standards of the Society's
teaching.
�MANiTOBA.
1.5
In order to make this clear, I must first explain the nature of the different examinations. The Preliminary Examination enables any student, who is not a member of any
college, to matriculate as a member of the University. Those
who are members of a college need not go up for the Preliminary; but, in point of faCt, many do, both because of the
stimulus afforded by competition with other colleges, and
especially because they hope to win one of the four scholarships-two of $100 each, and two of $6o each-awarded to
the most successful competitors. A good student of the
class called "Classics" at Fordham and St. Francis Xavier's,
New York- I give these two instances because these are
the only American Colleges in which I have had some experience-:could easily pass this examination, provided he
knew the first two books of Euclid.
The Previous Examination is open to any student who.
has passed the Preliminary, or who lodges with the Registrar of the University, a certificate from the Head of one of
the Colleges that he has completed in that College the required course of study. "The required course of study" is
a very elastic term, and of its limits we are the sole judges.
Thus, last year, when \ve undertook the management of this
College, we retained for the nonce the division our predecessors had established, which allowed four years only to the
study of the classics; whereas at the beginning of the present term we wedged in another year, so as to have Infima
Media and Suprema Grammatica, besides Huma1litates and
Rltetorica, according to the Ratio Studiorum. Our students
go up for their Previous at the end of Rhetoric. Hitherto
they had not been advised to meddle with the Preliminary,
which, as I have said, is not necessary for college students
but only for outsiders. This year, however, as we have no
students in Rhetoric, we are preparing candidates for the
Preliminary. \Vere it not for the Mathematics which are
particularly stiff, our boys would find the Previous easy
work. The Latin and Greek subjeCts-JEneid, book II, Sallust's Catiline, Cicero's Pro Lege Manilia, the first book of
the Iliad, the second book of the Anabasis, and the first
Philippic of Demosthenes-find them equal and often superior to any of their rivals from other places. Nor does the
Botany, which is the only Natural Science subjeCt, give them
much trouble. And as for Precepts of Literature, their proficiency not unfrequently startles the examiners from the
other colleges. The year before last one of our students,
who is now in his second year of Philosophy, gained two
scholarships, though, according to the regulations of the
�t6
1lfANITOBA.
University, he could keep but one. I need hardly say that
he chose the more valuable of the two. For the Previous
eight scholarships are awarded, two of $So each, three of
S 100 each, and three of $6o each.
This Previous Examination is absolutely indispensable
for all who want to take their B. A. or LL. B. For the
M. D. a special entrance examination is required, in which
there is far less Latin and Mathematics, and the matriculant
may choose some easy Greek, or some German, or Balfour
Stewart's Physics.
The Final Examination, which cannot be taken sooner
than two years after the Previous, may bear on a general
course, and then the successful candidate receives the "Ordinary B. A." degree, or on an Honor Course in such special branch or study as the University may from time to
.time establish. Five of these Honor Courses are already
established: Mathematical Honors, Classical Honors, Natural Science Honors, Mental and Moral Science Honors,
Modern Languages Hor1ors. Last l\Iay the first candidates
appeared for this Literary Course: two from Manitoba College and one from St>John's. Having been one of the
three examiners, I can testify to the surprising excellence
of two out of the three sets of papers. To expedite matters, the Anglican Dean Grisdale and I met at the Presbyterian minister, Dr. Bryce's house, and spent, on two or
three different occasions, several hours at a stretch in cornparing notes on these papers. As the subjeCts ranged from
Chaucer to Spenser, Shakespeare, Bacon, Addison and
Steele, it was like taking a fresh dip in the Pierian Spring.
In the course of last year a discussion arose in the Council of the University as to the advi~ility of making the
"Ordinary B. A." examination more difficult. The Chancellor, who is a graduate of Aberdeen and of Cambridge,
and who, being unmarried. still holds a Fellowship in some
college at Cambridge, opposed any change. The reason
he gave was that this examination is quite as sriere as the
Cambridge examination for pass B. A.
However, it carries with it less prestige than the Honor
Courses: it spreads itself over too many and too various
studies, and does not favor those special talents which
it is the business of true educators to foster; it gives to
Philosophy hardly a fourth of the total value of the marks ;
and, therefore, it would interfere too seriously with the Society's course of training. For these or for cognate reasons
the students of St. Boniface have always gone in for the
Mental and Moral Science Honors, the other Honor Courses
�MANITOBA.
17
being open to the grave objection that they omit philosophy
altogether, and that all, except the Classical, drop the use
of Latin. Moreover. the choice of this philosophical course
ensures our having two years of philosophy, because one
part only of the subjeCts can be taken each year.
Though the other Honor Courses do not include phirosophy, still, just as all graduates must have that knowledge
of Greek and Latin which the Previous is meant to test
them in, so some philosophy, some natural science, and
some higher mathematics are required of all graduates.
This is secured by what are called the Compulsory Pass
SubjeCts. Every candidate for honors --:-whatever may be
the course he eleCts to study- must write a paper on each
of the following subjeCts: Plane Trigonometry, Elementary
Statics, Elementary Hydrostatics, Inorganic Chemistry,
Logic and Ethics. The two last named papers need not be
distinct from the Honor papers in Philosophy, since the latter contain the former emi1te1tter.
The Mental and Moral Science Honors Course is twofold.
The Protestants use their own authors and answer in English. We use our Catholic text-books, and our boys write
their papers in Latin or French. For Logic, Metaphysics
and Natural Theology, we follow Signoriello's Compendium
of Sanseverino; for Ethics, Signoriello; for Political Economy. Herve-Barzin. \Ve also give our students the substance of the Sulpician Vallet's admirable Histoire de !a
Philosophic. In theory the papers of the students in Philosophy from the three colleges are examined by all the three
Philosophy examiners; but in praCtice the examiners from
Manitoba College and St. John's only make a pretence, if
even they go that far, of looking at the answers of our students. The faCt: is that, barring Logic and some portions
of Ethics, their course is mainly a history of the opinions
of Locke, Reid, Hamilton, Paley, Kant and Mill, and therefore puts them quite out of court in scholastic questions. Besides they are not accustomed to read the Latin of the
schools; and the French language, in which our students
write their Political Economy and History of Philosophy
papers, would be very hard reading to most of these learned
divines, especially when, as happened last spring, a St. Boniface candidate's paper runs on into twenty-six foolscap pages
of well-digested technicalities. So our colleagues simply
trust to our fairness in awarding marks.
The University having as yet no buildings of its own, the
examinations take place in some public hall, and extend
VoL. xvr, No. r
2
�IS
.l!ANITOBA.
over a fortnight, morning and evening. The time allowed
for each paper is three hours. During that time the examiners take turns to preside and see that there is no cheating.
Fancy a Jesuit aCting as prefeCt over some ninety young
mei_l, of whom only seven were Catholics. It was a novel
experience to us last May; but we soon got used to it; and
the examinees are all so busy that there is really no trouble.
Only, one day I was somewhat staggered when I found I
was the only available examiner who could preside over the
examinations at the Protestant Central School, and that my
wards for a brief space were four boys and seven girls competing for the Isbister prizes. They too worked hard and
silently and didn't seem to be in any way disturbed by my
cassock. For you must know that we go about everywhere
in full regimentals just as in Montreal, despite the faCt that
out of \Vinnipeg's 20,000 inhabitants not more than 2000
are Catholics, and that the Protestants come from that bitterest ·of all heretical strongholds, Ontario. \Ve, i.e., the
Catholics, were in possession when they came, and we
have no intention of :ihowing the white feather now.
Nor should we gain anything thereby. Notwithstanding sundry jokes about "things in a dress with a man's
hat on," jokes that none but young scamps indulge in,
priests are highly respeCted here. \Vhen I say "here," I
don't mean St. Boniface only, which is just like any of the
thoroughly Catholic towns of Lower Canada, like St. Hyacinthe, for instance; but I include \Vinnipeg and, in general,
the North \Vest Territories of Canada.
As the Catholics, who are the only feeders of our College, are but one fifth of the population of Manitoba, twenty
thousand out of not quite a hundred thousand, and as most
of our people have very little ready cash, the number of our
undergraduates and graduates is necessarily small. St. John's
College has considerably more, and the Presbyterian Church
has the largest number in its Manitoba College. B_u'ton the
score of quality we are at the top of the list. At the last
Annual Meeting for the conferring of degrees, which took
place with no little "pomp and circumstance" in the Hall of
the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, five out of our six .candidates took scholarships, and the sixth came out "first class"
in Classics and Botany, and "second class" in Mathematics
and French. It seldom happens that any of our boys are
found in the "third class.'' On the contrary, Manitoba College generally crowds its big batallions into the "third class.''
"Numbers and noise" is a motto that would suit it \veil.
Note that in the Pass Courses, 25 per cent. of the marks is
�MANITOBA.
19
enough for a "third class," while in the Honor subjecrs
40 per cent. is required. "Second class" means from 40 to
67 per cent. exclusively. "First class" implies 67 per cent.
or any percentage above, up to full marks. Our four philosophers last spring had the highest marks in the whole University. Not only were they all "first class"; but in one
branch, Inorganic Chemistry, they were the only "first class,"
one St. John's College man being "second class", and the
fourteen others from the two Protestant Colleges herding
together in the "third class". It is worth noting too that our
graduates are mere boys of eighteen or nineteen at most,
while the Protestants often send up experienced schoolmasters or professional men on the shady side of thirty.
Some ofthese are members of other universities, for whose
benefit the 27th Secrion of the University AB:-provides that
"members of any other University within Her Majesty's
dominions shall be exempt from the preliminary examination ... and may be admitted by the Council of the University ad mndem statum and ad eundem gradum". By the
way, these last words remind me that the degrees are, of
course, conferred in Latin, and that the candidate is presented to the Chancellor, who wears over his Anglican Epis··
copal apron and gaiters a scarlet cloak (said bishop being
over six feet three), with a Latin formula pronounced by
one of the dons of the College from which the candidate
hails. The Protestant performers in this imposing ceremony
use that time honored English pronunciation which would
have made a Roman shiver; and so, for example, the word
Academia is rung out to the tune of Jeremialt.
Some three years ago the late Mr. Isbister, a Manitoban
half-breed, who was for many years editor of the London
(Eng.) Journal of Education, left eighty thousand dollars to
the Province of Manitoba, declaring in his will that the interest of this handsome bequest should be employed for the
encouragement of education without distincrion of creed or
nationality. His executors have since arranged that two
parts of this revenue be apportioned to pupils of any school
in the Province or North-vVest Territories, and that the
third shall be given in scholarships or prizes to pupils either
entering or at the University. This explains the existence
of those scholarships I spoke of in connecrion with the University examinations. The other resources of the University are very slender. Still it is enabled to give its examiners some compensation for the very serious labor many of
them have to get through in the month of May. Our three
examiners received in the course of the summer about $ r 70
�20
L~TTERS FROJif A CHAPLAIN.
in all, and Fr. Cloutier, who did the lion's share, must have
received a good deal more than any of Ours. It is not
much; but in our poverty we are thankful for the smallest
dues.
And now I must bri.ng this rambling screed, written as it
was by snatches, to a close. If you want any more information, or if: what I have given is not clear, pump me and
I will try again. ·But all your holy students at \Voodstock
should pray for the success of our work here. The place
is small in numbers, but great in potencies. \Ve have
touched the bottom of the commercial depression that followed after the "boom,'' and are slowly floating upwards to
prosperity. Pray that souls, too, may rise with the rising
flood.
Your humble servant in Christ,
LEWIS DRumiOND,
S.
J.
LETTERS FROM-A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF 186r.
(First Letter.)
STATEN IsLAND,
NEw
N.Y.
June 13th, 1861.
YoRK BAY,
VERY REv. AND DEAR FATHER TELLIER,
P. C.
Though the Regiment has been in a pretty fair state of
organization for the last six weeks, prepared and anxious to
start for the seat of war, it was only this morning we were
officially notified to hold ourselves in readiness to proceed
"at a quarter of an hour's warning whither the government
intends sending us". As I have not had the p.leasure of
seeing you since my appointment to the post of thaplain,
and as I have no means of knowing when or even whether
I shall ever see you again, I deem it proper to address you
these lines, that you, as Superior General of the Mission,
may know the circumstances of my new position, and the
peculiarities attending the organization of a Regiment of
raw recruits for aCtual service in the field. In obedience to
your telegram informing me of my appointment as chaplain,
and ordering me to report immediately to Headquarters,
New York City, I took the first train for New York, where
I arrived sometime during the ensuing night. Father Ber-
�LETTERS FRO.llf A CHAPLAIN.
21
thelet informed me that I had been assigned to the 6th
Regt., N. Y. Volunteers, known by the name of "Wilson's
Zouaves". I had been but a few days attached to the Regiment, when I learned from the New York Journals, political,
comic and religious, that the Sixth enjoyed a most unenviable reputation. Now, however, judging them according to
the knowledge I have acquired of them by intimate relations
with them from the day of my appointment to date, I must
say that, like many statements made about the charaB:er of
more illustriot'ts organizations, what has been said of these
poor fellows is partially exaggeration, and partially gross
calumny. With the exception of a few English the members of the Sixth are the sons of Catholics. Through either
the fault or the misfortune of their parents, their domestic
christian education has been wofully negleB:ed; their hearts,
however, have remained in the right place. They are nearly
all of that class styled "New York boys"-or "New York
Rowdies," who, though they seldom if ever darken the
church door, are always ready to pour out the warmest
blood of their hearts in defence of church or priest. As
you may readily conceive, my introduCtion to men of this
charaB:er was somewhat unique.
Accompanied by Father Berthelet on the morning after
reaching New York, I went down to the camp on Staten
Island to make arrangements for immediately entering on
my duties as chaplain. At the entrance of the camp we
were informed by the guard that he had received striCt: orders to refuse admittance to all civilian sight-seers-if there
was, however, any intention of enlisting there would be no
objeB:ion to our entering it. On our assuring him that we
had very urgent business with the Colonel, he called for the
"officer of the guard"-Lieutenant Latham, a young Catholic from Harlem, New York-who very politely allowed us
to enter, and obligingly conduB:ed us himself through the
camp to Regimental Headquarters-a few planks roughly
put together.. As we were drawing near, Lieut. Latham
pointed out to us, under this temporary covering, a man,
under middle size perhaps, but strongly and compaB:ly
built; his blue, quick eye, his high and clear forehead, in
faB:, his whole countenance and general appearance bespoke
candor and an extraordinary determination of will. "That,"
said the Lieutenant, "is Col. William Wilson, familiarly
known by the public and his men, as Billy Wilson."<1> He
seemed very much occupied. There was about him, a
(I) Col,
Wilson is a Catholic.
�22
L~TTERS
FRO.li A CHAPLAIN.
number of men with various requests, complaints and excuses, to all of whom he seemed to give a patient attention,
and then a short and decisive answer. I perceived he was
at the same time giving direEl:ions to two clerks, who were
committing to paper plans probably of his future campaigns.
Informed that I was the priest assigned him, in accordance
with his application to Archbishop Hughes, for a chaplain, he
rather coldly, but certainly very justly remarked: "All right
enough, sir-but the greatest scoundrel in New York could
present himself to me as a priest. Have you a letter from
the Archbishop, or from Fr. Quinn."(') I had supposed
everything had been arranged, and that I had nothing else
to do than enter upon my duties. This very sensible demand of the Colonel to see my credentials, whilst giving me
a very high opinion of my future military commander, was
a cause of deep mortification to mysel( This should have
been foreseen. I therefore simply replied that Fr. Berthelet
and myself wished merely to see the encampment to-day,
and to-morrow I should be able to lay before him the required documents. On ·the Jrd of June, armed with the
requisite papers, I again.presented myself, this time alone,
before the Colonel, who received me with unbounded cordiality. After glancing at the signatures of the letters, he .
said: "Now it is all in order. I can imagine all that can be
said in your favor. I must introduce you immediately to
the boys." Taking me by the hand the Colonel said to his
hurriedly assembled boys: "Come, I want you to take a
good look at this man, and tell me what you think of him.
He is to be our chaplain-and· is just the man for me...,.-how
do you like him?" Not knowing whether I was Protestant
or Catholic, before giving their answer, they asked: "\Vhat
is his color?" Understanding their meaning direEl:ly, the
Colonel said: "He is a priest-a Roman Catholic priest." I
was thereupon welcomed by these poor fellows with shouts
of acclamation.
The soldiers were then informed that I was to -s'p.end the
remainder of this day in visiting the sick of the Regiment
(ofwhom there was a large number), and on the next day,
I would be ready to receive the others at any hour.
The men then retired to their quarters, and the officers
gathered around to express to me their satisfaEl:ion at having a priest with the Regiment. The Lieut. Colonel, Mr.
Creighton, and the Major, William Ne\vby, said they were
Protestants, but they were very happy to see that, in seleEl:! 1l The present Monsignor Quinn, V. G., a great friend of Col. Wilson.
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
23
ing a chaplain, the Colonel consulted the in~erest of the
men, who are nearly all Catholics. "We, you know, chaplain," said Creighton, "are men of sense who are aware of
our duties to God, and who need not be told how to perform
them. I read my bible every day of my life. These poor
soldiers must have some one to guide their faith. Are you
not of my opinion, chaplain?" Major Newby immediately
interposed, saying: "That question would bring on, most
probably, a controversy which, I think, we should rather
endeavor to avoid-we don't know each other yet." "One
thing is certain," resumed Creighton, "we are all children
of the same Father in Heaven. Whatever you can say about
our great and good Father"-raising his eyes and hands"cannot be a subject of dispute among the children. I shall
certainly be one of your most devout hearers." "Look here,
Creighton and Newby," exclaimed Colonel Wilson with a
little warmth, "what do you know about religion? In ward
politics. you could show a certain amount of knowledge.
Protestants have no religion to study. Let me tell you
what I think about religion. When I want to have settled
any of these innumerable scrapes into which I am every day
getting, I apply to N ... and do exactly what he tells me.
vVhen organizing my Regiment I applied for direction to
General Franklin, to General Van Vliet, and to Col. Tompkins, not to dispute with them, but to do what they might
tell me; for I considered those men thoroughly acquainted
with military science. Now, why should we make an exception in religious matters? Unless we have reason to
doubt the man's honesty, we must, when he gives positive
doctrine, take the word of the professor of religion, with, at
least, the same confidence with which we accept the decision of any other man in a matter he is supposed to understand. So that, let me tell you, I won't allow any one to
contradict the Father (this is the name he must go by henceforth and not chaplain), till his conduct authorizes us to
doubt his word." Turning to the surgeon, who is a brother
of the Rev. Mr. Pease of the Fi<Je Points 111ission House, New
York, the Colonel continued: "Pease, wouldn't it be a nice
affair, if the men questioned the correctness of your decisions and prescriptions, every time yo·u are called on to
attend to their ailments!"
W'ith the exception of Major Newby, who was one of the
officers under General Walker in his filibustering expedition to Central America, all the Protestant officers declared
that they had never spoken to a Catholic priest; and it was,
therefore, they acknowledged, with a certain mistrust, tha~
�LI:;TTERS FROJ! A CHAPLAIN.
they were at first disposed to consider me. They were now,
however, reconciled to the idea of having a priest chaplain.
After a somewhat prolonged conversation, I requested the
Colonel to excuse me, as I was anxious to visit the sick.
There was, of course, no objection, and the doCtor led me
to the hospital-a miserable shed near the beach. I found
what I considered a large number of inmates, but no one
seriously sick. Many were suffering from wounds occasioned by careless and awkward handling of firearms; some
from blows received in drunken rows, etc., etc.
Having now made the acquaintance of the Regiment, and
seen the state of the sick, I thought it proper to pay a visit
to Father Mark Murphy, in whose parish the camp is situated, and inform him of my appointment, etc. To my enquiry about the regulations which I should have to observe as
regards leaving and returning to camp, the Colonel told me
I was to be judge in the case mysel( "\Vhen you think
your presence is required here, you, of course, should be
here; when you see no necessity for remaining, you can
take a trip to New York. Try to visit the camp, at least,
once a day. As an officer, you can go into and out of camp
as often as you like during the day. As a member of the
staff, you have a right to the countersign, which will enable
you to pass the sentinel any hour of the night." This gave
me latitude enough. I immediately called on good Father
Murphy, whom, to my great surprise, I found confined to
his bed by a very serious sickness. He welcomed me as a
brother, and expressed his great satisfaCtion that I did not
commence to exercise the ministry in his parish without acquainting him of it, and showing him my authority. He
was extremely m_ortified, he said, a few days ago, by the
manner in which he was slighted by a certain priest, who
came down here from New York, exercised the ministry in
some of the many camps within his parish, and returned
without even calling at the parochial residence. The good
man invited me most earnestly and most kindly"to stay at
his house till the Regiment should be ordered to depart.
Having heard the various reasons why I thought I should
not accept his kind invitation, he said that by taking up my
quarters in his house, I should be doing a great service to
him and his people; "I am unable ro attend to sick-calls, to
say Mass, hear confessions, or do anything for my people,"
said he. He wished me to take charge of his parish. But
in that case, what should become of my dear soldiers? He
said it would be better even for the soldiers ; since in camp
there is no convenience whatever for hearing confessions-
�LETTERS FRO.lf A CHAPLAIN
25
which was very true - while they could come any hour
of the day to see me in his house. Taking all things into consideration, I found the Father's request reasonable,
and returned immediately to camp to expose the case to the
Colonel, who saw no reason why I should not oblige Father
Murphy; though he regretted to see me thus deprived of
the opportunity of forming an acquaintance with eac!t individual soldier. "Once started for the seat of war, it will be
impossible, you will find, to form this acquaintance. Whoever can call those boys by their names, shall have a magical power over them. These are of a class of men with whom,
certainly, you have not yet had to deal. In all cases, oblige
Father Murphy. Call down to camp every day; the men
can go up at stated hours every day to see you."
In accordance with this arrangement, I returned to Father
Murphy, and informed him of the conclusion to which we
had come. He repeatedly expressed his joy, and, as he was
pleased to say, 4is gratitude. I am yet in his house, in full
charge of his parish. My position, however, has been productive of a deal of inconvenience, if not harm to the Regiment. Yet, I console myself by the good accomplished in
the parish. For it would appear that divine Providence had
disposed the whole affair, so as to bring back a large number of persons who had fallen away from obedience to the
church, and from the love and service of their Creator.
June 5th. This morning I requested the Colonel to have
some twenty or thirty of those who wished to go to confession, sent up to Father Murphy's house about 9 o'clock. He
immediately ordered the Adjutant, Mr. Heary, a Catholic,
to attend to the matter. I waited till 12 o'clock; not a
soldier, however, presented.himsel( I explained the failure
of their coming, by saying that some special exercise which
the Colonel had not foreseen, or had forgotten, when he
spoke to me in the morning, was the cause of it. I relied
on certainly having them in the afternoon. But this like
the forenoon drew to a close, and no penitents appeared!
About five o'clock, the Colonel's Orderly arrived with the
request that, unless it was absolutely necessary to detain
them longer, I should send all the men back to camp. The
mystery was now solved. The soldiers were allowed to leave
camp in accordance with the understanding between the
Colonel and myself, but neither he nor I had seen any of
them since. This proof that my new flock is not to be
trusted, was a source of great annoyance to me the rest of
the evening. I attended a few sick-calls, heard a few confessions, finished Matins and Lauds, and went to pass the
�LE.;rTERS FRO.lT A CHAPLAIN.
first part of the night with good Father Murphy, who was
much amused at my day's disappointment.
About 10 o'clock P. M. I heard loud quarrelling in the
street, and opening the window, I perceived that my "boys"
were returning to camp, after having freely indulged in
strong drink. As they were approaching the priest's residence, which they had to pass in order to enter camp, there
was evidently an effort made to "walk straight and talk sober." One or two who persisted in their boisterous talk, were
at length checked by a gruff voice demanding with a tone
of authority: "Do you want to wake up the priest?" This
question produced among my truant penitents a profound
silence, and, giving me a pretty fair idea of the character
of my men, made me forgive them this first offence.
June 6th. I called on the Colonel this morning as early
as it could conveniently be done. I found him disposed to
laugh at the affair of yesterday. He says there was no malice in their conduct, it was mere thou~htlessness,-a schoolboy trick. "\Ve must, however," he added, "leave them
under the impression that you have been very much offended."
He will allow them again.to-day, to come to see me, but accompanied by a non-commissioned officer. True to time, a
number of them presented themselves at 9 o'clock A l\1. and
prepared themselves with all possible zeal for confession.
Before returning to camp, they asked me for various causes
to allow them to visit the village. They had their sergeant,
I told them, who had received his orders, and they must
apply to him. They did apply to him ; and he not only
permitted them to go down to the village, but went with them himsel( They had their sport, and returned to quarters rather late.
After these two~ attempts, I thought it would be better
not to invi"te them out of camp-and mentioned my reasons
to the Colonel, who approved of them, and expressed the
hope that Father Murphy's recovery would shortly enable
me to take my quarters in camp.
~ .June 7th. I was called this morning after Mass to visit a
sick man at the farthest limits of Father Murphy's parish.
As the day was oppressively hot, I walked leisurely, and as
a consequence, reached home late in the day. On entering
the house, I was somewhat startled by the information that
there was in the camp a man at the point of death, and that
the Colonel had repeatedly sent alter me. Hurrying down
to our little hospital, I found the Colonel, with his PrayerBook in his hand, going from his quarters to those of the
sick. "0! there you are," said he to me. "We hav~ l;>~en
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
looking for you since morning. I sent scouts out in every
direCtion to hunt you up-but without success. Giving up
all hope of having you here in time, I sent scouts out to
find some minister, for we could not let the poor fellow die
without the Rites of the church. But think of it! they
brought me a Protestant minister! I meant, of course, any
Catholic minister. I was very near being taken in. As I
never suspecred that they would call a Protestant, I should
have taken it for granted that a priest had been called, and
that the poor sick man had been properly attended to. Fortunately I was out amongst the men when the minister entered the camp, and I thought I saw in the man's face, the
indications of a bad priest. Did you ever notice, Father,
. that the same indications of a bad conscience are visible in
the countenances of a Protestant minister and of a bad Catholic priest?" "l have never remarked it," I replied. "vVell it is
so," he continued. "Here we are at the shed, you go in. As I
had given up all hopes of procuring a priest, I was just going to read some prayers over him myself." "l hope, Colonel, you did not imagine you could administer the last Sacraments to the patient." "I could do as much as that fellow
whom the scouts brought here and whom I ordered out of
camp." The sick man, James Fay, was suffering from inflammation of the lungs, foolishly brought on by an attempt
to elude the vigilance of the sentinel, by concealing himself
all night in the water, but was not in as great danger as had
been supposed.
June 8th. The Colonel told me to-day that there was a
great rush of Protestant ministers for the chaplaincy of the
Regiment. "What can they mean? what can their motive
be ?" he asked. "Surely they cannot think that they can
benefit the souls of these men-not a respecrable looking
man amongst the applicants." There is on Staten Island a
very large number of camps of instrucrion or organization;
the same rush of applicants is noted in every camp. "l
have been over to the camp of Col. Allen," said the Colonel
to me. "He is organizing the 2nd Regiment; his men are
all Catholics. He too complains of being besieged by the
lowest class of Protestant ministers for the chaplaincy. I
am under the impression that decent ministers able to make
a living at home, will not sacrifice their present comforts for
the privations of camp-life. vVhy should they? They cannot forgive a sin no more than I can. Allen and the other
Colonels forming Regiments, call this extraordinary zeal to
• enter the army as chaplains, 'the rush of hungry parsons.'
Col. McCunn says he will have nothing to do with any of
�LE,..TTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
them. Strange, Col. McLeod Murphy, who is a Catholic,
and whose men are all Catholics, takes a parson for chaplain." Col. ·wilson says he has made up his mind to enlist
all the ministers who shall henceforth present themselves.
In the afternoon, I was down again amongst the "boys,"
when the Colonel called my attention to a middle-aged man
in conversation with the sentinel at the entrance of the camp,
remarking: "There is another of them. Hang him, I'll turn
his patriotism to accoune· Calling to his Orderly, he direeted him "to pass that man to headquarters."... "You
are the Colonel?" enquiringly remarked the stranger to Col.
Wilson. "I expeCt to be," was the reply. "Ah !" was the
dignified rejoinder. After a pause, he enquiringly continued, "and these are your men ?" "Or boys," added the Colonel. "I presume," the parson again remarked, "they are
thoroughly impressed with the sacredness of the cause for
which they have enlisted, and the absolute necessity they
are under, in order to ensure the success of the glorious
cause, of being counted amongst the eleet of the Lord. For
, my part, I should deem it a high honor, to be allowed to
devote my life for the ~lorious cause, as chaplain of the
Regiment." "Your name?" asked the Colonel. "I am
called the Rev. Mr. Fury," he answered with a very obsequious bow. "Well, Rev. Mr. Fury," resumed the Colonel,
"my boys are pretty tough fellows. You might be disappointed in them, and they in you. Would you objeCt to
use a sword or musket in battle?" "Not at all," was
the reply. "Well, allow me to tell you what I would propose," continued Col. ·wilson. "You enlist; and if in the
course of time I find that you are the very man to suit the
Regiment, I will do all in my power to have you appointed to the post you desire. If, on the other hand, we
should discover that the men would prefer some one else to
be chaplain, I promise, if I deem you suitable for the office,
to recommend you to headquarters to fill the first Vqcancy in
the Regiment." Rev. Mr. Fury readily agreed to ev~rything
and was, without delay, regularly enlisted as a private, and
was assigned to Company G. I thought this proceeding
somewhat unjust; the Colonel, however, said his conscience
was formed, his mind made up; that I must not give him
scruples.
June 9th. I have been hearing confessions and attending
to other parochial duties for Fr. Murphy since early morning. I have also set apart a corner of the hospital, where I
receive soldiers willing to profit by my ministry. Very
many of these young fellows are not at all disposed to go tQ
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
confession. They say they must have "their fun" before
starting for the war. The Colonel tells me not to be discouraged; for as soon as these men are removed from
their old associates around New York, they will be but too
anxious to attend to their religious duties.
Another applicant for the chaplaincy-a German, Rev.
Mr. Berger-presented himself at headquarters to-day, and
was regularly enlisted under precisely the same conditions
as those under which Mr. Fury donned the United States
uniform. He says he is an ordained minister of the Lutheran Church. He is now a private in Company K. A
youth of about sixteen years, and, as he says, a student of the
"Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary of New York,"
applied this afternoon for the chaplainship. The Colonel
received him very kindly, and advised him not think of
going to the war, and strengthened his advice with sound
moral reasons. The youth seemed to relish the counsel,
and returned to the seminary. Col. Wilson, looking after the
retreating stranger, said as it were to himself: "You are too
innocent to remain a Protestant."
June 10th. I went up to New York to-day, to attend to
my own poor soul. I met at St. Francis Xavier's Rev. Fr.
Sopranis who said to me: "You are just in time. Father
McElroy is here. Go to his room immediately, and ask
him for direCtions in your new office." I called on the venerable ex-Chaplain, and asked his advice for a general guidance in my new sphere of aCtion. The venerable old gentleman told me he could give me no direCtions. ·'Your life
is something new; you are to live as a soldier, and learn as
you go. I was never in the field. I was stationed in hospitals, more or less near the army. I had my bed and generally the comforts of home. You will have none of those
conveniences. Do what you can; learn as you proceed."
June I Ith. The number of aspirants to the office of
chaplain seems to be increasing. To-day there occurred
with one of them a scene which deserves to be written.
This individual, who seemed to be devoured by zeal for the
Lord's House, came up to a crowd of officers, and with
sanCtimonious look, and in tremulous tones, declared that,
for his country's cause and her defenders' good, he was
willing to expose his life on the field of battle's bloody
strife. "Do you want to enlist, old man?" asked Captain
Duffy. "Yes," he replied, "for the spiritual good of the
Regiment." "So you enlist then?" the Captain further inquired. "Not in the usual sense of the term. I should like
to enlist as chaplain." "What is your religion ?" asked
�JO
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
Lieut. Haggerty. "The Sacred Book." "What part of it?"
again asked the Lieutenant. "The whole of it." "Can you
preach well ?" He in modest terms assured the officers
that he had a great talent for public speaking, and expressed
the wish of being allowed the opportunity of giving a specimen of his oratorical powers. Having been applied to for
permission; the Colonel gave the necessary license for the
exhibition. "Let the man preach from the end of a saltbeef barrel" said the Colonel. "Gather the men around
him, and I will introduce him myself to the boys .... " Stepping over to the barrel on which the smiling orator was
perched, Col. \Vilson said: "Boys, I want you to pay great
attention to what this man has to say. Attend to every
word; I shall call on you for your opinion, as soon as he
will have finished." \Vithout any preface, apology or explanation, the zealous apostle began a violent tirade against
"Popery" and "Papists" and "Romanists," and lauded to the
skies the "great and glorious reformation," "the good queen
Elizabeth," etc. He then· expatiated on the necessity of
"hating Popery," of "keeping down the foreign Romanists,"
and concluded with the assertion that the "real enemies of
the country are .the foreign Papists."
The signs of impatience manifested by the "boys" in spite
of their efforts to obey repeated orders not to interrupt the
speaker, were evidently looked upon by the Preacher as
great applause. The Colonel said that the men had heard
about enough. Then turning to the audience, he asked
whether they had attended to what had been said? Having
received a deafening answer in the affirmative, he continued:
"This is about what he means : you must choose between
going to hell and hating the Pope. Now he wants your answer right away. \Viii you hate the Pope?" The answer
came like a roar of artillery: "\Ve'll go to hell first." The
orator looked bewildered-"Did they say they are going to
hell?" he asked. "They mean Dixie," said one of the gfficers.
The crowd then closed in around the minister and his queer
pulpit, with the most unearthly yells. I began to fear for
the man's safety, and interfered. One of the sergeants told
me not to be uneasy; they would not harm him, but would
only teach him a lesson. The crowd pressed on him till
he reached the last sentry. I hope the lesson was not giveri
in vain. "Abuse of Catholics is a subjeCt always at hand
for a Protestant minister" was the Colonel's remark after
this affair. "They have neither doC1rine nor morality. Politics or abuse of Catholics is their only theme. It is well
that I have not been invested with absolute power. I hope
�ECUADOR.
3I
some of these days to have a long talk with you about my
views on many points. I think we shall agree pretty well."
Indeed from what I thus far know of Col. Wilson, I judge
him to be a man of noble sentiments, and of a clear pracrical
mind. He is deficient in his knowledge of Catholic Faith.
His lady is in camp every day, full of.zeal for the spiritual
good of her husband and of those in any manner attached
to or forming the Regiment. She repeatedly urged me to
let her know from time to time, what \ve would wish her to
do for the soldiers. She and her venerable mother have
been impressing on the Colonel, the special obligation he is
under of making me the first objeCt: of"his solicitude, of having my wants attended to before those of everybody else.
To-day (I 3th) a steamer has arrived to take us up to New
York, through whose streets we are to march, and then embark on board the Steamer Vanderbilt (Transport), lying out
in the stream, which will take us to some point to us unknown. From what I have written, Rev. Father, you will
be able to judge of the characrer of my future companions,
and from the knowledge you have of myself, you will be
able to say whether or not my time with the soldiers is to
be spent agreeably, whilst devoted to the glory of God.
Earnestly asking your and the community's prayers for
myself and my flock,
I remain R•• v•• Inf. in Xto servus,
MICHAEL NASH, S. ].
ECUADOR.
Letter from Fr. Sa!a:::ar.
LA CoNCEPCION DE PIFO, Sept. 10th, 1886.
DEAR FATHER KRIEG,
P. C.
I have a bit of news that will interest you: in a week's
time I shall set out for the mission of Napo, among the wild
tribes that dwell near the river of that name. My orders
came in July, and, were it not for some unlooked-for delays,
I should already be at my post. Fr. Francisco Lopez, of
Jl\icaragua, will be my companion. He has just finished his
third probation. My appointment makes me very happy;
for it has long been a cherished wish of mine to bear the
light to them that sit in darkness. I had given in my name
�lXUAnog .
. as a volunteer to Fr. Superior, but scarcely dared hope to
be chosen. So the bidding to go forth has all the sweetness
of an unexpeCted gift. There will be much to suffer; but,
truly, our happiness here is found in bearing the cross for
His dear sake who died thereon for us.
Now a few words as to our prospeCts elsewhere. In
Spain, Ours are toiling bravely and not without fruit. But
it is up-hill work; for the sower of tares is ever busy, ever
doing his utmost to hinder and to mar. The irreligious
teaching in the public schools is a crying evil, and up to
this time there has been no Catholic institution to counteraCt its bad influence. Now, however, thanks to the generosity of the Catholics, a University has been established at
Bilbao and placed in the hands of our Fathers.
In Lima, too, our enemy is hard at work. \Ve are not
quite driven out, but very near it; for we have been ordered
to leave our house, which is to be sold at auCtion. Good
people, especially in Lima and Arequipa, are very indignant
at the doings of the government. The Society has struck
deep root, though wick~d men wish it not. The fruit will
come in God's good time: \Ve shall see.
Here, in Ecuador, the residence at Cuenca has been vacated; and the Fathers at Riobamba were also making
ready to go when, through the kind influence of Don Pedro
Lizarzaburu, Seiior Caamaiio granted a respite, and there is
now every hope of our keeping the residence.
At Napo we shall be six priests and three brothers. As
Rev. Fr. Anderledy seems to be favorably disposed in the
matter, it is possible that our number may be increased.
In this College of La Concepcion there has been little
change. The noV>itiate has received but three or four subjeCts during the past year.
Pray for me to the Sacred Heart. I, 111 turn, will be
mindful of you.
Your servant in Christ,
•
A. SALAZAR, S. J.
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR-1846.
(Continued from July, I886.)
JOURNEY TO
~IATAMORAS
AND LABORS IN
~IEXICO.
By Fr. John McElro;•.
4· After these preparations Fr. Rey and I left Georgetown on Tuesday, June znd, 1846, and took the Rail Car in
vVashington for Cumberland, where we arrived the same
evening. Having necessarily to pass Frederick city, my
residence for twenty years, I was a little surprised to find at
the station a number of my former devoted flock waiting to
bid me adieu. I know not how they were apprised of my
coming. So unexpeCted an incident disconcerted me not a
little, and for a moment I was unable to say anything. The
ConduCtor very kindly detained the cars a few minutes, allowing me time to exchange salutations with them. After
taking an affeCtionate leave of the good people we were
soon borne out of sight with the velocity given by steam.
Fr. Lilly, my successor at Frederick, and Mr. Michael Byrne
accompanied us to Harper's Ferry.... [Fr. McElroy continues through many pages to give in detail a full account
of the kind treatment he received along his route from bishops, priests, army officers and others, which, as it is of little
historical interest, has been omitted. Some extraCts, however, from his diary are here inserted:June 10th. At 3 P. M. we left Cincinnati for Louisville on
board the boat, Thomas Jeffers01z; we delayed until 5 P. M.
in the suburbs taking in flour.
June I rth. Corpus Christi. At 9 o'clock this morning we
reached Louisville and went to the Cathedral to celebrate the
divine Mysteries. As Bishops Flaget and Chabrat were on a
visit to Bardstown we could not see them. We left Louisville
at 4 P. M., and spent two hours in passing through the canal,
which is two miles long and has three locks. Our boat
paid $140 for the privilege of passing through. Every
morning the boat bell rings at 5 A. M. as jl signal for rising. I
spend the time until breakfast in making my meditation, etc.
June 13th. After breakfast we passed Smithland at the
mouth of the Cumberland river, which is navigable to NashVaL. xvr, No. 1.
3
(33)
�criAI'Lli.\"S FOR TIIE .1/E.\"ICI.\" W-JR.
34
ville for steamboats. The ri,·er here is ,·erv beautiful; studded with islands and piEl:urcsquc grm-c~ on both sides.
Here we stopped to take in wood. It was a novel sight to
see so large a boat so near the shore with the spreading
branches of a large sycau10rc extending· 0\·er the deck.. At
3 o'clock this evening we reached the mouth of the Ohio,
where it is swallowed up in the muddy waters of the Mississippi.
June 14th. Sunday. The morning is clear and pleasant
though a little cool on deck. To-day, for the first time since
my ordination, I was depri,·cd of the happiness of ::;aying
Mass on Sunday,-.fiat <'O!untas tua .' \\'e han~ the state of
Arkansas on our right: on our left, the state of Tennessee.
The banks on either side are low and flat, but HT\' rich and
fertile in appearance. N umcrous herds of cattl: arc to be
seen from time to time in very good condition: the houses
though, or log cabins, are very poor and small. Later in the
day we stopped to take in wood. On the hnn, \\·e were
told, there are more thari>two hundred sla,-cs \\Tll treated
and comfortably lodged:- .. Their cabins arc \·ery neat. A
part of their labor is to cut wood for boats, which sells for
$I .50 per cord. Their task is sc\-cn and a half cords a week :
for all they c~tt m·er this their master pays them 62: ~ cents
a cord. \Vhen thev cut ash their task is nine curds a week.
One negro told us that he could cut fourteen or fifteen cords
a week, thus earning bct\\·ccn S3 and S4 a \Ycek ; besides,
they have permission to raise vegetables, poultry, etc., which
they can dispose of for their own benefit. I met one old
negro woman, perhaps one hundred years of age, and asked
her if she knew at,!_ything of religion. She r~plied: "To be
sure; I know my Jesus made me: me to him and him to
me." This seemed to be all her creed, and she repeated it
m·er and over ag·ain with gTeat animation. She told me that
she had had five masters ; that the present one ~,·as very
kind and good to her, and let her do as she pl-ei_tsed. I
gaye her a small alms, at which she seemed delighted, and
we parted.
June 14th. \Vc reached :\Iemphis, and Fr. Rey and I
landed for a short \rhile. \\'e paid a ,·isit to the Catholic
church, which is in charge of two Dominican Fathers. The
church is small and built in imitation of Gothic, with a neat
spire. After maki1,1g a \'isit to the Blessed Sacrament we
returned iust in time to catch the boat.
June
th. The weather is ,-cry pleasant and the scenery
along the riyer pretty. At IO A. ~1., while the boat wa~
"wooding," we went ashore in the state of l\Iississippi. Al-
IS
�CHAPL.·IIXS FOR TllE J!EX!CLY WAR.
35
ready the corn is in tassel and the althea in full bloom ; in
Maryland this is the case only towards the middle of August. Everywhere the negroes seem to be treated very humanely and their houses are neatly \Vhitewashed and appear
verv comfortable.
July 17th. About 10 o'clock this morning we had some
very fine sugar plantations in view, with large dwellings two
stories high, surrounded with high piazzas. In the evening,
shortly after leaving Donaldsonville, one of Captain William's horses jumped overboard and endeavored to swim
ashore; the deserter was caught however, and put safely on
board again.]
In the afternoon of June 18th we went on board the
steamer .rllabama bound for Brazos Santiago, and set sail
from New Orleans about fi\·e o'clock. The next morning·
about nine o'clock, when we entered the Gulf of Mexico, the
sea was rather rough, and the wind easterly, accompanied by
a slight rain falL In a short time, Fr. Rey and I got seasick, and were obliged to keep to our berths all day. vVe
spent St. Aloysius' day, consequently, in a rather gloomy
manner; with great difficulty I succeeded in saying my
breviary. \Ve reached Galveston about I 1 A. :\1. on June
22nd, and went to the residence of the Bishop, where
we were received with great hospitality by Rev. Mr. Orlando. After some delays at Galveston, we found ourselves early on the morning of the 25th anchored off
Brazos Island in a very high and rough sea. On this account no \·esse! of light draught could come alongside to
take of{ the passengers. In the evening the mail was lowered into an open boat and carried to a small steamer which
could cross the bar. During the night the storm increased,
and Captain \Vindell fearful that the ship might be blown
on shore, as she had already parted her cable, raised the
steam and put out to sea. It was a fearful night, and all
were alarmed for the safety of the ship. In the morning
the storm had not much abated, and as water and provisions
were giving out, the Captain, with the advice of CoL ·whiting, Deputy Commissary General, thought it prudent to
return to Galveston.
About nine o'clock on Sunday morning, the 28th, to our
great joy we reached Galveston, and repaired immediately
to the small church to offer up the adorable Sacrifice in
thanksgiving for our preservation. Both of us were very
weak and faint from sea sickness and want of water; however, with some difficulty I celebrated Mass and Fr. Rey
communicated. The good pastor, Fr. Orlando (Lazarist),
�36
CHAPLALVS FOR THE .l!EXICAN WAR.
treated us again with his wonted kind and polite attention.
Early on the morning of July 1st we were again under way
with pleasant weather and fair winds, and on the morning
of the 2nd of July, the Feast of the Visitation of our Lady,
we anchored again off the Brazos. Here we found a fleet
of ships, brigs, schooners, etc., employed by the government
as transports and store ships. About eleven o'clock A. M.
we left the Alabama for the:steamer, Sea, and in a short time
reached the Island five miles distant. Thence we went to
Point Isabel, where there is a temporary fort, called after the
President, Fort Polk. This is the depot for all stores and
its defence had been a matter of great anxiety to General
Taylor; but the battle of the 8th and 9th of May put him
in quiet possession of it, and of more than one hundred
miles along the Rio Grande: so that now free access for
stores of every kind, troops and munitions of war has been
secured. On landing, Fr. Rey and I went direetly to the
hospital where we found fifteen Catholics who had been
wounded, all, except two Mexicans, being Irishmen. vVe
confessed a few of these: and did what we could to console
the sick and alleviate their sufferings. After dinner the steward of the hospital, an Irish Catholic, took us at my request
to see the grave of Major Ringgold, formerly of Maryland.
It is on an eminence without the Fort, and is designated
by a small wooden cross, in the centre of which is a black
rosette of ribbon, and flying from the arms and top narrow·
pieces of ribbon. I could not learn who placed the cross or
why it was placed at his grave. Major Ringgold' was not a
Catholic. This is quite a barren and inhospitable point; not
a tree to be seen and no vegetation other than some scanty
grass. 'vVe slept in the hospital, and next morning, after
visiting the sick and hearing some more confes.~ions, we returned to the Brazos and remained there until the morning
of the fourth when we embarked on board the steamer, TroJ',
. crossed the bar again and entered the Gulf bo~!nd to the
mouth of the Rio Grande, nine miles distant.~ 1\ skilful
pilot conduCted us safely across the bar which is said to be
very dangerous and to have proved fatal to many small vessels. The Rio discharges its waters with considerable velocity into the Gulf and like the Mississippi discolors it for a
considerable distance. The .river at the time of our entering was, owing to heavy rains, higher than it had been for
many years. Our progress was thus impeded and our boat
being small it took us two days to reach Matamoras, which
is distant from the mouth of the river about ninety miles by
water, and only twenty-eight by land. This morning, July
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE J!EXICAN WAR.
37
5th, we saw for the first time small patches of corn on the
Mexican side of the river, and some fine steers and cows.
The dwellings are few; merely huts thatched with reeds.
The inhabitants stood along the shore gazing at us and the
steamboat with open-eyed curiosity. About ten o'clock
A. 111. we stopped to get some fresh meat, when I went ashore for the first time in Mexico. vVe found a number of
men, women and children, of various shades of color assembled to see us. Many of the men wore no shirts, merely pantaloons, but all seemed quite cheerful and happy in
their rural simplicity. I distributed among them medals of
the Blessed Virgin which they received with much gratitude.
They never see a priest unless they go to Matamoras, about
eight miles by land and fifteen by water. On the morning
of July 6th, on rising, we found ourselves in Matamoras.
5· Of the city of Matamoras little can be said that is favorable. It was commenced about twenty years ago and
was the port of entry for all goods landed at the Brazos
and brought up by land or in boats by the river. They had
no steamers until the war commenced, and those now on the
river, perhaps twenty, are the property of the government and
of a few private indi,·iduals. The buildings are very mean
with fe\V exceptions; indeed, in the whole town there is not
a house of any importance, and what I regretted more than
all, no good churches- I might say none at all. Fourteen
years ago one was begun, of good size and proportion, and
the walls carried up to the square and left in that condition
to this day. The sacristy which is roofed, a room of twenty-·
five feet by twenty or thereabouts, serves as a church for
about eight or ten thousand Catholics -so much for the
effects of the revolution. Since the Spanish yoke was cast
off not one church as yet has been erected throughout all
Mexico, whereas in all towns existing when the revolt
commenced are to be found good substantial churches, well
adorned and provided with all things necessary for a decent ,
celebration of the divine mysteries :-in Mien, Ceralvo, Marine, Monterey and Saltillo. In the two last, Fr. Rey has
written to me that the churches are beautiful, large and
commodious. Poor Matamoras has no church: this I regretted the more as it was the head-quarters of our army
for a length of time, and at all times a number of Americans
are to be found here.
On the morning of our arrival, we waited on the Padre
~ura, Rodriguez, and were very agreeably disappointed
111 the kind manner in which we were received.
He tendered us hospitality and requested us to remain with him,
�(.71.-I.PL-II.YS FOR THE JIE.\7CAX TT:-IR.
at least for a time. \Ve declined his hospitality but asked
his aid in procuring lodgings or rooms to hire. Through
his endeavor we succeeded in getting boarding and lodging
in a house kept by an American who gave Fr. Rey and myself one small room with two old cots, no mattresses, no
chairs, no table, or similar room furniture-much inferior to
what the widow had prepared of old for the prophet,- and
for this with our board he charged each of us ten dollars a
week! Having arranged our lodgings our next duty was
to wait on General Taylor, pay our respeCts and deliver
our letters. Fr. Rey and I went to the camp in company
with Colonel \Vhiting, who in his way is quite a religious
man of the low church party (Episcopal) in the United
States, very moral, very polite and obliging and a gentleman of fine literary attainments. The General received us
in the most friendly manner, welcomed us to the army and
begged us to give him the opportunity of rendering us all
the sen·ice in his power. I was surprised at the simplicity
of his manners, his frankness in conversation, the plainness
of his dress and surrOLindings. Such a man seems to have
been intended for a General ; not only has he the confidence
of the whole army as their chief, but he acquires it more
effeCtually by his example. No sentinel guards his quarters,
no flag or ensign points it out; his modesty, only equalled
by his bravery, entitles him to perfeCt security, while his affabilitv renders him accessible to alL
At· the time of my arrival in Matamoras, the chief part
of General Taylor's army was encamped near the city on the
bank of the Rio Grande. In the camp were two large tents
for hospitals, used for those not dangerously ill; in town a
general hospitaL had been commenced, and some hundred
and fifty or more patients prO\·ided for: to visit these was
my principal duty.
6. Early in August General Taylor with all his troops,
except three companies of artillery left to garrison Matamoras, took up the line of march for Camargo, oi1e hundred
and fifty miles higher up the river, and the extreme point
of navigation on the way to Monterey. As a large proportion of his command were Catholics, I thought proper that
Fr. Rey should accompany him. Accordingly the Father
left me on the fourth of August, but as his stay there was
short great numbers, probably upwards of six hundred,
died during the fall months without receiving the last Sacraments. In Matamoras the number of the sick increased
to nine hundred, chiefly volunteers, few of whom were
Catholics. Still I instruCted and baptized eighty-four adults
�Ci'IAPL-l!S.'> FOR TIIH
~liE.UC-I.Y
11:-IR.
39
who, "·ith the ccxception of two or three, shortly after paid
the debt of nature. There were in the citv five different
buildings occupied as hospitals, in which { spent usually
the forenoon and afternoon of each day, visiting each ward
and each bed. I \\·as always welcomed by those of every
denomination and if I omitted even one clay to visit them,
they took care to remind me of it on the following. I found
but little diffietilty with those who professed no religion and
those especially \\·ho had ne\·er received baptism yielded to
instruaion with much docility. Among them in their last
moments I witnessed many edifying traits, so calmly, peace~
fully and resignedly did they submit to their fate. In a
~mall chapel unoccupied by the parish priest, which I had
fitted up, I said Mass da;ly. On Sundays, hO\\·ever, during
the summer, I celebrated and preached within the walls of
the new church to a congregation numerous at times, and at
times scanty. I succeeded with some difficulty in getting·
a few soldiers to confession and Holy Communion. i\fen
of this class are very much exposed to temptations, and un~
happily, before they enlist arc often addiaed to intemperance. This habit they indulge whenever they can. Many
either took the pledge or renewed it, who, I hope, will persevere in their engagements.
-----~----·----
�BRAZIL.
ITu, November 10th, I886.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
We are getting on in the midst of consolations and tribulations. It pleases our Blessed Lord to mix for us utile dulci.
We have many boys, and the College is still enjoying throughout the Empire a very favorable reputation. On the other
hand, several Fathers have of late fallen sick, and we are at
a loss how to get on in our school-s. Moreover, our august
Emperor is pleased to look rather cross at us. At present
he is making a circuit of this province, and did not deign
to come to our College, though he was in this town and
visited every other place, no matter how insignificant.
Every one, of course, puts his own interpretation on this
fact. The Monarchists generally condemn it, while the Republicans applaud it; because, say they, the Emperor has
by this conduct condemned the religious principle represented by the Jesuits. Such an interpretation only shows
what the Republicans are in this country. I shall give you
an extract from what a reporter has written on the Emperor's visit: "It is a sort of custom for those who come to Itu
to visit the College of the Jesuits: yet the Emperor did not
go there. The incident has received the honors due to a
remarkable event, has caused a great sensation, and is interpreted in many different ways. It is said that the Emperor
begins to be aware that the Jesuits do not admit above themselves any other, not even the royal power, when once they
feel strong enough, and w~ll supported. The Fathers of
the College were visited by the representatives of the press;
and I was one of them. We were received by the Rector
and his Faculty. The establishment is, no doubt,~very interesting; there are about four hundred students; and as
far as organization and direction go, it is one of the best in
the Empire. Everything there, is grand and magnificent.
[Such praise is bounty out of measure from the artful reporter]. But the instruction given to the youth is very bad.
The end is not to form citizens but submissive slaves. To
suppress the will aqd the self-dependence of the pupilssuch is the ideal of education as represented .by the Jesuits.
The Fathers of the College seem to be very good and learned
(40)
�BRAZIL.
41
men: but it is for this very reason that I fear them. For
the Jesuits are like wine: the better they are, the worse
they are." This same reporter a little further on, speaking
of the Sisters, says :-"People admire them for imparting
gratuitous instruCtion to externs. It is a mistake ! They
give nothing gratuitous; they only sow, because they wish
to gather in. For the disciples of Loyola say: 'Let us have
the schools and in a few years we shall be masters of the
world.'" \Ve are now about to send some one hundred and
eighty boys to stand their examinations before the University; but, owing to several reasons, we are under some apprehension as to the result.
I happened to read in another newspaper a faCt: conneCted
with our old mission of Paraguay. "The Vicar ofltu showed
to the Emperor a silver crucifix set on a cedar cross. Its
history is not uninteresting. It was brought, they say, by
some people of this province from a Jesuit mission of Paraguay founded on the river San Guatemy(?). The Paulists,<1>it
is said, having invaded the mission, ordered the Jesuits either
to retire or to acknowledge that the ground belonged to the
Portug-uese crown. Both the Fathers and Indians retired
as spe'edily as possible, taking everythin~ with them. The
Paulists, as a consequence, scarcely got hold of a crucifix
and a few bells, which had remained in the church. Both
the crucifix and bells are at present kept in the parish church
of Itu. vVhen, how, by whom, under what circumstances
were these objeCts given to this church, would be interesting to know; but for want of documents cannot be told.
I was about to forget to tell you that last August one of
the gentlemen who represent the nation in the parliament
at Rio Janeiro delivered a discourse, in which he praised
our Society very much and proposed to commit to our care
the civilization of the Indians. The whole discourse was
listened to with the most profound silence. The proposition
or bill, of course, will not pass ; nor could our Society, I
think, accept the mission. Still a friend is always something.
This gentleman had previously asked us for some information, and the news colleCted from vour LETTERS enabled me
to tell what Ours are aCtually doi~g in America, Australia,
Syria, etc. The gentleman exposed everything very well.
The discourse of Senator V est< 2> played, of course, the first
part.
Yours in Christ,
R. M .. GALANTI, s. J.
Ul
Known in the history of Paraguay by the name of )famelukes also.
2
< l Letters, Vol. 13, p. 201.
�LOUISIANA .
. \ SHORT ACCOU:\T OF THE SOCIETY 1:\ :\E\\' ORLE:\:'\5.
( Colltinucd.)
\Ve h;n·e now to speak of one of the great sacrifices, which
the Society was called on tt1 make, before it pleased God to
trY its obedience unto death. Cnfortunateh·, the niissiona;ies have left us ao personal narrati\·es of their expulsion
from the Colony, unless perchance, as some ,.;urmise, their
intercepted letters and stolen papers may lie among the
dusty, cobwebbed archi\·es of the :\brine Department at
Paris, whither Choiseul had all such document,; com·eyed.
Howe\·er, it is most probable that the,-e good men held their
peace, and committed their cause to God. For, says an
anonymous chronicler (I) of good authority, the Jesuits.
when asked about the \\Tong done to them, and questioned
as to how it came to p;;~s,.; th:1t men of such blameless and
de\·oted lives were so hard!\- dealt with at the hands of the
most Christian nation, an'i\\·~red ne\·er a word, thus following
to the letter the example of their Great Captain who, when
insuited and badgered by the minions of the Prince of Darkness held His peace. Surely, though it was an aCt of heroic
virtue on the part of these men to sink into their graves
with a cloud, as the world thinks, on their f.1.ir name, it is a
cause of regret to us; for we are thereby depri\·ed of many
interesting and edifying ttCts. Enoug·h, hm\·e\·er, can be
gleaned here ant! there, to help us to form some idea of the
,.;acrifice made bv the Old Societ\· in Loui;-;iana. The most
abundant source. of the infonnatic;n \\·hich we possess on the
subjeCt of our banishment from the ColOJl\', and the one
fr01i.1 \\·hich this paper i." largely dra\\·n is ~t\1 aponymous
pamphlet entitled: "Bannissement des Jt':suites .de_.la Louisiane," which was published in Paris on the 3rcl of September,
1764. "This brochure'' says Fr. Carayon, S. J., who republished it in r.S6), "if not written by the banished Fathers
themselves was at least \nitten with the aiel of their notes.''
The Marquis de Vauclreuil, commonly called "Lc grand
marquis,'' governed the Colony in place of Bienville, and
Father Vitry, who had succeeclecl le Petit as Superior in
1740, \\·as in office when the first rumblings of the coming
storm were heard. Monseigneur de Pombriand, Archbishop
(IJ
Bannisse
l]es
J(•suites de Ia Lnuisiane, Pari:; 17G·l.
(42)
�LOU!SLLVA.
of Quebec, finding says Gilmary Shea "that the Capuchins
(of New Orleans) seemed to give little heed to a distant
Bishop whom they had never seen," named Father Vitry,
S. J., Vicar-General of the Province of Louisiana. The Supreme Council acquiesced in the appointment, and the Capuchins, although they felt slighted, nevertheless overcame
their chagrin, and duly submitted to the Jesuit Vicar. \Vhen
Fr. Vitry died on the 5th of April, 1749. Fr. Baudoin, who it
will be remembered passed some eighteen or twenty years
among the Choctaws, was named Superior of the Mission,
and at the same time received from the Archbishop of Quebec the appointment of Vicar-General. This was the last
straw. The office seemed to have departed from the Capuchins forever. They refused to recognize Fr. Baudoin, who,
if we are to credit Goyarre, tricked them by diplomacy into
a recognition of his dignity. But alas! for the insinuation,
to call it by no harder name, of the historian of Louisiana,
we are told, on the best authority, that Fr. Baudoin, and Fr.
Vitrv before him tried their utmost to rid themseh·es of an
hon~r, which they saw was about to become a fruitful cause
of scandal. The Archbishop, howe\·er, insisted on their retaining it, and they as true sons of Ignatius obeyed, notwithstanding the odium and obloquy which, they saw well, their
obedience would draw down on them. Soon the din of the
wordy strife was heard outside the cloister. The townspeople could not stand neutral, and so it came to pass that
they took part some with one side, and some with the
other and grew as eager for a fray as was ever Montague
or Capulet.
It is an ill wind that blows nobody good, ancl so this luckless dispute between the Capuchins and Jesuits was of some
use; it was a spur to literature, for under its excitement the
hitherto silent colonial muse found her voice, and the lumbering colonial pegasus set about caracoling in his clumsy
way through any amount of smutty satires, and vicious
pasquinades ·and epigrams. These "abstracts and brief
chronicle~ of the times" have long since gone hence with
their authors, and naught but their unhallowed memory remains. The trouble reached such a height that in I 75 5, we
were cited before the highest tribunal in the Colony on the
charge of usurping an office which in all right belonged to
the Capuchins. "The Capuchins believed that their rights
were encroached upon by the nomination of a Jesuit to the
Vicar-generalship; they persuaded themselves that, the
title and office of Vicar-General ha\'ing been bestowed on
,their Superior by His Grace, the Archbishop of Quebec,
�44
LOUISIAXA.
at the same time that the \Vest India company made him
pastor of New Orleans, these two qualities ought to be
henceforth inseparable, and by consequence belong to them."
This seems incredible, but it is vouched for by the authority
quoted, which moreover, adds that "Monseigneur de Pombriand was well aware of their pretensions."
\Ve will say nothing of the validity of an opinion handed
down by a· secular court on such a matter, but such as it
was, the decision was in our favor. The effect of the trial
was to put an end to open hostilities, but that temper implied by the adage concerning the conviction of a man
against his will remained, and produced a deal of carping
and petty bickering, and thus the "\Var of the Jesuits and
Capuchins," as it is termed in our colonial history, was carried
on for some years. Meanwhile, affairs in the mother country were going from bad to worse. The enemies of the
Church and our Society had, with some notable exceptions,
won over all the parliaments of France to their side, and
cajoled them into framing decrees aimed at our destruction.
Finally, the parliament of Paris closed, by its decree of the
Ist of April, 1762, all the colleges of the Society in its jurisdiction. As Paris went so went France, and its sole remaining North American colony -for \Volfe had scaled the
Heights of Abraham prior to this date-did not propose to
to be left behind in this race for glory to be obtained by
turning out of doors and despoiling their benefactors. \Ve
must say that the colonists were exceptionally fit for this
kind of work, when we are told that they were, for the most
part, the cream of the off.scdurings of the mother country.
This was a propitious moment for them. The trial relations
between the Capuchins and Ours were strained indeed ; but
there was no open rupture, no desire to renew the old dispute, until Fr. Bruno, Superior of the Capuchins, was removed from office, and Fr. Hilaire de Geneveaux appointed
in his stead. This man, whom history credits with no ordinary abilities and no small attainments in learning;--seems
to have shown himself not averse to testing again in the
courts our claim to the Vicar-generalship of the Province.
Here was an excellent opportunity ror the colonists to bid
for the favor of the home government. They might ruin
us and yet guard themselves from all censure, for circumstances offered them; in the Capuchins, a scape-goat.
The dominant party at home could not accuse them of
backwardness in furthering the cause; while to the friends
of religion and order they hoped to be able to say, the
Capuchins are the cause, they are the plaintiffs; inveigh
�LOUISIANA.
45
against them but leave us in peace. And how did Ours behave when they saw the clouds gather around them ? They
were filled with fear and trembling for awhile, but the kind
encouragement of friends and their own rooted trust in the
power of God strengthened them anew, and they went rejoicing on their way, attending to their stations and missions,
improving their plantation, and taking no care for the morrow. Such were the dispositions of all parties to the coming
contest, when a vessel arrived on the zgth of June bringing
Abbadie, the new Governor, and Freniere, the new Procurator-General of the Colony. The new Governor did not
hesitate to tell Father Baudoin of all that had been done
against the Society, and to add, "I believe that the Procurator-General is charged with some order that regards you."
This was a broad hint, but the good Fathers were so sure
of their position, so sure of the backing of the Colony, notwithstanding the example of France, that they took no steps
to defend themselves. It was their wisest course. All they
could do could not save them, and resistance, though ever
so justifiable, would furnish malice with materials out of
which its hell-born invention might construct a charge of
resistance to authority. \Var to the death was proclaimed
against us at once. The Superior Council, which some
eight years before had sustained us in our rights, now seemed
anxious to reverse its former judgment, and as a preliminary step ordered the Constitutions of the Society to be examined. Thus it fell out in Louisiana, as elsewhere, that
our Constitutions were to be passed upon not by theologians
or men versed in canon law but by "shop-keepers, doctors,
and military officers." Those with whom the decisionrested
did not understand the language of the Constitutions, and
none of them excepting the gray-haired Chatillon, Lieutenant Colonel of the Angoumois regiment, either dared, or
showed themselves willing to espouse our cause. The
charges trumped up against us were the old well-worn ones,
which had stood our enemies in different parts of Europe
in good stead. The document in which they were drawn
up recited that we attacked the royal authority, encroached
on the rights of Bishops, and endangered the public safety.
It was not to be expected however that in a sparsely settled
country, where Ours and their works were seen of all, such
wholesale charges would find general credence. Something
had to be added for the sake, if the expression be admissible, of local coloring. To this end the three following
counts were inserted: "that we took no care of our missions;
that we thought of nothing but how to improve our planta-
�loi:JS!AN.-i.
tion; and finally, that we usurped the office of Vicar-Gerie~
ral." Such were the charges preferred against men honored
and esteemed by Bienville, the "Father of Louisiana;" by
his successor, the stern Perrier, who found them a tower of
strength in the hour of his direst need; by the generous
Vaudreuil; by Kerlerec, the honest naval captain doomed
hereafter to rot in an oubliette of the Bastile, who in this
supreme crisis thus wrote to the Fathers: "Blessed are ye
when they shall revile you and persecute you, and speak all
that is evil against you untruly, for my sake; be glad, and
rejoice;" by Abbatlie, the recently appointed Governor, who
showed, as far as he Jared, that his sympathies leaned towards us, but who Pilate-like had not the courage of his
conviC1ions. \\'e need not delay to refute these charges;
able and holy men have long since destroyed them to the
smallest fibre. :Moreover, what has in these papers been
narrated of the zeal, self-sacrifice, fortitude and forbearance
of Ours is sufficient refutation for the ingenuous.
On the gth of July 1763, just ten years, wanting twelve
days, before the Suppres»(9n of the Society throughout the
world by Clement XIV, the Superior Council of Louisiana
condemned us without an examination, without a hearing.
It declared our vmvs null and void, forbade us in future to
style ourselves Jesuits, and ordered us to lay aside our ordinary habit, and don that \\·orn by the secular clergy. It decreed moreo\·er, that all our goods and chattels, with the
exception of some books and clothes which each one was
allowed to keep, should be sold at auCt:ion, that the money
accruing from our property in the city should be fonvarded
to Choiseul to be divided, as he saw fit, among the Fathers
of the mission, and that all other moneys coming from our
property in other parts of the province should go into the
king's coffers. It \vas, moreover, ordered that our church
ornaments and sacred vessels should be handed over to the
Capuchins, which. says my authority, was "the least bad use
they could make of them;" that the chapel should be razed;
that the Fathers should be sent back to France as opportunity offered; and that in the interim they should not live in
community.
The execution of the decree was a repetition of the old,
oltl story of the visit of the civil officers, and of the indignities heaped on the Fathers. Sheriffs, appraisers, and their
underlings took immediate possession of our house, feasted
themselves on the best the plantation produced, and by way
of crowning their brutality, obliged Fr. Baudoin, the Superior, to attentl their banquets, and be their lord of misrule.
�f.() f 'JSJ.I.Y.I.
But the sale was over at last, and the little chapel, among
whose blackened rafters lingered the echoes of the hymns
and prayers which the Illinois had offered up for the king
and their beloved Bbck Robes, \\·as level with the ground.
This indeed was a 11·anton piece of destruction in a country :-;o poor in such edifices, but the desecration of
the adjoining grave-yard, which accompanied the demolition of. the chapel, \\·as an aa of vinciictiiTness for
which it is hard to find a name. All is not o1·er vet. Another clause of the decree had to be fulfilled b~fm-c Ours
might say that their :-;acrifice was consummated; they were
not yet banished fi·om the Colony. Seeing how ruthlessly,
not to say cruelly, the other commands of the Superior
Council had been enforced, the Fathers who chanced to be
in the town or its 1·icinity 11·ent off before they could be proceeded ag·ainst. Fr. Carctte embarked for St. Domingo,
and Fr. Roy hurried ofT to PensaC"ola, where he arri1·ed just
in time to emlMrk for :\Iexico with the Spanish officials, retiring in virtue of the cession of \\'est Florida to England.
Fr. Baudoin, the benef.tctor of the Colony, and a man to
11·hom the present state of Louisiana m1·es so much of its
prosperity, alone remained. He had spent thirty-five years
in the Colony, and was at this time :<e1·enty-t1vo years old,
and broken clmrn b1· his labors. The authorities allowed
him to stay because: forsooth, "being a Canadian he had no
friends or relatin::s in France." How tender-hearted those
worthies :;uddenlv became. \\'hen we call to mind that
the very men, wh~ at this juncture were despoiling him so
sa1·agely of all he possessed, afterwards granted him an annuity, it somehow or other occurs to us that, for aught we
know, his stay in the Colony, notwithstanding· the decree,
may have been owing to the bC1 that the rulers were, as we
.are told of some of their fellows of old, fearful of a commotion among the people. Hard indeed would ha1·e been the
f.'lte of the veteran missionary had an asylum not been
offered him by Etienne Bore. This gentleman, afterwards
famous as the first successful culti1·ator of sugar cane iti the
countrv, owned \\·hat is now Carrolton or the seventh district. ·His residence stood on the site of the Horticultural
Hall of the Exposition and hither, where he could gaze on
the rolling, yellm1· tide of the Mississippi, Fr. Baudoin came
to spend what little of life remained to him. And noll' it
is the 21st of December of that eventful 1763. The air is
chill, and night has set in, for it is 6 o'clock in the evening,
yet what a number of people crowd about the landing; and
the Capuchins arc there too.
\Vhat a change has been
�LOUISIANA.
wrought in them. The misfortunes of their former foes has
roused the dormant chivalry of the sons of St. Francis, and
they have now come to alleviate, as best they may, the hardships of the Jesuits, who are to arrive to-night under an
armed escort from Kaskaskia, Fort Chartres, Vincennes and
other posts. These poor Fathers from Upper Louisiana
were in a sad quandary as to how they should live until the
time for their embarkation came; they had no means of support, they dare not go to their old home, and· they could
not, we are told, count on their former friends, and the Capuchins, though they begged of Ours to take their meals
with them, could not lodge them, for they had rented part
of their house, and had scarcely room for themselves. At
this j unB:ure the officer of the guard, M. Volsey, who seems
to have been at least a gentleman, came to the aid of the
missionaries by acquainting Governor Abbadie of their
plight, and securing them lodgings with a certain le Sassier,
who, our Fathers tell us, treated them with the utmost deference.
,
In this manner Ours .lived for about six weeks but they
soon perceived that they were an embarrassment to the Governor, and with their usual self-sacrifice they resolved to
embark at once notwithstanding the unfavorableness of the
season. Accordingly, some left by the J1finerva in January 1764, and were followed on February 6th by four others.
Two of these from Upper Louisiana remained behind. One,
Fr. de Ia l\Iorinie, because he was too ill to undertake the
voyage, and the other, Fr. Meurin, in some unaccountable
way, obtained the permission of the Superior Council toreturn to his beloved Indian neophytes.
And so we pa'Ss away for the the present from this stage
of the history of Louisiana. The generous Bore had not
to take care of Fr. Baudoin for any length of time. The
old man's heart was broken, and he passed to his reward
in 1766. \Vhere do the bones of this hero lie (.'\ye know
not, but there is a tomb in the old St. Louis graveyard that
knows no decorations on the feast of All Saints, and its
prominent loneliness on that day attraB:s the eye; it is
Etienne Bore's and as we stand before it, the thought arises
in our mind that haply he who sheltered the aged Baudoin
in life may have given him a resting place in death. Why
not?
P. J. K.
�A MISSION IN NOV A SCOTIA.
ST.
FRANCIS XAviER's, NEw YoRK.
January sth, I887.
DEAR MR. EDITOR,
P. C.
So many things have prevented me from writing you the
little account of my summering in Acadia, that I find not
only summer gone and autumn, but a blizzard in possession
of our metropolis, and ourselves just pausing to take breath
at the close of our great Christmas labors and ceiebrations.
The memory, however, of my journey to Nova Scotia has
not grown dim, and here are th~ leading points of my little
story. I had been spending the early part of July at
home here at St. Francis Xavier's, looking with much interest at the truly ingenious appliances and methods adopted
in the demolition of our old buildings:- I was not in the
number of those engaged in the provincial congregation, and
so had more leisure for my observation of the workmen and
my preparation for the work of my new mission. In anticipation of a somewhat long journey, that would be made
up of parts of the routes of several different rail-road and
steamboat companies, and having a pleasant remembrance
of the convenience and economy resulting from a former
visit, I betook myself, Saturday morning, July 24th, to
the office of Cook and Sons Tourists' Agency, on Broadway, near the City Hall. There, facing you as you enter, is
a great case of little drawers and pigeon holes; Europe,
Lisia, Africa, Oceanica, America, in great letters, form the
main heading, under which, in their proper little ticket compartments, are the names of almost every important place
in the world. · So taken was I with the perfeCtion of
order and despatch with which the complex tours of a dozen
customers present were being arranged for them under my
very eyes, and the principal in the office was so agreeable,
that I aCtually gave him several very difficult test cases of
imaginary trips. vVith scarcely a moment's thought, his
hand ran from case to case and he offered me a bundle of
tickets, that would take me by turns from car to boat and
camel and ship and donkey and sledge, till I would be left,
after having travelled, Jules Verne like, round th_e globe, at
any depot or ferry chosen, back in Gotham again. I
VoL.
XVI,
No.
I.
4
(49)
�so
...
A J!ISSION 1X .YOT:-1 SCOTIA.
puzzled him only with a query, such_as a difficult man will
sometimes put at the end of a class or circle, when I
asked, if they would have blue-point oysters for lunch at the
grand . Hotel in Sitka, on the following Sunday. I got
my little book of tickets, with an armful of 'Tourists'. Literature,' as they term it, thrown in,-i. e., descriptive books of
routes beautifully illustrated, and full oi maps and all useful
information; and having paid about two-thirds only of what
I would have been charged had I purchased separately
at every stage of the journey, I felt I had conscientiously
availed myself of all the advantages available by the great
American traveller. The next morning 1 had the pleasure
of a little missionary trip to whet my appetite; it was a
visit to Randall's Island in our harbor, where I said Mass
and gave a little sermon to a congregation of some hundreds,
largely made up of idiots: at times, it is said, the services
take something of the form of the congregational, owing to
the peculiar penchant of those present to follow the lead of
their primo-primi inclinings, and make whatever comment
or noise may best plea~.e them. The same afternoon, I
started in the palatial Fall-River Boat, Pilgrim, for Boston;
duly arrived and met several old friends. Thence speeding
by rail via Portland, Bangor and Vanceboro, where the English Customs officer generally visits the train, St. John,
New Brunswick, was reached, after a jaunt of about twenty
hours. Here there was to be a wait oi seven hours, so I
called upon the Bishop, at the palace: His Lords/tip, an old
friend of Ours generally, was anxious to make me share his
hospitality for a while, but I could not tarry beyond my
train time. So, having gotten pretty well surprised and
thoroughly rain-soaked by a shower that began by a most
rapidly rising fog, Providence put in my way at the depot
an unlooked for friend in the person of the proprietor of the
refreshment room there. By his courtesY. I wa~ enabled
to set out on my journey wtth dried clothes and~-generally
more comfortably. By se\·en o'clock next morning: I found
that there were, if not breakers,-something broken ahead:
it was one of four huge trains. that formed the rolling stock
of Forepaugh's great Circus. An axle of one of the trucks
had broken, the car jumped the track and hence the obstruction. \Vhile the way was being cleared, I pleasantly passed
part of the time in an interesting interview with a couple of
novel neighbors -a $20,000 Giraffe and his worthy keeper.
My car was switched off at New Glasgow towards the
north shore of Nova Scotia, and, after a few stations, was
boarded by the Rev.--, the kindest of men, Rector of the
�A MISSIOX IN NOVA SCOTIA.
Cathedral of Antigonish. Here I was met by Bishop
Cameron, whom many of your readers will remember at
once as an illustrious prelate and a· staunch friend of our
Society. I had anticipated the date of my. labor's opening by a day, as of course, I was anxious to say Mass on
our Holy Father's feast. The next day, the mission began
in the Cathedral of Antigonish and lasted five days and a
hal( Although I had run through the country a few years
before, without stopping, indeed, any longer than the train
at the stations, my visit this time was a revelation to me.
The scenery, sky, civilization and all its accompaniments
seemed to be different from anything to which I had been
accustomed. Part of the newness was pleasing, much of it
was both novel and, at first acquaintance, not taking. It is
always the occasion of a slight aesthetic shock, you know,
to plunge suddenly from a busy metropolis into a remote
and easy going rural distriCt:. When the train stopped at
Antigonish,- .E'lysvtlle! said I to myself, and my hopes
and fears of the great Cathedral mission, and diocesan retreat seemed to stand still with the train, and be non-plussed.
It is a small town- everything is on a smaller scale as one
goes in the direB:ion I followed:- but when I came in
front of the Cathedral, I was struck with its magnitude
and majestic proportions: and reading, with the help of the
Gzelic ReB:or, my companion, the inscription on the fa<;ade,
'Tigh Dhe,' 'Domus Dei,'- the same I had last seen in
gilded letters over the stately portal of the marble vestibule
of our magnificent church at home,-here too I felt at home
and had already an exordium for my opening sermon, which,
after a rehearsal or two in pronunciation with the always
kind ReB:or, placed me en bon rapport with my hearers during all my stay: for nearly all speak Gaelic. Besides the
morning Masses, the services consisted of the sermons at 9
A. :11. and at 4 P. ~!. which latter was followed by BenediCtion.
The Bishop presided on the throne at every service, and the
great church, nearly two hundred feet long, was always full
or even crowded. The Lord Bishop and the priests heard
most of the confessions. As it was harvest time and the
country is almost exclusively in agricultural interests, the
pastors were a little afraid that worldly would somewhat interfere with eternal interests, and so prayed, conformably to
Divine Providence, that there might be a wet week of it; and
so there was. Now and then a glint of sunshine, but no settled,
pure weather till the mission was well over; then there was a
beautiful clearing up. It was striking to beholders from my
latitude to see the troops of men and women approaching
�A MISSIOX I.Y XOT:4 SCOTIA,
the cathedral from every point, tramping through the heavy
rain leisurely, never showing any signs of inconvenience
from their not haYing an umbrella or from remaining for an
hour or two in their wet garments. This and many other
striking things a visitor would remark, force upon him
the conclusion, that they are full of faith, piety, simplicity
and goodness. Most of them had taken the total abstinence pledge for the entire Jubilee year, and in consequence,
many of the saloons in the distriCt were closed for that period.
The mission was attended by many, some of whom came on
foot from a distance of twenty miles, from all the surrounding distriCts. The back of the church and aisles were full
of Micmac Indians, squatted on the floor; and I often noticed during the sermons, that their dogs were at as full
liberty, as the close proximity in which their masters and
mistresses were huddled would allow, to squeeze their way
among them. Many notables, a Cabinet Minister or two,
Chief Justices, Judges and other dignitaries carne, some of
them from distant cities, to make the mission, and they gave
much edification.
..
There is a colony of negroes in the vicinity of the town;
they cling together and form a little settlement apart. In
the church, they are, of course, one with the rest. The only
afternoon I had free, I was taken by the courteous Rector on a drive. As I had already learned, he was the truly
good shepherd and knew indeed his own ; I asked, driving
by, 'whose homestead is that,' and 'that'- Oh! that isFraser, that, Me Donald, that, Chisolm, or Mac Neil, or
Cameron, and then the list would be reversed and varied
variously, and a dozen different names, it appeared, would
fill their direCtory: if it be ever printed. Wildly striving to
find out a llc-Lt' name, I halted the vehicle at the confines of
the negro settlement and asked a darkey of eight, what was
!tis name. 'Andrew Jackson Gillis,' he added,, in pure
Maryland black, appending the name of my compa11ion, the
ReCtor, who was his god-£<ther, and that of three or four of
F. F. N. S-s of color, so I gave it up. On Saturday the
ReCtor and I started for Arichat, the episcopal see till within
a few months, when this was transferred to Antigonish.
The reason for the change was the almost entire falling
away of the commerce, of which, fifty years a~o, a goodly
share made the former quite a flourishing little town. Now
going through it, one is reminded of the pen piCtures story
tellers sometimes draw of decayed, quaint old places that
are but the ghosts of their former selves. Its situation,
however, is most beautiful,·on the hilly shore of the lovely
�A MISSION IN NOVA SCOTIA.
5.)
Strait of Canso, opposite the piauresque island of Cape
Breton. The streets are so many terraces rising above each
other like the steps of a great stairway that leads "from the
pebbly shore to the crest of the hill. The Catholic church
of the Assumption, an old wooden struaure, but beautifully
kept, has a splendid site, and, with the Convent of the Congregation of our Lady of Montreal and the old episcopal
palace, after the model of an English manor-house, forms
by far the most important group in the town. French is
the language of the place, but the rising generation is fast
adopting English ; it was for their benefit chiefly, I had
been called to give an English sermon; and I was assured, that were it not for anotlzer s!tOLu-the circus-which
was coming the following Thursday, mine would have caused
even greater enthusiasm than it did. A charming sail of
twenty miles along the Strait of Canso and about sixty miles
of a trip by train from Port M ulgrave brought me back to
Antigonish. The diocesan retreat began the next day ; for
the various stations of the jurisdiaion are generally so remote from terminus of boat line or railway depot, the priests
cannot muster in less than a day and a half. So, in they
came trooping by detachments; and when they were all assembled, a most respeaable, ay, venerable body, of fifty
hard working missioners they were. From the Vicar-General, with the snows of eighty-four winters on his head and
his sturdy form but very slightly bent with their weight, to
the latest ordained doaor of propaganda- and I think,
perhaps a third of the whole number enjoy the latter titlethey presented the appearance of a serried rank of sterling
soldiers of the cross. It was not, therefore, without the
thought of ti)e non-praaising professors in the chair of
Moses, that I undertook the task of evangelizing these
evangelical men. But my habit was better introduaion and
stronger approval for me than great powers or efforts: besides, the names of my venerable predecessors Me Elroy,
Maguire, and three or four others living, endorsed my passport and the retreat went on, under God's blessing, most
favorably. To give the clergy their full time despite their
beginning so late in the week, the rather strange custom
holds here of omitting Mass in all the diocese, except in the
church where the retreat is given, on the Sunday following
its commencement. This time it happened that the feast of
the Assumption fell on Sunday. At the late Mass in the
Cathedral, His Lordship, the Bishop, and nearly all the
priests were in the sanauary, when we had the most solemn
services possible in the circumstances, and a sermon on the
�S+
A ...liiSSIOK IN NOVA SCOTIA.
mystery celebrated. Afterward a synodal meeting was held,
to which I was courteously invited, but which I did not
feel it my duty to attend. Then I thought my work was
over; but then began to pour in the invitations from all
sides, to give a little Jubilee mission here and there, in such
number as would occupy me till Christmas. I was not,
of course, master of my own time; I was thoroughly
fatigued and so referred the applicants for aid to the subject's all sufficient refuge-the Superior. The Bishop, however, asking as a special favor that I should at least stop
over on my way, for a day or so, at New Glasgow and give
there a little fervorino or two,. I did so. His Lordship is
most interested in this new mission, because the town is at
once the most promising, rising place in the country and
contains the most bigotry. The church was built from his
slender private resources, and an apostolic pastor gave up a
well settled parish to try to make something out of this uncultured vineyard: he is slowly but surely succeeding. Notwithstanding short notice, long distances to be travelled,
bad weather, the church, was full. I had scarcely begun
my evening sermon, wh~n an army in battle array-a salvation army that had been pestering the town -literally surrounded the Church and gave a volley: male and female
were they beleaguering Rome. \Vith a gesture I restrained
some of our own quickly belligerent compatriots, continued
my discourse, and I never was more thankful before for
strong lungs. I waxed orotund, clamorously intense;
the assailants hesitated, quailed, kept quiet; I had the
field, the salvation army was routed, and I never saw anything in a Catholic church so nearly like applause as that
which followed. After the sermon I with all the priests
within reach heard confessions till very late: then huddled
as best we could in the little glebe house for rest; were early
in the confessionals in the morning, or rather on the chairs,
nail kegs and whatever else could serve for such; had the
last Mass with sermon at nine, with hundreds of ~C.ommun
ions; and so ended the short Jubilee Exercises. My
departure from among the priests especially, was as the separation of old friends: and then as well as during all my
stay in Nova Scotia, I saw greater esteem and love manifested for everything pertaining to our Society than ever
before. A most pleasant meeting, but in most awful weather, with one of Ours, leisurely working at Stellarton; a day
in Halifax during which I again met with much kindness
from the clergy, especially from Monsignor the Cathedral
:R,eB:or, and I turned my face homewanl. A cl<::<ll! run from
�ALASA:·1N JIIISSIOJ\'ARIES.
55
Halifax to Portland, left me pretty tired and so I availed·
myself of a standing invitation from the hospitable Bishop,
and was induced by another desire which was not gratified,
to remain here till morning when I took the train again
and rolled into the Grand Central about 9 A. M. I was,
as usual, warmly received and learned the news of the
changes that had all been made in my absence. When I
started for my room, I found that it and the entire house
were things of the past: a fo.rm of empty air had been superinduced where the brown-stone front had stood. But I
had not been forgotten and my household gods I found
in new and more desirable quarters. I think it will be
long before I forget the learned, holy, devoted Bishop and
clergy or the faithful people of Antigonish.
Hoping I have not trespassed on your attention and
space, yours by request,
X.
ALASKAN MISSIONARIES.
The following letter of the Most Rev. Archbishop Seghers was brought from Salmon river by a miner returning
to Juneau, and thence by steamer to ViCtoria.
55' Lat.,
Alaska Ter., Aug. 3 I, I886.
MouTH OF SALMON (oR ToN) RrvER, 6I"
VERY REv. DEAR FATHER JoNcKAc:
Although my voyage from ViCtoria to the interior of
Alaska was not attended by any remarkable incidents, yet I
think I ought to send you a compendious description of it,
because, if I did not, n;y silence would appear unkind and
ungenerous. It was on Tuesday, July I 3th, as you know,
that I left ViCtoria to establish a permanent mission in the
heart of this Territory, and to carry out the designs I had
conceiyed during my first exploration of the Y oucon country in T877 for the christianization of the natives. My companions are Fathers Robaut and Tosi with Brother Fuller,
of the Society of Jesus. Two routes lay open before us,
either the mouth or the head waters of the Youcon. I went
to Alaska through the mouth of the Youcon in I8J7. This
time I chose the other route, and we crossed the Coast
Range of mountains to strike the source of the Y oucon
river for two reasons- first, because, though the mouth of
the river is easy of access, yet the navigation of the rivet:'
�4.,LASKAN llfiSSIONARIES.
up stream, is long, tedious and difficult; furthermore, the
distance from Viaoria to the mouth of the Y oucon via San
Francisco, the way I started before, is enormous. It is a
circuitous trip of a month's duration, whereas the trip from
Viaoria to the head waters of the Y oucon is almost one
straight line of less than nine hundred miles and lasted only"
thirteen days. It is true, the portage across the Coast Range
and some of the rapids is a labor of the most exhaustive
kind; bl:lt those difficulties once overcome, navigation down
the river from one end of Alaska to the other is free from
toil, from danger, and comparatively pleasant.
l\Iy second reason for coming this way lay in the objea
I had in view of visiting new regions, of tilling virgin soil,
of exploring countries never before visited and of laboring
among natives never preached to by missionaries of any denomination. The northern boundary of British Columbia is
the 6oth parallel. Here, then, north of the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia and east of Alaska lies an extensive part of the Dominion of Canada, or Northwest Territory, which is part of the Diocese of Vancouver Island, and
was never, for aught I knq,w, visited by either priest or minister. The same may be said of that part of Alaska
watered by the Upper Youcon and by the Tenana river.
We are therefore, as I said, on virgin soil, never tampered
with by preachers, outside of the influence of the Russian
Church, and which, as generally the rule is, bids fair to yield
a plentiful harvest to the seed of God's word which we will
sow upon it.
It is needless to describe my trip from Viaoria to Juneau
City, the northernmost town in Alaska. Travelling on a
large and commodious steamer with a crowd of passengers
of the friendliest and most pleasant disposition and with unprecedented weather, we looked more like tourists on a
pleasure trip than missionaries at the outstart of a career of
toil and privation. But this was not to last very lo11g. The
steamer Ancon remained at Juneau long enough.·tp allow
us to purchase our supply of provisions. Several men
offered themselves to accompany us into the Y oucon country. We accepted but one-Antoine Provot, a French Canadian, and left Juneau on Monday, July 19th, at 7 P.M. Next
morning we were again on our way steaming up Lynn
Channel, which is flanked by ranges of lofty peaks, every
gorge of which is filled with a glacier almost to the
edge of the salt water. This channel divided itself in its
northern extremity into two inlets called respeaively Chil~at and Chilcoot. On the former, the Chilcat inlet, I saw
�ALASKAN "'J,fiSSIONARIES. .
57
the houses formerly occupied by the Chilcat Indians. This
used to be the starting point of the trail across the mountains over which the Chilcats formerly travelled to strike the
Tah-Kana river and purchase furs from the Indians of the
interior. Now, however, another direCtion is followed: the
starting point is the Chilcoot inlet and the- terminus is the
Lakes from which the mighty Youcon flows. In consequence of this the Chilcats have all but left their former
village on the Chilcat inlet and built up a new one on the
Chilcoot inlet, making more than a living by packing for
white men. \Ve experienced a good deal of trouble in making a bargain with the Chilcoot Indians, who have been for
three or four years under the influence of Presbyterian
preachers. They have so far monopolized the packing
business, and take advantage of their monopoly to extort as
much money as they can from every miner who crosses the
country. Not only did they charge us $ r 3 per roo pounds ;
but they made us pay for guiding us, for ferrying us across
the river, for looking after our safety and that of our packs,
as they termed it, and they exaCted what they called a
"present" for having faithfully stuck to their bargain. As a
consequence we had to pay to them $303. Had not a charitable person paid for my passage and that of my companion on
the steamer Ancon, we should have found ourselves short of
money, and would have had to return in quest of cash. As
it was we paid out our gold and silver and entered the Youcon country, fulfilling nearly to the letter our Lord's commandment to go forth "without gold, without silver, without
money in our purses."
All the arrangements being made, we started from the
Chilcoot village in a canoe, and saw on our left the northern
end of Chilcoot inlet where the Chilcoot river empties, and
reached the mouth of a small river called the Dayay. Here
we met a most kindly disposed Hibernian called Healy,
who placed us under many and lasting obligations. Finally,
after more unnecessary delay, we left Healy's place and saltwater navigation to ascend the rugged and lofty slope of
. the Coast Range and to force our way through a pass into
the basin of the Youcon. v'Ve formed a numerous party.
Besides the five of us there were five miners and some sixty
Indian packers, some with over a hundred pounds on their
backs, all in good spirits and great glee to begin our
wearisome, arduous tramp. It was Saturday, July 24th,
the Feast of St. Franciscus Solano, an American saint,
whose Mass I had celebrated in the morning and in whose
intercession I placed much confidence,
�A fleet of canoes conveyed most of our luggage to the
head of canoe navigation, some eight miles from Healy's
place, but we had to do the walking. \Ve first waded through
a tributary of the Dayay, where we had the water to our
thighs, and \Vere subsequently ferried by canoes five times
across the Dayay and moved into our first camp early in
the afternoon, the water being judged too high by the Indians to be forded. 'vVe slept soundly that night and prepared
ourselves the following morning for the two worst crossings
of the Dayay, in one of which a traveller lost his life last
summer. The first crossing was pretty rough. Advancing
cautiously, with heavy gum-boots, over gravel, pebbles and
large boulders through the swift current of a seething,
foamy, roaring torrent, nerving myself to the utmost to sustain the powerful velocity of the liquid element which
seemed at every moment to lift me from my feet, I reached
the opposite bank having had the water well nigh to my
hip, quite proud of my achievement, but, though the water
was icy cold, covered with perspiration, panting for breath,
and my heart beating violently. A few minutes were spent
in drying ourselves from .. our drenching, after which we direCted our steps to the next crossing which we found worse
than the former. Here we stood at the mouth of the canyon
from which the Dayay, nearly fifty feet wide, burst forth at
the rate of twelve miles an hour. Some of the Indians
formed a chain, taking each other by the hand, and marching on a line which extended down with the current. Preceded by an Indian packer and followed by another I resolutely marched into the torrent which seemed as if boiling
around ·me: I was very successful until I found myself but
a few yards from_the other bank when the velocity of the
water forced my feet so wide apart that I felt I could hold
the ground no longer. One of my knees bent in spite of me,
notwithstanding all the efforts I made to brace myself up
against the whirling, dashing torrent. One of my Indians saw
the danger I was in and reached me his hand ; anotJ1er took
me under the arm ; and so I was saved from the wild, furious stream. All my companions behaved most gallantly
and appeared to encounter less trouble and difficulty than I
experienced. \Ve now entered the narrow gorge through
which the Dayay flows, marching due north and most of
the time on the right or eastern bank, going up-stream of
the river. We crossed it again and again, passed several
of its tributaries, sometimes on logs, other times wading
through the water, but the stream was evidently growing
smaller the farther we advanced, We remained all that
�ALASKAN JJfiS.SIONARIES.
59
afternoon within the line of vegetation, and found the brush
very thick in some places. Altogether it is a rough trail.
but not so rough as many other trails over which I travelled
in Idaho. At last about 6 P. 111., wearied and hungry, we
arrived at the foot of an extensive glacier, the principal feeder, I presume, of the Dayay, and there we saw a splendid
camping place made by nature, consisting of immense boulders so arranged that they give perfeCt shelter both from
wind and from rain. That place is called Sheep Camp, because, I suppose, it used to be the favorite resort of a band
of mountain sheep, and in one part of it the boulders were
so ingeniously placed alongside of one another that they
form a perfeCt hiding place, called by the Indians 'Stonehouse.'
The next morning, July 26th, we were all up at 3 o'clock
and left Sheep Camp a little after 4, full of courage and
eagerness to reach and pass the summit. Here the ascent
became very steep, until we stood at the foot of an almost
perpendicular wall formed by rocks, boulders and stone of
every dimension, the top of which appeared lost in the
clouds. It was a novel sight to see our Indian packers ascending that natu~al ladder clambering the best they could,
helping themselves with poles, and now and then with their
hands, and appearing, from a distance, as if standing one
on the head of the other, the highest ones disappearing in
the fog. I found it rather a heavy task to step from boulder
to boulder, as I had kept my gum boots on; but I had nothing to carry, the Brother having dexterously deprived
me of my pack of the previous day in spite of iny reiterated
protestations. The summit is said to be four thousand one
hundred feet high. 'vVe reached it at 6 o'clock. The view
was decidedly beautiful. To the south we commanded the
view of the canyon through which we had painfully travelled,
the snow-capped mountains on the side of Lynn channel
forming the background; east and west of us were high
peaks, which, however, were hidden from our sight by
clouds of thick fog; and north of us lay the extensive country of the Y oucon and a red looking peak towering away
above the rest of the mountains, the foot of which, as we
saw afterwards, is watered by the great river of Alaska. At
our feet lay a carpet of snow and ice of dazzling whiteness,
and below still a beautiful lake, with azure water and the
edges covered with ice. If, as appears reasonable, we consider that lake- called Crater lake- as the source of the
Y oucon, then it is a remarkable coincidence that I saw the
Y oucon the first time this year on the same feast as I did in
�6o
.4_LASKAN JfiSSIONARJES.
1877; the feast of St. Ann. Great care was needed to pass
the snow and ice which formed a steep incline from the
edge of the mountains to the edge of the lake. A single
misstep would have sent us sliding down, and once started
there was no possibility of stopping before reaching the edge
of the lake, three thousand feet below. Fortunately, by extreme cautiousness we avoided all accident and got safely
over the dangerous spot. \Ve had scarcely passed the summit when we met two white men returning for their sled
which we had noticed a few minutes before. These two
miners had been abandoned before reaching the summit by
their Indian packers, and were now themselves attending to
their own packing, and, as I afterwards saw, they got along
remarkably well. After marching down hill, either on the
bank of the river that flows out of Crater lake or at a short
distance from it, we reached the shores of a small lake, Lindeman lake, some eight miles long by one mile wide, and
camped at the mouth of the river, we had been following
all day long. It was about 3 P. ~L when we reached the
lake, having made in a little less than three days a trip of
only thirty-three miles from Healy's place at the mouth of
the Dayay.
Next day a serious disappointment happened to us. An··
toine Provot, who had followed us from Juneau, and on whom
we relied to help us in building a raft, left us and disappeared
without saying a word. Fortunately, three of the miners
with whom we had travelled most generously offered their
services to help us in building a boat, and took on their own
raft that part of our luggage which the Indians had left behind after taking the rest to the foot of Lindeman lake.
Here that you m'!y the better understand our movements,
I ought to describe the run of the river. Crater lake, as I
have already mentioned, lies this side, that is, northeast of
the divide, and is the first reservoir containing water that
empties into the Behring sea, a distance of more .than two
thousand miles the way the river flows. From this)ake an
impetuous torrent rushes foaming through a narrow canyon
and empties into Lindeman lake, which is fed also by another
river farther west. There is a northwest current in this
lake plainly visible, and it finds its outlet through a narrow
pass, in which the water furiously breaks over rocks and flows
into another lake called Bennet lake. The river forming the
link between Bennet lake and Lindeman lake is less than
a mile long. It is not safely navigable and is consequently avoided by means of a portage called Perrier
portage. Lake Bennet, some twenty miles long, discharges
�ALASKAN llfiSSIONARIES.
·,
61
itself through a short river into Tahko lake and this one
into Marsh lake, after which the river runs swiftly through
narrow canyons until it reaches Lake Labarge.
Past
Lake Labarge the river follows a uniform course, receiving several very large tributaries, until after uniting itself
with Stewart river it definitely receives the name "Youcon,"
and flows placidly towards Behring sea. Before receiving Stewart river it is called by several names among the
miners, the favorite one being Lewis river.
I left our camp and our party at the head of Lindeman
lake, and in a small canoe with two Indians, I went to the foot
of the saine lake, some six miles distant, to keep an eye
over the baggage which those Indians had already conveyed
there in their canoes. The next day Father Robaut joined
me, arriving also in a canoe and bringing my altar, so that
on the following morning for the first time I had the happiness to celebrate the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass on the
head waters of the Y oucon, where, I believe, no Mass had
ever been celebrated. But \vhere was I? Was I still in
Alaska, inside of the line that runs parallel with the coast?
\Vas I in the Vicariate Apostolic of British Columbia, or in
my own diocese in the far end of the Northwest Territory
of the Dominion? This is difficult to determine. I hope,
however, that some accurate map will soon determine all
the boundary lines and clearly show where the foot of Lindeman lake is situated. At all events, before leaving that
place I nailed to a tree the following inscription : "Archbishop Seghers, of Victoria, V. 1., accompanied by Fathers
Tosi and Robaut, camped here and offered the Holy Sacrifice, July 30th, I 886."
The miners who had travelled with us divided themselves
into two parties, each party building a raft for itself, at
the head of Lindeman lake because the timber was not
long enough to be sawed into planks to make a boat. The
craft of Capt. Moore and partner was first finished, and they
sailed down to the foot of Lindeman lake with a fc1.ir wind
and current, in a few hours. Then unloading their stuff
they sent the raft adrift over the rapids; she plunged,
heaved and plunged again into the boiling current, and then
darted ahead as £"1st as a locomotive, and thumped with tremendous force against a rock, knocking off a log on the off
side. Remaining still with a slight tremulous motion for a
few seconds, she shot ahead a second time with all the
velocity of the current, and dashed again against a rock, on
the opposite side, knocking off her inside log. Then she
whirled and swung around and made straightways for the
�ALASKAN JIIISSIOJYARIES.
rock that divided the water into two channels ; I saw her
dart clean over the rocks and reach smooth water, and strand
on the sand where Capt. Moore was expecting to recover
possession of her. She was soon loaded again, and off he
went on the waters of Bennet lake with his partner, in
quest of timber sufficiently long to build a boat.
The next day Father Tosi and Brother Fuller arrived
with the other party of miners on a raft much larger than
Capt. Moore's. The latter was cut in two: one part went
safely through the rapids, but the other part stranded on a
rock before it reached the most impetuous part of the current, and bids fair to remain there till the water rises again.
That day we had a sumptuous repast on a duck, killed by
Brother Fuller. Four days previous it was that Father
Robaut had shot our dinner for us in the shape of a partridge.
After some deliberation it was decided that the three miners,
with Father Robaut and Brother Fuller, would proceed on
the raft to a place where the size of the timber would justifY
them in stopping for the· construction of a boat. They went
twelve miles distant, can~ping on the west shore of Bennet
lake and began at once to saw planks with a whipsaw. An
exciting scene occurred in that camp. One evening one of
the party noticed a black looking object in the water of the
lake, and called the others attention to it, saying: "\Vhat is
that?" Some one remarked unconcernedly that it was a
snag. "It is strange," was the reply, "that a snag should
float against the current." But the object came nearer, and
presently a head was noticed with two well-defined ears.
Then all shouted: "It is a bear!" And, indeed, a cinnamon
bear of large size, apparently a yearling, was swimming·
across from the olher side of the lake and making straight
for the camp. No time was spent in asking the intruder
what his object was in his intended visit, but all prepared
themselves to give him a warm reception. One of the miners
fired twice and missed. • The Brother took aim d.eliberately
and shot the bear behind the right ear; he made i plunge,
returned to the surface, whirled and swam around in a circle.
A second shot from the Brother's rifle finished him, and
what with the breeze, and what with the current, his bearship drifted into the camp, to the great joy of all concerned.
This is not a bear story, but a bare fact: and a proof of it
is that, after giving a good deal of the meat to others, our
last meal on the flesh of that bear took place the tenth day
after he had been killed. In fact, tracks of bears can be
seen everywhere, and appear more numerous than the tracks
of other animals. In the meantime Father Tosi and I did
�ALfSKA.V MISSIONARIES.
not remain idle; we carried both our stuff and that of our
companions, the three miners, across the portage, threequarters of a mile, from the foot of Lindeman lake to the
head of Bennet lake. Father Tosi showed his practical
turn of mind by constructing a wheelbarrow, on which he
wheeled the stuff from the hill, the centre of the trail to the
second landing: the heavier packs we carried together on
two poles from the first landing to the hill ; the lighter
packs I managed by myself, and although in my previous
missions I had more than once packed my altar, yet it was
reserved to the Y oucon country to witness me packing a
bag of rice along with my altar. \Ve thus carried to our
new camp something in the neighborhood of one thousand
pounds.
Until that time the weather had been clear and beautiful,
with constant southwest winds. \Ve had a change during
a few days; the northeast wind brought us dense volumes
of smoke, the bush being on fire in several places, and a hot
sultry atmosphere. One night we had a severe thunderstorm, with a copious shower of rain, after which the heat
moderated and the sky remained clear and free from smoke.
\Vhile waiting for our new boat, I copied the following inscription, which I found written on a tree on the northern
end of the rapids or river conneCting Lake Lindeman with
Lake Bennet: "No. 5 camped and built a boat; raft went
to pieces going through the rapids. Altitude, I62o feet.
Barometer, 29.78. Temperature, 6o degrees. \Vind, south ;
velocity, 3 miles. \Veather, rainy. From last camp, I mile.
From salt water, 36 miles. Time, 4.20 P. ~!. Date, June I 5,
I884. General Remarks- Mosquitos very bad. (Signed)
Willis E. Everett, M. D." Such was the interesting description I read and copied at the head of Bennet Lake.
Two of the miners, with Father Robaut and Brother
Fuller, arrived on Friday evening, August 6th, in our new
boat, but she leaked badly, one of the party being kept constantly busy in bailing her out. The timber that had been
found was not suitable, and our three miners making us a
present of the boat, determined to proceed further down
' until they would strike timber of good quality and of sufficient size to build a boat for themselves. The next morning we loaded our boat with the baggage of the three miners,
her leaking condition making us judge it inexpedient to put
all the load on her. Father Tosi was left in charge of the
provisions, and I with Father Robaut, Brother Fuller and
two of our miners, left for the camp where the boat had been
constructed, with the intention of travelling further down,
�ALASKAN MISSIONARIES.
to a spot where good timber was available. At this camp
about a dozen miles fron the head of Bennet lake, we took
on board the third miner and the rest of the stuff of which
he had been left in charge and proceeded on our trip down
the lake. But we soon noticed that this was impossible;
the boat (or rather the scow, for she was flat-bottomed and
had no bow) was taking in water so fast that we hurried to
the shore and discharged all that part of the cargo we
thought it necessary to get rid o( I, with Brother Fuller,
was left in charge of the cargo ashore, and Father Robaut
remained with our three companions. They reached the
foot of Bennet lake, entered Takoo lake through a short
link river, sailed down to the foot of Takoo lake and
camped about midway on the link river between Lake Takoo and Lake Marsh. On Sunday, August 8th, the goodhearted Brother was growing uneasy about what he would
give me for dinner all these days we had to remain waiting
for the return of our boat. He consequently started on a
hunting trip, reached a well-defined trail of a band of mountain sheep and followed it Jll1 the very ridge of the mountain
until hunger and fatigue compelled him to beat back and
return to the camp. But before he had time to express his
disappointment and describe his wearisome trip, lo and behold! his feeling of down-heartedness was changed into joy
and he gave three lusty cheers. \Vhile he was away I had
taken hold of the fishing rod and commenced fishing; five
fine fishes, pronounced by connoisseurs to be ArCtic trout
-the largest of which measured fourteen inches-were the
reward of my light and easy labor: the first fish caught by
one of my party in the head waters of the Y oucon. They
furnished us with supper that Sunday and breakfast the following morning, and many days will elapse before I eat a
meal with as much relish as I did the ArCtic trout of Lake
Bennet. On Monday the Brother shot a partridge;, and on
Tuesdav I shot one myself, so that divine Provide.oce, while
feeding' the birds of the air, evidently does not negleCt the
missionary.
Finally, on \Vednesday, August r rth, our boat returned.
Father Robaut arrived in good health and spirits and the '
two miners that brought him back informed me that they
had struck good timber; they would now take the balance
of their stuff in our boat to their new camping grounds,
build a boat for themselves, and part with us after seeing us
safely fitted out. I obtained from them a promise that they
would first allow us to fetch Father Tosi and all our provisions down to the present camp, where I .had remained with
�ALASKAN !rEISSlONARIES.
6s.
Brother Fuller. This being agreed to, we left at 4 P.M.,
that same .day; Father Robaut, the Brother and myself
rowed all the evening and we reached Father Tosi's place at
IO P.M.; he was overjoyed at seeing us back again. Without
delay we loaded our boat with all our stuff, returned at once,
and reached the camp, where we had left the two miners, at
4 o'clock on Thursday morning. We discharged all our
cargo; the two miners placed on board of our boat all that
part of their baggage which they had been compelled previously to put ashore and leave in my charge, and as Father
Tosi had been left alone so many clays I volunteered to be
a hermit in my turn; so that the two miners left with Fa·
ther Tosi, Father,Robaut and the Brother, leaving me alone
to watch over our baggage. The arrangement was that, as
soon as the miners should have reached their new camping
place, the boat would undergo a thorough overhauling, and
after being made water-tight and safe, should be brought
back to my camp to load our baggage and to make a definite
start down the lakes and the Y oucon. During my lonely
stay at that camp on the shores of Lake Bennet nothing
remarkable occurred, except a visit I received from four
miners, who had travelled overland thirteen days from Salmon river, being nearly starved to death. I gave them supper, and as many provisions as they needed to reach Juneau.
To complete my account of my lonely stay at Camp No. 3,
on the lakes, I must say that I availed myself of the absence
of the others to subject my clothing to a strict inspection.
So Saturday, August 14th, was a general washing day; not
only the altar linen, but towels, handkerchiefs and underwear underwent a thorough cleansing. If you had seen my
clothespins you would have been very much amused; some
of them burst. But, of course, my discomfiture was all to
mysel( Monday, August r6th, was a general mending day.
I had to remain under my blankets to subject some of my
clothing to the necessary repairs, perfectly safe from any intruder's visit. I hope you will pardon me the minuteness
of these private details. They serve, at any rate, to give a
complete description of a missionary's life in a new country.
The aspect of the country is grand beyond description. The
mountains on either side of the lakes are lofty, shaggy, rugged and steep; they range, I presume, from three to four
thousand feet above the level of the sea. Balsam-fir, hemlock, alder, cottonwood and willow are in abundance. Many
pretty wildflowers adorn the slopes of the mountains. I saw
wild gooseberries, wild raspberries, strawberries, huckleber-
VoL. xvr, No.
1.
5
�66
ALASKAN MISSIONARIES.
ries, salmonberries, etc., etc. I noticed also some rose bushes, but the flowers were not yet open. Eagles, gulls, geese,
ducks, partridges, woodpeckers, robins, kingfishers, swallows, some other small birds and some singing birds give a
lively appearance to the country, even around the upper
lakes. Bears are numerous; so also are ground squirrels,
rabbits and mountain sheep. Father Tosi saw an animal
like a very large cat, standing on the other side of the ri\·er
conne8:ing Lindeman and Bennet lakes, but the shouting of
some Indian women frightened it away. It is supposed to
have been a lynx. Finally, the abundance of fish is literally incredible.
To my great joy my lonely stay on the west shore of Bennet lake was put an end to on Thursday, August 19th, by
the return of Fathers Tosi and Robaut and Brother Fuller
in our own boat, which was now strong and water-tight, and
was now capable of carrying us down the Y oucon river.
We made a definite start the following day, Friday, August 2oth, followed by two miners in their own boat. On
Saturday evening we camped at the foot of Bennet lake.
\Ve reached the foot of Takoo lake the following evening,
passed Lake Marsh on Monday and entered the river that
conne8:s Lake Takoo with Lake Labarge about noon of the
same day.
It was on the river between Marsh or Mud lake and
Lake Labarge that we met the most serious obstacles to
navigation, in the shape of a succession of rapids about four
miles long.
These rapids are between two canyons- Miles Canyon
and White Horse-Canyon. Each canyon is about one mile
long, and they necessitated consequently two portages-the
packing of which was done by ourselves. Miles Canyon
lies between two steep. almost perpendicular banks of basalt
in the shape of columns, through which the whole river,
compressed into a space of fifty feet, rushes witn .tremendous velocity. The water boils up in large waves, having a
depression in the centre, so that no floating objeCt: can possibly strike against the rocks of the bank. For about a
quarter of a mile the banks are nearly parallel, then they
widen out, the current being more slack between two eddies :
the water, after leaving this wide spot, rushes over a large
rock into another channel, and leaves the canyon roaring
and foaming, as if to testify to its fury. One boat was unloaded, and the cargo, as I said, packed across the trail along
the canyon. Brother Fuller took the helm, Father Robaut
took one oar, the miner we had picked up at the foot of
�· ALASKAN JJfiSSIONARIES.
Lake Marsh took the other, and as I did not want to see
my people jeopardize their lives without sharing their danger, I took my place in the front of the boat, my watch in
hand, to measure the velocity of our locomotion. My presence seemed to remove from my followers all dread of the
gloomy canyon. We started off at 1 P. 111., and in a moment
the swift current caught our boat and whirled it between the
breakers on each side of the canyon. It was a terrible scene.
'vVe were visibly on an incline, and rushing down hill with
the velocity of a locomotive. The roaring of the water,
the spray that filled the air all around us, the waves that
struck our scow, which rolled and pitched as on the billows
of the sea, made an impression on our minds that will not
easily be forgotten. But we had no time for refleCtion. In
a few minutes we found ourselves in a slack current and between two eddies which we had to avoid most carefully.
Then another plunge into the rest of the canyon. Passing
over a rock over which the water poured and formed a real
liquid hill behind us, that screened from our view the head
of the canyon, we were hauled right and left, tossed and
shaken, skipping the water at intervals, and emerged from
the dark place, having made a mile in three minutes and
twenty-five seconds. A quick motion of the rudder gave a
sharp t\lrn to our scow and brought her into slack water;
whilst we landed, three of the miners waved their hats at us
to congratulate us on the success of our achievement.
'vVe found ice in our dishpan on Wednesday morning,
August 25th. We left the foot of Miles Canyon about 7
o'clock through rapids of a most dangerous nature, and
reached safely the head of White Horse Canyon, a distance
of about two miles. Here we had to unload our boat again
and pack the cargo once more, a distance of about a mile.
Next day we let our boat down the canyon, holding her
stern from the shore with a line and pushing her off the
rocks with poles. This canyon has not the same dreadful
appearance as Miles Canyon, but the water is shallow and
very boisterous; it rushes over boulders, and dashing against
them, it recoils and boils backward, covering itself with a
white crest which some extravagant imagination has compared to the mane of a white horse. At one moment our
boat was in immediate danger of perishing. She filled with
water, sank, and carried away by the current, snatched the
lines from the hands that were holding them, when, in the
nick of time, the Brother caught the lines with a pole; all
joining in a supreme effort, we got control of the boat and
brought her to an eddy. She was was promptly bailed out
�68
MEXiCO.
and landed safely at the foot of White Horse Canyon. \Ve
left that camp in the afternoon of the same day, killed four
ducks and went into camp two miles below the mouth of
Takeena river. Next day, August 27th, we had our first
snow-storm and camped at the head of Lake Labarge, which
is forty miles long, and was crossed by us on Saturday, August 28th. Finally, starting again on Monday, which was
yesterday, we made sixty-five miles in eight hours, travelling not unfrequently at the rate of twelve miles an hour.
A loon brought down by the gun of the Brother gave us
last night a sumptuous supper. We shot at three flocks of
geese, but in vain. \Ve are now about to push on northward, and are within five days' navigation from the mouth
of Stuart river, where we shall decide on seleB:ing our winter quarters; and we are about two hundred and sixty-one
miles from the salt water, that is from Chilcoot. I am reluCtantly compelled to put an end to this letter, and as I do
not expeCt to find any time for writing before reaching Stuart river, whence the returning Indians have already started,
I cannot find another cha11ce to write to you until next year.
Adieu ! May God bless you and our good priests and Sisters. Continue to pray for me and believe me,
Yours truly in Jesus Christ,
CHARLES J. SEGHERS,
Archbishop of Vancouver Island.
+
MEXICO.
SALTILLO, Dec. 23rd, 1886.
REV. DEAR FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
•
I have just perused your two long letters and fe"el··myself
bound, I confess, to answer you at as great length. "This is
just what I wish," I hear you say. Very well, but I doubt
very much whether I shall be able to interest you. On the
eve of setting out on a journey, and after just returning
from others, there is not much leisure left to enjoy letterwriting. .I say mjo_v, for it is ,certainly a great plea_sure to
write to my old fellow novice, junior and philosopher-and
God knows what more- Father La Cerda. But you ask,
"whither this journey and whence do you come?" It is
rumored that I am going to Puebla next Monday. And
�where do I come from? This is not a short storv and needs
time and space for the telling of it.
'
Having finished towards the end of OB:ober our year's
task of teaching, we went to the villa of a friend of Ours,
about a mile's distance from this College. There is near by
a little church which we looked on as our own, or as a
domestic chapel; wherefore, during our stay at the villa, it
contained the Blessed Sacrament. \Vhile there Fr. Alzola
carried away by his zeal determined to give an evening retreat to the farmers and merchants, but to the men only;
for the women, in general, are good and frequently approach
the Sacraments. They formed a league with the Father,
the objeCt of which was to bring their husbands and relatives to church. Their success was such that from sixty to
eighty were present every night. Perhaps desirous not to
see me idle Fr. Alzola asked me to help him. By way of
distraCtion one of us preached each night and, thanks be to
God, we reaped a rich harvest. vVe were already acquainted
with the docility of these people and knew that, although they
live so near a city in which there is much evil, they are a
people of very correCt morals. I think that this is owing to
a priest stationed in another church about an hour's distance
from the one we occupied. vVould there were more priests
and all as good as the one I speak of! I said that we were
already acquainted with these people. This was because
of a mission which Fr. Alzola and myself gave quite lately
in the church in which the above mentioned priest dwells.
But as I do not recolleCt whether or not I have given you
all the details of that little mission, I shall be silent about
it and tell you rather of another mission given a few days
ago in the land wherein your Reverence at present resides.
We two then, that is, Fr. Alzola and I, betook ourselves
to Laredo in Texas, and at once began our task. But with
what coldness we met there! Almost the entire town is
composed of Mexicans and yet how different from those
who live here! They showed very little enthusiasm indeed.
Would you believe that out of 6ooo Catholics, almost all of
whom are Mexicans, only I 300 approached the Holy Table?
The church was never full although it is for the greater
part, not to say entirely supplied with pews. There reigned,
it is true, wonderful order and a death-like silence, and this
was to us a source of encouragement. But we were much
pained to see that so many kept away from the exercises.
Do not think that this happened because there was question
of a mere devotion. No; even on Sunday the church is
never full during the two Masses ; though according to my
�MEXICO.
calculations it ought to be filled during four or six Masses.
And yet, I speak of the population of the city only; for
were I to include the ranchos where should I stop ?-as the
parish extends over one hundred and twenty by sixty miles.
They are little by little imbibing the spirit of Protestantism;
thus, for instance, in Laredo, people had adopted the maxim
that confession is not necessary. For God, they say, in His
infinite mercy could not allow them to be lost forever. And
in faa, a great many people never went to confession, who
yet were very much in need of it. Still they have not as yet,
thanks be to God, denied their religion and this gives us
hope.
The Episcopalians have here an Academy for girls, to
which Catholics send their children : some alleging, as pretext, that they wish their children to learn English, and
some without any pretext whatsoever. The pretext of learning English is invalid, for they have in the city itself, without being obliged to go out where the Seminary is situated
-they have, I say an academy under the direcrion of the
Ursuline Nuns in which 'English is so taught that the use
of any other language iS> forbidden. The terms are most
reasonable, viz., $Io a month for boarders. At the Episcopalian Academy the children of the poor are received on
this iniquitous condition: that they be left entirely in the
hands of the Direcrresses-or Direcrors, for I know not what
they are-until they have reached the age of eighteen when
they are transformed into Episcopalian missionaries. What
bright jewels after their education! Though the parish
priest refuses Holy Communion to some of the mothers
who send their daughters to that Academy, it is, notwithstanding, crowded with pupils. In a Baptist school of Saltillo a scandalous affair has come to light, and yet the school
is still open. I must have told you already that the Sisters
of the Incarnation have opened a school to counteracr the
bad effecr of the Baptist one and that it is flourishing. And
now let us talk about more pleasant topics, othtiwise you
might justly call me a croaker. And yet I am not sorry to
have told you all this if it induces your Reverence and
other charitable Fathers and Brothers to renew your and
their prayers for the conversion of sinners; if it encourages
those engaged in the hard task of studying to render themselves daily better fitted to cope manfully with the enemies
of our Holy Religion-but to other topics.
·
What was that good news which was to cause you such
joy? I shall tell you ; it is nothing less than the foundation
of our future Collegzim? Maximum here in Saltillo, l think
�DENliiARK.
-71
I have already told you that work was going on in this College, and that the buildings were enlarged together with
the garden, which is very extensive. \Vel!, a new building
is going up entirely independent of the college building and
destined to become our Collegium Maximum. For the present year it will receive only theologians; the philosophers
will come later on. The studies will open with four or five
students. Fr. Zaton, just arrived from Cienfuegos, will teach
moral, and I think that Fr. Mas will teach dogma and some
other things.
·
As I am to deal with boys next year in Puebla, I won't
have any more missionary news to communicate, unless I
should receive some from Fr. Labrador, for the distance
which will separate us is short. In this case I should have
much to tell you ; in the meantime I recommend myself
most earnestly to your Holy Sacrifices and prayers.
Your servant in Christ,
FRANCISCO RIVERO, s. J.
DENMARK.
0RDRUPSHOJ, Dec. 12th, r886.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
The northern countries once so dear to the heart of our
holy Father, St. Ignatius, are no less dear to his sons of the
present day. Every month each one of us contributes his
mite of prayers for the conversion of these countries, while
to a few of us it is granted to be aCtually engaged in realizing the wishes of our holy Father. vVhen, however, we cast
a glance over the immense desert of irreligion in the northern part of Europe, the few Catholic missionary stations
scattered here and there appear like so many oases in the
vast Sahara. In Denmark there are nine or ten such oases,
and in three of these we come across our Fathers;. viz.; in
Copenhagen, the capital, situated on the Sou,nd; in Aarhus,
the second city in size of the realm ; and in Ordrupshoj. In
this last named place, however, we have no parish ; but it is
so much the more important as the seat of a College.
Let us first pay a visit to Copenhagen, the capital. Beautifully situated on the blue Sound, venerable for its old Catholic history, and noted for its fine harbor, it is at the
�DENMARK.
present day the most important city of the North: Immediately after the Reformation our Fathers of the old Society endeavored to reclaim the souls who had wandered
from the right path during that time of tumult and convulsion. To gain back souls to Christ Fr. Schach did not
hesitate to put on the disguise of vender of mouse-traps ;
another Father, not known to be a Jesuit, was on the point
of receiving a professorship of history, when at the very
moment that all things seemed to be arranged, he was discovered and was obliged to seek safety in flight. Thereupon the government, to keep out this dangerous elementthe Jesuits -decreed that any Jesuit found in the realm
should be visited with.capital punishment. But their precautions were useless. As chaplains of Catholic ambassadors
our Fathers found entrance into the capital. After the restoration of the Society, the zeal of our Fathers was only exerted on a mission conduCted by Fr. Roh, in 1862. This
mission attraCted such attention that it was said: 'Were
there three Jesuits in the country, in the space of ten years
Denmark would again be ,Catholic.' The expulsion of our
Fathers from Germany ~brought new laborers to the mission of Denmark ; the work of conversion however went on
but slowly. The first of these Fathers who settled in Copenhagen lived with the secular priests; not long after they
succeeded in obtaining their own dwelling and in it they
opened a chapel for the public. Their labor was now divided
between their own little chapel and the principal church of
the city, 'vhere they assisted the secular priest in preaching
and hearing confessions. By organizing a sodality of the
Blessed Virgin the field of labor was widened. This sodality,
considering all the difficulties the missionaries had to encounter, made gigantic progress. It was soon found expedient to divide it off into two parts, one for young men and another for elderly men; the first under the direCtion of Fr. de
Geyr numbers forty members; the other under the direCtion
of Fr. Brinkmann, about eighty members. In the year 1883
a new and very desirable field of labor was thrown open to
our Fathers at Copenhagen. Besides the Catholic church of
St. Ansgar there is in that city also a small church of the
Holy Child, with which a small high school is conneCted.
Both chapel and school were, up to the time of which I speak,
under the management of secular priests. Our Fathers willingly accepted them, but soon found that the situation was
not favorable. In 1885, therefore, Fr. Straeter purchased a
large lot in the business part of the city, whereon, at present,
a proud edifice rears its head, of which the chaste, yet impres-
�DENMARK.
73
sive architecture throws the neighboring hovels altogether
into the shade. Just now it answers the triple purpose of
school, residence and chapel. In the course of time we intend
to build a fine church; the plan is already finished. There are
about forty pupils in our school and the number is on the
increase. That our schools do not increase with greater
rapidity is owing to the fact that education is very well attended to in Denmark. The capital, for example, has an
excess of schools, and among these are many free schools.
Perhaps when we move to our new school-house we shall
have a larger number of pupils .. As you see, the work of
our Fathers, though not a very grand one, is still, with the
blessing of God, not entirely devoid of good fruit. You
must also remember, that besides our Fathers, there are six.
secular priests in Copenhagen, while the number of Catholics practical and non-practical, all told, does not reach 2000.
Not far from the capital occupying one of the prettiest
sights in all Denmark is our College of Ordrupshoj. To
the northeast, beautifully laid out and filled with hundreds
of deer, is a park-like forest. Standing on the elevation on
\\"hich the College is built and looking towards the southeast, you get a clear view of the blue waters of the Sound,
and the Baltic and the dark shores of Sweden. To the south
is obtained a full view of the capital. Not far from the College is a castle of the king and one of the crown-prince. A
more beautiful situation for a college could not be imagined
-close to the capital, it yet possesses surroundings that
are ever inviting to a pleasant walk amid the shades of its
tall trees or to the luxury of a bath in the refreshing sea.
But it is evident that to run a college successfully a good
number of students is essential. This want of pupils is precisely the greatest cross for our College at Ordrupshoj. You
must not conclude from this, however, that the College is
without its good influence; with our forty pupils we manage to
effect more than might appear at first sight. About one third
of the scholars are Protestants. You can hardly imagine what
prejudices exist against us here among the Protestants. The
greatest good which the College is effecting is to do away
with these prejudices; for among the Protestants who attend our College are always some of influential parents, and
these at least put aside their old prejudices. Occasionally
also one or another is brought over to the true faith. A
second good which the College is effecting is the respect it
inspires for the Catholic religion. Our Fathers, namely,
and our pupils are held in high esteem; for our pupils have
generally passed good examinations. If then, the number
�74
DENMARK.
of our scholars is small this is not of such great consequence
as might at first appear. We have eight classes; two preparatory classes, and six Latin classes. At the end of the
fourth Latin an examination is passed in Latin, German,
Mathematics, Natural History, and Geography. Two years
later they pass the last examination, Examen artium, which
opens the way for higher studies and to public offices. Our
Catholic pupils are generally of the poorer classes, nay, the
poorest of the poor. As all public offices and positions are
already more than filled, Catholics cannot easily obtain important positions; our Protestant pupils are more successful
in this respea. Many of our Catholic pupils are children
of mixed marriages and their education at the College is a
great benefit to them. On Sundays and Holydays the Protestant pupils assist at our services, but on week days they
are free to attend. vVhen the Christian doarine is explained
they are questioned in Bible History only. Formerly they
had also to attend the Catechism classes. As I said above,
most of the Catholic pupils are poor; a great many of these
are supported by the alms of a rich lady, a convert to the
Catholic faith ; it is to her charity also that we owe the lot
on which the College Is built - not to mention many
other of her great benefits. You may probably say, then,
that the Fathers of Ordrupshoj are very well off and
have not such a hard time of it after all; and yet, I think
that most of us would rather be occupied in a large college; for, if you leave out the correaion of exercises, as regards work, it matters little whether you have six or eight, ·
thirty or forty pupils in your class. There is no doubt
that it is more encouraging for a professor to have a large
class; for then he is certain that with some, at least, his labors will be successful. Our consolation, however, must be
drawn from a spirit of faith.
It now only remains for us to make a little visit to Aarhus, the largest city on the peninsula of Jutland. In the
beginning of the present century, this city had .bnly 4000
inhabitants, now it has 30,000. When Fr. Straeter came
here, he found but two Catholics, now it has 400 and a
beautiful Gothic church which has attraaed the attention of
the whole community. The school is under the direaion
of the nuns, and is making rapid progress. There are conversions here continually; last year they numbered seventeen ; unhappily there are also some defeaions fro~ the true
faith. You see from this that the work of our Fathers is not
altogether without fruit and that your beads at the beginning
of the month, for the conversion of northern nations, are
not said in vain.
�DENMARK.
75
Though, as I have said, the greater part of the Catholics
belong to the lower ranks of Society, still the Catholic
church of Denmark can boast of several prominent members. Thus the daughter of the duke of Chartres, who about
a year and a half ago married Prince Waldemar, the youngest
son of the king, is a great honor to catholicity. This Prince
is the same to whom a short time ago was offered the crown
of Bulgaria, His wife, the princess Maria, used to drive to our
church every Sunday, when she was spending the summer
at a neighboring castle of the king. This, in a Protestant locality, deserves no little commendation. Another prominent Catholic is Count Holstein Ledreborg, a convert. He
is considered one of the most brilliant men of the realm and
were he not on the side of the opposition he would have been
in the Cabinet long before this. One of his sons attends at the
College, and the whole family are zealous Catholics. I will
mention only one more of our influential Catholics-the assistant of the National Observatory, H. Pechuele. In the
capital the Vicar-Apostolic is doing all in his power to promote Catholicity by means of Catholic societies ; and splendid and consoling has been the result of his endeavors. A
society of Catholic citizens, the "Unio," lately rendered
great services to the Catholic cause ; seeing that the citizens
of Copenhagen were about to pass over unnoticed the two
hundredth anniversary of their Catholic fellow-citizen and
Bishop, the renowned anatomist and geologist, Niels Stenson, this society proceeded to make arrangements for the
occasion. They succeeded so admirably that from all sides
the loudest encomiums were lavished upon them by friend
and foe alike. They were especially happy in their choice
of speaker-the above-named Count Holstein.
And now, if you ask what hopes are there for the mission
in the future, I must say, that humanly speaking they are
not very great. The obstacles to our success arise partly
from the national faults of the people, partly from the opposition of the National Church. The old proverb is applicable here "Wess Brod ich ess, dess Lied ich singe." Our entire public life is bound up with Protestantism. Thousands
derive their support from the National Church, and this
means a great deal in a poor country like Denmark. Everybody, ourselves included, must pay tithes to the Protestant
ministers. I shall give but one example to show how firmly
the National Church has taken root in Denmark. A short
time ago there appeared in the papers a royal order of the
Cabinet by which his gracious majesty, the king, vouchsafed
to allow the Protestant ministers to receive communion at
�;6
ITALY.
their own hands, in case of necessity. You see, therefore,
that the downfall of the National Church would form our
only hope. But as such an event can hardly be expeEtcd ;
we can only continue for the present, to pray hard and often,
and relying on the Providence of God, console ourselves
with the thought that later on, the field now sown with so
much labor, will yield an abundant harvest.
Yours in Christ,
Z.
ITALY.
Ro~IE,
Jan. 18th, 1887.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
One who has visited the various towns of continental
Europe is pretty well prepared for the sight of the multitude of soldiers that throng the streets of Rome in martial
splendor. If this were formerly a priest-ridden country, as
our amiable Protestant brethren used to call it in holy horror, it is now much more truly soldier-ridden- there being
in a comparatively small city like Rome, twelve thousand
troops; and although the improvement made in the fighting
qualities of the people remains yet to be tested, it may be
assumed a pnori that neither faith nor morals have been
benefited by the exchange of the spiritual for the worldly
militia. \Vhithersoever you turn you are sure to find those
gorgeous represeQtatives of imperial strength and Italian
unity hurrying to and fro, sometimes singly, sometimes in
squads, sometimes in regiments, sometimes with music in
front, and then always with a troop of very young and very
old admirers in the rear, charmed into pursuit like. the rats
and children of Hamelin Town in the days of~the Pied
Piper. Almost in every street and in every out of the way
corner the soldier can be seen either pacing up and down or
resting on his musket before some large imposing building.
But it is not my intention to write you a letter on the military
affairs of Italy, about· which neither I nor anybody else knows
anything, and concerning which I believe and hope your
readers care nothing but to see it disgorge its ill-gotten booty:
it is, strange to say, an association of ideas that has given
me this introduEtion. For these barracks in which the soldiers are housed, and these government buildings before
�lTA L Y.
71
which the silent sentinel (as poets call him) paces all day
and all night are the plundered convents and monasteries
seized by the Piedmontese invaders in I870, when their immense army so gallantly overcame the handful of Papal
troops that defended Porta Pia. The ·first aCt of the usurping government was to disestablish the religious orders, and
as they thus died. intestate all their property went to the
state. And thus Franciscan convents and Dominican mon• asteries and religious houses of every description were
seized upon by these despoilers ; some became barracks,
some government offices, some stables, some museums,
some public libraries, etc. ; and some again were rented out
for revenue .. Even the Pope's property was not respeCted;
and the whole world knmvs how the notorious and shameless figure-head of the usurpation stabled himself in the Sacred Palace of the Quirinal, from whence his legitimate
offspring still rules-as a tool can rule-the destinies of new
United Italy. The Society suffered in the universal confiscation; even if all the others had been spared she would
have suffered anyhow. The hatred for the Jesuit here
amounts simply to fanaticism. The bad meaning of the
word is not confined to the English language. Jesuit has
still more vile and more cruel significations in the languages
of the continent. All the revolutionists realize fully that it
means the enemy, even as Gambetta said of ecclesiasticism,
in general. The Roman College, in which nearly the entire youth of Rome was educated for generations became a
public school, retaining still the name of Collegio Romano.
Its fine library was given over to the public (how generous !)
under the title of Biblioteca Vittorio Emmanuele, in honor
of the Pater Patrice, and there the Roman bricklayer after the fatigues of the day's work and the drover from
the Campagna on his visit to the city, and the hod-carrier
during his hour of leisure may drop in to recreate their
wearied intelleCts over the exhilarating pages of Alexander
Halensis, or to quench their thirst for science by deep
draughts of Duns Scotus' subtilties. The Kircherian museum
gives its unjust possessor half a franc from every visitor. All
this is unintelligible to us-unintelligible to any one with the
faintest ideas of right and wrong, and the blood of a Catholic
fairly boils with wrath when he beholds on every side of him
universal desecration. The Professed House, ,adjoining
the Gesu, belongs to the war department; and the novitiate of San Andrea, with all its hallowed memories,
~anEtified as it had been by the living virtues of St. StanIslaus, and of so many others who have since been raised to
�ITALY.
the honors of the altar, was rented out until such time as
the ruling power would be able to demolish it, a piece of
vandalism now almost completed. This was the reason of
the dispersion of 1870. No new legislation was enaaed
then, as far as I know, but the eviaed religious, deprived
of their homes, had to seek the shelter of foreign hospitality in Spain, England and France; the lqst named country
had not yet become possessed with the mad desire of outheroding Herod. Some of the older Fathers managed to
obtain shelter in Rome and remained there ; amongst these
were the professors of the German and South American Colleges, both of which seminaries are under the direaion of
Ours. The teaching staff of the Roman College took up
its quarters in the German College, where the philosophical
and theological classes were continued under the title of the
Gregorian University ; and to the leaures given here came
all the colleges that had hitherto attended the classes of the
Collegio Romano. One exception was made in the work
of confiscation: the Observatory remained under the charge
of Fr. Secchi, who 'exaeh:.d from the government a solemn
promise that after his death it would remain under the control of his religious brethren, for on this condition only
would he assume the direaion of it. But as the keeping of
this promise implied a certain amount of honesty, of course
it was not kept; and so immediately after Fr. Secchi's death
the strong hand took possession of the Observatory that he
had made famous, and his legitimate successor was driven
from it by violence. The old novitiate of San Andrea was,
as I have said, rented out, and was fortunately obtained by
the South American College. Very Rev. Fr. General lived
there since his wit1Idrawal from the government of the Society until last summer, and in it the saintly Cardinal Franzelin closed his splendid career last month, a grace no doubt
obtained by the prayers he offered up that he might die in
that holy house. The greater part of it is torn .Clown, so
that the seminarians are confined to one small settibn ; and
before the year is over the novitiate of San Andrea will be
a thing of history only, and the South American College
will have moved into their splendid new building recently
completed in another part of the city.
Some few years ago the scholastics of the Roman Province
were brought back to the city· for philosophy and .theology.
A beginning was effeaed by boarding them in one of the
national seminaries -the Belgian, I believe- from which
they went daily to the lcaures in the Universita Gregoriana.
Several changes were made before they succeeded in procur-
�ITALY.
79
ing a house for themselves, which they did finally in the
Via Guiglia. Here at least with all its inconveniences and
discomforts-for the house was small and in no way suited
to the purpose-they had the advantage of being together in
their own house and of community life- indeed too much
community, as they were doubled, tripled and quadrupled
in small rooms and dark corridors. Here too they had to
make morning and afternoon journeys to class in the Via
del Seminario-and this state of things continued until the
close of the last scholastic year.
Last summer the German College bought the Hotel Costanza, a splendid building in a very high and very eligible
part of the city; and the Society purchased their vacated
premises, and this is the commencement of scholastic or
scholasticate life once again in the Roman Province. The
Universita Gregoriana, formerly the Collegio Germanico,
and still previous to that the Collegio dei Nobili, and yet
previous to that, and originally, the Palazzo Borromeo, is the
new scholasticate which, as its various titles indicate, has
served a variety of purposes in its time. It was erected by
the Borromeo family as a palace centuries ago, but after the
Council of Trent, owing no doubt to the piety of some member of that famously pious family, became a seminary for
ecclesiastics: hence the name of. the narrow street on which
it stands, Via del Seminario. Then it was used as the College of Nobles-whatever that means -and finally for years
was known as the Collegio Germanico. The building exteriorly has nothing to recommend it except its solidity; it
is a large, sombre, quadrangular struCture with an immense
gate and heavily barred windows on the lower floor which
recall the days of ready riot and family factions, and give
one some idea of the desperate character of a Roman mob
in the hands of demagogues or fanatics. The interior is
not so gloomy as its exterior would lead one to expect.
Everything that belonged to the old original palace is on a
scale of great magnificence. The rooms are large, the corridors spacious, and the stairways vaster even than those of
our new College in Philadelphia. I have made a limitation
by saying this of all· that belonged to the old original palace
only: for the system of patchwork in building seems to have
been carried to the highest perfection here. Indeed in this
more skill is shown than in patching shoes or coats. In
consequence of the varied history of the building different
additions have been made to it at different periods and in
accordance with its diversified uses, which may have been
also additions to its comfort and usefulness- as these arc
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ITALY.
understood here-but in no wise added to its artistic merits,
nor to its comfortableness, as this is understood elsewhere;
so that the whole would be a striking kindergarten illustration of what philosophers call a compositum or unum per
accidms, and very much like the hypothetic piCl:ure introducing the Ars Poetica. As the narrow streets of Rome
would scarcely permit an enlargement by ground extension,
this was effeCl:ed here by altitude, if I may be allowed the expression. The attic scheme at Woodstock will give you some
idea, though here the effeCl: is more Doric. \Vhen a new room
was needed it was simply ereCl:ed in the spot required on
the roof of the building. \Vhen necessity demanded another elsewhere, it too went up in its own proper corner; and
in course of time other additions might have to be construCted on top of these afterthoughts, and so forth, as indefinitely as security and the foundations would permit. It
is easy to imagine the consequences-labyrinths and coveys
without number; small narrow bridges over corridors, unexpeCted stairways, surprises everywhere. Such is, in a
general way, the buildin,g of the Universita Gregoriana.
Here it is that the Society still carries out a part of the work
done formerly in the Roman College, since only philosophy
and theolo5y with their cognate sciences are taught here. In
another part of the city are the academic classes about which
you may ha\·e some information later. From hence Cardinal
Franzelin was forced into a more conspicuous station; here
it was that Fr. Mazzella perfeCl:ed the work commenced in
\Voodstock eighteen years ago, and was in consequence
elevated to· the Cardinalate; and here too Fr. De Augustinis is already adding to his still fresh Woodstock fame.
The total number-of students attending the University is
about five hundred and eighty, of whom nearly three hundred are theologians. As is well known the different nations
have their own College in Rome besides their ho111e diocesan or provincial seminaries ; and the students of th~se Colleges attend the leCl:ures of one or other of the Universities
for which the Eternal City is famous. Thus some go to the
Propaganda, some to the Dominican Minerva, some to the
Appolinaris, etc. I am told that the students of the Gregorian University are more numerous than those of all the
other Universities put together-that is, the students of philosophy and theology. The greater number of colleges, together with several religious orders and congregations come
hither in quest of science. By referring to the catalogue of
the present year I find the following Colleges represented:
the German, South American, Belgian, English, Scotch,
�ITALY.
8r
Polish, French, together with numerous Italian seminaries
fwm every part of Italy, and religious Congregations from
all parts of the world; BenediCtines from England and Syria; Oblates of Mary Immaculate from France and Canada
and the United States; Trinitarians from Spain; and Resurrectionists from America. It is a very interesting sight to
see these students in their different uniforms and habits .
going to and coming from class. They generally march
two deep in bands of fifteen or twenty. The Germans, in
their cassock and winged sopranna of scarlet - which has
dubbed them the lobsters-are the most conspicuous of all:
the Scotch wear penitential violet; the English, sombre black;
the South Americans, black and blue (as if they had been
beaten), and so on through the list, with the singular dresses
of some of the religious Congregations added thereto. It
must be very humiliating to the government to find the Society that it fain would crush as aCtive and as efficacious as
ever in its teaching, notwithstanding all the efforts that
have been made to impair its usefulness. It is no particular
love for religion nor for the Society that wins for it this impunity. In the beginning of the year, before the meeting
of Parliament, there were threats of direful persecution;
speeches were made by scoundrels calling for the extermination of all religious, and first on the list, the hated Jesuits;
newspapers were loud in their denunciations of clericalism,
calling upon all patriotic citizens to rise to the dignity of
the occasion ; the Pope was burned in effigy, and other
brutal but harmless insults were made against religion with
much insane enthusiasm. Parturiunt montes, and nothing
yet, not even the contemptible mouse has come forth. The
Papal Brief in favor of the Society was the cause of all this
smoke. \Vhen Parliament did meet in November it found
the country th~ laughing stock of the civilized world-even
of the mighty Bismarck - for its religious terrors; and
it found, too, much more important business on hand than
the persecution of monks and nuns. The great war cloud
in the North, and the sound of many feet of armed men in
central Europe arrested its attention and gave it food for
political refleCtion that it may have some trouble in digesting; and so religion will probably be left alone until the
great war that now seems inevitable be over. In the meantime we may pray and hope that the approaching war may
free Christ's Vicar from a state of things which he himself
has pronounced to be intolerable.
In the classes of the University no repetitions are given,
VQL. xvr, No. 1.
6
�ITALY.
and no last quarter is devoted to the solution of difficulties.
It is a clear hour of pure dotl:rine, which he who can may
take in. After the evening class there is circle for half an
hour which our scholastics do not attend, except those who
may be modcratores circuli. They have their own private
circle later in the evening over which the Professor presides.
But the Professor has nothing to do with the class circles
proper; his duties are confined to the hour's letl:ure daily,
with one exception that he has charge of the Sabbatina,
which is common to all, Ours and externs, and in which
each one has to take his turn. For the daily half hour
circles of the extern students, some one of the class is appointed presiding officer, sometimes one of our scholastics,
sometimes one of the other students, and his duty it is to
keep time and order, and to settle doubts as best he may in
the interim. At the Sabbatina all the accumulated doubts
and difficulties of the week are handed in to the Professor
of the class for an ultimate decision. It is not to be imagined,
however, that the pupils are left to the stray chances of a
week's memory for a resolution of all their doubts. I fear
much that many diffictilties would be unsolved forever in
the minds of the troubled, if they had to carry around a
week's load of knotty questions. Each College has resident
in it an official expert in all ecclesiastical, philosophical and
theological lore, who is termed a rcpctitor, that is, one to assist the students, in their studies. Under the rcpctztor are held
private circles at home; he solves the llifficulties of the students and helps them along in various ways. As can be imagined this office is no sinecure. Sometimes there is one repctitor for all the three different years of philosophy, which
means that sometimes he has to defend and expose in one
class that which he repudiates as improbable in the other,
according to the different views and teaching qf different professors. I have remarked that all seem anxious to have a
Jesuit as repctitor; and a student of one of these foreign Colleges once remarked to me that it was no wonder tneGerman
students were so excellent, since they lived entirely under
Jesuit influences.
I hope you may have been able to get some idea of our
present situation here from this rambling letter. You will
see that notwithstanding all the troubles that have afflitl:ecl
this unfortunate country since 1870, very little difference
has been effetl:ed in the work of the Society as far as
philosophy and theology are concerned. I had hoped to
be able to say something about the other colleges of the
Society in Rome, but it would swell this letter beyond the
�ITA L 1'.
limits of the patience of your readers and of the writer.
Perhaps at some future time I may be able to give you
more information. I would like only to say something about
our church work here-and about this I can say very little
on account of the circumstances in which I am placedsince this has made a deeper impression upon me, because
entirely unexpeCted, than even the great college work. Our
Church of the Gesu is still, I believe, the tnost popular
church in Rome; and by popular I do not mean stylish or
aristocratic-no church in Rome is popular in that sensebut popular in the intensity and extent of its fervor. It is
a church of surpassing beauty, and though not of great size
if compared with other Roman churches, still is larger, I believe, than any American church with the exception of the
New York' Cathedral and one or two other great churches
of the United States. It is without pews, and therefore, can
accommodate many more than even a larger church in
America. The sight of this splendid church on the Feast
of the Immaculate Conception was one never to be forgotten.
The great temple was literally packed with people, even the
large and beautiful side altars being crowded -and this
multitude was not composed mostly of women, but men
from every sphere of life seemed to be in the majority.
There was a sermon by a f."lmous preacher, after which Cardinal Melchers gave BenediCtion during which the great
congregation joined with the choir in chanting the Litanies
of the Blessed Virgin. The decorations and illuminations
were superb. The same scene was repeated on New Year's
eve, when the Te Dcum was sung by the vast congregation in thanksgiving to God for all the blessings of the
past year. The Cardinal Vicar officiated in place of the
Pope who used to attend this ceremony in happier times.
A Protestant American lady who was present at this service
told me she had never seen anything so impressive in her
life. The true Catholic democracy of the Church can be
seen nowhere as in Rome. It is first come, first served, and
I have seen, literally speaking, prince and peasant, priest
and laborer, bishop and huckster crowding together in the
most blissful equality. All distinCtion is lost within the
sacred portal, and here I would like to remark that judging
from the Roman letters usually found in our Catholic papers
written by some one, probably, who has never gone outside
of the capes or beyond Sandy Hook, one would be led to
suppose that the Romans are a very irreligious people,
and that Catholic faith and piety are dead in the Eternal
�ITA L
r.
City. Nothing can be further from the truth. Leaving out
the Irish cities, Rome is still the most deeply Catholic city
in the world: you may visit its churches at any hour of the
day and you will be surprised at the numbers of men and
women quietly praying before some sacred shrine. This is
the seat of the government, therefore all its wickedness has
its centre here; the legislature, into which no good Catholic
can enter, is bad: there is a large military force permanently
stationed here, the influence of which is everywhere demoralizing; all the revolutionists and socialists of the country naturally turn to Rome, the capital- but none of these
are the Roman people. Add to this the f:·u:l: that the unprincipled and the lawless are ever making tbemselves heard,
and ever ready for some deed of \'iolence, while on the contrary, the law-abiding citizen seeks retirement, and you will
have some idea of the importance to be given to these exaggerating Roman correspondents. They seem to have
their eyes turned upon one side all the time, because,
I suppose, it is more. sensational. There are certain
animals in our barn yards that can make under a gate a
noise much out of propcrrtion with their worth or numbers,
and the same applies to the revolutionary element in Rome.
The sight of one of the great churches on a festival day, or
of a crowd kneeling around one of the miraculous piCl:ures
or statues in the afternoon, or of the motley throng climbing the long and steep Scala Santa on their knees will gi,·e
a much truer representation, I believe, of the heart and £1ith
of the people of this favored city. Besides the Ges11 we
have close to us the Church of San Ignazio attached to the
Roman College. It is still praCtically our collegiate church,
and in it the University attended in a body the solemn requiem of Cardinal Franzelin last month. As the Gestl, it is
a favorite church for confessions, which are heard all day.
These two churches are really under the control of Ours as
formerly, though a secular ecclesiastic appears before the
world as administrator and direCl:or in order to--avoid disagreeable complications. There are many other good works
under the direCl:ion of Ours-sodalities of every description
-which merit something more than a mere mention, and
therefore, it will be better to leave them for a future letter
than to bring them in at the tail of this one.
If I might suggest an erratum corrigc to your last interesting number of the LETTERS, it would be thaf our address
is not 102, but 120 Via del Seminario. You had all the
numbers but the disposition of them was f.:ltllty. Probably
it does not make much difference as the Via del Seminario
�CARDINAL FRA1VZELIN.
is so short and narrow, that whatever strays into it must
bump up against its rightful owner somewhere.
Yours in Christ,
J. A. c., s. J.
THE LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH OF
CARDINAL FRANZELIN.
At the very beginning of the year, Cardinal Franzelin
became so weak, that those about him could see the end
was not far off. They also saw ho\v useless it was to attempt forcing· a man to take care of his health who never
took a \valk even in the garden, who only crossed the corridor to go to the chapel, and whom nothing in the world
could induce to dispense himself from a single fast or abstinence. He said to Fr. Steinhuber, who begged him to
take more care of his health: "I had never expeCl:ed to live
to be seventy, now I am beyond it and I can afford to be
careless." \Vhen he had to go up the stairs of the Vatican,
he pressed both hands to his sides, and stopped at every
second step to recover his breath : one day he fainted, and
it was a miracle that he got back to the house alive. The
Holy Father hearing of it, sent Cardinal Jacobini, Secretary
of State, to convey to him a formal prohibition against attending the meetings of the Congregations, and to tell him,
he should be satisfied with sending his advice in writing.
This enforced rest lasted only a few weeks. for the Cardinal requested an audience and begged His Holiness to
allow him to resume his labors.- "Most Holy Father," he
said, "if you take the Congregations from me, you take my
life from me." The Pope consented the more willingly as
Cardinal Franzelin was the very soul of the Congregations.
Every one yielded to his opinion, and more than one Cardinal has admitted that Cardinal Franzelin, by speaking
last, oftentimes caused them to change their most firm and
fixed resolutions. He applied himself again to his work and
the Holy Father gave orders to have an elevator ereCl:ed at the
Propaganda to save Cardinals Franzelin and Bartolini the·
fatigue of walking up stairs. At the last meeting of the
Propaganda before his death, he was scarcely able to speak,
so much so, that he f"old his companion that thenceforward
he would leave the speaking to Cardinal Mazzella.
Thursday, the 9th of December, he went to the Congregation of the Holy Office ; one of the Cardinals proposed
�86
... CARDINAL FRANZEL!N.
a very complicated case of conscience to him ; he solved it
at once with that clearness and solidity which always dis~
tinguished him. His interlocutor, perceiving he spoke with
great difficulty, entreated him to take more care of his health
and to spare himsel( Cardinal Franzelin answered him :
"The last time the doctor visited me, he said there was no
hope for me. I believe him, and therefore, I am no longer
obliged to spare myself, as they have sometimes told me to
do. I shall continue then to fulfil all the duties of my
office, so long as God will be pleased to permit me." He
had said on setting out from San Andrea: "This time I will
take the elevator at the Vatican, which will carry me up to
the hall of the Congregations; but on my return I do not
know how I shall be able to reach the second story." -"I
will take care of that, your Eminence," the Brother Infirmarian answered him. In fact, on his return, he found two
men with an arm-chair awaiting him at the foot of the
stairs; he sank into it exhausted. He spent that evening in
studying official docum~nts. On Friday morning at 4
o'clock he tried to get up; but was obliged to lie down again.
"If I had not lain down·· immediately," he said to his confessor, Father Costa, "I felt I should have fainted," and he
added with a naivete one can scarcely imagine: "I cannot
understand how my strength should leave me all at once."
At first it was hoped a little rest and sleep would restore
him to the state he was in a few days before. The infirmarian offered him some broth, but. as it was Friday, the Cardinal refused it absolutely, and took only a little rice and
some boiled fish. A little later the doctor ordered broth for
him : before submitting to take it, the invalid wished to ·
know if the doctor knew well the importance of the laws
of the Church, and if he were not too easy in his permissions. "He is not," he continued, "so sincere as another
physician, whd a few days ago declared my sickness incurable; he on the contrary gives me hope."-Fr..Costa replied: "Your Eminence, the doctor has been si"i'Ic·ere with
you, and he has told us to give you the holy Viaticum
without delay." The Cardinal was satisfied and agreed to
eat meat on the authority of the doctor who spoke so clearly of his death. The last phase of the sickness, which had
for a long time threatened him, was bronchial paralysis.
He wished to say the Breviary still, and from the movement
of his lips as well as from some few words now and then,
those about him perceived he was reciting the Little Hours
from memory. His confessor had much difficulty in persuading him he was not obliged to the office.
Meanwhile the Holy Father having learned by telephone
�CARDINAL FRANZELIN.
the state of the Cardinal, sent one of his domestic prelates,
Mgr. Marini, to encourage him and to convey his blessing
to him. The invalid said to him: "I thank the Holy Father for his goodness towards me, and cast myself at his
feet. You will remind him that I am Prefect of the Congregation of Indulgences, and that consequently he should
give some one else the faculties necessary to carry on the
affairs to which I am no longer able to attend. Tell him
also I have many secret papers belonging to the different
Congregations, which I am not able to put in order. If I
might give my opinion to the Holy Father, I should suggest to him, to authorize some one to examine these papers
and put them in their proper places. In passing the house
of the Cardinal Secretary of State, beg him to dispense me
from the session to-morrow. I again cast myself at the feet
of His Holiness." The better to assure Cardinal Franzelin
that his commissions would be faithfully executed, Mgr.
Marini repeated them to him word for word.
Then, freed from the responsibility of his different offices,
the Cardinal gave himself up altogether to prayer and ejaculations till the moment when the Viaticum was brought to
· him. \Vhen he saw the priest bearing the Blessed Sacrament, enter his room, he raised himself in bed, and said,
"0 bone jcsu, 0 bone }esu." Then he recited, not without
effort, the Credo and the Confiteor in a loud voice. After
the priest withdrew he began the Psalm Miserere. He did
not sleep during the night, and spent the time making ejaculations, the chief of which were: "Credo, do as sensum plenum
ct peifdlum-spero in te-jcsu, amo te, Jcsu, amo te super omnia, Jcsu, JJfaria-· Deus propitius csto uufti peccatori- and
the following, in which the Professor of Theology showed
itself: "Sine me nilul potcstis facerc-gratia tua omnia possum-tu me elcgisti ;" the whole interwoven with acts of
love. The fervor of these aspirations, the ardor of look and
gesture which accompanied them, were simply indescribable He was out of breath owing to his efforts, so much the
more as he suffered from palpitation of the heart and bronchial paralysis. In spite of that he did not allow himself a
moment to breathe, and I have seen him with a bowl of
soup in his hands, and after each spoonful he repeated:
"jesu, amo te super omnia."
Fr. Costa spoke to him of Extreme Unction, but he
showed a desire of waiting till next morning for it. During
~he course of the night he asked for his rosary to recite
1t.
Early on Saturday the I rth, the Cardinal asked to receive Communion again, although he could not receive it
as Viaticum. As soon as they told him ·that twenty-four
�88
... CARDINAL FRANLELIN.
hours had not passed since his last Communion, he said:
"Very well, let them ask permission for it from the Holy
Father." They then reminded him of the doCtrine of Benediet XIV, on the Communion of the sick, and that satisfied
his devotion.
In spite of the state of the patient, no one thought the end
was so near, and they still refrained from telling Fr. General,
whose affeCtion and veneration for the Cardinal was unbounded. About 6 o'clock in the morning I received a note
for Fr. General, telling him about the Cardinal's sickness.
Although our Father was not very well, he wished to go at
once to the sick man. ·with great difficulty he reached
the second story. When he reached the bedside he took
his hand to kiss it, but the Cardinal withdrew it and said
to him: "Father General, I am very low, I can scarcely
speak; dear Father, I ask pardon for all my faults; forgive
me all the scandals of my religious life;" and immediately
without waiting for an answer, he said: ''Deus propitius csto
milzi ·peccatori," repeating the words three times with in·
creasing energy. Fr. G~neral was so much moved, he could
only say: "Deus tibipropitius erit et bmigmts." These words
turned the thoughts of the sick man in another direCtion ·
and he began repeating: '']esu, amo te, Jesu, amo te super
o11mia." It was most touching to see the holy Cardinal
stretch out his arms and lift them towards heaven, and to hear
the sighs of inflamed love he uttered. It would be no exaggeration to say he never closed his lips; aCts of faith, love
and contrition followed each other rapidly. Sometimes we
failed to catch the sound of his voice, but we could perceive
by the movement of his lips that he still strove to articulate.
\Vhile Fr. General was with him, Cardinal Mazzella arrived, and Cardinal Franzelin noticing he was present, said
to him: "How do you do? Commend me to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus," and at once resumed his scarcely interrupted ejaculations. Cardinal Mazzella determin~tl to stay
with him to the last, and sent' a\Vay his carriage. - Fr. General feeling very much fatigued, withdrew with the hope of
finding the Cardinal alive on his return in the evening. He
was not, however, to have that consolation.
The Holy Father sent another of his domestic prelates
Mgr. Bisleti, with a second blessing; and shortly after Cardinal Monaco Lavallette, Grand Penitentiary, .arrived, and
sitting down near the bed, began to weep. Father Costa
asked him to give the dying Cardinal the Apostolic BenediCtion the Pope had just sent him. At first he refused,
then he consented, but he wept so much he could only make
the sign of the cross over him in silence. He then left.
�CARDINAl- FRANZELIN.
Sg
Afterwards he said to Fr. Steinhuber, Theologian of the
Penitentiary: "I don't know how it was, that day and the
day after I could do nothing but weep. I have known the
holy Cardinal Franzelin for forty years, and I have never
perceived a single defect in him."
His sickness grew worse so rapidly that the news of his
sickness and death became publicly known at the same time ;
hence he had so few visits from his brother Cardinals. At
1 I o'clock he received Extreme Unction, and the Indulgence in articulo mortis: it seemed to those around him he
had then only about an hour to live. Cardinal Mazzella
placed the crucifix in his hands and suggested to him
thoughts of confidence and love. He kissed the crucifix,
ceased to speak, and after ten minutes of quiet agony, he
gave up his soul to God. It was twenty-two minutes past
I o'clock when he died.
After death his countenance gradually assumed an air of
serenity and joy, which continued to increase till Monday,
when the body was placed in the coffin. On Sunday the body
clothed in a black sottano, with rochet, cape and scarlet
biretta was exposed in the ante-chamber with four lighted
candles. Cardinal Franzelin had left it in his will that his
funeral should be simple and unostentatious as became a religious. The Pope, however, ordered that they should pay
him the honor due to his rank; and the Master of Ceremonies
of the Palace came immediately to San Andrea to regulate
all the details of the funeral. The expenses of a Cardinal's
funeral amount to six or seven thousand francs.
At 6 o'clock on Monday morning the office for the dead
was recited in the chapel of the American College, in the
presence of the body, by the students and by deputations
from the scholasticate and the German College, and some
Fathers, according to the custom of the Society. Father
Provincial gave the absolution. About noon ·the body was
carried to the parish church of St. Bernard, where the solemn
office was to be celebrated next day. The parish priest
received the body on its arrival, and gave a second absolution. The coffin being then replaced in the hearse was
carried to the public cemetery. I do not know what
misunderstanding deprived our scholastics of the consolation of accompanying the Cardinal to his last resting-place
in the vault of the Society. The solemn Requiem Mass
was not celebrated in St. Bernard's church till ·wednesday.
The arms of the Cardinal were placed on the corners of the
catafalque and a hundred wax lights burned around it. The
seats prepared for the students of the different Colleges were
found insufficient. A special place was reserved for Father
�General. Matins and Lauds were sung by the American
students. Mgr. Meurin, S. J., Ex-Vicar Apostolic of Bombay, was chosen to sing the Mass. Cardinal Sacconi, Dean
of the Sacred College gave the absolution. The musical
portions of the service were rendered by the singers of the
Sixtine Chapel.
·
Sixteen Cardinals assisted behind the altar, for they are
not allowed to appear in church in the midst of the people.
This was the largest number seen at the obsequies of a
Cardinal since 1870. Many others wrote to Fr. General
excusing their absence. Cardinal Mazzella said to Father
General on leaving the church: "Last Sunday I said Mass
for Cardinal Franzelin, but I am sure it was useless to him,
for he was already in heaven." There \Vas another service
a few days later in the church of the Roman College, at the
instance of the Gregorian University. Mgr. Robert Pozo,
S. J., Bishop of Guayaquil, sang the l\Iass and Cardinal
Mazzella, assisted by representatives of all the seminaries in
Rome that attend our College, gave the absolution.
The Holy Father desired to hear all the details of Cardinal Franzelin's death from· Cardinal Mazzella, and when he
had heard them, said: "I knew nothing of Cardinal Franzelin till I became Pope; since that time I have learned to appreciate his talents. his devotion to the Church and his great
virtues. He opened his soul to me with the simplicity of a
child; quite lately he proposed his difficulties of conscience
to me. I told him not to be troubled, and he answered me :
'Holy Father, I place my soul in your hands, it is for you to
save it.'" The Holy Father added, that he had an important
secret concerning Cardinal Franzelin, which he kept in his
heart for the time 'being. It may be well to know that for
many years God exposed Cardinal Franzelin to the painful
and humiliating trial of scruples. He was seen often during the day at his confessor"s door, weeping and groaning.
And this was strange in him, eminent theologian a;r he was,
and so mild in the solutions he gave to others. -His confessor has declared that during the time he heard his confessions, and that was since he became Cardinal, he had
never found matter for absolution.
Fr. Bonavenia is gathering materials to write his life;
the Society and the Sacred College are eagerly expeCting it.
C.
LAVIGNE,
S
J.
�OBITUARY.
BROTHER JOHN KING.
Br. King was born in the Co. Louth, Ireland, on June rst,
r 822. He came to this country when already advanced in years
and supported himself by his labor at Cincinnati, until he
entered the Society at St. Louis, April 6th, r846. Very little
is known about the first years of his religious life. One thing,
however, must be remarked, that, although in consequence of
his particularly sensitive nature he must have suffered much,
yet he never spoke othenvise than with affection and gratitude of all the Fathers and Brothers with whom he had
lived.
In r86g, his health being somewhat affected, he was sent
to the South, and has ever since lived at Grand Coteau where
he had charge of the wardrobe. It is incredible what an
amount of work the good Brother could do in spite of his advanced age, by wisely husbanding his time. He never seemed
to be in a hurry, and yet everything was done at the proper
moment. Moreover, he had so systematized his work in all
its details, that the routine itself of the week reminded him
of what was to be done. As he grew older Superiors would
willingly have relieved him, had not the presence of an assistant proved rather a hinderance than a help, and so the old
man, with his good natured face and silvery locks, continued
his work unaided, almost to the end.
\Vhen he fell sick in the beginning of July last he showed
a great repugnance to doctors and medicines, thus causing no
small uneasiness to those who had care of him. Aftenvards,
however, in· obedience to Superiors, he yielded himself for
treatment with the simplicity of a child. His illness was
neither long nor painful, and on Saturday, July roth, having
received the Holy Sacraments, he quietly breathed his last.
His funeral was attended by the students of the College
and a great number of the people of Grand Coteau, who had·
learned to appreciate the quiet and assuming Brother who
had for many years moved among them a silent image of
Blessed Alphonsus.-R.I.P.
�J;'R, JOH.'Il A. BAUHAUS.
FATHER ]OH:\"
A.
BAUHAUS.
Father Bauhaus \yas born in the town of Barlo, \Vestphalia,
on April the. zoth, r84o, and entered the Society in Missouri,
at the age of twenty. As his health had ahvays been delicate,
he was promoted to the priesthood as early as the year 1868.
After his tertianship, which he made the year following his
ordination, he was appointed to missionary work in central
:Missouri where he labored with untiring zeal until he was
transferred to Florissant to take charge of the Gem1an congregation. At this latter post he remained until the time of his
death. He was stationed for several years at \Vashington,
l\Io., during which time he built the beautiful Church of St.
Joseph. The last years of his life were spent at Florissant
where he finished the Church of the Sacred Heart with its
graceful steeple, and fine interior decorations.
His life was certainly very precious in the sight of God,
but his humility taught him how to hide himself from the
eyes of men. He had the art of doing a great deal in a quiet
way, and seldom spoke about himself or his work,- giving
as much praise as possible .to others for success which, in reality, was the result of his own zeal and prudence. "Father
Bauhaus," writes one who knew him well, '\vas a very
holy religious; he was a model member of the Society in
every situation in which he was placed. But when we have
said that, we have said all." It is a short but significant
panegyric. "\Vhat impressed me most in his conduct during the fiye or six years which I spent in his company," says
the Father quoted, "were his scrupulous fidelity in the perfonnance of his duties, spiritual or otherwise ; his unwaYering firmness under the assaults of human respect ; and his
admirable patience ~during a long protracted continuance of
petty annoyances. His conversation, when left to take its
own course, invariably led to some religious or spiritual topic.
But he was altogether too gentle and charitable to press such
subjects on unwilling ears, and could make himself all to all,
without any apparent effort. I remember, too, that h.eused to
edify us by his habit of referring everything, fortunate" or unfortunate, in some way to Almighty God. To him divine
Providence was a very vivid and eYer present reality.'' The
prominent feature in the character of Father Bauhaus, was
his almost child-like simplicity and truthfulness. By it he
won completely the good-will and affection of his parishioners, young and old, who always found themselves at home
in his presence. If any improvement was to be· made in the
parish, the good Father had such an engaging way of calling upon the generosity of his flock, that he ever found
ready hands to assist him in carrying out his plans.
Father Bauhaus carried almost to excess his total forgetfulness of self. Perhaps the fatal issue of his last illness, might,
�FR. 1JfE1\'GARINI.
93
to some extent, be traced to this great unconcern for his own
personal convenience. He saw nothing alarming in the attack of fever by which he was prostrated, till it was too late.
He died on July the rsth, aged forty-six years, after a week
of intense suffering, borne with his usual patience and cheerful resignation to the will of God.
Father Bauhaus was the author of a well known work in
German on the devotion to the Sacred Heart.-R.I.P.
F ..~THER
MEXGARIJ\"I.
On the 23rd of last September, Fr. l\Iengarini, a Roman by
birth, the sole survivor of the three founders of the Rocky
Mountain missions, went to claim at the hands of his l\Iaster
the reward due the toils and sufferings of long and eventful years. He was born on the feast of St. Ignatius, in r8II,
and on Oct. 22nd, r828, he enrolled himself among the Saint's
followers in the Society of Jesus. By r839, he had already
finished his preparatory studies and teaching, and was in his
second year of Theology when a letter from Bishop Rosati, of
St. Louis, was read in the refectory of the Roman College.
The letter was directed to Rev. Fr. General Roothaan and
contained a fervent appeal for missionaries, and what appeal
could be other than fervent when it was bnt the echo of that
which had been made to himself from the bed of death ? An
embassy from the Flatheads of far-off Idaho, the third which
had gone forth from the wigwams of the tribe but the only
one to reach its destination, had come to St. Louis asking for
Dlackgowns ; and then worn out by the hardships of the way,
all except the brave Ignace sickened and died ; their dying
prayer a prayer for Blackrobes for their tribe. The appeal of
Bishop Rosati found a ready response in the heart of Father
Mengarini. He offered ·himself to Fr. General and was accepted. Then applying himself with redoubled zeal to his
books he hastened his last examination in theology, and after
having been subjected to various trials in order to test the
sincerity of his vocation, he was allowed, in company with Fr.
Catting, to leave Rome and take ship at Leghorn for Philadelphia. Six weary weeks dragged by before they again set
foot on land. A storm drove the ship from its course. Provisions grew scant ; and but for the timely assistance afforded
by passing vessels, our missionaries and their fellow passengers must have perished. In fact, in spite of the aid received,
the daily allowance of food, long before they reached Philadelphia, consisted of a few inches of dried sausage. From
Philadelphia, Fr. l\Iengarini and his companion started by rail
for Georgetown, but arriving in Baltimore late at night they
had to go to a hotel. Next morning they wished to resume
their journey, and in very polite French asked the necessary
�~
FR. JlfENGARINI.
directions of their host. To their dismay they found a human
being who did not know French. In vain they addressed
him in six languages ; in vain he besought them to speak intelligibly. All they could do under the circumstances was
to raise their hearts in a confiding trust to Him whose Providence watches over all. After a good deal of search on the part
of the seiTants, a policeman who could speak French was
found; and without further mishap our Fathers reached
Georgetown. The warm-hearted reception which they met
with was never forgotten by Fr. 1\Iengarini; and when a few
months before his death he dictated a brief memoir of his
• Flathead mission, he dwelt with grateful remembrance on the
charity of Georgetown. Our missionaries rested and refreshed
soon pushed on towards St. Louis but they had now nothing
to fear on the score of English, for Fr. Larkin and a scholastic
accompanied them and ac1ed as guides and interpreters on the
way. They arrived safely in St. Louis but new dangers arose
where none were expected. One of the two must remain in
St. Louis, Fr. DeSmet might take which he pleased, but only
one. Fr. Mengarini was younger; Fr. Cotting, stronger. Fr.
De Smet hesitated. The beautiful voice of Fr. l\Iengarini
tumed the scale in his favor; and he was chosen for the missions of the North-\Vest. About the beginning of April 1840,
Frs. DeSmet, Point and l\Iengarini, accompanied by three layBrothers, set out on their long and perilous joumey. They
had with them a certain Capt. Fitzpatrick as guide; an Indian hunter to provide them with game, and half a dozen
Canadians to take charge of their little caravan. Thus they
travelled on, day after day and week after week ; often in
want of food and oftener in want of water; across plains that
seemed as measureless and trackless as the sky above them ;
and when at night, overpowered by the heat and fatigues of
the day, they sank to rest, it was with the consciousness that
the weary leagues behind were few in comparison with those
that still stretched before. Unmolested thev traversed the
country of the Sioux and other tribes, for though weak in
material forces they were strong in His protecting arm in
whose name and for whose sake they had exposed themselves
to peril; so that when September was setting in the)·-safely
reached Fort Union. Travel-wom and exhausted as they
were, it was a consolation for them to find at the Fort a
deputation from the Flatheads. They rested for some days,
and then entering on the last _stage of their joumey they
passed through the country of the hostile Banax, passed Hell
Gate and still pushing on, they founded their first mission on
St. l\Iarv's River, twentv miles from Hell Gate.
Fr. DeSmet was soon off on his missionary expeditions
and Fr. Mengarini was left in charge of the Flathead mission
with Fr. Point to assist him. A large wigwam served them
as ch.apel, and here by means of an interpreter they instructed
�FR. MENGA.RINJ.
95
the Indians and prepared them for Baptism. Early in 1841,
the foundations of the first house and church were laid, and
in a short time the buildings were, by the industry of the Indians, completed. Fr. 1\Iengarini, meanwhile, was applying
himself to Flathead and in time succeeded so perfectly in
mastering the language that when some of the Indians were
asked how he spoke it, they could only answer: ''Just like ourselves." The Flathead grammar which has appeared under
his name should not be taken as a criterion of his knowledge.
To the day of his death he would never acknowledge the
grammar as his. "It is full of blunders," he would say,
"and is printed from an incorrect copy. It is not mine."
The Flathead grammar \vas the fruit of long and patient
labor; but apart from the intrinsic difficulty of the work,
·other difficulties attended it. The first correct copy was lost
by the Indians who \vere taking it to the Superior of the missions. Another copy was made and this also by some mishap
perished. It was only when the missionary had made a new
copy that his labor was ended. The language employed in
its composition was Latin, for as this was a common tongue
understood by all missionaries and the grammar was intended
solely for them, Fr. 1\Iengarini rightly judged that it would
be most useful in Latin. In 18.p, he was alone at St. Mary's.
The mission flourished. The Indians were happy. They
were well instructed in the faith, sang in common the hymns
composed for them by their beloved Father, and listened in
wonder and admiration to the Indian band which he had
trained and which with accordeons and drum, etc., dispensed sweet music upon great feast days. In 1844, the foundations of a new house and church \Yere laid somewhat farther removed from the river, but the superstructure of these
was never fully completed. In 1845, a flour mill and a saw
mill were erected. The enemy of all good was, however, already hard at work striving to destroy the mission. There
was among the Flatheads a man named Little Faro. He was
smart, ambitious and bent on becoming a chief. Failing in his
endeavors to use the missionary as a stepping-stone towards
furthering him in his ambition, he began to spread dissatisfaction among the tribe. Certain interested whites began secretly
to do the same. They were desirous of obtaining the Indians'
land, and kriew that success would never attend their efforts
so long as the mission existed. Thus matters proceeded
until 1849. Indications of the approaching crisis were not
wanting, but the crisis was nearer than expected. The Indians
went on their usual hunt while Victor, the grand chief, remained at home. Perhaps even had he accompanied them,
things would have been no better ; for he was a man of weak
character and nicknamed Tas misten (TV/tat can I do) from
the constant repetition of these words whenever he was called
upon to exercise his authority. Far away from the sacred
�FR. "11ENGARJNI.
influence of the mission, the Flatheads forgot in an evil hour
their baptismal promises and abandoned themselves to the
unrestrained indulgence of their passions. Their eyes were
soon opened to the shame of their condition. \Vhen the hunt
was over thev returned to the mission but were afraid to meet
their Father: They knew that he had been informed of their
misdeeds, and though he showed himself all kindness and
charity, the goadings of a defiled conscience urged them to
quit a place where everything reminded them of their obligations to lead a pure life. The morning after their return
found them again in the saddle and after a ride of ten miles ·
they camped. Fr. Mengarini tried to get Vietor to do his
duty and bring the erring back. "Tas misten ?" was the only
answer. The Father himself then went to the camp of the
runawavs but none of them came out to meet him. Knowing the indian charaCter thoroughly and that the only remedy
for the evil was to wait until conscience would do its work,
he turned his face towards St. Mary's. It was about time
for the yearly consultation at the Cceur cl' Alenes, and in order
to fulfil his duty and seek advice in his difficulties, Fr. Mengarini was soon on his way, to the Cceur cl' Alenes. His plan
for the solution of the prpblem was that which had already
proved so successful in the'' case of the Cceur d' Alenes themselves ; namely, the abandoning of the mission for a time
until the Indians had repented of their faults and begged
the return of the missionaries. How well he had judged the
case, was proved by the event. Another course, however, was
adopted. St. :.Mary's was destroyed. \Vhen Father Mengarini understood what was about to be clone, the shock was
too great for his system weakened by toil and sorrow, and he
fainted. \Vhen he came to himself he begged the ac1:ing Superior of the missions to send him to some place where he
might not be a witness of the affliCtion of his Flatheads, and
he received a letter for Fr. Accolti, in Oregon. Fr. Accolti,
the real Superior of the mission received him with every mark
of kindness and was greatly displeased at what had been done.
Rev. Fr. General on hearing of the destruCtion of St. Mary's
wrote: "Now that the Flathead mission is destroyed, I greatly fear for the others.'' The work, however, had beell done,
the place sold, all the effeCts of the mission removed and lost
in the crossing of a river; what was so easily done could not
as easily be undone. Fr. l\Iengarini remained in Oregon
about a year and was then sent by his Superiors to help in
founding the Californian mission. Archbishop Alemany of
San Francisco had invited our Fathers to his diocese, and Fr.
l\Iengarini was destined for Santa Clara. The grand College
of the present was then a thing of the undreamt future; and
the primitive life of the wigwam and log-house \vas twinsister to that which he was called upon to lead in the adobe
walls of his new dwelling. Patiently he toiled, but his heart
�FR.
J.
B. SERRA.
97
was with his Flatheads. They had, as he had foreseen, repented of their faults and had sent Victor to Oregon to bring
him back. He was already far away. Victor wished to go
even to California, but was told that his journey would be
useless ; Fr. Mengarini could not be spared by the Californian
Mission. For about thirty years our Father was treasurer of
Santa Clara College, until a stroke of apoplexy and failing
eye-sight necessitated his removal from office. A few years
of patient suffering yet remained before the reward would
come. His eyes became so bad that he could not read his
office, and about a year before his death he had to cease saying Mass. Inability to offer the Divine Victim was his sorest
trial, but he bore it patiently. As if to recompense his resignation his eyes improved a little, so that a few months before
his death he offered the Sacrifice for the last time. On the
23rd of last September he was around as usual and was visited
by the Brother during the noon examen. Half an hour later
he was found dying. A third stroke of apoplexy had done
its fatal work and while receiving Extreme Unction, Fr. Mengarini expired.-R.I.P.
F.\.THER
J. B.
SERRA.
The village of Castel del Sol, near the ancient city of Vich,
in Catalonia, points with honest pride, as to one of its dearest onwments, to a beautiful chapel of seven altars. It was
erected and endowed from the common patrimony of three
pious brothers of the neighboring gentry who were bidding
adieu to the world, two of them to enter the Order of Capuchins and the third to be enrolled under the standard of St.
Ignatius of Loyola. The chaplain, whose support is provided
from the same estate, has the obligation of there offering perpetual Masses for the repose of the souls of the generous
founders. On October the 23rd, at Spring Hill College, the
third and last of the noble band, Rev. J. B. Serra, S. ]., fortified by all the consolations of his deeply cherished faith,
and surrounded by his affectionate brethren in religion, was,
we have reason to believe, transferred from the militant to
the triumphant Sodety of Jesus, after a short sickness, contracted by exposure in the service of the souls of the poor
on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. The advanced age of
seventy-seven years found this apostle priest fearlessly moving amid hardships, which robust youth cannot long endure,
but which constituted his happiness for thirty years. And
his death was similar to that of the Christian soldiers of his
warlike race.
Father Serra's ecclesiastical studies were made at the diocesan seminary of his own native city, which institution was
VoL.
XVI,
No.
I.
7
�FR.
J.
B. SERRA;
likewise the Alma Mater of his illustrious contemporary and
fellow-townsman, Rev. James Balmez, one ofthe most talented
and distinguished Spanish priests of our century. His theological course completed, ordination to the priesthood was
prohibited by the government of the hour, and he was even
forced to a precipitate exile on foot over the Pyrenees, together with three other candidates for sacred orders. But
Rome was found more propitious. The Cardinal Vicar himself gladly ordains the fervent sons of the Catholic Kingdom.
Pope Gregory XVI, confers on them extraordinary spiritual
privileges, destined to be diffused for the consolation of the
faithful in the distant wilderness of Alabama, nearly forty
years after his own death.
Father Serra enjoyed the
long remembered happiness of offering his first Mass in the
crypt of St. Peter's, on the sacred tomb of the Holy Apostles.
After his ordination, Fr. Serra served for a time as chaplain
in the army of Don Carlos. He was emphatically a Catalan,
and he would have cheerfully surrendered his life, whilst
giving spiritual assistance to those who fought for their king
and the .fueros or traditional rights of Catalonia. \Ve need
not say that after the collapse of the insurrec1:ion, the patriotic Padre, in company ,\-ith Gen. Cabrera and other distinguished men, had to beat a hasty retreat across the Pyrenees.
Having labored as an exemplary secular priest in the diocese
of Avignon, Father Serra there, in the year 1852, entered the
novitiate of the Society of Jesus. Two years later, if we
mistake not, found him professor of Spanish and prefec1: of
discipline at Spring Hill College. For the thirty following
years with the exception of a short absence on the prairies
of Louisiana, near Grand Coteau, whence he was recalled
at the urgent request of the late Bishop Quinlan, he was devoted mainly to the services of the rural stations in the vicinity of Mobile. His familiarity with the Spanish, French and
Italian languages has been of eminent utility. His knowledge
of English was imperfec1:, yet his great earnestness of soul
frequently affec1:ed those, who were unable to understand his
words.
Zeal for the faith and morality of his people wis the ruling principle of his laborious life. Never was the potency of
holiness and prayer better illustrated. He preached long sermons, which very few claimed to understand, and yet they
moved and changed their hearts. Among his converts he
counted United States officers, who certainly were not convinced by mere human eloquence. People thought he had
the gift of miracles. A friend of !lis crossing the Bay of Mobile from Montlouis island to Shell banks, a distance of about
sixteen miles, felt somewhat alarmed by the aspec1: of the
sky. Sudden squalls are by no means uncommon in that apparently land-locked bay. Three boys manned the little
open skiff. They declared that they feared nothing as long
�FR. ANTHONY JOURDAN.
99
as they carried a priest. A short time before, they had conveyed Fr. Serra to the very same spot, and although they
had experienced a severe storm, and it had rained in torrents,
they had found on reaching the shore that the clothing of the
good Father had remained perfectly dry. At his advanced
age he still entertained vast practical schemes of erecting on
the islands of the Bay and in the depths of the forests edifices,
like the beautiful school-house at Chastang's Bluff, and the
neat churches at the same place and at the mouth of Fish
River and at Bayou la Batre, which are all monuments of
Father Serra's energy and poverty, inspired by priestly zeal.
Coarse and scanty fare, defective shelter or none at all, long,
rough roads, uncomfortable and unsafe conveyance by land
and water, the tropical sun, winter's wind and rain, weaknesses of old age, indispositions of health, love of religious
home, disregard from some for whom he spent himselfnothing was considered by this ever light-hearted old man,
when called to console and aid the sick or dying, or to instruct
and baptize the children or the ignorant. And the thorough
understanding of the rudiments· of Christian doctrine displayed by the backwoods pupils, whom he prepared for first
communion, has frequently astonished the highly educated.
All creeds recognized in that venerable, stooping Spanish
fonn, the good shepherd, who gave his life to his sheep, and
whose angelic joy was to wander through our desert wilderness in search of one to reclaim.
Father Serra's end was all that his many friends could
have expected or desired. His placid, smiling death was the
merited repose of the faithful, weather-beaten, veteran soldier
of St. Ignatius.-R.I.P.
FATHER ANTHONY ]OURDAN.
Father Anthony Jourdan died at the College of the Immaculate Conception, New Orleans, during the night of November the 4th, a few minutes after eleven. His death was
the immediate result of a fall. Owing to his almost complete
blindness and great weakness, as he was descending the stairs
he slipped and fell, breaking his thigh in his fall. He was
in his 77th year. In him passed away a distinguished
member of the mission of New Orleans. His absence is felt
by those who spent so many years with him in the hard labors of the mission. \Ve miss, too, the bright smile and kind
word he ever had for us all, but especially for the younger
members of the community. Of his early life we know but
little. Born of a pious Lyonese family, he was early taught
that the end of every man on earth must be the sanctification
of his own soul and the greater glory of the God who made
him. \Vhen he came to the age of manhood, Father J ourdau
�~
IOO
FR. ANTHONY JOURDAN.
embraced the profession of arms. Like a true Frenchman,
he had caught the chivalric spirit of his nation, and determined to seek distinction and honor on the battle-fields of his
country. When France, in 1832, sent troops to Belgium to
help her win her independence from Holland, we find him in
the ranks of the French army. He was present at the siege
of Anvers. It was about this time he felt himself called to
serve God in a more perfect state of life. Returning to Lyons,
h~ again applied himself to his classical studies, for which,
when a boy, he had shown wonderful aptitude. For some
years he was President of a Lyceum at Lyons. Resigning
this post of honor, he entered the Society. Having completed
his "philosophical and theological studies at the celebrated
scholasticates of V als and Aix, he asked for the foreign missions. Towards the close of 1847, he landed at Mobile, on
his way to Spring Hill. On the 6th of February, 1848, some
six months after his arrival, he was clothed with the holy
character of the priesthood. Five weeks after his ordination,
the young priest was called to Grand Coteau to help in the
work of the ministry. Displaying great abilities for government he was made Rector of St. Charles' College, Grand
Coteau, in the fall of 1848, This was but the stepping-stone
to a higher and less emiable position. Four years later he
was named Superior of the mission of New Orleans. The
people of New Orleans will .never forget the year 1853. In
that year the hand of God was heavy upon them. He breathed
upon them the breath of pestilence, and hundreds fell victims
to the plague. Imitating his Master, Father Jourdan despised the warnings of his friends, went forth to the homes
of the plague-stricken and prepared them for their journey
into eternity. Overtaxing his powers, he was himself stricken in turn by the disease. Recalled to France by his Superiors, he presided ..over the College of l\Iongre from 1854 to
1857. This duty accomplished, at his own request he was
again sent to America, and resided for some years at Spring
Hill College, Ala., as its Rector. In 1862, he was made Superior of the Southern Mission for a second time.
The last twenty-seven years of his life were sp~~tin New
Orleans. This was his chosen spot in the vineyarO. of his
Lord. \Vith him there was no acceptation of persons ; in the
poor as well as in the rich he saw the image of God, and all
his acts tended to make that image more perfect and true.
This made him very popular with the inhabitants of New
Orleans, and hundreds flocked to his confessional to pour into
his ear their tales of crimes and sufferings, aJ:!d receive from
him the words of reconciliation which made them once more
the children of God and heirs of His Kingdom. Great, also,
was his love for the poor. It was suggestive of holy thoughts
to see the bent form of the aged and almost blind priest on
his mission of love to the poor of Jesus Christ. With the as-
�FR. FLORIAN SA UTOIS.
101
sistance of some pious ladies he founded the Society of
"Dames servantes des pauvres," which is, at present, in a
flourishing condition.
But let us lift the veil and look into the hidden recesses of
this chosen soul. \Vonderful and unthought of graces received, and a correspondence to them such as only the saints
give to the surpassing gifts and inspirations of the Holy
Ghost! The source of these astounding liberalities of the Holy
Spirit was his love and devotion towards the Sacred Heart.
These were the springs of his actions. Such is the testimony
of one of his earliest companions in the Mission. Those who
witnessed his extraordinary fervor and recollection when preparing for his ordination fully understood and acknowledged
the greatness of the sacrifice required from him in the last
few months of his life. This was to abstain from the celebration of the Holy Mvsteries of the Mass. On the roth of
October, he celebrated- his last Mass, and so great was his
weakness on this occasion that he was an hour in completing
the Holv Sacrifice. It was 'evident to the Fathers who assisted hi~ that a second attempt was altogether beyond his
strength. To give him greater merit in this trial sent him by
God, his Superior commanded him in virtue of holy obedience
to abstain from celebrating. His strong faith recognized in the
will of his Superior the will of God, and he strove to satisfy
his longing for the Sacrament of the altar by daily Communion. Truly had he laid by a store of virtue against the day
of trial ! Such was this true servant of the Lord, who, we
have every reason to believe, now enjoys in the possession of
the Beatific Vision, the reward of his works in the service of
the God he loved and served.-R.I.P.
FATHER FLORIAN SAUTOIS.
Father Florian Sautois was born in Belgium, on October
the 3oth, 1807. He completed his collegiate course in France,
and studied his theology at the Seminary ofMechlin, Belgium,
where he was ordained priest in 1834. He was made curate
at Braine 1' Allerix, near the scene where was fought the famous battle of Waterloo, June r8th, r8rs. He entered the
Society as a novice in Belgium, on Sept. 29th, 1838, and in
1839 he came to the United States accompanied by Frs. Francis Hortsman, J. B. De Blieck, Adrian Van Hulst, John Roes,
Adrian Hoecken, and Louis Du Mortier ; and they were all received at St. Stanislaus Novitiate, Missouri, on Dec. 2nd, 1839,
Father DeVos. then being Novice-Master. Fr. Sautois was
employed iri visiting surrounding stations among the Creoles,
and in St. Louis till the year 1841, when he was sent to St.
Charles' College, Grand Coteau, Louisiana. Here he was
employed as procurator for some years, and was subsequent-
�I02
..PR. FLORIAN SAUTOIS.
ly engaged as assistant pastor of St. Charles' Church. In
I848, the vice-province of Missouri gave up the college at
Grand Coteau to the province of Lyons and recalled its members. Fr. Sautois went to St. Louis where he had charge of.
the St. Xavier parish school for boys till the autumn of I849,
when he was sent to St. Xavier College, Cincinnati. Here
he filled the office of procurator and also performed other
duties till the summer of I853, at which time he was appointed
pastor of St. Ferdinand's Church, Florissant, Missouri. He
remained at Florissant till I857; he was then made assistant
pastor of St. Xavier Church, St. Louis, and also had charge
of the young ladies' sodality. He retained this position till
the summer of I873, when he was appointed assistant pastor
of the Holy Family Church, Chicago, becoming director at
the same time, of the married ladies' sodality. In I874, he
was assigned the same offices at the Sacred Heart Church,
Chicago ; here he remained till his death on Nov. the I Ith, at
I 1.25 P. lll. I886, having just completed the 77th year of his
a~.
.
The foregoing is a bare outline of some principal events in
the long life of Fr. Sautois~ His zeal for souls "·as truly apostolic in its character, as §hown by his love for the poor and
his untiring labors amongst them : "The poor you have always with you;" also by his charity for erring sinners, converting the most hardened ones from practical infidelity to a
correct Christian life ; as an instance, his charity on one occasion subdued an obdurate murderer in so remarkable a manner, as to gain the commendation even of the public press.
Father Sautois was peculiarly successful in the difficult work
of directing and governing sodalities ; his management of
them was seldom surpassed as to the numbers he could enlist, and as to the perfect regularity and harmony he could
maintain among the members. He was strict in correcting
any negligence, or infraction of rule, and uniformly manifested much interest in each sodalist.
Father Sautois was neither a great scholar nor an eloquent
preacher; but he was a laborious, patient, humble, and charitable religious whose undertakings for the good of -souls always prospered. He saw all things only as the)-Telated to
faith or to the supernatural ·order. He was devoted to his
confessional, and his ovenvork in the confessional was the
proximate cause of the final illness that carried him off. He
was buried, on the Feast of St. Stanislaus, at Calvary Cemetery, where repose the mortal remains of his brethren who
preceded him to the grave from Chicago. Father Sautois
had a special and tender devotion to the Sacred Heart and to
the Blessed Virgin Mary, imbuing his penitents and the members of his sodality ·with his own pious spirit and fervent love
for our Lord and His Blessed Mother. Those who grieved
most at his death were the suffering and the poor ; and they
�F'R. FREDERICK 11: GOCKELN.
IOJ
were numerous in the retinue to Calvary Cemetery, on the
day of his burial.-R.I.P.
FATHER FREDERICK
W.
GocKELN.
Father Frederick \V. Gockeln died peacefully in our Lord
on Nov. the 27th, 1886, at St. Joseph's Residence, Hope
Street, Providence, R. I. He had just finished the sixtysixth year of his life, and had spent nearly forty-six years in
the Society. It was only in the summer of r884 that he was
appointed to the position of pastor of St. Joseph's Church,
left vacant by the death of Fr. \V. B. Cleary, and though
during his rather brief term of office, he had been far from
enjoying robust health, nevertheless the news of his death
came so unexpectedly as to occasion his friends a most painful surprise. He had gone on a visit to \Vorcester, Mass.,
\Vednesday, Nov. the 24th, and while returning in the evening had to walk some distance in the rain before finding a car
to take him to his home. This exposure brought on an attack of typhoid-pneumonia, which finally resulted in death
on the Thursday of the following week, at two o'clock in the
afternoon.
Father Gockeln was born at Grossenader, in the diocese of
l\liinster, \Vestphalia, on the 8th of November, r82o, and at
the age of thirteen years came with his elder brother to
America. He engaged for a time in business in New York,
but not finding in it the attraction that a life of study possessed for him, he left that city and entered the Sulpician
College, Montreal. "He was again at home," as he was fond
of saying, and the piety of the good people of Canada reminded him forcibly of ·the religious simplicity and lively
faith of his own Catholic Miinster. His studious, gentlemanly, and edifying deportment won for him the esteem and
affection of the college faculty. One ofthe learned Sulpicians,
Rev. John Larkin, in particular, took a deep interest in his
advancement. An intimacy thus sprang up between the two,
which was to last till death came to sever them. Five years
had elapsed since Frederick's entrance into the College, when
his venerable director informed him of his determination to
apply for admission to the Society of Jesus. The news was
a severe shock to young Gockeln, but the feeling of disappointment was only momentary, and with the approval of his
spiritual guide he resolved upon following his example. He
had just finished the class of philosophy, was very popular
with his fellow-students, and was the leader of the college
musical band. Without delay he and Father Larkin set out
for the distant Jesuit mission of Kentucky. They might
have joined the Society nearer home, but Father 'Larkin
had his reasons for doing otherwise and his young friend
�104
FR. FREDERICK TV. GOCKELN.
....
would not consent to a separation, that would have been exceedingly painful to both. And so by stages and canal-boats,
and the other means of conveyance in vogue in those early
days, they journeyed slowly along, until after weeks of weary
travel, they at length reached St. Mary's College, Marion Co.,
Ky. The journey, tedious and painful though it undoubtedly was, was rendered far less irksome by the kind attentions
they received from their friends along the route. In New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other places, they were
treated with marked courtesy by Bishops and priests, and it
required no little constancy on their part to reject the tempting offers that were made them to stay and enlist their services in the fields of labor, culti\,ated by their generous hosts.
After the usual probation, Mr. Gockeln was admitted to
the noviceship on the 16th of February, 1841, some four
months later than his companion, Fr. Larkin. He was received by Fr. William Murphy, Superior of St. Mary's College, and had for his Novice-master a certain Fr. Gilles. St.
Stanislaus' Novitiate was situated near the College, and there
Mr. Gockeln remained until the month of May of the year
following. Fr. Larkin having been commissioned at that
time to open a new college•at Louisville, took his friend along
with him, and for some-time the two constituted the whole
personnel of the newly established Loyola College. In 1844,
however, three others were added to the staff, Father Du
Merle, and two scholastic novices, John Ryan and Michael
Nash. In 1844, Fr. Larkin "Tote for the benefit of the orphans of Louisville a story entitled "Mantelli," which was
published in the Orphan's Casket. Being anonymous it was
attributed to Mr. Gockeln, who was severely criticised by Dr.
Spalding, late Archbishop of Baltimore, and Dr. McGill, late
Bishop of Richmond. The criticisms evoked some unpleasant
feelings, and there were not wanting friends on either side,
who took up and ~;ontinued the controversy.
Loyola College was short-lived, and the community returned to St. Mary's, where :rvir. Gockeln was assigned to
teach one of the higher classes. Then, during the scholastic
year 1845-1846, came the removal of the members of the
Kentucky mission to Fordham, and Mr. Gockeln ~tter study
ing Philosophy there .for a year and a half or thereabouts,
was sent in 1847 to finish his course at Brugelette, Belgium.
The following year he began his Theology at Laval. Here
he received Tonsure and Minor Orders during the ember-days
of September, and Sub-deaconship, Deaconship and Holy
Priesthood, at the close of his fourth year of Theology, in
the early part of the year 1852. The next year was spent in
the exercises of the third probation in the house of our Lady
of Liesse, at Laon. On his return to America, he was employed for the eight ensuing years, now at St. Mary's College,
Montreal, now at Fordham, now at St. Francis Xavier's, New
�FR. PETER PAUL FITZPATRICK
York City, at one time as professor, at another as prefeCt of
studies, but for the most part as chief disciplinarian. Then
followed a seven years' experience of the missionary life,
Guelph being his residence for the first year, Chatham for the
remaining six. He was then prefeCt again at Fordham for
one year, Minister at Woodstock for another, operarius at
Yorkville for a third, and for three more Superior at the last
mentioned residence. This brings us to the year r874, when
he was appointed ReCtor of St. John's College, Fordham. It
was in this position that he accomplished the crowning work
of his life.
During the eight years immediately preceding the separation of New York and Canada, Father Gockeln had been consultor of the Mission, and he held the same post in the Province of New York Maryland until the expiration of his term
of office as ReCtor of St. John's. At the time he became its
ReCtor, the number of students was very large, but yielding
to the strongly expressed desire of many well-meaning men
an experiment was in process, the administration departing
momentarily from the striCt disciplinary regulations, and introducing the latitudinarian regime of secular establishments
of learning. The experiment proved unsatisfaCtory. At this
junCture, Fr. Gockeln was put in charge. His task was a
very difficult one. He had to deprive the students of many
privileges they had hitherto enjoyed, Necessarily there was a
jar, and the feelings engendered were not harmonious. In six
months time the old machinery was in perfeCt motion and
the students departing for their summer vacation brought to
their homes the pleasantest memory of the new ReCtor. The
reputation of the College rose rapidly ; his own conscience
and the approval of others gave testimony that he had done
well his work. From Fordham Father Gockeln was sent as
prefeCt of schools to \Vorcester. He was then for a short
while operarius in Jersey City, and finally, on the death of
Father Cleary, was made Superior of St. Joseph's Residence,
Providence, whence it pleased our good Lord to call him to
Himself.-R.I.P.
FATHER PETER PAUL FrTZPA'l'RICK.
From the Catholic Mirror.
Father Peter Paul Fitzpatrick, pastor of St. Ignatius'
Church, corner of Calvert and Madison streets, died at Loyola
College at 8.15 o'clock on the morning of the roth of December from paralysis of the heart, in the forty-eighth year of his
age. Father Fitzpatrick had contraCted malarial fever during
a Mission at St. Joseph's Church, and had been confined to
his room for the previous three weeks. His death was
�ro6
FR. -i'ETER PAUL FITZPATRICK.
very unexpected, and caused much sorrow among his associates and the attendants of his church. The preceding night
he appeared very cheerful and talkative; when he awoke in
the morning he was the same. Shortly before eight o'clock
he was suddenly attacked and expired. The Rev. Fathers
Daly and Clarke, of Loyola College, were with him at the
time of his death.
Father Fitzpatrick was born in \Vashington, June the 29th,
1839, and was· educated at Gonzaga College, in his native
city, and also at Mount St. Mary's, Emmitsburg. On December the 25th, 1856, he entered the Society of Jesus at Frederick, and completed his novitiate. Thence he proceeded to
\Vashington, and was a professor at Gonzaga College, and
afterwards at Boston College, Boston. He taught the university classes at these institutions. In 1867 he began Philosophy in Georgetown under Fr. Gubitosi, and entered on his
course of Theology at the opening of \V oodstock College in
186g. In 1872 he was ordained a priest by Archbi~wp Bayley, and taught mental and moral philosophy in this city and
Boston. ·. Since 1872 he alternated behveen the two cities,
and leaves a large number. of friends in Boston as well as here.
His sister is a Carmelite nun in the institution comer of Caroline and Biddle streets, and has been a superioress in Canada.
Father Fitzpatrick was the ·pastor of St. Ignatius' Church,
although he was under the Rev ..Francis Smith, rector of
Loyola College. He was a director of the Confraternity of the
Sacred Heart, and was also connected with the Bona Mors Society. The news of his unexpected death was immediately
carried to Cardinal Gibbons' residence, and in the morning,
in company with the Very Rev. A. Magnien, president of St.
Mary's Seminary, the Cardinal visited Loyola College to view
the remains. He expressed deep regret at the sudden death
of Father Fitzpatrick, who was always his close friend. A
large number of the other clergy visited the house during the
day. The classes at Loyola College were dismissed soon after
the death was announced.
At half past ten on Monday morning the body was carried
from the college into the church through the Calv~rt street
entrance. The church was crowded by a large congregation,
and the Loyola College boys were present in a bod)·. The
office for the dead was recited as soon as the coffin was placed
before the sanctuary rail, and the lessons of the three noctums
were read by nine of the Fathers present. After Matins the
Rev. F. A. Smith, S. J., Rector of Loyola College, began
a low Mass of Requiem in keeping with the usual custom
among the Jesuits. After Mass the venerable Mgr. McColgan,
Vicar-General, preached a sermon from the text, ''Blessed
are the dead who die in the Lord.'' He spoke of the office
and dignity of the priesthood, and told how well Father Fitzpatrick had fulfilled his office of minister of God. His mem-
�FR. JOHN T. KUHLMANN.
107
ory was held in benediction by all who knew him, and the light
of his example will not be extinguished by the g:rave. The
good he had done will live after, him. He was a true Jesuit,
which in itself is a sufficient eulogy, for the sons of Ignatius are
distinguished for zeal for God's glory and the good of souls. As
the Monsignor was about to begin his sennon, Cardinal Gib- ·
bons, who had just arrived from Washington, where he had
been giving Confirmation, entered the sanCtuary, attended by
the Very Rev. A.l\Iagnien, S.S., D. D., ReCtor of the Seminary
of St. Sulpice, and the Rev. JohnS. Foley, D.D. After the
sermon the Cardinal gave the absolution. The body at 1.30
P. ilL was taken from Camden Station to \Voodstock College.
The faculty of Loyola College, and the ReY. Fathers Lee,
~Ic Coy and Mackall, together with the pall-bearers, a guard
of honor from the Young Catholic Friends' Society, and a
number of gentlemen from the city, went with the remains
to \Voodstock. The faculty and scholastics of \Voodstock
College, nearly two hundred in number, met the funeral at
the top of the college hill, and accompanied the body to
the beautiful little cemetery near by, where a number of
Jesuits are buried. Every one in the funeral procession
carried lighted candles, and the chanting of the Benedictus sounded very impressive through the dense fog that was
about the hill at the time. The Rev. Father Smith, S. J.,
gave the final blessing at the grave.
Father Fitzpatrick was noted for gentleness of disposition and suavity of manners: zealous and untiring in attending the confessional, Yisiting the sick and giving missions, he endeared himself to a large circle of devoted friends,
who will miss much his paternal care and sincerely mourn
his loss.-R.I.P.
FATHER JoHN
T.
KUHLMANN.
From the llfissoun· Republican.
Rev. John T. Kuhlmann, S. J., a prominent member of
the Society of Jesus died on Thursday night Jan. rsth, at the
St. Louis University, after a long and painful illness. Father
Kuhlmann was born in Germany. March the zsth, I82I, and
entered the Society of Jesus at Florissant, March the 12th,
r849. Subsequently he was engaged as professor in various
colleges of the Order, as treasurer of the Novitiate, Florissant, and for the last seven years as Superior of St. Francis
institution at the Osage Mission, Kas. About four weeks
ago he was called to St. Louis, partly.on business and partly
to rest from his arduous labors and to recruit, if possible, his
shattered health. His life had been despaired of for the last
ten years, but his indomitable courage and strength of will
carried him through several dangerous attacks of disease,
�roS
IiR. JOHN T. KUHLlliANX
and up to the last he was a hard worker. He was on the
point of starting again for his recent field of labor on Tuesday
the 13th, and was induced, only as a matter of obedience to
his Superiors, to remain a few days longer among his religious
brethren at the university. During the course of that day
he was seized with a fever and visited by the attending physician who immediately pronounced the case hopeless. On
\Vednesday morning he rose much refreshed, walked about
the house during the day and had some interviews with one
of the professors about mathematical questions, in which he
was always deeply interested. Towards evening he relapsed
again into a state of great weakness and before long was unable to breathe without the greatest difficulty. Death was
evidently hurrying on apace. Told of his danger he answered, "Don't be alarmed." But when advised, as a precaution, to receive the last rites of the Church and make ready
for his passage into eternity, he replied in the most businesslike manner, "All right." The preparation was not difficult
nor long. In the presence of several of his brethren the last
Sacraments were administered to him, and before many hours
he had passed to his reward.
He was a man of great 'singleness of purpose. looking to
nothing but the good of religion and the glory of his Maker.
He was a complete stranger to selfishness, devoted entirely to
his duties, and accepted his prolonged sufferings not only
with resignation, but with posith·e cheerfulness. The Society
of Jesus will hold his name in benediction and long rem ember his sterling virtue and manly character. Death had no
horrors for him, who had accustomed himself to look upon
it only as the beginning of a better life, and it came so stealthily that its approach was scarcely perceived.
The funeral services took place in St. Xavier Church on
Ninth street and Christy avenue, whence his remains were
removed to the quiet little cemetery of the Jesuit Novitiate,
near Florissant. There they were laid by the side of his
friends and fellow-religious, amid the scenes of his former labors, to await the summons of the angel at the day of general resurrection. "May he rest in peace," is the pr~yer that
will often be said over his grave by the young levites who
are preparing in the nm·ice home to continue the works that
he began, but was unable to complete. "So dieth the just
man, and no one taketh it to heart."-R.I.P.
�FR. PATRICK H. TONER.
FATHER PATRICK
H.
109
ToNER.
Twenty-eight years of unblemished life spent in the Society
make up an enviable record. No human effort, however
magnanimous in conception or perfeCt in execution, can rise
to the plane of unselfish heroism, unless it draw its inspiration from God, its development from His sanCtion, and its
fulfilment from His divine assistance. Throughout his entire
life Father Toner made this truth his guiding principle. To
the closing hour of his just career his strength and his success lay in the almost perfeCt abandonment of self to the
pleasure and service of the divine \Vill.
He was born in Philadelphia on the 17th of March, 1841.
Whilst yet a child his good mother was called to her reward
and his earlier years were spent beneath the fostering care of
a kind father and maternal aunt. Our first recolleCtions of
him date back to the year rSss, when St. John's Church,
13th and Chestnut streets, was still in possession of the Fathers of the Society. Young Toner, a slender, thoughtful
youth of fourteen, was at that period, one of the sanCtuary
boys. Living in the immediate neighborhood of the church,
he generously gave his gentle and assiduous service to the
Fathers then serving that congregation. Four years passed
on in this pious training for a higher and a holier sphere.
Meanwhile, in 1857, he had completed a partial course in the
central high school. Feeling himself called to a more perfeCt
life, in the year above, he entered St. Joseph's College, then
a flourishing institution of his native city. The two years
that followed shaped out more distinCtly the unwavering
trend of his long cherished desire. The sole aim of his youthful ambition was to follow, by faithful imitation, the virtuous
example of the good men who guided the destinies of the
parish wherein he was born and nurtured. The hour came
when a choice of life seemed urgent. To the casual observer
he had not long refleCted upon it, but they who knev> him
best were not surprised when on one July moming, nearly
twenty-eight years ago, they heard that he had bidden adieu to
home and turned his back on the glittering worldly prospeCt
that loomed up before him, to seek a safer though a stemer
pathway to the goal he sighed for. He was received as a
novice early in July, 1859, and a month later, we find him in
the novitiate, his future home for four happy years. Safe
within the monastery walls his native virtues found congenial
soil. Scrupulously exaCt in complying with the varied duties
of a novice, he was at the same time unostentatious and
retiring in the manner of his piety. His gentle offices of
charity, his esteem of the minutest details of religious observance, his sincere expressions of well ordered affeCtion,
�tio
FR. PATRICK H. TONER.
and aboYe all his utter disregard of the promptings of vanity
and human respect, were Yalued helps that commanded the
esteem and stimulated the emulation of his novice brethren.
At the close of his probation he pronounced the simple vows
of the Society on St. Ignatius' day, r86r. He came forth
from the two years of trial with the desire of his youth intensified by what he had seen and learned in the novitiate. A holy
ardor to perfect himself in literary and scientific attainments
went hand in hand with the nobler aspirations of his soul to
become a more observant religious. From his boyhood he
had heard of the harvest of souls and the husbandmen who
go out to gather it in. He had read of the hapless fate of
unfortunate myriads made eternally miserable by the seductiYe snares and specious sophisms of a wicked world. \Vith
his soul aflame with holy ambition to avert similar evils from
those who were soon to sit down at his feet to learn, he stored
his mind with treasures that heaven alone could give, never
forgetting however, that human science directed by heavenly
wisdom must necessarily engage in the struggle against ignorance, vice and prejudice. \Vith sentiments such as these
filling and animating his soul he went out of his four years
retirement to the field o£ his first active service. Loyola
College, Baltimore, became the arena of his successful labors
as professor. For six successive years he worked manfully, and all the more so, in that he loved his work. From
rudiments to rhetoric his pupils followed him and recognized
in him a conscientious tutor and a valued friend. Not alone
his head, but his heart too engaged in the every day toil of
the class room. To the scholars of slow intellect he showed
an unruffied patience that added comfort and encouragement
to unsuccessful endeavor. To the more brilliant he pointed out
higher achievements, and ceased not his efforts until they
were successfully ~rowned. \Vherever he taught, his memory lives, and hundreds of his old pupils will hear of his
death, with unfeigned regret.
Father Toner was among the first students who entered
\Voodstock College. He was present at the inaugural ceremonies in September, r86g, and entered immediat¢ly on the
first year of philosophy. He finished a three yeius' course
with eminent distinction, and began his theological studies
in 1872. He was ordained priest in April, 1875, and continued his studies until June, 1876. His first mission as priest
was at Loyola College, where he taught rhetoric and higher
mathematics for one year. He was transferred to Boston
College in 1877, but he was not robust enough to withstand
the rigor of a northern climate. From 1878 to 1882, he filled
various posts of trust and honor in \Vashington, Frederick
and \Voodstock. In the latter year, he was appointed assistant pastor of St. Lawrence's church, eighty-fourth street,
New York. \Ve may judge of Fr. Toner's valuable services
�BR. SEBASTIAN IMFELDT.
III
to the parish by this one word of Fr. Merrick's touching
discourse on the morning of the funeral : "He was my
right arm.'' The venerable Father Gockeln, late pastor
of St. Joseph's, was buried on the zgth of November last.
Two days later Father Toner came to take charge of the
parish. His departure from New York was hasty and he
arrived in Providence at night, thinly clad and thoroughly
chilled. A deep-seated cold at once developed it5elf. He
placed himself under the care of a skilful physician whose
unremitting services brought but a temporary relief. The
days and weeks passed on yet Fr. Toner attended all the community exercises. Early on Friday morning, January 14th,
whilst preparing for Mass, he was seized with a violent chill.
The physician was summoned immediately and pronounced
his illness pneumonia. The collapse was sudden and totally unexpected. The last Sacraments were administered at
noon on Saturday by Fr. Hamilton, and at 3 o'clock, the patient became unconscious. He lingered until6.3o P. l\1. when
he breathed out his pure spirit into the hands of his Maker.
No murmur, nor regretful sigh welled up from his trusting
heart, when told that human skill and earthly love could not
avail to save him. He feared not the ordeal of the passage
from present short-lived joy to eternal bliss. The pure snow
that fell upon his grave as we left him in Holy Cross cemetery, was voiceful emblem of his unsullied life. To his brethren of the Societv the words DileClus Deo et lzominibus will
he always associated with the remembrance of the good priest,
Patrick Henry Toner.-R.I.P.
BROTHER SEBASTIAN !:\!FELDT.
On the zoth of November, 1886, the remains of Brother
Sebastian Imfeldt were reverently placed in their last restingplace in the small cemetery at Spring Hill. Born at Ulrich in
the German Canton of \Vallis in Switzerland, in r8zo, he
spent the first forty-one years of his life in his native place.
In r86r, he came over to Spring Hill with Fr. Imsandt, where,
with the exception of two or three years spent at l\Iobile, he
remained from the time of his arrival to his death. Before
as well as after his entrance into the Society he was remarkable for his silence and love of solitude and for his methodical and punctual habits. Before his entrance into the Society his love for solitude led him to rent a farm, which he
worked all alone and upon which he lived in quiet retirement.
True to his former habits he died as quietly as he had lived.
He contracted a sore throat which was accompanied by a
cough. In a way unknown to all this provoked a shock of some
nature to his heart, which already for years had caused him
�...
112
FR. THOMAS
FINEGAJ\~
trouble. He passed away quickly and quietly, on the morning of the rgth of November.-R.I.P.
FATHER THO:\IAS FINEGAN.
Father Finegan was born May the 14th, 1799, and spent
his early years at \Vhite :\Iarsh, Md. He entered the Novitiate at that place Feb. sth, ISis. He taught yarious classes
at Georgetown College from 1817 until the latter part of 1820,
when, on the opening of the Seminary in \Vashington, he
began the study of theology under the celebrated Fr. Anthony
Kohlman. Obliged by ill health to interrupt his studies at
the end of the second year, he tried a year of teaching at
C'~orgetown College, but without benefit.
After two years of complete rest at \Vhite Marsh, he was
able to resume teaching and to prepare himself for ordination
at the hands of Archbishop Marechal, Sept. the 25th, 1827.A portion of the next year he spent as assistant at Trinity
Church, Georgetown. In 1828, he was sent to St. Inigo's to
assist Fr. Joseph Carber}•, and continued to labor on that
mission until 1832, when.his health failed completely. He
remained at St. Inigo's until the old residence was destroyed
by fire in 1872, when he was sent to Conewago, Pa., where
he resided until his death, January the 23rd, r887.-R.I.P.
-·
.:
�VARIA.
AlJOStlesllip of Pl'tt!Jei•.-Accordingto the Spanish Messenger of February, I886, there are in the whole world about 38,770 local centres direCted by 36 superior centres ; of these last IS are in Europe, 3 in Asia, 2 in
Oceanica, 7 in North America and 9 in South America. There are IS .lfessengers published: 4 in Spanish (Spain, Central America, Mexico, Venezuela), 3 in English (England, United States and India), 2 in Italian (Rome
and Naples), 2 in German (Innspruck and Cincinnati), I in French, I in Bohemian, 1 in Flemish, I in Dutch, 1 in Portuguese, I in Polish and I in Hungarian.-On account of the expatriation of the Fathers who edited the Central American )fessenger it is published at present in the United States of
Columbia.- To the above list may be added the Messenger of Australia,
published in English.- The Mexican Messenger begins this year a new
series under the direCtion of Fr. Rivas.
Rl'liZil.-Anchieta College at Nova Friburgo, has 37 scholars in aCtual
attendance ; 4 or s more are expected. For this place this is a real success.
Hopes are entertained of having a full house for the next opening of schools.
Yacation will begin in February and end in March. This year but a
month's rest will be taken. Accommodations can be had for only 70 boys,
while the new house is going up. Five ne\\; priests went away on the 8th
of OCtober to Rio Janeiro, and probably some of them will return in a month
ort\vo.
Comlllm;,_:.The work on the Seminary of Comillas is going along prosperously. Three hundred and twenty workmen are continuously engaged on
it. It is calculated that the cost of the College buildings will be more than
;i,ooo,ooo reals; however, on account of the proximity of the building material it will not cost us more than s,ooo,ooo reals. The whole expense is
paid by the religious family of Lopez. \Vhen the Pope received the photograph o; the Seminary in a beautiful album, which is valued at S,ooo dollars,
he said, 'Tmly this is a great work in which I see no fault. I take it
under mv immediate proteCtion, and I desire that for the future it be under
the dire<5tion of the Society of Jesus.' His Holiness then wrote a letter to
the Marquis of Comillas thanking him for the good he was doing, and told
those who were about him : 'The work is far too great for a mere letter ; it
merits a Brief, which I myself shall write.' And, in truth, the building is
magnificent. It is more than IOO meters in length, by 67 in breadth ; it has
four towers, two of which are so meters high. In the middle of these towers rises a monument on which is placed a statue of the Immaculate Conception, the pedestal of which will be a star that will serve as a beacon-light
and will be seen at a distance of more than 30 leagues. The pedestal bears
the anagram 'Stella .lfarz's.'
Euylnud.-Frs. Edmund Campian, Alexander Briant and Thomas Cottam were beatified by a Decree of the Congregation of Sacred Rites, issued
December the 29th, I886. The honorary degree of D. Sc. has been conferred
hy the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland upon Fr. Perry, S. J. Fr.
George Porter, S. J. has been appointed by His Holiness, the Pope, Archbishop of Bombay. Fr. Porter was very much regretted in London and the
people to testify their esteem gave him Archiepiscopal ornaments to the
value of about £2,000 and some £soo in money for his journey etc. The new
Redor at I,ondon is Fr. James Hayes; another important change is that of Fr.
Francis Scoles, who is appointed ReCtor of the novitiate. Fr. Morris is very
busy with the lives of our newly Beatified English Martyrs.-S/ough. The
VoL. xvr, No.
1.
·8
(r 13)
�VARIA.
Province of Paris has about 40 novices at Slough. It Is surprising that there
are so many vocations in the midst of the persecutions they are suffering.
Among them are many old students from our Colleges. Eleven are from our
College at :Mans; this College has given many subjecrs, whilst St. Ignatius',
at Paris, has given only one. The French College at Canll'rbury has 230
pupils.
J:Jngllien,llelgium.-Fr. Sengler, Provincial of Champagne, has bought
the buildings of an old monastery in Enghien, in which he is about to start
a new scholasticate for his Province. The building was, until a few years
ago, an ecclesiastical college, having at the time of its suppression by the
liberal government about 300 pupils. After the expulsion of the priests who
conducred it, it became the property of the municipal government, which
found it a very useless acquisition and was delighted to get rid of it. It was
bought for 8o,ooo francs. Before buying it, however, Fr. Van Reetlt, Provincial of Belgium, at the instance of Fr. Sengler, visited the Ministers of
the government and other influential personages in order to sound the dispositions of the government with regard to the Jesuits. After finding that
it would make no difficulties, the purchase was made.
E.raeten, llollnnd.-Up to 1885 the philosophers of the Gerntan Province were at Blyenbeck, Lim bourg, Holland ; but the building being too
small they transferred thither the novitiate, and the philosophers replaced
the novices at Exaeten. Fornterly Exaeten was a castle of modest dimensions
and appearance, composed of two main buildings. One of these was
demolished and rebuilt and has now become the kitchen, refec1ory and
dwelling-rooms of the philosophers. The other is used for class-rooms. The
writers and the library have a spedal building to themseh-es which makes
a continuation of the philosophers' department. Their prolonged exile does
not dishearten the Fathers ; tlieir Province is prosperous, vocations are
numerous, their writers are successful, and their opt'rarii are kept busy
even in Prussia. The situation of the novitiate at Blyenbeck, the juniorate
at 'Vijnandsrade, and the scholasticate at Exaeten gives them an opportunity
of ntaking 1nissionary incursions into Gennany \\·ithout rentaining there any
length of time.
f'ie><ole.- Fr. Blanchard, Assistant of France, is convalescent (24th of
Ocr.) and he will be able to resume his work in the spring. The Ciz•iltd
Callolica is still published at Florence. Rev. P. Anderledy, dicebat Rev. P.
:\laurier, vestem paupertate sicut vetustate nitentem gent, quam ipse propriis manibus semper reficit, fntstra enim speraret si eam aliis traderet quod
ipsi eam restituerent -aliunde min1m in homine labori extra modum incumbente.
f'ol•dluun.-The P;rthenian Sodality of St. John's College celebrated its
semi-centennial anniversary on Feb. the 2nd, 1887. This sodality was established in St. 1\lary's College, Kentucky, in 1837· and is therefore, ten years
older than St. John's College. The 2nd of February saw the completion of
the fiftieth and the beginning of the fifty-first year of its existence. Fr.
Chazelle, Recror of St. Mary's College, was the first Direcror. He was succeeded by Fr. Legouais, under whom it was transferred from..:Kentucky to
New York. Among its list of Direc1ors appear the names of I>'r. Bernard
O'Reilly, Fr. Smarius, Fr. J,arkin, Fr. Gresselin, Fr. Ronayne and Father
Meagher. Among the list of Prefe<Sts are Fr. Driscol, S. J., Fr. John Ryan,
S. J., Fr. ,V. Hill, S. J., Fr Gockeln, S. J. ; apd among the members a long list
of Ecclesiastics, Lawyers, Statesmen, Physicians and distinguished Literary
men. That the day might be made memorable, the three divisions of the
Sodality, with the aid of other students, erecred a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary of heroic size in the common ground behind the students chapel.
The order of exercises for the day was Mass, Communion, Reception of
Members at 6.30 A. 1\1. by Rev. T. J. A. Freeman, Direc1or of the Sodality.
At 9 o'~lock Solemn High )lass by Rev. T. J. Campbell, S. J., of the College; Unveiling and Blessing of the statue by Rev. R. \V. Brady, S. J.,
Vice-Provincial; and .Vaf(nijicat by the whole College. At 3 o'clock, P. ~!.,
Literary and :\Iusical celebration in the Study Hall, and lastly, Sermon by
�VARIA.
the Rev. D. A. Merrick, S. J., and at 6 B.
'C\1. Flynn, S. J., Chaplain.
:>L
IIS
Solemn Benediction by the Rev.
Pt·. Sft•as.'llllltiet•.- Fr. Strassmaier was present at the seventh Oriental
Congress, held at Vienna, and laid before the Congress about s6o inscriptions
ofNabonidus, a portion of a collection of 1200 inscriptions which he is preparing for publication. From the magnificent results he has already given in the
publication of the inscriptions of 'Varka, presented at the 5th Congress of
Berlin. and of the Contra& Tablets of the Museum of Liverpool, given at
the 6th Oriental Congress of I,eiden, we may judge of the value of his contributions to the Austrian Session. The Liverpool inscriptions contain tablets from the time of Nebuchadnezzar to Darius, including, besides the tablets of the above-mentioned Nabonidus, Neriglissor, Evil l\lerodach, Cambyses, and Cyrus.
Lollt'ttiu.-In the third volume of Ray's ''Historia Plantarum" there is
a list of plants collected in the Island of Luzon by Fr. George Joseph· Ca·
milli, who died, after a life spent for the most part in the Philippines, at
C\lanilla, :\lay the 2nd. 1706. Linnaeus commemorated him in the genus Camillia and the introduction of this well-known plant into Europe is attributed
.to him. The :\IS. transmitted by Camilli to Ray was accompanied by a
large number of drawings, part only of which Ray seems to have been able
to afford the expense of publishing. The Comptes Rend us of Societe Royale
de Botanique de Belgique for O&ober the 9th, r886. says that the whole of
the drawings still exist in a folio volume in good preservation in the library
of the Jesuits' College at I,om·ain. It contains 257 autograph plates, with
556 figures of plants and three plates with nine figures relating to zoology.
It was purchased at the sale of the library of Antoine Laurent de Jussieu
(Feb. the 6th, r858), and presented to our College by Count Alfred de Limminghe.
Jfttdu l'tt.-At Trichinopoli the Hindoos have founded a national college
in order to withdraw their young compatriots from the influence of European
education. The Protestant school is nearlv deserted ; that of our Fathers
has lost nearly a hundred pupils.
·
Jfttlt«.-A member of a Religious Order came to see Brother Polizzi, by
whom, to his great surprise, he w;ts received with unequh·ocal signs of coolness and indifference. Those present thought that perhaps the holy novice
wished to chide the visitor for his curiosity. But the monk prudently
shortening his visit, retired to another room. where he said to the Novice::llaster that after all he could see no extraordinary gifts of any kind in that
young man. The :--<ovice-l\Iaster privately questioned Br. Polizzi why he behaved so strangely towards that good religious. "How could I," answered he,
"behave otherwise with a religious. who carried in his pockets jewels, valuable trinkets and a letter soliciting his dismissal from his Order?" The poor
monk on being acquainted with the true reason of his cool reception, confessed with tears that the revelation was but too true. In recreation Br. Polizzi is easy and natural. If bv chance anv mention is made of the wonders
relating to-him, he will immediately begin to talk of something else.-From
a letll'r o.f Fr. De Bonis, St. Be11J10's College.
J[adn(Jtt.'ll'tl t•.-Peace having been concluded between France and this
countrv, the missionaries were allowed to return to their former stations.
The Prime Minister gave orders that they should be well received by the
authorities of the villages through which they were to pass. On the 19th of
March, the first body of missionaries set out upon their return. On the Ist
of April, Fr. Lacombe wrote from the capital that they had been joyfully
welcomed by the Christians, and had not received a single mark of disrespect from any one. Two weeks later, worn out by excitement and fatigue,
this good Father was called to his reward. On the sth of April 1\lgr. Cazet
arrived from France, bringing with him a Scholastic and Brother, and six
Brothers of the Christian Schools. He was received bv the Governor of the
Hovas with salvos of artillery, and was shown every ntark of honor andesteem. During the enforced absence of the missionaries the Catholic Union,
composed of young men sele&ed from the natives, did much to supply their
�u6
VARIA.
place . . They were nobly assisted by Victoire, the daughter-in-law of the
Prime Minister, about whom so much was written during the war. The
moral and material losses are being restored by degress. Two of the houses
of the Sisters were pillaged and one was destroyed. Three country churches
were burned. At the beginning of July, the school at Tanarive, the capital,
numbered a hundred and twenty young men between the ages of seventeen
and twenty-eight. On the 29th of July a Latin class was formed from which
the Fathers hope to obtain members for the priesthood.
"lEe..cico.-"His Grace, Archbishop Arciga, of 1\lichoacan, has made great
efforts to have our Fathers take charge of our ancient College ofPatzcuaro. He
offers to give us full proprietorship of the College, which is fitted up with all
that is necessary: library, class furniture, dorn1itory, refectory, chapel, etc.
Moreover, he offers on the same terms the church of the Societv, which is adjoining the College. A short time ago his Grace went to ~Iexico to arrange
some matters pertaining to his Archbishopric, and made it his express business to speak to Fr. Provincial and to beg him to accept the foundation
offered. Fr. Provincial thanked him for his good will and his desire to favor us, but said that for the present he could not accept of the College, as
the Province was in very great want of subjects and had scarcely enough of
teachers to fill the three Colleges we are at present conducting. \Vith like
urgency Bishop Salinas of Durango presses on Fr. Provincial a foundation
in his Episcopal City. He makes similar offers but the same excuses are
made as to the Archbishop. You see, dear Father, what need our poor
Province has of more members. \Vould to God there were in the Province
where you are some who would be willing to come and labor here ! \Vhen
you come back (an event not far.distant now) do not come alone :bring with
vou at least half a dozen laborers.for the Lord's vinevard in :Mexico. Vocations here are diminishing. "-.J';;rtraFl from a !ette'r ofJ. "1!. Lemus, S. I
to Fr. La Cerda.
Jii~>siouttt•ies.-In 1885, 109 ::'>lissionaries died throughout the world, of
these 33 were Jesuits, 33 belonged to the Society of Foreign ~Iissions, 8 were
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, q belonged to the Congregation oL the Holy
Ghost, the rest were of various Orders and Congregations.- Catlwlir
Jfissions.
..Yaear•r•e.-Last year the city of Pati1peluna was threatened with the
cholera. The people made a vow to go as pilgrims to the castle of St. Fran.
cis Xavier and were saved from the terrible scourge. The -lth of ~[arch was
fixed for the pilgrimage, which was conducted with the greatest solemnity.
At 10.30 o'clock High Mass was sung in the open air under a sky which.
though threatening in the morning, cleared up beautifully for the time of
Mass. The Provincial Deputies addressed to the Holy Father the following
telegram: "12,000 pilgrims, gathered at Xavier under the direction of the
Deputation of Navarre, send to your Holiness a testimony of their love and
adhesion to the teaching of the Holy See. "-!.etters of Udes.
New Mexico.-As priests were needed in the Mission, Fr. Superior determined to give up our residence at La Junta (Tiptonville). Everything had
been arranged with the Archbishop ; but before any official actH\11, had been
taken, the report that Ours were to leave spread among the people. \Vhen
Fr. Superior arrived with the French priest who was to take charge of the
parish, he was met by the villagers e11 masse, who presented a petition
signed also by the people of the neighboring villages requesting us to continue among them. Next day Fr. Superior changed his decision to the great
joy of the people of La Junta, who raised a collection in order to have a
solemn high Mass sung in thanksgiving. Fr. Superior sang the Mass in
honor of the Sacred Heart.- Our College at Las Vegas is full ; it has R-l
boarders. New buildings will be begun this spring. Morrison College also
has all the students it can accommodate ; 20 boarders were refused on ac·
~ount of want of room.
New l'ork.-Very Rev. Fr. Provincial sailed from New York on the 26th
of Nov. and reached Cork on the -lth of December. He was announced in
P11bli~ as Visitor qf the Irish Province on the sth of the same mouth.
He
�VARIA.
is expected back in the United States about the beginning of April.
ing his absence Fr. R. \V. Brady is Vice-Provincial.
II7
Dur-
Pn l'is.- A miraculous cure obtained at the tombs of Fathers Olivaint,
de Bengy, Ducoudray, L7erc and Caubert. "Our son Joseph Beauchesne,
sixteen years and a half old, was at St. Joseph's school, Versailles. On the
3rd or 4th of January, 1886, he happened to fall on the ice. We did not
then foresee the serious consequences which this fall was to have ; we
thought that a few days of rest would be 'sufficient to restore him to health.
But we were mistaken. From this dav he suffered from severe head-aches,
and pains in the region of the heart. 'Every day about three or four o'clock
in the afternoon, a nervous attack came on accompanied with suffocation,
during which attack we were obliged to keep the boy in an erect position.
Dr. Royer, of Versailles, whom we consulted, pronounced the case a beginning of hypertrophy of the heart, the development of which was abnormal. This diagnosis was confirmed a month after, by Dr. Labrie, one of
the physicians of the hospital for sick children at Paris. But neither one
nor the other of these gentlemen paid any attention to what we told them
about that nervous attack, which according to us must have a cause foreign
to the disease of the heart: for outside of the time of the attack Joseph experienced neither suffocation nor choking, either in walking or in mounting
the stairs.
The treatment prescribed by the doctors was scrupulously followed with
alternatives of better and worse until last August. At that time the state of
the sick boy became worse, he passed the nights without sleep, his appetite
diminished, he became thin and his character grew morose and peevish.
The nervous attack came once every day exactly at 3 o'clock and drew forth
cries of agony and pain. The average duration was from ten to fifteen minutes. \Ve then consulted Dr. Liegard, one of the physicians of the College
of the Immaculate Conception at Vaugirard, fornterly attached to the medical corps of marines. This Doctor, to whom we related the above-mentioned
facts and the treatment prescribed by Doctors Royer and Labrie, was especially struck by the periodical return of the nen·ous attack. After having
seen the boy during one of these attacks, he concluded that the disease was
nut hypertrophy of the heart, but a clearly prounounced case of neurosis. He
declared that this neurosis was difficult to cure because it was periodical.
However, he prescribed a treatment, which we carefully followed. The
treatment was far from bringing any relief. The nen·ous attack which occurred every day at 3 o'clock increased in duration and violence. His suffering was so great that the boy for half an hour or three quarters lay
writhing in an agony of pain. From the 8th or 9th of September, Dr. l,iegard ordered a more energetic treatment, but without success. The disease
grew worse. The nervous attack lasted an hour and a half. It seemed that
he had reached the critical period. Hysteria might come on and the worst
was to be feared.
Despairing of human science, we had the happy thought of asking of God
the cure of our child through the intercession of the Jesuit Fathers martyred
during the commune. We began a novena at their tombs on the 14th of
September, 1886. From this day the pains increased in violence. The sufferings were almost without intemtption. Up to this time the mornings had
been good, but now no more sleep. no more appetite. On the qth and 15th of
September, the attack lasted two hours and a half. On the 16th, the Doctor
visited the boy during the attack, and he himself tied the boy to his bed.
9n that day the attack lasted only three quarters of an hour, but the suffermgs were the same. The Doctor seemed discouraged. He prescribed almost reluctantly a calming potion, and counselled us to have recourse to
hydropathy. In order that this treatment might be the better carried out
he directed us to the establishment of the Brothers, rue Oudinot. Joseph
however, did not follow this treatment, because the Brothers had no hydropathic apparatus in their house. On the 17th, 18th, 19th, 2oth and 21st. we
continued our pious pilgrimage to the rue de Sevres. A visible improvement takes place in the state of the sick boy. The nervous attack, although
coming on every day at 3 o'clock, lasts now only twenty or thirty minutes.
Our faith in God and our confidence in the merits of the Jesuit martyrs increase every day. On the nnd of September, the last day of the novena,
we received Holy Communion, and went afterwards to the tombs of the
�II8
....
VARIA.
martyred Fathers. There. after our accustomed prayers, Joseph declared to
us that he was completely cured ; the last trace of the pain he had always
felt in the region of the heart had disappeared. On that same day. we went
to visit Dr. I,iegard. \Vith heartfelt emotion he listened to the recital of the
cure of our son, and testified himself to his cure. Since that time we have
seen the Doetor again, and especially on the 23rd of October. He will make
a scientific statement of the disease he has treated. \Ve leave it to him to
draw the conclusion of a cure so radical and so unforeseen bv him.
\Ve are now on the 28th of October; the maladv has left no trace. Out
of gratitude for this cure obtained throug-h the intercession of the Jesuit Fathers Olivaint, de Bengy, Ducoudmy. Clerc and Caubert, at their tombs on
the 22nd of September, t886, and to gh·e thanks to God, the author of all
good, we make the present statement signed by our son Joseph, and by us
his father and mother.
Paris, October the 28th. 1886, E. Beauchesne, 326 Rue de Vaugirard, etc."
Peru-Lima, Peru, OR. zSth, t8S6.-''Six months ago, one of the Jesuit
Fathers, Cappa, wrote and published a little text-book on Peruvian history
for his classes, in which the private lives and characters of the noted men
who achieved independence for South America and especially for Peru, were
touched upon in a depreciatory spirit, and reflections made which coming
from a Spaniard could not fail to irritate Peruvian feelings. An outcry was
instantly raised, and then the enemies of the Order saw and grasped their
opportunity. The ~[asons, whose incneasing influence had been steadily
combatted by the Jesuits; the directors and professors of private schools,
whose halls were deserted for those of San Pedro, and a number of the University students imbued with that hostile feeling towards anything- religious
that seems to prevail amongst a'certain class to-day-all these joined hands
and brought about a crisis. ~'?pgress was appealed to and the execution of
the law of 1855 demanded. A counter current, led by the best people of
the city, the most distinguished matrons. and the religions of all claso;es, set
in. The doors of the Government palace were besieged by these applicant,;
for clemency, but the force brought to bear by their antagonists wa,; too
great. Congress passed an act ordering the President to enforce the law,
and the Jesuit,; were immediately called upon to deliver over the property
occupied and to dismiss their pupils. The scene was touching in the extreme. Early this morning the Fathers called their pupils together and
bade them a tearful adieu. The courtyards and reception rooms of the Colleg-e were thronged with the parents of the children ; the immense church
of San Pedro was filled with the weeping faithful, listening, for the last time.
to the trembling voice of their friend and pastor. A blessing alike was
g-iven to children and congregation, and the g-ood Fathers for the third time
shake the dust off their feet and bid farewell to a countrv where, whilst relig-ious libertv is ,:>roclaimed, the best and truest exponents of the Catholic
faith are declared interlopers and their holy offices forbidden.:•- Extrafl
from a letter to the Georgetou·n Journal.
Eleven of the Fathers departed for Ecuador, where at Quito, they have a
flourishing College. One of them, Fr. Luis de la Rna, was greatly shocked
by these misfortunes and died on reaching- Guayaquil. Seven Fathers and
seven Brothers at present (Nov. 15th) remain in the Colleg-e, but are everv
moment expecting the worst. Carceres, the President, at one..'"luoment tells
them to g-o and at the next to stay. This Carceres, at the time of the civil
war between Peru and Chili, took refuge in one of our Colleges where he was
cared for until he had completely recovered.
Ph iladelJJl!ia.-Services commemorative of the centennial anniversary
of the death of Fr. Fanner, S . .T. were held at St. Joseph's Church, Philadelphia, on Sunday, December 26th. High 1\[ass was celebrated by the Rev.
John A. Morgan, S. J. The sern10n by the Rev. James J. Brie. S. J., was on
the g-rowth of the Church in the United States, to which Father Farmer's
40 years of missionary work contributed in no small degree. The American
Catholic Historical Society were the promoters of this commemoration.
•
Rocky ][ouutaln ...,,- A mission, under the patronage of St. Francis
Xavier, has been established among- the Mountain Crow Indians, living on
a Reservation in the southern part of Montana Territory. Fathers Prando
�VARIA.
and Peter Bandini, both experienced missionaries, left Helena, M. T., on
Jan. 26th, rS87, accompanied by two young men, one a recent convert, who
have offered to share in the founding of the mission. The spot selected is
in a valley between the Big and Little Hom Rivers. For the present a tent
will have to serve as chapel, school and house, as there are no funds for
building. This tribe is over 3,000 in number, and hitherto has had no resident missionary, but has been visited from time to time by Fathers Barcelo
and Prando.-On December 8th, C. l\Iackin and B. Feusi were ordained
priests in the church of our Lady of Lourdes (S. J.), Spokane Falls, by
Bishop Junger, of Nesqually.
Rome.-The demolishers have expelled Ours from the novitiate of San
Andrea. A new street is to be made, which will necessitate the destruction
of that part of the novitiate in which the room of St. Stanislaus is located.
Influences of various kinds have been brought to bear on the Government,
but to no purpose ; even petitions from the first ladies of Poland had no
effect. Finally, it has been determined to move the whole room by American methods, as they are called, to the church of the old novitiate.-On the
first of November Fr. Liberatore celebrated the Jubilee of his priesthood.
Three Cardinals were present at dinner : Cardinal Mazzella, Cardinal Howard, Cardinal Parocchi; moreover, a letter from Cardinal Jacobini was read
congratulating Fr. Liberatore in the name of the Holy Father. - February
~th, was the 93rd birthday of our much beloved and very Reverend Father
General Beckx. The day was solemnly celebrated in the German College. It
was a pleasant contrast to a few years ago, when in this same refectory, where
to-day so many Jesuits and all the alumni of the German College chanted
songs of congratulation to the General of the Society, Garibaldi feasted his
friends and followers with many a curse and execration
this same Society.
em
The body of St. Francis Borgia, till now in possession of his
familv, has been given to us. It will be placed in our large College near :i\ladrid. ·-The buildings at I.oyola will be finished before the next Feast of St.
Ignatius. The University of St. Joseph, from which great good is expected,
was opened thb year ; about 90 students presented themselves. The Spanish l\Iessenger is succeeding beyond expectation : within three years the
subscriptions have increased 12,000, owing in great measure probably to the
charming writings of Fr. Coloma.
Spni11. -
St. Louis, .llo.-A Catholic club has recently been organized under the
guidance of Fr. James Hoeffer. The object of the club i;; to unite the representative Catholic gentlemen of the city socially and for the furtherance
of Catholic interests. It is called the l\Iarquette club in honor of Fr. Marquette. Its first meeting took place in the Debating Hall of St. I.ouis University and was attended by some of the most prominent laymen among the
Catholics of St. Louis.-On Christmas the prisoners of the City jail had the
unusual privilege of assisting at the celebration of High Mass, which was
celebrated by Fr. Van Krevel. Seventeen of the prisoners received Communion. -Fr. F. ]. Boudreaux has published a seventh revised edition of his
llappiness of flt•ar•rn, which has been received on every side with the
praises it deserves.
S!JI'in.-In the mission of Syria there are under the supervision of Ours
6-l schools for primary instruction. During the past year there were 5269
pupils in attendance, of whom 3-l5-l were boys under l-\o teachers·, and rSrs
girls under 44 teachers, mostly native religious. If means were at hand
many more schools might be opened and the penticious efforts of Protestants checked or nullified. At present, almost superhuman efforts have to
be made to raise funds enough to support schools in the districts most exposed to heretical influence. Though it takes but the paltry sum of $so a
year to support a religious, and a proportionate amount to pay a secular
teacher, it is simply out of the question to gratify all those who would willingly see a Catholic school in their midst.-Rl'lations d' Orirnt.
Tclwuo-h:ia-tl'lwuttii(J.- Fr. Firmin Chen, of Tchang-kia-tchouang
relates the following. In one of the Christian communities, a young girl,
15 or r6 years of age, had a suicidal bent of mind. She had already tried
�!20
VARIA.
several times to take her life, so that she was at'te~·ards closely watched.
Fr. Chen gave her some St. Ignatius water, and she was completely cured
of her folly.
ll'as11i11gtou, JJ. C. -Gonzaga College has begun an annual course of
lectures this year. Fr. Richards lectured on Tlze Eye, a "liodel of Design;
Fr. J. F. O'Conor, on E:[{yptian Piflure 1Vriting and Cuneiform Inscriptions- both of "'oodstock. Fr. Connolly, our Professor of Elocution, lectured on Oratory. The other lectures were by 1\Ir. Spillane and Father
~lc Goldrick of the College.
1Vestel'lt I:euoa/.- About three or.four years ago some Fathers of the
German Province established a mission in the Sunderbunds, the swampy
almost uninhabitable country near the mouth of the Ganges. Amid sufferings chiefly occasioned by the unwholesome climate, nothing but their heroic zeal for the salvation of the natives could ha\·e sustained them. But
God has blessed their labors with the desired fruit. Scattered through 29
poor villages the Catholics at present number about rsoo. During the year
preceding the rst of August, r8S6, 57 children and 7 adults were baptized,
while q Protestants were received into the Church. Small as these results
may appear, they are nevertheless highly satisfactory; for if we consider
all the difficulties of missionary life in these swamps, we must wonder at
the energy and endurance of the two priests, Frs. ~Iaene and Bankaert, who
bear the full burden of all the labors in this vast district. The following extract from Fr. 1\Iaene 's letter will give some idea of their situation. "\Vhen
I began this letter, I was called from the central station of our mission, 1\loropai, to the farthest village, Khari. To reach it I shall have to go by boat
seven hours. \Ve are in the rainy season, and may receive a drenching any
moment. The whole countrv from Calcutta to the sea is one extensive lake.
The rice fields, the sole weatth of our natives, which but latelv formed impenetrable thickets, the haunt of the Bengal tiger, are all under water.
To such long and perilous voyages must be ascribed the missioner's
inabilitv to labor with as much success, as those who are confined to one
single place." A school has been opened for boys, and there is every
reason to hope, that of the 6o children now receidng instruction, many, on
their return home, will give great assistance to the missionaries in catechizing the natives, and if God should grant any of them vocations to the priesthood, the success of this mission will be certain. Fr. 1\Iaene thus concludes :
"In fifteen of our villages we have nothing but poor chapels with thatch
roof and open front and sides. At :\Ioropai we have just erected a small
church, but it is likely to be left minus floor and ceiling. Of our own house
I have nothing to say; it is a miserable hut of mud and straw. Let us first
build the house of God, and think of ourselves last of all."- Katlwlische
.lfissionen.
ZIIIII/Je.'li.-Fr. \Veld has arranged to open a new Novitiate at Graaf Reinet. It is intended to prepare workmen for the :\Iission. Fr. Daignault,
fom1erly a student at \Voodstock, who has been Superior of Lower Zambesi,
is the first :\[aster of Novices. He began his work on Feb. 2nd with 4 Scholastic nm·ices and 2 novice Brothers. His place at Quelimane will be filled
by Father Victor Courtois. - It has been decided to give up the parishes
there, and found two Industrial Schools or Reductions entirely for the blacks,
by which greater fn1it for souls is expected. Three new priests and some
scholastics have been added to the number of missionaries. Good lavbrothers knowing some trade are still much needed.
·
llome Xeu·s.-The Au tuum Disputations took place Nov. 26th and 27th:
the ll'inter Disputations, Feb. 1Ith and 12th.
DE VIRTUTIBUS INFUSIS. The Defenders were Fr. V. Chiappa and
1\lr. T. Brosnahan; the Objeflors, Frs. A. l\I. 1\Iandalari and H. W. Otting,
and 1\Iessrs. A. Laure and J. Zwinge.
DE P<ENITE~TIA, - IJefnzdrr, Fr. P. l\luset: Objeflors, Messrs. A.
Effinger and J. B. Kokenge.
:\Iessrs. \V. B. Brownrigg and C. Gillespie read Dissertations on Holy
Scripture.
�.'
VARIA.
121
ETHICS, -Defender, Mr. E. Corbett; Objeflors, Messrs. A. A. Ulrich
and A. 1\1. Fontan.
PSYCHOI,OGY,- Defenders, Messrs. J. S. Hallahan and G. A. Pettit;
Objt'flors, Messrs. J. A. Post, D. Hearn, J. P. Gonzalez, and F. B. Cassilly.
COSJ\IOI,OGY, - Difruders, Messrs. A. E. Mullan and M. A. Higgins;
Objectors, Messrs. P. Murphy, F. J. Finn, J. W. Kuhlman and M. ].
Coghlan.
LOGIC. - Dej{·nder, Mr. B. Otting; Objeflors, 1\Iessrs. A. Porta and A.
J. O'Connell.
Mr. T. A. McLoughlin read an essay on Aerial Navigation ; Messrs. ]. W.
Kuhlman and M.A. Higgins gave the specimen in Mechanics; Mr. H. Casten
explained the chemistry of the Alkali 1\Ietals, and Messrs. P. Murphy, H.
Post and G. Rittmever made the experiments.
Our new church at \Voodstock was fornmlly opened on Sunday, January
2nd. Rev. Fr. Rector said the first 1\Iass in it.
Histo1y o.f Christian .-lrt, by Fr. Garucci. An article by Fr. J. F. X.
O'Conor, in the October ::-l'umber of the American Catholic Quarter!)' ou
Fr. Garucci's Christian .'\rt has just appeared in pamphlet fornt. The article
was written to carrv out a wish of V, R. Father General that this work of
one of the great arciu:eologists of the Society, might be broug-ht into more
general notice and secure for such a valuable book a desen·edly wide circulation. Cunningham and Son. of Philadelphia, have been entrusted with the
agency of the work for the United States.
In the meeting of Orientalists. Fr. J. F. X. O'Conor was enrolled as member of the Seventh International Oriental Congress held at Vienna, under
the auspices of the University. The explorer Bernard 1\Iaimon who brought
from Babvlon the cvlinder of Nebuchadnezzar translated bv Fr. O'Conor,
and, who 'recentlv re-turned from a successful expedition with one thousand
new objects, which now adorn the Royal Museum of Berlin. has offered to
send to the same Father data of the discoveries which he expects to make in
his present search at Babylon.
Fr. Devitt, our evening Professor of Dogma, g-ave on February the qth,
at T,ovola College, in Baltimore, a lecture on A Dark Chaptn· in the Catholic History of Jlaryland, which at the request of Dr. John Gilmary Shea
will be published in the next number of the Ca!lwlit- Historical .1/ag-a::hze,
of New York.
THEOLOGICAL ACADEMY-l'aj>l'l's Read.
Impeccability and Free \Vill of Christ reconciled .
. Fr. A. ]. Burrowes
Devotion to 1\Iary consistent with the Silence of the Gospels . J. H. O'Rourke
Tradition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. E. A. Magevnev
Value of \Vords spoken in Holy Scripture by Persons other
- •
than the Inspired Authors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr. T. J. Gannon
The Resurrection of the Bodv . .
. Fr. M. \V. Shalla
Scriptural and Earlv Ecclesiastical \Varrant for Catholic Devotion to Mary . ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. P. Fagan
l\Ierit treated as an Ethical Question and the Ethical Notions
applied to the Supernatural Act .
. . . . J. P. De Smedt
Hternal Perdition and its Recent Opponents . . . . . . Fr. H. vV. OttingFormal Object of the Virtue of Penitence . . . . . . . Fr. ]. H. Richards
The Act of Faith, and the last Reason why we Believe . . . . G. J. Lucas
The Epiphany . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . W. B. Brownrigg
Church and Labor Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. Eicher
Doctrine and Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . T. Brosnahan
The Sanctity of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . S. Bueno
PHILOSOPHICAL ACADEMIES-Papers Read.
In the third year.
Evolution . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . M. D. Sullivan
Is Life Worth I,iving . . . . . . . . . . . , . . . . . . J. H. Rockwell
Instinct and Intellect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. J. Sennhauser
Darwinism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G. A. Pettit
�VARIA.
122
Philosophy of Botany .
. J. P. Gonzalez
Spiritism . . . . . . .
. . A. A Ulrich
Eternal Punishment . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. A. Post
Lying and 1\Iental Reservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. F. Banks
Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. Corbett
Existence of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. Hearn
Agnosticism- Herbert Spencer on the Unknowable . . . . J. S. Hollo han
In the sewnd year.
Quality . . . . . . . . .
. G. Rittmeyer
Judgments of Common Sense
. . D. l\lurphv
Goodness . . . . . . . . . .
. . A. Taillant
Thoughts and Speech . . . .
. A. E. Mullan
Final Causes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]. 1\1. Coghlan
The Theory of the Fortuitous Concourse of Atoms . . . . . . . F. ]. Finn
The Beautiful . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . T. S. Herber
Certitude in Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. T. Casten
Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ]. F. Dawson
The Finality of the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A.]. Brown
Creation and Materialism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . P. Murphy
Schelling and his System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . J. W. Kuhlman
Kant and his Subjectivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H. A. Post
Hegel and Transcendentalism . . . . . . . .
. . . ]. J. O'Hara
The Perfection and Unity of the World . . . . . . . . . . G. C. O'Connell
'
-·
...·
�QVIETI · ET ·
~!EMORIAE
PETRI · BECKX
SOC· IESV · YNIVERSAE · REGYNDAE
PRAEPOSITI · AB · IGNATIO · PATRE · XXII ·
A · RESTITVTA · SOC · IV ·
PARENT ALIA
COLLEGII · WOODSTOCKIANI
IN · A)IERICA
IPSV~I
SICHK\I · IN · BELGIO · NASCENTE~I · VIDIT
VI · IDVS · FEBR · ANNO · ~! · DCC · XCV ·
INTER · SODALES · IESY · LUI · SACERDOTE~I
HILDESiiEil\I · RECEPIT
VIII · KAL · OCT · ANNO · M · DCCC · XIX ·
PLVRIBVS · IN · PUOVINCIA · TVM · BELGICA · TY:M · AVSTIUACA
LABORIBVS · SPLENDIDE ·
FVNCTV~I
AD · VNIVERSAM . SOC · IESV · PROCYRANDVM · VOX · DEI
CONCORD! · ELECTORVM · ANIJ\10 · ARCESSIVIT
VI · NON · IVL · ANNO · M · DCCC · LIII ·
QVEM · HONOREM · ANNOS · XXXIV ·
IN · MAGNA . RERVM · .\.DYERSITATE
MYLTOQ · TEMPORVM · DISCRBIINE
TANTA · GESSIT · PUVDENTIA · BENIGNITATE · CONSTANTIA
QV ANTAM · NVLLA · SILEBIT · POSTERITAS
IV · NON · ~IART · ANNO · M · DCCC · LXXXVII ·
MERIT IS · ET · IIONORIBVS · A VCTVM
ROMA
COELO · TRANSmSIT
AVE · PARENS · OPTBIE · INDVLGENTISSUIE
AVE · ANIMA · CANDIDISSBIA
IN· PACE
�-,
ER!tA'fA:
p.-Gne 39
" 9 " 27
"16
31
iu"-~aJ of new worship read luro wor.•hip
"
" were read 1.ohere
" advi.•ibility read advisability
-·
....
�WOODSTO.CK LETTERS
VOL. XVI, No.
2.
A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A HISTORY
OF THE IRISH PROVINCE OF THE
SOCIETY OF JESUS
FROM ITS REVIVAL SOO:\ AFTER THE YEAR I 800.
By t!te Rez,, jolzn Grene, S. j.
Irish history has been said to be invertebrate, wanting the
backbone which is furnished to the history of England (for
instance) by the regular line of kings, around whom historians have found it convenient to group the successive events
into chapters. In the history of the Society of Jesus a
similar purpose is served by the succession of generals.
Even in this fragment of the history of a small province of
the Minima Societas, the fittest item to begin with is a list
of the Irish Provincials. Strialy speaking, the first of these
was Father Joseph Lentaigne who became Provincial on the
feast of the Immaculate Conception, I 86o. Ireland was
previously a Vice-Province from the year 1830, and before
that date a Mission. It never at any time was united with
England, as is at present the case with the Redemptorists
and Passionists.
SUPERIORS OF THE MISSION.
Fr. Peter Kenney, September 30, I 8 I 2
Fr. Charles Aylmer, September 29, I8I7
Fr. Bartholomew Esmonde, August, 1 Szo
Fr. Peter Kenney, September 29, I82I
VoL. xvr, No.2.
9
(I 25)
�126
,. THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.].
VICE-PROVINCIAL'S.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Robert St. Leger, May, I830
Peter Kenney, April, I834
Patrick Bracken, May, I8:)6
Robert St. Leger, February 23, 1841
John Curtis, March 19, I85o
John F. French, June 24, I856
Joseph Lentaigne, February 2, I858
PROVINCIALS.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Joseph Lentaigne, December 8, I86o
Edmund O'Reilly, December 8, I863
Nicholas ·walsh, April 20, I870
Aloysius Sturzo, March IS, I877
James Tuite, July 3 I, I 8Ro
Thomas P. Brown, April 2I, I883
The chief link bet\y.een the Irish Jesuits who flourished
before the Suppression of the Society in I773 and those
who resumed their work after the Restoration, was Father
Thomas Betagh. He was not the youngest of the ex-Jesuits, for Father John Barron was only 49 years old when he
died in I 798, and Father Betagh was over 6o at that date.
The following seventeen are given as the survivors of the
Irish Mission, as our Province was then called:- Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
Fr.
died I 77 5 aged 70
" 1777 " 6g
Edward~Keating
6g
1777
John St. Leger
70
" 1783
Nicholas Barron
" 1784
64
John Austin
67
" 1784
Peter Berill
" 1784
72
James Morony
" 1785 " 7I
Michael Cawood
1787
79
Michael Fitzgerald
179I
97
1793 " 74
John Fullam
Paul Power
" 1795 " 63
John Barron
"
49
,, I798
J8oo
Joseph O'Halloran
74
James Mulcaile
" ISO I
73
Richard O'Callaghan " I807 " 79
Thomas Betagh
" I81I
73
John Ward
Clement Kelly
-- •·
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.J.
These Fathers looked forward with confidence to the restoration of the beloved Society, and they husbanded carefully the resources in their hands, confiding the management
of "them to one of their number who gave an account of
this fund when they met from time to time. Fr. John Ward
filled this office very satisfaB:orily, and at his death in 1775
Father Fullam succeeded. Attempts were made by certain
persons to obtain the control of these funds, but they were
kept safe with the help of Fr. Marmaduke Stone and still
more of Fr. Charles Plowden of the English Province.
These Fathers devoted themselves to missionary work and
also to education in Dublin, with great success, Fr. Austin
and Fr. Betagh being the most distinguished. Several
youths of high promise were trained up with a view to entering the Society, especially after it had been restored in
Sicily in the year 1804 by Pope Pius VI. Thither these
candidates for the Society were sent from Stony hurst, where
they had been placed for their education. About this time
the Father General Brzozowski wrote to Fr. Betagh a letter,
which is preserved in the archives of the Irish Province, and
which shows the close relations subsisting between the members of the suppressed Society in places so far apart as
Dublin and St. Petersburg:REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER,
P. C.
"Cum summa animi mei voluptate a Patribus nostris qui
sunt in. Anglia accepi quam egregiam operam quamque
utilem Reverentia vestra, quamquam zetate proveB:a, ponat
in illa Domini Nostri vinea. Non dubito benevolentiam
qua Episcopi Hibernia: prosequuntur Societatem proficisci
a zelo apostolico antiquorum nostrorum Patrum, sed eandem
augeri per laborem indefessum quem vident a Reverentia
vestra in salute animarum procuranda exantlari. Gratias
igitur Reverentize vestrze ago quantas possum maximas pro
hoc erga Matrem nostram amore. Perge, Pater Reverende,
eam tuis ornare officiis et beneficiis. Para tui zeli et spiritus successores ex iis juvenibus qui in Anglia instruuntur.
Certissimus est consensus Summi Pontificis quoad vestram
nobiscum unionem, quidquid quidam aliter dicant vel scribant. Hoc consensu posito, cum melius profeB:o sit esse
quam non esse, judicarem Societatem in Hibernia etiam
resuscitari posse, licet caute, prudenter, et sine strepitu, ne
scilicet ob hunc ipsum consensum SanB:issimo Patri nova:
causentur molesti;e. Veniet tempus, et brevi quidem, quo
SanB:a Sedes etiam canonice scripto bane unionem confir-
�TH~ IRISH PROVINCE, S.J.
~abit. Si itaque mature prceparamus socios, gaudebit tum
ecclesia Hibernensium, gaudebit Societas, adesse operarios
et milites qui ad prcelia Domini prcelianda sint parati.
R. P. Callaghan virum apostolicum saluto ac veneror.
Utrique omnem divinam benediCtionem precor, meque Societatemque utriusque sanCtis sacrificiis commendo.
Reverentice V estrce
Servus in Christo addiCtissimus,
THADDEUS BRZOZOWSKI,
P.G.,S.J.
Petropoli, 14 Junii, I8o6.
Fr. Betagh, who then filled the office of Vicar-General to
the Archbishop of Dublin, had formed high expeCtations
in particular of Mr. Peter Kenney, then about 25 years of
age. A friend said to him one day: 'Oh! Dr. Betagh what
will become of us all when you go to Heaven?' 'No matter,'
answered he, 'I am old and stupid, but there is a young
cock coming from Sicily that will crow ten times as loud as
ever I could do.'
>
In the ninth volume of~ Tlte lrislt Montltly, at page 44I
and again at page 500 (August and September I 88 I) may
be found an article entitled 'To Palermo and Back, Seventy
years· Ago,' which describes the voyage to Sicily of the first
band of young Irish Jesuits of the nineteenth century. A
letter is there given, dated 'Stonyhurst, July 7th, I 809,' in
which the ReCtor, Fr. Nicholas Sewall gives 'the Rev. Mr.
Betagh, Cook Street, Dublin,' an account of the departure
from Liverpool in the ship Lascdles of Bartholomew Esmonde of Kildare, Paul Ferley of Dublin, Charles Aylmer
of Kildare, RobertS!. Leger of ·waterford, Edmund Cogan
of Cork, and James Butler of Dublin-'all young men of
abilities and likely to do credit to their country.' Next follows a minute account of the voyage by Bartholomew Esmonde, then aged 19 years, and the youngest of the little
company. Peter Kenney and Matthew Gahan had preceded
them to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies. England then
occupied Sicily against France; and Father Kenney was
sent on one occasion to Civita V ecchia to aCt as interpreter
between the Pope and the English Admiral who held him-.
self in readiness to give to His Holiness the proteCtion of
the British fleet.
Of the little band mentioned above Edmund Cogan died
after a year in Sicily. The others after their ordination were
fortunate enough to be at Rome on their homeward journey
when the Pope restored the Society throughout the world.
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.
J
12")
They were thus among the first to resume the Jesuit dress.
On the 7th of August, I 8 I4, the Bull of Restoration was
published at the Gesu where the Pope, in the presence of the
Sacred College of Cardinals, celebrated Mass at the altar of
St. Ignatius.
Meanwhile Fr. Betagh had died at 92 Cook Street, Dublin,
Feb. 16th, I8I 1. He had kept an excellent school behind
the houses in Fishamble Street, and amongst his pupils was
Daniel Murray, afterwards Archbishop of Dublin, and ever
a devoted friend to Fr. Kenney and the Society. Another
pupil of his was Michael Blake, the restorer of the Irish
College in Rome, and subsequently Bishop of Dromore in
Ulster. In a sermon preached on Palm Sunday, 181 I, which
was printed with another in I82I, and which now lies before
us, he pays a very touching tribute to 'the venerable Betagh,'
as he calls him. The sermo·n was for the evening Free
Schools which Fr. Betagh had founded and supported, and
which to this day are known as Dr. Betagh's Schools. Already in I 8 I I more than three thousand boys had received
their education in these schools, which have been continuing
their work ever since. Dr. Blake speaks of 'the man who
established that Institution, who cherished the objeCts of it
with the affeCtion of a parent, who superintended their instruCtion, who rewarded the most promising of them by a,
classical education, who at the age of seventy three (I) would
sit down in a cold damp cellar every night to hear the lessons of these chtldren, and contrived to clothe forty of the
most destitute of them every year at his own expense.'
After describing the patriarch's holy death the young priest
-who himself lived for fifty years after-gives a wonderful
account of the grief shown by the people, 'the crowds which,
at all hours of the day and night and under the .most heavy
incessant rain, were seen pouring in from every quarter of
the city to the house where his body lay.' His funeral testified to the extraordinary veneration in which he was held
2
by all classes. <>
But we have given an undue amount of our space to
Father Betagh. We do so because he was the chief conneCting link between the old and the new Society in Ireland.
Another of the Fathers during the interregnum, Fr. Mulcaile, translated Feller's Philosophical Catechism into English. Fr. Callaghan, whom Fr. Brzozowski in the letter
O> He was born at Kells in Co. :Heath, in the year 1738.
An eye-witness, still living at a very arlvanced age, tells of a white dove
tl_1at was seen peering into the open grave, which, when it was closed, suddenlydisappeared,
\Zl
�IJO
THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.
J.
quoted before, salutes and venerates as a <'ir aposto!icus, had
suffered for the Faith in the Philippine Islands.
After their return from Sicily in I8I2 Fathers Kenney,
Dinan, and Gahan resided at No 3 George's Hill, Dublin,
which house is now a portion of the schools of the Presentation Nuns. The Jesuits before and during the Suppression
had long been conneCted with that parish of St. Michan,
and they officiated in the Parish Church, formerly in Mary's
Lane, but removed long since to North Anne Street. Fr.
Kenney was Superior of lhe Irish Mission of the Society.
Another pupil of Fr. Betagh's, Dr. Daniel Murray, had been
appointed Coadjutor to Dr. Troy, the Archbishop of Dublin ; and yet in ] une, I 8 I 2, he was persuaded by the Bishops
to become president of Maynooth College. He yielded, it
is said, on condition that Fr. Kenney should .help him as
vice-president. In the College Calendar Fr. Kenney's appointment is assigned to the following November. Their
term of office was intended to be brief, but it left its mark
on the College, and no doubt had a share i)l the immense
veneration with which Fr. Kenney's name is still remembered among the priests of Ireland. The meditations which
the Vice-President proposed during that year to the students
were eagerly copied, and are not even yet forgotten or disused.
The money mentioned before as having been c~refully
husbanded during the Suppression was expended on the
purchase of Castle Browne or Clongowes \Vood, in County
Kildare, r6 Irish miles, or 27 English miles from Dublin. It
is now known by its older name of Clongowes or Clongowes \Vood, (I) but at the time it was called Castle Browne,
from the old Catholic family who had owned it, and of whom
the head then was General Browne in the service of the
King of Saxony. Captain \Vogan Browne is at this present
moment a Catholic Officer in the British army. The Brownes
had been in possession for two hundred years, being preceded by another Catholic race, the Eustaces, whose name
still survives in' the small town of Ballymore Eustace not
far distant. The purchase of Clongowes was completed in
I 813, but some time was spent in preparing it for its new
destiny .. The first pupil entered on the 14th of May, 1814.
We should gladly mention the boy's name if tradition had
handed it down.
There lies before us a fragment of·a diary kept by some
(I) I have heard that a Jesuit belon~ing to a part of the world where frame·
houses are used, when he heard or Clongowes 'Vood College, expressed surprise that a lar~e colle~e like that should be made of such frail materials.
�bz
THE IRISH FRO VINCE, S.J.
IJl
one at Clongowes two years after. Some little bits of inter. nal evidence seem to point to Fr. Charles Aylmer as its author; and, comparing the handwriting with that of Father
Aylmer's 'Journal of a Tour in Sicily,' which chances to
come under our eyes at this moment, the two manuscripts
seem to be written by the same person. The Sicilian Journal is dated three years earlier, September, I8I3. \Ve notice
in it that Fr. Aylmer was already a priest in his 29th year,
having been born in I 784. This fragment of a journal ends
with a lovingly minute description of the shrine of St. Lucy,
at Syracuse; and this is another proof of identity between
Fr. Aylmer and the Clongowes Diarist, for it explains what
had previously surprised me-namely, why in the Diary
December I 3th is called 'St. Lucy's Day,' no other saint of
November and December being thus mentioned except of
course St. Stanislaus and St. Francis Xa,·ier.
The diary begins on October Ist, I8I6, giving the status
donms at full length. Fr. Peter Kenney, Superior of the
whole Society in Ireland, prefect of higher studies, preaches
every week to the pupils. Fr. Aylmer is the Minister and
Fr. Claudius Jantard is Spiritual Father-a Frenchman who
seemed a patriarch in the youthful community, as another
old scrap of paper tells us he was born in I 740, and entered
the Society in I756 before Choiseul and Pombal and the
Devil had got their wilJ.(I) Fr. James Butler is Professor of
Moral and Dogmatic Theology. Fr. Paul Ferley is Professor of Logic and Metaphysics; and curiously enough it is
announced that he is to preach on the next Good Friday
still haif a year distant. Fr. Matthew Gahan is described
as missioner in the parish of St. Nicholas, Francis Street,
Dublin, and confessor to the Nuns at Harold's Cross and
Summer Hill-the former still the home bf the Poor Clares,
the latter the first beginnings of the Irish Sisters of Charity.
The four remaining priests in the Clongowes Community
seventy years ago were Fathers Robert St. Leger, W. Dinan,
Bartholomew Esmonde (Superior of the Scholastics), and
John Ryan a missioner in St. Paul's Parish, Arran Quay.
Among the Scholastics, the masters and prefects were Brothers Frazer, Levins, Connor, Bracken, Sherlock, Moran, Mullen, and McGlade. Several of these were following the theological classes at the same time, and others were applied
exclusively to their studies; of these last two survived to
our own time, dying only two or three years ago, nonagenarians-Robert Haly and John Curtis. A third was the first
of all to die, the first buried in the rustic graveyard of olq
(ll
He died at C)op.gowes ip 1821; aged 8L
�132
THE IRISH PROr"INCE, S.J.
Mainham- Nicholas Fitzharris who had been a Maynooth
student during Fr. Kenney's vice-presidency and followed
him when he left the College.
The Diary begins with All Saints' Day 1816, mentioning
that the number of scholars was then 194. On the feast of
St. Francis Xavier it is recorded, 'J. Heaney came to the
house and completed the 200 scholars who are in all on the
list 201, in the house 199.' Among these were Joseph
Lentaigne who was our .first Irish Provincial, and his
brother who died recently,,Sir John Lentaigne; also Frank
Mahony ('Father Prout') and James Lynch, now Coadjutor
Bishop of Kildare.
The manner in which Fr. Aylmer's opinion is reported in
the following passage is one of my reasons for thinking that
Fr. Aylmer wrote the Diary. 'The letter fron1 Mr. Kenney
on the 3rd was to desire the opinions of Fathers Ferley,
Butler, and Aylmer with regard to his preaching a charity
sermon in Cork at the request of the Bishop, Dr. Murphy,
and, consequent to his accepting that of Cork, another in
Limerick. The two former were of opinion that both ought
to be accepted; the 'latter said he did not entirely agree with
them, because he thought that Mr. Kenney's frequent absence from the College, where he had so often declared that
all were too young and not to be depended upon, was. highly
injurious. As to the propriety of preaching both sermons,
Mr. Kenney himself could alone determine, as he alone
knew the circumstances and situation of affairs.'
The diary, which records very minutely everything about
the examinations and the health of the boys and sundry
other matters, ends with the 13th of December. On the
same day it is said: 'We heard that Mr. Kenney had got
possession of Hardwick Street Chapel.' A week before, we
read: 'Miss McMahon still in Hardwick St. Much opposition made to this establishment by the priests of the
parish.'
These entries refer to the first Dublin sanctuary of the
Society after its Restoration. It was already a holy spot.
The Poor Clares who are now serving God according to
their holy state at Harold's Cross, near Dublin, carried out
their vocation even amidst the terrors of the Penal Laws.
In 1752 some of them who were living in North King Street
removed to the house of Major Favier in Drumcondra Lane,
now called Dorset Street. 'After a few years', say their annals, from which the Mother Abbess has copied this extract
for us, 'they built a neat chapel with eight cells over it at the
<;:ost of £ Soo, l~ the year 1804, 00;ober 19th, the com-
�THE IRISH PROVINCE,
S.j.
133
munity was tra_nsferred to Harold's Cross; and their chaplain, the Rev. Bernard McMahon, took a lease of the chapel
and celebrated Mass there until his death. He had the eight
cells prepared for his accommodation as a residence. The
gentlemen of Clongowes College are now in possession of
it, the entrance being in 38 Hardwick Street, which has been
built on the site of our kitchen garden that stood at the rear
of the convent.'
This, the first public Jesuit chapel in Ireland since the
Restoration, is still easily recognized in the middle of Hardwick Street (No. 38). When St. Francis Xavier's Church was
opened in 1832, our Fathers used the Hardwick Street
House as a day school till 1841, when Belvedere College
was opened at No.6 Great Denmark Street. It became subsequently a Methodist chapel, and is now a National school
under Protestant auspices. It was here that Fr. Kenney
preached some of his first sermons with that massive eloquence which has made his name so profoundly respe8:ed
by the Irish priests and people. Next to him as a preacher
was Fr. Esmonde, who began in the miserable little thatched
parish chapel of Mainham.
In 1817 Fr. Fidelis Grivel was sent as Visitor to England
and Ireland. ··He made Fr. Aylmer ReB:or of Clongowes
with Fr. Matthew Gahan as Minister. In some unpublished
reminiscences of Fr. Haly we learn that Fr. Aylmer changed
the dinner hour from half past I 2 to half past 3 o'clock.
But after Fr. Aylmer's reB:orship it was changed_back to
the earlier hour.
Amongst the founders of Clongowes"a high place belongs
to Fr. James Butler. He was a man of extraordinary ability and devotedness, and inspired masters and scholars <t>
with some of his own energy. His health gave way, and
he died on the 22nd of August, 1821, aged.t31~years: for
his birthday was the feast of St. Stanislaus 1790.
Just before this, Fr. Aylmer had been chosen to take part
in the procuratorial congregation at Rome. The Russian
Tsar had turned against the Jesuits whom he had before
befriended when all the world was against them. Fr. Aylmer arranged that three of the Fathers banished by Russia
should come to Ireland-Fathers Casimir Hlasko, Francis
Stackhowsi and a fine-looking young Father~whose Christian name was Adam, says Fr. Haly. With this help a
(ll One of these translated the whole of Cicero's oration Pro JJfilone into
Greek which won the admiration of a Fellow of Trinity College. Another
(Jeremiah .John lllnrphy), afterwards Master in Chancery, composed rapidlv
at aT. C. D. examination, some eighty or a hundred excellent Greek hexameters on a given subject.
�IJ-l
THE IRISH I'ROI"INCE,
S.J.
school of theology was opened, and six English scholastics
were sent over to join it-John vVeston, John Scott, Henry
Brigham, William \Vaterton, (brother to the famous traveller and naturalist,) James Carr, and Bernard Addis. These
all completed their theological course in Ireland, and retained ever after very pleasing memories of their Irish sojourn.
When Fr. Robert Fulton S. J., Provincial of Maryland
and New York, came to Ireland as Visitor in 1886, the opening words of his first exhortation to the Fathers and Brothers in St. Francis Xavier's, ·Dublin, were these: 'In Georgetown College, our oldest college in the United States, in the
1i10st prominent place in the refectory, hangs the portrait of
the Irish Fr. Kenney as a memorial of his visitation of the
Province of Maryland, then the only one in America, and
of the gracious results of that visitation.' He then with
discreet humility went on to emphasize the inequality of the
return, describing Fr. Kenney's mission as productive of
method and organization. In reality, Fr. Kenney was sent
twice to America as Visitor, first by Fr. General Thadda:us Brzozowski in_I819, when he returned after a few
months, and again in I 830 by Fr. Roothaan, when he spent
three years in his arduous and delicate office, to the satis£'1ction of all. At some special season of diffict:Ilty during his
American exile he seems to have written despondingly to
the General; for Fr. Roothaan writes to him from Rorne on
the 12th of May, 1832, in the following terms:'Quamprimum deletam ex animo Ra• Vestr<"e cupio suspicionem quasi R•• V'!" parum fiderem. Quomodo potuit R••
v·· hoc persuaderi? Quodnam majus fiducia: documentum
dare possum quam nominando Visitatorem, et Visitatorem
in partibus tam remotis? Ego vero profiteor et fiducium me
habuisse cum Reverentia: Vestra: munus tam difficile demandarem, et hanc meam fiduciam ex iis qua: hue usque
isthic gessit esse confirmatam et auctam. Plane enim prudenter et juxta mentem nostram R• v• res gerit:
Again on the 23rd of October, in the same year, he
writes :-'Ad consolationem R•• v•• dicam quod ex variis
Missourianis litteris magna animi la:titia intellexerim optimum exitum habuisse Visitationem, pra!scrtim quod ad
cordis dilatationem et animarum conjunctionem firmandam
multum conduxerit.'
Finally, in a letter of Father Roothaan, dated from Rome,
21st September, in the following year, 1833, this phrase
occurs:'Gratulor de laboribus in America: Visitatione exantlatis
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.J
IJS
cum Dei gloria et illorum Nostrorum utilitate plurima.
Dominus retribuet.'
Fr. Kenney, who had been Superior of the Irish Mission
almost continuously since ISIZ,- Fr. Aylmer filling the
office for three years after September 29th, r8I7, and Fr.
Esmonde for a year after I Szo-upon his return from
America, became the second Vice-Provincial in April, I834,
the first Superior, when Ireland became a Vice-Province in
I 830, being Fr. Robert St. Leger, who had a second term
of nine years before I85o, between Fr. Bracken and Fr.
Curtis. He it was who later became Vicar-Apostolic of
Calcutta.
It was chiefly between his two trips across the Atlanticwhich at that time was considerably broader than it is accounted nowadays - that Fr. Kenney acquired his great
and solid reputation as a· preacher. In his style of eloquence, and especially in his slow and weighty delivery, he
resembled O'Connell far more than Sheil. His retreats to
the clergy were eagerly sought for. An aged Bishop
recalls in particular the overmastering tenderness and vehemence of his apostrophes to the crucifix, which he
delivered with streaming eyes on some occasions; and he
declares that his vivid recolleCtion of Fr. Kenney's preaching had made him unable to relish any other preacher
however eminent, even Fr. Thomas Burke himself. Fr.
Aylmer, himself a most effeClive preacher, used to say that
his greatest humiliation was to be obliged to preach from
the same altar-steps from which Fr. Kenney had eleCtrified
the congregation the Sunday before. Naturally the crowd
on such occasions overflowed into Hardwick St. Grattan
is said to have express~d great admiration for Fr. Kenney's
eloquence; and an eminent literary man declared that to
listen to one of his well-prepared discourses was an exquisite intelleCtual treat. We may emphasize the phrase 'wellprepared' as an excuse for remarking that the impressions
of some who heard him when he was forced to speak without due preparation run counter to these enthusiastic testimonials. Fr. Kenney's personal charaCter had no doubt a
large share in the effeCtiveness of his words. He was the
trusted counsellor of very many among the priests and
Bishops of Ireland. His own Archbishop, DoClor Murray,
placed unlimited confidence in his life-long friend. When
he wished to bring the famous J. K. L. round from certain
peculiar opinions, Dr. Doyle and Fr. Kenney were invited
to dine at the Archbishop's house in North Cumberland
�TEXAS.
Street,<1> where the points in question were discussed with
the greatest fulness and candor (as we are assured), with
the result desired.
However, we must not forget that this rapid and unmethodical sketch is not a biography of Peter Kenney, S. J.
\Viii the purpose for which it is written allow a few particulars about some other Jesuits of this century?
( T.o br continued.)
TEXAS.
GONZALES, Jan. 31st, 1887.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Our little churj::h in Gonzales, favored by its titular patron,
St. Joseph, has prosp~red in many ways since its humble
. beginning some four years ago. Then there were but about
fifteep communicants within a radius of ten miles, of whom
at least. one half have sought other and more promising localities. In the jubilee mission given last June we.numbered thirty-five communions. Then there was but.littlc
hope of ereCting a house of God, as three priests had att~mpted it in vain, and but one family, seven miles off encquraged and urged the undertaking. They gave money,
time and labor to the cause. Now we have a church roofed,
floored, benched, a nice altar with three colored statues, those
of the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, Our Lady of Lourdes
and St. Joseph. Our sacristy has all the vestments save
the green, all the sacred vessels for Mass, communion and
benediCtion, an ample supply of church linen, candelabra,
flowers and vases. \Ve have a library of three hundred
volumes, an organ with a well-trained choir, stations of the
1
< > Quantum mutatus ab Ulo Ilectore! Not even a curate would lodge in
Cumberland Street now. Dr, 1\furray soon remoYed to 1\Iuuntjoy Square
where he died. "'e may stow away in this footnote a circumstance connected
with Fr. Kenney's death, which has just been communicated' to us. Fr.
)Ianfredini told our infi>rmant that, when Fr. Keuney was at Home in 1841,
he fell ill, and the doctor proposed to bleed him. The patient. thnu7ht it his
duty to inform Fr. Manfredini that his medical adviser had warned him that
it would be fatal to him to he bled. Fr. Manfredini referred the matter to the
General, Fr. Roothaan, who, when Fr. Kenney repeated the statement, said,
'we shall call in a second physician, and what they both advise shall be done,
for they understand best the climate and the present drcumstances of' the
CI\Se.' It was decided that the patient should be bled.
submitted cheer·
fully and within twenty-four hours he was dead, 19th Nov., 1841, aged 62.
He
�TEXAS.
137
cross, a belfry fifty-three feet high to the top of the cross
and a bell weighing 76o pounds, presented by a Catholic of
San Antonio on condition of our ereaing the belfry. 'vVe
have just built a little parsonage, twenty-four by sixteen feet,
of which eight feet are partitioned off for a sleeping apartment; and all this, not counting the vessels, ornaments and
similar things, has cost us in money about $2300. When
I went north to attend the Provincial Congregation, I had
no hope of returning; and all the way the train seemed to
chant a melancholy refrain that sounded like 'farewell to
Texas, farewell to Texas.' But, contrary to all my forebodings, the Very Rev. Vicar-General permitted me to come
back under certain considerations. One of these was that
I should spend a certain time each year at one of our
houses. I have just returned from a visit to Galveston,
where our kind Fathers received me with all the warm char·ity of the Society; and it is because the good Reaor, Fr.
O'Connor urged it on me that I send you this letter. I
could scarcely believe that my labors were worthy of mention in a periodical that chronicles the Missions of the
North-vVest with all their rigorous hardships.
I attend three churches and three outlying stations. In
the month of November I rode in three northers, beirig
caught in the first in summer clothing. From here I go to
Luling, next day to Lockhart, where a poor box-house unfit for a negro school is dedicated to St. Ignatius. Oh, how
poor the church, how indifferent the people! I had to spend
$I o in replacing the broken panes, and to provide benches
at a cost of$30. I received there about $3 for mysel( From
that place I ride back to Luling and on the ensuing day I
gb to Seguin where my confessor resides. When business
requires it I leave my horse there and go by rail to San Antonio; otherwise I ride back to Luling on Thursday. In
November, I was caught half way-the distance is twentyfive miles-by a norther, and found on my arrival a sick call
to a Mexican living seven miles in the country. I slept that
night at an adjoining farm and rode back next morning in
the teeth of the norther. I had to buy an overcoat that
cost me $10, groaning at the thought of so much lost to the
church. On Sunday, Mass was preceded all morning by confession and Communion; and then after a cup of coffee, I went
to Nixon's ranch to preach to Protestants who did not come,
so wet and cold was the weather. Next morning I rode in
the rain to Coe valley, fifteen miles, to say Mass on the fol- •
lowing day for six or seven Polish families. The following
day I said Mass at Blakeslee farm, and asked them to wake
�TEXAS.
me very early next morning, that I might go to Salt Creek
to some four or five Mexican families whom I had promised
to visit ; the poor people had not heard Mass for five years.
That night a fearful norther arose, and it was intensely cold.
My hosts awoke me betimes, but entreated me not to venture out. At first I yielded, but my conscience pricked me
sorely, and by 8 o'clock I was in the saddle, and seven miles
off. vVhere the road was doubtful I found a Mexican awaiting me as guide. He had been there two hours and his
only salutation, Padrecito, /wee muclto frio, was a reproach to
my wavering. How glad I was not to have disappointed
him. By noon I had said .. Mass and after a cup of coffee
started to return a twelve miles ride on an empty stomach.
The coffee I could drink; but the meat !-I can eat javelina, rattlesnake, anything properly cooked; had it been
prepared Mexican fashion, that is, with a fiery pepper sauce,
I should have been grateful, but they had tried to do it a!
Americano and it was a dismal failure. Next Sunday, the
third Sunday of the month, I said Mass here at Gonzales,
and on Monday morning rode down to Cuero, thirty miles
away, beginning a Jubilee mission that evening that lasted
till Monday evening.. ensuing. On Tuesday I rode back;
on \Vednesday to Luling, and on Thursday to Lockhart to
resume my monthly circuit. During that month I had ridden on my dear old Careto three hundred and fifty miles.
Our Christmas here was full of consolation. Our· choir
had rehearsed Millard's Mass, and my people had ooserved
their Advent striEl:ly though parties and theatrical companies tantalized them greatly. Our statues had arrived and
only awaited the brackets to be mounted. On the Saturday
previous I had taken up a dime colleEl:ion through the city
to defray the expense of a dinner at the poor-house, where
there are four Catholic inmates, who are very edifying by
their patience and fervor. I take them Communion monthly. On Christmas eve we waited till a late hour for a delayed train to bring the brackets, and finally took down
our little scaffolding. By 10 o'clock I had my little altar
adorned and ready. At 1 1.30 standard time-I am sacristan and bell-ringer-I rang out the first bell that ever tolled
for midnight l\lass in Gonzales. Even the Protestants call
it by its name, San Gabriel, and begin and end the daily
toil at its bidding. How beautiful, how consoling that Mass!
The religious music, the blazing altar- thirty-six lights• the profound adoration of our few Catholics, caused a hushed
awe in the many Protestants, who drawn by curiosity, found
\may we not hope?) the first .stirrings of grace in their
�MICHIGAN.
IJ9
hearts. Confession and Communion,.8 o'clock Mass, high
Mass at 10.30, benediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament, the
Angelus, and it was over. 'Oh Father,' some of my converts told me, 'not even in First Communion did I have
such consolation.' After that I rode out to the poor-house
where I had claimed and had been accorded the favor of
waiting on the poor brethren of the Lord, and eating with
them my Christmas dinner. Happy Christmas !
F. P.
GARESCHE.
MICHIGAN.
SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH.,
February 1st, 1887.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER SABETTI,
P. C.
\Vill you please grant a little of your precious time to one
of your former pupils, to tell you some of his whereabouts
and doings since, in June, 1873. he said f.>rewell to dear
\Voodstock College, where, amidst kind Fathers and beloved Brothers, he spent three of the happiest years of his
life. I left you to go to Fordham to be one of the PrefeCts
of the first Division until July, 1873. My greatest exploit
during that year was to preach my first sermon in English,
and this before the boys, and on Good Friday evening, on
the Passion of our Lord. Thence I went to St. Mary's
College, Montreal, to teach a Latin class, where I stayed
until September, 1875, and exercised some ministry besides.
Then my Superior ordered me to leave my class and go to
Guelph, where I remained attending the missions and giving
some retreats to children and Nuns, unti!Aug. 1877. Whilst
in Guelph I received three Protestants into the Church.
Thence I went to the Novitiate to make alone my third year
of probation, having at the same time to be chaplain to the
young ladies in the convent of the Sacred Heart at the
Sault au Recollet, and giving besides some retreats to children in convents, to people and Nuns. During that year I
had the happiness of receiving into the Catholic Church a
Protestant young lady boarding and studying at the Convent-a heroine who faced all kinds of persecution to follow
the voice of God.
On the 9th of August, 1878, after I, with two of my
�J40
MICHIGAN.
brothers, priests, six other brothers and four sisters, many
children and grandchildren, etc., had celebrated the golden
jubilee of my father and mother, I arrived here in Sault Ste.
Marie, Mich., where I have been since. I found here the
good old Fr. Martin Ferard, who had been here for fiye years,
after he had spent several years among the Indians. He
was living in his new pastoral residence, which he built himself at the cost of more than $3000. I was left here alone
in the beginning of September; I 878, to take charge of the
parish and surrounding missions. The parish with the
missions extends from tl}e mouth of St. Mary's River in
Lake Huron to Grand Marais on Lake Superior one hundred and fifty miles, extending south some thirty miles, into
a country not altogether settled. Although fifteen years ago
there were not five farmers, one wonders to-day to find so
many who possess such beautiful farms, several having
more than one hundred acres cleared, with fine houses and
barns.~· The soil around here is most fertile.
But there are
two g·;eat drawbacks for the farmers, a late spring and an
early fall which often enough do not allow the abundant
crops to reach their maturity, and a want of railroad facilities
for transporting their produCt:s. Some got discouraged and
left. But the building of the railroad will soon give them
an outlet. The population has been increasing yearly. We
have now in the parish more than three hundred Catholic
f.<milies of fifteen thousand souls, and one hundred' Catholic hmilies spread in ten missions. Our charge ls··composed of some six hundred Half-breeds, four hundred Irish,
three .hundred French Canadians, one hundred and fifty
Indians, a few Scotch and Germans, and one negro, with
plenty of cockle among the good seed. The Protestants
outnumber the Catholics; the lior1 and the lamb, however,
live in pe.ace together. My nearest neighbor on the east
until last year was the priest of Point St. Ignace about ninetysix miles from here; on the west, is the Bishop of Marquette,
one hundred and fifty miles distant; on the south, the nearest priest is unknown yet; on the north, beyond the River,
which is about two and a half miles wide, is Fr. Chambon,
S. J., who attends the Canadian Sault, having about fifteen
Catholic f.<milies.
I give some details of the work done here since September, I 878. I. found an old frame church falling down, and
an old small school house to which Fr. Ferard had made a
small addition; few people coming to high Mass, most to the
low Mass of 8 o'clock, probably because as there was no
sermon at the low Mass it was shorter. I made it a point
�~IICHIGAN.
to preach at both Masses, so now none escape. I gave them
a retreat which ended on the 8th of December, 1878, with
an increase of piety. Then I had to prepare to build a new
church, the existing one being too old and too small. It was
a very hard work to begin with not a cent in the treasury of
the church, and the people poor and unaccustomed to give.
But where there is a will there is a way; I armed myself
with courage. \Ve prayed together. I had two cows, which
I raffled in February, 1879, for the benefit of the new church,
and succeeded in obtaining $ 500. Then we had three bazaars; I took a voluntary subscription; I had all the stone
for the foundations hauled for nothing. The first of June,
r88r, having in my safe $6ooo, I began to build a brick
church, gothic in style, I 15 x 50 feet, with a vestry 2ox 36 feet,
47 feet from floor to ceiling, and with a steeple 143 feet high.
The corner stone \Vas blessed by Bishop Vertin on the 13th
of July. On the 24th of December, the church was built,
but not plastered, nor was the tower finished outside; and
all paid so far. The old pews were brought in; and the
school children gave an entertainment for the benefit of the
new church, which was very successful; and on Christmas
night we had service in it. On Christmas day r88r, Rev.
Thomas Ouellette, S. J., of Garden ·River, began in the new
church an eight days' retreat, which was carried out with
great success. In I 882, I took up a subscription to finish
the tower. In I 883, we had a bazaar, and I took up another
voluntary subscription, which brought enough to plaster the
church, to put in new pews made of ash and stained birch,
and to complete the church inside. It was dedicated-not
consecra.ted, although it could have been, as there was no
debt on it-by the Bishop on the 3rd of September, I 883.
During the month ofOEl:ober, of this same year, Rev. J. Reynel gave to my people an eight days' retreat with much fruit.
Early in the year 1884, I warned my good people that during the following week I should go around and take the
names of the families that were willing to put a stained-glass
window in the church with their name upon it; in less than
three hours I had more names than I wanted. So I ordered
the stained-glass windows, which were put in in July. I am
told that St. Mary's Church is the finest church in the
upper Peninsula of Michigan. It has cost over $I5,000,
although some guessers thought it must have cost over
$20,000. During July of that same year I 884, Rev Fr.
Weninger gave to my people an eight days' retreat, resulting
in the great fruits that always accompany his retreats.
VoL. xvr, No.
2.
10
�MICHIGAN.
During that same summer I built a small frame church
at Detour, a station at the mouth of St. Mary's River, sixty
miles from here; all paid for when built. I obtained gratis
from Protestants one acre of land beautifully situated on a
hill where the church now stands. I obtained in the same
way from a Catholic two acres of ground for a cemetery, a
short distance from the church. This station was taken off
our hands last June by the Bishop, where Rev. Fr. Jacker,
one of his own priests, is residing now. The church was
dedicated on the I st of September I 884 by the Bishop, under
the title of the Sacred Heart. In the summer of 1885, I
built here at the cost of $2, 842 a new school-house 5 I x 40ft.
veneered in red brick, three stories high, with four class
rooms, a chapel· and a dormitory in the upper story. It was
blessed and occupied in the beginning of October. I had
to repair the house for the Sisters at the same time at a cost
of Ssoo. The expenses were all paid when the work was
done. In the same summer after having obtained gratis
from a Protestant a lot of ground ninety feet front by one
hundred and fifty feet deep, nicely situated in a village called
Pickford Settlement, twenty-four miles south of us, I built
upon it a small frame church for our Catholic farmers, and
opened it with blessing and sen·ice on the 18th of OCtober
of the same year._ It was dedicated last 12th of July by the
Bishop under the title of the Immaculate Conception. I
received also one acre of ground for a cemetery, gratis. All
the different stations were attended by me until 188 I ; since
that time I had for help Fr. Chambon, S. J., until August,
I 885, when he was replaced by Father Santerre, S. J., who
in his turn was replaced in August, I 886, by Father Richard,
S. J. I have yet nearly all the sick-calls, and I have to provide for churches to be ereCted where there are none. The
greatest blessing of last year, was the nine days' retreat for
the Jubilee given in August by Rev. Frs. Damen and
Vander Erden; they made a most fruitful havoc among my
people. They brought back to their God a great many big
sinners. The church was crowded with catholics and Protestants every night. Eight hundred went to communion
at the end. As I 886 has been a year of grace there was a
good deal of piety. I have reconciled twelve couples who
had been married outside of the church, some of whom
had been excommunicated.
The following acquisitions have been made for the Society. In I 881, I acquired one acre of land for $7 5 on the
River shore a short distance below the church, which is
�MICHIGAN.
143
worth now over $3000. In 1883, S.Joseplzofavmte, I obtained gratis from Mr. Thomas Ryan's family, ten acres of
land magnificently situated on a beautiful hill back of the
town, about a mile from the church, on which at some future
day we may build a college. Of course, it was only prospeCtive for the needs of the future that I acquired this
property; but would you believe it, the Bishop has chosen the
Sault for such institution? Lately he urged my superior to
begin the work next spring. But Rev. Fr. Hudon answered
that he thought it was better to postpone the work to some
other year. These ten acres will soon be worth $ 10,000.
The same year, I obtained in the same way from Mr. William
Shaw and wife some twelve acres of land advantageously
situated on the St. Mary's River about three miles from the
future college, for the purpose of building upon them a
country house, where the students could go to recreate
themselves. Last November I bought forty acres of land
for $650 cash, beautifully situated on the edge of the hill
back of the town, three miles below the church. The congregation will soon want it for a cemetery, as their present
grave-yard is small and filling fast. I have thought of securing these important properties before the land gets too
high in price. A great boom is expeCted here. The railroad will appear this year. Several other roads are expeCted,
when the new bridge is built this summer over the rapids,
to conneCt with the Canadian Pacific. A new canal or lake
is to be construCted here next summer. There is here at
present a company buying the right of way to build a canal
through the town three miles in length, for the purpose of
building upon it mills, faCtories, etc. Our prophets announce that Sault Ste. Marie will become a prosperous town.
It is beautifully adapted by nature to become a large and
handsome town.
Since September I878, we have had 46 conversions from
Protestantism; 835 baptisms; I 19 marriages; 3I4 deaths;
I 9, 1 55 confessions, among them several hundred general
confessions; 240 first communions and confirmations; sao
sermons; 1 retreat and 8 triduums to the five Sisters of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, of whom four teach about two
hundred and fifty children. Several times a year I teach
catechism in the school. This narrative is long enough to
give you an idea of my work during the eight years past.
I should feel very well if I had 110 !tead. Pardon me for
having detained you so long. I thought these details might
be of interest. You will please find enclosed $5 for a little
help towards the WooDSTOCK LETTERS.
�LETTERS FRO!If A CHAPLAIN.
My best regards to our dear Fathers of \Voodstock.
little memento for my dear people and me.
Rae Vae in Xto, infimus servus,
R.
CHARTIER,
A
s. J.
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF r861.
(Second Letter.)
OFF FoRT PrcKENS, GuLF oF ME.'<:rco,
STEA~IER VANDERBILT,
June 24th, 1861.
VERY
REv.
AND DEAR FATHER TELLIER,
P. C.
Here we are after nine days steaming, anchored about two
miles from what appears to be a long sandy beach, ·but
which, Captain Lefeue of the Vanderbilt tells me, is Santa
Rosa Island, which shuts off Pensacola Bay from the Gulf
of Mexico. This uninviting sandy island is to be our home
for the present. On the extreme western end is Fort Pickens, which the government wishes at any sacrifice to prevent
the South from occupying. For, holding Fort Pfckens,
Pensacola's well-stocked navy-yard and Pensacola Bay, the
Southerners could build and organize a fleet which would
render the success of the Union army very doubtful. To
prevent this is the herculean task of the army about to be
formed on Santa Rosa Island. But allow me to follow in my
narration the order in which the events occurred.
On the 13th instant I sent you, for the purpose therein
specified, a detailed account of my life in camp down to that
date. I think it is proper, for the information of any Father who before the war is over may find himself similarly
situated, that I should enter into the particulars of those unfortunate circumstances which attended our departure from
New York. For, I now see that, had I had any idea of how
things would be, I could have prevented, if not entirely, at
least to a great extent, the evils I fear some will have to deplore for all eternity.
The Regiment (16th N.Y. Volunteers), had been about
two months in the State Sen,ice, before it was mustered into
that of the United States. For the pay of these two months,
the Regiment, as State troops, could apply only to the State
�"tz
LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
145
authorities, who in turn were to be reimbursed by the United States Government. Perfectly aware of all this, but not
very clearly understanding how, once out of the State of
New York, they could hope to receive the money due them,.
the soldiers insisted on being paid before leaving Camp Scott
on Staten Island; or failing in this, on having twenty-four
hours' furlough before starting for the seat of war. The
order to strike tents and march aboard the steamer lying at
the dock to bring us up to New York City, was given, but
not a man heeded it. 'Pay us for two months' service, or
give us twenty-four hours' furlough,' was the only answer
given to the repeated orders. No government official was
there to decide the case ; the Colonel of the Regiment had
no authority to decide . . In justification of Col. \Vilson, who
probably was blamed by the New York Press and the Government for his conduct in this matter, I would say that for
prudential and christian motives he wished neither of these
demands acceded to. Not the first: for the men would
spend every cent of their pay for drink, if not for worse purposes, whilst their families were known to be sorely in need
of whatever was due by the State. He intended arranging
matters in such a way, that the families, not the soldiers
should draw the State-pay. Not the second; for he did not
at all, for very christian motives which readily present themselves to your mind, relish the idea of seeing his men after
having been two month~ under military discipline, suddenly
let loose through New York City for the twenty-four hours
preceding their departure for the seat of war. He made propositions and offered arrangements to the soldiers, but they
would not listen to any of his reasonable propositions, or accept any of his offered arrangements. One or the other part of
the disjunctive condition which they had laid down must be
accepted before they leave camp. The situation became
very serious; and the Colonel was still without authority to
act in the matter. Finally, seeing the Regiment persistent
in its determination not to leave camp till their conditions
were complied with, and the failure of the authorities to
decide the case, Col. vVilson gave the men an answer which
they construed into a consent that they should have twentyfour hours' furlough, but which he intended should be
evasive.
Relying on their interpretation of the answer, the soldiers
instantly struck camp, and in an incredibly short time were
on board the boat. In the afternoon of the same day (13th)
we were landed at the foot of \Vest 14th Street, up which
we marched to Broadway which we followed to the Battery,
where we found a large number of tug-boats in readine'ls
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
to transport us to the monster steamer Vanderbilt anchored
far out in the stream. The day, as you probably remember,
was excessively hot. During the march, the imprudent
kindness of the soldiers' friends found occasion to slip bottles of whiskey into the ranks. This mistaken kindness was
productive of incalculable evil; it caused the loss of five
lives, and very probably of as many souls, besides the perpetration of many other enormous crimes. Though the
men did not see any reason why they should be conveyed
out to the gigantic transport,' if they were to have the promised furlough, still they embarked on the fleet of tugs.
During this movement they freely partook of the spirits
handed to them on the march, and soon became frightfully
excited. As they neared the Transport, a shout arose from
the little fleet, that no one should go aboard the steamer;
and all began to load their muskets, and demanded t!teir two
mont!ts' pay and twenty-four !tours' fur!ouglz. All entreaty to
induce them to go on board the Transport, \vas employed
in vain. An attempt was then made to force them to obey;
this only increased the difficulty. For, relying on their
numbers and arms, and having amongst them men who a·re
leaders in every branch of mechanics, they took possession
of the tugs, and defied all the power that could be brought
against them. ·whilst the excitement was at its highest
pitch, Col. Wilson, a man of fearless energy and indomitable will, thought that by rushing sword in hand from the
Vanderbilt on to a tug fastened alongside, he could cow
into submission those holding possession of the little steamer,
and thus make a break in the tiny fleet of rebels. Seeing
him running towards them, and divining his intentions,
some one gave the command, 'charge bayonets;' the men immediately threw themselves into a position of defence. Meeting with this unexpected resistance, the Colonel endeavored
to stop at the edge of the hurricane deck; but the velocity
acquired in going that distance precipitated him to the lower
deck, on which he fell headforcmost. Happily in his descent,
he grabbed a musket in the hands of one of the men, and
this broke somewhat the force of the fall. He lay stretched
out like a corpse; a dead silence prevailed; not a man
moved to lift him from his prostrate position. I jumped
over the .railings to raise what I feared was the lifeless form
of Col. \Vilson. I found him breathing, but insensible and
bleeding profusely. The soldiers broke the painful silence
by saying: 'Father, this is not our work; we shall do nothing more than defend ourselves-but defend ourselves we
certainly will.' 'Break ranks immediately, and call the surgeon, the Colonel is badly hurt/ sajd I to them in a very
�LETTERS FROJr A CHAPLAIN.
147
sharp tone. The poor fellows instantly gathered around
me and the still unconscious Colonel, anxious to give all
the assistance they could. The surgeon dropped over the
side of the Transport upon the deck of the steam-barge or
tug. After a hasty examination he declared, that he could
not see any sign of serious injury resulting from the fall;
that he must wait till consciousness returned before he could
say whether the Colonel had received any internal hurt.
\Vhen, after the lapse of considerable time, and the application of many restoratives, Colonel \Vilson recovered the use
of his senses, he told us he felt no other pain than that of
the bruises and cuts on his head and face.
Though he had, as far as I understand, no authority or
direction how to act under the present trying circumstances,
the Colonel abandoned, as he said, by his superiors, and
compelled by the present juncture of affairs, resolved to
arrange matters with the soldiers the best he could. He
proposed to the men a furlough of the remainder of that day
and forenoon of the following day, on condition that all
would report before I 2 o'clock ~1. at certain piers which he
designated, where they should find tugs ready to convey
them to the Vanderbilt. 12 o'clock of the 14th of June
arrived, and not a man had complied with the condition on
which the furlough had been granted. Mr. Kennedy, Inspector of Police, was requested to have our men 'hunted up'
and brought out to the steamer. So powerful are the means
at this gentleman's disposal, that, before midnight, he had
actually placed on board the Vanderbilt, five-sixths of our
men. But alas, in what a condition were they! They were
literally mad with liquor. From the moment the first few
were brought on board, the evening of the 14th, till the
morning of the r 5th, there was one continued fight in which
pistols, knives and bayonets were freely used. Many jumped
overboard during the night, others were thrown into the
water. Judging from the state in which these poor fellows
were, the darkness of the night and the distance of the vessel from the shore, I fear they all perished in the Bay.
Knowing that the Transport had an immense quantity of
powder on board, and seeing these drunken men smash the
lamps, Capt. Leferve of the Vanderbilt, thought it his duty,
as a precautionary measure, to order all lights extinguished
in the part of the ship where the men were quartered. You
must not expect me to attempt any description of the scenes
that occurred amongst such men in such darkness.and in
such a place.
Next morning gave us the proof of the desperate nature
of the encounters that had taken place between decks, it
�LETTERS FRO.lf A CHAPLAIN.
gave us an idea of what we might expeCt: to see after a hand
to hand confliCt: on the battlefield. There were not ten
sound men on board the Vanderbilt; wounds of every description had been inflicred. The surgeon declared three
of the combatants were mortally wounded. These were
sent ashore to the hospital. Many, who had either been
thrown down or had £<lien down the hatchways, had their
limbs broken and were otherwise severely hurt. These were
taken in charge of the police, who came out to the vessel
when the trouble was at an end. \Vhat an awful night I
passed in New York Bay ('The families of Mr. Joseph Farrell and of Mr. Arthur Moynihan of Brooklyn, hearing of
the trouble on board, and fearing for my life, sent a boat
manned by six stout sailors about midnight for me. I
thanked them for their kind attention1 but I could not think
of abandoning my post. The boatmen insisted, saying that
if I did not go ashore with them, they would receive no
pay. At day light, these two families accompanied by Mr.
Daniel Sullivan and his sister came over to the steamer with
various little delicacies, which were a god-send for the many
sore and wounded. ~
It is, I think, proper for me here to state that, days before
we left Staten Island, Col. Wilson told me, that he anticipated these precise difficulties, and had pointed out to the
State authorities a preventive, which if employed \V.ould, I
think, have saved the souls and bodies of several m~eil, and
averted most heinous crimes. He recommended the Government to have the men paid gradually, i. e., a few every day,
and in the presence of some member of the family. This
very excellent measure was not adopted. Coming on towards noon of the r 5th the wounds were all dressed, and
matters were gradually being settled-it was now the benign
reign of peace.
Early in the afternoon we noticed a dispatch boat carrying the ensign of some Headquarters, making direcrly for
us. Many and wild were the conjeCtures about the nature
of the orders of which the graceful little messenger was
supposed to be the bearer. In a very short time Uncle
Sam's representative was on deck, which he found thronged
with wounded soldiers, whom he did not seem to notice.
He called for Captain Lefevre to whom he made known his
authority, and ordered him to get his steamer ready for sea
immediately. Then turning to Col. \Nilson who yet bore
on his face signs of the terrible encounter, he handed him
sealed dispatches, which he was direcred to open in the presence of his staff after having been a stated time out of port.
As yet we had received no intimation of what our destina-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
149
tion was to be. The general impression, however, amongst
officers and men was that we were on our way to Fortress
Monroe, Baltimore or Washington. Some men and officers
were ashore ; but we were not allowed to wait till they returned; they are to be sent after us by the first occasion.
I was sorry to see the Colonel under the necessity of dismissing from the service, just before leaving port, a Catholic
officer, Capt. Me Cormick. I am told the Colonel had no
authority to do so; for no commissioned officer can be dismissed without a trial by court-martial. This man's conduct
was such, however, during the awful scenes of the 13th and
14th, as to justify an exception, if even exceptions are not
forbidden.
15th of June, afternoon.-A violent storm seems to be
gathering; the clouds are banked up threateningly, the wind
is blowing fiercely. We move down the magnificent bay,
making directly for the ocean. The men are too sick and
sore to attempt any response to the repeated cheers from
the numerous shipping in the bay, to the salvos of artillery
from the men-of-war, and to the grand salute of the Forts.
Capt. Lefevre said to me: 'Father, the fighting stuff in these
men is well known to the Government, who will send and
trust these wild fellows, where they would not send or trust
others. Army and Navy expect to hear of glorious deeds
performed by them.' ·when we passed the Narrows, and
struck the open sea, now lashed into fury, the men became
aroused to the dangers which the dark stormy night seemed
to forebode. 'Farewell New York! Farewell our friends!'
'If we escape the fury of this storm, it will be only to meet
another storm on the field of battle, where our bones will
be left to bleach !' were some of the expressions heard on
every side. During the first night at sea, several men were
seized with delirium tremens, and five of these poor fellows
whilst in that state jumped overbQard, and of course \vere
lost! At the designated time Col. \Vilson opened his sealed
dispatches. After glancing over the document, he informed
us that our destination was Fort Pickens, in the Gulf of
Mexico. Not one of us had ever heard of such a place.
This entirely unexpected news produced in the minds of all
a kind of melancholy, which greatly contributed towards
preparing their hearts for the worthy reception of the Sacrament of Penance. These men were perfectly willing to go to
Fortress Monroe, to Washington, Baltimore, .... but to go
to Fort Pickens, was like renouncing all hope of ever revisiting New York. I see now how prudent it was for the
Government to have kept our destination a secret.
During the first days at sea, I was so completely pros-
�!50
LETTERS FROJII A CHAPLAIX.
trated by sea-sickness, that I was utterly unable to render
assistance to any one. But, as soon as I was able to
hold my head up, the poor soldiers now completely humbled,
or perhaps better, thoroughly tamed, who by the Colonel's
orders had free access to my cabin, came in great numbers
to confession.
I began during the night of the I sth to experience some
of the privations belonging to military life. The cabins had
been completely stripped of mattresses, bedclothes and furniture of every kind. There was nothing on which to rest
but the deck or bare berths> This reminds me that I started
away without a military blanket, which is almost absolutely
necessary, and which, since I cannot procure it here, I hope
you will send me by the first occasion.
June 16th, Sunday.-The storm passed harmlessly over
us, the sea is calm, the sun bright and cheery, the men are
themselves once more; but my sea-sickness has not abated.
Mr. McHenry, chief steward of the steamer, and a Catholic,
was early in my cabin this morning to know what he could
do for me. He brought me many delicacies for which he
positively refused to r_eceive any remuneration. He says the
wines, liquors, etc., on board all belong to himsel( 'Moreover,' said he, 'Captain Lefevre insists on paying your bills
himself, if anything is to be paid ; but there is nothing to
be paid.' This gener.ous attention Mr. McHenry continued
during the entire trip. As the officers, during the p;lssage
down here, had only soldiers' fare-cold salt-meat, hard
bread and coffee without milk-the chief steward's attentions
were the more prized. If you happen to see him or Capt.
Lefevre, be so good as to let them know that I have not
been insensible to their unrequited generosity. Whilst the
steward was thus attending to my present, and preparing to
meet my future wants, Col. Wilson stepped into my cabin,
and said: 'Father, are you aware that to-day is Sunday?
Are we going to have Mass? The boys are just in humor
to profit by such a thing.' 'My stomach is in open rebellion,' I answered, 'my head is in as great commotion as the
sea of last night; I cannot stand on my feet, I would not
dare say Mass to-day.' 'Well, Father, you will have to come
out on deck, and give these reasons to them.' I objeCted
again. 'Never mind' he replied, 'if you can't stand, I shall
send two men to hold you upright; and if your stomach
rebels, I shall have a third there with a bucket along side
you. You must appear before the boys, and preach, if
you cannot say Mass. It will do yourself and the men,
a world of good. The boys, who know how sick you are,
will be edified by the effort you make to appear amongst
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
rsr
them in spite of your sickness.' There was no possibility
of farther resistance. Mr. McHenry gave me a dose of what
he considered good medicine, helped to put me on my feet,
and furnished other little aids to enable me to meet the boys
creditably. A little arrangement was speedily made on
deck, the 'church call' was beaten by the drum corps;
soldiers and sailors, officers and privates were assembled.
'Father, 'said the Colonel, 'all are ready to hear your sermon,
· since you cannot say Mass.' The calm ocean, bright day
and steady vessel gave me courage. I felt that I could dispense with the 'supports' and the 'bucket.' I spoke on obedience. All seemed satisfied. The sailors were beside themselves to see a priest, as they said, possessing t!te rig!tt to
preach on board a ship. Many of the venerable tars of the
Vanderbilt, who had spent forty years of their lives at sea,
came to me after the little sermon, and taking me by the hand,
exclaimed with tears in their eyes: 'Thank God, sir, we
have lived to see the day! Some of us have been at sea since
we were children; and all the chaps say, to-day is the first
time they have ever heard one of your cloth preach on board
a ship. We can't make a trip without having to listen to
Protestant ministers. Thank God! we have at last· heard
one of our own.'
The return of my unrelenting tormentor, sea-sickness, broke
off all further conversations, and drove me ignominiously
from deck. Capt. Lefevre followed me to my cabin, and
urgently invited me to accompany him to his quarters, where
he could relieve me of my terrible distress. 'They tell me,'
said he playfully, 'that the Colonel in inviting you to preach,
offered you a ri'g!tt and lift bower, and an old oakm bucket.'
I was too sick to manifest my appreciation of his kind efforts
to arouse me. The good-hearted Captain is a Catholic, the
Steward says a praCl:ical one. After giving me a dose, he
bade me sleep if I could, and he would call for me in the
afternoon.
Shortly after the Captain's departure, Col. Wilson entered
to enquire about my health. 'You understand the boys
perfeCl:ly,' said he to me. 'You spoke to them as I would
myself speak to them. But, Father, did you remark the
enlisted chaplains? They were wild, completely bewildered.
Their menacing looks darted from you to me, and from me
to you. Try to overcome your repugnance to sea-life.' The
poor Colonel seems lonely. I wish I could hold my head
up, and talk with him.
True to his promise, Capt. Lefevre called to see me in the
afternoon. He found me much easier, he said, and declared
the sickness at an end. He regretted that I had been un-
�152
LETTERS FROM. A CHAPLAIN.
able to see the fleet at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
The great draught of the vessel prevented us from going
very near; still signals were exchanged. 'Father, there is
going to be quite a circus on deck this afternoon,' said he
to me, 'you must be there by all means. The enlisted ministers are going to insist on being allowed to preach.' The
faet was, I did feel much better. · I went on deck, and found
quite a commotion amongst the soldiers. On~ of the enlisted ministers, who had been seized by an apparently irresistible desire to preach th!'! gospel, was violently struggling
in the crowd to induce them to listen to him. The soldiers
ignorant of his ministerial charaCter, thought he was playing
a farce, and aeted accordingly. They crowded on him, hustled him about deck, and thus created a deafening uproar.
This very undignified treatment of the preacher in soldier's
uniform greatly insulted him. He applied to the Colonel
for redress, and for means of having himself respeCtfully
listened to. 'These fellows cannot be expeCted to stand
more than one sermon a day,' said the Colonel to him. 'But
I am a minister of the gospel.' •y ou are one of Uncle Sam's
soldier's; and if you· refuse to obey, I would have you shot
-this is war-time.' 'But you said if I should suit the men,
you would have me appointed chaplain.' 'Very good,' replied the Colonel, 'we can settle that right away.' Then,
turning towards the men massed around him by thi_s time,
he continued: 'Tell me boys, which will you have for your
Chaplain, this soldier who says he is a Protestant minister,
or the Catholic Priest?' 'No Protestant minister for us,'
shouted the men, 'give us the Catholic Priest.' 'That settles
our cohtraet; you don't suit my boys,' said the Colonel.
June 17th. Up bright and early, and ready for work, of
which there appears to be no lack. Notwithstanding their
wild ways, the poor soldiers are already assembling in the
neighborhood of my cabin, to go to confession. They realize the faet that they are going to war, and may at any
moment be engaged in battle. vVe are on the· enemy's
coast. The dreadful, and unhappy, and we fear, unprovided
death of some of our men since we put to sea has produced
a salutary effeCt on the minds of all. The throng continued
till evening when the Colonel coming up to the awaiting
penitents said: 'boys, that is enough for one day's work.
Give the Father an opportunity of breathing the fresh air of
the ocean, and of enjoying this wonderful sunset.' The
scene was, indeed, worthy of being witnessed. The boys
were all life, singing, dancing, playing. New York was
forgotten.
June r8th. Charming weather! Soldiers and sailors
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
i53
ready to resume the work of yesterday. I brought my
work to a close a little earlier in the afternoon than the day
before. At and after sunset, the evening was truly enchanting, especially in the neighborhood of Charleston, and all
along the South Carolina coast. The dark green clouds
that ascended from the horizon towards the zenith, as the
sun was setting, formed themselves into the most marked
and fantastic shapes. In silent wonder we gazed at two
immense armies, artillery, cavalry and infantry, engaged in
deadly strife. Again we beheld piles of cliffs over which the
sea was breaking in impetuous surges. There we saw fleets of
proud men-of-war; here we admired fortresses frowning on
the puny means employed for their reduction. The very
Vanderbilt, it is said, slackened her speed, in admiration of
the scenes through which she was passing. Was all this a
mirage in which the future was somehow forecast? Sable
night gradually dissipa~ed these clouds, and left the heavens
clear and smiling, thus furnishing to those disposed to profit
by the occasion an excellent opportunity of meditating on
the abode which we all hope to enter, some perhaps in the
first rude conflict we shall have to sustain. Truly, without
being astrologists, many, during these nights, walked· in
silence the deck of the noble Vanderbilt, reading a profound
lesson in the starry heavens ; and they assured me that they
derived benefit from their study of the immense volume
spread out before them.
June 19th. The throng for confession continued without
sign of abatement. In the afternoon, Capt. Lefevre invited
me to interrupt my work, and take a walk with him through
the Vanderbilt. It is really a wonderfully large vessel. I
regret I did not ask the dimensions. The two thousand
men are a m'ere speck on the deck. 'You are not aware,'
said he to me, 'that here on this ship, you are in a vast
world.' Going down a flight of steps, we found, what for
other vessels would be, a large cargo of mules. 'Sufficient
animals here for an army train. \Vagons and harness for
these mules are stowed away in other parts of the steamer.'
In the next department we found cannons of various calibre,
and a surprising number ofboxes of rifles. Harness belonging to the cannons and the military accoutrements accompanying the rifles occupy other portions. Here we come
upon barrels apparently numberless. 'There are provisions
of every description for an entire army,' said the Captain.
'Inside this door,' said he, pointing to the entrance of a
compartment of the vessel, 'is stored what might be called
a cargo of powder and fixed ammunition.' Fort Pickens is
�154
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
to become, for the time being, a grand military depot. We
thus went from deck to deck, from compartment to compartment, till I thought we were not far from the bottom of
the ocean. Returned to the light of the sun, the Captain
asked me: 'Would you think that you are in such a world?
Yet you have not seen all. \Ve have on board, a naval
supply for the fleet we expeCt to find in the Gulf.'
June 20th. The work of yesterday was renewed, with
slow progress however; for many of my poor fellows have
not yet made their first communion, and are greatly in need
of elementary instruCtion. - ··
\Ve met no vessels on our way down here. The great
coasting trade has disappeared. But yesterday, you might
say, this coast was lined with craft of every size, engaged in
every branch of commerce, to-day, not one sail visible!
To-day we discovered land, the low sandy shore of Eastern
Florida, along which we steamed till we doubled Key
\Vest. As we neared the Gulf of Mexico, strange sights,
scenes entirely new to Northerners presented themselves to
our wondering eyes, and relieved the tediousness of a seavoyage. Two waterspouts, not near enough to endanger
our vessel attraCted our closest attention, and unbounded
admiration. Thrice, shoals of flying fish rose from the water on our larboard, and passed over to our starboard. One
shoal struck the bow and sailed majestically on each side of
the ship towards the stern.
~- •·
June 21st. Charming weather! '\Vhat a prize the Vanderbilt would be for the South, and how easily captured!'
was a remark of one of the officers of the Transport. 'A
common tug with a single cannon could make us haul
down our colors. Not one cannon in position o.n the vessel.'
We are in the Gulf of Mexico. In the evening we lost sight
of land once more, and moved cautiously northward.
June 24th. This morning we hove in sight of Fort Pickens! \Var! war! now surely. Here is a numerous fleet of
men-of-war at anchor, each of which, judging from the
smoke issuing from the smoke-stacks, has a heavy pressure·
of steam. Their sails have disappeared, their masts are
lowered, their decks are cleared! All are ready for aCtion!
'Are they going to fight?' I asked Capt. Lefevre. 'No, not
yet, unless those forts opposite attempt to prevent your
landing,' was his reply. We are in full view of the forts
and batteries in the enemy's possession. In faCt, unless the
southern cannons are utterly worthless, those mounted on
Forts McCrea and Barancas hold us within easy range.
These two forts seized by the southerners a short time
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN:
I
55
ago, are situated on the mainland on the western shore of
the entrance into Pensacola Bay. Opposite these defenders
of the Confederacy, is Fort Pickens built on the eastern
shore of the entrance to the same Bay, on the western extremity of Santa Rosa Island, and the only point at present
in the South, over which floats the flag of the United States.
Flag Officer McKean is in command of the fleet composed
of the finest vessels of the Navy. What the ulterior object
of this fleet is, I cannot, of course, say; the immediate care
of the commander of these men-of-war, now ready for action,
is to cover the landing of the troops whose assistance, it is
said, is urgently required for the protection of the lonely
fort on the forbidding, barren Island honored by such a
sweet name.
Owing to the nature of the beach gradually sloping into
the Gulf, and the enormous draught of the Vanderbilt, we
are obliged to anchor two miles off from land. A rapid exchange of signals is going on between the vessels of the
fleet. Two steam despatch boats have been lowered from the
deck of the Niagara, the Commander's ship. These tiny messengers are flying from vessel to vessel, bringing new orders,
transferring from one steamer to another, officers or men.
All seem to indicate a certain anxiety, an intention to take
precautions for some apprehended emergency. In the evening, a boat from the Flag ship, rowed by eighteen active
sailors, dashed over the ruffled bosom of the Gulf, towards
the Vanderbilt, and brought Col. \Vilson an order which
was immediately handed to him. This document notified
him, that to-morrow morning (the 25th), at 8 o'clock, the men
and launches of the fleet would be at his disposal to enable
him to disembark his men. The Colonel, thereupon, published his 'order,' directing 'officers and men to be ready to
march to-morrow at 8 A. M. with two days' rations.' 'And
how can we march across the water?' asked Larry McCarthy. All became bustle and turmoil. 'We are going to face
the enemy,' thought some, 'for the first time and under cir•· cumstances disadvantageous to us. The enemy is ensconced
in his fortifications; we are to be crowded in boats, or wading through the stormy surf' A mail starts to-morrow for
Key \Vest, whence it will be sent to New York; I shall
therefore close my letter to have it ready when called for.
I forgot to say in my letter from Staten Island, that I
called on Archbishop Hughes, a short time before the Regiment was ordered to strike camp, to have his blessing on
myself and my soldiers. At the Archiepiscopal residence,
�156
LETTER FROM VERY REV. FR. PROVINCIAL.
I found Rev. Father Me Neirny, (I) who informed me that
his Grace was at that moment in council with his suffragans,
but that he would immediately acquaint his Grace with the
objeCt: of my call. Notified of my visit, the good Archbishop instantly ordered me into the council chamber,
clasped me in his arms and gave me, no doubt from his
heart, the blessing I asked. The other Bishops present, to
whom he kindly introduced me, gave me full jurisdiB:ion over
any and all of their subjeB:s whom I might meet during
the war.
·
Recommending my.self to your prayers,
1 remain Rae Vae In( in Xto servus,
MICHAEL NASH, s. J.
LETTER FROM VERY REVEREND FATHER
PROVINCIAL.
FIESOLE, March 15th, 1887.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST.
P. C.
You invited me to write for publication in the WooDSTOCK LETTERS some account of my peregrinations< .. Time
is not superabundant-with me, and I do not know but that,
before your next issue, all that I have to say will be known
to you from other and better sources. Still it would not be
consistent to refuse co-operation in a work to which I have
strenuously urged others. To obviate the second of my two
difficulties, I give you complete power over this paper; so
that, if it pass the censors, you may drop out what you
think fit, or if you think fit, cull some paragraphs for the
Varia, and suppress the rest.
But first to impress you the more with the importance of
the \VoonsTOCK LETTERS, I must tell you the estimation in
which they are held, much to my gratification, in Ireland,
England and on the <:;ontinent. I found in Milltown Park
that they were reading them in the refeB:ory. I heard their
importa.nce acknowledged everywhere, specially by such
men as Fr. Del place and Fr. Mist.retta. And they most value
exactly the two departments I have most insisted on, viz.,
the documents touching our early history and the Varia.
Courage, therefore, in your labors !
(I)
Our present beloved Right Rev. Bishop of Albany, N.Y.
�LETTER FROJJf VERY RET~ FR. PROVINCIAL
157
I arrived here March the 4th. After saying Mass, I had
my first interview with Rev. Father Vicar. ·whilst he was
talking with me came the telegram announcing Fr. General's
unexpected death. I believe I was the first to salute the
new General. Fr. Anderledy told me that he would proceed to Rome that night with the Assistants, that as Fr.
\Vhitty was indisposed, I should go too, to represent the
English Assistancy. \Vith that considerateness which is so
charming in one so elevated, his Paternity came afterwards
to my room to say that as I had travelled all the preceding
night, he wished me to repose and come afterwards to Rome
for the Mass of Requiem. Not being well at the timecold and fever-! the more willingly accepted the second
decision.
So on Monday the 7th I made my way to Rome. You will
be glad to hear that our dear biennists are in better health
than they enjoyed (or suffered) at home, that they are satisfied and satisfy. They met me at the station: I sojourned
with them at the Gregorian University, where Fr. De Augustinis also is, and they so devoted themselves to me during all my stay as to make it my duty to preserve a grateful
memory of their hospitality. But the last remark may be
generalized, and applied to all of Ours I have encountered
since I left American shores. Even Cardinal Mazzella's elevation has not sundered the ties of ancient friendship, and he
frequently called to take me to drive.
I say nothing of Fr. General's holy death in the Lord,
because you will have the details in the Civi!ta before this
reaches you. March the 10th was a rainy day. \Ve assembled
in the Gesu at 10 A. ~1. The church was not crowded.
There were present Cardinals Ledochowski, Melchers and
Mazzella, very many Bishops and ecclesiastical dignitaries,
all the Generals of the religious orders, the Grand lVIaster
of Malta, the Ambassadors of France and Austria, the Envoy of Belgium, and chiefs of the Roman nobility.
The office was chanted by our students of the German
and the South American Cqlleges. The lessons were read
by Dominican Fathers, the Mass was celebrated by their
General, in fact all the service was theirs, including the absolution. During the services a painful incident occurred. The
Dominican Provincial had finished his lesson and returned to
his seat, when he was seized by a fit of apoplexy, carried out,
and is since dead. The catah1.lque was about twenty feet high,
covered with cloth of gold, slightly draped with crape: the
body of the church also so draped, the sanctuary more
heavily. The music was by the choir of St. Peter's, quar-
VoL.
XVI,
No.
2.
II
�t 58
LETTER FROJI T"ERJ" RET~ FR. PR017.VCIAL.
tette and chorus, composed by the conductor, Meluzzi. I
enjoyed it hugely. It was not of the kind to please those
who hold that music (ut pocma) is born, not animis ;it7JaJtdis,
but animis aJlligmdis: and I made the commentary that it
must be a great scandal to those who think such music unCatholic, that the Pope suffers it in his own basilica. I really
think there's no need of being more orthodox than the Pope.
For your consolation I shall mention a few facts touching
the state of our Society in Rome. After the dreadful blow
received by it in Southern Europe, it would have been natural to suppose that energies would be dulled and minds
depressed. On the contrary, mcrscs pnfundo pu!clzrior C7JCnit. Just as soon as opportunity offers, she wakes into activity and renews her effort. Fr. :Massimo is building a
school which will cost more than two millions of francs.
He has six hundred pupils. and admission is denied on account of lack of room. There are but four of Ours engaged there, and they have twenty-five secula~· teachers.
'\Vhy do not more of Ours teach?' Because the 'teachers
must have been graduated from the government University.
Here is a serious difficulty for us, and the que~tion arises,
shall Ours attend the gm·ernment schools for at least two
years? The government programme of studies must be
followed, and government officials examine. You could
not depend on their impartiality: yet I hear that the examinations of our lads are distinguished. I am to !G. that
the Costanzi for the German College cost two millions of
francs: it is splendid and commodious. The South American College, now building, will cost the same sum; the
house of the Ciz,z!lil, more than half a million. \Nith the
acquisition of all these new houses it' may be hoped that
Ours will be able to assemble again into communities and
enjoy the consolations of religious life.· Mondragone has
about one hundred students. At the Gregorian University
there are five hundred students, ana the number grows every
year. An observatory is going up near the Vatican. The
Gestl and St. Ignatius' are n~t nominally, but are really
under our control.
On the 12th Fr. General, the Curia and I returned to Fiesole. The next morning, although Fr. General had one
hundred letters, he began my audiences and has heard me
twice a day, each time for about two hours, till now I have
finished my 'screed', and am awaiting decisions.
Do you appreciate the advantages we enjoy in the new
reign ? Our Father General was in America, was ·ordained
there, remembers it well, loves it, speaks our language well.
·what may we not hope for under his fostering influence?
�LETTER FROM VERY RET~ FR. PR0'"7NCIA1..
159
The house, having been enlarged, is roomy and commodi·
ous. It bears to Florence the relation that Holy Cross does
to \Vorcester 'with a difference.' The descent is precipitous, the site is higher, the view more expanded, the valley
level, the city more distant. To our taste the hills devoid
of trees and vegetation are bleak. Our grounds are very
beautiful. l\Iany a terrace offers room for walks, all shaded,
ornamented with abundance of flowers, all presenting views
of the Val d'Arno. The great charm, however, is the religious and historical association. Monte Senario is just back;
overhead almost is a convent of Franciscans, where many
a room was tenanted by a saint. Vallombrosa is visible in
the distance. Here, according to l\Iilton, Galileo scanned
the heavens : 'The moon whose orb
Through optic glass the Tuscan artist views
At evening from the top of Fiesole,
Or in \'a!tlarno, to <lescry new lands,
Rivers or mountains in her spotty globe.'
Here too Cosmo de Medici lived; while just below is
the convent of Fra Angelico; near by the n10I}astery of
St. Antoninus. Here Cataline experienced defeat. This villa
was \\'alter Savage Landor's. It will be many a century
ere Holy Cross will have such remembrances. I have heard
it sometimes questioned whether the Curia had not better
reside at Rome. I leave the answer to those who have the
grace and experience to answer. But the correspondence
and business are enormous and still growing, and the work
of the Society can be more easily accomplished where our
ruler is not subject to the interruption of city visits. Rome
is near enough for access when necessary. This is, in fine,
such a place as would be sought for by saint and sage and
poet. Does not our friend Horace sigh out, 'Rus, quando
te aspiciam.!'
Some unfriendly friends-note, if you please, the oxymoron -when I detailed conversations in various countries,
have curiously inquired, 'what language did you speak?'
You understand the innuendo: which I gently repressed by
the invariable answer 'Hebrew.' Of all surprising things
which happen to a traveller on the continent, the most astounding is the composure with which people hear the most
enormous solecisms in grammar. The trouble is that an
exigency comes where one has no time to conjugate his verb
but must speak out immediately. 'Ozi clumge-vous ?' quoth
I to the conductor. (I beg you to believe that in sober
moments I know better). He looked at me ocu!is irretortis,
and answered as if I had talked out of Telemachus, as if he
�16o
LETTER FROJf T'ERY
RET~
FR. PROI'INCIAL.
would have been surprised had I said anything else. The
adroitness, too, with which they infer your meaning, is
amazing. At one of the stations I could not find the ticketoffice and the train was starting. I went, to one of the
officials and ejaculated 'Biglietto !' He uttered words of
which I understood, 'Roma !' Verbum sat sapienti. I
gracefully bowed my head, and he significantly pointed his
finger; and the com·ersation closed satisfaCtorily. At one
of the stopping places, a gentleman asked me in Spanish (in
which I am at hom~ as much as if it were French), if I was
a Spaniard. I said, 'no, Anfe-rican.' Turning the discourse
into very baq English he said, 'I thought you were Spanish,
because I heard you say aqui instead of qui,' It was a consolation to discover that one's bad Italian made good Spanish. He then went on to say-may no Englishman read
these lines !-that he found Americans so much more intelligible than the English.
There is no department of learning in which I regret my
deficiency so much as that of modern languages: whicJ1 I
say for the benefit of my dear \Voodstockings. It is true
that I mu.tter 'sunt div.isioncs gratiarum,' implying that there
may be compensatory gifts ; but the device docs not meet
the emergency. I give you a serviceable rule :-In France,
speak Italian steadily. in Italy hold to French unflinchingly.
The reason is obvious. The chances are that the hearer
will not be able to criticize the speaker. In both cotfntries
abuse beggars roundly in English. It perplexes them, and
you may escape in the confusion.
In England there's not much difficulty. You can generally understand the English, and they begin to talk
American. At mid-day you take the cars at Calais, and go
without change to Bide. Having dined at Amiens, you
breakfast at Bile, where you make the only change, taking
Swiss cars for Milan, and arriving at night. The Swiss cars
are almost as comfortable as ours. If thev have not other
necessaries, they have heat. At Milan I r~sted for twentyfour hours. There I saw the Cathedral, the Church of St.
Ambrose, the gates he shut against Theodosius, and, most
wonderful of all, the serpent which Moses raised in the
desert. At least so the guide book said. It was a question
of testimony into which I had no time to examine; so I
transmitted it.
'Longce finis clzarta:,' if not 'via:.' About the latter and its
end, are you curious? After late manifestations of sympathy in a private grief, I should be ungrateful if I doubted.
But I depend on the will of another, and I can only say that
now more than ever 'Woodstock and Frederick contain
�RE-ESTABJ.ISH_1/E.YT OF THE SOCIETY IN THE U. S.
t6t
those who are dearest to me, and only duty would keep me
absent from them. It seems to me, now that I am concluding, that my letter is not written to you solely, nor to your
readers, but to the Scholastics. I am always thinking of
them. At least my very latest words will be for them :-Be
ye learned and holy.
RoBERT FuLTON,
S. ].
AN ACCOUNT OF THE RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF
THE SOCIETY IN THE UNITED STATES
AND OF
EVENTS CONNECTED THEREWITH, WRITTEN
IN I 863-64. (I)
}~J'
Fr. Jo!tn Jl!IcBro_J'.
TI1e Most Reverend Archbishop Carroll, at that time the
only Archbishop in the United States, obtained a Rescript
from Pius VII granting permission to the Jesuits to open a
Novitiate in Maryland. Accordingly, the first Novitiate was
opened at Georgetown College, Rev. Charles Neale being
then Superior(?) and living at the Carmelite convent in
Charles County. The Revd. Fr. Francis Neale was appointed Master of Novices, although he had made no novitiate himself. The names of the first novices are: Enoch
Fenwick, BenediEl: J. Fenwick, James Spinck, Leonard Edelen, Charles Boland, James Ord and \Villiam Queen, Scholastics; Patrick McLaughlin and John McElroy, Laybrothers. On the roth of OEl:ober, I So6, the above-named
assembled in the house opposite Trinity Church and commenced the thirty-days retreat. A set of manuscript meditations for thirty days had reached the College by some
Father from Russia; they were in Latin, and were translated
into English by Mag. E. Fenwick. Three of these were
read daily; and a consideration, spiritual reading, examens,
Ol ln a foot-note to the title Fr. McElrov writes:
'Revd. Fr. Provincial IParesce) having expressed a desire that I should
note down my recollections of such things, as have happened since.] entered
the Society in 1806, and mi)(ht be of inter~st or contribute in any way to the
history of the Society in this country, I shall, in my humble way, though in
nowise qualified to do justice to such a memoir, place on record as they occur
to my mind and in chronological order as much as I can, though not connected,
such RPcollPctions.'
,
The following in Fr. ~fcElroy's handwriting, is written on a piece of paper
pasted to the cover of the book in which these Recollections are contained:
'Some notes of past events put down after leaving Boston, previous to my
loss of sight, which interrupted them.'
�r62
RE-ESTABLISH.lfENT OF THE SOCIETJ" IN THE l-: S.
etc., filled up the rest of the hours. In one of the rooms
there was a chapel where all heard Mass daily. \Ve slept
in tlJis house during the retreat
During the Exercises, Fathers Anthony Kohlmann and
Peter Epinette, the former a German, the latter a Frenchman, arrived from Russia, where they had entered the novitiate at Dunaburg. They were sent to Georgetown to teach
Theology by Revd. Fr. Genl. Brzozowski, then residing in
the College of Polosk, \Vhite Russia. Fr. Kohlmann very
soon after his arrival was appointed Socius to the Master of
Novices. \Vith great fervor and un8:ion he gm·e the novices
frequent exhortations, which produced the most happy
effeCts; he also introduced the customs, penances, etc., usual
in the Society as he had found them in Russia. They differ
but little from those now in use in the Novitiate, except that
we took breakfast standing.
On the Feast of St. Stanislaus, November I 3th, the thirtydays Retreat ended. Archbishop Carroll was invited for
the solemnity; Fr. Charles Neale was also present and made
his Solemn Profession to the Archbishop. Fr. Malcve, a
native of Belgium, who had been a Franciscan and had eritered the Society in Russia, addressed the novices in Latin.
His enunciation being rapid and rather excited, the Archbishop, who was near me in the sacristy, asked '\Vhat language does he speak?' After High l\Tass all \\·ent t_9 the
College where the nO\·ices took possession of the second
story of the old College. Thus was the first Novitiate in
North America commenced, with the approbation of Pius
VII, with the san8:ion of the only Bishop in the United
States, and made remarkable also by the first Solemn Profession ever made by a Jesuit in the United States. At this
time the principal building of Georgetown College was unfinished; the third story alone was plastered, many of the
windows were boarded up and without glass. The number
of scholars was very small, about fifteen; and the credit of
the house very low. \Ne were not able to purchase anything except for ready money, and frequently the treasury
was so low as not to have wherewith to go to market.
Bishop Neale, Coadjutor to the Archbishop, was at this
time ReCtor. He had at the age of fifty-four been consecrated by Archbishop Carroll in I Soo, as his Coadjutor,
under the title of Bishop of Gortyna in partibus. Fr. Charles,
Superior, and Fr. Francis, Master of Novices, were his
brothers. At this time he lived in the College, and celebrated Mass daily at the Ladies' Academy, so-called, which
afterwards became the Mother-house of the Visitation nuns.
Bishop Neale, born in 1746, was sent to St Orner's at the
�RE-ESTABLISll.lfENTOF THE SOCIETY LV THE U.S.
163
age of twelve years, and with him were four of his brothers.
Three of the Neales became priests and two died before
Ordination. The Bishop had ended his novitiate and made
his simple vows when the Society was suppressed. He was
sent to Demerara, where laboring in the ministry he caught
the yellow fever, ~ut recovered and returned to the United
States. He was pastor of St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, where
his two predecessors died of yellow fever. On this occasion
he showed his great zeal, by braving every danger and attending to the infected, regardless of his own life; thus giving
the best proof of the love he had for his flock. He was then
called by Archbishop Carroll to be President of Georgetown
College. He succeeded Archbishop Carroll in the. Metropolitan See, on Dec. 3, r8r5.
Bishop Neale was always much attached to the Society
and observed as much as practicable its rules and customs.
As a confessor he was mild and amiable, and of admirable
tact in drawing souls fron1 the love of the world and conducting them to an interior and spiritual life. To him under God am I indebted for my vocation to the Society of
Jesus; I loved him very much and profited by my frequent
visits to him for direction. He told me in r8o5 that I was
called to serve our Lord at His altar, and after I had spent
nine years in the Society as Lay-brother, his prediction was
verified in r 817, when I was one of the priests he ordained.
He died eighteen days after this. I had the consolation of
being present when he departed, and of saying for him the
next morning the first Mass I had offered for the dead.
GEORGETOWN COLLEGE.
I h:we said the College buildings were unfinished; I
mean especially what was called the 'New College.' Its unseemly appearance was altogether unworthy of a house of
education, much more was it unworthy of a Jesuit College.
In common with the Scholastics and ,young men, I was very
desirous to use every effort to see it improved. One young
man, a postulant, had about $400, which he offered me for
this purpose, but did not wish his name to be known. With
this we commenced our improvements, having of course
obtained the permission of the Superior, Fr. Robert Molyneux, who had been one of Archbishop Carroll's professors
in Europe. \Ve engaged a plasterer, attended him ourselves, made mortar, etc. After this, we had the windows
glazed and the house painted inside and outside, without however employing a painter. And so this one donation effected
more than could have been expected had we expended it in
�r64 RE-ESTABLISHJ!EXT OF THE SOCIETY IN THE U. S.
the ordinary way. The chang-e had a good effeB: on the
public, and inspired the confidence that the College might
yet become a respeB:able institution.
The land owned by the College at this time did not extend further on the north than the present locust hedge in
the garden; on the west its limits were the wash-house and
a small garden in the rear used for drying clothes; on the
east, a line north and south with the old ball-alley; and on
the south, a small garden in the rear of the old College. A
few years after, several acres were purchased; the site of
the present vineyard and se~veral lots on the east side of the
College and the farm were later additions.
For many years before the Novices came to the College,
the daily Mass for the parish of Georgetown was said in the
present domestic chapel in the old College; there the faithful
went to confession, etc. The pastor, Fr. Francis Neale, occupied the room opposite the chapel door, and his brother,
the Bishop, lived in the next roop1 in which was contained
the w!tole Collq;c Library. The Bishop slept in a press-bed
which was unfolded every night and enclosed in its case
every morning. He_ arose daily at four o'clock, made his
meditation very regularly, then went to the Ladies' Academy to say Mass. He observed indeed a very stria tpoverty and a very austere manner of living.
As far as I can recoiled:, there was for a long time .but
one vestment of all colors in the College, and this \Vas old
and worn. On Sunday morning this vestment was taken
to Trinity Church with the missal, cruets, etc., for the celebration of Mass, and then brought back to the College.
MISSION OF NEW YORK.
In r8o7, there were but two secular priests in the city of
New York, Rev. Matthew Kelly and Rev. John Byrne, both
Irishmen; the latter was somewhat advanced in years when
he attraB:ed by his piety the attention of Fr. O'Callaghan
of the old Society. He was educated by this Father in
Dublin. After his ordination, his patron being dead, he
came to New York where he gained a reputation as a preacher, and became very popular. He was desirous of entering
the Society ; but seeing that the harvest was great and the
laborers few he applied to our Superior to send two Fathers
to that important city, and added that '/te would not leave
until he got the Jesuits to take charge of the Mission.' His
zeal and attachment to the Society were rewarded. Fathers
Kohlmann and B. Fenwick, having taken their vows in OB:ober, r 8o8, were sent to New York. It is to be observed
�RE-ESTABLISH,l/ENT OF THE SOCIETY IN THE U. S. 165
I
that Father Kohlmann was still a novice when he came to
this country, and was then 35 years old. When they arrived in New York, they commenced their ministry in Old
St. Peter's, with great edification to the faithful. Rev. Mr.
Byrne left for Georgetown to enter the Society and was
received into the Novitiate. He was sent with the other
novices to St. Thomas' Manor, Charles County, to spend the
vacation, where he was attacked by bilious fever, and died
shortly after his return to the College, Sept. 28, 1809. He
was, I think, the first novice that died in this country.
The Most Rev. Archbishop Carroll appointed Fr. Kohlmann Reetor of St. Peter's, New York, the only church in
the city at that time. In one of his letters written after entering upon his duties, he says: 'The parish, that is, the
whole city, contains r6,ooo souls, so neglected in every respect that it goes beyond conception.' Soon the Fathers
saw the happy effects of their labors, for he goes on to state,
that the Communion rail is daily filled, though deserted
before; that general confessions are heard every day, chiefly
of natives of Ireland who had not seen a priest for years;
that three sermons are preached every Sunday in English,
French and German, and three catechetical instruCtions
every Sunday; that Protestants are instructed and received
into the church every day; and that the collections for the
poor reached three thousand dollars, with the prospect of
the same amount every year.
It was soon found necessary to have another church in
the northern part of the city. A lot was purchased and the
foundation of St. Patrick's was laid by Fr. Kohlmann. At
that time this church was in the northern extremity of the
city, there being very few houses built beyond it. The good
Fathers met with much opposition from the trustees of St.
Peter's. and from other persons in the city. Still Fr. Kohlmann was determined to accomplish what he had commenced.
He was told he could never raise money sufficient to build
the church, and, even if he did build it, he could never get
people enough to fill it. The church was ready for consecration in June, 1809, but the consecration was postponed
until Ascension Day, 181 5· Bishop Cheverus of Boston was
invited by the Vicar General to consecrate it. Good Fr.
Kohlmann, however, had not the consolation of being present, having been called to Georgetown to be Master of
Novices.
The Fathers saw the necessity of a College in the city of
New York, and rented a house opposite the Cathedral to
comm,ence it in. Four Scholastics were sent as teachers
from Georgetown in 1809, namely, Adam Marshall, James
�166
RE-ESTABLISH.1!EXT OF THE SOCIETY IN THE U. S.
Redmond, James \Vallace and Michael \Vhite, and with
these a school was opened and encouraged. Soon a large
lot was purchased in what was then the country, on the
corner of Fifth Ave. and Fiftieth St., for, I think, $I300;
there was on it a small house to which an addition was made.
Here several boarders were received. The title of 'New
York Literary Institution' was gi\·en to the establishment.
Protestants as well as Catholics, the Governor of New York
and many other respeCtable parents, sent their sons until the
number of students reached seventy-five.
Fr. Grassi, finding it difficult to carry on Georgetown
College through want of members of the Society, concluded
to call the Fathers and Brothers from New York to Georgetown, and, of course, to close the Institution. Before doing
this, he consulted Archbishop Carroll and .his own consultors; the school was accordingly closed in September, I8I3.
Fr. Kohlmann was called to be l\Iaster of Novices in ISIS,
and Fathers BenediCt Fenwick and Malou were left in New
York at St. Peter's.
The land purchased for the Literary Institution was sold
a few years after for,.J think, $3000; a few years ago it sold
for Sgo,ooo. The Trustees of St. Peter's and St. Patrick's
were the purchasers in the first sale, and in the latter the
Trustees of St. Patrick's bought out the half interest of St.
Peter's. It is now the ground on which the foundation of
the new Cathedral stands.
-· •·
FATHER JOHN
(~RASSI.
In 1810, Fr. John Grassi arri\·ed in Georgetown, sent
thither by Rev. Fr. General Gruber then in Polosk, \Vhite
Russia. He had been a novice under the venerable Fr.
Pignatelli who, it is thought, will be canonized. At the
suppression of the Society, he was sent to Russia where
alone the Society existed. Being a good mathematician and
astronomer, he was destined by Father General for the
Chinese Mission, and fitted out with a complete apparatus
of instruments, etc. He had for companions Fr. Korsack
and a Lay-brother, named Steimer. They tried to procure a
passage in any ship sailing for China, but in vain, as shipcaptains were afraid of incurring the penalties attending the
introduction of foreigners into the Celestial Empire. Being
thus disappointed in their hopes of reaching China, they
were direCted by Father General to remain for a time at
Stonyhurst College, England; thence Fr. Grassi was sent
to Georgetown as Superior of the Mission, and ReCtor of
Georgetown College. Shortly after his arrival, he made his
�RE-ESTAB!JSH.JfENT OF THE SOCIETY IN THE lZ S.
167
last vows to Fr. Charles Neale. He was a man of great
energy, extremely edifying as a religious, and vigilant and
watchful in all that concerned his office. In a short time
he gained the public confidence; new students came almost
every day. Members of Congress and other resped:able
gentlemen throughout the country sent their sons to the
College. Fr. Grassi brought with him i11any philosophical
and mathematical instruments, and purchased others in this
country. He commenced colled:ions for a cabinet of curiosities, and, in addition to all his duties as Red:or, he said
the late Mass and preached every Sunday, alternating with
Fr. Francis Neale in Alexandria and Georgetown, there
being no other priest in the College for some time.
Fr. Grassi had many difficulties to contend with during
his administration, particularly with regard to the temporal
concerns of the Society. During the suppression of the
Society its landed property or real estate was vested in a
corporate body entitled, T!tc Incorporated Clergy o/ Jllmyland.
Some ex-Jesuits and certain secular priests were the Trustees of this body; these latter maintained that they could in
their corporate capacity ad: independently of the Superior.
He thought differently and thus an unpleasant collision
commenced, which was continued during the stay of Fr.
Grassi in this country.
Under Fr. Grassi's administration the College increased
in numbers and in prosperity; our boarders were nearly one
hundred. Fr. Grassi was naturalized a citizen of the United
States. He spent seven years in this country. It is to Fr.
Grassi I am indebted for the great honor of being raised to
the priesthood. As I entered the Society as a Lay-brother,
and had spent nine years in that capacity he wrote to Fr.
General Brzozowski for permission. The application to
Father General was made without any knowledge of it on
my part.
ARCHBISHOP CARROLL.
The most Rev. Archbishop Carroll had great resped: for
Fr. Grassi, and desired to receive from his hands the last
rites of religion. Fr. Kohlmann too, was present at the Archbishop's death, having gone to Baltimore from \Vhitemarsh,
where he was Master of Novices. In a sermon delivered
to the students on the Sunday following the venerable Archbishop's death, Dec. 3rd, I 8 I 5, Fr. Grassi told of the edifying death of the saintly prelate, of his resignation, etc.
Just before his death, he said to Fr. Grassi: 'There is one thing
that more than any other gives me consolation at this moment, and that is that I have placed my Archdiocese under
�168 RE-ESTABLJSH.I!EVT OF THE SOCJETJ" IN THE
u~
S.
the protection of the Blessed Virgin l\Iary.' These words
I heard from the lips of Fr. Grassi in the College chapel.
I too, can testify to his devotion to the Blessed Virgin,
and at the same time·to his great humility. Having to visit
Baltimore from time to time on business, I lodged at the
Cathedral, of which Fr. Enoch Fenwick of our Society was
pastor. The Archbishop would spend about half an hour
in recreation every evening after supper with the Reverend
gentlemen. The servant would then ring the bell for 'night
prayers, when two womel}_ from the kitchen, and one man,
all colored, would assemble"in the Archbishop's room, where
all knelt down while he recited the night prayers. I shall
never forget the slow and impressive manner in which he
recited, on his knees every night, the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin, for his three negro servants. His house adjoined
St. Peter's Church. One small room served him for parlor,
study, etc., and a small chamber up stairs was his bed-room.
His manner of living was very plain and simple. Archbishop Carroll had been a professed Father of the Society
of Jesus.
�EARLY CATALOGUES OF Tf-i£
RE-ESTABLISHED AMERICAN MISSION.
The American Mission of the Society was re-established
October 10th, 1806. In accordance with the directions given
by Very Rev. Father Gruber to Bisho"p Carroll <IJ the annual catalogues were prepared and sent to Russia. Unfortunately, however, copies of these catalogues do not seem
to have been preserved, as the earliest complete catalogue
in our Archives bears the date of 1 820. An effort has been
made to supply this defect; with what success, may be
ju~ged from the specimen that follows- the first of the
senes.
Various authentic sources of information have been consulted; these include the Records of the Novitiate, made
available through the kindness of Father Tisdall; extracts
from Father McElroy's diaries furnished by Father Devitt;
and the letters of Archbishops Carroll and Neale and those
of Father Kohlmann. The Woodstock collection of early
American Catholic books has been of great help. Each
name and place given rests on positive documentary evidence; the dates in the present catalogue are those of
Brother Foley's Co!lcllanca, the catalogues of 1820 and
1821, and the Records of the Novitiate.
There is some reason for thinking that Fathers John Bol' ton and Ignatius B. Brooke, who were at Newtown in 1807,
renewed their vows in the re-established Society, but the
fact is as yet not clearly established.
P. H. K.
Catalogus Sociorum
MISSIONIS AMERIClE F<EDERATlE
SOCIETATIS JESU
I:\'EUNTE AN:\0
Primus post Missionem
(Il LETTERS,
!807
Restitutam
Vol. XV, p. 117.
�EARLJ' C4.TALOGUES.
R. P.
ROBERTUS MOLYNEUX
Superior Missionis, a die 27 Junii, r8os
IN DISTRICTU COLUMBIJE
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
R. P. Robertus Molyneux, Rec7or a die I OClobris, I8o6
P. Franciscus Neale, Jfag. 1Z07J., Pn:ef. eccl. SS. Trinit., Novzuus
P. Antonius Kohlmann, Soc. mag. nov., Prof. philos., No<·z"tius
P. Franciscus Malen!, Oper., Excztrr., Stud. ling. angl.
P. Joannes Henry, Oper., Ermrr., Stud. ling. angl.
P, Petrus Epinette, Prof. thco/. et ling. lat., Nm;itius
AuDITORES TnEOLOGIJE
BenediEtus J. Fenwick, JVo<•. sclw!.
Enoch Fenwick
Jacobus Spinck
"
Leonardus Edelen
AUDITORES
Carolus Bowling,
Gulielmus Queen
Jacobus Ord
Michael \Vhite
PIIILOSOPHIJE
Nov. sdw!.
"
NovrTu CoADJUTORES
J oannes McElroy
Patritius .McLaughlin
Onmes a die IO Oc7obris, I8o6
�EARLl" CATALOGUES.
IN STATU MARYLANDUE
RESIDENTIA AD S. THOMA:
P. Carolus Neale, Opcr., Ding. llfoHia!cs Molltz's Camze!i
RESIDENTIA AD S. IGNATII
P. Syl\·ester Boarman, Opcr.
IN STATU PENNSYLVANIL'£
RESIDENTIA AD SS. TRINITATIS
P. Adamus Britt, Opcr.
Residentize Conewaginensis, Goshenhoppenensis, Lancastriensis et adS. Josephi, Philadelphi<e, in Statu Pennsyl\'ani<e, ct Bohemicnsis, Neopolitana, Fridericopolitana,
Alba Paludana, et ilia qu;e est adS. Josephi in comitatu,
Talbot, in Statu Maryland., propter penuriam Nostrorum,
ab aliis sacerdotibus occqpantur.
VITA FUNCTUS
P. Sewall, Carolus,
10
Nov. r8o5, Resid. adS. Thomze
Index Domorum et Numerus Sociorum
:
I
DOMICILIA
I
,
SCHOJ" I COADJ.
UN!V.
---i---:---
--- _ __I_~_
R. P. Superior Missinnis...............
i
I
,
SACER.
I
1
1
1
Collegium Georgiopolitanum ........
1
8
;;
I
I
I
2
1
I
I
ltesidentia ad S. Jgnatii ............... '
Residentia ad SS. Trinitatis ........... ' _ _
l
,
1
1
i
1
I
I
Residentia ad S. Thomm ............. ..
11>
I
-~--~---1--1
1
1Yumerantur
0
'
I
8
.
1
2
I
10
_
�EARLY CATALOGUES.
!j2
INDEX ALPHABETICUS SOCIORUM
INEUNTE ANNO 1807
COG NO)! EX ET XtDIEN
ORTl"S
IXGiiESSVS
I
GRAUUS
B
SACERDOTES
P. Boarman Sylvester ........ .
P. Britt AJamus .............. ..
7 Nov. 17-16 7 Sep.
10 Oct. 1743 . 14 Sep.
I
SCIIOLASTIClJS
Bowling Carolus .............. .
7 .Jan.
1789 i 10 Oct.
17651
17641
18061
I
E F
I
~At' ERDOS
2-1 Sep.
1760
2 Jun.
1805
~0
1783 I 10 Oct.
178~ I 10 Oct.
1780 : 10 Oct.
1806
1806
.Jul.
Jul.
Sep.
Sep.
180-1
1805
180-1
1757
McElroy Joannes ...... ......... 14 ;\lai. 1782 10 Oct.
~[cLaughlin Putritius ......... 17 ~lar. 1768 10 Oct.
1806
1806
P. Epinette Petrus ............ ..
i
SCllOLAbTI('J
'Edelen Leonardus ............ ..
· Fenwick Benedictus .......... .
Fenwick Enoch ................ ..
Oct.
Sep.
15 Mai.
•l
1806
K M
H
SACEIWOTES
~-
P. Henry Joannes .. ............ 15 Sep.
P. Kohlmann Antonius ...... 16 ~Iai.
P. ~Ialeve Franciscus .........
1 Dec.
I:. P. ).loLY~>Et:X ltnllERTt:s ~-1 .Jul.
18
1771 . 12
1770 1
liaS 7
1765
COAD.Jl:TOim~
N
SACEIWOTE~
P . .:\eale Carolus ...............
P. Neale Franciscu.< ...........
0
Q
10 Oct.
2 .Jan.
1751
1756
7 Sep.
10 Oct.
I
1771 I 13 Nov. 1806
180ll '
s w
Sl'IIULASTICI
Ord Jacobus ....................... 7 Jan. 1789 10 Oct.
Queen Gulidmus ...............
10 Oct.
Spinck Jacobus .................. 17 Mar. 1768 10 Oct.
White "lliclwel . .................. 7 Jan. 178D 10 Oct.
1806 i
1806.
1806 ~
18061
�DAKOTA.
ST. FRANCIS MissiON, Feb. r 5th, I 887.
REVEREND FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. C.
Since I wrote to you last, many things in our mtsswn
have changed for the better. The new agent has thus far
satisfied all our just demands, and we have every reason to
thank God for the favorable turn things have taken in this
respeCt. \Ve have a pretty good number of boys-forty to
forty-five- and their conduCt has improved considerably.
They make no more attempts to run away, and when now
and then we allow them to visit their parents, they come
back regularly at the appointed time. However, we were
forced to dismiss some unruly and restless spirits who were
trying to influence qthers; but by this aCtion we have secured peace and tranquillity for the rest. \Ve have also succeeded in obtaining, very gratifying results in the education
of our children. On Christmas day our dear little savages
were able to give a little exhibition, at which we had singing and speaking in English and Sioux. In spite of the
intense cold, many whites and Indians were present both at
High l\Iass in the morning and at the exhibition in the evening. All were well satisfied with the exhibition and the
children were delighted with the little presents which our
poverty allowed us to give them.
The children are learning . willingly and assiduously.
They have already learned by heart the ordinary prayers,
the aCts of faith, hope and charity, the aEt of contrition, a
part of the catechism and a good amount of Bible· history.
You can easily understand what this means, when you refleCt that all this has been obtained from children who can
neither read nor write. They are making pretty good progress in these branches also, and for a few who show more
talent, we have started a special class in which we have practice in reading, wh.ile the rest are still learning the alphabet.
The same must be said with regard to writing and arithmetic.
In order to be of greater help to the adults and to grant
their desire to be baptized, we have been preaching every
Sunday since last November a· short sermon in the Sioux
language. As a consequence we have the consolation of
numbering several catechumens. A woman sixty years old
VoL. xvi, No.2.
rz ·
(I73)
�t74
lJAKOTA.
has been baptized artd her husband will soon follow her example. Another woman will also soon receive baptism.
Others will follow when they are sufficiently instructed.
I don't know whether I have already introduced to you
my two fellow-laborers in this forsaken part of the Lord's
vineyard; I shall therefore do so now. The first, Fr. J utz, so
far has had but little immediate intercourse with the Indians,
as building and the care of souls among the whites in three
stations in 1'\ebraska, claim his whole attention. Formerly,
as you know, he labored in St. Stephen's mission, \Vyoming
Terr., till the call of his Superiors transferred him to Dakota.
\Vhat brought about this call is not mine to investigate;
what I do know for certain is that Fr. J utz left his dear mission with deep regret, a regret which gave rise to unkind judgments about him, as if he had unwillingly obeyed the order
ofhis Superiors. All who are acquainted with Fr. Jutz know
well in how high a degree he possesses the virtue of obedience and how accustomed he is to sacrifice everything willingly and without remonstrance to holy obedience. At
present, Fr. Jutz is at Fort Totten to learn thoroughly the.
Sioux language, under the guidance of Rev. Father Jerome
Hunt, 0. S. B. Fr. Florentine Digmann, my second fellowlaborer, came here last August from Prairie du Chien, where
for many years he was general prefect in the College of the
Sacred Heart. He has charge of the surveillance of the
boys, teaches catechism and Bible history in the sch'ool and
preaches alternately with me every other Sunday. \Ve also
alternate in visiting the sick and calling upon the Indians
within and outside. Coarse Voice Camp.
All the time that is left us after the numerous visits from
Indians, or that is not taken up by our other duti.es, we employ in the study of the language. Because on Sunday we
preach in Sioux, it does not follow that we already speak
the language fluently. By dint of hard labor and with the
help of grammar and dictionary, one may write a short
instruction, memorize it and deliver it, although in ordinary
life he may be perfectly helpless. I remember that for
several years·this was precisely the case with me in~ngli<>h.
\Ve must have patience, and the older we get the more patience we need in learning a language.
Now,. my dear Father, I hope, with what reason you
yourself may judge, that you will be satisfied with me. At
any rate the trouble of writing this letter deserves at least a
small share in your pious prayers and holy Sacrifices, for
the writer and his dear mission; this, I assure you, will
compensate me fully. Farewell, and now an~l then please
�A STATUE OF FATHER J!"ARQUETTE.
175
let some news from the civilized world come to us a toto
divisos orbe Dakotas.
Rze Vze servus in Xto.
E. M. PERRIG, S. J.
A STATUE OF FATHER MARQUETTE IN THE
CAPITOL AT WASHINGTON.
On the 23rd of March, 1887, ·the Senate of \Visconsin
passed a bill, introduced by Senator George C. Ginty, enaB:ing that the statue of Fr. Marquette be placed in the old
hall of Representatives in the national capitol at \Vashington. This hall is in the south wing of the central building
and is the most beautiful apartment of the whole edifice.
In 1864, by a decree of Congress, it was set apart for
the reception of the historical statues which the States
were invited to contribute.
Each State mav send two
statues. The subjoined extraCt: is taken from the report of
the Senate of \Visconsin, which has chosen as one of its
notables Fr. Marquette.
The bill was read as follows:
A
authorizinc: the g-<>vernor to have placed in the old hall of the house
of representati\·es at \\"ashirtgton, a statue of Perc Marquette.
The people of the State of \\"isconsin, repre'l,nted in the Senate all!! Assembly
do enact as fnllows:
SECTIOX 1. By section 1817 of tlw revise<! statutes of the l'nited States,
each of the state~ i~ invitl•d to provide and to prP~ent to eOn~rc~s tor erection in
the ol•l hall of th<: house of representatives at \\"ashington, marble or bronze
statuesofotw or 1\\'o of its decease• I resi•lerits who have lwen illustrious for their
historic renowu, or their (li~tin~nishP1l civic or militarv services, such as the
state shall tleternrine to be worthy of this national em;unenrlation; and it is
hereby ertactP•l that Perc :l!arquHte bt' and i,; hereby designate<! by the state of
\Viscousin as one of sueh per~ons.
SE<"T!OX :l. The \!OVernor is herehv authori~e•l and <lirect!'d to have
placed in the hall of ~,iitl honSL' of rt'pt·esc~ntatives a statue of Pere :lfarqnette,
BILL
the faithful
1ui:;;~ionary
who:-:e work among- the Indians, and explorations
within the borders of the state in the early days, ar·e recognized all over the
civilized world.
SHc·~wx :l. There is hereby appropriate<! out o'r the state treasury a sum
sufticiel)"j;oto carry ~nt the pnrpnsps of this act.
Sr·:dtw:-; -!. This act ,;hall take eil'ect and be in force from and after its
pa~sage and publication.
Mr. Ginty said:
Mr. Prcsidmt: Some time since, my old friend, Gen.
Hobart, suggested that as 'vVisconsin was entitled to two
statues in the hall of the House of Representatives at our
national capitol, one ought to be placed there in honor of
Pere Marquette, the explorer, the missionary; and the more
�A STATUE OF FATHER JIIARQUETTE.
176
I thought of the subjea the more I became impressed with
the justice of it.
The result of that consideration is bill No. ro S., which
I had the honor to introduce, and which has received a unanimous report from the committee on State Affairs, and
also from the committee on Claims.
*
No man can study our western history without feeling
that if ever an unselfish being walked the earth, it was the
missionary who planted the cross on the shores of Lake
Superior in the latter half olthe seventeenth century.
Of Marquette, to whom the bill proposes to erea a
statue, it is proper to make a brief biographical sketch. He
belonged to one of those glorious old French families of
Laon, whose sons divided between the army and the church
-one half donning the humble garments of the Jesuit missionary, while the others sought glory in the dazzling wars
of France, midst the clash of arms and the din of battle.
James Marquette in 1654, entered the church, and after
studying for twelve years, expressed a desire to share the
hardships and privati01lS of a missionary to America. Land"
ing at Quebec, he was soon after assigned to duty among
the Indians on the shores of the great lake, where he devoted his time to learning the different languages of the
tribes, and becoming acquainted with them. \Ve hear of
him in 1669, at La Pointe, in this state, and the jourmils of
his life and work there are among the very interesting annals found in our excellent State Historical Society. The
roof of the church where he ereaed his altar was often frescoed with the blue of the sky and the stars of heaven. His
cathedral walls were the stately pines in the great forest;
the incense came from fragrant fern and flowers wild ; the
trembling notes of the organ were supplanted by the carol
of birds. No bell rang out its chimes to call to sermon and
to prayer; and that humble Jesuit priest needed not a costly biretta, or golden \·estments, to proclaim him Nature's
cardinal.
*
*
*
*
*
*
While engaged in his work at La Pointe, he had written several letters to his superior at Quebec, regarding explorations. of the country; and in 1673, Count Frontenac,
the Governor of Canada, desired him to find the 'Great
river' - traditions of which had come through Indian
sources-and with the Sieur Joliet, he started on his journey
to find the Mississippi, its source, and where it emptied.
Proceeding in canoes, he skirted the shores of the lakes and
entered Green Bay- then generally known as the Bay of
�A STATUE OF FATHER .lfARQUETTE.
177
Pauns- stopping at Mennomonie to hold religious services
among the Indians. The spot where Green Bay now stands
was the farthest country known. Here he remained a short
time, and met Allouez, who had established a mission. But
the ardent desire to accomplish his work would not let him
remain long, and he went up the Fox river, into Lake Winnebago, camping where the city of Oshkosh now stands,
and where there was a large gathering of Indians. They
urged him not to proceed farther; told him of the strange
tribes he would meet, and that danger would be found at
every step. More determined than ever, he proceeded on
his way up the Fox and down the Wisconsin, until he reached
the spot where the latter river empties into the Mississippi,
and where Prairie du Chien now stands. Descending the
great stream, he proceeded as far as the Arkansas, until
stopped by hostile Spaniards, when he returned back to the
Illinois river, and following that, reached Lake Michigan.
The trip was replete with dangers. At almost every step
there were hostile Indians, whose language he knew not.
Three months were consumed in making the journey, and
2,549 miles traversed. Maps of his discoveries, from Green
Bay to the Arkansas, and through Illinois, were made by
him and sent to France. They \\·ere the first ever drawn.
The exposures he had been subjected to since entering
upon his Lake Superior mission, were beginning to be felt,
and he was prostrated at the close of his last trip for a long
while. It is unnecessary to go into the details of his subsequent work; hours could be consumed in the recital.
Two years after this, we find him with two Frenchmen,
trying to reach Mackinac. They started in canoes from
where Chicago now stands, and followed the eastern shores
of Lake Michigan. Marquette was completely prostrated
and had to be carried ashore at night. vVhen the river
about opposite Milwaukee was reached, he felt that the spirit
within him was slowly preparing for flight. Calling his attendants around, he bade them hold up the crucifix, that
the last object his eyes could see would be the cross- the
symbol of a Saviour and a religion he loved. His faith in
the future was so strong that in bidding farewell to those
faithful companions on that lonely stream, it seemed to say:
---'give little warning,
Choose thine own time;
Say not "(ioorl. Night," but in some brighter clime
Bid me "Good Morning."'
Wrapped up in cedar bark, the body was buried by the
side of the stream-the rippling water singing his requiem,
and the river named after him.
�A STATUE OF F.-J THER MAR[!lTETTE.
178
I have said that the ri,·er upon \Yhose banks the life of
the tired explorer ebbed out, and where his devoted companions buried him with the cross above his grave, was
called after him, and the village that grew up was named
Perc l\Tarquette. That is true. But the greed for gold in
this fair world of ours brings also a disposition to elbow
patient merit and \Yell-won fame aside, to make room for the
vulgar swagger of the par<•cmt, grmYn insolent from the
flush of easily acquired wealth. And so, one day, the sponge
of influence wiped the name of Perc l\Iarquette from the
map, and the name of an 0\\'ncr of a plethoric bank·account
appeared in its stead. 0 shame! where was thy blush,
when this occurred !
*
*
*
*
*
*
The pages of history are replete with the knight-errantry of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, when men
drenched the fields of Palestine \Yith blood, in the endeavor
to replace the crescent with the cross. How different with
Marquette three centuries later ! Burning with an ardent
desire to spread among the untutored children of the forest
the teachings of a Saviour, and to make discoveries of rivers
and countries in a ne\\· world, he used the lessons of love to
change the pagan belief of the Indian into that Faith which
brings content and peace to Christian hearts; while his explorations were carried on \Vith an energy f.1r beyond his
physical power. Civilization and religion, it is said; go
hand in hand, and where the cross is established, the land
grows rich with golden sheaves, and sunlight drives away
the damp and dews of darkness.
In speaking of the work accomplished by Marquette,
a historian truly says :
'No voyage so important has since been undertaken;
no results so great have e\·er been produced by so feeble an
expedition. The discoveries of Marquette, followed by the
enterprises of La Salle and his successors. have influenced
the destinies of nations; and passing over all political speculations, this exploration first threw open a valley of greater
extent, fertility and comrnercial advantages, than any other
in the world.'
'T!tc people (f t!tc TYcst wzll build !tis 1110'/lllllll'llt,' says
the great historian Bancroft, in Vol. 3, of the History of the
United States.
-Let us commence the work ltOW. Let it go as the
tribute of the 'West, not only to the hithful Marquette, but
as a salute to the tri-color of France, and a reminder that at
least Wisconsin is not forgetful of the country that sent a La
Fayette and ari army to help achieve the independence of
�A STA TCE OF FATHER JIIARQCETTE.
179
the United States-an army that contained three Marquettes,
who laid down their lives as a sacrifice to the cause of liberty,
as their relative did for Christianity and civilization. It
will be some return for the compliment Bartholdi paid in
presenting to this government the statue of Liberty which
adorns New York harbor. Let it also be a reminder that
vVisconsin owes much to its early pioneers- nine-tenths of
whom were French. 'They penetrated where even the
sword of the conqueror could not cleave his way.' They,
were the first on the rivers; it was their axe that echoed in
the woods, where the preparatory step was made in converting pine into the lumber that encased comfortable homes.
That nationality is not strong _enough to stand at the door
of political state conventions and demand recognition; their
habitations are usually away from the large cities; but it
affords me great pleasure and satisfaction to stand here and
·pay them even this humble tribute to their worth and what
they have done.
The motto of our noble commonwealth is 'Fonuard.'
Let us be so in recognizing the merits of Marquette; the
first in carrying out Bancroft's prophecy. Let us halt in the
hurrying march of life- in the fierce strife for wealth and
position-and looking back two centuries at Marquette the
man- Marquette the explorer- Marquette the 7'0J'ageur
missionary-let us point to his as one of the
--'few, the immortal names,
That were not born to die.'
*
*
*
*
*
*
Mr. President, when we draw aside the faded portieres
of the past- broidered as they are with the heroes of history, and outlined with the flowers of tradition -and gaze
into the vaulted chambers of the departed years, we see his
face. We find many there who have been an honor to the
west; men who were true to their manhood in times of
trial ; men whose intellects sparkled, diamond-like, amidst
their fellow beings ; men of dauntless integrity; men who
offered their lives for their country; but away beyond all
these, shining through the filmy mists of ages, comes Perc
Marquette.
'He fought the good fight;' 'Tlzq kept the faith.'
Let us place him where he belongs, with the heroes of
America, that our children, and our children's children, may
give honor to the explorer, the patriot, the apostle.
At the close of Senator Ginty's speech, the bill was
ordered to a third reading; after which, Senator N. L. James,
�18o
VERY REV. FATHER.PETER BECA"X
of Richland, moved that all rules be suspended, and the. bill
put upon its passage, which motion prevailed. The bill was
then unanimously passed. Later on in the session, the
Assembly concurred in the measure, and Gov. Rusk approved it.
THE VERY REVERENp FATHER PETER BECKX,
TWENTY-THIRD GENERA"t OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS.
I795-I887.
The following sketch of the life of our late Father General, who died piously at Rome on the 4th of March, I 887,
after having wisely governed the Society for over thirty
years, has been compiled mostly from the Preczs Hzstoriqucs
of April, I887.
Peter John Beckx was born on the 8th of February, I 795,
in the little B!!lgian town of Sichem, which is situated about
three miles from Diest, the birth-place of Blessed John
Berchmans. \Vhile he was vet a child his widowed mother
took up her residence with h~r brother M. Pierre Theyskens,
who imparted to young Beckx the first rudiments of learning, and watched over his advancement with a father:~ care.
But having lost this de\·oted relative in I 803, tlie ·little
scholar was committed to the tutorship of an old Carthusian
Father, named Moreels. In the month of OB:ober, I8o8,
he left Fr. Moreels in order to begin his humanities at a
Latin school of the neighboring village of Testelt. One
can scarcely believe to-day in what a humble college the
future General of the Society of Jesus began to acquire his
knowledge of belle-lettres. A large room, with a floor of
hardened clay, very low ceiling and but one small window through which the light of the sun could enter, was
the school wherein about a hundred boys of the country
around learned their Latin and catechism, and prepared
themselves for the priesthood or for professional careers.
The master, John Baptist Peeters, was a finished Latin
scholar, who had studied for the church, but had been prevented by the outbreak of the French revolution from following his vocation. The esteem in which he was held in
the neighboring country shows that he was an effeB:ive
teacher; that he was moreover a model teacher, who taught
his pupils something more than profane learning, is proved
by the faCt: that he merited under the Empire the honor of
persecution. His establishment was closed in I8Iz, by the·
�VERY RET~ FA.THER PETER BECK.\.
181
French government, and his pupils forc~d to abandon their
studies for the time being. In I 8 I4, however, on the arrival
oftheallies Peeters re-opened his school and transferred it to
Aerschot, where it soon made notable progress. Hither
came young Beckx after two years diligently employed in
private study and under this excellent man finished his Rhetoric with a success ·which presaged a briiliant future. But
the young student had been as remarkable for his virtues as
for his talents ; it was with no surprise then that his friends
learned that he felt himself called to the ministry of the
altar.
On the I5th of September, I8I5, Peter Beckx was received into the Grand Seminary of Mechlin, where he studied
theology and philosophy._ Among the seminarians he was
distinguished for his perfect regularity and his love of the interior life, as well as for his earnestness in study and the rapid
progress he made in the sacred sciences. One of his professors, M. !'Abbe Sterckx, afterwards Archbishop of Mechlin,
and Cardinal, used to take pleasure in saying that Fr. Beckx
had been one of the best students of the Seminary, and a
youth who in all his conduct manifested the virtues of St.
Aloysius. At that time-perhaps earlier even-the fervent
seminarian entertained the design of one day entering the
Society. He had read and re-read the life of his saintly
compatriot, Blessed John Berchmans, and often expressed
the wish that he too might devote himself to God under the
standard of St. Ignatius. His superiors in the Seminary to
whom he manifested his desires, approved and encouraged
his religious vocation, but gave him to understand that by
entering the Novitiate directly from the Seminary, he would
attract upon them the bad will of the Dutch Government.
Shortly before the King of Holland had condemned to exile
the young Jesuits who, having been expelled from their residence at Destelbergen, had again resumed community life
in the buildings of the Archbishop of Ghent. He was
obliged, then, to wait until he had finished his studies an,d
had passed some time in parochial duties before he could
accomplish his pious purpose. He was ordained priest in
the metropolitan church of Mechlin, by the Prince-Archbishop de Mean, on the second Sunday of Lent, the 7th of
March, I8I9, and on the I rth of March celebrated his first
Mass in his native town of Sichem. After spending eight
months as curate of the parish of Uccle, situated near the
gates of Brussels, he resigned his charge with permission
of his Superior, in order to enter the Society.
The Jesuits had just opened a novitiate at Hildesheim,
the Episcopal see of which was at that time occupied by
�VERY RET~ FATHER PETER BECK.\~
Prince Egon de Furstembeig, who loved and proteCted the
Society. Formerly there had been at Hildesheim a flourishing College. The Prince-Bishop, on the publication of the
Bull of suppression, had retained the,.secularized Jesuits in
charge of the teaching in their ancient College. Little by
liti:le, however, death thinned their ranks and in 1816, there
remained but Fr. Francis Xavier Liisken, then president of
the Seminary. \Vith the permission of Very Rev. Fr.
General Brzozowski this worthy priest had again entered
the Society re-established by'Pius VII. In order to provide
for the future of the College, he had asked from Fr. General new auxiliaries. Fathers Van Everbroeck and Van der
Moere were accordingly sent from Ghent in the month of
September, I8I7, with seven Belgian scholastics, who were
to finish their theological studies. In the following year
after the dispersion of the Novices of Ghent, it was determined to establish a Novitiate at Hildesheim, Here Fr.
Beckx arrived on the 28th of OCtober, and had for his first
guide in the spiritual life, Fr. Van Everbroeck, who had
entered the Society at Polotsk in Russia, June, 1805.
After the· usual two years of probation, Fr. Beckx again
took up the study of theology and was appointed to teach
the seminarians the elements of canon law. At the same
time, as he had already f:<miliarized himself with the German language, he employed himself in the ministry of preaching, hearing confessions, and giving retreats to clergy and
laity. In 1825, the Duke and Duchess of Anhalt-Kothen,
having been converted to Catholicism while in Paris, by Fr.
Ronsin of the Society, asked of Fr. General Fortis a Jesuit
chaplain. The choice fell on Father BeckxY> The position of a Jesuit in a city almost wholly Protestant was one
of extreme delicacy and full of difficulties. The sweetness of manner of the young chaplain, the prudence and
firmness shown by him and by his proteCtor happily surmounted all obstacles. The Duke officiallv announced his
conversion to Catholicism on the I 3th of Ja~uary, I 826, and
on the 25th, Mass was said in the ducal chapel for the first
time since the Reformation. In a short time Fr. Beckx had
the satisfaCtion of seeing rooted prejudices disappear before
his zeal and prudence. The Catholics, heretofore oppressed,
suddenly rose in the esteem of their now tolerant countrymen; a church was built for the Catholics of Kothen, a school
for their children, a hospital for the sick and aged and a
residence for the pastor of the new parish. In I 830, when
1
< > During his novitiate Fr. lleckx had read carefully Fr. Aqua viva's 'In·
structions for Confessors of Kings! The book had been put into his hanrls
by his Master of Novices, who, guided by his insight into the character of Fr.
Beckx, foresaw the future usefulness of such reading.
�VERY
RET~
FATHER PETER BECKX.
on the death of the Duke, Fr. Beckx accompanied the
Duchess to Vienna, he left behind him a flourishing little
Catholic community where he had found but twenty Catholics and these strangers in the city. He returned for a while to
Kothen in I833, in order to be present at the solemn consecration of its church. It was in this same year that Fr. Beckx
was calumniated by the President of the Consistory of Brunswick, who accused him of attempting the life of a Lutheran
minister, through the intermediary of a self-styled Jesuit
convert. The affair created a great uproar in Germany, but
redounded finally to the honor of the Jesuit, who was twice
declared wholly guiltless by Protestant tribunals.
Fr. Beckx was stationed at the capital of Austria for more
than twenty years, as chaplain of the Duchess-dowager of
Anhalt. For a long time he was the only Jesuit residing at
Vienna. By his zeal, his charity, his good judgment, his
wisdom in guiding others, he contributed greatly to raising
the reputation of the Society in the esteem of very many
persons of rank and influence, whom the prejudices of Protestantism and the Josephism of the last century had deceived. During his residence at Vienna besides the office
of chaplain which he filled to the Duchess of Anhalt, he
preached in the various churches and chapels of the capital,
with an unCl:ion and force that was produCl:ive of very important results.<IJ Very Rev. Fr. Roothaan, then General,
put great trust in the wisdom and counsels of Fr. Beckx.
He had opportunities of knowing him intimately and of appreciating him during his occasional sojournings in Rome.
From I 830 to I 849, Fr. Beckx was entrusted by Fr. Gtneral with very delicate and important missions in Lombardy,
Bavaria and Hun:;ary. In the latter year he was recalled
to his native country to aCl: as secretary to the Belgian Provincial. On the roth of OCl:ober he was appointed ReCl:or
of the Scholasticate at Louvain. Many eminent qualities,
but above all his tender charity during the raging of a contagious disease had endeared him to his community. It
was natural, then, that his departure from them, even though
called to a field of greater usefulness, should cause feelings
of deep regret. In February, 1852, he was charged by
Very Rev. Fr. Roothaan with a new and important mission
in Vienna. On the 8th of September of the same year, Fr.
Beckx was named Provincial of Austria. Shortly after, he
had the pleasure of seeing removed by imperial decree the
obstacles which opposed the re-entrance of the Jesuit Fa<n Several of these sermons preached in German have been published. See
De Backer, Bibliotheque des Ecrivnin.• de ln Compagnie de .Jesus. 2• edition,
tom. 3, col. 1956.
�VERJ'
RET~
FATHER PETER BECKX
thers into their houses at Innspruck,' Lintz and ·Lemberg,
etc., whence the revolutionary movement of I 848 had expelled them. In the month of June, 1853, he was obliged
to go to Rome to attend, as Provincial, the General Congregation convened by order of Fr. Roothaan. The latter died
on the 22nd of June and on the 2nd of July, Fr. Beckx was
eleCted on the first ballot, General of the Society.
Fro!ll this time the life of Very Rev. Fr. Beckx becomes
a part of the history of the Society, of which he was head.
His Generalship, as that o[all his predecessors-more especially, perhaps, in our disturoed times-had its trials and consolations, its sorrows and joys. It is the glory of the Society and its heritage to take a part, humble though it be,
in the combats and triumphs of the church militant. \Ve
shall mention briefly, only the principal events of both kinds
which fell to the share of our late General.
Father Beckx brought to his arduous office exceptional
qualifications, gifts of nature which grace had perfeCted. He
brought the experience and merits of a life religiously spent
even among those taken up with the vanities of ·the world;
a judgment f.c·1r seeing and prompt; a profound knowledge
of men and the affairs of men ; faultless manners and a refined
sense of propriety ; a firmness and dignity which knew how
to command when there was need of command, but which
ordinarily was hidden by his f.<therly goodness and.humble
simplicity; a spirit of faith ever aCtive which made Eim seek
only the greater glory of God; a confidence that nothing
could shake; a serenity which, in spite of an extreme sensibility of heart, was undisturbed in the severest trials. This
harmonious blending of strength and sweetness, the ascendency of which was felt by all who approached him, merited
for him the filial love and respeCt of his great religious family. Briefly, his government may be charaCterized by the
the two words : sum•itcr ct fortitcr.
His generalship, longer than that of any of his predecessors, one only excepted, (I) was at the same time one of the
most prosperous and full of trials. The membership of the
Society was more than doubled; many of its ancient provinces were re-established in Ireland, France, Portugal, Spain
and America; new missions were created and those existing extended; the education of youth, a work so dear to
(ll Fr. Claudius Aquaviva governed the Society for three months longer.
He was elected on February the Hlth, l:i81, and died at the age of sixty·two,
.January the :llst, 16H),having been <ieneral for thirty·tllr~e years, 11 months
and thirteen days. Fr. Beckx was elected .Tuly the 2nd, 185:l, and die<l March
the 4th, 1887, having be~n General thirty-three years, ~ight months and two
days. But no General of the Society attained the patriarchal age of ninety·
two years.
·
·
�VERY RET: FATHER PETER BECKX
the Society, was developed with such success as often to
cause, the withdrawal of the moiety of civil liberty already
conceded to the Jesuits. Numerous letters addressed to the
Society remain as monuments of his wisdom and piety, and ·
watchful zeal. Lastly, a legion of new models and protectors was obtained by the canonization or beatification of
more than eighty Jesuits, all, with the exception of three,
missionaries or martyrs. Such are in larger outline the
fruits of his productive government.
But these were gathered through many difficulties and at
the cost of many sufferings. At the very beginning of his
Generalship, a persecution raised against the members of
the Society in Spain, groundless accusations of political intrigue made against them in Naples and the spoliation of
those at Fribourg, prepared him for more sorrowful trials.
He saw in 18 59 and r86o, his religious expelled from nearly the whole of the Italian peninsula; in 1866, banished from
the Province of Venice, in I 868; driven out of Spain, in 1871;
massacred in Paris, as in 1 86o, they had been in Syria; in
1873, proscribed in Germany on the inauguration of the
Kulturkampf, and finally in r88o, forcibly ejected from their
houses and Colleges in France and all her colonies. We
say nothing of South America, where the expulsion of.the
Jesuits seems to recur every four or five years, with the regularity of a periodic fever. And under his very eyes, after
the sacrilegious invasion of Rome by the Piedmontese, Fr.
Beckx had seen the ancient heirlooms of the Society, the
churches where repose the bodies of her saints, the Colleges,
libraries, museums and observatories, created and built by
her scholars and scientists, suddenly become the possessions
of a hostile government. The protest which he addressed
on this occasion to Victor Emmanuel, was so replete with
religious eloquence and force as to draw admiration even
from the despoilers.
In 1873, on the expulsion of the Jesuits from the professed
house of the Gesu, Fr. General was kindly received by M.
!'Abbe Van den Branden, ReCI:or of the Belgian College.
His stay here was of short duration. It was recognized that
the residence of the General in Rome was at the time impossible. The unsettled state of affairs prevented any definite resolutions from being taken. Finally, Florence was
chosen as a temporary resting-place, whither Fr. Beckx, accompanied by Mgr. Van den Branden and Fr. Anderledy,
then Assistant for Germany, set out on the 30th of OCI:ober,
1873. This provisional arrangement lasted longer than had
been anticipated. Fr. General spent more than ten years
in the ancient convent of San Girolamo at Fiesole, whence
�186
VERY REV. FATHER PETER BECKX.
he continued to govern the Society, until the advanced age
of ninety warned him that it was more prudent to lay the
burden on younger shoulders. A General Congregation
was then convoked at Fiesole, on the 24th of September,
1883, whiCh eleCted as Vicar-General, with right of succession, Very Rev. Fr. Anderledy, and to him six months later
Fr. Beckx committed entirely the government of the Society. The remaining years of his life were spent in Rome.
Fr. Anderledy wishing to meet his unexpressed desire, sent
him to pass his last days in the quiet and solitude of San
Andrea, near the tomb of· St. Stanislaus and in the midst of
the cherished memories of the old Novitiate of the Society.
But even this consolation was to be denied him. The Roman municipality had determined to carry a new street
through the Novitiate, and Fr. Beckx was obliged, on the
29th of OCtober, I 886, to leave San Andrea. After a few
days passed at Castel Gandolfo, he took up his residence at
the Hotel Costanzi, shortly before acquired as a residence
for the pupils of the German College. On entering the
building the venerable old man yielding to fatigue and emotion said to his con1panion: 'Is it not a strange thing that
the Father General of the Society of Jesus should be obliged
in the city of Rome, within a few yards of the Gesu, of the
Roman College and San Andrea, to go and seek in a hotel a
lodging where he may die in peace. But God's will be done.
It is now nearly seventy years since I began to learn-in the
school of Him who had not whereon to lay his Head.' The
winter set in very severe. In spite of every precaution and
care the health of Fr. Beckx declined visibly. However,
on the 8th of February, surrounded by his children of the
Society and the students of the German College, he was
able to celebrate quietly his ninety-second birthday. Five
days after his condition became very serious.
The following extraCt from a letter of Fr. Lavigne, will
give an account of his last moments.
On Saturday, February the 26th, our venerated Father
complained of fatigue and. was unable to say Mass. \Ve
thought this a passing cloud, but were soon impressed with
the gravity of his condition. He himself was not deceived,
for he said to the physician, 'These are my last days.'
On the morrow the doCtor direCted that the Holy Viaticum should be administered, not that there was any immediate danger, but considering the advanced age of the venerable patient, the worst might be apprehended at any moment.
During the night he became worse and his mind began ·to
wander. He imagined that he was an exile; that he had
been put out of the house and deprived of his habit. In
�VERY RET': FATHER PETER BECKX.
r8j
his more lucid moments he took his delirium to be a trick
of the devil to prevent him from resting, for I must tell you
that his constant endeavor during life had been to preserve
peace of soul. He was naturally of an ardent imagination
which he had always held in check; but of late years he
was powerless to do so. Sorely grieved at this, he would
sometimes tell me, 'My soul can no longer remain quiet before God; my imagination runs wild.' And when in these
last years, I made answer, 'Your Paternity sbould not think
of it.' 'It is easy to say that,' was the rejoinder, 'but to do
it is quite another thing; I can no longer control my imagination.' It was for this reason that during his sickness, he was
very fond of using holy water, and seemed delighted whenever I sprinkled his bed with it. This he also did himself;
and when his hands would refuse him that little service and I
would trace upon his forehead as upon a child's, the sign of
the cross with the holy water; his joy and thanks knew no
bounds. Once, however, he succeeded in dipping the ends
of his fingers in the holy water stoup, and pronouncing the
sacred words made, with the utmost solemnity, a great sign
of the cross. Then he stopped awhile reflecting tbat he
could not bless the devil, and added with vehemence: 'May
God drive thee off and cast thee back into the nethermost
depths of Hell.' What shall I say of his conformity to
God's will? ·when yet at Fiesole, his soul was filled with
apprehensions. The execution of the decrees against the
Society was hourly expected. A letter came conveying to
him the sad intelligence of their publication. Interrupting
the reading of that harrowing news, he went to his prie-dieu,
and said, 'Ita Pater, thy will be done, my God,' and resuming his seat he ordered the reader to proceed. He prayed
that the spirit of the Society should be kept alive in its
members. It was his last recommendation to some scholastics. Showing them his rosary, 'I shall ·finish it that God
may give you that grace,' he said. The wandering of his
mind fatigued him much. He could enjoy no rest, yet always accepted with joy my offer to say with him a decade
of the rosary; prayer would calm him and gradually lull
him to sleep. His last words were addressed to one of our
Coadjutor Brothers. Shortly before his death, he took the
hand of one of them and said: 'Good bye, Brother, I thank
you.' A great lesson, surely, given us by a Father General
of the Society of Jesus. He loved the Brothers very tenderly, and recommended Superiors in his letters, to take
special care of them.
He was fast growing worse, both his fever and catarrh
making headway. The dear Father himself was unaware
�,ss
VERY REI: FATHER PETER BECKX.
that there was any cause for alarm; he even said jestingly
to the comm-unity: 'See, you have abundance to eat, and
you allow me a little broth.' On the eve of his death it was
expeeted that a change would occur, which would give the
disease a favorable turn. In faa, towards the hour of the
'Ave Maria,' a sudden perspiration got the better of the
fever, but alas! it soon returned more violent than ever.
The patient's agitation was extreme; two persons were in
constant attendance during that night. I was ordered to
bed because I "had been at. his side all the previous nights.
Towards midnight I was~sent for. I found the venerable
patient in a state of complete prostration. He coughed with
great difficulty and the catarrh was choking him. 'Paternity,' I said, 'would you like to receive Holy Communion.'
'Oh! gladly, gladly,' was his reply. Early in the morning
I offered the Holy Sacrifice in a little chapel near his room.
He was attentive to every part of the Mass, so much so
that on hearing the bell at the elevation, he took off his cap,
and bowed his head. He received our Blessed Lord with
serenity and happiness and spent one half-hour in thanksgiving. He spoke no more, and we scarcely knew if he. retained consciousnes·s: As he had expressed the desire to
die holding the crucifix he had brought with him from
Fiesole, the same which had received the last breath of St.
Aloysiqs, Rev. Father ReCt:or took it from its case an.d said,
'Paternity, here is the crucifix of St. Aloysius. The yenerable patient moved his lips as if he longed to kiss it, and
even raised his head a little. It was then we understood he
had still his consciousness. Father ReCt:or aided by two
students from the German College administered the rites of
Extreme UnC1ion, and in the meanwhile, the dying Father's
breathing became, as we could not fail to notice, very painfuL \Ve had, however, full time to recite those prayers he
loved so. much, the prayers for the departing soul and a
little after 5 o'clock, he went to receive his crown, without,
as his confessor declared, passing through the cleansing fires
of purgatory. Notwithstanding this assurance we must
pray for him, for God's judgments are not ours. One of
our Fathers belonging to the German College has taken an
admirable likeness of him. He is clad in his Jesuit gown
and wears the chasuble.
\Vhat shall I say of his virtues? To a casual observer he
seemed the most tranquil of men, but he was far from being so
in reality. His temper was not what should be called violent,
but quick, and his heart, his whole being, sensitive in a wonderful degree. You may judge of this by the following incident which he himself related to me. When a little boy,
�VERY REV. FATHER PETER BECKX
189
if the clouded sky announced a coming storm, unable to
control himself he would leave the house, and run with all
his speed through the neighboring fields. Grace alone
could master that ardent nature, and so successfully did it
do so, that in health or in sickness no unevenness of temper
was ever noticed in him. The keenness of his' sensibilities
was the cause of great suffering to him. The slightest
want of regard gave him pain and he was quick to perceive
the smallest breach of charity. Hence his sedulous care to
avoid whatever might hurt others. The Coadjutor Brother
appointed to wait upon him, had filled that office for thirty
years. In those latter days he would help him even to put
on his stockings. Sometimes the Reverend Father would
offer some suggestions as to how those little duties should
be performed ; then fearing that he had spoken harshly to
the Brother he would repair to his room and beg his pardon ;
the Brother scarcely knew why. And this was our Father's
praCtice not once a year but well-nigh every week. The
prayers of the Liturgy always had a great attraCtion for our
venerable Father, especially the Ave Jlfaris Stella, on the
words of which he loved to dwell. He generally prayed
according to the second method of St. Ignatius without
aiming at rising to the high contemplation of ecstasy. He
sought God's good pleasure and often repeated, 'May God,
be satisfied with me.'
On setting out for a walk, 'Let us do it to please God,'
was the unfailing remark ; and again: 'I should so like to
know if God is pleased with me !' Every day, I read for
him during a quarter of an hour or a half hour. vVhen
he felt fatigued he would tell me, 'Let us have a chapter of
the Imitation.' 'But, Paternity, you are tired.' 'Yes; but
one verse; God will see my good will and be content.' He
had a word of thanks for everybody, and never failed to return the salute of each one who passed him, were it even
the least of the novices. Sometime before his death, I was
obliged almost to carry him, so diffietdt and painful had
walking become to him. One day, we met on the way the
seminarians of the German College. As they doffed their
hats to him, he insisted on returning each one's salutation.
I interfered, 'Your Paternity should have a care where you
place your foot. It is their duty to salute you, but you expose yourself to a fall in saluting them all. 'You are right,'
he simply replied. We would sometimes devise some little
contrivance to afford him relief in his sufferings. If we
failed he would humbly remark: 'Can I not suffer something; let it be.'
VoL. XVI, No. 2.
13
�I
UCLES.
go
I must close this by requesting of you the boon of your
prayers. In a few days, I shall take my leave of Rome, but
we shall meet in Paradise with Very Reve~end Fr. GeneraL
The Mass of Requiem was sung on the morning of the
death of Fr: Beckx, and at 4 o'clock in the evening the
body, accompanied by three carriages containing Fr. General, the Fathers Assistants and some other Fathers, was conveyed without pomp or ceremony, but quietly and modestly
as beseems a General of the, Society, to our burial vault in
the Campo Verano. The ·p_ublic and official services took
place on the following Thursday.<I> Thus ended the earthly career of one who for more than thirty years guided the
destinies of the Society and will not cease, we are sure, from
the height of heaven, to proteCt what he loved and go\·erned
so well.-R. I. P.
UCLES.
MoNASTERIO DE SA:\TIAGO,
EASTER MoNDAY, April I Ith, I887.
DEAR BROTHER IN CHRIST.
P. C.
*
*
*
*
*
*
Our monastery is a regular stronghold of Moorish times,
forming a perfeCt square. The small town of Ucles, lying
at the foot of the eminence, crowned by the old battlements,
forms quite a piCturesque landscape. We inhabit the cells
of the former knights of Santiago. But they have of cells
only the name, for they consist of one large hall, with three
small adjoining rooms; thus the quarter we inhabit consists of a beautiful room twenty-eight feet by twenty-two.
This is used as a study hall by an old acquaintance of yours
and your humble servant; besides, each one has a sleeping
apartment of about the size of an attic-room in Woodstock.
As we are on the sick-list, we have the privilege of a stove.
Should I now descend'to Ucles, it would take a far abler
pen than mine to do justice to the landscape and the customs
of the inhabitants. Indeed, Spanish villages and customs
beggar description.
Here is a sample of their odd customs. In the streets of
Ucles can be seen at any time of the day or night an immense black hog, styled hog de Ia cluzri!ad, which is owned
(ll
See Letter of Rev. Father Provincial, p. 156.
�UCLES.
by the sodality of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He begs daily
from door to door, and each one contributes a little to the
satisfying of his huge appetite. On the eve of the Immaculate
Conception, he is raffled off, and with a part of the money thus
obtained, a young one is bought and the surplus goes to the
treasury of the sodality. The young one in his turn leads
the life of his predecessor and shares his fate. Their customs during Holy \Veek are peculiar enough, I think, to interest you. But let us first go back a few days. On the
third Sunday of Lent, we had the procession of the 'Santo
Christo.' This is a miraculous statue of the Ecce Homo, most
hideous from an ;esthetic point of view, but highly venerated
by the people of Ucles. During the year, it has a special
chapel in our church, but on the third Sunday of Lent, it is
solemnly carried to the parish church, where it stays till
the second Sunday after Easter, when it returns to us. During the past week, four carpenters have been hard at work,
building the monument for Holy Thursday. \Ve have
nothing to do with it. The town defrays all the expenses. It
is indeed very quaint, but at the same time very beautiful,
and is besides a traditional work of art. It is simply a stage
with its wings, back scenes and border. It represents an
arched hall-way leading into a tomb. The fa<;ade of the
structure is forty feet in width; the height is at least as much,
but I do not know the exact measure ; the depth is fifty
feet. There are thirteen wings, all arched, rising gradually
below like a regular stage floor and lowering above, so that
towards the background, they form a cave which from a
distance has a very attractive and natural appearance. The
wings, all oil-painted, represent columns elaborately carved.
The proscenium is decorated with pictures of various saints
and the arms of the monks, our predecessors, to whom this
structure certainly gives great credit.
In Spain, if I may judge by what I witnessed here, everyone has a fixed day to make his Easter-duty. Thus the
women receive the 'Bread of the Strong' on the Friday preceding Palm Sunday; the municipal council officially on
Holy Thursday; the young men, on Easter Monday; and
Easter Tuesday is at the disposal of slow coaches of every
description.
On Holy Thursday, Mass began at 7 in the morning and
was very largely attended. The municipal council dressed
in all the insignia of office, and a host of other gentlemen
went to Communion. After Mass there was a solemn procession to the tomb, rendered more impressive by the presence of all the officials carrying candles in their hands.
From what I have said of this venerable body of officials,
•
�•
UCLES.
you may perhaps have concluded, that it must be a wonderful specimen of authority, since it figures everywhere.
So it is; though the village is small, yet the officials are very
numerous-more so proportionately, I dare say, than the
doctors around our little village in the land flowing with milk
and honey. Moreover their powers are very ample ; they
may even exempt from the conscription. This exercise of
authority I witnessed a few weeks ago in the case of a
young man, who became a lay-brother. Hence you see the
importance of being on good terms with so influential a
body. In the afternoon at ·3.o'clock, we had what is called
the ceremony 'del Mandato', that is, Rev. Fr. Rector washed
in the church the feet of twelve poor men, to each of whom
he gave
as, in money-which in Spain is worth five times
as much as in America-and a large loaf of bread besides.
After the ceremony there was a long sermon by a scholastic. At half-past four a procession was had, during which
the brass-band played and in which were borne in pomp all
the statues of our Lord and Lady, which could be possibly
gathere.d up. Each statue was carried by six men dressed
like penitents, wearing_ violet dresses. The carrying of these
statues is considered a great honor and is an hereditary privilege in a family. The Justice of the peace is always officially present, for quarrels, it seems, sometimes arise between
families as to their respective rights. This time they .were
not satisfied with making the round of the church and .hquse,
but all-the women excepted-marched inside and walked
around the corridors-or more monastically, 'cloisters.' At
half-past seven a grand Stabat was sung with organ and
brass-band accompaniment, after which the Passion was
preached by one of the Scholastics. The whole congregation is always present. During the day, I paid a visit to the
parish church and found at the door a list of names; I asked
an explanation and was told that this was a list made by the
parish priest and that every one thereon was bound to come
at the hour assigned him to adore the Blessed Sacrament
for one hour. The first name on the list was that of the
mayor, who raises claims, however, to being a free-mason.
Really to see these various ceremonies, and the way some
of them are gone through, though it may sometimes cause
a smile, is very edifying and tells that the faith of the people is wondrously fervent. These things have been done
from time immemorial, and no circumstance would cause
them to be in the slightest degree altered. On Good Friday,
the morning office was as usual, but in the afternoon there
was much that was novel to me. At two o'clock began the
procession, which was the same as on Thursday, but with
so
�FCLES.
193
I
one more statue, our Lord in the tomb; as the tomb was of
glass, the body was quite visible. When once in our church,
they began the devotion of the seven words spoken by our
Lord on the cross. An immense Calvary was erected in
the church and the pulpit draped in black. First came a
song by a choir of girls, in the chorus of which the whole
congregation joined, then some orchestral music, then a
prayer read by the parish priest, finally a short sermon on
one of the words. This was repeated for every one of the
words; it lasted a little over two hours-The procession then
left the monastery, made the round of the village and returned to the parish church. Truly this ceremony was
touching, and here one could see that indifferent Catholics
are yet few and far between in this Catholic Spain. One
could have ocular demonstration of the renowned faith of
the Spaniard. And then what gives a tone of social respectability to all ceremonies, is the fact that whatever is official
is bound to assist, and whosoever among the people respects
himself, makes it a point to be there; hence the attendance
is always· large. To my taste, however, the presence of so
many matrons becomes a drawback, on account of their noisy
charges. Babies indeed are generally very inconvenient on
such occasions, and tend as much to distract the audience
as to annoy the preacher. Hence babies, I think, should be
exempted from attendance. Holy Saturday offered nothing
peculiar for narration. On Easter Sunday moi:ning, two
processions started from the parish church, taking different
. directions ; one carried the statue of the Blessed Virgin
Mary; the other that of our Lord. At an appointed place in
the village they met; both statues were made to bow to
each other, and there was a stand-still. Then the people
sang the Regina C(di with band accompaniment, and together
they went back to the starting point. I shall tell you the
strange plight in which I found myself during that· same
Easter procession. The order of the procession was this :
the men walked first, more or less in ranks ; then came the
priest; then the town officials closing the rear, among whom
I was as a looker on ; the women followed. Everything went
on well and orderly, till a short while after the two processions had joined, when the band struck up a waltz, and the
whole crowd began a sort of rhythmic motion and to proceed at a most lively gait. I was rather slow of locomotion,
·and before I fully realized it, the men were far ahead and I
found myself in the ranks of the women. To walk among
them would not of course have been decorous; to catch up
with the men was impossible, so I made my way to the
nearest house, planted myself against the wall, and let the
�A.liOXG THE NEGROES.
whole current flow by. I went alone to the church by a different street, and joined my former companions, who with all
respea due to the 'Padre' could not help laughing. You must
know the people ofUcles cannot yet fully believe that I am
an ordinary human being. They know I came from America,
or as they say: 'Ultra mar'; and this for them includes the
idea of at least a little savagery. ·while I was stationed
against that house, the passers by pointed at me crying out,
'Mira, Mira, e/ Amcricmzo.' I almost regretted having gone
to the procession. From ~his somewhat incoherent narrative, you may easily form s'bme opinion of a corner in old
Catholic Spain. In every flock there are black sheep ; here
too they exist, though few; but the mass of the people is
really good, and possesses a faith the like of which I have
rarely seen even in the Flemish and Irish country people.
·with kindest regards to my friends at \Voodstock,
I am yours in Xt.,
F. B., S.
J.
AMONG THE NEGROES.
X T.,
P. C.
You h~ve expressed a desire to know from those who
have dealt with the negroes, 'the Brother in Black ' as he
is styled by some Protestant divines, what hope we may
entertain to keep within the true fold those who have been
'christened' Catholics, and to win over those who have been
brought up Protestants, or who have strayed away from the
Church. I fear I cannot throw much light on the subjea.
It is ·true that I have lived over twenty-two years in the
South, that I have spent parts of my vacations in teaching
little snow-balls the catechism, and visiting colored settlements, and that during fi_ve years of missionary life, I have
sometimes dealt with Catholic negroes ; but I have never
devoted my care exclusively, or even principally, to the
African race. I have often met groups of colored families
where Christian virtues flourished in all their beauty, chiefly
near the Mobile Bay, in the missions of the saintly Fr. Serra,
which are now attended with no less zeal and success by
Fr. Jouannet. For instance, in Mont-Louis Island, where
an old colored patriarch, named Jacques, had formed a sort
of colony, the most pious Catholic praaices were observed
most faithfully, and it did your heart good to stay a few
DEAR BROTHER IN
�A.liOl'>'G THE NEGROES.
days or a few weeks among those good people. When
present, good Fr. Serra would set out at 4 A. M. and go
round all the cabins, lustily ringing a little bell, and followed
by a pack of curs of every degree, that made the welkin ring
with their barking, yelping and howling. Of course every
body had to get up and go to church. At night, all would
attend the prayers, then. meet in front of the patriarch's log
house, and light a crackling fire, which was supposed to
entice out of,the house cock-roaches, gnats, and mosquitoes.
\Vhilst the little ones romped about and were scolded by
the old crones, their elders kept up a conversation with the
padre who sat on the veranda attended by Jacques and his
wife. Then after an affectionate good-night, they would all
go to bed. -.Whether those customs are kept up now that
·both the old man and the old woman are gone, I do not
know; but most likely the eldest son has inherited the mild
sway of our friend Jacques. In Louisiana, where a large
number of negroes, perhaps as many as forty or fifty thousand are Catholic, wherever the Catholic priest is near at
hand, they treasure up the faith that they or their fathers
have learnt from the Old lvfissus (Anglice, mistress), for very
often it was the wife of the planter who taught the children
catechism. But throughout the South, wherever Catholic
negroes are scattered among Protestants, Catholic faith soon
dies out ; at least, such is my sad experience. But if you
wish my recollections to be of some use to your readers,
you must allow me to supplement them by referring to the
data contained in the U. S. Census and to the information
given us by the apostle and advocate of the colored race, Fr.
J. R. Slattery. (t)
If we cast our eyes on the curious diagram inserted between p. 664 and p. 665 of the U. S. Census, we shall see at
once that the colored population is more numerous than
the white, in three States:
Excess of
col. pop.
South Carolina .
Mississippi
Louisiana . . .
I 54,5 19-Ratio to whole Pop. 3-fifths
"
about . . 7-tenths
135,647
106,309
1!-twentieths
Birth rate of blacks, 33·94 per thousand; of whites 28.86.
Death
"
"
17.22
" ·
"
14.04
Ratio of births to deaths, among bl'ks I ·9; whites 2.0
Dr. Billings adds the following significant remark: 'In
f 1lf'atholic
World, .\pril, 1885 and December, 1886.
�.Afti01YG THE NEGROES.
this seCtion of the country (where the colored population is
very large), the deficiencies in the Enumerator's returns of
deaths are above the average, and they are greater for the
colored than for the white population. So that the difference between the mortality rate of the two races is far
greater than that indicated above.' <I>
The future of this race is a problem which must engross
the attention of Catholics, if they have not made up their
minds to give up a large and growing population to the
baneful influence of demagogues, and to the bigoted proselytism of Baptists and Methodists.
In I88o, the population of the United States consisted of
50,I55,783 whites, and 6,752,813 blacks. The States which
contained the largest colored population might be ranged
in the following order :
Georgia . . . . 8 I 6,906
Mississippi . . 650,29I
Virginia . . . 63I,6I6
S. Carolina . . 604,332
Alabama . . . 600,103
N. Carolina . . 53I,277
Louisiana . . . . 48 3,6 55
Tennessee . . 403,15 I
Texas . . .
393,384
Maryland . . . 210,230 ·
\Ve have omitted in our statement two very important
faCtors. The first is immigration, which brings to our shores
the races which have received in an eminent degre_e the
blessing of patriarchs. The second is the progressive··and
accumulative charaCter of certain causes of mortality, such
as vices, looseness of marriage ties, hereditary diseases,
which pray upon the black much more than upon the white
population. Yet it would seem that from I 870 to r 88o the
relative gain of the colored race could be expressed by the
ratio .oo663, i. e., they had gained 663 per 100,000. But the
census compilers make the following observation : 'It is believed by the census office that these apparent gains are
due, in a great measure, to the imperfeCtions of the census
of I87o. Under the conditions which prevailed at that time
it is probable that a much larger proportion of negroes were
omitted than of whites. Of the former slave states which
have lost, Texas and Florida lead. But these states have
received heavy white immigration from other parts of the
country, which has more than overbalanced whatever gain
in colored population may have been made.' <2>
The same statement is true of Alabama and Georgia, and
according to probabilities will eventually prove true of the
whole South.
<
(1)
Census, v. xi, p. xxxiv.
(2)
Vol. i, :p. xx:x;viii.
�AMONG THE NEGROES.
•
197
But if .statistics do not prove that 'a handful of states are
going to be swallowed up by the negroes ; and that the rest
of the country will mind its business,' or that 'the negro
must rule,' ( Cat!to!ic World, Dec., I 886) ; yet it is perfectly
true that 6,7 5 2,8 I 3 are now living within the United States,
and that they will continue to increase in number, though
perhaps with slowly decreasing rapidity. \Vhat will become
of so many immortal souls? That's the question.
·
Among those six millions and a half, we cannot claim
more than 100,000. The following list of communicant
members, belonging to various denominations, is compiled
by Fr. Slattery from official sources:
African Methodist Episcopal Church .
214,808
Methodist Episcopal Zion Church . .
190,000
Colored Methodist Episcopal Church . . . . I I2,300
Methodist Episcopal Church .
300,000
Colored Baptists . . . . . . . . . . .
500,000
I,3IJ,I08
Of course those communicants are people who go from
time to time to Protestant churches in order to partake if tlze
supper, and to share in the excitement; none the less are they
filled with hate and prejudices against the true Church; none
the less do they believe in the Revelations of Maria Monk.
How did the Protestant denominations secure this comparatively large membership? By an emotional sort of wor·ship, and by a lavish expenditure of money. Negroes are
passionately fond of emotional worship; when they have
enjoyed a good howling they are perfectly ·happy, when they
!tavc got religion, they become uncontrollable. Nervous diseases such as epilepsy and catalepsy are often the consequences of those nightly performances; but they attribute those
mysterious ailments to charms or spells which must be
taken away by the conjurer. To support the inner man or
give the preacher a toothsome dish, they often trespass on
the seventh commandment. A village Doctor, himself a
Methodist, once told mB: 'I am sorry to hear that the niggers (Methodists) shall hold regular meetings.'- '\Vhy are
you sorry, Doctor?'-'Because my hogs will run great risks,
and jt will be impossible to keep chickens.' Where Catholic negroes are scattered, surrounded by Protestants and far
from the watchful eye of their pastor, it is next to impossible to prevent them from attending those night meetings:
hence many losses. As for conversion~, God of course is
�AMO"VG THE NEGROES.
all-powerful and all-merciful, but miracles do not gladden
the heart of the missionary every day.
But if superstition tears from the bosom of the church
many of her children, money is more powerful yet, and
Protestants lavish it unsparingly.<'> 'From I865 to I88I,
the Methodist Episcopal Society contributed $200,000, and
lent $50,000 to the Brot!ter in Black (sic). The American
Missionary Society is carrying on 8 chartered institutions,
12 high and normal schools, and 24 common schools in the
South. In all of them there are 7,207 pupils, taught by 163
teachers .... The work of· the societv in the South costs
considerably more than $IOo,ooo a yea~.' In thirteen years
the Freedmen's Aid Society has expended in maintaining
or helping 6 collegiate institutions, 3 theological colleges,
10 institutions not chartered, the sum of S893,9I8. Already
in I88o, the American Baptist Home Mission Society had
devoted $I,OOO,ooo to similar purposes. One man, Mr.
Slater, of ConneCticut, gave SI ,ooo,ooo in four per cent
bonds to form a fund for the education of the colored race.
• As a result of their liberality combined with state assistance the Protestants-can boast of having in the South I6,793
colored schools attended by Soo,I I 3 pupils; whilst the
Catholics have only 39 schools, with an attendance of 2,609
pupils. Such are the figures given by Fr. Slattery, on the
authority of Protestant official reports. 'vVe count as Protestant schools those that are maintained by the lodil·or by
the federal government, for whether in the hands of a particular seCt, or under school-board management, they are
decidedly anti-Catholic.
.
This vast expenditure of money does not seem to have
much benefited the colored race. It is a common saying in
the South that school education makes the negroes less fit
to earn an honest living, and more dangerous to society.
The so-called colored ministers set them the example of
vice. In a locality where much iron was produced, and
where conviCt labor was employed, the furnace-man told me
that a large number of conviCts were negro preachers, and
that they were .... unredeemed rascals. Since that time, I 884,
the company ·has wisely discarded conviCt labor. The
opinion which those poor people have of their spiritual
guides is well shown by the following incident : A colored
woman, nearly So years old was on the point of death ; a
Catholic lady who visited her often, had with her the following conversation: 'Auntie, were you ever baptized.' 'No,
never! 'Would you like to see a preacher?' 'No, the
preachers are worse than I am.' 'But when my priest will
Cll
Vide Fr. Slattery, Facts and Suggestions, Catholic World, April, 1885.
�AMOKG THE XEGROES.
come, would yciu like to see him.' 'Oh yes, I would
like to see him.' A few days later I happened to be
in the neighborhood, and I was brought to the shanty
where the poor old woman was dwindling away. She
was sitting on a chair to avoid suffocation, and she could
not speak any more. The good lady who had brought me
in told her: 'Auntie, here is my priest.'-Nod of approbation-' Auntie, do you wish to be baptized?'- A waving of
the head clearly said, no! 'Do you wish to be cltristened.'
This time the answer was affirmative. Evidently the poor
old woman had objeCted to a ducking, but was anxious to
become a Christian. \Vhen the water was poured, she made
great efforts to catch with her tongue the drops that ran
down from her head. Then she expressed her pleasure as
best she could, and seemed intent on prayer. Two or three
days later, she had ceased to live.
In Louisiana, where a great part of the colored population
is. Catholic, all that is needed is to multiply the chapels and
the schools, and to send them more priests. In cities, some
separate churches might be useful, but only where the
churches already existing cannot accommodate both whites
and blacks. No inconvenience results from both races
meeting at the foot of the altar.. In the country, the blacks
would consider themselves slighted if they were told to
worship in churches where they could not meet white men.
During the second Plenary Council of Baltimore, we heard
Archbishop Perche (then only Very Rev. Perche, V. G.)
insisting on the necessity of respeCting the ties of affeCtion
which bound together both races. In his opinion, it was
best to let them kneel at the same communion rail. I deem
it as advisable in I 887 as it was in I 866. \Vith regard to
schools, the question is very different; there the two races
will !lot abide togetlzcr contentedly; but, strange to say,
negroes in the South at least want white teachers; for their
own color they have but little use; and when angry, call
each other black nig-ger I
What has been said of Louisiana may be applied to all
the states or seCtions of the country where tolerably large
Catholic negro settlements can be found. \Nhere the priest
can visit the~1 often and watch over his flock, he may retain
his hold, o{ even make a little headway; but where no such
settlements exist the difficulties Increase a hundredfold.
· Yet by multiplying both schools and chapels, a great amount
of good might be accomplished. It were not wise for the
missionary so to confine his ministry to the African race as
to· exclude the whites who live in the surrounding country.
In the first place, tlte poor zvltite tras!t, as negroes sometimes
�200
A.MONG THE NEGROES.
call them, are just as destitute spiritually as their brotlzcrs ill
black. Moreover he would find it much more difficult to
obtain some help from his flock.
What about a colored seminary?- \Veil, candidly, I do
not believe that the time has come for it. Priestly vocation
is of slow growth, and I doubt whether the present, or even
the next generation could supply the right kind of material ;
besides, the colored race has to learn how to love and rever,
ence colored priests.
But we might begin with agricultural schools-the BenediCtine Fathers are making 'the experiment. \Ve might perhaps risk a college. In 1866, I met in Baltimore several
Southern Bishops who were anxious to make the trial.
Bishop Martin spoke in a strain of fervid eloquence; he
thought such an institution could be made self-supporting;
and for his part, he would send from his diocese alone about
sixty scholars. Other prelates, who were present, spoke in
the same manner. It did not take much persuasion to make
their willing listener promise that he would do all in his
power; but his power proved mi. Other duties were laid
upon him, and the colored college was caught up in the
clouds. Yet something could and should be done, if we do
not wish to give up the rising generation to Protestant monopoly. Such a college would have to be carried on principally by white men. It might put on military airs. Negroes
are very fond of brass buttons, and when they have donhed a
uniform, they can strut bow-legged with becoming solemnity.
Why not avail ourselves of an inclination that is harmless
in itself, and which might enable the heads of the establishment to secure both cleanliness and discipline? The instruction should be thoroughly Catholic, eminently praCtical,
and superior to the intelleCl:ual pap served up to the young
negroes in the so-called collegiate institutions managed by
Protestants. The graduates of a Catholic African college
ought to be trained to become leaders among their own
people, and to propagate both Catholic and conservative
principles. The undertaking is a bold and difficult one, but
I think that with judicious management it might succeed.
One point is clear, it must be attempted if we want to make
new conquests, or even to preserve our begg~rly qu-ota of
100,000 colored Catholics.
H.
�MISSIONARY WORK AT THE MARYLAND
SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF AND DUMB.
FREDERICK, June 10th, I88J.
DEAR BROTHER IN XT.,
P. C.
I dare say that many among those who read the LETTERS have had no experience with Deaf-Mutes. As no
mention, I think, has yet been made in their pages of this
class of persons, a brief sketch of a mission among them
might be found interesting. Six years have now elapsed
since a Catechism class was begun for the Catholic children
at the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb in Frederick
City. Its origin was humble; so has been its progress, and I
may seem to be claiming too much when I ask Ours. to give
their attention for awhile to what I delight to call 'our little
mission.' But it has at least the merit of novelty, and I trust
that when the reader has come to the end of this letter, he
will feel in his heart the sentiments which I would have it
inspire. Much might be said about our successes and failures, much of the personal experience of the Catechist
might be related, many little incidents and anecdotes might
be told, if space would allow, but, as I am limited, I must try
so to shape my remarks that a h'lir idea of what is being done
may be had. Let us see in the first place how the work
took its rise.
In the month of September, I88I, shortly after Sunday
School had been re--opened at St. John's, a deaf and dumb
boy was seen frequently to attend the sessions. Nothing
however was done for him, and the poor boy was obliged
to sit quietly during the time of school without being permitted to share the spiritual advantages which he sought in
common with the other children. But his perseverance was .
at length rewarded. Mr. Francis Barnum, S. J., was appointed as his teacher and like the Abbe de !'Epee of old, he had fir.st, before attempting any Catechetical instruCtion,
himself to learn from his future pupil how he might communicate with him. The boy, in addition to his deafness,
was also affliCted with a partial blindness; and from what I
myself know of this same boy's ·mental abilities, I judge
that our first missionary to the Deaf must have had before
him anything but a pleasant prospeCt. Be that as it may,
(201)
�202
THE "lfARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF& DUJfB.
the work has grown and prospered, so that now it is finishing the sixth year of its existence, and is resting on a firmer
basis and has brighter hopes for the future than ever. John
F--was not selfish. \Vhen he returned home after his
first instruCtion we may readily imagine with what eagerness he told his companions of the new teacher whom he
had found, and he prevailed upon them to accompany him
to St. John's on the next Sunday. Mr. Barnum saw his
labors increasing. Five boys were soon under his direCtion
and formed the objeCt of his zeal and solicitude. The work
thus begun was not to rest .. here. Attention was naturally
direCted to the Institution to which the boys belonged, and
not many months had passed away before efforts were made
to gain an entrance to it. This was accomplished through
the taCt and prudeq.ce of the Catechists, who succeeded in
obtaining from Mr. Ely, the Principal of the School, permission to visit the children there. The visits were made on
Thursday, and I find from the records left that the boys
were th~n taught. Since then a change has been made, and
for the last three years at least it has been customary to
catechise the boys 0~1 Sunday only, whilst Thursday morning has been reserved for the instruCtion of the Catholic
girls. It is hardly worth while going through the work of
the following years in detail, but it will be sufficient merely
to mention the general results which have followed. Jn the
second year (I 882-8 3) the class for girls \Vas. started. It
consisted of five members. The work among the girls has
for a long time been very unsatis£<Ctory, but the cause of
this has lately been found out and removed. I am now of
opinion, basing my judgment on the results of the last few
months, that this portion of our mission will yield in times
to come no less satisfaCtory results than the boys' department. The first ·labors at the School were necessarily attended with many inconveniences. The authorities, though
never showing any real opposition, were just prejudiced
enough to render the visits there not altogether pleasant.
.Happily this state of things has passed away, and now all
Ours who visit the School are treated with the greatest respeCt and consideratiqh. Not only is there no stumblingblock put in the way of the work of the mission, but even
at times valuable assistance has been given us by the Principal of the School. I might relate many instances of Mr.
Ely's generosity in this respeCt, but want of space again
bids me be silent.
The greatest obstacle to the full success of our work has
been the unavoidable one attendant upon a frequent change
of teachers. Let me quote here the words of an experienced
�THE llfARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF& DUMB.
203
teacher of the Deaf, who for twelve years has ministered to
the wants of the Catholic Mutes. 'The Deaf-Mute', he
says, 'likes his teacher, is devoted to him, and is always diffident when he sees a new man. I have experienced it in the
twelve years I have lived with them'. Further on, speaking
of the disadvantages arising from a frequent change of teachers, he says, 'As soon as you have some influence on the
Deaf, I mean to say after two or three years, you are taken
away, and it is just the time you can realize that your work
is not fruitless.' I do not see as yet any remedy for the evil,
but our Lord will, I am confident, make some provision for
his very dear children. Catechists have never been wanting,
it is true, and when one has been obliged to 'seek fresh fields
and pastures new,' another has ever been willing to take his
place, in order to carry on the good work. Yet we recognize the necessity of having a fixed teacher, and the opposite
state of things has been, we see, the negative cause of much
evil. To it can be ascribed the faCl: that in a way very little
fruit has been reaped by us in this portion of the Lord's
vineyard.
Here some explanation is necessary. I would not wish
anyone to think that our efforts have been fruitless, or that
we are dissatisfied. Our undertaking has on the whole been •
successful beyond our expeCtations, but for all that, examination has shown during the past year that many of the children, even those who have been attending our classes for
four and five years, are far from being instruCl:ed as they
should be. Some of them have been found ignorant of even
the most important truths. This might be a matter of surprise to many, but it is only what should be expeCted. The
Deaf have their especial needs,-they have too their oddities, if so they might be called; and to be able to teach
them properly, experience must be had. In faCt: for a teacher of the Deaf it is of the utmost importance to be thoroughly acquainted with his pupils, to know their peculiar
wants, and above all to have their confidence. It is plain
that this requires time and cannot be accomplished in one
or even two years. One little anecdote I have to mention.
It will elucidate what I have just said. A little girl, thirteen
years old, whose Catholicity no one could call into question,
asked a short time ago, in all seriousness, whether our Lord
was a Catholic or a Methodist. This was no evidence of
want of faith in the child, for afterwards I tested her in order to satisfy myself of her orthodoxy. I asked her if she
was a Catholic. She answered me, with a slight show of
indignation, that she was. I then felt assured. But how can
such a question be accounted for? Here is my theory. A
�204
THE lffARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF& DUJJfB.
little Deaf-Mute spends his first years at home, deprived of
that greatest of boons, an early training in piety. If he
gets any idea at all of God, or of another world, it is surely
not of the clearest. At the age of eight or nine he is sent
to the State School. Henceforth he lives in and breathes a
Protestant atmosphere. He attends the religious services at
the School. Everything around him' is Protestant. To counteract influence so powerful is no easy matter, and it is not
at all to be wondered at if sometimes our Catholic children
are found to be possessed of some crooked notions.
In teaching them we a.r.~ at a great disadvantage. As it
has been in the past, the Catechist was only beginning to
see what course of action he should pursue when he was
called away, and then another took his place, groped around
in the dark for a while, accomplished a little, and then moved
on in his turn to make room for a successor. An idea lately suggested itself which when carried out will, in some degree at least, do away with this inconvenience. As yet it is
only in its first flower, but I trust that it will not be nipped
in the bud, like many another good thing. Since we must
move on, why not try at least to concentrate our efforts,
thought one of the Catechists to himself, and thus originated
• the idea of writing what may be styled a 'Ratio Studiorum'
for the instruction of Deaf-l\Iutcs. This will be, briefly, a
book containing all the helps and devices which the Ca_techists
have found useful in the imparting of their lessonsH· )n the
matter of education Deaf-Mutes require a treatment differing somewhat from that which hearing children get. Their
teachers generally learn these methods by the experience
of years, but as Ours, to repeat it once more, are deprived
of this benefit, our book proposes to compensate this loss to
the individual, by putting at his disposal the united experience of all the Catechists. \Vhen this idea becomes a thing
of reality a big step will have been made in the progress of
our mission. Then one Catechist will no longer be tearing
down what another has built up, neither will they all begin
at the same place and go over the same ground, accomplishing little, but each one taking up the work where his
predecessor has left it, will carry it on in a definite way.
If in the course of' this letter I have said comparatively
little about the actual work that has been done, it has not
been 'vithout a purpose. I could have spoken about our
First Communion and Confirmation class, or about the 'Mutual Help Society' started by two of our boys, the good
influence of which has been felt throughout the whole Institution. A few words on the sign-language, and on the
manual-alphabet,-pompously called the science of dactylol-
�THE .liARYLAND SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF& DUMB.
205
ogy,-might have proved interesting; but above all-and I
regret that here I have been obliged to be silent-would I
have spoken about the Mission for Deaf-Mutes which was
begun last January in Baltimore, and which we consider an
off-shoot of our own, in as much as it owes its origin to
one of our boys, and was partly assisted by our co-operation. But as I could not talk about everything, I have preferred to overlook the past, and to see what are our prospeCts
for the future.
And here it may be allowed me to leave our own 'little
mission', and in concluding say a few words about the condition of the unfortunate Deaf in this country. The DeafMute population of the United States is estimated at 40,000.
It is not improbable that 10,000 at least are Catholics. The
work of their education is for the most part in the hands of
Protestants, and the efforts which are being made for the
spiritual good of the Catholics are, I may venture the assertion, not very great. I cannot better close than by quoting
the words of one, to whose opinion the experience of several
years gives some weight : 'The Protestants are educating
our Deaf-Mute boys and girls, and are making. every effort
to attach them to themselves, and they succeed only too
well. They have societies, and social gatherings and clubs,
and Bible classes, and leCtures, entertainments, festivals and
what not-and we have,- well, just about nothing. Our
Catholic Deaf-Mutes are losing their faith and are growing
up a generation of unbelieving children- unbelieving, because they know no better.' It has been my aim in this
letter, not so much to show forth our own petty deeds, as
to call attention to the rich harvest which is ready for the
reaper among our Catholic Deaf-Mutes, and if my remarks
excite in the heart of any one a desire to do something for
this doubly unfortunate class of persons, be it only to offer
a little prayer for their salvation, I shall be fully satisfied.
I am yours in Xt.,
G. A. H., S.
VoL. xvi, No.
2.
14
J.
�OBITUARY.
MR. THOMAS
A.
HAGGERTY.
From The Xa<:ier.
Mr. Thomas A. Haggerty died at Spring Hill, near Mobile, January r8th, r887. He was born in Brooklyn and came
to St. Francis Xavier's College in r869. He entered the Introductory Class, from which he was promoted to First Grammar. After successfully ·P.assing through all the College
classes, he was graduated in r874. Throughout the course
he was remarkable for the interest he took in all the College
exercises and entertainments. In r872, while in Poetry, he
composed a play which was successfully presented by the
members of his class to a large audience in the College Hall.
After graduation, he spent hYo years in Troy Seminary,
but feeling that he was called to the religious life, in 1877 he
entered the Novitiate of the Society of Jesus at Manresa, on
the Hudson. Teaching is one of the main features of the
life of a Jesuit, and to this work he was sent after his philosophical studies at \Voodstock. The first year of Regency
was passed at Georgetown College, D. C. The next two were
devoted to the interests of his Alma 11:fater. His pupils remember well the manv devices their fond teacher had for
arousing their interest- in study. To them, as well as to
many of the students of St. Francis Xavier's, the_'Grindstone' and 'Pcelestra', are familiar names. But Mr. "1-I"ilggertv's usefulness was not confined to the class-room. The
Students' Library owes him much, for he was indefatigable
in enlarging it; and his good taste and wide knowledge of
authors and books made him peculiarly well fitted for this
''"ork. Quick to perceive a want, he was not slow supplying the deficiency when he could.. Hence, at the expense
of many hours of hard labor, he gave the Library a wellarranged Catalogue. \Vhile thus engaged in furthering the
interests of the College and devoted to the work assigned
him by his Superiors, he contracted a cold which slowly undermined his health. \Vhen schools closed last June, he was
obliged to go to the hospital. But physicians thinking a
change of air would improve him, his Superiors sent him to
Spring Hill, Alabama,. where it soon became evident that he
was wasting away with quick consumption. Throughout,
he bore his sufferings patiently and prepared himself with
great care for the final struggle. Reconciled to the will of
God, he calmly expired pronouncing the holy name of Jesus.
He will long be remembered for his kind disposition and
constant wish to make all about him happy. His charity
endeared him to all who knew him.-R., I. P.
(zo6)
�FR. A. DE BRISACK.
FATHER
A.
207
DE BRISACK.
From the Revista Catfolica and the Amigo de Ia Verdad.
On the 8th of May Fr. de Brisack died i.n the College of
San Juan de Nepomuceno, in Saltillo, Mexico. On the
night of May the 5th he was attacked by a severe bilious
cholic, which in spite of all the efforts of the doCtors became
rapidly more severe and dangerous. Seeing the progress the
malady was making it was determined to give him the last
Sacraments, which he accordingly received with great fervor
at 8 o'clock in the morning. Towards evening he became
much worse, and in a short time, after a brief and peaceful
agony. death relieved him from his sufferings.
Fr. de Brisack was fifty years of age at the time of his
death and had lived thirty years in the Society, sixteen of
which had been passed in the Republic of Mexico. By birth
he was a Belgian. He entered the society in Belgium on the
13th of March, r857, and came to Mexico in r87r. The College of the Sacred Heart in Puebla, of which he was ReCtor
for many years, will not forget for a long time what it owes
to his wisdom, prudence and energy. About a year before
his death he had been appointed vice-ReCtor of our College
at Saltillo.
In his last illness Fr. de Brisack displayed the virtues he
had been praCtising during life; his conformity to the will of
God was notable and a source of edification to those who
dealt with him. During his stay at Saltillo he endeared
himself very much to the pupils of the College. Besides
being their ReCtor, he also taught some of the classes of the
College. All of them desired to pay a last visit to his body
before its burial and on the day following his death went to
communion for the repose of his soul. Fr. Brisack's death
was as much felt by externs as it was by those within the
college walls. His funeral was attended by many of the
schools of the city, and by a large number of prominent citizens.-R. I. P.
�VARIA .
• llbauia.-(Extractfrom a letter of Fr. Pa.•i to Fr. Soc ins) 'Scu/C"cri, April
the 4th, 1887. DEAl\ FATHER, P. C. \Ve have just started two Fathers on a
roving mission among the :'.fountains of Albunla. They are accomplishing
a great amount of good among the poor negleded inhabitant~ of that region.
You may find a detailecl account of the field opened to these missionaries
from the Eco di Lourdes. We are busl now in organizin.g a beneficial Socieh·
and hospital in this town, which "·il supply a lon_g.felt want. If we onl~·
possessed more means we could nccomplish an immense amount of good for
the glory of God here. This yea~ there was a revolt a_gainst Ours in the
:Seminary at Ragusa. There were two faetions in the town-the Italian and
the Sclavs. The lntter gained the ascendency, antl carried matters with a
high hand. Re,·. Fr. Provincial hastened to the spot anti desired to remove
all of Ours at once. "'ith this object he proposed a number of conditions to
the Bishop, which he hopetl his Lortlship would not accept; however, they
were accepted and some fifteen students were expelled, two professors, secular
priests, who were the prime movers of the revolt were discharged, the Director
of the Seminary was removed antl·thns the atlttir was settled. "·e were on
the point of being obliged to close our College in Scuturi, as the Sultan showed
himself nnfavontble to the SocietY. The ordPr wa" issued that all the
Jesuit Colleges which had been op2net! without the sanction of the Goyern·
ment, were to be closed. However, last month, thanks to the interce"ion of
the Iloh· Father, this order was revoked.'
')Ian)· of our readers ha~e been inclined to think thnt the· tle'l•ription lilt ely
given of the deplorable ignorance of the Albanian mountaineers in matters
of religion has been exaggerated. They are loth to believe it po"ible that
a country so closely situated to Italy and possessing a great number of
churches and pastors could be in such a condition as described in the letters
of the missionaries. \Ve tlesire to assure these worthy people that there ha'
been no exag~erntion, in fact, far fro1n exceeding the truth, the •account~
hitherto gh·en have not shown fully how witlespread and profminJl is the
ignorance ofthi~ IH.lglected race. All the Father~ engagecl in 1nissionary work
here will testifv to this. The mountaineers are ignorant of the ven· rudiments
of the Christiai1 religion. Only a few can be fount! among them who are capable
of repeating the pater noster and ave moria. An Albanian about fifty
years of age who admitted that he was unable to repeat the pater noster came
to our church regularly every Sunday until he had learnt the onlinary pray·
ers. Another about thirb·-eight ~·ears old, who hatl lived prineipully among
the Turks, came to us daiiy for religions instruction. "'e were obligt•d to begin hy teaching him how to make the sign of the cross. Last year the Bishop
while making his visitation fonntl to his great distress that in a certain
·neighborhood the people were ignorant of the very name of the Crueifi~d.
Holding up a crucifix: he requestetl them to tell him who was thus re}>re·
sen ted upon the cross. ::\'one of his audience were able to reply; final y a
certai-n one aro"e and said it was St. Anthon\· and s~emed extremely proud of
his knowledge. A few months ago an Ali>anian presented himself at our
church to receive Holy Communion. He seemed to expect it, standing up at
the rail. 'Vhen the priest told him to kneel, he endeavored to take the Sa·
cred Host with his hand. Some one near by then whispered to him how he
,hould receive it. Few can be induced to receive the Sacrament of Extreme
Unction on account of a popular superstition among them to the effect that
once they have been anointed they will never more be able to walk or go on
any free booting expeditions. Brigantlage is one of our greatest obstacles; whole
neighborhoods are addicted to it. The ::\Iirdati declare that it is allowed, and
assert that in the Gospel of St. )lark theft is permitted thrice in a vear.
They claim, moreover, that the clergy suppress this passage in tlw Gospel and
keep it secret from the people. The n•al ~reat cause of this condition is that
these mountaineers live in small settlements, and f(>r the most part remote
from their churches. Thus the pastors can only ~ain access to their charges
with extreme difficulty. Children frequently reach the age of eight or nine
(zo8)
�VARIA.
209
year" without Baptism. Very few ever make their First Communion until
they marry. In thi' r!'gion in order to accomplish any good the mi,•ionary
must he constantly on 'the march, catechizing and conferring the Sacraments
at e\·ery available opportunity. Having given you this sketch of our situation let me clo•e by begging your interest and prayers for the Albanian
:\[i,sion.'-From the Eco di Lourdes.
A I'JII f'll ill, lifers ivan.- That our missionaries in this country are not exempt
from 'perils of robber.,' as St. Paul 'ttys, is evident from the following. In
travelling from :\[ersivan to Chorum Fr. Chauvets fell into the hands of Circassinn high\vaymen. As theY were dressed in bright uniforms and affected
a dignified bearin:;:, the good .J<'ather belieyed that they were reYenue officers,
especially when they 'tated that they wished to inspect his baggage. But
what was his surprise when they took, one by one, not only the blankets and
the articles of clothing in the eoach, but al'o the chalice and the ciborium
and all the necessarie' for the celebration of )lass! Xot vet satisfied the,ordered him to give up his monL'Y· 'Fine officers you are,' he said, 'you haY'e
taken all I hnve and now you want money besides.' The robbers, then,
knocked him <lown and took his purse, but as it contained only five francs, they
levelle<l their rifles at him and threatened to kill him, if he would not surrenner all. Fr. Chan vets thought his hour had come and made the sign of the
cross, commending his soul to Gml. But after a momentary suspense, they
raised their pieces at the command of the t'llief; tor he had meanwhile become couvince<l of his mistake in supposing that his victim had come from
'Constantinople and not from )lersivan. Another moment and Fr. Chauvets
was alone, free to grieYe oYer his loss, but also to rejoice over his personal
safPtv.
See••as.-At ~eeva,, thP ancient Sebaste, our Fathers occupy a building
which was erected in the thirteenth century by one of the Seljukian princes.
It was used for several eenturie" as a school by the :Mohammedans, and the
walls of dressed stone together with all the B\·zantine ornaments in marble
have heen kept in goo<!' condition. X ow it is a school once more, and the
ea.~.:erness of the pupils to receive instruction from the missionaries gives good
hope of their learmng very rapidly the sweet lessons of the Gospel. Xo won<ler, therefore, that frequent opposition is raised, owing, no doubt, to the machinations of the evil one. Lately, when a party in the city which is anything
but friendly to the Europeans, had come into power, orders were issued that
the missionaries sh01\ld leave their school withm ten <lavs or be driven out bv
ti>rce. The French consul promised hi' protection; hut" on the very morning
\\-hen the ortlers were to be enforced, the new' governor of the district arrived,
and as he fan>red the •chool of the Fathers, all danger was averted and the
good work continned.-Katholische Jllissionen.
Ct1 i l'o.-At this place there is a large and wel,l-ordcred Seminary with a
good corps of tt>achcrs. There are :!ii5 students, and a College will soon be
built. The little Coptic school has been taken, and there the seminarians attetHl class. The Thursda~- congn•gation of Coptic women, )[arionites and
S~·rians, is under Fr. Hollanrl's care; the Sunday congregation is made up of
Coptic young 1nen anrl Syrians. The larger Seminary ha." six seminarians.
The cnur"e of Tlwolo~ry is ma<le in Arabic. It is followed by seven or eight
priests ant! schismatic deacons, lately converted. Five will come from the
Convent of 8t. Anthonv, which was visited hy Father .Jnllien, two years ago.
It appears that, since tlien, a movement was started among the monks, many
of whom have presented themselves to the Patriarch in order to be converted.
A monk was sent out in order to bring them back, but he, after some reflection, saw the light, and remained with the Patriarch. Bishop Beshai has returne<l after an absence of eight years, much to the joy and happiness of the
Coptic people.- Chinese Letters.
Ctu•clilwl l<'l'lliiZf'llll.-ln his will, he desired to be hurietl without display like a religions. He left no mon<'Y for :\lasses, trusting that the Society
would not forget him. He begs others to he mindful of him, and to recommend him to our Lord and the Blessed Virgin, into whose hands he commends his soul and salvation.
Clnclnulltl.-Fr. Higgins, President of St. Xavier College, gave a lecture
at the request of the St. Xavier Conference on 'The True Philosophy of the
Land (~uestion', in which he exposed and refuted the fallacies of Henry George.
14*
�2!0
VARIA.
The lecture gave such satisfaction to thosp who heard it that Fr. Higgins was
induced to publish it in pamphlet form. It is sold by the St. Xavier Conference for the benefit of the poor.-The students of St. Xavier College have
started a College paper called the The Collegian. A sketch of St. Xavier
College gives the first issue a more than local interest.
Cl! lua.-ln the Ruue des deux 1liondes (December the> l.}th, lS~G), there is
an article on the Catholic :\lissions in China. 'The aim oft he missionaries,' sap
the writer, 'is to render themsel \"es useful, in or<ler to make the Chinese lo\·e one
another, their country and their religion; this object has not yet been reached.
Howe\·er, at Zi-ka-wei, the Jesuits have succeeded; inspired with tlw traditions of their predecessors, they have opent'd a College, built an obscn·aton·,
where the director, Hev. Fr. Dechevrens, pursues his remarkable stlHlies on
the typhoons .... It is only by meims of the sciences that we can act upon
the people in power. By the praeti~:al and intelligent manner in which theY
<lirect their missions the Jesuits have secured the first place in China.' Tlie
writer goes on to praise the custmn mnong the mis·~ionarie:-; of returning onee
a vcar to the headquarters of the mission to remain a few weeks in order to
gain new ~trength .
. In the Chinese Missions, there are at present engaged, :35 Bishop<, 5:.?:l European priests, 3:.?8 nath·e prie>ts, and fi40,502 converts. Of these, 2 bishops, 10;1
European priests, and 37 Chinese priests are of the Society, and 135,ti!l4 Christians are under our care. In round numbers one fifth of the mi"ionaries of
China are .T esuits, and one fifth of the Christian;; in the Chinese Empire are
under their direction.
It has beeen decided to publish monthly in Chinese a Messenger of the
Sacred Heart. Fr. Li is director; his assistants are Fathers Cheu-re, Gni and
Hiu.-Fr. Ravary writes that at Lon_g-ka-dou the work among the apprentices is progressing. At the last reunion, there were nearly 50, of whom 15
or 111 were new-comers from Pou-tong. Alretuly places luwe heen obtained
in our neigborhood for about :lO, on the following conditions: 1) that they
are not obliged to take part in any superstitious practices in the oltop";
:?) that they be given three hours of rest on Sundays, in order to atteiHl :\lass;
and 3) a complete exemption from work on the four great holidays. The
pagans are glad to accede to these conditions in order to get our Chri~tians to
work for them.- Chinese Letters.
_ .
]';uglaud. - Father Perry has recently been place<!, by the .\eademia
Itomana Pontificia de Xuo\"i Lincei. 'Fra i suoi socii ordinarii.' This is the
oldest scientific society in existence. Only thirty home members are admitted;
ten foreign members have just been added at the desire of his Holiness. I he
honor conferred upon Fr. Perr)· was communieated to him by special diploma. It had been unanimously decided upon at a special meeting of the society.-Fr. Perry has accepted Dr. Bredichin's invitation to ob>erve the total
solar eclipse in ..:\.ugu~t next at his residence neur ~IosPow. The feast of our
newly beatified English martyrs will he celebrated on Dec. 1st, under the
title iu the Ordo, B. Edmundus cum .qociis ~jus.
f't•. 1Jo.~coeic11.-The Academy of \"ienna intends to havt' a special meeting for the celebration of the centenary of the death of Father Boscovich.
A similar ceremony will take plaee at Ragusa, his natiYe place.
Ft•. C. Bt•aun aucZ the Reel Suu.~et.~.- In IS~;"; II. H. Warner,
Founder of the ""arner Observatory, Rochester, Xew York, announce<!
a prize of :3~00 for the best' essay (:1000 words) giving an explanation
of the red twilights obsen·.:d towards the close of 'S:l and <luring the
whole of '84. Thirty-six competitors ><ent in papers from all parts of the
woriU.. Among them was Father C. Braun, S. J., of :\[ariaschein. Owing
to the unexpectedly large number of papers received, ~Ir. 'Varner gcnerolh<ly added to his first prize several gold medals, each valued at $GO. The face
of the medal bears the inscription: 'H. If. Warner medal for Scientific Dis·
covery au·arded to ... .' On the reverse are seen un acth·e volcano on an
isla!ld and the setting sun, the whnle encircled by the twelYe ><igns of the
zodiac. Last January one of these medals was sent to Fr. Brann. Not long
after he receiYed a communication from one of the judges, in which the writer
stated tha.t he had judged Fr. Braun's explanation the best and that most
likely the other judges would have done the same, if he (Fr. Braun) had not
gone so much beyond the allowed length.
�VARIA.
2II
Fl•edel'ick. -On Sunday, April the 24th, St. John's Church, Frederick,
:\[d., ·celebrated the 50th A nniversan· of its solemn <ledication. This was the
first Church in the l"nited States to become entirely free of debt, and conse·
quently, the first to he consecrated. Its founder was the venerable Fr. John
~[c Elroy. At the celebration Yery Rev. Fr. Provincial and Fr. R. W. Brady,
:'. J., were present. Fr. l'ardow, Sociu", preached.
F1•. Pns.~aglia.-'Fr. Passaglia died Saturday, :\[arch 12th, at 7. A.~I.
from paralysis of the throat after an illness of seven days. From the begin·
ning of his illness he manift•sted with great fc•rvor the fi1ith he had never denied, and the Immaculate Yir,gin, whose inwge he always kept by his bed,
did not fail him in hi" last days. The Cure of San Carlo, to whose parish he
belonged, was called for by the invalicJ and he came promptly and attended
him 1vith great zeal and charity. On the morning of )larch Sth, Fr. Passaglia
made a solemn retractation mul reparation of the scandal he had given and
hegged pardon of God and of the Pope. He then made his confession, and
shortly after noon on the same da~· receivPd the viaticum, which was publicly
carried to flim from the parish church of San c·arlo. Soon after, the Cardinal
Archbishop visitl'd him, and in his presence Fr. Passaglia repeated his retractation in a loud voice so that all in the house could hear him, and with so
much earne,tness and fervor that the Canlinnl was obliged to restrain him.
During the remaining five days he constantly repeated the same sentiments,
and wished that they should he communicated to his Holiness, I.,eo XIII.
His will \1"3s most edifying. lie left his property to the College of Artizans
of St . .Toseph at Turin with bequests to the poor of Cottolengo and to the three
parishes of Camiana where he use<! to spend the Autumn. He ordered that
all his manuscripts should be place<l in the hands of the Cardinal Archbishop
as a last token of his ,-eneratiOn towards his Eminence, and that he might
end his life with a proof of lli,s submission to Ecclesiastical authority. Fr.
Passaglia came to Turin in 181i0 an<l shortly afterwards was appointed professor of :\!oral Philosophy in tht> university of that city. In his teaching he
was always orthodox. He combated divorce and frequently spoke of the
Immaculate Yirgin and of Para<lise. 'May Gorl receive him in the great embrace of his infinite merev.'-Unita. Cattolica.
In a later number of tlie Unfta Cattolicn the secretary of the Archbishop
published the following.
'Defore ndministering the sacraments, the rector of San Carlo, Fr. ]<'accio of
the :O:en·ants of :lfary, according to the duties incumbent on him in his priestly
office, made careful examination into. Fr. Passaglia's state of mind, and was
fully satisfie<l that his penitent was 11·ell di,poscd. Among other matters,
Pa"aglia informed him that in October 188~, he had transmitted through a
former brother in religion to the august hand' of the Pope an explicit apology
for the conduct which had led to the 'caudal and defection of many, and for
whatewr he had <lone and written that might be displeasing to the Pope and
tlw Chureh. He a<lded that the form of said suhmiS'ion had been proposed
to him by the Holy Sec, and that he knew it woultl he favorably received.
But, recognizing that he had not fulfilled the conditions which Rome in accepting his submis;ion had prescribed, he now saw that it was his dnty tD
confirm wholly and entirely the tleclaration of 1882. In addition to this, he
pronounced before Fr. Faccio, and set his han<! to the following declaration:
'"I, Charles Passaglia, a priest, before rcceivin;.: the holy Sacraments as a
preparation to meet death, att!'st that I sincerely retract whatever the Church
has disappro\·e<l of in me. Turin, "l[arclt 8th, 18S7.'''
liHlia. -Last December (18,~6), there were at St. :l[ary's College, 4;)/
stiH!ents, 187 bciug boarders: at the orphan asylum, at Baudona, ~1<0; at St.
Xavier's College, J3~!1. .Judge West, a Protestant, vice-chancellor of the
F niversity of Bombay, was l~rcs!'nt at a play (Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme),
given hv the students before a large audience. He spoke in high praise nf
the lolfpgc•, saying that Catholics alone could produce such results. Alluding to Lor<l Ripon, he sai<l: 'That eminent viceroy, that great man, has done
much towards the advancement of Christian education, and the interest of the
empire. I regret to he unahle myself to do as much, because mv position is
lower. The government owes much to this College, and I hope that the Rev.
Fathers will alwnys make their scholars loyal subjects and good Christians.'
Alas! we have not yet made a single convert in all our schools.--' Chinese
Letters.
�212
VARIA.
The Fathers belonging to the misoion of Calcutta have1 with the permission
of the Propaganda, purchased some square miles of terntor~· extending' from
Kurseong to the base of the Himalaya in the vicariate of the Capuchin Fathers. They will build there a i"cholasticate to take the place of that at
Asensole which is very unhealthy; it will be finished by October, 18Si. The
Novitiate, which is badly situated at Hazarebagh in the midst of jungles, will
be transferred to Ranchi where the site is magnifieent; here also will be
placed the house for the Tertian Fathers.-Jersey Letters .
•Tet·sey.-Fr. Xoury has been unanimovsly elected honorary member of
the Scientific Society of Jersey, .for his learned work on the geology of the
Island.
Macou, Geot•yia.-Pio Xono C~llege with its forty-two acres is now our
property and will hen<'e-forward 1.e known by the name of St. Stanislaus.
Our Novices will come here next August. I am nry much pleased with the
pla<'e. It is just one mile outside of city limits, on an eminence commandmg a view of the surrounding country, having a ven- healthy location and
good water-a five story building, exteriorly looking like a factory, interiorly very <'ommodious and spacious. There is plenty of room for Xovices,
Juniors and Tertian Fathers. The wing is 85 x i\0 ft. and the main or centre
building 75 x 35. The other wing is not built. The land is very good tor
vegetables and fruit trees and vineyard.-Extractfrom a letter of Fr. Butler•
•llaclura.-Dioccse of Trichinopoly.-'Since the feast of St. Francis Xavier
I have baptized 63i catechumens. If I had had more time their number
would have been twice as g-reat. Five new parishes have been formed; four
others are expecting org"anization. Xot a week pa~ses but delegations arrh·e
from distant villages; their request is always the same; 'Ten, twenty, thirty
or forty families are ready-to embrace the faith; come and take care of us.'
The youngest of these parishes yet waitin~ for their reception into the Church,
lies in the heart of the rich riee-fiel.ds. The population is so numerous that
Cumampatty may be called a small city. )Iy catechumens, about thirty
families, are nearly all engaged in farming. The native landlord of a neighboring village had borne a deep hatred for many of my neophytes. As. the poor
people were unable effectually to escape the vengeance of this WGlllthy and
influential man, they determined to become Christians. 'The missionary of
Pudupatty,' they said, 'has taken the part of his neophytes at Seralpatty, he
will protect us in like manner against our landlord.' I hesitated about receiving tliem on these conditions; for I preferred avoiding, if possible, all
quarrel with a man of his stall()ing, especially as my first congregation of
18i:?, lies within his district, and as I never yet had any O<'casion of complaint
against him. The petitioners, however, ga,·e all desirable evidence of sincerity
and I resolved, in spite of my first misgivings, to complr with their request.
That same evening, I received a visit from the lan<llor<l himself 'Father,'
he said, 'I hear that the people of Cumampatty wish to be ~·our diseiples; if
so, I am satisfied, for I hope through you to come to a friendly un•lerstanding
with them. I confess L have treated them harshly; !nit the fault is not all
my own, as you will see for yourself. Bring about an agreement with them,
and I shall give a garden in their dllage, in which you may build your
church.' Of course I accepted his offer most joyfully. I entered upon my
office as peacemaker at once. Terms were ag"reed on after a week's discussion,
and peace and harmony reigned. The rich man kept his promise; his garden
was publicly deeded over to me and my congregation. At present the chapel
is building; my neophytes pay half, and I have to pay the rest.'~ Extrnct
from a Letter of Fr. Trincal, i:i. J., in Katholische "l[is.•innen.
Spiritual miniHtrutions of our Fathers, for 18S•i-SH. X umber ot'Christhtn,,
166,459. .Children baptize,.], belonging to Chri,tiau parents, ;),404. Pagan
and heretical adults baptized, l.fGO. Pagans, a<lults and children baptized
in articulo mortis, i150. Confessions, 310,42:1. Communions, 2fl3,87i. )[arriages, 1604. Extreme Unctions, 1:!53. Sl'holars at Hchool, boys, i8fl4-g"irh<,
1488.
Jlanitobn, St. Bomjrrce.-'I send you to-day the Class and Honor lists of
the Manitoba University for 18Si. Our success surpasses everything ever
seen here hitherto. The other Colleges and the collegiate Depurtmeut of the
Protestant schools presented about SO candidates, of whom 29 receive< I scholarships, i. e., not quite three-eighths attained eminence. We presented 8
�VARIA.
213
candidates, of whom 7, i.e., sewn-eighths attained eminence; and note that
we did not pick an<! choose, we simply ·sent up all our students of Belles-LetIres and Philosopln-. In the PreliminarY Classics and ~Iathematics our stu!ients won three prlzes ont of six; while-~Ianitoba College, which presented
the bulk of candidates for thi< Preliminary Examination, gained only one
scholarship (though to be honest, ~Ianitoba's young lady distanced all competitors); and St. John's College and the collegiate Department have each only
one scholarship. Onr boys were 4 against :!-!~one-sixth, and yet came out 3
against t>=one-half. The only one of onr students who has not secured a prize,
had the highest number of marks for Latin and Greek combined, and failed,
to secure a prize onl_,- because he wa' "third class" in )fathematics.-Extract
from a letter of Fr. Drummond.
Xaplr.'<.-The Soeict~-, which has been four times expelled from Naples,
regaining the position it occupied before its last expulsion in 1860.
BPs ides five residences, it has a dar school with 300 scholars, a boarding school
with SO or 90 hoarde", and a X ovitiate with a dozen novices and as many Juniors. The old Collegium ~faximnm of ante-suppression times has been out
of our hands since 1/i:l. It is now the UniYersity. On the wall as yon enter
was put up in 1Bi:~ a tahlet tn commemorate our suppression of a century bef(>re, -,-an inducement and im-itation to all readers to trample on us, with a
promise of a full measure of gratitude, a hundred years after date! In another
part of the city is the new Ge,J1, a ma_gnificent church; it contains the famous altar of St. Franci' llieronymo, beneath which are his sacred remains.
In the lTnh·ersity abm·e mentioned, is 'hown the room St. Aloysius occupied
for a short time, and in the Church is kept in wncration some0 of his blood.
The Novitiate is a fine building on one of the heights in the nortlJPrn part of
the city. The house is rather small for the number (fifty) which it holrls,
but under present circumstances anything \\·oulr! be considered bearable. It
is under the protection of the Card. Archbishop of Xaples, and before the law,
passes as a Seminar~-. Our bit•nnists at Rome visited Naples during the EastN holi<lay,, and were receiYe<l with the greakst kindness by the Rector of
the XoYitiate. Xo )"tins were spared to make the yisit a pleasant one for the
'two American Fathers.' Tht>y met there Frs. Yalente and Piccirelli, formerly of 'Voodstock. The former is teaching Physics at our day-school, and
the latter lectures to a small class of young priests, who are repeating their
Theology.-Fr. Yaleute was unwell, but he rallied suflicicntly to receive his
visitors and see to the arrangement of an "\merican <!inner for them. The
HeY. Fr. Provincial, Fr. Cong<'r, showed himself extremely kind to the visitors. He is a preacher of marked ability, and finds it possible to save time
enough from his ofticial duties, to deYote himself regularly to his work of
predilection. His scrmou.s lul\'e been published in several yolumes.
i'
rapid!~-
XP('I"olouy of tlw Soeirty, 188(1.- In the whole Society, during the
year 188tl, :?:34 died; of the'e 128 were Fathers, 36 Scholastics, 70 Brothers.
The a\·crage age was 5-!.89. The percPntage of those over GO years of age,
was 4!1.;)(). Out of 234 there were 1!1 oyer 80 years of age, and 1 over 90.
There were :lei over 50 years in the Society. The percentage of each Provincc was:A nst. Hung ... 0.!10 per ct. Champagne ... 1.75 per ct. N.Y. ~[aryl... 2.18perct.
Ca,tile .......... 1.0.) "
Toulouse ....... 1.86 "
Sici~r ...••..•... ~-~7
"
Aragon ....•.... l.l!i
Portugal ....... l.Sfi
Turm ..•......... ~.1 6
Rome ......•..... 1.40
Holland ........ Ull
Lyons ••..•••••.. 2.76
England ....... 1.50
Galicia ......... Ull
.Missouri.. ...... 3.10
France ......... l.ll:l
Germany ...... 2.0.)
Yenice .......... 5.G7
Ireland.; ..•.... Ui!l
Toledo .......... 2.00
:Mexico .•.......
Belgium ........ 1.75
New Orleans .. 2.15
Zambesi ....... .
Pa 1•is.-Cardinal <k J:endc, Papal Xnncio, before leaving Paris, paid an
ofticial visit to om Fathers nt Hue <le Sevres. He was given a literarl reception, which he himself closed by an nfldress, in which he said, that i he had
done any good in life he owe<! it to our Fathers, and that he die! not hesitate
to proclaim this to the world.
r•rr11.-Sincc the expulsion of the Jesuits a new scamlal has taken place
at Lima. The Papal arms, which adorned the entrance of the palace occupied
by the Apostolic Delegate, were removed by force. An immediate protes~
�:214
VARIA.
was made by the Nuncio; whereupon the government made due reparation
and promised security for the future from such violence.-Jersey Letters.
Polaucl.-Fr. Joseph Holubowicz, editor of the Catholic "lHssions for Pl>land, is dead. He made his Theological studies at Lon,·ain, where he arrived
in the month of October, 18G4, in company with Fr. lluehta, whom a sudden
death carried off, )lay the 1:lth, 1885. Fr. Jlolubowicz was attacked by a
cancer in the stomach, from which he suffered much for an entire year; lw
continued ne,·ertheless, his arduous labof', until aflength the nutla<ly termi·
nated fatally. His death took place on Saturday, )larch the 5th, at half-pa't
seven in the evening. He was buried on )fonda~·, )[arch the 7th, at 3 o'clock
P. :II. The attendance at his funeral was larger than that at the obsequies of
any of Ours during many years past. Fr. llolubowicz was born Feb. the ~Oth,
18:)5, and entered the Society )[arch'the ~5th, 1854.-Jersey Letters.
Jlome.-The king has finally determined to lea,·e the room of St. Stanislaus intact. He has accor<lingl~· gin•n orders_ that the new street shall deviate so that the room mav not he moved. The work of the canonization of
Blessed Berchmans, Blessed Claver and Blessed Rodri~l\ez, seems to be coming to an end. For all canonizations three Congn•gations are held. In the
last Congregation the question is decided: 'Nmn tuto ad canonizationem procedi possit.' Alreaily the first Congregation ha" bet>n held. The rest will be
held in the following order: ~ntl Con~regation for Blesst•d Berch mans, )[arch
the 2::!nd; for Ble>sed Claver, July the 1:!th; for Bh•ss!'d Itodriguez, An.gu.st
the 4th. The cause of Blessed Clavcr was to ha\·e heen the first exnminetl,
hut a diftict1lty arose, with regard to the two miracles brought forward. One
of the physicians concedt'd both miracles, the other denied one; hence a
third physidan will be called in to <h·cide the case. As a delay is therefore
necessary, the eause of Blessed Bcrchmans will be decided first. Unless a
war shotild break out it is.ltope<l that the canonizations will take plact' ori the
6th of Jan., 1881!.
Theba id.- Fr. Charles de Dianoux has been commis,ioned by the Propaganrla to found a mission in uppt'r Thcbai<l, in the <lesert made famous an<l
sanctified by Saints Paul, Anthony and Pacomius.-Un'ivers.
.
U. S. of ColomlJia.- A College has been hcgun, at Bogata, 'l'inder the
auspices of .\rchbishopTelesphore Paul, 1'. J., and-:uwthcrat ~Icdellin. Be·
sides these, our Fathers han' charge of the Seminary near Pasto belonging to
Bishop Velasco, S .•T. Colleges, residences and mi"ions are ofti:•red to our
Fathers, but they cannot accept for want of subjects. The Rc>public has
ginn us back ottr old College of San Bartolome. At the opening it h,u\ many
pupils. At present it ha• HO hoarders aml ~00 dnr-scholars. .\ Novitiate
was opened on the ~ntl of Febrnary.-One of the ohlmissions of our Fath<'l''
among the In<lians that li\·e on the banks of the l'aqueta and Putnmayo in
Colombia, is about to be reopened. ~lgr. V..Ja,co, S . .J., ,,-ho is helpint:: on
this blessed undertaking, includes this mission within the limits of his dioee,e.
l'euezuela.-ln Venezuela under the ~o,'ernment of the Freemason Gw;man Blanco, we have neither house nor resi<lence; Ours are not allowed to
enter the country under the pain of imprisonment or even a worse penalty.
Our College and residence at Porto-Rico have been closed, owing to the war·
fare carried on against us by the Freemason profe"ors of the Civil Institute.
Of the expelled Fathers some are in Spain, others in Peru and Bolivia.Jersey Letters.·
Zambesi. - St. Aidan's numbers more bon this vear than fi>r the la>t
three years. The work of converting the Kaffirs is a~ slow as ever. Some
of the missioners speak hopeful!~· of the work \Yith Lo-Benguela. It b
rumored (Feb. the 22nd), that the Boers of the Transvaal, BechaunalatHl, an•i
Stellaland intend making an incursion into his territor~· to put lin end to his
tyrannical power. His great fault in their eyes is his constancy in refusing to
permit them to dig for gold in his dominions; his overthrow would not sadden the missioners, as he persistently opposes the work of the Fathers. .\t
Dnmbrody, there are 19 studying Philosophy: 8 in the third year; 5 in tlw
second and 6 in the first. There are only 2 in Theology. There are 2 schools;
the boys' school numbers 1G; and the girls,' has 10 pupils. The girls' school
�VARIA.
2I5
is directed by 2 pious German ladies. All this is at the expense of the mission. The boys have to give some help by working in the garden, kitchen,
etc. :)fany are learning trades. This is the principal hope. There is besides, a small gathering of baptized families, and catechumens. Instructions
are given in Dutch, Hottentot and Kaffir. There are 10 Kaffir families of
catechumens. The church, which is very small, will be rebuilt.
Ilome Xeu·s.-The Spring Disputations took place on the 29th and 30th
of April.
DE YIRTUTI13US INFFSIS.-The Defender was 11Ir. T. Rinck; the
Objectors were )fessrs. 111. Eicher and E. de Ia )foriniere.
DE .\L\.TlUMONIO.-Defender, .\Ir. L. Kavanagh; Objectors, Messrs. J. L.
Smith and D. 11Iahony .
.\Ir. J. Zwinge read a dissertation on • The Authenticity of Dan. iii.'
ETHICS.- Defender, Mr. J. Deck; Objectors, 11Iessrs. 111. Sullivan and
L \"an Ree.
PSYCIIOI.OGY.- Defender, .\Ir. J. Dawson; Objectors, Messrs. P. Faget
and H. Post.
OXTOLOGY.-Defender, .\Ir. W. Fanning; Objectors, :Messrs. 111. Kane
and J . .\!eyer .
.\fr. E. Corbett read an e"ay on 'Glaciers and the Glacial Period'; Ur. 111.
J. Hollohan read an essay on 'The Timbre of Sounds,' and the experiments
were performed by .\Iessrs. H. Casten and .T. Kuhlman.
During the year .\lessrs . .\lcXamara, Fink and Fagan, who were obliged to
interrupt their studies on account of ill health, "'ere ordained; Mr . .\lcXamara, on Dec. ll'th in Baltimore by Cardinal Gibbons; .\Ir. Fagan, on March
l:!th in Brooklyn hy Bishop Loughlin; .\lr. Fink, on April Gth in Baltimore
by Bishop Curtis. .\lr. \"an Hensselacr was or<lained on Uay 31st in Xew
\" ork by Archbbhop Corrigan.
·
Compendium Theologirr ,lfnralis-.\ revised edition of Er. Sabetti's .J.l!oral
Theology, printe<l in new typP, has just heen issued from our press. Many
improvements have been maue upon the first edition. Itunnin;: titles of
ehnpters ha\·c been put at the hen<l of the page, where before the titles of the
treatise only appeared. The latest decrees of the Homan Congregations have
been used, and rcferenees to recent works on :Moral have been added. The
Decrees of the Third Plennry Council of Baltimore have been used and applied to the :mlution of qtH'Stions aft'ecting this country. The book is for sale
by F. Pust<'t & Co., Xos. 50 and•,):l Barclay St., Xew York.
1'o those familiar with the snrrouJH!ings of \Y oodstock College, it may be
of interest to know that the barn an<l its acceS'!lries have been removed to a
position across the roa<l from the gate-house that is near the mortuary chapel.
The grouud ou which it stotHl will be beautified as are the other parts of the
hill on which the CollPge is built.
The Carmina. Lennis }(III have been re-is,ucd by Hill and Harvey, 111
N. Charles St., Baltimore, .\I d., with an introductory life of the Holy Father
by Fr. l'iecirillo.
D.O. M.
�EHRATA.
page 12tl line
in~tP:ul
of F. French
read
Fjrenc!t
Ja,t
canon ice
rtl nonico
~1
Janta1·d
.Tauta1·d
133
17
fir.~t
finest
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fidw·ium
fiduciam
144
:!7
llith
lith
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"
--
�WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XVI, No. 3·
A CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS A HISTORY
OF THE IRISH PROVINCE OF THE
SOCIETY OF JESUS
FRO~! ITS REVIVAL SOON AFTER TilE \"EAR 1800.
RJ' t!tc late Rc<'. jo!tn Grmc, S. J
1
<>
(Concluded.)
The venerable Dean Meagher, in his funeral oration over
Archbishop Murray, called Fr. Kenney the Apostle of
Dublin. Fr. Matthew Gahan, whom we have mentioned
before,.had a better or at least more exclusive claim to the
title often given to him, of Apostle of the Isle of Man.
This interesting island was altogether destitute of spiritual
help and full of strange superstitions when he volunteered
for this lonely mission in 1826. He labored hard, built a
church at Douglas, and established schools, not, we may be
sure, from the resource supplied by the handful of indifferent Catholics he found in the island. Fr. Aylmer, by what we
call an accident, paid him an unexpeEl:ed visit in the earlypart of 1837 and was just in time to give the solitary missionary all the consolations of religion before l~e died on
the 22ncl of February.
The second visit of the cholera to Dublin in 1834 (the
first visit was two years earlier) carried off after one night's
sickness Fr. John Shine, and, four days later, Fr. Robert
1
< 1 A notice of Fr. Urcne will he fimntl on another page.
VoL.
XVI,
No.3·
IS
(217)
�218
THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.J.
O'Ferrall, in his thirtieth year. The latter was brother to
the Right Hon. Richard More O'Ferrall, whose best title
to remembrance is that he resigned the Governorship of
Malta as a protest against Lord John Russell's Papal Aggression Bill. Fr. Shine was perhaps, after Fr. James
Butler, the most efficient of the first Clongowes professors,
and had for four or five years taken charge of the day school
into which the Hardwick Street Chapel had been transformed after the open:ing of St. Francis Xavier's, Gardiner
Street. He caught the dreadful malady from a poor person
whom he was attending. _
Before mentioning some other names of persons, it seems
right to speak, e\·en with unfair brevity, of a place in which
many Irish Jesuits have done good and hard work for God.
The College of St. Stanislaus, at Tullabeg, in King's County,
forty-nine Irish miles from Dublin, was opened not very
long after Clongowes. It was indeed at first intended as a
novitiate, and for some time was applied to this purpose
under its first Rector, Fr. Robert St. Leger; but it soon
became a school, at first preparatory to Clongowes and subsequently vying with Clongowes. Large additional buildings were erected by subsequent Rectors, especially Fathers
John Ffrench, Matthew Senner, and Alfred Murphy. A
great improvement was given to the studies of the boys
under the energetic rule of Fr. ·william Delany from the ,
year ISJo, and the College of St. Stanislaus scored iell in
the matriculation at the University of London, and also in
the Irish Intermediate Examinations. But in the year 1886
it was considered wise to combine the teaching power of
our two Colleges, which are not very far apart, and to give
further development to Clongowes, the Mother-House of
the Society in Ireland. Large additions to the buildings
had been made by Fr. Robert Carbery and other Rectors.
On the Sth of April, 1866, a fire, caused by the negligence
of a plumber at work on the roof of the fine study-hall
erected by Fr. Aylmer, spread to the refectory underneath,
and destroyed these rooms with many valuable pictures,
books and papers. A plentiful supply of water and efficient engines kept the fire within its original limit, and no
danger to life or limb occurred. The loss was partly covered by insurance, and it was made the occasion of a generous subscription by former pupils of the College, who met
at the house of Lord Chancellor Naish in Mountjoy Square, ·
Dublin. The result has beeen highly beneficial to the elegance and efficiency of the collegiate buildi\1gs. May it be
the opening of a new era of prosperity for dear old Clongowes under its youthful Rector, Fr. John Conmee.
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.J.
219
This sketch deals chiefly with places and persons. The
places which remain still to be commemorated must have
even scantier justice accorded to them. We have mentioned· incidentally that tbe Hardwick Street day school was
transferred to Belvidere House, No. 6 Great Denmark
Street, which in some of its internal decorations gives one
some idea of the magnificence of the Irish nobility before
the Union impoverished Dublin. Very fine school-rooms
and a spacious leEl:ure-hall and theatre have recently been
built by the present ReEl:or, Fr Thomas Finlay, who, by the
way, might be described by the phrase which Suetonius
applies to some Roman general-'dux consiliis, manu miles.'
~esides presiding over St. Francis Xavier's College-by no
means an 'otiose providence'-as Fellow ofthe Royal University he teaches a class of moral philosophy at the Catholic University College, Stephen's Green. ·with the name
of Belvidere-which is now attended by about three hundred boys, a large number for an Irish school,- we may
link the names of some of its former ReEl:ors, such as Fr.
Meagher (uncle to the eloquent Thomas Francis Meagher,
of '48, and afterwards General in the American army); Fr.
Francis Murphy, still teaching boys in St. Patrick's College, Melbourne; and Fr. Michael O'Ferrall, who for some
years after 1864 helped our Fathers of the dispersed Sardinian Province in their prosperous exile near the Golden
Gate. He died soon after his return from San Francisco.
In this context might be mentioned Fr. Edward Kelly
and Fr. Thomas Kelly, but their work in the arduous
office of Superior lay chiefly in Limerick. Their names,
coupled with that of their eldest brother Fr. \Villiam Kelly
-one of the founders of the Australian Mission, and still exercising his versatile gifts A.M.D.G. in New South Wales <I>
-suggest a remark which has sometimes been made. Is
there any Province of the Society, even twice or thrice as
large as Ireland, which has among its members so many
pairs and triplets of brothers? We have just named three
brothers. Of another name (Hughes) we have three also,
and again two; and we have had two Fathers St. Leger,
two Fathers Bellew, two Fathers Lynch, two Fathers
Seaver, two Fathers Duffy; and we still have two Fathers
Dalton, two Fathers Keating, two Fathers Finlay, four
Fathers Daly, two Fathers Colgan, and some other paternal
couples, besides cousins galore, that is, to n faEl:ors. But
Ol Will it be in<liscreet to a<hl that the only other member of the fireside
circle has been doing the holy work of a Sister of Mercy these thirty years in
Perth, \Vestern Australia, whither she bravely went ft·om her noviceship in the
Mother House in Bag-got Street, befo•·e there was any chance of her having a
Jesuit brother on the same continent, but a thousand miles away from her?
�220
THE IRISH PROT'INCE, S.J
these details may perhaps be beneath the dignity of the
historic muse.
·
St. Munchin's College (afterwards College of the Sacred
Heart) was opened in Limerick in March, 1859, with the
cordial sanction of the good old Bishop, Doctor Ryan. Fr.
Edward Kelly was the first Rector. The Church of the Sacred
Heart was built by his successor, Fr. Thomas Kelly, and
opened in 1868, the dedication sermon being preached by the
holy and eloquent Dominican Bishop of Dromore, Doctor
John Pius Leahy. The next Superior in Limerick was Fr.
\Villiam Ronan, who is known in the United Statesfor his
exertions in establishing the'.Apostolic School at Mungret <•>
near Limerick, in which very arduous task he was greatly
encouraged by Doctor Ryan's successor in the See of
Limerick, Doctor George Butler. Doctor Butler died last
year ( 1886) and has been succeeded by one of our first
Limerick pupils, Doctor Edward O'Dwyer.
Our Galway house was opened about the same time as
Limerick. Fr. Robert Haly was the first Superior, and his
exertions had the chief part in building the Church of St.
Ignatius in that interesting but not very prosperous town.
\Vith Galway should be linked the name of Fr. Michael
Bellew, a man of singular holiness. His eldest brother,
Sir Christopher Bellew, resigned his baronetcy and very
high position in the world to become a very devout and
humble member of the Society, dying on the r.Jith of
March, 1867. · Fr. Michael Bellew died on the 29th of
October, I 868.
A sturdy man of the world, who may catch the reader's
attention better if described as being the first Catholic
Attorney General in England since the Reformation, was
once greatly struck by hearing the 'English Province of the
Society' spoken o( He was delighted with the idea of the
~ world-wide Church looking down on haughty England as
a mere province. To call Ireland a Province would not be
, judicious in a politician; but in the Society Ireland only
rose to be a Province in the year I 86o. Is it of the essence
of a Province to have a novitiate and a foreign mission?
The Irish novitiate was opened in that year at Milltown
Park near Dublin, under the holy and learned Fr. Jones;
but it had begun its great and most successful work as a
House of Retreats in 1858 under Fr. Edmund O'Reilly,
who deserves pre-eminently the same two epithets we have
bestowed on Fr. Jones. Both these Fathers had been lent
to the English Province as professors in St. Beuno's Col1
< > :Mungret College is also the Diocesau Seminary.
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.
J.
22I
lege, North \Vales, along with Fr. \Villiam Kelly. Fr.
Jones's successors were Fr. Sturzo, Fr. Charles McKenna,
Fr. \Villiam O'Farrell, and the present Master of Novices,
Fr. John Colgan. On May 3rd, 1884, Feast of St. Joseph's
Patronage, the novices were removed to Loyola House,
Dromore, County Down, leaving Milltown Park to the
scholastics who arc studying philospohy. Very numerously attended retreats for priests and lay gentlemen arc
given through the whole course of the year at Milltown.
The foreign mission assigned to the Irish Province is so
congenial a field for the zeal of Irish hearts that it requires
some other name than foreign mission- which indeed is
hardly a Jesuit word. The sons of St. Ignatius arc at home
everywhere, in quavis Jllltlldi plaga. A clever man, whose
private sins blasted lately a political career of brilliant
promise, called the United States of America 'Greater
Britain.' They might well be called 'Greater Ireland' ; and
Australia also is for an Irish priest only Ireland transplanted. In July, 1865, Fr. Joseph Lentaigne and Fr. _\Villiam
Kelly left Dublin on their way to Melbourne. The wonderful progress made in twenty years ; the many colleges
and churches founded at Melbourne and Sydney and their
suburbs, cannot be crushed into a paragraph. They have
now thirty-three priests, several scholastics and lay brothers,
and a novitiate. There is only one missioner of Ours in
New Zealand-Fr. McEnroe at Invercargil. The Superiors
of the.Mission have been Fr. Joseph Dalton and Fr. Aloysius Sturzo.
St. Patrick's House of Residence of the Catholic University, Stephen's Green, Dublin, was committed by the
Bishops to the care of the Society in 1873, the first Superior
being the Rev. Thomas Keating, now working at Sydney.
Under a new arrangement, the Catholic University College
is conduCted by our Fathers, Fr. Delany being Vice-ReCtor
since the 21st December, 188r.
Though we omitted it at the proper place, we must not
omit altogether to mention the visit of Fa~her Roothaan, the
first General of the Society that ever sc~ foot on Irish soilthough St. Ignatius did the next best thing in sending us
two of his first companions, Paschasius Brouet and Alphonsus Salmeron. ''Tis an ill wind that blows nobody good,'
and the Italian Revolution wafted to our shores perhaps
the greatest of the Generals since Claudius Aquaviva. He
arrived in Dublin on the 19th of OCtober, 1849, accompanied
by Fr. Villefort of France and Fr. Cobb of the English
Province. He delighted and impressed every one who
came in contaCt. Of this we have a striking testimony in
�222
THE IRISH PROVI.l\rCE, S.J.
the first volume of the Iris!t Awmal llfiscel!mzJ' (afterwards
called Essa)'S c!tic.JlJ' T!tco!ogica!) by the Rev. Patrick Murray, D.D., first Professor of Theology in Maynooth College.
He devotes a long paper to an account of 'Father Roothaan's Visit to Maynooth.' On his part the illustrious
visitor carried away the best impressions of our little island.
The crowds that thronged St. Francis Xavier's Church in
Dublin, even on week days, and the immense number of
confessions and communions delighted and edified him;
and at Avignon he remarked that our Church at Marseilles
was the only rival he kne\v·· for Gardiner Street, Dublin.<1>
He wrote back to Ireland from the Continent: 'Multa ibi
vidi et audivi qu~ maximam mihi consolationem attulerunt.'
It is but fair to give St. Stanislaus' College the direCl: credit
of this testimony. And we take the opportunity of adding
here to our brief account of Tullabeg given at an earlier
stage of these notes that, besides its educational work, it
has been always a focus of religious life through a wide
distriCl:; a sort of goal of pilgrimage to penitents coming
often from very considerable distances.
We have reluctantly put aside our intention of giving
some details about certain of our Fathers qui dormiunt in
som11o paczs; for space would fail, and it is often better to
leave one's self under the guilty consciousness of a duty
undischarged than to make an utterly inadequate a~tempt
at discharging it. The former course gives the auty a
chance of being properly done hereafter.
·
One of the items in this cata!oxuc rmsonne of the Irish
Province would have been Fr. John Ffrench, Lord Ffrench's
brother, who was Assistant at Rome from 1858 till his
death in 1873, May 31st. He was a man of singular holiness, humility, patience, and charity. Thirteen years later
his grave had for some cause to be opened and his remains
were found entire. One who had worked under him when
he was ReCl:or of St. Stanislaus' College, Tullabeg-Fr. John
Cunningham-died in 1858, in his forty-second year, leaving behind him a reputation for sanCl:ity more than ordinary.
The country folk used to scrape away the clay of his grave,
as is done to this day at. St. Patrick's grave in Downpatrick.
Fr. Cunningham's remains were afterwards taken up and
buried in the College chapel.
And now a few w9rds about the bibliography of the Irish
Province. Some years ago a chapter on this subjeCl: would
111 Large additions and improvements have jnst been made in the Residence
of St. Francis Xavier by the pre"ent Superior, Fr. John Bannon, whose name
is not forgotten in the United States by those whose recollections go back to
the War.
�THE IRISH PROVINCE, S.J.
22J
resemble a chapter on the snakes of Ireland. Ireland has
praEl:ically not quite recovered from the repressing influence
of the Penal Code. A certain amount of leisure and affluence is needed for the cultivation of literature, both on the
part of writers and of those for whom they write. It is
only within the last thirty years that anything has been done
in this department by the secular clergy of Ireland, and the
tradition of the Society also resembled the description that
we once heard a French Jesuit, Pere Boudiet, give of the
Church's policy: Ecclcsia semper loquitur, 7zztnquam scribit.
Irish Catholics have trusted too much for their religious literature to London and latterly to New York.
Of late Irish Jesuits have grown less shy of the printing
press.(!) Cardinal Newman in his celebrated 'Letter to the
Duke of Norfolk' and DoEl:or Ward in the Dublin Review,
quoted with high appreciation Fr. Edmund O'Reilly's
essays on 'The Relations of the Church to Society.' Fr.
O'Reilly after being educated at Clongowes, and then as an
ecclesiastical student of gre'at reputation at Rome, was eleEl:ed professor of Theology at Maynooth College, where he
left behind him a tradition of reverence for Jesuit Theology.
vVhen he had attained the position of chief Theological
professor in that great College, he resigned his chair to become a novice of the Society. His influence within and
without the Society was very great. PraEl:ically he was
consulting theologian to half the clergy and nearly all the
hierarchy of Ireland. His personal sanEl:ity was of a very
high degree and of a very amiable kind. When he died i~
November, 1878, in his sixty-seventh year, he was setting
about the preparation of a separate edition of the theological articles we have named. This re-print has been widely
and persistently asked for since his death, and must not be
much further delayed.
T!te Irislt Mont!tl_y has the credit of having forced Fr.
O'Reilly to use his pen. That periodical began in 1873·
Though completely the property of the Society, it has never
depended or wished to depend upon Jesuit contributors
exclusively. It is a good work to employ and amuse
people innocently, either as writers or readers. However,
O> We believe the only contemporary Irish item in the last edition of Perc
de Backer's Ecrivains de let Compagnie de Jes·us is Fr. Robert Carbery's
beautiful little treatise on the Devot.ion to the Sacred Heart. In the forth·
coming edition the Insula Sanctorum et :Doctorurn is, we understand, to be
more fully represented.
'Forsitan et nostrum nomen miscebitur istis.'
Periodicals nowadays absorb what in other times would have developed into
. books. In this sense Fr. Peter Finlay, Fr. William Sutton, and Fr. William
Hughes (now of Melbourne) have a right to be mentioned among the Irish
writers of the Society of Jesus.
�22~
THE IRISH PROVINCE,
S.J.
out of the twenty-three separate works in prose and verse
which have been wholly or in part re-printed from the first
fourteen annual volumes of T!te lrz"slt llfontlt!y, there arc six
which have a right to be named in this context as being
written by Irish Jesuits. 'Cromwell in Ireland,' by Fr.
Denis Murphy, is a work of solid merit and patient research, written in a calm historical spirit. This work and
antiquarian papers· contributed to T!te Irz"slt Montlt(y and
T!tc Irz"slt Ecclesiastical Record were no doubt instrumental
in fixing recently the choice of the Bishops of Ireland on
Fr. Murphy as Postulator~ i-n the cause of the beatification
of the Irish martyrs.
Of a different sort is the second Jesuit work which, before entering on its substantive existence, ran through the
pages of T!tc Irz"slt Mont!t()'-namely 'The Chances of vVar'
by Fr. Thomas Finlay. The author of this excellent
historical romance ofthe time of Owen Roe O'Neill was at
first disguised under the pseudonym of 'A. vVhitelock.'
Fr. Edmund Hogan has sometimes been called the Irish
Bollandist. His 'Hibernia Ignatiana' gives in Latin an
account of the Society of Jesus from its first introduCtion.
Only one large volume has as yet been published. He has
also published a life of Fr. Henry Fitzsimon, S. J. and editeel some of his writings. Let us hope that Fr. Hogan may
have time to put in order for publication his volu!..Ilinous
stores of historical and antiquarian lore. .
~ ··
'Augustus Law, S. J., Notes in Remembrance,' is by Fr.
Matthew Russell, S. J., who has from the first edited T!tc
Irz"slt '11foutlt(l'. He has also published three volumes of
verse, of which the predominant themes arc indicated by
their respeCtive titlcs-'Emmanuel,' 'Madonna,' and 'Erin.'
Seven editions of 'Emmanuel' have been sold, and two of
'Madonna.'
Fr. David Gallery has published a very useful 'Handbook
of Essentials in History and Literature.' vVc anticipate
good results for religious literature from Tltc AustraliaN
Mcssmger if tlte Sacred Heart which has just sprung into
existence at Melbourne, under the editorship of Fr. Michael
\Vatson, S. J.; for such undertakings often produce effeCts
outside their own immediate objeCts. Finally, not to end
with prophecy a paper which is essentially retrospeCtive,
the last name shall be that of Fr. Robert Kelly, founder of
the Association of the Sacred Thirs( whose Illustrated il£ouitor was a spirited attempt to establish a cheap religious
journal for the people. It did not survive his too early death,
which took place on the I 5th of J unc, I 8J6.
Such are the faCts which we have thought it well to re-
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXIC.IN Tf·AR.
225
cord concerning the Society of Jesus in Ireland in this
nineteenth century. Our motives in drawing up this very
simple sketch resemble those of the Cistercian monk who
wrote the history of the monastery of Villars in Brabant,
which is given in .the third volume of Martene's Tlwsaurus
Novus Anccdotorum. He begins thus:'Necessarium reor militaturis Deo in ccenobio Villariensi
diligenter describere qualiter ordo ibidem viguit, quamque
copiosa benedictione persona: domus hujus complecta; (?)
fuerint, sicut seniorum nostrorum relatione didicimus, quatenus ii quos in sa;culis superventuris divina gratia ad monasterium Villariense vocare dignabitur, si hanc parvitatis
nostr.-e paginam Iegere dignum duxerint, considerantes
quam nobili regum mammilla lactati sint, erubescant filii
degeneres inveniri.'
If this account had to be written in Latin, and if in the
foregoing paragraph Provincia Hibernia: were substituted
for Monastcrium Vi!!arimsc, with what more appropriate
words could our sketch have begun ? Let us end with
them therefore.
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR-1846.
7· On the zznd of September began the siege of Monterey which was taken by capitulation on the 24th, when
the enemy evacuated and left it in our possession. During
the siege Father Rey was very active in attending to the
wounded soldiers even at the risk of life. Of his courage
and charity the soldiers bear testimony in letters to their
friends some of which have found their way to the public
prints. He instructed and baptized at least three officers
and no doubt a number of privates, besides administering
to the Catholics the consolations of religion. From the
time that the American army took possession of Monterey
till January, Father Rey attended occasionally at Saltillo
where a number of our troops were stationed, giving the
Catholics of both cities an opportunity of approaching the
Sacraments. On the 1 Ith of January Father Rey wrote<1> to
me that he understood by a letter from Fr. Provincial that
I was to be recalled to the United States, and stated that he
would leave Monterey on Monday the 18th for Matamoras,
to see me before my departure. I had a letter from Father
(I)
The letters of Frs. Rey and McElroy will be given in a following number.
�226
CHLIPLAINS FOR THH MEXICAN TVLIR.
Provincial informing me of my probable recall and asking
me to advise him on its expediency. On the receipt of this
letter I wrote to Father Rey answering his of December, in
which he asks my opinion on the propriety of his visiting
ViCtoria and Tampico wbere some of Ours are stationed.
In my answer I did not allude to the probability of my recall as I knew I must receive from the Provincial another
letter in answer to mine. Fr. Rey left Monterey on the day
appointed and has not since been heard o( He never received my letter, which the post-master afterwards sent me
from Monterey. I had reason to expeCt Fr. Rey about the
24th or 25th of January. Every succeeding day I looked
anxiously for him until the 1st of March, when I wrote to.
Georgetown College the various reports of his having been
murdered near Marine twenty-five miles distant from Monterey. I wrote many letters inquiring for our Father and
for particulars of his death. The answers may be summed
up in a few words : that he was met near Marine by a small
party of Mexicans, who first shot his servant, his only companion, an Irishman named Me Carthy; that the murderers
were desirous of sparing Fr. Rey's life, as he exhibited
sufficient evidence of being a priest, not only from his dress,
but also from his having with him a breviary, oil stocks,
a stole, etc. ; that the assassins finally left the decision to a
notorious charaCter named Gonzilles, the sacristan of the
church at Marine, who decided that the priest too rriust be
shot, otherwise he would report the murder of his servant.
The people of the village hearing that a priest had been
killed, went in search of his body, brought it into the village
and had it decently interred. Soon after the town was set
on fire by our volunteers and reduced to ashes. This account colleCted from various sources may be considered authentic, although no positive evidence of the murder can be
had. General Taylor, who wrote to me on the subjeCt, and
the officers of the army generally, expressed their great sorrow for the melancholy end of the good Father. In the
secret designs of Providence his blood watering the earth
of this affliCted country, may draw down blessing upon the
Mexican Church. His last prayer was no doubt: "Father
forgive them for they know not what they do." Expiring thus
in the praCtice of obedience and heroic charity, may we not
hope that he is now numbered with our Society triumphant, enjoying the rewards of the religious virtues he practised in life.
8. On the 1st of March I wrote to Rev. Father Verhaegen, Provincial, informing him of the probable, almost certain death of Father Rey. In his answer dated April 12th,
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE JIIEXICAN WAR.
227
he directed me to return to Georgetown College, so soon
as I could make arrangements to that effect. Accordingly on
May 1st, the Sunday after receiving the letter, I announced
to the soldiers the exercises for obtaining the indulgence
of the Jubilee published by Pius IX, and that my residence
with them would be of short duration. I exhorted all to
avail themselves of the opportunity thus presented of approaching the Holy Sacraments, and showed the great encouragement they had in the Plenary Indulgence to be obtained. Every day during that week I said Mass at 8 o'clock,
gave an exhortation for one quarter of an hour and then read
the prayers prescribed for the Jubilee; at 5 P. 111. I attended
in the church for confessions and some devotions. About
thirty or forty soldiers assisted throughout the day. On
Sunday, the 9th of May, I celebrated at 9 o'clock, preached
for the last time and gave Communion to more than forty
persons. On Monday, after having baptized two sick soldiers
who could not survive many days, I took leave of my
friends, and on the next morning at 7 o'clock was taken in
a carriage provided by the Quarter-master, Captain Webb,
to point Isabel, having spent in Matamoras ten months and
five days.
9· Now that the mission is ended, a few reflections upon
it may not be inappropriate. As may be seen from the letters copied in the pages of this memoir, the object of the
President of the United States in our mission was altogether
political. The haste with which it was decided to send us,
and the opinion then prevalent that the war would last but
a very short time, prevented Superiors from giving to our
missionary duties such preparation as would make them
more useful for the good of souls and creditable to religion.
Both Fr. Rey and I were without experience or knowledge
of military life. Time was required to enable us to make
our labors profitable. As soon as this was attained we discovered that it was not difficult to find access to the hearts
of the sick. Fr. Rey's opportunities were greater than mine
for the confessional and instruction. Limited, however, as
mine were, much was effected and, had I possessed in the
beginning the experience now acquired, much more fruit
would have been produced. Could the wants of the soldiers
have been foreseen, four or five priests would have been necessary to administer to their spiritual welfare: two should
have been with General Taylor's command, and two or three
with General Scott's. Constant occupation would have
been given to all, in the camp, on the battlefield and in the
hospitals. Early in the campaign more than six hundred
died at Comargo, many of them Catholics, without spiritual
�228
CHAPLAINS FOR THE .JEEXICAN W.4.R.
assistance. At Point Isabel, Brazos Santiago, and along
the river Rio Grande not less than one hundred deaths occurred, no priest being present to administer the consolations of religion. At Vera Cruz twelve hundred of our
troops were in the hospitals with dysentery, besides the·
number wounded during the siege and the battle of Cerra
Gordo, and none of these had a priest to assist them in their
last moments. I am now fully convinced, though I was
not at the beginning of our Mission, that our labors in
these various departments had a happy effect on sectarian
soldiers, and on the co'unfry generally, Not only time was
necessary on our part, to learn how to treat successfully
with the soldiers, both officers and privates, but also it is
important for them to have an opportunity of learning somewhat of our religion, from our practice and from our labors.
Thus I found that those who were shy in the commence·
ment, became familiar and confident with us, in the end. I
think that very few would depart this life either on the
battlefield from their wounds, or in the hospital by disease,
without accepting or calling for our ministry. It is in such
functions, our religion becomes in their eyes, what it ahvays
was, a religion based upon charity, having for its divine
author the God of charity. Such examples from the priesthood, dispel at once the calumnies so often reiterated against
us and cause our Faith to be viewed in a different Iig~t; and
in what more glorious cause can life be sacrificed -than in
such as I have described.
10. It is due to the officers of the army to say that they
treated us on all occasions in the most courteous and respectful manner; those of the regular army particularly,
were extremely assiduous on all occasions to accommodate
and oblige us by many acts of kindness. I have never met
with a more gentlemanly body of men in my life, than arc
the officers of our army; the more I cultivated their acquaintance the more I appreciated their characters; polite,
affable and free from ostentation, they arc an honor to their
profession and deserve well of their country. 'vVe hope that
several of them, as well as the rank and file, have been favorably impressed with. our holy religion during our sojourn
with them. The state of religion in Mexico as it fell under
my notice, is most deplorable ; I had intended to draw up
a separate memoir on the subject, but refrained, as I have
seen but little of the country personally: yet, from what I
have learned from respectable sources, and from what I have
seen, a tolerably correct idea may be formed of the whole;
and my conclusion is that there is no country in the world
more destitute of the labors of the sacred ministry than
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
229
Mexico ; and I may add, in no country would a more
abundant harvest be reaped, especially among the Indian
race. All the good simple people want is a zealous, disinterested priesthood, in sufficient numbers. Thousands and
• thousands of souls would be saved by their ministry. May
our Lord send to this harvest, ripe for the sickle, those
workmen of apostolic spirit, who may be fit instruments in
His hands for His greater glory and the salvation of their
immortal souls.
JoHN McELROY, S. J.
From a Cit;' Newspaper.
A
CARD.
The undersigned being about to return to the United
States, takes this opportunity of expressing his gratitude to
the citizens of Matamoras, with whom he had the pleasure
of an acquaintance, for. their marked kindness and attention
on all occasions, and this without regard to religious opinions. To the officers of the army he acknowledges continuous aCl:s of courtesy during his sojourn with them, the
recolleCtion of which will be cherished by him through life,
and will enable him to appreciate their noble deeds, accompanied by traits still more glorious- the humane, kind,
and truly Christian treatment of their vanquished enemy,
·whether prisoners of war or wounded on the battlefield.
My fervent wishes and prayers, though absent from the
army, shall be elicited for its members, and for a speedy
and honorable peace.
JoHN McELROY,
C!taplaill U. S. Army.
Matamoras, Jlfay I I tit, I847·
'We arc quite sure we express the sentiments of every
citizen of Matamoras when we say it has sustained a loss
in the departure from our midst of Father McElroy. He
was ever ready to impart instruCtion or administer consolation to the affl.iCl:ed. His was not that cold, austere piety
that enshrouds itself in the cloak of bigotry and freezes
into an iceberg those who have been taught a different
mode of worship. He held no one to accountability for a
difference of opinion; his heart pulsated only with devotion
to his supreme Lord and master, and peace and good will
to the human f.l.mily. May his days be many and happy,
and his descent to the grave easy and naturai.'-Ciry Paper.
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
At the request of Rev. Fr. Provincial, I submit the following report of the work of the Missionary band during
the last year. Giving first a condensed account of the
.times and places of missions, I shall enclose also the
'FruCtus Spi rituales,' and .I.. may add a few remarks by way
of explanation.
In the month of August, '86, missions were given in
Newburg, N. Y., Burlington, Vt. and S. Bethlehem, Pa.; in
September at Short Hills, N. J., Keene, N. H. and St. Patrick's, Jersey City; in OCtober at St. Joseph's, Providence,
St. Mary's, Dover, N. H., Bangor, Me., Manayunk, Pa. and
at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Providence;
in November at St. James', Boston;· in December at Middletown, N. J., New Lebanon, N. Y., Dodgeville, R. 1.,
Plainfield, N. J. and Seton Hall, N.J.; in January, '87. at
Raleigh, N. C., Greei1sborough, N. C., in Charleston, S.C. at
the Cathedral, St. Mary's and St. Patrick's, at Fernandina,
Fla., in the Church of All Saints, N.Y. City, at St. Augustine,_
Fla., Mandarin, Fla., Tampa. Fla. and Arlington, M~ss.; in
February at Key \Vest, Fla., Charlestown, Mass., Bro~kton,
Mass., St. Mary's, Providence, St. Mary's, N. Y. City and at
Barrytown and Tivoli, N. Y.; in March at St. F. Xavier's,
Baltimore, Md., St. Joseph's, Philadelphia, St. Lawrence's,
N. Y. City, Immaculate Conception, N. Y. City · and St.
Gabriel's, N. Y. City; in April at Danbury, Conn., Milton,
Mass. and Crompton and River Point, N. H.; in May at
Portsmouth, N. H., Pittsfield, Mass., New Milford, Conn.,
Hastings, N. Y., Dobb's Ferry, N. Y., Gallitzin, Pa. and
Milford, Mass.; in June at Montclair, N.J., St, Paul's, Wilmington, Del. and Neponset, Mass. In all, 76 missions
and 8 triduums, 91,091 particular confessions, 14,050 general confessions, 1001 exhqrtations, g8o sermons with 58
baptisms of adults .
. The staff of the missionary band for r886-87, under superiorship of Fr. McCarthy, included Frs. Langcake, Kavanagh, Ronald Mac Donald, Matthew McDonald and Himmel. I write out the names for the satisfaCtion of seeing
them printed correCtly. I am generally called Hammill or
1-Iimble, the two Frs. Mac Donald are invariably taken for
brothers because of great likeness in names, the people sel-
(230)
�llfiSSIONARY LABORS.
•
231
dom noticing the difference, Mac and Me. In Charleston,
S. C., when we were giving three missions simultaneously,
eloquence was predicated indiscriminately about any name
that came handiest of the three who honor a similar sounding patronymic. Fr. Kavanagh is continually shocked by
seeing his name written with a C. Fr. Langcake's name is
suggestive, but only so in pronunciation. As a body, the
people call us 'The.Holy Commissioners'-'The Machinery
Fathers' - perhaps, because we work so in unison ; generally we are simply tlze lzo!y Fathers, and so persistently called
'holy,' that, at least in my case, I am beginning to have
some misgivings whether the modest opinion I have of my
own sanCtity be not extreme.
Our work day order is as follows : rise at 4.30; Mass and
instruCtion from 5 to 6; confessions from 5 to 7; 7, breakfast; 9. instruCtion ; 9 to I 2, confessions; I 2, dinner; 3 P.M.
Way of the Cross; 3 to 6, confessions; 6, supper; 7.30,
instruCtion, beads, sermon, BenediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament; 7 to 10, confessions.
··
The children have special services, and each evening
there is a class of catechism for converts, First communicants and those to be confirmed.
After each mission we have an interval of six days,
though it not unfrequently happens that hardly as many
hours intervene.
Most of tl1e missions continue during two weeks, the
first for the women, who spread the good news, the second
for the men, who think it easier to make the mission than
bear the brunt of the wife's attack. I do not mean to say
the men are less willing, but there are always laggards.
Woe to such who have wives conscious of their own reCtitude, acquired perhaps at the mission. The missionaries'
sermons are mild exhortations to what they have heard
during the past week. vVhere the men have their own
week, they attend better even than the women. Men seem
to be timid in the church when women are present, and are
easily crowded out. Once during the women's week there
was found a mari in the congregation, and his presence
was the more aggravating as he was just in front of
the pulpit. The women resented it, but he could not b~
made to leave~ vVhen Fr. McCarthy appeared in the pulpit
a piously spiteful vindicatrix of exclusiveness stood up and,
pointing with indignation to the culprit, cried out that all
could hear: 'Father, here is a man in the, church.' There
was an ominous silence, all eyes were turned towards the
unproteCted male, and, but for the sanCtity of the place,
one might almost imagine the inverted thumbs, when Fr.
�232
•
1liiSSIONARY LABORS.
McCarthy in a moment of inspiration calmly said : 'Let
women be silent in the church,' and immediately proceeded
with the sermon. It was afterwards discovered that the
man was as deaf as a post, and no amount of verbal persuasion could have induced him to budge.
It seems to be the prevailing impression amongst the
clergy that. supererogation is the pre-eminent and peculiar
virtue of a missioner. Here are some. of the few extras
that fell to Fr. Kavanagh's lot last year: one lecture, two
retreats, nine sermons in various places, on occasions such
as Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, etc. Of course we all
give the palm to Fr. Kav"{magh as our most zealous and
untiring worker, and I am glad to get this chance of doing
justice to his merit; the more so that whilst I write this he
is suffering his severest trial, being obliged to take complete rest because of a very dangerous illness, evidently
brought on by overwork. If he be unable to be with us
next year, we must mourn the loss of one of our most effi·
cient men.
It is hardly possible to do justice to the zeal and fervor
of the tertians who came to assist us during Lent. Coming
fresh from the school of affections, polished to the finger tip
and redolent with ascetical lore, their presence amongst us
who were begrimed with the dust of many battles, was edifying in its contrast. The pleasure of having men enough
to hear the confessions comfortably, was unique. G~ilerally
the crowds are so great, we look forward with considerable
trepidation to the small hours of Saturday night, dreading
numbers and knotty cases to try our tired heads. Often
after missions, what with rising at 4.30, getting to bed late
and sitting in the confessional all day, I am apt to dwell
with no little complacency on the words : 'probasti me Domine et cognovisti me, tu cognovisti scssioncm meam et
resurrctlioncm meam.'
On the missions we are expected to heal all infirmity,
both spiritual and physical. It is a common occurrence to
have an old woman stop us at the most inopportune time
and place, kneel, uncover the head and insist on an imposition of hands to cure what is called trouble-mindedness ; or
a bruise or boil is shown, with, 'put your hand there Father.'
Sometimes the faith of the people is rewarded. At St. Gabriel's in N. Y. a woman with a palsied hand was cured almost instantaneously by the application of a medal of St.
Benedict. At Pittsfield, a man suffering from sciatica, so
that he hobbled about on crutches, haunted the sacristy
through which I had to pass several times each day, stopping me and continually protesting I could cure him if I
�JfiSSIONARY LABORS.
233
wished. At last partly out of charity and partly for another reason not very praiseworthy, I blessed some water with
a medal of St. Ignatius, a more than sufficient quantity to
last till after the mission and told him to use a few drops
each day till cured. His grateful satisfaB:ion and evident
belief that his hopes were about to be fulfilled caused me no
little remorse. But judge of my surprise when, two days
afterwards, he returned to thank me, perfeB:ly cured, able to
walk without crutches. It was noised about and I had to
bless a great quantity of water. I heard uncertain rumors
of several others that had gotten relief from it, but of one I
am certain. A Protestant lady from N. Y., summering in
the Berkshire Hills, called to see me the day after the mission and told me she had been suffering for a long time from
a dangerous and disgusting sore on the head, one of her
servants had given her some of the water and after a few
applications she was so much better that she considered
herself praB:ically cured and her doB:or, also a Protestant,
declared the change miraculous. A few hours after seeing
this lady, I boarded the train for Albany and was still dallying with a pleased sense of unusual success and consequent
importance, when to my horror a very tipsy man claimed
my acquaintance on the score of having been to confession
to me, and began a boisterous monologue on the excellency
of the mission and the particular good it had done him. I
escaped as quickly as possible to the next car. But fate had
decreed my humiliation, and flight was useless. I had hardly settled down before my friend appeared again and, seeing
the crowd of passengers, was forthwith possessed by a demon
of harangue: 'Ladies and gentlemen, here is a holy Father,
if any of you are in mortal sin, now is your chance, etc.'
The conduCtor appeared on the scene-I said: 'This drunken
fellow is following me about the train tormenting me, I wish
you would take him away.' My words seemed to have a
sort of chemical effeCt: on his whiskey, precipitating it into
bile, and the excoriation that followed was magnificent'You a missioner? God help the missioners! I don't believe
you are a priest or you wouldn't slander your own kind, etc.'
till the door closed between us and I was left to the unwelcome pity of my fellow passengers:
vVhere there arc Catholic schools and sodalities the work
of the mission is comparatively easy; because of the lack of
these, the great want of the people is instruCtion ; plain,
straightforward, unadorned explanation of the Sacraments,
commandments and duties of one's state of life. It is a
cause of never ceasing wonder to me how willing the peoVoL. XVI, No. 3·
·
16
�234
MISSIONARY LABORS.
pie are and how anxious to learn about these things. They
seem astonished at being able to understand every word said.
Once in a very large parish, out of above a thousand people
whom I personally interviewed on the subjed:, hardly a dozen
had heard of such a thing as devotion to the Sacred Heart.
Monthly Communion is as rare in some places as it is common in our own churches, and the prevailing impression is
that it is wrong to go oftener than several time;; a year; and
not on account of Jansenistic notions either. •
As our trip south was something out of the ordinary, I
shall give some points uppermost in my memory. vVe were
south of the Mason and Dixon line but twice. A mission
for the negroes in Baltimore was considered a great success, so much so, that Fr. MacDonald was invited a second
time. His remarks about the race as Christians were pertinent but might look harsh in print. The other southern
missions were in the Carolinas and Florida. Fr. Kavanagh
went to North Carolina. In the whole diocese there are
fe\ver Catholics than in some of the larger parishes of New
York, and the people are poor. One of the priests had not
money enough on ha..nd to buy Fr. Kavanagh's ticket farther
than the next town, whereupon he was obliged to 'crack'
the Jubilee alms box to get away.
The others of the band sailed from N.Y. on the 28th of December for Savannah and sighted Tybee light at the mouth
of the river, on New Year's eve. Made exped:ant""by the
glowing description of Georgia lowland scenery by Paul
Hayne, I looked impatiently for the dark green and sombre
foliage, the hurry of waters on the white low beach; I could
hear, I imagined, the sighing of the wind through the long
and dainty moss-beards and in a few hours fondly hoped
to be magnetized into mute admiration at the magical effed:
of sunrise on the placid current of the Savannah-butEheu! fog, mud, marsh, a cold wind; dumped into a dirty
and insignificant tug uncomfortably crowded and landed ingloriously. For a description of the city, see Mitchel's geography, first edition. Add a few eled:ric lights, subtrad:
about four-fifths of commerce and the remainder, :k<ded
beauty, will be correa..·
We found Charleston in ruins and still unsafe and those
who properly appreciated God's judgments felt it so. Man
and the elements seem to have conspired against this proudest city of the South, to humiliate it. Terrible conflagrations, disastrous bombardments, hurricanes, earthquakes
have visited the place in quick succession and during the
intervals the negro population, which is in majority, rested
upon the place-a black incubus-not the least of its numer-
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
235
ous evils. We expected to find the people eager for a mission because of the recent calamity. The negroes became
intensely religious, the whites were greatly terrified, but it
was not that fear which is the beginning of wisdom. Still
our missions were very successful. There was little of the
enthusiasm we generally find in northern missions. The
people are very proper and hate scenes. At the close of
the Cathedral mission when they were told to stand, raise
the right hand and renew in common the baptismal vows,
the local clergy were shocked, fearing the people would not
respond, but they did; the bejeweled finger and the chivalrous right hand went bravely up amid the only expression
of enthusiasm I noticed during the two weeks.
Hospitality and the delicate manner of tendering it, is the
virtue of the South, and in Charleston is very near perfect ;
it was a revelation to the business-like minds of the northern visitors. After the mission the pillars of the churchpillars now, alas, without golden capitals-took us in a private yacht to visit the incunabula of the secession. A
solitary sergea.nt in blue and brass is the only representative
of the U. S. upon Sumter. ·It is chiefly remarkable now
for the difficulty in landing. Fr. McCarthy performed the
acrobatic feat of scaling the rickety wharf-about ten feetby the help of a rope dangerously sldder in this particular
case, but he had the moral support of spectators and so
shamed the others, all but one, to follow. The harbor is
magnificent, and the natural port of the South, but the
channel is filled in since the war; the wharves are rotting
away and Sumter stands at the mouth of the bay, a fitting
head-stone of its dead commerce. I was told the banking
capital of Charleston before the war was thirteen millions, it
is now less than three millions. The slaves represented one
hundred and seventy four million dollars-the people have
now that much more freedom thrust upon them, and the
superfluity is growing rank for want of care. The soaring
ambition of a negro is to possess a mule; and to drive a
· horse the acme of bliss.
Fr. Langcake's mission lasted one week, after \vhich he
went to Fernandina, Fla. The town narrowly escaped total
destruction by fire during the mission there-it was a mere
coincidence. Fr. McDonald left by steamer for N. York to
assist Fr. Kavanagh at a mission. Frs. McCarthy, MacDqnald and myself, at the invitation of Monsignor Quigly
-a prince in generosity-and accompanied by Bishop
Northrop, visited a part of Florida. At Jacksonville we
saw oranges growing, for the first time. From here we
sailed up the St. John's to Tocoi, thence by rail to St. Au-
�llfiSSIONARY LABORS.
gustine, a veritable dolce far nimte town. The sun, though
hot, seemed to shine languidly ; those wintering here sit
out of doors, bathed in delicious floods of it and give themselves up completely to the mere pleasure of existence.
After the Cathedral, the old Spanish fort, San Marco, now
called Fort Marion, is well worth a visit.· It is built of huge
blocks of coquina, a composition of sea shells, sand and
cement. The walls are at least twenty feet high, surrounded by a moat. It required a century to complete it, and its
size may be estimated from the faa that one hundred cannon
and a thousand men were. its garrison and complement.
Some years ago, by a break in the wall, an underground cell
was discovered which had been walled up. In it were found
iron cages, fastened to the wall, containing skeletons of two
men. The standard of Spain floated over St. Augustine till
1763, when England became its master. In 1783 it was
given back in exchange for the Bahama Islands. In 1821
the United States got it. The English are blamed for the
skeletons. The fort is now the home of the remnant of
Geronimo's tribe. They have pitched their .tents upon the
battlements and thejr camp· fires fill the casements with
blinding smoke. The braves, piCturesquely clad in the essentials of civilization, lounge and gamble and play - but
mostly lounge- arid look anything but sanguinary; the
squaws sit in the smoke and dirt and seem occupied in persistently doing nothing; the children, clad in tlfi -latest
Indian style, tumble about in the hot sun. The negroes
visit here in crowds and seem fascinated by what appears to
them an ideal existence-fed, clad and housed free and no
work expeCted in return. The Cathedral has been so often
described and poetized, that I refrain beyond mention.
There were among other objeCts of interest to be seen, an
immense hotel being built, to cost about two million dollars; the slave market, rattlesnakes in glass cases, which
are poked into fury and made to rattle for the amusement
or horror of the visitor according to the visitor's state of
mind; orange groves; narrow, very narrow streets. From
St. Augustine we went by rail to Pulatka, thence to Ocala,
an orange centre, wher~ we eat wry poor oranges; then by
team to Silver Springs, which is a wonder. The Indians
gave Ponce de Leon enthusiastic accounts of the 'Fountain
of Youth'-they probably meant this. The river or spring
rises suddenly from the ground and after running about
nine miles through foliage-shaded banks, more luxuriantly
beautiful than the poet's wildest dream, empties into the
Oclawaha. Transparent to the very bottom, in some places
from sixty to eighty feet deep, refraCtion produces beautiful
�MISSIONARY LABOR'S.
237
effeCts, pebbles become ingots of silver, and the omnipresent tomato-can is glorified into a silver mug.
Here our party broke up; the Bishop and Monsignor
returned home, I started for New York on Friday evening,
arriving Sunday evening following-distance nine hundred
and ninety-nine and two-tenths miles. Frs. McCarthy and
MacDonald took the steamboat-it is called so by courtesy
-at Silver Springs to go by the Oclawaha and St. John's
River to St. Augustine to' give a mission there. I got
a vivid account of the trip from Fr. MacDonald.. The
river is crooked beyond comparison-zigzag would be a
mild expression -the channel so narrow that the boat had
to be forced through impassable places. Monstrous alligators disport in their native element. At nightfall a huge
pine torch is lit at the bow to make the darkness visible.
The negroes tune up the banjo and sing weird" songs. As the
boat pushes its way through the dense foliage, only a narrow
streak of the starry firmament is visible, while on either
side is the dark illimitable forest, with here and there the fitful sheen of refieeted light far in the interior where the
river stagnates among the trees. The weird t:·mtastic drapery
of the ever present moss hangs in graceful garlands from
the tree tops. In front is a black impenetrable bank, where
the river curves sharply. And so on for about one hundred miles. But to do justice to the scene I should fain
paint the persuasive tones and parenthetic asseverations of
the eye-witnesses. vVhen Herodotus has a chapter particularly incredible, he always concludes with the words: 'Now
these things happened thus' (I quote from Bohn's Edition).
During the mission at Key vVest, Fr. McCarthy was
quite ill, and Fr. Mac Donald made such extraordinary efforts
to keep well that he was more used up than Fr. McCarthy.
They crossed over to Havana and there took steamer for
New York. At Hatteras they had the full benefit of a severe storm, in which, but for the captain's prudence in refusing some extra freight, the missionary band would have lost
at once its Superior and ornament.
J. H.
Frucrus spirituales ministerii PP. missionariorum Provincia!
Marylandia! Neo-Eboracensis a I' die Julii 188q ad lam
diem Julii 1887:
Bapt. infant. 19; Bapt. adult. 58; Confess. partie. 91,091 ;
Confess. general. 14,050; Matrim. benediCt. 10; Matrim.
rcvalid. 51 ; Catecheses 401 ; Exhortationes 100 I ; Condones 980; Parati ad x•m Commun. 777; Parati ad Confirm.
1489; Exercit.. Presbyt. 1 ; Excrcit. Religiosis 7; Missiones 76 ; Tridua 8 ; Visit. hosp. 6 ; Visit. career. 9·
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF I86I.
(Third Letter.)
SANTA RosA IsLAND, GuLF oF MExico,
,
July 10th, 186r.
VERY REV. AND DEAR FAT~.fER TELLIER,
P. C.
Since my letter of the
24th of June, we have, without loss of life, been landed from
the Vanderbilt, in defiance of the threatening array of
forts, of redoubts, of water and sand batteries, manned by
southerners with the evident intention of reducing stately
but silent Fort Pickens, as they did gallant Fort Sumter,
or of preventing the landing of re-enforcements. Under
the circumstances, the disembarkation was certainly a daring exploit. For, under the very eyes and guns of the confederates who deemea the capture of Pickens all important
to them, and already within their grasp, the United States
Government, in open daylight, coolly and deliberately re-enforced the little beleaguered garrison unable any longer to
defend itself. Even independently of the great ~d!wger
reasonably to be apprehended from the enemy's guns
commanding the stretch of water over which we had to row,
or through which we had to wade in order to reach the
island, the landing had to be effected in spite of natural
obstacles apparently insurmountable. Perhaps the enemy
relying on our inability to cope with these difficulties concluded not to waste their ammunition in performing a work
which nature would do for them. During the disembarkation, the enemy could be seen, from time to time, manceuvering about their cannons, as if they were about to offer a
very energetic protest against the re-enforcement of Pickens;
but if they really had the intention of preventing the landing, they confined themselves to the assuming of a threatening attitude. Not a shot was fired by either side.
On nearer acquaintance with Santa Rosa, we find that it
has many redeeming qualities. The impression the first
sight of it produced on us, was truly dreadful. For, viewed
from the deck of our transport, it is a most dreary placea white, sandy, barren island, apparently three-fourths of a
mile wide, and about six or seven miles long. Not a sign
(238)
�LETTERS FROJ! A CHAPLAIN.
'
'
2J9
of vegetation, civilization or cultivation visible-a scorched
and scorching desert island! 'How are we to live on this
burning shore?' was frequently asked by the soldiers as
they gazed from the deck across the water, at their future
• home. 'Distance lends enchantment to the view,' was not
in this case verified. Santa Rosa is not so dreary as it appeared to be. It is a sand bar thrown up on the south side
by the stormy Gulf of Mexico ; and on the north side by
the Black \Vater Riv~r and Pensacola Bay. Its basis extends so far into the Gulf, that vessels like the Vanderbilt
cannot approach nearer to it than two, and sometimes three,
miles.
Owing to this great distance at which our transport is
obliged to remain off from shore, the landing of the troops
was accompanied by scenes comical beyond conception, and
unpleasant to many beyond endurance. During leisure
moments which I can call my own, I will try to describe
our disembarkation.
Early in the morning of the 25th, every sailor and soldier,
rank and file, was up and peering over the water to see the
expeEl:ed aid, which, in the 'orders' of the evening of the
24th, we were informed would be at hand at 8 o'clock A. M.
\Ve had not long to wait. At a given signal, a number of
boats put off from the various men-of-war, some apparently
for pleasure, others evidently for severe work, for they had
in tow heavy, cumbrous launches. They all converged towards the Vanderbilt, alongside of which they were at the
precise time indicated in the 'orders'.
A launch is a large boat carrying a swivel gun at the bow,
and capable of easily holding one hundred armed men.
They are used by the fleet to land men or munitions during
bombardments or other engagements. Either because they
are too clumsy, or because the hundred armed men whom
they carry would interfere with the working of the oars,
these launches are towed not rowed. In the present case,
each launch was towed by two smaller boats each of which
was rowed by twenty-two sailors, and commanded by a midshipman. At early dawn, Col. Wilson took the precaution of
sending to the island for the purpose of superintending the
landing of the men, and the organization of a camp, Mr.
Clapp, a civil engineer in whom he placed unbounded confidence. His authority was absolute till the Col. could come
ashore; and consequently the soldiers were under striEl: obligations to obey his every command. The men in complete
marching order with drums and fifes, are mustered on deck
by companies, ready to make the perilous passage to Santa
Rosa. The work of boarding the launches was, however,
�2-fO
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
necessarily slow. For the enormous swells of the Gulf• rose
high up the side of the ship, bringing launches and boats
to the very bulwarks of the transport; again, before more
than three or four could step aboard, the swell gave way to
an immense abyss which brought launches and boats appar- •
ently to the very keel of the vessel. A number of heavily
armed men, carrying muskets and ammunition, haversacks
and knapsacks, are waiting on the gangway to profit by the
.next rise of the launch. They join their comrades, and
again all go down to the bottom.
Whilst this slow and dapgerous movement was being effected, officers and men of the Vanderbilt were engaged in
preparing to convey to shore the mules and their wagons
and harness. Mule after mule with halters attached, was
swung out into the boisterous waters, where a fleet of small
boats with competent crews was waiting to receive them.
As each mule reached the water, men stationed at the stern
of a boat for the purpose, seized the halter, and kept the
animal's head above the briny element. Two or three were
then taken in charge by one boat's crew, and towed shorewards. The poor mules seemed to have lost the traditional
qualities of their nature. They were as submissive and
gentle as lambs. Towards eleven o'clock A. M., the first
launch with her heavy load put off from the transport, amidst
the deafening cheers of those yet secure on deck. 'Boys,'
said one of them to us as they \~ere moving off, 'thLs' is an
unusual way to go into battle. Pray for us.' vVhilst the
next boat is receiving its living freight, many of us while
away our time, fishing for sharks, which show themselves
in shoals around the ship. ·We caught many of them, but
we were unable to haul even one on deck. They tore themselves loose from the hooks, when half way up the side of
the vessel, and fell back into their element to take the next
bait. But what is all this about? All rush to the starboard!
A new and very alarming danger appears ! ! The tide is going
out, and a strong current, which sweeps directly towards the
l).ostile Fort McCrae, has struck our heavily laden launch,
which has to be towed for a distance of two miles against
this almost irresistible ocean torrent. The forty-four rowers
arc pulling at the oars, as only old trained sailors of the U.
S. Navy can pull, but no progress is made! 'Will they be
able to stem the powerful current' is asked in whispers by
men on every side, 'or shall we be helpless witnesses of their
being handed over to the enemy by the elements?' Signals
again are rapidly exchanged between the men-of-war. A
little gunboat, I think it is the 'Water-Witch', the lightest
draught of the fleet, slips her anchor, and moves in after the
�LETTERS FROJI .A CHAPLAIN.
2 ..p
endangered boats. Now is going to begin a battle of which
we are to be silent spectators. Captain Lefevre is signaled to
move off out of range of the enemy's guns. Another signal from the flag-ship, and the 'vVater-vVitch' returns to her
position in line. Are we going to sacrifice those bra};C soldiers and sailors? By no means ! There! There they are,
pulling for liberty if not for life ! They are stemming the
current with success ; they arc out of danger of being swept
over to Fort McCrae whose parapet is thronged with anxious spectators. \Vhy does the enemy allow this boat load
of brave men to pass safely from under their cannons on
towards Fort Pickens? There is nothing that we can see,
except fear, to prevent the commandant of McCrae from
throwing a shell into this thronged boat, and burying it and
its contents beneath the sto.rmy waves of the Gul( He
kindly allows them to struggle successfully against adverse
currents which seemed determined to do what the confederates dared not do, and approach Santa Rosa as near as the
depth of the water will permit the launches to come.
The poor jaded, hungry, hand-sore sailors at last rest on
their oars.· They have done their work nobly. 'Boys,' said
the midshipman in command, addressing the soldiers, 'we
have done our best; \Ve cannot go farther.' Between the
swells, the launch grounds. The poor Zouaves, in complete
heavy marching order, carrying their muskets, their ammunition, their two days' rations and their knapsacks, look in
silence towards the dry land from which a sheet of turbulent,
boiling surf, three-fourths of a mile wide separates them.
There was, however, no time for deliberation. The command
to jump overboard and hold th!::ir muskets and powder over
water, was given. In a twinkling the Captain and his men
were in amongst the billowy swells, which, moving along
in successive rolls towards the beach, completely inundated
the struggling but cheerful Zouaves, who now abandoned all
thoughts of keeping dry their arms and powder. Their
progress through the breakers became a 'rough and tumble
affair.' They shouted, they pushed and tripped one another;
they were a thoughtless mob. On reaching sh6re, where
they had many reasons to expect to meet the enemy, they
found their arms and powder utterly useless, their two days'
rations thoroughly saturated with salt water and, for the
present, no means at hand to procure a new supply. In this
condition the soldiers are ordered to fall into line, scout that
part of the island in search of any enemies who might be
lurking behind the sand hills, and select a spot on which to
bivouac for the night. This manner of landing was, with
some varying incidents, repeated for every launch. When
�LETTERS FROII! A CHAPLAIN
night closed in, we found we had disembarked but three
hundred men; I do not know how many mules were landed.
From deck we can, with the aid of our field glasses, see
the poor animals racing over the island without stint or
hinderance; a freedom which very probably they have taken
after passing through the breakers. 'How are they to be
captured, with the means at our disposal?' is a question
proposed by many.
The 'boys' are very much subdued; the sights they have
witnessed to-day, have had a wonderful effeCt: on the men
yet nicely quartered on board. All are anxious to go to
confession. I am, of course, at the poor fellows' command.
\Ve continue our spiritual work, with amusing interruptions,
till far into the night.
June 26th. Early this morning the work of disembarkation was resumed with renewed vigor and with the advan. tage of yesterday's experience. At dawn, Col. \Vilson went
ashore in a pinnace, and was horrified at the condition of
his men, who, in addition to their privations were all night
in constant fear of being attacked without possessing any
means of defence. They imagined too that the mules, of
whose liberty they \vere unaware, were southern cavalry
scouring the island in quest of booty; for these poor animals, from fright or on account of their long confinement
on the steamer, continued their mad course hither and ~hither
in a drove, over the sand hills all night. But this wqs not
the worst. The very man whom he had entrusted with the
arrangements for the reception and accommodation of the
troops on landing he found completely insane. This unfortunate man, of great experience in camp life and accustomed
to the climate and its wants; was sent ashore, as I said above,
to provide all possible comforts for the men. Here now
the Col. found his men under the orders of a madman who
gave his orders whilst flourishing a broadaxe in the faces of
the poor soldiers who had been told on leaving the ship to
obey him in everything. He has since, thank God, partially
recovered. His inability to meet the wants of the men,
whom he saw deprived of every thing, is said to have caused
this melancholy affair.
The work of landing' the troops continued as yesterday,
with the exception of the increasing uproar among the
breakers. For the men landed from the first boat came all
out into the water to meet the arriving launch, at the point
where rank and file had to take to the water and, with their
baggage, reach .the shore the best they could. A constant
repetition of their fun in upsetting and immersing the new
arrivals took place at the disembarkation of every launch-full.
<
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
243
An English man-of-war created some little excitement today by appearing in the offing, and signaling to the fleet.
The flag-ship gave rapid signals in return and all was again
quiet. The interpretation, I am told, is: The Englishman
asked whether there would be any objection to his going up
to the city of Pensacola, and looking after any of Her Majesty's subjects who might need his assistance. The answer
was, I am informed: 'There is every objection; keep outside the line of the fleet.' The Englishman kept on the outside and neither gave nor received a salute. Col. Wilson
remained on shore all day and procured from the fort some
provisions for his Zouaves. At night he, like them, slept
on the sandy beach, thus sharing in their privations and
fatigues.
June 27th. The disembarkation of the troops is earnestly
resumed this morning. Both sailors and soldiers are more
than anxious to have the work completed to-day. Col.
Wilson returned to the vessel about 10 o'clock A. 111., ordered
off a fresh supply of provisions for those on shore, and told
me not to think of leaving the vessel for at least a week.
'Before that time,' he said, 'there could be no accommodations.' 'At present,' he continued, 'we have no other couch
than the sand, no' other covering than the canopy of heaven.'
On my representing to him that my services might be required
on the island, as there was danger of sunstroke, accidents,
etc., he said: 'Well, that is so,' and told me to go on shore
and take my chances. Capt. Lefevre kindly offered me his
own gig manned by his own men. This little boat. could
approach the shore much nearer than a man-of-war's pinnace
could.
Immediately after dinner, the boat with six good men was
at my disposal. Capt. Lefevre in bidding me good-bye,
whispered to me: 'If all is not to your liking on shore, send
me word by one of the launches, and my boat will bring
you an invitation to come on board, where you can remain
three or four months; it will require, at least, that time to
unload the Vanderbilt. Make my ship your home whilst I
am here.' This was surely kindness on the part of the bighearted mariner.
As I looked down the side of the monster vessel, and beheld the tiny boat now sink apparently beneath the ship,
now brought up by the returning swell almost to the bulwarks, I became somewhat alarmed, and asked whether the
gig could withstand those terrific waves. 'No cause for
alarm, no danger at all,' replied the Captain, 'these swells
are long and regular.' My 'chapel' was safely lowered into
the dauntless· little craft, and I took a position from which I
�2-U
LETTERS FROM .A
CHAPLAIJ\~
could easily step into the boat when next it rose to my level.
Up, up it climbs. 'Now, Father!' said the Captain. In I
stepped, and down, down, we descended. Up again and
we pushed off from the now silent transport. 'Poor fellow,'
said Capt. Lefevre, as we bade him good-bye, 'you have no
idea of the hardships and privations that await you!' The
Steward, Mr. McHenry, cried out: 'Father, the Captain says
I may go ashore to-morrow to see how you are situated.'
Three hearty cheers by the crew, and three lusty blasts by
the Vanderbilt's whistle wer.e given us as we started on our
course towards Santa Rosa: \Ve soon discovered that we
had around us a throng ~'r boats engaged in floating the
mules ashore, many of which are yet ori board. At 5 o'clock
P. ~!. we were as ncar Santa Rosa as the breakers would allow our little boat to approach. The Zouaves, who arc now
all ashore, lined the beach and filled the water out as far as
the point where .the launches halted. They were endeavoring to float the provisions and baggage from the launches
to the shore. In what a condition the sugar, flour, etc. must
be, thus floated through the breakers to dry land! The majority of these poor fellows working all day in the water,
had only their drawers on them .• Their work was evidently
great sport. They were wild.
Noticing my arrival, these good hearted 'boys' made an
impetuous rush towards us. They might be compared to a
have
school of whales or porpoises. In their eagerness
the honor of carrying the 'Father's things', they flocked
around me, like so many monsters of the deep after their
prey. It required all my ,stern authority to prevent them
in their zeal to oblige me, from upsetting the boat, and dashing me and my chapel into the waves. I told them that I
had with me the altar and chalice, etc., and that if these were
spoiled, we could have no Mass during the war. 'Don't you
see,' said one of them, 'you are bothering the Father? Give
him a chance to tell us what he wants done.' 'Bad 'cess to
your awkward hands,' said another, 'if it wasn't for the Father's care, you would have destroyed the Catholic church
he has in his trunk and then what would become of us?'
'Let us lift boat, church, Father and all, out of the water,
and land them nicely on the sand,' said a third. During
this dispute, the men waist deep in water, contributed rather
to engulf than steady the boat in those fearful swells. Finally, I had them to haul the gig a little nearer shore, when
I gave my little trunk containing vestments, etc., to the tallest of those around me, and told him I held him responsible
for its safe arrival on shore. Two strong men steadied the
bearer of the 'Catholic church' and prevented him from
to
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN
\
'
245
being taken off his feet by the heavy in-coming swells. The
crowd is still about me. They want to bear me on their
shoulders to the beach.-No use resisting-! was seized by
brawny arms, lifted high out of the boat and brought off
in triumph to the shore, amidst deafening cheers. From
boat to boat the joyous shout passed over the water till it
reached the fleet, who supposing a secessionist had been
captured, took up the hurrah and made the very Gulf reecho the cry of exultation. Soldiers who were carrying
provisions, etc., from the beach into the interior of the island,
among the sand hills, hearing the outcry, imagined the enemy had begun the attack, and rushed to the beach carrying
their useless muskets, to give their comrades all the aid they
could. On seeing me. another idea arose in their minds:
'They are laughing at the Father.-vVho insulted you, Father?' roared several together of these wild but good natured Zouaves. They would not listen to any explanation.
'You want to put us off,' they exclaimed. 'vVe know the
Priests ; you won't tell for peace sake.' Finally, the affair
was understood, and another cheer went up from the vigor.ous lungs of the New York soldier boys. 'Father,' said
they to me, 'after three days' hardship, fatigue, danger and
fun, we are all safely landed from the Vanderbilt; you are
the last.' Though neither any life was sacrificed, nor any
article of private property was lost, yet, owing to the great
strip of rough surf through which all had to wade and baggage had to be hauled, I doubt whether it can truthfully be
said, that the landing was safely effeCl:ed. Owing to the
intense heat, no apprehension is entertained of any serious
consequences arising from the long continuance of the men
in the water, from lack of proper food and of change of
clothing.
Now the crowd was ready to accompany me to my quarters. But what a road we have to travel! A succession of
elevations and depressions of white, fine sand, as dry as
powder, into which we sank ankle deep every step, was the
road and the soil of our island. Indeed I looked about
. me in vain for a blade of grass, a sign of vegetation, or even
a stone. Sand, sand, sand, an ocean of sand! 'It is not all
as bad as this,' said a Zouave to me. 'Four or five miles
down the island, are lakes and trees, but guarded by enormous alligators. The whole island is alive with venomous reptiles.' After a quarter of an hour's walk over this
yielding, scorching sand, we reached regimental head-quarters. 'You are \velcome, Father, to the best we have,' said the
Col., who had returned to the island early in the clay. Truly
I received all the attention that could be paid me, that is, I
�LETTERS FROJJr A CHAPLAIN.
was allowed to share in the• present misery of camp life.
I shall not horrify anyone by a recital of the life the Col.,
his staff, his officers and his men were obliged to .Jead for
the first days on Santa Rosa. Camp was immediately put
on a war footing, sentries were stationed at their posts, tattoo
was beaten, pickets and videttes were thrown fonvard, taps
were sounded, lights extinguished and silence was enforced.
Not simply military, but warlike discipline is henceforth to
be rigidly exacted. A terrific thunder storm began in the
afternoon and continued far, into the night.
June 28th. J cannot SG\Y we rose early. There is no
more rising, for there is no more going to bed. No chairs,
or beds, or houses for us any more! Nor was there any
sleeping. The musquitoes, and their manifold kindred species, kept up all night long such a vigorous, well sustained
attack on us, that there was no possibility of sleeping-many,
however, had their eyes closed by the venomous stings of
these maringouins which seem to have taken sides with
the confederates. The mules too, still roving over the island,
repeatedly came galloping up to the edge of the camp, and
thus kept us in constant fear of being trampled to death
by this now apparently savage horde. Nevertheless, reveille
was beaten, the friendly sun arose, roll was called, and all·
was stir and commotion as yesterday.
After a little break£1st-a hard brown sea-biscuit. and a
tin cup of coffee without milk- those of the Zouaves not
engaged in camp duty, were ordered to aid in unloading the
Vanderbilt. My parish was scattered; I had nothing special
to do. After reciting the 'Little Hours,'. I concluded to
explore the neighborhood, visit the fort, and find out the
reason why the little garrison whom we have come to relieve,
has thus far shown no signs of joy at our arrival, or offered
us no human comforts. Here are two 'company cooks,'
bringing between them a large tub of water. 'Boys,' said I
eagerly, 'where is the spring?' 'There is no spring herethere is no drinkable water on the island. This is water
saved a year ago, during the last rainy season. It is kept
in tanks or cisterns in the fort. They measured it out to
us so much per man .according to the roll. If we come
short, we shall have to do without it tiii this time to-morrow.
\Ve shall have to be very sparing. The officer in the fort
told us to inform the Col. that there is but very little remaining in the cisterns, and that if the rainy season does not
soon come to our relief, we shall be in great straits for a
drink of water.' This is startling news. So much depending
on a glass of the transparent fluid, and yet so often despised!
�LETTERS FR01,r A CHAPLAIN.
\ .
247
Immersed in the Gulf, and yet exposed to die or surrender
for the want of a cup of water! God's will be done.
Our present camp-if it can be called a camp-is fiveeighths of a mile east of Pickens., From this position we
have a splendid view of the Gulf of Mexico; of the fleet
with tenders and transports ; of Pensacola Bay in possession of the confederates; of the enemy's forts and batteries;
of the little towns of \Yarrington and Woolsey; of Live
Oak Point and the encampments stretching along the shores
of the bay. . Of course the southern forces occupying these
various points see and recognize our camp and no doubt
have their cannons already pointed at us, to send us hasty
messengers when the battle will begin. A couple of small
steamers and three schooners armed according to their size
and strength, constitute the southern fleet plying about the
bay, whose entrance they are supposed to be guarding; or
as others suppose, they are waiting for an opportunity to
pass through the fleet out to sea, and prey upon our commerce. '\Vhy don't they prey upon us?' is a question continually asked. Their hope of escaping out to sea, is certainly vain. There is no need of guarding the entrance
against the fleet. Flag Officer McKean has not a single
vessel with him of sufficiently light draught to be able to
enter the bay. \Vith the little fleet he has, Gen. Bragg, said ·
to be in command of the defences of Pensacola, could sweep
us into the Gul£ Even an occasional shot would drive us
all into Fort Pickens, and perhaps oblige us to take refuge
on the vessels. It is mysterious that he does not at least
make the attempt. Some attribute his conduct to his love
of the old flag, which he does not wish to see hauled down.
Late in the forenoon I entered Fort Pickens which I found
vast, cold and lonesome. It seemed to be deserted. At the
sally-port was a sentry who saluted my 'shoulder straps.'
Informed that I was .the Priest accompanying the volunteers,
the poor sentry gave me another salute, and said: 'Father,
you are just in time. Some of our poor fellows are at the
point of death- two died yesterday without the Priest.'
Hurrying to the little hospital, I ascertained the reason why
the regulars in the fort did not come to offer us the right
hand of friendship. The beleaguered garrison of Fort Pickens are the remnants of Lieut. Slemmer's heroic band, whom
he brought over here from Barrancas at the breaking out of
the rebellion, and the ever-to-be-honored dragoons who,
though abandoned by Gen. Twiggs, <I> made their way
(Il Gen. Twiggs was in com maud of the U. S. fi>rces in Texas at the ont-Lreak
of the civil war. He surrendered his entire command and all the military
posts and munitions of war to the state authorities, and entered the confederate service.-Ed. W. L.
�LETTERS FROllr A CHAPLAIN.
through forests and swamps to the Union lines, where they
arrived sick and foot sore. All these poor fellows faithful to
their oaths, are Irish Catholics. They are now, from excessive
work, from exposure, from want of proper food and proper
medical attendance, beyond the hope of recovery. By the
superhuman efforts they had to make, the almost incredible
privations they had to endure, in order to hold Fort Pickens
for the United States, these poor fellows are now reduced to
the last extremity. Those in bed are dying; those up and
trying to mount guard, are·.walking skeletons; .of course I
attended to the noble soldiers, martyrs to the sanCtity of
their oaths.
How great God's mercy is! He sends these dying soldiers, deprived of almost every earthly comfort, a Priest
when they least expeCted and most needed one. It was
·truly a moving sight to see these-weather-beaten soldiers,
some of whom had spent more than fifteen years of continual service in wild Texas, and wilder Indian country, shed
tears of gratitude for the great boon the Lord had conferred
upon them in their dire necessity. During these many years
of continued service, t:·w removed from civilization and its
aids, from religion a'fid its support, these noble fellows never
forgot the teachings of their h'lith. In the midst of their
wild, half-Indian kind of life, they praCtised their devotion
to the Mother of God. To her now, they like to. return
thanks for having sent them a Priest. In their manifold and
severe contests with the brave and wily Indians of the plains,
they invoked her aid and never failed to receive it. They
tell me all the means they took, all the dangers they underwent, the distances they traveled, in order to procure a Priest
for a dying comrade. They would engage friendly Indian
scouts and runners to hunt up a Missionary amongst the
tribes, who might bring the consolations of religion to a
dangerously wounded or sick companion. And in this work
of charity, they say that they were greatly seconded by the
officers of the army, who, when the Priest did come, entertained him royally, according to the means at their disposal.
God now, they say, when they least expeCt: it, 'scours the
country, and brings in.'-a Priest for them.' They asked me
to give them beads, medals, agmts dcis, etc. and to see that
these objeCt:s of devotion are buried with them. My supply
of such articles is nearly exhausted. Please send more at
your earliest convenience. Even Protestant officers a1id men
ask me for 'those little charms which you give to the Catholics.' I explain to them the nature of this devotion, and
they wear them devoutly and openly.
Having done all I could for the sick, I called on Col.
�LETTERS Fl?OJf A CHAPLAIN.
249
Harvey Brown, Commandant of the fort and of the 'Department of Florida,' and explained to him why I visited the
hospital before. paying my respeCts to him, and informing
him by what authority I was with the troops. He received
me kindly, and was pleased that I saw the propriety of presenting myself at head-quarters before undertaking any
work. 'The officers of your regiment have not yet been to
see me,' he said. He is very tall, about six feet three inches,
straight and thin. He is over sixty years old. He is a great
stickler for military etiquette. He is a rigid disciplinarian
of the old school. He is, he told me, a religious man, a
member of the Methodist communion. He has always assembled his command on Sundays and read to them a portion of the Bible. He neither smokes nor drinks. 'I have
till now read the burial service over the dead ; if hereafter
they express a wish that you should perform this office, you
are free to attend to it,' said the venerable commandant to
me as I was taking my leave. Col. Brown told me the island
is forty-seven miles long, and averages three-fourths of a
mile in width. Some miles below us, he says, there is a
marine camp for the use of the fleet. Quite near us is encamped Captain Barry's light artillery and officers, another
remnant of Twiggs' troops. The island, he said, is grossly
calumniated. It is a pleasant place for troops. Lakes, trees,
aromatic shrubs, flowers, birds and animals are abundant,
down towards the eastern extremity ; alligators and very
venomous snakes are to be found here. The only trouble,
he said, is want of drinkable water. The rainy season would
be here in a few days, so that the regiment must provide
some means of storing up sufficient water for a year. These
heavy thunder-storms we have every evening indicate the
near approach of the rain.
Returning to camp, I found all at dinner. But such a dinner! Salt pork and 'hard tack'-nothing to drink-not even
rain-water! The cooks have spilled or wasted or used up
the supply so sparingly dealt out to them this morning.
Col. Wilson's indignation and determination are aroused.
Calling his men around him, with fire glistening in his eyes,
he thus addressed them: 'Boys, we are not going to live on
the hope of rain which may never come. I will not send
you to mount guard, or to help unload the Vanderbilt, if I
cannot give you at least the means of quenching your thirst.
Let us be in peace or war, you, instead of keeping guard
and unloading the stores, go hunt up drinkable water on this
island. If you find it, I promise to mix something lively
with it. If you don't find any, it is useless for you to come
VoL.
XVI,
No.3·
17
�LETTERS FRO.lf A CHAPLAIN.
back. I have not a drink to give you. I may be shot or
hung for daring to disregard army regulations in this bold
manner, and for presuming to release you from duty as sentinels in camp, and toilers in the surf, in order to find water.
I'll cut the red tape here and now, let the consequences be
what they may. The first to bring back the news of a successful search shall be entitled to many exemptions, and
shall receive a flowing bumper of the purest rye.' In a
twinkle the camp was deserted; the men, eager to discover
so necessary a beyerage, ran hither and thither, rooting,
scooping, and poking in tht;.sand in search of the refreshing
fluid. 'If the search be a failure,' said the Col.,· I shall surely
be shot, if successful I dare them to put me under arrest.
Amongst these barrels of pork, the quarter-master tells me,
there is a barrel of whiskey for the boys.' Here is one
working his way over the sand hills, shaking his canteen
over his head. '\Vater! water!' said the exhausted messenger, 'where's my whiskey?' 'Let us first try the water,' remarked the Col. There it was! a little reddish; but good,
soft water. Presently several others arrived bringing specimens of their finds varying in density of the red tint, but
evidently good. The rye barrel was soon rolled out from
his now despised fellows, to the utter astonishment of the
boys who began to think that many more such treasures
were to be found amongst the pork barrels. Fearing ugly
consequences from the big cupful the Col. poured -.OI)t for
Thomas McGrath, the first to bring the news, I offered to
weaken the fire a little. 'Oh no! Father; don't wet the
darling; I take it always dry,' said my brave discoverer. All
received their share of the rye according to promise. The
fort was told to keep its cisterns locked, and three hearty
cheers were given for Col. Wilson. Some of the men were
sent to aid in discharging the cargo, and others to mount
guard.
'If I had followed the army regulations in this matter, we
should have never found the water,' said Col. \Vilson to me
after the re-establishment of order in camp. 'The usual
way would be-l should make application to the Commander of the Department,< he would call his council, examine
the propriety of doing' such a thing, select an officer who
would have charge of the search, then assign to him eight
or ten rrien armed with various mining implements. This
officer with his ten men would move around, examine; one
dig, nine look on-no water; repeat the same manceuvre
again and again ; return to the fort and write a long report
to show that no water is to be found.'
Late in the afternoon there was another repetition of the
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
signs of the coming rainy season. Since the 25th of June,
the weather is bright and clear every forenoon. In the afternoon clouds gather thick and threatening. Towards evening
begins a fearful thunder-storm, which lasts far into the night.
Not a drop of rain, however, falls ..
This evening the boys and officers congregated on the
northern side of the island, eyeing wistfully the comforts
enjoyed by the enemy on the opposite side of the bay. 'Father,' said one to me, 'there must be excellent water over
there; look at the magnificent shady trees.' \Ve have
learned to value this beverage, so often not appreciated: They
cast their eager gaze at the real or imaginary happiness of
the civil or military inhabitants of Pensacola and its neighborhood, and wish it were theirs. 'This is a scorching place,'
they say, 'but it leads to the land of milk and honey.' They
console themselves in their present privations with the hope
of a speedy engagement, which shall deliver to them the
joys so much coveted. Marines and sailors of the fleet came
ashore in considerable numbers in the evening, to go to confession. There is no tent; we were obliged to settle accounts
on a little sand knoll.
June 29th. \Ve have passed through a terrible night of
confliEI: with musquitoes, sand flies, etc., etc. This morning,
however, is charming beyond description. Sea air all around
our camp; beautiful, clear sky; heat of the sun tempered by
the breeze from the mainland across the bay; the Gulf as
smooth as a mirror; the proud, defying and threatening
men-of-war; the great number of sailing vessels in the distance, probably laden with stores for Pickens, which is to
become· a grand depot for army and navy operations in these
parts, and waiting for wind to come nearer; these are surely
views worthy of being appreciated. Camp routine, prayers,
etc. are over, and breakfast, not perhaps as dainty as some of
us could wish, is ready, with abundance of water such as it is.
After my little devotions, I paid a flying visit to Captain
Barry, U. S. A., stationed a short distance east of us. Capt.
Barry, with the portion of light battery under his command,
is another remnant of Gen. Twiggs' deserted but faithful
soldiers. This little band with a portion of company E, 8th.
U. S. Inf.<ntry, was sent here to aid Lieut. Slemmer. Like
Slemmer's men, they are at present unfit for duty. Captain
Barry and his two Lieutenants, Tidball and Webb, received
me as they would an old and clear friend. They said they
are to go north in a few days, and cautioned me against the
rainy season at hand. •y ou can have no idea of the ferocity
of wind and rain during this season,' said he. 'What will
your men do without tents or any proteEI:ion against such
�LETTERS FROllf A
CI!APLA/11~
storms?' Pointing out to me vast ruins lying around near
his camp, he said: 'This is what is called Spanish Fort,
erected by the Spaniards during their occupation of Florida.
It will repay you for a slight investigation. Those bricks,
all brought from Europe, are as sound to-day, as they were
when put into the walls. The cement holds dozens of them
together, so firmly, that they cannot be separated. Many
curious implements have been discovered. A visit to the
venerable remains will not be time lost.' Returning to camp
I came across two large sn'akes. On my arrival at quarters,
I found the boys in a state ..of great excitement. A Zouave
had killed an alligator and had been arrested and ordered
inside the fort. The innocent soldier was on guard when
he saw the alligator. Contrary to all regulations, the Zouave left his post, and gave chase to the alligator which he
overtook and plunged his bayonet through the brute. Now
came a tussle, the animal trying to reach his antagonist or to
break away from his assailant; the Zouave to kill him or
hold him till assistance could arrive. The crowd, running
to the aid of their endangered comrade, frightened or enraged the amphibiol!_s monster to such a degree that, making
a desperate effort, he flung the soldier off, and made away
with the gun and bayonet. He did not go far-the bayonet
must have pierced some vital part-he expired after a little
struggle. Now the poor innocent Zouave's turn .comes.
He had left his post without authority; he employed his
honorable weapon, given to him by Uncle Sam to defend his
country, in the ignoble use of killing an alligator; and finally
he allowed himself to be disarmed-three serious faults for
which Col. Harvey Brown, strict disciplinarian, orders him
into the fort under arrest. 'Father, they are going to shoot
him to-night-go see him-hear his confession .... ,' were
some of the many exclamations addressed to me as soon as
I appeared on the scene. Of course he was excused for his
ignorance of duty, and released with a reprimand. How
he escaped the jaws of the ferocious brute is a wonder to all.
It being Saturday, we had to see what preparations could
be made for the worthy celebration of Mass next day. There
was nothing that could be done. Not a tent, not a box, not
a chair or table in our camp!
.
In the afternoon a prolonged and fierce thunder storm ;
not a drop of rain. Will the threatening deluge come tomorrow, and prevent us from offering the Holy Sacrifice?
June 30th. Sunday. Delightful morning; no sign of a
storm. A request came from the fleet to delay Mass till
men and officers who wished to attend church could come
ashore. In the meantime our boys are polishing their shoes,
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
253
and burnishing their buckles and buttons. But where is the
church? I had a couple of men roll out a salt-pork barrel
and turn it on its end. That was my altar. The heavens
above, the island beneath, and the salt water all around, was
my church. The marines and sailors arrayed in their gayest, accompanied by some officers, arrived in due time. The
men are all ready; it is 12 o'clock. The full drum corps
beats the 'clmrclt-befl.' A man on each side of the altar
holds a lantern with lighted candle. vVhat an imposing
sight presented to the Angels, this first Sunday after our
landing! I was going to say, how unworthy of the Author
of the Sacrifice ! As I \vas putting on the vestments, a boatswain came up to me, and whispered that the sailors had
organize~ a choir to sing some hymns and the Litany of
our Blessed Mother, if I had no objeCtions. These good
fellows enlivened the solemn Sacrifice to the great satisfaction of all. The sun poured down on us his strongest rays.
I tried to preach, but I was so exhausted that I had but
little nerve. No sleep Saturday night, poor supper, long
fast, and the great heat had deprived me of lung-power.
'Father,' said a navy officer to me after Mass, 'this is a memorable day. The first time the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass
has been offered on this island. We had no shady forests
in the background, but we have the ocean spread out at our
feet.' I folded up every thing carefully and replaced all in
my little trunk, had the barrel rolled back to its place, and
all signs of our church had disappeared. Hard tack and
coffee were acceptable. The members of the fleet returned
to their ships, and quiet prevailed on the island. It was
feared that Bragg would disturb our devotions, but he remained peaceful. In the afternoon and evening the usual
warnings of the approaching rain were given emphatically.
July 1st. Monday. All hands ordered to unload the
Vanderbilt which has tents for us, but they cannot be reached
before some days.
July znd. This morning about daylight,--rousing and
prolonged cheers announced the successful issue of a daring
exploit. Yesterday evening a magnificent yacht. sailed
proudly down the bay from Pensacola, and daringly anchored
near the navy yard, in front of our batteries. It fearlessly
floated at its mast head a secession flag, which produced on
our men the effeCt which a red cloth is said to produce on
the leader of the bovine herd. Some of the younger Zouaves immediately conceived the idea of swimming over to
the jaunty sailor under cover of night, and carrying her off
('cutting her out,' they call the operation) flag and all. From
this they were deterred by the evident danger to which they
�LETTERS FRO.lf A
CHAPLA.Il\~
would expose themselves of being devoured by" the sharks.
Doctor Lynch, assistant surgeon, was however, determined
to risk his honor and his life, for the glory of capturing
yacht and flag. Leaving the island early in the night, without the authority, without even the knowledge of the commander of the Department, the patriotic doctor, heedless of
the danger to be apprehended from the many sharks in the
bay, or from the guard who might be on board, undressed
and boldly started to swim to the defiant visitor. After a
long and exhausting plough through the waters, he· safely
reached the side of the silent craft; and though totally unarmed, aye, in a state of complete nudity, unhesitatingly
boarded the little vessel gaily riding at anchor. To his
unutterable astonishment nobody challenged him, nobody
offered any resistance to his hostile invasion of a southern
'deck.' \Vhilst awaking to the perilous situation in which
his foolhardiness had placed him, and to the serious consequences, in a military point of view, of having without orders
made so daring a venture, the flag-ship Niagara's men who
had formed the same resolution as the doctor, and who had
started in an armed _boat to rescue the same prize, arrived
noiselessly with muffled oars alongside the little stranger.
The sailors, armed to the teeth in expectation of stout resistance, sprang on board with pistols cocked and swords drawn.
Imagine the paralizing astonishment of the poor .tars at
finding a naked man holding solitary possession of tHe boat!
'Are you a devil, or the spirit of some murdered shipmate?'
they asked. The thoughtless doctor, taken completely by
surprise, concluded that the new-comers were the men belonging to the yacht, and humbly surrendered himself to
the crew of the Niagara's boat, who, thinking they had
caught, if not a ghost or devil, surely a live secessionist,
triumphantly started homewards with their fascinating prize
and mysterious prisoner. On their way back with the yacht
in tow, Lynch discovered who his captors were. He lost
the glory of his capture by his surrender. As the boat approached to land the prisoner, we gave the doctor, marines
and sailors, rousing cheers, together with what they call a
'New York tiger.' This hurrah was the first intimation the
Southerners had of the loss they had sustained.
In the evening I had a romantic sick call. About 10 P. ~!.
word was passed to headquarters, that there was a stranger
at post No. I8, requesting the Father to visit a dying
man. The officer of the guard could give no information
more definite than this. The Col. said I might go, and one
of the surgeons kindly offered to accompany me. On arriving at the post indicated, we found, to our surprise, that
�LETTERS FROJf A
CHAPLAil'~
255
the stranger wore the uniform of a sailor of a United States
man-of-war. He informed us that he belonged to the marine
camp stationed some six miles east of us, and that he had,
in fun, pointed at one of his comrades, a pistol in which he
was sure there was no charge, and on which there was no
cap, when, lo! the devil jumped into the pistol, and mortally
wounded his brother sailor! The wounded man called for a
Priest, and he did not know where to find one if there was
not one with us. After following our guide some distance,
the doCtor startled me by whispering: 'Is not this a bold
trick of Gen. Bragg to capture two officers so useful to the
men as we are?' vVe walked as fast as the loose sand permitted. The messenger told us the tide was going out, and
that if we moved down nearer the water, we could proceed
more easily on the wet packed sand. \Ve followed his advice
and found he was correCt: in his statement. The doCl:or
again whispered to me that he th~ught all was not right.
He therefore took out his re\•olver, saying: 'If we are decoyed, this fellow will surely faT!.' Our guide was a pleasant,
talkative fellow; he gave us very interesting details of his
many years of seafaring life. Finally, after a very fatiguing
march, we heard by our side on the beach, the sharp 'tickclick' of a musket brought to a cock, accompanied by a stentorian voice crying: 'Halt! who goes there?' 'That is the
\'Oice of a chief of banditti,' again whispered the doCtor.
'The Priest,' replied our guide. 'All right- pass on,' said
the sentry, for such our challenger was; and he returned
his musket to a half-cock, and resumed his solitary pace to
guard his resting brethren. vVe were now in a veritable
camp, surrounded by a strong but friendly crowd-evident
proof that our fears were unfounded. Stretched on a piece
of canvas, lay our poor wounded sailor, bleeding profusely
from a pistol-shot in the side. The one who had infliCted
the wound was inconsolable. Losing the self-control he
had till now maintained, he. threw himself on the ground
alongside his wounded companion, exclaiming: '0 Jack!
forgive me, forgive me. forgive me; 0 let me die in your
stead !' The prostrate man extended his hand to him, saying
in a weakvoice: 'Jim, it was all, all my fault. Didn't I dare
you to fire at me? Jim, for the love you have for the
Mother of God, get a Priest for me!' 'He is here, Jack,'
replied our sobbing guide. '0 Mary, I thank thee for hearing the prayer I so often address to thee-Pray for me now
and at the hour of my death.' Opening his eyes, and looking at me by the light of a lantern held up by a marine, he
said: 'Come, sir, we have at last reached a port I have been
long and anxiously steering for. Let us make fast for an
�LETTERS FROM A
CHAPLAIII~
eternity. Boys, don't forget to say a Hail Mary for poor
Jack, when you are on your watches.' The hearts of the
sailors and marines were too full to allow them to give the
expected assurance; so I answered in their name, and motioned to all to move off to a distance. The surgeon examined the wound, extracted the ball, and said he would escape
death this time. All hearts were light once more. Jack
was disappointed-he would have willingly left this world.
'Good bye, gentlemen,' said he to us, as we were- leaving,
'the thanks and prayers of "a poor sailor follow you both.
The storm is not yet over,~the port is not yet reached, we
may suffer shipwreck and be lost, but I shall continue to
hope that Mary will be a friend to me.' As the surgeon
was a Protestant, who, I had reason to believe, was horrified
at what he deemed the blasphemy of the ignorant sailor, I
said to poor Jack: 'But Mary is not our Redeemer.' Looking at me with astonishment, he replied: 'Ah, no sir! she
is not-but she is the mother of the Redeemer. If the
mother is on my side, the Redeemer will swing around too.'
After having dressed the wound, and having given orders
to have the wounded_man brought aboard the man-of-war
that very night, so that the surgeons of the vessel could attend to him, we started on our homeward march. A posse
of marines and sailors accompanied us to camp. How
amusing were the stories they told us ! and how many the
dangers, how narrow the escapes in which they have shared l
They informed us that the marine camp which we had just
left, was a kind of depot where hogs and beeves belonging
to the fleet are kept. This live-stock, whose health is better
secured on shore than on board ship, furnishes men and
officers with an occasional meal of fresh meat. Of course,
when a vessel departs for other waters it takes its stock with
it, and if possible lands its animals, with a guard, on the
neighboring coast.
July 3rd. Orders came from the fort (now Department
headquarters) this morning, to prepare to celebrate the
Fourth of July with becoming solemnity. It was also officially announced to the 'command' that Captain Barry, Lieutenants Tidball and \Vebb would start for the North to-day;
and that the troops off duty should accompany these distinguished and sorely tried officers and the f..<ithful soldiers
going with them, to the place of embarkation. In the same
'orders' Capt. Barry was directed to 'turn over' to Col. Wilson
and staff the 'camp equipage' used by the captain and officers
till now. We regretted to lose such experienced, brave and
tried men, but we rejoiced for their sakes to see them go
where there would be hope of recovering their health. We
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
257
rejoiced also for our own sakes-we were getting a large
tent and cooking utensils. In bidding us aqieu at the water's
edge, Major Barry (he has just received news of his promotion) said to us: 'Boys, the rainy season is upon us-it will
be here in a day or so; no time is to be lost in preparing
for its coming.' vVe returned to our new quarters. We
had now a proteCtion against the powerful rays of the sun,
and the means of boiling salt pork, and making a little coffee. \Ve had, too, the luxury of sleeping on the plank floor
instead of on the sand. But there are no tents or cooking
utensils yet for the soldiers. Poor fellows! Not a murmur,
not a complaint from them !
About 12 o'clock l\1. the clouds formed and thickened,
and rose one over the other from the horizon, piled and
crammed on top of each other till the sun was shut out from
sight. The thunder rolled and lightning flashed incessantly.
It became alarmingly dark. vVas this the beginning of the
dreaded season? or would this thunder-storm pass harmlessly over us like those of the preceding days? 1 o'clock,
2 o'clock came and went, and no cessation in the terrific roar
of thunder. Poor devoted Zouaves! utterly unprepared for
the terrible season now being ushered in ! for this is. the
slow but steady and sure beginning of the 'rainy season.'
At 2.30 it was dark. At 3, large drops fell like great stones
on our tent. Officers and soldiers gazed on the scene in
silent wonder. At 3· 15 P. l\L the water suddenly spilled from
the clouds, and continued all the rest of the evening and
through the night without the slightest diminution. At the
first drops, the poor soldiers looked around them for a shelter. Some started to run, but after making a few steps, they
remembered they had no place to run to. No tree, no fence,
no house, no place where they could take refuge. The Col.
invited all who could find room, to join himself and staff
under his newly acquired proteCtion ; since all could not be
accommodated, the Zouaves declined to com<::, and made up
their minds to brave the storm, saying: 'This is a soldier's
life.' As the darkness of night was being added to that of
the rain-storm (there was not a breath of wind stirring),
we earnestly thanked God that we were under cover this
fearful season. God is always and every where a Father,
but now and here, more than in any other place or at any
other time. To add to our store of happiness, the transport
State o/ Georgia with supplies and troops arrived to-day,
and brought us our military band (Monaghan's) and the officers and men who missed the Vanderbilt. After a cold and
scanty supper no fire could be lighted; the band gave abun-
�LETTERS FROJJI A CHAPLAIN.
dance of enlivening music, which I think did not e'nliven, to
any great extent, the drenched, supperless Zouaves.
Fourth of July! Poor soldiers! How woebegone you
look this morning! Still cheerful and witty, they are striving
to prepare a little coffee to which the Col. will add a ration
of rye, to be taken drJ' by all. They are truly in need of
this ration, for besides the brunt of the down-pour, they
had to withstand the fatigue of an alarm last night. About
midnight, a few shots at the picket line informed us of the
advance of the enemy. The drummer boys beat the 'long
roll,' and officers and melt .were out in line of battle, under
the unceasing deluge, waiting for further developments.
'Father,' said a little drummer, 'I'm afraid! Hear my confession and I shan't be afraid to die.' It required only a moment to settle the little fellow's conscience. I passed along
the silent and patient line, and here and there straightened up
prostrate souls. After a long delay, the relief, sent out to
the picket, returned and informed us it was a false alarm.
'Quarters' were beaten, and, thoroughly soaked, we returned
to our tent-but the soldiers must continue as before, quietly
to receive on their devoted heads this uncontrollable cascade.
But how are we to celebrate the Fourth? Fort Pickens
is to have all the honor, which consists in firing a salute
from the parapet. Pickens has never yet 'spoken.'-To-day
it will give its first utterances, and show to the enemy that
it is at last able to defy attack. \Vithout entirely ·ceasing,
the rain gave us sufficient breathing-time to enable Pickens
to fire off the salute. The first shot brought the defenders
of the opposite shore to their guns. They thought it was
an attack. Understanding that it was a salute, they returned to cover. After the last shot the rain resumed its
wonted severity. Col. Brown sends words of sympathy to
the men, orders them an extra ration of whiskey, and
promises to have tents for them before night.
True to his word, Col. Brown sent tents enough for the
men ; but the' trouble is to erect them on the sand. No
flooring is to be used; but one good feature of our island
is that all the rain in the clouds cannot form mud on it.
July 6th. Saturday._< Company streets are being formed,
tents are being pitched, regular camp life is being. inaugurated. Rain, however, continues in its unabated force.
Very fortunately, no wind accompanies it. No possibility
of hearing confessions to-day, and very little prospect of
being able to say Mass to-morrow.
· July 7th. Sunday. Fearful and steady down-pour all
day. Impossible to say Mass to-day. The rain has in·
vaded our tent, and the soldiers could not be expected to
�LETTERS FR03I A CHAPLAIN.
259
stand out under such a waterfall. I have great fear for the
altar-breads, which I cannot have renewed. I am to have
a tent for myself before next Sunday comes around. Our
enlisted ministers claim the right of preaching. They were
told to exercise their right in the open air. I called at the
fort to visit my sick, as I do every day. On returning to
camp I noticed a flag of truce borne across the bay. I retraced my steps to ascertain if possible what the trouble was.
Adjutant Seely informed me kindly that the communication
was not accepted. Owing to informality in addressing the
letter, Col. Brown refused to hold any intercourse with the
bearer. It appears the letter was addressed: 'Col. Harvey
Brown, Fort Pickens'; whereas his title is: 'Col. Harvey
Brown, Commandant of the Department of Florida,' a title
which Bragg refuses to acknowledge. vVas it a new demand
for the surrender of the fort? vVas it a prohibition to fire
any more salutes? The contents of the missive remained a
mystery. In the meantime extra precaution is ordered to
be taken against any sudden attacks. I returned to quarters thoroughlY. drenched.
July 8th. To-day one of our men died suddenly. I had
not time to reach him before life was extinCt. A postmortem examination showed he died of 'perforation of the
intestines,' the result of a late attack of typhoid. His name
is Brown; his people live in New Jersey. God help us all!
this is a melancholy beginning.
I remain Ra! Va! in( in Xto, servus,
MICHAEL NASH,
s. J.
�HOLY TRIJ'\ITY CHURCH, BOSTON, MASS.
On the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Holy Trinity Church in Boston, !Vhich took place last year, Rev. Fr.
N opper, S. J., in token of gratitude to God for His many
mercies and as a Jubilee-gift to his faithful flock, wrote a
brief sketch of the history Of his parish. We will lay before the readers of the LETTERS some of the salient points
of this history.
Upwards of fifty years ago, the first German Catholics
began to settle in Boston. They naturally desired to worship together, say their prayers in German, sing their beautiful German hymns, hear the word of God preached to
them in their mother tongue; in a word, to have their own
church, their own priest and their own school. Bishop
BenediCt ]. Fenwick, S. J., who was the especial friend and
patron of the German Catholics, helped and encouraged
them in every way. ~He procured for them the first German priests, and applied in their behalf to the Catholic
Mission Societies in Germany for contributions. He set
apart an hour for their service in his Cathedral; and, whenever they were without a German priest, often said M;iss for
them himself; and as he had some knowledge of tfie·'German language, even preached to them in German.
The first German priest in Boston was Rev. Francis de
Sales Hoffmann, who arrived. there from Germany in August, I 836. He was soon succeeded by Rev. Joseph Freygang, who, in turn, in Dec., I837, gave place to Rev. Bernard Smolnikar. This last-named priest displayed great
zeal at the outset, but soon fell into absurd errors and had
to be removed. After this the Germans were· without a
regular pastor till June, I 842, a period of five years. Twice
a year, however, a German priest, Rev. John Raffeiner, came
from New York to hear their confessions. At his urgent
solicitation they formed a building society, and with the
money thus colleCted and a few thousand dollars which the
Bishop had obtained from Germany, they were enabled to
buy a plot of ground (5 I x 98 feet) on Lucas St., where old
Trinity Church was afterwards built.
In June, I 842, the corner-stone of the church was laid
and some tirrie during the March of I844, Rev. Francis
Rolof, an aged priest, whom the Bishop had brought from
(260)
�HOLY T'RIN/1'1' CHURCH, EOST'ON, JfASS.
26r
Maryland, celebrated the first Mass in the new church. But
Fr. Rolof was very old, so that a newly ordained priest, the
Rev. Gerard H. Plathe was shortly afterwards put in charge.
Fr. Plathe being a Low-German, did not please the HighGermans ; hence dissensions arose, which led to his removal
in OB:ober, 1845. During his pastorship, he established the
parish school for boys and girls, the first Catholic school in
New England. Fr. Plathe was succeeded by Rev. Alexander Martini, who remained till May, 1848. He, too, soon
became entangled in quarrels with his parishioners. In the
meantime, good Bishop Fenwick, to whom the Germans
owed so much, died and was succeeded by Bishop Fitzpatrick. The new Bishop, for years familiar with the troubles
in the German congregation, threatened not merely to leave
them without a pastor, if they could not live in peace, but
even to sell their church, since they were unable or unwilling
to free it from debt. The church, in consequence, remained
closed for two months. Some of the hotspurs began to
talk very violently. 'If the Bishop,' they said, 'will not give
us a priest, he shall not prevent us from assembling in our
church to continue our devotions. If the church is not open
next Sunday, we shall break it op~n with our axes.' Affairs,
however, took a different turn. Fr. Gustavus Eck, S. ]., till
then stationed at St. Mary's, Endicott St., introduced himself
on August 7, 1848, to the congregation by reading from the
altar the following letter, addressed to him by Bishop Fitzpatrick.
'Revere ltd Father,
I can but praise the charity and zeal
which induce you to renounce the comforts of community
life, and to prefer a lonely life in order to work for the spiritual welf..<re of the Germans in Boston. Taught by the
experience of past years, and despairing of ever seeing union
and peace among these people, I had seriously thought of
making no further efforts to find a pastor for them. But
since providence has brought you here and you are willing
to take charge of them, I give my consent and herewith appoint you pastor of Holy Trinity Church.'
Fr. Eck threw his whole soul into his work, and, in an
incredibly short time, brought order out of chaos. He almost immediately established the Confraternity of the Living
Rosary, then the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and soon
after the Sodality of the Blessed Virgin. All of these Societies prospered from the very beginning. He also gave
much of his time and attention to the schools, and brought
them to a state of efficiency, which they had never known
�262
HOLJ" TRINITJ" CHURCH, lJOSTON, JJfASS.
before. The parish grew apace, and soon the little church
was found too small. In the year 1853, therefore, Fr. Eck
began to collect money and establish church-building societies, intending to build a magnificent Gothic church on
Tremont St., between Dedham and Canton.
Contrary to the Bishop's advice, the building was begun
even before the debt of $8,ooo on the old church had been
paid. In a short time the basement was finished. Fr. Eck
had received a good deal of money at interest, the savings
of his poor parishioners, and this he put into the new
building. He was an able,,energetic and courageous man,
a holy and zealous priest; but it may be doubted whether
he was a skilful financier. The double burden of raising
a colossal church and of administering a widely scattered
parish was too much even for his great strength. His
health broke down completely and he \\~as ordered back to
Europe. Although he was even obliged to borrow money
for his passage, evil-minded persons afterwards said that Fr.
Eck had run away with the money which had been collected
to build the church. To make a long story short, his successors Fr. Reiter, Fr. Cattani and Fr. Steinbacher were unable
to disentangle then1selves. Fr. Provincial, to whom the
Bishop offered the whole property,<•> refused, and the upshot
was that it was sold at auction to the builder, the principal
creditor, for $22,000. It is estimated that the congregation
lost, in all, through poor Fr. Eck's iii-fated undertaking,
about $50,000.
\Vhen Fr. Steinbacher was called away, early in 1859. Fr.
Manns, being then with Fr. Reiter at Conewago, was appointed to succeed him; but having met with an accident
at the moment of departure, Fr. Reiter . was sent in his
place. Thus was this rqan, by a special providence of God,
brought back a second time to Boston, Jan. 21st, 1859.
Fr. Reiter, during his two years' absence from Boston,
had become accustomed to American ways and had learned
the English language. Being, moreover, acquainted with
the affairs of Trinity Church, he did not find it very difficult to accommodate himself to the circumstances. Possessed of an iron constitution, and endowed with invincible
patience, self-control and great firmness of character, he was
just the man to put new life and spirit into a congregation that
was on the verge of despair, and to become their savior.
Notwithstanding the sternness and firmness of his character and the austerity of his life, he possessed a marvellous
gift of drawing all hearts to him, especially those of the
(I) It was also propose<! that the Bishop himself should finish the church
and mah it his Cathedral.
�HOLY TRLVITY CHURCH, BOSTON, JIASS.
263
children. He was affable and just towards all, even the .
least; and no one could refuse him the esteem and affeCtion
which are due to a zealous priest and exemplary religious. \Vhen, therefore, he appeared before his people and,
with a voice that had the ring of truth and determination in
it, assured them that all debts would be paid, that nobody
should lose any thing, but that they must have patience and
give him time; when he thus spoke, they knew that he
meant what he said and was able to redeem his promise,
and they trusted him. 'One of my brethren,' he said, 'has
with well-intentioned zeal, made these debts; it is our duty
to pay them.' But whence was the money to come? Many
of the people of the congregation, who had lent money to
Fr. Eck, were reduced to destitution, and something had to
be done for them.
At this time, Fr. Sopranis came to this country as Visitor.
Fr. Reiter made a full statement to him of the situation,
and was, thereupon, authorized to use every cent of money
which he could save from his salary by the most careful
economy, to pay the debt. Fr. Sopranis, too, was urged
(as formerly the Provincial had been urged) both by the
Bishop and by the trustees, seconded by Fr. Reiter, to take
in the name of the Society, full possession of the church
and property, and, of course, to assume the debt. But he
would not consent; the amount of indebtedness alarmed him.
Then steps were taken to hand the church over to the Redemptorists. They came, saw and-went away. Thus Fr.
Reiter remained in charge. With unexampled energy he
set about his herculean task. At the end of about five years,
to the utter amazement of his people, he announced from
the altar that all tltc debts were pazd. But this was not all.
During these five years he had made many improvements
and acquired new property. And yet, during those glorious
five years Fr. Reiter had been working single-handed. If,
from time to time, an assistant was given him, he was either
old and infirm or imperfeCtly acquainted with the German
language.
For some time Fr. Reiter was even obliged to teach the
large boys' school himself, for want of a competent teacher.
No wonder that his health finally gave way and that he was
compelled to apply for help to the German Provincial. In
August, r867, FF. Bellwalcler and Nopper ahived in Boston.
Having now more leisure, the indek'ltigable man undertook
and carried out an important literary vvork.
At last the way was prepared for the realization of the
long-wished-for Gothic church. The debts were paid, the
ground bought and also paid for. The site, too, was about
�26-f
HOLY TRIXITJ' CHURCH, BOSTON, JfASS-
to be greatly improved by the city in filling up that lowlying neighborhood and in prolonging Shawmut Ave. to
Tremont St. But Fr. Reiter was not to build it. When
every thing was ready to begin the work, he was called to
other fields of labor. Buffalo had just been turned over by
the New York Mission to the German Province; and Fr.
Reiter was called thither to give the German Fathers the
benefit of his American experience. Great was the grief
of his loving flock. After giving him a magnificent reception,
which deeply touched the,good father, they bade him farewell amid tears and good.,~ishes. (t) Fr. James Simeon, S. J.,
came on the 25th of July, 1870, from Washington to succeed
him. The following was the spiritual condition of the congregation in 1870: Confraternity of the Holy Rosary for
men, 330 members; for women, 50 I; Sodality of B. V. M.
for youths, 395 ; St. Vincent de Paul's Soc., 203 ; Bona Mors,
7I7; Archconfraternity of the S. Heart, 443; St. Joseph's
Poor Society, 200; St. Elizabeth's Poor Soc., 70; Catholic
Casino, I6S ; Parish Schools, 49I children.
In the spring of I 87 1, the foundation was laid for the new
church on Shawmut Ave., according to architect Keely's
plans; and on the Ibth of Nov., I 872, the ceremony of laying
the corner-stone took place. Fr. Reiter had been invited to
preach on that occasion. On the eve of the ceremony the
memorable Boston fire broke out, and it was while this terrible conflagration was raging and the terrific reports .of.the explosions, which the fire department had ordered in the hope
of isolating the fire, were heard on every side, that Archbishop (then Bishop) \Villiams solemnly blessed the cornerstone. On May Ist, 1874, Fr. Simeon celebrated the first
Mass in the basement.
(ll Fr. Ernest Anthony Reiter was born at Arnsberg in \Vestphalia, on the
lOth of February, lti:ll. Having studied in the diocesan Seminary of Paderborn, at the Cniversitv of .\lunich and at the Roman College, he was or·
dained priest on March 7th, 18-!o, and entered upon the duties of the sacred
ministry in his native <liocPse. !Juring this time he made the acquaintance
of Fr. Behrens and other Jesuits, who, after their expulsion from Switzer·
land, were giviug missions and retreats throughout Westphalia. He applied
for admission and was received into the Society, being the first (Jerman
novice since the expulsion of the Fathers from Switzerland. As the German
Fathers had no novitiate of their own, he began his noviceship l\Iay 29th, 1850,
at Issenheim, in Alsace. The two years after his noviceship he spent partly
in reviewing his studies, partly in missionary work, till he came to America
in 185-!. On being recalled to his own Province, he was appointed first ltec·
tor of Canisius College and pastor of St. l\Iichael's Church, Buffalo. He had
not been'in Buffalo very long, when the Bishop of Erie appealed to the German
Fathers for help in his endeavors to bring to terms the congregation of St .
•Josel?h's Church, which he had been obliged to lay under interdict. Fr. Reiter
was sent to Erie to give a mission in St. Joseph's Church, which was s:> sue·
ccssful that the people petitioned to keep him as their pastor. He was, there·
fore, allowed to remain in Erie, a hope being entertained that it might lead
to the establi•hment of a residence in that town. This hope was blasted by
his untimely death, from erysipelas, on the 25th of May, 1873.
�THE CIVIL IXCORPORATIO"\' OF THE SOC OF JESUS.
265
On May 27th, 1877, Trinity Sunday, the titular feast, the
church was solemnly dedicated by Archbishop Williams.
Fr. -Lessmann sang the Solemn High Mass, Fr. Weninger
preached, and, on the same day, opened an eight days' mission.
Such is, in brief, the history of beautiful Trinity Church,
one of the ornaments of the proud city of Boston. It is
estimated that the church, schoolhouse and presbytery cost
about $17J,OOO. In Nov. 1877, Fr. Simeon was sent to
\Vashington and Fr. Nopper, who had been at Holy Trinity
~.:;ince 1867, succeeded him as Superior. At Fr. Simeon's
departure, the debt stiii amounted to $1 10,000, but has since
been considerably reduced. Fr. Nopper closes his interesting sketch, of which we have given a rather bald abstraCt:,
with a warm appeal to the German Catholics of Boston to
cling together, as the founders of Trinity church have done,
in union and steadfast faith, perseverance and generosity,
that they may, with God's blessing, carry on the work begun
by their f.1.thers, to their own happiness and to the glory of
the Ever Blessed Trinity.
THE CIVIL INCORPORATION
OF THE SOCIETY OF JESUS IN THE
PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
In the beginning of the present year, 18R7, some of the
most influential laymen in Montreal urged the Jesuit Fathers to ask for the ci\·il incorporation of the Society.
They were prompted in their demand by their good will
towards the Society, and hoped at the same time to promote the interests of their own children. St. Mary's College in Montreal not being affiliated with Laval University,
their sons who are students of the college have no chance
of taking degrees. Until recently they could do without
diplomas ; but now there are signs of an approaching
change, and degrees will soon be required to enter upon the
study of law or medicine. These gentlemen knew that the
privileges granted to the Society, confirmed by our Holy
Father, Leo XIII, were large enough to enable the Fathers
to confer degrees, if the Society was recognized by the State;
hence their desire to obtain the civil incorporation of 'The
Society of Jesus.'
VoL. xv1, No.' 3·
18
�266
THE CIT'IL I.YCORPORATIO.Y OF THE SOC OF JESUS
The Jesuits were in the best of circumstances to obtain
this incorporation; the present Prime Minister, Mr. Mercier,
is an old student of St. Mary's College; the Lieutenant
Governor of the Province of Quebec, Mr. Masson, is a former student of Georgetown College, D. C.; both were desirous of doing all in their power to show their gratitude
to the Society; the Archbishop of Montreal, in whose diocese five-sixths· of the Canadian Jesuits reside, was favorable
to the measure; no one anticipated any trouble in getting
the bill through the legisl~ture. Scarcely, however, had it
been gazetted, when Cardiiial Taschereau, just back from
Rome, wrote to Archbishop Fabre urging him to force the
Jesuits to withdraw the bill until the Bishops could be consulted about it. His great objection was that the bill, if
passed, would give the Jesuits a chance to claim the property
of the Old Society in Canada, and that it would grant them
the right of conferring degrees; to both of these he objected
on different grounds.
To satisfy His Eminence, Father Visitor (the Re\·. J. B.
Lessmann, S. J.) and the Superior General of the Canadiai1
Mission gave to His Lordship, Arch b. Fabre, a written assurance that the Jesuits did not think either of claiming the
said property or of conferring degrees without the consent
of the Holy See; and that consequently the fears of His
Eminence were unfounded.
_.
This document satisfied Mgr. Fabre, the Archbishop of
Ottawa and the Bishop of Three Rivers; but not the Cardinal. The other Bishops too, following His Eminence's lead,
insisted upon the Jesuits putting off their bill until the following year, to give them time to consult among themselves
and to refer the case to the Holy See. But the three prelates
who had taken sides with the Jesuits (the only prelates,
besides the Cardinal, in whose dioceses there are any Jesuits)
opposed the idea of withdrawing the bill; the Government
too, insisted upon going on with the matter. Nobody
thought the Cardinal would persist in his opposition, as all
agreed that there was no longer any reason for opposition
on his part. The bill was therefore introduced, ·and passed
its first and second readings in the Lower House on the 19th
and 22nd of April, and appeared before the Committee on
Private Bills on the 29th. Mgr. Hamel, Vicar-General of
Quebec: officially presented the objections of His Eminence
and demanded the postponement of the measure. Mr. Mercier, who had kindly taken the bill under his protection in
the Lower House, eloquently refuted the objections made
against it. But as the majority of the Committee were
evidently swayed by regard for the wishes of His Eminence,
�IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC
)
'
the civil effeets of the bill were restriCted to the three dioceses whose prelates were favorable to it. This, for a moment, disarmed Mgr. Hamel ; he withdrew his opposition
and all retired from the roo.m, except the Honorable Members. Shortly after, however, both the Fathers and Mgr.
Hamel were called in. Meanwhile Mgr. Hamel, having
received fresh instruCtions, recalled the step he had taken;
but he was told it was now too late; the bill had meanwhile
been admitted on principle. On renewed opposition, howe\'Cr, all mention of privileges was omitted, and the bill reduced to an ordinary incorporation measure as those granted
to the Redemptorists and other religious communities of
the Province. Mgr. Hamel endeavored, but unsuccessfully,
to have inserted into the bill as thus drafted a clause positively excluding the right of conferring degrees. During
this time the Cardinal had sent to Rome the following despatch: 'Jesuita! hujus Provinci<P postulant legem incorporationis contra quam plurimas grm·es objeCliones ponunt oeto
episcopi qui consulcre volunt SanClam Sedem. Postulo ut
Summus Pontifex absque ulla mora declaret legislatores supersedere debere.'
The Cardinal counted among the opponents of the bill
the Archbishop of Ottawa, who had however been one of
its supporters from the beginning, but had simply asked for
the insertion of the clause: 'Salvis juribus ordinariorum et
privilegiis universitatis Lavalliensis,' which would have been
readily granted, had its opponents allowed it. Yet the Cardinal counted Archbishop Duhamel among the opponents,
;1ot only in this despatch, but likewise in his correspondence
with the Prime Minister.
The answer of the Holy Father, or rather of Cardinal
Simeoni, was as follows: 'Pontifex non judicat opportunum
cogere deputatos Jaicos. Eminentia tua videat an tuo nomine possis cos inducere ad supersedendum.' This answer
as well as the telegram that elicited it, was kept secret until
May the 12th, but the members were all the time left under
the impression that they could not as Catholics aCt: against
the wishes of the great majority of the Bishops of the Province.
Notwithstanding this pressure, on May 2nd, the bill passed
in the Committee of the \Vhole, by 34 votes to 16; and
on the next day it passed its third reading. It now was to
come before the Upper House and great fear was entertained
by the friends of the Jesuits that it would not pass, owing
to the intense displeasure its passage would cause the Car·
dinal.
All this time the Cardinal was writing to Mr. Mercier
�268
THE CIT'IL !"\'CORPORATION OP THE SOC. OF JESUS
letter after letter to induce him to withdraw the bill. This
correspondence was published a few days later at the instance
of the Cardinal. It did not seem to the public at large to
do special honor to His Eminenc~. But for this very reason
most of the members were rather inclined to spare him a
final defeat. Under these circumstances a telegram was
sent by one of the Jesuit Fathers to one of the Society in
Rome about the matter on the 5th of May, and at once the
welcome answer was received that the Holy Father had refused to oppose the bill. T~his was evidently an allusion to
the answer quoted above, wHich had not yet been given to
the public.
·
The bill, however, had now passed its first and second
readings in the Upper House :1nd was to come up in Committee on the I Ith. From all appearances it would be lost,
because the members were kept under the impression that
the Holy Father wished for a postponement.- Another despatch, sent by the Jesuits to one of their Fathers in Rome
on May gth, received the answer that Cardinal Simeoni
had that \"ery day informed Cardinal Taschereau by cable
that the Holy Father- could not oppose the incorporation
of the Jesuits. <IJ
The bill was to come before the Committee, as was said
above, on the I Ith, but at the request of Mgr. Hamel, it
was postponed to the following day, when that Reverend
gentleman read a carefully written paper. In this he endea\·ored to show that the Cardinal was not opposed to the incorporation of the Jesuits, but meant simply (as he thought it
was his right) to get time to elucidate certain details of the
bill which seemed to go against the rights of the Bishops and
the privileges of Laval University. He at the same time
bitterly complained of pretended insults heaped upon His
Eminence by the promoters of the bill. Finally, he added,
the Cardinal was sure his .conduCt: met with the approval of
the Holy See.
·
At this moment Rev. Fr. Turgeon, ReB:or of St. Mary's
College, rose and in a few words pointed out the £--t!lacy of
the objeCtions; complained in dignified terms of the accusation made against the Jesuits of laying snares for the
Bishops; and concluded by quoting the two despatches he
had received by cable on the 5th and gth of May, both of
which clearly proved that nothing had been done in opposition to the wishes of t},le Holy Father.
Mgr. Hamel then produced a second paper carefully pre(I) The full text of this despatch became known to the public only on the
12th.- It read as follows: 'Summus Pontifex nequit se opponere ne incorporentur J esuit:c. Qurestionem bonorum sibi omnino reservat.'
�IN THE PROVINCE OF QUEBEC.
·pared. In it he admitted that the Cardinal had received the
telegram just alluded to (the one of the gth), which he declared, in bitter terms, to have been obtained by means Of
insidious and false statements made by some persons behind
the scenes. But he argued that this answer of the Holy
Father, obscure and equi,·ocal, was rendered clear and unmistakable by another telegram· obtained in answer to a
question authoritatively put by Cardinal Taschereau, and
from which it was plain that, though the Holy Father refrained from commanding, he cordially expressed a desire
that the deputies should defer passing the bill. He then
quoted the telegram already mentioned.
Everybody in the audience was under the impression
that this was a telegram just received, and therefore subsequent to the one of the gth. Happily, however, Mr. de Boucherville, the member of the Upper House, who had taken
charge of the bill, suspeCting something crooked in Mgr.
Hamel's statement, asked him when this telegram was received and by whom it was signed. After some hesitation
Mgr. Hamel said it was received about the end of April
and signed by Cardinal Simeoni. This answer made it
clear to all present that this was the first telegram received
and that, even if it had meant that the Holy Father wished
the bill to be postponed, his subsequent telegram neutralised the effeCt of this one. Moreover, as Mr. de Boucherville
remarked, even that wish expressed in the first telegram
is evidently the wish of Cardinal Simeoni and not that of
the Holv Father.
This proved decisive; the room was cleared, for a moment only, of all strangers; and when the doors were reopened it was announced, amid great applause, that the
Committee accepted the bill without a single dissenting
voice. On the same afternoon, the bill passed its third
reading and, shortly afterwards, received the signature of the
Lieutenant Governor.
The excitement seemed now at an end and, for two
months, nothing more was heard concerning the great
event which had kept the whole province in suspense for
several weeks. In the middle of July, however, on the
occasion of an eleCtion at Laprairie to fill a vacancy, the
opponents of Mr. Mercier endeavored to excite, against the
candidate of his party, the prejudices of the good country
people by stating that Mr. Mercier had proved rebellious to
the injunCtions of the Cardinal and of a great majority of
the Bishops. Thereupon Mr. Mercier sent to the Holy
Father the following despatch dated July 21st: 'Accusatus
sum quod rebellis fuerim contra Episcopos, procurando
�ALASKA.
Jesuitis jura civilia. Debco me defenderc publice Sabbato
proximo. H umillime sollicito declarationem Su;:e SanCl:itatis
de falsitate illius accusationis.' The next day he received
from Cardinal Simeoni the following answer: 'Dici ncquis
rebellis Episcopis ex Jesuitarum incorporationc quam ipse
Summus Pontifex petere permisit.' This settled the case;
the telegram was widely circulated throughout the province;
and Mr. Mercier was viCl:orious.
Let us hope that this will be the last scene in a drama,
which, says the Verite of Quebec, 'will be a lesson to our
Canadian friends ;'-and the L'ni·vcrs of Paris adds: 'to others also.'
-
ALASK~;\.
Archbishop Seghcrs had several times asked missionaries
for Alaska from various religious orders, but could not obtain any. Finally, the Reverend Father Superior of the
Rocky Mountain Mission, S.]., having received some young
religious of his order from Europe, answered the Archbishop's earnest and repeated request, by sending him two Fathers who should go with him to explore that country before
opening a inission there. These were Fathers To;;! and
Robaut, to whom Mr. Fuller, who had offered himself for
this purpose, was given as companion. This Fulle"r had
been known to the Fathers for several years, having for some
time aCl:ed as helper at Industrial Schools; but he was neither
a brother nor a postulant.
The place where the first mission was to have been founded, was in that part of Alaska where the Stuart river flows
into the Yukon, about 2 50 miles from its source, in the castern part of Alaska, and about 2,500 miles from its mouth in
the west. The Yukon ri\·er has a length of 2,Soo miles,
and seems to be larger and deeper than the Columbia; it
flows through the heart of Alaska, and is the largest river
of that country as yet known, many tributaries emptying
into it. In winter, there is no other way of exploring that
country than l:Jy travelling over the frozen surface of rivers
and lakes. In summer~ the Yukon is navigable, and people
travel up and down it in boats or on rafts. The Indians an:
mostly found on the banks of the rivers or on the sea-coast.
The Archbishop first intended to leave San Francisco in
the spring of I 886, by one of the steamers that go to the
western part of Alaska; these steamers enter the Yukon
�ALASKA.
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and pursue their course eastward, very far into the interior.
According to·this plan, the missionaries would have reached
the place of their intended explorations without any trouble
or difficulty; but something happened that obliged them to
change their plans. The Archbishop had to wait till he
should receive the pallium from the Archbishop of Oregon,
and this solemnity could not take place till summer. It
being too late then to take one of the steamers that go up
the Yukon, Archbishop Seghers and his companions had
either to wait till the following spring, or to, change their
plans, that is, to travel from east to west instead of travelling
from west to east, as was at first intended ; and after reaching
the head-waters of the Yukon, follow the river to the intended place. This plan they finally adopted. This road did
not present any extraordinary difficulties till they reached a
spot about 35 miles from the Yukon, where swamps and
lakes abound. As soon as they reached this part of the
country they were obliged to travel on foot. For help they
had Indians, who carried tli.e baggage on their backs. \Vith
these Indians one must have great patience and pay them
well for their services. They arc experienced packers and
good guides, knowing the country well, as they are employed
for that by the miners. Having reached the head-waters of
the Yukon, the Indians left the missionaries and returned to
their homes. There our travellers set about building a very
solid raft; because when travellers come to this spot and
are unable to secure a raft from others returning, they are
obliged to build their own, if they want to continue their
journey. On such rafts, explorers row ·over lakes, shallow
places and rapids, till they reach the end of their journey.
It is needless to say that such a way of travelling is full of
hardships; yet there is no danger for the lives of the travellers, otherwise the Archbishop would not have risked those
of his companions. 'The greatest difficulty,' says Fr. Tosi,
'is to make a good raft to go down the river.' In this way,
on a raft, the Archbishop and his companions penetrated
into the interior of Alaska, and reached the mouth of the
Stuart river after many accidents, which are described in
two letters, one written by the Archbishop, and the other
by Fr. Robaut.
\Vhen the missionaries had succeeded in reaching the
junction of the Stuart river, it would seem that they had
come to the end of their journey for that year, and that)hey
should have made their winter quarters there, as there is no
communication in winter, except between places that are
very near each other. But the zeal of the Archbishop was
pushing him on further. He thought that three inissionaries
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in one and the same place were too many, seeing the want
of the whole country; besides, he feared that the numerous
bands of Indians near the banks of the Yukon would be lost
to the Church by any delay. For these reasons, the Archbishop resolved to leave the two Fathers and travel 900
miles further down, notwithstanding the entreaties of Fr.
Tosi to the contrary. Thus the Archbishop left on the 8th
day of September, 1886, with Fuller as companion. Fr.
Robaut says in his letter: 'This separation was very bad for
him and for us, but it was necessary, and so, after a tender
good-bye, he departed from us.' \Vhen the Archbishop was
about leaving, they all agreed that the two Fathers should
go down the ri\·er as soon as it would be open for travel,
which would probably take place towards the end of May
or the beginning of June, and meet him at his new station.
Then they would consult together what was to be done, and
one of the Fathers would remain in Alaska, and the other
would ·return with the Archbishop to San Francisco. The
Superior of the mission, on being informed as to what could
be done there, would refer matters to the Very Reverend
Father General of the Society of Jesus, for the establishment
of the Alaska missiop. In accordance with this agreement
the Fathers went down the ri\·er some time in May, in the
expectation of meeting the Archbishop full of life and
crowned with success. It is difficult to imagine their disappointment, sorrow and consternation at the news of the
awful tragedy of the Archbishop's death. At first -they
could not believe the terrible news, but when they came to
the evidence of the·faB:s, they had to submit themselves to
the disposition of Divine Providence. They were told that
the Archbishop had been shot dead by Fuller, and that his
body was at St. Michael's in a Russian church.
THE DETAILS OF THE MURDER.
During the voyage .from Portland to the southwestern
coast of Alaska, Fuller's conduCt was often so extravagant
that Fr. Tosi twice counselled the Archbishop to send him
(Fuller) back by the same steamer, which would return
from Alaska to Portland, for it seemed dangerous to Fr.
Tosi to continue travelling such a long distance with a man
of this kind. But the Archbishop, judging his services
necessary, both during the voyage and during the winter in
that most difficult country, took him along, in hopes that
the eccentric conduCl: of Fuller, which arose! from a fear that
the whites wanted to take his life, would subside as soon as
he would be far away from them. This hoped-for change
�ALASKA.
I
I
did not take place; yet the Archbishop, in his zeal, separated
himself from the Fathers, and travelled down the river alone
in company with Fuller. FF. Tosi and Robaut, when near
St. 1\iichael's, learned the following fa8:s: Nearly a month
had passed since the Archbishop had reached the end of
his trip of 900 miles, when he took the resolution to make
a third and shorter journey to visit some other tribe of Indians. He took with him Fuller and two Indians as companions. The Archbishop travelled with them for several
days until he reached a place about one day's distance from
a camp of the Indians he intended to visit. It being late in
the afternoon, Fuller proposed to the Archbishop to camp
there for the night and not to go any further that day. The
Archbishop, having asked the advice of the Indians, thought
better to go on, which they did and reached an empty Indian
house in the evening.
According to the statement of the Indians who had accompanied the Archbishop, Fuller was very much displeased
that his advice had not been followed, and he complained
bitterly, because, he said, the advice of Indians had been
preferred to that of a white man. They say, also, that Fuller was very much excited during the night, and seemed
not to have slept. At daybreak they saw him get up and
go about as if he would start the fire, but did not do it. All
at once he called the Archbishop, telling him to get up.
The Archbishop arose to a sitting posture, and on seeing
Fuller with his gun levelled, folded his arms on his breast
and inclined his head, when the man shot him. The bullet
· passed through his forehead near his left eye and came out
from the upper part of the neck. The Archbishop died
instantly. The Indians witnessing the tragedy got frightened, and fearing that Fuller would kill them also, disarmed
him ; but Fuller reassured them, saying coolly and calmly
that he had made up his mind to kill only the Archbishop.
Then he and the Indians arranged the body of the dead
prelate, taking away only the pastoral cross and ring, which
objeCts, he said, he would give to the ecclesiastical authorities in ViCtoria, B. C. From this it would seem that we
can safely conclude that Fuller's mental f.<culties had been
upset, partly in consequence of a previous disposition for
monomania, and partly also, in consequence of the sufferings he had undergone during the voyage; moreover, we
may suppose that he killed the Archbishop in a fit of madness. This conclusion is corroborated by the following
faCt: :-He is reported to have said that when they will hang
him he wants the consolation of confessing to a Catholic
�274
ALASKA.
Priest, to accuse himself not of the murder of the Archbishop, for which he feels no remorse, but of his past sins.
The only consolation left to us, who have known this
beloved Archbishop, is the thought that Almighty God,
who, in his inscrutable wisdom and providence over his
creatures, governs ·and direCts all to his greater glory, will
know how to use the tragic death of this holy prelate as an
efficacious means of propagating the saving light of the
Gospel. \Ve are aware that the crown of sacrifices which
the Divine Goodness imposed on the holy man for the salvation of the Indians, in asking of him the renunciation of
the Archbishopric of Oregon, in order to undertake such
an arduous mission, full of hardships, received its most
brilliant gem in the bloody sacrifice of his precious life. vVe
cannot suppose that God, on beholding a sacrifice so precious, will not be moved to grant in some future time, perhaps not far distant, the conversion of the poor creatures,
for whose sakation the sacrifice was made.
Neither Fr. Tosi nor Fr. Robaut knew anything about
this sad event until thev went down the V ukon to meet the
Archbishop. Fr. Tosi-left the body of the Archbishop as
it was, in a zinc casket, surrounded with ice. It is in the
Russian chapel at St. Michael's, which is situated about 500
miles from the mouth of the Y u_kon, and, when possible, it
will be taken by steamer to ViEI:oria. Fr. Robaut went
then to the Indians in whose territory the Archbislrop was
killed, and Fr. Tosi left on the steamer bound for San· Fran·
cisco, to acquaint Superiors with all that had happened. In
this last trip, he had a good opportunity to visit the western
sea-coast of Alaska, both above and below the mouth of
the Yukon. He arrived at Portland from San Francisco, on
the 23rd of July, and gave us all the details of the faEt:s just
related, besides much important information about the country and its inhabitants, which we shall now relate.
The climate of Alaska is not very changeable, it being
very cold in winter, and but moderately warm in summer;
and this uniformity of climate makes it very healthy. Fr.
Tosi, whose lungs were always weak, and who suffered
from rheumatism, like most of our missionaries in the mountains, says that his health was very much improved during
his stay in Alaska; and the writer, who saw him after his
return,.can testify to the faEI: that he appeared to be much
stronger. It seems that along the Yukon river, the snow is
not very deep; last winter it was not more than two feet,
whilst in the Rocky Mountains it was very deep. In summer it rains but seldom; hence, on the Alaska mountains
there must be a great deal of snow, to feed, when melting, a
�ALASKA.
275
river like the Yukon-one of the largest rivers in the world.
During the winter, the thermometer marked, on an average,
0
I 5° below zero, though sometimes it went down to 6o , and
even 70° below zero. During extreme cold a wonderful
phenomenon takes place ; the respiration is accompanied by
a perceptible voice that can be heard at some distance. This
strange phenomenon must be ascribed, it would seem, to the
condensation of the volume bf warm air, which, on leaving
the mouth, is instantly condensed by the very cold air without. The dwellings of the natives are built partly under
and partly above ground, and covered with a thick layer of
clay, as a proteCl:ion against the severe cold. Dense forests
of different kinds of wood furnish fuel. A great quantity
of wood being necessary, it is evident that to procure and
transport it is a difficult task; but should the winter supply
of wood give out, it is possible to get more, even in winter;
only a person has to take the precaution of clothing himself warmly, and lighting a large fire on the spot where he
cuts the wood. To form an idea of the intensity of cold in
these regions, it is sufficient to mention that, to procur·e the
necessary water, they have to go to the middle of the river
with a pickaxe and make a hole in the ice, which is about
six feet thick; and they have to cover it with branches before leaving, if they do no.t want to go through the same
process next day. To get water near the shore is impossible, or at least very difficult, because there the water either
freezes from the surface to the bottom, or the ice is much
thicker than in the middle of the river, where the current is
swifter.
During the summer, one can travel in a boat down and
even up the river, but not without some exertion. In winter, there is no country in the world that has roads more
level than Alaska; for these are the frozen surfc'lces of its
rivers, lakes and swamps. The ice is so thick that there is
no danger of breaking through, how heavy soever the load
may be. The only vehicle used in winter is a sled drawn by
clogs; these animals are very large and tame, and accustomed to hard work. They are placed before the sled in
files of two or three and arc driven without the aid of a bridle; sometimes, however, one of the party on snow-shoes,
precedes the dogs, making the road arid ieadihg the way.
The clogs carry in this manner considerable burdens, and
sometimes even the driver, who jumps on the sled from behind while it is moving. It happens not seldom that the
sled is upset in going over a heap of drifted snow or some
other obstacle, and if the driver is not very quick in jumping off, he is thrown into the snow; because the dogs hav-
�ALASKA.
ing no bridle cannot be ·stopped all at once. A person
ought not to lose courage if the dogs, from time to time, are
difficult to manage, since much patience is needed in travelling with dog-sleds in.Alaska. There are no horses in the
country, but Fr. Tosi thinks it would not be very difficult
to keep them, even in winter, if only warm stables were
built to proteCt them from the cold. Grass grows in all the
swamps, which might be mowed in summer and stored
awav for the winter. Still it is doubtful if horses would be
of a'ny utility in Alaska, otherwise they would have been
imported long ago. One~ of the difficulties, and by no
means the least, would be' the impossibility of carrying
along on a horse the amount of hay required for a long
journey. The same difficulty does not meet one who travels
with dogs, because these, besides being able to endure hunger for a longer time, may be fed with dry fish, of which a
sufficient quantity can be taken along on the sled, or can be
procured, if needed, wherever the Indians live.
Though there are in Alaska large traCts of good land, still
on account of the severe and protraCted cold, it would not
be worth while to cultivate them; and therefore they will
ahvays lie waste. Ne\·ertheless, Fr. Tosi thinks that during
the short period o( summer one could raise without much
difficulty such vegetables as need only a short time to come
to maturity, as potatoes, cabbages, etc. For, as the sun remains on the horizon for nearly four months (May,"June,
July and August), its heat must produce a good effeCt on
vegetation. This being as yet only an opinion, experience
must show whether it be tenable. One who has money can
procure from San Francisco dried peas, beans, etc.; also
fresh vegetables of every description preserved in air-tight
cans.
There are three steamers that run between San Francisco
and the interior of Alaska, going up the Yukon river. One
of them leaves San Francisco about the middle of March,
another in the beginning of April, and the third at the end
of May. These three steamers, having completed their voyage up and down the Yukon and along the coast of Alaska,
return to San Francisco, and, if we mistake not, the first o(
these steamers returns before the third leaves. The company
that owns these vessels have been very kind to the mis··
swnanes·. For Fr. Tosi's last trip from Alaska to San
Francisco the company refused to take any money. The
charges for freight are very n1oderate. · By these steamers,
the Fathers of Alaska have a means of communication with
San Francisco, where there is a college of the Society o(
Jesus. By this communication with San Francisco, the
�ALASKA..
277
Alaska missions are in a much better condition than the
Rocky Mountain missions were in years past. The missionaries were then entirely separated from all civilization, and
were obliged to provide themselves with the necessaries of
life by undertaking long journeys of several hundred miles,
over rough and difficult roads, transporting every thing by
.means of pack-horses. Missiotiaries of Alaska, by simply
writing a letter to their procurator in San Francisco, may
obtain every year a full supply ·of every thing they need for
the next year, and keep up a comparatively easy correspondence with their superiors.
Fish and game of different kinds are found in abundance.
Thousands and thousands of Indians with their dogs live
almost exclusively on fish. Every stream and river abounds
with them. There being no falls of any height that mightprevent the fish from going up the Yukon, those from the
sea find no difficulty in ascending the river. There is a certain kind of white fish there. about a foot and a half long,
which is delicious. The Indians fish with strong nets, very
ingeniously made of sinews. In winter, they first make a
hole in the ice, and then throw in their nets; so, in Alask<1,
one may secure at any time a quantity of fresh fish. Game,
however, is not so abundant as fish ; yet we ought not to
wonder at this, since warm-blooded animals cannot live in
such a cold climate. Nevertheless there are great numbers
of deer, moose and bears, the meat of which is very good.
In hunting these animals a person has to be very cautious if
he values his life. Hunters there use a kind of bullet which
explodes in the body of the animal and kills it instantly.
Let this suffice with regard to the country and climate.
\Ve will now proceed to give some particulars of a more
important nature-about the Indians or natives. Vve do
not intend to say any thing about the whites, that are spread
here and there over the interior of the country, as they arc
very few. On the south coast, however, which is very
healthy on account of its mild climate, and on which several
mines have been discovered, the Indians have been corrupted
by intercourse with the whites, so that it is very probable
that they are lost to religion. It seems, too, that there is
very little hope of converting those Indians who live on the
west coast of Alaska, south of the mouth of the Yukon;
but the same can not be said of those Indians who elwell on
the west coast of Alaska north of the mouth of the Yukon,
as also of those who live in the interior of the country, along
the shores of the same river and its tributaries. These latter
Indians are very numerous and are all heathens. Fr. Tosi
says that he met about IO,ooo of them who, in their eager
�. ALASKA.
desire to be instruB:ed in the truths of religion, have asked
for missionaries. He also saw about 5,000 who belong
either to the Protestant or Russian Churches. Unfortunately, Fr. Tosi lacked the opportunity of visiting the more
northern regions of Alaska, where, according· to the most
authoritative accounts, the Indians are the most numerous,
and have as yet never seen a missionary of any denomination. The zeal of the English Protestant ministers is very
great. Last year five of these missionaries went up the
Yukon to open a school fQr the Indians. \Ve may state
here that for many years an 'old minister has lived on the
shores of one of the tributaries of the Yukon. Fr. Tosi
has met this gentleman, and says that he is for the Protestant
missions of Alaska what Fr. Joset is for the. Catholic mission of the Rockv Mountains. His zeal for the conversion
of these Indians fs so great that, without ever relenting, he
undergoes the greatest hardships and difficulties. Fr. Robaut has taken up his abode amongst the Indians who \\·ere
to be visited last fall by the Archbishop, and he is all alone.
Let us pray to the Almighty that he may take this good
Father under his proteB:ion, who very probably will have to
remain in his present solitary position until next spring-;
however, all possible measures have been taken that Fr.
Tosi and his companions-Fr. Ragan1 and Br. Giordano,
S. J.-may reach him before winter sets in. They lef~'Vic
toria on August 9th, 1887. In consequence of the dangers
that would follow from delav, Fr. Tosi thinks that serious
steps ought to be taken to open those missions at once, and
he is also of the opinion that at each station there should be
at least two Fathers and one brother. In the region where
these first stations should be established there are more than
I 5,000 Indians anxious to put themselves under the care of
Catholic priests. But if the number of missionaries necessary could not be supplied at present, then there should be,
for the moment, one Father with a brother at each station.
Even during winter, communication might be had between
these several stations. The two which are the farthest apart
are about 300 miles from each other. The trip could be
made with facility, there being all along the way, at a distance of from· fifteen to thirty miles, Indian villages. But
the distance between all the other stations would be from
100 to 200 miles.
Of those stations, all accessible either
by the river or by the sea, four would be in the interior, on
the banks of the Yukon, and three near the sea-coast.
These Indians speak two languages entirely distinCt: from
each other; one of these is spoken by those living in the
interior, the other by those living near the coast. Besides
I'
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2i9
these, there are several diale8:s, more or less different from
the mother language. The coast Indians are Esquimaux,
and all these, to the number of several thousands, gather together in summer for the purpose of fishing, which circumstance would offer to the Fathers a good opportunity to
work for their corwersion. In general, these Indians may
be said to be of a very pacific disposition, like the Indians
of the Rocky Mountains, there being no danger at all to go
and li,·e among them. They are very intelligent and well
disposed to be instru8:ed in religion, which assertion can be
proved by the conversion to Protestantism of many thousands of them. Those of the Indians who had the happiness
of making the acquaintance of Archbishop Seghers, respe8:ed, honored and loved him very much, and whene\·er
any of them happened to meet him they mmld say that
they preferred the•Catholic Bishop to any other teacher.
From this we may infer of how great importance it is that
the place left by our lamented Archbishop be as soon as
possible filled by another, in order that the Indians may
know that if they have lost a good friend and f.'lther in the
Archbishop, th~y have found another with a spirit like his
and who like him desires nothing more than to make them
kqow God and the religion that leads to him. One of the
principal motives of the hope we cherish, of their easy and
speedy conversion, is the absence of that detestable plague,
polygamy, which is and always has been the greatest obstacle
to the conversion of the Indians of the Rocky Mountains.
It seems that the faCt: of this exceptional continency among
those Indians must be ascribed to a peculiar custom generally observed among them. When their children have
come to the use of reason, their parents make an agreement
by which they are betrothed to each other. From the time
of this betrothal, the children are obliged to help each other
as if married already, although they continue to live each
in his or her respeCtive family. For instance, whenever the
hoy goes fishing, he has to give part of his fish to his future wife, and so in all other things. On the other hand,
the girl is obliged to mend the boy's clothes, to dry them
when they are wet, and to prepare his meals whenever necessary. In this way they grow up loving each other from
their tenderest years. \Vhen they have come to a riper age,
they go and live together, continuing all the while to love
each other so exclusively that the same affe8:ion for other
persons never arises to interfere. This custom, says Fr.
Tosi, not only keeps polygamy far away, but even renders
any breach of conjugal faith very diffi<;ult; and what is more
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wonderful, without any religious teaching, their morals are
in general very good.
·
We must not judge, however, from this that the missionaries will have no difficulties to surmount. One very
great obstacle will be the superstitions or praetice of Indian
medicine, probably even of magic ans. It is evident that
these Indians will not give up so easily such praCtices, which
are of so high repute among them, that anyone who is
versed therein is considered by the tribe a wise and powerful
man. Let us hope that the all-powerful grace of the Almighty will overcome all the'se obstacles. Let us pray that
the Lord of the harvest, may send laborers into this uncultivated part of his vineyard. A grand opportunity is now
open to secure to Holy Church the charge of these numerous
tribes. To do this, howe,·er, requires immediate aetion, or
the enemy will creep in and sow the cockle in this virgin
soil, as he has already done on the southwest coast of Alaska; and if so, the cockle will take such firm root as to require years of endeavor to eradicate it, if possible even then.
The many Indians visited by the now martyred Archbishop
and his companions, appealed to him in the most urgei1t and
piteous manner to have the Fathers stay with them and teach
them the way to heaven. Shall their appeal be in vain?
Shall the labors of the Apostle of Alaska be now lost after
ha,·ing shed his blood to water that promising soil? ~-"This
is the question now to be considered by all Catholics \vho
have the welfare of souls at heart and desire to raise a monument to the memory of one of the greatest Apostles of
Holy Church.
Some miners, lately returned from the Y~tkon mines, report that about the 1st of September they met Father Tosi
and his companions, Fr. Ragant and Br. Giordano, in their
canvas boat, entering the Lewis River. One of the miners,
named Kart, knew Fr. Tosi 'and wanted him to stop; but as
the wind was fair, the Father said that he was in a hurry.
They had already passed the dangerous places, and the rest
of the river is very straight and safe. They had in their
boat a miner who was short of provisions; and two other
boats were in advance of them. They will be on the Yukon
river, long before the small steamer which they hoped to
catch ; and, from what the miners said, in five days they will
reach the store on the Yukon. There had been, as yet, no
rain there. The miners spoke highly of Fr. Tosi who helped
them in their sickness last winter. From the above information there is good hope that the missionary band will meet
�ALASKA.
\
Fr. Robaut before the winter sets in and renders travelling
impossible.
The following is taken from a letter of Fr. Robaut written
to Very Rev. Fr. Jonckau, Administrator of Vancouver
Island, from his lonely post at Anvick, on the Yukon, Alaska, July 31st, 1887.
Extrafl from a fetter of Fr. Robaut.
ANVICK, ON THE YUKON, ALASKA
TY.,
July JISt, 1887.
Rev. and dear Father Jonckau,
P. C.
I must now tell you what has occurred since Fr. Tosi
left St. Michael's for San Francisco on the Dora. We had
expected that either the Dora or the St. Paul would have
taken the body of the Archbishop to San Francisco; but
neither of the Captains would consent to it. Then I was
confident that Capt. Healy of the revenue cutter, which
was expected every day, being himself a Catholic, would
surely do it. But even Capt. Healy, though most willing to
do any thing he could, said it was not in his power to do it;
for, according to the law, a permit from the government
must first be obtained. The only way left me then was to
bury temporarily the remains of the Archbishop at St. Michael's. As soon therefore as I received this answer from
Capt. Healy, I made arrangements for the burial. I chose
a corner of the Russian graveyard about 200 yds. from the
post, just over the sea, as being the driest place. After the
grave had been dug, six white men who happened to be at
St. Michael's, carried the coffin to the graveyard. Among
those who accompanied the sorrowful procession, were two
Presbyterian ministers. On arriving at the grave, I recited
the prayers for the dead over the remains of the Archbishop,
and blessed the grave. Mr. Romano made, at my suggestion, a large cross to be put over the grave, which will be
surrounded by a fence, with a short inscription containing
His Lordship's name and titles in Latin, engraved in Roman
characters. Now a word about the murderer, Mr. Fuller.
At length, on the 6th of July, the long wished-for Capt.
Healy arrived. The vessel had scarcely anchored (about
three or four miles from shore), when a large steamboat was
seen coming towards the post. vVhen it touched land, we perVaL. xv1, No. 3·
19
�28:2
GALVESTON; TE.YAS.
ceived that it contained Capt. Healy, an officer and, 1 belie,·e,
ten soldiers in their naval uniform and with swords.
Capt. Healy came ashore and shook hands with us,
while the ten soldiers, falling in line. two by two, headed by
the officer, came up in true military style. Having arrived
at the place where we were standing, the officer, who was
at the same time Marshal, inquired of the agent where the
murderer was. The tent having been pointed out to him,
he led his soldiers to it. He then arrested Fuller in the
name of the United States, tied his hands, and marched him
off to the vessel.
GALVESTON, TEXAS.
Letter from Fr. Jolm H. Quinlan.
REv. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Like to one who had long and
earnestly gazed on a work of art and watched it growing
in beauty beneath the hand of the artist, until its image became indelibly impressed on the mind, thus ha\·e I contemplated our work at Galveston daily growing into state1y and
solid beauty until, although now absent, its image has become ineffaceably stamped on my soul. A triennium of
labor, blessed by God, is to-day completed in the University of St. l\iary,-in the parish of the Sacred Heart in Galveston .
.At our coming, it is true, we found, through the labors
of others, the nucleus of our parish in faithful souls chosen
of God; yet we could truly say in the words of Wisdom:
'All things are mingled together, blood, murder, theft and
dissimulation, corruption and untruthfulness ; forgetfulness of God, defiling of souls, disorder in marriag-e, and the
irregularity of adultery and uncleanness.' During the past
three years, many and great things have been done to remedy this. Among others I mention numerous baptisms,
many of adults and converts ;-six children of one f.·unily
stood together one day at the baptismal font. Our Sunday·
school is attended by 200 children. Many adults have been
prepared for first Communion and Confirmation.
Five-minute sermons are preached at the 6 and 8 o'clock
Sunday Masses besides the sermons at High Mass and vespers. The jubilee, retreats, panegyrics, etc. preached in our
�GALVES7'0X, TEX.4.s,
28j
little church, have giveii us quite a nanie for zealous and
constant preaching. Nor is attraCtion wanting; our Recror,
theRe\:. Fr.]. F. O'Connor, is endowed with rare eloquence
and the power of winning souls to God. The fruit is indeed
abundant and solid; hardened sinners kneel in the confessional and say: 'Father, help me; I had no idea of coming
to confession until I heard Father O'Connor's sermon.' Men
outside of the Church come in and mingle their tears of joy
with the regenerating waters of baptism. In successive
courses of lecrures, Fr. O'Connor has explained in clear and
glowing language, the Creed, Christian Marriage, the Names
of Our Lord, etc. while his incisive pen has made the Spirit
of Unbelief writhe in anguish, and cease his blasphemies in
the local press. Nor has his zeal been limited to the Island
City. It has extended through all Texas, from gulf to Pan
Handle.
It is consoling to see the children of the parish ad\·ancing
like their Di\·ine l\lodel 'in wisdom an<-1 age and grace with
God and men.' About one hundred and fifty have already
made their fir,.;t Communion and received Confirmation.
Their confessions are frequent ~ind they spread through the
parish and beyond it, the g·ood odor of Christ.
The University of St. l\Iary has passed from hand to
hand since its foundation Dec. Sth, 1S52. Eight times had
its direCtors been changed until finally, on the 21st of June,
1884, it pleased God to hand it over to the Society of Jesus,
by the hands of the Rt. Rev. N. Gallagher, Bishop of Galveston. Pious souls prayed for our coming, and they believe
that their prayers have been heard. The college has had
each year about one hundred day-scholars. Tuition, $4.00
and $6.oo a month. \\'e found education very much neglecred, but it is gradually creeping up to our standard ..
The parish numbers about 1,600 Catholics. The University buildings, containing our little church, stand in the midst
of our people, so that the limits of our parish can be reached
on all sides in less than fifteen minutes.
A new church, however, is necessary ; and the Recror has
already begun the work; pray that God may bless his efforts
and the good will of those who labor with him. Even
greater success, I trust, is in store for us here in the near
future, for Galveston is the key to the grand and developing
State of Texas, where there will be found many souls ready
to embrace the sweet yoke of Christ.
�ECUADOR.
Extract of a letter from t!te Colkge of t!te Immaculate
Conception, Pifo.
_,
May 25th, I887.
Pifo is a little village situated about fifteen miles from
Quito, on the eastern slope of the Andes, and on theoutskirts of the missions of Maranon. Our college of the
Immaculate Conception was opened in I 880; and, almost
immediately, furnished an asylum to our scholastics and to
the poor exiles of Nkaragua (I 881 ). At present, we have
a Novitiate, a Juniorate and a Scholasticate for those who
study philosophy; all exactly as in Europe. This is, I believe, our first house of- the kind in S. America, since the
restoration of the Society.
The climate is very favorable for study. It is neither too
cold nor too warm, since we are nearly 9,000 ft. above the
level of the sea. \Ve have flowers and sunshine and fr;esh
air all the year round; and, were it not for the strong \Vinds
and prolonged rains in winter, we could not distinguish one
season from another. Serious illness is almost entirely unknown; so much so that we have no infirmary; nay more,
a great many Spanish Fathers and brothers are cured here
of lung diseases. So you see, we enjoy great advantages; and
being far from the world we can more easily apply ourselves
to the study of virtue and science. In our recreations we
have for a villa the immense green prairies, where we all
spend our vacation much the same as you do at \Voodstock,
with this exception only, that we can here wear our cassocks
outdoors without the least fear; for the people are religious
and well disposed towards us.
Our mission, which is a part of the Spanish province of
-Toledo, includes the three republics of Ecuador, Peru and
Bolivia. The college of La Paz is quite flourishing, but
that of Lima had to be closed last August, owing to the
fury of the masonic lodges. It is feared that before the end
of the year we shall be expelled from the republic of Peru.
The college at Quito is national ; and it niJmbers, counting
both boarders and -day-scholars, from three to four hundred
(284)
�ECUADOR.
pupils. It is here, undoubtedly, that our Fathers labor with
the greatest zeal and freedom. Truly consoling is the part
which God has reserved for us in the work of saving souls.
Judge for yourself from the following faB:s which have
been transmitted to us from the college in Quito : 'The
day of the Annunciation was for us a really beautiful
feast. On that day we were urged on, by eloquence
in many ways, to love the Blessed Virgin, and to become
useful members of our Church and our country. In the
morning, Fr. Cordoba, the direB:or of the sodality, assembled
the boarders and day-scholars in the college chapel, which
was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Then he received
the consecration of the approved candidates, gave them Holy
Communion, and after some beautiful hymns, appointed the
hour of meeting in the evening. At 5 o'clock, all the candidates were again assembled in the chapel. The retiring
prefeCt and the newly eleB:ed prefeCt made pious speeches,
exhorting their companions to love of Mary. Their words
made a deep impression on the young auditors and served
as a powerful incentive to greater fidelity in their duties as
sodalists.
·
On the 23rd of April, three of our Fathers began a mission for the people. They preached successively at the Cathedral and at our own church, so that all might profit by
it. On the 27th, Fr. Proafio gave the exercises of St. Ignatius to the men, caballeros. They attended in great numbers.
The meetings were held in the court house, where a little
altar had been ereB:ed, so that Mass could be said there.
On the second day, the President of the republic, Senor D.
Placido Caamafio, was among the auditors; and he was one
of the most faithful and most devout. He remarked at the
end of the retreat, to one of his ministers: 'This Jesuit
Father preaches like the devil. His eloquence is simply
irresistible.'
Many of the University students were also present at this
retreat, thanks to an incident which occurred a few days previous. Fr. Proafio had told them, during a visit: 'Your University is godless. We can see here the piB:ures of Bolivar and
of Garcia Moreno, but not a single crucifix to show that this
is a Christian institution.' These words touched the heart
of the direCtor of the establishment, so that he afterwards
exhorted the students to attend the exercises, and appointed prefeCts for each class to see that none might be absent.
On the first of April, twenty-eight young men came to Fr.
Cordoba asking for a formal retreat of four hours of meditation each day. They were not obliged to ask a second
time; their request was granted at once.
�286
ST. LYIGO' S VILLA.
Holy Thursday we led our boys to the Cathedral that
they might take part in the general Communion of the men.
The distribution lasted nearly three quarters of an hour.
After thi"s we accompanied the President, who was preceded
by a military escort, in his \'isit to the various repositories
of the city. On Good Friday the exercise of the 'Three
Hours' was preached; four of our Fathers preaching at the
same time, in different ·churches, to large audiences and
with great fruit.' These are a few f:<Eis indicative of what
the Society accomplishes herefor the glory of God and the
salvation of souls.
..
ST. INIGO'S VILLA.
This Season at St. Inigo's was in every way a success.
The weather was hot but fair; and there were no mishaps
of any kind to mar the pleasure. There was less formal
effort made to entertain)he community, but the spontaneity
of whatever was done attained the end much more effeCtually. Picnics were largely and generally patronized, so
much so that some days the home party might be called
the 'picknickcrs.' Superiors were so ·bountiful in their provisions, and clufs were so plentiful and so obliging, that a
dinner a! fresco did not mean a barmacide feast, but rather
presaged the need of a good siesta before the homeward
row.
The hvorite ground of former days was closed to excursions, as Howgate Island has passed into the hands of a
Scotchman named Stevens, who now li\·es there with his
family, and, naturally enough, did not wish the intrusion of
strangers-especially of aliens to his faith. But the·closing
of Howgate,led to the discovery of several springs in pleasant places, Cooper's being the most convenient. Gunboat
held its own even against Barrel and Tyler. The ;;unset
floating-concerts on Oyster Creek are a delightful feature of
villa life.
:
The Dedication of Fr. Pve Neale's new church of the
Holy Face. took place on the first Sunday of July. Mr.
Powers and a deputation of singers were sent, with no small
trouble, to provide the music. The Great Mills arc about
twelve miles distant by road, and conveyances are not easily
had. A schooner had been engaged, but the evening before
the great event, the Captain coolly informed Fr. Gaffney
that he had changed his mind and accepted another engage-
i
)l
�ST. INIGO'S VILLA.
ment. The only alternative was to ply the oars on a long
row. The day was beautiful and visitors came from all parts
of the county; some say they numbered six hundred; at
all events, it was a \"cry large gathering. The chu.rch is a
neat little frame building with a pretty belfry, and does
credit to the zeal and energy of Fr. Pye Neale, who was
delegated by Cardinal Gibbons to dedicate it. Rev. Fr.
Provincial sang the High Mass, assisted by Fr. Neale as
Deacon and Fr. Tynan as Subdeacon. Mr. Barnum, whose
taste and skill had decorated the as yet rough interior of
the church, aeted as Master of Ceremonies. As the St.
Jllfary's Hmcon stated, there were singers from England,
Spain and France, and it might have added Holland, Germany and Ireland, at least radica/itcr. Fr. T. Hayes was
the preacher. He was supplemented by Rev. Fr. Provincial
and Fr. Gaffney. In the afterno9n, Fr. Neale recited the
rosary and preached in his own simple but effeCtive style.
Solemn benediCtion of the Blessed Sacrament closed the
ceremonies of this very eventful day. Rev. Fr. Fulton took
advantage of being in the neighborhood to make his official
visitation of St. Inigo's and passed a couple of days there.
This year the Fathers and scholastics of Loyola College
were invited to enjoy a trip on the Emma Giles-a new and
swift steamer, modestly called the Pride of Baltimore, and
no discredit to her native city; and several availed themselves of the invitation. Perhaps to some the pleasantest
parts of the vacation arc spent on the Chesapeake. These
days on the water are a contrast to the trips on the old Sue,
when scholastics had to lie round the deck or the saloon
until 2 o'clock in the morning, when they would reach their
destination tagged out and weary. Times have changed
and St. Inigo's popularity is steadily waxing.
The Cardinal showed his appreciation of Fr. Gaffney's
aCtive interest in colmed schools by sending him a check
for $200.00 as his share of the fund raised by the general
colleCtion in aid of the 1ndians and colored people.
L
�ROME.
. Letter from Fr. Conway.
UNIVERSITA':TSSTRASSE
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
.
P. C.
8,
'I
i
INXSBRCCK, TYROL.
-~
As Rome is a citv of churches,
it is consequently a city of religious festiv~ls; and as its
churches outnumber the days of the year, not a day passes
without a grand religious funCtion somewhere within or immediately without the sacred walls. A feast begins usually
on the vigil with pontifical vespers and terminates with second vespers on the afternoon of the day itsel( This daily
change prevents any thi!1g like monotony in a student's life
in Rome. Although each of these special feasts ranks as
first class, yet even in this supreme rank there are grades,
and four there are that may be pre-eminently called great
feasts-to wit, the feast of St. Aloysius, that of SS. Peter
and Paul, St. Ignatius, and St. Philip Neri, the second apostle of Rome, as he is called.
The body of St. Aloysius rests under the altar, dedi~ated
to him, in the church of St. Ignatius. This church is very
large, ranking in size after the great basilicas. If memory
serves me rightly I should say that it is nearly as large as
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York; however I give this
estimate with some hesitation, and subject to all necessary
correCtion and apology. It was formerly the collegiate
church of the Roman College adjoining, and on top of it is
the observatory made famous by Fr. Secchi's science and
labor. Within, it looks bare and dreary, for it still remains
in the unfinished state in which the suppression of the Society found it. At that time all the marbles and precious
stones had been colleCted for its interior adornment, but the
brief of suppression came, the work was suspended and
the marbles used elsewhere-principally in adorning the interior of the sacristy of St. Peter's and of St. Antony's, from
which we can judge how magnificent St. Ignatius' would
have been, if circumstances had permitted its completion.
Like most of .the Roman churches it is cruciform, the arm
of the cross .on the Epistle side being the chapel of St.
Aloysius, and the arm opposite, the chapel of the Annunciation where reposes the sacred dust of Blessed Berchmans.
(288)
':
�ROllfE.
After his canonization this chapel may possibly be dedicated ·
to him. It is historically true, I believe, that Blessed Berchmans was present in the church when the remains of St.
Aloysius were transferred with solemn rite to the chapel
then newly dedicated to him; and tradition says that he
stood, with the other scholastics of the Roman College in
that very chapel where now his blessed body rests, the
object of equal honor and veneration with that of the saintly
Gonzaga.
The altar-piece over the altar of St. Aloysius, consists of
a marble group, seemingly sculptured out of the wall. All
the figures are more than life-size; and it represents St.
Aloysius being borne into heaven by many angels, while
above, the Eternal Father and the Blessed Virgin are waiting
to receive him. Beneath the altar is an immense and beautiful urn of lapis !a::;u!i richly ornamented with bronze and
silver; this contains the ossa ct cimrcs of the Saint. In
front of this urn is a large plate of crystal, which is removed
during the oB:ave of the feast. The remains of Blessed
Berchmans, under the opposite altar, are enclosed in an urn
the exact counterpart of this. The immediate preparation
for the feast was a triduum with sermon and benediction
each evening; and on the morning of the vigil the students
of the Gregorian University, in accordance with an old tradition, assisted at the panegyric delivered by the venerable
Fr. Nannerini, who has devoted his life in a special manner
to spreading the devotion of St. Aloysius.
.
An essential part of a church celebration in Rome is the
decoration of tl).e church with red cloth or silk trimmed
with gold. This is twined about the pillars or hung in strips
along the walls; and it appears very curious and incongruous-very much like painting the lily-to see beautiful marble pillars completely hidden under a mass of very ordinary
red bunting, in order to add to the solemnity of the occasion.
Yet such is the universal custom observed everywhere from
St. Peter's to the domestic chapel; and I have no doubt that
like many other inexplicable customs there, for which no
one seems able to give a reason, it is the continuation of
some very remote tradition, the origin of which has been
lost with time and change. Probably it comes from the faB:
that the first festivals were those of the martyrs \vho had
shed their blood for the faith. It certainly cannot be accounted for on any .:esthetic principles, and is, I take it,
rather a symbol than an ornament. In accordance with the
universal custom, the church of St. Ignatius on the present
occasion was draped in red and gold, especially the chapel
of St. Aloysius.
L
�ROME.
Another peculiarity of a Roman church is that no light
is used in it except that of oil or candle: indeed I have
heard it asserted, though not prO\·ed, that any other iorm
of illumination in any part of the church is in direct opposition to canon and rubric. They have not yet reached the
gas, and of course still Jess the electrical, period. Numerous chandeliers, some containing a crown of six, others of
eight, others of ten candles, are suspended from the ceiling
at short distances from each other. The ropes that hold
them work on pulleys so that ·they can be raised or lowered
at pleasure, and arranged into.the form of arches and circles
and semicircles. The effect is exceedingly beautiful when
the church is one blaze of little stars of mellow light. There
is one drawback, however, and it is that these Roman candles drip exceedingly and the fervent worshipper, rapt in his
~evotions and oblivious of all else, is apt to rise from his
prayers pretty well waxed and spotted, and with several
days of cleansing work in prospect. The first experience
is enough, and one learns to mingle his de\·otion with caution for the future. I think it is no exaggeration to say that
over a thousand taper~ \\·ere burning in the chapel of St.
Aloysius alone. I went O\'tT to the church at ;.30 A.~!. and
found it pretty well filled e\·en at that early hour: every altar
was engaged, and the people were crowding to receive Communion at the Saint's tomb. The urn was covered with letters
directed to the Saint containing petitions for him to deliver
personally at the throne ·of Grace. These letters were enclosed
in rich envelopes of silk or satin, with gold and silver embroidery, and the Saint's initial elaborately worked thereon, after
the manner of the more precious valentines amongst us.
These letters remain there during the entire octave, and are
then taken to the church of S. Stel'lno Rotondo, where on a
certain day in the beginning oi July, they are publicly burnt
with special ritual and great solemnity.
As the altar of St. Aloysius was reserved for Cardinals,
Bishops and Monsignori, we who had nothing but the 'customary suit of solemn black' had to be contented with
what good luck and the good will of the Master of Ceremonies could do for us. 1 was fortunate enough to find the
altar of St. Joseph free. Before the church of St. Ignatius
was built. the infirmary of the Roman College occupied its
present site, and over the present altar of St. Joseph was the
room in which St. Aloysius died. Such at least is the tradition-every spot in Rome is traditional-and! felt just as
well satisfied as if I had documentary proof- perhaps
better..
Another very singular feature of a church celebration is
�ROME.
the number of venders of pious piCtures, prayer books, rosaries, medals, etc., that literally pitch their tents, and ereCt
their booths at th~ church door, shouting their wares vociferously, and threateningly entreating you to purchase. The
steps leading up to the church look like a f.<ir, and one
would scarcely be surprised to find merry-go-rounds or a
shooting-gallery in some corner. The piCtures for sale, it is
needless to say, are rich .in colours: St. Ignatius in a green
cassock, or St. Aloysius with cheeks preternaturally red,
clothed in blue, or St. Augustine, in violation of every ecclesiastical regulation, clad in an orange cope over a yellow
alb, seated at his desk in full pontificals-mitre, crozier and
all-and writing with a steel pen. I am inclined also to
think that these salesmen and saleswomen have not as delicate a regard for the truth as the semi-religious nature of
their trade would appear to demand. One particularly vigorous•young fellow was shouting out without· the least apparent apprehension that his statement might be questioned
by the incredulous: 'Here is a true and perfeCt portrait of
St. Aloysius-only one cent.' I certainly doubted the assertion, and I had good reason for hoping that it was false.
There are about a dozen of these people that travel about
from church to church according to the calendar, and they
seem to thrive on other people's fervor. The poor beggars
too, the blind and the halt, the maimed and the pitiable every variety of the unfortunate except the dumb-make
the same itinerary, begging most earnestly ;md most eloquently for a pittance. Their petitions are generally in the
form of a prayer, in which the name of the Saint whose
feast is being celebrated, is prominent. These unfortunates
arrange themselves in line on each side of the door, so that
all who pass in or out have to run the gauntlet, listening to
each one's tale of woe; and invincible ignorance at least will
be no excuse there for f.<iling in an aft of charity. These
poor people have not yet become accustomed to a state of
things that makes poverty and deformity almost criminal, and
they are remnants of the older times when charity was
taught to be more meritorious as a spontaneous aft than as
a tax obligation.
·
The Mass at 7.30 was said by Cardinal Mazzella. At this
Mass all the students of the Gregorian University went to
Holy Communion, together with the hundreds of boys from
the Government Lycea that Br. Marchetti has kept together
in the Prima Primaria. It was a very impressive speCtacle
to see these four or five hundred ecclesiastical students from
every land under the sun assembled there to honor the
youthful Saint who had won his crown by living well the
�ROME.
~ery life that they were living, in that very place and under
identical circumstances ; for like them St. Aloysius had
been a student of the Gregorian U nivers~ty; and the reflection naturally came to me: suppose Aloysius had followed
his father's wishes and had become a powerful local prince,
great in the field and welcome at the court, the very name
of Gonzaga would long since have been forgotten amongst
men, and his whole career sumll)ed up in a meaningless
fuit, if indeed that mu.ch would have been remembered.
But one could not view this speCt:acle in the Church of
St. Ignatius without realising that it is not fuit but est.
He is still a living power in the world, not a faded memory, still exercising his influence upon the minds of men,
- and moulding the hearts of the young to higher things.
Strange it seemed that the only one of the Gonzagas remembered for his own sake, was the very one that sought
to shun the notice of men in the" silence of the cloist!:r. No
doubt his sorrowing friends and relatives looked upon it as
a great disaster when he threw up his worldly prospeCts for
the religious habit, but of course they could not foresee
the greater glory of_ the resurreCtion. At 10 A. 1\l. there
was· pontifical High Mass, and pontifical vespers in the afternoon closed a day not readily forgotten. The great
church was thronged from early morning, and over four
thousand are said to have received Holy Communion.
In the sacristy is a small but beautiful marble altar; it
was the first altar ereCt:ed to hiri1, and was the gift of his
mother on the occasion of her son's beatification. It is evident that St. Aloysius is a favorite saint of the Romans, as
St. Lawrence was in earlier times. The crowds at all the
Masses, the hundreds that thronged to the Holy Table, the
carriages that blocked the entrance, all proved that he held
the popular heart. It is explained by the faCt:, that devotion
to him was so much inculcated in the Roman College, in
which nearly all the youth of the city was educated, and
that, notwithstanding changed circumstances, these pious
traditions still live and are transmitted from father to son.
I think, too, the faCt: that St. Aloysius was an Italian, together \vith his youth a'nd the romance that attaches to his
heroic renunciation of fame and fortune, have much to do
with his popularity.
From the church a long and laborious spiral staircase
leads up to a corridor in the Roman College, in which is the
room he occupied while he studied there. Is it a mere
coincidence that the very room next to his was in after
years the room of Blessed Berchmans ? These two rooms
of such hallowed memories and so dear to us are now
�ROllfE.
chapels, and for this reason were not touched by the
government when it seized the Roman College. Part of
the corridor is walled off so as to separate them from the
government schools. The room of St. Aloysius is quite
spacious, about twice as large as a student's room at vVoodstock; but it must have· been a dreary place to live in.
The ceiling is not plastered, while the floor, as still customary in Roman houses, is of brick. As there are no stoves
in winter you can easily imagine the thrill one experiences
when he makes his early exit upon this cold pavement-it
is certainly not a thrill of pleasure; and it takes many hours
to recover from this early shock. Such at least was my experience, and in fact I ha\'e scarcely recovered from it yet
-the memory of it haunts me still. Besides, the room of
St. Aloysius (as of course. that of Blessed Berchmans next
door to it) had a northern exposure, and you may perhaps
be able to form some idea of what the Saint suffered there
in holy patience, especially as we know that he was of a
delicate constitution. The chapel is besides a kind of
pious museum containing numerous relics of the Saint,-letters which he wrote, articles that he used in life,letters which
other saints wrote concerning him, notably St. Charles
Borromeo and St. Alphonsus Liguori, etc. Here it was
that I was brought face to face with the human element in
his life, that made me realize fully how after all, he was mere
flesh and blood like ourselves-it was the note-book he
used as a student of theology. Not even the harmless gunpowder incident upon which preachers and biographers so
much insist, could impress me so deeply. It was the touch
of nature that makes us all akin. It was encouraging, since
it offered reason for hope that we too might one day have a
perfect clearing up of all our doubts without the artificial
and uncertain aid of a syllogism. This note-book is evidently the fiber papyraccus into which the leCture was
transferred according to rule. It is written neatly and carefully without blot or correCtion; the hand is a delicate one,
but the penmanship can hardly be called good. Indeed after having seen many saints' manuscripts, it was some consolation for me to draw the general conclusion that as a
rule they were not expert penmen, and that there is no necessary conneCtion between holiness of life and good writing.
It may be well to emphasize this t'lct for the solace of the
struggling many. St. Aloysius had his theses and propositions carefully marked off. while conspicuous marginal
notes call attention to difficulties with their solution and explanations. It looks very human indeed, to see that ev~n
he with all his ecstatic fervor fac~d the same difficulties
�that we have to encounter, and Wrestled with them just like
ourselves.
The next great feast chronologically, though of course
first in dignity, was that of SS. Peter and Paul. St. Aloysius' might be described as a devotional festival, June the
29th, as one of devout patriotism ; it is a kind of religious
Fourth of July without fire-crackers, or any other disagreeable symptoms of national enthusiasm. It was celebrated
with greater splendor when the Pope still ruled from the
Vatican, but even yet some of the old fervor remains. Many
of the houses in the neighb'hrhood of the Vatican were decorated for the occasion. Although there was a large crowd
at the Mass in the morning, it was small in comparison with
the multitude that thronged thither in the afternoon to the
grand vespers. On leaving our house, the city seemed to
be deserted; not a carriage was to be seen anywhere, and
the narrow streets looked as deserted as the streets of Pompeii. But as we neared the direCtion of St. Peter's the
whole city seemed to be going to the basilica. The bridge
of the Castel S. Angelo is ever a difficult one to cross, on
account of its narrOW.Jless and the great traffic that is now
carried on between both parts of the city; but on this occasion it seemed to be almost impassable. A long string of carriages extended on both sides of the bridge as far as the eye
could see, while half a dozen policemen were kept ·busy
ordering men and carriages. After much difficulty \ve managed to cross the bridge, and slowly and cautiously picked
our steps thence to St. Peter's, for a Roman charioteer has
\·ery little regard for a foot passenger. The great piazza of
St. Peter's looked like an immense ant hill black with moving
figures, while the thunder of cabs and coaches made conversation impossible. I had often \'isited St. Peter's before, but
had never realized its great size until now. The crowd
fairly poured into the church in a continuous stream, elbowing and pushing, and yet, once within, it seemed to be lost;
there was plenty of room to move about with ease. It
seemed to me that it could never be filled. The church was
as usual draped in the essential red and gold, and two choirs
of men were engaged in .Singing vespers. For in accordance
with the Apostle's injunCtion, women have no official voice
in a Roman church. Each of the Great Basilicas has what
is called a Papal altar, at which the Pope only officiates.
Since 1870 these altars have not been used except on one
or two extraordinary occasions, when by special dispensation, some high dignitary has represented His Holiness.
T'he Altar of the Confession, as it is called, is the Papal altar.
On great solemnities a temporary altar is ereCted near it, at
�ROME.
\ :
which the services are performed. Beneath is the crypt of
the old basilica ,;,hich stood here before the present St.
Peter's was built; it is opened once a year to the public and
illuminated on this day; here may be seen one after another
the simple tombs- of a long line of Pontiffs from St. Linus,
the immediate successor of St. Peter. On this day, too, the
statue of St. Peter, so hmiliar to us in its copies, presents a
rather odd speCtacle. It is decked in sacred vestments of
great richness and splendor. Upon the bronze head is an
enormous tiara brilliant with jewels and precious stones, a
magnificent gold chain around the neck holds a splendid
peCtoral cross; a red silk cape, richly and elaborately ornamented with gold and silver, envelops the figure; while a
great sapphire ring, encircling the two fingers held out in
benediCtion, sparkles with diamonds. This is the well known
statue, the right foot of which is continually worn away by
the kisses of the devout; it had to be periodically renewed.
An interminable stream of people was passing before it, all
day apparently, so that muscle was as necessary as piety on
the present occasion to testify one's reverence for the Prince
of the Apostles. It was difficult to believe that these apparently precious stones which adorn the vestments of the
statue, were any thing more than imitations, but I saw them
a few days later in the Treasury of St. Peter's and was convinced that they are all genuine. During the. oCtave, the
Mamertine Prison on the Capitoline is opened and illuminated. H·~re it was that the two Apo·stles were detained
previous to their execution. It would be difficult t~ imagine
a dungeon more horrible. It consists of two underground
chambers one over the other. The lower one which is the
real prison, had originally no communication with the upper
save by a hole in the ceiling, still to be seen, about wide
enough for a man to pass through; by a rope the unfortunate prisoner was let clown into the foul den beneath, dark
and damp and terrible, as Sallust has described it. Both
chambers are now oratories. Fortunately it is not now
necessary to be let down by means of a rope, as a narrow
stairway conneCts the upper with the lower chamber or oratory. In the latter there is a delicious spring of water,
called into existence, according to the pious tradition, by St.
Peter when he needed water to baptize some of his fellow
prisoners. Under the church of Sta. Maria in Via Lata,
there is a similar spring produced by St. Paul under like
circumstances during the time of his first imprisonment.
The last great feast which we witnessed in Rome was
that of Our Holy -Father, St. Ignatius, in the Gesu where
his body is kept. The Gesu is not a very large church,
�ROlliE.
comparatively speaking, yet it is one of the most devotional
an_d most frequented, as it certainly is one of the handsomest
in that city of splendid churches. The altar of St. Ignatius,
on the Gospel side, is a work of wonderful magnificence.
The Romans have a saying that Rome possesses the greatest
church, the grandest chapel, and the finest altar in the world.
The church of course is St. Peter's, the chapel is the Cappella Borghese in St. Mary Major, while the altar so distinguished is that of St. Ignatius in the Gesu. Over the altar
is a very ordinary piCture of St.' Ignatius which is removed
on great festi,·als, revealing a .!=olossal statue of the Saint in
his sacred vestments with his arms uplifted to heaven. It
seems to be of siker, but I am told that the head only is of
that metal. It is a replica of a silver statue which was stolen
during the French occupation, when so many sacred places
were plundered-not excepting the Vatican itself. The urn
or coffin containing the Saint's body is of bronze and silver.
One of the ornaments of this altar is a globe of lapis /a:;uli
said to be the largest single piece of that precious stone
in existence. The Masses began on the morning of the
feast at a very early hour. Cardinal Mazzella said Mass at
the altar of St. Ignatius at 5 A. M. and many other purpled
dignitaries followed him, amongst whom I saw Cardinals
Zigliara and Monaco de Ia Valetta. The latter is one of
the most distinguished members of the Sacred College, and
a man held in the highest esteem. He is a devoted friend
of the Society, and was much attached to our late V. Rev.
Fr. General and to Cardinal Franzelin.
I may be allowed a digression to relate an edifying anecdote concerning Cardinal Monaco de Ia Valetta. He is one
of the six suburban Cardinal-Bishops, being the titular of
Albano. A couple of months ago one of our Fathers happened to be in Albano giving a retreat to the clergy of the
diocese, and one morning he found himself vested for Mass
without a server. The C~rdinal happened to be kneeling
at the altar making his thanksgiving, but he instantly rose
and insisted tipon serving the Mass himself. The Cardinal
Vicar, another distinguished ecclesiastic and devout prelate,
never lets an opportunity pass without showing his good
will to us. On the morning of the 31st, he said Mass in the
room of St. Ignatius, and ordained at the same time a couple
of students to the priesthood. The rooms of our Holy
Father were three in number-if indeed one can be called a
room, for in reality it is merely a passage-way conneCting the
two other rooms; so we shall merely consider two of them.
One seems to have been both sitting and sleeping-room,
while the other was an oratory in which he used to say
�Mass and hold coniniunlon with God. lt ri.eeds not the numerous relics of the Saint, and of others of our saints and
beatified which are exposed here, to make the room inexpressibly dear to a child of the Society. It is holy ground,
and one walks therein with awe, passing through the same
doors through which the Saint had so often passed in life,
and gazing upon the same objeCts which must have been so
familiar to him. The rooms are low and gloomy and
smaller than those of St. Aloysius and Blessed Berchmans
in the Roman College; they are also very dark, since, in
both cases, the small window is off in a corner. The window of the oratory opens on to a little porch, just the width
of the window itself; and here it was that St. Ignatius loved
to sit for hours gazing up into the beautiful Italian sky, and
meditating upon the glory that is beyond it. The spot
where he knelt when he had that ecstatic vision of the Trinity is marked in another corner of the room. Here too is
a very interesting relic in the form of a wooden figure, representing the exaCt: height of the Saint and clothed in the
identical vestments in which he used to say Mass. Even the
slippers and biretta are those which belonged to him in life.
His sitting-room is also rich in sacred memories, many of
which are recorded in mural inscriptions. At that altar St.
Charles Borromeo said his second Mass; hither St. Philip
Neri used frequently to come to hold pious converse with
St. Ignatius himself; here knelt St. Francis de Sales and
St. Alphonsus di Liguori ; here, too, St. Francis Borgia was
received into the Society, and it was in this very room that
he, in after years, received the foot-sore boy pilgrim from
Poland, whose name and fame were to be immortal in the
'annals of the Church. It is easy to imagine with what divine fervor St. Aloysius, St. Stanisl~us, Bl. Berchmans, and
numerous other holy members of the Society, used to visit
this sacred spot and pray before this hallowed shrine. I
believe that St. Francis Borgia and Fr. Laynez occupied
this room during their generalship; but every other glory
is eclipsed in the splendor of its first occupant. It is mentioned in the Guide Books as a point of interest, and many
English and American Protestants visit it.
·
It had been an old custom for l:he Abbot of the Benedictines of St. Paul's fuori !c mura to dine in the Professed
House on the feast of St. Ignatius while our V. Rev. Fr.
General reciprocated on the feast of St. BenediCt:. Since the
curia has been in Fiesole there has been an interruption of
this custom on the side of Fr. General, but the BenediCI:ine
Abbot still comes to show his good will, not of course to
VoL. xvr, No.3·
20
�ROlliE.
the Professed House, which is now a barrack, but to its
substitute, the Palazzo Borromeo; and when Fr. Beckx returned to Rome after laying down the burthen of office, he
never failed to pay his annual visit to the great monastery
of St. Paul's on the feast of St. Benedict.
The last of the great feasts was about our last day in
Rome, and it was a relief to get out of the city, which two
months of great and constant heat had made almost unbearable. Fortunately there were no Fahrenheit thermometers, for the knowledge of the exact state of things might
have intensified our sufferi.ngs; 35° or 37° Centigrade
looked innocent enough, and both means and inclination
were wanting to raise it to the more intolerable Fahrenheit
standard. As we suffered more from the cold in winter
here than at home, so too, we found the heat in summer more
trying. The cold is felt so much because, little as it is, there
is no precaution against it. The heat too is more intolerable, for windows have to be closed from sunset to sunrise,
and negligence on this point may result very seriously.
Through the kindness of Cardinal Mazzella, to whom we
are indebted for many f.."l\·ors during our stay in Rome we
received the honor of an audience with His Holiness
before leaving. He spoke affectionately of the Church in
the United States and praised the labors of the Society
there, exhorting us to follow in the footsteps of our worthy
predecessors. He gave us his hand to kiss and blessed us,
placing his hand upon our heads. To our request that he
would deign to bless the Province and all its colleges and
houses, he cheerfully acquiesced. Then he stretched forth
his right foot and told us to kiss it which we did with becoming fervor. He is more aged than his pictures represent
him to be; he is very spare, a mere shadow, but by no
means as dark in complexion as one would judge from his
photographs; he stoops slightly. but a close view dispels
the idea of feebleness received from seeing him at a distance.
· Although his hand shakes almost as one palsied, yet his
voice is firm and strong, very deep and very nasal, and his
eye is bright and indicative of mental vigor. His t'nanncr
is kind and condescending, but it is the condescension of
one who is conscious of the great dignity he bears.
The next morning we left Rome, and it was pleasant, a
few days after having suffered so much from the heat of the
eternal city, to be gazing upon great fields of snow crowning the Alps around us here in Innsbruck, and tempering
pleasantly the surrounding atmosphere.
YouRs IN Xt.,
]. A.
CoNWAY,
S. ].
�MACON, GEORGIA.
ST. STANISLAus', VrNEVILLE,
Feast of St. Michael, r887.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Macon, the beautiful central city of Georgia, is piCturesquely seated on its many wooded hills. Its large and winding river, the Ocmulgee, almost bounds the city on the east;
although, beyond the river, East Macon forms a very important suburb, with its faCtory and villages and farm-houses
on the charming eastern heights overlooking the river and
the city. The population of l\Iacon is about 35,000, and if
the suburbs were taken in, it would be about 40,000. Fully
one-half of this number arc colored people.
Among· these 40,000 souls, there are only a few over 700
Catholics according to census taken by Rev. Fr. Butler, May,
r887; but these make up in a great measure by their fervor
what they lack in number. Pray that the Society of Jesus
may in a few years be able to reverse these numbers and to
say in the spirit of the great St. Gregory Thaumaturgus:
Thanks to God! \Ve found only 700 Catholics at our entrance and now all the inhabitants of this city are Catholics,
save 700.
Macon is a busy, bustling, joyous little city. It is situated
in the very heart of a state unsurpassed for fertility of soil
and salubrity of climate. More than a dozen railroads bring
life and wealth into it from all points of the compass. It
has handsome churches and public buildings. It is famed
for its beautiful and extensive park in which the State Fair
is soon to be held. Its system of street cars is admirable.
Its fire companies are well organized. It is a great cotton
market. Its wholesale hardware, drapery, and grocery
establishments would do credit to our larger cities. Our
two newspapers, The 1lfacon Telegraph and T!te Macon Evming Nl'zus, are excellent journals, and represent Catholic
aff.1.irs impartially.
The whole community, Catholic and Protestant, are most
friendly to the Society of Jesus and glad to see us amongst
them. \Ve are firmly settled down here now, and in working order.
�joo
MACOIV; GEORGiA.
The college, formerly Pio Nono, now St. Stanisiaus', was
founded in 1874 by the Right Rev. W. H. Gross, then
Bishop of Savannah, now Archbishop of Portland, Oregon;
and chartered with powers to confer degrees on the 24th of
February I 876. It was conduCted by secular priests, aided
by lay professors, under the supervision of the Bishop.
The college is at a half hour's drive from the city to the
N. W., a charming route through the most f:>shionable
suburbs, passing by the famous \\'esleyan Female College
once visited by the celebrated John \Vesley in person. St.
Stanislaus' College occupies .. the most beautiful site in or
about Macon. It is a five story brick building, standing in
the midst of its fifty acres of fertile land, surrounded by its
beautiful woods of oak and pine.
The view from the college is one of great beauty and
grandeur. To the S. E., the city spires and principal buildings shoot up into the pure atmosphere from the midst of
shady avenues of giant elms. The Ocmulgee displays its
graceful windings. \Vood-crowned heights are seen on
every side, dotted with lovely residences, while a cultivated
and fertile country spreads all around.
Nor does it bear the name of Vineville in vain. At a
short distance from St. Stanislaus' is found the extensive
and famous vineyard of Mr. Anthony. He grows fourteen
kinds of grapes there, and makes many thousand gallons of
wine annually, selling none for less than two or three dDUars
a gallon. Our land is the same as his, and we, too, will
have our vineyard. At present about one-fourth of our
land is cultivated and produces corn, vegetables, etc., under
the skilful and zealous direCtion of Fr. Meriwether, who
was formerly President of Agricultural Societies in Georgia.
Dust and musquitoes are not found at St. Stanislaus'.
It is Thursday to-day and the feast of St. Michael. The
sound of sacred music and the sweet voices of the scholastics swell forth from the chapel; little groups are wandering over the college grounds and beyond. From my
window I see our good brothers clearing up the magnificent carriage drive in front of the college, making winding
foot-ways and tilling the ?'oil, while our faithful colored man,
with his mule and plough, turns over the rich earth. The
noise of the brick-layer's trowel and the carpenter's hammer
mingle with rural sounds.
Our Rev. Fr. Superior of the Mission, Theo. \V. Butler,
has performed a good work in bringing the Society to Macon. Amid all that he has done A. M. D. G. this will hold
a prominent place. But what a work of preparation! He
found the immense pile as lonely as Tennyson's Deserted
�JOI
• ,
House; yea even buried in debt, a reproach to the Catholic
name, and about to pass into the hands of those outside the
Church. Our mission paid this debt. Imagine what cleaning up, plastering, painting, carpentering, glazing, buying of
furniture and household goods, fitting up study;halls, refectory, dormitories, private rooms, and a now beautiful chapel,
with its life-size oil painting of St. Stanislaus, that charms
every beholder, and its piC1ures of our Holy Founder and
his sainted children. The work was laborious, for a house
was prepared not for a few individuals but for a community
that already numbers sixty-fi,·e souls ;-seven Fathers,
fourteen scholastics (juniors), seventeen scholastic novices,
twenty coadjutor novices, three professed brothers, and
four workmen. May they go on, we pray, increasing in
numbers and virtue.
Then to assemble all these here! Florissant sent its detachment. New Orleans, Spring Hill, Galveston, Augusta,
Selma, Mobile, had to part with some of their members.
Though they tried to arrive quietly·and pass unobserved to
St. Stanislaus', they were observed and admired. They
arrived in small bands of fives and sevens, until finally Fr.
Tyrrell arrived like a valiant leader, as he is, with his company of seventeen, enlisted in Spain, France, Belgium and
England, to raise the number to the sixties. The status is
as follows: Rev. J. Brislan, ReCtor and Master of Novices;
Fr. Winkelried, Minister; Fr. ,V. Power, Professor of juniors (second year); Fr. Stritch, Professor of juniors (rst year).
It is pleasant to hear frequently in all parts of the city the
sweet name of St. Stanislaus, in the mouth of Jew and gentile, familiar as a household word.
Our coming here bears marks of a special providence of
God. Some think that Blessed Berchmans bestowed this
favor as a reward for the zeal and labor of the members of
our Mission for his canonization; and when the subjeCt: was
spoken of in presence of our Right Rev. Bishop, he significantly said: 'A few years ago I held in my hand the heart
of Blessed Berchmans.'
The Right Rev. Bishop and the clergy of the diocese of
Savannah made their retreat this year at St. Stanislaus'. It
was conduCted by the Rev. Fr. D. McKiniry, President of
Spring Hill College, Mobile; and was in every respeCt: a
grand success. The priests expressed a desire to have their
retreat always at St. Stanislaus'.
Our parish of St. Joseph includes the city of Macon and
more than ten miles round about the city. Our present
church and residence are situated at the extreme east end
of the city, one block from the r!ver. We have purchased
�J02
.lfACON, GEORGIA.
a lot in the very heart of the city on which to build a church
and residence. Fr. Quinlan and Fr. Heidenkamp have
charge of the parish and dwell at the little residence near
the church. On week-days, Masses at 6 and 7 o'clock; on
Sundays, Mass and short sermon at 7 o'clock, High Mass
and sermon at 10.30 o'clock; in the evening, at 7.30, rosary, vespers, sermon and benediCtion; Sunday-school and
Mass for the children, and a sermon suitable for them at
9 o'clock. About one hundred and twenty children attend.
At 4 P. :.-.r. Sunday-school for'colored children and adults.
Our parish schools are in-Gharge of the Sisters of Mercy.
They receive salaries from the Board of Education. \Ve
give Religious InstruCtion to the children during one hour
each day. The devotion of the nine First Fridays we found
established by the good Sisters, and as many as sixty approached Holy Communion on the first Fridays. The
Sisters have also an excellent boarding academy and dayschool, Mount De Sales Academy. It is well attended and
enjoys a high reputation for science and piety. We have a
St. Vincent De Paul Society, and Catholic Knights. \Ve
have opened a parochial circulating library which numbers
already sixty subscribers and is full o'f promise for good in
the future. \Ve were able to present sixty-seven children
and adults to the Bishop for Confirmation.
\Ve have received some adults into the Church, others
are preparing. \Ve are now occupied with the establishment of the Apostleship of Prayer, the Sodality of the B.
V. M. and the Bona 1\Iors, amongst our people. Fr. \V.
Power of St. Stanislaus' comes often to preach at St. Joseph's
and is highly esteemed by the people as a brilliant and
praCtical exponent of God's word. Pray that we may be
fitting instruments for good in the hand of God.
I am Reverend dear Father,
Servus in Xto.,
JOHN
B.
QUINLAN,
S. J.
�COLOMBIA.
l
I
Extrar7 from a letter
o/ Fr. Nicholas Caceres.
There are at present in Bogota, ten priests, two scholastics and five brothers. Our Fathers are engaged here in
giving retreats to clergy and laity. In the Novitiate at
Chapinero there are twelve scholastic and two coadjutor
novices ; postuiants are numerous but they cannot be received until the building is enlarged. In the college at
Medellin, the capital of Antioquia, there are four Fathers,
three scholastics and four brothers. The ReCtor of this
college is Fr. Mario Valenzuela, who is also Superior of the
l\Iission. Fr. R. Tummo!o resides here.
The Bishop of Pasto, Mgr. Ignacio Velazco, S. J., is.very
friendly to our Fathers ; he gave them his seminary and
brought several Jesuits from Europe, some for his own
diocese and some for the Indian mission. This mission is
in a place called Caqueta, and the government gtves
$2,000.00 every year for its support.
In Panama there are five Jesuits, who teach in the seminary, give missions and visit the sick in the hospitals.
They meet with great success especially in the hospital of
the canal. The Bishop of Panama, Mgr. Peralta, who was
educated in Rome, in the Collegia Pio Americana, is also
very generous to our Fathers.
In the missionary band of Colombia there are three Jesuits. Our Fathers are asked for from all parts of the republic, and more colleges could be opened if we had more
laborers for this vineyard.
(303)
�TWO GOLDEN JUBILEES.
FATHER IsiDORE DAt:BRE..'iSE.
The venerable Fr. Daubresse, so well known and so much
respected in New York by both clergy and laity, who directed for several years in Canada and New York the first
steps in the religious life of so many members of this province, was the recipient, on Sept. 4th, of the congratulations
of his many spiritual children and admiring friends. As
this is not the place nor this the occasion for writing the life
of the venerable Father, so full of interest and ·edification,
we shall quote the notice of the event as published in the
October number of the Xavier. 'On Sunday, Sept. 4th,
Rev. Isidore Daubresse, S. J., was the celebrant of the solemn High Mass of thanksgiving· in honor of the 5oth anniversary of his elevation to the Priesthood. The Deacon
was Rev. P. F. Dealy, S. J., and the Subdeacon, Rev. T.
Thiry, S. J. His Grace, Archbishop Corrigan, was present
in llfagna Cappa, assisted by Vicar-General Rev. F. Donnelly and Mgr. Farley as Deacons of honor. Rev. J. J.
Murphy, S. J., President of the college, Rev. T. Campbell,
S. J., President of Fordham College, Rev. Chas. McDonald,
D. D., Rev. Fathers Healy, Powers, Larkin, O'Callaghan,
McNamee, and others, were present in the sanctuary. The
sermon on the Priesthood was preached by Rev. John F. X.
O'Conor, S. J., Vice-President of the college. Among the
other guests of the college who were present in the sanctuary were Mr. Joseph O'Donoghue, Lieutenant Webster,
U. S. N., Mr. Chas. O'Connor, and Dr. R. Wood. During
the day Rev. Father Daubresse received ·many congratulations from his old pupils, his novices, and those who had
been under his spiritual guidance for many years.'
�TWO GOLDENJUBILEES.
305
FATHER JosEPH WEBER.
On Thursday, the 29th of September, St. Joseph's Church
of St. Louis, Mo., was the scene of a beautiful and touching
celebration. It was the fiftieth anniversary of the entrance
into religion of the Rev. Joseph 'Neher. \Ve take the following account of the celebration from.the Amcrika of that city:
'At 10 A. ~1. the Reverend septuagenarian, assisted by Fr.
Tschieder S. J., of Chicago, as Deacon, and Fr. De Meester
S. J., of Normandy, Mo., as Subdeacon, offered up a solemn
High Mass of thanksgiving; Fr. Stuntebeck S. J. of the
St. Louis University, acting as Master of Ceremonies. After
the Gospel, Fr. Tschieder ascended the pulpit; he chose
for his text: 'This is the day which the Lord hath made;
let us be glad and rejoice therein,' and in a few words, suited
to the occasion, referred to the sacrifices, the sufferings and
the joys of a religious life .. Many of the Reverend clergy
honored the festival with their presence. There were in the
sanctuary, besides the Reverend pastors of St. Joseph's
Church, many both of the secular and regular clergy.
At the end of Mass, benediction of the Most Blessed
Sacrament was given to the people, after which the Reverend celebrant intoned the Te Deum. During the day many
congratulations were received by letter and telegram.
Numerous too and. elegant were the remembrances with
which his friends honored and delighted the aged priest.
Among others may be mentioned that of Fr. Servatius Altmicks, 0. S. F., who had sent a beautiful and useful present
made by the Indians of Harbor Springs, Mich. Nor did
the members of the congregation forget their venerable
pastor on this occasion; for, on the day previous, representatives of the married ladies' and young ladies', the married
men's and young men's sodalities repaired to his residence
to offer their congratulations and tributes of affection. In
the evening of the feast, committees of the school and building associations assembled in the parish school-house to
tender their beloved pastor suitable addresses and gifts. The
evening of this memorable day was crowned by the St. Cecilia choir of St. Joseph's Church, who closed the Jubilee
festivities with several beautiful selections and a well rendered Te Deum.'
�ENGLISH MARTYRS.
I.
l\IARTYRS OF THE SOCIETY.
Blessed Edmund Campion.
l~anged
Alexander Briant
.,
at '(,l'burn
Thomas Cottam
.lfay JO, 1582
Feb. 3· 1578
fun. I'), 1573
fu!. j. 159-1
John Nelson
Thomas \Voodhouse
Venerable John Cornelius
" /Jorcllt'sler.
Robert Southwell
" Tyburn.
Henry Walpole
'' J ..ork .
Roger Filcock
" Tyburn
Feb. 21, 1595
.·Jpr.
Robert l\Iiddleton
" Lancaster.
1·
Feb. 27, !hOt
Jfarrh
Francis Page
" Tyburn .
Apr.
Edward Oldcome
" rrorcester.
20, !602
7, 16o6
Ralph Ashley
Jfay
::-<icholas Owen Radct'li to dmt!t in t/i,· toZ<'<'r
Thomas Gamet luwged at Tyburn . .
. Jun.
Hd\\~ard
.
Arro,vsntith
"
Thomas Holland
·•
l.ancaslt·r
·' 1)·tm ru
·''
23,
/6(1,\'
28, !62.\'
~-lliK.
Dec.
I6j2
/2,
0
Sept.
Henry :Morse
Brian Cansfield Died ji·om tjji-[ls of prison
Peter \Vright ltauged at 1)•burn . . .
~ :_6-11
Feb.
Ralph Corby
I, J6j5
..:lug. 3.
.!fay I'), 1651
Edward .IIIico Died in .Y,·zc:[[alc . . . .
!Jcc.
3, I67S
Thotnas Do,vnes ''
Dec.
21,
\Vi!liam lrelandHaugedat 1)·buru.
Jan. 2j, 1697
Thomas \Vhitbread "
Jun.
20,
William Harcourt
John Fenwick.
John Gavan
Venerable Anthony Turner, !fanged at Tyburn.
Philip Evans
Charles Baker
" Cardiff.
"
" Usk . . .
Jun.
20,
Jul.
I67')
22,
Aug. 27,
Jun.
1592
Henry Gamet, Hanged at St. !'aut's clwrdtyard Jfay
J, I6o6
Fr. Thomas Metham, Died in Wisbech Castle .
Richard Bradley, Died in Jfancltester Gaol .
John Felton
" prison .
Thomas Jenison
"
Jul.
20,
J6j5
I6j6
Sept. 27, 1679
(306)
�ENGLISH MARTYRS.
Venerable William Atkins died in Stafford Gaol
Richard Lacy
Edward Turner
William Bentney
I
"
307
1lfar. 7,
Lincoln
" Gatehouse . .
" Leicester (;aol .
II,
I9,
on.
I68T
"
"
I}, I69l
'
II. POSTUI,ANTS, HOSPITES. ETC. OF THH SOCIETY.
r Beatus, 19 Venerabiles.
III. MARTYRS OF OUR ENGLISH COLI,EGE. ROME.
4 Beati, 35 Venerabiles, 4 Dilati.
IV. MARTYRS OF OUR COLLEGE OF VAI,LADOLID.
23 Venerabiles.
V. MARTYRS OF OUR COI.LEGE OB' SEVILLE.
7 Venerabiles.
VI. MARTYRS OF ST. OMER'S COI,LEGE.
'9 Venerabiles, 3 Dilati.
(From the Letters and i\"otices of Roe hampton.)
�Catalogus Sociontm
lVl issionis
AMERICLE FCEDERAT LE
?;
SOCIETATIS JESU
Ineunte Anno 18o8.
R. P.
ROBERTUS MOLYNEUX
SUPERIOR ~IISSIONIS
A Die 27 Junii, r8os.
IN DISTRICTU COLUMBI.tE
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
R. P. Robertus Molyneux, Rctlor a die I Oc?obris, 18o6
P. Franciscus Neale, 1lfag. IUJ"V., Prcef. eccl. SS. Trinit., Excurr. ad Alexandriam, Novitius
P. Antonius Kohlmann, Soc. mag. nov., Prqf pltilos., Cateclt.
et cone. in T., E.rcurr. ad Alexandriam.
P. Petrus Epinette, Pro/. ~!teo!. et ling. !tebr. ,
AuDITORES THEOLO(iliE
Nov. schol. a die
BenediB:us J. Fenwick
Enoch Fenwick
Jacobus Spink
Leonardus Edelen
10
Oc?obris, 18o6
(308)
�CATALOCUS,
AUDITORES
rR<><~.
PHILOSOPHI..E
Nov. sclzol. ab -eodem di"e
t
,
Carolus Bowling, Doc. in coli.
Gulielmus Queen, Doc. in coli.
Jacobus Ord, Doc. in col!.
Michael \Vhite, Doc. ling. lat. d gnec. in col!.
A die IO Oc?obris, I807
Adamus Marshall
Jacobus Redmond
Jacobus vVallace, Doc. matft. in col!.
Michael Magan
Thomas Kelly
Novrnr
CoADJUTORES
A die Io Oflobris, I8o6
Joannes McElroy
Patritius McLaughlin
A die IO 0/lobris, I807
Gualterus Baron
Josephus Mobberly
Laurentius Lynch
A die 6 Decembris, I8o7
Josephus Marshall
IN STATU MARYLANDII'E
RESIDENTIA AD S. THOMA::
P. Carolus Neale, Super., Dirig. Moniales Molltis Carmeli
P. Joannes Henry, Oper., Excurr.
P. Carolus Wouters, Oper., Exmrr.-Nov.
RESIDENTIA AD S. IGNATII
P. Sylvester Boarman, Oper.
�CATALOGUS, r8o8.
310
RESIDENTIA AD NEWTOWN
P. Franciscus Maleve, Oper., Ermrr.
IN STATU PENNSYLVANI)E
-RESIDENTIA PHILADELPHIENSIS
Ad SS ... Trinitatis
P. Adamus Britt, Opo·.
RESIDENTIA LANCASTRIENSIS
Ad S. Marire
P. ]. Gulielmus Beschter, Opcr., Ermrr.-Nm•.
HesiuentJre Conewaginensis, Goshenhoppenensis, et ad S. Josephi, Philadelphire, in Statu Peunsylvauire; et Bohemiensis, Fridericopolitana, Alba
Palndaua, et arl S . .Jo"ephi in comitatu Talbot, in Statu ~larvland.
propter penuriam Snstrornm, ah aliis ~acerdotihus oecupantur.
•
'
Index Domorum et Numerus Sociorum
~--
----
!
DOMICILIA
It. P. Superior
SACE!t.
SCHOL.
-----
I COADJ. !
--- --- --~----1--l
~lissiouis ............. ..
Geo~giopolitanum
........
:I
He"identia at! S. Thomre ............. ..
3
Collegium
UNIV.
tj
3
!{esideutia ad S. Iguatii ............. ..
Residentia ad SS. Trinitatis ...:.......
1
Hesidentia ad Newtown ............. ..
){esideutia Lancastriensis ............ ..
--,--'---- - Numerantur
11
13
6
30
�CATALOCUS, I8o8.
jii
INDEX ALPHABETICUS SOCIORUM
I-"'EUNTE AN-"'0 1808
COHNOMEX ET Xt))!EX
I____
,
ORTI.iS
I!'<"GRESSUS
GRAD US
H
SACERDOTES
P. Beschter J. Gttlielrnu.• ...
P. Boarman Sylvester .....•...
P. Britt Adamus .......... ......
20 :llai. 1763
7 Nov. 17-16
10 Oct. 1743
10 Oct.
7 Sep.
14 Sep.
1807!
1763
17()4
1789
10 Oct.
1806
1-1 4\ug. l'iiHI
10 Oct.
1807
SCHOLASTICUS
Bowling Carolus ...............
i .Jan.
COAU.IUTOH
Baron Oualterus ...............
.., I•.,
>'Al'llRUOS
1'. Epin~tte Pelnts ... ...........
2-l Sep.
17<;o
20 Oct.
1i83 10 Oct.
178:! ! 10 Oct.
1780 10 Oct.
180G
ISO()
1806
1765 : IH
1771 12
17i~ 1
1738
7
1804 I
1805
180-1
17.57
2 ·''"'·
180:i
~CIIOLASTICI
Etlelen Leonnrdu.L ...... ......
Fenwick Benedictns ...........
Fenwick Enoch ..................
H
I{
:l Sep.
Iii Mai.
i
:u
SAC~:RDOTES
I
1'. lfenrv Joannrs .. ............ 15 Sep.
l'. Kohlinann Antonius ...... 16 :llai.
l'. :llaleve Frandscu., .........
1 llec.
B.l'. .\IOLYNIWX ltoBEitTUS 2-1 Jul.
1
Jul.
.Jul.
Sep.
Sep.
SCIIOLASTICI
i
Kelly Thomas .................... 11 llfar. 1787 10 Oct.
~lagan lJlichael ......... .........
2 Xov. 1787 H) Oct.
Marshall Adam us .............. 18 Xov. 17~;) 10 Oct.
1807
1807
1807
COADJUTORE~
Lynch Laurentius ........ ......
~IcE! roy Joannes .. .............
.\lcLaughlin Patritin.< .........
.\larshall JoseJ!kns .... ..........
~lubberly Josephus ............
Jan. 178:J 10
:llai. 1782 ! 10
:liar. 1768 ' 10
Mai. 1788 6
1:! Jau. 1779 10
i
1-1
17
10
i
Oct.
Oct.
Oct..
1807
1806
Dec.
1807
1807 I
Oct.
ISOG
i
�CATALOGUS, ISoS.
312
I
ORTUS
COGNOMEN ET Nm!EN
lNGRESSUS
I
GRAD US
-------1
SACERDOTES
P. Xeale Carolus...............
P. Neale Francisc1ts...........
0
Q
R
10 Oct.
2 .Jan.
1751 i Sep.
1756 10 Oct.
1771 l 13 Nov. 1806
1806
S
"'
SCHOLASTIC!
',
7 Jan.
Ord Jacobus ...................... .
Queen Gulielmus .............. . 7 .Jan.
Redmond Jacobus .............. ' 2 Xov.
Spink Jacobus .................. .. 17 ~!ar.
1789
1789
liiti
liGS
10
10
10
10
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.
1806
1806'
1807
1806
w
P. Wouters Carolus............
8 Apr.
1771 10 Oct.
1807
Wallace Jacobus ............... ' 11 ~!ar. 1787 10 Oct.
White Jfichael ................. :: 7 Jan. 1789 10 Oct.
1807
180ti
SCHOLASTIC!
•
1
�OBITUARY.
FATIIER JOHX GRENE.
(Communicated by F'r. Jiatthew Russell.)
Father Grene, from whose notes the foregoing sketch has been drawn
up, OJ died before the first part appeared in print. He was born on the
21ltb of October, 1807, the oldest son of an old and widely connected family
possessing a considerable estate near Limerick. Like Aloysius and Rudolph in a higher grade, he resigned his patrimony in favor of his younger
brother, and entered the noviceship of the Society of Jesus in his nineteenth year. His vocation was not, as so often happens, suggested by
his place of education, for he had not graduated at Clongowes but was a
pupil of a secular priest, the Rev. Joseph Joy Dean, who for some years
kept a school at Blimchardstown (near Dublin) of which he was P. P.
This good priest's name is still found on the title-page of a very popular
book of Devotions to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which he was the first
to edit in Irela.nd. Father Grenc's life as a .Jesuit was spent chiefly in
the colleges of Clongowcs and St. Stanislaus, Tullabeg. He also worked
for a short time in the Church of the Sacred Heart, Limerick, and was
.for some years Socius to the Provincial, the late Fnther Edmund O'Reilly.
Fnther Grcne was a man of singular simplicity of character, of most vivid
faith, and a devoted son of the Catholic Church and of the Society of
.Jesus. When he died on the 4th of February 1887, he was in his eightieth year. He is buried in tlte beautiful cemetery of Glasnevin, near
Dnhlin. )lay he rest in peace.
~ht.
TrroMAs BoLAND.
l\Ir. Boland was born in the year 1857. Brought up in San Francisco, he
attended our College of St. Ignatius and graduated with the degree1A. B.,
in the year 1871l. While at college his conduct was exemplary. In the
yard he was full of life, but in the class-room, a model of attention. For
several years he belonged to the Sanctuary Society, and his companions
still remember the influence for good which he constantly exercised over
the younger and more light-headed members. After leaving college he
studied law for more than a year, but, though his talents were above the
average, he gave up that profession, to enter the Society of Jesus. Accordingly, on the 23rd of August 1878, he began his first probation in
Santa Clara College.
.
On his entrance into the novithtte he made up his mind to become a
saint, and it is said of him as of so many others who have reached high
perfection, that he seldom had to be warned of the same fault twice.
Humility and self-abnegation seemed to be his favorite virtues, for he
studiously concealed his mental gifts, and appeared dcsirons to pass for
one of little, or no capacity. In his studies this was most apparent. It
must not, however, be supposed that he neglected these, for no one was
more diligent. He recognised his strict obligation of studying, but he
did not consider himself equally obliged to exhibit the knowledge thus
laboriously acquired. He studied for God, and to God he left the disposal
of himself and all his acquirements and gifts.
He had an excellent gift of oratory. ·when, however, there was only
<1l Cfr. pp. 12.i-J:l6; and pp. 217-22ii.
VoL
XVI,
No.3·
20*
(3 13)
�314
"lfR. THO.lfAS BOLAND.
question of preaching in the refectory he would stammer and falter like
a child; but when there was any public work of zeal to be done, as for instance, in preaching to the boys, his intense feeling, his flow of language,
and his delivery would take one by storm.
He had no wants; we were obliged to watch him to see that he was
properly clothed. He had no grievances; whatever happened to him,
he received from the hanus of God. During the seven years that the
writer was with him he never heard an uncharitable word pass his lips,
nor any thing in the remotest degree approaching a criticism of superior,
professor, equal or inferior. He was constantly suffering in body, yet
nothing, but the physical change of complexion caused by disease, betrayed his secret. His observance of rules was most exact; he was never
noticed to violate a single one advertently. Kor is this individual testimony; it is that of all those who..cver lived with him. Yet this was not
the effect of a sluggish tempera merit; for he had strong passions. Those
who knew him as a boy say that he was inclined to be hot-tempered, and
he was often seen when more than usually annoyed, betraying all the
signs of an interior conflict. His color would changl•, hi,. tiuget-s play
nervously, his lips move as if on the point of uttering some words, but
he never failed. In a minute all would be over, and he would I.Je as calm
as before. That he keenly felt any injury is evident. tor he had a most
tender heart. When we were at our studies, we u~ed to visit the public
hospital from time to time in order to assbt the priest that had charge
of the sick, and often have we been astonished at the tend,erness.and zeal
wherewith he would urge some poor wretch to prepare himself for death.
Often, too, while reading in the refectory would his feelings get the !.Jetter
of him, as the author recounted some tale ofsanctity or devotion above th~
common. Hence his continual victories over himself could only have bten
the. fruits of heroic virtue.
There is no need to say any thing of his spirit of prnyer. He must have
prayed. No matter what pam he suffered he was never seen to take an
easy attitude either in the chapel or the church. What happened in his
room, we have no means of telling, but we have seen him come from
prayer and the sacraments with a countenance that spoke of more than
ordinary peace and joy. Let us therefore pass on to the last d:iys of
his life.
In August, 1886, he came to St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco, to
teach. His time was fully employed. His class ol 1st grammar contained 50 boys; that of 2nd arithmetic, about 40; that ot penmanship,
the same number; and in Latin and Greek he had about 30. About
Christmas·time he began to visit the doctor quite frequently, but what
was the matter with him he never told us. His secret was God's, his
superiors' and his own. It h·aked out, however, when the doctor told
one who had accompanied htm upon one of his visits, that '.Mr. Boland
had chronic heart-disease.' Still he went bravely on. He did not seek
to be relieved of a single class, nor of a single community exercise, not
even of the daily walk. He went from class to class calmly, us if he was
in the most robust health, so that none of us knew t!tat the end was so
near. He, however, knew it, for the doctor had told him that he could
live but one year at the most, and he was preparing himself for the end.
On the 31st of May the vacation began, and on the lOth of .June, be went
with the other teachers to the villa. At dinner-time on the 12th, the
superior noticed that he was not at table, and sent one to call him. The
messenger went as he was bid, but on entering the room he found Mr.
Boland stretched upon his bed, cold in death. He had died as he had
lived a martyr of the hidden life.
This, then, is a brief sketch of an heroic life, of a death sudden, but as
all must confess, not unprovided for. 1Ve can learn many lessons from
his life. Once when speaking to one of the superiors of his apparently
excessive self-abnegation, only this reply was recdved: 'Onmis spiritus
laudet Dominum.' It seemed that he was hiding his lig!tt under a bushel,
that he was actually injuring the service of God I.Jy concealing the talents .
�FR. RENI~ PRIElTR.
315
that had been bestowed upon him; but that God, who ordains the service
of angels and saints in a most wonderful order, and who never intended
that his serv:mt should glorify him in the active life of our ministry, was
ever leading him onward and upward by this way to high perfection in
this life, and, we doubt not, has now crowned him with great glory in
heaven.-R. I. P.
FATIIEH REN}; PHIEUH.
Father Ren{> Prieur was born in a small town in the department of the
Sarthe in France, on .July the 22nd, 1853. Having studied for five
years in the school of his native place, he entered the seminary, but for a
few months. In obedience to a call from on high, he applied to Father
de Ponlevoy, then master of novices, for admission into the Society. He
was receivell towards the end of 1874, and from the moment of his entrance till the day of his death. denying himself and taking up his cross
generously he was a faithful f<>llower of ,Jesus.
After a surcessful course of philosophy at Laval, under the regretted
Father Brambring. Fr. Prieur was sent as prefect to the College of Vangirard. There and in the College of le ~Inns, in which he taught grammar, the young scholastic remained a novice in fervor. Doing much for
God and for his pupils, he never thought of worldly praise or of human
rewards; his motto was that of a humble Jesuit: agere et taeere.
The practical piety, which had endeared him to his brethren in religion,
inflamed his heart with such a love of his divine 1\Iaster, that in order to
follow him more closely among the trials and difficulties of the apostolic
"life, he asked of his superiors to be sent to the mission of the Rocky
~fountains
Father Prieur was of a delicate constitution though showing no symptoms of disease; and it was the persuasion that the climate of the Indian
mission would benefit his health, that decided his superiors to grant his
request.
In 1886, after his fourth year of theology, he sailed from .Jersey, and on
landing in Anwrica repaired to Frederick to make his third year of probation and thus equip himself for the work of a missionary of the Society. But our Lord had already accepted the generous sacrifice he had
made of his life; after a few days' stay at Frederick, he felt the first
symptoms of the malady which was so soon to end his life. A cold,
caught during his voyage from Europe and which he had neglected, had
settled upon his lungs, and he was soon a confirmed consumptive. The
disease made rapid headway, and in seven months completed its work;
not, however, before his superiors had done all in their power to save
his life.
Sent to the College of Santa Clara. in California, where the winters are
mild, Fr. Prieur found here, as at Frederick, much consolation in the
charity of the Fathers. but experienced no improvement in health; his
recovery was now considered hopeless.
Bearing his sufferings with the most edifying resignation, he calmly and
patiently awaited the moment of his departure for heaven. In the early
part of !\lay, being strong enough to go to Spokane Falls, he repaired
thither, in compliance with the wishes of his superior, Fr. Cataldo, who
was still hopeful of hiR recovery. Fr. Prieur had for his last consolation
before dying, the happiness of living a few days among his dear Indians.
Towards the em! of July he was summoned to enjoy in heaven the presence of that divine Master, whom he had so ardently desired to follow
closely on earth. 'Veni sequere me' was the loving invitation which he
heard in spirit; he yielded his soul into the hands of his Maker, and tht~
Society had one more protector in heaven.-R. I. P.
�JI6
FR . .VACRICE
OAKJ,EJ~
FATHER MAURICE OAKLEY.
On Tuesday. August 9th, at 2.30 P. ~I. after a long, tedious and trying
illness, Father Maurice Oakley breathed his last in the seventy-third year
of his age. He was born December 21st, 1814, in Gram mont, East Flanders, of a good family, and received a liberal education. He was just
finishing his Latin course, at the age of sixteen, when the Belgian revolt
against Holland broke out, and at once enrolling himself in a cavalry
corps, he joined the army. The war over, he entered the seminary at
Ghent where he spent two years. .A.t this time he met the famous Jesuit
missionary. Father De Smet, who had gone to Belgium to recruit for the
Missouri Mission. .A.t his invitation the young Oakley came to America
and entered the novitiate of the Missouri Mission, February 2nd, 1835.
After some years of teaching, he prepared himself for the priesthood, and
was ordained by Bishop Kenrick Of St. Louis, on December 21st 1842.
The following summer, being then only in his twenty-ninth year, he was
sent as rector, to take charge of St. Charles' College at Grand Coteau,
La.; and it was here that he adopted the name of Oakley as the equivalent of the Flemish Van Den Eycken, whic·h his American and Creole
friends found a little unwieldy.
Returning to Missouri in 1846, he spent the next ten years in various
occupations and duties of college life, as professor of higher mathematics,
of Latin and French literature, and directing the choir ami musical societies of the students.
In 1856 he was appointed Rector of St. Xavier College, Cincinnati,
where he remained tour years. Four more years he spent in St. Charles'
Mo., and the remaining term of his life was devoted to parochial work
in Chicago.
_
Father Oakley was a man of a naturally vigorous constitution and
sanguine temperament; active, bold and fearless. During the last ten
years of his life, the heart disea~e which his great vital energy had so long
held at bay, broke his strength and made him n nervous and irritable mnn.
For weeks and even months at a time, he had to sleep as be~t he .could
without ever going to bed. To lie down even for a few moments..-would
cause suffocation. Those who !mew how much he suffered, marveled at
the man's indomitable vitnlity, and made ample allowance for what might
seem a hasty or querulous temper, hut what was in reality the result of
overwron"'ht nerves and constant suffering.
Father Oakley loved music with the ardor of a born musician. Up to
the last year of his life, wherever he chanced to be, he interested himself
in the music of college or church, often trained the choir himself, and
gave the first start and encouragement to many a- one who later on
achieved success as a singer or musician. During the last year, Father
Oakley's health was completely broken. The heart refused to perform
its functions, the circulation was retarded, the blood became impoverished,
and the brain suffered. For some time before the end, his memory failed
him and his thoughts were often confused. It was as singular as it was
edifying to notice how, in the midst of his wautlerings, the instinct of
obedience in the old religious, asserted itself. 'Vhen it was difficult to
quiet him or to reassure him against imaginary dangers, one word of the
superior was enough.
,
'Vorn out by his long nnd painful sickness, Father Oakley sank to rest
on the afternoon of Aug. 9th, his soul fortified with all the rites of the
Church and prepared for the reward of the faithful servant. According
to the custom of our Society, the funeral was conducted with great simplicity. After the office for the dead, the Rector of the College celebrated
a low Mass of requiem, at which a large number of the clergy were
present, and then the remains were laid to rest in Calvary Cemetery by
the side of his old companions, Fathers Smarius, De Blieck and Lawlor.
On the following Thursday, a solemn High Mass of requiem was celebrated in the church, to which his friends and the parishioners generally
were invited.-H. I. P.
�FR. JOHN SCHULTZ.
FR. TH0.1!AS H
STACA:
JI]
FATHER JOHN SCHULTZ.
Fr. John Schultz died at St. Louis University, Aug. 25th, at 8.30
A protracted indisposition in an old man who had never been sick,
a dropsical swelling of the feet and irregular action of the heart, had
given warning that a long and useful life was drawing to a close. But
the good Father was still able to walk about the house and to bear tbe
confessions of the community. Favorable symptoms even excited hopes
that he might soon be able to resume all his former duties. The end
came suddenly. On the morning of the day mentioned, whilst the infir·
marian was in attendance, the Father suddenly fell from his chair. Help
being summoned, Extreme Unction could hardly be administered, before
his soul had fled into eternity.
Fr. Schultz was born in Alsace, Feb. 2nd, 1816. Having made his
collegiate studies in his native country, he entered the Society in Switzerland, at the age of twenty-one, on Oct. the 9th, 1837. He would have
celebrated his golden jubilee this October. In 1848, the year of revolutions in Europe, Fr. Schultz came to America together with forty other
Jesuits, among whom was our present Fr. General, A.M. Anderledy.
Having been already raised to the suhdeaconship before his departure
from Europe;he was ordained priest in 1849, in the St. Louis Cathedral,
by Most Rev. P. R. Kenrick. His companions on this occasion were our
present Father General and the lately deceased Fr. It-idore Boudreaux.
Shortly after his ordination, Fr. Schultz was sent to Kahokia, Ill. During the cholera epidemic, he spent three months in Quincy, III. From
Kahokia, he was transferred to Rich Fountain, i\lo., and not long after
to Kansas, where he labored among the Indians, and the French and
American settlers. In 1861, Fr. Schultz was appointed Rector of St.
Xavier College, Cincinnati, 0. He held that position until 1865. The
following year he was made Vice-Rector of St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky. In 1870, he was sent to Chicago, where he was stationed for
thirteen years. He had various offices, but spent the greater part of his
time with Hev. A. Damen on the mis~ions. In 1883, he was appointed
spiritual Father of St. Louis University, in which office death overtook him.
Fr. Schultz was :t deeply religious man. Strength, endurance and
firmness were his characteristic qualities. He labored incessantly, and
never complained. His advice was highly valued. As a confessor be
had few equals .. Fr. Schultz was seventy yrurs old when he died.-R.I.P .
A. M.
. FATHER THOMAS
H.
STACK.
(From the .Georgetown College Journal.)
\'
Died at Boston, Mass., August 30th, Hev. Thomas II. Stack, S. J.,
president of Boston College, in the forty-third year of his age, the nineteenth of his religious life, and the seventh of his priesthood.
The war-drum ilad scarcely ceased its echoing I.Jeat among the hills of
the valley region of Virginia, the last soldier of the old Stonewall Brigade, ileart-sick and foot-sore, had Lardly found his way back to his
wretched home on the Shennndoah, when that large-hearted, devoted
priest, who more than once presided over the destinies of Georgetown
College, Rev. Bernard A. l\Iaguire, S. J., began in the country laid waste
by the ruthless visitations of war, earnest missionary labors in behalf of
souls. In the Valley of Virginia, where his impressive, soul-stirring voice
then for the first time was making itself heard, the zealous priest found
no more attentive, docile listener than a young Confederate soldier, who
had borne a brave part in an unsuccessful contest, and had cast down
from his weary shoulders the trusty musket to handle thenceforth the
implements of peace. Failure of a cause, written as 'lost' on history's
page, did not blunt his appreciation of the truth, that there is another
�JIS
FR. THOJLIS II. ST.!CK.
cause that can never be lost, and a contest in which surrender can never
be enforced; and when, under the influence of the lessons eloquently set
him to learn by the devoted Jesuit missionary, the soldier of Lee felt that
a place might be found fur him under the leadership of Loyola, he ""as
not slow to accept the service, and on November 2nd, 1866, Tlwmas II.
Stack entered Georgetown College to begin his preparatory studies.
It was then the writer first met him and recognized those singularly
winning elements of character which throughout life commended him
readily and irresistibly to all who came within the circle of his acquaintance. Modest and diffident he showed himself to be, while attractive and
gifted, genial and generous, warm-hearted and of lofty principle, the maturity of manhood just attained resting like a becoming crown on the·
simple guilelessness of youth.
.
A leader in college and of collPge boys, young Stack was in universal
demand, and with all he made hi!! influence felt for good, less perhaps by
the judicious words which his lips spoke, than by the peerless example
he gave of all Christian virtues allied to the manly qualities that had
stamped him the brave soldier.
In 1868, Thomas Stack entered the Novitiate of the Society of ,Jesu~,
Frederick, Md., and we can sum up hi8 career :ts n .Jesuit, running as it
did through nineteen years, by pronouncing it to have been worthy of
the great cause which he then espoust•d, and consonant with the purposes
which then filled his heroic soul.
His success in the studies of the_ Order was marked especially in the
line of natural sciences, and consequently and commensurately successfill was his work as professor in the several colleges which at different
times claimed his service. Gifted with a pleasant voice. possessing an
engaging delivery, of a poetic temperament and humorous fancy, he displayed all the qualities necessary in a successful, popular lecturer, while
as a practical manipulator in the cabinet and laboratory he ranked among
the best.
I'
Not less marked was his success in the study of theology. the years
devoted to which finally led him to the crowning glory and privilege of
the priesthood. Few priests enter better equipped than Father- 8tack
upon the great and holy work allotted to the mini~ter of God. Ora..deeply sympathetic nature, in character meek and humble, like unto the great
sacerdotal Prototype, with a heart quick to re~pond to the call of suffer·
ing "·hether of soul or body, of a tolcnmt spirit hy reason of his early
assumption of manhood's duties and his close acquaintance with men of
all kinds, impelled by untiring zeal for the conversion of the wandering
and the enlightenment of the ignorant, it was to be expected that Father
Stack would show forth in his ministerial career the genuine traits of
God's holy priest; and this expectation wns not unfounded. In the confessional, in the sick-room, at the death-bed, in his personal pleadings
with the wayward and sinful, the spirit of Christ found expression and
efficacy in the words ami exhortations of His priest; and conquests of
souls were the frequent reward of Father Stack's devotedness.
In the pulpit his talents and his zeal combined to render him an effective, at times an eloquent, always an instructive, interesting preacher;
and though none wouhl seek to claim for him the qualities of a great
orator, all who heard him will be prompt to admowledge that he accomplished by his sermons what' simple natural oratory, though of perfec;t
type, often fails to obtain : cllange of heart, as well as conviction of the
intellect. Father Stack's 'York ns a member of l\Iissionary bands proves
how well he was fitted for the career which so many members of his
Order, frolli the great Xavier in the East to Smarins and Maguire in our
own land have illustratecl.
In August of the present year his superiors called him to labors of a
new character, and as president of Boston College he was summoned to
exercise those administrative qualities which the observant recognized
him to possess. This honor weighed heavily upon the heart of the humble
priest, and when first it was imposed, all but crushed him. Higher motives and loftier principles of conduct speedily asserted t)leir mastery
�FR. 1'. .f. KELL
1~
over what was purely natural, and Father Stack addressed hiruself to the
task set him with an intelligence and an energy that proved the best results. But his work was a<:complished and the end was at hand, though
unseen of mortal eye, and its presence wholly unexpected.
Not more than two weeks after his appointment to the presidency of
Boston College, an appointment on every side hailed as most auspicious
for the welfare of that institution, Father Stack was attacked during the
night by cholera morbu~. supposed at the time to be of no serious character. It did not, however, yield to ordinary remedies, and was speedily
followed by tli:lrrhma and strong fever. In two days the sick man's
strength was well-nigh exhausted, and it was judged prudent to administer to the sufferer the last rites of Holy Church. These he received most
piously and reverently, not abandoning the while hope of recovery. That
the one chance of life left lum might be the better guarded, Father Stack
was removed, on August ~!Jth, to Carney Hospital, South Boston, where
absence of disturbing noises anti the constant assistance of skilled nurses
met the paLicnt'~ need.
nod had decreed that the holy priest was not to take up again the burden of life, and in most pious sentiments of resignation, divine love and
gratitude for the privilege of death in the Society of Jesus, Father Stack
peacefully gave back his soul to his Creator, at 2.il0 P.M., August 30, 1887.
It is nut the time. nor is this the place to give a comprehensive sketch
of the work accomplished by Father Stack in the years of a life that was
swiftly cut short when just touching it~ prime. llut if the general sorrow
evokecl by his death, among tbe laity and the clergy be any indication of.
the atfl'Ction nne! the esteem that centred upon him, Father Stack's life
had not been lived in vain. What it has approved itself to be in the
judgment of the .\bster whom he earnestly strove to serve, we may leave
to the infinite merev of Got!. .\[can while for the eternal rest of his immortal soul. many ·fervent prayers daily seek the throne of God, sent
thither from hearts that he had bound to himself in enduring bonds of
friendship.
His body rests in the college graveyard on the hillside at 'Vorcester,
~lass. His soul. we trust, is with God.-R. I. l'.
FATHER
P. ,J.
KELLY.
(From the Santa Clara ,Journal.)
Fr. Kelly died in Santa Clara College, Cal., on the morning of Septembt>r 27th. He was born on the :?nd of April 1835, in the County Tipperary, Ireland. At an early age he accompanied his parents and family to
America. They first settled in New Orleans, where they lived during
the stirring titqes caused by the Know-Nothings. The death of both
parents, and the unltealtltin~ess of the climate of New Orleans induced
the family to set out for San Francisco early in the fifties, when the gold
fever was at it~ height.
At that time, the Church in California was in a state of transition from
the old Sp~tnish Uis~ion syHtem to the present; and· great difficulty waR
encountered in providing a sufficient number of priests to minister to the
spiritual wants of the crowds of new-comers. In lk55, Archbishop Alemany opened it seminary at ~Iission Dolores, to train some young priests
for the work. Patrick Kelly hastl'ned to enter it, but before he could
complete the nccess:tty studies it was closed. This led him to the resolve
of entering the Society of .Tesus, and accordingly, on ~larch 17th, 1858,
the feast of his patron St. Patrick. he donned the black serge of the
.Tesuit in the College of Santa Clara, where he received his first lessons in
the religious life from the saintly Fr. Peter DeVos, S. J. Upon his instructor's death, in the succeeding year, he was sent to Frederick City,
Maryland, to complete his noviccship and begin the long term of study
which falls to the lot of every young Jesuit. Those were days in Mary-
�320
FR. P.J. KELLJ".
limd which tried men's souls; for the Civil War had broken out, and the
young Jesuit students lived in daily expectancy of being called from
their books and quiet retreat to share in the turmoil. It was not till he
had completed his course of Philosophy in Boston College, that the welcome word of recall to California reached him. Upon arriving in San
Francisco, he devoted himself to teaching in the old College of St. Ignatius
on )larket Street, which he left, after some years, in order to complete his
Theological studies at Santa Clara. He was raised to the Holy Order of
priesthood on July 31st ltl70, the feast of St. Ignatius Loyola. His ordination took place in the Cathedral of Vancouver, Washington Territory,
at the hands of Most Hev. A. ::11. Blanchet, Archbishop of Oregon, who
had been excused by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pius IX, from attendance at
the Vatican Council on account of his advanced age, and who was one of
the few Bishops left in the Unite,d States at the time.
For the next seven years, Fr. Kt!lly was engaged as professor in Santa
Clara College. It was during this period, on the 2nd of February 1876,
the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin, that he took his last
vow~. In 1~77, he was back again in ::-it. Ignatius' College, San Francisco,
where he divided his labors between the church and the school-room.
The chaplaincy of the Industrial School and the House of Correction was
assigned to him in ntldition. Those who are acquninted with work of
this kind in such institutions, need not be told thnt it is as uninviting as
it is laborious. An incident occurred when he had ceased attending there
which shows how thoroughly he won the affection and confidence of the
waifs and strays confined in the Industrial ::-ichool. The Superintendent,
wishing to reward them fiJr their extra good behavior, signified his intention to them of granting any reasonable request they should make, if it
were in his power to grapt it. ::linch to his surprise, the young rascals
simply asked him to get them baek 'the little Father' who usl'd to attend
the school. Fr. Kelly acquitted himself so well of this charge, that, as
he used pleasantly to remark, his superiors judged him worthy of being
sent to the State Prison. The 'promotion,' however, was cancelled, in
order that he might beeome the Director of the Sodality of the IJ!essed
Virgin attached to St. Ignatius' Church. There again, he thre't,-himself
heart and soul into his work, and Almighty God blessed his labors; for,
under his management, the sodality increased and flourished in a wonderful manner. He had held that post for three years, when he was removed
to San Jose to organize a similar sodality. How much he accomplished
during his four years' residence there, it is hard to estimate fully. The
poor and artlieted had in him an unfailing friend and consoler; the young
and wayward, a fatherly guide and director. Those who knew him best
loved him most, and a thrill of sorrow and anxiety ran through the
whole community, when word went abroad during the first week of September that Fr. Kelly had been stricken with what seemed to be a stroke
of apoplexy. ::-itroke followed stroke at intervals of a week, until the last
and fatal one eame on the evening of the :26th, from which he never
rallied He breathed his last in the early hours of the morning of Sept.
27th. His death took place, liS has been stated, in Sant11 Clara College,
whither he had hecn removed a week previously, in hope that the change
might benefit him. 'Vhen the old Spanish hells in the church-tower sent
forth their funereal notes on the morning air, every knee was bent, and
heartfelt supplications were sent up to heaven for the repose of the soul
of the deceased.
The funeral obsequies began at 5.30 on 'Vednesday morning Sept. 29th
in Santa Clara Church, hy the recitation, in full choir, of the office of
the dead by members of the community; and at 9 o'elock the remains of
the deceased were taken to San Jose, where, according to the rule of the
Order, a simple Low Mass was celebrated by the Very Hev. Nicholas
Congiato S. J., Superior General of the Jesuits in California. St. Joseph's
Church was erowded to its fullest capacity, and sobs and tears were
mingled with the prayers said over the good Father's bier. The funeral
procession, as it moved slowly along the Alameda to the burial place of
�BER.VARD L. WALL, SCHOL. NOV.
the members of the Society of Jesus in Santa Clara cemetery, was a long
and imposing one and such as has seldom been witnessed here. Those
for whom he toiled and labored during life, did not forget him in death,
for on the 5th inst.; solemn High Masses were celebrated in St. Ignatius'
Church in San Francisco, as well as in St. Joseph's, San ,Jose; at which
the members of the respective sodalities, of which he had been director,
assisted.
.
These few meagre details do but scant justice to the holy life of the
departed. Fr. Kelly was a great and good man in the best and truest
sense of the terms, and his loss has created a void which can scarcely be
filled. He set the example of a holy and virtuous life, which, if imitated,
will assuage the grief caused by separation from him, by rendering the
certainty of a happy reunion with him in a blissful eternity doubly
certain.-R. I. P.
BERNARD L.
WALL,
Scholastic Novice.
There are some characters, as there are some flowers, so frail, so delicate, so spiritual in their nature, so sweet in the odor of their virtues that
we feel, from our first contact with them, that God will not leave them
long to bloom in our world of sin. Such is the picture we have seen of
St. Aloysius, such is the idea that has come down of St. Stanislaus, and
such in a great measure was the impression of all who knew our departed scholastic novice, Bernard L. ·wall. Born April 16th 1868, he
died in the home of his parents at Vancouver, ·washington Territory,
the 22nd of October.
Distance of place and his own reticence have deprived us of any details
of his younger days, but the innocence in which they were passed has
its best evidence in his absolute ignorance of the world and things worldly. Sent to the College of St. Hyacinthe, Canada, it was there, as he was
wont to tell- and in the narration his usually passive features would
assume an expression of animation-that his vocation came to him in a
manner which he ever regarded as miraculous. He had been to confession, and in the darkness of the college chapel, iighted only by the flickering rays of the sanctuary lamp, he was thanking our Lord for the graces
of the Sacrament, and, while reciting the chaplet of the Sacred Heart,
w:1s begging before that Seat·of Love to know the divine will. Then,
without any previous thought of ri religious vocation, with little knowledge of us save that St. Aloysius all(! St. :'ltanislaus h:td been Jesuits, he
felt himself called to the Society. A letter home brought in answer the
consent of his good parentR; a letter to his Ordinary obtained the required exeat, and his applieation for ad.mission was soon on its way to
Fr. Provincial in New York.
In this letter he states that he has little talent and all that he can offer
is good will and a desire of perfection; but the president of the college,
through whose hands the letter had to pass, discredited this humble statement by writing that 'he was a young man of great promise.' That this
estimation of his talent was true, we soon had occasion to learn. Although he had spent but two years at college, he spoke Latin with more
freedom and elegance than many of his fellow-novices who had gone
through longer courses. ·with French he was well and practically acquainted. Greek, by his own admission, was, after spiritual books, his
favorite reading. 'l'o these gifts he added an excellent knowledge of
music and chemistry.
But we must not forget that it is with the spiritual side of his character that we are chiefly concerned. He entered on his first probation Sept.
16th 1885. From the first, he showed great exactness in the observance
of rules; hut it was .during and after the 'great retreat' that his good
qualities, his humility, his piety, his modesty, his entire devotion to
heavenly things, and his distaste for all that was not spiritual, became
conspicuous. All remember how he would kneel for the whole hour of
VoL.
XVI,
No. 3·
21
�BERXARD 1.. TI~4LL. SCHOL .\"01:
meditation, every feature recollected, absorbed in prayer, without a motion of his person sa>e a slight heaving of the breast as he poured forth
his soul in pious colloquies; and this with only the slight support of his
clasped hands resting on the desk before him. Then when obedience,
fearing for his health, prescribed that lw should kneel no longer than
fifteen minutes at a time, all noticed with what promptitude he woulu
'shoot up,' to use the expressive term of Ol!e of his young fellow-novices,
from his knees at the expiration of the appointed time. ~Iany remember, too, our first uay of intermission; how, when we were talking together and comparing notes on the great week of Purgation, he, in his
humility, was most earnest in speaking of the 'terrible load of sin' that
·he had thrown away; while one, >oiciug the opinion of all, was whispering that he 'wondereu if Carissimus 'Vall knew what sin was.' Not once
during these days diu he violate.a single additum. and tbe same thing,
I think, may be confidently asserted of his observance of rule during his
whole noviceship.
The recollectedncss of the retreat ever remained, and it was with no
little edification that we listened to his self-imposed and undeserved culpa8 for violating the rules of modesty and silence. The same motionless and unsupported posture in prayer which we have already referred
to, whether in chapel or at his desk, he ever retained. 'Ve cannot say
with what graces God rewat'dcd these generous efforts, but one remark
of his may throw some light on this point: 'Oh, if we only knew the joy
coming from the praetice of mortification; how gladly would we embrace
it from our very childhood!' In sitting, he rarely rested his back against
the chair. and never was he noticvd to raise his eyes from his desk to look
round the ascetory. Let us omit mention of the hundred little details in
which lie strove to reprouuce traits of character and practices he had
read of in the lives of t\t. Aloysius, St. Stani~laus or Blessed Berchmans,
his happiness in the o1fice of sacristan and his many pious pinus fur rendering more beautiful the dwelling place of Our Lord. One tc.. ture, however, must nut be passed over in silence; it is his manner of spending
recreation. He had no relish fur any conversation which was not of
heaven. If other subjects were introduced, he remained silent till some
turn in the conversation allowed him to insert n spiritual lesson or
thought. He had not, it is true, the happy gift we read of in the life of
Blessed Berch mans, of imperceptibly directing the conversatiOn to hl·avenly things, but these were all that his heart cared for, all that he could talk
of; and if we, less fervent, like the fellow-novices of St. Aloysius, did not
always encourage his efforts, let this confession be our reparation. It
was observed, too, when we had free bands-those days when, with greater
liberties, conversation is less guarded, and the night examcn brings home
to the novice the salutary truth that he is not so good and charitable as
he had thought-it was his wont to withdraw a little from the crowd, to
remain in silence, or to hold converse with the more spiritual of his companions.
Such is the sketch of the active days of his novice life. His virtue was
yet to be tried in the crucible of suffering, before, puritied from the dross
of earth, he would go to receive his reward. Tallant! delkate, he had
as yet given no positive signs of disease, till, ou the 2nd of February. a
long walk was followed by a ,slight fever which, lasting fur some days,
attracted Fr. Master's attention. He was sent to the intirmary, and there,
in continual fever, he was confined to bed until the first week of April.
During all this time not one word of compl11int escaped his lips. However, it was soon evident that consumption was going to complete the
fatal work left undone by the fever. A change of climate was deemed
the only chance of recovery; and so, on Aug. 29th, he started, in the company of his father, for Vancouver, 'W. T. In the event of his recovery
he was to go to the novitiate at Santa Clara. .l\lost favorable reports
came from time to time of his convalescence, until he wus attacked uy
congestion of the kidneys which resulted in death. On October lOth,
he was visited by Fr. Tolchi, who, lly permission of the Bishop, said
�FR. DANIEl,
LOWRJ~
i\iass in the invalid's room. On the 13th, Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop
Gross and Bishops Brondel and Junger called to see him. On Thursday
the 20th, be asked if he was going to die, and when the truth was told
him, he asked that Fr. Poaps should be sent for. This Father came at
midnight. In his presence the tlying novice pronounced his vows, and
from him received, the following morning, the Holy Viaticum .. At a
quarter past four in the afternoon, after taking a little nourishment from
his fi1ther's hand, he reached for his crucifix, and, armed with the emblem
of our salvation, expired without a struggle. Bishop .Tunger celebrated
the Mass of requiem and spoke in touching worcts of his many virtues.
Thus, with his lmptismal robe of innocence, as we may believe, untarnished, with the fire of his novice fervor still burning brightly, purified
by suffering, our good brother passed away. Two years of noviceship just
completed; the Yows of the Society still sounding on his lips; and then
-the crown! 1Vhat a glorious preparation for death; what a fit ending
for so holy a career! 'His life,' writes his novice master, Fr. Tisdall, 'was
a simple fact; he was good, innocent and full of talent; wise beyond his
years and promising, but frail in health and ripe for heaven.' - R. I. P.
FATHEH DANIEL LoWHY.
''
'Rev. Daniel Lowry, S. J., for the last three years connected with the
faculty of the St. Louis University, died yesterday Nov. 1st, at !1.10 A.M.,
of consumption. He was born in this city :\Iay 15th, 1858. After the
successful completion of his elementary and classical studies at the 'old
college,' he went to the novitiate at Florissant, where, after the customary probation, he was atlmitteu to membership in the Jesuit Order.
Thence he was sent East to pursue his higher sdentitic and philosophical
studic:s. He retun~ed in 1879, and, after te:IChing for a while in Cincinnati and Mobile, was summoned to St. Louis to prepare for his onliua.tion to the priesthood, whiC'h took place January 31st, 1885, at the hands
of Archbishop Kenrick. Since then collegiate duties at the University
have occupied all of his time. Never remarkable for its soundness, his
constitution within the last six months began to give signs of growing
weakness. His decline was steady and rapid, but throughout the trials
consequent upon it, he never lost courage for a moment or trenched one
particle more than was necessary upon the routine of his daily duty.'From a St. Loui., paper.
Gifted with a keen intellect, and highly refined taste, Fr. Lowry's was
the long, ardent and enthusiastic pursuit of lofty ideals. To realize in
his conduct the perfect religious, forgetful of self and considemte of the
wants of others, ever watt:hful and guarded, ever patient and self-restrained, ever moderate anu calm in exterior; to store his mind with the
choicest thoughts and most noule aspirations of great mastHs, clad in
sweetest phrase; to possess himself perfectly of every subject he studied,
of every question in which be was interested, of every phase of the
teacher's difficult art, constituted the high aim and the constant endeavor
of his life. Vi" as some diflicult point of grnmm~r to he explained to his
pupils, he considered hours of preparation as well spent, provided by
any outlay of time he could make clear the knotty question; was a sermon to be prepared, every word :md phrase must be written and committed, every tone and intlcction practised, not for vain display, but
through resp<oct for the word of God, and keen desire of perfection; was
the chance guest to be entertained, ti·om the moment of greeting the
stranger his whole ,;on! was occupied in anticipating every wish and making himself an agreeable host. Not that varied exterior duties were naturally agreeable to him; too well he knew the sweetness of solitude,
the filscination of deep study, the charm of literary labor; and if he found
difficulty in religious life, it was precisely in throwing himself so lwnrtily
into exterior toil or even into genial intercourse, when a weak body, a
sensitive soul and a keen desire to do nothing, if not perfectly, made such
�FR. }OHN ilAP.<fT.
toil and such intercourse harassing and distressing. To that keen glance,
with which he penetrated exterior appearances, was joined the deep interior perception of the soul ever in the presence of the Unseen and Allseeing, a perception which gave his judgment its delicate balance, his
task its chiselled exactness, his heart its yearning after invisible beauty,
his whole bearing its simplicity, sweetness and moderation. We knew
him as a passionate lover of letters, intolerant of the slightest flaw and
nice 'usque ad unguem.'
But what shall we say of his interior, that hidden field where stubborn
battles are hourly fought, and where victory is so dearly purchased? His
conduct ever displayed the same scrupulous care, the same carefully
drawn lines, the same harmonious blending of strong and sweet traits,
which marked, as far as the exterior can be said to tell the story of the
soul, admimble consistency in applying to all the manifold duties of life
the principles he so strongly inculCated in the art he loved so well. Unobtrusive and unpretending, he was perhaps known intimately by few;
but those who knew him best loved him most, and will long cherish his
remembrance as they foster the recollection of some picture of our Saviour, the eye of which at once wounds and probes the soul, then seems
to pour a soothing balm into the sore spot it has touched within us.
When we lose the picture we realize what a blessing it was to us; how
difficult it will be to find another in which the lllaster has displayed such
consummate art.-R. I. P.
FATHER JoHN BAPST.
On Friday, November 4th, all that was mortal of Fr. John Bapst was
laid to rest in the little cemetery of Woodstock College, in the presence
of nearly two hundred of his religions brethren, wl10se fervent prayers
mounted to heaven in his soul's behalf, and whose hearts will ever reverently cherish the memory of this brave confessor of Christ. Fortified
by the last rites of the Church, he had passed away to God on t4e preceding Wednesday afternoon nt .i\Iount Hope Hetreat near Ba}timore,
whither he had been conveyed for medical treatment borne two years
before.
Fr. Bapst's long missionary career is replete with interesting and stirring events; but the short time intervening between his detLth and this
issue of the LETTERS, precluded the possibility of preparing a sketch
which would at all do justice to the fertile subject presented. All that
can be done in the present number, is to take a rapid glance at his truly
apostolic life, leaving for the next issue a more detailed account of the
various circumstances in which God's providence placed this remarkable
man during life.
Fr. John Bapst was born at La Roche, Canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, on December 7th, 1815. He received his classical education at the
Jesuit college of Fribourg, and on September 30th 1835, at the close of
his collegiate course, entered the Society of Jesus. 0 n the dispersion of
the Swiss Province in 1848, Fr. Bapst, already a priest, came to the United
States in company with other Jesuits of the same province. They were
warmly welcomed by the Provincial of the l\Iaryland Province, who assigned Fr. Bapst as assistant to Fr. James l\loore in the Indian mission at
Old Town, l\Iaine. In 1851 the mission was transferred to Eastport, in
the same state, with Fr. Bapst as Superior. In 1854, the mission of Bangor, l\Iaine,·was begun by the same Father, whose pastoral care extended
also to the Catholics resident in the town of Ellsworth some thirty miles
south-east of Bangor.
In this latter town was laid the scene, in which Fr. Bapst made that
noble confession of Catholic faith, which nearly won for him the martyr's
palm. While making his usual visitation of this mission, on Saturday,
October 14th 1854, he was dragged from the confessional at about 9
o'clock in the evening, and, clad as he was, in his religious habit, with
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
I
'
325
the stole still around his neck, was' hurried to an adjoining field. There
he was stripped of his clothing, mounted on a rail, and borne along in
mock triumph amid the blasphemous taunts and insults of his brutal aggressors. The rail at length breaking, his tormentors crowned their
sacrilegious sport by defiling his sacred person with tar and feathers,
and then ordered him to leave the town. This true follower of Jesus
Christ, however, behaved not as the hireling, but proved himself the genuine shepherd of his little flock by remaining and offering the Holy Sacrifice for his people, whom he exhorted with heaven-inspired words to
Christian patience and forgiveness. That this outrage was inspired by
hatred for the true faith, is placed beyond doubt by the open avowals
made by the ringleaders, while they were expending upon their innocent
victim the full venom of their sectarian hatred.
Fr. Bapst recovered with difficulty from the effects of this ill-treatment,
and for many months was confined to his bed. lndeed the noble confes·
sor was in no wise anxious that his life should be prolonged, but earnestly hoped that he might win the palm of martyrdom. God, however,
disposed otherwise, and reserved his faithful servant for further sufferings
and fresh labors in his vineyard. For five years more Fr. Bapst continued to labor in the missions of Bangor and Ellsworth, and with such
increased success that his g-enerous confession seemed, like the blood of
the martyrs, to prove indeed 'the seed of Christians.'
In 1859 he removed from Maine, and bec!lme spiritual Father at Holy
Cross Coll!'ge, 'Vorcestcr, l\lass., whence, in the following year, he went
to open the Scbolnsticate in the new College at Boston, just completed
by Fr John lllcElroy. In 1863, on the removal of the bouse of studies,
Fr. Bapst was appointed pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church,
and in 1864, rector of Boston College, which in that year was first opened
for the reception of students with Father Robert Fulton as prefect of
studies and schools. This field of his labors still bears witness to the
wonderful fruitfulness of his zeal, and the praises of 'dear Father Bapst'
are still the theme of many a tongue not alone among the laity, but also
among the clergy of Boston, to all of whom he proved himself a constant
friend and prudent counsellor.
In 1869 he was appointed Superior of the Mission of New York and
Canada. He returned to Boston College in 1873, to fill the office of spiritual Father and confessor in the church. In 1877 he was sent to Provi·
dence, R. I., to preside over the lately acquired residence and church in
that city. In 1879, his health began to filii, and in that year he was transferred to Boston College to discharge his former office of spiritual Father.
Here he began to show signs of that mental infirmity which darkened
the last days of his life. In hopes that some benefit might accrue to his
health by a change of air, and that the charitable services of the novices
might help to lighten the sad affiirtion under which be labored, his supe·
riors sent him, in 1881, to the novitiate at West Park, N.Y. Here he
remained until 1883, going thence to the novitiate at Frederick, Md. In
1885 it was thought advisable to convey him to Mount Hope in order that
he might enjoy the benefit of the experienced care of the good Sisters of
Charity; and here, after two years' stay, he passed away to his God, with
clouded mind it is true, but rich in the merits of the great sacrifice of
himself which he had offered to God at the very beginning of his infirmity.
Thus was fitly crowned with humiliation and suffering a career begun
amid the ignominy so dear to the true disciples of Christ. Truly Fr.
Bapst may he justly esteemed of the number of those chosen ones of
whom the Wise Man says: 'As gold in the furnace he hath proved them,
and as a victim of the holocaust he hath received them.'-R. I. P.
�Varia.
~·tlbanio.- European papers of Oetoher :!1:-;t, eontnin the following-:
Two .Jesuit:-:, Lui!;i Luechini, a prit·~t. and Oeuuaro Pa~ton', a ~ehola~tic, in~
mittes of the Alhanian Pontifical ('olle,:e of ~rutnri, while taking a walk at
the outskirts of the town of Seutari, 'yere, without the ~lig-hte:->t provocation,
attacked by )Johamnw<lan shephenls. The >cholastic was 'hot dea<l on the
spot, Fr. I.uechini harely san·d his ti.ft• hy headlong" flight.
A1·meuia.-The school llf Fr. \'t-rnier at Siva' has latch· •·eeeived an increase of fifteen chiltlren of "·hi>matieal Greek parent"- Tite teacher of the
Greek school, who hy the wa~- is the ll<'plww of the Greek Pope, being un:;:atisfuctory to ~ome part'nt.-.., the:-oe ~ent their children to our ~chonl. ~incc
the adHnt of the new pupil.<, tht• .l!r<'all'-t eourtesy and re,pect are shown tn
Fr. Y-ernier in tho~e quartt·r~ of Siva:-; ocr-upied by the Greek~, whert' fonnerly
his appearance wa~ tht• ~i~nal ti.)r abu~e and in~ult. Tht' parents of the new
pupils have al:-:o he!-!nn to,atteml our church~ nf conr~e it is needle~~ to say
that the {;reek Pope i> anY thin.\! hut plt•asetl with this stnte of atlilirs.
Fr. Rolland write> that thing< look pn•tty serious at ~!arsh·an. The l'rote"tants are vt'ry strong there, hL•ing in po~st·~~icHl of a largt' boardin.t!-~chool
which nurnbers o\·er t.)O ~wholar~. Tht•v han_• nbo a t1nuri~hing :;;.eyninan· in
the town. Till)\· attack u~ frorn all ~ich;:-o:, ~o that tht> ntis:-o:ionar'ies who at:t, to
c1ppose then1 stlcees:o-fnlly ntn:o-t he nwn well ,·er:-:-:ecl in thl' ~cienee~ and in
languages, not exelmling IIebrew.-L<Iters of Jlold.
J:ea u 111011 t.-QnNn's ..is it. The yt•ar 11-\,.;7 was thnt oft he (lneen's jubilee.
The thculty and pupil> of Beaumont C'olleg<' assiskd at the tlllYeiling of the
Queen's statue at "'indsor, where a plact' had he<'n reserYe<i for thPm tit the
right of the gran<! stand. On the folln\\·ing )[nllllar the welcome ne.w~. was
brought thnt Her )!aj<•sty wonltltlri,·e past B<•nnmont, and wonld stop to n•ceh·e nn addre:o;s of con.t!ratulation fnnn the nut:o-ter:-o: mHl the boYs. Time was
found·for tast~- decorations, notwithstatHling tlte "hort notil'e, ati<l Her )lajcsty
was rect>ived in :1 hec01ning way with ~ingin.t!, an ndclres~, and pre~entations of
flowers. In return Her ~lajesty :<poke wonb of thanks, and the rl'l'eption was
coneluded by the boys >ingin;.: th<• C'arme!l Bmumontanum.
Beyt•oot. -St. Geor!Je's Circle. To undt•r,;tand fnlly th~ need of u
Catholic circle or club at Beyroot, one mn,t tir:<t accurately pictnre to him"elf
the city as it no\\· :<tamh:. The Bey root of l<Hlay, is not that of :?0 or :30 yea"'
ago, a small oriental town out of the• pale of European civilization, heyond
the re~lch nf Inotlern progress, awl pre:-o:erving in it:'; fhith and its nwrals the
freshne"s and simplicit~- of early ages. The cit~·. \\·hich is spreading Jail~-. and
daily growing more beautiful, nutnhers over 1~0,000 inhabitants, anrong
whom are more than :li),OOII ~lus:<nlrnans, well-nigh as man~- ,:chismatic·
Greeks, several tht,-usaml Jews ami Protestants, and upwar<ls of 40,000 Catholics belonging to tliflc·rent rites. The stendy increase of schools atlords tht•
natives ample opportunity for e<lucation. )lost of them learn French, and
read with relbh the books allll' newspaper> sent over from France. It is
needless to say that their pretc•reflcc is for the trashy sort. Very lately, owing
to the stay in our midst of the Eg~·ptians, or ratht•r of the eosmopolite population of Cairo ami Alexandria, twice hunll'd ti·mn their homes, first bv the
uprising of Arabi I'a,;ha, and then by the breaking out of the cholera, immorality ami reli.l!ious indifference have assumed alarming proportions. .\d<l
to this the baleful influence of ProtPstanti:<m, nntlinching in its etlort,; to ruin
the faith of our Syrhms by its ~l'hoob, journal>, -reviews, so callc<l scientitit•
f-.ocieties, the disastrou~ workings of fi·eema:-~onry by mean~ of it~ three lodges,
its libraries, its bonk-:<hops, where arc retailctl the works of'Voltaire, ltousseau,
Volney and those of our worst novelbts, and you will haYe a corret•t notion of
(326)
�VARIA.
J27
the flange" to which are Pxposc<l !liP ,,-cak, fickle-minded, novelty-,eeking
,-outh of Snia.
· _\lre:Hiy 'the schi,matic Gn·eks, the mouey-hohler" here ami the leadef' of
fi1.shion, an• ahno"t
t~ntirelv
won o\·er to atheism.
The:-oe Greeks are the
organizers of social clubs, 'lntiltlers of theatres ami other places of publie
:uhnscment, which are productive of incalculable harm. In the face of such
allurmnent.s, what wa.s there tn guar(l .safdy and screen frorn peril, those amon~
our young 1nen who~e wish wa.s n1anfully to sten1 the tide of innnorality?
:'\othin,:.worth mt•ntionin~. Hence our t!aily experienee pointed to the sad
fact, that verv few of our pupils and tho'e of other Catholic colleges, could
he ran kf'Ll ani'ong- the pnre of lleart. True, there wa.s a ~mlality for men under
thP t!ircction of our Fathers, but the members were few. The preaching to
the 'odalists wa' tloiw in Arabic; and tlli', I pre,ume, drtn-e away our old
pupils.
Durin,~ the Yisitation of HPY. Fr. Provineial, about -tO of our former stuBe~-rnot and Gazir gathered together to welcmne him. Sop1e ofthern
llent.s of
tlcmantled that snmethin,'( special be tlone for the Catholic young men of Beyroot. .\ftcr mature deliberation, the~· decitled upon a eircle or club, to be
placed under the patronage of the f\mntlers themselves a!ltl their associates,
chosen from among the most n'>]wl'!ahle and influential men of the city. .\
eonunittct> of organization 'va:-: at once· t?lt'eted. The hardest feature of it all
was to draw up a skilful pro~ram of the work, ami find the necessary funds
to give it a start. .\ few bmatl outlines of the work, borrowed from the bylaws of the <'ircles of :l!arse-ille<, Paris and Bms>els, "·ere immediately sketched. Time and PxpcrieiH'<', it was hop<•d, would put tlw finishing touches to,
the plan. Our aim was simple. The motto: ''.Juventuti Christiana• provehend:e" expresst>d it. It was the :Hlvanepmcnt of Christian youth. One could
well have added "et eon:-:en·anthe"; for our work wa.~ l'hietly to be one of
pre,en-ation. To efteet this, WL' Wl're to fmnish them a means of spending
I
'
plea:-:anti.'~ their lehmre hour~ on Surulay:-:, (·~peeially tlnring- the long winter
evenin,gs; arHl help then1 by Jnenns of books, lecture~, awl inforrnal chat~, to
t"Oinplt·te their literary, =--cientifie ami religious training.
The circle, uwler the patrona.!.!'e of ~t. Georg-e, one of Beyroot's patron
saint~, was solen1nly inau.~nrate(l on the lOth of )larch 188--l. The Inembers,
of whom
clas~l':o:
I~
were ealled founders, numbered 711, chosen from Fatholics of all
throughout the city.
Things went on sn1oothlv enough the first year;
hut the next y<'nr (mark the wayward tlispositim'Is of our Syrians), from the
tlay when canis were posith·ely hani,hetl from the eircle, the members began
to witlttlraw; a t<•w at first, then mon•, on the plea that the cluh-romns were too
far out of the wa~-. So, yon Sl'e, thP second ~·car thn'atL•nPd to he the ]a,t of
onr
entl'rpri~t·.
Knowing- full \Vt'll, however, the incon:-:ttuu·y of our Orien-
tals, we ditlnot lo,;c heart at the :;utl<len turn thin'(~ hat! taken. "'e showetl
no <lesirP to retain thl' malcontent,, lmt kept on cheering up the willing few,
looking ahout
u~
the whilP for a mort>
~atisthct.ory
location.
Last summer, the l're,idt'nt of the eircle "'cured a hall, not far from the
l'uh-er>ity lmildings, smaller, it is true, than the fi1rmer, but more cheerful,
am! m•arcr the CL'ntre of the eity·. In October we took po,;session. Thirty
melllhcrs ans"-crctl tht• roll-call. The t!ircctor of the Austrian military band
otfert•tl to organize ant! direct an oi·elw,tra. Of course we acceptetl the oft'er;
and the eirde got a frc>h start. On Xo,·embt•r the 1st, we thn•w open the new
eluh-roon1~ and ittau.~nrate(l the 11Ut8icul society. Fr. Lcfehvre wa~ Chairman
on this ot'ca~iou, and one of thl' profef'f'OI"~ of the university tleliveretl a brilliant di~conrse on the fitne:-::-: of thP eircle's motto: 'The progrcs~ of christian
youth throu~h Christ.' Tht• Vit'e-l'rt•sitlent followed with an Arabie address,
in which he aimed 'mne hart! hlm\·s at the selfishnes,; of his countrymen.
Tn-tlav the roll shows SO names. There is a free-school attached to the
circle with a daily attendance of l:iO !mpils. If then yon ask me whether
our
hope~
nre real izrfl, I answer that, t
wu.~h
a great deal ren1ains to be done,
the results alrea<ly arrived at arc marvellou,s. First, the Society has made
Reveral fhst fdends in Beyroot and a ,:oodly number of promising young men
have ~ought adntittanee into our soUalitie=--.
Besides, on leaving college, our
students find a safl' haven, wherein to seek shelter from the storms of life.
The,· have, at the cirt'le, a'(reeable company and harmless, though pleasant
pasthnt•,s, At ever~· hour ofthe tlay, the elnb, with its libraries and billiard
rooiii', is o1wn to them, ancl concerts are provided every week for the lovers
of 1nnsie. You know that our Syrians cannot tlo without coftee in winter;
and in summer, are more than partial to a glass of beer or lf'monade, which
ther slowly sip whilst smokin~ their cigarettes, Well, to keep them out of
�J28
VARIA.
bar-rooms and cafes, thc>e refreshment> are furnished them at the club. In a
word, though all has not yet been done, the prospects are fair.- Letters ojlfiold.
Boston, Jfass.- St. :\Jury's Church Fair to pay the deht of the church,
closed on June 1tlth, am! has prond a grant! sure<''"· It netted o\·er :::;;o,OOO.OO.
From Boston College comes the gontlnews that >tatistics for the first two
months of the school year show an an'rage atkntlance at daily :\[ass of 170,
out of 1!15. At present the number of absentees U\'erages only 4 or 5. This
is very etlifyiug considering the distance that many have to travel in order to
reach the college in time.
Religious Liberty in Boston.-Some time ago, Fr. Brie S. J., appem'ed before the American Catholic Historical ~neiety of Philadelphia, and read a
Jmper on 'Catholicit~· in the Public Institutions of Boston.' He began with
the time when the ottieers oft he prisons luulpower to exclude even the priests.
The latter were al1owed oecasionally to Yi>it the sick, simply because the
friendship of the prie:-;t was more a..,,irable than his displeasure. At this
time, Catholic children confinctl in pri>on, were deprived of all Catholic
literature, had their very nam<>s chanc:ed and, on their release, were placed
in Protestant families in X ew Enc:laml, or were sent "'est to be brought up
Protestants in the rnnst bigoted district~. ~\bout fOurtPen yt~ar~ ago, anieln~
ber of the State Legi:-:lature, proruinent as a preacher, as well as a j)Olitician,
introduced a bill to gin Catholic priest,- the ric:ht to visit the State prisons
and to minister to the wants of the Catholic,; confined in them. The hill
was passed and the pri:<ons w(·re thrown op<'n to the work of the priests. :5till
the Catholic pri:<oners did not 'wail them.<elns of the priYilege of hearing
Mass. Cpon inquiry, it was discovered that they were obliged to attend Protestant service. After a wt•ck of han! labor, anti with a certain amount of
work, even on :5unday, the Catholic prisonen< f(mnrl that, if they at!t'nded
both services, there woultl be no time left for rest or recre<ttion. Reports of
cruelty, and complaints that Catholic prisoners wen• obli.c:ed to attend Protestant worship, were brought bcfon• tlw city gO\·crnment, and re,ulted in
having a eonunission appointe( I to investigate the chnrg-e~'>. ~-\~soon as invel'·
ligations began, the officers of the City Pri,;un askt>d of the ( 'orporation Counsel, an opinion conecrning the leg,tlity of obliging Catholics to attend Protc'tant worship. ·The answer \\'as that such action \\·as unconstitutional, that it
marie Protestants a privilegctl ria" ant! that it was ob.ic'ctionable to Catl.wlics.
This decision wa; publishetl in the prison and resulted in an inuncdj1ll!) in·
crease in the attendance at )lass. Later on, permission was asked and gninted
to establish a Sunday-school t\n· the children. The teachers were prominent
Catholics of the city, whose intere:-;t in their pupils lasted after their release
from prison, and munifestetl it>Plf in obtaining employm<>nt and suitable
homes for them. Thus, little by little, was frePdom of worship gained for the
unfortunate inmates of llo:-;ton prisons; It'! us hope that the day is not far
distant when a like freedom will exist in other:-; of our large cities.
Canada. -Canada has become an independent mbsion, Rev. Fr. Peter
Hamel, Superior.
Cll110Hizatious.- On the feast of All Saints the Pope, in presence of the
Cardinals, ecclesiastical dignitaries awl of his court, announced his approbation of the decrees of canonization of the seven founders of the Order of
Servites and of the three .Jesuits, Peter Claver, Alphonsus Uodriguez and
John Berchmans.- Gcrmania. Jan. Lith is the day appointed tor the canonization.
Colombia.- The church of Bles:-;ed Peter Claver at Cartagena was fount!
entirely abandoned bv the nntin~s. At the tomb of the apostle of the negroes
a singie lamp, atten;led by a colored woman, is kept burning in his honor.
The church will soon be rPbuilt. There is a great tlevotion among the black
population to their patron; and \\·ith con>iderable pl'idt• they attirm that he
was of their race and color, and in proof of thb, they point to a picture of
Blessed Peter in which he is represented as of a rather dusky hue. -Letters
of Jersey.
Cone~t·ayo Ceuteuuinl.- From the Jlienwrial of Conewago which is
full of interesting details about each and every prominent Catholic, who has
been in any way connected with Conewago during the last century, we select
�VARIA.
a few details concerning the celebration. 'Ve hope to receive a longer contribution on the su~ject for the next nnmber.
The celebration be~an on Oct. :!Oth with a triduum condncte<l b~- Fr. Denny.
On Sunday, Oct. 23rd, there was a solemn Hi!!h :If ass in the morning, at which
Y ery Rev. :11. J. :McBride, administrator of Harrisburg <liocese, was celebrant;
and solemn vespers in the evening at which Fr. Racicot, acting provincial,
officiated. Such an assemblage of clergy and people was never seen at Conewago before. Among the clergymen present, besides all the neighboring
pastors, there were rectors and superiors from Philadelphia, "'ashington,
Frederick, Leonardtown and IIano\·er. Fr. Dufour of Conewago was l\Iaster
of Ceremonies.
I
'
English Reacler.- By Rev. Edward Connolly, S. J. (Xcw York: Benziger Bros.)- This is the first number to appear in the series of School and
College Text-Books, which, at the request of Rev. Fr. Provincial, are about
to be edited by Ours. It is hoped that this series, whilst tending to bring
about uniformity in the text-books of our own colleges, will at the same time
meet the want hitherto felt, of editions. Catholic as well as scholarly, which
will be at once moderate in price and suitable to Catholic schools and colleges
generally. In this, the initial pnblication of the series, Fr. Connolly has
not only attaine<l the primar~- object of the book, by presenting an excellent
variety of selections for read in~, adapted to the different grades of any academic course, but he has also brought together, in a manual of convenient
size, many of the most striking pa;;sages in the literature of the language, at
the same time giving at least a few lim•s from the writin.!!S of most En~lish
authors of merit. Similar care and judgment are also manifest in the classification and arrangement of the selections, whilst the printing, paper and
binding leave little to be desired. The first nnmber, therefore, of the longneeded series, is likely to be very acceptable to both teachers and scholars.
The editor of 1'11e Pastor, in his notices of recent publications, writes:
'1'\othing we have ever seen in its line, will bear comparison with this Reader.'
And judging from the very flattering notices, more recent)~- given by the
Irish .bfonthly, anrl the I.omlon Jfonth, the snecess of this first venture is
assured, if intrinsic worth he of any a vail.
Etudes. -Next January will witness the re-appearance in Paris, of the
'Etudes' of our French Fathers. A new house will be established in Paris
filr the staff, 1.~ rue :Monsieur. The resident editors chosen from the four
provinces are sai<l to be the following: FF. de Scoraille, superior; Uartin
and Riviere, (Toulouse); Desjacques aiHl Burnichon (Lyons); Brucker and
l\Iury, (Champagne); de Bonniot and Delaporte (Paris).
1<'1•. Louis Saint C!JI',-A veteran missionary, the distinguished Fr. Louis
Saint Cyr, went to his reward on the 11th of .January, 1887, at Kodaikanal,
Madura mission. He went to :lfa<lura in 1841, was the first rector of St .
•Joseph's College, N egapatam, visitor of the mission of :IIadagascar in 1858,
superior of the mission of Uatlura in 186(). He was the author of several
works hoth in French and in Tamil. A most pious anti amiable man, truly
'dileetus Deo et hominibus.' He died and was buried at the shrine of N.D.
de la Salette, Kodaikanal, which he himself had founded.
Fl'<liiCl'.-During the past year Fr. 'Vatrigant inaugurated at Chateau
Blanc a monthly retreat for the working-men; thus securing the permanence
of the fruit of their yearly retreat. The monthly exercises are conducted in
the following manner: On the appointed Sunday the working men assemble
in the church at 7.20 A. M ., and the Father in charge makes aloud before
them a meditation, which lasts until 8 o'clock, at which hour l\Iass begins.
An instruction is given at the gospel, and during the thanksgiving the Father suggests pious thoughts and ejaculations to his hearers. During breakfast one of the Fathers reads, and, the meal over, the beads are recited in
common ; then follows another instruction, and at 10 A. M. they are dismissed.
The two following accounts of retreats to working men are so remarkable
for their good results, that we cannot omit them: ~I r. Dupire, a manufacturer
of Roubaix, seeing that his employes did not attend the mission given in their
parish churches, although he had allowed them to stop oft" work half an
hour earlier than usual, determined to induce them to make a retreat. His
efforts were crowned with success, and all betook themselves in a body to the
Trappist monastery of l\Iont des Cats, where a retreat of two days was given
�330
VARIA.
hy Fr. "·atrigant. The Trappisb received them \\"ith the greatest kindne"
and ga,·e Fr. "•atrigant e\·er-y facility to carry on his g-ood ''ork, thns showing their gnltitnde to the Society which had latdy Iii Yen them a master of
novices and professor of theology.-.\.notlwr Christhni employer, ~Ir. Dntillenl, of Armentii'res, who>e >hops give Pmployment tD over 1000 men and
won1en, has lately by his zeal and pe~everanef' brought about a great relig·ions change in his e~tabli~lunent. Four years ago not one of hi~ en1ployes
was a practical Catholic; inrlee•l, so far had the spirit of infidelity crept in
among them that the,- were acen>tomed to make a mockery of thP Blesst•d
Sacrament hy preseniing to one another little piccps of paper:cnt in the shape
of hosts. Bnt now, owing to the zeal and prayers of ~Ir. Dntillenl, nwrning
and evening prayers are said in cornmon, and in eYl'ry shop there i~ a statue
of some saint. Since this change has bet•n hronght abont, their material interests have also advanced. A mutual hcnt'Yolent society has been founded,
as well as a savings bank established._ and e\-ery thing i~ in a flourishing- con-
dition. Regulations reganling the dis~ipline in the shops hm·e been drawn
up, ant! half of the fines collected for dolation of the rules is paitl out to the
families of the poorer working-men. Several emplm·ers in Franee are fnllowing a similar plan with the mo't happy results. To these working-men our
Fathers give year!~· retreats, and it is needle" to say that the fruits are most
consoling.-Letters of Jersey.
E'oJ•clhnm.-The late>! report from St. .John's College ln·ing' the news that
the boarding-students, actually pre"'nt, number :!lii. .\ n ae,1tkm~· for girls
under the charge of the Crsuline nuns was opened in the parish Ja,-t .\pril,
and i.s now in n flourishing corHlition. In Septetnber, n parochial sehool wa:o:
adt)ed to the parish and placed in the hands of tht• same worthy tt•achers.
(;('OI'(Jl'fou·n
Colll'yl'.-8everal changes han· het•n madt• in the t\wuJty
this· vear ancl ~e\""eral improven1ents in the college.
The new n1useum is wn\·
finished and ready f(>r the c,\Ses, the .Junior study-hall has het'n tiirnisht•tl
with new de>ks, and work is soon to begin on thP Collt•gt' Hall interior. The
commencement exercises in .June were attendetl hy Presitlent CleYelarul who
thereby re-established an old custom serupulon>i~- adhc•·e•l to hy the first
Presidents. The number ofsturlents in the three departments (Law, )!edieal
and Academic) last Year was :!il. This Year there arc aln·ady 1-10 hoarders
in the Academic department. It should b~· noted that all of tht:se stu•l:,.:Liltin
and Greek; as there is no purely English course attacht>tl to the college.The collection for the Pope's jubilee was Biii.OO; the oceasion will be ceh•hrated by the students on Dec. ~~1.
The friends of Geor.getown will ht> e>p<>cially tleli~h!t'tl to learn that the
large debt of a few years ago is now wPII-ni~h nhlitera!Ptl.
The verwrahle Fr. James Curley, now tht> on!~· rt>lic of tlw last eentury in
our province, who recently celebrated his !ll,;t birthday and the HOth annin•rsary of his advent to Ueorgetown ( "olleg<>, is still sound in miml and body.
(~lay he continue so!) Being consulted r<>cently with regan! to a sword in the
t>ollege museum whose history did not seem to correspond with the story of
Fr. Rey's death us told in this number ( p. :!~li), the verH·rable nonagenarian
answered as follows:-( \V c regret that we cannot reproduce a fac-simile of
the note in the simple arul exact. handwriting which so well bcspt>aks the
simplicity and exactness of thL' wri!Pr's eharacter) 'Dear ~Ir.--, An officer
of a Volunteer Co. a native of \Vashington, g:we us the 'word von allmle to.
He told us it was found on tlw groun~l aloi1g side of Fr. Rey;s tlead botly,
when the villagers of the place first f(mml Fr. ll.'s hody, and from that circumstance alone it was supposed he was killPd by it.
Yrs. in Christ, Jame,: Curley, S . .!.'
Ol'l"lllflll J•,•ot·lllt"l'.-Fr. \Verner is in ltome putting the finishing touch
to a new ecclesiastical atlm•, and to an atlas of thP Eastern churches, to he
published for the Pope's jubilee. lie has also in prq>aration several otlwr
atlases.-Fr. Beringer is to be made Consultor of the Congr<>g. SS. Indulg.The five ~·ears' course of theology has been tliscontinuetl in the Gt'rtiUIII
Province.-In Profess.,.. de !a Cousserie's Heview, 'Babylonian and Oriental
Hccord,' the new edition of thL' Babylonian texts of Xabonidus, hy Fr. Stra"·
n1aier, received a handson1e eulogy on the part of the reviewer, who gives
him the palm for accuracy above all his contemporary "bsyriologists.
Denmark.-A short time ugo a high tlignitary of the Lutheran cstaulishment publicly returned to the Church. Count )[oltke, the Danish ambassa-
�VARIA.
JJI
dor in Paris, has ah•o become a C'atholi~; also the C'ounte'8 Loren6rn, sisterin-law of a minister of state. Another noble lady visited the Protestant
synod, lately in session; being much disgusted with the clifferences of opinion which she witnessed there, among the Proteshmt theologians, she called
upon the Catholic Prefect Apostolic, and was very much astonished to reeei,·e from him clear and posith·e answers to her doubts and difficulties.
There is a number of unh·ersity students among the eom·erts of our Fathers.
Il•eln Htl,-A mbsionary band has been established recently in the Irish
Produce.-.\ new monthly, The Lyceum, editecl hy our Irish Fathers in connection with the University College, Dublin, made its first appearance in
September (Dublin: Keating antl Co.). In the first number was an article entitled ')Jr. )Jivart and )[oses,' written by Fr. P. Finlny, our professor of the
evetling- cla!i's of rlog1na.
,JapnH.-Although our Fathers havc• not the hnppine>s of laboring upon
the soil of .Jajmn for the conversion of that country so dear to our Society, it
1-'Ct'nts, nevert u:·les~, that Providence intends to grant to Oun;, in an nnex-
peeted manner, a considerable share in that glorious work.
Since it has he-
('Onle known in Japan that we have a European school at Shang-.Jiai, l'leveral
.Japanese families haye sent us their sons. There are at present fifteen .Tapane:;e youths in our college at Hong-Ken. The .Japane'e consul, who is a friend
of Ours, is their gnanlian. On Christmas day, 181-'tl, three of them re~eived
baptism. One of them is the son of a ~[inister of state, the post being hereditary in the f>tmily; another is the son of the governor of a prodncP. Fearing nnpl~asant consequences if we proeeetled without the consent of tlwir
parents, we eonsnlted the consul IH"fore admitting them to baptism, His
an,wer was: "ion ha\·e nothin;( to fpar, I take the whole resp<msibilitr upon
myself.'-~ome time ago a young- .Japanese Christian came to Zi-Ku-\\'ei and
begged to be admitted into thl' f(oeiety. If he is receh·ed, he will be the first
.Tapanese in the restored Socieh·. He was com·ertcd in his own countrY without any other human intcrventlon than the reading of religious books.· ~When
he learnt that the brethren of St. Erancis Xavier were at Shang-Hai, he sailed
at once f()r China. He is at prcs('nt studying Philosophy in our seminary at
Zi-Ka- \\'ei.-Soon aft('r the~ arrh·al of our young candidate, two .Japanese
bonzes al'rived at Zi-Ka-1\'ei. l'pon landing at Shnng-IIai from .Japan, instead of going to the pagoda of tlwir countrymen, they at once inquired for
'the temple of the Lord of Ileann.' They had fled from their country in
search of the true religion. They, too, are now in the seminary preparing for
baptism.
Jln 1/(falol'e.-On the .'\th of September the corm·r-stone was laid of our
new tlio<'esan seminar~·. Its namP will he St. .Joseph's Semi nan·. The pile
will consi't of three parts. The central part will be a church, ]urge enough
to hold all the faithful of the city; tht• seminary will be on one ~ide; on the
other, the house for the Fathers, scholasties aUt! novice~. It will he three
stories high; the first of the kitH! built in :\fangalore. On every story there
will be a veranda all around the hous<•. The whole will cost above !10,000
rupees. Let us hope that St. Joseph will send the money.-E.rtract from a
letter of Fr. Zanetti to Fr. Piccirillo •
.llaultolm .-St. Bomface. "' e lwvt• \'9 stntlents, about the largest number ever reached in this college; .tG full hoardel". Our connection with the
l'uiversity of ·Manitoba is threatened. Urumhlers nrc trying to hu\·e the
Fninrsity Act remotlclled. This lookR as if it were part of a general eons/•iracy against Catholic influence in the Xorth-,Vcst. Cuttin).( ns off from
t 1e Uuiversity would not materially affect the prosperity of the college; hut
it would take away a powerful stimulus to masters and students. - E>·tract
frorn a letter of Fr. Drurnmond.
Jftllll'itiu ..;.-Bishop l\Ieurin, S . .1., late Vicar Apostolic of Bombay, who
has been transferred to the Island of Mauritius, is trying to get some of our
French Fathers for his new diocese.
Jli.'<.SOIII'i l'I'Ot'illce.-The new t•ollegc in St. Louis is alreadv under roof;
it will be ready for occupation by St. Ignatius' day. The new eollegiatc <"hnrch
in Omaha is almost completed.-The building formerly occupied by the servants at Florissant, is being transformed into a Steam Laundry.-Fr. .John
�VARIA.
332
Poland ha.• finished his English translation of the Greek Anthology; it is
now being printed in Cincinnati.-Fr. Dam en will celebrate his golden jubilee
on Sunday, Nov. 20th, in Chicago; the sodalities and societies of the parish
of the Holy Family will participate. As a memorial of the occasion, the
parishioners propose to foun<l a home am! school for deaf and dumh boy,.
'Ve hope to have a jubilee notice in our next number.-The couri<e of Sodality
Lectures in Chicago opens on Nov. 7th. The lecturers and suhjects will be as
follows:
FR. HIGGIX~- Self Culture (Xov. 7), skett"hes from Early Amer. Hist.
(Jan. 231.
'
)fR. )IOULINIER-English Poetry (Nov. 1-!, :?8, Dec. !1).
MR. J. B. FII\N- Rise and Growth of Orall>ry (Xov. ~1), British Oratory
(Dec. 12), Amer. Oratory (Jan. 9).
FR. W. POLAI\D-Paper, Books and>\\"riting (Dec. ;j).
REv. FR. )!EYER-Catholic Thoug~.t in Literature (Jan. l!i).
"llozambique.-This Island is strewn with n•stigcs of the labor of our
early Fathers. The palace now occupied by the Governor was ti>rmerly a
college of the Society.-The church which is at the ri,ght of the eolle.ge, and is
at present in a very dilapidated condition, is soon to be repain•d by the Governor.
~
It is well known that St. Francis Xavier visited :llozambiqne and stayed
there for some time. Tradition has it that one da,· while the ~aint was walking at the south-east end of the islund, he was seize<! with a <lesire to vbit the
African const which could be seen in the distanee. Soml' Arab boatmen on
the beach, having refused to row him over, the Saint, kneeling in prayer for
a few moments, rose up, ami, spreading his cloak upon the water, 'tcpped upon
it, and rapidly passed to the other shore. Ever after, the roek upon which he
knelt, possessed the property of giving forth, when 'truck, a elear pleasing
s~m';ld, like the ringing of a !Jell, while the· neighboring roeks, though of a
s1m1lar character, are perfectly silent when struck.
Fr. Courtois, while visiting Fort St. Sebastian, at Mozambique, found in tlu•
chapel there, the spot where Fr. Sebastian de ~loracs, S . .J ., first Bishop of
Japan, was buried. The following inscription, diseoverP<l over the tomb, rectifies two errors which have crept into the annals of the Society; one regnrding
the year of Fr. de l\Ioraes' .death, the other concerning his resting j1lacc,
which was supposed to be in the church of St. Paul at Goa.
~
HIC IACET SEB
A~TlA~VS
ORAES
DE :II
t SOCIETA
TIS YESV t PRU.I
VS EPISCOPYS
UPONEXSIS.
QYI VITA FVTA E
ST
t
ZO DE .\VGY
S'fl DE l;i88
t
-Lettrrs of Jfold .
.:Yew .Jiexico.-Reports from )[orrison and Las Vegas announce that the
prospects of both colleges for the coming year are encouraging. The new
college in Denver is in course of erection and will be completed next summer.
It will he of stone, .300 feet long, 78 feet wide ami four stories high. The
grounds, 50 acres, are the gift of l\Iessrs J. Walker and J,. Perrin. The former
was many years ago a student at Georgetown College. The opening of the
new college will cause important changes throu,ghout the mission. The two
existing colleges will be closed next July. "'hen this announcement was
made in Las Vegas it caused general dissatisfaction, and efforts are being made
to retain our Fathers there. In the early part of Nov. our residence at La
�f/A~/A.
jjj
junta will be given over to the Archbishop. Last year it was decided to close
it, but at the request of the people no change was made. The present interl'sts of the mi"ion oblige Our' to abandon it, and it will soon pass into the
hands of secular priests .
.Yeu· OJ•lean.'I.-Rev. Fr. John B. Lessmann has been appointed Visitor
of the New Orleans ~lission .
.Yeu• l'ol'l,, City.- St. Fmncis Xavier's. The end of September, this
vear, counte<l 310 students, the largest number at the same date since 1880.
'rhe new courtyard make,; a magnificent playground; so popular has it become that it is said to be hard to .get the boys away after school hours. The
~\at·iel' has restuned its original fonn and is again i~sned n1onthly. From the
Xovember number we select the following description of the new building:
'It is 184 feet long, SG feet high from curb line to top of parapet, and 6Z feet
deep. The h•ctnre hull, which runs through three floors, the cellar, basement
and first tloor, has a capacity of 1,000 persons. The stage of the hall is 58
by Hl, and to deaden the noise from the street there is a projected corridor.
Th<' main stoop will be of gray gmuite 18 feet wide. The library. of the college at the east end of the building will be li8 feet long, 26 wide. Besides
the hall fur the patrons and guests of the college, and the lodge on the first
tloor, will be the parlors for the friends of the college and visitors on parochial matte'".
The upper rooms will be occupie<l by the Fathers and Professors of the
college ... The front of the btu!ding is relieved by two bays of :?8 feet in
width, projecting about I:! feet beyond the face of the main building, square
in plan in ba,ement and first story, octagonal in second and third. The face
of the building on the fourth tloor returns agaili to the building line ... It
is expected that the upper rooms will be n•ady fi1r occupation before the beginning- of the new year.'
l'llilntlel}Jllili.-The 1Jiessmger of the S<!cred Eleart is still improving;
beginning with the October number, it a"umes the sub-title: 'Au Illustrated
~Iagazine of the Literature of Catholic l>e\·otiou.' Those who were fi1miliar
on!~· with the old J[e.;senger, can hard!~- realize what a great improvement
this title implies. The neu• .<eries began with an enlargement of one-half its
predons siz<', presenting each :mbscriber with the 24 pages of the Pilgrim or
Little Jfessenger, each mouth, in addition to the 4S pages previously given.
The October number, IH)wever, increases the size of the Jfessenger by the ad<litiou of 16 pages of illnstrated "" rieties. Subscribers, therefore, are now
furnishe<l with S~ pages of reatling matter each month (1056 each year), tor
the same priee t(Jr which they formerly receh·ed only 48 pages. '!.'he illustrations in the October number are of a high character; the frontispiece is
Leo XIII, in his robes of office; and the varieties illustrate the life of The
Humble. St. Ji'rancis of Assisi. The private life of }crchbishop Carroll, with
fi1e-siutile of :\IS., is begun in this number, the writer drawing on unpublished
letters anti documents. Short stories, poems, Pte., with official uotiees and
correspondenee of the I~eague of the Sacred Heart, fill the remaining pages of
this entertaining magazine. We hope the American Head Director, Rev. H.
S. Dewey, S. J., ma~- rely on the etli>rts of those who hear of these improvement,, in securing new subscribers, to help him to bear the additional expense.
We extract the following notice from the October number: 'A Chinese .JJ[es.<enger has just appeared, swelling the number of our brotherhood of magazines of the Sacre<l Heart to ~I in 1:! different languages. Connected with
these are :l Little Jfessengers of Oar Lady's Heart, like our, own Pilgrim. 5
of these perio<lieals are published in English, 2 by ourselves, 1 (often mistakenly called the Little JJ[rssenger by our Catholic exchanges) in England,
1 in Australia, autl1 iu Bomhuy, lntlia. All of the Jfessengers are under the
imme<liak control of the Heat! Dire~tors, for their respective countrieR, of the
Lea.gue of the Sacred Hearl, calletl the Apostleship of Prayer. They all receive a common impul't' from monthly communications made them by the
Director General of the League, who is appointed by the Pope. Besides their
consoling ministry of devotion, the Jfessengers all try to carry ont the mission
of St. Francis de Sales, the great Doctor of the Church. His writings, too,
were rather devotional thnn theological; but it was also Raid of them that
they were so solidh· entertaining as to thrust aside from the hands of Christians "dangerous hooks of amusement." This is the aim of the MER-
�t'Al?JA.
so far as th<"y take on themseh·e;; the character of a literary
magazine,-to supply ntw and interesting reading to Catholics of every class,
which shall not only entertain innocently, but abo furnish them the consolations of their religion. In other word,, they do not pretend to otl"er speculations on society and civilization or other general topics, nor yet mere Catholic
light literature, hut ratlwr the litemtnre of Catholic devotion, adapted to lndli·iduul souls. In this, we believe our network of tnagazines, now encircling
the world, i' uniqm•. Tlw new Chine"' hrothcr, so far as W<' can learn of its
up and down eolumn~, ~win~s hravely into line, an( I i~ already succeeding.'
SE.SGERS,
Prot"ideuer, R. I. -At the request of the Speaker antl at the desire of
the Bishop, Fr. Brennan opened tlw Lower Honse of the Le;!islatnre of Hhode
Island with prayer.
Uomr.-The Hoh· Father has appro,·e<l the decree of the :'acred Congre-
gation of Propaganda, n01ninating 1-~i·. Lavigne Yicar .-\..pnstolic, with eph:eopal
powl)r, of the newly created Yieariute of Cottoyatn.
Sdentl]i<' Xotrs.- With the consent of the Rus,ian government the Holy
Father <ent an expedition to :lloscow to observe the total solar eclipse of An)!USt Hlth. The expedition was muler the direction of Fr. Gaspar S. Ferrari,
tormerlv Fr. Secchi's U8'I>tant in the obsen·atory of the Roman College.
He was accompanied by two Oratorian Fathers who once ,;tutlied under
Fr. Seechi. Owing to the weather, our obsen·ers together with many others
stationed along tht> line of totality, were disappointed. In August last, this
line extended from Pru"ia to Japan, but it was only from a few places in
:'iberia that obsen·ation' t''lnhl he taken sucCt'ssfulh·. Onr Fathers did not
ruake arrangen1ents, as ~onle few did nt )loscow, to \dtnP~s the grand phenomt•non from a balloon rai<e<l above the clouds.
c\.t the beginnin,cr of last_snmmer an im·itation was extt>nded hy the Din'ctor of the Imperial Ob>t•n·atory of :l[oseow to the Royal .·\.stronomieal Society
of London, to ,;end two of their v•emhers to ob>erve the same eclipse at hi<
eountry seat at Pogort. Fr. ~- J. Perry of ~touyhur:st Colle~e was cho~en hy
the council as one of the delegates. ln the London Tablet for Octoher ~th,
he gave an account of his trip and hi< kiudh· reception; but like Fr. Ferrari,
he ,[Jso was prevented by the clomls from taking any obsen·ation. •
Fr. IIemle, of Zi- Ka- \\'ei (Chinese mL.;sion, near ~hanghai ), ~ha-• het•n
lately appointe<! Correspmuling :IIember of tht• Aeademy of Xntural :O:t'it>nees
of Philadelphia.
The well-known :lleteorologi"nl Ob<et·,·atm·~- of :llanilla, Philippine JslntHls,
<iireeted by onr Fathet·s, ha> been dt•clart•d by the Spanish gu\·erntnent hene-
tieiul to agriC'ultnn· atul navi.~ation, anti a~ ~nch it will recein.~
a11
annual
Pndowtnent.
Fr. J. Hagen, nf the Coll<•,trt' of the Sat•t·e•l Heart at Prairie <in Chit•n, has
heeu contributing a ~eries of artil'lt's to the Sthnmen, on thP Srnithsonian In~titution
of 'Vashin~ton.
The serie~ ofes-.:ayS on Cosmogony pnhlh.:hetl in 1~8.)-li in .1Yutur und
O.rren-
b<truny, by Fr. l'arl Braun, Direetor of tht> Kaloesa Ohsernttorv (Hungary), was lately repuhli,hed in book-limn under the title of 'A :'\.,w Cosmog-ony,' und was Yery favorably re\·iL•w,•d in .:.Vature (London).
Jn NoYl'Inber ltl8t), the Topog-raphieal ::-5ociety nf France awartletl to Fr.
Hoblet, Ini~~iouary of our ~ol'iety In ~Iadagascar, t(n· his iUtlefatigabk anti
succt:'o;;sfnllabors in executing .t!.·erH•ral and spt>cial nutps of the islantl, un t.~x
traordinury medal, spcoml only to tlw 'grmul me<lal of honor.' :ll. Le ~[yn·
tle Yillers, the Freneh llcsident-General in )[atlagascar, lu•aring of Ft·. ltohlet's work in this rc.~.!;anl in tht' province of hn€-rina, aml that of the llt>t~ilt-o~,
had sent one of his ~ecretarieg to t>xarnine the w·nrk car£>ful1y, and, on receipt
of hi:-: report, hntl n1ldn~~~t'd au earnP.:.-1 menwl"ial to the Topographical Roeiety a~king- a public rt•cog-nition of the FathL•r's ~ervi('e~. The map:.:, ht'
are the tirst of their kind for completeness att<l accuracy, whilst the
labor and scientitic knowledge which the~· <lcmam!Pt! were unusually great.
'fhey were executed during thirteen years of stwly, from the most insignificant resource:-:, at the cost of the grPatest fatig-nP, anti in tht> rniflst of inee~sant
<!angers. They comprise the g<•neral map of ~lat!agnscar and the particular
map of lmerina antl the Bet,i!(>o district. In response to}.[. de Yillers' memorial, :II. Martinie, Comptrollt>r-General of the Administration nfthe army,"'"'
President of the Topographieal Society of Fmncc, in a letter of Xo..vember 4th
S>Ws,
�f?A.kiA.
335
l~Sli,
answere<l that the society was only too happy to be able, through ~I. de
\'iller>' kintlne,-s, 'to perform an aet of justice which all the world would
applaud ... , that it had decreed a medal extraordinary to the indefatigable
topographer who was an honor to science and to .France.' The reward wa~
duly proclaimed the following ~unday, .'<ovember i'th, in the general assembly of the Topographical ~oe1ety, in the hall of the Sorbo nne, Paris. Father
Hoblet had exeeutetl in person the regular plan of a stretch of country five
hundretl kilometres in length. The method employed was that of triangnlation. ...\_fter Inea::-,uriug otl' a ba:o;e at the environs of Tanaw.trivo, he Inadc a
triangulation cotnpristng fifty thousawl principal point~ awl. t\vo hundn•d
thousand points of the second order.
HPv. Fatlu:r:-; Caus~equt• anti CmnLoue, two of our Inissionaries in ~Iatlagas~
ear, an' highly praised by thl' S<'CLtlar press, the ft1l'llll'r f(1r his French-~Iala
gassee Grammar, and the other for hb labors on the Sh·icigenes (silk-worms) of
.l[adaga.,ear. .Fr. C:m"e<tne's OramnnLr, "1ys thP .Honiteur of the Isle de Ia
Heuruon, has singularly rilcilitatetl the :study of the language spoken with
more or k>s purity uy all the triut•s of .\Iadagascar, and has received the most
t'tHnplimentary nutict•s, not only !rom the French colonists, but even from th<'
.Jiuduyascar '1'iu1-e;s, the organ of tht• Protestant Jni:.;sionaries. )!r. ,V. E.
Cousins, an
Engli~h
missionary autl the author of the
~lalagassee
Grammar
winch for years has been a law in tht• English schools of the island, has pub]i,het! an articlt• exhorting In> colleagut•s to adopt the modifications proposed
in Fr. Causs0que's new grmumnr, wluch, he says, eli.minates a host of an1big~
nons terms and n·comJnetH.ls it.:-:elf to gt•nt•ral fi.l\·or l!Y its great sin1plicity. lt
is said that the gon·rnmt•ut has ordered ont• hundred copies of the work for
the schools of ~t. .\Iary of .\httlagasear, of Nossi-Be and of ..\Iayotte.-Fr. Cambone's labors on tht• sllk-1i'orms of .\latlagasear were rewarded with a medal of
the lirst cia", uy the SociNe d'Acclinwtation de Pul'is on August :.'nd, 188!i.
'l'he tle(ails rdatn·c to th<· natin· silk-worms, from which the .\lalagassiaus secun· the silk tor the stutls known as .Larnbu-Landy and which they call Bibindandy, have attrae!Pd spPcial attt•ntiou on act"ount of their completeness
and accun1ey.
Sll'il y.-1'he Sicilian press, through the Archbishop of Palermo, has pre>ented to Fr..Joseph Orbntlo a gold medal, in acknowledgment of the servLCes
wnwh he Ita; rendered, as llireewr of the Sicilia Cattotica, to the Holy Father, to the Church, to hi.:-: couutry and to the cause of letter:-o, in his long
struggle of twenty year:; a.~ain~t the llnnciples of Protestantisrn, l;"'ree )Jason~
ry ami Iulit!elity. The inst•r·iption on the medal i>< the work of Fr. Angelini.
-.Letters of Jasey .
.'ipuiu.-<Jn<·en Chri,tina vi>itct! Loyola on
~eptemlJl'r
2:Jrd. The inhabit-
ants were Vt>ry milch llltpn·sst•tl to :;ee the <}ueen at their titvorite shrine.
Bishop \'ithosw came to "ay _\lass on the occasion.
That the
~ociety
is in a
Honn:-;hing eoutlition in ~paiu i~ evident fron1 the t(lJlowing: The ProVInce of
Castill', lwsulcs the st.•ntinary of 8alumanca a.nd 5 colleges in Cuba, has i
· <'ollegt>:o~ in ~pain. The Pro\·inee of Aragon has in all 11 t'(llleges, of which
4 are Ht ~outlt .\.uwrica anti :? iu ~\[auilla; tnureover, thl~ sen1inaries of )fon·
tevltlco, Buenos .\yres aUtl Santa .Fe, are under the direction of the Fathers of
this proviuce. Toledo has in all i colleges, 4 of which are in ~onth America.
In Portugal, Ours IHL\~t· eharge of -1 colleges.-Letter.< of Jersey.
8pll'itrwl 1-:.x't'l'l'i.~e.~.-Tlw indef(ttigable Fr. Watrigant, who has bt•gun
the t(mnation of a library of the ~piritual Exercises of ::lt. Ignatius, to embract• whatcn·r has het•n publislll'd on the Ex<·rcises at various times ant! in
tli,·t·rst• coniltri . . ~, i~ about to n·-t>dit tht' following work, which has bet•n loug
:-:inee out of print: 1Ii:-:toria Ext•rcitiorum ~piritualitun ~ancti Ignatii, auc-.
ton• Hev. Patr . . D1ertin:-:, ;:-;. J. £\d primmn etlitioumn exacta, qu& uuuc prodit anl'tior quii>usdam ex opt·n· l'•ttrum Bollandistarum cxcerptis.
Ston yll 11 l'.~t ( 'olleye.-l>uring a recent meding uf the British Association li>r the .\d\'anl·ement of ::ici<'llC<', hl'!d at ,\Ianchl'~t<·r, then• were present
of Hll'lllhers anti as,;ociates :;,~1>:!. Hy permission of Rev. Fr. Hector, fifty
frotn a1nongst this HntnUt•r vi~itt.·tl Stonyhur~t College.-Un the tnemhers'
arrival at Whalley, they first dsitetl the parish church, which dates from
A. ll. ;,\lli; and th<• ruin' of th<' al>btoy founded in 12!1il uy Henry de Lncy, Enrl
of Liucoln. 'fht:>nce they dnJ\~e to tilt• colh•ge whPre, in the sacristy, were
�VA~JA.
shown the hat and se\'eral personal ornaments of the Blessed Thomas ~iote;
the relic of the crown of thorns gin-n by )Iary Queen of Scots to Thomas
Percy, Earl of Northumberland; and the leg bone of St. Thomas de Cantelupe.
Amongst the relics wen• "<'Veral of those of our English martyrs. There were
some v.-stments of English fifteenth century work; mHl one set which lwlonged originally to the chapel of Henry the Seventh at W .-stminster. Another set was attributt•d to the handi.work of Catharine of Aragon. Some
silver candle-sticks, two large monstrances and the statues ofS::,i. 'fhomas and
Augustine, brou,ht by the coll.-ge from Liege, are still preserved in the sacristy. In the library, the visitors were shown a variety of finely illuminated
manuscriJ?ts. The earliest of these was a copy of the Uospel ac9ording to St.
John, winch dates from the seventh century. It was taken from tlw tomb of
St. Cuthb~t nearly eight humlred_ years ago. Probably the mo't admired
of printed books was tht• prayer-hook usl'd on the scaffnhl by )Iary Queen of
Scots. )Iany other valuahlP. hooks were seen, for exam pit•, the folio Shakespeare, examples of tlw early printei·s, a Sarum .\Iissal by Pynson on vellum,
examples of modern editions de luxe and of rare bindings. The collection of
prints comprised many of till' mn.'it'r-piecPs of Albert Diirer on copper and
wood, and etchings by Rembrandt. Here were the cases of birds collected
llllll stuffed ll\" the fitmous old ::,itonvhurst seholnr Charles 'Vaterton; the
nucleus of a collection of British birils eommeneed thi• year; and the \'ery
complete eolleetion ofreptite:< lll<Ld" by Dr. )Iivart. The collt-etion of eo ins, an<l
the must•um wherein till' various branclu·s of natural history are so well represented, are worthy of Iwte. In tht• obsen·atory, the difi'erent sl'lf-recording meteorological and rnagnetic in~tnunents wpre extunined with great interest. As the day was lim•, the great tl'!eseopl' with spectroseope attaehed, was
pointed to tlw sun, an<l the Hil.~er solar eye-piece fixed to the fimler, giving
the visitors an opportunity of observing hoth the solar spcetrum, and details
of tht> :-;un's surface. The t.lrawin~:-; of tht• sun wt~re athnired. The schoolroom~, likewise, ph1y-roou1s, stutly-place, dorrnitories, aeademy-roont, ett".,
received their due of praise.
1'1""!1· X. 1".-0ur Fathers in Tmy will soon have two new school-houses.
One, for girls, is already in use. The Sisters of ::,it. Joseph attend it. !'he
butlding 1s of urick, two stories high with a turret at each corner. lt is ll-1 In·
,):! am! contain:< 1> large class-rooms 4-!x:!-1, and a corridor 10 teet widt! extending through the length of the bnildmg. Stair-cases at each extreutft:-;. The
other school, fur boys, i,- nearly completed; it is on a similar plan bnt some·
what smaller. It will be opened in January.-The anniversary of Fr. Jognes'
martyrdom was celebrated very quietly at the shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs,
at Auriesville. Three Fathers and a few of the laity attended.
1'ul'l.:ey. -The funeral service; of Very Rev. Fr. Beckx ·were celebrated
at Constantinople, with the greatest pomp. Besides several PrefePts Apostolic and superwrs of the religious orders, there were 5 Bishops present. Both
the Charge d'Affaires an<l the Consul of Belgium were pre,ent. The English
Ambassador occupied the place next to Rev. Fr. Rector. Mgr. Itotelli officiated and also gave the last absolution. After the services a large number
came to offer to ltev. Fr. Ferrante their sympathy and condolence upon the
loss the Rociety ha<l susttiued.-Letters of Jasey.
JVnsll i uyton, JJ. C.-The new pastoml residence adjoining St. Aloysius'
Church, has been occupied by the community attached to Gonzaga College
and St. Aloysius' Church since the middle of August. The Washington Grpital describes it as follows: 'The main entrance forms a connecting link be·
tween the house and the church. There is on the south side a circular bay
window of u feet radius, reaching up through all the stories, a distance of lil
feet from the sidewalk, and capped by a conical slate roof, surmounted by a
Keltic cross, the top of which is !ll teet above the basement floor. On the
south-west corner is a rectaugulotr bay, Iii feet wide, forming a sort of truncation to the natural angle turmed by the lines of the south and west fronts.
This square bay is carried up through two stories, and forms at the third
story a balcony crested with an ornamental railing. The introduction of <lit:
ferent forms of moulded brick, and the attention paid to the frequent use of
contrast lines, give to the entire front an air of endless variety that is really
astonishing, when we remember the want of variety in the materials of which
it is composed. Even the grouping of the windows was so disposed as to con-
�VARIA.
337
tribute to the variety which is always so pleasing and reposeful to the eye.'
w., would only add to this that the interior is in keeping with the simple
elegance here described. The community chapel with its marble altar, stained
glass windows and frescoed walls is at the same time elegant and devotional.
JJ'ot•(·e.~tet•, JCa.~s.- Holy Gross College.
Fr. Samuel Cahill, the new
rector, has solved the long·standin~ and baftiing ilroblem of supplying classroom accommodations for the steadily increasing number of students. The
transfer of the library to the rooms formerly occupied by Fr. Rector, produes a large and elegant class-room. The actual attendance on Xov. 1st was
185. Of these, about 35 are day·8cholars. The four higher classes average 30
each. The class of poetry numbers 40. The students' offering for the Pope's
jubilee was 8.32.18. The 81,000.00 lately given by the Governor of Uass., has
been applied to found a scholarship for a \Vorcester hoy.
llome Xeii'.-<.-Ordinations. The annual ordinations to the priesthood took
place on Aug. 2ith, Cardinal Gibbons officiating. The following were ordained
priests on that day :-FF. .Tames \V. Collins, Timothy Brosnahan, Cornelius Gillespie, .Tames \Veil worth, ""illiam B. Brownrigg, Arthur J. McAvo~·,
George .\.Fargis, .Joseph Zwinge, Haphael V. O'Connell, Uichael P. Hill,·
.John F. Lehy, \\'illiam Quigley, Francis X. ~IcGovern, .Anthony Maas,
Francis Barnum, William H. :Morrison, and William J. Kevill-ofthe ~Iary·
land-Xew York Province; Fr. .John B. Kok!'nge of the Missouri Province;
and Fr. Augustine Laure of the ~fission of California. Twenty nine scholastics receive,] tonsure and minor orders on the 2jth. The 'Greeting to the
newly·Onlained' was given on the lawn south of the college and was witnessed by the relatives and friends of the new priests. The programme was
neatly arranged and well carried out; and by no means the least of its charms
was its brevity. It eonsi>ted of a congratulatory address by :\Ir. .T. II. O'Rourke
and short poems by Fr. Yan Rensse·laer and :).Ir . .J . .J. \\"ynne, interspersed
with four selections well rendered by a double quartet. Those of the newly
ordained who have since left us are :-Frs. Collins, Gillespie, Quigley, and
:\Iorrison, who are now at Georgetown College; Fr. Lehy, who is now at
\\' orcester, ~fass.; Fr.. ~lcGovern and Bam urn, who have gone to Troy, X. Y.;
Fr. \\'ellworth who is at St. Thoma,'; and Fr. Kevill, who is at St. John's
College, Fordham.
SomP changes affecting \\" oodstoek have bt•en made since the departure of
ltev. Fr. Provincial for Ireland: Fr. J:acicot has been appointed Vice-Provincial and has been replaced here as Hector by Fr. W. Pardow. Two new professors are on the sluff this year, Fr. Peter Finlay from the Irish Province
teaching the evening dogma class, and Fr. \Vorpenberg of the ~Iissouri Province teaching the :?ct year of Philosophy.
The New Raccolt<t, published by order of His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII,
has just made its appearance. Owing to the omission of prayers that were
fimnd in former translations and the introduction of prayers indulgenced by
Pius IX and Leu XIII, it has beeonw neceSRar.'· to issue this new translation.
This ;•dition has been approve<! hy the :'lacred Congregation of Indulgences in
a decree issued at Rome on .\pril ~1st, 1887. An appendix, containing prayers
for ~[ass and Yespers, has been addetl, making this edition a complete Prayer
Book.- Published by P. F. Cunninghaltl and son, Sli Arch St., Philadelphia.
Fr. R. J. Holnind's buol.· is jn't out; it is entitled: 'Ownership and Natural
Right-An examination of the land theories of l\Iessrs. Herbert Spencer and
Henry neorge.' \Ve give a summary of the contents: ( 1) Socialism and Communism; (2) Statement of the Question; (3) Natural Law-Jus gentium-Positive Law; (4) The Right of Ownership demonstrated by Deduction; (5)
Ownership demonstrated by Induction; (6) Abstract and Concrete Hight; (7)
What can we Own ?-Occupancy vs. Labor.-Increment. (8) Ownership in
Land; (9) The Statics of Mr. Spencer; (10) Absolute or not Absolute; (11)
Can the State grant a Deed? (l~l Abuse and Remedy; (13) Land Tax; (14)
Objections drawn from Political Economy; concluding with an Appendix, on
Church Decisions. The work is published by Hill and Harvey, Baltimore
and New York. Price 50 cents.
Fr. U. Heinzle, has an article in the October number of the Grttholic TVorld,
nn 'Clalileo and l\IcGivnn.'
Fr. P. Finl<ty opens the first number of the Lyceum with an article mentioned elsewhere; the title is: 'Mr. Ui vart and :).loses.'
VoL
XVI,
No. 3·
21*
�VARIA.
Fr. Piccirillo, assisted by one of the theologians, has begun to make a collection of objects illustrating the lives and labors of Onrs in this country from
the earliest period. The articles already gathered are exhibited in a case on
the third corridor and have attracted the attention of the Baltimore American,
which has given accounts of them in its issues of August :?Gth, and October
6th 1887. Our thanks are due to Frs. Ilarpes, Gaffney, Pye Xeale, Renaud,
Hayes and Barnum for contributions to this collection. Among the relics
already gathered, is a volume of the Douay Bible, used by Fr. Joseph Greaton, founder of the mission in Philadelphia, with annotations in his own
handwriting. This volume was printed by 'Laurence Kellam, at the sign
of the holie Lambe, Doway, :l.I. DC. X.' We have also a manuscript
copy of the Roman 1Iissal, one of the two copies written by the hand
of Fr. Theodore Schneid<'r for use in his missionary journeys through
Pennsylvania and Xew Jersey; on{l<of these copies was presented to Georgetown College by Fr. A. Bally. the other remained at Goshenhoppen
(now Bally, Berks County, Pa.) tthtil the beginning of the present year,
when it was sent to the Woodstock collection by Father llarpes. The
Georgetown copy is mentioned by Col. Campbell in his 'Life and Times of
Archbishop Carroll,' as a proof of the extreme poverty in which the
missionaries lived. The 'Voodstock copy has been photographed at therequest of Dr. J. Gilmary Shea, and a picture of it will be given in the second
volume of his 'History of the Catholic Church in the United States.'
Some familiar names were recalled recentlv b,- a note in Dr. O'Reilly's
'Life of Leo XII I,' now being read in the refectory.' The note reads as follows :
'In the United States very many among both the clergy and laity will remember some of Vincent Pecci'• schoolmates at Viterbo, and later at the
Roman College. The venerable Fr. Tellier, 8. J ., who died not many years
ago in ~Iontreal, Superior GenPral of the mission in Canada, was by his exquisite taste anti the finished literary ~xcellenee of all his compositions, a not
unworthy rival of him wh(! was destined to produce the encyclical Immortalc
Dei. Another classmate was the Very Rev. \\'illiam S. Murphy, S .•J., whose
memon· still lives in New York, Xew Orleans and St. Loitis. .\third was
the Rev. Paul ~Iignard, S . .J., of St. Francis Xavier's, Xew York. These men
never ceased praising the enthusiastic love of study with which their ma•ters
inspired them.'
Fr. Hedrick of Woodstock and ~Ir. O'Sullivan of St. Francis Xa\'ier's attended, during the past summer, the school of Geology in eonneefion with
Harvard Fniversity. The work of the school was principally the study of
geological formations in the field. The session lasted six weeks. The localities visited were Boston, Xew Britain, Conn., Catskill, N. 1., and Xorth
Adams, ~I ass. At Boston, the matters of study were the glacial deposits, the
igneous rocks and dikes of the "oast, and ocean action. At i'ew Britain, the
~Iesozoic sandstones and included trap sht>ets, among which was a bed of volcanic ash. At Catskill, the Silurian, ami at Xorth .\dams, the Taconic rocks.
Frs. Brett and Conway are this year studying at the Cniversity ofinnsbrnck,
Tyrol, 8 Universitiitsstrasse. La't year there were 32 American students at
this University.
•
�339
Colleges of the Society
IX THE UNITED STATES AND CA:\ADA.
188&-87
1885-86
,.-A--,
.-"--.
I
I
. ,,
Baltimore, Md ......••.••.•. Loyola College* ...........
Boston, )[ass ................ :Ro:-:ton College*...........
Buffalo, X. Y ................ 'Canisius College ...........
Chicago, Ill... ............... jt-:t. Ignatius' College* ...
Cincinnati, 0 ............... St. Xavier ColleG"e* ......
Cleveland. O ................ !St. Ignatius' Colleg-e* ...
Detroit, Mich ............... IDetroit College* ...........
Md. X. Y...•.•... ._ 120 5
•·
.......... ' 287 16
Gertnan ........... 1 306 5
m"ourL. ........ · 301 ,;
·•
........... 323 9
<;erman ........... · 7-J
Missonri........... 287 10 '
t;~~~~,~~."iei.;:s·:::::::::'~l: ~¥~:~.~ cv~Tff~;~;·i;:·,; ~do\J88;;;;;:::,
16
igg
189
148, 3
~7:
~
:!78' 7
274· s
2'J3' 11
.... .
243
1
.. .
~_:?.! ~.~
7 10
Georgetown, D. C......... jGeorgetown College ..... ~!d. N.Y ..........
10 cv
Grand Coteau. La ......... 1St. Charlee' College ...... N. 0. ~!lesion."' m
94
Jen<ey City. X. J ........... St. Peter's College* ...... ,~Id. N. Y.......... j lOS
104
Las Vegas, New Mex .... [Las Vegas College ........ Naples ..............' 223 , 215 1
::IIi! waukee, Wisc ......... j::IIarquette College* ...... ~rbsonrl... ......... 181 v 162 .. .
:\!ontre'al, Canada ........ ,Coll(•ge ~te. Marie ........ 1 Miss. of Canada ;168
351 .. .
:\!orrison. Colorado ...... !f'acred Heart College .... Naples.............. iiO
31 1 .. .
New York, N. Y ............ :,;t, Franc. Xav. Col!.* Md. X. Y .......... j ,".79 ~ 398i 1ii
Xew Orleans, La ........... ]Imm. Concept. College* N. 0. ~fission ... , 383
32
~
6
Om!''!-a. Ne~r~ska ..,, .... jCreighton College* ...... ~!issouri.. ........ i 196
~1
Prame du Cluen, \\ Jsc. Collt'ge of S. Heart ..... German ............ 130
1o:l
:"t. Boniface, Manitoba College of St. Joseph ... 1M iss. ofCanada 1 109 2 10.>
:=:anta Clara. Cal.. ......... 1Santa Clara College ..... Turin ............... ~37 1 ~:A
~an Francisco. Cal. ...... i St. Ignatius' Coll('ge* ....
"
S.l7 4 ~ S41
f'an Jose, Cal.. .............. 'l"t. Joseph's College* .... j "
............. 117,
97
Ht. Louis, ~Io ................ St. Louis University* ... ~!issonri.. ......... ; 314 ii 344
St. ~Iar)''s, Kansas ....... ,!'t. ~Iary's College..........
" ........... 264
288 ~
SpringHill, Ala ........... St.Joscph'sCnllege ...... IX. 0. ~fission ... I 119 6 119 1~
Washington. D. C......... Gonzaga College* ........ 1 ~!d. N.Y.......... 129, ... 118 ...
Worcester, l\!ass .......... .'IHoly Cross College ...... 1
......... I 172:_15 i 151 ~
"
TOTAL ......
16287 124
I
1
11
1
1
··············t'
1
I66841133
• Day Schools.
11
��Ministeria Spirituali~ Provinci£B Marylandi£B Neo-Eboracensis, a die I" ]ulii 1886 ad diem
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�CO.YTJ::XTS OF T"OL. .\Tl.
Page
Fr. Bernard A. :\Iaguire- A Sketch .
3
~Ianitoba- St. Boniface College . .
10
Letters from a Chaplain of the \Var of '61
20, q-l, 238
Ecuador-Letter from Fr. .-\. Salazar . .
31
the CollPge at Pifo
. . 284
Chaplains for the Mexican \Var, I8-l6 .
33, 225
Brazil-Letter from Fr. R. ~I. Galanti .
40
Louisiana (continued) . . . . . . .
42
A ~Iission in Nova Scotia .
49
Alaska-~Iissionaries, Letter from Abp. Seghers .
55
'' -)Iurder of Abp. Seghers . .
270
-Letter from Fr. Robaut . .
28!
)Iexico-Letter from Fr. F. Rivero .
68
Denmark-Our Colleges . . . . . .
71
Italy-Letter· from one of Ours in Rome .
76
'' -Rome- Letter from Fr. Conway . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
288
Last Illness and Death of Card. Franzelin-I,etter from Fr. Lavigne .
85
Adm. Rdo. Patri Generali Beckx ~Iortuo . . . . . . . .
123
The Verv Rev. Fr. Peter Beckx . . . .
. . . . . . .
!80
A Contribution towards a History of the Irish Province .
125, 217
Texas-Letter from Fr. F. P. Garesche . . . . . .
. .
136
282
-Galveston-Letter from Fr. J. B. Quinlan . . . .
Michigan-Letter from Fr. R. Chartier . . . . . . . . .
139
Fiesole-Letter from Rev. Fr. Provincial . . . . . . . . .
. . .
!56
An account of the re-establishment of the Society in the United States !6!
Early Catalogues of the re-established American Mission, 1807
!69
''
''
''
··
··
18o8
308
Dakota-I,etter from Fr. E. l\I. Perrig . . . . . . . . .
173
· A Statue of Fr. )!arquette in the Capitol at Washington
175
Ucles-Letter from F. B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
190
Among the ~ egroes . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . .
.
.
194
)Iissionary \Vork at the Maryland School for the Deaf and Dumb .
201
)fissionary Labors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
230
Holy Trinity Church, Boston, Mass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
The Civil Incorporation of the Soc. of Jesus in the Province of Quebec 265
St. Inigo's Villa . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . .
286
Macon, Georgia-I,etter from Fr. J. B. Quinlan . . . . . . . .
299
Colombia-Extract from I,etter of Fr. Nicholas Caceres . . . .
303
Two Golden Jubilees- Fr. Isidore Daubresse, Fr. Joseph \Veber
304
English Martyrs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3o6
OBITUARIES ;-Br. John King, 91 ; Fr. John A. Bauhaus, 92; Fr. Mengarini, 93 ; Fr.]. B. Serra, 97; Fr. Anthony Jourdan, 99; Fr. Florian
Sautois, 101 ; Fr. Frederick \V. Gockeln, 102 ; Fr. P. P. Fitzpatrick, 105 ;
Fr. John T. Kuhlmann, 107; Fr. Patrick H. Toner, 109; Br. Imfeldt,
III; Fr. Thomas Finnegan, 112; Mr. Thomas A. Haggerty, 206; Fr.
A. de Brisack, 207; Fr. John Grene, 313; Mr. Thomas Boland, 313;
Fr. Rene Prieur, 315; Fr. Maurice Oakley, 316; Fr. John Schultz, 317;
Fr. Thomas H. Stack, 317; Fr. P. J. Kelly, 319; Bernard L. Wall, scholastic novice, 321 ; Fr. Daniel Lowry, 323; Fr. John Bapst, 324·
I I 3, 208, 326
VARIA . . . . . . . . .
Colleges of the Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 339
Fructus Spirituales
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
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\\~ OCHJST'(1(' l(
LETTERS
•
A RECORD
0{ (Jul'reuf El'''"'·" and IJi.o;fol'i,•al .Note~ couuected wifl1
//I(• Collf'(}f'·" a 11rl "1lis~ions of flw Soc. of Jl•tms
in Xol'fh antl Soutll America.
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
JESUIT
ARCHIVES
University
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�WOODSTOCK LETTERS
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VOL. XVII, No.
1.
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR-1846.
Correspondence.
FR. REv TO FR. McELROY.
I
~
CaMARGO, August 16th, 1846.
Rr.•. dear Fat!ter in Cltrist,
P. C.
I had nearly determined to start this afternoon for Matamoras, to see you once more before marching to Monterey ;
but as some of the regiments that are here are soon to start
for Monterey, se,;eral Irish soldiers wish to go to confession
before entering the field; hence I thought it would be ad
11lt~joron Dei gloriam to stay here with them . . . You know,
by your own experience, that there is very little to do in
Matamoras, hence your absence will not be much felt there,
and the army will be large enough to keep us both busy.
Should you come here, I would go forward with the first
regiments that march, and you would accompany the main
army with General Taylorand his staff, and, very likely, be
in Monterey before the end of September. There. our presence may be very useful for the objeCt: of our mission, which
is to help our Catholic soldiers, and to endeavor to procure
peace and friendship between the two fighting nations.
However, I leave the whole matter to your prudent consideration.
I arrived here on Saturday, August the 8th, at 8 P. M.,
hence I was able to say Mass on the Sunday following, but
(3)
�4
CHAPLAINS FOR THE "lfEXICAN WAR.
privately, having had no occasion to announ:e my arrival to
the soldiers. As I found no tent for me Ill town, I could
not join General Taylor's staff in camp, but got a small room
in the house of the pastor cif this place, with whom I am
on friendly terms. . . ·I had a very large congregation at
Mass to-day. The church, which is built in the shape of a
cross, like St. John's at Frederick, is one hundred feet long
and is without pews or seats. It was crowded to excess
by our soldiers, regulars and volunteers. After Mass, I
preached on the Assumption of Our· Lady, and finished by
ten o'clock. I have chosen nine o'clock for my Mass, as
that hour will be most convenient for both parishioners and
soldiers so that neither party will interfere with the other. I
heard nearly a dozen confessiol}s, and, no doubt, I will hear
many more now that all know 1' am in town. . . The general and his officers are all kindness to me.
FR. McELRoY To FR. REY.
MATAMORAS, Aug. 18th, 1846.
Dear Father,
No letters since the last I sent you . . . I answered Fr
Provincial's letter. Here are the contents of my letter: ( 1.)
A wor~ about the w~r. (2,) An account of missionary labors;
confessions 22, baptism 1, extreme unctions 2 marriarre 1 .
that we have very few soldiers to attend church' on Sundays'.
~hat I feel ashamed to be here \Vith so little occupation . wer~
1t not_for the hosp~tal I would have no employment. (3.) That
I adv1sed your gomg to Comargo, and presumed that several
weeks would ela~se before the troops would march to 1\Ionterey; that I adv1sed you to remain there until receiving his
a?swer as. to what would be best for both of us to do as th~
s1ckd at th1s place, at Co margo and at Monterey are t~ be at
ten ed.
FR. REv To FR. McELROY.
CmtARGO, August 24th, 1846.
Reverend and dear Father i1l Clzrist
'
.
I receive d your letters 0 f th P. C.
.
. e lOth and of the I 8th of
August. I ho e
you do not wi~h ~~~~ve r~t~elved mine of the I 6th . . . If
will be necessary for you et~VI .. ;ne _to Monterey, I think it
be a hospital, a great man ~~~ this place, where there will
Y
' and a more or less numer-
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE "lfEXICAN Tf-AR.
!.
..
5
ous body of troops. The many steam-boats that go up and
down, will afford you an opportunity for your apostolic
excursions . . . Since my last, I have administered the sacrament of extreme unCtion to a Louisiana regular, and rereceived into the Church vVilliam Paul \Vatson of the Texan
volunteers, formerly a student of Georgetown College. . . I
hear daily from two to six confessions, and frequently visit
the camp hospitals near the town. The dust of the plaza
or square is so great, and the wind blows it in such a quantity into my little room or garret, that I determined to take
up my lodgings at headquarters. I shall, to-morrow, pitch
my tent in the general's camp. From there to the church,
the distance is about the same as from your house to the
big church at Matamoras. By-the-bye, if you determine to
remain there, could. you not do something towards the
building of that church? It would certainly be ad Dei
gloriam.
Two brigades have already left for Monterey; they are
marching on the northern side of the St. Juan River, and
will wait for the general and his staff seventy miles from
here. The third brigade will very likely march with us, or
a very little in advance of us. In the plaza we have two
companies of dragoons, under the command of Captain
Hardey; most of them, I think, are German or Irish. My
congregation yesterday, did not exceed two hundred, because the soldiers near the town had left and many others
were moving.
• McELROY TO FR. REY.
FR.
MATA~!ORAS,
Rev. dear Fat!tcr ill
Aug. zsth, 1846.
C!zrz~·t,
P. C.
Yours of the 16th came to hand yesterday. . . I received
a letter from Fr. Dzierozynski, dated Aug. 7th . . . The
scholastics are in vacation at vVhitemarsh, Bohemia and
Conewago ; the novices say a pair of beads every week for
our mission.
_
With respeCt to your going direCt to Monterey with the
troops, I must leave that, in a great measure, to your own
discretion, knowing as_ you do the circumstances which there
exist. I was of opinion that a considerable number of troops
would remain at Comargo. and with these, several sick persons, and that in th<Jt case vour services would be better
employed there than in ma~ching slowly with the army;
that later, when all would be settled at Monterey, you could
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
go up in two or three days. These are my i_deas ; still, as
I said, I leave you free to do whatever you thmk A.M.D.G.
From all that I know of the present state of the army, I
have concluded to remain here; I ·could not conscientiously
abandon my post under existing circumstances. There are
now two hundred and fifty in the hospital, and the number
is daily increasing. I have lately baptised three persons,
who have since died, and, I hope, happily; three or four
others are receiving instruCtion preparatory to being admitted into the Church; besides these there are the Catholic
soldiers who are, of-course, attended to. On last Sunday, I
had a larger number at church than on any former occasion.
This was in consequence of an order issued to those in command, by Col. Clarke, at my requ~st. I go to Fort Parades
once a week, to instruCt: the soldiers there in the catechism.
They are nearly one hundred i.n number, and nearly all
Catholics. I intended to hear their confessions. This work
and my daily visits to the hospital, give me at least some
occupation. Should the hospital be broken up or removed
elsewhere, then I might go to Monterey, not on horse-back
or with the army, as I cannot ride, buf by some other conveyance-waggon or vehicle.
You will be good enough to write me every two weeks
or thereabouts, that I may be in possession of your locality
and other particulars which it will be useful for me to know
Present my ~ind respeCts to General Taylor and the officer~
of my acquatntance.
FR. REv. To FR. McELROY.
Co MARGO, Sept. 2nd I s4 6
Reverend and dear Father ill Clu-ist,
.
'
·
P. C.
.
I recetved your favor of the zsth of A
.
uaus t yester d ay
fior w h tc h I am exceedingly crrateful
It t>seems t h at my'
'
· . .
.
I etters t a k e more ttme to go "'
down th .
h
to come up for I mailed
e nver t an yours do
on the I 6th' I h
' on th~ I 7th, ult., the letter written
days later. .
ope you recetved the letter written eight
I refleCted on what you wrote t
b
.
terey with the army or late
d o me a out gomg to Mencircumstances should
t~m ~nless ':ew and unforeseen
argo with General Ta I '
etermtned to leave ComThe reasons which ind~c~d ~;t S,aturda~, for Monterey.
the following· (I ) N t S d to .ake thts resolution are
. .
ex un ay th
'II
three regiments of volunteers h
ere Wt be only two or
ere, and these may soon be
occu:·
'
,,I
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE fliEXICAN WAR.
7
ordered to march to Monterey. (2.) All the sick whose disease is dangerous are sent down to Matamoras: those only
remain who will soon be able to follow the army. (3.) In a
few weeks there will be at Monterey, an army of 10,000
men, among whom the proportion of Catholics is very great,
and these men know me as chaplain of the army. (4.) In
case of resistance on the part of the Mexicans, my absence
from the army would look very bad, and would certainly
be blamed by our Rev. Fr. Superior. (5.) Travelling with the
general, I shall be furnished with means of transportation,
whereas, if I stay behind, I do not know how I could have
my baggage transported to Monterey. Should I stay here,
I do not see what I would have to do, unless they should
send up here all the regiments that are below at Burita,
which is hardly probable, as there is more chance for a
speedy peace now than before. Hence you will, no doubt,
approve of my resolution . . . I am glad you visit Fort Parades: the captain of the fort spoke to me about it, the day I
left Matamoras, but I forgot to mention the good work to
Your Reverence. I suppose that Fort Brown is pretty
much in the same ca"se; besides I was told that the mortality at Burita was rather great among the volunteers; so
occasion of saving souls will not be wanting to Your Reverence. I have some confessions to hear every day, and,
with the help of some of the Catholic officers, I may have
some converts, or, at least, sow the seed that may fructify
later.
William Paul vVatson, whom I received into the Church,
died three days ago, after having received all the sacraments
with much devotion.
I shall be exact in writing to Your Reverence; only make
some allowance for the irregularity of the mails, and for the
distance. They say that Col. Harvey took possession of
Monterey with his force of about one thousand men ; if this
be the case, your journey will be pleasant enough. Parades
has been taken prisoner by the Mexicans, and Santa Anna
has been named Commander-in-chief So we may hope to
be on our way to Washington in three months.
FR. McELROY To FR. REY.
MATAMORAS, Sept. 3rd, 1846.
Rev. dear Fatlzer in Cltrist,
P. C.
The number of sick, two days ago, was 460; since then
others have been added to this number. I have baptised
�8
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICA.Y WAR.
.
11 of whom have died, an d ' I t rus t ' happily · several
' '11 b
seven, a
.
.
Cl:ed at resent, and, I hope, WI
e
others ar~ bemg _mstruy
illpfind that the greater number
prepared m due ttme.
ou w
. ed baptism and if you
of the volunteers ~ave ~~r d~~c~~\hem, whed they are in
. approach them an specaan. ~~ what you please with them.
danger of dehath, yhou fi m different States. With such a
Such I find t em ere ro
.
f . 'f
b r here I could not, on any account, thmk o Vl_st m_g
nCum e
N' ea. rly my whole time, morning and evemng, IS
omarrro.
.
over
k en up WI'th visiting the s1ck who· are· now seatt ere d m at
b
ta
1 d .
the town. five physicians are at thts ttme emp ~ye
t din them. Should you have but twenty Sick, and I
er~suJe ou have many more, I do not see how you c~n
pb
a a ndon ihem, even if they be all Protestants. In all thts,
.
A.M.D.G. will be your gutde.
FR. REY TO FR. McELROY.
BETWEEN MARIN AND RA!I!AS,
, 25 miles from Monterey, Sept. 17th, 1846.
CAMP
Rev. and dear Father in Christ,
.
P. C.
We left Comargo on the sth of Sept. and arrived at Se:rabro on the 9th, at noon; there is a good church at tlus
town ; the inhabitants number 3,000. The advance of our
army, consisting of General Taylor and staff and the Ist
division under .General Twiggs, left Serrabro at day-break
on Sunday morning, I remained behind with my servant,
a Frenchman from the Ohio Volunteers: and a very pious
Catholic ; my negro boy has been discharged. I wished to
say Mass, as it was the feast of the Holy Name of Mary.
I heard six confessions and gave Communion to several,
among them being Lieut. Curd, with whom I took breakf.<st.
I joined Col. Whiting, with whom I travel, at I I A. 111. at our
camp, which is about ten or twelve miles from Serrabro.
On Monday we marched fifteen miles, and on Tuesday sixteen, and reached this place, where we halted to await the
arrival of the 2nd division under General \Vorth and the
3rd under General Butler. General Worth's divisi~n arrived
yesterday; General Butler is expected to-day with six regiments of volunteers. Our army here this eveninrr will
b
b
.
'
b>
?urn er a out s1x t housand men, artillery, dragoons, regular
mfantry and volunteers. To-morrow we shall advance about
fifteen miles, and, on Saturday fore~oon, we shall be near
Monterey. So far no blood has been shed ; our advance
�CH.-lf'L4LYS FOR THE ,1fFXIC4..Y WAR.
9
guard saw about zoo Mexicans near this place on last Monday; they retreated when they perceived our troops. I
sincerely hope we may enter the city peacefully, but I do
not know what will be the case. They have, at Monterey,
as we have learned here, about seven thousand men, regulars
and rancheros; hence, the forces of the two armies are
nearly equal. I shall write to Your Reverence by the next
mail, and inform you of whate\·er shall have happened. In
the meanwhile, I recommend to your prayers and holy sacrifices, Re\·. Father Superior,
Your most affeCtionate brother in Christ,
ANTHONY REY, s:].
FR. REY TO FR. McELROY.
CA~!P
I
I
't
I
1
I
'
'',.
NEAR MONTEREY, Sept. zsth, I846.
Re<'trt·nd and dear rat!ter Superior,
P. C.
According to my promise, I will give, in a few words, an
account of our proceedings here. 'vVe arrived on last Saturday at about I I .\. ~1.. within sight of Monterey. Some
cannon-balls, shot from twelve and eighteen-pounders, whistling over the heads of General Taylor and his staff, who
were at the head of the army, admonished them to go back,
seleCt a camp outside of the city, and look for means of
taking Monterey by force. Saturday afternoon and the following day were spent by our troops in reconnoitring the
city, the i\Iexicans firing at our men, but without effeCt. On
Monday, after break£'1st, the attack on the lower part of the
town was begun by the Ist and 3rd divisions of our army,
whilst the znd, under General 'North, advanced on the opposite side of the city, by the Saltillo road, and attacked the
heights and the forts that commanded and proteCted Monterey.
Our two divisions in the lower town, suffered a great deal
qn that day. Among the officers killed, were Colonel \Vatson of Baltimore, Major Barber and Captain Morris. Captain Williams of the engineers, with whom we travelled, .
died from his wounds on Tuesday; the other three \Vere
killed on the field. There were others killed, both captains
and lieutenants, but I do not know their names. General
Butler and Col. Mitchell of the volunteers, both received
flesh wounds in the legs. Major Leer commanding the 3rd
In£'1ntry, was shot through the head; the bullet entered his
mouth and passed out through his left ear. Lieut. Graham,
with whom we dined at Matamoras, was shot through both
�to
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
knees and throug-h the abdomen; the bladder is somewhat'
injured, hence his recovery is as yet. but doubtful. .. Several
other officers are wounded, but the1r names are unknown to
me. Our troops took one fort and two batteries in the lower
part of the town that morning, but thei~ loss, in killed and
wounded, was about 300. In the meantime, General Worth
took three batteries, all the heights that command Monterey,
·and a stony fort called the Bishop's Palace. On ·wednesday
evening, he opened such a tremendous fire on the town that
the Mexicans agreed to send a messenger to General Taylor,
offering to capitulate on honorable conditions. This was
on Thursday morning, Sept. 24th, the feast of Our Lady of
Mercy; no doubt she interceded with God in favor of both
nations; for, on that evening, the conditions of the capitulation were agreed upon, and .signed by both parties. The
conditions were: ( 1.) That the Mexicans should deliver up
to Gem;ral Taylor the town and the forts which they still possessed, with the cannon, the ammunition, and all the public
property. (z.) That the Mexican troops should be allowed
to go o~t of Monterey, with their small arms, six pieces of
field artillery, and fifteen days' provisions. (3.) That private,
property should be respected.-You see, dear Father that I
did right in accompanying our army, and that I will 'be not
less well engaged here than Your Reverence is at Mata~oras. I a?ointed a good Irish soldier on Tuesday; he
d1ed at I 1 o clock that evening.
'
FR. McELROY To FR. REY.
MATAMORAS, OB:,
3rd,
I846.
Rev. Father in Christ,
P.C.
.
yours from Serrabro on the I 7th and 11
r.rom M t
th
th h
b
.
'
on erey on
e. 2 5 , ave een received, with thanks for the brief but
satisfactory accounts of the army up to the
n·
d
I
ld h
respecuve ates
co~~~ reac~~~~sw;red sooner, but I presumed that no lette;
;~t:e~~r/~~~~~~ ~~=~~~~~~ ~~st~:~·
last is the only
t Ydour
perate attack on Monterey and its s
d
. a e eson his way to Washinaton co
ur~en er. Major Eaton,
quarter-master all the b articu mm~m~ated ver.bally. to the
1
more satisfactory. As ~et th ~' ~till what 1s ~vntten is
lieve that Monterey is in th e ~x!cans here will not beWe have been in a state of e lpossesswn of General Taylor.
the report of an attack to ba armd here f~r the last week -ct
e ma e on this town bv a larae
•
b
�•
CHAPLAINS FOR THE JlJEXICAl\' WAR.
II
number, they say I ,400, rancheros headed by the celebrated
Canales. Last night all the troops were under arms, and
the town put in the best state of defence our means afforded ;
but no attack was made on us.
I wish you to write, if you have not done so already, as
soon as you receive this, and give us full particulars of the
late battle; the number of killed and wounded on both sides,
etc. There are two soldiers' wives here who are, of course,
very anxious to hear of their husbands. Both of the men
belong to Captain Bragg's Co. of light artillery; their names
are Corporal Gowed and J. Riley; please inquire for them.
It would be well, I think, to obtain from the vicar capitular
at Monterey, faculties for all English speaking persons that
present themselves to us, with leave to marry them even
when one of the parties speaks English. Although the
pastor here authorised us to do this, I still have my doubts
as to his power to do so . . . The number of sick, in the
different hospitals, two weeks ago, was 860; at present it is
about 640. l\ly time during the day is devoted to visiting
these sick people, and especially those among them who are
in danger of death. I have, thank God, baptised a large
number of persons who are now, I hope, enjoying eternal
rest. \Ve have no information as to the prospeCts of peace.
On refleCl:ion, I thought it might be proper to address a
short note of congratulation to the general on his late victory. Please hand the enclosed to him with my respeCl:s.
FR. McELROY TO FI{. REv.
MATA~!ORAS,
Nov. 4th, 1846.
Reverend dear Fat!ter in Clu-Lrt,
P. C.
My congregation here is much reduced by the withdrawal
of two companies of regulars, who have gone to Monterey.
About So of the men in these companies were Catholics,
and were getting into very good trim ; almost all of them
had been to confession, several had received Holy Communion, and a large number of them had taken the temperance pledge. I have recommended them very particularly
to call on you. Both companies belong to the 1st Artillery
regiment; Capt. Nannean commands one of them, Lieut.
Haskins, the other. There is a Sergeant Heymes, a Frenchman, in the first company, and a Corporal vVilliams in the
second ; both are good Catholics; they will inform you of
the men who have not been to their duties, etc. The officers
�12
LETTFRS FROM A CHAPLAIN..
of both companies are extremely kind, and some of them
are well disposed. I have now but a small number, about
thirty, in Fort Brown. All the troops here now are volunteers, except one company at Fort Brown. The number of
sick is much reduced, only about 200 now; the deaths are
comparatively few. I have had a slight attack of fever since
last Friday; I am P.ow much better, thank God. I have not
said Mass since the feast of All Saints; I hope I shall have
the happiness of resuming the holy sacrifice to-morrow.
We know even less of war affairs here than you do. All is
in the hands of Providence. May God's holy will be accomplished, and may it bring some blessing on this distressed and abandoned country.
I have nothing of interest to communicate to you now.
All here is quiet; the people.a,re very kind to me as usual.
Amidst these and other consolations, we have great reason
for grief at the loss of so many immortal souls; nothing is
being done either for the young or for the old.
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF 1861.
(Fourtlz Letter.)
CAMP BROWN, SANTA RosA ISLAND, FLORIDA,
DEAR FATHER BERTHELET,
July 24th, 1861.
- P. C.
l have written to Rev. Fr. Tellier, since joi1lina- tlze soldiers
a ew very lo_ng letters, but as yet have received no answer :
I do not believe, however, that it was possible for him t '
answer before now As
h .
.
o
bad or fo
d fc. d" you were t e Immediate cause, for
. r goo , or tsgrace or for honor of
b ·
presen~ mcorporated with the army of the
"t nJ S emg ~t
ts but JUst, I think, that I should send
f nt e
tates,_ tt
tant post, a few lines acknowledcri rr you, ro~ my far dtsgiving you a resume of event . "' nl,., my obligations. In
.
I
t ry to avmd repeating what s smce t 1e R5th of Ju ne, I must
I
t
the mission The steam t<
wro c to ev. Fr. Superior of
here a week or two. ago br~~n~port, ~~tate of. Georgia, arrived
military stores, and det~chm:~~sg vtnous kmds of naval and
command. Two families· of B~ooofficers and t_nen for the
yours (Moynihan and Farrell) k" ~fn, acquamtances of
111
'
Y sent me, by this
U
�!.ETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
f
I
r
13
steamer, a box of extremely welcome articles. Never, I
think, was a gift more opportune and appropriate. I have
no hesitation in saying it saved my life and the lives of
others. Owing very probably to the wet, or heat, or want
of fresh meat, or inferior quality of water, or all combined,
men and officers were suffering from a virulent attack of
diarrhrea and dysentery, which the doCtors, with the remedies
at hand, were unable to check. \Vhen this box, containing
amongst other things, a supply of blackberry brandy, arrived,
I turned over this well known remedy to the doCt:ors, for
the relief of the sick. The doCtors, after setting aside some
for myself, about whose recO\·ery they were much alarmed,
thankfully accepted what they called a treasure, and administered it sparingly to the many sick, who soon began to
mend, and in a short time were able to report for duty. We
are _all well now. Have not I and the soldiers every reason
to thank these good friends ?
My parish is being amazingly increased down here.
Every transport that arrives, every new arrival among the·
men-of-war, lands on our island squads of regulars, who,
thus far, are all Irish Catholics. In addition to these, I have
to attend to the spiritual wants of the marines and sailors
of the fleet, of the sailors and hands of the transports, etc.
It would appear that I am to be the only priest to attend to
the army that is being organised here. The poor fellows of
the fleet and the regular army, who, on many occasions have
had to suffer for their £<ith, are delighted to have a priest
with them, and to be able to give him the salute which his
slzoulder-straps call for. 'When they see a Protestant sentry
give the salute, they become utterly beside themselves with
joy. The regulars, who, for very ob,·ious reasons, slight
the volunteers, feel hurt that the latter should lay all claim
to the priest. In this they arc unreasonable ; for every facility for attending to their souls is offered to the regulars,
and to sailors and marines belonging to the blockading fleet.
Very little pressure indeed, is required to induce them to
profit by the occasion, very rare for some of them, of receiving the sacraments. Many of them had not seen a Catholic
clergyman for 6 or 8 years or more ; and none of them had
seen one entitled to the rights and honors and emoluments
of a captain of cavalry, which I now enjoy. Those well
meaning men offer me what they consider very great inducements to leave the volunteers, and identi(v myself with the
regulars. They evidently know very little about the volunteer organisation. If the regulars were more numerous, I
might indeed have reason to apprehend trouble between
them and the volunteers. Humanly speaking, it would per-
�14
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAI"V.
haps be better for me to be attached to the regulars _than to
the volunteer force, though you mus~ not at all understand
me as regretting that my lot is c~st wtth ~h.e latter. . On the
contrary, I am highly pleased wtth the cttlzen soldters, and
from the continual kindness of officers and men, I must
conclude they are satisfied with me.
.
Owing to my ignorance _of ,~hat _woul? be reqmred. for
camp life, as well as of the dtreCtton 111 wh1ch we \~ere g~>1ng,
I omitted to bring with me even the most essential arttc~es.
I had not so much as a blanket with me. The cloak wluch
Father Sherlock had the thoughtful kindness to give me,
has been a good substitute; never, perhaps, has a gift been
better bestowed. Many a night, when exposed to the cold,
heavy dews and fogs on the, gulf beach, I offered a fervent
prayer for the good father, to \vhose kindness I was indebted
for such proteCtion. Major Newby and Lieut. d'Orville,
perceiving my destitute condition, and my inability to procure any articles of clothing here, have generously come to
my assistance, one giving me a good military blanket, the
other an India-rubber blanket. This was surely kind of
these gentlemen, one of whom is a Protestant, the other a
Frenchman, as he says, of no religion. Had I not been
under the impression that we were going to \Vashington or
Baltimore, where I could purchase what I should need, I
would have taken with me from New York, all I should
require. For the benefit of any h'lther that may have to
acco_mpany those regiments now said to be on the point of
commg here, as well as for the direCtion of Rev. Fr. Tellier,
in case he should intend to send me somethincr I wish you
would_ tell the Rev. Father, that wearing apparel~f any other
mate_nal ~han. blue flannel (navy flannel), is utterly insupportable m thts chmate for those living as we do. People speak
of the great heat of the South in the summer months. Remember th~t we are not only in the South, but also on a
bare! sandy tsland in the South; at least, such is the part of
the tsl~nd we occupy. -~here ts no refreshing drink here
but ram-water, whtch dtvme Providence is just now crivin<r
us most abundantly, or the soft brackish water discgvered
by the Zouaves. The rainy season, now in all its vigor, is
not as bad as we had been led to expeCt Th
·
·
1d d
"
·
ere 1s an oc~astona _ry ay, or part of a day, when the sun darts forth
~s ~ays wr~ unusu~l intensity. These sudden and violent
as es o. eat dunng the brief pause in the down-pour
cause raptd decay, 1 ts sat·d ' 0 f vegetable matter, and thus•
"t ·
sow th e see d o f yellow fever.
.
· ·
•
I have· received a c
''d ffc •
ommumcat1on from the New y or!·
=erat, , o enng me th
·t·
f
'e post ton ° War Correspondent from
=
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
15
this department. They promise me twenty dollars per letter,
whether they use the correspondence or not. I declined
the flattering and lucrative commission. Great quantities
of Protestant tracts, Protestant journals, etc., have already
begun to arrive for the men. For want of something else
to read, the boys spend their leisure time devouring these
low attacks on our faith; for that is all they contain. Mr.
Killian of the New York Tablet has written to me, offering
to send, for distribution among the soldiers, as many copies
of the Tablet as I wish, if I would consent to be the War
Correspondent of that journal. I accepted his offer and
conditions, and will write sous le 1tom de gucrre "Santa Rosa."
I doubt whether any one, soldier or missionary, has ever
had such hardships to endure as have fallen to our lot. 'vVe
have just entered upon a career with whose routine none of
us, officers or men, has had much, if any, acquaintance. We
are under a sky entirely new to most of us, said to be the
very hotbed of yellow fever and other pestilential diseases .
. Still, we are all satisfied and have many sources of merriment. The fare is naturally that of soldiers, coarse, but
wholesome and abundant. All this can be made to merit
an eternal reward, and with this motive in 'view, we cheerfully bear our hardships and privations.
Poor Lieutenant Slemmer,Ol and his band of heroes, are
standing monuments of the effect which this climate, united
with laborious duty and great privations, can produce on
the soundest constitutions. As I fear that not one of these
heroes (for I must call them such) will ever be able to go
north to relate their illustrious deeds, I think it due to them
that I should leave in some one's possession the accounts
which these poor fellows, now on their death-beds, have
given me, of their successful efforts, under most trying circumstances, to save for the United States, Pickens, a fort of
solid build and of vast proportions. Although this powerful
and extensive fortification is easily defended, and completely
commands the entrance to Pensacola Bay, it had never been
garrisoned, and consequently never armed before the breaking out of the present war. This is the statement of the
officers and men here at present. General appearances, too,
would indicate this to be the case ; for there .are no officers'
quarters here, which, I think, would not be the case, had
officers been stationed in the fort. A married soldier, a
sergeant, with his family, remained, however, to have a gen(I) Lieutenant Adam J. Slemmer, a young Pennsylvanian, was a man of
• spare figure and of medium height. lie looked more of a scholar than of a
soldier. He wore spectacles, and in his speech Jte was quiet and deliberate.
He was wonderfully sympathetic and attractive. He inspired all around him
with unbounded confidence.
.
�. 1.6
LETTERS FROJII A CHAPLA!N.
eral care of the place. The little squad, left as a garri~on for
Pensacola, occupied Forts McCrae and Barrancas, Situated
on the mainland side of the entran.ce to the . bay. The o~
jeaion to taking up their quarters m Fort P1ckens, a~~se, ~~
is said, from the fear of alligators, of enorm~us ~d \en om
ous snakes, and poisonous and troublesome msects, that arc
found in incredible numbers on Santa Rosa. Dread of the
yellow fever, said to be indigenous t~ the island, l~ad, no
doubt, its influence in keeping the sold1ers on the maml~nd.
When Florida declared itself separated from the Umon,
Lieut. Adam J. Slemmer and his few men (a part of a company)-the garrison <;>f Pensacola-found themselves on the
mainland in possesswn of Forts McCrae and Barrancas.
These the Southern authorities formally demanded the
commanding officer to surrender; but he formally and positively refused either to recognise their authority to make
such a demand or to admit their abilitv to enforce it. He
held his commission from the United' States go\'ernment,
which in these matters was the only authority he recognised;.
and he would be faithful to the oath which he had taken.
Inflamed by the prevailing sentiment of secession, and
incensed at the· refusal of the young commanding officer,
crowds or mobs came down from Pensacola, eight or ten
miles distant at the head of the bay, threatening to take the
place by force; but they received for answer, that a resistance little dreamed of would be offered. During the succeeding days, crowds of youths from Pensacola and the
surrounding country, collected about the forts, and, by their
violent demonstrations, began to give some uneasiness to
Lieut. Slemmer, who, as yet, had received no directions
from vVashington. vVhat was to be done? \Vith about
twenty men (the survivors assure me that their number did
not exceed twenty), the lieutenant in command could not
hold tw~ forts against this stormy mob, rapidly becoming
threatenmgly numerous. He therefore determined to abandon Fort McCrae during the night, and concentrate his little
force f<?r the defence of ~arra.ncas. Next morning, either
by the1r unexpected success m securino- one of the forts
c?mpletely armed, or irritated by the ~1ow unmistakable
stgns of the cool, determined defence which Slemmer intende~ m~king, the mob (there was no attempt at military
orgamsatwn), swelled to enormous proportions, threatened
to storm Barrancas, and even attempted to force in the sallyport. They were, however, promptlv driven off by a decided threat ' ori the par t o f th e 1'
' .
~
..
tttle rrarnson of opemncr on
t l With gr ape an d camster. As "'mrrht approached"' this
·
.
'
1'h em b
Itt e and of heroes discovered that, though they h;d an
�LJ:TTERS FROJf A CHAPJ.AIN.
abundant supply of ammunition, the few provisions belong·
ing to them were stored in Fort l\TcCrae, to which they
could now have no access. The case was urgent. A manof-war; well equipped with men and arms, was carelessly
lying at anchor a short distance from the fort, in front of
the navy yard. The army and navy are, as you are aware,
quite independent of each other in their organisations. The
authorities on board the lJroo/,:/_1'/t (that was the name of the
lordly vessel riding at anchor off the navy yard), appeared
to be as ignorant of the: go\·ernment's intention with regard
to the naval interests, as the land force was with regard to
those of the army. They could, however, lay claim to nothing like the latter's admirable pluck. Indeed the commander of the Rrook!_m, whose name I haYe forgotten, is openly
accused by the army and navy of ha\·ing betrayed the government. \Vith the means at his disposal, he could have
held the navy yard against any force that could, at that time,
be brought against him. An unarmed mob took possession
of Pensacola na\·y yard and its immense stores of every
kind, whilst this commander had a well equipped man-ofwar alongside the dock, and whilst all the employees of the
department then in the yard (amounting to hundreds), were
soliciting permission from him to take into their own hands
the defence of the place and the property stored in it, declaring that e\·en without his assistance they could hold it. The
needed autlwrisation was withheld; the yard with its invaluable contents was given up without a shot; and the poor
employees, who manifested such attachment to the old flag,
were, it is said, inhumanly treated by the triumphant mob.
But to return to Mr. Slemmer. Situated as he was, he saw
no other resource than, under cover of night, to retreat
across the channel forming the entrance to the bay, to Santa
Rosa Island, to occupy Fort Pickens and make desperate
efforts to hold it till the government could reinforce him or
order him to abandon everything. Here, however, a new
and apparently insurmountable difficulty presented itself to
our young but resolute lieutenant. He had no boats, nor
could he discover any means of procuring them; but Prov.idence came to his relief in a manner least expeCted. The
government employees of the navy yard, seeing themselves
deserted by the Hroo/.:!)•;1, the representative of the navy,
and ignorant of the straits to which the little garrison was
reduced, sent to Mr. Slemmer a trusty man, Mr. O'Reilly,
who should devise with him some plan of yet saving the
United States' property so ruthlessly invaded. The lieutenant explained to the messenger his forlorn position, that
VoL. xvu, No.
I.
z
�· LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
he could do nothing without the co-oper~tion _of the ~an
of-war; that he had resolved to ret~eat d~nng mght t~ Ptckens, and asked this friend to furntsh htmself and ht~ men
with boats. The task was difficult, for the mo~ conttnued
to threaten the fort. Still, in the name of the fnen~s of th_e
old flag, the messenger promised to ha:'~ the boats 111 readiness with some provisions, on the condttlon t~at, a~ soon as
reinforced, he would return to Barrancas. \Vtth sktlful prudence and caution, the boats were rowed out on the bay
whence they could easily be worked into the channel, on
whose shore Barrancas is erected. \Vith anxious hearts and
minds the faithful garrison beheld the approach of night.
Is there a traitor amongst their devoted friends ? Do the
enemies surrounding the fort 0:1 the land side, suspeCt their
design? Will the now detested Brooklyn sink them? These
are questions repeatedly proposed. Each man taking with
him from the fort whatever he could carry, the little band of
heroes silently leave the frowning walls, step lightly to the
water's edge at the time designated, and find means of transportation all prepared. The lieutenant and his men, with
one exception (Sam Jones, who was left behind by some
accident), were in Fort Pickens before morning.
Other disappointments, however, and greater hardships
awaited these noble soldiers. Thev now found thenrselves
it is true, in a strongly built, ext~nsive fort, but unarmed
and without provisions. Not a gun mounted; not an ounce
of ammunition; not a particle of food within those fortifications! They would not, however, let the thou<Tht of surrendering be entertained for a single instant A%ain Providence declared in their favor. The friends of th~ Union in
and abo~~ Pensaco!~, sent them an abundance and variety
of provtstons: Thetr old companions in anns, who had
restgned thetr commissions and joined the Confederate
fo~ces, and who were then in command in Pensacola and its
netghborhood (Major Chase, Lieut. Slaughter, etc.), began
~o rel_ent, a~d show that they held in high esteem the fideltty wtth ~vhtch this little band kept the oath they had taken
on enten~g the army. They no longer wished to deal
harsh!~ wtth them; but they insisted on the surrender of
Fo~t Ptckens. Seeing these brave men, rather than betray·
thetr country, take ~efuge on an island deemed uninhabitable
for reasons stat~d 111 a former letter, Major Chase thought
he could· aet h"
lemently towards them · An1b 1
·t,·ous , 1
f
·
1owever
o recetvmg ts sword from such an offic er as Sl emmer, h e'
· d ·
.
per~tste
~-ma~dmg the lieutenant's unconditional surre~ er.
n t ts ?ts conduct seemed a little contradictor
Wtthout preventmg the Irishmen of \Varrenton and WoJ~
t
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN
sey (the employees of the navy _yard) from bringing their
usual supply of provisions to this, I might say, outcast but
not disheartened band, Major Chase formally, by flag of
truce, demanded the surrender of Fort Pickens and its garrison; and he intimated that, in case of refusal, he would
immediately proceed to employ the force at his disposal, now
considerably increased, to compel the. commanding officer
to yield to his demand.
Any attempt at defence was out of the question. The
men_had not even their muskets. The Brooklyn gave up
her position in the bay, moved outside the forts, and took
her stand in the gulf, south of Santa Rosa. Hoping for
speedy assistance, or at least for direCtions, Slemmer, in order to gain time, resolved to have recourse to a little ruse.
There was not a single sea-going vessel in the harbor of
Pensacola. This faCt was destined to save him. After having
undergone so many and such great hardships, the highspirited lieutenant consented to surrender his men, himself
and his sword, provided !tL~ conditions would be accepted.
He hoped that the influence of his former companions in
arms, some of whom had been his superiors in command,
and who were now arrayed under the Confederate flag, would
be sufficiently powerful to secure the consent of the Southern authorities to his proposition. He therefore required as
his only condition, "that he and his men should be sent, in
a vessel capable of comfortably conveying them, to the
nearest post occupied by the United States' troops; that, in
case such a vessel could not be furnished by the Southern
authorities, he and his men be allowed to remain in unmolested possession of Fort Pickens and Santa Rosa Island till
such time as a vessel could come for them from the North."
Answer came back that the man-of-war Brooklyn, now lying
out in the gulf, could take them to the desired station. To
this the intrepid Slemmer replied that it must be evident to
them, that the captain of the Brooklyn and himself are of
very different opinions with regard to their duties in the
present crisis. Moreover, the army and navy are independent of each other. He would not ask any favors of the
commander of the Brookl.J'Il; and he had no authority to
order him what to do. These reasons were deemed satisfactory; and as the South had no vessel to transport the little
command, the second part of his condition was accepted.
Profiting by the breathing time now assured to them,
Slemmer and his men began to look about them for means
of putting themselves and the fort in some shape of defence.·
After a little searching, they found in that part of the fort
called t!te parade, a few dismounted 32-pounders. But what
�2o
LETTERS PROM A CHAPLAIN.
were these without carriages, without ammuni~ion, '~ithout
the means of putting the~ in position? .Seem~ l11S I?en
manifesting signs of discouragement, ~he mdoi_TI~table lteutenant said: "Boys, if we had everythm~ requiSite. for the
defence of the fort, there would be very ltttle I:onor.m hol~
ing it. If a corps of enginee:s and mechamcs w1th the1r
varied instruments and machmery were here, they could
readily get these pieces into position, but _it would be very
little credit to them. To hold the fort w1thout any means
of defence, to put these 32-p~mnde:s into position without
the aid of mechanics or machmery, 1s an honor reserved for
us." With renewed zeal, and hoping for aid from the old
employees of the navy yard, the faithful soldiers worked day
and night to make Pickens dei.~nsible.
Informed of the straits to .. which this little band was
reduced, the sailors and marines of the Brooklyn fiercely demanded to be permitted to aid them to the fullest extent of
their means. To avoid a mutiny, in which all but the captain would be the mutineers, a number of sailors and marines were allowed to Iand on the island, under cover of
darkness, and communicate with the little garrison. After
a very fatiguing row, and after having met with considerable
danger, the friendly boat safely passed through the ceaseless
breakers, and reached the shore, but found no guard either
friend or enemy. Hastening to the fort, the big-hearted
men of the Brooklyn found that untiring band endeavoring
at that hour of the night to put Pickens in a state of defence.
Slemmer and his men, not expeCting any aid from the manof-war, supposed that the new-comers were enemies and
that, of course, his plans were discovered. In a short' time
~he strangers made themselves and the objeCt: of their commg, known to the astonished garrison, whose worn-out appearance and forlorn condition moved to tears the generous
c.rew of the man.-of-war. The visit greatly encouraged the
lieutenant and Ius men. They, too, shed tears of gratitude;
they beheld, at that late hour of night, the first ray of hope.
Inflamed by sympathy for the staunch little band the manof-war's men said to Mr. Slemmer: "Sir, cost what it may
we have resolve~ not to return to the vessel : we are going
to ca~ o~r lot w1th you and your men."
·
. Thankm~ them heartily for their generous sympathy, the
, lieutenant. mform~d them in tone and words that indicated
the ~eep 1mpress10n this disinterested offer had produced
o.n. his heart of hearts, that he could not accept their pro o~tiOn, and persuaded them to return to their ship. Mornhla
awned, but .no trace of the visitors was visible. The lieu":.
tenant and h1s men spent th e d ay (as t h ey spent every day),
�/,ETTERS FROJ! A CHAPLAhY.
2!
strolling along the beach, receiving the visitors who, out of
curiosity, landed frequently on the island. The men exaggerated the dangers of the place, the number and size of the
venomous reptiles in and around the fort ; and thus deterred
the visitors from going near enough to discover the works
which they kept from the knowledge of even those friends
who brought them provisions. As night closed in, these
inde£1.tigable men resumed their laborious occupation. How
often they interrupted their work to say a kind word about
last night's visitors! But what is all this? More visitors?
Yes, truly; more friends from the Brooklyn. "We have,
sir, come again, and this time not empty-handed. vVe are
in greater numbers than last night; we have brought some
provisions, and a few brass howitzers with a quantity of ammunition. \Ve are to stay ashore till these pieces are placed
in position." Such were the consoling words of the welcome
strangers. After a little repast, all immediately set to work,
with the appliances at hand, to mount the guns. Night
passed _off quietly; the rising sun found our men again idle,
but Pickens beginning to assume a warlike appearance, and
all entirely unsuspected by the other side. For some nights
the arming of the fort by the aid of the Brooklyn's men, was
rapidly being completed. During the day, the jaded soldiers
moved along the beach, as if anxiously looking for some
vessel to take them away from the dangerous island.
Finally, a steamer flying the United States' flag hove in
sight. In due time it came to anchor, and sent a boat ashore
with the glad tidings to the garrison that reinforcements
were on their way to Pickens, and with the positive command to surrender nothing to the enemy. No sooner did
the representatives of the Southern authorities notice the
arrival of the new .steamer, than they sent, under flag of
truce, an express order for Slemmer and his men to immediately evacuate the island. The indomitable commander
of Fort Pickens was now a new man. He boldly pointed
out to the messengers the recently mounted guns; he assured them that the steamer just arrived had brought him
reinforcements, and that· far from believing himself unable
to hold the fort, he would make in the course of the day a
formal demand for the surrender into his possession of the
two forts he had been obliged to abandon ; and, in case of
refusal, that he would instantly commence offensive operations for the recovery of the lost property. He then ordered
them to leave the island, and, unless to announce a compliance with his demands, under no pretext to.return. The
surprise of the messengers was beyond description. Fearing
an attack immediately, the now elated lieutenant armed his
�22
LETTERSFROllf A CHAPLAIN.
brave companions and some sailors and marines still with
him and posted all of them as sentinels along the beach
nea; the fort. In the afternoon another boat put off from
the opposite shore, and made direaly for the beach west of
the fort. The sentries halted the party, and ~sked wh;ther
they were bearers of the information ~h.at the l!eut.enant s demands were complied with. On rece1v1~g a n~gatlve ans.wer,
the sentries ordered them back, and, dtsclosmg a howitzer
which they had dragged to the water's edge, said: ',',If you
again return we shall blow you out of the water.
The
'gauntlet was openly thrown down. Wil~ it b~ picked up?
It is a critical moment. Without the commg remforcements,
the garrison is unable to re.oist su~cessfully the force ~he
South can send against thep. With some appreh~nswn
they beheld the approach of night, and as yet, no sign of
the promised help. Fearing a night attack, Slemmer ordered
a cessation of work within the fort, and that every man
mount guard along the beach. "Oh, what a night we passed
on that beach !" said one of the dying narrators to me, "We
had eaten nothing the day before; the usual supply from
our friends on the other side, had, from some cause, been
stopped. We could not hold out another night. Every
ripple on the water appeared to be a boat-load of invaders.
Never did worn-out, hungry, sleepy, half-discouraged sentries desire the return of day more ardently than we did."
Day at last dawned; but what a day for the heroic gar~
rison! There, lying at anchor, as near the island as her
draught. wo~ld al~ow, was the expeaeci troop-ship Atlantic
or Baltzc, With remforcements on board and with banners
proudly floating on the breeze. A few m~n-of-war also hove
in s~ght. I cannot, of course, attempt a description of the
feelmgs .of these t:ue soldiers when they beheld, at early
dawn, fnends commg to their rescue, and at the darkest
moment of what might be called their imprisonment. The
troops on board, I am told, comprised a part of Co. E, 8th
U ..s. Infantry, and a part ?f Captain Barry's battery of light
artl~lery-some of the fa1~hful. soldiers deserted by Gen.
Twiggs. These poor sold1ers, 111 order to save their honor
and the.sanaity of .their oaths, had to travel unarmed from
some dts~ant post 111 the ~n_terior to the gulf, which they
reached Ill a helpless condition; and now, though unfit for
t~e severe work before them, they are sent to reinforce
pt\enbs. T hey were all Irish Catholics, with the exception
o t e ug 1
ers, who were German Catholics.
Mr. Sl~mmer proposed, with the forces now on hand to
recover mstantly the lost ground · H"1s counse, h owever,
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1 not prevail.
The Southerners profited by the time a!-
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�LETTERS FRO.lf A CHAPLAIX.
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lowed them to render Pensacola almost impregnable. They
found, in the navy yard, an immense supply of cannons and
ammunition, which they mounted along the shore; thus
making a series of sand batteries from the navy yard to Fort
McCrae. There seems to have been a very deplorable diversity of views between the land and naval forces with regard to Pensacola. Unable to come to an understanding
with the fleet, Slemmer demanded that the men intended
for him be landed immediately. But an apparently insurmountable difficulty in landing the troops, seemed about to
deprive Slemmer of the aid so near at hand. The transport had not suitable boats, and the men-of-war had no orders to use their boats for conveying the soldiers to the
island. Hearing of the straits to which the garrison was
reduced, Co. E, 8th U. S. Infantry volunteered to swim
ashore, if the captain could bring his vessel a little closer.
Equally eager with these forsaken and foot-sore soldiers. to
bring immediate aid to the suffering band, the captain of the
steamer did all it was possible for him to do to facilitate the
landing. The very night after the arrival of the transport,
by means of small boats, rafts, etc., without any aid from the
men-of-war, the new troops were landed, and Slemmer was
reinforced. Never was a more hearty welcome given or received than that which was given by the garrison to the
newly arrived. The following morning, the rising sun beheld the stars and stripes floating from Fort Pickens'
· flag-staff, and the enemy unequivocally on the defensive.
Pickens certainly assumed an aggressive attitude.
As 'soon as the danger, to avert which Slemmer's heroes
had employed almost superhuman exertions and endured
almo,;t incredible hardships, was past, a terrible reaction
took hold of the frames of these wonderful soldiers. The
devoted men began rapidly to fail. In a short time they
were confined to what was called the hospital, where neither
physician nor medical stores were to be found. The work
of continuing the improvement of Pickens now devolved on
the new-comers; who, as stated above, having escaped by
a series of heroic deeds from Texas, were themselves more
fit to be the inmates of the hospital, than to be applied to the
excessively severe work before them. A new spirit, however, had taken hold of the navy; or at least that part of it
at anchor off Fort Pickens. ·with proper authority, the
marines offer to the fort their services, which are gratefully
accepted. A marine battery is sent ashore, and erected and
manned, by men and officers from the fleet.
Another transport arrived with an additional little portion
of Twiggs' soldiers; they are a part of a company of the
�!,ETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
2 nd Regiment, U. S. Heavy Artillery.. \~ord reached the
authorities of the fort, that all of TW!g~s forces that had
been able to escape were ordered to .Ptckens. Th: n:ws
that such tried old soldiers were commg, put new ltfe mto
every one. Alas ! they were but few, and more or less disabled. Later orders direCted these faithful troops to change
their destination, and go to Forts Jefferson and Taylor (Dry
Tortugas and Key West).
Pickens was now considered to be in a state to defy any
force; still, heavy artillery continued to arrive and to be put
in position in the fort and in batteries along the beach. Mr.
Slemmer's exertions, anxieties and privations had nearly
disabled him'; he was an invalid. Seeing the fort safe, he
asked to be relieved from c Jmmand. The government
granted his request, and appointed Col. Harvey Brown, one
of those escaped from Twiggs' meshes, to succeed him.
- This officer is still in command, and the camp from which
I am sending this letter, is, in his honor, called ''Camp
Brown." He is of a very kind, religious disposition (Methodist), but a striCt, uncompromising disciplinarian. To a
man like him, grown old in the regular army, the ways of
volunteers must be a continual annoyance. As yet, I have
had very little intercourse with the brave and faithful commander. He has with him Lieut. Col. Brooks, who is a
c.at~oli.c, ~nd who tells ~e t?at he was educated in a petit
semznazre 111 Canada. He ts htghly esteemed by the soldiers;
regulars and volunteers.
Such, d~ar Father, is th: history (rather long and tedio~s y<_>u wtll say, but, I thmk, very desirable foi· the future
l~tstonan of the war) of Lieut. Slemmer, U. S. A. and his
httle· band of heroes, as related to me by themselves.<'> His
men are all Catholics. On reaching here on the 24th of
June, w: found the r;maining men of these parts of four
compames (Slemmer s few men, a part of a liaht artillery
battery-Capt. ~arry's, a part of a battery of he~vy artillery
-2nd U.S. Artillery, and a part of Co. E, 8th U.S. Infantry),
the strongest of whom must be classed as invalids, holding
Ct> I regret to have to sav tl t I
t ·
and other particulars of tlie' '~
can no gtve the dates, names of persons
with the retreat from Forts ;tcous m~v7,ments, trans~ctions, etc., connected
Pickens. I jotted these oi~t~ J~! a~ >arr~neas,. and the holding of :Fort
hand when occasion wonEl require n
mJ. dmrr, mtending to have them at
down in this diary, the len th of th le , wry ws .be~n lost. f also noted
names of towns and villa"e~
d e day 8 :man•h, tnrtdents of the march
acked, ~ncidents of the h~ltiJ'a~: nl•~~;'~s of plac~s wh~re ~he army bi~ou:
"the variOus special orders issu~d on th • .md ~f ~he .startmg In the morntng,
crossing of rivers dates of those . . e mare , me> dents connected with the
and skirmisl~es, etc. The loss of tht~j'[~~l eve~~ts, m~na:'uvring ~efor? battles
ble: Col. 1.hchael Cassidv, the on! o e treasure IS now,~ thmk, lrrepara·
wh1!st prosecuting his researches sidd n~ who conlrl repmr the loss, was,
havmg time to inform us what or'wh en Y rhemoved from this life, without
ere arc t e result of his inquiries.
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�I-ETTERS FROJJI A CHAPLAIN.
Fort Pickens. The other troops ordered here from Texas,
were direCl:ed to Fort Jefferson (Dry Tortugas), against
which Major Chase, after his failure to secure for the South
Fort Pickens, made a quixotic attack ; but he was shamefully driven off by a few workmen. \Ve are, however,
much stronger now in regular soldiers. The increase of
the regular forces is made, by decreasing, for the present,
the number of our own regiment. Two companies, Band E,
of the Zouaves, have been sent to Fort Jefferson to garrison
that place, instead of the regulars who were there,and who are
now with us on Santa Rosa. They belong to the 2nd U. S.
Heavy Artillery. Company A of the Zouaves is ordered
to Fort Taylor (Key \Vest), to relieve the heavy artillerists
garrisoning that stronghold, who are ordered to Pickens.
Two companies, G and I, of the Zouaves, are ordered into
Fort Pickens where they are being drilled as heavy artillerists. Evidently they are stocking Pickens for a heavy
bombardment. As in the days of Slemmer, so in ours,
there is constant, but not unreasonable work going on, ereCting batteries and mounting guns, inside the fort and along
the shores of the island.
You must not think that my labor is now less, because
my regiment is diminished. The regulars who have thus
far arrived, arc all Irish Catholics. These men are, I find,
all well instruCl:cd in their religion; many of them have
received what might be called a good common-school education. The majority of those here are tradesmen. You
see that, though so far away, I am in the midst of my own.
Yet it is a painful circumstance in my daily life, to be so far
removed from my dear brothers, and to ha,·e no prospeCt:
of seeing a priest. \Vere it not for this, I should be very
happy with the soldiers.
Ensign Cox (a son, I am told, of the minister of that
name in Brooklyn) applied to me for instruCl:ion in the
Catholic £'lith. I was suffering at the time from the effeCl:s
of the heat, and salt food, and in general from the new kind
oflife I am living; so I did not feel able to complete the work.
I requested him after a few inteJ'\'iews to postpone the af£'lir
till I should feel a little better. That very day, he was ordered on board a steamer leaving here for Fort Jefferson.
Mr. Cox sent me word from the transport that the command
was so urgent that it was not possible for him to see me
before leaving, and that he would continue to prepare himself as well as he could. The commandant of the department of Florida tells me that Mr. Cox, for some reason, has
sent in his resignation, and that he recommended its acceptance.
�- r-- r=
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LETTERS FROllf A CHAPL-IIX.
I do not know how or when I shall be able to see a priest
here. The regulars tell me that there is one (Rev. l\Ir.
Coyle) stationed in Pensacola. But how and when am I to
get there? A battle must answer this question. The post
adjutant told me a few days ago, that judging from the great
reinforcements arriving for the enemy from some quarters
(known by the increased n_umber of camp-fires, tet~ts, etc.
visible from Pickens), those m command conclude that General Bragg is about to make a strenuous attack on us_. and,
if possible, drive us into the gulf, or capture us, fort, tsland
and all. An event of this kind might, indeed, give me an opportunity, rather disagreeable, of visiting Father C<:>yle. But
Gen. Bragg will not succeed. He has allowed hts gold:n
opportunity to escape. A m~mth or two ago, he co~ld easily
have accomplished what is now, I think, beyond lus power.
\Vhere six weeks ago, the waves of the bay and gulf dashed
their spray over the glittering sands as freely as they did
when the gallant Spanish navigators first sailed their proud
vessels over these waters, have now sprung up invulnerable
sand batteries stacked with defying columbiads, frowning
James rifles and terrifying rifled parrots of immense calibre.
Every day beholds us strengthening old batteries or erecting
new ones. We can plainly see Gen. Bragg's men similarly
engaged. Old Col. Brown says: "Never since the invention
of powder, have such powerful instruments of destruction
been pitted against each other." There is then very little
hope! you will tell me, of my speedy visit to this clergyman,
so htghly spoken of by the soldiers who know him. Col.
Brown told me the other day, that he feels confident he
coul_d now recapture the ground given up by Lieut. Slemmer,
but It would be_ at the ~acrifice_ of the United States' property
on the other stde, whtch he 1s very anxious to save. This
property consists of two forts in excellent condition and
well armed! t~e navy yard possessing immense supplies of
every descnptwn, and many buildinas erected b\' the <TO\'"'
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~rnmen t at great cost. T hese are too valuable to be destroyed
111 order _to possess them. There are more cannon, shell
• and shot 111 Pensaco!a navy yard than would be required to
?efend all the ports 111 the hands of the Southerners. There
Is there, too, sufficient material to start an efficient navy.
Bragg has added to the defences left him by Slemmer. He
has erected a range of batteries from the navy yard thrOtwh
~? ~h~ gul( Some of those batteries (those between tl1e
~~t~- t ofiuse a~d F~_t McCrae) are ~ot more than half a n1ile
d .~ bro~ ort lckens. The ra111y season is in full force
~n 1 enhe ts us. The frequent and severe wettinas we aet'
o us no arm. The sudden change from a bri~ht w~rrr:
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�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN
27
sun to a terrific down-pour, in which at times we are all
caught, furnishes us with amusement for that day.
Hearing that I was ailing, and aware that no convenience
for sick people existed on the island, Capt. Lefevre of the
Vanderbilt sent his boat ashore to take me out to his vessel
at least on a visit. Though my ailment had already disappeared, I applied for and obtained the necessary permission
to accept the invitation so kindly extended. The breakers
were very threatening and the rain was heavy; still the
hardy sailors told me not to fear, though the officers advised
me to postpone my trip. Human respeCt gave me courage.
I was really ashamed to say that after coming down to the
water's edge, I was obliged to return to camp through fear
of the dangers attending the long row of two miles out to
the transport. Off we started; but in a little while the wind,
becoming stronger, made the waves truly fearful. As we
receded from the shore, we found the billows now alarmingly
high, broken, and making what the sailors termed a chopped
sea. Our progress became slow, if there was any. Night
was setting in, and our situation began to be critical. The
patient sailors, however, pulled their oars as steadily as if
there was no cause for alarm. As the waves dashed over
us, these poor fellows would say: "Hold on, Father, we
shall reach the ship all right." The fleet, fortunately for us,
saw our dangerous condition, and sent a boat to our assistance. 'vVe reached the Vanderbilt at dusk, thoroughly
drenched, but safe. The captain and Mr. McHenry received
us with great joy. "Father, the reception of the prodigal
son is awaiting you," said Captain Lefevre. The man-ofwar's men were invited on board, and given quite a jolly
time in the saloon of the stately Vanderbilt. Of course
there could be no question of my returning to Santa Rosa
that night. After a grand supper, something very new to
me, the captain and officers of the transport asked for the
news of the island, our way of living, how the boys liked
soldiering, etc. etc. I went to the quarters of the men whose
confessions I heard. In due time I retired and enjoyed a
night's repose on a real bed. The roaring of wind and
waves did not trouble me on board the Vanderbilt. Morning
came, quiet and serene, after the little storm. The captain
insisted on my remaining on board till the steamer should
be ready to start for New York. This, of course, I could
not agree to. Thinking my constitution unable to withstand
the climate, food, etc., the kind-hearted captain advised me
to resign, and offered me a free passage home. This, too, I
was in conscience and honor obliged to decline. Nevertheless, the big-hearted mariner's kindness is not the less to be
�LETTERS FRO/If A CHA!'L4IY
appreciated. Thanking the gene~·ous officers of the tra~s
port for their sympathetic good-will, I ~xpressed the desire
of returning to my boys. In a few mmutes tl~e boat and
crew were in readiness; some officers of the ship proposed
to accompany me, and to call on board th~ man-of-war wh?se
commander had sent us such timely assistance the evemng
before. Of course everything was in order. Having climbed
up the side of the noble defender_ofUncle Sam's property and
children, we expressed our gratitude to all on b?ard for the
interest they manifested for our safety. After a little refreshment had been offered and accepted, the commander of the
man-of-war told the Va1tderbilt's people that he would take
charcre of "bringing the father home." The transport's boat
and ~rew returned, and I spent that afternoon and night enjoying the hospitality of the gentlemanly officers of the
man-of-war. I heard the confessions of those who wished
to profit by my presence. The officers gave me e\·ery facility.
To relieve me from all anxiety, they signalled to the fort for
a prolongation of my leave of absence, which was readily
granted. Next day I had the honor of being rowed over
the troubled gulf by a crew of U. S. sailors, splendid specimens of manly forms. Their scientific strokes, and the little
pennant conspiCuously floating from the flag-staff, attraCted
the attention of volunteers and regulars, who came clown to
the beach to meet the strangers or hear the news. As we
approached the beginning of the surf, we were recognised
by the boys who gave us a "three times three" with a New
York "tiger.'' The boatswain steadied his boat for a moment
at the first breakers, and watched for the arrival of an incoming wave whose force would be sufficient to take us
thr_ough the sur( As the roller appeared and was about to
stnke the stern of our brave little boat, the steersman said :
"Now boys, bring the father in dry on the crest of this wa\·e."
The oars struck the water at the precise instant the wave
struck the boat, and in we shot through the breakers within
a few feet of dry land. The boys took me ashore, and some
officers of the man-of-war came to take a look at the volunteers and at the progress made in the defences of the island.
I was glad to be back in camp.
It will ye! take some months to finish the unloading of
the Vander~zlt. The captain says he expeCts to brina another
cargo. to Pickens, and courteously offers to take ~harrrc of
anythmg . be sent t o me. 1 am very much alarmed about
to
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altar-breads · I have b u t ·r 1efit an d these arc old Send
1ew
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me If yo
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Us~all. Iu P ~se, a Itt e supply as soon as at all possible.
p~ssibflitys~f 0 fr~ onlh ohn Sunda>:s. There, is scarcely any
enng t e oly sacnfice on week-days. The
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�FATHER JJA.l!F.'I"S I:OLJJEN]URILEE.
:19
en(ants de c/urur are venerable Col. Brooks, who takes a
pride in showing his superiority in this holy funCl:ion, Frederick Goggins, one of St. John's College, Fordham boys,
little drumn_1er boys, old regulars of the dragoons, who like
to serve in full uniform, and two little lifers of St. Francis
Xavier's College.
Recommending myself and the soldiers to your fervent
prayers,
I remain yours truly in Christ,
MICHAEL NAsH, S. J.
FATHER D.AMEN'S GOLDEN JUBIL~E.
The golden jubilee or fiftieth anniversary of Rev. Arnold
Damen's religious life was celebrated in Chicago on the 20th
and 21st days of November last; t\VO days being devoted
to the happy occasion because of the two parishes of.which
Father Damen w~s the founder. On Sunday, Nov. 2oth the
celebration took place in the Holy Family parish, which
· Fr. Damen enriched with the best years of his life. The
church at the last Mass was crowded with parishioners and
old friends who came to do honor to their old and faithful
pastor. The following account of the jubilee celebration is
taken from one of the city papers:"The services at the church yesterday morning were
peculiarly impressive: the significance of the occasion;
the \'ast throng of hushed and reverent worshippers,
the gorgeous religious pageantry, and the admirable music,
all combining to make the scene one long to be remembered. Nearly three thousand people were crowded on
the floors and in the galleries of the great church, a number
of old women crouching on the floor near the altar in piteous
abjeCtness. The great altars were lighted up by hundreds
of candles, and high above the central altar flamed, in great
ktters of fire, the names of the holy family, MARIA-JESUS
-JOSEPH, surmounted by a glowing cross and crown.
Soon the organ swelled into a march, and a gorgeous procession swept up the middle aisle. Preceded by long lines of
acolytes wearing the cassock, surplice, and beretta, came the
priests clad in vestments heavy with gold and embroidery,
Father Damen walking among them ; and after them, under
a silken canopy, carried by four ushers, came Archbishop
Feehan, wearing the mitre, preceded by the double cross,
and surrounded by attendants. He was escorted to his seat
�JO
FATHER DAMEN'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
.
in the sanauary, and the solemn high Mass began. Father
Damen, a well-kept, kindly-faced old man, 7_3 years old,
officiated as celebrant, assisted by Father Tsch1eder, as deacon, and Father Lalumiere, as subdeacon, Father Kelly, assistant priest, Frs. Schulak and Van Hulst deacons ~f honor,
and Father Nussbaum aaed as master of cerem_omes. Fr.
Damen intoned the Mass with a full, resonant vo1ce, a'!d the
services were made doubly impressive by the mus1c, the
choral and orchestral effeas being admirably handled. Surpliced acolytes swung silver censers before the altar, sending
up clouds of aromatic incense, which floated above the altar
and hung like a halo about the lights. The Mass was performed with all the elaborate ceremonies of the Church, the
archbishop takinrr some part, and it occupied three hours.
The sermon was ~reached by-the Rev. Thomas Fitzgerald,
of Marquette College, Milwaukee, who 'is regarded as one
of the. foremost orators of the Church. A pulpit, covered
with a sounding-board, was pushed to the head of the center
aisle, from which he spoke. He took his text from the
thirty-ninth and fortieth chapters of Ecclesiastes. It referred
eulogistically to a priest who had built up and strengthened
the Church of God, and with that as a text, he said:'The application of these passages to the present occasion,
one among us, I know, will question. And, indeed, against my
application of them, I. venture the conviction that he is protesting even now. But I must courteously disregard this,
for not another person here would doubt their application
to the great and good priest in whose honor you are assembled. His humility I would not wound, but our sense of
justic~ I must obey. Unquestionably, you will admit that
the h1ghest and truest praise that can be accorded to man is
this eulog>: t?at God himself has pronounced upon hisservant.. So 1t 1~ a matter of very easy inference to assert that
the ltfe ~o wh1ch I apply them ranks among the noblest and
· ~r~est _It:ves, and that the jubilee upon which I pronounce
.h~s d1vme paneg_Yric, is nobler than those of queens and
p~mces. The pra1s~s God spoke of the priest who built his
Z1on are not unfittmgly spoken of him who raised these
walls . and reared the tell_lples near by. The priest of old
prev.alled to enlarge the c1ty and obtained glory in the conversiOn _of ~he pe?ple ; and is the eulorry God pronounced
upon h1m tnappltcabl_e. to the man, wh~, a generation ago,
reared upon your I_Jramcs a temple, and attracted about him
a g:eat congregatiOn? .The fitness of my scriptural paneffnc may n<;>t be questwned, and my inference is that the
I e. up~n w hlch I pro'!ounc_e it is a blessed one, and the occasiOn Itself an exceptional JUbilee . I d o no t propose to- d ay
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�FATHER DA.lfFN'S GOLDEI'v' JUBILEE.
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to rehearse the history of fifty years, sitting as you are in
the shadow of the great monuments of that life. All about
you, its story is heralded to you, and the eloquence of these
dumb lips will never be forgotten, for it is the eloquence of
a life spent and wasted in the cause of Christ.
'There is no more need to eulogise such a life than there
is to paint the lily. It rests unchallenged in its own indescribable grace and beauty. In its nature and excellence
such is, friends, the religious life that you are celebrating
to-day.
'The religious man takes the triple vow of obedience,
chastity, and poverty. \Vherever he stands, in virtue of his
vow of obedience, the religious man knows that he stands
at the command of God. \Vhatever he attempts, he attempts
by the will of God; whatever he abandons, he leaves at the
voice of God. In all that he does, and wherever he goes,
he recognises the ,·oice of God calling, or sees the finger of
God beckoning. Such a life is a holy life, a grand and heroic life, for its verv soul is God's will. And those who have
lived that life in spirit and in letter, have been saints indeed.
Whether they faced cultured throngs, or went in quest of
benighted savages, whether they swayed the interests of
kings or preached to forest denizens, it mattered not, because
they did God's will.
'Devotion to humanity is another element in the religious
life, and is contained in the second vow, chastity. Strange
that many who claim to make humanity their religion, despise the men who proclaim this vow. For, among the
motives that prompt the religious man to stifle conjugal affeCtions, to turn his back upon all that home means and the
fireside involves, is that he may devote his life to the best
interests of humanity. He leaves a carnal love for a spiritual love, a divided interest for an eternal affeCtion, a home
for one or a few for a house reared for all, eternal in the
heavens. There is a perfeCtion, a deification, for which the
race is destined, and this the religious man recognises, and
for it he makes his vow of'chastity.
'Spent and wasted in the cause of Christ. "If thou wilt
be perfeCt, go sell what thou hast and give to the poor, and
come, follow me." Itwitation and counsel spoken nigh on to
twenty centuries ago, and to-day you are honoring the man
who, fifty years ago, accepted that invitation and embraced
that counsel. \Vhoever embraces this vow of poverty must
mean nothing more nor less than the words of Christ. The
life-path can never become to him an avenue 'of wealth or
position. This life demands, at least, poverty of spirit, but
a renunciation of earthly goods is also necessary. There
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:l2
FATHER DA.1fEN' S GOLD EX jl'BILEE.
are thousands who gladly, generously spring in~o t~e ranks
of Christ's militia, and toil willingly to spread hts kmgdom.
And when, as to-day, their jubilee may have come, they can
point to no hoarded wealth, t_o no houses ar:d lands; but,
true to their life, they can p01nt, as your pnest_ t?-day, to
schools for Christ's children, to colleges for Chnst s youth,
to churches for Christ's people, to refuges and asylums for
Christ's poor and affliCted ones. And so, what need to eulorrise such a life? "He that shall leave father and mother,
wife and children for my sake shall receive life eternal." In
these material treasure-seekin" days of ours it has been
asked, in all apparent sincerity, ":'Is life really worth li,:in_g ?"
Perhaps to-day, if the old man whose fifty years of rehg10us
life go out with the setting sun would speak, he woul~ s_ay :
"Ah yes, my life, the religious life, has been worth the hvmg.
Of others I can not, dare not, speak; but of mine I am sure.
Fifty years have passed, but they are not. gone; theY: are
-coming back to me, even as the sun retu_rns m the mormng;
comincr back rich with the harvest of whtch the world knows
b
.
nothing. My life is richer than the world's jewels, because
it is lustrous with the gleam of virtue. My fifty years arc
the purchase money of the blessed life to be, with the Lord."
'These words, I know, he would never say, but I can and
do say them. Such a life has an infinite worth, because he
for whom that strength was wasted yet lives where all that
spent strength will be gathered, lives where death can never
be, where bliss shall ever be-with God.'
"During the day Father Damen visited the chapels and halls
ofthevarious sodalities, each of which presented him with an
address of congratulation and some token of affeCtion and
gratitude. Committees had been at work for several months
preparing for the jubilee services, and it was proposed to found
a hospital in honor ?f _Father Damen, the necessary funds to
be r~tscd by subscrtptton. But it was found that the projeCt
particularly near to his heart at this time is the establishme~1t of a ho~e and school for deaf and dumb boys; and
so tt was dectdecl to devote the proceeds to that end. To
further swell the fund, a sacred concert was arranrred which
was given last night·at the church, the audience ~ur~bering
over a thousand. The Young Ladies' Sodality had placed
a basket of flowers on the altar in honor of Father Damen
and the ~arried Ladies' Sodality had sent four immens~
floral desrgns, wrought in immortelles and roses, which were
range~ along ~he chancel rail. Each bore an inscription,
done 1 ~ ~arnatrons; the four being: '\Velcome Reverend
_Father, 'fo the F?under <?fthe Holy Family Parish,' 'Greetrng from the Marned Ladres' Sodality,' and 'Golden Jubilee,
�FATHER DAMEN'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
33
Rev. A. Damen, 1837-1887.' Seated in the chancel was
the committee of arrangements to the number of twenty-five,
headed by 'vV. J. Onahan and Father Higgins, the reB:or
of the college; and on the other side sat Father Damen,
accompanied by several of the Jesuit fathers. Mr. Onahan,
in an intermission in the programme, came forward and
read the address to Father Damen, which had been engrossed in a large red-bound volume. He began: 'Venerable and Reverend Father: On this interesting and happy
occasion, the fiftieth anniversary of your admission into the
Society of Jesus, the members of the parish and congregation
of the Holy Family Church have attempted to show their
love and veneration for you, their old-time friend, pastor and
benefaCtor. They rejoice to see once more your well· known
figure within the holy sanB:uary, and to listen again to your
voice, which has so often echoed in these aisles. Fifty years
ago, you gave up· home, family, friends, associations, and
ambitions, to devote your life and talents to the service of
God. The motto of the Society-Ad majorem Dei gloriam
-became the motto of your life from that moment.' He
then went on in an exhaustive account of Father Damen's
work, to which he paid a glowing tribute of praise and
gratitude. In response, Father Damen said: 'I am ashamed
to appear before you, because I have received to-day so many
compliments and congratulations which I do not think I
have deserved. But my heart is full of joy for what has
been done here in the past thirty years.' He then recounted the circumstances of the foundation of the church 'in a
place covered with water-lilies and on a street that was
rather a canal.' His narration of some of his early experiences was very humorous and excite<;l hearty laughter. He
closed with: 'To-day my heart swells in gratitude to God
for the blessing he has bestowed upon our labors during the
last thirty years. I never expeB:ed so much gratitude as I
have received from you to-day, and I thank you very much
for it.' He then pronounced the Papal benediB:ion, permission having been specially granted for this. The exercises
concluded with solemn benediB:ion of the most Blessed
Sacrament."
On Monday morning the parish of the Sacred Heart took
up the celebration, and its members were present in large
numbers at the solemn High Mass at 9 A. liL In the afternoon, Father Damen visited the schools of the two parishes,
iistened to the addresses of the children and gave them his
blessing. In the evening the sodalities of the Sacred Heart
parish assembled in the church and read addresses to the
VoL. xvn, No.
I.
3
�34
FATHER DAMEN'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
venerable father to which he responded in touching words,
ending by impa;ting to all the apostolic benediCtion, which
the Holy Father had empowe_red him to. be~tow.
.
Among the incidents of th1s golden JUbilee celebratiOn,
which we shall all remember with pleasure, was the toast
offered at dinner by the Most Rev. Archbishop Feehan.
The sentiment was not only friendly but flattering, and was
expressed with grace and scholarly elegance. About the
addresses read to Father Damen by Ours, it is enough to
say that they did credit to the faculty and were worthy of
the occasion. Though Father Damen is not a member of
this community nor .a resident of this city, it was thought
proper by superiors to allow him to celebrate his jubilee
in the city which was the scene of his zealous work, and
among the old friends and parishioners who have known
and loved him for thirty years·, and who saw these two parishes grow up around him with all their elaborate equipment of schools, academy and college.
Whilst the Holy Family parish was celebratincr its founder's
golden jubilee, it was also pushing on the work of buildincr
its sixtlz parochial school, a primary school for small crirl;.
This, when occupied, will raise the number of childre"n in
the ~ar.ochial schools of this parish alone, to about 4,800.
If th1s 1s a good test. of the catholicity of the parish, it must
~lso be the greatest JOY and consolation of him who established the parish, as it is of those who continue and enlarge
the work so well begun.
I
I
I
>/1
:·!
�NAPLES.
INNSBRUCK,
Nov. Ist, 188;.
DEAR FATHER,
Perhaps you may be pleased to hear an account of a couple
of weeks spent in Naples, during tl~e Easter holidays of last
year. The trip from Rome to Naples by express, or dire{l
train, as it is called in Italy, takes nearly seven hours, though
the same distance in America would be travelled in little
more than half that time. The only difference that I know
of between the continental express and way train, or om11ibus,
as it is termed, is that the direEl.stops often but the omnibus
stops oftener; a mere question of degree. There is yet
another train, called direttissimo, \vhich scarcely stops at all,
I suppose, but people with a slim purse or with a vow of
poverty cannot avail themselves of its superior advantages.
If there be no special reason for urgency, the frequent
stoppages· of the express add rather to the pleasure of the
trip, as they give an opportunity to glance-for a few moments
at place~ famed in story, and familiar, in name at least, from
childhood. The guard's shout at the different stations often
pleasantly awakens long-dormant memories, though it requires at times considerable jogging of ideas to marshal
these aright around the word that arouses them. There is
Capua suggestive of accurate old Livy, with his truthful
speeches, so carefully stenographed, and of Hannibal's troops
rioting and feasting and preparing themselves to be an easy
prey to the enemy; and of our own Cardinal Bellarmin:
there is Aquino, amongst whose hills was reared the stern
old scourger of Roman depravity ;-where, too, was spent
the childhood of one k'lr greater than he, who sought with
higher principles to set the world aright, whose immortality
is reflected upon this quaint, quiet little town by the railroad
station: then what a strange sensation one experiences when
Monte Cassino is shouted out as prosily and as unfeelingly
as you have so often heard Elysville or Ellicott City ;-for
the guard or conductor or whatever he be, this historic spot
is nothing more than a railroad station,-as the yellow primrose to the soulless man was nothing more than a yellow
primrose. But that unfeeling shout would probably cause
you to revolve many memories which would force themselves upon you; and, during the brief pause at the simple
station, it is more than likely that you would pop y_our head
.
(35)
�NAPLES.
out of the window of your prison to gaze, for a few mom_ents
at least, upon the great whit~ building on the summtt of
the hill or rather mountain, dtreetly overhead on your left,
the mother house of western monasticism, the nursery of
saints and Christian sages, the direCt: or indireCt: _instrull_lent
of all ·modern civilisation, the centre for centunes of ltght
and truth whose rays illumined the remotest corners of
Christend~m. And you would go back in spirit to the time
when the temple of the god of the silver bow was overthrown
to make way for the house of prayer and of self-sacrifice,
when BenediCt: and his black-robed disciples burnt the sacred
grove~ and, with their toil, converted the wilderness into a
paradise: or you might think of the time when Totila came
hither with his fierce Goths swarming about the foot of the
mountain, pausing in his work of slaughter to see the patriarch of whom he had heard Guch wondrous things: or you
might remember the beautiful breviary lessons about the
night previous to Scholastica's death, when the storm raged
so fiercely upon that ancient hill, that the unwilling monk
was forced to spend the night in holy converse with his joyous sister; and you would surely give a passing thought
to the numberless great men who laid the foundations of
their fame within those consecrated walls : and amongst
these, too, you might piCture to yourself young Thomas,
from the neighboring town of Aquino, wandering amongst
those secluded woods, pondering over some great truth that
he should one day elucidate-the ox whose bellowing was
to startl_e the world-as the old monk of the monastery
prophested. But the same harsh voice that 'evoked this
medley ~f memories, now as unfeelingly puts an end to them
by shoutmg out "Pronto I" A shrill whistle from the locomotive, and Monte Cassi~1o is gon~, and other interesting places
soon ef£<ce the n;fleettons t~e stght of it suggested. As the
trav~Iler only_ enJoys a passmg glance, nothing more than a
passmg mentton, can be expeCted.
~
About half an ?our before the train makes its final stop,
away off on the nght appears unwearyino- Vesuvius like a
~reat blast-furnace, belching forth its dark ~olumes of,smok~
mto the cloud~ess sky; that wondrous Italian sky which
poets love to smg and artists to contemplate seen here in
all the perfeCtion of its beauty · and \vhen 'd J· . h .
ttl d
h ·
.
•
ar ,ness as
se e overt e ctty, t~termittent flashes of lurid light still
0
~f~~~ ~ ;ake e~u~tus co~spicuous, a veritable pillar of
"d d Y day an
re by mght; and like that too which
glut e. an. proteCted the Israelites in their wandering' s this
a so ts a stgn of peace d t
- .
'
·
t;
an
ranqut 11 tty to the surroundinrr
· h b"t
Ill a t ants; or, as long as fire and smoke issue from th~
d°
'·
;
�"YAPLES.
37
great crater, all is well; but when these cease, earthquakes
and other indefinable horrors are at hand, not unfrequently
with a vast destruB:ion of human life. It was nearly 7
o'clock P. ~I. when we rolled into the depot; but owing .to
circumstances which it would be useless to relate here, it
was two hours before we found ourselves in the presence of
the Provincial, Rev. Fr. Canger. He received us with extraordinary cordiality and kindness, told us that he had
been expeB:ing us for several days, and that rooms had been
prepared for us at the novitiate. He communicated, by
means of a telephone near his door, with the reB:or of the
novitiate, and we set out on our final journey, under the
escort of a brother whom Fr. Provincial kindly sent with
us. It was agreeable for us to see Naples by night, for, like
Melrose Abbey, it is the best way to see this city aright.
The first impression is an agreeable one; and the judgment is soon made that Naples is not merely the largest,
but, by all odds, the finest of all the Italian cities, as cities
are estimated according to modern ideas. I speak of Naples
in its newer and renovated parts, for it, too, has its eyesores
in the neighborhood of the Pendino and Mercato, the remnants of the older town. \Vide, spacious streets, comfortable
sidewalks, shady parks, a most perfeCt: system of gas illumination are surprises after the generalisation, so natural to
the human mind, has been made from the incomplete induB:ion of other Italian towns; while the bustle and stir and
business aB:ivity everywhere apparent make it difficult to
realise that we are not in some prosperous commercial centre
of the new world. Some of the streets, such as the Toledo,
the Strada del Duomo, are equal to the best to be seen anywhere; while of the Chiaia, a magnificent drive along the
shores of the famous bay, it might be modestly asked if its
equal is anywhere in the great world to be found. Horse
cars too, which give to every city a thoroughly American
appearance (tramvay is the continental word and spelling),
are to be seen as frequent and as crowded and as comfortable
as in Boston or Philadelphia-the two cities, I believe, which
contend for horse-car supremacy, each city having its champions to maintain its superior advantages, as I well remember.
If we except Milan, Naples is probably the only ancient
city that has not suffered by the frenzy for Italian unity, and
its accomplishment-indeed it seems to have profited considerably thereby. Rome, great in its classic memories,
great as the heart of Christendom, great as the free home
of Christ's Vicar, was never intended by nature to be a great
modern capital; and the eff~rts to make it such by pulling
�JS
NAPLES.
down and building up, are only effacing all that made_ it interesting and glorious, and their resul_t m~st o~ necessity be
a monotonous third or fourth-class city, JUSt hke any other
city anywhere; its individuality must go: dreamy Florence,
the city of poetry and of art, once the centre of a fre~ ~nd
independent people, is nothing now but a mus~um, visited
by those who desire to see what she has. b~en m the_ past:
widowed Venice, beautiful beyond descnptwn even. m her
too evident decay, sits mournfully by the shore, lookmg _out
upon the fickle sea, and weeping over her _departed gl?nes ;
and the traveller can scarcely view her without a feeling of
sadness. But with Naples it is otherwise. -Beautiful as
Venice, in its bay; its sky as clear and its air as balmy and as
genius-inspiring as that of Florence ; second only to Rome
in its classical memories; it has been able, moreover, to keep
pace with all the requirements of modern progress: the
storehouse of southern Italy on the western side, its great
bay so close to the sea, forming a safe and spacious harbor
and an easy outlet, it .follows that, whatever progress united
Italy may make, or whatever prosperity she may enjoy, the
progress and prosperity of Naples must be in proportion.
These reflections were not made during that first walk
through the brilliantly lighted and noisy streets; but since
they are the evolution of those first impressions, they will
fit in here as well as anywhere else. I should have mentioned
in the beginning that the day was Palm Sunday and that, in
Italy, Eastertide seems to be socially what Christmas is with
us, a season of merrymaking and good cheer and ·of good
will to all. And as with us, for a week or ten days previous,
the gladness of the coming Nativity is foreshadowed, so here
too the glory of the Resurrection intrudes itself upon the
sorrowful week that precedes it. The streets were one blaze
of light and filled with sightseers and with the interested ·
shop windows were gay with decorations appropriate to th~
season; booths_and stands, :vith pendent smoky lamps, encumbered the sidewalks, freighted with much that was useful, and with not a little, probably, that was useless; and
such as could not afford the expensive luxury of a stand
had spread their wares upon the pavement, to the best ad~
vantag: to attract the ~ye of the curious and the purse of
the credulous. All this supposes an interminable din each
one eloquently expatiating upon the superiority of hi~ own
goods and the patriotic sacrifice he was making of himself
for the common weal. It was very much like what might be
seen anywhere under like circumstances, and was almost
the counterpart of what I had seen on Broadway New York
one Christmas-eve, a year or two before, Like ~ne of good
�NAPLES.
39
old Fr. Rodriguez's treatises, it might be confirmed with
many examples. Most numerous, however, most patronised,
and most interesting were the macaroni stands with their
steaming caldrons; and these piles of insipid-looking tubes
were being continuously converted into the tempting dish:
the work of destruCtion kept pace with the work of formation, as in Darwin's recently exploded theory of coral reefs.
Around these stands stood joyous throngs; and even they
who had not wherewith to buy could, at least, feast their eyes
·and their nostrils on the piping odorous viands. It was a
gay spectacle: there was much merriment, a great deal of
shouting, and what to the uninitiated might seem to be considerable violent controversy in barter and exchange; but all
this meant nothing, and the good nature that prevailed made
the whole thing pleasant to behold. When we reached the
novitiate, we found both the reCtor and minister at the door
waiting to receive us. The reetOI• and master of novices,
though still a young man, spent many years of missionary
life in S. America, and, on his way back to Europe, four
years ago, visited several of our houses, including Woodstock. His \Velcome was most hearty; it seemed to be his
constant thought to provide for our comfort and happiness;
and the charity which he and others of his community
lavished upon us so continuously can never be forgotten,
and still remains the most pleasant and the most deeply
prized remembrance of all that I saw and experienced in
that city of such varied interest.
· The novitiate is situated on the side of one of the numerous high hills which surround the city and offer such a
variety of views of the lovely bay with all its historic towns
and fairy islands. It is in a distriCt called the Vomero, which,
though topographically an integral part of the city, 'is outside the corporate limits. The house is better known as the
Villa Melecrinis, as it was the private property of Fr. Melecrinis, who gave it over to the Society when it returned,
after so many vicissitudes, to begin once more the Province
of Naples. The novices, three of whom were priests, were
twelve or thirteen in number, with about the same number
of juniors, one of whom was a priest. It seems to be a
peculiarity of this province that they who enter as priests
go through exaetly the same experience as the others. The
house has received several additions as circumstances demanded and means permitted: There are now two buildings,
in one of which (the former villa) live the juniors-here
likev,:ise is the chapel-in the other are the rooms of the
novices and the refeCtory. Of course, as it was never· intended for its present use, there are many drawbacks ; the
�NAPLES.
chapel is very small, though neat and tidy; the refeCl:ory,
recently ereCl:ed, is quite a handsome roo~. A small pa~ch
of garden surrounds it where t~e scholastics recreate, htgh
over the city, and play a very mnocent game ca~led bocce,
which may be described, in very general a~d very maccurate
terms, as a species of marbles, play:d \~Ith large wo~,den
balls like croquet balls_. The sit_uatwn IS a_ ~?e one! not
quite within the busy ctty, nor qmte beyo_nd It, sufficiently
retired for study and for prayer, and sufficiently near the stir
and bustle of life to get an occasional change of phantasms .•
More spacious grounds, and more room within are desirable.
One of the novices, a German, more probably a Frenchman,
since he is from Alsace, is for the mission of New Mexico.
One of the juniors, Fratello ,Gilbert, is a New Mexican, and
Fr. Mola placed him entirely at our disposal to guide ~nd
interest us which he did with the most unselfish devotiOn
and painstaking charity. This poor province has suffered
more probably than any other from the evil effeCl:s of the
revolution. Nothing now remains to it of its once extensive
property, except La Conocchia, which was repurchased a
few years ago by its legitimate owners from whom it had
been stolen in '6o, I think, when Garibaldi and his red-shirted
followers took possession of the city; yet it once more
cheerfully and earnestly sets itself to work, in the face of
countless difficulties, to begin again where once its fruits
were so abundant: it has ever been a puzzle to me to know
how these persecuted provinces in Europe managed to subsist, and particularly this poor province of Naples with no
apparent means whatever at its disposal.
One of my first visits was to our former church of the
Gesu where rests· the body of St. Francis Girolamo. The
Italian government has allowed all the other religious orders
to underta~e the m~nagement of th: churches of which they
were depnved dunng the revolution · but it was deemed
impolitic to extend this aa of justice t~ the Jesuits. so that
our G~su sti_ll remains in the hands of the secula; clergy.
The Neapolitans are very proud of_ this church, and justly
too, t~ough I _could hardly agree with them that it is finer
than_ Its magm~cent namesake in Rome. It is much larger,
but It~ proportiOns do not :ee?'l to be as perfeCl:, nor is it so
dev~t10nal nor s~ refin:d m Its decorations as the Roman
Gesu, nor so bnght: It lacks an undefinable something
cheerf~l and ple_asing to ~he' eye-probably the lucidity s~
much m vogue With a certam class of modern writers-which
the Roman church possesses in a hirrh derrree It · · h ·
bl
· d
.
"'
,
.
Is nc m
mar e~, Ill ecorations.and in paintings by famous masters
qS Sohmena, Lanfranco, and Luca Giordano. The last
�NAPLES.
named, the painter of the Calling of St. Matthew in the rector's room at Georgetown, has left behind him in Naples
many evidences of his skill and of his marvellously rapid
execution: his works are to be met with everywhere, frescoes
and paintings. The original cugola, destroyed by an earthquake in 1688, was enriched by a famous fresco of Lanfranco:
the cupola was rebuilt, but the fresco was lost to art. On
the right of the high altar, a very fine piece of work, is the
large chapel of St. Francis Girolamo, whose body rests in a
bronze casket beneath the altar. The decorations of the
chapel, mostly bronze and silver, are very bold and striking,
though the chapel is too obscure to be seen to good advantage. Ours still do some labor in the church ; preaching,
hearing confessions, etc., but this is owing to the good will
of the clergy who now have control. Adjoining the Gesu
is the old professed house, with relics of St. Francis Girolamo, and a few drops of the blood of St. Aloysius which is
said to liquefy occasionally, as in the miracle bfSt. Januarius.
The Gesu was ours until I 86o.
Previous to the Suppression, we had another church, near
the Royal Palace, dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, which
had the honor of being the first temple consecrated in, his
name. After the Suppression, when Ours were no more,
the church was rechristened in honor of St. Ferdinand,
doubtless as a compliment to King Ferdinand then ruler of
Naples. The kings of the two Sicilies have long since
disappeared from history, but the compliment remains, for
the church yet bears the name of St. Ferdinand, though the
pietures and statuary still give evidence of its origin, and the
piCture of St. Francis Xavier over the high altar tells of its
first dedication. It seemed to be a favorite church with the
provincial, Rev. Fr. Conger, who spent much of his free time
in one of its confessionals. He is a relative of Fr. Piccirillo,
and the family· resemblance in his spirit of industry and
readiness for all kinds of work, as well as in his whole-souled
kindliness of manner, is very striking. His fame as a preacher is great, not merely in Naples, but throughout Italy; and
he has extraordinary zeal besides for that work. I had the
pleasure of hearing him preach the Three Hours' Agony on
Good Friday. During the previous week he had given a
mission to some pious congregation of men, and he had
moreover to preach on Holy Saturday the Three Hours'
Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin in some other church. The
Three Hours' Agony was preached in the church of St.
Ferdinand, which was thronged by a great crowd attraCted
by the fame of the speaker. He was very eloquent, solid
and rhetorical. But the effort was too much for him after
�42
NAPLES.
his labor of the week previous, and the mag:o stretto which
he could not be induced to forego that mornmg. After the
preaching he fainted in the sa~r~sty a~d had to be ~aken
home in a carriage. When I visited h1.m ne:ct .mor.n.mg, I
found him confined to his bed regrettmg h1s mab1hty to
preach three more hours that afternoon, and not ye~ fully
convinced that he should not make the effort. I beheve 1t
required the positive order of the physi~ian to quiet him.
Though without a church and depnved of the colleges
that were formerly ours, two other colleges have been sta:ted
within recent years with considerable success, one boardm~
school, La Conocchia, and another day-school, the Collegw
Valente as it is called from its rector, the brother of our Fr.
Valente' of by-gone years iri -'Noodstock.. La Conocchia ?as
a charming situation on one of the c1ty's many beautiful
hills, and from almost any of its windows an extensive view
of the city and the bay and the volcano can be had. It belonged to the Society before '48 and was then used as a
house of retreat for seculars. It was taken from us during
that unhappy period, but was given back after order had
been restored. It was then used as a novitiate until '6o, when
it was once more confiscated by the second outbreak and
sold by the government. A few years ago it was again purchased by its original and legitimate proprietors, and is now
a flourishing boarding-school. It is not large, and its receiving capacity is consequently limited. It is very well
arranged for school purposes, very clean, and very comfortable. The two upper stories are occupied by dormitories
. for the boys ; the second by private rooms and the domestic
chapel; the first by parlors, private rooms, class rooms, the
boys' refectory, etc. 'The refectory is a very handsome room,
high, well lighted, spacious, and paved with a very excellent
glazed tile, which looks almost as brilliant as mosaic. The
dormitories espeCially pleased me: they are high and airy,
and very well arranged. The alcoves are separated from
each other, not by curtains, as is customary with us when
e.ven that much privacy is tolerated, but by wooden partitions; the upper half of the door of this recess is of wire
thus offering ~ goo? view to .the perambulating prefect.
fou!ld here an mgemous contnvance for preserving discipline
'~h1ch may be a lesson for us, and may show us at the same
ttm.e how we may borrow i.deas from foreigners even in that
which we are wont to consider our own special line. These
doors are. so arranged that when once locked after bed time
they can 1.ndeed be opened by the indweller, if it be necessary for h1m to get up during the night· but their opening
by means of an electric apparatus, sets ~ bell ringing ove;
i
r
t
I
i
t
�NAPLES.
the dreaming head of the prefect in his room, and it keeps
on ringing until the door is locked again ; but the interesting
part of it is (for all except the poor prefect) that the custodian of law and order can alone close that door tight again,
so that nilly willy he is obliged to get up, unless he can brave
that incessant tinkling, and restore things to their normal
state. It would, of course, be inconvenient if each boy took
it into his head to get up in regular rotation during the
night, and I do not know how the poor prefect would manage with some of our yearly epidemics; but as I heard
nothing but praise of the system, I suppose these inconveniences have not yet been experienced. Fr. De Augustinis
was reB:or here when he was called to take Cardinal Mazzella's place ~t the Gregorian University. I do not know
how many boys are in the college, but my impression is
that they have as many as their circumscribed limits will
permit. These boys are of the best families, and the college
is the substitute for the old Collegio dei Nobili.
The Collegio Valente in the Largo Avellino is for dayscholars only; though I think they had a few boarders too
who could not find room at La Conocchia. The students
are about four hundred. The collcgio is nothing but a priyate residence, accommodated to college purposes, with what
success you may judge from the number of boys. I met
there two old professors of mine, and of others, of course,
in \Voodstock in the happy past, Fr. Piccirelli and good Fr.
Valente. Fr. Piccirelli is hale and hearty, and has acquired
much flesh during the intervening years. Poor Fr. Valente
was just recovering from a severe spell of sickness that had
greatly wasted and enfeebled him. · He was still confined to
'his room, though sitting up, and for several weeks had been
unable to offer up the holy sacrifice. Both of these goqd
:fathers, as all their old friends will readily believe, were exceedingly kind to us, and made many interested inquiries
concerning their former friends in the province. Fr. Valente's
continuous regret was his inability to accompany us himself
to show us the geological wonders of this volcanic region,
in which he knew us to be much interested; so that, in consequence, our trip, geologically, cannot be considered a success; it was fortunate for us that Naples had other points
of interest besides stones and strata, since thus the excursion was saved from being a complete failure. With Fr.
Piccirelli and two nephews of Fr. Valente, we enjoyed a
pleasant drive in the vicinity of Mt. Vesuvius. On the way
we visited a shrine famous in these parts, the Madonna dell'Arco. It is quite a large, handsome church, and principally remarkable for the number and quality of its ex votos.
�44
NAPLES.
These ex votos, representing some extraord_inary int~rferer:ce
of divine Providence in favor of human !alth and_ mfirm1ty,
are to be met with everywhere in Catholic countnes, ~roun?
some favored altar or much honored shrine. Somet_unes It
is a piCl:ure, inspired by faith rather th~n by. art, w1t~ the
history of the miracle narrated below 1n_ decidedly s1mple
language; sometimes it is the represe_ntatwn o~ a hn~b ~hat
was cured of its wound or paralys1s ; sometimes 1t IS a
piCl:ure of the patron saint of the shri~e, pr_esented by the
grateful recipient of heavenly favors, w1th Ius name ~nd the
date of the miracle ; sometimes, too, one finds articles of
great value, gold watches, diamond rings, rich cha~ns, sparkling bracelets, etc., which have all been left there ~n th~ first
outburst of enthusiastic thankfulness. But the mtenor of
the Madonna dell'Arco is literally covered with these mementos. From the ceiling, crutches and invalid chairs are
suspended ; the walls are invisible for the abundance of
offerings, and the large altar of our Blessed Lady in the centre
of th~ church is encumbered with piCl:ures, statuettes, and
representations of every species of bodily infirmity. On the
walls were hanging five or six grim-looking coffins, which,
I suppose, had been rendered unnecessary by our Blessed
Lady's powerful intercession. You soon realise that you are
in a land of strong, simple faith, where people make their appeals to heaven never doubting, and where, in consequence,
miracles are of no infrequent o'ccurrence; and, with the regular
periodic marvels to be seen twice a year in the cathedral of
Naples, which even scoffing science acknowledges ·to be
beyond its present ken, one is ready to believe anythincr here
in the supernatural order, The pleasant little town ~f San
Giorgio is not far distant from the church of the Madonna
dell'Arco, and in very dangerous proximity to the whimsical volc~no. Not m~ny years since, perhaps about 2 5, there
was a vwlent eruptwn of Vesuvius, and the molten lava
came slowly d_o":n the steep incline, burning and destroying
all that .came m 1ts way ; and San Giorgio, at the foot of the
mountam, lay direCl:ly in its destroying path. There was of
course great consternation in the little town it seemed inevitable that San Giorgio should share the fate ~f Herculaneum
an~ many sought refuge in flight, and began to transport
t~e1r movables to a place of safety. There is plenty of
t1me for all this, for the lava travels very slowly. It occurred
to some one that St. George should take some interest in
the town named after him, and a procession was formed with
the statue of the saint slaying the dragon in front. Was it
~ot as easy to stay. the too real lava in its course of destruction as to slay the myth" 1 d ragan.? U p the mountam-s1de
. .
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45
the procession wended towards the crawling fiery monster,
and the statue was placed at a safe distance from the threatened town. Now the faCt: is, explain it as you may, that the
lava, instead of keeping on down the slope, as the laws of
nature-as far at least as they are known-would seem to
require, aCtually turned aside at the base of the statue, and
went off in another direCtion, leaving San Giorgio once more
vi8:or in his fight with the fire-breathing monster; and the
town was saved. You can still see the spot where the lava
defleCted instead of continuing its onward course, and the
unbeliever will have some difficulty in accounting for this
phenomenon.
·
It will soon be clear to the visitor to Naples that the people
are full offaith. Pi8:ures and statues of the Blessed Virgin are·
to be seen at every corner, with their lamps burning before
them; and during Holy \Veek, the sidewalk was freely
occupied by temporary altars representing Calvary, and
adorned with numerous candles and bunches offresh flowers.
Nearly everybody uncovers his head as he passes before
the sacred images. Some years ago the city government
which was liberal, that is to say irreligious, had these piCtures
and statues removed, as ;:esthetic blemishes to the city; but
when the cholera broke out two years since, the people hung
up once more these symbols of their confidence, and the
government has not since judged it prudent to interfere, as
after all, ;:esthetic blemishes are not so disastrous as a riot
would be. Before the Suppression, our college was the
present university, a great, gloomy building in inconvenient
proximity to the older part of the town. It is now a freethinking establishment, and the centennial of our suppression
was celebrated by a memorial slab "to Clement XIV for
having abolished the Soc. of Jesus." This inscribed malice
is placed over the principal entrance, and one, on seeing it,
does not know whether to be indign~nt at its wickedness and
hypocrisy, or amused at its childish fatuity. After the restoration a new college was built in the newer and finer part
of tht;: city, not far from the great museum, and close by the
church of the Gesu. It is a large, handsome building, fronting
on a beautiful square-the Piazza Dante, if I remember
aright-and is a fine situation. It is now, like the Roman
College, a government lyceum.
It would be a folly to visit Naples without seeing Pompeii,
only three quarters of an hour away by train, and therefore
we went to Pompeii. However, I was surprised to find that
some of our Neapolitan fathers had never seen that interesting relic of antiquitY: Of course the folly mentioned above
has no application in their case, since they are not to be
�NAPLES.
classed under the head of visitors to Naples. It would _be
entirely out of place for me to s~y ~nyth~ng here of the mteresting city that has been and ts sttll bemg e:-pos.ed to. the
light of day, after two thousand years of buned tsolat.ton;
so I shall pass it by. But a few mmutes walk from th7 stlent
city there is another famous shrine_ to the Madonna dt Pompeii. It consists of a very splendtd church erecte~ to the
honor of the Blessed Virgin. It is a pious offenng of a
gentleman who was conve~ted fron: infidelity, some five o~
six years ago, through the mtercess10n of_ our Blessed La~y,
and he and his pious wife have adopted thts means of offenng
a splendid testimonial of gratitude to our Blessed Mother.
The church was not yet completed while we were there, but
a few months later it was consecrated by Cardinal Monaco
La Valetta, who went fron: Rome in the name of the Pope,
and was received with the wildest enthusiasm in Naples and
the towns en route. This beautiful church has already its
history of many miracles, and see ins to be a second Lourdes.
The high altar of marble and precious stones is superb; and
when finished it promises to be one of the richest and most
magnificent in Italy. It is the centre of a pious association
with branches throughout the world; and a periodical devoted to the honor of the Blessed Virgin is published there.
Easter Sunday was ushered in with a deafening clanging
of bells, and a furiou!'; popping of fire crackers that shook
one's nerves. There gunpowder is the legitimate sign of
enthusiasm, and it certainly is 'an effective one. Enormous
fire crackers are strung across the street after the manner
of our campaign banners during election time; they are
made to bear a distant resemblance to an old woman, and
are quite as bulky; they are called Quaresima, which might
be transl.ated ~rs. Lent, and all morning these quarcsime
are popptng thetr glad farewells all over the city. In the
new order of things, religious processions throuah the
streets. are. forbidden, except on one or two occasions ~early,
on whtch tt was found that the Neapolitans would not allow
themselves to be coerced. But the Vomero not beinrr
within the city limits municipally, still contin~es the old
. c~s~oms, and they gave us an opportunity to witness a very
smbular speB:a~l~. About noon a procession passed the
gate of .the novtttate, headed by a brass band playina a funeral dtrg_e; then followed the procession with statues of
~t. John, St. Mary Magdalen and the Blesseg Virgin carned on the shoulder" of the devout . ·Th e Bl esse d v'·trgm
·
.
·
was d resse d tn deep mourning. This procession is on its
:way to £?ee! anot~er, in which, preceded by a band playinrr
Joyous atrs, ts earned the statue of the risen Saviour. Whe~
!
!·
!
!':
I
1:
IJ
!,il
~
I!
�NAPLES.
47
the two processions meet, a string, attached to the sable garments of the Blessed Virgin, is pulled and she appears in
rich attire sparkling with jewelry. At the same time a
number of little birds, concealed in the folds of her dress, are
liberated, and fly heavenward; symbolising, I suppose, the
heavenly freedom won for us by Christ's death and resurrecrion. Then the two processions unite and proceed with
soul-stirring music to a church.
I attended services in the cathedral on Holy Saturday
and Easter Sunday. On the former day, the revered cardinal assisted at the High Mass, which he himself celebrated
on Easter Sunday. The canons of this church have the unusual privilege of wearing the mitre and pecroral cross, and
the sight that was presented in the vast sancruary by all
these mitred heads, and by the hundred seminarians in their
violet cassocks trimmed with red, was very impressive. It
\vas to be regretted that our visit did not coincide with
either of the miraculous liquefaCtions of the blood of St.
Januarius. However, through the kindness of Fr. Mola, we
procured permission to visit the treasury of the sacristy, with
its forty or fifty statues of saints, including St. Ignatius and
St. Francis Xavier, all life-size and of solid silver, together
with numberless other precious objecrs which, for centuries,
kings and potentates, not excepting the present ruler of
Italy, have presented to this miraculous chapel.
This letter has already passed all reasonable limits, and
yet, at the risk of increasing it considerably, I must relate
in detail the experiences of one day spent in the environs
of Naples. I would like to tell you of the despoiled Carthusian convent of San Martino, now a government museum, with its treasures of art and its transporting panorama,
which gives a significant meaning to the saying: "See
Naples and die!" I would like also to describe the monastery of the Camalduli, still iq possession. of the whiteclad monks, with its view of the Mediterranean and the two
bays of Naples and Gaeta; but these must be passed over.
One thing I witnessed in the latter monastery; which edified me greatly, I shall here mention. The cardinal of
Naples is a Benedicrine, and frequently retires to the monastery for rest and recreation. His rest and recreation con-·
sist in living for a few days exaCtly the life of a monk. ~He
has his own cell with its three rooms just like the others.
We visited this cheerless cell with its pleasant little vegetable
garden in front. One room is for study and sleeping, the
other is an oratory with an altar on which to offer up the
holy sacrifice, and the third room is a workshop. The
sleeping room contains a table with a few religious books,
�NAPLES.
one chair and a bed which is more like a rough s~fa with
coarse co~ering. · Over this rude couch. was a crucifix and
a photograph of the cardinal, who. had wr.ltten be~;ath, the~e
words: "Cella mihi ccelum-H1c requ1es mea.
Such IS
the spirit of this Italian nobleman a~d prince of the Church,
whose name is a household word m Italy for good deeds
and fearless charity. His labors during the cholera scouq~e
a few years ago are known througho~t the world ; and tn
his countenance one can discern that mdefinable sweetness
and gentleness which seem to be the accompaniment of a
blameless and saintly life.
. .
..
But what I cannot bring myself to om1t 1s an exped1t1on
we made, in company with the Rev. ReCl:or, the fathers and
the juniors of the novitiate. The juniors have a grand excursion yearly during the· Easter holidays, and so we were
fortunately able to make it this year in their edifying company. We started at 6 A. M. and less than an hour fo.und us
standing before the tomb of the Mantuan bard, readmg the
long lapidary inscription in honor of him who had sung so
well of "pascua, rura, duces." The tomb is in a very dirty
corner of a very dusty road, close by a tunnel still in use
which the enterprising Cumceans construCl:ed centuries ago,
to shorten the road between Cumce and Parthenope. Poor
Virgil! there is but little beauty around the spot which holds
his cinerary urn, and, it is hard to write it, but the place is
not worth a visit; yet even the guide books which provoke
you to visit the places which his genius only has immortalised, seek to dissuade the traveller from going to pay reverence to his dust. From Virgil's tomb the steam tram, or
narrow gauge, carries you in twenty minutes to Lake Agnano; or rather to its site, for it has long since been drained
a~d
now a ~ertil~ field. Here one can understand why
V1rg1l chose th1s neighborhood for his entrance to the infernal re~ions. The whole country around for many miles is
volcamc and perforated with caves and dens· even the around
beneath your feet is honeycombed and. rriv~s forth a hollow
'
b
sou~ d w I1en yo~ stamp upon it vigorously ; there are also
nox1?us exhalatton.s of boiling sulphureous water, and ammo~nac and carbomc gas _everywhere: here too is a partially
extmCl: volcano, Ast:om, from which smoke still issues,
though unaccompamed by flame. The sensation is not
pleasant, to walk over this crust of earth that might give
wax. at any m?ment and land you in the centre of all these
bo1h~g chemicals. From Lake Agnano, an hour's good
· walkmg brought us to Pozzuoli, the Puteoli of the ancients
wh~re S.t. P~ul tarried seven days on his way to Rome:
This qmet little town by the sea is probably older than
!s
t;
M
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�NAPLES.
Rome itself, and is only a shadow of what it has been. Its
ruins attest its past magnificence; its great amphitheatre
and its imposing temple to the Egyptian god, Serapis, are
quite as vast as anything to be seen in the Roman forum.
Its inhabitants now live principally on fish and touristsAmericans preferred-not indeed that the good people manifest any cannibal propensities, nor that fish is their exclusive
diet; in faB: I do not know that they ever eat of it; but the
fish they catch and sell, and the generous tourist who
desires to sail upon the beautiful bay they catch and sell too,
and bleed unmercifully, even though metaphorically; and
the guide books give long instruCtions as to what you must
do to escape this tropical butchery. In Pozzuoli is a mountain which sprang up in a single night, during a volcanic
eruption, burying several villages that stood upon the site.
It is called New Mountain, though its three centuries of
existence would •seem to merit for it another name by this
time. It was in this town that St. Januarius was martyred,
and in the cathedral is preserved the marble slab upon
which he was executed. The dark blood-spots are discernible, and, strange to relate, these toQ liquefy at the same
time in which the miracle takes place in the cathedral of
Naples. Many witnesses testify to this, and it is too easy
of verification to be asserted without foundation.
From Pozzuoli we went, some by land, others by water, to
Lake Lucrinus, once so dear to the Epicurean on account
of its famous conchylia. J chose the water route to see still
more of the lovely bay that never tires. Lago Lucrino is
nothing but a pond a few yards from the sea, with which it
is conneCted by a narrow channel, and I might liken it to
that pond near the boat house at St. Inigo's except that the
Lucrine pond is about ten times longer. It is now oysterless,
and is merely a fish preserve. Ten minutes' walk towards
the interior brings you to the shores of Lake Avernus, a
chilly looking body of colorless water. If I might venture
here to make another comparison, I will liken it to our icepond at ·woodstock, multiplied by t\venty. These similitudes may knock all the poetry out of places that we have
been accustomed to cover with a halo of romance, but it
makes very little difference whether the poetry is forced to go
before seeing or describing; and it adds to the poet's fame
that out of so little he was able to make so much. What
genius needs must be his who could make our Woodstock
ice-pond the subjeCt of one of the most thrilling books of a
great epic! Though a cheerless, desolate-looking spot,
A vern us is not as horrible as the poet has depiCted it; and
VoL xvu, No.
1.
4
�50
NAPLES.
. in defiance of its name, birds fly around and ove_r it fearlessly~a faCt which, for truth's sake, I_ thought 1t worth
·while to note. By the side of the lake 1s one of _the many
caves which claim to have been the antrum srbyll12 - a
long, dark tunnel, wherein nothing is to be se~n .except
the damp walls under the ghastly light of_ the gmde s_ resm
torch. This gentleman entertains you w1th a l~ng h1story
of Virgil, LEneas, the Sibyl, and even_ of the _gnm old fe~
ryman, his predecessor_in the condu~mg bus1_ness; but h1s
information was very mexaCt, and 1t was ev1dent that ?e
had never thumbed the original documents, and I found htm
unequal' to a mild cross-examination. His only certainty
was that all four of these worthies no longer played a part
in the drama of life, but the when, how, why, and wherefore,
he could not account for ,'iatisfaCtorily. From the Sibyl's
cave we retraced our steps along the shores of Avernus and
back over the country to Lago Lucrino. • The part of the
Bay of Naples near Lago Lucrino is called the Golfo di
Baia; it is a back-water of the Golfo di Napoli, almost
semicircular, with Pozzuoli for one of its extremes, while the
other is Capo Miseno, so called after ;Eneas' unfortunate
trumpeterquo non prrestantior alter
Aere ciere viros Martemque accendere cantn.
About half an hour's ramble along the shore brought us
to what were the ruins, the melancholy ruins, of the once
splendid and festive Bai<e. It is now called Baia, but it is
merely a name; not a human dw,elling stands on this charming spot; nothing is to be seen but the crumbling remnants
of its past magnificence. The waves sweep over its once
splendid palaces, plainly visible beneath the limpid surface;
and along the shore are seen the ruins of princely villas
and of gorgeous temples, and beneath your feet are strewn
~.>roken marble pillars with elaborately chiselled capitals. It
IS a scene of utter desolation; and one wonders why that
l~veliest po~tion' of that lovely bay has never been resusCitated. Is 1t t_hat. God's curse. has fallen upon it for the
excesses of wh1ch 1t was the Witness and the occasion in
pa~an ti"?es_? However that may be, all that is left of !iqmdCE Bat;:e ts a m~re pile of stones washed by the ruthless
and _ever-encroachmg_ sea . .' I had remembered from my
classical days the d1scusswns of learned commentators
about th~ precise meaning of liquid12 as applied to Bai;:e,
~het~er '.t ~ef~rred to the sky above or to the sea beneath,
nva~ltng ~~ m azur~ beauty, or to the balminess of its invig?r~tin_g climate; and as I stood upon the ruins I wondered '
If It dtd no t mean, ne1t h er more nor less, what we more pro.
,
�st
NAPLES.
saically would call-watering-place. I know its simplicity
and obviousness are opposed to this interpretation, but the
place itself suggested it, and the word, without violence,
seems suited to express it. From Baia!, or Baia, we returned
to Pozzuoli in a great yawl, steered by two stout marines
with a strange tongue and yet stranger ideas concerning the
classic interest of the country with which they were so fa~
miliar. One of them began to relate to us the old, old
story of Virgil, lEneas and the Sibyl, with variati<;>ns. To
our inquiries concerning the present whereabouts of the
Sibyl, he said he did not know, because he was a sailor, but,
for fuller information, referred us to the guide, whom we
had already found so unreliable.
Thus ended a very delightful excursion, though by no
means the end of all the beautiful things we saw in Naples;
and here also, to your relief, must end my letter. From the
brief outline herein given, you will readily understand how
full of interest and pleasure is a stay in Naples: indeed,
after Rome-cui ui!til simile aut secundum-no city, I think,
can charm so much. I take this opportun\ty of repeating
what I have said already, that the. pleasantest of all my remembrances of bella Napoli, so well called thus, is the kind
charity of the good f.<thers there; of Fr. Canger, the Provincial, who gave us such a hearty welcome to his province,
of Fr. Mola, the ReCtor of the novitiate, who cared for us
as he cares for his own novices, ever planning some fresh
enjoyment, and anticipating our every comfort, and of Mr.
or Fratello Gilbert, who sacrificed himself so unsparingly
for our sakes. Other names might be mentioned; but if I
began, where should I end? and on account of our special
relations with the three named, it seemed quite proper to
mention them: indeed it might seem ungrateful not to do so.
Yours in Xt.,
***
�·----~-----.-.-
·-
ALABAMA.
SELMA, ALA., June 7th, 1887.
REVEREND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
As you have repeatedly ~sked me for. fuller details _ab?ut
the missions of Selma, I w1ll try to satisfy your cunos1ty.
You will have to be patient, for I wish you to accompany
me in spirit on one of my round trips. As al~os.t all my
excursions are alike, with here and there a few mc1dents to
vary the monotony, you ~ill have a thorough knowledge of
my· doings during the two years I spent. here ; ~nd also a
knowledge of the doings of Fr. R. I. Holamd,.dunng almost
five years. He was my worthy predecessor; m faR the first
one to begin this kind of work in this part of the country.
He now teaches Ethics and Natural. Right in \Voodstock
College, Md.
Before we start, as you are not well acquainted with the
South, let me give you a few general notions of the State of
Alabama.
The population of the state was in 1880, as I see in the
official census, 1,262,505 souls; 662,185 whites, 600,320
colored. Since then the population of the state has greatly
increased, owing to immigration from all parts of the States.
This is due to its great mineral wealth, whfch is developing
rapidly. Coal and iron abound in the northern half of the
state. To give you an idea of this growth, I have but to
mention Birmingham, which, ten years ago, was an insignificant little town with two blast-furnaces and a rolling-mill,
and now counts according to rumors, exaggerated of course,
80,000 people. Besides Birmingham, there are several other
new, brand-new, towns growing up rapidly all over the northern part ofthe state; the chief ones are Anniston Sheffield and
Bessemer: old towns, such as Decatur, Gadsto'n, Huntsville,
Tuscaloosa, Talladega and Brierfield, have more than doubled
their population within the last six or seven years. All
these towns. have built blast-furnaces, some have as many as
four; faaones keep coming in, and saw-mills are to be found
every few mil~s alon~ th~ railroads; muc;h lumber, especially
lo~g-leafed pme wh1ch IS considered of superior quality, is
sh1pped to the North.
Before this new st~rt of iron-ore and coal mines, cotton
and corn were the mam produas. As an agricultural state,
(52)
�ALABAMA.
53
Alabama does not rank very high in the South. Of course
there are large traB:s of very fertile land, as, for instance,
the Tennessee valley, which extends from East to West
across the whole northern part of the state; and the BlackBelt or Cane-Brake, as it is called, comprising the central
part of the state from East to West is considered as good
farming land as any in the United States. Many hundreds of
hands, mostly negroes, are employed in railroad building.
Owing to these new industries, farmers are short of hands,
have to pay higher wages, make shorter crops and pay the
same taxes.
.
Mobile, formerly the chief town, with a population of
about 30,000 souls, and its immediate neighborhood, was
peopled by Spaniards, successively reinforced by Frenchmen
and, later on, by Germans. The two former races are blended nowadays with the Americans; the Germans keep their
distinB:ive nationality. In the valley of the Tennessee, there
are here and there scattered groups of Germans. The rest
of the state was formerly settled by Virginians. Of course,
there are Irishmen all over the state; these came in rapidly
of late. One of the prettiest and richest parts was granted
by the government in 1817 to a French settlement, refugees
from Martinique during the insurreB:ion of the slaves in
that island in r 8 r 6.
The general features of the country are made up of hills
and dales. In the north-eastern part, the hills are quite
high. The people call them mountains; but I can never
make up my mind that it is so; these hills are not over five
hundred or six hundred feet above the level of the dale below. Further south, and in the whole of the western part,
the hills vary from one hundred to three hundred feet in
height, though steep enough, and separated by narrow and
irregular valleys.
There are several water courses: the Tennessee River,
which is navigable; the Coosa, rising in the extreme North
West of Georgia, becomes navigable a few miles before it
enters Alabama and remains so for about one hundred and
fifty miles; it then becomes impassable, owing to cascades
and rocks, until it is joined, a few miles above Montgomery,
the capital of the state, by the Tallapoosa, coming also from
Georgia. From this junB:ion springs the Alabama River,
navigable down to Mobile. Before reaching Mobile, about
seventy miles north of that city, the Alabama River is overtaken by the Tombigbee, famous in negro songs, and both
form what is called the Mobile River; this name is kept
until its waters are swallowed up by Mobile Bay which, in
its turn, is l9st in the Gulf of Mexico. The Tombi~bee is
�54
ALABAMA.
navigable almost all the way from Demopolis to Mobile ;
and sometimes, at high water, from Tuscaloos<l:.
.
The educational system is carried out well m thts state ;
the teachers are competent and well paid. There is not a
hamlet which has not its public scho_ol. I.n t?w~s, these
schools are considered superior educattonal mstttuttons. I
do not recolleCt to have entered a house or even a hut of
white people without finding a local newspaper, and _frequently Northern papers, seCtarian papers of course. Bestdes
the public schools, there are many normal school~ and sectarian colleges and seminaries, as they call the~ ; some for
boys, others for girls. I do not know of any mtxed college
or seminary in this part of the country. Talladega has a
large negro school where preachers and teachers are
cated. It is supported by the funds of Northern Evangelical
Union societies.
The religious denominations are numerous; the Baptists
and Methodists are about of equal strength, and, I think,
form five-eighths of the whole population. These seCts are
much at variance with each other, even where they have the
same name; the only time when they agree, as everywhere
else, is when there is question of something against the
Catholic Church. There are here Free Baptists, Hard-shell
Baptists, and other. Baptists; Free Methodists, Protestant
Episcopal Methodists South, Independent Methodists, Primitive and Zion Methodists. The Episcopalians are not numerous ; the better class of people belong to this church,
some to the High, others to the Low Church. They call
themselves Catholics ; I have sometimes been misled by this
name; they call us Romanists when they mean well, and
Papists when they talk slang. Presbyterians are, after the
Baptists and Methodists, the most numerous denomination
and the bitterest against the Catholics. Lutherans and other
seCts are not numerous. Jews are everywhere all over the
state, a~d in great numbers relatively to the population;
they thnve here. They render me rrreat services and I feel
at ease. with them. They come fro~ the Europe~n German
countnes.
The prospe.Ets o.f converting Alabama are not great at
present, ~spectally m the country, and in towns where there
ts no rest~ent priest: I. am :'lcquainted with many Protestants;. I at~ at getttng t? \~tth them, mingling with them,
speakmg wtth them on mdtfferent subieEts and soon one
J
way <;>r another, t~e conversation turns on ' religion : ' they
?pen tt on t~at su~JeEt; I ha:re but to answer their questions;
t happens t~ qmte ~ natural way; no strain, no fuss, no
quarrel, all 1s done m the ordinary way. of conversation.
e?u-
�ALABAMA.
55
When they hear of the tenets of the Catholic creed, of the
age of the Church and the number of its adherents, they
open their eyes in amazement; my seeming good nature engenders confidence in them and they speak out their ideas
on the Church, the priests· and the Jesuits. Queer ideas
they are indeed, and though they are on serious matter,
they tickle and amuse me very much; even educated people
have such odd notions about us. Such conversations give
me an occasion of offering them a book (usually the Faitlt
t!/ Our Fat!tcrs, or the Catlzolic Bdiif) which will tell them
all about Catholics. They accept the book and assure me
it will be read carefully. When I have no book of the kind
with me, I send them one by mail on the first occasion. Of
course these books are given to 'keep and the recipient is
asked to pass them to his friends, if any seem willing to learn
of us. Over three hundred copies were thus distributed by
me to Protestants. They will bring fruit qooner or later; at
least they will remove prejudices. The effeCts of reading
such books are clearly seen in my subsequent visits; people
receive me with more cordiality, have numerous questions
to ask, and, in some cases, they relate with zest how they
have shut up such or such a preacher speaking in an abusive
and false manner of the Catholic Church and its ministers.
Within the last two years I received seventeen converts
into the Church ; they were exceptions; some married to
Catholics, others about to be married to Catholics-I do not
exaCt so much of these; and others who gave satisfaCtory
signs of perseverance either on account of their superior
education or other circumstances. My principle is to be
slow in making converts in places like these, where they
cannot be well instruCted nor visited frequently. There are
several persons on a fair \vay to conversion; if they prove
worthy, they will be received in due time.
As for the colored people outside the cities, I really do
not know what we can do for them at present. According
to researches and computations made by Father Holaind in
1886, there were 6,752,813 negroes, and among those six
millions and a half, we cannot claim more than 100,000.
They are altogether a fickle and unprincipled set of beings,
and enthusiastic only over their shoutings and night meetings, which, in country places, are far from being moral, and
farther still from being Christian assemblages. To a certain
extent the same may be said of the camp-meetings of the
different seCts. I cannot reveal what I know, but it makes
one blush to think that Christianity should be so abused
and made an occasion of evil rather than of good.
· The Catholics are not numerous in Alabama nor in the
�ALABAMA.
neighboring states-Georgia and Mississippi ; yet both these
states count a greater percentage than Alabama. I c~nn~t
at present ascertain the exaa number, ?ut I s~ou~d th10~ It
much to say 15,000. Outside of Mob1_le a!ld 1ts 1mmed1ate
vicinity, there· are ab<.mt I_,50? Cathobcs ~~ ~o~tgom~ry;
there must be more 10 B1rm10gham; but 1t IS 1mposs1ble
even to guess the number at present, as the_ popula~ion is c;>f
recent date and many that work in faaones and 10 pubbc
works do dot show themselves to be Catholics, especially
those who are engaged in the iron line; they seem as hard
as the metal they handle, and they do not usually show off
their faith in words, and still less in condua. Apart from
these three places, there are not to be found in any town
over 250 members of th~ true Church. Selma. does n<;>t
count quite 250; after Selma, the town that counts most IS
probably Tuscaloosa, that showed up, some ~ime past, 16
families· then come Anniston, Decatur, Huntsville, Gadston,
Eufaula: Demopolis and Greensboro, that count four Catholic
families each; and then the number diminishes until it reaches
its minimum-one family in a town-and sometimes only
the father or the mother belong to our Church. Then, there
is Talladega, a flourishing town of 5,000 souls that has not
a single Catholic. It is strange, but it is a faa; I am well
acquainted with the place. Leaving out Mobile, there is
one Catholic for every 200 inhabitants.
This perhaps is the place to tell you how to account for
this small number of the faithful. As mentioned above, the
former settlers of the state were for the greater part from
Virginia; they did not bring in a Catholic element, and this
is the chief reason. The priests also have alwavs been scarce
in this diocese, though it dates from 1826, and. unfortunately
some of them, :specially those in the country-Well, they
were not a cred1t to the Catholic priesthood-a faa which
this set of hypocrites turned to advantage against the Church.
Thus, they were not influential with Protestants. There
was nothing _to arouse their better nature, nothing to give
t~em enthu~1asm; and frequently the trouble they took was
ltttle app:ectated and al?p~rently of little avail-enough to
aba_te the1r fervor. _Thetr mcome was necessarily small and
thetr expenses relatively lar_g~, cau~ed by the long journeys
they had to undertake to v1s1t the1r people. These, being
poo~, rather expeaed h~lp ~rom ~he priest than to give him
any, thus there was dtssatlsfachon on both sides. Hence
there were no _converts_; these are made more by example
than by preach10g! best?e.s th:y require long and assiduous
care, good and sobd trammg 10 the principles of our faith
and, most of all, the grace of God on the priest's efforts'.
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51
The Catholics themselves fell off, some few through formal
apostasy, and others-and many they were and are nowthrough a lingering indifference, died a slow death to the
true faith.
You must know that almost all the Catholics that settled
in Alabama were of the poorer class of people, badly instruaed and frequently not able to repel the attacks they
had to encounter from the sophistry of the preachers and of
their neighbors. These Catholics came on, one by one, or
two by two; they were employed at some public work and
settled near by. Many were single men, who got entangled
with Protestant women whom they made their wives. The
great loss, however, was due, and is due yet, to negleaing
the children. Even where the father and the mother were
good Catholics, the children, in most cases, became Protestants. The temptation was too great; they wanted to go with
other children; they went with them to their meeting-houses
and their Sunday-schools, and naturally they became Protestants. The parents, most likely, in such cases protested,
but you know enough of American children to realise how
much they heeded the protest. In sorrie few cases of my
personal experience, parents regret, so they say, that there
is no Catholic church in the neighborhood, as they and their
children have to go to Protestant churches if they want to
go to church at all. They are of opinion that in such cases
there is no harm, that it is even better than to stay home;
besides, they add, the preachers teach good things; for instance, they tell the people not to steal, not to curse, not to
drink and, above all, to have faith, pure faith in Jesus. You
can imagine my indignation at such talk. This state of
things grieved me often. The remedy is to visit these people
frequently. Must we give up and not resist? It would not
do. Some few may fall, no matter how much we exert ourselves, but the greater number will remain faithful.
It is my firm conviaion that if years back-say fifty or sixty
-a priest had gone about as Fr. Holaind did, and as I do
at present, we should have several thousands of members
that are now lost. I could count, in the Clistria under my
charge, from four to five thousand children and grand-children that should naturally be Catholics. Even. with the
data I have, without making it a point to find them out, I
can count several thousand lost ones. · The loss to the
Church in the country is greater than one would imagine at
first, and unfortunately the loss in cities is considerable too,
especially amongst young men. I fear many a priest will
have a long purgatory on this account. Of course the priests
do their duty; but this duty of theirs is understood in their
�SS!'!--
ALABAMA.
own way and not in its objeCtive value and obligation. In
some dioceses the number of converts does not at al~ come
up to the number of those who fall away. Yo~ w1ll say
that I am a Pessimist. Would to God I were! It 1s true, on
the whole, that the Catholics augment in this count:r in an
increasing ratio; but this is due more to generatton and
immigration than to conversion.
Another great drawback to the conversion of Prote~tants
(I do not speak of their prejudices, nor ~f t~e bad fatth of
the preachers) is the faCt tha~ t~e Catholtcs: ~n the country
places and in the great maJonty of the cttles, are of the
humbler and poorer class-servant girls, laborers and mechanics; aristocratic people (there are many. su7h .here,
though it is a republic) consider it beneath their dtgmty to
belong to the church of these despicable foreign paupers.
The priests themselves in their attire-the result either of
want or of careless and blameful negligence, and in some
cases of uncouth manners-do not impress one favorably,
and often repel respeCtable Protestants. Such are, it seems to
me, some of the causes of the small number of Catholics in
Alabama.
But brighter prospeCts are before this diocese. \Ve have
a young, energetic and saintly bishop, Rt. Rev. Jeremiah
O'Sullivan, an untiring and zealous worker. He is doing
his very best to increase the number of his priests, and to
help them in every way. He looks to every detail; encourages the good and is firm with the bad. The people, as a
general thing, are neither bad nor ill-disposed,and apparently
the acceptable time, the time of harvest, is at hand. If we
were to exert ourselves and go to the trouble and expense
Ours go ~o in other parts of the world, we would most likely
reap a btg crop. Now more than ever there is need of
watchfulne~s and care on account of immigration. Our life
h.ere has ne1ther the charms nor the poetry of a foreign misSion amongst the heathen, but it has some of its realities,
enough to satisfy the cravings and the zeal of an ordinarv
Jesuit.
·
~ow, dear father, after this summary view of the state of
aC:alrs .in Alabama, Y.ou can accompany me on one of my
tnps With clearer notions and more satisfaCtion
. We are in Selm<~;. But where is Selma? Wh~t is it? How
d1d we get here? Well, Selma is a little town in the very
ce.ntre of ~labama on the north-west bank of the Alabama
R1ver. It IS now a dull, dead little place, having not as yet
felt .the effeCts of t!te boom in the state. It will soon feel it,
for It has all that nature could give to make it a wealthy
and prosperous town. The current of the boom did nci't
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�ALABAllf'A.
59
come this way as yet, owing to some few rich men, who find
it more profitable to have it all their own way than to let in
any competitor. Their way is to lend out money, at the legal
rate of eight per cent, to the planters and farmers; yet when
these borrow, for instance $100.00, only $8o.oo are given
them. The population of Selma is about 10,000 souls of
whom I guess 4,000 are colored people.
Before and during the war of secession, Selma had several
industries; these were destroyed and burned down by the
viCtorious armies of the North with so much the more zest
as they were large arsenals, gun shops and faCtories of other
war ammunitions. We came to Selma less than eight years
ago, at the earnest request of the bishop of Mobile, Rt. Rev.
John Quinlan, a devoted friend of Ours. He died four years
ago, and his successor, Bishop Manucy, died over two years
ago. There have been several resident priests in this place,
but, for some reason or other, they did not do much goodespecially the last,tw ho is dead some years. The church
was heavily in debt and caused great embarrassment to the
bishop, \vho had no money; the.parishioners were displeased
with this prelate because he did not change their pastor, and
they refused to help him or even to go to divine service ;
thus things were in a bad state. Rev. Fr. Butler, the present
superior of the New Orleans Mission, came to the rescue
and sent Fr. Free to settle the difficulty. \Ve took the
church and its property and assumed the debt. A few
months later, Fr. Holaind was appointed superior of Selma,
and Fr. Free was recalled. Another father and a brother
joined Fr. Holaind, and they began work in earnest.
One of his first cares was to see that Selma got a school
for girls. The Ladies of the Sacred Heart came here and
are doing much good. The boys' school was taught, at
times, by the fathers. vVhen Fr. J. O'Shanahan became
superior, he built a school-house for the boys that would be
an ornament to a city. From the very start, one of the fathers visited some of the towns within a radius of fifty or
sixty miles from Selma, where they knew there were three
or four Catholic families, said Mass for them and administered the sacraments. By degrees, as time rolled on, the
fathers heard of a Catholic family in one place, of another
elsewhere; these were visited likewise. Finally Fr. Holaind,
replaced at Selma by Fr. O'Shanahan, was free to give all
his time and all his energies to finding out scattered Catholics, taking care meanwhile of the former ones. He was,
for three years, exclusively engaged in this arduous labor;
and built two churches, one in Brierfield and one in Anniston. He made himself all to all and was very much be-
�r·w&·-·:-
·; rrw
ALABAMA.
,:.'1
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loved and admired by all that were acquai?ted wi~h him;
and these were numerous in every wal~ o: hfe and ~n every
denomination. He removed many preJudices andid1d much
good, but was obliged to l~a~e m~ch u?done.
t was not
his fault; far from it. In mlsswns hke th1s much,good must
necessarily be left undone.
.
As long as the pecuniary resources of the r_>nest on the
missions are not greater, and as long as the_ children ~f the
scattered Catholics, especially those of m1xed marnages,
cannot be brought to Selma for a mo~th's stay, at the ~east,
to be prepared for their first Commumon, much good w1ll be
left undone much trouble taken, and little success. To
bring these ~hildren to Selma, the priest would, in nine cases
out of ten, have to pay the <::xpenses of travelling, of boarding, and, in some cases, of clothing. Five young women,
whom I saw on the eve of marriage, were thus brought to
Selma at my expense. They were kindly boarded and instruCted by the Ladies of the Sacred Heart. To instruCt:
the children at home is an· impossibility, and the one who
would suggest it would prove evidently that he knows nothing about the country. The parents are incapable of doing
it; they themselves are not sufficiently instruB:ed, and, where
this is not the case, they lack time and courage. I have
given a catechism apiece to all the children who could read,
and I left the Faith if Our Fathers in many houses, recommending them to read it on Sundays in the family circle. I
have exhorted the parents to see that their children learn a
few lines in their catechism every week, and promised the
children a reward if they knew the few lines assigned ; but
all this was of no avail, or, at least, of very little use. My
subsequent visit found them in statu quo.
The priest has not time to stay more than one day, or at
most two days; the accomodations also are such that he is.
~lad to get out as soon as possible. My greatest mortification was to stay over twenty-four hours in many a place; I
felt that my ho~ts were uneasy all the time ; they f~lt their
poverty and the1r shortcomings, notwithstanding all I could
do_ to prevent this uneasiness. I have about forty-five or fifty
children that should be cared for-and some of them soon
for they are grown-if I do not wish them to escape me and
fall off, or rather become nothing neither Protestant nor
Cath_olic. This is a I?ainful thought; so much the more so,
as _w1th all my ex~rtwns I can do nothing to remedy the
e_v1l, my mea~s bemg unfortunately too limited. My contmual travelhng causes my expenses to be about four times
larger tha~ the mission's income; and it seems there is no
chance to mcrease my funds, Chacun pour soi, et Dieu pour
�ALABAMA.
6t
tous, seems to be the motto. I often wished I had some of
the money that is spent in less useful work in some of our
houses.
One more explanation before we begin to travel. You ·
did not bargain for so many explanations, nor did I when I
began to write; but as I am in the humor let us have it all.
(It is not often I am in such a humor). I niust tell you
what distance you would have to go over, if you were to
follow me throughout. From Selma to Demopolis westward, fifty miles by rail ; from Demopolis down the dear old
Tombigbee River southward one hundred and twenty-four
miles to Bladon Landing; thence to Mr. C., a Catholic family,
ten miles; from here to Coffeeville sixteen miles ;-the furthest point in this dire8:ion I ever visited ;-in all two hundred miles. East north-east, the last point up the railroad is
Tecumseh, one hundred and sixty-seven miles from Selma;
thence twelve miles into the country ;-thus there are in this
dire8:ion one hundred and seventy-nine miles. Therefore
the whole length of my mission, following the roads, is three
hundred and seventy-nine miles. The width varies along
the railroad. There are Catholics on both sides of it, five,
eight, ten, twenty and twenty-five miles away. On the other
side of Selma, south and south-west, north and north-west,
the territory is much larger; it embraces most of that portion
between Selma and Mobile. But the Catholics are very
scarce here, one or two in a whole county. There would
be more Catholics, if they were not of such a shifting nature.
Anniston, for a time, under Fr. Holaind, had a large congregation, but most had left the place when I succeeded him.
Several families through my influence left their former homes
to reside in towns where they and their numerous children
could get the benefit of Catholic schools, etc. It does not
matter by whom the good is done, provided it be done.
There are now in all this large territory, Selma not included,
only 481 Catholics large and small, who are known to me.
Here is the sum-total of what I did during the last two
years: visited seventeen counties, some only partially; said
Mass in fifty-six different stations; revalidated or settled
nine marriages (Tamctsi is in vigor in Alabama); received
seventeen Protestant adults into the Church; nineteen first
Communions of grown persons; twelve sick-calls followed
by death (some of these were visited several times, besides
other sick-calls); gave over one thousand two hundred
Communions; heard about one thousand three hundred
confessions; met with two religious vocations; sent five
orphans to Orphan Asylum in New Orleans; sent four sick
persons to the New Orleans Charity Hospital. The travel-
�·ALABAMA.
ling expenses of the orphans and of the sick persons were
paid by me.
, .
Let us travel now at last. Came in from a two weeks tnp
yesterday at I0.30 A. ~r. It ~s Wednesday, .the 27th of
April; my satchels are ready; m one of the~ rs absolutely
every art_icle one may need ~o say Mass, bap.ttse, and attend
to sick-calls ; in the other rs a change of lmen and a few
books. The larger satchel weighs twenty-four pounds, !he
smaller, nine pounds. It is a quarter of I2 111. We a~e ~omg
down. the Alabama River on the boat, of Capt. Fmmgan.
\Ve shall take dinner on board the boat. At I 2, sharp, the
boat leaves the wharf. \Ve are on time. After the usual
salutations and a cordial welcome (the captain and the first
clerk are crood Catholics) the captain says to me: "\Veil,
father, I thought you were not going to travel with me any
longer, since the time we got stuck in the. mud." (~n a
previous trip we had been stuck on a sand bar for forty-erght
hours and no exertion could help us out; all the trees along
the shore were uprooted by cables tied to them and wound
in on windlasses. We were finally liberated by another boat
coming up the river).
After dinner I am introduced to a Rev. Dr. K. presiding
elder of the Methodist .Episcopal church in this seB:ion.
We are but a few passengers (ten or twelve); our conversation runs on different subjeB:s for a long time; at last it
turns on religion; on authority in the Church, on its discipline, on secret societies-socialists and anarchists especially
-then on dogmatical questions. He asks much about the
Jesuits; he knows the Selma priests are Jesuits; all the
passengers gather around _us and listen to our conversation,
feeding it by occasional inquiries. At supper time, an old
acquaintance of mine on the missions comes on board, Rev.
Dr..H. a Presbyterian p~eacher, as serious and as gravelookmg as a statue. He rs known to my Methodist friend ·
we sit t_o!?ether i~ the saloon of the boat, everybody around
us; relrgrous toprcs on the Catholic Church hot and heavy
betwe~n the _two preach~rs; both are wrong and I have to
come m agamst them_; rt is done in an easy, unpretending
manner, no fuss about rt. The captain tells us we shall likely reach Clifton, my landing, ninety miles from Selma, at
about I I P. 111. It_r~ not worth while to go to bed. My
office and other spmtual exercises finished I return to the
crowd; I I o'clock passes, I2 passes and \~e are not there
yet. Stoppage~ at landings after landings ; here a box of
eg~s,there a prle of staves to take in. At last we reach
Chfton after I o'clock A. M.
·.It is my first visit here. D r. H . 1an d s wrth me; we are
·
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�ALABA.lfA.
6.3
brought to the home of the warehouse keeper; it is not a
hotel, but he takes in passengers. Dr. H. takes a lunch; I
keep fasting in the hope of saying Mass in the morning.
"That's strange," the Dr. remarks, "you cannot eat before
service?" "It is a matter of discipline in use in the Church
from the apostolic ages; we celebrate with cooler heads and
drier throats." Here the Dr. makes a long tirade on the
good of prohibition (they are f.1.natics on this subjeCt: of late
years in Alabama). I beg to differ, and argue that the part
of a preacher is to advise abstinence and, in some cases, total
abstinence; this being virtue, the contrary, coercion and
tyranny. I ask to be shown a room ; the landlord begs to
be excused as he has only one bed free. "Well, one bed
will do for me," is my reply, "and if Dr. H. has no objection to sleep with me, I have none to sleep with him." I
hoped he would refuse and thought they would find room
for him, being a friend of theirs. vVe slept together. Many
a creature got a good meal that night; holy blood too.
Cleanliness is not one of the weak points of country people
in Alabama.
At 5 A. M., Thursday, 28th of April, both of us are up. I
stroll along the banks of the river saying my prayers. After
some time I inquire about the man that was to meet me. It
had been well understood by both parties that we would
meet at that place. It is my invariable custom to write, a
week or so ahead, to the party to be visited. No one knows
of my man, not even his name. After consideration, my
hopes to say Mass vanish. The excuse I give is that no
one of my Church is present -it is only an excuse, for I
said Mass on several other occasions having only Protesta-nt
attendants. How much this is against the rules of the
Church, I leave it to the rubricists to discuss.
Break£1.st is relished, though it be fried bacon and cornbread, with a cup of coffee. The Presbyterian preacher is
disappointed likewise; so he makes up his mind to "go it on
foot." Meanwhile we enter into an argument on predestination, and jog along for a mile and a hal£ We are on the
road to my destination. The poor Dr. gets the worst of it
when I ask him of what use his preaching can be to his
hearers, if they believe that, no matter how good, honest
and moral they may try to be, if they are predestined to go
to hell, they wiJ:hgo there; and no matter how many crimes
they may commit, if they are predestined to go to heaven
they will reach it. Here he avows his faith is not so satisfaB:ory; I remark that it is one of his fundamental articles;
then ensues a long talk on faith, when the Dr., pretty much
puzzled, reminds me of my kindness in accompanying him
�ALABAMA.
so far. I take the hint and return to the landing. No news
of my man.
.
.
A wagon, loaded with oats, bran and corn meal, ts start~ng
for a store sixteen miles away, on the road to m~ Cath_?hcs.
My bill paid (I never fail to pay for me~ls, lodgm_g, htre of
horse or mule, w:here it can be done wtth propnety), and
my satchels broug~t to the wagon, I climb to th~ very top.
After a short time my black clothes are as whtte a~ seashore sand. All along the road we meet teams commg to
the landing; every driver is asked: ''Did Mr. L. send you
to meet anybody at the landing?" "No saar, ~ does not
know Mr. L." About six miles from the landmg, a man
with a mule and an open spring-wagon overtakes us. H_e
looks at me and I look at him. No one speaks. No suspicion that he might be the right man ; he came from the
wrong direCtion. He·breaks the silence and inquires bluntly and awkwardly: "Who are you?" I reply in the same
tone: "Who are vou ?"-"I am Mr. L."-"\Vell! you are
the right man," I ~xclaim with joy, for I had no assurance,
that, once at the store, I would get a means to ride further;
and my destination was fourteen miles hence. "I am the
man, too; I'll go with you," and giving a cigar to my first
driver, we part.
.
My new driver tells me he has his father, his brother and
his sister at home; that they have not seen a priest for fifteen
years, since they left Mobile; and that all have made their
first Communion. We travel along very slowly; the sun is
very hot; dinner time is at hand. We ask at two houses,
but we miss it; they tell us they are not ready to give us
anything. My driver knows of a store near by, but he suggests we should not call there as they will make us pay.
We go there however, get dinner, and I pay. The mule
gets his dinner too. After a rest of about an hour and a
h_alf we start again. But, a few miles off, we take the wrong
stde of a forked road and thus only reach our destination
af~er I I ~- M. Wear~ anxiously expeCted; we take supper
wtth a reltsh, talk awhtle and retire. The house contains two
:ooms and three beds. My driver and myself sleep together
tn the room of two beds. \Ve all get up before sunrise.
Th~ house_ folks are not tired; they have confession on the
bram. It ts understood that all have to ao to their duties
wherever my visits are at two or three.>~onths' interval.
_In the first l~tter that I write to newly discov~red Cathohc_s, I never fat! to say: "I expeCt all of you to ao to your
duties; be sure not to disappoint me." I add al~o another
phrase: "My visit must not put you to any trouble I am
not hard to please, and I will not be of any expense t~ you."
�ALABAMA.,
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Experience has taught me to take these precautions; for
my letters were not answered in the beginning, owing to the
faCt: that the people had no money to give me, even where
they were pretty well off. But how do I get to know of
such people? Here is my way. On the trains, boats, and
everywhere, I get talking with the people; they come to
know that I am not a drummer but a priest, or a Catholic
preacher-the word in use. I ask these people whether they
know of any Catholics in the neighborhood; if they do, I
secure their addresses, write to them, enclose a stamped envelope with my address, and ask them to reply. They generally answer, even when they are not Catholics, for sometimes Protestant names are given to me.
When I come, for the first time, to a public work, such as
a furnace, a mine, a railroad or a bridge building, I ask for
the superintendent, tell him my mission, and ask him whether
he has any Catholics working for him ; he receives me with
indifference and answers invariably: "I do not know." I
ask then .to be shown a pay-roll or a list of his employees.
When I find a genuine Irish, French or German name, I inquire in what department the man bearing that name is
working. I am direCted, if not accompanied, by the general
manager; I begin conversation with the man sought for;
if he is a Catholic, he will promptly answer me : "Yes,
father." When I hear this answer, it is enough ; I tell him
that I shall see him again; I then continue to stroll about
with the superintendent, who, so far, has always invited me
to stop at his house. I do so with pleasure. When I have
one Catholic, with his help, I soon find out the others, if
there be any more. Some one, observing my ways, maliciously remarked: "This is a sponging kind of a mission ;
what you do there!"
When my letters reach Protestants instead of Catholics,
they must be edified when they read: "I will not be of any
expense to you." It is quite different from what their
preachers do ; they preach for a living ; that is the opinion
of almost everybody. This accounts for the great abundance
of such peopl:e, their ignorance and their bigotry; they get
tired of ploughing, get a call from heaven and take to
preaching. I am acquainted with crowds of preachers, and
some show their ignorance by asking me where my wife and
children are living; yet these very fellows preach long tirades
against Catholics in their meetings. I hear of this on subsequent visits; and when I meet these preachers again they
get a polite hint not to speak of Catholics, as they do not
know anything about them ; I offer them a book that will
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ALABAMA.
give them information, the Faith f!( Our Fathers, or some such
work; they usually accept the book; about a dozen have
thus been giveh; what will be the result is hard to tell; it
may be good. This is a long digression ;-well, to come
back to our Catholic family.
Everything being prepared, and the confessions heard, I
say Mass and give a long instruCtion. Nothing is so difficult as this kind of preaching; one has to be very much on
his guard not to say anything too personal, and especially
what might seem to be a revelation of confession. After
Mass, I say my office walking about, for we are in the woods.
Breakfast is served; the piece de resistance is a nice and tender-looking kid. Here is a puzzle! It is Friday, April 29th.
Must I eat the meat and keep mum, or tell them about it?
I tell them, and trouble·them very much; for there is
nothing else ib the house; the few hens' nests are searched
and a few eggs are found; not enough for all. There is
nothing to be done except to tell them to eat meat, as, in
such cases, the Church does not seem to enforce her laws.
·Meat is the ordinary dish, and almost always bacon, and
bought bacon too. You cannot imagine the listlessness of
these country people; they could raise fine vegetables everywhere, yet nothing of the kind is done. Anything but
meat is a feast for them; fish, fresh fish is a luxury. \Veil,
the eggs are served •.soft-boiled eggs, hard-boiled eggs and
omelet.
After breakfast I mount a saddled mule and set out on an
eight miles' ride for the house of a woman, who is supposed
to be a Catholic. After riding for three hours in the l}ot sun,
along rather uneven roads, I reach the place and an1..re.ceived
coldly; she tells me that she was a Catholic, but that she has
joined her husband's church. She is the mother of thirteen
children-all lost! I express my regrets and hope that she,
together with her family, will rejoin the only true Church.
Nothing else to be done. On my return it is late and no
dinner ready, as I was not expeCted. Again eggs, hardboiled and soft-boiled eggs, and biscuit for dinner. No
supper. You cannot imagine what this biscuit is and
how it tastes when cold; it is dough without yeast, half
baked. Meanwhile half a dozen or more neighbors, having
heard of a priest's presence, have come to the house to see
what kind of a thing a priest is; they are disappointed;
and they say so too; they aver that I look just like any
other gentleman.
We again retire late and rise early. All having once
more gone to confession and to Communion and having
heard Mass, at which a little speech was made for the benefit
�ALABAMA.
of the twelve or thirteen neighbors present, we take breakfast
and start, on the same spring-wagon, for another twenty-five
miles' ride to the Tombigbee River. \Ve travel until after I
P. 111. After two useless trials, we get dinner at a hut; whence,
after resting awhile, we start for the nearest landing, to meet
the boat which is to bring me to Bladon Landing ;-this is
my destination. About three miles from the landing we
meet a team coming thence; my driver is acquainted with
the teamster; we ask about the run of the boats ; he tells
us that there is no boat coming down to-day, that two went
down yesterday. I can scarcely believe him, yet he seems
to know. What's to be done? To take a skiff and row or
float down would be one of the ways to reach Tompkinsville
where there is a Catholic family; but the river makes a large
bend here, and it is twenty-five miles around the curve; it is
doubtful also whether or not I can get a skiff; and it is very
dangerous work in the kind of skiffs they have here, a hollow log usually; besides, to-morrow will be Sunday, and I do
not wish to miss Mass. Well, we take the road to the next
ferry, twelve miles away, near Tompkinsville. And what a
road! steep, washed out, and so muddy for two miles on
approaching the ferry that I fear we cannot reach there.
We arrive, however, at 10 P. M. They ask two dollars for
taking us across with the team and two dollars more to bring
back my driver, because the river is far above high-water
mark. We conclude that I shall cross alone and walk it to
the Catholic family two miles thence. A stout strong negro
is willing to carry my satchel for fifty cents and to show me
the path, for we have to pass through the woods. I say good
bye to my driver and we separate for good.
The negro has to walk ahead of me; it is dangerous in
this part of the country to do otherwise. A few months
previous, an Iris~ peddler, a strong young man, had been
knocked down and foully murdered by his guide for the
little money he had, as was supposed. Happily we have
n}oonlight and- good weather. We arrive at Mr. K.'s after
I I P. l\1., not expeB:ed, as it was not my planned· route, and
so we have to fight three or four snappish dogs; at last we
are heard and admitted. The two old people occupy one .
little house, and the son, married to a Protestant, occupies
another house close by. The old couple have but one bed,
which they insist on my taking. It never enters their minds
that I may think it is not clean. Perhaps also they have no
change of linen; so I say nothing about it. They wish to
prepare some' supper; but, as it would be midnight before it
is ready, I go to bed with a cup of milk for supper. Of
course I keep myself in full dress and use my handkerchief
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for a pillow-covet. I stay here till Tuesday morning, May
3rd. No incidents here except that I ride out every day,
eight or ten miles, to see what can be done with renegade
Catholics. No success; they have lost the faith!
On Tuesday we take to the river at about 10 o'clock A. ~1.
and wait for the boat till 6 P.M. No dinner; the boat may
come at any moment. I am well received on the boat; we
are old friends, though none of the crew are Catholics.
Here I get a long and enjoyable rest. We land at Bladon
at I I A.M. on the 4th of May. I am not expeCl:ed by my
people; they had come for me on Sunday as I had written.
About a mile from the landing there is a very nice family of
Swedes, Lutherans of course ; thither I walk with my two
satchels ; it is up hill and .the heat is intense. The master
is absent; the teams are in the field. At 4 P. M. he comes
home and gives me a buggy and two mules to reach my destination. It is agreed that the mules will return that evening
as it is the busy season in the fields. I drive along slowly
. for twelve miles; when I come to the house of Mr. C., my
Catholic friend, there is no one at home; the neighbors, a
quarter of a mile off, tell me that the wife is twenty-five
miles away, and the father and daughter two miles away
on a field, and that they will not return home, having a hut
to lodge in over night. Three dollars are offered in vain to
have my mules brought back; nobody wants to do it. My
word is pledged that the mules are to return home; there is
no alternative; I must do it mysel( After giving them a
mouthful to eat, I leave my satchels at this man's house and
beg him to send word to Mr. C. that I am at the landing
waiting for him. I pity my poor animals, they h11Cl··been
working the whole day, and I let them have their own way.
It is long after sunset when I start, but it is a beautiful
clear night ; so I make the best of it. Once in the woods,
I try my musical talent and sing all the songs and bits of
songs that come to my mind; profane songs and sacred
hymns; in Latin, English, French and German; in low voi~;e
and high voice, at times as loud as my pulmonary powers
can afford; and when tired of singing I whistle, and then
sing again. There is not a house along this road in the
midst of the woods for ten miles; I make noise enough to
frighten anybody that may hear me, even the rabbits and
foxes in this secluded retreat of theirs. I reach the landing
at about midnight, and have to ask for supper, but there is
no difficulty here. Of course no Mass the following morning,
Thursday, the 5th of May, as my satchels are at the other
end of the road.
My man arrives with two saddled horses at about 10 A. M.
�ALABAMA.
We travel together; no special incident here. Friday, Mass
said, etc., I direB: my way on horseback to Bladon Springs,
a once famous summer resort for the Southern people; here
lives an old gentleman whom I met six months ago for the
first time; he had never seen a priest and knew very little
more of the Catholics than their name and odd stories against
them ; he received a Faitlz o/ Our Fat!ters on our first meeting and procured himself other Catholic books, and studied
for himsel£ He came to the conclusion that the Catholic
Church was the only true Church; consequently, he wrote
to me and asked me what he had to do to conneCl himself
with that Church. I answered his letter, gave him full details, and mentioned especially what might be an obstacle to
his being received, such as secret societies, bad marriage and
general confession. We have a long talk, it is decided he
will be received, and he agrees to come on Saturday evening
to Mr. C.'s.
Saturday I ride out sixteen miles to see another family· I
have just heard of. They are happy to see me; they have
not seen nor heard of a priest for three years, the time they
left Canada for the South. The women and children go to
confession ; the men are working at a saw-mill; they promise
me to go to their duty on my next visit; for I cannot return
this time as I have some other appointments. On my return,
when about five miles from this family, towards 3 P. M., I
am suddenly overtaken by one of the worst storms I ever
saw; it is upon me before I suspeB: it. The hills and woods
around me leave only a few hundred yards' view. Trees
are bending, cracking and falling all around me; flashes of
lightning to dazzle anybody, and rain as if poured from
buckets ; no house in the neighborhood ! In less than three
minutes I am soaked from head to foot; my shoes are literally full of water; my umbrella is of no use. It is a dangerous position, too, on account of the old and tall pine-trees
all along the road. I get quite pious for a moment. The
storm does not last more than half an hour, but it is a long
half hour. There is now another difficulty ahead. There
are two creeks to be passed and they have risen to a great
height; is it safe or not to pass? No one to ask; I venture
it, taking my feet out of the stirrups and making myself
ready to swim. We cross safely, though my horse is raised
from the ground and swims with me on his back. It is not
a comfortable ride. Arrived at Mr. C.'s, the first thing I do
is to change; luckily I have a change of underclothing, and
my mission cassock serves for the rest. In a few hours all
is dry. The weather is nicer than ever.
In the ~vening, contrary to my expeB:ation on account of
�ALABAMA.
the storm, Mr. F. and his aged wife arrive, to talk about
the Church; there are many neighbors present; and late in
the evening the old man makes a full general confession of
seventy-six years-that is his age. Sunday morning the 8th
of May he receives conditional baptism and absolution. I
say Mass and preach to a considerable congregation ; at Mass
the Catholics rec~ive Communion; here the emotion of the
old man is no longer under control, he gives it full scope,
tears flow abundantly down his cheeks (and they welled up
in the eyes of all present). His wife is on the way to
become a Catholic too.-I am sorry I cannot give you more
details about this conversion. It was truly a miracle of
grace; but I must hurry on; my letter is already very long.
When all the ceremonies .are over and breakfast taken, I
pack up, and give a piB:ure,·a medal, scapulars and beads to
my people ; a medal and a piB:ure, with an explanation of
wors!tip, to all the rest.
\Ve start for the landing. \Ve have plenty of time.
Nothing strange here, except that I robe as if to say Mass,
to satisfy the ipquiries and curiosity of a crowd of Protestants, most of whom are known to me, and I give them explanations and references in the old testament, besides sundry
religious information. They are delighted, and wish to know
more about Catholics, so I give them a few books. In the
evening the boat arrives and takes me on board ; I am again
well received, and gratis too. It is not the same boat and
crew as the one on which I came down. Late Monday
evening we arrive in Demopolis. The boys are waiting for
me; they give word to all my people that I am to S<J.Y Mass
on Tuesday the roth of May at 5 o'clock, and that I aesire
all to go to their duties; seventeen out of twenty receive
the sacraments, everything is soon over, and all are on time
for their work. Wednesday I say Mass at Galion, Thursday
at Uniontown, and I return horne by 8 o'clock A.M. on this
day, the 12th of May. \Ve were out two weeks.
My first care on returning home is to look over my correspondence. In one of the letters is an account of a sick
person; from all appearance there is no time to be lost. My
provisions renewed, etc., on Friday morning the 13th of May,
at 6 A. M., I take the train for the north-eastern part of my
mission and make another two weeks' trip. Many incidents
again in this trip, but all more or less like those of the previous ~ne. I shall mention two only.
One evening after dark, I arrived at a railroad station (not
much choice of time, there are only two trains a day on this
line), and I hired a horse so as to visit a family well known
to me; I had visited the place many times before. This
�ALABA11£A.
71
family was living in the woods about four miles from the
station ; to reach their house there are two roads : I took
the by-road. The skies were clear, yet it was rather dark
in the woody part of the way. I went along leisurely,
holding my satchel on the pommel of the saddle (an awkward way to ride), and all went well with me. The following morning, however, the news reached us that a poor old
man of the vicinity, who was peddling patent medicine to
make an honest living, had been murdered for the sake of
the few dollars he was supposed to have (for everybody
testified that there could be no other reason, as the man was a
good old soul); and that his body was yet lying on the very
path through which I had passed. I probably passed very
near the corpse the evening before; luckily I knew nothing
about it and suspeB:ed nothing. I would not like much
to be thus knocked do\vn for the sake of the few dollars I am
supposed to have, and which at times I do not have. If I
were to be killed for my faith, I would not objeCt: so much,
especially if it were by surprise; I should thus gain something by it.
The second incident is this: on returning from a charcoal
colliery in the hills of Clay Co., where I had hard times and
met with many privations, I got one, of my crazy headaches.
Fortunately I put up with a well-to-do and very nice Protestant family. All that kindness, sympathy and medical
skill could do was done for me. Two doB:ors were sent for,
and, notwithstanding all my protestations that I was subjeCt:
to these headaches, and that I would get over the spell
without treatment, all was of no avail, I had to submit to
their lavish care and kind treatment. It was very mortifying, but I could not prevent it. I had to stay here two nights
(though I was over the attack after the first night), as they
refused me the means to go further. I returned to Selma on
the 27th of May, stayed there twenty-four hours and then
started on another trip to Camden and its neighborhood.
This trip lasted only four days. I am now resting for three
or four days and putting my correspondence in order, after
which I shall start again on a two weeks' trip; and so on,
without interruption, summer or winter.
Is this not time, labor and money lost? No, dear father, by
no means. As I said above, if a priest had done what Fr.
Holaind has done and what I do, some thirty, forty or fifty
years ago, and had it been kept up, it is hard to say how
many Catholics we might have here now; but it is certain
we should have from five to six thousand, where now we
have not five hundred. And I repeat it, now more than
ever is the tim<; to be on the lookout on account of immi"
�72
ALABAMA.
gration. If we had five or six priests stationed at the central
places of my missions, who could be supported independently of the people, they would in a few years change the
appearance of things; and I do·not hesitate to affirm that
the money and labor thus spent would bring abundant fruits,
and, such an investment of labor and money as is spent in
China, India, and Africa, would bring as great if not a greater income here ad majorem Dei glon"am.
These details, Rev. and dear father, will give you an idea
of my work, yet not a complete and just idea, as I did not
mention my frettings, and my sorrowings on beholding the
danger of apostasy still threatening, after I have gone to so
much trouble ; and on finding troubles, sufferings, privations
and miseries of all kinds amongst my flock. But such
troubles are inevitable in- ·whatever position we may be,
especially if we be directors of souls and have the care
of congregations or parishes to attend to ; so you will
readily understand them and spare me the trouble of entering into details. Of course all these sufferings are kindly
intermingled by God with joy and consolation, else one
could not stand it. This is a long letter to say so little.
But "these little things seem great to little men."
R•• v•• servus in Xto.,
A. B. FRIEND, s. J.
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Letter from the Mission of the Sacred Heart-Dec. 5th, r887.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
The promises of our Lord to Blessed Margaret Mary
are already realised in the wonderful effeas produced among
the savage tribes of these mountains. The tribe of Indians,
called Cceur d'Alene, or "Heart of an Awl," was, in early
times, one of the most savage. Their nature, strong and
bold, gave birth, under the influence of superstitious principles and corrupt morals, to a people fierce and wholly
given up to aaions the most abominable. The tribe of the
Cceur d'Alenes is at present called the Mission of the Sacred
Heart, and, on account of the wonderful effeas wrought in
this tribe by the devotion to the Sacred Heart, it is not unworthy of the name.
The tribe, which a few years back made up a people the
most ferocious and superstitious, is now an example for
Catholics throughout these regions. Their quiet life and
their morals strike with admiration the very enemies of the
Church; who, when they reflea upon what these Indians
have been and what they now are, feel in the depths of their
souls the conviaion of the truth of the Catholic faith. Here
they behold a people formerly accustomed to wander through
the forests after the manner of wild beasts, slaves to the
most foolish superstitions and to the most degraded habits,
and given up to orgies and diabolical praaices, now, under the
benign ·influence of religion, living a life virtuous and peaceful: a people, who might indeed be destroyed but could
never be subjugated by force of arms, now submitting with
childlike simplicity to the guidance of a few missionaries, at
the least sign of whose will, they are ready to check their
rising passions and regulate their lives. Let the following
serve as an example.
One of the Cceur d'Al<!nes was engaged with a companion in making a boat for the passage of a river; and as this
passage was already occupied or intended to be occupied by
the whites, there arose one of the common conflias between
the Indians and the whites. The Indian, strong and fierce
by nature, had sworn to remain steadfast in his purpose; nor
could he be moved, either by the threats of the whites, or
by the counsels of the wisest among his friends, who thought
(73)
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that it would be better to yield and thus remove all occasion
of trouble. But he was immovable ; he scorned the threats
of the whites and the advice of his friends, set at naught the
authority of his chiefs, and remained unshaken in his intention of defending himself against any one who would dare
attempt to thwart him in his purpose. There remained but
one solution for the difficulty, and that was to cause the
Indian to yield to the advice of the missionary; but even
this proved unavailing. The father counselled his wayward
child and protested that he ought to yield; but the Indian
was as stubborn as ever. The father, seeing that nothing
could be done, left him; when departing he shook hands most
warmly with all of the by-standers; the Indian on whom
his words had been wasted, advanced with the rest and
offered his hand also ; but the offered hand was refused,
and the father told him, that from the moment when he had
resolved to follow his own lights, the Blackrobe had disowned
him. The Indian was still unshaken; yet his nature, though
fierce and savage, felt deeply, more than any injury that
could have been done him, this refusal of the father; nor
could he help showing his feelings outwardly; and soon,
drawing nearer the father, he said: "Why does the Blackrobe treat me thus? Does he not know that this is the severest punishment that could be infliB:ed on me?" "If you
wish me to number you among my friends," answered the
father, "cease to persist in your wicked purpose." "My resolve has been taken once for all," said the Indian, "I shall
not draw back even though I lose my life." "And will you
refuse this sacrifice even to the Blessed Virgin?" said the
priest, "Behold, we are in her month, an~. in her name, I
now ask this sacrifice of you." Oh! what a struggle then
ensued between nature and grace ! At the name of Mary
the savage changed countenance, his whole frame shook. his
emotion showed the viB:ory of grace over a nature fierce
and stubborn. "The Blackrobe has conquered," he said, "I
will not refuse the sacrifice to Maty ;" and immediately,
telling his companion to destroy the work that they had
done, and finding the latter still hesitating, "Hurry up'' said
he, ''or before breaking the boat I will break your head."
The boat, it is needless to say, was broken up; and the sacrifice completed and offered to Mary.
Examples of heroic virtue are not uncommon among these
Indians; under the influence of religion, their strong, vigorous nature produces the most admirable examples of
Christian heroism. A squaw, belonging to the Ca::ur d' Alenes,
was, for some fault or other, condemned by the chiefs of
the tribe and cast into prison. The manner 'of punishment
�THE ROCKY lfTOCNTAINS.
75
among these Indians is in keeping with their savage nature.
Winter had set in; one of those winters of which, in other
lands, people have no idea; the thermometer had fallen to
forty degrees below zero, and merely to remain in the open
air, without warm clothing and without motion, would be of
itself sufficient to undermine the strongest constitution. The
poor squaw was left alone in her prison, a sort of log-cabin,
and bound hand and foot. There she suffered day and night,
motionless and without means of relie( Once a day, if she
happened to be remembered, she received a little bread and
a few herbs to keep her from starving. \Vhen the missionary came to hear of the faB:, moved with compassion, he
used his influence with the head of the tribe, to obtain her
freedom. He went to the prison and found the poor squaw
benumbed with cold and more dead than alive. The first
thought of the priest was to provide for the spiritual welfare
of the poor unfortunate, who, like the rest of the tribe, had
been converted to the Catholic religion. But what, thought
he, can be the dispositions of the poor woman in such torment? They were much better than he imagined. This
poor creature, abandoned by man, had not been abandoned
by God. On entering the hut, the father asked her:
"How are you, Mary? In severe sufferings, are you not?"
The poor woman did not reply in many words, her state
spoke eloquently enough, her agony was intense, and, even
against her will, it forced a sob from her, as from a person
racked with pain. 11er soul, nevertheless~ was firm and
tranquil. "Is it not true," said she, "that on account of my
sins I ought now to be in hell? And what are my present
sufferings compared with those of hell?" "That is true,"
said the priest, "yet I desire to save you ; for, abandoned as
you are, you will soon die." "No," she said, "let me suffer;
this is nothing to what I have deserved for my sins, and I
offer up my sufferings to God in satisfaB:ion for them." Her
repentance was perfeCt: and God had already forgiven her.
The father made every effort in his power, and obtained
her liberation. She again protested her unworthiness in
the sacrament of penance; her faults were blotted out forever; she went her way in peace, and lived, ever after, grateful and faithful to God.
Another woman was lying at death's door.. A priest.
hastened to her bedside to administer the last sacraments,
and, as had been told him, he saw that she had but a few
hours to live. What was more, her sickness had, up to this
time, prevented her from swallowing food and from uttering
a single word, so that the missionary exhorted her to make
her confession as best sh<: could. Imagine his surprise,
�76.
THE ROCKY JJfOUNTAINS.
when, without a moment's hesitation, she made her confession in a clear voice, just as if nothing was the matter with
her. When the priest had pn;pared her for her last hour,
and was on the point of leaving, she called out to him most
earnestly: "And will you then allow me to die without
receiving my Lord?" To give her Holy Communion was
impossible, since she was unable to swallow anything, and
had but a few hours of life remaining. "The Holy Communion should be received to-morrow during Mass," answered the father; and so he departed. On the morning
following, at the sound of the bell, the father went to the
church to celebrate Mass, and, to his surprise, he found the
sick woman of the preceding night kneeling before the altar,
waiting devoutly to assist.at the holy sacrifice. "What is
this," said the father, "you &ere?" "Why not?" asked the
woman, "did you not tell me last night that I must receive
Communion in the church and during the Mass?" "But
how," asked the father, "could you, who were dying last
night, come to the church?" "You commanded me," she
said, "and I had to obey." The sick woman of the preceding evening was completely cured; and the father, filled with
admiration for the faith of the poor savage, and the fidelity
of our Lord towards those who place their trust in his
promises, withdrew to celebrate Mass. Similar facrs, extraordinary in themselves, are of ordinary occurrence among
these savages.
For those who consider what these Indians were some
years ago, and'what they are now, there is, in the contrast.
a proof sufficiently evident of the truth of our religion ; the
more material and less instrucred of such observers~ finable
to assign a cause for such extraordinary effecrs,. free themselves from the difficulty by saying: "Oh! the Jesuits are
crafty fellows and know how to bring their undertakings to
a successful issue." But others there are who, although not
Catholics, are reasonable enough to admit that, without the
principle of religion, the Jesuits would not, up to the pres"
ent time, be more secure among these savages, than they
themselves were before the Indians were converted to our
faith. In the whole tribe of the Cceur d'Aienes, there is not,
to my knowledge, a single woman of abandoned life; a
manifest proof of the faithfulness of women among these
Indians, nothwithstanding the many occasions in which they
find themselves froni their frequent intercourse with the
whites. Christian marriage among them is not only believed but respecred, as the contra& of nature ratified by
God and by the Church; and whatever may be the difficulties which arise in this matter, all are remedi~d when the
•;_·
�TJ!lt ROCkY AloUNTAJNS.
··
77
priest has united the couple in the sacrament of the
Church; quarrelling between the parties, confliCt of passions,
everything is righted at the bidding of the priest as at the
voice of God. Any infidelity, any aCtion not conformable
to Christian morals, is detested by all, and punished just as
any other fault against order and the common welfare of the
tribe. Hence it is that they are blessed by God.
The life of the Indians nowadays, has nothing in common with the idea which is formed by reading the accounts
of our early missionaries. Within the space of forty years,
during which these missions have existed, the full result
aimed at has been obtained; namely, a people thoroughly
Christian, solidly grounded in their faith; with the priest
alone as their pastor. There is no longer any cause for fearing a renewal of hostilities between the Indians and the
whites, or between the different tribes of Indians themselves;
these confliCts arose from the occupation of the land; but
this question of occupation is now settled and is so recognised· by the Indians. They live on the reservation set
apart for them by the government; each family occupies
and cultivates its own farm, receiving from it an honest
livelihood, and living after the manner of the whites. Each
tribe constitutes an independent government, eleCts its own
chiefs, and is governed by its own special laws. The agent
is constituted judge in any differences that may arise between the Indians and the whites; differences which, at
present, have no existence.
Moreover, in every tribe there are schools for the education of the children ; the schools for boys are direCted by
our fathers; the schools for girls by the Sisters of Providence, and both are supported by the government. The
education imparted is more than sufficient, as regards both
the secular branches, and religious instruCtion. An evident
proof of this is that the whites do not disdain to send their·
children to our Indian schools ; in faCt they often even prefer them to the schools established for the whites.
The idea which is current elsewhere concerning these
mountains, is far from the truth ; and it seems to me that
places change more rapidly in America than ideas about
th_em change elsewhere. .Those who come to these mountams, expeCting to find the Indians as described in narratives
written some thirty years ago, living in the woods after the
manner of wild beasts, and the whites ever fearful of falling
under the tomahawk or scalping-knife, and ever ready to
slay the red-man in order to seize upon his land, will find
themselves entirely deceived. These things were true once,
but now the Indians remain in peace on their reser-
�78
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
vations, till the -soil, and live more or less after the manner of the whites; and the whites, emigrants from all the
countries of Europe, enjoy here all the comforts which
they could enjoy in their native land. This immense region
is already dotted with villages, towns and cities, which might
well compare with many in Europe. Those who labor receive abundant support from the produCts of the soil, from
rich mines, and from the commerce which is carried on with
various parts of America, Europe, and, I might say, with
the world.
Nor is the progress of religion in these parts behind material progress; everywhere religious and secular priests
care for the Catholics, whose numbers are constantly increasing. Everywhere parishes are established and dioceses
formed, each diocese governed by its bishop. As, however,
the number of secular priests is small in proportion to the
number of Catholics, and much more so in proportion to the
number of infidels and Protestants of every nationality, the
missionaries find a new field open to their zeal. From this
variety of nationalities arises the great necessity or learning,
at least French and English; for the missionary finds himself constantly in contaCt with people of every nation and
of every tongue. As regards religion, however, no one can
deny that the condition of the Indians is far superior to that
of the whites. The. present state of the Indian tribeS' gives
one an idea of the faithful tribes of Paraguay. They live
apart from the whites, filled with a feeling of horror for the
blindness in which they lived some years back, and with a
feeling of gratitude towards the Blackrobe, who, .sent by
God, freed them· froin their superstitions. They ltave few
questions to ask about Protestants or about Jews; and if
they are asked what gospel they follow, they answer: "The ·
gospel of the Blackrobe ;" just as the Nez Perces, for instance, say that they follow "the gospel according to Cataldo,"
for Fr. Cataldo was the missionary who brought them to
he faith. Such then is the simplicity in which the Indians
live, bound together in a union like to that of the just.
The lack of religious instruCtion in the public schools
shows the great need. tliere is, in these regions, of founding
schools in which Catholics can be instruCted in the truths of
their religion. Our college at Spokane Falls has been thus
far the hope of Cathqlics, and even of Protestants, but- the
scarcity of teachers robs it, in a great measure, of the good
which it could do. It is true indeed that teachers, possessed
of deep learning, are not required; the greatest need is for
teachers, American by birth; teachers, who are perfeCt masters of English, and who know how to manage American
�THE ROCKY JlfOU.VTAINS.
79
boys, in accordance with American ideas and feelings; for any
attempt to manage them otherwise would prove a failure.
They are independent fellows, tenacious of their ways of
thinking and of their customs; nor are they able to appreciate anything not purely American. At present, our
Indians have a better opportunity for instruaion in religious
matters than the whites. The latter frequently complain of
this and say that our missionaries often busy themselves in
running after a few Indians, while thousands of the whites
can find no one to administer the sacraments to them.
Our Indian boys have colleges direaed after the manner
of our European colleges. In the morning, they go to the
church, hear Mass, recite devoutly their prayers, and receive
a short catechetical instruaion. In the class-rooms, they
are taught English, geography, history, arithmetic; they are
moreover instruaed in the tilling of the soil and in the principal trades. At the end of the year they give a public
exhibition of their advancement, and oftentimes the government agents are astonished at finding the Indian boys better
instruaed than the children of the whites.
A general came from \Vashington as government inspeaor, to visit our schools; and when he came to examine our
boys in arithmetic, he was filled with admiration at the
readiness with which they solved the problems proposed to
them; and as he himself had some calculation to make, I
know not what, "Oho !" said he, "since you are so clever, I
am not' ashamed to avail myself of your cleverness. I myself have a problem, if you can solve it you will do me a
favor." The problem was given, and one of the boys gave
the answer without the least difficulty. "Who would ever
have told me," said the general, laughing, "that I would
·· have to come, all the way from Washington to these mountains to have my problems solved by an Indian boy!" Neither is the instruaion which the Indian girls receive from
the Sisters of Providence in the least inferior, as is evident
from the £1a that the whites send their daughters to the
sisters' school. The Sisters of Providence have been a true
gift of Providence to this part of the country. It is indeed
wonderful how, from the very beginning of the missions,
these sisters could follow the missionaries among the sav·
ages, sharing with the Blackrobe the labors anc\ the dangers, employing themselves in works of mercy among the
sick, and procuring for the Indian girls the same instruaion
which the missionaries procured for the Indian boys. Nor
are they doing less good among the whites; they have
founded hospitals everywhere; and while they exercise their
charitable offices towards the sick by curing their bodily
�So
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
infirmities, they provide also for their poor souls, by their
solicitude in preparing them for death, and by their carefulness in calling the missionary, to administer the last comforts of religion.
In beginning my letter, I said that our mission is called
the Mission of the Sacred Heart; and this is not a mere
name. The devotion to the Sacred Heart is deeply rooted
in the breasts of our Indians ; and this is the reason, I believe, why they live a life peaceful and tranquil after the
manner of the ancient patriarchs; a life full of fervor after
the manner of the first Christians. Although ten, twenty,
or even more miles distant from the church, each one comes,
on Sundays and feast days, and takes up his quarters at the
mission. On the top of ~ hill, a standard is flying from the
small tower of the college, the standard of the Sacred Heart:
on one side is represented, in beautiful embroidery (the work
of the Indian children), the Sacred Heart of Jesus with an
appropriate motto; on the other side is embroidered the
Immaculate Heart of Mary with its appropriate motto. Opposite the college is the school for girls; in the middle is
the church, tastefully decorated and used both by the children and by the faithful at large. The whole tribe scatters
itself through the valley which spreads out at the foot of
the mission. Besides their tents, each of the Cceur d'Alenes
has built a neat d\velling, and all the houses nestling in the
valley form a respeCtable village watched over and guarded
by the mission. Here the Indians abide on feast days. How
edifying it is to see, at the sound of the bell, each one uncovering"his head for the recitation of the Angelus, and then
moving devoutly towards the church, to assist at"-the holy
sacrifice! There is nothing merely emotional in their·piety;
it is truly consoling to the Catholic heart to see frequently
three or four hundred approaching the holy table; and the
devout hymns with which they intersperse their prayers sufficiently express the feelings of these fervent Christians.
Two hours before mid-day, all again assemble in the church
to assist at solemn Mass and to hear a sermon: and it is
really surprising to see with what gravity all sing in unison
the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo and the other parts of the Mass;
so fervent are they that, in gazi_ng at them, we might well
fancy ourselves in a gathering of the early Christians. In
the evening they come together once more for prayer; sing
devoutly their hymrts and assist at benediB:ion.
Besides Sundays and feast-days, there is another day on
which, from their distant farms, in spite of rain and snow,
they flock to the mission; that day is the first Friday of the
month, a day consecrated to the Sacred Heart and called by
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
81
them, on account of the deep devotion which they have for
the Sacred Heart of our dear Lord, "The Great Day of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus." On the day preceding the feast,
it is quite a task for the father to hear the confessions of
the Indians. He is besieged in the church and in his house,
from morning to night, by crowds wishing to go to confession. While the priest is endeavoring to attend them, they
take up their position kneeling in great numbers in the
church, sitting at its entrance, on the ground before it, or in
the corridor of the house. The father is, in consequence,
obliged to remain with them until the night is far spent. 'In
the morning, at the sound of the bell, all go to the church
to hear Mass, wearing the badge of the Sacred Heart upon
their breasts. In a short time the large church is filled.
On one side, in excellent order, are the women ; on the
other, the men. Near the altar, in the front rows, are about
sixty Indians, each wearing a broad sash of red silk. Decorated with this, they stand there with so much dignity that
you might take them for Roman senators or distinguished
ambassadors from European nations. They are the soldiers
of the tribe, who, consecrated in a special manner to the
Sacred Heart, have wished to bear its insignia and its name;
and it is to this end, and in this spirit, that, under the leadership of their captains, they apply themselves to the maintaining of order. At the proper time, they are the first to
rise, and, followed by hundreds of the faithful, approach the
altar to receive the Sacramental Bread; and while some
edify by their fervor in receiving the body of our Lord,
the others manifest their devotion by sending up hymns of
thanksgiving and of praise to the Sacred Heart. In the
evening they are once more found in the church, and the
missionary takes occasion, in a suitable discourse, to stir up
more and more their devotion to the Sacred Heart. Hymns
and prayers are sung, BenediCtion is given, and all retire
for the night.
I am compelled to interrupt my letter here, called as I am
to other scenes of labor. I recommend myself to the
prayers of all, and remain, in the Sacred Heart,
Yours truly in Christ,
JEREMIAH Rossi, S. J.
VoL.
xvn, No.
I.
6
�I
·li
'•
L
)
Letter from Spokane Falls, W T., Sept. 2otlt, z887.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
i
::''l
. ,;
,,
....
P. C.
The duties of my ministry having recently called me to
a village of the Cceur d'Alene Indians, I shall give you an
account of my visit; for I trust it will be as useful as it is
agreeable to illustrate the progress these remnants of the
red-men are making in Christian civilisation.
It was shortly before sunset when I came in sight of their
village. \Vhat a beautiful speB:acle was before me! Rows
of neat little cottages were.. built on the right bank of the
Spokane, with streets running parallel with the river; hard
by were barns, granaries and storehouses, and beyond these,
extensive fields of grain and hay, rising and falling like the
swelling waves of a broad lake. To the right, and not more
than fifty yards off, was "the silent city of the dead" with its
crosses of equal height shining in elegant simplicity.
The civilised appearance of the houses, the aB:ivity, energy, peace and prosperity of the inhabitants, give the visitor
an idea that he is entering a frontier American town in a
time of unexampled prosperity.
This is now a Christian republic of Indians (I was going
to say savages). The fiercest, haughtiest and most cruel of
all the north-western aborigines were the Cceur d'Alenes.
To whites and Indians· they used to be a terror. • It was
their boast and their delight to carry off horsesl"·<:<apture
women and children, and slaughter them amid incredible
tortures. The manner of life, the clothing and the dwellings
of this tribe, were of the most barbarous kind. They were
ignorant of agriculture, built no houses, and possessed no
fixed habitation. They led a wandering life, depending upon
the chase, and were frequently reduced to utter starvation.
They were abandoned to the greatest excesses of debauchery and had no conception of purity. \Vhen a new-comer
like me is told that the vast herds of cattle pasturing on
the hills and in the valleys belong to the Cu~ur d'Alenes,
when he refleB:s that thousands of acres of land, instead of
being in a state of nature, are now covered with extensive
farms and cultivated gardens, when he hears that the Indian
women have been raised from their debasement and are now
imitating the virtues of Mary the glorified model of women,
when he beholds the tall warrior wearing around his swarthy
neck the grains of the Blessed Virgin's rosary, and finds
�TJ!E 1?00.'1' .lfOt'NTAJNS.
8j
him as docile as a little child; when he reads that yesterday
the Creur d'Alenes worshipped the beasts of the forest, the
principle of evil, and the hoof of the mountain antelope, and
realises that to-day, in no part of the world, has the Sacred
Heart of Jesus more fervent worshippers than among these
poor savages ; when he .remembers that these extraordinary
changes have all taken place in the short period of less than
half a century; he pauses, wonders, and, although he knows
all to be a faCt, can scarcely believe its reality. A visit to
this reservation will convince the most sceptical, that, under
Catholic teaching, faithful and continuous, the indomitable
savage may be entirely tamed, taught to bow his neck to
the sweet yoke of Chrest, and become an honest, thrifty and
industrious citizen.
As I approached the village in question, two venerable
patriarchs came out to meet me in the spirit of the golden
age. "Lu knailks! Lu knailks! (the priest! the priest!)"
spread like wildfire, and in a little while the whole community was in agitation to make me welcome. The usual
ceremony of 'Shaking hands over, I was conduCted to the
main building of the village, the residence of the widow of
the late Chief Stellam. Her royal highness, taking up lodgings for the night with one of her neighbors, politely gave
me the freedom of her mansion. In the parlor, which was
also her sleeping-room, was an enormous bedstead, a square
table, an oil-lamp and a large stove. Everything in the
room was neat and tidy; the walls were papered and hung
round with photographs and pious piCtures; a bottle of holy
water and a blessed candle were suspended from the head
of the bed, strings of Indian nostrums hung in gay festoons
along the staircase, and a well used rosary lay on the table:
a peep into the kitchen showed me the same neatness and
cleanliness there. After a warm supper, everything a la
mode Americaine, an evening chat with the Nestors of the
tribe, and a good sleep, I found myself at 5 o'clock next
morning in the confessional.
The blind and the lame and the deaf, the young and the
old, came and made their peace with God. Some Kalispel
Indians, who happened to be encamped near by, also availed
themselves of this opportunity to approach the tribunal of
penance. Mass-time presented a very unique scene. Around
a temporary altar, which had been arranged in one of the
most spacious rooms, were assembled what might be termed
two opposite extremes: the neatly dressed, civilised Creur
d' Alenes, reclaimed from the manners and customs of barbarism ; and the Kalispels, decked out in blanket, breech
clout and deer-skin leggings, rough, uneducated children of
�THE l?Oc'KY MOtTNTAINS.
.i'
I~
nature, who, while possessing all the moral virtues of Christian civilisation, disdain to put on any of its forms of refinement. I would not have you imagine, however, that the
Kalispel Indians cannot be taught the arts of civilisation ;
great numbers of them have settled down at the Flathead
mission and have turned farmers. Every family has a wagon,
plough and horses ; their children attend the schools taught
by the Fathers of the Society and by the Sisters of Providence.
The girls learn everything belonging to housekeeping, and
the boys are required to learn a trade. The Kalispel children of the mission, are as different, in dress and manners,
from the girls and boys of the same tribe who continue to
roam around in blankets and feathers, as 'the imagination
can piaure:
During the Mass, this 1ndian congregation first recited
the morning prayers and then sang, in their usual plaintive
way, a hymn to the Blessed Virgin. The rosary and pious
canticles took up the rest of the time until tlie moment of
receiving Communion, when the leader began to recite
aloud the aas of faith, hope and charity. In an instant the
entire congregation had joined in the reCital, with an
earnestness and fervor that was well calculated to excite
feelings of devotion in the most enlightened congregation
of any of our large cities. That prayer of offering to be
made after Communion, "Deign, 0 Lord, to accept my
heart and my sou.!," is especially beautiful in the Indian language; for the imperative mood admits of no refusal, and
when the red-men offer their hearts they really mean to
make the offering, and feel convinced that the Great Spirit
will not violate the most sacred rule of Indian etiquette.
Mass and thanksgiving over, the Indians repaired to the
cemetery, as is their custom, to offer up their prayers for the
departed. I do not think I shall be far from the truth if I
state that perhaps there is no dogma of Holy Church which
the red-men so naturally accept as the consoling doarine of
purgatory. They are delighted to know that death does
not break the bonds which attach them to their friends and
relatives, and that they can be useful to them even after they
have quitted this life. The Cceur d'Alenes will sell even
their horses, if necessary, to Have Masses said for the dead.
When the Catholic Indians heard the sad news of the death
of Archbishop Seghers, who had once been their bishop,
they were awe-struck and overwhelmed with sorrow. A
general Communion was offered for the dead prelate at De
Smet mission, and a sum of money was colleaed by the
Indians to have Masses said for the repose of the holy soul
of this great "Chief of the Blackrobes."
�Ss
THE ROCKY "lfOUNTAINS.
No sooner was my thanksgiving ended than breakfast was
announced: it consisted offresh salmon-trout, wheaten bread
and fried potatoes. Whether through forgetfulness or from
ignorance of the mysteries of an American cuisine, the person who officiated as cook served me coffee at supper and
tea for breakfast. During mealtime the morning news was
doled out; not through the jaws of the press, however, but
by the vigorous organs of a walking gazette-the town crier.
This Indian mode of giving the news of the day is well
worth the attention of our Catholic journalists, who are so
anxious just now to start a daily; for it refutes at once the
many canards about things Catholic that are hourly vomited
forth from the numerous non-Catholic and anti-Catholic
journals. Any false statements in these viva voce reports
are correCted on the spot, thus sparing the trouble of waiting a week to find the correCtion huddled into a shabby,
grudging paragraph, in the smallest type, and among the
"ticks from all parts of the world." The Cceur. d'Alenes
still retain, with the acquired habits of civilisation, many of
the good traits of their old Indian charaCter. It is well
known that no being is so methodical as a red-man, and
. none so scrupulous in measuring and portioning out his
time as a Cceur d'Alene. Religious exercises over, he is all
agog to get at his manual work. I was not slow in perceiving this, and I noticed that, by my stay, I was keeping
the farmers from their work in the field, for it was harvesttime. So shaking hands once more all around, I took my
departure from this Christian republic, feeling a new impulse
in my heart to devote my life and labor to continuing the
grand work of raising up these remnants of a deeply wro,nged
people to thrift, industry and religion.
Gest sgalagalt (good bye),
RoBERT
Letter from St. Joseph's Mission, Aug.
J.
SMITH, S.
2211d,
J.
I887.
REv. AND DEAR FR. SuPERIOR,
R C.
The I zth of the present month was the anniversary of
my coming to this mission. I was then obliged to undertake the task of learning the Nez Perces language and became as a child again at my a. b. c. But now, thanks be to
God, to Your Reverence, to Fr. Morvillo and to the Indians,
I am acquiring some facility in this new tongue.
In my last account I wrote about the precious death of'
Ignace 1 who departed this life, fortified with all the rites of
�86
!,
II'·
r:·
TRE ROCKY MOW\'TAINS.
Holy Church. The memory of this good Indian is honored
by a palisade around his grave. The sight of this, from a
hill near the Patlatch wagon-road, recalls to the minds of
the Indians the death of one who, once baptised, fought
valiantly against his passions, that he might live and die for
his dear Saviour.
On May 20th, another edifying death occurred, that of
Manim Lambis Nimusus. There are some edifying particulars conneCted with his last moments which are worthy of
mention. Just before dying he partly converted his Prot~s
tant father, and brought back to her religious duties his·
mother, who, though baptised a Catholic, had gone to Indian
Territory, and was there married by a Protestant minister to
a Protestant Indian. Finally, though Manim Nimusus himself had attended for a long time a Protestant school, he
would not marry a certain person, until she had been instruCted and baptised. He was yet in the bloom of youth
when he was attacked by an ulcerous disease which consumed all the flesh on his body, and then death came and
freed him from his sufferings. When he knew that his last
hour had come, he asked to make his confession again, the
better to be ready for death. It happened that Fr. Morvillo
was here when I was sent for, so that, although it was Saturday, I was able to_ go at once and visit the dying man. I
found him lying on the ground, his whole body covered with
ulcers, and his wife, mother and aunt standing near him.
After the last sacraments were administered, he was very
happy because his soul was free from sin and fortified by
Holy Communion. Judging this a favorable oppot.timity to
do something for the spiritual good of his relatives, 1 questioned him regarding each of them. Pointing to his mother,
he said: "My mother was once a Catholic, but she has become a Protestant;" then turning to his wife, "She was baptised a Catholic," said he, "but has not attended church for
years." \Vith joy and pleasure depiCted on his countenance,
he then fixed his eyes on his aunt and exclaimed: "But my
aunt, my dear aunt, she was long ago one of the wives of
Chief Joseph, but, leaving him, she entered the Catholic
Church and has lived ever since faithful to its teachings." I
asked the mother if, when death came, she would not wish to
be prepared as her son now was. Her countenance betrayed
that her life had beel.\\vorldly and that prayer was unknown
to her. She quickly answered: '~I am not ready yet." I
then had Manim brought near the church that there the
mother might witness the graces that were showered upon
her son, and see how earnest the priest was in attending him
day and night, fortifying him for his last agony, and prepar-
�THE ROCKJ" .lfOUNTAINS.
ing him for the joys of heaven. Manim's only wish was to
be united with his dear Lord in Holy Communion, and he
rejoiced that he .was to die thus early in life. Indeed, so
well prepared was he and so willing to die that I thought it
not unbecoming to sing at his bedside the hymn: "Jesus,
Mary, Joseph, etc." The mother was at last moved by all
she saw, and when I asked her again whether she wished to
die as well prepared as her son, she answered from her inmost soul: "Yes! oh, yes!" At length death came, and
Manim gave his soul, adorned with so many virtues, into
the hands of his Creator. The mother wept, not because
her son had died (for she knew he was not dead but living
now with God), but because her conscience was reproaching
her for being so unlike her son. "Oh, never again shall I behold my son" she cried, "because I have been too wicked." I
was only too glad to be her consoler; I told her how Jesus
the Good Shepherd, and the angels of heaven, rejoiced when
a sheep that had gone astray returned again to the fold. In
Jesus' name I promised her pardon if she would repent for
her past sins and return to the Church. She promised all,
and even permitted me to announce it publicly in the church.
Not the mother only but all the members of her family were
in the same good dispositions.
As I said above, the husband of this woman is a Protestant. Although he was unmoved at the death of his son,
and unconcerncu about a future life, I thought it well, for
his own and for his wife's sake, to speak to him about religion. At first he received me rather coldly and appeared
not at all pleased at his wife's conversion. Yet, after I had
spoken to him as one who sincerely wished them both well,
he changed somewhat and came twice to visit me. It appeared now, that by God's grace he would soon become a
fervent Catholic; nay, he even hoped, as he himself told me,
that his younger brother and sisters would also follow his
example. But, alas, the evil one would not give up his prey
so easily. The poor soul is still struggling in the enemy's
grasp. Yet I hope that, aided by Your Reverence's prayers,
he will escape. He has just told his wife that he has resolved to apply to me soon for instruCtion and baptism.
·
Two adults and five grown up children have lately been
received into the Church. The parents were induced to
become Catholics by the pious behavior of one of their little children who is a Catholic.
Owing to the great floods in Lewiston this year, the Sisters of Providence were forced to seek a home here, and took
part in the procession on Corpus Christi. The instruCtions
of Yot.~r Reverence have produced much fruit. Every Sun-
�88
THE ROCKr ,110L'NTAINS.
day there are many Communions and these will be even
more frequent as soon as harvest-time is over. In faCt:, ever
since harvest and the time for gathering roots began, the
church is deserted on week-days, as all the Indians go to
their farms.
On July 9th, Frank Moranco came to me with a girl about
fourteen years of age and asked to be married. As the girl,
though a Protestant, was desirous of being received into the
Church, I demanded at least one week to prepare her for
these two sacraments, baptism and matrimony. Frank and
the girl thought everything could be done in one day.
At last they consented to wait. During the week of preparation, the bridegroom was to return home and come back
to the church on the followirg Saturday. Fr. Morvillo happened to return that day and fully approved my plan. Indeed it was well that we took this course; for, during the
week, Frank changed his mind about marrying, hurried back
on \Vednesday,and carried away his mother and his intended
bride. The three days' instruCtions, however, were not lost,
for the girl was so moved· during that time that there is
every reason to hope that she will soon return and ask for
baptism. \Vith an interesting account of the conversion of
another girl, I shall begin my next letter ; so, begging a
share in your holy sacrifices,
- I remain your servant in Christ,
A.
SOER,
..-
s. J.
...~
[The following extracts, the first from a back-number of the San Francisco
Monitor1 the second, from the Catholic Review of more recent date, may
be founa interesting here. ED.]
(From the San Francisco J[onitor.)
In our last issue, we noticed some attacks made recently in the Portland
Daily News, against the Jesuit Fathers and their missions, on the authority
of Major Owen, Indian Agent to the Flatheads. It will be remembered that
Major Owen's letter concluded thus: "Lieut. Mullan has advised that the!! (the
Jesuit Fathers) be ordered out of the country," and that in the editonal re· ·
marks on Owen's letter it is said, that "his statement w·ill carry much 1t'eiyht.''
To prove the wantonness with which some men, for their own purposes,
write unmitigated falsehoods, and the recklessness with which others are found
to publish and endorse them, we produce below a letter from Lieut. Mullan to
Father Congiati, imploring him, eighteen mouths back, not to close the mission of the Comr d'Alenes ;·Father Congiati, as Superior of that Order, having directed the fathers in charge of that mission to break it up, and retire to
one of the other missions, in case the neophytes there, should attempt to take
any part in the war then raging. This threat had the desired effect; and the
Indians, dreading the consequences, remained at peace. The report having
got abroad of the directions given by Father Congiati, Lieut. Mullan addressed
the following letter to him, which speaks for itself:
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
OF TilE SACRED HEART, \V. T.,
September 17th, 18.58.
REV. FATHER CONGIATI: Jfy Dear Sir,- You, doubtless, as well as my·
self will be rejoiced to learn that the war, so far a' regards the Comr d' Aleues,
is now at au end, and that a season of peace is about to supplant a state of
things as terrible for us as for the Indians.
A new horizon now dawns for the future, and I trust sincerely that no pass·
iug cloud may hereafter be seen to darken the skv, either for us or themselves.
They have been blind, put, fortunatelv, the scales have now fallen from their
eyes, and they see clearly, and, what is more commendable, they acknowledge
their error, and are willing to make any just amends that we may choose to
impose. Thank kind heaven for it! I trust, therefore, my dear father, in
view of the uuremittint;; labors of your Order during the past tourteen years,
and the new state of thmgs for the future, that you will be disposed to revoke
your order regarding the breaking-up of your mission among the Creur
d'Alenes and give them another trial. Thev are good Indians and can be
made better, and now is an opportune moment when the attempt can be re·
newed.
I intend visiting Washington this winter, and shall return to San Francisco
by early May, and during my stay in Washington I shall not be idle, but, on
the contrary, shall endeavor to use my best exertions in behalf of the missions
and Indians, and shall bring the few bauds •cattered in this vicinity to tbe
special attentwn of the authorities, who will have authority to act in reference
to the missions especially, and whatever the results may be that will attend
my labors, they can speak for themselves.
I trust, therefore, father, you will not abandon these poor children of the
wilds to themselves, but, on the contrary, since they have been willing to re·
trace their steps, rather let them be confirmed in thetr present good intentions,
to set to work to build themselves up again, to forget the errors of the
past and live only in the brightness of the future. I feel much in their be·
halt; and would, tor one, much regret to see our noble fathers be compelled
to give these people up to vice and wickedness, which alone must await them.
I trust, then, you will well consider the course that is to he taken with these
Indians. 1 hope to see you before I leave for the States. I shall start from
San Franci•co, as soon as I get back to the Dalles, and shall return to Cali·
fornia about the 1st of ~lay, when I hope you will make all your arrange·
ments to accompanf me at that time up to Oregon, and even into and across
the mountains to } ort Benton. "'ith my best wishes for your continued
health and success in your noble works, I am, father,
Truly, your ob't serv't,
.JOHN MULLAN, _
Lieut. U.S. Army.
)fiSSION
.
(From the Catholic Review)
[Secretary Lamar has given permission that the letter, addressed by him to
the Rev. '1'. S. Childs, D. D., of Washington, should be published in The
Independent.]
I am in receipt, by reference from the President, of your letter to him of
the 19th of September, stating that yon have communications from different
parts of the country, and from various institutions, asserting that ''persistent
efforts are being made on the part of the Roman Catholics to obtain control of
the work of the govemment and of the different Protestant societies among
the Indians;" and that "the complaints are so widespread and so alike that it
looks like a general plan from a common source."
No details are furnished nf any particular acts done or methods adopted,
tending to show the persistent efforts of the Homan Catholies for accomplish·
mg the end and design complained of. Indeed, the statement is so general
that any answer to it must be of the same character.
The Department is not aware of the Homan Catholics having relation to
an_y matter coimected with the administration of ,the Indian service, which it ·
tlunks gives any ground tor apprehension that they will succeed in obtaining
c?ntrol of the wo1 k of the government, or that of the different Protestant so·
cteties among the lndians, especially if the Protestants manifest zeal and
~nergy in maintaining their position and prosecuting their work,
�THE ROCKY li!OU.YTAINS.
,"I
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There are not to exceed 260,000 Indians in this country, exclusive of any
portion of the population of Alaska. The 6!\,000 comp,osing- the members of
the Five Civilised Tribes and the New York Indians, are self-supporting and
so far civilised as to be able to clearly make intelligent selection of the relig-ious denomination with which they may choMe to ally or connect themselves.
The religious denominations engaged in the great work of elevating the race
to a Christian civilisation, naturally feel a concern for the success of their
efforts, and each desires to gather to Itself the fruits of its labors. The interest and zeal manifested in the Indians by the various org~nisations nre commendable and highly appreciated bv the Department, and the desire and aim
bas been to throw no unnecessary obstacles in the way of any of them.
It bas heen and is the polic,- of the Administration of Indian Affairs, to
leave the question of religion where it properly belongs-to the conscience of
the individual Indian. X one of the schools managed by the g<)vcrnment are
t·onducted in the interest of any religious denomination.
,\.mong the 190,000 Indians for whose educational interest avpropriatious
are made by Congress, there are ab,,ut 40,000 children of school age. The
government has facilities of its own for edu~ating- not to exceed one-fourth of
that number. In view of this deficiency it ha., willingly availed itself of the
offers of help made by the religious associations engaged in missionary and
educational work ou the reservations, and throug-h them a portion of the
money appropriated for Indian education is expended in a manner which en·
abies the Department to extend the benefits intended to the greatest possible
number of children. It is the policy of the Department to encoura11e in every
proper and possible way the different religious denominations in their missionary and educational work amovg the Indians, and I am informed L~- thl•
Chief of the Educational Division of the Indian Bureau, that when they erect
buildings on the reservations and offer to engage in the t>dtwntional work, contracts for the purpose are invariably made with them. The fact that then•
are more than :!5,000 Indian children growing up in ignorance without school
.:ed with the administrafacilities, bears too heavily upon tho'e who are ehar.
tion of this important branch of the service, to warrant the belief that there
will be anv intentional hindrance of the efforts or refusa I of the aid tendered
by any efficient auxiliary for giving education and training to the greatest
possible number composing this muss of ignorance.
If the Roman Catholics have been recogni,ed to a greater extent than other
denominations, it is only because they have asked more large!~- and have satisfied the Indian Bureau that they have the neces>ary equipment, where it i,
most needed, to aid in the work. They have an or.ganisation known as th ..
Bureau of Catholic :Missions with headquarters in this city, under the general
managen1ent of an energetic and a tireless director who travel~ n1u~11 among
the Indians, and appears- to be kept fully advised through the ag~ne< of thL'
church organisation to which he belongs, of any favorable opportunities lor
extending missionary educational work among tlwm. It may he possible that
this agency, so thorou~hly organised, and '0 actively ami Zl'alou,Jy at work,
extending its sphere ot usefulness into a field so free and open to all, is reaching- out into portions thereof not hitherto tlccupied by it.
The Department does not recognise the exclusive rig-ht in any denomination
tn engage in the missionary and educational work among- the Indians on any
reservation. The whole field, as far as the Department is concernerl, is open
to all religious denominations. The Protestants have the same rig-hts as the
Catholics-no g-reater, and no les8. While the tact that one denomination is
already engaged in the work among a particular tribe of Indians or on a specified reservation, is not considered by the Department "' a necessary t•xclu>ion,
under all circumstances and at all times, of another denomination or soeiety
desiring to go there to begin work, yet at the same time it neither urges,
prompts nor suggests action by any denomination that would seem likely to
bring about any interference wit!] or clashing of denominational work or
· interests.
After careful consideration of the contents of your letter and the subjectmatter to which it refers, I think I can confidently assure yon that no aid or
support or co-operation of any of the officers of the Department connected
with the Indian service will be given to the execution or futherance of "any
general plan from a common source," for giving to the Roman Catholics control of the work of the government and of the different societies among the
Indians.
�GOLDEN JUBILEE OF POPE LEO XIII.
CELEBRATION:" IN ouR
A:~IERICAN
CoLLEGEs.
[In answer to a communication sent to all our American
colleges, asking for brief sketches of their celebration of
the jubilee of our Holy Father, we have received the
following, which are inserted in the order in which the
celebrations took place.]
ST. XAVIER CoLLEGE, CrNciNNATI, Omo-Oa. 3oth, r887.
The last Sunday in Oaober was,. set by Most Rev. Archbishop Elder, for the celebration, in Cincinnati, of the Pope's
Jubilee. The college church of old St. Xavier's, which had
just been tastefully frescoed, was gracefully festooned for the
occasion, with the Papal colors. Its four marble altars were..
gay with flowers and decorations. In the morning, solemn
High Mass was celebrated, and Fr. Calmer delivered, before
a crowded congregation, a glowing panegyric on the power
and glory of "Leo the Fisherman.:•
At night, Vespers were sung by a double choir. The
twenty-five members of the senior college choir, robed in
cassock and surplice, joined the fathers and scholastics in
the sanauary. At the conclusion of Vespers, seventy trained
voices rendered a Te Dcum, composed by Fr. Weninger.
The aged missionary came forth on that day, from the retirement in which he is spendihg the glorious sunset of a
brilliant life, to do his share in honoring our Holy Father,
by direaing the choir himself. The day was fittingly closed
. by Benediaion of the Blessed Sacrament.
Thus we of Cincinnati, priest and people, united in giving
our huri1ble meed of loyalty and devotion to the Holy See;
and while other places have made greater demonstration,
we are sure that none have given of their abundance with
readier love and affeaion than the town that nestles on the
banks of the beautiful Ohio.
C.
�GOLDEN JUBILEE OF LEO XIIl
·GEORGETOWN,
D. C.-Dec. 2nd, 1887.
(From the Co/leg< journal.)
The present has been in many ways a truly eventful year.
In one respeCt especially it seems to have been peculiarly
happy, and that is in the numerous occasions it has afforded
great peoples of rejoicing in a common cause.
It afforded joy to the heart of every true German subjeCt
by bringing to a close the quarter of a century, during
which his emperor sat on the throne at Berlin; it swelled
with honest pride the bosom of e\·ery citizen over whom
float the folds of the Union .Jack, by burying in the past the
last of fifty years that have run their course since ViCtoria
ascended the throne of Great Britain; and as a fitting climax
to a great series of events it brought the golden sacerdotal
jubilee of the one prince on earth who holds universal sway,
the sainted and illustrious Leo XIII., Pope and Bishop of
Rome.
Prompted by the same feelings of affeCtionate regard that
animate every child of the Church on this last occasion, the
students of Georgetown College hastened to. make manifest,
by their own little d~monstration, their joy at the auspicious
event.
The second of December was appointed for the celebration
of the jubilee at the college, and the literary portion of the
commemorative exercises was held in the evening of that
day. The spacious refeCtory, which was used for tbe.occasion, just newly painted and frescoed, never looked so bright
and cheerful. A temporary stage was ereCted at the head
of the hall. The decorations and hangings helped wonderfully the general effeCt of neatness, and were a fitting complement to the soft glow of the lights and the rich tints of
the ceiling and walls. A piCture of the Holy Father hung
in the background. Many of Father Curley's rare plants,
with their generous branches, gave the stage and the immediate surroundings the appearance of a lovely springtime
bower.
When the Reverend Faculty had been escorted to their
seats, the four orators who had been seleCted from the class
of Rhetoric to hono( the occasion, entered and occupied
seats on the stage. After a score of introduCtory music, W.
J. McClusky arose and claimed the attention of the audience.
His theme was: "Leo XIII. and the Proletariat." After
briefly calling attention to the constant attitude of the Holy
See towards the poorer classes, the speaker considered the
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�COLD!tNjl'BILElt OP LEO XII.!.
assiduous zeal the present occupant of the chair of St. Peter
manifested in behalf of that class, and the beneficial influence
he had exerted in whatever country his advice had been
heeded.
After a short intermission, J. M. Prendergast arose to speak
on "Leo XIII. and Catholic Education." Having said a few
words on the infinite importance attached by the Holy Father to Catholic education, he referred to the noble work
Leo XIII. had done in this cause. The speaker entered into
his subjeCt: with enthusiasm, and showed how eminently His
Holiness had deserved the praise of the learned world.
When Pierce J. Grace had finished a charming performance on the piano, D. J. Geary began to speak on "Leo
XIII. and the European Powers." In the beginning of his
speech he drew a very graphic piCl:ure of the meeting of
Leo I. and Attila, and showed _how this memorable event of
history was repeated in modern times in the persons of
our Holy Father and the great German Minister_
J. V. Dahlgren was the last speaker; his theme being
"Leo XIIL, RetrospeCt: and ProspeCt."· In portraying the
splendid career of Leo XIIL, the speaker took occasion to
dwell on the great missionary works that had been inaugurated under the personal direCl:ion of the Holy Father, and
he painted, in vivid words, a future glorious for the whole
Church, but especially for the Church in America. The
audience at this last point, interrupting the speaker, gave expression to their feelings in an outburst of applause.
The exercises of the evening were concluded by a few
remarks from Rev_ Father Reetor, who congratulated the
speakers on their very creditable display and expressed the
hope that they would always defend the words they had just
spoken. He then read the telegram which had been sent
by cable to the Holy Father in the name of the students.
The religious part of the celebration took place on the
following morning, when High Mass was celebrated by Rev.
Father ReCl:or. Father Gillespie was deacon, and Mr. Clifford was subdeacon, while Mr. Mullan was master of ceremonies.
. It was thus that Georgetown, the oldest Catholic college
tn the country, did honor to herself in celebrating with so
much enthusiasm the golden jubilee of the glorious patron
of learning.
�94
GOLDEN ]l"BILEE OF' LEO Xlll
HoLY CRoss CoLLEGE, \VoRCESTER, 1\'L<\ss.-Dec. 3rd, 1887.
Perhaps the most charming weather of an unwontedly
mild and open winter season was vouchsafed to us for our
Festa in honor of the great Pontiff. The old poet could
scarcelv have anticipated that his rondo with its merry
catch, '
".\ Southerly wind and a cloudless sky
Betoken a holiday morning."-
. ·I
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''
; II
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would be applicable to our northern, wind-swept hill during
December days; but so it was. And among the other happy conjunaions we would not forget that it was on the day
of St. Francis Xavier, than whom, we are sure, no saint more
rejoiced in the honor besto\ved upon Christ's Vicar on earth.
Great pains had been expended upon the chapel decorations. The high altar was well-nigh hidden in a bower of
soft green leaves and trailing plants and flowers; and up
above the myriad lights were elevated the Papal arms, embroidered on white satin. The choir gave an effeaive rendering of a carefully studied Mass by Palmer. Father
Reaor was celebrant, Fr. H. ]. Shandelle, deacon, and Mr.
\V. S. Hayes, subdeacon. The services were concluded
with Benediaion of the Most Blessed Sacrament and the
Te Dmm, sung by the \Vhole college.
\Vhen the students crowded into Fenwick Hall in the
evening, they discovered that the stage had also been adorned
in honor of the day. A glance at the topical arrangement
of the elegant programme gives an idea of how admirably
adapted was the scheme to embody adequately the manysided life of Leo XIII. It comprised the following speeches
by the collegians: The Priest-S. W. Wilby, The LegateE. H. Sheehan, The Poet-0. M. McGee, The Philosopher
-D. A. O'Brien, The Sovereign Pontiff-]. T. Bottomley.
The Jubilee Ode was by G. F. X. Griffith.
The martial music of the Glee Club and the spirited playing of the College Orchestra contributed their share in what
was, assuredly, a notable holiday for Holy Cross College.
·:1
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ST. MARY's, KANSAs-Dec. 8th, 1887.
In compliance with the wish of Rt. Rev. Bishop Fink,
the jubilee in honor of Pope Leo XIII. was celebrated
throughout the diocese of Leavenworth on the feast of the
Immaculate Conception. Our students, too, with wholesouled earnestness, fittingly manifested their love and rever-
;
,·,:
:.'11
�GOUJEh' jr'HlLEE OF LEO .\'111
9.5
ence for the venerable Vicar of Christ. At the early Mass,
about two hundred of them offered up their Holy Communion for His Holiness, and later, at the High Mass, when
sanB:uary and choir seemed to vie with each other in giving
solemnity to the divine service, many a young heart poured
out fervent prayers to God for blessings on the common father of all the faithfuL The piety of our boarders ever
edifies visitors and consoles those who labor in this young
vineyard. Knowing this reputation of our students, no one
will be surprised to hear that, during the day of the jubilee,
many were the visits to the chapel and many the appeals to
the Divine Prisoner in the tabernacle, in behalf of the holy
prisoner of the Vatican. Solemn BenediB:ion of the Blessed
Sacrament closed the day's offerings. The choir, with the
orchestra under the direB:ion of Father Moeller, fully sustained its well-deserved reputation. \Vhen the solemn strains
of the Tc Deum filled the chapel, the boys, joining in the
refrain, looked and felt their love and thanks to God, who
has given us such an able defender of the rights of Holy
Church, in the person of Pope Leo XIII.
ST. MARY's CoLLEGE, MoNTREAL, CANADA-Dec. 28th, 1887.
(From the Catholic Rcz,it"<u.)
The Rev. Jesuit Fathers of St. Mary's College, Bleury
Street, and their pupils, celebrated the jubilee of the Holy
Father on \Vcdnesday evening, Dec. 28th, with a literary
and musical soiree, which was attended by the elite of Montreal Catholic society, to whom cards of invitation had been
iss~ed. The entertainment was under the patronage of His
Grace the Archbishop of Montreal, who entered the Academic Hall precisely at eight o'clock, followed by the Rev.
Fathers of St. Mary's and their clerical guests. After the
orchestra had played a military march, the opening address
was given by Mr. J. C. de Boucherville, his subjeCt: being
"Leo XIII. as the ProteB:or of the Fine Arts." Then followed a debate by six young gentlemen, Messrs. Ranger,
Loranger, Gladu, Plante, De Martigny and Marien, as to
whether sculpture, music, architeCture, painting, poetry or
eloquence is the art most worthy of the Holy Father's proteB:ion; a question which was decided by Mr. Martineau,
who gave the palm to eloquence. ArchiteCture, painting
and sculpture, he said, were too materialistic; music was
freer from this charge, and poetry still more expressive and
elevated; but, of all the arts, eloquence was the one which
had most influence over the· minds of men.
�I
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COLDKV_/f11J!LEE OF' LEO X/11
Among the audience were gentlemen at the head of the
learned professions in Montreal, such as Hon. Judges Baby
and Papineau, Hon. Senator Trudel, Doctor Hingston, Doctor Laramee, Dr. Merrill, Hon. M. Chauveau, Mr. L. 0.
David, M.P., Mr. Desjardins, M.P., Mr. Frank Quinn, and
many others.
The programme was interspersed with music by the orchestra, under the direction of Rev. Father Garceau, S. J.,
and with some fine singing by the college boys, under the
direction of Rev. Lewis Cotter, S. J.
A pleasing feature was the recitation by young Master
Surveyer, aged twelve, of the Holy Father's ode, "Auspicatus Ecclesix Triumphus," which he rendered with singular
grace and sweetness. A translation of the same in French
was afterwards given by Master A. Laramee. vVhen the
last notes of the jubilee chorus had died away, Rev. Father
Turgeon, rector of the college, rose and addressed the audience. At the close of an apt speech he announced the
reception that day of a cablegram from Rome conveying
the Holy Father's blessing to the fathers and pupils of St.
Mary's College. This blessing, at the rector's request, was
then imparted by His Grace the Archbishop; the orchestra
struck up Ia 1'11arche des Prl:tres, the boys, in all the bravery
of their broadcloth and gold, filed off into the college, the
audience dispersed ~into the snow-drifted streets, and the
long line of fathers, in cap and gown, wound up the narrow
aisle leading to the little entrance door and disappeared,
surely well pleased with the manner in which their pupils
had conducted the jubilee entertainment in honor .of His
Holiness, Leo XIII.
-- •·
CANisrus CoLLEGE, BuFFALo, N. Y.-Dec. 30th, 1887.
REVEREND AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
\Vith great pleasure do I comply with your wish to send
you a brief account of our celebration of the Pope's jubilee
at Canisius College. The students, first of all, sent a collective Latin address to the Holy Father, which will be presented to him by our V. Rev. Fatl,ler General. The address
was a real little gem, as far as art and design were concerned,
'and was the work of the Sisters of St. Francis, who had
previously made that of the diocese of Buffalo, which was
most highly praised by competent judges. Of course,
the students delight in the idea, that their autographs will
be presented in the Eternal City, and even attract the eyes
�GOLDEN JUBILEE OF LEO XIII.
97
of the Holy Father, and they look forward to some kind of
acknowledgment, in which hope they most likely will not
be disappointed. Part of the public jubilee celebration took
place on the evening of December 30th, when an historical
drama, composed for the occasion by one of the faculty, was
presented for the first time to a large and distinguished audience. The title of the play was "Alexander III.," and its
subject, the bitter, but vain struggle of the Emperor Barbarossa against the successor of St. Peter. Although the events
belong to the remote past, yet they reflected significant light
on the present condition of the Church. The performance
was very creditable and the piece gave such general satisfaction, that on some future occasion it will undoubtedly be
played again. Having duly made the novena prescribed in
order to gain the plenary indulgence granted by our Holy
Father, our boys all went to confession on Saturday, and on
the following morning offered up the general Communion
for Leo XIII. Solemn High Mass was celebrated later in
the morning. ·when dinner-time came, the happy boys saw,
to their delight, that the Holy Father had even inspected
their bill of fare and had also added, after a long list of good
things, a delicious smoke. In the evening, the students, together with the numerous members of St. Michael's congregation, gathered once more in the spacious and richly decorated college-hall, to bring the day to a worthy close. Music
and song cheered the hearts of all until finally came the oration of the day, delivered by a member of the faculty. Thus
we spent at Canisius College this memorable day, and we
hope that in the hearts of our young men and boys it has
left a marked increase of love for our Holy Father and our
holy Catholic Church.
B.
GONZAGA COLLEGE, WASHINGTON, D. C.-Jan. Ist, 1888.
The students of the college had no special celebration,
but church and college united in honoring the Holy Father
on the first Sunday in January. The following account of
the celebration is taken from the Baltimore Mirror.
At St. Aloysitls' Church the sanctuary was beautifully
adorned and brilliantly lighted. The main and side altars
were decked with the brightest plants and fairest flowers.
Father Jones was the celebrant of the grand High Mass.
Gounod's Mass, St. Cecilia, was magnificently rendered
by a full choir, with Bernay's orchestra and a chorus
of thirty voices under the direction of Mr. Harry SherVoL. xvn, No. 1.
7
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GOLDEN JUBILEE OF LEO XIII.
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man. Rev. E. A. McGurk, preached on "The Pontificate
of Pope Leo XIII." The Reverend Father referred to
the universal tributes of love and respea for the Pope,
manifested by gifts from every nation and congratulations in every language. There were two causes for this
reverence- first, the dignity of the Papacy, and, second,
the distinguished merits with which the present pontiff had
discharged the duties of his high office. Father McGurk
dwelt upon the relation of the Pope to the Church, remarking that, as Peter was made the rock on which the Church
should stand and as the shepherd of the flock should feed it,
so the very continuance and existence of Christianity are
made by Christ to depend upon the Papacy. He showed
how through the history <;_>f Christianity the Pope had been
at the head and had discharged the sacred trust. He \vas
the sign by which the world could ·discover that Christ's
promise, that he would be with the Church unto the consummation of time, had been fulfilled. The Reverend Father
described the firmness with which the Pope maintained his
temporal possession. Taking up the manacles and chains
of which death had relieved his predecessor, and going into
the seclusion of the Vatican, he had declined to break the
triple crown so honorably his for so many centuries. Freedom, however, had not been necessarv that his voice should
reach his flock Through his encyc'!icals he had reached
the Church and the world. Aware of the intelleaual
aaivity of the world, he had encouraged a similar activity in the Church, and it would not be long before
many great students would show the fruit of the Holy Father's encouragement of the study of St. Thomas -Aquinas.
The Reverend Father then spoke of the Pope's political relations with Spain, Germany and England, in all of whi'ch,
he said, he had gained the approval and admiration of the
world. Romberg's Te Dcum was sung after the l\Iass.
ST. PETER's CoLLEGE, JERSEY Cnv, N.J.- Jan. 6th, 1888.
From this college we have received only a neat programme unaccompanied by any description of the celebration. From this we gather that the collegians celebrated
the golden jubilee of the Holy Father, on the morning of ·
Friday, Jan. 6th, with appropriate literary exercises. These
comprised a discourse on "Leo, the Prince of Peace," a
poem on the Pope's motto: "Lumen in ccelo," an essay on
"Leo, the Friend and Patron of Learning," another, on "Leo
XIII. and Science," with recitations entitled: "Address to
Iii
�;,.~i'HIQUHTE
UNIVERSITY
liBRARY
GOLDE.\" JUBILEE OF LEO XIII.
99
Leo XIII.," "The Golden Jubilee," and "Congratulatory
Verses." The programme with its golden border was in
keeping with the occasion.
ST. JOHN's, FORDHAM, N. Y.-Jan. 15th, 1888.
Memorable as the 15th of January, 1888, will hereafter remain forever in the hearts of the children of the Catholic
Church, on account of the faithful ones, whose names were
inscribed by our Holy Father, Leo XIII. on the calendar of
the saints, it was rendered particularly memorable to the
faculty and students of St. John's College, by reason of the
twofold celebration which on this day was held within its
walls.
As His Holiness determined to make the canonisation of
these saints the most solemn and glorious aEt of this festive
season of his golden jubilee; as three of those raised to the
altars of God were members of the Society of Jesus, for
which he has always shown the tenderest love, in memory
of the happy days spent as student at two of our colleges;
and as it seems as though it gave him a special pleasure to
hold up to the world St. John Berchmans as a new model
and patron of youth; it was .deemed most appropriate to
join in one grand celebration the canonisation of the youthful saint and the golden jubilee of the venerable pontiff.
With this objeCt in view, it was arranged to have for the
morning services a solemn High Mass, sung in unison by
the students, at which a panegyric of St. John Berchmans
would be preached, and in the afternoon a literary and musical entertainment which would blend together the praise
of the newly canonised saint, with that of our Holy Father.
The ·Mass was celebrated with unusual pomp by Reverend Father ReCtor, as.sisted by Father 'Naish, as deacon,
and Mr. vVeber, as subdeacon.
The faCt that St. John was a scholastic of the Society at
the time of his holy death, suggested the propriety of having the story of his saintly life, with its simple and beautiful
lessons of angelic virtue, told by' one of his own grade in
the order he loved so dearly and whose glory it is to number him among her favorite children.
Mr. Quirk was, tHerefore, chosen for the task, which was
somewhat difficult, as it was the first time that a scholastic
was called on, of late years, to preach before the students.
Even bearing in mind how slowly and softly praise should
come to the ears of the living, however deserving they may
be, it still should be said the panegyric was uniformly praised
. - 9l0
�loo
GOLDEN jUBILEE OF LEO Xiii
both for its matter and manner of delivery by aii who had
the pleasure of hearing it. A clear and distinCt: piCture it
was, of a pure and gifted soul, with its aspirations direCted
towards God, a resolute will never to swerve from the path
of duty and virtue. The light and shade, the trials and
marvellous virtue, of this favored child of heaven were set
forth in such nice proportions, his every quality of mind
and heart were drawn with such clearness and spirit, that
many a year will come and go before the beauty of St.
John's charaCter will fade from the minds of those who
listened to his panegyric.
In the evening, the glorious works of our Holy Father's
pontificate were rehearsed by members of the higher classes,
in Latin and English orations. A poem in honor of our
Lady of Montague and also one in honor of our Holy Father, was read. The exercises were concluded by the choir
singing the Te Deum. Afterwards all repaired to the
chapel where the celebration was appropriately brought to
an end by solemn BenediCtion.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN-Jan. 15th, 1888.
(F_:om a Detroit paper.)
The jubilee of Pope Leo's priesthood was celebrated at
the Church of SS. Peter and Paul yesterday, in accordance
with the pre-arranged programme. The trimmings and
drapings hung for Christmas were still in place and tlre altars
richly dressed. At the morning masses and in the evening,
the church was crowded to the doors, the aggregate attendance of the day being between six and seven thousand.
The first discourse of the day was delivered by Father
Cornelius B. Sullivan, vice-president of Detroit College.
His theme was "Leo the Priest."
"The termination of fifty years of any sort of life," he
said, "is a memorable event, and if those fifty years have
been years of honor, it is a fitting occasion for felicitation.
What do fifty years of priestly life convey to the Catholic
mind? Travel in imagination over those fifty years. There
is the going forth from home and kindred; there is the long
life of study, prayer and austere preparation; there is the
giving up of pleasures that others enjoy, but of which it
were sin for the Levite to taste. At length he emerges from
solitude, which men commonly give to supplying the delights
of the awakening passions. Behold him as he stands at the
altar for the first time vested in his priestly robes. From
1
I
�GOLDEN JUBILEE OF LEO XIII.
101
this moment he is· alone,, a man apart with God alone, a
priest forever. He knows no ties of flesh and blood. He
traces his lineage to God alone. For him the battle has
begun. As the years roll on, he must be 'still more the man
of penance, the man of study, the man of intercourse with
God. He has received a heavy burden, a fearful responsibility. He is priest, father, judge and teacher. To fulfill
these duties he can depend on God alone. The fiftieth year
in Pope Leo's priesthood has been reached. Feeble is his
step and bowed his gray head. Gather round him to-day,
'the holy old priest! What a story the guardian angel could
tell of those fifty years! Tell us, Angel of the priesthood,
of his long, fierce battle with the world, of the many sacraments he has administered, of the sinners he has led out of
the shadow of the dark valley ; of the broken hearts he has
healed, of the outcast Magdalenes he has brought to the
sheltering proteCtion of the Good Shepherd, of the sick he
has comforted and the dying he has cheered, of the orphans'
and the poor to whom he has been the loving father and
true friend, of the ignorant he has instruCted, of the temples
he has built and beautified. Tell us of the trials and cares
and sorrows that have wrinkled his brow, of the gloomy
secrets that have sunk into his soul, of the virtues he has
praCtised, his prudence, meekness, fervent prayer. Tell us
of the hostile criticisms passed upon him by the indifferent
and the cold. Honor him, ye Catholic people; aye, honor
the gray-haired priest who has come forth from the trial of
these fifty years with spotless integrity; honor him as the
warm tears course down his cheeks whilst he holds your
God and his God in his trembling hands and thinks of that
day in the long ago when for the first time he offered the
great sacrifice of the Lamb. Catholic parents, do you
number among your sons one who is destined for the honors
of the priesthood? If so, bless God. Choose not any child
of yours for this dread responsibility; for this would be to
usurp the authority of Christ. But if you possess a child
who has heard the voice of the Master calling him into the
sanCtuary, cherish that child and guard him against the allurements of sin."
At half past 10 A. M. solemn High Mass was celebrated,
with Fr. J. P. Frieden, reCtor of Detroit College, as celebrant. Fr. Charles Coppens delivered a discourse on "Leo,
the Man," treating the main events in the life of the Pope,
paying a high tribute to his erudition as a scholar, his
P!ety as a priest and pontiff, his ability as a diplomat and
hts liberality as a patron of the arts and sciences.
In the evening Father Thomas Hughes delivered a lee;:-
�!02
GOLDEA~
]UBILEF: OF LEO XIII.
ture on "Leo, the Pope," it being a review of the papacy.
He said: "In this jubilee fete a significant historical faEl:
flashes on the eye. It is the unbroken line of Roman pontiffs, from the tim'e of St. Peter to Pope Leo XIII. It is a
line which has been cut short neither by \·acancy nor by
vice. It set out nearly nineteen centuries ago, with the full
intent, deliberate and expressed, of lasting throughout time.
Eighteen centuries pass away; thirteen nations, between the
Persian Gulf and the Atlantic, lend their representatives to
fill the chair of Peter; the world beholds it filled by 253
lawful successors of St. Peter, and the chair still remains.'
The See of Rome has been kept supplied by eleEl:ion; yet
has it not failed. Here is a man·el, abstraEl:ing from all else;
an eleEl:ive monarchy is, humanly speaking, a thing incapable of lasting. Besides lieresies, a brood of evils in the
shape of violence and of schism was produced by the different ages as they ran on; but the series of popes remains,
clothed with a four-fold glory, the light of their sanEl:ity, of
their great achievements, of their learning, and of their extraordinary abilities in government. In brief, history declares that the substantial form of the Church, as manifested
in the visible aEl:ions of her visible head, has been immovable. It moreover declares that the popes, in exerting that extraordinary vitality with which they administered hc.:r affairs,
saved Europe from ,barbarians, civilised it with arts and sciences, and spread Christianity through the world. Wisdom
is justified in her children; Christ in his faithful; and the
Church in her pastors. They have been f.'lithful to her from
the first Pope, St. Peter, to Pope Leo XIII., the latest but
not the last of the indefeEl:ible line, and one of the··g~eatest
pontiffs, in his sanEl:ity and wisdom, that have ever occupied
the Papal throne."
After the sermon, prayers were said by the congregation
for the Holy Father, and the services ended with solemn
BenediEl:ion and the singing of the Tc Dcum by the Acolythical Society. The chimes of the church closed the day's
celebration with the Te Dcum.
MoRRISON, CoLORADo-Jan. r8th, r888,
\Ve have received Jrom Morrison College, Colorado, an
elaborately printed programme which would seem to denote
a celebration of a very high charaEl:er. Having received
no other account of the celebration, we can give only a synopsis of the programme. The celebration began with a
pontifical Mass at which Right Rev. Bishop Matz, Coatlj utor-
�GOLDEN JUBILEE OF LEO XIII.
103
Bishop of Denver, aeted as celebrant, the Rev. Reetor of
the college as assistant priest, Fr. Brunner, as deacon, Mr.
Cordoba as subdeacon, and Mr. Kowald as master of ceremonies. The choir was under the direCtion of Mr. Chappuis. The panegyric was delivered by Rt. Rev. J.P. Machebceuf, Bishop of Denver.
.
The pontifical Mass was followed by a literary and musical
entertainment embracing addresses in Latin, French, Italian,
English and German. This was followed, at noon, by a
banquet, and in the afternoon, by another literary feast in
which the praises of the Holy Father were blended with
those of the newly canonised saints of the Society. This
included also, addresses of welcome to the bishops who were
present on the occasion. The day closed with a singing of
the Te Deum and solemn Benedietion.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER's, NEw YoRK-Feb. 15th, 1888.
[From the following extraCts, taken from the February number of the .Xa·m·er, it will appear that the college celebration took place at so late a date, that we have not yet
received any account in detail.]
On the eve of the New Year the Jubilee of the Pope was
celebrated with unusual splendor in the Church of St. Francis Xavier. There was a solemn procession of all the clergy
of the church and college, followed by . .a Te Deum with
orchestral accompaniment. Rev. Fr. McCarthy drew a
picture of the celebration then taking place in the Vatican
itself, referring in a striking manner to the military guard
presenting arms during the elevation to Him who is the
God of Armies.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
The feast of the new saint, St. John Berchmans, of the
Society of Jesus, canonised at Rome by Pope Leo XIII.,
on Sun.day, January I sth, I 888, one of the Patrons of Youth,
will be celebrated by the students of St. Francis Xavier's
College on February ISth. The Jubilee of the Pope will
be celebrated by the students on the same day.
�A MIRACLE
WROUGHT BY ST. JOHN BERCHMANS ON THE DAY OF HIS
CANONISATION.
FIESOLE, February gth, 1888 .
. DEAR REVEREND FATHER IN XT.,
P. C.
I enclose the account of a miracle wrought through the
intercession of St. John B~rchmans on the day of his canonisation. It was sent to us" by the Roman Provincial, and
afterwards published in the Florence paper ll Giorno.
yours very sincerely in nno,
E. V. BouRsAUD, S. J.
The following account is fprnished by the Archpriest of
Ferrara referred to in the sketch.
Louisa Boari, a niece of Canon Boari d'Argenta, Archpriest of Ferrara, had been suffering from consumption for
many years. The physician who attended her had long
since discovered that her right lung was completely consumed, while the left was slowly wasting away. In addition
to this she experienced the greatest difficulty in breathing,
and an aversion to all kinds of food. For the last year she
had been living on milk alone, and even this she had.recently been unable to take, except in very small quantifies, and
not without suffering acute pains in the stomach. Still later
she suffered every night from a fever which threatened her
speedy death. Her life, in a word, was despaired o£ I who
was her confessor was obliged to tell her of her condition
and admonish her to prepare for the end. On· Saturday
morning, January 14th, she sent for me to hear her confession, which she was accustomed to make every week. She
showed herself piously resigned, and even anxious"to die,
in order, as she said, to be with Christ.
I told her how, on the following day, the canonisation of
Blessed John Berchmans was to take place, and advised her
to invoke his aid with confidence, and on the morrow to ask
of him a perfeCl: cure,· if such should be to the greater glory
of God and the sanCl:ification of her soul. She yielded, in
the spirit of obedience, and promised to ask the grace. I
gave her a relic of Blessed Berchmans and withdrew. That
(104)
�A MIRACLE OF ST. JOHN
BERCH~fANS.
105
evening the usual fever returned. On awakening at midnight, she found herself ·no better than before; some time
later, however, she awoke and found herself completely
cured. She made several experiments to be sure that it
was not an illusion. She soon realised, beyond a doubt,
that the cure was complete, and then joyfully cried out: "I
am cured, I am cured! Blessed John Berchmans has cured
me!" This happened at about'4 A.M., and she eagerly asked
to go to the church to hear the first Mass, which is said before dawn; but the rest of the family would not allow her
to do so. She went, however, to the parochial Mass, and
received Holy Communion, besides attending all the ceremonies, kneeling nearly the whole time. She felt no inconvenience whatever from these unusual efforts, and, pn returning home, she ate her breakfast with an excellent appetite. On Monday she observed the abstinence in honor of
St. Anthony with the rest of the family, her meals consisting of beans, stock-fish and polenta. On Tuesday, in spite
of the great cold, she visited the Madonna della Celetta ;
and, after this walk of about three American miles, she
stopped at the church of St. Nicholas where she remained
for all the evening ceremonies, kneeling as on Sunday without feeling any inconvenience. On \Vednesday, the doCtor
was sent for and was amazed at finding no trace of sickness
left. l'rfirabi!is Dcus in sam'lis suis! was his exclamation as
he bade her good bye. At present she is in perfeCt health
and everything leaves us to understand that the cure is complete and lasting.
�ACCOUNT OF THE :\IIRACLES
AD~!ITTED BY THE CoNGREGATION oF RrrEs FOR THE
CANONISATION OF ST. PETER CI.A\"ER.
'•
·"'
Devotion to Peter Claver in the United States began with
his beatification. At that time, I preached a mission in our
church of St. Joseph, at St. Louis. As Christ bade his Apostles preach, and lay hands on the sick. I resolved to do what
Christ admonished the "Heralds of the Gospel" to do, and
to place the relics of Blessed Peter on the heads of the sick.
But in order not to interfere with the order and quiet of the
mission, I announced to the people, that I would-attend to
the sick, only after the conclusion of the mission; that they
must first take care of their souls, making the exercises as
well as possible, and then continue the invocation of Blessed
Peter Claver e\·ery day till his feast-the 9th of September.
At the end of the second mission at St. Joseph's, they
brought among the sick a child born blind, that did not
move the pupil of its eye when the flame of a candle was
placed before it. T-he following day, the parents came and
thanked me, because the child had got the perfect usc of its
eyes. I told the parents to thank God and his sen·;mt
Blessed Peter Claver; but I felt no impulse or inclination
to speak of the f.·n·or to others.
•
After that, I gave missions uninterruptedly for nc!<rly forty
years, imposing the relics 0\·er and over again at the conclusion of missions, and cures followed cures almost without
interruption ; so that the veneration of Peter Cla\·er was
spreading and increasing throughout the whole of the United
States, over which I constantly travelled; but still I felt no
impulse to notify Rome of these cures.
Finally, during the year 1862 I gan: a mission at 'Melrose,
near New York. There a woman came, affliCted with a rotten hand. One finger especially was putrefying, and the
whole hand was a mass of corruption. Gangrene had set
in, and the hand was to be cut off. I placed the relics on
the sore hand, and told the woman to come next morning
to church, and that meanwhile, I would recommend her to
Blessed Peter Claver. She came, and during l\Iass she felt
a heavy stroke on her hand. At once she rose up, and,
anxious to see what had happened, went out into the street
(xo6)
�.lfiRACLES OF ST. PETER CLAVER.
107
and removed the bandage, when she saw that she had, as it
were, a new hand, for the flesh was tender and fresh as a
boiled egg without the shell. and no more corruption was
visible. Seeing this change, she began to cry in a loud voice,
"Glory, Glory to God! I am cured!" At this, a crO\~d quickly
assembled, and among them an apothecary, who had a drugstore on the corner opposite the church; as he knew the
previous condition of the woman's hand, he said to the people: "I don't know what the priest in the church did to cure
that hand, but one thing I say,-tlzat is a <uonder."
Even this case I did not feel disposed to refer to Rome.
But proceeding from Melrose to the neighboring parish of
Manhattanville, I was standing in the sacristy, when, suddenly, I felt my finger pierced as by a lancet, and the pain
almost made me sink to the floor. My finger began to swell.
Then I began to think that possibly Blessed Peter Claver
was thus affliB:ing me, for not heeding the faB:, that these
cures were wrought by God to promote his canoni~ation.
So I addressed myself to him, asking him to cure me, and
promising, in turn, that I would immediately inquire from
Rome what I was to do in regard to many, nay innumerable
cures, worked through the application of the relics of Peter
Claver. Fr. Boero, who was the Promoter of the Processes
for our Venerables, replied that I had only to state the faB:s
to the bishops, and send the cases to the Congregation of
Rites for examination. Fr.· Boero added that two evident
miracles would do; nay, that one miracle of the first class
would suffice, if it happened after the beatification. So I
sent only five miraculous cures to Rome.
Of these, the Congregation seleB:ed three and sent the
"InstruCtions" to the bishops. The first was that of a lady
in Milwaukee, eighty-two years of age, who had been affliB:ed for twelve years by a cancer on the right cheek. The
second was that of a girl with a broken collar-bone in Valley
Nippenose in the diocese of Philadelphia. The third of a
man in St. Louis, who had caries of the breast-bone and three
ribs, and pulmonary consumption.
On the first case, the Papal Court met in Milwaukee. It
was in the year 1862 that the old lady went, on the feast of
St. Peter, to ask the blessing of his relics. I laid the relics
on the cancer, and the cancer disappeared at once. She
went joyfully home, rubbing her face with her hands, and
telling the people: "See! I told you that I shall come home,
and the cancer will be gone."
The second cure was that of a girl, who had broken her
collar-bone, and for four months was under the treatment of
�to8
JfiRACLES OF ST. PETER CLAVER.
some doctors of Williamsport, a·nd without success. The
bones would not join, and her mother said to her, while
dressing the arm, before going to the church during the
mission: "My daughter, you will never be cured, but console yourself with the thought that you can be saved with
one hand, as well as with two." Coming to the confessional,
the girl blessed herself with the left hand; I asked her the
reason. She answered: "I am disabled, and cannot move
the right hand; the bone is broken." I then asked her if
she felt devotion in the intercession of the saints. As she
replied in the affirmative, I brought her to the sacristy, and
laid the relics on the bandage. She simply said: "Thank
you," untied the bandage, and after Mass went straight to
the priest's house and begqn to iron the wash. On coming
home, she joyfully swung her hand before her mother's eyes,
exclaiming: "See! no more broken bone!" and began to
load a wagon with hay.
The third case was that of Ignatius Strecker, in the year
1864. His breast-bone and three ribs were eaten by caries;
he was afflicted with a diseased throat and pulmonary consumption. The doctors advised his wife to prepare for his
funeral. Then the wife told him that after the mission I
was giving, I would impose relics on the sick. He wanted
to have the relics applied to him too. As soon as the relics
were laid on him, he- said to his wife: "Now I can dance."
In a moment he was cured of all rottenness of the bones,
and of his consumption, and immediately went to work.
He was a baker by trade.
His wife told me, that when she heard me announce that
I would lay relics on the sick, she thought this \VDuld be
useless to her husband, for she had already made a novena
in honor of the Blessed Virgin, but without avail. Now,
she thought, as Mary is higher in Heaven than Blessed Peter
Claver, he could not do more than she. While these
thoughts were running in her mind, she suddenly heard a
voice, as from Heaven: "You are right, my daughter, I am
the Queen of Saints, but I wish my servants also to be honored." The processes of these miracles were sent to Rome,
and the Congregation selected two of them for the Decree
of Canonisation. (t)
When called to the witness-stand, I testified that I had
OJ Here is the passage in .the decree re"ording the miracle•: "Constare de
duo bus miraculis intercessore lleato Petro Claver a Deo patratis; sci!. de pri·
mo: Instantanere perfectn~que sanationis Barbone Dressen mulieris octogena·
rire ab inveterato co nero epith"eliali in dextera maxilla; ac de secundo: Subitanere perfectreque sanationis lgnatii Strecker a carie sterni et costarum
thoracis sinistri gravissimo pulmonum vitio conjuucta."
�MIRACLES OFSt: PETER CLAVER.
imposed the relics, and that cures constantly happened; but
I never heard what had been done with the processes sent to
Rome, whether the Congregation had made use of them or
not. Twenty years passed, and finally I heard that Blessed
Peter was to be canonised in r885; again that the canonisation was deferred till r886, and again till r887. All that
time I did not inquire whether the Congregation had used
the miracles proposed by me; and when the canonisation
took place on the I sth of January of this y'ear, I did not
know whether these miracles had been used. I thought I
would offer to the Lord, in honor of St. Peter, this aCt of selfabnegation, saying: "Anyhow the news will soon be published," and so it happened. The Catltolic Review printed a
letter from its Roman correspondent, giving an account of
the canonisation, and the Letters and Notices arrived, and I
felt exceedingly thankful to God and St. Peter. At the same
time, I was glad that I had offered faithfully, through twenty
years, the sacrifice of mortified curios'ity, that powerful
plague to human frailty.
FRANcr,; XAVIER \NENJNGER,
Cincinnati, Feb. 26tlt, I888.
S. J.
�FATHER YENNI'S JUBILEE.
Fr. Dominic Yenni, of Spring Hill College, New Orleans
Mission, is the author of a Latin and a Greek grammar which
are held in high esteem and are in use in many of our colleges
in this country. Some months ago, Very Rev. Fr. General
sent him a letter to congratulate him on having taught
grammar for .ftRJ' years. .\Ve were very desirous to get a
copy of this letter and pri;1t it, as it would make edifying
reading and encourage teachers. Accordingly we applied
to Rev. Fr. Butler and received the following answer:
NE\\" ORLEANS, Feb. 10th, 1888.
DEAR REVERE:\D FATHER,
P. C.
It would have given me .very great pleasure to have been
able to comply with your request, but good Father Yenni
has made it impossible for me to do so. A day or two after
receiving the letter from Very Rev. Fr. General, inJ1i~ great
humility he destroyed it, fearing that it would be fou~d after
.I
I
!·
I
•"j
':'\
his death, and probably published, and that thus he would
receive praise which, in his opinion, he does not think he
deserves. So you see his great humility induced him to do
away with the letter which we so much desired to have.
R••
v••
servus in Xto,
THEOBALD
~; .l
• 1
w.
BUTLER,
s. J.
(r 10)
�OBITUARY.
BROTHER JOSEPH
A.
VIGEANT.
On the 28th of December, the feast of the Holy Innocents, the Novitiate at Frederick witnessed a revival, accidental it is true, of that ancient
Catholic usage, which prescribed a family feast upon the death of one of
its members. The novices were about to celebrate their feast, when the
community-bell called all, according to their devotion, to say a prayer for
a departed soul, for our coadjutor-brother, Joseph A. Vigeant. There
was no surprise in this. The prayer for the dying had been added to the
Litanies for a month previous, and, when the death-knell sounded, it recalled rather the necessity for thanking God for his goodness and mercy
than the need of prayers lor the deceased.
Brother Vigeant was by birth a Canadian, though his parents for some
years lived in the States. He was born on the 11th of April, 1859, and
entered the Society, September 29th, 1880. From his entrance he showed
singular aptitude for every office to which superiors appointed him. In
the kitchen, the refectory and the infirmary, he was painstaking and willing in all his labors; aud afterwards, as a machinist, by reason of his
rapid progre~s. he bid fair to become a workman of great skill. Superiors, however, preferred to utilise his services in other duties. He was
appointed buyer, and his modesty and humility in performing the duties
of this office led him to be highly esteemed and loved by those with
whom he had dealin~s. He was, moreover, visitor at night, and it was
while fulfilling this office that he met with an accident which brought on
his death. As he was crossing the garden upon a dark night, he ran
sharply against a bench, the edge of which struck him in the chest. As
he moved at a rapid pace. the force of the collision overthrew him, and,
when he arose, he spat blood. He was at once placed in the infirmary
and receive<! all the care that kindness and experience could suggest.
He recovered, after a time, sufficiently to resume part of his duties, but
the accident had robbed him of much of that vigor and earnestness with
\~hich he was accustomed to pursue his labors. After two years of indifferent health, Brother Vigeant contracted a cold, and a little later, experienced a return of hemorrhages, that obliged him, first, to forego all
work, and in August, 1887, to keep his room. After a lapse of five months,
he died, as was said alJove, on the feast of the Holy Innocents.
In recalling the life of our departed brother, there is one element traceable throughout all his actions, both spiritual and temporal, which merits
~ur consideration. His character was one of great and prudent determination. This quality served him in good stead as buyer; for it led to a
prompt and judicious management, which gave full satisfaction to his
SUJ?e!·iors, and which never compromised the dignity and sanctity of his
rel!gwus calling. A man of few words, but always courteous, he attended
stnctly to the business which he had with others. But though his zeal
for hi~ Father's house showed itself thus in temporal matters-which in
a large community must needs be multifarious and distracting-these
Were, to Brother Vigeant, only causes why he should attend to, and de~land, a strict account of himself in his spiritual eoncerns. Of an essenli~lly serious mind, his idea of our Society, as its plan was unrolled before
lum in rule and instruction and guidance, urged him always to seek for
that lofty and sublime perfection held out to us by our Holy Founder.
(1 II}
�It2
. II'
'; '
FATHER jOSEPH VETTER.
Hence, with this object before him, his determination ripened into constancy, and his seriousness, acted upon by a high estimate of the life to
which he was called, formed in him an undercurrent, that made him
deeply religions, and gave him that motif which, duly cherished nnd followed in all its bearings, makes our perfection so truly a personal matter.
Indications of this trait were not wanting even in the first days of his
noviceship. He had been but a short time in religion, when an extern
who had occasion to meet Ours frequently, happening to see him, remarked on account of his modesty that he must have been a religious of
many years. And that modesty was not ephemeral. It grew from day
to day, and, under constant care, it ceased to be something merely external, but, having its origin within, it became a force that compelled the
greatest respect from those who knew him best, while, in the house, his
regular and careful observance was known to all. So, too, a beautiful
and consoling proof of his constancy was his earnest and humble avowal
of his faults.
Yet it was not in the fear and trembling of a daily strife that Brother
Vigeant was to approach to God. It was early in his career that he met
with the fatal accident, and, though he seemed to recover, he was destined to complete the work of his sanctification by sickness. "\Vhen the
special need of the virtue of patience became apparent, our brother
brought all the force of his strong character to pre~erve and strengthen
his soul in its practice. Sickness, some one has remarked, is the test of
a true religious, and our brother, were there any doubt of his religious
spirit, would have quickly dispelled it by his edifying fortitude. For one
so lively and so active, consumption, the disease which developed itself,
with its slow marching, with its racking cough :mel ever-present pain,
was especially trying. The confinement, the isolation, the longing to see
and converse with others, the weary days, the long lonely vigils of the
night,-all these he bore in the hope of joy to come, with confidence in
God and most gentle resignation. As he wasted slowly, he i1ppreciated
more and more the glory of suffering, and, though the least motion of his
body caused him intense pain, he never murmured. No impatient word
crossed his lips, for he was suffering for Christ, and as the days wore on
and the hallowed Christmas-time again drew near, he counted his sufferings a joy, because they might bring him then to die,-a joy that broke
forth in words, as he said to the infirmarian on Christmas Eve: "0 brother, if! could but go to-night." But still he lingered, until, with .a passingaway so quiet that it could hardly be detected, he went to God on the
feast of the Holy Innocents.-R. I. P.
•
'~ '
;.::!
.. i
,~,
·:,:;
FATJIEH JOSEPH VETTER.
Fr. Joseph Vetter died at the Carney Hospital, Boston, on Jan. 7th, 1888 .
Born at :Molsheim, Alsace, Feb. 26th, 181!), on the completion of his classical studies, he entered the theological seminary at Strasburg, where he
was noted for his piety and fervor. He was a member of the students'
sodality, directed at that time by Fr. Liebermann, and in this body, composed of the most devoted seminarians, young Vetter held a conspicuous
place. He was ordained in due time and spent some years in labor as a
secular priest; but, zealous for the better gifts, he applied for and obtained
admission into the Society of Jesus. He began his noviceship on Dec.
16th, 1847, at Issenheim, Province of France. Towards the end of his
second year of noviceship he Rpent some months in renewing his classical studies, and was then seut to the College of Brugelette, where herepeated his course of philosophy and taught catechism in the parish church.
In 1851 we find him at Laval, preparing for the examination ad gradurrt,
and dircctin.~ the German and French academics. Soon after this he was
sent to the New York and Canada :Mission. Having devoted a portion
of the scholastic year 185~-53 to the study of English at St. Francis
Xavier's, New York, he was called to St. Mary's College, Montreal, where
�FATHER JOSEPH VETTER.
Il3
he began his labors as professor of philosophy. He was at the same time
subminister, and confessor of Onrs, explained the points of mmlitation
to the brothers, and heard confessions in the church. To these duties
was added, the following year, the care of the German Catholics Jiving
in the city. Appointed minister of the college in 1855, he discharged the
duties of this laborious office without in any way neglecting the other
occupations imposed upon him by obedience. Being a man of few words,
and caring for nothing but his work, he found time lor all the work given
him. Sent to take pastoral charge of St. Ann's, Buffalo, in 1858, he accomplish<'d a great deal of good during the two years he remained there.
In Sept. 1860, Fr. Vetter was called to Fordham to teach the first year of
philosophy; during this year he assisted in the fJarish church, and heard
the confessions of the Ursulines and of their pupils at Melrose. During
the third year of probation, spent at Frederick, ~fd., he acquired an increase of zeal and devotedness for the lnbors that still awaited him in the
~laster's vineyard. He was pastor of St. ~Iichael's, Buffalo, for one year,
and then we find him, with a multiplicity of occupations, at St. John's
Fordham, in 1863-6-1. He taught philosophy, examined Ours, presided
over the cases of conscience, directed the Holy Angels' Sodality, heard
the confessions of the students, and attended the Ursulines at 1\Ielrose.
He still had time for other labors, and, accordingly, in the following year,
he was appointed spiritual f:tther, confessor of Uur~ in the scholusticate,
and confessor of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart at Munh:ttt:mville. Called
to Buffalo a third time in V:l6:5, he acte<l as minister, confessor of Ours,
and of the Sisters of St. Jmeph, presided over the cases of conscience,
and performed regular p:trochi:tl chilies at St. ~Iichael's Church.
These labors were soon brought to a close and a new field of zeal
opened for Fr. Vetter in n. truly marvellous way. In 186() his eyesight
failed completely, ami he was oblige(! to leave Buffalo and go to New
York for medical treatment. There his eyes were examined by eminent
oculists, and his case pronounced hop<"less. Ditficult as the sacrifice de·
manded must have been to one who so loved work, we may be sure it
was cheerfully made. That it was promptly rewarded, the sequel will
show. Just at that time the cholera broke out in the public institutions
on Blackwell's Island, the father in charge at the ·workhouse was stricken
clown am\ the Island ~Iission was in the greatest need. Fr. Vetter offered
him~clf to do what he could in his infirm condition, and his offer was
gladly acccptP(l. Sixteen years of labor in this field, fruitful in good results, was, in part, the reward given him for his cheerful sacrifice. He
was assigned to duty at the Charity Hospital and the Penitentiary. The
d~aths of his penitent,; were most edifying, hut his patience was sorely
tried by many whom he prepared for health, and who did not die. His
flock was composed in a grmt measure of the most abandoned characters,
the outcasts of a great city. To the Charity Hospital came again and again
the same unfortunate women. Moved by the grace of G()(l and the good
father's counsel and exhortation, they promised to amend their lives and
were prepared for the sacraments of penance and the Holy Eucharist,
:Which they reeeived with every evidence of sincere contrition; but leavmg the hospital when restored to health, and thrown again into occasions
of sin, they resumed their wicked life. Some even who had been prepared for death half a dozen times, and, unfortunately, did not die, began
ugain the old life of sin on the very day on which they were discharged
from the hospital. Such relapses so moved Fr. Vetter, that he seriously
entertained thoughts of refusing the last sacraments to such persons, and
of allowing them to die with only a eondititmal absolution. Trials of
bodily suffering also helped to complete his crown. His health, never
robust, was much enfeebled by his continued labors. One of his arms
had been twice broken in his younger days, and from this he suffered
much as he grew older; yet, despite these infirmities, he labored faithfully
and without complaint, in this trying field, for sixteen years. At the end
VoL. xvn, No. r.
8
�114
FATHER JOSEPH VETTER.
of that period, his health was so shattered by his unremitting toil, that
superiors were obliged to remove him to a place where he might receive
the care and attention he so much needed.
A stay of some weeks at St. Francis' Hospital, Jersey City, and the attention of the kind Sisters of St. Francis, effected, in some measure at
least, the desired result. Restored to better health, Fr. Vetter was anxious
to be at work again, and asked for employment. He was assigned to
duty at St. Mary's, Boston, his last field of labor. Here he lived five
years, rendering himself extremely useful by his assiduity in hearing confessions, and by preaching in German and English: at all times ready to
do whatever lay in his power for the good of souls. His self-denial was
complete; he did not spare himself in anything, and had no desire to get
credit for wh,at he was doing. Those who knew him most intimately,
appreciated most his real worth. HiR words were few and always about
God or his works. One of the fathers who labored with him on Blackwell's Island, to whom our thanks are due for much that this sketch
contains, bears cheerful witness to his solid virtue, and tells us that,
owing to his extreme reserve in speaking of himself, even those who
were living in the closest intercourse with him had but a limited knowledge of him. So it was that dt>ath found him, with full sheaves. Returning from the German church to St. l\Iary's, he stepped on a piece of
coal and fell in the street ; his head struck against a stone step and was
badly cut; erysipelas set in and he was removed to the hospital where he
received every care and attention; but no earthly remedy availed him.
After two weeks of very great pain :mel suffering, he died fortified by the
sacraments and last rites of the Church. His body was buried at Holy
Cross College, ·worcester.-R. I. P.
�Varia.
AD VERTISEJIENT.-lVe have not been enabled to gire the articles promised for this number, on the Cone1cago .Jubilee and on Fr. Bapst. Intere"ting
accounts of the labors of Ours are solicited, also items for the\' ARIA. Our
thanks are due to se?·eral contributors for their promptness in responding to
this reg ue.<t.
cllaska.-Hev. Fr. Cataldo writes to the Editor: "The only important
news is that our Y. Rev . .Fr. General tells me to rlo all we can for Alaska;
but what 'We can do, without help from other prm·inces, is very little at present: onlv one father and one brother "·ill start for the Yukon by the first
steamer from San Fntncisco, probably in :\Iay."
•
Alllauia.-From :<eutari we learn that the combined efforts of the Consuls
of Austria ami Italy, backed by their ambassadors, ha,·e not as yet succeeded
in obtnininz jn~tif'c> forth(' atrocious n1urller of our ~cho]a.;;.;tie, Gennaro Pa~·
tore.
l:C'I!Jlllm, Enghim.-The opening of the Xcw Scholasticate of St. Augustilw, hl'longing to the Pnwince of Champagne, took place on the 23th of last
Oct. Among the .guests were the Disltnp of Tnnmai, :\!gr. Dan nard, the pro\·inriah of Bel.~iunt and Chatnpa.zne, tlw rPdors of our colleges in Belgium,
the professor' of the 'cholasticnte at Lou\·aiu, :tiHI n number of officials anti
lPntling citizens of Enghit•u . .\11 were tlelightet! With the feast, anti the ~Iayor
hefore leaving asked Fr. P.eetor t\1r the "cantata,;" which together with a tleseription of t'11e cerenwny he inteiHl~ to place muong- the arcliives of Enghieu.
- \V'" P have receivl'd thl' followin.!.!: ~tati~tlc~ ofthP BeJgiu1n collegP~, for 87 -'88:
unmher of stn<leuts in tlw univL~r~ity course !li, in the Latin classes 3,02-t; in
elemt•ntm·~· classc.s I,:lfll. Total number of
the French classc•s 1,11:.': in thP
:-o:tutl ... nts .J,ti:!-l.
nool.·s.-Thl' seconti etiition of Fr. Sahdti's Jlom/ Theology was solti in
t'<lllpl<' of months. ant! tht• third has appt•,tretl. It is highly appreciated
both in this eonntry aud in Europe, especially at the t:uiversity of Inusbruek,
where it would havP bt'en intrmhH't'ti as text-bonk, WPre the price not ton exorbitant ti1r Eurn1wan students' purse:;.- Fr. Buceernni has published an
~·nchiridiun )[orale, a verY useful col!t·etion of decision,; of the Romau
Congregations, f()r the u~e o{protl·~:-;nr~ and confe~~ors.-Fr. ~Ic~chler, novieem~ster and ex-Pro\'incial has \\Titteu a beautiful ant! pnwtieal Commentary
"."the Spiritwtl E.rNcises of St. Iynatius. It has been trnnslate<i, by permis'ion, anti will h.• priutt•tl at \Vot~tbtoek fi1r the ll'C of Ours.-Hi.<tori<t Exer<_'itiorum Spiritnali1w1 S. P. lgnatii, auctore Irnwtio Diertin.•, S. J., this
:t
mtl"restin~ hook, us nnuouneetl 8o1ne tinte sinec. has now been republished by
Fr. \ratri':;ant.-Fr. Frins has finislu·d his an'swer to the Dominican Dum,I~ermuth.-Another Dominican, Fr.lknitle, edits, together with a Jesuit, Fr.
rJtrlt•, ''n historical redew, whit'], app•·ars in Berlin.-Fr. Cornoldi has written a hook on the Dil'i"" Cullllll<'d ia. Hi,- principal oi~ject is to show that
!he Philnsophy and Theology of Dante in his i""'lll, is the Philosophy and
fl~eology of tiw Angelic Doctor; anti in this, Fr. Cornoltli has succeeded ad11\trablv well.- Fr: Git•tmann has lk·gun a work in which he discusses the
gre.ates"t 1na~terpiecl'~ of varinn~ litl'nltnres according- to re.-~thetic, n1oral and
:<·l1gious principles. lu the first vulume, he treat< of the Didna Commedia;
Ill the seeond of "·nift'aiu's Parzival, ()tl'tht•'s Faust, antl the Book of Job,
aud more ln·il'lly of .l,sehylus' Prometheus, Utdhe's Promotht'us and Pandora, Hro•witha'' Th0ophilus, and Calderon'' Ma.!!US.-Fr. Baumgartner has
Rent us the "eennd edition of Longfellow's Life and Pnern,,. A very beautiful
book, written with sympatheti<· appreciation of the great American poet.
The L~t'e and Works of Gcethe, in three volumes IJy the same author, has pro-
( liS)
�II6
VARIA.
duced a great sensation in Germany. :\Iany conservative Protestant critics
are just as enthusiastic in its praise as the Catholics themselves. The author
has been called "The Janssen of the History of Literutun·."-Fr. Spilimann
has published two volumes on the English "lfartyrs: the first, on the lllart.n"
under Henry VIII.; the second, on those uiHlcr Elizabeth.
(Correction.- In the list of English :\Iartyrs, gi,·en in our last volume, pp.
306 and 301, the title of "Venerable" was by mistake pnt bef(Jre the name of
Fr. Thomas Metham aml the eight immediately following.]
Fr. Gerard's Latin Grnrnutar receives great praise frorn cotnpetcnt critics.
We clip the following from the "Oxf<ml and Cambridge Examinations at
Stony hurst."- Examiner Evelyn Shuck burgh, Esq. ~I. A., reports: "I examined a class in thi' school called 'Syntax' which corresponded with the
:\liddle or Lower in other Public Schools, and in which the anrage age of the
boys is about 11) ...• There was a certain d(tiniteness about all their work,
the boys seeming to know what they did firmly and clearly, and to be able to
state it clearly. This was especial!~- the ease in Latin syntax, owin,g partly
to clear and patient teaching, an<l partly to the very able Latin Urammar
(Fr. Gerard's) in use at the college."
Fr. :Xilles, Profess<ll' of Canon Law at the Fnin·r,ity of lnnsbrnck, gi,·es a
course of lectures on the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore.- Fr. Berml,
one of our 1nis~ionaries in Sweden, .ha~ published, undl'r an a:-;.,;;,nnlPd nan1e,
the Swedish translation of the Faith of Our .Fathers.- Fr. 'fheb.nHl has left
three large manuscript volumes (over two thousanLl pages) entitled: Jlemoirs:
A Retrospect from 1~01-188:?. In the fir>t volume he writ,•s of French affairs;
in the second of Italy; in tlw third of the Cnitecl States.- Fr. Pottgcisser ha,:
published the first volume of his 'ermons.
.
The Gernu1ns ha"e planrwd nnd begun to
(~arry
out a work of gigantic pro-
portions: .Jlomonenta German ire Predugugica. Jt will show thP denlopment
of education and instruction in the eountrie' of the German tongue from thL•
beginning of the middle ages to our own tirne.
The work is to be carried on
with entire fairne:<s and impartiality. ~lam· <listingui:<hl'd Catholic writers
will contribute, among them FF. Ebner, Ehrle and l'achtler of our Society.
Fr. Pachtler writes the history of .Jesuit education, in nhout eight volumes.
His first two \'olumes have aln·ady appeared. He travelled all over tiermanv
and Austria in search of documents. His expenses were paid by the pulilisher, Rudolf Hofmann, Herlin. The following item, taken from the fi"t
volume nu1y he found intere~tin.g: ln 1'1.)11 the ::;:ocit>ty eounted :!2,1Ztl In embers; the Gennan as~istaney, in ten provint·e~, ~tood n~ hlllows:
Germania Superior: ~~ Coil. 3 <lolllll,.; pro b. lOtiO Socii,
Rhenns Superior: lli Coli. :J <lnm. pro b. -l!lj' t'\ocii,
Rhcnus Inferior: 1 i Coli. :? dom. pro h. j'j':J Sorii,
Austria: :n CoiL 3 dom. pro h. l/72 Socii,
Bohemia: ~li Coli. 3 dom. prob. t:!:Jtl Socii,
~· •·
Flandria: 28 Coli. 2 <1om. proh. ~-1-l:J Socii,
Prov. Flandro-Gnllica: 18 Coli :! <1om. pro h. -111 Socii,
Polonia : 2-1 Coli. 2 dom. pro b. ll\.)0 Socii,
Lithuania: :?0 Coli. 3 dnm. pro h. 1041 Socti,
Anglin: 10 Coil. 2. dom. prob. :!!l~l Socii.
Fr. de Hochemonteix has finislH'Ll hi' hi*'ry of th<• Culleye of La. Fli'che. It
will shortly appear in two or thn·e volnmL''·
Fr. Charles Venliere has publisheLl, in Fn'neh, a History of the University of
Ingolstarlt, in two volumes. The first volume tells the hi,;tory of Dr. Eck,
Chancellor of the l!nivl•rsity, the gn'at champion of the Church against the
apostate monk of 'Vittenberg; and of our own gn•at ( \tnisius, the "hammer
of heretics." Fr. Gretser was also Professor at lngobta< lt. Among our students
Fr. Verdiere mentions as the mo,:t illustrious, ~laximilian of Bavaria, and
Ferdinand of Austria. The former became Elector of Bavaria, the latter th<'
great Emperor Ferdinand II.
Etude.•.-The first number of the Etlllles appemcd in Januat·y. lt opens
very appropriately with an article by Fr. de ::icoraillc on L<•o X III. 'fill'
number contains philosophical, theological, literary and historical articles,
and reviews of books. The -writers sign their articles.-V en· llev. Fr. General has declared that the reorganised llevicw of tlw Fn•ncli f[tthers shall [,.,
common property of the four provinces. Each lends its aid, each in equal
measure shares the direction, editorship, expenses a1Hi nrofits of the work.
Posse~·ino.-No recent historian has been as indefati),(ahle and as successful
in throwing light on the relations of the Slav nations to the Holy See in the
�'
VARIA.
16th and lith centuries, as Fr. Paul Pierling. His latest work: Bathor.IJ et
Possedno, completes a series of monographs on the mission of ihe famous Fr.
Possevino to ::lloscow.
The Brazilian Government is beginning to publish a series of works to
illustrate the history and geography of the empire. Two llooks have already
been issued by the government printing·oflice at Rio Janeiro, which are of
interest to tlw Society: The Letters from Brazil by Fr. Manuel da Nobrega;
and, Notes and Historical Remains, collected from the writings of the Ven.
Joseph di Anchieta. Extracts from these interesting papers will appear in
the WooDSTOCK LETTERS.- Fr. Galanti has published for the use of his
scholars in the colk>re of Itu an English grammar -Compendia de Grammatim Inqleza, S:lo Paulo, 1887.
Fr. ~I endive's new e<lition of his cours<' of Philosophy has been introduced
as text book into several Spanish seminaries and colleges.- Fr. Mauri of the
Produce of Venice, is about to publish a course of Philosophy.-A work on
Ethics and "Vatur"l Law, by Fr. Joser,h Rickaby of the English Province
is now in the press; also the second vo ume of Fr. T. A. Finlay's translation
of Stiickl'< History of Philosophy.-Fr. Costa-Rossetti has published a book:
IJe Spin'tu Societatis, in which he shows that the spirit of the Society is the
spirit of the Exercise' of St. Ignatius.
Bl'azU, College of Itit. -The celebration of the patronal feast of St.
Aloysius was deferred until the 7th of August, on account of an epidemic of
small-pox in tlw town and surrounding country. The college had been spared,
but after the celebration, which was honored by the presence of the Bishop
of Rio Janeiro, the measles an<l other distempers broke out among the boys,
and at one time 1~0 of them were confined to their beds. Exaggerated reports of the mortality were 'prea<l abroa<l, hut the scourge disappeared, and
when, on Sept. ~3th, we sang the Tr IJeam, only two of the students had
died. The results of the examinations before the Board at S. Paulo were
creditable to our cnmli<lates.-From a letter of Fr. R. "li. Galanti.
Cannda.- Fr. Fl>rard left us 'onw weeks ago for Sudbury to assist Fr.
Caron, whiht going on with hi~ dictionary of the Ojibeway lnnguage; we
have not heard from him, lmt suppose he is all right. \Ve have no longer
charge of the convent, Fr. Visitor luwing found that to direct nuns l!abitunlly
does not belong to our vocation. They luwe, therefore, a chaplain of their
own, a very worthy priest, \\·ho rcsi<lcs with :II gr. Vinet and the other veterans in the ResidrnCf St. JanviPr opposite the novitiate, where Bi:<hop Bourget
spent his last years ancl died a holy <Ieath. \Ve have three Tertians, FF.
L~mire, (·a ron and ~tephen Proulx; but all three left a week ago for their
nnssionary tour. I•""r. Lcnlire went to Lac N ominingue to give, during the
lenten season, short retreats to the various small settlements that cluster around
that lake. two of which are attended bv our fathers (FF. Neault and Sant~rre); FF. Caron and Proulx went to 'Quebec, to help the fathers there to
cpve retreats in various parts of th<• country, beginning 111 the city of Quebec.
-Our Juniors are 1G in number, <livirled into two cla8'Cs (1st and 2nd year);
their teachers arc ::IIessrs. Fuel" and Lord; they arc a jovial band and
study hard. The novices (scholastics) ar" 20 in number; they too are not at
all gloomy, as you will readily believe: a few are rather delicate, but most
are the very picture of good health. Hev. Fr. Superior of the mission
(Fr. Hamel) visrtcd the house at the beginning of .January, !l!Hl was quite
agreeably surpri:<cd on hearing the S<'rmons of all the young folks in the
ref<·ctory. There are hut few eoadjutor-brother novices, 8 in all; hut they
ar~> very fervent and will no doubt brin.!:( others here by their prayers. The
::llission of Canada eounts 10 priests; iii scholastics; GS coadjutor brothers;
214 members.-E.rlrad from" Lett,e,· .from Sault-au-Recollet.
~~e Canadian mission depeuclent on the English Province, was declared
su1 Juris on th<' flth of Non'mber, IS~/, and <lepcndent on our V. Rev. Fr.
General. The Hcv. Peter Hamel, as first superior of the independent mission,
has taken up his residence at the scholasticatc in St. John the Baptist's \Vard,
::l!ontn>al. •The clistrict SlllTOUJHlill!:( the scholusticate has been canonicallv
erected into a parish under the patr~inagc of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus, and
the care of the parish (HiGO souls-.'l:>u families-and some 980 communicants)
has been confided to our fathers. Besides the French sermon at 10 o'clock
Mass on Sundays, there is an English sermon at 8 o'clock for an Englishspeaking congregation numbering about 50,
.
�118
!
<:
l ·.i"
i:<i
i:"il
,,
'' ~'
VARIA.
Cllina.-The 17th of Au~ust, 1887, was a day of joy for the Young Men's
Sodality at Tonc:-ka-don. The young men had sent as a jubilee present to
the Soverei~n Pontiff, an address on yellow silk, the color, by the way reserved exclusively for the Emperor. This address, beautifully decorated by
the Jf?res Au.riliatrices, was enclosed in an ivory box covered with symbolical
fic:nres and secured bv a silver lock. To show hi, c:ratittlllt> t"lw this manitestaction of their ;!OOd \Vi shes, the Holy Father honored the sodalit~· by sending
them a Bricf.-Ours have openell a ,.,]wol at Shang-hai tor the education of
the Japane>e children of that city. For teachers they have secured the services of two Japanese Bonzes who nre Yery anxious to beco1ne Christians.Lelters of Jersey.
The following Chinese works have been recently published, under the direction of Ours, bv the Catholic press at TotH•e-wi', aml a copv of each hM been
forwarded among other presents to the Holy Father on the occasion of his
golden jubilee.
(1) Proofs of the Existence of God- by Fr. Aleni (1582-ltJ·HI).
(2) The Dit"inity of Ou1· Lord Jesus Christ-by the same author.
(3) A Life of Our Lord in 3 volmnes" "
"
"
(These works are republications and ''en' first printed about lli3:;. They
are beautifully illustrate,], the last work containimr no less than 146 illustrations.)
·
..
·
(4) The Acts of the Apostles (;l!l illustrations) translated into Chinese by
Fr. Lawrence Li.
(ii) LUe of the Blessed Virgin (1!1 illustrations) by the same author.
(6) The Life of the Apostles and Evangelists (:?S illustrations) a reproduetion of Fr. Vagnoni's work (lSliil-ll.i-!0).
( 7) Fr. Lawrence Li's work on The Roman Pont!Tf containing a chronological list of all the Popes from St. Peter to Leo X Ill (:l:i illustrations).-Letters
of Jersey.
A Series offia letters written from China by Fr. Colombel forms a complete
refutation of a recent work by Colonel Teheng-ki-tong-, entitled Les Chinois
peints par t'Ux-mfmes, publisht•d in Paris. In 18811, it had reached its tenth
edition ;.it claims to give an impartial and unvarnishe<l account of the manners, customs and relig-ion of the Celestial Empire. Fr. Colombe] in his n'futation takes Colonel Tcheng-ki·tOn;! to task ti.Jr his l'xaggerations and makes
it pretty clear to his readers that the Colond has a verv strong imagination
and that he drew upon it pretty freely in writing his book. Perhaps the most
objectionable part ot the Colonel's elncuhrationsarcthe slanders uttered against
the Society of the Holy Chihlhoml. Fr. Colombe] takes the arguments of
his adversary one after another aml shows that they must be the outcome of
ignorance or ill-will or both. The an thor says in his bnok that infanticide is
prohibited by the law of China. Fr. Colomhd ans\n•rs that opium-eating is
also forbidden by the >ame ht\\·, yet the prohibition tines nnt prevent tlte eonsumption of more than thirteen million pounds a year. He then goes on to
show from undeniable anthoritie,; ami ><t:lti,-tic,; the prevalence of the inhuman custom of infanticide. The Colonel next ;.tated that there was no need
of the Holy Childhood, as the poor were sntllciently pmddcd for b~- the
liberality of the government. It is 'hown prl'tty clmrly in the letters that
the public institutions UJHler ci\·il eontrol <In very little in the way of rdie,·ing the destitute alllltll'elly; in fact, the chil'f occupation of nunH·rous bodies
of officials seems to be, to <h·aw lar~l' salaril'< for keepin,g the children of the
poor out of the government e'tahlishments. \\-ith this st~te of thin~s Fr.
Colombe! contrasts the work ,]one hy the Holy Chihlhond. In the mission of
Kiang-nan alone, where Fr. Colombe! i' statione<l, no less than .s,:l14 children
were supportetl last year by the contributions of the llnly Childhood. He
cites the ease of hvo little girls whn were saved and hrought np at a Catholic
asylum at Tsong-ming-. ~ow both have given thcmsd,·es tn the service of
God in religion and both are superiors of establishments of the Holy Infancy. :Many other interestin.c: facts could be cited.
The following statistics of tlie work <lone hy Ours in the Provinces of
Kiang-nan and Tche-ly are•very consoling- after the Colonel's slanders:Christians 13!l,il77; churches and chapels 1,147; confessions -!i4,!1iii; bap·
tisms -!1,973; schools 83U; scholars 10,302.-Lettrrs of ,Jersey.
In the distribution at the meeting of the Central Council of thP Holy
Childhood on the 27th of July, 1887, ont of a total of £1:!-!,So:l, the mis~ions
of the Society of Jesus received £:!0,360.-Annals of the IIol11 Childhood.
"The general condition of the mission is peaceful; for, although there are
�VARIA.
Il9
disturbances here and there, they are only local. Our great source of solicitude at present is the overflow of the Yellow River or Ho-ang-ho. It has
broken through its banks above Kai-fong-fou, in the Ho-nan Province, and,
as I write, its waters have reached our Province of Kiang-nan. As the countrv is very )e,·el, the water meets with no barrier until it comes to the low
ri~ige of hills that form the water-shed between the Yellow River and the
Blue River or Yang-tse-ki-ang. ~lany of our fathers are exposed, perhaps,
to extreme dang-t>r on the plains which arc now threatened with overflow.
Fp to this time w<> have received no,tidings from them, whilst the waters of
the Yellow River and of its tributaries are increasing in volume day by day.
Our little scholasticate is in the best condition that could be expected, and
God g-raciously confers upon us the blessin,g of good health. The bishop alone
h'" been grievously ill, and finally, after two months of sickness, he was advi>e<l by his physician to try the benefit of a journey to Japan. He was
accompanil'd hy one of Ours (Fr. Rende). "'e expect that His Lordship will
>oon return, and we also look forward to the arrival from France of two father> and a scholastic.
I have just read in a letter written from ~Iadura, by Fr. De Beaurepaire,
a piece of news, which, if true, is of gr;n·e import to the Society. The Holy
Father wished to confer episcopal co'nsecration upon seventeen members of
the Socil'ly, and it was only after much persuasion that V. Rev. Fr. General
induced him to reduce the number to six. The Pope said that of all the missions om·s are the most Jlourishing. "Your Holiness," rejoined Fr. General,
"for this very reason we supplicate you to spare us from the burden of these
't'es, and to leave us our experienced missionaries. If these fathers are removed, and consecrate<! bishops, our missions must sink to the level of the
others." This n•asoning seems to have carried conviction. The tidings re•·eh·ed from the difterent missions with whi<'h I am in correspondence are
most favorable. 'fh<• ~laster of the Yinevanl blesses the labor of our fathers
and grants them fruit, now mon•, now less, but ever abundant. - I am told
that in :l!indanao (PhilippinP Islands) 17,000 Pagans are willing to become
( 'hristians antl to live in reductions. The conversions among the Koles and
the other inhabitants of Beng-al are very numerous. In Madura, many of the
Protestant nati\·es arc abandoning their ministers. Nearly all our former
Madaga,car posts have been re-opened, and new ones set on foot."-Extracts
from letter oj Fr. Pfister .
. Zi-ka-wei.- Last Xovember our college was visited by lion. Carter Ilarr!"'!I, ex-mayor ?f Chicago, his son, and :IIr. Amberg, a ~tudent of St. I~na
hus Colleg-e, Chwago. They were introduced by Gen. Kennedy, Amencan
Consul at :"hang-hai.-Fr. Pfister's correspondence.
·
lJt•n i·e1·.-The walls of the new college in Denver are almost complete<!.
The si!P, it is snit!, is one of the most beautiful in Colorado, affording a fine
view of Denn•r, and in the distance the most prominent peaks of the Rocky
~fountains can he seen. Flower gardens and walks are being- laid out and
fiOII young trees will he planted in tlw spring. The !(entlemnn who presented
the Inn< I on which the collt•gc is being erected, has already received from the
Lord a temporal mark of favor. The original cost of his land was :3200,000,
and after having given 30 acreR of it f(>r the college, he sold the remainder for
;:;~;),),000.-In L:l.-;.Vegas a public meeting was recently held to protest against
th~ <!eparture of Ours.-A hand of mi"ionaries will soon be formed to give
lllJSslons in the Spanish-speaking districts of New Mexico and Colorado.
,lJetroit.-The pupils of Detroit College give regular specimens of claS'
wor);:, to which the friell()s and patrons of the college are invited. The followmg report of School Visitors will speak for itself:
Hun. Theodore Nelson, Superintendent Public Instruction: SIR-Your
committee appointed to visit Detroit College, have endeavored to perform the
duty assigned, and would make the following report:
After a most c<mlial reception hy tin• President, Father Frieden, they were
shown through the various departments where students were busy with closing
Pxarninations.
While in every direction thorough and conscientious work is being done,
your _committee noticed some things which, in their opinion, deserve special
mention.
They found the discipline of the college somewhat different from that of
other institutions, While everything was done in the most informal manner,
�120
VARIA.
yet, in all classes, there was close individual attention combined with prompt
aml. cheerful obetlicncc and polite mhlress. This your committPe desire especmlly to commend.
They would al~o make srecial mention of the work done in History, Literature and the Cln~sics. ~tndent~ are doing something tnore than "surface"
work in these studies.
Your committee would speak in particular of the careful attention given to
public speaking. Those who havP this work in charge are doing it in a very
able and thorough manner.
They found, t()o, that much attention is bcin~r gh·en to moral and religions
instruction, and that students in the collPge are being mo;;t thoroughly taught
in the principles and tloctrines of the Catholic faith.
In conclmion they will say that they bdie\·,• the colle:;c to be growing in
popularity and usefulness, aml it is hoped that it.' friend.< and patrons will see
that it receives the financial support which is so much nee< led and deserved
for the erection of more suitable buihlings, and for the fuller equipment of
its various departments.
Respectfully, EDWARD DUFFY, E. C. THmrrsox, Committee.
Ecuador.-Owing to the ft.~wnt'.~·'"' of lahorers, Ours are ln~ing g-round in
Ecuador. One by one, we have hl'('ll givin,g up onr 1ni~sions and hou:':es to
other Orders, so that now, we have only our chureh ant! colll'ge at Quito, a
resitlence at Guyaquil ant! the ~faraiion :\li.<sion.- The si.:::ns from Colombia
are much more coll,olin!!. On the feast of St. Aloysius all the State Officials
visited our fathers; Pre~i<leut ::\uiiez was unable io he present on account of
ill-health, but he sent an apology to the f,tthen'. TlH' archbishop has given
us a f;trm about three miles from Bogota for a noYittntc, which alrca<ly has
len inmates, four of whom are priests. Indeed the Yoeations to the Society
in Colombia are quite numerous.- Leiters of Jersey.
Geol'getou·n. .n. c.-:Mr. J. :Fairf<tx :\fcLaughlin ha>' lately written two
very interestin!! articles in eonnection with Georgdown Collc·ge, OIH' in tllf"
United States llidol·ical Magazi11e for O!'toher, 1887, on "Father George Fenwick, S. J.," .and the other on the "Be~innin.!.!'~ of Geor.~etown ( 'olkge," in
:i
i
the Catholic Jl"orld for Fe-bruary, 1~1'8.-~[r. l'hilip Simm,.;, who die<! r<'Cently in New Or!Pans, left in his will a b,•,tne,;t of :"3,\lilO to (ieorgetown ( 'ollegP.
llfr. Simms was not a st\l(lcnt here. lie was born in Charles CountY, ~[an·
lalld, but lin•tlmost of his life in New Or!Pans as a mcrchant.-On 1>ehmary
2nd the facultv revived the old c•~>tnm of daih· .\lass for all the stwlcnts.
Some ten years ago the cu,tom \Yhich had prcYUill'd fi·mn the earlit·>t time"
was abolished and ottentlancc at th!ily :\lass IIHHle optional. The elmnge has
necessitatt'd other change~, so that now the hour ofrb:in.:!, in wintt-'"'r.,jg 0.30,
and the earlv morn in.:: stu< lit'>' haye been ahnlisht••l.- The ~odalitics of the
Senior and .fnnior Di\·ision:-: an· cnnten1platin.!! the erC'ctiPn of two new ~tat ups
in the coll,•ge yanl. The lll!'lllhns of the latter have aln·ad~- L·ollt•cted a
hnndson1e !"lllll of nwney, HtHl prnpu~e to huilJ a _;.!rotto of Lonr<les on tlw
mount! facing St. .Tos<'ph's statue in the Infirmary garden. The statm· of Our
Lally of Lourdes has been onlered, and the dcdit·ation of both grotto am! statue
will take plac-t• some time in ~fay. It b sai<l that the SPnior Sodality will
erect a heroic->ize statue of Our Latly in the College quadrangle next )"L'ar
to commemorate till' centennial of the cnllt•g<'.- .\t a joint meeting of the
two <lehating societk>', preside<! over by Fathl'r \\'elrh, S ..T., a motion
was adnpte<l to han<l over the socictk.,' library. to H<'Y. Father Ill'etor in trust.
The· purpMe of the motion was to secure a more earcfnl supcrvi,-ion of the
books. The reading-room has been separate<! from the library, so that tlw
library itself will hereafter he f•·cp only to the librarian.-College Jolt rna/.
Trinity church, outside the eollcge walb, aft<'r hayin.::: ht'en closed for
several months while the etlifice was being completel~· remodclle<l, was
reopened on Sunday, Feb. 2Gth. Father Doonan, Pn·sitlent of the colleg<·,
preached at the solemn IIig~t )[a'S.
India.- The Provincial of Toulou~c i;; visiting the ~ladum ~fission, which
belongs to that province. He \\·ill also visit ~[adagascar.
Last year the.841 Anglican niif's;ionarie:-; in h11lia eonYerted 2!ll per~on~ out
of a population of 220,000,000. To obtain this result, they spent .lAS,~!l!l.
Fr. Pfister's correspondence.
�VARIA.
!2!
Bengal.-The Belgian Mission of Bengal has of late been severel;v tried by
the loss or ill-health of a number of the missionaries, on account of the prevalence of the terrible jungle fe\·er. Still our Lor<l, in order to recompense them for their sufl'crings, has inspired many of the nath·es to seek admission into the Church. Inrleed so great and extensive is this movement
towards the faith, that our fi1thers c:uinot attend to the rlemamls made upon
them. A new college is to be opened at Dat:jeelin.t: with Hcv. Fr. Depclchin
as Hector. The college anti a number of young ann strong laborers sent latel~
from Belgium will, it is hoped, enable the fathers to gather a plentif~Il
harvest.-Letters of .Terse!!·
Bombay.-On the Sunday after the feast of the Sacred Heart, Archhishop
Porter solemnlv consecrate<] the archdiocese to the Sacred Heart. "\ll the
clergy who cmild possibly attend were present and the ceremony was very
imposing.-The archbishop is laboring hard in his new field of labor; he
preaches on e\·ery occasion and has alrPad~- giyen a mi5sion to his people.Letters of Jersey.
JJ[adagascar.-Our fathers in ~ladagascar and in the island of ~Iauritius
are frequently brought into contact with Yictims of sorcery of undoubted re·
ality. The devil manifested his pre:-;ence most frequently hy causing violent
pains of the head, neck antl stomach, loss of reason, ~uulnoises of every kind.
Not being allowed without permiS'ion of the bishop to make use of solemn
exorcisms, the fathet·s have recourse to holy water and the sign of the cross.
By these simple means Fr. :\lalzac succeeded in rdieYing numberless victims
in his various missions. Protestant:-;, too, exp,•riencc the salutary effects of
these means. Not only the mi"ionarit>s, but seculars also, are instrumental
in putting the devil to flight.- Ucles Lrtters.
1Jli1dura.-The Ht. lte\'. ~!gr. C'anoz, S .•T. Bishop of Trichinopoly (formerly
the ~fission of Madura) cmnmunicntcs, in substance, the followinc:: The
Catholics of this cit~· numhPr lii,OOO. Out of the GO,OOO pagans and 30,000
1lohammetlans, the most difficult to convert are the Brahmins. To facilitate
the conversion of this caste, our college has been transferred from Negapatam
to Trichinopoly. Direet attempts to Christianise them are, of course, not
feasible, hut Wl' are preparing the wa~- for it by callint: attention to the beauties of Christianity when oceasinn oft<•rs in the exposition of classic litPrature.
The crucifix, a stutut• of the Ble>SPd Yirgin or a picture of the ~acred Heart,
provoke question~ a:-: to tht'ir HlL'anin_;!, anti, in this waY, scn~e a gootl purpose.
-The transfer of our college nece"itated the erectlon of a large building,
completed dnrin.c: the pasf year, to accommodate our pupils. ~We could not
do without the college. The natives seek for admbsion, as etlucation opens
the wav for them to tlcsirable government office><. The effect of pJucation is
to destroy belief in ridiculous 'pagan doctrine>< and to generate a tlesire to find
a creed mon' conformable to rea,on.-The sisters who aid us in this mission
belong to the congrPgations of Our La<l~· of the Seven Dolors, and of St. Anne.
The former dcnlte then"clves to the nlucation of Ilimloo girls; the latter
comists exclusively of widows of the upper castes. The women, according
to Ilindoo custom, are not permittl>d to remarr~-- Oft lie twPnty native sisters
of !he first-name<! congregation, in 1~~1, none hatl >uhmitted to the State cxammations. Out of the present fifty-tout·, nearly all are engaged in teachin,g.
T_he~- possess a small boarding-school and a large public institution. The officml inspl•ctors eonsitler their instruction as superior to that of all others, even
though the Protestants, at great cost, importc<1 teaehers f(H" their normal school
from Eng-land. The suecl·~~ of the examination~ at the ~isters' school was ~o
great_ during this year that the go,·ernment grante<l thPm a sub.sidy of 8850.00.
The lllcrmsing liH'nlbcrship in tht• sisterhoods was the oceasion for erecting
couwnts and schools in ::\eg-apatam, ~latlnra, Palamcottah anti in Tuticorin
on the fishery coast. En•rywhcrt' the gonrmnt•nt bestowed praise and substantial aid.-The Sisl<'" of ~t. Anne arc of later datP, but alreatly quite num~rous.• At 'l'richinopol~- the~· po,;sess an orphanage of a hundred and twent~·
clnldren, and in .~<lcikalahuram ten nu•mhcrs control a simil,tr institution.
Under their din•ction two socil'tics ar" establi><hcd: 1. the "haptisants," wit lows
whose office it is to baptisP t!1c dyin;: children of pa,t:ans; ~- widows of the
upper caste. Indian girls nwrry at an carlr a,~<\ arul it is qtiitc cmnmon to
meet with widows at fiftl'l'n or twenty. lt is evident to what tlangcrs tht•se
women, a ~eeond n1nrria.~e heing prohibited, are expo:-;ed. :\taking l'lo.th ancl
pounding rice, enables them to support them,elves. Thirty-five sisters and
twenty-five coadjutor sisters, compose at present the Congregation of St. Anne.
�122
VARIA.
The following figures will give some idea of the
ing the past six years:
pro~ress
of our mission dur1881
1886
Catholics·--··-·······-·························-···········-····---·---·------··-- 154860 166457
Confessions .......................- ...............................- .............. - 212544 :'!1042'J
Communions ......... ;•.......•• ----·····--------------···--··--------·------------ 213671 295877
Conversions or Pagans or Protestants_________________________________
779
1460
Baptisms of Christian children............................................. 5789
5414
Baptisms of Pagan children in danger of death------------··--· 1966
7150
-K,tholische Jlissionen.
Jfangalore.-The following statistic;:, relating to the labof' of Ours at )fan,gulore, will be interesting to readers of the Letters: There are in the mission
1 bishop; :?4 priests S. J. ; 1:? scholastics: 6 brothers; tl-!,..136 Christians; 2
colleg-es and 3-!2 pupils; 35 schools; 2.2~).5 ~cholar~; confe~~ions last year,
!10,868; Communions, 11:?,:368; baptisms, l,S!l!l.
ll•elaud.-Fr. Timoth,- Kennv succeeds Fr. T. P. Brown as Pro,·iucial.
Fr. Kenny was rector of the-college and resitlence in Galway since June, 188:?.
-The new novitiate opened by Fr. Sturzo at Kew, near ~f<>lbourne, in Australia, now counts ten scholastic ani! two Jay-brother novices. Tht>se, with the
twenty-one schola.<tic and two lay-brother novic<>s at Dromore, in Ireland.
form the most numerous novitiate that the Irish province has had for man~
years.-"'e have recdved the Christmas number of the school journal<•<lited
twice a year by the students of St. Ignatius' College, Riv•:rview, Sydney. It
is an octavo of ..16 pages, and its name, "Our Alma )[ater." Though this
colle_ge is the youngest in Australia, founded in 1.'80, it alrea<ly has man~·
representatives at the Cniversity; indeed, two-thir<ls oftlw l'niversitv students
attending ::51. John's College are Tiiverview hop. The frontispiec<' of the
journal is a cut of the netc colle!Te (in course of erection); it resembles tlw
State, "'ar and Xavy department huililing in "'ashington, aml will aeeommodate ..100 students. Our college papers would not regret exchanging with
Our Abna "lfater.
',,
•Te1•sey City. X • .J.-St. Peter's Collt•ge, on entt-ring on its :?nd term, re••eh·ed five new ·boys, making- a total, in its catalogue of stu<lents, since the
heginning of the year, of 10i. The standard of tlw "'mi-annual examinations was rai;:ed this year. This improved stantlar<l receh·e•l effectual satwtion
hy obliging three of the sttHlent,;, who, having failed, were unwilling to go to
a low<·r class, to leave the college. Several other;: were put into lower classes,
for not having reached the requisite numher of marks. The efl'ect.hpon the
other boys was most salutary; calling forth some of tlw latent en<'r_g,· of the
more phie_gmatic. Thn•e scholarships whieh have lwen ma,Je vaca-tit in tlw
course of the term, will he eompete<l for at the opening of the next seholasth·
vear.-Tlw elaborate decorations of St. Peter's Church an· gr:uluallv n•achlng completion. The 'latest a<ldition to the interior is a mainific<•nt 'n·re<los,
..10 feet high. X ext month a large organ for tlw ho~·-'' ehoir, which will then
sing its first )lass, will be 1111t up near the Bless.-<1 Virgin's altar. The rhanee1 choir, eomposed of nearly sixty voice~, is. now nntl(•r eon:-<tnnt trainintr.
and will he fully prepared for its work this spring. .-\ ;:ct of pnrpl.- cassocks
and handsome surplices has alrt•a•ly been mn<IP for t.lu• l'hoir boys.
Lccloc1rott'S1.-l.-.Fr. Sigismund de Ledochowski, ll<"Jlhew of the Car<linal,
has entered the Austrian novitiate. The Cardinal wrok him a Hrv touching letter, expre"ing very great joy at sel'in_g his nephew a member of the
Society .
.llaJ•lana.-Talaveru is the birthplace of the famons .Fr. :\Iari(lna. .\
statue has just been erected in his honor. But ~-on must not imagine that it
was done out of love for our Society-far from it. Tlw lea< ling men of the
town say that they wish to fwnor the great writer, but that the_,. declare war
to the knife against Jesuitism. In the vear 17Gi our fathers had a college
here. The house and church are now part of a lumber-yanl. "'ithont suspecting it, thev have placed the statue of Fr. )Jariana in front of the old
Jesuit college•.:....Letter .frnm Talavera.
�VARIA.
I2J
JLalag1•ida.-A life of the martyred Fr. Gabriel :llalagri.da is in press in
Italy. A monument to his m~mor.r has lntJI.y bee'! erecte? m the .:;hurch of
'lena"io near Lake Como, lus birthplace. The mscnptwn on lns monu~ent,"'which we reproduce, is from the pen of Fr. Angelini.
GABRIEL l\IALAGRIDA
E .. SOCIETATE • IESV
DO)[Q •
AB
)JI~ICIO
· AD • LARI\")1
DDIERITO · ROGI · SVPPLICIO
.\~!'OS
CLARIOR
IXCOLI~
• XXX · IN · )IARA'SIO!'\IS
A • FERO · AD · CIVILE:'Il · CYLTY)l
.\ .
TE~EBRIS
· AD · EVAXGELII · LY('£)1 ·
I~TER
·
TRADYCE:SDI~
VITAE · DI:-:.CRil\IINA · EXEGIT
ASXOS · X · OLIS.IPO:SE::\1 · CO~TIOXIBYS · AD · PIETATE:'II ·
EXCOLVIT
DIPROBORr)I · ODIIS · QYAE · AD · I:s-TF.RXECIOXE:U · EXARSERANT
PVLSYS · IN · _EXILIY)I · CARC'ERIS · SQVALORE · TRIEN:SIY)f · )IYI.CTATVS
FLA:'IDII~
• POP\"LO · IXSPECTAXTE • .\flSV:'IIPTVS · E..
"'T
CIXERIBYS · SPAR:O:IS · IX · )lA RF.
Xl · K.\L · OCTOBRES
.~
.-\ · )fDCCI.. XI
FACI~YS
CLE:IIE.XS • XIII · DOIANE •
· filL\ \'I
A ·
~
· LXXII
OR.\TJO~F.
·
POENAR • E · PIO · ET · IXTEGERRDIO · \'IRO • SV1\IPTAS ·
E\')IQVE · QVI · 1\L\RTYRY:II ·
ORDI.XIIJV~
l:K ·
P.\TRI.\
A~
)lJ~ICII
· \'l.XDICATAE · HOXOR
CAL\')I~IIS.
)10~\':\IENT\')J
l~DOLVIT
· ADSCIUBATYR • DlfiN\')1 · CENSVIT
CHER\'BINYS · PIZZALA · ARCHII'RESBYTETI ·
:"E • VIRT\'TI · A ·
DIPROB.\~~
DEER:3ET
•
POSYIT
·. :IIDCC<'LXXX\'Il
ANTO:SIVS ANGELI:SlVS, C
In the church of :\Ienagio
Como (Larium).
(~Iinicinm)
birthplace of Fr.
Societate Jesu.
~ralagrida
near Lake
Mexico.-Our college at Puebla was never in a more prosperous condition
than now; there are over 300 pupik Lately, the l.'ith centenary of the
conversion of St. An~ustinc \nlS cclebmtetl at Puebla with extraordinary solemnity. At the literary l'ntc>rtainmPnt gh·en by the Seminarillm Palafoxianum, Fr. Zarrauz, our Professor of Rhetoric, was invited to give a Latin
oration. El Nacional of :llexico recentl~- printctl the fi>llowing:
e call
the attention of our readers to the magnificent work of Fr. Cappelletti S .•T.,
Diredor of the ob"ervatory at Puebla. He has proved the impossibility of
the earthquake that was pretlictc>tl for the Sth of Sept. by D. Nicolas Zuniga
Y 1\leranda. Fr. Cappelletti hold' a hi~h place among scientists, and we believe it is no slight praise to say of him, that Fr. Sccchi cites him as a reliahlP
anthoritv in scientific rescarehes."
. The Province of .\lexico now numbers 43 prie,ts; 46 scholastics; 17 coadJUtor brothers. Total 106.-Letter" of .Jersey.
""T
JiilteaHl.:ce, JJ'I.~.-Thc IH'W St. Gall's Church will be a very imposin~
structure. It will have a frontage of SO feet on Rtatc street, and a total length
of 225 fpet on ElC\·enth street, prc,entin~ the shape of a cross in its ~round
dimensions, with the transept well toward the rc•ar. The transept will be 140
feet across. The State street front will be flanked bv two towers, the main
one will be next to the street corner, and will have an extreme elevation of
200 feet from the ground to the top of the cross. The tower proper will be
140 feet high. It will be square, contain a belfry and a clock, and support
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an octagonal spire 60 feet high. The sister tower will be 16:3 feet high, of
which 39 feet will be taken up bi the steeple. Between the two towers will
be the main entrance, 36 feet wiile, and formed by three douhle doors, with
massive iron hinges covering each door above and hdow. Above the entrance
will be placed a large Catharine-wheel window, throwing its many colore<l
light upon two rear galleries inside. The ,!,'"flhle will have a smaller ro'e window, and be otherwise ornamented.
The interior of the church will be 60 feet high to the eentre of tlw arched
nave, which will be 30 feet wide, and have two aisles on dthcr side twenty-.
two feet wide. The aisles will be ~8 feet high from· the tloor to the centre of
their arched ceilings, and they will be divided off from the nave by two rows
of granite columns, six in a row, two of the columns being placed in the wall
beside the entrance leading from the ,-estibnle. The roof of the transept
will be supported by six detached clustered grnnite columns, and two
sunk in the corner at the nave. Each of these cln.stercd columns will com·
prise four single columns having a diameter of twent~·-four inches, except
those at the corners of the nave, which will comprise only two. There will
be four single columns in the vestibule finally. The pews will be divided by
five aisles in the nave, and by seven in the tran~ept, ami the pulpit will be
placed at one of the sanctuary comers, so as to enabl .. all the congregation to
see the preacher.
The church will not be marred by side galleries. ln the ·front, over the
main entrance, will he placed a balcony capable of seating :lOO people, and
above that will be rut another tor the organ aml choir, projecting not quite sn
far into the body o the church. The nave will have a row of triple wmdows
above the aisle roofs on either side, and the aisles will have larger ones below.
The triple windows of the transept will be very fine; they will be ~:? feet"
wide and nearlv cover the two si<les. The church will have two 1"ide t'n·
trances well tO\;.ard the front, and al"' two nn either si<le of the transept,
fronting south. The latter will have stairways lea<ling to the chapel umlcr
the church. The chapel will hm·e exaetly the saml' <limen;ions as the church
above it, with the same number of eolumns, aml the sanw arrangement of
pews. It will have a uniform height of 1-.1 feet, but as the tloor of the church
IS ten feet above tlw grade of the street; it will bt• practicall~- abtwe ground.
A few steps will lead down to it from thl' si<le an<l tran'<·pt entrances, and
from the main tower. Doth towers will contain steps ka<ling to the galleries.
The main Pntmnee of the church will be apprnache<l hv a <lozen or mor<'
steps from State street.
·
The sanctuary will be north of the transept, in the f(,rm of a half odagon,
with the sacristy for the prit•sts adjoining it on eitht•r side, ami a walk connecting the rooms of the latter around the altar wall. Tlwre will he~~ private
entrance to the rooms, and another from them to the 'anetunr~·. ~'f}ll' >anctuary will have a width of 3ti feet, and an extreme <h•pth nf 41 ft•ct. The
church will be heated hy steam, ami will remain plain in it' interior as1wct
until the fathers can afford to have it prop,•rly lh•8eoe<I.-J/iltcuukee puper.
'Ve have r<>ceived a programme of the )larqul'!te Coli<'.::!:<' winter cour.~ nf
lecture•. On Ft'b. lith, Fr. Bose he lectun•<l un ":'\elt~Culture ;" Fl'b. ~Oth, Fr.
Lambert, on "Genesis and GPology ;" Fl'b. ~ith, Fr. Kiwdla, on ".\n Anwrit'Rn Classic;" )larch 5th, }.lr. Corcoran, on "The Heal and the I<ll'nl :" )!areh
12th, Fr. Fitzgerald, on "Jesuitism;" )larch l!lth, 1-'r. Lambert, ou "Acow;tic
'Vaves."
11Iis.~iOIIlli'!J LnlJm·.~.-Fr. llimmel, whose letter in our last number af.
forded so much pleasure to our r<'ader,, has kin<lly f(Jnntrde<l the following
suJnn1ary of the work of our
Jni~~ionaries ~incl' la:~•t ~lnnTnt•r
:-
.\ug. 27th-Sept. 11th. St. Raymond's, 'Vestche;tcr.- Fr~. )IcCarth~· and
Giraud. At the close of the mission, Fr. )!cl'arthy gave a few dnys' exercises
at J.land City, a. mission attached to St. ltaymoml's. 1, liiO contes,i<ms were
heard. Frs. Langcake and )!cDonald went to )lilf\ml, }.lass., where, during
a two weeks' mission, 1,100 confessions were heard.
Aug. :!ith-Sept. -Hh. Fr: )lac Donald was at St. Augustine, Pn., and F1·.
Himmel at Chest Springs, a mission attached to St. Augnstine. 1,117 conft•Rsions were heard unll three converts left under in.,trnction.
Sept. 4th-11th. Fr. )IacDonahl was at Blair.wille; confe,,ions, .103; Fr.
Himmel at 'Vilmore, ra., confessions, 4.>0, two conYcrts left. under instruction.
Sept. 18th-Oct. 2nd. Frs. )[cCarthy, )!cDonald and Himmel were at Lan·
�VARIA.
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caster, Pa., at St. :Hary's Church, founded by Ours half a century ago. 1,021
confessions were heard, 7 prepared for first Communion, 45 for confirmation,
and 6 converts. During tlw >tllllC two weeks Frs. Langcake, .MacDonald and
Giraud were at St ..l.Iary's, Elizabeth; ~,007 eonfessions, 4 com·erts, 1~ prepared for first Communion, and :.!7 fhr confirmation.
Oct. !lth-13th. Frs. ~lcCarthy, ~IacDonald, ~lcDunald and Himmel were
at .St. ~lary's, Hoboken, X. J.; 4,:wo confessions were heard, 38 prepared for
first Communion and 72 fi>r confirmation. Fl"'. Langcake and Giraud were
at Southbridge, ~lass., where they heard 1,100 confessions and baptised two
com·erts.
Oct. 30th-Xov. :!7th. The whole band was at St. James', X. Y. There
was one week each fur the married and the unmarried men and the same for
the women. During the month 7,800 confessions were heard, 30 prepared for
fir>! Communion and 75 !c>r confirmation. During the last week of this mission Fr. Langcake was in Boston giving a n1ission- for one week to the \~oung
Men's Sodality, numbering 1,500, of our church, St. :Mary's. (This mission
was a great success; 1,ti0ll young men attl'nded; 1,100 received Communion
and :n:; names were enrolled for admi"ion to the Young ~len's Sodality.Le/ter from Fr. Duncan).
Dec. 4th-l~th. Frs. McCarthy, J,angcake, Denny am\ Himmel were at
St. )lary's, Pittsburg; 3,ill0 confessions were herml, :~ converts baptised, 21
prepared for confirmation, 16 for first Communion. After the mission, Fr.
Denny gave a lecture on "Church ~Iusic."
Dec. 4th-13th. Fr. ~Iacllunald was at St. ~Ionica's, Baltimore (by special
request); 5~S eonfessions were heard, 10 prepan~d for first Communion, neonverts.
The new year was commenced by Fr. ~lcCarth,- gidng a retreat to the
young men of Fr. Franzioli's church, Brooklyn, X."Y. Fr. ~[acDonahl gave
the closing exercises.-Fr. ~[. J. Byrnes is permanently attached to the band.
Fr. F. ltyan began a retreat at our church in Cb.icago on Feb. 19th; nearly
1,-100 marrietlmen attended.
XnJlles.- The Province of Xaples seems to be now better organised than
ever since its dispen;ion in 1.'\60. .\t present it has four colleges; two in
Xaples accommodating ."il)ll students, of whom one-fifth are b.mrders, at La
Conocchia; aud one at \"ico, diocese of Sorento, about 10 miles from Naples,
agreeably situated on a large rock overlooking the sea, with nearly 200 students, of whom ovPr one-third are boarders. "' e do not know the number of
pupils of the fourth colh•ge, that of LccPe, but it is increasing so that already
ground has bePn bought .i ust outside of the city to erect a better building for
the boys. Unfortunately, ti>r want of teachers, in three of these colleges some
seculars are emplovcd .
. The novitiate in ·xaples, though hy far less numerous than we could desire,
IS flourishing; the community n•aching the number of sixty.
Its legal name
before the public is the St. Francis Xavier Seminary for Foreign ~lissions.
It has 'everal times been threatened, ami, had it not been for the Cardinal
under who"' protection it i,, very likely would have been closed. In the
novitiate they haw' >larted a mu>cum of antiquities under the name of the
Garructi "lfusenm.
Besides these hoLJscs there are seven small resitlenees, five in Naples, anti
two oqtside of the city, in Dari and ;\[arigliano, the latter being, by far, till'
largest. Other houses have been otfen•t! to the province but were refused for
\~ant of available subjects. Several fathers ar<~ employed as professors or
directors in Episeopal Seminaries, antl a very few old or sick fathers are as
yet disper~ctl outside of re~ular houseg, their age averaging about Gi years.
, Over se\·enty members of the provinee are in New ~lexico, about eightyfive nwrc are '-vorking or studying in other provincc:'l; mnong the latter must
be ?onnted twenty, who are on !orl'ign missions, such as China, Syria and
lnd1a. The total number of the mPmbers of the provinee last year was 328.
;Yew 01'1eaHs.-Our three saints lately canonised were closely associated
\Hih America; St. .\.lphonsus sent St. Peter Clavcr; the latter lived and
labored and <lieLI on American soil; and St. John Derchmans wrought in
America.- one of the miracles usetl in his canonisation. The thanks of the
Society are due to the New Orleans ~lission, for the zeal and energy there
m~nifested in gathering together all the facts and details connected with the
mnaculous cure wrought through the intercession of St. John Dcrchmans
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over twenty years ago. 'fhe canonical investigation was begun at the wish of
the Holy Father himself, and the labor of love was brought to a successful
termination after more than three months of hard work.
On the 20th of September 1866, ~I iss .\Iary Wilson arrived at the Convent of
the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau. Drh·en from her home in London, Canada, by her parents who were Protestants, and who were incensed on account
of her conversion, she sought a refuge as a postulant for admission among the
friends of the Sacred Heart. After a month of preparation and on the eve of
her reception among the novices, :;he was suddenly seized with a most violent
sickness. Day by day her condition grew worse and worse, until finally there
was no hope of recovery by na !ural means. The condition of the patient, on
the Lith of December, the last day of the novena which had been begun in
honor of St. John Berchman:;, was most pitiable. :For forty days she had
not taken an ounce of food; she took only a little tea or coffee and, the last
eight days, she was 1~ot able e,·en to take this. She was expected to die at
any moment. Her limbs were cold and contracted, her mouth and tongue
were raw and conrcd with clots of black blood; with the greatest difficulty
the Holy Viaticum was administered hy giving her a small piece of an ordinary host. All the sisters then retired to hear ~lass except the infirmarian
who, seeing the patient calm, left her i(>r a moment to attend the sick in the
adjoining room. In less than one !wur after the reception of the Viaticum
the patient was entirely cured, restored to health, as she said, by St. John
Berchmans who appeared to her. E,·ery symptom of the disease had passed
away and the next day she was going through the ordinary duties of community-life and she would have done so on the day of her cure hut the ~!other
Superior thought it more prudent to make her stay abed. The two doctors
who attended her attributed het· cure to supernatural agency, for, they said,
~he was bevontl the reach of natural remedies. The entire community and
many visitors who ha<l 'een atul known the patient attested to the truth of the
<'lire; so that its authenticity is beyond the :;hadow of a doubt.-This was one
of the two miracle' that ,-tood the ~e,·ere test of the Homan tribunals, atlll is
mentioned in tlw deere<' of canonisation.-Letters of Jersey.
·
Xeu• l"<H'k, St. Fmncis Xu tier's.- The colleg<' roll passed the line 400
before the lwginning of the exnnlination~.. Fonrtl•en new student~ have been
received ,;nee Christmas.~ It i>< ••xpected that by the O[Wning of the second
term, January ::!Sth, this last contingent will hP tripled. The students who
visit the Blessed Sacranll'nt before class of their own accord, form a large
proportion of the college. The philosophy class has voluntarily petitioned to
perform the devotions of the second degree of the L<•agne of the ~acred Heart
before class honrs.-Xrtvier for February.
later . ..:_The number of shulents has reached 430 (30 since. Christmas). A
mission is going on in thP church; upper an<! lower church tilled "~en· evenin"; :Fr. Kenuy of )lontreal gi\·es the ll o'clock ~crmon, Fr. Jeremiah O'Conno~ the evening one; Fr. Xoonan is the third nlis~ionary. The cro,~tl was ~o
g-reat that Fr. Hector nn<l Fr. :'l!eKinnon have taken charge of the lowt·r
~;hurch.-Letter from Fr. V'Cunor.
Pllilippiur I.~lttud.s.-R,·v. Fr. Rieart, :,\uperior of the mi8'ions of the
Philippine Islands went to Rome fllr the jubilee aml the canonisations. He
carried with him a gift of ;35U,OOO for the Holy Father, a roun<l table carved
with exquisite 8kill and taste worth 83,000, and a gold pen worth .S:lOO.
Joitwd to the gold pen was the following distich:
llunc pulihrnm teneas calamum Berchmansque Joannem
Sanctorum fastis scribito, magne Leo.
The gohl pen was adonic'l with diamonds and was the gift of the members of
the sodalities of the Ate nco JJJunicipal and the Escuela Norm<tl at .\Ianillu. It
was hoped that the Holy Father would use this pen to sign the bull of canonisntion of 1:-lt. John Berch mans. In the centre are the arms of the Holy Father
set in brilliants; allll al)()ve, the book of rules, the beads an <I the crucifix,
also adorneq with diamonds.
nr. Poli.zzi.-One of our Tertian fathers writes from Rome regarding the
novice Polizzi :-'fhe time for taking his vows was drawing near. 'fhe Rev.
Fr. Provincial gave him to understand that, so long as no end was put to those
strange things, there could be no question of vows. Frater Polizzi replied
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127
that he would pray that the stigmata might disappear, which, accordingly,
has happened.
Pro t•i uce of' Pco·is. -Last 'ummer the Provincial of Paris decided to
tramfer the Tertians from Slough (near London), where the~- were, to«etlwr with the novitiate, to tlw ohl seholasticate of Laval. Accordingly, in
the eurly part of October, they met at the old Maison St. "1Iichd, with Rev.
Fr. ltene de ~[aumignv as Rector aml Instructor. All the exercises of the
tertiauship began, and "it was thought that the new residence would be very
co11venient for the Tertians, especially during the lenten missions, which they
must give in France. But at the beginning of September the tertianship was
,uddenly brought back to Slough. The reason of the sudden change was the
following. ~Ir. Spuller, a member of the last cabinet of ex-President Grevy,
having heard that our fathers were living in a pretty large number in the
J{aison St. ,lfichet, sent for Mgr. Bouvier of the seminary of Laval, complained of the fact, and threatened that, on account of our fathers, the
Chamber might suppress the bishopric of Laval, which, according to him,
was only tolerated, not heing one of those established by the Goncordat. After
the visit, J\Igr. Bouvier saw our Fr. Provincial, who took at once the necessary measures for again reuniting the tertiunship to the novitiate at Slough.
The wonders wrought through the intercession of onr )lartyrs of the Commune, the number of ex t·oto offerings which are constantly sent in, and the
numerous letters of thanksgiving which come to the Hue de Sevres, give every
hope that the Society will he soon rejoiced hy having these martyrs raised to
the altar. It wollld be too long to give details with regard to the number of cures
which have been wrollght through their intercession: a few examples must
suffice. On the fir,t of April last, a lady from Arniens, despairing of the life
of her two-year-old child, who was stricken with a severe attack of pleurisy,
began a novena in honor of Fr. Olivuint and promised an ex voto offering
if the little one were spared to her. From the moment the novena began the
disease ceased to make progre", and when the ninth day had come, the child
was convalescent and has been improving ever since. Many other cures could
be related ~ut let this one serve as a sample of what is of ven· frequent occurrence. The following inscriptions on cards sent-to the Rue de Sevres may
give some idea·of the power of our martyrs with Got!: "To the five fathers,
martyrs, my most grateful thanks for an unexpected recovery. 188G- R."
"In thanksgiving for my cure-April, 1887. P.R., former pupil of Fr. Olivaint, Paris-Close of Sept. 18Si ."-Letters of Jersey.
The small number of men who attended the conferences and sermons given
by Ours in the different churches in Paris, and the difficulties experienced in
trying to arouse their interest in matters of religion, have caused Ours to give
up the conferences and to confine themselve' to missions; still, even in
their missions they ditl"er from ·us, indeed their whole plan of cam-·
paign seems to be a new departure. They begin their mission by devoting
a week or so to the women and children; announcing at the same time
that when their work with the female portion is finished, they will de·
vote themselves to the men. They treat of such themes as socialism, relation
of ~cience to religion, etc. The method of conducting these instructions
vanes. Some nights the preacher alone exposes the doctrine, other evenings
?ne or two of the missionaries object to him aloud in the church; the audienee
IS invited to present objections in writing, and these are answered the next
evening from the pulpit. This discussion has been the means of drawing to
the church as many as 2,000 men at one mission; men, too, who had not
entered the house of God for years. :Mgr. Ricard, Archbishop of Paris att.en~e<l one of these discussions and expressed publicly his pleasure and satisfactwn. 'Vhen these preliminary questions have been sufficiently developed,
a_nd the audience is ready for the word of God, then the preachers speak of
sio, death and the subjects of the Exercises. As the fathers have shown them·
selves competent to deal with the questions of the day, the audience is willing
to hear them on subjects more directly connected with their holy calling and
more salutary to the listeners. The fruits of these missions, the thousands
0[ men who have approached the Holy Table after the exercises, the expressions 'of gratitude and letters of thanks received daily by the fathers,-all
t~ese prove that this new departure has the blessing of God upon it.-Letters
oJ Jersey.
�VARIA.
St. Lottis Unit·e,.sity.- The post-graduate course of lectures began on
Feb. :?9th, lecturer, Fr. J. ~- Poland, on "Glimpses of Every-day Life in Ancient Rome;" the second is marked for :\larch 5th, Fr. Charropin, on "The
Chemistry of Photo~raphy" (with experiments and stereopticon views); the
third, March 12th, Fr. H. ::IIoeller, on "Social Abuses and Social Reforms;"
the fourth by Fr. James J. Conway on "Leo Xlii. and the 1\lodern Powers."
All tickel~ are complimentary.
l.J. S. Seunte.-Passage of the Bl•tir Educational Bill-)Ir. Blair's Attack
on the Je.•uits-The debate was closed by ::llr. Blair in a final argument in advocacy of the bill. He spoke of the opposition matlc to the bill by the New
York Evening Post, the \Vashingtou l'ost, aml "other organs of Jesuitry."
The opposition to the bill was a tight against the common schools of the countrv-an attempt to >ubvert that great 'ystetn. Soon after the bill pa~sed last
Congress, and while it was still struggling in the hands of a packed committee
in the House of Hepresentath·es (where it was tin ally strangled), a Senator
had shown to him (and he had read) the original letter of a Jesuit priest begging a member of Congress to oppose the bill and to kill it. The writer said
that there was an organisation all nnr the country for the destruction of the
bill, and that they would de•trny it ine,·itably, and also that, if they had
known of it in >eason, they conh1 have prevented its passage through the Senate. They had begun in
this time, but they would not destroy it.
Twelve years ago, when he wa,; a member of the Honse of Representatives,
and while there was a proposition pemling to amend the constitution so as to
prevent the appropriation of public money to the support of sectarian schools
m the country, a friend of his pointed out to him nine Jesuits on the floor of
the Ilou.;e log-rolling again4 the proposition-nine at one time. These u•cre
not (he thanl.·ed God) the Catholir Chnrrh. "'ithin the sound of his voice
were sleepin" the remains of .lolm Carroll and Charles Carroll of Carrollton,
men who had been t!e,·oted to civil rights and to true religion, and against the
mernory of those men, or a~;.tin~t the great Catholic organisation of the conntry, he would say nothing, ti>r he venerated their memory, anti he venerated
that great org,misation, which, in his belief, was the true exemplar of Christi<wity. He care<! not how far it extended or how widely its power W<lS spread,
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but withiu that org-anisatio"u was a Jesuit org<.tnisatiou which had set out to
control this country, which had been repudi tted by e\"c'ry country in the old
world, Catholic or Protest,mt, but which had come to America and was now
trying to secure control of this continent by de·;troying the public-school sys·
tern. The Jesuits had been expelled from the countries of the old world, and
the time wonld come when they woul<l be looked upon as enemies of this
country, aml when the question of their expulsion would luwe to be considered.
All through the Xorth ((iod only knew under what influence) the newspapers had oppMt'd the hill, an<! had argued that such aid to copunon schools
was no longer ncecled; lmt he had, fur three or four dap, read'of.·demonstrations from every State in the South showing that it was still a neceo;sity, and
as much so as ever. In th;, connection he named the Boston Herald and Advertiser, Chicago Tribune ami the Sew 'lurk Sun ami Times. \rhy (he asked)
was this? It wa' beean,;e there was on the sta.ff of e>"er!l great ne11•spaper -in
the country to-day 11 Jc.<nil who,;e business it was to see that a blow was struck,
whenever there wus an opportunity to strike it, at the common-school system
of America, and the further investigation was carried in that direction, the
more patent woultl the fact appear. There was another power (he said) arrayed against the bill-the power of the liquor interest, as represented by its
Washington organ, the ~entinel. The time was not fllr d.istant when the
people of the North would uudersta!td all the jugglery. The American people
would have truth from that gallery (pointing to the reporters' gallery) or, said
he, "they will clear that gallery on which I now gaze." The bill might be
defeated, by direction or by indirection, bnt its principle~ would prevail. He
closed with a cn11temptuons allusion, to the "educated, cultivatetl, cold-blooded
college professors of the Xorth."-l;~rfl"<tct .from tl1e Balti1nore :-i11n, Ftb. 16th.
Jib-. Blai1· 1\tkcn to '['usi.-.-The Philatlell'hia Eaning Bulletin, a staunch
·republican paper, thus take' ~enator Blair of Xew Hampshire to task for
his attitn<!eon the Jesuits: ")lr.llcnry "'·Blair, of Xew llampslure,in the
course of his service in the l'"nited ~tates Senate has said many absurd things.
::llr. Blair is one of tho'e very goo<l men whose large stock of goodness is alto·
gethcr out of proportion to their slender supply of brain. The result is that
Iike such persons he is always in grave danger of making an ass of himself.
�VARIA.
It was in this character that Mr. Blair appeared Wednesday when he adrlressed the Senate on the educational bill, which is one of several cranky and
preposterous notions with which his brain is afflicted. He informed his fellowsenators that one of the principal causes of opposition to the bill was the fact
that in almost every editorial room in the United States there was a Jesuit or
an enemy of the public-school system who systematically wrote down the
cause of public education. It is only necessary to reproduce this remark in
order to show its sillines•. The State of ~ew Hampshire does no credit to its
own intelligence -when it allows itself to be repre~ented in the Senate by a
man who is capable of making so preposterous an observation."- Extract
from thr Baltimore Sun, Feb. 18th.
The bill to provide for the compulsory educa'tion of Indian children was
taken from the calendar, and ~Ir. Yest spoke against the bill to attempt to
educate lnrlian children at rlay·schools, from which they returned to spend
the remainder of the day in their teepees. He took advantage, as he said, of
the absence of ~[r. Blair to state that the best Indian schools on the continent
were corulucted by .Jesuits.- U.S. Senate proceedings of Feb. !:?!lth.- Baltimore Snn. Cll
n·as11iugtou. JJ. C.. Gonzaga College.- The following course of lectures,
delivered in Gonzaga hall has just been completed: Jan. !lth,-"Ireland, as it
is" (Illustrated), by Fr. ~IcGurk; Jan. 16th,-"Glaciers and the Glacial
Period" (Illustrated\ by :Mr. Edward Corbett; Jan. !:?3rd,-"Latest Fashions in
Literature," by Fr. F. Hyan; Jan. 30th,-"Evangeline" (Illustrated), by Fr.
C. C. Jones; Feb. 6th,-"The Cross in the Far ~orth" ( lllustrated), by ~Ir.
E. 1:-lpillane; Feb. 13th,-"Savonarola," by Fr. P. Finlay; feb. !Wth,-"'fhe
Irish Singer of '41'," by :\[r. C..J. Clifford.
Zll mbesi Jll>u<iou.- The Zambesi mission as at first 'established, nine
years ago, comprised the country between the tenth parallel of south latitude
on the Xorth, the Portuguese settlements on the East, the Tropic of Capricorn and the Crocodile Tiiver on the South, a11<l the twenty-second meridian
on the West, while recently it has been extended to the Portuguese settlements.
From the starting of the first band of missionaries from Grahamstown, April
loth, 1~7!1, until th~ erection of the scholasticate nf Dunbrody, on the Sunday
River, March 15th, 1884, the various missions, lor want of a solid base of
supplies, could hardlY have been otherwise than heroic but irregular efforts.
From the latter date,' lwwever, they have been conrlucted with the most promising order and foresight. The house at D~nbrody contains some forty per·
sons, professors, students of theology and phrlosophy and lay· brothers; and
heside" being the headquarters of the mission it serves as a place of-apprentice·
ship both lor tho.> scholastics in instructing the Kafir children, and for the
young lay brother• in learning the various trades which they have afterwards
to exereise anrl teach. r n connection with the house are three flourishing
st>hools, and a large, though unfenced anr! almost uncleared farm. Of the
schools, one is conrlncted within the college precints, and numbers twenty-five
hoys under the charge of one of the scholastics, who not only personally in·
structs them in the rudiments of a literary education, but also superintends
their training in the cultivation of gardens and the learning of useful trades .
.\.nother Nchool, attended by twenty-four girls, is situated at about half a mile
from the college, and is under the charge of two nuns, members of a religious
congregation just started in the country. The third school has been built at
a considerable distance from Dunbrody, on the other side of the Sunday
River, where a scholastic teaches catechism three times a week. The farm
at Dunbrody was bought chiefly with the idea of erecting a Catholic negro
settlement upon it. De,erving families are encouraged to settle here and a
number have already responded with the most praiseworthy results.-The
novitiate of the mission is at Graaf.Jteynet, South Africa, where Fr. Francis
Daignault, the novice-master, rules a little community of two priests, one
veteran coadjutor, four scholastic novices and two coadjutor novices. The
college of St. Aidan, Grahamstown, has a community of twelve, eight of
whom are scholastic tutors. Three thousand Kafirs live in a suburb of the
town, specially set apart for them and called the location. Our fathers have
erected a school amongst the Kafirs and another amongst the Hottentots, with
. (ll We have since received the Congressional Record with full text of the discussion
!n the Senate, but we must reserve that for our next number.
8*
�f30
'i
I
I
VARIA.
a total attendance of ninety children. Instructions are given in Kafir and
Dutch, but at present the neighborhood is too deeply prejudiced and immoral
for ns to expect much immediate fruit. The two other missions amongst the
Kafirs are those of Stntterheim and Keilands. The last named is situated on
the right bank of the river Kei, at the extreme limit of Cape Colony, amongst
the Temboo-Kafirs, who had never met a Catholic priest before the arrival of
Ours, one year ago. A farm has been bought here, and thirty families have
been located upon it. Sixteen persons have already been baptised, and at
least fifty assemble in the house every Sunday for )!ass and.instruction.-Two
great roads lead into the interior, and along both of them our fathers have
established missions. The first is the wagon-roail which leads out from the
colony through the Transvaal or Becuana-lanil, past the large native town of
Shoshong, directly north to the Zambesi. Thi" route is healthy but expensive,
occupying about three months, and lying through regions uninhabited and so
little provided with water that it can be used only during the few months following the commencement of the rain. The first footing along this route was
obtained three years ago, when a farm was bought at :Fleischfontein, near
Zeerust, in the )!arico district of the Transvaal. It is a good place for learning the Becuana language, into 'yhich Ours have already translated a hymnbook, a catechism and a history of the Xew Testament, but the Lutherans
have preceded us and have so bitterly prejudiced the people against us that
thus far but twenty persons have received baptism. Further inland, in the
Amanrlebele country, under the government of the now famous Lo Bengula,
the missionaries have established a residence at Gubulnwayo, with leave to
open a school at Impendim, somewhat further south. Though full of hope,
the fathers have been able to accomplish little, owing largely to the despotism
of the warlike sovereign. His throne, however, seems to be threatened from
without, and brighter times may be awaiting us in the near future.-Tbe
second great road is along the Zambesi Hiver itself. The river is navigable
from the coast for 250 miles to the Kebrabasa Rapitls, above which small boats
may be used almost to the Yictoria Falls. This is an extremely unhealthy
route, and has long been practically impossible, but it has the ad\·antage of
passing through thickly settled regions where the faith is held in esteem, and
where, in many places, missionaries are earnestly a' ked for. The stations here,
all of which lie in the Portuguese possessions, are at Quilimane, Sena, Tete
and Boroma. :Mopea, an intermediate station, had to be temporarily aban·
doned because of the sad way in which its successive pastors have fallen beneath its unhealthy climate. The "arne deadly enemy has foiled the best
efforts to rebuild the church of the distant Zumbo; Father Gabriel, after incredible privations iu trying to reach it, died almost within sight, of it. At
Quilimane, the College of the Holy Xame of Jesus has been onened, and the
community comprises three fathers, three scholastics and three fay' brothers.
It is hoped that this college will prove the beginning of an important work. In
the other stations, Ours are the official clergy of the Portuguese. At Boroma,
some 250 miles inland, two fathers, after the most heroic endeavors, have
opened an orphanage for native children, about twenty of whom have alre•dy
been admitted to the sacraments. From all these stations, excursions are con·
stantly being made on both sides of the river, and the harvest of souls now
gathering and yet to be gathered, amply repays the most grievous privations.
Lower Zambesi lffissinn.-The greatest progress we have made recently,
writes Rev. Stephen Czimermann from the station Boroma, consists in the
fact that we found ourselves enabled to purchase several negro boys and open
a school. The still existing slave trade brings to our doors many children
offered for sale. A boy costs little: one piece, or nt most two, of cheap calico,
algodao, worth from S 1.50 to S 3.00, will buy him. Twenty-three have in this
manner come into our possession. Emaciation and hunger are their insepara·
ble companions. To this are added blows and other maltreatment dependin.:
on the humor of their owners. The price is small indeed but it is not possible
for us to &upport a large number, especially this year when another famine
threatens the natives. Two years ago, thousands fell victims to hunger. A
late rain may help us, but it is not Iii• ely to occur. .\t present, the trees are
bare and the fields burnt by the sun. Even should provisions be brought from
lower Africa by traders, the blacks would not be helped; they have nothing
to make purchases with.-At five o'clock all rise and go to morning prayers in
the chapel. Their toilet is expeditious: a hip-cloth sufficing, just as it does
for other negroes. On Sundays and festivals they wear, besides this cloth,
which they call guo, a jacket made of blue linen; and three of the oldest wear
�VARIA.
131
breeches made of the same material. ~lass follows morning prayers. During
Mass the rosary is said in the Kafir tongue. After ~lass the little ones go to
work: usually they undertake a general sweeping of yard and house with
very small brooms called chephe.. They sing lustily meanwhile in Kafir-text
and melody an unvaried repetition. They need no breakfast; negroes as a
rule eating but once or at most twice a day. At 8, school opens. Unless they
fall asleep, the:y pay tolerable attention to catechism and to their lessons in
ceading and writing. Though the negroes show no taste for learning anything,
thev possess talents, three of our smallest mastering the alphabet in six months.
Up'to 13 years of a:.:e the boys are lively and quick, but then comes a crisis
after which they are fit for nothing. It is almost impossible to get anything
into the hearl of a grown negro, and if you do succeed in this he will astonish
you with the readiness wherewith he forgets it. This evil is diminished by
teaching families to pray in c01pmon. After class the boys have free time.
The older ones make bows and arrows anrl trv to fetch down small birds. The
small ones open a chase after locusts. As soon as a pombo-a certain variety
of locust-is caught, they run to the fire, to roast and eat the delicacy. At 12,
the little blacks get their dinner. All the year round it is the same, meal·
porridge, which the boys prepare for themselves by adding brown flour to
boiling water and stirring the mixture briskly. Knives, forks, and spoons
are neerlless, as the boys' fingers answer every purpose. At two, class begins
for the afternoon . . At six, th~ children take supper, the same in every respect
as dinner. After UJI!ht prayers they go to rest. They sleep on reed mattresses,
called m'pasa, which would he a source of mortification rather than repose
for a European. They need '"' beds, and lie around a fire which they keep
up themselves. Two or three times a week, they take a plunge 'into the Zambesi, which is a real necessity for their health. '\'e hope to train np good
Christians and even zealous catechists, with the grace of Gorl, out of our little
blacks.
llomc Xett·s.-'Ve regret to have to announ~e that Fr. Yerdin, our spiri·
tual father, was compellerl on account of ill health to leave us and return to
the West. We are consoled, however, by the news that lately reached ns of
his improved condition. He is now spiritual father at St. Louis; and is re·
placed here by Fr. Piccirillo.
The Autumn Disp11tatious took place X ovember 29th and 3oth; the TV-inter
Disputations, Feb. 17th and 18th.
EX TRACTATC DE RELIGIONE.-The Defender was Fr. Kokenge; the
Okiertors, Frs. Brownrigg and HilL
EX TRACTATU DE ECCLE8IA.-'l'he Defender was :\Ir. de Ia :Moriniere;
O~iectors, Messrs. O'Rourke and L. Kavanagh.
DE DEO t:'SO.-Defenders, Frs. Zwinge and Laure; Objectors, Frs. Fargis
and Motte, and Messrs . .T. L. Smith and :\Ieuffels.
Frs.l\IcAvoy and Yan Rensselaer read dissertations on lloly Scriptwre; the
former, De Septuaginta Interpreturn Versione, the latter, De Templo IIiero·
sol.~mitnno.
EX ETHICA.-Defender, :\Ir. Hoyle; O~jectors, :\Iessrs. ltittmeyer and
Vander Pol.
EX PSYCIIOLOGTA.-Defende•·, :\Ir. Casten; Objectors, Messrs . .Tannin
and O'Hara.
·
EX PSYCHOLOGL\. SUPERIORI.-Defender, ~Ir. Kuhlman; Objectors,
Messrs. Nicolet and Dawson.
EX COS:\[QLOGIA.- Ddenders, l\Iessrs. Kane and Hussey; Objectors,
Messrs. Conners and Green, Connell nnd L(·autier.
EX T.,OGICA.-Defender, Mr. Hue!; Objectors, Messrs. Kenny and Gilbert.
Messrs. A. J. Connell, Raby anrl Hussey gave a specimen in Dynamics; Mr.
Russell read a lecture on "The Haloid Salts of Silver and their Application to
Photography," and ~Iessrs. Ilennemann and Lawton made the experiments.
Fr. Devitt has secured for our Library a copy of the "Relations des .Tesuites,"
published with the aid of the Canadian government in 1858. Three vols.
Quite rare.
It is reported that Rev. Fr. Provincial will return from Ireland in March.
Transfers in the .~Ja.ryland New York Province. -Since tlie i"sue of the
188Scatalogue the followin~ transfers have been made: Fr. J. Dealy, to Boston;
Fr. Byrnes, to the missionary band; Fr. Verdin, to St. Louis; Fr. ~IcGovern,
to missionary work on the Islands attached to St. Francis Xavier's, N.Y.;
�VARIA.
Fr. Goeding, to Georgetown College, D. C.; Fr. McGoldrick, to Loyola Col·
lege, Baltimore; and Fr. Giraud to the parish at Woodstock.
Fr. Dewey, American Head Director of the League of the Sacred Heart,
paid us a visit some time ago. During his stay he cleared up, both by an
interesting address in the chapel and by means of private interviews, many
doubts and misunderstancl.ings about the Apostleship of Prayer. In his address he explained briefly the history of the League, its end and aim and its
practical workings, proving by several edifying examples what a useful instru·
ment it is in aiding the missionary, the pastor, and the teacher. We had in·
tended giving a synopsis of his remarks, but, in the Little Jfessenger for March,
we find a few words to the same purpose which we insert here.
The League, its end and aim.-TUE Apostleship of Prayer is a League of zeal and
prayers in union with the Sacred Heart. It is called Ap<A•Ile.hip, because it has for
its end to make true apostles of all Christians, by stlrring up everywhere the ardent
desire of God's glory and the sal"l"ation of souls. It is the Apostleship of Prayer, for
prayer is the principal means it sets to work. a means all-powerful and one that
remains within the reach of all, even when others are wanting. In some way it is a
universal means including, besides prayer strictly so called. all works and all sufferings offered to the Sacred Heart with .the aim of supplication. It is the League of the
Sac-red Heart of Je•·us, because the Associates unite in a daily consecration to this
Divine Heart-the source of zeal and the perfect model of prayer; even it is thi.•
consecration, or offering of the day for the intentions of the Heart of Jesus. that constitutes the first and the only essential of the excellent practices in use among the
Associates.
Finally, this work is neither a Confraternity nor a.Sodality, but a Holy Lfague, approved by two Decrees of the Holy See and by the majority of the bishops of thu
Catholic world, in whose ranks are already enli,ted, under the banner of the Sacred
Heart~
I
II
:j
I
more than 40,000 parishes, conunnnities. or nssociations. Moreover, all others
are invited to take part in it. Is not the zeal which this Lengue of the Sacred Heart
has for its aim to stir up, in reality the stimulus and the life of every Catholic society
and work, and ought not the Divine Heart of Jesus become their bond and centre as
it is their first principle and mainspring·~
The firl;t beginnings of this work go back to 18-ll, and it is in the diocese of Pu)",
France, near the celebrated sanctuary of the Immaculate Yirgin. ~!other of God. that
it had its birth. But its prodigious development dates only from 1861-the year when
the publication Of the ~[ESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART bt'gun furnishing it with f\
periodical organ and brought out in relief its union with the devotion to this Divine
Heart.
If we consider the ever increasing progress of the League of the Saeied Heart of
Jesus, the simplicity and fruitfulness of its means, the plentiful blessings which the
Divine Heart has been pleased to pour forth on the united eflbrt.s of iQ< millions of
Associates, we may well believe that th_is peaceful crusade is nne of the principnl
institutions raised up by our Lord. to bring forth from the great devotion to the Sacred
Heart all its fruits and to hasten the triumph of the l'hur<'h.
Further details can be found in the "Handbook of the Holy Leayue of the
Sac1·ed Ileart of Jesus, called the Apostleship of Pmyer, with pra!le•·s for the
public and p1·ivate use of Associotes," 160 pages, 32 mo., 10 cts. Address Rev.
R. S. Dewey, S. J., The Gesii, Philadelphia, Pa.
.
The March number of the Jfessenger promises another increase of 3~ pages,
twice a year, consisting of an Original Arnericon tale complete in one number.
A ve!Y Important Note of Warning is sounded in this number concerning the
(]ertijicate of the League.
·
�Fructus Ministerii in Provincia Missouriana, Anno r887.·
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��WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XVII, No .. 2.
FATHER YENNI'S JUBILEE.< 1>
LETTER OF VERY REV. FATHER GENERAL.
NEW ORLEANS, 1\Iarch 7th, 1888.
DEAR
REV.
•
FATHER,
P. C.
Enclosed please find a copy of the letter of Very ReY. Fr. General to Father Yenni. \Vhen Fr. General was informed of the aL'l:ion of Fr. Yenni,
he consented to send us this copy, so that the original plan of having itpublished might not be frustrated. Do not fail to make known the ad of
humility on Father Yenni's part. The letter is certainly a remarkable one ;
hut the humility of the good father is no less remarkable : if the publication of the letter is calculated to do good, so also will the knowledge of the
effort made to conceal it by him to whom it was addressed.
Ra-. Vx. sen·ns in Xto,
T. \V. BtTTLER, s. J.
FEsuus, I
8 DEc., I 887.
REVERENDE JN XTo PATER,
P. C.
Ex Catalogis nostris cum admiratione cognovi, R. v•m
annum jam quinquagesimum in scholis, idque in scholis
grammatices decurrere.
Res perrara, atque ad memoriam et exemplum insignis.
Sane, quod R. va olim in votorum nuncupatione omnipotenti Deo, coram ejus Virgine Matre et tota ccelesti curia, in
gaudio ct fervore spiritus, peculiari modo circa puerorum
eruditionem promisit, id re et opere cumulate prxstitit, ut
dulcem illam invitationem cxpeEl:are possit, "euge sen·c ·
bone ct fidelis."
,
De juventute vero ipsa, cujus integritatem divino Servatori
tantopere cordi fuisse novimus, cujus educationem et institutionem Societas nostra inter prima semper adjumenta ad
(ll
See previous nu1nber, page 110.
VoL. xvu, No.
2.
9
(133)
�134
FATHER YENNI'S JUBILEE.
promO\·endam gloriam Dei et salutem animarum numeravit
et exercitavit, R. v• constanti dimidii sa:culi lahore merita
comparavit, qua: non unam tantum hominum retatem complechmtur, sed sementis instar crescent et in millia diffundentur.
Simul R. v• fratribus suis, qui sunt in iisdem schola: laboribus socii, exemplum exhibuit, quo commoti gravem
hanc vocationis nostra: partem nova a:stimatione colant et
traetent, quo sanetam patientiam, qua: in hac palzestra prze
ceteris est necessaria, discant, quo novum fatiscenti naturze
animum et stimulum addant.
·
Pro his donis Dei sit supremo Largitori debita gratiarum
aClio, sit omnis honor et pra:dicatio !
Mercedem condignain solus reddere potest is, ac reddet
fidelissime, pro cujus amore R. V" desudavit.
Sed tamen ad virtutem pertinet, meritorum grato cum
sensu esse memorem. Quare hac auspicatissima occasionc
usus nomine totius Societatis R. V"" ex animo gratulor, gratias ago, et cum summa precatione ad Deum, ut R. V"
adhuc diu superstitem et incolumem conservet, in pignus ct
signum affectus paterni R. V"• benedictionem ex animo
impertio.
Commendo me SS. SS.
Re\""• v•• Servus in xt•,
A. 1\L A . . . .
R. P. DoMINico jENNY, S. J.
Spring Hill.
111
�LETTERS FROM J\ CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF I86I.
(Fiftlz Letter.)
CA'r-IP BROWN, SANTA RosA IsLAND, FLA.
Sept. zsth, I86I.
M. F.
MAGUIRE,
J11j' dear Friend,
I comply at the earliest opportunity with the obligation
imposed on me, by the promise I made when leaving New
York, of writing to you from the seat of war. vVe were
very much disappointed in not being sent to Virginia; hut
I hope it is all for the better. 'vVe are not so exposed, it
would appear, to die viCtims of cannon or rifles, as are the
soldiers campaigning in the Old Dominion; yet we have
. in front of us (it is said) a more desperate, a more formidable
enemy than the boys in gray. This fearless, invincible foe
is to come to us (we are told) in the shape of yellow fever,
which, they say, claims to be a native of the coast on which
we are endeavoripg to re-establish Uncle Sam's authority so
summarily interfered with of late.
Gulliver in all his travels never visited, I am sure, such a
country as the island enjoying the sweet name "Santa Rosa.''
As the rainy season advanced, however, we began to see
that this island, so much despised at first, has its beauties
and its redeeming qualities. The continued rains, combined
with great heat, changed what we had considered entirely
unproduCtive, into a refreshing and pleasant paradise. Extensive vines have sprung up, as if by magic, from what we
have been considering our barren, sandy home. Some of
these vines, after shedding their sweet-scented blossoms,
produce· a most delicious fruit resembling the blackberry ;
others produce grapes, not in bunches, but singly. The
May-apple (or the plant which goes by that name in Kentucky) grows luxuriantly and gives us luscious fruit. Flowers, too, of extremely delicate hues, please the eye with
their colors, and regale the olfaCtory sense with their enchanting fragrance. Rose-bushes (or rose-vines, for they
run along the ground) bearing brilliantly colored single
roses are now occupying spots where we had supposed
(135)
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIX
nothing could ever grow. An old negro, a native of Pensacola, whence he lately escaped to us, tells me we shall
have every month till May a new species of this rose. A
species of bay-trees, and laurel-trees with their beautiful
flowers and rich fragrance, appear in clusters. The Zouaves
utilize the leaves of these shrubs by drying and pulverizing
them, and mixing the powder thus obtained with the coffee,
whose aroma is in this manner greatly enhanced.
Different varieties of animals have made their appearance
on the island since the beginning of the rainy season. Rats
of various colors, mice of many species, opossums, raccoons,
etc., have been caught and are being tamed by the boys.
Birds, too, of many sorts have taken up their abode on our
island and enliven us with their songs. Amongst these the
mocking-bird, of course, two species of which are found in
Florida, stands pre-eminent. One of these species sings not
only in the daytime, but also during those nights in which
the moon sends her gentle beams to light our weary watch, ing. My old negro friend tells me this is a peculiarity of
the birds hatched in the month of Marcil.
In spite of, or rather on account of, the rainy season which
seems to be now drawing to a close, Col. vVilson invited
your friend Adjutant Heary, Captain Duffy, myself and
others to go on an exploring expedition to the eastern extremity of the i~land, and procured for us artillery horses
from the fort. Though we were aware that there might be
very serious danger in going so hr outside. of camp, through
an unknown part of the island which might be occupied by
the enemy, still the desire to know the extent of ~anta Rosa
and what its features were, induced us to accept the invitation. Some regulars, officers and privates, joined the
party, which thus became formidable. Properly buckled and
armed, we started early in the day on our ride of adventure
and discovery. The horses being in prime condition, and
the sand thoroughly packed by the long continued rains,
we moved briskly onward, soon passed the marine camp,
and found ourselves far beyond the reach of our companions.
As we advanced eastward, we discovered that Santa Rosa
was becoming dangerously wide for our little force, and
densely covered with magnificent pine-trees. vVhat a splendid site for an encampment, we thought. Does the enemy
already occupy it? Have they a battery here? Are we going
too far ?-such w~re some of the many thoughts and queries
passing through our minds. Keeping the middle of the
island, we met with high elevations of sand, and then deep
depressions. Now we sighted lakes of various forms and
sizes; again dense thickets of undergrowth. On arriving
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
137
at a very narrow part of the island, a halt was commanded
and rations for men and horses were distributed. After a
little consultation we concluded to postpone till another day
the further exploration eastward of Santa Rosa, and return
slowly, examining more closely our insular home. Our explanation of things we saw was, that the fierce tornadoes
and hurricanes so frequent in these regions, and the long
continued violent rains have torn up the sandy surface into
high hills and deep valleys ; but, as the island is all sand,
these hills and valleys are likely to change positions after
every storm. Some of these valleys, being lower than the
sea, retain the water poured into them during the rainy
season, and thus form charming fresh-water lakes.
Whilst crossing one of the sandy heights, we beheld a
body of men south of us, between us and the gulf-beach.
Knowing that no soldiers were outside the picket-line but
ourselves, we naturally concluded that the strangers were
enemies, who had ereCted a battery on that part of the island.
It was unanimously resolved to make a bold effort to obtain
accurate information about their doings. We moved cautiously in "open order" over the hillocks towards the strangers, who appeared not to notice us. Fearing an ambuscade,
we spread out our force still more. Just then our visitors
took to their heels towards the gulf and we dashed after
them with all the speed our chargers could command. Presently we saw them direCting their course towards a boat
manned by several sailors and floating the United States'
Hag. The mystery was soon cleared up : some officers of
the navy were out precisely on the same errand as ourselves;
they had assumed that we were Southern "bushwhackers,"
and determined, if their feet and boat could save them, not
to be captured. The officer in command of the party was
considerably mortified that his men should have defended
themselves by flight. Apologizing for the fright we caused
the representatives of our gallant navy, and wishing them a
safe and pleasant trip across the waves to their proud manof-war, we rode towards the northern beach. Here we discovered recent tracks of men who had been along the strand.
Were they yet among the sand-hills? Could we capture
them ? Had .they a battery in the neighborhood? Some dis.mounted, and moved cautiously among the hillocks, whilst
the others took charge of the horses. The scouting party
soon returned with the information that a short distance
west of us was a black schooner carrying a swivel-gun at
her bow, and the crew, just leaving shore, were rowing out
to her. How very near and yet how far! There was noth-
�LETTERS FROJIT A CHAPLAIN:
ing to be done. \Ve withdrew unobserved from the northern shore, and rode towards the lakes and their surroundings.
The discovery of this new feature of our island, though
we had heard of the existence of such bodies of water, was
a most agreeable surprise to us. \Vith a kind of awe we
drew near them. Our horses seemed anxious to slake their
thirst. Unaware of the nature of the bank or the depth of
the water, we carefully rode to the edge of a long narrow
pond. To our utter amazement we found the bank well
faced with stones. Had this pond or lake been the basement of a castle; or is it the ruins of a fort? Moving along
the side, we came to a point where the bank had given way.
This breach offered our thirsty horses an easy access to the
water. \Vhen led there,' however, the poor animals became
terrified, pawed and snorted, but absolutely refused to quench
their bt_trning thirst. \Vhat could be the cause of it? "Look,
look!" said se\·eral, "see the number of chips floating on
the surface !" "Can such things frighten thirsty horses from
the water?" asked many. A closer investigation revealed
to us the unpleasant faa that those apparent chips were
nothing less than the long faces of alligators. Their bodies
were invisible, but the heads, from the eyes forward to the
nozzles, the only parts of the monsters seen by us. [>resented
to the casual observer the appearance of long black chips.
This explained o_ur poor horses' dread of the water. One
of the men threw into the pond a piece of bread to prove to
all that these chips were the upper jaws of monster mouths.
No sooner had the morsel touched the water than the sly
amphibious creatures rushed so violently after i.t, that the
placid lake was in as great commotion as if ~·~hed by a
furious gale. Near this lake; the christening of which, like
that of its sisters, we deferred till another day, is a kind of
swamp in which weeds, bushes, flowering shrubs and cacti
of many species grow luxuriantly. This is the retreat of
frogs, snakes and alligators in prodigious numbers. Further
on, we came to a jungle or thicket of considerable extent,
in which birds of many notes and varied hues take up their
abode and, relying on the protection afforded them by the
fear of snakes and alligators, securely build their nests and
raise their young. No boy would dare enter that thicket to
disturb the homes of birds, and cruelly rob the songsters of
their little ones. But what produced in this hollow such a
rich growth of little trees, bushes, etc.? This is our explanation: the overflowing of the gulf during the equinoctial
gales, which are very violent here, has brought into this
hollow an accumulation of weeds, bushes, timbers, and portions of wrecked vessels which gradually decayed and formed
.
. !
'
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
139
over the sand a kind of soil which the water and the sun's
great heat have continued to improve. We shall see later
whether these lakes, thickets, etc. are the result of the rainy
season, as some assert. If these features disappear on the
return of dry weather, we shall be disappointed in the pleasure we promise ourselves in revisiting these romantic scenes.
Satisfied that we had performed a good day's work in the
way of scouting combined with pleasure, and determined
with a stronger force to push on to the eastern extremity of
Santa Rosa some other day, we put spurs to our somewhat
jaded horses and made dire8:ly for the camp which we
reached late. After having cared for our trusty horses, and
reported to headquarters what we had seen and done, we
sat down to the meagre supper of hungry soldiers. Our
companions in arms gathering around us to listen to the
descriptions of the eastern part of the island, of the dangers
and adventures we met, would remind one of the crowds
listening to the wondrous tales related by Columbus and his
hardy mariners after their return from the new world. The
whole camp wants to turn out and go on the next expedition.
Next morning all was stir and bustle in the fort, in the
batteries and in camp. The commander of the department
resolved-to send a body of picked men to surprise and capture the black schooner with her crew and arms. The men
to take part in this hazardous undertaking were seleCted,
and the hour for starting fixed. Finally, to make sure that
no one had deserted to give information of our plans to
the enemy, the roll of the entire camp was called. One did
not answer to his name. He is a young Englishman in whom
the authorities had placed great confidence. Where was
he? Whilst search was being made for him in the fort, in
batteries; etc., the seleCted men went to confession to prepare
themselves for death. The Englishman was not to be found;
he must have deserted and given to the enemy the information which would enable them to capture our poor fellows.
The expedition under the circumstances had to be postponed. Whilst talking of the Englishman's treachery and
our own disappointment, a deserter from the enemy appears
at our picket-line, and is conduCted to headquarters. He is
one of the crew of the schooner. Our deserter had reached
the boat before he left, and had given all the information he
~ould about our intended movement. Preparations were
nnmediately made to slaughter or capture us. Is his story
true? Deserters and refugees coming nearly every day to
the island, .bring us the most contraditl:ory stories. Is this
?ne a spy? He is suspected of being one, and is imprisoned
m the fort,
·
�qo
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
After a few days' delay, when it was presumed. that the
enemy were again off their guard, the seleaed men were
returned to their various commands, and the capture of the
armed schooner was entrusted to Company D, 6th N.Y.
Volunteers. Owing to the extreme darkness of the night
and their unacquaintance with the hills and hollows, lakes
and swamps of that part of the island near the schooner's
anchorage, this . "fighting" company utterly failed. Day
dawned upon them before they had reached the position
where the effort to capture the little man-of-war was to be
made, and they returned completely crestfallen. Next day,
Company K was entrusted with the work of "cutting out"
the sable schooner. This company was ordered to start
early in the afternoon, so as to have less travelling to do it:t
the dark. As they were moving out of camp, rain began
to fall; but it was supposed it would be only a shower. As
night approached, the rain increased in violence, but our
company was beyond our reach. The captain in command
had received stria orders in starting not to be the first to
fire. If they could surprise the schooner they must carry
her off. If the enemy should fire on them, Company K
must fight for possession of the schooner. It would appear
that stria orders have been received here from some head.. quarters 1lot to begin a battle J'Ct. \Vho fires the first shot
forces the battle._ Both sides are very cautious about throwing down the glove; and justly so; for if the enemy are as
well prepared as we suppose, and as deserters and refugees
assure us they are, it would be madness for us to commence ;
and if our efforts to deceive the enemy as to th.e strength
of our position and the number of our forces; _have succeeded, they would aa most imprudently in attacking us.
All that night and next day, the rain continued to pour ;-a
revival of the rainy season which we thought had disappeared.
The second evening was drawing to a close, and no news
of Co. K had arrived. Was our company captured? Rain
or shine, reinforcements were ordered to start to rescue our
men. This party had just got outside the lines when they
met Co. K, far more dejeaed than Co. D had been. Narrow as the island is, these poor fellows lost their way, got
in amongst the lakes and swamps, used up their day's rations
and became panic-stricken. Everything they heard or saw
was, in their excited imagination, one of those fierce and
large alligators they had heard so much about. Every depression in the sand became in the darkness of the night a
lake swarming with monster alligators. All further efforts
to carry off the "sable fiend" wereabandoned for the present.
�LETTERS FRO,l£ A CHAPLAIN.
These two companies have to re-establish their character as
soldiers. They are smarting under the taunts of the members of our scouting party, who are urgent in their demands
to be sent to effect the desired capture. After those exciting
days were over, as there was no prospect of a similiar movement for adventurous scouting in the near future, the boys
began to settle down to camp routine.
During the rainy season, only few could attend Mass ;
the chapel-tent, being small, could contain only officers ;
the men could not always expose themselves to the downpour. However, as the season was drawing to a close, I
thought of having Mass, as we had on the first Sunday in
July, in the open air. Profiting by the lull in military affairs,
and after consulting the weather prophets, who assured me
it was a dry moon becmtse on its back, I resolved to make
preparations for an open-air celebration of the divine mysteries on the next Sunday. We have at hand many conveniences now for such a celebration, which we had not for
the first Sunday Mass that was said on Santa Rosa. We
sent word to the fleet, to the transports and to the "prize
vessels" (blockade-runners) many of which have been lately
brought here and are anchored off the island. The boys
off duty spared no efforts to give the surroundings something of the appearance of a church. Boxes and barrels,
empty and full, were rolled into suitable positions. A body
of men, in men-of-war's boats, went down along the gulfbeach till opposite the pine forest in the eastern part of the
island, where they landed and cut off suitable pine boughs,
which they brought into camp to ornament the altar. The
greatest interest in having a display worthy of the occasion
was manifested by all, rank and file. As my time was taken
up by the number of penitents wishing to prepare themselves
for CQmmunion, I allowed the "boys" to please themselves.
Saturday, September 21st arrived, and all seemed to
promise a successful morrow. But alas! alas! there are
but few altar-breads! I hurried to the fort, saw the quartermaster and asked him whether he had any flour amongst
his stores. "Cargoes of it," he replied. Hearing the reason of
my application, he not only gave me the flour, but helped
me to mix it and bake it; and in a few minutes we had as
many altar-breads as we wanted.
Sept. 22nd-Sunday dawned bright and glorious. The
crowd was great; the altar, the only thing under cover, was
tastefully decorated. Mass began a little after 12 o'clock.
o.ur regimental band discoursed sacred music alternately
Wtth a choir composed of sailors and soldiers. Two drummer boys, Frederick Goggins and Hickey (St. John's, Ford-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLALV.
ham boys) served Mass. The band (Monaghan's) is composed of Catholics. The scene was grand ; I wish I were
able to describe it: the place, the view, the surroundings, the
multitude. As my lungs were not up to the occasion, the
sermon was short, probably t() the great satisfaCtion of all.
The men and officers returned to their ships, anchored far
off, expressing a wish that no obstacle would intervene to
prevent us from having this celebration every Sunday; and
they were loudly cheered by the army.
At times during the wet season, the pouring rain was accompanied by terrific wind-storms· of two or three days'
duration; during the night, by way of variety, the wind
would break into a hurricane. About the roth of August,
a fierce gale swept northward over the gulf, shook up alarmingly our numerous fleet. of men-of-war, transports and pn~-::es,
struck our island, levelled and huddled up in an indescribable heap tents of all descriptions, and then scattered them
in every direCtion. Fastenings in the sand proved treacherous. The only proteCtion we had against the fearful rain
had disappeared in an instant. "Boys, let us save the father's
tent," exclaimed many of the soldiers, forgetful of themselves.
But all their generous efforts were in vain. All the fastenings we could make in the sand were powerless to resist
the force of the storm. The wind in its violence gathered
up large quantitjes of sand, and so energetically pelted us
with it, that our sight and hearing were seriously endangered; for, in spite of all we could do to proteCt ourselves,
the fine sand was driven into our ears, against our eyes, down
our necks and into our mouths. In our utter he)plessness,
we sought some distraCtion by watching the gr.e~t danger
which threatened the many vessels at anchor off the island.
Out on the gulf the wind had worked itself into a roaring
tempest which, lashing the water into towering billows,
dashed them over and against the vessels straining at ai1chor.
Wind is direCtly shoreward, but the tide is going out. All
the steamers, of course, have steam up. Signals are exchanged between the vessels; a transport, laden chiefly withflour, and some of the pri~es, are dragging their anchors.
A steam-transport slips her anchor and puts out to sea, but,
after shipping many seas, returns to her anchorage. Others
make the same experiment, but like her prefer to be near
help if things come to the worst.
In the afternooQ., the wind was somewhat allayed. \Ve
profited by the calm to hunt up and ereCt our tents with all
possible improvements in the fastenings. \Vhat a change
in our island! The rain had fallen in quantities too great to
be absorbed by the sand, and it remained in ponds and rivers
�LETTERS FROJ/" A CHAPLAIN.
I4J
and lakes all around us. Thousands of hands were rapidly
ercEl:ing tents. in and out of the water, as it suited their fancy.
Supper was hurriedly distributed. I said a portion of my
office for the next day, and we prepared for a stormy night
which the weather prophets said we were sure to have.
About nine in the evening, whilst the tide was coming -in
with force, the wind returned to the attack with all the
might of a hurricane. The night was intensely dark; wind
and tide seemed determined, by a strong combination, to
wreck our fleet. Signals of distress, fired off from one of
the pn"::es, brought us instantly to the beach to render all
possible assistance. Through the dense darkness, falling
rain and blinding storm, we saw two fr£c:cs dragging their
anchors shoreward. \Vhat a terrific scene! Not a word
could, of course, be exchanged. The furious noise of the
wind was drowned by the terrific roar of the waters whose
waves, fed by the rising tide and increasing winds, refused
now to stop at the usual limits of stormy tides. The waves,
like living monsters, plunged far across the island, which
seemed to our excited minds to be sinking under the enormous weight of water dashed across its sandy bosom. The
darkness of the night was lit up by the long line of foam
on the curling waves just before they broke in all their fury
upon the island. Daylight brought us no relief or hope;
it only showed us the great and increasing danger threatening the vessels and ourselves. As if to increase the general dismay, the flag-ship Colorado let off a number of
rockets, s?gnals of some danger they had to encounter.
Abandoning all hope of saving their ships, those in charge
of the pn"::cs slipped their anchors, spread their sails and,
profiting by wind and tide, steered direEl: for the sandy
shore of Santa Rosa. To our great joy they made their way
safely to the beach. As the tide receded they were left imbedded in the sand high out of the water.
During all this excitement, there happened west of us on
the strand, an accident, that concerned us far more than the
safety of the pn"::es ; it was the total loss of a cargo of flour
and other provisions for the troops. This was doubly a loss
for us, for it was a gain to the enemy to whose shore it all
floated, and who for days afterwards were busily engaged
before our eyes in hauling the barrels out of the water. For
several days after this violent storm, every tide brought to
our shore pieces of wrecks, whole cane-brakes torn probably
from the Mexican swamps, quantities of timber, etc., which
showed us that the storm was felt elsewhere. The two
standard prZ:::es with their outfit and cargo, and the arrival
of abundant wreckage, changed the monotony of our lives.
�144
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
When fair days came during the rainy season, the soldiers,
like spirited chargers brought out from the stalls where they
had been unwilling tenants, were most eager for a dash of
any kind towards the enemy. Shortly after the storm mentioned above, Post-Captain Bailey of the flag-ship Colorado
thought he would turn to account this fiery disposition of
the men. He took some of the Zouaves, some regulars,
and a number of marines,-in all about one hundred and
sixty men, to "cut out" a fancy propeller in the bay, fastened
to the navy-yard dock. Armed for battle, they started from
the Colorado, where the rmde:::vous took place, in three
launches, with muffled oars, under cover of night and some
friendly clouds, for the enemy's lines. Supposing that they
would meet with opposition, Col. Brown determined to support them even if his ..support should bring on a general
battle. He therefore ordered "all hands to the guns." Each
cannon had its "dead light," the "eight" at their posts, the
"reliefs" at "orders;" the infantry were served with forty
rounds and ordered to "sleep on their arms"-which means
not to sleep at all. After a patient and anxious delay of
two hours, we saw signal lights pass along the enemy's
beach, then a rocket and another, 3, 4, 6. Our men are evidently discovered. Now the distinCt: cry of the watchful
sentry, "Turn out! turn out!" rolled over the waters to our
ears. Then the "long roll" was beaten in every encampment along. the~ bay. Not a gun, however, was yet fired.
This silence of arms filled us with anxiety. Were our men
entrapped and captured? After a long suspense, we heard
the splash of th'e oars, now unmuffled, and in a fe\v moments
our men were on shore.
- .
They told us that the little steamer had gone up the bay
to Pensacola, eight miles distant; finding things so quiet,
they rowed along the docks until a sentry challenged them.
This faithful guard, receiving no answer to his challenge,
called the officer of the guard who, likewise receiving no
answer, ordered the "turn out." Our men enjoyed amazingly
the fright they gave the men across the bay. We may expeCt: now a little retaliation in the way of a surprise from
the other side. The water on our side of the bay, at least
where they could surprise us, is too shallow to allow them
to reach shore with their boats. This difficulty fol' them is
one of our proteCtions.
In the latter p~rt of August, we were, in spite of the
broken weather, in great expeCtation of a severe battle,
owing to the following incident. In the bay, on the north
side of Santa Rosa, is quite a little fleet of armed schooners,
tugs, etc. This nascent navy mancet1vres every day in the
�LETTERS FROJI! A CHAPLAIN.
145
inside waters, going through various evolutions, probably
to satisfy themselves and terrify us. When the wind is
strong, some of these schooners dash with great speed towards the gulf, but, on reaching our lines, tack and return
towards Pensacola. These lively and threatening boats are
allowed to roam over the bay as much as their captains wish,
for the very good reason that we cannot prevent them and
do not like to draw their anger on us just yet.
Towards the end of August, on a bright windy day, the
largest of these schooners, carrying four guns and flying
an admiral's pennant, was unusually bold. She came several
times to our lines, and sometimes passed them, then tacked
and returned up the bay. Now we have strict orders not to
let any of these J'Olmg men-of-war pass out to sea, lest they
should injure our commerce. The question therefore for us
is : does this schooner intend to profit by the fair wind, and
give us the slip? In the afternoon she became so bold, that
Col. Brown ordered Battery Scott, should she again cross
the lines, to fire a shot through her rigging, and, if this
should not check her course, to sink her. L<te in the afternoon, the sprightly man-of-war was coming .again down the
bay before a strong breeze, apparently determined this time ,
to "run our blockade." On she came, steering directly
for the exit of the bay. About sunset she reached our
lines. Hoping she would tack and run back, the commander of Battery Scott, Captain Robinson, waited till the last
moment, till she was directly abreast of his battery. Let
the consequences be what they may, he must obey orders.
Trailing one of his heavy "James' Rifle" cannon on the
young anq proud man-of-war, he sent a ball across her bow,
but she held on her way. He sent another ball, this time
through the rigging, doing a little damage. This shot
"brought her to;" she dropped anchor, hauled down her
secession pennant, and all was again quiet. She remained
under our guns till the return of the tide, when she weighed
anchor and, without returning a shot, sailed up to Pensacola.
As this was the first cannon discharged at the enemy, it
created considerable excitement on the island. We expected,
of course, a response from the other side. Consequently
the men in the fort and in the batteries were ordered to man
their guns, and the infantry were served with forty rounds
of ammunition. Our poor supper of salt pork, hard-tack
and coffee without milk, which was just being prepared, was
abandoned. \Ve remained till a late hour in expectation of
an attempt to vindicate Southern honor outraged by our
st1mmary interference with the inten.tions of the "rising
navy;" the battle, however, ended with our own two shots.
�LETTERS FROJII A CHAPLAIN.
From prudential motives, the authorities resolved to double.
the sentries and keep increased watchfulness over the enemy's movements.
New troubles arise. Over at the navy-yard, is a government floating dry dock, the most magnificent struCture of
the kind, they say, belonging to the United States. This,
of course, fell into the hands of the South with the navyyard. The day after the two shots were fired from Battery
Scott, we could see hundreds of the enemy occupied in
doing something with the dry dock. Though watching
them closely with powerful glasses, we could come to no
conclusion about what they· were doing on board the dry
dock. Next morning, the dock was floated out into ,the
bay, and the great number of men was still on board busily
engaged. A hostile-4ntention was, of course, presumed. A
council of war, to which I was gratuitously invited, was
called. After an exchange of a few remarks, it was unanimously agreed not to permit any one to work on the dock.
Captain Robinson, whose battery is in the brunt, received
orders to enforce the decree of the council of war. Pointing
his heavy guns at the valuable property, he fired a few shots
in rapid succession, at it or through it, with no other result
than the scattering of the hundreds on board of it. Like
so many divers they plunged into the water and made for
shore. 'vVe thought surely we were to have a battle now;
but this ripple ~also passed off without bringing any return
of compliments from Gen. Bragg, who commands the forces
on the other side. They say his love for the old flag explains his pacific disposition.
•
Deserters from Pensacola brought us, soniC~. days after
this little incident, Southern papers which contained laughable accounts of the fright caused on board the schooner
and amongst those working on the dry dock by the few
shots sent so dangerously near them. An indignation
meeting, the deserters said, had been called by the people of
Pensacola, to protest against the inaCtivity of Gen. Bragg,
who refused to resent such an insult.
From spies and deserters we discovered that the fear of
our cannon stopped the work on the dry dock, only during
the day time; and that during night they continued to carry
on their hostile preparations, whatever they were. Another
council of war was called. The question proposed was,
shall we destroy.'the dry dock, and thus effeCtively thwart
the hostile designs of the enemy. The strong objeCtion to
this proposition was, that this dock belonged to the United
States and had been construCted at a cost of over two niil-
�LETTERS FROJJr A CHAPLAIN.
147
lion dollars. It was contended that destroying the dock
would be destroying our own property and injuring ourselves ; and some maintained that an aCt of this kind would
require the permission of Congress. It was, however, admitted by all that, if we failed to destroy the dock, the enemy would employ it to destroy us. Finally, on a vote being
taken, it was found that a majority was in favor of its
destruCtion. Captain Alexander N. Shipley, an experienced
trooper Of the plains, asked for the honor and danger of being entrusted with the perilous undertaking. His request
was readily granted ..
On Saturday, August 3 Ist, many men went to confession,
in expeCtation of being among those whom Shipley would
seleCt to share his honor. On Sunday, Sept. 1st, after Mass,
the arranging of plans and seleCtion of men most suitable
for the expedition were begun. On Monday, Sept. 2nd;
Captain Alexander N. Shipley coolly and confidently matured his plans, which were these: that he should have a
light but strong boat manned by ten picked men, some
charged shells, and a quantity of highly combustible material ; and that very night he should go over and set fire to it.
About 9 o'clock on the evening of Monday Sept. 2nd, 1861,
we bade God-speed to Shipley and his little crew, who arc
all Catholics, and who had gone to confession just before
starting. Launching their boat as noiselessly as pos~ible,
with muffled oars they made.direEt for the dry dock. The
day had been excessively hot, even for Santa Rosa; the
night was dar:k though not cloudy; not a breath of air stirred
the surface of the extensive Bay of Pensacola; even the
noCturnal mocking-bird, as if partaking of our anxiety, held
his peace for once; crickets, bullfrogs and alligators were
the only disturbers of the painful silence of that terrible
night-terrible for what might be the result of our late rough
handling of the enemy. The piercing scream and the flapping of the wings of the numerous water-fowls that colleCt
Ill great swarms in these waters, and whose slumbers were
now disturbed by the glidin~ of the boat amongst them,
enabled us, to a certain degree, to follow the route our friends
were pursuing. At last even these indications ceased, and
we became alarmed for our brave companions. The beach
was lined with officers and men whose eyes and ears were
strained to their fullest tension to catch the least sign of
their position on the tranquil water. "What has becot;,e of
them?" "Have they missed the dry dock in the darkness?"
"Has the tide, always very strong at the point they wished
to reach, swept them where they did not wish to go?"
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
These were questions hastily whispered from one to another
by all on tl].e beach, hoping, however, that no discouraging
answer would be given.
Captain Shipley and his men had taken with them, as I
said, the most inflammable material and a few loaded shells
which they were to place near the fire as soon as started,
and which, by exploding, would help to spread the flames
and deter people from daring to approach to extinguish the
conflagration; they also brought with them a few signal
rockets to inform us, in the last extremity, should any mishap befall them. Eleven o'clock came and went; the different reliefs of guard and picket were changed, and no news
yet of our intrepid friends. At half past eleven exaCl:ly, we
beheld the faint flickering of a flame like a candle-light,
which instantaneouslY.. burst forth into a terrific blaze, enveloping a- great part of the dock. "Les voila!" exclaimed
our little teetotum of a French cook. These were the first
loud words spoken since the departure of the expedition,
and all burst into a loud laugh. In a little while an explosion rent the air, and new flames shot up from the now
doomed dry dock of Pensacola navy-yard.
About daylight the boat returned with its crew safe-at
least all alive. They found, it is said, some men on the
dock: in the scuffle that ensued no firearms were used, and
no prisoners were taken. Before setting fire to the dock
they distinCl:ly 11eard the crowd on shore, who were probably
coming out to work. Capt. Shipley thought, from the work
begun, that the Southerners intended changing the dock
into a powerful floating battery. It continued to burn for
four nights and three days, changing its locatip'n in the bay
at every flow and ebb of tide. At night it cast a terrific and,
to some minds, an ominous glare over land, gulf and bay.
Some pretended to see queer spirits gathering nightly around
the moving fires, and could hear them deliberate about the
fate of the republic.
All felt sure that this last attack on Southern defences
would undoubtedly bring on a battle, and all preparations
were made on our side. Yet, Gen. Bragg, or some authority, has resolved not to notice this summary interference
with Southern plans in these waters. Papers brought over
by refugees and deserters had spiteful articles "about "Yankee
boldness and brutality," and severe criticisms of the conduCt
of those who hi led to prevent all this when they could have
done it, or who IlOW idly fold their arms and placidly look
on whilst the havoc is being committed. But in spite of
all this, the end of the war does not seem to be nearer.
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
149
Alas ! alas ! when shall we be friends again ? Pray that this
war-curse may be speedily removed, and that the people
may·learn from it a lesson beneficial to their souls.
Yours truly in Christ,
MICHAEL NASH,
S.
J.
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR-1846.
CorrespmtdcJtcc.
(Concluded.)
FR: REY To FR.
Me ELROY.
MONTEREY, Nov. 10th, 1846.
Rn1. and dear Fat!tcr Superior,
P. C.
Since your f.wor of 08:. 3rd, which I answered by return
of mail, I have had no news from Your Reverence. I suppose you still enjoy good health and arc doing much good
at Matamoras. I received a letter from Fr. Provincial a
week ago. The principal items in it were: the death of
our dear scholastic, I-I ugh McCaffrey, and the acquisition
for the novitiate of l\lr. Hoban, of \Vashington, and of Re\'.
Mr. Gallagher. Fr. Samuel Barber is socius to the master
of novices, and Fr. Wm. Clarke cztrat valetudi/1(:1/l at Bohemia.
After much inquiry as to the loss on the part of the
Mexicans, during the attack on Monterey, 1 have come to
the conclusion that there must have been at least three hundred men killed and three hundred or more wounded. This
is two hundred more than the number given in my last letter.
General Taylor received despatches from Washington last
week by a special courier, Major Graham, in answer to his
~fficial communications after the battle. The terms of capttulatio!1, especially the armistice of eight weeks, are disapproved, and he is ordered to prosecute the war. with energy .
.In consequence of this order, preparations are being made
for the movement of the troops. The 2nd division, commanded by Gen. \Vorth, will start next Thursday for Saltillo,
where it is to remain to proteCt: our rear from the enemy.
General Butler's division, reorganized and now comprising,
I think, the First Ohio and the First Kentucky Regiments,
VoL. xvu, No.2.
10
...____
------------
�rso
CHAPLAINS POR THE MEXICk\' WAR.
who took part in the attack on Monterey, and the Second
Ohio and Second Kentucky, are to be stationed here with
some artillery. The other volunteers will start for Tampico
with the first division, commanded by Gen. Twiggs. General Patterson's division, with the volunteers now at Camargo, will meet them at ViCtoria, and march with them to
Tampico. General Taylor will then have massed at Tampico an army of 700 men. The question now arises, what
shall I do. If this movement oftroops should render your
presence unnecessary at Matamoras, you might come here
to Monterey, as it is the most central place for the troops
left in this province; I would then follow Gen. Taylor's
army. If you decide to remain at Matamoras, I do not yet
know what I shall do. - Be so kind, therefore, as to write to
me immediately and Jl~lp me, by your good advice or direCtion, to find out wh'at is the will of God. I suppose it
will take about two weeks before- Gen. Taylor can be ready
to start for Tampico; I hope to have an answer from you
before that time.
Several o{ our wounded died; oth.ers, in greater numbers,
have left for their respeCtive states ; those still here are
nearly all doing well. Many of our soldiers here have been
attacked by fever and ague ; some few have died : I have
been kept constantly busy in attending the sick and dying.
I can now make myself understood tolerably well in Spanish, and can understand nearly everything said to me in the
same language; I find this a great advantage.
I recommend myself to your prayers and holy sacrifices,
Your very devoted brother and servant in Christ,
ANTHON'{-~EY,
FR. McELROY
TO
FR.
S.
J.
REY.
MATAMORAS, Nov. 20th, 1846.
Re·v. dear Fatlzcr in Clzrist,
P. C.
The last letter I received from you was the one describing
the siege of Monterey, I sent it to Rev. Fr. Provincial. I
wrote to you on the 4th inst. and have not heard from you
since; I fear that you may be sick or that your letter may
have been missent. Be pleased to write as soon as you receive this. My latest news from Georgetown is contained in
Fr. Provincial's letter of OCt. 23rd. Bp. vVhelan is anxious
to have a house of Ours at Richmond, so Rev. Fr. Provincial went to Richmond ; he thinks it would be a good
place for a day-school and has written to Fr. General to tell
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
151
)'tim about it . . . . A large number of troops arrived from
the States, and are encamped opposite Burita awaiting further orders ; some say they. are to embark at the Brazos for
Vera Cruz. There was a report in town yesterday, that the
Mexicans had made a proposal to negotiate with the United
States and that hostilities would be again suspended. I do
not know what credit the report deserves . . . . \Ve have
had a number of cases of fever and ague here during the
present month; there are about two hundred sick in the
hospitals now, but only two or three are in immediate danger.
Please inquire about Charles Gould of the Baltimore
regiment of volunteers commanded by the late Col. vVatson;
his mother has written to me and is anxious to hear about
him. I sent for him when the regiment passed through here,
and he promised to go to confession to your Reverence.
Sister Mary Eugenia, of the Visitation Convent, Baltimore,
has written to me inquiring about her brother, Joseph B.
Millard and her brother-in-law, Capt. F. Brittan; both are in
the \Vashington Volunteers; please let me know about
them . . . . There are no regular troops here; we are trusting entirely to the volunteers for protection.
MATAMORAS
Nov. zsth, 1846.
Re''· dear Fat!ter in Cltrist,
P. C.
My last letter to you was on the 2oth inst.; that evening
yours of the 10th was brought to me, and I would have
answered before this but for another attack -of fever and
ague by which I was seized on the same evening. Yesterday
I had my chill and fever, and am to-day taking quinine,
which, I hope, will effect a cure and prevent a relapse.
At this distance, I am unable to give you the advice you
ask of me; it rests with you to see whether it is more ad
majorem Dei gloriam to remain in Monterey, or to accompany the army. Keeping the same motto in view, I could
not leave this post, knowing as I do the good that is to be
effected here, and being uncertain of what might be done at
Monterey. There are three regiments of volunteers stationed
here, and a company of artillery in garrison at Fort Brown.
Resides these, we have, at all times, a number of transient
troops; at present, a regiment of Tennessee cavalry and
several companies of recruits, are encamped near the town.
I heard the confessions of a number of the recruits last week.
Many sick soldiers are sent into the hospitals from these
regiments; I gave all the sacraments to three persons last
�152
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICA1\' WAR.
week, two of them have since died. I cannot leave a certain
good for anything uncertain.
Since Tampico has been taken by our naval forces, Gen.
Taylor may be led to change his plan .of operations. It is
said that his intention is now to secure all the principal posts
he has taken in the different departments, as the government
wishes to retain them. To effea this, he may concentrate
all his forces at one point, perhaps Tampico, to be ready for
further operations in January next, if peace is not declared.
The troops now colleaing at the Brazos and at Burita, are
to go to Tampico, which is to become the base of operations;
supplies can be brought there by sea: this will greatly h1.cilitate the advance of our army on San Luis, or even on the
city of Mexico . . . ~ Since writing the above, I have received this day's pape"r, which I send you; it corroborates
my information . . . . Last night and to-day we have been
having a "norther;" it blew a gale last night, and is quite
cold to-day. At this moment, I learn that the recruits of
whom I spoke above are on board the steamer that goes
from Camargo to the mouth of the river; there they are to
embark for Tampico . . . . Praying our Lord to direa you
by his Holy Spirit, and to preserve your l1ealth for his
greater honor and glory,
I remain your devoted brother in Christ,
JonN McELRoY, S. J.
FR.
Re11.
REY TO
FR. McELROY.
and dear Fr. Superior,
P. C.
I wrote to Your Reverence on the 9th of this month, with
regard to the probable movement of our troops and begged
you, at the same time, to advise me as to what, in your
opinion, was best to be done ad majore111 Dei glorim11. I
requested an immediate answer, yet the latest mail has
brought me no letter from Your Reverence; your last was
dated Nov. 4th. The main body of Gen. Taylor's army will
soon be in Viaoria, midway between Monterey and Tampico, where the men are likely to be stationed for some time,
as Tampico is already in the possession of our navy.
Should you like to go to Viaoria, which is not as far from
Matamoras as it is from Monterey, I would remain here in
the North, and occasionally visit Saltillo and other places
where divisions of our army might be encamped. If you
have not already written to advise me of your wishes, please
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN .WAR.
t 53
do so without delay. I think it advisable ad majorcm Dei
g!oriam that the bishop of Texas be again requested to give
u1; one of his clergymen as a companion. For more than
two months, I think, there has been a .large force of our
men at Camargo, and many are sick and dying without
spiritual consolation or assistance, as both of us have been
employed elsewhere. No\v that our army will be more
widely scattered and very likely more numerous, as it is reported that reinforcements are leaving the States to come
here, I would direCt: your attention to this subjeCt. Mr.
Malachy Reilly is very well, he distinguished himself in the
storming of Monterey, I think he has written lately to his
beloved wife; hence all mystery or cause of fear about him
is removed. I visited Saltillo recently, as I thought it would
help on the end and objeCt: of our mission if I were to go
there and officiate, with due solemnity, on the first Sunday
after our troops had occupied the town. I left here on
\Vcdncsday the 18th, with my orderly or servant, and arrived in Saltillo on the following day; the distance is sixtyfive miles. \Ve were both on horseback, and rode thirty
miles the first day and thirty-five the second; twenty miles
of the road we found exceedingly rough and stony, the rest
of it was pretty good.
On my arrrival, I went at once to see the Rev. Pastor,
Dr. Sanchez, who received me with the greatest cordiality,
and invited me with so much kindness to stay in his house,
that I thought it but right to accept the invitation. The
following days I visited the town, the camp of Gen. Taylor,
who will never stay in a town if he can avoid it, and the
soldiers' hospital, where I found a large number of patients.
I heard three confessions, and administered extreme unCtion
to a dying soldier; Fr. Sanchez accompanied me, and promised to help the dying as well as he could in my absence.
On Sunday, I sang High Mass, Fr. Sanchez aCting as deacon,
and one of his curates as .subdeacon; the musicians of the
5th Infantry played the organ and sang the Kyrie, etc.
Many of our officers and privates were present, together
with a great crowd of Mexicans; over two hundred of the
latter remained with our Americans after Mass, to hear the
English discourse that I delivered on the last judg~ent.
E~ery one seemed pleased with the discourse and with the
High Mass. The church is about the same in size and shape
as St. John's, Frederick; it is very richly adorned. The
exterior is a mixture of all styles of architeCture, without
symmetry, but laden with a mass of sculptured ornaments.
I left Saltillo on Tuesday, and reached here the following
�r54
C~1I'L-IIXS FOR THE .l!E.UCAX WAR.
evening, in time to give extreme unction to a soldier who
died the next morning.
MoNTEREY, Dec. 8th, 1846.
Rev. and dear Fatltcr Superior,
P. C.
I received, on Sunday last (Dec. 6th), your letters of Nov.
zoth and 25th, for both of which I return you many thanks.
You see that the mail is pretty slow, and that we must have
a little patience in waiting for answers to our letters . . .
Charles Gould is very well ; I told him about two weeks
ago to write to his mother. Mr. Joseph B. Millard is well;
Capt. F. Britt~n is in the commissary department at Camargo.
I am sorry to see that ·tP.e fever has got hold of you ; should
it become worse, I would consider it my duty to pay you a
visit, that we might consider together the advisability of
your return to the United States. But I hope that the fever
season is over now, and that your health is not only improved but entirely restored. My own health has been and
still is very good. The Sunday before last, however, there
was no service, as I had been sick during the night; I suffered from biliousness for a few days after. \Ve have had
several cases of fever and diarrhcea among our men during
the last two months, but very few were. serious. I am in
hopes that the approaching winter will put an end to these
diseases; I say the approaching winter, for although· the
nights are pretty cool now, the heat, during the middle of
the day, is so great as to cause serious discomfqrt to those
who have to walk or· ride exposed to the sun. ~- •·
Mr. Malachy Reilly went to his duties this morning; he
will soon leave here for Victoria. General Taylor, with a
force of from two to three thousand men, will start for Victoria during the present week or, at latest, on Sunday next;
Gen. Patterson and his division \Viii join him on the way.
When they shall have taken possession of Victoria, Gen.
Taylor will go as far as Tampico to examine that place.
·when he has obtained the information he desires, he will
appoint one of his generals to command at Victoria and
Tampico, and return with his staff to Saltillo, where he will
establish his headquarters. Hence, I have determined to
remain here for the present, as I can be of no service to the
troops on the mar.ch~ Since there will be but few of our
soldiers here at Monterey during December, I intend to
visit Gen. Worth's division, and to spend my Christmas at
Saltillo; after that I shall go to Parras, where Gen. Wool is
with his division. On my return 1 I shall remain here over
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
155
Sunday, and then visit the garrison at Camargo, and, if not
prevented by unforeseen events, I shall go to Matamoras,
where I expect to be about Jan. 20th. We shall then be
able to determine where the greater glory of God requires
us to fix our headquarters-your Reverence perhaps at
Victoria or Tampico, and I at Monterey or Saltillo. Be so
kind as to write to me about twice a month, and especially
notify me of any change of residence. I shall do the same.
FR. McELROY To FR.
REv.
MATAMORAS,
Dec.
12th, 1846.
Rcz1. dear rat!tcr ill Clzrist,
P. C.
Yours of the 30th of Nov., written five days after my last
to you, has just come to hand. I most cordially agree with
you in desiring another priest; I have bewailed our need of
one ever since you left Camargo, where, from all accounts
received, not less than three hundred persons must have
died without assistance, the mortality there having been
even greater than it was here: had Mr. Estagny remained
with us, that should have been his place: I fear there is little
hope of obtaining another priest from good Bishop Odin
now ; I shall, however, write to him forthwith, and urge
upon him the necessity of sending us help ..... If you think
that greater good can be done by dividing your time between Monterey and Saltillo, than by accompanying the
army, remain where you are by all means; if Gen. Taylor is
to return to Monterey, that will be the best field for your
zealous endeavors. It was rumored of late that our hospital
here was to be broken up ; the rumor is now contradicted,
and a change of physicians only is to be made; probably
the sick at Camargo will in future be brought down here.
\V ork among these, as well as among the troops stationed
here and those who pass through to the interior, will afford
as much profitable occupation as I could get at any other
post. There are fifty Catholic soldiers at Fort Brown, and
here in Matamoras are sixty soldiers' wives, nearly all
Catholics, besides about a hundred English-speaking Catholic residents of this town. All these form quite a respect~ble congregation. Besides, there is this advantage in betng located in the same place for some time,- when it can
be done, one becomes known, especially in his daily visits to
the hospitals, the former inmates make him known to the
~ew-comers, and he can treat with them freely and familIarly, qnd frequently with success, In this way, I have been
�156
CHAPLAINS FOR THE JIJEXICAX WAR.
able to receive into the Church a large number who have
since died, and, I trust, happily; I have given the last sacraments to twelve persons in danger of death.
As for conciliating the natives by travelling among them,
I believe we have done little ; they seem to increase in hostility, day by day, towards all Americans. Our Lord had
other views than those of the President in sending us here ;
I hope he will give us grace to carry them out for his own
honor. \Vere we indeed four instead of two, we should still
have enough to do; one could be with Gen. \Vool's division
and another with the army on its march, etc. But I trust
that the congresses of both republics, now in session, will
devise ways and means of effeCting a peace.
You will hear with surprise of the death of Mr. John
O'Reilly, the merchant \vho was so kind to us on our arrival
here; he left for New'Orleans on the uth of last month,
and died on the day after he reached there.-R. I. P.
There are nearly two hundred sick in our hospital now.
. . . . General Patterson is here making arrangements to
march to ViCtoria with about one thousand seven hundred
volunteers. There has been, and there is yet, a great deal
of fever and ague in this town, but it has not proved fatal;
I have been freed from it after two attacks, and, thank God,
my health is now good.
l\IATA~IORAS, Dec. 17th, 184-6.
Rc<J. dmr Fr. in Cltrist,
l'. c.
Yours of the oth inst. came to hand to-day. I answer it at
once to let you know that Camargo is to be ir;· part evacuated, at least as far as the sick arc concerned; one hundred
of them were brought down a few days ago and we expeCt
the rest every day; with them come doCtors, medicines,
hospital furniture, etc. \Ve are thus assured that the hospital here is to remain as it is now, a general hospital, during
the war. I think your intended arrangements, as detailed in
your letter, are very good; should it be in your power to
visit us next month I shall be much pleased at your doing
so, if you can leave the sick without danger to them.
\Ve had a mail from the North to-day; no letters from
Ours. Gen. Scott was to sail from New York for Tampico
on the 30th ultimo, the objeCt of his coming was not known;
some conjeCture that his mission is pacific, others think that
he comes to take command.
·
Our hospitals begin to be filled up again, we have nearly
three hundred sick at present. Dr. Wright, I regret to say,
�CHAPLAINS FVR THE MEXICAN WAR.
157
leaves us; he is to go to Victoria with Gen. Patterson, whose
column will take up the march on Sunday next, Dec. 2oth.
My health, thank God, is now good; the weather here is
pleasant; I wish you a Happy Christmas and the same for
the New Year.
I ?m your affectionate brother in Christ,
JoHN McELRoY, S. J.
FR. REY TO FR. McELROY
(IJ
MoNTEREY, Jan. 4th, 1847.
Rci'fYCJtd
Fat!tcr Superior,
P. C.
I have received your favors of Dec. I 2th and 17th, for
which I return you many thanks; I cannot as yet travel to
the South or to the East, as I have here in Monterey about
five hundred sick and wounded, besides the garrison of about
two thousand men, regulars and volunteers; and in Saltillo,
about two hundred sick and an army of five thousand men,
Gen. \Vool having united his forces with those of Gen.
\Vorth. All are under the command of Major General
Butler. Since you are nearer to Victoria, and less engaged
at Matamoras than I am at Monterey and Saltillo, I think
you could more easily take care of the army there. It is
now about five thousand strong, and ought not to be negleCted for any length of time, as among the two thousand
regulars now on the way thither, nearly one half are Catholics. Should you prefer to establish your residence at
Monterey, which is more central and will always be a general
hospital town and strongly garrisoned, I would have no objeCtion to taking charge of the other places alone, at least
until we can get a companion; I would spend about two
weeks in each town where there might be an American force
of two thousand men or more. Finally, if you determine
to stay in Matamoras altogether, I shall be obliged to leave
Monterey and Saltillo, for a time, without a chaplain, so that
I may visit, at least once during Lent, those portions of our
army which are in Victoria and Tampico. However, I leave
the whole matter to your consideration and care, atid shall
aCt according to your direction. Since my last, we have
had many rumors of war, and great movements of troops.
Gen. Taylor, having left Monterey with the Ist, 3rd, 4th, and
7t~ regular infantry regiments, and several companies of
arttllery and dragoons, as well as with the Tennessee, Georgia
Endorsed in Fr. l\IcElroy's handwriting: "Fr. Rey, .Jan. 41 '47. This
the last I received from him."
-
(ll
Was
�xsS
CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
and Mississippi volunteers, and having had his force still
further augmented by the addition of the 2nd regular infantry from Camargo, had advanced as far as Monte Morales,
seventy miles from Monterey, when he received an express
from Gen. \Vorth stating that Santa Anna, with a large force
of men, was within two days' march of Saltillo, on the road
from San Luis Potosi. The Ohio and Kentucky voh.)nteers
stationed here were ordered to march at once- to Saltillo
with Col. May's dragoons. Gen. \Vool advanced from Parras to the mountain-pass, within ten miles of Saltillo, and
Gen. Taylor came back to Monterey, where he learned that
all the commotion had been caused by a false alarm ; the
Mexicans were not threatening Saltillo. Finding this to be
the case, I determined, to go to Saltillo as I had previously
planned, and, accordiqgly, I left Monterey for that plate on
Dec. 22nd. On the following day, General Taylor resumed
the march to ViB:oria which has been already occupied by
Gen. Quitman.
On Christmas day, an express to Gen. \Vool again announced that the Mexican army was advancing on Saltillo.
Officers and men were at once ordered under arms, and the
volunteers, who were encamped out of town, were marched
into the city. I thought this too might be a false alarm, so
I rode about three miles out of town, on the road to San
Luis Potosi. I returned about 5 o'clock P. ~1.. at which time
the men were a1lowed to retire to their quarters to take dinner; but alas! the fine turkeys, which some of the officers
had left roasting on the fires with no one to care for them,
were burnt to a crisp. \Veil, patience! one capnot expeCt:
better fortune in time of war. But some other.·tprkeys had
to pay for the mischance on the following Sunday. I
preached in Saltillo on Sunday, and left for Monterey the
next day. During my stay I heard twelve confessions, and
administered the last sacraments to one of our soldiers.
Since my return, I have annointed five of our soldiers; others,
too, who are very sick, require my particular attention.
Henceforth the garrison of the citadel, six hundred men,
will be marched to the church on Sundays. They will give
good example to the volunteers, and prevent misbehavior in
the church.
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE ,lfEXICAN WAR.
159
MoNTEREY, Jan. 1 xth, 1847.<'>
Rev. and dear Fat!ter,
P. C.
I received a letter from Rev. Fr. Provincial yesterday,
in which he says that, if Your Reverence be of little
service in Matamoras, you ought not to go to the army, as
you could not endure the fatigues and privations of the
camp, and that I must not be surprised if you should return
to Georgetown and leave me in Mexico alone. From these
expressions I conclude that you will not proceed any further
than Matamoras, and that you will ere long leave that city
to return to the United States. Consequent upon this, it is
now my intention, if the weather permit and nothing else
interfere to change my resolution, to start on next Monday,
Jan. 18th, for Matamoras, where, with the help of God, I
expect to be on the 24th of this month.
You know that Gen. Scott has been at Camargo, and, in consequence of his late orders, most of the regular troops are
in motion for Camargo, Matamoras, and Tampico. It seems
that he will march, as soon as possible, against Vera Cruz;
he is to leave Gen. Taylor in these northern provinces to
protect them from any attack of the Mexicans. I shall remain in Monterey until I find out whether or not I am likely to stay longer than a year in Mexico, I shall find plenty
of occupation in these provinces while I am waiting. I have
no other news later than what is contained in my last of the
5th inst., which you have, no doubt, already received.
I commend myself to your prayers and holy sacrifices.
Your affectionate brother in Christ,
ANTHONY REY, s. J.
FR. McELROY TO FR. REY.
MATAMORAS, Jan. 19th, 1847.
Rcz'. dear Fr. in C!trist,
P.
~·
Yours of the 4th inst., just received, has relieved me of
much anxiety. I feared you were sick, as I had not heard
from you since the 10th of last month ; thank God you are
well and attending to your duties A. M. D. G. In the first
place, I must state that, from my own knowledge of the
spiritual wants of the army, and of the sick and dying more
especially. and from your suggestions made to me, I wrote
to the Very Rev. Mr. Barry, Vicar General of Charleston,
(I)
This was the last letter written by Fr. Rey.
�16o
CHAPLALYS FOR THE .1/EXICAN WAR.
who had begged me, in several letters, to obtain from his
bishop permission for him to come and labor with us. I
told him that his presence with us at this time would be
very useful for the good of souls, and that, although I was
not authorized to invite any one except a Spanish priest to
join us at government expense, yet I would cheerfully share
my income with him, and that he should not want for food,
raiment, etc. I requested him .to ask the bishop's permission himself, and he sent my letter to the bishop, but permission was not granted. This I learned two days ago from
a letter he sent me. · I saw a notice of Bishop Odin's sailing
for New Orleans some time ago, which prevented my writing
to him, as I knew not where to address him. I do not now
know where I can apply for help with any prospect of success, and must leave all to our Lord.
2. All things con~i'i:lered, I am of opinion that I should
remain at this post for the present; we had here very recently four hundred sick soldiers, with two regiments of
volunteers, and one company of regulars, besides from fifty
to sixty soldiers' wives, most of whom arc Catholics; were
I to leave here they must be abandoned. My inability to
ride on horseback would unfit me for work at Saltillo, as I
am told that the road from Monterey to that town is impassable for a carriage.
3· With your experience of what can be done with the
Catholic soldiers, you are the best judge as to the way in
which your time may be most usefully spent. If you conclude to visit Victoria or Tampico before Easter, I have at
present no objection, still I would thank you if you apprized
me of your projected visit in time to allow of n!Y answering
your letter before you leave Monterey.
- •·
4· Although there is at present no prospect of peace,
humanly speaking, still I confidently hope that our Lord
will give us that blessing ere long; this would relieve us
and enable us to join our brethren in Maryland. Many
changes will be made in the position of troops before Easter.
Gen. Scott is now at the Brazos, preparing for his expedition
to Vera Cruz; as is thought here, he will call at Tampico
and take thence a:ll available forces ; perhaps too he will
take those that are now at Victoria.
5· I hope you have received the ordo for I 847, Fr. V cspre sent me duplicate copies by different mails; I shall send
you a copy, if you have not received your own.
6. To my former daily occupations, I have added, for the
last few months, the teaching of a class of boys. I have now
nine whom I teach two hours a day; I give them the essentials in English and catechism (which I teach to all alike,
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
161
Protestants as well as Catholics) and Mass-serving; two of
the boys assist me at Mass every day with edification. I
have also a class of female children, nine in number, ranging
from seven to fourteen years of age, to whom I teach the
catechism for two hours every day. Four of these children
have never been baptized, I hope to prepare these for baptism, and a few others with them for First Communion,
which they will receive about Easter. All of them are the
children of persons connected with the army.
MATAMORAS, Feb. I sth, I 847Y>
Rev. dear Fr. ill C!trist,
P. C.
My last to you was on the 19th of January. On the following day, I received yours of the 1 xth, imparting to me
the pleasing news that I might expect you on the 24th.
Since the receipt of your letter, I have not heard a word
from you in any way, and this causes me no little uneasiness;
I conclude that you must have written and that your letter
has g-one astray. Do write on receipt of this and relieve
my anxiety. I had a letter from the Provincial, stating in substance what you communicate; I answered His Reverence,
and now await his answer to fix the time of my departure,
which will not be, I think, until after Easter. vVe have only
one regiment here, the Indiana Volunteers; all the regulars
have been taken by Gen. Scott. There are but few sick in
the hospital. I have but little to do. The Rev. Mr. O'Reilly,
·from Rochester, New York, arrived here on Saturday, and
preached for us yesterday. He will be detained here some
weeks, settling the estate of his late brother, the merchant
of whose death I notified you. He lodges with me. I
recommend myself to your holy sacrifices.
I am yours sincerely in Christ,
JonN McELROY, S. J.
GENERAL ZAcHARY TAYLOR TO FR. McELROY.
IIEAllQUARTEJ{S, ARMY OF OccUPATION,
My dear Sir
Camp at Monterey, Mexico,
April 13th, 1847.
Your very kind and cong-ratulatory letter of the ruth
ultimo was received yesterday, and, for. its expressions of
~ 11 En<lorse<l in Fr. McElroy'• handwriting: "This letter Fr. Rey never rl'"eived, having been put to death in the meantime; it was returned to me, as
Well as that of the l~th."
�r62
CHAPLAINS FOR THE .l!EXICAN WAR.
hearty sympathy with our army in its labors and success,
my warm thanks are as heartily returned.
Your anxious inquiries in regard to the fate of our excellent friend, the Rev. Mr. Rey, I am sorry to say I am
unable to answer with any satisfaction. Many inquiries
have been addressed to persons connected with the wagontrains which were attacked by the enemy, and his journey
traced to one of them, but it is impossible to determine
whether he- is a prisoner in the hands of the enemy, or has
met with a sadder fate. Trust me that I shall continue to
interest myself warmly in his fate, and hope most truly that
he has been spared by the enemy, and that soon some light
will be thrown upon the circumstances of his absence.
1 am, most sincerely, Sir,
Your obedient servant,
z. TAYLOR.
Tltc Rrv. jolm fifcE/roJ',
Clwplain U. S. A.
Matamoras.
CoLONEL JosEPH TAYLOR TO -FR. McELROY.
MATAMORAS, May 17th, 1847.
My dear Fatlter McElroJ',
Several days since, I forwarded the trunks belonging to
the late lamented Fr. Rey to Major Eastland, via the mouth
of the Rio Grande, and sincerely hope they may arrive in
time for you to take them with you. I had tht:m put up in
good strong boxes and, I think, quite secure.-·.·
Accept my best wishes for your health and safe return to
your home.
V cry truly yours,
J. F. TAYLOR.
P. S. The express is just starting, and I write in a great
hurry.
Rrv. Fat/to· McElroy,
Bra::;os Island,
Texas.
�CHAPLAINS FOR THE MEXICAN WAR.
163
GENERAL ZAcHARY TAYLOR To FR. McELROY.
HEADQUARTERS, ARMY oF OccuPATION,
Camp near Monterey, Mexico,
June 1st, 1847.
A1j dear Sir,
Your very kind letter of May roth, written from Matamoras before your departure for the United States, was received in due time.
Although much occupied,-and particularly with an increased private correspondence, I cannot pass over your
letter without acknowledging my grateful appreciation of
your esteem, and permit me at the same time to express my
regrets that, though your labors in the sacred office have
been of so much good, you were unable to accomplish one
of the great objeCts of your mission to this country.
It would have been much more agreeable to me to have
had the pleasure of expressing my sense of your faithful
services before you left the country, but my letter will find
you in the circle of your friends, and it may prove quite as
agreeable to you to know that, though your presence is
denied to us, you will always be. remembered. It is to us
a source of high pleasure, that we have in our intercourse
met with your sympathy and warm good will. vVe all wish
you prosperity and health, and shall ever feel great interest
in your welfare; in this no one is more sincere than I am.
It is much to be regretted that no further intelligence can
be obtained of the fate of your reverend and estimable colleague, Mr. Rey; details have, on inquiry, come to my
knowledge which, though doubtful, in their minute character, as to truth, nevertheless seem to confirm the general
belief of his having been wilfully murdered, even with the
knowledge of his sacred profession. Should absolute faets
come to my knowledge, I shall inform you.
Accept for yourself my high esteem and regard, and the
hope that I may yet have the pleasure of meeting you
again.
Yours most sincerely,
z. TAYLOR, MAJOR GENERAL,
(Signed)
U.S. Army.
Rr7'. jo/m AfcE!roy,
Georgetown College,
Georgetown, D. C.
h
�INNSBRUCK.
UNIVERSIT11~TSSTRASSE, INNSBRUCK,
February 1st, 1888.
DEAR FATHER,
In answer to your request, so deftly and so kindly urged,
I feel myself simply forced to yield and literally to give my
conquered hands, as the Latins put it, to a letter from and
about Innsbruck.
The following is probably the usual preconceived, not to
say prejudiced, piCture of the capital of the Tirol presented
by the imagination :-A quaint-old to\vn either well up the
side of a mountain, or perched on a summit; streets narrow
and crooked; houses dingy and weather-beaten; people in
dress and ideas a couple of centuries late; rrien in kneebreeches and sugar-loaf hats ornamented with feathers;
women attired after the gaudy £1shion of the figures around
a Christmas crib, or in the style so familiar to us from maps
of national costumes some fifteen or twenty years ago, that
were supposed to represent an acrual state of things: castles,
towers, turret-'>, moats and draw-bridges, in more or less advanced stages of negleCt or decay, are probably thrown in
to complete the romantic pieture. This, at least, in a confused way, was once my idea of Innsbruck, and I have good
reason for believing that others have been equally fertile in
f.lncy. Yet such a representation is, or would be, all wrong.
Innsbruck is neither on a mountain-side nor on a hill-top,
hut in the very centre of a valley, that smiles, like most
valleys, in summer, though just at present it is anything but
pleasant to look upon; the streets are not narrow and
crooked, but wide and straight, and furnished with sidewalks; the houses are not dingy and antiquated, but bright
and modern; in f.<et, the city, in all material comforts, is modern enough to be convenient and uninteresting. About the
ideas of the people it would be difficult for me to express an
opinion, for many reasons, the principal one, however, but
of itself all-sufficient, being our mutual ignorance of each
other's vehicle of c,ommunication; this is very inconvenient
for me; modesty will hardly allow me to suggest that it
may be a great loss for the other party also. Yet, as f.<r a.~
we may judge from externals, they arc much the same as
city folks all the world over; for it is not in cities that na·
(164)
�INNSBRUCK.
r6s
tiona! characteristics are to be sought for. The stove-pipe
hat, and the frock coat, those two great civilizers and emblems of advanced culture, are as common here as elsewhere.
If you saw without hearing, and could at the same time
prescind from the multitudinous forms gorgeously decked
in military splendor, you might imagine yourself in some
thriving, enterprising little town of the western world Frederick, for instance. (These epithets and the comparison
are not made at random but are the result of deliberate
reflection.) But your ears would soon dispel the illusion,
and the vast proportion, or rather disproportion, of the
inhabitants, clad so resplendently, "only to be kilt" as Mr.
Free expressed it, would likely cause you to feel grateful
that, after all, it was not an American town. Here, as elsewhere on the continent, e\·ery person so unfortunate as to
be of the masculine gender and singular number is compelled to serve· in the army; it is the old Spartan law over
again ; yet, to the honor of Catholic Austria be it mentioned,
that ecclesiastical students are practically exempted from
the hardships of this law, and that the Church is freed from
the grievances that press so heavily upon her in consequence
thereof in France and Italy.
The Valley of the Inn is one of the many plains-and
the largest, I believe-formed by interruptions in the Alpine
chains. It is a perfectly level plateau some ten or twelve
square miles in area,.eighteen hundred feet above the sealevel, which fact confers upon Innsbruck the distinction of
being the highest city in Europe. The measurement here
given is in Austrian feet, which, to our common mortification, I have been told, are ·somewhat smaller than American
feet. I tried to remove the imputation by asserting that
Americans had no feet of their own, but that these, like the
language, were borrowed, for the time being, from the English-something startling, physiologically. On account of
this great elevation, the winter in the valley is severe, while
only a few miles away there are districts of perpetual spring
---;-as.Meran for example-to which invalids flock from all
parts of the world. But no invalid, and indeed no healthy
man, would come to Innsbruck for that purpose. I cannot
tell you how low the thermometer falls, for I am completely
~t sea in this thermometer business; in America, Fahrenheit;
tn Italy, Centigrade; in Germany, Reaumur ;-it is too much
to give up the convictions of a lifetime tor mere local fancies,,
so I never think of consulting a thermometer any more,
except that which nature has provided, and this tells me
that it is at times very cold in Innsbruck Snow began
VoL. xvn, No.
2.
II
�J66
INNSBRUCK.
to come in OB:ober, and is still coming, and will continue
until May : sleighing and skating are yery excellent, but,
above all, coasting, which offers splendid opportunities for
dislocating a collar bone; it is a business here no less than
an amusement, being utilized for bringing down timber from
the surrounding hills.
It is said that the Valley of the Inn would be sterile and
uninhabitable if it were not for the beneficent influence of
the scirocco. In this disagreeable wind is verified the old
saying: "It is an ill wind that blows nobody good;" for,
beneficial as it is to vegetable life, it is anything but pleasant to human existence. I had often experienced it in Rome,
where it produced a feeling of lassitude and helplessness
that rendered any intelleB:ual or manual work difficult; one
simply lasted until it·passed away, usually after a couple of
days. But here its effeB:s are more painful. Innsbruck is
the limit of its travel, and it seems true to say that its sting
is in the tail; for, to the enervating effeB:s it produces everywhere, there are added here headache, feverishnelis and nervous excitability, from which few even of the stout Germans
escape; and acclimatization is, in most cases, no security.
The city of Innsbruck lies direB:ly in the track of the scirocco, which comes up from Italy through the narrow opening of the Brenner, for there are towns and villages only a
few miles away where these 'disagreeable effeB:s are never
felt. September, OB:ober and the early spring, are the ordinary seasons of its visitation, but even in the depth of winter
it is apt to make an unwelcome call, cleaning away in a
single night all the snow that covers the valJey and the
mountain-tops. In this conneB:ion a curious fat}: is related,
viz., that sand from the African desert has been found on
the surrounding mountains, blown thither by the scirocco.
I hasten to disclaim all responsibility for this tale; but if it
be true, it shows how needless it is for us to follow the eloquent counsel of-the great orator, to go to the burning sands
of Africa, sinee the burning sands of Africa very kindly
come to us.
The valley is surrounded on all sides by immense moun'tain-peaks, bare and rocky, which, especially on the North,
separating the Tirol from Bavaria, stand up sheer and perpendicular, great walls of rock towering up into the clouds
and forming an impassable barrier against foreic-n invasion
and enterprise. yVherever one turns, mountains piled on
mountains meet the eye, some, far above the snow-line, enclosing miles of glaciers that it would gladden the heart of
many a Woodstock scientist to investigate. From these
mountains two impetuous streams (they can hardly be called
�INNSBRUCK
rivers) rush frantically through the valley in a chronic state
of exasperation-the Sill and the Inn-and from the latter,
in conjunB:ion with some bridge that formerly spanned its
rapid though clear blue waters, the town upon its banks is
named.
Although surrounded, we are not completely hemmed in,
as there are passes in several direB:ions which the railroads
have utilized with skill and much expense, I imagine; and
it would be difficult to find a university better suited for the
vacation rambles of its students, who are free to avail themselves of such opportunities. It may be unnecessary to add
that the travelling advantages of the Jesuit students are
much the same as those of \Voodstock-nay less, for the
villa is within walking distance, and medical specialists of
every description, all Vienna-trained, abound in the city.
Within view is the famous Brenner Pass-the highest railroad in Europe not a cable road, leading down into Italy
only seven or eight hours away; Munich, famous for beer
and music', is a journey of three hours by rail on account of
the circuitous route, though aB:ually scarcely more than
sixty miles distant,-indeed one of the long walks of the
students is into Bavaria; the most romantic regions of Switzerland are separated from us only by the scarcely less romantic Vorarlberg; while a night's travel will leave you in
Vienna, the gay capital of the empire, by the banks of the
blue Danube.
This description of our situation will suffice for a composition of place; if more be desired, any gazetteer will give
a much more detailed and interesting account-and it may
be well worth the reading. Innsbruck, though somewhat
noted, in recent years, for its stained-glass k'letories and its
mosaic works, is principally f:'lmous only on account of its
university, and to this, perhaps, quite as much as to the scirocco, its very existence is due.
The university is a government institution, just like the
army or navy, and the professors of every faculty, not excepting the theological, are appointed by imperial decree.
It can in no wise, therefore, be called a Catholic university,
as Louvain, for instance; for, since the professors are gov~rnment appointees, they will represent naturally the politIcal views (and here this includes also religious questions)
of the party that happens to be in power, liberal or conservative as the case may be. From this category, of course,
the theological faculty is to be excluded; and I take it for
wanted thai: the meaning of "liberal" in European politics
Is well known. Yet, on account of the relation between
Church and State in Austria, the professors in the university,
�168
INNSBRUCK.
like other state officers, whether believers or unbelievers, are,
on certain occasions, obliged to show official deference to
the religion of the empire, by assisting decorously at divine
worship;- as on the Emperor's birthday, in the Corpus
Christi procession, etc.; and last December, for the same
reason, they had to take part in the Pope's jubilee, for so
the command came from Vienna. Unfortunately, by far the
greater number of the secular professors at present are liberals; yet there are a few good praCtical Catholics, as Herr
Pastor, the young though already f.'lmous disciple of Dr.
Janssen, the celebrated historian of the Reformation in
Germany.
I have by me a book entitled "History of the University
of Innsbruck," but I shall not infliCt upon you a synopsis;
partly because it doe~ .. not belong to my present purpose,
and partly, if not principally, because the work mentioned
is written in confusing German, in which tongue I can hardly
yet be called even a novice but, at most, a dazed and timid
postulant on first probation, Wondering when the habit of
speech will be given, and longing for it. I cannot resist the
temptation to add, hoping you will not be offended thereat,
that a more trying probation it would be difficult to undergo, and they are to be congratulated who passed it successfully before the use of reason came to show it in its true
light, and to add to its difficulties. Let it be sufficient to
say that the University of Innsbruck, after all the ups a1~d
downs it has experienced during the past two or three centuries, is now a university in the genuine meaning of the
word, universce scientice, embracing the four faculties of theology, law, medicine and philosophy, that are ~upposed to
include all science, with all the rights and privileges accorded
to such institutions.
The Academical Senate or Board of DireCtors, as it would
probably be called in America, consists of fourteen members:
the reClor magnijicus, the pro-reCtor, four deans, one representing each faculty, and, for the same reason, four pro-deans
and four senators; to these offices, only professors of the
university are eligible.
The reflor magnijicus is not so imposing as his title, and
the office is ornamental rather than needful, and even the
ornament is of a very light kind. His presence is supposed
to add solemnity to certain funCtions; he signs certain documents, and hands degrees to successful aspirants; duties
which require no vast amount of erudition nor any particular fitness in the art of ruling. Good nature and a solemn
countenance, if they can go together, would be the best
qualities for a rcClor magnijicus. He makes his first public
�INNSBRUCK.
appearance in the beginning of the year at the "handshaking"
in the great hall of the university, on which occasion he
stands off in one corner of the room and the new students
walk up to him one by one, shake hands with him familiarly,
in solemn silence, and then pass on to their seats; this impressive ceremony, which implies so much, has an equally
impressive name-der Hmzdsc/zlag; he also presents the degrees in solemn silence, and, with like solemn stillness, he
may be seen at civil or religious celebrations where the university has to be represented'. The badge of office is a brass
stick, called a sceptre, and a golden chain worn around the
neck, like the collar of gold which Malachy won from the
proud invader; but these precious emblems of reCtorial authority are very seldom used. The office is annual, and by
election; the eleClors, sixteen in number, are chosen by the
professors, each faculty contributing four eleCtors. The proreCtor is the retired reflor magnijicus, who, for a year, supplies when the aClual incumbent is unable to shake hands,
or to sign documents, or to hand the degrees ; he is merely
a supplens pro <'ice. Fr. Kobler, formerly of St. Francis
Xavier's N. Y., and Fr. Wenig are the only Jesuits who ever
occupied the stateJ.y office of reflor magnijicus; the latter
was eleeted to it several times I think; with the present
liberal preponderance in the professorial staff it is highly
improbable that any Jesuit will again be eleeted for many a
day to come; however, nobody's usefulness will be much
impaired thereby, as is evident from the harmless funCtions
of the office, and in itself the faet is not to be deplored.
Each faculty has its own dean, who must be a professor
of that faculty, annually eleeted by the votes of the other
professors of the same department. His duties are to transact all business with the students, to arrange the hours of
examinations, to notify examiners, etc., in short, to do
what is done by our prefeCl of schools. He too is entitled
to a brass stitk and a collar of gold on state occasions. The
pro-deans are the retired deans who supply in case of emergency. In the same way each faculty eleCls one of its members to the senate or consulting body of the university;
~hree years is the term of office, but its duties must be very
mdefinite, since one of the senators told me he did not himself know them; so that I can hardly be expeeted to explain
~hem. The senators wear nothing ;-of course I mean nothmg indicative of their rank, though, in all else, they conform
to the conventionalities .
. In the university catalogue, wherever the different faculties are enumerated, theology holds the first place, the place
of honor; and thus, theoretically at !east, .deference is shown
�INNSBRUCK.
to it as the Regina Scimtiarum. Philosophy, however, has
the last place, and deservedly, for under that title is not included scholastic philosophy, the handmaid of the divine
science. In university language, philosophy means any
branch of science not embraced under the other three faculties; thus, mathematics, classics, geograpny, history, languages and ni.odern philosophical vagaries come under that
head ; scholastic philosophy is a part of theology.
By referring to the university catalogue it will be seen
that the teaching staff in each' faculty is divided into professors and pri1;at-docmtm (such is the plural form of the
German word privat-docmt which I am forced to use here
through ignorance of any English equivalent), a distinction
likely to puzzle, since,,as far at least as I know, there is
nothing analogous itl English or American colleges, with
whose workings we are more familiar. As the cowl does
not make the monk, so the holding of a chair in the university, and the right to teach, do not constitute a professor,
for which a special government appointment is needed.
Thus you will see in the catalogue this year that one of the
lecturers of dogmatic theology is a professor, while the other
is merely privat-docmt; the expounder of one volume of
Gury is likewise professor, while he who dilates and dictates
concerning the other is privat-docent. This is entirely arbitrary and means only that one is acknowledged by the government as a professor with certain rights and privileges
and obligations, while the other is only tolerated in the professorial chair, and can be dispossessed whenever it seems
good to the authorities, or can leave without licence whenever it seems good to himsel( Only the profq~o~s are ~tate
officials, between whom and the government a contract exists
with mutual obligations; they are paid for their teaching,
while the priz,at-doccntm labor gratis and teach either for
love of the work (which is not impossible in Germany) or
with the hope of promotion to a vacant professorship (which
motive is not impossible anywhere); moreover, the professors
are compelled to retire when they reach their seventieth
year, but they retire on full pay; only professors are electors,
or eligible for university offices. The privat-docmten have
sometimes to work for many years before being promoted
to a professorship; some labor on thus in expectation for
ten or fifteen, perhaps, even more years ; for the promotions are not made in any regular order nor according to
length of service, 'but simply as it may suit the fancy of the
government- stat pro ratione voluntas. The privat-docent
of six months may receive the coveted promotion, while a
brother, who has struggled on for a dozen years, may have
�INNSBRUCK.
171
to continue struggling on indefinitely, until the order comes
to move up higher; it is a splendid example of selection,
independently of all foreseen merits-ante pra:visa mt'rzta.
There are also a few others in the catalogue called extraordinmJ' prifessors ; I can only say that the epithet is not
used in its obviously laudatory sense, but in some technical
meaning unknown to me, and I never thought it worth the
trouble of special inquiry, since the two 'divisions mentioned
are the principal and regular ones; it is sufficient, therefore, to mention them.
The Society was expelled from Austria, by imperial decree, during the troubles of '48, but was permitted to return
again in 1852, after the storm had blown over. The theol~
agate of the province was reopened at Innsbruck; but, up to
this time, Ours had no connection with the university, nor
even, I believe, with the gymnasium, that had been under
their control previous to the expulsion. A few years later,
in r 8 57, the government determined to complete the faculties in the university, which, since the intermeddling of that
little would-be pope, Joseph II., had been a university in
name only, with neither a theological nor medical department; it was determined, therefore, to begin by restoring
the faculty of theology. Mgr. Gasser, Bishop _of Brixen, in
which diocese lnrisbruck is situated, one of the most distinguished prelates of his day, and a leader in the late Vatican
Council, was, of course, consulted on a matter of such importance, and his opinion was, that an eclectic school of
theology was an impossibility, and that the only way to
conduct it with any hope of success, was to give it into the
hands of a religious order, with traditions and a unity of
doctrine, in important matters at least. His authority and
his reasons prevailed, and so, in 1857, the theological department was entrusted to the Society, in whose hands it
has since remained. Thus, the University of Innsbruck, in
its theological faculty, presents the unique spectacle of
Jesuits who are state officials, paid for their services out of
the public treasury, and enjoying all the rights of such a
position. I remember reading, sometime last year, in a
Canadian paper hostile to Ours during the late unpleasantness, that if the bill, then before the legislature, passed, Canada would enjoy the unenviable distinction of being the
only country in which the Society was recognized as a corporation: the writer probably knew nothing of Austria or
Spain, or, perhaps, even Portugal. Here, we are not merely
a corporation, but, in the university at least, an integral
part of the government.
ln the theolo~icql fqculty ther~ ar~ two exceptions to th~
�INNSBRUCK.
statutes concerning professorships proper, which it will be
well to note. The Jesuit professor retires, or is retired
rather, at seventy, in accordance with the general regulation,
but he enjoys no pension for past services; he simply returns to his original nothingness. This is due to no want
of good will on the part of the government, which expressed
its readiness to treat all alike, but superiors declined to avail
themselves of the privileges of the pension law. The second exception is in regard to the examination for theological degrees. In the other faculties, as I have said, the
examiners are appointed by the government, or, 'which
comes to the same thing, are prifcssors in the university;
.but for divinity examinations, the government appoints
only one half of the •board (two examiners), while the
bishop of the diocese appoints the other two (any two
doCtors of theology "recognized as such by the state); and
as his standing appointments are the privat-docentm of theology, it happens that the teaching corps is also the examining board.
In America, with so many various openings for private
enterprise, where the state interferes so little with the individual, and where all move precisely in the same plane,
with equal chances for the goal (as far, at least, as that is
possible), it is difficult to understand the importance, and
even necessity, of state certificates and university degrees in
Germany. They are no ornamental piece of parchment,
tied with a colored ribbon, to be hung up in an office like
a pieture, yet signifying little beyond so many years of
aCtual attendance at college, or the good will of an educational institution towards one more or less di~finguished in
social or political life; on the contrary, they are the hardearned reward of serious toil, and a necessary means of
satisfying literary or scientific ambition. Without a certificate or degree, there is no opening to the literary world, no
entrance to the intelleCtual arena, no pass to the society of
the learned; and without it, too, many ways of making a
respeCtable livelihood are cut off; and, as all these testimonials are given by the same authority, viz., the state, there
is no such thing as a high standard here and a low standard
there, and, consequently, no shirking of the more honest
exaCt:ions in one place to procure readier and easier honors
elsewhere. The system has its imperfeCtions, notably its
uncalled-for intermeddling of the state with personal liberty;
yet, there is an element of good in it, which all must recognize. The easiest way to show the importance of this state
approbation will be to bring forward one or two instances.
No school is recognized unless the direCtor can produce a
j
!
'f
'
�INNSBRUCK.
173
certificate, showing that he has successfully passed through
the required classes in the state g)'IIZ!lasia. Hence, in all
our colleges, the director or prefect of studies, who represents the college before the state, must be a certificated
graduate of the g)'lmtasia. The consequences of this law
are evidently inconvenient, and, until recently, in several of
our colleges, a secular person, who had made the g)'lmtasium course, was employed nominally as director, owing to
the want of Jesuits duly qualified; and, only two years ago,
a college was on the point of being closed because the director happened to die and there was no one to take his
place. The college was saved, however, by another father,
old in the service, offering himself to make the necessary
studies and examinations before the state board - not an
easy job, as it is conceivable that one may be a star of the
first magnitude ·in all the sublime sciences, and a mere nebulous speck in geography, fractions, syntax, the art of penmanship and other cognate branches.
In the same way, no one can occupy a chair in the university, even as privat-docmt, unless he be fortified with the
degree of doctor in that particular branch which he aspires
to teach. For this reason, all of Ours who teach in the university have had to make special studies and to pass special
examinations, besides those proper to the Society and common everywhere. Supposing, first, the case of one, not of
the Society, who goes for the doctorate of theology, the
process is briefly as follows: he must spend four years in
the theological course, during which time he has no repetitions to give nor examinations to make; these four years
of attendance qualify him to present himself for the four
examinations in the four special branches of theology which
are demanded by the university ; these are moral theology
and sacred eloquence, dogma, scripture with oriental languages, and canon law. The examination in all is eight
hours, two hours to each matter; but there must be an interval of at least three mopths between each examination,
that is to say, ad minimum one must remain a year at the
university after the four years of· theology ; but there are
very few, indeed, who feel satisfied to present themselves
for examination at intervals of three months, and six months
is the time usually employed between the different attempts;
thus, six years are consumed in the university.
With scholastics, whom superiors wish to take degrees to
qualified, if needs be, to teach in the university, the case
Is still more difficult; for, after the regular course, with the
usual yearly examinations, including the examination ad
gradum, two more ye·ars are spent in preparing for the four
?e
�174
INNSBRUCK.
ex-
state examinations, which are not easy; and thus, the
amm ad gradum here is deprived of its one charm, the
single element of consolation which it has elsewhere to
compensate for its peculiar difficulty, that it is the last anyhow on this side of the grave. If one fails in any of these
branches, a second trial is permitted any time after an interval of a month and a half; but a second failure in the same
matter cancels all previous merits, and disqualifies the unfortunate candidate from ever again seeking honors in any
university of the empire; though he may go elsewhere to
try his fortune.
These examinations, whether successful or unsuccessful,
are fruitful, as the candidate has to pay each examiner and
the presiding officer five florins every time he appears before
them-that is, twenty;.five florins for each examination ; and
since there are four examinations, supposing no failure, the
total expense of an examination is one hundred florins
(some\vhere in the neighborhood of fifty dollars); of course
if the poor fellow fails, to his other miseries is added increased expense. Besides this, seventy florins are paid for
a diploma, which sum is divided amongst the professors and
other officials of the university according to their degree.
Moreover, the professors, besides their fixed salary from the
government, receive from each member of their class one
florin for every hour of leCl:ure, and thus a popular leCl:urer
in a popular branch of study may sometimes treble or quadruple his already convenient salary. Our scholastics have
to pay their way just like the other auditores, but, as this
money is afterwards paid back to the professor~, it is in this
case like the ocean yielding up its waters t"' Jhe clouds.
Education, salt and tobacco, the three fundamental necessaries of life, are in Austria, as in Italy, government monopolies.
If you look through the catalogue of the province of
Austria you will find two things to puzzle you-perhaps it
would be more correCt: to say, one thing, and the absence of
another. The one thing is, that there are two theologates
in the· province, one in Pressburg, besides the one here in
lnnsbruck; and the other cause of surprise would be that
it is a province without philosophers, that is to say, students
of philosophy, for, of the genuine article there is ample
abundance. Nor would you be much enlightened upon
being told that, de fat'lo, there are not two theologates, and
that there is a sc~holasticate in which nothing but the most
approved doCtrines of philosophy are taught, although no
mention of it seems to be made in the catalogue. The explanation is to be sought for in the military law of the coun-
�INNSBRUCK.
175
try; everything here is subservient to the vast soldier machine, a state of things to which one can never become
reconciled, though he must indeed soon become accustomed
to it; instead of man being originally the pugnacious, warlike, savage being represented in the philosophical dreams
of Hobbes and J. J. Rousseau, it would appear that such a
state is rather the term of his perfect e\'Olution. As I have
said, all unfortunate males are forced to serve their country
in the army for a certain number of years. The people
submit to this quite naturally; indeed one good man completely took my breath away and rendered me speechless
for discussion by demonstrating ho~v superior this compulsory service is to the system of voluntary enlistment in England and the United States, where men join the army from
mercenary motives. It was useless to argue; our very first
principles were evidently at variance. There are certain
exceptions to this law of universal conscription, and amongst
them students of theology are especially named, but on
condition that there is no interruption of study. For this
reason our philosophers are called theologians in the catalogue, and the auditores t/zcologi(e, Sec. I., of Pressburg (or
Posonium) are in reality the philosophers of the province,
while the theologians proper study here in Innsbruck. One
advantage or disadvantage, according to different points of
view, of this military conscription law is, that native Austrians are deprived of the magisterium between philosophy
and theology, for the years of teaching would be an interruption to their theological studies, and, in order to enjoy
the advantages of the exemption, those studies must be continuous. The province does not suffer much, I think, from
this regulation, because so many of its members are German
or Swiss subjeCts not covered by the law.
Although theological students are exempt from military
service, the exemption is not altogether complete, and to
some extent they live under military control during all the
years that they would have had to spend in the army, if not
exempted from aCtual service by their manner of life. They
are not compelled to live in quarters, nor to drill, nor to
wear a uniform ; but, in case of need, scholastics are liable to
hospital service, and priests must be ready to follow the
arm_y as chaplains. This is a great improvement on the
Italian system, where every one, cleric or no cleric, has to
carry a musket, and where no chaplains are provided for the
soldiers. In Massowah, last year, at the time of the massacre,
as it is called, there were indeed two or three priests with.
the army, but as common soldiers, who were unable to convey spiritual aid to the unfortunate men killed in the conflict.
�INNSBRUCK.
Furthermore, those who escape the draft, on account of
theological studies, have to report at certain times to the
nearest military headquarters (nowhere hard to find); and
they must acquaint their military superiors when they move
from one place to another. For this purpose, each one is
provided with a small note-book, in which his goings and
comings are stamped and dated by the military authorities.
For instance, a scholastic, having finished his philosophy at
Pressburg, is ordered to Innsbruck for theology; he goes to
the appointed official in Pressburg and presents his little
note-book; this is duly stamped and signed, bearing witness to the legality of the departure, and upon his arrival in
Innsbruck he must appear befote a corresponding official
there, who again stamps and signs the book, this time bearing witness to the~~~gality of the arrival; his movements
are likewise recorded in the government books, so that he
can be easily found in case his services be needed. I should
have mentioned further up that every one conneCted with a
university, either as teacher or student, has the privilege of
half-fare on any railroad in the empire.
There is nothing special to be said of scholastic life here,
it is much the same interesting story everywhere-a happy
cycle of- class, circles, sermons in the refeCtory, tones on
Sunday, and renovation verses ; these last mentioned, by the
way, bear a striking family resemblance all the world over.
The scholastiCs attend classes in the university, together
with the secular sturlents, giving, I believe, all the edification
their rules demand. The circles, however, are private, and,
as in Rome, there are but two weekly. With regard to
preaching in the refeCtory, it may be inter~~ting to know
that every one has to preach twice during the year; for one
sermon, some months of preparation are allowed, but, for
the second, the usual two or three days. Ignorance of the
vernacular is no obstacle to ambition, since each one is free
to employ the language that pleases him best; the only general law is, that each must preach, whatever be his mother
tongue. Hence we are treated to a great variety of tongues,
living and dead, or which, if not dead, ought to be; it is a
genuine Pentecost, as far as the preachers are concerned,
though, judging from my own experience, the hearers are
not so fortunate as they were on that eventful day, for they
hear not every man their own tongue wherein they were
born. An Austrian Jesuit must be something more or less
of a linguist, since within the Province four or five totally
different languages are spoken by the people in various parts
of the empire.
The special work of the Society, however, in Innsbruck,
�INNSBRUCR:
177
and the most interesting, and perhaps also the most productive of good, is to be found in the conviClus, or boardingschool, attached to the theologate, and under the full control
of Ours. The theological students who attend the university
may be divided into three classes: externs, half-boarders,
and boarders, or conviClors, as they are called. With regard
to the externs, it is sufficient to mention here that they board
in the city, just like law or medical students, that they are
subject to no control on the part of Ours, and that nobody
is responsible for them ; they are simply independent young
men, attending the university course, as the students in the
other faculties. But it is different with the conviflors ,· they
occupy what is curiously termed a wing of our building,
since the whole edifice consists of a front and one wing, and
the wing is twice as large as that which is considered the
principal portion-a synechdoche probably in both cases,
continens pro rc contcnta, since the community, in the much
smaller portion, is more principal than the conviflors in the
far greater section. The cmzvic?us is, in fact, a seminary,
subject to rules and judicious religious discipline. The co1tmflors are all theologians and wear the clerical cassock.
Although mostly Germans and Austrians, many other lands
are represented-Switzerland, France, Italy, Russia, Poland;
-and from the United States, too, there are nearly thirty at
present, mostly, though not entirely, from the \Vest, and of
German origin. There are in all two hundred and eighty
three theological students in the university, of whom one·
hundred and fifty three are convzflors, as it is impossible to
admit more for want of room; those who live outside have
to wait their turn for a vacancy.
Amongst the conmClors are many members of religious
?rders, students of theology, and even these have to conform
In all things to the rules of the establishment; the orders
represented are, for the most part, Benedictines, Cistercians,
and Premonstratensians-they, of course, wear their own religious habit. Thus, under the same roof, there are two
distinct communities, who have no more communication
w_itl~ each other than if they dwelt in different counties, with
distmct chapels, refectories, recreation grounds, etc. The
rector of the house is indeed superior of all, but, practically,
he has little to do_with the conviClors, being represented
a~ongst them by one who is styled "Father Regent," asSisted by another, called the "Father Prefect," though not a
prefect in our sense of the word, for his duties are rather
those of a minister, and, in addition to these two officials,
th_ere is a spiritual £<ther; these three live in the so-called
.wmg of the cmtviClus.
�INNSBRUCK.
I
The government is decidedly paternal and liberal, and I
know of no seminary in which the students enjoy so much
freedom and exemption from small regulations. This is all
the more surprising, as one wrongly expeas to find greater
strianess and far less liberty than in America; and it is to
be added, that the past history of so many distinguished
and holy men in the ranks of both secular and regular
clergy, who have gone forth from this convic!us, proves conclusively the wisdom of the system. It would be easy to
mention many illustrious names of living men, famous in
the Church, like the present Bishop of Treves, Mgr. Korum,
a leader in the splendid hierarchy of German bishops, who
affeaionately give to Innsbruck the credit for all they have
done for the glory of God. There could be no more striking refutation of the assertion, so often repeated even by
well-intentioned people, that the Society is not suited to
manage seminaries. It is difficult to explain away faas, and
the faa is, that the Collegio Germanico in Rome is undo.ubtedly the best seminary in the eternal city; and it is
equally true that the seminary here in Innsbruck, if we are
to judge from effeas, is second to none anywhere; and I
speak not of intelleaual eminence, which no one denies,
but of the sound, solid, religious training imparted, that
produces serious, earnest, devoted priests, conscious of their
high calling.~
The daily religious duties of obligation consist of Mass,
meditation (made by each one in his room and not in common), spiritual reading and beads. The spiritual f..1.ther
gives the points every evening, and he also gives frequent
exhortations. The condua of the young m·en is \'ery edifying, and they are held in high esteem in the city. A retreat of eight days is made every year, beginning on the fii·st
of January, and very many receive a religious vocation
during that time; last year, fifteen left the coi17!Zllus for the
novitiate, most of them in consequence of the retreat; four
joined the German Province, while the names of the other
eleven are to be found in the Austrian catalogue.
The COI!tlic!us is not a modern institution; it is older than
the university, and goes back almost to the days of St. Ignatius himsel( Blessed Peter Canisius was stationed in
Innsbruck in I s6o, in which year he founded a college here,
and two years later he added to it a gymnasium. Shortly
afterwards he left the Tirol, or perhaps I should rather say
Innsbruck, and was succeeded by Fr. Nicholas L1.noy, a
Belgian, who had been received into the Society in Rome
by our Holy Father himself, under whom his noviceship
was made. Fr. Lanoy succeeded Fr. Claude Le Jay as
�.INNSBRUCK.
179
reCtor of the college in Vienna, and, on the expiration of
his term of office, was sent to Innsbruck to carry on the
work inaugurated by Blessed Canisius. As the college and
g)'1mtasium were already in a flourishing condition, he immediately conceived the idea of adding a conviflus; but his
appointment to· the government of the new province of
Austria, as its first provincial, interrupted this design. In
1 ;66, he returned to Innsbruck to execute the plan he had
already conceived, and three years later the -coJtmtltts was
established.
In its original conception it was not exaCtly what it now
is; it was designed as an ecclesiastical seminary for poor
students, who aspired to the priesthood but had not the
means with which to carry out their pious desires. Fr.
Nilles, one of the university professors, has written a brief
but most interesting history of the conviflus, from its first
foundation, with all its vicissitudes, down to the present time.
In the beginning it was supported by daily charity, and Fr.
Lanoy himself used to go from door to door begging for
alms. For a time, the students who came were received into
the houses of the people of the town, and lodged and boarded
until· a house was rented in which they all lived together,
and then se-veral of the noble families sent daily, from their
own tables; food for their support Meanwhile, grants and
donations continued to come in and, after a couple of years,
a house was purchased and dedicated to St. Nicholas, whom
the con1.•z£?us still claims for its patron. It is unnecessary to
speak of continued additions and, for a certain period at
least, uninterrupted material progress.
The fame of the students for piety and learning was widespread, and their wonderful skill in music is recorded thus:
"Prce omnibus quidem artem musicam mirificc co!ebant . . . .
II~ fere nul/us a[lus pub!zl·us, nulla pompa so!mmis CE1zipontc
sme cantoribus et musicis seminarzi" !taberetur." The words
at?us pub!ims are very indefinite, but I presume they do not
mean a public ac?, in the scholastic sense, for it is hard to see
what part music could have in such a performance. I may
say, in passing, that the musical £>me of the seminary still
s_urvives, though the clerical musicians do not now go travelling around the country, as was the case in those earlier
days, for we are told "ct non in urbc so!um sed ctiam in suburb~i's ad majores so!mmitatcs musicam S. Nicolai vidmms
Petztam." Even after the seminary had ceased to be for poor
students only, eight scholarships were kept for such as
showed any special musical talent. In this respeCt the c01l71ictus of to-day is no discredit to the c01mic?us of two centuries
ago; its church choir is famous still, and, on the occasion of
�I8o
INNSBRUCK.
the Pope's jubilee celebration, the army of cassocked fiddlers, flute-players, horn-blowers, etc. that crowded the stage,
gave it the appearance of a Theodore Thomas concert.
When good Maria Theresa reigned, she manifested a desire
to establish a college of nobles, but experienced difficulty
in settling upon a place; whereupon some of the enemies of
the Society at court persuaded her that the conviflus in
Innsbruck was admirably suited for the purpose, and that
the Jesuits had no particular business there, in faa that their
sphere of usefulness would be very much enlarged if the
seminary were taken from them. The good empress, desirous, no doubt, of this useful enlargement, sent a court
dignitary, called in the documents 1//ustrissimus, with orders
for the regent to dis'miss all the students except the eight
free musicians, and to prepare the house for the reception
of the nobles. The regent remonstrated saying that there
were many others in the seminary on scholarships, besides
the eight musicians ; to which the 1//ustrissimus replied :
''/ws abire posse quocumquc ve/lent"- an exceedingly liberal
offer, embracing both Jericho in the East and Halifax in the
\Vest, to say nothing of the future world. But, through
ecclesiastical influence, the storm was averted fora time, and
it is fair to believe that the empress never intended any aa
of injustice, and gave the order under some misapprehension.
It would take too long to relate all the annoyances suffered under the unfortunate reign of Joseph the second,
whose sole aim in life was to harass the Church in every
petty way, under the cloak, and possibly under the conviction, that he was furthering religious interests. Finally
came the suppression of the Society, which did not immediately affeCt: the com,iflus ; and the seminary continued for
two more years under the same reCtor. After this time the
reCtor resigned, and the government seized upon the property, selling the vacant ground and dividing off the building
into private residences, which were also sold to private families. Thus matters remained until 1858, when Ours, put
once more in charge of the theological faculty, were enabled,
through the generous assistance of friends in the city, to
regain by purchase the property that had belonged to them
nearly a century before. The couviflus was reopened; in
that first year, thirty seven com,iflors were admitted; and,
year after year, the number has kept on steadily increasing,
until now there .are one hundred and fifty three, as I have
said, with over a hundred more in the city waiting for a
vacancy. ~t was expeCted that this year fewer students
would come on account of the reopening of the seminaries
in Prussia, but the expeCtation, so far, has not been verified.
�INNSBRUCK.
181
A few words will suffice about the half-boarders, so distinguished from the externs. They lodge in the city, but
are obliged to wear the ecclesiastical dress and to attend all
the common exercises in the co1zvzClus, such as meals, spiritual reading, Mass, exhortations, etc. Amongst these, too,
are many religious. No one can be promoted to orders
unless after three years' residence in the com,zClus, or unless
he can produce a certificate to show that he has passed that
length of time satisfactorily in some seminary. At least
one American bishop has appointed the regent his vicargeneral, with full powers over his subjects in the convzClus.
The theological _students, as is meet, represent the grave
and solemn element in the university, but the other four or
five hundred young men keep things lively, and prevent the
little town from giving way to its natural drowsiness. They
are divided into five social clubs, or societies, distinguished
from each other especially by the color of their peculiar
caps, in shape exactly like a tambourine, which, notwithstanding their shallowness, cling to the head in some mysterious way which it has ever puzzled me to understand.
Of these societies, two-the \Vhites or Austrians, and the
Reds or Swiss-are, in profession and practice, Catholic, so
that their colors are as much an avowal of faith as the sign
of the cross would be. Most of them belong to a sodality
under the charge of one of our f.1thers, and a fundamental law
of their society is that no member must aid, encourage or·
abet the practice of duelling, under pain of expulsion.
The other three clubs are called liberal; they practise no
religion, but duelling is practised instead, as a part, perhaps
the characteristic part, of their programme. It should be
added, however, that the duelling is on the French plan,
viz., to vindicate honor with a scratch, not with the heart's
blood; insults are sought for in order to have the pleasure
of avenging them and of getting scratched on the face, and
it is curious to see these young men going about with their
faces all scarred, glorying in what are, to others, only signs
of their utter folly. Between the liberal and Catholic clubs
th_ere is a continual feud, and they seldom meet in the streets
Withoiit giving and receiving marks of mutual esteem; and
conflicts of quite a serious nature are not infrequent.
Perh:tps it will not be out of place to say a few words
about the people of the Catholic Tirol. The best proof of
the Catholicity of the Tirol is the rather extraordinary fact,
that not a single one of the numerous spires and steeples
~pread all over the Valley of the Inn, with its 30,000 inhabItants, marks an heretical place of worship. Here in Inns-
VaL. xvn, No.
2.
12
·
�INNSBRUCJi.~
bruck, there is an obscure meeting-house, a room in a
private dwelling, for the use of such travellers as like to go
. to church when away from home, because, in a foreign land,
this is the best way to meet one's countrymen. But there
are not wanting positive proof" of the f.1ith and fervor of
this singularly religious people. As I have said, the winter is severe, much the same as it is in \Voodstock, and the
mornings especially are severe and bitter; yet, at 5 or 5.30,
the dark streets are lively with people on their way to early
Mass; the weather has no effea whatsoever upon their
devotion; be it a frost that pierces to the bone, or snow
nearly knee-deep, or pitiless rain falling in torrents, it is
all the same, the day has to be begun before the altar; and
if you enter the church a quarter of an hour later (and any
church will answer fbr the experiment), you will find the
large building (cold as a barn, for there is no heating apparatus) filled with a coughing congregation, each member of
which is provided with a candle, with which to read his or,
in the vast majority of cases, her prayer-book, as the church
provides no light except that which is necessary for the
priest at the altar.
Unfortunately, in the city, although there is no Protestantism, liberal Catholicity is not unknown, owing probably to
the influence of the university and to the faa that Innsbruck,
as the capital of the Tirol, is a central military station and
the seat of the Lndtag or legislature of the province. But
in the surrounding country one finds himself in an atmosphere of the purest and rarest orthodoxy; large crucifixes
stand by the wayside, before which the head is always bared
and not seldom the passer-by kneels to offer a·~ment prayer;
there are also simple shrines, adorned with flowers and candles and the image of our Blessed Lady, before which a
lamp is ever kept burning, or statues of some favorite saint,
most frequently here of St. John Nepomucen. There are
places of pilgrimage in every direaion, the lasting memorials of some divine interference in favor of man or of some
religious event, with the miraculous piaure of .the Blessed
Virgin, black and indistinguishable from age and exposure,
and surrounded with the ex voto offerings of the simple rustics for many generations, which, it must be confessed, speak
very little for their artistic skill, though consoling proofs of
their simple, beautiful faith. It .is no unusual thing, even
here in the city, to see long processions of men, women and
children, two by two, reciting the beads in common; and, in
the Tirolese cities, the custom still prevails of carrying the
Blessed Sacrament to the sick with all the solemnity prescribed by the ritual; I do not think this is done now any-
�INNSBRUCK.
where else in the cities of Germany. On such occasions, of
course, every head is bared, and down bends every knee,
·
regardless of.snow or mud in the streets.
If I were asked what is the special object of Catholic devotion in Italy, as witnessed in Rome, I would have no hesitation in answering, the Madonna, for the sight presented
by a Roman church any evening in the month of May is
an extraordinary one, not easily forgotten ; and, to the same
question about the Tirolese, I would answer, the Blessed
Sacrament. The daily Communions are very numerous;
scarcely a day passes without exposition of the Adorable
Sacrament of the altar and Mass coram SaJZllissimo / the
solemn Mass on festival days is in presence of the Blessed
Sacrament exposed; Communion extra missam is always
followed by Benediction ; and in many other ways this great
Mystery of Love is seen to be an object of special veneration.
The priest is, as in Ireland, treated with the greatest respect, and has to be continually raising his hat to men saluting or women curtseying; while little children run to
meet him from afar for the privilege of kissing his hand.
It was different in Rome; there a priest or a bishop attracts
no attention whatsoever, and even a cardinal is rarely saluted
in his rambles along the country roads ; nor could anything
else be expected, for if the poor Roman had to salute every
ecclesiastic, he might as well dispense with head-gear altogether. Besides this, however, we sometimes met with signs
of disapprobation in the shape of scowls, or caw~caws to
signify crows, or a muttered pretacci, which is supposed to
be the acme of contempt, or sometimes even stones were
hurled after us when one desired to be particularly emphatic;
-the stones were the only things that hurt, and they only
sometimes. This was done with all the more impunity, as
the poor priests or religious, on gospel principles, and from
motives of natural prudence also, never resented these insults, but got out of the way as quietly as possible.
Sometimes, however, it happened that these violent protesters against priestly influence made a mistake. Just about
the time I arrived in Rome, the revolutionary press was
making a fierce fuss over an incident that had occurred a
short while before, in the neighborhood of Tivoli. One of
these anti-clerical fellows met a couple of ecclesiastical students, and, as he had probably often before abused such
people with impunity, he saw no reason for denying himself
the pleasure of a repetition on the present occasion. The
poor wretch was a stranger in those parts, else he would ·
h~ve hesitated at the sight of the black cassocks trimmed
With red, the object of universal respect throughout all the
�INNSBRliCK
surrounding country, for they were students of the Irish
College whose villa is at Tivoli. Following the wise ·counsel
of Horace,- '
non tamen intns
Digna geri promes in scenam.-
I shall omit what took place in the meantime, leaving the
more graphic imagination to supply, and say only that when
the students got through with him he was a pretty badly
used up man ; in those few moments he had learned a lesson about latent clerical force and ecclesiastical vigor, of
which he might have gone down to his grave in ignoble
ignorance, had not luck thrown him in the way of useful
information; it is to be presumed that the lesson taught him,
at least, to be more discriminating iu future. The revolutionary press, as I haVe said, took up the matter with spirit,
clamored for vengeance, and wanted to know if foreigners
were to be allowed to terrorize peaceful ~itizens; but the
good people of Tivoli sided with the vigorous ecclesiastic,
and the unfortunate viCtim of clerical blows and anti-clerical
sympathy hied him off out of the neighborhood as speedily
as possible; and so the matter was dropped. Nothing of
the kind would ever happen here; and even the liberals
treat the ecclesiastical dress with becoming respeCt, or at
least give no external sign of disapproval.
Faith and loyalty go hand in hand, and the House of
Hapsburg has no more devoted subjeCts than these stalwart
Tirolese. When Ferdinand was driven from the throne in
'48, he s~ught shelter in the Tirol; and there he was as safe
as in an impregnable fortress. The whole Valley of the Inn
is sacred to the memory of Andreas Hofer, ·{vhose statue
adorns the court-church of the Franciscans, while the song
recounting his virtues and sad death is sung or whistled
every hour of the day in the streets, or played by the band
on all great occasions, together with the national anthem.
At the time of the reformation, Protestantism penetrated
even into the Tirol, and made no little headway; and it is
one of the greatest glories of the Society, that the flood of
heresy was driven back and completely shut out by our earliest missionaries, the chief amongst whom was our Blessed
Peter Canisius. The story of their labors and of their
success is a wonderful one, almost incredible, and that of
Blessed Peter, especially, shows how rightly he was named
the "hammer of.heretics." From that day to this, Protestantism has made no appearance in the Tirol, and, consequently, the spirit of revolution and of infidelity has gained
no foothold amongst this simple people. Their whole his-
�A- MIRACLE OF ST. JOHN BERCHlffANS.
185
tory may be summed up in the threefold end-Pro Ecclesia
Dei, pm rege et patria.
Apologizing for the length of this letter, and recommending myself to your holy sacrifices and prayers,
I remain,
Your servant in Christ.
* * *
A MIRACLE OF ST. JOHN BERCHMANS,
IN THE AUSTRIAN NOVITIATE.
The following letter, containing an account of what seems
to be a miraculous favor of St. John Berchmans, requires
neither introduCtion nor explanation. It happened at St.
Andra, the novitiate of this province, in the beginning of
this present month (February). I am sure you will be glad
to find a place for the account in the forthcoming number
of the ·wooDSTOCK LETTERS.
]. A. C., s.].
St. Audra, Feb. 6t!t, I888.
The novice A. 'M. had suffered so severely from rheumatism in both shoulders, by day and night, that for three
weeks he was unable to sleep except for a few moments at
a time. For fourteen days the house doCl:or attended him,
applying internal and external remedies, but without avail.
In addition to this sleeplessness, fever and a general prostration and weakness of the body followed, and finally the
left side of the head was also attacked. A physician from
Wolfsburg was called in for consultation, and, after a careful
examination, he pronounced the condition of the patient
very serious and the aCl:ion of the pulse and heart very irregular. He wrote out certain prescriptions for internal and
external medicines, to be used for two days, but if during
that time no improvement took place, the prescriptions were
to be changed.
This was on the afternoon of February the 3rd. During
the evening of this day and the morning of the 4th, the
patient followed the doCl:or's orders, and about 8 o'clock in
· ~he morning made a visit to the master of novices. To the
Inquiry whether he felt any better, the sick man answered
that he experienced no relief and that the pains were as
acute as ever, especially during the night' when he attempted
to lie down for a little rest. The master of novices then
told him of the favor granted through St. John Berchman~
�186
A .lriRACLE OF ST. JOH,Y BERCH.1IANS.
to a young boarder in our college at Linz, who had suffered
from an affection of the eyes, and advised him to place himself under the protection of th~ saint.
The novice aswered that he had already made a novena
to the Sacred Heart and St. John Berchmans, for whom,
since his entrance into the novitiate, he had cherished a
special devotion; but that so far his prayers had remained
unanswered. The master of novices then suggested that he
should have recourse to St. John Berchmans alone, since it
might be the will of the Sacred Heart to glorify the new
saint. He promised and went away.
As severe pains in the head were· now added to his other
sufferings, so that he was unfit for any mental labor, he employed himself for half an hour, by way of distraction, with
chaining beads. \Vhile thus engaged, he felt himself interiorly urged to pray immediately to St.John Berchmans, and
asked permission to go to the dormitory for this purpose.
There he took· out a picture of the saint, placed it upon his
table, and, kneeling before it, recited three Hail MarJ'S and
Glorias, together with the proper prayer of the Church, and
a hymn. Whilst reciting the last stanza of the hymn, he
applied a relic of the saint to the left shoulder, where thepain was greatest, and begged to be cured. Instantly all
pain ceased; he did the same to the right shoulder with the
same result; he then applied the relic to his head, and there,
too, on the instant, all pain likewise vanished. He went
immediately, well and perfectly cured, to the master of novices and related what had taken place.
Yesterday, the 5th, he went to the church, where he used
to suffer most, on account of the cold, and sang" in the choir
with the others during the Mass and general Conmnmion of
the sodality of the young men, who had that morning finished their annual retreat. He experienced no inconvenience whatever. He is perfectly cured.
During the time of this sickness, he had experienced also
great spiritual dryness and desolation, which also disappeared entirely with the bodily cure. The novice himself
looked upon this spiritual change as more wonderful than the
healing of his bodily infirmity. At 6 P. ~I. on February the
sth, a solemn thanksgiving took place in the novitiate, at
which most of the fathers also assisted. The master of novices related what had taken place; the hymn, which the sick
novice had recited at the time of his cure, was sung by all
before the picture of the saint; then followed the Te Deum
with its versicle and prayer, and finally the prayer of the
Church in honor of St. John Berchmans. ll1irabilis Deus
i1t sanflzs suzs I
�VERY REV. FR. GENERAL'S JUBILEE AUDIENCE
WITH THE HOLY FATHER.
In order to present His Holiness, in the name of the
whole Society, with gifts and congratulations on the fiftieth
anniversary of his priesthood, and to thank him for conferring the honors of canonization on our three Blessed, Very
Rev. Fr. General requested an audience of the Sovereign
Pontiff for himself, the FF. Assistant and Secretary, and for
the five provincials of Spain, Portugal and .j3elgium, who
had been summoned to Rome for the feast of the Canonization of the three Blessed. The Holy Father assented,
naming for the day of the audience, the twenty-second of
January, at r 1.30 A. 111. Accordingly, on that day, shortly
before the appointed hour, the above named fathers were in
the halls of the Vatican, at the pontifical audience-room.
Along with them had come the Father Superior of the Mission of the Philippine Islands, the substitute of the Secretary
for the Spanish assistancy, the socius of the Procurator of
the Society, the socius of the Provincial of Belgium, four
fathers of the Gregorian University, the reCtor, the prefeCt
of studies, the professors of scripture and of second year
metaphysics and, lastly, Fr. General's companion, a brother
who brought some of the gift offerings. Since the room
where the Sovereign Pontiff sat was not very large, the
Pontifical Chamberlain thought the fathers too many to go
in together, and he saw to the division of the party into two.
Not long after the appointed time, Fr. General entered
with the Assistants, followed by the five FF. Provincial.
When the Holy Father saw the first of them barely across
the threshold, ''Nearer," he said, sweetly and kindly, "come
nearer and stand around about me;" and when Fr. General and the Assistants had made the three customary prostrations, "arise," he added, "and remain standing." But as
the other five fathers, who came behind him, were just beginning the third prostration, the first delayed rising, and, in
t~e end, all remained kneeling. Then the Sovereign Pontiff made ready to listen, and Fr. General thereupon began
a short address, which had three parts.
He told, in the first place, how much and how fervently
the whole Society had prayed that His Holiness might reach
that most auspicious and blessed day on which he had cele.
(187)
�!88
THE JUBILEE AUDIENCE.
brated his golden jubilee, and congratulated him on the
magnificent and splendid display of love and devotion to
the holy Apostolic See and the Sovereign Pontiff himself,
which had been made by Catholic and non-Catholic peoples and their princes. He next expressed the deepest
gratitude for the remarkable favor conferred on the Society by the decree of the highest honors of Heaven's
Blessed to three sons of the Society at the same time,
and went on to enumerate the Holy Father's titles to
the gratitude of the Society, from the very beginning of his
pontificate, mentioning two in a special p1anner, his wise guidance of the Society, and his full confirmationof its institute and privileges from the Holy See. Lastly, he expressed
the feelings of gratitude, regard, love and devotedness of
all the sons of the Society towards the Holy See, and declared them all most "ready in all things to obey him and to
serve the Church. This address was short, and it was put
strongly, though plainly, and without parade of words.
The address over, he handed to the Sovereign Pontiff a
beautiful case of bank-notes to the amount of ros,ooo lire
Italian, which both Ours and our college pupils and sodality
members, throughout all the provinces and houses of the
Society, had contributed as a gift offering to the Sovereign
Pontiff, for the jubilee of his priesthood. He presented also
a very beautiful crucifix, exquisitely carved in ivory by the
famous artist Bissoni, which was put in the hall of the Vatican set apart for the public exhibition of gifts of this sort.
He then said there were other gifts, which could not just
then be brought to those same halls; to which the Holy
Father answered: "Send whatsoever you chogSt,: and I shall
have it exposed."
•
The Holy Father listened to Fr. General with close attention, and, to judge from his countenance and demeanor,
with much pleasure. After a brief recollection, he began his
answer, which showed how well he remembered what had
been said to him; for he took up the same three points,
changing only the order, passing from the first to the third,
and then returning to the second. He spoke slowly, articulating every word in clear and kindly tones, not in a formal, but in a familiar manner, as a father to his children.
He said that he had listened with pleasure to the sentiments
expressed by Fr. General; as for his sacerdotal jubilee, it
was no new or unheard of thing to reach one's fiftieth year
in the priesthooa, and he had intended to keep it without
any unusual public solemnity, but privately with his household and the Cardinals Palatine. When, however, some
noblemen of Bologna had become aware of th.is intention of
�THE JUBILEE AUDIENCE.
his, they expressed a wish that it should be made a public
festivity for Catholics, not of Italy only, but of all the world.
The gradual spreading of these small sparks had started
everywhere those vast flames of love and devotion manifested in so many different ways ;-in the sacred pilgrimages
to venerate the Apostolic See of Peter, in gifts beyond number, of costly price and beautiful workmanship, in the
appointment of special ambassadors, in autograph letters
from kings and emperors, among others the Queens of
Spain and of England, the Emperors of Austria and of
Germany, the Republic of France and the President of the
United States of North America, and in the most noble men
whom these had sent to honor him ; adding that such a
wonderful tribute of veneration and respect {or the Apostolic
See, and that from nearly every nation, even those which do
not profess Catholicity, must be ascribed to God alone, who
most clearly wished to show forth the immovable firmness
of the Church and of the Apostolic See, in spite of the many
whirlwinds and storms raging against them, so that all might
see how the Church but fairer grows amid oppression, verifying the poet's
)lerges profundo, pnlcrior evenit;
and that God wished, moreover, to console him in his many
bitter occasions of grie£
He next spoke of the Society, saying that it had ever
been dearly and highly appreciated by the Sovereign Pontiffs, who thought that its members were a bulwark to religion and the Church, and itself a legion of the bravest warriors, ever obedient to the call of the Holy See and ready
always to accomplish vast undertakings for the Church and
the salvation of souls. He himself had much .esteem and
fondness for the Society, and had shown it from the time of
his elevation to the supreme pontificate, not only in his intercourse with two of its Generals, Peter Beckx and Anthony
Anderledy, but also in bringing into the Sacred College of
Cardinals Fr. Camillus Mazzella, whose virtue and learning
were in such high repute among his colleagues, and in employing Cardinal Franzelin in affairs most important and
delicate. The Society, on its part, had ever obeyed him,
and minded not only his express wishes but even his slight~st beck, as he had found especially in the revision of studtes ; and therefore, for the good and fame of the Society, he·
had, with most fortunate results, taken steps such as the
?ecree confirming our Institute and privileges as set forth
Ill the Apostolic letters, and the one inscribing our three
Blessed in the Calendar of the Saints; but in all this he was
�190
THE JCBILEE AUDIENCE.
. only following the examples of his predecessors. And when
Father General remarked that His Holiness, by his confirmation of all previous approvals of our Institute and of the
privileges granted by former pontiffs, had himself done as
much for the Society as all the other pontiffs together since
its beginning, His Holiness answered that other pontiffs
also .had deserved well of the Society, like Paul III., whD
gave it existence and added many goodly favors. He then
began recording the beginning and progress of his love for
the Society; as he had loved it in boyhood, when first put
under the fathers of the college in Viterbo, to get from them
his first instruCtion and literary knowledge, so his love grew
stronger when he came to study philosophy and theology
in the Roman College under the best masters, such as Fathers Tapparelli, M~!'!ra, Perrone, Caraffa, and others whom
he named and praised; he had been wont, when a close
friend of Cardinal Sala, to visit often Father General John
Roothaan, whom he used to hold in the highest reverence,
and whom he now praised in a brief but lofty tribute. Reverting once more to the Blessed raised to saintly honors,
he said he often commended himself to them, and made special mention of his deep devotion to Saint John Berch mans,
which he had conceived as a boy in the college ofViterbo, on
receiving from Father Ubaldini, the ReCtor, a little image of
the young saint, then but Venerable, whom, with joy of soul,
he had just now raised to the ranks of the saints. Adding
a few other things, which escape the memory, he concluded,
after having spoken about half an hour.
Father General then begged the Holy Father to bless
him and the other fathers present, the whole..-'Society, and
those who had contributed any share of the money and gifts.
He consented most kindly, and said he would bless Father
General, the Assistants, the Provincials, and all the provinces,
houses and members of the Society, along with all others
mentioned by Fr. General, expressing also the wish that the
Provincials present would bring to their provinces the announcement of this blessing, which he then gave in solemn
formula, with great sentiments of devotion. He also requested Father General to tell him the name and office of
each of the fathers present, and, when it was done, as they
approached to kiss his hand and foot, he had a few kind
words for each, praising especially their respeCtive countries
and peoples. When Father Provincial of the Belgian Province presented him with an album of the Belgian colleges,
he received it pleasantly, making honorable mention of Fathers Franqueville and Matyss, whom he had known as
provincials of that province, when Pontifical Legate in. Bel-
�T.HE JUBILEE AUDIENCE.
gium. Bidding Father General remain, he dismissed the
others, so that those who were waiting outside might come
in. After a kind reception on their entrance, while all were
standing round him after having made their prostration, Fr.
ReEl:or of the Gregorian University was the first presented.
He offered a precious reliquary containing relics of the five
Saints, Aloysius Gonzaga, John Berchmans, Camillus de
Lellis, Leonard of Port Maurice, and John Baptist de Rubcis, who had been pupils in that university. The Holy Father showed that this was very pleasing to him, and said
that, after exposing it in the exhibition hall, he would ask it
back again to keep it in his own room. Father PrefeEl: of
Studies then displayed a volume giving a list of the young
men in attendance at the schools of the university, whereon
the Holy Father took occasion of lavishing praise on
the university and its studies and professors, declaring that
with all these he was fully satisfied, that he had recommended this lyceum to the foreign bishops then in Rome,
and that he was greatly rejoiced by its prosperity and its
daily increasing roll of students. Next came Father Superior of the Philippine Mission, who presented a gold pen, set
with gems and enclosed in a silver case, on which was engraved a Latin distich, in which the pupils of the Manilla
Normal School begged His Holiness to sign his name with
that pen on the Bull of the Canonization of Saint John
Berchmans; which, with a fatherly kindness, he promised to
do. The same father said there was a table made of precious woods and inlaid with ivory and silver, all beautifully
carved by the Indians of his mission, which was already in
Rome but could not just then be carried into the Vatican
halls. He presented a gold ring, set with most precious
stones, the gift of the Archbishop of Manilla, along with
printed and handsomely bound letters, which told of the
undertakings, the labors and fruits of Ours in those distant
regions. The Holy Father desired to make the acquaintance of each of the other fathers in particular; until, at
length, after an hour or more, all took leave, bringing away
feel_ings of love, gratitude and conso~ation, which will not
easily vanish from their souls,
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Extract from a Letter o/ Fr. Victor Garrand.
NoRTH YAKIMA,
Dec. 9th, 1888.
REVEREND AND DEAR FR. SUPERIOR,
P. C.
The number of Catholic families has been increasing here
of late, and more are expected before the end of winter, as
well as during the spring. As for the town itself, it is assuming, more and m.9re, the appearance of a city, and gives
far better promise than might have reasonably been expected in the beginning. The work upon our church is progressing slowly; but I feel confident that, when completed,
it will be a very neat and substantial structure. Thus far, in
its erection, I have contracted debts to the amount of eight
hundred dollars, hoping that money would come in gradually; but as yet I have been disappointed. However, I
hiJ.ve no fear of a deficiency in funds, when the time for
final settlement arrives. Nevertheless, I have informed my
creditors that I rely upon the good will of the people, and
that, in the event of their insisting upon a prompt payment,
they may have to send me to jail for a while; in which case,
doubtless, those who are holding back their subscriptions
will be sure to come forward. But, as I have already said,
there is no real danger of my being placed .so awkward
a~~t
in
·
The ground for the school-house, which is to be devoted
to the Indians, has not yet been broken ; but the lumber
has been bought and the plans drawn up. And although
work will not begin before March, beyond all doubt the
New Year will witness the realization of what we have so
long desired.
The unfavorable weather delays the work upon the Sisters'
school, and, of course, postpones all operations on the one
for the Indians. However, I hope to have the latter well
started in March. We expect to open with at least twenty
Catholic children from the reservation, and will probably
have some from other quarters.
Yesterday, the feast of our Immaculate Mother, and the
anniversary of the opening of our chapel for public worship,
was the occasion for the most elaborate ceremonies that,
{192)
�THE ROCKY .l!OUNTAINS.
193
have yet been seen within its walls. Before the Mass, I had
the happiness of receiving an entire family, consisting of a
mother, two boys and five girls, into the Church. It was
to be an especial feast for them ; so they had decorated the
altar very beautifully with garlands and flowers, and, best of
all, had spent the three days preceding in a sort of retreat
under my direCtion. I adapted the Spiritual Exercises of
our Holy Father to the occasion, and beheld the usual gratifying results. The celebration of the feast, therefore, began
with the recitation of the Nicene Creed and the ACl:s of
Faith, Hope, Charity, and Contrition. Then followed the
ceremony for the baptism of adults, and afterwards that for ·
children. Although we had started at nine o'clock, the time
passed so rapidly that it was after eleven o'clock when the
Mass was begun. It had peen my intention to give a short
instruCtion, but, whilst reading the Gospel, I was so much
affeCl:ed that I took advantage of the lateness of the hour,
and announced that the sermon would be given at Vespers.
So, in the afternoon, with the same numerous congregation
and my eight neophytes before me, I gave expression to my
feelings, and called upon all to join with me during the
BenediCtion, in returning thanks to Almighty God and his ,
Blessed Mother for their many blessings and favors to each
of us there present.
During the baptism, each of the boys received, as his
white garment, a surplice; in, which they afterwards appeared whilst serving me at Mass. The five girls in white
robes received, along with their mother, the veils which
they had previously made. Everything tended to move the
heart, as well as to please the eye; and, in the evening,
when all was over, the good mother came to thank me, saying, as indeed she might with great truth, that she had
never felt so happy in her life. I gave her my blessing, and
expressed the hope that our Blessed Lady would ever keep
the souls of each of them in the blissful state in which they
Were that day.
I have great hope of receiving others soon. That our
Lord and his Blessed Mother may be pleased to lead many
of these poor people into the true fold, is the ardent prayer
and desire of his unworthy minister, and
Your Reverence's servant in Domino,
VICTOR GARRAND, S. J.
�194
THE"ROCKY llfOUNTAINS.
Letter from ivfr. Post.
ST. IGNATIUS, MoNTANA,
Feb. 23rd, 1888.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
The Mission of St. Ignatius, from which this letter is
dated, was the third which the worthy Father De Smet.
founded here in the Rocky Mountains; the first being St.
Mary's Mission, about forty miles south of Missoula, in the
Bitterroot valley, and the second, that among the Nez Perces Indians, which is now known as the Cceur d'Alene
Mission.
·
Father De Smet,4t is true, was the first who succeeded
in gathering our Indians around the foot of the cross, and
so he must be said to have given life to our mission; but
its fostering and developing element, must be attributed to
·the courage and zeal of our dear old Father J. Menetrey,
now residing In Missoula with good Father J. D'Aste.
St. Ignatius, in the so called Flathead Indian Reservation,
can be said to-day to be a really flourishing mission. Our
Indians, mostly of the Flathead and Kalispel tribes, as well
as the many half-breeds who live around here, are, generally
speaking, succ~eeding well. Attendance at church is by no
means a burden to them, and, in f:>ct, they all give evidence
of true Christian faith. One thing, the regret of which
Your Reverence \vill surely share with me, is, that some
Indian families seem not to understand their. natural and
inalienable duties towards their children. B()_};S and girls,
eight, nine and ten years of age, can be seen running about
by the score, and, though they come to church, they never
attend the school. \Vhat is the reason? you may ask. It is
said that some of the Indians have an altogether misplaced
parental affection, and hence they cannot bear their children's absence. You know our two schools are mainly for
boarders, and thus our pupils have not many chances to be
with their folks; some few, however, get permission to spend
their long vacation at home. At present, we have about
seventy boys; the Sisters' school counts, I believe, more
than eighty pupils. Our school-house and residence have
become too small, and one class has to be taught in the
chapel; hence o.ur superiors have resoh·ed upon building a
new residence. The new building was commenced on the
feast of St. Francis Borgia; and even at present it attracts
great attention. It is two stories high, and the carpenters,
who, by the way, did the whole work, are at present putting
�THE ROCKY llfOUNTAINS.
I<)5
up the projected French roof, which is so constructed as to
afford the advantage of a third story. A large chapel is
comprised in this new residence; hence, the chapel in the
school-house can continue to be used as a class-room, and it
will probably take years before the school-house will need
to be enlarged.
Perhaps you wish me to say something about the Indian
language. First of all, you must know tnat the dialect
spoken here by our Indians, viz., Selish or Flathead or Kalispel Indian dialect, is altogether different from that spoken
either by the Nez Perces or the Blackfeet. Last vacation,
some Blackfeet Indians came to take home a few boys, who
had been at school here for years, and it happened that not
even one of our fathers could converse with them, although
they know the Selish dialect perfectly. I cannot say very
much about the nature of the language, as Your Reverence
will easily suppose; still, this much I can affirm, that there
is something very peculiar in the Indian's speech. Some
time ago, a tall blind Indian, about forty years of age, was
with us during the noon recreation .. He was, indeed, a
splendid speaker, and I kept my eyes fixed upon him admiringly although I could not understand a single word he
said. You should have seen his copious and graceful gestures, and heard the variety of tones he employed, all, as our
fathers said, adapted to the nature of his discourse. This
Selish dialect is understood by the Flathead, Kalispel, Kootenay, Bitterroot, Spokane, Colville, and Crow Indians.
So far I have done very little in the way of the study of
Indian; not because books are wanting, for both an Indian
grammar and dictionary have been on my desk for a long
while. The grammar was written by our late Father Meng,arini. The dictionary comprises two volumes: IndianEnglish and English-Indian, but, it is said that to learn
Indian by means of private study is a pretty difficult undertaking and, perhaps, an altogether useless attempt. The
m_ost efficient ·method would be to learn it by conversing
Wtth Indians or, perhaps, the best of all would be to do the
latter and not to neglect the former, that is, to make a happy
combination of the two ways.
·
Recommending myself to Your Reverence's prayers and
holy sacrifices
'
I remain your least brother in Christ,
J. PosT, S. J.
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
Fr. Viflol' Garrand to Rev. Fr. Cataldo.
NoRTH YAKntA,
REV. AND VERY DEAR FATHER SUPERIOR,
April 4th, 1888.
P. C. and Alleluia!
As I am nO\\., confined to my room with a very bad cold,
I think the best thing I can do is to give Your Reverence
an account of the past three months' mission-work. First,
then, we have been building what might be called a double
church, the one up-stairs, for the whites of the neighborhood, and the other, a sort of half-basement, for the Indians.
The former is now far enough ad\·anced for us to hold divine service there, oqr first Mass having been celebrated on
Maundy Thursday. The Sodality of the Sacred Heart
has been well organized during the three months, and we ·
have three promoters of the Apostleship of Prayer, each
with a band of fifteen associates. Under the lead of these
associates, the sodalists discharged the office of adorers at
the repository, coming regularly, one after another, during
the whole time of the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament.
This saved me a great deal of labor, as I had only to notify
the promoters, and they saw the members and arranged
with them as to the hours at which they could come to
church on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. Indeed,
my white congregation gives me rather consolation than
trouble, and, thanks be to God, its number was lately increased, during the month of March, by the arrival of four
excellent Catholic families from Minnesota. --1his I regard
as a special gift from St. Joseph to St. Joseph's Mission of
Yakima.
·
The Indians are improving very much. My right-hand
man is Ignace. I made a friend of him soon, and through
him I can do, not indeed all that I please, but, certainly, far
more than I could do without him. Charles Moun and his
son Louis have, unfortunately, no influence at all ; and,
though I employ them a good deal, I always give Ignace
the precedence. He is especially able to go ahead and take
the lead. A word from him will make the heart of these
Indians either thrill with joy or tremble with fear. The
number of Indians that I have seen during my stay at Yakima has never exceeded one hundred together at our
meetings. Last Sunday, about that many were present at
Mass. They had come previously on Palm Sunday, and I
had told Ignace that our next meeting would be at Attanom, on the eighth of April.
·
�THE ROCKY .MOUNTAINS.
197
"No Mass on Easter Sunday for the Indians ! " he exclaimed. "That is not good, father."
"Well," said I, "I cannot go to Yakima City on that day,
as I have too many whites to attend to here. So, if you all
wish to go, go there; but you will have to go to Father
Raiberti. He will be there."
"But why not come here?" Ignace persisted.
"Because," I answered, "your church here is not yet finished, and you told me yourself that you did not like to be
with the white people."
"\Vould you be displeased if we should come here?"
"Oh, by no means. On the contrary; come and you will
be welcome; but the place where we must meet is Attanom,
on the 8th of April."
·with these words we parted, but on Holy Saturday all
my Indians were here; and Ignace told me triumphantly:
"I bring you ten Indians to be baptized-two babies and
eight grown people."
"Do they know all that they should know?" I asked.
"Some, yes ; some, scarcely enough ; but I answer for
them that they will know by allll by. They are all under
my control."
Here Ignace introduced his friends to me, one after another. There were three old squaws in the number, who
knew very little, but Ignace said that their heads, being old,
were as hard as stone, and that it was difficult to make them
. understand well; but he added that they believed firmly
and thoroughly, and that, moreover, Augustina, his wife,
would teach them. So I said, "All right!" There were
also three young women, wives of Catholics, who were well
enough instrud:ed. On Easter Sunday, therefore, I had a
very solemn festival at North Yakima. On Saturday, I had
begun to hear the confessions of my Indians at a late hour,
and had been obliged to quit them several times, to hear
some of the whites; so that at midnight I had heard only
half of them. Ignace, however, sent them all to bed, most
of them sleeping in the basement of the church, and, at five
o'clock in the morning, they were again knocking at my
door to make their confessions. At half past eight I had
heard them all. Then I celebrated the first Mass, for the
Indians only, and fifty-seven of them received Holy Communion. They sang their sweet songs and said their cadenced prayers during Mass, as usual. The Mass being
over, I dismissed them until after the Mass for the whites.
At ten o'clock the whites· came. For many of them, it
Wa!l the first time they had seen the new church, and they
VoL.
XVII,
No.
2.
I3
�t.y!
T'HE ROCKY llfOUNTAI.!'lS.
filled it up so well that, though I was greatly f..•tigued, I felt
very much encouraged and strengthened. The dizziness
in my head passed away while I was preaching, and I
preached more fervently than I had done for a long time.
My white congregation has reason to be proud of its choir
and charming music. During the Mass, I almost fancied
myself back again in Father Loyzance's great church in
Troy, and my heart was indeed filled with delight.
After the Mass for the white people, Ignace rang the bell,
and again my Indians crowded into the church. I first announced that, on the third Sunday after Easter, that is, on
the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph, the whole tribe of
the Yakima Indians, as well as the surrounding tribes, and,
in r..,a, all the Catholics of the neighborhood, should be
present at the blessiqg of the Indian school, and at the same
time should bring their children and give them in charge to
the Sisters. The satisfaCtion and joy they all expressed at
the announcement brought tears to my eyes, and, for a little
while, I was unable to speak. Then I repeated it more
calmly and told them to come in their best attire, as we
should have a procession from the church to the school. and
a grand religious display at the blessing and occupation of
the school; for on that day we intend to do something worthy of the occasion. If Your Reverence could only attend
the celebration, I know it would greatly increase .the solemnity of the feast and bring no slight consolation to all my
parishioners. After the announcement, and a short instruc·
tion on the Easter Communion, I proceeded to the baptism
of the grown people, for all of whom Ignace stood as godf..•ther, and then I baptized the babies, thirteen)h_ all. ~our
marriage ceremonies followed this, and, at halfpast two, I
was able to go to Brother Carfagno, who had been waiting
patiently for me with a good dinner, which had now grown
cold. He was very much satisfied with the results of the
day's work, but scolded me because I did not take things
calmly enough and was killing myself for nothing. He
was somewhat right in this, and I am now paying the penalty by being. unwell. But this cold will soon pass away.
On my return from Attanom next Sunday, I intend to begin
my retreat, though it comes at an inopportune time just now;
July or August would be better, as during those two months
there is comparatively little to do. Next year I shall choose
that time. I commend myself to the pious prayers of Your
Reverence; I need them badly, for, after all, I am but a very
poor missionary.
Rae: V ;:e infimus in X to servus,
VICTOR GARRAND,
S.
J.
�BRAZIL.
MISSION OF THE RIO GRANDE.
Before entering on a description of the Rio Grande Mission, we shall state, in a few words, the religious condition
of the German colonists before the coming of the missionaries. The first immigrants arrived from Germany about
the year I 82 5 ; some of them founded the city of Sao Leopolda, whilst the others began to cultivate the land in the
neighboring districts. They were not remarkable for religious fervor, partly because ·they had grown up in the fatherland during the days when religion was at an ebb, partly
because there were in the new country no German-speaking
priests.. Thus it happened that Catholics, intermarrying
with non-Catholics, followed about the same religious principles as the latter, ami sank into imlifferentism. Nay, such
became the state of affairs, that a layman used to read
and chant the Mass from a missal. These evils increased
during the revolution of I834-45, when unbridled license
obtained. Nor was there any change for the better until
the year I 848, when the Austrian Province sent two fathers
of the Society to alleviate the wretched condition of the
abandoned German colonists. One, Fr. Austin Lipinski,
founded a parish at Sao Miguel, the second, Fr. Sedlach,
established the mission of Sao Jose. The colonists were
filled with joy at the coming of the fathers, who found an
abundant harvest. They traversed those vast regions, exhorting the faithful to erect churches and open Catholic
schools; but, finding themselves too few in number for such
~ wide field of labor, they asked help of the German Provlllce, whence they obtained Fr. Michael Kellner and Fr.
Boniface Kliiber, both of whom arrived during the month
of August, 1858. Fr. Kliiber founded a residence at Sao
Leopoldo, and was appointed pastor of that city in the beginning of the year 18 59· He was a man of unflagging
energy, and gave himself up without respite to his priestly
Work. He was untiring in giving missions, and in teaching
t~1e German and Brazilian children ; he revalidated marnages, and travelled with apostolic vigor throughout the
length and breadth of the land. Indeed it were difficult to
estimate how much he labored, how many souls he gained
(199)
�200
BRAZIL.
to God; for, in those days, many a Catholic was awakened
- from the fatal languor of indifferentism; many a non-Catholic was brought into the Churcli..
But, as might have been expected, man's arch-enemy did
not leave unmolested so happy a course of events. In these
regions, Protestantism and indifferentism had long held sovereign sway; Catholics, without asking for a dispensation,
had intermarried with non-Catholics, to such an extent,
that but little difference was visible between Catholics and
Protestants. Hence, the heretics conceived a most violent
hatred against the importunate missionary, for having declared war against indifferentism. Around these heretics
there rallied others, Catholics by name, but infidels at heart,
who were led by the editor of a German masonic gazette.
They were joined by many Brazilians, who, whilst keeping
up an outward show of CatholiCism, refused, nevertheless,
to be converted and return to the use of the sacraments.
These enemies of religion spread lies and calumnies everywhere among the people. "The missionaries," they said,
"are disturbers of the peace, nor can quiet be restored
unless they are driven out." And this result, indeed, was
only prevented by the vigorous resistance with which the
colonists encountered the machinations of the infidels. Fr.
Boniface, whom they hated most, was recalled from his post
by his superiors, in 1868, and returned to Europe.
Whilst this relentless war .continued against the German
fathers, greater tranquillity was enjoyed by the Spanish and,
subsequently, by the Italian fathers in the city of Porto
Alegre, where they ministered to the spiritua.I wellbeing of
the Brazilians. Little by little the ill feeling _towards the
German fathers subsided, and, as the number of Germans
increased yearly, and new colonies were founded, it became
necessary to call for new missionaries. In order to further
still more the interests of the German colonists, Very Rev.
Fr. Beckx intrusted the mission of the Rio Grande to the
German Province. This was on the 14th of July, 1869. At
that time Ours had already founded the residences and parishes of Sao Leopolda, Sao Miguel and Sao Jose. The
German Catholics of Porto Alegre soon procured a chapel
of their own, and a missionary was assigned to them. Afterwards the extensive parish of Santa Cruz was established, its
first pastor being Fr. Joseph Stuer. To these were added
the ne\V parishes and residences of Sao Pedro, Sao Joao,
Santo Antonio, "Sao Salvador, Born Principia, Sao Sebastiao
and Santo Ignacio. Thus Ours have, at present, thirteen
residences and sixteen parishes, whilst they also attend some
ninety stations. Our vast and painful work, our rugged and
�BRAZIL.
20I
unremitted travels have, by God's grace, borne fruit. On
Sundays and holidays, the colonists drive in large numbers
to the churches to be present at the High Mass and sermon.
They approach th~ sacraments frequently, and lead a most
Christian life.
The first endeavor of our fathers had been to establish,
even at the smallest and poorest stations, Catholic schools,
supported by the colonists, and supplied with good teachers.
There was, however, as yet no school for higher education,
and those who wished to pursue their classical studies were
obliged to go either to Protestant or to infidel teachers.
This was a serious evil, and in order to remedy it, a college
was opened, on July 31st, 1870, at Sao Leopolda, with five
scholars. This number, it is true, gradually increased, yet
it was necessary to strive, during eight consecutive years,
against great difficulties. For the college was without money
or a fitting edifice, many parents detested religious education, numerous calumnies were afloat concerning the Jesuits,
and the public was prejudiced against them, especially during
the sway of the Kulturkampf in Germany; and besides
we were ppposed by the Protestants and the freemasons.
But every outward circumstance has given way before the
constancy and unwearying toil of the professors. A splendid college building has been erected and the scholars have
distinguished themselves in the public examinations, so that
to-day the Protestant college in this city has but a few pupils,
whereas the college of the Society has two hundred boarders ; some of these are Germans, but the greater number
are Brazilians. All are in the best possible dispositions.
It was also necessary to provide for the education of girls.
Hence, by invitation of Fr. William Feldhauss, then Superior of the Mission, six Sisters of the Third Order of St.
Francis arrived from Germany at Sao Leopolda, on Easterday, r88z. Here they founded St. Joseph's Academy, where
a solid religious and superior literary education is given to
the young ladies of the city as well as to one hundred
and thirty daughters of the nobility. Not long afterwards,
more sisters arrived and founded an academy in Santa Cruz.
They also opened at Porto Alegre a day-school, which numbers two hundred pupils, a school for colored girls, and
a hospital.
We must add that, in 1870, the missionaries founded a
Catholic journal, the Vo!ksb!att. This was an undertaking
of great practical importance, for, of the twp German papers
then published, one was Protestant, whilst the other upheld
atheism and Darwinism. Both were constantly spreading
among the people the most atrocious falsehoods concerning
�202
TEXAS.
the Catholic faith. Our paper, which was called the Jesuits',
vigorously resisted these two during the space of ten years ;
it unmasked their errors, and gave a true explanation of
Catholic principles, until, finally, its adversaries no longer
dare to publish such arrant calumnies. Such, then, have
been the rise and progress of the German Mission of the
Rio Grande.
TEXAS.
-"GoNZALES, TEXAS, March 12th, 1888.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
I received a postal card, requesting me to continue my
correspondence. Yesterday, Sunday, as I was thinking over
the day's labor, cooking, singing Mass, confessions, sermons,
sacristan work, I thought a detailed description. would be
interesting; but then came the thought - it would be so
trivial and so self-conceited; and so, this morning, as I had
a little spare time, before riding to Coe Valley, I concluded
to build agai!._l St. Ignatius' Mission, where, during this winter, I have encountered only "northers" and rain; so that I
have never had, since mid- December, one congregation of
respeCl:able numbers, about twenty or twenty-five, and more
than half of those non-Catholics. I am afrai9 that it is not
worthy of a place in the LETTERS, but do as .yqu please, and
if you want that Sunday work, drop me a card to that effeCt.
Now for Caseto and a sixteen mile ride over wretched roads.
Yours in Christ,
F. P. GARESCHE, s. J. .
. In my last letter I spoke of St. Ignatius' Chapel at Lockhart, Texas, called by the citizens "the Mexican barn." Fr.
Morandi, whose companion I was for some years at Seguin,
had transferred to that place a part of our old frame schoolhouse, having purchased a couple of acres outside the town.
Finding the situation unsuitable, principally because there
was no access to it save through property which might be
at any time fen.ced, I sold the lot, and undertook to build in
a more convenient place. From the sale I obtained $200 in
cash, the remaining $300 in notes. Two hundred more
were colleCl:ed in the town, one half by an ice-cream entertainment, the other by subscription, in which Catholics and
�TEXAS.
203
non-Catholics united. I began to build in· September, and
in November said Mass there for the first time.
The building is 55 by 26 feet, with a projecting south
chamber at the rear, in which the priest can sleep; furniture
for this room, as also the principal vestments for the Mass,
were left here by Fr. Morandi. The altar is in a semi-octagonal apse, two small apartments being cut off from the
sanctuary for sacristy and confessional, the former adding
space to the priest's apartment. The top of these rooms is
adorned with scroll-work, stained and varnished like all the
other mouldings and scroll-work; the ceiling and sides of
the church are of varnished Texan pine. The outside of the
church is painted lavender gray, trimmed with reddish brown.
There is a neat railing to the sanctuary and to the choir gallery. The altar, which costs me about $35, is the one used by
us in the college chapel, painted white and blue, with carvings of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Most Pure Heart of
Mary and the I. H. S. and nails of the Society in the middle,
bronzed. The reredos, steps and tabernacle, are an addition ; the panels of the former are of cypress, diapered, with
nickel stars in each diamond; the frame painted white, blue
for the chamfers and mouldings. The tabernacle and reredos
· are surmounted by black walnut scroll-work. Above the
apse, the semicircle, studded with nickel-plated stars, is also
crowned with scroll-work, repeating, though not exactly, the
pattern on the apartments. \Ve have also a neat set of stations. The lot is well fenced, panelled on the sides, pickets in front, total cost $1300. A charitable lady in St. Louis
sent me Sroo; Fr. Lalumiere, who has assisted me in all
my undertakings, sent me four hundred intentions which the
bishop and his priests kindly aided me in fulfilling.
So much for the building, to which I hope to add a belfry
and bell this autumn, if the Lord gives us a good crop. As
for the spiritual edifice, alas, that is another opus. At first
a general protest was made against the Mexicans, who form
the majority, and to whom we owed the purchase of the
former lot. I compromised by giving the north half of the
auditorium to the -Mexicans and the other to the "whites,"
so distinguished in Texas.
The faith is wonderfully dead in these Texan Catholics,
so long abandoned. Fr. Morandi used to say Mass in a
Mexican jacal to which only two of them would go. When
he transferred the school-house to the lot he had purchased,
he was recalled to Mexico, and from that time until I took
charge they had Mass but twice. I can count the regular
communicants on the fingers of both hands; when I commenced, the fingers of one hand wen~ more than sufficient.
�• 204
TEXAS.
My principal layman, Irish, had been a freemason and had
not been to his duties for over forty years. His wife had
never made her first Communion. His two daughters were
educated in a convent at Austin, one is a communicant, the
other is not allowed by her husband to go to confession, and
but seldom to Mass ; the three boys are nearly ready for
Communion. The other, and the principal family, is German; the father, mother, and married daughter (the wife of
my carpenter), are monthly communicants, the three sons
have lost the faith, though I have hopes for the youngest,
whom I have made treasurer of the congregation. Of the
Mexicans, only one family goes to monthly Communion,
father, mother, two daughters and two sons, whom I prepared for their first Communion. Some three or four others
occasionally approach. As for the Protestants, you cannot
conceive their utter ignorance of our faith, nay their absurdly false notions about its doCl:rines. Still they come
willingly to hear me, in which they contrast favorably with
those of Gonzales.
This year has been an exceptional one for the repeated
and severe "northers." Such sleet and snow and ice were
never known; and I assure you that, on more than one occasion, the ablutions were freezing, and once the paten froze
to my lips at the "Agnus Dei,'' though I had kept the chalice and cruets~ on the stove to the very commencement of
the Mass. But we have our consolations. One convert,
one Catholic child saved from the seCl:s, making her first
Communion and advancing year by year in piety and devotion; one family, after a year's work, becoming monthly
communicants; a congregation that numbered only ten
communicants at Easter, now giving twenty or more every
month, as at Columbus, where a Sisters' school deserves all
the credit ;-these give me more consolation, cause more
rejoicing than the most crowded mission with its triumphs
ever did. It was of Columbus that the vicar-general of
Galveston wrote to my bishop: "I hear that Fr. Garesche
has done great things; but it is easy to build churches; if
he does anything with that congregation at Columbusthat wiii be a miracle." The last time I met him he acknowledged that the miracle was there. I attributed it to the
Sisters, as I do now, my share being the forcible retaining
of the school, against the conviCl:ion of bishop and Rev.
Mother, and, of course, blowing, as loud and tunefully as I
can, the trumpet, and clashing the cymbals. Laus Deo.
�MEXICO.
AN ACCOUNT OF A MISSION GIVEN AT THE CHURCH OF
STA IIIARIA IN PARRAS, IN THE DIOCESE OF DURANGO.
At the break of day, on the 10th of December, the two
fathers who were to give the mission reached Parras, to the
great gratification of the clergy and people who had been
eagerly expecting them. Two years previously a mission
had been given in this same place by Fr. Labrador with
great success; ilnd, consequently, the present missionaries
found the ground well prepared.
As the stage-coach rolled into the city, the f:<thers were
met by a large concourse of people under the leadership of
the pastor of Sta Maria, Don Feliciano Cordero, and were
conducted to the parochial residence. After a short rest,
Fr. La Cerda, superior of the missionaries, proposed to the
people the order to be followed by those desiring to profit
by this season of grace. He announced that the exercises
of the mission, for the grown people, would be given in the
evening, while those for the children, tinder the direction of
Fr. Arguelles, would be given in the morning.
On the following day, the mission for the adults began
with every prospect of success. The missionaries, the curate
and his assistant, Don Jose Bocardo, vested iri penitential
copes, proceeded from the sacristy and prostrated themselves before the main altar. The crucifix from the main
altar was then borne in procession around the church. During. the procession, the fathers sang the hymn "A mission os
llama," to which the five thousand yoices of those who
thronged the spacious church answered in chorus. The
procession was followed by a doctrinal discourse by Fr. La
Cerda, the recitation of the rosary by the pastor, the singing
of the "Salve Regina" or other hymns; and the exercises of
the evening were concluded by a moral sermon.
Every night the concourse of the people increased, drawn
by the fervor and earnestness of the missionary. The pastor
was delighted, as he saw among those whom the word of
God attracted, old sinners who had not crossed the threshold of the church for many years. On the first night of
the mission, while Fr. La Cerda was preaching on the End
of Man, the use a Christian should make of creatures, the
(zos)
�MEXICO.
nobility of man who is the crowning work of creation, the
height of man's destiny, and the love and perpetual praise
due to God, a rancltcro, who was standing ncar the pulpit,
threw himself on the ground, struck his breast and cried
out: "Oh Father, pardon me, for I've been a greater brute
than my horse, but I shan't be so any more." And, in faCt,
during the rest of the mission, the man never left the
church, except to get some necessary food.
·
On the following night, the sermon on death produced a
most profound impression. The silence of t.he tomb reigned
throughout the assembly, while the preacher explained the
solemn truth that death is written on the brow of every man.
The effect of the sermon was heightened by a catafalque,
reared within sight of, the whole audience, whereon burned
two candles whose fl"mes, fluttering in the wind, illumined
momentarily a flcshlcss skull-fitting symbol of the end of
all worldly glory. ·
The next sermon was on judgment. But Fr. La Cerda
was obliged to leave it unfinished. The mourning and weeping became so frequent, and the outcries of sorrow were
so vehement and so continuous, that it seemed as if the
peQple had realized that the terrible day of reckoning, when
the Lord shall judge the living and the dead, was already
upon them. I saw an old man stretched on the ground,
weeping copiously and in broken accents crying out continuously: "0 Father Jesus, pardon for my sons, pardon for this
poor old man who has always found you a Father! 0 Father
Jesus," he cried out in a heroic outburst of love, "pardon
for the tears that your dear mother shed at th~ foot of the
cross, and if ever the children of my heart shoqld be about
to offend you, destroy them!" The hymn "Pcrd6n oh Dios
mio" was then chanted by the immense crowd, and seemed
a necessary alleviation from the pain of such great sorrow.
So finished the moving exercises of that night, so full of
salutary grief which" the grace of God had excited in every
heart.
On the evening of the 17th, a sermon was given to prepare the people for the final act of the mission-the forgiving
their enemies. Fr. La Cerda preached on the parable of
the prodigal son. Opening the Bible he began his exordium
by saying: "I ask you, my brethren, to give car to the words
of our Lord, in order that the call which I am going to
make this evenil}g, to all sinners who desire to cast themselves into the arms of our heavenly Father, may be most
efficacious." He then read the telling narrative of the prodigal son, the inimitable simplicity of which is so peculiar to
the books of divine inspiration. His discourse was marked
�llfEXICO.
20'J
by persuasiveness and an enchanting eloquence, and finished
by an appeal to the Virgin Mother of all sinners. So well
prepared had the people been by this exercise that they
awaited with eagerness the opening of the following exercise. For many hours before the first bell the whole church
was filled ; and several times the pastor was obliged to go
and assign places to the people. The men were put in the
presbytery and the four chapels of the church, while the
body of the church was occupied solely by the women.
The customary exer!=ises opened the evening; but during
them a look of unusual expeCtation was on every countenance, and from time to time the audience glanced impatiently towards the pulpit. Finally the preacher appeared
in the pulpit, and, after rendering a homage of love and
fealty to our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, began his
discourse by relating the parable of the ungrateful servant.
The fervor, the rapid eloquence and the simple but keen insight with which the preacher paraphrased the bible narrative, moved the people to sentiments of Christian charity
and forbearance. The tears and breathless silence in which
they listened were proofs sufficient of what was passing in
their hearts. The missionary paused for a moment, and
then asked pardon of his hearers for whatever disedification
he had given them. The pastor, addressing the missioners,
asked pardon for himself and his beloved flock, and begged
the Lord to give them all the grace to persevere in the
learning that showed the way to heaven. The Blessed Sacrament was then borne in procession through the church,
while Fr. La Cerda exhorted the people to forgive their
enemies, in imitation of their Lord, who deigned to pass
among them forgiving them their offences. It was certainly
a day of glory and triumph for the Sacred Heart of Jesus
as he moved among so many souls who were returning to
him and offering in holocaust to him the rebellion of their
most unconquerable passions. I shall not easily forget the
profound impression produced by that processional march
of the King of Heaven.
After that day the tribunal of penance was the consolation
of the many souls that flocked in crowds to be reconciled
to God. Another missioner came to Parras to help to gather
the abundant harvest that was ripe for the granaries of
heaven. Confessions of five, ten, twenty and forty years
were heard. One old sinner of eighty years made his confession for the first time. More than five thousand five hundred people went to confession, of whom three hundred
Were children preparing for their first Communion.
�JffEXICO.
REIIIEIIIBRANCES OF OUR FATHERS OF THE OLD SOCIETY
IN PARRAS.
The mission of Parras was begun by Fr. Geronimo Ramirez, a tireless and zealous workman, and an intrepid missionary, who has left, throughout the republic and in other
lands, a lasting remembrance of his learning and holiness.
\Ve do not know whether Mass was first said in the mission
by Fr. Ramirez or by Fr. Espinosa, but a work of art belonging to the church attached to our former college in the
city, shows that it was said by a father of the Society. The
picture of which we speak is in the possession of the curate,
the licentiate, D. Feliciano Cordero. It is a bust of our
Savior, and is a very creditable work of art in the opinion
of those fitted to judge. Below it is the following inscription, which the writer has often seen: "Before this sacred
picture, the, first Mass. was said in the cave of Texcalco by
a priest of the Society of Jesus, on the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, in the year 1 594·" This document and
the fact that Our Lady of the Assumption is the titular feast
of Parras, give a foundation to the belief that the fathers of
the Society mentioned above, and not a religious of some
other order, were the founders of this Christian community.
Great must h.i_tve been the joy felt by the fathers on again
entering, after more than a century, that very church whence
their brothers in religion had sent up their prayers to heaven. It is still in good condition and has the great solidity
characteristic of buildings of former generations. The well
preserved retable of the high altar is in the ~taste of that
time, and the statues of the saints of the Society which
adorn it have not much artistic merit, though that of St.
Ignatius, which occupies the centre over the altar, seems to
be from a more skilful hand. The great and immortal chief
stands .in the midst of his children, holding in his hands the
divine book of his Constitutions. In the chapels, there are
paintings of much taste and greater merit. Some of them
would attract the attention of artists. In· this church Fr.
Arguelles gave the instructions in catechism in the last days
of our mission.
Those happy days for the pious city of Parras seemed to
have returned, when, in the church of St. Ignatius, they
heard from the sanctuary the voice of one of his children.
After a few moments of prayer, Fr. Arguelles ascended the
pulpit, and one could have noted in his countenance the
ineffable joy he felt at standing where his brethren in religion
had stood, for the last time, more than q. century before, on
�MEXICO.
the very day of the expulsion by Charles III., to bid a last
good-bye to their children. We have found out, and Fr.
Arguelles will forgive us for telling it, that when he ascended and left the pulpit, he kissed the floor in a transport
of joy, bathing it, perhaps, in the sweet tears that such happy
memories drew from him. On an elevation in the picturesque valley in which the city is situated, is the place where
the first Mass was said. It is a cave, called the cave of
Texcalco, cut out of the rock, some four yards high and
about three wide. The people have always cherished a
great devotion for the spot, and have placed within the cave
a wooden cross with a white shroud hanging from its arms.
The present owner, D. Antero Perez, a Spaniard, told one
of our fathers that it was his intention to decorate this
memorable place, to preserve the recollection of the foundation of the mission and of the city.
There is another memorial of our fathers in the character
of the people of the neighborhood, who, in their manners,
their religious spirit, and their Christian courtesy, show the
indelible impress of the teaching that their ancestors received
from the fathers of the Society. And it gives them great
pleasure to be able to say that the Society of Jesus lives
again among them, after so many vicissitudes and so long a
separation. And the hope that the illustrious sons of Loyola may come back to their home, is fed by the faith that
they taught them, and by the sweet and gentle consolation
which, with lavish hands and ardent zeal, they have been
pouring upon the people of the city and country. May the
Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary grant their prayer.
FROM A LETTER WRITTEN TO BR. !IIANUEL MIRANDA,
PROFESSOR OF RHETORIC IN SALTILLO.
ST. SawN, Dec. 27th, I88J.
Mv
DEAR BRoTHER IN XT.,
P. C.
We began our retreat on November the 25th. During it
I had a distraction in the thought of giving a retreat to the
people attached to this ltacimda When my retreat was
over, I proposed it to Fr. Luis G. Morandi, the Rector, and
he gave me his permission. Then I began to be somewhat
afraid, as I know how useless I am, but still, my dear brother,
our Lord made use of me in '81, so that no one could say
"I did this," but that all should praise God.
The number of ranc!tcros who came for the retreat was
three hundred and twenty-five, a very considerable number,
�:210
llfEXICO.
if we consider the scanty population of this lzaci'enda. They
were lodged in rooms and corridors, which were fitted up
as dormitories by the tireless coadjutor, Br. Manuel Revuelta.
At length my work began. The scholastics helped me,
by taking charge of the reading at 2 P. ~1. and the explanation of Christian doCtrine at 5· Frs. Minister, Vermeiren,
Marin, Castro and Grajales heard most of the confessions,
and even Fr. ReCl:or gave his help. All of their community
exercises were gone through with so well, and with such
modesty and silence, that Fr. Larracoechea, our former rector, who came from Puebla to pass some days here, said,
"They are more like novices than like ranc!teros." This
£1.ther gave four or five of the.sermons. My dear brother,
had you but seen my battalion drawn up in the corridors
and the court-yard of" ,the college! Had you seen them, as
I did, the day of Communion! Had you heard all weeping
when the hour of separation came on the last day! . . . .
\Vhat devotion at prayer, what attention to the sermons,
what compunCtion, what tears in their confessions! How
many sincere reconciliations of enemies, what humility, in
those who bore old grudges, in kissing each other's feet!
\Vhat joyful £1.ces on the day of Communion, what clear
tokens that their souls were in the grace of God! Blessed
be His Majesty! My bark was little, my net unserviceable,
but Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to whom I consecrated this
retreat, gave me efficacious helps to make a good catch of
big, heavy fish.
I must tell you some of the humorous things, which show
the simplicity of their souls, so that you may s<;e how God
is with them. The last day, they did not seem..:tglc to leave
me. No matter how much I told them that this was the
work of our Lord, they kept on crying, laughing, kissing
my hands, going down on their knees, embracing me, asking me for piCtures . . . . Some said to me: "Give me a
photograph of Your Re,·erence to remember you by all my
_life {todita Ia vida)." One tall fellow, with light hair and
beard, and dressed in black jacket and pantaloons, came into
my room, stood looking at me with much seriousness, and
finally said: "Hear the truth ('<'rnfti), Father, I am going to
give you something for cigarettes (que le 'i'O a dar pa sus
cigarros)." Another came in with some candy and said,
"Father, eat this candy they brought (tmgicron) me." ''My
child," said I, "why don't you cat it yourself?" "Good-bye,"
he answered, "I \vould give you my heart (cmuptr yo qurro
darle mi corazon)."· Then he took a piece, bit it, and went
off crying. The words italicized will show you the ranclteros' pronunciation.
�FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
2II
\Vhen they had gone home, and I had a chance to look
after my prayers, I shut myself up in "our department,"
and came out only after an hour and a hal( · Excuse this
account, brother, but tell me what are your thoughts. I
guess them; you are thinking of God, and thanking him,
and you see in all this the grace of vocation. Do not forget, you and all my brothers, to pray to God that I may
correspond with this grace.
Your brother in Xt.,
IGNACIO LEON,
S.
J.
FATHER VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
DEAR FATHER,
I was aware that you were already in press, yet I was
unable, owing to circumstances, to put together the items
about Fr. Verdin's golden jubilee which I £·mcied would
please you. But, by the way, for a short while, a week or
two ago, we were thinking of anything but his jubilee; for
it appeared quite possible, if not to some extent probable,
that he intended to spend it with the Society triumpha1i.t or,
as some-arguoulo, of course, 1zoll asscrendo-put it, with
the Church suffering. At least he himself seerus to have
felt that there was not much humor in the situation. "Did
you think you were going to die, Fr. Verdin?" some one
asked him afterwards in recreation. "Well," he remarked
with that short humorous "ha ha !" of his, "I really did, for
the first time in my life, wonder what that otlier world could
look like." All, of course, is (in that £<r) well, that ends
well, but it appeared for a time that there was going to be
a "slip between the cup and the lip," and that where man
h~cl been for some time proposing, God was now going to
d1spose.
.
. He did not, however, dispose against the jubilee celebration, but, on the contrary, so rapidly promoted Fr. Verdin's
conv.alcscence that he is now quite strong, as £<r as that
qualtty can be predicated of him at sixty-six. And, indeed,
h~ needed all the staying powers at his command to take
~Is part in the long ceremonies of the jubilee Mass, and to
~ndulge in the mild dissipation of his jubilee holiday. He
Is ~o be congratulated on the miracle (he docs not distinguish, but I imagine he means of the third order) thus performed in his favor; for he bore up without any apparent
�~12
FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
fatigue throughout the whole day, and, for that matter, was
fresh .and hearty the following day.
There was very little secrecy about the celebration, nor
was it, of course, our objeCt, for the local Catholic and secular journals were full, for a week before, of miniature biographies or panegyrics of Rev. John S. Verdin, S J.; and
occasionally a bold-£1.ced caricature of his handsome· features amused us, perhaps pained his relatives, and suggested
to his legal friends a capital provocation for a sensational
libel suit. Like every other progressive American institution, however, these things served the purpose-of advertising the man and the occasion. Accordingly, it was not
long before parties and missives began to disturb the quiet
of his room, all coming in for the jubilee to talk over old
times and to say hpw delighted they all were to wish him
a very happy feast upon the fiftieth anniversary of his entrance into religion. Among a number of the communications sent to him on the occasion, many were full of humor,
droll reminiscences and laughable instances in the past.
On the eve of the auspicious day, Fr. ReCtor invited him
to meet the students in University Hall. This hall, as Fr.
V crdin noticed in his remarks after the reception, was completed and frescoed during his administration. It was in
the ornamentation of its ceiling that good Fr. Costa, who
was well known in the East and was minister here at the
time, lost his-life. The addresses tendered, each of which
was presented with a large and handsome basket of flowers,
were brief, but elicited much feeling. "The mere thought,
Fr. Verdin," said a neat little boy who spoke for the preparatory department, "that you have been so.1ong a chosen
soldier of Christ, would fill us with respeCt fof you, but we
arc more drawn to you by the knowledge that you have always been the special friend of little boys, and, although we
are pretty thoughtless fellows, we are as grateful to you as
if you had done those kindnesses to ourselves. The little
boys with whom you dealt are big boys now, big whiskered
boys of thirty or forty or even of fifty years of age. They
are not quite so lively as they were so long ago. They have
grown solemn, they say, in the struggle of life; but if they
were not scattered everywhere they would certainly like to
come and thank you to-day for much of the happiness of
their school-boy days. They would not, however, thank
you as little boys, so we thank you for them. 'vVe thank
you in their place for all the kindnesses they experienced
from you in the class-room and the yard; we thank you in
their place for all the good you did them by teaching them
to be good boys, so that they might be good men. For
�FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
:21.3
ourselves, we only wish that our desires could make your
jubilee, if possible, a more happy one." Their words caused
the good h<ther no little emotion, as was evident from the
to11e and nervousness with which he expressed his grati·
tude for the affeCtion which the rising generation manifested towards one of the old landmarks. After he had listened
for a while longer to some choice pieces of music in his
honor by the college choir, he bade his young friends good
evening and gave them an invitation to his jubilee Mass, and,
that they might be all the happier on the morrow, informed
them that his jubilee meant a whole holiday for them.
At nine o'clock the following day, he sang the first High
Mass he has intoned for years. Nor did he appear to be
fatigued; fer immediately after Mass he gave the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, kneeling the whole time of
the exposition. He was assisted by two of his fellow students at the university fifty or more years ago, Fr. Florentine J. Boudreaux, 'as deacon and Fr. J. G. H. Kernion, as
subdeacon. Fr. \Veber, who himself celebrated his jubilee
last September, was assistant priest, Fr. Schapman, ViceReCtor of St. Xavier's, Cincinnati, acted as master of ceremonies. FF. Provincial, Higgins, Bushart, Frieden, Lalumiere, Rosswinkel, and Hagemann, ReCtors and Superiors,
respectively, of Chicago, St. Mary's, Detroit, Milwaukee,
Osage Mission and Florissant, together with FF. Socius,
Thos. O'Neil, Hoeffer and Vote!, the ReCl:or-eleCl: of St.
Mary's, were seated in the sanCtuary. Fr. M. Dowling,
Vice·ReCl:or of Creighton College, Omaha, preached the
jubilee sermon. An abbreviation of the sermon appeared
in the Glo/Jc-Donocrat of the following day; it is a £1ir
sample of his thought, which was spoken with unusual
eloquence. High Mass, as I have already said, was followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, thus prolonging the services to nearly twelve o'clock. \Vhen ·it
was over, Fr. Verdin retired to his room for a short rest and
to make his thanksgiving.
At dinner, which almost immediately followed High
Mass, and in which Fr. Minister had gone to extraordinary
~ains to shmv his appreciation of the event, his substantial solicitude for the wants, and his nice regard for the taste
of his guests, a number of addresses were made or read to
Fr. Verdin, conveying the good wishes of the various colleges in which he had labored during the last fifty years.
On behalf of Fr. Rector and the community of St. Louis, ,
Fr. Magevney said that we all joyfully united in thanking
God with him for the glorious crown of his fiftieth year.
VoL. xvu, No. 2.
14
�214
FR. VERDIN'S JUBIJ.EE.
He alluded to the work Fr. Verdin had inaugurated or accomplished at the university, and the host of friends in the
city to whom his name is yet as familiar and the music of its
utterance as sweet as the silver melody of the bells in qur
"old church steeple."
Fr. Higgins was grieved, he remarked, at the inconsiderate freedom with which the orator of the day had helped
himself to the staple figures of the occasion, but still he
would not refrain from taking this occasion of referring to
Fr. Verdin's work in Chicago and in the interest of St. Ignatius' College. He dwelt upon the spirit of earnestness
which marked the good father's zeal in this difficult field,
and concluded the well chosen expression of regard entertained by himself and his community for Fr. Verdin, by a
warm allusion to hi~ charity which had always singled him
out in the province ·as the objeCt: of every one's friendship
and affeCl:ion. Charitable under every circumstance himself,
he taught others to be charitable, and us his brethren to love
one another. "For this we thank you, Fr. Verdin, and upon
this particularly do we felicitate you on your jubilee festival."
"If the old college of St. Xavier's," said Fr. Schapman,
"cannot have the first place among those who congratulate
you to-day, she should certainly possess the choicest place
in your recolleCtions, as you, Fr. Verdin, certainly hold in
hers. But whether first, second, or last, she will be surpassed
by none in the thorough heartiness with which she offers
you her greetings and felicitations. This, dear Fr. Verdin,
I am commissioned to say for every division of her community. They will have me assure you that the fruit they
are now reaping is, in their conviCtion, due in.~ great measure to the pioneer efforts of yourself and your·companions.
But. what they prize most of all is the cheerful sunshine of
fraternal charity with which you have warmed and brightened the religious atmosphere around them. The sense of
gratitude which this has awakened in their breasts cannot
easily be told in words; but they would say that, henceforth,
their daily wish and prayer shall be, that our Blessed Lord,
the dearest interests of whose heart you have thus so signally
promoted, may ever keep lengthening out your span till
every other college of the province has had as large a share
of your charitable ministrations as old St. Xavier's."
One of the old \Voodstockians then presented His Reverence with the. album of choice verses in which his late
spiritual charge-at Woodstock expressed their jubilee greetings. He said that it was always hard successfully to convey another's feelings; doubly so when this was conneCl:ed
with the nicer obligation of presenting the greetings of some
�FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
215
of Fr. Verdin's absent but heartiest well-wishers. "Your
many spiritual solicitudes," he continued, "have established
relations between Your Reverence and thousands whose
gratitude and esteem prompts them to say to-day much
more than your religious modesty will permit you to hear.
Among these thousands, none, perhaps, will be received with
more cordial affection, as none surely have been less behind
hand in extending to Your Reverence tokens of their devotion and joy, than your friends in \Voodstock. You alone
can put the right interpretation upon their sentiments, as
you alone can £1irfy understand or justly conjecture that
secret, in your mutual relations, which has prompted their
individual expressions. To us it is indeed very gratifying,
that all your late spiritual children, from your very devoted
friend, the Rev. Rector, to the youngest brother in the community of Woodstock, send a filial congratulation to 'dear
Fr. Verdin.' Some say more, some say less, but all, as it
were emulating the cheerful kindness with which each was
sure to be heard, have spoken as they know you speak, and
as you taught them to speak,-gayly, pleasantly. \Vhat
they say would, as I told you, overtax me to convey as they
meant it, or is of that niceness of sentiment which would be
marred or indelicately intruded upon by a repetition, even
in this sympathizing presence. It is, then, with signal pleasure that I feel enabled to offer you their own neat formula
of their jubilee greetings, instead of a forced assurance to
you of what should be, as this little album amply testifies
actually has been, their sincere mindfulness of your golden
jubilee. Permit me then, dear Father, to insert these few
words, as a pre£1ce to \Voodstock'<> little volume of love and
esteem, that they may always say that to you, for the album
itself. which, upon its handsome pages, each \Voodstockian
has very affectionately said for himsel("
Apart from their appositeness, many of the productions
and selections in the album are characteristic; some, too,
exhibit a graceful and even singular art. It looks a little
invidious to select where there is so much that challenges
admiration, but I cannot refrain from transcribing one or
two selections that grew very popular at sight. I give no
names and therefore respect the modesty of the retired
artists:Rest thee, old soldier of God !
And garland thy brow with these leaves,Not of the D_elphic laurel
\Vhich conquering leader receives ;
But a wreath of t.he golden toto
\Vhich Rest in her slumbering weaves.
�2t6
FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
For Action and Rest are one,
As 'Vork and Prayer are the same,
Action is Rest in God
If the sonls of men we rec!aim,And Rest is Action untired
If we feed Zeal's aspiring flame.
"A lhret:fo!d cord is not easi~J·-broken"-ECCLES. iv,
12.
For two score years and ten
A triple cord hath bound,
As one, the hearts of twain ;
And in this threefold band
One strand was silk-the Blue
Of Faith and Constancy.
The silver thread of Hope
'Vas thet:'i' to light the gloom
'Vhose shades contrast with joy.
But strongest was the strand
Of golden Charity,
'Vhose might from him was drawn
'Vho is in essence Love.
0 Triple Cord, last on,
Nor snap for many a year !
Last on till Faith and Hope,
The Silver and the Blue,
Be merged into the Gold
Of emlless Charity.
Landes nonne tuo conduntur nomine-VERDI~?
Tu VIR namque DEI, candidiorque NIVE.
DivE Dei sen·e, o vERI et virtutis amator,
Augens divitias et bona quoque DIE !
VER vit::e Domino vERN I illi cordis amores
Devoti: juvenis munera pulchra \'IDE.
Nee desunt huic !'H:RV!, sed VI pollet et ::equo,
Quem IN rectos calles fortiter IRE juvat ;
Huic toties DENI faciunt fastidia nulla
In Domini RE anni; sed volat alacrior.
RI\'E VENI fluctus alias qui voids in oras,
RIDE iterum nobis, concitus !NDE RED!.
There are, I say, other very pretty pieces, but I have cited
enough. Does it not, as you read, strike you that jubilee
poetry and renovation verses exhibit other varieties than
those suggested by their d~fli:rmtzi:e specijicce / The afflatus,
of course, I allow for; but I feel impressed that while the
spirit of song breathes but where it will, at these semi-annual
crises its breathing is heavy sometimes, especially when it
breathes in Greek or Hebrew, not to allude to its Vedic expirations, very measured indeed. However, it would not be
�FR. VERDIN'S JUBILEE.
217
hard now to persuade Fr. Verdin that every bard, English
and even Latin, in your mountain home, even he whose
short, shrill note was "Me too," breathes very very sweetly.
Fr. Rector concluded the ceremonies by presenting Fr.
Verdin with a number of letters from the East, vVest, North
and South. The scholastics from the various colleges in
the country, the tertians with the Fr. InstruC1or, convents,
congregations, religious and priests in nearly all the great
cities East and West, old students of the university, ladies
and gentlemen from a number of the neighboring and even
distant states, had written or telegraphed their good wishes
or sent on letters full of merry sayings or happy recollections
of the old times. Some of these, the affectionate letter, to
mention but one or two, from the scholastics of Spring Hill,
and the happy little note from the professors of the Immaculate Conception, New Orleans, and a number of telegrams
from vVoodstock, Georgetown, vVashington, New Orleans,
Milwaukee, etc., Fr. Rector read; but the great bulk of the
correspondence he simply handed to the good father that
he might peruse them at his leisure.
Fr. Verdin spent the afternoon in attending to the numbers who crowded around to see him before the day was
over. In the evening, he was at the disposition of the
community once more, and was entertained by them, in the
Philalethic Hall, with music, poems and reminiscences of the
old place and his fellow pioneers. It was a pleasant evening;
the rectors of the various houses were there in a body, and
conduced very materially to render the enjoyment of all,
but especially of Fr. Verdin, as complete as possible. Fr.
Verdin, who seemed to have actually grown strong by the
exertions which he had put forth in the morning, was all to
a.ll and everywhere, evidently proving that the spirit of his
lifelong cheerfulness and kindness has not grown old with
the length of years or less buoyant with the weakness of age.
Were this letter shorter, and I not, as I suspect, almost
too late for your present number of the LETTERS, I would
have been pleased to add a word or two as to our coming
migration and things and places connected with such a topic,
but not now.
Yours affectionately in Christ,
c,
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
A SKETCH.
John Bapst was born at La Roche, a village of the canton of Fribourg, Switzerland, December 7th, ISIS. His
parents were prosperous farmers, and were therefore able to
give their three sons, Joseph, John and Abel, a thorough
education. At an early age, John was sent to the village
schools. Even at this time he gave promise of his subsequent brilliant career. His assiduity in study and his
quickness in acquiring knowledge commended him in .a
special manner to his teachers. His piety was not less
remarkable than his studiousness. While naturally gay and
fond of the sports of boyhood, he possessed a wonderful
degree of self-control, a rare love of the things of God, an
open hand and a generous heart that beat in quick sympathy with the poor of Christ. To these gifts was joined a
virginal purity of soul. Brought up in the saving atmosphere of a thoroughly Catholic canton, £>r from the blighting
influence of a large city, faith took such deep root in his
soul that, ever after, in his subsequent life, amid heretics and
infidels, it made him viaorious in every encounter. The
love of good was instilled into his young heart in such a
way as to make him proof against all the temptations of
later life.
~- -·
Even at the .early age of eight, he gave signs of the destiny towards which the hand of God was guiding him. He
used to relate ~vith a merry laugh, that at this period of his
life, all his leisure moments were employed in building little
altars, singing Mass and V cspers, and preaching soul-stirring
discourses to a vast congregation composed of beings no
more vital than the listening oaks and contrite willows of
his native forests.
Having finished the course at the schools of La Roche,
he was sent, at about the age of twelve, to the famous college at Fribourg. Here he passed successively through the
course of grammar, humanities, rhetoric and philosophy.
An old school friend of Father Bapst's, who still survives,
has recently written concerning this stage of his life : "John
Bapst was ever regarded as one of the most brilliant and,
(218)
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
withal, thorough students in his various classes, especially
in philosophy."
The course of philosophy at St. Michael's lasted two
years; but such was Father Bapst's eagerness to be enrolled
among the sons of St. Ignatius, that he could not await the
completion of his philosophy, but, at the close of the first
year, applied for admission into the Society. He was received into the novitiate at Estavayer-le-lac (Stiifis), canton
ofFribourg, September 30th, 1835. The late Father Enders,
who had entered the same novitiate a year previous to Father Bapst's coming, relates the impression he created on
his arrival: "He was then nineteen years of age, and possessed a really noble countenance, at once handsome and
betokening a wonderful candor. He won all hearts from
the very start." At the end of his first year of probation,
the novitiate was transferred to Brigg. Father Bapst ever
recalled these days of his noviceship as the happiest of his
life. He was esteemed as one of the fervent among the
novices, while his piety was ever free from all evanescent
sentimentalism. His was a manly piety, a piety not unmingled with a religious gaiety, springing from a deeply
religious soul, and growing in vigor as years went on, until
it made itself felt· in his subsequent masterly direCtion of
the interior life of many religious souls.
The year following Fr. Bapst's entrance into the novitiate,
his brother Joseph, his senior by two years, went to join
him at Brigg. Joseph Bapst was an edifying novice. After
taking his vows, he was engaged for a number of years as
teacher in the College of St. Michael. He was an excellent
religious, ·but was a prey to torturing scruples. He could
not be persuaded to assume the responsibility of the priesthood, and, as a consequence, was obliged to leave the Society,
after a religious life of twelve years. His departure caused
great grief to Fr. Bapst's brotherly heart. Joseph had received minor orders, and, until his death in 1883, wore the
dress of an ecclesiastic. ·He continued to hold the chair of
philosophy at St. Michael's College even after the expulsion
of the Society from Switzerland in 1847, and eventually
became its reetor, following in all things, as far as he could,
the traditions of the Society, for which he ever retained a
filial love.
In Sept. I 8 37, at the end of his noviceship, Father Bapst
was sent to the scholasticate at Fribourg, to pursue his philosophy for two years. After completing his course of philo~ophy he studied rhetoric for a year. In 1840 he began
his professorship at St. Michael's, his alma mater. Here he
taught for three years, of which the first was devoted to the
�220
FR. JOHN BAPST.
upper class of rudiments, the other two, to the class of third
grammar. "Though not possessed of a commanding presence, and destitute of any great personal authority," writes a
companion of those days, "he was able by his religious selfcontrol, his engaging piety, as well as his marvellous prudence and taCt, to obtain and keep perfeCt control of his class
-no easy task, as the class numbered from fifty to sixty
scholars. During the last year of his teaching he had among
his associates the Very Rev. Father Anderledy, now General of the Society.
He entered upon the study of theology in 1843, and, during his four years' course, showed that herein lay his forte.
During his first year of theology, Fr. Bapst suffered a
severe blow in the loss of his younger brother Abel, who
died while still a stud~_nt at St. Michael's. Among his fellow
students was the venerable Father Charles Billet, a cherished
friend of Fr. Bapst, to whom, as well as to Brother Adolph
Kraus, of Exaeten, Holland, we are deeply indebted for
much valuable information with reference to Father Bapst's
early career.
On the thirty-first day of December, 1846, Father Bapst,
then in his third year of theology, had the great happiness of
receiving the order of priesthood at the hands of the Right
Reverend Stephen Marilley, Bishop of the diocese of Lausanne, Switzerland. On New-Year's day, 1847, Fr. Bapst,
with tender aevotion and unbounded spiritual joy, which
manifested itself in his frank, open countenance, offered for
the first time the holy sacrifice.
At the urgent recommendation of the noble-riJinded councilman Joseph Leu of Ebersol, the Jesuits, whq had established themselves in Fribourg in 1818, and in Schwyz in
1836, were, by a decree of the council of Lucerne, passed
OCt. 24th 1844, invited to Lucerne. This excited the indignation of the radicals, who organized a volunteer army for
the overthrow of the "domination of the Jesuits" in Lucerne.
Their attacks were especially direCted· against the noble
councilman, whose assassination they procured, and in November, 1847, with the help of the reformed cantons, they
commenced a warfare against the Catholic Sonderbund (separate alliance of the Catholic cantons), which ended in the
expulsion of the Jesuits from Switzerland.
Fr. Bapst was sent to France to make at Notre Dame
d'Ay his third year of probation under the enlightened direCtion of Fr. Foi!illot, who ever afterwards retained a cherished place in his heart.
In the early part of May, 1848, when his tertianship was
drawing to a close, he was hurriedly summoned one after-
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
221
noon to the room of the Father InstruCtor, who communicated to him the order of the Reverend Provincial, Father
Minoux, direCting him to proceed at once to Antwerp, there
to take steamer for America. Father Bapst was stunned
by the unexpeCted news, and was greatly distressed. He
was unable to hide his grief; tears sprang to his eyes, and
he felt powerless to restrain their flow. His fellow-tertians,
on his return to their midst, noticed his great emotion and
eagerly inquired its cause. "I am ordered to America"
he said in broken accents, "and I have never thought of that
land. I do not believe I was ever made for the missions."
His sympathizing brethren, to whom he had greatly endeared
himself, had often heard him express the natural repugnance
he felt for the foreign missions, and were not surprised at
the agitation he manifested. They knew, too, how keenly
his affeCtionate heart would feel the wide separation from
his native land, so passionately loved by every true Swiss.
"\Vrite then," they urged him, ''to Rev. Father Provincial,
manifest to him your repugnance for the missions, and he
will not hesitate to change your destination." "Oh! I will
take care never to pursue such a course;" he bravely replied,
"I did not ask to go, but my superior sends me; I obey.
May the holy will of God be clone!" He bade farewell to his
brethren and proceeded without delay to Antwerp, where he
met forty other members of the province, bound like himself for the great republic of the \Vest. Among them was
V. Rev. Fr. Anderlecly, who afterwards labored on the missions in \Visconsin. The poor exiles, on their arrival in New
York towards the end of May, 1848, were received with
open arms by Fr. Ignatius Brocarcl, formerly Provincial of
Switzerland, then the Provincial of the Maryland Province,
and by their American brethren of the New York Mission.
Some of their number were destined for the West, others
were reserved to toil in the province of Maryland. .Among
the latter was Father Bapst. Soon after his arrival, while
still totally unacquainted with the language and customs of
his adopted country, he was sent by Fr. Brocard to the
Indian Mission at Old Town, Maine, which had been, for
nearly twenty years, deprived of the ministrations of a priest.
His journey thither and his first labors in that wild region
are best described by himself in a beautiful letter addressed
to his beloved friend and constant adviser, the venerable Fr.
Jo_seph Duverney, who died the death of the just at Fredenck ten years ago. Here is a translation of the letter,
originally written in French:-
\J
�Z2Z
FR. JOHN BAPST.
OLD TowN, June 10th, 1850.
To REv. Jos. DuvERNEY, S. J.,
My Re'l!erend and 'l!ery dear Fatlter,
. P. C.
I have received the letter which you were kind enough to write in reply to the difficulties which I had put you. I know not how to thank
you for it. This dissertation so lucid, has deared up all my doubts. I
was well awnre that between Protestants of good faith and ourselves,
everything might be reduced to this point-the proof of the insufficiency
of private interpretation and the infallibility of the Church; but whilst I
had sufficient skill not to let myself be dishonored in the combat, I was
not always skillful enough to win a complete victory; never having gone
to the bottom of the question, I maintained the truth, but found it hard to
bring conviction to the mind. I shall now enter upon the campaign with
greater security . . . I await with impatience the remainder of that dissertation and the answer to the other questions which I have sent you.
I have other doubts of no less importance to propose. I shall make
ample use of the freedom which in your ingenious charity you have been
pleased to allow me.
In return, since you are good enough to say that a full account of my
mission would interest you, I shall relate in detail the most edifying things
that have happened since my sojourn on this solitary island in the midst
of savages. I shall speak of good and ill with all that sincerity which
friendship demands; but Your Reverence must know in :tdvance that
most of the facts that I am going to write, I have already related in letters
wl!ich I have sent eitl!cr to Europe or to Georgetown.
I must not then begin my account ab O'Do, still, a remal'kable tl!ing that
preceded my setting out for America must not be passed over in silence.
After the unfortunate events that cast upon a strange land all the Jesuits
of our province, I was sent by Rev. Fr. Minoux to Notre Dame d' Ay, there
to make my third-year. Never, up to that time, l!ad I had a thought of
becoming a missioner. One night, some time after the long retreat, I had
a singular dream: I saw in my sleep a people wl!o were not fashioned as
other peoples; their color, above all, struck me; they were not negroes,
and still, they did not resemble the whites. At the same time a voice
told me distinctly that on the iuorrow I should set Ottt:to go and live
among these strange men that I saw before me. The next· morning my
dream was still perfectly present to my mind; I was most eager to tell it
in recreation, not neglecting to remind them tl!at I must be otl that very
same day. All the fathers began to laugh; for they knew my repugnance
for the foreign missions. 'Vonderful to relate, the same day at 3 P.M. a
Jetter came from Rev. Fr. Minoux, bidding some of us to start immediately
for the missions beyond the sea. At six o'clock that day I was on my
way to America.
I shall not describe here our long and tiresome voyage. Having reached
New York we were met by Rev. Fr. Brocard, who came to receive tl!e
Swiss exiles. lie offered me tl!e mission among the Indians at Old Town;
I accepted it, not without some disappointment. Having embraced for
the last time the companions wl!om Providence had brought with me to
Americu, with Fr. Eck I boarded a steamer bound for Boston. Carried
along by the steam we arrived at that city in an incredibly short time.
After some days of rest there, I !Jad finally to part with the last friend
that remained to me in this world. Alone then I went uboard the steamboat, and in two days. reached my destination-Old Town. When I beheld
my new home for the first time, my heart began to beat in a wonderful
way. I stepped into a canoe to cross the river that separated me from my
island. The Indians who had been informed of my urrival, had prepared
a brilliant reception for me. The moment I was descried upon the river,
all assembled at the spot where I was to land; when I put my foot on
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
223
the island, the noise of cannon announced the arrival of the missioner;
a large flag was dipped in his honor; the ringing of the bells, long silent,
announced to the tribe a day of rejoicing. Soon the Indians surrounded
me with great respect and welcomed me after their own peculiar fashion.
I had no sooner set my eyes on these savages than to my astonishment I
recognized the very men whom I had seen in my dream at Notre Dame
d' Ay. They led me first to the church, where, after a hymn of thanks~riving, I wished to address them a few words in French; but I soon saw
that no one understood me. At length they brought me to the bouse
intended for my use. When I saw myself alone on that wild island, three
thousand leagues from my country. my heart still sad with the thoughts
which overpowered me when I broke the ties that bound me to parents
and friends, then for the first time I realized the full import of the sacrifice I bad made. I wished to talk with the Indians but it was impossible
to make myself understood; still the expression of good will which they
manifested finally touched me. The next day I had the good fortune of
saying :Mass for the first time upon my island ; at the end of a few days
I began really to understand my situation; I had found an Indian that
spoke French.
They assigned to me as an attendant the daughter of a great chief. She
is really accomplished, and is well able to take care of a priest's bouse.
Some time after my arrival she came into my room to put it in order.
After some moments she turned towards me and said: "Father, I have
something to tell you."-"Well, speak it out."-"I believe that I shall be
saved," Abe exclaimed. I began to laugh, and aske~ her why she said
that. "This is my reason, Father; f\ome time before your arrival when no
one as yet spoke of you, nor knew of your coming, I saw one night,
whilst sleeping peacefully, two priests come to our island, and at the same
time I heard a voice that said to me: 'Go, tend them in their house, and
if yon do it as you should, you shall be saved.' Some time thereafter,"
she added, "you came; and without my speaking to any one of my dream,
the Indinns chose me to take care of your house.'' Finally she asked me
whnt I thought of the whole affair.
The mission of Old Town was founded by a father of the old Society,
Fr. Rasle. After he had converted the savages of Maine, and had devoted
himself to their service during more than twenty years, at the cost of immense sacrifices and incredible privntions, he was at last butchered by
the Protestants at the foot of a cross which he himself had erected. This
tribe continued to be directed by our fhthers until the suppression of the
Society.
It was on the 7th of August, the anniversary of the re-establishment
of the Society that I came in the name of that same Society to take possession anew of that precious inheritance of our ancient fathers, made
fruitful, as it has been, by so much blood and so much sweat.
.I had imagined on my arrival that all the Indians were still good Cathohcs, as in the time of our missioners. But my illusion did not last long.
I ~oon perceived that they had deg·enerated greatly. During more than
h"!enty years they have been without a priest, and they have lost both
fatth and morals. The Indians are commonly drunkards by profession;
perl!aps half of them no longer believe in hell, nor purgatory, nor conf~sston, nor Communion, nor Church, nor fasts, nor abstinence, nor festivals, nor anything else; moreover, they are estranged from each other
by such implacable hatred, that they are driven from time to time to the
very last excess. When I had recognized the greatness of the evil, Iresolved to remedy it. To Rccom plish this I had to speak to them; so I
set. myself to study their language with earnestnef\s. Their language
Whtch has no analogy to any living tongue, seems, as I told you in my
last letter, to he derived from the Hebrew, of which it appeared to be a
~orruption. This conjecture is confirmed by the opinion of some AmerIcan historians, who make our Indians descendants of the Jews themselves. However it may be, at the end of some months, I knew enough
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
of their language to hear confessions, and now not a week passes without
my giving the Indians an instruction in their own tongue.
One of the most deplorable vices prevalent among the Indians is drunkenness, and their drunkenness is so much the more mischievous that
when they are drunk they become savage again in the full force of the
term. When I came to the island, every hut was a tavern, where brandy
was either sold or drank, and where, consequently, they wrangled and
fought continually. I leave you to imagine the disorders, the excesses,
the miseries that resulted therefrom . . . . Serious ills require stringent
remedies. Having in a course of instructions in Indian laid bare the
crime of drunkenness and its awful consequences in this life and the
next, I formed a temperance society; men and women all entered it.
Once the society was firmly established, I publicly declared that whoever
got drunk in future could not enter the church, until he had asked public
pardon for the scandal he had given. The Indian character must be
known to understand the great se'9"erity of this punishment. They were
struck with fear and for a long time I believed that drunkenness had disappeared forever from our favored island. But at last habit, that second
nature, got the upper hand. One day they came to tell me that such
a one was drunk. It was-a critical moment. I sent word to the culprit
that if he wished to enter the church he must submit to the rule laid
down. The sentence came upon him like a thunderbolt; some of the
tribe even muttered threats against me, but I remained immovable. At
last after some shifts and a manifestation of incredible repugnance, one
Sunday, this proud child of nature was seen to advance with lowly mien
to the centre of the church, and there on his knees in presence of a large
congregation beg pardon for the scandal he had given. We had other
cases like this, but I held firm and soon drinking would have been brought
within bounds but for a circumstance of which I shall speak soon, and
which has frustrated all my efforts. Unfortunately, drunkenness was
not the only vice that prevailed among these Indians whom I had come
to evangelize.
For more than twenty years an evil has had sway among them which
is probably incurable. I speak of party divisions, which separate them
into two hostile camps. These divisions are the result now of bate, now
of an old grudge, then again of fights and excesses of all kinds; they
have caused more than fifteen priests, who have succeeded each other rap·
idly upon the island, to abandon this post as untenable, and who had
exhausted all possible means of reconciliation; and ·sho]ild I myself be
obliged to retire, these divisions will be the cause of it.~ -·
Here is the occasion on which these two irreconcilable parties were
formed. Twenty years ago, perhaps more, the great chief, without the
consent of his savages, sold some of the common tribal land, and even
some acres which belonged to individuals; the money he kept for himself
and his friends. Infuriated by this act of injustice, half of the savages
left him and chose another chief. At that moment the demon of discord
fixed his court at Old Town and uninterrupted wars have not ceased to
desolate the island. Each year sees these savageB quit the woods where
they have been on the chase, and run together to Old Town to tear one
another to pieces like ferocious beasts. The victorious party having
marched over the island for several days, everywhere inspiring terror,
finally cuts the mast of the vanquished. With them the mast is the symbol
of power, and once cut the party to which the mast belongs is considered
vanquished.
Since my coming to Old Town, now close upon two years, I have already
assisted at two of these civil wars, "quorum pars magna fui." I shall tell
yon of the second o( these. Some weeks after my arrival I was visited
by the great chief of a distant tribe; he had been called to act as mediator
between the two parties. The Indians gave him a most worthy reception.
In his honor they had a public dance, at which I myself had to assist.
Nothing more innocent than this dance. In place of musical instruments
of all kinds, they had a small bag filled with lead. An Indian of high
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
225
di.""nity shook the lend for the purpose of making the measure, whilst the
others leaped in time, one after the other, aud without ever touching one
another, and at the same time sent forth a cry intended to lend assistance
to the instrument of lend in regulating the measure. At the outset this
cry was low and slow; as the dance went on, the cry became higher and
quicker, until at length they reached a pitch beyond which it would be
impossible for the human voice to go, while the quickness of the cry became extreme. Then they stopped, but only to begin again.
On the morrow the great chief, the mediator, called together the assembly. I assisted, holding a place of honor. After the great chief who
presided had presented the letters with which he had been charged by
his tribe, and which consist of different emblems, according as one wishes
to signify peace or war, friendship or hate, emhlems which they pass from
hand to hand to all who assist at the assembly; after, I say, the letters
had been thus passed around, the great chief made known the object of
his visit, which was the reunion of the two parties. After he had ceased
to speak the orators of each party spoke in turn. Theirs is a savage eloquence, but I do not believe that in the eloquence of our greatest orators in
the national assembly at Paris can there be found anything so natural,
strong and just. I was astonished. Their language abounds with figures,
and is graceful and delicate. It is nature that speaks, it is true, but nature
freed from all the trammels to which overwrought civilization often subjects our greatest orators; it is a robust nature that, unfolding itself like
the oak of the forest, is full of life and majesty. Those who represent
the Indians as a degenerate race are certainly wrong. Generally their
judgment is sounder, their mind more masculine, their character more
energetic :tnd their passions ~tronger than the whites'. After the om tort~
had expended their long eloquence, the great chief, the mediator, gave
his decision in favor of the new party. The effect of this decision was
that they immediately came to blows. The old party dissatisfied with
this adverse decision, and, above all, exasperated by the troubles which
the other party bad stirred up, swore that they would be avenged, and I
was fully convinced that a war of extermination was about to break out.
On account of a sufficiently close analogy, I shall call the old party the
radicals, and the new, the conservatives. The radicals, then, unable of
themselves to bring about an engagement that would issue in victory to
themselves, called to their assistance a neighboring tribe. They made
their preparation for war, and soon the rumor was bruited about that
they were already on the march. After a few days we saw the river
covered with canoes carrying a hostile army. Consternation had preceded them at Old Town. Many, not only women and children, but even
men, had fled at their approach. ·while they were coming ashore, a
deputation from the conservative party hurried to tell me to close the
church to these strangers, who had come to lay waste the island. I answered that I closed the door of the church on the excommunicated only,
and that the old party and their allies had not as yet been excommunicated. Hardly had they left, when a committee from the radicals entered
my room; they came to beg me to go before their friends to the riverbank. I replied, that the priest received his parishioners only at the
church. Still, they disembarked peacefully enough .
. The first days were spent by the radicals, the far stronger party, in feastIng, dancing and debauch. During this time, both parties kept sending
~c deputation after deputation, to induce me to announce myself in their
avor. 'l'hey atttach sovereign importance to the opinion of the priest,
Whose authority, notwithstanding their caprice, is always of great weight
among them. My answer was always invariably the same: "I am of no
Party; I am the priest of one as well as of the other; I have not come
here li·om so great a distance except to save your souls." I knew that
s~ould I declare for one party, I would alienate the other forever. Still,
t e_radicals, who were more numerous, were not satisfied with my neu~~ahty. I saw that the moment was at hand when they would say: "lie
at ts not for me is against me." To keep the independence so necessary
�226
FR. JOHN BAPST.
to my position, see what I did. I called them all together at the church.
After 1 had explained to them the guilt and the atrocity of the discord
which divided them, I asked them 1f they still wished tor war. All answered: ""\Ve desire peace." "Then," sa1d I, "you must arrange things
amicably." ""\Vhat concessions t' they asked me. "Throw down your
two masts, depose your two chiets and choose in their place the one who
can command a plurality of votes." Both parties replied: ""\Ve cannot
accept these conditions." I bad toreseen tbis; and thmking only of how
to take advantage of their reply to regain the independence of which I
bad so great need, I spoke to them thus: "Smce you do nut wish to follow
the advice of the priest, and wish only to prolong your bate and your
divisions, so let it be; but don"t put your toot m my chamber again to
consult me about party alfairs; lor the future 1 shall content myself with
fulfilling in your regard the duties of my ministry; and since you do nut
wish to listen to me, you shall answer betore God tor the ev1ls you are
about to cause." Havmg broken otf thus abruptly, I left without further
ceremony.
From that moment I was left perfectly tranquil. Hut immediately the
radicals began to dictate. as masters. fhey summoned the remnant of
the conservative party to a contercnce. The latter knowing well that in
such a conference, the stronger party would have irresistible arguments,
stubbornly refused to attend. Then the radicals sent tor an American
magistrate, whom they haLl gained over, and through h1m again summoned the conservatives to be present at the con terence. The conservatives sent a refusal, even more deculed than the tirst; then the radiCals,
pronouncing them contumacious, made the mag1strate declare that the
new party had forfeited all nghts. This was nut yet enough, they must
pull down the mast of the !allen party. To insure success they determined to intimidate the conservatives. MysLenous reports were bruited
abroad. They ~aid that they would put all to tire anu the sword; that
they would burn all the houses ot the conservatives, and cut down all
that resisted. \Vhenall was consternation, they resolveLl to stnke the
last blow; they tixcd upon the day when the tlllated mast was to be. cut
up. lleretotore, "vtm the most hardened had pretended to respect the
priest; but passiOns were aroused to such a pitch that 1 saw well that all
was lost; some insults that they had otfereu me, the many menaces that
were sent me, and numerous warnings that I received from the Uana·
dians, as well as the Americans, gave me to understand what to expect
from the Indians. Not bemg able to avert the storm, 1 let it take its
course. At last came the h1tal day, on which the mast }Vas to fall. The
conservatives gave over a useless defence. At the hi'rur appomted, all
the radicnls assembled iu the public square. They marched to the place
where the condemned mast was standing. They formed a c1rcle, enclosing
it entirely, and then amid the tiring ot cannon and inwrnal mus1e the
sappers armed with axes, began tlw work of cutting It up. When 11t
last they saw it hL!l, a thunder of applause and curses rent tile air. They_
draggea it to the public square; there they heaped upon it all kinds ut
indignities and r.urses. A lrenzied orator maLle a wild speech, which 1
could not follow. Then, amid the booming of cannon, the tall or the new
party was publicly and solemnly proclaimed. After tl!is the radlc!ilS,
ranged in order ot battle, marched around the wl!ole island, as if taking
possession. A dance ended tlus glorious day.
I thought that it was all over, when the next morning a deputation
made up of the principal chiefs of the victorious party waited upon me.
After some mumeuts of silence the speaker of the party began m these
terms: "Now that without spilling a drop of blood we have pacitied the
island, that this peace may be lasting, we come to invite you to bless our
mast, the only hn-.::lul one, and to pronounce betore tllis mast a discourse by which you, the priest, promise to use all your endeavors to defend it and to oppose with all your might the settmg up of a new mast.
It is the only means of making the peace tirm." Then, as if the whole
affair could otfer no possible ditliculty, they wished to settle the hour tor
�FR. JOHN RAPST.
the carrying out of this ceremony. To accept their proposition was to
abandon the conquered and declare for the victors. But I could not in
conscience abandon the conservative party that they bad just crushed ;
for the conservatives bad called the priest to the island, and almost exclusively supported him. But, on the other hand, it was dangerous to resist
a vktorious party in the flush of triumph. ·what was I to do? It was
impossible to evade a direct reply, my savages were before me, anxiously
waiting. Here is tbe answer I made: "I do not object to bless your mast,
and deliver the discourse which you demand; llut such u step requires
the authorization of the bishop; if you wish, I shall write to his Lordship
and if he allow it, I shall be most eager to comply with your request."
These words fell like a thunderllolt; in a flash they saw at once the justice and full import of my words. They stuttered and stammered in
bringing forth their objections, but I held firm; and there the affair
rested. The following day the government agent gave the visiting Indians an order to leave the island at once; it was executed without delay,
and soon calm began to reappear.
When the conservatives bad recovered from their fright and had seen
the strangers depart, they resolved unanimously to set up again the mast
so ignominiously cast down. This was accomplished peacefully enough;
fi1r the rndicals, no longer supflorted by their allies, were not in a condition to offer resistance. Still, these two masts were perpetual sources
of hate and strife. I did my best to prevail upon the more moderate of
the two parties to do away with the two masts- the causes of so much
trouble. During my absence, the Indians themselves, tired of !luch disastrous divisions, decided to cut the two masts and to put up one in their
place. On my return I f.mnd the two parties reunited and a new mast
standing in the place formerly occupied by that of the radicals. But I
soon saw that the peace was but a smoothing of the surface, and that the
new mast would before long be the occasion of new difliculties. After a
conference on this subject with the bishop, we decided to induce the Indians to cut down this new mast, too; his Lordship was to come to OldTown to give confirmation. I had a large and beautiful cross made. The
bishop himself proposed to the Indians to pull down the mast and put in
its place the symbol of pence and salvation. On the arms of the cross
were written in large characters these words of the Gospel "Rogo ut omnes unum sint." All the Indians welcomed the proposal of his Lordship
except four, and they had refused to attend the meeting. They determined upon the moment when, in presence of the bishop, the mast should
be cut to pieces. 'Vhen all was ready and the whole people reunited
around the mast, the four refractory Indians ran up and protested with
all their energy against the proposed step. The other Indians took no
heed of their protestations und began to cut the mast; then these four
furious with rage surround the mast, clasp it tightly in their embrace;
as the others continue to strike at it with their axes, the four cry out that
they shall cut the mast only after having cut their bodies in pieces. Unhappily these four were men of very great influence, and it was evident
that their example was working its effect; to prevent an inevitable confltct the bishop ordered the other Indians to retire immediately. The
e~ort was abortive; victory was on the side of revolt. But divine ProVtdence had not lost its rights.
Hardly had the bishop quitted Old Town than the cholera, having made
~he tour of America, fell upon our island as upon a prey abandoned to
tts pleasures. Its ravages were terrible: within a few days more than ·
twenty persons were carried off. To escape the plague the Indians, from
the very beginning, had tied in all directions; still, many were overtaken
by d~ath whilst fleeing. All that remained upon the island, with the exceptton of three, were successively attacked by the epidemic. During
~fteeu days our island presented a most horrible sight. I myself counted
tn ~llle hut as many as fifteen sick persons, heaped one on the other upon
~ lttt!e straw, which, indeed, had become mther filthy litter than straw;
IU their midst were two dead bodies; I could hear only the death rattle,
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
and the cries of those whom cramps and the most frightful convulsions
were torturing. The infection was such that the passer by on entering, or
even approaching, a house began to grow faint. To take care of all these
sick people there was a small girl of twelve or thirteen and some relatives
who, in their fright, made only momentary visits from time to time. I
was fortunate enou.gh to save all the sick, except one woman, from
dying without the sacraments. Snon the epidemic spread to tlte whites;
at Bangor, where the ravages of the plague were great, the parish priest,
after incredible exertions, was finally attacked and had to take to his bed;
so that, for some days, I found myself in sole charge of all t4e sick within a radius of ten miles. It would be difficult for you, Heverend Father,
to form an idea of the sad position of a priest, left thus alone in such
circumstances. Day and night, without intermission, he has death before
his eyes. Around him he sees but terror and consternation. The one
whom he has left in good health in the evening, he sees the next day dead
or dying; and knowing that he himself is not immortal, he expects momentarily to be attacked by the plague ami to die without priest, without
sacrament, without friend, perhaps without any human aid. But, as you
see, I escaped. A singular. thing occurred at this time. They had off.~:.red, in vain, prayers of all kinds to obtain the cessation of this terrible
plague. One night, the sister of the cholera's first victim had a dream,
in which she saw the cause of the cholera and of all the ravages which it
had made; it was the mast which they had not yet cut up. She had
hardly related her dream when two Indians went and cut down the mast.
At the time there was no protest, but when the cholera had disappeared
the four recalcitrants, of whom I spoke above, together with the large following which they had now gained over, came again to make their protestation, and now things have come to such a pass that it has become an
affair of state. They are determined to put up another mast on the Fourth
of July, the annivcrs.'lry of American Independence. It will be the occasion of fresh troubles. For, on the one hand, the bishop is determined
to use vigorous measures with those who fear not to despise his authority;
and, on the other, I do not believe that the haughty self-will of the Indians
will draw back through fear of the judgments of God and the threats of
the Church.
~
These radicals speak of the bishop, the priest and even of religion with
the utmost contempt. This is not all. Having heard that I wished to
establish a Catholic school on the island, solely to cross me, they have
sent a messenger to the government to demand a Protestant school; and
as the council of Augusta is almost entirely made up of ei-otcstant ministers, it is probable that the Protestant school will be 'established, and
then all is lost. for the Indians.
So, Heverend Father, after two years of sacrifice and devoted labor I
am about to witness the destruction of this mission, founded amid so
many hardships by our ancient fathers and given back to the Society by
the Holy Sec at the instance of the Fathers assembled in council at Baltimore. And I do not hesitate to predict that, if we abandon it, this s:1d
island will soon contain but n few scattered relics of the Catholic religion.
I told you above that I had succeeded in driving out drunkenness from
among us by the establishment of a temperance society, but that an unforseen circumstance had spoiled all. This untoward event was the cholera. On the appearance of this scourge, the physician said that strong
drinks were a good remedy against tlte epidemic; so I was obliged to
recall the decree that I had made; and, since then, drunkenness has become more prevalent than ever. If, then, I wish to convert the Indians,
I must make these habitual drunk11rds promise once more to give up all
intoxicating liquor entirely. I cau assure you that this time it will not
be easy. Having b:mjshed drunkenness, it will be necessary to overcon1e
party spirit, the source of so much hate and bitterness: This is not all,
either. During the period of above twenty years that the Indians have
been without a priest, they have lost their faith; continually in contact
with Protestants, who make use of every occasion to instil into their
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
229
minds the poison of their errors, the Indians are too credulous and too
ignorant to distinguish the true from the false; finally, without knowing
it, they become Protestants, and reject one after another all the positive
articles of our faith. I must then instruct them once more, and revive
the faith, dying in their hearts. But to work such a miracle, what signifies one man, who is ignorant of English and expresses himself only
with great difficulty in their language! Happily I have with me Mr.
Force, who, with the exception of the priestly character, which he has
not yet received, has all that is necessary for success in this mission. If
Rev. Fr. Provincial will leave him with me, I shall not despair of overcoming, with God's aid, all these difficulties, and shall even indulge the
hope of seeing religion and virtue flourish once more on the island, and
of seeing renewed amongst us the wonders of the Reductions of Paraguay, where the missioner was the father of his people.
The Indians of Old Town are but the smallest part of our mission; our
glory and consolation are the stations among the Irish and Canadians,
scattered over the whole extent of the state of Maine, with whose care
we arc charged.
In my next letter I shall speak of these different stations and the missions which I have given there., I shall make you partaker of the wellfounded hopes which I have for the future of religion in these northern
regions of the Union; I hope that an account of these apostolic excursions will interest you more than the monotonous recital of the wars and
miseries of my Indians.
This evening I start for Boston, whither Rev. -Fr. Provincial calls
me. On my return I shall take up again my unfinished narrative; and
I hope to find here the rest of the dissertation that you have so willingly
promised to scud me. I am so busy, my mind is so preoccupied that I
do not know how I have written this letter. I beg you to excuse the
many slips which it may contain. I have not even time to re-read it.
-Pray for me, Reverentl Father, and be assured of the love and religious
regard of your ever devoted brother in Jesus Christ,
J.
(To be continued.)
VoL. xvii, No.2.
15
BAPST,
8. J.
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
During the Christmas holidays, the missionary band came
home to rest for a few days. Some had not been in their
own rooms since the previous August. While here, Fr.
McCarthy lectured on Education, for the Redemptorists,
who are building a large parochial school. The papers
speak of it as "Rome's first gun"-"the Catholic school
battery unmasked"-"our public institutions threatened,"
etc. All interested took sides, and many lukewarm Catholics were converted. -The president of Harvard College
scandalized Puritanism ·by his· desertion to our ranks. Catholics demanded citizens' rights; the legislature appointed
committees; their report was our virtual victory. Excellent
parochial schools are being built that threaten to make the
magnificent structures erected by the state, mere monuments of bad laws. Others of the band "occupied" various
pulpits; after which preliminary exercises, we started out on
our regular work, three to Little Falls and three to Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
During the mission at Poughkeepsie the cold was intense,
being one day ten below zero; and it seemed lower still in the
basement of the church about 5 A.M. AtVassar College, outside the city, the maiden observers recorded twenty-six below. Poughkeepsie is an old Dutch town. The Vassar
family, by diligent brewing of good ale, became '":ealthy, and
lavished their wealth on their native town. Streets, schools,
college, hospital, arc called Vassar; at every turn there is
evidence of the excellency of their ale; and, to this day,
the inhabitants testify to the same by frequent recurrence
to the liquid itsel( The Catholic schools arc public schools,
taught by salaried Sisters. The parish priest marched
about a thousand children to the public school, one day, and
demanded place for them. The selectmen were in a dilem-'
rna; to accommodate that number they would have to build
a new school; but if they built a new school they knew the .
children would not be sent to it, as they had a fine parochial school, fully equipped; so they were forced to make
the Catholic school a public school. We visited Vassar
College and were surprised at the numerous modern scientific opportunities, and edified at the apparmt restraint of
curiosity and the silence observed by some. There is a
(230)
�ilfiSSIONAR Y LABORS.
2JI
bridge building here to cross the Hudson; it is wonderful
in its seemingly dangerous height an<J spider-like architecture. It will be one of the longest and highest railroad
bridges in the country.
At Little Falls, Frs. McCarthy, McDonald and Byrnes
had 2145 confessions; we had 2280 confessions, 41 prepared
for confirmation, 22 for first Communion and 4 converts.
At Biddeford, Me., Frs. MacDonald and McDonald had
very hard work. Besides about 2000 confessions, there
were 100 prepared for confirmation, 51 for first Communion
and I4 converts. The class of instrucrion is always a great
worry and strain on the conscience of the teacher. When
one has grown up without the sacraments, or, perhaps, any
religion at all, there is an awful fog-bank of ignorance and
indifference to be gotten out of; the missionary must work
hard and the grace of God must be at flood tide. Some of
the most doubtful cases are men brought by the girls to
whom they are about to be married. Put the girl out of
the question and it seems like putting out the light of both
faith and reason. "Sir, he hath never fed of the dainties
that are bred in a book ; he hath not eat paper, as it were;
he hath not drunk ink; his intelleCt: is not replenished; he
is only an animal; only sensible in the duller part;"-this
would be an appropriate introducrion for some. Fr. McDonald tells of one notable exception, where a German, only
nine months in the country, had been taught in English, by
the girl that brought him, all the prayers and catechism
perfecrly; and when Fr. McDonald says "perfecrly," he
does not mean "indifferently well."
Fr. Langcake, at South Berwick, Me., had 365 confessions, 35 prepared for first Communion and 7 converts. Fr.
McCarthy, at Castle Garden and Governor's Island, had 563
confessions. Frs. Byrnes and Himmel, at Matteawan, N.Y.,
had I 300 confessions, I 2 prepared for first Communion and
I convert.
On Feb. 19th, we began our Lenten work. Twenty-four
~en were engaged in these missions, I 8 of these were tertlans; sufficient to inoculate the whole country with their
salutary fever. Imagine the effeCt: when their efforts were
confined to the New England and Middle states. To praise
their work ~ufficiently would be to shock their modesty.
~uffice it to say, they alone heard 33,728 confessions, which
Is only a circumstance indicative of the incalculable good
done by their prayers and exhortations.
At the Immaculate Conception, N. Y., Frs. McCarthy,
Brandi, Dooley and Tynan gave the most important mis-
�MISSIONARY LABORS.
sion of the Lenten series. It lasted one month ; 10,000
confessions were heard.
At Salem, Mass., Frs. MacDonald, Richards, Coleman
and Klein bewitched the old town of unsavory memory.
Cotton Mather must have turned uneasily in his grave, had
he known of this Jesuit invasion of his old stamping ground;
468o confessions were heard, 107 confirmed and 7 baptizedPl Throngs of people are often spoken of at missions :
here, at the closing exercises, the colleCl:ors found it impossible to reach certain parts of the church. Those experienced
in parish work, and remembering the zeal of colleCl:ors with
the eye of the pastor upon them, can appreciate what a
crowd this means.
Frs. M. McDonald,,\Vallace, Chester and Ziegler were at
St. Mary's, Providen<;e: There is a mission given here yearly
and one might suppose it necessary to seek sinners with the
lantern, but the number of confessions, 6690, surpassed any
previous record, to the surprise of residents and consolation
of the- missioners; 183 were confirmed, I I baptized and 40
left under instruCl:ion for Ist Communion.
At St. Mary's, Oswego, N. Y., Frs. Langcake, Scully,
Quin and Rapp had 2400 confessions and I 57 confirmed.
This was the most distant mission of the season. Quam
spcciosi pedes c<,angdi:::antium pacem.
At New Haven, Conn., Frs. Byrnes, O'Brien and Daly
gave a very successful mission ; 4200 confessions, 3 baptized
and 35 prepared for Ist Communion. \Vhilst there, they
exchanged amenities with the resident Dominicans, great
mission-givers also in these parts. They have one advantage in their toga-like habit, the graceful tLtidulations of
which, at the simplest gesture, are as impressive for the
common people as an oratorical period from the unadorned
Jesuit.
At Haverhill, Mass., Frs. Himmel, Quill and Gunn had
3500 confessions; at Hingham, Mass., Frs. McElhinney and
Fox had Sol confessions in one week. From here Fr.
McElhinney went to Georgetown, Mass., about six miles
from Haverhill, whence we heard rimwrs of great success.
A retreat for men was begun by Fr. McCarthy, at Lowell,
Mass., and finished by Fr. McElhinney; 2500 confessions
were heard. About this time, Fr. McCarthy seems to be
ubiquitous; now at Lowell, then, between same dates, in
N. Y. (14th St.), again at St. Monica's, N. Y., and before the
close of that mission at Newark, N.J. This is not a case
of trilocation nor anachronism, but what we technically call
(I)
Whenever baptism, confirmation, etc., are mentioned, understand adults.
�JJfiSSIONARY LABORS.
233
overlapping; an arrangement by which one man begins a
mission and ends it and begins another on the same day;
or one begins two or three missions in succession and another ends them in similar succession, assisting each other
during the week and separating at the beginnings and endings; a beautiful process, much less complicated in practice
than expression, J;>y which a man can work right along for
an indefinite period without occasion for rest.
March I Ith.-At St. Monica's N. Y., Frs. McCarthy,
Byrnes, Brandi, Daly, Tynan, Richards, and O'Brien heard
8ooo confessions. The figure is flattering to the missionaries, considering the proximity of our church, St. Lawrence,
where Fr. McTammany was attracting great crowds, at the
same time, by his eloquent Lenten conferences.
At Spencer, Mass., Frs. Langcake, Coleman and Quin
heard 1400 confessions and prepared 6 for 1st Communion.
Spencer is renowned for giving the Society a novice-master.
At Cambridge, Mass., St. Paul's Church, Frs. R. MacDonald and Klein had 3089 confessions, 174 for confirmation,
I IO for Ist Communion and 3 converts; and this in the very
shadow of the walls of Harvard College, and in a church
originally Unitarian, possibly the very one Holmes sang of
fifty years ago, as
Our ancient church! its lowly tower,
Beneath the loftier spire, . . . . . .
Like sentinel and nun . . . . . .
Then Catholicism was a speculation for Harvard students,
now a Jesuit missionary waxes eloquent before a Catholic
congregation, within a stone's throw of the centre of Unitarianism. A feW years ago, a Holy Cross College boy led
the Harvard law school,faczi'e princeps.
At St. Mary's, Grand St., N. Y., Frs. M. McDonald and
Wallace did the hardest work of the season. It was called
an annual retreat, but in reality was a regular mission, conducted by two men where there should have been four.
They had 4900 confessions.
·
_At Baltimore, St. Joseph's Church, Frs. Himmel, Fox and
~tegler had 2080 confessions, 9 for confirmation and 2 bapttzcd. On the feast of St. Joseph, the Cardinal administered
confirmation and was present with about twenty-five of the
.clergy at solemn High Mass. Fr. Fox preached a learned
and eloquent panegyric.
,
At the Cathedral, Albany, Frs. Byrnes and Scully gave a
Week's retreat for men: they had I 100 confessions, and acted
as Qeqcons of honor on Palm Sunday. At our church,
�234
.MISSIONARY LABORS.
Providence, Frs. Langcake and Tynan gave a retreat during
Holy Week; they had 2IOO confessions.
At the church of St: Catherine of Genoa, I 5 sth St., N. Y;,
Frs. Quill and Chester had I6oo confessions, prepared I9
for confirmation, made I convert. Shortly after the mission
(post /we) the parish priest was offered $6o,ooo to build a
new church.
During Holy \Veek, Frs. R. MacDonald and M. McDonald were at Arlington, Mass. Though two had given a
mission there the same time last year, the confessions were
comparatively more numerous. They had I602 in one
week; last year, I66o in two weeks.
At St. Columba's, Newark, N.J., Frs. McCarthy, Tynan,
Quill and Dooley gave a two weeks' mission the latter part
of Lent. The pastor;.by aaual count, numbered I200 souls
in his parish, at the mission I 700 confessions were heard.
Fr. Gunn gave a retreat for men in Holy Name parish,
New York, and had 700 confessions.
Frs. McElhinney and Daly gave a renewal of the mission
of Lent '87 in St. Joseph's, Philadelphia. Fr. Morgan, an
ex-missionary, expressed himself more than satisfied with
the result.-High praise coming from such authority!
Fr. Brandi gave a triduum to the convent· girls at Manhattanville. Those with him say it was with regret they
saw him detaiLed to cater to the spiritual appetite of the
innocent when his help was so valuable in the harvest of
ripe old sinners.
Fr. Quin's Holy \Veek labor at Dobb's Ferry deserves
special mention, his sermons on Good Friday .and Easter
Sunday roused the neighborhood.
w ••
Up to date we have given more missions this year than
any previous year in the history of the province, and our
time is already well filled up in advance for next year.
H.
l\IISSION FOR THE ITALIANS IN NEW YORK.
In the parish of the Transfiguration, New York City,
there are, according to the pastor, Rev. Thomas F. Lynch, at
least 4000 resident Italians, not counting the many who live
in the neighborhood, and the floating population of immigrants, whose number is steadily on the increase. Fr. Lynch
has two Italian pri_ests exclusively occupied with the Italians.
On Sundays the basement of the church is given up to the
Italian Catholics; four Masses are said for them; Vespers
are held, etc. Though there are in the city two Italian
c;htlrches, still it seems that neither is frequented by as many
�JIIISSIONARY LABORS.
235
Italians as the church of the Transfiguration. This faCt
suggested the idea of giving a second Italian mission in
this church, the first having been given two years ago by
some Passionist Fathers.
Our mission was very successful indeed, and proved how
inexaCt was the account given in the April number of a
well known Catholic magazine, of the religious dispositions
of most of the Italians in New York. The mission lasted
only one week-Easter week- too short a time for the needs
of the people; nevertheless; more than 2 500 confessions of
Italians were heard. We cannot give the exaCt number,
since the two Italian priests attached to the church helped
our fathers in hearing them.
All the usual exercises of the mission were given, and at
all of them the church was filled with people, particularly
in the evening. It was very consoling to witness the eagerness with which the people, from the very first day, approached the sacraments. Many also were the returns to
God. The success, indeed, was so marked that the zealous
pastor, who is really interested in the spiritual welfare of the
Italians, has resolved to have a similar, or longer, mission
given to his Italians every year. FF. Cardella, Degni and
Massi gave the mission.
The Archbishop is very solicitous for the spiritual welfare
of the Italians, who have been heretofore rather negleCted.
Good missionary priests will not be wanting, since the bishop
of Piacenza has offered to furnish them.
A report has reached us that another Italian mission is to
be given by Ours next July in the church of the Immaculate
Conception, New York City.
C.
MISSION AT URBANA, FREDERICK CO., !liD.
A short mission of four days was given by Frs. Brandi
and Dooley at Urbana, Frederick Co., Md. The exercises
began on Wednesday evening, May 23rd. As most of the
congregation lived far away from the church, it was useless
to expeCt attendance at 9 A. M. and 3 P. M., and consequently
the exercises usual at these hours were omitted. The
evening exercises usually lasted two hours, from 7 to g,
consisting of instruCtion, beads, sermon, and BenediCtion.
I.n the morning, Mass began at 5.30, followed by an instruction on the commandments. Considering the rainy weather,
the condition of the county roads, almost impassable with
mud, and the distances which most had to travel, the congregation assembled in larger numbers than could have been
�FR. SACHE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
expected. The church was crowded every evening, and all
listened with the closest attention.
The mission was closed on Sunday afternoon by Father
Rector, who, arriving unexpectedly, was induced to give the
papal blessing. We were informed that the entire adult
population of the parish, one man excepted, had approached
the sacraments. There were four or five who had not been
to church or sacraments for many years. To perpetuate the
good done, steps have been taken to put the Apostleship of
Prayer in a good working condition. May the Sacred Heart
grant that the last and least of the tertians' labors may result in the confirmation of the faith amongst the Catholics,
and its spread amongst those who are as yet without the fold.
B.
FR, SACHE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
Fr. Louis Sache is very dear to the hearts of many
members of this province, for he was novice-master in the
old mission of New York and Canada from I 8 53 to 1862,
and again from r866 to 1871. On Trinity Sunday this venerable father celebrated the golden jubilee of his priesthood,
lcs 1zoces d'or, at Quebec, in the residence of our fathers,
founded by him in 1849. At seven o'clock he said a Low
Mass in the sodality chapel. At the gospel • he turned
around and said a few touching words to the faithful assembled, begging them to join their intentions to his, during the
holy sacrifice, first, to thank God for the great grace that
had been vouchsafed him in being called to the priesthood ;
secondly, to beg pardon of God for the faults he had committed in the exercise of the sacred ministry; and thirdly,
to obtain the grace of making a better use of the few days
of life that might yet remain to him. After Mass, he knelt
before the Blessed Sacrament, renewed· his priestly promises, and then intoned the Te Dcum. In the meantime the
members of the sodality of our Lady had taken up positions around the sanctuary, and Mr. Lemay, Librarian of the
legislature, read, in the name of the sodalists, whose director
Fr. Sache had beep. for many years, a magnificent address.
Fr. Sache attempted to answer, but was so overcome by
emotion that he was barely able to utter the words : "Pray
for ·me."
During the day, the superior, Fr. Desy, received a tele-
�FR. SACHE'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
237
gram from Rome couched in the following terms : Summus
Polltifex ;itbilans Patri Sac/ze jubilmzti bmedicit.-CARDINALIS MAZZELLA.
Fr. Sache also received affeCtionate letters
of congratulation from a great many of his old novices,
among them Rev. Fr. Campbell, our Provincial.
The Cardinal Archbishop, the reCtor of Laval Univer. sity, the parish priests of the city and other distinguished
ecclesiastics honored Fr. Sache by dining with him and the
other fathers at our residence.
At four o'clock in the afternoon the officers of the sodality
of St. Roch, whose direCtor Fr. Sache had been at two different times, also presented him a beautiful address. The
two sodalities, as well as various religious communities and
many citizens, offered him numerous and rich gifts in memory of his jubilee day.
At five o'clock in the evening the religious celebration
was concluded with solemn BenediCtion. The choirs of the
two sodalities joined together to furnish the music. Fr. Th.
Caisse preached an excellent sermon on "The Church, our
Mother" ; how we ought to love her, and, in token of our
love, surrender to her our minds, our hearts, our tongues,
our arms, our all. Fr. Sache, assisted by FF. Charaux and
Turgeon, gave BenediCtion, at which many members of the
secular clergy were present, also a goodly number of distinguished laymen, among them Mr. Mercier, the Prime
Minister, and two other members of the cabinet.
That our Lord may grant the saintly father the ~ce of
offering up the holy sacrifice still many years, is the earnest
prayer of all his old novices.
�Catalogus Socion1m
Missionis
AM ERIC£ FCEDERAT £
SOCIETATIS JESU
Ineunte Anno 1809.
R. P.
CAROLUS NEALE
SUPERIOR MISSIONIS
A Die 9 Dec., 18o8.
IN DISTRICTU COLUMBIJE
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
P. Franciscus Neale, V. Rctlor, Mag. uov., Proc ..llfiss., Refl.
eccles. SS. Trinit., Ercurr. ad Alcxandritf11J
P. Enoch Fenwick, Opcr., C01if. et conc. in T., Exmrr. ad
Alexandriam
P. Leonardus Edelen, Opcr.
P. Petrus Epinette, Soc. mag. nov., Doc. t!L£·ol.
MAGISTRI
Carolus Bowling
Adam us Marshall, Aud. tltcol.}
Jacobus Redmond
Nov. a die
Michael Magan
_
Doc. catcclt. iu T.
IO
oa. I807
CoADJUTOREs
Joannes McElroy, Empt., Aq/ proc. miss.
Patritius McLaughlin, Ad omn.
(238)
�CATALOGUS, z8o9.
239
NoviTn CoADJUTORES
Gualterus Barron, a die zo Ofl.
Laurentius Lynch "
"
Josephus Marshall "
6 Dec.
Petrus Kiernan
"
7 jul.
Christophorus O'Hare, a die l I
Christianus Simmering " 20
z8o7
"
"
z8o8
jul. z8o8
Dec. "
IN STATU NEO-EBORACENSI
RESIDENTIA AD S. PETRI
et Collegium lnchoatum
New York Literary Institution
P. Antonius Kohlmann, Sup., Vic. Gm. dia?ces., Refl. eccles.,
C01if. et cone. in T.
P. BenediCtus J. Fenwick, Adj. refl. eccles., Oper., Co1if. et
cone. in T.
MAGISTRI
Jacobus
Michael
Jacobus
Jacobus
Ord
White
Redmond} Nov. adze zo Ofl. z8o7
.
W a II ace
Doc. cateclt. itt 1:
IN STATU MARYLANDJ)E
RESIDENTIA AD S. THOMIE
Superior lllissio~tis, Dirig. Mo~tiales
Monti's Carmeli
P. Joannes Henry, Oper., E.xcurr.
R. P.
CAROLUS NEALE,
RESIDENTIA AD S. IGNATII
P. Carolus W~uters, Oper.-Nov.
Josephus Mobberly, Nov. coac!J:, Empt., Ad omn.
RESIDENTIA AD NEWPORT
P. Sylvester Boarman, Oper.
RESIDENTIA AD NEWTOWN
P. Franciscus Maleve, Oper., E.xcurr.
�CATALOGUS, r8o9.
IN STATU PENNSYLVANIJE
RESIDENTIA PHILADELPHIENSIS
Ad SS. Trinitatis
P. Adamus Britt, Rec?. acl., Opcr.
RESIDENTIA LANCASTRIENSIS
Ad S. Marire
P.
J.
Gulielmus Beschtcr, RcCl. eccl., Opcr., Excurr.-NO'"u.
Residentire Conewaginensis, Goshenhoppenensis, et ad S. J osephi, Philadel·
phire, in Statu Pennsylvanire; et Bohemieusis, Fridericopolitana, Alba
Paludana, et ad S. Jo'l_ephi in comitatu Talbot, in Statu .Marylaml.,
propter penuriam N ostrorum, ab aliis sacerdotilms occupantur.
VITA FUNCTI
Kelly, Thomas, Nov. schol., I6 Aug. I8o8, Col!. Gcorgiop.
P. Spink, Jacobus, --I8o8, Reszd. S. Ignatii
R. P. MoLYNEUX, RonERTUS, 9 Dec. I8o8, Col!. Gcorgiop.
Index Domorum
et
DOMICILIA
Numerus Sociorum
SACER.
SCHUL.
---------------R. P.
S~perior
COADJ.
UNIV.
-~
--
~-
1\lissionis .............. .
1
Collegium Georgiopolitanum ....... .
4
Resid. Neo-Ebor. et Coil. lnchoat.
.·
8
4
6
Residentia ad S. Thomre .............. .
Hesidentia ad S. Ignatii .............. .
2
Residentia ad Newport ................ .
Residentia ad Newtown .............. .
Residentia I•hi!adelphiensis...........
1
Residentia Lancastriensis ............. .
Numerantur
13
8
9
30
�CATALOCUS, ISo9.
INDEX ALPHABETICUS SOCIORUM
INEUNTE ANNO 11\0H
ORTUS
COGNOMEN ET NOMEN
INGRESSUS
B
SACERDOTES
2Z
P. Beschter J. Gulielm<ts ...
Mai.l 1~6~ 10 Oct.
P. Boarman Sylve~ter ••..•.... ' Nov. 1 dU 7 Sep.
P. Britt Ada>~ms .......... ...... 10 Oct. 1743 14 Sep.
1807
1765
17tl4
SCIIOLASTICUS
Bowling Carolui ........•...... 7 Jan.
1789 10 Oct.
1806
Barron Gualterns ......•....... 14 Aug. 17G!J 10 Oct.
1807
COADJUTOR
EF
SACEHDOTES
Sep. 1760 2 Jun.
Oct. 178:l 10 Oct.
Sep. 1782>10 Oct.
.Mai. t7soi10 Oct.
1805
1806
1806'
180G
P. Henry J~annes .. ............ 15 Sep. 1765 18 .Jul.
P. Kohlmann Antonius ...... 16 ~fai 1771112 .Jul.
P. Maleve Fmnciscus ......... j
Dec. 1770 1 Sep.
1804
1805
1804
P. Epinette Petrns ......•....... ! 24
P. E<lelen Leonarrlus ... ...... 20
P. Fenwick Benedictu.~ ...... :1
P. Fenwick Enoch .............. 15
HRLJU
SACERDOTES
SCHOLASTIC!
Magan Jlichael.................. 2 Nov. 1787 10 Oct.
Marshall Adanms .............. 18 Nov. 1785 10 Oct.
1807
1807
COADJUTORES
Kiernan Petrus .................
Lynch Laurentius........ ......
McElroy Joannes ...............
McLaughlin Patritius .........
Marshall Josephus ..............
Mobberly Josephus ............
1767
17Kl
14 Mai. 1782
17 Mar. 1768
10 Mai. 1788
12 Jan. 1779
12 Jan.
7 .Jan.
.Jul.
Oct.
Oct.
Oct.
6 Dec.
10 Oct.
7
10
10
10
1808
1807
1806
1806
1807
1807
GRAD US
�CATALOGUS, z80<J.
COGNOMEN ET NOMEN
ORTUS
INGRESSUS
GRAD US
N
SACERDOTES
R. P. NEALE CAROLUS .••.•. 10 Oct. 1751 7 Sep.
P. Neale Franciscus ..•........ 2 Jan. 1756 10 Oct.
1771 13 Nov. 1806
1806
OQRS
SCHOJ,ASTICI
Ord Jacob-us ....................... 7 Jan. 1789 10 Oct.
Queen G•tliebnus ............... 7 .Tan. 17R9 10 Oct.
Hedmond Jacobus .............. 2 Nov. 1776 10 Oct.
..
COAI>JU1"0RF.S
'
.
O'Hare Ghristophorus .... ~.:·. 12 Jan .
.. Simmering Ghristianus ...... 12 Jan.
1806
1806
1807
1779 17 Jul. 1808
1780 20 Dec. 1808
"\V
SAl"ERDOS
P. 'V 011ters Carolus ...•••...•.. 8 Apr. 1771 10 Oct.
1807
HCIIOLASTICI
Wallace Jncobus ............... 11 Mar.
White JJiichad .......... ......... 7 Jau.
1787 10 Oct.
1789 10 Oct.
1807
1806
-· .·
�OBITUARY.
FR. IGNATIUS BELLWALDER.
Fr. Ignatius Bellwalder was born at Oberwald, Canton Wallis, Switzerland, Feb. j!4th, 1814. He made his studies at the college of our fathers
at Brigg, in the same canton, where also he entered the Society, Oct. 10th,
1833. In the Society he made his studies at Fribourg and at Brigg, and
was for a time professor in Schwyz. He was ordained priest at Fribourg
April lOth, 1846, made his tertianship at La Lucerne, France, and then
was engaged in the ministry at Brigg.
Upon the expulsion of our fathers from Switzerland he went to Oleggio, Italy, thence to Verona, where he remained for a few months. From
Verona he went to Neustift and Gengenbach, Baden, where he worked
three years in a parish. He was next sent to Paderborn, Westphalia,
where he was minister in the college. During the Franco-German war he
was stationed in our residence at 1\'laiuz. At the time of his leaving for
America he was Superior of the beautiful shrine "Kreuzberg" near Bonn.
He arrived nt Boston, 'DiaN ew York, Aug. 27th, 1867, together with Fr.
(now Cardinal) Mazzella and Fr. Nopper, and remained at Boston six
months, when he was sent to Conewago, where he remained two years
and six months. From Conewago he was called to the German Jllission,
Buffalo, wlwre he remained eight years, part of the time Superior at St.
/ Ann's. He returned to Boston in Oct., 1878. In 1883, his mind having
become impaired, he was obliged to leave Boston; whither, on his recovery, he returned in 1885. Early this year he was again attacked by his
old sickness, and was, in consequence, transferred to l\Iount Hope Retreat, near Baltimore, for treatment. There he died, a few weeks after
arrival, on Feb. 22nd, and was buried at Woodstock.
Fr. Bellwalder was a very active, zealous and self-sacrificing priest and
a man of great kindliness of heart.-R. I. P.
BROTIIER CONRAD 1\IEYEU.
Bro. Jlleyer was born at Hi'>rschoff, diocese of Paderborn, Westphalia,
Sept. 14th 1820, and entered the Society at Sault-au-Recollet, Dec. 16th
18?1, some yenrs after coming from Germany. After finishing his noviceslnp, he spent seven years in the residence of St. 1\Iichuel's, Buffalo, and
When thut house was transferred to the German Province, he came for
about one year to St. Lawrence's, N. Y. The years between 1871 and
1873 he lived with Ours of the Indian missions at Sault Ste 1\larie, Algoma Co., Michigan. After making his last vows in Fordham, in 1873, he
Was appointed sacristan of St. Peter's, .Jersey City, whence, in 1877, he
'!as sent to St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y., as wardrobe-keeper and infirmarum. In that house he died a most edifying death on the night of l\larch
3hd, ~f this year, surrounded by the fathers, who had learned to revere
t e Iudden virtues of his life.
t Bro: l\Icyer was a man of singular gentleness and modesty, ever willing
0 obhge, and indefatigable in his work.
One had to be under his care
~dhe!liii, to learn all the beautiful sweetness of his character. Gentleness, ,
. ehty and charity seemed to be virtues which he practised in a very
~g~ degree. For some years before his death he was a!Hicted from time
time by slight attacks of pneumonia; but nothing could make him
(243)
�::!44 FR. jOSEPH ISO LABELLA.
FR. JOHN E. HOLZER.
relinquish his duties of infirmarian. His last illness began towards the
close of February. He received the last sacraments on the feast of St.
Matthias, but lingered a week after, edifying all by his humility and resignation. To requests for prayers he would say that his prayers were
not worth much; and, as if to show his perfect assent to God's holy will,
he kept constantly repeating "Yes, Yes," in affirmation of the offering of
his life to the Master whom he had so·well served. Just before his death
many of the fathers, who were leaving the confessionals for the night,
surrounded his bedside and imparted a final absolution. He died quietly
as he had lived, unknown to the world outside, and too modest to let
even his brethren perceive all the secrets of his virtue. .Ama ne.,ciri et
pro niltilo reputari, was true of him; and with good reason could
Fr. Rector, at the close of the men's mission the day after, allude to his
death as precious in the eyes of God: "He has lived," he said, "twelve
years in the college, unknown to you, perhaps his•name never heard of
by you; but his lite wa>~ hidden with God. His meek, gentle nature made
him loved by his brethren, who saw in him the example of one living in
the service of God, unknown to the world, hut filling his life with treasures of merit for eternity/;-R. I. P.
FATrrEn JosEPrr IsoLAnELLA.
Fr. Isolabella was born March 28th, 1838. He entered the Society in
his twentieth year, and, being destined for q1e mission of California, was
sent by his superiors to make his noviceship in this country. He accordingly came to Frederick, to the novitiate of the Maryland Province. and
there took his first vows, 8ept. !!8th, ltl5!J. Having completed the course
of rhetoric, he took up philosopby at Boston and afterwards at George·
town. He then went to California where for five years he was engaged
in teaching at Santa Clam. Heturniug to the East in 1869, he studitd his
theology at '\Voodstock. On his return to Galiti.Jrnia he resumed the office
of teacher in Santa Clam until, in 1878,1\ severe illness brought him to
death's door. Having recovered, he was Rppointed, in 1878, Minister of
St. Ignatius' College, 8an Francisco, which office he held till, in 1886, he
was transferred to Santa Clara in the same capacity. On Palm Sunday
last he took 1\ cold, which in a short time developrd into rheumatic fever.
On Low Sunday he breathed his lust, in the fifty-first year of his age,
Rnd the thirty-first of his life in the Society. An able administrator and
a good religious man, he was esteemed by his superiors_lmd beloved by
all, who no.t only mourn their own private loss. but alstJ the blow which
his sudden death has inflicted upon the mission.-R. I. P.
FATIIER JOHN
E.
IlOLZER.
Fr. John E. Holzer was born on the 29th of December, 1817, in the village of Mutters, about three miles from tbe city of Innsbruck, the capital
of Tirol. The village is the centre of a parish embracing two or three
other villages under the control of the Premonstratensian monks ami
affiliated to the great monastery of Witten. '\Vilten is now a suburb
of Innsbruck, but was a Roman Station in the days of Julius Cresar,
and, for many generations 11\ter, the principal sent of Catholicity in Northern Tirol, from which Innsbruck itself depended in spirituals as well as
temporals. It is needless to ~ay that the young boy wl\s brought up in
Catholic faith and piety, for there are no more devoted children of the
Church than these simple, stalwRrt Tirolese; and this was particularly
true of thl\t period, .when as yet modern ideas had made no inroad into
his part of the Tirol. · From Rll accounts, his mother was a woman of
singular piety. His father was what was considered well off in the little
village community; at leRst, he was able to defray the no slight expenses
necessary for his childrens' education. Fr. Holzer received his first in-
�FR. JOHl\" E. HOLZER.
struction in the village school, and when fourteen or fifteen years of age
was sent. to the gymnmrinm in lnnsbruck. The Society of Jesus had not
returned to Innsbruek at this time and the school was under the charge
of the l'remonstratensian and secular priests. Indeed the Society had no
house in Innsbruck nor in the Tirol for several years after Fr. Holzer's
entrance into it. While attending the chtsse8 of the gymn&ium, he
boarded in the city. He was not merely a good scholar, but by them
who still remember his youthful days in Innsbruck, be is described as
having been a distinguished pupil, the first in the classes amongst all
those who Htteuded the college; and this reputation be maintained afterwards in the Society. His acquRintance with the Latin and Greek Fathers remained apparently unimpaired until almost the lnst days of his
life. Father Conway, whose words we are now citing, recently made a
long and wenrisome journey to Mutters to secure further information
on the early lite of Father Holzer, but found his only living relative to
be a niece, who knew little or nothing about her uncle.
Father Holzer entered the Society on August lOth, 1835, and made his
noviceship in Gratz. at that time the novitiate of the Austrian· Hungarian
Province. He had as co·noviceg several young men who were destined
to become famous in the history of the Bociety, and even of the whole
Church, as Card. Franzeliu, Fr. Tuzer, Fr. Patiss. etc. Fr. Holzer had
one brother and one sister; the brother was a Franciscan, and for a time
a missionary in America. He was a preacher of some fame in Inns·
hruck, where he died fourteen years ago ; the sister was a nun who
also died some years ago in Salzburg. A curious story is related
by his brother Aloysius-- in religion Francis de Hieronymo-which
is worthy of being mentioned here. He was much younger than his
brother am! like lJim received his education in Innsbruck after Ours
had taken charge of the gymntlsium. While a student there, his mother
had exacted a promise from him, on her death· bed, that he would never
pass a certain church in the city, containing a miraculous picture of the
Blessrd Virgin, without entt>ring to say a few prayers before the sacred
shrine. For some time he was careful in keeping his promise, but nfterwards became remiss and neglected it. One day as he was passing the
dmrch, with no idea of entering it, he saw his mother, wlio hurl been
dead some months, :;;tr.nding on tlie steps of the church, her face ungry
and one hand raised threateningly towards him, while with the other she
pointed towards the church door." This apparition made such a powerful
tmpression on him that he immediately applied for admission into the
order of St. Francis. He was a very zealous priest and often told the
st.ory ?fhis vocation, remarking jokingly that he had been forced against
Ius Will to become a Franciscan.
After one year of rhetoric in the novitiate, Fr. Holzer went to Linz
for his philosophy, in which place Fr. Weninger was at that time pro·
fessor of ethics. He was obliged to interrupt his philosophy to go to
~nnsbruck as prefect in the new Theresian College of Nobles wliich had
JUSt been given to the Society. He completed his course of philosophy
at the university, remaining fur two years afterwards at Innsbruck, first
as tea'cher of poetry and then as professor of rhetoric. Here be perfected
lumself in the classics and was accustomed to write Latin and Greek letters with equal elegance and facility. In the following year, while still
a scholastic, he was sent to the novitiate as professor of the juniors; and
the catalogue states that he was, at the same time, subminister and superIor of the rhetoricians-rather unusual offices for a young scholastic to
hold. At the ctHl of the year, he returned for theology to Innsbruck,
Where Fr. ~Weninger was professor of scripture and Fr. Yenni a stu·
dent of theology. Even during this period, he had to teach and act as
pr~fect while studying. He relllained here until the troubles -broke out.
tn 48, during his l(mrth year of study, and with so many others he was
B~ntpelletl to flee to America. .i\leauwhile, writes Fr. Fleck from Guelph,
Ishop Power of Toronto had applied for German fathers and obtained
VoL. xvrr, No.
2.
16
�FR. JOHX E. HOLZER.
Fathers Caveng and Fritsch with Br.•Toset of the Swiss Province. Thev
arrived at St. Agatha. also called ·wilmot. in Upper Canada. on the :Jrd
of July, 1847. and took charge of that parish and the environs. Thl· following year (1848), Fr. Holzer was sent to help tLem. He resided, however, in New Germany with the title of Superior of both houses. He
labored very zealously and is not yet forgotten by the good people of that
place. When Bp. Charhonnel, who succeeded Bp. l'o"·er, saw the grcnt
relative importance of Guelph, he asked our ~uperiors to transfer the f:tthers to that place, which was done on Jan. :28th, 185'2.
The German Catholic population of Guelph was at that time considerable, but Fr. Holzer soon learned tnough English to proYide for 1he Irish
also, who formed the main portion of his flock. He never became an accomplished English preacher, it is true, but his excellent doctrine anll
holy earnestness made his people consider Lim truly clo4uent. The work
be performed in Guelph was wonderfuL The congregation had been
sadly neglected, most of the adults knowing little auout the rectcption of
the sacraments. whilst few of those under eighteen years of :1ge h:1d received their first Communion; mortcoYer, the toru1er pastor had for ju~t
causes been suspended, lm~.did m.t wish to leave the place. Fr. Holwr
managed, nevertheless, to ri'store perfect order in things both spiritual
and temporal.
••
iVhen he came to Guelph, there was on Catholic Hill, a~ it is ealll>d, an
unplastcred church and a small wretched house f()r tLc priest, but no
Catholic school. Ilis first work was the restoration of Iilith ami piety.
This he began by building 11 stoue convent which Le con tided to the t->t,-·
ters of Loretto. It was a parochial and boarding-school, and soon became
famous, even amongst t!Jl, Prote,.;tants, furmshing au incredible number
of subjects to all the religious communities of tile dioeese of Hamilton.
to which Guelph had been allottell when, in lt'Gil, the dioeese of Toronto
was divided into three. Fr. Holzer next erected a !Joys' school, which
be furnished with excellent lay teachers, and thus "·ithdrew all t!Jc Catholic children from the public schools. Later on he en·n procun·d n charter
and began St. Ignatius' College, which however had to !Je discontinued, owmg to the lack of students; but the stone building itself, which
is still used as a residence, is grand and solid. Then lll' built a hospital,
which he entrusted to the nunb of St. .Joseph, this in lura J,eing- followrLl
by an orphan asylum and a home for old people. This last e~tablishment
bas done much good, and is nt present very prosperous.
These extraordinary !!chievttnents, to use the wonb of Father Archambnult, who was his assistant there during Ius la~t year, cettaiuly earn ell
for him the title of the Cunisius of UJl!~er Cnnattu, antf "lm;p went
hand in hand with equally heroic work iunttemling- to the spintual wants
of his congrt'gation. Ilb pnrish embraced twelve outlying mi~s1ous, hH"
the cure of which he often had lntt a single priest to help him. His frequent excursions occupied him day and night, and covered distanC'eS of
forty, sixty, and eYen a hundred miles, and this over the worst of roads
and through woods and swamps. He <-onsilhn·d a walk of tweuty mi!Ps
each way !Jut a trifle. Even in his last yenrs, one of ll'n miles was 110
unusual occurrence. l\Iany a ~urprising· and edifying auecdote mig·ht be
told of these apostolic jotum•ys. if space allowed us. Once. for example,
after riding a long dbtancc, he was on hb ''"ay home, when he 'nts
suddenly taken sick, but for some weighty reason he determined to push
on without stopping. He fought long and hanl against his sickness,
until at last coming to a house and tiuding 1t in•!Jl'~'ihle to go further,
he dismounted and asked for assistanct'. As soon as he entered he found
a, poor man dying. The man eagtrly asked him whether he was a Cath·
olic prit•st, and on Fr. Holzer ~Hying that he was, "Thank <iod !'' t!1e
sufferer exclaimed, "I have prayed for this Lappinl'ss; 1 han- not gern a
priest for years, and wns ali·aid thnt I should die without one." Fr. Hol~er
then heard his confession, anointed him, and otherwi'e prepared him f{H'
death, which was not tiu off. Another idea of l'Ome of his journcyings
may be gathered from recalling how, on a similar occasion, being com-
�FR. JOH.V E. HOLZER.
247
pelled to seek refuge over night in a woodland hut, and being shown to
the only spare room, th~ attic, he awoke in the morning to find himself
buried beneath two feet of snow which had drifted in upon him through
the rotten an•l gaping- roof.
His chief care in the ministry W!IS, perhaps, that of teaching thecatechism. To this work especially he devoted his whole soul, and even at
this early date. be began to prepare the little "Catechist," a book which
engaged his attention in the latter part of his life, and to which he had
jnst put the finishing touches shortly before his death.
· But Fr. Holzer's great success excited the hatred of the Orangemen.
Guelph was a very hotbed of them, and they had already burned to the
ground the former humble Catholic church, though this was before the
<'Oming of our f,lthers. The sight of the new buildmgs exasperated them,
and they repeatedly sent Fr. Holzer threatening letters, even resolving
upon his death. Finally, in 1857, they had fully determined to burn, or
destroy iu some way, church, convent anti priest's residenr.e on tile coming
l~th of July. The danger was by no means imaginary, and the excitement wRs something tremendous. ·with great effrontery, they gave public
notice of their plans; but nothing could daunt the courage of Fr. Holzer.
He, too, as Fr. Petitdeman~e. who was with him at Guelph in 1864, tells
us. gave a notice, which wa~ a stirring appeal to the Catholics of Guelph
and the neighboring country, to come and fight, if need be, for their
church. They c:1me. ~e\·eral hundred strong, and were in the church
early on the 12th, ready to give the Orange in en a warm reception. Those
worthies duly arrived as they had sworn, but they were told it would
hardly be safe for them to venture too near the Hill-the (Jatholics were
well armPd and even ha•l a cannon in the belfry. They accordingly decided to postpone their attack indefinitely and dispersed, venting their
ferocity in curses and blasphemies. It may be added that, since that day,
every l~th of .July has p:tssed very quietly in Guelph.
Fr. Holz<·r. in the account of the affair which he wrote to Rev. Fr.
Hns, mentions that one of these fiends, who had boasted that he intende<l to feast that day in our ehtlrch and would carry home the head of the
prie>t as a trophy, w:ts killed a few days later by a tree that fell on him.
Another, the ~rand-master of a neighboring county, who had sworn that
h<• would sleep in the eonvt>nt after driving out the nuns, soon afterwards
111et a sudden anti horrible death, brought on by excessive drinking.
A few months later, Fr. Holzer fought another fight. one less famous,
yet not unimportant. His superiors die! not see clearly what prospect
there was for the fnturP in Gtwlph, an•! hall thought once or twice of
relinqnishin~ the mission. Fr. Holzer at once grew eloquent in its defence. In a l"tter to Fr .. lin- tJan. 10th. 1859) he ~ays: "Every one of
our f>lthers r:reatly re!.';rets leaving this mission. which IS one of the best in
America.. ·: .. Dnt "the main ttiing- Hnll the chief attraction for members
of the Sneiety is the rceollcction that Upper Carwda lw.• been the ,qlllrious
field '~f' .<o many confe.<Mr.• and rnrtrtyrR of the Society. Canada should
~ver be for the Society a most cherished and holy ground." And again
m_ :1letter dated Fe h. :!1st, 180!l, he say~: «Concerning the Upper Canada
nu~sions of the oltl ami present Society I can say this much, that there is
a peculiar grace attached to them and to the missionaries who, out of love
for these poor people, underwent so many hardships and sufferings and
persecutions . . . . . When, in 1()49, the chiefs of such remnants of the
Hurons as had t·st·aped the massacre of their nation, resolved to emigrate
to the lower St. Lawrence and settle under the walls of Quebec, the fathers Ponsentcd, loath as they \n~re to leave a land endeared to them by
the sweat. nnd hlootl of their martyred brethren . . . . . The missionaries
Were dispersed; Fr. Hressani went to Italy, FF. Lemercier and Poucet to
the West Inrlies. Fr. Grelon to China; hut di.•tance did not u:ean their
he.rrt.• frmn their lonp rhrn·.,Jwl ajfect10n fm· the mi.•-~ ion of tl~£,ir· early years.
Nay, when we were speaking of a r.ertain father who had spent but one
year in Canada, you yourself told me that he had left his !teart in GWJlph /
and the letters I recei vc from fathers now in Europe, but formerly in
�FR. JOHN E. HOJ.XER.
Canada, breathe a special love and fondness for the Canadian miSsiOn.
Hence you may understand that it is no small sacrifice for us to abandon
these poor people to their fate." The heart of Fr. Hus was touched h~
this pleading, and the fathers remained.
After accomplishing such great end~ with most limited resources, Fr.
Holzer began to build a large and magnificent church. This was rluring
the summer of 1863. The parishioners oppo~ed the project, which they
considered far beyond their means; but, nevertheless, the foundation~
were laid; progress, however, was impossible. Fr. Holzer's one defect
was too much zeal, hence. though he performed wondc•rs and created
works that cost him ~ 50,000, he had contracted a debt of $20,000, and
found himself unable to cope with it. Being, moreover, a foreigner, he
did not, perhaps, understand sufficiently all the minor details of his parish,
or rather be was in a measure too far ahentl of his people. Yet his intentions were always the holiest. and when once he had conceived an idea,
nothing but an utter impossibility could have ;toppt•d him. Fr. Archambault calls him a true Germnn.
Labor and anxiety now began to tell upon him, hut he llitl not ahate
his efforts. During the autumn of lSii:l, however, his health hegan to
fail visibly. On the last night of that year, he travelkd a consiclerable
distance to visit a sick parisllioner, and returned after midnight benumbed
with cold. He retired to bed, hut could not wHrm himself. The next
morning, Jan. 1st, 1S64,just as he had desct•nded tbe stairs to give Communion to the brothers, he frll to the t!oor uneonsC'ious. It w:t~ a severe•
stroke of paralysis in his right side, a visitation of Providenee to which
nearly all his subsequent suffering~ were due ami from which l1e never
entirely recovered. Fr. Holzer was hereupon relieved of his duties as
pastor, which he had fulfilled without interruption for fourteen yPars, and
a few davs later he was removed to the Hutel-Di!'u in ·Montreal, whPn·
he remained several months. During all the years he had spent at Guelph,
he had been a model priest, ami even to the prp;;ent <lay people there
speak of his gigantic labors. his great entlmnnce, and hi~ unconquerahle
energy. Bishops and priests admired him equally well, and always spoke
of him in the highest terms. To Ours liS well ht· was :1 constant source
of edification; his "'"onderful modesty, amongst <It her virtues, even in
times of delirium, showing how habitual the practice of his rules had
become.
From ~rontreal, Fr. Holzer proceedctl to Fortlhmn when· he was minister, prefect of health, librarian and consultor of tht• house, be~itles ·hearing confessions in the church anti explaining the cateehi~:11 att'll the point~
of meditation to the brothers. liP also worked on his stili Uilpnhlished
translation of Avnncinus; eYPry nwditation was to be snpplementPd hy an
appropriate passnge from tlH• f(>llowin,q '!t" Chri.<t. In later d11ys at l\l:mresa, he WtlS engaged rcvismg the work ami preparing it for the pres~.
bnt his health was then too much shattned to Ullmit of. its completion.
His health improved at Fordham ami, aftt·r two years' absenee, he again
returned to his Canadian missions, where he remained two vears more as
operariuK As the debt in Guelph was still verY consider:tlJit', thpre was
not yet any question of building, and besides Fr. Holzer no longer had
the administration of affairs. Several years later. the fathers decided to
abandon the original plan and build a much less imposing church.
With these years, the life-work of Fr. Holzer may be said to hnve been
accomplished. In 1865, he was back again at Forrlham. only, however, to
go to Chatluun the following yenr; and again, in 11467, to return to Fordham. He lived in New York for the five following years, chiefly at
Fordham as operariu.< in the parish, some two years heing al~o spent at
St. Lawrence's in Yorkville. After this he was once more in Canada for
two years, at Chatham arid his beloved Guelph succ~ssivcly. until, in 1H7fi,
he left Guelph, never to' return. He was now stationed for about seven
years in St. Franeis Xavier's. in New York, doing whatevPr little work
his constantly failing health would allow him; and in 1882 he took up
his abode in St. Francis' Hospital, Jersey City. Here he was kindly
�FR. JOHN E. HOLZER.
cared for by the good nuns, while the filial devotion of his altar-boy to
the venerable invalid was rewarded by a vocation to the Society.
It was from .Tersey City th:lt Fr. Holzer used to make his famous excursions to l\Ianresa, where Fr. Gleason, who, as a novice, had attended
him in his first illness. enjoyed the privilege of caring for him again as
novice-master. Poor Fr. Holzer had been a paralytic during the twenty
years that had passed meantime. His famous picnics, with a novice or
two, in the woods along- the secluded borders of the Black Creek, his
baths in the Hudson even as late as October, his shovelling of snow in
winter, but, nbove all, his superintendence of the novices' work at the
Grotto of Lourdes, where by their labors he converted the tiny stream into
a miniature lnke and adorned its banks with beds of flowers, have made
his memory a peculiarly happy one to those who met him there. · The
recreation and employment he thus found were the only natural means,
he often declared, which sustained his ebbing life. When bad weather
or bodily f:lligue compelled him to remain indoors, be generally spent the
time in revising his contemplated compendium of Scaramelli, his translation of Avancinus and his original work ''The Catechist," besides long
hours he gave to the perusal of St. Chrysostom's "Preparation for Death."
Not long after the closing of Manresa, Fr. Holzer was sent to Georgetown College. Here, as we are informed by a recent letter, he was always
the same patient and gentle sufferer, in spite of his helpless condition;
and, though he must have been very lonesome, no one ever saw him sad.
\Vhen he was able to he out of doors, he spent his time in the graveyard,
trimtuing the hedge and raking the paths, with an old servant to help
him. The boys always paid him the greatest respect. The story of his
doings at Guelph had got among them. and they were ready to look upon
him in consequence asquite a hero. He used to read the religions newspapers a good deal, and keep an old copy of Card. Bellarmine's De &ptmn
Verbi8 by him reading it aln)Ost constantly. On feast days, the scholastics used to dress him in a clean lmbit (for no amount of attention
could keep his ordinary habit presentable), shave him with more than usual care, and bring him over to the fathers' parlor, so as to be with the
community in recreation. This seemed to make him very happy. His
health, however, soon grew alarmingly worse. His speech became more
and more diflicult, and at times he was obliged to recur to a slate, where,
with some trouble, he would manage to write a scrawling sentence or two.
He seemed to have some presentiment of his coming end. About
April 17th he fell sick, and insisted on taking to his bed, after which he
sent for Fr. )Iinister, and said that he was going to die. "I feel it there,"
!Je said, touching his chest. In his Ordo there was a slip of paper markmg the date April ~Oth, the day on which symptoms of erysipelas first
appeared. In the same pl:tce there wns another slip with the following
se!ltences written under the title "Death'': "There is nothing so uncert:un as when death will come. Ilow many there are who, to all appearances, might promise themselves a long life, when they are sqddenly
called away by the hand of death, to appear before God's tribunal to answer for all the deeds of their whole life. 0 my God! give me the grace
that I may never offend thee in the futnre. I am weak, it is true, but I
can be strong in thee. my .Lord and my God. ~Mercy, my God, mercy."
The house diary of Georgetown records that at nine o'clock on April
23rd, a sudden change for the worse set in, and Fr. Tarr was called· to give
tl~e last absolution·; and then, on the feast of St. Fidelis, the patron of
Tiro!, Fr. Holzer's native country, and while his religious brethren were
reachng the litanies of the Saints, Fr. Holzer gave up his soul to God .
.May lte re8t in peace.
�FR. VINCENT REITJTA YR.
FATHER VI~CENT REITMAYR.
Fr. Vincent Reitmnyr was horn Ht Augslmrg;, Bavaria, on the 10th of
July, 1851. and received his classical e<lncation in the Bmedictine school
of his native city. At nn early age he felt himself drawn to the service
of the altar. Faithful to the call from on high, and burning with zen! for
souls, be resolved to devote his life to the service of God, :~mid the trials
and hardships of the apostolic life. Accordingly, on the compldion of
his collegiate course, he sailed for America, anti entered St. ,John's College, :Minnesota, to p~rsuc the studies which were to prepare him for the
priesthood. To complete his theological conrse, he afterwards repaired
to St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore, where he was a model of fervor and
regularity. In lSi 4. he received holy orders at the hands of Bishop
::\Iacbebceuf, Vicar Apostolic of Colorado, and spent some years in attending to the spiritual wants of various missionary stations in Colorndo.
From this field of sacrifice and toil, hP. was transferred to the diocese of
Grass Valley (now Saeramento); :IIHl Virginia City, Nevada, was for a
considerable time the chTcf scene of his labors. ·wherever he went, he
gaineq the goodwill and esteem of all, Protestants as well as Catholics;
and many are the sweet n·membrances of virtue and of priestly devotion
which his name even yet calls up among the rough pioneers, tu whom he
ministered the consolations of religion in the mining districts of the Silver
State. Everywhere he showed himself a saintly priest and zealous missionary, so that he might well say in the words of the Apostle: "Onr
glory is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity of heart
and sincerity of God, and not in carnal wisdom, hut in the grace of God,
we have conversed in "this world."
But zealous for better gifts, and aiming at a still higher perfection, he
decided upon entering the religious state, nnd he applied to R<;v. Fr.
Congiato, Superior of the California Mission, for admittance into the Society. His desire ....however, could not be granted imnwdiately, l•ecause
his labors could not nt that time he spnred by his bishop, Rt. Hev. P.
!lanogue. After waiting pntiently for about a year, and having obtained
the willing consent of his ecclesinstical superior, he began, at Santa Clam,
his first probation, on the 2nd of April, 1SS3. From the moment of his
entrance into the novitiate, it was evident that lte had made up his mind
to become a faithful follower of Christ, by generously .embracing the
cross; rapid, consequently, were his strides in the way of-religious perfection. Immediately upon taking his religious vows. lw was sent to
St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco, where he w11s nwde first prefect of
the students' preparatory department. Here his virtue and excellent
natural qualities served him in good stead; for by hiR meekness and forbearance, coupled with due firmness, he gained the affection and respect
of both teachers and pupils. For nearly three years, with unfailing courage and zeal. he exercised this arduous office; but with last December
came a severe cold, caught in the perfonmmce of his duties; it settled
upon his lungs, and resuhed in the fatal disease, which was to eut short a
useful life. The symptoms, which day by day been me more pronounced.
as well as his increasing weakness, induced his superiors to send him to
the milder climate of Santa Clara. They hoped that the chnnge might
benefit him. They were hoping against hope. No improvement in health
followed; on the contrary, his decline was steady and rnpid, and the
medical attendants soon pronounced his case to he beyond human skill.
But the good pleasure of God was now, as it bad ever been, the rule of
our dear father's conduct. He accepted Lis sickness as from the hand of
God, not only with gentle resignation, but with joy and gratitude.
A novena in honor of the Holy Face of our Lord was begun in his be·
half; and during the novena he daily received holy Communion; hut the
face, which he was destined to enjoy, was the face of the glorified Reqeemer, bright with the brightness of eternal life; and on the seventh day
�llfR. CHARLES F. WORPEXBERG.
of the novena, fortith·d by the sacrament~ of the Church, in the deepest
sentiments of n·~ignation to God's holy will. and of gratitude for the
privilege of dying in the bosom of the 8ociety, Fr. Reitmayr peacefully
~urrendered his soul into the hands of his Creator, on the morning of the
17th of April, 1888.-H. I. P.
~In. CrrARLES
F. WoHPENBERG.
On the 15th of )fay. in St. Xavier College, Cincinnati, Mr. Charles
w·orpenhen; fell asleep in the Lord, in the 26th year of his age. In the
preceding Dcremhcr, he hnd received the last sacraments, but he rallied
from immediate danger. On the Sunday before his death, he went down
to the parlor, to seP his father and s1ster, and on returning to his room,
he cxperiencf'd grent difficulty in breathing, which cRused him to ask for
extreme unction. He also rf'ceived the Viaticum. From that time, he
sank rapidly, until on Tuesday afternoon at four o'clock, it hecame evident
that tlw enrl was uigh. For the next two hours, he pmyed as only a soul
can pray, wh,.n it realizes thnt it is ahout to render an account for every
thouglJt. word and dePt!. While sitting on the edge of the bed, so that
he could breathe more freely, he wished to join aloud in the prayers for
the dying, hut at Fr. nector's bidding, he contented himself with following in ~pirit. The formula of the vows, acts of faith. hope and charity,
and other prayers were read to him, and he dwelt on them with the greatest ~onsolntion, occasionally nskin!!: the reader to pause, that the words
mi):(ht ~ink deeper into his souL Finally, during the community meal, at
si' o'clock, he kis~cd his crucifi'. uttPred the name of Jesus, and fell back
into the arms of i\Ir. Hiela!!:. His head was gently I Rid on the pillow, but
his soul had passed away. ·\'\hat a beautifnl death! Conscious to the very
end, he knew that he wns to die, and he met death without fear, brave
soul that he was, for death to him was hut the entmnce into life.
~Ir. iVorpenberg was a treasure, truly and wholly the Society's. At
the tender age of twelve years, he f'ame to our college in Cincinnati, and
from that day, he never lt>ft the fostering care of the Soci•;ty, but was
ll~lrtured in its spirit and principles. After finishing rhetoric, he went
dm·ct to the novitiate After his _iuniorate, he made his course of philosophy nt Woodstock, and eanw West, full of life and vigor. in 1886, to
hegin his teaching. Faithful had he been in his student life, and now he
longed to employ his zeal in active labor. But God wRs satisfied with
his goorl wilL After a few months of tenching, he fell a prey to a feverwa,llllg' consumption, which never left him .
. In his school-days, he was remarkRhle for n winning gaiety and cheerfulness, which made him he loved by ma~ters and playmates. Though he
~atnrnlly pref(;rred his books to the college sports, he always mingled
treely with his cnmpanions. "Charlie" was always a favorite. He early
tonk rank amongst the leaders of his class, and maintained it to the end
0 ~ rhetoric, thnngh success never dazzled his humility.
In study and
]>l<'ty, he was a model to the whole school.
To his religions life. he hwnght all his boyish virtues, and strengthened
them day IJy day. His child-like simplicity remained with him to the
end. His spirit of ohrdienrc was shown in the exact observance of his
rnles. And who that knew him failed to remark thnt calm repose and
gentlenPss of manner, which so charmed all with whom he had intercourse! But the point of rnle which he observed to perfection was the
~nP rnrling. "stndiis se diligcnter impmdant," and may we he pardoned
1 we add with a sigh, "licet nunquam ad exercenda ea, qnre didicerint,
Perl'eniant." Not to speak of his constant application, we may mention
that with him com·ersation always drifted into a literary or scientific
c~an_nel. His natural love for study WRS increased and strengthened by
0 rrhrnre and zeal.
And young as he was, he had made no mean progress on the pRth nf learning.
A scholastic who had frequently heard him descant like a master ou
�FR. EDWARD
J. SOURIN.
the latest theories and experiments of the physical sciences, one day remarked, "1 suppose that your specialty is 'the sciences." Judge of his
surprise, when he received the reply, "No, I care very little for the sciences.-! study them only to keep up with the times." During his ttaching
in St. Louis, he longed for the Christmas holidays. not for rest, but that
he might have a whole week to devote to Suarez.
Brief though his life, 'twas not in vain. The double end of the Society
he attained,-his own sanctification, by the holocaust of self;-his neighbor's sanctification, by sending out from his fervent heart the oil of charity, to calm the troubled waters around him; by spreading the fragrance
of his virtues in the garden of religion; by letting his light shine to all
men.
The memory of our gentle, mode~t brother shall linger in our hearts
and be with us on that day, wben we meet again in the Kingdom of our
Father.-R I. P.
·
Fn:·EowAnn J. SounrN.
This venerable father died at Loyola College on Pentecost Sunday. A
sketch of his life is in preparation and will be printed in tbe next number
of the LETTERS.
-- •·
..
�Varia.
Albania, Gennaro Pastore.-The Turks have done everything in their
powl'r to cause a miscarriage of justice in tlw trial of the murderers of our
scholastic, Gennaro Pa,tore. Fi"t, the eon,nls of Austria anti Italy, who by
right of treaties should have taken an oftieial part in the trial, were prevented
by the local authorities from exercising their right, until a formal order from
Con~tantinople secure1l it to the1n. Second, the monstrously unfair n1anner
of conducting the trial compelled the consuls to tlemaml, through their ambassadors at Stamboul, that an extraordinary commissary should be sent to
reopen the procet>dings. Third, this man, a high officer of the ~finistry of
Justice, arrived at Scutari; nevertheless, the trial, which dosed on ~larch ~Oth
daring his absence, ended in acquittal, notwithstanding the energetic protests
of the consuls, who, to give point to their protest, withdrew before the close
of the proceedings. Fourth, the scnll'nee was pnblishetl immediately, in the
midst of the acelamations of the ~Iahometan public, aml, in spite of the
renewet! protest of the consuls, the murderers were at once set frt>e. Fifth,
upon complaint of the Austrian antl Italian ambassadors in Constantinople,
the Sublime Porte order~tl the re-arr~st of the aecusetl; hut, a few t!ays later,
two of them were set free one<' more. Sixth, by a last and most vigorous intervention, the ambassado" sueceedetl in ohtaining the re-arrest of all the
accused and an order of the Suhlimc Porte, transt<•rring accused, tribunal and
trial to Constantinople. Seventh, aeconlingly, on ~larch 31st, the accused
were put under escort, on board a ship which sailed on that day from San
Giovanni di )!edna for Constantinople.-Gtrmania.
A u.stJ•in.-The fitther' of the Austrian Province ha\·e opeucd a college at
Travnik, in Bo:-:nia.-There are two hou:o;es of Jnb:~ionaries in the pnl\~ince,
Stcyr and Laihach, and two uoYitiates, St. Antlrii, and Tyrnau in Hungary.
Last October, the Bishop of Klagenfurt in Carinthia, put his diocesan seminary in charge of Ours, which gnve the Liberals occasion to vent their rage
against the Jesuits. Fr. Kohler is tht> superior.-Butlapest, the capital of
Hungary, has hat! no house of the Soeil'ty since the supprc"ion. But recently
a plot of ground was bought and a church will soon be ereeted.-In Kalocsa,
our college has bt>cn complimented by the Minister of Pnhlic Instruction.
l~e proposed it to the gymnasi<t of the land as the type of what they should
a1m at. This is the only gymnasium of the em pin• of which Ours have full
control; the professors are approved by the government, having submitted to
the tests rpquiretl by Jaw •
. Fr. Milz, who was provincial for six years, is now rector aiHI master of novlees at St. Andrii. He has been sncceedetl in the provincialship by Fr.
Schwiirzler, formerly rector of the scholastieate in Presslnlfg.-Cardinal Ledochowski, whose friend,hip towards the Sat•iety is so marked, received from
V. Rev. Fr. General a magnificent reliquary with a relic of St. Peter Claver,
as a token of thankfulueRS for his labof' in behalf of the canonization of the
apo~tle of Cartagena. His Emim•nee sent the reliquary to his nephew, a
nonce priest in the no\'itiate of St. Amlrii, with the request that it remain
there forever.
·
~r. Grisar will leave Inushruek for Rome in August, to devote himself
}i!tuely to the historical researches which the Holy Father has imposed upon
liD.
A~ Innsbruck the tridnnm in honor of Blessed Etlmmul Cam pian and companiOns was celebrated with great pomp: High J\Ia" in the morning, sermon
and Benediction in the evening. On the closing tlay !Sunday) the military
bGanrl, twenty-fmtr strong, accompanied the people in the singing of "Grosser
ott."
·
We have received the programme of the splendid celebration of the Pope's
(253)
�VARIA.
Jubilee in the rontictus at Innsbrnek. The programme is di'l"irled into two
parts: thf' six speakers in the fir.t part celehrnte Pope LPo as princeps belli;
in the seconrl he is praised by as many as prinap.< p11ris. Rt'tW<'<'Il the a•ldresses eight pieces of vocal and in~tnuncntal mu:o:ic wPrP JH'rfonnc(l.
Bomlwy.-There are nf'arly ."OO,(Hl\) inhabitants ill Bombay. Of these
53,000 are Christians, ~-)00,000 Zoroastrians ( Parst'l'~ ), 300,000 lJiwloos, while
the rest are ~fahmnetan~. The tno:-.t wealthy are, it is said, to he fon1ul anton,g
the IIindoos, but the mo~t industrious peoplP nrc tht' Pnrsees, "st•conrl," as
they like to say, "only to the Europeans." Of tl~<· :;:],IHIO Christia11s of the
island of Bombay, only :ll\()0, perhaps, helon~ to tlu· jurisdiction of .\rchhishop
Porter, the great majority bcin,;: Goanese. or, as they likl' to he callt".l, "of
the royal Padroado of Portug-al." Th,•y are 11ow tlirPl'lly nn<l•·r the fli,lwp
of Daman. Daman is a small Portu~uP~e tPrritnnp :don~ the eoa:o;t north
of Bombay. The bishop, however, wlio has the honorary title of .\rchhishop
of Cranganore, resides in Bombay. Tlw r<'eent cu11cor•il•t betwt••·n tht• Hnly
See and Portugal, instPad of }p:-;sening the .~reat preten ... ion~ of our Pad roo.·
dists, has, up to this at least, !"en·etl only tn uwkP then1 :-;till nwrc pn•tention:-~.
Before the concordat, the followers of the ro~·al Pndroodo, thron~hont the
whole of India, were under the jnris•liction of the .\n·'thi,hop of Goa. The
concordat rais.••l Goa to the..rank of a Patriarchal Ree with three sntl'ra~an
dioceses, those namely of Daihan, Coehin an•l ~IPiiapore, whiiP it eut amt!'
from diverse vicariateS g-reater or les:-; (listricts in ortll'l' tn ~npply thest• new
dioceses. This division heea1ne the cau~e of nr•w tliffi.-nltie:-:. For as :-:oHH'
were left under tlw Propaganda an<l othPrs annext•tl to it, th•• maleon!Pnts
raised a tlreadful .storm, threateninp; in their wrath :-:ehi:-:m arHl apo:-:t:wy,
should their own clain1s n1eet with le-;.:s favor. The poor Portn:..:-ue:-:e hi~hop:-:,
however, soon learne•l what was the cause of the'<' troubles. ThP Bi-hop of
Dnman, in particular, had sontc sad experiL•nee~ on 1nore than one ol·c·a:-:inn.
The source of the whole commotion in fin·or of the P!ldroa,fo :tC!'ainst tlw
Propaganda. is sin1ply the Pag-ernes:-: of the formt'r to ha\·t~ a thoroughly nati\~e
cleq::y, inclusive of the hierarchy. But as Portu~al "'n•ls out th<' hi-hop,,
they are innnediately ~tigntatizccJ a:-: en1is~aries, with no otlif'r intent thnn to
concentrate all the wealth of the ehurche< at Goa, in onh·r to iiH't't•ase tl11·
ecclesiastical fund of the crown. It wouhl he wrnll:c, hom·n•r, to hlame all
the Goanese for what)s the doin:c of only a f(,w. Thl' rioters an', ill(lt•Pd, hnt
few, and reside, it i:-: said, in Bmnhay. RtiJI, a:-: i~ alway~ the casr, thc~c fpw
mislpad the common peoplP an<l even render the l'IToll'ts of the better disp•N'tl
entirely n~cle~s. Unhappily in our own, a~ we11 a" in thP P11droado juri~die
tion, the eommon people are hy f[tr the majority-eooks, lmtlt•rs alltl lishl'rmen. All of them would hl' goml enoug-h Christhll<' if it were not fo1· th<·
rioters, who, when Eastf'r appronchl's, show that tltt·~- can' very ,itt!<' whPth•·1·
they belong to the one or the other juri"lil'!ioll. It mu<t ""t;r,c.,wnn<l••re<l at
that in this hotbetl of rl'li.~iou:-: eonh•ntion~, Ilincloo"', Par~ee:-: a11cl \lahonH'tans are verv indiflCrent about hef'nn1in.~ C'hri:-:tian~. In fltct, whenever in
India there Is a. tendency to our holy reli,~ion it i~ i11 .~·ctwral oh.,.t>rvahlt~ only
in the up-country, in village~ el'pt•eially, where ca:-:te~ an• unknown. ~n it i:-:
in the Sun<lerbuntls, so likewise in ~la<lnra. llnt in a town lik<· Bombay, all
care for one's Roul i~ lo~t in the thir:-.t for riclw:-:; whih• Pvery higlnnimletl !·eligious sentiment is stilled hy the si;,:-ht of,nl'h qn:tt-r<·b '"the ahnn•, :ttHI th•·
licentious Jiyes of so rnany Europeans. Anothet, and hy no nwans the lea:-~t,
cause of indifference i:-: that in tlw schoo1~ ancluniver~ities itulilli'rt'llti:-:m mnl
naturalism are eithPr <lirl'ctly inculeatl'd, or t•asily allowl'<l to creep in. :\'at·
urally the native' ofJnilia art' a dPepl~· reli~iou.' p<'oph•. Tlowsoenr absurd
the injunctions of thPir crPed, they an• filithfnlly earried out. l !indoo ll'mpl<''
are spr('ad in a~tonishing nuJnbPr~ throughout the whole of B01nhay and, nn
the festival day", l':tch Oil<' is thron;,:-etl with worshippet·s. Xo Hindoo l'\'<'l'
passes the temple without pa~·ing his s<~laum, whieh he <loPs by putt in.~ his
hand to his forehea<l. Their sacred cows, g-oin<.!' from shop to shop in tlw ha·
zar, pasl-' unmolested throu,dt the most crowdecl thoronght:tre:-:, an<lllo grneer
will ever dre:un of hindering thPm from seizing what<'V<'r tlwy likP. Th•'
com1non people amon.g- the Pnrsl'l'R arc ,in:-:t like the IIindoo:-:. ...\t :;.:.nu . . d yon
may find throngs of them gathered on the sca"hore in onler to wm·ship ( :od
in his puref't creature, ns they say,-in tiH' ~un. Before evt>r~p Pnrsf'p':-: hou~e
the sacrt>d lig-ht is kindJ,.,j :tll<l burns all11ig'ht !on~, for no one is nllmn•d to
extinp;uiRh it. As Zor·na~triani:-:n1 i:-:, thC'oretiC'all~p at l<'ast. ~[onothei~m, tlu·
l'ar~ees may be more disposed to receive the Catholic religioll, but the learunl
�VARIA.
1!55
amongst them are just as much inclined to believe nothing at all. Still less
hope of their conversion is to be entertained as there is a powerful esprit de
corps amongst them which leads them to exclude or rather boycott every one
who turn:; Catholic. A young man of one of the leading familles, who, whilst
studying in London, had become a Catholic and married there a Catholic
ladv·, came homP and set up an "'tabli,hment, but, after a very short time,
unahle to regain his "ocial position, was obliged to return to England. Another Pa"ee gentleman, couvcrtt>d many years ago by Bishop Meurin, hru;
been compelled, up to the present time, to kt>ep his Catholic belief a secret.
In regard to the )Jus:;ulmans, tlw~· are out of the question altogether, for besides the (>r<linary rt>asons which hinder their conversion, there is this, that
one of the direct descPndPnts of thP Prophet lives here in th!'ir midst. But
again, how stran.ge! the prPsent representative, who is a boy of hut thirteen
yea", entith'd "His Highness Aga Khan," has a devout Catholic for his private tutor, while all his male relative' are day-scholars at our College of St.
)[ary. It is really astonishing to see how beneficent the natives are. In
the first instmwe their henefits are eonferred, as must be expected, upon their
own caste. And here again the Parsees are foremost. There is however one
draw hack iri these benefits. Newspapers, marble slabs, etc., are all called into
use to give them publicity. Some great hospitals, with a full stafl'ofdoctors,
nurses, apothecaries, thus spring into existence, the government contributing
as an incentive to others, as much as the f<mnders themselves. There is even
a large hospital for animals in Bomhav, where all sick animals, as horses,
cows, mHI <lo.gs, are nur,ed. Only the oiher <lay the governor laid the cornerstone of an enlargement of tllis sam<' hui!tlin,g. In former days the natives
~ontributed lar_gdy to tlw lmilding of St. Xavier's, but nowadays their charity
Is more-confined to their own
intere~ts.
Fpon edueational and school atlhirs, I will add nothing further.
Suffice it
· t? say, that notwithstanding the zealous etl()rts of civil and religious corpora-
hons to establish new sehools and colleges, St. Xavier's not only has not lost,
but is even continually gaining pupils, especially Christian hoys, and still
stands l:>rcmost among all non-go\·ernment schools.-E.rlract from a letter to
Fr. Hewzle.
Rookx.-During the vcar l~.SG-81, our lhthers of the province of Aragon
pnhlislwd fourte<'n. new .\i·orks, most of them on asceticism anrl hagiography.
The most important publication, probably, is the first volume of Fr. Cassajoana's Theolog_v.
Ther al~o issnl'd twt)onty-onc reprint." of old works.
The 2JHI and :lrtl vols. of Fr. to'. Schiflini's Philosophy are out.
The fimrth e<lition of Fr. Jungek's Homan Hymnal has appeared .
. Fr. Th. •le Ht•gnon has published a very learned and able work: MetaphySlque des Cauus.
Fr<'nce. Parle Rev. P'f·rt d1t Lac. A collection of charming letters, written hy.the rector of St. Mary'"• Canterbury, to his pupils, while they were
away fron1 the eolleg-c durin.g- an Ppidetnie.
In the press: Fr. Pesch's Logie ami Fr. Frins' long expected work on St.
fh!•mas' tt·aehing De Om tin; also Fr. Connolly's 8peaker and Fr. Mescher s Commentary on the Exercises.
l:o.~ton, Got•. Ames.- At a banquet on the occasion of the 151st anniversary of ti:e C.haritable Iri'h Society, Gov .•\mcs paid the following tribute to
the ./esmts Ill Ma,sachusetts: "I have had ocea,ion the last year to go
r~mHI the :-<tate a good •l..al, ami I went to your colleges, and I recall that I
"ent to one colleg<\ ant! there to my utter astonishment I found that the proha<lno salarie"; they had to work teaching the boys for their living;
they got wa" hoar<! and clothes. That isn't the fashion over at Harvard.
• nd I went to anothl'r colleg<', Boston College. I remember the night I
~ent to that institution accompanied hv the staff'. I remarked to General
. alton that it was going to be vPry dull. ''Ve have had enough of these
commeneements, I snit!; let us go in a littll' late,' and we <lid so. Let me
concede, howevPr, that I was perfpctJy astonishctl when I went in to find a
~~nnnenc<·ment. tlifll,nmt from any I had ever attentletl before. Here I heard
I 1" students <liscn'Sin.~ the theor5· of IIPnry (Jporgc on land ownership, and
~ ja' amaze<! at tht' eloquence with which the question was discu'8ed, and I
,:. t sorry that l was not there earlier, for those boys discu"ed that question
~tllh as much ability as though they were members of the United States Sene, and I know I said on leaving: 'Those boys do not appear like college
:]J'""
1
�VARIA.
graduates, but seem more like men who have gra<luated from-the university
of experience'."
R1·nzil, Itii.-Our College of St. Luiz wn' opene:l on the ~11th of Fehrnarv,
and we have already two hnndretl and fifty hoanh'"• n numhersnmewhat lower
than we had hopetl for; hut tlw deen•ase is due partly to the discasL' which
was prevalent last yPar in the colleg-<', partly abo to the opening- of 'everal
new colleg·es in the ttt>i~hhorhood. The eollegl~ at Nova Fribur~o i~ cloin.g
very nicely; it has won a 1narkctl reputation, and ha~ more application:" thar-1
it is ahle to >'atisf~·- · I learne<l t!urin.t: the vaeations that an allowance of
monev which use<! to he >'ent from the l"nite•l ~taft's to the Prntestants of
Brazii, has been withheltl of !all'. at lenA in some place;, and that in consequence Protestantism is now in decline h<'re. T eoulol not <li'l•over "-hy the
incmne wa..;;; suspended, hut as filr the failure of faith in Prote:-:tanti:o.:tn, it i~
quite natural, f()r no one in tht·~e parts beeorne:-: a Prnte~·dant out of religious
conviction, hut out oflove for the hol~- dollar. You may jutlg-t•. A ministPr
having hut little to do rPceh·es :';lOOt\ a year; and the inft•rior l'lllployt>es
get a good su1n. in proportion; awl of t·onr:-:e thi:-: pro~pt·ct nf a comfortahle
salary is n good indtu•emPnt to sonw to Pmhraee the new religion, eitlwr a:-:
cn1ployee~ or as ntinbters. l have lwen toltl that tlw earn ivai in Hio .Janeiro
ha~ thi~ year hcen n1ore itnpiou:-: than evt•r. Hrli.~..don a:-: Wl'll as it:-: lltinister:-:
and holy rites were langhed'at in thl' puhlie >quart''• ami mot>ked in such a
wa~~ as to onttlo the excesses of pu~ani:o:In.
)lean while the go\rernment reInains hlin!l.
·
Last .January the Bishop of St. Paul ealled his pril•sts to a retrmt ant! a
synod. The retr('at was preachl'<l by
Fr. Aurdi, tht> :"up('rinr of our mission. The nnrnber of prie~t~ present was one hundred ancl ~ixty. 'rhe n•treat
was a g-n?-at success. Another of our n1tlwrs wa~ invitl•1l to Pcrnamhnl'o and
to the thr distant Para tn prPach a retr~at to thl' ch·r~y, the seminary, a few·
gno(l lru.lit>~, and the religion~ of 8t. Dorotea. He e.mne haek after five
months of labor atHI trave!.-E;etract <(f letter from. Fr. Galm>ti.
R,.,..
Calruffa.-..\rehhh:hop Ctoethah:, R..J., and :-:everal of our t;ttlwr:" Pngaged
in the Inis~ion~ of Ben!,!'al have latch- ~ent to tht• Prn\'ineial of the Bel:.!ian
Province, to which th'P llli!"sion heh;n!.!':-::, the mn~t touPhin~ appeal:-; for re-
enfnr<'ements. Thl' archhishop prnves in his lettl'r that thl' pn•sPnt n<'l'<l of
a~1-'i~tanet' i.-; not duCto our undertakin.!.!' 1norc work~ than WI' conl<l wel1 earnon, hut to the faet that God is h!t•"iug- the lahors of Ours with an almost nuu:.
vellnu~ fruitfulne:-::-:. \\.. hoh' villagt.'s' awl town.-; ~eem to he IIIOVing :-:pnntnlwons]y tnwar<ls the Church; in man~- localities Prnte...;tuntism has cntirt"ly lost
its i()othnld and the nath·p~ art· eon ling- in huntln•d.-:; asking- for in~truction and
haptism; antl ala<! the lahoret·s are too fl'W to supply the <lelh:nul an•l those
that are working are m•arly overconw hy the strain plat•t•<l 1!Tion them.
In n.d11ition to thh~ nlOVt'nH•nt anwng- the native:-: townrds the Chureh, we
are f(Jrced to open a collt>g'C at J)arjel'ling. }<~or yt•ar:-: thi:-; has heen the de:-:irc
and prayer of many of the most influeutial inhahitnnts, and petition after
petition has been i"Pnt to :-;nperior:-:: h<"g_g-in~ the1n to open an edneationnl in:-:titntion t(Jr the hig-her stuolies. hulc<'d the Catholics hav" .hN·n so mnch in
earnest about thi,; matter that, supportPol hy tlll' vit·ero,·, th<'y app<•aled to the
Sovereign Pontiff himsplf; lwncc, thron,dt thl' intt•rvt•ntion of ~fgr. Ga,~di
ardi, Apostolic Delegate in In<Iia, thP distriet of Da~jeelin_g-, which ln1tl lwen
a Capuchin mi"ion, w:t.' amH'Xt'd to the Arehtlioecso> of Calcutta and thns
beeanH' a part of our mi:-:::-:ion of Bengal; ~uulnnw, notwithstanding the i"Carcity
of Inen, the colh•ge 1nust be operu:•,l. J[owevl'I", ow in,~ to the gent>rosity of the
Belgian Province tht· 1110:-:t urgent deutnnds havt~ hren supplied antl onr Lord
Recms to Pontinue to pour out his hlessin~s upon the lahors of Ours in the
In<lil'R.
<
Cnlfj'tll"llia.-The novitiate of the Califomia Mission is now re:uly for
occupation. The hon:;.:e, a handsome hrick hnil<lin_~ of four f'ton·y~, i~ ~<'itu
ated near the village of .Los Gatos among- the foothi!l.s nl thP has~ of the Snn·
ta Cruz :llountains; and is distant from ~an .Jose, with whiP.h it is connectl'd
hy the South Pacific Coast Railway, some ten or twelve mil<·s. The site, at
the cntmnee of the narrow cailon where the trains rush at otwe from the
beautiful valle\· of Snnta Clam into the mi<b:t of mountain and forest seen·
ery, is extremely picturesque. Having an elevation of some six hundred
feet it commands the e11tire Sanht Clara valley rich with orchards and vine-
�VARIA.
257
varcls an<! cornfields ami olive gardens. To. the north is seen the southern
j>art of the Hay of San Francisco stretehing away to the horizon; to the east,
the reddish-lm>wn Coast-rangt•, from the midst of which, twenty miles away,
spriil"s up the worlu-n·nowne<l ~lt. Hamilton with its f[tmous oll'en·atory,
that ,':'an he easily <listingubhe<l with the hl'ip of an ordinary glass. To thP
south the valley stretehe:.: away hPtween tht• mountains till it joins the Vallev of the :"alina;;; while to the west the pine-clad pt•aks of the Santa Cruz
~l~Hlntain~ han,~ ovt.•r us, and ~hit'ld u.s from the 1noist wind~ that blow in
from the \·n~t P:ieifi<'. ~tanding on the grounds mnong the orange antlleuton
tree~, that in a few yt·ar:o; will fonn a beautiful grov-e, one looks down two
humlrt·d feet upon the Arrnyo <le los liatos, winuin).( amid the alders, heyond
whil'h are tht> white hou:-:e:-: of the thriving little town, fatnnus in California
lrgt•ntl. ..-\round us on en•ry hand ar~ the ~ently rolling hilh; covered with
dne~, awl crowrwd with the orange, the len1on, the apricot, the ahnond, the
peach, and every other kin<! of fruit tree that makes Califi,mia famons (for
at this elevation we are in the "wann helt" where frost is st•ldon• seen);
whilt• overlwad glows the brilliant azure sky that tor nine months ont of the
tweln· scareely knows a clotul. It is expeetP<l that by the beginning of next
August·the novices aiHljnniors will be permanently settll'd in their new home.
Clliutt, Zi-ka-wri.-At a distam·e ofahout five English milPs from Shangh'li is locatP<l one of the chief Christian ><ettlements of China, Zi-ka-wei. Its
origin can be traeetl a~ htr haek as tlw gt)ventt't:'nth century; it was even then
in a tlouri:.:lting- eor11lition. Its marketl importance in the eountry intlueed
the Jt:>:.:uits, as soon as they obtaint•tl again a fOotholtl in China, to select that
village as a <'l'ntral point tOr their Chrbtian and ('ivilizing labors.
Th•· ob,ervatory of Zi-ka-wei is well known and the meteorological researches of the <hrt'ctor, Fathet: lkchenens, are takt•n note of aiHl appreciated
by the t•ntin· seit•ntitie world. 1t may not. be e•tually well known, holvt'ver,
that tltt• oll't'rYatory forms hut part of a ntst tm<titution in which not only
litt·rature hnt al:-:o the :-.:ciPnee~ a1Hl tht• fine art.~, t'\~t:'u the humblest trades,
art:' thm·ow.dtly taught.
Tlw eoll<'g<' proper b a lart:l' and beautiful huiltling girt on all "ides b~
magnitieent garckn:-:.. It nnrnht.)rs, at present, about one hundred pupil:-;, all
:-;on~ of Chine~e Chri~tinn~; they are tlivitlPtl into three cla~~t>~ with a staft' of
f(mr profe~sorso t(n· eat<h elass. The course of Rhulit•s tliftf:rs in no wa.v frmn
that of the nther >ehool> of tiH• t•rnpire; that i' to '"Y, it is t•xcJu,iveiy limltell to the n•atlintr of tlw "classical hooks" of Chinn. The currienlurn coniprise..; a pPriod o{'st•ven years, at the end of whieh the stnrlents are t•xpeeted
~o JH'l'~Pnt tht)lllst•ln_•s tor tlw aeade1nieal honors of "Soutsai" a degrPe which
e<puntlPnt to that of' Baclwlor.' The sum of st'Yen hntHlt-ed and tifty francs
per annum lor eat•h pupil con•rs all expt•n;;es of hoard and tuition. Those
among thP ~tndeuts who 1lesire to lweomf' prit'st..-.; are, after tlwir ~even years'
conrsL·, :.:l'ut to a. prl'parntory ~crninary (pl'tit NCrninaire) where four years are
devott'~l to t.h" stn<l.1· of Latin and of the priueipal hranl'lll's of a collegiate
educatiOn. At the <'IHl of that. term th<'y Pnter the grand seminary, to spend
one YPar tn thl' study of philosophy an• I thrPe 1n that. oftheology. They may
IS
theu pn•t-:ent theuJsPlve:-: for onl11mtion after two n1ore vears of training- in the
exertlst:s of the s;u~n·tl utinistry uwler the enlightcnZ·tl guitlant'L' of_'a Enrope::~u Jl)Js~iouary.
Tlw oqlhanage is the rnost intert>sting portion of the institu_tiO~l.. It is L'spPeially rt·~erved for pag-an orphanfo.\, ;rho are brought np,
wnlun tis prel"inf"ts, in the principii's and pradtee of the Christian rPiigion.
It 0 ~~cnpies two long rows of wPll ventilated houses, in eaeh onl' of \rhieh a
~tsl'ful 11·:ul~ is tutt).(ht. ln that sptem of orphan training all the branches of
Industry find rotHn. One 1neets there with <'Hrpentm·s, turners, joiner:-;, seulptor~, th:athnwn, weavers, shoemakers, tailors, printers, hook-binder~, painters,
etc.
[, p to the ag<> of tw .. h·e, the orphan i" under obli),(ntion to attend t.he
sdwols; he may then select a trade of his own liking. .\ftpr a
l~w yenrs of apprcntieeship, he is declared proJiciPnt in his trade and is entttleu to a monthly sal,u·y. He may also, if h(' pleases, ll•ave the orphanage
and xct. up for himself, but in that ease he p! .. dges himself, in writing, toret~rn to the in~titution three or folu· titnes a year for relitdons exereises.
i:i)!~nghai unntbers, to-< lay, hlln<ln•ds of tho:.:c wo'rkuten train~d in the schools
? Zt-ka-wei. Their skill is hil,(hlv -.-alue<l. The orphanage is un<il'r the
Elltnpdiate SUJ>en·isi:n~ of a .Te~uit. f,lther aiHI four brothcrs1 t~·o of ~vhom are
hropean ami two Chtne"'· They have one hundrcu pnptls Ill thetr charge,
IV 0 lll they train in ~culpture, uruwing, carpentering anu printing, tailoring
J~reparatory
�VARIA.
and shoemaking. The carpenter!< exceetl the re•t in number. B> far the
greater portion of the furniture of the Catholic churches" in the· north of
China, such as alta.-,, pulpits, confessionals, ete., are the handiwork of our Zika-wei orphans, who receive or<lefl' even from )longolia and Corea. Their
work vies in excellence with that of any European carpenter; it is eertainh·
as durable, and unquestionably cheaper. Their statues of (_'hrist, the Blesse;l
Virgin, their framed Ecce Homos, are not surpa"etl by whatever is done
best in"the same line in the west. It is generally grantetl that the Chinese
are devoid of imagination, that they are utterly incap,ble of <loing the slightest bit of artistic wor1;: without a model to guitle them; vl't it must be at!mittetl that such is their power of imitation th;1t very often 'it is impossible, ewn
for a connoisseur, to distinguish between the copy and the original. Architectural drawing filrms the specialt~· of about half a dozen of our Chinese
tlr.1ftsmen. A European brother draws the model which they tliligently awl
skilfully copy. The plans of all the churches, sehools; antl other bni!tlings
ereetffi by the mis,wnaries, as well a,- speeial maps of all tht• provim·Ps of
China, are tlra,vn in the institution. Thost• maps are consitleretl the very best
known, and are of n very large size, nlt'a:-'uring :-:ix feet stltulre.
'
The painting schools hold a prominent place in tht• system on which the
orphanage is conducted, and it nuty Ue stated, without ft•ar of exaggerating,
that the pictures, whether tliey he in oil or water colors, which the orphans
turn out yearly, may compete in brilliancy of tone ami linish of <letail with
the most prized l,rodnction~·tof your Europt'tUl arti~ts. The~e paintings are
chiefly of a religious eharacter as they an• generally tlestinetl to adorn the
walls of the Catholie churches in China.
'
But the printing tlepartment is untlouhtedly the most important. From
its presses have aln•ady issut?d nn enortnou:-: number of workR, ~e,·era.l of
which eontain extluisite lithographs ami wood engraving~. The printing is
done in fifteen ditferent lan~na~es. Father Znttnli's great work wa>' published here; ~o too the farnou~ "l'ur:-:ns lingua~ Siuica•." Tht• l''i-n:en-lu aLiweekly is etlitetl and printed ttt Zi-ka-wl'i. Its sale is Pxtensh·e anti its reputation growing.
Besides the above Inentinnet.l wondt·t~, the institution po~sesses a IibrmT, a.
musetun and un ob:·:ervatorv \Vhich dP~en~e honorahle Btf'ntion. The libran~
contains upwards of ~0,000 Volnnie~, a ~plendhl enllt>t•tion of Inannseript~, and
Chinese parchments rare anti quaint. Fath~r Bendt•, well known among
naturalists, is iri eharge of the IHU:-<l'Uill. 'rhatever of znologieal an<.ltninerul
specimens could be gatheretl in China aml the snrroumling countries tlr!' dis·
played in cases ami on shd,·es. The t•oll~ction may be said to be a eomplete
natural history. Fatht:'r Deehevren~, tin· cli~tinguishe(l astronoiner, of whom
mention was made at tht• beg-innin~ of thb sketch, is the director of the observatory. Built in 1~73, and enlarged considerably sinct", it atl()rds admirable
advantages for Jneteorolog-ieal obst•rvations. That Father DeehevrPns and
his assistants have not nti:o;~ed tlu· oppnrtnnitie~ offered of nituute investiga·
tions into the meteorologieal phenomt·ml, ean be inferrt>d from the carefully
preserved meteorolo;rical tables.
In conclusion we must atltl that a build in~ is portioned otr for experiments
in terrestrial ma;rnctism, and anotlwr for studies in barometric and thermo·
metric variations as regbtered by photography.- DeutBche Kolonial-Zeitung.
Disputntious.-ln most of our colleges the class of Philosophy hold,
from time to time, philosophical tli,putations. In Georgetown, on the 5th of
June, one stutlent defendetl twenty-two very difficult theses in Psychology
and Natural Tlwology.-A neatly printed pro;rramme, sent out from Detroit
College in April, invites the clergy anti other fri .. nds to witness a disputation
on a nu:nber of theses taken from Psychology and Natural Theology.-At
Fordham, on .June 11th, a disputation took place on theses taken from Cos·
molooT Psychology and Ethics. l'sually one or two papers are, also, read at
these"cttsplitations on some important philosophieal question.
But the most interesting programme eomes to ns !hun China, from our
seminary in Zi-ka-wei, where Chinese youths are trained for the secular
priesthood. On the 22nd of lllarch, sonw of the principal theses of Cosmo!·
ogy and Psychology -were defended, in Latin, of course, by Paulus Kiao
against Simon Tsn, Petrus Yu, and .Joannes B. Pe.
Ecundm·.-Extract of a letter from the Apostolic School of Riobamba."
ln August 188i, an apostolic school was opened with eleven pupils at Hio·
�VARIA.
259
hamba, nntler the tlin•ction of Fr. )[niioz. For this purpose the government
enlarc:t•d, at its o\l·n expense, the Xational Colll'_ge, which it had already
eonfitll'd tn the Socit-ty. Tiiohamha, situated near the Chimborazo, is in commtmication with <lui to anti ( iuayaquil. Its 12,000 inhabitants live in a temperature ran,~ing· between 1.) 0 aml :!0° C., a1uong the productions of tropieal
and kmpenlte clitncs.
In Een:ltlor, whert• the pc•ople are good and simple Christians, the fathers
teach, ht•ar confessinn,;, preaeh, tliret•t ""lalities ant] write for the Catholic
n·\·it·ws. Dnrin.:.; vaention they .~ive retrt>ats to the elergy antltnissions to the
pt·opk, who, :1' a rule, only then approach the sacraments. At Quito they
tlire..t !Itt• :\'ational College, ant! one is official promoter of the great National
Bn,ilira t" bt• raised in honor of the Sacn•d Heart. Six lathers and four hrothpr:-; han• eh:tr~e nfl"ixtecn trilJps in the ~Iarafion Helluction8. Four Sisters of
the (;nod Sht•phl'rtl will soon ~o thither from Quito to teach the Indian ~-:iris.
In llli/, Our:-: wt.·r~ Pxpdlt>d fron1 the tribes livin.~ north of Lake Titicaca,
in Bo]i,·ia. La~t yPar (1 8SI ), thL•:o;e Indian~, who have ever proclnitned that
th<·;- will have no priests but the hlackrohes (Jesuits), goaded into revolt
by the ,'!o\'ernrnt•llt, drove before them the opposing ,o]diery. The new!;· appointed gm-Nrwr declared that tht• pre,ence of the Jesuits was neces"tr.l· ttl appea'e the 'torm. Tlu·ee 1\tthers starlet! with him last August and
Wt'l'l' absent iive nwllths. The Indians recognized the beloved blackrohes of
tlwi1· nation ami 'uhmittetl to their every demalltl. Joyfully they brought
f(H·th tltt• well-prest·n·ctl tlalmatics, cha<nhles anti ehalices of the old Society.
Xot one illP.~..dtirnate ehitJ nor Inarringe wn.s fouwl among then1.. All, withe
out l'Xt'{'ptinn, wl'nt to cnnfl·s~ion.
In Bolivia, tht• :--:oeiety ha~ a t•ollege at La Paz, anti etl()ft~ are being rnatle
to l'st:thli~h one nt tht• eapit.al (~ucre). The fathl:'r!" are ~iving ntunerous
missions and are W<·ll recein_•(l Ly white!" anti Indian~.
At Lima ill l'eru, durin~· tht> ;-;·ar 1~84, tht• Society wae ><o fiercely attacked
hy the ""'"'nit· lmke' that it was jutlg<•d prudent to close the college and
keep on!_,- a rt:sitlenee. \\'p hope that the coll,.ge will soon reopen its doors,
for the ~·outh t"."lH't'ially i:-: Ill nt·Pd of guidance.
Euypt. Coi;·o.- ThP .~·nvernntent has grantt-tl penni~.sion to begin the
eon,trnction of om· Ill' II' enllt'l-:<'. It will holt! U\K) students.- Alexandria.
Tlu· soll'lllll opt•nin.~ of our Ill'\\" l'ollt-•g-e at A.lexandri~t took plaee the :!ud of
F.t-·hntary.-Tiw 111i~~ion ~lf lippn· 1~~g,11pt has been inaugurated. The beginHill.~ has ht•en full of hanhdtips, for we have arrh·etl twenty years too late.
1-'<>l•<lfllllll, J[!l!f lJf!'otion.~.- The )lay <kvotions in honor of our Queen
Ulltl \!otht•r IH're catTil'<l ont with Ultll'e than usual ,plendur this year. The
statue of onr Blt•..;:--:t•(l Lady, situat(•tl iu the college qwulraugle, was the centre
around which we .!.:':1thl'~i'd ('aeh t•vening to ~ing hyrnns and recite prayers in
~ltlll~n· nf the )I other of <iotl. ::3ant•tuary lamps anti numerous candles placed
tn frantt•" of n<riPil .'h:tpt•, to,;l'tht•r with the retl~ction of an oxy-hydrogen
~rc:ht, wen· Hsctl for the iiiHminatiou of thP statue, whibt plants and flowers
alnnularwe added to it~ beaut\· .
To kPcp up int.ere~t in the (lev~otion~, changes were tuade i.n the decorations
e\:ery day, ow in.~· to :\lr. )lnlry's ingenious devices. ~o1ne thne befOre the end
ot tht• lllouth, prt•tntration-; were ltpgnn for a grand final celebration. Days
We1·e !-ipl'nt in plannin,~. :uul willing hands bn~ied then1selves in gettJng things
rea,!;·. All th .. la't day was "l"'nt in arra11ging for the illumination. Along
the three .<itlcs of the triaugHlar gnt><s-plot in which the >tatue stands, were
suspended, ol!t· aho1·e the other, tlouhlc rnws of Chinese lanterns of different
forms and ('o]ors. .\t tlu~ thrPe ('orners were erected as 1nany triple crosses
who~~· arms :-:uppurtetl varion:-: eolore,llights.. A five-pointed star of candles
Was fornu·tl on th" edc:e of the <•irPular flower-bed that surrounds the statue,
anti a hove the statu,: it,l'lf a crown of lights was >:nspentletl and then down
aronnd It, rnw after l'O\\., many tinte.l light~ were plact•d on frames 1nade fOr
t\~e purpu~P. 111 tht' f<•n·grourul ~tood a small 8hrine in which was a statue
;: tht• lnf~lllt .Je~u~ u11der an nrch of ivy ~tntl flowt>rs. In the eveuiug, when
he lant<'rns. •·ant! IPs awl lnmt" were lit the scene was 1·ery beautiful. The
:;"erci.,es wer.e a' hrillinnt a:s the illnmir:ntion. Hev. FathPr Pro_v!nci~l c;ame
the ""'nst;-, :Jeeomp:uuetl by two aeolytes, ami took Ills positiOn 111 front
0
the "tattw. The (•adt,t.s ,;-cr·c drawn up in line and fired a salute of four
Rol~ey~ in honor of: tl1~·ir I_Ieavcnly Queen. After all had joined in a hymn,
'e'- .father l'rovmcml, m a short and fervent addre8s, urged all to the
111
prn
�VARIA.
imitation of the virtues whi~h made our Blessed Mother so plea.<ing in God's
sight, and closed with the wish that all who were gathered there in love at
the foot of that .-tatue of hronze might .-ome tiny without one exception kneel
at the throne of our Lruly in
ht•n\~en
to join in
singin.~
her
pnti~es
J(Jrever.
The singing of the litanie" of the Blessctl Virgin was ft>llowt>d by the reading
. of the solemn act of con't'eration to the )(other of Und by Father Cassidy.
Fru nre, Lenten Preachers in the Province of Paris:- ~0 in tlitlerent
church••" in Paris; 4 in .. athedral chur.. lws; :1:1 iit oth<·r ehurche.- outsitle of
Paris.
Etudes.-ThP list ofsul"criher" ha.< alrmtl~· rcaclwd :?:iOO, considerably sur·
passing the number of sttbscri hers In the old Etudes.
FF. Perry ami De Snwdt took. a conspicuous part in the meetings of the
International ~ciPntifie Congrt>ss of Catholies lately held in Paris.
·
Galil'ia.-A new eollege i.- b .. ing huilt at Chyrow, in whieh there will be
room for tiOO boarder><. The minbter of public instrnl'lion, .\[r. Gautsch, anti
8ix bi:-;hops were present at the laying- nf the eorner-stont:".
At Dobromil, Leopol anti Law row, six of Ours are employed in the reform
of the Ruthenian monasterie" of Basi !ian monks. One is reetor and master
of novices, the othP~ are
under their charge i~ ti9.
~uperinrs
and
proft>~~ors.
The IHHnher- of Basilians
Oeot'!Jefou·u Collrar. -The subject ofspt'cial intPrest to all Georgetoni·
ans at the present time is the approachin!! cdehratinn of the centennial of
the collt>ge. The evPut will be commemorall'tl Parly in 1S8!1, and etlilrts will
he made conjointly by the facnlty mul the ~ociety of the Alumni to rentler
the eelehration wortl1y of the ocea,ion. If one may be pertnit!Ptl to fin·eeast
the on teo me of the>e etlc>rt.- by tlw reeeption whieh the announeement is haY·
ing frotn old ~tutlents, no ft•ar~ of failure nertl he t•ntertained. The tlistiucti,~e
teatnres of the centennial ean not be positively set t<>rth at this early date.
The religion,... ceremonie~, which will inan.~nrate the fe~tivities, will he on a.;:
g-rand a ~calc a,... the contlitinns of enllt'!{t.' life pertnit. Ilis Eminence, the
Cardinal, ha:-o gra(•iou~Iy intimatetl hi~ pleasure to atterul. An aeadPtnie ~l'S
sion of the college will prnbahly '"'held, at which many of her more distin·
gui~ht>tlsons, a~
well a~ friend~ whont she will he proud to honor, '"~ill n•eein:·,
under the broad S<'al of the nnh·e,-,;ity, kstimon~· of thl' t>steem in which th<')'
are hehl. The litPrary exerci:<cs, under the auspiees of the Society of Alum111,
prmnise to rank with the uw4 attrat•tive that the eollPg-c ha~ known in her
century's growth. The purely soeial featnres of the eelehration will not htll
helow the dignity of the oceasion.
The earpenter~' work on tht\ ColeHutn Jlu:·:ennt is nnw pr~wtically emnpleted, and the c'L'''"• which are ntodt•ll,•tl aftpr those in the ::imithsonian, will
~non be readY. Father Fri:-;hee ha:-: l'har~e nf the arnll¥-!;Ctl~llt of the rnnm,
and hi' long 'experience"'"' exe<'llent ta:<te in matters of this kind will insure
an ortlerly and twat di:-:po:o:ition of the l'olleg·l·':-: valun.hle ~cientific eollt•ctions.
He assures ns that the tir~<t plaee ami most prominent position in the new
roo1n will be given tu thf' l'nllections of the Toner Cirele. These collection~,
bPiug- tlu_• result-$ of itulividual n•seareh hy ~tntlt:ut~, mul having such an in·
trinsw seientific value, fonn one of the JH'Olldt.·~t possessions of Georgetown.
The coin< ant! nH•tlals will he plaeetl in a prominent position. The well·
known curator of the eoin department at the ~tnith~ouian, after examining
the colleetion at the eollt·;!e, tleclaretl it ntH' of the most valuable in the
country. The Mn'<'Um will be open by Comntettt•ement Day.
The Class of Philosophy gave a publw lecture on ~ouml in .\Iemorial Hall,
Thursday en·ning, May :lrd. The speakers showPtl much careful prepara·
tion, and wt>re particularly happy in the ehoice and trcatmPnt of the nmtter.
Perhapg the tno~t strikin~ feature of the PVPning's display was the seh·etion
of experitnl·nt~, which were entirely :-;imple, yPt most attraeth~e, and pro\~etl
heyontl question the eonelusions which tht•y wen' nwnnt to illustmtP.
'fhe tnust notable c\~ent of the pn•sent ~c-hola~tie year was the opening of
the special eourse of il'etures on .Eh·ctricit~· on Tuesday P\'ening, ~Iny Sth.
The leeture~ wC're begun at the urgent n•qnest of a nutnbt"'r of professim~al
gentiPmen of Washington who, to meet frequent rerptin•mt•nts in the practtee
of their profession, wtshed to gain a fhmilmr aequaintancP with the subject
of Electricity. The leetures are given twice a week by the professor ~f
physics, Father Frisbee, assisted by some of the members of the class of phi·
�VARIA.
26!
losophv. The fif't meeting wag well attended; at the second, all the seats were
occupied, and it is expecf,•d that at the subsequent meetings there will be
more than thirty in attenrlanee. The gentlemen ha\·e expressed themselves
a' t!elightetl at what they have seen ami heard thus far. After the first meeting, they formed ·themselves into a regular clasg-a"sociation, and elected
Judge Stockbridge, t.:•x-Comlnissioner of Patent~, president. It is said that
the clectures will be resumerl after vacation. They are held in the physics
lecture-room. Immediately after the last private lecture of this term, Father Frisbee, assisted by the class of '88, will give a public lecture on Electricit> in )[ emorial Hall.
In our la.<t issue we mentionl'd that the college bells had been placed in
position, awl all that was lacking wa:; the great tower-clock. X ow at last the
clock is in position. The two diah•, faeing ea><t ami Wl•st, are 135 feet from
the grouml, and are 8 fl•et ll inches in diameter. The clock proper measures
,:;:l inches witle, :Hl inches <ieep, and G:i high. It is an S-day instrument, and
is furnishe(l with grnxity t"scapement and cc_nupensatin~ pentlulum-rod. The
works are highly poli>-IH•d and run very smoothly. The rod ami ball of the
pendulum proper weigh ahout ;100 pounds. The hour-striking weight is
about ~00 pouiHk Tht• clock strik,•s at each quarter, two bells being heard
at the first, thn•l' at the seeon<l and third, and the large Le!l alone at the hour.
rrhe colle~e tower i~ :-'0 hi~h ahove the ~urronn<ling countrv that the tinle ean
easily be ~listing-uhdted fr~lUl a great distance.
.__
·
The usual devotions in the l'hapel, in honor of the Quel'U of May, were begun
on the evPnin:;: of .\pril :30th by the blessing of a statue of our Lady, which
was afterwards placed on one of the side altars, eonvertet! fur the mouth into
a lo\·ely ~Iay altar. The beautiful custom among the Georgetown boys, institnk<l years ago by our late beloved Father John Sumner, of wearing, during this month, in honor of our Lady, a metlal attached to a piece of blue
ribbon, is as cnn:-;picnou~ thi~ YL':lr a~ t'Yf..'r.-College Jou,rnal.
A INter just reec·in•tl from Georgetown stall's that both faculty and :;Indents
wen_• reet·ntly vt>ry lHUeh t•tlitit>tl by the sig-ht of GO students going to Holy
Communion on thl' fpast of th<' Sacrctl Heart; the day was not a holiday and
the nion•mt•nt wa:-: entirely :"pontaneous.
1-tllll'll i 11.- The sntlalih· of universit\· stmlents !'elel>ratetl the triduum
in honor of the eanonizatioi1 of :,O:t. .John 'Ih·rchmaus, in our church, during
the last week in .\pril. There was a soil'mn High Ma'8 each <lay, Benediction
and sermons both in Flemish anti in Freneh. On Friday, .-\.pril ~ith, Benediction was giYen by the rector rnagnijicus, and the sennou was prea~hed by
the vicl'-l'l'dor.-Our scholasticatc has bel•n dedicated to St. John Berclunans .
.lltl<laymwtti'.-Onl,bt -tth of J:nly, ~fr. Campbell, the American consul at
Tarnatave, gave a dinner, to which he Invitt•d the Iuost distinguished persons
of the rity. Amon\!; the first to whom thi.s courtesy \\·as extended, were our
FF. Lacounne and Bregere. After the health of the President of the U.S.
~nd that of the Queen of .\ladagascar had been drunk, one of the most promIIIent of the gentlemen present proposed the following toast: "Gentlemen, I
cannot help thnnking tht• [Tnillod States' consul for the kindness he has shown
to the French colony, by gathering together around this festive board so many
of l.wr principal men. Side by side with representatives of commerce, navigatiOn and the press, we have the representatives of the Church. \Ve are, indeed, glatl to have with us on this anniversary of your glorious republic,
those imlefatigable toill•rs 'rho are ever found in the foremost lines of civiliz~tion not only in lllatlag'"car, but all the world over. Gentlemen, the health
ot FF. Lacomme an.l Brel!ere."
The U.S. consul, ~lr. c,[mpbell, is an old pupil of ours and a good Catholic,
who is not afraid to make public profession of his religion .
. The following neeount of the labors of Ours in ~!adagascar, sent to the
direetors of the Propagation of the Faith, will be interesting:-From July
188() _to .July 18~7, there were -!13:.! baptisms, 3-!,500 confessions, 31,32.j ComInnntons, DU9 confirmations, 71 extre1ne unctions, 285 marriages. The entire
number of Catholics amounts to 78,000, and the pupils attending our schools
are 12,55G.
These figures, says Fr. Causseque, are quite small if considered apart from
the circumstances in which Ours are toiling. Still, if it be borne in mind
that, during the late war which lasted three years, the neophytes were en-
VOL.
xvn, No.
2.
r6*
�VARIA.
tirely without religious aid, tl1e present results show that God's blessing is
upon our labors. After three years of forced ah>enct> from their mission, the
state of misery and degradation in which the ti1thers fouml it upon their return can be n1ore easilY hnat!ined than d.e~erihed. Of enur~e llod watche(l
o\·er the faithful during the time of exile, and there were not wantin.\! herops
who did all in their power to supply what they eoulcl to keep tlwir brethren
firm in the t>tith during the absence of Our,:. The care which Providt•nce
took of the Catholic,: during their time of trial was especially notable with
rt>gard to the lepers, who, of course, when Ours were banished, would be left
completely to themselve>. Rut Gn<l took care of his own. "On the night following the departure of the fathers," says an Andiean minister of the London )Iis~ionary Society, "I heard a voice eonstantly saying to 1ne: '\Vhat will
become of the poor lepers' (;o help them.' "This thought followeclmc everywhere. On the following !:'unday, I went to their lw>pital and di:<tribntetl
fifteen or twenty francs muong the siek, antl prmniH•d to supply their wants
until the rl'tnrn of the father>. ~ly friend' in Eng lam! >ent me sew•n hundn·cl
and fifty francs t(,r this good work aJHI thi' enabled me t•' keep my wor<l. l
never made the lea~t eftort to intluce any of those poor creatures to gi,·e up
their own religion. I oft"eretl to pray with tht~m on my fir4 visit, 'hnt if this
be at all disagreeable to you,' I ad de<!, 'I will confine myself to simply aiding you with my alms.' And so !"did tlnring the three years of the fathers'
ab~ence."
..
Father Cazeaux has ,:ent to the Ueographical Society of Borcleaux a paper
on the cultivation of the vine in ~lmlagascar.
Jia£1111"11. -St . .Joseph's College, at Triehinopoly, is in a nry flourishing
condition, the nmnber of its >Indent> fluctuating between !1!10 ami 1 HlO. Two
members of th~ faculty, FF . .I ..an and Sewell. are lic•llows of the n•1in·•·sity.
Last October the college gave a solernn reception to the .!!oYernor of )ladras.
His Excellency was nwn' than pleasecl with the reeeption, f(n· which he very
wannh- thunketl Fr. Heetor. IIi~ di:-ol·onr~e wn~ nwinlv a eulo!!,- of the SudetY and its method of teaching-.
.
..
The Little ~le"enger of the Sacretlllt·art is pnblishecl at the college in the
Tamil language .
.1lauila.- Fr. Ricart, the Superior of the ~Ii"ion, has !wen appointed
Provincial of Aragon.
The government has granll'<l ;3-1000 to Fr. Fanra, at ~I:mila, f(>r the construction of a building for mag-nt"'tic oh~ervation~ .
.lirs.sellfll'l' of tltr .'iat•t•ed llrat•t.- The ,~[es.<euya of the Sacred
lleart t<'r )lay keeps well to tht• brilliant promi,-e of its .\pril clepartnn'. The
froutispiece-"The :lladonna Enthrone<]" ·of ~lnrano-is a hantl~;,mclv t>ngraved bit of pre-Raphaelite work. The hh,tnrical stor~-,-"Tiie Rescue of
the )ladouua,"-cmnplete in thi:;; number, is abo ~trongly illn~trate(l, and
shows, in the vivid horror~ of a :"<iege, how it tnay he "ea!il.ier to ~cale a bastion
than to give an ab,olution.'' Uf the other artieles, the first instalment of
the eventful life of "Father Peter Beckx, :.?:.?rul (;l'nPral of the !:'ociety of
Jesus," and "~liraele~ of One of :\fury's Saints" (the new Saint .John Be'rPhruans), are of general interest; as i,- also the aeeonnt, from tht> Papal tloenmt>nts, of tlw growth of tht> now almr"t unh·ersal Lea gill' of the Saen~<l Heart,
of \Yhich the tweut\--nine J[es8engers, in fourteen tlittt:>rent langun~e~, eonsti·
tnte the periotlical ~H"gan. One of the "Songs of :llay" may b~~eorlle popular
wherever true Irishmen are f(mn<l. lt takes us from
Sweet is the song of the exile
When he thinks of his home in Loughrea-
into
The penitent heart of the May.
Xaples.-ReY. Fr. ~- :I lola, ltector of the novitiate ami :II aster of noYiees,
has been lately appointetl Provincial. In HIS:; he stoppetl in Xew York fnr
souw tlavs, while on hi~ wa\· front ~outh An1eriea to Italy. ~otwith:-ot:uHiiu<r
the good will of Canlinal ~anfelice, Archbishop of ),i"::l])les, our fathers hav~
been unsuccessful in their attl'ntp!s to get back the beautiful chureh of the
Gesil in.that city, while the Dominicans and other religious have succeeded
in obtaining theirs. Our colleges in N a pies prosper.
�VARIA.
Xew )fe.rlco.- The new college of Denver approaclws completion, and
it is ex peeled that it will be reatly fc>r the opening of the classes next Septemher. This t·ollt'ge is intended to replace the eollege' of :IIorrison and Las
Ye,!!as, lwcomin.~ thu~ the only boarding-~whool of the Ini:-.:;;ion.
The inhabitant:--: of La~ V't>gas have been 1naking efforts to retain, at
lea~t,
a residenee of the Society in their tmvn. For that purpose ·they have even
appealed to the Holy Fatht'r. Yery Rev. Fr. General, hearing of this appeal,
has withheld his final deci,ion till the answer from Rome can be learned .
.Yew Ol"lcau.'<, -On enterin).( tht' Jesuits' church, should the eye of any
ont' ehanee to range hi).(her than the top of the altar, a statue of Our Lady
wnnltl tlleet his gaze.
Strang(' to say, a singular history is connected with
this >tatne. Ju,t before the re,·olntion of 1s:w, there lived the celebrated
scnlptor Foyatier. He it was \dlO made the equestrian statue of Joan D'Arc .
•\11 France \ras charmt'd by the artistic work, am! :IIary Amelia, the queen
of Louis Philippe, gav<> FoyatiPr an ortlPr f(lr a statue of the Blessed Virgin.
Unforttmately the n'volution broke out, and I"ouis Philippe was exiled. The
downlwartc>tl seulptor was tht>u obliged to sl'll his lwautiful statue, the price
of which wa:• set at ;~o.ooo francs (:3o0110). But to mak<' a long story short,
tlw
~tatne, ~OliH'
way or otht•r, rt•twhf'tl N t'\Y York, and thence it made its way
to XPw Orh'ans, and thc> fathers of this community purchasc>d it for :31500,
ami sincc> tht'n it ha.,ttltlc>tl to tht' beautY of the Jt'>-uits' church. It has been
in tht• pusst>ssion of the Jpsuits for about twenty yt>ars.-Student.
Old Stuclcuf.'<.- :llr. Thus. H. Dunn, a IU!'IIlbc>r of the class of '84 at St.
.John's Colleg<' Fordham, was graduatl'd on Ttwsday night, at tlw :IIedical
School of the Xew York l'ninf'itY. II<' ranked st•cmul iu a class of 1!17.
His e"ay on 'The :IIetlical Professi<;n' received the >pecial commendation of
Dr. Loomis. The young tloctor who won the firRt plaee had been two vears
longer at me<lical studies than :IIr. Dunn, so that the latter may say th"at he
was princrps intn· pares. Honor to him, and to the famous Jesuit college
that ).(ave him his mental trainiug.-The Catholic Revinv.
)!r. Francis X. Brosnan A. :11. '87 of St. Franeis :Xavier's Collc).(e, New
York, !eat! hb ela" in the semi-annual examination at the Columbia Collt'gc
School of )lines.
:llr. Charles II. :l!cKiustry ,\.B. '~-1, of St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco,
graduated with honor at \\' e><t l'oiut on .Tune lith, taking the secontl pl;Jce in
a class of about -10.
Ouw I! a.-The new collegiate church of St. John, adjoining Creighton
College, Omaha, was tledicateil on the Hth of May. The services were unusually solemn and beautiful, and attractetl an immense congregation, amongst
whom were many prominent non-Catholics. The dedication was performed
by Bishop O'Connor. After the dedication, solemn High l\Iass was sung by
Fr. ~1. P. Dowling, President of the college, assisted by Fr. Joseph F. Higge
as deacon, Mr. F. ::\lara as subdeacon, and ::\lr. J. Donoher as master of ceremonies. The sermon was preached by ltev. Fr. R ..T. Meyer, the Provincial of
the :llissouri Province. The church is described as a truly magnificent edifice.
It is 11~ feet in length by 7.'i feet in width, with a nave of 62 feet; but the
real plan of the building includes a total length of 184 feet, with a breadth
across the transepts of 11-':l feet, and the present north wall is of a temporary
character in order to admit of future extension. The style is Gothic. The
front of the structure presents an appearance of great elegance and stability.
On the north-east corner stands a quadrilateral tower; an octagonal spire
surmouutetl by a cross, which is inteuded to rise to a height of 100 feet, being
needed now to finish the tower. To the west of the main entrance is another
!ower, which has been cornpletetl and rises to a height of s:1 feet. The interlOr is light am! cheery; the roof is supported by Gothic arches and columns.
The main altar is regarded as the handsomest one between New York and
~an Francisco, and cost $i>600, being chiefly of Italian and Tennessee marble
beautifully sculptured. The stained glass windows are many and rich, and
depict especially the lives of the saints of the Society. The church has cost
about $60,0UO awl will seat about 700 persons.-Extract from Omaha paper.
Rome, Colleuio Germanico.-On April :lOth, the Holy Father gave audi·
euce to the rector and a deputation of students of the Collegio Germani co,
�VARIA.
who came to offer their jubilee gifts. First there were two large stained glass
windows for the \ratican palace, one representing St. Leo the Great, the
other St. Gregory the Great. These wint!nw" are remarkable pieces of art
and were matle in :\lunich. X ext was pre>cntctl the lwautifill hnnily-tree of
the college. The fruits of the tree exhibit a enmJWIHlimn of the history of
the college. There are the nanH's of tlwse alumni who died either fi>r the
faith or in thc~ervice of the pla~ue-strieken.
..\nwu.u· then1 i~ tht' name of
the Blessed P.olwrt .Johnson, who died for tht' huth in Endand. Otlwr
brunches contain the llHIIH·s of the 27 eanlinals who wt>rf' altnnni of tht- eollege; the first is Flavius Orsini, the hbt, Canlinal HergPHrodher. After the
cardinals follow the tit) abhots, t!H·n ~SO bishops. Other branches show tlw
names of the 4i archbishops, thP last being Arehuishop ShHlll'r of Serajewo
in Bosnia. Then follow the 32 admini~trators of dioct>~f'~, anti finally a gn•at
number of authors anti other di:-•tin!!ui:-:ht>cl Hll'IL
Then the dt•putatinn pn·senktl ti\,, PI'!Pr's lH'tH'e of the alumni a1t1l stwlents
and a superuly uountl Album containing a hriPf history of the co liP.:!<' written
in Latin, and the photographs of the hous~s, villas and churelws of th<' college.
Finally, they-presented an ntl,]rpss to His Hnlin~;s and tlw eatalogue of a
library which is in tht• Vatican Exhibition. This library contains the works
of all the alumni of the cnll\•::;•· writtPn siuee 1.'<:30. Thl're are l<."i authors and
351< volumes. The works range on•r tht• widt• fi~lds of Church History, Dogma,
)!oral, Apologetic:o-, Canon Law,
:\lathematics ami Literature.
ExPgt:·~iB, Litnr,~y,
Philo:-;ophy, Astronon1y,
Hi; Holint·>s receivt·tl tlw deputation ami thdr
gifts very g-raciou~Ir, praised tht' work tlotw hy this eollq;t> in tlw past and
spoke of his hopes tor tlw future. He reft•rred with plPasun· to the time when
he was Repetitor in the German College, n·mt•mlwn·d the mmH•s of his pupils
and their succe:-o~fullnbor~ in after-life. On (]h.mb.:·dng thP n:ctor and ~tndf'nts,
he bestowt•tl upon all hb Apostolic benetlietion.-Germania.
St. Louis.-The post-graduate eourse of leetures at the t't. Louis l-niver·
sity for 1887~88, embraced a series of private, semi-public and public lee·
lures. The private series was opened by an introductory lecture on Studious
IIabits by Fr. H. )loeller, and was carried on through five lectures on Jlod·
ern Spiritism by Fr. Jas. F. X. Hoefler, ten on ,l!ind-l(ieand tht Cell Theor!J
by Fr. Jas. J. Conwa,·, six on The Human Compound by Fr .. Jag. F. X.llocf·
fer, five on The Xoacl1ian Ddugt by Fr ..Jas ..J. Conway, five on Thr Ethics of
Go...ernment by Fr. H. lllneller, and four on The Idea of God by Fr. Harts.
Of these lectures, that by Father Hoefler entitled A Review of tht Prcwu·scs
and Claims of Jiodern Spiritism, ami Father :\loeller's on Sol"io/ Abasrs and
Social Reforms, are called, in the pamphlet issued by the uni,·ersity, "Semipublic ledures," as they were deliveretl in the llniversity Hall. .\ustracts
of all the private and semi-public lectures are given in tiH;.p>~mphlet. The
three public lectures, also delivered in the Hall, Wt're Glimpses of Ei'CT!f·
Da!J Liji· in Ancient Rome, by Fr .. John X. Poland, The Chemistry of Photog·
raph!J by Fr. Chas. M. Charropin, and Leo XIII and the Jlodern P01cers by
Fr. Jas. J. Conway.
The proposed new building of the Young :\len's Sodality, connected with
the St. Louis llniversity, has attracted the greatest interest in St. Louis, and
promises to become one of the most ornamental buildings on Urand Avenue.
The sodality was founded by Fr. Dam en forty-two years ago and has ever since
been connected with the college church. A year ago the sodalists purchased
a lot 100 x 150 feet, fronting on Grant! A venue at the he"d of Chestnut St.,
and there they intend to erect the new hall. Not long since, they sold their
old hall, and were thus enabled to purchase the present lot and to have a
surplus of $10,000 for the new building. Thirty thousand dollars, however,
is the whole sum needed, but, with appeals to their members and many outside
friends, the sodalists expect to realize this amount in due time.
Syria.- The celebration of the feast of the university at Bey root, on the
first of May, 1887, was conducted with great pomp ant! solemnity. The Apos·
tolic Delegate sang Pontifical Mass in presence of all the students. At dinner,
besides His Lordship, there were present his Coadjutor Mgr. Gaudenzio and
two Monsignori attached to the Nunciatnres of Yienna and Lisbon, who were
,at the time visiting Syria.
The festivities were concluded by an Arabic play performed by the students.
It was attended by a large number of distinguished 11lussuh:nans. The scene
�VARIA.
is laid in Arabia before the rise of Islam. It would have been difficult to
have found a subject more agreeable to the audience, and more thoroughly
Arabic. In the second scene the Kaaba or the Pantheon of :Mecca was represented. Among the three hundred statues which grace its halls, there
was one of our Lady. This is an historical fact, and, of course, our Blessed
Mother's statue held a prominent position on the stage. It is also a fact that
although Mahomet caused all the other statues to be destroyed, still he respected our Lady's and left it untouched. As the play progressed, its plot
unfolded more and more clearly the state of Christianity which had existea
in Arabia before it was destroyed by Mahomet and his followers. Great was
the astonishment of the )fussulmans; it was depicted on their faces, and the
impression produced was very favorable.
On the 9th of )fay, Ours again gained favor with the Turks by illuminating
the university with electric light in honor of the Sultan's feast. Indeed the
Sultan's good will towards the Church seems secured, for his present to the
Holy Father on the occasion of his jubilee was a ring worth no less than
forty thousand dollars.
Nor has the university been backward in expressing its joy to our Holy
Father on his happy celebration. Quite a large purse was the outcome of the
generous contributions not only of the Catholic students, but also of Schismatics, Druses, Jews and )fussulmans. :Moreover, a beautiful polyglot album
is preparing in which will be congratulations written in all the languages
spoken at the university. This present promises to be very handsome.-Relations d' Orient.
U. S. Senate.- The following clipping is from the Congressional Record
of March 1st, 1888. The bill for the compulsory education of Indian children was bPfore the Senate. Senator Y est of ]\[ issouri said : "I am almost
afraid to allude to the Jesuits; but I see my friend from New Hampshire
Pir. Blair] is not in his seat, and I can do so with safety. The best schools
on this continent to-day are conducted by the .Jesuits. Wherever you see an
Indian school conducted by Jesuits it is conducted upon the proper principle,
and that is the result of nearly a century of absolute experience.
"I visited those schools and found compulsory education for male children
and for female children. The Jesuits commenced in the first place with the
education of males, and they found that to be a failure. They found that the
young man who had graduated went back to his tribe and there became the
obj~ct of ridicule because he had adopted the language and the habits of the
wh1te man, and ridicule is the most potent weapon with the Indian everywhere. The result was that without any support except self-support, unaided
and alone, he relapsed into barbarism, and then out-IIeroded Herod in defense of savage customs and savage fashions.
"The result of this experience was that the Jesuits have now established
dual schools for both sexes, the female schools under the conduct of nuns and
the male schools under the conduct and management of members of the
Jesuit order. 'Vhen they graduate they intermarry, and the couple, assisted
by the Jesuits and by the agent on the reservation, with a small piece of land
cleared and a house erected and a bunch of cattle, in Western parlance, becoll_le_ the nucleus of civilization and Christianity. They support each other.
I VISited their houses and saw husband an<! wife living together, enjoying all
the benefits of Christianity and civilization, and raising their children in the
sam!' way. Any of my brother Senators who have been along the Northern
~aCJfic Hailroad and vassed through the Flathead reservation in :Montana
ave seen the results of this Jesuit education.
"I .was instrumental, and I am proud of it, as proud as of any act of my
pubh~ life, some few years ago in obtaining :3ROOO from Congress tor the
~htabhshment of an industrial school under the charge of the Jesuits upon
at reservation." Here Mr. Vest's time expired but, by unanimous consent,
he P~oceeded as follows: "The result of that appropriation was that an industnal school was established at the .Jesuit mission on that reservation, and
~ou can look from the windows of the cars to-day and see comfortable houses,
farms fenced in, horses ami cattle grazing, and a law·abiding population, the
~esu_It_ofthat single experiment. Those Indians are to·day further advanced
~~ ClVIh~ation than any upon this continent except the five civilized tribes in
•.e lndi.an Territory. I was there last summer and I saw the Indian boys,
1'ttt their aprons on, engaged in mechanical pursuits. . They make their own
c 0 es, from h11-t to boots and shoes. They go into the forests and cut down
�VARIA.
timber and cut it into lumber aml built! their houses. They are blacksmiths.
They put up two dormitories, which accommodate forty boys and forty girls,
and all the principal work, under the direction of a skilled workman, has
been done by those indian boys.
"They have learned agriculture. The .Jesuits devote their whole lives to
this service. The members of the order feel them;elves dt'dieated to that purpose from their boyhood up, and 1 saw nne of them who for fifty years had
been engaged in this work among the Indians of Xorth America, who hat!
come here when he was twenty year> old. This experiment shows that the
industrial boarding-school is the only hope fur the lntlian. The Jesuits take
charge of the children, and do not permit them to go back to their parents'
houses until they finish their education. The parents can go am! vis1t them,
but they do it in the presence of a J esnit father. ""hen vacation comes they
are taken out in charge of the Jesuits. The result is to be 'een there bv any
one, a state of civilization advanced beyond that of any other tribe on tl{e
continent outside of the Indian Territory."
Zambesi.-Fr. Daignault, who finished his philo>ophy at ""uutlstock in
18j6, has succeeded Fr. Weld as superior of the mh•sion. Fr. \Veld is master
of novices at Graaff Tieynet.
Jlome Selt·.~, Reception to R<'v .. Fr. Fulton on !tis rt'/to·u jrum Irelan d.On the evening of Thursday, Apr. 18th, TieL Fr. Fulton, then Provincial, arrived at \Voodstock, and on the following morning, the fathers am! students
assembled in the library, to tender him their greetings ou his safe return, and
to bid him a hearty welcome home. The reception was most pleasing, by
reason of the absence of all formality; it was a genuine family gathe1·ing,
marked by the warmest feelings of joy and respect. "\Her the orchestra hat!
played a very pretty selection, lllr. Sherman a'cemletl the platfimn, am! in
the name ot \\"oodstock, welcomed Fr. Fulton home. Following, came a
song of welcome by a select choir of theologians aud philosophers. For the
theologians, Mr. Casey's poem feelingly and naturally expressed the sentinlents of their hearts ou the joyous occasion. The "tlower~soug,, a very
sweet and plaintive melody, was then renderet! hy the orche,-tra, and at its
close, Mr. McNiff, fur the philosophers, reitd a short but thoughtful poem,
expressive of the good wishes of all for the welfare of the province and the
success of Fr. Fulton's efforts for the glory of (;od am! the. honor of the Society. After another address by lllr. :II. llollohan, am! ~ome more music-, Fr.
Fulton atldressed the community. He thanketl the scholastics very warmly
for the reception, said he was happy to be with them once more, and then related some amusing incidents that happened to hnu abroad.
On ~lay l!lth, Tiev. Fr. Lessmann, Visitor to the ;\ew Orleans :Mission and
Rev. Fr. O'Shanahan, the new superior of that mi'"io-ii,.paid us a visit, re·
maining with ns a few days.
·
The Academies of Theologians and Philm;ophers have proeeedetl as usual
during the past year. Following is a list of the papers read:THEOLOGIANS'
ACADE~IY.
:Methodism-a critique and refutation of article in N. A. Review: "Why am I a :Methodist?" ....................................... F. P. Powers
Vagaries of a Free Religionist-critique and refutation of article
in N. A. Review: "Why am I a Free lteligionist ;"' .................. II. \Y oods
Craniotomy ....................................................................... J.P. Dei'medt
Congregationalism-critique and refutation of article in 1V. A.
Review: "Why am I a Congregationalist?" ...•................. P. J. ::l!cGinney
)!oral Necessity ..•.....•..................................................•........... )l. Eicher
Lying antll\lentalltescrvatiun-thc Scholastic Theory .............. l'. J. Casey
"
" ..
-Theory of Grotius ............ E. J. <Y:::-;ullivau
Predestination (p<Mt pncvi8tt me rita.) .................................... J. ill. Colgan
Unitarianism-critique and refutation of article in N. A. Re·
view: "Why ami a Unitarian?" ...................................... '1'. E. lolurphy
Origin of Jurisdiction ..................•..•••.•.........................•........ ::11. A. Noel
A
l
�VARIA.
PHILOSOPHERS' ACADEMIES.
(Third Year)
Constitution of llouies ..................................................... A. J. E. Mullan
Immortalitv of the Soul.. .................................................... P. J. Murphy
The Enu of Human Acts ...•.......................•.•.•...•.................... A. Taillant
Life ....................................................................................... J. Dawson
Some ltelations of Philosophy to Literary Criticism .................... F. J. Finn
)!etaphysics and the Human Soul ..............................•....•..... G. O'Connell
The Act of Sensation ............................................................... H. Casten
Truth and ltcservation ...................................................... J. )I. Coghlan
Xature and Origin of the Human Soul.. ................................. J. B. Gillick
The Existence of God ......................................................... D . .J. Murphy
Hosmini's lunate Idea ........................•............................• .J. G. Kuhlman
Instinct ........................................................................... l\1. A. Higgins
(Second }'ear)
Sensitive Perception ............................................................... l\L Hussey
Transcendental Idealism .............................................................. J. Raby
Causes of Being ............................................................ H. G. lluermann
The Beautiful in .\rt ......................................................... F. M. Connell
Synthetical " priori .J nugments .................................... R. A. llennemann
Quantitati,·e Extension ................................................... )[. R. )fcCarthy
Philosophy an<l :-<cience .............................................................. L. Green
Technical Elements in Healism and Idealism ...................•.•••••• J. II. Smith
The Perception of Sound and Color ........................................... D. Lawton
The l!niversals ........................................................................ B. Keany
Dynamism ............................................................................J. H. )[eyer
Atomic Theories ........................................................................ J. Raby
Hylomorphism .......... , ............................................................. B. Otting
Darwinism ........................................................................ l\1. Punghorst
Real Pautheim1 ............. : ....................................................... M. J. Kane
(First Year)
Ancient Philosophy ............................................................... J. B. Smith
Medieval Philosophy .................................................................• F. 'Veis
:Modern Philosophy ............................................................... F. J. Lamb
Universals ........................................................................... F. J. l\IcNiff
Kant's Synthetic Judgments a priori ........................... .J. H. Lodenkamper
De Lamennais ....................................................................... G. Ileuisler
Testimony ....................................................................... ~I. l\Ic:lfenamy
What is the Testimonv of History Worth? ................................... J. Burke
The Syllogism ......... ."............... : ...•......................................... A. Gilbert
The Rpriny Di.•putations took place on April 2ith anu 28th .
. EX TRACTATU DE ECCLESIA -The Defender was Mr. DePotter; Ob·
Ject.or.,, Messrs. Rogers and Powers.
EX TltACTATU DE DEO UNO E'L' TRINO -Defender, Mr. J. L. Smith;
Objector.,, Messrs. Clark and Corbley.
.
EX SACRA SCRIPTURA -De Ultima Gcen<t, a paper read
br l\Ir. Bechtel.
�VARIA.
EX PHILOSOPHIA )!ORALI -Defender, Mr. O'Hara; Objectors, )!essrs.
)lullan and Higgins.
EX PSYCHOLOGIA -Defender, )lr. Porta; Objectors, Messrs. Fanning
and J. H. Smith.
EX ONTOLOGIA -Defender, Mr. Weis; Objectors, Messrs. Taelman ami
J. B. Smith.
PHYSICS -Lecture on Heaf: Its inJfuence on the states of rnatter, by Mr.
Connell, assisted by )fessrs. Hnermann and Raby.
GEOLOGY -The Builders of the Sea; an illustrated lecture by Mr. G. C.
O'Connell.
Former "\Voodstockians will be glad to learn that Fr. Sa.betti's new road has
reached the completion of the circuit; the barn that was transferred to the
hillside east of the college gate is now the centre of a group of farm buildings,
including a new poultry house, and the surroundings have been improved;
the hill to the north of the college has almost entirely disappeared.
Rev. Fr. Thomas J. Campbell was inaugurated at St. Lawrence's, New York,
as Provincial, on Pentecost :l!onday, )fay 21st.
ERRATA CORRIGE.
Page 143, 2nd line from the bottom, for standard ;,ail stranded
Page 215, 2nd line from the bottom, for loto read lote
Page 221, 4th line from the top, for take steamer read set sail
�· \Vith this number we send an index for the first
ten years of the LETTERS.
WOODSTOCK LETT.ERS
VOL. XVII, No. 3·
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE \VAR
OF r86I.
(SLrt!t Letter.)
CAMP BROWN, SANTA RosA IsLAND, FLA.,
October 5th, r86I.
M. L. MOLONEY,
A~v dcarfrimd,
We have had quite a change in the management of the
naval squadron ruling in the southern waters. Flag-officer
McKean, a great favorite among the soldiers, and, no doubt,
among the men of the fleet, has been ordered to some
other station, and Captain Bailey has been appointed his
successor. The gallant new post-captain, whose brother is
captain of Company I, 6th N.Y. Volunteers (Zouaves), has
transferred his pennant to the Colorado.. The change has
caused a great deal of talk, but I think it is only talk.
At early dawn, Aug. 12th, the transport steamer Rltode
Island hove in sight, and at 12 M. she cast anchor about two
and a half or three miles off the island. The captain was
probably induced to remain so far off, that he might be in
deep water during the terrific storms about that time raging
along the coast. All were anxious to have their mails, which
Were presumed to be on board the transport. But in such
a storm, how venture to send the mail ashore, or go after it
from the shore? About 5 P. l\L we saw a large boat manned
by a strong crew, under command of a lieutenant, put off
fro?1 the flag-ship Colorado, and make directly for the newly
arnved steamer. Men unaccustomed to the dangers of the
VoL. XVII, No. 3·
17
(269)
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
sea said the boat could not "live it." Others said: "Men-ofwar's men know what they are about." Indeed, it appeared
dreadfully rash to venture on such a voyage. From our
storm-beaten island we beheld the fearless crew and struggling boat, tossed to and fro by the angry waves. Filled
with anxious fear, we saw the cutter now disappearing, bow
foremost, beneath the stormy billows, again rising into view
as if issuing from ·the depths of the waters, then thrown on
her beam-ends so that we could distinCl:ly see her entire interior. Still the unselfish sailors, on their dangerous errand
for the gratification of others whom they did not know,
steadily pulled, in spite of wind and wave, direCl:ly for the
distant transport tugging so fiercely at her carefully set
anchor. \Vith intense interest we watched the progress of
the undaunted boat.till the thick darkness of the approaching night and the stormy weather shut off cutter and crew
from sight. Can they reach the transport? Can they safely
bring our long-wished-for mail ashore ?-these were questions
frequently arising in our minds. Late at night, a cannon at
Fort Pickens announced the arrival of the mail, and consequently the safety of the man-of-war's gallant crew. All is
excitement in camp; each hopes (alas, how often some are
disappointed!) to receive letters from dear ones at home.
Finally, at early dawn, one of the teamsters drove up to our
quarters with a whole wagon-load of mail matter. packages,
boxes, etc. "Mails for the Zouaves, and a box marked 'glass'
for the father," ·shouted the teamster. "\Vine, wine!" exclaimed several officers who kindly offered their assistance
in opening the box. Your generous £·wor. was surely a
godsend. Kindest thanks to you all for this-·most welcome
gift. The flannel coat, etc. are just the quality of clothing
re.quired here in this warm climate. Rev. Father Tellier
intends sending me something similar. The beads and
medals, which were very much needed, are thankfully received. Friends in Brooklyn and Staten _Island have also
sent me a supply of these devotional objeCl:s for the soldiers.
I am offered every £1cility, and, if I needed it, every encouragement, for the exercise of the ministry among the
troops. Col. vVilson has issued a "standing order" that
sentries allow all those who wish to see me to pass their
"posts." Moreover, if the time they arc off duty (free time)
does not suffice for the men to call on me, the orderly sergeant has dire'Cl:ions to "omit from detail" (excuse from
duty) any person or persons I name. Men come to me at
.all hours for instruCtion, confession, consolation ; to read or
write letters, etc. I hear confessions generally in my tent.
A sentry, stationed in front of my quarters day and night,
�LETTERS FROJJr A CHAPLAIN.
27I
informs me that a soldier wants to see me, if any one presents himself; if a soldier should call for me in my absence,
the sentry, on my return, tells me that such a soldier was
looking for me. I immediately send for the poor fellow,
whose af£1irs I settle or promise to see to.
The poor soldiers are willing to lead the lives of good
Catholics, but many have so far negleCted themselves, or
perhaps have been so far negleCted, that they can give no
other proof of their being Catholics than that they "have
always blessed themselves night and morning." Poor fellows! several of those who had learned their prayers in
childhood and youth have, by negleCting to say them, long
since forgotten them. Some cannot read. What am I to
do ? Good will is, however, found on all sides-for there is
no limit to the respeCt and obedience shown to "the father."
Those who know their prayers, as well as those who do not
know them but who can read, teach the prayers to those
who have never known them or who have forgotten them.
Officers and men, Catholics and Protestants, overwhelm me
with all kinds of attention.
Owing to the poor health with which I was for some time
affliCted in the beginning of my military career, the report
got noised about that I was going to resign and return
, home. The men became very uneasy about it, and, after
some complaining, came to inform me that they had made
up their minds to keep me in spite of myself, or go home
with me. On a certain day, whilst these wild reports of my
resignation were being circulated amongst the soldiers, as
we were seated around an hospital chest on which our humble camp dinner was spread, a Prot~stant officer suggested
to the colonel the propriety of sending me to New York for
a few months. "Such a trip," he said, "would not only
benefit the father, but would greatly stimulate enlistment for
the Department of the Gul(" Hearing these words, the
colonel laid down his knife and fork, straightened himself
up, and casting a stern glance at· me, said: "Father, does
~his come fromcyou ?" I replied: "No sir; I should consider
It a disgrace to leave my post." The colonel, bending forward and resuming his frugal meal, said in a s·ubdued tone,
as if the words were intended for myself alone, though they
were heard by all : "It would be a disgrace, and you would
be the first Catholic priest to bring disgrace on your church
~Y.deserting your post. Protestant ministers, who makea
hvl!1g of it, can and do abandon dangerous positions." After
a little silence, for no one knew how to take in this novel
conversation, he resumed, saying: "Father, you will remain
here, and, if necessary, die here ; and let your bones be
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
bleached white on the sands of Santa Rosa ; teach me and
my men never to flinch from our duty." After a little exchange of remarks, he broke out again into the following
words : "Father, to leave your bones here would be the
greatest honor you ~.ould confer on our holy religion or on
your order . . . . .
After dinner he motioned to me to follow him into his quar·
ters, and there he informed me that there were two persons,
members of the mess, who wished to have it in their power
to say of a priest what we say of ministers. He assured
me that he did not at all suspeCt me of wishing to retire
from the army, of wishing to abandon the poor soldiers who,
I was aware, had enlisted because a priest accompanied the
regiment. He merely wished, he said, in the remarks he
. had made, to profitby an occasion so unexpeCtedly offered
him, of giving these gentlemen a salutary lesson. "These
boys, for whose sake you have left the comforts of home,
are very dear to me, £1ther. I love them for their k<ith,
which is down so £1r in their hearts, that it cannot be forced
from them. They will die fighting for their £1ith which they
will allow no one to insult gratuitously. They look upon
honors conferred upon you as honors bestowed upon their
Catholic faith and themselves. They arc, to-day, prouder
of, more attached to that £1ith than ever, because you are
with them and are held in esteem by all, army and navy. I
know you would not leave them. Full liberty to pass
amongst the highest officers into your quarters, to have a
little talk with you, more than repays these poor tars and
soldiers for many a hard knock they have rec_eived for their
fidelity to the faith." Becoming alarmed at the earnestness
of his language and manner, I asked him: "Colonel, what
are you driving at?" "Nothing, father, I feel like preaching
the faith at the edge of the sword. Father, if I had the
power, there would be but one religion." Col. \Vilson is a
very earnest, candid man, full of animation in his looks,
words and aClions; yet he holds himself under complete
control.
We· are itJ, daily expeCtation of the arrival of a strong
force of volunteers from New York to enable us to cross
the bay and capture Pensacola-but alas, they do not come!
By-the-bye, there is a report down here, that the distinguished son of .the republic, Barnum, is organizing a regiment of humbugs to cheat the South into subjeCtion. Is it
true?
· From the great number of venomous reptiles on the
island, we might suppose this to be that peculiar region of
whose existence poor Father Larkin used to tell us, and
�LETTERS FROJJI A CHAPLAIN.
273
whose name, he said, is : "Ou-il-n'y-a-pas-de-bon-dieu."
You could not walk five minutes in a direct line without
coming upon a rattlesnake, or a moccason. This latter
snake is said to be far more dangerous than a viper. There
are two kinds, water and land moccasons, thus denoted because one is found generally in or near water and the other
seems to avoid it. They are about eighteen inches or two
feet long, and of the color and thickness of those large
snakes called cow-snakes, so frequently met with about Fordham. One of the Zouaves has the gift of charming snakes.
He caught the other day and brought into camp, a living
rattlesnake having nine rattles. He is the wonder of the
island. The boys indulge, I fear, too much in the dangerous sport of killing alligators. They brought to headquarters the other day, an alligator just killed, measuring about
six feet. Besides these we have to contend against flies
(blue, sand, black, red, round and hard), mosquitoes, bugs of
more species than those of the flies, etc. etc., whose number
and ferocity the rainy season has increased rather than
diminished.
·what, you will ask me, did all these creatures live on before we were cast to them ? I really cannot say. Yet, from
a fact I witnessed on the gulf-beach the other day, I think
Almighty God had a very merciful end in view when stocking Santa Rosa with the various classes of creatures that
with us claim supremacy over the sandy island. Going
along the gulf-shore, saying my beads, I came to a nook in
which were enormous quantities of dead fish, weeds and refuse matter of almost every kind. Ncar this mass, soon to be
left by the tide, were troops of animals, from the little white
mouse to the impetuous alligator, and swarms of insects,
from the tiny gnat to the butting black fly, ready, as I suppose, to pounce upon their prey at the reflux of the water.
Were not these creatures sent to consume this accumulation? Would it not soon become a heap of festering matter
~vhich would infect the neighboring country? The sharks
111festing the water around the island, and rendering fishing
and bathing rather dangerous enjoyments, might and undoubtedly do destroy much of this jetsam; still they could
not devour it all.
On the 13th of September, picked men of the navy perfon_ned a daring exploit which we were sure would bring
on a general battle, but as yet the affront is not resented.
Allow me to relate the spirited dash of the gallant tars.
Captain Bailey, Post-Captain of the fleet in these waters, was
~l.uch annoyed at seeing the enemy slowly but surely organIZ1!1g a little fleet in the Bay of Pensacola. The flag-ship
�274
LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
of this nascent navy was lately "brought to" by a couple of
shots from one of our batteries. She has not, however,
stopped her capering in the bay. Though she does not
come so close to our lines, she is as bold as ever. PostCaptain Bailey would like to take his fleet into the bay .and
sweep every species of craft out of it. Circumstances, however, do not authorize him to proceed to such lengths.
Judging from the success of several gallant a8:s of our men
who, under the cover of night, dealt some terrible blows to
the enemy, the flag-officer, smarting under the inaCtivity of
his finely equipped fleet, resolved to carry off the whole of
the proud young navy, and cover his squadron with glory.
He entrusted the execution of the enterprise to Lieutenant
Russel, an officer every way fit for the exploit. The lieutenant, highly elatea·at the honor conferred upon him, came
ashore, and, having made some arrangements with the troops
stationed on the island, decided on making the attempt on
Friday Sept. 13th. The dangers and honors were to be
confined to the officers and men of the commander's own
vessel, the Colorado. Four launches, each armed with a
swivel gun or howitzer, and each carrying forty men thoroughly armed for such an occasion, and of tried coolness
and courage, were the preparations made by. Lieut. Russel.
That his men might be fresh for the work, Flag-officer
Bailey, early in the afternoon, sent them ashore from his
vessel lying at anchor about two and a half miles out in the
gulf. This gave the Catholics of the party an excellent
opportunity for preparing themselves for a Christian soldier's
death. The good natured sailors and marines:whom I met
as they landed from their boats, said to me: ·~Father, a little
confession if you please; it may be our last." "Let us go
up to my tent." "0 no! right here." Kneeling down on
the wet sand at the edge of the spent breakers, in the presence of the thousands respeCtfully and silently standing at
a distance, the brave men made their confession. After
their little prayer they rose and said: "Father, sec that \Ve
are buried in a Christian manner.'' Soldiers and sailors soon
mingled, and freely and hastily offered and received mutual compliments and congratulations. After sharing in our
humble, coarse but abundant fare (I cannot say table), the
best we could offer, Lieut. Russel and his brave men began
the immediate preparations for their perilous cruise into the
enemy's waters. ,
At eleven P. IlL all is ready, and, with muffled oars, the
boats move off silently from the island towards the opposite
side of the bay. Their orders are, they tell us, to carry off
or destroy the whole of the little fleet, or as much of it as
�LETTERS FRO.lf A _CHAPLAIN.
275
they can reach ; but in all cases, to "cut out" or destroy the
"flag-ship," the proud little schooner sporting an admiral's
pennant, which seems to defy our warnings. The bay was
calm, tranquil beyond expeCtation, unconscious of the blood
it was to drink that very night, or of the graves it was to
furnish the soldiers mortally wounded and sinking down
into its deep and peaceful bosom. With the exception of
poor obedient soldiers, who can claim no moment of rest,
the weary bodies spread over the earth's surface were enjoying a peaceful repose; the breeze passing through the
woods fringing the east and west shore of the bay had
ceased to sigh; the troubled billows of the gulf were calm;
the murmurs of the dying waves were hushed along the
sandy shore of Santa Rosa. The very stars seemed to forget their laws of motion and hang silent and motionless
over the scene. The mocking bird alone, whose notes are
welcome always, but especially during night, disturbed by
his charming song the appalling silence that enveloped our
island and the surrounding waters. The sky, thickly studded
with stars, as if peeping at the deadly preparations being
made, was at first clear, but about the time the boats were
nearing their destination it became overcast. Clouds began
to ascend from the horizon, gather and thicken over what
was to be the scene of the exploit of the Colorado's men.
Is this darkness now settling over the water intended to proteet our friends or to shut out from heaven's sight the deeds
of blood and death to be enaCled ?
Twelve, one and two o'clock have been announced, and
no rocket, no shot to tell us of the defeat or viClory of our
boats. At 3 A. M. precisely, a pistol shot, a second, a third,
several, came sweeping over the bay, and all again was silent.
-:'\fter a short time of painful suspense and distressing anxIety, we beheld a weak flickering light apparently on board
the Southern "flag-ship." After another irritating delay, our
feelings were aroused to their utmost tension by a wickedly
rapid discharge of musketry which lasted about twenty
minutes. \Vho are the sufferers? Our men have given, thus
f~r, no signal declaring their viClory or calling for aid. The
flickering light has now become a raging blaze, displaying
the masts and rigging and sides of the fated arn1ed schooner.
So much of the plan has been successful. Where are our
men? Again! Four cannon are fired in rapid succession.
Ar~ our men and boats sunk to the bottom of the bay? The
entire schooner is completely enveloped in flames. We are
straining our eyes to obtain a glimpse of our navy-men by
the :videly extending light of the burning ship. The whole
ba/' Is lit up; yet no sign of Ollr brave companions. "Father,"
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
said a little fifer to me, "I wish I was with them wherever
they are. I feel sick standing here thinking about them."
This sentiment of the sympathizing little fifer, which might
be differently expressed, was the universal feeling of the
thousands lining the beach that terrible night. We know
the sensations that harass, during the battle, the corps held
in reserve. Just as our state of mind was becoming intolerable, our hearts were gladdened by three lusty cheers from
our boats, still far off on the water. Now the excitement
became intense. Cheer after cheer in response left the shore
from thousands of throats to greet the incoming boats.
Hundreds wanted to plunge into the water and swim out to
meet the boys and get the news. "Are they our boys at
all?" asked some. "Are the enemy, in our boats, after conquering our boys, .c.?m.ing now to play us an ugly trick?"
asked others.
In the midst of these anxious doubts and calculations, up
·went a rocket from our boats, the stipulated signal of success. This brought, in response, from Pickens and the fleet
congratulatory storms of rockets. During this pyrotechnic
display, the boats suddenly made their appearance along
shore, a signal for a renewal of vociferous cheering. Like
spirit boats of some spectre ship, the launches, with oars
still muffled, passed us noiselessly. Not a movement of an
oar was heard. The men, refusing to land, kept on their
course towards the point of the island on which Pickens is
situated. Thinking they would halt at the fort, and fearing
some might be dangerously wounded, I hurried down to
the landing. The post-adjutant, however, informed me that
they passed out around the fort into the gulf.' t.o their ship,
without coming ashore.
·
It was precisely five o'clock when I entered the fort; so
that the whole affair was accomplished in six hours. As
my object in going down from camp was to attend to those
who might be dangerously wounded, I inquired of the adjutant about the men. He kindly told me the boats halted
for a short time, and the officer in com.mand gave the following details: They found the "flag-ship of the Southern
navy," not moored to the dock as they had supposed they
would, but lying at anchor out in the channel. Pulling
alongside, they made ready to spring on board, when they
were challenged by the sentry keeping guard on deck.
This poor fellow received as an answer the contents of a
navy revolver; and he spoke no more. In an instant, those
designated to board the craft were on deck, pistol in hand.
The officers and men of the schooner, rushing out of their
"wardroom," found their ship in the hands of determined
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
277
enemies, became utterly panic-stricken and, without striking
a blow in defence of the navy, jumped overboard. Pursued
by the pistol balls of the Colorado's crew, these terrified
men swam for the shore, which fright and darkness and
Yankee bullets probably prevented them from ever reaching.
Our men now deliberately set fire to the vessel, re-entered
their boats and rowed for the enemy's shore, where they
landed, drove off the guards, spiked the cannon and pursued the guards to the barracks whither they had retreated.
A strong volley of musketry from the barrack windows
brought our men to a halt. They briskly returned the fire.
Seeing the flames had taken such a hold of the schooner
that they could not now be extinguished, and aware that
the light from the burning ship would reveal the paucity of
their numbers, the Colorado's boys hastened to their boats.
Determined not to let the enemy escape, the Southern
soldiers followed their retreating foes to the dock Finding
them already in their boats and far out on the water, some
rushed to the cannon to sink the daring "Yankees"-but
the cannon were spiked. The dock or wharf soon became
thronged with excited soldiers, now maddened by this new
disappointment. Lieut. Russel wheeled his boats around,
brought the howitzers to bear on the crowd, and swept these
poor inconsiderate soldiers into eternity. The docks or
piers were clear once more. No one to offer resistance.
Our men had now time before starting for home to assemble
their boats, and inform the lieutenant commanding of the
state of the men and the casualties of the exploit. Ten received flesh wounds at the barracks, two were dangerously
if not mortally wounded, one, on entering the boat, was
accidentally run through by a bayonet in the hands of one
of his comrades and one was missing. They again landed,
made a hasty but fruitless search for the missing man, reentered their boats, and started for their anxious friends.
Casualities on our side: I 3 wounded (3 dangerously), I
missing. Three days afterwards, the missing man returned
to us safe and sound. His explanation of his questionable
separation from his comrades is, that in the confusion occasioned by the retreat from the attack on the barracks, he
lost his way; when quiet was restored, he went to the village of Warrington, where he had some friends, who, he
knew, would procure him the means of reaching his ship or
Santa Rosa. These friends received him kindly, and enabled
him, under cover of night, to reach Fort Pickens, whence he
was sent out to his vessel. He brought us valuable information which \~ill induce the authoriti~s to be lenient in the
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
examination of his case. He says the enemy were busy all
day the 14th in burying the dead.
I requested Col. Brown to allow me to go out to the
Colorado to visit the wounded. The stately commander of
the department courteously informed me that he could not
give me permission to go on board as cltap!ain, it would be
interfering with the rights of others. There was no objection to my going to the man-of-war as a private individual,
and, when there, arranging matters with the authorities of
the vessel. Leaving the quarters of the commander of the
department, I found a messenger who informed me that the
Colorado's boat was waiting for me opposite the camp.
Hurrying to the place designated, I found the boat whose
cockswain told me that he was sent ashore to take me out
to the wounded men·· . . . . I heard the confessions of the
wounded and others. The surgeon told me that all were
doing well-there was no one whose wounds could be said
to be dangerous. Boats were arriving from all the ships,
congratulating the Colorado, officers and men, on their daring and successful exploit.
The sentries posted along the bay-beach have striEl: orders
to report every movement they notice on the opposite shore.
Deserters from the Southern army or navy, and "contrabands," black and white, are frequent arrivals from the other
side. They generally appear in our neighborhood about
morning, and always in first class boats. They amuse us
very much with the wild stories they bring about the South.
The authorities here are inclined to look upon these unfortunates as spies, and send them out to the transports or
men-of-war, where they are given an opportimity to work
for the cause of Uncle Sam.
Some time about the end of the rainy season, the lusty
voice of a sentinel posted on the north beach of the island
was heard about ten A. M. calling attention to an unusual
movement on the enemy's side of the bay. In a short time,
every one off duty, rank and file, was at the water's edge
eyeing intensely the strange proceedings of our enemy.
There was a large guard-boat, rowed by eight men, putting
off from the shore and making direEl:ly for our line. Are they
deserters? It cannot be. They would be fired on by. the
guard. Deserters would not dare leave their camp so openly.
They are not messengers-they have no flag. Has the Confederacy collapsed? That is it. There is no authority. All
have gone home. Such are a few of the wild speculations
indulged in by the thousands of speEl:ators of this strange
incident. Steady and regular are the pulls, however, which
are rapidly bringing the heavy guard-boat nearer to us.
�LETTERS FRON. A CHAPLAIN.
279
Now, in mid-bay, the oars are still, and a sudden and apparently violent commotion in the boat! Is it a fight? The excitement amongst us is beyond description. What can it
mean? There ! a splash ! Some one has fallen or is thrown
overboard ! A pistol shot! Another! The men in the boat
resume their seats; and all is quiet. Now of course we know
what all this is about. It is, we hear all around us, a summary execution of some good Union man. Some even
went so far as to say they knew who this poor fellow was:
that he was a ship carpenter who had gone froin New York a
short time before the troubles began, to work in Pensacola
navy-yard. vVhat a noble burial they will give his body
when the tide will have laid it on our strand! In spite of
these and many other positive assertions regarding the
aB:ion of the guard-boat's crew, we all left the scene wondering what all this could be.
The boat was deliberately rowed back to her mooring,
and we resumed the monotony of camp-life. "vVas it not
bold of those fellows to execute a Union man before our
eyes, and, as it were, to say to us : 'This is what you may
expeCt: if we catch you' ?" was repeated amongst the boys as
they were eating their dinner.
But hear! The sentry's voice again calls all to the baybeach. "A man swimming from the enemy's side towards
our shore!" A rush was made for the vicinity of the sentry.
All eyes are strained in search of the announced swimmer.
"Where is he ? vVhere is he ?" is eagerly asked by the
crowd. By the aid of a field-glass, I could see, near the site
of what we had imagined to be an execution, a moving objeCt. Later, we could distinB:ly see it was a living being
~lowly direCting its course southward towards us. Our
Impatience to see this wonderful person could not be restrained. "Can't some one go out to meet him ? Why docs
not the commander of the department send a boat out to
save him? Can it be that he was killed and has come to
l~fe again? Is it a ghost?" . . . are questions on every one's
hps. Still his progress is certain, but provokingly slow . . .
We can at last distinguish his head. Some recognize his
features. Oh ! why does not the poor fellow swim faster,
and inform us who he is? What was his crime? vVhy this
peculiar mode of execution? The poor fellow is struggling!
Has a shark taken hold of him? Has he been seized with
cramps? Has his strength given out? He disappears! The
men are wild with excitement. Bravo! there he is again !
a ~teady swim for life and liberty. ''Father, take my glass"
said a naval officer standing near me; "look closely. I
don't think it is a man. His manner of swimming is not
�280
LETTERS FRO.IJI A CHAPLAIN.
that of a man." I could see a -large red head raised well
above the water. The soldiers are really sick with- excitement. Fearing his strength may fail him as he approaches
the shore, several expert swimmers amongst the Zouav~s
are just ready to plunge into the water to enable the patriotic martyr to reach the shore in safety. In they jump!
but, strange enough, this hero, perceiving the movement of
the soldiers, halts for a moment as if afraid of their intentions, then deliberately wheels round and strikes back for
the hostile coast. By this movement the mysterious navigator gave us a complete side view of his body, and thus
enabled us to discern what he was-a large sized dog. Every
effort was now made to induce the jaded animal to come
ashore. vVhistling,-.coaxing, calling, shouting-all known
means of attraE!:ing-the poor brute to us were resorted to in
vain. Off he moves steadily and vigorously towards .his late
friends who so unceremoniously discarded him. Just as we
had given up all hope of attraE!:ing him to us, the poor dog
again "'bout £1.ced" and bravely stood in for Santa Rosa.
No sooner had he reached the last ripple of the water than
he lay down on the wet sand, utterly exhausted after his
long and fatiguing swim. In complete silence we gaze from
a respeE!:ful distance at the stranger. He is a large, strongly
built dog. He remains stretched at full length on the beach.
"'Tis a mad 9og !" shouted some in the crowd. The idea
that the South had recourse to the expedient of sending
mad dogs amongst us to drive us off the island seemed to
seize the minds of all for the moment, and caused our brave
soldiers to scatter; some made for camp to get their muskets, and informed the sentries by whose posts.- they passed,
that Gen. Bragg had let loose a cargo of mad dogs on the
· island. · In the meantime, some more brave or more curious
than the rest, cautiously approached the new immigrant
whom they found more exhausted than mad. The reassembling of the now pitying crowd seemed in no wise to
disconcert the still panting brute. Finally, at a friendly caii
from one of the boys, the dog arose from the wet sand
on which he was resting, fatigued by his long swim-a
magnificently shaped large red dog, the right shoulder aii
raw from a fresh scald or burn. But look! What is that hanging from his neck? A large bottle or glass jar! "Rum!
rum!" cried several. "Poison! poison!" shouted others.
"See how green it is!" was the remark of nearly all. One
of the Zouaves mustered courage enough to go up to the
humble and friendly messenger, gently pat him, and untie
the bottle from his neck, without meeting any kind of resistance. The little glass jar was eagerly and speedily un-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
281
corked, but, instead of liquid of any kind, it contained an
immense number of slips clipped from various Southern
newspapers, which gave glowing accounts of victories by
the Southern armies, the capture of Washington, Baltimore,
Philadelphia and New York, over which the Confederate
flag was triumphantly floating. The Southern army was
marching on Boston, which was to be in the hands of the
Confederacy in a few days. Besides these terrible reports,
there was in the bottle a letter addressed to "Billy Wilson,
Leader of the Pet Lambs." The dog and bottle and letter
were conducted to headquarters; thence to the fort. The
slips were read and re-read. The commander of the fleet
was requested by signal to come ashore. A great council
of war was held. "Can it be true" was the proposition offered for discussion, "that a battle has been fought, the army
annihilated, the principal cities in the North in the hands of
the Confederacy ?"-and the conclusion of the council was:
"Can it be true?" Rising hurriedly in his place, Flag-officer
Bailey said: "Gentlemen, I am going out to my ship, and I
shall very soon answer the question which began and closed
the council. I shall send the fastest gunboat I have to Key
\Vest, and, if necessary, to New York, to have correct knowledge of the state of aff:1irs." No sooner was he on board
his flag-ship than a series of signals was exchanged with a
gunboat which instantly slipped her anchor and with full
pressure was on her errand. The letter addressed to Col.
Wilson, though somewhat comical, was in a very friendly
and respectful tone. It ran thus: "The Bearer of these
despatches is ·my dear friend Manassas, a thoroughbred
blood-hound. I entrust him to you, Colonel, till I call for
him, which I hope will be in a few weeks; perhaps in a few
days. Have, I beg of you, Colonel, a special care of him
till then . . . . " He advised the colonel to give up all hope
of conquering the South, to leave the mosquitoes, flies and
fleas, snakes and alligators of Santa Rosa, to give up hard
tack and salt junk, and go over with his Zouaves to Pensacola, where a great welcome was awaiting them, where every
attention would be paid to them, where every gratification
would be offered them. He closed his letter by repeating:
"Colonel, take good care of my noble friend Manassas till I
call for him; for, if you don't come over to us, I shall go
over to you very soon." The name of the writer of this
~trange missive was so blurred, probably by water reaching
It, that it could not be deciphered. Following the name
were the words: "Orderly Sergeant of (blurred again)
Regiment." This so unexpected piece of intelligence, as
Well as the manner in which it reached us, suggested many
�LETTERS FROJJf A CHAPLAIN.
topics of conversation to idle soldiers. As said above, a
steamer was despatched to Key West, and, if necessary, was
to go to New York, to ascertain the real condition of affairs.
Jlfanassas has become a great favorite with all. The burn
on his shoulder has been healed. Every night, and only at •
night, he regularly makes a friendly visit to each post of
the picket line.
At the termination of the rainy season, our camp was
moved to a more favorable location, and was laid out on a
more scientific plan. The tents have been ercaed in ten
parallel rows, leaving wide spaces called streets, which are
named after the principal streets of New York and Brooklyn. Each row is occupied by a company having its own
headquarters at the'' head of the street. Each company is
responsible for tht: -order and cleanliness of its own street.
At the extreme end of the camp arc regimental headquarters, which, of course, are distinguished from every thing
else in this military town or encampment. They are formed
of a large awning supported by many posts. Under each
of the four corners of this awning is a "wall" tent, extending
beyond the outside line of the awning, one for the colonel,
one for the adjutant, one for the chaplain and the fourth for
an office. The large open space between these four tents,
and on which they open, is, on Sundays, the chapel, sufficient to accommodate all the officers of the command and
guests from the fleet. During the week, it is a parlor, leaure
and concert hall. Mass is said every Sunday at I 2 M. or
later. The regulars, men and officers from the fleet, as well
as the volunteers, are present during the lwly sacrifice.
The regimental band, composed entirely oV Catholics, discourses choice music during the celebration of the divine
mysteries. There is quite a contest between those able to
serve Mass (and there are many, officers and men and drummer boys) as to the one who shall have the honor of performing that office. Col. Wilson and his adjutant are models
for the men. They remain on their knees during the entire
Mass. The colonel does even more, he insists on Protestant
officers, who come from the fort or the fleet to attend Mass,
kneeling like himsel( Last Sunday, a considerable number
of Protestant officers honored us with their presence, but
they remained standing. "Kneel down, gentlemen," said
the colonel to them, "the God of heaven and of armies is
under this tent.'' The strangers knelt. After Mass, I apologized to them, in the colonel's presence, for the interference
.with their faith. "And Father," said vVilson to me, "have
Protestants no sins to atone for? Are we Catholics the only
ones who have to do penance? Gentlemen, no matter what
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
the father's delicacy is, I shall insist on all doing a little
penance.
The strangers laughed and admitted that the
colonel was right.
It is truly edifying to see the soldiers, in spite of the
fatigues of Saturday night and Sunday forenoon, fasting till
this late hour in order to receive Communion. Many of
these poor fellows have been on guard (with "relief") for the
twenty-four hours ending at 8 o'clock Sunday morning.
By the time they are in from their posts it is 9.30. Then
they have to brush up th~ir clothes, clean and dry their
rifles, polish their shoes, and burnish their buttons and
buckles. . After all this, comes inspeCtion of men and arms.
The performance of these various duties keeps the men busily engaged till I2 M., when Mass is about to begin. You
can readily imagine the heroism required for men thus circumstanced, to f:<st till the late hour of Mass in order to
receive Holy Communion. Yet every Sunday a number of
the guard approach the altar. In our camp are a powder
magazine and a well-stocked commissary store-these the
boys call "warlike comforts." As the canvas affords us but
a poor proteCtion against the almost perpendicular rays of
the sun, the soldiers have brought into camp, from the
swamps and pine groves east of us, a quantity of boughs
wherewith they have formed a tasty arbor around every
tent. This scheme gives us the advantages of the forest's
grateful shade, without the dangerous, death-bearing miasma
said to be lurking in the luxuriant woods of the South.
Walking up the "company" streets, you would see queer
inscriptions placed by the light-hearted soldiers over their
gayly decked tents. On one is, in flaming letters, "St. Nicholas' Hotel," on another, "Widow Flannegan's BoardingHouse," then, "Washing done here." On another street we
have "My own little home," "The wee drop," "Bowling
saloon," "Our own tea and sugar store," etc. . . In faCl:,
every company has its "boys," who have their own ideas,
and their ways of expressing them.
The heat, since the return of dry weather, has become
fearfully enervating. Officers, men, and even the horses and
mules, are threatened with a total loss of energy. Still no
pains are spared to keep everything and every one on a
war footing. Generally the evening brings·on great bustle
and excitement in camp. No sooner has the last ray of the
oppressive sun sunk into the refreshing waters of the gulf
than a heavy weight seems to have been removed from our
nervous system. For just then a cool invigorating breeze
?egins to blow landwards, from the salt water in which our
island is bathed, and enliven the weary encampment. This
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
too is the moment assigned for the daily target praB:ice for
army and navy. As soon as the cool of the evening is felt,
the fleet, fort and batteries belch forth shell and shot at their
respeB:ive targets, to exercise the gunners in the use of those
powerful instruments of death and destruB:ion of which
they are to become expert handlers. The enemy have seleB:ed the same hour for a similar exercise on their side of
the bay. It is a terrific thunder storm, lasting usually one
hour and a hal( The whizzing of cannon balls, the screeching of shells, the roaring of mort.·us, give us an idea of what
we may any day expeB:-the bombardment of the defences
of Pensacola.
On the return of guiet, the boys, who, by this time, have
shaken off the torpj)f produced by the day's heat, commence
their fun, in the sh'ape of all kinds of games and amusements. In one street you will find a band of minstrels; in
another, a wandering troubadour; in another it is a cry of
fire, and all the "machines" of New York are represented at
the imaginary conflagration. In a fourth street you can
hear the cabman crying out: "\Vant a carriage?" or the
omnibus drivers calling out: "Ride up? Broadway and 14th
street!" and so on; everything and anything to raise a
laugh and thus break the tediousness of camp life. At
other times, when, oppressed by the heat and parched by
the salt food, we are wishing for a cooling drink, we hear
tantalizing soldiers going up the street crying out: "Ice
cream," "strawberries," or other well known words and expressions suggestive of very great gratifications impossible
to be had here. In the morning, as soon as the little drummers have beaten rc<•nllc, we hear the lads~ct'ying out the
morning papers, extras, latest news from the seat of war,
etc. Yet we poor fellows receive no news from the seat of
war. New York is the nearest port whence we can receive
any reliable information about war or peace.
Col. Brown who has grown old in the army, and who,
consequently, has been for a life-time accustomed to aB: and
judge according to a striB: interpretation of the "army regulations," finds it very difficult, it would appear, to get the
volunteers to correB: that careless, almost slovenly manner
of walking, and presenting themselves before their superiors
in age and dignity. Indeed this unhandiness in standing or
walking or presenting oneself, so common amongst the
youth of the ct>untry (if we judge of others by those lately
enlisted), is really shocking to a military eye. Without
·having the remotest intention of showing the slightest mark
of disrespeB:, the poor volunteers answer the questions of
the commander of the departme~t in the same tone, and
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
assume the same attitude they would take when conversing
with any of those crowds so frequently met with on the
street-corners in our large cities. Yet the "army regulations"
are very explicit in saying that when a private speaks to an
officer, or is addressed by an officer, he must "take the position of a soldier," i. e. a position which a well-bred man
would assume when addressing a superior, and which will
show his manly form to the best advantage.
Imagine a brave, patriotic, well-intentioned but green
volunteer, approaching Col. Brown to ask a favor or make a
complaint. He begins by nodding his head ; he has his
hands thrust into his pockets, he is leaning on one leg, he
utters his first words: "vVell, look here Colonel . . . !"
Though perfeCtly harmless, this manner of presenting oneself before a superior officer is as much calculated to shock
a man accustomed to military etiquette (real politeness), as
the manners of Jack Tar, or those of his parrot, would shock
pious nuns. The colonel widens his eyes, arranges and rearranges his speCtacles, looks and looks again, to convince
himself that the individual thus addressing him is wearing
the uniform of a United States' soldier. After a struggle
with himself, the venerable commander overcomes his emotion so f.<r as to be able to say, even in a harsh tone : "Stand
at attention! Come to attention!" Unconscious of having
done anything wrong, the volunteer says: "Colonel, I'm all
attention to anything you have to explain to me. I'm sure
you will give me right."
"I tell you, take the position of a soldier."
"I give you my word, Colonel, we are just the boys that
can take any position the Secesh now hold."
Col. Brown being a religious man does not curse or swear,
but the scene just related puts his patience to a heroic test.
He calls his orderly, whom he direCts "to turn this man over
to the adjutant to be instruCted in the position of a soldier."
The poor volunteer, thinking he has given the colonel
commanding a great idea of the courage, independence, etc.
of the citizen soldier, cannot account for his present treatment. His indignation conjures up for him the idea that he
h~s been decoyed into a "secession nest," and he persuades
hm1self that he is a prisoner of war. "So this is what
they mean by being a prisoner of war," he says to the orderly. The adjutant "turns him over" to the sergeant, the
sergeant to a corporal, who puts the willing, brave, loyal
volunteer through a series of "positions" that convince him
VoL xvu, No.3·
18
�LETTERS FROJJf A CHAPLAIJil.
I
I
I·
that he is not indeed among the "secessionists," but that
the "regulars want to shame him, disgrace him, if not to
kill him."
Returning to camp from Pickens, where I had been visiting a very sick soldier, I met Col. Brpwn just after passing
through a scene like that described. "Chaplain," said he to
me, "I am glad to meet you. You seem to have influence
over these rough volunteers. Do insist on the observance
of the 'army regulations;' I feel in a sinful mood. Return
with me to the fort, I want to have a talk with you." Reaching his quarters, the commandant of the department, in a
fit of military indignation, threw himself on his camp couch,
and sent for Major Arnold and other executives whom he
thus addressed: "So these are the kind of men with whose
aid Congress hopes·to put down the rebellion! I assure you,
gentlemen, they do not know how to take the position of a
soldier. And these are to constitute our arn1y !" The adjutant ventured to say that they are excellent material, that
they should be looked upon as recruits are regarded in the
regular army. "Tut, tut," interrupted· the colonel. "we
want traineq soldiers immediately. Coi1gress, composed of
men who never opened a military book, who have not the
slightest idea of the 'army regulations,' who know nothing
of the requisites of an army, legislate on a subjeCt of whose
definition they are ignorant. Unless military aff.1.irs are left
in military hands, the country will be ruined." He concluded by enjoining on all to promote the study of the
"army regulations."
Another very grievous sin against military regulations
caught his eye as he rode out of the fort a~short time ago
towards our camp. He found a sentinel, instead of walking
up and down at his post with his musket in some position
from which he could instantly bring it to a "ready," seated
quietly on the sand, and his gun thrown carelessly aside.
How could he entrust the lives of his men to such guards?
A cutting reprimand, in the shape of a special order to volunteers, officers and men, was the consequence. He informed the volunteers that a sentinel's duty is not only to
let no enemy enter the camp but also to allow no one to
leave camp. The commander of the department, wishing
to ride outside the lines, was driving past the sentinel when
he was "halted.:' "I am the commander of the department"
said the colonel respeCtfully to him. "I don't care who you
are; that's my order." 0 horror! the general had to wheel
around at the bidding of a volunteer and return to the fort.
Another scathing miramur was the consequence. Poor volunteers ! with all their goodwill, they cannot do the thing
�!.ETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
correCl:ly. The zealous colonel commanding seems to forget
that, when he first entered West Point, even he had to be
taught many things the ignorance of which in volunteers so
terribly shocks him to-day.
There is no prospeCl: whatever of my being able to see a
priest down here. There is a clergyman in Pensacola, but
no communication is allowed between this and the other
side. Flags of truce have been rejeCl:ed, at least for the
present. I have very little hope, therefore, of being able to
see Rev. Mr. Coyle or Father Gache S. J., said to be chaplain in Bragg's army. Father Berthelet speaks of altarbreads having been sent to me. Please tell him I have not
received them.
The government, mindful of our severe position, has sent
us a cargo of ice. This supply will last us four months.
Mass wine is be:coming very scarce, and it is next to impossible for me to procure any here. Tortugas Island has
nothing of this kind. It is purely a government post. It
is an island sixty miles from the mainland, containing about
fifteen acres, all occupied by fortifications. Here is Fort
Jefferson, intended to be the greatest military depot in the
world. No commerce; no other inhabitants than soldiers
and their f::unilies are allowed on the island. In Havana
everything could be procured with some trouble, but just
now that place is reported sickly, and the authorities are
strict in excluding all danger of yellow fever.
You may tell Father Berthelet or any of the fathers, that
they need not send any more altar-breads. I have a contrivance in the fort whereby I can bake immense sheets of
the thin bread, which are cut up into numbers and form to
suit. Of course appearances arc not all we could desire.
The large ones for the altar are pressed between two hot
flat-irons, and are therefore better baked and whiter and
cleaner. \Ve have to put up with many inconveniences,
and we trust God will bear with our unhandy efforts.
Hoping that the horrors of war will soon be brought to
a close, and requesting a fervent prayer for us all,
I remain yours, as ever, in Christ,
MICHAEL NASH,
s. J.
�ST. INIGO'S.
May 23rd, 1888.
K.,
Father John A. Conway, in writing to me from Austria
last year, said he looked back to the mission he gave at St.
Inigo's with Fr. Michael O'Kane as one of the most agreeable experiences of his life, and that he never felt so much
like St. Paul, as he did preaching on the "end of man" in
the Methodist church to some two hundred heretics. He
did not mention the""sail back by moonlight across the Patuxent's beautiful mouth-all of us lying Qut on deck and
discussing the sermon. There is certainly a great deal of
the romantic in our life down here. The variety is so great
that the life is as new to me now, as when I first came
eleven years ago. To a healthy man who loves "nature" it
is a perpetual picnic. Father Vigilante used to say he
would, at \Voodstock, die of melancholy on account of the
monotony of the scenery, "but here," he would add, "the
river alone keeps me company with its changes from stormlashed fury to glassy calm."
When I first went to St. George's and found myself in
the middle of the woods, no house near, roads around all
unknown, and lay down to sleep in the sacristy, the thought
came, as I heard the wind of autumn roaring around the
corner and the big owls hooting out in the woods, "Well, I
wonder if I can't realize something of the feelings that the
solitaries of old had on their first night in the desert." I
was about as near to complete solitude as I could ever expect to be. Talk about pleasures of travel here! I started
off to St. Nicholas', fifteen miles away. The ground was
not frozen hard enough to support the horse, nor so soft as
to let his feet sink into it, and yet, after the surface crust
broke, the mud would be nearly knee-deep. It was hard
enough for the horse to walk; but when he had to drag a
buggy that was sunk in the mud with fifty pounds of muck on
each wheel and one hundred and sixty pounds of flesh sitting
in it, not to speak of "impedimenta"-well! I turned in to
"Pug" Langle}"s about eight miles up on the bay;knowing
that the ground would be frozen during the night. Langley
·lives on the bay-shore. He is an ex-novice, was educated
at Georgetown and Worcester, and has trained three or four
(288)
DEAR MR.
�ST. INIGO'S.
men for the Society. His house is "home" to a Jesuit. The
next morning, the tide was out and the smooth sand of the
beach was like a plank floor. My horse's feet beat musically
on this splendid track, ,\•bile I had the grandest drive for
some five miles that I ever had, and as good perhaps as anybody else ever had. It was very different from another
ride on the same shore when the tide was high and the inrushing breakers would dash up under the horse and he'd
stand on his hind legs to avoid them. It was also a favorable contrast to the terrible scramble along the beach in the
dark when the water, oozing from the bank, had frozen and
formed in slippery "turtle-backs." After "flopping down"
several times, with danger to the wrists, we had to wade out
into the thin ice of the salt water and lead the obstinate
horse, who would insist on striving to mount the "turtlebacks."
The bay-shore cannot be relied on for travelling. Sheets
of ice, several miles in extent, are swept by east winds, and
form icebergs that block the road. It is a fine sight-the
forming of these icebergs. The front edge of the floating
ice-field breaks off as it strikes the shore. The new edge
behind it comes on, breaks off, and jumps on top of the preceding edge. So, edge after edge slides up and piles on,
till we have a small mountain. There's also another obstacle to travel on the bay-shore. Crossing the mouths of
the creeks that are outlets of marshes, a horse at certain
seasons, and at any season if direCted unskilfully, may sink
into mud over his head. I always cross those places tn~m
bling with anxiety ; I came near losing my horse once that
way, and know of horses having been drowned in the mouths
o"f the "cricks."
Generally, we arrive at the churches in the afternoon, and
at once the big bells, put up by Father Jas. Cotting all over
the county, are rung. St. Nicholas' bell, called "St. James"
after Fr. Cotting, weighs I 120 lbs. Somebody brings a
basket with the priest's supper. There's great rivalry in
this matter; each lady tries to outdo the others, in meats,
oysters, soft crabs, preserves, cakes and other delicacies,
which the priest has not time to think about, though he
thanks the donors all the same. It is sad to think that so
m~ny of their elegantly prepared viands go untouched. But
sttll it affords them a chance to show liberality in things in
which they are able to show it, and makes us trust that if they
were able they would also exhibit it in other more substantial
ways. After the bell, there are a few confessions to hear; later,
c?mes a quiet fellow who wants to see about getting marned, or to ask a question, or to "get back into mah chiche."
�ST. INIGO'S.
You would enjoy sitting in the sacristy of St. Nicholas'
at night, in a chair in which all the old fathers have sat,
and Father Catting's old pipes on a shelf with many "traps"
left by preceding pastors. Father Derosey, a RecolleCt,
was the first pastor. You. set your alarm and go to sleep
in the fine room built by Father Gubitosi. The rats, flying
squirrels, etc. come into the church ceiling about I I, from
foraging, but soon quiet down. The whippoorwills, and the
darkies dancing in the distance, have a soothing, soporific
effeCt. In the morning, the whippoorwills are at it again,
and the noisy mocking bird, and the alarm clock. Up you
get, and down you go to open the front door of the church.
People come very early to church. Young men ride on
horseback, and, after· going home for breakf:<st, return to the
late Mass. Once you start hearing confessions you keep at
it, every now and then stopping to give Communion to those
you have heard, until IO o'clock. Then you say Mass and
give your talk.
The churches in the country arc all too small. The
music in our churches is very uricertain in more senses than
one. Country choirs generally aim too high. Unless the
music is made simple and easy, and the number of singers
so large that the absence of half a dozen \\'ill not deprive
you of all music, the choir cannot be permanent. I have
reduced the thing to its "lowest terms'' to secure a basis of
permanence. Let all the people answer the responses of
High Mass. Put the Gloria and Crtdo into verses and let
all the people chant them to an easy pleasant melody; the
Kyrie, San[lus and ..-lguus Dei are easy enough. This is
the foundation. All the fine, sentimental, "fahey," cultured
singing can be put in at the Offertory, Communion, Sanc?us,
Agmts Dei, and at the end of Mass, or at BenediCtion, if
you have it, after Mass. If you have no "fancy" singing,
you can do without it, and still your regular devout and
pleasant ordinary High Mass can go on. If there's difficulty
in getting an organist, I have generally a supply of two or
·three who do not know a note, but can accompany well
enough, and correCtly, by the chart method. There arc
several colored people who can by this method accompany
any time in any key. This is not a theory or an experiment,
but a success. After Mass, come the babies to be baptized,
graves to be blessed, people who want holy water, beads,
"scaffols," "dem..' little hearts," others who wish Mass said
for their intentions, or who have a question to ask, etc.
Then the "Siety" or Sodality.
"Bruvver Gyardiner in de cheer. De fus fing is de roll
call!"
�ST. INIGO'S.
"Biby Bankins !"
"Hyuh!"
"Grigly Statesman!"
"Hyuh!"
"Unker Jawn Fugson !"
"Hyuh!"
"Whay's Sias Mushit at?"
"Dunno! Spec he's mannanosin fuh dinner."
"Hilary Cutchember !"
"Hyeh I is, sah !"
"Mogrit Lizer Finnick !"
"Prezzn! :Me's presn !"
"Mr. Butler have de flo."
"I move dat we all go to Holy Communion nex Sundy
in full bigalia."
"Significate yo sent, gempmum, by sayin 'Aye'. Dem
dats opposed by 'No'. De 'ayes' has it."
Father McAvoy was present at a meeting last summer
and, no doubt, thought of the Lime Kiln Club. He gave
them a very nice and strong speech, which they still speak
about. The "darkies" at St. Nicholas' are a fine set; very
religious, generally sober and docile. Negroes are naturally
religious. I never met one an infidel. The author of"Fetichs
and Fetich Worship" says the same. Brownson, reviewing
Father Thebaud's book on "The Irish Race," says that their
civilization is higher and purer than that of the other modern nations because derived from a more ancient patriarchal
incorrupt source; they migrated early from Siberia and
were kept from injurious association by the sea. I say the
same of the negroes with proper allowance for their inferiority in intellect and the "livery of the sun." The author
of "Fetichs etc." describes the religion of the African as far
superior to that of Greece and Rome. They came early
from Asia with the ancient patriarchal traditions which they
have kept. The desert was their protecting barrier. If
negroes are taken early and taught religion, I believe they
'~ill be as pure as, if not purer than white people. "You sometimes will meet a man who thinks himself a fool-such a
man is hard to cheat," so said the great Josh Billings. The
n~an who deals with negroes had better always consider
himself a fool-before they make one of him. They have
a ~unning all peculiar to themselves, with no admixture of
pnde in it. They will allow you to consider them anything
you _like, so they carry their point with you and rient les
dcrmers. Perhaps this is a rough generalization and has
many exceptions.
In regard to gratitude, which is said to be so remarkable
�ST. INIGO'S.
a trait in the African, I have seen little or none of it.
They will always take pay for every service from their
best friend and greatest benefaCtor. Perhaps this is the
result of their training as slaves-looking up to white
people for everything as a matter of course. They see all
sorts of good and fine things coming from white people and
imagine that there's an unlimited supply-that there's a concealed heap of money that the white people have somewhere.
After the meeting on Sunday, I go to the wharf sometimes,
and Alfred Biscoe has his canoe with sails "bent" to take
me to Solomon's Island. I pay him a quarter. He never
gives anything to the church, and will call on me with the
utmost saug-froid when he needs my services in the middle
of winter at midnig-ht, to travel twenty miles facing a storm.
It is foolish to expect much from the negroes, for they are
like children as yet. Some of them though are high-minded
and liberal, and I suppose all would be, if properly trained
and instruCt:ed.
Speaking of sailing, lately I had a sick call after Mass to
Solomon's Island, and a young man named Pat Sullivan
came for me. His sloop, said to be the swiftest in Chesapeake Bay, showed her good qualities. I took the helm
and Pat and his man Price put on all her clothes, full Sunday
rig, and she went like a bird. I was persuaded to stay on
the island to-give Easter Communion to about twenty. My
horse was tied on the other shore, and I had to go back with
Pat, who was waiting in the beautiful island harbor. Three
miles across and three miles back! We took a splendid little
boy along with us. The boys that live near the water know
all about handling a boat, and understand all the orders given.
Pat, with a big boy, Frank Goodwin, undertook to go in this
sloop to Jacksonville, Florida, but got no further than Hatteras, on account of head-winds, and turned back. It was
bold for two inexperienced young fellows to start out on the
big ocean; but both of them are ready for anything.
While going over the river, Pat left the vessel to us and
"went below," where I could hear him opening oysters.
On our way back, he threw open his little cabin doors and,
with the air of a Delmonico, gravely invited me to supper.
Delmonico would not have been ashamed of the "spread."
We said grace with wonderful solemnity, and, though there
was another plate on his little yard-square table, he would
not touch anything till he had filled me right to the brim.
Then he magnanimously called down the boy and, with
·the gravity of the treating cowboy when he steps up to the
bar with a friend and cries, "Pard, nominate yer pison," he
gave the little fellow the freedom of the larder.
�ST. INIGO'S.
That evening I came across some very well educated and
refined people from Baltimore, who had married islanders,
and were living down there far away from church and priest.
Father Pacciarini had a chapel on the island during the war,
and I still have the candle-sticks he used. We could have
had a church there a few years ago-at the time when Fr.
Conway "felt like St. Paul"-if we had had $300. There
are about fifty-three Catholics on the island. We hope to
see a chapel there yet. They have a beautiful crucifix and
candle-sticks, obtained through the influence of Fr. Hayes,
and a fine vestment through Fr. H. L. Magevney. Father
Southgate and I are supposed to "run" the island conjointly.
He is a most edifying secular priest, very successful in
spreading the League of the Sacred Heart, and obtaining
subscribers to the MESSENGER.
Well, the next morning, having given all a chance to make
their Easter and prepared old Mrs. Martin for death, I saw
the steamboat coming around Pt. Patience, and ran for the
whar£ Father Southgate, I was told on the boat, had got
off at the last wharf above and was coming to let the islanders make their Easter. It is pleasant to land at Millstone;
I know everybody, young and old, black and white, and an
informal meeting with the people, in their every-day clothes
and manners, is refreshing. You seem to come nearer to
them in this way. We do not do so much good in the
church as we would wish. In fact, some of the most experienced and sagacious missioners have told me: "We
do only one half our work in the church." We do not
know the people unless we see them at their homes. We
see then many things that we would never have dreamed of,
and only when we have seen all the family at home and
been seen by them can we say, "cognosco oves meas."
Look here ! This is enough foolishness to inflict on a good
man at one time. Farewell. Love to all.
P.
NEALE,
s. J.
�FR. FREDERICK HUBNER.
A SKETCH.
On the 10th of September, I 849, Fr. Frederick H iibner
died at Milwaukee. He had preached two days before in
old St. Mary's, at the instance of Father, now Archbishop
Heiss. As soon as he had closed his eyes in death, Fr.
Anthony Anderledy,' who had attended him in his last moments, went out on 'the sidewalk, weeping as he went, and
told the passers-by of the loss the city had just sust~iined.
One who could compel sympathy like this, from such a man
as we know our General to be, must have risen above the
average even in the religious family; hence, we think that
a sketch of his life will prove interesting and instru8:iw to
our readers. vVe make seleCtions from a communication
sent us by Fr. Hoecken, of St. Gall's Church, Milwaukee.
I.
The following 1s a verbatim relation sent by Fr. Joset,
S. J., from Spokane Falls, vV. T. vVe insert it as it stands
for fear of polishing the quaintness and simplicity out of it.
Father Fred. Hubner was born of Luthera;"'"parents, and
was brought up in striCt: Christian principles, as they understood them. Every Sunday he was to go to church and
back home to give an account of the sermon. At the university, he lost his faith and became a materialist; still he
had made solid studies. An uncle of his, a distinguished
physician at Leipsig, introduced him into the pra8:ice.
After the death of his uncle, he succeeded him to the best
patients. He had sick calls in Bohemia, and noted the
chet;:rful countenance of this people contrasting with what
he saw at home. It was to him an insoluble problem. "My
own countrymen", he said to himself, "arc much better off;
how is it, then, that the poor seem the happier?" He was
certainly in good faith; his charaCter would not allow a
doubt of it. The Heavenly Father knew how to bring him
to the fold. A friend of his, a married man, imagined that
his wife was unfaithful, and upon that became a maniac.
(294)
�FR. FREDERICK HUBNER.
He had to be watched closely; for, in his fits, he attempted
to take his own life.· On one of these occasions, somebody
said to his little son: "Kneel down;· pray for thy father."
The child obeyed, recited the Our Fat!ter, and immediately
the fit was over. This was repeated several times, always
with the same success. Hiibrier seeing this, said to himself: "The sick man knows not what the child is doing,
there is an invisible agent at work here. If there are spirits,
there is a God; that God must be honored; there must be
a divine religion; and only one, as there is but one God;I must find out that religion." Protestantism, examined by
him, gave no satisfaCtion. He fell in with a Catholic bishop,
and was soon convinced. He made up his mind at once to
move to a Catholic country.
When l1e told his friends of his determination to travel
abroad, there was a great outcry. "What do you stand in
need of here?" they said, "you have the best praCtice and
plenty of money." "PraCtice docs not satisfy me;" said he,
"teaching might suit me better." So he went to Vienna
and made his abjuration in the hands of the bishop. Still
the praCtices of Catholics were hard to him, When he
noticed that there was a church in any street, he went around
by other streets to avoid it, so as not to have to take off his
hat. Invocation of the saints was hard to him. Once, being ncar a chapel of the Blessed Virgin, he said to himself:
"I am a Catholic; I must honor the. Mother of Christ; I
shall go in for a few moments." The few moments lasted
two hours, and all his difficulties vanished. He told the
bishop, "I want to be a good Catholic; in the world I am
too Weak for it; I ought to be a religious."-"Very well,"
answered the bishop, "the abbot of such a monastery is my
friend; I will give you a letter to him."
Hubner went to the monastery and was very well received;
but the abbot said: "I am sorry; I have just received novices; every room is occupied and I have none for you."
Hubner notified the bishop of this; whereupon His Lordship said: "Then you must be a Jesuit." "A Jesuit!" he
exclaimed, "in becoming a Catholic, I meant to change for
~he bettter, not for worsc."-"Ycs," said the bishop, "you
JUdge the Jesuits by your Protestant ideas" and explained
to Hubner what Jesuits really were. When he heard and
understood he had no difficulty; but at that time (1829) the.
only Jesuits in the Austrian empire were four old men in
G~atz. To Gratz, therefore, he went, and was very well recetvcd. The poverty of these four old men was extreme;
they had always a small bottle of wine on the table; but it
was always the same wine. After having dined with the
�FR. FREDERICK HUBNER.
fathers, he would go to a restaurant for another dinner.
Anyhow he was willing to join them; but he was told that,
being a foreigner, he could not be received without permission of the emperor. He returned to Vienna; had an audience, and exposed his case. The old Francis, then king,
said something like this: "A Saxon! a convert! who wants
to be a Jesuit! It is curious ... Well ... No, I like my own
subjeCts and do not want them to be mixed with foreigners."
So Hubner had to look somewhere else.
He came to Switzerland. We were co-novices. A truer
exhibition of the "age quod agis" I think I never saw.
·whatever he was put to-"totus in hoc." Whether he had
asked for it or not, he got something to help his meditations
on the Passion. Opec there was a boil inside of the palm of
his hand; he bore''it in silence for five slc~pless nights.
\Vhile studying rhetoric in Brigg, he would thus encourage
others: "Let us apply ourselves; Germany is in great need
of good preachers." Studying theology privately, he would
have ruined his health had not the superiors shortened his
time. Procurator of the poor college of Brigg, he soon put
it on a very good footing. There was a farm eaten away
to the rock by the Rhone ; he made a dam to throw the
river away; people laughed at him, thinking that the first
high water would wash away the dam; but the contrary
happened; the dam stood, and a good piece of ground was
restored to the farm, on which he planted fruit trees; then
he pushed the dam further out and gained more ground.
The owner of the opposite bank, who used to gain what we
were losing, lodged complaints; but the jl!uge told him,
"You make a dam too." In the autumn Iie·used to take
along some stout mountaineers, climb the Alps, and come
back loaded with valuable medical plants; he kept what he
needed for his own pharmacy, at that time the only one in
that part of the country, and sent the balance to Geneva in
exchange for other drugs. In one word, when he was procurator, he was "totus in hoc."
The government had such an idea of him, that they consulted him on several matters. They sent him a diploma as
Sous-inspelleur des Ponts ct Clumssees. I left him in I 843,
and only know that, some years later, he came to America.
That his motto was there again, "Age quod agis," I doubt
not. I heard that, when dying in Milwaukee, he said: "I
have prayed to die somewhere unknown, and see, I die in
the midst of brethren."
�Fl?.
FREDERICK HOENER.
II.
Besides this narrative of Fr. Joset, Fr. Hoecken has sent
us two sketches in Latin from Fr. vVeber of St. Paul's and
Fr. Leiter of Buff:<lo, friends and intimates of Fr. Hiibner.
We should be glad to reproduce them in full; but they go
over much of the ground that Fr. Joset has preoccupied.
We shall, however, take advantage of some of the details
which they furnish to complete the notice ourselves.
So soon as Fr. Hiibner had made up his mind to enter the
Society, he went to Rome and was received by Fr. Roothaan.
His promotion in Switzerland was only a matter of time,
and he was coming to that prominence which seemed his
by natural right, when the revolutionary wars of '47, '48 and
'49 swept over Europe and spoiled more plans than one.
The revolution, as the world knows, was a fierce endeavor
to establish a universal republic, and somehow the Jesuits
were thought to be reared up to the monarchical idea; so,
they had to be set aside. Many of our fathers, Italians
mostly, went to Malta ; others to England; others to the
United States. There are a number at present, in both the
eastern and western provinces, who came here under stress
of the revolution, and, for men who were held to be violent
royalists, they have settled clown nicely to be peaceful republicans.
Among these exiles was Fr. Hiibner. He went to St.
Louis, and, for a year and a half, labored at St. Charles', St.
Peter's and Portage. In the summer of '49, he was ordered
to Milwaukee.· There he was to work, in conjunction with
Fr. Anderledy and a certain Fr. Brunner, for a double objeCt:: the interests of some of our fathers who had been
driven from the German Province, and the establishment of
a school that would in time create a want for a college.
Marquette College was therefore in its seed-life thirtyeight years ago, and much of what it is realizing now was
dreamt of by him who cast the seed. Not long after his
arrival in Milwaukee, he was stricken down by his last sickness. When his brethren were weeping at his bedside he
said to them: "Why are you crying for me? Believe me, I
desire nothing more than to die."
He had done his work as he haC! understood it and he
fell asleep with the consciousness of a day well spent.
�.THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
·MEMOIRS OF FR. GREGORY 1\IENGARINI.
Now when I am old, and life's shortening steps hurry me
towards the tomb, I am asked to stop awhile and tell the
story of the birth, infancy and premature death of the earliest of the Rocky Mountain missions. This labor, for such
it is to me, is a labor of love; and my heart is overjoyed
that its last feeble_throbbings may thus be consecrated to
the same sacred cause to which it consecrated the strength
of its prime. But memory is no longer for me the placid
stream preserving ever a calm and even flow; it is rather a
mountain torrent, now full to overflowing and now completely dry, and, even in its fulness, broken by many a rock
and rapid. I shall therefore tell things plainly and simply
as they now come back to me, and should any one think
that I narrate events too minute and unimportant, let him
remember that they are to be valued, not by their real worth,
but by the interest which they have for the heart of an old
man.
In the year 1839, a letter from Bishop Rosati of St. Louis,
Missouri, reached Fr. General Roothaan. It was the voice
of a sorrow-laden heart echoing the cry of the divine Master: "Messis quidem multa, operarii autem pa).ici." The children of the western wilds of America had con"ie to his door
begging for some one to break to them the bread of salvation and he had no one to give them. He promised, however, to make every effort to satisfy their desire, and, turning
his eyes towards Rome, he appealed for aiel to Very Rev.
Fr. General.
I was at that time a student of theology in the Roman
College, and when I heard the appeal publicly read in the
refeCtory, I was deeply moved. It seemed to me a manifestation of God's will in my regard. I thought the matter
over, asked light from above, offered myself, and was accepted. I was told to hasten my examination, and, having
passed it in January, I ·was made priest in March.
I longed, indeed, ready as I now was for work, to reach
the scene of my labors; but the broad Atlantic rolled between me and the far-off shores of America, and another
Atlantic could have rolled between those same shores and
(298)
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
the wigwams of those whom I was called to evangelize.
Three busy months of labor and trial were to glide by before I should even leave Rome. Fr. Cotting had meanwhile
applied for the same mission and had been accepted; so,
together, on the feast of St. Aloysius, 1840, bearing with us
the kind wishes of friends and the blessing of Fr. General,
we started for Leghorn. But here delay awaited us, and it
was only on July 23rd that our vessel, the Oriole, weighed
anchor for Philadelphia.
.
Nine days on the Mediterranean, and the Oriole was breaking the surges of the ocean. From the moment that we
had set foot on the vessel, my health had improved and Fr.
Cotting's had ceased to be good. Seasickness, in its most
troublesome form, was his portion up to the time when we
entered American waters ; and so ·violent was his attack
that spitting of blood was of daily occurrence. Nor were
his sufferings limited to the three weeks allotted in those
days to a trip to .America. A storm arose. Our vessel was
driven from its course, and the three weeks became eventually eight.
The storm passed, but danger still haunted us. The
sails, though lashed tightly to the spars, had, during the
tempest, been rent to tatters. Old sails were called into requisition, and the ship, under full sail, strove to regain the
distance which it had lost. The wind, however, was. still
blowing a gale, and our vessel rolled violently from side to
side. The danger of upsetting was £1r from being imaginary; for, when the captain was called from his cabin, he immediately ordered sail to be shortened. Our perils were
over for the present but new ones were in store for us. Provisions grew scarce and we were in mid-ocean. But God
\~atchcd over us, and in the height of our distress, we
sighted a sail. vVe signalled to it and were answered. We
approached nearer, lowered a boat, made known our necessities, and were generously assisted. But the length of the
yoyage exhausted even those supplies, and again we were
111 need.
On two occasions we hailed a passing vessel but
could be spared nothing. A few inches of dried sausage
had already become our daily allowance, and continued to
be so until our voyage was ended.
Once, while we were in want, a shark was caught; and
t~e cook, having taken some slices from it, prepared them
nicely, and served them up at table. They tasted well to
the hungry palate; but the captain, ordering shark cooked
and uncooked to be cast into the sea, exclaimed with horror: "Do you not know that those who eat of the flesh of
a shark shall be eaten up by sharks?" Indeed we did not
�joo
THE RockY MouNTAiNs.
know that any such penalty had been decreed against sharkeaters, but what we did know was that we were hungry.
On another occasion a dolphin was captured, but its flesh
was tough and tasteless; and though we strove to eat it, it
proved, even in death, a formidable foe to sharp teeth and
sharper appetites.
One morning, however, when the ocean was calm and
tranquil, we saw scattered here and there upon its bosom
dark floating objeCts. They were sea-tortoises asleep. A
boat was lowered and the captain and four seamen were
soon noiselessly approaching one of the peaceful slumberers. \Vith a dexterous movement, the captain turned it on
its back, and while it clawed the air and wondered what had
disturbed its dreams, it was tied and transferred from the
water to the boat.~·· A fellow-sleeper was captured in like
manner, but their comrades, taking alarm, disappeared in
the depths of the ocean. The captives were bewildered by
what had happened, and quietly allowed themselves to be
taken on board the vessel. The smaller was soon converted
into excellent soup; the larger was preserved alive until we
reached Philadelphia.
Wearied by our long voyage, we landed at last in the
"City of Brotherly Love;" but vain was our hope that our
sufferings were over, for we found that the circumstances of
our house there were such that but little relief could be
afforded us. Hence, two or three days after our arrival, we
took the train for Baltimore. It was afternoon when we
started, and evening darkened into night, and yet we were
speeding onward. Late at night the trai~· slackened its
speed and stopped. Our fellow-passengers~ rose from their
scats and went out, but why they went or whither, we did
not know. We looked out into the darkness but could see
no sign of a city. Nevertheless, we left the train, and to
our astonishment saw those that had left us so suddenly,
seated at tables and eating. "Come," said I to Fr. Cotting,
"let us follow their example." "It is all a speculation," said
he, and hesitated. We were indeed hungry, but knew not
what to do. While thus in doubt, a noise was heard; all
hastily left the place and seemed to vanish in the darkness;
the lights were quickly extinguished and we remained alone.
To say that we were bewildered is to express the matter
mildly. All that we could see were some lights receding
in the distance. Just before the lights were put out, we saw
a lady and gentleman walking ncar us. Neither Fr. Cotting
· nor myself knew any English, so I addressed the gentleman
by "Parlc:;-<'ous Fra!t{ais ?" He turned inquiringly to the
lady, and she answering "Pas beaucoup," both passed on.
�'T!fE ROCKY .itotrNTAiNs.
jot
Nothing remained but to raise our hearts in a fervent Angele Dei, and this appeal was answered. Suddenly we heard
a noise of shouting; the lights which had been going t:·u"ther
and h'lrther, seemed now to be coming nearer and nearer, until,
in a few moments, a man rushed up to us and, saying some~
thing unintelligible, almost dragged us after him. We soon
found ourselves dazzled by light and comfortably seated;
but we felt so mortified that, for a long time, we dared not
lift our eyes. It had been necessary, it seems, to cross a
river and change cars ; nobody, however, informed us about
it, and, but for the help of our guardian angels, God alone
knows what would have befallen us.
\Ve had been standing on a pier, with a river flowing at
our feet, and we were so bewildered that we did not dare
stir, and so dark was it that we were unable to see objeCts
a few feet distant. vVe reached Baltimore at midnight, were
taken in charge by the runner of a first-class hotel, where
we had to spend almost all of the little money that we had,
and next day, after exhausting five languages in vainly trying to make ourselves understood by the hotel people, a
Canadian was found who direCl:ed us to Georgetown.
Here, in our warm reception, we forgot the troubles and
trials of the past weeks. Four days of rest, and we were
again on our way towards St. Louis, but this time under
the guidance of Fr. Larkin and a young companion, who
were bound for the same place. \Ve travelled by boat, and
were about a month in making the journey. My ideas about
America were at this time somewhat strange, and the first
thing that met my gaze upon landing at St. Louis was certainly not calculated to destroy preconceived notions.
\Ve had scarcclv left the boat when our attention was attraCted by two negroes in warm dispute. One was a young
man, the other was well advanced in life. From words they
came to blows, but blows given in a manner quite new to
me. Each, ram-like, lowered his head and dashed wildly at
the other, and, had not Dame Nature given each an extra
coating of skull, results might have been serious.
\Vhcn we reached St. Louis we found our college h'lr outside the city; but, in the course of a few month~, a single
street, lined by a double row of houses, conneCted it with
the city. Here we awaited the return of Fr. DeSmet from
Ft. Maragnon or Union, whither he had gone to meet a
deputation of Flatheads. He returned with glowing accounts of his reception, and, having made a trip to Louisiana
to obtain the things necessary for starting the mission, we
were ready on April 24th to begin our journey. There were
VoL.
XVII,
No.3·
;{,>
19
�jo2
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
six of us in the party, Frs. DeSmet, Point and myself, Brs.
Specht, Huett and Classens; of these, Br. Classens and myself are the sole survivors. Fr. Catting, much to his regret,
was detained in St. Louis, and we set our f:<ces towards the
wilderness.
\Ve travelled by boat to \Vestport. One day I saw smoke
breaking through the top of the steamer. I called out :
"Fire! Fire!" Presently some of the hands rushed out,
looked upward, and then disappeared. Seeing that they
did not return, I followed them and found them engaged in
extinguishing a fire that had broken out in the engine-room.
"There is fire above also," said I. Ha\·ing put out the fire
below they hastened up and found that some hemp and
cordage had taken fire under our wagons. Meanwhile, the
steersman had bee~n- heading for the shore, but before we
reached it, both fires were out. Another steamer had started
from St. Louis at the same time as our own, and during our
confusion had made considerable headway. Still, in endeavoring to avoid the current, it had gone too near the
shore and, having run aground, it lost half a day in getting clear again.
Accidents will happen; but God permits them for his own
wise purposes. There were on that steamer two negroes
who, a few days before our departure from St. Louis, had
committed aJwrrible murder. The police had been searching for them, and learned, after the departure of the steamer,
that they were on board. Two men were instantly despatched on horseback to \Vestport with orders to arrest
the murderers, and were making all speed, though with little
hope of success. Had not the boat run ashore they would
have been too late; as it was they arrived three quarters of
an hour before the men, seized them upon landing, and
took them back to St. Louis. The culprits were tried and
hanged, embracing in their last moments the one true faith.
At Westport, our journey by land began. Forty-five
years ago! It seems a long time now to look back through
the dim vista of nearly half a century, and glance again at
our little caravan when it first started to cross the plains.
Fr. DeSmet had engaged the services of a captain for the
party, a man named Fitzpatrick, as well as those of an Iroquois hunter named John Grey, besides those of six Canadian mule-drivers. An Englishman named Roman accompanied us. Seeing that we were well provided with guides,
several German and American families started at the same
time and followed in our tracks. They were all Protestants,
and sought, what many of them found, affluence on our
western shores. There was a ·minister among them, who,
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
303
to follow exaEl:ly the precepts of the Gospel and bear the
good tidings to the heathen Indians, had abandoned his
wife in one of the eastern cities.
\Ve had already been several days on our journey and
had reached the Kansas River, when, casting our eyes towards it, we saw a water-spout twirling swiftly along its
surface. Presently the trees on the river-bank swayed violently from side to side, numbers of them were. torn from
their roots, and a great mist, spreading rapidly over the river,
discharged itself in a h"lll of hail. \Ve dismounted until the
shower was over, and then started forward again on our
weary march .. \Ve had not gone hr when Fr. Poi1it saw,
partially embedded in the soil, something that seemed to be
a beautiful piece of quartz, oval in shape and about the size of
a goose-egg. He hastened to pick it up, and found to his
and our astonishment that it was a hail-stone.
If, in our times, when a railroad spans the plains, and
when a traveller is whirled over them at the rate of twenty
or thirty miles an hour, he feels little pleasure in the transit,
much less could he expeEl: to find pleasure when an hour's
journey was lengthened out into that of twenty-four. \Ve,
however, had not come as tourists for pleasure, but as envoys
of the cross ; and hence we strove first to praEl:ise what we
were afterwards to preach.
So the sun rose and the sun set, and the end of our journey
was still over a thousand miles away. Sometimes John Grey
would say to me in the morning, "Father, do you sec that
speck in the distance? To-day we must reach there."-'"Then
our day's travel will be short," I would answer. "\Ve shall
sec," he would say laugi1ingly. And the hours of the morning would pass, and we would be already journeying long
under a scorching afternoon's sun before that speck would
assume appreciable magnitude and distinEl:ness of form; and
the last rays of the setting sun would often show us, still
some miles distant, the welcome grove where we were to
find water and rest.
At night we kept guard by turns, Fr. Point and myself
among the number; the only exceptions made being in favor
of Capt. Fitzpatrick and Fr. DeSmet. One morning, about
an hour after sunrise, the discharge of a gun startled us.
The report was followed by the prolonged moaning of one in
pain. All hastened to the spot whence the cries proceeded,
and, weltering in his blood, we found an American named
Shotwell. The poor fellow had incautiously taken his gun
by the muzzle to draw it from his wagon, the piece was accidently discharged, the bullet pierced his liver, and in two
hours he was dead. vVe could offer him no consolation, for
�'FJiE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
we found him insensible, and he remained in that condition
until death put an end to his agony. \Ve buried him there
on the prairies and mournfully continued our way westward.
Sometimes we fell in with bands of Sioux and Cheyennes,
but though importunate in asking us for various articles,
they did us no harm. To lose the road and be in want of
water had become such an ordinary matter as to be daily
expeCted. But why speak of road when no such thing existed ? Plains on all sides ! Plains at pwrning ; plains at
noon; plains at night! And this, day after day! The want
of water was sometimes so great that we were forced to boil
putrid yellow water, which we found colleCted in some hollow,. and strive to quell the pangs of thirst .1t the price of
others equally great. But while water was scarce, game
was often abundant. Prairie-cocks, prairie-hens, prairiechickens, antelopes, supplied us with f(')od. At times we
saw the distant hills covered with what seemed to be clumps
of stunted trees, but if even a gentle wind happened to blow
towards that quarter, the trees would move up the sides of
the hills and disappear; they were immense herds cf buffaloes. Sometimes we fell in with a village of prairie-dogs,
and once with a village of rattlesnakes. This latter we declined to enter, and prudently passed around it. I had begun to shoot the snakes as they rose hissing from the grass,
but, seeing from the multitude of heads that I \vas wasting
my powder, I soon desisted.
Thus time wore on until, upon reaching Rock Independence, it became necessary for us to cross the Platte River.
It was about a mile wide, full of islands, and had a strong
current. John Grey went in search of a forcfand came back
saying that he had found one. He immediately started
ahead, and the wagoners began to follow. But, as people
generally do, some thought that they could find a better
way for themselves and so scattered after entering the river,
thus leaving it uncertain, for those that came last, what way
the guide had taken. A wagon had just entered the stream
when I reached the bank, and I determined to follow it. All
went well for some time, and we were nearing the other
bank when suddenly I beheld the wagon upset, and at the
same moment, I felt the earth slipping from beneath my
horse's feet. I clung to the neck of the animal, if not gracefully, at least firmly; for, as I could not swim, I held on to life
the more vigomusly. The current was strong, but my horse
was a good swimmer and in a few minutes both of us were
-landed on the bank. I turned to look at the wagon and .saw
it abandoned and floating down the stream. No lives were
lost, but a man whom we called "The Major" had been in
�THE ROCKY .1fOUNTAINS.
J05
imminent danger. I retired quite a distance from the others,
hung up my clothes to dry and, comfortable once more, I
betook myself to camp.
Slowly we toiled on while May, June and July scorched
our pathway. At length, separation from the emigrants became necessary ; they took the road towards Oregon and
California, we kept more to the northward and pushed on
towards Fort Hall.
vVe reached our destination on the feast of the Assumption and found some twenty Flatheads awaiting our arrival.
Our provisions had been already exhausted and we had expeCted to replenish our stores at the fort. In this we were
disappointed ; for the commander, though very kind and
obliging, could spare us only two bags of toro at one dollar a bag. Toro, a luxury not sold in civilized markets, is
a mixture of buffalo meat, grease and berries; and though
this was our first experience of it, it was far from unpleasant. But two bags could not last long, especially as the Indians were our guests and we were supposed to observe the
rules of hospitality. However, when the end came and we
had no more, we politely informed them of the fad:, and
notwithstanding- that we had already faced hunger so often,
we found its visage as ugly as ever. Fran~ois Saxa, however, with Indian ingenuity, soon rid us of our unwelcome
visitor. Fort Hall is on a branch of the Snake River. Taking a line and unbaited hook, he went to a hole in the river,
threw in his line and began to twitch it from side to side.
The hole must have been swarming with fish ; for, in a
short time, he had landed such a number, some caught by
the fins, some by the tail, some by the belly, that all danger of starvation was quickly dispelled.
Snow had already fallen to the depth of four inches, when,
in company with the Flatheads, we began, on Sept. 9th, the
last stage of our long journey. Several days passed without any event of importance, when, all at once, we saw our
l?dians hastening down from the mountains and making
stgns that enemies were at hand. Soon we saw warriors
galloping towards us, until about fifty Bannacks, armed with
poisoned arrows, were drawn up at a short distance. At
the first intimation of danger, our captain had ordered the
wagons to be drawn up in a circle, and had seen that each
man was at his post. None of the Indians of our party advanced to meet the Bannacks, for they had been engaged in
a fight with them the previous year; neither did any of their
party come over to us. Our captain advanced a little and
told them by signs that we were 13lackrobes, that we spoke
to the Great Spirit, and that we were peaceable. They sat
�THE ROCKY JIOUNTAINS.
there with countenances perfeCtly impassive and answered
neither by word nor by sign. I had put on my cassock and
had persuaded Fr. De Smct to do the same; and when the
Canadians asked me where my gun was, I pointed to my
reliquary.
As evening approached, our visitors drew off and camped
at a short distance. \Nhen we arose in the morning, they
were already up ; and when we started, they followed. This
they did on that and the next day also, never attempting to
harm us, yet always close behind us. \Vhen the morning
of the fourth day dawned, we arose expeCting a repetition
of the programme of the preceding days, but the Bannacks
were nowhere to be seen. They had decamped in the night
and we never saw tliem again.
Thus journeying-we arrived at Hell Gate. If the road
to the infernal regions were as uninviting as that to its earthly namesake, few I think would care to travel it. The trail,
for it was nothing more, ran along the sides of steep mountains; so steep, in faCt, that oftentimes it was only by attaching ropes to different parts of the wagons, and asking our
Indians to help us, that we could keep the wagons upright;
at other times we had to climb the mountains. and, unhitching the mules, to drag the wagons by ropes. At last, all
difficulties happily overcome, we decided after two days'
search, to settle on the St. Mary's River, about twenty-five
miles from Hell Gate.
Our five months' journey was ended that the toil of a
missionary life might begin. \Ve pitched our tents and
waited for our future flock to gather around. us. Messengers were sent to call them; and meanwhile p-rovisions grew
scanty. Only ;r little prdtclmsc remained in the bottom of
the bag, and the brother came asking what he was to do.
"Cook what you have," said I, "God will provide." The
brother obeyed and his obedience was rewarded. That very
afternoon the Indians began to arrive, each with his load of
buffi1lo meat, and abundance was now our portion. "Did I
not tell you," said I, "that God would provide?"
\Ve soon set to work to ereCt a log-cabin and a church,
and built around them a sort of fort proteCted by bastions.
The earth was already frozen and the trench for the foundations had to be cut w;th axes. Trees had to be felled and
trimmed in the neighboring forest, and hauled to the place
destined for the buildings. The Indians were not inclined
to lend a helping hand, and we needed their assistance.
."Example is better than precept," thought I, and seizing an
axe, I began to work. Some half-breeds would have deterred me by telling me that thus I would lose authority
�THE ROCKY 11fOUNTAINS.
with the Indians. I let my advisers talk and worked away.
Soon a chief, throwing down his buffalo-robe, stepped forward, asked for an axe and joined me in my labor. The
young nien hastened to follow him, and our house progressed beyond expeCtation.
Let not my readers, accustomed to grander buildings,
sneer at the first church and missionary residence among
the Rocky Mountains. The walls were of logs interlacing
one another, the cracks being filled with clay. The partitions between the rooms were of deer-skin. The roof was
of saplings covered with straw and earth. The windows
were 2 x I, and deer-skin with the hair scraped off supplied
the place of glass. Small as these windows were, the cold
of winter crept in through them so persistently that we
found them abundantly large.
I scarcely dare attempt to describe the cold; for, even
now. when I think of it, a chill comes over me, so vivid is
the impression upon me. At night we rolled ourselves in
several blankets, and then in a buffalo-robe; yet in the
morning we awoke to find robe and blankets frozen into
one piece. \Ve crept out of our frozen shell and set it
before the fire to thaw; and this we did daily throughout
the long months of winter. Mr. McArthur, clerk of the
Hudson Bay Company, asked for two or three pairs of blankets more. The request astonished me, for I had already
given him quite a supply. He explained to me that it was
colder in-doors than out. "For," said he, "outside, a dew
f.<lls by night, and when the dew freezes it forms a coating
impervious to the cold; but nothing of the kind happens
inside." Though not lacking confidence in his out-door
theory I never cared to test it. Shortly after the house was
finished, a little incident occurred which will give some idea
of the intensity of the cold inside our dwelling. I had
filled a pan with water and placed it on the floor under my
~ed. It was not yet sunset when suddenly I heard a crackltng noise, proceeding from the direCtion of the pan; I went
to examine matters and found the water converted into one
solid cake of ice, which, rising into a kind of hemisphere,
was splitting into four parts. To say Mass was impossible
except by keeping a fire upon the altar; .for otherwise the
water and wine would freeze. The loss of hands and feet
~rom the severity of winter was a common thing not only
Ill the beginning of the mission but also afterwards.
\Ve were no sooner settled than Fr. DeSmet, together
with some Indians who knew a little French, began translating our prayers into Flathead. If all translations are
doomed to Jose either in exactness or in elegance, no one
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
will be astonished to learn that this first translation lost in
both. Hearing Franc:;ois saying one day, "Lord, if you like,
take my heart and my soul," I asked him whether he understood the meaning of the words. "Of course;" replied he,
"nothing is plainer."-"And what is the meaning?" said I.
"\Veil," answered he, "if God likes to take my heart, let him
do so; If he doesn't, well, let him leave it alone." Thtis,
as we became better acquainted with Flathead, we found a
new translation necessary, in order that Christian ideas might
be presented in a form better adapted to Indian intellects.
\Ve no longer said, "Please, Lord, take," or "Be pleased, 0
Lord, to take,"-a form which to the Flathead was equivalent to "If you like, 0 Lord, take," but we used the simple
imperative, "Take, 0 Lord," and they understood us. In
fact, this prayer, so beautiful in every language, is especially
so in Flathead. For this imperative form strictly enforces
acceptance and admits of no refusal. \Vhen an Indian says
"Take," the thing must be taken ; and if he says "Take,"
he means to give. Hence, when the Flatheads offered their
hearts, they really made the offering, and felt convinced that
our Lord would not violate the most sacred rule of Indian
etiquette by refusing the gift.
Thus were the material and the spiritual temple of the
Divine Master daily progressing among them. Two things
opposed the rearing of the second: polygamy and medicine._
Multiplicity of wives, though almost universal in the tribe
at the time of our arrival, was not a primitive institution
among them, but a custom of recent introduction. \Vhen
Clark was returning from his first expedition across the
Rocky Mountains, he prevailed upon sever:tl-· Nez Pere<!s
Indians to accompany him and sec with their own eyes the
wonders of which he had told them. Among these Indians
was one who was made a chief. Several years elapsed, and
the Nez Perce- returned to his tribe. His people gathered
around him to listen to his story, and learned, among other
things, that it was a doctrine of the whites that no man
could be saved unless he had more than one wife. The
Flatheads believed his words and began, each according to
his wealth, to take wives. But there was one, an angel in
human flesh, who was true to -the nobler instincts of nature
and the dictates of reason. This was Peter, the Grand Chief.
Though urged to polygamy by the example of others, he
always remained faithful to his first wife, and would think
of no other. Admirable soul, to save whom Divine Providence had brought us thousands of miles! Already ninety
years old, but with his mental faculties unimpaired, Peter
had long desired to be a Christian. He had heard of our
�THE ROCKY ¥0UNTAJNS.
religion from some Hurons, improperly called Iroquois in
histories relating to the Rocky Mountains, and was among
the most earnest in requesting the coming of the Blackrobes.
· The Hurons, or Iroquois as we shall call them conforming ourselves to received custom, had come from Canada
as servants of the Hudson Bay Company, and, remarking
the fidelity of Flathead women to their husbands, had settled with the Flathead tribe but with no other. Staunch
Catholics themselves, they stirred up a desire in their new
friends to embrace the faith which they theinselves professed.
The nearest place, however, at which a missionary could be
had, was St. Louis, over a thousand miles away, and the intervening country was overrun by hostile tribes. A journey to St. Louis was enough to appall even a stout heart,
yet several Hurons were found ready to risk their lives for
the spiritual welfare of their adopted people. They set out
and journeyed on for some time, but their destination was
still in the remote distance, when, terrified by the dangers
surrounding them on all sides, they abandoned the projeEl:
and retraced their steps. A second party of Hurons was,
however, found to engage in the enterprise, and, under the
leadership of Big Ignace, penetrated even to the country of
the Sioux; but, in endeavoring to cross it, they were discovered and all perished. Undismayed by the ill-success of
the two former bands, a third was formed, and, under the
direEl:ion of Little Ignace; happily reached St. Louis; but
their difficulties and hardships were almost too much for
human endurance and all except Little Ignace sickened and
died.
This was the appeal of the Flatheads which had inspired
Bishop Rosati's letter to Very Rev. Fr. General, and it was
in answer to this appeal that we had come to the Rocky
Mountains. His Lordship promised to do all in his power,
and the brave Iroquois, now alone, started on his homeward
journey. The joyous tidings of which he was bearer buoyed
him up, and, though his horse gave out under him and
dangers beset him on every side, he reached his tribe in
safety. All had a warm welcome for him, but none a warmer one than the aged Peter. Months of expeCtation followed;
then came the interview with Fr. DeSmet at Fort Union,
the baptism of Peter and some of the oldest warriors, lest
death should snatch them away before the founding of the
~ission, the departure of Fr. DeSmet for St. Louis, and
h1s return with ourselves as missionaries.
(To be continued.)
�THE JESUITS' ESTATES IN CANADA.
"I am happy to inform you that the question of the Jesuits' Estates, which has been so long pending between the
religious and civil authorities, and which has caused so much
uneasiness in this country, will soon be decided favorably
and to the satisfaction of all who are interested, and that
my Government hopes, during this session, to submit a
settlement in this connection for your approval. The obstacles which prevented the sale of the site of the old college
of the Jesuits in thi's..city have been removed, the principle
of restitution in kind has been abandoned by the interested
parties, and all that remains to be done is to determine the
amount of the compensation granted. On the occasion of
the settlement of this delicate question, certain Protestant
educational institutions will receive a fair allowance, proportionate to the numerical importance of the minority in this
Province."
Thus spoke His Honor the Lieutenant-Governor of Canada in his address from the throne at the opening of the
last session of the legislature. The proposed settlement
was brought about by a bill introduced by the l-Ion. Honore
Mercier, Premier of the Province of Quebec. The bill, as
presented, recalls the confiscation of the Jesuits' estates by
the imperial authorities, under the reign of George II, and
the transfer of the same at a later date to the authorities of
the former Province of Canada. It recounts the numerous
appeals made to the civil authorities respecting these estates
since 1799. It discloses the interesting correspondence, beginning Feb. 17th 1888, between the Hon. Honon~ Mercier,
the Holy Sec, and Fr. A. D. Turgeon, Procurator of the
Jesuits in Montreal.
The government, in consenting to treat with Fr. Turgeon
as representative of the Jesuits in Canada, wishes it under-·
stood from the start "that it docs not recognize any civil
obligation, but simply a moral obligation in the matter;
that there cannot be a question of restitution in kind, as
this has been abandoned by those concerned, but only a
compensation in money . . . . ; that the amount fixed as
compensation be exclusively expended in the province; that
any agreement made between the government and the Jes(310)
�THE JESUITS' EST.A TES IN CANADA.
JII
uit fathers will be binding only in so far as it shall have been
ratified by the Pope and the legislature of the province; etc."
These terms were accepted by Fr. Turgeon, and, in consequence, he was invited to submit to the government, in
writing, his claim for a "reasonable and moderate compensation." Fr. Turgeon's reply to this invitation is a modest
appeal for only one half of a single property-conceding
twenty others. "I ask," he says, "from the Government of the
Province of Quebec, one half of the atl:ual value of only
one of the properties which our fathers bought with their
own money, the one in Montreal, that is to say $ggo,oog,oo."
He then suggests that, as soon as a settlement is arrived at,
it may be possible, outside of the compensation a·llowed, to
grant also a lot of land which would be a "monument to
commemorate the eminently Catholic and conservative atl:''
about to be performed.
This last suggestion was favorably atl:ed on by the government, granting to the k'lthcrs the common of Laprairie.
But in answer to the main request for compensation, the
council answered as follows: "Seeing the difficulties surrounding the question, and the situation of the province, we
arc obliged with regret to say to you that we cannot offer
more than $4oo,ooo.oo. To arrive at this figure, we do not
take as a basis the intrinsic value of the property, as the
religious authorities long ago abandoned the claim for a restitution in kind, and invariably limited their claim to an
indemnity. The amount of this indemnity was even indicated by the religious authorities of this country, at Rome;
which authorities on several occasions declared themselves
willing to accept $400,000,00. It is therefore impossible
for us to exceed that sum." This offe.r, small as it was,
considering that the property known as the Jesuits' Estates
was worth over two million dollars, was accepted by Fr.
Turgeon.
After presenting at length all the correspondence that
brought this settlement about, the bill goes on to ratify the
agreement, and to authorize the Lieut. Governor to carry
it out.
So the matter now rests. The government feels that it
~as done its part "to put an end to the uneasiness which exIsted in the province in conneCtion with the question of the
Jesuits' estates." Meanwhile, our fathers are awaiting the
dc~ision of the Holy Sec as to the disposal of the compensation granted,
�Catalogus Socion1m
Missionis
AwiERIC£ FCEDERAT £
SOCIETATIS JESU
Ineunte Anno
1810.
R. P.
.CAROLUS NEALE
SUeERIOR 1\IISSIONIS
A DIE 9 DEC., 1808
IN DISTRICTU COLUMBIJE
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
P. Franciscus Neah:, V Ra7or, illag. lltru., Proc. Jlliss., Rcc?.
eccles. SS. Trim/., Ercurr. ad ..:lk.mndriam
P. Enoch Fenwick, Jfin. Opcr., Cunf. d wnc. in T., Exmrr.
ad A!cxandrziwt
P. Petrus Epinette, Soc. mag. lltru., Doc. t!tco!.
MAGISTRI
Adamus Marshall, Allil. t!tcol.
Carolus Bowling
Gulielmus Queen
Doc. catedt. in T.
CoADJUTOREs
Gualterus Barron, Ad dum.
Joanncs McElroy, Elnpt., Adf proc. miss.
Laurcntius Lynch, ..dd dom.
Patritius McLaughlin, Ad dum.
Novnrr ScuoLAsncr
P. Guliclmus Matthews a die I7 JV!artii I8o9, Rcrt. eccl. S.
Patrici TVasltington.
Ignatius Clarke .
a die I oa.
Josephus Clarke
Simon Gartland
Franciscus Hopkins
28 Dec.
(312)
�C4TALOGVS, ISIO.
Novrnr CoADJUTOREs
Petrus Kiernan
a die 7 jul. I8o8
Christophorus O'Hare,
I I
"
Christianus Simmering
20 Dec.
Rartholom::eus Redmond "
I Oll. I809
Gulielmus Mullen
Gulielmus Byrne
28 Dec.
Gulielmus McDevitt
Ricardus O'Hare
Ricardus Robinson
Joannes Britt
I Jan. I8Io
I(
"
IN STATU NEO-EBORACENSI
RESIDENTIA AD S. PETRI
et Collegium lnchoatum
l'cw York Literary Institution
P. Antonius Kohlmann, Sup., Vic. Gm. dia::ccs., Rcll. eccles.,
Con[. ct co11c. in T.
P. RencdiB:us ]. Fenwick, A4f. rcll. eccles., Oper., Conf. et
COliC. ill T.
MAGJSTRI
Jacobus
Michael
Jacobus
Jacobus
Ord
\Vhite, Doc. ling lat., grace., ang!.
Redmond
\Vallace, Doc. mat!tes.
Doc. cateck in T.
IN STATU MARYLANDI.IE
RESJDENTIA AD S. THOMA:
R. P.
Superior Jlfissionis, Dirig. Moniales
il1tmtis Carmc!i
P. Joannes Henry, Opcr., Excurr.
CAROLUs NEA]:..E,
RESIDENTIA AD S. IGNATII
P. Carolus Wouters, Opcr.
Josephus Mobberly, Coar(j., Empt., Ad omnia
RESIDENTJA AD NEWPORT
P. Sylvester Boarman, Opcr.
RESJDENTIA AD NEWTOWN
P. Leonardus Edelen, Opcr.
RESIDENTIA FRJDERJCOPOLITANA
P. Franciscus Maleve, Opcr., Excurr. ad statimzes in Maryland. et Virginia.
�CATALOGUS, rSw.
IN STATU PENNSYLVANIJE
RESIDENTIA PHILADELPHIENSIS
Ad SS. Trinitatis
P. Adamus Britt, Rec7. cccl., Opcr.
Josephus Marshall, Coadf, ad omnia
RESIDENTIA LANCASTRIENSIS
Ad S. Marire
P.
J.
Gulielmus Reschter, Rcfl. £eel., Opcr., Exmrr.
Residenti:e Conewnginensis, Goshenhopp<•nensis, et n•l S. Josephi, Philndel·
ph ire, in Statu l'eunsylvani:e; ~t Bohemiensis, Alha Pnludana, et nd S.
Josephi in comitatn TJ1lbot, in Statu :\larylaml., propter penuriam Xostrorum, ab nliis sacertlotihus o~cupantur.
VITA FUNCTI
Magan, Michael, Not.•. sdwl., 6 jun. I8o9, Rcsid. S. lgnatii.
P. Byrne, Joannes "
" 28 Scp. I8o9, Col!. Gcorgiopol.
Index Domorum et Numerus Sociorum
I
DOMICIJ,IA
RACER.
1
!
RCI!OL.
! COADJ.
UNIY.
·--- ~-1-- - R. P. Sup<:rior ~fission is ............... !
~-
Collegium Georgiopolitauum ........
1
Resid. N ~o- Ehor. et Coli. I uchoat.!
4
7
2
4
.·
14
1
25
ti
;
Residentia at! S. Thmn:e ............... i
1
Hesidcntin atl S. Ignatii ............... i
2
Residentia a•l Newport ................. i
Resitlentia a• I Newtown ............... I
i
llesitlentin I"hiia<lelphicnsis ........... !
2
Resiuentia Lancastriensis .............. i
Residentia Fri<le;icopolitana ........ i
Numerantur
1
:--14--~--1-1- - - ; - __4_1_
I
I
�CATALOGUS, rSm.
JIS
INDEX ALPHABETICUS SOCIORUM
INEUNTE ANNO 1810
COGNOMKX ET NOMEN
ORTUS
DrGRESSUS
GRAD US
n
SACERDOTES
P. Beschter .J. Gttlirhmt., ... ~0 )[ai. lid lO Oct.
P. Boarman Syhwsler ......... i Nov. 1/.JG: 7 Sep.
P. Britt Adt~lllll.• ................ 10 Oct. 17-t:l' 14 Sep.
i .
SCHOLASTIC!
Bowling Caroln.~ ............... : 7 .fan.
Clarke Ign<~tin.• ................. :12 )lai.
Clarke .Juuplms ................. 12 )Jai.
178[)/10 Oct.
17871 1 Oct.
17HU 1 Oct.
1807
li'G5
1iG-t
lSOG
180(11 .
1809
I
L'OAD.I UTORER
I
Barron Gnt~llerus .............. 14 Au~. 1~~:~110 Oct.
l1Sa 1 Jan.
Britt .JoatnH·s .................... lfi Avr.
Byrne C:nlielmn.• ............... lfi Apr.
lil10.28 Dec.
18071
181011
18091
F.FG
I
SACERDOTES
P.
P.
P.
P.
J
Epinettt> l'rtrns .............. :2-t
Edelen LronanluL ....... 20
Fenwick J:rnl'dictus ...... :l
Fenwick Enoch .............. 15
SCHOLASTJCUS
Sep.
Oct..
Sep.
)f:)i.
I
Gar"tlan<l Sinwn ................. 112 )Iai.
171i0 /z
178:! 1 10
1782110
liSthO
.Tun. 180511
Oct. ISOG
Oct. 1806
Oct. 180Gj
I
1/HOI 1 Oct.
18J
H 1\. L l\I
SACEilDOTES
P.
P.
P.
P.
Henry .Joonnrs.. ............ 15 Scp.
Kohlmann A ntonins ...... lt} )lai.
)Ialev{> Fmn,·i.•cns......... 1 Dec.
Matthews Gn!idmu.• ......
RCIIOLASTICI
I
l~~iills .Jul.
1111112 .Tul.
17/0i 1 Sep.
180!
ill Mar. 1809i
!
llopkius F1'l01ch.:cus ........... i25 Aug. 17!12 28 Dec.
Marshall Admnns .............. 18 Nov. 1785 10 Oct.
I
180-t
18051
18J
18071
�CATALOGtJS, r810.
COGNOMEN KT NO)!EN
ORTUS
_I
GRAD US
INGRESSUS
I
COADJUTORES
Kiernan Petrus ...•............. 1!!
Lynch Laurentiu.•.............. 7
McDevitt Gulitlmus ........... 25
McElroy Joann~f< ................l1-l
~lcLanghlin Patritius ......... 17
.Marshall Joseph us .............. I10
Mobberly Josrplms ............ l:l
Mullen Gulielmus .............. !t2
Jan.
Jan.
Apr.
~[ai.
1767\ 7 Jul.
178:! 10 Oct.
17!12 28 Dec.
17S2i10 Oct.
1768 10 Oct.
178~> G Dec.
1779 :to Oct.
17 8.1 i 1 Oct.
1808
1807
180(),
18061
1.~06!
18071
1801
1:'\0(),
R.
....
Oct.
P. Neale Franciscn.• .... ::..... I !! Jan.
1751 7 Sep.
t75tUO Oct.
1771 13 Nov. 1806
1806j
SACE:>OTI'S
-
~lai.
,\[ar.
M ai.
Jan.
I
P. ~E.U~E CAROI~Uli·~ ,lO
OQH.S
SCIIOLASTICI
I
I
.
Or<l Jacobus ....................... ! 7 Jan. 1789' 10 Oct.
Queen Gnlidmus ............... 7 Jan. 17$!1' 10 Oct.
Re<lmoml .Jncobu.• .... ........ .. 1 2 Nov. 177ti to Oct..
COAI>JUTORES
1SOG 1
ISOtJ'i·
1~07.
i
l
O'Hare Christophorn.• ........ lt2
O'Hare Ricanlus ............... \1!i
Re<lmotHl RrtrtJwlomrrus ..... J:.!.i
Robinson Ricrwdns ............ 115
Jan.
Apr.
Aug.
Apr.
Simtnering CArhdiann,'l ...... il2 .Jan.
I
177!1]17
1790. 2S
17671 1
17!10 28
17X0 :.!0
1
i
Jul.
Dec.
Oct.
Dec.
Dec.
1sos[
1.'10!1
180!1:
180ll:
1808
I
i
SAC ERDOS
I
P. 'Vouters Cm;oluR ............ I 8 Apr.
HCIIOLASTICI
'Vallace .J11cobus ............... Itt i\!ar.
White llficlwel . .................. ! 7 Jan.
I
I
1771110 Oct.
I
1787110 Oct.
1789.10 Oct.
1807
�AURIESVILLE, N. Y.
Two pilgrimages were made this year to the shrine df
our Lady of Martyrs at Auriesville, N. Y: one py the men
of Troy and Albany, on the I 2th of August, the other by
the women from the same two cities on the Igth. Up to
the present, the report of this shrine seems not to have spread
beyond the places named, and some have in consequence
lost interest in the cause so intimately bound up with the
place, namely the canonization of our Fr. Jogues and Rene
Goupil and of the Indian maiden Catharine Tegakwita.
The cause of this seeming indifference is not any lack of piety
in the faithful, as was proved by these two pilgrimages, and by
the (,Ct, which the writer learned from a resident at Auriesville, that hardly a clay passes that some stranger to the
little village is not found visiting .and praying at the cross,
that marks the spot whereon Rene Goupil is supposed to
have been tomahawked for teaching the little Indian children to make the sign of the cross. On Sundays, not a few,
but numbers come from the neighboring towns and the
country round with the same pious intent. In view of this
state of things the interests of the Martyrs of the Mohawk
may be confidently left in the hands of Providence. There
is every sign of a silent and gradual development of devotion to our Lady of Martyrs and to her servants;· and time
will show whether the hand of God has not been direCting
the movement, which began with the desire to find the·spot
sanCtified by the labors of Fr. J ogues; a desire which occurred in so remarkable a way to so many, at the same time.
How the spot came to be identified, and the little chapel
of our Lady ereCted, and the pilgrimages inaugurated is
already known to the readers of the WoonsTOCK LETTERS.
Perhaps a word on the pilgrimages of this year will inspire
some to pray for a speedy manifestation of God's will with
regard both to their continuation and the glorification of his
servants.
·
A triduum preached in our church (St. Joseph's, Troy) by
FF. Loyzance and Nagle, prepared the men for their pilgrimage. The morning of the I 2th was dark and rainy,
but in spite of the weather nearly 300 men assembled at the
church in the early morning and marched from there to the
VoL. xvn, No. 3·
20
(317)
�318
AURIESVILLE, N. Y.
train, which \Vas to take them to Auriesville. All these men
were to go to Holy Communion at the shrine. The trip
therefore was made in prayer and silence. A delegation
from Albany, with the Very Rev. T. M. A. Burke, VicarGeneral of the diocese, at their head, joined them before starting. So the pilgrims numbered nearly 400 men. The rain
fell during the whole journey, and the procession of these
400 men up the hill at Auriesville, in silence and under the
falling rai~, was a sight not soon to be forgotten. It was
an aCt of genuine faith and piety which speaks well for our
people in Troy and Albany. On _the arrival at the shrine,
Mass was said by the vicar-general, who was followed by
Fr. Loyzance and Fr. Nagle. After the last Mass Fr. Burke
preached. After the sermon, the procession back to the
train was organizedA and at 1.30 P. M. the shrine was pnce
more deserted. It had been intended to bless the Calvary,
which Fr. Loyzance, whose interest in the shrine has never
abated, had prepared, and to ereCt a way of the cross ; but
the rain prevented all this.
During the week following the men's pilgrimage, Fr.
McElhinney preached the triduum of preparation for the
women. The effeCt of his labors, or of the greater devotion
of the 'devout female sex', was manifested in the number of
confessions on Friday and Saturday evenings. On Saturday
especially, eight of the t<thers were kept busy all the
evening .hearing the confessions of intending pilgrims. (It
is no violation of the sigillum to mention this: that not a
few asked whether they could offer up the pilgrimage for
more than one intention, for the conversion of wayward son
or husband, etc.) Something more than q;;u_al, of earnest
k<ith and the penitential spirit, was felt in the atmosphere of
St. Joseph's that whole evening. The next morning was all
that could be desired as regards the weather. The women
began to assemble at the church before 5 A. M. About that
hour the church bells rang, warning them that, in half an
hoJr, they should be ready to start; but the trains did not
move till nearly 6. A. :o.t.; twenty-one cars were needed to carry
all who wished to take part in the pilgrimage, sixteen from
Troy and five from Albany. As on the Sunday before, the trip
was made in silence and recolleCtion. There were over I 300
women on board the train. On arriving at Auriesville, the
young ladies' sodality led the procession, chanting the litanies of our Lady as they marched up the hill to the shrine.
There they fmind Fr. Quin (Vice-Pres. of St. John's College,
Fordham) ready to begin Mass. At the Gospel, the t<ther
·turned to the people and spoke for some time on the virtues of Fr. Jogues and his companion Rene Goupil, and
�AURIESVILLE, N. Y.
319
of the holy maiden Catharine. At the proper time, two
fathers began to distribute Holy Communion, and for
nearly an hour, they were employed in this consoling office;
there were more than IJSO communicants, many coming
from Amsterdam and from across the Mohawk. Fr. McElhinney of St. Joseph's, Troy, said the second Mass, and Fr.
Fagan of St. John's College, Fordham, the last Mass; Fr.
McElhinney preached the sermon.
After the last Mass, about half an hour was given for
breakfast; it was then a little after I I A. M. About I 1.30,
the pilgrims were again assembled and followed the procession from the shrine to an enclosure about 200 feet in
diameter, some fifty yards off. Here the Calvary had been
erected. The mound on which the cross has been planted
is eight feet high and about twenty feet across. The figures
of our Lord, of the Blessed Virgin and of St. John are six
feet high. Fourteen men had come from the neighboring
town of Amsterdam to carry the wooden crosses that were
to mark the stations. Fr. Allan McDonell, of St. Joseph's, gave an exhortation here, after which came the
ceremony of erecting the way of the cross. About I2.JO
P. M. everything was over, and the pilgrims returned quietly to the trains which were awaiting them. The trip back
to Troy was almost a repetition of that of the early morning. The day was fittingly closed by Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament at St. Joseph's. Everything had been
done to take away from the pilgrimage all appearance of a
pleasure trip, and to make it, what the Church would wish
it, an act of f.-tith and of penance. The attempt was successful,
and all who shared in the pilgrimage came away consoled
and edified. The success is due of course to our fathers
in Troy, and especially to Fr. Loyzance whose connection
with the building of the shrine we have already mentioned.
�FR. OUELLET AT GETTYSBURG.
The veterans of the Iris It Brigade who are still alive met
at Gettysburg last July to dedicate a monument to the brave
comrades who fell beside them on that field twenty-five years
ago. .Two of the old army chaplains were present on the
occasion: Fr. Thomas Ouellet S. J. of the 6gth N.Y. Regiment and Fr. Wm. Corby C S. C. of the 88th N. Y., now
provincial of his congr(!gation and res.ident at Notre Dame
University.
..
.
Fr. Ouellet had left his Indians at Indian River, Ontario,
in answer to the invitation to join in the celebration; and
during his stay at Gettysburg, he and Fr. Corby were the
guests of Fr. J. A. Boll of St. Francis Xavier's Church.
To this church, on Monday July znd (as we learn from a
local paper), "the veterans of the three New York regiments
of the Irislt Brigade (the 63rd, 6gth, and 88th Inf..Lntry)
marched with Gen. Robert l'\ugent at their head. A solemn
Mass of requiem was celebrated by the beloved chaplains
of the Brigade who, twenty-five years ago, administered to
the spiritual wants of the brave soldiers, and to whom had
often been entrusted the last wishes of their dying comrades." It was Fr. Ouellet, the senior chaplain of the Brigade, who celebrated the Mass, while Fr. Corby preached
on "Prayer for the dead."
~-· .
After the Mass came the ceremonies at the monument.
In each of the speeches a neat tribute was paid to the chaplains present. Gen. Denis Burke, "the orator of the day,"
after eloquently recalling many an incident relating to that
earlier meeting twenty-five years before, went on. to say:
"But we have witnessed some scenes which are not recorded
by historians, but which nevertheless were as heroic as the
charges of the Brigade, I refer to the conduCl: of our chaplains, Frs. Ouellet, Corby and Dillon, in the discharge of
their sacred duties. In the uproar and tumult of battle,
when terror and death were nigh, and many a cheek turned
pale, they have been with us; constant in their trust, faithful
to their duty, and·devoted to the flag. Unwavering in their
loyalty and unsurpassed in their devotion to their country
and religion, these meek and humble followers of the Crucified bore with heroic fortitude all the trials and privations
(320)
�FR. OUELLET AT GETTYSBURG.
321
which surrounded their perilous mission. \Vhen night ·
closed on the viB:or and vanquished, we have seen them,
lantern in hand, visiting the wounded, kneeling beside them,
consoling those in pain and shriving the dying. They were
the custodians of the last message from the departing spirit
of the dying soldier to loved ones at home. It mattered
not to them what religion the unfortunate sufferer professed,
their generous souls went out in sympathy for his agony.
And could our fallen comrades, the brave dead speak, their
willing lips would this day swell the glorious testimony to
their worth."
Gen. Burke's speech was followed by appropriate prayers
for the dead comrades offered by the reverend and venerable
chaplains.
In many a group of veterans on that day, stories were
told of remarkable deeds of daring, on many a field of battle,
in which one or other of the chaplains of the lris!t Brigade played an important part. One of the clippings sent
us says: "Soldiers tell of the faB: that when the hail of bullets was falling around them, Fr. Ouellet was there. He
did not care for the shot and shell. He was a soldier of
Christ. One incident that Major Haverty tells is especially
touching. At the battle of Malvern Hill, which was one of
the fiercest during the war, they were literally fighting by
the light of bursting shells. Fr. Ouellet, with his stole on
and a lantern in his hand, was out at the very front line of
battle, seeking out the wounded and asking: 'Are you a
Catholic?' and 'Do you wish absolution?' One man who
was badly wounded answered him: 'No, father, I am not a
Catholic but I would like to die in the faith of any man who
has the courage to come out and see me in such a place as
this.' Fr. Ouellet gave the poor fellow conditional baptism
and then continued on his work of mercy, giving absolution
to the wounded and the dying, and cheering those who were
likely to get well."
The veterans had not many words for Fr. Ouellet; they
evinced the depth of their love for him by the warmth of
their grasp and their manly tears of gratitude; but when
the venerable chaplain had passed on they were eloquent iQ
their praise of him to others.
·
·
�AN ACCOUNT
OF THE DROWNING OF MR. DUGUAY.
MoNTREAL, Aug. 1st, 1888.
EDITOR WooDsTocK LETTERs,
P. C.
Your readers may be pleased to learn something of the
boating accident which took place here during last villa, in
which one of our scholastics, Mr. Adelard Duguay, lost his
life. The details of the sad affair are simply these. Twelve
or fourteen scholastics from the two villas of Hochelaga
and La Broquerie had arranged an excursion to Nun's
Island, a mile or two above Victoria Bridge. Four boats
started from Hochelaga early in the morning of July 7th,
rowed around St. Helen's Island, and then steered across
towards the city. This passage is always difficult, owing to
the strong currents and the eddies formed by the massive
piers of the bridge; but no danger is ever anticipated. It
is granted that.the Jesuit scholastics know the shoals and
reefs and currents around the port of Montreal as well as
the harbor-pilots, so that their frequent appearance during
villa time along the docks, on their way up the St. Lawrence, does not excite any alarm in the minds of the onlookers. The four crews made their passagt: •. across the
river without accident, and then, aided by a t:worable wind,
started for the island, reaching there long before noon. At
three o'clock they were ready to leave for home; but the
wind which had been so favorable in the morning was then
blowing furiously. The waves ran too high for the scholastics to leave the shore without being taxed with imprudence; but the security that habit gives made them venturesome. Two skiffs started out, each containing four scholastics. These had not gone more than a quarter of an hour when
they realized their folly. The water was so agitated, that
wave after wave entered the boat in which Mr. Duguay was
seated. Some o~e stood up to call for help, when the frail
bark suddenly capsized, throwing the four occupants into
the water. The confusion that immediately followed is indescribable. The sides of the boat were clutched by the
drowning men; but, whether for the heavier weight on one
:;;ide of it or for the waves, it began to roll like a log. The
.
~2~
�AN ACCOUNT OF THE DROWNING OF JJIR. DUGUAY.
323
unfmtunate scholastics lost their grasp at every revolution
of the boat, but succeeded in regaining it each time. Mr.
Duguay, more unfortunate than the rest, was carried away
a few feet by a wave, and not being able to swim back, disappeared beneath the surface.
In the meantime, the occupants of the other boat, itself
in a dangerous position and gradually filling with water,
were in consternation when they saw their companions, five
hundred yards off, struggling for life. It seemed almost
certain death to attempt to take them into their boat, but
they banished this servile fear, and hurried to the rescue of
their drowning comrades. The sight was heart-rending.
Mr. Duguay had already disappeared when they arrived;
the three remaining were clinging to the boat; blood was
streaming down the face of one of them who had been struck
by a rowlock during the overturning. It was the work of
an instant to help the nearest one into the boat, but seeing
the danger to all attending the task of taking all into the
already overladen skiff, the remaining two offered the sacrifice of their lives, begging their companions to let them
alone, and try to reach shore. "It would be better," said
they, ''to have us perish alone than five others with us."
This noble act has not passed unnoticed ; but we suppress
names rather than wound the modesty which accompanies
true heroism. Their offer could not be entertained by the
rescuers, who insisted on taking them into their boat, exhorting them to confidence in our Lady of Liesse-to whom,
by the way, our scholastics have great devotion, and after
whom the boat was named. Two began to bale the water
out, all to say the rosary; then was to be witnessed the surprising speEl:acle of a little skiff, half filled with water and
laden with seven full-grown men, starting off against wind
and waves for the nearest shore-Point St. Charles-nearly
a mile away. The dangerous passage was made in less than
a quarter of an hour. A sincere and fervent aEl: of thanksgiving was offered to our Lady of Liesse when the boat
touched the point. All Montreal saw nothing less than a
miracle in the happy outcome of this dangerous trip. Much
sympathy was shown to the scholastics by the large crowd
that had gathered on the shore, but it was a sorry balm for
sick hearts when the excitement began to abate, and they
realized the dreadful loss they had sustained.
The remaining excursionists stayed on Nun's Island till
the end of the storm. Thev reached the villa late in the
evening. to learn the sad ne~s of the drowning.
Mr. Duguay was born at La Baie du Febore, Que., on the
tenth of December, 1861, and was one of a family of eigh~
�J24
AN ACCOUNT OF THE DROTnV.tNG OF MR. DUGUAY.
·teen children. To show at a glance the manner of life this
large family led and the tenor of the lessons they received
at the family fireside, it will suffice to say that, of the number, four are nuns of the Precious Blood, two Asslllilption
nuns, and one brother is still in the Society. Adelard was
sent to Nicolet College at the age of thirteen, completed an
eight years' course of studies without interruption, and entered the novitiate at Sault-au-Recollet in March, r 882.
According to the testimony of seven of his classmates, who
are now in the Society, he always stood at the head of his
class. Gifted with a brilliant imagination and sound· judgment, he excelled in literature. During his juniorate he
showed a preference .for Greek authors, which he read at
sight. Homer wasJ1is ttvorite. He wrote pure French;
his style was charmitl'gly simple and delicate. Everything
his pen touched revealed a delicacy that could not fail of
pleasing.
Since he entered the Society he has been conneCted with
the music department; and during the past three years at St.
Mary's College, Montreal, besides his ordinary class duties,
he did much to keep up the musical reputation of the Gesu.
He succeeded more than any one before him in making Fr.
De Vico's Holy \Veek service popular in Montreal, by the
brilliant rendering he gave it in r:->86. On Fr: ReCtor's feast
this year, he put Atlwlic, with Mendelssohn's music, on the
stage. The invincible patience he displayed during the
three months' preparation, in training eighty voices for this,
was the objeCt of praise both of fathers and scholastics. The
preparation was long and wearisome; but the_l::xecution on
the night of the feast surpassed even his higl1C~i hopes.
He was sent frequently to high-class concerts, and, last
year, to the General Convention of the American St. Cecilia
Society in Rochester, N. Y., to listen to good music, and to
gather in material for future efforts of his own. He wrote
music with facility.
He had already become well known in, the city,-witness
the manner in which his sad and untimely end was deplored
in the numerous letters received by Ours. The Montreal
Star (Protestant) produced a portrait of him, and spent itself in praise of his talents, musical and literary. The other
French and English newspapers followed in the same strain.
But these showed up only the qualities the outside world
saw and admiretl. Those who knew the good scholastic
behind the scenes, in the seclusion of community life, have
only one verdiCt in praise of his childlike simplicity, his
charity, patience and devotedness. His time and labor belonged to whoever asked for them. His whole soul entered
�LETTERS FR01lf ALASKA.
325
into the work he undertook, whether for himself or for the
community; and the result was, what might have been expeB:ed, always happy.
His body was found after it had been four days in the
water. It had floated down to Verchcres, twenty-three miles
below the scene of the accident. After an inquest, it was
brought back to Montreal, then taken to the little cemetery
at Sault-au-Recollet, where it now lies in peace.-R. I. P.
E. J.
DEVINE,
S.
J.
LETTERS FROM ALASKA.
Letter from Fr. G. Gmna <'> to Rev. Fr. Cataldo.
ST.
MICHAEL'S, ALASKA,
July rst, r888.
X T.,
P. C.
According to your desire, I write once more this year,
while still at the terminus of my long voyage. From San
Francisco to Unalaska took eleven days. The long voyage
on the Pacific was delightful, until the last night be,fore we
sighted the coast of the island. We had to wait at Unalaska a whole month, until the steamer, after its return from the
islands of St. Paul and St. George, could take us to St. Michael's, where we arrived early on the morning of the 26th of
June. Fr. Tosi came on board immediately to meet us and
take us ashore, where Fr. Ragaru was waiting for us. All
five of us were in good health, though we had suffered
somewhat, especially during the early part of the voyage.
Fr. Rosati had been sick on board for some days, but immediately on touching land he was well again. We refreshed
our souls with the Spiritual Exercises, and the devotions
of the month of the Sacred Heart. During this time, I gave
a triduum to the sisters, who even wished to be given the
Spiritual Exercises, either before setting out from San Francisco or in Unalaska.
REV.
FR.
JK
(I) Fr. Genna set out from the Rocky J\Iountain Mission in April, 1888, for
':'ictoria, in order to obtain the necessary faculties from the ordinary, at that
t_1me administrator of the diocese, Fr. Jonckau. The latter gave him the
!acuities and advised him besides, to take with him three sisters of St. Ann,
In order to open a school fi>r the Indian children. After this, Fr. Genna proceeded to San Francisco, where he met Fr. Rosati who was also going to
Alaska. On the 13th of l\fay, the five of them embarked in an Alaska Comlllercial Company's steamer.
�LETTERS FROM ALASKA.
Well, we are at the end of our voyage. So far, it seems
that some of us will go to the place of the mission, to build
a house for Ours and another for the sisters; the others will
remain here for a month or so, until the steamer from Yukon
returns to take us and what remains of our goods. At
present Fr. Tosi is suffering from a cold; we hope that he
will soon get over it. It can be easily seen that he has had
to work a great deal. Your Reverence should send us fathers and brothers who are truly missionaries-strong saintly
men. Bless me; pray for me. In union with your holy
sacrifices, in the Sacred Heart,
Your Reverence's least and most devoted son in Xt.,
G. GENNA, S. J.
Letter of Fr. Tosi to Fr. Cataldo.
·ALASKA, July, 1888.
REV. AND DEAR FR.,
P. C.
I intended to write you at some length and give you all
the news from the North, but for quite a while I have not
felt very well, and to do any considerable amount of writing
causes distress. Your Reverence will be satisfied with the
little I am abl"C to say. First of all, as regards what I wrote
last year concerning the missions of Alaska, when I was at
Portland or Vancouver, I should rather increase the number
I then gave of stations and Indians. I have J,l.Ot been able
to go to the North this year, but hope to ha~t:_. a chance to
do so next year. During the winter, if I am well, I shall
visit St. Michael's in the South-a journey of about six
hundred miles. Last autumn on the 24th of Sept., we arrived at Nuklukahyet where we found Fr. Robaut. As Fr.
Ragaru felt quite played out, I left him there, where he
passed the winter and learned the language. Nuklukahyet
is at the mouth of the Tanana. Its small tribe is already
more or less perverted by ministers and English Protestants.
It appears that a minister will establish himself there, labor
among the Indians for some time (i. e. usually until he has
spoiled them), and then suddenly abandon them.
The Indians of the Tanana form three tribes who have
not as yet been perverted to Prot~stantism. The other
Tanana Indians, who live near the source of the river and
speak a different language, have gone to Fort Reliance,
where a minister established himself over a year ago. Fr.
Ragaru will go with a brother to pass the winter there, but
I told him, in case he found too much difficulty either with
�LETTERS FROJif ALASKA.
the Indians or the Protestants, he should join the fathers at
Nulato in the spring, where he will be able to stay. I passed
the winter at Nulato, and had good health there. I found
the Indians, though more or less spoiled by the preachers,
very desirous of learning the true religion, especially the
children. These arc very good and full of intelligence.
From there we can visit Koyonkuke, five small villages
that desire to have a father. Lower down are the Molumutc
whose number is not known. A minister who had occupied
Anaklit on the coast, four days' journey from Nulato, made
a great mess of it and is gone. Dco Gratias! Anaklit is
the key to get at the Molumute of Golving Bay. It is a
very important place and we shall have to occupy it later
on; but now we must wait and strengthen ourselves in N ulato.
Last year I sent Fr. Robaut to Anvik, where the company
had given me buildings for our use, but after two months,
finding that he could not remain, he went to Nuklukahyct,
where I found him on my return. In the meantime, two
preachers had established themselves there to do their
mischief; they have already bought a house and arc
building a school. I sent Fr. Robaut down with a Brother
to learn the language. The Indians became much attached
to Fr. Robaut, who shortly after, from not taking care of
himself, fell sick for a month. After his illness, he had to
leave Anvik and go to Casurcsky, fifty miles lower down,
where there is a tribe of two hundred and fifty Indians untainted by Protestantism. There are also fish and meat in
abundance all the year round. It is not however a central
place for the other tribes either on the Shagalutk or Anvik
rivers. As I have found a good place to build I shall establish the first school there, all the more as it is difficult
to go to Nulato, since the company has not sufficient means
to transport our things to Casuresky. Next year we shall
sec what can be done. Nulato is certainly the best place,
but not just now. However, it will not be abandoned, but
one of the fathers who went lower down will be stationed
there, at least for some time. Up to this, the sisters have
scarcely begun to labor; but I do not know how I can do
so much, especially as everything l1as to be bought at a high
price. On this account we must praCl:ise the greatest economy, and limit ourselves to absolute necessaries. -If Your
Reverence will send two fathers and two brothers next year,
perhaps I may be able to move lower down; otherwise I do
not think I shall be able to leave the places already occupied. During my stay at Nulato, I built a chapel, and a
house containing two rooms.
�LETTERS FROlff ALASKA.
We have no need here of many brothers, one for each
station is sufficient, but he should be able to do a little of
everything. \Ve cannot get carpenters here except by bringing them from San Francisco and paying them five dollars
a day, as the company does. Now add the expenses of
coming and going, and tell me whether it is possible for us
to pay so much. The Indians can do nothing until they
have seen it done beforehand; in time, however, even they
will learn. I hope Your Reverence will do all you can to
help us, and send us, as soon as possible, brothers who have
solid virtue and praCtical talents. It is true that these missions are hard, but they give us very great hopes. The
good to be done is incalculable; and besides, it will last as
long as the Indians- .l!xist. It is almost certain that this territory will never be populated by whites, there are only
some mines and a few fisheries, and these, in proportion to
the size of the territory, do not count for much. Do me
the favor to greet kindly for me all our fathers and brothers.
Fr. Robaut, being four hundred miles away, could not write
this time.
Yours in Xt.,
P. Tos1, S. J.
Extra{l /rom a Letter if Fr. Ragaru to Fr. Cataldo.
ST. MICHAEL's ALASKA,
June .3oth, I 888.
REV. FATHER SUPERIOR IN CHRIST,
P. C.
Since my last letter to you, of Au·g. I 8th, '87, up till now,
no occasion has presented itself to enable me to write to
you again. Frs. Genna and Rosati have arrived from Victoria in good health and with three sisters of St. Ann.
What shall I tell you of myself? Last year's journey was
extremely severe on me, as was afterwards the very hard
life, especially in winter. I have been eight months alone,
and yet I find myself happy and most ready to labor and
suffer without discouragement, althoug-h I \veil see that the
work that offers itself is without limit. If we were able to
have seven or eight fathers and brothers, we could at once
take possessioq of other places of great importance, and
thus save those poor Indian tribes from the invasion of the
Protestant ministers. For example, in travelling I have had
to pass through a small encampment of Indians all anxious
to be instruCted. Fifteen miles from these, there is another
encampment of about two hundred .Indians, also desirous of
�CALIFORNIA.
h1struction. I have not been able, nor am I now, to do anything for them, although there is danger of their being perverted by the Protestants. I am told that at another station
there are more than four thousand who would very readily
become Catholics, if a father could take charge of them
before they are spoiled by the whites.
The Lord has twice saved me from drowning in the river
Yukon. These accidents were due to the fact that I have
no one to assist me. We have need here of brothers who
are good religious and at the same time fit for active work ;
also carpenters and boat builders. Fr. Genna tells me that
Your Reverence expected more letters from me last year,
but you know that one can get letters from Alaska only
once a year. Please send me a statue of our Lady ; it
would be a real treasure for us to possess one in these abandoned regions.
I commend myself to your holy sacrifices and prayers.
Your servant in Christ,
L. RAGARU, S. }.
CALIFORNIA.
Letter (?f Father Jolm
J.
Moore.
SANTA CLARA CoLLEGE,
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA,
August 15th, 1888.
REv. AND DEAR FATHER,
·p.
c.
The California Mission is so separated from the rest of
the Society's fields of operations in the United States, that·
some account of the work done by Ours in this remote corner of the country may well be presumed to be of interest
to a majority of the readers of the vVoODSTOCK LETTERS.
With a view to stimulating a laudable interest in our aff.1irs
I have put together a few notes on the chief events of the
past year.
Beginning with the advance made in the way of building
and extending our lines, mention is to be made, in the first
place, of the building and opening of the new novitiate,juntorate and house for tertians at Los Gatos, Santa Clara
Co~nty, ten miles south-west of San Jose. It was erected
entirely last year at a cost of somewhat over $40,000. It
�330
CALIFORNIA.
'
stands on rising ground and consists of a central l::!uilding
three storeys in height with a high mansard roof, and two
wings on the east and west sides, of the height of two storeys.
The central portion is sixty-four feet in front by a depth of
fifty-five feet, while the wings, which are each twenty-seven
feet in width, have a depth of eighty feet. ·So that by running back from the main building about twenty-eight feet,
they form a court in the rear, opening towards the south.
This court is surrounded on three sides by verandas; upon
the upper one are placed the bath-rooms and other offices
which are thus outside the main building. The third floor
of the central building consists of two apartments, for the
novices and juniors respeCi:ively, each twenty-five feet in
width and fifty-two, in length, with lavatories at each end of
the rear veranda, .and separated by a wide corridor. The
second storey, \Vhicn extends throughout the whole building,·
is occupied by the chapel in the east wing, the infirmary
rooms in the west, and the rooms of the fathers in front.
On the first floor are the refectory, with a kitchen adjoining
but distinct from the main building, the library, school and
meeting-rooms. parlors and store-rooms. The basement
under the first storey, which is about eight feet in height and
wholly above the ground, furnishes store-rooms and cellarage for the products of the vineyard and orchards belonging
to the novitiate.
·
The situation of the buildings is unsurpassed in natural
beauty, and the view from the upper windows takes in a
stretch of over eighty miles in length, including the valley
of Santa Clara, the bay of San Francisco and the ranges of
the Coa3t, Santa Cruz, and Contra Costa nfountains. The
site of the building is about three hundrea feet above San
Jose which is in full view from it.
The solemn opening and dedication of the new house
took place on the octave of the feast of the Sacred Heart,
June 15th, when a community of tertians, juniors and novices was installed in it. It was the intention to have the
ceremony take place on the feast itself, but that could not
be conveniently carried out owing to the closing exercises
and exhibitions which were taking place in the colleges at
the time. It is called the Novitiate of the Sacred Heart,
though it is more popularly known as "The Ranch," but we
hope before long to educate our party up to the use of its
right name. ·Many may be interested to hear that it was
handed over "to its superior free from all debt, save one of
gratitude to some generous benefactors. Seventeen acres
of an adjoining vineyard were added lately to the prope~·ty
which now contains in all sixty-two acres. By this additwn
�CALIFORNIA.
33I
has been obtained what we may call "a scientific frontier"
such as will secure the seclusion befitting a novitiate.
In Santa Clara College the memorial chapel is approaching completion and will be ready for use within a few
weeks. It will probably be opened by the gth of September. The cost of its building being wholly defrayed by the
students who have been in Santa Clara from the foundation
to the present time, it is to stand as a perpetual memorial of
the years spent within the college walls and of the love with
which they cherish the memory of old school-days. There
is no gainsaying that our students keep a warm place in
their hearts for the college, for when called upon about two
years ago by Father Kenna, the present president, who was
himself at one time a student here, they responded in a
manner that enabled him, within a short space of time, to
carry out his project of building a chapel that should hold
the first place in grandeur and solidity among the college
buildings, and this without allowing it to be burdened with
a dollar of debt. vVork was commenced on it in the month
of August 1886, and every care was taken to ensure its
solid and permanent construction. It f:"tces the playground
of the college from which it is entered by three double doors
having a portico in front. The latter, however, is not yet
erected, though the steps and platform are. The building is
of brick, one hundred and ten feet long by fifty in width,
exclusive of projections at the sides for confessionals. The
sanctuary is semicircular, with a domed roof The pilasters
around it are cased with mosaic marble and have metal Corinthian capitals. The altar-rail will be of the same material,
as well as a wainscot five feet deep, and the pilasters of
the nave throughout the chapel. The windows are to be of
stained glass. One of them, representing St. Clare, is almost
finished and will be set in place in a short time.
In San Jose, progress has also been made. A few years
ago, the parochial school budded into a collegium indwatum
and has flourished so well that this summer it blossomed
into a collegium simpliciter, with Father Congiato, who has
watched over and guided its destiny since I8JI ,·as its first
rector. The church, which stands on the site of the old
Pueblo mission church, was completed last year by the construction of the external dome and lantern, at a total cost of
about $gooo, which was defrayed wholly by the genero~ity
?f three gentlemen of the city. The church, as completed,
ts the fourth or fifth in size in California. It h"tces on Market
street where it has a frontage of I 36 feet, its depth on San
!'ernando street being I s6 feet. It is built in Italian style,
In the form of a cross, and is flanked at the front by two
�332
CALIFORNIA.
towers twenty feet square at the base and oClagonal above the
roof. The interseClion of the arms is surmounted by a dome
fifty-six feet in diameter and a hundred and thirty-four feet
in height. The towers rise to the height of a hundred and
twenty-five feet and the ceiling inside is fifty feet from the
floor to the centre of the arches. The entrance on the
Market-street end is finished with a portico of four Corinthian columns, with a flight of seven granite steps, fifty-four
feet in width in front. \Vithin, the ceiling is arched in a
single span fifty feet in width and the same in height; over
the main entrance there is an organ gallery, supported by six
fluted pillars twenty feet in height by two in diameter, but
no other galleries. At the corners, where the nave and
transepts meet, are four circular chapels with domed ceilings
below the main dome. The main altar is as yet a temporary
struClure of wood, but the ends of the transepts a"re occupied
by two elaborate altars with baldacltini of white marble.
The total cost of the building exceeds one hundred thousand dollars, and its construCtion has extended over tweh·e
years. The contraCl price of it was $5 I ,500, all but ten thousand of which was paid up before its dedication on the feast of
the Patronage of St. Joseph, April 22d, I 877. From that
time nothing worth recording was done towards completing
it until 1882, when the portico was built at a cost of $10,000
and the two )owers at $5000 apiece. The marble altars
were put up at the same time, one in honor of the Sacred
Heart and the other of the Blessed Virgin, at about $6ooo,
along with an excellent organ costing Ssooo.
A few words about the church which prece,ded this new
struClure may be of interest, as showing the•. liberality of
our California people in contributing to works of this kind.
The old adobe San Jose Pueblo church, which was built in
1798, served its purpose down to 1859, when it was remodelled in the exterior at an outlay of $10,000, and so continued until 1870, when a new front was added to the
San Fernando-street side, giving it the appearance of an
entirely new building. This improvement involved the outlay of $25,000, exclusive of the interior furnishing which
cost $ 1o,ooo more, not counting $4000 for an organ. Its
glory was, however, short-lived; for the afternoon of Saturday
April 24th, 1875, saw it crumbling into a heap of burning
cinders with nothing saved except the altar and the pulpit.
A mission conquered by the Paulist f.-1thers fr01:n New York
was in progress at the time, which made the calamity keen·
ly felt, though at the same time, perhaps, it was providential that it occurred just then, when the people were ani-
�CALIFORNIA.
333
mated to undertake the building of the grand church just
completed.
Of St. Ignatius' College, San Francisco, there is no improvement in the line of building to be recorded, for the
very simple reason that he who built it nine years ago did
his work so thoroughly that he could not have a successor
in it.
Fear of drawing out this letter to an unwarrantable
length warns me to be brief with what remains to be said.
Though there are other interesting topics, I can venture
upon noticing but a few, and those as briefly as possible.
The degrees taken by our graduates, for many years past,
were mostly those of the non-classical course; but it was
formally announced at the close of last session that the giving of those 'degrees would cease with the class of '9 I, that
is, in three years. The reports of work done in the graduating classes last year were very satisfactory. In Santa
Clara, seven took the degree of Bachelor of Arts and twelve
that of Bachelor of Science; the greatest number on record
since the founding of the college. In St. Ignatius', two
were graduated Bachelors of Science, four Bachelors of Arts
and one Master of Arts.
A few miscellaneous events of the year merit notice here
before concluding. The past year had run about a month
of its course when we had the honor of welcoming as our
guest the Most Rev. Ricardo Casanova, Archbishop of
Guatemala, who, along with two of his clerics, was driven
into exile by the government of that republic. His Grace
remained our guest until the time of his departure for Rome,
about the middle of last May. During his stay here he
was honored with a letter from the Holy Father testifying
approval of his course of aCtion in dealing with "the
powers that be" in Guatemala, and expressing sympathy
and congratulation on his suffering for justice' sake. During
the month of October, no less than four archbishops were
at the same time under our roof, upon the occasion of the
visit of His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, who spent a day
with us in company with the archbishops of San Francisco
and Portland, Oregon.
.
The winter of rR87-88 had a smack of real winter about
it, and exceeded anything hitherto experienced in Santa
Clara. The thermometer fell as low as IJ° Fahrenheit,
something that occurs but once in a long lifetime here, and
bl~sted all our beautiful orange and lemon-trees. But the
mtssion has a more chilling memory of the past year to recall in the deaths of three comparatively young and really
VoL. xvrr, No. 3·
21
�LALJPol?NIA.
efficient fathers. in September it lost Fr. Patrick Kelly, who
was carried off by apoplexy at the age of fifty-two. The
amount of good he did among the people in San Jose remains to be told, and his place to be supplied. In the month
of April, two followed him to the grave. Fr. Joseph lsolabella<1> was minister and procurator of Santa Clara College, and
had just completed his fiftieth year when an attack of rheumatic fever prostrated him. A few days later, Fr. Vincent
Reitmayr,<1> assistant prefeCt: of schools in St. Ignatius' College, succumbed at the age of thirty-six, after struggling
with consumption for three months. The necrology of the
year is completed by mentioning the death of an aged laybrother, \Villiam Lakebrink, of whom a notice may be found
among the Obituaries of the present number.
Passing out of tire. valley and the shadow of death, a few
events remain to be recorded, which show that there is still
promise of life and a prosperous future for the old mission.
In July, news came of the appointment of Fr. Joseph Sasia
to succeed Fr. Nicholas Congiato as superior of the mission.
The outgoing superior is one of its pioneers, having come
hither from the reB:orship of St. Joseph's College, Bardstown, Ky., in 1854, when the California and Oregon Missions were united. Since then several posts of government
have been entrusted to him, that just vacated having been
held since January 1883. The new superior is well known
to the \Voodstockians of 1873-77· He was for three years
reB:or of St. Ignatius' College, and now the care of all the
colleges is committed to him. Good things arc augured
for the mission during his term of government. Shortly
after his appointment he made a visit of our .fcur houses
and was everywhere received in a way that showed he possessed the hearty goodwill of all his subjcB:s.
Mention has been made of the loss the mission sustained
during the year by the death of three fathers; it may afford
consolation to know that the loss was at least numerically
repaired during the last week of July, when three scholastics were promoted to the priesthood in the parish church
of Santa Clara, the first Jesuits ordained within its historic
precincts.
The session of 1888-89 has opened with a bright prospeCt: for the coming year. A class of fourteen scholastics
has been forme~! in St. Ignatius' to study philosophy under Fr. Pollano. Liberatore has been replaced as a textbook by Fr. S. Schiffini, adopted by order of Fr. Provincial
· (Il
See previous number-Obituaries.
�FRENCH C4NADIA.YS IN NETTr ENCLANlJ.
335
of Turin. The number of students in our colleges bids £<ir
to equal the greatest number yet accommodated.
On St. Ignatins' day, a new novice-master, Fr. Paul Mans,
was installed in Los Gatos, where about a dozen novices,
belonging partly to the Colorado-New Mexico Mission and
partly to our own, arc ·gathered to make a trial of religious
life. The house not yet being in perfeCt: running order, no
tertians are there this year.
JOliN
J.
MOORE,
S. J.
FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND.
Letter from Fr. Hamon.
BosTON,
Aug. 22nd, 1888.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
To comply with your desire, I send you some notes
about the French Canadians in New England and northern
New York.
It was only twenty years ago that emigration to the New
England states bt;gan amongst the Canadians. Before that
time, there was, it is true, quite a number of Canadians in
Vermont and around Lake Champlain, but they were
scattered among Protestant farmers and did not form anything like a colony of their own. Immediately after the
civil war, a great impetus was given to business in the eastern states; f.<etories were built in many places and the Canadians began to flock in large numbers into the manuf:<eturing distriCts. Since that time, year after year, they have
continued to pour into those states, notwithstanding all the
efforts made by the legislature and the Canadian bishops to
stem the current of emir-ration. Now the Canadians form
an important clement in ~il the industrial towns and villages
of New England; they arc in the majority in several places,
and they seem to be called by Pro\·idcnce to play a not
insignificant part in the advancement of religion in. this
country. Here are some statistics I have drawn up in my
missions : -
�336
FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND.
Archdiocese of Boston .
.
Diocese of Springfield
.
"
of Providence .
.
"
of Portland . .
.
"
of Manchester .
.
"
of Hartford . .
.
of Burlington .
"
of Albany and Syracuse..
"
of Ogdensburg
"
Total . . .
31,000 Canadians .
58,489
47,000
"
42,144
"
34.930
21.400
"
24,000
"
20,350
51,770
. 331,083
They have one hundred and four churches of their own,
and, in ninety other 'parishes, they form the majority of
Catholics. Moreover; they have built thirty-six Canadian
convents ; and all this work has been done in twenty years.
by poor working people. They form now nearly one third
of the total number of Catholics in the states of New En~
land, and more than one half of the Catholic population in
the dioceses of Portland, Manchester, Burlington and 0~
densburg. These figures speak well, I think, for the religion
and generosity of the French Canadians.
We often hear it said in various quarters: "Those Canadians are mere foreigners, coming to the States to work at
low wages, intending when they have made some money,
to go back to Canada." \Veil, such may have been the case
some ten years ago; such is still the case with a certain
number of them; but it would be entirely inaccurate to apply that statement to the great majority of the Canadians in
New England at present. They have come toitay; and this
is the reason why they are not afraid of building churches
that cost from sixty to a hundred thousand dollars, as they
have done in \Voonsocket, Holyoke, North Adams, \Vorcester, Manchester, Biddeford, Great Falls and Burlington.
From the same motive, too, thev have erected convents
at the cost of some $2o,ooo, as in vVebster, Manchester,
Biddeford and elsewhere. Besides that, in almost all the
manufacturing centres, quite a number of Canadians are
owners of neat cottages, valued at from one to two thousand
dollars. All this proves their intention of making America
a permanent home for themselves and their children; and,
in fact, all the Canadian congregations are increasin~ everywhere. In the diocese of Springfield alone, seven new parishes were lately established in one year.
· As to their social standin~. the ~reat mass of them are
workingmen in the hctories or skilful mechanics who find
ready employment in the large cities. As.a body, they are
�FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND.
337
sociable, good tempered and very devoted to their wives
and their large families. They generally flock together
near the church, living by themselves in large tenement
houses. If you chance to pass through the Canadian quarter, on a fine summer evening, you will see the streets full
of children at play; while the men, colleCted in groups,
smoke their pipes, quietly chatting together. (Canaqians
are great chatters.) And if you look up at the windows,
you will see them bordered by the good and comely faces
of" Canadian women enjoying the sights and singing Cana-.
dian ballads. The whole piCture presents a people well
pleased with the world in general, and with their present
kind of life in particular. And, in faCt, these Canadians, in
their humble situation, possess all the elements required for
a real and durable happiness. They live well, they have a
gay and amiable temper, many children around them, deep
religious feelings rooted in their hearts, churches and schools
of their own. Nothing, therefore, is wanting to keep them
at peace with God and men.
The great mass of Canadians, that have emigrated during
the last ten years, came from the country. They were what
is called in Canada des !tabitants. Burdened with large
, families of twelve and fifteen children, living on poor farms
in the backwoods, far away from church and school, they
arc certainly greatly benefited materially and spiritually.
Being a good, simple hearted, religious people, they brought
with them all the devotions praCtised in Canada-the recitation of the rosary at their evening prayers, a great devotion to the souls in Purgatory and to t!te good St. Ann. In
almost every parish there is a flourishing sodality of married
women, called Les Dames de !a bonne Stc. Anne, who go to
Communion once a month; while the men have enlisted in
large numbers in the society named La Ligue du Camr de
Jesus pour !es Hommes.
This league is the Apostleship of Prayer, especially
adapted to men and to their particular needs. Four years
ago, Fr. Hamon, with the approval and encouragement of
Fr. Regnault, started that form of the Apostleship, to keep
alive piety in the family through the influence of the men.
The members promise: ( r) To go to Communion in a body
at least four times a year: at Easter, in the month of J unc,
in the month of November (for their dead parents), and in
January (to obtain a good death). (2) Not to blaspheme, and
to prevent blasphemy as much as it is in their power. (3)
Not to go into saloons to drink there. (At home they may
take what they like.) To these they add two other practices, namely, the offering of their aCtions to the Sacred
�338
FRENCH CANADIANS IN NEW ENGLAND.
Heart, in the morning (by which promise they belong to the
first d1grcc of the Apostleship), and the recital, at their
evening prayer, of one Fater and .Az·c and three Glorias
in reparation for the blasphetilies against our Lord. They
have a meeting once a month, a nice badge and a flag. This
society has taken wonderfully well among the Canadians.
Started in 188 3. it numbers now seventy parishes, with a
membership of more than twenty-five thousand men. Forty
of these parishes are in the States, with fourteen thousand
men; the rest in Canada. At the end of a few days' mission
for men, we take the names of members ; as a general
rule, half of the men in the parish enlist, and the great majority of them rcmainfaithful to their promises. Men like
to have a society of their own, they come to the general
Communions in large"numbers. and the priests do not find
the burden too heavy on their shoulders.
I could give you many details about the Canadian missions; they arc always very well attended and full of consolation for the missionary; but I am afraid to be too prolix,
so I will wind up this letter by answering briefly some questions that were asked of me about these French Canadians.
Do tltq remain ill tltc States/ Y cs, the greater part of
them; and their parishes, instead of decreasing, have to be
divided, as is the case in \Vorccstcr where they number
eight thousand; \Voonsockct where there arc nine thousand, Holyoke ten thousand; l\Ianchcster twelve thousand,
Lowell sixteen thousand.
Do tltq get naturali:::cd / Yes, very rapidly. They have
now at work more than a hundred naturalization clubs; and
all the priests are in f:wor of it.
~- •·
Do 'tltq lose tlt;-ir language/ In small places and in mixed
parishes, yes; in the parishes where they have a priest and
schools of their own, no; the young men and children talk
French just like their parents.
Will tluy not be final/_;· absorbed in t!tc great 111ass 1f t!tc
Englis!t-spmkiug people/ Perhaps, but not for many years;
and these arc my reasons for the assertion :-They have
everywhere schools of their own, where French and English are taught on the same footing; they marry among
themselves, and generally the French Canadian women
know very little of English ; they arc still close to Canada,
and what is lost on one side is recovered on the other by
the constant influx of emigrants who do not speak a word of
English. Consequently, these Canadian congregations may
last for years and I think they will, because I believe that
the French people have a special mission to fulfil in these
,:astern states. The Irish Catholics have the majority in
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
339
the large cities, but in a few years the Canadian Catholics
will command the vote in nearly all the manufacturing towns
and villages of New England, and therefore, uniting together,
they will be able to defeat any measure directed against
religion. Such is the idea I have formed of Canadian emigration and of the mission it is called to fulfil. Hoping
that these details may prove interesting to you and to your
readers,
I remain, dear father,
Yours truly in X to.,
E. I. M. HAMON, S. J.
FATHER CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
A SKETCH.
Charles, son of Raphael Piccirillo and Josephine Chiapparo, was born at Naples on the 25th day of December,(!)
in the year I 821. Hc was educated at the college of the
Society in Naples, where he had among other teachers
the celebrated Antonio Cercia. Of his schooldays no information has been procured, except that he showed remarkable talent and made such progress as to be admitted
to the Society at the age of thirteen. Fr. Joseph Ferrari,
Provincial of Naples, received young Charles on the 24th
of April, 1835, and sent him to Sorrento for his noviceship.
In thc novitiate, so soon did the sweet spirit of contemplation take possession of his soul, that his master of novices,
Fr. Henry Borgianelli, when ill, sometimes summoned
Brother Piccirillo to make the morning meditation with him.
An equally extraordinary mark of interest was shown him
by his superior on a very different occasion. Attached to
the house of probation at Sorrento was a church, in one of
the chapels of which stood a large urn containing a relic of
St. Philomena, enclosed in a wax figure of the saint. Here
the master of novices was wont to pray, and on one occasion, whilst at his devotions, he beheld the saint standing in
the window of the chapel. This vision having been repeated for several successive days, Fr. Borgianelli summ~med his novices, who seemed to gaze with admiration at
m Althon.~h the 2Uth of Nov. is given in the Ci1Yiltii as the date of his birth,
we hold to the !].ith of Dec., a' this is found invariabl;y in the catltlofues of
the frovinc~J of :'Ia pies 1111d was always given by Fr. Pwcirillo himselt,
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
the radiant vision. One only was candid enough to state
that he saw the wall and the window, nothing more. The
good master of novices, alarmed at this want of spiritual discernment, told young Br. Piccirillo that some serious sin must
be the cause of his blindness. Straightway his conscience
was striCtly examined, the peccadilloes of childhood repeated
in a general confession, and no crime of the first magnitude
being revealed, a triduum was orden.:d. The triduum was
gone through with, in what spirit it is as \veil not to know,
but at the end of it appeared no St. Philomena, and Br.
Piccirillo remained in boyish darkness.
Our novice though pious was by no means without his
faults. Meeting Br. Parescc, a fellow-novice, face to face
one day, and struck by his somewhat severe expression of
countenance, he reil'tarked: "'Br. Paresce, how ugly you
arc!" Straightway the Father 1\bster was notified of
this display of candor, and Brother Charles had a chance
to say his first ·culpa.' On his knees in presence of the
community, Br. Piccirillo accused himself of telling Br.
Paresce how ugly he was; provoking a burst of laughter
from all who heard him. A more innocent sin was his
habit of going down stairs on the banisters instead of
the steps, a fault for which he made reparation by going
up three steps at a time. \Valking in ranks with the community he found a great cross, being perpetually inclined to
slip forward at a more rapid pace than religious decorum
permits. vVhen we recolleCt his age, thest: trivial failings
do but help us to fill up the piCture of the light-hearted,
joyous child of God, whom we ima~~ine rum~ing about the
long corridors of Sorrento in all the gayety of·imconscious
innocence, a sunbeam in a shady spot.
Another anecdote of this period adds a finishing touch to
the piCture. The lay-brother having one Saturday distributed the clean linen in blue bags, according to time-honored custom, Br. Charles diving into his bag drew forth a
shirt of prodigious size, taken of course from the common
stock, and designed to be an easy fit for some religious Hercules. Gazing enraptured at its ample proportions, he drew
it on over his cassock, and with white skirts trailing on the
ground and empty sleeves flapping a foot beyond his hands,
ran gleefully about among the novices to exhibit the generous garb provided for him by his mother the Society. What
shrieks of laughter disturbed Fr. Borgianelli at his quiet devotions that day we may easily imagine.
· When his two years of probation were accomplished, in
April, 1837, Br. Piccirillo joined the juniors and studied
rhetoric with them, first under Fr. Raphael Cercii and
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
34I
later on under Fr. Christopher Coppola, a great Latin
scholar and poet. At what precise date he pronounced
his first simple vows cannot now be stated with certainty.
One reliable document gives as the date the 2 I st of June,
I837, at which time he was but fifteen years old. Of
course, this could not be the case unless he had obtained
a special dispensation.
The story used to be current
at \Voodstock that he wrote a long Latin poem in
honor of the so.vereign pontiff and that the pope, pleased
with his precocity, gave the necessary permission. This
story is emphatically denied by a fellow-novice of Fr.. Piccirillo, who says that the vows taken in 1837 were'merely
vows of devotion, and that he was not allowed to pronounce
the simple vows of the Society until he had completed his
seventeenth year.
In the juniorate he developed rapidly, and displayed a
wealth of rhetorical power, and fine command of elegant
Latin which he never lost. On one occasion, the juniors
were ordered to write a Latin oration in imitation of one of
Cicero's. Whilst others contented themselves with four or
five pages, Hr. Piccirillo presented his professor with an
elaborate oration of twenty-five pages, thus showing remarkable ease and readiness in Latin composition, which was
destined to prove of great service in after-life.
His course of rhetoric completed, philosophy would have
followed at once, had he not been obliged to interrupt his
studies for a year on account of ill health, induced partly
by precocious mental development. The next year, I 8 39,
he joined Fr. Liberatore's class of logic, and continued to
study under the same distinguished professor for two years,
completing his ethics and the special metaphysics of third
year with Fr. De Rosa. Fr. De Sinno was professor of
mathematics and FF. Medina and Palladini of physics, during Fr. Piccirillo's course at the college of Naples.
A story he used to tell of this period of his lite illustrates
his love of neatness and tidiness. On taking,possession of
~ room assigned to him by the Fr. Minister, not finding
1t altogether to his taste, he proceeded to clean the room,
paint it, and then decorate it as nicely as the rigid rules of holy
poverty would permit. InspeCting the house as usual, the
Fr. Minister was pleased with the renovated cell, and soon
transferred Mr. Piccirillo to a second little apartment, which
before very long was as cosy as the first. Again the minister changed his quarters, and again he displayed his love
for the beautiful in similar improvements. And so he was
changed from room to room- until all the quarters of the
�3-P
FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
scholastics had been rendered as inhabitable as paint could
make them.
After finishing his philosophical course, he was employed
as professor of mathematics and physics in the college of
Salerno, completing a two years" course in 1844. \Vith a
happy effort at variety, not unknown in other provinces of
the Society, the young scholastic had to teach classes of
ethics, rhetoric and humanities, in addition to the above-mentioned branches. He was next transferred to Benevento,< 1>
one of the largest and most flourishing colleges of the province, where he again taught physics and mathematics for two
years. The trying ordeal of the class-room was now over,
as he thought, and th~ queen of sciences opened her arms
to receive the young aspirant for the honors of the altar;
and cheered by the ""new prospeCt of the priesthood, he
threw himself into the study of theology. But alas, after a
first glimpse into the depths of sacred lore, he was summoned to turn back and resume his professorship at Benevento. \Vhilst teaching, however, he continued to study
theology privately, passing his examination in first year's
dogma in 1847, and in moral theology in January, 1848.
In addition to his duties as teacher, and student of theology.
Fr. Piccirillo also preached regularly in the church attached
to the college.
The Society was now in the midst of the storm of the
revolution. "During the winter of that eventful year," says
a writer of our history, "the violence of the persecution
against the Jesuits increased with fearful rapidity. The
most absurd lies were printed, the most revoltiJ\g calumnies
placarded in the streets ; men were paid, some tb clamor at
night around the Gesu, others to break the windows of the
house. At length the pope, feeling that his government
had lost all power to proteCt the religious, whom the revolutionists regarded as their first viCtims, advised the general
to bow before the storm and to disperse his subjeCts for a
tinie. The suggestion was obeyed. \Vhat threats and intimidation could never bring about, a word from the pontifical throne immediately obtained; and on March the 28th
1848, the desire of Pius IX. was communicated to the community, and before night the Gesu was deserted."
In February, 1848, little more than a month before the
dispersion, Fr. Piccirillo was ordained by Cardinal Carab,
Archbishop of Benevento, in the private chapel of the episcopal palace. His ordination was doubtless hastened on
(I) Benevento, as the reader will remember, is a small 'trip of territory be·
long-ing to the Papal States, but lying within the boundaries of the Kingdnlll
of Naples.
�FR. CHAR!-ES PICCIRIL!-0.
343
account of the troublous times. Thus the first joys of the
priesthood were on him whilst Europe was in convulsion;
the Society was feeling the power of her enemies in the
dispersion of provinces and the loss of unworthy sons, many
of whom failed to stand the trials, doubts and difficulties incident to days of persecution. During the time of dispersion, Fr. Piccirillo was reCtor and professor of physics
of the college of Pic di Monte d'Aiife, an episcopal seminary in southern Italy. After six months of his rcCtorship,
the discipline of the seminary had been thoroughly renovated, many students devoid of qualities necessary for the
priesthood had been expelled, and a vigorous administration
successfully inaugurated. Not many months later, the Jesuits
were recalled to their old residences and colleges, and resumed their former stations, covered with honor and renown.
Like an April storm the persecution had but cleared the
sky and shaken down the fruit already blighted in the bud.
\Vhilst Pope Pius IX. was in exile at Gaeta, it was suggested to him that he could make good use of some of the
dispersed Jesuits by organizing a band of writers, and employing them in editing a magazine of political and religious
charaCter. The pope seized upon the idea, and soon a staff
was formed, and the Ci'llllta Catto!ica started at Naples under
the auspices of the pontiff. The chief editors at this time
were FF. Curci, Pianciani and Taparelli. They soon enlisted Fr. Piccirillo in their ranks, and at the close of the
current scholastic year he gave up the chair of physics
which he was then occupying in the college of Naples,
to devote himself exclusively to the Civzlt/r. He was
destined to be instrumental in helping to save it and the
Society from serious complications. It soon became necessary to remove the headquarters of the Ci-z,z!ttl to Rome,
where the editorial staff took up their abode at the Roman
College. This arrangement not being suitable, Pius IX.
procured a house for his corps of writers, and the fathers
conneCted with the magazine formed an independent community. Of this little community Fr. Piccirillo was minister for many years.
In OCtober, 185 I, Fr. Piccirillo passed his examination ad
gradum. The board was composed of FF. Passaglia, Perrone, Pianciani and Liberatore, and presided over by the
general, Fr. Rootbaan. It would seem that he had not taken
~ny points, had had no definite period set apart for preparation, but that whilst he was in the midst of his literary labors
and the business occupations entailed by the management
of the Ciz,zlta, he was suddenly ordered to present himself
and undergo this severe and searching ordeal. When we
�344
FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
remember that, whilst teaching several branches at vVoodstock, he succeeded in setting aside four hours a day for
Hebrew, in order to render himself a more efficient professor of scripture, we can well understand how, whilst· rector
of the seminary, professor at Naples, and editor at Rome,
this methodical lover of labor had foreseen that final examination and had armed himself quietly for the struggle.
The years glided by in literary labor, and not till 1854,
when he had already been nineteen years in the Society,
was he sent to his tertianship. Tronchiennes was the place
selected by Fr. General for that second noviceship, which is
to bring back the philosopher, the theologian, the priest, to
the simplicity, docility and humility of a novice. Before
the expiration of his tertianship, Fr. Piccirillo was called
upon to exercise, in oehalf of the Society and of the Ciuilt/1,
his practical talent for dealing with af£<irs of delicacy and
importance.
Some of the articles in the magazine, especially those of
Fr. Curci, were somewhat liberal in tone, and gave offence
to the king of Naples. The Jesuit writers had the temerity
to assert that constitutional monarchies were not necessarily
evil, and that, under conditions, even a republican government might be tolerated. Such "revolutionary" doctrine, of
course, could not be allowed to pass unnoticed. King Ferdinand first threatened to expel the Jesuits forthwith from
his dominions. Having been assured, however, that such action would involve him in serious trouble at Rome, he so far
moderated his ire as to consent to let the Society remain in
his dominions, provided the provincial and !tis consultors
would sign a document stating as· the doctririe of the Society on the subject of government, that the only legitimate
form is absolute monarchy.
Overawed by the royal authority, and terrified by the
danger that threatened the province, the consultors of the
Provincial of Naples succeeded in reading Suarez and Bellarmine through royal spectacles, and after an anxious night
of consultation signed the fatal mandate, one only having
the prudent courage to refuse. Straightway a bulletin was
issued in the court newspaper, and in a day or two all Europe
was startled to learn that the Society of Jesus was wedded
to absolute monarchy. Fr. Beckx, with prompt decision,
sent an indignant protest to the Univcrs, the leading Catholic paper in Europe of that day, and at once deposed the
provincial, scattered his three consultors, and made the dissenting consultor provincial.
Notwithstanding the fact that this crushing punishment
followed the fault so speedily, the enemies of the Society
�FR. CHARI.ES PICCIRILLO.
345
in every country were quick to take advantage of the
!;1lse step made by the Neapolitan fathers, and the legislative halls of the world rang with diatribes against the Jesuits.
In Belgium things looked serious; for the liberals, who were
pressing the Catholic party closely, now loudly demanded
the expulsion of our order, as opposed to constitutional
government. Fr. Piccirillo, from the quiet of the tertians1Iip, was sent by Fr. General to De Broglie, Prime Minister
of Belgium, and also, it is said, to the national assembly, to
explain away or palliate the mistake made in Naples and to
vindicate the true doctrine of the Society. This delicate
mission he successfully accomplished, and the storm soon
abated.
Returning to Rome he made his solemn profession in the
church of the Gesi1, into the hands of Fr. Beckx, on the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, 18 55· From this period
until he came to America his connection with the Cimtta
was uninterrupted. Fr. Liberatore speaks of him as one of
the strongest pillars of the magazine, owing as well to his
practical <tbilities as to his mental acquirements. He wrote
many articles on political economy, spiritism, and on literary subjects. Among other tales which he composed, the
one entitled 'Orfanella' may be mentioned as a specimen.
The literary work of the Civz!ltl was accomplished by
establishing several departments and intrusting each to one
of the editors. A day before the appearance of each number, the editors met in committee of the whole, all the articles
intended for the succeeding number were read aloud, and
mutual criticism and suggestions followed. This open editorial comment was in addition to the usual censorship o.f
the Society. It was desirable that the Ciz,i!tt'l should ha\·e
the charter and privileges of a college, but serious difficulties had to be overcome to secure this result. It was Fr.
Piccirillo who undertook the task, cheerfully surmounted
every obstacle, and brought the aff:1ir to a successful termination.
During the Council of the Vatican, he gave very efficient
aid to the bishops engaged in checkmating the opposition to
the proclamation of the dogma of the intililibility. Fr. Liberatore, who was theologian to Cardinal Manning, ascribes his
success to Fr. Piccirillo's active assistance in procuring him
necessary documents. At this period he was chief director
of the Ciz'ltt/l. For many years he was confessor to Pius
IX., enjoying the confidence of the pontiff and being on
·most intimate and fiuniliar terms with him. He was entrusted by the pope with several negotiations requiring great
�FR. CHARI,ES PICCIRILLO.
tact and knowledge of affairs, thus entering by deep inner
lines into the heart of events that have stirred the world,
and had a lasting effect upon the interests of the Church.
Fr. Piccirillo came to America in 1875· For twenty-five
years he had not entered a class-room, yet on resuming the
professor's chair, he fulfilled the arduous duties of his office
with alacrity and vigor. During his first year at \Voodstock
he taught ethics, canon law and ecclesiastical history. These
tasks proving too heavy, he was obliged to drop first one
and then another branch, till finally he confined himself to
scripture. \Vhen Fr. Mazzella was called to Rome in 1878,
Fr. Piccirillo succeeded him as prefect of studies, an office
which he continued to fill until his death. The interests of
the college were very dear to him, and he was earnest and
energetic in adding1:{) the library, and in procuring collections of minerals, plants and fossils. Of the 40,000 works
in our library, we owe perhaps 20,000 to Fr. Piccirillo's untiring efforts in our behalf; and nearly if not quite all the
scientific collections of the college are the fruits of his efforts.
In securing books for the library and specimens for the
museum no expense was spared. Sometimes he paid as
high as sixty, eighty or a hundred dollars for single crystals
of rare occurrence or remarkable size. He visited the Centennial, the exposition of New Orleans, and other great
public displays, where he could hope to procure rare objects of natural history. His collectiotYof polyglots includes
all that have ever been published, not excepting the polygl<?t of Ximenes, a copy of which he secured, to his great
delight, shortly before his death.
As prefect of studies the scholastics of vVoodstock knew
him best. In the constant intercourse he had with large
numbers of students, he displayed ;m eager interest in ascertainmg the tastes and securing the advancement of each
and all, ever ready to cheer and encourage, to open fresh
fields of information, to suggest plans for their improvement.
Always genial, biand and condescending; open, frank and
courteous; with a beaming countenance on which sat that
joy which is the fairest fruit of meekness, Fr. Piccirillo was
warmly loved by all who knew him. His connection with
the Cz<•tl!tl and with the Vatican had given him no little acquaintance with the world and with politics. A shrewd observer of men and manners, his memory was stored with most
interesting information of a historical character, which he
was ready to communicate, with charming openness and unreserve. It had cost him a great effort to master the English
language, especially on account of its unbroken array ofbrist-
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
34i
ling consonants in many words. Such words as "stretch"
and "strength" he could scarcely utter in less than three or
four syllables. But he £"lced the enemy boldly, and continued to the end to battle with his unnumbered Saxon foes,
availing himself of every auxiliary, from the youngest scholastic to the most venerable father, in the life-long struggle
with our stubborn tongue. Among his documents was
found an English grammar, which he had composed for his
own usc.
On the 27th of May, I 88 5, \Vooclstock celebrated the
golden jubilee of its honored pre feEl: of studies, by one of
those old-time acadmzies in which the prose and verse of
living languages arc made to vie in harmony with the stately measures of Greece and Rome. The praises of Fr. Piccirillo resounded in French and Italian, in English and
Spanish, in Latin and Greek; yet, as the \VoonsTOCK LETTERS of that day remark, it was eulogy but not flattery.
The community deemed it a happy privilege to have this
chance of showing their appreciation of all that he had done
for their best interests. The clay was one of religious gayety
and literary jubilation, such as well fitted the joyous but
earnest laborer in whose honor it was celebrated.
Fr. Piccirillo attended the third plenary council of Baltimore in the cap.1city of theologian to Bishop Janssens. At
an important session, the question was mooted whether the
impediment of clandestinity should be extended to all the
dioceses of this country or removed from those in which it
already existed. After several speeches had been made on
the subjec1, cl1ielly in English, Fr. Piccirillo was called upon
informally to express his opinion. He rose and, after a
modest and appropriate opening, poured upon the astonished
ears of his northern listeners a splendid address in handsomely rounded Ciceronian periods, full of solid thought,
and com·incing all who heard. The bishops were loud in
their congratulations, and still speak with praise of this
scholarly effi)rt. He favored the entire removal of the impediment, and as the sentiment of the council was with him,
a postulate was sent to Rome asking its J"lbolition. The
postulate was however rejeEl:ed.
In the summer of 1887, Fr. Piccirillo's health £"liling
rapidly, he consulted physicians in Baltimore and New York
who advised perfeCt: repose from serious labor, with gentle exercise in the open air and plenty of social .intercourse. He was accordingly relieved of class-work but
continued to take charge of the library and to fulfil the duties of prefeCt: of studies. It now became difficult for him
to move about, and he commonly rested two or three times
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRILLO.
between the refeB:ory and the chapel, though he had to ascend but one flight of stairs on the way. Almost daily,
severe attacks of cardiac asthma prostrated his system and
kept him in constant expeCtation of death; and still, if
one of these paroxysms left him ten minutes before a community exercise, he would beg the infirmarian to let him
join his brethren. Frequently he passed from what might
have been the embrace of death to the community recreation, entertaining his companions with many an anecdote of
his early days, concealing by his playfulness and vivacity
the terrible malady that was eating away his life. The last
time he took his turn in delivering an exhortation to the
community, scarcely were the first words uttered when his
throbbing heart warned him of danger. For a moment he
hesitated, then rousing himself by a great effort, he continued to speak with redoubled vigor, delighting his hearers
by his zealous fervor. \Vhen he had concluded, it was with
difficulty that he dragged himself to his room near by, and
there for several hours he lay gasping for breath. These
attacks continued, and even increased in frequency, sometimes occurring as often as three times in twenty-four hours.
All the ordinary remedies, such as leeching and blistering,
were applied by the faithful infirmarian, but they afforded
slight relief. A little broken ice gave him more help than
any medicine. His daily Mass now became a preparation
for death; but fie had still a year to suffer and even a fresh
burden of responsibility to bear.
\Voodstock will long rejoice in the faCt: that it became
necessary for Fr.. Piccirillo to ad: as spiritual fat]1er during
his last months on earth. \Vith the sweet unetiQJl of charity,
forgetful of self. he poured from his t'ltherly heart "the stores
garnered during a lifetime; and by showing us the secret
well-spring of all his own joyous aB:ivity, urged us to drink
deep at the eternal fountain of religious happiness. I-lis
life had been a model of prayerful energy. Rising at 3 A.M.
he completed his hour of meditation, said Mass, recited by
special privilege the whole office, and was ready for labor
before the rest .of the community had well begun their
morning devotions. This austere praB:ice was continued
until, broken by age and infirmity, he was positively forbidden to rise at so early an hour. When the time came for.
the annual examinations last June, he assigned himself to
one of the boards:nf examiners, and in spite of the intense
heat, labored four hours a day at this trying duty. Many
of us saw him for the last time in the examination hall, and
wiil think of him as of one who died in harness, a cheerful
martyr to duty.
�FR. CHARLES PICCIRiLLO:
As soon as the examinations are concluded at Woodstock,
the students are sent in a body to the villa to rest and recruit. On the morning of their departure, Fr. Piccirillo
seated himself in the main corridor of the college to catch a
last glimpse of the scholastics. He wished to be recollected
as one eager to usher in the time of innocent enjoyment and
needed rest, fully conscious, as he expressed himself to
some, that before we returned from our brief holiday, he
would have gone home for the long vacation which lasts
forever.
In his last letter to Fr. Liberatore he said that he might
go at any moment, adding: "This being the case, I prepare
myself carefully every day as if on that day I was to die."
On the 5th of July came the fatal attack. He had been
to evening recreation with the few fathers remaining at
Woodstock, and then withdrawing to his room said his
beads, and made his spiritual reading. Whilst engaged· in
these exercises of devotion, the infirmarian entering to make
the usual evening visit, Fr. Piccirillo asked him why he had
not gone to the villa with the scholastics. The brother replied that there were two sick lay-brothers in the house
and that Fr. Rector did not wish them to be deprived of his
care. "It was for me you stayed," quickly rejoined Fr.
Piccirillo. He then said that his head felt duller and heavier than usual. Shortly after, having prepared his points
for the morning meditation, he made ready to retire.
Drawing clown his old-[<shioned long stocking, worn
on account of varicose veins, he was about to dress
an issue which had been open for thirty-eight years
and had required constant care, when he was seized
with a violent attack of the cardiac asthma. Fortunately; at this very moment, a junior who wished to go
to confession entered the room, and seeing Fr. Piccirillo's
condition, hastily summoned the infirmarian, whose skilful
eye told him that his patient was about to have a severe
hemorrhage. ·Immediately Fr. Piccirillo was informed of
the fact. Fr. Minister having entered at this moment, the
brother hastened to procure remedies if perchance they
might be of any avail. In the meantime Fr. Sabetti, fol-'
lowed by Fr. Brandi, entered the sick-room. The dying
man reclined in his rocking-chair, pale and haggard, rendered speechless by the terrible oppression on his heart, but
perfectly conscious. Standing at his side, Fr. Sabetti said:
"Make an aCl: of contrition, k<thcr, and I will give you the
last absolution." Straightway the dying f.<ther joined his
lunJ.; and bowed his head upon his breast. These were
VoL. xvu, No. 3·
22
�Pi?. CHAJ?LES PICCIRILLO.
sufficient signs of perfeB: consciousness. The absolution
pronounced, Fr. Sabetti hastened to the sacristy for the holy
oils, and returning anointed the forehead, using the short
formula, for fear that death might come too soon. He then
proceeded to anoint the five senses, the hands and feet, and
soon after this sacred rite was completed, and the indulgence
in articulo mortis had been given by Fr. Giraud, Fr. Piccirillo quietly breathed his last. The immediate cause of his
death was a hemorrhage which sent the blood rushing
up to the head, suffusing the brain and thus stopping all
vital aB:ion. Several fathers, juniors and brothers had gathered about him, reciting the prayers for the dying, but no
one knew the precise moment when he expired, so calm, so
tranquil was the end. \Vhen the De projzmdis bell was rung,
some ten minutes later than the one which is usually rung
at the end of examen, many of the community thought that
a mistake had been made. On learning that it rang for the
soul of one who had been seen a day or two before walking .
down to the grotto, who on the preceding day had been
entertaining guests, and on that very afternoon had mingled
with the juniors on the lawn, delighting them by his
sprightly conversation, nay, who an hour ago was with the
fathers at evening recreation, we may imagine the painful
shock caused by a death so slow in coming but so sudden at
the last. Nex_.t morning, a brother who lives in a building
adjoining the college, wishing to go to confession as usual,
knocked at Fr. Piccirillo's door about 6 o'clock, and hearing no response, opened it and found his confessor stark in
•
death.
Where the light spray of the willow minglc::s with the
dark fronds of the arbor vita:, at that point of our little
graveyard nearest to the college he loved so well, lies all
that is left to us of Father Charles Piccirillo, save the sweet
memory of his kindness, and the fragrant recolleB:ion of his
exalted virtues. The passer-by will scarcely note the plain
white slab with its name and dates, as much like its neighbor as one Jesuit cassock is to another; but if a ray of culture may ever have pierced his soul, he cannot but pause
·over the inscription common to all our dead but singularly
appropriate to dear Fr. Piccirillo: Societas jesu quos genuit
eorum caros cineres ado reddmdos sollicite lzic jmJet.
T.E.S.
NOTE.-Since the first part of thiR sketch went through the press, we have
discovered that although the 2/ith of Dec. was always given by Fr. Piccirillo
as the day of his birth and is the only date fount! in our cata1ogue, yet in 1he
catalogue of Naples the 20th of Nov. is given; the same is found in the Ro•
man catalogue up to 1865, and from that year onward the 29th of Nov.
�FATHER EDWARD
J.
SOURIN.
A SKETCH.
Fr. Sourin was born in Philadelphia, of Irish Catholic
parents, both of whom died while he was still quite young.
The withdrawal of the home solicitude and separation of
the children consequent on this, proved fatal to the religion
of one of the sons, who, adopted by Protestants, grew up
alien to the true faith, and became afterwards a Methodist
minister. Edward, the youngest child, had the good fortune to be taken care of by Catholic friends, and was sent
at an early age to Mount St. Mary's College, Emmittsburg.
Here he soon became distinguished for his rapid and brilliant success in literary studies, and grew up with the infant
college, overshadowed by the holy and strengthening influence of those pioneer bishops of Catholic America, Bishops
Dubois and Brute. There are records in Bishop Brute's
handwriting laudatory of the young scholar's remarkable
talents. He excelled in Latin and Greek, and wrote poetry
with ease and grace. Some of his hymns are quite popular
now, though their author is not generally knownY> His professor at this period was he who afterwards became the
celebrated Archbishop Hughes, and Fr. Sourin was wont to
speak, in later days, of those striking traits of charaCter
which gave foundation for the great hopes entertained of
him, which were afterwards so grandly realized.
After completin;.; a brilliant collegiate course, during
which he was a classmate of the late Cardinal McCloskey,
he studied for the priesthnod and was ordained in 1832.
Then began with redoubled ardor that life of self-sacrifice
and zeal for the salvation of souls, which was to last till
strength of body could no longer lend itself to the grand
intentions of a soul thoroughly devoted to the work of God.
Philadelphia and Baltimore, besides many other places in
which he gav:e proofs of his sanCtity and devotion to the
spiritual good of others, were witnesses of his apostolic endeavors and holy triumphs. At St. Mary's, in Philadelphia,
he was at one time assistant pastor, then associate at St.
John's of Fr. Gartland, with whom he had been ordained, and
who afterwards became first bishop of Savannah; between
them there existed a lifelong friendship. After Bishop
Cll ff any of out· t·eaders can supply us with more exact information about
the hymns written or translated by Fr. Sourin they would thus enable us to
publish an interesting supplement to this sketch.
(351)
�F.R. EDWARD j
SOU.R!N.
Gartland's consecration, Fr. Sourin became pastor of the
cathedral at Philadelphia. This was at a time when to be
a priest meant to be the champion of the faithful persecuted
by the fury of the intolerant Protestants of those days.
There are extant many interesting anecdotes of his conduCt
during the riots of those troublous times. \Vhen the city was
filled with cries of rage against Catholics, and threats of
church-burning, his coolness and gentlemanly behavior did
not fail of its effeCt on that fanatic mob, which he disarmed
by his mere presence.
·
When Archbishop Kenrick was transferred to the archiepiscopal see of Baltimore, Fr. Sourin was made administrator of the diocese, until the appointment of the saintly
Bishop Neumann. Then it was that, freed from this responsibility, he recognized .!he opportunity provided by God for
devoting himself to the religious life to which he had for
some time past felt himself called. He applied to this holy
bishop, secured his permission, and entered the Society of
Jesus in November 1855,pronouncing his vows on the feast
of St. Stanislaus. On August I sth, 1866, he pronounced
his last vows. He was the only professed of the three
vows in our province. His first appointment after entering
the Society, was as pastor of St. John's Church, Frederick,
Md. He was next stationed at Loyola College, Baltimore;
and his thirty years as a Jesuit have been spent almost entirely between these two places, where the memory of his
virtues will not soon die out.
He was especially the consoler of the unfortunate, and
within the walls of the penitentiary at Baltimore, the tear
unknown and un-suspected by the outer world _Fip fall from
the eye of many a one whose heart, hardened for"years, will
melt for him who was to the conviCt a comforter and a
friend. From the 8th of February, 1879, till about a year
before his death, Fr. Sourin was a constant visitor to these
souls, of whom he made devout Catholics, and of whose
sincerity he never, with but one exception, had reason to
doubt. Glorious work ! and very pleasing in the eyes of
God! "I was in prison and you came to me." "Amen, I
say to you as long as you did it to one of these my least
brethren, you did it to me."
Learned in the science of the saints, Fr. Sourin was not
wanting in ability in instruCting others with success in
the truths of salvation. There was a time when his eloquence could fill the largest halls of Baltimore; and many
were those for whom his words of holiness and wisdom
were the means of coming back to God. And indeed,
whether he spoke words of encouragement to the faint-
�BRAZIL.
353
hearted, of instruction to the ignorant, or of exhortation to
the dejected, it was the same spirit of earnest zeal and abiding sanctity which animated him.
His edifying death was what might have been expected
from his holy life. · Peacefully he passed from the arms of
his beloved Society on earth to the company of those who
had gone before him to receive their reward. As we linger
over the memory of that saintly career, beautiful in its holy
simplicity and exalted virtue, we are struck with admiration
at what a consummate work that life is which has answered
the designs of the Divine ArchiteCt.
BRAZIL.
Letter from Fr. Galanti.
ITu, ST. Lmz CoLLEGE,
Aug. 29th, 1888.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Please accept my thanks for the March and July numbers
of the LETTERS. Everybody here takes great interest in the
news the LETTERS bring us.
Items of news are rather scarce here, but such as they
arc I send them, hoping they may prove interesting to your
readers. Although we are hampered in our work by the
fewness ·of our f:<thers and the want of applicants to the
Society, the bishop of Goyaz, while in Rome last January,
prevailed on V. Rev. Fr. General to send a few fathers to
evangelize the savages in his diocese. Accordingly, two
f:<thers and a brother left us on the fourth of last May to
found the new mission. The journey from Itu to the scene
of their future labors is long and toilsome, and up to the
present we have received no news from them, except that
they had arrived at the city of Goyaz, the capital· of the
province of the same name. The country committed to
their care is said to be as large in extent as the whole of
Italy. If any one should be interested in knowing its exaB:
location on the map, the following directions will be of help
in finding it. From the city of Para follow the course of
the Tocantins a little beyond the fifth degree of southern
latitude, till the tributary Araguaya is reached on the borders of the provinces of Goyaz, MaranhC~o and Para. Here <\
�354
BRAZIL.
large part of the country lying between the Tocantins and the
Araguaya, beginning at the place where the two rivers meet,
is wild and inhabited by the Indians whom the fathers have
set out to convert. To reach their destination the fathers
started by railroad for Goyaz, but long before reaching that
city they were forced to leave the railroad and finish that
part of the journey on horseback. From Goyaz, they were
to follow the Tocantins partly on horseback and partly by
boats which they hoped to secure on their way. Before
they left, I begged the superior of the party to send me a
letter giving an account of the journey and some idea of
their future work; but so far, no news, I am sorry to say,
has come since their departure from Goyaz.
Fr. Mantero, while .s.!ill retaining the office of reaor here,
was appointed superior of the Brazilian Mission, but shortly
after suffered so much from an attack of rheumatism that
he was confined to his bed for a whole month. Fr. Aureli
is still working alone at Rio, as we cannot send him a companion to share in his labors. The boarders in this college
number three hundred and thirty, and are enjoying remarkably good health. Small-pox has appeared in many places
in the province and even in this town. One of our fathers
has been attending the sick for two months past, and though
at times he has but little to do, he is obliged to stay on the
other side of tlie town and is not allowed to come to the
college under any circumstances. It is surprising how contagious this disease has become. To pass near a man affliaed with it is enough to catch it; and the people have
come to fear it so much, that it is very difficultj:bget nurses
for the sick. As soon as any one is found infeaed with it, he
is immediately sent to the lazar-house, situated some distance from the town, and while on his way through the
streets an officer, trumpet in hand, precedes him, shouting
from time to time: "Small-pox! make way! small pox!" Needless to say, the street is cleared in a moment, but as soon as
the unfortunate has passed, the street is as quickly filled with
persons inquiring who he might be and where he had come
·from. Sometimes a small flag is displayed in front of a
house, and thereafter that house is scrupulously avoided.
No one receives anything that comes from the lazar-house,
not even money, and few are found bold enough to speak to
the priest or the doaors who visit it, though it is well known
that they take every precaution to avoid spreading the disease. Sometimes a whole family goes to the lazar-house
for the simple reason that no one will sell them anything if
they remain in town. Some time ago we were very much
frightened. One day <l servant fell sick of what seerned to
�BRAZIL.
355
be small-pox. He was sent to the hospital at once, and precautions were taken to protect the rest of the household.
Though we tried to keep the fact secret, the rumor got
abroad in the city that the dreaded plague had settled on
the college. vVe were in a sad state for some days, when
our poor sick servant, the cause of our trouble, came back
to give us relie£ It turned out that not only had he no
small-pox, but what is more remarkable, he did not take it
while in the hospital. However, from prudential motives,
we thought it better not to allow him to come back to us.
You can hardly imagine the fear that seized the boys and
their parents; some of the latter wrote to have their boys
sent home at once. But not a boy left us; and although we
are out of danger, we are not without apprehension.
The Brazilian government has abolished slavery at last,
and happily no disorder of any importance has come of it.
The slave owners have a bill before congress asking for indemnification. The abolition of slavery brought a beautiful
letter from His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII., to the bishops of
Brazil, and the Golden Rose to the princess regent.
Our august Emperor has just returned from Europe where
he was for a time dangerously ill.
Congress is now engaged discussing the "freedom of worship" bill. There is no opposition in congress, but of late
a petition against the bill has appeared in the newspapers,
signed by about twelve thousand citizens.
Please have the kindness to tell good Fr. Piccirillo that
his letter has reached me, and that I thank him heartily for
it. Please remember me to all my friends at Woodstock,
and believe me always in the union of your holy sacrifices.
R<e. Vee. infimus servus in Xto.,
J. R. M. GALANTI, s. J.
P. S. We have just received a letter from the bishop of
Goyaz, stating that our f<tthers have reached their mission
and are settled in ·a little village, from which, as soon as circumstances permit, they will go in search of the Indians.
�IDAHO TERRITORY.
Letter if Fr. Soer.
ST. JosEPH's,
LAPWAI,
June 30th, I 888.
REv. AND DEAR FR. SuPERIOR,
P. C.
According to your \~ish I shall give you a few items that
may be interesting about my work in the Nez Perces Reservation and at St. Peter's, ncar Cottonwood, on Camas
Prairie. I have been in charge of this parish since last October. Before my appointment, it had been attended by Fr.
Diomedi, and by Fr. Morvillo from Lewiston, I. T. My
congregation is made up chiefly of Germans, who came to
this region about five years ago, and finding the plains already
occupied settled in the mountains. I started for my mission
on the 9th of OCt:ober. It is a long and lonesome journey.
After an hour's ride on horseback, I took the stage. We
ascended a mountain for about four miles on a very stony
road. We travelled for over three hours through the Indian
reservation without seeing a house. Later on, we saw
from time to time a little farm, a rustic post-office or a sawmill. Soon after, we reached the great Camas Prairie, spread
out at the foot of the mountains. The only lrouse visible
was a white one on Mt. Idaho, really eighteen miles off, but
seeming to be only about six miles away. All the other
houses of the well settled prairie are built behind little hills
as if to escape observation. \Ve passed the grave of Forster
who fell during the Nez Perces war, and on a sudden reached
Cottonwood, hidden hitherto from view, at the foot of the
mountain, at the entrance to the prairie.· It consists of a
nicely built hotel, a store, a saloon, two blacksmith shops
and a sort of general trading-house. Four or five miles
from there, to the right, towards the woody mountains, lies
the German settlement with a fine church dedicated to the
Sacred Heart, the first and only church on all Camas Prairie.
There is no town .here, only a store and the house of Mr.
Anthony Hendricks, who gave a part of his ranch for the
church and priest's house. But on Sundays you would be
surprised at the size of my congregation. They come to
.
~5~
�IDAHO TERRITORY.
357
the church every Sunday, even when I am not there to say
Mass, for catechism, the rosary, hymns, etc. So devout and
exemplary are they, that I know of only one who has not
been to her Easter duties; and when I remain on Monday,
they all assist at Mass.
The 3rd of June was a happy day for these good people,
for on that day Rt. Rev. Bishop Glorieux blessed their
church, which by hard work they had just succeeded in
finishing. The altar, and especially the tabernacle, the work
of a farmer, might do credit to a skilled carpenter, and
looked bright and beautiful when adorned with bunches and
garlands of flowers. In the afternoon, the bishop blessed
the graveyard, a statue of the Blessed Virgin, and a fine
bell weighing over one thousand pounds, whose clear notes
can be heard for nearly four miles. Fr. Diomedi is the
founder of this mission, which he called after St. Peter, that
the church founded on Peter might take possession of the
prairie; but the church he consecrated to the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, that all might be inflamed with love for that Divine
Heart. A school has lately been opened here.
Last November, the church, though then unfinished, was
the scene of the abjuration of two Lutherans. Herman
Helm is a young Saxon, twenty six years old, who has
been in this country several years, first in a Catholic settlement in Kansas and now on Camas Prairie. He formerly
had all the prejudices instilled by his Lutheran minister, but
he found by degrees that Catholics and their religion were
not what he had been taught. Once when going alone
through the mines, he heard the fearful howling of a panther
near him. Terribly alarmed, he began to pray, but the danger
seemed imminent until he felt inspired to make the sign of
the cross, and the enemy disappeared. He did not however
make up his mind to become a Catholic. That came about
in a strange way. He wished to marry. He wrote to his
parents in Saxony to choose a bride for him. The lot fell
on Wilhelmina Ernst, who nothing loth accepted the offer,
left her native land and in October 1887, reached St. Peter's
where Herman awaited her. The next step was to be
married. But by whom? There was no Lutheran minister.
By a judge? That shocked the religious ideas of \Vilhelmina. The only alternative was to be married by a priest.
And that was equally shocking in her eyes. She had been
brought up to believe that priests were men who lived a
double life; apparently good and holy, but really wicked
and depraved. Besides, in order to be married by a priest
she thought she would be expected to become a Catholic.
So the marriage was postponed. But Wilhelmina soon per-
�IDAHO TERRITORY.
ceived that she had misjudged Catholics and their religion,
and in a short time she was under instruction and became
much attached to her new-found friends and their religion.
By November both she and her lover were ready to be received into the true Church. Accordingly, on the 13th,
they made their abjuration of heresy, received their first
Communion and were married. They are very edifying and
fervent, and their recreation is to read together the lives of
the saints. Others will follow their good example; for many
of different sects attend our church. One lady has already
expressed her willingness to become a Catholic, provided
her husband will do the same.
Let me now say a few word~ about the happy death of a
Spaniard named Astiago, commonly known as "George,"
the leader of a pack-train. Last winter he was paralyzed,
probably owing to exposure to the fearful cold, and suffered
extremely. Fr. Diomedi had visited him, but failed to get
him to confession at that time. Death was approaching and
he resolved to prepare himself. Hearing that a priest was
at Lewiston, he himself asked to see me. Of course I went,
and I found him distorted with suffering and scarcely able
to speak. He made his confession and I anointed him, and
on the following day gave him Holy Communion. A lady,
who witnessed the happiness of George after receiving the
sacraments, was so touched by the grace of God that she
said: "Let me know, Father, when you will return, t}lat I,
too, may confess." She kept her word, and on my return
she was reconciled to God after thirteen years of neglect of
duties. Though Astiago had not gone to chur_ch for many
years, he had never forgotten a single day to say his prayers.
But you will think that it is about time for me to tell you
something about the Nez Perces Indians. In my last letter
I mentjoned the conversion of a girl named Alliototai, who
had come with her mother and brother to the reservation
a year ago. It came to pass in this way. An Indian, Damian
Niniszikustin, had promised, at the death-bed of his first
wife, to become a Catholic; he kept his word, and is now
very practical and fervent. Wishing to console himself, he
was looking out for a good Catholic girl to marry, but could
find none to suit. He met Alliototai, who was still a pagan,
and made his proposal. · At first she was unwilling, but
finally yielded to. her mother's and brother's persuasion.
She consented to marry him and also expressed herself
willing to become a Catholic. So I instructed her carefully,
and on the 21st of August, 1887, I baptized her by the name
of Anna. May her conversion lead to that of her mother
and brother.
�IDAHO TERRITORY.
359
I was called one day to baptize a little boy six years old.
His parents were not Catholics, but as he was very ill and
had himself asked for baptism, his father came to tell me
the wish of his little son. The consent of the mother had
not yet been given, so the father told me that he would return after a few days. As the child appeared to get better
they put off sending for me, till at last the little fellow said
to his father reproachfully: "Father, you told me very often
that the Samgzemngzemng (Blackrobe) would come, but
I do not see him." This reproach could not be resisted and
I was sent for. I went to the house accompanied by many
influential Indians. After the baptism, I addressed the family through an interpreter, I told them the reason of my
coming among them and explained to them how happy the
little boy would soon be for all eternity because they had
consented to let his sins be washed away in the waters of
regeneration. I then asked leave to baptize their other little
boy; but the time had not yet come and they would not
consent. I invited them to come to the church. The
mother came, and since the death of little Joseph, she has
continued to come.
Some time after, I was told that a grandchild of
these same Indians, living in the same house, was very
ill. I called and found the mother alone with two children. I spoke of baptizing the sick boy, but she would
not allo\v it as her husband was not at home. She is a
young Protestant of Camiag. I told her of the necessity of
baptism and showed her how to baptize in case of danger
of death. Some days passed, when Damian came on the
part of the parents to ask me to baptize their little boy,
which I accordingly did, naming him Joseph. They even
consented to my baptizing their little girl, whom I called
Agnes. Joseph soon after died. I visited the fa,mily in
March and found they had moved into a new house. In
the meantime, the grand-parents had had a little girl born
to them; and the young parents a little boy, to fill the places
of the two little Josephs they had lost. I warned them not
to defer the baptism of these babies, and they asked when
the next great feast would come. St. Joseph's day was approaching, so they selected it for the day of the baptism. I
explained to them the Catholic pictures that hung upon
their walls and they seemed much interested, and I left them
hopeful of the conversion of the whole family.
This family is very widely conneCl:ed, their chief is Piopiu
Maksmaks (Yellow Bird). He often visits the mission, and had
received some instruCl:ion, and was once on the point of being
baptized. Brother Priotto enjoys telling of a meeting between
�IDAHO TERRITORY.
this chief, in full paint, and the bishop. Instead of kneeling
as others did to kiss His Lordship's ring, Piopiu and his
band remained standing, bowed with great ceremony, then
shook the bishop's hand. Hearing that the name they intended giving him in baptism was Timothy, "Timothy,"
he cried out, "is grass!" Ten years passed and found Piopiu
still unregenerated. Finally he wished to marry the daughter
of Kainipaz, a patriarch with forty children and grandchildren, all distinguished for their piety and devotion to the
Church. Consent was obtained on condition that he become
a Catholic. So he put himself under instruction and was
baptized on All Saints' day, 1887. He might have great
influence for good over his band, but he is not fervent enough
to enkindle others. L visited him the other day in his big
tent, which contained "at least fifteen beds-that is to say
Indian beds, one or two blankets on a little straw; they
also serve as seats. I was invited to dine with them. Piopiu picked out the best potatoes and put them on my plate
and helped me to butter. He himself was served by his
wife, who, as wife of a chief, enjoyed the privilege of sitting
near her lord at table; while all other women eat apart from
the men. Everything was clean. The food was served on
a cloth spread upon the floor, which required a rather
awkward position, for me at least, as I am not accustomed
to sit tailorwise. ·Each of us was provided with a plate,
knife, fork, cup and saucer. When I asked for a drink
of water, Mrs. Piopiu handed it to me in .a sugat-basin,
which was somewhat incongruous. I admire !he way in
which so many women can live together in peace and concord. If only they all had the true faith! But they live at
a great distance from the church. I hope however to make
some conversions among them, as one woman has already
~xpressed her wish to become a Catholic.
The Indians living at Pisgnisse, on the side of the Clearwater, show signs of interest in our religion. Thosewho
are already Catholics assemble twice every day for prayer
and three times on Sunday. Not a few of the pagans and
Protestants join with them and ask for explanations of the
Catholic doctrine. On my next visit, I shall baptize Tamsas,
whose wife is already a neophyte. The last time I was
there, a boy, whose parents are infidels, was so much impressed by my sermon that he came to me and told me that
he did not want to live like a heathen any longer, and that
he would try to get his parents' consent to his becoming a
Catholic.
I must now say a few words about the extraordinary fruits
the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus bore at Lapwai.
�P.k. JOHN BAPS1:
Rev. Fr. Cataldo began to make the devotion more popular
last November. He had forborne to speak of the First
Friday Communion of reparation, lest they should thereby
neglect coming on Sunday, as very few Indians live near the
church. But thinking that now they were sufficiently instructed in their duties, he spoke of our Lord's wish. The
result was that there were more Communions on the first
Friday than on great feasts in former years. Nor did this
devotion interfere with Sunday; for they approached the
Holy Table again on the following Sunday. In a word, the
number of Communions in the whole year ( 1886) was about
woo, while in the half year from January to June, 1887,
the number was 1324.
These poor Nez Perces have such a horror of sin that
most of them cannot rest in peace if they have the least
venial sin upon their conscience. No wonder, then, that
the devotion to the Sacred Heart has produced great fruits
in these pure, simple-hearted people.
Commending myself and h1y missions to your prayers,
I am etc.,
A. SoER, S. ].
FR. JOHN BAPST.
A SKETCH.
( Cmztimtcd.)
For three years Father Bapst devoted himself with a truly
apostolic zeal to the conversion of the poor Indians, who
had been, for twenty years or more, destitute of all priestly
ministrations. His boundless charity, however, did not suffer him to confine his labors to these poor Indians, but while
dwelling in their midst he made frequent excursions in
search of the stray sheep amon~ their white brethren, as is
beautifully attested in the following interesting letter written
by him, during the second year of his residence on Old Town
Island, to his beloved friend, Fr. Charles Billet, S. J., of
Brussels.
�FR. jOHN BAPST.
OLD ToWN,
MAINE,
April 27th, 1850.
REVEREND AND VERY DEAR FATilER,
P. C.
I must first offer you my excuses for the long silence I have maintained.
I would certainly not have deferred writing to you until this late day,
had I thought that you still continued to reside at Brussels; but knowing
that our European provinces were the scene of ever-recurring political
upheavals, I deemed it possible that you might have changed your residence, and in this uncertainty 1 delayed continuing my correspondence
with you. But now you are about to see how I will make up for the
past. Oh no, Reverend Father, I need no extrinsic motives to induce me
to write to you; I have but to follow the bent of my heart's desires, I
have but to indulge the sweetest inclination of my soul. The ocean that
separates us will never cause m~ to forget our old friendship. Indeed
during my two years' residence on Old Town Island I have been subjected
to very severe trials, whicli'have in every case resulted in intensifying my
regret at my enforced separation from dear friends in Europe.
There is an American proverb to the effect that in this world one should
go ahead, and count only on himself. It is precisely what I have to reduce to practice in my own regard. I have on my hands a mission of
many thousand Catholics, scattered over an immense extent of country;
now, to convert them and to preserve them in the faith I can count only
on myself. In the tribunal of penance, few weeks go by that I do not
have to deal with penitents who have not confessed for twenty or thirty
years or more; and without passing any rash judgment, you can easily
suppose that such_penitents have consciences heavily laden with sin, and
present cases generally pretty complicated, especially when you consider
that my Uatholics are all poor, and are brought into contact every hour
of the day with the American Protestants, upon whom they depend entirely for subsistence. Now, the majority of Americans in these parts
bend the knee to no other divinities than Plutus and VenuS. With many,
the most frightful abominations are crimes only when ~ade public. In
secret everything is permitted. It is a law of nature, they say, and be·sides there is no hell, or if there is, it is not for men, ns Uhrist has ransomed us all. You might know all Liguori by heart and yet not discover
a solution of the difficulties that present themselves in the confessional.
In the midst of such doubts, when one is by himself, to whom can he
apply for advice?
A Catholic priest in this country is apt to have some differences with
the civil authorities who are all Protestants; in these junctures, to whom
can he apply for assistance when he is alone and knows not the language
of the country? In this country of liberty Jlar exceUence, where among
many vice reigns almost without bridle, and where the thoughts, the
words and the actions of men are as they were at the period of the deluge,
when "omnis caro cqi:ruperat viam suam" ; . . . . a religious deprived of
all companionship, depending only on himself, not wearing the ecclesias. tical dress, almost always on the road, having no one to edify him, able
with impunity and without any one being the wiser to omit for years
together meditation, examen, spiritual reading, retreat, etc.,-how, I ssk
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
you, can a religious thus situated contend against the torrent that overturns and bears along in its impetuous flood almost every one about him?
But if perchance there should spread among the community a contagious
malady, the cholera for example (and this is no longer a mere supposition),
what will the missioner do who is thus left companionless? If he takes
to flight, he is a mercenary; if he does not desert his post, it can very
easily happen that he fall a victim to the disease, and run the risk of
dying, and that too without sacrament, without friends, without priest,
and perhaps without any succor. . . . In a word, in all these difficulties
that beset him, in these moments of sadness, of discouragement, of sickness, to whom will he have recourse for aid? His reply is very simpleto God alone. And assuredly he whom God protects is well protected.
In my own regard, despite the slightly sombre hue of the picture in which
I have just portrayed my own position, I can assure you that God· has
not ceased for a single instant to pour in abundance into my soul his
strengthening grace and to give me almost an excess of consolation. For
up to the present period, I have weatllered with safety all the storms that
threatened me; God blesses my labors in a manner not only visible, but
I even dare say miraculous. And yet, notwithstanding all this, or rather
because of all this, I cannot help directing my gaze towards Europe, not
to regret my absence from that old land which God seems to have cursed,
but because the longing is big within my soul to share these labors that
I sustain, and these astonishing benedictions with which they are
crowned, with one of my European brethren. But I have reason to hope,
Reverend Father, that this happiness will soon be mine. Rev. Father
Brocard has at last promised to give me a companion, a father from our
province. Guess who he is. Father Maurice Gailland ! But yet, I have
not, up to the present date, welcomed his advent to this island, and I have
some reason to believe tllat my hope may only be a deceitful one. But
at any rate, Fa tiler Provincial has promised him to me. In the meantime,
if there were at Brussels a father called Fr. B. [Billet] or Fr. de F. [de
Forell] who would be willing to descend from the lofty heights of a prefectship of studies or a chair of rhetoric in a great college and a great
city, and begin to instruct Indians on a little island of America, I would
tell them of the well founded hopes that I conceive for the future of religion not only among the Indians, but especially among the whites, in
these northern regions of the United States.
I will not repeat here all that I have said in my preceding letters. I
will content myself with writing only as much as will give you an idea
of my present position. To begin with the Indians: on my arrival here
I took them all for little saints; but how greatly was I deceived! They
restrained themselves somewhat in the beginning, but when they saw that
I was not content with fair words merely, but required good works also,
then it was that they revealed themselves at length in their true colors.
I am now certain that half of my Indians have lost the faith; 1or that
portion of them retain no belief in the doctrines of hell, of purgatory, of
the real presence, of the remission of sins; while they reject all feasts,
abstinenccs and fasts; in a word they are Protestants at heart, owing as
Well to their continual intercourse with Protestants, as to the twenty
years' absence of a priest from their midst. The majority of them are
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
habitual drunkards. Nor is this all. 1lly presence among them has be•
come extremely irksome to them, because it acts as a restraint upon their
vices and infidelity. Now as these Indians are capable of anything,
and as they (that is to say, their ancestors) have already killed more than
ten priests, do not be at all surprised if some fine morning you should
hear that Father Bapst, not feeling within him the martyr's courage, has
taken it into his head to decamp.
Yet, thanks to God, I have not yet reached that pass; and as half the
tribe are excellent Catholics, I hope to succeed in leading back the others
to the practice of their religion, and in rendering the tribe as flourishing,
perhaps, as it was in the time of their first missionaries who were all
Jesuits like myself. But for this, much time will be required, and as I
have but little hope of effecting this with the present generation, all my
hopes are centred in the children, whom I am instructing myself. And
to this end I continue to· pursue my study of their language, and will
strive to establish a Cathol.\c school on my island. If I can but realize
this project, everything is gained; but I have to conquer almost insurmountable difficulties. The Americans have put into the heads of my
Protestant Indians to have a Protestant sclwol-master, and as it is the
State that pays the salary, if the Indians demand such a preceptor for
their children, they are sure to obtain him; and then the evil is without
remedy. For I have not the necessary funds to establish a Catholic school
which will hold sessions at the same time with the Protestant school, and
thus neutralize the action of the latter. If, on the contrary, the Indians
were unanimous in demanding a Catholic school, the school-board,
although wholly composed of Protestants, could not refuse their request.
If I only had a few hundred francs at my disposal, I would soon be able
to bring this about. Meantime, I continue to do all I can for them. I
preach almost every Sunday a little written sermon that I compose during
the week with the aid of one of the Indians. I have already a large
number of such sermons prepared, and I have also translated all their
prayers.
~- •·
Their language resembles Hebrew somewhat, and it is even asserted
by some that the Indians of these regions came originally from Palestine.
And just as it is impossible to translate Hebrew literally into French, so
it is impossible to give a literal rendering of the Penobscot language.
Between this Indian tongue and the living languages of civilized people
there is no analogy, there are no derivations. 'I' he letter r docs not enter
into their language; they supply its place by the letter l, which possesses
a sweeter sound. Thus for Mary (the uame of the Blessed Virgin) they
say Maly. '!'hey have a syllable or rather a sound which does not exist
in any of our modern languages ; it is somewhat like the sound of "ou"
obscure; but it is impossible to represent it exactly by the letters of our
alphabet; to catch the sound, one must hear it from the mouth of an Indian. But enough about the Indian for to·day; in my next letter, perhaps,
I shall enter into the subject of their origin, their manners, their language,
their occupations, their color and their dress, as well as their history since
the arrival of the Europeans, but above all their conversion to Christi·
anity, and the incredible labors of our first fathers in their midst.
If from the Indians we pass to the consideration of the whites, we find
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
the situation quite uilferent. For while the Indians, as I have declared,
inspire serious apprehensions as regards their future, the white population
on the contrary give grounds for the fairest hopes. In my preceding
letters I spoke of the Canadians, of my missions to them, and of the
success with which they were crowned. Lately I recommenced these
works of zeal among them, and I reaped the same harvest of joys and of
consolation. At Waterville I established a temperance society last year.
When I visited them again this year I found that out of more than sixty
habitual drunkards, who had previously not spent a single week without
becoming intoxicated, some had passed three months without drinking a
single glass of liquor, others six months, and the greater number the
entire year. The victory is so wonderful that the Protestant magistrates
themselves, witnesses of this change, regard me with great favor, and are
making every possible effort to effect my permanent residence in their
midst. They have induced the Canadians to set about building a church,
and have promised them generous aid. 3Iany of the most distinguished
gentlemen of their number have visited me; many have begged me to
deliver some lectures in English tor the Americans. If I only knew their
language .I have not the least doubt that it would be an easy task to dispel the rest of their prejudices, to awaken their slumbering consciences,
and to effect, perhaps, a veritable religious revolution. But alas I I have
not yet mastered the English tongue.
At Skowhegnn, n pretty town situated eighteen miles from Waterville,
there is witnessed, on the part of the Catholics, the same earnestness, and
on the pnrt of the Protestnuts, the same gooJ will. On my last visit, as
we had no suitable place for our meetings, the Protestant magistrates
generously offered us the use of the tnwn·hall; and every evening, at
the instruction, the hall was crowded with an attentive audience, of whom
half, perhaps, were Prote~t:mts. How much they would have given to
understand me! The chief of police wrote me a letter in English couched
in the most flattering terms, in which he nssured me of his protection,
and even of his co operation in tbe cause of temperance. On the day
when I spoke on temperance, as I was descending from tbe platform at
the end of the lecture, an American gentleman advanced into tbe middle
of the hall to meet me, and, before the whole audience, shook me warmly
by the band. To understand all this good will on the part of the enemies
of our faith, one must be acquainted with the litct that among the
Americans there are many who, though Protestants, are enthusiastic
advocates of temperance. Some weeks after my departure from Skowhegan, the chief of police, to whom I have referred above, wrote me
another letter to inform me that, since my departure from their midst, all
had gone well with the Canadians.
Not long ago, I baptized two Protestant ladies. Another, who lives
twenty mileR from here, has sent to me begging me to come and baptize
her; she is Rick and feels her end approaching. Still another lady bas
been begging me to administer bapti~m to her for some time past, but I
have thought it bettet· to defer it a little while until she is sufficiently in·
stmcted. Another lady, who was very well instructed, requested nn
VoL. xvu, No. 3·
23
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
interview with me, in which she sought many explanations on controverted points. In taking leave of me she expressed herself perfectly
satisfied with the result of our conference, though I had spoken in English.
I have also met some Protestant ministers and other Protestant gentlemen,
from one of whom I forced the avowal that the Catholic religion was the
only true one. I proved to a Universalist the existence of hell, a doctrine
which his religious sect rejects; and the only reply he could make in
parting from me, was: "Though the case may be as you state it, yet the
contrary is my opinion." "It may be your opinion," I replied, "bi1t it is
not that of the Bible;" for I had previously proved to him the thesis from
the Bible itself, whose testimony he was willing to admit.
I may be mistaken, but I feel convince<! that if there were in this part
of the world some zealous and learned missioners, capable of speaking
the English language well, a great number of conversions would soon be
effected among the most prominent people of this part of the United
States. For Protestantisitl.in this region has seen its best days; it cannot
maintain its stand before the good sense of the Americans. Nothing is
more common among us than to hear enlightened Protestants declare: "I
have no religion; but if I professed any, the Uatholic religion would be
my choice. The others do not stand the test of an examination."
There is .still another thing which is worthy of consideration. The
United States is the freest coumry in the world. You believe yourselves
free in France and in Belgium; but be assured that you possess but the
shadow of the liberty which we enjoy in America. I can establish here
as many schools as I wish, and no one will interfere either for the purpose
of superintending or even inspecting them. "\'Vhat is more, I could preach
the doctrines of the Catholic religion in the most Protestant town, before
an audience composed entirely of Prote;tants, ami I feel sure that I
would not suffer a single interruption. Recently, an American gentleman
delivered a public lecture at Bangor, a town not fnr from here. He was
a Protestant; and what do you think was the subject of his lecture? A
strange one indeed! I will wager a dollar that you will n<ft -guess it. He
chose for his subject no less a topic than the .Jesuits; and a Catholic
priest, who was one of hi~ audience, assures me that he never heard a
eulogy of the Society of .Jesus that was more eloquent, loftier and more
correct than this tribute from a Prote5tant. And in what spirit do you
suppose his hearers greeted his remarks? They responded by frequent
applause, although his entire audience was composed of Protestants, and
the city itself is Protestant. "\Vhat do you bay to such an event as that?
Let a like discourse be delivered in your Catholic France or Belgium,
and we shall see whether it meet with a like reception.
For my own part, I can honestly assert that since my arrival
in these regions, I have been treated with the greatest respect
by the Protestants, although every one knows that I am a Cath·
olic priest and even a Jesuit. Imlecd I enjoy an esteem which
would certainly not be mine, were I not a priest or a .Jesuit.
You may think, perhaps, that I am indulging in exaggeration, hut only
listen to a little incident that happened to me some time ago on a steam·
boat, and you will be convinced that I have confined myself within the·
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
bounds of truth, in sveaking of the respect paid by Protestants to the
priest. The deck on which I stood was well filled with passengers, who
were not long tliscovering by my bearing, and above all by my accent,
that I was a foreigner. They quickly surrounded me. I found them all
very polished gentlemen. In the course of the conversation they had
with me, they asked me in English (for you must know that in my travels
I have net yet heard a word of French): "From what country do you
come?" "From France,'' I replied. "How long have you been in this
country?" they asked. "Some months," I answered. "'Vhat is your
profession?" Here was a delicate queRtion. Its answer I wished to evade,
but they pressed me very politely for a direct reply. I mustered up
courage, therefore, and told them boldly that I was a priest. ''Of what
religion? Have you any children?" I began to laugh, and said that I was
a Catholic priest. In Fmnce, tbat very Christian republic (one dares no
longer call it a kingdom), a like avowal would perhaps have been received
with a very bad grace, while here, on the contrary, the case is quite different; for when I had declared that I was a Catholic priest, all these gentlemen gave proof of a regard fur me, which I have reason to believe they
do not entertain towards their own ministers. After landing at my destination, I met one of these gentlemen on the street, and he saluted me
most respectfully, removing his Jut as he passed, a mark of respect
which in this country is paid only to persons of the highest distinction.
Such is the bright side of American liberty; some other time, perhaps,
I shall present the revl'rse of the med:ll. Y ct I have said Rufficient, I
hope, to inspire some of those numerous priests, who remain behind in
Europe, with the thought of coming to America where "messis quidem
mnltu, opcrarii antem panci."
Your devoted brother in Christ,
JOHN BAPST,
s. ,J.
In September, r850, Father Bapst gave up his residence
at Old Town and removed to Eastport, which he constituted
the head centre of the numerous Jesuit missions in Maine.
He had resided for three years and one month among the
Indians, but he found his apostolic zeal completely thwarted
by the internal dissensions existing among them. No sooner would he succeed in bringing the poor Indians to a sense
of their religious duty, and in weaning them from their barbaric vices, than an uprising of the factions, which divided
the Indian tribe into hostile camps, would cause the poor
Indians to cast to the winds all their virtuous resolutions,
and, while satisfying their vengeful inclinations, give full
vent to their recently bridled passions. In view of this
melancholy condition of affairs, the Rev. Father Provincial
deemed it better that Fr. Bapst and his catechist, Mr. Force,
a Jesuit scholastic, should withdraw from residence among
the Indians, and while not abandoning the poor children of
the forest altogether, extend their labors to the thousands
of Irish emigrants and French Canadians who had hereto-
�368
FR. jOHN BAPST.
fore been but poorly attended to. ~as~port was considered
at the time the best town for a mtsswnary centre. Two
other Jesuits, Fathers Hippolyte De Neckere and Basil
Pacciarini, came to re-enforce the missionary band shortly
after.
Before leaving Old Town, Father Bapst assumes the role
of a gallant champion of the reputation of one of his" brethren, against whom charges, seemingly well substantiated, had
been lodged with both the bishop of Boston, Dr. Fitzpatrick,
in whose jurisdiction the State of Maine was then contained,
and Rev. Fr. Brocard, the provincial. It was well for the
accused that he found so able an advocate of his cause as
Fr. Bapst. The defense, which formed part of a letter to
Rev. Fr. Provincial, \vas very remarkable, both for its
great vigor and the lawyer-like skill with which it was drawn
up. It not only shows Fr. Bapst as a gentle, warm-hearted
friend, but discloses also the good missioner's great force of
charaCter and keen sense of justice. Father Bapst was indeed possessed of meekness, but like his Divine Model, he
could on occasions "be angry and sin not." It manifests,
moreover, that no member of the Society, let his position
therein be what it might, could with impunity be made the
viCtim of an unjust attack, and not have Fr. Bapst to wield
in his behalf a gallant and. powerful pen, inspired by his
truly sympathetic. heart. 'vVe regret that it cannot find space
in this limited sketch. The second part of the same letter,
however, relating as it does to what Fr. Bapst calls "the
tempest on the Indian island," demands insertion as it stands.
It is addressed to Rev. Fr. Brocard and bears date·OB:. I rth,
1850.
-- •·
REVEREND FATITER,
I wrote to you that the Indians had put an end to their difficulties, on
the fourth day of July, by the voluntary abdication oft he head chief of the
"new party." I subscribed to this treaty of peace ou three conditions,
one of which provided for the establishment of a Catholic school on
the island, to be entirely under my direction, as well with regard to the
choice of the master, as to the management of the school. On the
acceptance of this condition by the agent and the ludi:ms, I consented to
remain in their midst. Recently, as I wrote you, I went to Boston for
the sole purpose of hunting up a school-teacher. I found one who suited
me in every respect. On my return to Old Town, I wished to open my
school immediately, but the "old party," headed by those two bud subjects
who had resisted the bishop of Boston to his face, came and offered
numerous objections, declaring, amoug otlter things, that they were entirely averse to the school-teacher I had chosen. Urged to give the reason
for their opposition, they were forced, after many evasions, to avow their
sole reason to be that my school-teacher was a Catholic. They desired a
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
Protestant teacher, in the hope of thus strengthening their party which
was in quite an unstable condition. On the other hand, the "new party"
declares that it will never accept a Protestant school-teacher. Now how
am I to act? If I hold firm and insist on keeping my Catholic teacher, a
rupture of the peace will ensue once more, and party hatred become rife
with so much the more fury as a religious element will be added to the
war. Indeed it will degenerate into a war of religion. This is evident,
for the "old party" combats for Protestantism, and the "new party" for
Catholicism. If pursuing a contrary course I yield, everything is lost and
Catholicity abandons this unfortunate island. Mr. l\Ierrill, the Protestant
minister, who is the soul of the whole opposition, deludes the poor Indians with respect to the Protestant teacher, 'spouting' much about tll.e
blessings of liberty of conscience and of religion. ·
l\Iy advice is to await with patience the issue of the affair. If the "old
party" absolutely refuse to receive the Catholic school-teacher, and persist in gratifying their impertinent pretentious to having a Protestant
teacher, I shall be obliged to withdraw from the island, rather than be
the cause of a deplorable conflict. In these disturbances among the Indians, matters may at any moment be brought to the last extremity. If
therefore we are obliged to take a precipitate departure, it is to Bangor,
or rather to Ellsworth that we shall retire, and thence I shall write at
once to Your Reverence in order to receive your further orders.
In closing, Reverend FRther, I must assure you that if these storms
which overwhelm us cause us some pain and uneasiness, they cannot rob
us of our peRce of heart. • We are reRdy for whatever may happen. We
are conscious of having developed, if not into perfect missionaries, at least
into missionaries by no means degenerate; and I pray Heaven, I pray
Mary above all, to obtain for us the grace that we may continue so to
conduct ourselves in the future, as never to cause the Society to blush
at numbering us among her children. It was on the feast of the Holy
Rosary that the storms burst forth.-A good omen!
I commend myself earnestly to the prayers and holy sacrifices of Your
Reverence.
Your devoted son in Xt.,
JOHN BAPST, S. J.
A little over a month after the departure of Fr. Bapst
from Old Town, he wrote the following beautiful letter to
one of his brethren in Europe, descriptive of the affecting
incidents attending his separation from the Indians, and of a
trip through the province of Maryland made shortly before
the date of the letter.
EAsTPORT,
Nov. 10th, 1851.
REVEREND AND VERY DEAR FATHER,
I am no longer at Old Town in the midst of my Indians, but at Eastport surrounded by civilized people. It was on the second of September
last that I quitted Old Town, after having lived three years and a month
with my dear Indians. All who were on the island on the day of my
4~partQr!l ~c!)ompanied !lle to the river-bank, with every mark of deep
�370
FR. JOHY BAPST.
sadness and sincere regret. I bad instituted, some days hcforc, a species
of bazaar for the purpose of disposing of the furniture whieh I did not
wish to carry away with me. All the Indians, men and woml'n. vied
with one another in huying up at the highest priee any object that had
belonged to me, wishing to pre~ervc it ns a precious souvenir. I had not
bPiieved them capable of such delkate sentim!'nts. Then too. whl'n the
moment of my d!'parture had nrrived,nnd I saw the tears streaming from
those eyes which even at the death of their nearest relatives remain dry,
my heart was touched with the de!'prst emotion, nnd during the whole
time that I remained on the boat which bore me away from that unfortunate island wlwre I had experienced so many hanlshit·s and so much
happiness, I did not venture to raise my eye~ for n farewell look. fearful
of betraying too much weakneEs. And yet I had not abandoned them
altogether, since they still remain my parishioners, to whom I must from
tim<) to time minister the consolations of religion.
The reasons of my with<trawal from permanent residence among the
Indians are the following: first, the IJishop of Boston hns confidetl to my
care !\ mission made up of French and Irish, scattered over a territory
more than one hundrell and fhrty miles in circumf('rence; and as Eastport
appeared to be the most central point. that town was chosen as our headquarters, in preference to Old Town: second, as a faction among the Indians, which we may fitly term the "rmlical party," had formed a ~pecics
of schi~m from tlw Churc·h, the bishop of Boston and Rev. Fr. Provincial
thought it advisable to tt·ach the refractory a salutary le~~on by withdrawing the priest from them.
Eastport is situated on the limits of the United States and New Brunswick, being 8('parate.l from the latter <:ountry by the Sainte Croix River.
It is a seaport to which the steamboats of the two countries make 1 ('gular
trips. The town contains a pn·tty little Catholic dmrch and a liantlsome
pastoral residence, V('ry m·ll furni;hctl. It is here that I live happily with
FF. Force nnd De Nccken·.''' the former of whom is an Anu:rimn,'"' und
the latter, n Belgian and n w·phew of the bishop of the same-·tulme. They
are h•·th full of youthful vigor, ami p<•~S<·ss<'d ofJnUI"h t:~lents; and what
is better, excellent ,Jesuits anll zeaiou~ missicmaries. There is only one
Frenchman here, all the Catholics being eitlwr Irish, or American converts. There is also, a mile from the town, an lmlinn tribe, all Cntholics,
with whose spiritual care we arc also entrusted. The entire mission embraces thirty-three different stations. • ach of whit-h would form in Switzerland a very pretty little parish. (What do you say to that?) So you
uuty be sure no one can complain of not having enough to do.
From Eastport ns a cl'ntral point. tl11 se three corupHnions in arms, for111 This is Fr. Hippolytc De Neckere who ha" already been mentioned by Fr. Bapst
on p. 368, in connection with Fr. Rnsi1 Pacciarini. He was a brothpr of Fr. F. X. De
Nf'ckere, for many years superior of the mi~~ion of Couewagn Rnd nephew of Bp.
Leo De Neckere of New Orleans He was sent to lwlp Fr. Bapst in 1851, immediate·
ly after his tertianship. lie was afterwards connected with the olrl ~eminan in
Washington of which he -;.as rectqr from 'il4 to 'o7. when he hecame rector of !Ot.
John's College, Frederick. where he died on June 6th, 185\l.
<::!l Fr. B~pst mu~t be mistflken when he ~nys Fr. Force was an American; we have
unquestionable authority for the statement that he was a Hanoverian whose real
llaJile was Voors. His name disnppears from the Maryland catalogue in 1856,
�FR. JOH.II/ B.rl.PST.
J7I
tified with a courage ~tnn ardor that the sight of an innumerable army
of enemies excites within them, sally forth to the immense field of battle
which lies open before them; and I hope that subsequent letters will
convey to you the cheering news of the bloodless carnage they will have
effected in the ranks,of the enemy, and the victories they will have gained
for Cl1rist. For the present, I will content myself with giving you the
result of the jubilee missions which we have been conducting at our
,·arious stations. These spiritual Wt'apons were the means of reclaiming
a v~ery large number of bad Catholics, and of converting about thirty
Prot~estants or infidels. Besides this, we are nhie to preserve in the faith
and in fervor about nine thousand Catholics, for whom we are now engaged in building three churclies which will be completed next spring.
No, I do not Lelicve that in Europe I would have been able to do the
hundredth part of the good that I now effect in this country. Indeed I
am tempted to thank Heaven for the tempest that cast me on these remote
shores, far across the seas.
About a month ago, when I was worn out by the labors of the missions
ami not fully recovered from the oppressing influence of a three years'
solitury life nmong the Indians, where I was deprived of all the pleas·
ures of fraternal intercourse, Rev. Fr. Brocard, who bears towards me
a love truly paternal, invited me, nay even urged me, to seek a little
necessary recreation Ly taking 11 trip to Georgetown, und visiting on the
wny the vurious hous!"s of the .Mnryl:md Province. This journey of three
huudred miles I mude in three weeks, goin~r by easy stages. I visited
Boston, the wealtl;it•st city in the l'nited States, where we have iwo
houses; New York, the most populous, where there are two colleges,
which belong to the French Province; Philadelphia, the most beautiful,
where likewise we have two houses; Bali more, the oldest, where we
luiVe but one residence; Washington, the capital of the United States,
where we have one college; Georgetown, the seat of the mother-house
of the province; Frederick, wh('re are situated the novitiate, the third
rt·ar of probation and a college; und finally, Holy Cross College, Worcester, the second hoarding-school of the province.
Before undertaking this long journey I had formed many prejudices
against the province of Maryland, due to the unfavorable reports with
reference to it which I had frequently heard before my coming to this
country. But this visit has di~pelled all my prejudices. I now firmly
believe that tlui province of :M11ryland is as flourishing, from a religious
point of view, ns any province in Europe; I would no longer have any
repugnance to casting my lot with that of this dear province, and becoming a memher of it. Wherever I went I was received by my Jesuit
brethren with so much charity and so much cordiality, and so well did I
lind the rules observed in the various hon~es, that I felt as if transported,
after three years of exile and isolation, to the happy times in which flourished that famous college and that famous boarning-8chool where we spent
togetlH'r such happy days- never alas, to return -and where we have
left behind so many souvenirs. I fimnd in all these houses a true image
of Frihourg; the same spirit, the same virtues, the same religious atmosPIH•re. In the course of my trip I visited the novices, the scholastics, the
professors, t4!l ~ertians; and l was back in spirit at Estavayer, at Brie.!\",
�372
FR. VILLIGER 'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
at Notre Dame d'Ay. In every house I met some member of our dis·
persed province. It was a touching sight to behold these meetings be·
tween brothers, on a foreign soil, three thousand miles from their native
land; but it would Le impossible to portmy the varied feelings they excited in the depths of our hearts. All our Swiss brethren, with very few
exceptions, are very happy here, and reflect no dishonor upon the Upper
German Province.
My companions in arms, though strangers to Your Reverence, send
you most respectful greetings.
Yours devotedly,
JOHN BAPST, S. J.
(To be continued.)
FATHER VILLJGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
The golden jubilee of Fr. Burchard Villigcr, the Superior
of the residence of the Holy Name in Philadelphia, on 08:.
4th, was a festival to which his parishioners had been looking
forward with the most sincere pleasure for many months, and
the magnificent way in which they celebrated it proves how
warm their attachment to him has always been. One saintly
old parishioner who died just a few days before, expressed
it as his only regret that he could not live to join in the
jubilee, while hundreds have declared that they looked upon
it as one of the- great events of their lives. As a sort of
prelude to the great celebration of the4th, the school children tendered Fr. Villiger a reception on the 3rd. This occurred in the parochial school, and was just what the sisters
in charge intended it should be, a loving hotpe-festival,
where the young folks gave their pastor a quiet little entertainment, in anticipation of the honors awaiting him on the
morrow.
The hall was crowded with the children and their friends
and relatives, the stage was draped with the Papal, Swiss
and American flags, and was hung with festoons of evergreen and bordered with fragrant flowers. The entertainment consisted of a series of songs and addresses in verse,
interspersed with duets on the piano and organ. The boys
in their Clzoral Grcctiug were formed into a V with the
smallest boys in front- a quaint conceit of the direCtor
of the school, Fr. John Finnegan. The Little Pearls address, by the youngest of the school-girls, was made up of a
succession of verses in which each one told of the pearls
she had gathered for her pastor and what virtues the different·pearls represented; while the last and tiniest miss, who
ha,d stood very demurely with clasped hands as the ot~ers
�FR. VILLIGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
373
told their stories, lisped that she had wandered over the
shore in vain for pearls which the others might have overlooked, and so, in despair, had determined to be herself her
pastor's pearl. The Go/dell Gfeauings, however, was the
feature of the evening. Four of the older girls came successively on the stage, attired to represent History, Switzerland, America and the Pacific Coast, and told in dainty
and varied metre the history of Fr. Villiger's eventful life.
Many of the passages were channing bits of description,
full of devoted and affeCtionate sentiments. At the conclusion of the entertainment, the address was presented
to Fr. Villiger, bound in rich dark-green leather, its pages
illuminated by hand with numerous colored piCtures and
floral designs. Fr. Villiger then arose and thanked the
children in a few happy words; after which he granted them
a holiday on the morrow, and in the name of Fr. Provincial,
who was present, a holiday on the following day as well.
The entertainment was followed by a short reception, in
which the parents of the children crowded about Fr. Villiger to wish him many joyous anniversaries of his golden
jubilee.
The workmen on the new church labored late that night
preparing it for the celebration, and at 9 o'clock on the
morning of the 4th, the five monster bells in the towers rang
out the jubilee chimes, and the doors were thrown open to
the crowd which had been gathering for more than an hour.
The magnificence of the edifice burst upon the people like
a vision which surpassed their highest expeCtations. It was
the first time that they saw the church free from the network
of scaffolding which had all along obscured its grand proportions. It still, of course, requires considerable work before it can be permanently used for divine service. None "of
the eight side-chapels, which are to open down the nave,
an~ as yet even plastered; but the fretted ceiling and the
sides of the sanCtuary and transepts, with their wealth of
stucco work and their tall Corinthian pillars and pilasters,
supporting arches of immense span, were completely finished.
These were well set off for the occasion by garlands of green
broad-leaved palms, ferns and other tropical plants. At the
end of the semi-circular apse, one hundred feet in height,
which serves as the sanCtuary, was the temporary altar,
which is to be succeeded in time by one of marble. High
above this altar hung the three life-sized piCtures of St. Ignatius at Manresa, St. Francis Xavier on Sancian, and, higher than all, St. Patrick explaining the Trinity. The last was
given its special prominence partly as a compliment to His
Grace, Archbishop Patrick J. Ryan, who assisted at the ser-
�3i4
FR. VILLIGER'S GOLDEN Jl/BlLEE.
vices. Each of these piaures will adorn a special altar, St.
Patrick's being a memorial of Fr. Patrick Toner, S. J., ereaed
by his father. A handsome throne had been put in position
for the archbishop, and around the sanauary were seats
for the fifty-one clergymen who were present. Twenty-five
hundred chairs had been provided for the congregation, and
room in the left transept had been reserved for the Little Sisters of the Poor and the Sisters of Charity, whose Home and
Hospital respeaively are attended by our fathers. The chairs
were rapidly filled, and long before the procession entered
the church, at least three thousand people were in waiting.
The morning was sunny, cool and cheerful, just such a day,
Fr. Villiger said, as that on which he and half a dozen merry
companions had entered the novitiate at Brieg in Switzerland,
fifty years ago. Seldom did the reverend father, who is
famous for his cheery smile, look so radiant with health and
goodn.ess. The archbishop and the most prominent clergy of
his diocese, including several Augustinians and Redemptorists, and our own fathers from every quarter of the province,
gathered early at the Gesu, and the heartiest congratulations
were showered on Fr. Villiger till 10 o'clock, when the procession began to move. It started from the foot of the grand
staircase in the residence and, passing direaly out through
the front doors, swept slowly up Stiles street to the main entrance of the new church, where a crm~d was standing with
uncovered heads.
The music of the Mass was under the direaion of professor S. G. Gorm.an, with a chorus of fifty voices, chiefly from
the Maennerchor Singing Society, the singing b~ing accompanied by the Germania Orchestra of fifty pieces under Professor \Villiam Stoll. As the procession entered the church,
the orchestra played Mendelssohn's Oz,crturc, "Calm of the
Sea." The Mass was Gounod's Mcssc Solnmdlc, "St. Cecilia."
At the Offertory, Cagliero's Sit Nomen .lJomini was sung;
before the sermon, Geibel's Vcni Creator; and at the conclusion of the Mass the orchestra played Rohbler's Marclte
des Troubadours.
The area of the sanauary is such as to admit of the ceremonies of the church being carried out with the greatest
fidelity and solemnity, as was certainly done on the present
occasion, Fr. W. H. Carroll aaing as master of ceremonies.
It was remarked that Fr. Villiger intoned the Mass in an
uncommonly vigorous manner and looked quite youthful
for a man who has gone through his experiences. The sermon was preached by Fr. Jeremiah O'Connor, Superior at
St. ·Lawrence's Church, New York. His theme was the
'charaCter and aim of the Society of Jesus' and the 'dignity
�FR. VILLIGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
375
of the priesthood.' From his eloquent and loving delineation of the character of the Society we give a few extracts.
"It is obvious that in: hurriedly limning here a few of the lovely features celestial of this spiritual mother, on this her high
holiday, we aim not af glorifying any, but at pertinently
giving, as in a glance, something of the beauty, strength,
vitality, fecundity of her whom God's own Church, in her
great Council of Trent, called 'a pious Institute,' whose honor has been lauded, privileged by pontiff after pontiff till the
reigning Leo. He has confirmed every gift that all others
have bestowed, and in this his own golden year of jubilee,
has bound its members by the bond of Catholic charity still
closer to the blessed above by the canonization of yet three
more of their brethren-the apostolic Claver, for the fathers'
special patron ; his own life-long patron, the angel Berchmans, for the scholastics; and, for the brothers, the gentle
Alphonsus. *
*
*
*
*
*
*
"Its end being so ample and varied, the means it uses, both
natural and supernatural, are as multidinous and diversified.
Yet the utmost indifference is prescribed in their use; such
as aims at killing all preference or personal leaning, and
looks only to God's glory, best to be attained with the immediate end. To omit, defer, change an accustomed work,
take up another, turn even to the practice of a different virtue at the tinkling o.f a bell, to leave God for God as our
Holy Father did, an ignominious scourging that was impending and that his cavalierly honor, humbled for Christ,
yearned for, and turn himself to teaching little ones their
primary lessons -this is the true Jesuit doctrine regarding
the relation of means to end, which the world has ten thousand times knowingly perverted and will continue to malign.
For the Master had foretold it: 'If they have persecuted
me, they will also persecute you.' *
*
*
*
"Such would be the Society's son as her Institute would
have him, and not the monster of craft and dark trickery,
which the world, itself wicked, wickedly would have him be;
such as, even in Fenelon's day, the Jansenist would paint him,
'the brain, the power, the malice of everything bad or questionable in civilization, of all even that is done in the
Church;' as though, in spite of her Divine Spouse's promise, she had become an imbecile, led by these 'agents in
the dark,' instead of being guided by the light of the Holy
Spirit."
The sermon concluded by a rapid but loving sketch of
Fr. Villiger's labors and a very feeling allusion to the orator's personal pride in the occasion, as he had received his
admission into the Society in J86o a,t the hands of Fr. Villi-
�FR. VII.LIGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
ger, who was then provinciaL The pulpit, which projects
from the wall of the nave, a little below the west transept,
had been arranged temporarily, and the preacher's clear
tones, penetrating distinctly into every part of the church,
gave a happy proof of the judgment displayed in choosing
the position. The services concluded by the giving of the
pontifical benediction by the archbishop, after which the
procession formed again and passed out through the sacristy and into the residence by the rear entrance.
At half past twelve, the guests of the day were invited to
a dinner which had been prepared for them in the parlor. At
the head of the room sat the archbishop, with Fr. Villiger
on his right hand. D.uring the meal, each guest was presented with a copy of the delightful lapidary inscription
composed by Fr. Chartes Cicaterri in honor of the day. \Ve
append it in full to the present narrative. Towards the end,
one of the younger fathers of the Gesu arose and, after a few
pleasant words of introduction, read the following:
GRATULATIONES ET VOTA.
Expectata dies-lux quinquagesima. fulget
Aurea, quro meritHs cingit honore comas.
Gratantur superi-surnrno pia regia creloGratatur rnitrro quem sneer ornat houos.
Grntantur patres, fratres, pater optime, quemque
Cura premit gentis plunma Loyolidum.
Qurequro et conspicimus solida jam condita mole
Augusti et templi mrenia sacra Deollrec tibi sunt voces, summo gratulautur honore
Quem non delebit deperitura dies.
Laudant te Helvetii colles, California tell us
Laudat, ubi surgit te duce magna domus. •
Laudant te nostra urbs, turbre juvenumque J>ClliJID<JUe
Languentes, inopes, tota caterva mali.
•
Littus ad extremum, terras penitusque latentes
Fama pererrabit, transvolet astra tui.
l'lurima fert animus sacri monumenta laboris
Dicere, queis magnum est nomen in urbe tuum.
Ast pudor id prohibet: virtu tis forma, venustas,
Ut. rosa-splendenti lumine-tota fugit.
Hie maneat felix jam quinquagesimus anuus,
Hie maneat nomen semper in ore tuum.
Sit tua vita tuis, populo, sit cara Beatis,
Nee metam tangat Nestoris ante diem.
Shortly after this address, the archbishop spoke a few
felicitous words of congratulation, insisting on the great
debt of gratitude which he himself and his whole diocese
owed to Fr. Villiger, and heartily wishing him many another
year to carry on· his good work. Fr. Villiger responded
briefly in words equally happy, and the company soon dispersed. As the time for the evening reception approached,
another great crowd began to assemble in the new church,
until at half past seven there was no longer standing room.
�FR. VILLIGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
377
The fathers could see at least ten of the houses opposite along
Thompson street brilliantly illuminated with Chinese lanterns, and they afterwards learned that a number of houses
on Seventeenth, Eighteenth and Stiles streets were similarly adorned. The reception was tendered to Fr. Villiger by
the gentlemen of the Jubilee Committee, on behalf of the
whole congregation. The church was splendidly lit up by
calcium lights, and the same choir as in the morning rendered the musical services. The committee occupied a semicircular row of seats in the sanCtuary, w'ith Fr. Villiger
seated in their midst. The music opened with Lambillotte's
Lauda Sion, which was followed by selections from Giorza's Gloria. Mr. vVilliam Gorman, a prominent lawyer of
the parish, then read an affectionate address, in which he
spoke of the great esteem in which the congregation held
their reverend pastor, and concluded by presenting Fr. Villiger, as a substantial token of their esteem, with a check for
Sr r,roo. In thanking them for their manifestations of love,
Fr. Villiger humbly begged his people to remember that,
without the grace of God and their earnest co-operation, his
labors would have been of little avail, and that the grand
new church was to be a lasting memorial of their zeal for
the divine worship. The concert then closed with Carr's
Te Deum, after which the fathers held an informal reception and the visitors lingered for about an hour inspecting
the beauties of the magnificent edifice, which when completed \viii be not only the largest but the most magnificent
sacred edifice in Philadelphia. A detailed description may
be given to the readers of the LETTERS in connection with
an account of the dedication, which will take place next
December. A word here about the bells, of which mention
has already been made, may not, however, be out of place.
They are five in number, their names and weights being
as follows: Holy Na11u' of Jesus, eight thousand pounds;
Blessed Name if MarJ', four thousand; St. Josep!t, two thousand; St. fg~tatius, one thousand, and St. Fra11cis ./(avitr,
seven hundred. When ringing, they harmonize perfectly.
The ceremony of their consecration on July 31st, last year,
was unique and exceedingly interesting, and is thus described by the Cat!tolic Standard of August 6th, r 887:
. "At the time announced ft.r the blessing or 'christening' ceremonies to begtn, there were fully two thousand people in the builtling, a large nnmher
~onsulering the intense heat of the day ant! the charge of a high admission
fee. Archhi"hop ltyan ofticiatetl. Taking his position by a small table ue:tr
the front. of the sanctuary floor, surrounded by the priests present, he recited
~he P!"eliminar.v pr:tyer~, proceeding accot·tling tu the form prescribed in the
Po'_ltltical.' The bells luving bet>n washed with holy water, the archbishop
~no1nted each in turn, beginning with the largest and ending with the smallest
tirst outside with the oil of the sick, and then inside with the holy chrism:
�FR. VILLIGER'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
After this a thuriblc containing burning incense was placed under each bell.
His Grace prayed repeatedly that the sound of the bell might avail to summon
the faithful, to excite their devotion, to drive away storms, and to terrify evil
spirits. Thus censecrated, the bells have become spiritual things, ancl can be
rung only with the consent of the sptritual authorities. As the priests left
the place the bells were set a·ringing, starting with the smallest, and each tak· ·
ing up the notes until a deafening peal was heard from the largest. All
present must have been delighted with the chime, for they lingered until it
ceased."
Fr. Cicaterri's was a special tribute to Fr. Villiger of esteem and affeCtion from his brethren in holy religion, and
will form an appropriate conclusion to this account. It
runs thus:
XON . OCTOBltES · AX · )IDCCCLXXXYIII
QV.D! . DIE~! . SODALES · E . SOC . IE~V
P!IILAI>ELl'III.\E ~'· l>OMVS · A · IESV · IXCOLAE
CO~t'ILIIS · CO~hA.TIS · FAVtiTV~l · FELICE~IQ\"E
DO~lE.STH'A · LAETIT!A • lL\BEltE · STAT\"Eit\"XT
QVOD
IV ·
BVRCHARDVS · VILLIGER
Ei\"SDE~I
· DOJIVS. ANTISTEt'
. All · I:\'1'1'.\ . SOC . lES\"
L
. AVSPH'ATO · EXPLE\Tl'
QVl . MODESTIA · ~!Oitnr · SV.\ \'!TATE· l'.\TER~.\ : CIIAHITATE
LENITATE · N\"LLIS · VEIW!S · AllAEQ\'ANllA
,\ND!OS · SVOitnr · SIB! · lli-:\"INXIT
EGI!EUIE · DE . SO!' · IES\' · ~IERITVS
!JVOii · TOTO · FEitE · VITAE . CVJtSV
Tnl · PWI\"1:-/CL\E · ~IODERA)fl)AE · ~IAGISTEHIO
TV~l · ALliS · l'ILH:CL.\lt!S · ~l\'"'Eltlll\'s · OBE\'NDIS
EXIMIA · PltVDEXTL\E · LA YI>E · EXITYIT
AP\"Il · CIVES · PIIILADELPIIIEXSES •
ZELO · ET · I'IETATE
- •·
~L\GXO · IX HOXOIU: · IL\BITVS
AEDIBYS · PVEIUS . 1'\'ELLISQVE . A . l'ltDIA · AE'l'A'l'E . IXSTITVENDIS
AB . IN('jiOATO · EXl'ITATI~
~!OLTTIONEM · TDil'LI · .UIPL!SSDIA~I .•\DORTVS
XVI.LI~ · DIFFIC\'L'l'ATlB\'S • TERltlTVS
OP\'~
~.\l'!E:>/'I'ER · Dl\' · EX!'OUITA'I'\'~l
IXCEl'lT · l'Itm!OYIT · LUIQVE · ABSOL\"I'Ylt\"S
LAETATVR
S<WALES • TOT . VII:TVTnl • ~!E~!ORES
1'.\.THI · l'Ait!SSDIO
EX · AND!O · llRATVL:\XT\"R
VOTISl~YE
<n!NIBVS · DIY · lr-.'COLY~IDI
PlWSEl~\"V XT\'lt
ANXV~I
�ELENCHUS
SANCTORU.l\1 ET BF.ATORUl\1 SOCIETATIS JESU.
CC. II; ::\1~[. ~.).-PP. 29; Sch. 32; ~ov. Sch. I2; Coad. 20; Nov. Coad. r..
-I,usit. 37; Jap. 2-f; Hisp. IS; Ita!. 7; Angli S; Pol. 2: Belg. I;
Corcan. I ; Gall. I ; Holl. r.
NOMEN.
liS. P. Ignat. de Loyola,
Confessor.
ORTUS.
ORITUS.
BEATIF.
CANONIZ.
Rom.
Paul. V.
Greg. XV.
ISS6.
I6o9.
I622.
----~X~IJu!·____ _
31 Jul._ ___27_J\ll.__ __r_~l\f:art._
2 S. P. Franc. Xaverius,
Hisp. Ins. Sancian. Paui.V.
Greg.XV.
I
C
1so6.
1s52.
I6I9.
I622.
HI Dec.
7 Apr.
2 Dec.
25 Oct.
I2 Mart.
I
Hisp. .
I49L
1
I
3ts. P. Frai~C:C.norRfa.-- lif~!:>.--"Rc.m. -u~b-:\rr-rr:-ci~,n.~x.
ISIO.
1572.
162.;.
I67r.
_______ _.X()ct_._____28_0ct. _3_9 ~P!·
23 Nov.
I2 Apr.
I
41'S. Aloys. Gonzaga,
Ita!.
Rom.
Patti. V. Betted. XTII.
Schol. C.
I56S.
I59'I6o5.
I726.
:
XXI Jun.
9l\Iart. ___ 2~J~m.__ I9_().:t· _____ 2() Apr.
sl' s. Stanis!. Kostka,
Pol on.
Rom.
Clem. X. Bened. XIII.
Novit. c.
I5SO.
I56j.
I67o.
I/26.
XIII No\·.
28 Oct.
IS Aug.
I6 Aug.
20 Apr.
--6- P. Joan. Franc. Regis,
-s:
Gall.
I,alovesc. Clem. xr. Clem: XII_-C.
IS97·
I64o.
I716.
I7J7·
1
1
XVI jun.
·
JI Jan.
JI Dec..
8l\Iaii.
s Apr.
-7iS.P.Fffitl~. tieHieron. -·--Neap.
Neap.
Pius VII. Greg. Xvr.
C.
I642.
I7I6.
I8o6.
I839·
XI l\Iaii.
I7 Dec.
II Maii.
I6 :\!art.
26 Maii.
----------- - - - - - - - -------R S. Paul. l\Iichi.
Jap. 1
Crucibus simul affixi I597,
i Schol. Pr~ed. martvr.
IS6.f.
5 Febr. Nangazachi ; beaI
V. Febr. ·
circiter. L
tif. I627, IS Sept., ab Urb.
91S. Joan. de (;oto,
Jap.
VIII. ; tandem canoniz.
Novit. Schol. 1\I.
I578. J'j
I862, 8 Jun. a Pin IX.
roiS. Jacob. Kisa!,
Jap.
Novit. Coadj. 1\L
ISJJ·
II IS. P. Petr. Claver,Hisp. - Cartllag-:--Piusl-x: --r;;;c;-xrrT·j
C.
1581.
1654.
IS5o.
I8R8.
.
IX Sept.
wl I585. R Sept.
I6 Jul.
IS Jan.
I 21'S. Joan. Berclnnans,
Belg.
Rom.
Pius IX.
I,eo XIII.
Schol. C.
I599·
I62I.
I865.
Iil88.
XIII Aug.
IJ Mart.
I3 Aug.
9 Maii.
IS Jan.
IJIS. Alph. Rodriguez,
Hisp. Palm. Major. I,eo xu.
I,eo XIII.
Coadj. C.
I53I.
I6r7.
r825.
I88R.
XXX Oct.
25 Jul.
JI Oct.
I2 Jun.
I5 Jan.
r4TiJ.'P: Joan. de Hrit~-I,usit-1\Iarav. Piu~Lx.----------l\1.
I647·
Jugulatus.
I853.
1
XI Febr.
I 1\fart. r_69J,_'I _!"el.>_r._2r~_ug_._ __ _
il:P'. A.l,~fr:l\Bfo. bol;,-----Polon.
Yanov.
Pius IX.
I590. Excarnificat.
I853.
,XXIII l\Iaii.
vel I59I. I657, I6 Mai. 30 Oct.
I
I
lSI'
(379)
�38o ELENCHUS SANCTORUM ET BEATORUM SOC. JESl.J.
Quadraginta martyres simul coronati prope insulas Canarias, anna I570,
IS Jul., quorum cultum jam Rotnre et alibi ab eorum obitu probatum, sed
interruptum occasione decreti Urbani VIII., I625, redintegravit et confirmavit Pius IX., 11'54, I I :\Iaii.
NOMEN.
ORTUS.
OBIT US.
I6 B. P. !gnat. de Azevedo,
Super. 1\liss. Brazil.
XV Jul.
17 B. P. Didacus Andrada.
!,us it.
IS2j.
Hasta percussus.
Prreferens !mag. Deipane.
Lusit.
Lancea.
I520.
z2
Scholastici.
rR B. Antonius Suarez,
Lusit.
Subminister.
I9 B. Bened. de Castro.
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
3r
32
33
34
35
36
37
Lusit.
1543·
B. Franc. de 1\lagallianez. Lusit.
Lusit.
B. Joan. Fernandez.
~Lusit.
B. Ludo\·. Correa.
I;usit.
B. Emman. Rodriguez.
Lusit.
B. Simon Lopez.
Lusit.
B. Emman. Fernandez.
Lusit.
B. Alvarus Mendez.
I,usit.
B. Petrus Nugnez.
Lusit.
B. Andr. Gonzalez.
B. Joan. de San-:\Iartino. Hisp.
zo .Yoz•itii Sclwl.
B. Gonzalv. Henriquez, Lusit.
Diaconus.
Lusit.
B. Didacus Perez.
Hisp.
B. Ferdin. Sanchez.
Hisp.
B. Franc. Perez Godoi,
Site Teresicz· cognatus.
Lusit.
B. Anton. Correa._
1555·
I.,.us it.
B. Emman. Paceco.
r,usit.
B. Nicolaus Diniz.
I553·
I>~usit.
B. Alexius Delgado.
Gladio.
Sclopeto et gladiis.
In mare projectus.
In mare projectus.
Hasta percussus.
Sclopeto.
Hasta.
1556.
38 B. Marc. Caldeira.
39 B. San. Joannes,
Onlltiunt junior.
z6 FF. Coadjutorrs.
40 B. Emman. Alvarez.
41 B. Franc. Alvarez.
42 B. Domin. Fernandez.
43 B. Casparus Ah'arez.
4-l B. Amarus Vaz.
45 B. Joan. de Maiorga.
l.,usit.
Lusit.
1557·
l,usit.
I.-nsit.
Gladio.
r.usit.
Lusit.
r. usit.
In mare proj ectus.
Hisp. Vase.
1553·
Hisp.
461 B. Alph. de Vaena.
I537·
r.usit.
47 B. Anton. Fernandez.
In mare projectus.
Hisp.
48 B. Steph. Zurara.
Sclopeto percussus.
Lusit.
49 B. Petr. Fontoura.
Ilisp.
so B. Greg. Scribano.
Hisp.
51 B. Joan. de Zafra.
Hisp.
52 B. Joan. de Baeza.
Caput discissum.
Lusit.
53 B. Blasius Ribera.
l,usit.
54 B. Joan. Fernandez.
Lusit.
55 B. Simon Acosta.
1552.
Quorum supplicium non indicatur, vestibus ad ludibrium exuti, conviciis
et verberibus affecti, lanceis gladiisque transfixi, fracUs cruribus et brachiis, bini vel terni in. pe!agus acti sunt.
�ELENCHUS SANCTORl!llf ET BEATORUllf SOC JESt). 38t
NOMEN.
561B. P. Petr. Canisius.
1
c.
XXVII Apr.
ORTUS.
OBITUS.
Holland. Frib. Helv.
1521.
'597·
8 1\Iaii.
21 Dec.
========~=====~
Pius IX. beati(.
r86.t.
2Aug.
====~=
Triginta et tres martyrcs quos beatificavit Pius IX. cum ·aliis centum et
septuaginta duobus, 1S67, 7 Jui.-IJ PP.; 17 Schol.; 3 Coadj. temp.
57:B. P. Joan. Bapt.l\Iachado.
XV Febr.
I,usit.
Omune. Capite truncatus.
Azorum ins.
1617.
I53o.
22 ~Iaii.
_581 B.. P. Didacus Carvailius. -~-r:usit-.----Sendai. Gelidis aquis merXXI Febr.
157S.
162+.
sus.
22 Fel>r.
Lusit.~~---:cO:--n-mr::e:----I-.-e-n-to-i~-,e-cr_e_n_ta-P.M~l~ael Carv;;:!iius.
'
I 1\Iart.
'577r62+.
tus.
25 Aug.
--- - -------Neap.
Scimabarx.
Item.
6o B. P. Paul. Na\·arrus.
,
V !\Iart.
162:?.
1562.
r NoY.
I
.
. .
Jap.
Ibid.
It.
6 1 B. Dwnys. Fugtx11na,
I
Catech. Schol.
IS93·
62!B. Petr. Onizncltius,
Jap.
Ibid.
It.
_I ___ Catech. Scltol.______ ~r6_u_+_-_~~-- ------~~~-6J:B. I,eouanl. Chimura,
Jap.
Nangazachii.
It.
1 Coa<l., fraterSeb.Chimur,e.
1575.
1619.
;
XIV :\!art.
rS Nm·. ~---(ifi B. P. Fr;;;~-- Pacecu,
I,usit. -Nat;g.-.z~chii.
It.
Provine.
1565.
1626.
XXJun.
2uJuu.
It.
65tB. P. Joan. Bapt. Zola.
Ita!.
Ibid.
1575Hisp.
Ibid.
It.
66[B. P. Balth. Torresins.
1563.
Ibid.
It.
671B. Caspar. Sandamatzn,
Jap.
.
Coadj.
rs6s.
Ibid.
It.
68 B. Petr. Rinxeins,
Jap.
,
Catech. Schol.
15S~.
Ibid.
It.
~ B. Pan!. Chinznchins,
Jap.
Cateclt. Schul.
1572.
7o B. Joan. Qnizacltus,
Ibid.
It.
Jap.
Hospes l'. Paceeu, Schol.
16us.
/I B. l\[ichael ~1\n.:o,
Ibid.
It.
Jap.
Catech. Scltol.
15S-~.
72 B. Vincent. Caunus,
Ihid.
Cureauus.
It.
Prxdic. <:>t Catech. Schol.
15So.
--'1
- - ----- ---- -- --- - - - - · - - - - - - - ·73: B. P. Antott. \"xida.
Jap.
Nangazacltii. Aqua ferventi et
II I Sept.
1570.
1632.
igne mersus per
3 Sept.
integrum mensem.
Jap. -- Nat;ga:,acl~ent;;lgne crema::74 B. P. Thutnas ~fzugins.
vrri Sept.
157!.
r627.
tus.
6 Sept.
75 B. Mich. Nacaxima,
Nangazacltii. In aqua ferventi
Jap.
r62S.
atrociter mersus.
Schul.
15S3.
25 Dec.
76 B. P. Carolus Spinola.
Ita!.
Nangazach. J,entu igne cremaXI Sept.
1622.
tus, indctusHeros.
'57+10 Sept.
77 B. P. Sebast. Chimura,
Ibid.
It.
Jap.
i
Primus Sacerdos japon.
1565.
78'B. Anton. Kiuni,
Ibid.
It.
Jap.
1 572.
i
Schul.
59'n.
'I
~~--
VoL. xvu, No.3·
24
�3 82 ELENCHlJS SANCTORullr ET BEATORUJJf SOC JESU.
NO:\IEN.
791B. Petr. Sampo,
Schol.
SoiB. Michael Xumpo,
Schol.
SIJB. Gonzalv. Fusal,
,
Schol.
821B. Thomas Acafoxi,
Schol.
83'\B. Ludov. Cavara,
Schol.
8-tiB. Joan. Ciongocou,
Schol.
SsjB. Ambr. Fernandez,
.
Coadj.
OR'fUS.
Jap.
1572.
Jap.
'5~9-
OBITUS.
Nangazach. Lento. igne crematus, invidus Heros.
Ibid.
It.
Jap.
15:->2.
Jap.
1572.
Jap.
15S2.
Jap.
15.'<2.
Lusit.
1551.
Ibid.
It.
Ibid.
It.
Ibid.
It.
Ibid.
Capite truncatus.
Omurx.
162o.
In carcere periit.
I
7 Jan.
:~-=---=----o~=----;---, -~-------=~- - - - - - - - - - - - - 8611B. P. Camil. Constantius. }
X cap.
Firandi.
Lento igne ereXI! OCt.
1572.
1622.
matus.
15 Sept.
Capite tnmcatus.
871'B. August. Ota,
Jap.
Firandi.
Catech. Schol.
1572 circiter.
1622.
10 Aug .
.. - - - - - - - - ----------Lento igne cre88\B. P. IIieron. de Angelis.
Siculus.
Ycdi.
V Dec.
1567.
1623.
matus.
4 Dec.
It.
891B. Simon Jempo,
Jap.
Ibid.
-C::--::--:;:-S-:-c_h_o_l. Catech.
1575. o - - - - - Statim ab obitu
901·n. P. Petrus Faber.
Sabaud.
Rom:e.
coli ccepit, quem
C.
l5'xJ.
1546.
cultum coufinnaVIII. Aug.
f4 Apr.
1 Aug.
vit Pius IX. 1~72.
5 Sept.
I
Quinque ::\Iartyres Angli, quorum cultus, ab ipso martyrii tempore Rom'e
probatus, a I,eone XIII. solemniter confinnatus est 1SS6. S Decembris.
91\B. P. Edm. Campion.
I Dec.
Anghts.
1 5-W
Londini.
1581.
I
I
921B.
Dec.
In natibulo suspensus; deinde
... -
.
sellll\1Vtts ev1sce-
ratus et seCl:us.
P. Thom. \Voodhouse.
Anghts.
'53"·
931B. P. Joan. Nelson.
Anglus.
1535·
941B. P. Alex. Briant.
Aughts.
1553·
951B. P. Thom. Cottam.
Aughts.
'549·
- - - - - -----------------·--
Londini.
'573·
19 jan.
Londini.
1578.
3 Feb.
Londini.
15S1.
1 Dec.
I..,ondini.
1582.
13 l\Iai.
----·
It.
It.
It.
In patibulo
suspensus.
-----
CC. 12; Ml\I. 83 ;-PP. 30; Sci>. 32; Nov. Sch. 12; Coad. 20; No\·. Coad.
-Lusit. 37 ; Jap. 2-1-; llisp. 15 ; Ital. 7; Angli 5 ; Pol. 2 ; Belg. I ;
Corean. I ; Gall. 1 ; Roll. I ; Sabaud. I.
I.
�OBITUARY.
BROTHER WILJ.IAM LAKETIRINK.
llr. 'Villiam Lakebrink died in Santa Clara College, Cal., on Sunday,
,July 1st, in the S:lrd year of his age and his 36th in the Society.
This good brother was a native of Osnabri'tck in Hanover, where he
was born on Christmas Day, 1805. He left his native country and came
to the United States to seek his fortune in the mining regions of the
Northwest. In this he was so far successful that in a short time he realized a handsome sum ($40,000 it is said), part of which he gave to our
fathers in St. Louis, and the rest he brought with him to Santa Clara. Little
is known of his life before his entry into the Society, for he steadily
evaded all inquiries urged by those who suspected that his life had been
marked by many interesting and edifying incidents. It is said that what
determined him to enter religion was a vow which he made, when once
in imminent danger of death through the falling in of a mine in which
he was buried up to his neck with but one hand free to help himself.
He began his novitiate in Sant:\ Clara College on the ·15th of lllay, 1853,
and had for novice-master Fr. Peter de Vos, a venerable old Indian missionary.
During the time llr. \Villiam lived in the Society, he was ever a source
of edifieution to all those who conversed or lived with him. Not only
within the walls of the college was be loved ami revered, but outside also
he was held in high esteem hy Catholics and Protestants alike, who were
impressed by his gentle virtues. He seemed to have chosen St. AI phonsus Rodriguez for his special patron, he so forcibly reminded one of that
model of lay-ln·others. He was evt·r master of himself; and even in the
most trying circumstanet's he never lost his wonted tranquillity and meekness. His spirit of devotion went hand in hand with his spirit oflabor,
so that not only was he adorned with the virtues the rules prescribe for his
grade in the Society, but he wa~ faithful even to the letter of the rules.
He was never known to shirk work or hesitate to put his hand to the
heavy end of a burtlen. \\'hen he was young and vigorous he was a
source of admiration to all who witnessed the sturdy way he went about
his busine~s, and even in his decrepit old age he did his part faithfully
and well to the last. I?or years he carried the mails to and from the postoffice, which necessitated a good many journeys b:tekwards and forwards,
and besides he had the care of the back-gate where be had to dole out
their pittance to the poor who come to the college for their daily bread.
The end of his long life came seemingly without an immediate note of
Warning. He had begun to make the annual retreat with the community,
:tnt! had just finished the meditations of the second day, on death and
Judgment, when while he was on his way to pay a customary visit to the
(383)
�j,rR.
josEPH A. HEYLEN.
shrine of St. Joseph in the vineyard, he received a stroke of apoplexy
from which he died in a few minutes. The first intimation which the
community received of what had happened came from a messenger who
hurried into the dining-room during snpper to apprise Fr. Rector, who
hastened at once to the spot and arrived in time to give the last absolution. The tableau to the end of the day's meditations, presented by onr
good brother stretched on a mattress on one of the walks, with many
members of the community kneeling in prayer aronnd him, bronght home
to all the truth of onr Lord's words, "Nesci tis diem neque horam."R. I. P.
Mn. JosEPII A. HEYLEN.
The novitiate of St. Stanislaus, .Macon, Georgia, witnessed the edifying
death of .Toseph A. Heylen,a scholastic of the Society, ou the evening of
the feast of St. .Tohn Berchmans.
Born on Oct. 14th, 1863,-in the village of Wolfsdonck. near Dicst (the
birthplace of St.•John Berchmans), he quickly developed that pious disposition which was to render ilim ripe for heaven at so early an age.
When old enough, he was placed in a college under the care of secular
priests, at Aarschort, and there continued up to the end of poetry. About
this time, feeling himself called to a missionary life, he applied for admission into the apostolic school of Turnhout. His request was granted
and he was admitted in the month of Scptember,18S3. He spent but one
year there; long enough, however, to endear himself to his professors and
companions. lie was earnest, diligent and faithful in his studies. His
piety was attested hy his rccl'ption into the smlality of the lllessed Virgin
long before the six iiwnths assigned for probation had expired. He had
a filial love for our Blessed Lady and a special predilection for lilt . .Tohn
Bcrchmans whose picture was always before him, nud his name constantly on his lips in conversation. He considered it the greatest honor to
have been born so near the home of his patron. Two striking features
nt this time, and afterwards, were his innocent gaiety in rcc:(c!ltion and ilis
equanimity of temper. No provocation, so his companions r~latc, could
ruffle 1iis feelings, though his very simphcity lent marly :m occasion for
the trial of this virtue. Ou the completion of his rhcklrie, he was received at his earnest request into the Society of ,Jesus by Fr. Miles, and
joined the New Orleans 1\lission. Acconlin,l!;ly, after his voyage across
the ocean, he was sent to ~!auresa together with nine others. From the
first he never experienced :my difficulty or repugnance iu the exercises
of the novitiate, and his two years of prolmtion passed away in the peace
and calm of a secluded life. On the closing of l\Iauresa he was sent to
finish his novices hip at Florissant. lie took his vows with great fervor on
tile 12th of September, 1886; and after a year of studies, again ·changed
his religious home to complete his stndics at Macon. He labored there
with unflagging diligence until, towards the end of the scholastic year,
he was prostrated with fever. Notiling serious was apprehended until
typhoid set in. 'Vith tender care, however, the fever abated and ile rallied'somewhat, in fact great hopes were entertained of his recovery. But
on the 8th of August he had a relapse and his case was pronounced hopeless. Weak in the extreme and utterly helpless, he lingered on until the
�FR. CARllfELUS POLINO.
13th ofthnt month. At times he became delirious and, marvellous torelate, would describe beautiful picturee of the Blessed Virgin, St. John
Berchmaus, St. Ignatius,. and especially of the Sacred Heart; and when
asked if he saw all that he had described, he answered with candid simplicity that he did. Up to the end these visions were quite frequent. One
other remarkaule incident should not be omitted. The evening before
his <Ieath, Fr. Rector cause<! prayers to be offered up by the community
for his happy death. One who was watching with him, and wholly
ignoraut of the prayers which were being recited, says that Br. Heylen
suddenly stretched out his arms, 1\nd gazing with a rapturous look, as if
he saw some hcautiful sight, exclaimed: "Oh, what a lovely picture! How
beautiful our Lady is! God is wonderful in his saints! St. John will obtain favor for us all!" Sometimes he would become agitated and seem
to be troubled with discouraging thoughts, but some father or brother
wns alwnys at his side to suggest aspirations or sprinkle him with holy
water, and then he would instantly become calm again. On the evening
of the 13th, strengthened with the last sacraments, with all the fathers
and brothers reciting the prayers for the dying around his bed, he surrendere•l his soul to God without a struggle. The odor of his virtues
is still the theme of his brothers' conversation; and his angelic death,
far from being a loss and a cause of grief, seems to have hallowed and consecrated the new novitiate, so deep is the love of the religious life, so
lasting the impression left in the hearts of all by his last edifying momcnts.-R. I. P.
FA'l'IIER CARMELUS POLINO.
Fr. Carmclus Polino was born in 1\Iodica, Sicily, on the 4th of July,
1844. His lilt her was aNeapolitan officer and was at that time in charge
of the garrison at 1\Iodica. As soon as young Carmel us was able to go
to school, he was placed in one of our colleges, where he soon gave signs
of the great talents he possessed and which he afterwards used to such
goo(] ndvnntage in the Society. On the completion of his course of
studies, he entered the novitiate at N apies, on the 23rd of December, 185!J.
The cradle of his religious life was rudely rocked by the hand of persecution and, like many others who have left home to follow Christ, he
had to taste the bitter cup of exile. Shortly after his entrance into the
Society, the mo,·ement for Italian unity broke out nnd the Jesuits had to
cleave the kingdom of Naples. Accordingly, in June 1860, all the firstyear novices from Sicily and Naples were sent to Ireland. Fr. Sturzo,
the present superior of the mission in Australia, took charge of the young
exiles, and, on Arriving in Ireland, acted as socius to the master of novices.
Having completed his noviceship in Ireland and his juniorate in France,
Fr. Polino was sent for his philosophy to Tortosa in Spain. Here he imbibed his first love for St. Thomas, which grew with time and which he
endeavored so earnestly to instil into the hearts of his pupils at Woodstock. The year following his philosophy was spent in our college of
Mnnresa, after which he was sent to Manilla in the Philippine Islands.
After five years of regency, during which he taught mathematics and
literature, he returned to Europe to study theology with the scholastica
�BR. JOHN CUNNINGHA11f.
of the province of Aragon. As the Spanish .Jesuits had been dispersed
by the revolution of 1869, the schola~tics of this province were at the villa
of St. Cassian, near Toulouse, l''ranve. Here he was ordnined in July,
1875, by Cardinal Despretz. In 1876, he arrived in America and began
his third year of probation at Frederick. On Aug. 15th, 1877, he made
his solemn profession at Georgetown and en me to Woodstock as professor
of philosophy. As such we know him bPs! and owe him a debt of gratitude for his untiring labors for our intellectual improvement, as well as
for a religious life whose edifying traits are still fresh in our memory and
the more fully appreciated now that he is with us no more. Studious
industry, untiring devotedness to his work, humility united to vnst erudition, an harmonious blending of religious virtues with au ardent thirst
for knowledg•!, were his distinguishing characteristics. Modest and retiring, so little did he meddle in the atfairs of others and so absorbed
was he in his own work, th~t he was called the per..anrt (alteri incommu·
nicabi!is). But in the lectm:c-hall we recognized the great metaphysician,
where his polished lectures showed a clear and logical mind, well stored
with erudition, ns well as au ever ti1ithful memory. He had a natural
eloquence which, joined to a fini~hed diction, made his lectures most en·
joyalJJe; and so thoroughly con>inccd wa~ he of the truth of his subject
and so clear was it to his mind that he seemed at times to forget that
others could have difficulties about it. He nnturally pog~essed a fiery
temper which he held well in check, or if it ever IJctrnyetl him and
thus disdosed the life-long struggle he hml in mastering it, he was most
ready to apologize. He travelled much and. being a keen observer, he
was a delightful companion in recreation, and his conversation possessed
a peculiar charm despite the fact thnt he had hut an imJwrfect knowlf'dgc
of English. In 1884, he was called to N(•w l\lcxico and labored as opcra1'ius in Denver, PuelJio and Las Vegas. His thorough kno\vledge of the
Spanish language enabled him to remler grent service ns one of the editors
of the RetJ[,,tn GntolifXL. Early in September he was sent to. Albuquerque
to give a retreat in a convent, where he contracted moun~ain fever, of
which he died at Las Veg::s on Sept. t:Jth, 1888. \Ve Jearn that he wus
about to return to Naples to teach philosophy, but hi:; work was done
and God called him to the reward of a well-spent life.-R. I. P.
ilHOTIIER JoHN CUNNINOI!AM.
Brother Cunningham w~s born in the County of Tyrone, Irelund, on
the 22nd of June, 1804.
After the years of chi1dhood, he seems to have been employed ns a
weaver, first in his native country, and 11fterwards in Englund. During
this time he witnessed many oft he effects of the Penal Laws, and doubtless some of the scenes which resulted from their enforcement, made a
lasting impression on his mind, since throughout his life, he ever evinced
a most tender Jove and compassion for the poor and the unfortunate.
At the age of twenty-two, he sailed from Belfast for America, and after
a voyage of seven weeks, reached Quebec. Having cast about for some
~ime, he finally settled in Canada West, as a dm!-ler in woolen goods,
�BR. JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
Twelve years were thus employed, until the breaking-out of the disturbance known as the l\rackcnzie Rebellion in 1837; when having been too
active in the movement, he considered it an opportune time for extending his business into the States. So he crossed over to Rochester, in
company with all who had been engaged in the rebellion.
The immediate cause of this prudent move, was the announcement that
Lord Durham, the Governor· General at the time, had, as Brother John
usctl to say, "issued an essay" to the effect that all who had taken part in
the upri~ing were to be hanged.
Hnving crussl'd the boundary, he did indeed extend his business; as
may be judged from the fact that in a short time, he was travelling over the
entire country, through which our present province extends, from Maine
to Virginia. On one of his journeys, he made the acquaintance of a man,
who Iwd discovered a new mPlhod of making cistPrns by the use of cement.
This man being without any capital, invited him to become a partner
with him. He did so, and gradually relinquished the woolen business,
finally giving himself entirely to the new enterprise, and realizing in a
short time a handsome profit. He still continued to travel, however,
through the Eastern and l\Iiddle States, calling chiefly upon farmers, who
would naturally appreciate the advantages of having a good cistern.
This gave him quite an expPrience of life in vnrious phases; for at one
time he would be found spending a few days at the mansion of some
well-to-do merdmnt; at another, he would be sharing the hospitality of
a way-side inn; and at another, the cottage of a poor farmer would give
him welcome.
Thus engaged, we find him about the year 1843, in the neighborhood of
Martinshurg, Virginia, attending a mission which was in progress under
the direction of a Jesuit father. Almighty God then gave him a portion
of the rewnnl for his hitherto well-ordered life, by calling him to a higherst at(', in thP. Society of his Divine Son. And indeed, thnt his life up to
that time hau been an unusual one, we know from the testimony of farmer~, dodors, lawyer~, priests and even bishops. He seems to have made
hi1uself very servit.eahlc to Archbishop Hughes and to BiBhop O'Reilly of
Hartford, a~ also to several of their parish priests; and doubtless many
a poor soul received the consolations of religion in life and in death,
through Ihe geuerous devotion of Brother John. He used to place himself
\'o;ith his horse and carriage at the disposal of the clergy during the winter months, thus !'nabling them to go amongst their people more than
they could otherwise have done. He lost no opportunity for doing good;
now by a kind word, now giving much· needed advice or relieving the distressed, and at all times exhorting his friends and acquaintances to look to
the wclfhrc of their immortal souls He endeared himself to all with whom
he came in ron tact, by his generosity of spirit, and his amiable, gentle
mauuer, so that with truth has it been quaintly remarked, by a good old
lady in 'Vashington, who knew him in those days: "Everywhere he left
behind him the value of his night's lodging."
Ilnving ('Onsulted the father in charge of the mission about his vocation, he was advised to drive down to Georgetown and apply to the superior
there. Withoqt a moment's hesitation he started for Georgetown sa;rin~;
.. {
�BR. JOHN CUNNINGHA.,T.
"Forty years have I served the world; would that the Lord might grant
me yet another forty, to serve him." . Having arrived at the college, he
was grceLed by Lhe superior, whorn lw asked to receive him as ,. laybrother, at the same time presenting flattering letters of introduction
from the bishops of New York and Hartford, as well as from several
secular priests.
The superior, seeing that he was a man in the prime of life, with the
dress am! manner of a gentleman of the world, answered with some surprise: "My good m11n, you surely do not rPa!ize the character of a laybrother's duties; you seem to be too much of a gentleman, to be willing
to perform the humble offices of a lay-brother." "Father," he replied, "the
gentleman, 11s you are pleased to call the character I represent, I cnn at any
time put on or off; and will do so whenever Your Reverence so desires."
Even this earnest reply did not save him from the trial in store for him.
His application was not entertained; and with a heavy heart, he faced
the world once more. Soon however, hearing about the great reputation
of Fr. 1\lcElroy at Frederick, he determined as a last resort to pay him a
visit, and make another effort. He met with great encouragement from
the good Fr. McElroy, but he was not received into the order. Neverthe·
less he remained around Frederick, building cisterns and contributing
generously to t:'it. John's Church; at one time giving the sum of $100 for
the erection of one of the Eide-altars.
One day the Fr. Pro>incial of the Dominicans came along, and in the
course of a <'onversation, he told the provincial how he had wished to
become a ,Jesuit, but had been refused. The provincial replied: "All
right, .Johnnie, I will take you; and you may start at once for Zanesville,
Ohio, if you wish." ~But Johnnie, as he was even then familiarly called,
remained steadfast and loyal to the Society, despite his trials. The call
to the Society which he had r('<'eived at Martinshnrg waH not his first
one. Years before, in his dear native land, his young mind had been
strongly impressed by the vigor of an expression which he ynd frequently heard: "The Jesuit is the strongest rower in the bark ot'Peter." The
result was that he actually set ont for Clongowes College, to sec Fr. Peter
Kenney about applying for admission; on learning. however, that Father
Kenney had been sent to America, ns Visitor to the Maryland Province,
he proceeded no further, but shortly after left for America himself.
Time pa!<sed on at Frederick, rluring whi('h he had mnny interviews
with Father McElroy, who finally advised him to see Father Verhaegen,
who was the provincial at that time. He did so, and this time received
a promise of admission, provided he first spend two years as a postulant in some college. To this arrangement, however, he was very much
opposed, saying that he had alrendy servPrl in that capacity, during the
two years which had then elapsed, since his application at Georgetown.
After further consultation he was finally received, and, to his great delight, enrolled amongst the novice-brothers, April 12th, 1845. After pronouncing the simple vows in 1847, he was sent to Georgetown College to
act as infirmarian, remaining there until the yeRr 1870; when he WRA
transferred to Woodstock, to act in the same capacity. During the quar~er of a century spent at Georgetown, he was always a consoler to the
�llR. JOHN CUNNINGHAllf.
'i
~
afflicted and distressed. Even the animals were objects of his tenderness;
and the knowledge he had previously acquired of their different ailments,
pnrticulnrly those of the horse, enabled him frequently to come to their
relief; whence came the suggestive name, by which the college-boys often
referred to him. Hundreds of Georgetown students might testify to his
loving mre and watchfulness over them in sickness. When they were
really ill, he was nil attention; but for those who feigned sickness in order
to avoid class, he had no sympathy; for of all things he detested duplicity.
From the many instances of his kindness, we select the following. During the war a young lad was taken seriously ill; and, as his father was
in active service for the government, his mother was duly notified, and
she repaired at ·once, in company with her daughter, to the college. After
three weeks of anxious care the boy recovered. The mother and daughter, who had witnessed the devoted attention to the hoy, were lavish
in expressions of gratitude; and, previous to their return home, mme to
thank the good brother for nil that he had done; when to their amazement he answered: "Good ladies, no thanks are due to me; but in God's
name, do you, my good woman, go at once and be reconciled to your God,
by approaching the sacraments; and then return thanks to him for your
son's recovery." ·what followed may be better imagined than described.
The poor woman thought that the fact of her having been once a member of the Catholic Church was a profound secret. The advice was
heeded; and thus Brother John was not only instrumental in procuring
bodily health for the son, but, by the grace of God, contributed also to
the spiritual renovation of the mother, and we may believe, of the entire
family.
Of the many exalted gifts which fitted him for his office, perhaps the
most attractive was the happy faculty he possessed of always saying
something amusing just nt the moment when his patient was suffering the
greatest ]ll\in, and perhaps had reached the critical stage of a surgical
operation. So ludicrous indeed at times were his remarks, that the poor
patient would be obliged to laugh outright, forgetting for the moment
the ordeal through which he was passing. His inllucnce over the boys,
even in spiritual matters, was extraordinary; and God alone can tell of the
good he accomplished in this respect, up to the time when he was summoned to Woodstock, in October, 1870.
·while speaking of Georgetown, it may be well to point out how
perfectly he fulfilled the promise made to the superior there, when he
first applied for admission. Beside the duties of infirmarian, he was expected to wait upon all visitors to the college, particularly the parents
and friendH of sick students; and when the number of the sick was small,
he would employ his spare time in whitening various outer parts of the
college-lmildings, or in doing some mason-work. When, at the close
of the school-year, the President of the United Stutes, accompanied by
several memhers of his cabinet, would become the guests of the college,
an entertainment was usually given at the infirmary. Then indeed could
be seen the realization of his promise; when, laying aside his trowel or
white-wasli brush, he would put himself in readiness to wait upon the
distinguished guests, with that becoming grace which was so particular-
�BR. JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
ly his own; and after all was over, "put off the gentleman," put on his
overnlls, and resume the work which for the time had been suspended.
-The runny who have come to, and gone forth from the house of studies
since its foundation, know better than can be here described the portion of
his life spent by our venerable brother since he came to 'Voodstock.
If in the world and at Georgetown he joined to his manual labors the
zenl of an apostle, how much more now did he exert himself to instil
lofty thoughts nnd aspirations into the minds and hearts of those who
were soon to labor for the Lord, in every quarter of the world! His many
wanderings and travels had revealed to him the dangers and snares of
the world, to which even missionaries were exposed; for, as we have already seen, he had preferred to associate with them as much as possible.
And doubtless during all these years, many a silent prayer was offered
for tbe perseverance of the Lord's nnointed, and particularly those nmong
his own brethren. Here, ti>o, his spare time was usefully employed.
Once, with the permission of superiors, he gathered the more delicate
ones of the scholastics into a band, and invited them to assist him in
some out-door employments, and thus better their physical condition;
and, if need be, fit themselves for the Zambesi l\lission, to which Heveral
of them in after years actually went. Thus be was ever the same, sparing
no pains or labor, constantly consoling and relieving his sick brethren,
o• edifying them by his zeal in laboring at some useful employment.
Seeking the favor of none, be knew no fear; never without a kind word
for all, he was in turn loved, respected and revered by all. And so at
length the forty years, for which be had prayed, came sweetly to a close.
Without the slightest warning, the Lord, in his merciful goodness, laid
his gentle hand upon him, sending him a stroke of paralysis, which
cnused him to retire from his office of infirmarian. Recovering shortly
after he had been anointed, he applied to superiors for some occupation, and
during three years was variously engaged in little offices about the house.
The paralysis returned each succeeding year, and each 'time he was
anointed, only to recover in a short time. But at Christmils;:a year ngo,
he became rapidly more and more feeble; so much so, that he required an
attendant almost constantly, even at night. Thus assisted, however, he
was able to go about the bouse, and to be present at all the community
duties; in attending which, he was ever known to be most regular and constant. And here we might recall a beautiful instance of his lively faith
and simple unaffected piety, which took place on last Good Friday; The
hour for the morning services having arrived, it was dremed advisable
not to notify him even for the adoration of the cross; because, on the
same occasion in the previous year, 11fter having performed his act of
adoration, he was raised from his prostrate position only by the greatest effort on the part of his assistant; but the good old man was not thus
to be deprived of his share in this consoling act of devotion. So, when
he found that all were ,engaged elsewhere, and that even his attendant
was absent, he quietly-left his room, and with the aid of his cane succeeded in reaching the chapel. Going up to the sanctuary, all unobserved
as he thought, with great difficulty he got down on his knees on the bare
floor; then taking from his pocket his large crucifix which he had
�BR. JOHN CUNNINGHAllf.
391
brought from his bed-side, he laid it on the steps of the altar, and with
profound veneration adored the five wounds. Then rising after a great
effort, he proceeded with crucifix and cane in band, to make the Way of
the Cross; not resting on some ronvenil'nt bench, which he never
did even when in good health, but kneeling on the floor. and supporting
himself with his cane. 8o dnngerom• was the effort, that the one present,
but not seen, judged it better to notify his attendant, who in the meantime had begun to search for him.
Towards the end, it was with difficulty that he could be persuaded to
refrain from going to meals with the community; but with this single
exception, he lhithfu!ly fulfilled evl'ry duty, evl'n that of recreation, where
he was ever most welcome, because of his bright and cheerful ways, and
many pleasant remarks.
Thus he continued up to the hour of departing for Baltimore, whither
it was considered best to send him, and place him under the care of the
Sisters of MPrcy, who havin~ heard of his condition, hegged to he allowed to attend to the closing days of one, who for forty years had consoled
and assisted so many. 'fl1e good sisters had him but a few days, when
they were i!elightl'i! to fino in him so saintly and amiable a char:tctl'r,
so bright and amuHing becnuse of !lis qunint and pointed remarks.
How well, even during his few days at Baltimore, he rcnlized the charactl'r of the true Jesuit. may he infern•d from the confidence with which
tbP sisters entrustl'i! to him their petitions to onr J,ori!. They rcgnrded
it 11 great blessing to have l1im die in tl1eir mirlst. nnd even plnced a picture of him in the box for the corner-stone of their new huilding, fully
)Wr~uaded that in him thev would ever have a most powerful advoeate
in heaven.
•
Every possible nttention wns given him by the si~ters, several of whom
frequently en me, in the midst of their work, to say a kind word to him,
only to be edified by his saintly deportment anrl bright nnswers. This,
together with ll1c constnnt vi~it~ of his bretlm:-n from ·woodstock and
Loyola, nmde if. Feem to the dPar old mnn ~cnrc.-Jy possible thnt he was
nway from his own community. Even tbe daily Mas~, Fnid by one of
the fathers from Loyoln, in the neat little chapel of the sisters, was not
wanting. Thus pa~sed three short weeks, when the good sister in special
charge of him, and the superioress, became anxious as to the meaning of
his continually asking for the one who had heen his life-long companion.
Tl~e time for tl1e usual visit of this friend had elapsed; so the sisters
telegraphed for him, and as soon 11s the train could bring him, l1e was hy
the dying brother's side, and in time to he recognized by him. In the
meantime, a messenger had been dispatched to Loyola College, and in
a few moments the last. sacraments were administered to him for t!JC
fourth time i" four yenrs. II is entire right side, and even his tongue, hnd
become paralyzed, so that only at intervals wns he able faintly to repeat
the words of some pious aspiration, suggested to him by one of the fathers, several of whom had been in frequent attendance during the eight
days preceding his death. Althou~h he was in his agony for twenty-four
hours, no movement indicated the slightest pain. Thus in the fulncss of
years, at the age of eighty-four1 our venerable brother passed to his re-
�392
FF. WENINGER, YENNI AND VALENTE.
ward, early in the afternoon of the 27th of September. There were present to encourage him in his last moments, the Father :Minister of Loyola,
the Mother Superior and her two assistants, and the brother from 'Voodstock.
The body was taken to Woodstock during the night; and, on the
following morning, the Office for the Dead was recited by the community,
and the holy sacrifice of the Mass offered by Father Rector for the repose of his soul.
The funeral took place during the afternoon of the same day. May he
Br. D--.
rest in peace!
FF.
'VENINGER, YENNI AND VALENTE.
We notice here the deati~ ·or these three fathers who have died since
our last ,issue, hoping to have a ·sketch or obituary of each in our next
number.
-- .·
'
.,l
�Varia.
Alexandria, Ya.-Our new building is progressing rapidly and the builder hopes to have it nuder roofbefilre winter sets in. It will be a handsome building and quite an ornament to our street. It is just opposite to our residence
and will contain on the first floor a reading· room, a class-room and a gymnasium; on the secoml floor a hall. The building will be called "The Young
~I en's Sodality Hall." The sodality now numbers 3-!, all between the ages
of 1r, and :?0. So you see we are taking them ami bamling them together at
an age when they are most in need of Catholic teaching and practice. They
holt! Society "7Ieeting every Wednesday evening in the Hall, and every Sunday evening the Office of the BJe,sed Yirgin is recited in the church.- E.ctl'ltctfrom Letter from Fr. A. P. Keatin.q.
Austl•la, A cure through the interce-ssion oj.Bl. Peter Canisius.-Towards
the end of September of last ye•u, a swelling nuule its appearance on my back
in the neighhorhoml of the spine. At first it seemed rather insignificant, but
about the middle of February of this year (18~8), it b~gan to grow very
rapidly, and in about a month it had risen to an alarming size. The family
physician calle<l in one of the profeHSors of the university for consultation,
anti· both agree<! that it was a "cold ab,cess" ami that decay in the spinal
column must filllow. ,\.cure they said W>L' not possible because no operation
coultl be attempted. On hearing thi& I had recourse to Bl. Peter Canisius
anti besought him to obtain fiw me from the Sacretl Heart a perfect cure of my
malatly; I nuule "everalnovcnas in his honor successively, the last one immediately hdi>re his feast. E\·cry rlay [ applied a relic of the blessed father
to the part allected, and promisetl to make known the cure, if I were healed,
[n the meantime the physician dcelare<l that the swelling would open, that I
woultl then hcconte l>ctlri<ltlt·n, and that fever anti complete prostration wouhl
follow. But since the feast of the Blessed Peter, April 27th, I felt confident
that I woultl he cut·etl. On May :!Sth, the swelling opened of its own accord,
ant! on ~lay ;lOth, the physicians <lechtred that the corrupted matter that came
from the wountlleft it certain that the spine was affected alltl that fe\·er would
soon li>llow. On the3lst(Ft'astof'C'orpus Christi), mytrust inBiessetl Peter
lwcame unhoulltled; I felt sure that he would certainly obtain my cure, and
I often mentiom·tl tltis to thm•c around me. Great Wlts the surprise of the
physician when, towm·t!s noon, he fount! me strong, without fever, without pain,
ant! in good spil'its. 'l'he consulting physician sharetl his surprise. It was
determine<! to probe the wound. This was done on June lith, ant! the bones
were found entirely soun<l ami healthy. I thank Bles,;etl Peter Canisius for
this preservation of my life, ant! gratitude prompts me to make known this ,
wond~rful cure.
1\Iy grmttest joy anti happiness would be to Sl'e the great
Apostle of Germany plueed on the calendar of Go<l's saints.- JVa!trl!eitslreund.
American Scholastics at Innsbruc!>.- Messrs. Barrett ami Gasson of the
·Maryland New York Province, ~Icssrs. Beehtel, O'Connor ami Itother of
the Missouri Province, anti ~[essrs. i\loynihan and P. 'Valsh of the New Orleans Mission are studying theology at Innshruck. Their atltlress is No. S
lJniversitiitsstrasse. A ldtcr froml\Ir. Bechtel informs us that there are now
40 Americans in the university. He reports himself' and companions as already broken in to the Austrian customs anti very well pleased.
Luinz.- FF. Conway and Brett arc this year at l,ainz, Hauptstrasse
lG, in their thil'<l year of probation. - The following items from a
letter of .Fr. Brett to Fr. Uacicot will be interesting here :- The house
we occupy was formerly the villa of a titled family; some remmlel!ing
of cout·se was 1weessary to make it suit our needs. The garden is large
and .beautifully laid out; our neighborhood is very quiet. 'fhe numerous
little villages that lie all about us ol!'er plenty of opportunity, to those
(393)
�394
VARIA.
whose mother tongue is German, for preaching "nd confessions, while on Sundays and holydays many are regularly sent out to say )lass in the convents
of these placL'S; now anti then a call comes from Yienna for help of the same
kilHI. Cmnmunieation with the city is for us most eonvenient, a" the railrmul station fOr Lainz is just behiwl our g<Lrden, and the street dun1nty·roaU
passes in front of our hou:.;e. By either way the city is reached in a half-hour,
both roaLis carrying one a good hit into the city ibelf. There is no lack of
plea:sant walks in every threction, and every twenty rninutes brings one
to a new village. The country is muell above the c1ty, so that one neL'tls
to ascend a very modest hill only, in order to bring Yienna full in.view. There
are al~o sufliciently near son1e high n1ountains, t·~pt•cially Kahletnberg :.uul
LenpolUberg, that can in ~orne uwasnre sati:·dY the appetite of mo·unta.iuclirnbers, if tht•re he any tunong- us. This pair of ntountains all will ascend,
at least oncL', as it was the scene of the utter rout and t!efeat of the Turks
in ltlS3. Kalksbnrg on one sitle ofu:.; and about an hour anti a half otl"(m1
foot) is the SL'at of the large boarding college, or Konvikt a:.; they call it, of
the pro vi nee. It is a Collegium Nobilinm, 1 believe, although untitlL'tl yonths
are fountl atnong- the :-;tmlents.. Between us awl the eity i:-\ one of the Kaiser's
castles with its llllllll'll'<' park that is always opt'n to the public. Just north
of u~ is the Kal~er's large hun_ting park; I have been toltl that it takes n. gooU
walker nine hours to make th~ "Ollllll of the enelosure.
Beatijieatlt>IIS.- It is annoUlH'L'tl that the eauses of the beatification of
the Yen. Cardinal Bellarmin and of Fr. tie Ia Colnmhii'1·e are well at! nmced.
J:ool<.~,
Recent publications:-
La Pretlieatinn, Parle Perc Lnnghayt', ;,;. J.
L' Apnstolat t!ans le ~lontlc. Par lc l'ere Bruckt•r, S .•T.
Vit> du PCre Chaignon, ti. ~1. Par lc Perc ~l'jouruP, S . .J.
ltedwrehL's stu· les tmgines tle Ia C. de .J. i\ l'aris. Parle Perc
L'Etemitl•, ltl"!raitc. Parle Pt'l"C Ft'·lix, ;,; .• l.
Le Pt·re ~lt>an ( 'roi~et. Par le Pt:>t·e Emile Ht'·g·nault, :::; .. T.
work on tl"' 8aeretl liL'art wa,.; lately stnwk thnn the Jndt.c
t•tlort:.; of A1·ehhishop 8t:ttller, of ;,;erajcwo, who translated it into
Lauras, S. J.
Fr. Croiset's
thrnugh the
the 8l:wonic
laugua_ge.
Uranuuait·e II~hraltpH"f. Parle Pt-re Senepiu, ~- J.
l .. e Uo~airc lllu~trt:. Par It• P0n· A. Yas:-;enr, ~- .J.
Jii,toria :,\ancti ~l:tr l'cthion, martyris (::iyriaf"e ct Latine). Corluy, S. J.
Ebt>d-.le:-:u ~oben:-:i~ Carmina ~cleeta ex 1ihro Paradisu~ Edeu. Latine retldidit u-. Ui~IllOIHh, ~- .1.-Bl'l")"ti.
ln.,titutiont's Logiealcs. T. l't'sch. (Fir,;! \·nl.)
l'onuuentadi in Jih . .Judieum et lluth. 1'. tlt' llummPlant'r. ..- •·
Antholo,gia l:m'e:t. Etlitctl by Fr.•John l'olantl.
Apuntt•s de Astrnnomia Elt•Jnt•ntal o Cusmugratia, por Enrique .M. Cappelletti,~- J.
Pta•hla de Los ~\ngt·lt·~, )fexieo, L~~i'.
liOtl Knowable anti Known. Hy Fr. ~\lauriee Itouayne, Benziger Bros. N. 1.
Fr. J. F. X. O'Cotltll" has tran:.;latl'tl thL' tn•atise on the l'ractiee of llumil·
ity writkn by Lt'o Xlll. wllt'n arehhi:.;lwp of l't>rug1a.
)loml Philo,.;ophy. By F1·.• Joseph llickahy. (;,;l'e fmther on.)
Fr. :::;tnts~maier enntinues the ptllllieation ot' A~~yriau texts in short nu1nbers.
Fr. Blin of Cairo has priuktl the litmgieal ehants of the Copts. 1t is a
1nagniticeut work, worthy of the ~ocit>ty. 'fne Pt·opag:.ttHla bears t11e expenses.
'l'he l~'tndes has ;;~oo :-;uhserihers. The (./t:rillil has over ~OOU ~uhs('riLers.
Conferenze, Pretlidw, Dienr:-:i ~:tl'ri tlel P. ~- ~a.uguineti, Jtmna, tH,"'i'.
Fr. BnuHli's p:unphlet, "Why am I a Catholie" has been translated into
;,;pani,;h.
Booh in the prtss or in prrp<tration:English ,\!anuals of ( 'atholie l'hilosophy-1. Logic by Fr. ltichanl Clarke,
:!. l•'ir,;t l'riue1ples of Knowlt'tlge l•y Fr .. John ltil-kahy, :l. Moral Philosophy
hy Fr . .ltisq•h ttiekahy (out), 4. Naturall'heology hy Fr. Bernard Bot'dder,
5. l',;yeholog-y hy Fr. :llit;h:wl "\laher, li. Ueupm( Mt'taphysies by Fr. John
. llickahy.
Besides his analy,.;Ps which are ah·mtly puhli:.;hed, Fr. Cornl'iy ha" in the
}H't.•ss ~L Cmnpendnun of his large work: lntrotluctio .
.r'r. Uramlerath tlin'ets the publication of the Acta ct Dcc1·cta Cone. Vutic<tni
l Cvllectio Lacensis).
Fr. Knabenbauer's Jeremias is ready for the press.
�VARIA.
395
Relyirun, Enghirn, Fr. Gt-nfNier.-On tlw Gth of o~tober, when the scholastic year had just opened with the usual sclwla brevis, and the students were
getting rea<ly to betake tht>mseln•s to the villa, the news was spread that Fr.
Uen(·vrier, the proft•,:sor of morning dogma, luul been struck dea<l in his ·
room. Tlwre h(' was fimnd partly lying on tht• floor, partly leaning against
the table, anti holding his breviary with both hands. A few minutes before,
in his words to the students, he had laid much stress on the bliss the saints
enjoy in se~ing God face to fa('e, and pointed to the study of the treatise De
lJeo uno et trino as a foretaste an<l pr<'paration filr it. Fr. Gent>vrier had
taught philosophy at St. Acheul, and the eolll'ge of La Providence (Amiens).
After the expulsion he was sent to Canada to teach theology; then called
back to lend his aid in the scholasticate started at Enghien last year. The
labor aect•pted anti kept up out of obP<IiencP, despite a declining health, struck
him as a brave so!tlier sur lrt br?che.
Loumin.- The scholastieate of Lou vain po,:ses,es the !wart of St..John
Berch mans. This precious relic is cxpost•d on the main altar. On tl.te same
altar is a statue of the saint. It is of wax and represents St . .John reclining
and holtling in his hatH! a copy-hook. But it is a genuine manuscript codex
written with his own ham!.
R1•iti.~h Il01Hllll'tl.'1.-The question of the vicariate of British Honduras
has been finally settletl; the Holy See has ma<le it a prefecture apostolic and
Hev. Fr.:,;. di Pil'tro has been name<! the first prefect of the mission. A translatiim of the <h•cn•(•s announcing these t•nmts is given in the Angelus f\)r
October, lRSS.
Cnli[ol'nia.-Santa Clara College. The memorial chapel erected by the
students, past an<l pr~sent, is nearin.!.( completion. The dedication was. to take
place on the fe;tst of thl• most Holy Rosary (the fir,;t Sun<lay of October}. The
tirst number of the Sant« Clara College Record, a ;)2 pa((e quarterly, was to appmr some time in October. .
CtiiHttla, Ordinations.-The onlination ceremorw at tlw Immaculate Conception church on Sunday, .July :Wth, was the cmtsl: of a great celehration by
tlu_• pion~ citiz1~n~ of the locality. Ptl'p:.uatious wert' tuadl' on a gr:.tntl :-;ealt•,
nr~hes et'l'cted a!Hl hunting mul flags tlisplaye<l, as it was the first visit of I! is
Grace Archbishop Fabre to the new parish. The cen•mony in the church
was purtieularly
gT~tiHl
and impressive.
'fhe two
eeelesiastie~,
who were now
to witne" tht• greatest en•nt of their life-their elevation to the ministry of
tlw altar- were ~lr . .J. O'Loane, of Guelph, Ont., a!lll .illr. ,John ~leloche,
of Sandwich, Out. His Grace Archbishop Fabre otliciatl'd, lh"'· Fr. Hamel,
~Upt•rior·gent•ral
of tht> tnission of Caruula, acting 3$ assistant })riPst.
A (},/umny Rrfnted.- The Post "ome time a~o publish<•tl a statement by
the Jt,•v. Fatht•r·s of tht" .Je.,uit ortl<'r in this city, refuting a vile slander on the
order in 'l"hrl'e ltiver,:, ori~innte<l hy the Journal of Ottawa am! rt']li'Otlueed
by the Gazette. Tin• following ll'tt<·r fmm the hishop.of Thn•e Ri\·er.s reintin to this·fitbehootl explains itself:
lliRliOPRIO OF TnltEF. Rrnms, }
.July l!lth, lSSS.
To lhc P.rv. Ji'atlur Jiamrl, 8 ••J., Superior:
~IY ltE\'EltE:-1D F.\TII Elt,-On my return from a visit to St. Pan lin, T learn
with regret that the odious calumny publishe<l hy thl· .Tow"lllll of Ottawa
against ynnr Order nml a,t;ain~t n1yst•lf haH gone the rounds of the Can:.tdian
and llnill'tl Sta!t·s ]'l'l'"'• notwithstanding the authorist·<l denials puhli,;lte<l by
the be,;/. infomu·<l nt•wspa]H'rs.
I again declare that. ther·e is not a won! of truth in this spiteful <liatl"ibe:
h;t. The bishop of Thn•e Itin•t·s has si.~neil no tloennwnt suspt:>ntling the
.Jt•suit fittlters ft·om the Pxercise of their ministry in this <liO<'<''<'. Ill' has
never even thought of tloing so.
2nd. Enr):hody knows h~re that the Jesuit fathers own no college and
are in charge of a ehurch het·c.
3r·tl. X eitht•t· t!o th<·y po"l'SS any property here.
4th. It ha' li<'Vl'l" come to the knowle•lge of the bishop of Three lti\·ers
tl!at the .fesuit. fiLthet·s h:we influenced any one on his death-bet! to induce
hun to change hi,: will in their favor.
5th. The f<tithful of the city of Three Rivers attend church with the ordinary piety and assiduity.
'
�VARIA.
All the assertions of this presumeu information of the Journal of Ottawa
are so many falsehoods.
_ \Vhen the enemy hn.s to hM·e recoun<e to titlsehood, to slander, it is the best
eviuence that we are in the state desired by the Saviour, and we ought to be
glad of it.
This stupid attack of the enemies of the Church against your fathet·s is
for me a new proof of the good which your illustrious company is accomplish•
ing, and will tenu to increase the esteem which I always have had ft>r it.
Please accept, Reverend Father, the assurance of my sincere devotion.
t L. F., BISHOP OF Trn:EE Rrnms.-~lontreal T1·ue Witness.
Quebec.-On Fri<lay, Sept. :!1st, bt'gan the tritluum in honor of the three new
saints of the Society. On the first two tlap the ceremonies consisted of a panegyric of one of the saints, f(>llowed by Bt•nediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
On Friday evening Fr.ltoyer, 0. )I. I. preached on the text: "Be ye holy, as
I am holy," and applied his tt>xt to the life of St. Alphonsus ltodriguez, '"'a
]1ractical illustration of the holiness that may he acquired by earnest souls.
Benediction was gi,·en by 1\Ig-r. Bass~, Prefect Apostolic, assisted by Rev. C. F.
Palin, 1'. 8:::5., r<>cently appointed SUJWrior of the Canatlian Seminary at Rome.
The seeolHI day was de\·otetl to the special honor of St. Peter L'lavcr; the pane·
gyric being preachetl by .\!gr. Hamel, who with an tuti,t's touch portraye<l
the eminent \·irtues of ::5t. Pt:it•r Claver in his noble mission among the ne·
groes. Benetlietion was given by Rev . .\I. Fagtty. But it was reserved to
::5unday to cdebratl' in a more solemn manner this great li.·stival of the Society.
At 10 o'clock, solemn High .\[ass was celehratetl by Mgr. :llt>thot assisted by FF.
Itouleau and 'l,urgt•on a-3 tleaeon aiHl snbdeat'nn respectively. The nave of the
church was oceupit•tl by the stUllents of the grt'at and small setninaries awl also
of the college of Levis, thl~ college of St. Ann, the normal sehool, and the .aett~
demy of the Brothers. The UHi'ic was rendered by the stmlt•nts of the little
seminary undt>r the tlireetion of Fathers l'tuptet and Bernier. Tlte panegyrist
of the occasiun, Father Lintlsay, chose :ts his text the wonls: Remember thy
Urea tor in the days of thy yout!t, ant!"pn•aeht>tl a wodhy eulogy on ::5!. .John
Bt'relunans, which ha.s since hcl'n publi~·dwd.
In the t.•vcnin.~, Hi~ Enlinl'nee
Cardinal Taschereau, attiretl in full pontificals, with J:e\·. Fr. llamd,
~upe·
rior of the Inission, and Fr. nt-~y, ::;uperior of <lnt>hee, as a:-;~i~tant prit'st~,
took hi~ place on the throne. The sanctuary wa-.: thrungetl with the clerg-y
of the city amon~ whom were ~[gr. Hamel, .\[gr. .\let hot, .\lg•". '1\'tn aml M~r.
)larois. In the church wen• the Lieut-Governor and a lar~e nmnbt•r of till'
1nost prmninr•nt citi:u~ns, who lbtt•netl attt:ntively to a ~et•orul panegyric of ::5t.
John Berclunans, hy the t'tninent or·ator, ltt•v. F. Fil•vez. Benediction was
then given by !lis Erninence, and the tridtuun, rich in honor tOr the saints,
autl rich, we trn:-;t, in graees for the people, came to an t'Utl.
Guelph.- The Church of Our Lady lmmaenlate, tht• main "part of which
has !wen in proct•s,; of entl'truction the Ja,t four p·ars, was '"tledieatetl to the
worship of (Jot! on \Ved~test!ay, ()ct. l0th 1 tht• et•remonies start in.~ at ll.:W
A . .)f.
snrpas~
.Anwng the nwny churches ret'ently built or in progress, few will
in size, antl certainly nont) west of .Montreal in the 1nagniticence
ami purity of its architeeture, the temple of worship whieh !low towe1·s
aloft on the Catholic hill, with its state!~· gablt•s and lofty pinnadt•s.
Designetl in the Gothic style which obtained in Euwpe towards the close
of the l:lth century, that splelltlitl periotl of eeele~ia.,tical art, it takes gener·
ally the forn1 of the Latin ern:-::-;, and is eotnposcd of spaeious nave a.nd chan-
cel, bohlly <letilletl transept", north anti south aisles, baptistery atul chapels
with great twin tower:-;, etc. :::;utTnnntling the grantl polygonal apse f(lrming
the end of the chancel or sanctuary, j, a bw:ul ambulatory ur ehaned aisle,
front which ratliates a. series of beautiful octa.~onal-apsetl chapl'l~. 'rlw eastern
end, al~o, of each transept, sprea.tls out into a channing capella which, extcrim·-
ly ami interiorly, atltls to the varit•ty and bt>auty of the whole comp<"ition.
The church, with the exception of granite pillars, atH! the tympanum of
Ohio blue sa!ltlstont•, is built throu,~h.,ut of seleetcd whitt• limestone. The
length from front wall to l"l'ar is ~Iii fpct, witlth aero'" transepts 1:30 feet,
act·oss ai~le..; 7H feet; height fron1 grourul to ridge !Hi teet; of l':H'h tower spire
21-1 feet; central tleche'l50 fel'!. Easy egrc..;:; :uul in~rc,;s are provitletl for by
the gt·eat front elltt·anc<•, the 1ille canopie<l tloor of the ,;outh towt>r, ant! the
door of each transept. The great basement doors at·e proteetetl each by_a
spaCious porch which covt•rs the ~tPp~ leading to tht_'1ll; the prit~.-.:ts' door IS
contiguous to the basement. ehalle.l'! and the stair lt>:ttling to tht> upper cross·
ing. 'fhe basement extends nuder the whole church, the ea,,tern end forms a
�vARIA.
morning chapel, with nave and aisles, apsidal chancel, etc. The transepts
contain the steam heating apparatus, \vhich on the low pressure system, heats
both church and basement m a most effectual all!! comfortable manner, the
ventilation being by means of <lucts in the walls, etc. The remainder of the
basement is devoted to a gn·at kcture-hall, in which also the confraternity
meetings will be held. The cost of the church, when completed, including
the spires, altars, frescoing, ~tained glass, organ, peals of hells, church furniture, etc., will probably reach $200,000. -The Guelph Daily llfert·ury and
Advertiser.
.
It is reported that the Holy Father. has allotted S:lOO,OOO to our fathers out
of the 8400,000 granted by the Canadian government.
St. Boniface.-The following extracts from the Nortlzwe.•t Review of 'Vinnipeg, Manitoba, show the success of Catholic stu• Ients in the examinations
for the ::lfanitoba Universitv :-The total number of can•li•lates for this examination was 108. Of tluise St. Boniface College presented 12, that is, oneninth. Out of nine me<lals awarded, St. lloniface took three. Two of these
medals were given to D. Brisebois and II. Royal who had won first-class honors during two consecutive years. The third medal for previous classics, mathematics and botany, awarded to Arthur Beliveau, is the most valuable iu
the university, both ou account of the number of competitors (thirty-two this
year) and owing to the variety and difficulty of the subject-matter. This is
ihe third time in eight years that St. Boniface has taken this me•lal. Fortyseven scholarships were distribnte<l, amounting in the aggregate to $.1035.
Had Catholics ha•l only their proportionate share, one ninth, they would have
secured five scholarships worth :;;33!!; in point of fact they won set•en, worth
,S;i35. Again, if we analyze the proportion uf :<cholarships to cun<lidates, we
find, for St. Boniface College, 7 out of 12; fi>r St. John's Colleg·e, 13 out of
2G; for ::IIanitoba College, :!:lout of .58; for the Collegiate Department, :l out
of 6. Next, if we examine the value of the.seholarships, bearing in mind
that one hundred dollars is the highest prize given any one candi•late, the Collegiate Department heads the list with one x!OO scholarship out of 2, St. Boniface comes second with :l out of i, ~Ianitoha College third with 7 out of 2.1,
St. John's College fourth with :lout of 1:1. .\.nd when we divide the aggregate value by the number of camli<lates, we come upon these striking averages: St. Boniface College, 844~ for each candi<late; ::it. John's College, $:l9;
1Ianitoba College, 8:l4l; Collegiate Department, :':2:?!. However, as it mav
be ur.~ed that these comparisons are not quite fair because there are many
courses in which St. Boniface did not compete, we would insist especially on
the previous and preliminary examinations, where the three atliliated colleges
were largely represente•l. Of the fourteen scholarships in tlwse two courses,
St. Boniface carried ott" tour, though its candidates were only ten out of a total of 57. In the previons, the first in the combined marks for classics, mathematics, and botany is A. Bl>liveau, a boy just turner! seventeen; the second,
who was bracketed with the first because there \vas'" little difference between them, is a professor of mathl•maties, ;;,; year~ of age, presented by
1[anitoba College. This >how" what •loughty champion' our young students
have to contend with. ~!any of tlw cmulidates from other colleges are schoolmasters of tried ability an• I long experience. X o 'nch candi•lates have as ret
been presented by St. Boniface. In preliminary cla"ics and mathematics,
Young, of the Colle~iate Department, was fit·st, .fcan and Bourdeau, of St.
Boniface, were second and thin! respectively, Houthwaite, of St. John's, fourth,
atHl Goulet, of St. Boniface, fifth. ~[oreover, in Latin, all the Bonifiteians
were in first class, Jean at the top; Goulet was first in French, ant! Versailles
in History. In the previous year, Daignault was first in classics (Latin and
Greek combined), though in Greek he and all the others were quite eclipsed
by Peters, late of Clifton Public School, Englan•l, and now of St. John's,
whose Greek pro'e was admirable. Beliveau was first in mathematics; in
Euclid especially, there was en•n more distance hetween him an•l his nearest rival than between Peters awl his nearest competitor in Greek. The pro·
portion of scholarships won by St. Bonilttee in the pretimina.rJJ year is 3 out
of i, when•a., its candidah•s were I) out of 2!1.
Concerning these examinations Fr. Drnmmmlll writes as follows:.\redid not expect to come off so wl'll in the University Examinations. Our
SIX candidates f(lr. the prelimi1wry were, on the whole, inferiol' in talent to
the four we ha<l presente•l last year. llowcvet·, the fi1rmcr succeeded even
better than the latter. Last year we had the second, the fourth, and the fifth_
VoL. xvu, No. 3·
25
�VARiA.
in preliminary ciassics ahd mathematiCs. This year we have the second;
the third, and the fifth. Though our students were only 6 out of 29 candi·
dat<•s, they took three scholarships out of seven, whilst each of the rival colleges had only one scholarship apiece. In the previous examination one of
the prize winners is a )!iss Hooper, who was first in the prelimin"r!J last
year, when she beat our Beliveau who eame second. This year the )[anitoba
College authorities were quite sure she would come out first again. A few
days before the result was known I threw out a feeler to one of them, Professor Hart. Said 1: "It looks as if)liss Hooper was going to sweep everything
before her." Said he: "Oh! yes; she'll be first." She was fourth and Beliveau
first. Please unite with us in thanking the Saered Heart for this great encouragement. The examiners from the other colle.ges frankly acknowledged that
our students were by far the best in Latin prose. "" e had feared that we ruii[ht
have been living in a fool's paradise as regards arithmetic; but even in tnis
we came off fairly well; and our p1N•ing fright will only serve to startle us
into renewed attention to that branch next vear. .\nother cause of alarm is
the agitation on the part of lay graduates who want to revolutionize the university. But we begin to think it will be yet numY years before they can
replace the denominational coUeges by a teaching uniYersity, and, during the
interval, St. Boniface College will continue, as far as we can forecast, to a<ld
both to its 'uccess in carrying .off honors, and to its reputation lor ability an<l
fair play in holding the balanee of power hetween contlicting Protestant colleges jealous of one another.
*' ' ' ''' ;"
End of June saw me 13~ mih•s east of 'Vinnipeg; beginning of .July, 180
miles we,t; !lth of July, started tor Pacific coast, preache<l clergy retreat at
Victoria, Yanconver's Island (while Fr. Lory preached nuns' retreat), leetured in Victoria and in Calgary (~00 miles west of Winnipeg) on way back,
gave nuns' retreat at Brandon, )[anitoha, where Ours (FF ..John ~[acdonal<l,
Paquin and E. Proulx) are now settle<!, and finally re'lnned till' same work
as last vear. Fr. Eng. Schmidt" is our dee-president an <I an ex<·e!IPnt one;
Fr. Hobert, late of ~[orrbon, Col., our titot-rate minister. Fr. ltector has
begun his second tenn.
Clll'dhHtl Jlttzzella.-His Eminence Cardinal )[azzella has latelY he<•n
appointe<! Car<linal Protector of the Con,gregation of the .Most Holy Rosary.
China .. -The f(,flowing statistics from the ')[inisteria Spiritualia' oftht•
Inission:-: of Ki::tng-nnn alltl Tche-li ~. E. nlaY he intere~ti11~:
.
Kiang:nan.
. 1'c!te-li, 8.
Churches.................................
t>l-!...... .....................
515
Catholics ................................. JO.iO:ll........................... 1-t!l~
Bapt. (tulults)...........................
137.1... .......•...............•
ti2-t
" (ehihlren).......................... :llili'ti .•...........•..•...... ...;..HI:lO-t
r:.
Confession:; ... ............. ._h .......... -l:!~ltiti:l ...... ..................... .. HlX~O
Conununiotl>• ............................. -t9Sfi.il ........................... !11S17
Extr. Fnct............. ..................
~:ll~...........................
-tOO
::llarriages ........ ...... ......... ... .. ... .
!lti:l. ..................•.......
Boys' schools...........................
~!1;1. ......................... .
Girls'
"
...........................
-!04 ......................... ..
Boys (Catholic)........................
-ti:!l .......................... .
Girls
"
...... ............ ......
-t:!.iH .......................... .
171
[J:)
Boys ( infi<lel) ......... ......... .. . ......
~tl~ll. ......................... .
-l5
Girls
"
...........................
40~ .......................... .
Teacher,: (male)........................
:lti:! .......................... .
Hl7
"
(femal<') .............. .........
-!till .......................... .
13:!
Instructions.............................. llOO.i ......................... .. :li:ls
Catechisms .............................. ~SO-to .................... .'_. ... . 4199
He treats .... ... . ... .. . . .. . . . .. . ... . . . .. . .. .
.17 ......................... ..
Exercitants ...... ......... ...... .........
:nl'i-t .......................... .
;)15
Chretien Us...............................
fl/0 .......................... .
Private chapels ...... ,.................
S:l.. . ....................... .
91
Annex ................. ,... ..... .... .. ... .
;i9.i .......................... . 100-t
A post. of Prayer....................... 1/!190 .......................... .
Priests (European).....................
100 .......................... .
"
(Chine,:e) .....................
2!1 .......................... .
A silver jubilee medal has been sent from Rome to Fr. Lawrence Li the
distinguished Chinese author.
The Archduke Leopold Ferdinand, during his sojourn at Nankin, stayed
-·
.,~
�VAIHA.
with our fa the!"", which made a great impression. lie wa.~ verv amiable and
made himself quite at home with us like an old student on a vlsit to his pro. fessors. He to!tl us that hoth his fatlwr and the emperor of .\ustria as well
as himself desired to be useful to our holy religion and to the missions wherever they could do so. On his return to Shang-hai he was serenade<! and entertained with a play by the stntlent' of our college of Ilong-Keou. Best of
all, he went to confession aml holy Communion at tlw :\[ass on Sunday, which
he <lid with unatl'ected piety.-Fr. Pfister.
Dent'el'.- The colleges of Las Vegas and :\Iorrison have been closed, and
merged into the. new college of Denver, whieh openetl in September and has
alreail.y one hun<lre<l am! twenty-fiye boarders.
Egypt.- In the world renownc<l Thehai<l, Egypt, once a retreat sacred to
the famous rPcluses of the Church, like St. Anthony an<l St. Pacomius, but
for centurit>s past not troc!tlcn by the toot of a Catholic prie,t, a mission is
11ow about to he founded in the Higher Thehaid by a Yery remarkable manFather tie Dianova, Sa J. The Hev. g-entletuan is a grandson of a gt:>neral of
the Fi~t Empire, has a thorough knowle<lg-e of Tur''i'h and Arabic, and is
JWrtCctly conver~ant with ea~tern nuutners and cu~tmns, having lived for
many years in Algiers, Syria an<! Egypt. The choiee oft he founder of the new
mis,ion was made by J,eo Xlii.-Catlwfic Telegraph, Cincinnati.
l:n!JlttiHl.- Our f\tthe•·s have bnilt a 11ew hon'l' in Lo111lon, the Pntrance
to u.,.hich is on ~lount strt?et. The roo1ns art• large and light!';ome, and in every
roo1n thl•re i!4 a. speakin~atuUe connectin_g with the porter's room.- EJ.·tract
from Letter of JJ!r. 1'. I. Gassun.
l~'r ..Ttrt~ob.".~Fr. Peter Grt·.~ory .J aeoh.; tlietl at Pres~lnu,g, Decent her 12th,
!Sill, being at the time of his <i<'ath tl"' oltlPst Jesuit priest in the worl<l. Fr •
.Jacobs wns hom at llit•st in Bmhant, the hirth-plact' of St. John Ben·hmans,
nu ~Iart•h ltith, tiKI. During his youth he witnP~sPtl the horrors of the Frenf'h
revnlutiou. ~\ Fnuu~i:-;cau haviug told him of tht: exi:.;tenct· of the Father~
of tht• Faith and of tlw 8acrc<l Heart, whose ohjeet
W>l'
to rt•vi\'t· the Society
of .Jt·~tt:"\, young .Jaeohs applit>d to Fr. l:uza\~t'Il for•athni:"\~iou. Fr. Hozavt'n
:->ent hilu to Kt•nsington Hou~e, near London. Jn the meantinte, tlu• Fathers
of the Faith had learned of the canoni<'al existence of the Society of .Jesns
iu Hu~:-:ia. Tht'y therefore ft':-:olvetl to ::O:t'lld Fathet· ( h·ivcl to Russia to negotiate tin· the :1<hni"ion of the Father' of the Faith into til<' Society of .Jesus.
The t'antliclate, Pctt~r .Jaeoh:-:, wns ~in·n to Fr. Grin-•J a~ a t•ontpatiion. Thu:.;
Father ( ;rivt'l and l'etl'r .Jacoh' were the fir,t two lll<'lllht•I'S of the Society
of the Fatht•r' of tlw FaiLh atlmittetl into the Sucit•ty. Fr. Ricca, of the old
~~ciety, het'ame the uovice·lnastt"r of tlw two uoviC't's in the college of Poloek.
Al'tt•r having nm<le brilliant stwli<,s in philo,ophy and thrology, he was sent as
tnis,...;ionar)· anwn,~ the German eolom:"\t....; at Saratow on the \Volga. In 1817,
he was ~Put a:-~ mi:-:.:-:.ionary auwug tlw Catholic Armt•niaHs iu Astrachan.
\\'hen the .lt•,nil' Wt'l'e expPIIPd f'i-tnn Hu"ia, F·· .lat'obs bet'anw one of the
founders of th<- pmvint•e of G~tlicia; ant! wh<'ll in 18:!0 thP Society was reestahlisht'<l i11 (;ermall Austria, Fr..Jacobs wa' on<' of the first to be called
into the new pi'Ovince. From this time on ht• h<'l<lt""ts of great responsibility in nu·ious hou:'\es of the ..\u~trian Provinee. He was a man of deep nnd
'olitl spirituality, tht• l't•ston·r, in ,\ustria, of the spiritual exercises to priests.
lie printed in Presshurg, both in Uerman and Latin, his tnt'•litations aud con~
sitlerations f<H' •·kht aml thrt'<' davs' retreats. Tht•st' loose sheets have lleeu
1
rPprinte<l at \V"';<lstoek < and ha\'e
of much"'" to many of our ththers.
1
'""'II
F1•. Jltl/i.~ion.-Tl"' n•nerahle Fr.11irha<'l Mansion olie<l at ltotwn, 1lureh
3r<l, 1~HS, at the great age of •u·arly !14 years. liP was horn i11 li!l·l (two ~·ears
l1efore ou1· 1<'1·. Cnrley ), t•nt<'r<·<l the Society iu lSLi :lllcl w:ts .or<lainetl in 18~5.
Cnnse<Juently, he dieol i11 the 6:lnl ~·ear of his priesthood, and the i3rd of his
l'eligious lift~. lie was a distinguiHhecl teacht>t', writer, antl director of t'Ouls.
\Vhen on•· fat!""'' were expel!t•t! from France in 11-128, he went to Portugal.
lie was, iu tum, expellt•ol from the latter cou11try, hut not hefore haying spent
smue tinu~ in prison for jnRtice' sake. Fr. ~[ansion wnH n distinguished linguist. He was t.he author of a Hehrew g-t·amm:u· ant! dictionary. Those of
1
< 1 See ad\'ertlsement in the WooDSTOCK LETTERS "Exercltla Splrltualla, reprint of
the editlo l'osonicusis (Pr•ssburg) 1862, ascribed to Fr. Jacobs."
�VAhlA.
o~r pro·,~ince ,tho Ji:ta<le the ric:i,'iceship at the Sault will 1·emember hi~ trait~
de prononciation.
Fr. Piccirillo.-On receiving a copy of the memorial sketch of Fr. Piccirillo, His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons sent the following note to Fr. Rector:
-1 thank you for the brief memoir of Fr. Piccirillo. He was one of the
most gifted, cultivated, and entertaining ecclesiastics I ever met. He was the
impersonation of ma,culine grace and dignity, without a tinge of affectation.
I shall always esteem it a pri,·ilege to have enjoyed the friendship and acquaintance of so ~rood and great a priest.
The following Tribute to the Jlemory of Fr. Piccirillo is selected from a letter from Fr. Lewis Drummond:- . . . . The mention of dear old Fr. Piccirillo, at the beginning of your letter, calls up many edifying memories. I
wish I had time to write for the WooDSTOCK Lr:TTERS all I feel about him.
His was a flawless character. No pettiness, no meanness. As a companion
in walks for scholastics anxious to widen their range of knowledge and to assimilate more and more true practical wisdom, he was simply peerless. There
was not in him the faintest flavor of cynicism, though he had been behind the
scenes of diplomacy and ecclesiasticism as few men ha\·e. Shrewd and keen
as the typical Yankee, he was silriple with the comely simplicity of an oldschool nobleman. I remember- one occasion where a subordinate official
blamed one of Fr. Piccirillo's pupils with a view to rebuking the master
through the disciple, and I shall never forget the magnanimity with which
Fr. Piccirillo, far from resenting the cowardly proceeding, utterly and sweetly ignored it. And then, how considerate he was for the sick, asking to stay
up with them at night, depriving himself of a second pillow to ease a suffering scholastic! If one could only have got him to write memoirs, what valuable appreciations of men and things he would have ginn. He loved Pius
IX. a'·one would an elder brother. You know they were most intimate. For
instance, many a time at Castel Gandolfo, Pio Xono would steal behind Fr.
Piccirillo, who was playing billiartls, am! shove his cue to one side just as he
was ready to play, ... Of all Fr; Piecirillo's Jo,·able traits, the most lO\·able
was his absolute sincerity-not ignorant straightforwartl bluntness, but gentle
am! polite adherence to truth throughout all the forms of a never-failing
urbanity.
·
Fl'. TTwmns PrH'fl'l'.- Rev. Fr. Thomas Porter, Yicar-Apostolic of
Jamaica and brother of the Archbishop of Bombay, tlied not long ago in
England.
F1•. Sabetti's 1lCol'nl. Tlleology.-The September number of Literari·
scher Hantlweiser contains a very eulogistic review of Fr. Sabetti's Moral
Theology. "'e translate a few of the closing sentences. "A neW and inde·
pendent treatment of moral theology would not have cost Fr. Sabetti more
labor than this work on Gurv-Ballerini. His treatment has been so successful that the book has not los't its character of unity, antl that it nowhere betrays mere pateh-work. The atlditions made by the author are to the point,
am! enhance the scientific and practical value of the book. Canon law, espe·
cially the points bearing on matrimony and the censure,, have been handled
carefully ....•. A secontl ed1tion of Fr. Sabetti's bl•autiful work has already
been called for; its solidity and practical utility bespeak for it the widest circulation. It is destined to render excellent services both to the student of
moral theology and to the priest in the ministry."
FOJ•dhnm, Y. Y., St .•John's College.- The formal opening of the scho·
lastic year took place on Thursday, Sept. 13th, when the Mass of the Holy
Ghost was offered up bv Fr. !lector in the J)arish church, in the presence of
all the students. The sermon was preache by the Rev. E. Slattery,.Pres.of
the alumni association. -Latest reports announce 213 boarders. and 50 daystudents. -The alumni association 1s taking steps towartls the erection of a
statue to Archbishop Hughes, the founder of the college, in the middle of the
college lawn.-A delegation from the college attendetl :\lass in the cathedral
on 'Vednesday, Sept. lflth, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the ordination to
the priesthood of His Grace the )lost Hev. M. A. Corrigan, Archbishop of
New York. After the )lass, the archbishop received the delegation at the
archiepiscopal residence, where an address was read. The archbishop re·
sponded in a lew pleasing words, thanking the boys for their kindness.-From
the Fordham Jl[onthly,
l
l
l
I
�VARIA.
France, Colleges.- The College of La Rue des Pastes had 157 admissibles
for St. Cyr; Jersey, 42 for the Naval Academy.
Georgetown College, JJ. C.- The following programme sketches in
rough outline the exercises set apart for each day of the coming centennial
which is now the all-absorbing topic here: Faculty Day.- In the morning:
Solemn religious service in the chapel, including pontifical High 1\Iass, ser·
mon and Benediction. His Eminence, the Cardinal Archbishop of Baltimore,
has graciously signified his intention to be pr~sent. In the evening: Faculty
reception in Gaston :\Iemorial Hall. The gentlemen of the faculty will hold
a reception of old students, friends of the college, and former professors and
tutors. :\[usic, etc. Alumni Day.-In the morning: Regular meeting of the
alumni at the college. In the afternoon: Class meetings of all old students.
In the evening: Banquet of the .\.lumni .\ssociation at one of the hotels in
the city. University Day.- In the morning: Class and society meetings, with
the reading of papers, poems, etc., by the present students of the departments
of art~, medicine and law; In the afternoon: Solemn academic session of the
three faculties of the university. Awarding of honorary degrees, etc., etc.
In the evening: Illumination of the college buildings, old and new. Fire·
works a!Hl exercises by the students on the college campus.
On ::;unday, Sept. 30th, the day set apart by the Holy Father as a day of
prayer for the souls in Purgatory, a solemn High ~lass was sung in the college
chapel and a suitable sermon preached to the students. Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament was given m the evening.- Latin conversation has been
introduced as a class exercise in the Grammar Department.-Rev. Fr. J. M.
Cataldo,"Superior of the Rocky )fountain )fission spent some davs at the colleg-e and entertained the junior students with an account of the labors of the
missionaries among the heathen.-The weather observations will be continued
this year by the class of '8'.!.-Tite College Journal.
·
Latest information reports 1.50 boarders and 50 day-scholars, the lower floor
of class-rooms in the new building 'Yill soon be readv for use, and new desks
sPeured for the studv-hall of the senior division. The citv authorities have
put a new asphalt p"avement on the st.reet leading up to the college gate, the
Iiew entrance will be finished befilre Christmas, and it is hoped that the playrooms in the new building will be ready for use by the second term. Contracts for the tiling of the class-room and basement corridors have already
hcen given out. :Fr. Webb has been appointed prefect of studies, being replaced as professor of philosophy by Fr. J .•J. )[urphy. Fr. John Hagen, the
eminent German .Jesuit astronomer ant! mathematician, member of the Royal
~Iathematical Society of Berlin, has been appointed professor of astronomy
and curator of the observatory.
ll"elaud.-The Freeman's Journal, speaking of the intermediate examinations of last .June, says: "The first place in the Middle Grade is taken by
Clongowes Wood College, the second place by the Sacred Heart College, J,imerick. In the Junior Grade both first and second places are taken by student~
of Clongo\n>s Wood. Indeed the feature of this year's pamphlet is the extraordinarr success of the Jesuit colleges, as in addition to the above first-class
distinetJOns, Clongowes 'Vood obtains three gold and five silver medals and
no less than fifteen exhibitions, while Belvedere gains ten, and Sacred Heart
College five of these valuable disti1ictions. The gol<l medals for 'cla,~sics and
modern languages in the Senior Grade go to swell the list of successes of
Clongowes Wood, while in the ::\riddle Grade the gold medal for English was
also taken by the same college. We can point with justifittble pride to the
results of these examinations. Without any external advantages, our Catholic students have succeeded in carrying off no less than 420 prizes, as against
2!1.~ for students of all other denominations, representing the substantial
money value of £375~ out of a total of £6.'i81. The passin.<: of the Intermediate Education Act may be looked on as the first opportunity afforded to
Catholic students of competing in a fair field with their Protestant contem ·
poraries."
Fr. Bannon is making a new entrance to our church in Upper Gardiner St.
-The number of persons at daily ~lass in our church in Dublin almost sur:
pa"es belief. The last i\Ia"' every day is at 11, and this is so crowded that
Archbishop Walsh brought ~!gr. Persico to see the large attendance. The
papal delegate declared that he had never seen anything like it in all his
travels. The number of Communions there last year amounted to 1'33,000,. Ji;xtractfrom Letter from Mr. T, I. Gasson,
·
�VARIA.
Maryland :Yew rorJ..· Pl•of"inee.- Changes.- Since our last issue,
8everal changes of recto..,_ and 'tlperior< lun·e taken place: Fr. ,J. Havens Rich·
ards has become reetor of Georgeto"·n College, Fr. ,J. A. Doonan goin.!! to St.
Francis Xavier',, New York, to teach philo,;ophy; Fr.• John .1. )(urphy who
l1as lately been appointed profe,sor ofphilo">phy at Geor.~::ctown College, D. C.
has been replaced as re<'lor of St. Francis :Xaner's, N.Y. by Fr. D. A. )(errick,
who, in tum, was replaced as 'nperior of St. Lawrence's, X. Y. by Fr... Ter.
O'Connor;· Fr. John Scully has been appointed rector of Fordham College
from which Rc·v. Fr. T. J. Campbell w:l' taken to replace Fr. R. Fulton as
provincial; Fr. Fulton replae<·s Fr. N. Ru"o as rector of Boston College, the
latter going to St. Franeis :Xa,·ier's, N.Y.; Fr.\\'. Pardow, the fonnersocins
of Fr. Provincial, has become instructor of tertians, his preele<'essor in that
office, Fr. Ph. Cardella, returning to his former l""t in Xew York; Fr. P.
Cassidy has replaced Fr. John )!eQnairl '" rector of St. Peter's College, .Ter·
~ey City, the lntter becoming superior of St. Joseph's, Troy, in place of Fr .
•Joseph Loyznnce who has heen appointe<! spiritual father at Fordham; Fr .
.Jas. A. "'anl replaces Fr. Pardow as socius of Rev. Fr. Provincial. The.
changes in the "'oorlstock statu,< will he founeluucler Home ~Yews.
At the end of the last scholastic vear, St. .Jos<•ph's Church, in Sith street,
N.Y., was tram•fcrred to the .::.ecul:ir clergy.
"llessenget•.- The .1[essenger of thr Sr,-red Hmrt lhr Novemher announces that it will he further enlargcel tc>r tlw cmning year hy sixteen additional
pages monthly. This means an increase from the .5itl pages sent to each subscriber h1 188.~ to 1::?48 in lSS~. The nr-w enlnr!/tment is intended to·elistrihute
evenly through the year tlu• speeial attractions ·;l'hich have hct•n introclnced
from time to time during the past two yPars. The latest introrlnetion under
·illustrated t•aritlies i' Iri.•h Scenes of Halloll'td JJ[emory; that in the Xovemher number is entitled: "In Hle"e<l Ground in Ireland," ami has six illustrations.
"l[P.rieo. -The ~lcxican corre,:pontlc•nt of the Jlo.,ton Jfemld writes as follows, on tlw .Jesuits now in ~texico, under elate of July :lOth, 1888. -The
agitation against the J esnits in Boston will po'8ihly make inter<'sting a few
facts regarding members of the same order here ..... There are some sound
reasons why the Jesuit~ are liked in this !'ountry, and one who is not of their
faith may impartially state the grnnnd, for their popularity. In the first plat•e
they are men of excellent moral charncter, of cle,·ateel!ife and conduct, learned,
and pos~essing that knowledge of the world that has always elistinguislwd this
powerful hody of men. Personally they are most a.t:reeable men, and, as they
ha1·e the gift of tolerance, the mantH'rs of gentlemen, :mel a pro(onnd knowledge of hunum nature, they find till' doors of the best houses npen to them.
Now, whether we are Protestants, infidels, free thinkers, or \1·hat. uot, we
must acknowledg.- that a Christian gentleman, thoroughly eciucat.-rl, and of
exemplary moral cnnduet, is a pPrsnn rlesc>rdng to bP trf'ah'd with consideration and not with rudene". Snch are the Jesuits in )[exico, now numbering,
I am told, seventy persons, which is twr•nty more than wll('n tlll'ir old com·
munities were hroken np hy the reform laws.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The priest~ do much good au1ong the young, and especially among young tuen ..
forming them into 'congregations' pled.~::cd to goOll moral conduct, and freqnently a8'emhleel fut· the rPception of advi<"c from their religions gnirles. In
this manner the .Jesuit lttthers exert a salutary influence on large numbers of
young meu, who, in this city, where l'Vil examples are only too frequent, and
the temptations to vice are rampant, are likely to go astray. In the city of
Pttebla quite a little grclltp of .T esnits may be found, one of their number,
Fr. Capuletti, being an astronomer of great repute, whose work is often to he
seen in the Diar-io O.ffic-ial, the organ of the government.
The following is fr.om the )(cxican cotTespotulent to the New York World:A Race o.f Primiti,;e Aztec.•. )fexieo, .\priltitl1.-A party of C:ttholic mission·
aries will shortly leav<' this city for Routh ern ~Iexieo with a view to converting the Lacondons, a wild tribe of Indians 2.),000 in number, scattered n\·er
·portions of the States of C:'lmpeehc, Taha,cn and Yucatan. The~· are reporte<l
to preserve the religious and "ocial customs of the Aztecs in their primitive
purity. It is said that tlH•y still offer human sacrifices to their gorls. The
country which they inhabit has never been explored, but there is a popular
legend in the State of Tabasco, that. in the heart of its forests the Lacondon.,
possess a city with temples and l!azaars, such as were found by the Spaniards
�VARIA.
in Aztec <'ities on their first landing in )[exico. Few white men have penetrated this re;:inn and none have ever retnrrwd alive. The Lacondons were
ne1·er suhdnP<l hy the Spaniards, and few attempts ha1·e been made to subjugate them. Sirwc )[ex reo became independent they have held themselves
ahsolntely aloof from all intercourse with Europeans. The enterprise of the
missionaries is considered extremely perilous. The government favors the
conver><ion of thl• Indians. Catholicism will render them more amenable to
civil jurisdiction. The party is composed of Passionist awl .Tesuit fathers,
ant! their mi,>ion has the. direct »lnctinn of the Colleg·e of the Propaganda at
Rome, as well as of the archbishops antl bishops in )[exico. Catholic or_g·ans
point to the undertaking as proof that the spirit of zeal and self-sacrifice
among the Catholic clergy is as active to-day as in the times of St. Francis
Xavier and hi:-: associates.
Jfi.'<-'Wlll'i J>t•ot•ince.-1-'ather Dam en retiretl from regular missionary life
after the mission at Florissant, which Legan on the h~'t Sunday of August.
His home, this year, will be at Creighton College, Omaha, whence he will
give occasional missions in X ehraska. He will be succeeded hy Father Coghlan, ai<led b~· Fathers \\'ard and Vander Eerden, whose headquarterR will be
at the ~t. Louis University. They will separate to attend to small missions
and unite in g-h~ing larger ones, while the service~ of five or six other fathers
will he at the tlisposal of Father Coghlan during tht• holy season of Lent. The closing of the college at Prairie du Chi<-n will swell the number at St.
~lan·'s \'CrY materiallv.
Prairie du Chien College has become a novitiate
for ihe I ierman Provlnce. - Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, late vice-president of
~Iarqnett<· College, )[ilwaukee, will conduct the north-side Collegiate Institute, a brmwh of St. Ignatius' College, Chieago, lately established at 616 Lasalle :wenuc, on the north side.-Fr. L. ~ebastianski has recently been engaged
in ~i,·in.l( mi'8ions to the Polish Catholics of Reranton and ~anticoke, Pa.
Kansas City, J[o.- In respons" to the urgent request of Rt. Rev. Bishop
Hogan to have Ours establish themselyes in this city, Fr. ~chapman was sent
in the spring of '!<lito begin the work of organization. It was an outlying
parish, but thinly settled, aut! without church or school-house. Divine service was lwl<l in the pastor's parlor until ~fay '87, when the large basement
of the new chnt·ch, still in t•ourse of construction, was completed. Fr. James
Dowling succeeth•<l Fr. Schapman in the summer of '87, and the good work
went on, and to-day with it' crowdetl s"hool-rooms, its well attended sodalitil•s anti soch•ties, St. Alnysius' may b<• called a flourishing parish. 'Vhen
elasses clnsed last. .Jnne, the oltl school building was torn down to giYe way to
a more 'uitahle one, and it is characteristic of the energy of pastor and people,
that a lat·gp hrick building, roomy, nir~· and lightsome, three storeys high
mul!ll.) fi•l't front, was read~· for oecupancy on the 17th of Sl'ptember.
Detroit College.- The inter-collegiate J,atin prize contest was open to the
rhetoric and J><>l'iry classes of the fi>llowing l'ollege': St. Louis University, St.
Loui,, ~fo.; ~t. Xa\'icr College, l'incinnati, 0.; St. Ignatius' College, Chicago,
Ill.; ~t. )fary's College, St. )[ary's, Kas.; Detroit College,· Detroit, )Iich.;
Creighton \ 'ollege, Omaha, Xeh.; :\Iar<[nette Colleg-e, :\lilwnnkee, 'Vis. A
<·ommittee, COlll[H~sPd of non-resi(lent~ ot any of these colleges, was appointed
to sl'l~d the S~Il\;<'ct ant! to rc1·ise the eornpositions. Subject chosen hy the
committee, a paraphrase of Adelaide Proctor's poem, "~ow." The subject
was made known to the contestants at 9 .\. }1., )lay 18th, and on tlw same day
h!'lwccn the hour just named and -! P. }!., the composition was written within
tl1e precincts of the competing colleges. The only assistance permitted was
the use of n Latin dictionary. The prize was awarded to Aloysius F. FrumHllt•r, a stntlent of Detroit College; next in nH•rit., Charles J. Higgins, of
the rhetoric class of Detroit Colle.ge, and n stmlent of St. Ignatius' College,
( 'hieago, Ill. The donor wns the Rev. Hntlolph .r. )[eyer, Provincial of the
:\1 issom·i Pruvinec of the Society of .T esus.-Michigau Catholic.
Xrrt• Ol'lt'tllt.'<, J'cllow Ji'e.,er.- FF. Dnfli> and de Carriere have yoluull-ered their scrviees to Bishop ~[oorc durin;:: the yellow fever epidemic. The
hishop welcomed them with open arms. They arc laboring in Jacksonville
an<l Tampa.
Xrw l.'ot•k, St. Franc-is Xavier's.-The )lass of the Ilolv Ghost was celehmted on September 8th; the annual retreat began on the 24th, it was conrlucted by Fr. )lerriek.-Among the notab]e events of Xovemh~r will be the
•
�VARIA.
solemn ceremonies of three davs to celebrate the canonization of the three
Jesuit saints: Peter Claver, Jolin Berclunans ami Alphonsus Rodriguez. On
the first day (Friday, Nov. !lth), dedicated to St: Alphon"1s Rodriguez, the
celebrant at the solemn High ~lass will be Rev. Fr. Anacletus, 0. S. F., and
the preacher Rev. J. J. Dougherty of8t. Joseph's Home for boys; the preach·
er in the evening being Rt. Rev. ~Igr. T. S. Preston. On the second day
(Saturday) dedicated to St. John Berchmans, Hev. G. Septier, S. P. ~I. will
celebrate the ~lass and Rev. G. A. Healy, of St. Bernard's, preach; the
preacher of the evening being Re\·. C'. E. Woodman, C. S. P. On the third
day (Sunday), dedicated to St. Peter C'laver, the celebrant of the pontifical
High Mass will be the Itt. Rev. John Loughlin, D. D., Bishop of Brooklyn,
the preacher Rev. John E. Burke, pastor of the church of St. Benedict the
:Moor, and His Grace, Archbishop Corrigan will close the triduum by a sermon in the evening.-The Xavier.
llet1•eats.-During the months of July and August. the Jesuit fathers of
the Maryland Xew York Province gave retreats, g~nerally eight days each,
to the following dioceses and religious eommunities:-Diocese of New York,
2 retreats; diocese of Boston, :.! retreats; dioeese of Philadelphia, 2 retreats.
Dioceses of Hartford, of Pittsburg, and of Springfield, :.! each. Dioceses of AI·
bany, of Baltimore, of ~Iandtester, of Provitlence, of Rochester, and of Syracuse, 1 each. To the Chrl;tian Brothers at Amawalk, N. Y., a retreat of
thirty days; to the Franciscan Brothers of Loretto, Pa., one of eight days.
One to the seminarians of Overbrook, Pa., and ~Iount St. Mary's, Md. To
the Sisters of Charity, ~Iount St. Yincent-on-Hudson, 3 retreats, three hundred sisters in each; Sisters of Charity. Madison, X. J., 2 retreats, about three
hundred sisters in each; Sisters of Charity, Halifax, X. S.; Sisters of Charity
of Nazareth, Xcwburyport, ~I ass., and Leonardtown, :\!d.; Sisters of Charity
of Our J,ady of ~Iercy, Baltic, Conn. Franciscan Sisters, Peekskill, N. Y.,
2 retreats, fifty sisters in each. Sisters of the Good Shepherd at the following places: Boston, 3 retreats; Norristown, Pa., 2 retreats; New York, 2 retreats; Philadelphia, 2 retreats; and Troy, X. Y. Sisters of the Holy Child,
Sharon Hill, Pa., seventy sisters; Sisters of the Holy Cross, at Baltimore, and
at 'Vashington; Sisters of the Holy Names, Key 'Vest; Sisters of Jesus and
~Iary, Schenectady, N.Y.; Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of )!ary, 'Vestchester, Pa., one hundred and six tv sisters. Sisters of ~Iercv· at the follow·
ing places: Balm ville. X. Y., Bangor, ~!c., Glouct>ster, ~I a".; (lreenhush, N.
Y., Harrisburg, Pa., Ilartfor<l, Conn., three retreats, one hundred sisters in
each; Loretto, Pa., one hun<lred aJHl tweuty sisters; ~Iount 'Vashington;)Id.;
New York; ~lane hester, X. H.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Providence, R. 1., two
retreats, seventy-five sisters in .each; HoehestPr, N.Y.; Towanda, Pa.; 'Vorcestcr, ~lass. ~istt'rs of Notre Dame, at the following places :• Boston, Berkeley St., one hum! red and twenty sisters; l'outh Boston; La.well, ~[ass., one
hundred sisters; Malden, Mass.; Philadelphia; ltoxbury, ~I ass.: one hundred
sisters; "'ashington; Worcester, seventy sisters. Sisters of the Presentation,
Fitchburg, Mass., and Staten Island, N. Y. Sacred Heart Religious at the
following places: Atlantic City, N.J.; Eden Hall, Pa., seventy five sisters;
Elmhurst, R.I.; Halifax, X. 8.; Kenwood, X. Y.; one hundred and twenty
sisters; London, Ontario, two retreats; Hochester; St. John, X. B. Sisters
of St. Joseph, at the followin.~ places: Bing hampton, N. Y.; Chestnut Hill,
Pa., two retreats, one hundred and seventy sisters in each; Fresh Pond, )!ass.,
eighty sisters; Springfield; St. Augustine, Florida; and at Troy, N. Y., two
retreats. Ladies of the Sacre<l Heart of Marv, in charg-e of the deaf mutes,
Throgg's Xeck, ~- Y.; Ursuline Sisters, at )Iorrisanii, N. Y., and at Providence, R.I.; Yisitation Sisters, at the following places: Baltimore, fifty sisters;
Brooklyn, L. I.; Frederick, l\ld.; Georg-etown, D. C., eightv sisters; Mount de
Sales, Md., fifty sisters; Parkersburg, W. Y.; Richmond, 'Va.; Washington,
D. C.-"'here the number of sisters is not given, it ranges from fifty to thirty.
Besides these retreats, the Jesuit fathers also gave retreats to their own order, at
16th St. New York: brothers; Fordham, N.Y.; Frederick, Ud.; Georgetown,
D. C.; Woodstock, llld.,,about two hundred .Jesuits; and at Worcester, )Iass.N. Y. Catholic Review .• - To these must be added the four retreats, given by
Father Frank Ryan in the 'Vest. Besides two monster retreats, one to the
Fathers and Brothers of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, at Notre Dame,
the other to the Sisterhood of the Holy Cross, at St. ~Iary's Academy near-bY. ;
he gave the retreat to the clergy of Chicago and to a community of nuns w
the same city.
·
�VARIA.
Rocky Mountain "lrission, Spokane Falls. -Our college numbers so
far 26 pupils; :?4 Catholics and 2 Protestants. A new parochial school-house .
has just been erected. The school is taught by the Sisters of the Holy Names.
When the school opened in September, the number of pupils was only about
DO; but now they have increased to about 180.-Letter from Spokane Falls.
Correction.-)fr. J. Post says he was mistaken when he stated on pa~e ID5
. that the Crow and Kootenay Indians understood the language of the Kahspels.
Those two tribes have languages altogether different from the Kalispel.-In
the "Letters from Ala~ka" Br. Rosati is mentioned on pp. 325, 328, as Father
Uosati.
Ursulines secured for the mission.-A few weeks ago Rev. Fr. Cataldo visited the Ursuline convent in East Morisania, N. Y., for the purpose of obtaining some sisters to aid a community of the same order in the immense work to
be done on the western missions. A large number of the sisters volunteered, but
only four will be allowed to go on the mission. They will leave on Monday,
Oct. 22nd. Their destination is to Fort Shaw.-From the Catholic Review.
· Abp. Seglurs' Remains.-By the arrival of the U.S. revenue steamer Rush
at this port, says the San Francisco JJ[on itor of October 6th, we are in receipt
of ad vices from the Arctic regions by which we learn that the remains of Archbishop Seghers were taken on board the F. S. steamer Thetis at St. Michael's
and were landed at Vancouver Island, where they were received with every
mark of respect.-Catholic Revie·w . .
Scientific Notes, Georgetown College Observatory.- The July number of
the Revue des Questions Scientifiques has an article on the Lick Observatory.
The writer says that the United States now rank first in the line of astronomy,
thou~h they were the latest in the race; Yale College came first (1830), then
Willtams College; Western Reserve College; Harvard; High School, Phil.;
West Point; and in 1843 Georgetown College.- Georgetown College observatory
is about to be revived, Fr. John Hagen having been appointed to take charge of
it. He is already favorably known in scientific circles. Some of his work, in
American and other periodicals, has been received.with applause. Some years
ago he worked with Professor Holden, now director of the Lick Observatory.
He has just concluded a series of papers in the Stimmen, on the Scientific
Institutions of Washington. We take the following interesting item from the
).fay number:"Professor Newcomb certainly deserves grateful mention in these pages for
the justice with which he defends Fr. Hell against the charges advanced by
Lalande, Littrow, and Encke, over a century ago. Lalande had accused Fr.
Hell of unfairness in bringing out the results of an observation of the transit
of Venus which he made in Lapland in the year 176!l. According to the
French astronomer, Fr. Hell concealed his figures till the calculations of other
astronomers were published, and then, having corrected mistakes, gave out the
'doctored' observations as his original work. Littrow and Encke did not, it
is true, subscribe to all of J,alande's accusations, but in regard to the falsification they agreed with him. Rightly to understand the venom of Lalande's
attack, we must recall to mind what a violent storm was then raging against
the Society of Jesus of which Fr. Hell was a member. Professor Newcomb
who is at present studying the history of all the transits of Venus and :Mercury, went to Vienna for the express pnrpo>e of examining Fr. Hell's manuscripts, and, as he said, of discovering whether or not the falsified figures
possessed any value. Falsified he called the figures, for he had not the least
doubt of the truth of Lalande's charge. But the result of the examination
was so astonishing that he immediately communicated it to the Royal Astronomical Society, and it shortly afterwards appeared in their )fonthly Notices.
His paper may be summed np as follows: 'The statement that Fr. Hell wilfully withheld his observations is entirely without foundation, and it is proved
beyond all doubt that the essential figures for the time and duration of transit obtained by Fr. Hell in Wardhus, were printed exactly as they were re-.
corded by him in his diary, long before there was the slightest opportunity of
communicating with other observers.' . Professor Holden, President of the
University of California and Director of the much promising Lick Observatory, has incorporated Prof. Newcomb's conclusions in the records of the
Smithsonian Institute for the year 1883. What a lesson! A whole century
had passed away and Lalande's calumny still existed, till the American astronomers in thmr love of justice, and freedom from religious bigotry, made
known the truth to the scientific world.''
�PARIA.
Natnre gives an abstract of a series of papers written for Les )fission.• Catholiques by 1' Abbe Armand David, the Lazarist man of science, on the ser·
vices rendered by the missionaries in the Far East. \Ve qiwte a few sentences from Nature: "The f'nemies of the Catholic cler;.:y compare the present
missionaries in China very unfavorably with the .Jo:>suit.~ who shone at PP.kin
in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It is undoubted that the Jesuit
fi\thers of Pekin bore au exceedingly high reputation in science and art, and
that they produced very considerable results in almo't ever;y branch of human
knowledge. They completed the most colossal .geographiCal work that has
ever yet been seen, by making a complete chart of the Chinese Empire. The
Leltres Ed~tiantes, the }/fmoires des JJfisstonairn Jis~tites de PeNn, the
great works of Father Duhalde and of Father. de ~(ailla, show the immense
mass of matter they have written upon almost every subject relating to the
Chinese Empire. But, it is asked, why speak of the great: achievements of
the past? They only accentuate the total absence of any s~ientific labors at
the present time in China. ~(r. David gives several answers to this question ...
The .Jesuit fathers, however, who had returned to China when their suppression had been annulled, did not completely separate tho:>mselves from
their former stnrlies, but I'Ontinued them as far as tho:>ir changed condition
would allow. For example, in their colle.ge of Zikawci, near Shang-hai,
thev succeeded in establishirltS.a very important mNeorolo~ical ohsernttnrv,
whence Father Dechevrens re~ularly send~ his observations to the men
of scienC'e all over the world; natural history owes much t<> the persevering
labors of Father Heude, who has published a work on the JJJnllusque.< jlu,iatil-s et terrestres of Central China; and others on the stags a no! tortoises of
China. The able draughtsman, Father Rathouis, helped Father Heuclc hy
drawing the excellent illustrations of these books, some of which were printed
in the .Jesuit establishment in China. In other parts of the country, many of
these missionaries give themselves up to forming and sending to our museums
collections of plants and animals."
The papers announce that Fr. Stanislaus Ferrari has erected, on the .Janiculum, a new observatory, which will rank second in Italy. It possesses a
magnificent telescope and an e•1uatorial of incomparable value. A hust of
Fr. SecC'hi with a suitable inscription stands in the hall of the ohservatory.
Fr. Collin of the Province of Toulouse has been spendin;.: some time at
Stony hurst under the-- instructions of Fr. Perry. He is about to establish a
meteorological and astronomical observatory at Madagascar.
St. Inigo's, Jfd.-One would not imagine that the county fathers are met
with a hostile greeting in answer to their messages of peace. ~t. Inigo's and
surroundings, one would say, hallowed as tlw,v are fo1· centuries by priestly
ministrations, could never be the scene of a display of higotrv hai•pily unusual
in these parts of the country. But this is how Fr. Gaft'ney spertt·a Sunday in
.Julv last at his mission on George's Islnnd. In accordance with his notice
giVPn the Sunday before at a wo:>ll·attencied ~!a.- in the hotel at the upper e<·
tro:>mit~· of the island, he Iandecl about !;.30 A. M. with Fr. lh·drick and ~lr.
\Vynne from the scholastics' villa, and wo:>nt immecliateh· to the school-house,
where Mass was to begin about 9 o'clock. To his surprise the school wns
closo:>d. doc rs locked and windows fasteno:>ci, the interior all in disorder, and no
sign of a key-bo:>arer or sa~ristan to make thine:• ready. rapt. ~!armaduke,
his volunteer ferryman, must scour the island for the keys anci altar furniture; hut. imagine the poor fellow's discomfiture on learn in!! that nne of the
school-board had refused the key and was determined to withhold it, spite ofthP
willin!!ness of his fellow trustees to have us use the school-room. This sanw
school, by the way, is in grPat part the gift of one of the Cntholic families of
the island, and it was given for religious services as well as for school use;
still this key-holder feared forsooth that he would oft'end the County ~chool
Commissioners, all of whom are Catholics, by letting a Catholic priest say
~lass in a building sacred to educational purposes. :Meanwhile we learned
that, alarmed at Fr. Gaffney's reception the Sunday before, the ~r ctbollists anci
Episcopalians on the mainland felt that somethin!! must he dnnc to counteract
the intluenl'e of the choice singing by the choirs, am\ the stirring sermon by
one of the young priests, Fr . .Meutfels, the Sunday hefore. .\ccordingly, the
Episcopalians had secured the hotel rooms, and the ~(ethodists were using
their l'hurch that day for a love feast, which, for want of wine amongst the
rugged islanders, and as well for want of forethought on their own part, they
were forced to make on bread aqd water. The night before, it had been loudly
1
�VARIA.
407
advertised at the hotel that the Catholics would be shut out from the schoolhouse, and this part of the enemy's programme was at least sucressful in making the Catholics on the mainland stay at home. But in no other respect did
they succeed; Fr. Gaffney was determined to have a Mass said and a sermon
preached. "If so-called Christians" he said, "must close their niggardly apartment to God's august sacrifice, the open shore, with sky for dome and sward
for pavement, wonld make a fitting tPmple, and the murmurings of pine
woods and river fitting music for the celebration of the divine mysteries."
Straightway, against the school-wall a table was placed, on which a complete altar was arranged, and bv 10.30 Fr. Hedrick had begun )fas•. On a few
fallen trunks, in the shade of tlic woods near-by, were seated or kneelin,g some
three dozen men, women and children, ten of whom, mostly men, were Protestants, who had come to show that they had no share in refusing us the key. The
)[ass was followed by an instruction, and Fr. Gaffney •aid a few parting words,
reminding the faithful few of their duties-charity and patience. On the way
back to the boat, the common topic was Fr. Gaffney's ill treatment. Dubious
principles of tolerance, prompted by sympathy for his position, were repeated
everywhere. Every one seemed to agree that "he or she was not much at religion no how/' but that every one ought to be let have his way in the matter,
nod folks ought to help one another no matter how different be religions. One
man, a )fethodist, came to apologize for his absence from our services; another
came to show Fr. Gaffney the plot of ground he is to give for a Catholic
church; some made ominous threats about the election chances of the claviger;
but the Catholics seemed quiet and meditative, like men who, for the time
undone, woultl he wary afterward. Fr. Gaffney was jubilant, and saw in the
affair, as true ministers of the Gospel are trained to see, a promise of renewed
faith and steadfastness among the Catholics and of some conversions among
the Methodists.
· .
.
S!frlu.-In the .July number of the Relation.• d'Orient Fr. Abongit concludes a series of papers on the history of the missions of the old :"ociety in
Aleppo. 'Ve give the closin.~ sentences: "The Society of .Tesus had labored
in Aleppo for 15."i years, counting the first seven years afler the suppression,
which were a long anti cruel agony for the last missioners. But the Holy
Ghost has said: 'Dominus deducit ad inferos ct reducit.' As in his infinite
mercy he raised up again 'the' Society in l~H, so likewise, in 1873, the same
divine Providence sent to Aleppo Fathers Canuti and Cuche, to bring back
to life our old and famous mission."
·TnrkPJJ, Prote~tant and Cnt/10/ic Jfissionarie.•.-.\ Mohummedan convert
to Christianity, now in this country, gives a very unfavorable picture of the
Protestant missionaries in the Sultan's dominions. He declares that they do
not make and cannot make converts. "They live in palaces, keep horses and
servants, feast sumptuously, and spend very little time, if any, m trying to
spread the Gospel. In Beyrout ami Cairo there are missionaries with houses
as well appointed as President Cleveland's, and summer villas as comfortable
as any at Newport There they live with their wives, children and retinues,
drawing handsome salaries from the foreign mission societies, and taking no
pains to convert the natives to Christianity. 'Vealthy Mohammedans they
condescend to visit and receive in their houses. but poor Mohammedans are
not deemed worthv even of a salute or a benediction. Their covetousness is
proverbial. As a rule t'aeh of them obtains about £30 or :';liiO a month salary
-pretty large consitlering how cheaply one can live in the East.''
After noting one exception. a Rev. Mr. Yandyke, he continues: "Almost
without exception, all the other missionaries are, as it were, Rtrangers in a
foreil;\n land, or rather conquerors in a conquered country. Instead of preach·
ing Christ they· live and spend their time like <'.arthly potentates, taking no
thought for the poor and needy, and mixing only with such natives as have
wealth at their command. 'fhis is true of all the Christian missionaries ex·
cept the .Jesuits. They, 1 gladly admit, do try to learn the native language,
rlo treat the natives, even the poorest with courtesy, and do strive to teach
Christianity. their conduct. in this respect forming a strong contrast to that of
the other missionaries. What is the result? Simply that during the past
~hirty-five years only two ~!ohammedans have been converte<l to Christian·
1ty. That is a positive fact, and I can prove it." Ex-Consul .\rabeel. of .Ternsalem is less •evere on the Protestant missionaries, but he too admits the
superiority of the Catholic missioilaries B,I\d their work. "As for the Jesuits,"
�PAf?IA.
he says, "it is quite true, t,hat as a rule they perform their wor)': in an
plary manner."
·
·
·
· ·
exe~-
Znmbest.-,Ve learn that the novitiate and scholasticate have been closed
and ,that the scholastics are ",to be sent to Europe for their .training.
Jlome Xert·s, Ordinations.- On Aug. :?6th, His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons raised to the dignity of the priesthood the following nineteen candidat~s.
011 whom he.had conferred the orders of subdeacon an~ deacon on the two pre·
ceding days: John M. Colgan, Michael A. Noel, John H. O'Rourke, Aloysius
Maes, Francis p; Powers, James L. Smith, Stephen BuE-no and Thomas S. Harlin -of the Maryland New York Province; Joseph P. De Smedt, ~lichael
Eicher, Edward J. Hanhauser, Augustin Effinger,' Joseph ;H. Meuffels, Joseph
A. Murphy and William F. Hoffend-of the Missouri Province; )Iichael A.
McKey and Edward Allen-of the California Mission; and Michael )la.ier and
Raphael Crimont of the Rocky Mountain )fission. ··No minor orders or tonsure
were conferred this year. On the afternoon of the 27th, on which dav the
new priests said their first )lass, the usual 'Greeting to the newly-orda1ned'
was given on the college lawn, in the presence of the relatives>ind friends of
the new priests. Rev. Fr. Provincial honored the occasion by his presence.
Mauy of the new pd ..sts are alread; at work on the mission, Fr. Bueno in· 'sle·
ta, Tex., Fr. ~[aes at Fordluiin N. 1., Fr. Harlin at Gonzaga College, 'Vashiug·
ton, Fr. Hanhauser in Chicago and Fr. )laier at St. Peter's lli>sion; FF. :X oel
and Menffels have gone to the tertianship, the former at Frederi~k, the latter
at Florissant.
·
·
Faculty Changes.-)lany changes are to he noted in our staff of professors
this year. The death of Fr. Piccirillo left vacant the offices of prefect of stud·
ies and librarian; Rev. Fr. Rector is now prefect of studies, Fr. Guldner assistant
prefect of studies, and Fr. Mans librarian. Fr. Degni's ree111l to Italy left
another vacancy in tht chair of physi•·s; this is now filled by Mr. D. T. ()'Snl·
li van, who, lit the same time, stu die• moral theology. Fr. Dev\tt is ·replaced in
the class of·morning dogma by Fr. Brandi, and Fr. Romano, lor the short
course, by Fr. Guldner. Fr. Heinzle, formerly professorof3rd year philosophy,
is now rector of Canisius College, Buffalo, N. Y. The professors of first and
second year philosophy are FF. Gannon and O'Connell respectively. Fr.
Prendergast is professor of scripture. Fr. Judge, who is now minister in Fred·
erick, is replaced here as minister by Fr. Dooley. Fr. H: Duranquet is spir·
itnal father, assisted by Fr. Frisbee tfor the philosophers); the latter gives the
domestic exhortation• and will hereafter direct the "·oonsTOCK LETTER!l.Some changes have been made also in the order of time. The hour of morning
dogma has been changed from V to 10, the lecture in moral being at 11 A. ~r.:
the hour of evening dogma has been changed to 5.30, and the"circles to 3 r. ~!.
The H~brew class is now tau~ht on two nays in the week (Ttiel!day and Satur·
day) froin 3 to 4 P.M., thus,throwinl{ out the Tuesday eircle. The hour of
'casus' on Saturday has been changed to !J.25 A.M. .\ free class of German is
gi\·en on Thursday and Sunday from 3 to 3.30 r. ~r.
P<rris!t Work. - Fr. Brandi is in charge of the parish at Woodstock, Fr.
Holaind at Harrisonville, Fr. Finlay at Elysvillc (Alberton), Fr. Prendergast
at Syke;ville, and Fr. Gannon at Poplar Springs.
The number of theologians at present in the house is 8.5, ami of philosophers
7ti.-A new laundry is now in process of construction to the west of the old
oue.-About 160 vols. of valuable German books have been added to our Ji.
brary recently by the closing of the residence at :S7th street, N.Y. We have also
received the library of Goshenhoppen, about 1500 vols.-Eiectric bells have
lately been placed in the recreatwn rooms tln each side of the house aud on
the second floor at each ~nd of the building.-The new librarians have made
a gnat improvement in the theologians' and philosophers' libraries, both in
the number and the quality of.the books. An index is now in preparation.
As we go to pres• the celebration of the canonization of our saints is at hand.
'Ve can only insert a programme at present, hoping to l!ive a detailed .account
of the celebmtioiJ. in PUr next numliP-r. The programme is as follows:-
�• VA.IUA.
I
TRIDUUM
MASS OF ST. PETER CLAVER
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 5.30 A.M.
to 6.30 P.M.
PANEGYRIC OF ST. PETER
By Mr. William Clark
6 P. M. Solemn Benediction
fluesi!;Jg, Jjar. 6th
MASS OF ST. ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 5.30 A.M.
to 6.30 P.M.
PANEGYRIC OF ST. ALPHONSUS
By Mr. Edmund J. O'Sullivan
6 P. M. Solemn Benediction
.tilllt!;il.vg,
Jlav. 7fit
MASS OF ST. JOHN BERCHMANS
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament from 5.30 A.M.
to 6.30 P. M.
PANEGYRIC OF ST. JOHN
By Mr. Joseph H. Smith
5.30 P.M. DOMESTIC EXHORTATION
By Rev. Fr. Provincial
6 P.M. Solemn Benediction
.\
�VAR.JA .
410
..
II
IN THE LIBRARY
0\"ERTt:RE .
. .
.
.
.
"' .
Orchestra
.
.·~
OUR NEW SAINIS,
Addre"s hy ::\Ir. E. de Ia ::\Ioriniere
E~GLISH So~<;
. . . . . . . Choir
. .
\\"ritten by :.\Ir. W. H. Fanning
:.\Iu,ie hy Fr. Holaind
ST. PETER CLAVER,
Engli"h Poem hy :.\Ir. \\". II. Fanning
. . . Orchestra
:.\Irsrc
ST. JOHN BERCHMANS,
Engli,.;h Poem by :.\Ir. J. H. I,mlenkamper
EPI~ICIO~ . .
. .
.
. .
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .,....
J. de !'otter •
. . . Choir
Latin Hymn written hy :.\Ir.
::\In,.;ic·by Fr. Ilolaind
ST. ALPHONSUS RODRIGUEZ,
English Poem by ::\Ir. A. P. Brosnan
Orchestra
Mt:SIC
LATIN POEM,
Written by l\Ir. F. Weis
. . . . . . . . Choir
E~GLISII UY~I~
Written by l\Ir.
J. J. Wynne
Music by Fr. Holaind
�41 I
Colleges of the Society
IN THE UNITED STATE'l AND CANADA.
I
I
PLACE
I
NAME
I
-------'---'
~~:~17187:~
~ ~
i PROVINCE ' §
I
'I
•
;,
I f-t
I'
~
~
~ I~
~
~
I_~~..::__::.__..::__::____
l 119,...
2911
Baltimore, Md ............. :r..o;olaCollege* .••••..••••• /Md. N.Y.••••••
120 5
Boston, Ma&!················IBosto~ c,ollege* •..•••••.••. IMd. N. Y .••••••
H 237 16
llutfalo, N. )' .••••••.••..•... ,Canlsms College...•••••.. German........ :l34 3 306 5
Chicago, IJJ .••••••••••••••••• :St. Ignatius' College* ... Missouri .••••••. I 2'J7i 5 301 5
Cincinnati, 0 .•••••••....•.. St. Xavier College• •..••. ,
..
I 415, 7 323: 9
Cleveland, o................ 'St. Ignatius' College* ... IGerman .•••••.•. 90 ..•
751
Denver, Col.. ••••••.••••••••• :sacred Heart College ••. Naples...•••••.•.
223
Detroit, 1\!ich ............... Detroit 9ollege* ............ Missouri. .••••. 263 13
10
Fordham, N. Y .......••••• St.JohnsCollege ••••••••• Md.N. Y .••.••.
1~
26~~16
Galveston, Texa.s ......... :st. Mary's Univ.• ••••••••• 1N. 0. Miss ...... UO'
100
Georgetown, D. C.•••••.•• I Georgetown College ...... 1llfd. N. Y••••••• l 202' 10 189[ 10
Grand Coteau. La .•••••••• ;St. Charles' College ...... iN. 0 Miss•..... W 2
91[
Jersey City, N.J ........... St. Peter's College*.•.•.. !Md. N.Y•.••••. 111:
1081
Milwaukee,, Wis............ ]Mar9.uette College* ••.••.. ' Missouri. .••.••• , 2(_)2'. 6 l:S1 5
Montreal. Can .............. College Ste.ll!arle......... /Miss. of Can._: 358
368
New York,.:>. Y-......... ,st. Franc. Xav. Coli* •..• ,Md. N.Y .....•. ; 418 12 3791 9
NewOrleans,J.a........... :Im.Concept,Collep* ... N .. O.M!ss-..... 386. 12 383 10
1
Omaha, Neb ................. ICreighton College ....... Missoun ........ 183:
196
Prairie du Chien, Wl9 .. 1College of S. Heart ...... German. ....... 1361 ... 130
. St. Boniface, ~fanitoba., College of St. Joseph .... Mis•. of Can... 1 115! 2 I 109 2
s. anta Clara, Cal.. ......... Santa Clara College ...... Turin ............ I 2561' 71237 1
San Francisco, Cal ........ St. Ignatius' College*...
"
1 772
4 857 4
Han Jos(•, CaL. .............. St. Joseph's College*.....
"
, 96, ... 117
Spokane Falls, W. T ..... Gonzaga College...........
"
181' ... ...
St. Louis, Mo ................ St. Louis l'niv.• ........... Missouri........ 281
5
:;t Mary's, Kan ............ St. Mary's College.........
"
279 5 264 .. .
Sprin!( Hill, Ala ........... St. Joseph's College ...... N. 0. Miss...... 108' 7 ll9 6
Washmgton. D. C......... Gonzaga College' ......... Md. N.Y....... 951 ...
Worcester, Mass ........... 'Holy Cross College ....... Md. N. Y....... 213/_E_ 172 ~
1
Total 6654 153 6634 183
l 2071··
1
1
1
,200,
287/
I
1
31314
1129 ...
I
• Day Schools.
I I
��CONTEXTS OF l"OL Xl'll.
Page
Chaplains for the ::IIexicau \Var-IR-l6-Correspoudeuce-(Coucluded) 3, '+9
[,etters from a Chaplain in the \Var of It'6I
. I2, I35, 269
Father Damen's Goldeu Jubilee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 29
Naples-Letter from Innsbruck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 35
Alabama- Letter from Fr. A. R Friend . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 5I
Rocky J\Iountaius-I,etter from the ::\fission of the Sacred Heart .
. 73.
"
"
" Spokane Falls . . . . . . . . . .
. 82
St. Joseph's ::IIission . . . . . . . . . . R5
!,etters of Lieut. C\Iullan ( IR58\, and Secy. I,amar . . 88
Extract from I,etter of Fr. Vic1or Garraud . .
. I92
Letter from ::Ur. Post . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. I9-l.
" Fr. Garrand to Rev. Fr. Cataldo . .
. I96
Memoirs of Fr. Gregory 1\Iengarini . . . . . . . . 298
Golden Jubilee of Pope I,eo XIII.- Celebrations in Our Colleges . . . . 9I'
Miracle wrought by St. Johu Eerchmans on day of his Canonization . . I04
Miracles admitted by Congr. of Rites for Canonization of St. Peter Claver Io6
Fr. Yenni's Jubilee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I ro, I33
Innsbruck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. I6-l
. I85
C\Iiracle of St. John Eerchmans in the Austrian Novitiate . . . .
Very Rev. Fr. General's Jubilee Audience with the Holy Father.
. I87
Erazil-Missiou of the Rio Grande . . . .
.
. . . . .
. I99
Letter from Fr. J. R. l\L Galanti . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 353
Texas-Letter from Fr. F. P. Garesche . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 202
l\Iexico-Account of a l\Iission at Parras, Diocese of Durango . . . . . 205
"
Remembrances of our Fathers of the old Society in Parras . . 208
Hxtract from a Letter to Er. l\I. l\Iirando in Saltiilo .
. 209
Father Verdin's Jubilee. . . .
. 2II
Father John Eapst-A Sketch.
·. 2I8, 36I
Missionary Labors . . . . . . .
. . . 230
Father Sache's Golden Jubilee .
. . . 236
Early Catalogues- I8"9- ISro. . .
. .
. 238, JI2
St. Iuigo's-Letter from Fr. J. Pye Neale .
. 2S8
Fr. Frederick Hiibner- A Sketch . . . .
. 294
The Jesuits' Estates in Canada . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
. JIO
Auriesville, N. Y.- Pilgrimages to Shrine of our Lady of l\Iartyrs .
. 3I7
Fr. Ouellet at Gettysburg .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
Account of the Drowning of l\Ir. Duguay- I,etter from C\Iontreal, Can . 322
Letters from Alaska-From Fr. G. Genna. Fr. P. Tosi aud Fr. I,. Ragaru 325
California- Letter from Fr. John J. l\Ioore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Freuclr Canadians iu New England- I,etter from Fr. Hamon .
. 335
Fr. Charles Piccirillo- A Sketch . . . . . .
. 339
Fr. Edward]. Sourin-A Sketch . . . . . .
. 35I
Idaho Territory-Letter from Fr. A. Soer . .
. 356
Fr. Burchard Villiger's Golden Jubilee . . .
. 372
Hlenchus Sanctorum et Jleatorum Soc. Jesu . . . . . . .
.
. 379
OBITUARIES-Hr. Jos. A. Vigeant, III; Fr. Jos. Vetter, II2; Fr. Igua.
tins Eellwalder, 243; Fr. Jos. Isolabella, 244; Fr. Johu E. Holzer,
2-l4; Fr. Vincent Reitmayr, 250; l\Ir. Chas. F. \Vorpenberg, 25I;
Fr. Edw. J. Sourin, 252; Er. \Vm. I,akebriuk, 383; l\Ir. Joseph
A. Heylen, 384; Fr. Carmelus Polino, 385; llr. Johu Cunningham,
3S6.
VARIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ·'"5· 253,393
'Fructus Spirituales' of Missouri Provin<!e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IJJ
Colleges of the Society in the U. S. aud Canada . . . . . . . . . . . 4I I
'Fructus Spirituales' of Maryland New York Province.
�~-
.·
�Ministeria _Spiritualia Prov. M~rylandi<e Neo-Eboracensis, a die I" Julii 1887 ad diem I"m Julii 1:
II
---------------------------------~-------------
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Woodstock Letters
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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Jesuit Archives & Research Center
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives & Research Center
Saint Louis University
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PDF
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eng
lat
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JA-Woodstock
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Abstract
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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2017-2
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99 items
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Periodical
Dublin Core
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 17 (1888)
Creator
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1888 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
Contributor
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives Central United States
Saint Louis University
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Text
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PDF
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JA-Woodstock-017
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BX3701 .W66
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eng
lat
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JA-Woodstock
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Reproduced with permission of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Permission to copy or publish must be obtained from the Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
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2017-2
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418 pages
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1888
-
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PDF Text
Text
A. :\!. D. G.
\VOODSTOCK LETTERS
A RECORD
Of" Clt1'1'ellt Et•ents anrl Jiistol'ical Note.~ connected ·wiflt
flu· CollerJeS and ,uissious of tlte Soc. of" .TeMrs
ht Xo1·th aud South Ame1'ica.
VOL.
XVIII.
WOODSTOCK COLLEGE
Is Sg.
FOR PRIVATE CIRCULATION.
��---
------
................... .1,\,.;~""IIL:LJ
101
Ol.-LCA-J.J.UUlU\..j,:,
of the LETTERS than we are able to satisfy. Those who have
extra copies will confer a favor by sending them to us as soon
as possible. The numbers most needed are :-Vol. I. No. I,
Vol. IV. No. I, Vol. VIII. Nos. 2, 3, Vol. XI. Nos. I, 2 ,
Vol. XU. No. 3· \Ve are ready to exchange any other numbers for those here mentioned.
WOODSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XVIII, No.
1.
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF r861.
( .'-},"l'l'lltlt
CA~II' BIWWK, SANTA
Vrmv REv .. \i'in
DEAR
f..t'fll'r.)
RosA IsLAND,
FLA.,
oa.
25, r86I.
F.\TIIER TELLIEJ{,
P. C.
According to the !nstrullioncs for Castrozscs Missiouarii,
with which you kindly furnished me when I was leaving
New York, I write to you as often as an opportunity presents itself. There is yet no mail-line established between
any harbor in the Unit~d States and this portion of the army.
Transports are very willing to take charge of any letters we
wish to send, but they are so unreliable that only absolute
necessity could induce us to confide our little documents to
them. Men-of-war, when passing here on their cruise, very
kindly offer us their services as mail-carriers ; but, like the
transports, they arc not always masters of their own movements. They drop our letters at Havana, at the Isthmus, or
at some port of Mexico or South America, where they must
wait for an opportunity of being· sent to New York. This
irregularity explains to me why I have received thus. f.'lr
only one answer to the many communications I have addressed to you, and it will, I trust, be a sufficient explanation to you if my preceding letters have not reached you.
Whether I hear from you or not, I shall continue, in obedience to your Jnstrudion,·s to keep you informed that I
(3)
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAFLALV.
am in the land of the living-if it is correCt: to call Santa
Rosa the la!ld of the living.
You must have heard before this of the attack made on
our camp on the night of OEiober the 8th, or the morning
of the gth. The Confederates showed with a \'engeance that
two can play at "night attacks." The surprise was so complete, the attack was so spirited and ,·iolent, and sustained
by such overwhelming numbers, that all the public and private property of the regiment was destroyed, before we
could get ourseh·es into a position of defence, or before we
were able to distinguish friend from foe. The utmost confusion prevailed. "Come up for your ammunition, Company
E ;" cried out the officer whose duty it was to attend to the
distribution of cartridges. To his indescribable amazement.
the officer saw a bai1d of strangers present themselves to
receive the offered ammunition.-But allow me to follow the
current of events as they fell under my notice in the darkness of that dreadful night; then I shall furnish the explanation of those events, given us next day by the prisoners, or
gathered by our own observation of scenes along the island.
As a preface, and as an explanation of the surprise, I
would sav that the volunteers have, from one cause or another, eg~egiously f:<iled to observe a \'ery wise army regulation, "not to fire off their guns except at an enemy, or
within a time ~designated by the commanding officer." A
musket, therefore, discharged outside the appointed time
was equi,·alent to a call to arms: "The enemy is advancing!
Turn out!" The volunteers placed on picke.t duty were
always cautioned to heed this order. But~imfortunately
there is another army regulation, which the picket guard
were particularly instruB:ed to obsetTe above all' things, and
which in their minds is a direCt: contradiCtion of the direCtion
first laid down. It is that the picket guard must not allow
themseh·es to be entrapped at their post by any lurking spy.
who may be concealed in the hushes, or, assuming an innocent air, come too near the post. If the intruder does
not give immediate satisf;t8:ion, let the picket shoot him
down, otherwise he might· O\-erpower the picket, and thus
clear a safe passage for the enemy to march unmolested into
camp. Now, our watchful pickets had us out C\-cry night by
shots at supposed enemies prowling around their beat.
Daylight showed, however, that the enemy was an alligator,
an opossum or something similar, or nothing at all. This
continual repetition of f.<lsc alarms made the soldiers indifferent about the picket warnings. It was the old :;tory of
"\Volf! wolf!"
Thus, sometime in the latter part of the night of the 8th,
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
5
or early in the morning of the 9th of October, we heard in
camp several shots out on the picket line, but we foolishly
imagined it was a repetition of an attack on an imaginary
spy, or some foraging alligator. The sentry at headquarters
shouted lustily: "Sharp firing at the picket line!" but his information was unheeded. "This is outrageous;" said the
colonel to me. "I must stop this firing; we shall never be
able to know when the real attack is made." The night was
intensely dark. The firing continued with unabated fury.
Yells and shouts of triumph were sailing over the still air
into camp. "This is more than an attack on an alligator,"
said one. "The whole picket line has a fight amongst themselves," said another. No one seemed to think the enemy
was on the island. The few soldiers in camp were, with
rifle in hand, marching hither and thither among the
tents, condemning this folly of firing at e\·ery shadow.
Rut lo! whilst we are wondering what this fusilade is about,
it dawns upon us that our camp has been silently invaded,
and that its streets are thronged with strangers. There was
a knock-down here, a pistol-shot there, then a sword-thrust,
but no general fight. Not light enough to distinguish friend
from foe!
At this juncture, Company E was called to receive its
ammunition, with the incident mentioned above. The number of soldiers had been very much diminished by sending
many companies to other commands, as Forts Taylor, Pickens, and Jefferson. There were exactly, according to the
morning report of the 8th of October, 207 men in camp.
This number was further reduced by furnishing a detail for
guard duty at the fort, and for guard and picket duty for our
own camp. The colonel, before ordering to fire, was trying
to get the few men at his disposal in some shape near headquarters. Whilst they were moving off towards the place
indicated, singly and silently, I re-entered my tent for a moment. In the prevailing darkness I could not distinguish
an object. Stepping out again to procure a light, I was
grasped by a stout hand and asked, "Who are you?" "Chaplain of the regiment," I replied. "Not so; you are nothing
but a - - Yankee. Stand there. You are a prisoner." I was
surrounded by a crowd of strapping fellows all eager for
plunder. Profiting by the darkness, I stepped over towards
our rendezvous. Just as I reached the place, the entire
camp burst out into a terrible blaze. The pine arbors, surrounding the tents, \Vere in the best condition possible to
catch and spread the fire.
There was no· difficulty now in distinguishing our own
men from strangers. Therefore a rattling fusilade began,
�6
LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
The enemy seem bewildered. They appear to have made a
terrible blunder. They arc in possession of our camp, and
they act as if they do not know how or why. Dawn is
breaking, and without returning any more than a few shots
to our fire, the dashing enemy hastily depart. They certainly made dreadful havoc with our camp, commissary and
quartermaster stores. Of all that was ours, there remain
now but smoking ruins. My tent, chalice, vestments, etc.,
were all swept away by the unsparing flames. Four hundred and forty-fi,·e dollars in gold, left with the vestments
(we had been paid two days before the attack was made),
were carried off, or consumed in the conflagration. The
U nitccl States paymaster, with his chests of gold, came very
near being caught. -.He had left our camp and returned to
the fort, just four hours before the arrival of the Southern
brigade.. .Neither officers nor men had anything else left
them than the suit .each had on.
No use in lamenting over our loss. The order is issued
to pursue and capture or punish the invaders and destroyers of our camp. Having no information about the place or
the means of their landing on the island, we could form no
plan for pursuing them, or heading them off by getting between them and their boats. Concluding that they had
effected a lamljng on the bay-beach, we started on a "double
quick'' for the northern shore, whilst the enemy were moving along the middle of the island. Two minutes later, a
strong body of regulars, under command of Major Vogdcs
from Pickens, joined us. Clouds were gathering; dawn
withdrew her smiling countenance; darknes~·af night was
trying to resume her sway. Reaching the ruit)S of the old
Spanish fort, Captain Seely of the regulars called our attention to a dense mass, a short· distance to our right, towards
the centre of the island. "Are those some of our own men,
or are they the enemy whom we ha\·e cut off from their
boats?" asked Captain Seely. Major Vngdes, the commanding officer, who is a myope, halted the eager command, said
he could sec nothing unusual, but that he woukL to satisfy
all, ride over to the supposed enemy. \Ve waited impatiently
for the major's return. After considerable delay, a Southern
officer, arrayed in his gray uniform, presented himself, and
informed us that Major Vogdes had surrendered himself and
command to the.'Confederate forces. It was now clear claylight. The men shouted "Treachery! treachery! General
Twiggs' game a second time! \Ve are betrayed by our officers." Captain Seely, now senior officer, assumed command,
and, riding up to the messenger, said: "All the traitors in
·the army cannot make us surrender. Return to your friends,
�7
and tell them to come and take us." This little sentence
evoked from the men "three cheers for Seely" and shouts
of defiance for the enemy halted at some distance from us.
The one hundred and twenty regulars, under Captain Seeley
and Ist Lieut. Hildt, re-enforced by our less than two hundred men, were all that we had to meet the now threatened
attack of the Confederates far outnumbering us. A charge
is being made. On they come in a rush. "Give them a
sweeping volley;" said Seeley. The volley was given when
the itn-aders were but a few steps from our lines. \Vithout
firing a shot, the avalanche bore us down, passed over us,
and carried off five of our men, prisoners, towards their boats.
As the enemy did not fire, for some reason unknown to us,
none of our men were killed or wounded. The number of
poor Southerners stretched on the sand told of the terrible
havoc which our volley at close quarters had produced.
Here I separated from the combatants. Our men continued the pursuit of the retreating enemy; I remained alone
with the Southern killed and wounded. Captain Robinson,
arriving on the ''double quick" with more re-enforcements
from the fort, said to me: "\Veil done, Father! These were
our enemies ; they are not now. As soon as you can, go
to the picket line; the firing of last night must have left
scores of wounded there. Ambulances are ordered from
the fort." The poor prostrate Southerners did not detain
me long. To my remark that I was a Catholic priest, and
was ready to do for them whatever I could, one said: "I'll
see you another time.'' Another said: "I am a deist.'' A
third: "I am an infidel, and do not wish to be annoyed at
present with notions about religion." This one says: "Give
me a drink of water;" this other: "Put something under
my head.'' One whose head Seeley had cleft with his sword
during the rush, said to me: "Tie something around my
head-if I stir it will f.'lll in two parts, one on each shouldcr.'' ... Leaving them to the care of a surgeon and his aids,
I hurried towards the scene of the night's conflict.
Many a poor fellow I found stiff in death. Pursuing my
course over sand-hills, and through hollows, in search of
the wounded, I heard the confessions of those found alive,
and hastily started to look for more. Of course, I gave
neither extreme unB:ion nor holy Viaticum. All our own
people, Protestants and Catholics, without a single exception, accepted my spiritual assistance. At the picket line, I
found two Confederate soldiers, both mortally wounded.
After a little hesitation, they said they were Catholics, and
made their confessions. They belonged, they told me, to
Tenne>~see regi!llents stationed at Pens<\cola. They gave the
�8
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
information that all those who had crossed over to the island
were sdcc7ed from the various regiment~ composing Bragg's
army. "\Ve thought we could come over here, infliCt: some
damage on you, and return safely to Pensacola," said one of
the sufferers, "but, sir, we met with a terrible check." A
little £'1rther on, I found another Confederate, but dead. He
evidently was a Catholic. He had his Ai{lll!S Dei, scapular,
and cross, neatly fastened around his neck. He must have
fallen in the attack on the picket line. From the faCt: that
he was on his knees leaning against a sand-bank, I concluded the poor fellow was not killed instantaneously, but
feeling himself mortally \\·oumled, he had hastened to devote
the few moments of life, yet left him to prepare himself to
meet his God. There.\vas nothing to indicate his name.
Some of his \\·ounded 'companions thought his name was
\Valsh.-But what is this unearthly howling of a dog I hear?
Here· comes l\Ianassas (whose history was given in a former letter), howling piteously. He jumps on me, pulls me
by the coat, and darts off over the sand-hills. Clearly seeing that there was something to which the noble brute
would call mv attention, I followed him. After a few minutes' walk, I·could sec the dog violently scraping the sand
about a prostrate soldier in gray. Manassas ran to meet
me, as if to urge my speed. The man was dead. He was
probably the OWI1er of l\[anassas, who had promised to come
for him, and whom l\Ianassas met on his landing on Santa
Rosa.
The Christian charity displayed by our own poor wounded
edified me beyond expression. The sun, now fa,: _up in the
heavens, discovered our men five miles from what"had been
our camp, in hot pursuit of the retreating enemy, leaving
their course marked with many a bleeding soldier. I was,
of course, soon left far behind. E\-ery prostr.atc man arrested my progress. The poor fellows, hearing the continued rattle of musketry ahead of us, concluded that many of
their companions were in as much need of my assistance as
themselves, and therefore delayed me as little as possible.
One poor fellow, evidently in great pain, seeing me approach
him, said to me: "Father, don't lose your time with me;
you can return to me after having attended to the others.
I have only my leg broken." Presently I came upon another; he too was thinking of his fellow soldiers. "Pass on
to some one else, Father," said he to me, "I was with you
Saturday, I have done nothing wrong since."
But look! Literally piles of dead! Here is where the firing first began. They are all strangers; not one of ours
amongst them!. They are, I presume, fair specimens of the
L
�LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
9
different regiments forming Bragg's command. No two
had the same uniform. The first was a tall, robust young
mat~ who evidently had not feared to expose his life for his
cause. It was Captain Bradford, as the name engraved on
the splendidly mounted pistol which he firmly grasped
pl<iinly indicated. His face and ample chest were literally
riddled. His death must have been instantaneous, for no
indication of suffering could be traced in the placid expression of his noble features. The next was a victim of frtr
more delicate type; a frtir young man with long curling
hair, his blue eyes were half open, his youthful hand was
grasping a terrible wound in his side; he had no appearance of a soldier. By the side of this one lay a beardless
boy, who must have died from a bayonet wound through
which his bowels were protruding. But there is not one of
ours amongst them! This is a mystery which will be explained later.-! appear to be alone. Surgeons and ambulance corps arc probably attending to the wounds of those I
have seen. The day is far advanced, and I am exhausted ;
not able to procure a drink of water. But why complain?
The poor disabled and dying have been unable to wet their
lips. The soldiers engaged in deadly strife in our advance
have nothing to eat or drink. vVhere is the pursuit to end?
If our men have to keep up the chase till they reach the
end of the island, they will have a run of forty miles.
I now turn my steps towards the northern side of the
island-the bay-beach. There the pickets had "massed" to
make a determined stand, and there I found the sad proof.'>
of a severe attack and brilliant defence. There, intermingled
with the dead, lay several whose terrible wounds rendered
them completely helpless. Their companions, after having
yielded to superior numbers, fell back on the camp, taking
with them the wounded that needed only assistance to move.
Those who should have 'to be carried \\·ere left behind.
They were now, poor fellows, stiff and sore ; yet they complained not. An ambulance has just arrived with refreshments and surgical aid. How thankful they were for this
godsend! They had spent many hours with their gaping
wounds exposed to·a broiling sun and the unsparing insects,
and without a drop of water to moisten their parched lips.
The rapid firing, up the island, tells us the enemy has taken
a stand, and will be driven no further. "Hurry on, Father,"
said these men generously to me, "you can see us when all
this will be over." I hastily attended to the poor fellows,
and moved on in search of more. I found a young Confederate officer stretched on the wet sand of the bay~beach badly
wounded. A minie-b~l1 had broken both legs below the
�10
LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
knees. Believing him to be in great danger, I told him who
I was, and offered him my services as a priest. "I don't
think I need you at present," he said, "l am a Southern
volunteer.'' I hailed a passing ambulance, and had him
placed in the vehicle as gently as it could be done. He
said he was faint, and asked for a drink of water, which we
gave him, such as it was, and whatever else the ambulance
service had at hand. He seemed to be dying ; yet he declined my services. After having taken a little stimulant,
he remarked: "I am Lieut. S -,of Montgomery, Alabama."
Following still the traces of confliCt, I soon came to a
poor Zouave badly wounded and anxiously hoping for a visit
. from surgeon and priest. After having made his confession,
he said: "Father, a-little while ago, a Protestant was struck
down, and as he fell, he requested us to send you to him.
You will find him on the other side of the hill." Quickly
running off in the direCtion pointed out, I found, after a few
moments' search amongst the hillocks, ·Corporal Parsonage
of New York. The white sand around had been reddened
·with the blood which flowed copiously from his wounds.
Seeing him so very still, not even a sigh or groan escaping
from his lips, I feared he was dead. Though lying on his
side, his f.<ce was turned towards the ground, and his hands
were joined a§ if in prayer. To make sure, I took him by
the hand. To my great relief he turned up his face, deadly pale, opened his dying eyes, and in a feeble \·oice said:
"Ah! it is you, Father; 1-have been expeCting you; I am
dying." "Courage, Corporal," I whispe1 ed to him, "we
can't very well afford to let you go yet. NH'\:. is the time
we are most in need of such as you." "Oh ! Father, I am
going f..<st. A bayonet and two balls have done their work."
"Well, Corporal. you know who I am, do you wish to die
in the Catholic Church?" "I most earnestly wish to die a
Catholic. I made up my mind some time since, the first
Sunday we spent on Santa Rosa, the first great Mass we
had, to speak to you about being baptized ; but I foolishly
put it off." "It is not yet too late," I assured him. The
canteen in which I usually carried a little water, was, with
everything else, consumed in the beginning of the attack.
I had, therefore, no water at hand, and no one to send for
any; no one near except dead and dying. He had never
been baptized. J must have recourse to some expedient to
procure water. I told him the case, and that I would look
among the dead and disabled for a canteen. Fearing he
should die in my absence without baptism, he besought me
not to delay, for if left alone he might die in despair. He \\'aS
rapidly sinking. I tore myself away from him, ran breath-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
II
. less to the gulf-beach, steeped my handkerchief in the clear
blue salt-water of the ever ruffled Gulf of Mexico, returned,
and baptized the dying soldier by squeezing my handkerchief over his f.1inting brow. "Oh! thank God! I am
·saved ;" he exclaimed, as the water flowed over his pallid
features. "Now, Father, I beg you not to leave me." "But remember, my dear Corporal," I said, "there are at this moment
many others stretched on the sand as you are, anxiously awaiting my arrival; and perhaps, my dear friend, as near death as
you are." "That is very true;" he said, "but they are Catholics,
Father; they know how to die. I was a Protestant, and
never dreamt of preparing for death. You have not long
to wait; in a moment I shall have appeared before my God."
I remained with him, and it was but a moment. From the
very midst of a scene of war and strife, of blood and carnage,
his pure soul took her flight to the abode of eternal peace.
Before breathing forth his regenerated spirit, he requested
me to inform his· family how happy he felt in dying in the
Catholic Church; that in this supreme moment of his life,
he had no other regret than that his relations should remain
strangers to the great happiness within their easy reach,
that they should die without sharing in the great grace he
had himself just received. He begged me to sec them or
write to them, and convey to them his dying wish, that they
should lay aside all prejudices against Catholics, and make
the acquaintance of some Catholic priest. He gave his
family's address, but I have completely forgotten it. He
was very dear to the men, and was held in high esteem by
the officers. He had been offered by Colonel \Vilson, who
placed great confidence in him, the grade of orderly sergeant; but the young man, out of deference to older and
more experienced soldiers, constantly refused anything
higher than a corporal's stripcs.< 1>
Scouting amongst bushes (for we have already reached
that part of the island where such growth is found) and
sand-hills, in search of dying soldiers, T found a number of
our own dead, mixed pell-mell with those of the enemy.
There were strong indications of a fierce confliCt: having
taken place there. Our men were all members of the picket
line, who fought desperately to stay the advance of the
(lJ When Fr. Henry I>uranquet had rPad the above detaib, he interested
himself at once in finding Corpo1·al Parsonage's N. Y. relatives. The father
knew that his brother lived in the city and foun<l hb a<ldress in the directory.
He then wrote to him that he had news to communicate about his brother who
had enlisted in the 'Vilson Zouaves. The brother called at on<"e and hear<!
from Fr. Duranquet all the details related above. The father then left hint
to his own reflections. A bout six years later, the brother called again, asking
to be received into the Church and saying that he had beell thinking of this
ever since he heard of his brother's death.
�12
LETTERS FROJf A CHAPLAil\r.
enemy, and give those in camp time to organize to meet the
foe. But those in camp did not organize, and failed to come
to the relief of their overpowered but brave companions.
Not a single breathing human being was to be found who
could tell of the bravery of those soldiers whose stiffened
bodies lay in close proximity-friends and foes. Poor fellows!
A couple of ambulances drawn by fiery mules just appeared, to take up the wounded. Perceiving none but dead
in this part of the island, and hearing a disorderly but rapid
discharge of firearms, accompanied by ringing shouts, I
concluded that my presence was more needed there than
wandering among the bushes where I was meeting only
with the dead. At my'. request, one of the ambulances was
allowed to take me to ..the scene of aCtion. Urged by the
cutting whip of the sturdy teamster, the panting mules had
me in a short time with our own men who received me with
a rousing cheer. "Have you seen to all the wounded,
Father?" asked Col. 'Wilson. "All that I could find," I replied. The scene before me was literally appalling. The
retreating enemy had arrived at the point of the island where
they had landed during the night, and were getting off to
a steamboat, anchored at a considerable distance from shore,
as fast as their means of transportation allowed. This ri,·ersteamer had a number of flat-boats attached to her. From
the steamer to the shore ran a long stout rope by means of
which, instead of oars or poles, the floats, laden with soldiers,
were pulled to and from the island. Our men, regulars and
volunteers, united under the command of Captain,Robinson,
1st U. S. Artillery, arrived on the scene when ·all but one
fiat had crossed over to the steamer with their loads of retreating soldiers. The boat still at our shore was completely
crammed with those probably charged with proteCting the
rear-checking the pursuit. Capt. Robinson ·placed his
men in a commanding position, holding those in the fat
within short range, and gave the order: "Load and fire at
will till they surrender." A dreadful havoc was thus made
amongst the occupants of the fat, who would not or could
not surrender. They did not fire a shot in defence. The
fat was evidently aground, and the mad efforts of the living
targets were direCted towards freeing their boat. The fire
began to slacken, our men had not the heart to continue
firing at an unresi.sting foe, yet they refused to surrender.
The steamer which had conveyed the soldiers from Pensacola had her decks crowded with men, shouting encouragement to their endangered companions, but all in vain.
"Boys," said Captain Robinson, "try your rifles on those
aboard the steamer," A shower of death-bearing messen-
�LETTERS FROM A
CHAPLAIJ\~
!3
gers sped across the water, and caused quite a scattering
among the sympathizers with the forlorn j1at. General
Gardiner, as we have since heard, who had command of the
whole expedition, was the first to be struck. It was evident
the steamer could not remain where she was. She raised
her anchor, cut the rope conneCting her with the shore, and
left the j1at with its unfortunate freight in our hands. Seeing
the boat move off, those imprisoned on thej1at raised a white
flag and humbly surrendered. Our men greeted the little
emblem with repeated cheers, and rushed down to the
water's edge to see the result of the bullets that had been
rained into the boat. ·what a sight! \Ve drew back in horror. There before us was a perfeCt slaughter-pen ! Blood
everywhere! Blood on wounded, on unhurt, on men and on
boards! Aye, the very water that had found its way into the
flat-boat was so colored with human gore that it might be
said the men were up to their ankles in blood. Everything
possible to relieve the injured was done. Our little ambulance stores at hand were freely furnished. Surgeons,
officers and men tenderly cared for them to their utmost
ability. "\ Vhy did you not surrender? \Vhy did you not
surrender?" was repeatedly asked. "\Ve hoped every minute the steamer would contrive some means of rescuing us
from the danger of being taken prisoners," was the only
reply.
The battle, the fearful attack, with the terrible punishment
-if not revenge-following, is all at an end; the enemy's
dead and wounded and prisoners are in our hands. With
the last shot disappeared all animosity from our hearts.
The kindest feelings are extended to the enemy, now at our
mercy. In spite of the hunger and fatigue from which we
are all suffering, we have to gather, as gently as soldiers
can, into some of the hospitals, the poor wounded, scattered
over a large traCt of the island, to lead our prisoners securely
to the fort, and to pick up the dead, spread like the wounded
over se\·eral miles of Santa Rosa. Details are made out,
and different squads are assigned to parallel seCtions of the
island; these, moving abreast and close to each other, so
effeCtually scour the traCt of sand between the site of the
final engagement and the fort, that there is no possibility of
missing any one, dead, wounded or lurking. Teamsters
with their mules and carts are promptly at hand to remove
the helpless and lifeless.
On our way back to what had been our camp, fraternizing
with our prisoners, who seem to be nearly all officers, we
entered into conversation with them about their unceremonious visit to our camp and their failure. "You Yanks come
�LETTERS FROJJf A CHAPLAillf.
over to our side, and do us a deal of mischief, but you get off
safely," said one of the prisoners, "we come over here, and
do you fellows a sight of harm, but we lose the best soldiers
of Bragg's army." The poor fellows, as hungry and as tired
as we are, give us the history of the expedition, their intentions and blunders. The troops sent over were picked men,
seleCted from the yarious regiments composing Bragg's
command. There was great opposition to the expedition :
for cool heads saw no proportion between the risk incurred,
and the advantage to be derived. The young heads gained
their point, and many officers and young hot-headed civilians volunteered to serve as privates in the capture of Fort
Pickens. These volunteers are accused of having caused
the miscarriage of th~. plans. The enemy had received,
from a Canadian deserter, exaCt information about the position of our camp, our strength, and the line and number of our
pickets. \Vith this knowledge, they formed the plan of surprising, first the Zouaves, then the fort, and, with the rising
sun, of saluting the Confederate flag streaming over Pickens.
They said that the number of men composing the invading
column was I 500. The Pellsacola Ql,ser;•er, brought over
by deserters sin!=e the battle, puts the number at 2000. It
gives the name of each regiment from which the men were
seleCted and the number of men it furnished.
Landed on Santa Rosa, the enemv cli\·idcd into two columns, one taking the southern or gt;lf-beach, the other the
northern or bay-beach. They would thus avoid our picket
and guard, who for some rea:-;on (or perhaps without any
reason), held no posts on the beaches east Q( }he camp.
Having thus safely passed the sentinels, and havi"ng arrived
unobserved opposite the camp, the two columns were simultaneously to wheel inwards, one from the bay, the other
from the gulf-beach, suddenly fall on us, and, without firing
a shot, to utterly annihilate the Zouaves and their camp; and
whilst the regulars would be wondering at the aaidmt that
befell the camp, these elated im·aders were to enter the fort,
and butcher all there. Then they were to decoy the fleet
and seize it. If they could not succeed in decoying the
officers of the fleet, they were to hoist the Confederate flag·
over Pickens, and proclaim to the world their stupendous
viCtory. Such the prisoners, officers and men, assure us
was their intentiop. Fortunately for us, and perhaps for all,
the Canadian forgot to inform them of the position of two
hospitals which are a couple of miles in our advance.
These rough struCtures, the enemy, in the darkness of
night, mistook for the camp. In accordance with their plans,
both columns at this point wheeled inwards from the. shores.
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
IS
Looking for the tents constituting the camp, they cautiously moved forward. But soon each party perceived a body
of men ready to dispute their further advance. The idea
of burning us in our tents was abandoned ; they concluded
that they had been discovered, and must now fight their
way. They were, as you have already no doubt guessed,
the two columns of Southerners mistaking each other for
enemies. There ensued between the friends a terrible confliCt, in which Capt. Bradford and many of his brave men lost
their lives. It was at this scene of aCtion that I found those
many slain strangers mentioned above, and not one of ours.
After a fierce hand-to-hand engagement, the Bradford column was defeated, and retreated precipitately towards their
boats. The other column, imagining they had routed the
Zouaves, advanced boldly to capture Pickens. This battle
saved us. It aroused the pickets, who offered a stout resistance to the overpowering enemy. But they finally passed
through the lines and reached our camp; where, owing to our
imagining it was all harmless firing of green volunteers, we
were, in spite of the loud and continued warning, nearly burnt
in our tents. The enemy. thinking that they had defeated
the Zouaves, were utterly puzzled at finding a second camp,
and at having no news of the Bradford column. This explains their conduCt when entering Camp Brown.
On our homeward march, passing the site of the extinCt
marine camp, we had a \·ery substantial proof of old Col.
Brown's thoughtfulness for his hungry and jaded soldiers.
For here we met a number of carts with an abundant supply of plain provisions, sent out to us from the fort, by the
considerate commander of the department. All of us, officers
and men, captors and captured, sat down on the white sand
of Santa Rosa, now for the first time stained with human
blood, to a pleasant and most welcome repast. Havihg
finished, I might say on the field of battle, our coarse, frugal, soldier's meal, Captain Robinson confided the command
of troops and prisone-rs to Captain Seeley and Lieut. Hildt,
and the care of the wounded to the surgeons and their assistants, and invited me to accompany him towards the centre of the island.
Late in the afternoon, tired, weary and sad, all were back
from the exhausting chase after the enemy, at what was yesterday our pleasant camp, but which is now a pile of smoking ruins. The quartermaster of the fort had ready for us
an abundance of warm coffee, cold meat, and bread, to which
we did ample justice. How we expatiated on the value of
a warrit cup of coffee without milk, after the hardships of
the preceding day and night! But my work was no't yet
�16
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
done. I must now make a hasty visit to my poor wounded,
collected into four hospitals, hurriedly improvised, in different parts of the island. I had seen all, as far as could
be ascertained, during the day ; but some might have escaped me, or those that I had seen might require a second
visit; at all events, fatigued as I was, I made the tour of the
hospitals, to say a word to the wounded, friends and foes,
for there was no distinCtion made by the authorities. It
was dark when I returned from my extended trip. On my
arrival at the site of the camp, I was informed that the dead
were gathered for interment, and that my presence was required at the long and deep trench prepared for their reception. Alongside another trench were collected the enemy's
dead, to be buried 'vithout honors. The names and addresses of the slain were ascertained as correctly as possible
and inscribed in the "report."
About 10 P. M., the "firing party," or escort, the drumcorps with muffled drums and doleful fifes borrowed from
the fort, for our band and drum-corps had lost all their instruments in the conflagration, were drawn up in line waiting
for the order to start. In a few moments the escort was
greatly increased by the number of soldiers who volunteered
to honor the remains of their f:Lllen comrades, and the command to marcj1 was given. In obedience to the subdued
beat of the drums, and the sorrowful notes of the fifes,
we stepped out in the direCtion of the spot selected as the
final resting place of our late companions in arms. \Vhat
strange feelings must have ,.;prung up in the hei\rts of all, as
we marched silently over the white creaking ~;~nd toward,;
the large pit in which we were about to bury our dead. \Ve
had had our first battle. It was a momentous day, and might
have been more disa;-;trous for us. Not a word was spoken,
not a whisper uttered, except the brief words of command
given in subdued tones by tlw nflicer in charge of the "firing
party."
Arrived at the trench, \\'e he held a most melancholv sight;
the night was clear and calm; the gulf, along whos~ siwre
our long grave was dug, was unusually still. Our dead,
carried fi·om Yarious points of the island, lay side by side
along the edge of the ditch.
They were covered with
blood; their uniform was torn; the eyes of several were
open ; the arms 6f many were extended at right angles from
the bodies; all, of course, were cold and stiff. No coffins
were to recei\'e the bruised remains ; no affectionate wife, or
tender mother, or loving sister was there to prepare the bodies
for t.he grave. According to military usage, soldiers are
consigned to the earth just as they are found on the field of
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
I7
battle, with or without hat, or coat, or boots, as they chanced
to be. Thus too were our men, some without hats, some
without coats, thrown off no doubt in the dreadful hand-tohand conflict, in order to have more freedom of action. The
poor fellows were laid in the trench side by side as gently
as soldiers' hands could do it, and the white sand was softly
shovelled over them. It was easy for me to find ideas for
my funeral oration.; my heart was full. vVhen we had confided our brave soldiers to the white bosom of Santa Rosa,
at the extreme limit to which the tide of the gulf reaches,
and when the salute had been fired over the humble grave,
whose location, no doubt, will ere long be forgotten, the
drum-corps struck up a lively air, and we marched back to
what had been our once happy camp, reaching it about midnight. What a day we had passed! Now we have no tents,
no provisions, not even a blanket to throw around us. We
lay down on the sand, which is always warm, nothing over
us but the high heavens; and, trusting to our guard and
picket, we slept soundly till rrJei!le, when we found ourselves refreshed.
Thursday the 10th of October, feast of St. Francis Borgia, found us all low spirited. Many dead, still more wounded,
no camp, and, above all, no possibility of offering the holy
sacrifice on this great feast of the Society! But Colonel
Brown had not forgotten us. For whilst we were silently
contemplating the ruins of chapel and camp, there appeared,
issuing from the fort, a long convoy of wagons, laden with
tents, ammunition, provisions, clothing, everything required
to place us on the footing we occupied before the attack.
"All here again except the chapel," said the soldiers.
As soon as we had taken a little breakfast, I started on a
tour amongst the wounded. Taking my breviary, the only
article I saved, the only book now in camp, I went to the
fort to see those brought to that hospital, and the prisoners
confined there. I found them, according to the surgeons'
judgment, doing well. I heard their confessions and gave
them an account of last night's burial. The prisoners I
found sullen, and incensed against their officers, whom they
openly accused of incompetency, and of having caused the
expedition to h<il. They requested me to take charge of a
petition to the commander of the department.
Having got through with my visit, which was rather extended because I had abundance of time, I direCted my
steps towards another hospital far up the island. Saying
my office as I mo\·c.d over the sand, I walked leisurely, and
VoL.
xvm, No.
1.
2
�18
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAL'\:
reached this refuge late in the forenoon. Here I met with
a large number of disabled soldiers, mostly belonging to the
enemy. They were in good humor, carefully attended, and
stretched on cots dressed with neat hospital sheets. Apparently suffering great pain of mind and body was the young
lieutenant whom I had discovered on the morning of the
fight lying on the wet sand of the beach whence the tide
had receded. Passing his bed, I heard hi.m ask the attendant: "\Vho is that, doaor? \Vhat is his name?" "That is
the priest," said the attendant. "The priest!" he exclaimed.
"Tell him I should like to say a word to him." Stepping
back to him, I remarked: "I think we ha,·e met before."
"Not that I am aware of," he answered. "0 yes;" said I,
"on the beach, when ):_oh asked tor a drink of water." "It
was you who hailed the' ambulance?" "The same.'' "I did
not know then what I was saying," said he, "but I want to see
you now and talk with you. I am LieutenantS-, a deserter
from the U. S. Marines. I am not onlv a deserter, but a
rebel, caught with arms in my hands against my gm·ernment.
I have been notified this morning that I am recognized. Of
course I shall be shot or hanged. I left my ship at the
commencement of hostilities and joined the Confederacy. I
am a deserter." He then asked me whether I thought his
life was in danger from his wounds, adding that if there
was no hope of s-aving his life he would wish to become a
Catholic. "But," I enquired, ''what if there is hope?" "\Veil,
in that case," said he, "I would postpone that importat1t
step. It is a hard thing to live a Catholic. I should like a
Protestant life and a Catholic death." The surg~;;on, whom
I consulted about his case, told me he thougl1t ·he could
save him, an.d I informed him of the surgeon's opinion.
This enabled him to make up his mind "to live a Protestant."
\Viii he die a Catholic? He begged of me to see the commander of the department, and try to obtain for him from
the big-hearted colonel the favor of being paroled. "For,"
said he, "my mother's heart would break if she heard that
I was wounded and deprived of her care." He then buried·
his face in his hands, and sobbed aloud. He said that he
was a volunteer in this expedition; that without bidding
good-bye to his mother, he came from Montgomery, Alabama, to take part in the attack and capture of Fort Pickens;
that his mother did not know where he was; that as soon
as he should return to Montgomery, he would certainly
prepare himself to enter the Catholic Church. Leaving
this "whimpering soldier" (as his fellow prisoners called
him) I visited each of the sufferers, heard the confessions of
the Catholics, and gave extreme unaion to those danger-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
ously wounded. Of course there was no possibility of administering the holy Viaticum.
Having visited all the hospitals, and seen and spoken to
all the inmates, I returned to the camp, now rigged out in
all its former splendor. The site, however, is changed, and
Colonel Brown has issued a standing order that camps hereafter must change sites every third week. This is chiefly a
sanitary measure, and, as the colonel says, "to prevent
soldiers from having an accumulation of traps."
I found at the fort quite an excitement. Out in the bay
were dozens of row-boats, each bearing a flag of truce, enquiring after missing friends. \Vere they prisoners? were
they wounded? were they dead? Captain Bradford's friends
-his sisters I think-were inconsolable at the loss of their
dashing brother. They asked for the sword, pistols, and
other objects belonging to him. Colonel Brown said the
spoils of war belong to the victors, and since Bradford fell
beneath the blows of his friends, he saw no reason why his
friends should not have the spoils. Trinkets, keepsakes,
etc., belonging to the dead, he decided should be handed
over to friends applying for them ; but he positively refused
to allow that the bodies of those invading the island with
hostile intent, should receive any other than the graves of
enemies. For several days succeeding the attack, applications of this nature continued to arrive under flags of truce.
Not one was allowed to land; the answers were given to
them in their boats. Finally, friends of the owner of the
dog Manassas came, under flag of truce, to ask to have the
great messenger restored to the f:·unily. Colonel Brown
seemed inclined to yield to their request, but the soldiers
would not allow it. After some discussion, it was agreed that
the dog himself should decide the case. The boat was hauled
nearer the shore, and Manassas was led by the soldiers to
the water's edge. At a given signal, the men in the boat
called the f.c'lmiliar name, and the soldiers moved off enticing their favorite to follow. The noble brute would like to
accommodate both parties, he would unite North and South;
he barked, he howled, standing midway between both. Finally, making a bound towards the soldiers, he declared for
the Union. Cheer after cheer went up for Manassas, who
was the honored guest for that day.
Calling on Colonel Brown at a moment convenient for
him, I informed him of the message entrusted to me by Lieutenant S-, and exposed the whole case to the venerable
commander. "Are you aware, Chaplain, that this man is a
deserter?" "I understand he is ;" I answered, "but, Colonel,
the poor fellow is weeping bitterly for his mother." "Weep-
�20
LRTTERS FR01lf A CHAPL-ll.\~
ing for his mother!'' exclaimed the colonel, "Let him g'o
by all means, even without parole. An officer of the Southern army, a deserter from the U. S. Marines, and crying for ·
his mamma! Let him go!" Calling me into his office, the
colonel said to me: "Sit down there, write out these details, ha\·e him sign the paper, and I shall let him go
right away." "But Colonel," I remarked. "perhaps he would
like to write the statement himself." "Very good," said he,
"if he is willing; but you write your statement to me, show
it to him, and let him sign it or copy it.'' Going to the distant hospital, I informed the wounded lieutenant of the
condition laid down by the colonel. Looking at my paper
he said, "I will copy it and add things you have omitted. I
know the old colonel \~ants to shame Bragg; but it is all
true. I will write out my request.''
On mv wav back to Pickens, l met Colonel Brown, who
was an;ious 'to know the result. H;n·ing read the document, he said: "Capital! It is e\Tn stronger than you put
it. I have made all arrangements to ha\·e him sent to Pensacola to-morrow." The following· afternoon. he was gently
placed in a boat, accompanied by a surgeon, under a flag of
truce, and rowed over to the na\-y-yarcl, where his friends
took charge of him. Starting off from Santa Rosa, he promised me to send for a priest as soon as he reached his
home in Montgomery, and follow his ad\·ice.
In a day or two, an exchange of names of prisoners took
place. The list returned to us showed that the only prisoners taken by the enemy, besides Major Israel Vogdes of
the regular army, were the four or fi\·e carried off by main
force in the little engagement at the ruins of tl1e·'Spanish
fort, and a few sen·ants who, like Major Vogdes, were suspeCted of treachery. The list we sellt them was long, and
was remarkable for the following words appended to the
names of many: "Prefers t() remain in our hands rather than
be exchanged."
OCtober I 3, Sunday. ·what a sad Sunday for us! The
men feel extremely lonesome without Mass. Officers and
men of the fleet came ashore to-day to comply with the
obligation of being present at the holy sacrifice, but were
more than disappointed at hearing that the sacred vessels
and vestments were included in the destruCtion of the camp.
'vVe cannot, of course, celebrate the holy mysteries till you
send us a new set of articles-a complete dwpclk. I wrote
to Father Durthaller the day following the attack, to request him to send immediately everything requisite for saying Mass. I fear, however, it will be a long time before he
can find an opportunity, as communication between this island
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAI.V
I I
21
and the North is rather rare. Ships come and go, but they
have no messages for us. \Ve were at one time exaB:Iy
forty-nine days without having the slightest news from the
North, except that brought by deserters or refugees. "No
news from the North!" was the ordinary greeting amongst
us.
My letter of obedience, my lnstruc7iones, and a letter
kindly given me by Archbishop Hughes, were destroyed in
the fire. The faB: is we have nothing, not e\·en a comb, and
no means of procuring anything. We expeB: a sutler who,
at two hundred per cent profit, will furnish us all we want.
Amongst those \vho have applied to me for instruB:ion is a
Jew. I have plenty of time to devote to him, but I have no
book, no catechism. The little prayer-books, crucifixes,
medals, catechisms, scapulars and Agnus DeL1·, sent me by
·charitable friends in New York, have all been lost. Please
send me more of them ; they are in great demand.
\Vhen the smoke of battle had been wafted away, when
the signs of ha\·oc had disappeared, when things had settled
down to their usual level, our regiment, wishing to indemnify me for my losses, made me a present of a handsome
sum to buy a charger. Neither love nor money can, however, procure me a horse on Santa Rosa. The commanding officer of the department cannot possibly spare any of
those he now has. They are all needed for picket and
scouting, and for a light battery he is just forming. The
Zoua\'es say we shall not be always upon the island, and
when we mo\·e off to the mainland, I can buy a horse. The
reason they assign for their' generous offering, in the paper
accompanying the present, is this: "\Ve do not, we cannot
suffer the father who is to save our souls when our bodies
are lost: who is to open eternity to us when time is closing
upon us : who is to heal every wound of the soul when the
body is pierced with bullets and torn with swords and bayonets : who is to elevate the soul to the throne of glory,
when the body is trampled under horses' hoofs, bruised, and
ground with cannon wheels; who is to cleanse and purify
the soul when the body is covered with clotted gore, black
with dust and powder ;-such a friend we do not, we cannot
suffer to be without the means of hurrying from one place
to another, with, if possible, the lightning's speed, to bring
· to each of us the assistance we poor soldiers wish to have,
at least on the field of battle." This, as you see, is all general. \Vhat is personal in the paper is very brie£ They
offer me their sympathy for my losses, esRecially for the
clzapdle / compliment me for my bravery, and thank me for
the prompt assistance I brought to their fallen companions,
�22
.LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
Had I not put a stop to it, the present would have reached
thousands ; for it was agreed amongst the soldiers, that every
pay-day a stated sum should be handed to me. This, of
course, I could not allow; I have my own salary. Are they
not good fellows? How little they deserve the bad name
malicious calumniators seem to have given them in New
York.
Since the attack of the gth, officers and men have been so
constantly kept guarding and watching and toiling, that it
may be said we are literally worn out.· The number of men
is too small to furnish "reliefs" for the now multiplied and
extended posts. The same men are always on duty, two
hours off and two hours·.on. Seven different but unsuccessful attempts have beetlMmade to surprise us again. These
annoyances have been repeated so frequently, that the authorities have come to the "conclusion not to be satisfied
with simply repelling the invaders. Plans are now matured,
with the aid of the fleet, to utterly annihilate those who
again land on the island. In the meantime, the order is to
"sleep on our arms every night" (which means to remain
wide awake). During the day, we can take little snatches
of sleep, as much as the noise and bustle of camp will allow.
This state of affairs is rather trying; still the health and
spirits of all, thapk God, are very good. The heat of the sun
is intense even now; there seems to be no diminution. The
force of its rays is unbroken by tree or cloud; and the sand and
water all around us rather multiply this terrible heat by the
laws of refleCtion. At night, just now, there comes from
the Florida swamps a cold moisture-bearing-breeze. A
heavy fever-breeding fog and dew settle on our island, giving our clothes, face and head, in the morning, the appearance of having combated a battery of rain all night. I pity
the chaplains, officers, and soldiers, who arc reduced to such
straits as we are. No missionary has ever been so isolated
as I have been for the last six months. Our fare is coarse,
very coarse, but abundant and healthy-the same for all,
officers and men; and at present there is no prospeCt of a
different arrangement. Still, nobody finds fault. All, especially the humble and obedient soldiers, bear their privations
without a murmur, some with real edification, saying all
this was sent us by Providence to help us to atone for
our sins. Others heartily laugh at the situation, remarking
that if certain New York politicians were here, they would
try .to settle the war in a very short time. One said: "If I
knew all this, I should never have become a soldier."
"Where is your patriotism?" all exclaimed, "We must learn
to suffer. Let us suffer like Christian soldiers. We have
�SKETCH OF NEW rORK AND CA.YADA J1IISSION.
I'
2J
the father with us.'' No rest! ll1aringouius, snakes, alligators ! The enemy keep us ever on the alert. Though all
are kind and considerate to me, yet I am alone in the throng.
It is now going on seven months since I was at confession. This is certainly a privation. I hope a priest will be
found among the re-enforcements expected here. I could,
I think, go to Key 'Nest, about five hundred miles distant,
where a priest is said to reside, but there is such a prospect
of an attack, and consequently of loss of life, that I dare not
absent myself a single day.
Frederick Goggins, our bold drummer-boy, sends his sincere regards to you and Father Legouais. He amuses me
a great deal, by his regrets for college life. ''If a boy does
not like college, let him become a soldier, and he will see
the happiness of a life he does not know how to appreciate,"
he remarked to me this morning. \Vhen we have anything
severe on poor human nature to do or endure, for instance,
to pass a dark foggy night in the trenches, he whispers to
me: "How would the Fordham bovs like this?" Fred is
a good boy and serves my Mass in t'urns with others, or !It
least did serve it, and I hope will again, when you will have
sent a new clwpdlc to the "army and fleet of the gulf,"
and to
Your distant but affectionate son in Christ,
MICHAEL NASH, S. J.
SKETCH OF NEW YORK AND CANADA
MISSION.(Il
(COKIW;ENDA.)
RE\"EREND FATHER,
Sincere thanks for November number of the LETTERS and
accompanying INDEX. I mailed yesterday to your address,
mv seventh communication from the war-the attack of the
er{enw on Santa Rosa, and their repulse. The next will be
the fierce bombardment of Fort Pickens.
I would respectfully take the liberty of calling attention
to a little inaccuracy which I recently noticed in an early
number of the LETTERS. On page 136, No. 2, Vol. III.,
speaking of the Protestant church which Father Larkin
purchased in New York City, the writer says that the church
was "situated on Walker street near Elizabeth;" and on th<;
(I) Se~
Vol. Ill. n. 2, pp, l36, 137.
�24
SKETCH OF XEW YORK AXD CA"YADA .lfiSSION.
following page he says that Father Larkin "next rented a
house on Elizabeth street, the garden of which adjoined the
square in front of the church door." These statements are
incorrect.
I. The church purchased by Fr. Larkin, and dedicated
to the Holy Name of Jesus, was situated not on Walker but
on Eli::abct/z street, about one hundred feet north of the
north-east corner of Elizabeth and \Valker streets; i. e., at
the north end of the corner lot which fronted on \Valker
street. Since then Walker street has been widened along
the north side, and consequently the site of the church is
nearer the street, by the number of feet taken from the lots
for the widening of the~,street. The name \Valker has been
suppressed, and the thoroughfare is now called Canal. Canal street originally ran from the North River only as far as
Centre street. From Centre street eastward it used to be
called ·walker.
II. The house rented by Father Larkin was not on Eli::abet/z street but at No. 180 Walker street, about one hundred
feet east of the north-east corner of Walker and Elizabeth.
There was neither garden to our house nor square in front
of the church door. Hence, tltc gardm did not adjoin tlte
square in front of tlte clmrclt.
·
The church was built on the west end of three lots, running originally from Elizabeth street clear through to the
Bowery. The rear of the building was on a line with the
houses on Elizabeth; the front faced the east, or the Bowery ; and, occupying only a small portion of the ground
near Elizabeth, had in front quite a lawn stret~hing down
from the door to the Bowery. The trustees, to meet a pressing claim against the church, were obliged to sell the vacant
space, or lawn, from the church door to the Bowery. Long
before the building came into our possession, stores had
been erected on this lawn; thus the square and the entrance
on the Bowery side had disappeared. To enter the church
after this sale, people had to come around by Elizabeth
street, and pass on each side of the edifice, by alleys three
feet wide, till they came to the old door on the east end.
Our house, r8o Walker street. uot our garden, opened on
the alley south of the church, not on a square.
Though a queer looking building-without an entrance to
the uninitiated, anp to the frequent visitors offering a narrow, dark, fear-inspiring lane leading up to the door-it was,·
as _people said, "a cosy place to pray." The noise of the
street was not heard within its walls. Encouraged in their
devotion by the solemn silence pervading the holy house,
in the midst of the bustle of a noisy part of the city, not
1
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
'1
25
only women but men, not only Catholics but also Protestants, came there to invoke the mercv of God. Thus the
Duprees, the Sweets, the Harrises, the Boerems ... all Protestants, were often seen kneeling before the altar, of an afternoon, pouring out their troubles before the Lord, and many
wonderful conversions took place there. Entering the
church for our visit after dinner, we invariably found poor
sinners seeking either faith, or reconciliation with God. At
times we found whole families, parents and children.
My only excuse for presuming to make these corrections
is, that I am the last one now of those who lived and taught
in the "Holy Name," and that in a short time I too shall
have departed. But few of the old parishioners are alive, I
meet some occasionally.
Hoping that my ser•entlt has reached you, and is acceptable,
I remain,
Yours truly in Christ.
MICHAEL NASH, S. J.
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
MEMOIRS OF FR. GREGORY l\IENGARINI.
(Continued.)
\Vhere these memoirs were interrupted in the last number of the LETTERS, we were speaking of the aged Peter,
the Grand Chief of the Flatheads.
Peter had long been ripe for heaven, so ripe, in fact, that
he needed but the gentle touch of the Master's hand to detach the shrivelled stem of life, and allow him to be numbered among the chosen fruits of our Lord's redemption.
His natural uprightness had made him a chief when he
was scarcely out of boyhood; and he was only twelve years
old when he accomplished what would have been well done,
had it been done by a warrior. He had started on a hunting expedition with many of his tribe, and they were hundreds of miles from home when an unwelcome disease,
breaking out among them, destroyed the whole party except himsel( Boldly facing the dangers of the wilderness
to which the Indian is born, this small boy made the journey in safety and brought to his tribe the sad news of the
party's destruction. The ravages of death made a deep impression on his mind, and he resolved to live innocently lest
�THE
ROCK!~
MOrXT.IIXS.
the Great Spirit should send death to smite him in a similar manner. \Ve are accustomed to resolutions made and
broken. It was not so \vith Peter. He had made a resolution and he kept it; and when in extreme old age, and at
the point of death, I questioned him about the f.·llllts committed after baptism, he had none to tell me. I then questioned him about the years which had preceded baptism,
and though I questioned him closely, not even these, so unblemished had been his life, supplied matter for absolution.
"But Peter," said I, "did you never in battle'gi,·e way to
hatred for your enemies?" ''No, Father," he replied; "what
would my people have said, had they seen me angry? vVhy,
once when I found an', enemy stripped by one of my warriors, I took off my m\·.n shirt and clothed the dead body in
it, and said, 'To show that I bear you no ill-will, I cover
you with my own garment.'"
Thus did the Almighty ,,·ork miracles of his mercy e\·en
here in the wilderness. Old as he now was, Peter still performed the duties of great chief. and when we arrived to
found the mission, he was absent on a hunting expedition
with the tribe. The mission founded, we saw him early
each morning making the round of the lodges, and heard
him saying something as he passed by each. Curious to
know what he said, I enquired of one of the Indians that
knew some French. "Ah !" replied the man, "he always
says the same things : 'Come, let us arise ; let us praise
God; let us thank him for all his benefits, and glorify him
who has given us another day of life.'" Peter knew, however, that his time was short. One day I saw llfm mounted
on his horse and, accompanied by his wife, son and daughter, approaching our wigwam. He dismounted at our door,
and addressing us, said: "I have come to you, Father, to
die." We represented to him that his company was indeed
welcome, but that, sorry as we were, we could find no place
for him ; that his own wigwam was larger and more commodious; and that he would find more comfort in it than in
ours, which was already overcrowded. Without a murmur
of complaint, he caused himself to be helped into the saddle,
and retraced his steps to his own home. Next day, an Indian came saying that Peter wished one of the f.1thers to
come and see him. Fr. De Smet sent me, for I already
knew some Flathead. I found Peter lying on his buffitlo
robes. "Father," said he, pointing upwards, "I see the
saints in the church" (he spoke of the sacred piCtures
with which we had adorned the walls of the church), "hovering over me; and I hear them saying to one another, 'When
will Peter come with us?' And I hear the voice of one in
�THE ROCKY ;l!OUXTAIXS.
their midst, but whom I do not see, saying, 'Not yet! not
yet! Bye and bye! Bye and bye!'" I heard his confession
(for he had the full use of his faculties), and found his soul
beautiful in its childlike innocence, as I have already related.
I gave him conditional absolution and went away. On the
following morning, I went to see him again, but found him
dead. The "bye and bye" had come, the "not yet'' had passed,
and he was already happy with those who had so anxiously
awaited his coming.
Thus died Peter, whose life should call a blush to many
a Christian cheek, and who, even when others embraced
polygamy, never swerved in his fidelity to his lawful wife.
Yet the Flatheads in general had sinned more through
ignorance than through malice; for when they learned that
it was unlawful to have more than one wife. all, both men
and women: immediately subjeCted themsekes to the laws
of Christian· morality, and never again relapsed into their
evil ways. Polygamy was thenceforth a thing of the past.
They showed equal generosity in abandoning 'medicine.'
Let no one suppose that medicine among the Indians was,
as among ourselves, a lawful produCt of human skill and
science, or that it was a mere deception, and 'medicine men'
mere deceivers. It was a means by which the evil one held
possession of their souls.U> Medicine was of two kinds :
medicine against disease, and medicine· against the accidents
and misfortunes of life. These were to be remedied or
averted by the intervention of their tutelary genius. The
method of obtaining medicine was the following :-When
an Indian had arrived at the age of manhood, he departed
alone to the mountains, and there tasted neither Jood nor
drink for.some six or eight days. Dancing and singing are
not pleasant occupations for one with an empty stomach,
but these constituted a part of the ceremony necessary for
obtaining medicine. When all this was over, his gmius
appeared to him under the form of some bird or beast, and
taught him how to procure the medicine. Each Indian
kept the nature of his medicine a profound secret, used it
only for himself and family in sickness, and carried it about
his person in battle, to charm away the arrows of his enemies. Medicine against sickness was oftentimes a real natural remedy, and such as a wise physician would have prescribed had he been there. But this apparent good served
only as an excuse for the superstitious usc of it against the
evils and dangers of life.
·
'
A few days after our arrival at the mission, Paul, a vener1
< >Sec Fr. Prando's letters on the ::lfedicine Lodge and
WooDsTOCK LETTERS, Vol. XII. 39, 322,
~ledicine
)len-
�THE ROCKJ" JfOUNTAINS.
able old man, and one of those baptized by Fr. De Smet at
Fort Union the preceding year, had gone to look for his
horses on the prairies. Suddenly he heard overhead the
flapping of wings, and a voice crying out: ''Paul! Paul!"
Looking up he beheld a crow, and immediately recognized
his former genius. "\Vhat are you doing," said the crow,
"idling here while the Blackfeet run away with the Flathead horses?" Paul hastened back to the village to relate
what had happened; but he was told to pay no heed to such
manifestations. Some hours passed, and a messenger wal-'
seen hastening towards the village. He brought the news
that th-e Blackfeet had made a raid, some twenty miles away,
and had driven off the' horses of the Flatheads. "Do you
not see" said Fr. De"'Smet to Paul, "how impotent is your
former genius .1 He can tell you the evil when it is done,
but cannot prevent the Blackfeet from doing it." On another
occasion, long after the founding of the mission, and when
I was alone, Lawrence, one of my Indians, came pale and
emaciated to see me. "What is the matter?" I asked. "For
many days,'' he replied, "I have had no rest, even by night.
I hear my gmius singing constantly in my ears. I make
the sign of the cross, I say my beads, he flies away a short
distance, but presently returns to recommence his lascivious
songs." Hearing these things, I was perplexed. Some
remedy must be found; but what remedy? I recalled to
mind what our holy Father St. Ignatius had done in a similar case, and told Lawrence that- if the gmius came again,
he was to be sent to me. Lawrence went away consoled,
but he le(t me in quite a different state of mtnd; for, as I
had not said, "Tell the gemits to come to me, !l he furs permission," I was greatly scared lest the demon should take
me at my word and pay me a visit. Our Lord, however,
took pity on both of us, and while Lawrence was freed from
the persecutions of the evil one, I, though pretty well frightened, was never molested.
Our house was already finished, but several of the old
men who had seen its commencement, were not destined
here upon earth, to see its completion. Peter, Paul, and
Simeon, and two others whose names I have forgotten, were
already at rest in our little churchyard. Y cars before, the
Divine Sower had cast the seeds of natural virtues in their
souls; the seeds •. had flourished, and had produced frutt a
hundred fold, and we had been brought merely to witness
and help in the harvesting.
During the early months of our mission, we heard confessions through interpreters. This will not seem strange,
when I inform my readers that a kind of confession had
�THE ROCKJ" .1!0UNTAINS.
been introduced among the Flatheads long before our arrival.
The confession was public. The chief called a general meeting and ordered each in turn to confess before the others whatever evil he had done. The command was given and obeyed
with equal simplicity, and each made a full and open confession of his misdeeds. \Vhen the confession was over,
the self-accuser receiYed a first class scolding, then a few
light lashes, and the chief addressed an exhortation to the
others to avoid the faults into which such and such a one
had fallenY> Private confession such as we praCtise was
easy for the Flatheads; and, accustomed as they had become
to public manifestations, it took them some time to understand the inviolable secrecy of Catholic confession. Hence
thev would come to me and ask, "Father, did such a one
tell~ you this in confession?" And they would relate something wrong that some one had done. "\Vhy ?" I would
ask. "Because" they would rejoin, "we know t~at he did
it, and thought that perhaps he had not confessed it.'' Sometimes an Indian, after doing wrong, would go to his chief,
confess what he had clone, and ask to be flogged. The
Flatheads were fully persuaded that by this means the fault
would be blotted out. So wedded indeed were they to public confession that some preferred to make their confession
through an interpreter even when they could make it directly without his aid.
While we were engaged in the building of the house
and church, the study of the Indian language, and the instruCtion of our neophytes, the severity of winter softened
into the mildness of spring. The cold, which had played
such heartless pranks with us, had indeed gone, but only to
be succeeded by other and equally unwelcome visitors, mosyuitos and Blackfeet. The latter were the more dangerous,
but the former were every bit as hostile. St. Mary's River
flowed peacefully behind our missionary buildings, and its
banks had been the mosquitos' paradise from time immemorial. Here they were to be found of all sizes and varieties, and at all times, but especially when not wanted. Some
great-great-grandf.1ther mosquito must, I think, have established a monastic order among them, for no Carthusian
or Cistercian could be more assiduous in choir duty than
they were; or he must have given them at least a great love
for religious orders, so persistently were they bent on dwelling with us. More than usually troubled one day by their
assiduous attentions, I determined to rid myself of them.
I therefore darkened my room so that the light was admitted
Ct) A kind of confession was useu also in Central America. v. Bancroft's
")Iyths and Languages."
�JO
THE ROCKY llfOUNTAINS.
only at one corner of the window. I then filled my room
with the smoke of buffalo chips, and awaited the result.
Soon, in single file, my tormentors made a rapid retreat towards the light, and left the room. I went outside to see
the success of my experiment, and found quite a number of
Indians drawn up in two lines and enjoying the rapid exit
of the mosquitos. Though annoyed by these little pests, I
was never as unfortunate as Br. Joseph. Once, while he
was watering the garden, numbers of them set upon him,
and stung him so, that for three days he was sick with a
fe\·er.
To g·et rid of the Blackfeet was harder than to get rid of
mosquitos, for the Blackfeet were the hereditary foes of the
Flatheads.
Hence the history of our mission would, if
written fully, be an account of Blackfoot inroads and Flathead reprisals. I have already related how, when we were
but a few d_ays in the mission, the long-robed Blackfeet came
and drove off the horses of some of our Indians who were
about twenty miles distant. I have now to record that they
came by night to our mission itself and drove off our horses
ami mules. The frequency of the visits of the Blackfeet
will cause no wonder when it is known that, had not a pestilence decimated the tribe a ·vear before our arrival, our
mission at St. Mary's would h~ve been impossible. Moreover, the chief virtues of a long-robed Blackfoot were two,
namely: to kill men, and steal horses. Of a long-robed, I
say, because there were slwrt-robtd Blackfeet, men small in
stature, but sinewy, and capable of great endurance, though
inclined to peace. The long-robed were bent upon war and
pillage. I shall give briefly an account of variotiS'\risits paid
us by these Indians: and I group them together here, because, though I remember the faets, I have forgotten the
precise dates.
\\'e had not been long at the mission when, one night, we
were startled by the report of a gun. In the morning, tracks
of blood were found leading to the forest. A band of warriors started on the trail, and soon returned bringing in
triumph a Blackfoot warrior. He had been shot in the
leg, and though he dragged himself to the friendly shelter
of the woods, he was wounded too badly to allow•of escape.
I was asked what was to be done with him ; so, going to
the churc..:h, I delivered a sermon on forgiveness of injuries
and lo\·e of one'S" enemies. "Let him that has ne\·er slain
anybody," said I, " cast the first stone at this prisoner.'' The
chie(-; were mo\•ed to mercy, and granted him pardon ; but
some of the other Indians took this aCtion so ill that they
cried for very rage. \Ve dressed his wounds, lent him a
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
JI
horse, and allowed him to depart in peace. He was a Goliath in proportions. He recovered from his wound, lived
some years afterwards, and was finally killed in battle.
A like pardon was not accorded another Blackfoot on a
similar occasion·. Two of our warriors, returning from the
mountains, came upon their man as he was seated on the
ground, his gun at rest, and his back turned towards them.
Only when flight was impossible did he become aware of
their approach; so, offering them his gun, he gave himself
up as a prisoner. They took the weapon, and ordered him
by signs to go before them to the village. He obeyed. The
Indians again came to. me and enquired what was to be
done. I could not say, "Kill him," for that was forbidden
by my priestly character; I could not say, "Let him go
free," for prudence forbade it; as calumniators, wilfully misinterpreting my motives, would identify my action with
treason to the Flatheads, and partiality towards the cruelty
and lawlt:ssness of their inveterate enemies. I could only
refer them to the judges competent in such matters. "You
have your chiefs," said I, "consult them." The Grand Chief
Victor turned on his heels and left the room. Presently I
heard the report of a gun, and the joyous shouts of the Flatheads. I ran to the door and saw the Blackfoot falling to
the earth. The grand chief had called no council, and had
ordered the execution of the prisoner on the spot. Many
believed that I had ordered, or at least countenanced the
killing ; atld, as on the former occasion, they had murmured
against my leniency, so now they openly complained of my
severity. "He saved the other one," said they, "why did
he not save this one also ?" In my next instruction, I
laid the case before my people, and showed them forcibly
that a priest can ne\·er command the shedding of blood.
Death, however, was not always the punishment for captured Blackfeet. Once, a short-robed Blackfoot was caught
stealing a horse. He was thrashed and then set free. Off
he started; but imagine our surprise, when shortly afterwards we saw him returning to the village. \Ve asked him
what had brought him back. He answered that, having no
horse, he would never be able to reach his own people on
foot. He therefore made himself perfectly at home with
us until a horse was lent him, and, in company with our
Flatheads who were going that way, he reached the borders
of his country. There he was let go unmolested, but was
warned never to trespass·again, lest a worse fate befall him.
On another occasion, when I was at work quietly in my
room, a gun was discharged a short distance away; then
my door was violently thrust open, and a Blackfoot rushed
�J2
THE ROCKY 11fOUNTAINS.
in and seated himself on my bed. As he entered the apartment, I saw him hastily reload his piece, Indian fashion, by
putting a charge of powder into the barrel, then blowing
down it to settle the powder, and lastly all9wing a ball to
fall into it from his mouth. Upon discovery, he had discharged his gun as if he were peaceable, and had then fled
to the missionary's house for shelter. He was, however,
prepared for the worst, as he showed by reloading his gun.
Had the Flatheads known this when they entered, they
would have considered it an aCt: of treachery and made short
work of him. As it was, they shook hands with him, and,·
after a little while, passed around the pipe of peace. To
. light it, I used a match which had by chance fallen to the
floor. The Blackfoot flld not seem to notice my aCtion ; but
when, on returning to ""his tribe, he heard others relating
wonders about the Blackgowns, "All that you have seen"
said he, "is nothing to what I have seen; when there was
. no fire for the pipe of peace, I saw the Blackrobe take a
splinter from the floor, and rub it on the table, and there was
fire."
Sometimes, as the fame of the mission spread, a Blackfoot chief would send word that he was coming on a peaceful visit. Such was the case when a chief came with twenty
of his warriors to enjoy our hospitality. All the resources
of our cookery were called into requisition to do them honor, and all the resources of their appetites to leave nothing
uneaten on the table. For the Indian rule of politeness is
just the reverse of our O\\·n; to leave any of the food set
before one is to show a disrelish for it, and is ;in insult to
the ~ost. I, in my ignorance, had prepared an~ abundance,
just as I would ha\-e done for white men; in so much that
the chief, on returning home, laughingly complained that
the l3lackrobe had nearlv killed him .
. To illustrate how sa~red this rule of eating all that is
offered is considered among the Indians, I may be allowed
to relate what happened among the Okinagans. One Indian had grievously offended another. The one aggrie\·ed
dissembled his resentment and invited his enemv to a feast.
Such an in\'itation allows of no refusal. The 'one invited
came, and a large vessel of bear's-grease was put before him.
He took three long and appreciative drinks, according to
approved custom, and then would have desisted; but his
host repeated the one word "Drink." Again he drank, until
nature could stand it no longer, and again he would have
laid the vessel aside. But the other repeated the command
"Drink." The visitor immediately perceived that his life
was sought; so, one by one, he took off his ornaments and
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
33
garments and laid them at the feet of his host. Almost
naked, and with nothing more to give, he received permission to go, and left the wigwam. A refusal to drink would
have immediately caused his death.
Thus the Blackfeet, now peaceable, now warlike, were the
most constant callers at our mission. But even when they
came peaceably, the Flatheads generally kept aloof and
would have nothing to do with them. Hence, on the occasion of the feast which I gave, none of my Indians came to
offer anything towards it; ·hence also, on another occasion,
when some twenty or thirty Blackfeet came on foot, the Calispels, upon their departure, fired guns in the air to show
that, though the missionary might treat them kindly, the
people of St. Mary's were not their friends. The Blackfeet,
however, kept on their way, neither hastening their steps nor
even turning to see who had fired the guns.
The order of time followed at the mission was :-Rising
at day -break ; prayers ; Mass ; breakfast; an instruction for
for about an hour; work until mid-day. In the afternoon :
-catechism from two to half past three ; work until sunset;
prayers ; instruction; canticles; and rest. Three of the
canticles I give in Flathead, together with a Latin translation; the music of two of them I myself composed for the
Indians; the third I took from the French.
I taught the children catechism by a method commonly
follow·ed in Rome. Catholic doctrine is summarized in
several hundred questions and answers. Both questions
and answers are committed to memory, and a public contest is announced. On the appointed day, all the competitors, none of whom must be over thirteen years of age,
arrange themselves in two lines in the church. The first
proposes a question to be answered by his opponent, and so
all along the line, each in turn answering or proposing a
question. Whoever misses, loses his chance for the prizes.
A mistake may be made in five ways: first, by failing to
answer (this, however, seldom happened); secondly, by giving a question already proposed; thirdly, if such a question
were· proposed, by failing to say, "It has been already
given;" fourthly, by saying "It has been given," if it had not
been given; fifthly, by saying, "There are no more questions,"
if there were more; or by failing to say "There are no
more," when all had been given .. Only one that has seen
such a contest can realize its interest. I have seen the Indian boys as pale as their little bronze faces could become,
and perspiring profusely, even in the depth of winter; while
all around were gathered the parents and relatives of the
VoL. xvm, No.
1.
3
�34
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
children waiting anxiously to see who would be the viB:or.
This was the case especially in the grand contest, when the
winner was made a kind of little chief among his playmates.
Superiority in the Sunday-afternoon contests was rewarded
by a present of arrows.
After catechism, on Sundays and holydays, came sports.
The people colleB:ed together, and the Indian boys brought
their bows and arrows. Standing in their midst I would
throw up in the air, sometimes a ball of cotton, sometimes
a thin stick; and the boys would shoot at it. To win a
prize, the ball or stick had to be pierced in its ascent; but
no matter how swiftly I threw, the arrows, guided by unerring hands, flew swifter,. and the ball would be seen in midair, pierced, as if by rQagic, by a dozen arrows.
As time went on, I o'rganized a band among the Indians.
It was rather a conglomerate affair, but at the same time the
wonder and admiration of the non-musicians. \Ve had a
clarinet, flute, two accordions, a tambourine; piccolo, cymbals, and a base-drum. We played according to notes; for
Indians have excellent eves and ears; and our band, if weak
in numbers, was certainly strong in lungs; for such as had
wind instruments spared neither contortions of the face, nor
exertions of their organs of respiration to give volume to
the music. In the church we had an organ that we brought
from St. Louis.~ The pipes were not upright but were laid
flat upon a kind of table. An oil-cloth served to cover
them. On a grand feast day, some Nez Perces came to pay
us a visit, and in order that they might have a better view
of our Catholic ceremonies, we placed them i1i the choir
gallery. In their anxiety to see what was goii1g on, the
foremost among them rested their arms on what seemed to
be a table, those behind rested their arms on the shoulders
of those in front, and the organ pipes were crushed. I knew
nothing of the affair, for I was celebrant at the Mass, until,
going to play something upon the organ at vespers, I found
the damage which had been done unintentionally.
As my knowledge of Flathead increased, I was naturally
curious to learn from our Indians the history, traditions and
mythology of their tribe. I therefore gathered some of
the most respeCted among them and questioned them upon
these matters. One answered my questions, and the others
nodded their approval of his answers. Of their past history they knew nbthing. Nor is this to be ,,·ondered at,
since the Indian is a being of the present day, caring nothing for what is past, and leaving the future to take care of
itself, provided that he has plenty to eat to-day. Their traditions and mythology were reduced to the following : -
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
35
The earth is flat, and surrounded by a big lake. On this
earth there lived a woman who, still a virgin, gave birth to
a son named Amotkan (he that sits on top of the mountains);
Amotkan undertook to create man and brute; and having
done so, seated himself on the tops of the mountains. These
first men were Flatheads. The earth, however, was dark,
and people could not see one another. They therefore
prayed for somebody that might give them light. Arnotkan
sent them a crow ; but as the crow was black, the people
made fun of him, and so in despair he flew away. They
next applied to the prairie-wolf, and he rendered the earth
bright and shining. He travelled through the air and had
a long tail reaching to the earth. But he was too meddlesome, and manifested abroad everybody's business and
private affairs; so the Flatheads, being displeased, took hold
of his tail and dragged him to the earth. They apologized
for their incivility, but urged his fault in justification of the
punishment. Then Amotkan's mother, who after having
given him birth had retired to the shores of the great water,
besought her son that he himself should enlighten the earth.
He consented; but before giving light he wisl,led to take to
himself a wife. So, coming to the lodges of the Flatheads,
he sought a wife; but the Flathead women were afraid to
marry him because he was so shining, and they openly rejected his proposals. Amotkan being displeased, left them,
and going to a swamp where there were some frogs, asked
the frogs for a wife. No sooner had he asked, than one of
them, making a spring. fastened on his cheek, and so became his wile. The Indian women became furious when
they beheld a frog the wife of Amotkan, and tried to drive
her off, until Lady Frog, tired of their persecutions, begged
her husband that, as he had come to give light to the world,
he would do su. Amotkan, therefore, covered with a shining mantle, rose in the air, and hence it is that during the
day he gives so much light, but when the day is over he
takes off his mantle and shows hirnsclf to mankind with his
wife-frog upon his cheekY>
While engaged in writing down their story, I asked
one of their chief-; what they thought when they saw
sun and moon at the same time. A new idea seemed
to strike him, for, clapping his hand to his mouth, he
could onl.y answer: "We ne\·er thought of that." They
admitted three creations. The first was destroyed by water;
the second by fire; the third, though also wicked, was
saved only by the entreaties of Skomeltem, the mother
1
< > On religious traditions of Flatheads, Cf. Brinton, Hero Jllyths; Halle,
Book of Rites of the Iroquois; Bancroft, ~Iyths and Languages.
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
of Amotkan, who promised that the people would do better.
They knew of no Redeemer, all their traditions referring to
events similar to those recorded in the old testament. Their
version of the race of giants that once inhabited our globe,
is that they were wicked and were destroyed by the prairiewolf sent by Amotkan. These giants were called Natliskelikutin (people-killers), and were changed into stones; so
that in passing large overhanging rocks, pagan parents were
accustomed to bid their children hide their faces lest the
Natliskelikutin should see them.l1l
Thus our days passed; Fr. De Smet sometimes with us
but oftener away from us, visiting some distant tribe or
transacting our business at the forts. He brought from
Fort Colville, during .t!~e first year of our sojoun) among
the Indians, seeds of various kinds from which we hoped to
reap a plentiful harvest. Our hopes, however, were not realized. Chickens, hogs and cows were also brought, but
only the last proved to be a profitable investment. In the
autumn of 1842, the mission of the Sacred Heart was
founded among the Cceur d'Al<~nes, eight days' journey
south of St. Mary's; and as Fr. Point was appointed to take
charge of it, I remained alone. The winter came, and the
Indians departed on their winter hunt. I remained at the
mission. The time of hunting is a time almost of famine
for those that remain behind, and so it was for me. I had
scarcely anything to eat, and my stomach grew weaker and
weaker, day by day, until my head began to swim. I was
so emaciated that an Iroquois who had been absent for about
six months asked me on his return where the y.9u.ng f<tther
was who had been at the mission. I was so changed that
he did not recognize me. I was almost at death' s door when
an old Indian woman came to me bringing with her some
boiled roots. "Eat," said she. But I felt no inclination to
eat, and would have refused; my stomach revolted at the
idea of taking such food. The woman, however, was not
prepared to take a refusal. "Eat," she repeated;. and I had
to obey. The roots were bitter, but I had to eat themY>
My vomiting, dizziness and lightness of head ceased, and
soon I was well again.
I felt a craving for wine ; but wine was a precious article,
as you may well imagine from the fact that at Mass I had
to limit myself to a thimbleful, and go without •ablutions
altogether. More 'than a thimbleful I could not afford, for
Ill The observance of hiding the faces of children for fear of giants wa'
practised in Mexico, at the lighting of the sacred fire.
2
< > These roots were used a great dea I by the Indians for tl>Od, and from their
bitter taste was derived the name of Bitterroot Yalley, where S~. Mary's :IIis·
sion was established.
�THE ROCKJ" JfOUNTAINS.
37
the allowance of wine for a year was one gallon. However,
so urgent was my need that, trusting in Providence, I divided what wine I had into two portions. One I kept for
the celebration of Mass, the other I used as medicine.
In the autumn of 1843, I received a letter from Fr. De
Vos ordering me to come and meet him. He had travelled
by land from St. Louis and was many days' journey from
the mission. I immediately prepared to obey, and calling
several of the Indians, I told them what I intended to do.
They were prepared for the road more quickly than I, and
set out ahead. As soon as I was ready, I mounted my mule
to follow them; but I started a little sooner than I had intended; for my feet were scarcely in the stirrups, when
away sped my mule to join the others, and finding that I
could not keep my balance, I thought better to vacate my
seat willingly than otherwise. I therefore tried to let myself down quietly from his back, and freeing myselffrom
the stirrups, I jumped. My foot turned under me and I fell;
the double barrelled shot gun which I had in my hand
turned also, both barrels pointing at my breast. The mule,
freed from his load, increased his speed and soon joined the
advance party. The Indians, seeing my mule riderless,
feared some mishap, and retracing their steps found me with
a sprained ankle. They would have induced me to return
to the village, but as I did not consider that the accident
warranted a non· compliance with an order of obedience, I
insisted on going ahead. For two days and two nights it
rained continuously, and though wet through and through,
we dared not light a fire, for we were in the country of the
Blackfeet.·
·
On the second day of our journey, I saw in the distance
what seemed to be a man. The Indians immediately started
towards the objeCt: and having surrounded it gradually forced
it nearer. I then saw that it was a bear. Suddenly one of
them fired. and the bear fell. The Indian then, slowly approaching, threw his buff:·do robe towards the prostrate
animal. The bear still showed no signs of life. The Indian was not yet satisfied, but pricking the motionless body
with a knife, and receiving not even a growl in answer, he
was sure that his bullet had done its work.
Some days before this, we had discovered one of the sources
of the Missouri. It was bn the top of a high hill. The
soil was very moist and a large stream of water was issuing
from the ground. On the other side of the hill, but a few
rods away, so near in faCt: that with a ploughshare I could
unite the two, was one of the sources of the Columbia.
On the seventh day, one of the Indians, who had ridden
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
ahead, came back in haste to tell us that there was a camp
of Blackfeet near at hand. Ignace put on his American cap
and coat, and taking the lead, rode off with the others to
reconnoitre. Fran<;ois alone remained and uncovering his
head asked for absolution. This I gave him from the bottom ofmv heart, for well I knew that, if we fell in with Blackfeet, !itt!~ mercy would be shown us. Soon, however, an
Indian returned and reported that the camp was a camp of
white men. \Ve therefore started for the place and found
a Frenchman named Gervais with his family. They had
been startled as ~uch by the appearance of our Indians, as
we had been at the sight of their camp; each party mutually
took the other for Blackfeet and none of us were sorry for
the mistake. \Ve parted with the best of wishes, and next
dav I met Fr. De Vos, who, with Fr. Hoecken and several
no~ice-brothers, was coming to the mountains. I remained
with them a few days, and then reminding Fr. De Vos that
I had left the mission without a priest, I asked his permission to hasten back. This he readily granted, and I returned
with all speed to make what little preparation I could for
his reception. He travelled leisurely, and upon his arrival
several days later, the whole village turned out to give him
a welcome. A great traveller, though already advanced in
years, and in poQr health, he was no sooner over the fatigues
of this long journey, than, in company with t\vo Indians,
two Canadians, a brother and myself. he started for the
Calispels.
Before starting we tcok a light breakfast of.bread and
coffee, and as Fr. De Vos was a jovial character; the time
passed \"ery pleasantly. \Ve were still, however, quite a distance from our halting place, when one of the Canadians
said: "The brother knows the place; so while you ride
along quietly let us go ahead and prepare the meal." As
the brother assured us that he knew the place, we allowed
the others to depart and rode on as contentedly as before.
Soon, however, the trail separated into two, along one of
which the brother boldly started, and we followed. Soon
misgivings arose in my mind, for there were no mule
tracks to be seen, nor was there a river on our left hand
as we had been led to expect. I urged my doubts but
the brother had an answer for all of them. The dav was
now well advance.d, and as evening set in, and we s~w no
signs of our companions, we became more anxious and
travelled faster. But the faster and further we went, the further we seemed doomed to go, until, when it was already
night, we found ourselves in a small prairie from which there
seemed to be no issue. Then, and then only, the brother
�THE ROCKJ" JIOUNTAI.YS.
39
confessed that he had mistaken the road. vVe fired off guns,
but received no answer. Fortunate indeed for us was it that
we did not; for our Indians were miles and miles away, and
the road which we had taken led straight to the Blackfoot
country. Hence the first to answer our call would have
been a band of these Indians; and far better no answer than
an answer in person from them.
There we had to remain for the night, with nothing to eat
and nothing to cover us. vVe were very hungry, for we
had eaten nothing since morning and had been the whole
day in the saddle. But we took the matter lightly, since
there was no use in crying over what was beyond remedy
for the moment. Fr. De Vos was in the best of humor and
never more disposed to laugh and joke. And when I began to shout: "0 Brown," (the name of one of our Canadians) "here is a knife and a spoon but nothing to eat!" he
would chime in : "0 Brown, here is a knife and nothing to
cut !" Thus we passed the evening, until, overcome by the
fatigues of the day, weariness strove to close our eyes in
sleep. Fruitless effort! A short time passed and it began
to rain ; and though the rain did not last long, it rendered
us sufficiently uncomfortable to prevent sleepYl
Morning came at last, and with it came increased hunger.
vVe held a consultion, and determined to retrace our steps
to where the trail branched. Meanwhile, at the camping
place, all had been anxious for our welfare and safety. The
victuals had been cooked and recooked .and cooked over
again, and yet we did not put in an appearance. Night came
on and we were not to be seen. They dispatched an Indian
to look for us and hurry us up. They gave him about a
pound of bread fiw himself, never imagining that we had
lost the trail and were miles and miles away. Fortunately for us, he was too intent on searching for us to think
of his provisions. He hastened back along the trail to
where we had turned aside, found our tracks and followed
them all night, until, just as we were about starting in the
morning, we saw him galloping towards us. He was overjoyed at finding us safe, and, while generously sharing his
loaf of bread with us, told us that the road which we had
taken led straight to the mountains of the Blackfeet.
It was now suggested to take the shortest road to the
camping place; so placing ourselves under the Indian's
guidance, we managed by running and galloping whenever
it was possible, by taking short cuts through the brushwood,
and leaving bits of our clothing and of ourselves hanging
!ll i"~>metim~s, when th~ fathers founrl themsdves in such a predicament as
this, they spent the time in proposing and solving cases of conscience.
�40
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
on the bushes, to reach the camp in the afternoon. We were
too weak to take food, and could only throw ourselves on
the ground and sleep from exhaustion. I wondered how
good Fr. De V os, old and sickly as he was, could bear up
under such hardships. \Ve awoke refreshed next morning, but with a ravenous appetite; and after having taken
some food resumed our journey.
In such journeys and dangers passed the year I 843.
Shall I say it was a sad year also? No; for the future was
then hidden from my eyes. But could I have foreseen the
future, I843 would have been for me then, as it has been
since, one of the saddest years of my life ; for in it were
sown the first seeds of the destruction of the Flathead
mission.
~
I was at the mission ""of the Cceur d' Alenes in I 844, waiting for the superior, in order that we might hold our annual consultation, when Mr. Langlois appeared, with two of
the boys of his college, asking for some fathers and brothers to help him in his labors. \Ve were unable to grant his
request; for many of the missions were as yet without a
priest, and, of course, they had to be supplied first. While
we were discussing the matter, a letter from Fr. Accolti
reached me. In it, after giving me an account of the wearisome voyage of himself and his· party around Cape Horn,
he ordered me to come to \Villamette, nine hundred miles
distant. As I could best be spared from my mission, owing
to the fact that my Indians were absent on their winter hunt,
while the other fathers were busy in their resp!!ctive missions and could not go, I readily went. Mr. Langlois and
the boys accompanied me.
·
On the journey I stopped at one of the Protestant missions and found the minister about to abandon it, for he said
that while the Indians were in their present disposition nothing could be done for them. He treated me with great
kindness and hospitality; and showed me a boy with the
marks of a rope on his wrists, ankles and neck. The poor
little fellow had been bought from one of the Indian tribes
who held him as a slave, and who were about to kill "him,
that his spirit might accompany and attend upon that of a
child who had died while under his care. The boy was
greatly frightened when he saw me, and imagined that
he was to be sold to the Blackgown and subjected to some
fearful fate. I caressed him, however, and quieted him, assuring him by signs that my feelings towards him were
those of a sincere friend.
After eleven days' travelling, we arrived at Vancouver.
Here we saw the danger in which the fort was from a fire
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
.
'
which had been raging for weeks and which is called "mountain fire." Large pine trees were burning and falling, and their
hissing, as they were consumed, was not unlike that of skyrockets. The governor, Mr. McLoughlin, was absent, and
I had to wait until his return. Meanwhile, the fire, in
spite of all efforts, approached nearer and nearer. the fort.
No one slept, owing to the noise of the fire and anxiety at
its progress. There was no wind, and the smoke was
stifling.
One afternoon the cry was raised, "Fire in the fort." Terror seized upon everybody, for the powder magazine was in
the middle of the fort, and, though itself of brick, all the
other buildings were of wood. An old Canadian ran up to
Fr. Nobile and myself and shouted: "To the water, to the
water!" We needed no second invitation, but hurrying to
the river-bank found several boats filled with people and
ready to cross the river. Fr. Nobile and I got into an empty
boat. He seized one oar and I the other. Away we pulled
for dear life, but as in our confusion we had turned our
backs to each other, each was pulling a different way, so the
boat took a middle course and spun around in a circle. vVe
did not know at the time who had started the alarm of fire,
but we·found out next morning, when a stout Kanacka appeared, chained hand and foot. It was he that raised the
disturbance and seized the opportunity to steal a gold watch
from one of the clerks of the Hudson Bay Company. A
council of war was held, and the culprit was condemned to
be flogged. Had the governor, an impulsive though kindhearted man, been there, a worse fate might have befallen
him. The Hudson Bay Company had the power of condemning to death; but in case of condemnation the criminal had to be sent to England to receive a regular trial. Still,
when people are smarting under an injury, summary vengeance is often the rule. The Kanacka was tied to a cannon and a stout workman began to flog him. At the tenth
stroke he fainted, and as he showed scarcely any signs of
life, the whipping was stopped.
When Mr. McLoughlin arrived at Vancouver, he accompanied me to where Fr. De Smet was, some six miles from
Champoeg. We found the t>ther suffering from an attack
of dysentery, and, though time was passing. away so quickly, he kept me much longer than I expected. As soon as
he had partially recovered, Fr. Accolti was taken sick, so I
hastened to Oregon City, where I found the latter, now Superior of the Missions, confined to his bed. In eight days,
however, he was able to rise again, and I prepared to return
to my mission. But a letter from Fr. De Smet, bidding me
�THE ROCKY
.~fOUNTAil\'S.
await his arrival, caused me to delay a little longer; and in
his company I left Oregon City and again started for Vancouver. Here we found the clerks busy in packing up the
things needed by the mission; and when everything was
ready and nicely packed on board a barge, we turned our
faces homeward, attended by six Kanackas whose services
we had engaged.
From \Valla \Valla we had to travel by land, and Fr. De
Smet, in a hurry to reach the missions, started off and left
me in charge of the baggage. It took several days to pack
the mules and get everything in readiness, and just when
we thought ourselves successful, disappointment blasted all
our hopes. For the gates of \Valla \Valia were very narrow
and the mules heavily.Ji,iden. In passing through, the packages were loosened, and the mules, starting on a run, scattered the articles in all direCtions. The \Valla Walla Indians began to shout and yell at the animals which only
served to render the scattering more complete. The indignation of the captain and my discomfiture were beyond description. The season was too far advanced to admit of
delay; we had a journey of eight hundred miles still before
us ; the afternoon was already far advanced ; so, after a hasty
consultation, we decided to leave most of the packages at
\Valla \Valia and hurry on with a few horses to the Calispels,
hoping that Fr.-Hoecken would be able to look after the
goods. Again we were doomed to disappointment. \Ve
found Fr. Hoecken ready to start with all his Indians for the
salmon fishery; moreover, he had no house (or storing·
articles and so we had to be contented with affairs as they
were.
It was the 14th of November when we again began our
march, and on the 19th a tremendous snow storm overtook
us. \Ve were on the summit of a mountain, and exposed
to a piercing north wind. Our animals had eaten nothing
since morning, and we found large icicles hanging from their
sides. The people who were with us urged us to hasten our
steps, but, before we had gone much further, most of the
horses and mules dropped down dead. \Vc now saw that
our safety depended indeed on our haste. Those that still
had horses galloped down hill; those that had none made
what speed they could on foot. After a toilsome journey of
several hours, we h~ard a noise of people shouting and cheering us on; and soon we beheld a band of white men who
had come to our assistance. One of our Indians leaving
our· camp unnoticed, had gone to the fort of the Hudson
Bay Company and made known our distress. The men
brought with them twenty fresh horses, and in a few days
�FR. FRAl!,"CIS XAVIER WENINGER.
43
we arrived safely at the mission. The Hudson Bay Company, in this as in all its other dealings with us, acted with
a spirit of real generosity, gratuitously offering us a helping
hand in our misfortunes.
We reached home at night, and going at once to the
chapel, we returned sincere thanks to God for our safe return. Nor was our return the only thing requiring grateful
acknowledgment; for we found that in our absence Frs.
Joset and Zerbinati had arrived; Fr. Zerbinati to be my assistant, Fr. Joset for the Cceur d'Alenes.
(To be continued.)
FATHER FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER,
A SKETCH OF HIS LIFE AND LABORS.
It is hardly an exaggeration to say that very few men in
the Church, at least in this country, have been, during the
last thirty or forty years, so prominently before the Society
and the world as the late Fr. Francis Xavier \Veninger.
Moreover, among the illustrious missionaries of the· restored
Society, it is equally doubtful whether any have been garnering the harvest for a longer period, or have scored equal
successes with him, among civilized peoples. For Fr. Weninger entered the vineyard while yet little more than a youth;
and it was only after the clearest warnings of his approaching end, that the ardent zeal which animated him was
changed into an edifying readiness to surrender to his Master the important stewardship with which he had been entrusted: His life was a )ong one, full of excellent works
and remarkable traits, of which anything more than a faint
outline would be beyond our present purpose.
It would be interesting to trace Fr. \Veninger's family
history, and those religious and individual traits which so emphasized his zeal and marked his personality, did we but
possess reliable data on that point. The presumption is,
that he inherited much from the religious character of his
people, especially of his parents, which enabled him, through
the distracting vicissitudes of his American missions, to
keep the lamp of his simple, childlike faith and the flame
of his charity e\·er burning brilliantly. Fr. Weninger is
himself the most trustworthy, and at the same time the
most copious source of information upon this point, and his
�44
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
testimony, for obvious reasons, is not at all extensive or
satisfactory. Of his father he tells us very little more than
that he was "citz eclzt cltnstliclter Hausvater." Barbara
Weninger, his mother, was a lady of rank from Mandelstein;
a fact which leads us to conjecture that, through his maternal connections at least, Fr. Weninger was probably descended from the old Catholic nobility of Austria. But
again, of his mother, as of his father, he seems to say as
little as possible. That she was a woman of exceptional
piety is the sum of his reference to her many virtues. Yet,
scanty as it is, even this allusion proves to us, what we
had already conjectured, that the well grounded Catholicity
which was, as it were, a predominant passion in Fr. \Veninger, was, in no smaiLmeasure, due to the faith and piety of
his parents. We venture upon this statement from our own
conviction of the source of that early spirit of devotion and
zeal which we observe in their son.
Much of young Weninger's youth was passed in Vienna.
The family residence, however, was not in that city. The
family originally resided in Marburg, and, later on, removed
to Gratz in Styria, and it was at Marburg that Francis Xavier vVeninger was born on the eve of the feast of All Saints,
rsos.
Of his school-days, his brother, Fr. Alexander Weninger,
writes as follows: "Xavier was sent to the g)'lmtasium of
Marburg. He showed a very great desire to become a soldier, but was opposed by his father. For this reason, young
Xavier was withdrawn from the gym11asium and sent to a
friend of his father's who was the owner of a c,!rug-store at
Laybach. Under this man's training, Xavier was to learn
the business of a druggist. Before he left home, his pious
mother took him on a pilgrimage to a famous shrine of our
Lady. There she recommended her son to the· powerful
protection of the Mother of God and made the offering of
a chalice from the former chapel of the castle of \ Vildhaus
(the Weninger home) praying the ever Blessed Virgin that
she might give the priest for the chalice. The priest was
to be her own child, young Xavier. Xavier began his apprenticeship in the drug-store, but his thirst for knowledg·e was so great, that he bethought himself of ways and
means to continue his interrupted studies. By the advice
and consent of his guardian, the druggist, he took up the
classics in leisure ·hours and continued his college studies.
The director of the g)'1tmaszimz allowed him to study privately, but required that his examination should be public.
The progress of his studies was so brilliant that the director
warmly recommended him to Count Wurmbrand, major-
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
45
domo of the imperial court. The reason of this recommendation was the following: When the congress of emperors
met at Laybach in 1821, the Empress Carolina Augusta,
wife of Francis I., commanded her major-domo to enquire
of the director of the gymnasium whether any youth distinguished himself in his studies. In consequence of this
recommendation, Count \Vurmbrand sent for the youth to
learn from him the circumstances of his life and family.
·when the count heard that the boy's father was opposed to
his studies, he asked Xavier whether he thought his father
would persist in his opposition if the empress were to undertake the care of his education. The boy answered that he
did not think so. This was decisive." (IJ "Shortly after this,"
writes Fr. \Veninger himself, "upon the adjournment of the
imperial congress at Laybach, Count Wurmbrand, at the
wish of the empress, desired me to accompany him to Vi~
enna. The empress was eager to undertake my education
and thus assure my father of the esteem in which she held
.
h tm. "
Fr. Weninger's account of his journey to Vienna with
the royal party is characteristic, but too lengthy for insertion here. Upon his arrival at the capital, he was entered,
under the patronage of the empress, at the Klinkowstrom
Institute. It was here that he completed his classical studies. Upon the close of this preparatory training, he became,
under the same imperial patronage, attached to the university
of Vienna. He studied philosophy here for the two following years, being then little more than seventeen years old.
Fr. Weninger refers his first vocation to the priesthood to
this period of his studies. He was convinced of a call to
holy orders, and accordingly aft_er his two years of philosophy, he began the study of dogmatic and moral theology.
He received minor orders during his third year of theology,
in the church of Maria Stiegen,< 2> from Monsignor Roman
Zangerle, Prince-Bishop of Seckau. "From this time," he
used to say, speaking of his ordination, "I always dressed
as a clergyman, and never, even when subsequently professor at the university of Gratz, laid aside the clerical gown."
He was only twenty years and eleven months old when he
completed his course of divinity and entered upon the ampler studies required and pursued by aspirants to the degree
of doctor in divinity. Hence it appears that he was dispensed
·ol According to another account, which appears to be from Fr. Xavier Weninger's own hand, his first interview with Count Wurmbrand took place by
Xavier's own request, who had been asked by his father to lay certain documents before the empress.
("ll JJI<tri" ad Grad us, to commemorate the fifteen steps which the Blessed
Virgin mounted at the presentation in the temple.
,
�I
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENL''lGER.
from the canonical age when raised to the priesthood by his
future diocesan, the prince-bishop of Gratz. Somewhat
later, and after his "doCtor's defence," he retired from Vienna
to Gratz-a doetor of divinity. and not yet twenty-four years
of age. Upon his anival at Gratz, he was made prefeCt: of
studies in the episcopal seminary, and, a year later, became
a fellow of the university and professor of dogmatic theology. It was in this city, and while laboring in this capacity,
that he was first strongly drawn to the Society and became
ultimately attached to it.
Alluding to his entrance into the Society, Fr. Weninger
used to say that even from his very earliest youth he felt a
definite call to the religious life. How he finally entered
the Society is indeed~ interesting. As far as he is himself
our authority, he was not, either then or at any earlier period,
living upon particularly intimate relations with Ours. On
the contrary, the BenediCtines, the Camaldolese, and, in a
very special manner, the Franciscans, were the special objeCt: of his veneration. He thought at one time, as probably many Franciscans have thought since, that he ought to
be a son of St. Francis. God, however, had other designs,
as subsequent events have shown.
The instrument which Providence employed to guide Fr.
vVeninger at this period of his life was his confessor. This
man, Fr. Sebastian Job, direCtor and confessor of the empress,
appears to have been remarkable in many respeCts; and this
probably induced the ardent young protege of the empress
to surrender himself to his direCtion on his entrance at the
Klinkowstrom Institute. He was wont, he tell'i"us, to rely
implicitly on the counsels of this good man; and•"these frequently served him very materially, at a later day, as practical hints for the direCtion of souls and the conduCt: of his
extensive m1sstons. It was natural, then, that he should
have had recourse to such a uireetor when he felt called to
the religious life. This was, as we have intimated, towards
the end of his first year of philosophy. He informed Job,
as he familiarly refers to him, of his inclination to the life of
the contemplative orders.· But his confessor did not encourage his desire; and when the young philosopher still
insisted that he felt definitely called by the Holy Spirit
to devote his life to God in religion, the answer with
which his direCtor. used to quiet his scruples was, that he·
was indeed called to the sacred ministry, but that he had no
vocation to a religious life.
We are not sure, however, that the reason alleged in support of this conclusion will appear satisfaCtory to everybody.
His reason was, in about so many words, the following:
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
47
"Your divinely appointed patroness, Her Majesty the empress, does not wish this; and you must obey her." How
triYial soever this reason may have appeared to him, it shaped
the young man's conduCt for the time being, although his
preference for the religious life was not thereby altered.
Some years later, when he met the Jesuits in Gratz, his
old leaning towards the life of the counsels returned, and,
under the returning impulse of grace, he again consulted
his old direB:or. "I am standing" he wrote to him from
Gratz at this time, "in an open plain, where all around me
is in confusion. Beside me rises a mighty tower, the Society of Jesus. Should you approve of the step, I will place
myself within the shelter of this tower and thus put my salvation in security; if you should not approve, I shall remain
at my post as a secular priest ; but in that event, your letter
will one day lie upon my corpse in the coffin.'' He must
have strongly impressed his confessor this time; for the latter answered him without hesitation : "You are now a priest"
(he had assured him previously that this was indeed his vocation), "but you never before said anything to me about
becoming a Jesuit. If, then, you are convinced that, before
God, nothing in the world but his greater honor and your
own more certain salvation induces you to take this step,
then let it be taken." "This," writes the missionary, "was
enough for me, and I immediately notified my ordinary of
the step I was about to take. He was very ill at the time,
and upon hearing of my resofution, replied: 'I lose you with
regret; by this choice you have, as it were, involved yourself in the uncertainty of a mist; but the haze will gradually disappear and you will behold round about you the
broad expanse of a glorious land.' A veritable prophecy;
when I consider the vast field to which obedience, later on,
assigned me, in the mission of the United States." Ct)
(ll Some light will be thrown on this period by the following extracf from an
interesting document from the convent of the discalced Carmelite nuns of
Gratz. It hears date August ~!1, 1888, and the seal of the convent:- "In
the chapel of Jiuria-Sw.tl in the convent of the Carmelites at Gratz, Fr.
Francis Xavier 'Veninger, while yet a secular priest, said )[ass every day for
neat"ly a year. It was a long road from the priest's house to the convent, whicu
he travelled every morning through fair weather and foul, rain and snow.
He loved the Carmelites, and our Lady of "~Iaria-Sa.al attracted him. .\fter
Mass, which he was wont to say with indescribable devotion and with many
t~ars, he locked the door of the chapel, and made his thanksgiving, which
used to last very lung, with extraordinary devotion. Sometimes he gave con·
ferences to the community, which we1·e of heavenly beauty. Once, after the
midnight ~lass on Christmas day, he made a little address, during which he
appeared like one in an ecstasy. The good sisters were allowed to ask his
counsel and advi(·e, for they had not much other instruction. He had great
confidence in our Rev. }!other Francisca, who was then prioress. One day
he spoke to her of his trouble; and she, as if filled with the spirit of prophecy,
"ai<l to him with great decision: 'Reverend Fathe·r, what you ought to do is
to.enter the Society of Jedus.' These words made a deep impression on him
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
Fr. Weninger made his novitiate at Gratz, and, after his
probation, repeated his philosophy, probably at the novitiate,
for this was customary at Gratz. His pmtc?a ad gradum he
prepared at Sandez in Galicia, where he passed his examen
ad gradum. He was sent immediately afterwards to Tarnopol, to leCture publicly at the lyceum in that city, and to
devote his spare time to preaching and hearing confessions
among the Germans. Later on, he was at Linz for some
time, and in 1830 taught moral philosophy in the scholasticate of the Austrian Province. He began his third year
of probation at Gratz in 1840. During this year, he was
confessor to the Duchess de Berri, then residing at Frohsdorf with her son the Count de Chambord, whom she had
accompanied into exile:
Speaking of this noble lady, I cannot refrain from translating what Fr. \Veninger writes about his relations with
the duchess and her unfortunate family. They are highly
interesting when viewed in conneCtion with the irreverent
prominence which the Bourbons and their ministers occupied at the time of the attempted suppression of the Society.
''One day," writes Fr. \Veninger, "the duchess asked me:
'Do you know, Father, on what day it was that Charles X.
was forced to leave France?' 'Yes,' I replied, 'it was on the
feast of St. Ignatius.' At the same time I said to myself:
Do you know bn what day and in what year it was that
Charles X. suppressed the Jesuit colleges in France? It was
in the same year, on the 16th of June, .the feast of the
French Jesuit St. Francis Regis. The enemies of the Order,
animated with a hatred of the Society, advisedlY ~hose this
solemnity of the saintly French Jesuit, upon which to submit to the king the document which was to effeCt the suppression of their schools. In my capacity of confessor to
the duchess and to her daughter the Princess Marie, and to
the Duchess d'Angouleme, I enjoyed a favorable opportunity of studying the charaCter of the French aristocracy.
Numbers of the Legitimist nobility continued to pay court
to the duchess and to the Count de Chambord, and, on these
occasions they were accompanied by their noble retinues.
Among these occasional visitors I once met the grandnephew of the notorious Count Choiseul; who, as minister of
France under Louis XV., expelled the Jesuits from France,
and he went away pondering them. 'fhe next day, when he came as usual to
say )lass, he said: ''fhi~ is the last time I shall say Mass here, [ am going to
enter the Society of Jesus.' On leaving the convent and especially the chapel,
he was deeply moved and burst into tears. Once, while he was a novice, he
visited m am\ said he was more than lwp{ly-voluntarily he would never leave
-'if they will only keep me as a domestiC servant,' he added. 'fhe pulpit in
our refectory is a constant memorial of him; for it is the pulpit from which
he delivered his lectures; it was given to us as a present many years ago."
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
49
and conspired with the equally infamous Portuguese premier, Pombal, for the suppression of the whole Society. Did
it ever occur to Minister Choiseul that the day would come
when his own grand nephew would be compelled to journey
to a foreign land, to present himself before the dethroned
heirs of the crown of France, and that there he would kneel
at the feet of a Jesuit to receive absolution? 'Pray for me,'
said the Count de Chambord to me during a similar conversation upon the Jesuits, 'vous sa've::; bien que notre affaire est
commune.' Noble, but unfortunate prince! Scion of the
House of Bourbon, I thought to myself, you have even now
deeply understood this world's history!"
In 1841, after his tertianship, Fr. Weninger was sent to
Innsbruck in the Tyrol, to replace the prefeCt: of studies in
the gymnasium at that place. He was afterwards recalled
to Gratz for ministerial duties; but in 1843 was sent back
to Innsbruck to leB:ure on theology to Ours. He remained
there for the next seven years, during which time he was
successively professor of scripture and Hebrew, and leCturer
in ecclesiastical history. Besides these occupations, he was
constantly preaching and hearing confessions. He heard,
he says, twenty thousand confessions every year; and, in
addition to his professorship and the confessional morning
and evening, he occupied three pulpits, namely :-that of the
students in the gymnasium, the one in our church, and that
of the city parish church. He also accepted many invitations for festival and occasional sermons, gave a retreat to
the people every year, conduCted for seven successive years
the spiritual exercises for the clergy of the diocese of Brixen,
and was employed in missions among the people during the
vacations.
vVith the revolution of I 848 the position of the Society
in Austria and Germany became very embarassing, and the
usefulness of its members at home was praCtically impeded.
Many of the Austrian and Swiss fathers were, for this reason,
forced to leave their country. They accordingly placed
themselves at the disposal of foreign provincials, and, before
the political status of their own country had regained its
normal quiet. many of them had become affiliated, temporarily or permanently, to other provinces of the Society.
Among the Austrian fathers who were unwilling to endure
the inaCtivity occasioned by political persecution was Fr.
Weninger. Almost immediately upon the first indications
of the revolutionary storm, he wrote to Very Rev. Fr.
Roothaan, offering to travel to any part of the world to
which His Reverence might see fit to send him; and a few
VoL. xvm, No. 1.
4
�so
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
months later, he was sent to America. He left Innsbruck
on June 20, the eve of the feast of St. Aloysius, r 848, accompanied by Ft:. Genelli and Dr. Fick; the latter had been
professor at the Klinkowstrom Institute, and instruCtor of
Francis Joseph I. Fr. \Veninger writes of this voyage to
America: "I travelled in my ecclesiastical dress, although
an effort had been made to dissuade me. 'I am unable,' I
said, 'to conceal my sacerdotal appearance, and to dress
otherwise will not screen my charaCter; I will travel as I
am.' In faCt, I met no opposition even in Paris, where the
revolution of July, 1848, was at its height. The Pantheon
was planted with cannon, an.d soldiers \vere guarding the
place against the q~ob:, As I was eager to visit our fathers
in the Rue des Postes,J approached the sentinel ; and when
he ordered me back I said to him : /t su1~~ 1m pretre; je doz~~
y alter. He scanned me from head to foot and finally said:
Passez."
\Vhile at Paris, Fr. \Veninger visited :\Iontmartre, and
went afterwards from Paris to Havre, whence he sailed, on
the feast of St. John the Baptist, for this country. The
voyage lasted twelve days. He said Mass e\·ery day and
preached once in German to those on board, of whom only
two, who were Spaniards bound for Paraguay, were Catholics. He experienced some difficulty, on this account, in
seleCting a theme upon which to address such a miscellaneous audience at their own request. \Vhen he manifested
his indecision on this point, a New York Jew suggested that
"The Destiny of Man" would pro,•e an intet:esting and
popular subjeCt. He spoke with so much earne.;>tness and
confidence on this subjeCt, that a gentleman who had been
previously boasting of his infidelity approached him and
said: "I thank you, Reverend Sir; as long as I li,·e, I shall
never forget that sermon."
He landed in New York on thc feast of St. Jaines the
Apostle, and proceeded at once, with Fr. Genelli, to Fordham. \Vhile resting there, he preached his first sermon in
America, at ·williamsburg, in the church of the Most Holy
Trinity. After celebrating the feast of St. Ignatius at Fordham, he proceeded, by way of Niagara Falls and Buffalo,
to St. Louis, to confer with the superior of the Missouri
Mission, about his future labors in America.
Fr. Weninger's career from this date approaches as closely
to the received notion of an apostolate as perhaps any which
our generation will be permitted to witness. In faCt, it is
its apostolic magnitude that fairly discourages us when we
seek to give an adequate outline of it. Hence we shall not
enter at length upon the details of this remarkable career.
�·FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
sr
Many of our readers possibly have been contemporaries of
Fr. Weninger, and therefore well acquainted with even the
minor details of most, if not all, of his life on the mission.
To these, of course, our cursory glance at it will prove
unsatisfactory; but the extent of the theme and our limits
oblige us to summarize, and therefore to leave much unsaid
which would indeed prove both interesting and edifying.
But for those who are not familiar with the missionary
life of Fr. Weninger, it may help their appreciation of it, to
group his labors and travels into four distinct epochs,
extending over a period of forty years, and embracing,
first, his labors fi·om I848, about which time he gave his
first American misson, to the commencement of our late
civil war; secondly, those between I 86o and I 864; thirdly,
the work which he accomplished from 1864 until his sacerdotal jubilee in I 878, an epoch of extensive and laborious
missionary excursions in this country; and finally, his labors
from I 878 until I 888, the time of his saintly death, years
marked by the energy of his declining strength. We do
not, of course, place any particular emphasis upon this classification of his mission work; for these dates do not indicate
interruptions or changes in the character of his labors, but
are meant simply to help us to form a proportionate appreciation of the extensive character of his apostolate. Moreover, it is to be understood that we had not, in submitting
this grouping, the remotest idea of retracing in detail each
long year of travel and preaching and shriving in which
Fr. \Veninger was almost incessantly engaged. It will
amply satisfy our aim if we shall have submitted even a
general idea of the extent of his missions; to which \Ve hope
to add some notion of his method of conducting these exercises, and an estimate, at least, of the great literary labor
which went hand in hand with these apostolic exertions
in the ministry.
His beginnings were, as prudence would suggest, modest
and tentative. He wished to proceed gradually at first, as
it were to inure himself to the labors of his later and more
extensive apostleship. We said above that he became attached to the Missouri Mission in July, 1848. Until late
that year, in accordance with the instruction of his superiors, and with a view to his preparation for the missions, he
taught theology at Cincinnati, and, as at Innsbruck, diversified his professorial duties by preaching to the German
congregations of the city, hearing confessions and studying
English. In the winter of I 848, he opened his first mission in the church of the Holy Family, Oldenburg, Indiana, on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. It was
�52
FR. FRANCISXAVIER WENINGER.
continued for ten days and a half, and was attended by all
the Catholics within a circuit of nearly twenty miles. His
success in this first endeavor was eminent, and it was a
powerful earnest of the fruit which was to attend his future
endeavors. During the two following years, he devoted his
time almost exclusively to the state of Ohio, giving also one
or two small missions in Kentucky and Indiana. Between
1850 and 186o, he had traversed and retraversed the states
of Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, \,Yisconsin, Minnesota, the Dominion of Canada, and the states
of New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Louisiana and Texas.
The year 18so, the first, we may call it, of his apostolic
tours, opened auspicio!lsly. It began with three great missionary successes in Ci"ncinnati and its vicinity. Fourteen
thousand approached the Holy Table, the vast majority of
whom, the missionary tells us, prepared themselves for this
great religious event by a general confession. This excellent beginning was followed by equally effeCl:ive missions in
the interior of the state. Hundreds were reconciled to God.
It was, we are assured, a common thing during these missions to hear confessions of twenty and thirty years. At
\Viseoak,<'l in Ohio, we are told, an old lady of seventy
years of age walked seventy miles to attend the mission.
Towards the close of 18so, Fr. \Veninger was invited by
the archbishop of St. Louis to extend the field of his labors
further west. Accepting His Grace's invitation, he terminated, that year, in St. Louis, a series of fourteen or fifteen
missions-a long series at a time when the we§le_rn states
were not what they are for travellers at the present day, a
network of convenient railroads. \Ve find him, ea.rly in the
following year, in the environs of St. Louis, at a place called
. New Bremen, which, in his diary, he dignifies with the distinguished title of 'Sister city to St. Louis.' This locality has
since been metamorphosed into an indifferently elegant faubourg of the great western metropolis. From New Bremen
the missionary returned by way of St. Louis to Cincinnati.
On his way, he retired to Florissant for his annual retreat;
and while there he preached his first English sermon.
There is some humor in his allusion to this event. "Before
I left Florissant," he writes, "I mustered up courage enough
to preach, in the neighboring church, my first English sermon, and that to'a very obscure audience."-They were
negroes!
After conduCl:ing a series of jubilee exercises in Cincinnati, he journeyed northward as far as Chicago, giving mis<'> Whiteoak(?)
�FR. FR.ANCIS XA T'IER WENINGER.
53
sions at Cleveland, Shelby, Liverpool, French Creek, Avon
and Sheffield. It was at the instance of Bishop Van de
Velde of the Society, that he inaugurated the good work of
the missions in the great 'City of the Lakes.' From Chicago he was invited to Milwaukee; for the Rt. Rev. Dr.
Henni desired very much that Fr. Weninger should, for
some time, make the diocese of Milwaukee the scene of his
apostolate. To comply with this wish, he conduCted four
successive missions in the city of Milwaukee, thence proceeded to Port Washington, Manitowoc and Greenbay. At
Greenbay he met FF. Anderledy and Brunner, Swiss exiles,
employed upon the missions of the Missouri Province. Fr.
Anderledy was, we think, recalled soon after to Germany,
and Fr. Brunner was afterwards sent to Bombay. Retracing his steps southward, Fr. Weninger opened a new mission in Milwaukee, and others, successively, at Burlington
City, Wheatland and Waterford (Wisconsin), in Chicago and
Quincy (Illinois), at Washington and Hermann (Missouri),
and finished the year's work with three remarkable missions
in St. Louis.
The earlier months of 1852 were spent in Louisiana and
elsewhere in the South. He preached the mission exercises
this year in New Orleans, Carrollton and Mobile, among
both the whites and the negroes. At a small place on the
lower Mississippi, he baptized about this time fifty negroes
who had been under the previous instruCtion of a pious creole lady. On his homeward journey in June, he opened an
extensive mission at Evansville, Indiana, and then sped
northward to his last year's field in Wisconsin. On his
re-entrance into the state, he gave missions at Kenosha
and at thirteen smaller stations throughout the diocese. He
returned to Cincinnati for his annual retreat, and there closed
the year 1852, in his favorite St. Philomena's church, "mit
Predigt" as he says, "tmd mit einemlzoclifeierliclzm Te Deum."
The year 18 53 witnessed the same round of exercises,
this time in northern Ohio and in the state of Iowa. Fr.
vVeninger preached, this year, upwards of twenty-two missions, conduB:ed the spiritual exercises for the clergy of the
diocese of Milwaukee, delivered an eloquent oration at the
laying of the corner-stone of the Milwaukee cathedral, and
inaugurated the labors of 1854, in St. Louis, with a very remarkable New Year's sermon.
.
It was during the missions of 1853 that the phenomenon
of the "cross in the heavens" (I) was witnessed for the first
time. It appeared at the little town of Guttenberg, Ohio, on
the upper Mississippi. The mission, which began on Rosary
1
< > Cf.
Cretineau-Jolr, Histoire de la Comp. de Jesus, vol. vi, c. 8.
�5-l·
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER /VE.VIl\"GER.·
Sunday, had closed on Friday, Ocrober 20, and was followed in the afternoon by the ereCtion of the mission cross.
Hardly had the sacred emblem of our faith been raised aloft
in the procession which was to conduCt it to its position in
front of the village church, when a large white cross appeared in the blue heavens. "It was" writes Fr. Weninger
in his allusion to the strange event, "probably one hundred
feet long and twenty-five wide, and construCted of beams
about two feet in breadth. Everybody could see it until
the mission cross was planted, it being definitely outlined
in the heavens for about a quarter of an hour. It then
gradually vanished in streams of light. On either side of
the cross were visible atthe same time two gigantic palmbranches of equal brill~ncy with the cross."
\Ve omitted to mentlbn that, in leaving Cincinnati this
year, Fr. \Veninger, who had become peculiarly distasteful
to the Know Nothings and German atheists, found it hard to
decide whether to quit the town during the riots, so as not
to unnecessarily provoke his enemies by remaining in the
city, or to open new missions and reconcile more souls to
their Redeemer.
The year 1854 marks a sojourn in the East for our missionary. His time was occupied mainly in conduCting extensive missions in Buffalo, Rochester, New York City,
Syracuse, Albany, Toronto and elsewhere. He received,
he estimates, upwards of one hundred heretics into the
Church, and preached very nearly one thousand times in
German, French or English.
1855 and 1856 were one long series of small."missions,
mostly in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Minnesota. ·we find
the indefatigable traveller in 1857, back again.in the East,
where he opened missions in New York City, and later, in
Patterson, N.J. From this place, he ran down to Richmond,
Va.· From Richmond he was summoned to Boston; thence
back to New York State, where he conduCted new missions
at Stratonport, Forest Meadm\' and Poughkeepsie. He had
not yet been to Pennsylvania. ·This year, however, he was
asked for there, and accordingly preached missions at Goshenhoppen, Little York and Conewago. Later · on, after
giving a retreat to the clergy of the archdiocese of New
York, preaching to large audiences in Washington, D. C.,
and, finally, conduCting missions in Wisconsin, at Racine
and Milwaukee, he ·hastened back to Pennsylvania, where.
he gave other missions in Philadelphia and its vicinity, and.
then ·returned to Cincinnati, his "American Home" as he
used to call it, to close the exercises of the year with a popular mission in the church of St. Augustin.
�FR. FRA..YCIS XA T'IER WENINGER.
55
We next find our missionary in Texas, the field of his
labors for I 859. In this state, then but thinly peopled, he
ere8:ed his mission cross in Galveston and Houston, and
gave missions at Vi8:oria,. Powderhorn, San Antonio, Castroville, D'Haunis, Fredericksburg, New Brownsfield and
Austin. Thence travelling north and east to New York, he
preached to the Catholics of Troy, Carollton and Rockport
(Indiana); and gave missions in Brooklyn (Long Island)
and at Rondout on the Hudson.
Texas, in I 859, was a difficult and, in some sense, a perilous
mission. The settlers there were mostly Americans, and, as a
rule, "shouting Methodists" of a very belligerent type. At
Galveston and elsewhere through the state, they annoyed Fr.
Weninger considerably. Texas is full of mixed marriages,
contraCted, in a multitude of instances, with a frivolity that
is almost incredible. After marriage, many often see their
mistake and are grieved for the step and its results. This
was the case in Galveston ; and many poor creatures came
to confession, where their duty as Catholic wives and mothers was strongly impressed upon them. This sacramental
instruCtion, when its effeCt: began to tell upon the community, was misconstrued; and it was published abroad that this
Jesuit preached in the confessional that it were preferable
that Catholic mothers should put their children into boiling
water and pull their skin off over their ears rather than suf-.
fer them to be baptized in the Protestant church. This procedure the newspaper men, and prominently among them a
certain Mohling, declared was such as to call for an apology
or an explanation. This Mohling, who by the way had
once been a novice in some religious congregation or order,
emulating the conduCt: of Luther, had apostatized some
years before, and like the quondam monk, "er nalzm siclt
cin ·Weib."
"l answered these calumnies" writes Fr. Weninger, "by
setting forth in a pamphlet upon this matter of the confessional, what every Catholic should know, namely, that I not
only could not reveal to their sinful curiosity but not even
to the pope himself anything that I hear in the confessional.
I further reminded Mohling, in the course of my exposition, that it would be well for him to come to confession to
me and that then he would learn for himself how I preached
or conversed in the confessional. I avoided in my reply
anything more of a personal charaCter than to recall to this
vituperative and uxorious apostate the saying of the German
poet Arndt:
Ein solcher 'Vurm erstickt in seinem eigenen Gestank.
But
l
took advantag-e of this opportunity to explain to
�FR. FRA.NCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
the Protestants of Galveston some other points which, because they were misunderstood, served to intensify the hatred which Protestants foster against Catholics. On the
following Sunday, I placed a copy of my pamphlet at the
door of the Methodist meeting-house and distributed a
thousand copies gratis among the Protestants. The effeCt
was wonderful. They were dumfounded and had to hang
their heads in shame. Poor Mohling, in particular, little
thought that what he s'o shamefully enlarged upon when I
landed in Galveston-namely, that I had come to Texas to
bury all the Methodists-was to be first \'erified at his own
cost. For his Methodist wife died the day after the mission.
She· was all the Methodism Mohling had or cared for, and
he felt her taking-off~all the more because, when she was
dying, she bitterly reproached him for having so shamefully
slandered me. He naturally held his tongue for a while
after all this. Later on, however, he managed to keep ali\'e
the perseoution which followed me through Texas, by circulating among the ignorant rangers the falsehood that my
objeCl: in visiting the state was to separate Catholic wives
from their Protestant husbands."
One of Fr. vVeninger's busiest years was I 86o. Most of
this year he spent in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, Illinois
and vVisconsin. We have no record of his missions in r86r,
the first year of~the war. His diary, however, for this year
is full of refleCtions upon the issues involved in this struggle.
But these, although very interesting as an index of his sentiments, are hardly within our present scope.
In 1862, he conduCl:ed a number of miscellane\:lus retreats
and a few missions. In the following year, I 863, he writes:
"I have to thank God, in an especial manner, that the war
has not interfered in any way with my missionary work.
The extent of the United States renders it feasible for me to
prosecute my labors in seCl:ions which the tumult of war is
not likely to invade." Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,
northern Kentucky, Indiana, New York, Iowa and Minnesota were once more the region of his travels and the scene
of his missionary toil. It was this year also that, at Monroe,
a little town in southern Michigan, the phenomenon of the
"cross in the heavens" was repeated. The occasion was a
similar one-the ereClion of the mission cross-the circumstances were almo~t identical with those at Guttenberg, and
the cross equally observable.
During the year 1864, if we are not misinformed, Fr.
vVeninger must have preached about forty-five missions in
Wisconsin, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky
arid Indiana; during this same interval he gave a number
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
57
of retreats, delivered the German address at the consecration
of the cathedral in Buffalo and published his well known
work, "Easter in Heaven."
Here ends the second epoch in Fr. Weninger's missionary career.
His ·subsequent labors are similar, in
the nature of the work pursued, but more arduous and
covering a -broader area. Between I865 and I869, Fr.
Weninger had conduB:ed, in various seB:ions of this country,
upwards of ninety-five missions, besides giving retreats here
and there to every description of pious Christians. In I 866,
he attended the Second Plenary Council of Baltimore as
theologian to the archbishop of Cincinnati. During the
same and the following year, he was engaged upon some
rather lengthy apostolic processes for the examination of
miracles, wrought through his own instrumentality, by the
application of the relics of St. Peter Claver. <I> In I 868,
besides the time devoted to missionary travel and labor, he
secured leisure enough to publish his work on "Papal
Infallibility."
His apostolic energy urged him, in 1869, to the outermost
limits of the Far West- to the Pacific coast-out to California, Oregon, Nevada, \Vashington Territory and Vancou2
ver's Island. < >
In 1871, on his return trip to the East, he gave missions
at Tomales, Santa Clara and Placerville, in the California
gold regions; reached Omaha on the 15th of May; and
proceeded thence to Cincinnati to superintend the printing
of a Latin manuscript. On the 9th of July, began in Minnesota what he terms "ein Cyclus von vidm 111issimzen," and
returned, in Christmas week, to his "American Capharnaum,"
as he styles Cincinnati.
Until Easter, 1872, he remained in the vicinity of Cincinnati, hard at work. After the Paschal festivities he proceeded to Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and thence to Baltimore.
From Baltimore he visited \Voodstock. He makes a refleB:ion or two upon the occasion of this visit. "I went
from Baltimore," he writes, !'to pay a visit to our scholastics
at Woodstock, about seventeen(?) miles from the city. This
college, entirely devoted to the studies and literary training
of our scholastics, is buried in the deepest solitude, that the
young men may, wholly undisturbed, devote themselves to
(1)
See previous volume, p. 106.
<>J The missionary's own account of this period has already found place in
the WOODSTOCK ],ETTERS. In vol. i. (p. 181), he gives the account of his
journey from Cincinnati to San Francisco; in vol. ii. (p. 31 ), an account of
his work among the German Catholics in San Francisco; in the same volume
(p, 142), he recounts his experiences with the Chinese; and in three other
letters (vol. ii. p. 218, vol. hi. p. 112 and p. 200) 1 his labors in Oregon and
Washington Ty.
•
�ss
FR. FRAXCIS XAVIER WE-YINGER.
study. There are more Jesuits gathered together here in
one college than I have ever seen in Europe. They number
about one hundred and twenty and are mainly scholastics
from our provinces in the United States. They study here
with the greatest ardor. It is a great spiritual consolation
to see so many of the young sons of St. Ignatius gathered
together in one place preparing themselves for future combat in the front ranks of the Church's confliCt. "While there
I could not help asking myself, what must the devil think
of all this, when, like a hell-hound, he looks at this cage of
young lions whose teeth are now growing and will soon be
ready to bite him."
From Woodstock, Fr~ \Veninger travelled as far west as
St. Joe, Missouri, when~ he closed this year's labors. Ohio,
Florida, New York and' New Jersey were the field of his
labors for 1873. He spent 1874 in Louisiana, New York,
Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska and Kansas. He
went over the same ground in 1875, adding to it the states
of Ohio, Indiana and Texas. From Texas, where he closed
the missions of 1875 and opened the series of 1876, he ran
northwards into the Alleghanies; thence west to Michigan ;
thence to Greenbay, Wisconsin; back again to Chicago;
then eastward to New York; and westward, once more, to
Cincinnati. He spent halfof the following year in the
South and the other half in the North, mostly in "Wisconsin
and Michigan. It was in this year that Fr. Weninger published his reply to Mr. Thompson, Secretary of the Navy,
against the secretary's work "The Papacy and Civil Power."
1878 was another full year of missions, and wasJh.e year of
Fr. Weninger's sacerdotal jubilee. This event be com·
memorated at St. Xavier's, Cincinnati. In his diary, he refers with pleasure and a grateful heart to the solemnity of
this occasion. During the festivities, he received a costly
stole from the negroes of Savannah, a congratulatory note
from Cardinal Franzelin, who used to serve his Mass when
he was at Innsbruck, and the papal blessing of His Holiness,
Leo XIII.
From 1878 to 1885, about the time when he deemed it
prudent to cease his travels, on account of his failing health
and his advanced age, for he was getting on towards seventyfive, his missions were not so extended, although his work
was, in many instances, equally burdensome with the labors
of his younger days. He confined himself mainly to the
middle, and a few of the western and north-western states,
and to some favorite places in the East. Thus, in 1 879,. he
was occupied in New York, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas,
Arkal)sas and Indiana. In x88o, he gave missions in Wash~
�FR. FRAXCIS XAT7ER WENINGER.
59
ington, D. C., Indianapolis, Chillicothe, Chicago and some
smaller towns; and, in 1881, was in Springfield, Illinois;
whence he travelled east to Long Island, back again to Hanover, Missouri, and thence to Eskanaba, Michigan. This
year, he informs us, he conducted the retn::at for the clergy
of the diocese of Alton, then went east to Pittsburg and
New York, and returned to Cincinnati towards the end of
the year.
In the beginning ofhis diary for 1882, he quotes from Holy
Writ, "The years of man are seventy, and when they are
full, eighty." Upon which he makes this reflection, "Can I
not, even after my death, continue to preach and to carry on
the apostolic labor to which God has destined me? Can I
not, in other words, through the mouths of other ministers
of the sanctuary, through their proclamation of the \Vord
of God, contribute something to the spread of the truth,
something to the interest of the great God and to the salvation of souls? The press will supply the means." "Inflamed by these hopes" he continues, "I arrived at the conclusion, to hand over to my brothers in the holy office a
printed series of my discourses and sermons." Seven volumes of this series made their appearance in 1882, namely :
Sunday Sermons, Feast-day Sermons, Conferences for Married Men and Young Men, Conferences for Married 'vVomen
and Young Ladies, May Sermons, Lenten Sermons, and Sermons on the Most Blessed Sacrament. He seems to have
set much store upon this work, and ceases not, in his
diary, to thank God for its successful progress. \Vith
the aid of the younger men of the province, he was able
later to publish an English translation of the same series.
Three other volumes appeared some years afterwards, namely: "The Mission," "The Renewal of the Mission" and
"Practical Hints." \Ve mention these works in this connection because they are, in a measure, part of what may be
called the missionary's field-work. He wrote, however, much
more at which we may glance late~; on.
During the last months of 1882, Fr. Weninger was at
work once more in Indiana and Missouri and, during his
tour through the former state, he was requested by the Franciscans of Oldenburg to preside at their local celebration of
the six hundredth anniversary of the birth of their founder.
In 1883, he pursued his missionary course, for the last time,
in the north-west. The same year, he attended the provincial congregation in St. Louis, and exerted himself even
more than in previous years for the religious improvement
of the negroes of the United States and for the promotion
of the canonization of Blessed Peter Claver. In I 884, he
�6o
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WE.YINGER.
attended the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, as theologian to the bishop of Marquette; and in I 88 5, at the advanced age of eighty years, and after a mission or two in
\Yisconsin an~ Michigan, he praCtically ended his misstonary excursiOns.
This hurried review gives us, in a very garbled form, it is
true, a general idea of the extent of Fr. Weninger's missionary labors, and with it we should conclude, were it not
that we had promised to add a word about the manner in
\vhich Fr. Weninger conduCted his missions, and another
on his literary labors.
In describing his mission-methods, we shall confine ourselves to the missionary's own exposition. "The principal thing to be noted" he tells us, "is that the missions
which I conduCted are not to be confounded with the retreats. In the latter, one simply delivers sermons or gives
instruCtions for three, five or eight days, twice a day, and in
the meantime allows the people to prepare for confession,
without preparing the different classes of people according
to their various states of life. I myself gave such retreats
in Europe in the places in w~ich I was teaching. It is true
that by these retreats much good is often accomplished, but
they do not result in such a thorough regeneration of a congregation, that eilch class of the parishioners may profit. This
regeneration consists rather in a thorough instruCtion of
each portion of the congregation : married men and married women, young men and young women, and children.
For this purpose, instruCtions adapted to these particular states, separate confessions for the diffef~Ot classes,
and general Communions at stated times, are of immeasur-·
able utility. In the first place, there is in an invitation to
a sermon' meant for a particular state in life, something specially attraCtive, which induces the members of these respeCtive classes to come willingly to these separate conferences. This is especially so in the case of young men
and married men who have negleCted the praCtice of their
religion or who have almost given it up. In the second
place, you can never, in the presence of one clas!S of hearers,
recall to the consideration of one state, at least fully and
circumstantially and with a view to their fulfilment, any or
all of their specific duties, without inviting the criticism of
the other classes <if the congregation. In the third place,
this parcelling-out of the congregation provides also for the
praCticability and certainty of confession. The missionary
is enabled, in this way, to place before a whole class the
points upon which these particular members of the parish
are to examine and accuse themselves, and the confessor
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
6t
will thus perhaps rid himself of much. of his othe~wise superfluous labor. Besides, with this method, there is much
less dissipation of mind and more earnestness displayed
by all classes." Fr. \Veninger enlarges considerably upon
the excellency of this method. "By it" he continues,
"the missionary holds the reins of the whole mission in his
own hands." "However," he remarks, "I do not give this
plan as a rule for other missionaries; it will overtax the
ordinary strength of most preachers. What surprises me,
although it was the holy will of God, is that God gave me
the strength necessary to carry out such a plan for thirtyseven years.
"As regards the number of times one is to preach, I myself gave ordinarily two set sermons, one of these class-conferences and an address, thus preaching four times a day.
\Vhen, as was frequently the case, the congregation was a
mixed one, of English, German or French, I had to preach
eight times a day, or upwards of sixty times in eight days.
If it happened that all three nationalities were present in
.large numbers in a congregation, the leading points had to
be put before each nationality. Then, of course, each sermon is considerably shorter, the three taking an hour and a
hal( Such a mission, in the three languages, is very taxing
upon the missionary, but the effect is far greater than when
a special mission is given to each nationality.
"What relates to the matter of the sermons, the instructions to the various conditions of exercitants, the address,
the solemnities to be observed, together with the whole
conduct of the mission, I have embraced in my three volumes entitled respectively: 'The Mission,' 'The Renewal of
the Mission,' and 'Practical Hints.' The solicitude to be
exerted for the continuance of the fruit of the mission after
the mission has closed, and the practical working of its
effects, I have minutely dwelt upon in the 'Practical Hints.'
To this end, the erection of sodalities for the various classes
in the parish, the visiting of the mission cross, and, above
all, a care to provide fitting books for family reading and in
keeping with the mission, books that will prove useful for
home reading and self-instruction, help very efficaciously.
There is no dearth of good books I know, but I speak here
of the spread of those books which suit precisely the chief
need of the faithful now-a-days and particularly in America.
"For, first of all, the faithful everywhere, but especially in
America, should clearly understand, and be in a condition
to instruct others, that there is but one religion revealed by
God and that there is but one church founded by Christ,
viz: tlie first Christian Church, the Roman Catholic Church,
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
which is the only saving Church. They should know, in
this way, that there. are not as many kinds of churches as
there are Christian denominations that believe in Christ,
but that those only are, in the full meaning of the word,
Christian, who recognize themselves as children of that
church which Christ founded. Furthermore, every Catholic should also be in a condition to give a satisfaCtory answer and explanation to every objeCtion brought against
the teaching of the Church. To aid them in this, I wrote
the work entitled : 'Catholicity, Protestantism and Infidelity.'
.
"Secondly, all the faithful should be so instruCted in the
doCtrines of the Catholic Church that they can, in turn,
teach every one that the doCtrine which they, as children of
the Catholic Church, are obliged to believe, was taught from
the earliest days of Christianity, and is in keeping with the
teachings of Holy \Vrit and the tradition of the Fathers.
"Thirdly, every Catholic should be intimately persuaded,
that to attain to salvation, it will not alone suffice that our
faith be orthodox, but our lives also must be conformed
to Christ, and we must constantly advance in his knowledge and love. Now, next. to a thorough grounding in
the doCtrine of the Church, nothing more effeCtually conduces to this th;m the de\·otion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
It was to foster this devotion that I wrote the 'Sacred Heart
Mission Book.'
"Fourthly, Catholics must believe without any admixture
of error in their faith; hence they should admit the infallible teaching authority of the head of the Chttfc.h. In faa,
fundamental instruCtion upon this point has become a matter of paramount importance for Catholics since the definition
of the Vatican Council. The young, in particular, need
this instruCtion, that the silly raillery of the enemy may not
lead them into error. To supply a copious source of instruCtion for all upon this doetrine, I published 'The Infallibility of the Pope in defining Matters of Faith.'
"Fifthly, the whole tendency of Catholic life is direCI:ed
heavenwards. \Vhat is heaven? The answer to this important question I have given in my 'Easter in Heaven.'
"Sixthly, are there any of the faithful who have already
secured for themselves the blessedness of paradise? Yes; .
the saints have secured the happiness of heaven for all eternity. \Vho are the saints and what were they? I have answered this question in my 'Lives of the Saints.' Here,
to a short account of their lives, I have in each instance
appended a brief exhortation to their imitation and indicated
methods of aCl ually profiting by their example.
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
"In addition to these works I published a series of thtee
catechisms for ordinary and for more advanced students of
the Catholic doctrine.
"These seven works constitute a small house-library; and,
when giving missions, I have exerted myself, as I always
do, so far as to prevail upon the families attending the mission exercises to secure all these works. I withdraw from
my labors with the reflection: 'What more, dear people,
can I do for all of you or any one of you, than I have done;
what greater solicitude am I capable of exhibiting for the
future welfare of any and of all of you?"
It is clear from this summary of the mission-methods of
Fr. Weninger, that they involved a considerable amount of
original literary labor on the part of the missionary himself.
That Fr.· Weninger did not shrink from such a labor is, we
fancy, amply evinced by his extensive writings in German,
English, French and Latin. In these he found his pastime;
and if we may be permitted· to so express it, he set as
much store upon the writings which he had accumulated,
the fruits of a rich experience and much thought, as a
miser sets upon his gold and silver. This became singu·
Iarly evident during the conflagration which destroyed our
church in Cincinnati in 1882. It is amusing to hear him
depict his anxiety for his papers which he considered lost
in this fire.
"I occupied" he says, "a room behind the high altar in the
church, and, in this apartment, actually lived under the roof
of the church itself, at the side of Christ, and facing the
l\Iost Blessed Sacrament. As it was then Holy Week-a
season during which I was 'wont, for years back, to repair to St. Paul's Church to preach, to be present at the
ceremonies of Holy Week, and to celebrate the feast of the
Resurrection after the German fashion- I was not in my
room the night the church caught fire. Between I and 2
o'clock on Maundy Thursday night, the fire alarm was
turned on and I heard the cry that St. Xavier's was in flames.
I ran to the window of the presbytery, which was upon an
eminence overlooking the city, and thence saw St. Xavier's,
at a distan.ce, encompassed in flames. The thought that, in
my room in the church, all the writings which I had brought
from Europe to America were locked away, created in me
the sensation that I was myself in the fire. Half of me·the laboriously gathered results of years of study and experience- appeared in the heat of the bright flames to be
paralyzed for the future. But I was soon able to make an
act of resignation. I thought of Fr. Lancicius who, while
he was offering OUf Lord all that he possessed, heard the
�6-l
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
voice of Jesus from the consecrated host asking him: 'And
thy writings also?' Lancicius answered: 'Lord, thou knowest what they cost me, yet, if thou dost so will it, take them
also.' After this refleCtion, I offered all my writings in
like manner to the Lord, if it should be his will that they
be consumed. Meanwhile, the flames, as their fury relaxed
momentarily, suggested to me the sweet words of the Psalmist: 'bonorum mcontm non indiges, Domine.' On the following day, Good Friday, I was celebrant during the ceremonies at St. Paul's, and was, for this cause, detained in the
church most of the forenoon. I learned meanwhile, that
everything within reach of the flames had been destroyed,
and it was direCtly behind the high altar, and separated only
by a partition, that my room was situated. The college was
not very far from St. Pa:ul's, but as I had been accustomed
for years to make the Three Hours' Agony of Christ upon
the cross, I did not wish to visit the fire until this duty was
discharged. After the three hours, I hastened to the
church, and on reaching the college door, inquired whether
anything from my room had been preserved. I was told
that nobody knew; that nobody had heard anything about
it; and, furthermore, that no one could enter the room, as
I had carried the key away with me. I then went over to
the scene of the fire. The stairway leading to my room was
destroyed, and the door, which remained untouched, was
inaccessible except to good climbers. The man whom I
sent up to open the door called down to me: 'What do you
want out of your room, Father?' 'I want all that is left in
it,' I answered. He then replied : 'Everything is· here ; the
fire did not enter the room.' And, in faCt, not a~page in my
bookcase or anywhere in the room had been harmed. I
had among my effeCts a 'Christkindchen' (a statue of the
little child Christ). It was of wax from Bethlehem, and a
souvenir of a Franciscan convent in Vienna. Even this, together with a little music box for the crib, remained untouched, while the organ with its pipes was consumed in
the fire and the clock dropped like wax from the tower. As
I forthwith employed a number of men to carry down all
my manuscripts, how thankful I felt to divine Providence! I
fancied I heard these words of our Lord: •y ou presented
these writings to me; I have taken care of them for you.'
Vere quam bonus Israel Deus I It is in circumstances like
this that man feels; as it were palpably, with how much truth
St. Paul says of Christ that he is 'the incarnate benevolence
of God.'"
Fr. Weninger was, it is very well known, a student, and,
like most students, was very fond of his own produCtions.
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER TVENINGER.
In this particular instance, however, it may be pretty justly
conjectured that the work which he was desirous of prosecuting after his death through some of these writings (he
was engaged at the time upon his sermon series) had much,
if not everything, to do with his anxiety on this occasion.
Fr. \Veninger's fondness for his papers leads us to say a
word of his books. V/e have had occasion already to mention some of his literary productions. To review all he
wrote, and in detail; were simply out of the question. It
would be taxing patience even to name all his books, pamphlets, brochures, replies and e..xplanatioas. Moreover, his
works are comparatively recent, or at least so close at hand
to everybody, that it would be, if not a useless task, at least
a presumption, to seek to create an opinion where everybody is enabled to form his own judgment. \Ve are loth,
however; to omit stating in connection with his writings
that many have been loud in their commendation of the
missionary's books. For, to pass by Dr. Brownson's great
admiration of his "Photographic Views, or Religious and
Moral Truths reflected in the Universe," his work on "Catholicity, Protestantism and Infidelity" is very highly valued at
, home and abroad. Shortly after its appearance in this
country, it was published in Europe, in French, Italian and
Hungarian. His "Sunday and Feastday Sermons," together
with the "Mission Book," were also reprinted in Bohemian.
Upon his Latin work ''Summa Doflrince C!tristiance," Gregory XVI. congratulated Fr. \Veninger in these very flattering terms: "Purissimis fidei Catlw!icce principiis juvmtutcm
t'rudire satagis." In return for a copy of his "Catholicity,
Protestantism and Infidelity," Pius IX. sent the apostolic
benediCtion. "Ut au/em" the pontiff wrote upon the occasion, "alacrius procedas ad cmmerte11dam islam gentCJil
(Americanam), omnibus tuis coJtsi!iis, tentami11ibus, conatibuslfltt' tlpostolicam impcrtimur benedi[lionem." The same Holy
Father, upon the publication of the work on "Papal Inf.<llibility,'' addressed the author in these other highly encouraging words: "You have benefitted the Church more
through this book, than you could ever be in a condition to
aid her by all your missions in America." <I>
Suffice it to say that, during his travels and missions in
America and Europe, Fr. \Vcninger published, in book or
t 1> After quoting these words of approuation, Fr. Weninger adds: "Certain
it is that, should God rt'<Jnire me to renouuce either the merits gained by my
sermons or those gni ut>d uy my books, J should exclaim without hesitation:
'Lea\'C me those of my books, I renounce those of my sermons.'" v. Fr.
Weninger on the Pacific Coast-WooDSTOCK LETTEHS, Vol. ii, p. 39.
- VoL. xvm, No,
1.
5
�66
FR. FRANCIS XAVIER TVENiillGER.
pamphlet form, upwards of forty different works in German ;
sixteen in English, either translations or original works;
three in Latin and eight in French; besides composing some
very generally commended pieces of sacred music.
This illustrious workman in God's vineyard had quoted
the holy writings very appropriately when he said with the
sacred writer: "The years of man on earth are seventy, and,
when they are full, eighty." His own years were full in
1885. After this time he hardly ever went abroad, being
engaged almost continuously at home, in prayer and in the
compilation, we understand .. of a popular exposition of sacred scripture.
Before concluding this sketch we must say a word of
Fr. \Veninger's domestic life. The presumption probably
is that one who was so incessantly abroad had lost the
habit and ways, at least, if not the ·spirit of community
life. But those with whom his odd moments at home were
spent, are unanimous in declaring that, e\·en in very minor
details of routine life in the communit).', Fr. \Veninger rarely, and never unnecessarily, f.'liled to set a salutary example
to all. Many will bear further testimony that, during the
last months of his life at St. Xavier's, he illustrated manv of
the most difficult virtues of the unswerving rule of strict
community life. If any proof were needed, much could be
gathered from the opinion entertained of his conduct by
one under whose obedience he spent many of the last
days of his life. I •shall therefore conclude this review of
Fr. Weninger's long and useful life with a quotation from
this authority, the more willingly that, in it s,pme things
touching the missionary's individuality are alluded' to, which
cannot but edify all of us. "\Vork and prayer," writes this
father, "were Fr. Weninger's predominant traits of character. Last Holy Week, he was, as usual, at St. Paul's Church,
and a few days previous, he came to my room with a sermon on the Blessed Sacrament, written for the occasion,writtm by a man who had spent jon)' years in preaching and
writing sermons !-If I understood his diary aright, he says
there that he never paid a visit or took a walk simply for
pleasure's sake, and hence always found time for work. His
obedience too was remarkable. It was the aim of his life to
have his will in conformity with the will of his superior.
When I recalled the saying that, 'chastity is the virtue of
the young, obedien'ce the virtue of the old,' and when I considered the unusual life he had led in the. Society, it was to
me edifying indeed, to see his anxiety to do precisely as I
wished him. Last winter he travelled to Windsor, Canada,
�FR. FRANCIS XAVIER WENINGER.
for the benefit of a colored congregation there ; at Chri~t
mas and Easter. he was at St. Paul's Church; the rest of the
time he spent with us, constantly occupied with his last
work: 'Popular Commentaries on the Holy Scriptures.'
On Sunday, June 17, he said his last Mass. Every succeeding day he received Holy Communion. He had received extreme unCtion about one month previously. His
sufferings were great; and once when I was with him, he
said as much, but .remarked with earnestness that God honored him by sending him such trials. He had other trials
which he bore with equal heroism, always showing himself
a man of well-tried, solid virtue. After his illness became
serious, I attended to his mail mysel( Besides letters from
different states, he received one from Australia, and one from
Ceylon-all containing requests for prayers or relics or miracles. His pious death followed shortly after, and his funeral services were conduCted quietly and privately, as is the
custom of the Society, but with becoming veneration for
the memory of the saintly departed. After the office for
the dead, his remains were conveyed, by order of Rev. Fr.
Provincial, to the novitiate cemetery at Florissant. On the
4th of July, the pastor of St. Paul's Church held a solemn
requiem sen·ice for the repose of his soul. The singers and
musicians who attended gave their services gratuitously, in
honor of the illustrious dead, and, after the service, rendered
a part of Fr. \Veninger"s Tc Dcum-a part which, because
they never succeeded perfeCtly in giving it his interpretation,
they had rehearsed over and over again under his own direction. The difficult passage was the words: 'In te Domine
speravi, non confundar in <eternum.' I trust that, by this time,
he realizes fully the meaning of those words. He was a man
who would not hear of merit ; he worked for God."
We could introduce other documents of an equally laudable charaCter, even from those outside the Society and
in some instances alien to the Church, but recourse to
so copious a commendation of the man and his works is
better suited to the profuseness of a biography than to
the limited charaCter of a sketch. Besides, we have said
enough, we think, to show that Fr. Weninger was a holy
Jesuit, a hard worker and a great student. He was over and
above, it is true, a distinguished missionary, a widely known
writer and one of the most highly esteemed members of our
Order in the United States. But from our standpoint, his
missionary success will be looked upon as an accident, his
literary reputation as rather an outward tribute, and his renown as a Jesuit, an ephemeral destiny. For us, his piety,
his learning, his u~tiring·zeal-the aCtive expression of his-
�1/\'JJ/AN TRADITIONS.
68
toric and true Jesuitism-made him what he was and what
every member of our Order who will emulate his example
can become-a true Jesuit.
INDIAN TRADITIONS.
Al\ION(T THE OSAGES.
In reading the Catlzo!ic /Vor!d for December, 1884,< 1> I
was very much amused~b}· an account there given of Chinese traditions regarding'the origin of the human family. I
ca11not help thinking that an account of the traditions of our
western aborigines will be equally interesting; for in my
estimation they can stand side by side with those of the
Chinese. As my duties during the last thirty-four years
of missionary life have familiarized me with the Osages
more than with any other tribe, I shall limit myself to an
account of their genealogy, and their social and religious
traditions. Of course the poor untutored Indians of North
America cannot be compared, to any advantage, with the
learned mandarins-of China, yet an examination into their
myths and traditions will not be less interesting on that account.
In giving the origin of the human family, the Chinese
account above mentioned supposes man already _existing,
and represents him playing short-hand tricks, as li were,
with the sun and moon; but it does not tell us whence the
first man came. The Osage traditions on this subject give
us more satisfaction, for they tell us clearly how the first
Osage man .and woman came i1~to this world, how they became the parents of a large progeny of children and grandchildren, and how from them the Osage nation was formed.
Their tradition takes for granted that other nations also
came into existence about the same time, but were living far
apart, and unknown to them for a long while. And here I
must first acknowledge that the Osages, as well as almost
all other aboriginal nations, ha\·e a great many different traditions concerning their origin, but the one about which I
am going to speak is, in my judgment, the best of all and
most generally accepted. I learned it from one of the most
intelligent Osage VJha-conta-cki, that is to say doctors, or,
as they call them, medicine men. The Osage language not
(l)
This account was written in July, 1885.
�IJ\'DIAX TRADITIONS.
being written, it follows that they have no records of any
kind, and all their knowledge is based on oral traditions. But
as they are generally endowed with a singular gift of memory,
and are very particular and even scrupulous about holding
fast whatever they have once learned, so the religious knowledge they receive when initiated in the quality of medicine
men, they presen·e most jealously, and transmit word by
word to the young men whom they prepare to succeed them
in this kind of priesthood. The traditions of almost all our
western Indians do not seem to go back any further than to
Noah's time, and almost all believe that their ancestors, long
ago, came to this continent from a land far away beyond the
sea, on big floating trees. Generally they point to the east
as ·the direCtion whence they came. And, as is but natural, every nation preserves special legends, all showing that,
in the earliest ages of the world, something quite wonderful
and divine took place in the intercourse which their greatgrandfathers had with the Great Spirit. Of such tales they
are as proud as the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans
were of their myths.
Now to come to our point, I would say that some of the
most intelligent Osage medicine men have a remarkable
legend concerning their origin. They say that the first
Osage man came down from the sun, and the first Osage
woman from the moon, both at the same time, in mature
age, and gifted with intelligence. According to their traditions, this man and woman married, and in progress of time
had six children, three sons and three daughters. As these
children, carefully reared by their parents, grew in body and
developed in mind, they became anxious to know how it
was that thev had come into this world, how it was that the
whole firma~1ent was mo\·ing, by whose ha~ds the sun, moon
and stars were direCted. and how it was that the different seasons of the year regularly succeeded one another in
such perfeCt: harmony. They next wondered by what power
germination was produced, and from what sources the rivers
were daily supplied with fresh water; in a word, they felt
that there must be some Great One, a Great Spirit, a Master
of all things, by whom the whole world was preserved and
governed. So, on this Great One they incessantly called
for assistance, and to him they prayed to enlighten their
minds, and explain to them the mysteries by which they were
encompassed. Hereupon the older of the sons, thinking
that, by offering to the Great Spirit some aCt of self-punishment, he might succeed in gaining his favor, and might obtain this knowledge, determined to undertake a journey of
seven days ihrough the wilderness, fasting most striCtly all
�70
INDIAN TRADITIONS.
the time. Accordingly, he started alone, on a western course,
and kept travelling for seven days, fasting and mourning;
but to no purpose, for the Great Spirit showed him no favor.
\Vhen he returned to his people, the second son thought that
he might succeed better. So he undertook a similar journey
through the western wilderness, fasting and mourning for
seven days; but he too returned disappointed, fatigued and
hungry.
The failure of these two expeditions discouraged the sons
greatly, and they were at a loss to know what to do in order
to propitiate the Great Spirit. \Vhile they were in this mental distress, the youngest of the three daughters felt a kind
of inward impulse telling her to try her chances; and accordingly, she determined to start on a similar journey, b~t in
quite a different direchon. Taking no provisions for the
journey, she started all alone, hurrying over an eastern
course, through a mountainous country, determined not to
return unless she first had an interview with the Great Spirit.
Off she went! making the mountains re-echo all the while
her pitiful wailings; while the tears streaming from her eyes
spoke most eloquently to the Great Spirit on her behalf.
She, it seems, was not disappointed; for the Great Spirit,
moved by her entreaties, took· pity on her, and granted all
the wishes of her pure and innocent heart. As the night
of the seventh day was approaching, the poor child, exhausted. by her fasting and weeping, entered into a large
cave to rest. Hardly had she closed her eyes to sleep, when
the evening breeze, gently murmuring through th~ crevices
of the rocks around the cave, made a noise as- 9f many
sweet voices singing melodious songs. Hearing this, though
she felt that she was awake, she could not move. All at
once, a dazzling light illumined the whole cave; its brightness was like that of the sun, and a brilliant rainbow encompassed the whole place. Then she no'ticed that, all along
the walls of that cave, most beautiful flowers were growing;
she felt an enchanting fragrance coming from aromatic herbs
that covered tl}e floor of the cave, and she saw plants loaded
with luxuriant fruits, the like of which she had never seen before. And lo! while she was contemplating all these wonders,
the high ceiling of the cave suddenly opened, and through
it she could see countless glittering stars, on a pure blue
sky. She now felt as if a heavy dark veil had been removed
from her mind. Her heart was at rest, and her soul enjoyed
a most perfect calm·. In that state of tranquillity, the secrets
of nature and the principles of all knowledge were manifested to her. She felt that the great gift of knowledge,
which she so earnestly desired, had now been given to her;
�ISDIAl\. TRADITIONS.
7I
for at once she seemed to understand the beautiful harmony of the heavenly bodies as they revolved in their orbits; and she began to see how, through their agency
and the periodical succession of the seasons, an unlimited
produCtive power was imparted to the earth, and how, from
these agencies combined, was developed the hidden virtue
of roots, seeds and minerals, for the benefit of all organic
life. How happy the poor child felt at the sight of so many
wonders ! She felt confident that the Great Spirit was friendly towards her; for he had granted her the wishes of her
heart. She turned her wondering eyes in all direCtions and
did not know which to admire more: the brightness of
the stars in the sky over her head, or the most charming
beauty and fragrance that surrounded her. The flowers,
however, so fascinated her, that she resolved to pluck one
and preserve it as a sweet souvenir of that memorable
night. So she tried to stretch forth her hand to the nearest,
when, all at once, the beautiful vision disappeared as suddenly as it had come. She looked around bewildered, not
knowing whether she was awake or asleep. She felt that
she was free and could move, but dared not do so for a while.
She surveyed the whole cave; but lo! everything was
changed again; all was quiet around her, and the stillness
of the place was interrupted only by the breeze which was
still softly moaning through the crevices of the rocks. The
morning star was rising; and by the light of the moon, now
disappearing in the far western horizon, she saw that she
was on the very spot to which she had withdrawn to rest on
the pre\·ious evening. But she was fully satisfied that the
gift of knowledge had been granted to her. She felt as if
an additional mental power, as well as a new vitality, had
been added to her, and she returned to her people full of
joy, to give them an account of her happy adventure.
Her success filled the hearts of all with gladness, and
stimulated the youngest of her brothers to start on a similar journey, in the hope that perhaps the Great Spirit might
be favorable to him also. So, without delay, he started in
the same direCtion which his sister had taken, and while he
was trying to walk in the footprints she had left on the sand,
he made the air resound with his weird lamentations. Going
on day after day in this wise, he at last reached the spot
where his sister had received the gift of knowledge. Weakened by his seven days' fasting, he stopped here, and, clapping his hands together, and stamping on the ground with
his feet, he roared with all the strength of his lungs, calling
on the Great Spirit to have pity on him, and be as good to
him as he had been to his sister. Wonderful to relate, in
�INDIAN TRADITIOXS.
the midst of his excitement, he heard, as it were, a loud
thunder-clap, which, being at. once reverberated by a thousand echoes from the surrounding mountains, filled the air
with a rumbling noise. To this was added a sudden darkness, frequently interrupted by flashes of light darting in
every direction, and followed shortly after by a .heavy
rain. As the poor boy ran for shelter to a tree laden
with dense foliage, a fierce wind from the east began
to blow a hurricane, and carried with it everything in its
path. Hereupon, the boy, fearing lest he too might be
carried away by the violence of the wind, quickly seized.
the tree under which he was standing. In a moment the
wind uprooted the tree, arid hurled tree and boy into a very
deep ravine close by. 'And indeed he would have been
killed, had not the large ·branches and spreading roots of the
tree broken the force of the fall, so that the boy felt no
other sensation than that experienced by one who is swung
through the air. On looking around him, he perceived that
he was standing in a deep, unknown place, from which he
knew not how to extricate himsel( While in this state of
suspense, not knowing what to do or where to go, a man
of gigantic proportions stood before him, looking kindly
upon him. The man first reached his hand towards him and
invited him to follow. In a moment, he had him by the
hand, and brought him up to the spot from which he had
been hurled. But there a great change had taken place, for
the hurricane had rooted up and carried off several trees,
with an amount of dirt and gravel, leaving two high parallel rocks not very £1.r apart. At the same time, §bme very
tall trees, blown down from the top of the mountain. had
fallen over these two rocks, forming a sort of ceiling over
the intervening space, so that the whole resembled a good
spacious room. Now the giant who had brought the boy
up to this dwelling built by nature itself, taking two dry
sticks, rubbed them together briskly, until by the friction
sparks were extracted, which, falling on a pile of dry leaves
and twigs, soon started a big fire. \Vhile the boy stood wondering at the huge blaze, the giant, making a lever of a long
pole, raised up some huge boulders, picked some small
stones from under them, and threw them on the fire. These,
in a short time, melted away, showing in their liquid state
different shades of ·c9lor, some appearing as red as the fire
itself, others the brightest yellow, and others again as bright
as a looking-glass. As these cooled off, each one took a
different shape, according tv the different natural crevices
into which they flowed. On beholding these wonderful
sights, the boy felt convinced that the giant before whom he
�INDfAjV TRADITIONS.
73
stood must be the Great Spirit himself,and he fell on his
knees to adore him; when, at once, all disappeared and he
found himself by the tree which he had seized at the beginning of the storm. Considering all that had taken place,
the boy felt sure that the Great Spirit had heard his prayers;
for indeed he had seen and learned things of which he never
before had any idea ; he now understood the great power
of the lever as well as of fire, and in this he saw the key of
all mechanics; so, being well satisfied with the success of his
expedition, he returned to his brethren.
How happy they all were when they found that the Great
Spirit had favored their younger brother also! Following
the impulse their minds had received from these revelations,
they soon improved their condition. Before this they had
lived like beasts in the open air, sheltering themselves under
trees or in caves, feeding on wild fruits or on game. But
now they began to till the ground, they gathered seeds and
planted them, and improved the land by cultivation. They
found iron, melted it, and made all kinds of utensils ; and
then built houses and began to live more comfortably. They
married amongst themselves, the first of the sons taking the
first of the daughters, the second son taking the second
daughter, and the third son the third daughter. In course
of time their children also married, and thus, in a short time,
their number greatly increased. As was but natural, they
transmitted to the rising generation the knowledge revealed
to themselves; and by their labor and experience they improved daily, until, by degrees, they became a powerful
people. Love of nationality soon developed in their hearts,
and natural ambition excited in them the spirit of conque:;t.
Anxious to extend their power by the discovery of new
territory, they determined to start on an exploring expedition. They armed themselves with long spears made of
sharp canes, and with strong bows and plenty of arrows, so
as to be prepared for hunting as well as for self-defence.
After a long journey through a desert country, they at last
met with other nations; they attacked and conquered them.
Proud of their success, they advanced still further on their
march of conquest; so that in a short time they became a
terror to all the n~ighboring nations, who, not knowing by
what name to call them, named them f,V/w-slta-she which
means "daring men." By this name they were called for
hundreds of years by all the nations with whom they had
any dealings, till at last the French Canadians, meeting with
them on their voyages along the Mississippi, called them in
their language Osages (lwmmcs qui osmt). No one, who has
carefully follo~ved the account o( these traditions, can help
�74
I.VDIAK TRADITIOXS.
seeing a faint trace, at least, of the story of Noah's .family in
the days of the great flood, and of the subsequent increase
and dispersion of the human race all over the world.
As to what concerns the way in which the Osage medicine
men claimed to have received revelations, I do not think
that they claim for themselves more supernatural assistance
than the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans of old claimed in
their theogonies. Of the two systems, that of the medicine
men seems to be the more reasonable. In regard to the
marriage of the first brothers and sisters, as handed down
by the medicine men, I cannot find anything to blame ; for
there was no other way in which they could have propagated
their race, since they knew of no other people until they
started on their explor.lng expeditions. Nay more, their
story of the multiplication of the human family is, in my opinion, far more natural than that attributed by the ancients to
Deucalion and Pyrrha. Moreover, one cannot help concluding, from the existence of these traditions, that a link of
some kind must certainly have existed between the descendants of Noah and the ancestors of these American aborigines. And, in faB:, a thorough examination of this question
will force one to admit that they must have descended from
some of the lost tribes of Israel; for not only their customs
and traditions but also their very type of co':lntenance shows
them to be of Asiatic origin.
By carefully studying the habits and religious praB:ices
of the Osages, and even the greater part of our western Indians, one will find that, with very few cxceptipns, they
never admitted idolatry, but always proclaimed the !:xistence
of one supreme God, whom they call U7/za-con-ta, which, ac~
cording to the opinion of Indian philologists, is claimed to
be a corruption of Ic-!zo-walz. Nay more, according to the
authority of Father Calamette, as given by· Chateaubriand
in his "Genius of Christianity" (Book I, ch. 3), the North
American aborigines, by the name of U7/za-con-ta or the
Great Spirit, mean a triune god in whose honor they always
sing their Ta-lze-lzon. That this is in truth their liturgical
chant, I myself can bear witness. Here, however, some
might objeB: that the Indians generally worship a great
many manitous; how then can one say that they are not
idolaters? \Veil, I will grant that they do worship, in a way,
a great many manitous, but I must beg leave to notice that
thyse manitous are· not regarded as gods, but simply as·
genzi", or tutelar spirits, inferior to the Great Spirit.
Finally, the custom for a man to marry his brother's widow, in order to keep up his brother's name, the ceremonies
used in giving a name to a child, the adoption of children,
�INDIAN TRADITIONS.
1 '
75
the calling of their cousins by the name of brothers and
sisters, their daily supplications to the Great Spirit, at daybreak, at noon, and at sunset, their psalmody, which they
regularly sing on a certain number of sticks, each of which
represents a different prayer, their daubing their faces with
mud, and covering their head with dust and ashes, their
mourning most pitifully over their dead, their fasting most
rigorously for seven days, and even seven months, when
they are mourning for a departed wife or children, their
continual calling on the aid of a Dear Great O!le Expelled, who is to come at last and give them power to re·
venge themselves on their enemies by killing them, etc.,
these and many such customs which our western Indians,
especially the Osages, preserve most faithfully, bear unmistakable signs of having been inherited from the Jews. They
keep up very jealously their periodical religious ceremonies at every change of the moon. Of thes~ ceremonies,
the principal are those which they perform about full moon,
at the opening of spring, and which frequently coincide
with our Holy Week.
Even in their home government one may notice traces of
ancient Jewish institutions; for those who still preserve their
ancient habits, have thus far adhered to a regular patriarchal government, of a theocratic form. The big chief, or Ca!ti-ckie as they call him, is also their high priest, and acts as
such in all their religious ceremonies, and receives tithes
from his people. Moreover, in the family of the chief there
is a well organized dynasty; for the dignity, with all its
emoluments, is hereditary ; and if, on the death of a chief,
his son should be too young to govern the tribe, then the
brother of the deceased, or ·some near relative. would assume the administration until the lawful heir come of age
and be qualified to govern. The Salic law is still in full
force in all the western tribes; and amongst the pagan In~
dians of to-day, woman is still the wretched slave she was
in ancient times.
Their towns are laid out with remarkable symmetry.
First come the lodges or wigwams of chiefs and councillors,
with the braves; next to them come the other wigwams
forming two and sometimes three streets. Every town has
its special officers, such as chief, medicine men, doctors, etc.
Of all these different offices, there are two which are considered the most important, and which are certainly the
most lucrative. The first is that of town-crier. This man
gives all the orders of the day, and proclaims all the news
in a stentorian voice, from the four corners of the town. This
done, he visits every wigwam, and is treated to some dried
�TWO OLD LETTERS.
meat, of which he eats what he needs, and brings the balance
home to his family. The second great official is the one
they call the "kettle-tender." He is a kind of public steward, who manages all feasts and ceremonies, and, as he is engaged for all public dinners, he always provides abundantly
for himself and his family. As the kettle is the most
prominent among his utensils, it has become the emblem of
his office and has given him his name.
PAUL M. PONZIGLIONE, S. J.
TWO OLD LETTERS.
I. FR. JOHN McELROY TO AnP. McHALE.
(I) MATAMORAS, MExico, March 22, 1847·
MosT REVEREND Sm,
The voice of our distressed brethren in Ireland has reached
us in this distant land, now the theatre of war, and although
this is the case, we could not be unmindful of them. The
sum of eight hundred dollars has been contributed, and the
names of the donors are herewith enclosed. Confiding as
we do in your well known charitable and benevolent disposition, we leave to Your Grace the disbursement of this
our mite.
~ .
Chosen by the contributers to communicate with Your
Grace, it gives me great pleasure to be able thus to address
a prelate whom I have long admired for all those virtues
that adorn such an exalted station, and particularly for that
with which he guards the youth of Ireland from the pernicious influences of a mixed education both in colleges and
in public schools. ·
May Heaven preserve you many years as the able defender of our holy religion, and may you see our beloved Erin
what you would wish her to be, ere you are called to the
great reward that await~: you.
I send this letter with our contribution under cover to Mr.
Thos. Hale of Ne1y Orleans, who will purchase a bill of exchange for the amount sent, and forward the first of the set
with this letter; the second will be sent by the next packet.
You will please have the goodness to acknowledge the
receipt of thi", and send your ans11 cr under cover to Thom-
i1>
See Correspondence of )lex icau War Chaplains in previous volume,
�TWO OLD LETTERS.
'i '
77
as Bale, Esquire, New Orlea11s; in this way it will come to
hand safe_<l>
My presence at Matamoras is thus accounted for. The
President of the United States requested the Provincial of
our Society, residing at Georgetown College, in the District
of Columbia, to send two fathers with the invading army to
this country. I have been at this post for eight months, in
the capacity of chaplain to the U. S. troops, and have rendered all the sen·ice in my power to the Catholic soldiers,
as well as to others, in the hospitals. Catholics form a majority in the regular army; as our appointment has been
the first effort made to provide them with chaplains of their
own faith, we hope it may be a fortunate precedent. My
companion is stationed at Monterey, and attends our soldiers
in an adjacent part of the country.
\Vith our small remittance, we unite our fervent prayers
for the mitigation of the distress now afflicting your devoted
people. May it please the Almighty to console and comfort them in the way best known to himself!
I commend .myself and the donors to your holy sacrifices and prayers, and am, with great respect,
.
Your Grace's devoted friend and servant in Christ,
joHN McELROY, S. ]..
Cltaplain, U. S. Amzl'.
To His Grace
T!te Arcltbisltop if Tuam,
Ireland.
II. FR. JoHN NoBILl TQ FR. GoETZ.
The following letter may be of interest, in as much as it
reveals some of those petty annoyances of a missionary's
life, which, though seldom coming to light, are often more
painful than the most arduous labors. The writer, Fr. John
Nobili, was one of the first Jesuits in the Rocky Mountains,
and, afterwards, founder of the California Mission and. of
Santa Clara College. It was written just forty years ago on
the banks of the Fraser River, British Columbia, towards
the end of the only missionary journey ever undertaken by
a Jesuit through that country.
(IJ A Jist of subscribers accompanies the letter.
It emhraces 36 nameH representing all classes. The snuscriptious range from ;32, to $200, and the
;:ran<! total is ;3800, of which $500 was contributed by the first lour on the
list.
�TWO OLD LETTERS.
June 6, 1848.-En route.
BELOVED FATHER IN CHRIST,
P. X.
A courier is being sent out to Fort Shushwap, and I gladly seize this opportunity of writing, even though, on account
of th~ shortness of the time, it be but a few lines, by which
our mutual love may be increased, and your solitude, to
some extent, lightened. For my own part, I find the greatest pleasure in reading over and over again the short letter
you lately sent me, from which I learn that God has blessed
us, de rore ca:li ct pinguedine !ernE. Oh that he would take
pity upon our poverty and the wretchedness of the Indians
-to his own greatec. _
_glory! He it is that has begun the
work; may he also finish it! Let us wait on the Lord and
be stout of heart! He will be a Father to us! Let us remember that no one hoping in the Lord, has ever been confounded. Nevertheless, I recommend you again and again
to abstain from \York as much as possible, and to have a
prudent care of your health. Do not negleCt the study of
the lang:uage ; for the peace of our residence depends mainly upon our being independent of the Canadians and the interpreters. Belie\'e me; no g'ood will ever come to us from
those men. It vexes me, therefore, exceedingly that Jandron allows his~ time to slip away in eating and sleeping.
Yet with regard to food I wish you, for the sake of our reputation, to be liberal towards him. Lafleur, I think, said
to Mr. Tod: "Do not be surprised if Jandron should come
back to you; for there is too much fasting with_.ihe fathers
to suit him." Consequently, unless you are abfe to buy
with tobacco an abundant supply of the fish that the Indians
bring, give him from time to time a measure (zme pinte ....
notre grand pot pour le lait) of peas or of Indian corn. This
will cause us no great loss, since there is good hope of reaping an abundant harvest from what we have sown. If,
therefore, it should be necessary, devote to feeding him all
the grain that I left in the house. Give him also, now and
again, a little gunpowder and lead, if he should need the11,1.
Behold the consolation he desires! But as to the time he
wastes in sleeping, let him look to it. When I return he
shall render an account of his labor. Call him, therefore,
to your chamber, and tell him sweetly, in my name, that he
shall have, I trust, 'some one to help him in sawing out the
beams and planks, but that I expeCt to find finished on my
rettirn everything that requires only the axe or manual labor; that is to say, everything that appertains to the foundations of the house, to the roof, and the windows, those things
�TWO OLD LETTERS.
79
only excepted that cannot be finished without some special
tool. But whatever is required in preparation for the use of
such a tool, he must have completed. Should he need the
assistance of an Indian, let him hire one, and promise tobacco
and lead, which I will pay when I return. Explain ·to him
kindly but clearly my mind in this matter, and tell him this
especially, that Vautrin, or another who will perhaps, come
to help him to saw the timber more quickly, shall do only
this and nothing else whatever. For the rest of the work
he alone shall be responsible.
If nothing happens, I expect to reach Fort Langley tomorrow, and on the 10th of July, I hope to embrace you,
my beloved Father, and perhaps a coadjutor brother also(!!).
Pray for me; I need it greatly. I begin to be weary above
measure, by reason, not only of the difficulty of the journey,
bl!t also of anxiety of mind. Edward Montegni and some
others will set out from Fort Shushwap in the beginning of
July, or even earlier, to meet us and help us on our way. I
entreat you, therefore, again and again, to take this opportunity to write and send me some news of Father Joset and
of our residence. Address your letter thus: "To the Rev.
Father Nobili, kind care of John Tod, Esq., to be immediately forwarded by Edward Montegni-En route."
I am most eager to learn what Rev. Father Superior will
write to us. A ship from London has reached Fort Langley, and I hope to receive letters from Very Rev. Father
General. Spertl in Domino, di!ec?issime Pater, et .fac bonita/em. Do vour best to offer the sacrifice of the Mass
daily, and be-mindful in it of the Indians, and of
Yours in the Lord,
JOHN NOBILl,
S.
J.
Revd. Fr. Goetz,
St. Joseph's Mission,
Faile d'Epinettes.
P. S. Read Beats (sic)-Sont !es betteraves.-Have them
sown, if you have not already done so. I am excessively
fond of them.
�OUR NEW SAINTS.
\Vhile our churches and colleges throughout the country were solemniz'ng the canonization of our new saints,
\Vo-odstock was having its triduum with all the seclusion
and piety of a family celebration. It took place on the sth,
6th and ·7th of November, and was followed by a day of
literary and other entertainment. The recreation hours of
the three weeks preceding had been quietly given to it;
bunting and drapery and emblem scrolls were made, and
choir and orchestra carefully praCtised, while preacher and
poet labored fervently at their several themes in praise of
the saintly three. That all hands might join in twining
garlands of laurel or evergreen and help complete the final
decorations, "Vacat" was announced the Saturday previous,
and by evening of that day, the main corridor was hung
with gay festoons, the chapel adorned with fitting hangings,
monograms, and other emblematic devices, and the refeCtory
tastefully set off with garlands of laurel and rare conservatory plants, all placed before piCtures of the saints or
around some pious mottoes, chiefly texts of the sermons
which were to be preached from its pulpit. The general
zeal displayed in these decorations was but a prelude to the
devotion manifested throughout the triduum.
•
On each of the three days, optional Comml.lllion was
granted to all, and the Blessed Sacrament exposed from
early morning until evening, when solemn BenediCtion was
given. Rev. Fr. Meyer, Provincial of the Missouri Province,
and Fr. Frieden, ReCl:or of the college in Detroit, who had
come to the consecration of Bishop Foley in Baltimore, visited us, Fr. Meyer remaining to say our community Mass,
and adding by his presence to the pleasure and edification
of his own scholastics and of the entire house. As announced in the programme that was printed in our last
number, Rev. Fr. Provincial gave an exhortation on the
e\·ening of the third day, in which, in a plain but earnest
way, he showed how union with God and detachment from
self, the common elements of sanCl:ity in our three newly
canonized were virtues which, for difference of age and conditions, were also the source of the special growth in holiness of each. Naturally enough, similar thoughts were the
burden of the panegyrics pronounced by scholastics each
(So)
�OUR NETV SAINTS.
~
·
81
day in the refectory. These were the most interesting features of the celebration. Addressed to hearers thoroughly
at one with every thought and sentiment of the speaker,
they did not fail to excite, in many instances, a visible
emotion, which even the more mature of us cared not to
conceal.
During Benediction each evening, the prayers proper
were sung, and the choir, under Fr. Holaind's direction,
carried out the musical programme given below. Classes
were taught as usual, the circles only being omitted. On
Thursday, the library, which had been gaily hung with festoon and bunting, was the scene of literary and musical
exercises in honor of our three new patrons ; at the close of
which Fr. Meyer addressed a few earnest words to the
scholastics.
The music at Benediction was as follows:Monday-Jesu, FiJi Dei Vi,'i, Verdi; .Lux Orta Est,
De Doss, S. J.; Ta:ntum Ergo, Palestrina.
Tuesday-Se Nascens, Berlioz; Iste Confessor, Fleming;
Memorare, Hecht; Tantum Ergo, Verdussen.
Wednesday-0 Salutaris, Mozart; Quis Ascendet, Lambillotte; Te Deum,-; Tan tum Ergo, Gluck.
The celebration at the church of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez,
the parish church of \Voodstock, took the form of a five
days' mission ending on Sunday, Dec. 9· The mission
was conducted by FF. Brandi and Dooley. The services
began each day with Mass at 5 o'clock, followed by an
instruction; another instruction was given each evening, followed on alternate days either by the \Vay of the Cross or
by the rosary. The day was closed by sermon and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. On the last day, which
was especially dedicated to the new saints, Fr. Rector sang
the High Mass and Fr. Prendergast preached an eloquent
sermon.
The triduum at the novitiate, Frederick, which began on
Dec. 9, was similar to ours. In the parish church also the
people joined in the celebration, and besides the three panegyrics in the novitiate, by the scholastics, three others were
given in the church. In Baltimore, the triduum began on
Sunday, Nov. 4, with solemn High Mass. Bp. Keane delivered the panegyric of St. Alphonsus, His Eminence the
Cardinal that of St. John Bcrchmans, and Bp. Foley that of
St. Peter Claver. Abp. Elder was present in the sanctuary
each evening during the celebration. In Philadelphia, the
Vor.. xvm, No.
1.
6
�OUR NEW SAINTS.
triduum began at St. Joseph's on OCt. 28; Fr. F. Ryan of
Baltimore was the preacher. The celebration at St. John's,
Fordham, was very grand. It began on Nov. 26; the panegyrics were preached by FF. J. F. X. O'Conor, Jas. A.
Doonan and Peter Cassidy; and Rev. Fr. Provincial offici-·
ated at the solemn High Mass on the closing day. At St.
Peter's, Jersey City, Mgr. Seton preached the panegyric of
St. John Berchmans, and Mgr. De Concilio that of St. Peter
Claver; Bp. Wigger pontificated at the solemn Vespers on
the third day, Nov. 25. At St. Michael's, Buffalo, Bp. Ryan
was present at the opening High Mass, on Nov. I I, and
preached on St. John Berchmans on the third day. One of
the features of the celebration here was the solemn procession of the relics of th~e saints after the High Mass on the
opening day.
Three Sundays, Nov. I I, I8 and 25, were devoted to the
celebration in San Francisco, Cal., a triduum in honor of
each of the new saints preceding each Sunday. The ornaments for the decoration of the church were imported from
Paris for the occasion. At San Jose the celebration was
similar. In New Orleans, La., Abp. Janssens officiated at
one of the Masses.
The celebration at St. Mary's, Montreal, is said to have
been one of the grandest ever seen in that city of grand religious festivities:- It began with a seance given by the students, on the evening of Nov. 8, at which Mgr. Isidore Clut,
the aCting bishop in the absence of Abp. Fabre, presided.
Hon. Mr. Mercier, Premier of the Province, was also present.
The triduum began next day in the Gesu. An O_bhte father
preached the panegyric of St. Alphonsus; a Redemptorist,
Fr. Fievez, that of St. John Berchmans; and on Sunday,
Fr. Plesses, a Dominican, delivered a·n eloquent panegyric
on St. Peter Claver. · An account of the celebration at Quebec, as also that at St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y., was given in
the Varia of our previous number.
We have not been informed of the details of the celebrations in the other colleges and churches of the Society
throughout the country, but these may be taken as samples
of the manner in which the great event was solemnized
everywhere. In several places miniature lives of the three
saints were printed and distributed among the people as
souvenirs of the occasion.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
A SKETCH.
(Continued.)
For two years after his departure, in 1850, from his permanent residence at Old Town, Fr. Bapst main~ained the
headquarters of his numerous missions at Eastport. He
had but a meagre staff of assistants, two fathers and himself
being called upon to care for the spiritual wants of nearly
nine thousand souls, scattered over a territory fully two hundred square miles in extent. The number of missions that
had to be visited amounted to thirty-three, and, at many_ of
these, new churches had to be built and other necessary improvements made. Fr. Bapst's zeal caused him to multiply
himself, as it were, and, during these two years, ·as well as
during the subsequent six years that elapsed before the final
withdrawal of the Society from Maine, his confidence in
God never wavered, and his energy in cultivating the Lord's
vineyard, ever charaCterized by a spiritual buoyancy, carried
him viCtoriously over every difficulty.
Fr. Bapst was long desirous of obtaining a more central
position than Eastport for the missionary headquarters. His
gaze turned towards Portland and Bangor, and the latte.became his final choice. This desire is made manifest by
the perusal of a letter written to Rev. Fr. Jos. Aschwanden,
who was the temporary successor of Rev. Fr. Ignatius Bracard, the Provincial of the Maryland Province, who had
died at Georgetown while still in office, in March, 1852.
EASTPORT, April23, 1852.
REV. FR. VICE-PROVINCIAL,
P. C.
In obedience to Your Reverence's order, I herewith submit an account
of the state of the Maine 1\lission.
Our mission, as perhaps you already know, comprises thirty-three different stations, of which the largest ministers to the spiritual wants of
hardly more than a thousand Catholics. In all, the number of Catholics
confided to our care does not exceed nine thousand souls; and the territory over which they nre scattered takes in the whole State of 1\laine,
with the exception of Bangor, Portland, Whitefield, Augusta, and some
stations connected with the two last-named missions.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
On our first arrival in Maine, there were eight chapels at our different
stations, most of them in an unfinished condition; these we have now
brought to completion, while three others are under construction. Two
others will have to be built in a short time, making thirteen in all. Every
one of these churches is put up at the expense of the different congregations for whose spiritual good they are erected; and, what is better still,
there is not a penny of debt on any of them ; for we do not proceed more
rapidly with their construction than our resources permit.
There is not the slightest doubt that our missions have effected a great
good for religion in the State of ;\Iaine; for, previous to our coming, in
most of our stations the practice of religion had been almost entirely
abandoned, and a most lamentable ignorance prevailed everywhere among
our people. During the three and a half years, however, that we have
labored in this previously sterile field, we have been able to lead back
nearly all the Catholics to praq~ical allegiance to their Iilith; and though
we have not been able to effect many conversions among the Protestants,
we have succeeded in rendering the Catholic religion more popular with
them, or, at least, in removing a great number of their prejudices.
Yet it must be confessed that these numerous missions will never be of
any great importance until we are able to obtain a church and residence
in some large city such as Bangor or Portland, which will serve as a centre for all these small stations. These scattered stationg entail much
hardship and fatigue, and produce but small results. lienee it is the·
opinion of all the laborers in the :Maine :Mission, that every effort should
be made to effect a permanent residence in either Bangor or Portland.
As to our financial .condition, up to the present date we have had no
difficulty. Each station furnishes its quota, thus enabling us to assume
a very honorable position in the eyes of the world; and this, too, notwithstanding our enormous travelling expenses.
Fr. Force has enjoyed and still continues to enjoy great popularity in
Maine; there is no doubt that he has labored with great zeal-Since he has
been with me, and has accomplished much good. Fr. Hippolyte De
N eckere is an excellent religious; he is effecting wonderful results in our
missions, and every day increases in favor with the people. The good
he is doing cannot be calculated. As to Fr. Bapst, you know him; he is
always the same; if he has undergone any change, it is for the worse.
1\Iay God have pity on him!
For some time our relations with the pRrish priest of Bangor had not
been very frnternal, but recently he has been inspired with more confidence in us; he is not however without some fear of us, as he apprehends
an invasion of Bangor by our fathers ....
In union with your prayers and holy sacrifices,
Your obedient servant,
.
JoliN BAPST, 8. J.·
Though Fr. Bapst's zealous efforts for the elevation of
the Catholics, especially with reference to temperance, were
fully appreciated by many of the educated Protestants, yet
he had much to suffer from the contempt and covert oppo-
�FR. JOHII' BAPST.
ss
sttton of that half-educated, fanatical class of Protestants,
who, through hatred of every.thing foreign and Catholic,
were then hastening to swell the rapidly extending ranks of
the Know-Nothing party.
These rude fellows, it is true, stood in \Vholesome awe of
the priest himself; yet they found vent for their spleen
against him in the coarse, insulting remarks about him, with
which they greeted the Catholic children who were at that
time attending the public schools of the various towns to
which Fr. Bapst's missionary labors called him at regular
periods.
A little incident which happened about this time, though
ridiculous in itself, as it presents Fr. Bapst in a very awkward plight, will serve to show how deep-seated was the
hatred entertained against him by many of the lower class
of Protestants, and how cat-like was the scrutiny to which
they subjeB:ed every public aB: of the priest. Fr. Bapst, on
one of his journeys, was obliged to put up at a public hostelry in one of the towns of Maine. ConneB:ed with the
tavern were two hostlers, one a "son of the faithful isle,"
and the other a rude, uneducated American. While Fr.
Bapst was taking some much needed refreshment, the Protestant hostler managed to occupy a sheltered corner near
the dining-hall, whence he could satisfy his curiosity as to
the peculiar process by which a priest was wont to consume
his food. Hardly had Fr. Bapst begun his meal, when the
curiosity of this man seemed to be suddenly satisfied, for
he glided from his hidden vantage ground with noiseless
step, and quickly made his way to the stable in quest of his
fellow hostler. "That's the way your hypocritical priests
do," he said, when he found the objeCt: of his search, "they
make mighty stiff laws for you, and I guess beat you into
keeping them, but they themselves don't care a row of
buttons for them." "'What's hurtin ye now?" inquired the
imperturbable Irishman. "Why, there's that priest of yours
eating a chicken on the sly, and it's Friday; he didn't
think there was a pair eyes on him, he didn't, but there was
all the same; I seen him, the hypocrite!" "You lie, you old
heathen," roared the other, now thoroughly excited. "Well,
go see for yourself," replied the grinning son of the Pinetree State. The Irishman, without further ceremony, rushed
into the dining- hall, fully persuaded that the Protestant
hostler had been uttering one of the oft-repeated calumnies
against Catholics. Close at his heels followed his informant.
When Pat looked towards the place where Fr. Bapst was
quietly eating, he cried out in a tone of mingled horror and
dismay, "Fr, Bapst, it's Friday!" Whereupon Fr. Bapst,
�86
FR. JOHN BAPST.
who was just conveying to his mouth a choice bit of chicken,
let his fork fall from his hand, and, turning pale at the situation into which his forgetfulness had led him, could only
exclaim by way of explanation: "Indeed, in my missionary
. wanderings, I had altogether lost my reckoning of the days."
Of course such a defence failed to receive any credence from
the exultant Protestant.
One of Fr. Bapst's severest trials, while in Maine, was
caused by the insufficient number of Jesuits for the work of
the missions. This was owing as well to the vastness of
the field that was committed to their zeal, as to the fewness
of priests at that time in the Maryland Province. His anxiety was further increased by the fear of having the small
number of priests alree.dy engaged in the Maine Mission
diminished to two. Tiie following letter written to Fr.
Aschwanden makes evident the anxious forebodings to
which his mind was then a prey.
EASTPORT,
May 6, 1852.
REVEREND FATilER,
P. C.
. . . . . Although Your Reverence's views relative to the mission
of Maine are entirely different from those of the late Rev. Fr. Brocard,
yet I will conform myself exactly to your instructions, and will strive to
follow faithfully the new line of conduct that you mark out for me. Accordingly, I will make no arrangements for the establishment of a college
in Maine, and will think no longer of introducing the Society into the
north-eastern British provinces.
But in your last two letters to me, there is a point with reference to
which I beg leave to submit some considerations to Your RJie_rence. In
your first letter, you bid me keep up the missions we have in )Iaine and
continue to increase their influence fi•r goon; and in the second letter,
you make the announcement that in all probability you, or your successor, will leave only two fathers in Maine. Now, Reverend Father. permit me to tell you that the thing is impossible, that is to say, that if you
leave only two fathers here it will be impossible for them to attend to the
spiritual wants of such an immense mission, where six priests would
scarcely be sufficient for the work to be done. These two poor fathers
· will spend themselves to no purpose, nay rather, will kill themselves
with work, and this with no equivalent return; nnd being obliged to live
always at a distance from each other, their lives will be filled with bitter·
ness; and Fr. Eck's favorite saying, "Vre soli!" will be verified.
If then you cannot spare three fhthers for this mission, there is no
other way out of the difficulty save to abandon the mission. either altogether or at least in part: But neither the one nor the other plan of action
can be adopted (at least for the present). I do not see how we can immediately break off all the engagements we have formed with our various·
congregations; I do not see how we can abandon the churches which we
have commenced to build, and which are neither finished nor paid for;
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
and although it is the faithful that furnish the money tor these buildings,
yet it is certain that nothing is done without the priest. Finally, I do not
see how we could desert nine thousand souls, and leave them entirely
deprived of all spiritual succor, before the arrival at least of some secular
priests to fill our places. To abandon our missions under the present
circumstances would imprint an indelible stain on the fair name of our
Society, which has been, up to the present time, blessed and venerated in
l'!Iaine. Hence, at present, it would be morally impossible to abandon
our mission entirely, and it would be no less difficult to abandon it even
in part; for although de jure we might sever all connection with some of
our stations, yet de facto none of us would have the hardihood or the inhumanity to allow those poor Catholics whom we. have evangelized, to
die without the sacraments, whenever they would send for us to assist
them in their last moments; and especially as they would have no one to
whom they could apply for aid, until such time, at least, as the number of
secular priests in Maine receives a substantial increase.
Therefore, Reverend Father, all that I request of you is that you do
not diminish our number until you have paid a visit to the mission of
l'!Iaine and viewed the field of our labors with your own eyes, that you
may be able to understand our position more perfectly.
Although there are some dangers to be encountered here, as indeed
there are elsewhere, yet I can testify that, up to the present, God, in his
infinite goodness, has preserved us from them; and I hope that the future
will find us as exemplary as the past, if not more so. . . . .
Your very respectful and affectionate servant,
JOHN BAPST, 8. J.
S~on after this another cause for anxiety arose. Though
Fr: Bapst was by no means open to the accusation of being
unduly attached to the mission of Maine, or of deriving
therefrom anv natural consolation-since it was at all times
possible for him, during his stay in Maine, to exclaim with
the aged Tobias, "We had indeed a poor life"-yet he was
filled with such a burning zeal for the coming of God's
kingdom into the hearts of all men, that anything threatening the success of this advent caused him unspeakable
anguish. The following letter to Fr. Aschwanden gives us
an insight into the source of this new anxiety with reference
to the prosperity of his beloved mission, and shows us in
how masterly and yet submissive a manner Fr. Bapst could
defend from destruction the mission which had been, up to
that time, such a powerful instrument in promoting God's
glory.
EASTPORT, July 18, 1852.
REv: FATHER PROVINCIAL,
P. C.
It is now four weeks since I saw Your Reverence in Boston. I have
~herefore bad time to reflect on what you said to me at that time, and in
�88
FR. JOHN BAPST.
order to free my conscience from all responsibility in the matter, I must
beg leave to submit to Your Reverence the following considerations.
Your design, if I understood you aright, is to withdraw from the mission of :JIIaine Fr. De N eckere, Fr. Force and Fr. Bapst, that is to say. all
the present missionaries, at the same time, and to fill their places with
three new fathers. Now, here are the difficulties which I foresee will attend this complete revolution in the entire personnel of the mission-difficulties which I beg Your Reverence to examine and weigh well.
First difficulty:- If all three of us leave at the same time, who will
there be to introduce the three new fathers to our numerous congregations? There are thirty-three different stations, scattered over an area of
two hundred square miles. How will the missionaries be guided to these
different places, so far removed one from the other, if there is no one at
hand already conversant with the various stations? :\Ioreover, as their
installation cannot convenie.J?-tly take place on any other day than Sunday, weeks would be required to conduct them to each of these localities.
To any one acquainted with the mission of Maine this first difficulty appears greater than to one not yet initiated in the mysteries of Maine missionary life.
Second difficulty :-If all three of us depart at the same time. who will
bring to completion the various churches that we have commenced to
build? Nothing can be done without the priest; and do not imagine,·
Reverend Father, that our Irish congregations are ready to give their
confidence to the first priest that comes along. Fr. De Necker&, notwithstanding his great capacity, was.not able to effect a continuation of the
work on the church~ at Old Town and Ellsworth, which the advent of
winter had interrupted; so that I myself was obliged to make a journey
of one hundred and fifty miles, in order to push on the work. and collect
the necessary money. Now, what will these three new fi1thers do, with
· whom none of the people are acquainted, and who have no acquaintance
with their new flock? It is more than likely that some grsve- difficulties
will arise.
Third difficulty :-Maine is a state almost exclusively Protestant; but
the Protestants, taken as a whole, nrc well disposed towards the Catholic
religion; yet, to effect any good among them, it is important that the
missionaries should be possessed of solid learning and no small degree of
eloquence. If then you recall Fathers De Neckere and Force, it is probable that you will have none to replace them but foreig·ners, whose imperfect knowledge of English will renner them very indifferent preachers.
The contrast will be very keenly felt, and the people will be disappointed.
Fourth difficulty :-The mission of l\Iaine is altogether unlike the other
missions of the province, and has to be cared for in a manner peculiar to
it alone. It is impossible to visit more than six times a year each of these
thirty-three stations. During the few clays that the priest is able to spend
at each station, he has countless things to attend to; for, besides confessions, Communions, baptisms, marriages, and instructions to children and
adults, he has to examine the condition of the Sunday schools, Te.mperance societies, sodalities, etc. Now the priest is the very soul of all these
organizations. How then: can the new fathers be initiated into this new
·system of mission and of retreat, if ther,e is no one to guide them in the ,
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
beginning? What is more, the manner of travelling in Maine, where
there are but few railroads or steamboats, is extremely laborious; besides
this, there are two tribes of Indians, and a large number of Canadians, to
whom English is almost an unknown tongue; how then, I pray, will
these new fathers manage, if unacquainted with either French or English?
How will they surmount all these obstacles? How will they reach their
various congregations? How will they complete the unfinished churches
which must not only be rendered fit for divine worship, but freed from
the debt incurred in their construction? How will they be able to sustain
the fatigue, the weariness, the loneliness, and the countless other difficulties incident upon a kind of mission to which they are surely not yet
accustomed, especially if they have no one to initiate them? . . . . It is
more than likely that, by reason of their inexperience, being unable to
cope with all these difficulties, they will allow things to take their own
course, and then, as a consequence, everything will languish, and the mission fall back into the pitiable state from which, with God's help, we have
rescued it.
I am of the opinion, therefore, Reverend Father, that the simultaneous
withdrawal of all the present miRsionaries. and the substitution in their
place of three new fathers, would under present drcumstances be altogether impracticable; for this would bring about the ruin of the mission
and the foundation of the high hopes which four years of untold fatigue
and increrlible sacrifices had inspired.
In placing before Your Reverence all these difficulties, I have only tried
to discharge what I conceive to be my duty and have no other. end in
view than to free my conscience from all responsibility in the matter. I
now leave to your prudence to decide whatever you may think best for
the interests of the missions. In my own regard, I have only to express
my readiness for everything. I will never seek anything else than the
will of God manifested to me by the voice of my superiors.
I am, in union with your prayers and holy sacrifices,
Your most devoted brother in our Lord,
JOHN BAPST, S. J.
Fr. Bapst's strong appeals were crowned with partial success. The number of the £1thers in Maine was not decreased,
nor was a total change effecred in the personllel of the missionary staff. The only one withdrawn at this time was Fr.
De Neckere, who left Maine in the beginning of August,
1852, to fill a vacancy in Gonzaga College, Washington.
He was succeeded by Fr. Vigilante, who labored in Maine
for' a few years with unselfish zeal. Though Fr. Force was
also removed to another sphere of acrion in the beginning
of Sept., 1852,about two months after Fr. Bapst's last letter
to the provincial, yet, that the change of both fathers was
not effecred at the same time, shows the impression made
by Fr. Bapst's letters on the mind of Fr. Aschwanden.
Fr. Pacciarini was sent to replace Fr. Force.. The amount
of good this good father was able to effeCt:, as well while on
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
this mission, as afterwards during his more than twenty ·
years' residence in the lower counties of Maryland, is truly
wonderful. He was never able to master the English tongue
so as to make himself easily understood while preaching,
and yet, such was his zeal, such his spirit of prayer, that
Catholic and Protestant alike yielded to his influence, and,
acknowledging the spirit of God that animated his every
aetion, responded either by submission to the faith or by a
heartfelt reverence and love. Hence we see that Fr. Bapst's
representations to the provincial prevented at least his
own removal, and thus saved the mission from the danger
that threatened it. The churches to which Fr. Bapst refers
as being under construCtion or repair, and which would
present peculiar difficu).ties for all new-comers, are those of
Calais, Trescott, Machaias, Ellsworth, Old Town, and \Vaterville.
Fr. Bapst, at length set at ease with reference to any intention on the part of superiors to diminish the working
force in the Maine Mission, does not cease to urge the provincial to increase the missionary staff by one father at least.
The argument that he presents in favor of this measure is
at the same time invincible and worthy of a true son of St.
Ignatius. The following was the first English letter written by Fr. Bapst to his provincial, all the previous letters
being written in "French.< 1l
EASTPORT,
REV. AND DEAR FR. PROVINCIAL,
Sept. 12, 1852.
. .·
P. C.
When your letter reached Eastport I was absent on the western mis·
sion, left alone by the removal of Fr. De Neckl"re. I <'arne home yesterday only. For that reason I could not write Your Reverence soom•r.
Since Your Reverence is determined not to give up these l\Iaine mi~
sions, but on the contrary to keep and provide them conveniently, I c:m·
not help feeling and expressing a heartfelt gratitude, not on my own
account only (for I confes~ that. notwithstanding the toils of this our
mission, still my heart, which has suffered so much for it, i~ with it), hut
principally on account of the mission itself, which is more important than
some imagine (as I shall show to Your Reverence on another occasi·on),
and also on account of our Society, that would have been blamed had she
left so suddenly these missions, accepted just now and commenced with
so much trouble and so many difficulties. Since I know that I am not
to be removed, I feel a rom fort that I have not felt since the death nf Rev.
Fr. Brocard; and I have twice more courage and cheerfulness to work
for the salvation of those thousands of souls committed to our care; for
(I) The rea~on is eyidently because Fr. Stonestreet, an American. was pro·
vincial at this time, having been appointed about a inonth before the date of
this letter, Aug. 15, 1852.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
I see that the vine that we have planted and cultivated so far, with so
much pain and anxiety, is not to be given up to destruction. May the
Almighty bless Your Reverence for it!
But now, as I have said in my last letter, and as Your Reverence has
understood it, it is necessary that we should be four missionaries at least
in Maine; namely, two in Eastport for the eastern missions, and two in
Ellsworth for the western portion. I wish Your Reverence had a map
of Maine to understand what I want to say. Eastport and Ellsworth,
one hundred miles distant from each other, are two centres. To Eastport
belong Louis Island, Calais, Robinston, Pembroke, Pieasant Point, Labec,
Trescott and 1\Iachaias; to Ellsworth belong Cherryfield, Benedicta, Old
Town, Frankfort, Bucksport, Belfast, Rockland and Thomaston on the
Penobscot, and Waterville with Skowhegan on the Kennebec. From
Eastport it is impossible to attend those western missions. It is necessary, and it was the expressed condition of the bishop, that one of us
should always be in Ellsworth to attend those missions. But if we are
only three, as was the case last year, the poor fellow who is alone in Ells·
worth is left in the most miserable condition; he is overwhelmed by excessive occupations; and, being surrounded by dangers and difficulties of
every description, he has no counsellor to advise him in his perplexities,
no brother to share his labors in his sickness, and no priest to go to confession to, except the priest of Bangor who is not very accessible. Those
rules of our Constitutions which provide tliat none of our fathers should
be left without a companion, I understand now how wise they are. I am
not personally acquainted with Your Reverence, but your letter has
proved to me that Your Reverence has a paternal heart; therefore, with
the confidence and simplicity of a child, I come to Your Reverence to
beg that favor, so conformable to our Constitutions, that we may not be
left alone, but may always be two and two, for the comfort of our life,
the security of our conscience, and the greatest advantage of the faithful
committed to our care. To know how just and how reasonable is my·
demand, I wish Your Revt-rence would ask Fr. De Neckere about the
matter,for he, by a personal experience, is acquainted with all the wants
and all the circumstances.of our mission.
But the fourth man that Your Reverence would send us, ought to be,
if possible, a good preacher, and speak good English. Fr. Vigilante
speaks English imperfectly as yet; Fr. Pacciarini, being also a foreigner,
is not a great orator in English ; Fr. Bapst is the worst of all. After
FF. De Neckere and Force, the contrast would be too sensible: But
above all, this fourth missionary must be a virtuous man. Then, if Your
Reverence will comply with my petition, as your Jetter gives me a right
to hope, Your Reverence will never repent of having done so much for
this rising mission of Maine. This is my firm belief. . . . .
.
In union with your prayers,
I am, Reverend and dear Fr. Provincial,
Your most humble servant in Christ,
,JOHN BAPST, 8. ,J.
Such is the first official letter written by Fr. Bapst in
English, and when it is remembered that he was at the time
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
but little over four years in the country, that during this
period he was so preoccupied with his multifarious duties
as to have little or no time for a thorough study of the language, and that he had at the same time to acquire the
Indian tongue, the letter will appear a marvel of good English diction, worthy of many a native "to the manor born."
Less than three months after this, Fr. Bapst writes again
to the provincial to inform him of the arrival of a. fourth
father, an addition to the staff of missionaries which he had
so long been urging. He was thus enabled to carry out his
long cherished plan of forming two centres for the various
stations; one at Ellsworth, where, from this time, he himself
takes up his residence, with Fr. Vigilante, and the other at
Eastport, with Fr. Pa~ciarini as superior and Fr. Kennedy
as operarius. This letter affords some idea of Fr. Bapst's
ability as a financier, and gives proof that resources are
never wanting to the man of God in carrying on the work
of his Master.
BANGOR, Dec. 9, 1852.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER PROVINCIAL,
· P. C.
Fr. Kennedy is come at last. He shall be in Eastport with Fr. Pacciarini for a couple of months, and then come down to Ellsworth for
variety's sake. For the present we are busily engaged in giving the
jubilee. The weather is exceedingly good for the season; no snow yet,
and no fire in the rooms, at least during the day.
The arrival of Fr. Kennedy gives me the chance to realize the plan
which was so long in contemplation, namely, to keep two" houses, one in
Eastport and one in Ellsworth. Now if God continue to give us his
blessing, I hope that we shall do something for his glory in the wild State
of Maine, without being so much exposed ns we were for years past.
With regard to the churches that are building, Your Reverence need
not be uneasy about them. l\fost of them are about to be completed, and,
what is better, to be paid for. I have not the least debt so far, and I have
some money for emergencies. The Rystem that I have adopted is to make
no contract before the money is collected, or nt lenst subscribed, and I
never deviate from that rule; consequently, it is impossible for me to get
into any difficulty; althoul!h I must confess that, since Fr. Force and Fr.
De Neckere left here, I must rely on myself for the money. Fr. Pacciarini is very charitable, but very indifferent about getting money to carry
on God's work. I hope that F~. Kennedy, being an American, will do
better in this regard: I shall observe strictly the rule given by Your
Reverence about exacting an account of the receipts and the expenses
every month.
To day I am going to Old Town, next week I shall be in Waterville,
and the week after in Thomaston for the jubilee. The letters that Your
�FR. JOHN BAPST
93
Reverence may write to me should be directed to Bangor until New
Year's day.
Very respectfully yours in Christ,
JoHN BAPsT, S. J.
P. S. For the time being any letter that Your Reverence may send
me should be directed to Bangor, Me. Care of Rev. T. O'Sullivan.
From the preceding letter we can easily see that, while
Fr. Bapst was possessed of the simplicity of the dove, he
was also blessed; in an apostolic degree, with the prudence
of the serpent. The secret of his financial success must,
however, be traced to a deeper source than mere prudence
of mind; it sprang from a more unwavering cause; namely,
from his praCl:ical love of religious poverty. Through his
exercise of this virtue, he was enabled to cut off all unnecessary outlay and to husband his resources, not as an aCl:ual
possessor, but as a faithful administrator, ready at any moment to render a striCt: account; and while generous to all
his subjeCl:s, amply providing for all their wants, he was ever
most rigid towards himself, even in regard to necessaries.
An amusing incident, in which Fr. Bapst was one of the
chief aCl:ors, happened about this time, and displays at once
his admirable charity and his thorough detachment from all
·superfluities in dress. One Sunday morning, after he had
finished his first Mass, at which he had preached with his
usual earnestness, he retired to his room to change his shirt,
the change being necessitated after every sermon by the
vehemence of his aCl:ion while preaching. Arrayed at
length in dry linen, he handed over the discarded garment
to his housekeeper, who hung it on a line in the yard, that
it might be in readiness for use at the end of his second
sermon. As he was proceeding to the church, he met at
the gate a forlorn and hungry wayfarer with whom he returned to the house in quest of some breakfast. Having
drawn with unspe~ring. hand upon the stores of the housekeeper, he left the contented tramp at his pleasing work of
destruCtion, bidding him help himself without stint to all
the good things he saw before him. The tramp·obeyed literally; and, on his departure, seeing a good thing in Fr.
Bapst's shirt that hung in the yard, helped himself to that.
\Vhen Fr. Bapst returned to the house after his sermon, and
called for the only other shirt that he had, it was sought for
by the housekeeper in vain.
(To be co1ttinued.)
�"
\
NEW CHURCH OF THE GESU,
PHILADELPHIA, PA.
The congregation of the Gesu in Philadelphia have at
last gone out of the little, undecorated building that had
grown so dingy from its twenty years' usage, and have entered what they proudly and justly claim to be one of the
grandest temples of God in the United States.
The echo of the chimes of Father Villiger's golden jubilee had not yet died away when aCtive preparations were
made to open the new church permanently. The builders
worked on extra time, and, during the last week, hung the
interior with eleCtric lights, and toiled every night with
hammer and trowel till ten o'clock. They had received
orders that their scaffolding must come down from nave,
transept, and apse, by Saturday night, whatever the stage of
their progress, and down it came; but with it their work
along those lines was finished. Only in the eight sidechapels, and in ,the galleries above, were the scaffolds allowed to remain.
The day of the dedication, December 2, was in many ways
like the day of the golden jubilee. The weather was clear,
fresh, and lovely; the residence was crowded wjth visiting
priests from the city, and from the length and breauth of the
province; while the streets outside were rapidly filling with
an eager but patient people. Before half-past ten no one
was admitted to the church except the pew-holders and their
friends; who, we are happy to say, numbered about twelve
hundred. This had to be done as a matter of prudence";
for the procession could never have made its way along the
aisles of the. church, spacious as they are, if the throng in
waiting had been admitted. No admission fee, however,
was charged-a compliment the Reverend Pastor wished to
pay his flock for the handsome manner in which they had
helped him to build this temple to the glory of God.
About eleven o'clock, the procession formed in the sacristy, which looks out on the eastern side of the apse. This
room, we may remark in passing, though at present quite
large and commodious, is small in comparison with the
generous proportions it will assume in time. It will extend
back as far as the corridor of the proposed college building
(94)
�NEW CHURCH OF THE GESU, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
95
on Thompson street, and, sweeping round to Eighteenth
street, will enclose the sanCl:uary something like a crescent,
being thus of itself as large as a fair-sized church. On leaving the sacristy, the procession moved over the truly vast
area of the sanCtuary, out through the central gate, and
down the middle aisle to the door of the church. A dozen
or more sparrows kept flying in and out under the arches
of the galleries, chirping prettily all the while. Some forty
altar boys and fifty clergy made up the procession, at the
end of which walked His Grace, Archbishop Ryan, with his
assistant priest and deacons of honor. All the ceremonies
were under the direCl:ion of Father William· H. Carroll,
whom every one congratulated on the grace and fidelity
with which the complicated movements were executed.
Passing out of the church, the procession moved down
Stiles street, where the great crowd hemmed them in pretty
closely, to the door of the residence. They were obliged
to pass through the residence to permit the sprinkling of
the outside walls of the church, which here are one with
the inside walls of the residence. A complete circuit of the
church was then made, and the procession re-entered the
church by the main door. At this point, the special male
choir of eighty-five young men and boys, whom Father
Buckley had trained for the occasion, burst out with the
song of the litanies. They were stationed in the organ loft,
a dizzy height, and at first their voices struck upon the ear
like the distant warbling of birds; but only for a moment,
after which they swelled out charmingly and filled the
church.
After the blessing of the walls, the procession withdrew
to the sanCl:uary for the concluding services of the dedication, and the crowd outside were admitted to the church.
The noise of their entrance, though in perfeCl: order, was
like the roar of the sea. They poured in, filling the pews,
the aisles, and the side-chapels, till their number must have
been more than three thousand. For some time they gazed
around, lost in admiration. No one who has not seen the
church can form an idea of the sense of aCl:ual awe which
comes over the visitor as he gazes for the first time down
the long, broad church, the sight of its beauty unobstruCl:ed
by pillars, except where they cluster against the walls of the
transepts or side-chapels.
When the dedication ceremonies had been concluded,
the archbishop was escorted to the temporary throne ereCl:ed
for him on the gospel side of the sanCl:uary, and the solemn
High Mass was begun. Very Rev. P. A. Stanton, of the
Augustinians, was the celebrant, and was assisted by Father
�rfi
NEW CHURCH OF THE GEsU, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
C. Jones, of Holy Cross College, Worcester, Mass.; as deacon,
and Father John B. Nagle, of St. Joseph's, Troy, N. Y., as
subdeacon. "The choir was the strongest and the music
perhaps the finest and most impressive ever heard in this
city. Mozart's Twelfth Mass was sung by a chorus of one
hundred and sixty voices, with both organ and orchestra
accompaniment. Before the sermon, Verdi's Vmi Creator
was given, and, at the Offertory, Zingarelli's Laudate, as a
tenor solo. The singing by Father Buckley's choir of male
voices attra8:ed universal approval and admiration. In the
mixed choir were the best singers from nearly all the Catholic church ehoirs in the city."
Father Aug-ustus Langcake, the well-known missionary,
was the preacher of th~e-occasion, and took as his text the
words of Genesis : "This is the house of God and the gate
of heaven."
The preacher began by pointing out the desire of David
to build a temple in honor of the Most High; a desire the
fulfilment of which was reserved for his son and successor.
He next showed how the spirit of this great work was
caught up by the Christian Church as soon as it emerged
from the catacombs after the period of persecution, hmv it
was especially manifested in those ages so erroneously called
the Dark Ages, and how it has not been forgotten in this
new world where so many magnificent temples have been
raised within the last twenty years. He then passed to the
explanation of the words of the text, showing how the
church is the House of God and the Gate of Heaven. Next
the preacher showed why God condescends to ~ccept these
temples, not on their own account but because they point to
another temple-the inner temple in the heart, built up with
solid Christian virtues. Finally, he congratulated pastor and
people on the fulfilment of their hopes and united endeavors, on the presence of the archbishop on this occasion, and
on the grand ceremony of the day.
At the end of the :\lass, His Grace, the Archbishop, before bestowing his blessing, made a short but very eloquent
address. After congratulating Father Villiger and the congregation on their magnificent temple, he spoke of the
beauty of its title-The Holy Name of Jesus-and dwelt
especially on the love of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist,
and the inf..1.1libility.of the Church with which Christ ever
remains.
At the dinner, which followed shortly after the Mass, the
tables being spread in the great parlor, Rev. Father Provincial took occasion to make a few remarks in which he told
of the pride the province felt in its chain of noble edifices
�NET.,_. CHURCH OF THE GESl;, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
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all the way from Boston to Washington, and of its loyalty
to the hierarchy, whom it was always eager to assist to its
fullest ability in extending the kingdom of Christ.
Another even larger congregation filled the church in the
evening, at solemn Vespers. Father Alphonse Coppens,
who, after ten years of labor in the Gesu parish, is now stationed at St. Mary's in Boston, was the celebrant, and was
accompanied by Father Clement Lancaster, of Leonardto\vn,
Md., as deacon, and Father Cornelius Gillespie, of Georgetown, D. C., as subdeacon. Father Buckley's special male
choir sang, without organ accompaniment, the Alme Re~
demptor of Lambillotte. The augmented choir sang Rosewig's Vespers, with the. Magnificat of Mozart's Twelfth
Mass. "A very able sermon on the fall and redemption of
man and on the glory of the Holy Name of Jesus was
preached by Father James A. Doonan, of St. Francis
Xavier's College, New York, who, at the close of his eloquent discourse, after describing the life and death of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, adverted to the perpetuation
of the Sacred Name in the splendid new temple in which
his hearers were assembled, and warmly congratulated the
pastor and his people on the glorious crowning of the noble
work in which they had been engaged for the past nine
years and more. The services closed with Benediction of
the Most Blessed Sacrament, in connection with which
Goch's TaJttztm Ergo was sung."
The interior of the church is two hundred and fifteen feet
in length. Its vaulted and fretted ceiling bends over us
from a height of one hundred feet, and boasts of a single
span throughout, of seventy-six feet, pronounced by competent critics a triumph of architectural daring and strength.
To secure the walls against the enormous pressure they
must sustain-some of the iron girders of the roof weighing fifteen tons-they have been built ten feet thick. . Nothing short of an earthquake could unsettle them. The nave
is flanked by eight lofty chapels, twenty feet deep, four on
either side, each destined to contain an altar, a confessional,
and a Station of the Cross. Above them we behold cloistered galleries of the same depth, which are probably to be
devoted to the use of the community and the students of
the future college. The organ-loft; though hung at a great
height, is still at least fifty feet from the ceiling. The pulpit, richly fashioned in wood, juts out from the wall just below the west transept beside the chapel of the Holy League,
and is reached by a long .narrow passage leading out from
the sanctuary. In the east and west transept respectively,
VoL. xvm, No.
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NEW CHURCH OF THE GESiJ, PHILADELPHIA, FA.
which are twenty-three feet wide, stand the colossal altars
of St. Francis Xavier and St. Ignatius. The life-size figure
of the martyr St. Secundilla reposes beneath the one, and
that of St. Urbanus beneath the other. Each is rendered
peculiarly impressive by its massive brass candlesticks, its
tall pillars, and its life-size painting of the saint. In a niche
at the summit of St. Francis Xavier's altar, stands a statue
of his patron, St. Francis of Assisi ; while St. Ignatius' altar
bea.rs a statue of St. Ignatius himsel(
The grand sanctuary is, of course, the most imposing
portion of the church. A short distance within the railing,
which bends round so as to enclose the transept altars, a
flight of three steps leads to the main floor. This is fortyfive feet in width by sixty in depth. a lavish allowance of
room which admits of
the church ceremonies being car·
ried out to perfection. A rich vVilton carpet, of a warm red
color, relieved by interwoven black vine-leaves and branches,
covers the floor, and the same pattern will afterwards be
used for the side-chapels. The red makes a very restful
contrast to the chaste white of walls· and ceiling. The
main altar is thirty feet wide at the base and rises to a height
of sixty-seven feet. It is at present of wood, and cost some
twelve thousand dollars; but is the same in design as it will
be when of marble, when it will cost seventv-five thousand
dollars. The whole altar is of a unique de;ign and of singular solidity. Beneath the altar proper, we see the figure
of "St. Eleutherius, Martyr, a boy." The tabernacle rises
into a lofty dome; the upper half contains a revolving re
pository, in one side of which rests the crucifix, ahd in the
other the massive ostensorium. Great brass can1:llesticks
and candelabra flash in the sunlight. The centre of the
reredos holds a picture of the Presentation, a copy of that
which adorns the main altar of the Gesu in Rome. Above
the picture stands a heroic-sized figure of our Savior. On
either side of the reredos are sturdy pillars, one above another; while the summit is rounded off into an arch broken
at the middle to give way to the cross. The gilded sanCluary lamp is a rare piece of intricate workmanship, and measures three feet in diameter. On the sides of the sanctuary,
arched recesses open in, facing the body of the church, for
the chapels of our Lady and St. Joseph. The pews of the
church will accommodate twelve hundred persons; while
about three thousand more could find standing room in the
aisles and side-chapels. Though the general plan of the
church is modelled on the Gesu in Rome, the main altar is
vastly more majestic, and several of Ours who have been in
at!
�NEW CHURCH OF THE GES(;, PHILADELPHIA, PA.
99
Rome do not hesitate to extend this praise to the whole
church.
The exterior dimensions ~f the new church may be briefly
given. The extreme length is two hundred and fifty-two
feet and a halt~ and its extreme width one hundred and
twenty-two feet. The point of the roof is one hundred and
thirty-seven feet in height, and that of the central arch of
the front gable, hollowed out to hold at some future time a
statue of our Lord, reaches a height of one hundred and
fifty-five feet. The towers which rise on either corner of the
front of the building are each two hundred and sixteen feet
high. The church is built in the Roman style of architeCture, of pressed brick trimmed with white-painted iron. The
appearance is, as a whole, odd and striking, but at the same
time impresses the beholder with a sense of massive grandeur. Seen from the tower of the new City Hall, the highest struCture in Philadelphia, it is the most striking figure
in the whole city, rising like a veritable giant, head and
shoulders above the vast area of buildings round about it.
Father Villiger came out to this part of the city twenty
years ago with Father Ciampi, and found it a sparsely settled, rural place, where farmers were grazing their cattle, ·
and where on his sick-calls he frequently had to scale the .
fences and chase the flocks of geese from his path. Here
on the northern slope of Green Hill, where Seventeenth and
Stiles streets were supposed to interseCt:, he purchased an
ample square of land, and began the ereCtion of a temporary chapel. Green-Spring Creek ran across one corner of
the square and had to be first filled in. This done, the
chapel was built on its site, the northern, eastern, and western sides of the square being reserved for the new college
and church, which, even at so remote a date, Father Villiger
had projeCted down to the smallest details. Many a head
was shaken doubtfully at the projeCt:, and prophets of ill
were not wanting to scout it as visionary. They asked their
pastor when the new church would be opened; for he always
told them that he designed the first chapel only as a prelude
to a magnificent basilica.. He answered them: "In twenty
years," and on the 2nd of last December he had kept his
promise to the very day.
�ALASKA.
EztraCl of a letter from Fr. Robaut.
(I)
KosoRIFFSKY,
June 16, 1888.
REVEREND FATHER,
P. C.
Since the tragical death of Most Rev. Archbishop Seghers, I can scarcely determine myself to write anything at all
to any one. Obedience""alone forces me to do so; hence I
will now give you a brief account of my station or distriCt:.
It is nearly three hundred miles from Fr. Tosi, and five hundred miles from Fr. Ragaru, whose company I have enjoyed
for a few days; for they hurried down to me, first Fr. Tosi,
then Fr. Ragaru, on small miners' boats, intending to take
the steamer from my place to Redoubt, which they did a
few days ago. They decided that they both would go down
to get news and that I should stay at my post to attend to
the building which is about to be put up. I will be brief
now, but I intend to write more next September.
When Fr. Tosi started last year for the other world (for
Alaska, or the Yukon, is indeed another world), I was pretty
sick from a felon on my thumb, which lasted very long; I
\Vas not able to say Mass for two whole months~· I waited
in St. Michael's for all the ships. to see if any one ·might be
willing to take the bishop's body down; but as no one would
do it, I buried it down there in a corner of the Russian
graveyard ad interim, then started up to Anvik, about
eight hundred miles from Redoubt (by the river), together
with two Protestant ministers, who, having bought a good
house, went to settle there, opening a little school, etc. I
stopped there over a month, but could scarcely put my nose
out of the house on account of the mosquitoes, which are
so abundant that you might cut them.in the atmosphere
with a knife, as you would cut a piece of butter on a plate.
There is no rest day or night. During my stay there, the
Indians, who number about one hundred and fifty in that
village, liked me p'retty well ; not so the ministers. When
the steamer came up on her second trip, I decided to get
aboard and go up to Nuklukayat, where I might have a
chance to meet Fr. To;;i or some other father, and so get
some news for aCl:ion. I went up there in faCt:, and, to my
m Kasarofski is the spelling fonnd in Cath. Directory.
(100)
�ALASKA.
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great surprise and wonder, I welcomed FF. Tosi and Ragaru
on'the Ist of September. I had not expected them before
the middle of Oftober, or rather I doubted if they would
reach Nuklukayat at all. I thought surely they would have
to winter above at the mines. As soon as they arrived there
we had a meeting together in which we decided to separate.
Fr. Ragaru, who was very much exhausted, remained there,
Fr. Tosi would go to Nulato, and I was to retrace my steps
·to Anvik; which plan we carried out.
I took along with me the brother and two boys of a
Ntiklukayat trader, who had been raised in Anvik, and
who consequently knew that language well ; but it was a
terrible blunder of mine, they nearly cost me my life; and
besides I have entirely lost my time, and lost, I might say,
the Indians whom I had so easily gained before when I was
alone. At Christmas I thought surely I should not see
New Year's day; I told the brother to break up our boat for
my coffin and to take me up to Nulato with sled and dogs
as soon as the roads would be passable. I don't know
what good soul prevented me from dying, for I was so glad
to go and rejoin my. most venerated and beloved companion
and father. In less than a week I was, to my great astonishment, up and well, entirely out of danger. But, partly on
account of my own incapacity, and almost wholly on account
of my boys' stupidity and great meanness, my presence has
been more hurtful to the Indians than my absence would
have been. Besides, I was as poor and destitute of everything as a mouse, whilst the ·ministers were well provided;
and to these Indians, the man who gives the most is the
best. So, considering everything, I thought it was a good
deal better to give up that place and come down fifty miles
below, where I knew, from last year, that there was a larger
village, with better Indians, and with a much better prospect
than at Anvik. Therefore, as soon as I thought it prudent
to travel, which was on the 23d of October, I started for
Kosoriffsky, where I was received with open arms by the
Indians, who had been urging me the whole winter to come
down· to them; nay, they themselves, when they heard that
I would come, sent me three sleds with eighteen dogs to
take me. Since that time I have been here with them and
feel most happy.
' There are here from two hundred to two hundred and fifty
souls never moving from the village the whole year long,
more peaceful and good than you would ever imagine.
Twenty miles below, there is another village of about three
hundred souls, many of whom are children; about twentyfive miles abovei there is another village containing from
�102
ALASKA.
fifty to seventy persons; about four miles below this place,
is the mouth of Chageluk River, on which we found five villages, one is pretty large; and fifty miles above, as I said
before, is Anvik. Now all these villages are for me.
The Russian priest, who is a half.breed, or rather a pure
Indian, as many think him to be, has moved heaven and
earth to prevent me from settling here. He sent his deacon,
came himself several times, threatened me and the Indians,
and tried even by force to take away the piEl:ures and medals
I had given them ; but all his efforts were vain and useless,
no one would side with him, all told him to his face, at the
end of a long speech he had made to them, that he had
better shut up, pack up and go, that no one would listen to
him. It is useless, of course, to add that he slandered me
in every possible way and told all kinds of lies about me,
telling them, for instance, that I was not a priest, that I
would not stop with them, but would soon leave them as all
the others had done before in Nulato and N uklukayat, where
several priests and two bishops, with several Protestant ministers had been, but no one had remained. All of this is
very true about that place, and the Indians told us plainly,
if we also should leave these missions, not to dare to come
any more to them ; and so all these missions would be lost
forever and we would be laughed at by the people. The
same Russian priest also tried to rebaptize a baby I had myself baptized, saying that my baptism was not good ; but he
could not succeed, the Indians took away the child and hid
him. After this he sent me word to go down to the mouth
of Chageluk River, where he was at the time witJ.! a few of
my Indians, who were fishing there. Fr. Tosi~,vas here
when I got the news; I wrote down a few words in a most
polite way begging him to accept my excuses for not being
able to move from my place for the moment, but inviting
him to come up himself to me, that he would be welcome
at my house. After my short note Fr. Tosi wrote another
one, but in a very different style (era proprio coi fiocchi);
we sent it to him right away by the same Indian express;
but cunning as he is, fearing probably I would really go
down, he did not wait for me, but, as soon as the express
was out of sight, he took his boat and sailed down to his
mission as fast as he could, so that he did not get my letter
at the time. Were I a poet or humorist, I might write
a most beautiful romance about this Russian priest whose
mission is a hundred and fifty miles below mine. He is a
trader. and nothing else; he baptizes a II the people, sells them
crosses for skins, and that's all his priestly work. His Indians, if you except the baptism he administers them, are
�ALASKA.
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mere pagans ; they don't know the very first elements of
Christian religion, not even the Sign of the Cross ; and he
pretends that all these Indians as far up as Nulato belong
to him and to the Russian Church, because he has baptized
them. I might say a good deal more about this priest, but
it is better to pass over the rest in silence. Should he be
the first to write and publish anything against me, then I
will come out.
When the roads are gooq I can reach in one day the farthest village, Anvik, where the Protestants are now, and
Chageluk on the other side. All these Indians are not only
willing, but most anxious to give me all their children if we
open a school, and I think we could begin right away with
a hundred children, if we could get a contraCt: school with
the American government. The sisters, who are ready to
come at any time from Vi8:oria, and who, I hope, are by
this time at St. Michael's, are necessary for this .enterprise,
and to get rid of the Protestants above and even the Russians below. At two days' journey from here, there is a
very large village of over three hundred Indians. If the
Russians do not send a priest to them, another father could
easily reside there. There would be very easy communication with the priest residing in Kosoriffsky, and around
that village many others are to be found, who could easily
be attended to bv the same fathers. But the Russian archpriest from San- Francisco told us last year he intended to
send one of his priests to the said place, Kuskoquim River.
We shall see. Down on the coast there are thousands and
thousands of Indians, as good as nature could ever make
them, who have never been visited by anybody. There is
no other way of travelling here except either by water, in
the summer, or with snow-shoes or sled and dogs, in winter.
For my part I am not a lover of sled and dogs. I got
enough of it last winter. Sometimes I would have drowned
both dogs and sled, had it been in my power; but of course
we must get used to it. We ought to have our own good
teams and then we would be all right.
I say nothing now about the archbishop, as I intend to
write again when I shall have heard news from below. Up to
the present I have only the prayers and a little catechism
made in this language. I had forgotten to say that all the
fathers w)lo are destined to Alaska should know something
about medicine if they want to do good. As you already
know, we have no communication at all with the rest of the
world except once a year, towards the end of June or in the
beginning of July, when the Fur Company steamers arrive
at St. Michael's with their provisions for the Yukon. Since
�THE JJfESSEiYGER
104
OF THE SACRED HEART.
I ·left the Rocky Mountains, I have not heard a word about
either America or Europe, or any other place, except a few
things that Fr. Tosi told me. I recommend myself'to
your prayers and holy sacrifices.
·. · ·
Your servant in Christ,
A.
RoBAUT,
S.
J.
· O~r address is: St. Michael's Post on the Yukon, Alaska
Territory (North America), via San Francisco.
THE MESSENGER .. OF THE SACRED HEART
AND THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.
Rev. Fr. Provincial has recently addressed a circular to the
province exhorting Ours to labor strenuously for the
Holy League and its organ Tlze Messmger.' The account
we subjoin will give some idea of what is being done by
the Holy League, and will, we hope, incite all to help on
the good work.
With the const~nt growth in size and wider circulation of
the periodicals issued from the office of the Messenger of tlze
Sacred Heart, and with the great and ever-increasing diffusion of the other publications of the League of the Sacred
Heart, called the Apostleship of Prayer, it has been found
necessary to remove the editorial rooms and busin-ess offices
to a more central part of the city of Philadelphia. For this
purpose, an entire second floor has been providentially secured in the building next the well-known establishment of
the Daily E7'eizi1lg Tdegraplz, and immediately adjoining the
offices of McLaughlin Bros. Co., where the printing of the
periodicals is now done, No. r 14 South Third street, Philadelphia, Pa.
Three years ago, the Messeuger, then entering on its majority....:._it was beginning its twenty-first year-took a new
.flight. · Its aspirations have been fulfilled in a measure; and
from eking out a bare subsistence it has come to a fair prospeel: of prosperity.
•
Its increasing circulation has been made use of to enlarge
greatly the number and improve the style of its pages, so
that with th'e coming year it will bear comparison with the
better class of secular magazines of the same price. When
it is remembered how large a circulation these enjoy, it will
'
I
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�THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEAKT.
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be seen what sincere efforts are being made to render the
work deserving of the support of the Catholic reading public.
.· The fact that the Society is willing to set apart a number
of its men for the sole purpose of carrying on such a work
i~ not without significance. It is now two hundred year-S
since our Lord expressed his will that the Society should
use its influence in starting up everywhere the devotion to
his Sacred Heart. From the beginning, also, it had been a
speCial aim of the Society to use the power of the press 'in
bringing' before the minds of men the true meaning, the
motives and urgent claims, of Christ's religion! This has
by 'no means been limited to theological works "designed for
the thoughtful and the studious alone. 'Flying leaves -and
pamphlets, touching on every point of Christian devotion
and appealing to every class of reader, have been· issued
from the houses of the Society for more than three hundred
years. "It would be strange if, sooner or later, a religious
order of this kind should not make use of the magazine,
with its regular· instalments of interest and edification, for
the same purpose. The chain of Messengers of tlze Sacred
Heart that now girdles the world will show what has been
the blessing of God on this movement.
'
The interests of the Messenger are, of course, intimately
bound up with those of the Apostles/tip of Prayer and· the
sodalities of the Blessed Virgin, of which it is the organ.
It is impossible for intelligent or lasting work to be done in
either of these great devotions without some such representative of public information and direction. Much of the lamentable confusion that now exists in regard to both would
have been avoided if this fact had been properly recognized.
A good idea of what the Messenger has been doing herein
for the last three years may be _gathered ·.from recent summaries in its mid-monthly Pilgrim. Seventy archbishops
and bishops of the United States have given their approbation for its establishment in their respective dioceses, inany
of their letters containing graCious words of encouragement
and their episcopal blessing on the work ; 444 local centres
have been aggregated up to November 1888; that is; the
American Head Director has signed and sent to various
parishes and communities that number of Diplo"mas ·of Aggregation, with an equal number of Local Directors' Diplomas, 888 in all. Of these, 8 were for ecclesiastical seminaries,
20 for colleges, 48 for other schools, 2 for sodalities of the
Blessed Virgin, and 183 for convents. The 203 others were
for parish churches, amongst which are numbered several
cathedrals. The area covered represents 62 dioceses, in 39
· '
states and territories.
�roo
THE llfESSENCER OF THE SACRED HEART.
The great majority of these centres have shown by their
reports that the League is no idle work or mere "joining"
society in their midst. They prove that just as the League
is adapted to all places, so its practices may be taken up by
all persons alike. Several bishops even personally direct
its working in their own cathedrals.
Among the different religious orders and congregations
of men, the League enjoys the labors, as local directors,
of Augustinians, Basilians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, Fathers of the Holy Cross, Jesuits,
Lazarists, Fathers of Mary, Fathers of Mercy, Oblates, Passionists, Paulists, Redemptorists, Sanguinists, Fathers of the
Sacred Heart, Servites;:Sulpicians, Fathers of St. Viator.
Also, the Christian Bmthers, the Franciscan Brothers, the
Brothers of Mary, the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, and
the Xaverian Brothers are among the active promoters of
the League.
The communities of religious women where local centres
have· been established include convents of the Carmelite
Nuns, Sisters of St. Benedict, Sisters of St. Dominic, of St.
Francis, the various Sisters of Charity (of St. Vincent de
Paul, of St. Augustin, St. Elizabeth, of the Blessed Virgin
Mary), Franciscans of the Perpetual Adoration, Sisters
of the Good Shepherd, of the Holy Child Jesus, of the Holy
Cross, of the Humility of Mary, of the Immaculate Heart,
of St. Joseph, of St. Joseph of the Immaculate Conception,
Loretto Sisters, Sisters of St. Mary, of Mercy, of Nazareth, of Notre Dame, of the Precious Blood, Presentation
Sisters and Sisters of Providence, Ladies of the Sacred
Heart, Servite Sisters, Ursulines, Nuns of the Visitation, and
others. Many of these communities. having their general
superiors in this country, have granted to the Holy League
a full participation in all their merits, prayers, and good
·works. . They have thus swelled largely the list of religious
orders and congregations which had already entered into
this generous communication with our universal League.
The Promoters whose names have been recorded in the
register at the American Head Centre, as having received
· the official Diploma and Indulgenced Cross, now number
nearlv 2000.
The monthly Rosary and Calendar Tickets are now issued
for more than I 3,009 Bands, that is, for over 200,000 associates of the League who practise its Second Degree, and
·are in full communion of its union of mutual prayer and
good ·works.
Sodality if tlze Blessed Vzrgin.-Sodalities seem to grow
proportionately with the spread of the devotion to the
�THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART.
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107
Sacred Heart as practised by the League. In many parishes
the League has shown the necessity of a sodality for those
who desire to form together a public association, making
special profession of piety. Thus, where before neither
League nor Sodality existed, the Sodality soon followed
after the establishment of the League.
Our record shows that 248 sodalities of the Blessed Virgin have been erected and affiliated to the Roman Prima
Primaria, thus gaining a title to its indulgences. None but
those acquainted with the formalities required can appreciate
the amount of work this number of affiliations has entailed.
The sodalities erected, exclusively for men, number 2I;
those for young men, 42 ; for boys, 20 ; for married women,
3 I ; for young women, 62; for girls, 40. The remaining 32
were for persons of both sexes and all ages.
Bona Mors Association.-The work of transmitting applications to the Very Reverend Father General of the Society
of Jesus for diplomas of affiliation to the Roman Primary
for the Bona Mors associations, is also done in the Messenger office. The formalities to be observed are similar to
those for the Blessed Virgin's Sodality. Diplomas canonically erecting and affiliating the Bona Mors Association
have been obtained for I I churches. · They entitle all persons, irrespective of age and sex, to be enrolled. The patron,
as usual where there is question of a happy death, has always
been St. Joseph.
ESTABLISHMENTS OF THE LEAGUE.
The fathers connected with the Messmger have been
pretty busily employed during these years in founding the
League, as the following items will show.
A Sunday is previously chosen for the purpose, and
on that day the League is explained at all the Masses, at
Sunday-school and sodality meetings, and, where possible,
an evening sermon is given on the practice of devotion to
the Sacred Heart by the Apostleship of Prayer of the
League. The essential part of all-the starting and organ··
izing of the lay promoters of the work-is completed during
the day. The same occasion is often taken for side-foundations in communities and schools.
Fr. Dewey has thus established the League in person
at St. Malachy's, the Assumption, the Sacred Heart, St.
Elizabeth's, St. James', St. Philip's, St. Charles', St. Stephen's,
Visitati~n. in the city of Philadelphia; St. Leo's, Tacony;
St. Joachim's, at Frankford; St. Dominic's, Holmesburg;
St. John's, Manayunk; St. Peter's, and St. ·Paul's, Jersey
�THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART.
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City; Sacred Heart and St. Stephen's, New York; Gate of
Heaven arid St. Mary's, Boston; St. Mary's, Waltham; St.
John's, Baltimore. He has also spoken at St. Francis', and
St. Charles', Philadelphia; at St. John's College, Fordham;
Georgetown College, Georgetown Convent, Woodstock College; Notre 'Dame Convent, Sacred Heart Convent, and
Convent of Mercy, Philadelphia; St. Ignatius', and Carmelite
Convent, Baltimore ; Boston College, Good Shepherd Convent, Boston; and the Convent of Mercy, New York.
· Fr. Brady personally established the League at Sts. Peter
and Paul's Church, and the Convent of Mercy, Towanda, Pa.;
St. Thomas', Ivy Mills; Nativity B. V. M., Media; St. Mary's,
Catasauqua; St. Martin's, New Hope; Blessed Sacrament,
Bally; St. Joseph's, Hanover; Sacred Heart, Conewago; St.
Aloysius', New Oxford ;..Jmmaculate Heart, Paradise; St.
Mary's, Lancaster; St. Mary's, Bordentown; St. Ambrose's,
Schuylkill Haven; St. Joseph's, Summit Hill; St. Joseph's
Convent, Chestnut Hill; Sacred Heart Convent, Eden Hall;
St. Joseph's Convent, McSherrystown; Convent of Mercy,
Bordentown; Sisters of Charity, Lancaster; St. Ann's Widows' Asylum, Phila.; St. Joachim's, Holmesburg (renewal).
He has also spo)<en, at the Receptiou if Promoters, at St.
Joachim's, Holmesburg; Sacred Heart Convent, Eden Hall;
Sacred Heart Church, and St. James', Phila.; St. Thomas',
Ivy Miiis; Nativity B. V. M., Media; and, at the Reception
if Badges, at St. Francis', Sacred Heart, St. Elizabeth's,
Phila.; St. Joachim's, Frankford; and at St. Malachy's, Phila.
at the unveiling of the statue of the Sacred Heart. All
these places are in the State of Pennsylvania.
•
Fr. Buckley has established the League at Cat~edral,
N. Y.; ·Cathedral, Portland; Cathedral, Trenton ; Immaculate Conception, Boston; St. Mary's, New Britain, Conn.;
St. Thomas', Woodbury, Md.; St. Michael's, Phila. He
has also 'spoken on the League at Holy Cross College,
Worcester; Notre Dame Convent, Roxbury, Mass.; Good
Shepherd, Boston; Cathedral school, N. Y.; St. John's,
Manayunk, Pa.; and Notre Dame Convent, Govanstown, Md.
The register of the local League at the Gesu, in Philadelphia, Pa., shows a total membership of nearly 19,000 in
that city. Of these, 12,279 belong to the 2nd Degree, or
that entailing the daily recitation of a decade of the Rosary ;
while some 6195 belong to the 3rd Degree, or weekly or
mOnthly Communion of Reparation. Of the latter, 1067
men and 5 I 28 women· make the monthly Communion, and
67 inen and 597women the weekly Communion. The Pro· .
rrioters, or those who start and direCt Rosary Bands, number
520, t~e men numbering 74; two are colored women, and,
T '
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I
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�!
FR. JOSEPH TADINI.
~~rvellous yet true ! one is biind and a~o~her bedridden;
fifteen have entered convents of eight different orders, and
three have gone to the ecclesiastical seminary.
OBITUARY.
FR. JOSEPH TADINI.
Father Tadini was born in Piedmont on l\farch 19, in the year 1816.
is known of his life before his entrance into the Society, except that
he had embraced the career of a secular priest, and as such was received
into the novitiate in 185il. During his noviceship, the. cholera visited
Italy, and Fr. Tadini showed great heroism in attending the sick and
dying. Obliged by the severity of the laws against the Society to leave
Italy, Fr. Tadini carne to America, where, as he belonged to the prov·
ince of Turin, he joined the mission of that province in California and
the Rocky l\Iountains, and arrived in Santa Clam about the year 1857..
Having taught philosophy at Santa Clara for about a year, he was sent
to the Rocky Mountains, where, for ten years, he labored. in company
with FF. l\leng11rini, Joset, Goetz, and others of the first companions of
Fr. De Smet. He then returned to California, and taught philosophy in
St. Ignatius' College till about the year 1878, when superiors transferred
him from this office and allowed him to pass the evening of his days in
the duties of the ministry.
On l\Ionday, November 19, Fr. Tadini said l\Iass for the last time. He
was, it is true, far from well, but there were no indications that the end
was so near. On the evening of Wednesday the 21st, the doctor made
his usual visit, but, finding his patient asleep, did not wish to disturb him.
The following morning the infirmarian visited him at 5.30 and brought
him a cup of black coffee that he had asked for. He drank .it eagerly,
and then lay down again. Suddenly he began to breathe heavily. His
neighbor, Fr. Varsi, was called, and came just in time to give the last
absolution.
Thus, on November 22, 1888, in the 73rd year of his age, Fr. Tadini
passed away. Little remains to be said by way of panegyric. His soul
was eminently a simple soul; his life, a hidden life. The number of penitents that mourn his loss proves, however, that it was not a useless life;
and one had but to draw him into conversation to discover that his sim·
plicity was the fruit of holiness. For several years he was in charge of
the library of St. Ignatius' College, and, for the care and discretion he
used in increasing it, he has earned the gratitude of the community. He
was for a considerable time chaplain to St. Rose's Convent, and he used
to prepare his sermons for'the nuns with great diligence. He would
never think of preaching unless his sermon hadpreviously.been corrected,
as regards its diction, by a competent authority, and consequently he
Li~tle
�IIO
FR. PETER BARCEUJ.
AIR. W.V. F. .VcGINN.
became a very good English scholar. But, although he overcame the
difficulties of style, he never thoroughly mastered the pronunciation,
and so his labor was often thrown away. Fr. Tadini was 11 great student.
He was continually in the library. His knowledge of the history of
Europe, during the present century, was most extensive, and any efforts
to draw it out of him were richly rewarded. His body lies in the burial
place of the Society at Santa Clara.-R. I. P.
FR. PETER BARCELO.
(From the Remsta Catolica.)
Fr. Peter Barcelo, whose death we announced in our last number,
was born in the State of Sonora, 'Uexico, on the first of August, 1838.
When quite young, he entered our college at Santa Clara, Cal., where he
won the reputation of a brilliant sci;olar. He entered the Society of Jesus
on the 9th of Sept., 1861. After his course of philosophy, he spent some
years in his Alma "lfater, teaching mathematics and other sciences. Soon
afterwards, he was sent to Woodstock to study theology, and. was ordained priest in 1870. On his return to the college of Santa Clara, he
was appointed professor of philosophy and higher mathematics. In 1877,
he was sent as missionary to the Rocky Mountains, and he was allotted
for the field of his apostolic labors the tribe of the Indians called Crowfeet, with whom he stayed until, his strength being exhausted, and his
health broken down, he was called by his superior to Spokane Falls.
There he did much for tl1_e good of souls, and there it was that a death
precious in the sight of God crowned the apostolic labors and the eminent
virtues of this worthy son of St. Ignatius.-R. I. P.
MR.
WILLIAM
F. l\IcGrNN.
~
.
1\lr. Wm. F. lllcGinn died in St. Ignatius' College, Chicago, A~g. 4,
1888. Although he had been quite sick for several weeks, most of the
time unable to leave his room or even his bed, yet he had passed the crisis, and was thought by his physician to be recovering. His death therefore was an unlooked for event and a decided shock to all. •
1\fr. l\IcGinn was born in Chicago, Aug. 11, 1862. After spending some
time at a parochial school, he was sent to St. Ignatius' College. At first
he entered the commercial course and went with ease and succ~ss through
its classes. Suddenly he quit the commercial to begin the classical course,
and applied himself with even greater earnestness to his studies. Always
at the head of his classes, and distinguished by a winning gaiety, an unaffected piety ahd affability towards all, he was very popular with his
fellow students as well as with his professors. In Sept. 1882, at the age
of twenty, he was admitted to the novitiate of the Society at Florissant.
As a novice he was marked by the same quiet yet winning and sterling
qualities as at college, only in a much higher degree. In his second year
of novice life he was made manuductor of the novices. In Sept. 1884,
having taken his vows, he began his two years of study in the juniorate.
In the second of these two years he met with an accident that occasioned
�JfR. WILLIAM F. ilfcGINN.
Ill
him three years of suffering and prepared his system for the disease
that caused his death. From that time be began to be unwell and was
obliged to lie down very often to get some relief. Yet his superior was
loth to give to another the office whose duties he discharged so fttithfully.
He himself used to say that there was something broken inside. Though
suffering severely and getting only occasional relief, be dragged ont the
year studying as well as he could.
He was then sent to Woodstock. There too he cloaked his suffering
onder a cheerful smile, and went bravely on. As be showed no exterior
signs of illness, few if any among his companions knew how much be
suffered. He became weak and wasted, and superiors feared he was falling into a decline. He studied faithfully when able to do so, and all that
were intimate with him saw that under more favorable circumstances he
would have made an exceptionally brilliant course.
Towards the end of April, 1888, he was called from Woodstock to Chi·
cago to be near his father who was then dying. In a short_ time he was
given something to attend to besides reading his philosophy.
Early every morning, and late every afternoon, he went from the college to the residence of the Sacred Heart to teach a class of lads who
wished to enter the college the following September, He showed a
readiness for work and a marked interest in his little class, most of whom
persevered and were prepared lor the Second Academic class. Thus far
his residence in Chica_go, and his native air seemed to be a boon to him.
He was steadily improving·, and. hoped to do full work the following year.
But about the middle of June he was suddenly confined to his bed with
a long and tedious fever, which finally revealed itself as a form of typhoid,
accompanied by inflammation of the bowels. After the crisis was past,
hope was entertained of his speedy improvement and recovery; but his
system had become so wasted that all recuperative power was gone. A
change for the worse took place on the 2nd of August, an acute attack
of peritonitis supervened, and on the afternoon of the 4th, whilst the
prayers for the dying were being recited, he peacefully passed away.
lllr. :1\IcGinn was a thorough religious. He was faithful and exact in
performing every duty. Above all, he had a universal kindness and charity. Of few men in or out of the Society can it be truly said, "Never
was he known to offend." Yet this is literal truth with regard to Mr.
McGinn. Quite as remnrkable, though not so manifest, was his patience.
He never complained. Others complained for him, sometimes warmly,
but he always held his peace. He appreciated highly and remembered
gratefully any little service no matter how slight. That he would have
been, with life and health, an exceedingly valuable man in the Society, is
the opinion of those competent to judge. But the will of his Master
seems to .have been, that his virtue should be perfected in suffering. Oonsummatus in brevi explevit tempora multa.-R. I. P.
t
�VARIA.
'Alaska, Abp. Seghers.-As so much has been said in our Alaska letters
about the sad death of Abp. Seghers of the diocese of Vancouver Island and
of-Alaska, it is fitting that the final interment also be recorded. It will be
remembered that the archbishop was assassinated near Nulato on the Yukon,
A. T., on Nov. 26, 1886. He was buried temporarily at Fort St. :Michael on
July 6, 18Si, disinterred and t~ken aboard U.S. S. Thetis on Sept. 11, 1888,
and on the 14th of last Novemlier his remains were received with solemn
pomp at Victoria. The prompt action of the U. S. Consul at Victoria in secnring.orders from 'Vashington for the transfer of the remains, and the respectful manner in which Captain Emory of the Thetis carried out these
instructions will be gratefully remembered by Bp. Lemme us (the new bishop
of v'ictoria) and the people of the diocese of Vancou,·er Island. As the
remains left the Thetis for Victoria in one of the ship's cutters, the stars and
stripes were placed at half-mast, and as the funeral procession of boats passed
H. M.S. Espeigle, the British ensign was lowere<i to half-ma~t and a detachment of marines stood on the quarter·deck presenting arms. The bell on
board the Thetis kept tolling mournfully all the while, and the flags on
all the other steamers passed in the harbor were lowered. The funeral took
place on the next day from the pro-cathedral. Abp. Gross of Portland, Oregon, celebrated the solemn Requiem Mass, an•l Bp. Brondel of :Montana
preached. The other prelates present were Bp. Lemmens of Vancouver
Island, Bp. Junger of Vancouver, W. T., and Bp. Durleu of New Westminster, B. C.
•
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.Austria, Innsbr~tck.-Mr. Bechtel was ordained subdeacon on Nov. 24,
deacon on Nov. 30, and priest on Dec. 2, at Fcldkirch, by the Rt. Rev. John
M. Zobl, Bishop of Evaria and Coadjutor to the bishop of Brixen. He celebrated his first ).lass at the high altar of the university church on the feast
of St. Francis Xavier. All the American scholastics and nearly all the
American seminarians were present in the sanctuary. After l\Iass Fr. Bechtel
gave Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament according to the Tyrolese rite.
At 9 A.M. on the same day, the scholastics held an academia in honor of Fr.
Bechtel, during which :\Ir. O'Connor read a Latin poem, l\Ir. ).loynihan, one
in French, ~Ir. Opitz, the poet of the Austrian Province, in German, and ~Ir.
Gasson in English.-Fr. J. N. ~Iayr, Rector of our college at l\Iariaschein in
Bohemia and former Rector of Innsbrnck, has received the Order of Leo from
thP. pope, on account of his earnest and successful endeavors to have the pope's
jubilee fittingly celebrate? in Austria.-In the seminary there are 157 students.
Among these are one prince, four knights, two barons, one count, ten Benedictines, three Cistercians, five Premonstratensians, four Teutonic knights,
and o'ne member of the Order of St. John of God. In addition to these there
are 134 seculars, representing 63 dioceses. The lectures are also attended by
32 Jesuits, 2 Franciscans, 2 Cisterciaru:, 5 Premonstratensians, 3 Benedictines,
(112)
�VARIA.
113
9 Servites and 67 seculars. -All the American scholastics have preached in
the refectory, and the consequence has been that nearly every one desires to
learn English. They are promised plenty of willing pupils next vacation.The university catalogue for the present year contains, in the faculty of
theology, the names of U Jesuits. Eight· of these are ordinary professors,
two are extraordinary professors, and four are privat docenten. Fr. Stentrup
is the dean of the faculty. Professor Gustav Bickell, who lectures on Semitic languages, is the only secular priest in the faculty of theology.
Vienna.-The advent conferences in Vienna last year, for the educated
gentlemen of the Austrian capital, were preached by Fr. Vincent Kolb, S. J.
They were given in St. Peter's Church on )londays and Thursdays at 7 P. M.
The subject was "Christianity and the :Mistakes of Modern Philosophy."-Fr.
Stephen Raschner with four lay· brothers has gone to the Australian )lission.
Belgium,JJiira.cle of Fr. Beckx.-A letter froin Holland relates it as fol·
lows: A sick woman prayed to St. John Berchmans to cure her. He appeared
to her and said: "Do not pray to me, but to this father," pointing to a ven·
erable father standing by his side, "he will cure you." The sick woman
prayed to the father without knowing him and was cured. She was shown
pictures of our saints and asked whether she recognized him who had cured
her. She did not. But when a photograph of Fr. Beckx was shown, she
immediately exclaimed: "That is he! He has cured me !"-Fr. Pfister.
Actus publicns.-A Scholastic of Enghien, Francis Hendrichs, on July 25,
1888, gave a public act, in which he defended 121 theses de universa philosophia. His theses were dedicated to the bishop of Tournay.
•
•
Books.-The following reprints of works of Fr. Dirckinck are announced
by the scholastics of Ucles as soon to appear: Horologium 8piritnale Scholasticorum, S. J.; Horologium Excitatorium.
Pere )fercier is preparing a life of P. de Plas. He was recently at Brest to
collect information.
Father L. Li has written an explanation of the Salve Regina in Chinese, in
12mo, 54 pages.
Les Etudes had 4004 subscribers on Sept. 1.
J. Bnceeroni, S. J., Commcntarius in Constitutionem Benedicti XIV., Sacramentum Pamitentiro, Editio Altera.
Gesii Cristo Verbo Incarnato, Consiuerazioni, per Rnggero Freddi, S. J.
The 5th Edition of Fr. Lehmkuhl's 1Ioral Theology is out.
Fr. Heinzle has published in neat pamphlet form his translation of Fr. Cath·
rein's papers on the Lund Question. The pamphlet beats the title: "The
Champions of Agrarian Socialism." The publisher is Peter Paul, Buffalo.
Sur La Tension Electrique, par le Pere Joseph Delsaulx, S. J., Professeur au
College de la Compagnie de Jesus :l Lou vain.
Fr. Hagen has begun a series of articles in the Stimmen on the progress of
astronomy during the last decade.
Fr. Plenkers tells, in the Stimmen, the history of the conversion of Anne of
Denmark, wife of King James I. Queen Anne was converted in Scotland
by Father Abercromby of our 8ociety. Fr. Plerikers holds that her apostasy, after she had become Queen of E-ngland, is not proved, though asserted
by many Protestants.
Differential and Integral Calculus, by Rev. Joseph Bayma, S. J., Professor of
VoL. xv·m, No.
l
1.
8
�114
VARIA.
Mathematics at Santa Clara College; 230 pp., 12 mo, San Francisco, A.
Waldteufel.
Fr. Palmieri is engaged in the work of publishing the manuscripts of Fr.
Ballerini.
The Spiritual Works of St. Alphonsus P.odriguez, S. J. have been published
in Spanish at Barcelona. They consist of three volumes 12mo, each vol:
ume about 800 pages.
Fr. Adolphus Petit, S. J. has just published at Brussels, "Sacerdos Rite In·
structus piis exercitationibus menstrure recolle<>tionis," 1~mo, 286 np.
La Predicati.on (grands maitres et grandes lois) par le R. P. Longhaye, S. J.,
Svo.
Vie du Pere F. X. Gautrelet, S. J., par le P. Burnichon, un volume in 18,
orne d'un portrait.
Boston, lUass.-Fr. Fulton .has already received $25,000 to aid him in
carrying out a plan recently set' before the Catholics of Boston. The plan
includes an addition to the coll-ege, a Catholic hig-h-school (lor graduates of
the parochial schools), and a building for the Young .\len's Catholic Association. The total cost is estimated at $1~5,000 and the work is expected to begin
in the spring. The sum mentioned abo,·e was contributed at one day's meetings, in response to an appeal from Fr. Fulton.
Brazil, College of /til.- Fr. R. ~I. Galanti writes as follows: "In my last
communication I told you something about the small-pox, which was then
raging in this town. We thought we were already out of danger and free
from fear, but our trial was just com.ing on. About the middle of September
a servant fell sick and small-pox appeared. He was remo,·ed, hut, perhaps,
too late. A second and a third servant also fell, and soon a few boys were
attacked. There was iio other means of preventing further disaster than to
close the college. Accordingly, in a few days, the students were sent home
in the best manner possible under the circumstances. Still, in order to assist
such as had to stand their examination for the university, Fr. Rector told
them they could go to St. Paul, where a house and a few teacht;t-s would be.
provided for them by October 15. We had just arrived in St. P"aulwhen, on
the 13th, two fathers arrived from Europe. One of them {Fr. Collangeli) was
so sick that he could not proceed to Itii, and on the 20th he died of yellow
fever, which he had taken at. Rio Janeiro. The other (Fr. Chiari), who
seemed then very well, went to Itii, but he also died sudd~nly on the 19th,
also of yellow fever. But our trials were not to stop here. After a few days
a boy fell sick, and he also died within a week. Next, a fire broke out one
night in the college, threatening total destruction. Happily it was soon put
out, and the damage was not very great. Nor is that all. Fr. Nardi, who
had spent the last fifteen years teaching music in the college with a rare zeal
and diligence, being sent to Nova Friburgo in order to prepare for the feast
at the end of the year, arrived there unwell, fell sick, and died within a few
days. 8till, as we are doing God's work, we have no reason to be discouraged.
God will help us, no doubt. The college has lost very much in money, but
nothing in its reputation;, since all have approved and applauded the measures we have taken in these trying circumstances. 1Ve therefore have every
reason to hope for a sufficient number of boys next year. The college will
be opened again on the 20th of February, and in due time I shall tell yon
what our position will be. ~Ieanwhile, several fathers are preaching missions
in different parts of this province, and they are doing a marked deal of good.
�VARIA.
us
The result of our examinations, both in St. Paul ancl in other plac~s, has been
splendid, and perhaps better than in any other year.- The college of Nova
Friburgo is going on very well, although there too they had to fight this year
with several diseases, chiefly with measles."
Oallf'ornia.-Dr. Wall, father of Bernard Wall, S. J., who died last year·
during his noviceship, visitc<l the novitiate at Los Gatos, where his old friend
Fr. ::llans is master of novices, and determined to erect there, in memory of
his son, a chapel dedicated to our Lady of Lourdes. The building is to be
commenced immediately.
Canada, Letter from Fr. F. X. Renaud, Jan. 29, 1889.-"There was a rumor afloat that the Holy Father had given one half of the Biens des Jesnites
to the Laval University, and the other half to us. There is nothing official
in this, but we are afraid that it may turn out true. In the same rumor it
was said that St. ::lfary's College could give the degrees, with the exception
of that of Doctor. The reason of the delay in the settlement is the follow·
ing: The bill that passed at the Provincial Parliament of Quebec, allowing
$400,000 to settle the Jesuits' claims, had to be ratified by the Federal Gov·
ernment. This ratification is gi veu by the fact of the government not veto·
ing the bill during the year that follows its presentation to the Federal authorities. The year will expire next August. Before making the division
of the $400,000, the Sovereign Pontiff wished to make sure that the bill would
not be disallowed. Consequently, the Prime ::lfinister of the Provincial
Government inquired at Ottawa as to the intentions of the Federal author·
ities. These refused to answer. Lately, owing to what influence I could not
say, the Federal cabinet informed lion. II. ::IIercier that the Jesuit bill would
not be vetoed. I think the solution will soon come now, and, if I mistake
not, too soon for our sake. A little delay would be better for us. At all
events, up to the time of the division, the interest at four per cent is accu·
mulating for us.
There is some hope of resuming the long course at our scholasticate next
year. The number of students in our college is 300."
China.- In the mission of Tche·li (Champagne) there are six fathers of
the Society and five secular priests who are native Chinese. In the mission
of Nankin (Paris) there are fifteen Chinese fathers who are Jesuits, and thir·
teen who are secular priests.
Colombia.- Extracts from a letter of Fr. Caceres, from the college of St.
Bartholomew, Bogota, Sept. 20, 1888. . . . "I shall tell you mainly of the
missions in which I have taken part. \Ve set out from this place at the be·
ginning of the present year in the direction of Santander, in the capital of
which, Bucaramanga, a mission had been given the year previous with splen·
did results . . . . During the last eight months we have been overrunning
almost the whole territory (Colombia) and have given about 20 missions in
the principal cities. The following are especially worthy of mention : ~an Gil,
El Socorro (the ancient capital of Colombia), Barich:ira, Piedecucsta, Giron,
Lebrija, Rionegra, Arboledas, Salazar. It was the old story : the harvest was
plentiful but the laborers few. The bishop of Pamplona accompanied us
through his entire diocese. To secure the good we had done, we established
the Apostleship of Prayer for all classes; the Children of l\Iary for girls, and
Hermanos d~ .San Luis for the boys. These societies were organized with
�II6
VARIA.
the approval and encouragement of the Cure". Mi:;sion crosses were set up
in prominent positions, both as a remembrance of the mission and as an ever
present object of veneration. Our welcomes and our leave-takings were things
not soon to be forgotten . . . According to the concordat lately established
between the Holy See and Colombia, the government is to give $100,000 annually, for the maintenance of divine service, and for the establishment and
support of seminaries, missions, etc. . . . The League of the Sacred Hear! is
taking a strong hold in the republic."
N. B. Fr. Caceres, judging from a few words in his letter, is trying to introduce base-ball and some other American (i.e. U. States) sports to the boys
of Bogota.
The Academy of Colombia held at Santa Fe de Bogota an extraordinary
meeting in honor of St. Peter Claver. The archbishop, the minister of state,
and a great number of persons of influence were present. The president of
the. republic accepted the honorary presidency, and a number of essays in
honor of the saint were read.-=The oldest man in the world is :Michael ~olis,
born in 1708 and therefore 18o''years old. He lives in the republic of San
Salvador. -Fr. Pfister.
Curiosities of Literature, Le P. Grou chez M. Cousin.-Fr. de Bonniot
in the December number of the Etudes has an interesting article entitled
Le P. Grou chez M. Cousin. The famous Yictor Cousin is the reputed author of a translation of Plato for which he received great praise. Fr. de
Bonniot gh·es an ocular demonstration that Cousin's translation of the dialogues is neither more nor less than a copy of Fr. Grou's translation. Sic vos
non vobi.~.... Fr ..Jean Nicolas Grou; S. J., died Dec. 13, 1803.
Fr. Claude Franrois )Iilliet de Challes.-The following item comes from
the novitiate at Frederick: 'Ve have in our library a translation of Euclid's
Elements made into French by one of Ours and done over into English by
one Reeve Williams. It is dedicated to Samuel Pepys. Considering the
latter's position in literature and his some-time greatness in matters of state
in England, and the fact that the book is the first presentation of Euclid in
English, it may be worth recording that it was owing to one of_Durs that the
thing was possible. An abridgment of the title page rends, "Th~ Elements
of Euclid, explained and demonstrated in a new and easy method, by Claude
Fran9ois ~Iilliet de Challes, a Jesuit. Done out of .French by ~eeve Williams, Philomath. London: printed for A. Lea, Globe-maker, at the A.Uas
and Hercules in Cheap-side, near Friday street, 1703." In the dedication to
the "Honourable Samuel Pepys, Esq., Principal Officer of the Navy, :::iecre·
tary of the Admiralty and President of the Royal Sodety," the translator refers to the author as "the learned de Chal!es," and in the translator's preface
occurs the line, "our author de Challes who is well known to the Learned of
this Age by his several excellent Mathematical Tracts." This preface is
signed by Reeve Williams, "From my School in the Virginia Coffee-House
in St. Michael's Alley in Cornhi!l."
Denver, Col., College of the Sacred Heart.-We learn from The Highlander, the college monthly whose first number came out in December, that
this new college now nm~bers 1:l:J students. Fr. Tisdall of our province is
now stopping at the college and is warmly welcomed in the columns of the
college paper. We find there also an account of the celebration in honor of
the canonization of the Jesuit saints. 'N e regret not having received it sooner.
The celebration took place on Oct. 28, 29, 30. Bishops Macheboeuf and :I.Iatz
�VARIA.
117
·celebrated pontifical High Mass during the triduum; the former on Sunday
and Uonday, the latter on Tuesday. The celebration closed with solemn
Benediction given by Rev. Fr. ~Iarra.-Fr. Dumen recently paid a visit to
the college. Fr. Colle has left for Las Vegas.-The corner-stone of Fr. Guida's
school in the Sacred Heart parish was laid on Thanksgiving day.- Fr. Mor·
rison is one of the assistants in this parish.
Ecua(lor.-The last congress determined to ask the Holy Father to divide
the Indian missions of Ecuador into four sections, three of which should depend on the Propaganda. One will be entrusted to the Dominicans who are
already there alltl who are going to introduce Dominican sisters from France.
Another will be given to the Salesian fathers of Don Bosco, who have resided at Quito for the past year. The Franciscans who have charge of a
neighboring mission in Peru will have care of the third division. The Society
will keep the part where our fathers are at present. They have been compelled on account of want of missionaries to give up the old reductions and
to retire to the territory they now occupy. Rev. Father Tovia, Apostolic
Vicar of Napo, is in Europe procuring subjects from the Apostolic Schools,
and this is the sole hope of the mission. The new president shows himself a
libera.l Catholic, which does not promise well for the future. Fr. ~Iuiioz gave
the two retreats to the diocesan clergy, who were much pleased. In preceding
years a considerable time of the retreat was spent in attacking Probabilism
and St. Ignatius' method of prayer.-Fr. Pfister.
France, Our Colleges.- The number of students in our colleges in France
is ever in~reasing. At Rue des Postes, Paris (the scientific school), every
place is occupied and many have to be refused. There are now four divisions
in this school, the first for those preparing for the Polytechnic, the second
and third for candidates for St. Cyr, the government military school, the
fourth for the lower classe•.-A new building was erected last year and is
now occupied by the fourth division. Pere Joubert has left the college where
he had taught the higher mathematics for thirty-four years. He has gone to
Angers as professor of higher mathematics. Pere d'Esclaibes takes his place
at Rue des Postes. The students of this college examined for admission to
St. Cyr this year met with the greatest success, 157 being admitted. This
number surpasses by far that of any other college. Furious articles appeared
in the Radical journals against the college.-Yaugirard opened with 540 students, Canterbury with a small increase, Vannes with 3i4, of which number
230 are boarders.- Pere Au bier, formerly of the New York and Canada :Mission, was last year at the Apostolic School (Mungret College, Limerick, Ireland), teaching French. He returned in Sept. to his old post at Brest.
Lille.-The two fathers of the province of Champagne who had been sent
to the Trappist monastery near Lille, one as master of novices, the other as
professor of theology, were recalled after two years. Their provincial bad
given them to the superior general of the Trappists only on condition that
they were to train the novices and scholastics of the whole order. For that
purpose one novitiate and scholasticate was to be established for all. But
the general chapter refused to give its assent when the condition was proposed
by the Rev. Fr. Abbot. The latter, fully convinced of the necessity of such
a measure, went to Rome and obtained from the Holy :Father a decision
binding all the Trappists to have one common novitiate and scholasticate in
:France. As 'the headquarters of the abbot are at Sept-Fonds, it is proper
that the training house also should be there. lienee the work was withdrawn
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from the fathers of Champagne and handed over to the province of Lyons. Our
fathers at Lille have purchased a large lot near the city, on which to build a
large house for spiritual retreats. The structure is intended to be quite mon·
astical, with cloisters and wide dormitories accommodated for patronages and
sodalities of workmen. The edifice will be begun next spring.
Reims.-Fr. Charles Lacouture delivered a series of ~onferences which
were a great success. For the first course, at the Circus, the cards of invita·
tion were signed by several Radicals, Free-Thinkers, and Protestants. A
Radical paper, L' Independant Remois, invited its readers to the Circus, while
a Catholic paper, La Croix de Reims, complained that it had got no notice of
the matter. After the first conference the papers changed about. The Inde·
pendant was incensed for having been deceived, the Oroix exhorted its readers
to attend the conferences. The rnging of the former proved powerless to
check the excitement, and Free Thinkers, Protestants, and Radicals attended
not only the lectures at the Circus but also those at the Cathedral, where
more than 3000 men (ladies being excluded) were counted.
Father de Plas.-Fr. de Plas was born in 1809 and died April 19, 1888, at
the age of 79. At the age of 15 he entered the naval school at AngouJeme.
·when raised to the grade of post-captain, he had expressed the desire of consecratin.g the rest of his life to the service of God in the Society of Jesus.
As, however, the superiors whom he consulted represented to him that he
was doing more good in the world by his example and by the practice of the
virtues to which he wished to bind himself by vow, he humbly submitted to
their judgment. But when, in 1868, his age entitled him to be placed on the
retired Jist, he hastened to the Jesuit fathers and said to them: "Now that I
am no longer anything, you cannot refuse me." He was received and ordained priest after a few years of study and sent to Brest where he spent his
remaining years labor!ng among the sailors whom he loved so well. "::l[y
career," he was once heard to say, "has been a happy and successful one, and
I could have been an admiral; but I have known happiness, true happiness,
only since my entrance into the Society of Jesus." His funeral is thus described in L'Ocean of Brest, April 23, 1888: "Saturday at 11.30 o'clock,
at the church of St. Louis, were celebrated the obsequies of Rev: Fr. de Plas,
Priest of the Society of Jesus, Post-Captain and Commander of the Legion of
Honor. On the coffin were the ~tole of the priest, the <'ross of Commander of
the Legion of Honor and that of the Order of St. Sulpice. The vice-admiral,
who is also maritime prefect and commander-in-chief, assisted at the funeral
service. In the procession were the rear-admiral major general of the
Navy, the rear-admiral major of the Fleet, most of the superior and lower
officers of the Army and Navy, and deputations from all the religious com·
munities of our city. At the grave, when the coffin was about to be sprinkled
with holy water, Rear-Admiral de Caverville, ::IIajor of the Fleet, advanced
and in a few heartfelt words, which drew tears from his listeners, bade a last
farewell to his old brother in arms, the ex-brigade major of the Navy who,
after a brilliant career, judging that hiE duty was not yet fulfilled, passed
from the ranks of his country's army to the company of the valiant hero of
Pampeluna.''
Frederick.-The catechism class for the Catholic children at the l\Iaiyland
School for the Deaf in this city is giving great satisfaction. Two of the juniors have charge of it and give them religious instructions by means of the
sign-language every week, on Sunday to the boys, and on Thursday to the
· girls. They have twenty children in their class, nearly all of whom are
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greatly in earnest and correspond to the efforts which their teachers are making for them. The authorities at the school are extremely obliging, and the
children han no obstacle put in their way in the practice of their religions
duties. They attend )lass regularly and approach the sacraments at stated
times. On a recent visit to Frederick, Card. Gibbons confirmed seven of the
deaf-mutes. His Eminence, accompanied by two of the fathers from the novitiate and by the catechists, visited the school and was warmly received by
the principal, )lr. Ely. The most friendly relations exist between the school
and us, which it is our desire to foster in every way. The work at the school
was begun nearly eight years ago. It has been conducted by the juniors and
novices, and since that time nearly forty Catholic deaf-mutes have been instructed in the truths of their holy faith, and most of them, as far as we have
been able to ascertain, are now leading the lives of good Catholics.
Georgetown College.-The work of preparation for the coming centennial is progressing. The class-rooms and parlors are finished, the tiling of
the lower class-room corridor completed, afler a pattern and in colors much
more benutiful than in the upper corridor, the parlors and the main entrance,
as far as it is to go a( present, are just finished, and now the good work goes
on with the grand stair-case leading from the parlors to the Coleman Museum.
The celebration will open on Feb. 20. The programme was published in our
previous number. Two circulars have lately been sent out by the Secretary
of the Alumni Association, one announcing reduced railroad rates on all lines
during the celebration, the other calling for prompt orders for the centennial
medal by those who wish to secure that souvenir.-The College Journal for
Decem her contains an edifying account of the establishment of the League of
the Sacred Heart; the article speaks of the success of the movement as "a
soh•itur ambulando argument against the non-existence of a religious feeling
among the boys of Georgetown," and a "decided refutation of many invidious
attacks on the want of piety in American youth."
Havana, Visit of JJir. James Anthony Froude.-The noted English historian, )Ir. James Anthony Fronde, in the course of a tour through the ·west
Indies, pai<l a visit to the college of our fathers in Havana and was introduced
to Fr. Vines, Director of the observatory, by the governor of the island, who
was a former pupil of the college. Mr. Fronde has given a detailed account
of this visit in his last published work entitled: "The English in the West
Indies or the Bow of Ulysses." After having explained the manner in which
our fathers became possessed of their present college and property in Havana,
he gives an interesting description, which we here omit, of the observatory
and its various instruments, and concludes his account in the following words:
"As far as I could judge, the fathers are more careful of their pupils' comforts
than of their own. As we were passing through one of the corridors, our
guide gave us a glimpse of his own room. I saw four bare walls, an uncar·
peted floor, a bed, with a crucifix resting on the pillow. There is no parade
of ecclesiasticism in the house. The libraries are well furnished with scientific rather than with ascetical works; the chapel has little ornamentation-a
few plain, religious paintings here and there. Everything is peculiarly fitted
for its purpose, even the gymnasium and bath-rooms. The expenses of the
establishment are paid from the tuition-money which the wealthier pupils
give; and by an intelligent economy the fathers are enabled to receive their
poorer pupils free of charge. They practise a most complete sacrifice of their
own personal adva11ta(les and comforts. When we were bidding fareweJl to
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the father who had acted as our guide, the marquis respectfully kissed the
wrinkled hand of his old teacher-a privilege which, I confess, I greatly
envied him."
Hungary, Letter from Fr. Pold,-Kalocsa.-This town of 12,000 inhab·
itauts, is situated on the left bunk of the Danube, 18 geographical miles south
from Budupesth, the capital of Hungary. St. Stephen I., the apostolic king,
founded at Kulocsa an archiepiscopal see. In the last century a certain religious order opened here a Latin school, which met with some success until
the year 1859. Mgr. Joseph Kunst, then Archbishop of Kalocsa, wished to
make his residence a centre of Christian education, the whole southern part
of the kingdom being without colleges. But, for want of a sufficient staff of
teachers and for other reasons, the Religious mentioned above were not able
to meet this prelate's aspirations .. , Then Ours answered the call of His Lordship to take charge of the vucant chairs. Mgr. Kunst erected a gothic college
church, enlarged the other buililiugs, and procured liberal endowments for
the support of our fathers. He was always a loving father to Ours. Besides,
the State authorities accorded to our schools the right of conferring diplomas of
maturity, which granted academic citizenship in State universities. Finally,
our professors were qualified as public State professors. Our first rector, Fr.
'Alexander 'Veuinger, brother of the late Fr. F. X. Weninger of Cincinnati,
0., began in the month of October 1860, with four classes, adding every year
one class-room more, until the whole gymnasium of eight courses was completed. Cardinal Haynald, our Archbishop since the year 186i, built and
improved a substantial observatory, added two wings to the college, and augmented the endowments of his predecessor.-This year, 22 fathers and 7 secular assistants are instructing over 500 students; li7 of them live in the Stephaneum, 18 in the Joseplrlnum, both boarding-houses superintended by Ours;
40 are pupils of tl;e diocesan seminary, a secular priest presiding; the rest
are day-scholars.-The obligatory studies are: evidences of religion, the Latin,
Greek, Hungarian and German languages, philosophy, poetry, rhetoric, physics, mathematics, geometry, history, geography. Elective studie;;: cymnastics,
stenography, drawing, music (both vocal and instrumental);-.-a~ronomy,
French. The teaching is done in Hungarian.
Budapesth.-Ours are erecting here, by the munificence of some aristocrats,
a fine residence and church. Two fathers here are already engaged in missionary work.
Travnlk.-The college of Travnik, Bosnia, is the newest jewel of our province. After the expulsion of the Turks from Bomia and Herzegovina, in
1879, the victorious Austrians resolved to found their politics in those Moham·medan provinces upon a Christian basis and develop occidental civilization.
The old Catholic hierarchy was restored, and Ours called to Travnik to instruct the youth of Bosnia in the spirit of Jesus Christ. The government
built a commodious college and secured the professors. This year the seventh
class was opened, next year the eighth will be introduced, completing the
number of the courses in the gymnasium. The language of instruction is
Illyrian, a sister language to the Polish and Russian. In the progress of time
theological courses will lie established. J nst now a descendant of the old
kings of Bosnia, deposed by the Turks, is preparing himself for the Catholic
priesthood.
At Prague, where I spent some months, I was happy to be the guide of
, FF. Brett and Conway, of :Maryland. I showed them the tombs of St. John
Nepomueene, St. 'V enceslas, Vitus, Ludmila, Sigismund, the room where Bl.
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·121
Campian lived, and several other treasures, sacred and profane, which Prague
possesses in abundance.
i )
India.-1\Iost Rev. George Porter, Archbishop of Bombay, received the
last ~acraments at Kinkee, he came very near dying before his brother Thomas,
but has recovered and is gradually regaining his strength.-There is a famine
in several of the districts of India on account of the drought. No rain, no
harvest; so there is little hope for the next harvest. There is not even seed
to sow, it being all consumed for food. At Kendal one of the missionaries is
besieged from early morning till night by the natives demanding bread. He
has been able to give to all who came.
The college of Bombay has 1500 pupils, Trichinopoly 1200, Calcutta between 800 and 900, :Mangalore 400 to 500. Darjeeling was opened on February
14, 1888, with 50 pupils. A Protestant paper of Darjeeling, The Englishman,
says: "The Jesuit Fathers will, in a few years, have at Darjeeling one of the
greatest and best schools in India. They have the hearty goodwill of the
whole population."-Lettre.~ de Jersey.
Bengal.-The mission of Chota-Nagpore is more and more blessed with
conversions. Fr. Lievens writes: "There are catechumens in forty of the vii. !ages. The eve of the month of May, I received G8 families into the church,
all converts from paganism. I endeavor to take each village as a whole; it
is better even in a material point. Lately I received four villages and I put
off five others because several families were wanting . . . . "'hole villages
come to be received one after another. Since last year the number of catechumens has been increased threefold, 100 chapels built, and the schools
multiplied."-P. Haghenbeck writes that from the first of 1\Iay to the first of
July he had received converts in nearly SO villages of the Uraons, where
before there. was not a single Catholic. A Protestant Uraon has been con\·erted and by his influence he aids the missionaries very much.
We Jearn the following from the Katholische .liiissionen: The astonishing
and most consoling successes of the Belgian fathers among the Kolhs of ChotaNagpore are growing apace. In August 1887, they counted 15,000 neophytes;
in August 1888, they had reached 50,:151. Only five fathers are laboring in
this rich field, but each of them has forty native catechists to assist him.
These <;atechists are filled with bnrning zeal and enthusiasm. The author
and the soul of the whole movement is the indefatigable Father Lievens.
Mangalore.-The whole of )!angalore has been thrown into deep mourning
by the sudden death of Fr. Urban Stein, 8. J., for nearly ten years vicar of
the cathedral of Mangalore. He went to the Indian missions in 1870, remaining at Bombay for eight years, where on completing his studies he was ordained in 1876. In December 1878, he left Bombay for :Mangalore, which
place was destined to be the chief seat of his apostolic labors. He was esteemed by all for his piety, his zeal, his charity and his humility.
Italy.-News has reached us that His lloliness, fearing for the spiritual
welfare of the Italian population of New York City, requested Abp. Corrigan
to take measures in their behalf. The archbishop placed the matter in the
harids of Rev. Fr. Provincial, who referred it to V. Hev. Fr. General, begging
him to send some Italian fathers to undertake the work. This appeal induced
V. Rev. Fr. General to send a letter to the five provinces of Italy asking for
fathers willing to labor among their fellow countrymen in New York. Many
offered their services, among others Fr. Degni, our Prof. of Physics of last
year.-Fr. Bucceroni has been appointed consultor to the Congregation of
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VARIA.
Bishops and Regulars, and theologian of the Dataria.-Fr. de Maria has been
promoted to the consultorsbip of the Congregation of the Index.-The Gregorian University numbers 707 students; -100 for dogmatic theology, of whom
·2s are of the Society (-1 biennists).-We are informed by Fr. Pfister that this
university is to be partly demolished by the opening of a new street. The
refectory and half of the buildings will have to come down. It is hoped that
·what remains will be sufficient for the university.-At St. Andrea the rooms
of St. Stanislaus will lose one of their chapels. These rooms are disposed in
the shape of aT. The middle one, where the saint died, and where his bean·
tiful statue by Gros is kept, will not be touched, but the one in the left-arm
of the T, in which our Holy Father Leo XIII. said his first )lass, will be torn
down.-The Sovereign Pontiff has announced that he will give an altar to' the
new chapel of the German College-it will be the main altar.
,Jesuit Bishops.-Bengal, Mgr. Goethals, Arch b. of Calcutta-Belgian.
Bombay, )lgr. George Porter, Arehbp. of Bombay-English.
Poona, )lgr. Beiderlinden, Bp. of Poona-German.
)Iadura, Mgr. Canoz (lately deceased), Bp. of Trichinopoly-French.
l\Iangalore, Mgr. Pagani, Bp. of 1\Iangalore-Italian.
1\Ialabar, )!gr. Lavigne, Yicar Apostolic of Cottoyam for the Catholics of
the Chaldee rite-French.
Kiang· nan, 1\Igr. Garnier, Yicar Apostolic of Kiang-nan-French.
Tche-li East, 1\Igr. Bulte, Yicar Apostolic of Tche-li-French.
Madagascar, )!gr. Cazet, Yicar Apostolic-French.
1\lauritius, Mgr. 1\leurin, Yic. A post. of 111., .Titular Abp. of Nisibis-German.
Colombia, 1\Igr. Paul, Archbp. of Santa Fe-Colombian.
Colombia, Mgr. Velasco, Bishop of Pasto--Colombian.
Ecuador, 1\Igr. Pozo, Bishop of Gayaquil-Ecuadorian.
Demerara, Mgr. Butler, Vicar Apostolic-English.
Jamaica, Rev. Fr. Thomas Porter (lately deceased), Pro· Yic. Apost.-English.
Rritish Honduras, Rev. Fr. Di Pietro, Prefect Apostolic-Italian.
:uessenger.-The 11Iessenger of the Sacred Heart for the Ne\i .Year announces its final installation in the city offices (at 11-1 South Third St., Philadelphia, Pa.). It puts this forward as "a guarantee that it luis come to take
its permanent place among the magazines of the country." The January
number, enlarged and with an increased space devoted to illustration, would
seem to argue as much. The Frontispiece-according to a specialty of this
magazine-reproduces, from a recent painter, a charming domestic scene,
"Christ Child's Come!" The first instalment is g-iven of a richly illustrated
article-"a Flight into Egypt"-on "the blessed tree whi~h, tradition says,
gave shelter to the Holy Family on their arrival in Egypt." The other illustrated article, evidently by some travelled American lacly, deals with "Two
~leek Saints' Tombs," at Annecy in Savoy. Of the two poems, also, each is
beautifully illuminated: "The Favorite Madonna" is by Helen Grnee Smith,
a name beginning to appear in the secular magazines; "Ireland's Golden
Noon," with its fine 1-1th-century border, is by Joseph E. Barnaby. The
"omplete long story of the•number-"The Holdings of a Vest-Pocket," by
Harry Vincent -is a remarkably real, almost photographic, delineation of
the stmggle and fall of a youn.r: man in hopeless search after employment in
the great city of New York. The sad truth of the story, apart from its lesson
of devotion, is an important instruction for parents and children alike. A
biog!aphical sketch is given of "The American Knight of St. Sylvester"
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(Col. Garesche, killed at Murfreesboro, 1862), by one whose fifty years of experience well enable to resume the interesting Life lately published by the
hero's son. "The Reader" reviews the Church, at home and abroad, and the
"Evangelical Alliance." A series of articles of popular theology on "The
Promises of the Sacred Heart" is begun; the "General Intention" treats of
the coming centenary of the French Remlution; and besides the usual devotional articles, there is an interesting and detailed account of "The Present
State of the Universal League" of the Sa~red Heart, of which the 29 lliessengers, issued in 14 languages through the world, are the official organs.
JUissouri Province, Detroit.-In a letter from Fr. Frieden, Rector of
Detroit College, the hope is expressed that his long cherished plan of erecting
a new college building will soon be realized. The sum required for the work
is $100,000 of which $35,000 have already been subscribed by seven gentlemen
of the parish. There is a fair prospect that the remaining $65,000 will be
secured by next July .-On the feast of the Holy name, Bp. Foley pontificated
in our church, aud Re\". Fr. l\Ieyer preached. In the e\·ening of the same
day the new bishop delivered a sermon to the people.
Cincinnati.- The Alumni of St. Xavier's College have formed an association and adopted a constitution-40 members.
Fr. TVeninger.-The following is a coii\·crt Jew's tribute to Fr. 'Veninger.
It is written from New Orleans, La., June 30, 1888:-"To my sincere sorrow,
I read in to-day's paper of the demise of Fr. 'Veninger of Cincinnati. Not
having had the pleasure of knowing him personally, I have learned to love
him from studying some of his works, and it was for some time a favorite
idea of mine, when passing through Cincinnati, to call on him and thank
him for the great spiritual benefit I derived by perusing his books. His picture is hanging over my desk, and if the prayers of a poor sinful Hebrew convert, whom by his writings he has helped to find again the true and only way
that leads to salntion, are acceptable toward the repose of his soul, I will
thus try to show him my gratitm!e."-Pilgrim.
Osage llission.-Fr. Paul M. Ponziglione, the veteran pioneer missionary
of Kan"as and Indian Territory, will celebrate the golden jubilee of his entrance into the Society, on Feb. 2i, at Osage Mission, Kan.
The lay-brothers of this province were invested with the habit of the
Society on the feast of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez.
As we go to press we are informed of the appointment of Fr. John P.
Frieden as provincial of this province.
JUission of Xew Or1cans.-Contracts for the erection of water-works at
Spring Hill were let last fall. The works will cost $3.500, and will supply
10,000 gallons daily, hy means of 10-horse power turbine water wheeh. The
water tower will be 80 feet high and give a preSRure of 38 pounds. The water
supply comes from a spring at the loot of the hill which flows at the rate of
26'gallons per minute. Next Summer, arc and incandescent electric lights,
and ventilator fans will be introduced, the same power being utilized.
New York, St. Francis Xavier's.-The new college-hall will be ready in
March. A class specimen has been given by every class from 3rd Grammar
to Rhetoric. The annual retreat of the Alumni was given by Fr. Merrick.
The class-rooms have been provided with new desks.
Fordham, St. John's.-A pious association has been formed at the college,
· composed of twenty students, for the purpose of aiding Fr. Gelinas in the
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VARIA.
instruction of the infirm on Randall's Island. The little band of apostles is
under the leadership of two members of the philosophy class.
Keyser Island.- An island near Norwalk, Connecticut, on the New
York and New Haven Rail Road, and forty-three miles from ]1\ew York,
has been recently bought by the Maryland New York Province. It is
intended to make of it a hou•e of retreat for gentlemen. The island is reached
by a bridge and is only twenty minutes' walk from the station, which is one
hour's ride from New York. It is known, from the former occupant, as Keyser's Island, but the name will be changed as soon as a suitable one can be
found. There are three dwellings ami a hot-house, on the island. The dwellings contain 30 rooms, and have a south-eastern exposure so as to catch the sea
breeze. A beautiful beach surrounds the island affording excellent opportunities for boating and bathing, while the seclusion afforded is all that can be
desired.
'
Philadelphia, Gesu, St. John Berchmans Sanctuary Society.-Although
sanctuary societies are given iiie name of St. John Berchmans in many of
our churches, yet it does not seem to be generally known that a society under
the patronage of our young saint was especially approved by the Holy Father.
To spread the knowledge of this society, those who have the direction of it
at our church of the Gesii in Philadelphia have printed a little handbook
for the use of the members. From this source we learn that The Saint John
Berchmans Sanctuary Society was founded, in 1865, by Fr. Yincent Basile, a
Jesuit missionary in Slavoniu, who the same year obtained from Pope Pius
IX. his approval of the society. The Holy Father was furthermore pleased
to enrich it with many indulgences, and ·to permit any priest to establish it
in his church, with the single condition that the consent of the Ordinary of
the diocese be obtained._ This same little han,lbook contains a list of the indulgences granted, extracts from the rules of the society, the five prayers to
be recited at the meetings (indulgenced), and a calendar uf the feasts of the
society. The handbook bears the imprimatur of His Grace, the Archbishop
of Philadelphia.
·
--
Rocky 1\It. 1\Iission, Washington Ty.-Fr. Garrand writes to" Hev. Fr.
Cataldo, on Dec. 4, "The Indians frequently put me to great inconvenience
by summoning me for sick calls when there is no real need. Sometimes I
have found the supposed sick person consuming at one meal more food than
I would eat in two days-a rather decided sign of life, not to say health.
Consequently, I told them not to call me except in cases of real necessity, as
it interfered with my other necessary duties. Now they resort to another expedient. About a month ago, Hilaire appeared bringing in his wagon his
wife Elizabeth to receive the last sacraments. Had she been really in danger
of death the 25 miles' ride would have been enough to kill her. Indeed she
did seem very weak, so that I hastened to hear her confession, but as I saw
that she was not dying I delayed to give her Holy Communion till the next
morning, and refused extreme unction. And, in fact, after four or five days
she had quite recovered. This last week an ex-pupil of Salem died of con·sumption in a very miserable manner. I had been after him several times to
get him to go to confession a~d make his first Communion, but he had always
some excuse. He knew English perfectly and I had given him a prayer-book
and catechism. Last Easter he went to confession, but could not be induced
to go to Communion. A week ago he was dying, and his father, instead of
sending for me, called in the medicine man, who answered the summons, and
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125
just as he was beginning his incantations the young man died. '!his death,
in the very act of superstitious worship, has produced a great effect upon the
Indians, who see in it the just judgment of God. Yesterday we celebrated
the patronul feast at St. Francis Xavier's school, and an agreeable surprise
awaited me in the excellent singing of fonr English canticles by the Indian
children. I believe Your Reverence knew that they were preparing this sur·
prise. But I can astonish Your Reverence more by inviting you to the Opera
House at North Yakima on Christmas night, when the children of the Yakima
Indian Catholic Schools will give their first exhibition on the stage. The
subject is the 'Nativity of our Lord and the Adoration of the Shepherds.'
The scenes are very simple. In the mounhtins some shepherds hear the good
news from those who have been to Bethlehem, and are invited to go and see
the sight. They go and find the girls adoring the new-born Child. All bring
offerings with them except one little girl, who cries because she has nothing
to gh·e; they console her and bid her offer her heart. The boys have skins
of all kinds to lay at the manger, and all feel indignant at the way in which
the rich people of Bethlehem treated St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin.
Such is our present occupation, training poor Indian children to preach to the
whites. And the whites will perhaps never have heard such a lesson before
-and that too from Indians, at the Opera Honse." The same father writes
on Dec. 26:
"Had Your Reverence assisted last night at the exhibition, you would have
felt proud of the success of the pupils both of the academy and of the Indian
schooL The Indians were the last on the programme, but, though they played
after the whites, they proudly sustained the comparison. Ignace, who had
three of his grandchildren in the representation, was present with several
others of the tribe. They expressed their satisfaction as well as their surprise
at the childreu's perf(wmance. The girls, in Eastern costume, were as attractive as any of the whites; and one of the Indian boys showed a real talent for declamation. I got a magic lantern to amuse the Indian children
during the holida~·s, but I intend to make it the medium of imparting useful
information both sacred ami secular. At midnight ~lass more than 100 received Holy Communion; Yakima had never before seen such a beautiful
Christmas celebration."
Jfontnna.-A.t. St. Ignatius' ~fission there were over 600 Communions on
Christmas nay. Our fathers have not less than 80 boys in their school, and
the sisters not less than !10 girls. Fl". Jacquet is prefect of studies.-At St.
Peter's, on the other slope of the Rocky ~fountains, some 120 children are
educated by the Jesuits and the U rsulines. The number of students is in·
creasing, and applicants are refused tor lack of room. Christmas night was
truly beautiful, and many approached the Holy Table.-Improvements are
taking place in the northern part of the territory. Father Damiani has paid
several long visits to the Piegans, who have retained their superstitious practices in spite of the zeal of the missionaries. Two years ago, Fr. Damiani
obtained from "White Calf," their chief~ a considerable tract of land at the
foot of the Rockies in a place called "Two Medicine." After he had planted
the cross as his landmark he started the work. The logs were hewn and
hauled by the Indians, the church has been built, and next spring they expect
to put up a residence for the missionary and a school-house for the children.
The Cheyenne ~!ission was closed last November, and all, missionary and
nuns, left the place. This step was taken in order to punish the Indians for
their lukewarmness. But, as they seem to repent, Fr. Van der Velden and
t,he sisters have returned to them.
�VARIA.
Scientific Xotes, Ueorgetuwn College Uuservutory .-:Fr. Hagen has
kindly furnished us with the following account of what has been done at the
observatory up to Jan. 18: "The work done up to the present time is confined
to repairs. The cellar has received a concrete floor, a good whitewashing and
a hot-air furnace. The dome bas got new shutters, fresh paint and a new
gearing, after an ingenious plan of )fr. Gardner of the Naval Observatory, by
which the shaft of the pinion has nearly an. inch play by means of spring• so
as never to lose contact with the rack, the latter having the shape of an elliptical ring, as is the case in most domes. Some book-shelves in the library,
and a storm- door at the entrance, finish the list of things that may be said to
be complete.
"A wire has been run from the ""estern Union Telegraph office to the observatory, but the apparatus has not yet been procured to receive time-signals.
Only five poles had to be erected along the road leading up to the houses near
the observatory, the telegraph company allowing the use of their own poles
as far as the bridge across the Potomac, and the C!tesapeake and Ohio Canal
Company allowing the use of theirs from the bridge to the aforesaid road; on
condition, however, that our wires be not placed nearer than three feet to
their telephone wire. )lr. Gardner, who has received the thanks of Congress
for his efficient management of the public time service, has kindly offered both
to plan and to execute all the electric connections within our observatory and
with the Naval Ob"ervatory.-Professor Pickering, of the Harvard College_
Observatory, has made us a very valuable present, a set of the beautiful astronomical engravings prepared hy the late Prof. Winlock, for the purpose
of adorning the walls of our observatory.
"Finally, it may be added that the first contact of the solar eclipse on New
Year's day was observed here, and the result published. Although the beginning of the eclipse took place only sixteen minutes before sunset, the observation was favored by-an exceptionally clear horizon.
"Some instantaneous photographic plates were held in readiness for the last
lunar eclipse of Jan 16, but the moon did not show herself all that night."
An Observatory at Woodstock.- Fr. Hedrick has constructed a small but
neat observatory a little south-east of the hot-house, where he _bas a fine
sweep of the sky. The dome is twelve feet in diameter, and, berng' covered
with painted canvas, is very light and revolve• with the greatest ease. An
opening two feet wide extends, not as nsnal only from the base to the top, but
from base to base, through 180°. This arrangement permits a rapid and
thorough ventilation of the dome, so as to get the same temperature inside
and out. The shutters, by an ingenious arrangement, slide sideways on iron .
rails instead of turning up. An iron tube 12 feet long is set 7 feet deep into
a concrete pier and forms a support tor a small equatorial with a 3 inch object glass. At present, however, it is occupied by a universal instrument belonging to Georgetown, with which the latitude and longitude of the observatory is shortly to be more accurately obtained. We hope to publish the
results in our next issue.
The Observatory of Pekin and Father Verbiest.-N"ture for Nov. 8, 1888,
contains an abstract of a lecture by Prof. Russell on this observatory. It ap·
pears that it is the oldest observatory in the world, having been established
in 1279; the oldest in Europe being that of Denmark founded in 1576. The
instruments still exist and it is curious to observe that they are exactly similar
to those constructed by 'l'yche llrahe, who was the first. European to make
astronomical instruments of metal. The Chinese thus anticipated European
astronomert~ by at least three centuries. What interests us is that Verbiest,
l~
�VA.RJA.
the Jesuit father, found the instruments out of order and very clumsy, and,
on account of the profuseness of ornament, the stars could not be observed-at
all with some of them. In the year 1670, so bad were they that Fr. Yerbiest
was ordered to make ·six new instruments. It appears that when the high
ministers of state were ordered to go to the observatory and make certain observations, the calculations of Fr. Verbiest were verified as correct, while those
of \Vu !.ling Hsuen, the Chinese astronomer, were proved to be wrong. And
so Fr. Verbiest was entrusted with the calculation of the calendar and. the
construction of these instruments, which were of the same general character
as the old ones, but much more accurate and more easily adjustable. They
are still in situ, and pictures of them taken from photographs appeared lately
in the French journal L' Illustration, from which they were copied into the
Scientific American Supplement for January 12, 1889.
Fr. Viiies S. J., of Belen College, Havana, continues his meteorological and
magnetic observations, and has just published, with beautiful plates, the "4•.
Trimestre, Octubre-Diciembre, 1886."
Electrical Tcnsinn.-The last number of the Annals of the Scientific Society of Brussels contains an interesting and neat proof, by tht- Rev. Joseph
Delsaulx, S.•T., Professor of Physit>s in the Scholasticate at Louvain, of a
remarkable and important theorem due to Clerk ::llaxwell, on electrical tension.
Many proofs have hitherto appeared, but this of Pere Delsaulx seems to be
the most simple. We are indebted to the learned author for a copy of his
little brochure, containing this elegant piece of analysis.
At I~fadttgascar a new observatory is in process of construction at the expense of the mission; the instruments, some of which are of great value, have
been given by the French Navy.
Fr. S. J. Perri! has been elected Member of the French Astronomical Society.
Soudau.-:llgr. Sogaro, Vicar Apostolic of Central Africa, writes as follows: "The long expet·ience of my predecessors as well as my own, and the
advice of influential persons, induced me to express to the Sovereign I'ontitf
the wish that our missionaries and their pupils might be formed into a con·
gregation with perpetual vows. The Holy Father deigned not only to approve this plan, but also to bring about its execution. For he empowered me
to inform the Very Rev. Fr. General of the Society of Jesus that it was the
wish of His Holiness that two Jesuit fathers might be sent to us to form our
first novices. Thus, in Oct. 1885, we were able to realize the ardent wish of
my predecessor )fgr. Comboni, to have the formation of our novices put into
the hands of the Jesuit fathers .. Since that time all is well with us. The
novitiate is in Verona and lasts two years. Last October ten of our novices
took their vows."-Katholische JJ!issionen.
Spain, Loyola.-The feast of St. Ignatius was celebrated this year with
greater pomp than ever befi>re. At the same time the triduum in honor of
our new saints was celebrated and the new church opened. Begun two centuries ago, it has just been finished, thanks to the devoted assistance of the
inhabitants. There is perhaps not a single one who has not wished to do his
share and to work for the glory of St. Tgna ti us. Relays of laboring men succeeded one another daily, and they worked gratis, without liftiug their eyes,
it is said, or smoking a cigarette.
Gandia.-The palace in which St. Francis Borgia was born at Gandia has
been purchased by our fathers, and is to be used as a residence.
�128
VARIA.
Majorca.-The canonization or t:lt. Alphonsus Rodriguez was celebrated
with much enthusiasm.-Fr. Pfister.
Home News.-Alttumn Disputations, Nov. 30, and Dec. 1, 1888.
Ex TRACTATU DE DEO CREANTE-Dejender, Fr. Eicher; Objectors, FF.
Colgan and De Smedt.
Ex TRACTATU DE YERBO lSCARNATO-Defender, Fr. de la ~lotte; Objec·
tors, Fr. Crimont and )!r. de Ia )loriniere.
Ex SACRA ScRIPTURA-"Quid mihi et tibi est, mulier?" Dissertation by
Fr. Laure.
Ex ErHICA-Dejender, )!r. F. Connell; Objectors, )L\I. Otting and Conners.
DE INTELLECTU HUMASO-Defender, )!r. Raby; Objectors, ).Ill. Heman
and Russell.
DE QUAXTITATE ).!UNDANA-Defender, ;\lr. Taelman; Objectors, ).IU. Weis
and llc~iff.
)Ir. )!c)Ienamy ga.,.e a lectnre on Gravitation; illustrated by new and interesting experiments. The lecturer was assisted in the experiments by J.DI.
Talbot and Singleton.
Laundry.-A new laundry has been erected near the old one, supplied with
a 20-horse power boiler and a 12-horse power engine, a steam mangle, a centrifugal wringer, two washing machines, and a steam drying closet. A cistern
of about 4000 gal. capacity has been built just below the laundry, fed from the
spring near the gate of the old football field. A line of three inch pipe has
been laid from the cistern to the skating pond, by means of which the pond
can be flooded in 15 minutes.
Libr!rry.-Our thanks are due to Fr. Prachensky who has presented the
college library with the first seven volumes, magnificently gotten up, of a
German translation of the Summa of St. Thomas. The translator is Dr. C.
Schneider, a man of1'lonsiderable ability, bnt a rabid Thomist, who interprets
St. Thomas according to his own preconceived notions. He is violently op·
posed to the great Jesuit interpreters of the Angelic Doctor.
Parish.-The little parish church at Woodstock has undergone a marked
change since Fr. Brandi took charge last summer. .Memorial windows in
imitation of stained glass, all very beautiful in design, a l(l''iu'ld chandelier
of polished brass with crystal pendants, and the painting and frescoing of
walls and ceiling, give the whole interior an elegant and at the same time de·
votional appearance. All this has been done at a cost of $850, all of which
was defrayed by the little congregation. The walks and terraces around the
church have also been put in order, and a new fence put around the graveyard.
The American Ecclesiastical Review, which takes the place of The Pastor,announces in the February number that Fr. Sabetti will hereafter have charge
of the casus conscientice and their solutions.
As we go to press we hear that the residence at Goshenhoppen (Bally,
Berks Co., Pa.) has been given to the bishop. The residence of Ours at El
Paso, Texas, has also been abandoned.
�Fructus Ministerii PP. ProvinciCB MissourianCB, Jul. 1887, ad Jul. 1888.
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��\VOO·DSTOCK LETTERS
VOL. XVIII, Nu.
2.
FR. JOHN BAPST.
A
~KETCII.
(Continued.)
Fr. Bapst maintained temporary headquarters of the
southern Maine missions at Bangor from the beginning of
December, I X52, until the opening of the new year. During·
this interval he resided with Fr. O'Sullivan. the parish priest
of St. Michael's Church, Bang·or. In the early part of January, rX53, he tonk up his permanent residence at Ells\\·orth.
where the Catholics had hired a house for him. Though
not the first priest to visit Ellsworth, he \\·as the first to reside there. There was then at Ells\\·orth a small Catholic
church, which the priest of Bangor had been wont to attend
from time to time; hut the success of Fr. Bap~t's zeal in
bring·ing hack luh~\\·arm Catholic;; and con\-vrting· many of
those outside the fold soon rendered the erc{tinn of a larger
church a necessity. \Vith the generous aid of his poor hut
de\·oted people he was enabled to build a much larg·er
church, which he had read\· for usc fnlh· timr month~ lll'fon·
the close of his first year ;{t Ellsworth.ln April, rX_:;3, Fr. 1\ugu--;tin K. Kennedy \\·as appointed
one of the collcCl:ors for I lnly Cross College, \Vorccstcr,
Mass., which was then \·cry hcaYily in debt, and lw was
accordingly withdra\\·n from the missions of Maine. He
returned, however, in the following year, and died at Eastport before the close of the year. In September, IXS3•
Fr. Cotting and Fr. John McGuig-an \\·ere sent to Ellsworth to assist Fr. Bapst, but they remained only a month
VoL. xvm, No. 2.
9
( 129)
�1.)0
FR . .JOH.Y RAPST
on the missions. About this time, Fr. O'Sullivan, the
secu Jar priest stationed at Bangor, was removed by Dr.
Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Roston. Fr. Bapst had always been
anxious to obtain a permanent residence at Bangor, since it
was better suited to sen·e as the headquarters of the southern missions than Ellsworth, being situated nearly 27 miles
north-west of Ellsworth, inland, on the Kennebec Ri\-er.
Ellsworth was situated on the Union River, not far from the
sea-coast, and did not possess so central a position with reference to the various stations visited bv the missionaries.
This desire of Fr. Bapst was shared by Fr. Stonestreet, \\·ho
was then prm·incial, as appears from the following extraCts
from Fr. Bapst's letters,written to him at this time.
ELLSWORTH, .\ugust 17, 185il.
The Hev, Fr. O'Sullivtm, priest of Bangor, has been removed
by the bishop, who has requested me to attend Bang-or the best I could
till he finds another priest to take Fr. O'Sullivan's place. II: ns I understand it, Your Hevereuce is not willing- to keep the mission of Alaine
unless Buugor (which is a centrul 11nd very important place) is given to
us, now is the time to settle it. .\uyhow, I hope Your Heverenee will
soon tell me your determination, about Buugor in particular aml the missions in general. . . .
I understood in Georgetown from Your Hevereucc, that our province
would give up the ~Iaine missions unless Bangor be given to us. This,
in fact, is the only pructical plan; for our mbsious without Bangor :u·e
nothing, and with Bang-or they arc the very best missions in the province.
Now the time is come to make a final dedsion. The bishqp of Boston
is going to Tiome in .fannary next. Before he leaves, he Jllll:_lt eitlter restore Fr. O'Sullivan to Bangor, or send somebody else then•, or give the
mission to ns. If Fr. O'Sullivan is re.-tored, or uuothcr prie~t appointee.!,
then Bangor is lost for us. But now the bishop is no long-er under compliment to anybody, since Fr. t:oskcry has dechued. and nobody has been
appointed in !Jis place; and, moreover, he seems willing· to give us Bangor
ruther thnn to lose us nltogether. Therefore, as I Haiti, now is the time.
if. ever, to come to 11 conclusion. If Your Hevercncc shoulc.l accept Bangor, only one muu more would be required in :\[:line, provided he Lte a
smart man. Fr. ~Ioore, who wants to be alone, might do well enough
in Thomaston and Belfast, nut! Fr. l'acciariui with Fr. Kennedy will do
very well in Ea~tport; another man like FF. De Ncckere, Force, AlcGuigun, or the like. with me will do for Bangor. Thus the missions will be
settled at lust, and a great deal of good will be done. But if it is not the
will of Your Hevcrenc~ to accept Bangor, let us at ouce tlispose everything in the mission for our final removal from 1\Iaiue, which might he
effected in the course of a few mouths, and in the meantime let everything
remain in statu quo: Fr. Moore iu Bangor, Fr. Bupst in Ellsworth llJHl
FF. Pacciariui and Kennedy in Eastport. I would have no objection to
be left alone for a lew months more, if I was sure to be removed; but
�FR . .fOH.V HAPST.
IJI
Your Reverence will forgive me for telling you that I feel weary and discouraged at havin~ to live in the state of indecision and uncertainty in
which I have been left for a year and a half; a state of uncertainty that
shakes all the resolution and energy of my soul, spoils my undertakings,
checks my zeal, and prevents my making provisions, which otherwise
would be necessary, for the house here and for the ministry in the different
mtsstons. I have always present to my mind this thought: ""'hat is the
use of doing this or that, if I have to leave the mission soon·:" And my
trouble and embarassment is greater yet when there is question of commencing a new building or of repairing an old one, as is very often the
case; for I am always fearful that, having commenced anythinl.!: of importance, I tnay not have time to carry it out.
Now Very Rev. and dear l<'r. Provincial, I have opened my mind to
you in all simplicity, and proposed the plan I think the best. The decision belongs to you, and I assure you that I have courage enough to submit cheerfully to any decision whatever, and moreover, if it is necessary,
I am ready to live many months more in the same darkness relating to
my destination, whatever may be the uneasiness of my mind. . . .
Fr. Bapst retained his residence at Ellsworth until June,
1854, visiting Bangor at stated intervals. He was aided in
his care of Bangor by Fr. James Moore, who was in Maine
at the time collectin~ for \Vorcester Colle~e. Fr. Moore
resided at Bangor until Fr. Bapst came to that town to preside over the congregation of St. Michael's as its permanent
pastor.
The following extract is taken from one of tlw last official
letters sent by Fr. Bapst fi·orn Ellsworth, prior to his removal
to Bangor.
VERY REV. ANI> DEAlt
l<'u.
PHOVINCIAL,
P. C.
. . . . . As a fitting substitute for these two fathers T wouhl propose
I<'r. Charlier, who I believe possesst>s <til the qualifications to be a useful
missionary in .Maine in the present circumstanceR. But in case Fr. Charlier could not be spared I would make another proposition. One of the
best missionaries is Fr. Pacciarini. If only Your Reverence could supply Eastport, I would not ask for any better. I must confess though
. th11t to remove Fr. Pacciarini from Eastport, would be in my opinion,. to
inflict a mortal blow on the mission.
With regard to Fr. Ciampi, I have to give Your Heverencc many thanks
for such a favor. "When the people know that he bas been president of
Worcester College, they will feel proud. and they will ha vc no more occasion to complain that they have been slighted. . . .
By losing Fr. Bixio,"' we Jose a missionary excelleur in every regard.
He is a precious man. It makes me feel very had to part with him, but I
<I)
This was Fr. Joseph llixio, whose obituary will be found in the present
number.
�FR. [DHN HAPST.
suppose Your Reverence cannot help removing him; tbe climate, the
doctor says, would certainly be injurious to his health.
Now, before I conclude, I beg leave to mnke a remark. So many
changes, which occur every year, and almost every month, in our missionaries, are very injurious to the g·ood of our missions. 'fhe people are
dissatisfied; scarcely rtre they acquainted with a man when he is taken
away. Any work of improvement is sure to be abortive. Every plan
or measure adopted by one is given up by his succes~or. Even in regard
to money matters, tlH' people say they will give nothing until they have
a settled priest.
Your obedient servant in Christ,
.T onx BAPST, !"" .•T.
From Ellsworth, Fr. Hapst continued to make visits at
stated inten·als to the Indians of Old Town. These, his
first spiritual children ii{'the New \\'oriel. always recei,·ed
their belm·ed f.<ther with every demonstration of joy; and
even to this day the older members of the tribe ·manifest
great joy whenever they hear mentioned the name of k P,~,.,.
Bapst. About this period, Fr. Bapst accompanied one of the
new missionaries to Old Town, in order to introduce him to
the Indians. A great banquet in their honor \\"as prepared
by the chief squaws. The first course over, Fr. Bapst cautioned his companion not to be so rash as to demand a clean
plate for the second, but to content himself with that which
had sen·ed him fotthe first, otherwise dreadful would be the
result. In a moment of inach'ertence, the new f.<ther passed
his plate to one of the squaws, and made her understand
his desire for a clean one. Thereupon his appetite for further food suddenly deserted him, put to rout by tl1e unique
Indian method of furnishing clean table ware. Th~ squaw
gravely took the plate, and, without even a by-your-leave,
rendered it, in presence of her astonished guest, as good as
new by a copious and direCt application of saliva rubbed
off with great dexterity by the use of a fish-stained and
greasy apron. The new f.tther never again asked for a second plate.
Fr. Bapst changed his residence from Ellsworth to Bangor
on "June 7, 1R54. This change was ordered by the bishop
of Boston, who still retained Maine within his spiritual jur.isdiCtion. The bishop \\·as forced to place Fr. Bapst in permanent charge of Bangor by a chain of circumstances which
left him no choice in' the matter, but in ,·icw of after events
it is only just to say that the bishop would ne\-cr have allowed Bangor, the most important mission of 1\laine, to pass
out of the control of his secular clergy, had not a terrible
crisis in Catholic aff<tirs at Ellsworth precl udcd the adoption of any other course. \\'hen he first committed Bangor
�FR . .fOHN BAPST.
133
to the charge of the Jesuits, he had intended to burden them
with its care only for a short time, until he could choose a
competent secular priest as successor to Fr. O'Sullivan.
The en:nts that led to· Fr. Bapst's hasty removal to Bangor are of an exciting nature, and arc best learned from his
own narration, made to the compiler of this sketch many
years ago, from the reminiscences of his £<ithful housekeeper,
and from letters \Hitten to the provincial at about this period.
FR. BAPST's NARRATIVE-\Vhen I first came to Ellsworth
I began a course of Sunday afternoon leCl:ures on the doctrines of the Church. These instruCtions drew to the afternoon sen·ice on Sundays a large concourse of Protestants,
curious to know "·hat could be said in defence of a religious
system which in their opinion had long before been thoroughly exploded." The results of my labors were most.
gratifying. Before many months had elapsed I had gathered into the fold a goodly number of Protestants, and
among them twelve young ladies, all members of prominent families of the town_<Il Religious feeling ran high in
consequence. I "·as denounced, from the pulpit and in the
press, as a pcn·erter of the young. I was warned to stop
my worl;: of proselyting, and of reducing free-born Americans to Rome's galling yoke. All manner of threats were
uttered against me.
To add fuel to the already fiercely burning fire of religious
hatred, Catholics whose children attended the public schools
of the town protested against the law recently passed by the
school committee of Ellsworth, wherebv their sons and
daughters were forced under pain of expulsion to read in
the school the Protestant yersion of the Bible and to join in
the Protestant prayers. They petitioned the committee to
permit the Catholic children to read the Catholic version.
or else to excuse them from reading any. In their petition
they expressly declared that they had no desire to interfere
with the right of Protestant children to read any version
deemed proper by their parents, but simply wished to protect the religious faith of their own children. I knew that
the board as. a whole had an intense hatred of all that was
Catholic and foreign, but I found some of the committee, as
well as the teachers, willing to accede to my request that the
children be not forced to aCl: against the cliCl:ates of their
! 1> ( lf these twelve young la<lies one was the authoress, .Miss Mary Agnes
Tind<el·, who was ever after a most devoted friend of Fr. Bapst. She has
taithfully portrayed the Ellsworth excitement in a beautiful tale entitled
"The House of Yorke."
�IJ4
FR. JOHX BAPSJ:
consciences by reading a Protestant version of the Bible
and by uniting in prayers not approved by the Church.
I ,,·as the more anxious to ward off these dangers, as I
knew on good authority that one of the members of the
school board had said openly: "\Ve are determined to
protestantize the Catholic children; thev shall read the
Protestant Bible or be dismissed from the schools; and
should we find them loafing around the whan·es we will
clap them into jail.'' I could not, therefore, in conscience
permit my Catholic children to join in the Protestant religious exercises, as such a course would be a virtual profession
of Protestantism, seeing that the regulation was insisted
upon in hatred of the true faith. I did not wish to excite
our enemies unnecessariJ);, and did all I could to lower the
high pitch to which the 'public mind had been excited. I
held in check the o\·erwrought feelings of my flock, and
abstained from all bitterness in pushing the righteous claims
of my people. But in vain! The protest, signed by over a
hundred Catholics, which was presented to the consideration
of the school board one morning in November, 1853, by
:VIr. \\'hite and myself. was rejeCted with insult and abuse.
~ext day lVIessrs. Tisdale and Richards, two members of
the board, went to the school \vhere most of the Catholic
children attended, and forthwith expelled all who refused to
read the Protestant- Bible.
I was therefore obliged to provide means of instruCtion
for these dear little confessors of Christ. I opened a Catholic school in our old chapel, but in thus baffling the plan of
our ;Hh-crsaries, who were intent upon obtaining <JJl .unconditional surrender on the part of the Catholics, I was much
pained to find that I only increased their blind fury against
us. The chapel was blown up one night, and we were
obliged to transfer the school to the galleries of the new
church. To try whether the law would provide a remedy by
declaring the cause of the school board unconstitutional, a
test case was made in behalf of the son of Lawrence Donahoe, and a suit commenced against the committee, but to
no purpose. Bigotry won the day.
An incident that happened shortly before the dismissal of
the children from the school added fuel to the flames. I
was drawn, much against my will, into a controversy with
one of the Protestant. ministers of the town, and defeated
him so completely as 'to put the Protestants present to the
blush for their poor champion. It came about as follows.
One morning business called me to the office of one of the
town lawyers, and while I was engaged with him, who
should come in but the other powers of the town, the lead-
�FR. JOH.'I' BAPST.
IJS
ing minister and the most popular doB:or of the place. After
I had politely saluted them both, I overheard the lawyer
whisper to the minister: "Now you have got the papist
priest at your mercy; give it to him!" I saw from the confident smile of the lawyer and doCtor that they anticipated
an easy viCtory for their clerical chanipion. He, no wise
unwilling, entered the fray without glo\·es, and abruptly put
forth this astoniS'hing statement: "You Catholics despise
the Bible. You ha,·e no faith in the written \Vord of God.
Hen\· can you call yourseh-es Christians?" To this exceedingly ill-timed remark I woufd ha\·e gladly a\·oided giving
an answer, but as I considered that silence would be taken
for assent, I quietly and gently proceeded to pursue a line
of argument whereby the minister would be put to rout by
his own admission. "Well," said I, "supposing, Reverend
Sir, that \'our statement be correCt:, that we set no value oh
the Bible·, granting this to be true for the sake of argument,
may I ask you, with all due respeCt:, do you set any value
on oral tradition?" "No, of course not," replied the minister
with a deep frown, "that is a popish doB:rine.'' "\Veil then,"
I said, "may I ask you why you \'alue the Bible so highly?
How do you know it is the \Nord of God?" "Why," he replied, "it bears the divine imprint on its every page." "Those
who ha\'C read the Koran and the works of Confucius," I
said, "have found them nC:ry like in style to the Bible, yet
these arc certainly not the \Vord of God." "Well," replied
the now greatly excited minister, ''our forefathers have
alwavs re\-cred the Bible as the 'Nord of God, and have so
taught their descendants." "Rut how were your forefathers
able with ·certainty to hold the Bible as from God?" "\Vhy,
my dear sir, how simple you arc! They had the testimony
of their ancestors to that efTcB:, and these ancestors had the
testimony of theirs, and· so on up to the time of Christ."
"\Veil, Reverend Sir, excuse me if I ask one more question.
\Vhat do you call that oral tcstimol~l' / I am sure you arc
too honest to denv that this is oral tradition under another
name, and therefo;·c your Bible has no intrinsic value without the aid of tradition."
The expression of the minister's f<tce was terrible to behold. It was one of baffled hatred and shame. He did not
venture a reply, but turned from me abruptly, and sought
the fellowship of the two spectators who had been in full sympathy with him ti·01n the opening of the tilt. \Nhen I was
leaving the office I overheard the lawyer mutter the following words expressive of his deep chagrin: "\Veil, I could
have stood our parson's being overcome by an enlightened
American, but to have had him completely routed by one
�FR. JOHX BAPST.
of these Romish foreigners-a man who can't speak two
words of English correBly-it's a crying shame!"
The fanatical fury of the Know-nothing party increased
with time, and at length reached such a pitch that, after
destroying the old church, they broke the windows of my
dwelling. This happened on the c\·ening of June 3. 1854·
From the early part of the preceding November the agitation was kept alive by the Ellsworth Herald in its daily
attacks on the Catholics, and on Sundays by the tirades of
the minister. On June 6, the mob broke the windows of
our church, and then went to the nearest ta\·ern to muster
up courage for further ot!tragcs, threatening all the while to
infliB all manner of injury upon the Catholics.
At this stage of the ex-citement I was directed by Bishop
-Fitzpatrick of Boston to take up my permanent abode at
Bangor, which I had previously cared for as its temporary
pastor, pending the appointment of a secular priest as successor to Fr. O'Sullivan. I was ordered by the bishop not
to return to Ellsworth even for the Sunday services, but to
send another father who was not connected with the school
trouble. Thus good came out of e\"il. By this disposition
of affairs I secured for the missions the long-desired centre
in Bangor, which would never han: been my good fortune
had it not been for.. the trouble at Ellsworth.
On the morning of July 16. word came to Bangor that
the untiring· mob of Ells\vorth had attempted to burn down
the chapel at one o'clock that morning. The fire was luckily discovered in time by Amory Otis, one of tltc rightminded citizens of Ells\\·orth. and put out before ';uiy damage was done except to the cellar.
HousEKEEPER's Accoc:..:TY>-Before entering Fr. Bapst's
service I had been housekeeper for Fr. O'Sullivan, parish
priest of Bangor. Fr. Bapst used to stop over with us from
time to time on his way to his various missions. I first
met him shortly after his arrival from Europe, when he
could as yet speak but a \'cry few words of English.
Sometimes, while at Fr. O'Sullivan's, he would be called
upon to administer the pledge, and I would make him understand what n-as wanted by raising an imaginary glass to
my lips and then pointing at the poor drut1kard.
One day an amusing incident occurred. Fr. Bapst, as
yet ignorant of English, was sitting in the library convers<ll ~[ary Hennessy, now Sister :)fary Borgia, Pxtern ,btcr of the Hou"<• of
the Good Shepherd, X. '\. One of those rare 'onls, fnll of faith allll pos·
sessed of unflinching devotion to the Church. :o;hc was a great IH'lp to Fr.
Bapst in those days of atlliction.
�137
ing with Fr. O'Sullivan in French, when the niece of the
parish priest entered, and exhibited a costly bottle of cologne which she had just received as a present. She held
it out to Fr. Bapst that he might admire it, but he mistaking her intention and thinking she wished to make him a
present for the Indians, took the bottle and slipped it into
his coat pocket, exclaiming again and again with a most
winning smile: "Merci, mademoiselle, merci." The poor
girl was deeply grieved at her loss, but gave up all attempts
to recover her treasure, knowing full well that any hint,
whereby she might seek to enlighten Fr. Bapst on the true
situation of affairs, would be entirely lost upon him, owing
to his ignorance of Engli.sh.
\Vhen Fr. Bapst went to live permanently at Ellsworth in
January, 1853, he was very desirous of securing my services
as housekeeper. He was so kind as to think me prudent
enough and of sufficiently mature age to make him a good
housekeeper. On my part, I had learned to admire his
sanctity, gentleness, and burning zeal so much that I
would have gone through fire and water for him. An
agreement, therefore, was easily reached, whereby I left
Bangor to take charge of the house in Ellsworth, procured
for Fr. Bapst by the Catholics of that town shortly before
my arrival. Fr. Bapst was generally at home in Ellsworth
from Saturday till Monday of each week, but during the
other days of the week he was frequently absent attending
to the other missions lying around Ellsworth.
From November, 1853, till the October of the following
year, great feelings of hatred towards the Catholics and their
priest were aroused among the Protestants; and the rowdy
clement of the town with many who styled themselves respectable began hostile proceedings against Fr. Bapst. The
excitement had its origin in the father's success as a missioner
and in his position with respect to the school question. The
agitation reached such an alarming pitch by June, 1854, that
I feared for Fr. Bapst's life. On Saturday June 3, I had
been able to unearth a secret plot whereby the Knownothings hoped to seize Fr. Bapst, and wreak their vengeance upon him. The dear father had just returned from
his missions, and a sick-call from a distant station awaited
him. He was inclined to defer attendance on this case until
after Sunday, being averse to leaving the Catholics of Ellsworth without Mass on that dav. vVith a boldness that
afterwards surprised me, and m~ved by a presentiment of
evil that seemed inspired from above (for I did not then
know that an immediate attack was meditated by his enemies), I bade the dear father not delay bringing the consola-
�FR. ]OH.Y B~4.E'ST.
tions of religion to the poor sick man. "Go, Father, in the
name of God!" I pleaded. ~Iy entreaties prevailed, and
he started on the sick-call that \'CrY dav.
That night, Saturday June 3. 1Rs3. a 'mob surrounded the
priesfs house. They were dressed entirely in white with a
dark belt encircling their waists. Their faces were securely
masked. Thev thundered at the door, and demanded instant
admission. (was alone in the house, and though greatly
alarmed I retained my presence of mind. Some good Catlwlics had brought me news of their approach and I bethought
myself of the necessity of saving such goods as would be
most likely to suffer at the hands of the invaders. Among
these Fr. Bapst's books.were the chief objects of my care.
I knew the \·illains would destrov those first. I therefore
conveyed the contents ~J'f his libr;{ry to the top story of the
house. Hardly had I finished my labors wh~n I heard the
mob at the front door demanding admission. I answered
the call with fear and trembling and a silent prayer to God
for help. "\Vhat do you want, gentlemen ?" I said to the
crowd that was crammed into the space around the door,
intent on rushing into the house. "\Vhere's that--Bapst ?"
they shouted in chorus. Their sacrilegious way of namirig
the man of God aroused all- my spirit, and though nc\·er
given to profanity I forgot myself in my just indignation, and
answered, "It's none of your-- business." This bold reply startled them at first and made them cower. Then, in·
more guarded language, they expressed their determination
of searching the house for the priest. Not wishing to give
them unnecessary offence, I assumed a tone of gJ=e<)-t mildness, though my heart was bursting with indignation at the
insolence of the crowd, and I tried to dissuade them from
entering, saying: "Gentlemen, Fr. Bapst left here this morning to go on a sick-call, and it is doubtful when he will return. I, a lone unprotected woman, am the only occupant
of the house. Will you be so cowardly as to enter this
house when you have no one to resist you but a poor, weak
woman?'' My words seemed to stir up their better natures;
they gave over making any further efforts to effect an
entrance, but they vented their hatred against the priest
by riddling with stones nearly e\Try window in the house.
The next day being their ,'-,'abbat!t, they remained quiet, not
wishing to desecrate,the day.
On Tuesday, June 6, Fr. Bapst returned after dark to
Ellsworth, and so quietly that his coming was not known to
his foes, for he had received news on the road of the attack
on his house.
That night the mob reassembled in the town, and, with
�FR. JOHX BAPST.
139
the fury of demons, rushed towards our church and made a
fierce assault upon its doors. Col. Charles Jarvis, one of
nature's noblemen, who though a Protestant was a great admirer of Fr. Bapst, hastened on horseback to the rescue
of the church. He dashed into the midst of the crowd,
shouting to the foremost aggressors to desist from their work
of destruction. Then quickly leaping from his horse he
mounted the church steps, and thus addressed the rioters:
"Till to-day I was e\·er proud of being called a freeborn
American. I gloried in the liberty accorded to all by our
country; but to-day, for the first time, the thought of having
to claim a common country with fellows that can be guilty
of such a gross invasion of the most sacred rights of others
brings a blush to my check. Think of it, men, the poor
Irish, who get but a dollar a day in wages, live from day to
day on potatoes alone, and this that they may have money
to spare wherewith to erect a temple in which they may
worship God according to the dictates of their consciences.
And you, who call yourseh-es free Americans, would destroy
the fruits of their hard labors in ;l night! Shame upon you!"
His forcible remonstrance had some temporary effect, the
attack on the church was n.ot immediately renewed, but the
rioters continued to hang around the church until the colonel
had departed, when they ga,·e full fling to their hatred
against us by breaking all the windows. The colonel, who
had reached one of the bri(!ges that span the Union River,
on hearing that the work of destruction had recommenced,
came riding back at a furious pace, but too late to save the
windows. \Vhen he reached the spot the crowd was dispersing. Fr. Bapst was persuaded by me to vacate his or. dinary bed-room, and seck a safer one in the upper part of
the house. No attempt, however, was made that night to
attack the house, as the Know-nothings did not dream that
he had returned.
The next morning Fr. Bapst received a telegram from
\Voodstock, Maine, about r8o miles west of Ellsworth, near
the New Hampshire border, asking his spiritual assistance
for a person sick at that place. He started for \Voodstock early on \Vednesday morning, and on his return, instead of going to Ellsworth, went direct to Bangor. This
he did by order of the bishop, who wished him to take up
his permanent quarters at that town for the future, and never
to return to Ellsworth. I soon followed him to Bangor, and
there continued in my office of housekeeper until 18 59·
In October, rR54, Fr. Bapst was obliged to visit Cherryfield, 24 miles beyond Ellsworth, to attend a sick-call. To
do this he had to pass through Ellsworth. He therefore de-
�qo
FR. JOHN BAPST.
termined to stop over Sunday in that town, in order to hear
the confessions of the Catholics there and say .Mass for
them. He arrived in Ellsworth on Saturday night, full of
hopes that no attempt would be made to molest him, as he
thought that the old agitation had died out. That night he
was taken out by a mob, and tarred and feathered. He said
Mass, however, on Sunday morning in Ellsworth, remained
with Col. Jan·is Sunday night, and returned to Bangor
on Monday morning. I was nearly dead with anxiety, for
news of the outrage had reached Bangor Sunday morning.
I was for setting out myself to seek the dear father, and
bring him home in safety, when his arri\·al in Bangor made
such a course unnecessary. I had e\·erything ready to render him comfortable after his sad experience. A hot bath
was placed in his room with plenty of new rum to apply
after the bath. Fr. Bapst immediately a\·ailed himself of
these remedies against a reaaion, and after some time
emerged from his bed-room as fresh as before the assault,
and as eager as ever for work in the Lord's vineyard.
Portions of Fr. Bapst's clothing that he had worn on that
terrible night, and that were covered with tar and feathers,
were brought to me from Ells\\·orth together with the broken crystal of his watch. These I ha\·e treasured as most
precious relics through all these long· years.< 1>
On Dec. 8, I 854, Bishop Fitr:patrick, assisted by the lecently appointed bishop of the new diocese of Portland, Rt.
Rev. David Bacon, laid the corner-stone of Fr. Bapst's new
church in Bangor. By direaion of Bishop Fit~atrick, I
deposited in a bottle a small portion of the clof11rilg worn
by Fr. Bapst at the time of the outrage. It was spattered
with tar to which some of the feathers were still clinging.
The bishop wrote the following inscription which was also
placed in the bottle before it was sealed : "This is a piece of
the clothing worn by the builder of this church, Rev. John
Bapst, S. J., on the night of oaober I 3. I 8 54. when he was
tarred and feathered, in hatred of the faith, by the Knownothings of Ellsworth." The bottle was placed beneath the
corner-stone by the bishop himsel(
In the autumn of I859, the Jesuits were withdrawn from
Maine by their superior; and when, in r86o, Fr. Bapst was
appointed superior of the scholasticate at Boston, he urged
me to come to that city and take charge of the college laundry. I gladly availed myself of an opportunity that allowed
me to see the saintly £<ther from time to time. I retained
1
< >A portion of the shirt torn from Fr. llapst's bo<.h· during the outrage, an<l
the broken crystal, have been recently presented to the museum of \\'onclstock
College by this good housekeeper.
�FR . .fO/l.Y RAP ST.
this position until 18~, when, through Fr. Bapst's influence,
I gained the accomplishment of my life's desire-admission
into the Order of the Good Shepherd in New York. It
was my great happiness to have Fr. Bapst preside at my religious profession~
In the fall of I 883, Fr. Hapst, whose mind was then
greatly weakened, passed through New York on his way
from West Park to Frederick. Rev. Fr. Brady, then Provincial, knowing how happy I would be to see Fr. Bapst,
caused the dear father to be conduCted from St. Francis
Xa,·ier's College to the residence of St. Lawrence's Church,
and sent me word at the same time to go to the latter house
if I wished to see my old pastor. The Brother Porter told
me it would be useless to call Fr. Bapst to the parlor, for he
· ,,·ould not recognize me, as he did not remember his own
name, nor those of his own brethren. But I assured the
brother that he would certainly remember his old housekeeper. One of the r.,thers soon brought him to the corridor in which I was waiting, and when the saintly old man
saw me his f.\ce was lit up with a smile, and to the astonishment of all around he cried out: "Ah! there's 111\"
l\Iary." That was the last time I saw Fr. Bapst. If any
one deserved hea\-cn, he certainly did, for his life at home
and abroad wac; that of a true man of God.
ExtraCts from Letters of Fr. Bapst to the Provincial of the
l\bryland Prm·ince, touching the origin of the excitement in Ellsworth.
ELLRWOHTI!,
October, 1RG:l.
1 have to inform Your Reverence of another uit11culty. A town
sehool·tencher, out of ui.~otry, being the son of a parson, bas established
in his sehool, that all the ~cholars should read the Protestant version of
the Bible or leave the sclJOol; he prevailed, to a certnin extent, on the
school committee to have such a rule approved, anti immediately dismissed
the two Catholic children he had in l1is school because they would not
read thi~ version. 'fhc case has already created some excitement among
Cntl,olics ami Protc~tants. Next Sunday a petition will be presented to
the committee requesting that the Catholic children should be th·c to rt>ad
their own Bihlc, or no Bible at all, in the schools. I cannot foreRee tlw
re~ult; all the Catholics ~eem to be determined not to have their rights
trampled upon, an1l will sil!;n the petition. I have visited the committee,
antl succeeded in convincing them of our right, but they arc afraid of
becomin!!; too unpopular by doing their duty. Poor committee! 1 shall
inform you of the result, u.nd in the meantime recommend myself to
the prayers and holy sacrifices of Your Reverence.
�THE ROCKY JTOUNTALYS.
ELLSWORTH, November 16, 1853.
With reference to the school and Bible question, which has created so much excitement, I have to state that the position of the Catholics
is every day ~etting better and bri~hter. Our rights be_gin to be acknowledged. The committee-men are already somewhat :'>!harned of
themselves; public opinion and the press are turning again~t them; the
best men here say that they have exceederl their powers, and violated the
Con~titution by compelling our children to read the Protestant Bible, or
by turning them out of school in case of non-compliance. But the Catholic~ seem determined to go ahead, amt although it is very probable that
our children will be readmitted into the school for the next term without
being obli.!!:etl to read any Bible, still the Catholics seem to prefer to establish their own school, whiCh will be a great blessing for themselves
and a bitter mortification and· a great disappointment for the bigots, who
thought alremly that our ehildren wert' going to turn Protestants tm lflfUI8e
souner than leave tht' town school.
Your8 in Xt. very respectfully,
JOHN BAPS'l',
s.
J.
After events show that the view of the situation in Ellsworth as expressed by Fr. Bapst in these extracts was too
sanguine by tar. He did not then know what the coming
vear had in store for him.
•
(To be continued.)
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
~IEMOIN.S
-· .-
OF FN.. GN.EGORY MENGARINI.
(Concluded.)
The custom of tlog·ging ·had existed among these Indians
long before the coming nf the missionaries. It was a part
of their criminal code, as had been the case for ages among
Chriqian and civilized nations; it was decreed by the chiefs
and administered by their authority. One day an aged Indian woman came to me with marks of blood upon her face
and told me that her son had ill-treated her.· I called all
the f<tthers and moth·ers together and laid the case before
them. [ had to aCt prudently because the f.<thcr of the boy
was a bad man and had already attempted suicide. I insisted
that they should put down such conduct in children, and I
set before them in forcible terms the effeet of such examples
�TilE ROCKY JIOCNTA!NS.
upon their own families. I then dismissed the assembly, and
afterwards learned that the boy had been persuaded by his
father to go to the chief'i to be flogged for his fault. He
also begged pardon of his mother, and lived a Christian
life until he was carried off a year afterwards by the plague.
Among those who had accompanied me in my return
from Vancouver. was a Canadian named Biledot. He came
to build and put in working order two mills at the mission,
a flour mill and a saw mill. The foundations of a second
house and church, larger and more commodious than the
first, had been already laid.
\Vhen May came the flour mill was already in operation
and the saw mill was ready for starting. But the brightest
light will cast the darkest shadow; the bright light of the fairest of months was to do this for our mission. Fr. Zerbinati
was always delicate in health but never seriously ill. His
stomach was weak and he was subject to cramps, but we
trusted that the invigorating air of the mountains would in
time restore him to sound health. The afternoon for setting
the mill in motion came, and Br. Classens invited me to go
with him and see the thing done. Before I left home,
Fr. Zerbinati, who was to remain behind, asked me for a
little wine. The brother was already at the mill and had
the key of the store-room in his pocket. I promised therefore to tell the brother to give the wine, and, on my arrival
at the mill, 1 kept my promise. The starting was not as
successful as we had anticipated, and while laboring to re1110\'e impediments to the successful working of the mill,
the order that I had given the brother concerning the wine
slipped \'ery naturally from his memory.
The whole day passed in earnest labor, and when I returned to the house in the evening, Fr. Zerbinati was not
there. No bell had been rung· for evening· devotions, as was
our wont at the mission, and it was already far beyond the
usual time. I hastened therefore to ring the bell and to begin the prayers. "Where is Fr. Zerbinati?" I asked myself.
I strove in vain to quiet my apprehensions by saying. "He
is not far away; perhaps he is a little more unwell than usual; there is no cause for fear." Thus did I vainlv trv to
remove my own anxiety, as we are accustomed to ~tri\:e to
quiet our minds when we apprehend some real misfortune
yet would f<1in hide it from ourselves. I began the prayers,
but the thought still haunted me, "\Vhere is Fr. Zerbinati?
\Vhere is Fr. Zerbinati ?" I became more and more uneas\'.
Where was he? I could not go on; so interrupting tl;e
prayers I bade all go in search of the missing father.
It was now dark, but torches were soon gleaming in all
�THE.ROCKY JIOUXTAINS.
direaions, and a hundred quick eyes were in aaive search
. of some clue to his whereabouts. Meanwhile I went over
the whole house calling him by name but receiving no answer. How lonely the place seemed ! I went to his room,
he was not there. I went oyer the house again and again,
hoping against hope that after all I might have overlooked
some nook or corner. Fr. Zerbinati was not at home, and
it was already nig-ht; these two sad truths seemed staring
me in the £"lee wherever I went. At last I found a clue.
The hook and line were not in his room. He had gone to
the river to fish. Immediately the word spread among the
Indians, and they hastened to search along the river-bank.
Soon I heard steps app~oaching. Had they found him ? A
party of searchers entered with what they thought to be
human legs. I did nor· know what they had brought; for
my mind was too horrified to conceive anything but that he
had been murdered and dismembered. Soon Br. Barris entered bearing on the leaf of a river plant what seemed to be
human brains. The horror was too great. He had been
slain by the Blackfeet, thought I; and my senses fled. Thus
I lav unconscious until I heard a voice, "Fr. Zerbinati is
fmu{d." "Then he is not dead," said I, for the joy of that
announcement had restored consciousness.
Alas! he was dead; not killt~d indeed by the Blackfeet,
but suffocated by: those waters that rippled so softly upon
the banks a few rods away. They had found him in the
river, drowned. He had gone to take a bath, a cramp had
seized him and he was now lifeless. Every effort was
made to revi\·e him, but in \"ain. Broken hearted and disconsolate, I performed the last sad offices o( lt:>\'e, and
turned from his new-made g-ra\"e to bear my burden alone.
In the autumn of 1 X45, I travelled with Br. Coughlin and
two Indians to the C11.:ur d'AJenes. On our journey we
came to a very high mountain, and spent nearly the whole
day in reaching the top. The brother, who was in charge
of two unloaded horses, was bring-ing- up the rear; but
when the Indians and nl\"self reached the summit and looked
hack for him, he was n~t in sight. We waited some time,
hut he did not come. Two Indians went to look for him
and returned only the next morning. The brother had been
found after passing the night in the wilderness, but the
horses had straved and were never recovered.
In the spring' of '"'"46, the Indians prepared for their usual
hunt. There were about thirty Flatheads anJ forty Pends
d'Oreillcs under their aged chief Frize, all ynung men, strong
and robust. Although by my own experience and that of
others I was persuaded that little good was to be gained by
�THE ROCKr ,lfOUNTAINS.
!45
following the Indians on their hunt, I felt moved to go on
this expedition. I made known my intention to the chiefs,
who merely glanced at one another and said nothing. All
was soon ready and we started. On the second day of
our journey we reached the Columbia River, and we were
travelling along a steep ra,·ine when suddenly we saw one
of the pack horses darting down the steep incline and plunging into the river. It was folly to think of stopping him,
so he had to be given his own way. \Vhen he had reacl1ed
the middle of the stream, the packages, all of which had
been loosened by the waters, slipped off his back and sank
in the current. Then he turned quietly around, swam ashore,
and rejoined the party.
Imagine my feelings when I found that the articles thus
lost were my blanket and provisions, and all the necessaries
for saying Mass. Somebody had concei,·ed the idea of
transferring my things to the back of this wild horse, and
now I was left in a state of destitution. I knew nothing of
the change, and now knew as little what to do. Should I go
forward or go back? No blankets, no provisions, no Mass!
\Vas it not a manifestation of God's will that I should not
go on the expedition? But after all was not the accident
rather the effeCl: of carelessness than anything else? I settled these doubts by resolving to go ahead, and so I did.
Biledot accompanied us, for he had finished his work in the
mills and was -returning to Canada.
After a few days passed, our party fell in with that of an
old French tracler from whom we obtained an abundant
supply of ammunition. Two or three days were spent in
barter, and ag-ain we pressed onward over mountains after
mountains until the Missouri burst upon our view. Biledot
was no longer with us. · He had remained with the trader.
Eventually he reached Canada, and died there surnamed
"the saint," so upright was his life.
The Missouri at the place where we were to cross it was
about one mile wide. The Indian men plunged boldly in,
driving the horses before them. Every two horses supported
a bundle between them, and whenever they showed signs of
fatigue the men raised the war cry to stir up in the animals
all the energy that still remained. \Vomen clad in their
dresses swam to the other side. Children too young to
brave the current were placed on top of the folded skins of
a wigwam and towed over by a horse or two. As I could
not swim, I had to imitate the ways of childhood, and getting down on my hands and knees, I passed over on one of
the bundles. The passage was very tedious, and occupied
VoL. xvm, No.
2.
ro
�THE ROCKr .lfOUXTA!XS.
more than an hour, for the current was strong and carried
us far down the stream before we could gain the other side.
But we met with no mishap, and haYing lighted large fires
and dried ourselves and our clothing, we formed our party
once more and started in search of buffc1loes.
After eight days we found what, as I afterwards learned,
was more to the taste of our warriors than antelope or bison,
a camp of Blackfeet. Preparations for a pitched battle among
Indians are far more expeditious than those among white
men. \Vhen the enemy is sighted, word flies from mouth
to mouth, and all is hurry and bustle for a few minutes.
Some strip themselves naked. These are the poor men
from whom the enemy can expect to get little. Others
clothe themselves in ~alicoes of flaming colors to show their
riches and invite the "attack of such as dare f.1ce them.(!)
One thing yet remained to be done; the women and children and the missionary must be taken to a place of safety.
A thicket was chosen and Frize ordered me to go to it. I
protested that I would accompany the warriors. The order
to go was repeated, and immediately two Indians placed
themsckes one on either side of me, and escorted me to the
thicket.
Firing had already begtn1 on both sides, and the plain was
co\·ered with horsemen curvdtin<• and strivino- to h
uet a
•
b
h
chance to kill some one of the enemv. An Indian battle
consists of a multitude of single co~nbats. There arc nn
ranks, no battalions, no united efforts. "Every man for
himself" is the ruling principle, and \'ictory depends on
personal bra\·ery and g·ood horsemanship. Tlt~~re is no
random shooting·. e\-cry Flathead or Blackfoot al\rays aims
for the waist.
Arri\·ed at the thicket, I found it already fortified by the
old men and the \\'onwn who had retired thither. Lodges
had been set up in \·arious places, and behind these the
Flatheads would make their last stand if beaten in the field.
A hillock separated us from the plain,l>ut we could hear the
whizzing of the balls as they passed over our heads. No
cry was raised during the battle, but we heard the reports of
the rifles nearer and nearer, and knew that our warriors
were hard pressed. I had no sooner reached the thicket
than I raised my hands to heaven and prayed fetTently. The
battle lasted nearly all day, but excitement and anxiety
caused hours to pa~ss like moments. The sun was already
low in the heavens when a man entered the thicket and
asked for ammunition. I questioned him about the fortunes
(I) The Blackfeet were nccustometl to strip the tlead ; the Flatheatls took
nothing hut the horse, arms, ammunition, saddle und Llnuket of the fallen.
�THE ROCKJ" J1IOW\7AIXS.
of the battle. "Four are already killed," said he, "and others
are wounded. The day is lost. Our men are retreating·
and will soon be here. The Blackfeet will then surround
us and all will soon be over." The children, hearing his
words, began to cry most piteously. I gave the warrior
what powder I could find, and off he hastened to join once
more in the battle.
The cry of the children was heart-rending, and if e\·er a
fervent prayer went up from my heart it went up then. The
warrior who had just left us was met by the retreating Flatheads. "What is the f."lther doing?" they asked. "He is
praying for us,'' was the answer. Immediately,as with one
1·oice, they raised a joyous cry and all to a man darted
down the hill to meet the enemy. The Blackfeet, thinking
perhaps that the man brought news of reinforcements,
turned and fled, four hundred before seventy. The shots,
at first loud and numerous, grew fewer and ttinter in the
distance, and as the sun was sinking in the west our viCtorious warriors returned, bearing with' them the bodies of the
four slain. The enemy, leaving twenty-four upon the field,
had sought safety in their camp.
Upon starting next morning I heard some shots, and asking the reason, I was told that the battle had been renei\Tcl.
I told the chief that we had come to hunt buff."lloes and
not to fight. He recalled his warriors atid they obeyed,
but with great reluCtance. I Ie told me that we could not
avoid passing before the Blackfeet, and, in faCt, no sooner
had we passed the hillock which had sheltered us than 11·c
saw the Blackfeet upon the mountains, but hckt1·ing like
people that scarcely knew what to do. I 11·as afterwards
told that, had I not called the Flatheads from the fight, the
village of the enemy, with all its ammuniton, traps, and skins,
would ha1·e been ours. I knew nothing of the panic that
had seized upon the Blackfeet, and considering· it as a special grace that we had come forth viCtorious the day before,
I thought that it would be tempting God to endanger our
li1•es again. The Flatheads Yiewed the matter from a different standpoint, and secret discontent was 11·idl'sprcad among·
them.
Immediately after the engagement on the preceding day
we buried our dead. The men scooped holes in the earth
with crooked sticks, spoons, etc., until cavities \\"ere made
three or four feet deep, and each large enough to receive a human body. The earth thus dug was placed upon
skins. The bodies were lowered into their graves, then
covered with earth, and lastly with gTass. Manure was
then spread over the place and the horses were made to
�qS
THE ROCJ,T MOf'.YTAIXS.
trample it down, to make it appear that they had been kept
there. Thus the Flatheads concealed their dead from a jealous and vengeful enemy.
After travelling about ten or twelve miles, we halted and
encamped to refresh both ourselves and our jaded animals.
Soon a man wearing two horns as a kind of head-dress
appeared on a hill near at hand. Gabriel advanced, and
recognized in him a Frenchman named Chouquet, who lived
among the Blackfeet and who had fought against us the
day before. Invited to come to the camp and explain his
mission, he approached, and on seeing me said, "Your warriors, Fath.er, are truly glorious. The Blackfeet, though fi\·e
times their number, have been utterlv defeated, and mourn
twenty-four killed and~about forty w;unded." He then explained that he had cori1e to ask for the saddle and blanket
of one of his wife's sen·ants who had been killed on the
preceding day. I called the man who had these articles and
bade him restore them to Chouquet, promising that be would
lose nothing by so doi1ig. · He obeyed without hesitation,
greatly to the Frenchman's delight. "\;Vhat will the Blackfeet say when I go back," said he, "seeing me returning
thus, though I ga\·e no compensation?" "That the Flatheads
arc warriors and not traders" I replied. He answered ver)'
kindly and hinted that it would be well for me to return
with him and tre-at of peace with the Blackfeet. I was only
too willing to consent, but judged it expedient to call a
meeting of the warriors. They listened attcnti\·cly to what
I had to say, and when I had ended, Frize, though still a
pagan, arose, and with a countenance perfectly UI]..U·l~l\'cd and
without even casting a glance at Chouquet, said:·" Father,
you little know the man with whom yni1 deal. If you knew
him you would not go. lf, however, you are bent on going,
we shall accompany you, and remain on the summits of the
surrounding hills while you go to the camp of the enemy.
And if while you are there we hear the report of a gun, we
shall take it for granted that it is a gun lc\·elled against your
life. Then shall we descend to avenge your death, and we
shall not cease until either we or the others will be utterh·
destroyed. Go then if you wifl, but such is our decision.~'
Chouquet who knew no Flathead did not know the purport
of this speech. I excused myself to him as unable to go at
that time, for I did .not wish to imperil the expedition for
my own sake. Hc·Jeft our camp and took with him his recovered property.
The Flatheads had sent back on the preceding evening·
two women captured during the battle, and whom I, not
knowing their full history, had insisted on having sent back.
�TJIF: ROCAT .1fOL'.YT.1TNS.
"Father," said one of my Indians when they had complied ·
with my order, "these women do more harm to our tribe
than a dozen men." . "How?" I asked in astonishment.
"Because," replied he, "they have again and again made
signs to warriors of our nation that they had some information to impart. and have thus drawn our men within rifleshot of the Blackfeet who were concealed near at hand."
Had I known this at first I would have aCted with greater
caution.
The Blackfeet did not dare molest us again, and as we
soon fell in with buff.<loes, the hunt began. This lasted
until we had abundance of meat, and then the part)· scattered,
each to return home how and when he pleased. Ten lodges
remained with me, and we started homeward. When the
band was still two days' journey from the village, I starred
ahead and found to my surprise everybody on the point of
abandoning the place, fi)r the report had been spread that
we had f.tllen viCtims to the Blackfeet. The news of our
victory changed their terror into joy, and the safe arrival of
all the others with their loads of buff.<lo meat filled the
measure of Flathead happiness.· No, the measure was not
quite full, for the remembrance of their recall from the battle,
and of the dismissal of the captives, was fresh in their minds
and caused much discontent. Moreover, from this time the
best of the Indians began to be snatched away by death.
One by one they disappeared, until the Indians themselves
began to man·el at the fad: and asked me what I thought of
it. To them T gave e\·asive answers, but unbosoming myself to Very Rev. Fr. General, I wrote: "It is my firm belief
that God has established this mission for the salvation of
certain chosen souls, and that when these are sa\·ed the misson will be no more."
In 1 ~Lt7, the trouble with Little Faro reached the culminating point. He was a man of medium height, rather thin
but sinewy, possessed of'a good amount of talent, and he
had long been most ambitious to become a chief. Fortune,
however, did not smile upon him ; and he was not a chief.
Once when the warriors were starting on a hunting expedition, Fan) came to me and said, "I am going hunting; \vhere
shall we make our prayer?" "Make it in your lodge" I answered, referring to him personally. Far(> left me and started
on his journey. At the first halting place he rang a bell and
called all the people to his lodge. This was usurping the
rights of the chief and was entirely beyond my intention.
"The ttther says that prayer should be made in my lodge"
was his announcement when all had assembled. Dissensions
immediately arose, Some remained there out of respect
�150
THE ROCKY JfOU.VTAINS.
for me, others, indignant that I should thus determine chiefs,
went away. I called the people together arid disclaimed
h;l\·ing had any part in Faro's aCtion.
This turned Fan) against me, for he saw that I would not
be a tool for the furtherance of his ambitious plans. He
therefore began to depreciate Catholic missionaries and to
praise the Protestant ministers, saying that nobody among
these Indians knew how to read, etc., but~that, if Protestants
were there, things would be far different. He even went so
far as to get up in the church, after I had left it at the end
of my instruction, and harangue the people. I refused to
sav Mass· and laid an interdict uoon the church unless the
di~order was stopped. ) The Indi"ans forced Faro to go on
his knees before the d1iefs and receive a slight punishment.
He submitted outwardly, for the time being, but soon began
to grumble again and to spread dissatisf.1.ction among the
Indians. How aptly could I apply the words of the Gospel.
''lnimici hominis domestici ejus." (I)
Amid the darkness surrounding the Flathead mission,
there were at times rays of light, special graces granted.
One of the greatest of these was the saving of Br. Bellomo.
I relate the f.1.cts as I received them from the lips of the
brother. He had been sent with Br. Savio_to the Coeur
d'Aienes, and i!l crossing a very swift :--creel~. the raft on
which they \rere struck a stump and upset. Clothing,
boxes, Indian, and brothers were soon in the water. Br.
Savio and the Indian could swim, Br. Bellomo could not,
and soon sank. · Br. Savio, who had enough to.clo to save
his own life, swam ashore, while the Indian swam around
searching for Br. Bellomo, but could not find him. "I sank
feet downward," said the brother in relating the facts to me,
"until I reachetl the bottom, aml there I remained. Looking
upward, I seemed to see the sky, blue and spangled with
stars, but everything was far off and dim. '0 holy Virgin,'
said I, 'if my time has come, I am ready.' At the same
moment I fL'it myself pushed upwards, and when I reached
the surface, the Indian grasped me by the hair, and I was
saved." According to all accounts, he had remained so long
under water that, without supernatural intervention, he must
OJ The Flathe:ul mission waR not the only one in which there had been
trouhle. The Creur d' Alt•nes, ungrateful for the efforts of their missionaries,
also prove•! refraetorr .• I mpelf, when once on a visit to their mission, be·
hehl an ol<l man, torch in hand, stag-ge1·ing- towards a keg of powder to set
fire to it. He harl been <iisplcasc<l at a division of goods that had been made,
and not knowing- whrrt he <li<l in the cxccsR of his passion, he was only prevented fmm doing a great <leal of mischief by some of the younger men who
seized him in time. The missionaries, in fact, abandoned the place and left
the tribe six months without spiritual help. This brought the Camr d'Alene"
to terms, and ever after th"Y were more tractable,
�THE ROCK>" JfOUNTAINS.
have been drowned. Half naked the three of them travelled by land to the mission ; the box arrived by water some
days before them, and was found by our Indians floating in
the lake. It was found to contain puppets which had been
obtained for the mission in order to afford some amusement
on days of festivity.
It was about this time that the Indians as usual went
hunting. It happened, however, that one day they were
sadly in need of water, and, though they searched long and
earnestly, were unable to find any. At length they came
upon a stagnant pool, and, urged by thirst, many of the less
prudent drank deeply. Soon they began to complain of
feeling unwell, and after a few days some died. Others grew
thin and weak, and reached home in an exhausted condition. Having inquired into the matter, I became convinced
that the evil lay in the water which had been drunk, and I
administered purgatives to the sufferers. My convictions
were true. The water had contained the spawn of fishes
and frogs, and many of the eggs had been hatched and
were ali\·c and contented in the stomachs of those who had
drunk at the stagnant pool. Such unpleasant tenants having been summarily evicted, my patients rapidly improved
and were soon well. The number saved, however, was
small ; for most of the sick had perished before reaching
home.
\Vith the year I 848 came the last days of the mission,
though neither I nor anybody else foresaw that the catastrophe was so ncar at hand. I had indeed already written
to Very Rev. Fr. General that if things kept on as they
were going I would give the mission but two years more to
last; still the blow when it came took me by surprise. The
Indians had started upon their usual hunt, Grand Chief Victor remaining behind at the village. Far away from the
mission, and freed from his control, they gave themselves
up to the indulgence of their passions. One day a young
man arrived on horseback at the village; he was personally
unknown to me, but had come from the hunting party. "0
Father," said he, "if you only knew how the people have
behaved! They have behaved even worse than they did before you came." I was shocked at his recital, but merely
answered that on their return they would hear me.
The young man left the ,·il!age and retraced his steps to
the camp. \Vhat he said to the hunters I do not know, but
when the hunt was over and the people returned, the young
folks kept aloof, and only the old men and the married
women came to smoke the pipe with me. I spoke about
the hunt but made no mention of their disorders; I appoint-
�THE ROCKV .l!Ol'XTAINS.
ed separate days for the confessions of the young and old,
married and unmarried, and then dismissed them. That
very day, while making my thanksgiving after Mass, I heard
a great deal of talking and bustle outside, and when, on finishing my thanksgi,·ing, I went to investigate the cause, I
saw a great number of horses packed for a journey. The
owners soon mounted and rode away, and I remained alone
with those Indians that had not gone hunting. The others,
after having travelled about eight !niles, pitched their camp.
The chasm separating me and my flock was now marked
and open; the grand chief alone could bring them to a
sense of their duty, so I applied to him; but his only answer was : "Tas misten-.< (\Vhat can I do?)"
The runaways encawped near two Americans, Messrs.
Owens and Porter, and as these gentlemen had already visited the inission and invited me to return their visit, I set
out hoping to find some means of bringing back those
who had strayed from the fold. I \bs kindly received and
entertained, but no Indians except little Fan) put in an appearance. Sorrowfully, as evening approached, I turned my
~lCe towards St. Marv's and considered what I should do.
The time for our yearly consultation had arrived, so in a day
or two I set out for the Cu.:ur d'Aienes. There we decided
that the mission among the discontented Indians should be
closed for a time,~in order to punish them and bring them to
a sense of duty.
I then asked that I might be allowed to go to some place
where I should hear nothing of what was going qn. I was
accordingly sent to \Villamette, where I arrived-~;a.fely after
a long journey, and sent back the two Indians who had accompanied me. Poor fellows! they were attacked on their
way back by the Blackfeet; one was badly wounded, and
they barely escaped with their lives. I remained in Oregon
for a few years, and was then ordered to California, so that
when sorrow for the past had taken possession of the Flatheads, and ViEl:or came in the name of his tribe to ask me
to return, I \\·as already f.-:tr away. Often have I tried to get
back, but without success ; yet, tho~gh constrained by obedience to be separated in body, my love goes back, and will
ever go back to the joys, sorrows, and trials of my dear
Flathead mission.
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF r861.
(Eightlt Letter.)
C.\m' BKow~. SANTA Ro;;A IsLAND,
Decem bcr 3 I, I 86 r.
RE\". ANn DEAR FATHER TELLIEK,
P. C.
Here I am seated on a little ten-pounder "parrot" cannon,
a small but wicked gun, as the enemy can testify. Though
no match for her thirty, sixty or one hundred-pound sisters,
she is the pride of the camp. To the rear, to ·the right and
left, lies an expanse of salt water; in front, a sheet of white,
glistening sand extends as f;u as the eye can reach. Overhead is a broiling, unsparing sun, which darts down upon
me its almost perpendicular rays. Around me are men
whiling away, in every conceivable manner, time the most
precious. Scattered here and there, on all available pieces
of level surface, arc squads of soldiers going through every
species of military exercise except aCtual battle. Abundant
sources of meditation, you will say, but poor encouragement
to write a letter. Ample materials, however, arc at hand,
especially these last days, for a lengthy communication;
but, contrary perhaps to what you may imagine, I have but
very little leisure to use them. The hospitals alone constantly call for a large portion of my attention, as you may
sec from the following statement.
There arc on the island three regular stations, into which
arc gathered those in need of medical or surgical treatment,
to each of which I make a daily visit. These establishments
arc situated at a distance of two miles from each other.
Therefore, starting from the central building, near which arc
my quarters, I have to walk eight miles in order to see the
sick and wounded and return to camp. The time required
for this little journey over the sandy desert depends on the
number and condition of the patients. For in these infirmaries I have a little chat with each of the inmates, Catholics,
Protestants, Jews and Gentiles. I give them the latest news,
distribute a few numbers of the N. Y. Tablet, write letters
(I 53)
�LETTERS FRO.lf •.J CHAPLAIN.
for some poor fellows, teach a little catechism and a few
prayers; and if time allows, I show an interest in a game of
draughts or chess played by parties of the convalescent.
\Ve thus become well acquainted and great friends. The
Catholics, of course, go to confession; some Protestants ask
for instruaion on various points, and in due time rccei,·e
baptism and die children of the Church. These poor fellows see in Protestantism no sacraments for the dying, no
consolation for the soldier; and, above all, they see for poor
soldiers no forgi,·eness of sins. In this simple, unostentatious way, incalculable good is done during these regular
and leisurely calls at the hospitals. Those restored to health
remain within my easy-reach and become very efficient instruments of good among their comrades.
It takes hours to complete the rounds and return to q uarters; for, besides the delay in the ,·arious wards, the walk
itself o\·er the fine dry sand is necessarily slow and f.<tiguing.
At times I say my office on the way, and thus gain some
time; but generally, on account of the glare of the sand
under the scorching sun, I find it impossible to read in the
open air. After an absence of several hours, I return, thoroughly exhausted, to the camp. I am then expeaed to n.:port at headquarters whatever I may ha,·e noticed worthy
of remark in the treatment of sick and wounded. This
alone, you would say, is a good day's work. Besides these
stated calls, I am of course occasionally summoned. day and
night either to the hospital, or to the picket or guard-line
for sudden cases. Boats, too, from the men· of-wat: anchored
f.<r off, or from newly arrived vessels. come froin· _time to
time to the island to take me out to attend to some sailor .
or marine whose disease or wounds have brought him to
the close of life.
The terrific bombardment of Fort Pickens took place on
Friday, the 22ml of No,·embcr last. \Ve had been expca·ing this great event from the very day we began to land our
forces on Santa Rosa. At last, when we were about to renounce all hope of beholding this awful display of artificial
thunder and the consequent destruaion it was sure to effea,
it burst on us with the irresistible fury of the hurricane.
The general and remote reason of the bombardment is evident to all; the immediate reason, if any, is as yet unknown
outside the near vicinity of department headquarters. Many
causes may be and are assigned, but these have existed since
our first landing here.
Owing to the shallowness of the water ncar the forts and
batteries held by the enemy, the heavy draught of some of
our vessels, and the :-;mall caliber of tht: armament of others,
�LETTERS FRO.!£ A CHAPLAD\'.
!55
the fleet was unable to take the prominent part in the engagement which that branch of the service was expeCted to
take. As it was, the work of the navy was more effeCtive
than that of the army. The Ridtmotui (whose surgeon is
John Murphy, graduate of Fordham College) and the flagship 1Viagara were the only men-of-war of the squadron
whose long-range guns enabled them to keep up the fight
at ebb tide. The other vessels, receding with the fall of the
tide, reluCtantly saw themselves reduced to mere speCtators,
during low tide, for want of guns of proper range.
On the 2oth of November we were officially notified that
the bombardment of the enemv's forts and batteries would
be opened immediately, and that the infantry were to have
a part in it. The 20th and 21st passed by without bringing
forth anything very unusual. Yet the suppressed excitement was so intense that no one· thought of sleeping at
night, or scarcely of eating during the day. The trusted
Sixth Regiment was put on guard, in order to remove even
the possibility of a deserter escaping from the island to convey to the enemy tidings of our intentions.
Some misgivings about the result found utterance here
and there, especially amongst the infantry. If we should be
worsted, and the fort silenced, what could prevent Gen. Bragg
from putting thirty thousand troops on Santa Rosa? If we
should succeed in silencing the enemy, we have no means
of following up our success; we have no boats. These were
some of the doubts and fears expressed by a few.
On the night of the 2 rst, an orderly from department
headquarters in Pickens informed us that next day we
should open on the enemy's defences, forts and batteries,
and that the flag-ship Niact;ara would hoist a red flag as a
signal that all was in readiness. At early dawn every eye
was direCted towards the Niagara in search of the all-important signal. But where is the Nia;:;ara .J \Vhere is our
fleet? What a transformation has taken place ! \Vhen the
sun rose, the surface of the gulf was as clear and unruffled as
that of a mirror; yet our men-of-war presented the appearance of having passed through a terrific st.orm. The spars
had all disappeared, the masts, which had been lowered,
seemed to have been snapped off at the middle, the jibbooms had been hauled in; aye, the very bowsprits had in
some way been withdrawn from sight. The gallant ships
had during night divested themselves of their exquisite
beauty and symmetry, and assumed the garb and position
of intrepid combatants determined to conquer or die.
We had taken our frugal breakfast; the morning was
passing away; and yet the Niagara-failed to hoist the anx-
�LETTERS FROJf A C"HAPLUX.
iously expeCted signal. At 8 o'clock precisely, at the top of
the flag-ship's now stumpy mainmast, the long-watched-for
flag appeared. A signal is run up on the flag-staff of Fort
Pickens, and down goes the all-important banner of the Niagara. From Pickens three steamboats are seen starting down
the bay from Pensacola towards the navy yard. Presently
an aide-de-camp is seen galloping along the commands and
batteries, informing them that the authorities have decided
to postpone the opening shot till these three boats reach
their docks, when we shall ha\·e an additional opportunity
of punishing the enemy. Down come the unsuspeCting
steamers with flying colors, now the objeCl: of our concentrated attention. Thev·reach their docks. Thev arc moored.
At 9.30 ,\. ~1. preciSely, all is in readiness. 'Up goes the
flag once more, and instantaneously every cannon on the
island belches forth its worst. The squadron, in fighting
trim, slipped their cables, and boldly mm·ed in towards the
enemy's defences, as near as the depth of the water permitted, taking charge of Fort .McCrae and the adjoining batteries. The roar. of artillery on our side is incessant, whilst
not a shot is fired by those on the other side. They have
been taken by surprise, and know not what to do; or, not
expeCting an attack, the men are absent from their guns.
Shell and solid_ shot continued to be sent across the bay;
yet no response came. · After about fifteen minutes a roaring shell is heard ploughing its way over to us from the
navy yard, and immediately every hostile fort and battery
sends a shower of metal on poor Santa Rosa. • The fleet
seems to be concentrating its fire against Fof-t.· McCra<.:.
Ships armed with heavy guns are driving terrible projeCl:iles
against its venerable sides. Shell after shell drops into the
old defender of Pensacola, and explodes with telling effeCl:.
For we sec rising out of it a column of smoke which is becoming blacker and denser every instant. The interior is
evidently on fire. The flag-staff is shattered by a shell, but
the flag in its f..1.ll is caught by some projeCl:ion, and defiantly
flutters in our faces. McCrae slackens its fire, but the menof-war have made up their minds to destroy it. In dead
earnest they send one broadside after another into and
ag·ainst the tottering sentinel. They have completely silenced the historic fort. Not a shot comes from it, but no
sign of surrendering is visible, no white flag appears. The
batteries, whose barking has, till now, been almost unheeded
by the vessels, become in their turn the objcCl: of the destruCtive naval batteries that have knocked McCrae luws de
combat.
·
The Zouaves, who, up to this time, have been merely look-
�LETTF.RS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
157
ing on from their camp at the fierce struggle, are now ordered by signal to march to the fort and batteries. A body
of men moving m·er the white field of sand will be an unresisting target for the southern cannon. Calling his staff
around him, Col. \\"ilson said: "vVhat am I to do? If I tell
the men to march forward singly behind the sand-hills,
and dodge the shots of the hostile batteries, I shall be accused of cowardice, and punished as a coward. If I lead
them in open \·iew of the enemy, I shall be accused of uselessly exposing the soldiers' lives, and punished for such
recklessness."
After a brief exchange of opinions, it was unanimously
agreed that we should boldly march along the northern
beach, exposed to the hostile fire. Off we moved. Shell and
shot sped over us, before us, and behind us, yet not one of
us was hurt. \Ve reached the batteries safely, but Wilson
was publicly reprimanded for unnecessarily exposing the
lives of the soldiers. Some of the Zouaves were detailed
among the h~tteries, others were stationed as sentinels to
report any indication of the enemy's preparing to make an
attempt at landing on our island. Very little damage had
thus f;u· been done by our adversaries' shells and solid bails.
They weut wide of the mark.
About noon, Captain Chalfin of the regular army, a convert to our faith, who had charge of a cannon stationed on
the parapet, sent me word that he would like to see me for
a moment at his dangerous position. Hastening up to the
place indicated, I met old Colonel Brown, Commander-inchief, who fiercely asked me why I thus exposed my life.
On learning that I was obeying a caii to duty, he said, "\Vel\
done, Father. I shan't forget this in public orders." Arri\'ing· at Captain Chalfin's battery, I enquired who was hurt.
"No one" replied the brave captain, "but our situation is
most dangerous. In the lower batteries men and officers
have bomb-proof proteCtion, here we have no kind of covering. \Ve stand in full view, exposed to every shot. Being·
all C<ttholics in charge of this gun, we have christened it
'The Immaculate Conception,' and we request you now to
bless it and us." On the high parapet, faci1rg the forts and
batteries of our determined opponents, the captain and his
brave and f.-:tithful Catholic soldiers knelt down, and from
the bottom of my heart I g;l\'e the blessing ~sked.
fn spite of the imminent danger surrounding the place, I
was strongly tempted to remain on the battlement and contemplate the ha\·oc effeCted by our monstrous guns and the
earnest and continuous efforts manifested all along both lines
to destroy all barriers to complete success. As a shell came
�I_sS
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
screeching towards us, Chalfin said: "Father, take one short ·
look at the work of the fleet on your left, and go down out
of this place, as soon as you can, to a casemate for safety."
The fleet was enveloped in a dense cloud of smoke, from
which issued continuous sheets of flame, an indication of the
giant projeCtiles rapidly and forcibly cast against the opposing works. Descending from the parapet, I again met Col.
Brown, who,. with field-glass in hand, was surveying the condition of af£'1irs. "Attended to your work up there?" he
said enquiringly. On receiving my answer he continued:
"It is a fierce fight, and very little damage done. Nothing
has happened to us, and we have done little else than silence McCrae, and che~k its adjacent batteries,-' The enemy have on wheels a beavy gun which they keep moving
from point to point, an'CI whose range we cannot get. It
may do us a deal of harm. Firing no two shots from the
same position, it easily evades our gunners. Its managers
have us clearly within exaCt range, but the shells f.'1il to explode." He then called my attention to the fleet receding
from the batteries. The tide is ebbing and the vessels have
to keep to the deep water. The fort and batteries, aided by
only two men-of-war, the Niagara and Ridtmond, whose
long-range guns enable them to keep up the fight, have now
to sustain the combat till the returning tide permits the
others to resume their place in the obstinate confliCt.
Having come down to one of the batteries, a bomb-proof,
managed by Company I of the Zouaves, I was besieged
by questions about the appearance of things outside, especially about the fleet's work. The roar of artillery was incessant ai1t1 crushing_ till half past three P. ~r.. wl1en all the
cannon became dangerously heated. The firing then had to
be considerablv slackened. At four 1'. )1. I was summoned
to an ;ul\'ance ·battery, where, the messenger said, a hostile
shell had done dreadful work. Dodging through flying
projeCtiles, amidst the hurrahs of the boys, I reached the
scene of the casualtv. The case was not so bad as I had
been given to unde;stand. One was killed and another
badly wounded, both the result of reckless courage. Having eaten nothing since morning·, I thankfully accepted the
im·itation of the men of the battery to partake of the rations just then distributed amongst them; and as these poor
fellows, being nearest to the enemy, were the most exposed of the comi11and, I resolved to remain with them.
At 6.30 1'. M. the canonade praCtically ceased.
The weather had been intensely oppressive all day. Not
a breath of air had been stirring. About 7 P. ~!. the clouds
rapidly rose and gathered over the scene of this day's ex-
�LF.TTERS FROJf A CHAPLAIN.
159
pensh'e work About 8 P, ~I. the rain began to fall in torrents - something like the old-time rainy season. The
shower lasted an hour, without, however, preventing occasional shots from the opposing· batteries.
As a precautionary measure against any attempt at landing on Santa Rosa, a strong, double guard is stationed
along the beach. The men-of-war have recourse to steam
as a safeguard against any move made by Bragg's men to
board them. They have a contrivance whereby they can
readily scald to death any force climbing up their sides.
During the entire night we kept up the fight by mortars
placed at intervals along the north beach. Every discharge
from these monster instruments of destruction (the shells
used were fifteen inches in diameter) shook our island like
an earthquake.
Casualties of the first day's action- one killed, one
wounded; both the result of recklessness.
Saturday, November 23. \Veather beautiful; no attempt
at a surprise was made by either party; flags are flying defiantly on both sides; the fleet has been augmented hy the
arrival of more ships eager for the fray, which, however,
are without long-range guns; all arc in fighting trim. The
usual morning routine of camp life is carried out; all the
various calls have been beaten and answered. "Is the
bombardment over?" ask the soldiers.
At 8.30 A. ~1. "quarters" arc beaten; the Niagara runs up
her flag. At 9 precisely the bombardment is renewed with
increased force, perhaps with increased animosity. The
gallant ships sig·nalled "shoreward," slipped their anchors,
and with flying· colors, and every man at his post, advanced
to look for an antagonist and resume the fight. They had
little to do. Fort McCrae is prostrate. The batteries within
reach of the \Tsscls ncar the "point" are silent. After a few
moments delay, Barrancas and its neighboring batteries responded to Pickens' fire. Both sides had better range, and
consequently were doing more damage to property. The
RidtJ!Iolld and 1Viagara, the former in advance, fimling in
the outer waters no foe worthy of their steel, steamed in tQ
engage Barrancas and its supports, which had continued to
offer such a stout resistance to the heavy blows infliEl:ed by
Pickens and its brave auxiliaries. The RiclllllOlld's shells
were soon dropping with disastrous effect into Barrancas;
for we heard some explosions, and beheld smoke and flames
shoot up from the interior for a while. The flag, however,
remained proudly waving. All our heavy guns were then
trained on the old Spanish relic-I3arrancas. Its responses
�LETTERS .FROJJI A CHAPLAIN
from some cause became weak; but it persistently refused
to haul down its colors.
But the "movable" hem·y gun, \Vhose sudden appearance
and disappearance yesterday annoyed Col. Brown not a
little, ran down behind a hill or a piece of woodland, and
accepted the daring challenge of the two men-of-war armed
with powerful batteries. The tide was rapidly ebbing.
The majority of the vessels had already withdrawn to
deeper water. The batteries and forts seem to slacken their
fire for a while in order to enjoy the fierce conflict between
the flag-ship and her consort on one side, and the mysterious cannon on the other. The ships are evidently firing at
random; but the ubiquitous gun takes accurate aim and
hits nearly every tim.e: The noble steamers are evidently
cramped in their mo\·ements by the want of deep water.
They now use only their bow batteries. The water has become so dangerously shallow that they dare not lie in a position to give broadsides.
There! the Ricltmoltd is fast aground! Terrible target for
the "movable!" The Niagara, fearing a similar f.lte, abandons her position and consort, and puts off for the gulf.
"Poor Richmond!" was the sympathetic expression on
every one's lips. The other vessels endeavored to come to
her aid but their efforts were in vain-their shots fell short.
The fort and b-:l.tteries gave a little help. All the guns of
long range, and the mortars, were trailed in the direction of
the concealed antagonist, to discover and disable him. But
he kept jumping from place to place and taking unerring
aim at the now stationary target. Still the nobk Riclnnond
continued single-handed the uneven contest as serenely as
if she was riding in fifty t1thoms. Shot after shot struck
the stramled ship till, from some cause, she swung round,
and her altered position enabled the untiring gunners to
work their pieces with greater advantage. After a few bitter shots, now nearly broadside on, from the hampered Ricltlll/ll!d, the great "mo\·ahle" became absolutely silent.
\Ve
afterwards heard that one of the powerful shells of the
grounded steamer had struck and completely disabled him.
Having nnw no adversary, the indomitable ship triumphantly awaited the returning tide to attack at close quarters
the remaining defences of the enemy. She had not long to
wait. "The Riclmw1td is free! Three cheers for the Rtdtmond ."' was shOtited all along the water batteries.
The unflinching ship, no doubt badly hurt, but, as f.<r as
we can see, by no means disabled, gave a few lusty blasts of
her whistle, and with flying colors advanced and threw her
monstrous shells once more against Barrancas. After hav-
�LETTERS FRO,lf A CHAPLAIN.
ing shown her ability to keep up the fight, and probably
fearful of touching bottom so far in towards the bay, the
undaunted man-of-war steamed out into the gulf to examine
her timbers. In the fierce contest which she so nobly maintained, she had several of her brave men wounded, but only
one killed-a gunner whose head was shot off whilst he was
in the act of sighting his piece.
Whilst the Ricltmond was thus gallantly defending herself, and covering herself and the fleet with imperishable
honors, the navy-yard battery got a good range on an angle
of Pickens, whose bricks it caused to fly. Shot after shot
struck exactly the same spot, and seemed to threaten a
breach. Col. Brown then ordered the fire to be concentrated
on that battery. But this effort caused only a loss of the
range, it did no.t silence the guns. As the incipient breach
assumed a serious appearance, the venerable colonel asked
for volunteers to climb up and repair the gap. A score of
hands were raised, the repairs were effected, and the terribly
earnest cannonade went on.
I should remark here that the projectors and constructors
of Fort Pickens never calculated on the possibility of a serious attack on its rear face. Their object was to render the
fort invulnerable on the ocean side, from which alone an
enemy was to be expeC1ed. Hence, whilst arming the three
irregular faces (east, west, and south), with three tiers of casemate guns, and the parapet with barbette guns, they left the
fourth face or north side, which fronts the bay and hostile
batteries, comparatively weak, without glacis or any other
protection. They thought, no doubt, that it would be a useless expenditure. Col. Brown remedied the oversight, as
far as possible, by a liberal use of sand-bags. As the enemy
were as well acquainted with the details of the struEtute of
Pickens as our own officers were, they planted heavy columbiads opposite the weak side in order to effect a breach; and
they were very near seeing their efforts crowned with success~a result which, I think, would have proved disastrous
to us.
Early in the afternoon, word came to the battery where I
had tflken up my quarters, that Captain Chalfin's gun on the
parapet had exploded, and had killc:d or wounded all belonging to it. Rushing up to the dangerous location, I
found''indeed only the fragments of "The Immaculate Conception," but the captain and his men were unhurt. On
examination it was discovered that there had been a flaw in
the casting, and the wonder was that all around it were not
killed. The brave and pious captain attributed the preser-
VoL. xvm, No.
2.
I1
�LETTERS FROAf A CHAPLAIN.
vation of himself and his men to the proteEl:ion of our
Blessed Mother. He and his men, amidst the flying and
fear-inspiring missiles, knelt down and offered their grateful
thanks to her whose aid has never been invoked in vain.
As evening approached, some of the enemy's batteries
became slack. But a new and vigorous battery opened on
us from the town of \Yarrington or \Voolsey-two hamlets
near the navy yard. As this was evidently calculated to do
us considerable mischief, and as the houses prevented us
from determining its location, Captain Robinson, who commanded a water battery, was direEl:ed to burn the town and
thus reach this new enemy. He immediately had his furnaces made ready, and sent across the bay a shower of redhot shot. It was thought that these red-hot balls would
penetrate deep into 'barns, stables, residences, etc., and, gradually heating the combustible matter in which they would
lodge, start conflagrations simultaneously in different quarters of the town, and thus drive off or expose to view the
battery that threatened so much mischief The result
corresponded but poorly to the expeEl:ations of the projeEl:ors of this kind of attack ; for no flames were seen to
start up, and the battery continued to throw from the village
a lively and well direEl:ed shower of shot and shell against
Pickens and its supports. Towards sunset, Captain Robinson told me that as soon as the order to interrupt the bombardment for the night should be issued, he would use rock
and rope-fire to effeCt: what red-hot shot had f:1.iled to do.
About 5 P. ;\!. an orderly came to request my presence in
one of the casemates of the fort. Hastening_· to the place
indicated, I found seven men stretched on tl~ floor. They
were all living, but severely if not mortally wounded, and
bleeding profusely. I heard the confessions of the poor
fellows, and was about to administer extreme unEl:ion, whei1
a couple _of surgeons arrived, who· examined and dressed
the wounds, and assured me there was no necessity for
anointing the patients, as there was no immediate da-nger.
The casualty was caused in a rather singular manner. A
large shell, fired from one of the enemy's guns, had struck
the edge of a port-hole and knocked off bricks and pieces
of bricks which were. driven in with great force upon the
men, terribly cutting and bruising them about the f:1.ce and
head. The ponderous shell itself, crashing through the
port-hole with ·the bricks, did not touch the men, but
smashed the gun-carriage, and then rolled amongst ·the
prostrate men over the floor of the casemate towards the
powder magazine, the door of which was open. The fuse
continued to burn and sparkle as the crushing mass was
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
making its way into the magazine, where an immense supply
of fixed ammunition and some loose powder were stored.
Two of the nine men in the casemate were uninjured, but
so paralyzed by the knowledge of what they were sure must
soon happen, that they made no motion to extinguish the
fuse till the shell had passed through the open door into the
magazine. Then recovering their senses, they rushed to do
what they should have done whilst the instrument of destruCtion was within their reach. But to their utter surprise
and satisfaCtion they found the fuse extinguished. Had the
shell exploded, the fort would have been blown up; and no
doubt, as there would be no one to explain the cause of the
calamity, the dreadful occurrence would have been attributed
to the treachery or carelessness of some of our own men.
At sunset, the cannonade, which had been rather weak
on both sides all the afternoon, was brought to a close for
the day. The casualties for the army for this day were
seven wounded, no one killed. On board the Riclmwnd
seventeen were wounded, and one killed. No one was hurt
on board the other vessels.
No sooner had the sun withdrawn from the scene of this
day's havoc than Captain Robinson sent for me, and informed me that, notwithstanding his great desire to save it,
the little Catholic chapel of \Yarrington across the bay was
doomed to annihilation. The battery, ensconced in or behind
the village, had got too correCt: a range to be allowed to live
another day. After the result of to-day's efforts it was evident, he said, that in order to dislodge the obnoxious guns
he must burn \Yarrington. \Vhilst he was speaking, his
fifteen-inch mortars were being charged. "Now Father,"
he said to me, "though. you will witness the ruin of the
sacred edifice of your brethren across the bay, it will be
worth your while to pass the night in my battery, and view
the awful scene of a town set on fire, and no one allowed to
extinguish the conflagration." Pending the proper moment
for the commencement of these fiery hostilities, supper was
served, and occasional shots were exchanged to prevent
either side from resting.
It was about dark when Captain Robinson said to me:
"Take your stand here, Father; you can sec everything
without incurring much danger. Time to begin!"' The
order was given. The mortars in quick succession belched
forth the terrible shells carrying in their fiery bosoms such
destrueti\·e materials as rope-fire, which, on the explosion
of the shell high in tlie air over the fated town, fell down
on the roo(<; in long trains somewhat resembling ropes; or
such as rock-fire, which the bursting shell let fall in lumps
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN:
or blazing showers, and which fastening on combustible
matter speedily set it on fire.
Presently flames began to shoot up here and there ; firebells, or what we took for fire-bells, were heard reverberating
over the water, calling together the people to check the devouring fiend. The blaze, however, continuing to rise and
spread, showed us that the conflagration was not confined
to a few houses, and that any attempt on the part of the
citizens to extinguish it was useless. The flames were soon
bursting forth from the roofs, and simultaneously from opposite points. In a very short time the entire towns of
Woolsey and Warrington were lighted up by their own destroyer. The humble cottage, the home of the employee
of the navy yard, the' neat white steeple of the Catholic
church, and the buildings which, before the war, had sen·ed
as residences for naval officers and their families, all were
ablaze. Cannon and mortars, whose shells were plainly
visible by the ring of fire described by the burning fuse,
have ceased their terrific roar. Officers and soldiers, receiving no response to their last shots, looked in silent wonder
on the fierce conflagration they had started. The flames,
descending through roofs and steeples which they had consumed, reached the interior of church and dwelling. The
burning houses seemed gradually to approach, till the conflagration, viewed from our distant position, was one broad
sheet of flame and smoke, rising heavenward and throwing
a fearful glare over bay, forts, island, ships, and gul( When
the fire appeared to be at its height, the wind rose and caught
the blaze, which, like a storm-struck forest, sw<!yed to and
fro. The refleCtion of the fiery sheets along the e·dge of the
bay, playing through what was still in position of the dark
rigging of the men-of-war, gave our ships the appearance
of dismal speCtres grimly rejoicing at the awful havoc. vVe
could even imagine that we heard distinCtly the surging
and roaring of the unsparing waves of flame. Towards
morning the wind turned seawards, and brought across the
bay to our shores clouds of smoke which enveloped Santa
Rosa and caused us no little alarm at our own destruCtive
work.·
Sunday, November 24, dawned bright and clear on us
and on our houseless friends and enemies on the other side.
Many of those who lost their property, probably their all,
by this bombardment, are old employees of the Uni.tcd
States, staunch friends of the Union. Such is war. The army
and navy, mindful of what these people did for Lieut. Slemmer, will reimburse them for their losses. As far as we
could see, little beyond smoking and smouldering rums
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
165
remained for these old friends. For want of the necessary
articles, we could not offer the holy sacrifice to-day. We
ardently hope that vestments, etc., to replace those lost on
the gth of October, will soon be sent to us. All feel lonely
on Sundays without the celebration of Mass. Perhaps our
afflicted brethren in Warrington and \Voolsey are suffering
to-day from the same· privation. At 8 A. ~r. Col. Brown informed the command that he would not disturb the "quiet
of the Sabbath" by resuming hostilities unless the enemy
opened on us. There was plenty of time for a little sermon
and abundant matter for reflection. Everything passed off
quietly, and nothing happened to mar in the least the quiet
of the day.
Monday the 25th.-All were at work early, each one
making his own preparations in expectation of the immediate resumption of the battle; but to the astonishment of
all, Col. Brown issued an order at 8 A. :0.1., declaring the
bombardment at an end unless the enemy should attack.
Freed by this announcement from a good deal of the restraint which the previous cannonade had placed on our
movements, men and officers, led by a spirit of curiosity,
dispersed over the western extremity of the island, around
the fort and batteries, to see the effect of the thundering
shells the enemy had sent us. We found those monstrous
instruments of devastation lying solid everywhere. Very
few comparatively of the enemy's shells had exploded. This
accounts to some extent for the small number of casualties
on our side. The powder was probably wet or bad, or the
shells had been too long charged. Reaching the site of our
old camp, we found here and there bombs scattered in profusion, but none of them exploded. No harm, consequently, had been done to our tents which we had left standing.
Whilst we were discussing· the great error of Bragg's
cannoneers in wasting so much powder and time to destroy
an abandoned camp, we hearq the screech of a shell ploughing through the air towards us. Nearer and nearer it came.
As there was no shelter to which we could retreat, we silently and motionlessly awaited our fate. Will it explode
over us, and scattering its fragments do more harm than
was done during the entire bombardment? The deafening
sound tells us that the iron messenger is at our sides.
There! a terrible thud! The bomb fell about thirty feet from
us ; the fuse was still sparkling. Throwing ourselves prostrate on the ground, we awaited the report, which came in
a few seconds. \Vith the noise of a clap of thunder the
murderous monster was blown into fragments, but no one
was hurt. Will this once more renew the fight? Returning
�166
LETTERS FRO"V A CHAPLAIN.
to Pickens we were informed that the authorities were uncertain as to what they should do. "It was only one shot,"
remarked Col. Brown, "and very probably it was an accidental discharge or a bravado bolt by some unauthorized
soldier." After some delay, and without receiving a second
challenge, it was decided to send to the hostile batteries an
iron messenger in return. There was no rejoinder; and
quiet was again restored.
In the afternoon Captain Chalfin invited me to take a little
stroll with him. \Ve visited the wounded, who, though disfigured for life, are doing well. "Father," said this unflinching Catholic soldier, -'~the scene at night was truly awful.
Those fiery shells hi_.ssing along through the dark air, and
leaving a red track through the heavens, were enough to
chill the blood in the veins of the innocent viCtims inhabiting
Woolsey and \Varrington. May God in his mercy watch
over the poor soldier, and shelter the inoffensive viCtims of
war."
Tuesday the 26th.-Fearing some mishap from the large
number of charged bombs lying within and without the fort,
Col. Brown gave orders to the ordnance officer to have them
carefully removed to. some place where no danger could be
apprehended from an accidental bursting of any of them.
SeleCting his help from amongst the most skilful of the
regulars, the sergeant appointed to execute the orders began his rather perilous work. Some soldiers, curious to
know what was the cause of the non-explosion, scooped out
some of the powder of the fuseless shells, in qtder to subjeCt it to an examination; others took some to s·end home
as a relic or a trophy. The sergeant superintending the
handling of these apparently harmless iron balls repeatedly
called the attention of the idlers who were foraging amongst
them, to the extreme danger to which they were exposing
themselves. But all advice was useless.. Finally, for the
proteCtion of himself and his men, he sent for the officer
of the guard to clear those foolhardy prowlers away. But
presently a fifteen-inch shell exploded, sending its deathdealing fragments through the crowd of idle on-lookers
with fearful effeCt. \Vhen the smoke had been wafted away,
and we had recovered sufficiently from the shock to open
our eyes and look about us, we saw five men dead-torn to
pieces-and nine ·horribly wounded. We suffered in this a
greater loss of life than the entire bombardment had cost us.
One of the viCtims of this deplorable accident was an
engaging drummer boy, in whom Madam Hardey and
other Ladies of the Sacred Heart took a lively and
to him beneficial interest. His innocence, indeed, con-
�LETTERS FROM A
CHAPLAIII~
trasted so strangely with the kind of life he was leading,
and with the wild lives, unfortunately far from edifying
at times, of some of those with whom he was obliged
continually to associate, that one could not refrain from
being deeply concerned about the boy. His innocence
was, I think, preserved by the wonderful facility with
which he kept himself always employed at something
useful or instruCtive. 'When free from duty, he did not loll
in his tent, or on the warm sand near the spent breakers,
but occupied his mind and his hands with amusing incidents
or useful objeCts. For instance, he would devote his free
time to the examination of various parts of artillery wagons
and harness, to the management of horses and mules, to the
working of a cannon in battery or on wheels, or to the polishing and brightening of his buttons, buckles, and drum.
During the bombardment, this lad was the post-adjutant's
orderly, and as such had to carry direCtions from headquarters in Pickens to the various commands stationed in the
batteries along the bay-shore. Arrayed in his full uniform,
and mounted on a magnificent saddle-mule, he rode up to
our quarters the first morning of the bombardment, evidently full of a soldier's pride, to inform me of the important and dangcrotts post to which he had been assigned,
and to make "a little confession." Throughout the big
duel, the little fellow, in carrying his orders froni post to
post, had many narrow escapes, and, young as he was, displayed extraordinary coolness and bravery.
Sad indeed was it that after having gone through the
bombardment unharmed, our little drummer should have
lost his life by the accidental explosion mentioned above.
A flying piece of metal tore his head and neck from his
body.
The fierce cannonade with its resulting melancholy accidents is now at an end, to the satisfaCtion, it is hoped, of all
concerned. The only cause of gratification I can see, in the
enormous expense incurred by the government, is that we
have proved to the enemy that Fort Pickens and Santa
Rosa, which a few months ago did .not possess as much as
an old musket, arc now armed with the most powerful ordnance, and defended by the bravest soldiers that any country
could wish to possess. Had we the proper means of transportation, we could now easily effeCt: a landing in the neighborhood of Fort McCrae, and outflank all batteries below
Barrancas, and thus diminish the enemy's strongholds.
Washington answers our appeal for boats with "\Ve have
none just now to spare." The gaps opened up to-day, if
not seized by us, will soon be repaired by the enemy, and
�r68
INNSBRUCK.
must be taken again at a sacrifice of life and treasure. Hoping that we shall soon have peace with its many attending
blessings, I remain,
Your son in Christ,
MICHAEL NASH, S. J.
INNSBRUCK.
A SANCTUARY OF THE OLD SOCIETY.
The Society was first called to Innsbruck in I 500. In
that year the Emperor Ferdinand I., who was greatly
alarmed lest the faith of the Tyrolese should be tainted by
the heresies of the 16th century, invited BI. Peter Canisius
and Fr. Nicholas Lanoy to open a college in lnnsbruck.
Several fathers were appointed for the task, and in 1561
they began to build a large college, which now forms part
of the university buildings, and a church for public services.
The church was finished in 1571 and was almost entirely
the gift of the_Archduke Ferdinand II. It was dedicated
to the Holy Trinity, but was known among the people as
the jcsuitmkirclze. So numerous were the people of all
ranks who came to hear the earnest preaching of Ours, that
the necessity of ereB:ing a larger edifice was ·clear to all.
The additional land necessary was bought ·l)y the pious
Archduke Maximilian, of the Order of Teutonic Knights,
and the corner-stone of the new church was laid in 1615.
The expenses were defrayed by the archduke and the nobility of Innsbruck, and in 1626 the sacred building was ready
for consecration. By some strange mishap, the foundations
were so poorly built that in this same year a portion of the
edifice fell to the ground, and the rest showed such a want
of stability that it was resolved to pull down the entire
building and to commence the work over again. This time
the Society found a generous benefaCtor in the Archduke
Leopold V., who chose the 1st of May, 1627, for the laying
of the corner-stone, and who wished that the church might
be the burial-vault of himself and his descendants. The
troublous times, especially the Swedish wars, were a great
hindrance to the completion of the work, and it was not
until 1646 that the church was consecrated by Anton von
Krosin, Bishop of Brixen. It stands to-day with but few
changes since the beginning of this century.
�LVNSBRUCK.
Judged from an architectural stand-point it is said to be
the finest church in the city, for it is in a great measure free
from the glaring defects of the other Innsbruck churches.
The broad front is built in the early Doric style, and its
present venerable aspect is very striking. The original plan
contemplated two massive towers in front, but these have
never been built, and the bells are protected by a wooden
structure that is sadly out of harmony with the rest of the
building. On each side of the nave are three side-chapels;
those on the left are dedicated to our Lady, to St. Pirminius,
and to St. Ignatius; those on the right to the Sacred Heart,
St. Fortunatus, and'St. Francis Xavier. The church, without considering the chapels, is 40 feet broad and 170 feet
long. Above the chapels and over the entrance are large
galleries for the use of the scholastics, the seminarians, and
the male portion of the congregation. The galleries are so
arranged that only those in the first bench can see the altar,
and as the flooring is of stone, they are anything but desirable places on a cold winter's day. From the arms of the
cross springs aloft a magnificently formed cupola, which is
as high as the church is long. This cupola, on account of
its graceful outlines, is a very conspicuous object in Innsbruck, and it stands out prominently among the many other
towers of the neighborhood.
The decorations of the church are very simple, consisting
chiefly of a few paintings and statues, and large pillars of a
dull reddish marble. These pillars form one of the most
expensive features of the church, but their want of finish
and their peculiar color hide their beauty, and, at a distance,
they look like grim sentinels weeping over the past glories
of a once famous temple. The side altars are of a fine Italian
marble and of exquisite workmanship. They are all decorated with richly worked relic cases, and among these treasures is the body of St. Pirminius, whose memory is especially
honored in the upper Rhine provinces, where he preached
the faith in the eighth century. He built the abbey of Hornbach, near the village of Mendelsheim in the diocese of
Spires, and there he closed his saintly life on Nov. 3, 754·
Here his body rested in peace until 1540, when the abbey
passed into the hands of Protestants, who were only too
glad to be relieved of their treasure. The sacred relics were
then brought to Innsbruck.
The high altar is of marble and of decorated metal work.
The latter displays wonderful skill, and gives the altar a very
massive and solid appearance. Some of the work is unquestionably fantastic in design, and there are two angels by
the tabernacle, apparently almost miraculously held in mid-
�INNSBR ~-cK.
air, but the general finish is far superior to anything of the
kind one meets with in America. There are two frescoes
in the sanctuary, but the figures have no prototypes that I
am aware of in nature, and the coloring is so alarming in
tone that one cannot help regretting their existence.
The church is sadly in need of repairs. As it has never
been given back to the Society but is still held by the government, there are slight hopes of the much desired restoration. The Society is allowed to use it as the university
church, all our celebrations take place there, and most of
the fathers say Mass there. The services are well attended
but the small number of men present is very noticeable.
For the triduum in -honor of the three new saints, the
sanctuary was tastefully decorated with massive reliquaries
and candles, while the ledges of the many niches were
adorned with flowers. Solemn Pontifical Mass and Benediction was celebrated on each of the three days; on Sunday by the Premonstratensian Abbot of \Vilten, on Monday
by the Benedictine Abbot of Fiecht, and on Tuesday by
the Cistercian Abbot of Stams. The sermon on Sunday
evening was preached by a Franciscan, on Monday by a
Capuchin, and on Tuesday by Mgr. Mayr, a secular priest.
The BenediCtions appear very strange to those accustomed to the Roman rite. For example, on the first Sunday
of the month devotions are held in honor of the Sacred
Heart. At half past three Benediction is given with the
Blessed Sacrament enclosed in the ciborium. This is followed by the rosary, which is recited from the- pulpit by
one of the scholastics. At the end of the ro-sary, Benediction is again given with the ciborium. Then comes the
sermon, during which many of the people leave their seats
and stand directly opposite the pulpit, which is on the gospel side of the nave and about the middle of the church.
The sermons vary in length, but usually last from forty-five
minutes to an hour. After the sermon we have the solemn
Benediction, which is given in the following manner. vVhen
the clergy have entered the sanctuary, the deacon exposes
the Blessed Sacrament, after which he joins the celebrant
and subdeacon, who ascend the altar-steps; then the deacon
hands the ostensorium to the celebrant who intones the
Tmztum Ei:<;o. The celebrant holds the Blessed Sacrament
aloft to the kneeling people until the words 1W'i'O adat ritui,
when the worshippers receive the blessing. The ostensorium is then placed upon the throne, the ministers descend
to the floor, the litanies are sung, and prayers to the Sacred
Heart arc recited. \Vhen the prayers have been said, the
Blessed Sacrament is again given by the deacon to the
�THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, z848-z865.
171
celebrant, who intones the Genitori, and performs the same
ceremony as before, until the words sit ct bmedi{lio, when
the final benediction is given and the Blessed Sacrament is
replaced in the tabernacle. Perhaps the sacred ceremony
seems thus deprived of the dignity and solemnity which
must be claimed for the Roman rite, but the pious Tyrolese are very much· attached to their customs, and woe betide the hapless clergyman who dares to hint at a change.
This church must ever be dear to the members of the
Society, fo~ it has been the scene of the labors of many
whose names are still held in benediction by the nations who
never failed in their loyalty to the faith. Deep down in the
vaults rest the bodies of the fathers of the old Society who
passed to their reward while toiling in the Tyrol. There is
little sunlight in the church, and the visitor naturally thinks
it a fitter place for shadows than for cheery sunbeams until
it is restored to those who modestly claim the heritage of
their forefathers.
THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, I848-186s ..
~lD!OIRS
OF FR.
J.
RAZZINI.
The Jesuits had been expelled from Brazil in 1760 by the
iniquitous contrivances of Pombal. It was not until the
year 1840 that they again set foot in that country. The first
to make their reappearance were a few fathers from the
province of Aragon, who landed on the coast of the province of St. Catherine, and established themselves at Desterro,
the capital of the province. Here Sunday schools for
children were opened, and missions given with such success,
that the citizens applied to the fathers to have a college
opened in their town. A college was accordingly built
there, and went on flourishing until 1856, when the fathers
abandoned it. They then left the province of St. Catherine
and retired to the Spanish possessions where the province
of Aragon had colleges and residences. Three fathers
however remained in Brazil for the purpose of opening a
residence in the province of Rio Grande do Sui.
In 1848, some German fathers also took up their abode
among the Germans who had formed a colony called St.
Leopold. Many of these people were Catholics and the
fathers had been sent thither in the quality of pastors to take
�THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, z848-z86s.'
charge of them. This faB: caused many more Germans to
emigrate to that colony and more fathers to follow them ; so
that in 1863 the mission was attended by seven fathers and
three brothers.
In 1861, the Right Rev. Bishop Larangeiza of Porto Alegre brought along with him, on his way from Rome to his
diocese, four fathers whom he had obtained from Very Rev.
Fr. General. His intention was to give them charge of his
seminary. Meeting, however, with opposition from its actual managers, the bishop could place but two of the fathers
there and gave the other two charge of a church.
Towards the close of 1863, Very Re\'. Father General
sent a visitor to Brazil/with instruCtions to open some house
or college in that vast··empire already watered by the blood
of so many martyrs of the old Society; and especially to
open negotiations with the provincial assembly of Desterro
for laying the foundations of a college in that city, in pursuance of a request made for the purpose by those honorable deputies.
The empire of Brazil is divided into eighteen provinces,
each of which is governed by a president and assembly invested with full· powers, with the exception of a few cases
reserved to the government of Rio Janeiro. The president,
in each province, is the representative of the emperor's government, and has power to veto decrees of the assembly;
in which case they are returned to the assembly, and, should
they there receive a two-thirds majority, they are entitled
to the president's signature.
_
The organization of many of the provinces~is· the result
of the work of our £<thers. In their missionary labors
among the savages, they were not unmindful of the worldly
welfare of their converts; they gathered the Indians in
reduB:ions, taught them the useful arts, especially husbandry, and thus gave rise to flourishing communities, which
in the course of time developed into well settled countries.
Thus sprang up the provinces of Sao Paulo, Espirito Santo,
Pernambuco, Ceara, Maranhao, and Parana.
Brazil was tributary to the crown of Portugal until I 82 I,
when it threw off the yoke, declared itself an independent
state, drew up a constitution, and invested an emperor
with the governm,ent of the nation. The present emperor,
Pedro II., is an upright, good-hearted man, well versed in
literature and philosophy, though not in the best acceptation of the word.
Freemasonry is vastly extended in Brazil, and has, in faB:,
strongholds in every province of the empire. The slanders
and prejudices spread by the artful Pombal against the So-
�THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, I8.18-IS65 .
ciety are still fresh in the Brazilians' minds; it was therefore to be expeaed that, as all enterprises for the glory of
God are to meet with thwarting and difficulties, so also the
new projea of re-establishing the Society in Brazil was to
undergo bitter opposition. As soon as it became known
that a college of the Society would· probably be opened in
the province of St. Catherine, the press began a most bitter
attack on the Society. God, however, knew how to turn
this evil to our good. Alongside of the defamatory articles,
able vindications were published. Rev. Fr. Visitor furnished the material, whilst an elegant scholar put it in good
style. It is a custom peculiar to Brazilian journalists to
publish both sides of a controversy, provided they be paid
for it. The defence of the Society being published in one
of the most widely circulated papers in Brazil, a wonderful
change was effeaed in the public mind concerning the Society. People were undeceived, and prejudices dispelled, as
was afterwards proved by the general goodwill shown to
the fathers, and the liberal donations forwarded to them at
the proper time. Rev. Fr. Visitor experienced this shortly
after on his journey to the province of Rio Grande, where
he was shown great deference and goodwill by the gentlemen who happened to travel with him.
The province of Rio Grande do Sui stood certainly far
below the standard in religious and mental training, and
its clergy were not of the best in point of morality. The
ministry of the two fathers, who, as we have said, had been
given charge of a parish, did not meet with any apparent success; whilst the other two who had been placed in the seminary of Porto Alegre, one as reaor and the other as vicereaor, had to encounter serious obstacles in bringing about
the reform which the seminary stood so much in need o(
The professors of the seminary were appointed and paid by
the government, the bishop having little authority over
them. Many of the priests were displeased because the
charge of the seminary had been given to strangers; and
some of the professors were far from promoting in their
pupils esteem and affeaion for their new direaors.
On account of this unpleasant state of things, the bishop
was informed that the fathers in charge of the seminary
would be withdrawn by the end of the scholastic year,
as their help would be required in the college which was
to be opened at Desterro. Rev. Fr.· Visitor therefore
hastened to that city to conclude negotiations and come
to an agreement with the assembly about the college. On
his way thither, however, he was obliged to stop at Rio
Janeiro to settle an important affair. The colony of St.
�17-f
THE JESUITS LV BRAZIL, rS;S-rS65.
Leopold was in a state of complete disorder, and the
f.1thers there were threatened with expulsion. The German
Protestants pretended that their lives were in danger because
the priests had aroused the Catholics against them. They
therefore flew to arms, protesting that by so doing they
meant nothing else but to withstand the attacks premeditated by the Catholics. This strange proceeding, however, was only a stratagem by means of which the Protestants had hoped to obtain from the government the removal
of the fathers. The Catholics did not fail to see into the
crafty manreuvring of their Protestant fellow-countrymen.
Accordingly, they abandoned the more isolated dwellings,
and, gathering in cqmpaEl: bodies, they prepared for self
defence ; whilst a goodly number of staunch Catholics made
arrangements to defend the dwelling of the f.1thers. They
even protested, notwithstanding the remonstances of the
f.1thers, that they would even oppose the government's
aCtion in case any attempt should be made to remove their
pastors from their midst.
In this extremity, nothing seemed more efficient to Rev.
Fr. Visitor than to have direCt recourse to the government
at Rio Janeiro. Accordingly, knowing that the prime minister was favorable to the Catholics, he sent him a memorial,
requesting that, before proceeding against the fathers of the
colony, an inquiry should be made into the case by persons
of known integrity and impartiality. The minister, who had
already been informed of the uprising and its nature, kindly
granted the petition, and told Re\·. Fr. Visitor to reassure
the fathers of their safety, and tell the Catholics of the colonv that the Protestants would soon be calfed to order.
This plan produced the desired effeCt; measures were immediately taken by the government, and complete order was
restored.
Rev. Fr. Visitor, having seen this aff.1ir settled, left for
the province of St. Catherine. It was then the beginning
of the year r864. On his arrival there he was visited by
some of the most influential deputies in the province, who
were favorable to the projeCt of a college. vVith these he
drew up the basis of a contraCt, which, having beet1 brought
before the assembly, was carried, after some violent opposition. The document was signed the next day by the president, who wished to have it also signed by the Rev. Fr.
Visitor, and direCted that a part of the appropriation should
immediately be forwarded to him for the fitting up of the
college. It will be well to bear in mind this legal transaCtion
for the better understanding of future events. The college
�THE JESU_ITS IN BRAZIL, I8.18-r865.
I75
was as yet under the superintendence of a secular; and two
months' time was given him to seek other employment.
Rev. Fr. Visitor took advantage of this time to pay a visit
to the colony of St. Leopold. The fathers there had three
residences with parochial churches as central points from
which they were carrying on their ministry. As many
Catholic families were a great distance from the church, the
f.<thers made frequent excursions among them, to instruct
them and hear therr confessions, to bless matrimonial allian·ces, and perform baptisms. It was a very consoling and
edifying sight to see with how great zeal and interest they
spent themselves in maintaining the f<1ith and piety of those
Catholics, and in bringing about the conversion of Protestants. They cheerfully undertook hard labor and dangerous
journeys to bring the last consolations to the dying, and on
Saturdays and holy-days they spent long hours in the confessional, frequently not finishing before noon, and then they
began Mass, which was very frequently a High Mass.
These good Germans lm·ed the fathers, and repaid their
labors by leading truly Christian lives. They regularly
came a distance of seven miles or more to attend the services on Sundays and holy-clays. It was really edifying to
see with how much recollection and devotion they assisted
at all the services, and to hear them singing at High Mass
and Benediction. There were numerous Communions every Sunday, and it was not a rare occurrence to see all
present approach the holy table.
At about this t'tme the bishop of Porto Alegre came to
the colony on a pastoral visit. Upon his arrival at Sao Miguel, one of the missions, the whole Catholic colony turned
out to welcome him, and to beg his blessing on their knees,
although the soil was wet and muddy on account of recently f.<llen rain. His Grace stopped over three clays at Sao Miguel, receiving and blessing the colonists, who were coming
in crowds to show him homage and devotion, and to bringthe f.<thers the best things they had for the good treatment
of the bishop. On the day appointed for receiving- new
candidates for the sacrament of confirmation, the church
was crowded with these good people, and they gave such
evident proof<> of solid piety, that the bishop, in public discourses and private conversations with the f.<thers, could not
help speaking of his high admiration of the work accomplished in the colony, and could not help saying that the
days spent there had been the happiest days of his life.
The time had now come to take possession of the college at
Desterro. Rev. Fr. Visitor, therefore, proceeded to that city,
and called on the president to receive the formal investiture,
�Ij6
THE JESl'ITS IN BRAZIL, ISjS-!865.
but to his great surprise he found that the president, had
changed, and showed himself rather indifferent; he promised, however, that on the appointed day the college would
be given up, if nothing should come in the way. It was
the president's evident duty to carry out the agreement
already signed, but he intimated that he would not proceed
further in the affair without having it referred to the government of Rio Janeiro. He had come to this determination on account of two clauses in the agreement, by which
(I) full liberty was granted as to the choice of professors,
text-books, and. the administration of the college; and (~)
an annual appropriation was made for the college from the
rents and taxes which were most sure to come to the provincial treasury. The president now claimed the privilege of
testing the professors~abilities by a previous examination, of
inspecting the books, schools, and studies, and of modifying
in fact the entire plan of the agreement. It was of no avail
to remind him that the deed had already been signed by his
own hand, and that the provincial assembly had full powers,
independently of Rio Janeiro, in regard to education. Rev.
Father Visitor therefore declared to him his intention of
laying the case himself before the government of Rio Janeiro. The president tried to dissuade him from this with
vague words and promises, but Rev. Fr. Visitor was not to
be deterred frolll what he deemed necessary to insure the
validity of the contract, and he requested a free pass on the
next steamer bound for Rio Janeiro, to which he had been
entitled by the provincial assembly.
A few days after Rev. Fr. Visitor's arrival in Rio Janeiro,
the contract, such as it had been concluded in Sf. Catherine,
appeared in an official paper. It was sent from St. Catherine
with a protest from the actual professors of the college. The
article concluded with the following remark: "The government will see that the contract be carried out." It is however of no rare occurrence in Brazil to see the president of
a province· acting arbitrarily and in disregard of law; and
such was now the case. Rev. Fr. Visitor found a good supporter of his project in Monsignor Sanguigni, Internuncio
to Brazil, who was a nephew of Cardinal Antonelli. He
advised that the integrity of the contract should be upheld,
and kindly offered to countenance the action. It was therefore concluded to e!Tlploy every means to interest the senator
and representatives of St. Catherine in the matter, and to
induce them to maintain before the parliament the rights of
their provincial assembly. Rev. Fr. Visitor accordingly
interviewed the senator and the representatives, who kindly
listened to him, and all promised their support. The pres-
�THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, r8jS-rS6s.
177
ident of the ministry was also interviewed on the subject,
and he openly asserted that there was no need of bringing
the affair before parliament, but that it was simply the duty
of the president of St. Catherine to carry out the contract
in its minutest details. It belonged, however, to the chancellor of the empire to see that the president of St. Catherine should do his duty. The chancellor declared that
equal rights and liberties should be enjoyed by all, the Jesuits not excluded, that he saw nothing against the validity
of the contract, and that all differences would soon come to
an end.
These expressions of goodwill, however, were only simulated, for he presently declared that he found the proposed
modifications in the contract quite reasonable. Here again
Rev. Fr. Visitor remarked that the agreement would be
substantially invalidated by such modifications, in which
case he preferred to renounce all pretentions to it, and to
open negotiations with the assembly of St. Catherine upon
another basis. The two deputies from St. Catherine, who
were also present at the interview, concurred in the father's
views, and declared that the proposed modifications were a
direct attack on the liberties of the assembly, that the
new president of St. Catherine had become insupportable by
trampling under foot the religious feelings of the citizens of
Desterro, that the professors in their educational institutions
were incompetent, that the college was never on a good
footing except under the fathers' direEl:ion, and that it was
intolerable that now, when they themselves offered their services to the country, opposition should be thrown in their
way by those who should most favor their projects. The
chancellor, intimidated by this protest, promised to transmit
the contraEl: to Re\·. Fr. Visitor, formulated to the full satisfaction of the latter, within two days. But he did not keep
his promise.
·
Meanwhile, bundles of letters and memorials were coming
frtm1 St. Catherine to the senator and representatives, in
f.·nrw of the college, and against the president; the lay profess"5rs of the college also sent a protest against the contraEl:. This latter gave an opportunity to one of the representatives of Rio Janeiro to make in parliament the following
declaration: "He was positively informed that the Jesuits
were coming into the country with the intention of establishing colleges in the provinces; and that not only they
were not to be seconded in their projeEl:, but that they were
excluded by law from having a footing in the land." The
parliament refused to hear him further, but referred his pro-
VoL. xvm, No.2.
12
�THE JESCITS I.Y BRAZIL, !SJS-IS6_;.
posal to the commission on internal affairs. This occurrence proved of no immediate consequence to the Society
in Brazil, but it was thought necessary for future security
to ask whether the proscription of the Society in Brazil,
enacted by Pombal, might be revived or not. The ministers
did not agree as to the answer, and Rev. Fr. Visitor concluded that the emperor was the only competent judge in
the case. He therefore begged the senator and representatives of St. Catherine to present to the emperor a memorial.
It was composed by an able lawyer, and in it the emperor
was requested, in the name of the leading men of the province of St. Catherine, to enjoin the carrying out of the contract. It was also ably shown that since the time that
Brazil had been giveri a new constitution, all the laws enacted by a minister of· Portugal had been abrogated. The
new constitution also openly declared that no foreigner was
to be excluded from Brazil unless convicted of crime; and
as the fact of being a Jesuit was not a crime, the Society was
entitled by law to settle in Brazil.
The memorial was sent to Desterro to be signed by the
principal families there. The emperor, who had been informed of the transaction by some favorable ministers, manifested a desire to see the memorial, and Rev. Fr. Visitor was
admitted into His Majesty's presence. The reception was
most friendly, and the emperor complimented Rev. Fr. Visitor by saying that he wished all his subjects were as good
as the Jesuits were. He then expressed his prejudices
against them in the following way: "I know full well that
the Jesuits form a po\\'erful society, everywhere striving for
authority, expert in the confessional, eager to !;'im~ad and to
meddle in state aff.1irs. Governments never watch them
enough, but I will know how to keep an eye on them."
Rev. Fr. Visitor thought the time had now come to find out
His Majesty's intention about the permanence of the Jesuits
in the empire; he therefore begged to remark that he was
perfectly satisfied that the Society should be watched, !,ut
as the Jesuits had powerful enemies in Brazil on account of
old prejudices, he foresaw that they would not escape' calumnies, which, on account of His Majesty's preoccupation,
would readily be listened to; and thus the condition of the
Society in Brazil would be most precarious. Rev. Fr. Visitor also gave His Majesty to understand that he came here
empowered by Rev. Fr. General to remove to the Spanish
dominions the fathers who were working in Rio Grande,
in.case he should not be allowed to found colleges in Brazil,
in which case he. himself was to return to Europe by the
next steamer. "Not at all," said the emperor, "the Jesuits
�THE JESUITS IN BRAZIL, I84S-I865.
179
may remain in Brazil and establish colleges in Brazil, and
the supervision will be made by persons favorable to you
and to your cause."
Proceeding to discuss the contract, the emperor found
certain concessions too large; "but then," he said, "a contract, when made, must be carried out." It was now easy
for Rev. Fr. Visitor to convince him that by revoking the
clauses in question the contract itself would be annulled.
He remarked to His Majesty that the privileges included in
the contract \vere all-important to the existence of the college, that they had been discussed and approved by the
provincial assembly, and that to disregard or declare them
illegal would be a slight on that honorable body. The emperor then gave his word that no substantial change would
be made in the contract. Rev. Fr. Visitor had obtained his
purpose. Before leaving, however, he besought His Majesty, that, since he had been so long delayed in the settlement of this affair, he might see it now speedily concluded.
His Majesty promised to have it done within the space of
eight days.
The audience lasted three quarters of an hour, to the
great astonishment and impatience of the chamberlains, who
had been waiting the while to introduce persons of high
rank into the imperial presence. The emperor kept his
word. After five days he sent the memorial to the president
of the ministry, and enjoined also on his chancellor not to
exact more than had been agreed upon, and to surrender
the college. The opposition, however, was not yet at an
end; for whilst Re\'. Fr. Visitor was waiting for the chancellor to give him the papers, the ministry resigned, and the
chancellor, being thrown out of office with the rest, was no
longer competent to conclude the affair. Fortunately, however, a new ministry was formed and entered into office
within two days, and the new chancellor happened to be on
excellent terms with the internuncio. This kind prelate
succeeded in interesting the chancellor in favor of the college, and in making him promise that, as soon as parliament
would close, he would attend to this affair, and do all he
could to gratify him.
The parliament closed after a short session; but a violent
insurrection broke out in Rio Janeiro and the neighboring
provinces on account of the bankruptcy of the principal
banker of the capital. There was scarcely any one who
had not deposited money in that bank. A general distrust
of banking institutions began· to prevail, a run was made
on the other banks, and the depositors withdrew all their
p10ney. Troops were stationed in different parts of the city
�18o
THE JESUITS J.V BR.lZIL, JS-1S-IS65.
to check disorder while the ministers were holding a council
to determine on the best way of readjusting matters. Owing
to this faCt:, Rev. Fr. Visitor could not interview the chancellor until nineteen days after his eleCtion. Furnished with
letters of recommendation from the internuncio and from
an old professor of the chancellor, Rev. Fr. Visitor was
most kindly received and reassured that His Majesty's direCtions would be faithfully carried out; and the president
of St. Catherine was notified by telegraph that on the arrival
of Rev. Fr. Visitor in Desterro, he should be put into immediate possession of the college. The affair being finally
concluded, Rev. Fr. Visitor spent a fe\\' more days in Rio
Janeiro to provide whatever was necessary for the college.
Before leaving Rio. Janeiro, hO\\·ever, particular mention
should be made of the kindness and important services rendered to the Society by Mr. J. Andrew and f.<mily. He
showed the kindest hospitality and attentions to Rev. Fr.
Visitor during his long stay in Rio Janeiro, as he had always
done to any of Ours who came to that city. Only a few
days remained before the steamer would leave fi1r Desterro,
and as many provisions were yet to be made for the college,
this kind gentleman wished to undertake the task. He
called for a note of everything that was needed; he shipped
over to Desterro whatever was most needed the very next
day, and promised to forward the rest in due time. \Vhat
is most worthy of mention is, that he acquitted himself
of his trust with great skill and celerity, and in the very
same warehouses where Re\'. Fr. Visitor had ~een only a
few weeks before, he bought goods for half the..pt:ice which
had been asked from Rev. Fr. Visitor.
•
On Rev. Fr. Visitor's arrival in Desterro he was welcomed
by every one favorable to the Society. E,·en the president
complimented him on his success, and after a few days
handed over to him the keys of the college. As the building was not high enough to accommodate the boys already received, another story was added, and it was not
until the 3rd of February that the college was opened. This
impressive ceremony was honored by the presence of the
president of the province, the assembly, all the captains,
delegates, and other authorities, the clergy, and the principal
citizens.
(To be continued.)
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNIAL.
As the WoODSTOCK LETTERS are supposed to contain "a
record of current events and historical notes conneCted with
the colleges and missions of the Society in America," in
these pages, if anywhere, should be found a detailed account
of the great c.elebration that has recently attraCted so much
attention-the hundredth anniversary of what may be called
the mother house of the old Maryland Province and what
is in reality the oldest Catholic college in the United States.
Much might be said about this great celebration that
would be of interest to old students and professors of
Georgetown, but the College Joumal will, no doubt, satisfy
this class of friends of the college. The present chronicle
will be confined to such f.>ets as may be expeCted to especially interest Ours, not only in America but wherever these
LETTERS will be read, not only the reader of to-day but the
annalist of the future. This statement will explain why
some parts of the celebration will here be dwelt upon more
at length, while others will be touched upon more briefly.
That the reader may enter into the spirit of the celebra- ,
tion, a brief description of the centennial decorations is necessary. The buildings of the law and medical departments
in \Yashington were decked with btinting in honor of the
occasion, but the scene of the celebration was at Georgetown, where all the college buildings, old and new, presented a rare display of flags, banners, and inscriptions. At the
entrance to the college grounds a triumphal arch was ereCted, bearing the inscription :
Q\'01> . BONV:\1 . FA VSTV:\I . QVB . SIT
TIBI . HT · VXIVHRSIS · TVIS · DVI,CISSil\IA . PARENS
DOC'fORE~ · TE · CONSHNTIHNTHS . CVM · DISCIPVUS
CONSAI,VTANT
1\L\'fREM
ACADBII1IARVIII . FECVNDAl\1
Passing under the arch, the visitor gets a full view of the
beautiful building, the main entrance of which had just been
completed in time for the celebration. The scene from the
gate was one worth remembering, but grander than the
writer dares attempt to depiCt:. From the flag-staff in the
(r 8 1)
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNIAL.
centre of the building floated the national emblem, and a
pleasing variety of banners and streamers, of the brightest
colors judiciously combined, gave a holiday appearance to
the handsome building without concealing its natural beauty.
Over the main entrance appeared the inscription :
SALVETE · BONI · AVSPICES . FEUCIS . AEVI
and two banners, elaborately wrought, were suspended one
at either side. The inscription on the banner to the right
recalled the labors of our first fathers in America, and
silently admonished the reader to look around him on the
harvest which their followers have already reaped. The
legend was simply this:
CALVERTON-1640
NEWTOWN-1677
BOHEMIA- I 740
GEORGETOWN-1789
The banner on the opposite side of the entrance was similar
in style and presented a Russian quatrain from Michlaoff,
symbolic of the preservation of the Society in Russia.
Passing to the- rear of the new building, the visitor found
himself in the college quadrangle. Here again, flags, banners, streamers, and inscriptions were seen on every side.
Naturally one turned towards the venerable old. building of
1789; its front of imported brick was decked-wjth bunting
and garlands of laurel. Over the entrance appeared the
inscription :
AEDES · QVAS · HEIC · SPECTAS
VETVSTATE · DILABENTES
IOANNES . CARROI,T, · E · SOC · IESV
I,APIDE . A VSPICALI · !ACTO · INCHOAVIT
AN . l\1 . DCC . LXXXVIII!
The old north building direCI:Iy opposite told its story in
the words:
DE . l\IAIORIBVS · SIBI · GRATVLANS
IN : 1\IINORES . SPHl\1 · HABimS
AD . OPTATAM · PROPHRAT · l\IETAM
while still another inscription, over the rear porch of the new
building, thus expressed the cordial salutation of Georgetown's numerous sons:
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNL4L.
EVGE · VENERABILIS . 1\IATER ·. SAPIENTV::\1 . NVTRIX
TV · SOLA . INTHR · 0::\INES
VIXISTI
PATRIAE
ANN OS
VIVAS . VALEAS . \'INCAS
One word more about the interior decorations. Entering
the main building and strolling along the beautifully tiled
and arched corridors, the visitor was met by banners and
inscriptions, in Latin, Greek, German, Sanscrit, and Arabic.
One of these, an Arabic inscription in Kufic charaCters, told
the visitor "To God belongs dominion over the past and
present." Another, in Sanscrit, announced "Hail to Your
Lordships !" In Gaston Memorial Hall, where the principal
exercises took place during the celebration, the decorations
showed the same combination of patriotism with intelleCtual
and spiritual culture. The papal coat of arms occupied a
prominent position in the centre of the background of the
stage. At night, this hall, as well as the front of the new
building and the college quadrangle, was lighted by electricity.
Such then was the piCl:ure presented by Georgetown College on her hundredth birthday; but the reader must call
on his own imagination to. form an idea of the life that was
added to the pieture by the thousands of visitors-from the
President of the United States and the Cardinal Archbishop
, of Baltimore and the graduate of fifty or more years ago,
down to the college cadets in their bright uniforms and the
ubiquitous small boy of to-day-all full of the spirit of the
occasion, glad as Americans, as Catholics, as friends of
Georgetown, because of the glorious jubilee of the mother
of American Catholic colleges.
The general programme of the celebration was the same
as announced in the Varia in earlier numbers of the LET-·
TERS.
On the eve of the first day, Tuesday, Feb. 19, a
pleasant little prelude to the celebration was the reception
tendered to His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons. At about
three o'clock in the afternoon, the college cadets, in dress
uniform, headed by a detachment of the Marine Band,
marched down to \Vashington Circle in Washington. Here
they· met the cardinal, and escorted him to the college,
where he was received by the faculty and students in Gaston
Memorial Hall. Some of the students delivered speeches
and read poems, all expressive of the loyalty of Georgetown's sons to the primate of North America. Referring
to "The Blue and the Gray," the title of a poem read by one
of the students, the cardinal said : "There is pregnant
�IS.f
GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNI.A.L.
thought in that sentiment. The men who ;t few years ago
fought against each other, now legislate together in the
halls of congress and throughout the land. There is no
parallel in ancient history .... Plato said he had two things
to be thankful for-he lived in enlightened Greece and had
Socrates for a teacher. You have much more to be thank-.
ful for. Born in this country, your lives are cast in pleasant
places and you have the advantage of more enlightened
teachers than Socrates-the Jesuits, who are acknowledged
the foremost teachers."
Wednesday morning dawned bright and glorious on the
towers of Georgetown ; bright, likewise, expectant, and even
anxious were the faces ~of all about the college. The celebration was to open with Solemn Pontifical Mass, and the
corridor in which the procession was to form presented a
rare assemblage of bishops, monsignori, priests, members of
the different faculties, members of the alumni association,
students, and altar boys. Fr. \Vm. H. Carroll of Philadelphia, who had labored for a month before the celebration in
making preparations, acted as master of ceremonies on this
and on the following days. Under his skilful direction the
procession was· soon formed, and at 10 o'clock began to
move through the long class-room corridor and down the
massive oaken st~irway leading to the main vestibule. Never before had the people of \Vashington and Georgetown
witnessed so numerous an assemblage of clerics as moved
towards old Trinity Church on that first day of the celebration. A striking contrast it must have been to the little
gathering which met in the narrow hall of the tild college
building one hundred years ago.
The order of the procession was as follows :
Sdlion I, Marine band; military escort, college cadets,
Company A; censer-bearers; cross-bearer with acolytes; sanctuary boys; students in school of arts, students in law, students in medicine; the alumni; the Xaverian Brothers; the
Brothers of the Christian Schools ; the members of the
Carroll family; the reverend clergy in cassock and surplice;
the presidents and representatives of other colleges.
Sec!ion 2, the faculty of law, the faculty of medicine, the
faculty of arts; the acolytes of the missal and torches; the
reverend clergy, in chasubles; the very reverend dignitaries,
in copes ; the right reverend bishops, attended by their chapplains and their train bearers; the subdeacon of the Mass,
the deacon of the Mass, the assistant priest; military guard
of honor, college cadets, Company B ; the archiepiscopal
cross-bearer; the deacons of honor; His Eminence the Cardinal ; mitre and crosier-bearers.
�GEORGE TO TVN' S CENTENNIAL.
185
When the procession reached old Trinity Church, the
galleries were already filled, but the body of the church was
reserved. The sidewalks were lined with speCtators, the
men reverently lifting their hats as the dignitaries passed.
The Solemn Pontifical Mass was celebrated by His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons ; assistant priest, V cry Rev. A.
Magnien, S. S., D. D., ReCl:or of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore; deacons of honor, Rev. P. J. Garrigan, D. D., VicereCtor of the new Catholic university at \Vashington, and
Rev. Edward P. Allen, D. D., RcCl:or of l\It. St. Mary's
College, Emmittsburg, Md.; deacons of the Mass, Rev.
Chas. Lang, C. P., ReCl:or of St. Joseph's Passionist Retreat,
Baltimore, Md.; subdeacon of the Mass, Rev. P. L. Chapelle,
D. D. The following archbishops and bishops were present
during the celebration, though not all in time for these
opening exercises : Most Rev. M. A. Corrigan, Archbishop
of New York; Most Rev. P. J. Ryan, Archbishop of Philadelphia; Rt. Rev. John Loughlin, Bishop of Brooklyn;
Rt. Rev. Alfred A. Curtis, of Wilmington, Del.; Rt. Rev.
Joseph Dwenger, of Fort \Vayne, Ind.; Rt. Rev. D. M.
Bradley, of Manchester, N. H.; Rt. Rev. John J. Kain, of
Wheeling, W. V.; Rt. Rev. Tobias Mullen, of Erie, Pa.;
Rt. Rev. T. A. Chatard, of Indianapolis, Ind.; Rt. Rev.
Laurence McMahon, of Hartford, Conn.; Rt. Rev. Richard
Gilmour, of Cleveland, 0.; Rt. Rev. John Moore, of St.
Augustine, Fla.; Rt. Rev. Richard Phelan, of Alleghany, Pa.;
Rt. Rev. John Sweeny, of St. John's, N. B.; Rt. Rev. J. J.
Conroy, of Curium; Rt. Rev. John Rogers, of Chatham,
N. B.; and Rt. Rev. Wm. O'Hara, of Scranton, Pa. The
following monsignori were also present: Mgr. T. S. Preston
of New York; Mgr. J. De Concilio of Jersey City; Mgr.
Jas. A. Corcoran of Overbrook, Pa.; and Mgr. Hippolyte
De Regge of Rochester.
The celebration of the Mass was not different from the
usual Pontifical Mass except in the number of priests and
the faCt: that it was celebrated with military honors. At the
consecration, the officers of the college cadets were ranged
inside the sanCtuary and surrounding the celebrant. At
the tolling of the bell these officers drew their swords and
gave the military salute. At the same instant the cadets all
down the centre aisle presented arms. The piCture as seen
from the gallery at the rear of the church was beautiful and
impressive. The rich purple, red, and gold robes of the
church dignitaries within the sanCtuary, with the grey uniform of the cadets surrounding them and stretching down
the centre aisle, and the white surplices of the 200 clergy
on either side of them, gave plenty of color, ·and the in-
�186
GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNIAL.
stant's flash of bright steel, while startling in such company,
did not seem out of place. While this brilliant scene was
being enaCl:ed within the church, a salute was fired without
by two field pieces.
The Mass sung was Gounod's "St. Cecilia," and it was
rendered with superior effeCl: by over 30 professional voices
with full orchestral accompaniment. The centennial sermon
was preached by Fr. James A. Doonan. When the reader
is reminded that Fr. Doonan was not only a student of old
Georgetown but also for many years conneCl:ed with the
college as professor, and from 1882 to 1888 as reCl:or, no
description of his eloquent sermon will be needed here ; suffice it to state that th._esermon presented a parallel between
' the great prophet and''lawgiver looking from the summit of
Mt. Nebo into the promised land, and the venerable John
Carroll, the founder of Georgetown College, who foresaw
in part the wonderful growth of his country and the influence that wo~ld be exerted by the seat of learning which
he established. The sermon closed with the hope that the
spirit of Georgetown's founder might "dwell ever in the
work which his noble mind conceived and his abiding faith
made possible," and that the followers of John Carroll
should "strive that no aa of theirs bedim their inherited
glory."
After the Mass, the clergy and the different f:1culties of
the university returned in procession to the college, where
they were greeted, as they passed the triumphal arch at the
college gate, by the booming of cannon and a itibilee chime
from the bells in the tower.
•·
The next exercise in the centennial programme was the'
conferring of theological degrees in Gaston Memorial Hall
at 8 o'clock in the evening. Long before the appointed
time the hall and galleries we~e crowded, and an excellent
orchestra in the rear gallery awaited the signal for the exercises to begin. At 8.15 the procession filed in upon the
stage, headed by a company of cadets, and composed of His
Eminence the Cardinal, archbishops, bishops, and priests,
among them the candidates for the degree- of DoCl:or of
Divinity. A Latin address was first read by the chancellor,
Fr. E. H. \Velcl1. Mgr. T. S. Preston, Vicar-general ofthe
archdiocese of New York, then read the profession of t:1ith
for himself and the other candidates. Then followed the
conferring of degrees and investiture with the doCl:or's cap
and ring on the following candidates :-Rt. Rev. Mgr. T. S.
Preston, V. G., New York; Rt. Rev. Mgr. J. de Concilio,
Jersey City; Rev. Chas. F. Kelly (in course), Towanda, Pa.;
Rev. Edward P. Allen, Emmittsb~1rg, Md.; Rev. Thomas D.
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNTAL.
Beaven, Holyoke, Mass.; Rev. Wm. Stang, Providence, R.l;
Very Rev. Jas. S. M. Lynch, V. G., Syracuse, N.Y.; Rev.
Peter J. Prendergast, Rondout, N. Y.; Rev. John W. McMahon, Charlestown, Mass.; Rev. Chas. M. O'Keefe, LL. D.,
New York; Very Rev. James J. Dougherty, New York;
Very Rev. Stephen Wall, V. G., Pittsburg, Pa.; Rev. Francis
M. L. Dumont, S. S.; Very Rev. John E. Fitzmaurice,
Overbrook, Pa.; and Rev. T. J. Conaty, Worcester, Mass.
The orchestra then played the "Centennial March," which
had been composed for the occasion; after which Mgr.
Preston arose, and speaking for all who had just received
their degrees, expressed earnest and heartfelt gratitude for
the honor conferred. He said that now that he and his
companions were entitled to have their names enrolled
among the alumni of Georgetown College, they too would
go forth resolved to honor the fair name that had passed
through so many storms without receiving spot or wrinkle.
He said that he loved the fathers of the Society of Jesus
because he had read their writings and had made them his
masters and instruCtors before he entered the Catholic
Church. His speech was full of feeling and eloquence, and
was frequently interrupted by the hearty applause of an audience fully in sympathy with his theme.
Before the close of the exercises, Fr. Richards, the Reel or
of the college, made a few remarks expressive of the gratification he felt in being able to announce that a vVashington
gentleman, E. Francis Riggs, had given $Io,ooo as a birthday gift to the college, to help towards the completion of
the new library. The cardinal and clergy were then escorted to the Coleman Museum, where a throne and dais
had been prepared for His Eminence, and where all who
were present were given an opportunity of kissing the cardinal's ring.
As the large crowd surged from the grand entrance of
the college, they found the grounds ablaze with Chinese
lanterns and colored fire, and the front of the new building
brilliantly illuminated, while two field pieces were telling the
city of Washington and the hills of Virginia that the little
academy founded by John Carroll in 1789, before the establishment of the seat of government at Washington, was now
a hundred years old, and that her children were proud of
her record.
Thursday, the second day of the celebration, called
"Alumni Day," brought thousands of old students and
friends to the college. Shortly after 10 A. M., the bishops,
faculty and distinguished guests assembled in the already
crowded Gaston Memorial Hall, to hear the centennial poem
�188
GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNL4L.
and oration. Occupying a prominent position in the front
row of seats on the stage, were the members of the Corean
legation, their gaudy Eastern costume contrasting strongly
with the sombre black of the clergy. The members of the
alumni association occupied 400 seats in the front of the
hall.
Before the regular exercises began, the following cablegram from the pope was read: "Roma, 2I" Feb.- To
Richards, Pr~ses, Georgetown.-Leo XIII. gratulans beneprecatur reB:ori, professoribus, alumnis." Other messages
were also read from the university of Christiania, Sweden ;
from Harvard University, appointing Pro( Dwight and Hon.
P. A. Collins as its representatives; from the University of
Notre Dame, Indiana, ~nd Notre Dame College, Canada:
from Michigan University, nominating Senator Palmer and
Representative Cutcheon as its representatives; from St.
John's College, Fordham, and St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y.;
from Columbian University, \Vashington, D. C.; from Rutger's, Hobart, Trinity and Vassar; from l\Iercer University,
Macon, Ga., New York College, N. Y., and St. 1\fary's,
Montreal; from Lehigh University, Pa., transmitting a set
of resolutions passed by its faculty; and from the University
of \Vestern Pennsvlvania.
Mr. Conde 13.- Pallen of St. Louis, a distinguisheu alumnus of Georgetown, was then introduced, and read the centennial poem. Mr. Martin F. Morris of \Vashington, a
staunch friend of the college and a professor in the law
school, followed with the centennial oration. lV)\tch might
be said in praise of these produCtions, both o~erflowing
with genuine love for the college, but the present sketch
has to deal with other phases of the celebration. There
were no other exercises at the college on this day, but the
alumni banquet took place in the evening at \Villard's Hotel
in \Vashington. Besides the members of the association,
there were present several bishops, among them Abp. Corrigan of New York and Abp. Ryan of Philadelphia.
Friday, Feb. 22, was the closing day of the celebration,
and although the weather was not as favorable as on the
two preceding days, the crowd ofvisitors during the day,
and especially in the evening, even surpassed the previous
gatherings. The morning was set apart for class and collegesociety reunions, but the grand academic session in the
afternoon was the crowning event of the celebration.
At about 3 P. ~1. the firing of the presidential salute of
twenty-one guns by the field pieces on the college campus
announced the arrival of President Cleveland. A detachment of the college ,cadets had met the president's carriage
�GEORGETOWN'S CEXT.El1'NIAL.
189
and escorted it up to the college. There fhe president was
met by Fr. Gillespie, Vice-president of the college, and conduCted to Fr. Richard's room, where he was met by the
archbishops and bishops and immediately escorted to the
hall. A bugle call announced to the crowd assembled in
Gaston Memorial Hall that the procession was starting
towards the stage. First came the president, arm in arm
with the cardinal ; next can1e the secretary of state, Rev.
Fr. Provincial, the president of the college, the chief justice
and four associates; and after these a double file of archbishops, bishops, priests, members of the diplomatic corps,
members of the different f..<culties, and other invited guests.
Arrived on the stage, the president and the cardinal took seats
in the centre, and before the end of the long procession had
arrived the great stage was as densely packed as the rest of
the hall.
Before the appointed exercises were allowed to proceed,
the vast assembly was informed of the arrival of other telegrams of congratulation besides those read on the preceding day. Among these was a cablegram fi·mn Rome which
read as follows :-"To President Richards, Georgetown College. Congratulations and best wishes. (Signed) Keane."
The sender was Bishop Keane, ReCtor of the new Catholic
university.\1>
A Latin address by the chancellor, Fr. \Velch, followed
the reading of these messages. The degree of DoCtor of
Laws was then conferred on the Honorable Thomas F.
Bayard, Secretary of State; Hon. Honore Mercier, Prime
Minister of Quebec; Hon. Augustus H. Garland, Attorney
General of the United States; Hon. Felix Cipriano C. Zegarra, Embassador Extraordinary of Peru, and Hon. Emilio
de Muruaga, Minister of Spain, both graduates of the
college; Hon. John Lee Carroll, Ex-Governor of Maryland;
Hon. Nathan Goff; Gen. \V. S. Rosecrans; Hon. Zachariah
Montgomery; John Gil mary Shea; and others of less prominence. The other degrees conferred were DoCtor of Philosophy, DoCtor of Music, and Master.of Arts. Next followed three addresses by representatives of the three schools
of the university, and the presentation of three gold medals.
The first was presented to John Gilmary Shea, LL.D., the
OJ Besit!P:< the colleges already mentioned, communications were received
either during or after the celebration, from the following: universities of
Yienna, "' iirzbnrg, Brussels, Prague, Bologna, Salamanca, Halle- Wittenberg,
Leyden, ( lronigen, l'trecht, ( 'zernowitz, Innsbruck, Bern, Gottingen, ::\leG ill,
Oart111outh, Cambri<l~;e,llllliana, ( 'alitilrnia, and Syracuse; also from Creighton
CQllege, t'anisius', ~It. St. )Iary's, St. Benedict's, St. Boniface's, :St. Thomas'
of \'illanova, ( 'ollege of Charleston, and from the alumni association of St.
Xavier's, Cincinnati. Representatives of all the colleges of the ::\faryland
New York Province were present, and several from other provinces.
�GEORGETO Tf~Y' S CENTENNIAL.
historian of the ~atholic Church in America, for his work
entitled "The Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll ;" the
second was presented by the alumni association to His Eminence James Cardinal Gibbons, for the archiepiscopal see of
Baltimore; and the third, like the preceding, to the President, Grover Cleveland, for the Government of the United
States.
As soon as the storm of applause following the presentation of a gold medal to President Cleveland had subsided,
His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons arose and paid a glowing
tribute to Archbishop Carroll the founder of Georgetown
College and of the archiepiscopal see of Baltimore. After
touching upon the character of the illustrious prelate and
the difficulties that 'he met and surmounted, the cardinal
thus continued:- ~ ..
"One hundrt>d years ago, a short time before his episcopal consecration,
Georgetown College was founded by the Rev. John Carroll. I,ike all great
and beneficent undertakings the work met with serious resistance at the
outset. Father Carroll was confronted by poverty, by indifference, and
even by the a<-'tive opposition of his own brethren. Rev. I,eonard Neale,
afterwards Archbishop Carroll's successor in the see of Baltimore, opposed the ·enterprise on the plea of insufficient means. To all these
timid counsels-John Carroll replied in language worthy of a man of faith:
'I will consecrate my time, my energies, and my talents to the prosecution
of this work, in the cause of Christian education, and, with the blessing of
God, it shall succeed.' And, gentlemen, thank God it has succeeded far
beyond the most sanguine hopes of its illustrious founder. The graduates
who have gone forth from these halls during the last one hundred years,
and who have enlightened by their learning ami ennobled by their virtues
the various walks of life, thev attest its success. And von; gentlemen, who
ha,·e come from the most re;,ote se<-'tions of our comt;wi; C'Ountry and who
are assembled here to-day to pay homage to your alma mal<-r, you bear
witness to its success. And you, honored President, and your associates,
when you reflect on the history of the college, can bear testimony to the
success of the college. And with a pious enthusiasm inspired by hope you
can exclaim, ProsPt'rt' proo·d~. el ngna. .lfui!CZ' jilite rvngregaz•erunl diz•ilias; lu supn-g"l't'ssa t'S uniz•t•rsas. Other institutions have sprung from
thee, many daughters art' born of thee, 0 cherished mother, but thou hast
surpassed all in the wealth of thy venerable traditions and hallowed associations!
"The learned professors of Georgetown College, like thdr illustrious predecessors, are battling in the cause of religion and education. Alexander
the Great conquered kingdom after kingdom. By the sword he conquered
and by the sword he kept his subjects in bondage. But scarcely was he
laid in his grave when his colossal empire was dismembered and his subje<-'ts shook off the yoke that had been forced upon them. The soldiers of
the cross, assembled within these walls, are enlarging the bounds of the
great republics of letters and religion. They are conquering, not by the
material sword, but by the sword of the spirit, which is the 'Vord of G~d;
J!Ot by force, but by persuasion ; not by shedding the blood of others, but
�GEORGE TO IVN' S CENTENNIAL.
191
by consecrating their o~vn lives on the altar of charity : not by enslaving the
bodies of men, but by rescuing their souls from ignorance and sin. And
the republic of letters and religion which they are developing is kept together, not by frowning fortifications, but by the undying influence of moral
and religious ideas . . . . It has been the custom of the chief magistrates
of the nation, from tlle days of \Vashington, to honor Georgetown College
by their presence on public and festive occasions. I am happy to see that
our present illustrious president is no exception to the rule, and that he has
been pleased to lend additional lustre to these ceremonies by his distinguished presence.
''May those who in the long years to come will gather together to celebrate the next centennial be able to record a success as consoling as that
which we commemorate to-day."
At the close of the cardinal's address, when it was announced that President Cleveland had consented to speak,
the audience went wild with enthusiasm, and it was several
minutes before quiet was restored. The speech was so short
that it may easily be inserted here as delivered.
"In·the moment that I shall occupy," he said, "I will not speak of the
importance, in a general sense, of liberal education, or refer to the value of
universities like this as the means for acquiring such education ; nor will I
remind you of all the causes for congratulation which this centennial occasion affords. These things have been presented to you in all that you
ha,·e seen and heard in the days just passed, and they are suggested by the
atmosphere all about us. ram thinking of this college as an alma matrr,
and calling to mind the volume of love and affection which has been turned
towards her from the great outside world of her alumni, during the hundt·ed
years of her life, and at this time especially awakened. To-day the young
graduate whose alma mater occupies a broad place in his life, turns to her
with warm enthusiasm. The middle-aged graduate to.day pauses in the
bustle and turmoil of business aL'livity to gh·e a loving glance and affeL'tionate greeting to his alma matrr. 'l'he aged graduate to.day in memory
passes over scenes and events of more recent date to recall through the
mellowing light of years the incidents of college life, while he breathes a
fervent prayer for his a!111a 111aft'J'. If the dead graduates are not with you
to.day in spirit, the loving bands which attached them to al111a mater,
though broken by death, are here, hallowing J:he place where they are kept
and making at this honored institution a sacred shrine.
"Another thought, horn, I suppose, of the solemn trust which I have held
fur the American people, prompts me to say a word concerning the relation
which such an institution as this should bear to American citizenship. l\len
of learning we at all times need, but we also need good citizenship. There
should not be that selfishness in education which leads its possessor to live
within himself, and to hug his treasure with sordid satisfaction. The least
an educated man should do is to make himself a good, true American citizen; and he fails to do his entire duty if. he dues not also improve the citizenship of others. His love of country should be great, his interest in
public affairs should at all times be active, and his discharge of the duties
of citizenship should be guided by all the intelligence he possesses, and
aided by all the learning he has acquired. Georgetown College should be
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTE.YNIAL.
proud of the impress she has made upon the citizenship of our country.
On her roll of graduates are found the names of many who have performed
public duty better for her teaching, while her alumni have swollen the ranks
of those who. in prh·ate stations, have done their duty intelligently and
well.
"I cannot express my friendship for your college better than to wish for
her in the future, as she has had in the past, an army of alumni, learned,
patriotic, and useful, cherishing the good of their country as an object of !of·
tiest effort, and deeming their contribution to good citizenship a supremely
worthy use of the educat~on they have acquired within these walls."
\Vith the president's speech ended the session in the hall,
and the cadets cleared a passage from the stage to the
Coleman Museum, w,here the president and secretary of
state received the al~11'nni. This reception over, the president spent a few monl'ents with distinguished guests in Fr.
Richard's room and was then escorted to his carriage.
Another grand illumination of the building and grounds,
booming of cannon and a display of fireworks ~reeted the
throng as they left the college halls, an outward manifestation of the joy and thankfulness of the venerable institution for the blessings of the past, and for the appreciation,
kind feelings, and goodwill expressed by so many of her
sons and friends during these glorious festi\'ities. May we
not be permitted to re-echo the fervent wish expressed by
the centennial~ orator at the close of his brilliant oration?
"May she .survive in all her vigor unimpaired, when the
second, and the fifth, and the tenth century shall ha\·e rolled
away. May a thousand and ten thousand generations rise
to bless her name ! "
:
Before closing this chronicle it may be well to•"add, for the
sake especially of those whose lines are cast where the
Church and the Society are despised and persecuted, a word
about the recognition of this great event by the secular
press. The Catholic papers of the country, of course, had
much to say in praise of the college, of her record in the
past and the success of this celebration. This, however, will
surprise no one. But many of these only copied the elaborate accounts of the celebration and the sketches of the
college's history from the secular press of Washington. All •
the \Vashington papers and many of the other secular papers throughout the country gave full accounts of the history of the college, and were earnest in their good wishes
fiJr her future prosperity. The \Vashington Press, to select
one from many specimens, concludes a flattering editorial
with the words: "Occasions of this character are beneficial
to us all individually and to the country. They are inspiring because they present a vivid picture of a glorious past
�GEORGETOWN'S CENTENNIAL.
193
and teem with omens of a more glorious future. All hail,
Georgetown University! May the light which is before her
be one that will brighten and continue to brighten in the
sphere of education, the greatest boon to mankind." But
these favorable comments were not confined to the secular
press of \Vashington. The New York Herald, the best.
known and most widely circulated paper perhaps in the
world, printed the following tribute : "This centennial celebration has been something more than the anniversary df
a modest institution of learning, something more than a
spectacular function by a religious denomination, the most
ceremonious and ornate in the Christian world. It has
brought the Jesuit Order conspicuously to public notice,
and, as one might say, to public judgment, in respect to its
relations to the history, the intellectual and moral interests,
and the political system of the American republic; and it is
both true and just to say that the scrutiny has been well
endured. Despite the friction and turmoil with which the
name of the Society of Jesus has for centuries be~n associated in the politics and the religious polity of the old world,
and in some of the Spanish-American countries, its history
among us has been one unbroken era of peace and inoffensiveness. The political activeness of its members has been
exerted onlv in their character of individuals and citizens
of the republic, and upon those great patriotic occasions
when to ha\·e refrained would ha\'e been to-day a cause of
reproach and distrust. In their educational work, the Jesuits have undi\·idedly followed a system which anticipates
all the arguments made against the current prevalence of
looseness in the elective system of courses, of an excessive
crowding of the mind and memory of pupils with f.'lcts and
assumed facts, and of an exclusive and sedulous cultivation
of a godless intelleCt. In their attitude toward the political
institutions of the country, they have asked and striven only
for equality of toleration in religious principles and practice.
Looking back over this Georgetown centennial, the mind
rests at intervals upon certain features of the celebration.
The scholarly and artistic character of the decorations of
the building is rare in this country. The open-air procession to divine service, in its spectacular effects and high
color, was a revelation to many upon the subject of the externals of religion, and the same might be said of the elaborate music and the chancel service at the Mass and of the
unique feature here of a military salute by presentation of
arms at the elevation of the Host."
As a souvenir of the centennial celebration, a large medal
VoL. xvm, No.2.
13
�GEORGETOti'X'S CENTENNIAL
1<)4
was struck by the alumni association. The face of the
medal bears the college coat of arms and the inscription :
COT,LEGIY~I
'
·
GEORGJOPOI,ITAXY~I
~lDCCLXXX\'1111
·
IXCOH.\'1'\'~I
The reverse shows a double wreath of oak and laurel surrounding the inscription :
SOD.\J,ES
.\1.\'~IXI
.\1.'-'IAE ·
~UTRIS
S.\EC\'L.\RIA · FEST.\
PRI~I\'~I
·
DEDIC.\XT
""'!IIDCCCI.XXX\'IIII
As this sketch goes to press we arc put in possession of
the two following letters, from the Holy Father and from
Very Reverend Father General to the president of Georgetown College, in answer to communications addressed to
them shortly before the centennial celebration.
R. P. Joscp!to H. Ridwrds, Rdlori Co!lt:t;-ii r;,.m:~·tilj>olitani,
Dird:Zi a Patrilms c Socictatc fesu:
RE\"EREXDE PATER: Ea qua· pr;-estat benignitatc excepit
SanEl:issimus Dominus Leo XIII. obsequiosas litteras, per
quas, appetentibus s;-ecularibus solemnibus ortus cnllegii cui
pr::esides, ab Eo poscebas cum rcligiosis sodallJius tuis, ut
benediceret Vobis alumnisquc vestris cderisque i'jui Ephebeum istud ope sua jm·ant utilcm\·e illi operam conferunt.
Voluit itaque SanEl:itas Sua pate fieri Tibi mi nisterio meo, se
non modo Apostolicam BenediEl:ionem paterna caritate impertiri Tibi, moderatorihus, magistris alumnisque istius collegii, aliisque pro quibus flagitas; sed etiam gntulari vobis
ex animo quod jucundam hanc solemnitatem, testem diYini
favoris et vestro:e sedulitatis, lxtantcs in Domino celebrare
potueritis. lnsuper f.'lusta et felicia omnia huic collegio adprecatur, ut ad Ecclesia~ decus et salutem fidelium istius
regionis majora habeat incrementa et diutissime floreat.
Ego vero meas adjiciens gratulationes et omina, sensus
Tibi profiteor sincero:e existimationis, qua sum ex animo,
Tui, Reverende Pater,
AddiEl:issimus,
M. CARD. RAMPOLLA.
RoMAE, die 18 Martii, 1889.
•
�195
FEsuus, I 5 Martii, I 889.
REVERENDE IN CHRISTO PATER, PAx CHRISTI: Pergrat<e
mihi advenerunt littcr<e ornatissim;e quibus certior faCtus
sum celebrari apud vos sollemni, ut decet, pompa et apparatu, s<ecularem ab ortu istius collcgii annum; eodemquc fere
tempore accepi aureum numisma cusum hujus rei memori<e
causa pr<eclareque ccelatum. Tibi, carissime Pater, sociisque
omnibus quorum nomine scribebas, gr~tias quam maximas
refero quod, festos dies anniversarios agentes, communis vestri gaudii participem et socium me esse voluistis. Haud equidem immemor vestri \'cstr;eque erga me benevolenti<e, vos
vestraque omnia SacrosanCl:am Hostiam Iitans, Deo Optimo
Maximo enixe commendavi, atque convenire vos si minus
corpore potui ac pr<esenti, quod summe optassem, salutationis officio, at certe animo et summo in vos studio adfui
f.<ustissim;e vestr;e festivitati qu;e magnam secum adfert
consolationis materiam ubertatemque gratulationis.
Hanc ad vos scribendi occasionem naCl:us, laudes gratesque debitas omnibus re(erendas duco, qui communi studio atque opera utilitatem et prosperitatem istius collegii ita
promoverunt ut s;ecularem annum ;etatis sure ingrederetur
ftorens vigensque litterarum,scicntia~.bonarum artium laude,
d quod caput est, inter omnium bonorum plausus ac favor~s. sincera pietate et reCta Christianx juventutis institutione
commendatum. Neque dubito quin vos, dulccm excitantes
memoriam beneficiorum ingentium qu;e in istud collegium
Summus omnium bonorum Largitor liheralissime per integrurnsceculurn profudit, conatus quoque magnos et validos
in Ejus obsequium rependatis atque enitamini in posterum
ut ejus tutelam ac prcesidium promereri valeatis. Quce dum
vobis ego ex animo precor, omnibus et singulis paternam
meam benediCl:ionem peramanter impertio, meque SS. SS.
et orationibus vestris \'aide commendo.
Reverentice Vestrce Sen·us in Christo,
A.
MAR. ANDERLEDY,
s. ].
R. P. JusEPHO H. RICHARDS, S.].
No more fitting sentiment can be found with which to
close this sketch than that expressed in one ·of the in scrip.tions which graced the college walls during the celebration.
It expresses Georgetown's wish and oursINTEGRA
.
PATRVl\1
.
VIRTVS
IN · NEPOTES · DESCENDA'l'
�FATHER THEODORE THIRY.
A SKETCH.
Father Theodore Thiry was born on Dec. 14, 1823, at
Metz, in Alsace, at that time a part of the French dominions. Of his earlv life but few details have come down to
us. \Ve kno\v, ho'wever, that while yet quite young he was
called upon to suffer, i.n the death of his father, a sorrow
that must have been extremely keen to a heart so easily
touched by grief in others. This sad loss only redoubled
his love for his mother, and under her watchful care he was
well instruCted in the praCtice of the Catholic religion. At
an early age he was sent to our college in Metz, St. Clement's, and there received the first intimation of God's will to
spend his life among the members of the Society. Several
years were passed at St. Clement's and then, under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, he applied for admission into the
Society to Rev. Fr. Boulanger, at that time provincial of
the province of France.
On Sept. 1I, 1-843, he entered the novitiate of St. Acl1eul,
a shrine so hallowed in its history by the examples of
saintly members of the Society. Here engaged in the ordinary duties of the noviceship, a few months quickly
passed, and before he was fairly initiated in the _fnany mysteries of novice-life, he was surprised by a mosCuriexpeEted
change. It came about in this way. Shortly after his entrance into the novitiate, Rev. Fr. Boulanger had been succeeded by Re\·. Fr. Rubillon, who found himself called on
to establish a new novitiate. The old province of Paris had
been divided, and as St. Achcul was in the new province of
Champagne, a new novitiate had to be opened for the province of Paris.
In looking for a suitable location, an estate was offered
which for certain reasons could be had only at the end
of a year. In the 18th century it had been an Antonian
convent, but in the storm of the French Revolution it had
shared the fate of many of God's sanCtuaries; the inmates
had been driven out and the property given over to secular
uses. This was lsenheim, an estate of eight acres in the
north-eastern part of France. \Vith the changes brought
about by time, it had come into the possession of its present
(196)
�FR. THEODORE THER Y.
197
owner, who had used it as a private residence; but the alterations it had undergone were so extensive that it had no
longer the appearance of a religious house, nor were the
interior arrangements suitable to one. Still it found great
favor in the eyes of superiors, and believing the time ripe
for founding their new novitiate they were willing to take
lsenheim, if they could secure immediate possession. The
present occupant was a Quaker, who with his wife and fam~
ily was leading a quiet life in keeping with his creed, and
who seemed determined to remain in possession till the last
day of his lease had expired. By some agreement, however,
he finally withdrew from the main building, and retiring with
his household to one of the smaller houses on the same
property, left the way clear for the coming of the novices.
To found this new house Fr. Thiry and three companions
were called from St. Acheul to continue their noviceship at
Isenheim, first under Fr. De Lehen and later under Fr. Cote!,
who held this position at Isenheim for seventeen years.
Like all beginnings, the first days of the new novitiate
offered many trials of patience, and many occasions of selfdenial, not to speak of real suffering. The garden had been
entirely neglected for many years and the novices had more
outdoor work than usually falls to their lot. The grounds
had to be laid out anew, and here Fr. Thiry gave evidence
of the activity that characterized him through life. Naturally of a lively disposition, active, diligent, above all charitable, he won the hearts of his fellow-novices and especially
of the brothers for whom he seems to have had a special
love.
\Ve have it from an eye-witness that among other works
planned and carried out at Isenheim under Fr. Thiry's direction,. was the making of a pond, in which he appears to
have been greatly interested. Noticing that a brook flowed
through one part of the grounds without adding anything
to their beauty, the novices determined to bring nature, by
a little art, to help in beautifying this recovered garden of
the Church. After innumerable difficulties the pond was
completed, and stocked with fish; the end was apparently
gained as it certainly did improve the surroundings; but
now alas! the utilitarian principle appeared on the scene
and busied itself in building, in the centre of the pond, an
island, on which soon after arose a structure of very doubt·
ful architecture. This turned out to be the novices' bathing
house, and hither they came after nightfall to enjoy in some
measure the fruits of their labors. No doubt they admired
the beauty of their miniature lake very much, but probably
they appreciated its usefulness still more.
�Ig8
FR. THEODORE "I:"HIR Y.
\Vhen the novices arrived at Isenheim, they found at a
short distance from the main building a heap of blackened
ruins. On inquiry, they discovered that in this heap was all
that remained of the once handsome convent church which
had been burnt many years before, but whether by accident
or design no one was_ able to ascertain. In removing the
rubbish, the workmen found scattered about many human
bones and some almost entire skeletons, the remains of
the monks whose tombs in the vaults of the church
had been disturbed by the falling walls. Precious relics
of an earlier religious home, almost the only things left
to tell of those who .jn that spot had lived and died in
God's service! They ~'vere reverently colleCted and given a
final resting place in tli"e little cemetery of the novitiate.
Amid scenes such as these, doubly sacred by their twofold consecration to God's service, Fr. Thiry's noviceship
passed quickly, to bring the day on which the desires
of his heart were to find full expression in his vows; and
how well the vows that bound him to the Society were riveted that day, his long and laborious life can best bear witness. His noviceship completed, he was sent to Brugelette
in Belgium, there to begin his philosophy. It was about
this time that he felt the impulse of the Holy Ghost to devote his life to the service of the American missions, and
like many of his fellow countrymen he completed the sacrifice of self by renouncing the next dearest ties of home and
country. The United States owe much to France for the
timely aid she nobly offered in the vVar of In~(ependence,
when viCtory still hung in the balance, and when it \vas so uncertain whether defeat or triumph would terminate the struggle; but the Catholic Church of America owes her much
more for the many generous-hearted priests she sent to our
shores, whose work still lives in the strength of our Catholicity, whose sufferings and disappointments cannot be realized by those now enjoying the peace ami prosperity which
these pioneers have bequeathed to us. Fr. Thiry was but
one of the many who came among us ready for any work,
provided it led souls to God.
In r84j, he left France never to see it again, and after the
usual unpleasant voyage of those days arrived in New York.
A few days later he went to Fordham, there to begin his
theology. New York even at that recent date had not the
vast proportions it glories in at present, and although now
Fordham is within the city limits, it was then a village
miles beyond the city's northernmost boundary. Yet this
city that first received him proved later on to be the scene
of his labors, where he was to spend almost uninterruptedly
�FR. THEODORE THIRY.
199
the remaining forty-two years of his life. \Vith his life in
this new field of labor, where by his patience he reaped a
golden harvest, we have chiefly to deal.
On May 25, 1850, he was raised to the priesthood by that
sturdy champion of the faith, Archbishop John Hughes, and
was sent to St. Francis Xavier's, New York, to begin his
labors as a teacher. At that time St. Francis Xavier's, after
many reverses, had been established on its present site, and
hither he came to fill the office of subminister and to teach
the Third Grammar class. In the eyes of Fr. Thiry there
was no class in the college so important as this, and he entered upon his duty as teacher, determined to succeed. His
experience \vith the young American character must have
been valuable to him, as he solved what has been for many
foreigners an insoluble difficulty. He set to work to understand the boys, and once that was done he had an experience
which served him well in later .years. That he succeeded
as a teacher of the gram mer classes is clear, if we may judge
of his success by the after-work of those who passed their
first years of Latin in his keeping; for among those whom
he drilled in the rudiments of grammar we may mention
His Lordship Bishop Wigger of Newark, our own Rev. Fr.
Provincial, a host of other clergymen, and many professional and business men in New York and elsewhere.
He found in his class the usual variety of pupils, the
good, the bad, and the indifferent, but to none did the hours
seem long once he had introduced his methods of making
class-work interesting. He had the Frenchman's gift of
becoming enthusiastic in everything he undertook, and what
is more, he infused the same spirit into others; and with
the camps. sides, batallions and drawn battles in the class,
he soon had the boys working with a vigor that they never
thought themselves capable of possessing. Expedients of
all kinds were used, and when the boys had passed from his
hands and found the work of a higher class somewhat
tedious, they longed to go back to the teacher who made
study attractive, by methods old indeed in the history of the
Society, but new to that generation of students.
·
Fr. Thiry was a man especially fitted by nature to deal with
boys, they had a special attraction for him, and his kindly
eye and ready smile at once gained their confidence and
made them feel that in him they had a friend. He had the
~tculty of interesting himself in their sports, he encouraged
them in their youthful enterprises, he watched them at work
and at play, and gave them what they prized highly, his
word of praise. He could talk to boys on subjects that
boys delight in, he could without losing any .of the dignity
�200
FR. THEODORE THIRY.
due to his character come down to their le\·el for a moment,
and, by drawing them on little by little to talk of themselves,
could give as fair an estimate of their character after· one
conversation as if he had known them intimately for weeks.
This interest in their welfare made the boys in turn look
upon him as their friend, and by these means he brought
them so close to himself, and gave them so prominent a
place in his great heart, that each of his young friends looked
upon himself as the objeCt of Fr. Thiry's special attention.
For many this affection on the part of the boys would have
been but a passing bond, easily broken by absence or strained
by the lapse of years,.but it was not so with him. Years
made no difference tQ him, and the doctor, the lawyer, the
priest, were always to "him his boys of former years, while
for them he was ever the same good counsellor and friend.
And so it was that as the boys came to know him better
they spoke of him away from college, and others became
curious to see this great friend of the boys, until his name
became familiar and his face well known in every part of the
city.
In 1852 he established the sodality of the Queen of
Angels for the students of the grammar course, and of
this and other sodalities in the college he was director
for many years-, even long after he had ceased his work
in the classroom. That same year it was found necessary to place the Sunday schools of the parish on a good
footing, and reduce their work to a system. The schools
consisted of the usual one preparatory to. First ~~mmunion,
and what is known as the Class of the Catechis"m of Perseverance, which was made up of a single large class of
children who had passed a successful examination in the
whole of the smaller catechism, and had made their First
Communion. Usually numbering about sao pupils, it assembled in the upper church every Sunday and received an
instruction from one of the fathers or scholastics. The
course was of four years duration, and embraced full instructions on the Apostles' Creed, the commandments of
God, those of the Church, the sacraments and portions of
Church history. At the end of this course the members
were free to withdraw. To undertake the direction of
this work was no light task, and required no little selfsacrifice; but it \Vas a congenial work to Fr. Thiry, and,
appointed to it by obedience, he gladly set about doing what
he ·could. It was work among those he loved best, a work
offering great opportunities of increasing God's glory, and
with a cheerful hea1 t he took up this new burden to set it
down again permanently only after many years.
�FR. THEODORE THIRY.
:201
Deeply interested -in his work, three or four years passed
quickly by. He had now taught the three grammar classes,
some of them several years, and had just completed another
year in Third Grammar when he was taken away from all
his work and was sent for his tertianship to Canada in rsss.
The next year we find him at St. Mary's College, Montreal,
filling the office of spiritual father. But no sooner had this
year passed, than he was back again among his boys in
New York, for .whose good he worked till death. Here, in
I86o, he took up his work where he had dropped it in 1858,
and entered upon it with an energy born of a two years'
separation from those among whom he lo.ved to toil. He
now formed a new catechism class for public-school and
working boys, who- had not yet made their First Communion. This class met every vVednesday evening, and Fr.
Thiry catechized them, instructed them, illustrated his
teaching so bountifully with stories from Bible history and
made the class so interesting that few boys cared to miss it.
In 1863, having taught eleven years, Fr. Thiry severed
his connection with the college as a teacher, and gave nearly
all his time and attention to managing his parochial work.
The parochial schools had been established, and it became
necessary to put them in the hands of one whose good judgment could be relied upon to gain the object intended by
the Church. Who more fitted by his work in the Sunday
school and classroom than Fr. Thiry? Such work was a
pleasure to him, and another weight was added to his
already heavy load. The school for boys was placed in the
hands of the Christian Brothers, while the one for girls was
under the immediate care of the Ladies of the Sacred Heart.
Although not requiring his constant presence, the work was
too important, too full of great results, not to become in his
eyes a most serious duty and to engross a large share of
his thoughts. He visited them most faithfully, inspected
the work done, praised and rewarded the diligent, censured
and threatened the idle. The natural result was, that the
schools were a success, and soon took the first place among
their class in the city. The men's sodality now numbered
hundreds, the juvenile sodality, which he had organized in
rR6o, and over which he had continued to preside, was
growing too numerous to be handled well; it was composed
of young men and boys, and in r867, he divided it into
two sodalities, forming a boy's sodality of all those under
eighteen years of age, and a young men's, of all over
that age and unmarried. There were now three sodalities
over which he continued to preside, each having its Saturday for confession, its Sunday for Communion in a body, and
�202
FR. THEODORE THIRY.
its m<;>nthly meeting on the same Sunday evenjng, together
with the other services common to all sodalities. On every
Sunday, too, he had a l\Iass for the girls at R o'clock and
another for the boys at g, after each of which he gave an
instruCtion. Friday afternoons were given up to hearing
the confessions of those preparing for First Communion.
\Vhile busily engaged with these duties, a far greater
work was placed before him. About the year I R63, the
reports of the work llf the Society in the empire of China,
the terrible tales of the cruelty of Chinese parents towards
their children, the discovery of this vast harvest of souls,
and the almost incredible success of the reapers caused
quite a commotion irL the Catholic world. Success seemed
certain, the willingness of rulers to allow the missionaries
to begin their work, the readiness of the people to embrace the faith, the confidence with which parents entrusted their children to the care of the priests, all promised
great results if the means were furnished to keep up
the good work so well begun. Money was sadly needed, and .the prayers of the missionaries and their pagan
converts reached Europe. Appeals were sent to America, and the appeals fell on willing ears. Thousands
of dollars were colleCted, and finally the Association of the
Holy Childhoo"tl was founded in America, with its head
centre in New York. The position of direCtor was assigned
Fr. Thiry in r866. Those alone know how great was the
labor this work entailed, who realize the difficulty of introducing it throughout the country, the editing oftJ1e Annals
and the Awmal Reports, the need of exaetly accounting for
all money received and transmitted to Paris, and the necessarily vast correspondence with the different branches of
the association in all the larger cities of the Union. This
alone was enough for any one man, qut for Fr. Thiry it was
only an addition to what he had already. It was a great
work for him to take upon himself, burdened as he was, but
he took up the load relying on him who never fails. Need
it be said that success justified the judgment of those who
entrusted this work to his hands? Let the many souls saved
by his self-sacrifice bear testimony to his good work, and
let them welcome him to the home which, through his instrumentality, was, purchased for them.
Fr. Thiry was ;i very methodical man ; in ttet he had to
be, to conduCt so many different societies successfully, and
to look after them in all their details. His order, however,
.was his own, and no one but himself knew the magic word
that called forth order from what appeared to everybody
else the greatest disorder, To one who visited his well
�FR. THEODORE THIRY.
203
known office, everything appeared in the greatest confusion ;
all kinds of articles, from models of Chinese apparel, and
cast-off clothing given him for his poor, up through all the
varying grades to sacred piEI:ures, scapulars, and medals,
seemed heaped together in hopeless disorder. Yet in the
midst of all this chaos, if he were asked for any article in
the room, he could put his hand on it at once, so orderly
did that office present itself to his mind.
As early as I 869 it was a problem to see how he could
be replaced; and one day, when the superior of the New
York and Canada Miss ion came to the novitiate and was
asked if Fr. Thiry was likely to be changed, he replied
laughing, that such a removal he would not make without
due deliberation, as, after it, he thought it would be unsafe
to show himself on the streets. Probably the affeEI:ion of
the boys for Fr. Thiry is a little exaggerated here, but the
words properly interpreted will show how much his young
friends were attached to him.
.
In the midst of all these occupations, one thought was
troubling him. He had found by the experience of years
that, though the tie of the sodalities was strong, it could
not stand every strain, and that the members, drifting to different parishes, unacquainted with the priests and having no
one to cheer them on, often slowly but surely lost the good
habits of monthly confession and Communion. He now
sought some other means of binding them more closely to
their Church. Different plans suggested themselves, and he
finally decided on forming a literary society, not so distinEI:
as to be entirely cut off from the sodalities, and yet such as
would give the members more opportunities of social intercourse. But the plan did not meet with great approval on
the part of those who had charge of the parish. Experience
had taught them that such societies were not always successful, and not unfrequently refteEI:ed little credit on thus!.!
most· interested in them. From time to time similar societies had sprung up in different parishes of the city, had
succeeded brilliantly for a time, then, gradually losii1g
their literary aspeEI:, had turned into social clubs, or
dropped from sight. The same sad fate was feared for
the new society, and superiors hesitated before allowing it
to spring into life. Finally it was decided to give it a chance
to win by success its right to a permanent place; if at the
end of a specified time the outlook was promising it was
to continue; if unfavorable, it was to disband. Into this
work Fr. Thiry now threw himself with all his old-time enthusiasm, and with that vigor which accompanied all his
work when there was question of the good of souls; and
�FR. THEODORE TH/R Y.
gathering about him a little band of supporters as enthusiastic as himself he laid the foundations of the Literary
Society of St. Francis Xavier's Church, in February, 1871.
Its beginning was a hard struggle for existence; difficulties were numerous, encouragements few. It was frowned
upon by many who by a word might have given it substantial support, and but for the cheering words and deeds of its
devoted moderator the society might have ceased to exist
long before the allotted time of trial had come to a close.
At the end of six months, a meeting, to which the friends of
the society were invited, was held in the old school hall with
such success, that it gave.~he societya good standing in the
eyes of the fathers and yarishioners. The crisis was now
passed and the future prbmised success; from a doubtful
life it passed to a state of great aCtivity; there was no longer
a lack of aspirants to membership; students and ex-students
of our college, graduates of New York College, pupils of
the parochial and public schools, many young men engaged
in business, now sought admission and, after giving evidence
of the necessary qualifications, were received. It may be
added that hopes built on such good beginnings were fully
realized. For many this society was the means of continuing an education cut short by force of circumstances,
for others the occasion of forming strong Catholic friendships, and for all a means of keeping up the love and praCtice
of their religion. vVhen it is reinemberecl that one of the
necessary qualifications for admission was to be a regular
and approved member of one of the sodalities, it_·looks as
if Fr. Thiry's plan for keeping up a Catholic sr5lrit while
fostering a love for learning was a living reality.
Over this, his last, if not his greatest work for his boys,
he watched to the last with a vigilant eye, and the society
survives him as one of the many monuments of the great
care and good judgment he exercised in his undertakings.
It has so far fulfilled its promise; it has kept the young men
together and in union with the Church; its ranks are supplied from the sodalities, and the devotion of its members
seems to increase in proportion as years go by. The members now occupy a house within the shadow of the church,
to the purchase of which they largely contributed; and on
the wall of their meeting-room, in a most conspicuous position, hangs a fine crayon portrait of their regretted founder,
more revered now than ever.
But the good derived from this society was not confined
to the boys alone ; the care bestowed by the fathers was
repaid in the generous aid the society was enabled to give
to several worthy enterprises. The Catholk Union, the
�FR. THEODORE THIRY.
205
Holy Childhood, and the new church of St. Francis Xavier shared its liberality; and after the novitiate at West
Park was established, and many difficulties were encountered, principally from want of funds, these young men hit
upon a useful way of showing their appreciation of what
the fathers had done for them, by sending the novices,
among whom were two of their own number, a substantial
present, the entire proceeds of one of their semi-annual entertainments.
As may be judged from what has already been said, Fr.
Thiry believed in the boys enjoying innocent amusement
and was always prepared to help illong any scheme apt to
give them suitable recreation. About I 872, quite a fever
for exercise broke out among them which resulted in the
forming of two boat clubs. Two boats, one of which was
named Theodore, were purchased, and were in continual
service. Fr. Thiry was interested at once, and occasionally
gave the plan his approval by spending an evening with
the boys on the water. Such occasions were looked forward
to with no little pleasure on their part, and from the elabora'te preparations which were made one might have thought
that an admiral was expeCted. Yet it was only Fr.· Thiry,
but for him nothing was too good; and when he finally took his seat in the boat, not one of the boys thought
it possible that any mishap could bet:<ll them while he
was in their midst. No doubt Fr. Thiry had his own good
reasons for encouraging this form of recreation ; that it kept
many from dangerous occasions of sin cannot easily be
doubted.
It was often remarked that his labor seemed direCted to
the good of the men and boys and that his dealings with
women, except with the indigent poor, were very limited;
and the remark was true. Not that he ever was rude or did
anythmg to repel them, but they seemed to feel instinCtively
that he was not for them, but for the especial good of boys
and men. Yet withal they revered him very much, and they
were quick to perceive, that while he was working for brothers and sons and husbands, and keeping them up to their
obligations, he was conferring a greater benefit on the
women than if he were laboring direetly for them.
Hard work was a thing that Fr. Thiry never feared and
often sought. He usually retired between ro and I I o'clock,
rose for many years at 4, said Mass at 5.30, and was ready
to begin a long and tedious day's work at 6.30. But
even this did not satisfy him. He asked for and obtained
the privilege of attending the sick-calls at night, and when
asked why he did not take his needed rest, he replied that he
�FR. TJ!Eonoklt TIIIR j~
often found his greatest consolation in preparing the dying
to meet death well. That this consolation was not confined
to the work done at the ·sick-bed will be made clear from
the following incident, which will also show much better
than words how constant he was in doing God's work and
increasing his glory whenever an opportunity presented itsel(
One morning, at about 1.30, he was called to attend a man
lying ill some distance from the church. A more unpleasant morning could hardly be imag-ined. A dense fog enveloped the city, sleet was f.<lling, and the chilly air seemed
to penetrate the thickest clothing. He boarded a Sixth
Avenue car and found hiinself the solitary passenger. Seeing the driver f.<cing the,storm on the front platform, and
hoping to cheer him UP.. a little by a few kind words, he ·
placed himself at his side and began speaking of the hard
work that kept him in such an exposed position night after
night. The driver proved to be an Irishman and a Catholic.
Fr. Thiry now felt at home. A few more questions led the
man to talk of his f.<mily, of himself, and of his religion, and
before many blocks were passed the ddver handed O\'er the
reins to his companion, knelt on the platform, and made his
confession. A few minutes later Fr. Thiry left the car for
his sick-call, leaving the driver no doubt under the impression that his passenger was an angel in disguise. Fr. Thiry
was a man who ha(l bften found himself in strange positions,
but we may easily believe that he was never in a stranger
one than when driving a car on the Sixth Avenue line.
How few suspeCted that at two in the morning, on .the platform of a car, in the midst of a f;tlling rain, a sacr;J.ment had
been administered and a soul cleansed! It was l)robably
the first and last time that Fr. Thiry was engaged in the
service of the railroad, and it is no breach of charity to say
that a better driver ne,·er found employment in the same
sen·tce.
The love the men and boys had for him remained to the
last, and e\·en when they had negleCled their duties and
wandered from the straight path so often pointed out to
them, as soon as sickness came or danger threatened, they
sent for Fr. Thiry to come to help them in their hour of
need. These appeals a! ways met with a prompt response,
and he often made them the occasion of doing good, not
only to the dying, but also to those enjoying the blessing of
health. On these occasions he often invited some one of
the young men to accompany him 1 partly, no doubt, to have
a companion, but principally for the young man's benefit.
This plan was not without its good results; for many a
0
�PN. Tlll!-'OlJOkE THIRY.
young man, exposed to the manifold temptations of a great
city, learned at the bed-side of the dying more lasting
lessons than could be taught either· in sodality or pulpit.
In I 880, in the midst of all these labors, Fr. Thiry received a stroke of paralysis, soon followed by a second, and
for a time his life, so precious to others, was despaired of;
but his hardy old-country constitution bore the attack well,
and after a few months of forced retirement and much needed rest he appeared once more in public.
\Vhile convalescent, superiors sent him to the novitiate at
\Vest Park, hoping that the change of scene, the quiet of
the country, and the company of the novices would give
back strength to mind and body, both weakened by his late
illness. Their hopes were realized, but after a manner they
neither wished nor expected. It appears he went boating
one day with the novices, and after going up the river se\'eral miles, stopped on the eastern bank to rest. All left the
boat, and Fr. Thiry climbing up the bank with some assistance, stood for a moment on the edge admiring the scene.
Some one, noticing that the spot on which he stood was a
mere ledge of earth, stepped forward to warn him of his
danger, but before anything could be done to save him, the
bank gave way beneath his weight and he fell, rolling to the
water's edge. In his fall he struck a projecting rock, and
when the novices reached him they found him senseless
and bleeding from a wound in the forehead. Under copious
applications of cold water he soon recovered consciousness,
the blood was staunched, and in fear and trembling the novices set out for home as f.'lst as their oars could bring them.
To anybody else such a mishap would have been fatal, but
to Fr. Thiry it was really a blessing in disguise. The shock
he recei\-ed seemed to counteract the effects of his paralytic
stroke, the wound proved to be of a slight nature, and a few
days later he returned to New York appearing much improved by his short but eventful sojourn among the novices.
But it was only a partial restoration to health. He never
fully recovered from this long illness. Age, which seemed
to have a\·oided him for so many years, now appeared to
claim its due; and the strain of so much work, combined.
with his late sufferings, little by little showed loving eyes
that he had not come forth from the struggle with death
unscathed. Superiors, too, saw that the burden of his labors
had grown too heavy for the shoulders already bending beneath the load, and they relieved him of some of his cares.
The Sunday schools, the parochial schools, the boy's and
the young men's sodalities, were given into the charge of
other fathers; but he still retained the literary society, the
�FR. THEODORE THIRY.
men's sodality, the St. Vincent de Paul's' Society and the
Holy Childhood, now grown so vast under his management.
He readily relinquished his work to other hands, but even
then it seemed to him that the threads of life were slipping
from his grasp and that these changes were so many signs
of his approaching death. Yet, like the soldier of Christ
that he was, he put down all at the voice of obedience, just
as readily as at the same Yoice he had years before taken
them up.
As direCtor of the St. Vincent de Paul's Society, he
showed himself ever the true friend of the poor. Those
who sought aid at the parlor he saw personally, and after
examining the case, if he thought the assistance well bestowed he gave it with a,liberal hand. It was, according to
the beatings of his hear.i:. better to err on the side of generosity than to probably hurt the feelings of tl10se who
came seeking assistance. The hour appointed for the
needy to come to the parlor was from 1.30 to 2.30 P. :-.1.,
and though kept husy at work for many hours consecutively he was able to spend but few unbroken hours in
recreation with the other f.<thers. Almost invariably he was
called to meet his poor, to hear their tales of suffering and
misery, but no matter how pleasant it might have been to
remain with the f.<thers, he went at once to attend to this
duty, at perhaps the most difficult hour of the day. Occasionally it was uifficult to supply all the needs of the
parish with the limited resources he had at his disposal ;
for though the parish is classed among the wealthy ones
of the city it has within its limits many poor. During severe winters, when the relief fund was getting IO\~;'the treasurer of the St. Vincent de Paul's Society informed Fr. Thiry
of the faa and inquired what was to be done. ''Go on as usual," was the reply, "and God will send some help." And
help would surely come, to the surprise and joy of the
members of the conference, who found themselves enabled
to continue their work. But the f.<et was, that their worthy
direCtor had many wealthy friends who looked upon a demand from Fr. Thiry in behalf of his poor in the light of a
favor, and he as champion of the poor never hesitated to
confer such favors.
Relieved of some of his more difficult duties, the last few
years of his life passed quietly in the various occupations of
the parish, taking any and every opportunity that offered
itself to do good, tintil last Oetober, when Bright's disease,
from which he had been suffering for a long time, made such
inroads on his health that he had to give up all work and
take to his bed. There, broken by sickness, his wonderful
�P'R. THEODORE TH1R1:
20C)
vitality manifested itself over and over again. Sinking from
time to time so low that watchful friends thought the end
was near, he rallied so often, and so well preserved through
it all his lightness of heart, that after a month or two his
apparent recovery was so great that hope was rekindled in
the hearts of those who longed to see him once more among
them. Physicians, however, declared a permanent cure impossible, as the disease was slowly but surely eating away
his life.
During all this time but few friends were admitted to his
bedside. An amanuensis was on hand, and generally
answered the numerous letters that daily poured into
the sick-room laden with good wishes and words of encouragement, and expressing the hope that he would
soon take his place among his numerous friends. Through
it all, Fr. Thiry remained entirely indifferent to life or to
death; he was in God's hands, he said, and if his time
had come he was ready to obey the call of his Master. E\·en under these distressing circumstances he found
time to work, and while confined to his bed his last
work was the report of the Holy Childhood for the
year 1888. The care of his Master's work was constant
even in the shadow of death, and when the Master came he
found his f.<ithful steward rcadv to render his account.
At length, as the night of th~ 12th of March drew ncar, a
change for the worse made its appearance. Devoted hands
sought to alleviate the intense sutTering that seemed only to
increase. That night was one of agony; and slowly the
hours crept on bringing relief only at dawn; his last
dawn on earth, his first, we trust, in heaven. The last lines
of a life-history were being written in the great book of life,
and with the coming of day the record was ended, the lifework of Fr. Thiry was done, and free from bodily suffering
he passeu calmly to his reward, fortified by the last rites of
the Church. His body was exposed in the parlor of the
residence, and thousands came to look upon the face of one
who had made life's trials less intolerable and life's journey
less dreary.
The funeral sen·ices were the usual simple ceremonies of
our dead ; the Mass was celebrated by Rev. Fr. Provincial,
and the absolution was given by His Grace, Abp. Corrigan.
The oftlce of the dead was recited by one hundred priests
of the New York and neighboring dioceses, and in the presence of between 3000 and 4000 men.
At the end of the ceremonies, the crowd thronged the
aisles to look. for the last time on the face so dear to them.
VoL. xvm, No.
2.
14
�210
FR. THF.ODORF. Tl!IRr
-
Then gradually withdrawing from the church, they stood
with heads uncovered in the street till the hearse, followed
by many carriages, had passed from sight on its way to St.
John's College, Fordham. "I'm surprised," said one gentleman to another, after the funeral sc1Tices were over, "I'm
surprised that some one of his friends did not say a few
words at the ceremony."-"\Ve all knew him well," replied
his companion, "and we needed no words to tell us his
worth;" and truly may it he said that each one treasured
up in his heart memories of Fr. Thiry's ,·irtues that no
eulogy could equal.
His place will be a difficult one to fill; the absence of his
familiar face will be felt-by all the students, young and old,
for no bov ever attended St. Francis Xavier's without knowing him;. but he will be''more especially missed by the old
students, as he was among the few still left from whom they
could confidently expeCt recognition. The confessor of
many, the consoler of others, the trusted friend of all, his
presence will be missed and a Yoid left that it will take many
years to fill. Others will take his work, but they cannot
take his place in the hearts of his friends, where the memory of his \'irtt1es will remain sacred for all time.
His body was laid to rest in the cemetery at Fordham,
which holds the dust of many of the most intimate friends
of his religious life. This his first American home, from
which he had gone forth in the early dawn of his priesthood
with the new glory of the sacerdotal dignity still shining on
his brow, now opens her arms to receive him back, worn out
in the service to which he had been sent. \Villi•Lily had he
set out, manfully had he labored, nobly had he dieil Tired
with helping stumbling souls over rough places, wearied
with seeking and leading back souls that had strayed, he
found new life and strength in redoubling his efforts to bring
other souls to God. His joy brought peace to the troubled,
his word, comfort to the sad, his very presence, hope to the
despondent; the light of his life had streamed af.<r over
the path of the unfortunate, and even in the presence of death
the flickering flame cast its feeble ray to light to his Master
timid souls affrighted at the difficulties of the path which
leads to light eternal. He entered God's sen·ice in the first
hour and bore the heat and burden of the day. How great
shall be his reward ?
�FATHER DOMINIC YENNI.
A SKETCH.
\Vhen our Very Rev. Fr. General read in the catalogue
of the mission of New Orleans for the year '87'-'88, "P.
Dominicus Yenni- Doc. in f. gram. an. 5 I mag.," he thus
wrote: "Ex catalogis nostris cum admirationc cognovi,
R. v•m annum jam quinquagesimum in scholis, idquc in
scholis grammatices decurrcre. Res perrara, atque ad memoriam et exemplum insignis.''<'> Words that plainly show
how he realized the story told by the catalogue.
What a vista of untold sacrifice and monotonous drudgery unfolds itself before us at the bare mention of fifty years
of labor in a grammar class! But when we arc told that at
the f.1rther end of this vista there was a tall, dark-haired,
dark-featured stripling, full of zeal for his work, lighthearted, affectionate, ready to "trade" as best he may with
the "talents" his Master had given him, and when as he
draws nigh the end we see that he is unchanged, save that
the f.1ce is furrowed and the hair blanched and the "talents"
bright from use, the monotony remains, indeed, hut it is
the monotonv of the cloudless blue of heaven, or rather,
the grand mc;'notony of Fr. Yenni's native Alps. Now, just
as it is well nigh impossible so to limn the Alps that the
picture may make the exile's heart heat f.•ster and the
stranger stand in awe, so too is it difncult to sketch the
career of Fr. Yenni in such a manner that those who knew
him not may in some way. realize the beauty and calm
peace of his soul, and that those who lived and worked with
him may see him before them once more. Still, an attempt
must be made, that this bright example of the hidden life
in the new Society may not be lost to us. "Ad virtutem
pertinet," says Very Rev. Fr. General, "meritorum grato
cum sensu esse memorem."< 2>
The modest, saintlv Dominic Yenni <3> was born at Dornbirn, a market town' of the principality of Vorarlberg in
Tyrol, on Jan. I, 1810. Of the first twenty years of his
life we know nothing, save that he studied at St. Gallen, in
the Swiss canton of that name, and that while there he re<•> WooDSTOCK L!i'fT.II:RS, July, 1888.
(2)
ibid.
(3)
Originally written Jenni.
(21 I)
�212
FR. DOJt!NJC l?oX.\'1.
ceiYed his first lessons on the Yiolin. \\'e may judge, however, of his youth by his old age, since the Scriptures tell
us: "As the days of thy youth, so also shall thy old age be."
In his twenty-first year he felt called to join the ranks ·of
those whose vocation it is "insignes se exhibere in omni
servitio sui Regis <eterni." In obedience to the didne command, he set out in the fall of I 8 30 for Gratz in Styria,
carrying with him his loved violin, and on Nov. 7, he began
his novitiate there under Fr. Lceffl.er. Here he learned to
lo\·e poverty and mortification with a praCtical love, which
was to abide with him to the end. After his novitiate he
seems to ha\·e taught, and at the same time read his theology, in our college at Tiunopol, Gallicia, and to have been
for some time subminister of our college at Innsbruck. It
must be said, howe\·er, that of the first seventeen years of
his religious life we possess but scant information.
. \Vhen the revolutionary era of '48 was within measurable
distance, like so many others who have d~·oted their lives
to the building up of the Church in Ameri , he turned his
eyes to the western world, where he woul be free to devote
himself without let or hindrance to the service of God. His'
mind was quickly made up, he would go to America, and
ha\·ing obtained the necessary permission he bade Europe a
final adieu in OC}:. 1846. This exile, voluntary though it
was, must have gone to his heart, for his was a singularly
affeCtionate nature. Of how he loved his dear Tyrol we
may judge by a little incident that happened at his jubilee
in I 880. On that occasion an old friend of his, Fr. C. l\f.
\Vidmann, sent him a few verses in the dialeCt: of:·ois'country; the almost forgotten words mn~·ed the old man to tears,
and with the eagerness of a child he showed the \'erses to
all who might perchance understand them.
On his arrival in New York, our t1thers introduced him
to Archbishop Hughes. Almost immediately he proceeded
to Cincinnati, where he spent a few months in acquiring as
much of our language as was absolutely necessary for the
classroom. He had very little time however for preparation.
In July, 1846, the province of Lyons accepted Spring Hill
College from Bishop Portier of Mobile, and teachers were
needed. Under these circumstances, Fr. Y enni was called
from Cincinnati to New Orleans in Feb. 1847, and was immediately sent to S!)ring Hill, which, with a brief interruption, was to be the scene of his labors for U)tty-one years.
This. interruption was caused by the burning of the college
on the night of Feb. 5, r869. The destruCtion of Spring
Hill was a calamity in the life of Fr. Yenni, for he had already come to love every brick and timber of the building;
�FR. DOJ!Il\"IC YENNI.
213
and of the two things he prized most, his crucifix and his
violin, the former was all h<.: could save; his Cremona was
gone forever.
On Feb. 19. the students and faculty were transferred to
Grand Coteau, there to .finish the scholastic year. Fr.
Yenni ne\"er took to his new home, and his longing for
Spring Hill developed, as one who lived with him at the
time tells us, into a real case of hom<.:-sickness, so that superiors were obliged to send him back as soon as the vacations came. To Fr. Yenni's great joy, Spring Hill was
open<.:d again on the 8th of December following, and he
was never again askt.:d·to leave the loved spot until called
away to his hea\"enly home.
Such was the only break in his lift.:; for the rest, one day
was like another, and the year following like to the preced-·
in g. \Vhen h<.: was a younger man he had to aCt as prefeCt:,
and this caused him much suffering, for the social conditions
of the time rendered the boys less submissive to discipline
than th<.:y are nowadays. Y ct he was never known to complain; and here it may be added that no one ever heard
him speak of~ or hint at, tlw long years he spent in the classroom, and nothing was tuther from his mind than to ask
fur a change. God, in the person of superiors, placed Fr ..
Yenni in the classroom, and there he was contented to remain ; and there, as Very R<.:v. Fr. General has said, "fratribus suis, qui sunt in iisdem schola~ laboribus socii, exemplum
exhibuit, yuo commoti gravem hanc vocationis nostr<e partem nm·a a.:stimatione colant et traEt:ent, quo sanEt:am paticntiam, qua: in hac pala:stra pra: ceteris est necessaria,
discant, quo novum fatiscenti natura: animum et stimulum
addant." (LJ
"In the treatment of his pupils," \Vrites one who knew
him well, "Fr. V enni invariably kept cool. He had no
particular friends among them, neither did he make any
of them an enemy. He never scolded, and yet somehow
the bovs felt that the work had to be clone." "The dullest
boys," 'writes a student of his, "progressed under him, and
I have often heard my school-mates remark that the good
old man made them learn." We are not surprised at this,
when we come to think of the care with which, to the end,
he prepared for class. Each day's matter was carefully
synopsized, and the best way of putting it studied out with
all the pains a young scholastic could bestow on it. Of late
years this preparation mainly consisted in working up amusing examples, and dev_ising schemes to excite emulation, so
(I) \\'ooDSTOCK f,ETTERS,
July, 1888,
�214
FR. D0.1fLVIC YE.V.\7.
that class hours, even though he was a stria disciplinarian,
were anything but irksome.
Here is a brief sketch of a day under Fr. Y cnni as given
by one of his students. "On entering the classroom we
would silently and noisckssly take our places, fold our arms
until the usual flail Afan· was n:citcd, and then in silence
present our exercises on~ after another. Fr. Yenni's first
remark to us was: 'Hands on the desk, doaors,'-for 'doctors' was our sobriquet-and there our hands had to remain
during the class. If any amongst us were too tardy in complying with this order, the old gentleman would never hesitate to give the regular quarter of an hour 'arrest.' (This is
the name the recreation of a bov. spent in the cheerful company of a picket fencc,~~hes by. at Spring Hill.) Fr. Yenni
was very stria in the correaion of our exercises. Faults
of spdling, solecisms, and barbarisms had each their particular mark. Barbarisms were in an especial manner an abomination to him. One morning, in reading my exercise, he
came across one of these things. I remember how his features grew sterner than usual. when all at once, darting a
look at me which made me tremble in my scat, and taking
off his skull-cap, he crushed the exercise in his hands, and
.threw it into the waste-paper basket, saying at the same
time: 'Boy, this is what I do with such an exercise,' and
then he ordered the windows opened (it was a day in January) to clear the atmosphere. The whole aff;tir struck me
so much that I do not remember having ever repeated the
f.·mlts contained in that luckless exercise. But with all this
sternness he was fond of a joke. I shall never.'for~;ct the
trick he played upon us towards the close of my 5'ear with
him. It was to be our last combat, we were divided into
two armies, the Romans and Carthaginians, and the leaders
had been dubbed Scipio and Hannibal. The viCI.urious
army was to carry off the plunder, a large basket of grapes.
For an hour·or more the two armies fought desperately.
Every exception, irregular verb, noun, and adjcaive in the
grammar was proposed and answen:d by one side or the
other. At the close, the viCI.orious Romans (for, as of old
they had proved themselves the better warriors, so on this
occasion they had shown themselves to be the better grammarians) rushed out of class in great glee. But oh, what a
chop-fallen lot they were when they opened the basket!
There it was, filled ·with old shoes and slippers, deftly covered over with vine leaves, and a handful of lJ:rapcs on top.
Hannibal's spirit was soothed, and the Carthaginians felt
that they were not quite annihilated. A recitation missed
or an exercise negligently written had to be accounted for
�FR. DO.lfi.YIC YES.YI.
2!5
during recreation, when the old man would come to the
yard, and, with an oft.' 1/Wit camaradc, call the delinquent,
whilst those who felt safe would gather round to see the
fun." .
Among the fruits of Fr. Y enni's experience in the classroom arc his Latin and Greek grammars. The Latin grammar was begun in the scholastic year of '52-'53. when Fr.
Yenni had paradigms of the declensions and conjugations,
together with a few of the simplest rules of syntax, printed
in 1\Iobilc. It is scarcely necessary to say that the greatest
care was bestowed on both works. Some parts of the Latin
grammar, we arc told, were written out ten or t\\·elve times,
and it is a notorious faCI: that the publishers complained
loudly of the good k"lther's continual correCI:ion. Some of
Ours were of opinion that the book would never come out.
ami there is no knowing what might have been its fate had
not Fr. J. Montillot, RcCI:or of Spring Hill, profiting by the
absence of Fr. Yenni in Grand Coteau after the burning of
the college, ordered its publication as it stood.
The life of unceasing toil, of which some idea may be
formed from \\·hat has been said, was relieved by the simplest kind of relaxation. On class days, when work was
finished ·and the weather was fine, Fr. Yenni could always
he found sitting on the balcony, telling his beads, his eyes
fixed the while on the western sky where the day was dying
behind the pine-clad hills in all the gorgeous hues of a
southern sunset. \Vhen the weeklv holidav came round, it
was his wont, until \\·ithin two ve~rs of hi~ death, to walk
to l\1obile and back. Here is a i)iCI:ure that might be seen
on Spring II ill Avenue on those Thursday afternoons. A
tall, strongly built, dark-featured man; though advanced .in
years, he is perfeCI:Iy creEl: ·and precise as a soldier in his every
mo\'Ctllent; his massive head, covered with short white hair,
has a little inclination forward; the forehead is high and
broad, and the firm square jaw tells the story of his character; the eyes be;un brightly behind a pair of speCI:acles that
rest un a well shaped nose, and a placid smile plays on his
thin lips; his whole appearance and bearing is modest and
saintly. This is Fr. Yenni. Add a troop of children, whom
he ciearlv 10\Td, and the piCI:ure is complete. The little ones
along tl{e route know him well, and await his coming; for
he has cakes and bonbons and piCI:ures for them. Often
they le;ul him to their homes, and through them, like another
Xavier, he wins the parents.
If the weather was bad, or some untoward circumstance
deprived him of his walk, he solaced himself with his violin.
His passion for llll\sic was so great that at one time he
�216
FR. DO"lfiNIC YENNI.
deemed it a duty to mortify himself in this ·regard, and in
consequence his violin was silent for years. Finally the matter was brought to the notice of superiors, and they insisted
that the instrument should once more speak in the master's
hands, and he in his childlike humility obcyeu. Its newfound voice was lost forever after the :z3rtl of OCtober, r887,
the jubilee of Fr. Roduit. That was the last time Fr. Yenni
played. A friend of his, himself a musician, thus writes of
his playing on this occasion: "His purity of intonation and
grace of execution were not those of old. It was plain that
he was soon to end his musical career on earth, to join the
celestial choir in sounding the praises of his God, whom he
had served so well and long."
That he was master of his instrument is the unanimot.~s
testimony of those compt:tent to form a judgment; and this
perfeCtion he oweu more to inborn talent and his own exertions, than to any exterior training. The following incident
speaks volumes for his skill. He was playing at a public
exhibition when one string snapped, and then another ;
nothing daunted he continued, and his hearers saw no difference in his execution. His squarely built figure, bearing
we arc told a strong resemblance to the late Cardinal Franzelin, was to be seen among the members of the college
orchestra at all the exhibitions, creEl: and avoiding all unnecessary motion:- He seldom played solos in public. If
you wanted one you had to apply to his friends, the little
boys. They might have _to use all their influence, but should
they be refused there was no resource left but to see the
reCtor, or wait until the next jubilee of one of Qurs came
round. His choice of music too was typical oT the man.
His favorites were Spohr, Mayscder, and Molique, and because modern music was at variance with their classical
simplicity and ease, he not only took no pleasure in it, but
disliked it thoroughly.
So much might the world sec of him, but for his brothers
in religion there was n:scrved the beautiful speCtacle of his
religious life, which is thus summed up by one who knew
him longest and best: "Totus in Deo raptus, vix pr;esentiam
Ejus amittebat. In omnibus virtutibus religiosis constanter
versatus, pr;:elucebat sociis tamquam pcrfeCl:um exemplar."
Of all his virtues, those that stood out most prominently
were modesty and mortification. It is scarcely an exaggeration to say that he was a living model of the rules of modesty ; and as to mortification, the most obvious proofs of it
were found in the faCts that he never used to lean back in
his chair, never crossed his legs, never sat in a rocking-chair,
and bore without a murmur the terrible headaches to which
�FR. DOMI.VIC YENNI.
217
he·was subjeCt:. He was of a timorous and delicate conscience, and but for his profound humility and childlike
obedience, would have been extremely scrupulous. He was,
as we have seen, inclined to be striB: as a disciplinarian;
this trait was noticeable too in his religious life, in which,
as far as he was personally concerned, he ever inclined to
the more rigorous.
But notwithstanding all this he was far from being gloomy;
quite the contrary, he was lively and full of innocent fun,
so that no one, save the reB:or, was safe from his tricks.
Those who have lived with Fr. Yenni may remember how
glad the old man used to be whenever the rector and
minister chanced to be absent from table.
Being the
senior, he was superior for the nonce, and was ever in a hurry to g-ive Dco Gratias. \Vhile speaking of his virtues, his
great love of poverty must not be lost sight of. Some half
dozen books were all it was usual for him to have in his
room at one time, he was never known to wear anything
new, and yet he was the neatest member of the community.
Of his longing to remain hidden and unknown it is not
necessary to speak. His destruB:ion of the letter, in which
Verv Rev. Fr. General thanked him, in the name of the
Society, for his life's work, bears eloquent witness to his
humility. "He destroyed it," wrote Rev. Fr. T. W. Butler,
then superior of the mission, "fearing that it would be found
after his death and probably published, and that thus he
would receive praise which, in his opinion, he does not think
he deserves." (I)
The objects of his more especial devotion were, we arc
told, the Blessed Sacrament and St. BenediCt: Joseph Labre.
The life of this saint he had read seven or eight times, and
the volume was found in his room after his death. A small
bronze statue of the same hero of God stood on his desk,
and the modest adornment of the walls of his room was a
piB:ure of this saint, in canonizing whom, the enemies of the
Church sneeringly said, Leo XIII. had canonized rags and
dirt. His devotion to the Blessed Sacrament is well exemplified by an incident from the last winter of his life, showing
his desire of always living near the chapel. Through some
defeCt of the steam coil in his room, Fr. Y enni suffered much
from cold during that winter, yet he could not be induced
to change the room for one more comfortable but farther
removed from the domestic chapel. The same devotion to
the Prisoner of the Tabernacle was the reason why he so
carefully prepared in the evening the Mass of the following
day.
Cll WoODSTOCK LETTERS,
March,
1888.
�TWO GOLDEN JUBILEES.
Such is an imperfeCl: sketch of the saintly Jesuit who
closed his eyes in death at Spring Hill on July 8, 1888, in
the 78th year of his age, ami the 58th of his religious life.
In an account of his last days we read: "He grew so weak
towards the end, that he could do nothing but say his beads,
which he held for hours and hours in his hands; and his
only recreation was to talk a little with Fr. ReCl:or, whose
company he sought as being the representative of God.
His mind quite failed him the last fe\\· weeks, but he had
already recei,·ed the last sacraments. He had lucid intervals, in which he felt his condition very keenly, and used to
say that he was now making his purgatory. Doubtless that
was all the expiation his pure soul had to suffer."
In conclusion, may we ..not apply to Fr. Yt:nni the simile
by which a pod has described a man-the creation perchance of his muse-who had all Fr. Y enni's love for children and Fr. Yenni's untirin~ devotion to a hidden laborious
life?
<
.h some tall ditf that lifts its awful form,
Swell• fnllll the vale, nntlmitlway IPans the 'lonn,
Thonl!h ronml its brea>t the rollin.c: clomls are sprca<l,
Eternal snn,hinc ~ettles on its hem!.
TWO GOLDEN JUBILEES.
1.
FR. PAUL l\L\RY PoNztc;unNE.
The name of Fr. Ponziglione is familiar to the readers of
the LETTERS as the annalist of ()sa~t: Mission, Kansas. The
fiftieth anniversarY of his entrance into the Socictv was celebrated with gre~t pomp on \Vednesday, Feb. ·'27, at St.
Francis' Institution, Osage Mission. The ct:lebration of the
jubilee began at 9 o'clock Tuesday morning, when a receptit'll was given Fr. Ponziglionc by the children of the parish.
A pleasing fcaturt: of this entertainment was the recitation
nf an original poem commemorating tht: little church in
which "Father Paul" first celebrated Mass in Osage Mission.
The children also presented the vent:rable priest with a set
of altar cards and <l'ht:autiful pair of golden cruets, all of
which were used in the Mass the day following. At 3 r. M.
a musical entertainment was given in tht: hall of St. Ann's
Academy, an institution for girls under the dircCl:ion of the
Sisters of Loretto. This consisted mainly of the presentation of Cardinal \Viscman's drama, Fabiola. At night a
�TWO GOLDEN JUBILEES.
219
third reception was tendered the veteran priest in the college
hall, when addresses of congratulation were delivered and
two elegant candelabra were presented. After a selection
by the Osage Mission Band, a trio from St. Francis' choir
sang the jubilarian's favorite hymn, "Ave Maris Stella," by
Bellazaro. Several of the visiting clergy then made short
addresses and presented gifts. Hun. l'. 'vV. Mess, Mayor of
the city, then delivered an address, and in behalf of the married men's and married ladies' sodalities presented a sanctuary carpet. In behalf of the young men's sodality, a large
and handsome baptismal font was presented. A jubilee ode,
written for the occasion bv Rev. T. A. Butler of St. Louis,
was read by V cry Rev. r~. Bononcini in the name of the
deanen· of Parsons.
His 'Holiness, Pope Leo XIII. honored the occasion by
sending his special blessing to Fr. Ponziglione, as the following message testifies:
Rmm, February 1, I 889.
REVEREND .\Nll DE.\!{ F.\TIIER,
P. C.
The Holy Father very willingly grants his special blessing to Fr. Ponziglione for his golden jubilee, and to all present on the celebration day. I join my heartfelt congratulations, and recommending myself to your holy sacrifices, I
remain, Yours in J. C.,
c. CARDINAL MAZZELLA.
At the close of these exercises, the venerable father satisfied the wishes of his many friends present, by giving a brief
but humorous sketch of his early life in Kansas. The jubilee gifts already mentioned were only a few of the many
received by the beloved missionary; but the present which
gave the good f<tther nwre pleasure perhaps than all the
others was a cope sent by the Osage Indians who arc now
in Indian Territory.
On Wednesday, Feb. 27, the jubilee Mass was sung in
the chuch of St. Hicronymo. Fr. l'onziglione was assisted
by Rev. T. A. Butler of St. Louis. Fr. P. Scholl of Independence was deacon, and Fr. James Hartman of 'vVichita
subdeacon. The sermon was delivered by Fr. II. Moeller.
Over I 200 people were present at the Mass, and during the
grand ceremonies many doubtless recalled the early Masses
said in Osage Mission by the venerable priest who was celebrating the entrance upon his fiftieth year as a Jesuit priest,
and the f<tr different surroundings at that time. Then his
altar was erected in a wild land, over which, as Father Moe!-·
ler aptly expressed it, angel bands had been hovering for
�TWO GOLDEN JUBILEES.
years, waiting to be called to bear upward to God the most
pure sacrifice of the Mass, waiting for an altar, waiting for
a Host to watch over ami give periJetual adoration. The
cross was ereCted among a tribe of red-men and the early
life of this now strong Catholic place was that of a mission
among savages. The first Mass was sung amidst rude surroundings and before unlearned congregations; while this
jubilee Mass with its grand ceremonies, the church in which
it was celebrated, and the numerous priests who filled the
chancel gave evidence of the great advance the Church had
made since "Father Paul," as he is lovingly called, not only
by his associates but also by his parishioners, first came to
the mission.
After the l\Iass cameJl;e jubilee banquet, over which Rt.
Rev. Bishop Scannel of "Concordia presided, with Rt. Rev.
Bishop Hennessy of \Vichita on his left and Fr. Ponziglione
on his right. Besides the bishops and priests already mentioned, there were present Rev. Fr. Frieden, Provincial of
the l\Iissouri Provinct.: and several other fathers of the same
province; V. Rev. Fr. Heyden, Dean of Topeka ; Abbot Innocent \Volf, 0. S. B., of Atchison; and many secular priests
froin Leavenworth, Hutchison, Dodge City. \Vichita. Cherryvale, Manhattan, \Vinfield, anJ Greenbush.- .ld lllllltos
tlllllOS.
2.
FR. joHN
B. EMu;.
On Tuesday, March 12, Fr. John B. Emig, Pastor of St.
Joseph's Church, Hanover, l'a., celebrateJ the fif!}eth anniversary of his onlination to the priesthood. The ilay was
observed as a general holiday by the Catholics of the vicinity in honor of the occasion, and hundreds came from the
neighboring parishes to attend the jubilee Mass. l\Iany of
those who came from a distance were unable to gain admittance to the church, but they joined with the members of
the congregation of St. Joseph's in doing honor to ·the venerable and beloved pastor. The jubilee Mass was sung by
Fr. Emig himself, assisted by Re\'. T. J. Crotty ·of Littlestown, Pa., as deacon, Rev. J. \V. Burke of Bonneau ville, Pa.,
as subdeacon, and Rev. Joseph A. Boll of Gettysburg, Pa.,
as master of ceremonies. The jubilee sermon was preached
by Fr. John J. Murphy of Georgetown College. Rt. Rev.
Bishop McGovern \Vas present on the occasion and delivered a congratulatory address. Among the other clergymen tJrescnt were Rev. Fr. Provincial and several others of
the venerable father's religious brethren, besides secular
priests from York, Lancaster, and Columbia, Pa.
�CATALOGUS,
1811.
~21
Fr. Emig received several jubilee gifts on the occasion,
among them the colleB:ion taken up at the jubilee Mass.
Though eighty-one years old, Fr. Emig is still in the enjoy~
ment of excellent health and administers unaided to the
wants of his large flock with as much vigor as he did
twenty years ago. As a contributor to· the \VoonsTOCK
LETTERS from '72 to '75, his accounts of missions gi,·en in
Frederick County and elsewhere, will be remembered by
many, and hence we regret the more that we have not
received a detailed account of his jubilee. May he be
prescr\'l:d for many years to carry on the good work of his
Master!
Catalogns Sociornm
lVI issionis
A11ERICJE FCEDERAT lE
SOCIETATIS JESU
Ineunte Anno
I8II.
R. P.
CAROLUS NEALE
SUPERIOR
~IISSIONIS
A lliE 9 DEC•• 1808.
IN DISTRICTU COLUMBI.IE
COLLEGIUM GEORGIOPOLITANUM
P. Franciscus Neale, Prti'S. col/., Sup. dom., Proc.llfiss., Rect.
ecd. ~')S. Trinit., ]<.~uurr. ad A/e.nmdriam.
P. Joannes Grassi, Prref sdtol., Doc. ling. ita/. et Insp.
P. Petrus Epinette, .Mag. nov., Doc. tlteol.
lVIAGISTRI
Adamus Marshall, Aud. t!teo/.
Carolus Bowling, Awl. plu'los.
Jacobus Ord,
"
"
CoADJUTURE.S
Joannes McElroy, Empt., A4f. proc. mzss.
Laurentius Lynch, Ad dom.
Patritius McLaughlin, Ad dom.
Petrus Kiernan, Ad dom.
�CATALOGUS, I8II.
NoviTII ScHoLAsTrcr
P. Gulielmus Matthews, a die I7 Mart. r8o9, Refl. eccl.
S. Patritii, Was!tington.
Josephus Clarke,
~~die I on. I809
Simon Gartland,
"
"
"
Franciscus Hopkins,
28 Dec. "
Samuel Cooper,
26 Jlfaii I8Io
Joannes B. Cary,
''
3 Sep.
"
Joannes Rossiter,
I on.
"
Nonnr CoADJl'TORES
Christophorus 0' Hare, a die I I Jul. I 8oS
Christian us Simmering,'; " 20 Dec. "
Bartholomxus Redmong, "
I oa. I809
Gulielmus Mullen,
"
"
"
Gulielmus Byrne,
28 Dec.
Gulielmus l\tcDe\'itt,
IN STATU NEO-EBORACENSI
RESIDENTIA AD S. PETRI
et Collegium lnchoatum
New York Litemry Institution
P. Antonius Kohlmann, Suj>., Vic. Gm., .Administr. dz'a!c. sede
7't7etlll!t•, Rd7. t'cd., Conl t'/ co11r. in T, Conl alunm.
P. BenediAus J. Fenwick, Dir. gcr. collegii, Adj. rdl. eccl.
J\{AGISTRI
Michael \ Vhite, Dot·. li1~t;. lat., gra·c. et angl.
Jacobus Redmond.
Jacobus \Vallace, Dot·. matltcs.
Josephus Marshall, Com(;:, Ad omnia.
~-
•·
IN STATU MARYLANDilE
RESIDENTIA AD S. THOM;E
R. P.
Superior Afisszimz~·. Ding. Jtfoniales
Montis Carmdi.
P. Joannes Henry, Opcr., Ercurr.
CAROLUS NEALE,
RESIDENTIA AD S. IGNATII
Gaulterus lbri·on, Com(;·.
Josephus Mohherly, "
Cur. gcr. j>ra:d.
RESI_DENTIA AD NEWTOWN
P. Leonardus Edelen, Oj>cr.
RESIDENTIA FRIDERICOPOLJTANA
P. Franciscus Maleve, Oper., Excurr. ad stationes m Mary-
lattd. et Virgittia.
�CATALOGUS, t8tr.
RESIDENTIA BALTIMORENSIS
Ad S. Petri
P. Enoch Fenwick, Rd:Z. cal., Socius 1//mi Ardtiep. Carroll.
IN STATU PENNSYLVANIJE
RESIDENTIA PHILADELPHIENSIS
Ad SS. Trinitatis
P. Adamus Britt, Rell. ecel., Opcr.
RESIDENTIA LANCASTRIENSIS
Ad S. Marire
P.
J.
Gulielmus Bcschter, Rdl. red., Oprr., Et·c11rr.
Resitlentite Couewagiueusi", t;o,heuhoppenensis, Pt au 1-l. Josephi, Philatlel·
ph he, in :;tatu Peuusylvanhe; et Bohemiensis, Alba Palutlana, et ad S .
.Tosephi in l'omitatu Talbot, in 8tatu ~Iarylaml., propter penuriam Xostrorum, ab
alii~ saeer·~lotihus
ot•cnpantur.
VITA FUNCTUS
P. Syl\'ester Boarman, 7 Jan.
1811,
Resid. ad 1Vewport.
Index Domorum et Numerus Sociorum
SACE\t.l
IHlMICTJ.L\
UNIV.
SCIIOJ.. I COA ll.J.
i
- - - - - ------'
R. P. Supt•rior
~li~~ioui~ ...
........... .
Collegium Ot>orgiopolitauum ....... .
23
10
4
3
ti
Resiolentia ncl H. 'l'hom:e .....•.........
Hesidentia ad
~-
Ignatii ............. ..
Hesidentia ad Newtown .............. .
Resideutia Baltimort>nsis ............. .
Hesitlentia Fritlt>rieopolitana ....... .
Residentia Philatlelphieusis ........•..
Resitleutia Laucastrieusis.... ... . .. ... .
Numerantur
I
.
,
-13-~-1-2-~--1~~-3~ '
�CATAI.OGlJS, 18/I.
INDEX ALPHABETICUS SOCIORUM
I:NEUNTE AXXO 1.'<11
ClH:NOMEX ET
SO~!
J~WRESSFR I
ORTliS
EX
GRAUUS
HC
RACERllOTES
P. HescltiPr .1. Oulielmn.~ ... :!0 ~lai.
P. Hritt Adaums•......•.. ...... 'to Oct.
I iH3 111 Oct.
1i-t:l 14 Sep.
1807:
1iti4 20 Sep.
17H!'l \0 Oct.
177:! :~ Sep.
17ti~ 1 Oct.
1771 :!ti ~lai.
\SOti
Barron Otwltet'IIS .............. 14 .\ug. 176!1 10 Oct.
Byrne Oufieltnus .... .., ......... 15 Apr. 17!!0 :!S Dec.
1807
1ti0l!
;;CUOL.\STJVI
Bowling Cm·oln.• ............... I .Tan.
('an~ .ToaJine~·
11 .................. ]f) .Jul.
Clarke .lu.<eplm.<.. ............... 1:! ~lai.
Cooper Sam,ut·l .................. · - .lrtu.
1-"10
ISO~
1810
CUA!>.lUTOltER
E I•' G
SA< 'EIU)UTES
I
I
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
Epiuetle Petrn.< .............. :!4
Edelen Leonard II.< ......... !20
Fenwick lJenerlictlls ......
Fenwick Enuch ........... .... 15
Sep.
llt;o 2 .Tun.
1783; 10 Oet.
17t::! HI Od.
1780·10 Oct.
1775 lti Nov.
\8051
1H061
1806
1806,
li99
~lai.
1790 1 Oct.
1809
Henry J•JIIIIIIes .. .......... lfi ~ep.
Kohlmann A ntvnius ...... ;1ti ~Iai.
Maleve Fmnl'iscus ......... i 1 Dee.
Matthew• Onfieh'n'" ...... Hi Dec.
m;;;'1s Jul.
17711:! Jul.
1770; I Sep.
1770 17 ~Iar.
1804'
1805
1804
Hopkius Fmnciscus ........... · 25 Aug. 119:!1:!8 Dec.
MarshaliAdamus .............. 18 Nov. 1785110 Oct.
1809
18071
Ot't.
;:,iep.
Mai.
.luanne::.·............... ·10 :,iep.
..
Gra~·si
1
S< ii!OLA8TICUS
Gartland Simon ................. 12
H Jl I, M
SA!'E ltlJOTF.S
I
P.
P.
P.
P.
..!
1~Ul!
SCHOLASTIC!
I
I
~-
•·
1808
�CATALOGUS, rSu.
COGNOMEN BT
ORTUS
NO~IEN
225
INGRESSUS
GRAD US
COADJUTORES
Kiernan Petrus •••..•••......... 12
Lynch Laurenlius.............. 7
McDevitt Gulielmus ...••....•. 25
McElroy Joannes .........•...•• 14
)JcLaughlin Patritius ......... 17
Marshall Josephus ............•. I!O
Mobberly Josephus ............ 12
)Julien Gulielnws .............. 12
Jan.
Jan.
Apr.
:Mai.
)Jar.
Mai.
Jan.
Mai.
1767
1783
1792
1782
1768
1788
17i9
1785
7
10
28
10
10
6
10
1
Jul.
Oct.
Dec.
Oct.
Oct.
Dec.
Oct.
Oct.
1808
1807
1809
18061
1806
18071
1807
1809
N
SACERDOTES
R. P. NEALE CAROLUS .••••• 10 Oct.
P. Neale Franciscus ........•.. 2 Jan.
1751 7 Sep.
1756 10 Oct.
1771 13 Nov. 1806
1806
ORS
SCHOLASTIC!
Ord Jacobus....................... 7 Jan. 1789 10 Oct.
Redmond Jacobus.............. 2 Nov. 1776 10 Oct.
Rossiter Joannes .........••..... ,16 .Tnl. 1780 1 Oct.
1806
1807
1810i
COADJUTORF.S
O'Hare Christoplwrus ........ 12 Jan. 177~1 17 Jnl. 1808
Redmond Bartholom(1'1lS ..... 25 Ang. 1767 1 Oct. 1809
Simmering Christianus ...... 12 Jan. 1780 20 Dec. 18081
w
I
I
SCHOLASTICI
Wallace Jacobus ............... 111 Mar. 1787 10 Oct.
White Jlichad.......... ......... 7 Jan. 1789 10 Oct.
VoL. xvui, No.
2.
1807
1806:
15
�MISSION AND PROVINCE CATALOGUES.
The series of catalogues of the "Mission of the United
States of America," and of the "Province of Maryland,"
preserved in the province archives, beg-ins with the year
I820.
The catalog-ues for the years I82o to I833 are in manuscript, and are written out in full, one for each year.
In I82o the mission -numbers 25 priests, 33 scholastics
and 30 coadjutors.
..
In I823 the "Mission of Missouri" was beg-un with 2
priests, 6 scholastics, and 2 coadjutors.
In I829 the following note appears: "A mission has
been begun among the Indian tribes in the State of Maine,
Diocese of Boston. Father Virgil Horace Barber is the
missionary to the two tribes of Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Indians. Both tribes are Catholic and ha\'e, since the
suppression of the Society, persevered with fidelity in the
f.l.ith received from Ours: The aforesaid Fr. Barber is now
engag-ed in ope1~ing ·a school for them at Pleasant Point
where they already have a church built of wood. At St.
Louis in Missouri a house or college is being built."
The "Mission of the United States of America" was
erected into a province, to be known as the ''Province of
Maryland," and Fr. \Villiam McSherry was app~inted first
provincial on Feb. 3, i833.
•
The catalogues for I834 and 1835 are in manuscript. In
I836 the first printed catalogue appears. Langtree and
O'Sullivan, Georgetown, were printers for I836 and I837;
I838 is in manuscript, I839 appears in print, I840 was lithographed at the Roman College, and from I 84 I there is an
uninterrupted succession of printed catalogues.
The imprint of vVoodstock Colleg-e first appears on the
catalogue for I878.
*** The compilation of catalogues fili· the years 1807-I819
is continued in the present number of the LETTERS. Any
authentic information concerning- our fathers and brothers
during the years mt;ntioned, will be gratefully received by the
editor of the WooDsTocK LETTERS, for the compiler of the
catalogues. Letters, entries in church records and account
books, newspapers, etc. will be of use, at least to verify faB:s
already gathered.
(226)
�THE MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART
AND THE APOSTLESHIP OF PRAYER.
Letter from t!tc Gesit, Plziladclpltia.
The Holy League of the Sacred Heart, called the Apostleship of Prayer, continues to spread with the most consoling rapidity. During the last two months alone, Father
Buckley has established it personally in St. Augustine's
Church, South Boston; St. James', Boston; St. Patrick's,
Roxbury; and at Peabody, Cohasset, East Weymouth, Malden, Hyde Park, and Arlington, all in Massachusetts;· at
Valley Falls and Pawtucket in Rhode Island; and at St.
Patrick's and St. Mary's the Star of the Sea, in Baltimore;
besides addressing meetings of Promoters, that is, lay people
devoted to the spread of the work, at Sts. Peter and Paul's
Churc.h, South Boston, and at \Valtham, Mass., and at the
New York Cathedral. During May and June he will continue his foundations in Syracuse, N. Y.; the \Vhecling, \V.
Va., Cathedral; Pittsburg and Altoona, Penn.; Bridgeport,
Conn.; and Holyoke and Boston, Mass.; while several other
parishes arc in immediate prospect.
Besides these personal foundations, the Apostleship of
Prayer has been established in at least forty other cities, embracing dioceses all over the United States. We may mention in particular the cathedrals of Los Angeles and Lincoln,
and churches in Montana, Washington, California, Colorado,
Kansas and Louisiana. All these foundations arc regularly
chronicled in the llfessmgcr, which, we arc happy to say, is
steadily and substantially growing in popular favor.
In connection with the Apostleship of Prayer, we cannot
fail to notice the beautiful devotion recently proposed by its
Director-general, the Consecration of Families to the Divine Heart of Jesus. We quote the following words from
the official explanation of the work issued, with the approbation of His Eminence the Cardinal Archbishop of Toulouse, by the Rev. Director-general of the League of the
Sacred Heart.
"On the 17th of June, 1689, our Lord himself, in one of
his revelations to Blessed Margaret Mary, asked for a social
consecration of Christians to his Divine Heart. France
then called itself the most Christian kingdom, but the in-
(227)
�zz8
MESSENGER OF THE SACRED HEART.
vitation was unheeded. One hundred years later, day for
day, on the 17th of June, 1789, began the great French
Revolution, which has led the nations of the world to regard only the so-called rights of man and to negleB: the
law of God. A second century, ending this present year,
188g, has not, generally at least, brought nearer the official
consecration of nations, though the South American Republic of Ecuador, in the midst of civil and religious conftiB:, has proved a most happy exception. But the wide
spread of the devotion, and of different associations, rendered possible the official consecration of nearly all the
dioceses of the Christian Church, with the approbation of
the Sovereign Pontiff Pius IX., in 1875-the bi-centennial
year of the great revelations concerning the Sacred Heart.
May it not be hoped that this centenary of our Lord's appeal to the societies of men will at least find an answer in
the consecration of Christian families to His Divine Heart?
May this consecration of families become truly popular
and reach every Christian home. The families of poor and
rich alike will find therein strength and consolation, and
choice favors from the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and of Mary."
Father Dewey has just issued the following circular, on
the new edition of valuable religious works which he has
begun publishing in conneB:ion with the JV!essmgcr : "The attention -of the reverend clergy and religious communities is earnestly invited to the new Sacred Heart Library, to be issued as a quarterly supplement of the llfessmger of t!te Sacred Heart, beginning with June, 1889. It will
form a periodical publication of standard expositio~1s of the
theology of Catholic devotion, each number making a thick
handsome I 2mo pamphlet, strongly bound, of some I 50
pages. Where one work runs through two numbers the
paging will be consecutive, t? admit of binding in a single
volume. Each number will be printed on good paper and
in clear type, so as to form a worthy addition to any library.
This method of publication is, praB:ically, the only way of
issuing cheaply, or even at all, works of this serious kind,
which have not a regular sale sufficient to induce the ordinary booksellers to keep them in print. The first two
numbers will comprise the classical work of Father Ramiere
on The Apostleship of Prayer. These will be followed by
a new edition of Galliffet's standard work on the Devotion
of the Sacred Heat\ which will be directly printed for the
LibrmJ' from the plates of the late English edition, already
out ·or print. It is intended to follow up the series with
other works of the highest interest to those who are engaged
by profession or inclination in the solid study of· religion,
�ST. JOSEPH'S COLLEGE, PHILA.
229
An endeavor will be made to choose and prepare works
for the use of those who may be called on to instruCt
others. Of the works in contemplation, several have been
hitherto quite inaccessible to English readers, such as the
remarkable exposition called The Hidden Treasure, written by the Jesuit Juan de Loyola in the last century. The
success of the similar undertaking (La Petite Bibliot!teque)
of Father Vanderspeeten in Belgium, gives good reason
to hope that this endeavor at supplying English-speaking
Catholics with clear and comprehensive expositions of the
praCtical points of their religion will not fail to meet with
favor from the reverend clergy and religious communities,
on whom we must principally rely for the success of the
publication. \Ve also beg their good offices in bringing the
work under the notice of intelligent Catholics likely to take
advantage of such reading."
The work of the New York agency of the Holy Childhood which Father Thiry so lonR and successfully superintended, has been transferred to the office of the Messenger.
It will be continued pretty much upon the old lines. The
extensive conneCtions, however, of the Messenger, which
now reaches into every corner of the country, will probably
contribute largely to spread it into hitherto unknown fields.
The preparation of the bi-monthly Annals and all the details as to the printinR will remain as before in the hands of
Father Daniel, a secular priest of Montreal, who is the headdirector of the work in North America. The Mcssmgcr
will of course print its own local yearly Report.
Our new St. Joseph's College, in conneCtion with the
church of the Gesu, will open its first classes next September. Only the two lowest grades will be started, though
the number of classes promises to be at least four. The
intention is that the students of what shall now be the higher grade shall form the new grades as they pass their examinations year after year. When they graduate, this system
will have enabled us to commend them as young men wholly of our own training. The old church is already being
transformed into a double line of lofty and spacious classrooms. Four of them will stand on either side of the corridor, which will be a continuation of the present corridor
of the residence. The students will enter through the
Seventeenth-street door. This suite of rooms will give us
every desirable accommodation, and promises to present a
very imposing appearance. It will be remembered that when
the foundations of the old church were laid twenty years
ago, every detail of the present arrangement was provided
for. Our <lnnounccments will shortly appear in the papers,
�230
CHURCH OF THE GESiJ, PHILA.
and we are all sanguine of a large and intelligent body of
students. The great lot adjoining the church, which is now
the daily scene of the vVild-Wcst revels of the altar-boys,
will serve as a capital playground for the college. Tuition at the new college will be free, the only expenses being
the charge made for books and stationery, and even this
will not be made in the case of promising pupils whose
means may be limited.
For the first time in the history of the Gcsu, the Holy
Week services were this year carried out in full. The spacious sanCtuary invites to thoughts of grandeur and elaborateness which our narrow limits of the past twenty years
precluded. The white n1arble sodality-altar of the Blessed
Virgin has been completed, while that of St. Patrick is
being built up very rapidly. Mass was celebrated at the
latter altar on St. Patrick's day at five o'clock, and in spite
of the early hour a great crowd attended. The altar is a
massive one and is composed entirely of marble imported
expressly for it from Ireland. The main parts are of pure
white, and the panellings of deep green veined with bronze
and gold. The granite basin of one of the holy-water fonts
of the middle aisle is also a present from the Island of
Saints. The Gesu, by the way, is proud at possessing the
only authentic rclic of St. Patrick in this country, Fr. Villiger having taken no little pains to procure it from Rome.
Another present to the church, all the way from. the
shrine of Einsicdcln in Switzerland, is the handsome statue
of the Sacred Heart which now adorns the chapel of the
Apostleship of Prayer. It is already reputed~·to be the
source of many extraordinary spiritual favors, and a group
of worshippers arc constantly seen kneeling before it. A
rich marble altar is to be placed in the chapel of the Apostleship before many months. The cost is to be at least five
thousand dollars, and the members of the Holy League,
who alone arc to bear the expense, arc showing themselves
enthusiastic and generous. The local League is acquiring
fresh vigor every day and now numbers some twenty-five
thousand members. Father Parclow's leCture on Paray-leMonial was given in the old church under the auspices of
the League on April 25th, and met with a success far surpassing the most sanguine expeCtations. Tickets were sold
by none but members of the League, and only Promoters
aCted as ushers to the leCture. The hall was crowded to·
the very doors by members from all over the city and suburbs, making up an audience whose refinement and intelligence must have been very gratifying to the reverend lecturer.
�THE SCAPULARS.
231
The first Friday of June will be celebrated in the new
church by a grand public consecration of families to the
Sacred Heart. The act of consecration will be read from
the pulpit, and will be repeated in unison by all the representatives of the different families.
THE SCAPULARS.
The following answers to doubts about the scapulars have
been received recently by Fr. Socius from the Rev. Procurator-general of the Society.
Rcsp. ad qu12sita in/itt. I2 flfartzi" data:
I) Utrum quinque lane;-e chorda: diversi debeant esse
coloris, sc. coloris scapularis, rubri pro scapulari Passionis,
et ita cleinceps?
2) Utrum ilia: chordee ita contorqueantur ut unam
forment?
Ad ha:c respondeo dicendo qua: sint essentialia scapularium; quibus fit ut (accedentibus benediCl:ione et impositione)
indulgentia: lucrari valeant.
I) Scap. de M. Carm. fiat ex lana, coloris tmmei (habitus
PP. Carmelitarum), aut nigri.
2) SS. Trinit.-ex lana, coloris albi.
3) B. V. Concept. Iminac.-ex lana, coloris e12ntlei.
4) 7 Dolor. B. V.-ex lana, coloris nigri.
5) SS. Passionis D. N.-ex lana, coloris rubri.
ltaqtlc materia sit ex lana,.JW!l ex alia materia.
Scup. de SS. Trinit. habeat crucem coloris rubri-ccerulei,
sic ut trabs 'iXrticalis sit coloris rubri, lwri::ontalis ca:rulei ;
ha:c crux sit lanca.
Scap. de Passionc habeat in uno latere Salvatorem in cruce,
ad crucis pedem sint instrumenta passionis, et circum crucem verba:· "S. Passio Dni N. J. C. salva nos." In altero
latere sint SS. Corda Jesu ct Marice, super qua: crux, quce
ex ambobus sursum elevatur; et subscriptio sit: "SS. Corda
Jesu ct Maria: dcfendite nos."
In ceteris scapularibus potcst ~sse aliqua imago, sed non
est ad essentiam necessaria.
Forma sit quadrata (non rotunda).
Duo panqiculi sint ligati chordulis cujusz,ts materia:; scap-
�THE SCAPULARS.
2J2
ulare tantum Passionis requirit essential£ter chordulas laneas,
rubri coloris.
Si quinque scapularia simul junguntur, chordul;e sufficiunt utzce, sed sint lanece, rubri coloris, eo quod pertinent ad
essentiam scapularis SS. Passionis.
.
Non est necesse ut omnes singulorum scapularium chordul;e in unas contorqueantur.
Junctio scapularium fit ita: aut singula scapularia cum
singulis chordulis assuantur simul ad partes superiores; aut
scapularia cum unis chordulis laneis rubri coloris assuantur
ad partes superiores ; aut scapularia assuantur in medio.
Quomodocumque jungentur, observandum est semper singula scapularia esse debere bme disti11Cla; extrema ab una
parte sint Scap. SS. Trini.~tis, ut evidens sit crux, ab altera
parte, SS. Passionis, ut videatur imago (de qua supra).
N. B. Si quis perdiderit aut mutare voluerit scapulare
prima vice rite acceptum, potest sibi substituere aliud. Solum pro scapulari SS. Trinitatis quoties renovatur, denuo
benedictio scapularis requiritur (non est impositio rmovanda).
Denique essentiale est ut unus panniculus pendatur in
pectore, alter in dorso.
Credo sic sufficienter me respondisse ad duo dubia supradicta.
Ad 3um.-Utrum habitus noster locum teneat scapulariorum, etc.?
Non habemus habitum proprie dictum, sed "vestitum
honestum ad communem et approbatum sacerdotum regionis usum accommodatum" (Inst. P. 6, c. 2, § 15.); hie vero
vestitus mtllo modo locum tenet scapularium, quidquid de ea
re Nostri sint edocti. Neque moniales ex habitu ulfo privilegio gaudent.
Non peto facultatem benedicendi numismata quibus appli- catur benedictio papalis (v. 3 vol. Inst. Leonis XII. 1826,
inter vicennalcs n. 19, pag. 354).
F.
Roma,
Io
April., z889.
PLOEGMAN,
5.
J.
�CANADA.
JESUITS VS. ORANGEMEN.
The angry cloud which has been hanging over the Society
in Canada during the past few months, in the matter of the
Estates Bill, has not yet entirely disappeared, still the sky is
brightening up again and the world has begun to move on
quietly as before. But after the marvellous outburst of combined patriotism and fanaticism of Her Brittanic Majesty's
loyal Orange subjeas, this new dawn of peace is hardly
what we expeaed. The violent and thundering language
employed in the Protestant pulpits and in the Orange newspapers against the Society, made nervous people begin to
think that the Jesuits were soon to take their final trip across
the Styx, tha~ our modern Iroquois friends, the Orangemen,
were about to come down from their haunts in Ontario and
take our Jesuitical heads to decorate the lamp-posts of Canada. Happily, we have been left to tell the story of our
escape, and to chronicle the amount of labor the Orangemen underwent to bring forth a mouse.
The readers of the LETTERS may know that a grant of
$400,000 was made last year out of the Provincial Treasury
of Quebec to the Catholic Church of that province, in restitution for the estates belonging to the Old Society, which
had been unjustly confiscated by the Crown of England,
after the death of the last Jesuit, Father Casot, in 1800. The
passage of this bill occasioned little discussion in the public
press. The Protestant organs popped objeaions now and
then during the debate, but they were promptly refuted;
and matters ran on smoothly to the end. Even the faa
that a Jesuit, Father Turgeon, had been chosen to treat with
the Quebec government did not ruffle the good temper of
the Protestant element.
The compensation grant, being merely a provincial aa,
was subjea to disallowance by the federal authorities at
Ottawa. But Sir John A. Macdonald's government, recognizing the principle of provincial autonomy, that Quebec
could take care of herself, refused to veto the bill.
The whole affair should have ended with this sanaion.
With the exception of a fanatical protest from the Evangelical Alliance of Montreal, which did not represent more than
(233)
�234
CANADA.
a fraCtion of the Protestants of the Province of Quebec,
complete satisfaCtion was shown by the population which
had to foot the bill. But the sympathetic Orangemen of
Ontario, surprised at the seeming unconcern of the Protestant minority of the neighboring "priest-ridden" province,
declared themselves deeply aggrieved at the decision of the
federal cabinet to let the bill go by without their veto, and
began to pass resolutions condemnatory of the aCt.
The arrival of a despatch from Rome, expressing approval
6f the result of the negotiation with the Quebec government, made the Orangemen indignant, but the receipt of the
decree giving the pope's decision regarding the final disposition of the $400,000 transformed their mild indignation
into an unparalleled fury:- .. Instead of simply protesting and
passing resolutions against allowance, the Orangemen threatened to oust Sir John from power if he did not revoke his
decision and veto the obnoxious bill.
The occasion of this increase of bile was the perfeCtly
lawful and necessary part taken by the pope in the disposal
of ecclesiastical property ; but the faCt that "an. alien potentate," as they called him, mixed himself up, even indireCtly,
with the aff:-tirs of a British colony was too straining for the
nerves of loyal Orangemen ; and they vented their wrath on
Leo XIII., Sir John Macdonald, Hun. Mr. Mercier, the Jesuits, and on every one in general. It is hardly possible to
realize the bitterness of the language employed. Few
dreamed that there was such a pent-up mass of fanaticism
awaiting an outlet in the f.'lir dominion.
.
The Toronto Daily 11fai!, probably the most influential
newspaper in Canada, the ~Vor!d and Orange Sentinel of
Toronto, and the Ottawa Journal, all recognized champions
of the Canadian Orange body, lent themselves to the kindly
office of slandering the Catholic Church and the Jesuits.
Letter after letter, filled with the basest abuse, began to appear. Columns of correspondence grew under the pens of the
Protestant ministers of Ontario. These servants of the meek
and lowly Saviour protested against Ultramontanism, Jesuitism, Romanism, against Romish aggression under any form
whatsoever. No "foreign ecclesiastic," come he from the
banks of the Tiber or Kedron, dare infringe on the rights
and liberties of the loyal subjeCts of the British Crown.
Goldwin Smith gre~'eloquent. "Far from having a claim
to legal endowment," said he, "Jesuitism has no more claim
to legal proteCtion than Thuggism. The sacrifice of human
viCtims to Bowannce, by the cord of the Thug, was not more
wicked than the sacrifice of human viCtims by the sword of
Jesuit wars."
�CANADA.
235
The dreadful mistake committed by Mr. Mercier in 1886,
when he granted incorporation to the Order of Jesus, was
the beginning of the downfall of Canada. The province of
Quebec is already in the iron grasp of the Jesuits; Ontario
is about to succumb. A body of men, absolutely without
nationality or bond of patriotic duty, with no country but
their order, is a dangerous element; but to allow it to enjoy
corporate privileges, to endow it out of the public funds, is
against the plainest policy of the state.
It would be a loss of time to give the readers of the LETTERS anything more than the general tone of this eruption
of fanatical patriotism. The writer waded through the
hundred and forty columns of matter direCted against the
Society by the Orange organs. He found rubbish of every
hue, but absolutely not one argument. The disappointment
was not great, however. He made a few discoveries that it
would be hardly fair to keep from his readers.
Be it known, therefore, that the Jesuits of Canada are all
foreigners; that there are three hundred Jesuits in the
Church of England to-day, not to speak of the Methodist
and Presbyterian Churches, disguised and at work sapping
its foundations, and leading it on silently but surely in the
direCtion of Rome; that all Ritualists are Jesuits in disguise;
that the Oblates of Mary Immaculate arc Jesuits; that ·St.
Ligouri was a Jesuit; that Hon. Mr. Mercier is a Jesuit;
that every article in the Civilta Cattolica is a papal bull;
that the Jesuits arc at the bottom of the labor-strikes and
all the social disorder in the world; that had Protestants
aided His Eminence Cardinal Taschereau in his struggle
with Mercier and the Jesuits, two years ago, they might have
defeated the Incorporation Bill ; that the incorporation of the
Jesuits is the root of all the present Compensation trouble;
that this demand for restitution is only the first of a series
of aCts which is to give the Jesuits eventually full possession
of Canada; that Gallicanism was pursuing the even tenor of
its way in Canada, and would have continued to do so to the
satisfaCtion of all, had not the Jesuits appeared on the scene
in 1842 with their Ultramontanism, and upset everything;
that a new and popular edition of Blaise Pascal's Pro,uincialcs
would be a real service rendered to this country at the present time; that the Romish Church, at the instigation of its
Jesuitical clement, places on the Index the ripest results of
modern science and philosophy, muzzles the press, and enslaves the state; that the Society of Jesus is the sworn foe
of freedom, progress, and enlightenment, and is utterly unscrupulo.us as to the methods it adopts for its own aggrandizement.
�CANADA.
These few clippings give an idea of the mode of warfare
employed by the Orangemen. Calumnies that had long
been laid to rest were raked up from their tombs and dealt
out in large quantities to the famished Orangemen. Convinced evidently that the heavier the fire, the fewer the
chances of escaping unhurt, the writers made strenuous efforts to get the greatest number of calumnies into the least
amount of space; and their success was unprecedented. To
give a specimen of the style indulged by the correspondents
of the Orange organs, we copy literally from the Ottawa
Joumal.
"The Roman Catholics, not of the Jesuit Order, have
suffered more and are more interested in restraining them
than Protestants, because .. the latter do not trust them. If
we knew nothing of the teachings of the Company of Jesus
(this is the name which they assumed), the faCt that they
have been driven out of every country of Europe (little
Belgium excepted), mostly Roman Catholic, would force us
to resist their establishment in Canada.... The Society
from the first has not obeyed the popes; they openly resisted Paul IV., Paul V., Sixtus V., Urban VIII., Clement XII.,
who vainly contended against the doClrines of the Jesuits.
Nine popes fruitlessly condemned the assimilation of Chinese rites with Christianity. They flung Cardinal Tournon,
Legate of Clement XL, into the Inquisition of Macao, where
he perished. History records that Clement XIV., who dissolved the Society, was, in the best opinion of the day, poisoned. Their schemes have been failures; their teachings
made France and Italy infidel, and northern Europ~ Protestant; they prepared the way for English power in India,
and Rome for the capital of the Piedmontese sover.cign and
the humiliation of the Holy See; their intrigues and mischievous meddling lost the crown of Britain to James II.
and the empire to Napoleon III.; they fanned the flames of
persecution against the Huguenots; they prompted the revocation of the EdiCt of Nantes, and inspired the massacre
of St. Bartholomew; their responsibility for plots against
Queen Elizabeth, for the murder of Henry III. of France,
for blowing up the British House of Commons, for the
Thirty-Years' War and the Franco-Prussian War, stamp
them as the most merciless enemies of mankind. Of their
boasted missions wh_at remains? They do not go to them,
voluntary agents, as other laborers in foreign fields. Every
Jesuit is bound by his oath to implicitly obey his superior
"who stands to him in the place of God;" he is to be like
a corpse with no will. And even if going to his work,
driven like a wave before the wind by a power not his own,
�CANADA.
237
had any merit, he has left no substantial proofs, either
amongst our red Indians or the tawny Asiatics, of good
works; they are as completely obliterated as his footprints
on the sands, or the wake of the vessel which bore liim over
the ocean."
Prose of this stamp, sent out in columns every day for
weeks, had the desired effea on the Orange population.
Orange indignation rose still higher all over Canada. The
Rev. Dr. Wild, a Protestant minister of Toronto, asserted
in the pulpit that in the British Empire the murderer of a
Jesuit could not suffer for the crime. Mass-meetings were
held by the lodges, evangelical alliances, and other bodies
of the same shade -as many as three thousand people assembling one night in the Toronto Pavilion -and motions
condemning the Jesuits, their doarines, and their Compen-·
sation bill were carried at every meeting without a dissenting voice.
Pages written with evident labor established paral1els between the Orangemen and the Jesuits. These comparisons,
under any condition never very flattering to the Jesuits, were
rendered less so by the Orange pens. It was beyond Orange
comprehension how Jesuit incorporation and compensation
bills could obtain ratification from the federal cabinet, while
the immaculate Orange body could not even force a smile
of recognition. A sorry state of affairs, indeed, when the
staunch upholders of the British Crown could not receive
incorporation in the British province of Quebec, while a
society of men which has been banished from almost every
country can enjoy corporate privileges in it, with $400,000
thrown in! Even the great Goldwin Smith, in one of his inspired moments, raised his voice and exclaimed: "Refuse
incorporation to Orangeism and endow Jesuitism! If this be
justice, what is iniquity?"
'vVe may remark parenthetically that the Society got only
$I6o,ooo out of the provincial grant; the rest went to the
bishops of the province of QuebecY> The Orangemen failed
<tl DECRETUM-Cum per Apostolicas Literas "Dominus ac Redemptor"
did XXI. Julii i1fDCCLXXIII Clemens PP. XIV. suppressa Societale
Jesu, ejusdt•m Supt•riorl/111 jurisdiClionem tam in spiritualibus quam iu
/emporalibus in locorum Ordinarios trans/ulisset; specialis postmodum
Emorum Cardinalium Congregalio prcediClarum Literartl1n dispositionibus excculioni mandandis ab eodem Summa Pontifice constituta, in
nuyclica epistola sub die .¥VIII. Augusti eodetn an1w data statui! ut
quisqur Episcopus "singularum (5)orietalis Jesu) domorum, collegiorum
necnon et locorum hujusmodi et illorum bonorum jurium et pertinentiarum
quarumcumque possessionem nomine Sanche Sedis apprehenderet et retineret pro usibus a SSmo designandis." Nihilominus in hiferiori regioue
canadensi, ciz•ilis guhernii opera, decreta lmjusmodi non adamussim
execulioni mandata sun!; el Episcopus Quebecensis, tunc R. P. D. Briand, bonorum .!:Jocietatis in ea di(J!cesi existentium administrationem
ejusdem Societatis Patribus reliquit vita eorum naturali durante. Qui-
�CANADA.
to make this nice distinction between the two classes; and the
Society alone had to bear the weight of their compliments.
But the dark side of things was not the one continually
held up to view. Now and then during the late campaign
a sparkling of humor broke the monotony of the gloom.
Literature of the lighter kind was brought into play by the
geniuses of Orangeism. But their questionable taste was
evinced when they published their parody on a passage of
Holy Scripture, in which His Holiness the Pope, Sir John
A. Macdonald, Premier Mercier, and a Jesuit or two, were
the characters introduced. The Toronto Grip cartooned
the principal actors in the campaign; but their Jesuits,
dancing polkas in utter _defiance of the Rules of Modesty,
were hardly recogniza2le. Grip's fertile imagination provided amusement for tire Orangemen, who very often saw
wit where there was none to sec.
bus extinflis, an1w .1!/JCCC ci<•ile gubcruium bonis omnibus Societatis
in Canada potitum est, t'Orumquc rcdditus publictr instruflioni in Sclwlis tradcndtr app!icuit; a/que ita in t'a rt:t;ione st· rt'S habut-runt, t'liant
post reslitulam a Pio PP. T'II. S>cietalt'/11 Jesu, usqut· ad supn·iorem
aum1111 .1!/JCCCLXXXT'III.
/fat· /i·mpon· Guberuium Qut·baense pro iis bonis qucr an lea inngione
illa Societas possidd>al cuntpt•nsatiollt'lll dan· proposuit, of[t.,-,·ns francorun/ z•icit.•s cen/t'll{l 1ni!lia (ji~. 2,ooo,ooo), 1ll'OIOII pnediu1u t:ui noJJit'n
Ia Prairie, prop,· .l[arianopo!im prosfans . ... Porro ntln infrascriptus
R. 1}. IJ. IJontiniots Jacobini Archiepist'oj>us 1)•n·n. S. ((.Jngrt:I{alionis
dt• Propaganda Fidt· :::,i·t-rt·larius, in audit·ntia dil'i ,L\'Il.Julii anni
tjusdem, ea SSmo IJ."'tY. Lmni dh•. prm•. PP. ,\'III. rdulissl'l, Sanflitas
Sua proposilam compntsalionrm acaptari permisil. Quoniam "''~'"pro
pril'las patrimonii illius ad S. Sl·dnn, ut supra dillum t•sl, dn•oluta
fut'rat, statui/ u/ aaipi,·ndtr t'0111Pt·usaliouis distribulio ipsi Snli Apos·
lolicle rt•st•rz.•an·tur.
'llwdt•m ,)'S11ms D. 1Y. iu audirutia ab iufrascripto E1110 ac Rmo
P. D. Cardiuali Joauue Simnmi Sarri tjusdt•m CousiliJ.~ Christiano
1YoJJtini }Jropagando Prlrfi·t?o ltabila dit• l 7 . Z't'rlenlis JJU.'nsit Januarii
iliiJCCCL,\',\,\'L\", re 11/ll/ure pn·pensa, aflt•utisqut· imprilllisjiuibus ad
quos 11ll'11torata bona, u/ cxp!ora!tnu rst, lradila a IJonaloribus jiterant,
inslrtu•nda sri/icc/ azlholio11n ju'i't'nlulnu, 1lt'oton ll§{t'lldi sacras 1JJissio1U'S inlt•r syh•icolas n:!(ionis Canadt'llsis, Jllandaz•it ut l'aln·s .)lJl"it•lalis
jl'su, COJJJjN:nsalioiu· aru}ta, sibi rt'lint'aul pra·diu1n quod z•ulgu dicilur
la Prairie, Ut'Otou SlUIIIJtaJu ji·auroruut oflingt•u/oruJ/1 1ni!liu1u (ji~. Sooooo); udaut Z't'I'O septiugnila 11lil!ia francorum l)i·. 70o,ooo) Licceo
,l[aguo callwlico l.m•al/eusi, quorum quin.l{t'/1/a mi!lia (fr. soo,ooo) ipsi
Uuiz•ersilali in Urbt• Qud>ai t•xisteuti, d bis et·utuul mi/lia (fr. 2oo,ooo)
Suaursali Jl[arianupo!ilalur t:fusdem Uuiz•t'l'sitali; quiuquaginta millia (fr. so,ooo) An!tidia·asi QuebUt'IISi; quiuquagiula 11li!lia (ji·. 50ooo) Ardtiditrresi ,l[ariauupulilalltr; l'l ilonanlum millia (ji·. wo,ooo)
Prtrfi·Durtr Apos/o/irce Sinus S. l.aurotlii; c.t· reliquis au/em tercentis
millibus trqualt'lll par/nu lribuaul St'.l' dian·silms pnrdiflantllt prozoinciaruut Qtu•bt't't'nsis t•t .1.lfaria nopol ita JUI' .._'-,~ujji·a_!ra Ill' is, n iJJI iru 1n Cit icouthniensi, ~'iii (r~erJJlani dt• Rhnouski, JVicolt•!antr, Trijluz,ianensi, Sti
Hyadul!ti t'l Sl~t-rbrookieusi; -ita ul uuaqutrqllt' !tantm quiuquagiula
francont111 millia (fr. 5o,ooo) sibi t'X trquo z•iudhel. 1/aque super !tis
SauDi/as Sua pneseus Decrdum edi maudaz•il, conlrariis quibuscumque
minillle obslautibus.
Datum Ro111tr ex cedibus S. C. de Propaganda F'ide
· die XV.Januarii An. 1lf/JCCCLXXXIX.
JOANNIS CARD. SIMEON! PJL.EFECTUS.
[L, S.)
+D. ARCIUEP. TYREN.
SECR.
�CANADA.
From what has preceded, the reader may form a judgment
of the £1naticism the Society had to deal with. Deplorable
ignorance, or the most revolting bad faith appeared on every
page of the writings of our opponents. Besides the calumnies dried with age that were sprung upon the public, the
old charges about mental reservation, probabilism, regicide,
"the end justifies the means," were drawn from oblivion, and
put forward as if they had never been refuted. Busembaum,
Wagemann, and Gury were taken down from their shelves
and commented on by writers who could not read the Latin
text. These venerable authors were drafted into the ranks
of the enemy and made to assume the paternity of doctrines
they had never held. Paul Bert and Dr. Littledale were the
fecund sources whence the Orangemen drew much of their
material.
With the exception of a few pamphlets giving the true
state of the question, sent out by Father Jones to balance
public opinion, our £<thers kept silent. Our battle was
fought in the pulpits by the loyal and devoted Catholic
clergy of Ontario, and by the Catholic editors in the press.
The latter declared in private letters to our £<thers that their
columns would henceforward be devoted to the defence of
the noble Society of Jesus, the valiant soldiers of Christ
who, now that they are assailed by the enemies of the
Church, show themselves more than ever worthy the name
they bear. ·
The Rev. Dr. vVhelan, Pastor of St. Patrick's, Ottawa,
lecturing in defence of the Society, followed the example
set by his American cousins, and offered $500 to whoever
would prove that the Jesuits teach that "the end justifies the
means." The challenge was accepted by the Rev. Dr. vVild
of Toronto, who after making a patient public drink down
once more Dr. Littledale's undigested "encyclopedian"
proofs, sent in a formal but unsuccessful claim for the
money. Verily, if Dr. Littleclale has immortalized himself,
he is going to immortalize others also.
Matters reached a climax, however, when the Toronto
Mail, one cold February morning, placed the following
choice dish before its readers :-"In view of the fact that the
Jesuits rule the Romish Church," the Mail cordially invited
"every American and Canadian to read, mark, and inwardly
digest the horrible oath which every Jesuit takes when he
enters the Order" : "I, N ..... , now in presence of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
the Blessed Michael the Archangel, the Blessed John the
Baptist, the Holy Apostles Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and
the Saints and Sacred Hosts of heaven, and you, my
�·CANADA.
ghostly Father, do declare from my heart, without mental
reservation, that the Pope is Christ's Vicar-general, and is
the true and only head of the Universal Church throughout
the earth; and that by virtue of the Keys of binding and
loosing given to. His Holiness by Jesus Christ, he has the
power to depose heretical kings, princes, states, commonwealths and governments, all being illegal without his sacred
confirmation; and that they may be safely destroyed. Therefore, to the utmost of my power, I will defend this doctrine
and His Holiness' rights and customs against all usurpers
of heretical or Protestant authority, especially against the
now pretended authority of the Church in England, and all
adherents, in regard thatthey be usurped and heretical, opposing the Sacred Mother Church of Rome.
"I do renounce and disown my allegiance as due to any
heretical king, prince, or state, named Protestant, or to any
of their inferior magistrates or officers. I do further declare
the doctrine of the Church of England, of the Calvinists,
Huguenots, and other Protestants to be damnable, and those
to be damned who will not forsake the same. I do further
declare that I will help, assist, and advise all or any of His
Holiness' agents, in any place wherever I be, and do my utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant doctrine, and to
destroy all their pretended powers, legal or otherwise. I do
further promise artd declare, notwithstanding that I am dispensed with, to assume my religion heretical for the propagation of the Mother Church interest, to keep secret and
private all her agents' counsels, as they entrust me1 and not
to divulge, directly or indirectly, but to execute..-aU which
shall be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto me,
by you, my ghostly Father, or by any of this convent.
"In testimony whereof I take this Most Holy and Blessed
Sacrament of the Eucharist, and witness the same further
with my hand and seal in the f:>ce of this holy convent."
The effect of this morsel on the palate of the Protestant
population may be easily imagined. Notwithstanding a
prompt and positive contradiction in the press, by Father
Jones of Montreal and Father Drummond of Winnepeg,
the "Jesuits Oath" spread throughout the whole of Canada
as fast as electricity could carr.y it. Had the Falls of Niagara flattened out, they could not have produced a greater
sensation. The "oath" was crowned with fiery headings in
the newspapers, its ·various clauses commented on in long
editorials, and the possibilities of the future of Canada discussed by the acute editors. The formula was read in the
different Protestant churches of Ontario on the Sunday following its publication, to show. the Protestants the kind of
�CANADA.
serpent the dominion was harboring in its bosom. The flat
denials of our fathers were either ignored or laughed at,
and another era of fierce correspondence was opened up in
the newspapers, the writers calling on all loyal Orangemen
to read the "oath" and then be up and doin~; "the enemy
was at the gates and ready to enter; the British Empire
was in danger."
·
It is remarkable the amount of love recent events developed in the hearts of Orangemen for the British Empire.
It was not merely the interests of religion and morality, but
the interests of the British Empire that demanded the
crushing out of Jesuitism, notwithstanding the assertion of
an Orange writer that the Jesuits prepared the way for
British power in India. But even' if Orange loyalty to
Britain is not so intense after all, as a recent orator seems
to hint, it is worthy of note that, durin~ the late campaign
against the Society, Orangeism never once forgot itself so
far as to suggest "annexation" as a means to rid itself of
the Jesuit incubus. The treatment that Orangemen have
always had at the hands of their republican neig-hbors undoubtedly had somethin~ to do with this prudent reserve.
The "oath" left such an impression on the public mind,
that our f:<thers, who had remair1ed more or less passi\·c
until then, thought the time had come to aCl:. It was resolved to strike a blow for peace. A suit was instituted
against the Toronto Jlfiril for having published a hlsc and
libellous oath, with a claim for S;o,ooo damages. This
was a surprise to the public, hardly less than the "oath" itself, but to no one more than to the 1lfml. ·
The Toronto Grip published a cartoon representing two
newsboys with their arms laden with papers. One asked
the other what Jesuits were? "Don't know," replied the other,
"but they make the papers sell." This had been the k!ml's
little game. Reviling Jesuitism, which it knew nothing
about, had gained for it many friends and had increased its
circulation enormously; but that a real, live Jesuit should
walk into its sanCtum and gravely demand Sso,ooo for the
privilege of being reviled, was an issue it was not prepared
for.
The effeCt: of this coy glance at the cash-bags of the
Toronto Thunderer was simply amazing. Notwithstandin~
the insolent and braving air with which it brought forth the
infamous "oath" as gospel truth, as soon as the news of the
libel suit reached headquarters, it lowered its pennants. The
very next morning the following appeared in the J1fail : "We do not undertake to prove, nor can we undertake to
VoL. xvm, No.2.
16
�CANADA.
prove, the authenticity of the document, any more than we
could undertake to prove the authenticity of the Secret InstruCtions (Monita Secreta), which the Jesuits also repudiate,
but which are given in full in such a standard work as Larousse's Dic?iomiaire du )(L\~ Sieclc. Everything about the
Society of Jesus is covered with a mystery which, in the
processes instituted against it by so many kings and nations,
has been but partially removed. If the authenticity of the
oath is denied, we are perfeCtly ready to record the denial.
vVhat we are not ready to deny, under any threats, is that
the doCtrines embodied in the oath are substantially those
which have been preached by Jesuit doEl:ors and exemplified
in the history of the Order."
The news of the suit was received sarcastically by the
Lodges. The Montreal JVitncss, the apostate Chiniquy's
organ, had words of encouragement for the JJ!ail, and felicitated the noble sheet on having been found worthy to suffer
persecution for justice' sake. But the Jll!iui's other Orange
friends were loud in their vituperation of the Jesuits, and
advised the chivalrous thunderer to keep right on-it being
a clear case of American "bulldozing." The illiril did
keep right on, to save appearances, but in a softer tone. It
set itself to proving rather than simply affirming. It began
again to talk about Jesuit doCtrines and Jesuit casuistry,
quoted the London Quarterly, Dr. Littledale, and even
Bishop Cle,·elamf Coxe, if we recollcEl: rightly -its objeCt
being to turn public attention from the precise point of the
question, namely the "oath," and fix it on something else.
That it had this objeEt in view, it showed plainly when it
declared in subsequent numbers that the Jesuits ..w~rc again
exhibiting a specimen of their cunning, in taking it up on a
minor point, the formula of an oath-a simple sidc-issueinstead of keeping to the main question, namely, the doctrines embodied in the "oath."
An objeCtion raised in the beginning of March against
the Compensation Bill drew public attention away from the
libel suit, for it was a new phase of the question. The Canadian Law Jourua!, an authority in judicial circles, decided
that compensation to the Jesuits in the present Estates Bill
was unconstitutional, inasmuch as it was an acknowledgment of the right of an alien power-that of the pope-to
legislate in a British province.
This new depart~re proved a boon to the Orange newssheets. They had exhausted their supply of abuse; the
Law Journal opened up another and unexplored source.
Contending that the Compensation Bill was unconstitutional, it based its decision on some obsolete enactments
�CANADA.
against papal supremacy and against the Society, of the
time of Elizabeth.
But the Lmu Journal unfortunately ignored two very important faCts : first, that the penal lmvs of England never
obtained in the Canadian colonies, consequently the Elizabethan enaCtments had no application in the present case;
secondly, that free exercise of the Roman CatholiC religion
being guaranteed to Canadians, at the Conquest, by the
treaties of Quebec and Montreal, the right of the pope to
interfere in church matters was necessarily acknowledged
by England; consequently the pope was free to appoint an
agent to settle claims against the Quebec government regarding ecclesiastical property, was free also to ratify the
settlement after the f.<Et, and then distribute the outcome at
his good pleasure.
The lamentable ignorance of the Law Jour11al, however,
did not prevent its arguments from having weight with the
Orange f.<natics of Ontario; and confident of viCtory, one
of their number, Col. O'Brien, Member of Parliament, resolved to bring the question before the House of Commons.
The courts, not the House of Comn1ons, were the place to
test the constitutionality of the bill; but if the question
were discussed in Parliament, the debate would end with a
vote; if the majority were against compensation to the
Jesuits, the vote would be equivalent to a want of confidence
in Sir John A. Macdonald, and his cabinet would have to
resign.
·
Tuesday, March 26, was the day appointed to begin the
debate. During the intervening days, the wildest conjectures were let loose as to how the votes would run. The
Toronto Globe, the leading organ of the Liberals, had pronounced in favor of disallowance, which bEt, it was feared,
would influence the vote of many of that party. Excitement ran high; one would have thought that there was
question of the downf.<ll of the nation.
On the day named, a company of militia was placed on
Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, to quell any premature manifestations of trouble, and to moderate the ardor of the crowds
rushing to hear the speakers. Col. O'Brien, the "scourge
of Jesuitism," the "champion of down-trodden justice" was
the hero of the hour. When all was silent within the Commons, the colonel rose, and in solemn tones, adapted to a
second-rate speech, gave fhe history of the Jesuit Compensation Bill, pointed out its obnoxious features, and modestly
moved that certain resolutions be adopted, of which the
third and last read as follows : "That in the opinion of this House the passage of the
�244
CANADA.
ACt by the legislature of the Province of Quebec, entitled :
'An ACt respeCting the settlement of the Jesuit Estates,' is
beyond the power of that Legislature;
"First, because it endows from public funds a religious
organization, thereby violating the unwritten but undoubted
constitutional principle of the complete separation of Church
and State, and of the absolute equality of all denominations
before the law ;
"Secondly, because it recognizes the usurpation of a right
by a foreign authority, namely, His Holiness the Pope of
Rome, to claim that his consent was necessary to empower
the Provincial Legislature to dispose of a portion of the
public domain, and also because the ACt: is made to depend
upon the will, and the ;ppropriation of the grant thereby
made is subjeCt to the coi'ltrol of the same authority; and
"Thirdly, because the endowment of the Society of Jesus,
an alien, secret, and politico-religious body, the expulsion of
which from every Christian community wherein it has had
a footing, has been rendered necessary by its intolerant and
unchristian meddling with the funCtions of the ci\·il government, is fraught with danger to the civil and religious liberties of the people of Canada.
"This House therefore prays that His Excellency the
Governor General will be graciously pleased to disallow the
said ACt:."
Col. O'Brien and his supporters were evidently in earnest;
but they lived long enough to rue their temerity. The debate on the motion lasted two days, during- which the Society had the satis£1.8:ion to see its cause discusseS"' by able
speakers (only two of whom were Catholics, ~Sir John
Thompson, Minister of Justice, and the Hon. \Vilfred Laurier, Leader of the Opposition) and everything that could
be said for and against it brought into light.
\Vhen the vote was taken, out of two hundred and one
members present, one hundred and eighty-eight voted against
the adoption of the O'Brien resolutions, leaving a paltry
thirteen to console the Orangemen for all their trouble.
Thus collapsed suddenly and ig-nominiously the Orange
parliamentary campaign against the Society.
(To be continued.)
�OBITUARY.
Fn.
ALOYSIUS VALENTE.
Father Aloysius Valente was born at Naples on the 7th of September,
1835. At the age of fourteen he felt his call to the Society, and as, on
account of the revolution of '48, our Father General, Fr. Roothaan, was
then living in exile at Naples, it was to His Paternity that the young
Valente made his app!iC'~Ition. He began his noviceship on the 17th of
January, 1850, and after his vows he spent nearly two years in the study
of lang-uages, and began his course of philosophy in November, 1853.
At\er the usual course of three years, he taught physics and mathematics
in the seminary at Benevento till the year 1860. This seminary was
tall.~ht by Ours, and it is of interest to note that it was here Cardinal
Mazzella studied. Fr. Valente's teaching at Benevento gave great satisfaction, anJ to this day several of his pupils remember him with great
pleasure. At this time he was rlevoted to the physical sciences and was
an enthusiastic teacher. In 1860, the Italian revolution caused our fathers to be banished from the Neapolitan kingdom, and the province was
disperse<!. Fr. Vulente was sent with a number of his fellow-scholastics
to Laval, and there he began and completed his four years of theology.
He remained another year at Laval to teach logic and metaphysics, and
then made his third year of probation at Laon under the venerable
Fr. Fouillot. It seems that he was much esteemed by the Fr. Instructor
for his docility, and was remarkable f;Jr his spirit of mortifieation and
self-denial, a characteristic which he preserved all his life. On the completion of his third year of probation, Fr. Valente was sent to the seminary at Blois, where he was during a year professor of physics and holy
scripture.
Being recalled to his own province in the year 1867, he was sent with
several companhms to the island of Corfu. It was here he learned modern Greek so as to SJWak it quite fluently; indeed he is said to have succeeded better than any ·or his companions in learning this difficult langua.~e. A trial of two years, attended with much suffering and many
ditliculties, convinced the St1periors that there was no opening for a college or residence at Corfu, and our fathers were recalled. At this time,
Rev. Fr. Paresce, Provincial of the 1\laryland Province, was building
Woodstock nnd looking out for professors. He secured Fr. Valente and
sent him to Paris, in the beginning of 186!J, to purchase a physical cabinet
and to attend the scientific lectures. He devoted himself to experimenting at the Ecole des Jiaute.~ Etwies with an enthusiasm which he did not
show afterwards in teaching. In fact it was here that his great love for
St. Thomas first showed itself, so that his physical studies became more
and more theoretical. He reached Georgetown in the summer of 1869,
(24$)
�FR. JOSEPH BIXIO.
and came to Woodstock on the opening of the college in September. .As
he had not acquired a sufficient knowledge of English to teach in that
language, he was appointed professor of second-year philosophy. In his
class were many fathers well known in the province, several of whom are
now at 'V oodstock. They can all testify with what earnestness and real
enthusiasm he explained the difficult matter of this year. Still, Fr. Valente had come to be professor of physics, so having acquired some fluency
in English, the next year he was appointed to that office. His enthusiasm
for the theoretical part of physics, and especially for the scholastic system, now far outweighed his interest in experimental physics. The modern theory of heat especially displeased him, and he made it a study of
many years to adapt the experitnental discoveries to the scholastic theory.
This did not give satisfaction to many, as the experiments were made to
take an inferior place; so after teaching physics for five years he was, to
his great delight, again appointed to teach metaphysics. In this charge
he continued for four years more, teaching also during two years the mathematics of first year. His intense application to mental philosophy at last
seriously affected his health, and that he might have a complete change
of qccupation he was sent to Philadelphia to teach a grammar cll\88. The
superiors, fore:oeeing that it would he some time before a college could be
opened at Philadelphia, and that there was a number of y·oung men who
seemed to have a vocation to the prieRthood, determined to establish a
class, and Fr. Valente was given charge of it. Quite a number now in
the Society st.udied with him. At the end of the scholastic year he was
recalled to his province. and again appointed to teach physics and chemistry at the college of Pontano. In this charge he spent nearly six years,
his health failing more and more. Finally, in March, 1887, he was obliged
to relinquish his class. lie lingered till August 6, 1888, when he piously
died in our residence at Murigliano, near Nuples, iu the lifty-third year
of his 11ge. lie had pussed thirty-nine years in the Society.~R;. I. P.
Fn. JosEPH
BIXIo.
Father Joseph Bixio was born in Genoa, Italy, 1\lay 23, 1819, and was
educated in his native city. He entered the Society in the province of
Turin, August 22, 1838, and after finishing his studies, was for some years
professor of rhetoric in our colleg-e of Cagliari on the islfmd of Sardini11.
On the expulsion of the Jesuits from the kingdom of Sardinia in 1848,
Fr. Bixio came to this country, and served in the province of :Marylimd
until 1855. lie then joined his brethren in California; but upon the
breaking out of the Civil War he returned to the Eastern States where he
was stationed, first at Hichmond and afterwards at Staunton, \Vest Virguua. Here his duties brought him into contact with both the Federal
and Confederate armies; and although he held no regular appointment
as clmplain on either side, his zeal Jed him to discharge as far as possible
the functions of that otlice for both. On this account he often got into
difficulties; for the comrnan;ders who knew him only by hearsay, and who,
from the nature of things, were inclined to be suspicious of strangers,
�.lfR. HENRY P.
]~fcCARTHY.
247
often held him for a spy. It is reported that he received from one general
a polite message to the effect that, if ever caught, he should be hanged to
the first tree; and on one occa.sion he was really brought before General
Sheridan. He succeeded, however, in showing the real character of his
work, so that the general g-ave orders that he should have all the assistance and protPction necessary.
Before the close of the war, Fr. Bixio returned to California and resumed his missionary duties. In 1878 he was sent to Australia, where
be remained for a little more than a year. Coming back to California
once more, he was arpointed assistant pastor of St. Joseph's Church, San
Josf>.. Here he remained until.July, 1887, when he was transferred to the
same position at Santa Clara. Towards the end of" 1888 his strength began to fail and he gradually sank until, on l\Iarch 3, 188!), he died piously
in the Lord.
Fr. Bixio's name is not unknown in modern history. He had the unhappiness of calling brother the well-known General Bixio, second in
command of the Piedmontese army at the capture of Rome in 1870. The
miserable life and still more wretched end of this man caused Fr. Bixio
great grief"; but at the same time it filled him with a great love of the
holy vocation whcrehy he was preserved from such a dreadful fate, and
caused him to labor with a fervent zeal, the remembrance of which will
long remain amongst his many parishioners in Santa Clara Co.-R. I. P.
l\In. HENitY P. l\IcCARTIIY.
The death of lllr. Henry P. l\IcCarthy at the Sacred Heart College,
Denver, Col., on lllarch 2.1, 188!), was a sudden and unexpected shock to
n!any. Mr. l\IcCarthy entered the St. Louis University in September,
187!), and after a course of five years, marked by steady, earnest application, which gained him a prominent place among the leaders of his class,
on the completion of his rhetoric, he was received in the novitiate of the
Society :st Florissant, on Au~nst 7, 1884. As a novice, he was noted
am on~ his companions for a strong and fi>rvent piety and a strictness and
fidelitv in the ohservancc of the smallest rnles, which continued ever on
the in.crease with his days in relig-ion. During- his second year of noviceship, superiors placed him over the novices as their manud1tctor; and in
this position, his exactness, prudence, am! tender charity endeared him
more and more to all around him. On August 15, 1886, he took his first
vow~.
During the two years of juniorate that followed, he devoted himself with characteristic diligence to his studies, without, however, in the
least relaxing- his strict vigilance over himself and his progress in perfection. In t.he hcginning of his second year of juniorate, he contracted
a cold, which settled on his lungs and assumed ere long- a serious aspect.
His sutl"erine;s daily increased, lmt they served only as an occasion for displayin.g his virtue. As the year advanced, he was forced to give up all
studies; and as his condition became worse, his superiors decided upon
a chang-e of climate. Accordingly, in the beginning of the scholastic
yt!ar, Mr. liicCarthy was sent to the new college of the Sacred Heart,
Denver, Col, Here he began to teach, and for a time his health appar-
�BR. RAPHAEL VEZZA.
ently improved. A sudden attack in December, however, necessitated
the relinquishing of his class. This proved another severe trial, as he
was by nature active and energetic, alway8 eager to do something, and an
enemy to idleness.
·
On ;\larch 25, having received word from his superiors to return home,
he .~ot everything in readiness to start on the followin'g day. That evening, about !J o'clock, he conversed with several members of the community at llenver, and seemed comparatively well and in the best of spirits.
He then retired to rest. .\t 11.30 P.M., Father Rector heard him call
for help, and on entering his room found him suffering from a hemorrhage. Assistance soon arrived, but it was found that the flow of
blood was too great to allow of recovery. Father Rector administered
the last absolution, and in lesstlmn a quarter of an hour :Mr.l\IcCarthy's
soul had taken its tlight.
~ His death was an unlooke<ffor event; but though sudden it did not
find him unprepared. His exactness and careful watchfulntJss over all
his actions, his strict observance of rule, his love of prayer and eagerness
after perfection, his ready obedience and true humility, joined to the
warm-hearted charity which endeared him to all with whom he came in
contact, were virtues which kept his soul in hourly reudiness for the summons of the ;\laster.
The !Bgltlander, of Denver College, to the management of which he
devoted the last months of his life, thus concludes a grateful tribute to
his memory: "He was humble, obedient, industrious, and prayerful. He
was as exact in his virtues as a hanker is in his books. His death, which
8eemed so sudden to ;thers, could not have been sudden to him; for his
daily life was lived as if the passing day would !Je the last.
"'Ve buried his remains on the slope of the hill which had been marked
out for the college p;raveyard. The 8pol will serve as a remainder to us
not only to pray our best prayers for the repose of his sou( hut also to
enmlate his beautiful example, and acquire some of the many ·virtues for
which he was so well known and lovcd."-R. I. P.
Bu.
RAPHAEL VEZZA.
At W oodstoek, on l\It\r. 2!), the long and eventful life of Br. Raphael
Vez1.a came to a close. Born at Naples on Oct. 24, 1826, he entered the
Society on Aprill, 1850, and made his noviceship at La Conocchia where
Fr. Valente was his fellow-novice. Before the end of his second year, he
was sent to the college of tialerno, where he remained as carpenter till
1855, and was then sent to Potenza, the capital of the province of Basi-•
Iicata, where a new college was in course of erection. Here engaged on
the new building he spent two years, and when the work seemed to
promise the best results, Potenza was visite<l by a violent earthqunkc,
which destroyed a large part of the city and rednced the almost completed
college to a heap of ruins. After this calamity, he went to Grottaglia,
the birthplace of St. Francis llieronymo, to begin the building of a residence, and soon after was sent to Leece where he remained till the rev(!-.
Iution of 1860.
�BR. RAPHAEL VEZZA.
249
With the coming of Garibalili, misfortune fell on the province of Naples; all the colleges were closed and the fathers and scholastics were
dispersed. OJ The latter were sent to different countries; some found
refuge in France, others in Spain. The brothers, with the exception of a
few who accompanied the scholaHtics to their new homes, remained in
Italy at their own homes serving God and hoping for brighter days. Br.
Vezza remained at his home in Naples four years, often begging to be
sent to some house of the Society in Europe or to some mission in America. In 1864, his request was granted. At the suggestion of Fr. Sopra·
nis, then Visitor to the Rocky Mountain Mission, three carpenters, BB.
Carfagno, Agostini and Vezza were sent to join the Society laboring in
that distant mission.
When they arrived in New York, they found that Fr. Tellier, Superior
of the New York and Canada lllission, had made nn agreement with the
superior of the Rocky 1\Ionntain Mission, by which Br. Vezza's destination was changed to St. Mary's College, Montreal, where in August 1865
he took his last vows. A year later he was chosen as a companion to
Fr. D. Vitale, who had become insane and was obliged to go to Barcelona, Spain. When he first became the guardian of Fr. Vitale he never
left his charge alone; but after some time, finding him so tractable, and
apparently so rational, he became less watchful. While crossing the
oce:m an incident occurred which placed the two .Jesuits in a rather embarrassing position. One day, when left alone, Fr. Vitale approached a
priest who was sented on deck reading his o!Hce, and quietly asked lmwe
to look at his breviary. 'Vithout a moment's hesitation the priest handed
him the book, which Fr. Vitale took and immediately tossed far out into
the water. During the scene that followed, Br. Vezza appeared, looking
for his companion; and, on learning what had taken place, he endeavored to explain to the indignant priest that the offense was committed
by one who was not accountable for his actions.
With~ut further mishap they reached Barcelona, where Br. Vezza left
his eccentric companion and went to Tortosa, the scholasticate of the
province of Aragon. In 1867, the Neapolitan fathers decided to begin
a mission in New Mexico, and Br. Vezza accompanied FF. Gnsparri and
Bianchi, two professors of philosophy in the scholasticate, who left Spain
to devote thPir Jives to the ;.o;ood of souls in this new undertaking. On
this side of the Atlantic, they were re-enforced by Fr. Vigilante, and all
four set out for the new mission, Br. Vczza going to Albuquerque, where
he remained till the opening of Woodstock College in 1869. Here he
was the carpenter of the college until ahout two years ago, when he was
attacked by a complication of diseases, and from that time till his death
OJ Arnon~:: other ln>ses the province of Naples sustained in this revolution,
was that of the novitiate at I,a Conocchia, which fell into the power of the
government, an<! after being put to various uses, was finally turned into a
military hospital; to this place seven or eight years ago King I! urn bert came
to pay a visit to his soldiers. In 188:l, this property was bought from the
government by the Society through the mediation of Fr. 'Nicholas Valente;
the buildin·~ wa~ remodelled and enlarged and has since become a boarding
college of which Fr. De Augustinis was the first rector.
�BR. JA.lfES STRAIN.
he suffered continually. Several times he was brought so low that the
last rites of the Church were administered, and the prayers for the dying
recited.
In l\Iarch last, it became evident that he could not Jive much longer,
and his wish to die during that month seemed ahout to he .~ranted. As
the feast of St. Joseph drew near,. his desire to die on that day grew
stronger; but when the day arrived he found to his disappointment that
he felt better than usual. Turning to the intirmarian to whom he had
confided his wish to die, he said: ''Brother, I have missed the train."
"Yes, perhaps because you had too much baggage," replied the infirmarian, pointing to the carpenter's tools, which Br. Vezza had asked to have
brought to his room at the beginning of his illness. Nothing more was
said, but the sick brother was evidently turning these words over in his
mind, and a short time after he~scnt a request to Fr. Minister to have the
tools removed to the carpenter srwp. Those who have spent any time at
Woodstock while he was carpenter will easily realize the sacrifice he
made in giving up the tools of which he was always so extremely careful.
On the 28th of March he became so weak that death was hourly expected, and the last sacraments were again administered. As night came
on, his sufferings increased, and at about 3 A. M., after the prayerB had
been recited and the last absolution had been given, Br. Vezza quietly
breathed his last, dying as he had wished during the month of St. ,Joseph.
The De Profundis bell at 5.15 A.M. informed the community of his death
and enabled the priests to offer their .1\Iasses of that day for the repose
of his soul.- H. I. P.
BR. ,TAMES STRAIN.
Brother James Strain entered the Society at the age of tw!l)lty years,
shortly after coming from Ireland, where he was horn, May 1:!832, in
Banbridge, County Down. A few months after the compleLion of his
noviceship, he was sent to the college of the Holy Cross, '\Vorcesler,
1\Iaf\s., where he remained without interruption until the close of his life.
Although young in yenrs, he excelled in the qualities of patience, discretion, industry, and self-sacrifice, which were needed during the trying
times that followed upon the burning of the college; and the charge of
the wardrobe and infirmary, which was exchanged in later years for the
combined o1Iices of book-keeper nnd buyer, showell the confidence reposed in him by superiors, and helped to enlarge and intensify his sterling
traits of character.
His loss is deeply felt at the college, which he served so long and well,
where he spent thirty-five years of his life in religion, a life adorned with
the virtues that hetit a brother of the Society-modesty, humility, obedience, prudence, exact observance of rules, painstaking and methodical
fulfilment of the duties entrusted to his charge. He was obliged to go to
the city· once or twice a day for many years, and his duties as buyer
brought him into relation with various classes of men. A local paper
expresses the universal sentiment of his worth: ~'Brother Strain will be
remembered by those who had bu~iness with the college; his uniform
�BR. JOHN HILBERT.
courtesy and even disposition were always remarked. By the old students
of the college he was looked upon with reverence and respect. The college has lost in him a valuable officer and an edifying example of the
religious life "
Many Protestants have expressed the high esteem iu which he was
held. He was a model of circumspection in word and action, both within and without the college. He had a genius for reticence in all things
belonging to his office as book-keeper, and his systematic method was
admirahle. How deep-seated was the habit of religious observance within
him, may be judged from the remark of a superior, who knew him intimately: "Although he ming·led so much with business men, and was so
frequently outside of the house, I have rarely met one who had so little
of a worldly spirit."
His sickness and death were the fitting consummation of such a life,
calm and peaceful. On the morning of April 14, he was attacked by
inflammation of the bowels, and his patience and resignation were most
edifying until his death, which took place at 9.45 A. M., W edncsday, April
23.-R. I. P.
BR. JoHN HILBERT.
In the call of Brother Hilbert to the throne of God, we mourn the departure of one whose life may with truth he said to have been hidden
with Christ in God. Seldom if ever did he speak of himself, his relations,
or any incidents of his past life. He went about. his daily labors in a
quiet, meditative way, scrupulously obedient all the while; but even the
feasts of the greatest rtJ]axation never tempted him into more than a few
pleasant sentences or an occasional anecdote from Hodriguez. Every one
felt that this reserve was not wholly the result of his German temperament, but wa9 due largely to a higher motive, an hones~ desire to be unknown. One of the brothers joked with him on the subject one evening,
and said he had no doubt that his spirit of silence came from the spirit
of devotion. "Yes," he replied .in n humble way which never forsook
him, "from devotion or stupidity; I can't tell which." With such a holy
reticence guarding the story of his days, the f.'lets which present themselves for a biography arc meagre indeed. What we have, however, are
filled with edification, and never more touchingly than when he felt the
hRnd of death upon him.
Brother ,John Hilbert was horn in Rhenish Bavaria on the 2!Jth of October, 1835. He was, themfore, well on in his fifty-fourth year when he
passed away. There was such a genuine filith observable in his different
actions, aml in the few words which he did allow himself to say, that his
early training mu~t have been singularly happy and religious. It was in
Bavaria thRt he learned his trade ns a tailor, after serving the usual long
apprenticeship required in that country. At ahout the age of twentythree, he left his native land and came to America. Shortly afterwards,
the Civil 'Var broke out. He enlisted as a private in the Union forces,
and remained in active service till the end. In one engagement-while
defending a cannon, it is supposed-he received a terrible sabre-stroke
�BR. JOHN HILBERT.
across the cheek, which left its deep scar for the rest of his life. During
these days also, of exposure to fatigues, privations, and inclement weather, he must have imbibed the first seeds of the disease which finally carried him off. At the close of the war, he again took up his trade as a.
tailor, and along in the seventies was employed at the same in St. John's
College, Fordham. In this place his conduct was so exemplary that,
when he applied for admission into the Society, few obstacles were put
in his way. He was sent to Manresa to begin his noviceship under Father
Daubresse, and was duly received into the community on the 20th of
September, 1879. At the change of novice-masters, Father Gleason succeeded Father Daubresse. Both of these fathers speak of him with the
tenderest affection, as a soul already ripe for heaven, as one whose bodily
sufferings were gr&'\t and continual, but whose obedience and patience
kept the mastery. Few if
of his fellow-novices suspected all thaL
he was end'!ring, so reserved and uncomplaining was he in every circumstance.
From Manresa he was sent to Worcester College in 1874, returning to
1\Ianresa in August of the same year to make the cas:>ocks for those ahout
to pronounce their first vows. He came to the GeflU in the fall of 1888,
when it was apparent that his last days had come. He spoke with considerable pleasure once of the prospect of soon pronouncing his last
vows, but God asked him to sacrifice that pleasure. He did so with his
usual serenity. He had had au attack of pneumonia earlier in the year,
but it was not until 'about the middle o.f March that he seemed to be seriously stricken.
He was not long in recognizing his danger, and then the real principles
of his life shone forth. Being asked whether be felt nny fear of death,
he answered that he did not, he must meet it sooner or later, and he was
willing to go at any time. A statue of our Lady stood over ,his bed in n
little shrine which he himself had made, and when some Ql!C, remarked
how happy a sight it was, he said in a -voice full of faith: "Yes, yes; I
have great confidence in the Blessed Virgin." He. g:rew weaker rapidly,
but amidst all the oppression and weari:ness of his :sick couch he never
uttered the least complaint He was li:kc a child jn the bands of the
doctor and the infirmarian, doing precisely what they told him, or taking
whatever medicine they offered him with!J'llt an inquir y. He was anxious
to give as little trouble as possible, and .regretted tltat the hrothcr in
char~re of him was put to so much trouhle> on his accc•tml. He received
the sacraments several times during his illlleHf'l, ruHl wru~ anointed the day
before he !lied. After three wP.cks of sulfllring, llOrne ·with the greatest
edification, he passed away quietly on the· 13th of Ap. ril, at about two
o'clock in the afternoon.-R. I. P.
anx
En.
JoiiN CuNNINl mAn.
As this goes to press we bear of the den th of Fr. Cunnin. ghnm of the
1\Iaryhind New York Province. An obitu nr;v ~viii be prcp!l red fur the
next number.
�VARIA.
Australia, JJa/.11-RiL'er ;1[is,qinn.-Fr. Jo~. Conrath writes that the mission
of' our fitther~ amon,!:( the )[ulluck-)[ullucks has heen protludive of some
good; the:-:e ~n,·age:-: havt• alrea<ly notice(} the tlitferetH•e hetween the tnission·
:nies anti tlw colonists, nnrl 'how their appreciation for the labors of the
fathers in many wap. The mi"'ionaries hope, by gathering around their
missi•m-stations ''" many fhmilie.' as possihlt•, to make th<> cultivation of the
,oil a training-school fin· both soul aml hotly. Fr. Kristen has charge of the
school, which was attent!etl during the first ypar by twenty children, and
which is giYing the greatest eonsolation. An increase of forty children is
soon expectetl. ~[any of these little ones have asked to he baptized, hut the
fathers ft•ar to haptize them until the atlults show more willingness to giv<>
up theil· superstitions antl renounce pol~·gamy. They ha\'e to he esp<>cially
cautious about baptizing the girls, who are liable at any moment to be given
away hy a fathPr, an unele, or some oltl man in the tribe, for a blanket or a
piece uf tohae<'o, to he<'onw the thil·d or fourth wife of some oltl savage. Howt'Vl'r, the InissionariPs hope :o.:non to gain over ~mne influential :-ulnlt~, and
after th!'ir eonversion thirty or forty ehiltlren will he haptizetl.
Austria, T'ienna.-The Austrian House of Deputies has been the scene of
"eveml remarkable t!ehatcs recently concerning the school laws passed by the
Liberal ministry of 'tiS anti of the years immediately following. These laws,
which wPre hrought into active foree by the annulling of the papal Conror·
dat on .July :lO, lXiO, make it almost impossible for the Church to exercise
PYen the slightest intluenee over the edueation of the chiltlren, as religion is,
one might say, !'OmpletPly excluded from the curriculum of studies. The
mnst notahle spet•ch nf the session WU-' tlelivered hy Prince I.ichtenstPin, who
showetl hy authentic statistics that the Church was allnwct! .grt'ater freetlom,
with n'g-tl.t'(l to religion:-: training in national schools, in Protestant Prussia,
alltl in ::-ichismatic Russin, than in Catholic Austria. Among those who attemptt>tl to answPr the pl'ince was Dr. Suess, formerly rertor-1nagnijicus of the
university of Vienna, and a well-known enemy of Ours. He t!t•clan•d that
the Jesuits \\'Crt' the cause of all the tlissatisfaction regimling the etlncation
laws of the country, ant! were always exciting members to speak against
what hat! hPl'n planm•tl for the welfhre of the younger eitir.cns of the Austrian Empire. liP !'f>nclntletl hy sayi!lg that it wa.~ a cause of deep surpl'ise
to him to know that the go\·ernmcnt grantctl extraortlinary privilPges to the
Jesuit colleg!' at Kalkslnu·.c:, ant!, stranger still, that at Innshnwk the J<>suit
professors of tht•ology are placetl on a level with the professors of the other
faculti!'s. ThP Society here feels secure during the lifetime of the present
emperor, hut his tlPath might !eat! to hitter per~ecution on the part of the
Liberals in power.
L<tinz.-'Mgr. Dopplbauer, the new bishop of Lainz, who was consecrated
in Rome on ~I arch 10, studied under our fathers at the college here. He is very
devoted to Ours, and has on more than one occasion given substantial proofs
(253)
�254
VARIA.
of his friemlship. Bishop Katzer of Green Bay was also a student at thi:.
college. The college of Lainz wa" formerly a ca.,tJe belonging to the Archduke .Maximilian D'Esh•, by whom it was given to the Society in 1837.
In,.sbruck.-A house hasjnst bC'en ptu·chased near the univerRity in which
40 or 50 more theologians may he acC'ommo<late<l.
Beatifications.- Fr. Armellini writes that the beatification of our English
Martyrs is progres,ing rapidly, and will not be long delayed. That of Ven.
Fr. <le Ia Colomhiere will follow, perhaps along with the eanonization of Bl.
.Margaret )f ary.
Belgium.-FF. Carbonelle and DeSmet were nanwd by the Holy Father
"Chevaliers pro J.:ccll'.•ia et Pontifice, ... on the occasion of his jubilee. -The
Bollandists receiv<>d from His Holim•ss a nutgnifiPent Album Paleograpliique,
which had !wen ginn to him f<n· his jubilee.
Fat!ter Caruonelle.-One of the mMt <li,tinguishe<l among the seientific
men of the Society, Fr. ('arlltmellP, dit><l at Bru'"els, ~larch -t, 1889. He
was horn.at Tournay, Feh. :?, 18:?}1. Though rt'markahlt> fin· his mathematical and theological knowle<lge, having pas"''! with gt·eat brilliancy the difficult examination for tlw dt>gree of !>odor in ~cietwes at the university of
Ghent, and given the Public Aet at tht> Pin"· of his cour'" of tht>ology, he will
be best n•memhere<l as foumler of thP SociNe Sci"ntljique de Bruulles. It
was in the full maturity of hiR mind, mul aflpr a varie<l experienec ns e<litor
in Paris, Belgium, :ttul l"aleutta, that he eoneeive<l the plan of this society.
Its motto, which well expre"e<l its aim, was takt•n from tht> words of the
Vatican Council: "Tht•n• never ean he any rt>al disagt·et>ment ht'lwt>en faith
awl n::a.ason." Tlwn, a.-; tn-tla.y, in all eountrit·:o:, and i"u every rank of soeiety,
men were a!"~t:'t'ting that :-:cit>IWl' is iltH·mnllatihle with the tlogtnas of our faith.
It was Fr. Carhondle'; plan to hring togt>ther lll<'n who wert' true Christians
and at the snme time <le\'Ott><l to "'ientific pursuits; who while ,i·orking for
the atlvancena•ut of gciPnC't-" antl puhlhdlin,~ thr•ir investigations, would also
labor for thP advanct>nwnt ami dl'ft•m•e of religious tmth. To attain this result require<! a man emitwnt in seit•nee ant! of profomul faith. "Such a man
was Fr. Carbonelle. )fathematies was his specialty, hut no pljfsical or natural science was unknnwn to him. Jn 187;), this society was founded and in
H years it had tiOO mt•mhers from every nation, among whom were the most
eminent sm•~tnts of Bt'i .
..:inm anti 1-t members nf the InstitutP of France.
Both Pius IX. and Lt>o X I I I. enenuragt'<l this socit•t~' by their blessings and
by letter. Two JWriodicals wt're t•stablishe<l in 1SS7: the Annales, destined
for original n•setn·ches, and a t1uarterly, La llevue de.~ Questions Scientijiques,
for circulation among seientitie nwn. Both hm·e always been of the very
highest onler and ranked with the best seientific journals of Europe. Gen.
Newton, so well known from the explosions at Hell Gate, was an American
member aJHl eontribute<l se\'eralmt>nwirs to the Annales am\ the Revae . . .
Fr. Carbonl'lle w:1s the fmmtler an<l perpetual secretary of this society and
on him tlept>tuled its administration and scientific dirt>ction. Though these
ocenJ•ations alone were nwre than t_•Hou.gh for oue. Juan, F1·. Carbonelle
labor<>d at original im'estigation, and h:~~ publi:<ht><l sevt•ral memoirs all of
great scientific value. Hi~ most important work is entitled Les Confin.< de la
Science· et de Ia Philosophie. In it the highest questions of science and
philosophy are discussed in a masterly manner and with the double authority
of the savant and the Christian. His great labors for this society undoubtedly
. hastened his end. It is needless to say he met death full of confidence in the
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255
infinite goodness of God, in whose cause he had ·so valiantly labored. 'Ve
cannot better conclude this short sketch than by his own wortls-they portray
the man and the cause for which he gave his best days.
"\V·e ought," he .said, "to defend rcli.~ious truth on every occasion anti on
all the points on which it is attacked ; and since il' enemies combat it to-day
upon the grountl of science it is there we ought to strengthen aml sustain it.
'Ve owe it this tlefence by reason of that dPep lon• which attaches us to the
Christian faith, to the revealed religion; 1\Jr this religion rests on that spir·
itual and religious philosophy which our enemies attempt to overthrow. This
defence of religious truth is incumbent upon us too for the honor of science; for
men tlisgrace science when they employ it in the service of pride mul of the
passions, when they cause it to deceive the ignorant, to falsify their consciences, to smother in them the convictions which e]e,·ate them and to point out
as the hope of wickedness the horrible rest of annihilation."-Adapteu from
the Remu des Quntions Sl"ientifiques, April lRS!I •
•
Be)·root..-,Ve are copying a valuable manuscript, not yet published, of
Avieennn, which the Imlia office has kintlly loanetl us. Our Arabic editions
are nHH"l' and more appreciated. A ~reat German paper, \"ery hostile to us,
.the Centmlhliitt, has paid a glowing tributl• to our printing-house, the intelli~ent direction of which it praises highly. Fr. ~[onnot, well known to many
in this country, tlurin.g his visit in 'i4 to collect tor the Syrian :Mission, has
been in Egypt, awl is now vi~iting the 1nission.-Fr. Larnmens, -in Fr.
PfisteT's LetiC!"H.
Bombay.-Tluring the seholastic year lSSi-88 the college of St. Francis
Xnvier at Bombay hatl t:lil stwlent,-m;; Chrbtians, ~3ii Parsees, ltll Hindoos, [it) )lahometans, mul4 Jews; St. )fary's Colll•ge (Bombay) 210 hoarders
and 28-t tlay-scholars. TIH' examinations for degrees were very successfuL Of
the i~ high sehools whieh eompetetl, this C'ollege, with three more successful
candiuates, would han• ha•l the first place.
Books.-Les Etudes commenced, with til(' January number, a supplement
with the title "llfonitenr Bibliograpldque de ln Campagnie de .Tesu." This
supplement is only for Out·s and will be issued twice a year in January and
July. It gin•s the tith• of all books, pamphlets, articles in magazines and
reviews, as follows: (a) New works, translations or new editions by members of the Soci<•ty; (h) Works eomposetl by members of the Society, recently translated or rt•-etlited by those who do not belong to the Society; (c)
'Yorks recently published by cxtNns eoncerning (either in fa,·or of or op·
posed to) the members aiHl the atlitir~ of the Society. Among the books announced we notict• the following:CommentairP sur It's Exercist>s Spiritncls de St. Ignace par le P. de Ponlevoy.
l\lanuel de prii!reR a !'usage ties freres coatljuteurs de Ia Cumpagnie des Jesus.
Petit-en-S, tle .i~O pagl'R.-Ucles, Imprimerie des Scholasticat.
Theologhc Dogmatic·a• Compe!Hlium, Auctore P. H. HurtPr, S .•T., Editio sexta
et ementlata.
~Ia Retraite. )[etlitntions et lectures a !'usage de persounes religieuses qui
font en particulier les exercises spirituels, par P. Gabriel Bouftier.
Among the periodicals mentioned we are glad to see our own 'VooDsTOCK
LETTETI8.
English "1[unuals of Catholic Philosophy-Logic by Fr. IUchard Clarke is
published, a.s is also First Principles of Knowledge by Fr. John llickaby.
�VARIA.
The :\loral Philosophy by Fr.•Joseph Rickaby hn.s reached already a second
edition. Natural Theology by Fr. Bernard Boetltler is nearly ready.
Resurrexit. Daily :\Ie<litation' from Ea~ter to the Asct'nsion. By Fr. Richard
F. Clarke, S ••T., Lontlon.
Fr. Coleritlge-Tlw Seven 'Vords of :Mary.
Four Lecture~ on Anthropology anti Biology, by Rev. Thomas Hughes, S. J.
Detroit, ~Iich.
L'esprit de Saint Ignuee, Pensees, Sentiments, Paroles, et Actions. Recuillis et
mis en m'<lre par le R. P. Xavier d<> Franciosi, S. J.- Nancy-Le Chevalier, lRS/ .
.Fr. Peseh has published his "econtl eontrihution to tht> Philosophia Lac<>nsis.lustitutiones Logicales secun.lum principia S. Thom:.e, Pars l.
Fr. ~Ientlive has published a whole course of l'hilosophy-Institution~>s Philo">phil'a: Scholastiete. It is divitle•l as follows :-Logica 2tlS pp., Ontologia
:!-13 pp., l'syeholngia 311 pp., Cosmologia 2ti-1 pp., The01lict>a \!IS pp., Ethica
et .T ns N:tturm -1:!/ pp.,-ti Yo b.'
all.
Fr. Li has published for the ttl.outh of :\lay a new hook in Chinese, "The
:Mirror of Virtnes," l::?mo. in two part,, the first containing the life of the
BlessP•l Virgin, tht' sec01ul :n metlitations on her Yirtnes.-(Illustmted).
De Confessariis Xostris-Xolte aliquot ad usum .NN. per P. V., S. J._-\lthough this little hook so pn·cions to Ours was publisht>tl in l~Sti, it is'
known to hut few.· It., ohjt•ct is thus expresst'tl in the prelace: "nt qwe de
cnnfes.<ariis nostri.< propr-ia. in diversis lnstituti locis, tliversi:"qne hac tle re
ug-entibns~criphwihns spar~itn inveniuntur, in hre\~l·m v£>luti facen1 t.'ollecta,
nostrorum sacel'llotum oeulis suhjiciantur, ete." In the ~t! part, which
treat,; of our cmtfessors for extn·n.•, there is an nl'li<•le on our faculties. The
nppt•mlix contains the foi'mul<t benedictioni.< apostolit·m; modus benedicendi
aqttmn S. IgnaUi; anti indulgentiw pro 111issionibus et E.rercitiis.
Tlw Spiritual En'rcisc:< of St. Ignatius, explainetl hy Fr. ~lauric<' ;\lesehler,
S . .T., Tmnslaktl from the Gt>rman-Fnr the usc of Our:<-\Voodstol'k College Pr~ss. Small 8\'0. ~:l<i pp. .Just out.
In preparation-Explanations of the Exereises in 3 or -1 Vols. by P~r .. Le
~larl'han•l will appear during tlds year.
rn
Pt>re
St>jtnu·n~e i~ wl'itin~
the
hi~tory
of Yt>n.
Pt-n~ ~[auuoir antF\~rking
for
his ht'atitiention.
Rm;ton Colleg·c.-ThP excavations for th<• imJH'O\'ements on tht> l'ollege
building haxc lwcnt•.mnpleh'tl. In t.ligging on the Xf'wton-street :-;ide, ~e,~eral
coftiu8 were uneartht•tl; only one or two ho1ws, however, were ttntud with
them. It was ht·re, thl' oltl rPsitlents sa~·, that a burial-go·onntl fi>r paupers was
located. At present thP stont'-masons :u·e tinishing up on one si•le of the college builtling, an•l the bril'klayt•o·s will be at work there in a couple of days.
The builtling connl'ding the n•sitlenee :uul coll<>ge is to he hroa•lened to about
twice its present hreatlth. 'fhl' Lt>agow is •loing well in both church ant! colIPge. All tlw students, with thP exeeption ofahont t\n•nty-tive or thirty, are
tnetnbers; thel'c_ ure eightf'cn pron1ott>rs ::unnu_gst them, a .First-Frit.lay visit is
1uade in connnon, awl the intention Lox Sl•t up in the Corridor is cmning into
common use. In the ehurch there an' :J:l:! promoters, with 4~12 hamls, which
givPs a membership of/:1~1. DLu·ing Lent a numlwr of men (liO or tl:;), working for the sewag<' departnwnt. of the city, uset! to mt>et in the church every
evening after ti o'clock ant! recite the beat!s together. Even now 20 or 30 still
adhere to this pious practice. The sodalities of the church are to have a
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257
general reception on the first Sunday of June, when ~20 new members will
be enrolled.
Bulgaria.-A Russian journal announces that the number of convents in
Bulgaria is constantly increasing. Catholic schools have been opened at Sistova, Philippopolis, Sofia, etc. If this Catholic reaction continues for two
years more, the Schismatic Church of Russia will have no subjects in Bulgaria.
Calcutta.-Our mission has been sorely tried during the past year by the
complete destruction of the crops.-Fr. Schouppe has arrived in the mission
and will teach theology to Ours. ·
Canada, Libel Suit.- The Toronto Jfail, against which our fhther>< in Canada have entered a suit for libel, as mentioned in the letter from Canada in
the present number, has filed a preliminary plea that the suit be set aside because the hill incorporating the Society in Canada was ultra vires of the provincial legislature. On )lay 14, judgment was rendered admitting this plea
but r~je<"ting as vague, uncertain, indefinite, etc., certain allegations of the
Mail concerning the vows an<! rules of the Society. On )lay 18, the judges
of the Court of Appeal granted to the J[ail leave to appeal from this judgment. It is expected that the case will ultimately be carrie<! to the Privy
Council in England. A full account of the case will be given in our next
number, in the continuation of the letter from Canada.
Tertians' ,Jfissions.-Fr. Gagnicur was the first of the tertians to start on
the Lenten missions. He left on Feb. 20, to assist Fr. Hamon in two missions
near Quebec, the first in the parish of St. Basil and the second in Sillery.
Fr. Gagnieur preached in English, Fr. Hamon in French. In both places
they established the League of the Snere<l Heart. Fr. Schmidt was the second
to go out. After preaching twice a day in the parish church at Sault-auRecollet, mul giving the novena of St. Francis Xavier at the Gesil in ~Ion
treal, he went to Quebec. There he preached a second novena of St. Francis
Xavier, and then gave three retreats with great success. The first of these
was to the young men's sothtlity in.onr church, the second, in English and
French, to the Sisters of the Goo< I Shepherd, and the third a retreat for men, in
English, in the church of our La<ly in Levis. Besitles these retreats, he often
preached .twice a day in the cathedral and other churches in Quebec. FF.
O'Loane am! Kiely began their mi"<ionary work in the church of Our Lady
of Good Counsel, Montreal, where they first gave a triuuum for the children
and then a two-week's mission, the first week for the women mHl the second
for the men. There were large congregations at all the exercises, and for the
confeSHions all the fathers attached to the chnrch as well as those of the Gcsil
were kept busy. On .\lat·ch :!4, FF. Kiely, Gagnieur am! 0' Loanc start eLl for
their missions in the States.
Cuba.-Our college at Havana has ltiO boarders and DO exterJts. The
stuuents approach the sacraments often and have a great <len•tion to the
Sacred Heart and to the Blcssc<l Virgin, and this though a good number belong to Liberal families, and even the parents of some are frccmasons, who
will not en•n come to the college to Sl'e their children lest they should have
intercourse with Jcsuits.-Fr. lpitiu has cstaulished Sunuay schools in the
city which are doing a great good. -"'early 1000 children attend every Sun·
Vor... xvm, No, z.
17
�VARIA.
tlay, and ROO go to Communion together.-The tlevotion to the Sacretl Heart,
owing to the zeal of :Fr. S'tlinero, has been exten<letl to the· city an<l Pountry
parishes with womlerful su<'Pess. There are 70,000 Communions in our Plmrch
every year.-Fr. Pfister.
France, Our Golleges.-Rue d<'S Po;;tes has 420 students; !l5 have been
receive<l at St. Cyr. Among the first fifty, all the schools of Paris together
had 13, seven of whom were from our college.-Yaugirar<l luts 45 philoso·
phers.-Rue de ~[atlri<l has 72;) stutlents.-The eollege of Poitiers bus 200
student.,, and the apostolic school 40.-Bounleaux has 4;"10, ami Canterbury,
Le )[aus, and Yanneg are increasing in nutnher:;:.
Lille.-The Catholic University has 1~8 law sturlt>nts, 2:~;; in the me!lical
school, aml 19 in the school of literature. There are 30 cleri<'s in philosophy
and theology, 9 in tlw sciences, and 18 in the ilulnstrial school. Among- the
lay stu<lents, the best workers aml the most pious 'II'C the students of nwtlicine.
In the sodality of the Ble"ctl Virgin they Ponstitute more than three-fourths
of the whole number of members. Our col!Pge at Lille keeps up its nmnhers.
)I gr. llaunar<l has left the college, to become rel'tor of the university. During
the eight years of hi• admini>tmtion he kept up all the ol<l cu,tom'. Pere
Denoy<'lle has taken his place.
Prize.< an•arded.-The Acatlemy of Sciences of Paris has awardee] the Del·
a\nnd<'·Uuerim·au prize, vaha·tl at lliOO franc.,, "for the Prendi traVt·llet· who
shall have rendere<l the greatest scientifi<' service to Fntn<'e," to Fr. Roblet,
one of our n1b:~ionarie~ in ~l::ulag-ascar, for his large nwp whieh has already
been erowne<l hy the Ueographical ::loeiety nf Paris.-Fr. A. Dechen<'ns was
awarded a gohlnn,Jal for his tlnte>', at the Bt·n,;sels exhibition. He will exhibit al"> at Pat:;,; an<l he is ahout to pnh\i,;h a lii>'tory of .Music.
Jfenology.-A new eoition of the French menology is in preparation. It
contn.ins a tnunher of new notiPe~.
l<'r·ederick.-:Fr.. hHlge, form<'rly miui,tet· at \\'oO<btock, and recently
holding the sanw otlice at Frederiek, has stark<! with f\mr juniqrs from this
province to join the ltol'k~· ~lountain ~lis•ion.-Br. lfat·kin>, wJrn_for anum·
her of years ha>' been <'Xereising the douhle otliee of saPI'istan :tllll tt"aeher in
the parochial school, has heen rl'lieVP<I of thl' lalh'r utliee hy ~lr ..J. Brent
)latthews, timuerly of the Georgetown. fat•nlty .-'fh<· <·a ted! ism dass of older
boys, startrtl hrre ~mne two years a,~o, hn~ now -to lllt:'IUht>r~. The elass is
now taught by Fr. Lynch.-~lr. Macl"ey, professO\' of the juniors, preachetl
au eloqut>nt discourse in ::>t. John'' on the occasion of the \Vashington Cen·
tennial servi<'t's. Solemn Jli~h ~lass am\ the 'l'e JJeum ehanted by the juniors
and noviceR \nere other features of the <'elebmtion.
Georgetown Collegc.-~[r. Elbha FranciR Hi~gs, who donated the sum
of ::;w,ooo for the library at the time of the centennial, hns since exJn·esse<l his
intention of increasing th<· amount of his ~itt .\.I ready he has nwartlt,[Po\1·
tract~ for iron work muountiug to IHOl'P than ~12,000, antl ht:> has given instruction to the at·ehitect, ~[r. Pnnl J. l'dz, timnerly of the firm of .T. L.
Smitlnneyer ancl Co., muhtmy the architect of the National I.ibrary, to proceed
with the work and draw up his plans in accordance with the latest approved
ideas in library building. The approximate cost of the entire work will be
1;1
�VARIA.
259
twice the amount of the original donation. In consequence of his generous
assistance, the library will be named after ~!r. Riggs.
Three oil paintings of the three saints lately canonized have been received
at the college. They are the usual figures an<l attitudes already known to all,
but the coloration ami execution are much superior to what we have been
accustomed to see. The St. .\lphonsus painting, perhaps not so well known
as the other two, represents the saint in the presence of the apparition of our
Lmly. This work has considerable merit. The only knowledge that we have
of these paintings is that they came from Home and were addressed to Fr.
John .J. )Jurphy. They may be a gift of soine generous benefactor, who desires to keep his personality in the background, but they are none the less
acceptable for their mysterious appearance.
Y ery Rev. Fr. General has must kindly sent to the college, in return for the
medal presented to him, commemorative of the centennial, a whole fingerbone of St. John Berchmans. It has not yet been received, but Fr. Richards
is in receipt of a letter from V cry Rev. Fr. General authenticating the relic
ami stating that it has heen placed in the hamls of Fr. Turgeon, the I:ector of
St. ~Iary's College, ~Iontreal, who is authorized to hand it to Rev. Fr. Provincial.
The boys' play-rooms have just been finished. They are six in ntunber,
ht>sides the large hall or corridor, which will he converted in the near future
info a gyntna~itun. There are 1:nnoking, reading, billhird, and dressing-rooms,
besides "the store" anti the Soeieties' Library. The rooms are fitted up in
white pine, with hard oil finish. The corridor is to he tiled and will he an
exact counterpart of the class-room corridor above.
During the solemn academic se"ion on the third day of' the recent centennial celebration, Dr. Charles Carroll Lee, of New York, one of the nearest
living relations of the fimnder of the college, passed to the president of the
univt>rsity, over the heads uf the eminent gentlemen and public officials who
crowded the sta,~e, an autograph letter of Archbishop John Carroll, coneerning
the fi•un<lation of the college. This letter, written on faded yellowish paper,
is tl.ttetl from Georgetown, January :l5, 1787, two years before the founding of
the college. It is a<l<lresse•l to "Thomas Sim Lee, Esq., Needwu01l Forest,
fiwored hy ~Jr. ~la,.;rmler." In it the archhishop says: "I sent to ~Ir. Framhaek the pro]""als fiJr our future academy, to he commnnicated to yon. I
have the plea."tre to in limn yon that we have flatterin~ prospect~ for its encouragPment. ·Colonel Deakins and )lr. Threlkeld have joined in granting
a fine piece of .~round f()f the r'urposc of building."
'rhe Berlin C:l'rJnfUtio, the leadin,q Catholic p:tper in Gennany, gave a complt>te account of the Georgetown Centennial celehration. The speeches of
Car<linal Gihhons awl of Prcsi•lent Cleveland were translated in full.,
lnllia anti China.-At presl'nt there are in Intlia 1,~:~~,017 Catholics; in
Goa 1,71S, 10:~; in Cochin-China 60:l,OOO; in China 5-1~,000; in Japan and
Corea -!!1,000. Total in India and China ·!,U:l,cl~O.-Fr. I:fister.
Jrclanti.-The provincial congregation of the Irish Province was, held in
Easter Wl'Ck. Fr. Etlwanl Kelly was elected procurator, ami Fr. 'Villiam
Delany snhstitute.
Fr. Jnrnes O'Carrull.-llorn Sept. 1, 18:l1, entered the Society Sept. 13,
185:l, died ~larch 5, 18S!J.-Fr. O'Carroll wa.~ famous as a linguist; he was
�VARIA.
master of almo't all the languages of Europe. A writer in the Irish Times,.
who seems to have been intimate with him, states that he was 'mast~r or'14
languages and literatures, that he conltl converse in ~other languages, and
could read 8 or !I more. Generally he not only learned the language of a
country, but also mastered it~ dialects. \\'hen he was a candidate lor a position in the Department of :\Iodern Languages in the Royal Cniversity of Ireland, he obtained a number of flattering te,timonials of his proficiency as a
lingui;t, which are printed in the April number of the Irish JJfonthly. He
was a regular writer for the Lyceum, and contributed to the G1telic Journal,
iu its earlier numbers, a serie~ of essays on dramatic literature, the first of
the kind ever written in the Irish language. The last piece of his published
work is contained in the April number of the L.~ceum, a critici'm of Gogo!
and his work. The unfinished manuscript which he left on his table, when
his work was ahruptly brought to a clo,e, was a chapter upon the Ireland of
the Scots. The researches which occupied the last hours of his life (they
were spent in the library of Trini!_/College) bore upon this, his favorite subject. At the close of a day of studf, on his return from one of his customary
visits to this library, he was seized with faintness and died after a few minutes.
Italy.-The Gregorian University has this year i08 students----!00 in theology, 38 in canon law and :!70 in philosophy. Of these, 36 are Englishmen,
2 Armenians, -15 Austrians, 21 from North America, 61 from South America,
22 Belgians, 2 Bulgarians, 19 Scotchmen, 14 Spaniards, 127 Frenchmen, 102
Germans, 7 from Holland, 12 from Hungary, 1 Indian, :l Irishmen, 196 Italians, 25 Poles, and 13 from Switzerland. In all 49 more than last vear.
Fr. Tedeschi writes; "It is difficult to describe the happiness of Cardinal
Pecci in being again ndmittL>tl into the Society. The Holy Father shows himself also greatly pleased and is always full of kindness to the Society."
Japan, The Romajikai.-The following tribute from the S<tturday Ret'iew
seems worth recor<ling :-The institution of the Romajikai (Roman Letter
·Society) in Japan, is a fresh illustration of the truth of the saying of the wise
man: "The thing that hath been is that which shall be." Nearly $00 years
before Mr. nasi! LChamberlain and his friends sat down to elaborat'C tlie rules
for writing Japanese in Homan letters which this society has been formed to
advocate, the Jesuit missionaries ha<l worked out for themselves a system for
accomplishing the same purpose. Toward the en<l of the sixteenth century
the Society of Jesus, with all the vigor of a new confederation, despatched
its emissaries to all parts of the world with instructions to convert, to civilize,
and to heal. As has been said of these devoted men, they went, without remonstrance or hesitation, to countries where their lives were more insecure
than those of wolves, where it was a crime to harbor them, and where the
heads and quarters of their brethren, fixed in public places, showed them
what they had to expect. Such a country was Jap•m. At first the missionaries were tolerated. They came without force or violence, and they afforded
. the people a spectacle of something novel, which is dear to the minds of the
Japanese. nut before long the authorities began to realize that the strangers
they had arlmitted were ar~ed with a weapon which might be made more
politically formi<lable than if they had marched at the head of an invading
armv. In the districts in which they settled, the inhabitants of whole villages
decl~red 'themselves converts to the new religion, and were ready to answer
�VARIA.
with their lives for the faith that was in them. Alarmed at the prospect of
these wholesale conversions, the authorities poured out the vials of their
wrath upon the missionaries. They beheaded some, they threw others from
cliffs into the sea, and they drove out of the country those who escaped death.
The Jesuits, therefore, had hut a short time during which they were able to
work; but they made the lwst possihle use of their opportunity. They studied the language inolelittigably, they taught without ceasing, and they introduced a font of European type into Japan in 15DO, by means of which they
produced a succession of books in Japanese, printed in Roman letters.
Literary.-Fr. A .•T. Maas, Professor of Hebrew at 'Voodstock, has two
articles in the .January number of the Yale College periodical Hebraica, on
"The l'se of Pesiq in the Psalms," and on "Pronominal Roots;" also two
Contribnted 1Yotcd on "Bickell's System of Hebrew Metre," anti on "Judges,
xv. 16." Fr. J. F. X. O'Conor also contributes a Note on "An Arabic Coin."
lUadnra, JJgr. Alexls Canoz.-On the 2nd of December, 1888, the bells of
TriPhinopoly announced to the 100,000 inhabitants of the city that Mgr.
Canoz had passed to a hetter life. Had he lived but 16 days more the venerable octogenarian would have commenceol his fiftieth year of apostleship at
)fadura. Arriving there December 18, 183!1, he was sent to the Marnva, a
country sanctifieol by the martyrdom of Blessed John de Britto. A few days
after his arrival he lost both of his companions, and he all but gave up his
own life as a victim to that. fatal climate, He recovered, however, and preRerved his health unimpaired through his long and severe life of 84 years.
In 18·H he was appointed superior of the mission, in place of Fr. P. Bertrand.
In liHti the Holy See determined to give a vicar-apo"tolic to :Madura, and
Fr. Canoz was propo"ed to Gregory XYI., as most worthy, by Fr. Roothaan
and Fr. Bertrand. The goool fit! her used every effort to escape the honor, but
the, Sacred Congregation impo"ed silence upon his humility. Still, one conRolation was left him. Upon the demand of Fr. General it was declared that
he woulol remain always a religious: in dato casu remanet religiosus. IIavmg rl'ceived episl'opal cm"ecration the following year, cholera invaded his
diocese and the college of Negapatam was consmneol by fire. But his courage never fitiletf him. Ilc rebuilt the eollege, which aflerwards gave many
fervent Christians to the mission and more than thirty native fathers to the
Society. He twice returned to Europe on business connected with the mission, and a third time for the Yatican Council. In 1851:', he was sent to
Bombay as administrator of that vast vicariate. Though he remained there
hut a year and a half, besides the work entrusted to him, he made more than
~0,000 converts. He had, too, the great happiness of venerating the body of
St. Francis Xavier, which w'~' exposed Dec.;), 185ll, for the first time since
17S~.
He could still recognize the features of his great patron, which three
centuries have not extinguished. His success had been "o great that it meriteol from Fr. Hoothaan the remark that "if all our vicars-apostolic were like
:llgr. Canoz the Propaganda would have nothing to do." Space will not
allow us to dwell on the work of this new apostle of Madura. He preserved
his wonderful strength to the end, and at his last pastoral visit, closing but a
few days hPfore his death, confirmed more than 2500. He had not \n)rked in
vain, and he lived to see the fruit of his work. He saw churches multiplied,
and their joyous peal of hells welcomed him where he heard formerly only
*
�VARIA.
the sound of the tam-tams of the pagodas; he confirmed little children whose
grandfathers he had baptized; he found at every step some souvenir of his
first companions, whose tombs still preach to the Christian villages which
have sprung up around them. He could truly say that thousands of souls
had gone to heaven from certain villages where he for the first time had
offered the holy sacrifice.
lUanresa Island.-Keyser Island, bought by the Maryland New York
Province as a house of retreat for gentlemen, has been christened "Manresa
Island." Fr. Hayes has been there for some weeks with several brothers
getting things in readiness. All who have visited it speak of it as a gem.
lllexico.-Our fathers in ~lexico are overloaded with work. :\Iany missions and 'everal retreats to the clergy have been given. The Rev. Fr. Provincial regrets that he has not enough'subjects to answer the demands made upon
him for missions and retreats anit·for opening a college in the city" of lllexico.
1\lissouri.-The new scholasticate of the )lissonri Province will be opened
at St. Louis for the next scholastic year.
New Orleans lllission, Grand Coteau.- A new school-house for colored
children was finished last December. The size is 36 by 60 feet, and already
proves too small. It is attended by 70 girls and 30 boys, the latter being all
under the age of 1:l. The Ladies of the Sacred Heart offered their services as
teachers. Fr. ""idniann says Mass at the school-house every first Thursday
of the moi1th. The school-house is used also for the meetings of the colored
sodalities of women and girls.
Tampa.- A new resid~nce has been opened at Tampa, Florida, in charge
of FF. de Carriere and Stritch .
.M(tcon.-Property has heen bought recently near the novitiate and a villahouse erected for the juniors.
Fr. Ycnni.-Since the writing of the sketch of Fr. Yenni, the• following
particulars of his earlier life in the Society have come to light. 'i:Ie studied
philosophy at St. Gall, and reviewed it at Starosol, Galicia. He began his
long career of tl•aching with the class of 3rfl Grammar at Tarnopol, in 183-t,
and continued the work at Neu Sandec. In 184-t, he taught at the college of
Nobles, Innsbruck, where he began his theology in 18-to.
New York, St. Fr<tncis Xavicr's.-The new college hall was opened and
dedicated on Mar. 17. The dedication address was delivered by lion. Bourke
Cochran. Addresses were also made hy Fr. John J. l\Iurphy, ex-president
of the college• and by Fr. David A. Merrick the present rector. The hall
will seat 1:!00.-0n April 23, a college specimen was given in the new hall,
giving a complete view of the work done throughout the whole college in one
branch of the curriculum-the study of Latin.
On April 30, at the close of the centennial banquet in the :\Ietropolitan
Opera House, a ttibute in }~<on or of 'Vashington, in twenty-six languagesEnglish, Babylonian, Assyrian, Ethiopic, African, Arabic, Cufic, Diwani,
Irish, Syriac, Portuguese, Greek, German, Dutch, Algerian, Persian, \arshoony,"Freneh, Latin, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Syrian, and modern Egyptian-was presented, in the name of the faculty of the college, to President
�VARIA.
Harrison. The president expressed his thanks to the college, and wished to
be remembered to his former cl!k<s-mate, Fr. H. Denny. He told the presentation committee that he would examine the inscriptions with pleasure and
would prPserve them as a memorial of the centennial.
St. Lmorence's.-Owing to the re-numbering of Park Avenue, the address
of our residence at St. Lawrence's is changed to ()80 Park Avenue.
Philadelphia.-The new college will he opened in September.
tion will he gratis. See details in our Letter fr01n the Ges1i, p. 227.
Instruc-
Rocky lUountain 1\lission.-President Harrison has signed a patent
for the Cruur d'Alene )(iss ion claitn in Idaho Territory, containing 6.!0 acres,
in favor of Fr. Joseph M. Cataldo, Superior of the Hocky Mountain )lission.
The case had been pending in the general land office for the last ten years.
Scientific Notes, A Corrcction.-The Lett res des Sclwlastlq,ues de Jersey,
Dec. '88, translates from our Scientific Notes in the November number of the
LF.TTERS, the extract from the Stimmcn concerning the unjust attack of LalanrlP, the French a.'tronomer, on Fr. Hell, and Profe"or Newcomb's defence,
of the latter. The Lettre.•, however, is mi~taken in attributing the extract to
the Re,~·ue des Questions Scientijiqttes, instead of to Fr. Hagen. This is of
slight cons<'qtwnce, but the Lettres adds a note which shows that Lalande did
full jnsticl' to Fr. Hell, but only, we regret to say, after the death of the latter.
The note proves this by an extract from Cretineau-Joly, llist. de Ia Comp. de
.Jesu, vol. v. chap. vi., a translation of which we subjoin.
"L11lande had asked the varion~ astronomers to forward to him their observations, so tJ:vtt after computing and comparing them he might deduce from
them the distance of the ~un from the Earth. Fr. Hell' did not send his to
Paris, but published them in Germany. and their result proved to be more
decisive and exact than that arrived at hy the French astronomer. Lalande
took his re\·engc in the Journal des Savants of 1770, and Father Hell retorted.
B11t after the death of P'<tther Hell, Lalande acknowledged the truth <tnd gave
fnll justice to his riral. In the Bibliogmphie Astronomique for the year 17!12,
page 722, he says: 'Father Hell's observation was thoroughly succeSHful; in
fact, it proved to he nne of the five complete observations made in various
parts of the earth, which, as they were taken at places where the distance of. '
Venus had the greatest eflect in changing the duration of the transit, have
thus given us the knowledge of the true distance of the Earth from the other
planets and from the Sun. , This was a memorable epoch in the seience of
astronomy, with which the name of Father Hell shall he justly connected,
for his expedition was as successful, a.' wonderful, and as full of hardships as
any of those undertaken on the occasion of this transit.'"
Georgetown College ObserV<!lory.-Any visitor to the Georgetown observatory would be delighted at the improvements which have been rt'cently made.
The Pntire building has been renovated, and the instrnment,, put in the best
order. A chrono,(\"raph has been obtained, so that the exa"t 'instant of any
celestial phenomenon may he registere<L' It is placed opposite the entrance
between the two clocks, one of whieh keeps si<lerial time and the other mean,
time. Resides the electrical connection with the National Observatory, and
the chronograph, incandescent lamps have been introduced for illuminating
the field of the equatorial. Two piers of masonry have been built, just out-,
�. VARIA.
side the south windows of the observatory ; they will support a comet-seeker
and a small equatorial, and at the same time will serve to collimate the transit
instntment and the meridian circle. Trouvelot's large pictures of the planets
and celestial phenomena have been framed, and now ornament the walls; the
second story has been also fitted with new book shelves and a fine table. The
dome of the equatorial has also been completely renovated, the revolving
apparatus much improved, and an observing chair of an ingenious construction added. The equatorial itself has been cleaned and the clock-work put
in running order. The excellent little telescope with a three-inch object
glass, which as many will recollect Fr. Curley kept in his own room for many
years, has been mounted equatorially with right ascension and declination
circles.
Woodstock College Observatory.- During Febrnary and March the position
of our observatory was determined with a universal instrument belonging to
Georgetown College. The latituile, from prime vertical transits, was found to
be 3!l 0 20' 8". The longitud!l;·by telegraghic signab received at noon from
'Vashington, is 43 seconds east of 'Vashington, and 5h ;m ~!l·, or 76° .';2' Vi" west
of Greenwich.-At the end of March, the 3-inch telescope belonging to the
cabinet was mounted in the observatory on an equatorial mounting, and ha..~
since heen fitted with slow motions and a driving clock by .\Iessrs. De Laak
and Rigge.
South America, Colombia.-The government here is now very well dh;posed to our fathers. Seventeen of Ours have recently come from Europe for
college and mi'8iouary work, and the government is still asking for more.
Ecuador.-Towards the end of last November, Fr. Pnehlas undertook to
estahlish a mission in the reduction of wild Indians called La Coca. He
seemed on the point .;f reaping the fruit of his incessant toil, when the
wickedness of two ungrateful wretches nearly destroyed, in a few moment~. the
work so happily begun. Calling one day, as usual, the !:overnor (guainaro)
and the justice of the peace, whom he had appointed as supreme authorities
over his flock, in order to give them his commands, the missionary was surprised to hear the judge refuse to obey. When the father insisted, the disobedient Indian came at last but without the bad~e of his dignity-a large
club. ·when the missionary asked why he neglected to <'arry his insignia of
authority, the offender answered impudently, that he had no use for the stick_
Astonished at this impertinent answer, the good father ordered him quietly to
go to the residence; and again he refused to obey. A command was then
given to the governor, who was a witness of this scene, to oblige the recreant
officer to obey. He too refused to act. It was now evident that the two worthies were acting in concert. As the father was advancing towards the governor, that traitor gave a signal to his companion, who began to use his cane
freely and most unmercifully on the poor missionary. Luckily a chair was
at hand, with which the poor victim endeavored, as best he could, to ward off
the blows which were showered on him; but at this moment, he received frnm
behind a deep cut from a machete, a long knife that the Indians use to clear a
path through the forests. 'fhe blow severed the priestly tonsure and inflicted
a deep gash; and as both traitors seemed bent on his murder, the missionary
took refuge in the residence; but being pursued into his own apartments, he
rushed out once more calling for help. The cowardly ruffians followed him
to the public square, and a 11\ll\' ~art>'r would have certainly joined the heav-
�VARIA.
enly host, if Providence had not sent to the rescue "orne white merchants
and. yon;1g men tr~velling through· these \Vilds in qliest of I~di~ rnbbe.r. The
,;mild-be murderers being secured after a violent struggle, and carefully
guarded, the insensible form of the missionary was carried to the house of a
white man of this reduction, \vhere l1e received careful and intelligent nursing.
His wounds were for a long time thought fatal, but the patient care and skilful treatment he received soon enabled him to be transferred to the residence
of Lo~etto ami thence to Archi;lona. He is now convalescent, and anxious to
go back to the mission of La Coca, as soon as he has regained sufficient
strength, in order not to give so easy a victory to the enemy of mankind.
The unfortunate aggressors, now in the hands of the civil authorities, are
awaiting sentence in the prisolis of Quito: · It seems that the governor of
the province is inclined to the utmost severity, to give a salutary example,
am! remove all danger for the future. The five fathers who are actually engaged in the laborious task of th"c. evangeliZation of' these" reductions, work
with incredible ardor; but though the character of these tribes is neither
ferocious nor unruly, their apostolate is very difficult aud till now not very successful. The poor Indians, roaming through these immense forests, know
very little of social life and care still less for it, preferring the companionship
of biJ<ls and apes.- Letter fron• College of Pifo.
St. Peter Clavcr.-IIis Eminence Cardinal Lavigerie is about to ask the
Holy Father to extent! the feast of St. Peter Clavcr to the universal Church,
under the title of Apostle of a People, as St. Cyril and St. Methodins.-Fr.
Pfister.
'Vorcestcr, lioly Gross.-The number of students this year exceeds all
former records, both for those registered and f(>r actual attendance. The upper
classes are very lar::(e, fa~ above those ~.r a·,;y ,).the.r Catholic college in America.
The fathers attached to the college are often called upon for work throughout
the diocese, supplying for pastors who are sick, or helping those who need
assistance.
Home News, Academies.- Following is a list of the papers. read before
the different academics during the past scholastic year:-
'l'heologlans.
Cur Deus Homo? ................................................ Mr. Thomas E. Sherman
The Primacy of the Pope and the Council of Constance ...... ;\fr. J. De Potter
~Iahomet
and his 1\Iission ....................................... Mr. Patrick T. Kernan
Church and State ...................................................... 1\Ir. Henry J. 'Voods
Modern Arianism ..................................................... Mr. John F. Galligan
Lives of Christ by non-Catholics ........................ ." ........ Mr .•Toh~ J. Wynne.
Astronomy and the Bible .......................................... Mr. William F. Rigge
The Sibylline Oracles ................................. :........... ]\[r. James). Sullivan
iJtiJax~
-riin iJc!J,)n:a 'A7rorr-r6).wv ....................... 1\Ir. Francis B. Klocker
�VARIA.
The Light of Glory ............................................ )fr. Aloysius P. Brosnan
Does the Beatific Vision exclude Sorrow? .............. )Ir. William J. Stanton
'Vhy Christ's Human Nature is not a Person .............. )fr. Patrick J. Casey
The Communion of
Attribut~s
in Christ .................... )Jr. Joseph )I. Woods
The Nature of Sh1. .................................................. )Jr. James J. Curran
The Immaculate Conception .................................... )lr. Thomas O'Connor
The Temporal Power of the Pope .......................... , )lr. William B. Rogers
Adrian IV. and Ireland ................•............................ )Jr. John J. Collins
The Philosophy of the Supernatural.. .......................Mr. E. de Ia )loriniere
.,
Christ in Fable ....................•..........................
Sentiment in Devotion to the
~lessed
~Ir.
William G. R. Mullan
Virgin ..... )lr. Thoma., F. )IcLoughlin
The Dogma of the Devotion to th.'e Sacred Heart .............. Mr. John F. Quirk
Philosophers.
Life-Its Nature and Origin ...................................•.. )lr. )!ichael J. Kane
The )lethodical Doubt of Descartes .............................. )lr. Louis Taelman
The Reality of the )laterial World .......................... Mr. Bernard J. Otting
Composition of Bodies .......................................... )lr. Francis G. Russell
The Final Cause ..........................•........................ )Jr. George A. Heuisler
Unity of Forces in Nature .......................................... )Jr. John H. )[eyer
Animal Intelligence ................................................... )lr. Louis E. Green
Human Happiness ....................................•............. )Jr. Martin J. Hussey
Truth and Falsehood ............................................. )Jr.
Frat~':_ls_J.
McNiff
Beauty ....... : ................................................... )Jr. John H. Lorlenkamper
The Human Intellect. ............................................... Mr. Joseph A. Raby
The Principles of Rationalism in
~Iodern
Systems ..... )Jr. Terence J. Shealy
Service and Sacrifice ............................................ Mr. Francis M. Connell
First Principles of Knowledge .............................. )lr. Michael .J. Mahony
A Dispute of the )lerli::eval School men ............... Mr. WilliamS. Singleton
The Atomic Theory .................................................. Mr..Francis .J. Suter
The Immortality of the Soul.. ............................ Mr. Ambrose J. O'Connell
The Criterion of Truth ............................................ Mr. George R. Kister
Greek Pantheism ............ :········································: Mr. J. Barry Smith
The Possibles ................. : .................................... Mr. Lawrence J. Kenny
Human Testimony-Its Value .............................. Mr. l\lichael J. Tiernan
Tennyson as a Philosopher ......•.......................... Mr. William IL Fanning
�VARIA.
The Ethics of the Odyssey ....................................... Mr. Joseph H. Smith
Herbert Spencer's "First Principles" ....•.••.•..•....••••..... Mr. David H. Buel
Scientific.
The Wonders of the Air ••...••..•.••..•••••.••.•••........
~Ir.
Ambrose J. O'Connell
Hawaian Volcanoes ........•.....•...............•..•••....••...... Mr. Henry A. Gabriel
The Surface Tension of" Liquids •••••••••••.••••••.•••.••••........ Mr. David H. Buel
Stationary an<l Locomotive Steam Engines .•..•......
~Ir.
Michael R.
~IcCarthy
Phenomena of Acoustics .........•.••.•.......................•.. Mr. Francis J. McNitf
Total Eclipses of the Sun ....•.....•..••.....•....•.....•...•.•.•.•
Our Rivers ami What tht>y havt• accomplished ....••..
~Ir.
~[r.
Joseph A. Raby
Thomas J. Conners
· ~Iagnetism and Diamagnetism .......................... Mr. John H. Lodenkamper
This academy has been unusually successful during the past year. The
meetings ha'=e been hehl in the physi('al ('abinet, and the lectures have been
illustrated by the lantern. Those on Surface Tension, Phenomena of Aeons·
tics, Total Eclipses of the Sun, ~[ag·netism and Diamagneti~m, were accom·
panied by numerous physical experiments. The meetings are held on
extraordinary holitlays from 5.:lo to 6.30 P. M.
Winter Disputations.- Feb. 15 ami lG.
Ex THACTATIJ DE DEO CREANTE-Defender, Mr. Joseph Riordan; Objectors, ~fessn<. John F. Galligan and Francis B. Klocker.
Ex TRACTATIT DE VERIJO INCARNATo-Defender, ~Ir. Thomas E. Sherman;
Objectors, ~fessrs. William B. Rogers and Patrick J. Casey.
Ex SACRA SCRIPTURA- Dissertation de doctrina lmmortalitatis apud
Ecclesiasten, by ~[r. James De Potter.
Ex PSYCHOLOGIA-D~fender, ~lr. Francis G. Russell; Objectors,
Edward Barry aJHl John H. ~[eyer.
~Iessrs.
Ex COS)!OLOGIA-Defender, ~Ir. Felix Weis; Objectors, Messrs. Paul
Brounts and .T. Barry Smith.
Ex Lome A ~[AJORr-Defendcr, ..\lr. Aloysius F. Heitkamp; Objectors,
Thomag M. Connell and James Chamai·d.
~Iessrs.
CHE)!!STRY-Illuminating Gas and its By-products- Lecturer, Mr. Law·
renee .J. Kenny; Assistrmts, Messrs. Francis J. ~IcNiff and Edward \V.
Raymond.
Spring Disp,utations.-Apri! 29 and
~fay
1.
EX THACTATU DE DEO CHEANTE- Defender, .Mr. Aloysius Brosnan;
Objectors, ~[essrs. John F. Quirk and George Rittmeyer.
Ex TRACTATU DE VERBO INCARNATO-Defender, Mr. William G. R.
Mullan; Objectors, ~lessrs. Joseph Renaud and Edward P. Spillane.
�VARIA.
:68
Ex SACRA ScRU"TURA Joseph Riordan.
Dissertation de· Ecclesiaste Epic·ureo, by ~lr.
Ex ETHICA-Defender, Mr. Henry Gabriel; Objectors,
Kane am! )fartin J. Hussey.
~Iessrs.
Michael J.
Ex COS3lOLOGrA-Defender, Mr. Francis J. McNiff; Objectors, Messrs.
WilliamS. Singleton and John H. LodenkaiU:per.
Ex O:>TOLOGIA-Defender, )fr. ·Daniel O'Sullivan; Objectors, 'Messrs.
George R. Kister am! Herman J. Goller.
Pnysrcs-Dielectrics-Lccturcr, Mr. David H. Buel; Assistants, :Hessrs.
f'rancis J. Suter and John B. Moskopp.
ASTRON03IY-The Solar System-Lecturer, lllr. Joseph A. Raby.
Library.-Fr. J. Rathgeb, Provincial of Germany, kindly sent us the first
four \"ols. of Fr. Guido )!aril\ Dre\·es. They are puhlis!JPd by Fues, Leipsic.
·1st vol. '86: Cantiones:noheniic::c~ Leiche, Liet!er nn<l Rufc <les l:l, 14 nnd 15.
Jahrhundt•rts. ~nt! vol. '88: Hymnarius l\Ioissiacensis. Hymnarium der ·
Abtei ~Ioissac im 10 Jahrhumlert. 3nl vol. '88: Conradus. Gemuicensis.
Conrad von Heimbnrg, Albert \"On Prag und Ulrich von 'Vessobrun, Reim·
gebete und Leselieder. -lth vol. '8!1: Hymni lnediti. Liturgische Hymnen
des .~Iittelalters ans hamhchriftliehen Breviarien, Antiphonalien un<l Proccssionalien. The other works of Fr. Dreves will be sent when they are
published.
Parish.-The improvements on the parish church are still progressing. A
pretty steeple has just been erected, the top of its gil<led cross being :32 feet
from pitch of roof and .~0 fe<'t from the grou1Hl. A rich velvet ganctnary
carpet recently put <Mwn, an<l a ganct.uary railing of polisht•d bra's with black
walnut top-rail complete the adornment of the interior. Th<' terraces around
the church have bet'n tini~he<l and the stonl' work pointed, thus giving the
exterior a finished appt•arnnce.-In accordance with the wishes of the Cardinal Archbishop, here as in all the other ehurehes throughout the land a
.Mass of thanbgiving was sung on April :!0, after which thei11:ayer for the
authorities was sail! am! an eloquent st•rmon preached by Fr. F. P. Powl'rs.
Office of the LETTERH.-N o <loubt many will be disappointed'in not finding
any account of the labors of our missionaries in our last three numlwrs. The
fault is not ours; we have trietl to secure an authentic account but thus far
without succesg, owin,o; no <loubt to the fact that our missionaries are overburdened with other work. 'Ve hope, howe\·er, to have a chronicle of the
past year's work in our next number.
The attention of those who writt• for the LETTERS is called to the fact that
we are publishing- each nnmher a month earlier than formerly. The next
number should thPreforc he out in Oetober. Items for the Varia should
he sent in <lnring September, arHlmatter for the body of the LETTERS as soon
as possible.
ERRATA :-p. 1.53, date of letter, fur Dec. 31, read Dec. 1.
"
firKt line,
" "parrot" " Parrott.
p. 193, last line,
"
large
" bronze.
�WOODSTOCI( LETTERS
VOL. XVIII, No. 3·
GONZAGA COLLEGE.
A SKETCH OF SOME OF ITS PRESIDENTS, PROFESSORS,
AND STUDENTS.(!)
vVhilst the glory of the Georgetown College centenary
celebration is yet undimmed, the orations of its panegyrists
yet remembered, and the friendships of its alumni reunions
yet uncooled, the sons of the "eldest daughter of Georgetown"-for such is their boast-desire that her history be
written.
And a glorious history is hers. It is the history of an
institution that, long before the advent of the public schools,
and long before the founding of the present private schools
and colleges of the city, was the sole educator of the youth
of the District" of Columbia, and the chief instrument that
formed the public mind. Indeed, so great was its influence
that a leading journalist has said : "Nine out of ten of the
old citizens of \Vashington seem to have been, at one time
or other, pupils of Gonzaga College." Though this statement may not be strictly true, yet an examination of the
old records will show a galaxy of the most prominent business and professional men of \Vashington. It was the alma
mater of Henry May, Member of Congress from Baltimore;
of Capt. May, the hero of the battle of Resaca de Ia Palma p>
(t) This sketch, which fir,t appeared in the Chnrch News, of March li, 188!1,
was written with the hope of benefiting "olll Gonzaga." ]fence care was
taken not to omit any list of names, or notice of distinguished officers and
students that retlected credit upon the institution.
(2) This battle (May !l, 1~4G) was distinguished for the desperate charge of
Captain May, who, at the hea<l of his <lra>:oons, rode up to the very mouth
of the enemy's cannon, silenced the batteries, and took Gen. \'ega prisoner.Records of thr Mexican JVm·.
VoL. xvm, No.3·
r8
�GONZAGA COLLEGlt.
of Dr. Frederick May; of Dr. Noble Young; of William
Douglas Wallach, founder of the Star; of his brother Richard H. Wallach, Mayor of Washington; of James M. Carlisle,
one of the most distinguished of American lawyers; of
Fathers William F. Clarke, James A. Ward, Robert Fulton,
William B. Cleary, and Daniel Lynch; of the late Judge
Wm. M. Merrick; of James Hoban, George W. Anderson,
John F. Callan; of the Brents, Boones, Diggses, Masis,
Riggses, Morgans, Hamiltons, Magruders, Mattinglys, etc.
FR. ANTHONY KOHLMANN.
Fr. Anthony Kohlmann was appointed in 1820 the first
rector of Gonzaga C2_l!ege, which was then located on F
street, between Ninth ahd Tenth, northwest. Father Kohlmann was born on the 13th of July, 1771, at Kaysersberg,
near Colmar, Alsace, where he made his early studies.
Prevented for a time by the political troubles of that period
from following a decided call to the ecclesiastical state, he
at length succeeded in finishing his course of theology at
the college of Fribourg, Switzerland, and was ordained
priest in the spring of 1796. Immediately after his ordination he became a member of the Society of the Sacred
Heart, at Gogingen. This was an association of clergymen,
founded to revive the spirit and labors of the Society of
Jesus. Compelled to leave Belgium by the revolution, these
fathers after many wanderings finally settled at Hagenbrunn,
in Austria. Shortly after their ar·rival here, in 1797, a Roman priest, Father Paccanari, not knowing of tl}t.: existence
of the Society of the Sacred Heart, organized~ the Society
of the Faith of Jesus, with precisely the same object in view.
When he heard of the prior establishment he endeavored to
effect a union between the two. In this he was successful.
Elected superior on April 18, 1799, Father Paccanari sent
his subjects to Germany, France, Italy, and Holland, to
preach the word, to instruct youth, and to serve in the hospitals.
In this last work Father Kohlmann took especial delight.
So heroic were his efforts to relieve the sufferings of the
victims of an epidemic which ravaged Hagenbrunn in 1799,
that he was styled the "Martyr of Charity." With like devotedness he labored in the North of Italy amongst the
patients in military hospitals that were reeking with filthiness and destitute of conveniences for the comfort of the
sick. · From four o'clock in the morning till nine at night
he was incessantly engaged in these establishments, and for
five or six hours he heard confessions, often in a standing
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
posture, to avoid being covered with vermin. During the
two years passed in these works of mercy, the great majority of the soldiers received the sacraments, a,nd hundreds of
Protestants were brought back to the Church. More than
forty were reclaimed by Fr. Kohlmann during the two weeks
that closed the mission.
He was next stationed at Dilligen, Bavaria, presiding over
a college, then in Belgium and England, and afterwards in
Holland.
But he was destined to use his talents in a field where
the harvest was ripe but the harvesters few, and where revolution after revolution would not come to interrupt his
apostolicallabors. For his fondest hopes were not realized
nor the intense longings of his heart satisfied, until he became a novice of the Society of Jesus in Dunebourg, Russia, on the 2rst of June, r8o5. So well did he learn the
lessons of St. Ignatius in one year of noviceship, that his
superiors deemed him qualified for the American mission.
Accordingly he sailed for this country, in company with
Father Peter Epinette, arriving in Baltimore on Nov. 3,
r8o6. In the letter which their superior sent to Bishop
Carroll, they are called "regular, docile, obedient, and in
every way deserving religious." Father General Thaddeus
Brzozowski wrote to Father Wm. Strickland in reference to
these fathers : SanDi angeli custodes pnccedmzt et comitmtur
/zas Societatis primitias I Filii sanDorum sumus / non erimus
degencres a spiritu et a[lionibus patrzmz.
On his arrival at Georgetown College, Father Kohlmann
was appointed socius to the master of novices, Father Francis
Neale. "With great fervor and unction" says Father McElroy, "he gave the novices frequent exhortations, which
produced the most happy effects; he also introduced the
customs, penances, etc., usual in the Society as he had found
them in Russia. They differed but little from those now in
use in the novitiate, except that we took breakfast standing."
Besides this work, he gave missions this year to German
and English congregations in Maryland and Pennsylvania,
and occasionally said Mass for the Catholics of Alexandria,
Va. Shea (I) says of these missions : "The results were
most consoling, for Father Kohlmann was a man pre-eminent in theological learning, and in the pulpit making truth
clear "to the most limited intelligence, in words that reached
the heart while they instructed the mind."
Archbishop Carroll sent him in October, r8o8, to New
York City, as pastor of St. Peter's Church and as adminis<•> Life and Times of Archbishop Carroll, p. 525.
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
trator of the diocese. His assistant was Father BenediCt
Fenwick, afterwards Bishop of Boston. In order to accommodate the increasing number of Catholics, he purchased a
large plot of ground in what was then unimproved land,
between Broadway and the Bowery, and laid the cornerstone of old St. Patrick's Cathedral on June 8, 1809.
Confident that a college of the Society would prosper in
the city of New York, he purchased for $I 300 an entire
square on the site of the present cathedral, and there established the "New York Literary Institution." This college,
having an able corps of professors, and enjoying the patronage of Ex-Governor Livingstone, Governor Tompkins, and
other distinguished citizens who sent their sons, gave brilliant promise of a g~orio.l.!.s future.
In I 809 the infidel Thomas Paine lay dying. As he had
given positive orders that no Protestant minister should be
admitted to his chamber, some one of his l<mily summoned
Father Fenwick to his bedside. H~ went, accompanied by
Father Kohlmann. Paine seemed at first not offended at their
visit, but refused to listen to the consoling truths of the Christian h<ith which they suggested to him. His sufferings were
so terrible, and his continuous blasphemies and howls of despair so horrible atid disgusting that the fathers were obliged
to withdraw and leave the infidel to die as he had lived.
Since the preceding paragraph was written, the following
copy of a letter from Bp. Fenwick to his brother, Fr. George
Fenwick, then at Georgetown, was found in the vVoodstock
Historical ColleCtion. The letter is dated Boston, Dec. 28,
1833. In the first part, Bp. Fenwick refutes a calu.i1~ny circulated in Europe at the time against "a German Jesuit in
America" whose name is not mentioned. \Ve insert the
rest of the letter here as it contains a graphic description
of the incident referred to.
Yon mention likewi~e in your letter that the re~pectablc mHl
truly pion~ F. Kohlmann ha,; likcwi:-:e been a~sailetl; f(n·, it i;;
thus you "-rite under the same tlatc:
"The death of Tom Paine in his habitual impiety hm< nlBo been
ascribed to the rashness and furious zeal of Fath. Kohlmann.
You are said to have first vi~itcd that unhappy man in his last
illnc~s and to have made such <lecp impressions on him that
Paine promised to consider the arguments propo~e<l mot·c maturely and become a Catholic if he should be satisfietl of their full
· fiJrce. You mentioned what had occurred to F. Kohlmann on
returning home, who said that he wonl<l go himself to Paine.He went and threatened the dying man with reprobation and
damnation in sueh a way as to di~gust him, an<l he afterw:mls refused to sec any clergyman." Having ~tatcd that this al~o has
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
273
been circulated in Europe, you conclude with requesting me to
give a true statement of what happened.
In answer I have to observe that the entire is a fabrication.
Any attempt to injure F. Kohlmann, on account of his interview
with Paine, will neces~arily fail. I was pre~ent with F. Kohlmann the whole time at Paine's 'bed-side, and the only time that
either of us ~aw him; I haven distinct recollection. of all that
pa~~cd on that occa~ion; and I am glad to have the opportunity
to put down ,.:o injuriou,.; a calumny, although persuaded that the
whole tenor of the life and conver,.;ation of that excellent Jesuit
is sueh that it sta!l(l:' not in need of my vindication. The fact
was as "follows :
·
A short time before Paine died, I was sent for by him. - He
was prompted to thi,; by a poor Catholic ''"onum, who went to see
him in hi~ siekne,.:,;, and who had told him among other things,
that. in hi,.: wrctehed condition, if an:· body could do him good it
\\·cmlcl be a Rom. Catholic Priest. This woman was an American convert (£mnerly a Shaking Quakeress), whom I had received into the Church hut a few weeb before. She was the
bearer of the me,.:,;agc to me fhnn Paine. I stated the circumstance to F. Kohlmann at Breakfa~t, and requested him to accompany me. After soniC ~olieitation on my part, he agreed to
· do so, at whieh I was greatly rejoiced, because I was at that time
quite young and inexperienced in the ministry, and was glad to
have hi,; n"~istance, as I knew from the great reputation of Paine,
that I shoulcl have to clo with one of the most impioiU< as well as
il(fiwwll-~ of men. \Yc shortly after ~et out f(w the house at
Greenwich where Paine lodged; and on the way agreed upon a
mode of proceeding with him. .If this mmle afterwards fitilcd of
sueee,;s, why should the fitilurc be imputed to F. Kohlmann any
more than to me? \Y c were both conecrned in it, a!l(l had equally
agree<l upon it a~ the best, \UHler circumstance,.:, that could he
adoptetl. \Vhy ~houlrl, in f[tct, either of us he blamed? \Ye
both went with the pure~t and sincerest intention of reelaiming
an unhappy Intitlcl ;-and if we mi"~cd gaining him over by the
plan each of us had hopetl might prove successful, with the grace
of Gocl, might it not with ~omc rea~on be ascribctl rather to the
pritk, the Yanity nncl hardne~s of Paine'~ heart? -to the ju~t
judgment of the Almighty who had ~aid, that we slwafd die a8 we
lirerll
L
\Ve arriYccl at the hou~e, - a decent looking elderly woman
(probably hi~ housekeeper) came to the· door, and encptircd
whether wl' were the Catholic Priest,.;; f(n·, said ~he, -:\f r. Paine
hn~ ht'l'n ~o ll!Ueh annoyccl of lnte by mini~ter~ of clificrent other
Dl'nominntion~ ealling upon him, that he has left expre,;~ orders
with HIE' to admit no one to-1lay hut the Clcr(!ymen of the Catholic
Church. Upon a~,.;nring her-that we were 'cat h. Clergymen, she
opened the door ancl ~hewe<lus into the Parlour. She then left
the room and shortly after returned to infimn u~, that Paine was
asleep; and at the ~nnw time expressed a wi~h, that we would
not disturb him: fur, said she, he i,.; alway,.; in a bad humour
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GONZAGA COLLEGE.
when roused out of his sleep-it is better to wait a little till he be
awake. "'Ve accordingly sat down, and resolved to await the favourable moment.-"Gentlemen," said the lady after having taken
her seat also, "I really wish you may succeed with Mr. Paine;
for, he is labouring under great distress of mind ever since he
was informed by his Physician that he cannot possibly live, and
must die shortly. He sent for you to-day, because he was told,
that if any one could do him good, you might. Possibly he may
think that you know of some remedy, that his Physicians are ignorant of. He is truly to be pitied. His cries, "·hen he is left
alone, are heartrending. 0 Lord help me, he will exclaim during
his paroxysms of distress, God help me, Jesus Chri.st help me, repeating the same expressions without any, the least, variation, in
a tone of voice that would alarm the house. Sometimes he will
say: 0 God n·lwt hare I •~1111e to suffer so much I Then shortly
after: But there is no God I and again a little after: Yet, ff there
sltmt!d be, 7dwt 7t>ill become of me hereafter! Thus he will continue for some time, when on a sudden he will scream as if in
terror and agony, and call out for me by name. On one of these
occasions, which are very frequent, I went to him and inquired
what he wanted? 'Stay with me,' he replied, 'for God's sake,
stay with me; for I cannot bear to be left alone.' I then observed that I could not always he with him as I had much work·
to attend to in the house. 'Then,' said he, 'send et•en a child to
stay n•ith me; for it ·is a hell to be alone.' I never saw, she concluded, a more unhappy-a more forsaken man ! It seems he
cannot reconcile hinlself to die."
Huch was the conversation of the woman who had received us,
and who probably had been employed to nurse, and take care of
him during his illnc~s. She was a Protc:<tant; yet seemed very
desirous that we should aflurd him some relief in hi.~ state of
abandonment, and bordering on complete despair. n:tving re. mained thus some time in the Parlour, we at length heard a noise
in the adjoining room acro~s the pa~:"age-way, which induced us to
believe that Mr. Paine, who was sick in that room, had awoke.
- "'Ve according1y propo:;ed to proceed thither, which was assented to hy the woman, and she opened the door for us. On entering
we found him just getting out of his slumber. A more wretched
being in appearance I never before beheld. He was lying in a
bed sufficiently decent of itself; but at present besmeared with
filth, his look that of a man greatly tortured in mind, his eyes
haggard, his countenance forbidding, and his whole appearance
that of one whose latter days had been but one continued scene
of. debauch. His only nourishment at this time, as we were informed, was nothing more than milk punch, in which he indulged
to the full extent of his weak state. He had partaken undoubtedly but very recently of it, as the sides and corners of his mouth
exhibited but very unequivocal traces of it, as well as of blood,
which also flowed in the track, and left its marks on the pillow.
His face, to a certain extent, had also been besmeared with it.
The head of his bed was against the side of the room through
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
275
which the door opened. Father Kohlmann, having entered first,
took a seat on the side near the foot of his bed. I took my seat
on the same side, near the head. Thus, in the posture in which
Paine lay, his eyes could easily bear on F. Kohlmann, but not on
me easily without turning his head.
As soon as we had seated ourselves, Fath. Kohlmann in a mild
tone of voice informed him that we were Catholic Priests, and
were come on his invitation to see him. Paine made no reply.
After a short pause F. Kohlmann proceeded thus, addressing
himself to Paine in the French language, thinking that, as Paine
had been in France, he was perfectly acquainted with that language (which was, however, not the fact), and might understand
better what he said, as he had, at that time, a greater facility and
could express his thoughts much better in it than in the English.
"~Ionsr. Paine, j'ai lu votre livre entitule L' Age de Rai8on, ou
vous avez attaque l'Ecriture Rainte avec une violence sans bornes,
et d'autres de vos ecrits puhlies en France-et je suis persuade
que..... "
Paine here interrupted him abruptly, and in a sharp tone of
voice, ordered him to speak in English-thus: "Speak English,
man, speak English." Father Kohlmann without shewing the
least embarrassment, resumed his discourse, and expressed himself nearly as follows, after his interruption, in English:"Ur. Paine, I have read your book entitled The Age of Rea8on,
as well as other of your writings against the Chri~tian Religion,
and am at a loss to imagine how a man of your good sense could
have employed his talents in attempting to undermine what, to
say nothing of its divine establishment, the wisdom of ages has
deemed most conducive to the happiness of man. The Christian
Religion, Sir, .... "
"That's enough, Sir,-that's enough," said Paine, again interrupting him, "I see what you would he about-! wish to hear no
more from you, Sir. My mind is made up on that subject- I
look upon. the whole Christian scheme to be a tissue of absurdities and lies-and your J- C- to be nothing more than a cunning knave, and an impostor."
Fath. Kohlmann here attempted to speak again, when Paine
with a lowering countenance ordered him instantly to be silentand to trouble him no more. "I have told you already, Sir, that
, I wi;o;h to hear nothing more from you."
"The Bible, Sir," said F. Kohlmann, still attempting to speak,
"is a sacred and divine Book, which has stood the test and the
criticism of abler pens than yours- pens which have made, at
least, some show of argument, and .... "
,
"Your Bible," returned Paine, "contains nothing but Fables,
yes, Fables, Sir, and I have proved it to a demonstration."
All this time I looked on the monster with pity mingled with
indignation at his blasphemies. I felt a degree of horror at
thinking that in a very short time, he would he cited to appear
before the tribunal of that God whom he had so shockingly
blasphemecl1 with all his sins upon him ! Seeing that Father
�276
GONZAGA COLLEGE.
Kohlmann had completely failc!l ii1 making any impres~ion upon
him, and that Paine would li:<ten to Jwthing- which came from
him-nor would even ~uffer him to ~peak, I finally concluded to
try what effect I might have; I acconling-ly eommenccd with
ob~erving: "Mr. Paine, you will certainly allow that th2n~ exi~t:;
a God, and that thi~ God cannot he imlifferent to the co!Hluct
and action~ of hi:; creature~."-"! "·ill allow nothing, Sir," he
ha~tily replied, "I :<hall make no cunfe.~--ion."
'''Yell, Sir, if you
will listen calmly for one moment," ,,aid I, "I will prove to yon
that there is :<ueh a Being-aiHl I \rill !l~mOJJ."tr:tte from his very
nature that he cannot be an illle ~pcdator of our conduct." "Sir, I
wi:-:h to hear nothing yon have to ~ay ;-I ~cc your objcc:, Gentlemen, i,: to trouble me ;-I wi:'h von to leave the room." Thi,;
he ~poke in an exceedingly angry· tone - ~o much "o as to fimm
at the month. "Mr. Paine," I continued, "I a"''urc you, our object in coming hither w:l.-1· purely to do you g-oOll. \V e had no
other motive. "\Ve had IK'en gin•11 to tuulerAaiHl that yon wi~hetl
to "ee u:-:, and we arc come accordingly; hecntt.'L', it i,: a principle
with us never to refu"e our sen·iec,: to a dying man a"king fin·
them. But fin· thi:-< we ~lwnl!l not have cot11e; fin·, we never obtrude them on any individual." Paine, on hcari11g this, ~eemed
to relax a little; in a milder tone of voice than any he had
hitherto n,.:ed, he replied: "Yon ea11 tlo me no good now - It i,;
too late. I have tried different Phy:,ician", aiHl their remedie:;
have all failed. I have nothing now to expl'et (thi• he ~poke
with a ~igh) hut a ~pePdy t\i,:.:olntion. ~[y Phy~ieian~ have, indeed, told me a~ much." "You have mi,:nntler~tootl me," ''aid I
immediately to him, "we are not come to pre,:eribc any remediel'
fi1r your bodily eomplaint~-we only come to make you an offer
of our mini~try for the go()(l of your immortal ''ot!l, whieh i~ in
great danger of being fin·ever ca~t off' by the Almi):!hty on account of your ;-;in"; at HI e~pecially f(n· the erimL~ of lut\·i..ng vilifietl
and rejeeted hi~ won!, and uttered hl:t<phemie~ ngaiiL't hi:< Son."
Paine, on hearing thi~, wa.' rmt~c·d into n fnry - he gritted hi~
teeth twi~ted and turned him,dfl'cn•rnl time:' in hi' hetl utteringall tl;e while the hittere"t imprecation~. I firmly helicw, "uch w:~s
the rage in which he wa" at thi~ time, tha• if he hat! hat! a pi~tol he
would have shot one of u"; for he eontlnetctl him:•clf more like
a madman than a rational ereatnrc. He onleretl 11~ peremptorily
to leave the room, and to leave it in~tantly. "Bc•gone," Hay~ he,
"and trouble me no more. I 'va~ in peace," he continued, "till yon
camc."-""\Ve know better than that," replied F. Kohlmauu,"we know that yon camiot be iu pcaee-there can he no peace to
the wickPd. God hn~ ~aid it." "Away wi~h yon all(l ~·our Go(l too
-leave the room it1~tantly," he exdaime(l, - "all tlwt yon han:
uttered arc lie:-:-filthy lie"; aud if I hat! hut a little more time
I would prove it, as I tlitl about your impo.--tnr J- C-." "Monster," exelaimcd F. Kohlmaun, in a bur~t of zeal, "yon \rill have
no niore time. Your hour i~ arrived. Think rather of the awful
account which you have already to render-and implore pardon
of your God-provoke no longer his juHt indignation upon your
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
277
guilty head." Paine here again ordered us to retire, in the high- ·
est pitch of his voice, and seemed a very maniac with rage and
madne<'s. "Let us ~o," said I to F. Kohlmann, "we have nothing
more to do here. He l"eems to be entirely abandoned by God;further words nrc lost upon him."
Upon thi~, we withdrew both, from the room, and left the unf(ntunate wretch to his own thoughts. I never, before or since,
beheld a more hardened wretch.
This, you may rely upon it, is a faithful and true account of
the transaction. You are welcome to make "·hat use of it you
plca~e. It is the fir:3t time I have ever taken a minute of it, although I have always had it in my mind to do so. I have ~kctched
it now only, because I see from your letter, that there is an immediate nece:3sity f()r it, to remove the fin!l a~per:3ion which has
been attempted, in Europe, to be ca"t upon the character of F.
Kohlmann, filr whom I luwe the highest re~pect and esteem,and ~hall ever have on account of hi~ many virtues, and his eminent and di;:tinguishcd piety. His life with u~ was uniformly
edifying, and I l'incerely believe, it has continued to be :,:o since
his return to Europe; for, he never was a reed to be shaken by
the wind, either here or any where else.
I remain y' aff'• Brother
(Signed)~ BENEDICT, Bp. of Boston.
P. S. I have taken no copy of thi:; letter. If yon deem it
worth presen·ing, have the goodne~s to take a Copy of it and
keep it where I may, ,;honld I ever have occasion to do so, recur
to it myself.
(Signed) ~ B. Bp. B".
On a certain day in the year I 810. Father Kohlmann baptized a child, who had been carried by its father from Brooklyn to St. Peter's Church. That child was John McCloskey,
destined to become the first American cardinal. Years
afterward, when young Father McCloskey was a student of
the Roman College, he selected Father Kohlmann for his
confessor.
\Vhilst this zealous priest was working fo_r the mental and
moral improvement of the Catholics of New York, he was
summoned; in 1813, as a witness in regard to property stolen
from one Keating. Father Kohlmann, who had restored
the goods to the owner through the confessional, respectfully
refused to testify. At the request, however,_ of the trustees
of St. Peter's Church, who desired that the case be legally
settled once for all, he so well established the Catholic doctrine of the secrecy of the confessiortal, that the decision
of the court was that a priest should not be compelled to
testify in such a caseY> Father Kohlmann afterwards pub(t) The principle of this decision was afterwards embodied in a statute: "No
minister of the Gospel, or priest of any denomination whatsoever, shall be
allowed to disclose any confessions made to him in his profe33ional character,
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
·Iished, under the title of "The Catholic Question in America,"
the proceedings of the trial, with an appendix containing a
clear exposition of the Church's teaching in regard to the
sacrament of penance. It is distinguished for its methodi-.
cal arrangement and solidity of argument, and is unquestionably the best vindication of the sacrament of penance that
has ever appeared in English on this side of the Atlantic,
and perhaps in Europe.< 1>
. About this time he introduced into the United States the
Ursuline Sisters from the celebrated Blackrock Convent, at
Cork, Ireland.
Not long after the arrival, on December 2, 1815, of Right
Rev. John Connolly, second Bishop of New York, Father
Kohlmann was recalled ta .~aryland, together with the faculty of the New York Literary Institution. The reason is
2
thus given by Dr. Shea < >: ''Bishop Concanen had taken
umbrage at the appointment of Father Kohlmann as vkargeneral, and at the establishment of a Jesuit college.
Bishop Connolly seems to have shared the same feelings,
and to have disapproved generally of the management of
the diocese by Father Kohlmann as administrator. The
organization of the diocese was, however, the work of Fr.
Kohlmann as vicar-general and administrator."
On arriving at Georgetown College, he received his appointment to \Vhitemarsh, Md., as master of novices. When
he heard that his friend Archbishop Carroll was dying, he
hastened to Baltimore and was in time to receive the prelate's last blessing, on Dec. 3, 1815. Another Jesuit. Father
John Grassi, was there also, at the archbishop's reqpest, to
administer unto him the last consolations of religion.
On September 10, 1817, Fr. Kohlmann became superior
of the Maryland Mission, reCI:or of Georgetown College,
and professor of dogmatic theology. He held these offices
until August 15, 1820, when, in addition to the office of superior of the mission, he was named reCI:or of the Washington Seminary, a house of studies opened that year in the
city of Washington. Here he also taught dogmatic theology to the following theologians : third year-Virgil Horace
Barber, Stephen Larigaudelle Dubuisson, German us Sannen;
second year-Joseph Schneller, Peter Walsh; first yearThomas Finegan, Jeremiah Keiley, Aloysius Mudd, and
J?hn Smith. The otper members of the community were
in the course of discipline enjoined b~ the rules or practice of such denomi·
nation."-Rev. Stat. of the State of New York, Part III., ch. vii, art. 8, sec.
72: Passed as part of the Rev. Stat., Dec. 10, 1828.
2
(1) Catholic Almanac, 1856.
< > Life and Times of Abp. Carroll, p. 666.
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
279
Fr. Maximilian Rantzau, professor of moral theology, and
Brs. James Fenwick, Patrick McLaughlin and \Nm. Taylor.
Yielding to the entreaties of Very Rev. William Matthews
and prominent citizens of Washington, Father Kohlmann
consented to establish a classical school for day scholars in
connection with the seminary. To do this he had to employ
some of the theologians as teachers. The college was
opened in September, i82 I ,and was the first college in the city
of Washington; for, if we mistake not, it was founded some
months prior to the beginning of the Columbian University.
It was here that he wrote his learned work "Unitarianism:
Philosophically and Theologically Considered," in refutation
of Jared Sparks and other Unitarian ministers. The arguments for the Incarnation are so well stated that they are at
this day frequently made use of by students of theology.
This book was also esteemed worthy of being read for years
in the refectory of St. Mary's Seminary, Baltimore.
When Father Kohlmann was rector of the seminary he
became acquainted with Mrs. Ann Mattingly, sister of the
Hon. Thomas Carbery, then mayor of the city of Washington. This lady had been suffering for seven years from a
tumor or cancer, that subjected her to intense pain and reduced her to the point of death, when Father Kohlmann
advised her to have recourse to the prayers of Prince Alexander de Hohenlohe. She accordingly began on March I,
I 824, a novena in honor of the name of Jesus, as the prince
had recommended, and on March 10th, after the reception
of Holy Communion, she was completely restored to health.
Directed by the ability and experience of Father Kohlmann, Gonzaga College soon became the leading school of
Washington.
But he was destined for a more responsible office. Pope
Leo XII., who had, in I824, restored the Roman College to
the Society of Jesus, summoned Father Kohlmann to ·Rome
to fill the chair of theology. His term of five years in this
position merited the praise of His Holiness, who placed his
own library at his service, and who, it is said, intended to
promote him to the cardinalate. On one occasion, when
Cardinal Cullen, then a student of the. propaganda, was publicly defending propositions of theology, Father Kohlmann's
objections to the defender's theses elicited expressions of
delight and satisfaction from the Holy Father. At another
time, his examination of the acts of a council held in Transylvania was warmly praised by the Pope, who was impressed
by the evidences of his profound learning and pleased with
his promptness in executing a great labor. The present Pope,
Leo XIII., was one of his pupils at the Roman College.
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GONZAGA COLLEGE.
Later on, in the pontificate of Gregory XVI., he was
promoted to the office of Qualificator of the Roman Inquisition. He was already a member of the Congregations of
Ecclesiastical Aff:<irs, and of Bishops and Regulars, and Consultor of the Inquisition. The last years of his life were
spent at the Gesu, in constant labor for the salvation of souls.
He was so devoted to the work of reconciling sinners to
God, that death came near finding f1im at his post in the
confessional. His zeal was rewarded by numbers of striking
conversions. It was he who reconciled to God the Rev.
Augustine Theiner, of the Oratory of St. Philip Neri, who
had wandered many years in doubt and error.
.
It is said that he was·very easy in the confessional, never
refusing absolution. I~. answer to a friend who asked him
if he did not fear this accusation at the Judgment, he replied:
"I have an answer ready. I will say that I aCted as our
Lord did in the case of the woman taken in adultery."
On April IO, I836, fortified by the Holy Viaticum, he
closed a life wholly dedicated to the service of his Master.
Many pious persons begged the favor of something he had
made use of during life. By none, however, was his mem- ·
ory held in higher benediCtion than by the lay-brothers of
the Society of Jesus. And they had reason to remember
him; for Father Kohlmann, though enjoying the esteem of
popes and the friendship of cardinals, always showed a particular affeCtion for the humble lay-brothers.
OPENING OF GOXZAGA COLLEGE.
..,· ..·
The opening of the College, on September 8, I 82 I, was
announced in the National llttdlz~:;mccr. The advertisement
states that "the different classes will be superintended by
appropriate teachers. The hours of attendance in the summer season will be from 7 A. ~!. to I 2 M., and from 8 A. M.
.till I 2 111. in winter, and at all seasons from 2 to 5 l'. ~1."
Just think of it, ye degenerate sons of studious sires! Your
grandfathers were at school studying their lessons long· before you think of rising from bed. · One cannot help wondering what kind of boys they were. Yet we have no warrant
for supposing that the boys of I 82 I, who spent eight hours
in school, differed physically-perhaps they did mentallyfrom the boys of I889, who spend only five hours at their
books.
•
The boys who went to school on that first September
morri of the seminary found the following officers in charge:
Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, president, Fr. Max. Rantzau, vicepresident, Mr. Jeremiah Keiley, teacher of first grammar
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
class, Mr. Jerome Mudd, teacher of second grammar, Mr.
Peter ·walsh, teacher of third grammar, Mr. James Neill,
assistant teacher.
·
That those first students made good use of their eight
hours a day is shown by an announcement of January I,
I 82 I, stating that "the course of st-udies will be extended to
include all the classical authors, and also a full course of
mathematics." But, in order, probably, to restrain their studious ardor, "in the future the boys will attend from 8:30
to I 2 M., and from 2 to 5 P. ~!." Mayhap this change was
wrought by the efforts of some youthful agitator, whose
prophetic spirit saw the a...
~itation that was to come in favor
of shorter hours of ,labor. History is silent on this point.
Did the old annalist know that the present sketch was to be
written, he might have been more explicit. He would then
have added the reason for the following curious statement:
"The students of the English department will pay the addition of $ r per quarter for .fuel during the winter."
On July 27th-note this date, boys of 188g-"his honor,
the mayor of ·washington, politely consented to perform
the ceremony of distributing the premiums." With the
hope that some old boy still survives, whose joy on now
reading his name may be as great as it was on that happy
day in 1822, when he was awarded a premium, or merited
honorable mention at the first commencement of Gonzaga
College, we publish the following names of the "young
gentlemen who gave proof of superior talent and application
in the respective classes to which they belong:
First class-Premium for Greek and French, Master James
Hoban; ·accesserunt, George W. Anderson, Noble Young,
and Thomas Brent. Premium for Latin-Master George vV.
Anderson; accesserunt, James Hoban and Thomas Cutts.
Second class- Premium for Latin and Greek, Master
Charles W. Chauncey; accesserunt, William Carr and John
Boone. Premium for French-Master Chas. \V. Chauncey;
accesserunt, John Boone and Peter Chauncey.
Third Class-Premium for Latin and French, Master John
Mattingly; accesserunt, Alex. \Villiams and Giles Dyer.
Eng!is!t Department-First class-Premium for English
and French, Master Philip Masi ; accessit, Augustus Fleury.
Second class-Premium for English and French, Master
Alex. Hillman; accesserunt, Hugh A. Goldsborough and
Overton Carr.
Third class-Premium for English Grammar, Master John
Costigan; accesserunt, Charles Moss anc~ James McCorkle.
Mathematics, Master James Hoban; accesserunt, Thomas
Cutts, Edward Travis, and Chas. Chauncey.
�GONZAGA COLLEGE.
Arithmetic, Philip Masi ; accesserunt, Alex. Williams,
Giles Dyer, and John Mattingly.
Geography, George 'vV. Anderson; accesserunt, Thomas
Cutts, James Hoban, and Philip Masi.
Premium for superior application during the past year,
Master James Hoban."
This brilliant record of young James Hoban was, as every
old Washingtonian knows, only a faint glimmer of his future
illustrious career. It should be noted that these boys were
subjeB:ed, on the day preceding the distribution of awards,
to a public examination, in the presence of their parents and
friends, from 8.30 A.M. to 12 1\f. The John Boone mentioned
above was the father of Fr. Edward Boone, now of Philadelphia, sometime president of Holy Cross College, 'vVorcester, Mass., and in I 884 vice-president of Gonzaga College.
FR. ADAM MARSHALL.
The second president of Gonzaga College, Fr. Adam
Marshall, was born at Conewago, Pa., on November I8,
I785. He entered the Society on the 10th of OB:ober, I 807.
In his first year of noviceship he studied philosophy, which
was followed probably by a three years' course in theology,
some of which had to be made from I8og to I8II whilst he
was teaching in .the New York Literary Institution. He
was ordained in Baltimore by Bishop Neale, on June 8, 18I 1.
Immediately after his ordination, he was sent to Newtown,
but had scarcely begun his labors there before he was recalled to New York. On the closing of the colleg_e in I8I3,
he was sent to St. Thomas' Manor. From then·ce he was
removed in I8I8 to his natal place, Conewago. We next
find him, in the early part of the year I 820, as professor of
mathematics at Georgetown College. On the zoth of August of this year, he was named procurator of the mission,
and as such was stationed during the last year of his term
at the Washington Seminary. On Father Kohlmann's retirement, he was appointed president of the seminary, at the
beginning of the year I 824. Father Marshall is described
by a student of that year as "a quiet and unobtrusive gentleman, fond of his books, and best known to the inmates of
the college by his attention to the good order of the classes,
and the diligence of.the students."
The fathers and scholastics who assisted Father Marshall
in the work of the schools were Fathers Jeremiah Keiley
and John Smith; Messrs. Samuel Newton, Joseph Schneller,
James Neale, and Edward McCarthy; and Brother Charles
Strahan. The saintly Father Stephen Dubuisson, the assistant
�GONZAGA COL!,ECE.
pastor of St. Patrick's Church, who had resided in the seminary from its beginning, heard the confessions of the students and instruCted them in Christian DoCtrine.
On July 4, I 824, the students took part with the pupils
of other schools, and with the local societies, in the first civic
procession in the city of vVashington. The National hztelligencer, in speaking of the celebration, says : "The procession
would have been anywhere considered a handsome one, but
being our first attempt at anything like a regular procession,
was of remarkable length, and presented really an interesting and splendid appearance."
LAFAYETTE'S VISIT TO WASHINGTON.
The boys also had the honor of forming an interesting
feature of the demonstration in honor of Lafayette's visit to
\Vashington on OCtober 12, 1824. They were drawn up in
line on each side of East Capitol street, and as the hero of
Yorktown passed by them, he was pleased to notice the joyous welcome that beamed from their bright faces. The
venerable Father Wm. F. Clarke, now professor of Evidences
of Religion at the college, and his old schoolmate, Father
James A. Ward, Socius to the Provincial, were in line with
the boys, and remember perfeCtly the gracious smile of the
great man.
Again, on OC!:ober 14, 1824, they were invited to unite
with the students of Georgetown College in their welcome
to "the favorite boy of Washington's camp." They met the
Georgetown boys on High street. The line of march was
there formed, with Fr. Thos. C. Levins and Rev. Wm. Matthews leading, followed by Father Marshall and the professors
of Gonzaga and Georgetown. On arriving at the college, Lafayette was received in the parlor by Father Francis Dzierozynsky, who, of course, wore cassock and beads. Then
he was welcomed by the president of the college, Father
Enoch Fenwick, by Father Marshall, and by the professors
and students of Georgetown and Washington. Years afterward, Lafayette, alluding in a speech in the French Assembly to this visit, spoke in terms of high praise of the Jesuits.
This was probably Father Marshall's last appearance in
public as president of the seminary. His health, never
strong, began to fail so rapidly, that his physician ordered
an ocean trip to the South of Europe. As two of Commodore Rodgers' sons were at this time students of the college,
it needed little influence on the part of· Father Marshall's
superior to procure for him the position of instruCtor on
board the United States vessel Nortlz Carolina. The first
�GONZAGA
COLLEGE.
entry in Father Marshall's journal of the trip is the following:
"Dec. I, 1824, Wednesday.- This day I left vVashington,
D. C., in the steamboat Potomac for Norfolk, to embark on
board the Nort/z Carolina. Mr. George Ironsides, whose
kindness and attention I have reason to remember with
gratitude, accompanied me. My cousin, Jos. Marshall,li> also
came with me as far as St. Inigo's. We started from Washington, with Commodore Rodgers and several officers of the
Nortlt Carolina on board, between 4 anc~ 5 o'clock. Early
next morning we landed my cousin near Mr. Smith's, and
soon got into the Bay."
And so Father Marshall continued to record the daily
happenings on board the. vessel, and to give interesting descriptions of places visited, till August 10, 1825, when the
journal suddenly stops. ~\Vhat happened after that we have
learned through the kindness of the officials in charge of
the naval records, who allowed us to inspeCt: the old log
book of the Nort!t Carolina. In it we find the following
entry: "United States ship Nort!t Carolina, September 20,
1825. Commodore Chas. W. Morgan, U.S.N., commanding, bearing the flag of Commodore John Rodgers, U.S.N.
At 4 A. 111. the Rev. Adam Marshall (schoolmaster) departed
this life. At 10 A. 1\1. called all hands to bury the dead, and
committed the body of the Rev. Adam Marshall to the
deep." ·The vessel-was then in the Mediterranean Sea, on a
passage from the Gulf of Napoli to Gibraltar.
An officer of this ship, in a letter dated OB:ober 14, 1825,
announcing the deaths of Midshipmen Pleasanton and Hopkins, who were natives of \Vashington, gives the following
brief but touching tribute to the memory of Father Milrshall:
"It is with the greatest sorrow I have also to announce to
you the death of Mr. Marshall (the chaplain), who died on
our passage from Napoli di Romania. His death was sincerely regretted by all the officers of this ship, and particularly by the midshipmen, to whori1 he was a severe loss."
Commodore John Rodgers, writing from Gibraltar, OCt:ober
22, 1825, to the secretary of the navy, adds: "The service
has lost Mr. Adam Marshall, the schoolmaster of this ship,
whose exemplary deportment had gained him the esteem of
all who knew him."
Thus died a priest of God whose anointed hands had often
borne to others the Holy Viaticum to cheer the dark mo~
ments of their passage from this world to the next, but
whose own last journey was uncheered by any priestly
funCt:ion and uncomforted by any religious rite.
(To be continued.)
1
< >A coadjutor brother of the Society.
�CANADA.
JESUITS VS. ORANGEMEN.
(Continued.)
The reader may recollect the excitement which preceded
the vote on the O'Brien anti-Jesuit resolutions, in the parliament at Ottawa, on the twenty-sixth of March last. Though
at the last moment the Orange element felt that it would be
beaten in the Commons, still Col. O'Brien and his supporters never dreamed of the crushing defeat that awaited them.
One hundred and eighty-eight members voted against the
resolutions, thirteen for them, leaving a majority of one
hundred and seventy-five to console the Jesuits and their
friends. The Society felt that it had been avenged for the
abuse it had to bear during the previous weeks. The victory was the most eloquent answer that could be given to
the faction who proclaimed aloud that the Jesuits were not
popular in Canada, and that civil war would be declared the
day the settlement of the estates question was attempted.
But it would be well to add that it was not out of pure
love for the Jesuits that so many members of parliament
voted in their favor. Even Hon. Mr. Mercier did not admit
that they had any legal claim to the estates, but only a
moral claim; and under ordinary circumstances a moral
claim was not sufficient to capture the Protestant vote. A
better reason is given for Sir John A. Macdonald's victory
in this, that there was a principle at stake. Provincial autonomy had to be recognized, if the provinces were to remain
confederate. The famous majority simply declared that
Quebec could manage her own affairs. But it so happened that the Jesuit question forced this declaration out of
a number of Protestants, and not a few Catholics, who, under
other circumstances, would certainly not have sided with
the government nor with the Jesuits. Indirectly, however,
the vote confirmed the Society in the ownership of its restored property.
When the bulletins published the result of the debate,
the Orangemen throughout the country threw up their hands
in despair; Canada and her Queen and her loyal Orange-
. VoL. xvm, No.3·
r8
(285)
�CANADA.
men were doomed; the Jesuits had the French parliament
in their power. If the Orangemen were sincere in their
apprehension of danger they would have prepared themselves for the inevitable halter. But their conduct belied
their profession of fear. They flourished their trumpets
more loudly than ever, and began to make heroes out of
the thirteen members who had voted against the Jesuits.
The noble thirteen saw their portraits in the newspapers.
They were presented with medals commemorative of their
vote, felicitated on every side, and better still, banqueted,
until at last they began to think that it paid well to vote on
the wrong side.
It was highly interesting to read the Orange newspapers
during the few days folLowing the debate. They deliberately
divided the whole population of Canada into two categories;
all who saw things in their light were patriots; all who did
not were traitors. Nine hundred and sixteen thousand
voters, represented by the one hundred and eighty-eight
members, had deliberately sold their country to the Jesuits.
Consequently, the only loyalists in Canada were the seventyseven thousand represented by the noble thirteen-the
"d-l's thirteen," to use Sir John A. Macdonald's forcible
expression.
B·esides these encouraging statistics, a source of consolation offered itself· in the interviews the Protestant ministers
granted the reporters on the result of the vote. Several of
these gentlemen were very prudent in their views, and
looked at the question impartially, remarking that they were
inclined to uphold the prime minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, in his statement that the Jesuits were peaceable
set and that the people of Ontario had nothing to fear from
them; that no surprise should be manifested at the Pope's
interference in Catholic affairs; that, on the contrary, it was
the Orangemen of Ontario who did not see fit to "r:nind
their own business." The Rev. Mr. Herridge, a Protestant
minister of Ottawa, remarked that "these frantic demonstrations did not affect the thoughtful Protestants of the community, who simply desired for themselves whatthey were
most willing to accord to others, equal status in the eye of
the law, and equal measure of religious liberty." A professor of McGill University, Dr. Shaw, sent a letter to tell
the Orangemen how ridiculous they were making themselves
in the eyes of their fellow Protestants. These were the
sentiments of the respectable portion of the Protestant population; but the majority, alas! saw in the silent encroachment of Jesuitism, a menace to the crown of Great Britain.
The most efficacious remedy that suggested itself to the
a
�CANADA.
'
se& was the formation of a party whose objeCl: would be
to foster and propagate black Protestant principles. This
projeCl: of a third party met with much favor during the few
days following its proposal; but its impraCticability soon
became so manifest that it vanished like a bubble.
Anti-Jesuit demonstrations, however, were organized
throughout Canada, but chiefly in the province of Ontario.
During the months of April, May, and June, orators were
sent out to educate the country on the Jesuits. Ontario
lent willing ears to their eloquence. The Rev. John Morton
leCl:ured in London on "The Dangers of Jesuitism to our
National Life;" Rev. Jos. Cook, in Toronto, on "Jesuit Aggression in America;" Rev. Mr. Watts, in Hamilton, on
''The Jesuit Conspiracy;" Rev. Geo. Williams, in Toronto,
on "The Jesuit Question in Canada-Danger and Duty;"
Rev. Mr. Hunter, in Barrie, on "Jesuits-Politicians and
Patriots;" Rev. Mr. Sutherland, in Ripley, on "Protestant
Rights vs. Jesuit Aggression;" Hughes, in Toronto, on
"The Perils of Protestantism;" Miss Cusack, in the same
city, on "Jesuit Aggression." The Toronto papers, speaking of the ex-nun of Kenmare's reception, tell us that she
"was greeted by a large and appreciative audience." In her
opening remarks, she addressed herself to any Catholics
who might be present. Having worked in their church for
thirteen years, they might be sure she did not leave it without sufficient reason. She had been in doubt for four or
five years as to the course she should pursue before she
finally came to the conclusion that she should leave the
Roman Catholic Church and identify herself with the Protestant . . . . In beginning to deal with the subjeCl: of the
evening, she wished it to be distinCl:ly understood that she
attacked the principles of the Jesuits and not the Jesuits
themselves. She had known many good men among them
and also many very bad ones . . . . She admitted that many
of the Jesuits are doing what they think is right, and obeying what they consider to be the law of God; nevertheless
their system of religion is diabolical. Their objeCl: is to
control the world politically.. Wherever they have prospered, the Church has invariably suffered; for, as far as in
them lie;>, they ruin it. They are very selfish and avaricious; and in Canada at present there are a number of Jesuits who are millionaires· . . . . As regards the Jesuit oaths
and vows, that are so often and so much talked about, they
are very slippery things. Another peculiarity of the Jesuits
is that they want to do all the thinking for other people,
while at the same time they claim to be perfeCl:ly passive,
and as if dead in the hands of their superiors. The infalli-
�288
CANADA.
bility they claim has many charms ; for it makes a pleasant
pillow for the Roman Catholics to sleep on. The Jesuits
are very popular as confessors, as they are never hard on
those who go to them. Their code of morals is lax, and
they excuse or extenuate many faults .. \Vherever the Jesuits go, their watchword is not "All hail the power of Jesus'
name," but "All hail the power of the Jesuits," etc.
Miss Cusack continued in this strain for nearly two hours,
interrupted frequently by the applause of her "large and
appreciative audience." Her leCture is a good specimen of
the anti-Jesuit literature current just now in Canada. The
Monita Secreta, \vith translation, published in Boston, is
selling well in Montreal_and Toronto; Paul Bert is already
sold out.
·"
Some idea of the Irlagnitude of the agitation may be
formed when it is stated that anti-Jesuit meetings were held
in one hundred and sixty towns and cities previous to June
1 Ith, the date fixed for the opening of the anti-Jesuit convention in Toronto. Speeches were made at each of these
meetings, and resolutions were passed against the Society,
her maxims, and her Estates Bill. These demonstrations
afforded splendid opportunities for springing maiden speeches on the public, and the rising generation of politicians
were not slow in coming forward. One of the arguments
which found favor with the Orange speakers was drawn
from the faCt: that the Society had been driven out of nearly
every Catholic country and finally suppressed by the Pope.
If Catholics could not put up with the Jesuits, how were
Orangemen expeCted to do so? Another sly oratQ'rical trick
was to put the question: "If one infallible pope -stfppressed
the Jesuit Order, how could another pope restore it and remain infallible?': This was a conundrum for the Orangemen; and the deafening applause which followed proved
that the speaker had scored a point.
But these isolated ebullitions of Orange zeal were not
very effeB:ive. They helped to keep alive a few sparks of
local fanaticism, but, taken separately, they would have .little
influence against the Compensation Bill, the root .of all the
trouble. The Orangemen were not slow in seeing that a
great deal of their enthusiasm was wasting itself on the
desert air, and that a more combined mode of aCtion was
required. If any success was expeCted, they had to centralize their movements by the creation of an organization,
which would direCt: their united efforts towards a common
end; Several meetings were held in Ontario, with this objeCt in view, and it was decided that a monster anti-Jesuit
�CANADA.
convention should take place in Toronto on June 1 Ith and
following days.
A very favorable moment was chosen to get a representative crowd together ; the Anglican Synod, the Methodist
Conference, and the Presbyterian Assembly were holding
their sessions in Toronto at the time. Laymen were sent
from the different provinces to take part in the deliberations.
Eight hundred and sixty delegates presented themselves, to
protest against an atl: \vhich, in the language of the Protestant Bishop Sullivan, "outraged the social, civil, and religious
sensibilities of more than half the population of the dominion."
Fully realizing the importance of their obligations as
Protestants and patriots, the delegates worked with a will.
They concentrated all their energies on a double objetl:,
namely, the veto of the Estates .Bill, and secondly, the best
means to resist Ultramontanism in general and Jesuitism in
particular. Perfetl: harmony reigned in the deliberations,
if we except the little indecision which was manifested at
the beginning, regarding the name to be given to the association which the convention was to bring forth. Several
names were suggested, which are in themselves a revelation,
and give us an insight into the tone of the whole assembly.
The Constitutional Association, the Young Canada Party,
the Fair Play and Equal Rights Association, the British
Constitution Association, the Anti-Jesuit Association, the
Protestant Association, the Constitutional Observance, Religious Liberty, and Equal Rights Association, the British
Canadian International Equal Rights Association, were
names suggested and rejetl:ed after discussion, and the name
"Equal Rights Association," plain and simple, carried the
day. Equal rights, in the sense of the convention, referred
to the absolute equality which the government should observe towards all· religious denominations ; but as the case
stood, and as later events proved, "Unequal Rights and
Ultra-Fanatical Association" was the fitter title for the offspring of the anti-Jesuit convention.
The convention lasted two days, and, according to the
newspapers, was "eminently successful from the point of
view of its promoters," namely, opposition to Jesuitical encroachment. Authority was given to establish branch associations throughout Canada, whereby work in the good
cause might be extended as much as possible; and by-laws
without end were drawn up to guide the fatl:ion in its future
defensive atl:ion.
The Orange speakers solemnly disclaimed any antagonism
to the Catholic Church; and to show their sincerity they
�CANADA.
were continually bringing forward the distinguishing marks
of Jesuitism. Jesuitism was a something really distinCt from
Romanism. They frankly admitted that Romanists were
all of a color; but the color admitted of light and heavy
shades. It was a question of degree. Ultramontanism was
already an advanced form of Romanism ; but Jesuitism was
the quintessence of Ultramontanism. Orangemen could join
fellowship with ordinary Romanists; through necessity they
could tolerate Ultramontanism; but Jesuits, like the American
Chinamen, must go. During all the deliberations, Jesuitism
and its "manceuvres" were ostensibly the sole objeCt of
Orange wrath; but .the lodges' subsequent aCtion, in the
matter of the Frencp'Canadian separate schools in Ontario,
and the French langt:tage in Manitoba, left no room to doubt
that Jesuitism in their sense had a wide scope. They
pledged themselves to enforce the aims of the anti-Jesuit
movement at the polls by refusing their votes to any candidate, whether for the federal or provincial parliament, who
would not adopt the programme of the new association.
These pledges were aimed at Sir John A. Macdonald as
well as at the Catholics; but the sly old Orangeman was all
the while laughing in his sleeve at the antics of his excited
brethren.
The Equal- Rights Association, duly organized, started
out on its mission of peace. One of its first duties was to
establish branches in the cities and villages, and continue
the agitation against Jesuitism; the next, to get up a petition
which, by its magnitude, would frighten the e.owers that be
into sudden acquiescence to disallowance.
•·
Up to this, petitions had not been successful. The Evangelical Alliance of the Dominion of Canada, relying on the
prestige of an honorable name, had decided, some weeks
previous to events just narrated, to penetrate to headquarters. It issued an address to the Protestants of Canada,
asking them to join it in petitioning Her Majesty the Queen
to interpose in the matter of the Jesuit Estates Aet. The following short petition was distributed for signatures throughout the country:·
"To tlze Queen's Most Excellent Majesty:MosT GRACIOUS MAJESTY.-The petition of the undersigned inhabitants of N .. , in the province of N .. , humbly
sheweth: That your petitioners, being loyal subjeCts of Your
Majesty, jealous of all that may infringe upon your royal
rights and prerogatives, as well as determined to maintain
their own liberties as established by law, do now approach
Your Majesty, as the highest authority in the Empire, in
support of the pleadings and prayer of a petition in refer-
�CANADA.
ence to the Quebec Jesuits' Estates ACt of 1888, which has
been laid at the foot of the throne by the representatives of
the Evangelical Alliance of the Dominion of Canada. And
your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray, etc."
The "foot of the throne" was the land of promise for the
Orange fanatics. Approaching the "foot of the throne"
meant simply transferring the Estates Bill from the arena
of Canadian politics to that of British politics, with less
chances of success. Still it was comforting to loyal hearts
to know that appeal was possible. A long document, of
which the petition just read is a summary, crossed the ocean,
and reached the foot of the throne. But the Orangemen
were too sanguine and impatient of success. The secretary
of state for the colonies, Lord Knutsford, through his secretary., did not delay in sending the following reply:CoLoNIAL OFFICEs, DowNING STREET,
London, Eng., Marc!t, I889.
Sir; I am direCled by Lord Knutsford to acknowledge
the receipt of your note of the I Ith inst., forwarding a memorial from the committee of the Protestant Alliance, urging
the disallowance· of the Jesuits' Estates ACl of the Province
of Quebec. In reply I am to state that His Lordship has
carefully considered the memorial, but that the allowance or
disallowance of the ACl of the Provincial Legislature of the
Dominion of Canada is a matter which rests entirely with
the Governor-General, aCting on the advice of his responsible
ministers. A copy of the memorial has been forwarded to
Lord Stanley of Preston for the consideration of his government.
I am, Sir, your obedient servant,
JoHN BRAMSTON.
The Home authorities had spoken, leaving the case, as
every one expeCted, with the governor-general and his advisers. Consequently. any future decision of Lord Stanley
would have the same weight as if it came direCtly from the
"foot of the throne."
The position was not reassuring. The entire government,
both political parties, with the exception of the "loyal thir-.
teen," had ratified the Estates ACl; the governor-general
had not disapproved of the aCtion of the government; and
the authorities in London, through the colonial secretary,
had signified their intention not to interfere.
Parchment, it seemed, was having little effeCt. The Equal
'Rights Association, however, in its mission of loyalty, could
hardly do anything better than follow in the footsteps of its
�CANADA.
more respectable sister, the Protestant Alliance. But suspeCting that the numerous petitions already gotten up had
reached the governor-general only to pass into the yawning
gulf of His Excellency's waste-basket, the association resolved to make another tremendous effort. It would present
a petition to which all other petitions, past, present, or future,
were to be as pigmies; a deputation would present said petition to Her Majesty's representative in Canada, and humbly
ask him to nullify the obnoxious Jesuit Estates Bill. This
was carrying out to the letter the programme of the Toronto
convention. Agents had already been at work for weeks
obtaining signatures, and through their efforts, sixty thousand had been gathered in. This was a document formidable
enough for present wants, and the time had come to aCt.
Lord Stanley was staying at the citadel in Quebec during
the first days of August, and it was resolved to see him
there. Rarely did an opportunity so favorable present itself
of resenting Romish aggression in a Romish stronghold.
A deputation, made up of eleven Protestant parsons and
forty other members of the Equal Rights Association, headed by Principal Caven of Knox College, Toronto, steamed
down the St. Lawrence on the 6th of Augt~st, on their way
to Quebec. vVhen they reached the old city, they were
ushered into the large hall of the vice-regal residence. A
good-sized box was ushered in with them and given a
prominent position. An inquisitive reporter was not long
in finding out that the box held the anti-Jesuit petition, a
roll of paper four hundred and eighty feet long, bearing fiftyone thousand signatures. A smaller roll, lying in s;hildlike
repose beside the big roll at the bottom of the box, bore
nine th9usand signatures. The latter had been obtained in
Montreal, to show the governor-general how pronounced
anti-Jesuit feeling was in the Rome of America. Unfortunately the deputation had reckoned without its host.
Shortly after they had taken their places in the large hall,
Lord Stanley presented himself and received them kindly.
He took the precaution to say to them that he was not exaCtly in the position of a minister receiving a deputation,
but seeing that his own opinion was asked respeCting the
Estates Bill, he did not objeCt in the present instance to follow a similar course. He trusted, however, to the delegates'
sense of courtesy, qot to be asked to express any opinion
that would tend to draw him into argument.
Rev. Principal Caven then arose to present the anti-Jesuit
petition, with its anti-Jesuit tail four hundred and eighty feet
long. This he did in the following words :"We are charged with the duty of presenting to Your
�CANADA.
293
Excellency the petition of a convention held in Toronto on
the I I th and I zth of June, the prayer of which is that Your
Excellency·will be pleased to disallow the Jesuits' Estates
Act, passed by the legislature of the province of Quebec last
year. The petition was unanimously adopted by the convention, an assembly which represented municipalities and
various bodies of men in every section of Ontario. The
names of the members in actual attendance, amounting to
860, are appended. \Ve are entrusted with the further duty
of presenting petitions to the same effect from nearly every
part of the province of Ontario, subscribed to by upwards
of 5 I ,ooo persons qualified to exercise the dominion franchise, as well as a few petitions from other provinces, which
have been forwarded. We ask permission to say a few
words in support of the prayer of the petitioners. We
would represent to Your Excellency the strong and widely
diffused opposition to this act, which exists throughout Ontario, and, as we have reason to know, in other provinces of
the dominion. No act of any of our legislatures in recent
years has aroused so much feeling, and called forth from all
classes of people such general condemnation. The petitions
which we present will, we trust, satisfy Your Excellency
that the vote of the House of Commons, in opposition to
disallowance, by no means represents the sentiment of the
country. The feeling to which we refer is not caused by
any antagonism to the French Canadian people, or any desire to lay disabilities upon the church to which they generally belong. To foment racial or ecclesiastical arttipathies
were utterly unworthy of good citizens, and we desire to
assure Your Excellency that the prevalent feeling is rather
one of deep regret that a measure so eminently fitted to
cause discord in the dominion and in the province of Quebec should have been enacted by the legislature of that
province. We are quite aware that legislation of the provinces should not be unnecessarily interfered with by the
dominion, and that there may therefore be objeCtions, even
serious objections, to provincial acts, which would not constitute adequate ground for seeking their disallowance. In
our petition we have sought briefly to summarize the reasons
why we respectfully ask Your Excellency to disallow this
act. This act does more than deal with fiscal matters ; it
bestows public money for denominational purposes, a thing
which is in opposition to our history, if not to express enactment, and which we had hoped was terminated in ·canada
by the secularization of the cle:rgy reserves. It endows a
society whose standing and history make it utterly improper
that it should become a public ;beneficiary. It is regarded
�CANADA.
by many as a violation of the trust under which the Jesuits'
estates were accepted by the province of Quebec from the
imperial authorities, and, above all, it recognizes the right
of the Pope to interfere in our civil affairs in a way which is
derogatory to the supremacy of the Queen and menacing
to the liberties of the people. The place given to the Pope
in the aa is peculiarly offensive to the great majority of the
people of Canada, and is a painful shock to the feelings of
loyalty which our people so warmly entertain. We have
no wish to interfere with the spiritual allegiance oi Roman
Catholics to their chl)rch, but we strongly remonstrate
against any church being allowed authority in civil affairs.
To say that the Pope is introduced merely as arbitrator between parties in his own- ehurch seems to us entirely inconsistent with the language of the preamble, to which preamble
the terms of the bill give effeCt:. So far as the form of the
aB: is concerned, we should be willing to rest our case on
this consideration alone, and we humbly but earnestly pray
that Your Excellency will be pleased to disallow an aB: in
which Quebec has exceeded its authority, which is contrary
to the interests of the dominion, and which dishonors the
prerogative and sovereign rights of Her Majesty."
The petition referred to, Principal Caven read as follows:"To His Ercelleucy the Rig!zt Honorable Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Baron Stanley cf Preston, G. C. B., Governor
General cf Canada.
"The petition of the undersigned eleB:ors entitled to vote
for members of the House of Commons humbly sheweth:
"1. That an aB: was lately passed· by the legl~lature of
the province of Quebec, entitled an aa respeCting the settlement of the Jesuits' estates ;
"2. That the said aa recognizes a right on the part of
the Pope to interfere in the administration of the civil affairs
of Canada, which is derogatory to the supremacy of the
Queen and menacing to the liberties of the people;
"3· That it places $400,000 of public funds at the disposal
of the Pope for ecclesiastical and seB:arian purposes, as is
further evidenced by the papal brief which apportions these
funds, an appropriation of public money contrary to the
spirit of British and Canadian legislation and subversive of
the religious equality which ought to exist;
"4. That it, in effeCt:, recognizes the right of the Jesuits
to make further demands, by embodyiQg in the preamble a
declaration, nowhere questioned in the aa, of the treatment
which the Jesuit Society expeB:s in the future at the hands
of the government of Quebec, viz., that the establishments
of the Jesuit Fathers in this province are always allowed, in
�CANADA.
295
accordance with their deserts, and if they ask for it, to participate in the grants which the government of this province
allows to other institutions, to encourage teaching, education, industries, arts, and colonization ;
"5. That the Jesuit Society has been expelled from nearly
all Roman Catholic countries, was suppressed by Pope
Clement XIV., has been, since the days of Queen Elizabeth,
an illegal association, the establishment of which (in the
opinion of the Soliciter General of England, given in 1772)
"is not only incompatible with the constitution of an English
province, but with every possible form of civil government;"
"6. That the aCt endows and recognizes the legal status
of this society, whose operations are confined to no single
province;
"7· We respeCtfully submit that, for the reasons herein
set forth, the aCt, so far from dealing with matters of provincial concern merely, is one which affeCts the peace and
well-being of the whole dominion ;
"8. The undersigned approach Your Excellency by way
of petition, because they believe that the majority of the
House of Commons, in voting against the disallowance, did
not represent the real views and wishes of their constituents,
and there is no other way in which the minds of the people
can be represented to Your Excellency;
"9. Never, to your petitioners' knowledge, has a case
arisen in which there existed stronger reasons for invoking
the power of disallowance.
"Your petitioners therefore pray: (I) that the ACt for the
Settlement of the Jesuits' Estates be disallowed; or (z) that
Your Excellency do exercise your prerogative right of dissolving the House, so as to enable the constituencies to pronounce on the question at the earliest possible moment.
And your petitioners will ever pray, etc."
After the reading of the petition, an Orangeman raised
the lid of the box and began to display the sixty-thousand
signatures.- The movement was dramatic ; but it had no
effeCt on the governor-general. He remained perfeCtly cool,
and simply asked if any member present wished to make
further remarks. Several rose in turn, but their speeches
contained nothing new. Lord Stanley then answered the
deputation, in language that the fifty-one Orange fanatics
can never forget. We give his speech in full. It has created
quite a sensation, and has helped to raise the governor-general high in the esteem of the right-minded people of Canada.
"Gentlemen, I am not used to receiving such deputations
as this, and in such a way, but, in view of the importance
of the subjeCt, I am willing to create a precedent. At the
�CANADA.
same time, it is one which I do not think should be too often
followed. There is a considerable difficulty in receiving
such a deputation as this, and in speaking, not to lay one's
self open to a charge of arguing for or against measures in
which the deputation are interested ; but with the sanction
of my advisers I am disposed to let the deputation know
what has been the aspect of the case as it has presented itself to me. I have listened with a great deal of interest to
the remarks of the gentlemen who have spoken just now,
and I trust it will not be considered any disrespect to those
who have so ably stated their views if I express neither
concurrence with nor disapproval of their remarks, lest I
should drift into what might be considered as at gument,
however unintentionally. ~ ··
"Previous to my arrival in this country, or about that time,
the legislature of Quebec had passed the act in question.
The history of the Jesuits' estates is so well known that I
need not here refer to it in detail. Large amounts of prop~
erty had lain virtually idle, because, when the provincial
government had endeavored to sell it, protests had been
made by the claimants and, in fact, no one would purchase
on so doubtful a title. 1 cannot agree with the view expressed in the second paragraph of your· petition. There
were two sets of claimants at least to the Jesuits' estates.
It was necessary to arrange to whom compensation should
be made, and ensure a division which would be accepted by
all. It is true that the Pope, as an authority recognized by
both sets of claimants, was to be called upon to appfove or
disapprove the proposed division, as far as Roman Catholic
claimants were concerned, but this appears to me to relate
not to the action of the legislature of the province, but to
the division of the funds after they had been paid over. It
is arguable that, as a matter of fact, there is no reference to
the Pope's authority at all in the executive portion of the
act. It is undoubtedly the case that the preamble to the
aB:-an unusually long one, by the· way -contains a· recital
of events which led to the introduction of the bill, and that
in the correspondence so set out, authority had been claimed
on behalf of the Holy See, to which, however, the First
Minister did not assent. The introduction of the name of
the Pope may be unusual and very likely unpalatable to
some, as Protestants, but as it appears in course of a recital
of facts which had previously occurred, and which, of course,
legislation could not obliterate or annul, and there being,
moreover, no such reference in the body of the act, I did
not consider that Her Majesty's authority was in any degree
weakened or assailed, nor that I was compelled, in the exer-
�CANAlJA.
'191
cise of my duty as her representative, to disallow the aCt on
that account.
.
"As to the question of policy, that is not one on which J
feel at liberty to pronounce an opinion. I believe, and am
confirmed in my belief by the best authorities whom I can
consult, that the. aCt was intra vires. Then my power of
interference is limited, for the aCt does not ~ppear to do
more than to seek to restore to a certain society, not in kind
but in money, a portion of the property of which that society was in years gone by deprived without compensation ;
and it proposes to give a compensation therefor in the money
pf the province which had become possessed of the property
and was profiting by it. As to the recognition, spoken of in
paragraph 4 of your petition, of the rights of the Jesuit
Society to make further demands, it seems to me that these
aCts leave such so-called 'rights' exaCtly where they were.
It is by no means uncommon for the Crown to recognize
such a moral claim. And I can speak from my personal
experience. When I was Secretary of the Treasury, ten or
twelve years ago, it constantly happened that, in cases of
intestary escheats and other forfeitures to the Crown, the
moral claim of other persons was admitted, and remissions
were made, not a~ a matter of legal right, for the right of
the Crown was undisputed, but as a matter of grace.
There are also many parliamentary precedents.to the same
effeCt. Such cases mu!)t in each instance, it seems to me,
be decided on their own merits.. As to paragraphs 5 and 6,
also mentioned in your petition, you will pardon my saying
that I am not concerned either to admit or deny your statement. But, as a matter of faCt, I do not find any evidence
that in this dominion, and in this nineteenth century, the
Society of Jesus have been less law-abiding or less loyal
citizens than any others. As to paragraph 6, it appears to
me that the legal status of the Society was settled by the
aCt of 1887 (to which little or no objeCtion was taken). I cannot see anything unconstitutional, in that respeCt, in the
payment of the money in question to a society duly incorporated by law. The governor-general, both by the written
law, and by the spirit of the constitution, is to be guided by
the advice of his responsible ministers. If he disagrees
with them on que!;ltions of high policy as being contrary to
the interests of Her Majesty's empire, or if he believes that
they do not represent the feelings of parliament, it is constitutionally his duty to summon other advisers, if he is satisfied that those so summoned can carry on the Queen's
government and the affairs of the dominion. As to the ·
first, I cannot say that I disagree with the course which, under
�CANADA.
the circumstances, the ministers have recommended, believing it, from the best authorities to which I have had access,
to be constitutional. The parliament of the dominion, by
xSS to 13, has expressed the same view. I decline to go
behind recorded votes.
"Members of parliament are eleB:ed not as the delegates
but as the representatives of the people, and it is their duty
to guide themselves according to that which they believe to
be in the best interests of the high funB:ion which they have
to discharge. Again, I would ask, do the dissentients represent the majority? I find that ISS represented 916,717
voters, whereas the thirteen members represent 77,297; and
moreover the body of the _constitutional opposition appears
to have voted for the approval of the allowance bill. I have
been asked (though not by you) to disallow the aB:, though
otherwise advised by ministers and though contrary to the
sense of parliament. Would it be constitutional for a moment that I should do so? If it were a question· of commerce, or of finance, or of reform, or of constitution, there
could be no doubt, and I cannot conceal for a moment the
doubt which I feel. However careful the governor-general
may be in receiving such a deputation, there may be some
risk of his beingheld up as a court of appeal on the question of constitutional government, and against the parliament with which it is his duty to work in concert. Then it
has been said, why not facilitate a reference to the Privy
Council? I believe that my advisers have a perfeB:ly good
answer, that, having no doubt of the correB:ness of their
view, they have a good reason for not so doing.
_
"I have been asked to dissolve the House of Commons,
in one of the petitions to which I am replying. A dissolution of parliament, in the first instance, except under the
gravest circumstances, and perhaps with great reservation
even then, should not be pronounced except on the advice
of responsible ministers. It causes a disturbance of the
various businesses of the country. The expense both to the
country and to all concerned is considerable; and it is a
remedy that should be exercised only in the last resort;
and, though I say it, I do so with great deference to those
present, excepting in the province of Ontario and this province of Quebec, there does not seem to have been any general feeling in this matter such as would warrant the governor-general to use this- remedy. I recognize the influence
of the two provinces, but I cannot leave the rest of the
dominion out of sight; and I may express the personal
hope that this parliament may exercise for some time to
�CANADA.
come a wise, constitutional influence over the affairs of this
country.
"I think my answer has been made substantially to the
other petitions which have been presented to me. For the
reasons which I have given, I am unable to hold out to you
any hope that I shall disallow the act. You cannot suppose
that the course taken by my advisers, and approved by me,
was taken without due consideration. Nothing has taken
place to alter the views then entertained, nor could the government recommend the reversal of an allowance already
intimated.
"Gentlemen, I cannot conceal from you the personal regret with whi.ch I feel myself addressing a deputation and
returning such an answer, as it has been my duty to do, to
the petitions which have been presented to me, but I have
endeavored to make my statement colorless. I have endeavored to avoid argument, and I can only hope that I have
done something towards dissipating alarm. I will only
close by making an earnest appeal, an appeal which, by anticipation, has already, I am certain, found weight with you,
and that is that in this question we should as far as possible
act up to that which we find to be for the welfare of the
dominion.
"During late years we have hoped that animosities which
unfortunately prevailed in former years had disappeared, and
that the dominion, as a united country, was on the path of
prosperity and peace. I earnestly call upon all the best
friends of the dominion, as far: as possible, while holding
their own opinions, to be tolerant of those of others, and
like our great neighbor, to live and let live, that we may in
time come to feel that we have the one object of promoting
the prosperity and welfare of the dominion and the maintenance of loyalty and devotion to the sovereign."
When the governor concluded his speech he retired,
leaving fifty-one long faces and four hundred and eighty
feet of petition behind him. The disappointment at this
turn of affairs rather upset the delegates. But they had not
reason enough to be downcast. They had asked the governor-general to give his opinion on the Compensation Bill,
and he gave it. True, the matter and form did not correspond with their wishes, but they could not reasonably blame
Lord Stanley for that. Though disappointed and sore of
heart, they did not lose courage. The Queen had to be
protected against Jesuitism, and the British Constitution
kept intact. They adjourned to the St. Louis Hotel, and
passed resolutions, first, of surprise and sorrow at the unhappy attitude taken by the representative of Her Majesty
�joo
CANADA.
in Canada; secondly, to continue the anti-Jesuit agitation
with renewed vigor.
But the Orange campaign is doomed. Lord Stanley
sounded its death-knell in his vigorous and independent
speech. A few feeble attempts, in the form of indignation
meetings, were held in Montreal and elsewhere, to rouse
stagnant patriotism, but they were failures. Nothing remains now to the Orangemen, said a Protestant clergyman
of Toronto, but the "alternative of making their wishes
known by force and insurreEl:ion." The Mail suggests a
revision of the constitution.
Another event, of little importance, but given here because
it was a side-issue of the campaign against the Society, was
the passage at arms betw~en Father Whelan, Pastor of St.
Patrick's Church, Ottawa, and Dr. J. Beaufort H uri bert, a
Protestant professor of the same city. Last March, when
the agitation was at a white heat, letters began to appear in
the Canadian papers renewing the old string of calumnies:
that the Society held as a maxim that "the end justifies the
means," etc. Father \Vhelan publicly offered five hundred
dollars to any one who could prove the assertion. The following is the text of his challenge:"Five hundred dollars will be paid by me to any one who
shall produce a bona fide passage that will conviEl: the Jesuits, or any Jesuit, or any approved Catholic theologian, of
teaching the doEl:rine that 'the end justifies the means,' as
that maxim is vulgarly understood-i.e., 'that it is lawful to
do evil that good may come.' There is not going to be any
back-down on our part. Let us have an independel)t .tribunal by all means. What have the anti-Jesuits to say to this
proposal :-A commission of inquiry, to be composed, say,
of five members; we to seleEl: two competent moral theologians; the other side to appoint two representatives; these
four to choose the fifth member of the commission. Let a
day be fixed for ·the opening of the inquiry; and let it be
agreed, that all. passages to be cited from Jesuit authors, or
other approved Catholic casuists, shall be filed with the
commission at least thirty days before the inquiry begins;
two copies of each passage or extraEl: to be supplied, with
the title and the edition of the work, as well as the page
from which it is said to be taken. I shall abide by the report of the coh1mission, and shall pay five hundred dollars,
as promised, to the claimant, should the decision be adverse
to me. If a court of inquiry, constituted as proposed, be
not satisfaEl:ory to the anti-Jesuits, then let them suggest a
tribunal. We are not afraid of the issue; and a course of
Catholic ethics would do those people much good ... " ·
�CANADA.
JOI
The gauntlet was taken up by several Protestant minis. ters, who dropped it again like a hot coal when they discovered that Canon Littledale's encyclopedic lore proved
nothing. It remained for a certain Dr. Hurlbert to accept
the challenge in downright earnest. Hurlbert is a graduate
of a German university. He professed to be well up in
Jesuit casuistry, quoted Jesuit authors with a volubility
wondrous to behold, and proved to his own satisfaCtion, in
a dozen letters to tlle press, that with the Jesuits the end
justifies the means.
When Father Whelan had at last met a serious adversary,
he made arrangements to carry out his programme. At his
request, Rev. Fr. Superior named two of Ours, FF. Jones
and Doherty, to represent the Society. Dr. Hurlbert was
invited to provide two representatives for himsel( This
gentleman named Dr. MacVicar, Principal of the Montreal
Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and Pro( Scrimger of
the same institution. The four commissioners had to meet
somewhere to choose the fifth member of the commission.
St. Mary's College was the place seleCted. Dr. Hurlbert
would then bring forward his texts from Jesuit authors, the
commission of inquiry would discuss them, and decide for
or against the Society. There was no difficulty about the
way the· four members already named would vote. But as
the casting vote remained with the fifth man yet to be chosen,
it is manifest what a white-winged angel he was required to
be in the eyes of either party, in view of the interests each
had to defend; pride and fear of a humiliation urging Hurlbert's representatives to propose an arbiter who could not
be otherwise than favorable to them; the reputation of the
Society and Father Whelan's five hund_red dollars preventing FF. Jones and Doherty from making any reckless risks
in the choice of the fifth member.
Through some misunderstanding, the commission did not
come together till Aug. 29. The Montreal Ga.::ette of the
30th gave the following account of the meeting. \Ve publish
it the more readily as the reporters came to receive their inspiration at the right source.
"The meeting for the appointment of a fifth arbitrator, in
conneCtion with the challenge of Father '\Vhelan of Ottawa,
to any·one to prove that the Jesuits held the doCtrine that
the end justifies the means, which was accepted by Dr. J.
Beaufort Hurlbert, was held at St. Mary's College yesterday
morning. Rev. Principal Mac Vicar and Rev. Pro( Scrimger
appeared for Dr. Hurlbert, and Rev. Fathers Jones, S.J. and
Doherty, S. J. for Father Whelan. Neither Dr. Hurlbert
VoL. xvm, No. 3·
20
�302
CANADA.
nor Father Whelan was present at the conference. After
some pleasant and complimentary remarks on ·both sides,
the two Protestant arbitrators brought up the name of Rev.
Pro£ J. Clark Murray, who, they stated, was a professor in
metaphysics and ethics at McGill University, a Doctor of
Laws at the Glasgow University, an author of high repute,
and a man of calm and impartial judgment, who had not
committed himself in any way in connection with the antiJesuit agitation. Pro£ Scrimger added to this that he had
asked Dr. Murray to allow his name to be brought up, but
had not discussed the matter with him in any way. The
Jesuit Fathers replied to this that, though they had no personal objection to the gentleman, they could not accept him
because they wanted aQ expert and one k'lmiliar with their
technical language. Rev. Dr. MacVicar stated that he
thought Pro£ Murray possessed the necessary qualifications, but the Jesuit Fathers gave them a choice of a professor
·of moral theology in Laval University or the Sulpician
seminary or in any faculty of moral theology in America or
Europe. To this the Protestant gentlemen objected, because
such a man, who naturally would take the position of the
Roman Catholic Church upon a matter of this kind, could
hardly be expected to use entirely independent judgment.
'If that is the case,' replied the Jesuit Fathers, 'the same
arguments can be used on our part. How can we expect a
Protestant minister to be any more independent?' They
also asked why they did not submit the same proposition
as themselves, and allow them to take any Protestant, as they
were allowed to take any Catholic. The Protest<~oht arbitrators replied to this that there was no parity betweeri the two
cases; that Catholics were all bound to defend each other,
and that any Catholic theologian would look upon it as defending the Church, and consequently he would not be free.
The Jesuits replied that, at least, that was an answer to the
statement of the Evangelical Alliance, that the Jesuit teaching was different from the general teaching of the Catholic
Church. The Jesuit Fathers also made a proposal that the
four arbitrators should act, that each should make a report,
and these reports could be published under one cover. The
answer to this was that that would not be an authentic report. It was apparent, therefore, that under the circumstances no agreement could be reached, and after assuring
them that they would aid them as much as was in their
power, should it be possible to settle the matter in some
other way, the Jesuit Fathers invited their visitors to take
a look through the college building. Rev. Father Jones
�CANADA.
JOJ
accompanied them down stairs, and there met Dr. Hurlbert,
with whom he shook hands very cordially, expressing regret that he had not been through the building. The visitors then departed.
"Dr. Hurlbert stated that he expeB:ed this result, and
that the best thing he could do under the circumstances
would be to publish the proofs he had· gathered, so that
they could be spread broadcast.· Should he do so they will
no doubt be answered by the Jesuit Fathers."
This reliable but incomplete account of the meeting conviCts of wilful misrepresentation the writers of the press
telegrams which were circulated throughout the country,
declaring that our fathers had refused to accept as arbiter any
one but a theologian of the Society. If Dr. Hurlbert publishes
his "proofs," steps will be taken immediately to refute them.
These are the latest developments in the Orange campaign
against the Society. Our fathers have remained comparatively quiet, being convinced that when the Orangemen have
got back their common sense-if that happy event ever
takes place-they will be heartily ashamed of themselves.
Letters signed or suggested by Ours appeared now and then
in the newspapers, to set aright some point or other ; but
nothing of any length in the way of justification was called
for. Besides, logic would be wasted on the granite skulls
of Orangemen. Still, Fr. Drummond had the uncommonly
pleasant duty, in a public leB:ure in Ottawa, of demolishing
the arguments of a certain Rev. J. J. Roy, a Baptist Minister
of Winnipeg. This minister belongs to a family of French
Canadian apostates, which fact Fr. Drummond introduced
into his leB:ure, much to the disgust of the minister, who
has not been heard from since.
One happy phase of the anti-Jesuit agitation was that,
notwithstanding the vehement and threatening language
almost continually employed by the Orange leaders, there
was no attempt at physical violence. The only incident
that might be put under this heading took place at a small
town called Plum Creek, in Manitoba. Fr. Drummond had
been invited there by leading citizens, to leB:ure on the Jesuits. A crowd of vulgar roughs had decided that he should
not leB:ure; and to show how very much in earnest they
were, they unceremoniously threw our Bro. George Brown
down a flight of stairs, spraining his ankle and doing other
slight damages to his person. Fortunately, Fr. Drummond
was in a different part of the building, and fared better; but
he did not leB:ure.
The libel suit against the Toronto Mail has been post-
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
poned by the courts tilL this autumn. If anything happens
during the trial worth the recording, the reader shall have
the benefit in a future number of the LETTERS.
E. J.D.
FR. JOHN BAPST.
A SKETCH.
{Continued.)
After the blowing up of the school-house, in the spring
of 1854, the Protestants feared reprisals would be taken by
the Catholics. The better disposed Protestants, hoping to
avert a general uprising of the persecuted Catholics, determined to call a public meeting to denounce the outrage.
The issue of this well-meant but unsuccessful projeCt: is thus
related by a Protestant citizen of Ellsworth, a great admirer
of Fr. Bapst : "It was thought well to call a meeting for the purpose of
denouncing the outrage, and assuring our Catholic fellowtownspeople that the burning of their school was the aCt: of
ignorant bigots, and that all respeCtable Protestants held
such conduCt: in abhorrence. Half a dozen of u~ went to
see Mr. Whittaker, who was then chairman of .th.e Town
SeleCtmen, to have the meeting called. Mr. Whittaker,
being a Democrat, was with us. The meeting was called
for the 8th of July, 1854. When we went to the place, we
found that the Know-nothing element had gathered in large
force and taken possession. It was our intention to have
Mr. Whitta_ker preside, but we saw we were outnumbered
four to one, and, knowing we could effeCt: nothing, we left.
Besides, if we had remained, it might be claimed that we,
by our presence, countenanced whatever aCtion might be
taken. The meeting was organized by the eleCtion of George
W. Brown as chairman. Speeches, prompted and diCtated
by a spirit of persecution, were made and cheered to the
echo. The meeting,then passed resolutions of which I have
just received a certified copy, taken from the town records
by Mr. Edward E. Brady, the present town clerk.-
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
"Extra{l from t!ze Ellswort!z Toum-Rccords Touching
the Case cf Jo!m Bapst, S. f.
July 8th, 1854·
"Moved by George W. Madox :-That if John Bapst, S. J.
be found again on Ellsworth soil we will provide for him,
and try on an entire suit of new clothes such as cannot be
found at the shops of any taylor (sic), and that when thus
apparelled he be presented with a free ticket to leave Ellsworth upon the first railroad operation that may go into
effea.
"Voted, that the resolutions adopted at this meeting be
published in the Ellsworth Herald and Eastern Freeman.
"Voted, that we now adjourn sine die.
W. A. Chany, Town Clerk.
"The reading of the resolutions was received with shouts
of applause, and they were adopted without a dissenting
voice or vote, as the Democrats and Liberal Republicans had
all left when they saw how things were likely to go."
The outcome of these hostile proceedings is thus described
by the same writer : "Fr. Bapst, not believing that they would put their threat
into execution, went to Ellsworth on Saturday evening,
oaober 14. r8 54. to be on hand to attend to his religious
duties next morning. He stopped at the house of an Irish
Catholic named Kent. When darkness had set in, the house
was surrounded by a mob, who demanded the produaion of
the objeaionable priest. A trap-door in Mr. Kent's house
led down to the cellar, and Mr. Kent, after much urging,
induced Fr. Bapst to descend, and hide in the cellar, expeaing the mob would go away when they could not find him.
Mr. Kent opened the door, and told them that Father Bapst
was not there. 'We know he is, and we must have him,'
yelled the mob. Mr. Kent invited them to look all over
the house, but they persisted in the statement that he was
secreted in the house, as some of them had seen him enter.
.Mr. Kent tried to persuade them to go away. 'If you don't
produce him we will burn down your house, and roast him
alive,' the mob howled.
"They were proceeding to carry out the threat to burn
dewn the house, when Father Bapst, not wishing to see his
proteaor suffer, pushed up the trap-door, and ascended from
the cellar. He still hoped that the instinas of humanity
would prevail in them over the spirit of bigotry; that they
would be open to reason and justice, and would disperse to
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
their homes. But he misjudged the spirit that controlled the
mob. With a yell they rushed upon him, dragged him out of
. the house and up the road. They placed him upon a sharp
rail, and thus carried him along, yelling, hooting, and cursing
him. The men carrying the rail jogged him up and down,
so as to infliCt more pain and injury.
"Coming to a lonely place outside of the town they took
his watch and money and his clothes, stripping him naked.
They then dragged him into a wood, as I afterwards learned,
and tied him to a tree. · They piled brush around him, and
some of the ruffians tried to set it on fire. They would
most likely have burned him to death had not their supply of matches given out before they could set fire to
the brush.
··
"I was sitting in my house during all this time, unaware
of all that was going on. A rap came to the door; I opened
it, and a neighbor told me that a mob had seized Father
Bapst, and carried him off into the woods. I could not believe it, but I started out, and on the hill outside the town
met my brother and the sheriff coming in. They had gone
out to look for the mob, and try to save the priest. They
encountered the mob, who flung stones intending to break
the lantern which the sheriff carried. The sheriff was a
man of courage, and told the roughs that if they did not
desist, he would empty the contents of his pistol among
them. This had the desired effeCt; the crowd passed on,
but the search-party were unable to find Father Bapst among
them. This, I suppose, was only part of the mob, t.he other
part having the unfortunate man in the woods at..-tye time.
We ascended the hill, and searched for his body, believing
they had killed him.
"It appears that after they released him from the tree,
where, covered with tar and feathers, they had attempted to
roast him alive, they dragged him back to the town, and
told him to get out that night, threatening to kill him if he
attempted to say Mass next day. vVhen we got back I
learned that Fr. Bapst was at Mr. Kent's residence. I went
there and asked to see him ~ I was at first denied admittance, but was afterwards permitted to enter the room in
which he was. There stood Father Bapst covered with tar
and feathers, and exhausted by his inhuman treatment. He
was surrounded by a few male friends, who were endeavoring
to cleanse him with 'soap and warm water. He extended
his hand to me. It was a trying moment. The priest said
that fortunately he had escaped a more terrible fate, which
his abduCtors had in store for him, through the pleadings of
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
307
two or three of the marauders. As I stood there, and saw
the poor priest's hair and eyebrows shaved off, for it was
impossible to get the tar out otherwise, I vowed that I
should fight fanaticism until I died.
"Father Bapst preached next day in his church, for
although of a very mild disposition, he had the heart of a
lion in the cause of duty. That Sunday we feared the mob
would gather again. The Hon. Charles Jarvis, one of the
leading Protestants of the town, took the father to his home, ·
protected him all night, and drove him to Bangor in his
carriage next day. I saw him get into the carriage, and
shook hands with him when he was driven away.
''The respectable people of Bangor were as much incensed at the outrage as we were at Ellsworth. We resolved to punish the ruffians, and got Hon. George Evans,
then Attorney General of the State, previously U. S. Senator, to come to Ellsworth to present the case to the
Grand Jury. The Grand Jury, however, were all Knownothings, and refused to find indictments, although the evidence was most conclusive. Mr. Evans was so indignant
and disgusted with the Grand Jury that he said that he
would not sleep a night in the town if he got a present of
all the State. Late as it was he insisted on shaking the dust
of Ellsworth from his feet.
"
"These facts I know to be accurately stated, as I was a
resident of Ellsworth at the time of the outrage, and had
been for thirty-six years. It was my birth-place, and I
knew all the facts, and who were the perpetrators of that
atrocious act. And it is with shame I am forced to say
that, instead of 'Orangemen from New Brunswick,' as a
recent writer has asserted, they were our own citizens ; and
I am sorry to say that many who claimed to be our best
citizens were the ringleaders. I knew every man in town,
and less than a dozen were Irish Protestants; and of these
not one had anything to do with it. At that time, as it is
now, Ellsworth was one of the most flourishing towns in
eastern Maine, with a population of over 4000. The people
were educated and refined, with two score of professional
men-ministers, lawyers, and doctors. We were largely
engaged in ship building, and not a single man in our employ was from the British provinces. I knew Father Bapst
well; he was an educated and cultured Christian gentleman."<1>
(ll This report of the outrage is confirmed by the Bangor Mercury of Oct.
17 and 18, 1854, in its notices of the event; a copy of which is preserved in
the Woodstock Historical Collection.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
Thus writes this Protestant friend of Fr. Bapst, who under
the 1tom de plume of "Lumberman" furnished these reminiscences, in September 1884, to the Portland Argus.
It has been thought by some, that Fr. Bapst might have
averted the painful incidents enaEl:ed at Ellsworth, had he
but exercised more foresight, and aEl:ed with more prudence,
not preaching so boldly, and not venturing to visit Ellsworth
after the issue of the town ukase against him. To such as
these, the following testimony of the same Protestant gentleman will be sufficient answer : "He was the most perfeEl: gentleman I have ever met.
He had a very fine, imposing presence, was thoroughly
educated and refined, a11d a true Christian in every sense.
He was in his views liperal, in his tolerations large. He
was the last man you c"ould think of who would provoke
the outrage infliEl:ed upon him. \Vere he narrow-minded,
bigoted, ill-bred, and of a quarrelsome disposition, the excuse might be presented that he drew it upon himsel( But
he was direEl:ly the opposite, and possessed the esteem and
respeEl: of all the liberal-minded and respeEl:able Protestants
of the whole distriEl: in which he served."
Fr. Bapst's subsequent career in Boston, where he was
the friend of the poor no less than of the rich, no less beloved by Protestants than by Catholics, is of itself a sufficient eulogy of his admirable taB:, born not of worldly
policy, but of Christian prudence, vivified by charity divine.
After the perpetration of this outrage, Fr. Bapst never
again ministered to the wants of the Ellsworth Catholics,
his place being filled by other fathers dwelling wjil~ him at
Bangor. Among those who visited Ellsworth every two
weeks to say Mass, etc., was Fr. Eugene Vetromile who
afterwards left the Society.
On Fr. Bapst's return to B<wgor he was received by the
people of that city, both Protestants and Catholics, with the
greatest sympathy. Loud were the denunciations of the
Ellsworth rowdies. Good came out of evil. Fr. Bapst's
influence with all classes in Bangor was from that time most
powerfuL Sympathy had begot admiration ; admiration,
love; and the sway of love brought to the faith many who
had before been indiffe_rent, or hostile to the Church.
The Protestants of Bangor called a public meeting at
which Fr. Bapst was invited to be present. The place of
honor on the platform was assigned him. The meeting was
attended by the most prominent Protestants of Bangor, who
came· in large numbers, and who greeted Fr. Bapst's appearance on the stage with hearty and prolonged applause.
Resolutions were read, denouncing the outrage, lauding
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
30<)
Fr. Bapst's admirable patience during the trial, his Christian
forbearance after it, his courageous zeal in performing his
sacred duties despite the dire warnings to leave the town,
expressing the sympathy of the whole Protestant community, and declaring that his high integrity and untiring
zeal were a source of blessings to the city of which he was
so honored a resident. In closing this expression of their
sentiments, the framers of the resolutions begged leave to
present a fitting testimonial of his acknowledged worth, and
also, thereby, to make reparation for their State of Maine
for the cowardly pilfering that had intensified the baseness
of the unprovoked attack upon him. The chairman, amid
deafening applause, then presented Fr. Bapst with a well
filled purse and a very handsome gold watch, to replace
the silver timepiece stolen from him by some of the Ellsworth mob. On the cover of the watch was engraved the
following inscription:TO REV. JOHN llAPST, S. J.
FROM THE CITIZENS OF BANGOR, !\lAINE,
AS A TOKEN OF THEIR HIGH ESTEEM.
Fr. Bapst, greatly moved by this unexpeCted testimony
of goodwill, found difficulty in making a suitable response.
In feeling tones that greatly touched his hearers, moving
some even to tears, the heroic father thanked them for their
sympathy, and expressed his pleasure at having been made
the recipient of such a beautiful testimony of their esteem.
He said that he would ever prize it, not as a gift of which
he had shown himself worthy-for he had only done what
every true Christian should do in discharging his duty to
his Divine Master-but as a token of the goodwill of those
who fully appreciated the faCt that he was in their midst to
better the moral condition of that seCtion of the great republic, not to turn with serpent-like treachery against the
generous and warm-hearted nation that had sheltered a poor
exile who had been refused a home in his native clime.
Very Rev. Father General Beckx, when informed of the
gift bestowed upon Fr. Bapst, and of the circumstances that
led to its bestowal, deemed it wise to waive the usual custom
of the Society that forbids its members to bear about their
persons costly gold watches, and ordered Fr. Bapst to retain
the gift for his daily use. Fr. Bapst, who had been at first
averse to such a disposition of the gift, submitted with true
obedience to the will of his superior. He used the watch
till about two years before his death, when it was consigned
to the care of his superiors.
�310
FR. JOHN BAPST.
An amusing incident touching this noted timepiece is thus
related by a devoted friend of Fr. BapstY> "In 1881 Fr.
Bapst's mental faculties began to fail. I expressed to his
superiors my great desire to procure for the dear father a
change of scene and air, hoping thus to avert the impending
calamity. His . superiors kindly consenting to my plan, I
started with Fr. Bapst on a trip to Bangor, as he had expressed a longing to revisit the scene of his former labors.
While there Fr. Bapst's watch got out of order, and he
gave it to me to take to a watch-maker's. Going out into
the city to fulfil my mission, I stopped at the first jewelry
store I met, and handed the watch for inspeCtion to the
gentleman in attendance. ~He opened the cover, and then
gave a start, glancing at me with eyes betokening suspicion
of my honesty. Then he abruptly asked me, 'Where did
you get this watch, sir?' My first impulse was to take to
flight. I felt thoroughly guilty. The jeweller had evidently
read the inscription on the case, and had come to suspeCt:
my possession of the watch. I tried to explain, and the
jeweller, apparently only half satisfied, related to me the
cause of his interest in the timepiece. He had himself
made the watch for the committee of the people of Bangor
who had been appointed to make the presentation to Fr.
Bapst. The repairs_were soon effeB:ed, and I hastened back
to the dear father to tell him of my adventure. He laughed
heartily at the plight to which my service in his behalf had
reduced me."<2>
It is said by those who have a right to be believed that
all those who had· anything to de with the outrag-e... upon
Father Bapst either came to an untimely end or met with
some temporal calamity. 'Certain it is that the town of
Ellsworth suffered a long disgrace.
"Two years after the outrage" writes a devoted friend of
Fr. Bapst, "Henry Ward Beecher refused to leCture there,
because he would not visit a place where such an outrage
had been committed. vVendell Phillips also refused, though
he was going to Bangor. But I persuaded Mr. Phillips to
consent. I have no doubt it would now be more difficult
<1> Col. Daniel Lamson of Weston, ~lass., a convert to the faith, and ProvostMarshal at Alexandria, Virginia, during the last war. To Col. Lamson the
compiler of this sketch is indebted for valuable assistance in its preparation.
<•> Another narrative of the Ellsworth outrage, covering also some of the
previous troubles already re"corded, was sent us by the compiler; but as the
present sketch is already running beyond the purpose of the LKTTERS we are
forced to omit it. This document as well as others collected and copied with
great pains by the compiler, and omitted or curtailed for the same reason,
will be preserved for future reference in the Woodstock Historical Collection.
-ED.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
3II
to stir up a riot in Ellsworth than in almost any other city
of Maine."
Fr. Bapst took possession of the church at Bangor in
June 1854, by direCtion of the Bishop of Boston. This
step was necessary both because of the suspension of the
former pastor of Bangor, a secular priest, and because of
the danger to Fr. Bapst's life in Ellsworth, that seemed
imminent in the beginning of the excitement in that town.
As already recorded in this sketch, Fr. Bapst had long desired this parish, considering it the only centre for the outlying missions. He found the congregation already planning the ereCtion of a new church, and he threw himself with
great ardor into the work. The first church at Bangor,
ereCl:ed before Fr. Bapst's arrival, and used by the congregation for some time after his coming, has since disappeared;
but the residence adjoining the church, occupied by him
and Fr. Ciampi, is still standing. Thither more than fifty
years ago came the venerable Br. John Farrell, from an outlying distriCt, to perform his Easter duties. This church
and residence were in an outside seCl:ion of the town, two
far away from the bulk of the Catholic population, who were
coming in and settling along the river.
Fr. Bapst's predecessor in Bangor had bought a lot of
land for a new church in the most fashionable part of the
town. The church they had occupied up to that time was
small, a mere chapel, and in a little place off Court St. The
land was valuable, being in a fine part of the town, but the
situation was too confined. The priest who bought this
new lot took counsel with some of the principal Catholics,
among them Mr. Boyce and Mr. Wall, both tailors, and Fr.
Bapst said that he had been considerably influenced by them
in the matter.
. The people living about the new lot, all Protestants, were
greatly disple<!sed at having the church there. Their objeCl:ion was that the greater part of the Catholic population
were rude people, who would lounge about their fine streets
and houses, smoking etc., and would monopolize the sidewalks on Sundays and holy days. The side-walk question
was serious; for the streets were frequently muddy, and
there were only a few planks there to keep the passer-by
out of the mud. They offered, therefore, to buy the lot at
a high price, and wished the church to be built somewhere
else. To this proposition the former priest, influenced by
his council, refused to accede. But when Fr. Bapst went
there he immediately entertained the proposal. He saw no
reason for irritating a large number of influential people, or
of placing a Catholic church in a part of the city where no
�312
FR. JOHN BAPST.
Catholics lived. He sold the lot, and bought another on
York St., a respectable locality, near a street entirely inhabited by Catholics, and containing a cottage where he could
live. The new church was built close to this cottage, and
thus the priests were able to reach the church without difficulty.
The council were very angry, and thought they had a
right to a vote in the matter. They aired their grievance
to such a disagreeable extent that Fr. Bapst gave them a
stirring address one Sunday. "What do you, a lot of tailors
and grocers, know of church affairs?" he asked, and I am
afraid the dear father stamped at them. The opposition had
been most malignant in tone, and required heroic treatment.
The malcontents became mute. He built the church, and
everybody was pleased, "even the doughty council owning
at last that he had acted for the best.
The corner-stone of the new church of St. John the Evangelist was laid by Bishop Fitzpatrick of Boston, assisted by
the Bishop elect of Portland, Rt. Rev. David Becon, on the
day of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception, Dec. 8, 1854.
The church was ready for divine service before the end
of the next year. It is situated in the north-east part of
Bangor, a few squares from the Penobscot, above the bridge.
It is in a commanding position, and, as the steeple is the
highest in the town, the beautiful gilt cross dominates the
whole neighborhood, and is the most conspicuous object
from the environs. It is a beautiful monument to Fr. Bapst's
zeal-his crowning work in Maine. It is built o(.i>rick, and
the ground rapidly sloping from the street to the river made
a basement easy of construction and even necessary. It is
to-day substantially as Fr. Bapst planned and built it, but of
course many improvements have been made. It has be!=!n
surrounded by asphalt walks, frescoed in fine style, and now
they are gradually putting in stained-glass windows. These
are to represent the mysteries of the Rosary and the chief
events in the life of our Lord. They are of the richest and
most costly description, and will surpass anything of the
kind in the State. ·They are from Innsbruck, and of special
designs. Seven were in place last August. The church is
of generous proportions, for the time in which it 'was built;
it is easy to preach in, and is filled with a pious congregation. The present· pastor, Rev. Edward McSweeney, a
graduate of Holy Cross College, has done much to complete the work begun by Fr. Bapst.(l)
1
< > This account of Fr. Bapst's Bangor church is due to the kindness of Fr.
Edward I. Devitt, who gave a retreat in Bangor, in August 1888.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
313
Father Bapst continued his residence in Bangor until the
autumn of 1859.
After the advent of the new bishop
many objections were made to the occupancy of one of the
finest parishes in the State by the Jesuits. It had been
handed over to our fathers in an emergency, and the concession was now regretted. It was proposed that Father
Bapst give up Bangor and bestow his labors upon the various small stations throughout Maine. But this proposition
was rejected both by Fr. Villiger, the Provincial at that time,
and by Fr. Bapst. As well expect to maintain an arch without its keystone, as the various missions in Maine without
their natural centre, Bangor, whence alone the fathers were
able to obtain the resources wherewith to carry on the poor,
outlying stations. The outcome of the controversy was
that the fathers of the Society were withdrawn from Maine
in September 1859.
Father Bapst's memory is still held in deep veneration by
the people of Bangor, Catholic and Protestant alike. The
good he effected in that city is incalculable. He was regarded as the Apostle of that region, infusing a new spirit
into the Catholics, raising their tone, causing their religion
to become an object -of respect to the Protestants, and gathering into the true fold a large number of the sectarians.
His success in Bangor was assured quite as much by the
outrage perpetrated on him in Ellsworth as by his own
virtues.
In September 1859, he bade a last farewell to his dear
flock at Bangor. The Catholics, young and old, together
with a large number of the leading Protestant citizens, acted
as his escort to the depot. All the Catholics felt that they
were losing a beloved father, and the Protestants appreciated
the f.'lct that Bangor was being deprived of a public benefactor.
From September 1859, till August 1860, Fr. Bapst was
stationed at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts,
filling the office of spiritual father. He was thus enabled to
enjoy a comparative rest after 'his arduous labors of twelve
years on the missions of Maine. As he had given edification when superior, and when far removed from community
life, he gave no less as a subject, and in the observance of
every rule proper to common life. Indeed, the loss of the
spiritual advantages of the community life was his greatest
cross while on the missions.
In the autumn of 1 86o, the scholasticate for the students
of the Society of Jesus in the U. S. was opened in Boston
College. This college had been recently built by Father
John McElroy, then in his eightieth year, but still hale and
�JI4
FR. JOHN BAPST.
vigorous. Fr. Bapst, whose qualities of mind and heart
eminently fitted him for the rectorship of a scholasticate,
was in September r86o installed as rector of the new house
of studies.
Some idea of his first impression of the scholasticate
may be formed from the following extracts from letters
written at the time to his friend Fr. Billet, then rector of
the college at Brussels.
BosTON CoLLEGE, Corner of Harri;;:on Ave. and
Concord St., Boston, )[a~:<., U.S. of America,
Oct. 10, 1860.
Ret•erend and 1•ery dea1· Father,
>P.
C.
There you are in the capital of Belgium, and here I am in the
capital of niassachusctt<, the modern Athens of the N cw 'Vorld.
You, a rector of a great college, and I, the rector of a great schola:3ticate ! \Vho would have thought of such things coming to
pass, when only sixteen years ago we were companions in the prote:'sorship of Latin and Greek in the college of St. }Iichael, under Fr. Amon, as superior, with Fr. Giraud and the amiable Fr.
Delanne as confreres? . . . . . .
Now, after twelve years of missionary labor, I am once again in
the full enjoymm1t of the solitude, silence, and recollection of a
religious house. "rhat a change! To pass suddenly from the
turmoil of a missio11ary life to the life of retirement of a scholasticate! . . . . }[y great happiness at present is to be able peacefully to share the repose, the tranquillity, and all the other
advantage;; of cunmnmity life with dear Fr. Duvcrney and the
other fathers and brothers, who recall to my mind the f:_lthers and
brothers of Fribourg. The scholaf'ticatc which has.-iust been
established here at Bo,.ton by a Father Visitor (Fr. Sopranis) is
intended to be a common house of studie,; for all the provinces of
the Society in North America. The 1·atio 8lwliorwn and the other
rules aiHl constitutions arc to be followed in all their fulness.
The number of our scholastics already reaches fifty; they come
from all parts of the United State~, from Canada, aiHl from as
distant a place as Cali.fiJrnia; and all the modern languages are
in use among them. They luu:e entered upon their studies with
great ardor, and we have reason to entertain the hope of seeing
in a few years an army of apo~tolic men depart from Boston,
who, full of the spirit of St. Ignatius, will establish in the New
\Vorld, on the ruins of Protestantism and infidelity, the kingdom
of Jesus ChriHt .
Your, very devoted brother in J. C.,
•
JonN BAPST, S. J.
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
JI5
BosTON CoLLEGE, March 3, 1861.
Reverend and t•ery dear Father Billet,
P. C.
. . . . . You "·ould like to know, doubtless, what I am doing
here. I have a comnnmity of 67 persons: 1:~ priests, 46 scholastics, and 8 coadjutor brothers. I am engaged in teaching the
class of moral theology, which, as you know, is my forte. Your
old friend, Fr. Duvcrncy, teaches dogmatic theology, ecclesiastical history, and Hebrew. You know full well what a scholasticatc is. I have nothing to tell you in this matter except that
our scholastics, although -Americrm.~, are as good, as studious, as
pious, as are yours in Europe. To-morrow and the day after we
will have the di~putations for the theologians and philosophers.
'Ve have no cxterns or ~eminarinns; they are all .Jesuits.
Next Sunday, our church will be dedicated. It is, beyond all
dispute, the most beautiful church not only in Boston but in the
whole State of ::\Ia~~nchusctts. The cost of the church and college will amount to half a million of dollars. Yon can form no
idea of the beauty of these two buildings.
Last Sunday and the Sunday be:fi>re, we had a sacred concert
in the churGh building, given (do not be scandalized) by Protes·
tant artists; and we made fifteen hundred dollars for the church
fund. , These artists would accept no remuneration for their serVIces.
To-morrow Lincoln, the new President of the United States,
will be installed in office at 'Vashington. Yon are aware, I suppose, that we are just at this moment resting upon a volcano;
that the Southern States are about to separate themselves from
the Northern, an<l that the Union will probably be dissolved .
. They expect some great disturbances at 'V ashington to-morrow.
It is very likely a civil war will ensue. And then, what is going
to become of us? GO<l alone knows. 'Vhat is certain is that
there is very little prejudice against Catholics here, and that we
have no persecution to apprehend. 'V e are much more free and
in enjoyment of a greater peace here than you are in Europe.
Pray :fi>r
Your very devoted friend and brother in Xt.,
JOHN BAPST,
s. J.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was dedicated
Sunday, October 14, with the greatest solemnity, by Bishop
John Fitzpatrick of Boston, Archbishop Hughes of New
Y ark preaching in the morning, and Bishop McCloskey of
Albany in the evening. The music on the occasion was
superb and the ceremonies most impressive, over fifty Jesuits
besides many bishops and parish priests participating in
them. This day inaugurated a religious revival in church
matters in Boston. Fr. Bapst's reputation and his personal
worth, together with the beauty of the ceremonies at the
�FR. JOHN BAPST.
church, attraB:ed crowds of Protestants every Sunday, and
numerous conversions were the result. Indeed, so many
converts were instrucRed and baptized by Fr. Bapst personally, that it would be hard to estimate the number. It is a
familiar expression in Boston: "He, or she, is a convert of
Fr. Bapst's."
The scholastics were delighted with Father Bapst as a
superior, and found him possessed of a father's heart ever
ready to respond to every outpouring of interior trouble, by
advice at once consoling and praCticable. And they in turn
afforded Fr. Bapst much consolation. Their modesty while
passing along the street was such that even Protestants used
to comment on it when ~isiting Fr. Bapst. Every one in
Boston recognized "the s.tudents," as they were called, their
every movement was watcf1ed, and it was notic;ed that they
kept their eyes modestly lowered when walking in the city.
Crowds were accustomed to gather outside the college on
Sunday afternoons to hear the singing during the community BenediB:ion.
In the summer of r863, it was decided to transfer the
scholasticate to Georgetown, the progress of the war rendering communication with Boston very difficult. Fr. Bapst
remained in Boston as pastor of the Immaculate Conception
Church, and when, in September r864, Boston College was
opened for day-scholars, he became the vice-reB:or of the
collegium i11clwatum. His mind, however, was preoccupied
with the financial difficulties of the church, which at one
time were so embarrassing, owing to the faCt: that the church
had no parish assigned to it, that it was thought it would
. have to be given up to the bishop to be convert~cf· into a
parish church. The care of the college then devolved upon
Fr. Robert Fulton, who was possessed of Fr. Bapst's confidence to such a degree that everything pertaining to the
school was left to his direB:ion. Fr. Fulton began with only
twenty-five students, but his prudence and courageous perseverance soon raised Boston College to a high position.
Fr. Bapst, by his unwavering confidence and kindly advice
seconded Fr. Fulton in everything.
Next Fr. Bapst set to work, with an abiding trust in
God, to devise a means whereby the church debt might be
gradually paid off. vVhen he became pastor, the debt was
one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, resting on the
church alone; the college had been freed from all debt by
the munificence of the people of St. Mary's Church,
Boston, of which Fr. McElroy had been pastor. The
interest on the church debt was nine thousand, and the
�PR. JOHN 1JAPS1'.
ji7.
revenue only six thousand, the times being very "hard" on
account of the war.
The following account of the manner in which Fr. Bapst
proceeded to rid the church of its load of debt is given by
the chairman of the committee of six who nobly co-operated with Fr. Bapst in his great taskY>
"My associations with Fr. Bapst were chiefly of a financial charaB:er; and in this conneB:ion· he always exhibited
remarkable good sense, for one who had had so little experience in this direB:ion. I was always struck by the singular
faculty he possessed of surrounding himself with the right
men, and of inspiring them with his own enthusiasm in the
prosecution of any special projeCt:.
"vVhen appointed to the position of pastor of the Immaculate Conception Church, he called a meeting of the members
of the congregation, and presented to them a statement of
the condition of affairs, with an appeal for their aid. The
result of this meeting was that Mr. Andrew Carney made
the generous proposition to give the munificent sum of
twenty thousand dollars, provided an equal amount should
be raised by the congregation. This proposition at once
excited the emulation of all, and in the course of a few
weeks Fr. Bapst, with the assistance of a few members of
the congregation, succeeded in obtaining subscriptions to
the amount of about ten thousand dollars. Meanwhile it
was found that other means must be resorted to for the purpose of obtaining the sum required under the proposition
of Mr. Carney, and it was decided to hold a fair in the
Music Hall of Boston. This was opened on the 5th of
April, 1864, with the brilliant result of swelling the required
fund to twenty-seven thousand dollars. Up to that time,
this was by far the most successful church fair ever held in
Boston. On the 4th of April, Mr. Carney died suddenly,
but, by his will, he had bequeathed to the church of the
Immaculate Conception securities which amounted in value
to about twenty-five thousand dollars. Thus, within a few
months from the beginning of his pastorship, Fr. Bapst had
colleB:ed sixty-two thousand dollars towards the liquida·
tion of the debt. In 1867, a second most successful fair
was held in the Boston Music Hall, resulting in a net profit
of about twenty-eight thousand dollars, which sum, added
to the previous colleB:ions, left Fr. Bapst in a very comfortable financial condition for the remainder of his administration."
<I> :Mr. Joseph A. Laforme of Boston.
VoL. xvm, No. 3·
21
�P.R. jOHN BAPST'.
Another friend of Fr. Bapst, Mr. Hugh Carey of Boston,
after relating at some length how Fr. Bapst succeeded in
decreasing the church debt, thus gives us an idea of his
methods:"He would set to work at a plan like an old diplomat.
Very often he would send for Mr. Laforme, Mr. McLaughlin,
and myself, bidding us call on a certain evening at the college. 'Now gentlell.len,' he would say, 'you understand
business affairs better than I do; please take the whole
affair into your own hands, and I will help you all I can.'
Of course, in a plan whose execution was left to us with
such entire confidence, we could not help but feel a personal
interest, and we spared no effort, you may be sure, to crown
it with success. Hereiu I think is found the secret of Fr.
Bapst's wonderful power""of interesting all his colaborers in
his every plan for the glory of God and the good of soulshe made those who labored with him feel that he had entire
confidence in them. At one of our meetings in his room,
when we could not agree on some matter which he had
proposed, he walked over to the door, locked it, and put
the key in his pocket. 'Now gentleman,' he said, 'when you
decide about this matter you can go home, and not before.'
You may be sure we were not slow in coming to an agreement after that."
It must not be imagined that during this period Fr. Bapst
was so engrossed with financial affairs as to grow slack in
works of zeal. He had a wonderful talent for attending to
one line of duty, without negleCting in the least another
which might seemingly be little congruous in ns1ture with
the first. His motto, A.M. D. G., spiritualized all his" aCtions,
so that all were in perfeCt harmony-all bore the spirit upward. vVriting of the zeal for souls and great charity that
charaCterized every period of his life, one of his life-long
friends says : "What was most striking in Fr. Bapst was his
capacity for labor. It was almost literally true that, except
the necessary deduCtion of time given by rule to sleep and
recreation, he was always engaged in works of zeal. He
had no other taste to gratify. I once persuaded him to go
on a trip to Lake Winnipiseogee, but he came back on the
third day, utterly tired of his vacation. His charity was
supreme. I think there never was face more expressive of
benignity, and his heart did not belie his face. His temper
was equable, his manner extremely cordial. Forgetful of
his own personality and his own interests, he labored for the
advancement of others."
During his stay in Boston Fr. Bapst was in constant demand to give retreats to religious and the clergy. Besides
�LET1ERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
this he was ever faithful and punCtual in attending to the
penitents who flocked to him in great crowds, especially on
Friday and Saturday.
(To be continued.)
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN IN THE WAR
OF I86I.
(Nint!t Letter.)
BATTERY ScoTT, NEAR FoRT PICKENS,
SANTA RosA IsLAND, FLA.
Dec. IS, I86I.
To DANIEL HAsSEN.
My dear Dan,
I have just finished hearing the confessions· of the poor
soldiers stationed in this battery, which is ereB:ed on the
extreme point of land nearest to the enemy's works, and
which is therefore a set target for the Southern guns. Indeed it has always been obliged to bear the brunt of every
engagement. It is considered an advanced redoubt of Pickens, or a proteCtion to it.
As there is talk of anothe1 bombardment, I thought it
my duty to give the brave soldiers in charge of this dangerous post an opportunity of settling their consciences at leisure-in the hurry of an attack such work is done rather
superficially. The captain in command, a Protestant, very
kindly gave me the use of his own tent as a chapel while I
should be in the battery, and the Catholic soldiers required
no pressing to go to confession.
Even at this late date of the year, the heat is as oppressive as it was last June. Though we are not entirely within
the torrid zone, we notice scarcely any change in the length
of the day. The sun rises and sets now about the same
time as in the beginning of July. We are tanned as brown
as Indians. So much do the men feel the scorching rays,
that when off duty, or on fatigue duty, they lay aside their
uniform, and array themselves in what they term "Texan
rig"-shirt and drawers. Human respeCt: alone, I have no
doubt, prevents some of higher standing from adopting the
same style of dress. As the clear inviting salt water surrounds us on all sides, those free from military duty find
this costume very convenient. For, in order to enjoy the
�"assuasive element," they can dispense with the formality of
undressing, and plunge into the water just as they are.
Imagine a crowd of men, during free time, lounging along
the water's edge like a bevy of aquatic fowl. Now, without
a moment's warning, one or more dive in, and when sufficiently refreshed, crawl out only to plunge in again when
the "Texan outfit" becomes dry.
Some have their fears that, unless a remedy be applied,
we shall soon step down towards the uncivilized ways of
benighted Hottentots. I have myself already partaken of
dainty dishes composed of boiled mule, alligator steak, lizard
stew, fried snake, and the like, as substitutes for fresh meat
and vegetables, which could not be pr.ocured. The faB: that
there is no critic, no one here whom we fear to scandalize
or shock, diminishes in a wonderful degree, in war time, the
sense of propriety. When, however, the hour of duty is
announced, and the U. S. uniform is again donned, the boys
instantly return to civilized ways and forms. An officer with
whom I was conversing this morning made the remark:
"Father, woman is necessary for civilization. Men left to
themselves would fall into barbarism ; woman would not;
she would have to be dragged into it. \Vere there even one
daughter of Eve on the island, the men would never dare
wander about in ~his scanty attire."
Since early in June last, we have not seen a house, except
at long range, or a civilian, except deserters and refugees, if
such can be called civilians. A brave Zouave coming up to
me on some business, whilst I was engaged in conversation
with an officer of high rank in the navy, said :~"'Father, if
we had not Mass and sermon to recall to our minds that
there is another world, I believe we should not think we
were men at all." As the soldier withdrew to return to his
quarters, the gallant officer remarked: "There is more philosophy in that fellow's words than he sees." I think the
distinguished officer was egregiously mistaken. The Catholic soldier felt away down in his very heart of hearts the
full truth of his words. ·what would the world be without
faith, without Christian worship? I did not believe such
faith existed, except in rare cases, as I find amongst these
rough, if you will, but good-hearted soldiers. I tried to.
make the officer understand and feel what it is to have faith,
but in vain. Yet lu~' is a good man and a very dear friend of
mine. His position during many years of service has enabled him to contrast the manner in which Catholics and
Protestants terminate their temporal lives. He says he has
been always amazed at the strong, sound faith of the dying
Catholic. "The Catholic," he continued, "never beholds
�LETTERS FROJI A CHAPLAIN.
321
Jesus calling him fresh from sin to glory; he expresses deep
sorrow for his past transgressions, which he hopes to be
pardoned through the merits of Jesus. The dying Catholic
often gives vent in touching words to his desire to have
near him a priest, who, in this hour of distress, would interpose the power of his Church between his sins and his offended God. At last he would turn to the Virgin Mary,
and beseech her to be a mother and priest to him. His
brothers in the faith, if free, kneel by their expiring companion, and with book in hand recite the prayers for the
agonizing. Oh !" he added, "how I should like to have
their rational way of dying." Poor fellow! The dying
Catholic sailor and marine have given him an example for
which he will have to answer.
In spite of our numerous and, at times, severe privations,
we are really happy; for we bear, or try to bear, all our trials
with becoming disposition. At night, with heaven's vault,
sometimes starry and clear, at other times cloudy and menacing, for our roof, we lie on the white, glistening, creaking
sand as our bed; we closely tuck around us an army blanket
to prevent snakes and lizards from coming too near us; yet
our morning and evening prayers, though short, are as fervent as if we had the strong roofs of New York or Brooklyn
to protect us, or downy couches on which to rest our weary
bodies. But there were other and greater privations which
we had to suffer, and which we did and do endure with real
Christian fortitude. At our landing on Santa Rosa, we were
informed that no drinking water was to be found on the
island. This we were obliged to acknowledge as partially
true. We were, however, told to console ourselves with the
hope that the rainy season would soon break in upon us,
and bring us more water than we should want. Thanks to
divine Providence, and to soldiers' ingenuity, water more or
less drinkable was procured even before the arrival of the
rains. For this, such as it was, our brave soldiers heartily
thanked the Almighty, and offered in atonement for their
sins the repugnance they felt for this insipid and at times
brackish water. So weaned have we become, not only from
superfluities, but from even ordinary conveniences, that we
scarcely miss what others would consider indispensable.
Thus, to write a letter, you would require a chair, a table,
a protection against wind and sun, a little moment of tranquillity, good paper, a good pen, and the like. We have
none of these conveniences; and soldiers, ever in the field,
seldom bestow a thought on their existence-or if they do,
it is only to add: "We did not thank God for such advan-
�322
LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
tages when we had them; it is well we have been deprived
of them."
I have, however, felt the want of such things; and this
want is the chief reason why I have allowed your kind
letter to remain so long unanswered. The intense heat, the
maddening flies and mosquitoes, the terrible throng, the constant uproarious noise of men and animals, the perpetual
moving of every one and everything around me, are not
encouragements to write a letter. How often has it happened that the wind carried into the sea the four pages
which under these difficulties I had penned in answer to
some kind friend's letter !-But what is all this hubbub? A
cry "To arms!" rings through the command. The "long
roll" is being vigorously. beaten. There is a rushing hither
and thither to guns and batteries. "Father," says the captain
of Battery Scott, "you are ordered with the infantry, who
are moving down the island to guard the beach and prevent
a flank movement. It threatens to be the severest test
which our guns and ourselves have yet had to withstand."In order to save the pages thus far written, I shall bury
them in the sand, where, if all turn out well, I hope to find
them, and continue my letter. Adieu! Away to my post
of duty.
CAMP LINCOLN, Dec. r6, r861.
Allow me to~ return to my cac!te, exhume my little
documents, and continue my letter, which I should have
written to you weeks ago.
The hubbub mentioned above, which gave us such a start,'
and which enabled us to prove our alertness to .the satisfaCtion of all, is now over, and no one has been hurt. As I
was leaving Battery Scott, I saw a large fleet of steamers
coming down the Pensacola towards Santa Rosa, and our
own fleet moving eastward along the southern shore of the
island, across which our gallant tars intended to throw shell
and shot at the advancing Confederate boats, if their objeB:
should be to land an army on our island. All were ready.
It was to be a fair, stand-up fight; no surprise, no night
attack about this. Down comes the Southern fleet with
flying colors. We are impatiently awaiting the near approach of the enemy. Our fort and batteries, infantry and
and fleet, are so situated that each branch aids all the others.
Is Gen. Bragg now going to attempt an impossible result
which months ago he might have been able to secure-to
sweep us into the gulf? 'Tis too late. Are those puffing
steamers his armed tugs, and boats laden with troops? Does
the distinguished general now hope to roll us into the gulf,
when we are so firmly established ?-But look! A halt is
�LETTERS FROJI,f A CHAPLAIN.
323
evidently signaled. There is a "heave to" all along the line.
Now a scattering manceuvre. The boats wheel round and
start back for Pensacola. Had they a hostile intent? Were
they a scouting or an excursion party? At all events they
found us more than prepared to meet any attack, be it in
the shape of a bombardment or an attempt at landing. Our
long-range guns sent from fleet, fort, and batteries, a few
balls ricochetting up the bay after the retiring squadron as
a challenge. That was the end of the hubbub.
Your kind remembrances and interesting accounts of affairs in New York reached me to-day in this camp (Lincoln),
in which I have for the present taken up my quarters. Accept my heartfelt thanks. Like men in a foreign country, we
are eager to read a New York newspaper, no ma,tter what
the date, or listen to any story, no matter how improbable,
about affairs at home. You can imagine then what a gJ::atification your letter and papers were to us poor fellows "away
down in Dixie."
I have the satisfaction of being able to make the complaint that my duties as priest are so urgent and constant,
that I have very little time to enjoy or even notice camp
incidents and anecdotes; yet I shall try to pick up a few for
you in acknowledgment of the budget of news you have
sent us.
We have in this command an officer who, with me, is an
uncompromising Catholic, but with others, I understand, he
is a Protestant, and again with others (what I fear is unfortunately true) he is an infidel. This worthy, it would appear,
made during Mass some remarks and gestures very disrespectful to the holy sacrifice, and insulting to the faith of
the Catholic soldiers. Those who witnessed his conduct
made a very bitter complaint to me against him, cautioning
me, however, to say nothing to him ; for some of the boys
were going to give him a lesson which he would not be
likely to forget. When about to remonstrate I was interrupted by a "Don't say a word, Father. We shan't harm
him in the least." I was told not to be alarmed, should I
hear any disturbance in the obnoxious officer's quarters,
which just then were nt>t far from mine. In the course of
the night I did hear something of a bustle or fuss, but it
was only for a moment. In the morning I was informed of
what had been done. Some of the lads, having come to an
understanding with the neighboring sentries, without whose
connivance the success of the scheme would be impossible,
entered the infidel's tent at the dead hour of night, with
drawn swords, and told him to be quiet and no harm would
come to him. They informed him that he must accompany
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
them beyond the limits of the camp. They cautioned him
against offering any resistance, for if he did they would for
their own safety have to take his life. Then, still holding
their drawn swords pointed at vital parts, they reminded
him of the great offense he had given them, and announced
the punishment they were about to infliCt on him. They
insisted on his accompanying them to the water's edge,
and there, in the presence of the waves of the gulf, promising never to repeat his insulting conduCt. Then these
self-constituted defenders of the faith started off with their
prisoner, passed the sentries, who, as previously arranged,
did not notice them, and soon reached the roaring surf into
which they threw the scoffer of religion. Drawing him out
. softly they said to him: "Lieutenant, we shall not drown
you this time, but if you· do not hereafter behave as you
should during the holy sacrifice of the Mass, we shall most
certainly cast you into the gulf as food for the fishes: Take
what we have .done as an earnest of our determination to
allow no scoffing at holy things."
Indignant and mortified at the treatment he had just received from unauthorized common soldiers, the scoffer began to threaten his tormentors with the dire vengeance of
the rigid exaCtor of respeCt to authority, Col. Brown. Fully
appreciating their own position, and provoked by the threat,
the vigilance committee again seized him, with what appeared to be a decided intention of drowning him, and thus
removing all fear of his disclosures. The penitent officer
then humbly begged to have his life spared, promised all
that was required of him, and was allowed to retu!n unaccompanied to his quarters. Reaching the sentinel·· whose
post he had to pass, he was halted, and under pain of being
reported to headquarters for being absent from camp, was
constrained to give an account of himsel£ The humbled
derider of Catholic belief told his tale, and requested to be
passed in quietly. "For if this should become public," said
he, "I should have to resign in disgrace." Such is the history
of the incident as it was related to me next morning; and I
believe it, because I received it from different sources. The
hero of the scene has never divulged the secret, though I
think it is generally known. The soldiers certainly wish to
have it clearly understood that no disrespeCt to our Lord in
the Holy Eucharist will be tolerated.
A splendid bloodhound whose name was given to us as
Manassas, was sent to us some time ago from Pensacola by
Gen. Bragg's soldiers, as a dauntless bearer of startling news.
The dog safely reached us with his despatches, and soon
became a great favorite with the boys. Manassas' master
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
was with those who made the attack on our camp on Oct.
gth, and was found among the slain, with the faithful hound
which had recognized him, licking the hands and face of the
corpse. The brute seemed inconsolable for the loss of his
master whom he loved so steadily. Receiving no mark of
recognition from his lifeless owner, he would run to those
within sight, howl piteously into their faces, grab them by
the clothing, and again dart off to the corpse, around which
he would violently scrape the sand, and into whose face he
would bark, as if he wished to awake it into life. This astonishing attachment to his old friend made Manassas wonderfully dear to his new acquaintances. He met, however,
with a tragic and inglorious death at the hands of a sentinel,
who, mistaking him, as he says, for a prowling spy, challenged him, and receiving no answer, fired, and killed the
universal favorite. The sentry's account of the case was
not generally credited. 'For, though it was well known that
Manassas made regular visits to the picket-line, all who have
been posted on that line assure us that he never skulked
about the beat, but boldly presented himself to the man on
guard, from whom he was sure of receiving a friendly welcome. A report has become noised about that the sentry
killed the dog to spite the commander, who was a great admirer of the bloodhound, and who, a short time previous,
had given the guard a sharp reprimand for some negleCt: of
duty. So intense was the indignation of the boys at what
they termed the "assassination" of the dog, that those in
authority became alarmed lest some evil should befall the
unlucky sentry. Aware himself of the wide-spread feeling
of hostility towards him, and hearing on every side unmistakable mutterings of revenge, the unhappy destroyer of
Manassas' life became so terrified that he applied for the
favor of being placed on board one of the vessels anchored
off the island. The poor fellow has now disappeared ; we
suppose his request has been quietly granted. Nothing is
said about him.
Whilst the regiment was being organized on Staten Island,
some Protestant ministers were enlisted as private soldiers.
Two of these gentlemen have been on the point of getting
an official into very serious trouble. They made a formal
complaint to the commander that they had been entrapped
into the service. A rigid enquiry into the affair was ordered.
The defendant said: "I invited these, as I did the other men
of the regiment, to enlist. I handed them the formula issued by the government for that purpose, and printed in
large type, and they signed it. I presume they were able
to read and did read it. They were mustered into the regi-
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN. .
ment as the others composing that body of soldiers." ''But
did you not induce them to enlist by promising them positions or offices which it was not in your power to grant?"
asked the board. "I promised to recommend them for the
first vacancy, if I should find them competent" was the
answer. It was declared by the board that no case was
made out against the accused. One of these gentlemen,
however, was taken out of the ranks, and detailed to do
clerk's work in the adjutant's office. The other was direEl:ed
to continue to perform in the ranks the duties of a good
soldier. The former, of course, was quite pleased with the
change, but the latter took the decision of the referees so
much to heart, that he began to manifest signs of mental
derangement. Some, espesially members of his own company1 maintained that his eccentric ways were all feigned.
The colonel, however, ordered him to be released from all
military duties till he could have him examined by competent authority. Profiting by the free time thus given to
him, he amassed a considerable sum of money. He set up
a laundry establishment which was well patronized, for it
was the only institution of the kind within reach, and welcomed by officers and men. But this flourishing business
did not give him sufficient occupation. He soon enlarged
his field of aB:ion by reassuming the role of preacher, which
he had laid aside to ~shoulder a musket. Announcing himself as a minister of the gospel to the boys, from whom he
was receiving no small amount of annoyance, he valiantly
undertook to convert them. About this time, the tr~nsport
McClellan brought down here a cargo of beeves~{qr the
use of the command-the first and only instalment of fresh
meat we have thus far received. As each steer was slaughtered, our zealous apostle gathered up the entrails, cleaned
them, cooked them, and distributed them to his converts.
But, as soon as the repast was over, the converts lost the faith
and had to be converted by another mess.
One day, whilst the preacher was busily engaged in preparing a banquet of tripes for his backsliding followers, a
soldier arrived in great haste, and informed him that a large
ox had just been slaughtered within the fort, and that, unless
he hurried and secured the precious entrails, they would, to
the great detriment of souls, be cast to the fishes. "But
how leave this pot? The contents are nearly cooked."
"Well, if you wish," saiCI the obliging soldier, "I shall attend
to things in your absence." Entrusting the caldron and its
seething contents to the soldier, the minister hoisted an
empty barrel on his shoulder, and started for Pickens. As
soon as he was outside the camp, the lads emptied the well-
�LETTERS FROJJf A CHAPLAIN.
327
filled caldron, and replaced the contents by a generous
quantity of pieces of exploded shells, bits of wood, old
nails, etc.
In due time the zealous minister of the gospel returned,
with a good supply of his favorite means of saving souls,
and asked, "How are the tripes?" "How are the tripes!';
repeated the one left in charge, "I don't know what has
happened to them. They have become so heavy and hard
that I cannot stir them." "Hand me the stick" said the
minister. Then giving a vigorous twist of the staff, and on
examination finding a queer mixture of obstacles, he asks:
"What are all these? Iron and sticks and bricks and nailswhat is it?" No information could be given. "Has the
priest passed this way?" "He has." "Did he put his hand
over the pot?" "He did." "That settles it. 'Tis well he
did not put the devil into it. Beware of him. He'll turn
you all into goats or devils, if you are not on your guard.
But I'll fix him this time." Starting off for the general's
quarters, where I happened to be at the time, the zealous
preacher, of whose peculiar fondness for tripes and the end
for which he gathered them I had not heard, pushed onwards, muttering as he went, "The priest changed my tripes
into stones and wood and iron," till he was halted by a sentinel in front of the general's tent. "I want to pass, I want
to pass," he repeated. "Who is that fellow, sentry?" asked
the commander, "What do you want?" "The priest has
ruined me;" shouted the minister, "he has changed my
tripes into bricks and iron, and he would change myself
into a goat or a devil if he dared." The crowd who had
followed him yelled unmercifuily at the poor creature, who
only exclaimed, "Oh, so many souls perishing for want of
tripes!" "Father, what does ail this mean?" asked the general. I could give no explanation; it was all a mystery to
me. "What is the matter with you, my man?" says the
general kindly. But the poor monomaniac, in answer to all
questions, repeats his complaint, "The priest changed my
tripes into bricks and iron." "The priest changed your
tripes into bricks and iron! Are you sick, my good fellow?
Are you suffering from colic?" The crowd around gathered closer to him. Some of them led him off to his quarters, and others remained to give us the story as related
above. This last outbreak decided the poor fellow's case;
for it removed from the minds of the authorities ail doubt
as to his soundness of mind. His discharge papers were
immediately made out, and he was sent home.
A rather amusing incident, resulting apparently in the
mortification of old Col. Brown, but raising him high in the
�LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
estimation of the command, occurred here a short time ago.
Allow me to relate it. Being informed that officers remained
out of the fort and out of their camps till a very late hour
at night, visiting other camps or on board men-of-war, and
being aware, as an old soldier, of the inconvenience, if not
positive evil consequences, that would result from such a
lack of regularity, especially in the presence of a watchful,
brave, and dashing enemy, Col. Brown took immediate and
strict measures for correcting this abuse. He ordered officers to be in their respective camps at 9 P. M., and any
officer returning to camp after that hour was to be halted
by the sentinel till the officer of the guard should come to
admit him. The colonel, ~owever, punctual observer of
etiquette, fearing lest his qrder should be misconstrued by
the officers of the fleet, weiit out in the afternoon in his
guard-boat to the man-of-war Mississippi, to explain the
reasons of his strictures on the recent prolonged visits of
his officers. The colonel's stay with the genial and hospitable commander of the Mississippi was very much protracted, and when the courteous but strict disciplinarian
returned to shore-it was after 9 P. M. Coming up the
pathway from the beach to the fort, he found himself face
to face with Post No. 6, whose sentry, true to his instructions, "challenged" the stranger with the words, "Halt! who
goes there ?"
"Officer of the Post."
"Halt, Officer of the Post, till the officer of the guard
pass you in."
·
"But I am the colonel commanding the departmen_t.''.
"Halt! No officer can pass a post after 9 o'clock without
the permission of the officer of the guard."
"I'll pass. The order does not apply to me. You know
who I am."
Klick-klick went the sentry's rifle-trigger, and solemnly
came the words, "Another step and you are a dead man.
On post I know nobody. I must obey my instructions."
The sentry's tone of voice left no doubt in the mind of the
belated colonel that a rifle-ball would bring him to a halt if
he made another step.
"Well, sentry, wt: shall see about this later. In the meantime, carry out your instructions."
Thereupon the fearless sentry lustily cried out, "Officer
of the guard! Post No. ·6 !" The words were readily transmitted from sentinel to sentinel till they reached guard headquarters, when the officer in command hastily proceeded to
the designated location, where he found the commander of
the department held under the rifle of a common soldier.
�LETTERS FROllf A CJ!APLAIN.
The officer, making many apologies for the blunder of the
guard, passed in the colonel, who offered neither thanks
nor excuses to sentinel or officer.
When relieved from duty in the morning, the poor sentinel
came to see me, gave me the account just related, and expressed his fear of some severe punishment. "For the colonel
was evidently angry," he said, "and seemed to be offended
at my conduEl:." I told him that I could see no reason
why any fault could be found with him, that I thought his
conduEl: worthy of all praise, and that doubtless the colonel
fully appreciated the manner in which he performed his duty.
In due time, when the adjutant brought the "morning report" to the commandant, the venerable colonel enquired
the name of the officer of the guard just relieved, and that
of the sentinel stationed at Post No. 6 about ten o'clock the
previous evening. On learning their names, ·he ordered both
into his presence. The officer, remembering his humble apology to the belated commander, came in buoyant spirits to the
office; but the poor soldier, aware of the colonel's scrupulous observance of etiquette towards all, and especially towards himself, came with a heavy heart. As was generally
the case when something unusual was expeEl:ed, a large
number of soldiers and officers colleEl:ed on this occasion in
the neighborhood of the office, to witness the solution of
the present difficulty.
"You are the officer who apologized to me last night for
the sentry's conduEl: in halting me, in obedience to orders
issued from these headquarters, and delivered to him by
you?"
"I am."
"Sentry, were you stationed at Post No. 6, about ten
o'clock last evening?"
"I was."
"Did you not know me?"
"I did."
"Then why did you not allow me quietly to pass?"
"Because my orders were to pass no officer after mne
o'clock, except through the officer of the guard."
"Did you not tell me that when on post you knew nobody?"
"I did. The instruEl:ions given to me whilst being trained
in guard-duty, and often repeated by Col. Harvie Brown,
were :-to recognize no one on post after the countersign
had been given."
"Well done, sentry;" said the colonel, after a short pause,
"I take you out of the ranks to-day, and give you a sergeant's stripes. You have performed your duty well, intel-
�330
LETTERS FROllf A CHAPLAIN.
ligently, and fearlessly. You have given your officer a
good lesson, which I hope he will not forget. If I find you
capable, I shall recommend you to the War Department for
something higher. As to you," addressing the officer, "I
have to say nothing more than what you have just heard."
Three rousing cheers were given by the crowd of soldiers
for the colonel and the newly appointed sergeant.
In order to retrieve the prestige which they had lost
amongst their own on October the 9th, the enemy made
frequent and determined attempts, during several weeks
following that memorable day, to effect a landing on our
island. These assaults proved to us the absolute necessity
of multiplying our posts,.,and doubling our sentries, if we
wished to repel our aggrrssors successfully. But the serious question with us was :""how, with the comparatively few
men at our disposal, can we find the number requisite for
extended guard and picket-duty, and keep a little· reserve
in camp. Accidents and sickness, by diminishing the number of those fit for duty, daily increased our embarrassment.
Finally, the want of men became so great, that, as a last resort, till the arrival of re-enforcements, it was decided to
empty the camp of able-bodied men, and assign two men
to each post continuously- two hours on, two hours off.
The same soldiers would thus be sentinels every day and
night. This is considered great hardship in military life.
For, after twenty-four hours on post, a man requires a full
day, with the exception of light work about camp, to rest,
and brush up himself, his arms, etc. Officers and soldiers
complained; yet it was evident to all, that, for th~.present,
nothing could be done to diminish the hardships of those
who had to mount guard. Not a post could be suppressed.
On the contrary, ther~ was every reason, if at all possible,
to station extra sentinels at threatened and exposed points.
One of the poor sentinels thus sorely tried, Percy, a Canadian, overcome by excessive fatigue, after having spent
forty hours at his post, with "two hours on, two hours off"
relief, sat down and was soon fast asleep. The watchful officer of the picket (for Percy was on that line, which made
- his case more serious), making his rounds, found the man
on whose wariness so much depended, stretched out on the
ground, oblivious of all danger to himself and others.
Aroused from his slumbers, the terrified sentry could only
say, "I couldn't help it." Still, to sleep on post is an
offence always seriously punished, but in time of war punishable with death. The sentry was relieved and placed
under arrest. All, of course, knew that he was blameless~is sleeping was involuntary. Yet, discipline must be main-
�LETTERS FROM A CHAPLAIN.
331
tained; others must be deterred from yielding to the temptation. After some days' detentipn, the prisoner, without
being informed that he was excused or pardoned, was "returned to duty," and in a short time found himself again
stationed on the picket-line. Believing that he had not been
pardoned, and that he was only awaiting sentence of death,
and seeing safety for himself only within the enemy's lines,
to which there was, as far as he could know, a clear, unobstruCl:ed way, Percy abandoned his post, and started down
the island, on whose northern shore he had hoped to find
some means of getting beyond the reach of Uncle Sam's
powerful arm. He was soon missed; and soldiers, mounted
on mettlesome mules, were sent in hot pursuit. He was
overtaken just as he was entering one of those swampy
growths east of us, the haunt of alligators and large and
venomous reptiles. Taken back to camp, the poor fellow,
who had the sympathy of all, men and officers, felt that he
had no right to expeCl: mercy. He was clearly guilty, he
said, of two great faults- sleeping on post and desertion.
The authorities, however, blamed themselves; for they admitted that they should have informed the man, before returning him to duty, that no further notice would be taken
of his having slept at his post. To ·save discipline, it was
decided that an order explaining to the command the extenuating circumstances of the sentry's case should be immediately issued, and that without punishment he should be
returned to duty. In the meantime, pro forma, he was
placed under arrest till the order exonerating him should
be made out. As there was no guard-house in which he
could be detained, he was ordered to take his position at
the extremity of the camp on the white sand, and a guard
was assigned to keep watch over him till morning, when the
order should be read.
During the night a violent thunder storm, accompanied
by furious rain and wind, suddenly broke• over the island
and gul( The darkness was utterly impenetrable, except
when the vivid flashes of lightning illumined the surroundings, leaving, however, the intervals still darker. The
thunder was a forcible representation of the almig·hty
power of the God of battles. Notwithstanding the fury
of the storm, the faithful sentinel continued to pace up
and down near his prisoner, or near the place where
he had last seen him, till the "new relief" came, when,
with his "orders," he "turned over" to his successor
on post the captured deserter who had been entrusted
to him. But the captive was not there! "Sentry, where
is your prisoner?" asked the sergeant of the relie( "Well
�LETTERS FRO!If A CHAPLAIN.
-ah-yes ! That man ! He is not here. He is not a man.
He is a devil. The whole command should rejoice that
he has left us. During one of those terrific flashes of lightning, the ground opened, and down he went to hell."
Such was the guard's explanation of the disappearance of
the man entrusted to his special custody.
Next morning this strange story was duly reported to
the commander-in-chie( This gentleman fixed his spe8:acles, read and reread the wonderful account of the prisoner's
escape, and impatiently ordered to his presence the officer
of the guard, who could only say that it was the statement ·
of the sentinel who had charge of the prisoner. The sentry,
when called to the general's quarters, persisted, to the total
bewilderment of the command, in his first assertion. He
maintained that by no means could he be held responsible
for the escape of a spirit. Indeed it was a blessing, he continued, that the fiend was out of the camp-he had been
there too long. But, unfortunately for our wonderful sentry,
a deserter from the other side, a few days after this extraordinary adventure with the evil one, brought the information
that, the day after the terrific storm had swept over our
island, a man named Percy, claiming to have deserted from
us, arrived in Bragg's army, and was found to be such an
intelligent, well-drilled soldier, that he was appointed sergeant. On the strength of this report, the doughty sentinel
was again ordered to appear at headquarters. "There is no
discrepancy between my statement and that of the deserter,"
said our invincible guard; "Percy, or the evil spirit, went
down into the ground here, and issued from it into"Bragg's
camp, the very place he ought to be."
The whole case had to be dropped. Some were of opinion
that a sentry who officially made such a wild report should
be dismissed from the service. Others, on the contrary,
said that a man of such ingenious expedients should by all
means be retained, and judiciously be entrusted with matters appertaining to the secret service. · He should, many
thought, be appointed a spy or a scout. But what is that?
a deafening explosion in or near the fort. I must hurry to
the scene; poor soldiers !
Adieu. Pray for us. Sincere regards to the family.
Yours in Christ,
MICHAEL NASH,
S. J.
�ALASKA.
DIARY OF A TRIP TO THE COAST.
Fr. Tosi to Rcz•. Fr. Cataldo.
1
< > CosiOREFSKY,
May
20,
1889.
DEAR FR. SUPERIOR,
To give you a full account of my trip
to the coast, of the villages visited, and the number of Indians in each, I shall copy for you part of my diary of the
trip.
March I. I set out at 9 A. M. with an Indian and a· halfbreed. The latter was a brother of a Russian deacon. This
half-breed was going to Kuskoquim, when he got sick and
was brought here in February half dead. He certainly
would have died if left without assistance for ten hours
more. vVhen starting, he promised to give me the greatest
assistance on my trip, and to allow me the usc of his
dogs. My baggage consisted of a sack of dry bread, some
dried fish, coffee, and tea, some extra clothing (in case we
could not be :;heltered at night) and a sled nine feet long
and a foot and a half wide drawn by six dogs. These were
all the dogs I could find here, but I hoped to get more on
the way. The road was very bad, the snow being about
three feet deep. On the first day we made only eight miles,
walking on snowshoes. The dogs were sometimes buried
under the snow, and in many places we had to go ahead to
make a road for them, thus making our journey about three
times longer. Finally we arrived at the first barrabora, (ZJ or
underground hut, where we passed the night. In this house
were two women, three men, and three children, all very
kind and hospitable.
March 2. Started at 6 A. l\L Windy, and very bad for
travelling. The road no better than yesterday. At ro o'clock
ClJ ~pelled also Kosor,:trsky and (in the Catholic Directory) K<tsarofski. On
the map it is Kozyrof.
2
< > The Russian term tor the Tnnuit winter houses or t6peks . . The word
yourt is ft·equently used to express the same idea, but a true yourt differs in
many respects from a topek. It is perhaps derived from a Russian word
which means a pigsty, or a confused, <lisordered heap. -Alaska and Us Re·
sources, Dall.
.
VoL. xvm, No.3·
22
(333)
�334
ALASKA.
it was so dark that we could not see our leader, and several
times we lost our way. At I I, we made tea and gave the
dogs a rest. As we were near a dangerous place, we tried
to keep as close together as possible. Soon we were on the
clear ice, the wind blowing a gale. As there was no ice in
the middle of the river, we were afraid that the wind would
blow us thither, so we made our dogs go as fast as possible ;
but sometimes the wind was so strong that dogs and sled
were carried hith'er and thither. After travelling about three
miles, we were in deep snow again, and making about two
miles an hour. At 3 P. M. we again met clear ice; no danger of open places, but the same difficulty to keep our way,
on account of the wind, _which was now blowing us in the
opposite direction. My'sled was nearly in the middle of
the river, going sideways, sometimes ahead of the dogs,
and my Indian could not follow me. I did my best to keep
the sled balanced and let the wind blow us ahead.. Fortunately a big stump was not far ahead, so I urged the dogs
towards it, and there we got entangled and I waited for my
Indian. Luckily the harness did not break, but the sudden stop threw the poor dogs flat on the ice, where they .lay
as if dead. After a few minutes I sent the Indian ahead,
running and skating, towards the river-bank, and when he
had a good lead, I started the dogs again. Seeing the Indian going towards the Paimut village, the dogs dashed after
him at full speed, and as the wind was in our favor we soon
left the Indian behind; for I was going too fast to let him
jump on the sled. \Ve received a hearty welcome from
the Paimut Indians. Their language is different _from that
spoken at Nulato and Cosiorefsky. It is the "Mahlemut
language, which is spoken all along the coast from N ushergak Bay up to Kotzebue Sound, and with only a few different dialects. These Indians are all baptized by the Russian
priests, but there is not a single marriage blessed. The
village is only twenty-two miles from our residence. While
there, we lodged in the casine, (I) a large underground house
where all the men sleep, work, eat, etc. They make a fire
only twice a day, yet in the coldest weather it is very warm.
The entrance is a kind of funnel, about three feet square and
about ten or fifteen feet deep, with a trap-door leading into
the middle of the room. Around the walls are generally
two rows of bunks, \yhere they sleep, squat, eat, etc. I slept
(ll Casine or Kasine.-Derived perhaps from casino, an aHsembly room, or
from casarmer, a barrack. It is used by the ltussians to denote the dancehouses of native villages, which the lnnuit call Kaguskecmi ( o1· Kagi at
Davis's Strait). Richardson says that it is an lnnuit word; hut the Innuit
of Norton Sound do not use it or recognize it as other than a Russian word.
Kaz6ne is the Russian for a cahin.-Dall.
�ALASKA.
335
on one of these bunks, but afterwards I regretted it, for I
was covered with vermin. Afterwards I slept in the middle,
near the trap-door, where I had better air and less company.
This village numbers in all, I think, about sixty souls. Last
winter the Paimut came frequently to our church, but as
they speak a different language we could do very little with
them. They promised several times to bring their children
to school. Fr. Robaut has already baptized several of them.
March 3· To-day the thermometer is about ten degrees
below zero. At 7 A. M. we started on our journey. The
roads were good for a short distance ; but more than half
of the day we had to use snowshoes. At about 4 P. M. we
were at the second village of the Paimut. This village
consists of five barraboras and one casine, occupied by about
twenty-five Indians. They are baptized, but that is all. Here
I found three sick persons, one of whom died after a few
days. They have a very poor casine and miserable barraboras. From head to foot they are clothed in fish skins.
The wealthiest wear a rabbit skin under the fish skin, with
the fur inside. Most of the men, as soon as they are inside,
take off nearly all their clothing, and many lie around entirely naked.
·
March 4· Started at 6 A. M. Bad roads. At noon we arrived at the Russian mission, sixty miles from Cosiorefsky.
A trader there, who is the brother of the Russian priest,
wanted me to stay with him, but I declined and stopped at
the house of John Bouduin, a Canadian and a Catholic. In
the evening a deacon, who is a half-breed from Sitka, invited
me to go and take supper with the Russian priest, and of
course I went. The priest was very kind. He is an Indian
from the island of St. Paul, fifty years of age, and tolerably
instructed; but he is in the hands of his deacon, who is also
his son-in-law. This deacon is about thirty years old, and
has all the meanness of the Russians, combined with the
weakness of the Indian. Around the mission there are
about a dozen houses and, from what I could find out, about
fifty or sixty souls. Very few go to church. They have
school three times a week, and church services only on '
Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
March 5· I remained at the mission and prepared to
continue my journey next day. Bouduin, the Canadian,
offered to go with me. My intention was to cut across to
the Kuskoquim and go around the coast to the mouth of
the Yukon, but I could not find an extra team of dogs. The
half-breed who came down with us, and before starting promised his team, did not keep his promise. It seems that he
spoke to the Russian priest about the matter, and to prevent
�ALASKA.
me from having the team, the priest offered him a good
sum of money \Nhen I asked for the team, the half-breed
said that he had to go down to Andreaffsky. So I decided
to go down the Yukon with him and then go along the
coast up to the Kuskoquim.
· March 6. On this day we travelled twelve miles, and
camped at Malenkykosalesky, the first village, where we
found thirty souls, all baptized by the Russians.
March 7· \Ve started from Malenkykosalesky, and
stopped for lunch at a small village of two families. At
4 P. 111. we arrived at another small village where we camped.
March 8. It rained nearly all day. The roads were very
bad and slushy, making it hard to travel with snowshoes.
At 10 o'clock we reached an abandoned village, Oklovoi,
once a very large settlerrient of over three hundred souls,
but at present containing only a few families. Many died
and the others dispersed, settling on both sides of the river.
At 5 P. 111., after a very hard day's journey, we arrived at
Rosbonsky (Razpoinik ?). This is the largest village on the
Yukon. Some years ago there were over five hundred Indians here, but now I should think there are not more than
three hundred. I found several families belonging to Rosbonsky on the coast north of Cape Romanzoff. They had
left Rosbonsky on account of the scarcity of food. These
Indians are not a11 baptized. It seems that the Russian
priest never took any care of them. They are nice people
and in a nice place. Last winter, the Russian priest put up
a large post here with the inscription: "This land is for the
Russian mis.sion." But there is no house and ns) !=hurch.
Even over the graves there is not a cross to be seen". I regret very much that I cannot send a father there. The
Russian priest expects his bishop \V.ith ten monks from San
Francisco. After they come it will be too late for us to
begin; whereas it would be very easy now as they don't
like the Russians; but once they take the place our time
would be wasted there. Last autumn, when the sisters
passed that way, the Indians brought them presents, and
besought them to remain there and teach school, but that
was impossible at the time. Here there are two large casines
about 40 feet square, in one of which we spent the night.
The Indians brought us also presents of food of all kinds.
This is a custom with all the Indians of Alaska. As soon
as a stranger comes fo a village, the casine or the best barrabora is offered to him, and food is given him in abundance.
While we were_ eating, some one announced that the Russian
· priest and his deacon were coming. That did not surprise
me, as I suspected that they would try to find out where I
�ALASKA.
337
was going and why I was travelling in that direCtion. They
came into the same casine with us, and there we passed a
pleasant time, taking our meals together; but I noticed that
they were not much at home in that village and that the
Indians did not show much friendship towards them.
March 9· It was raining nearly all day. I expeCted to
see the priest and deacon busy instruCting the Indians,
but I found that they loitered around all day chatting
together, and their talk was not edifying either, particularly
that of the deacon. The few who are baptized know no
prayers, except the Sign of the Cross. I did not have much
to say to the Indians, as I was obliged to make use of a
Russian interpreter,. and he was unwilling to speak about
religion. I visited the sick, however, and gave them some
medicine. One of the women was very sick and I saw that
she could not live long; as she had been baptized by the
Russian priest long before, I told him that she was going
to die soon. He went to see her, and asked how she was,
but that was all. She died a few days afterwards without
confession. All the religion of the Russians consists in
being baptized and having a cross· ereeted. The priest and
deacon don't bother themselves much about instruCting or
preaching, and are altogether opposed to schools. They
receive from the Russian church $I sao a year, and they
take their ease as much as they can.
March ro. We started early in the morning for Andreaffsky. The weather was rather cold and windy, and the
road for twenty miles not very good. At I I A. M. we arrived
at a village of five barraboras and one casine, where we took
dinner. Near this village is what seems to be the old bed,
or one of the mouths, of the Yukon. It is a slough starting
from a bend of the river and running to Cape Vancouver,
over 250 miles south of the present south fork. A boat
can go from the Yukon down to Cape Vancouver, and to
the Kusinuk villages on the coast, without going all around
the coast from the mouth of the Yukon; and in the winter
this would be a splendid road on the iceY> We set out
again after our lunch and, at 6 P. 111., arrived at Andreaffsky,
sixty miles from Rosbonsky. We had a splendid road,
nearly all clear ice; so we had a pleasant ride. We were
welcomed by Mr. Newman, the agent at St. Michael's, who
was spending the winter there, and who invited me to stay
(Il On a map before us appears something corresponding to the slough here
described; but it starts from a bend of the Yukon, between Razpoinik
(ltosbonsky ?) and Andreaffsky, to KasAnnok (Kusinuk ?)~which is midway
between Cape Vancouver and Cape Uomanzoff, Is this what Fr. Tosi refer~
to?-ED,
�ALASKA.
with him. The Russian priest stopped with a half-breed,
but came to take dinner with us.
March 1 I. The Russian priest went ten miles down the
river to a small village and put up a stake with an inscription
similar to the one at Rosbonsky. To-day Mr. Newman
decided to go up to Cosiorefsky to see his little girl and the
sisters. The Russian priest with his train proposed to go
back too. For when the deacon heard that Mr. Newman
was going up, he informed the priest, and both told the halfbreed to offer his team to Newman, so as to prevent me from
using the team, and thus oblige me to return. When I
knew of this, I asked Mr. Newman if he could let me have
a team and a sled for a month. He said that I could have
a sled and harness, but ·he had no dogs, and that the halfbreed had offered him his team to go to Cosiorefsky. I
told him that I would not prevent him from going there, as
I was the first that suggested the trip to him, but I hinted
that there was a trick in it. That was enough for him. He
questioned Bouduin, the Canadian, who explained to him all
that was going on between the Russians and the half-breed.
After a while Newman asked me what I was going to charge
the half-breed for taking care of him during his sickness.
I said I would charge him nothing if he would only keep
his promise. He ..said that I must charge him $200, that
the Company would pay it, and make the half-breed work.
I said that I did not care for the $200 so much as being
obliged to go back. "All right," said he, "you shall have
a team and all that you need for your trip; and I will go up
to Cosiorefsky too, and we must have dogs." Th~ii -he gave
orders to find all the good dogs in the place, and told me to
select those I wanted and he would take the rest. Thus the
plans of the Russian priest were thwarted.
March r 2. The morning was spent in preparing our
sleds, provisions, etc. I visited several sick persons and
did what I could for them. At Andreaffsky there are only
a few half-breeds, all employed by the Company. There
are a few small villages in the neighborhood, nearly all without any religion. The trader here is a half-breed from
Nushikok (Nushergak ?), who now and then goes down to
the coast to trade with the natives.
March 13. We could not start to-day, because we lost
our dogs. We found them again in the evening.
March 14. We started at 7 A. 111., crossed the Yukon, and
then took a south-west course straight for Cape Vancouver.
The snow on the prairies was three or four feet deep, but
frozen hard, making a good road. We crossed two branches
of the Askinuk River (one is that slough coming from the
�ALASKA.
.339
Yukon already referred to), and further on we came to a
bend of the same river about twenty-five miles from the
Yukon. On the opposite side we found a village, Chiokguagtalikh, of two barraboras, containing twenty-eight souls,
none of them baptized, and all very simple people. Here
we encamped, and the poor Indians treated us very kindly,
. feeding our men and dogs. They cooked some fish for us,
but they themselves eat it frozen, mixed with seal oil. We
gave them in return some tea and a small piece of bread.
March 15. At 8 A:'ll!. we left our camp and started off to
the south-west, and after crossing many lakes and small
rivers and passing four summer villages, we arrived at Kugatmit. This village is on the south side of a large lake,
eight miles wide and twenty-five miles long. No more
• woodland to be seen; all flat country, swamps, lakes, and
lmvlands. Kugatmit is a nice village, but all underground;
only a few mound-like elevations break the level stretch,
and these are the barraboras. I counted about thirty persons there, all very healthy and all favorably disposed.
They offered us different kinds of frozen fish, which I tried
for the first time. In the beginning I did not like it, but
hunger made a good sauce and I tried to make a good meal.
We had no means of cooking it, though we managed to
boil tea, with fish-oil for fuel. We found here quite a large
burying-ground, but not a sign of Christianity. Towards
evening it became very cold, but we had a nice casine which
was warm enough though there was no fire in it.
March 16. Started at 7 A.M. Very cold and windy, but
the snow was too hard to be drifted, so we could travel
without danger. All flat co~ntry, broken only by five
bluffs- extintt volcanoes- on our right, two others on
our left, and one in the middle of a lake. This lake is
over forty miles long by fifteen wide. On the south side of
it is Akutogpigomit, a small village of twenty-two persons.
Here we encamped, as it was very cold and we had not time
to reach the next village. We passed one rather large village on our left, fifteen miles from this.
March 17. We started at six o'clock, stopped at some
fish traps to feed our dogs, and passing between two bluffs,
reached a small village of two barraboras about 9 A. M. The
men were away looking after their traps, and we saw only a
few women and children. Here we took some tea, and continued our journey, reaching the Kuialavigamik village at
I P. :11. There I saw two large casines and several barraboras. I think that the number of people must be a hundred and seventy at least. They are very good people, but
none baptized except a few old ones, These Indians go to
�ALASKA.
the coast, to Cape Vancouver, in the spring and stay there
till late in the year. They have plenty of food. Their
clothing is fur-seal skin, and for parkies<1> the skin of the
Emperor goose or other fowl. In the spring and summer
they have all the meat and eggs they want. Here we were
treated to frozen ducks and geese. They catch the birds
with nets, such as they use for fish. Their village is on
the bank of an inlet of the sea that cuts off Cape Vancouver,
which is on Nelson Island. Around the bend of this inlet there is also another village, Chugoktologomut, about
seventy-five miles from Kuialavigamik, and another on the
other side, Kululagomut, quite a large village. I was not
able to reach it, but they told me that it contained about one
hundred and fifty Indian~... All the Indians around here are
very peaceable and simple, more so than any other tribe I •
have met. I wonder if nothing can be done for them. To
stay with them at present is impossible, because I have no
provisions, and besides, my companions want to get back by
the beginning of April.
·
March 18. At 6 A. 111. we left the camp and continued
our road to the south-west. At 10 o'clock we arrived at
Inkogomut, a small village on the coast, where a }lalf-breed
has a store. He received us very kindly, and we were welcomed by his family and the few Indians living there.
March 19. 'vVe rested and gave a rest to our dogs. From
here we could see distinetly Nunivak Island, an island off
the main coast, seventy-five miles long by thirty or forty
wide. It is sixty miles from here. The trader ht;re, who
goes there every year, says that in from eight to ten•. hours,
when the weather is good, he can go there in a bidarka, or
skin-boat. In the winter it is possible to go a long distance
on the ice, but generally the ice is broken, as the tide rises
too high to keep it solid. The Indians there have never
been visited by ministers or priests, and are very good and
simple people. There are six villages on the island. The
first and largest, numbering about two hundred, is Tachigogomut, on the point opposite Cape Vancouver. The
others are: on the north side of the island, Chikogalagomut, one hundred souls; on· the west side Nikuvoiagomut,
one hundred and twenty-five souls ; on the east side Kigogomut, seventy-five souls; o·n the south side Chligagomut,
ninety souls. Near the big village, Tachigogomut, there
are over a hundred souls. All these Indians speak the
(1) Parka.-Pluralparki, usually rendered, in English, parkies. A Russian
word, meaning an upper garment of skin or fur, with a hood, and not open
in front. They are used, with various modifications, by almost all nofthern
nations.-Dall.
�ALASKA.
341
language of the coast, if you except a few proper names
and a little difference in pronunciation. If there are any
villages in the interior of the island, the traders do not know
of them. It is likely that there are none, for there is no
wood except along the coast, where they find drift-wood
from the Kuskoquim and the Yukon.
March 20. To-day we intended to go to the other side
of Cape Vancouver to see a large village, a good place for
a residence, to visit two small villages on the way, and come
back here again to-morrow; but when we got up we saw
that it was too stormy to start, so we had to wait another
day. In this low and open country it is dangerous to travel
when it is snowing, or when a strong wind is blowing, especially if you have no Indian to accompany you. They
know the country very well, but a stranger has little chance
when theweather is bad. Laska, the trader, told me to-day
that the Russian priest told an Indian last autumn to put
up a stake with the usual inscription at the place I wanted
to visit. I asked if the priest ever went there to see the
Indians. They told me that he came only once, about thirty
years ago, when he was a deacon, and that before him a
Russian priest had stopped on his way from N ushergak ;
and that was all they knew about priest or religion. I heard,
when in St. Michael's, that the Russian bishop who is in
San Francisco had ordered the priest to secure ten places,
put up the stakes, send down papers to have these entered
at the land office as stationary missions, and thus claim the
land in those places, saying that he would come up this year
with ten monks. The Russians have been in Alaska for
over fifty years and have done nothing for the Indians, working only for themselves. They want furs and money and
wives. The priest of the mission lost his two wives, and to
marry a third is against their law; but somehow he has
one, and the wife of the deacon is a bishop's daughter.
Well, I decided to go up the coast and see some more villages, then go back to Andreaffsky, and from there return,
spending on the way a day or two at each village, baptizing
the children, and learning as much as possible of the Mahlemut language, with the hope of starting a mission centre,
where I could place some one to care for these poor negleCted Indians. I asked the trader whether he would help
me if I should return, and whether I could stay with him
till June. He told me that he would do all he could for me,
that I could stay now if I preferred, only now he was short
of' provisions, but we could send a couple of sleighs to
Andreaffsky for more. I told him that I wanted to go
�342
ALASKA.
around to the north now, and return m fifteen or twenty
days if nothing prevented me.
Here is a list of the villages from Cape Vancouver to
Kuskoquim Bay, never visited by any missionaries, and
which I intended to visit but could not. ( 1) Tanunak, in
summer time over 250 Indians, in winter 100, 20 miles
south. (2) Kalatlagomut, 70 souls, 15 miles further. (3)
Fox Village, 8o souls. (4) Nuvogtoglogomut, 200 souls,
20 miles inland.
(5) Tzazagomut. (6) Kenagogagomut,
a large village on the coast. (7) Gaiagtzagomut, about
150 souls.
(8) Tusogonogomut. (9) Chichinomut. ( 10)
Chaligmut. (11) Anogo':ogomut, a large village. (12)
Maneganagomut, 100 souls: (13) Usnagiogomut. (14) Kolugagavigomut, 150 souls;at the mouth of the Kuskoquim.
(15) Kuigapaghgomut, 20 miles up the river. (16) Skinogomut, a large village of 250 souls. Sixteen villages in all
from Cape Vancouver to the Kuskoquim, all near the coast.
There are some others on the lakes, but they are not very
large, and from these all the Indians go down to the coast
in the spring for sealing. • From what I heard, these Indians
are increasing in number, as many are coming up from
N ushergak. The distance is less than 200 miles between the
two points, Cape Vancouver and the Kuskoquim, following
the coast. The number of persons in the different villages
was given me by the traders, and when the number is not
stated, it is because the two traders did not agree.
March 21. Not being able to go to the other side of the
point, and intending to come back here again to stay, we
started to-day towards the north-west. At first we f6Howed
the coast, but after an hour or so we were on the road.
Soon it began to snow, and we lost our direB:ion, and were
soon going towards the open sea, the sight of which showed
us our mistake. We then turned to the right, and when at
10 A. M. we were looking out for a village, we saw the
house from which we started in the morning. Then we had
to turn again, and after a few hours we reached Kologomut,
a village of about thirty-five persons, and stopped there.
These Indians belong to the Kuialavigamik tribe.
March 22. At 7 A. l\L we left Kolagomut, crossing a
number of bays and a branch of the Kusinok River. one of
the mouths of the riv~r coming from the Yukon.<'> We
stopped for lunch, and made tea in an abandoned place which
had belonged to a Slzaman, or Indian doB:or, who was killed
1
< > On tbP. map before us there are three riverA north of Cape Vancnuver
l'rossing Fr. Tosi's path: the Azook, the l\fanokinak, and the Askinuk.
Another, answering Fr. Tosi's description, is not named on the map; it
branches before reaching the coAst, formin,g an island on which is a village
marked Kashunak. Is this Fr. Tosi's Kusinok, or Kusinuk ?-ED,
'•
�ALASKA.
343
and his body burned last year. The murderer told me that
he killed the old doctor because the other doctors told him
that his wife was killed by this doctor's treatment. So one
day he and his brother summoned the old doctor to visit
the brother's wife. When he prepared to go with them
in his sled, and was just about to start, the murderer
stabbed him, threw the corpse under the doctor's cache,< 2>
and then set fire to the cache, burning everything. This is
the fourth doctor killed by the Kusinuk Indians inside of
three years. After leaving this place we passed several
summer camps, and at 7 P. IlL reached Kusinuk village. It
was very cold, about twenty-five degrees below zero, and
though running after our sleds we could hardly keep
warm. But cold as it was, all the Indians came out from
their barraboras on our approach, and the sight of three hundred men women and children, all standing on a little hill
covered with snow, in the middle of a boundless prairie,
was very beautiful. This hill is all hollowed out on the inside, and on all sides are holes for entrances. Two large
casines are in the middle, with barraboras all around. I don't
think it is over 250 yards in diameter. It is a miserable
place for a habitation. On one side is the sea, on another
side a large river, and lakes in all directions. All the people,
large and small, are clothed in seal skins, with parkies made
of the skin of geese or ducks. The women are dressed
like the men, but they don't cut their hair as the men do.
They are very healthy people, well formed, very fleshy, and,
what I never saw amongst other Indians, of very light complexion. The women and children, if dressed as Americans,
would surpass many of them in comeliness. This may be
said of most of the Indians along the coast. They are very
timid and docile, and are·grateful for trivial presents. They
have all the seal and fish they want, and lead a very happy
life. But there is no place to build a house here, and the
water is bad, coming only from swamps, as the river water
is salt. As far as the eye could reach there was no high
ground to be seen. These Indians, however, could be attended from Cape Vancouver, which is only a day's journey
along the coast from Askinuk, thirty-five miles north-west
of this place. We lodged in one of the casines and had
plenty of frozen fish, new seal, white-fish oil, seal oil, etc.,
all excellent food for this country. But you need an excellent set of teeth; if you are fortunate in that respect you
can make a very good meal. It is just the diet for this climate. Sometimes, when I was cold and had no fire to warm
2
< >A house for storing provisions.
�344
ALASKA.
myself, I ate some frozen fish. For a moment I seemed to
feel colder, but after a few minutes all the cold feeling disappeared. vV4en travelling, with the thermometer about
forty degrees below zero, this warming food is absolutely
necessary. I think these people know very little, if anything;
of the Russian religion ; for I did not see a single cross in
the graveyard, apd with the Russians a cross over a grave
is as essential as baptism.
March 23. We left Kusinuk about 6 A.M. and following
a north-west course arrived at the summer village of the
Kusinuk Indians, now deserted. vVe saw ahead of us the
mountains of Cape Romanzoff, a few peaks on the sea coast
and a small chain of mountains running inland. Crossing
the Askinuk River, and a large bay, we came upon the Askinuk summer village, on a sand-hill upon a little sandy
island off the shore, about three miles from the winter village. vVe were surprised to find the Indians there already.
Here the sea was open and they were catching a great number of seal. This village is a very poor one, as it is only for
a summer camp. Many had no houses, and a big hole in
the deep snow covered with mats was their only shelter.
They have two casines here, however, one of them, which
formerly was only for the doEI:ors, is pretty good and fitted
up in Indian fashion:.. As the doEI:ors are now beginning to
disappear, the casine is for all, and we were invited to a
share of it.
March 24. We had to stay here, as the wind was strong
and it was snowing. The Indians treated us very kindly,
giving us plenty of seal meat and feeding our dogs:-· These
poor animals are getting tired and sickness has started
among them. Besides, the salt ice makes their feet very
sore, and we had to put shoes on :some of them. The Askinuk Indians number upwards of six hundred. Besides
these two villages, there are a few up the Askinuk River
belonging to the same tribe. Thus we may say. that between the two capes there are about one thousand Indians,
inside of less than a hundred miles. These could be attended easily. In winter we can go from one point to
the other in less than two days, and in summer they can be
visited by boat.
March 25. The wind is still blowing so hard that no one
dares to go out. It is sh:ong enough to blow a man down, and
the snow drifted by the wind is blinding. A woman came
to the casine to bring us some food, and when going back
she lost the way to her barrabora though it was not a hundred yards off. She ran around for some time, and finally,
�ALASKA.
•
345
desparing of finding the dire8:ion, she made a hole in the
snow and there passed the night.
March 26. The wind has subsided. The Indian woman
who was lost finds out that she passed by her barrabora the
night before when only a few yards from it, and the spot
where she passed the night was about 200 yards away. At
about 8 A.M. we resumed our journey, and after one hour
we were at the winter village on a nice hill near the Askinuk
River. On the shore I saw an abundance of drift-wood.
Back of the village, on a hillside, was a large burying-ground.
The coffins were all above ground, raised on posts, and surrounded by all the trinkets of the deceased, such as guns,
knives, and figures carved in wood. This village is about
eight or ten miles south of Cape Romanzoff. I found here
one of those posts put up by order of the Russian priest
with the inscription : "This land is for the Russian inission."
Yet no Russian priest or deacon ever comes here, and no one
can remember ever having seen one. Of course, no one is
baptized; the)• have heard about priests up the Yukon, but that
is all they know about religion. This village, or a mile up
the river, would be a good place for a mission or a residence.
Of course it will be hard to accustom ourselves to the country, but with a little courage and goodwill all difficulties
will disappear, considering the great good that can be done
for the salvation of these souls. In a few years a couple of
fathers could very easily baptize all; for these Indians are
not spoiled by intercourse with the whites, and are simple,
docile, and free from polygamy; which latter is not the case
on the prairies and near the Yukon, owing to the bad example of the traders. On leaving this place we went, up the
Askinuk River. The road was very good, but it soon
began to snow and we lost our direCtion several times, thus
increasing the distance. 'vVe did not stop to make tea, because we knew that some barraboras were in the neighborhood and we wanted to reach them. But the wind blew so
hard that the snow blinded us and our dogs; it drifted into
our sleeves, down our necks, and under our clothing, where
it soon melted, so that when we arrived at the barraboras
we were nearly half frozen. We found only one family, the
others had all left a few days before for the coast sealing.
Poor Indians! They were happy to see us, and gave us
·frozen fish and seal oil to eat. They even guessed that we
desired some warm tea, and as there was no means of boiling
it in the hut, two men started a fire outside, and in half an
hour brought us the tea. One of the women had a dried
deer tongue about ten years old, which she gave me. I
tried to eat it but it was too hard for my teeth. Then she
�ALASKA.
went out and brought in a large white-fish, which she gave
me, saying that was the best she had to offer. There we
passed a restful night, in a hut not more than eight feet
square, and we were thirteen persons, besides Indian traps
and our own baggage. I was given the best place, and the
others slept, some sitting, some half reclining on the mud
walls, and the rest as best they could. Our dogs, as it was
very cold, were huddled together at the entrance, blocking
it up in such a way, that it was difficult to go out without
stepping on them, for they would not move. Counting the
Indians' dogs of the three sleighs that were following us,
there were thirty-one in all. Towards morning the heat
began to melt the top of tpe hut, and the water and mud
began to fall down on us. ?,
March 27. When we \Vent out in the morning we found
that our clothing was quite dry again, and fortunately the
day was rather mild, as it was snowing, so there was no
danger of being frozen. Besides, we had to travel only ten
or twelve miles to the next village, Mogonovilingomut.
'vVe started therefore from Akulogogomut under the direction of an Indian guide from this last village. We always
took a guide from village to village. Occasionally we caught
a glimpse of the Romanzoff bluffs to our left, but we could
not get a clear view, as it snowed continually. At about 10
o'clock we saw two~large rocks on the opposite side, and
after I 2 we again saw two rocks ahead of us. Then our
Indian halted, saying that he was lost and did not know
where to go. 'vVe waited for the Indians who were following us and they held a consultation and agreed that _rhe two
rocks were the same as we had seen before, and that the
village was north of the!n. Then with the aid of a compass
we put ourselves in the right direction, and in twenty minutes the dogs brought us to a barrabora belonging to two
brothers. There we took our dinner. There were only
eight persons there. At 2 P. M. we reached Mogonovilingornut, at the foot of a mountain and on the banks of the
Askinuk River. These Indians belong to the Askinuk tribe
and number about forty-five. They have plenty of provisions but no wood. To get wood for their use they hav':! to
go thirty or forty miles to the sea coast. . Last winter they
burned all the wood of their casine, so we had a very poor
place to halt. I counted fifteen children to be baptized when
I come back here.
March 28. The wind was blowing too hard to cross the
mountain, so we couldn't start this morning. I proposed to
baptize the children, and the women gave their consent; but
as the men were not home, and I did not wish to do it with-
�ALASkA.
347
out their knowledge, I postponed it. At I I A. 1\L we thought
that we could get over the mountain, so we left Mogonovilingomut and crossed the river. The ascent of the mountain
was easy, but before I went to the top my companions
went up to explore. For the snow, at times, is covered
with a crust of hard ice, and then the descent is very
dangerous both for men and dogs. On this occasion the
snow was not too hard, so we had nci need of ta!dng off
the dogs; and when the men from the top gave me the signal to start the dogs and sleds, I did so, but I had considerable trouble with the dogs before I reached the top.
When I did get there the others were about a mile ahead.
My dogs started, I jumped on the sled, and before the
others were at the end of the hill I came up with them. My
dogs became inti-aB:able, and my sled ,caught one of the
others, upsetting it, throwing the man out, and entangling all his dogs. Then the dogs of another sled became entangled with his in such a way that they began
to fight. Thus I left them, as my dogs would not stop until
I reached Kutmut. \Vhen my companions arrived they
told me that they had some trouble to disentangle the dogs,
but the man was not hurt. The Indians on the north side
of Cape Romanzoff seem little different from, those on the
south side. On the north side, towards the mouths of the
Yukon, there is no large village, only a few small ones of
from twenty to forty souls each, except three that number
about one hundred. These villages are very close together,
and are situated on lakes or rivers, and in summer all their
inhabitants go to the coast. Kutmut numbers only about
forty persons, four barraboras, and one nice casine. The
Indians are all, of course, without religion. I saw there the
oldest· inhabitant; he remembers the first Russians who
carne to the Yukon and to places on the coast. He must
be nearly a hundred years old.
· March 29. From Kutmut we went in two hours to
Akulagogornut, where we found three barraboras, one casine, and twenty-seven Indians. Going thence towards the
sea coast, we passed a large summer village with a large
graveyard, but there was nobody present. Passing on, we
soon reached a barrabora of one family; and continuing
towards the north, at I P. ~L we reached Pairnut. This was
once· a large village, but now there are only a few families.
Here the head man is a very important personage, and he is
the only man who has three wives. I saw three nice children of his oldest wife. I told the half-breed trader, who was
a bigoted Russian, to ask this Indian if he would let me
baptize the three children. The trader said that he would
�ALASKA.
never let his children be baptized, as he was a man well
known for badness. I told him not to mind that, and that
the Russian priest would not scold him for having been my
interpreter with such a bad man. "All right," said he, and
turning to the Indian, he said, "The father wants to baptize
these three children if you consent." The Indian reflected
for a moment and then said, "I am a bad man, and yet I
see that the father did not refuse to come to my barrabora,
so I cannot refuse." I said, "All right then; call the mother.
When the woman came, the half-breed said that she
would not consent to have the children baptized. When
I asked the reason, she said that all her children were dying
and she was afraid these ,would die too. I told her that I
hoped God would presl,+ve her children, and even if they
should die after baptism"'they would go to heaven and live
forever, praying for her and for their father. "So you think"
she said, "that my children will live?" "Yes," I said, "if you
take good care of them in body and soul ; and if you
die, I will take care of them, and bring them to school."
The man then said, "I am very glad; for although I am
a bad man I like my children very much, and I want them
to be good." So I baptized the three children, and I hope
God will preserve them for his glory.
March 30. At 6 A. 111. we left behind us Mogonovilingomut, and two hours later we stopped for a while at Kovutlogomut, a village of eighteen persons, two barraboras, and
one casine. Then we kept to the north-east, and six miles
further on came to Kupniahagomut, a village of fifteen Indians. Seven miles further in the same direction, it: passed
Vitagnomut, once a large village, but at present maae up of
three barraboras, one casine, and about thirty-five souls.
Eight miles east of this place we found another small village of twenty-eight souls, Mullachatagagomut; and six
miles further on, we came to Anatlazagagomut, where we
encamped. Here we found thirty-eight Indians, all nice
people, very healthy, and cleaner than those further down;
but all without religion, except a few of the older ones who
had been baptized by traders many years ago. After leaving this place, we changed our direction and, keeping nearer
to the sea, came to the southern mouth of the Yukon. We
went up this to the fork, passing the following villages:Kanslugagomut, about sixty souls; Natzalugagomut, two
barraboras; Kalutlogomut, three barraboras; Alokonogogomut, three barraboras; Emanuk, four barraboras and one
casine; opposite this place, a few miles across the mouth of
the Yukon, Katlak, a village of forty souls, and Nonusiktovo, a village of twenty souls; next Togosonakomut, two
�ALASKA.
349
barraboras and one casine; on the bend of the river, Agatliaxaxomut, twenty souls; Anogomut, one barrabora; Inghichuk, one barrabora; Asuchuk, two barraboras; and on
the opposite side Ekogomut and Nonovuk. In only a few
of the last places are any baptized, and these by the Russian
traders, or by a passing Russian missionary.
March 3 I. Travelling south-east from Agatliaxaxomut,
for about five miles, we came to Agovetzaxaxomut, a village
of about thirty people. Four miles further on, we passed
another, N unamxaxomut, a villag~ of fifteen. Then crossing the river, and leaving Takovlatloxaxomut to our left,
we found, ten miles further, the village of Amitgnaxaxomut, with about twenty-five souls. Keeping to the south,
towards the Romanzoff bluffs, we passed Manonixomut, a
village of two barraboras and about eighteen souls, and
Aloutlutlaxaxomut, three or four barraboras and about
twenty souls. We were not hungry, as in every village we
got something to eat; but we felt thirsty, and therefore decided to .have tea at the next village. So on we went, crossing the north point of a large lake, and stopped at Javultlutlaxaxomut. Some of the Indians here had already gone
sealing. They were in all about twenty-five souls. This
afternoon we decided to shorten our journey and save some
of our dogs; for already three were dead and some of the
others could hardly drag themselves along. My team,
however, was all right; I had nine picked dogs, all in good
condition. We therefore left ahead of us Togtoliaxaxomut, of four barraboras; Kuixaxomut, of five barraboras
and about forty persons; J uglaxomut, of four barraboras;
and Kamiaxomut, of five barraboras, at the foot of Askinuk
mountain. Then we turned east towards Kusilvak mountain. This mountain was once a volcano, four miles in one
direcrion and two in the other, surrounded by a lake on
three sides, and on the other side by the Askinuk River.
All the Indians north of Cape Romanzoff are called Kusilvak Indians. They speak the same language as the Indians
of the lower Yukon as far up as the Paimut, twenty miles
from Holy Cross Station. In going towards the mountain,
we found the wind so strong that we had to push the sleds,
in order to help the dogs up the hill. After two hours, we
we"re on the east side of Mt. Kusilvak, and from that point
we could see Chimugalitoxaxomut or Black Fish village,
where there are about sixty souls. These people are clean
and well dressed, by reason of their living near the traders,
and only fifty miles from Andreaffsky. They also know
more than the others about the Russian religion. Several
VoL. xvm, No. 3·
23
�ALAskA.
of the women have b.een spoiled though, by intercoUrse with
the traders.
April 1. Accompanied by some Indians from this place
we started early for Andreaffsky. The first part of our
journey was through a jungle of small trees, which surrounds the village. This w•as a novelty; for thus far we had
not seen even a bush. Crossing some undulating ground,
we came to a lake where the Indians have their traps for
black fish. These fish abound in great quantity, but are
not famous for their flavor or beauty. Here we fed our
poor dogs and left one of them behind. This was the
leader of our Indian's team. He was a very good leader;
and a good leader saves one man ; and, besides, in a storm
you can rely more on su\:h a dog than on a man. This I
have come to know from experience. The Indian was
sorry to leave him because he had only four left. Johnnie.
Bouduin, the Canadian, also lost some of his dogs, so we
had to buy more. After we had our tea we continued our
journey, stopping a while at a barrabora and eating some
fish, and soon reached the Yukon again. After crossing it
on good clear ice, we came to a village of over twenty souls,
twelve miles from Andreaffsky. This place is the one mentioned on my trip dO\vn the river, as having been staked off
and secured by the Russian priest. All these Indians, they
say, have been baptized by the Russian priest. Here too
is the village of the greatest native doCtor. One of the
traders calls him the greatest rascal on the Yukon. After
passing another small village on the other side of th.e river,
we arrived at Andreaffsky at 9 P. M., and received..a hearty
welcome. I had intended to stay here a day or 6.vo, let
Bouduin go up the river, secure some provisions, start back
to Cape Vancouver to secure a good place for a station,
learn at the same time a few words of the Mahlemut language, and baptize as many children as possible before the
first of June. In June I could spend twenty-four days in
going up the coast in a three-hole bidarka, and visiting all
the Indians as far up as St. Michael's, where, on the 24th, I
would meet the steamer St. Paul coming from San Francisco. But, to my great regret, my plans were suddenly
upset by letters received from Nulato, where I was needed
immediatelyY>
For two nights I could scarcely sleep, though I was
in great need of rest'. I began to regret that I did not
stay longer and baptize all the children. Besides, if the Rus(t, Here Fr. Tosi interrupts the quotation from his diary. ·when he resumes it, his journey is over the course travelled when coming down the
Yukon.
�ALASI!A.
.351
sian bishop comes up, as they expe&, with his ten monks,
we shall lose that beautiful mission altogether. ·well,
I could only say, Homo proponit et Deus dispom't. So, after
two days, we started up the Yukon; bl)t that Kusilvak
mountain was always before my eyes. May God send at
least a few self-sacrificing souls, inflamed with the spirit of
St. Francis Xavier, and I pledge my word that in three years
we shall have all those Indians baptized and fervent Christians. Of course, not every one who, in a fit of imagination
or passing fervor during meditation, thinks that he can
endure everything, and even suffer martyrdom - when
praCtically he could not fight even against mosquitoes-is
fit for these missions of Alaska. Here one has to endure
hardships unknown elsewhere. Only a tender-foot speaks
about mosquitoes; their stings are a pastime. Obstacles of
a very different kind we have to overcome, and if our poor
human nature is not well supported by virtue, it will succumb. 'vVe need strength of body, and "not old harness,"
as good Fr. Giorda used to say, besides steadiness and
strength of mind, to face the difficulties and dangers of this
kind of life. Without these, a man in this country is thrown
away; he is a bother to others and to himsel( And the
further north we go, the greater become our difficulties and
dangers. The Russian priests even, with their easy life,
could not face these difficulties, so they made great numbers
of Indians priests and deacons to take their places. As
these were hired men, whose chief objeCt: was money and
furs, they did little more for the natives than keep a big
book of names of baptized people, to be presented at headquarters, so as to have their salary raised. . . . . .
Dear Father, pray for us and for this mission.
Yours in Christ,
P. Tos1, S. J.
Letters of Fr. jos. M Treca to Rev. Fatlzer Cataldo.
ST. MICHAEL's, ALASKA, July 7, 188g.
REV. FATHER SUPERIOR,
P. C.
Deo gratias! At last, after a prosperous journey, we are
in Alaska. We started from San Francisco on Friday, June
q, on the Bertlta, but had to wait in the bay until Saturday
morning, to store away provisions and luggage. With us
were two parties of surveyors, sent to Alaska by the govern·
ment. They are going to determine the boundary between
�352
ALASKA.
British Columbia and Alaska Ty., in order to prevent in
future all misunderstandings in the matter of mines, etc.
1
vVe reached Unalashka < > just in time for the first vespers
of the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. So I had the
happiness of consecrating our apostolate to that Divine
Heart. vVe bore up well through good and bad weather,
though I had to pay mytribute to the sea on the first day.
We started from Unalashka very early on Tuesday, and
reached St. Michael's on the morning of July 6th. I had
just finished Mass in my cabin, and was setting everything
in order, when we were pleasantly surprised by Fr. Tosi
coming on board to meet us. Bro. Negro saw him first;
but as he had been told· that the father wore a long beard,
he did not recognize hilll until the father himself came and
spoke to him. Fr. Tosi !boks very well; and he said that
the other fathers are all well too, except poor Fr. Genna
who cannot become acclimated and needs a change, at least
for a time. Fr. Tosi is very sorry for this, since he wishes
to take charge of some more distriCts. If he does not take
them, there is great danger of their being taken by others.
The Russian bishop, who was to have come here, but was
prevented from doing so by a fire that burnt down his church
in San Francisco, intended to bring monks along with him
for all the distriCts along the coast near the Kuskoquim
River. Fr. Tosi would like to take these distriCts at once,
and it may be that I shall be sent there immediately. I
would go there with great joy.
Rev. Father, in regard to your desire that I should write
to Europe in the interest of the Rocky Mountains.; I think
I should first write to you and entreat you to send~ tis some
help here as soon as possible. \Ve need strong, energetic,
constant souls, saintly and prad:ical at the same time. I
know that Fr. Tosi sent you a dispatch. The case is urgent, and you could take advantage of the second trip of
the steamer Dora, if she makes one this year. God will
provide a hundredfold for the Rocky Mountains.
As for myself, I am exceedingly happy since I came here.
I feel as though I were completely changed, and I am reC1l The term Unala,qka has no authority, is not known to either Russians or
Aleuts (inhabitants of the Aleutian Islands), and has no grounds for preference .... 'Ve have Alaska for the territory, Aliaska for the peninsula, and
Unalashka for the island, all derived from the same root, meaning "a great
country or continent." When the early Russian traders first reached Una·
lashka, they were told that to the eastward was a great land or territory.
This was called by the natives Al-ak·shak or Al-ay-ek-sa. The island was
called Na·gun-alayeksa, or "the land near Alayeksa." This, by corruption,
became Agun·alaksa, Agun-alrishka, and finally, Unalashka. Alaska is an
English corruption; the Russians never used it,-Alaska and its Resources.
Dall.
·
�ALASKA.
353
solved to live and suffer and die here, with the greatest pleasure, for the glory of God. It is hard, I am told, but to the
loving heart all is easy.
On board the Bcrtlta there were two ministers, bound for
Unalaklik; they are Moravians, or rather Episcopalians, as
one of them told me. They seemed to be in perfect good
faith, and were very friendly after a few days. Of course
we had some controversial chats. The younger of the two
had all the fervor of a novice. In Unalashka we took a
walk together, and when .on the top of a mountain he fell
on his knees, saying, "Let us pray to God," and he prayed
very devoutly in Swedish. After that he wanted us also to
pray in English. I said the Our Father, but did not add the
Hail MarJ', because he could not understand why we pray
to the "Young Mary," as he called our Blessed Lady. The
other minister attempted to convince me that we have no
right to do so.
They intend to settle at Unalaklik, where .one of them
had already been two years ago. I tried to sow good seed
in their souls, and if you pray hard they may be converted.
And then, if they could return to Sweden and get married
there, that would be first rate for us. Unalaklik is a very
advantageous place to pass through in winter on the way
from Nulato to St. Michael's, and it is also on the way to
other stations along the shore.
Rev. Father, I will stop here, because I am anxious
to be in time for the Dora, and I have other letters to write.
The sisters are well; they found it was not so hard here
as they expected. I recommend myself to your prayers
and holy sacrifices.
I am forever your unworthy and happiest child in Christ,
Jos. M. TRECA, S. ].
ST. MicHAEL's, July 20, 1889.
REv. FR. SuPERIOR,
. . . . . Fr. Genna returned to San Francisco by the boat
on which I came to Alaska, and Br. Negro went with the
sisters to the school at Kosiorefski. As Fr. Tosi cannot go
north this year, he intends soon to go to Cape Vancouver
to establish a mission for the villages on the coast between
the Yukon and the Kuskoquim . . . . He has decided to
take me with him; and after the arrival of the other father
whom you are going to send us in September, he will leave
him there with me, while he himself will visit some of the
other missions.
The Russian priests are caus~ng us considerable annoy-
�354
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
ance, by spreading foolish reports about us. They tell the
people that we will steal the children and send them off to
San Francisco; that the sisters keep the devil shut up in a
box and feed him well, while they let the little devils out to
beat people. Fr. Tosi treats these priests very kindly. For
instance, last year he lent one of them some lumber to build,
but now he can get no compensation for it.
I hear that Fr. Ragaru is all afire with zeal. He thinks
nothing, it seems, of such little accidents as being upset
with his sled, or being treated to a free bath while riding at
a high rate of speed over the ice.
The natives call Br. Rosatti "Shut-eyes,'' on account of
his great modesty; and the sisters say of him that no one
can tell the color of his eyes on account of his striCt guard
over them.
Recommending myself to your prayers, I remain
Yours in Christ,
J. M. TRECA, s. J.
THE SPOKANE INDIANS.
SKETCH OF THE WORK OF OUR FATHERS.
The missionary labors of our fathers in the Rocky
Mountains date back to 1840, in the July of w1i.ich year
Fr. Peter De Smet was invited from St. Louis by a deputation of Flathead Indians.
The pioneer missionary station, called St. Mary's, was
ereCted in the spring of 184 I, near the present site of Stevensville, Montana; and from this point the fathers direB:ed
their steps along the vast extent of the mountains, when
the various tribes-Kalispels, Pend d'Oreilles, Kootenais,
Nez-Perces, Black Feet-came to ask for missionaries.
As early as 1842, when passing by Cceur d'Alene City,
Fr. De Smet stopped among the Cceur d'Alene Indians,
many of whom were desirous of becoming Catholics, and
taught them the prayers in the Flathead language. In this
way the neighboring tribe, the Spokanes, naturally became
acquainted with Catholic teachings, but, in consequence
of the presence among them of some Protestant ministers,
they had become prejudiced against our religion, ~nd so the
first attempt at their conversion met with little success. The
war of 1858, however, brought about a change of affairs;
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
355
for, being defeated by the U. S. troops, and greatly compromised, the Indians appealed to the fathers for aid.
Upon the establishment of peace in February I859, Fr.
Joset visited three camps, one situated on the Little Spokane
(a tributary of the Spokane River), one at the mouth,
and another at the Falls of the Spokane. Everywhere
he was well received, found the Indians well disposed, and
baptized several. At the camps, on the Little Spokane
in particular, he met with a warm reception, and conceived
great hopes of success among these "People of the Creek,"
as they were styled in their own tongue. Still, the fathers
were not yet able to establish a permanent residence among
the Spokanes; so they had to content themselves with an
occasional visit to the different camps, in their journeys from
the mission of the Sacred Heart, or old Cceur d'Alene, at
the basin of the Cceur d'Alene River, to Colville, about I 50
miles distant. Thus Fr. J. M. Caruana, shortly after his arrival from Europe, in July, I862, accompanied Fr. F. J.
Giorda on one of these- visits. They crossed the Spokane
River about a mile below the falls, and made their way to
the spot on which the Northern Pacific Railroad depot now
stands, but which was at that time the camping ground
of a large body of Indians. Fr. Giorda aB:ed as interpreter, and Fr. Caruana baptized some sixteen or seventeen
children.
A wilder traCt: of land could not well be imagined. Not
the slightest trace of civilization was yet visible-nothing
but prairies and forests in all direCtions. The white man
had not made his appearance, so the Indian was left in undisputed possession of the whole region. The country was
certainly anything but promising, yet the "venerable Fr.
De Smet even then foresaw its future destinies. Going
one day with Fr. Caruana from the old Cceur d'Alene
mission to WallaWalla, he suddenly checked his horse,
and turning towards the lake said solemnly, "Father, you
are still young; you will live to see the day when steamboats will be running up and down this lake, and railroads
will be crossing these prairies in every direB:ion." Fr. Caruana was loth to believe in this prophecy, but it was not
many years before he saw its fulfilment.
In the fall of I 863, Fr. Caruana, being then in the present mining region of Idaho, was ordered to the old Cceur
d'Alene Mission, with instruB:ions to visit also the NezPerces, Walla\Vallas, and Spokanes. Fr. DeSmet accompanied him to his destination, and then the two started for
Spokane on a lumber wagon (the best conveyance of that
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
time), but the wagon broke down, and they had to make
their way on horseback. After visiting vValla \Valla, they
separated, Fr. De Smet departing for California, and Fr.
Caruana returning to Spokane and the old mission.
This year witnessed a remarkable victory among the
Spokanes. Baptiste Peon, chief of a calllP located on the
present Peon's Prairie, was converted and asked to be
received into the Church with his family. For several years, his house was the stopping place of the
fathers who labored among the Spokanes. If the limits of
this sketch allowed it, other incidents might be recorded
here, showing the influence which Fr. Caruana exercised
even over Protestants. Nq permanent residence, however,
was established until 1866., when Fr. Cataldo was sent by
Rev. Fr. Grassi, to winter among the Spokanes. The
people received him kindly, and seemed very well disposed; the language, a dialect of the Flathead, gave litlittle trouble, but the chiefs opposed his building a chapel,
through fear of their head chie( .This man, a Protestant,
was then absent from the camp, and the Indians knew
that trouble would ensue, if, on his return, he should find
a strange religion spread among his people. Fr. Cataldo
therefore asked leave to erect a temporary chapel,. and
to give instructions for three months, promising to burn the
building and go away at the end of that period, so that the
head chief might find things just as he had left them. These
terms being at length accepted, a structure of logs and mud
was put together on Peon's Prairie, about two mile~ from
the present site of St. Michael's.
..- •·
The father began his apostolic work by teaching the
children some prayers and hymns, the recital and singing of
which excited the curiosity of the parents, and brought them
likewise to the chapel for the instructions. When the three
months had elapsed, nearly the whole camp had been baptized, and Fr. Cataldo was summoned by superiors to
other fields of labor. So he called his Indians together, and informed them of his approaching departure. The announcement was received with tears, even those who had opposed
him most in the beginning begging him to remain in the
camp. The father replied that he recognized in the voice of
his superior the will of God, so that he would be obliged
to go away, with the promise, however, either to return himself, or see that another missionary came to take his place.
On hearing this, the Indians allowed him to depart, but
would riot agree to his destroying the chapel, one of the
chiefs exclaiming: "If our head chief does not like what has
been done in his absence, let him go elsewhere. No, Black-
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
357
robe, the chapel shall remain." This courageous chief was
left in charge of the mission.
Fr. Bandini was the next one sent to the Spokimes, but he
remained only a few weeks, giving place to Fr. Tosi. For
some time this zealous father worked here with great fruit,
baptizing many Indians; but he was suddenly obliged to
leave his poor neophytes to the mercy of the ministers, whom
the Protestant chiefs soon called in. These succeeded in
perverting about a hundred of the tribe, although they
claimed three times that number. This was due to the evil
influence of some of the older Indians who had been Protestants, to the presence of the ministers who filled the Indians with prejudices against Catholics, and to the absence
of the fathers who alone could have dispelled these prejudices.
Deeply as the fathers were grieved by this, they were
unable to prevent it, owing to the lack of subjeCts, and
the difficulties of communication in those days. FF.
Giorda, Cataldo, Caruana, Joset, Tosi, and others continued to visit the tribe at intervals, and in 1875, Fr.
Giorda determined to give them the benefit of a mission. Four fathers were sent, and succeeded in increasing the fervor of the Catholics; failing, however, to
bring back the renegades. The result showed clearly
that no permanent good could be hoped for until a resident
priest could be spared these poor people. Still, three more
years elapsed before this became possible. Then for the
four following years, a father was sent each winter to minister to the Spokanes. Thus began the Spokane Mission in
1878. At that period the Catholics numbered about 300,
out of the 6oo souls in the three tribes.
·
When the Northern Pacific R. R. began cutting its way
through this region, white people came in great numbers,
and settled near the Falls of the Spokane River, building
up a little railroad town about seven miles from the mission
chapel on Peon's Prairie. The Catholics among the settlers soon asked to have a chapel in their new Spokane
Falls. Accordingly, Fr. Cataldo, the Superior of the Rocky
Mountain Mission, after consulting with many of the fathers,
purchased two pieces of land, in the fall of I 88 I. On one
piece, situated in the town, he built a chapel, I 5 x 22 feet,
reserving the other, about a mile north-east, on the opposite
side of the river, for future school and college buildings.
Fr. Van Gorp, who was placed in charge of this mission,
began in the following December the ereCl:ion. of a temporary residence on the college ground, while Fr. Cataldo
busied himself among the Indians with marked success,
�THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
even recovering this time some of his lost sheep. In proof
of the ferv.x that now began to show itself, we may mention
that on Christmas day 1881, and the following New Year's,
more than 300 Indians received Holy CommuniotJ.
During the winter of 1882, a little school was opened for
about twenty children, who progressed rapidly in both religious and secular knowledge, and by their piety helped to increase the devotion of their parents. Thus it soon became
evident that the most happy results were to be expeCted from
this work; so in the February of this year it was decided to
add to the land already in the possession of the fathers another traCt, about one mile and a half south of the original
chapel, to be used for a permanent mission with church and
residence. In faCt, it wa:s.. now very necessary to provide
new accommodations for the Spokanes ; for the chief, Baptiste Peon, had determined to sell the property on which the
old chapel stood. Br. Carfagno was accordingly summoned
to Spokane Falls, and set about the ereCtion of a very pretty
little frame church, 20 x 40 feet, and a one-story residence,
large enough to accommodate the missionaries. The station
was called St. Michael's, after the old chapel.
Meanwhile, the good work in the little school went on so
rapidly, that several of the children were ready to make their
First Communion ~t Easter. In this conneCtion we have
the following edifying incident to relate :-A little girl named
Sophie was very desirous of sharing in the happiness of
those of her schoolmates who were admitted to the Holy
Table, but the f.1.ther, considering her too young, and not sufficiently instruCted, told her to wait for another year: .·Some
months later, whilst on a hunting expedition with her family, about the time the fathers were moving into the new St.
Michael's, the child became seriously ill, and at once
begged her parents to take her back to the mission. At
first her request was refused, but when the seriousness of
her illness became manifest, the party started back to the
Spokane Mission. Arrived there, the child immediately
asked to be allowed to make her First Holy Communion.
The father, not realizing at·first her critical condition, again
bade her have patience. But the little girl continued her
importunities, until at length the priest consented to give
her Holy Communion by way of Viaticum, which she received with much dev'otion, telling the father how greatly
she desired to be in heaven. The father jokingly assured
her that she would be in church the following Sunday.
"Indeed I shall not, Father. I shall be in heaven by that
time." She then asked to see her grandmother, a Protestant, and a sister of the bigoted Spokane Chief, Geary,
�THE ROCKY lffOUNTAINS.
359
who had proved a most vigorous opponent of our religion.
When her grandmother arrived, the dying child said with
much solemnity: "Grandma, look at me, and see how
happy I am after receiving my dear. Lord. When I am in
heaven, I shall feel still happier, and my only regret is that
I shall not see you there, because you don't believe in the
presence of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. But you
can make me perfeetly happy by promising to be baptized
and live as a good Catholic." Next day Sophie died, as she
had predieted, and her aged grandmother presented herself
at the mission for instruCtion, and afterwards lived and died
a most edifying Catholic. The consolation which this conversion gave the father was increased by his being able, at
the following Christmas, to count 492 Communions, an
increase of nearly 200 in one year.
One more incident, to show the influence Catholicity
now had over the Indians.-In the spring of 1883, a young
Spokane, who, though the son of a Cath,olic chief, and married to a good Catholic, had given the fathers a great deal
of trouble by his irregular life, became involved in a dispute
with a white settler. In a fit of passion, the settler struck
the young brave with a horse-whip, whereupon the latter,
going to his lodge, stripped himself of all his clothing, covered himself with war paint, and, gun in hand, went to Spokane in search of his adversary. The frightened settler
called in the help of a constable, and had the Indian locked
up in jail. That night, two masked men went to the jail and
fired two shots through the window of the prisoner's cell,
fatally wounding him. Under ordinary circumstances, this
would have been sufficient to provoke an Indian war, but
thanks to the good example of the Catholic Indians, and the
admonitions of the missionaries, the community was soon
quieted down. Meanwhile the dying man was taken back
to his lodge, where Fr. Joset gave him the last sacraments.
The next day, Fr. Cataldo happened to pass through the
place, en route to Helena, in company with Rt. Rev. Bishop
Brondel. The Indian asked to see this father in order to
repeat his confession, because he feared that Fr. Joset, being
somewhat deaf, had not understood him very well. "Why
do you want to go to confession again?" asked Fr. Cataldo.
"Didn't you receive the sacraments yesterday? Perhaps you
entertain hard feelings towards those who shot you. If so,
think of our Lord who prayed for his executioners." The
dying man replied : "No, Blackrobe, that is not the reason.
How can I feel revenge, when I am going to appear before
my God in a few days? I have never thought of revenge
since the moment I was shot. But I doubt whether the
�J6o
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.
deaf Blackrobe understood me properly, and I want to be
sure my sins are forgiven, and to be strengthened once more
by the Blessed Sacrament. And I want you to speak to my
aged father, who swears he will be revenged on my murderers, even though he should hang for it. Persuade him to
forgive them, and ask the bishop to go with you, for my
father will not yield very readily."
Fr. Cataldo and the bishop went to the old Indian, and
found him so fully determined to avenge his son's death at
all costs, that for the present nothing could change his purpose. So they left him ; exaCting, however, a promise that
he would pray for light and strength. The next day Fr.
Cataldo called again, but found no change. On the third
day, however, grace triumphed, for the old man said: "I
give in, I was very wrong. My son was a bad Christian,
and would probably have continued so, had not God
allowed this calamity. Now he dies a good Catholic, and
I feel happy that he is saved." Needless to say, such
tokens of the Christian spirit brought great consolation to
the missionaries.
The number of settlers at the Falls increased so rapidly
that it became apparent to the fathers that they would
soon be called upon to open an institution for the education
of the white children.~ They resolved, therefore, to set about
colleCl:ing the means for building a substantial college, on
the plot of ground originally reserved for that purpose, and
on which the new residence stood. Fr. Grassi was now in
charge, Fr. Van Gorp's delicate health having obliged him
to give up his beloved parish. During the year iw\"hich
. Fr. Grassi remained at Spokane, he managed to procure
materials for the fqundations, and timber enough for the entire building. In March 1884, Fr. Ruellan came to take
his place, and supervise the ereCtion of the college. He
also found himself compelled to provide a new church for
the town congregation, which had now acquired such proportions that the chapel was no longer able to contain it.
In addition to this twofold task, he was entrusted with even
a greater responsibility, the direCtion of all the work in the
mountains, Fr. Cataldo having appointed him vice-superior
during his own absence at the Third Plenary Council of
Baltimore. But Fr. Ruellan was not destined to fill this
post very long. In Decimber, he left for Colville, where he
died a most edifying death in the following month. The
office of vice-superior devolved upon Fr. Caruana, who entrusted the care of Spokane to Fr. Joset, giving him Fr.
Jacquet for assistant. Fr. Joset direCted the building of the
�THE ROCKY JJfOUNTAINS.
college, and Fr. Jacquet proceeded with the church and took
charge of the congregation. The Indians were looked after
by Fr. Robaut, who had just finished his third year of probation at St. Michael's, and after he was sent to Colville,
they were visited from time to time by Fr. Joset.
About this time, precious metals were discovered in the
Creur d'Alene mountains, and miners came there in great
numbers, in hopes of making a fortune. As there were
many Catholics among them, spiritual aid was needed there
too, as well as among the soldiers at Forts Sherman and
Spokane, distant respeCtively 36 and 6o miles from the Falls.
This work devolved on Fr. Jacquet, and the settlers were
looked after by FF. J oset and Robaut. Later on, Fr. F ole hi
began an indefatigable search for destitute Catholics all over
the country.
Things went on.in this way until April 1886, when Fr.
Ragaru arrived to relieve Fr. Jacquet, who went with Fr. Tosi
to the Kootenais Indians. In June Fr. Rebmann was appointed parish priest and superior of the future college, with FF.
Rossi and Schuler to assist him in the parish, and FF. Joset
and Ragaru 'to care for the dispersed Catholics. Fr. Robert
Smith also came to take charge of the Indians, while completing his course of theology, which he had been obliged
to interrupt at Woodstock on account of ill health. Not
very long after Fr. Cataldo's return from Europe, whither
he had gone at the close of the council, his health became so impaired by his long years of missionary service,
that he was unable to take any aCtive part in the work at
Spokane, and he was compelled even to leave the mountains
altogether, and seek rest in California. There he remained
until the spring of r887, confiding the mission to the care
of Fr. Diomedi.
The exterior of the college was now completed, but as
funds were extremely scarce, work on the interior advanced
very slowly. In faCt, it took several years to put the
building in shape for occupancy. The people were constantly
urging the fathers to open their classes for day-scholars, but
their requests were denied, as the institution was intended
principally as a boarding-school, and there was not room
enough for both boarders and day-scholars.
In the summer of r887, a notable event occurred in conneCtion with the Spokane Indians. The white population
was increasing so rapidly, that the government foresaw that
troubles would inevitably arise· between them and the Indians, about the rights to the soil, which the Indians claimed
as their own ; so three commissioners were sent to try to
induce the Spokanes to cede their claims to the government
�tli.E .kOCKY MOiJN'i".AJNS.
and accept a reservation elsewhere. But neither the arguments of the officials nor the influence of the fathers could
bring them to accept the proposition, since many of them
had little faith in the government, and the rest were strongly
attached to the home of their birth. The original idea was
therefore given up, though the fathers persuaded the majority of the Catholic Indians to settle on the Cceur d'Alene
and Flathead reservations, whither the remainder of the
tribe has been drifting ever since. The number of Catholic
Spokanes bei"ng thus diminished, it was no longer necessary
for a priest to reside permanently at St. Michael's, so Fr.
Smith went there only on Sundays and holydays.
It next occurred to Fr. Cataldo that Spokane stood in
need of a hospital, so he flpplied himself to the task of
finding sisters willing to as"sume charge of one, and the
Canadian Sisters of Providence (who have a mother house
at Vancouver, \Vash.) were won over to the plan, and by
the end of November had completed, on the river bank, a
commodious building suited to their purpose. At that time
the three Catholic buildings-the church, college, and hospital-were the three most imposing structures in the town;
and soon after, work was begun on a new parochial school,
to accommodate 300 children.
In 1887, Fr. Rebmann still remained at the head of the
station, with FF. Smith, Feuzi, and Schuler to help him.
The last named occupied himself mostly with the Germans.
About this time the fathers were afforded an opportunity
for bettering the financial standing of the mission. The
town had now spread out in the direction of the CQD<;:ge,
and as the ground attached to it was looked upon as very
desirable, Fr. Cataldo was urged to put it on the market.
He reluctantly consented; and thus the necessary funds
were raised for the formal opening of the college about
the middle of September.
Many wanted to attend
as day-scholars, but were rejected. Boarders, on the
contrary, did not present themselves, and the regular
classical course was begun with seven boys. At the
end of the month, their number had increased to twelve,
and before the end of the year to eighteen.
The
faculty consisted of Fr. Joseph Rebmann, President; Fr..
Peter Barcelo, Mr. Paul Brounts, Mr. Edward Hand, and
Mr. Luke van Ree, Teachers and Prefects. The boys
gave great satisfaction in every respeCt. A much better
showing certainly would have been made had their number been· larger; but it was thought best to reject all
applicants who did not give more than usual promise
�'rEiE ROCKY JJioUNTAINS.
o( capability and perseverance.
In one chosen soul was
developed a vocation to the religious life. He entered the
novitiate at the close of the scholastic year.
In December of this year, the church was presented with
a bell; and as the bishop was unable to attend, Fr. Rebmann blessed it with solemn ceremonies on the Sunday
before Christmas. It was used for the first time in summoning the faithful to celebrate our Lord's' Nativity. The
new year was begun with the celebration of the Pope's sacerdotal jubilee, and a colleB:ion was taken up on the occasion,
as an offering to the Holy Father. A very successful fair
had previously been held, and the profits divided between
the church and the hospital. Shortly after this, Fr. Rebmann
proposed to Fr. Cataldo to be allowed to visit some of our
colleges in the East, in order to gain some knowledge of
the way they wei·e conduB:ed. The institutions at Chicago,
Cleveland, Prairie du Chien, Buffalo, New York, Boston, ·
Worcester, Baltimore, and vVashington were seleB:ed, and
Fr. Rebmann returned after some months with much infor~
mation, which had been everywhere cheerfully given. Fr.
Monroe direB:ed the college during the superior's absence,
and transformed the grounds into a very pretty garden, with
flower-beds, pavilions, and walks, all radiating from a fountain in front of the entrance. The advisability of receiving
day-scholars now becoming evident, and the· architeB:ural
.disposition of the present building not permitting an addition for their accommodation, it was decided to begin work
in the following spring on a new college 2 50 feet front.
In its second year, Gonzaga College had 34 boarders.
They occupied the same apartments as in the preceding
year; but they were made much more comfortable by the
addition of many new articles of furniture. In OB:ober
of that year, Right Rev. Bishop Junger administered the
sacrament of confirmation, and promoted one of the scholastics to the priesthood and another to minor orders. Fr.
Cataldo took advantage of this visit of the bishop to ask to
be freed from the charge of the parish ; but, owing to the
scarcity of secular priests in his diocese, the bishop was
unable for the present to comply with his wishes. It was a
cause of great consolation to Bishop Junger to find the
parochial school, which was begun a year later than the
college, in such a flourishing condition. It then contained
160 children, and before the end of the year had fully one
hundred more on the rolls. The sisters were also thinking
of opening an academy for girls.
But happiness in this world is never without its mixture
of bitterness, and our fathers were not to escape the com-
�llfiCHIGAN.
mon lot. In the spring of 1889, rumors reached them of
plans for railroads which, if carried out, bade fair to destroy
all hope of the new college. One railroad had already been
cut through the grounds, but fortunately at a sufficient distance from the house to cause no serious annoyance. But
now surveys were made for a new line, to pass directly in
front of the projected building. Fr. Cataldo, therefore,
thought it best to suspend operations on the new college,
and to begin the third scholastic year in the old place, locating the preparatory department in the old town chapel,
under the name of St. Ignatius' School. The larger boys
of the parish are here received as day-scliolars.
From this sketch of the work and plans of our fathers, it
is evident that no pains ~ave been spared to raise the stand·ard of faith among the 4000 Catholics of Spokane Falls and
the surrounding district. Nor have the poor Indians been neglected. The missionaries have continued to watch over
them with loving care, and to exhort them to retire to the
Cceur d'Alene and Flathead reservations. Only thirty or
forty families have resisted, and even these are beginning to
follow the counsel of those whom they have learned to look
on as the only ones who have their true interests at heart.
.
L. VAN REE, S. J.
MICHIGAN.
Letter from Fr. Cltartier to Fr. Sabetti.
SAULT STE. MARIE, July 8, !889.
REV. AND DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
Having often been solicited by some of my Woodstock
friends to send them news concerning our missions here, I
will endeavor to comply with their request. - My last letter,
if I do not mistake, was dated February the first, 1887.(1)
The year 1887 has been for Sault Ste. Marie an era of
wonderful strides in material improvements. A great boom
in real estate struck the town in the spring, and a swarm of
capitalists broke in upon us, and much property changed
hands. Most of the beautiful grounds in the town and suburbs fell into the hands of wealthy real estate men, and
some of our poor old settlers became suddenly very wealthy.
This boom lasted only a few months, and was then followed
(I)
v. yol. xvi. p. 139.
�MICHIGAN.
,,
by a reaCl:ion, and a dead calm. The greedy capitalists,
having secured most of the valuable property, waited for a
high· price before they would sell. This change made it
ha:rd for poor immigrants to secure land. The price of the
land was exorbitant, the taxes and rents high. Hundreds
of houses of all styles and various prices arose as if by
magic. During this commotion, many titles of properties
were found doubtful, owing to the absence of authentic
records in the early days. This gave abundant work to
lawyers, and much litigation ensued, of which we have had
our share, and which is not yet at an end.
A company of rich capitalists was formed, for the purpose
of securing the right of way for a water-power canal, one
hundred and fifty to three hundred feet wide, and two and
a half miles long, to bring the water of Lake Superior
through the town. From the head of this canal to the lower
end, opening into Hay Lake, there is a fall of eighteen feet.
This canal, which is now being construCted, will bring many
adva~ages to the city, by providing power for faCtories,
mills, etc.
While this work was progressing, three great railroads
.-the Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic, the St. Paul,
Minneapolis, and Manitoba, and the Canadian Pacificwere rapidly pushing their way to the Sault. • At the
same time, to conneCt Michigan with Canada, a gigantic
bridge was built over St. Mary's River, above the rapids.
So that by the end of OCl:ober, 1887, trains from Duluth,
St. Paul, and Minneapolis were passing through the, Sault,
on the way to Montreal, Boston, New York, etc. The effeCt:
was as amusing as it was amazing, for many of the old
settlers had never before seen a locomotive.
Add to these improvements the immense locks that the
government is construCting on the north side of the old
locks. Even these cannot suffice for the traffic that is
yearly increasing. Some days, more than seventy-five vessels of all dimensions pass through these locks, on their
way up to Duluth or other places on Lake Superior, or
down to Lake Huron, Lake Erie, etc.
During 1888 our village became the city of Sault Ste.
Marie, and its population is now estimated at over ten thousand. EleCtric lights and eleCtric cars have been introduced,
and the new mills and faCtories are expeCted. to increase the
population by affording permanent work to hundreds of
laborers. This want of steady work has been formerly a
gr.eat drawback here, especially during the winter. In view
of all these improvements, many forecast a bright future for
VoL. xvm, No. 3-
24
�MICHIGAN.
Sault Ste. Marie; and the Canadian Sault, opposite to us, on
the north bank of St. Mary's River, with its beautiful site
and natural resources, looks with an envious eye on her
American sister. However, an era of prosperity has begun
there also, and they too will soon have their new locks,
water-power canal, and other improvements.
A glance now at other events. During I 88 I, the little
old church on Sugar Island, built for the Indians about thirty
years ago by the late Bishop Baraga of holy memory, was
badly shaken by a tornado, and the steeple blown down.
There was no money in the treasury for the necessary repairs. Recalling, however, the words of our Lord, "Ask,
and you shall receive," we called on divine Providence in
favor of these poor children of the forest, and our prayer
was heard. New foundati-ons were laid, new boarding was
put on the outside, new shingles on the roof, and a new
steeple; so that after a new coat of paint, the little church
is much improved - and it is free from debt. The poor
Indians feel quite proud of it. During Easter time a retreat was given to our French-speaking people with much
good.
As for our church here, I am gradually introducing improvements. · Some generous people put their heads and
hands together, and gave me the money necessary to adorn
the church with four beautiful statues, of the Sacred Heart
of Jesus, the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and St. Patrick, all
imported from Paris. In the same way I have procured a
very handsome set of stations of the cross. Both statues
and stations are very highly prized. From a bazq,~r held
for two or three evenings last August, we gatherea s·everal
hundred dollars, which we used to ereCt: a superb main altar,
which was ready for the Christmas midnight Mass, and
added greatly to the splendor ordinarily displayed in our
church on such an occasion.
As a preparation for the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a retreat was given to all the young ladies of the parish,
which was attended with edifying piety. On this feast, after
having obtained from Rome the diploma of aggregation,
and permission from the bishop, I established the sodalities
of the Children of Mary and of the Holy Angels, which
continue to prosper and give edification by the exemplary
life of the socialists, who go every month to Holy Communion in a body, bearing on their breasts the medal of
the Queen of Heaven. Splendid vestments and a handsome organ were procured in time for the feast of the Assumption, when the bishop made his visitation. Our church
now has reached completion, and that too without the burden
�MICHICAN.
of a cent of debt.
Our congregation amounts to very near
2500.
As the work was becoming rather heavy for me alone,
our superior sent me Fr. Devlin last August, and he has
given me the greatest assistance ever since. Last December, he and Fr. Baudin gave a very successful retreat to Fr.
Sinnett's congregation at the Canadian Sault. Fr. Sinnett
has been in charge of this mission since last August. In
that short time, by his zeal and energy, the Catholic element
has been greatly improved, and a nice school-house, under
his care, will soon be completed. Fr. Ouellet, like a good
old shepherd, continues to watch over his flock, grazing
peacefully on the solitary bank of Garden River. FF.
Chambon and Richard are still attending the various missions on both sides of the St. Mary's River and on Lake
Superior.
Although Sault Ste. Marie has a bad reputation on account
of its fifty-six saloons, nevertheless, as God knows how to
draw good from evil, since February 1887, twenty-four Protestants have been instruCted, baptized, and received into the
Church. We have had 360 baptisms of children, 142 deaths
(some of them very edifying), 57 marriages, about 20 couples
who had been married outside of the Church have been
reconciled (only three Catholics were married by me to
Protestants during my I I years here), 7300 confessions
(many very long ones), 95 extreme unCtions, 150 First Communions and confirmations, two and often three sermons
every Sunday and feast of obligation, four retreats and one
triduum to the people, two retreats and two triduums to
nuns. So you see some good has been done, though more
remains to be accomplished.
Pray for us that we may do better.
Ra:!. Va:!. in Xto. servus,
R.
CHARTIER,
S.
J.
�A QUERY ON PAROCHIAL AND PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
DETROIT CoLLEGE, MrcH.,
oa. $,
I88g.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
The condition of things which we witness in this college
suggests a useful question, as to the influence of a wellorganized parochial-school system on our higher college
education. In the State of Michigan, the whole theory and
practice of education generally seems to be as marked and
peremptory as they can well be. The legislature has provided, on the usual gratuitous basis, all the degrees of a
complete educational system - the common school, the
high school, and the university - Ann Arbor University
this year numbering 2000 students. The State exercises a
superintendence over all chartered institutions, not in an
honorary fashion, but efficaciously. And, in open competition, it is not cle~r that anything could withstand the
ascendency of the State and the public system ; - least of
all, a college which, in these circumstances, might be expected to find all its possible support absorbed by the three
degrees of schools. A somewhat gratuitous roll o( scholars, at most. might still be found aspiring to a littre•. Latin
for a special purpose.
As it is, however, on October 4th, the roll of students
here mounts up to 26I, the largest number yet for this date.
This number includes 29 in the preparatory course, and 49
in the four commercial classes. It falls just three or four
below the average of the seven colleges in the province, as
that average stood a couple of weeks ago. St. Louis and
Cincinnati, by their very large attendance, had already
raised the general average to upwards of 265. Now, the
significant fact that I call attention to is this. The number
of new-comers in the 26I is 86. Of these, there come
from the parochial schools, 59; from the public schools, I 8;
' from other quarters, I~- There are no Protestants in attend·
ance.
Nowhere in the province has the corporate action of the
State thrown such a weight on the side of its own system.
On the other hand, nowhere in the dioceses of the United
(368)
)
'
�FR. PRACHENS!\Y' S
COLDEN JUBILEE.
369
States have more decisive measures been taken for carrying
out the ordinances of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore. Bishop Borgess, an ecclesiastic of high views, and
rigid in their execution, made it a reserved case for any
parent to send a child to a common school, from the time
that a parochial school was established in the parish. The
reservation affecrs the child as well as the parent. This
was only seven years ago. Yet seven years have sufficed
to raise things to such a condition that, taking our own
parish as an instance, out of 5 I 5 families, only five or six
are sending children to common schools. These, are cases
of mixed marriages;· and the excuse, more or less weak, is
generally, that the wife cannot overcome the resistance of
her Protestant husband, and so cannot send the child to the
parish school.
Adjoining ours, there is still a parish, and an important
one, which for special reasons has been so far excused from
having a parochial school. For the rest, however, the
parochial system is complete.
QuERY:- vVhat is the bearing of this faet on the favorable condition of the college, though so unfavorably placed
with regard to state education, and not at any great distance from a high school of 6oo pupils, as well as a great
university of 2000 students ?
THO~IAS HUGHES,
s. J.
FATHER PRACHENSKY'S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
(From the Fordlzam Montlzly.)
Class days had hardly begun this year when the college
was the scene of the celebration of the golden jubilee of
Father Prachensky. This venerable clergyman is well known
to thousands as the Catholic chaplain of Ward's Island for
the past twenty-one years, from which office he was but
lately transferred to that of spiritual father to the community
of St. John's College. To a much larger circle of admirers
he is also known as the author of a beautiful exposition of
certain Gospel truths entitled Tlze C!mrclz of t!te Parables.
The day of his golden jubilee-the fiftieth anniversary of
his entrance into the religious life-Thursday, September
5th, was an exceptionally fine one. Father Prachensky
sang High Mass in the parish church of Our Lady of Mercy,
being assisted by Father William Kevill, as deacon, and Mr.
�370
FR. PRACHENSKY' S GOLDEN JUBILEE.
John Coyle, as subdeacon. .His voice rang out with marvellous strength and clearness. During the day, congratulatory letters poured in upon him from well nigh all parts of
the world, not only from his religious brethren but from the
many devoted friends whom he has drawn to hi"mself wherever he has labored.
In the afternoon, dinner was laid in the community refeCtory, which was handsomely decorated for the occasion.
The Rev. Provincial of the Maryland New York Province,
Father Campbell, and all the fathers who could attend from
the neighboring houses of the Society, besides a number
from a distance, were present, together with the scholastics
of St. Peter's College, Jersey City, St. Francis Xavier's, New
York, and our own St. John's. Amongst the distinguished
visitors not of the Society, were Archbishops Corrigan and
Ryan, and Bishop Hennessy, and several prominent secular
priests and laymen.
During the repast, at fixed intervals, words of welcome
and congratulation were read in original compositions by
four of the scholastics of St. John's, viz., an English prose
welcome by Mr. James ·walsh, a Latin ode by Mr. Owen
Hill, a Greek ode by Mr. Ambrose O'Connell, and an English poem by Mr. Joseph Smith. The evening was spent
by Father Prachen_sky very quietly and happily amid the
warmest expressions of good wishes from every one.
Father Prachensky was born in Austria, on June 22nd,
1822. He entered the Society of Jesus at the age of seventeen, on September 5th, 1839, and made his noviceship at
Gratz, in the Austrian province of Styria. His novice-master,
Father Asum, had been a fellow-novice at Polosk, in Russia,
of the famous Father Roothaan, afterwards General of the
Society in some of its stormiest days. During his second
year of theology, the Hungarian revolution under the notorious Kossuth broke out, and, as usual, the Jesuits we1e
the first to feel its effeCts. Kossuth, it may be remembered,
had sworn that if he were successful, the name of Christ
should be unknown in Hungary after two years. The Jesuit
communities were praCtically destroyed, so that they had no
option but to depart for other provinces. Father Prachensky
was ordered to the New Orleans Mission, and before leaving·
Austria enjoyed the inexpressible consolation of being ordained priest. Though so long a[Jsent from his native land,
he is still a member of the Austro-Hungarian Province of
the Society.
The New Orleans Mission then embraced, as it does at
present, all the Gulf States. Father Prachensky crossed
the ocean in company with Father Free, now of New Or-
•,
�JIIEXICO.
37I
'leans, and made his first stay in this country at St. Joseph's
College, Spring Hill, near Mobile. Here he remained for
some time teaching the classics, after which he was transferred to the missions of New Orleans and the vicinity. He
labored in this field for fourteen years. At the commencement of hostilities between the North and the South, he
became chaplain of the 3rd Alabamas, accompanying them
in their campaigns as far north as Norfolk. His descriptions
of army life are exceedingly graphic. He was a favorite
with Protestant and Catholic alike, and his sermons, usually
delivered by the light of their camp fires, were listened to
with the profoundest respect and pleasure.
The next scene in his life was no less a place than St.
John's College itself. He made his tertianship, or third
year of probation, at the college under Father Schneider,
and then spent the following year in parish work at Troy,
N. Y. After this, his provincial sent him to Ward's Island,
believing that his term of office there would last only a year
or two. But the years rolled on till they numbered twentyone, when at last we find the veteran soldier of Christ returning to St. John's.
MEXICO.
Ertra{l from a letter
o/ P. de /a Cerda.
PuEBLA DE Los ANGELES, Sept. 24, r889.
DEAR FATHER,
I have a piece of news for you. Perhaps, indeed, you
have already heard it through the newspapers; however,
their account cannot be trusted. Here are the facts.
Three of our £1.thers, Antonio Labrador, Estanislao Mauleon, and Vicente Manci, after giving missions· in the cities
of Leon and Guanajuato, came to a mining town called La
Luz. The success of the missions, especially of the one
given at Leon, where more than 20,000 confessions were
heard, many hundred marriages set right, etc., roused the
ill-will of the Liberals, who, be it said in passing, are, in
Mexico, models of intolerance. They made up their minds
to get even with the missionaries the first chance that offered.
The opening of the mission at La Luz seemed the lookedfor moment. So it came to pass that one day, to the utter
amazement of the missionaries, the leading politician of the
�372
11/EXICO.
place entered the church, hat on head and pistol in hand,
and proceeded to arrest Fr. Labrador for preaching against
the institutions of the country. The people, furious at the
outrage, rushed upon the intruder, who narrowly escaped
with his life. As a matter of fact, he received but one
wound, inflicted, they say, by an old woman. An armed
force soon appeared on the scene, the uproar increased,
stones were thrown and pistol shots exchanged ; many
persons were wounded, and some killed. The fathers were
carried off to Guanajuato and thrown into the common jail,
the historic castle of Granaditas. This was what the Liberals wanted. Indeed, had any pretext been given, they would
have been only too happy to. make away with the fathers on
the road to the prison, under cover of La Ley Fuga (The
Fugitive Law), which permits the shooting-down of a prisoner who attempts to escape.
All this happened on the 25th of April, of the present
year. FF. Maule6n and Manci were detained in prison
until the 8th of Sept. They were then permitted to leave
the prison, but not the city. As for Fr. Labrador, he has
been condemned to eleven months' imprisonment, with a
fine of Srooo.. There will be a hundred days more of prison
in case the fine is not paid.
The official accusation is a wretched tissue of falsehoods.
Fr. Labrador publisfied a protest, but in vain ; these men
do what they will. It is clear that our enemies, knowing
well that the nation is Catholic, saw it would be useless to
accuse the missionaries of preaching Catholic doctrin~; nor
could they charge them with preaching anything el>re.. So
they were on the alert to find an opportunity of raising a
riot, and arresting the fathers as instigators ; this opportunity they found at La Luz.
In the hands of such men rests the government of this
nation, worthy assuredly of a better fate. The governor of
Guanajuato is the notorious Gonzales, the predecessor of
Don Porfirio Diaz in the presidency of the republic. Gonzales is eager for a second term, and, to win over the Liberals, he persecutes the clergy, imprisons missionaries, closes
Catholic schools, and, taking public instruction into his own
hands, has made it atheistic. Much else he does, as bad
and worse, to the great satisfaction of the Liberals.
You see, dear Fathe_r, that our liberty is different from
yours. Catholics in your country have true liberty; here,
though in a majority, they are treated like pariahs. And,
saddest ·of all, we are now come to such a pass, that there
seems no human means at hand to set things right again.
�BRAZIL.
lTu, SAN Lmz CoLLEGE, July 21, 1889.
REV. DEAR FATHER,
P. C.
. . . . We had another invasion of yellow fever last year.
Rio Janeiro was the first to be attacked, and the attack lasted
from OCtober to the end of March. The viCtims were very
numerous, and among- them were three Lazarists and several
Sisters of Charity. Two other towns, Santos and Campinas
were also visited. The former, the principal commercial
port of this province, suffered heavily from January to the
end of April. Several sisters from Rio and one of our
fathers from this college went there to attend the sick. The
latter town, Campinas, has been affliCted from January up to
the present. It was thought formerly that there was no
danger of yellow fever in the interior, yet the viCtims of
this city, which is about twenty leagues from Itu, are almost
beyond calculation. Here too one of our fathers, with considerable sacrifice to the college, attended the sufferers for
about two months.
During the month of December, one of our fathers from
Nova Friburgo, who was assisting in the examinations at
Rio, caught the fever and narrowly escaped death. At the
same time, our Father ReCtor, on a visit to Rio, caught the
fever also, and recovered only after a long illness. Besides
these affliCtions, we lost Fr. Graziosi, who died here of rheumatism of the heart about three weeks ago, and about the
same time Fr. Missir died at Santa Catharina. The smallpox again made its appearance here a few weeks ago. The
sisters' academy, which escaped last year, was the first to be
attacked, and had to be closed. Thus far the disease has not
reached our college, but we are in great danger, as it is impossible to cut off all communication with the town. .
Notwithstanding these trials, our college is doing well.
We have now 280 boarders; less than we had last year, but
more than we hoped for under the circumstances. For the
abolition of slavery has deprived the farmers (and of such
even the higher class of society here is made up), of their
chief source of revenue. Another effeCt of the movement
has been the downfall of the Conservative party, and the dissolution of the House of Commons. For the abolition was
(373)
�374
BIOGRAPHICAL SUPPLEMENT.
brought about by the Republicans and Liberals, who have
thus strengthened their opposition to monarchy and to the
Conservative party. Only a few days ago an attempt was
made at Rio against the emperor's life. The hand of the
stranger is visible in all this, but the people do not seem to
see anything. Quem vult perdere, demctltat. vVhat our lot
will be God alone knows.
The feast of St. Aloysius was celebrated here with the
usual pomp this year, and we were honored by the presence
of the Bishop of Rio, who is still here. He is very friendly
and makes himself quite at home with us.
I remain, Reverend Father,
Ra:. Va::',infimus in Christo servus,
·~
R. l\1.
GALANTI,
S.
J.
BIOGRAPHICAL SUPPLEMENT.
[Spedal Notice.]
\Vhile preparing the Index for the first fifteen years of the
LETTERS -from 1872 to r887-we were struck by the absence
of several great names from the list of obituaries. This led
to an investigation of the list of vita fimlli in the catalogue
of the Maryland New York Province; and this investigation
was followed by the startling revelation that, of thos~.:who
died in this province alone during the years mentioned, there
are 25 priests, 21 scholastics, and 40 brothers of whom there
is no obituary notice in the LETTERS.
There are several explanations of this apparent neglect.
Suffice it to mention two. First, it is not generally understood that those who have charge of the LETTERS are·not
·supposed to write, but only to edit what is sent to them from
the different houses. They have other work to do at \Voodstock. Secondly, former editors have d6ubtless found the
'same difficulty as the present staff in securing obituaries or
notices from the houses where the death takes place. The
notice which they give to newspapers would often suffice ;
but it must be sent to the LETTERS certified by some one who
can guarantee the newspaper account to be correct-otherwise
we cannot run the risk of printing such notices.
It will be quite natural for the future annalist to go to the
LETTERS for at least a brief notice of those who have died
during these years, and it wo'uld be a pity that he should be
disappointed. To prevent this, it is now proposed to open in
the next number a Biographical Supplement, containing at
�BIOGRAPHICAL SUPPLEMENT.
375
least a brief sketch of those whose obituaries have not been
written. Hoping for co-operation from all sources in this
work of charity, we give a list of the names referred to, with
the year and place of death.
Priests-Fr. F. X. Di Maria, 1871, Philadelphia; Fr.
Michael Tuffer, 1873, Frederick; Fr. Peter P. Kroes, 1873,
Georgetown; Fr. John Early, 1873, Georgetown; Fr: James
Pinasco, 1873, Frederick; Fr. Alex. L. Hitzelberger, 1875,
Boston; Fr. John Smith, 1877, Philadelphia; Fr. Peter V.
McDermott, 1877, \Vhitemarsh; Fr. Chas. A. Bague, 1877,
St. Joseph's, \Vashington; Fr. Alphonsus Pelletier, 1879,
New York; Fr. James J. Tehan, 1879, Providence; Fr.
Michael Driscol, 188o, Fordham, New York; Fr. Henry Terenziani, 188o, New York; Fr. Florentine Achard, 188o, Troy;
Fr. Charles H. Fulmer, 188o, Boston; Fr. John Treanor,
188o, California; Fr. John Fitzpatrick, 188o, Fordham, New
York; Fr. John Sumner, 188o, \Vashington; Fr. Francis
McLaughlin, 1881, Texas; Fr. HeCtor Glackmeyer, 1881,
Philadelphia; Fr. Joseph Shea, 1881, New York; Fr. Francis
Man~chal, 1882, New York; Fr. Francis Michel, 1882, New
York; Fr. George Villiger, 1882, Conewago; Fr. Paul Mignard, 1882, New York.
Sclzolastics-Mr. Tobias F. X. \Vitman, 1871, Frederick;
Mr. John Deady, 1871, \Voodstock; Mr. Aidan Byrne, 1872,
Frederick; Mr. Wm. O'Callaghan, 1873, \Voodstock; Mr.
Charles Doizt~, 1873, New Orleans; Mr. John E. P. Dooley,
1873, Georgetown; Mr. Jos. Strubinger, 1874, Frederick;
Mr. Julian F. Fairfax, 1875, Frederick; Mr. Edward F.
Dougherty, 1875, \Voodstock; Mr. John Walsh, 1875. Frederick; Mr. John F. Hallahan, 1876, Frederick; Mr. Michael
P. Walsh, 1876, Frederick; Mr. Martin J. O'Neill, 1876,
Frederick; Mr. John J. Lees, 1876, \Voodstock; Mr. Thomas
H. Kane, 1878, Frederick; Mr. Daniel A. Keating, 1879, St. ·
Thomas', Md. ; Mr. Michael S. Murphy, 188o, Frederick;
Mr. John M. Murphy, 188o, Georgetown; Mr. John A. Gillespie, 188o, Baltimore; Mr. Francis B. Moyer, 1881, Boston;
Mr. Thomas Fenton, 1883, St. Lawrence's, New York.
Brothers-Br. John O'Reilly, 1871, Frederick; Br. Daniel
Connelly, 1871, Georgetown; Br. John Kelly, 1872, Worcester; Br. Patrick McLaughlin, 1872, Worcester; Br. Michael
Farrell, 1873, St. Thomas', Md. ; Br. Owen McCann, 1873,
Baltimore; Br. Timothy Brosnan, 1873, Frederick ; Br. Michael McElroy, 1874. Frederick; Br. Thomas McMahon, 1875,
Boston ; Br. Michael Redmond, 1876, Philadelphia; Br.
James Bergen, 1878, Worcester; Br. Thomas Casey, 1879,
Baltimore; Br. Andrew Tragsail, 1879, New York; Br. John
Callaghan, 1879, New York; Br. John Derks, 1880, Frederick; Br. Thomas O'Connor, 188o, Georgetown; Br. Edward
B. O'Kelly, 1881, Boston; Br. Philip Ledore, 1881, Fordham; Br. Michael O'Sullivan, 1881, \Vorcester; Br. Anthony
Romano, 1882, Baltimore; Br. Jos. Brembacher, r882, Gosh-
�BIOGRAPHICAL SUPPLEMENT.
enhoppen; Br. Francis McClosky, 1SS3, New York; Br.
Thaddeus Begley, 1SS3, Frederick; Br. Richard Purcell,
1'8S3, Manresa, New York; Br. Bartholomew Doyle, 1SS3,
Baltimore; Br. John O'Sullivan, 1SS4, Frederick; Br. Michael
Foley, 1SS4, Baltimore; Br. Nicholas Litique, ISSs, New
York; Br. John Brady, ISSs, New York; Br. James McCloskey, ISSs, Boston; Br. John Welsh, 1SS5, New York; Br.
John Cullen, ISSs, Jersey City; Br. Thaddeus McKenna,
1SS6, Georgetown; Br. John Lynch, 1SS6, Boston; Br. Daniel Clarke, I·Ss6, Georgetown ; Br. Matthe>v Gilshannen,
1SS6, Georgetown; Br. Nicholas Schu, 1SS6, Baltimore; Br.
Charles Brendle, 1SS7, St. Lawrence's, Ne>v York; Br. John
Daly, ISS], Georgetown; Br. Timothy McNamara, ISS],
Montreal.
.~
At the same time that ·we are undertaking this work of
love for our own province, \:..·e shall be glad if some one in
the Missouri Province, and in the other American missions,
will take advantage of this opportunity to make this Biographical Supplement so complete, that at least a brief notice
of every member of the Society who has died in America
since IS]I, may be found in the \VoonsTOCK LETTERS.
~-
1•
.·
'I
�OBITUARY.
BR. JAMES KENEALY.
Br. James Kenealy was the fifth member of the Cincinnati
community to pass from earth to heaven within the space of
less than a year. He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, October 16, 1849. His relatives were poor, and therefore he could
not obtain the education which he so much desired. He
obtained something better, however, than mere book-learning, through the care of his parents and his parish-priestsincere piety and firm Irish faith, which did him good service afterwards.
At the age of eighteen he came to America, and settled
first in New York City, but after a short time, at the solicitation of some of his friends, he came to Cincinnati. He soon
obtained a place as coachman for a wealthy gentleman in the
suburbs, and by his firmness in complying with the requirements of his religion, in spite of the stormy protests of his
employer, he gained for himself the esteem and respect of the
whole family. Many a time during this period he had to
make no small sacrifice to be present at Mass or to attend to
other spiritual duties ; but, as he himself afterwards said,
the consolations which God bestowed, as a partial reward for
his generosity, made any sacrifice seem trivial.
After ten years spent in this way, he felt that God was
calling him to a more perfect state of life, and he made haste
to obey the divine call. The reading of the life of St. Aloysius was one of the principal instruments in disposing him
for this step ; hence he ever afterwards cherished a lively devotion for that amiable saint. 'He was received into the novitiate at Florissant, without further probation, on May 13,
1878, and entered at once on the duties of his novicesliip with
an earnestness which he preserved as a characteristic trait
during the rest of his life. One who knew him intimately at
Florissant says that charity, readiness and fitness for every
kind of work, and a great love of prayer were remarkable in
Br. Kenealy. His natural disposition was kind and gentle,
and his considerateness for others was such, that he soon endeared himself to the whole community. He was ready for
any occupation, and his love of prayer was so great that, after
being relieved of the duties of excitator, on account of his
failing health, he begged the superior to allow him to rise, as
formerly, before the community, in order that he might make
(377).
�BR. JAMES KENEALY.
•
an hour's meditation before the rest were called. So strong
was his desire to spend some extra time before the Blessed
Sacrament, without encroaching on the duties of his office,
and so fervent was his pleading, that the superior found it
difficult to refuse.
In the autumn of r882, he was sent to Cincinnati and made
sacristan of our parish church, an office which he filled to the
greatest satisfaction until he could work no longer. His
duties at first were anything but attractive. St. Xavier's
Church was a scorched and disfigured ruin, and the work of
clearing away the debris and restoring the building to its
former splendor had just commenced. Gradually the restoration was effected, and within a year the new St. Xavier's
rose from the ashes of the old. The interior renovation was
accomplished more slowly ; ~b'ut one after another the fine
marble altars of the sanctuary·were erected and became with
other parts of the church the objects of Br. Kenealy's vigorous care. He organized an acolythical society among the
boys of the parish school. His success in keeping this society
in a flourishing condition, and his influence over the boys
were extraordinary. One of our fathers says of him: "Br.
Kenealy was a model sacristan in every way. Cincinnati is
one of the "smokiest cities in the world ; you cannot take up
a book that has been lying on your table for half a day,
without soiling. your hands; yet I have seldom seen, even
in country convents, a sacristy with which, for neatness, and
absence of dust and soot, Br. Kenealy's would not compare
favorably. I have never known his equal in training altar
·boys. The boys had implicit confidence in him, and submitted
all their disputes to him as final arbitrator. It was very amusing to watch the seriousness with which he acted as umpire
in the games of base-ball which he got up to keep the servers
off the streets on Sunday aftemoons. He used his influence
with the boys to promote the devotion to the Sacred Heart,
and the frequentation of the sacraments, and with such success that many of the larger lads became ·weekly communicants. He spent the time· of recreation in making or repairing
beads for extems, and when obliged to receive any offerings
for this work, he devoted them, with permission of the su. perior, to buying cassocks or other articles for the servers at
Mass."
On August rs, r888, he made his last vows. For some
time before this, it was noticed that he suffered from a hard
cough. Though he made very little of it, he was steadily
growing weaker; and on Sept. 29th, he was obliged to take to
his bed. He mig-ht well :say, Zelus domus tum comedit me.
Although, after several weeks, he was able to sit up, there
was no hope of his recovery. His greatest cross was his
forced inactivity ; but recollecting that the best we can do for
God is to perform his divine will, he conformed himself without trouble to the guidance of Providence. He assured sev-
.Jo,
�FR. JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
eral of his brethren that, if he were to follow the promptings
of his heart, he would ask for death, but he deemed it more
perfect to ask for neither life nor death. Nevertheless, in the
spirit of obedience, he made a novena with the other members of the community, for a speedy and complete restoration
of health. Several violent hemorrhages dispelled all hope of
his recovery, and he slowly wasted away, worn out by the
racking cough which tormented him by day and night. His
brethren, who frequently visited him, found great edification
in his cheerful patience and resignation. Death, which had
no terrors for him, was a frequent subject of his conversation.
The end came at last on the 3oth of April, and Br. Kenealy
obtained what he valued so much and had prayed for so
earnestly-the privilege of dying in the Society.-R. I. P.
FR. JOHN CuNNINGHAl\1.
Father John Cunningham was born Dec. 30, r824, in the
diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, Mountrath, Queen's Co.,
Ireland. At an early age he came to Canada, and, when
fifteen, entered the college of the Sulpitians in Montreal, to
make the full classical course of seven years. After two years
of mental philosophy and ethics, he began the study of theology in the Grand Seminaire, and two years later, on receiving minor orders, .he applied for admission into the Society.
He was admitted by Fr. George Schneider, then master of
novices, but being needed hy the Sulpitian Fathers to conduct·
their English studies, he could not enter until a year later, in
the September of r849. He began his noviceship in the
house of M. Rodier of Montreal, and finished it in our college
there, taking his vows on Sept. 8, r85r. After teaching a
commercial class and prefecting at our college in Fordham for
two years, he reviewed his theology during the two following
years, and was ordained priest by Archbishop Hughes of New
York, Aug. 17, 1855· The following year he was again a
prefect at Fordham. After teaching middle grammar there,
for a year and a half, he was called to New York in the early
part of r858 to take the class of humanities. This he taught
four years and a half, after which he was appointed professor
of rhetoric. He began his third year of probation in r864, at
Sault au Recollet, under the instructorship of Fr. James Perron. After a year spent in teaching humanities in Fordham,
he made his last vows, Aug. r5, r866. For the two years
following he taught rhetoric in that college, and in r868, he
was again appointed to teach humanities in St. Francis Xavier's, N. Y. There he remained until r874, and after two
years at Fordham, thither he returned again in r876, teaching
at various times the classes of humanities, rhetoric, and special
Latin. He was professor of Latin in the short-lived collegium
inchoatum in Troy, during the school year beginning r877.
�BR. PATRICK O'HARA.
Returning to St. Francis Xavier's in 1878, he again taught
humanities there until 188o, when he was sent to take special
Latin class in St. Peter's, Jersey City. After two years, ill
health forced him to leave the classroom and so bring to a
close a career of teaching which had lasted upwards of thirty
years. The follmving year he spent as confessor, but from
the summer of 1883 until his death, his bodily and mental
powers were so impaired that he could no longer work or lead
the ordinary community life. He spent these years in L'Hospice deS. Jean de Dieu, Longue Pointe, near Montreal, P. Q.,
where he died peacefully in the Lord, on May 20, 1889.
Father Cunningham, as a teacher, spared no pains to further
the training of his pupils. The vigor and activity of his
earlier life were faithfully employed in devising means to relieve the drudgery of the classroom, and these stood him in
good stead in his declining ·years. His simple diagrams of
the more difficult declensions and conjugations facilitated the
first steps of many a grammar pupil, and his careful translations, and tasteful models were at once the help and admiration of the students of riper years. Like a true Jesuit, he
showed much more solicitude for the souls than for the minds
of his pupils, and this zeal of his led superiors to employ him
as director of sodalities and confessor of boys and young men,
until ill health unfitted him for the work. He lost no occasion
of showing his interest in the spiritual welfare of his charges,
and howsoever importunate he may have seemed when doing
so, they never disliked him for it, but grew to love him more
and .more every year. His infirmities in the decline of life
were very painful, but he bore them in patience and humility,
the object of sympathy and prayers which his zeal and sincerity had won for him everywhere.-R. I. P.
~·
•·
BR. PATRICK O'HARA.
Br. Patrick O'Hara died in St. Xavier College, Cincinnati,
on Monday, June 24, r889, at half past four o'clock in the
afternoon. Brother O'Hara was born in Ireland on the seventeenth of March 1839. When a grmvn boy, he went to reside
in Liverpool; and about the year 1863 came to the United
States. He entered the novitiate on September 4, 1867, at
the age of twenty-seven years. At the time when he decided
to devote his life to the service of God in the Society of Jesus,
he was filling a prominent position as machinist in the city
of Cincinnati.
During his noviceshi_p he was a model of silence and of
exactness. He was without human respect, and was at the
same time always cheerful and full of humor. In the twentytwo years of his religious life, Brother O'Hara lost nothing of
the amiable religious spirit he manifested in his noviceship.
He filled many positions ; was, in turn, machinist, clothes-
�PR. JAliiES CURLEY.
keeper, refectorian, carpenter ; and he turned from one occupation to the other with a joyfulness which showed that he
recognized and kept always before his mind the supernatural
nature of his vocation. .
·
For several years before his death Brother O'Hara had been
afflicted with epilepsy. But he went about his work fearlessly, with implicit confidence that God who permitted his
affliction would preserve him from all danger. He was exact
in all things, and was usually first at every exercise. He was
a very early riser, and was eager to serve several Masses every.
day. On June 13, Father Minister not finding Brother O'Hara
ready in the sacristy to serve an early Mass, concluded that
he was unwell, and on going to his room found him sitting
on a chair and breathing with great difficulty. He signified
that he was suffering intense pain in the head, and was taken
at once to the infirmary. The physician was called, and
pronounced the illness to be enlargement of the heart.
During his short illness of eleven days, Brother O'Hara
suffered excruciating pains in the head and the region of the
heart. But he did not murmur. When asked if his pain
was great, he replied, with his accustomed humor, that it was
"enough to crack a bottle." His agony was long ; but he
was strengthened by the sacraments for which he himself had
asked in time, that he might be ready for the struggle. May
he rest in peace.
FR. }AMES CURLEY.
At Georgetown College, on the 24th day of July, 188g, at
the advanced age of nearly ninety-three years, in the sixtysecond year of his religious life, the fifty-eighth of his connection with Georgetown College, and the fifty-seventh of his
priesthood, died Fr. James Curley.
As we hope to pqblish in a future number of the LETTERS
the recollections of those whose happiness it was to know
Fr. Curley personally, we shall content ourselves for the
present with giving only an outline of his career, and a few
details about his death. "His life was so placid," writes an
old student of Georgetown, "that but little is found in it to
supply colors for a vivid picture. The traditionary hero,
somebody has said, breaks upon us like the rugged mountain
peak or plunging cataract. Not so Fr. Curley. His life
was like the soft landscape, without striking features, but
harmonious in all its parts, and presents a picture of such
rare simplicity and delightful unity, that the eye of an artist
can alone contemplate it and appreciate it fully and completely.''
Father Curly was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, on
Oct. 25, 1796. His father died when he was quite young, and
VoL. xvm, No. 3·
25
·
�,182
his earlier education was confined to the simplest rudiments
of English. A little later, however, a professor of mathematics in his town discovered in him a wonderful taste for
that branch, in which he afterwards became famous. He left
Ireland in r8r7, and arrived in Philadelphia on the roth of
October of that year. There he worked for two years as
book-keeper. He aftenYards taught mathematics for some
time in Frederick, Md. In r826, he came to \Vashington and
began the study of Latin in the Catholic Seminary with a
view to preparing himself for the priesthood. At the same
time he taught a class in the seminary, and one of his pupils
was James A. \Vard, the present venerable reetor of the novitiate at Frederick and socius of the provincial. After the
close of the seminary, he applied for admission to the Society,
and began his noviceship at'' Georgetown on Sept. 29, r827.
At the end of his two years of probation, in Aug. r829, he
was sent to Frederick to teach. He took his first vows on
Oct. roth of that year, and returned to Georgetown in the
spring of r83r. In September of that year he began to teach
natural philosophy, studying moral theology at the same
time. It was shortly after this, on Dec. 21, r832, that he
became a naturalized American citizen. In the following
year, he was ordained subdeacon on May 29th, deacon on May
31st, and priest on the rst of J nne. His first Mass was said
on Corpus Christi in the chapel of the Visitation Convent at
Georgetown, which he continued to attend as chaplain for
fifty years. During nearly all this time, for the space of fortyeight years, he taught mathematics and astronomy at the
college. He drew up the plans and superintended the work
of establishing the college observatory, and made many valuable contributions to science. Among these may be mentioned his correc1ion of the computation for the meridjan of
\Vashington. The observations which he then made, half a
century ago, have been officially verified by the government
astronomers. He was socius and procurator of the province
from Sept. r2, rSso to r86o, under three successive provincials, FF. Brocard, Stonestreet, and Villiger. It was he who
established the green-house of the college, which he made a
means of perfecting his skill as a botanist. His interest in
this branch was active even to the last days of his life. Toiling along on his crutches, when he became no longer able to
move about without them, he went daily to visit these old
friends, and when some very rare one bloomed he brought
the flower to the fathers' recreation-room, that others might
share his delight. He was very fond also of visiting the
government botanical gardens, to observe the progress of some
special botanical pets ih which he had taken an interest for
years.
The last class that Fr. Curley taught was the Class of '79·
Among the papers found after his death was a list of this and
all his previous classes from r83r. That their faces and rec-
I'
�Pl?. jAMES CURLEY.
ords were preserved in his memory, he proved to every one of
them that ever returned to visit the college. It might be that
decades of years had passed, and that the boy was now a
grandsire, but in a moment after hearing his name, Fr. Curley, his own face brightening with that indescribable expression of childlike joy so familiar to those who have lived with
him, would go back with his former pupil to the days of long
ago, assemble again the class, perhaps, of '35 or '40, surround this group with the faculty and college ''characters''
of that day; and astonish all listeners with his wonderful
store of information about each and every one of those whose
good fortune it was to have been "his boys." "But this is a
phase of his character which, doubtless, will be better touched
upon by those who will give us their personal recollections of
him. \Ve shall now tell, in the words of the College Journal
the story of his last days on earth.
"In February last he slipped and fell on the stairs that lead
from the college infirmary to the students' chapel. He recovered sufficiently from this to appear in public once or twice
during the centennial celebration ; but the shock resulting
from this fall, and a cold brought on by passing from the
warm reception-rooms of the college to the cool air of the
corridors, made rapid inroads into a system already enfeebled
by old age. His stubborn constitution, however, and high
degree of vitality bore him up in the struggle for life, until
far into the summer. In July, he was attacked by malaria,
and then he began to sink so rapidly that extreme unction
was administered. His mind remained clear and vigorous
until a week before his death. Then intervals of delirium
began, during which his mind wandered back over the earlier
years of his connection with the college, and he held imaginary conversations with FF. Ryder and Mulledy, who were
presidents of the college many years ago. These deliriums,
however, lasted but a short time, and up to his last moments
his mind was generally clear.
"On Wednesday, February 23rd, it became evident that
his end was approaching, and the watchers at his bedside
grew anxiously attentive. Early on the afternoon of the 24th,
a sudden change for the worse was noticed ; Fr. Fox was
called, and the prayers for the dying were recited. The
prayers were hardly ended when, dropping his head on his
breast, and drawing a long breath, almost a sigh, he passed
peacefully away.
_
''On Friday morning, his remains were laid in the receptionroom of the new building, whither many of his friends came
to take a last look at their father and friend. At ten o'clock,
the funeral procession, composed of fathers of the college,
visiting clergy, scholastics, and brothers, started for Trinity
Church, Georgetown, where the Office ofthe Dead was recited,
and a low Mass of Requiem offered for the repose of his soul.
The celebrant of the Mass was Fr. William F. Clarke, George-
�All?. PATRiCK j. O'SULLIVAN.
town's oldest living graduate. His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, kindly assisted at the Mass and pronounced the last
absolution. The funeral procession, chanting the Benediflus,
then returned to the college grounds, where the venerable
father's remains were laid to rest in the college cemetery."R. I. P.
MR. PATRICK
J.
O'SULLIVAN.
On Tuesday morning, August 13, we laid away to rest, in
the little cemetery at \Voodstock, the mortal remains of our
dear brother, Mr. Patrick J. 0' Sullivan. The crown of suffering, which he had worn for four years, had at last blossomed
into a crown of glory and a garland of joy. The Master's
voice, that four years before..had called him away from an
active life, to stand and wait;·was heard again summoning
him from his post of heroic inaction, where he had stood so
bravely teaching us the hard lesson of cheerful and courageous patience under the chastening rod of our kind Father.
Mr. Patrick O'Sullivan was born in Valentia, Ireland,
March 10, 1853. \Vhile he was yet a child, his parents came
to this country and made their home in Nonvich, Conn. He
received his early education at the Nonvich Academy. In
1871 he went to Nicolet, Canada, but remained only a year.
The following year he was at Montreal College, and in 1877
he graduated from there to the Grand Seminary. After two
years of seminary life, ~as the time drew near for him to receive subdeaconship, he began to be troubled about his vocation. His confessor, discovering unmistakable signs of a
religious vocation, advised him to make a retreat under one
of our fathers. In that retreat it became manifest that it"was
God's will for him to enter the Society. This new step·entailed many sacrifices ; but nothing could shake him in his
vocation. In the fall of 1879, he left home, and entered the
novitiate at Frederick on the gth of October. His career as
a student, at the Norwich Academy, Nicolet, and Montreal,
had been a very brilliant one. He secured the first places in
his classes, and carried off the most valuable prizes. At the
Grand Seminary he had made quite a reputation, and was one
of the thirteen who belonged to a famous literary society
called the Columbian. Under the influence of the novice life,
the full beauty of his character soon developed itself. Older
than most of the novices, he was remarkable among them all
for his childlike ways and unaffected humility. He made
himself companionable to all, and the youngest novice enjoyed
his company the most.
After the two years of iloviceship, he was appointed professor of the juniors-a very strong proof of the esteem in
which he was held by his superiors, both as a religious and
as a scholar. Not one of those who were under him in the
juniorate ever spoke but in words of the highest praise of the
''
.
'
�BR. JULIUS lffACE.
dear old Domine, as they called him. In Sept. I883, he was
sent to teach rhetoric in Boston College. Those who taught
with him there know how well he succeeded in this arduous
task. The energy and life that he put into his work, and the interest that he showed in every member of his class made him
beloved of all. It was a part of his kindly nature to encourage, not to crush any one with harshness. Though he was
strict in exacting class duties, yet he never forgot to lift up
the faint-hearted and cheer them on, and no one could ever
charge him with discouraging the slowest scholar in his class.
In September I 885, he started on his fifth year of teaching;
but his scholastic work was over forever. In the midst of
his useful labors, in the prime of his manhood, he was stricken down by paralysis, and forced to abandon the classroom.
The history of the next four years is hidden with the gentle
Master \vho clothed his servant with the ornaments of sorrow and pain. After spending some months in New York
under medical treatment, Mr. 'O'Sullivan came to Woodstock,
and lived among us for three years. The words that he had
best learnt again to pronounce were patience and courage.
How often we spoke pityingly of his fate, while he prayed
on and hoped on, persuading many of us that he would be
back in our ranks again. But God was pleased to accept
the good will of his faithful servant without imposing the
burden of an active life. \Vhen we were not expecting it, the
end came suddenly. On his return to Woodstock from the
villa, the change in his appearance became quite marked.
Exercise had been everything to him, and now he was obliged
to keep to his room. \Ve had scarcely missed him from his
usual walks when we heard that the last sacraments were
being administered to him. His poor heart was worn out ;
no power of medicine could save him. ·weary with the
struggle, he seemed as eager to die, as he had been, till then,
anxious to live and recover and resume his work. During
the last few days of his life, he maintained the same wonderful courage and patience that he had shown during his long
illness. That innocent mirth which had so often amused us
did not forsake him to the last. On Monday morning, Aug.
I2, about 5· IS, while the prayers for the dying were being
recited, without any struggle or agony, the weary sufferer
sank back into the arms of the Brother Infirmarian, and died
like a tired child falling asleep.-R. I. P.
BR. JULIUS MACE.
On the morning of the I3th of August, Br. Mace died
piously in the Lord at St. John's College, Fordham. Born
in Brittany, he possessed to the full the virtues that are traditional in that province, tender piety, great simplicity, and a
strong spirit of faith. From his childhood he was devoted to
�BR. JUL/l'S MACE.
music, and his talent for the piano was so marked, that he
was sent to the Conservatory at Paris, to finish his studies.
Here he attracted the attention of men like Bertini, Gottschalk and Thalberg, and for awhile his future career seemed
to be assured ; but a bitter disappointment he met with, so the
story runs, disgusted him with the world, and in company
with a fellow artist he determined to enter the Societv. The
two presented themselves at St. Acheul and asked to be admitted as brothers. The superiors, knowing what they had
been, offered to admit them as scholastics, though they had
made no regular studies. His companion accepted the offer,
but Br. Mace asked for himself only a life of humble obscurity.
About the end of his first. year of noviceship, he was sent
with three fathers and four brothers to New York, where our
fathers were but just settled> They sailed from Havre on the
2d of May 1848, and reached their destination on the rst of
June. Of the party only one is living, Brother Risler of St.
Francis Xavier's, N.Y. He relates two incidents, that have
remained fixed in his mind through all these years. The
first is, that when they reached our house, which was then on
Third Avenue and known as the School of the Holy Name,
Fr. Nash who received them gave them some beer, which
tasted very strange to their French palates. The other incident was, that Br. Mace went out into the city and got lost,
reaching Fordham very late at night. Those who knew Br.
Mace will recognize in this a characteristic trait.
He finished his noviceship in Fordham, under Father Legouais, and from that time he was never moved from the
college. He taught music there for nearly forty years, and
during the same time was organist in the parish church and
in the boys' chapel. He suffered for many years from drowsiness. Everywhere and at all times, he was liable to fall
asleep: This was sometimes embarrassing, especially when a
High Mass was in progress ; for if the prefect of music were
not watchful, Br. Mace would fall asleep, though his fingers
still wandered mechanically over the keys, with a result sometimes that had not been foreseen in the rehearsals. His duties
as professor of music never made an excuse to obtain exemptions from the humble offices of the brothers. When not
occupied in giving lessons, he could always be found in the
scullery or refectory, until his fingers began to grow stiff,
from the repeated immersion in hot water. He then asked
to be allowed to devote his spare time to chopping wood ;
and it was an edifying sight to see this old brother going
from the music-rooms to the barn, and returning with a handcart full of wood for the bake-shop. For many years he ate
no meat and took but two meals a day. During his last illness, he edified all who visited him by his patience, and the
humble gratitude with which he recognized all that was done
for him. Two days before his death, he marked down his
particular examen. He was eccentric in many ways, but his
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�FR. BERNARD TOALE.
eccentricities were never disedifying. He suffered much in
his life, from complaints which caused him to be bent almost
double, but no one ever heard him complaining. In his
patience, his humility, and his conscientious discharge of the
office entrusted to him, he may well be offered as a model to
all.-R. I. P.
FATHER BERNARD ToALE.
After weary years of suffering, borne with unalterable patience, Fr. Bernard Toale died in the novitiate, Frederick,
Maryland, on Monday, September gth, in the 59th year of his
age, and his 38th in the Society.
Born in the county of Tyrone, Ireland, on the 17th of May
1831, he came to America in his 22nd year, and as he had
completed his classical studies in his native land, he was able
to enter the novitiate at Frederick shortly after his arrival,
May 28, 1852. His fellow~novices bore the same testimony
as his colaborers of later times-that his unaffected piety,
constant serenity of mind, and never failing though welltimed display of humor, made him a general favorite aJid a
source of edification to the community.
His noviceship over, he was considered competent to assume, without further preparation, the charge of a class in
one of our colleges; and accordingly, in August 1854, he was
sent to teach one of the grammar classes in the Old Seminary
at Washington, afterwards called Gonzaga College. The
two following years he spent i.n St. Joseph's College, Philadelphia, Penn. In the autumn of 1857, we find him at Worcester, Mass., where he passed his fourth and last year of
regency. Those who were associated with him during this
period speak. of him as a successful teacher. He had complete control of his pupils without any great display of authority. His equable temper and ready wit. stood him in
good stead in every emergency. \Vhere a harsh reprimand
might have failed of effect, in crushing any inopportune display of American independence, a sally of wit at the offender's
expense would reduce him to shame and submission. Nor
did he lack the faculty of imparting knowledge. He was
ever ready to avail himself of ma·ny little artifices, whereby,
while making the matter clear, he was able to excite the interest of the students, and arouse within them a laudable
ambition.
In 1858, he was transferred to Georgetown to study his
philosophy. going thence toBoston in 186o, when the scholasticate was removed to Boston College, to pursue his theological studies. In the summer of 1863 he was raised to the
priesthood in the church of the Immaculate Conception,
Boston. His first mission· was at St. Inigo's, Md., where
he remained one year, after which he was stationed at St.
Mary's Church, Alexandria, Virginia. Here he remained
�J88
llfR. GEORGE A. JlfULRY.
from I864 to I87o, when he was sent to Frederick for his
third year of probation, returning again to Alexandria in I 87 I.
His long stay in Alexandria gives evidence of his success
as a pastor. He was highly esteemed as a confessor, while
his tender sympathy for the sick and the poor won all hearts
to him. He was no orator, it is true, but in his discourses
he would make at times some delicious home-thrusts, under
cover of a delicate humor, that rendered his remarks most
effective for the cure of souls, while giving offence to none.
In I872, he went to St. Thomas', Maryland, whence he was
removed the following year to aid Fr. Vigilante at St. Inigo's,
remaining there two years. This was before the opening of
the \Voodstock Villa. A few of the Woodstock scholastics,
however, spent their vacations there, and found him a most
enjoyable companion. Tltey were wont to ply him with
questions calculated to bring·· into play his ready humor, and
the replies, whenever they were prefaced by a softly intoned
"Yes, child," were sure by their wit to afford much amusement to the listeners.
During the last year of his stay at St. Inigo's, he was
affi.icted by a frequent recurrence of chills and fever, and
begAn to suffer from a distressing form of asthma, accompanied by heart failure, which gave him little rest day or
night. He was on this account removed to Frederick in
I875, that he might receive all possible medical aid. Here
he remained until his death ; and' though able, for the first
few years, to do some missionary labor, he was forced at
length to give up all active ·work in the ministry. The
brother who cared for him, during these fourteen years of his
stay in Frederick, testifies that, though his sufferings caused
him to undergo a species of martyrdom, especially during the
last three months of his life, yet his serenity of mind- never
deserted him, nor did a complaint ever escape his lips. He
offered the Holy Sacrifice daily, and was present at all the
. community exercises till three months before his death, edifying all by his heroic patience.
Thus were his last days made precious in the sight of God,
thus did they forestall, we may hope, the purging flames,
rendering his death a mere passage from long suffering to
eternaljoy.-R. I. P.
MR. GEORGE
A. MULRY.
Mr. George A. Mulry was born in New York City, Sept. 26,
He entered the novitiate at West Park, July 30, I88o.
After a two years' juniorate at Frederick, and two years and a
half of philosophy at \Voodstock, his health failing, he was
sent to Fordham where he died on the rst of October of the
present year, having passed in the Society seven years of physical suffering and heroic endurance. The circumstances at-
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I862.
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�JIIR. GEORGE A. MULRY.
tending his death were the crowning trial of a life of resignation. He had passed his examination ad audiendas, and
preparations were made for ordination. when the last illness
came ; and though the hope and happiness of offering the
Holy Sacrifice had been his only tie to life for years past, yet,
when the call came, he yielded with beautiful, characteristic
resignation. The following notes of his last retreat, a month
before his death, seem to imply a suspicion of what was coming : "Pauci e.x: injirmitate meliorantur. Infirmity will be
mine to the end. I thank you, my God ; but it is yours to
reverse this in my case."-"Si tu scis tacere et pati, videbis
procul dubio au.x:ilium Domini. This does not mean to give
a diagnosis of your disease to every passer-by. Tace."-"I
am satisfied to die as soon as God wills ; I do not ask for life
prolonged, but only for intensity in his service during the
short time remaining."
Mr. Mulry's fellow-novices and juniors will recall with
pleasure the sterling qualities which developed into real solid
virtues as time went on, and as his patience and resignation
were more sorely tried. As for his career at Fordham,
the short space allowed an obituary notice cannot contain
a bare enumeration of the good things he did there during the last years of his life; much less the high tributes of
esteem and affection which he won from every one by his
continual, self-sacrificing charity, the spiritual turn which he
gave to all the dry details of college duties, .and the example
of his beautiful, patient life. Many of us remember the wet,
dismal day in February, on which he came to Fordham, with
the doctor's assurance that he could not live through the following spring. Yet, during that spring, he did active prefect
work, kept the record of monthly marks of all the classes,
introduced the League of the Sacred Heart, and organized
au association among the workingmen. As this last was a
beautiful example of Mr. Mulry's sympathy for the neglected
in general, it may not be amiss to dwell on it. He had noticed that there was room for improvement in the condition
of the men. With this in view, he obtained the necessary
permission, called the men together, and with their willing
consent, drew up a set of rules, the first of which was that
all should receive Communion monthly and join the League
of the Sacred Heart. The residence of the men was renovated from top to bottom, a reading-room fixed up, and the
following St. Patrick's day selected to commemorate the
founding of the society. The men will not readily forget
that day. There was a workman newly arrived from France,
who had brought with him a marvellously fashioned horn,
on which he played the appropriate air to the immense delight
of the whole society. Speeches were made, stories told, and
refreshments taken. Mr. Mulry ended with a tenderly pious
and practical address. The League of the Sacred Heart was
introduced among the boys under somewhat difficult circum-
�390
MR. GEORGE A. J!ULR Y.
stances. It was feared by many that the boys would not
look with favor on the intention boxes which it was proposed
to place in the different study halls. Still, with characteristic
perseverance, Mr. Mulry called some of the more influential
boys together, got them interested in the good 'vork, and
when in due time the boxes were placed in the study halls,
they were found hardly large enough to contain the weekly
written intentions and offerings. The boys wore the badge
of the Sacred Heart openly and with pride, and a visible,
palpable blessing from heaven was the result. It was in
works of this kind, in exciting and fostering piety among
the boys, that Mr. Mulry's ingenuity and perseverance were
at their best.
In the May following the. 1unveiling of Our Lady's statue in the college quadrangle, he started the custom, since
continued, of having the evening devotions around the statue
in the open air. He managed to so interest the sodality boys,
that they went to great pains and sacrifice in arranging the
decorations for each succeeding Saturday. The last evening
of May r888 will be memorable in the annals of the college.
The whole yard was ablaze with lights and decorations. The
boys sang the llfagnijicat with the immemorial ring. Fr.
Cassidy read the Act of Consecration, and Rev. Fr. Campbell,
who had just been appointed Provincial, gave his parting
address to the boys. And all the while, the laborious originator of the celebration was in the background, waiting for
the unpoetical work of clearing away candles and Chinese
lanterns.
Mr. Mulry had charge of the senior sodality until his voice
failed. He still continued, however, to infuse enthusiasm
into the pious organizations with which he had been comJ,.ected. \Vriting to his brother about this time, he says: ''Just
before Christmas a severe cold took a tiger-like grip of the
throat; for two months I whispered . . . . I often go back
over these past few years, and wonder-with an almost scared
kind of feeling-why the Master has dealt so tenderly with
unworthy me, and yet in a way so very different from the
human. In a human way, what would make life bearable
would be the hope of doing good in the pulpit line. God
tramples on the human. He has put his hand on this poor
little throat and said, 'Be still ! ' '' This letter was written
from St. Thomas', where he spent two months of last spring.
A scholastic who was with him, writes : "Every Saturday he
had a class of a dozen or more boys, who came for instruCtion.
I often heard it said that the boys would do anything for Mr.
Mulry. . . . One would imagine from the work he used to
do that he was trying to persuade himself that he was not
sick. During the month of May he made a large grotto,
for which he procured some Lourdes water. The beautiful
grotto, an unwonted surprise to the people, served not a little
to increase d~votion during the month."
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�"l!R. GEORGE A. 11/ULR Y.
391
Of his last moments, a scholastic who was with him to the
end, writes: "He spoke joyously and happily whenever he
could get breath enough to put a few words together. He
remarked that his grandmother had received extreme unction
nine times,-that this was his first. He was anxious to have
the brother read to him during the afternoon from the lives
of St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier. When I reminded
him that his Communion of the morning was a Communion
of reparation, he answered, that it was also his viaticum,
showing thereby that he was quite conscious of death's approach . . . . After supper I asked Fr. Minister's permission
to spend the night with him, and leave being granted I started
at once to the death-bed of that saintly scholastic . . . . All
during my stay at his side he was giving expression to the
most beautiful thoughts, in broken and scarcely audible utterances. The most beautiful and certainly the most impassioned
thing he said was his answer to a brother who suggested that
some one should sit by his bedside during the night. 'Oh,
nonsense ! no need !' and raising his crucifix quite high, and
looking at the image of Christ crucified, he exclaimed, 'This
is company enough for any man through the hours of the
night' . . . . I could hardly keep from weeping when I
witnessed the cheerful earnestness with which he whispered
his thankfulness to me at every touch of my hand, as I
smoothed his pillow or wiped away the heavy perspiration
from his forehead.''
Those of us who had the happiness of knowing and
living with Mr. Mulry, will always remember the bright example of his irreproachable life, while some must in gratitude
treasure and cherish the memory of his encouragement in
times of trouble ; for his heart went out to those in trouble ;
and thus while v;e pray for him we will also pray to him,
that his prayers and sympathy, of which he was so lavish in
life, may remain with us for a stay and comfort until we follow him.-R. I. P.
�VARIA.
Alaska.-The request fur another missiouary, expressed by Fr. Tosi in his
diary and by Fr. Treca in his letters, in the present number of the LETTERS,
has been granted. Fr. Cataldo has sent to their aid Fr. :\Iuset, who left Wood·
stock last year.
Albania.-Besides the seminary, the commercial institute, the sodalities,
etc., a mission has just been estaqJished among the people living in the mountains. This is in charge of FF. Pasi and Jungg. The people are entirely
ignorant of the truths of religion.- Fr. Pfister.
Belgiutn.-On the death of Fr. Carbonelle, the scientific association of
Brussels asked the Society to appoint another father in his place, and named
Fr. Thirion. The matter is in the hands of superiors, and they will probably decline the favor.-The province of Belgium has sent this year twenty
more missionaries to Bengal.-Fr. Pfister.
In our college at Lonvain, Fr. Van den Acker, for so many years professor
of moral theology, has been succeeded by Fr. Houze. The Bollandist Fr.
Van den Gheyn is professor of Sanscrit at the Catholic University of Paris.
The number of conversio.ps in India is increasing in a miraculous way ; the
superior of the mission, Fr. Grosjean, expects that next year it will reach
200,000 in the division of Chota-Nagpore. Fr. General has sent the mission
10,000 francs, and a Catholic in Antwerp has sent 40,000 francs. 163 members
of the province have applied for this mission. All the boys in tlle college
are interested in the work. Each college proposerl to build a chau..el in India
to be named after the college, and the boys have organized associitions to
collect the money for this purpose.
Bibliography.-The C11t!!logus Librorum of the Catholic mission of Zika-wei, for 188!), contains the following recent publications of our fathers in
China:Omnium rerum verum principium, auctore P. Julio Aleni, S. J.-1 vol.,
25 pp., 8vo., 1889.
Selecta doctrinarum fnndamentalinm collectio, 8 vols.-The 5th, 6th, and
8th vols. are by Fr. Lawrence Ly, the 7th by Fr. Vagn~ni, and the others by
Fr. Aleni. Br. Lieu has illustrated the work.-643 pp., 4to., 1888.
Explicatio :\Iysteriorum SS. Rosarii, auctore P. Laurentio Ly, S. J.-1 vol.,
111 pp., 12mo., 1888.
Accurata explicatio doctrinro Catholicre, anctore P. Twrdy, S. J.- 2 vols.,
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188 pp., 12mo., 1888.
Brevis historia Passion is D. N . • C., auctore P. Laurentio Ly, S. J.-1 vol.,
T.
15 pp., 12mo., 1889.
Speculum virtntum, auctore P. Laurentio I~v, S . .T.-An illustrated life of
the Blessed Virgin, with 31 meditations.-! vol., 102 pp .• 12mo., 1889.
(392)
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393
Tractus de SS. Sacramento, auctore P. Laurentia Ly, S. J.-On the love of
Christ for us, Holy Communion, and visits to the Blessed Sacrament.-! vol.,
80 pp., 12mo., 1889.
Rationum naturalium recta explanatio, auctore P. Alexandra de Ia Charme,
S. J.-A refutation of the errors of Chinese philosophers, and an explanation
of the true doctrine on the soul, on merit, the Incarnation, and the Church.
4 vols., 315 pp., 8vo., 1889.
Laacher-Stimmen-Ergiinzungsheft, 44.-Astronorny and Assyriology seem
to have very little in common; but they had to go hand in hand to render the
above publication possible. Without the astronomical calculations of Father
J. Epping, Father J. N. Strassmaier woulrl have been unable to copy and
translate correctly the two Assyrian planet-tables; and without the aid of the
experienced Assyriologist, the astronomer would never have succeeded in attaining the great results published in the Ergiinzungsheft, n. 44. By this
work, two questions are now settled with certainty: 1) 'Vhat did the Babylonians know about the starry heaven? 2) Ho\V did they reckon time? The
answer to these questions and the correct reading of two cuneiform inscriptions will never interest many; but the more credit is due to FF. Strassmaier
and Epping for publishing Astronomilche's aus Babylon.
Fr. Bucceroni has just published a new edition of the compendium of the
privileges of the Society.
Ars Ignatia.na, auctore Jacobo Nonell, S. J., Barcenone, F. Rosalis.-This
excellent little work is written with the purpose of showing the meaning and
connection of the different parts of the Exercises. It is not, therefore, a commentary like Fr. Roothaan's.
Spirit•w-l Exercises, by Fr. ~Ieschler.-Fr. Boursaud writes from Fiesole:
"The Commentar:o: on the Spiritual Exercises, by Fr. Meschler, is very much
liked here. I showed the book to some of the pro~urators who know
English, and they were much pleased with it. In fact, the book has been
very favorably criticised by all those whom I have met and who had seen it."
The first volume of the Sacred Heart Library is out, as promised in the
previous number of the Llo:TTERS. The title is "The Apostleship of Prayer,
by Fr. Henry Raruiere, S . .T.-A new translation, with notes, reference analyses, and index."
Fr. R. ~I. Galanti, our faithful correspondent in Brazil, published Ia.~t year
a work entitled: "Compen<lio de IIistoria Fniversal-Re<ligido por nm professor. segun<lo os ultimos program mas para os ex ames de preparatoires."
Fr. J. B. Archambault's "Notes on the Ratio Studiorum" were printed at
W ood~tock a few months ago. They make a 12mo of 59 pp. In the 1st part,
the notes treat of the origin and aim of the Ratio; in the 2nd, the method of
the Society in teaching the inferior schools; and in the :~rd, the practice of
the Ratio in the inferior schools. There is also an appendix on the study of
Greek, and another on the study of the vernacular and of the accessories.
nollandists.-The Bollandist Fathers are at work on the life of St. Charles
Borromeo. Fr. Van Ortroy, who has charge of the work, has been in .Milan
for over a year, where he is much honored by the ecclesiastical and secular
authorities.-Fr. Pfister.
Canada.-St. ~Iary's College, ·Montreal, opened with 300 pupils. By the
1st of October the number had gone UJ; to 362, of which 142 are boarders.
Last year the average was 340. St. Boniface College, ~Ianitoba, has 90 pupils.
The following is the passage in the Papal Brief Jamdudum (issued a few
�VARIA.
months ago, with a view to the settlement of the Laval difficulties), which
refers to St. Mary's, and which gives us the right to examine our own students
for Laval degrees:-"Quoniam vero Collegium extat )lonte Regis a 8 . .llfaria
appellatum, quod regitur a religiosis sodalibus e 8ocietate J esu, et clarescit
-eximie pr.eceptorum doctriua et auditorum frequeutia, Nos, ne specialibus
privilegiis qure eidem Societati iamdiu ab Apostolica sede coucessa sunt omnino derogetur, benigne indulgemus ut sodales ipsi examine instituto alumnorum suorum capiant, iisque quos probaverint scriptum testimonium pr.ebeant, quo digni declarentur iis honoris gradibus qui iuvenibus pari pt>ritia
pn-editis confernntur ab Universitate LavallPnsi in Collegiis eidem aggregatis.
Quo exhibito testimonio, a Consili_o, quod Universitati regenda~ prreest, diploma tradetur, quo eiusdem Universitatis alumni gradnm ilium adepti honestantur." On the strength of this decision, six students of St. )lary's College
received their degrees last June-three B. A.; one B. Sc.; and two B. Litt.There are twenty-five philosophers at the scholasticate. All the theologians
have gone to Ireland; the tertiaris to England.-Fr. Devine was ordained
priest July 1-t; Fr. Roux, Aug:- tl5.-Fr. !.archer, the veteran professor of
rhetoric, celebrated the golden jubilee of his entry into the Society on Sept.
15. Prime ~Iinister )lercier, one of his old pupils, recalled in a lengthy
speech many anecdotes of Fr. Larcher's twenty-five years' reign in the chair
of rhetoric. A despatch from Card. R .. mpolla brought the papal benediction
to the venerable priest.
His Excellency the Governor General, wl1ile spending a few days at 'Vinnipeg, )lanitoba, visited the college of St. Boniface. He was received by the
faculty anti students with great loyalty and enthusiasm. The addresses which
were read on the occasion were conceived in excellent taste, and fairly sparkled with respect for and devotion to the crown and to the dignity of IIPr
:Majesty, and with good will to her representative in Canada. His Excellency
expressed the more than-pleasure he experienced at the reception extended
to him. This visit to St. Boniface must have been one of the most pleasing
incidents of his stay in 'Vinnipeg.-Manitoba Free Press.
The following item, taken from an interesting pamphlet containing the
history of the )len's Sodality of Our Lady of Quebec, and found_briginally
in the Journal des Jesuites, gives an account of the founding -bf probably the first sodality in America: "On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 1-l, 1657,
two years before the coming of Mgr. de Laval-)lontmorency, first bishop
of Quebec, Father Poncet S. J. held the first meeting of the soda lists of Our
Lady, in his room at the college of Quebec. Twelve members were present,
and among them Mr. Charles de Lauzon-Charny. Ten days later, on Feb.
2-!, the first solemn meeting took place at the college, in the chapel of the
Sodality of Our Lady, and the first Mass was sung by the chaplain of the
Ursulines, )1. Vigna.rd, who had been invited for the occnsion. At this meeting )lr. Chnrles de Lauzon, Chevalier, Lord of Charny, and Gran:l )faster of
the Streams and Forests of Xew France, was elected prefect. His father, i\Ir.
John de Lauzon, was then governor of Canada."
('hina.-Our missions in China hnve suffered much from the recent inundations. Our fathers showed themselves on all sides angels of charity in
seeking to relieve the distressed, and their apostolic labors were crowned
with great success.-By order of the emperor, a railroad is building in the
North between Lu-keon-kiao (near Pekin) and Tcheng-ting-fon, and in the
South between Han-keou and Sin-iang-tcheou (IIounan). The viceroys and
�VARIA.
39S
fto'/ernors ha'/e been ordered to rer::wve all obstacles, as it is the desire of
the emperor that the work should be a success.- Fr. Pfister.
The catalogue of the mis,lion of Nankin (Aug. 1889) shows a total of 152
members-111 priests, 16 scholastics, :!4 brothers, and one bishop, Rt. Rev.
Valentinus Garnier, Vicar-Apostolic of Nankin. Five members of this mission died during the past year: FF. Paul Billot, James Jacquet, Joseph Pittar, Edward LeBlond, and Charles Duronchoux. Fr. Pittar was a cousin of
Mr. John Pittar of the )[aryland Xew York Province. He and his brother
John entered the Society together in the French Province. The two brothers
were closely united in life, Fr. Joseph always helping Fr. John to bear his
trials. It would seem that they did not wish death to keep them long apart,
as Fr. John died in Galashields, Scotland, little more than a week after the
death of Fr. Joseph.
Fr. Pfister gives the following statistics for the mission of Kiang-nan: 629
churches, 1o:3,315 Christians, 6481 catechumens, 1833 baptisms of adults, 3421
baptisms of children of Christians, 33,860 baptisms of Pagan children, 69,653
annual confessions, 61,3!1:2 annual Communions. There are in this mission 1
vicar-apostolic, 10:1 European fathers, 2[1 native priests (14 of them Jesuits), 12
European scholastics, 19 coadjutor brothers, and 10 novices (5 schol. 5 coadj.).
-The Sodality of the SacrL'd Heart numbers 15,88.5 members, that of Our
Lady of Carmel ~3,[1/5, the Holy Ro,ary 71\8~~ the Seven Dolours 883, the
Annunciation -!OS/, the Immaculate Heart of ~Iary 15,329, the Holy Childhood 2131, the Holy Angels 1:l0n, the Apostleship of Prayer 17,290, the Immaculate Conception it:ln, and the Bona )lors -!DGl. The increase of Christians over the number of the previous year is 1976.
In the mission ofTehe-ly tProv. of Champagne) there are 1 bishop, 41 fathers,
1 scholastic, 8 coadjutor brothers, 6 secular priests, 388 churches, 36,85!) Christians. Last year there were 610 baptisms of adults, and 11,818 of pagan
children.-Fr. Pfi$ler.
nenmark.-Our fathers have a residence, a college, and a church on one
of the principal streets of Copenhagen. The college has about 60 students,
many of whom are Protestants. Some time ago, the school authorities ortiered us to send home all our Lutheran students. The order had to be obeyed.
Only three of them left, however; the others were so unwilling to go, that
their parents said they would rather sever connection with the Danish church
than withdraw their childn•u.-.\ cadet company has been formed among the
students, unrler the name of the Guard of St. Canute. After a few months'
drill, they marched through the streets of the capital, headed by a bugle and
drum-corps, to the admiration of all beholders. The result was quite an increase of students, among them several Lutherans.-Our little church here
can hold about ~00 persons. The services attract a large crowd of Protestants,
to the g-reat disgust of the Protestant ministers, whose attacks on us are turned
to the great glory of God. In December last, FF. Brinkmann and De Geyr,
of Copenhagen, at the request of the vicar-apostolic of Norway, gave a mission
of 15 days in Christiania. This vicar-apostolic displays great courage, and
has just f(mnded the first Catholic weekly, under the title of The Jesnit.-Last
year, a Protestant minister, the provost Koford-Hansen, a man of great influence, publicly abjured Protestantism at Copenhagen; and his example
has been followed by one eminent lawyer, 23 members of noble families, and
17 literary men.-Fr. l'ji.<ter.
�VA-l?IA.
Egypt.-Our fathers at Cairo have recently erected a large college; the
solemn opening took place on Pentecost Sumlay.-~ataryeh, a \"illage about
12 miles from Cairo, the ,stopping· place of the Holy Family, is growing into
a small eity.-The two schools of our fathers at ~Iinick (Upper Egypt) are in
a flourishing condition, notwithstanding the opposition of Protestants. -Fr.
Pfister.
Fordham, X. Y.-St. John's has now ~25 boarders and 52 day-scholars.
'l'be cadet corps numbers nearly 190, and application has been made to
the g<)vernment for the artillery to which they are entitled. -A two years'
course of electrical engineering has been opened; and the laboratories for
analytical chemistry lun·e been doubled to ac~ommodate the classes of Latin
Philosophy, and Special Sciences.-The "evangelists," of whom mention has
alreadv been made in the LETTERS, have resumed their work on Randall's
Island:-A sodality for day-scholars has been formed by Mr. George O'Con·
nell.- The students' retreat, giverr by Fr. ::Smith, President of Loyola College, was a great success.
France.-On the 21st of last August, Fr. "Emilius Dupe and Messrs. A.
Pfister, E. Sabouraml, J. de Quatrebarbl', and two other scholastics, all attached to the naval school of Jersey, while spending their vacation at their
villa, Val .Marie, in Fratwe, started out for a sail up the river Hance to
Dinan. The boat was in charge of a goO<] seaman, but the wind was high
and the water rough, and a sudden squall struck the boat when nearly a hun·
drcd yards from the shore, throwing the seven passengers into the river. The
boatman cried out "Help me; I don't know how to swim." ~Ir. de Quatrebarbe, who was an excellent swimmer, hurried to his aid. The boatman
caught hold of his cassock, ""-hich was by itself a great encumbrance, and he
was soon powerless. )Ir. Sabouraud came to his aid, but he too was seized by
the despairing boatman, and the three disappeared together. The four others
tried to swim to the shore. Fr. Dupe, while passing one of the others, called
to him tor assistance; but the other was already exhausted and unable-to help
him; so, rec(l[nmending his companions to call for help on the Sacred Heart,
he soon sank, uttering fen·ent ejaculations to that Divine Heart under whose
banner he had been wounded as a Papal Zouave, when fighting in the army
of General de Charette. ~Ir. Pfister became exhausted and was drowned
when so close to the shore that his feet could have rested on the bottom. The
two others were saved, but they reached the shore completely exhausted. A
few days afterwards, the five bodies were found. A monument was erected
on the shore, under the direction of Gen. de Charette. The Papal Zoua,·es
contributed a magnificent bronze crucifix for the monument. The ceremony
at the unveiling of the monument was very imposing. About thirty priests
were present and more than three thousand people. Fr. Dupe was 40 years
old, Mr. Pfister 3G, :).lr. de Quatrebarbe ~5, and Mr. Sabouraud 25. l\Ir. de
Quatrebarbe was a brother of Francis de Quatrebarbe ·who died for the Pope
at the battle of 11 onte Rotondo.
Paris.- At Paris, 116 students of our college in Rue des Postes passed the·
examination for St. Cyr.-Fr, Jovino of the province of Naples teaches
Hebrew at Jersey in place of Fr. Mechineau.·
Toulouse ..-A house of retreat has been opened in the province of Ton·
louse, for which the members of the de \"illelc family have generously offerc<l
their castle of ~Ioutbeson, near ;\Iontauban.
_4 I
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397
L.I/On8.-Fr. Roulleau, former Rector of ~!old, has been appointed provin·
cial of Lyons instead of Fr. Clairet. The novitiate of this province has so
many novices that the house had to be enlarged.
Frederick, lUd.-Fr. ~I. A. O'Kane has been transferred from the office
of rector and master of novices to the college of the Holy Cross, Worcester,
Mass., where he replaces Fr. Cahill as president. He is replaced at Frederick
by Fr. James A. Ward who still retains also the office of socius of Rev. Fr.
Provincial.
Georgetown.-On the 1st of October, Georgetown College had 141 boarders, and 70 daY,·scholars and half boarders. The Gaston 1.Iemorial Hall is
beginning to put .on a finished appearance. The baseball field is being en·
larged by the removal of the green-house and of the avenue of trees that led
to the college walks.-Fr. Aloysius Rocoffort of Trinity Church will celebrate
the golden jubilee of his entrance into the Society on Oct. 22nd.
Two of the delegates of the Pan-American Congress, to be held in Washington in November, are graduates of Georgetown. They are F. C. C. Zegarra,
LL.D., the Peruvian Minister, and Senor Jeronimo Zelaya, of Honduras.
Winter Course of Lectures.-About the middle of December, a course of
lectures will begin in Gaston Memorial Hall. The first lecture will be given
by Fr. Tho'mas E. Sherman, of 'Voodstock, on "Winds of Doctrine." The
second will be by Rev. D. J. Stafford, professor of elocution in the diocesan
seminary of Cleveland, Ohio, on "Eloquence in Shakspeare." Fr. J. G.
Hagen, curator of the college observatory, will give the third lecture, on
some astronomical subject. The fourth lecture, on some philosophical subject,
will be by Fr. N. Russo, professor of philosophy at Georgetown. Mr. Martin
F. Morris, LL.D., of the law faculty, will lecture on some fundamental principle of law. The sixth and last lecture of the course has not yet been arranged. These lectures are intended for the people of 'Vashington as well
as for the students of the university .-Baltimore JJfirror.
India, Bengal.- The labors of our Belgian fathers in Western Bengal have·
been attended by the most marvellous success, which proves to modern sceptics the possibility of such wholesale conversions as are attributed to St.
Francis Xavier in a bygone age. The province of Chota-Nagpore is about
four times the size of Belgium, and contains about six millions of inhabitants.
In 1885, the number of catechumens amounted to 900, in 1886 to 3000, in 1887
to 15,000, in 1888 to 50,000. The superior of the mission expects that next
year it will reach 200,000. Lohardarga, one of the districts, is the centre of
the Catholic movement. In extent it is about the size of Belgium, and, in
1881, the census gave it 1,600,000 inhabitants. Fr. Paul Goethals, the Archbishop of Calcutta, has lately divided Lohardarga into six principal centres,
which are under the general supervision of Fr. C. Lievens. At the capital,
Ran chi, reside Fr. Lievens himself, anti his assistant, Fr. C. Uotet. At Digghia
Fr. L. Haghenbeek is in charge; at Karra, a mission founded by Fr. Lievens as
late as the April of last year, Fr. J. De Smet is assisted by Fr. W. Frencken;
at Kunti is Fr. .tEmilius lluyghe, at Torpa Fr.•£milius Van Severen, and
at Basia Fr. L. Cardon, a newly ordained priest, has been installed. Within
each of these missions there are from six to ten thousand Christian converts.
Father Haghenbeek, in a letter, says that Father Lievens is already performing at Ranchi the same wonders that he previously did at Torpa in the matter
VoL. xvm, No.3·
26
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of conversions. At least sixty families there have already embraced the faith.
But he specially devotes his time to settling with the principal civil authori·
ties all religious points which arise in the different missions, so as to relieve
as much as possible the hands of the local fathers from this litigious burden.
Yet he has actually baptized 13,000 persons in a fortnight. This letter goes
on to say that the writer has working under him twenty-eight catechists, each
of whom teaches in at least four different villages. It would take too long to
enumerate the vast number of conversioi)S that are taking place; in some
missions they reach two hundred a week; in others, communities are received
wholesale. One thing does require to be particularly mentioned. On the
evidence of these fathers, it is only too plain that, in spite of the system of
government in India, the lower classes in country districts are subjected to
great injustice at the hands of local native chieftains. The fathers do full
justice to the English authorities, to whom, in fact, they constantly have recourse on behalf of the ill-used nati~es, and, apparently, never in vain; swift
retribution overtakes the petty tyrrtnts as soon as their evil deeds are proved.
Father :Motet, writing on the troubles that befall the converts at the hands of
these petty tyrants, says: "Already these notorious thikedars (large landed
proprietors) have overturned several chapels, and threatened with death both
the missionarie"'and their converts. At Noaghar, where, on September 2G,
Father Lievens baptized from six t•• seven hundred catechumens, the dikon
conceived a violent hatred again>t them. His ·sepoys began to insult the
Christians, and even to stnke them. Three days later, as one of the newly
baptized was cutting his field of rice, one of these sepoys attacked him without cause and slew him, moved thereto by hatred of the Christian name. The
murderer has been arrested, and justice will be done to him, but his victim
has the honor of being the first martyr of the Chota-Nagpore missions." But
in many cases the native ailthorities, if the criminal cau aftord a sufficiently
large bribe, hush up such eases, and succeed in hoodwinking the English
officials. But of course this cannot he done when the facts are reported to
the Jesuit Fathers, who at once inform Father Licvens at Ranchi, and supply
him with all the evidence necessary to secm·e a verdict against the culprit.
The fathers spare no pains in thus acting as the guardians and prd't'eotors of
the helpless natives, and no doubt much of their success is due to the esteem
and aft'ection in which consequently they are held. The children are very
quick at learning, an<l in a short time are able to hold their own in a dispute
with a Protestant about the greatest mpteries of the faith. -Extract from
London Tablet,
11Iangalore.-Lord Connemara, the Governor of ~fadras, !L Protestant and a
freemason, recently paid a visit to our college at ~[angalore. He thanke.J
the fathers and students tor the hearty welcome tendered him, praised the
good behavior of the students, and on leaving wisher! all the blessings of "our
common Lord." On previous occasions he has shown the same kindness to
our fathers, and he maintains that "the education given to the Hindoos is of
no avail without the Christian religion."
The following statistics from the Mangalore .Mission tor 1888-8[) may he
interesting :-One bishop; 22 priests S. J;; 13 scholastics; 7 coadjutor brothers; 36 secular priests; 75 nuns; 26 catechists; 68,798 Catholics; 25 seminarians; 330 students in our college; 103 baptisms of pagan adults, .52 of children
of pagans, .28:~0 of children of Christians, 17 of Protestants; 7762 confirmations; 130,860 confessions; 148,361 Communions; 711 marriages; 612 extreme
unctions.-Fr. Pfister.
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399
Abp. George Porter (S. J.)-On ·saturday, Sept. 28, Fr. George PorterS . •
J.,
Archbishop of Bombay, breathed his last in the midst of his labors. Born
at Exeter in 1825, he entered the novitiate of the Society at Hodder Place,
near Stony hurst, in 1841. He was for a number of years prefect of studies at
Stony hurst, both before and after his ordination. After his tertianship, which
l~e made in France in 1859, he was appointed profes,;or of dogmatic theology
at St. Beuno's. ,.From 1863 to 1811, he was rector of St. Francis Xavier's at
Liverpool. In 1873, after lighter duties at London, he was made novicemaster at Roe hampton. In 1880, he acted as representative of the English
Province at Rome in the discussion about the privileges of Regulars, which
had been snbmitteu to the Pope by the Hierarchy. In October 1881, he was
made rector of Farm-street church, London, but immediately after his appointment, he was summoned to Fiesole as English Assistant, which post he
held until succeeded by Fr. Keller. He then resumed his duties as rector at
Farm street, and remained in that office till 188/, when he was appointed to
the archbishopric of Bombay. Father Porter was well known for his retreats,
many of which he gave every year. Notes of these, under the title of "Spiritual Retreats," were published in 1887, and in a few months reached a second
and enlarged edition. The climate of India, the cares of his diocese, and
his incessant labor soon showed their effect on his health; and in July·
1888, he received the last sacraments and was twice on the point of death.
On September :!8, a telegra~ brought the news of his death. No details have
come yet. 'Ve may be sure he was ready for the summons and glad to go.R. I. P.
,Japan.-The Church is making great progress here every year. Northern
Japan has now 1 bishop, 40 missionaries, aml10,026 Christians; while, in 1876,
there were but 886 Christians. ·In Central Japan there arc 2185 Christians,
with 1 bishop and H missionaries.- Fr. Pfister.
lUartyrs of'Cbarity.-Fr. Paul Raymond, of the Society, and Fr. Julius
Dorado, a Franciscan, were among the passengers on the Spanish ship Remus,
that was wrecked off the Philippines on Jan. 30. Both gave their lives to save
the unfortunate passengers. Fr. Raymond had been asked to get into one of
the life-boats to save his own life, but refused, saying that he would not leave
the ship until all the others were safe. He was last seen kneeling on the deck
as the ship sank beneath the waves. Fr. Dorado left one of the life-boats, to
save a poor man who was floating on a trunk, anu lost his own life.-.Die
Katholischen JJiissionen.
JUcxico.-The number of Communions during this year's missions reached
80,000.- An account of the arrest and imprisonment of our fathers will be
found in Fr. de la Cerda's letter in the present number.
JUissouri Province.-The Provincial Congregation opened on July 2nd
and closed on the 5th; 37 fathers took part in it, two were prevented by sickness from attending. Fr. Thomas O'Neil was elected Procurator.-The fathers of the province gave 97 retreats this summer.
Colleges.- Actual attendance of students in the middle of October: - St.
Louis University, 414; St. Xavier College, Cincinnati, 396; Detroit College,
263; St. Mary's (Boarding) College, Kansas, 247; J\Iarquette College, Milwaukee, 213; St. Ignatius' College, Chicago, 207; Creighton College, Omaha,
194; Collegiate School, Chicago (North), 54.-The Colleges are flourishing.
�VARIA.
The attendance throughout is larger than last year. It may be said in gen·
eral, that all the desirable students of the last session returned. The higher
classes are well attended. As a rule, the students of the various colleges are
what they should be-pions, studious, manly. In Cincinnati the lowest Latin
class (3d Academic) numbers 105, in three divisions. Chicago and Omaha
are exclusively classical colleges.-The new catalogue shows a total of 141
priests, 140 scholastics, 106 brothers. Grand total, 387 ; an inl:lrease of 13 over
last year.
St. Stanislaus' Novitiate, Flor-issant.-Fr. R. J. )!eyer is acting as Rector
and )laster of Tertians during Fr. Thos. O'Neil's absence in Europe. There
are 13 tertians: 5 of the )Iissouri Province, and 8 from the neighboring mis·
sions. Of the 24 juniors, 21 are of Missouri. 20 scholastic novices were re·
ceived last summer. At present the novitiate numbers 31 novices.
The Young Scholasticate has 20 philosophers pr-imi anni: 18 of the ~Iissouri
Province, 2 of the Rocky )lountain )Iission.-Rev. Fr. Frieden.
Kansas, St. Mar-y's.-"\Ve have at·present 235 boarders. "\Ve are putting
up an infirmary here, of pressed brick, with stone facings; it will be two
stories high, 78 by 40, with all modern improvements. Our big buildings
are found to be too small for the needs of the college classes, and it is pretty
·certain that, by next summer, we shall have accommodations for 300 pupils,
and I think it will not be a difficult task to get the boys.-We employ the arc
light for the yard, and it answers splendidly for the purpose.- Fr. E. O'Sul·
livan is here, doing good service ;this health seems to be mending. Mr. Gart·
land is here, too; his health was too poor to allow of his going on with his
studies. He is getting better, and hopes to be fully built up before the end of
the year.-Extract from a letter to Fr. Sabetti.
New 1\Iexico 1\IIssion, Denver, Col.- The college of the Sacred Heart has
this year 134 students, of whom 120 are boarders. The electric light has
been introduced.-The lectures in philosophy are open to young men wish·
ing to study philosophy, but unable to take the whole college course .•
New Orleans 1\Iission.----Bpring Hill College has now 114 boarderll.-At
New Orleans there are 378 students. A new parish-school will be opened in
November, a few squares from the college.-Grand Coteau has 87 boarders
and 18 day-scholars.
New York, St. Francis Xavier's.-The night class, for young men who
wish to prepare themselves for the priesthood, numbers this year 60 members.
It is taught by MM. Clifford and ~IcCarthy. The number of students in the
college is now nearly 500.-The fathers of the missionary band are soon to
give a mission in the New York cathedral, and another in Brooklyn at the
church of the Assumption, where the Rev. Wm. Keegan, V. G. is pastor.
Palestine.-There are in Jerusalem more than 30,000 Jews. The new city,
to the west of Jerusalem proper, is already larger than that city was in. the
days of our Lord. It seems that one of the Rothschilds would like to buy half
of Jerusalem, and has already offered to the Sultan more than £32,000,000
for the whole of Palestine. There are already ten colonies of Jews there,
supported by the Rothschilds of Paris. The Russians are also endeavoring to
gain a firm hold on the Holy Land. They have fifty schools and have named
a patriarch who is favorable to their plans for securing a mortgage on the
Holy Sepulchre.-Fr. Pfister.
�VARIA.
401
Philadelphia, St. Joseph's Ooltege.-The old church of the Gesil, at the
corner of 17th and Stiles Sts., was divided off by partitions into six large,
well-lighted classrooms, wherein to accommodate the two lower classes, Rudiments and Third Grammar, of the Free College. The number of applicants
is very large, but as an examination is required for entrance, not more than
one in every three is admitted. There are at present 77 in the classes: 64 in
Rudiments and 13 in Third Grammar. Three others who began the course
have dropped out. If the examination were omitted, probably 300 would
have been received by the end of the year, but most of these would be unpromising material for a college course.
League of the Sacred Heart.-More than 800,000 certificates of admission
to the League have been issued from the Messenger office in Philadelphia
since 1885. Every month, 420,000 Rosary tickets are issued for the use of
those who belong to the Second Degree of the League. New local centres
are being established at the rate of more than one every day.
Gesit.-FF. )IcCarthy, Langcake, Pye Neale, and Barnum are giving a
mission at the church of the Gesil. During the first, or women's week, over
3000 confessions were heard.
Rocky lUountains, Extract of a letter from one of the missionaries.-It
is said that our Indians are dying out very fast, and that within ten or twenty
years, there will be few Indians left in the present Rocky Mountain missions.
It is true that in most of our missions a good number of Indians are dying
every year, most of them either of scrofula or of consumption, especially
amongst the Comr d' Alenes. ·Yet when the first census of these Indians was
taken, about 1850, they numbered scarcely 350, and now they number more
than 500. And very probably the same may be said of other tribes. Some
say the Indians are wanting in industry and cleanliness. But that something
can be done with an Indian, even in these temporal things, would be proved
by a visit to DeSmet )Iission amongst the Comr d' Alenes in Idaho. There
you will find several frame hous~s, and two nice school-houses, built by
the Indians in front of our residence; they themselves will be found at
work . on their farm. Every Saturday afternoon they return to the Mission, and, after having fulfilled their Sunday duties, tl}ey go back to their
farm. As a rule, they succeed well in farming. I was told that a few years ago
the squaw of Seltise, their Chief, got the premium for good butter at the annual fair of Spokane Falls: a fact which doubtless may testify both for her
industry and for her cleanliness. The success of this tribe may be said to be
due mostly to the zealous work of the missionaries. Chief Seltise contributes much to it by his good example and good government. These Indians
dress for the most part ·after the fa~hion of white people. Concerning the
progress the Indian children make in school, it may be said, that almost all
who ever went to visit an Indian school were much surprised to find the Indian boys and girls so far advanced. The half-breed will, as a rule, make a
better reader and speaker in English than the full-breed, since the latter finds
it very hard to pronounce distinctly several letters of the English alphabet.
Hence, it is not so very easy for them to acquire a good pronunciation.
Nevertheless, you will always find some who overcome all the difficulties and
become good English readers and speakers.
Rome, Very Rev. Fr. Genera.l's visit to the Holy Father.-During one of
Father General's latest visits to Rome, he was most graciously received by
His Holiness. When the Holy Father had learned that Fr. General was
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somewhat fatigued in coming up the steps of the Vatican, he gave orders to
lead him to the elevator in order to spare him all fatigue. The Holy Father
received him very cordially, and conversed with him in the most open and
kindly manner. The audience lasted about an hour and a quarter. During
the conversation, the Holy Father said: ")Iy soul is undergoing continual
agony; all that happens about me causes me great pain. One thing, however,
consoles me in the midst of my sorrows; it is the faithfulness of the Society
of Jesus. Yes, the Society is faithful to me." After the audience, Fr. General returned to the German College, very happy and delighted with his visit.
The rooms of St. Stanislaus will soon disappear. The beams of the ceiling
and the stones of the floor will be removed to one of the old corridors of St.
Andrea, where they will be put together as well as possible. The government was willing to spare the rooms, but claimed a right to the keys. They
desired also that the chapel of St. Andrea should become the Quirinal chapel,
and they were ready to give instead the church of the Holy Shroud. But
to this the Cardinal-Vicar will nel'!r'consent.-Fr. Pfister.
Scientific Notes, Georgetown Observatory.-The staff of the observatory
has suffered a loss in the removal of )Ir. Ulrich, whose services as computer
were very valuable. Fr. Daugherty and )Ir. Dawson have volunteered their
assistance in night work.-A civil engineer asked the favor of receiving instructions here in astronomical field-work. Having received a favorable
reply, he came over a thousand miles and stayed about a month, using only
the portable instruments. His perseverance was crowned with success; for ·
although at first quite a stranger to astronomical work, he determined the
longitude of the south-pier, opposite the meridian circle, by means of our
daily telegraphic time-signals, to the tenth of a second, using the sextant and
the eye-and-ear method, hi~ only outfit for future field-work. He left here
delighted with his success and grateful to the university.-lmportant experiments have been made at the observatory during the last two months, for the
purpose of removing the "personal equation" in transit observations, by means
of photography. One night, Prof. Bigelow, to whom the idea is due, and
Mr. Saegmiiller, an instrument maker of 'Vashington, were sitting.fith the
director of the observatory at the table in the library, and consulting as to
the best way of putting the idea to a test. The long focus of the equatorial,
and the electrical connections for time-signals and incandescent lamps, came
in very handy for the purpose. The first camera was soon constructed and
screwed to the eye-end of the telescope, and a few evenings later the star
Alpha Aquilre was made to trace its diurnal motion on a small plate not quite
two inches square, while the sidereal clock made the whole camera move in
a vertical direction once every second. Finally, the spider-lines of the micrometer were photographed on the sam~ plate, by means of an incandescent
lamp, held for a few seconds before the object glass. The development of the
first plate, in the dark-room of the cellar, was watched with great expectation, and, to the satisfaction of all the bystanders, brought forth two parallel
trails, broken into dashes, each representing a second of time, and the whole
reticule of the micrometer lines. This first apparatus was soon superseded
by a second, and the second by)t third; eaeh being improved as the experiments suggested. Further experiments will be necessary to perfect the details.
This method of'Ietting the sensitive plate take the place of the eye and of the
chronograph seems to have a great future. The first plates taken will be
preserved here to testify that at Georgetown College Observatory the feasibility of photographic transits was first proved.-Fr. Hagen.
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Two Remarkable Solar Eruptions.-Father Julius Fenyi, successor to Fr.
Braun as director of the Kalocsa Observatory, Hungary, records in a note to
the Paris Academy of Sciences his observation of the remarkable solar eruptions which he observed on September 5, and 6, 1888. Both eruptions would
have been remarkable had they occurred even at a time of maximum activity;
but, coming as they did nearly at dead minimum, they stand out as most unusual. The two eruptions were nearly in the same heliographic latitude.
The first was on the ·P-ast limb in S. lat. 18°, the other was distant some 4! 0 ,
and, as the base of each was about 3° in length, they could .not have overlapped, and if connected in origin must have sprung from a deep-seated
source.-Nature.
In the Revue de& Questions Scientifique& for July, there is a learned and
exhaustive article on Earthquakes (Sismologie, Etude des Tremblements de
Terre) by Father Dehert; also a review of Physical Discoveries and Memoirs
by Fr. Delsaulx. Fr. Delattre also contributes a second article on Les Inscriptions de Tell El-Amarna:
The new president of the Liverpool Astronomical Society, the Rev. Father
Perry, S. J., F.R.S., will spend the coming Christmas far away from home.
In the month of December, H. M. S. Comus will carry the reverend astronomer from Barbadoes to Cayenne, there to watch the great solar eclipse which
takes place just before Christmas. Father Perry is sent out by the Royal
Astronomical Society.
South America, Bolivia.-The corner-stone of the new church of St.
Joseph, at La Paz, .was laid on the 17th of March.
Colombia.- Mgr. Velasco, S. J., Bishop of Pasto, has been made. archbishop of Santa Fe de Bogota, to replace Mgr. Paul, S. J., lately deceased.Fr. Pfister.
Peru.-A small college was opened by our fathers at Lima last year; after
two months the college had 60 students, and at the end of the year 82, almost
all from the best families of the capital. The college is legally held in the
name of our fathers by l\Igr. Garcia and four distinguished friends, but everybody knows it is a Jesuit college.-Letter from Ecuador to Fr. Pfister.
Spain, St. Francis Borgia.-Some time ago, the body of St. Francis Borgia
was given over to the Society by the Duke of Ossuna. On that occasion,
Very Hev. Fr. General sent him a very beautiful letter of thanks, in which
he made him a sharer in all the merits of the Society. But when Fr. Coloma,
delegated by Rev. Fr. Provincial, claimed the saint's body, and presented the
document in question, several persons o~jected. They would rather give us,
they said, a chapel and residence in )fadrid, where the body would rest, than
part with the holy treasure. The matter is as y~t unsettled.-Fr. Pfister.
Bellarmin.- Among the relics of Spain, is some blood of the Ven. Cardinal Bellarmin. This blood is kept in a phial, and every year, on the 11th
of December, when it is still in a solid state, it begins to soften, then
to liquefy, and remains in a liquid condition up to the month of .July, when
it begins to solidify. On the 11th of July, it appears in a solid state again.
Twenty·three years ago, the bishop of Salamanca submitted the phenomenon
to the examination of three physicians, who declared the blood to be genuine.
For the last two or three years, two seminarians have been appointed to observe the condition of the blood during the period of liquefaction, and the
result of three observations has been sent to Rome. This precious relic is
�VARIA.
kept in the church of the seminary of Salamanca, in the chapel of San
Pelayo.-Fr. Pfi~ter.
Syria, Beyroot.-Four, of our seminarians were lately made doctors in the·
ology and seven in philosophy. Their examinations were extremely brilliant.
Four of them are Copts, three Latins, and one a )faronite. The ceremony
of the promotion to the doctorate was performed in the most solemn manner;
the biretta, ring, and book being given according to the ancient rites. We
have also given several degrees in medicine, since the French government has
at last granted us this power. Hence our end is gained ; the Protestant
faculty of Beyroot, which is thoroughly materialistic, has been beaten, and it
is at present on its last legs.-The Arab Review of the Qatholic Church, which
is properly ours, is in a most flouriohing state. All the Greek Catholic priests
are its subscribers. The )laronite patriarch has sent to the editors a beautiful
letter of encouragement. This venerable prelate, who has ruled his nation
for 35 years, admires also very muc~tlie Bechir, a journal of ours, which is
at present the only Catholic paper iti." Syria. Recently a few of our latest
publications have been sent to the Congress of Orientalists in Stockholm, at
the special request of the congress.-Fr. Pfister.
"\Vashington, Gonz11-ga College.-Though the number of its classes is less
by two than that of previous years, Gonzaga College opened on Sept. 2nd
with more students than it had on the corresponding day last year.-)Jr. W.
P. O'Connor recently returned from Denver, Col., to assist at Gonzaga College.-The colored sodality of St. Aloysius' Church began its existence on
Sunday evening, Sept. 1st, with a membership of over one hundred and fifty.
By the middle of October the number had already reached five hundred.
The branch of the Sacred Heart League established in this parish has now
over three thousand members. The Confraternity of the Sacred Thirst meets
every second Friday of the month. At each meeting a sermon is preached,
followed by Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.
"\Vest Indies, New Vicar-Apostolic.-On the Feast of the Assumption,_.the
consecration of the Rt. Rev. Charles Gordon, D. D., S. J., (a son of the late
Sir Charles Gordon, of Drimmin,) as Bishop of Thyatira in partibus, and
Vicar-Apostolic of Jamaica, West Indies, took place in the Cathedral of St.
Andrew, Glasgow, Scotland. The new vicar-apostolic passed through New
York on the 2nd of September, on his way to Jamaica.
Worcester, l\Iass., Letter from Holy Cross College.-The number' of
boarders has increased beyond all precedent. There are 194 at present, and
with 41 day-scholars, the record of any former year has been surpassed. It
seems to be a healthy increase, as 86 per cent. of last year's scholars have re·
turned; i. e. of those who passed the final examination, excluding graduates.
The upper classes, as usual, are large: 31 in Philosophy, 40 in Rhetoric, 41
in Poetry. 'Ve are cramped for space, especially in classrooms and studyhall; the· remedy will be an extension of the buildings, and a new wing is
spoken of, for next year. Ueantime, we are in the position, unique for an
American college, to refuse further applicants-but we have not yet been
reduced to this extremity. Some noteworthy improvements have bee!l in·
troduced; among them a much needed elevator to the clothes-room and dor·
mitory; the whole building has been painted, and the glaring red of the
bricks has given plaoe to a Sl.lbdned Quaker tint; the roa.d to the gate has
I
�VARIA.
been rendered dry by large gutters and a top-dressing of gravel; the boys
will have a haven of refuge in this 'wind-loved spot' during winter, as a long
covered shed is in process of erection behind the college. The boys, in general, are 'stalwarts' in physique, and, in politics, 'unterrified Democrats.'
Zarnbesi.-Our fathers are meeting with many trials in their new mission.
Great misery exists on all sides. St. Aidan's College, which opened with
large numbers, was visited by a contagious disease. The college had to be
closed, and many of the students died. For want of money, the new addition
to the college had to be abandoned.-Fr. Pfister.
Horne News, Ordinations.-His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, began the
ordinations this year on August 23rd, the last day of the retreat. On that
day he conferred tonsure, minor orders, and subdeaconship; deaconship on
the day following, and priesthood on Sunday the 25th. The following re·
ceived the order of priesthood:From the Maryland New York Provinee-William J. Richley, Patrick
McGinney, Lawrence J. Kavanagh, Patrick H. Kelly, John Broderick, Joseph
Stadelman and John A. Brosnan. :Missouri Province-Patrick J. :Mulconry
and John F. Weir. New Orleans Mission-James De Potter and James P.
Moore. California Mission-Denis ~Iahony and .Joseph Riordan. Rocky
Mountain Mission-Anthony T. Rinck and John Boschi. The same orders
were conferred on Mr. John Kemper, from the convent of the Order of Minor
Capuchins, Cumberland; )!d. 1\Ir. Raphael Schwartz of Baltimore, from the
same convent, reeeived subdeaconship and deaconship on the two previous
days, but not the order of priesthood.
Those who received tonsure and minor orders on the 23rd were :-Messrs.
John B. Lamb, J\Iartin J. Hollohan, Edward Barry, David H. Buel, Edward
,V. Raymond, Francis J. Lamb, Francis J. McNiff, Francis J. Suter, George
A.lleuisler, William J. Talbot, Wm. S. Singleton, Henry J. Dumbach, John
B. 1\Ioskopp, John B. Smith, John C. Burke, John H. Lodenkamper, Lawrence J. Kenny, Louis Taelman, JIIatthew II. Mc)fenamy, J\Iichael A. Purtell,
J\Iichael J. Mahony, Terence J. Shealy, Aloysius F. Heitkamp, Aloysius.
'Venger, Charles F. Bridges, Daniel O'i:>ullivan, Denis Lynch, George R.
Kister, Wm. J. Harrington, Wm. J. Holden, IIerman J. Goller, James Chamard, James S. Downs, John J. Gudgeon, Louis G. Bashnal, J\Iichael J. Tiernan, Patrick J. O'Gorman, Patrick l\Iurnane, Patrick M. Collins, Thomas A.
O'Ualley, Thomas E. Scott, Thomas F. Brown, Thomas M. Connell.
Several of the new priests have since left Woodstock. Fr. Kavanagh is
teaching rhetoric in Fordham; Fr. 1\IcGinney is at Holy Cross College, Wor·
cester; Fr. Kelly is engaged on the JJiessenger and Pilgrim at the Gesu, Philadelphia; Fr. Richley is prefect of the preparatory department at Georgetown ;
Fr. Broderick is engaged in parish work at Alexandria, Va.; Fr. Mulconry
has returned to the Missouri Province, and Fr. l\Ioore to the New Orleans
Mission. Fr. Boschi has gone to the Rocky J\Iountain Mission, and Fr. Rinck
to St. Beuno's.
•
Shortly before the ordinations, Fr. Rector started for Europe, in the company of Fr. 0' Neil of the J\Iissouri Province, to. attend the congregation of
procurators. lie was replaced by Fr. James A. 'Vard, Socius of Rev. Fr.
Provincial, until the latter was called to be rector of the novitiate at Frederick.
Fr. Rector returned from Europe on the steamer City of Berlin, arriving in
New York on Oct. 18. Just as this goes to press the scholastics are preparing
to give him a hearty welcome home on Tuesday the 22nd.
�1l'
·~ . ;
\
PA.RIA.
Faculty Notes. -Since the opening of schools, Fr. Guldner has been teaching
evening dogma in place of Fr. Fmlay. Fr. Conway, who was appointed to
this chair; has thus far been prevented by physicians from lecturing. Fr.
Maas has been replacing Fr. Guldner. Fr. )1. H. 0' Brien is teaching ethics
and natural law in place of Fr. Holaind. Fr. J. L. Smith is teaching special
metaphysics, and Fr. W. P. Brett logic and general metaphysics.
Mr. D. T. O'Sullivan, Professor of Physics, has touched upon the most interesting questions of the day in the "Scientific Chronicle," which he publishes in every number of the .American Catholic Quarterly.
Father Sabetti, Professor of Moral Theology, has published several casus
morales in the .American Ecclesiastical Record.
The July number of the Catholic Quarterly, and the .American Ecclesiastical Review for the same month, contain the articles ")lax )Iiiller on Language and Thought," and "Confession in the Synagogue," both by Fr. Maas,
our Professor of Hebrew.
-'
Parish.-The parish church at Woodstock was dedicated, under the patronage of St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, by His Eminence Cardinal Gibbons, on
Sunday, Aug. 25. A solemn High Mass was sung on the occasion, and the
Cardinal preached and gave confirmation. A new hall, 30 by 50, is now in
process of erection to the north of the church. It will be known as the
Catholic Lyceum, and used for meetings of the Young Men's Catholic Club,
for society entertainments, etc. It promises to be the neatest piece of architecture in this part of the country. The interior, walls and ceiling, will be
finished entirely in wood, and at the south end will-be a stage 10 by 24.
Library.-Rev. Fr. Rathgeb, Provincial of Germany, has kindly sent us
1£istorice Rhytmicce, Liturgische Reimofl'icien des 1liittelalters, by Fr. Guido
Maria Dreves; published by Fues, Leipzig, 188!1.
Father Prachensky has sent us the tenth volume of the German translation
of the Summa Theologica of St. Thomas. The character of the work has
been described in a former number of the LETTERS.
The Secretary of the Province of Quebec, Hon. N. C. A. E. Gagnon, has
just sent us "Jugements et Deliberations du Conseil Superieur de Queb~c"
published by the Department of Registration of the Province, under tr\e-nuspices of the Quebec Legislature-vol. v.
Office of the LETTERs.-We call attention to the Special Notice under the
title "Biographical Supplement," in the present number. INDEX B of the
WooDSTOCK LETTKRS, for the years 1882-87, is sent out with this number.The continuation of Fr. Razzini's :HemoirE, begun in the previous number,
has not yet reached us.-The Jfinisteria Spiritualia, usually printed in this
number, has not yet arrived; we hope to have it in the next numbe_r.
J
"
t
t,.
·'
�CONGREGATIO PROCURATOl?tJM, rSS9.
CONGREGATIO. PROCURATORUM
HABITA FESULIS DIE 8 SEPT. 1889
~~
A. R. P. ANTONIUS MARIA ANDERLEDY
PRA::POSITUS GENERALIS SOC. JESU
NOMEN ET COGNO:\IEN
ASSISTENTES
P.
P.
P.
P.
P.
ORTUS
INGRESSUS
GRADUS
ASSISTENTIJE
l\Iatthreus Ciravegna
Fr. Grandidier,Subs/.
Joan. Jos. de Ia Torre1
Robertus Whitty.......
Gaspar H<.evel. .........
Italire ...............
Gallire ..............
Hispanire .........
Anglire..............
Gennanire .........
PROCURATORES
I9 Mar. I825
I8 Jul. I823
I9 Mar. I83o
7 Jan. I8I7
IS Sep. I83I
IS
22
9
8
14
Nov. I842
Aug. I84S
Oct. I8S2
Apr. I8S7
Oct. I8S6
25 Mar.
2 Feb.
IS Aug.
2 Feb.
2 Feb.
I86o
I862
I86s
I868
I874
PRO VINCI)£
P. Titus Vaccari ............. l Venetre ............. I7 Feb. I82o 9 Oct. I837 2 Feb. I8s6
P. Josephus J\1. Pujol.... Aragonire .......... IS Jul. I82o I3 Oct. I84o 2 Feb. I8S7
P. Ambrosius Matignon Francire... ......... 4 Feb. I824 I6 Apr. I84s IS Aug. I8S8
P. Ferdinandus Canger Neapolitanre ..... IO Dec. I826 22 Apr. I84o 2 Feb. I86o
P. Eduardus Kelly ...... Hibemire .......... 3 Dec. I824 23 Oct. I842 2 Feb. I86o
P. Georgi us Cannata ... Siculre ............. I7 Mai. I827 2 Dec. I842 IS Aug. I86I
P. Thomas O'Neil........ J\Iissourianre ..... 24 Jan. I822 I6 Jul. I844 2 Feb. I863
P. Josephus Janssens ... Belgicre ............ 4 Sep. I826 24 Sep. I84S 2 Feb. I863
P. Stephanus Clairet ... I.ugdunensis .... 2I Jun. I829 I2 Oct. I849 2 Feb. I867
P. Mauritius Meschler.. Germanire ......... I6 Sep. I83o 8 Nov. I8So 2 Feb. I867
P. Thomas Ghetti......... Romanre ........... 26 Dec. r833 4 Mai. I8So IS Aug. I867
P. Joseph. Ledergerber.. Campanire.. ...... I Jan. I83o s Apr. I8S2 IS Aug. I868
P. Eduard us Purbrick. .. Anglire ............. 22 Jun. I83o IS Oct. I8SI 2 Feb. I86g
P. Antonius Langer. ...... Galicire. ........... 8 Sep. I833 29 Sep. I8S2 IS Aug. I87o
P. Adrianus Carrere ...... 1 Tolosanre .......... 28 Aug. I833 s Nov.I8S2 2 Feb. I87I
P. Joannes N. Mayr...... Austrire ............. 13 Feb. I832 I3 Jan. I8S7 2 Feb. I873
P. Petrus 0. Racicot..... Mary!. N. Ebor. 20 Dec. I839 IS Jul. I8SS IS Aug. I873
P. Gulielmus Van Hooff 1 Neerlandire ....... I9 Mai. I84o 24 Sep. I8S7 2 Feb. I87s
P. Joach. Campo Sancto• I,usitanre ........... IO Mai. I841 r6 Jun. I8S9 IS Aug. I876
P. Joannes Urniburu ..... Castellanre ....... 23 Mai. 1844 3 Mai. I86o IS Aug. I877
P. Josephus Velez......... Toletanre .......... 19 Apr. 1843 JI Jul. I86o IS Aug. I877
P. Jacobus Razzini.. ... ... Taurinensis ...... 9 Dec. I8I6 8 J\Iai. 1834 28 Aug. r88I
l
�\
408
Colleges pf the Society
IN THE UNITED STATES AND
CA~ADA.
1888-89 1887-88
~
NAME
PLACE
PROVINCE
Baltimore, Md .............
Boston, Mass ................
Buffalo, N. Y ................
Chicago, IlL ................
Cincinnati, 0 ...............
Cleveland, 0 ................
Denver, CoL ................
Detroit, Mich ...............
Fordham, N. Y ............
Galveston, Texas .........
Georgetown, D. C.........
Grand Coteau, La.........
Jersey City, N.J ...........
Milwaukee, Wis............
Montreal, Can .............
New York, N Y ...........
New Orleans. La ...........
Omaha, Neb .................
St. Boniface, Manitoba.
Santa Clara, Cal.. .........
San Francisco, CaL .....
San Jos~. CaL ..............
Loyola College'l. ........... Md. N.Y.......
Boston College•.::......... Md. N.Y.......
Canisius' College.......... German.........
St. Ignatius' College* ... Missouri........
St. Xavier College*......
"
St. Ignatius' College* ... German.........
Sacred Heart College ... Naples...........
Detroit College* ............ Missouri........
St. John's Co!J~ge ......... Md. N. Y.......
St. .Mary's Univ.* ......... N. 0. Miss......
Georgetown College ...... 1\Id. N.Y.......
St. Charles' College ...... N. 0. Miss......
St. Peter's College* ...... Md. N.Y.......
Marquette College* ...... Mi•sourl........
College Ste. Marie ......... }!iss. of Can...
St. Franc. Xav. Coli•.... Md. ~- Y.......
Im. Concept. College* ... N. 0. 1\Iiss......
Creighton College* ....... Missouri........
College of St. Joseph .... 1\Iis•. of Can...
Santa Clara College ...... Turin............
St. Ignatius' College*...
"
St. Joseph's College*.....
St Mary's, Kan ............
Spring Hill, Ala ............
Washington. D. C.........
Worcester, 1\Iass...........
St. Mary's College.........
"
St. Joseph's College ...... N. 0. Miss......
Gonzaga College* ......... Md. N.Y.......
Holy Cross College ....... Md. N.Y .......
Total
• Day Schools.
0
0
."'z I .,; "'
.z
...: .,
"'
..,
A
D
114
278
353
259
380
124
152
255
298
117
220
117
108
223
3i0
423
395
182
115
274
729
132
~[ ~~~-~~~~:..~~-~-~~::: ~t L~f. <£,~1~~!'::::::::::: 1\ll~~ourl........ 4~
A
-<
~
-"'
18
5
4
10
11
12
2
4
3
11
10
2
.
.,
A
D
119
291
334
237
415
90
207
263
266
110
202
90
111
202
358
418
386
1~
115
256
7i2
96
~
.,;
...:
l'i
<
~
- "'
14
3
5
7
.. •
13
18
.. •
10
2
...
6
12
12
2
7
4
4
"3
250 4 27 9 .:?
119 8 108 1
85
95f-": .•·
223 20 213 23
6735 128 6518 153
�COXTE/\'TS OF l'OL. .\TIII.
Letters from a Chaplain in the War of r86r . . . . . . . . . . 3, 153, 319
Sketch of New York and Canada Mission-( Corrzgeuda) . . . . .
23
The Rocky Mountains-Memoirs of Fr. G. Mengarini (Concluded) 25, r.p
Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger-Sketch of his Life and Labors . . .
43
Indian Traditions among the Osages-Letter from Fr. Ponziglione .
68
Two Old Letters-I. Fr. John McE!roy-2. Fr John Nobi!i.
76
Our New Saints-Celebrations at ·woodstock and elsewhere .
So
Fr. John Bapst-A.Sketch (Continued). . . .
. 83, 129, 304
New Church of the Gesi'l, Philadelphia, Pa. . .
. 94
Alaska-Extract of a Letter from Fr. Robaut . .
~
. roo
-Diary of a Trip to the Coast-Fr. Tosi.
. 333
-Letters from Fr. Joseph l\L Treca . . .
. 351.
The Messenger and the Apostleship of Prayer .
. 104, 227
Innsbruck-A ·Sanctuary of the Old Society .
. r68
Brazil-Memoirs of Fr. J. Razzini-1R48-I86s .
. 171
" -Iti'l-Letter from Fr. R. l\L Galanti
. 373
Georgetown's Centennial . . .
Fr. Theodore Thiry-A Sketch . . . . . .
Fr. Dominic Yenni-A Sketch . . . . . .
. 211
Two Golden Jubilees- Fr. P. l\1. Ponziglione, Fr. J. B. Emig.
. 218
. 221
Early Catalogues (Continued)- r8r I . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mission and Province Catalogues . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 226
The Scapulars-Letter from Fr. F. Ploegman, Proc. Gen. S.].
. 231
Canada, Jesuits vs. Orangemen . . . . . . .
. 233, 285
Gonzaga College-Sketch of Presidents, etc ..
. 269
The Spokane Indians-\Vork of our Fathers .
. 354
Michigan-Letter from Fr. Chartier . . . . .
. 364
A Queiy on Parochial and Public Schools- Fr. T. Hughes .
. 36S
Fr. Prachensky's Golden Jubilee . . . . . . . . .
. 359
:\Iexico-Extract from a letter of P. de Ia Cerda . . . . . .
. 37'
BIOGRAPHICAL SUPPLE~IE:-<T-Sftecial JVotice . . .
. 374
OniTUARIES-Fr. Joseph Tadini, 109; Fr. Peter Barcelo, IIO; Mr.
\Vm. F. McGinn, IIO; Fr. Aloysius Valente, 245; Fr. Joseph Bixio, 246;
Mr. Henry P. McCarthy, 247; Br. Raphael Vezza, 248 ; Br. James
Strain, 250; Br. John Hilbert, 251 ; Fr. John Cunningham, 252, 379; Br.
James Kenealy, 377; Br. Patrick O'Hara, 380; Fr. James Curley, 381 ;
Mr, Patrick J. O'Sullivan, 384 ; Br. Julius Mace, 385 ; Fr. Bernard
Toale, 387 : l\Ir. George A. Mulry, 388.
VARIA . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . , . . . . . . . . I I 2, 25.), 392
Fructus l\linisterii PP. Provincix Missourianx, Jul. r887 ad Jul. r888. 128
Congregatio Procuratorum . . . . . . . . . . .
. 407
Colleges of the Society in the llnited States and Canada . . . . . . . 408
�
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Woodstock Letters
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n79046634" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits</a>
<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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BX3701 .W66
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Jesuit Archives & Research Center
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives & Research Center
Saint Louis University
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lat
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JA-Woodstock
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
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The Woodstock Letters were a publication of the Society of Jesus from 1872 until 1969. They were named after Woodstock College, the Jesuit seminary in Maryland where they were published. Written almost entirely by Jesuits, and originally intended to be read only by Jesuits, the Letters were "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus in North and South America." They include historical articles, updates on work being done by the Jesuits, eyewitness accounts of historic events, book reviews, obituaries, enrollment statistics for Jesuit schools, and various other items of interest to the Society. The writings of many renowned Jesuit scholars and missionaries appeared in the Woodstock Letters, including Pedro Arrupe, Pierre-Jean de Smet, Avery Dulles, Daniel Lord, Walter Hill, John Courtney Murray, Walter Ong, and Gustave Weigel. They provide an invaluable record of the work done by American Jesuits throughout the 19th and 20th Centuries.
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2017-2
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99 items
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1872-1969
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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Periodical
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Woodstock Letters - Volume 18 (1889)
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<a href="https://lccn.loc.gov/n81134877" target="_blank">Woodstock College (Woodstock, Md.)</a>
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<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh85021157.html" target="_blank">Catholic Church--Periodicals</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004994.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--19th century</a>
<a href="http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh87004995.html" target="_blank">Jesuits--History--20th century</a>
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1889 edition of the Woodstock Letters, "a record of current events and historical notes connected with the colleges and missions of the Society of Jesus."
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Jesuit Archives: Central United States
Contributor
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus
Jesuit Archives Central United States
Saint Louis University
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Text
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PDF
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JA-Woodstock-018
Source
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BX3701 .W66
Language
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eng
lat
Relation
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JA-Woodstock
Rights
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Reproduced with permission of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus. Permission to copy or publish must be obtained from the Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus; Jesuit Archives: Central United States
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2017-2
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411 pages
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1889